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Publications

Publications

The Institute publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic. Blogs can be read here.

The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. Print versions of most books and reports, and digital versions in Kindle and other specialist formats, are available for sale from Amazon and other online retailers, and from selected bookstores. Proceeds from sales are allocated to the Institute's Scholarship Fund, which provides support to researchers and activists from eastern and central Africa.

The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.

2013
Key points

Few people document their family’s experiences as vividly as Nadifa Mohamed did while writing her first novel, a process in which she describes herself as being her father’s griot, or praise-singer.

While it is critics who put labels on writing, it is the reading public who have the most important role in the publishing world. They are less concerned with…

2013
Key points

The upcoming conference is different from any previous conferences on Somalia in that it will be represented by a legitimate, non-transitional Federal Government of Somalia with an agenda set by Somalis.

With regional governments, including Somaliland and Puntland, declining to attend the conference the outcome is unlikely to be as effective in addressing key…

2013
Key points

Enormous internal innovation is taking place within pastoralist communities, challenging the perception that pastoralist communities simply cope and adapt, and revealing sustainable pathways for pastoral development.

Government apathy towards the pastoral economy means that Kenya, in contrast to Ethiopia, has failed to nurture, develop and benefit from the lucrative…

2013
Key points

The impact of war on Somali men is poorly understood in Somali society and among international policy makers and aid organizations.

The prevalence of rape in Somalia is indicative of the profound impact of war, the collapse of the state and the changes in normative gender roles.

Policy makers and aid organizations prioritize women and children as victims…

2013
Key points

The 2013 Somalia Conference in London is different from the 2012 London Conference on Somalia because it is co-hosted by the governments of Somalia and UK.

The purpose of the 2012 London Conference on Somalia was to support the end of Somalia’s political transition; the aim of the 2013 Somalia Conference in London is to mobilize international support for the Federal…

2013

Ce briefing du Projet Usalama expose l'histoire de la participation de l'ONU dans l’est de la RDC et analyse les défis qui continuent de faire face à la mission, même au moment où elle se prépare à déployer une nouvelle brigade d'intervention, chargée de neutraliser et désarmer les groupes rebelles et de renforcer la réforme de l'État congolais. « La capacité de l’ONU à jouer un rôle…

2013

Ce rapport du Projet Usalama décrit les origines, l'évolution rapide, l'expansion et les activités de cette force diverse. Le groupe débuta comme une réponse locale à l'insécurité endémique, mais profita des déficiences dans les différents processus de paix à l'est de la RDC, ce qui aida au mouvement d'évoluer d'une milice locale vers une franchise violente déployée à travers de grandes…

2013

This Usalama Project report describes the origins, rapid evolution, expansion and activities of this diverse force. The group began as a local response to rampant insecurity but profited from flaws in the various peace deals in the eastern DRC, which helped it evolve from a parochial militia into a violent franchise deployed across large parts of North and South Kivu.

2013
Key points

Fiction is a powerful tool through which one can map a place, expose its complex identity and people to a wider audience, and keep a place alive for the exiled writer.

Local knowledge is key in understanding a place and her people, in particularly demystifying inventions about the place.

African nations have a responsibility to help Somalia rebuild, as…

2013
Key points

Hybrid political orders are a reality in Somalia and have played an important role in political recovery and stabilization, but can become an obstacle to democratization.

War can serve as a tool of state-building and can create opportunities for women to be more active political players.

Despite the mixed results of devolved government in the region…