Book Launch: Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa, May 9 2016 @ Rift Valley Institute Office

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Date: May 9, 2016
Venue: Rift Valley Institute Office, Seminar Room
Time: 2-4 pm
Entry: Prior registration

About
In 2013, almost half of Africa’s top aid recipients were ruled by authoritarian regimes. Many international donors such as USAID, DFID, the World Bank and the European Commission have had their policies entangled with the agendas of the ruling elites. Development policies are thus shaped with a view to maintain the status quo, compromising the rights and democracy of local citizens. This book raises the question: to what extent are foreign aid programmes actually perpetuating authoritarian rule?

On 9 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum will host the launch of Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa, edited by Tobias Hagmann and Filip Reyntjens.

The book highlights the political and moral complexities that emerge from the relationship between foreign aid and autocratic governments in Africa. It brings to light changing donor interests and rhetoric, as well as the impact of foreign aid on military assistance, rural development, electoral processes and domestic politics in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mozambique and Angola.

Find more information about this event and registration details, here

Event: The Politics of Peace in the Ogaden, Mar. 2 2016 @ Rift Valley Institute Office

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Date: March 2, 2016
Venue: Rift Valley Institute Office
Time: 2-4 pm
Entry: Prior RSVP. Register here

About
The armed conflict between the Ogaden National Liberation Front and the Ethiopian state is one of the longest running conflicts in the Horn of Africa. While multi-ethnic federalism, enshrined in Ethiopia’s 1995 Constitution, held the promise of improved relations between the people of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian federal government, repeated attempts over the last two decades to end the conflict and forge a political settlement have not born fruit. Mistrust and historical grievances continue to drive a conflict that keeps the Somali Regional State insecure and under-developed and threatens peace in other areas of the Horn.

On Wednesday 2 March, the Rift Valley Forum will host a panel of researchers and specialists undertaking a study for Conciliation Resources (www.c-r.org) on the Ogaden conflict in Ethiopia. The work forms part of the DFID funded Political Settlements Research Program (www.politicalsettlements.org). The panel will share the findings of the study and reflect on the prospects for a stable political settlement in the region.

Cover of Kintu. | Photo via RVI

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi on Culture, Ethnicity and Politics in Uganda, Sept. 18 2015 @ Rift Valley Institute Office

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Cover of Kintu. | Photo via RVI
Date: Friday September 18, 2015
Time: 3pm – 5pm
Venue: Seminar Room , Rift Valley Institute Office
Location: Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa
Entry: Prior Registration

On Friday September 18 at 3pm, the Nairobi Forum will host Ugandan writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, whose novel Kintu won the 2013 Kwani? Manuscript Prize. The novel follows the adventures of Kintu Kidda and generations of his heirs, telling the story of a family and a nation contending with the burdens of the colonial past while seeking to reconcile tradition with the modern world. Jennifer will join Tom Odhiambo, Lecturer in Literature at the University of Nairobi, for a conversation about history, culture and ethnicity in Ugandan politics.
The event will be held at the Rift Valley Institute’s offices in Kileleshwa. Copies of Kintu will be available for purchase. Entrance is by prior registration only.

Register here