Nanjala Nyabola warns against "false gods" and "glamourised militarism" in Africa
via The Namibian3 min read
Kenyan political analyst Nanjala Nyabola, in a keynote speech titled 'False Gods' at Wits University in South Africa, questioned whether African "liberators" like Burkina Faso's military ruler Ibrahim Traor茅 are leading to new dictatorships. Nyabola, a prominent critical thinker, discussed online narratives that romanticize political figures who present themselves as saviors but ultimately harm their people. She identified Traor茅, who seized power in a 2022 military coup, as part of a dangerous trend of "glamourised militarism" in Africa. These figures gain large social media followings while suppressing dissent, media, and democratic spaces. Traor茅 recently announced that Burkinab茅 citizens should "forget" about democracy, three months after his government dissolved all political parties. A Human Rights Watch study reported that Burkina Faso's government forces were responsible for more than twice as many civilian deaths as militant jihadist groups over a two-year period. Over 2.1 million people have been displaced, and nearly 6.5 million require humanitarian aid. Ugandan journalist Rosebell Kagumire previously warned against this trend in her article 'Glamourised Militarism and Africa鈥檚 Elusive Liberation', highlighting the glorification of military leaders in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Guinea. This fascination with figures like Traor茅 reflects a global rise of populist leaders amplified by social media. The article notes that Namibia is also experiencing
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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