The Center for African Studies is inviting you to its first Public Forum for African Affairs. The forum provides a space for academic and non-academic participants to discuss prevailing “hot” events in Africa. Our aim is to encourage an open discussion of these events by allowing the public and academics to engage in nuanced and informed dialogue to help us understand the events. Our first program focus on current crises across the Sahel region.
Crises in the Sahel
Dr. James Genova, OSU Department of History, Marion Campus
Dr. Allasane Oeudraogo, University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The ravaging effects of Islamists violence has eroded public confidence in democratic governance, leading to the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In response, the West African regional economic bloc, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), with the backing of some Western powers, threatens to invade Niger, to restore democracy in that country. On their part, Niger’s neighbors (Burkina Faso and Mali), have signed a pact for mutual defense with Niger, to defend it if attacked by any foreign power, thus threatening a regional war. We will explore the historical roots of the Sahelian crisis and its impacts on human sufferings, regional security, economic development, democratization, and what is emerging as a renewed struggle against neo-colonialism.
