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Recent Posts
- In between homes – the in-between existence of refugees in transit in Eastleigh, Nairobi, by Lena Johansson (master student at Uppsala University)
- Congosa politics: Rumours and elections in Sierra Leone, by Diana Szanto
- Elective Affinities: Fragility and Injustice in the Field, by Luisa Enria
- Can you imagine? Reflections on the SL elections and implications for penal policy and practice, by Andrew Jefferson and Luisa Schneider
- Sierra Leone General Elections 2018 – A personal diary, by Diana Szanto
- Urban kinship: the micro-politics of proximity and relatedness in African cities, by Jesper Bjarnesen and Mats Utas
- Fragile Security or Fatale Liaisons? Reflections on 2 March 2018 Attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, by Sten Hagberg
- Jostling for power: Sierra Leone’s election runoff, by Luisa Enria and Jamie Hitchen
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Author Archives: Mats Utas
In between homes – the in-between existence of refugees in transit in Eastleigh, Nairobi, by Lena Johansson (master student at Uppsala University)
Eastleigh, Nairobi is pictured as a good area for Somali refugees in media and in UNHCR reports. The migrant Somali population in Eastleigh has developed trade networks and made it a commercial area with major significance not only in East … Continue reading
Posted in Conflict economies, Diaspora, Fragility, Governance, Humanitarian aid, Security, Urban issues, vulnerability
Tagged Kenya, Somalia
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Congosa politics: Rumours and elections in Sierra Leone, by Diana Szanto
Congosa in Krio means gossiping and spreading rumour, but its connotations are much darker than in English. It equals with name spoiling. In a society where attack against somebody’s public image can meet mundane as well as occult retaliation, gossiping … Continue reading
Posted in democratisation, Election violence, Elections, politics, Urban issues
Tagged Sierra Leone
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Elective Affinities: Fragility and Injustice in the Field, by Luisa Enria
2017 They say they can’t tell if I have malaria or not, maybe it’s something else. “Just lie down, try the drip, and see if it helps”. I am in the hospital in the North of Sierra Leone, I have … Continue reading
Can you imagine? Reflections on the SL elections and implications for penal policy and practice, by Andrew Jefferson and Luisa Schneider
Sierra Leone has a new president. And despite being challenged prior to the elections, the two party-system dominated once again. After two five-year terms under Ernest Bai Koroma of All Peoples Congress (APC), the second giant, the Sierra Leone Peoples … Continue reading
Posted in democratisation, Elections, Fragility, Penal Justice, politics
Tagged Sierra Leone
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Sierra Leone General Elections 2018 – A personal diary, by Diana Szanto
On the 4th of April, I was sitting on the veranda of a restaurant in Lungi and watched mesmerized the police officer next to me who, in his full gear, consumed bitter wine sold in small plastic packets. As he … Continue reading
Posted in democratisation, Election violence, Elections, Fragility, politics, State violence, Urban issues
Tagged Sierra Leone
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Urban kinship: the micro-politics of proximity and relatedness in African cities, by Jesper Bjarnesen and Mats Utas
It is our pleasure and privilege to introduce a special issue of Africa, exploring the micro-politics of proximity and relatedness in six African cities. To understand how social and spatial proximity affects the dynamics of everyday sociality, we suggest the … Continue reading
Posted in Urban issues
Tagged Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda
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Fragile Security or Fatale Liaisons? Reflections on 2 March 2018 Attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, by Sten Hagberg
On Friday 2 March 2018 around 10 o’clock, two coordinated of terrorist attacks took place in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The first attack involved gunmen seeking to enter the Embassy of France, exchanging fire with soldiers from Burkinabe … Continue reading
Jostling for power: Sierra Leone’s election runoff, by Luisa Enria and Jamie Hitchen
After six days of patiently waiting, during which 25% increments of Sierra Leone’s 7 March presidential vote were gradually released, on the evening of 13 March, chair of Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) Mohamed Conteh announced final results and … Continue reading
Generation Terrorists: The Politics of Youth and the Gangs of Freetown, by Kieran Mitton
Youth at Risk – Youth as Risk On the evening of the 15th February, six leading presidential candidates for the Sierra Leone presidential elections took to the stage. Over three hours of a live broadcasted debate, each answered questions about … Continue reading
Posted in Big Men, democratisation, Election violence, Elections, Social protest, Youth
Tagged Sierra Leone
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The legacy of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Why ‘great aspiration’ is not quite enough, by Leena Vastapuu and Maria Martin de Almagro
The first elected woman head of state in Africa, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has just stepped down from her office in Liberia. Her successor George Weah assumed the position on 22 January 2018. In a recent interview with CNN entitled “Why … Continue reading
Posted in democratisation, Elections, Gender, Governance, politics, Women's rights
Tagged Liberia
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Mats Utas 