Activities
Long-term researcher dispatches ending
updated 31 Mar 2016
Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa
Maputo, Republic of Mozambique
Since 2014, Osaka University (the Osaka School of International Public Policy) has been organizing the dispatch of researchers to counterpart institutions in Africa for long-term (up to approximately one year) research projects covering various aspects of African peace and security. As of March 2016, this program will come to an end. Under this program, researchers were dispatched to the University of the Free State in South Africa, as well as Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. The University of Burundi and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in South Africa also agreed to host researchers, although this did not come to fruition in the end. The program is grateful to all these institutions for their active participation in this program. Joint research programs, and short-term exchanges between these institutions will continue.
UN Security Council Database goes online
updated 20 Mar 2016
In March 2016, the project went online with its UN Security Council Resolution Database. The database is a custom search tool (accessible to all free of charge) that allows users to search for and analyze long-term trends in UN Security Council resolutions. The database is not a search engine for the resolution texts, but allows resolutions to be filtered and discovered based on key pre-identified characteristics about the decisions contained in the resolutions. The content of each resolution has been categorized according to these pre-identified characteristics, and includes general information about the resolution (such as date, geographical location, the invocation of Chapter VII of the UN Charter), as well as a set of details about each of the following: sanctions, peace operations, non-UN operations/enforcement actions, criminal tribunals, other subsidiary organs, thematic resolutions, membership, and appointments. Although it currently contains data on resolutions for 2000-2015, it will soon be expanded to include pre-2000 data, and will be updated for resolutions in 2016 and beyond.
Research Fellowship at the University of the Free State
Dr. Marina Magalhães B. L. da SILVA, Osaka University
updated 15 Mar 2016
SACCPS/CEAPS Conference 2016 African Conflict Resolution: Finding a Balance Between Local and International-led Initiatives
Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa
SACCPS/CEAPS Conference 2016 African Conflict Resolution: Finding a Balance Between Local and International-led Initiatives
I recently completed a long-term research fellowship at the University of the Free State, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The research was part of the African Conflict Resolution program. The university hosted me as a postdoctoral fellow and gave me all the necessary support to conduct my research. The period as postdoctoral fellow in South Africa represented a great professional and personal experience in terms of building solid research and gathering knowledge about the African continent.
CEAPS/SACCPS Conference 2016
African Conflict Resolution: Finding a Balance Between Local and International-led Initiatives
updated 23 Feb 2016
10 February 2016 Osaka University Library Hall (6F, Main Library) Osaka, Japan
University of the Free State, South Africa
10 February 2016 Osaka University Library Hall (6F, Main Library) Osaka, Japan
Part 1: 10 February, 2016
Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
Presentations (see here for the full program details)
Together in the same objective: The engagement between the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council
Marina Magalhães B. L. da Silva, University of the Free State, South Africa
Conflict resolution in Africa: Appraisal of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC)
Michael-Njunga Mulikita, Copperbelt University, Zambia
A review of the SADC standby force and preparedness on peacebuilding
Oscar Tembo, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Elections, a coup attempt and the local media in Burundi
Virgil Hawkins, Osaka University, Japan
Peace and security in Africa
Leonidas Ndayisaba, University of Burundi, Burundi
Electoral violence and youths in Africa
Ignatius Mukunto, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Infrastructure for peace (I4P) in Africa
Willem Ellis, University of the Free State, South Africa
A role of intermediators to bridge the economic and racial divides: The case of South Africa
Michiya Kawamura, Osaka University, Japan
History and the present: The situation in Qwaqwa, Free State, South Africa
Sayaka Kono, Tsuda College, Japan
Power from below: Conflict transformation in an urban locus
John Bwalya, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Rehabilitation programmes in juvenile correctional institutions in Zambia
Yvonne T. Chingambu, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Informal food system in Kitwe, Zambia
Precious Moyo Shoko, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Socioeconomic inequalities and post-electoral conflict in Mozambique
Cristiano Matsinhe, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
‘Não ao ProSavana’ campaign: civil society mobilizations against Japan-Brazil trilateral cooperation development project in Mozambique
Carla Bringas, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
22-23 February 2016 Albert Wessels Auditorium, University of the Free State Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa
Department of Political Sciences, UP
Concluding remarks: Prof. Hussein Solomon (UFS) and Prof. Virgil Hawkins (Osaka)
22-23 February 2016 Albert Wessels Auditorium, University of the Free State Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa
Part 2: 22-23 February, 2016
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa
Presentations (see here for the full program details)
Politics in South Africa: facts and fictio
Mr. Roland Henwood, Department of Political Sciences, UP
The travails of becoming a democracy in an undemocratic world system
Dr. Siphamandla Zondi, Institute for Global Dialogue
The Free State Province: An example of neo-patrimonial rule
Mr. Roy Jankielson, Leader of the Opposition in the Free
State Legislature
Media and government in South Africa in 2016
Mr. Gert Coetzee, Editor of Volksblad
The South African economy: Is there still hope?
