Elections in Senegal, Toronto Panel: We the People

On this week's African Perspectives, we spoke with Ameth Lo regarding the presidential elections in Senegal. The first round of presidential elections in Senegal were held on February 26th under tense circumstance, as incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade is seeking a third term, even though the constitution limits a president to only 2 terms. Since Wade did not win an outright majority, a second round of elections will be held on March 25th. Listen here

We then spoke with Isaac ‘Asume’ Osuoka regarding the upcoming panel discussion entitled "We the People: Power & Resistance in Africa Today" to be held on Wednesday March 21st at OISE (252 Bloor St W, Toronto), room 5-250. In recent years, there has been an explosion of protests, workers’ strikes and other forms of popular resistance across Africa. In countries like Nigeria, Guinea, Senegal and South Africa, African peoples are taking to the streets and public squares to express their outrage at corrupt puppet regimes, imposed neoliberal economic policies and diminished standards of living amidst a renewed scramble for African resources. What is the significance of the new African Awakening for the continent and its peoples? Listen here

Elections in Ivory Coast

This edition of African Perspectives focused on the impasse of the November 28th elections in Ivory Coast. With both Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo claiming victory in the elections, the international community is calling of Gbagbo to step down, and threatening military intervention.

The first interview we conducted is with Mawuli Dake, who speaks about the dangers of a military intervention and war mongering by the international community. We also spoke with Gary Busch, who discussed the historical context of this election, especially of formal colonial power France.

Listen to the show here