Rift Valley Institute

Latest Episodes:

Tarikh Tana (Our History) Episode 1: What makes a chief? The changing role of customary authorities Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

This show is brought to you under the South Sudan National Archives Project, supported by Norway and implemented by UNESCO in partnership with RVI, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The first Tarikh Tana (Our History) radio show in this second series will focus on What makes a chief? The changing role of customary authorities. We will take two personality sheets written about chiefs under the British Colonial period, found in the South Sudan National Archives, as the starting point for our discussion. Chiefs personality sheets Beginning in the 1920s Native Administration (idara ahliya in Arabic) became the system of local government in the rural areas throughout Sudan. Native administration increased the power of local leaders who gained influence in dispute resolution, taxation and judicial functions. It was abolished in the northern provinces by Jaafar Nimeiri in 1971, but retained in the Southern Region after the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972. The system required province administrators to identify local leaders, arrange them in hierarchies of chiefs and sub-chiefs, and organize chiefs courts. Personality reports were kept on each local leader identifying the territory they represented, their place in the hierarchy of Native Administration, and an outline of their duties. These reports were updated by each succeeding district commissioner, who added his own personal assessment of the chief. Often their comments say more about the district commissioner than about the chief. The two guests will be: Yosa Wawa Professor of History at University of Juba Chief Kon Mayar Machar Paramount Chief of Aluak Luak in Eastern Lakes States

War and Peace in Somalia Book Launch Jan 02, 2020

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For thirty years, Somalia has experienced violence and upheaval. National and international efforts to build a state and achieve reconciliation are challenged by deep-rooted grievances, local conflicts and a long-running insurgency. On 10th December, the Rift Valley Institute, CAN International and Aston University hosted a panel discussion to launch the book, War and Peace in Somalia: National Grievances, Local Conflict and Al-Shabaab. The book, consisting of forty-two articles by conflict resolution specialists and leading experts on Somalia, is a unique collection of insights into Somalia’s protracted conflicts, and the efforts of Somali women, men and youth, and international actors to resolve them.

Green Dreams, Local Struggles - Q&A Nov 26, 2019

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On 16 October 2019, the Rift Valley Forum, in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University and Friends of Lake Turkana, hosted a discussion of initial findings from the Seeing Conflict at the Margins project (seeingconflict.org/). The Forum opened with an introduction to the project, followed by a screening and discussion of videos and photography created by local teams over the past two years. The speakers presented on ways of ‘seeing’ resource development in communities in and around the Lake Turkana Wind Power and Ol Karia geothermal power project and discuss the insights on local people’s perspectives and the research approaches used.

Green Dreams, Local Struggles - Panel Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

On 16 October 2019, the Rift Valley Forum, in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University and Friends of Lake Turkana, hosted a discussion of initial findings from the Seeing Conflict at the Margins project (https://seeingconflict.org/). The Forum opened with an introduction to the project, followed by a screening and discussion of videos and photography created by local teams over the past two years. The speakers presented on ways of ‘seeing’ resource development in communities in and around the Lake Turkana Wind Power and Ol Karia geothermal power project and discuss the insights on local people’s perspectives and the research approaches used.

Kalobeyei Forum - Q&A Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

In June 2015, the Turkana County Government, UNHCR and the Central Government allocated a site near the Kalobeyei Township, 3.5 kilometres northwest of Kakuma refugee camp and measuring 15 square kilometres, to host the ever-growing number of South Sudanese refugees in Kakuma refugee camp. Kalobeyei offers a new system for welcoming and hosting refugees by not only offering a market-based settlement in which they can integrate with host communities but also ensuring that refugee hosting is transformed into an opportunity for the development of the host community. On 6 August 2019, the Rift Valley Forum, in partnership with Amnesty International, hosted Professor Alexander Betts of the University of Oxford and the Director of Refugee Economies Programme to discuss the successes, challenges and opportunities of the Kalobeyei initiative. The Refugee Economies Programme undertakes research on the economic lives of refugees, analysing refugee self-reliance, the role of the private sector and refugee economies in various countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.

Kalobeyei Forum - Panel Nov 06, 2019

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Somalia in Search of a Workable 2020 Electoral Model - Q&A Nov 05, 2019

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For the fifth time since 2010, Somalia is exploring options for an electoral model that will advance the country’s democratic process. Despite previous attempts to pursue democracy, Somalia has failed to shed its clan-based political system. So far, the Federal Government of Somalia and other key stakeholders have been unable to agree on a workable electoral model for the 2020 parliamentary and 2021 presidential elections. On 25 July 2019, the Rift Valley Forum and the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) launched a new report by HIPS, Somalia: In Search of a Workable 2020 Electoral Model. The event presented the four possible electoral models discussed in the report and discussed the challenges and way forward for selecting an electoral model and laying the foundation for universal suffrage in Somalia.

Somalia in Search of a Workable 2020 Electoral Model - Panel Nov 05, 2019

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Interview with Eddie Thomas on new report, 'Cash, Commodification and Conflict in South Sudan' Jun 21, 2019

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The report is a product of the X-Border Local Research Network, a component of DFID's Cross-border Conflict—Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme. The programme carries out research work to better understand the causes and impacts of conflict in border areas and their international dimensions. It supports more effective policymaking and development programming and builds the skills of local partners. The report was written by Eddie Thomas, an RVI Fellow.

The Case of LAPSSET - Part 2 Apr 10, 2019

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On 14 February 2019, the Rift Valley Forum hosted a panel discussion to disseminate a new report —Participation, Voice and Governance in Investment Corridors in Africa: the case of the Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor Project, LAPSSET—produced by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies of the University of Western Cape, in partnership with the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa Programme. The report examines the extent to which smallholder farmers, fishers, women and youth have been included in the implementation of LAPSSET, and its potential impact on these communities.

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