Where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, South Africa     

My current book project looks at the role of culture—hip-hop, reggae, slam, video, concerts, documentary film—in bringing about a new awareness of democracy in citizen-led movements in Africa since 2010. This project builds on my work in  African Freedom where I explored the ongoing struggle for meaningful freedom as represented in major films and literature within the larger context of struggles for national liberation. In this book, I explore the role of culture in ongoing struggles since 2010 from Burkina Faso to South Africa. The key areas of concern in these movements are: the mechanics of democracy (term limits, constitution, elections, free press); quality of life issues (water, electricity, Internet access); peace and security (internal repression, external aggression); and the legacy of national liberation (Sankara, Lumumba). This project grew out of teaching Human Rights Across Contexts (HRTS 595) while in conversation with activists in the field.

In Human Rights Across Contexts, we study citizen-led movements in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. Students read theories of freedom, human rights and social justice and are invited to think comparatively across contexts. This serves as preparation for talking with activists in the field via zoom chat about their current priorities and initiatives. Final projects involve designing and implementing some form of human rights practice in collaboration with activists in Africa.

I serve on the Executive Committee of the Masters in Human Rights Practice program at the University of Arizona.

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa