Journal of Central and Eastern European African Studies

Book Review of “Sanctuary Lost. Portugal’s Air War for Guinea 1961-1974” Edited Matthew M. Hurley and José Augusto Matos

Zsolt Szabó — 2024-11-15

Book Review of “Negotiating with the Devil Inside the World of Armed Conflict Mediation” Edited Pierre Hazan with the Collaboration of Emmanuelle Hazan

Krisztina Kállai — 2024-11-15

Book Review of “Military Anthropology: Soldiers, Scholars and Subjects at the Margins of Empire” Edited by Montgomery McFate

Krisztián Sztankai — 2024-11-15

Review of “Double-Edged Politics on Women’s Rights in the MENA Region” Edited by Hanane Darhour and Drude Dahlerup

Alexandra Batonai — 2024-11-15

Change after 30 Years? Evaluation of the General Election in South Africa

László Pálfi — 2024-11-15

The South African people elected a new parliament and new provincial legislation on 29 May 2024. The election seemed to be a historical one: Mandela’s party, the ANC, is less and less able to attract South African voters. Firstly, the municipal election of 2021 showed decreased support (less than 50 per cent) for South Africa’s dominant party, secondly, the cooperation of liberal and right-wing parties earned the attention from the voters. Finally, former head of state, Jacob Zuma, made his comeback.

This unusual situation made the dethronisation of ANC possible. However, after 29 May, neither the ANC, nor the MPC (Action SA, ACDC, DA, IFP, FFP), nor the far-left opposition – EFF and MK – could not achieve majority in the National Assembly. A Coalition is needed, otherwise, South Africa will not be able to work.

My article makes an effort to explain the context and outcome of this current general election. A normative analysis of programs and goals. South Africa’s economic and social state suffers from a serious level of inefficiency that can be turned into success by decentralisation of public administration, reform cultural and linguistic rights, the exploitiation of the competitive advantage of South Africa’s provinces.

A comparison of the EU and AU in the field of peace and security – partners and rivals?

Katalin Horvath — 2024-11-15

The intention of this paper is to examine how the European Union and the African Union are developing in parallel as voluntary integration projects, and how they compare with regard to the respective development of their defence policies, Union level military forces and strategies for the future.

The author looks at the EU and AU as peace projects, their efforts regarding crisis management and territorial defence, the structures they use to further their integration, and also cooperation with each other. Remarkable parallel processes and also problems are found with respect to the financing, generation and use of forces. The paper compares the standby forces of the two organisations, namely the Battlegroups and the Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) in the EU, and the African Standby Force (ASF) in Africa.

The author assesses the priorities, strategies, levels of ambition of the EU and the AU, taking into account their geopolitical situations, military alliance membership, and their potential regarding their size, population, resources, amounting to advantages and disadvantages with regard to reaching potential great power status in the future.

According to the author’s assessment, the topic of cooperation and/or rivalry between the European Union and the African Union is a topic to watch, as the two continents come from very different histories but develop in remarkably similar ways, which might point to structural patterns working at deep levels.

Türkiye's Immigration Landscape: Cultural Exchange and Labor Dynamics with Africa

Mert Efe ÖZUYGUN — 2024-11-15

Türkiye’s relations with the African continent trace back to the periods of the Ottoman Empire’s existence there. Beginning with trade, continuing education, and improving labor force requirements continue to strengthen relations with the Modern Türkiye. As a result of the transformations the African continent has undergone in recent years, Türkiye wants to take advantage of the opportunities in the region, increasing its reputation through civil society organizations and aid agencies, while exerting a protective and reassuring influence in the region through military cooperation. Due to factors triggering migration from African countries, Türkiye and Europe are seen as a new hope for immigrants. In addition to the increasing need for the labor force, affordable education, and scholarship opportunities, the university entrance exam prepared specifically for foreign students also makes Türkiye an attractive center. In this article, you will witness the journey stories of hope that often begin with aspirations to become football players, the changes in the perception of Africans over the years through the power of social media, and the factors influencing this, as well as the importance of arts, music, films, and television series in shaping society. From the challenges faced by African communities seeking hope in a new country to the conveniences provided by government institutions during the integration process, all these processes are addressed in this article.

Enhancing Fintech Security and Countering Terrorist Financing: A Case Study of Kenya's Fintech Landscape

ABRAHAM ENAME MINKO — 2024-11-15

This research aims to investigate the intersection of fintech security and the War on Terror within the context of Kenya's burgeoning fintech landscape. With the rapid growth of fintech solutions in Kenya, there arises a pressing need to assess the security challenges and vulnerabilities that accompany this growth, particularly in light of the country's ongoing efforts to combat terrorism. The research will delve into the present challenges and prospects of fintech security, with a specific focus on strategies for managing complex threats and risks associated with terrorist financing, both locally and globally. By examining the unique socio-economic and geopolitical dynamics of Kenya, this study will shed light on the critical role of fintech in national security efforts, including the detection and prevention of illicit financial activities linked to terrorism.

