Launched on November 8, 2017, at Yale University in partnership with the Yale Council on African Studies, ‘How to Win Elections in Africa: Parallels with Donald Trump’ has quickly become a rallying point for young Africans, especially Nigerians interested in entering the political arena. The book, having toured seven American cities since its launch one month ago, is helping to spur young Africans abroad interests in politics in their home countries.

While the critical acclaim in the United States continues, co-author, Chude Jideonwo has gone on to also introduce the book in media circles across three countries: the United Kingdom, America and Canada, where he presented a paper on how the media has remade the political landscape at the Second International Conference on Communication and Media Studies in Vancouver on November 17, 2017. In London, he was a commentator on BBC’s Newsday and Aljazeera’s Inside Story where he spoke about the parallels between the lessons from the book and Robert Mugabe’s resignation as the Zimbabwean President.

“The battle to change Africa does not only exist in Africa,” Jideonwo said in Atlanta before a book signing event when he joined the hosts of the Afrobuzz podcast for a chat about the lessons from the book—the essential take-away that has been prevalent since the American tour began. Young leaders at the Yale University; Harvard University; Ohio University; John Hopkins University; Lafayette College; University of Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; and Kansas City, Kansas to name a few places where events around the book have been held, have all been moved by the lessons from ‘How to Win Elections’ to become more actively involved in bringing the required changes to politics and democracies across board.

In Nigeria, the book has been launched at the two high-profile book festivals in Nigeria—the Lagos Book and Arts Festival in Lagos and the Ake Arts and Book Festival, and the November Ake Festival launch paved the way for vital conversations, including an in-depth discussion on the importance of having more women participating in politics to shape our nation’s future. Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director of Enough Is Enough, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, founder of LEAH Foundation and wife of the Kwara Governor and Mrs Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, founder of the African Women’s Development Fund and wife of the former governor of Ekiti lent their voices to the conversation using examples from their various experiences as women in Nigerian politics, spoke alongside Adebola Williams who drew parallels with the lessons from the book on the new political marketplace and its reshaping of the global and local conversations.

“There’s no time better than now, when Africa is at the cusp of remarkable political changes, led by youth movements in various countries on the continent, to bring this message home,” said Williams about the next phase of the book tour which will see the book going around Africa and Europe and begins in the coming weeks.

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram