Hi, Quartz Africa readers!
A dim dawn
This week, Zimbabweans voted in an election deemed historic because for the first since independence in 1980, Robert Mugabe would not be on the ballot. It was meant to be a watershed moment for the country, and yet this election showed in so many ways how little has changed in Zimbabwe.
Elections have almost always been tense in Zimbabwe. The previous four elections since 2000 all featured sporadic violence and allegations of irregularities. In 2013, it left 100 people dead. The end result was always the same: Zanu-PF maintained power.
So it was with a great sense of dismay Zimbabweans and the world watched the 2018 election follow this pattern, yet again. After the military removed Mugabe last November, this vote was formally dubbed the “harmonized election“—it was meant to unite the country.
Instead, six people were killed when protests against the parliamentary results turned into violent riots and the army opened fire on civilians. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa said the Movement for Democratic Change would challenge the result, while the winner, Zanu-PF’s Emmerson Mnangagwa called for unity.
It’s all depressingly familiar, even with the different names involved. That said, the most familiar cast member of Zimbabwe’s political theatre, the military, maintained its ominous presence. This was meant to be an opportunity for Zimbabweans to take back their country, but what we have is the same script of powerlessness for the people.
The election had all the props of democracy: a long list of hopeful candidates, clearly demarcated constituencies, campaign rallies and rolling results announcements. This, however, isn’t real democracy. Real democracy leaves its citizens feeling empowered, and even in loss, they should feel safe and hopeful for the future. Even if the opposition’s bid to overturn the results proves without merit, the violence in the streets, the army opening fire at will, and the intimidation of journalists is a worrying sign of what could be on the horizon. Zimbabweans held muted celebrations and some protested, but for the most part, they did as they have for years—they carried on.
Zimbabwe staged the kind of election that makes voters lose faith in democracy and popular participation. It’s an increasingly familiar pattern across the continent, in which ruling elites use elections only to rubber stamp their power.
— Lynsey Chutel, Quartz Johannesburg correspondent
Stories from this week
The world’s biggest tech companies are backing an African-focused graduate program in machine intelligence. The first dedicated African Master’s in Machine Intelligence is launching in September, with backing from Google and Facebook and input from Amazon and others. Kemi Lijadu explains how the new program is a step toward closing the technology gap on continent.
What it’s like to be mentored by Barack Obama. Two hundred young Africans were chosen to be part of the Obama Foundation fellowship. The jam-packed leadership training week in Johannesburg featured a carousel of major names including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Kofi Annan, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and, of course, Obama himself.
Africa’s largest economy takes the first steps to adopting the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency. Back in May, Nigeria agreed to a three-year $2.5 billion currency swap with China to boost reserves and assist trade between the two countries. Yomi Kazeem discusses the motives and consequences of this agreement as Nigeria began selling yuan to local traders and businesses.
African governments’ push for cheap electricity is keeping millions in the dark. With an electrification rate of 42% in 2016, Africa lags behind other regions of the world. Former Africa Finance Corp chief executive, Andrew Alli explains why so many African power utilities are effectively bankrupt, the limits of renewable energy solutions and the difficult decisions governments will need to make if they want to improve supply for most of their citizens.
Climate change will hit Africa’s economic growth the hardest. The continent is going to face more economic damage from rising global temperatures than anywhere else in the world over the next three decades. Abdi Latif Dahir reports on how intensifying heat levels will impact worker productivity, and affect a host of sectors from agriculture and mining to oil, gas and manufacturing.
A Cameroon startup without internet access launched an SMS car-tracking app. Cameroon’s government shut down the internet in English-speaking regions of the country for a total of 230 days between January 2017 and March 2018. In Buea, southwest Cameroon, Amindeh Blaise Atabong met a young entrepreneur who managed to turn the ordeal into an opportunity by developing a car-tracking application that does not depend on the internet but uses SMS.
A faster Quartz Africa
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Chart of the Week
Everyone wants to be president in the “strongman” politics of Africa. For years presidential polls across the continent have had dozens of candidates running for the highest office. In Zimbabwe’s recent election, 22 other candidates attempted to succeed president Mnangagwa. A Quartz analysis of African elections shows this profusion of candidates is also true of smaller nations with even smaller electorates.
Other Things We Liked
We need to be wary of plans to introduce GM mosquitoes to African countries in the fight against malaria. In 2016, Target Malaria, a research consortium funded by the Gates Foundation, exported genetically modified mosquitoes to Burkina Faso, one of their new tools working towards the goal of eliminating malaria. For Africa is a Country, Zahra Moloo questions the premise of the project and points out the “hubris” of using Africa as a “guinea pig” for the technology.
The improbable story of an African region’s quest for independence. Since declaring independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, the northern region of Somaliland has erected its own flag, formed its own legislation, printed its own currency and is peaceful. In this excerpt from his book Invisible Countries, Joshua Keating finds one missing thing from Somalilanders’ dream: becoming a recognized nation.
How tech is putting the needs of impoverished Kenyans on the map. PBS News Hour’s Fred de Sam Lazaro visited Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood and the city’s tech hubs where he meet developers, entrepreneurs and startups including digital mapping company, Map Kibera and Akirachix. Watch here.
Keep an eye on
Africa Fashion Week, London (Aug. 10-11). The week includes two days of runway shows, an exhibition and marketplace open to the public at the Freemasons Hall London.
*This brief was produced while listening to Sabali by Amadou & Mariam (Mali)
Our best wishes for a productive and thought-filled week ahead. Please send any news, comments, suggestions, Nigerian yuan and cheap non-bankrupt electricity to africa@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day. This newsletter was compiled by Kemi Lijadu and edited by Yinka Adegoke.
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