Africa
U.S. Justice Dept. Charges Harvard Kennedy School Fellow with Arms Trafficking
Harvard Kennedy School fellow Peter B. Ajak was charged with conspiring to illegally export “millions of dollars’ worth” of weapons to armed groups in South Sudan, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ruth Okediji Named Faculty Director of the Center for African Studies
Harvard Law School professor Ruth L. Okediji will serve as the faculty director of the University’s Center for African Studies, the center announced earlier this month.
Radcliffe Fellow Tsitsi Dangarembga Discusses the Consequences of Colonialism on Zimbabweans at Virtual Event
Tsitsi Dangarembga, a Radcliffe Institute Joy Foundation Fellow, discussed current crises facing Zimbabweans and their roots in colonialism in Southern Africa at a virtual event hosted by the Radcliffe Institute.
Harvard Kennedy School to Launch ‘Africa in Focus’ Discussion Series
The Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center is launching a new discussion series called Africa in Focus to explore recent political upheaval and significant foreign policy disputes within the continent.
Harvard Scientists Awarded NIH Grant for Data Science Initiative in Africa
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recieved an award from the National Institutes of Health last month for their program focused on improving data science in Africa.
Africa Journalist Quist-Arcton talks Career, Female Empowerment at Radcliffe Institute
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, an award-winning Africa journalist, spoke about her career and female empowerment in Africa at the Radcliffe Institute Thursday.
Former African Leaders Discuss Development at Harvard Kennedy School
The former leaders of Nigeria, Tanzania, and Cape Verde spoke about effective leadership and development in Africa at a forum hosted at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Africa’s Developmental Agenda
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Carlos Veiga, three former heads of state, spoke Wednesday about Africa’s developmental agenda.
Kennedy School Professor Calestous Juma Dies at 64
Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf said one of Juma’s outstanding characteristics was his tireless energy and “infectious enthusiasm.”
Military Takeover Stokes Uncertainty For Zimbabwean Students
“My mom had to tell me to go to sleep,” Muradzikwa said. “I was awake until around 4 a.m. trying to keep up to date with the rally that was going on. And my mom was like, ‘no, you need to sleep.’”
Harvard’s Office in Johannesburg Thriving in First Year
Harvard's office in Johannesburg, South Africa is up and running, hosting fellowships, roundtables, and research partnerships for Harvard affiliates in the region.
Law School Hosts African Development Conference
Harvard affiliates and locals interested in Africa gathered to discuss the continent’s future at the 7th annual African Development Conference, hosted at Harvard Law School this weekend.
African Development Conference at Harvard
Conference attendees engage in a panel at the seventh annual African Development Conference. Organized by graduate school students, the conference spurred discussion about the idea of the “African Renaissance” and about how to best advance the country’s development and growth.
Aliko Dangote
Nigerian entrepreneur Aliko Dangote Dangote, named Africa’s wealthiest business man by Forbes, speaks during an event hosted by the Center for African Studies. Caroline Elkins, the CAS faculty director who opened the event, highlighted Dangote’s impact on growing Nigeria’s economy, likening Dangote to names like Rockefeller and Jobs for his “impact as a business leader and the ways in which he has been a change engine for not only his country, but his continent.”
A Vibrant Attendance
Members of the greater community participate in the 6th Annual African Languages in the Disciplines Conference. The conference, which took place all day in the Barker Center, included talks on such topics as “Miscommunication during the Ebola Epidemic in Guinea and the Role of Local Languages in the Fight against the Disease.”
Candle-Light Vigil for African Lives Lost
“In the face of so much hate let’s show how deeply we love,” said the Harvard Law Women’s Law Association President Kenyon D. Colli at a vigil for Africans Wednesday evening. Here, students light each other’s candles before singing “Amazing Grace.” The Harvard African Law Association hosted the event in response to recent killings across the continent.
‘The Fishermen’ Will Reel You In
Using the story of four young brothers as a magnifying lens, in "The Fishermen" Chigozie Obioma delves into the ways in which belief can build the deepest of bonds, only to eviscerate them in an instant.
Nigerien President Calls for African Unity
Speaking to a packed audience Friday night, His Excellency Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger, called for African unity and a “new world governance."
Harvard Moves To Open Three New Offices Abroad
Harvard has authorized the opening of three new offices abroad in Cape Town, Beijing, and Mumbai, which would join the 16 existing international offices.
Former Tunisian PM Describes Country’s 'Start-Up Democracy'
Former Prime Minister of Tunisia Mehdi Jomaa spoke at Harvard’s Institute of Politics Thursday about his country’s sometimes tumultuous but ultimately successful transition into a fledgling “start-up democracy.”
Luminós/C/ity.Ordinary Joy
Last month saw the opening of the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery at the Hutchins Center, the first museum on Harvard’s campus dedicated solely to African and African American art. The inagural exhibition, creatively entitled Luminós/C/ity.Ordinary Joy, seeks to capture the multifaceted components that make up African city life through modern art. Equipped only with the knowledge of this title—which itself, I have to admit, wasn’t especially descriptive—I decided it was time to check out the new installation, located next to Peet’s Coffee in Harvard Square.