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One of the debates we engage with on this UG3 optional Politics course concerns the\u00a0successes and limitations of electoral\u00a0 politics and democracy in Africa. This year, I used the\u00a0Diversify the Curriculum fund to bring a guest lecturer back to\u00a0 Manchester. Dr Mitterand\u00a0Okorie (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa) to give a talk to the students on elections\u00a0and security policing in Nigeria in March 2026.<\/p>\n
The starting point for the student discussion centred on two contrasting BBC news articles. In\u00a0December 2024<\/a>, the BBC proclaimed a positive year for opposition parties, with ruling\u00a0parties defeated in Ghana, Botswana, Mauritius, Senegal and the\u00a0 self-declared republic of\u00a0Somaliland. In contrast, a December 2025<\/a> BBC news article announced a \u201cdifficult year\u201d for\u00a0democracy\u00a0 in Africa, with protestors against a rigged election being shot by the government\u00a0in Tanzania in October, and military coups in\u00a0 Madagascar and Guinea Bissau, as well as an\u00a0attempted coup in Benin. After discussing some of the difficulties inherent in\u00a0 identifying\u00a0\u201cregional trends\u201d or a continent-wide \u201cstory\u201d across very different countries and contexts,\u00a0Mitterand gave the\u00a0 students a deep-dive discussion of Nigerian democracy and some of the\u00a0problems faced by (and caused by) the police in\u00a0 providing security during election\u00a0campaigns.<\/p>\n The discussion then moved to a comparison of democracy and elections in Nigeria and South\u00a0Africa. Both countries have had recent high\u00a0 profile elections: in 2023 Bola Tinubu won\u00a0election as President of Nigeria; Cyril Ramaphosa has been president of South Africa since\u00a02018 but in the 2024 election the ANC failed to win an outright majority for the first time\u00a0since the end of apartheid. Mitterand has extensive\u00a0 experience in both countries and the\u00a0students appreciated his first hand knowledge of democratic politics in both cases, as well as\u00a0his reflections on the research process.<\/p>\n This year we followed the lecture with a short recorded discussion that was then circulated to\u00a0students as a video on Canvas. I asked Mitterand for his thoughts in response to three\u00a0questions: What are the biggest myths about African politics, and how can we challenge\u00a0them? What are the main causes of the violence and insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria,\u00a0and is international intervention such as the US Christmas Day airstrikes appropriate? What\u00a0are some of the implications you see in the rise of generative AI for African politics,\u00a0 and for\u00a0research on African politics? His answers were thoughtful and nuanced and student feedback\u00a0was that they greatly appreciated his\u00a0 lecture and the video discussion. The video will be made\u00a0available to students in future years too.<\/p>\n The question about myths directly links to the central aims of the course: to critically contest\u00a0myths and stereotypes about African politics.\u00a0 Informed by postcolonial theory, the course\u00a0explores the ways in which \u201cAfrica\u201d has been represented within unequal global power\u00a0relations, and the ways in which coloniality and capitalism reproduce intersectional\u00a0inequalities of class, race, gender and sexuality.<\/p>\n The last question arose from the closer discussion we have had this over the implications of\u00a0the rise of generative AI for studying African\u00a0 politics. This links to core methodological and\u00a0ethical questions we discuss, such as: What does it mean to \u201cstudy Africa\u201d from Manchester?\u00a0Whose accounts of African politics are privileged and whose are marginalised? How does\u00a0\u201cAfrican Studies\u201d challenge or\u00a0 reproduce inequitable power relations? What does\u00a0decolonisation mean in this context?<\/p>\n I have taught the course since 2014, and as a white, male, English speaking, middle-class\u00a0academic I devote considerable attention to\u00a0 discussing issues of positionality, authority, and\u00a0alternative epistemologies with students during the semester. We also reflect on how\u00a0 \u2018African\u00a0Studies\u2019 is taught in the UK context and the continuing inequalities in UK academia,\u00a0particularly in terms of Black professors and\u00a0 lecturers. The course draws upon a diverse and\u00a0African-centred reading list, and we make frequent use of videos, podcasts and other\u00a0 online\u00a0materials that centre African perspectives on global politics. However, it is important not to\u00a0miss out on opportunities to allow\u00a0 students to engage in person with African experts. In the\u00a0context of our discussions about the ways in which African perspectives are often\u00a0marginalised in International Relations, it is important for all students \u2013 and is often\u00a0especially welcomed by the many students of\u00a0 African heritage who take this course \u2013 to see\u00a0and hear African academics as authoritative knowledge-producers. I remain very grateful for\u00a0the Diversify the Curriculum fund for enabling me to bring visiting speakers to participate in\u00a0our discussions.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”3.17.6″ show_avatar=”on” show_reply=”on” show_count=”on” background_layout=”light” header_font_size_tablet=”51″ header_line_height_tablet=”2″ custom_button=”on” button_icon_placement=”right” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_use_icon=”off” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_size__hover=”null” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover=”null” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover=”null” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover=”null” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover=”null” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover=”null” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover=”null” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover=”null” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover=”null” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover=”null” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover=”null” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover=”null” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover=”null” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover=”null” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover=”null” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover=”null” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover=”null” \/][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”3.0.106″ area=”sidebar-1″ orientation=”left” show_border=”off” background_layout=”light” locked=”on” \/][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=”3.0.106″ in_same_term=”off” show_prev=”on” show_next=”on” prev_text=”Previous” next_text=”Next” locked=”off” parent_locked=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Connect Title” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” _builder_version=”3.0.90″ background_color=”#1d1d1d” module_class=”footer-section” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” global_module=”380″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” global_parent=”380″ locked=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” make_equal=”off” module_id=”footer-row” _builder_version=”3.0.89″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Contact Us Title” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_text_color=”#ffffff” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Contact Us” global_parent=”380″ text_text_color=”#aaaaaa” parent_locked=”off” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” module_class=”contact-us” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n +44 (0) 161 306 6000<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Find Us Title” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_text_color=”#ffffff” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Address” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” module_id=”address” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\nContact Us<\/h4>\n
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