African Regional Integration

O "dia de África" é todos os dias!

CONVITE para a submissão de comunicações para o painel 19. "Continuidades coloniales en la justicia, estudios criminológicos y derecho en África: miradas cruzadas" (del 12 de junio de 2024 al 30 de septiembre de 2024). La nueva edición del Congreso Ibérico de Estudios Africanos (CIEA) tendrá lugar en Barcelona el 29, 30 y 31 de enero de 2025 bajo el título de “Respuestas africanas al dilema decolonial”.
https://redestudiosafricanos.org/panel/continuidades-coloniales-en-la-justicia-estudios-criminologicos-y-derecho-en-africa-miradas-cruzadas/

"Cabo Verde e a sua integração sub-regional africana".
Partilha do link da participação no Programa GRANDES QUESTÕES da Televisão de Cabo Verde (TCV) com o jornalista José Carlos Semedo (07-06-2024).
Convidados: Odair Barros-Varela (Investigador e Professor Universitário) Arlindo Mendes (Professor Universitário) e Hernani Soares (Advogado / Ex- Bastonário da Ordem Advogados de Cabo Verde)

"Cabo Verde e a sua Integração Sub-regional Africana" Programa: GRANDES QUESTÕES da Televisão de Cabo Verde (TCV) com o jornalista José Carlos Semedo (07-06-2014)Tema: "Cabo Verde e a sua integração sub-regional...

"Os Estados africanos, os nossos líderes, devem preocupar-se menos com a manutenção do poder e preocupar-se em promover a industrialização, em incluir os jovens e há um exemplo que mostra isso: o Senegal. Os jovens deram uma lição aos outros países que não se pode partir para soluções de governação sem incluir os jovens. Foram os jovens que, recorrendo às TIC, conseguiram derrubar o Macky Sall e eleger um jovem com ideias arrojadas. Vamos ver agora se consegue implementá-las, o que não vai ser fácil."
(...) acabo de vir de uma conferência sobre a justiça da comunidade e uma das queixas tem a ver com o facto de os países não serem obrigados a ratificar alguns protocolos do tribunal da CEDEAO. É o caso de Cabo Verde, que não ratificou sequer o estatuto do tribunal e é por isso que pôde “rejeitar” a posição do tribunal de libertar Alex Saab [antigo enviado especial da Venezuela, detido em Cabo Verde em 2020, deportado em 2022 para os Estados Unidos e entretanto libertado pela administração Biden, numa troca de prisioneiros com a Venezuela]. Grandes potências como a Nigéria, o Senegal e o Gana não querem abraçar totalmente a supranacionalidade porque eles também têm problemas, esqueletos no armário. Como é que vão condenar golpes de Estado se muitos dos presidentes chegaram ao poder da mesma maneira? É como disse, o problema é que temos lideranças que não se querem desapegar do poder e não olham para outras forças sociais que querem contribuir para o desenvolvimento dos respectivos países. As elites políticas e militares não vão sair de livre e espontânea vontade. Tem de continuar a haver pressão interna. Qual é o segredo? É que esses movimentos internos sejam apoiados interna e externamente de forma discreta. Sem entrar em confronto directo com os governos."
Odair Barros-Varela

https://expressodasilhas.cv/pais/2024/05/25/o-problema-em-africa-e-que-temos-liderancas-que-nao-se-querem-desapegar-do-poder/91631

Desafios di Pluri-estatalidadi i Demo-diversidadi na Kao Berdi i na Guiné Bissau em debati na un roda di konbersu na NelKabana.
Agradesimentu pa tudu kenha ki partisipa.
Créditos di imaji: Muvimentu Federalista Pan-Afrikanu - Kabuverdi
Miguel de Barros
Odair Barros-Varela