Mr. Rocco Carr, Business Development Manager, Glacier
Economic policy for growth and jobs
Prof. Philippe Burger, Head of Department of Economics, UFS
South Africa’s Foreign Policy and BRIC(S): A Critical Analysis
Prof. Theo Neethling, Head of Department of Political Studies and Governance, UFS
Why the Penny Sparrows are coming out of the closet
Ms. Zubeida Jaffer, Writer-in-Residence, Department of Communication Sciences, UFS
How race can blind us
Dr. Johann Roussouw, Department of Philosophy, UFS
Professor Jonathan Jansen, Rector, UFS
The role of the local media in Burundi’s 2015 coup attempt
Prof. Virgil Hawkins, Osaka University
Infrastructure for Peace (I4P): Re-learning the lessons of the past
Mr. Willem Ellis, UFS
Political stability and foreign direct investment in SADC: A love-hate relationship
Mr. Yani Karavasilev, Osaka University
Analyzing UN Security Council responses to African conflicts: Introducing a database tool
Ms. Elisabet Vergara Velasco, Osaka University
Beyond capacity building: The interaction between Africa and the UN Security Council
Dr. Marina da Silva, Osaka University and University of the Free State
China’s international peacekeeping contributions: Understanding China’s global positioning and involvement in peacekeeping in Africa
Prof. Theo Neethling, University of the Free State
The outcome of institutional engineering in Nigeria
Prof. Michiya Kawamura, Osaka University
International and domestic contestation: The case of Mozambique's Prosavana Project
Dr. Carla Bringas, Eduardo Mondlane Univeristy, Mozambique
Research visit to Ethiopia
updated 22 Sep 2015
Photo by Maria Dyveke Styve
Photo by Maria Dyveke Styve
In September 2015, Marina Magalhães Barreto Leite da Silva, who is currently based at the University of the Free State in South Africa with the CEAPS program, visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as part of her research on the relations between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (with a particular focus on the UN Security Council). She visited and interviewed researchers at the offices of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) at Addis Ababa University. She also conducted an interview with the chair of political affairs at the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU) focusing on the interaction between the AU and the UN.
University of Burundi partnering with CEAPS
updated 16 Jul 2015
The University of Burundi (specifically the Research and Training for Peace Centre, CERFOPAX, UNESCO Chair) is partnering with the University of the Free State and Osaka University (along with other universities and research institutes in Africa) for the CEAPS program. This partnership will involve joint involvement in CEAPS and other research programs. The University of Burundi's participation is led by Professor Leonidas Ndayisaba, the Director of CERFOPAX. This partnership follows a CEAPS visit to Burundi University in February 2015, and a visit by Professor Ndayisaba to Osaka University in July 2015.
Visit to Lesotho
updated 18 Jun 2015
In June 2015, M. K. Mahlakeng (University of the Free State) and Virgil Hawkins (Osaka University) participated in a CEAPS visit to Lesotho. They held discussions with Lesotho's Minister of Communications, Science and Technology and Minister of Home Affairs on various subjects pertaining to peace and security in the southern African region. The visitors also participated in the Social Accountability Learning Lab, held by World Vision in Berea District, which brought together representatives from the government, the media and civil society, including representative from World Vision throughout the region. The visitors particularly played an active part in the panel focusing on the role of the media in brokering state-citizen accountability relationships.
