Over the last few months, COVID-19 has gripped the attention of every society because of its immediate impacts, but also because of the uncertainty that it triggers when it comes to our collective envisagement of a future in the medium to long term. Naturally, this reality has had an impact on the various transformations and political, economic, and social projects in which African societies are engaged. There is a common feature  of the numerous analyses to have tackled COVID-19 in the African continent and of the  analyses on Africa in general of the last few years: many are either overly optimistic or pessimistic.

We need a broader perspective if we are to understand how the pandemic will impact and condition the continent’s political, economic and social processes, but it would be problematic to assume that the pandemic will put an end to them. The preparation and timetable of this Africa 2020 Report have been marked by this event affecting the global scene and the writers taking part have endeavoured to incorporate it into their thoughts as far as possible. Following in the footsteps of the Africa 2019 Report, our goal has been to elaborate on the approach to the continent as a whole, an increasingly common and accepted viewpoint, without at any time trying to ignore the specific realities of its different regions, diaspora included.

Table of contents

Introduction, Diego López Garrido

1. The Maghreb’s relations with sub-Saharan Africa: new challenges and interdependencies,  Laurence Thieux and Miguel Hernando de Larramendi
2. EU-Africa economic relations in the post-Cotonou era, Artur Colom Jaén
3. Europe’s multiple strategies towards its South, Youssef Cherif
4. The challenges facing African and Afro-descendant communities in Spain, Antumi Toasijé
5. Feminist activisms in Africa: trends and strategies of the new movements, Celia Murias
6. Political resistance in Africa through art. A means of expression of today’s social activism, Sebastián Ruiz-Cabrera
7. The multiple facets of forgotten conflicts in Africa: the Central African Republic and Western Sahara, Irene Fernández-Molina and Enrica Picco
8. Reforms in North African countries: from change to continuity, Chahir Zaki
9. The strengthening of authoritarianism in Egypt, Bárbara Azaola Piazza
10. Climate change and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, Alfonso Sánchez Carrasco and María Ángeles Alaminos Hervás
11. Africa and its intra and extracontinental relations, and the possible impacts of COVID-19, Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal and Elsa Aimé González

Authors

Acronyms