School of International Relations & Diplomacy

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Browsing School of International Relations & Diplomacy by Subject "Africa"

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    African National Anthems: Their Value System and Normative 'Potential
    (Kyoto University, 2018-03) Onditi, Francis
    Arguably, a national anthem defines a country’s identity. Globally, it regarded as a symbol of national unity. In Africa, they assert a country’s independence from colonial imperialism. Despite their strong symbolism and nationalistic ingenuity, national anthems have remained latent in both academic and policy discourses. Moreover, they not only exhibit nationalistic elements, but also propagandistic, aggressive or even chauvinistic constructs. In view of this dichotomy, the debate continues to deepen as the dilemma unveils, how to reconcile the positive elements of the national anthems with the antagonistic lyrics they produce in order to promote values and norms for full realization of ‘African potentials?’ Drawing upon Ian Manners’s concept of ‘normative power,’ this article employs thematic network analysis tools to examine the pattern of lyrics within the African national anthems as potential sources of ‘norms’ for framing the philosophy of ‘African potentials.’ This article goes beyond the common argument that national anthems are historical effgies to discover the ‘potentials’ within the diversity of constructs emerging from their lyrics and thematic network analytics.
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    Introduction to the Special Issue: Women, Leadership, and Peace in Africa
    (African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review,, 2017) Cheeseman, Nic; Onditi, Francis; D'Alessandro, Cristina
    Are women empowered enough to make peace in Africa? Despite over two decades of multiparty politics, the answer appears to be “no,” if we start by looking at the formal political realm. In general, women remain marginalized within African political systems. To date, there have only been three female presidents (i.e., not including “acting” presidents) on the continent since the reintroduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s: Ellen Sirleaf Johnson in Liberia, Joyce Banda in Malawi, and Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim in Mauritius. Of these three, only two—Sirleaf Johnson and Gurib-Fakim—secured their position by winning an election (Joyce Banda assumed power after Bingu wa Mutharika died in office and lost the next general election). In many countries, the picture at the legislative level is similarly bleak. In 2015, there were many countries in Africa in which women made up less than 10% of members of parliament. For example, that year only 5.6% of the Nigerian legislature was female (Tripp forthcoming).
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    Why most African states may be at war with each other in 2063
    (University of Johannesburg, 2019-10) Onditi, Francis; Kithiia, Shadrack Mulei
    The year 2063 is important to the AU and the African people. Aside from the fact that, by then, many African states will be celebrating 100 years’ independence, this is also the year that the goals listed in the Agenda 2063 should have been achieved. The Agenda 2063, which was created in 2015, groups its objectives into four broad categories: inclusive growth; integration; governance; security; cultural identity; women and youth; and partnership. However, the Agenda does not consider the influence of war and conflict. The failure to anticipate and put in place measures for mitigating the impacts of such events means that the goals of the Agenda 2063 are less likely to be achieved.