This issue of Global Africa journal is published in a highly concerning geopolitical and international context. The fight against gender-based violence (GBV), hitherto the subject of relative consensus, is now seriously threatened by the global maelstrom shaking the development world, the target of an unprecedented vendetta. The advances painstakingly achieved over the decades are now being fragilized by multiple and converging forces, both at the international and continental levels.

We should not be mistaken: despite being presented as economically and financially rational, the foreseen and downward trend in international aid is first and foremost ideological. The least of the paradoxes is not the narrative accompanying this drastic, even brutal cut, at least in its American dimension. While donors claim to be now focusing on "life-saving" activities they are neglecting serious perils such as female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, sexual violence, and their dramatic and enduring consequences. These deadly forms of violence are relegated to the background as if they no longer deserve the attention and resources needed to fight against them.

The other violent ideological charge is continental, namely the growing influence of neo-sovereignism in Africa, nostalgic for values and indigenous knowledge allegedly scorned, if not deliberately destroyed, by colonialism. It would be wrong to view this as simply a form of digital populism, opportunistically embraced by returning praetorians and some shrewd politicians. These nostalgic policies are rooted in complex political and social realities, as demonstrated by recent events in West Africa. In Gambia, a failed attempt to re-legalize female genital mutilation showed how these harmful traditional practices can be championed in the name of preserving cultural identity. In Sierra Leone, the finally effective criminalization of FGM, after decades of struggle, was a step forward, but remains fragile in the face of intense social resistance and political pressure. Let us also consider that, with no viable alternative for the moment, Nigerian schoolgirls have recently been deprived of sexual education on the pretext of the distortion of religious values. These examples show that we are not simply witnessing viral phenomena or abstract debates, but rather a genuine threat to the rights of women and girls.

Resisting: The Urgency of Documenting and Continuing 

This is indeed the most serious threat posed by the ongoing assaults: not to entrench a status quo, but rather to endorse an alarming setback that would unravel years of hard and patient work carried out by social workers and organizations, with and within African communities, to end all forms of gender-based violence (GBV), often deeply rooted or exacerbated by rapid social changes.

However, while Africa still holds unfortunate world records in terms of GBV – whether it's female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, or conflict-related violence – it is undeniable that significant progress has been made. These advances are the result of education, awareness-raising, and advocacy for women's rights. Though challenging and sometimes conflicting, the numerous local interactions have nonetheless generated a considerable body of knowledge, stabilized, and identifiable practices that must be highlighted.

Several articles in this varia have been devoted to this vital task of documenting and evaluating local knowledge. Based on the outcome of interactions between local actors and social workers, these protective skills are the intricate result of hybridization and reappropriation processes through which, year after year, pragmatic and locally adapted solutions have emerged from the daily dynamics of communities.

In doing so, the issue also serves as an act of resistance. Deprived of material resources and under attack in terms of legitimacy, the fight against GBV enters an uncertain cycle of backlash, against which the lucid visionary Susan Faludi[1] had already warned us. Preventing this setback begins with documenting, recording, and highlighting struggles and knowledge. This is why the texts collected here share a common goal: continuing the work already begun by showing how the literary and legal arenas can serve as spaces and mechanisms to deconstruct a narrowly male-dominated social and political order.

In this critical context, the courage to continue is more necessary than ever. Some might see it as a form of call to hope, though it is far from naïve optimism, as the issue shows that despite obstacles, solutions emerging from "social bricolage exist," and are carried forward by determined actors. Far from being miracle formulas, protective skills are a powerful tool in the fight against GBV, as well as in social transformation.

Giving full importance to these efforts by documenting and disseminating them is, in the end, to echo the wise advice of Winston Churchill, a resilient and privileged witness to past international upheavals. In this context, we must keep in mind that there is neither final success nor fatal failure, "it is the courage to continue that counts."

This Courage to Continue is Our Commitment at Global Africa! On our journey towards excellence in scientific publishing in Africa, we have just taken a new step: Global Africa is now indexed in Scopus, following our inclusion in AJOL and DOAJ. This is a significant achievement — recognition of a collective effort.

Furthermore, as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting young researchers, we are launching a new section dedicated to emerging talents in the humanities and social sciences. This initiative is a continuation of the work undertaken by the Junior Researchers' Institute to strengthen scientific writing and publishing capacities while providing a platform for disseminating their work.

Finally, we remain committed to increasing the visibility of African languages, offering abstracts in Wolof, Lamnso, and Mooré.

We wish you a pleasant read!