Editor's note

A statue to Emperor Haile Selassie outside the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa has stirred up a fierce storm. As Martin Plaut sets out, he’s not the first ruler to have proved controversial when it comes to a memorial. Through the ages leaders have gone in and out of fashion over time, turning their legacies into a battlefront.

Africa has experienced remarkable political change since the early 1990s, with more countries moving towards multiparty democracy and holding regular elections. But the complete picture isn’t all that rosy. As Nic Cheeseman argues, political repression has increased over the past five years, calling into question the extent of the continent’s democratic gains.

Julius Maina

Regional Editor East Africa

Top Stories

A statue of Ethiopia’s last emperor, Haile Selassie, at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. Hailu Wudineh Tsegaye / Shutterstock

Emperor Haile Selassie statue joins list of Africa’s troubled memorials

Martin Plaut, School of Advanced Study

Leaders go in and out of fashion, making statues built in their memory a tricky issue.

Repression is on the rise in Zambia under President Edgar Lungu. EPA/EFE/Abir Sultan

Both democracy and authoritarianism are on the rise in Africa

Nic Cheeseman, University of Birmingham

Democratic and authoritarian countries are moving further away from each other.

Politics + Society

Tracing the history of Mozambique’s mysterious and deadly insurgency

Eric Morier-Genoud, Queen's University Belfast

Speculation and conspiracy theories abound about the Mozambican insurgents leaving a trail of violence in resource rich Cabo Delgado.

The survivors of clergy sexual abuse who finally pushed the Vatican to recognize the problem

Brian Clites, Case Western Reserve University

The Catholic survivor movement in the United States was founded by two women: Jeanne Miller and Marilyn Steffel, in the late 1980s. It has taken close to 30 years for the Vatican to take action.

Education

Africa’s student movements: history sheds light on modern activism

Dan Hodgkinson, University of Oxford; Luke Melchiorre, Universidad de los Andes

African universities were key actors in developing post-colonial and decolonised societies.

Taking stock of postgraduate students in open and distance learning institutions

Nhlanhla Mpofu, Sol Plaatje University; Mncedisi Maphalala, University of Zululand

Higher education institutions which offer distance learning must support students -- especially postgraduates.

En français

Une nouvelle lecture de la Grande Dépression des années 1930 en France

Angelo Riva, INSEEC Business School; Eric Monnet, Paris School of Economics – École d'économie de Paris; Patrice Baubeau, Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières; Stefano Ungaro, Paris School of Economics – École d'économie de Paris

La diffusion de la crise bancaire à l’économie réelle s’est effectuée plus lentement qu’ailleurs car les banques et les investisseurs ont adopté un comportement de fuite progressive vers la sécurité.

L’entrepreneuriat individuel, lame de fond ou effet de mode ?

Arnaud Lacan, Kedge Business School

Les facteurs conjoncturels n’expliquent pas à eux seuls le dynamisme français en matière de création de microentreprise.