Researcher takes up position at University of the Free State
updated 28 May 2015
In May 2015, Marina Magalhães Barreto Leite da Silva took up a ten-month research position with the CEAPS program at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Based at the Faculty of the Humanities with Professor Hussein Solomon, she will focus her research efforts on the relationship between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, with a particular emphasis on the UN Security Council, and the ongoing discussions surrounding the possibility of its reform.
Researchers take up positions at Eduardo Mondlane University
updated 29 Apr 2015
In April 2015, Rui Faro Saraiva and Carla Bringas took up ten-month research positions with the CEAPS program at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. Both are based at the Centre for African Studies at the university. Rui Faro Saraiva's research will be focused on the security issues surrounding the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), as well as Japanese involvement in security issues in Africa. The topic of Carlas Bringas' research is the role of development aid in peacebuilding, particularly in Mozambique.
A year at the University of the Free State
フリーステイト大学での一年間
PhD Candidate Graduate School of International and Cultural Studies Tsuda College
Sayaka KONO
津田塾大学大学院
河野明佳
updated 10 Mar 2015
ソト人のロイヤル・ファミリー、クイーン、調査協力者のThekisoe教授夫妻との集合写真。クワクワにて。
ソト人のロイヤル・ファミリーとともに、大学の記念講演へ参加。クワクワにて。
ジンバブウェの主食サザ作りに挑戦。ハラレ、チトゥングウィザにて。
ソト人のロイヤル・ファミリー、クイーン、調査協力者のThekisoe教授夫妻との集合写真。クワクワにて。
I am interested in the people who have been excluded not only economically but also socially and politically in the post-apartheid South Africa. Thus I have visited poorer areas in townships and conducted fieldwork since I was an undergraduate student. The University of the Free State, to which I was dispatched, was located in the area where I have conducted field research since 2009. So I was excited to have this opportunity to stay in my field for a longer period, and expected to see the dynamics of the people’s life which I could not see in the short-term visits.
アパルトヘイト崩壊後の南アフリカ社会の中で、経済的にだけでなく、社会的、政治的に阻害され続けている人びとへの関心があった。学部時代より、大学の長期休みを利用して、旧アフリカ人居住区（タウンシップ）、特にその中でも貧困地区を中心に滞在し、フィールドワークを行ってきた。今回の派遣先であるフリーステイト大学は、私が2009年よりフィールドワークを行ってきた地域に位置する。1年という長期間滞在することで、2~3か月の短期では見えてこない人びとの様相が垣間見られるのではないかと、今回の派遣はとても楽しみであった。
CEAPS 2nd Annual Conference
"Perspectives on African Peace and Security" UFS
updated 10 Mar 2015
University of the Free State, South Africa 12 February 2015
UFS
University of the Free State, South Africa 12 February 2015
Presentations (see here for the full program details)
South African politics in dynamic equilibrium – a political shift to the left?
Andre Duvenhage, University of the North-West, South Africa
South Africa’s Political Risk Profile: Premier League or Second Division?
Theo Neethling, UFS
The Development of Sesotho Identity in South Africa: Implications for a South African National Identity
Sayaka Kono, Tsuda University, Japan
Hybrid Political Orders as an Alternative to African Westphalian States
Albert Schoeman, UFS
The Patriotic Front and Political Stability in Zambia
Maximilian Mainza, Osaka University, Japan
The African Union and Counter-Terrorism
Hussein Solomon, UFS
The African Union’s Response to Water Conflict on the River Nile, Mr. Mahlakeng,
Khosi Mahlakeng, UFS
I am Charlie, but I am Baga too. Why are African lives deemed less newsworthy?
Alta Vermeulen, UFS
If it bleeds, it leads? Distant media coverage of the peace process in Angola
Virgil Hawkins, Osaka University, Japan
China and India in the Sudans: Energy and Peace
Ambrose du Plessis, UFS
Hussein Solomon Speaks on Critical Terrorism Studies
updated 08 Mar 2015
Hussein Solomon Speaks on Critical Terrorism Studies
Hussein Solomon (professor, University of the Free State, South Africa) visited Osaka University in March 2015, discussing ongoing joint research projects on the subject of peace and security in Africa (including the hosting of international conferences) and further ties between the two universities. He also gave a talk on the subject of Critical Terrorism Studies, emphasizing its importance particularly in light of the apparent failure of current counter-terrorism efforts, which are largely state-centric and offer primarily military solutions.
