Nieuws

FMS researcher Anne is in Tunisia to talk about migration. Why do people want to migrate? How do they see their future? And what policy could be implemented to prevent irregular migration? Read her newest story here!

On the 16th of February general elections were supposed to occur in Nigeria. The last time elections were held was in 2015, where voters could choose between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. People hoped this election would bring a new start. This year, Nigerian voters are choosing between the sitting president Buhari (76) and a new candidate, Atiku Abubakar (72). Both are known for being corrupt. The majority of voters in Nigeria do not feel represented by these men, especially the younger part of the population. On top of that, Nigerians never even got a chance to vote this past weekend: the elections were postponed. How did Africa’s largest democracy end up here?

FMS researcher Anne is in Tunisia to talk about migration. Why do people want to migrate? How do they see their future? And how can irregular migration be prevented? Read her newest story here!

FMS researcher Anne is in Tunisia to talk about migration. Why do people want to migrate? How do they see their future? And how can irregular migration be prevented? Read her newest story here!

In the past few weeks multiple protests have sparked in the South African country Zimbabwe, bringing a lot of violence and resulting in arrests. The direct cause for these protest was the rise of fuel prices by 150 percent. This meant that petrol now costs 3,31 US dollars per litre, the highest fuel price in the world. The bigger picture shows a general unrest in the country, where corruption and poverty are still very present. When President Robert Mugabe resigned under pressure of his party, the people were very happy. However, the new president Emmerson Mnangagwa has not brought the changes people hoped for.

After spending four weeks in Accra, Ghana, it’s time for my next field trip. I'm going to Tunisia! Will there be a big difference with Ghana when discussing migration? Or do both countries have a relatively similar perspectives on migration? This, I want to find out in the coming month.

Interview met Amsterdams-Ethiopisch journalist Kibret Mekonnen

We gingen op de koffie bij journalist en documentairemaker Kibret Mekonnen, een van de workshoporganisatoren van de Afrikadag 2019. Twintig jaar geleden kwam hij van Ethiopië naar Nederland. De omstandigheden om de journalistiek daar uit te oefenen waren ondragelijk geworden. “Een week voor vertrek naar Nederland zat ik nog in de gevangenis”, vertelt Kibret ons in zijn kantoor in Amsterdam.

Op 13 april vindt de Afrikadag 2019 plaats in het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen in Amsterdam. Zoals ieder jaar is er een uitgebreid cultuurprogramma en gaan de bezoekers in tientallen politieke debatten, workshops en lezingen rechtstreeks in gesprek met politici, professionals en elkaar. Als klap op de vuurpijl wordt deze dag afgesloten met de afterparty "Africa at Night". Om deze dag weer tot een groot succes te maken hebben wij de hulp nodig van enthousiaste vrijwilligers. Jaarlijks helpen er zo'n honderd vrijwilligers mee. We zullen jullie inzetten op verschillende taken, waarbij je altijd veel mee krijgt van de sfeer van deze dag.

On the 10th of January opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi was announced winner of the Congolese presidential elections. After an extensive ruling period by President Kabila (since 2001), the election of an opposition leader could be a step in the right direction for the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, Martin Fayulu, a second opposition candidate, claims the elections were rigged and that he is the true winner. Several pieces of evidence support his claim. A year ago, Foundation Max van der Stoel talked about this subject during the political café on the (non)sense of elections in Congo. Here we discussed that the result of new democratic elections could be the first peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1960.

De voorbereidingen voor de Afrikadag 2019 zijn weer in volle gang! Met migratie als hoofdthema en een mooie line-up aan interessante sprekers (later meer!) belooft het weer een spetterende editie te worden.

Wij hopen van harte dat jullie bij deze editie aanwezig zijn! Vrijdag 1 maart gaat de kaartverkoop van start.

Wil jij met jouw organisatie een bijdrage leveren aan de Afrikadag 2019, bijvoorbeeld door een workshop te geven of een stand te verzorgen? Mail dan voor 31 januari naar: info@afrikadag.nl.
Tot 13 april!