{"id":6472,"date":"2025-03-10T16:16:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alcafricanradio.com\/?post_type=ova_audio&p=6472"},"modified":"2025-04-02T19:36:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T19:36:04","slug":"leadership-and-conversation-in-dialogue-funmi-olonisakin","status":"publish","type":"ova_audio","link":"https:\/\/alcafricanradio.com\/index.php\/audio\/leadership-and-conversation-in-dialogue-funmi-olonisakin\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership and \u201cConversation\u201d in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Inaugural Lecture<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Host, Mounira Chaieb:<\/strong>
“Welcome, listeners, to the ALC Pan African Radio\u2019s Public Debate Programme, where we engage experts and audiences in critical conversations on peace, security, and leadership in Africa. Today, we bring you a special episode featuring the inaugural lecture of Professor Funmi Olonisakin<\/strong>, a trailblazing scholar, peacebuilder, and founding director of the African Leadership Centre. Delivered at King\u2019s College London, her lecture, \u2018Leadership and Conversation in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context,\u2019 <\/em>challenges conventional approaches to peacebuilding and reimagines leadership in societies grappling with cycles of violence.<\/p>\n

Professor Olonisakin, a Nigerian-British academic and Vice President of King\u2019s College, has dedicated her career to understanding the interplay between leadership, conflict, and sustainable peace. Her work spans academia, policy, and grassroots activism, from co-founding the African Security Unit to shaping UN initiatives on children in armed conflict. In this lecture, she reflects on her journey\u2014from a childhood in a remote Nigerian village to the halls of global institutions\u2014while dissecting why 50% of UN peacebuilding efforts falter, trapped in cycles of relapse.<\/p>\n

Key Themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. \n

    The \u2018Unromantic\u2019 Context: <\/strong>Olonisakin defines \u2018unromantic\u2019 societies as those marked by unpredictability, systemic insecurity, and unmet aspirations. These are spaces where daily survival is fraught, and peacebuilding cannot rely on idealized, Western-centric models. She contrasts this with \u2018romantic\u2019 contexts\u2014stable, resource-rich societies\u2014arguing that both exist on a spectrum, with pockets of overlap.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Leadership as Process, Not Traits: <\/strong>Challenging the myth of the \u2018charismatic leader,\u2019 she emphasizes process-driven leadership <\/em>\u2014how influence flows between leaders and communities, and how mutuality and dialogue can anchor peace. Drawing on her UN experience in Sierra Leone, she critiques top-down interventions, highlighting the harm of patronizing power dynamics.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    The Peacebuilding Dilemma: <\/strong>Olonisakin argues that liberal peacebuilding\u2019s focus on institutional \u2018fixes\u2019 often ignores local realities. Using Liberia and South Sudan as case studies, she illustrates how imported governance models collapse without organic buy-in. Her solution? Prioritize conversations <\/em>\u2014amplifying marginalized voices and fostering trust in fluid, post-conflict societies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Personal Reflections: <\/strong>The lecture intertwines academic rigor with raw humanity. Olonisakin recounts visceral moments: singing children in displacement camps, a mother\u2019s harrowing tale of war, and her own failures in UN-led initiatives. These stories underscore her call for reflexivity\u2014acknowledging privilege and power in peacebuilding.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why It Matters:<\/strong>
    This lecture isn\u2019t just theory\u2014it\u2019s a roadmap. Olonisakin\u2019s African Leadership Centre (ALC) embodies her vision, training over 300 fellows from 35 countries in leadership rooted in context, not dogma. Her work bridges academia and practice, demanding that peacebuilding centers dignity, equity, and local agency.<\/p>\n

    Closing Teaser:<\/strong>
    Stay tuned as we dive deeper into the Q&A, where Olonisakin fields questions on institutionalising leadership in Africa, lessons from Botswana\u2019s democratic transition, and her advice to her 25-year-old self. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about reimagining peace in Africa\u2019s complex realities.<\/p>\n

    Download the full transcript of the audio recording here<\/a><\/p>\n

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    Leadership and \u201cConversation\u201d in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context<\/em><\/h3>\n

    Episode Outline:<\/h4>\n

    Continuity Announcer: <\/strong>Mounira Chaieb and Anonymous\u00a0<\/strong>
    Show: Discussion Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Time: 42:52<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Date: 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Citation:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Nyawira, Ivy, Essa Njie and Ibrahim Machina (Guests). \u201cALC MSc Fellows Fellowship Journey during COVID-19.\u201d Hosted by Desmond Davies.\u00a0The ALC Pan-African Radio. <\/em>December 2, 2020. Podcast, Mp3. 42:52. https:\/\/alcafricanradio.com\/index.php\/audio\/discussion-programme-msc-fellows-journey<\/p>\n

    1. Introduction & Context of the Lecture (00:00 – 05:05)<\/strong><\/h3>\n