Psycho-demographic factors influencing social and political activism in Nigeria

Razaq Olugbenga Azeez — 2024-11-15

Prior studies on social and political activism have neglected people’s demographic and pyschosocial factors, particularly in Nigeria. Thus, a n inquiry is garmane. This study used the world value data wave 7 collected between 2015-2020 for Nigeria, to assess the factors that determined participation in socio-political activism. The data were subjected to t-test, correlation, and regression analysis. A positive statistically significant correlation existed among gender, age, social class, and employment status, and interest in politics and participation in political activism, while negative correlation was found among educational level, geo-political region, and participation in political activism. A significant difference was found in participation and political activism based on social class, educational level, age, income, place, and marital status. No difference was found based on gender. Multiple regression analysis showed that the greatest potent set of predictors of participation in political activism are interest, gender, the highest level of education and marital status. The findings have germane implications for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Disrupting Advertising Models: How Social Media are used as New Business Frontiers among Student Entrepreneurs in some Universities in South-South Nigeria

CHINEDU CHRISTIAN ODOEMELAM — 2024-11-15

Social media provide platforms for small businesses that neither have the funds nor can compete favourably for advertisement space and time with large-scale businesses to create awareness for their goods and services. Based on the premise that social media has potentials to create visibility for small businesses, this study examined whether students who engage in small businesses know that advertising can help their businesses grow; and how they use social media to advertise their goods and services. These issues were interrogated within the context of the uses and gratification and domestication of technology theories. Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 193 subset of the population that were rando mly selected from two universities across two States in the south-southern Nigeria through multi-stage sampling techniques. One Hundred and Eighty respondents were included in the final sample (n=180). Respondents were (n=101, 56.1%; Males, n=79, 43.9%) participants. Findings suggest that social media platforms foster economic development and define new frontiers for small businesses among student entrepreneurs. They study bears implications for curriculum on entrepreneurship in Nigerian universities to leverage on the potentials of social media in promoting advertising among Nigerian students.

Learning from Educational Impediments

Olileanya Amuche Ezugwu — 2024-11-15

Education serves as a crucial foundation for the advancement and prosperity of any nation, shaping individuals, empowering communities, and fostering economic growth. Nevertheless, educational systems are vulnerable to disruption caused by conflicts and violence, resulting in significant consequences for students, teachers, and educational institutions. This study examines the educational impediments faced in Tigray from the Ethiopian-Tigray conflict, the potential lessons that Nigeria can learn and strategies Nigeria should implement to mitigate these challenges. The study employed a qualitative method using case study research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve interview participants for the primary data, while secondary data were collected from scholarly publications, journals, articles, and online materials. The findings revealed common obstacles encountered by Ethiopia's educational sector, including disrupted access to schooling, displacement of students and teachers, infrastructure damage, loss of learning resources, and psychological trauma among students. These challenges significantly hindered the provision of quality education and impeded progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education. This study concludes that education plays a vital role in Nigeria's economic growth and political stability, and by drawing upon Ethiopia's experiences recommends Nigeria to enhance its resilience and preparedness in similar crises, such as strengthening emergency education response mechanisms, investing in inclusive and community-driven education, bolstering infrastructure resilience, and prioritising psychosocial support for affected students among others.

The Black gold of the Sahara

Valentin Cseh — 2024-11-15

Until the middle of the 20th century, Africa did not feature prominently as a mining area for crude oil, i.e. black gold. It is true that oil was found in Egypt and French Morocco already in the first half of the century, but this was not significant in world terms. Although there were traces of oil in the area already in ancient times. Two millennia later, in the 1930s, in Algeria and Libya, geologists also found clues indicating that there could be significant oil reserves deep underground. These assumptions were realized only from 1949 onwards. After that, however, the North African states that became independent from the colonial rule had to deal with many difficulties. Among them are the aspirations of the large international oil cartels and the accompanying political projections.

ORGANISATION AND ALLOCATION OF TURNS AT THE OPUTA PANEL SESSIONS

Oluwakemi Olayemi — 2024-11-15

This study investigates the turn-taking sequence, organisation of turns and the question patterns adopted during the examination of witnesses at the Oputa Panel sessions. The study employs purposive procedure in the selection of five questioning sessions as available on the YouTube. The data is transcribed and analysed using the linguistic approach of discourse analysis. In the findings, the counsel and the witness situate their talks firmly in the legal field with adherence to the turn-taking rules, explicit through yes/no responses, providing explanation to information seeking questions and also through the way the lawyers structure their questions to reveal narratives that shed light on the petition. The study notes that all activities and accomplishments at the Panel are carried out through the singular act of questioning. In order to prevent the language of conflict resolution procedures from seeming to alienate certain parties, particularly lay litigants, the study suggested the creation of a system for resolving disputes that is not closely tied to the usage of a particular linguistic form. Future efforts should focus on integrating additional language theories, such as psycholinguistics and critical discourse analysis.