Newsletter - November 2011
Newsletter - November 2011

Urban imaginaries

Editorial by Andrew Byerley

NAI researcher Andrew Byerley.

The Urban Dynamics research cluster at NAI has just been awarded funding for a three-year research project entitled ‘Urban Imaginaries and Socio-Economic Exclusion’. In this editorial, NAI researcher and cluster member Andrew Byerley looks at the study of African urban futures and the process of ‘redevelopmentalism’.

Thumbs up for agro-investment project

Last week it was announced that the Swedish Research Council Formas will issue a research grant worth 3 million SEK for the project "Large scale agro investments in Africa – impacts on small holder land access and food security". The project is led by NAI researcher Kjell Havnevik. The project has also been granted 2.6 million SEK from the Sida Department for Research Cooperation, SAREC.

NAI attends CODESRIA meeting

The XIIIth CODESRIA General Assembly entitled “Africa and the Challenges of the Twenty First Century” takes place between 5 and 9 December in Rabat, Morocco. NAI director Carin Norberg and NAI senior researchers Fantu Cheru and Kjell Havnevik will participate. Kjell Havnevik will present a paper on biofuel expansion in Tanzania and the role of Swedish investors. Fantu Cheru will attend the meeting as a special guest of CODESRIA.

“Brings back old memories”

Dr Albertinah Luthuli.

Two symposia in commemoration of the awarding of the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize to Chief Albert Luthuli and Dag Hammarskjöld took place in Uppsala on 8 November and Oslo on 11 November. Albertinah Luthuli was one a number of invited guests from South Africa. She spoke on the legacies of her father and Hammarskjöld. The symposia in Oslo included a panel discussion in which Ingrid Fiskaa, State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated. Read an interview with Albertinah Luthuli.

New take on Africa’s global role

"Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century", a new volume edited by NAI senior researcher Fantu Cheru, Scarlett Cornelissen and Timothy M. Shaw, provides fresh assessments of Africa’s place in the international arena. Find out more about the book and how to order it.

Unearthing earliest agriculture

In a series of pictures, NAI researcher Terje Oestigaard reports from an archaeological excavation site in Ethiopia. The pictures show the meticulous work by PhD student Gedef Abawa Firew in seeking evidence of the earliest domestic agriculture in Ethiopia. See the pictures and find out more about Terje's research project.

Liberians voted despite boycott

NAI researcher Mats Utas reflects on the recent elections in Liberia on his blog. He also makes observations on the security situation in Monrovia, the country's natural resource boom and role of Robert Sirleaf, the son of the sitting president.

Volatile Congo going to polls

– There is a great deal of discontent and frustration, says NAI researcher Maria Eriksson Baaz about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC, still plagued by army and militia violence, will hold general elections on 28 November. Maria recently returned from the North Kivu province in the DRC. Read an interview with Maria.

Thoughts on circumcision law

In a new article on NAI Forum, Cecilia Bäcklander, Swedish journalist and TV producer, reflects on the Kenyan parliament’s decision to pass a law against female circumcision. Visit www.naiforum.org to read all the latest articles and comments and learn how to subscribe to new articles and share them with your friends online.

New publications

“When the State Fails: Studies on Intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War” by Tunde Zack-Williams.

“Spontaneous or premeditated? Post-Election Violence in Kenya” by Godwin R. Murunga.

“The Elite as a Critical Factor in National Development: The case of Botswana” by David Sebudubudu and Patrick Molutsi.

“The Zimbabwean Nation-State Project: A Historical Diagnosis of Identity and Power-based Conflicts in a Postcolonial State” by Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni.

“Why Humanitarian Aid in Darfur is not a Practice of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’” by Jide Okeke.

"Recovery and Development Politics: Options for Sustainable Peacebuilding in Northern Uganda" by Florence Odora Adong.

"Ethnicity and Democratisation in Africa: Challenges for Politics and Development" by Osita A. Agbu.

"Gender and Security in Africa: An Overview" by Cheryl Hendricks.

"Democratic Governance and Accountability in Africa: In Search of a Workable Framework" by Adebayo O. Olukoshi.

"Water and climate change in Africa – from causes to consequences" by Terje Oestigaard.

Watch filmed seminar

Watch the seminar "The Paradoxes of Displacement" with Amanda Hammar, MSO Professor of African Studies at the Centre of African Studies, Copenhagen University. The event took place in the NAI library on 9 November.

Vacancy

Research Director. Closing date for applications: 30 November, 2011.

Vendors lose out in Maputo

The tenth All Africa Games took place in Mozambique in September. Hosting the major multi-sport event was promoted as an opportunity to showcase the nation’s capacity to the world and instill a sense of national pride. But did the games live up to these expectations? NAI researcher Ilda Lindell, who is studying informal workers and particularly urban vendors, was in Maputo when the event kicked off on 3 September. Read an interview with Ilda.

Upcoming events

"The Future of Development Research: Exploring the Nordic perspective(s)" – conference in Copenhagen on 24-25 November.

“Sexual Violence and the Concept of the Human” – seminar on 25 November, Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen. NAI researcher Maria Eriksson Baaz is one of the speakers.

“Poverty, Water and Local Development” – seminar on 28-30 November in Kampala, Uganda. NAI is co-organising the cross-continental and interdisciplinary seminar on water governance.

"Field research in Rwanda" – seminar on 30 November at Engelska Parken in Uppsala. NAI researcher Anne Kubai will give a presentation.

“Tanzania – 50 years of independence” – seminar on 2 December, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg. NAI researchers Kjell Havnevik and Francis Matambalya will participate. More information on http://www.facebook.com/SvenskTanzaniska.

“Celebrating 50 Years of Tanzania in Nordic Countries: Reflections and Prospects” – seminar on 9 December at 10 am, Rosenbad Conference Centre, Stockholm. NAI researcher Francis Matambalya gives a keynote presentation.

"The Concept of Food Security" – seminar on 14 December, NAI library. With NAI researcher Kjell Havnevik and Atakilte Beyene. More information about the seminar will soon be available on NAI’s website and Facebook page.