DEMOCRACY

Democracy is a liberal political order as well as a utopia and a far-reaching promise. Our projects promote conditions conducive to accountabilitiy, transparency and public participation with the aim of keeping democracy alive and developing it.

Moving Past Afrofuturism

Moving Past Afrofuturism

Interview
The international blockbuster Black Panther created a global awareness for the Afrofuturistic. However, a growing number of African creatives are pushing back against the term that was coined in the United States, seeking a more distilled way to describe their speculative work. Speculative-fiction author Rafeeat Aliyu speaks to writer, photographer and activist Masiyaleti Mbewe about a vision of the African future that Mbewe draws from her life and experiences in various African countries, including Zambia, where she was born, and Namibia, where she is currently based.
By Rafeeat Aliyu
Nigerian Migrants

Nigerian Migrants in China: Changing the Narrative

The Nigerian community in China is diverse and complex. Outside the gaze of Western media, much remains unknown about these people who have made China their home and the contribution they make to Nigeria’s development and SinoNigerian relations. All too often, academic journals and Nigerian newspapers focus their attention on illegal migration, drug trafficking, crime and imprisonment1, fuelling negative stereotypes and creating a simplistic understanding of the Nigerian diaspora in China. By looking beyond the headlines, this article seeks to contribute to a narrative closer to the lived experiences of Nigerian migrants in China.
Omenana

But Africans Don’t Do Speculative Fiction!

Interview
While stories about the “fantastic” have a long tradition in oral and written storytelling in Africa, the continent is rarely associated with speculative fiction. This is slowly changing, however. Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor’s award-winning books are reaching a mainstream audience. On the continent, several initiatives are working hard to change perceptions. Omenana, a tri-monthly magazine from Nigeria, has been publishing speculative-fiction writers from across Africa and the African diaspora since 2014. Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu, one of Omenana’s founders, spoke to Perspectives about the budding genre and the challenges it faces.

Are You Free on the Internet in Nigeria?

If passed into law, the so-called “Social Media Bill” before the Senate in December 2015 would impose penalties of two years in jail or fines up to 5 million Naira for using the internet to send ‘abusive statements’. The bill makes it the 38th bill which in whole or part attempts to limit freedom of speech online, invade internet privacy or introduce internet surveillance and policing in Nigeria. And there is more, as ‘Gbenga Sesan outlines in his report on Internet Governance in Nigeria.Download PDF

Nameless

Is it possible to conceive, write, edit and publish a book in 5 days? The Heinrich Boll Stiftung Nigeria office brought together some big names in Nigeria to write about the country they know and love so well. They ended up with a book called Nameless. What is Nameless you ask? “Nameless is a city. A country within borders. Abound less space of ideas. A cosmos with realities, stark and painful, quiet and loud. A space crippled by fears. Nameless is populated. West African. It is in the minds of its people, black and proud. Sometimes Nameless is human. An idea. Sometimes it is in the past. Often times it is the now. Other times, it is the future”.

Special: 40 Years CEDAW - The International Bill of Rights for Women

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40 years ago, on December 18th 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in by the United Nations General Assembly.

From the USA and Columbia to Senegal, Poland and Cambodia - our authors sum up the contributions CEDAW has made to the position, rights and everyday life of women in these countries and outline what is left to be done.