Tobias Denskus
@aidnography.de
Associate Professor in Development Studies at Malmö University, Sweden. Global development. Humanitarianism. Communication & Social Change. Chief Blogger at www.aidnography.de since 2010.
More: https://linktr.ee/tobiasdenskus
More: https://linktr.ee/tobiasdenskus
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Tobias Denskus
@aidnography.de
· Jan 27
With new followers & first citations showing up it may seem to be a good time to introduce our "Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality" that @silkeroth.bsky.social, Bandana Purkayastha & @aidnography.de edited in a longer 🧵 (1/x)
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
A good summary of what’s going on in Tanzania, and how we got here:
In Tanzania, the Gen Z uprising meets a state whose old bargains have collapsed. africasacountry.com/2025/11/afte...
After the coronation
Tanzania’s Gen Z uprising meets a state whose old bargains have collapsed.
africasacountry.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:55 AM
A good summary of what’s going on in Tanzania, and how we got here:
Powerful image. They are delivering humanitarian aid in the capital of the United States of America-and as problematic as Huffington's "Third World America" was even in 2010 it is a phrase that captures some of the current downward dynamics relatively accurately...
world central kitchen providing free meals for federal employees impacted by the shutdown -- and their families.
every weekday at canal park in navy yard. 200 m street southeast. 11am - 2pm. mad, mad respect.
every weekday at canal park in navy yard. 200 m street southeast. 11am - 2pm. mad, mad respect.
November 3, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Powerful image. They are delivering humanitarian aid in the capital of the United States of America-and as problematic as Huffington's "Third World America" was even in 2010 it is a phrase that captures some of the current downward dynamics relatively accurately...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
Once more from yesterday: My newsletter was about how hurricanes kill people long after the wind and water is gone, how that will probably be worse in Jamaica, and how the media has already moved on from one of the worst storms to strike land in recorded history.
Please subscribe!
Please subscribe!
The Long Tail of Hurricane Death Will Be Even Longer in Jamaica
A growing body of research has demonstrated that hits from tropical cyclones leave more than just damaged rooftops in their wake, in fact raising mortality rates through a likely wide variety of mecha...
www.gravityisgone.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Once more from yesterday: My newsletter was about how hurricanes kill people long after the wind and water is gone, how that will probably be worse in Jamaica, and how the media has already moved on from one of the worst storms to strike land in recorded history.
Please subscribe!
Please subscribe!
That was my first thought as well "thank God for 'investors' they have a brilliant track-record of doing good"
The country is in line for a pay-out from catastrophe bonds
Investors will help Jamaica recover from Hurricane Melissa
The country is in line for a pay-out from catastrophe bonds
econ.st
October 30, 2025 at 11:50 AM
That was my first thought as well "thank God for 'investors' they have a brilliant track-record of doing good"
These are problems we often see with private education in developing countries...the US is really losing so many features of an OECD country these days...
Alpha School, which promises to educate kids using an "AI tutor" in two hours a day, is a budding national empire and a darling of the Trump administration.
According to some parents who spoke to @wired.com for this investigation, it's had nightmarish effects on their kids.
According to some parents who spoke to @wired.com for this investigation, it's had nightmarish effects on their kids.
Parents Fell in Love With Alpha School’s Promise. Then They Wanted Out
In Brownsville, Texas, some families found a buzzy new school’s methods—surveillance of kids, software in lieu of teachers—to be an education in and of itself.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:59 PM
These are problems we often see with private education in developing countries...the US is really losing so many features of an OECD country these days...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
"Another war looms, one that could pit Tigrayans against each other. I fought once to defend my people; I will not fight again
in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left."
@thecontinent.org
in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left."
@thecontinent.org
October 24, 2025 at 9:19 PM
"Another war looms, one that could pit Tigrayans against each other. I fought once to defend my people; I will not fight again
in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left."
@thecontinent.org
in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left."
@thecontinent.org
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
The World Bank Group is planning to reorganize its research functions. The results could be even uglier than the powerpoint: an end to independent research at the institution and conflicts of interest all over...
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
October 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
The World Bank Group is planning to reorganize its research functions. The results could be even uglier than the powerpoint: an end to independent research at the institution and conflicts of interest all over...
