Jason Nickerson, Senior Program Manager

Nigeria: A New History of a Turbulent Century

Nigeria is the largest country in Africa (by population and GDP), whose citizens speak more than 520 languages and have lived through eight political coups since the country’s 1960 independence. When I first traveled to Nigeria and experienced the sociopolitical nuance and economic disparity firsthand, I felt completely overwhelmed. To help make sense of my experience, I turned to Richard Bourne’s immensely readable account of the pre- and post-colonial history that shaped present-day Nigeria. His personal account provided context and framework that improved my understanding of this influential and complicated culture.

 

 

 

Tiffany Agard, Program Associate

Land Justice: Re-imagining Land, Food, and the Commons 

This powerful collection of essays details the history of agrarian policy in the U.S. that has led to large concentrated land holdings. It equally highlights movements that have sought or are seeking to reconnect communities with access to both urban and rural land and encourages equitable distribution of food resources from the land. There is a strong focus on how different cultural communities interact with the land, which I think is critically important as we, coming from Western backgrounds, work in agricultural development, primarily in Africa with various systems of land ownership and cultural traditions.

To learn more about the Context Global Development team and its work, visit http://cgd.global.

 

 

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