Money, Credit, and Banking in Colonial and Postcolonial West Africa

Scholarship in African economic history has been dominated by a wave of revisionism lately. The degree of African indebtedness, the imperatives of loan repayment, and the long-term implications of ongoing political and economic changes, all make such a revision exigent indeed. Focusing on the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, this paper produces new evidence to reinterpret and redefine African precolonial financial institutions. The paper has two main parts. Part 1 focuses on the introduction of cowrie currency into Yorubaland and its impact on social stratification. Part 2 examines ajo, the savings institution, esusu, the rotating savings and credit associations (roscas), and the process of capital formation and accumulation among the Yoruba

Number 4 - Silence! Peace in Progress : The 2013 Election and Peaceful Post-Election Dispute Management in Kenya

On March 4, 2013, Kenyans went to the polls to elect the president, vice-president, senators, county governors, and members of parliament. Tension was high; fears and uncertainties gripped the nation, and the international community watched with keen interest. Five years earlier, on December 27, 2007, a similar event had resulted in a horrific post-election violence (PEV) that left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, and that disrupted the economic and social conditions of the country and the entire sub-region. As the 2013 elections approached, the fear became palpable that there might be a recurrence. Those fears were unrealized; Kenya had an election that the Commonwealth Observer Group, among other observers, reported to be “credible” and to have met “many of the benchmarks for democratic elections to which Kenya is committed.” Based on a series of interviews conducted in Kenya in June-December 2013, this paper evaluates the factors that contributed to preservation of electoral and post-election peace (PEP) in Kenya

Introduction: Sustainable Livelihoods, Conflicts, and Transformation

Introduction to the Journal of Global Initiatives Volume 10, Number 2 Sustainable Livelihoods and Conflict

Managing Conflicts in Africa\u27s Democratic Transitions

The democratization process which bolstered a culture of periodic elections has also fostered election-related violent conflicts. As democratic transitions gained currency in the new millennium, orderly transitions through the ballot boxes began replacing military coups but deaths and destructions came in the wake of elections in many countries. Inspired by decades-long pro-democracy movements across Africa that culminated in the Arab Spring of 2010-2011, and motivated by the desire to find long-term solutions to election-related violent conflicts in the continent, this book explores the terrain of democratization, elections, and conflict management. It raises and answers many questions, such as: What are the root causes of election-related conflicts? How free, fair, and credible are elections in many African countries? What institutional mechanisms are available for ballot and voter security and for mandate protection? What has been the role of civil society organizations in conflict prevention and management? What are the responsibilities of the international community, especially regional organizations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), in conflict resolution? What indigenous mechanisms for conflict management have been identified that may be proactively engaged

Iwo: A reevaluation of refugee integration, intergroup relations, and the scenography of power in a 19th-century Yoruba city

This paper focuses on Iwo, an ancient Yoruba city that traces its roots to Ile-Ife and one of the cities that received, accommodated, and integrated refugees from various parts of Yorubaland during the 19th century. It investigates the concessions made by members of the Iwo ruling class to accommodate the influx of military and civilian populations from various parts of the disintegrating Old Oyo Empire. The paper utilizes published works on urbanization in Africa and oral traditions collected by the author between 1978 and 2018. Although limited in quantity and significance, Western missionary travelogues and archival information are also consulted. In addition to explaining changes in the layout of the city and its outlying townships and villages, the paper examines the scenography of power among the ruling elite and the advent and impact of Islam in Iwo.Cet article s’intéresse à Iwo, une ancienne ville yoruba qui prend ses racines dans l’Ile-Ife, et qui a accueilli, hébergé et intégré des réfugiés de diverses parties de l’aire yoruba au cours du XIXe siècle. Il explore les concessions faites par des membres de la classe dirigeante Iwo pour accueillir l'afflux de populations militaires et civiles de diverses parties de l’ancien Empire Oyo en voie de désagrégation. L’article utilise des ouvrages publiés sur l'urbanisation en Afrique et des traditions orales recueillies par l'auteur entre 1978 et 2018. Bien que limités en quantité et en importance, des récits de voyage de missionnaires occidentaux et des archives sont également mobilisés. À bien des égards, l’histoire d’Iwo a été similaire à celles de plusieurs villes Yoruba du sud et du centre au XIXe siècle, comme Ede, Osogbo, Ogbomoso, Ibadan et Abeokuta. Elle est liée aux pressions que les réfugiés et les habitants déplacées ont exercé sur les institutions sociales, les relations de pouvoir et l'évolution de l'économie politique. Cependant, l’histoire d’Iwo est également unique. En plus des facteurs explicatifs concernant des changements dans l'agencement de la ville, de ses cantons et des villages périphériques, l’article examine la scénographie du pouvoir parmi l’élite dirigeante, ainsi que l’avènement et l’impact de l’islam à Iwo

Currency Devaluation and Rank: The Yoruba and Akan Experiences

Jane Guyer has clearly demonstrated in Marginal Gains (2004) that the ranking of people historically was linked to quantitative scales of money. Guyer\u27s study focuses on the Igbo and Ibibio, two societies in which ranking was by achievement rather than ascription. How do ranking and money interface in other African societies with strong monarchical or centralized social systems? What impact does currency instability have on rank in such societies? This paper examines these questions. Focusing on the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Akan of Ghana, it evaluates the degree to which ranking has been affected by currency devaluation and economic instability since the mid-1980s

Atone: Religion, Conflict, and Reconciliation

The relationship between religion and conflict has generated considerable academic and political debate. Although the majority of religions and spiritual traditions are replete with wisdom that propagates a broader unity among human beings, these same examples have been used to legitimize hatred and fear. While some studies claim that religion facilitates peacebuilding, reconciliation, and healing, others argue that religion exacerbates hostility, instigates vengeance-seeking behaviors, and heightens conflict. But religion does not act by itself, human beings are responsible for acts of peace or conflict, of division or reconciliation, in the name of religion. This book addresses these rather complex issues from the perspective of reconciliation, or atonement, to advance both the frontiers of knowledge and the global search for alternative paths to peace. The contributions in the volume focus in three areas: (1) Reconciling Religious Conflicts, (2) Reconciling Conflict through Religion, and (3) Religious Reconciliations. In each of these sections scholars, practitioners, and religious leaders address specific examples that highlight the complex intersections of religious practices with global conflict and reconciliation efforts. This informative and provocative book is relevant for students and faculty in peace and conflict studies, religious studies, humanities, social sciences, and provides insights useful to practitioners and professionals working in peacebuilding and international development seeking to promote effective resolution and reconciliation efforts.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/facbooks/1014/thumbnail.jp