Research Seminar - Of “hegemonists [and] a clique of thieves”: Ethnic politics, corruption, and populism in Zambia under President Hichilema

Abstract

In the paper, which focus on populism of leaders in power, I argue that following his election in 2021, Zambia’s president Hakainde Hichilema has sought to maintain and shore up political support by implementing three flagship policies: decentralisation, anti-corruption, and national unity. Hichilema has repeatedly presented these policies as constructed against the activities of a hegemonic and corrupt Bemba-speaking elite that has long hoarded State power from other ethnic groups and impoverished rural communities through corruption.

Bio

DR. Sishuwa Sishuwa is an Honorary Research Associate in the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town and a Senior Lecturer in History at Stellenbosch University. Previously, Sishuwa was a lecturer in history at the University of Zambia. He works on Southern Africa’s political history during the twentieth century and his scholarship emphasises a historical approach to understanding contemporary issues. His research on ethnicity, democracy, elections, civil society, populism, and racial nationalism has been published in major African studies journals.