The pandemic has necessitated the creation of new methodological tools and ethical practices, as well as the adaptation of older practices, to meet the challenges faced by researchers and the researched. Researchers have been confronted with the dilemma of either canceling field research, postponing it indefinitely, or continuing, with the attendant risks to their own health and the health of their informants.
Essays
Essays present critical analysis and debate on a pressing issue in African peacebuilding.
Conflict
The Challenge of Mothering in the Context of Violent Conflict: How War Is Impacting Women in Tigray, Ethiopia
by Sela Muyoka Musundi
On June 22, 2021, the Ethiopian Air Force conducted an aerial bombardment of a busy marketplace in the village of Togoga, in Tigray, Ethiopia, causing the deaths of at least 64 people and injuring 180 others. Although Ethiopian military sources claimed that the victims were combatants, health-care workers and local residents who witnessed the incident […]
Africa
Understanding Gender Complementarity in Igbo Society: The Role of Ụmụada and Ụmụnna in Peacebuilding
by Ngozi Ugo Emeka-Nwobia
Introduction This essay argues that gender roles and relations in peacebuilding in Igbo society are complementary against the background of some misconceptions about the social relationships and cultures of the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria. Of note is the portrayal of Igbo women by some scholars as being subservient, inferior, voiceless, and mere appendages to […]
Africa
Between Hopes and Nightmares: A Reflection on Armed Conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Two Years into President Tshisekedi’s Administration
by Justin B. Munyakazi
Two years into President Tshisekedi’s administration, people continue to go through harrowing experiences in the conflict zones of the eastern DRC.
Africa
Genocidal Rape? The Tigray Conflict and Women’s Bodies as a Battleground
by Sela Muyoka Musundi
In the early hours of November 4, 2020, the armed wing of the former ruling party of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), attacked several federal military bases across Tigray including the military’s Northern Command headquarters in the capital Mekelle and killed or captured and detained soldiers and raided several armories. […]
Africa
Kenya-US Relations under Joe Biden’s Presidency: Prospects and Challenges
by Linnet Hamasi
Under Joe Biden’s presidency, there are certain expectations that the new US administration will pay more attention to and provide adequate support for addressing the fallouts of the terrorist attacks borne by Kenya over the years.
Essays
“Please, I Can’t Breathe”: The Liège Tag and European “Sadonarcissism”
by Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka
One might therefore ask: why does Europe not understand the slogan "Please, I can't breathe," or "Black Lives Matter," as a symbol for the tragedies that Black people have had to endure for several centuries and the perpetuation of white privilege? Why does Europe find it so hard to understand that the condition for a peaceful and shared world depends on looking at history in the face, and confronting its own injustices?
Reflections on the SSRC-SFCG Conference and Consultations with Policy Makers and Practitioners
Reflections on the Two-Day Conference and Policy Forums in Washington, DC, March 5-6, 2020
by Pamela Chepngetich Mainye
On March 5 and 6, 2020 I was given the opportunity to be part of the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Search for Common Ground’s (SFCG) conference on “Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African Perspectives,” followed by a day of consultations with government agencies and think […]
Reflections on the SSRC-SFCG Conference and Consultations with Policy Makers and Practitioners
Reflections on the Washington, DC Conference and Consultations, March 5-6, 2020
by Christelle Amina Djouldé
I was honored to be a part of a panel on “Understanding Chronic Crisis,” featuring myself and two other African Peacebuilding Network (APN) alumni, Titilope Ajayi and Pamela Chepngetich, at a conference on “Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African perspectives.” The conference was organized by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) […]
Reflections on the SSRC-SFCG Conference and Consultations with Policy Makers and Practitioners
Reflections on the Washington, DC Advocacy Trip, March 5-6, 2020
by Titilope Ajayi
Having worked in the gender-skewed field of conflict for over 15 years, I was very excited to be part of an all-women delegation of the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) alumnae to Washington, DC. We started our meetings with a panel discussion on “Understanding Chronic Crises,” at the conference held on […]