Sare Şanlı on Africa & Global Affairs

 In 1991, then-President Frederick Chiluba , a Pentecostal, appeared on national television and declared Zambia a “Christian Nation.” He proclaimed: “I have entered into a covenant with the living God… Today, as president, I surrender myself to the dominion of Jesus Christ. Likewise, I surrender the government of Zambia and the entire nation to the lordship of Jesus Christ. I further declare that Zambia is a Christian Nation , guided by the right principles of God’s Word.” At the time, leaders of Zambia’s mainline Protestant and Catholic churches opposed Chiluba’s declaration. They argued that if he truly wanted to make Zambia a Christian nation, he should do so through concrete action—by caring for the poor and avoiding corruption—rather than with statements that evoked a state religion and the specter of religious persecution. In contrast, Pentecostal leaders strongly embraced the proclamation. To them, it was proof that Pentecostalism represented the “truest” and “most Za...

During the mid-20th century, a period of significant shifts on the world political map, Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito aimed to build strong relationships with African nations fighting for independence. Navigating the bipolar order of the Cold War with a foreign policy independent of both Western and Soviet influence, Tito intended to create a new balance of power in Africa. The Yugoslav leader offered a different alternative to newly independent African countries caught between the Western and Soviet blocs. Yugoslavia's relations with Africa would not be limited to economic and technical cooperation alone but would also become part of the anti-colonial struggle. Tito in Africa By the late 1950s, many African countries were beginning to break free from colonialism and gain independence. Tito showed intense interest in Africa during this period because these nations were seen as potential members of the Non-Aligned Movement, which aimed to pursue an independent foreign policy...

Bidding Farewell to the Colonial Legacy For centuries, Africa has waged a relentless struggle against the games played over its lands and its identities. Today, at the heart of the continent, a quiet yet powerful revolution is taking place: the rebirth of names. Following last year’s military coup, Niger—a Sahel country that severed all diplomatic ties with France—decided to erase every trace of French influence by removing colonial-era names from its streets and squares. Streets and squares once bearing names that recalled French domination and the traumas of colonialism now honor prominent Nigerien and African figures. Niger’s decision is more than just a matter of changing signboards. It marks a revolutionary reclaiming of a nation’s identity, history, and independence struggle. In the capital Niamey, Charles de Gaulle Boulevard has been renamed after Djibo Bakary , one of Niger’s independence leaders. A stone-mounted portrait of French commander Parfait-Louis Monteil was ...

The 12th Brazil-Africa Forum was held in São Paulo on October 14–15, 2024. With the theme “Infrastructure Investments for Sustainable Development” , the forum aimed to deepen Brazil’s relations with Africa. The event, attended by private sector representatives and academics, explored ways to strengthen cooperation between Africa and Brazil. Prominent speakers included Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Afreximbank’s Global Trade Bank Vice President Haytham El Maayergi, and Zemedeneh Negatu, who has led numerous major projects across Africa. In recent years, global and regional powers have almost competed with one another to organize Africa summits. As the volume of investments and loans directed to the continent has grown, so too has the interest of African leaders and business figures in such events. Brazil’s annually held forum received relatively limited media attention this year, largely because relations with Africa remained weak until Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s return t...

 Throughout history, great powers have used strategically important islands, located thousands of miles from their own shores, to expand their empires and sustain their global hegemony. Islands that provide control over oceans and sea routes have been indispensable for imperial states seeking to monitor trade routes, establish military bases, and increase their political influence. In this context, the United Kingdom, France, the US, and other Western states have both derived economic benefit from their colonies and reinforced their military and political power by acquiring overseas territories. The significant recent development in the dispute between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands is a reminder that the legacy of the colonial era persists, showing how imperial interests are intertwined with modern geopolitical dynamics. Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean that was under French colonial rule for a long time before coming under British dominion in 1814...

The Lobito Corridor and Africa’s Balance of Power: Why Biden Chose Angola At the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, President Joe Biden promised to visit Africa. Nearly two years later — and with his term nearing its end — he is finally delivering on that pledge. Instead of traveling to Kenya, Washington’s closest ally on the continent, Biden has chosen to head southwest and visit Angola. Scheduled for October 13–15, this trip will be both his first and last presidential visit to Africa. It also carries significant weight for U.S. strategic interests on the continent. Biden will become the first American president to visit sub-Saharan Africa since Barack Obama’s trips to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015. But why Angola, a relatively little-known country on the global stage? Angola’s Strategic Importance After nearly four centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, Angola gained independence in 1975 with the backing of the Soviet Union, Cuba, and China. Rich in oil and mineral ...

