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Geeska Website

Thursday 7 November 2024

Opinion
Opinion

Politics

Politics
Turkish press review: Oruç Reis in Somalia

Ebuzer Demirci reviews how Turkish media outlets covered the arrival of seismic research vessel Oruç Reis in Somali waters.  The arrival of Oruç Reis in Somali waters, escorted by the Turkish navy, was met with tremendous enthusiasm in Somalia.

Politics
Chad’s role in Sudan’s civil war 

Chad and Sudan have historically been inseparable due to communities that straddle the borders of both countries. Chad’s role in Sudan’s civil war today is rooted in this history, but is also defined by a new geopolitical landscape. Chad’s involvement in Sudan’s ongoing conflict raises crucial questions about regional stability and shifting alliances under the leadership of Mohamed Idriss Déby, commonly known as Kaka.

Politics
Somaliland elections: Kulmiye vs Wadani on foreign policy 

Somaliland’s two leading political parties have competing visions for the republic’s place in the world.

Politics
How Sudan’s army made gains against RSF 

Sudan’s army began an offensive against Rapid Support Forces at the end of September and has gained the initiative against the paramilitary group partially by relying on international support.   Since military clashes began in Sudan 17 months ago between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the conflict has resulted in the world’s worst and largest humanitarian crisis.

Politics
What does Africa want?

To navigate multipolarity, the continent needs a common narrative that strategically mediates its conversations with China and other world powers.With the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) fetching a commitment to a three-year funding envelope of US$51 billion, along with a promise of a million jobs from China, African leaders appear to have secured concessions from China. After all, Africa is that continent where unemployment is imploding into street protests with all sorts of implications.

Opinion

Sahle-Work’s legacy

Sahle-Work Zewde made history as Ethiopia’s first female president. Her legacy, however, will be defined by her selective outrage towards the violence of the Abiy era.

The problem with Bihi’s paternalism

A second Bihi presidency poses a threat to democracy in Somaliland. The public must test his commitment to step down if he loses—and send him into retirement.

Rwanda without the PR

The world is slowly opening its eyes to how Paul Kagame’s regime abuses human rights, suppresses dissent

When a man becomes a symbol

The footage of Sinwar’s last stand against Israel transformed him from a man into a potent symbol. That image will resonate with Palestinians and people worldwide for generations to come. Government is a business that is prone to frequent error. Politicians miscalculate, misjudge, or sometimes react impulsively to developments around them instead of strategically considering what the moment demands. 

Kenya’s neglected northern peripheries 

The economic boom in Kenya’s major urban areas has not extended to the northern parts of the country, which remain neglected backwaters. Germany’s unification experience offers important lessons for addressing these disparities.   Kenya’s rapid urban development, particularly in cities such as Nairobi, reflects a narrative of economic transformation.

Culture

Thoughts
Hussein Bulhan on the colonial partition of the Horn

In 1980, Somali scholar and anti-imperialist psychiatrist Hussein Bulhan wrote a paper on the colonial partitioning of the Horn of Africa and its effects on the Somali psyche. He ambitiously attempted to sketch out its impact on the Somali mind and culture.

Thoughts
Tom Farer: an American in 60s Mogadishu

Tom Farer recalls his time in Mogadishu as a legal assistant and his friendship with Mohamed Abshir, who served as the commander of the Somali police before being ousted in the 1969 coup.  In early September 1963, I found myself stepping off a plane onto the hot tarmac of Mogadishu’s airport. It was a quiet and barren place—just a strip of runway stretching between low dunes, with only a passing camel to bear witness. The rusted steps I descended seemed to belong to a forgotten world.

Culture
The sartorial politics of the kadamul in Sudan

The kadamul, a Sahelian cloth that covers the head and face, is closely associated in Sudan with Arab militiamen and the RSF. However, it is also a shared part of the culture of desert tribes, many of which oppose the RSF. The kadamul, a large, colourful turban worn by supporters of the Sudanese Armed Forces from armed movements originating in the Darfur region (western Sudan), has sparked some confusion.

Culture
Tewolde Redda: the voice of the people’s cause

Author and researcher Mohamed Kheir Omer reflects on the life and work of the musician Tewolde Redda.   Tewolde Redda is one of Eritrea’s most prominent artists, renowned for his commitment to the people’s cause. His legendary song Shegey Habuni (Give Me My Torch), first performed in 1965 at Cinema Odeon, resonates as a powerful cry for freedom. Despite its metaphorical lyrics, the song has been widely interpreted as a call to regain liberty, and its relevance endures to this day.  