Virgil Hawkins Visits the University of Burundi
updated 01 Mar 2015
Virgil Hawkins Visits the University of Burundi
In February 2015, Virgil Hawkins (associate professor, Osaka University, Japan) visited the University of Burundi, in particular the UNESCO Chair at the University, hosted by CERFOPAX Director, Professor Leonidas Ndayisaba. Discussions were held regarding joint research projects, and the possible posting of one or more researchers at the university. Hawkins also gave a talk at the university on the subject of stealth conflicts, discussing the failure of policymakers, media and the public in the world beyond the continent to pay adequate attention to the continent, with a particular focus on the Great Lakes region.
Chija Twala Discusses the 2012 Marikana Incident
updated 20 Dec 2014
Chija Twala Discusses the 2012 Marikana Incident
Chitja Twala, a lecturer at the University of the Free State, South Africa, visited Osaka University in November 2014. He provided a video interview and a lecture on the subject of the August 2012 Marikana Incident, which resulted in the violent death of 44 people, primarily striking mineworkers. He offered his insights on the incident itself, the issue of responsibility, and the aftermath, including updates and thoughts on the work of the Farlam Commmission, which is charged with conducting an inquiry into the incident.
Virgil Hawkins Visits the Comoros
updated 15 Sep 2014
Virgil Hawkins Visits the Comoros
In August 2014, Virgil Hawkins (associate professor, Osaka University, Japan) visited the Comoros, an archipelago with a host of security issues at local, national, regional and even global level, including a history of political instability and coups, sometimes violent independence movements, and an unresolved colonial legacy, which has left one of the islands of the archipelago under the control of France. He held discussions with representatives of foreign missions (in particular the Embassy of Tanzania), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, police, and local NGOs.
Hussein Solomon Talks About Political Islam
updated 01 Jun 2014
Hussein Solomon Talks About Political Islam
In May 2014, Hussein Solomon (professor, University of the Free State, South Africa) visited Osaka University partly for the purposes of discussing the hosting of researchers from Osaka University and joint research programs, but also to provide a talk to faculty and students at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) about Political Islam. His talk looked at areas of tension and armed conflict on the African continent, with a particular focus on a particular focus on the cases of Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia.
CEAPS Kick-off Conference, UFS
updated 10 Mar 2014
The CEAPS held its kick-off conference on 4 February 2014 at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. The theme for the conference was “African Solutions for African Problems: Reflections on Peace and Security on the African Continent”. With presentation topics ranging from grassroots-level reconciliation and the distribution of resources, to border disputes, cross-border warlordism and state reconstruction, participants provided plenty of food for thought on what “African” solutions mean, and the many questions this approach raises. The conference was opened by the dean of the Faculty of the Humanities at UFS, and closed by the dean of OSIPP at Osaka University. The proceedings were reported on by the Volksblad newspaper.
“Ongekende groei in Afrika: Statistieke lyk belowend” (Afrikaans)Volksblad, 10 February 2014
“Ongekende groei in Afrika: Statistieke lyk belowend” (Afrikaans)Volksblad, 10 February 2014
Presentations (see here for the full program details)
African Perspectives on State Reconstruction: The Case of Somaliland
Hussein Solomon, University of the Free State
African Approaches to Reconciliation
Andre Keet, University of the Free State
When African Solutions Become African Problems – Interrogating the Malawi-Tanzania Border Dispute
George Mhango, Mzuzu University
Malawi Regional Media and the Malawi-Tanzania Border Dispute
Virgil Hawkins, Osaka University
The Lord’s Resistance Army and the Problem of Ungoverned Spaces in the DRC
Theo Neethling, University of the Free State
Wisdom from Africa: African Approaches to Mediation
Willem Ellis, University of the Free State
A Lesson for FOCAC: A Case Study of Angola Balancing the Strategic Partnership?
Ambrose du Plessis, University of the Free State
The Deficiency of Distribution Principles in Nigeria
Michiya Kawamura, Osaka University
Promises and Disappointments of African Solutions to African Problems
Gladys Mokhawa, University of Botswana: