Africanist Press Podcast Service

In this episode, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah, editor of Africanist Press, discusses the ongoing political crisis in Sierra Leone, focusing on issues of accountability, extrajudicial killings, and the recent resignation of U.S. Ambassador Bryan David Hunt, whose involvement in local politics has raised concerns amongSierra Leoneans. The conversation also delves into the implications of foreign debts, particularly from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and the lack of progress on a promised power plant project in Freetown, raising questions about the use of development funds and the need for transparency and justice in Sierra Leone. This episode is part of our "New Democracy Project," sponsored by Northwestern University's Program of African Studies, Write4Justice [https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/write4justice?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUgTvAH-GLUpVWMEmOBDFcU4I7NQPKR3G0AKV-p8exQPDzGkBJhll1a_b5crTAMZ1mE_rCV63LKdY_wL4R5KoD_q5QG6WBHCopesfH86i7k7TTpvYu9TvZMc2m7i9d5qrAUAo5TjEqIlt8vd8mJGvNYsBiLwsZkV1u_ZcCvCKqlfA&__tn__=*NK-R] and SolidarityForAfrica [https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/solidarityforafrica?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUgTvAH-GLUpVWMEmOBDFcU4I7NQPKR3G0AKV-p8exQPDzGkBJhll1a_b5crTAMZ1mE_rCV63LKdY_wL4R5KoD_q5QG6WBHCopesfH86i7k7TTpvYu9TvZMc2m7i9d5qrAUAo5TjEqIlt8vd8mJGvNYsBiLwsZkV1u_ZcCvCKqlfA&__tn__=*NK-R] campaigns.

In this episode, we explore Sierra Leone's political landscape, focusing on the crisis marked by corruption, extrajudicial killings, and ongoing debt and development challenges since Maada Bio took office in 2018. We highlight the implications of these human rights violations for the 2028 elections and the future of democracy in the country.

In this episode, we discuss the increasing legitimacy crisis facing the Maada Bio regime in Sierra Leone. We examine the regime's agenda as it prepares for the upcoming 2028 elections. Additionally, we highlight why the 2028 elections pose a significant challenge to the political and elite alliances that have maintained power in Sierra Leone since 1961. This episode is part of the Voice from Exile series of the Africanist Press.

In this exclusive interview, Africanist Press editor, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah talks to journalists Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky of the Counter Point Show about "USAID Cuts and the Need to Rethink Future US-Africa Relations.” You can order the book, The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Corporate Gangsters, Multinationals, and Rogue Politicians, here: https://www.amazon.com/Ebola-Outbreak-West-Africa-Multinationals/dp/0996973923

This episode presents RSF's Sadibou Marong's keynote address at the conference on “Media and Democracy in Africa” held from April 17-18, 2025 at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.  The conference, which brought together journalists, academics, and press freedom advocates from Africa, Europe, and USA, was organized by Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah and sponsored by the Africa Initiative at Brown University.