Osei Bonsu

Curator, Tate Modern, UK

Art

Location: UK

‍https://www.oseibonsu.com

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Osei, Anja. Elites and democracy in Ghana: A social network approach, African Affairs, Volume 114, Issue 457, October 2015, Pages 529–554, https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adv036

This article presents new theoretical and empirical insights into democratization in Africa, using the typology developed by John Higley and Michael Burton to understand elite interaction in Ghana. Social network analysis (SNA) is used to test the main proposition of the Higley/Burton theory, namely that a ‘liberal democracy is impossible without a consensually united elite’. Empirical evidence is provided from a unique data set that maps the interaction patterns between Members of Parliament elected to the Ghanaian legislature in 2012. The article shows that MPs in Ghana form a dense and strongly interconnected network bridging ethnic and party cleavages, and that MPs from different parties have developed a measure of trust in one another. These findings not only support Higley and Burton's claim that elite integration is conducive to stable democracy, but also point to new directions in African Studies by demonstrating the capacity of actor-centric approaches to explain processes of democratization in countries that lack the classic structural preconditions for consolidation.

Source: Article's abstract

Osei, Anja. Elite Theory and Political Transitions: Networks of Power in Ghana and Togo October 2018. Comparative Politics, Volume 51, Number 1, Pages 21-42(22).

This article argues that elite theories can contribute significantly to our understanding of democratization. Existing elite theories on the relationship between elite configurations and regime outcomes are critically reviewed and then tested in two case studies, Ghana and Togo. While Ghana is one of Africa's most democratic countries, Togo has remained an electoral autocracy. The empirical evidence is based on a unique data set that maps the interaction patterns between Members of Parliament (MPs) in each of the countries. Using social network analysis, the article shows that the elite interactions differ systematically between the countries. MPs in Ghana form a dense and strongly interconnected network that bridges ethnic and party cleavages. Moreover, MPs from different parties have developed a measure of trust in one another. In Togo, by contrast, there is much more suspicion between government and opposition, and much less cooperation.

Source: adapted from article's abstract

Osisanwo, Ayo. “Discursive Strategies in Selected Political Campaign Songs in South western Nigeria”. Communication and Linguistics Studies. Volume 6, Issue 4, (December 2020) pp. 73-81. doi:10.11648/j.cls.20200604.12

Discursive strategies are often deployed to create awareness, capture and persuade the electorate in political campaign songs. Existing scholarly works on political and electoral issues have examined different aspects of political discourses but have not sufficiently examined the import of political campaign songs in electoral and political discourses. Therefore, this paper examines the use of political campaign songs in southwestern Nigeria with a view to identifying the discursive strategies deployed to persuade the electorate. The YouTube Channel was visited in order to retrieve the transcript of political campaign jingles used during the 2011,2015 and 2019 general elections in southwestern Nigeria. The selected period comprised the most recent general elections in the region. Guided by relevant aspects of the socio-cognitive model of critical discourse analysis, data were subjected to discourse analysis. The analysis uncovers the vital relationship existing between the political campaign songs and the Nigerian socio-cultural spatial setting that produced them. Eight discursive strategies: allusion(historical, religious/biblical, socio-cultural), propaganda, indigenous/native language usage and code alternation, reference to collective ownership, figurative/proverbial expressions, adaptation of common musical tune, and rhythmicity were identified. Politicians use different discursive and rhetorical strategies in their political campaign songs to open the door to the heart of the electorate.

[Source: Article abstract].

Otusanya, Julius O. 2012. "An investigation of the financial criminal practices of the elite in developing countries: Evidence from Nigeria", Journal of Financial Crime, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 175-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/13590791211220449

Contemporary literature has paid scholarly attention to financial criminal practice from a variety of competing perspectives. However, this paper seeks to encourage reflections on some questionable practices of the political and economic elite which increase their capital accumulation but harm citizens.

Source: Article abstract culled from Emerald.com

Oumou Sangare

Musician

Mali

oumousangareofficial.com/en/home

Ousmane Sonko

Politician

Politics

Senegal

Overbergh, Ann. “Kenya’s Riverwood: Market Structure, Power Relations, and Future Outlooks”. JOURNAL OF AFRICAN CINEMAS 7, n^o 2 (2015): 97‑115. https://doi.org/10.1386/jac.7.2.97_1.

This article analyses the economic structure, market dynamics and power relations in Kenya’s Riverwood movie circuit. Similarities and differences with better-known African popular cinema industries are highlighted and tentatively explained. The article pays attention to historical background, context factors, individual agency and questions of justice and fairness in the circuit. Riverwood may at first glance appear to be just another example of the African popular cinema genre, but on closer inspection shows as many dissimilarities as similarities with, for instance, Nollywood and Bongowood.