Editor's note

How has democracy fared in Africa over the past 12 months? Nic Cheeseman argues that there’s evidence of democratic backsliding, peppered with some notable exceptions of good news stories. And he warns that next year is unlikely to be kind, with several challenging elections scheduled.

Today marks the start of a new series: Songs of Protest. As the zeitgeist’s soundtrack, protest music has dealt with wars – from Vietnam to Africa and Latin America - and against repression, racism and sexism. More recently there’s been a resurgence under the #BlackLivesMatter banner and reactions to Donald Trump’s election as US president. In the first of the series Abigail Gardner explains why the spectral protest song from 1981, “Ghost Town”, still remains relevant today.

For some background reading, our special edition today takes a look at a few of the really bad policies African countries pursued over the past year. Calestous Juma explains why Zambia needed to re-think its ban on the import of fruit and vegetables while Lars Laestadius analyses the unrealistic ambitions of Africa’s plans for a “Great Green Wall” of trees. For his part Earl Conteh-Morgan sounds a warning for the idea that weapons should form part and parcel of development aid. And, in Kenya, Leah Oyake-Ombis sheds light on why adopting biodegradable plastic bags may not work.

Thabo Leshilo

Politics + Society Editor

Top story

A strong judiciary isn’t enough to keep democracy in place. Kenya’s Supreme Court decision nullifying the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta is a case in point. Reuters/Baz Ratner

A year of illusions: five things we learnt about democracy in Africa in 2017

Nic Cheeseman, University of Birmingham

The past 12 months provided further evidence of the danger of democratic backsliding in Africa. But it also saw powerful presidents suffer embarrassing setbacks in a number of countries.

Arts + Culture

Business + Economy

Health + Medicine

Dubious decisions

Nigeria is a major tomato importer, despite having enough land to grow them. Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye

Why African countries banning imports of fruit and veg is a blunt tool

Calestous Juma, Harvard University

Import bans in Africa are a poor substitute for the creation of incentives that enable local producers to compete favourably.

From our international editions