In June, the people of Kenya took to the streets to protest the 2024 Finance Bill, which proposed tax hikes. The protest actions forced President William Ruto to announce the withdrawal of the bill. Recently, the West African nation of Nigeria witnessed similar protests. Driven by a visibly rising cost of living, high inflation, and exorbitant increases in electricity tariffs, a group of Nigerians published a statement declaring their intention to organize nationwide protests under the banner '#Endbadgovernance'. Despite government efforts to get the events cancelled, the protest demonstrations began on August 1, 2024. On August 4, President Bola Tinubu invited the protesters to dialogue and promised to normalize the economic situation. However, the demonstrators found these statements insufficient and continued their actions. Nigeria has been the scene of various protests before. During the #EndSARS protests under the Buhari administration, the northern part of the count...

Electronic waste, the dark side of the digital era, is becoming an ever-growing threat to humanity. In 2022 alone, 62 million tons of e-waste were generated worldwide — an 82% increase compared to 2010. By 2030, this figure is expected to rise by another 32%, reaching 82 million tons. Yet, only about 1% of the global demand for rare earth elements is currently being met through e-waste recycling. A significant portion of the world’s e-waste — unusable or malfunctioning electronic devices — is shipped, often illegally, to less developed countries. Unsurprisingly, Africa bears a heavy share of this burden. Available data shows that Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Senegal, and Egypt are among the main destinations for Africa’s imported e-waste. Ghana, in particular, has repeatedly made headlines due to the dangers posed by electronic waste. One notorious case was Agbogbloshie, located in the capital Accra, which once ranked as one of the world’s largest e-waste dumpsites. The site,...

 The Indonesia–Africa Forum, held on September 1–3 in Bali, was unfortunately overshadowed by the China–Africa Summit that took place only days later, on September 4–6, in Beijing. For Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the forum was seen as an opportunity to strengthen trade ties with Africa and explore new export markets. However, the level of participation fell short of expectations, as many African leaders prioritized the summit organized by China, a rapidly expanding economic power on the global stage. Delegates from 29 countries attended the forum, a sharp decline compared to the 47 African nations represented at the inaugural forum in 2018. Still, the event secured significant deals: agreements worth $94.2 million in the health sector—particularly vaccines and pharmaceuticals—along with $1.5 billion in the energy sector and $1.2 billion in food-related projects. Despite African leaders’ preference for China, the historical ties between Indonesia and Africa re...

The 9th summit of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Beijing on 4–6 September. With strong turnout from African leaders, the FOCAC summit eclipsed the Indonesia–Africa Forum that had taken place only days earlier (1–3 September). At the opening session, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $51 billion (360 billion yuan) in new financing and promised “at least one million jobs” for African partners. Observers regard this summit as a critical turning point for rethinking China’s strategy in Africa. Launched in Beijing in 2000 as a cornerstone of Beijing’s Africa strategy, FOCAC meets every three years, alternating between China and Africa. This year’s gathering was the first full in-person summit since the pandemic. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the event as the largest diplomatic meeting the country has held in recent years and the conference with the greatest number of foreign leaders in attendance. Under the forum’s theme—“Advance Moderniza...

 As China's influence across the African continent continues to grow, countries like Tanzania—with high tourism potential, a young population, and rich resources—are becoming focal points for Beijing's strategic investments. The strong ties and investments China has cultivated with Tanzania in recent years are significant not only economically but also from a geostrategic perspective. Initiatives backed by China, ranging from major infrastructure projects to healthcare services, contribute to Tanzania's economic development while simultaneously consolidating China's influence in Africa. A History of Diplomatic Relations Between Tanzania and China Diplomatic relations between Tanzania and China began in 1961, immediately after Tanganyika gained independence. China opened its embassy in Dar es Salaam that same year. (Zanzibar declared independence in 1963, and Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.) Both nations shared simi...