African Studies Researcher on PRI: Obama in Ethiopia
Dan Connell, a visiting researcher at the African Studies Center, an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, spoke with Public Radio International (PRI) program “The World” on July 28 about the significance of President Barack Obama’s recent visit to Ethiopia.
According to Connell, Obama’s remarks signal a desire to take Africa issues seriously, even as the power of the African Union and the continent’s commitment to democracy are in question.
From the story accompanying the PRI broadcast:
The African Union may be the only body in a position to influence those leaders. The African Union was established in 2001 to replace a dysfunctional organization known as The Organization of African Unity. The body focuses in continent-wide human rights, conflict resolution and economic development, says Don Connell, a visiting scholar at Boston University’s African Studies Center.
The only African state that is not a member is Morocco. So far, results from the African Union have been mixed, Connell says.
“They have gotten involved in some situations that have been very difficult [such as in the Congo and Burundi],” he says. “They have not been able to deal with an issue very close to where the meeting is taking place right now, the Eritrea-Ethiopia border conflict.”
You can read the entire interview and listen to the audio here.
Founded in 1953, the African Studies Center has provided a strong foundation in African studies to generations of university professors, economists, health workers, government officials, development personnel, diplomats, and numerous others. Learn more here.
Dan Connell is a visiting scholar at BU’s African Studies Center and a retired senior lecturer in journalism and African studies at Simmons College, with four decades of research and writing on Africa. His reports and commentary have been carried by Associated Press, Reuters, BBC, The Boston Globe, The Financial Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, The Nation, The Washington Post and other major media. Learn more about him here.