Writing Not to Interpret, but to Change the World: Reflecting on the Politics of Prof Ngugi’s Writing

Format: Hybrid Venue: BIEA Seminar Room, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa Date: Saturday, 5 July 2025 Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EAT Join us in honoring the legacy of Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the celebrated Kenyan writer and academic, who passed away on 28 May 2025, at the age of 87. Ngugi was more than a […]
When Women Sing: How Murle women use arts and cultural mediums to communicate

This research explores how Murle women in the Greater Pibor area of central eastern South Sudan use not just songs but dance, hairstyles, body marks and beads to express themselves. Its objective is to draw attention to the ways Murle women make their priorities known. These ways are used by Murle women in rural areas […]
Effectiveness of Women in Politics and Improving Gender Equality in South Sudan
This report argues that, in order to improve women’s participation in politics and promote gender-responsive policies in the country, there is a need to enlarge government capacity for women’s leadership by introducing equal gender quotas for decision-making positions. Summary Women’s participation in politics is an important measure of gender equality in a country, one that […]
Thinking about Borderlands: Observations and implications from XCEPT programme research

Do the ways in which policymakers and national governments view borderlands reflect how the communities living there experience them? Building on this, can a better understanding of the characteristics of borderlands help in promoting development, improving governance and making more effective policy and programming choices in these contexts? Such are the questions that have informed […]
Making Sense of Borderlands

This think piece is an extract of a longer paper taking stock of the roughly 40 X-Border studies carried out between 2019 and 2025 under the auspices of the Rift Valley Institute’s XCEPT programme. If we are to fully grasp conflict dynamics and related phenomena in borderland areas—whether that be in Africa or elsewhere—we must […]
XCEPT Local Research Legacy: Sharing the experiences of women amid agricultural transitions in the borderlands

I became involved in the Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) programme’s Local Research Network (LRN) at its inception in 2018. During the following years, the network introduced me to a wider community of researchers who share a similar interest in cross-border issues. This has led to extensive knowledge sharing and fruitful collaborations, particularly in […]
XCEPT Local Research Legacy: How collaborative research and mentorship approaches have shaped my research capacity and interest

I was first invited to join the Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) programme in 2019, having previously worked with the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) on research in South Sudan. This innovative project brought together international experts and early career researchers from across Africa and Asia under the umbrella of the Local Research Network (LRN). I […]
2025 SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN COURSE

Note: Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Sudan and South Sudan course has been postponed. Revised dates will be shared in due course. THEME: ‘WAR MAKES STATES AND STATES MAKE WAR’ Led by Nicki Kindersley and Raga Makawi Failed transitions, war and economic collapse have shaped Sudan and South Sudan in the last year. Our course will […]
Trends Analysis: Political instability and conflicts in the Great Lakes, the Horn of Africa and the Sudans

Format: Zoom WebinarDate: Thursday, 13 March, 2025Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EAT The Horn of Africa, Sudan and South Sudan, and the Great Lakes are all experiencing a surge in political instability and conflict: On 13 March 2025, the Rift Valley Forum will host a webinar that brings together a panel of leading experts—who will also […]
Why South Sudan’s Unity State is drowning in pollution

This blog is part of the XCEPT project carried out by the Rift Valley Institute between May and June 2024. In this blog, the researcher draws heavily on his data from field observation and conversations with the respondents during the research in Mayom and Rubkona counties of Unity State. The researcher is a citizen of […]