Dialogue and Civic Spaces

The hbs contributes to democratic governance and social cohesion in the region through advancing civic and political spaces for dialogue. We partner with civil society, academia, private sector and decision makers from the region and beyond to discuss pertinent issues with regards to political, social and economic developments affecting the region. We work with youth to explore and engage in alternative forms of politics towards a more democratic future; and support civic actors to leverage new approaches to protect and advance spaces for democratic practice.

Ethiopia’s Next Poll Could Be More Competitive-But Big Challenges Remain

Article

The upcoming 6th general elections are yet another historic chance for Ethiopia to hold free and fair elections. Through democratic competition, Ethiopia can avert conflict, strengthen its democratic institutions, and begin the transition to democracy. The elections are a matter of survival.

International Dialogue

Why Bother with Elections? Reflections on East Africa’s unfolding electoral season

Article

Are elections actually worth it? While, across the world, elections are often held up as a key marker of democratic participation and government legitimacy, many ordinary people are losing faith in them as a way of selecting their leaders.

Youth and Alternative Politics

Save the Date: Uganda Elections 2021 New Wine, old problems

Article

On 28 October 2020, the Rift Valley Institute in partnership with hbs will host the third webinar in its elections series to discuss Uganda’s election and the participation of women in electoral processes in Uganda.

Civic Spaces

Picture courtesy of REUTERS Abubaker Lubowa

Ugandas Elections 2021, New wine Old Problems

Event Podcast

Perspectives

Perspectives #03/2018: Through the Looking Glass: Images of African Futures

The Hollywood action movie Black Panther captured the imagination of audiences around the globe. In several African countries, it quickly became the highest grossing film of all time. The tale is set in Wakanda, a technologically advanced African kingdom that avoided the shackles of colonialism and slavery by isolating itself behind a guise of poverty and deprivation. Although what it presents as “African”, in terms of narrative and images, is far from uncontested, the film catapulted Afrofuturism – a discipline or aesthetic that enlists science fiction and technology to imagine black identities and futures unconstrained by past and present circumstances – from the avant-garde circles of artists and intellectuals into the mainstream.

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