Of Old Men and Young Soldiers: Declining Democracy in Africa

The Playing Field A few African countries have had elections this year, such as Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi and Tanzania. Each has had varying results but one common theme that stands out is the suppression of the opposition. Opposition candidates including Tidjane Thiam, the grandnephew of Côte d’Ivoire’s founding father, have been barred from contesting […]

Rethinking African Responses to Homophobic Laws

Headlines of Burkina Faso’s criminalisation of LGBT marriage and relationships have flooded the media in the last two weeks (Reuters, 2025). Social media commentors have expressed their opinions in reaction to this move, usually with disappointment at best or callousness towards the country at worst. President Captain Ibrahim Traoré has been the subject of many […]