African Studies
Utafiti: Journal of African Perspectives
Call for Papers: Utafiti is inviting you to submit your manuscript – any topic in the humanities - for consideration in the next issues.
Highlights
News & Announcements
Stay up-to-date with the Brill African Studies Community and sign up to our newsletter!
Sign upNew at Brill: Afrika Focus
This journal promotes critical and worldly debates with Africa at the centre.
New Series: Africa Futures / Afrique Futurs
Published in association with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Africa Futures features cutting-edge research that critically reflects on some of the big questions relevant to imagining Africa’s future as a place.
Listen to our podcast on Africa and Climate Change
Robin Attfield talks about how Africa finds itself vulnerable to drought but also the flooding of its coastline, among other untoward environmental effects of climate change and civil war.
Omar Bongo ‘Ondimba’ (b. 1935) was Africa's second-longest serving head of state, and after 37 years in power showed no interest in stepping down. His family members held key government posts and his ruling ‘Parti Démocratique Gabonais’ (PDG) held 72% of the seats in the National Assembly. With unusually high oil prices supporting his economy, he spent the year preparing for upcoming presidential elections.
Municipal and cantonal elections were held in December, resulting in another victory for the ruling ‘Parti Democratique Gabonais’ (PDG). President Ali Bongo, travelling around the world to attract foreign investors, continued pursuing his development programme ‘Gabon Emergent’.
A cabinet reshuffle in January reflected President Bongo’s commitment to maintaining his economic policies. But the summer oil-price collapse clearly threatened his ambitious ‘Gabon Emergent’ programme, and triggered anti-regime protests, violently repressed, which foreshadowed a coming fiscal crisis. Efforts to offset falling crude oil revenues included a major new manganese deal with India.
The on-going collapse in world commodity prices hit the economy hard. Without high oil, timber and manganese prices to fund President Bongo’s ambitious ‘Gabon Emergent’ development plans, his regime was forced to slash public spending mid-year, reshuffle the cabinet and manage an increasingly disgruntled civil society before the all-important 2016 presidential elections. Intense diplomatic activity with France and China marked the entire year.
Presidential elections were the main political event of the year. President Ali Bongo, in power since his father Omar Bongo’s death in 2009, was sure to win. But his victory was contested, provoked deadly riots and strained relations with France and the usa.
In response to mounting tensions, President Bongo endeavoured to fight corruption, reform the Constitution and conduct a national dialogue with his opponents. But his real challenger was the world commodity crisis, as low prices for oil and other primary exports increased the burden of his costly Gabon Emergent programme.
After nearly two years’ delay, legislative elections were finally held in October. The ruling ‘Parti Democratique Gabonais’ (pdg) retained a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, winning 98 of the 143 seats. President Ali Bongo subsequently suffered a stroke while on a trip to Saudi Arabia. After being released from hospital in Riyadh, he was discreetly flown to Morocco, where he spent the rest of the year recovering at a private residence in Rabat.
A tense and confused political situation saw one attempted coup and nine cabinet reshuffles over the course of the year, yet armed forces remained loyal to the ruling Bongo family, and changes in the oil and mining codes attracted new investors to the extractive industries.
The country witnessed the fourth cabinet reshuffle since the failed coup of 2019, but a dynastic change of key members of the presidential staff caused a greater stir in the capital. The appointment of a new prime minister came during dual health and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a subsequent fall in the prices of oil, manganese, and timber, the country’s three main exports.
President Ali Bongo’s health and preparations for dynastic succession were top themes in semi-public debates. The government took initiatives to join the Commonwealth. It also announced an interim development plan with ambitions to diversify the economy, reduce poverty, and fight climate change.