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
This is a pretty grim story about the new humanitarian realities in some parts of Africa-especially when Russian involvement is part of the problem…
Arrested & tortured by Russian forces in Central African Republic, humanitarian researcher Joseph Figueira Martin has been imprisoned in inhuman conditions for over 500 days. Finally, he has a trial date: Tuesday, 28 October.
www.internationalaffairsfornormalpeople.eu/hope-for-joe/
www.internationalaffairsfornormalpeople.eu/hope-for-joe/
Hope for Joe
Readers who followed me here from my newsletter at Human Rights Watch may remember the grim case of my one-time colleague at the International Crisis Group, Joseph Figueira Martin.
Joe was arrested b...
www.internationalaffairsfornormalpeople.eu
October 23, 2025 at 12:42 PM
This is a pretty grim story about the new humanitarian realities in some parts of Africa-especially when Russian involvement is part of the problem…
The UN system is in crisis so appointing another white male European politician from a former top-notch colonial power to a top job at UNDP is really sending out a strong message about reform, localization & decolonization!
www.politico.eu/article/form...
www.politico.eu/article/form...
Former Belgian PM Alexander De Croo snags big UN job
The U.N. General Assembly is expected to confirm the appointment in the coming days.
www.politico.eu
October 21, 2025 at 1:36 PM
The UN system is in crisis so appointing another white male European politician from a former top-notch colonial power to a top job at UNDP is really sending out a strong message about reform, localization & decolonization!
www.politico.eu/article/form...
www.politico.eu/article/form...
Modern "development" is often a lose-lose scenario as Filipino workers will eventually be replaced by something cheaper, older workers in Japan lose jobs or jobs that could have filled by migrants moving to Japan; in the end, energy companies & AI platforms are the only ones making money...
“Inside a multistory office building in Manila’s financial district, around 60 young men and women monitored and controlled artificial intelligence robots restocking convenience store shelves in distant Japan.”
Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines
Filipino tele-operators remotely control Japan’s convenience store robots and train AI, benefiting from an uptick in automation-related jobs.
restofworld.org
October 21, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Modern "development" is often a lose-lose scenario as Filipino workers will eventually be replaced by something cheaper, older workers in Japan lose jobs or jobs that could have filled by migrants moving to Japan; in the end, energy companies & AI platforms are the only ones making money...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
I did a conversation about my book, The Second Emancipation, with Kola Tubosun, at Africa House, in Harlem. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZarM...
October 17, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I did a conversation about my book, The Second Emancipation, with Kola Tubosun, at Africa House, in Harlem. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZarM...
"Corporate universities, coding bootcamps, and professional certification programs are already moving faster than traditional institutions"-yep, the good, ol' "LinkedIn, MOOCs & micro credential will destroy higher ed" line I have heard about for at least 10, probably 15 years now...
We have had this precise discussion many times before, with the invention of the book, radio, TV, the internet, etc. Knowledge of these discssions are freely available, but apparently the WSJ can't find it or doesn't understand its relevance.
Might this kind of thing be what professors are for?
Might this kind of thing be what professors are for?
When Knowledge is Free, What are Professors For?
Higher Education Must Stop Competing with AI on Information and Start Teaching What Machines Can’t Do
www.forbes.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Corporate universities, coding bootcamps, and professional certification programs are already moving faster than traditional institutions"-yep, the good, ol' "LinkedIn, MOOCs & micro credential will destroy higher ed" line I have heard about for at least 10, probably 15 years now...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
Interested in the transitory nature of academia and how this shapes scholarship on internationalism? Come along to our virtual conference, 'Blind Spots and Buzzwords in Internationalism' on 5th and 6th Nov 👁️. Get your tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/blind-spot...
October 6, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Interested in the transitory nature of academia and how this shapes scholarship on internationalism? Come along to our virtual conference, 'Blind Spots and Buzzwords in Internationalism' on 5th and 6th Nov 👁️. Get your tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/blind-spot...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
📚 Recommended reading for all those interested in objectivizing again the discussions about supply chain laws, instead of following polemic debates about "bureaucratic monsters": @ecchr.bsky.social's report "2 Years of the German Supply Chain Act" out now in ENG! 👉 www.ecchr.eu/en/publicati...
