Mass Nationwide Protests Bring Togo to the Brink of Ending 50 Years of Dictatorship

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of cities across the West African country of Togo as part of a recently revived wave of nationwide protests demanding political reforms. “We hope to encourage more peaceful public protests and civic disobedience and be able to maintain the pressure until the regime falls,” said Togolese Civil League executive director Farida Nabourema.

Decolonizing the Notion of Citizenship

A number of foreign nationals were attacked in Johannesburg, South Africa last month as part of a wave of anti-immigrant violence and sentiment in the country. This xenophobic violence has once again reminded us of the politics of citizenship and what it means to belong and not to belong in the post-colony. What we need to do now is decolonize, ideologically and practically, the colonial notion of citizenship.

Protesters in Rabat, Morocco in October, 2016 demand political reforms and an end to corruption. Photo credit: Reuters

Arresting the Protest: Widespread Crackdown on Dissent Undermines Morocco’s Social Movements

Moroccan pro-democracy activists unanimously claim that the freedom of expression won in the months following the 2011 Arab Spring protests has slowly been taken away. State repression and political detention have been an effective way to draw protesters and sympathizers of the movement away from participation. "We are now in a critical situation," explains journalist Imad Stitou. "We understand the message: it’s over with tolerance and openness.”