ECOWAS COURT PRESIDENT, LAUNCHES ECMS TRAINING IN CABO VERDE
"The President of the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, Hon. Justice Edward Amoako Asante, on 21st of June 2024, officially opened the sensitisation and training programme for lawyers on the Electronic Case Management System (ECMS) of the Court in Praia, Cape Verde. The programme, holding from June 20 to 25, 2024, aims to enhance the digital proficiency of legal practitioners from Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, the Lusophone member states of ECOWAS.
Reflecting on the history and mandate of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Asante noted its establishment under the Lagos Treaty of 1975 and its operational commencement in 2001. He emphasised the Court’s expanded jurisdiction to adjudicate human rights cases since 2005, underscoring its role in upholding fundamental rights, the rule of law, and good governance in the region.
Justice Asante discussed the Court’s digitalisation initiatives, which were expedited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adoption of 2020 Practice Directions on Electronic Case Management and Virtual Court Sessions. These measures have significantly reduced litigation costs and enhanced access to justice, he noted. The new ECMS, he explained, supports electronic filing, service, and management of cases, streamlining judicial processes and making the Court more accessible.
The ECMS features an external user portal for litigants and lawyers, and an internal interface for judges and judicial staff, accessible 24/7 in English, French, and Portuguese. This system facilitates real-time access to case information, court notifications, and virtual hearings, enhancing transparency and accountability.
The training in Praia marks the final phase of a comprehensive programme to equip lawyers from all ECOWAS member states with the skills needed to navigate the ECMS. Previous training sessions were held in Lomé and Accra for Francophone and Anglophone lawyers respectively. Justice Asante concluded by sincerely thanking all participants and organisers, urging everyone to actively participate in the training programme to create a more accessible and efficient justice system for the ECOWAS community."
Odair Barros-Varela
Odair B. Varela
International Relations & Economic Diplomacy - IRED
http://www.courtecowas.org/2024/06/21/ecowas-court-president-launches-ecms-training-in-cape-verde/

"It is with profound sorrow and a sense of great loss that the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) received news of the passing of eminent Beninese philosopher, Professor Paulin Hountondji, on 2nd February 2024. Born on April 11th, 1942, Professor Hountondji became a towering intellectual figure and distinguished scholar who shaped the discipline of philosophy by advancing unparalleled insights and elaborating new thinking in the field of ‘African philosophy’. His contributions alongside the works of the late philosophers Kwesi Wiredu, Kwame Gyekye, and Henry Odera Oruka gave meaning and depth to the key debates that were happening among Africans who engaged in elaborating the question of philosophy in Africa.
Professor Hountondji’s profound intellect and dedication to the advancement of scholarship has left an enduring impact on the African intellectual landscape. He provided bold leadership at a critical juncture in Africa’s intellectual history by challenging conventional wisdom on ‘African Philosophy’, thus playing a pivotal role in shaping the discourse on and in philosophy in Africa. His seminal explorations on that matter include an analysis of the myth and realities of the existence of African philosophy in the book “Sur la “philosophie Africaine” :critique de l’ethnophilosophie” (1976). This work, which was translated into English as “African Philosophy: Myth and Reality” (1983) catalysed robust debate, and has continued to influence and inspire myriad African thinkers in the decades since.
Professor Hountondji’s intellectual journey intertwined with CODESRIA in the 1990s, where he engaged in a ground-breaking project supported by the Council that culminated in the publication of his influential 1994 book, “Les Savoirs Endogènes : Pistes pour une Recherche” translated as “Endogenous Knowledge: Research Trails” (1997). According to Prof. Tade Akin Aina, under whose guidance the book was published, “Prof Hountondji was a self-assured, committed and courageous trailblazer.” Prof. Hountondji nurtured his relationship with CODESRIA, immersing himself in the intellectual and governance affairs of the Council. He was, for instance, a resource person to the 1999 African Humanities Institute convened at the University of Ghana-Legon by Professor Kofi Anyidoho and directed by Professor Kwame Gyekye. Convened under the theme “African Philosophy”, the laureates of the institute were exposed to the long-standing debates around ethnophilosophy. Prof. Gyekye had just published his Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience and Prof. Hountondji was on hand to celebrate the books’ departure from the ethnophilosophical approach. Ultimately, Prof. Hountondji not only identified the massive extraversion of knowledge about Africa but also questioned how African Studies could be understood as African given such massive extraversion.. He attempted to fill that gap of extraversion with complementary work on endogenous knowledge. It is now widely acknowledged that his enduring legacy in the work he did with CODESRIA would best be captured through notions of ‘extraversion’ and ‘endogenous knowledge.’
Professor Hountondji was later elected as a member of CODESRIA’s Executive Committee at the 10th General Assembly held in Kampala, Uganda in 2002, and served as Vice-President of CODESRIA under the Presidency of Zenebeworke Tadesse (2002 – 2005). He continued to engage the Council after he left the Executive Committee, making invaluable contributions to the Council’s pan-African mandate of promoting research and fostering intellectual engagement within the social sciences and humanities. To this day, his contributions within the CODESRIA and the broader epistemic community remain immeasurable.
His commitment to the pursuit of knowledge was unwavering as exemplified by his lifelong dedication to learning. Even after achieving academic and intellectual acclaim, and long after obtaining a doctorate from the University of Paris-Nanterre in 1970, Professor Hountondji remained a lifelong student, continuing on to earn his doctorat d’Etat at l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop under the supervision by Professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne. The text of his doctorat d’Etat, published as “Combats pour le Sens: Un Itinéraire Africain” in 1997, and later translated into English in 2002 as “The Struggle for Meaning: Reflections on Philosophy, Culture and Democracy in Africa”, has also become a classic text in the study of philosophy.
In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Professor Hountondji served briefly in the government of the Republic of Benin, holding roles as the Minister of Education from 1990-1991 and then as Minister for Culture and Communications from 1991-1993. His legacy of political service continued even after he resigned in 1994 to return to teaching. He was a professor of philosophy at the National University of Benin and also served as director of the African Centre for Advanced Studies in Porto-Novo, Benin.
The Council extends its deepest condolences to Professor Hountondji’s family, friends, colleagues, and the entire academic community both in Benin and beyond. It was an honour, indeed a privilege, that Professor Hountondji dedicated such generous time and intellectual skill to CODESRIA. Not only does the Council feel the privilege, but it also is happy to share in the legacy he left behind. To honour his legacy, CODESRIA will remain steadfast in its commitment to nurturing critical engagement and championing the pursuit of knowledge within the social sciences and humanities. As we bid farewell to a luminary, may his intellectual flame continue to inspire generations to come."
https://codesria.org/paulin-j-hountondji-1942-2024-a-tribute-to-a-great-thinker/

CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
https://codesria.org/category/announcements/call-for-applications/
Odair Barros-Varela
Paulino Dias
Patricia Godinho Gomes

2024 Social Policy in Africa Conference
Conference Theme: Social Policy in Post-Covid-19 Africa
Event Dates: Monday 15 - Wednesday 17 April 2024
Event Address: University of South Africa, City of Tshwane, Republic of South Africa.
Deadlines: For Abstracts (Friday 29 December 2023). For full papers (29 February 2024)
Contact us at +27 12 337 6114 or [email protected]

https://press.lse.ac.uk/site/catalogue/
"Trade is an essential driver of economic transformation, growth, and prosperity. At a time of global uncertainty and policy fluidity, this comprehensive volume demystifies African trade and trade policy to provide a deeper understanding of how trade impacts the lives of all Africans and the continent’s development aspirations. Featuring a wealth of data-driven evaluations of trade negotiations and policy choices, How Africa Trades is an invaluable open access resource for making sense of the continent’s major trade challenges, including commodity dependence, competitiveness, and how African countries engage with often unconducive international trade rules that distort global markets. In-depth analysis focuses on intra-African trade initiatives, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), trade between African countries and their major trading partners, and how the short-term shocks of Covid-19 restrictions brought about longer-term changes in informal and formal trade patterns, and sped-up shifts in digital trade. Edited by Professor David Luke, and featuring vital contributions on trade economics, international law and sustainable development, How Africa Trades draws on the research expertise of LSE’s Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa. This volume provides information, expertise and tools for policymakers, stakeholders and scholars with an interest in understanding the dynamics of trade and in making effective policy decisions that centre development and inclusivity for Africa and its people."

EXHIBITION
THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF CIVILIZATION
"Scholars today recognize Africa as the source of our common ancestry. But in 1974, Senegalese scholar and humanist Cheikh Anta Diop shocked and challenged historians by asserting the influence of ancient African civilizations in his groundbreaking book The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. This exhibition pays homage to Diop by presenting masterpieces from the Museum’s collections from west and central Africa alongside art from ancient Egypt for the first time in The Met’s history. Through twenty-one pairings of works from different African cultures and eras, this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to appreciate the extraordinary creativity of the continent across five millennia, revealing unexpected parallels and contrasts. Although there was no contact between their creators, the works share deep and underrecognized histories."
Odair Barros Varela

The African Origin of Civilization Through twenty-one pairings of works from different African cultures and eras, this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to appreciate the extraordinary creativity of the continent across five millennia, revealing unexpected parallels and contrasts.