2020 in Africa: A Retrospective on Resistance

The year 2020 was a deeply challenging one for democracy and its many defenders around the world, including in Africa. Most prominently, authoritarian leaders across the continent manipulated the threat of covid-19 to roll back political rights and civil liberties while entrenching their repressive rule. Elections in Burundi, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Tanzania were far from free and fair, drawing rightful criticism from citizens and outside observers alike. Yet Africa was also home to the only country in the world to make progress on democracy over the last 12 months: Malawi. And we have also seen new forms of protest and resistance emerge in countries as varied as Nigeria and Zimbabwe, as well as Zambia, which faces a critical election next year. This program will feature some of our most popular guests from this year. We will look back at the lessons learned from 2020 for resisting authoritarian rule, while also highlighting the main issues to keep tabs on for 2021.