Screening and panel discussion in partnership with Why Poverty?

Speakers: Director Hugo Berkeley; Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment & Development. Chair: Anna Locke, Head of Agricultural Development & Policy Programme, Overseas Development Institute.

Food security has now become a key global issue and one which is increasingly affecting marginalised Africans. Central to this debate is whether large agri-business can benefit regional and national economies without displacing subsistence farmers. The lack of transparency regarding transactions for large-scale acquisitions of farmland in Africa – otherwise known as land grabs – means that millions of hectares are being sold leaving farmers unaware the land they till is no longer theirs.

Land Rush is a documentary film shot in Mali and the United States, which explores the huge expansion of international agribusiness on Africa’s most fertile arable land. 75 per cent of Mali’s population are farmers, but land-hungry nations like China and Saudi Arabia are leasing the country’s land in order to turn large areas into agri-business farms. Land Rush follows an American seeking to develop a sugar plantation, and the Malians who oppose these efforts, seeing them a yet another manifestation of imperialism.

Tackling issues of food sovereignty, land ownership and how development is sold to Africa, Hugo Berkeley and Osvalde Lewat’s film asks who owns Africa? Following the film, our panel of experts will take the debate further, looking at the drivers of the land grab phenomenon and answering some of the key questions around land rights and food security in Africa.

To attend this and other RAS events – please register on this website(www.royalafricansociety.org) – after which you will be able to register yourself for this and further events held by the Royal African Society

Date & Time: Tuesday 26 March, 6-8PM

Place: G2, SOAS

Event in association with the London African Media Network (LAMN)

Speakers: Professor Justin Willis, Durham University; Michela Wrong, journalist and author; Alpha Sesay, Legal Officer, International Justice, Open Society Justice Initiative (TBC) Chair: Solomon Mugera, Africa Editor, BBC

Kenya’s recently concluded elections were peaceful with a historic voter turnout of 86%. However, fears of post-election violence have now been replaced with concerns over the country’s future and stability.

After days of waiting, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced a narrow win for the Jubilee Alliance, led by President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice-President William Ruto – both of whom face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the violence following the last presidential election in 2007.

With a very tight result and amid allegations of incompetence, irregularities and technical failures in the electoral process, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s main rival and leader of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD), has filed an appeal. The decision of whether or not to re-run the elections now lies with the Supreme Court.

Many questions stem from the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court’s verdict and the pending ICC trial, scheduled for July: How does CORD’s appeal affect the government’s stability and legitimacy? Were the court to rule in favour of CORD, what impact would a new round of elections have on Kenya? How would a President and Vice-President run a country while on trial in The Hague? And what role will the international community play, given its strategic, military and financial interests in Kenya?

More questions arise in the context of Kenya’s politics and its future – based on its failures of 2007/2008, how has Kenya’s media faired in this election? And what is the potential of ‘One Kenya’ when the youth and the middle class turn to social networks to highlight ‘tribal’ differences?

These and other fundamental issues – including the land question, the role of civil society, secessionist movements, and the new constitution – will be discussed by a diverse panel of experts, who will be exploring where next for Kenya?

To attend this and other RAS events, please register on this website here – after which you will be able to register yourself for this and further events held by the Royal African Society.

The League of Young Professionals is a national effort to bring together young professionals from all diverse fields together to interact, network & share and to collectively pursue ventures, initiatives and events that will meet our social, financial and professional needs while having fun and giving back to the community. ( REF:http://ypkenya.org/)

Homecoming Revolution                                                             

Saturday, 15 March 2014 at 09:00 – Sunday, 16 March 2014 at 16:30 (GMT)

Olympia Hammersmith Rd                 W14 8UX United Kingdom

Kenyans Invited to An Evening Vigil Outside The Kenya High Commission London ! Friday 10/04/2015 – from 4-10pm

Topic:Financial Planning and Management

Guest Speaker: Peter Ashira CEO Quest Group Consulting.