Africa and The Decline of The Democracy Debate

The debate on the decline of democracy is not new. It can be traced to the period between the First and Second World Wars, and it resurfaced during the 1970s, followed by the most spectacular dem- ocratic resurgence in human history. This lecture focuses on the current debate on the decline of democracy and downward trends in major democracy assessment indices. Africa is among the three least democratic world regions, with 42% of African countries cur- rently designated as not free. Measuring the decline or rise of democracy only by the perfor- mance of institutional politics does not provide a complete picture of the issue. Institutional politics does not account for the resil- ience and thriving new spaces where democratic vibrancy and civic engagement prevail. Examples from African countries demonstrate that democracy indices based on institutional politics alone do not account for alternative democratic spaces and practices. This paper is the edited version of the keynote speech delivered by the author at the 6th Pécs African Studies Conference under the theme “African Realities: Conflict and Cooperation”, September 23-24, 2021 – University of Pécs, Hungary.

Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Learning and Teaching in Kenya: Use of Video Games in Education

Education is one sector that tries to be consistent despite facing several changes. Vari- ous factors and emerging trends have affected the sector both positively and negatively. The scope of the digital divide is more pronounced in the developing countries and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the technological struggles in Africa more than before. Technology is an enabler in education but not in all contexts because it also causes other challenges that increase the vulnerability of learners and educators in diverse circumstances. The proliferation of digital devices, especially mobile and smart devices, has brought in new changes and innovative ideas that have impacted the sectors input, output, and outcome. Leaners have demonstrated various degrees of adoption and absorption of new devices, and simultaneously educators have integrated and adapted to new pedagogies that resonate with the situation. As a continent, Africa has experienced an emerging trend with digital and non-digital devices interconnected for educational purposes on demand whenever needed. In developing countries like Kenya, more innovative ways of learning have been harnessed for learning and teach- ing purposes .With the penetration of the World Wide Web, the internet of things, availability of electronic devices, and improvement in information communication and technology infrastructure. Video games, which can be played on many platforms and electronic devices, can easily be leveraged for teaching and learning purposes. This study was conducted among learners and educators in an urban setting in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study investigated the potential of video games in education as used by leaners and teachers. The findings indicated that most leaners targeted had personal mobile devices. This gave them easy access to video games, which led to the popularity of these games. The findings also indicated that the leaners were not allowed to use digital devices like mobile phones in the classroom at school but had limited access to video games through desktops and laptops available in their institutions. The findings also showed that the majority of teachers were not keen on using video games for teaching and learning purposes, and this scenario presented a disparity in and a barrier to using multi-disciplinary approaches and integrating technology in teaching and learning. The study recommended that, with more electronic devices available for leaners and other education stakeholders, it is necessary to harness video games for learning and teaching purposes to allow for innovation, discovery, critical thinking, and experiential learning among learners.

Overview of Kenyan Government Initiatives in Slum Upgrading: The Case of KENSUP and KISIP Projects

The goal of this paper is to explore the slum upgrading processes: the implementation of the Kenyan KENSUP project, associated successes and failures, and to draw possible lessons that can be learned from the initiative. The study utilized field work desk reviews to gather relevant information regarding slum upgrade processes in Kenya. The criteria used in the review process entailed exploring the context in which the KENSUP upgrading project was implemented, focusing on the legal frameworks, process of implementation, achievements, results, setbacks and failures in the processes in order to draw lessons for future programmes.

Le grand livre de l’Afrique

Benkes Mihály a következő művet mutatta be: Nicolas Normand: Le grand livre de l’Afrique Chaos ou émergence au sud du Sahara ? Éd. Eyrolles, 2019

The Effect of Global Financial Crisis and Ethiopian Monetary Policy Measures: Review on the pre-and post-crisis scenario

Policymakers and leaders usually fail to grasp a sound lesson from the eco- nomic hurdles and crises countries face. This paper, thus, is intended to review and articulate the causes and effects of the global financial crisis, and how the Ethiopian monetary policy reacted and mitigated the crisis. The data for the analysis were collected from various sources including IMF, World Bank, National Bank of Ethiopia, and research articles from 2003 to 2019. The review reveals that even during the crisis in 2009, Ethiopia was among the top five fastest-growing countries in the world by an average of 10.5%, which is twice the average growth of Sub-Sahara African countries (5 %). It had become the seventh-largest economy in Africa and the 69th in the world with a GDP PPP of 118.2$ Billion as of 2013. Some of the main reasons for the con- tinued growth of the country amid crisis could be the desynchronization of the country’s financial market with the international financial market, an insig- nificant share of mortgage loans in domestic financial sector services, and high-level government-led infrastructure investment coupled with China’s economic alliance. However, the significant effect of the crisis was observed in the country’s exports, remittance, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). To shun the related inflationary effect, the government increased the minimum deposit interest rate, reserve, and liquidity requirements, and reinstated the credit restrictions. Also, the immediate alert was given to commercial banks to give proper attention in managing credit risk and reducing non-performing loans to below 5% and overdraft facilities. Given the above-mentioned facts, the monetary policy measures were effective to stabilize the economy & sus- tain the growth. In the end, the offshoots & setbacks of the unsynchronized financial market, government-led investment & fettered mortgage loans are addressed, and the way forward is marked out.

Az afrikai hősepika kutatása a francia nyelvűség területén

In the field of heroic epic research in Africa, the collections, transcripts, translations, and follow-up analyses accompanying the editions of the text were published for the most part in two languages, French and English. In this study, the author takes into account the outstanding achievements of French scholarship.

FAO hallgatói mobilitások makrogazdasági mutatókkal való összefüggései Afrikában

The internationalization and internationalization of higher education is one of the most actual topics related to education today. The number of foreign students in major higher education institutions is increasing, and international collaborations in the field of education and research are becoming more frequent. However, despite the fact that the topic is so tangible in proximity, we still know a small fragment about the process of internationalization of higher education, the factors that support and hinder the phenomenon. The theoretical significance of the present study is the analysis of the revealed literature and statistical data, while the practical significance is the comparative study of the research carried out in the international context depending on the number of FAO scholarship students coming to Hungary from African countries. Examining the territorial location of the sending countries within Africa, the question arises as to why these countries send students to developed countries, in this case Hungary. Is there a correlation between certain macroeconomic indicators and the mobility tendencies or territorial orientation of students who have received an FAO scholarship?

Az afrikai lantok története és típusai

The historical survey presented here demonstrates that musical instruments of the lute type derive from outside the African continent, even though they have probably been present in the North African region for several millennia. The first evidence of their appearance in ancient Egypt goes back to the era of Dynasty XVIII (ca. 1550–1292 BCE). The use of lutes having a long neck may have been preserved later among various Berber-speaking populations, and their wide dissemination over West Africa can only be dated with certainty to the period after the 14th century, when widespread conversion to Islam led to the replacement of an older arched type (having few strings and capable of producing a limited range of sounds) with a long-necked lute type borrowed from the Berbers, which can be considered more advanced owing to its mode of stretching the strings with a tuning ring. This paradigm shift is obvious in the epic song cycle known as Gassire’s Lute. Parallel to this development harp lutes appeared as a kind of cross between lutes and bow harps; and types of this new instrument having a larger body and multiple strings could rival the short-necked oud, an urban instrument spread by Arab tribes. Perhaps for this reason, the latter was not widely adopted among the Islamized populations of West Africa, while it did become popular in Europe in the 13th century, first adopted by the Spaniards. The fact that long-necked lutes are found only in North and West Africa also proves that the Nilotic-speaking peoples did not borrow these, unlike harps and lyras, which they did. Had they done so, the southward expansion of Nilotic-speaking populations would have led to the distribution of long-necked lutes over Central and Eastern Africa. For the same reason these instruments must have appeared in West Africa only after the Bantu expansion, before which era their use must have been restricted to Berber-speaking groups for three millennia. Short-necked lutes are likely to have been originated in Central Asia and they certainly spread from that region; the archaic type that is carved from one block of wood and has a bottle-like shape spread to Southeast Asia with the Muslim expansion and may have been carried from there to the islands of the Indian Ocean and sporadically to East Africa as well. Its wider adoption over the latter region was probably hindered by the ubiquity of rival instruments (harps and lyras) there. Moreover, the short-necked lutes carved of a single block of wood were not suitable for further development with the aim of increasing the volume, hence the recent widespread adoption among the inhabitants of the eastern and southern regions of Africa of a long-necked lute type having a larger, box-like body.

What Destination Awaits the Development of Botswana

Botswana has long been lauded for developing uniquely strong political institutions and using its diamond revenues productively to enhancing the welfare of its citizens. However, depleting diamond sources conjoined with an inadequate level of economic diversity poses serious challenges to further development. Unequivocally, the country has arrived at a crossroads. Botswana must seize the narrow window of time before its diamond resources are depleted, by nurturing economic sectors and investing in human capabilities, in order to climb higher on the ladder of economic development. If they do not, the country may be set back dramatically after decades long successful policy efforts. This essay addresses the puzzle of why the development of Botswana has suddenly stagnated despite having powerful facilitating factors such as political stability and advanced economic policies. This essay will shed some light on the dilemma by discussing key political economy developments driven by the diamond dependency, and the way in which Botswana is integrated into regional markets. Current policy deliberations should be informed by a greater understanding of the main factors affecting past developments. Therefore, my aim is to contribute to the ongoing debate on the structural conditions affecting develop- mental outcome in the region, and to reinvigorate the discussion on possible policy solutions to mitigate/overcome contingency.

Matacong Island: A Short History of a Small Island on the West Coast of Africa

This article aims to examine how Matacong Island, a small island just off the coast of the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, was claimed its possession by local chiefs, how it was leased to and was used by European and Sierra Leonean merchants, and how it was colonized by Britain and France in the 19th century. In 1825 the paramount chief of Moriah chiefdom agreed to lease the island to two Sierra Leonean merchants, and in 1826 it was ceded to Britain by a treaty with chiefs of the Sumbuyah and Moriah chiefdoms. Since the island was considered as a territory exempted from duty, British and Sierra Leonean merchants used it as an important trading station throughout the 19th century. Major exports of Matacong Island included palm kernels, palm oil, hides, ivory, pepper and groundnuts, originally brought by local traders from the neighboring rivers, and major imports were tobacco, beads, guns, gunpowder, rum, cotton manufactures, iron bars and hardware of various kinds. In 1853 alone, some 80 vessels, under British, American, and French flags, anchored at Matacong Island. By the convention of 1882, Britain recognized the island as belonging to France. Although the convention was never ratified, it was treated by both countries as accepted terms of agreement. The article considers various dynamics of usage, property, and territorial possession as relates to the island during the 19th century, and reveals how complex they were, widely making use of the documents of The Matacong Island (West Africa) Papers at the University of Birmingham Library in Britain. The collection purchased by the library in 1969 is composed of 265 historical documents relating to Matacong Island, such as letters, agreements, newspaper-cuttings, maps and water-color picture