Our Programs
The Great Lakes Crisis is more than a platform for commentary. It is a regional knowledge and storytelling hub dedicated to understanding conflict, power, and resilience in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Through research, media, dialogue, and public education, our programmes aim to inform, challenge dominant narratives, preserve memory, and contribute to peace, justice, and accountable governance.
1. Great Lakes Pulse
Tracking The Region in Real Time
Great Lakes Pulse is our flagship current-affairs program, offering regular, concise, and analytical updates on political, security, and diplomatic developments across the region. It cuts through noise and propaganda to highlight what truly matters and why it matters.
Format: Short analytical articles, audio briefings, and visual summaries.
2. Documentaries & Visual Investigations
Telling The Stories Behind The Crisis
Through long-form documentaries and visual investigations, this is one of our programs that explores the human, political, and economic dimensions of conflict in the Great Lakes region. It combines investigative journalism with storytelling to preserve memory, amplify unheard voices, and expose the realities often absent from official narratives.
Format: Implemented independently and in partnership with filmmakers, journalists, and research institutions.
3. Political Profiles & Power Mapping
Understanding Who Holds Power & How
This program produces in-depth political profiles of key actors shaping the region, including political leaders, armed group figures, regional power brokers, and influential institutions. It examines their trajectories, networks, and contradictions between public discourse and political practice.
Objective: Demystify power and promote informed civic awareness.
4. The Great Lakes Crisis Podcast
Conversations Beyond Headlines
Our podcast features long-form discussions with scholars, analysts, journalists, civil society actors, and practitioners. It provides space for nuanced reflection on conflicts, peace processes, regional geopolitics, and governance challenges in the Great Lakes region.
Format: Available in audio and selected video formats.
5. Voices From The Ground
Centering Lived Experiences
Voices from the Ground amplifies firsthand accounts from communities directly affected by conflict, displacement, repression, and marginalization. By prioritizing local perspectives, the program ensures that regional debates are informed by lived realities, not only elite viewpoints.
6. Conflict Briefs & Policy Notes
Evidence-Based Analysis for Decision-Makers
This program produces concise conflict briefs and policy notes addressing emerging crises, peace initiatives, electoral risks, and regional security trends. Written in accessible yet rigorous language, these publications aim to support policymakers, diplomats, researchers, and civil society organizations.
Format: Developed independently and in collaboration with partner think tanks and research centers.
7. The Archive of Broken Promises
Preserving Memory & Accountability
The Archive of Broken Promises documents peace agreements, ceasefires, political commitments, and diplomatic initiatives across the Great Lakes region — tracking what was promised, what was implemented, and what failed. This open archive serves as a tool for accountability, historical memory, and public education.
8. Youth & Civic Education Programmes
Shaping Informed Future Leaders
Through digital civic education initiatives and mentorship platforms, The Great Lakes Crisis supports young writers, researchers, and civic actors. The program promotes political literacy, critical thinking, and responsible engagement with governance and peacebuilding issues.
9. Dialogue & Regional Engagement
Creating Space For Honest Conversations
This program convenes structured dialogues, round-tables, webinars, and public discussions involving analysts, civil society leaders, former officials, and members of the diaspora. It offers a neutral platform for regional exchange beyond state-driven narratives and political polarization.