Art
What is Africanfuturism?  

 yo, bust this Black to the future, back to the past, Def Jam  

Culture
Skin bleaching in Somalia 

The widespread use of skin-bleaching products among Somalis is detrimental to both individual health and our collective understanding of beauty.    In Somalia, skin bleaching has become a major part of the cosmetics industry, driven by elite business groups who import hazardous and harmful products for consumers. Since the collapse of Somalia’s central government in the early 1990s, skin bleaching has risen as a widespread phenomenon.

Books
Echoes of a broken revolution

Back to Mogadishu: Memoirs of a Somali Herder provides a poignant account of the Somali Democratic Republic’s tumultuous decline.

Thoughts
What I’ve learnt telling Somali diaspora stories

Photographer and storyteller Mohamed Mohamud reflects on nearly a decade of documenting the stories of the worldwide Somali diaspora.  Diasporas exist for a variety of reasons. Some people migrate in search of economic opportunities, others leave their homelands due to persecution, while empires can facilitate movement within their territories. In other cases, natural disasters, famines and droughts force communities to flee. So where does the Somali diaspora story start?  

Multimedia

History as a tool for change; an interview with Hakim Adi

Professor Hakim Adi, the first professor of the history of African heritage in the UK, speaks to Geeska about Pan-Africanism, Africa’s relationship with China, and his belief in history as a tool for change.Professor Hakim Adi is a prominent British-Nigerian pan-African.

Fanon in Somali

Why have I dedicated myself to this arduous task, you may wonder? Well, as Fanon himself eloquently stated in his treatise, “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity.”

🎬 How did the West get away with Lumumba’s assassination?

Stuart Reid’s new book, The Lumumba Plot, revisits Patrice Lumumba’s assassination, with strong insight into the role of the US in assassinating Lumumba and bringing down the government of one of Africa’s most iconic leaders. 

🎬 Who can live without a port?

Leaders across the Horn of Africa have touted the innumerable benefits of building ports for their people, putting them at the heart of their projects to develop their regions. 

🎬 What Palestine means for South Africa

South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the ICJ on charges of genocide could cost his country, says former South African ambassador and anti-apartheid activist Ebrahim Rasool, but is an act of “enormous integrity” 

Interviews

Interviews
Oliver Tambo: “imperialism does not localize”

In 1973, Josie Fanon interviewed then-ANC president Oliver Tambo about Israel and apartheid South Africa. Originally printed in French, it is now available in English for the first time.In July 2021, the chair of the African Union Commission granted observer status to Israel. Several member states immediately condemned the decision, with South Africa and Algeria emerging as the most vocal opponents.

Interviews
Yousra Elbagir on Sudan: “war will not define us”

Sudanese-British journalist Yousra Elbagir speaks to Geeska about the challenges and complexities of covering over a year of conflict in her home country and the stories of resilience which have inspired her throughout.  Yousra Elbagir is the Africa correspondent for the London-based British news channel Sky News. Over the past year, she has been one of the few journalists to regularly visit Sudan to report on the war there.  

Interviews
Ahmed Kaballo on why African Stream was de-platformed

Ahmed Kaballo, CEO of African Stream, speaks to Geeska about why his organisation was de-platformed, the importance of anti-imperialist voices in African media, and why independent and dissident outlets need new platforms to carry their content.   On 13 September, many were surprised when the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, appeared in place of the usual spokesperson, Matthew Miller, for the daily press briefing.

Interviews
History as a tool for change; an interview with Hakim Adi

Professor Hakim Adi, the first professor of the history of African heritage in the UK, speaks to Geeska about Pan-Africanism, Africa’s relationship with China, and his belief in history as a tool for change.Professor Hakim Adi is a prominent British-Nigerian pan-African intellectual and historian. Adi is also the first Brit of African heritage to become a professor of history in the UK.

Interviews
What do checkpoints tells us about how Somali clans relate to land?

In a newly published paper, a group of researchers argue that checkpoints in Somalia provide us with an opportunity to explore and think about how clans make claims to land and why, in a new analysis that has important implications for how we think about Somali state-building.  In early August, Jethro Norman published a working paper along with two colleagues, Abdirahman Edle Ali and Peer Schouten (Mr Roadblock), exploring the operations of checkpoints in Somalia.