Africa Insight

Book review and commentary from an African perspective

Tadios Chisango — 2025-05-09

Carter Godwin Woodson’s, The Mis-education of the Negro, is a treatise that addresses the deeply entrenched structural and institutional forms of racism that were characteristic (and in some ways still are) of the United States education system, and thus miseducated, rather than educated Black people. The present work does not exactly fit the mould of a book review, but aims to draw lessons from the book that are still relevant to Black people around the world, and to those in Africa in particular. The goal of this article is to demonstrate how, albeit in a somewhat different but no less significant way, the African scholar of today is likewise profoundly miseducated, and to suggest that African scholars need a concrete, well-executed programme to reshape their educational systems so that they become more relevant to Black people.

United States-South African trade under Trump (2017-2021)

Bhaso Ndzendze — 2025-05-09

This article examines the pattern of two-way trade between the United States of America (US) and South Africa under the presidency of Donald Trump in the United States (2017 to 2021). Findings show that despite a politically frayed period with little diplomatic contact and political warmth, the countries saw continued growth in two-way trade in three of the four years under study, with year-on-year trade growth continuing even during the Covid-19 period. Moreover, the balance of trade favoured South Africa. The study also used trade data and interviews to compare US-South African trade relations during President Barack Obama’s second term and President Trump’s first. It was found that the 2012-2016 period showed a decline in two-way trade every year. Insight gained from several interviews conducted provided causal explanations for what may be termed a politically cold but economically hot relationship between South Africa and the US under President Trump.

Cultural blues and the ‘Blue Economy’ in Namibia

Timoteus Kadhila — 2025-05-09

This article considers the intractable problem of a depressed economy attending to socioeconomic needs and meeting national and global climate change imperatives. The key argument is that it may be challenging to meet the urgent needs of a sustainable economy in Namibia while striving for ocean conservation. Drawing on field-based research done in coastal areas in Namibia (from Walvis Bay to Luderitz), the authors argue that there is a need to empower competent local authorities on ocean management to ensure a more empowering and economically sustainable outcome from proposed ocean development in the country. However, these empowerment processes need to consider the real and pernicious challenges of agency, the problem of corruption and the inclusion of the generally isolated communities in the area. The article considers these issues to be part of the ‘blues’ of the Blue Economy. The final argument of the paper is that specific, directed, concerted action is needed in the field of high-level ocean governance, in order to dispel these blues and ensure a sustainable Blue Economy in Namibia.

The socio-political impact of xenophobic violence in South Africa and strategies for deterrence

Molelekwa Katlego Kenneth — 2025-05-09

In 2008, 2015 and 2022, South Africa experienced the scourge of xenophobia. The latest of these incidents also saw the emergence of Operation Dudula, a vigilante group that advocated for the expulsion of immigrants from South Africa. One of the main reasons given was that immigrants were perpetrating criminal activities. As most African immigrants in South Africa are not registered with a trade union, they are often targeted by the business world as cheap labour. Unfortunately, this ends up giving the impression that foreigners are taking jobs from South Africans. Using documentary analysis, this article unpacks the factors behind xenophobic incidents often experienced in South Africa and its socio-political impact. It is argued that there is a need to look at these violent incidents from a more informed perspective to deal with the root causes. Whereas most studies on xenophobia have focused on its repercussions, this article takes a different approach: It argues that the root cause of xenophobia needs to be examined more closely from an African perspective. The African Renaissance perspective was embraced in writing this article because it is considered more encompassing than other perspectives.

Induku enhle igawulwa ezizweni as a premise for curriculum transformation

Nompumelelo Zodwa Radebe — 2025-05-09

This paper aims to illustrate the African way of producing knowledge as a foundation for curriculum transformation. I use the isiZulu proverb, induku enhle igawulwa ezizweni (a beautiful rod is found in faraway lands), to show a different conceptualisation of reality and knowledge by African people in general and amaZulu in particular. This conceptualisation is used to show how curriculum transformation can be developed from an African perspective. This changes the trajectory of knowledge production in the academy – the body of scholars, which is centred on Western epistemology. I conclude by arguing that taking knowledge production processes outside Western epistemology plays a pivotal role in curriculum transformation to the extent that we transcend the Western canon and open it up to the canon of knowledges for the betterment of our society.

The European Union’s promotion of democracy in Africa

Christopher Amrobo Enemuwe — 2025-05-09

The European Union (EU) has promoted democracy in Nigeria through foreign policy, international agreements, and civil society support. However, these strategies and approaches often lack substantive action due to migration politics, geostrategic interests, and weakening democratic conditionalities. These factors undermine the normative foundations of democracy promotion within development cooperation, shifting Brussels’ focus away from political conditionalities that reinforce state accountability. By weakening mechanisms such as those enshrined in the Cotonou Agreement, this divergence dilutes the EU’s capacity to leverage democratic commitments as a prerequisite for sustained cooperation. A qualitative case study design was used for this research, and findings indicate that for the EU to be recognised as a significant promoter of democratic values in Nigeria, it must adopt targeted measures that enhance its democracy promotion efforts. These measures include implementing political conditionalities embedded in development cooperation agreements, enforcing targeted sanctions against actors involved in electoral malpractice within the government, and strengthening political dialogue in a manner comparable to the existing EU-Nigeria Business Forum. Therefore, rather than a mere rhetorical commitment, democracy promotion in Nigeria requires a strategic recalibration – one that integrates conditional incentives and enforcement mechanisms to reinforce democratic accountability and institutional resilience.