Colonial Fault Lines in a Warming Horn of Africa: Decolonizing Peacebuilding

A lecture by Dr. Pauline Muchina

Ort: Alte Uni, Raum 210 (früher Raumnummer 3020)

The Horn of Africa – Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kenya – has suffered from colonialism and Cold War geopolitics. Colonial powers drew arbitrary borders that fractured communities. They exploited regional resources for foreign gain. These outsiders imposed authoritarian rule without local legitimacy. Such legacies have produced fragile states, militarized politics, and unresolved grievances that still fuel conflict.

Today, climate change worsens these problems. Extended droughts, devastating floods, livestock die-offs, and crop failures push people to move within and across borders. As water, land, and grazing routes shrink, old tensions rise. Hunger becomes a weapon in ongoing conflicts. Women, youth, and indigenous communities are most affected by this crisis.

This lecture explores how colonial legacies, neocolonialism, and climate shocks destabilize the Horn of Africa. It also highlights the American Friends Service Committee’s work in supporting nonviolent, community-led peacebuilding. Their efforts focus on trauma healing, encouraging inclusive governance, and elevating women and youth as key leaders for peace and resilience. Achieving lasting peace in the Horn of Africa requires immediate commitment to a decolonized, African-led, climate-just approach to security. We need to build robust local institutions, ensure social equity, and champion African solutions for resilience and long-term stability.

Dr. Pauline Muchina comes from the Rift Valley Province in Kenya, where her family still resides. She came to the U.S. to study and earned a Ph.D. in 2000. Currently, she is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at AFSC in Washington, DC, and Chair of Wellness Working Group at Advocacy Network for Africa. Previously, she served as the Senior Partnership Advisor for UNAIDS for seven and a half years. She is also a visiting Professor at Reykjavik University School of Management, where she teaches gender and religious diversity. Pauline serves in several boards and advisory groups including, Advocacy Network for Africa, the Global Room for Women and the Center for Health and Hope, and Jubilee, USA. Also, she is a member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. She serves as the chair of the COVID-19 Working Group for AdNA.

 In 2015, Pauline founded African Women & Youth Initiative, a handmade creative design company that crafts authentic hand-made African products for the global market. Based in Nakuru, and near the Lake with flamingoes, the company is managed by poor women who have decided to break the cycle of poverty and are committed to using their own talents to do so. Also Dr. Muchina is the founder of Future African Leaders Project, designed to support promising African youth who face serious challenges in getting an education and maintaining their health. The project provides school fees, books and other supplies and where needed housing and a food allowance. In addition, participants receive leadership development training and assistance which enables them to participate in youth lead activities in Kenya. In 2011, Pauline received the United Methodist Church Global Leadership Award. On March 8, 2014, the Huffington Post honored Pauline as one of 50 women powerful international religious leaders. She holds a Masters degree from Yale University Divinity School and a Ph.D. from the Union Theological Seminary.

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