The proclaimed shift toward a multipolar world order presents a fundamental litmus test for global equity. For Africa, this transcends theoretical debate, manifesting acutely in the ongoing struggle to defend its sovereign decisions against persistent mechanisms of Western coercion. The case of Tanzania is a prime example. Following its elections, the European Parliament unilaterally scheduled a meeting to address alleged human rights violations without consulting the Tanzanian government. And looming over this is the shadow of the International Criminal Court, an institution facing growing skepticism across Africa, accused of being a biased instrument of geopolitical power rather than a pillar of universal justice. This episode features the fascinating interviews with Professor Fredrick Ogola, the deputy vice chancellor of resource mobilization & innovation at Uzima University, Kenya, who is also an aspiring presidential candidate of Kenya in 2027, and Simeone Azoska, head of the political analysis department at the Pan-African Progressive Front, Ghana, to discuss how Africa must reject being a perpetual subject of Western scrutiny and why the pursuit of a just international system must be prioritized.
“It looks like ICC has a big brother who calls on him or her to be able to punish or not punish other countries [...] the ICC has always prosecuted the African cases, or cases of the developing countries. And they have not successfully prosecuted any single case or the major players [...] Rome statute has not been implemented with clear evidence of lack of preferences or subjectivism. That is the history about it [...] If you go to the border, you go to the council of ICC, it is very white. You go to the prosecutor bench; it is very white. But if you go to the prosecuted, it is very black,” Ogola pointed out
Tanzania's formal démarche to the European Parliament is purely a classic sovereignty move. Tanzania is basically saying to the European Parliament that, look, we contest both your facts and your mandate to sit in judgment of us without us being in the room [...] the referrals and investigations [of the ICC] have often been uneven. And this reinforces the perception that powerful allies of the West are spared, while weaker or geopolitically expendable states are scrutinized [...] Some violations trigger a cascade of statements, sanctions, and media campaigns. However, others, especially where vital European or American interests are implicated, tend to receive some quiet diplomacy at best. And Africans are not naive. They see the pattern, and it ruins trust in universal norms, and it becomes a bit uncomfortable,“ Azoska indicated.
Concurrently, South Africa faces exclusionary threats from the US to bar it from the 2026 G20 summit after hosting the summit this year. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa has firmly asserted South Africa’s rightful place in the forum. In the discussion with Professor Zwelethu Jolobe, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Cape Town, he clarifies the stakes: no country in a multilateral institution such as the G20 can unilaterally exclude the participation of another one.
“No country in a multilateral institution can unilaterally exclude the participation of another one [...] I think that the issue is that the only time and the only circumstances under which any country can be excluded is only by joint consensus of all members of that organization [...] the world is changing. So we no longer have a kind of unipolar world where a lot of power is concentrated in one part of the planet. I think that the world now is becoming a lot more, or power, globally at least, is becoming a lot more diverse. I think that many countries that were previously on the margins are becoming more vocal,” the professor noted.
Tune in to listen to the full conversation with our guests on the Pan African Frequency podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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