October 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM
📚 Recommended reading for all those interested in objectivizing again the discussions about supply chain laws, instead of following polemic debates about "bureaucratic monsters": @ecchr.bsky.social's report "2 Years of the German Supply Chain Act" out now in ENG! 👉 www.ecchr.eu/en/publicati...
"The longer autocrats stay in power, the worse they become"
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
October 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
"The longer autocrats stay in power, the worse they become"
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
The BBC used to do journalism, but nowadays makes the breaking story about the Peace Prize about a man who didn’t win it…
October 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The BBC used to do journalism, but nowadays makes the breaking story about the Peace Prize about a man who didn’t win it…
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
In a new article for @worldpeacefdtn.bsky.social, GDI's Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel (@tekgw.bsky.social) writes about the silenced story of urban hunger that has accompanied Tigray's war, famine and genocide.
Read here: worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
Read here: worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
October 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
In a new article for @worldpeacefdtn.bsky.social, GDI's Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel (@tekgw.bsky.social) writes about the silenced story of urban hunger that has accompanied Tigray's war, famine and genocide.
Read here: worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
Read here: worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
Who doesn't remember all those times when "lucrative gold mines" led to "development"??
Treasure that may be worth more than $20bn (£15bn) lies under a hill in County Tyrone. If it is ever unearthed it will be despite rather than because of how Britain is governed econ.st/4nYLTcD
Photo: Dalradian
Photo: Dalradian
October 3, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Who doesn't remember all those times when "lucrative gold mines" led to "development"??
It never ceases to amaze me how people still engage with Tyler Cowen as a serious economist & pundit...
October 3, 2025 at 6:21 AM
It never ceases to amaze me how people still engage with Tyler Cowen as a serious economist & pundit...
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
Another book you should get your hands on, and is also available for you to download and read online is this one here.
Internet Shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights and Power
Edited by Felicia Anthonio and Tony Roberts (@phatcontroller.bsky.social)
Internet Shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights and Power
Edited by Felicia Anthonio and Tony Roberts (@phatcontroller.bsky.social)
October 1, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Another book you should get your hands on, and is also available for you to download and read online is this one here.
Internet Shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights and Power
Edited by Felicia Anthonio and Tony Roberts (@phatcontroller.bsky.social)
Internet Shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights and Power
Edited by Felicia Anthonio and Tony Roberts (@phatcontroller.bsky.social)
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month
www.jstor.org/action/showL...
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month
www.jstor.org/action/showL...
September 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month
www.jstor.org/action/showL...
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month
www.jstor.org/action/showL...
The US is descending into autocracy, but you still need to imagine this video at 1.5 speed with the Benny Hill theme playing full blast…
ICE attempted
and failed to disappear a food delivery guy.
It needed to be scored.
and failed to disappear a food delivery guy.
It needed to be scored.
September 29, 2025 at 12:24 PM
The US is descending into autocracy, but you still need to imagine this video at 1.5 speed with the Benny Hill theme playing full blast…
Reposted by Tobias Denskus
THREAD: this investigation took up over half my year, but it's here in @thecontinent.org:
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT
September 28, 2025 at 4:14 AM
THREAD: this investigation took up over half my year, but it's here in @thecontinent.org:
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT
British people giving the term “expat” a bad rep, Harare private school edition
It's really straight outta Rh#desia
September 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM
British people giving the term “expat” a bad rep, Harare private school edition
"There are only lazy bureaucrats with cushy jobs working at UN HQ" *escalator stops* "How can anybody be expected to walk up an escalator-the UN needs to be defunded & shut down immediately!"
Wait no, Trump blaming the UN because his own cameraman used the escalator wrong and then the White House spokesperson creating a baseless conspiracy theory about it - THAT'S the perfect metaphor
September 24, 2025 at 6:26 AM
"There are only lazy bureaucrats with cushy jobs working at UN HQ" *escalator stops* "How can anybody be expected to walk up an escalator-the UN needs to be defunded & shut down immediately!"