Human Security

[This speech was delivered at the international conference on China’s constructive engagement in Africa’s peace and security, convened by the Social Sciences in China Press, on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing, China, 18-19 October 2016.]

President Muhammadu Buhari led his country’s delegation to the United Nations 71^st General Assembly meeting in September 2016 in New York.

Mama held on to her daughter. Tears ran down her cheeks and her chin before forming a small puddle on her daughter’s shoulder. Tears trickled down her daughter’s back when Mama lifted her up her feet, set her down, disengaged her tight hold and stared into her face.

Frustrated, angry and desperate, many young Africans have no faith in their own countries and the extant political leadership. They have dreams of prosperity but have resolved that these dreams cannot bear fruit here. Africa for them is an infertile land.

The challenge for South Africa is how to overcome the legacy of deep-seated individual, institutional and everyday racism long after official apartheid had been scrapped from the statue books.

Rwanda Day-San Francisco, September 27, was a bad day for identity politics.

Dear Black Police Officer

How are you today? Well, we hope. You may be wondering who we are, why we have decided to write to you and perhaps why we are addressing you as a ‘Black Police Officer’ - as opposed to just saying ‘Police Officer’.

During one of his debates with Socrates, Thrasymachus alleges that “justice is nothing else than the interest of the stronger.” For Eritreans (as well as many other regional observers), a clear reflection of this point is the ongoing sanctions imposed against the country.

[This lecture was delivered on October 1, 2016 as part of activities by the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Rainbow Deck, Effurun, Delta State, to mark Nigeria’s 56^th independence anniversary.]

Introduction

When the world heard that Shimon Peres had died, it shouted “Peacemaker!” But when I heard that Peres was dead, I thought