Cooperating countries: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Austria

Coordinating institution: University of Vienna

Project coordinator: Mag. Mag. Dr. Johannes Knierzinger

Partner institutions: Institut Général Tiémoko Marc Garango pour la Gouvernance et le Développement, Institut Supérieur des Mines et Géologie de Boké

Project duration: 01.03.2027-28.02.2029

Budget: 39.900,00 €

The project aims at a better understanding of the current revival of Pan-Africanism in the context of rising anti-EU sentiments and a recent wave of military coups in West Africa. For most Africans, the new Pan-Africanism is a source of hope amid a series of growing challenges (security, climate change, food sovereignty, deteriorating living conditions, etc.). For European policymakers, however, this new push for (economic) sovereignty primarily brings new challenges: Migration agreements have been canceled, mines have been nationalized (bauxite, gold and uranium, among others), European soldiers have been sent home, and European investors are increasingly replaced by others. This leads to a highly distorted image of the new Pan-Africanism in the European public - which obviously stands in stark contrast to the (rather self-glorifying) self-portrayal of the military governments that came to power in the wake of the new pan-African movements. A first step toward bridging these divergent perspectives is to focus on the perceptions of West African civil society. We will launch this inquiry by focusing on the West African diaspora in Europe, because it is probably the least vulnerable and most accessible representative of West African civil society - and because it is best suited to restart bridge-building between the two continents. Our project thus has two objectives: (1) to foster dialogue and knowledge exchange between Austrian institutions, the West African diaspora, and the project partners from our two focus countries, Guinea and Burkina Faso; and (2) to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between social movements and current political developments in West Africa.