USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Africa Is a Country Weekend Special, Mar 11: Good vs bad people, South Africa's energy crisis, African modernity in Addis + more

Good vs bad people Although Bola Tinubu is the official victor of Nigeria's presidential contest (under contentious circumstances), it was another candidate, Peter Obi, who ultimately stole the show. Obi's campaign garnered a tremendous amount of youth energy, largely concentrated in Nigeria's main economic centers, Lagos and Abuja. In the eyes of many Nigerians, Obi was a refreshing alternative to the establishment mold—a "good governance" man who would break the corruption streak entrenched in Nigerian politics. We do not know what an Obi presidency would have looked like—the man himself spoke very little by way of concrete proposals, and more in vague platitudes—but a platform based exclusively on superficial anti-corruption without being anchored on a genuinely transformative program, inevitably reproduces the same undemocratic pathologies that stymie our political systems. And his economic program was garden variety neoliberal. The figure exemplifying this type par excellence was former Tanzanian president John Magufuli, whose anti-corruption provided cover for a sharp authoritarian turn. It's not surprising when this happens. If a leader fails to mobilize the popular sovereignty of the masses, indeed if their very rise is premised on their unmediated support (in Obi's case, his online and youthful base known as Obidients), then they will only know how to wield power by fiat. Coupled with conditions that make rule by executive power seem favorable and efficient, and "good governance" becomes a trojan horse for old-school autocracy. "Good governance" and "law and order" turn out to be programmatic complements. Politics is reduced to narrow, moralistic questions of competent administration of the state, and all good governance populists style themselves as the right person for the job, unafraid to "clean out" corruption and restore balance and functioning to the state. All questions about what the state is for, who it and who it serves, are obscured—it must simply be preened. In South Africa, where I live, those caching on rising discontent, most vocally expressed by the country's middle class, are the types vowing to discipline the country from its waywardness. Former Operation Dudula leader, businessman, and nativist, Nhlanhla Lux, for example, scores social media points by calling for the country to be ruled by a "benevolent dictator." In Brazil, we saw what happened when someone rose in popularity on a similar bill as an honest, uncorrupt, man of renewal. We must beware of tendencies to saviorism. Investing one person with all of our political hopes only hardens the depoliticization that makes them appear novel in the first place, and oversimplifies complex political problems to Manichean terms of good versus bad people. Tinubu's win was a bad day for Nigerian society, but it's unclear that an Obi win would have been a good day. No candidate whose followers style themselves as "Obidients" can be a harbinger for good. It is an example of precisely the dynamic that needs breaking. The task is to convince the masses of their agency. – Will Shoki, deputy editor Shop Africa Is a Country Across our vast land Catch up on any of our posts you may have missed from the last week One of the great events in global labor history 2023 marks 50 years since the Durban Strikes. It doesn't fit neatly fit into mainstream accounts of the struggle against South African apartheid. Porters of colonial legacies By looking through the lenses of Brussels' diverse youth, 'The Porters' questions the ways Belgium fails to deal with its colonial past. The dust, towers and false promises of modern Ethiopia Successive Ethiopian governments have continued a 'modernizing' project that not only offers people false dreams, but actively dislocates them from the things that gave them purpose in the past. A country of spectacular stories A few days after Nigeria's presidential elections, with a disputed winner declared, here are some initial conclusions and prospects. Why is Egyptian social media against black pharaohs? The notion that black people were kings in Ancient Egypt is generating a social media backlash. Understanding the racialized legacy of Egyptology can explain why. The vanguard of Black American transnationalism in Zimbabwe Tommie Sankange was the first black American public figure permanently residing in Zimbabwe who was not a missionary. Why don't we know more about her? The people have spoken In its first few years, the magazine 'Révolution Africaine' opened possibilities for Franco-Algerian cooperation. It was then co-opted by the state. Outside the field of African art Asking whether white people should curate African art anymore, may be outdated. Instead we should ask: what is African art now and does the category matter anymore? Emancipation that costs servitude Filmmaker Khady Sylla amplifies the voices of and gives visibility to the domestic workers tending to the homes of Africa's middle classes. Reading List: Zikhona Valela The author of 'Now You Know How Mapetla Died,' a book on the murder of a leading Black Consciousness leader, writes about her research. South Africa's energy crisis Why is South Africa suffering from up to 12 hours of blackouts a day? On this podcast, we explain the country's energy crisis. Something Extra If you get a chance, check out Nyasha Laing's film, "Kumina Queen," about a Congolese spiritual practice in postcolonial Jamaica, which is a driving force in the country's culture and identity. DONATE Africa Is a Country 388 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn NY 11217

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