The inaugural Rethinking Economics for Africa (REFA) Festival brought together approximately 450 students, academics, researchers, policymakers, public servants, activists, trade unionists and members of the public to begin a new conversation about economic thinking, teaching and public debate in Africa.
The Festival responded to the dominance of neoclassical economics, the marginalisation of alternative schools of thought and the limited attention given to African political economy in university curricula. It sought to make economic debates more accessible while placing the experiences of workers, women and marginalised communities at their centre.
The programme was organised around five streams:
- an economics curriculum for contemporary African realities;
- realising a feminist economy;
- economics and social struggles;
- pluralism and political economy; and
- contemporary African economic debates.
Sessions examined feminist economics, mining and spatial justice, monetary policy, inequality, wages, land, industrialisation, financialisation and Africa’s development trajectory. Participants also considered how economics teaching could become more pluralist, interdisciplinary and relevant to contemporary African challenges.
A major moment was the launch of the Institute for Economic Justice. Thandika Mkandawire, Jayati Ghosh, and Mcebisi Jonas participated in a plenary examining the trajectory of economic thought in Africa and its implications for economic policy.
True to its name, the Festival extended beyond lectures and panel discussions. Films, exhibitions, interactive spaces, music, poetry and performances created opportunities to engage with economics intellectually, politically and creatively.
The Festival laid the foundation for a movement committed to democratising economics, transforming curricula and advancing economic approaches capable of contributing to a more just and equal society.
