Earlier this week, Nyong’o, the brother of actress Lupita Nyong’o, spoke to students in the Introduction to Africa class. Many students in the class, including first-years Diamond Mckoy and Morgan Kinsey, came to Wednesday’s event because they wanted to hear more of what he had to say.
“I’m really interested in African politics and he said he was going to be talking about some issues that were going on in Africa right now,” Kinsey said. “I thought it was interesting to see what their government is going through versus what the United States is always talking about.”
Nyong’o spent a majority of the lecture discussing how elections have been run in countries like Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa.
While many countries in Africa are officially democracies, Nyong’o said they, for the most part, are being run by elected autocrats.
He went on to say controversies over stuffed ballots, violence in elections, and intimidation towards media and voters have led citizens to question whether or not elections in the continent have been run fairly.
“The question we in Africa face is, is democracy globally in a seasonal decline? Should we throw in the intellectual towel?” he said.
Despite saying he believes there’s a pessimistic attitude towards African politics right now, Nyong’o said those who continue to resist against corrupt regimes and fight for democracy will ultimately be the ones to shape democracy’s future.
For there to be a truly democratic government in African nations, he said there needs to be an active focus on diversity and inclusivity in politics — with everybody being treated equally.
