Ep. 115: A conversation with Robtel Neajai Pailey on citizenship and Liberia

Robtel Neajai Pailey is a writer, activist, and academic whose recent book engages with the topic of citizenship in Africa, especially in Liberia. She joins Rachel for a great conversation about her work, the scholar-activists who influence and inspire her, and how to make our work ethical, emancipatory, and accessible. We conducted this interview on the sidelines of the 52nd Annual Liberian Studies Association conference, hosted by Cornell University's Institute of African Development.

In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about academic freedom in Zambia, the corruption trial in South Africa against its former president, and legal challenges surrounding closings of Kenyan refugee camps, and Twitter's move to Ghana.   

Books, Links, & Articles

• Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa: The Political Economy of Belonging to Liberia by Robtel Neajai Pailey
• Weight of Whispers by Yvonne Owuor
• Growth of the Liberian State: An Analysis of Its Historiography by Clarence E. Zamba Liberty
• Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart
• Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks
• “Surviving on Borrowed Power: Rethinking the Role of Civil Society in Zambia’s Third-Term Debate” by Sishuwa Sishuwa
• “Irony and Panic as Zambia’s Authoritarianism Turns to Intellectuals” by Fumba Chama
• “South Africa’s ANC Allowed Looting, President Says” by Joseph Cotterill
• “Malawi: Death Penalty Defeated”
• “Kenyan Court ‘Temporarily Blocks’ Closure of Refugee Camps” 
• “Establishing Twitter’s presence in Africa” by Kayvon Beykpour and Uche Adegbite
• “Twitter’s New Office in Ghana Seen as a Snub to LGBT+ People” by Nita Bhalla

Previous Episodes We Mentioned

• Ep. 113: A conversation with Nanjala Nyabola
• Ep83. A conversation with Yvonne Owuor on develo

Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.