Liberian. Academic. Activist. Author of Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa. Passions: #scholarship + #socialjustice + #storytelling.https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mv2vpj6suc2cAs a 23-year-old, DC-based #journalist, I asked #Liberia’s Prez #Sirleaf publicly in March '06 how she planned to safeguard the country from exploitative #foreign #multinationals. Watch my intervention from 29:11-29:43 in this live #C-SPAN broadcast held at the #USIP: https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/post-conflict-liberia/15558009 Sep 2026 06:25 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2vpj6suc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mv2vervse22cThe United Nations General Assembly recently passed an African Union sponsored #resolution adopting the new #EqualEarthProjection #map that reflects the actual size of #Africa! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce30vp55dnlo09 Sep 2026 06:19 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2vervse22chttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mv2vcdqhf22cPaul Tiyambe Zeleza’s analysis is the most incisive I’ve read thus far about the rise and fall of late #Cambridge #sociology #professor #JasonArday: https://paulddf.substack.com/p/who-killed-jason-arday?09 Sep 2026 06:18 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2vcdqhf22chttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mtxs3dj2h22lI'm excited to #lecture today on ‘South-South’ #development #cooperation. Thanks to Mamadou Bah & Tanya Garnett (UL) + Reginald Goodridge (FSI) for collaborating! https://www.robtelneajaipailey.com/events/2026/8/26/south-south-cooperation-third-world-solidarity-or-self-interested-neo-colonialism26 Aug 2026 07:17 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtxs3dj2h22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mtgahwyy6c2w#Children are warmly invited to join me and other #Liberian #authors on Saturday, 22 August, for this #readathon sponsored by Monrovia Reads and Forte & Kpoto Bookstore. I’ll be workshopping my #anticorruption #children’s #books #Gbagba and #Jaadeh!. https://www.robtelneajaipailey.com/events/2026/8/22/gbagba-and-jaadeh-lessons-in-ethics-integrity-and-accountability19 Aug 2026 07:47 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtgahwyy6c2whttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3msujscd7uc2nJoin me and Priscilla Mah-Belloh on Sunday, 16 August, for this deep dive into my recently published #scholarly #article about the #2023 #Liberian #elections and my current book project about #Liberia’s and #SierraLeone’s #Negro #citizenship #clauses. https://www.robtelneajaipailey.com/events/2026/8/16/democracy-citizenship-and-the-future-of-the-liberian-state12 Aug 2026 06:45 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msujscd7uc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3msuit36xkk2yI urge #Liberians worldwide to read Dr Herbert Brewer’s brilliant 179th Independence Day National Oration, delivered in #Buchanan, #GrandBassaCounty, on 27 July 2026: https://www.liberianobserver.com/opinion/commentaries/claiming-our-history-the-inheritance-of-a-republic/article_78390206-af9b-4e70-893a-e4a730fa7a66.html12 Aug 2026 06:28 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msuit36xkk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3msuipl2lgk2y#Palestinian #photographer Saher Alghorra has been documenting the devastating impact of #genocide in #Gaza since October 2023. He was awarded this year’s #PulitzerPrize for work published in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/world/middleeast/pulitzer-saher-alghorra-breaking-news-photography.html12 Aug 2026 06:26 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msuipl2lgk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3msuimi4jxc2yWhile #SouthAfrica’s #liberation was one of #panAfricanism’s “greatest victories”, current assaults on fellow #Africans demonstrate the enduring legacy of #apartheid. Isn’t it ironic? Chris O. argues incisively in this commentary: https://coogunmodede.substack.com/p/the-nation-that-forgot-its-continent12 Aug 2026 06:24 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msuimi4jxc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mr7pxc6a3s2aI look forward to this two-year retrospective on my 2024 Independence Day National #Oration, happening #tomorrow in #Monrovia. Thanks to sistah-friend Korto Reeves Williams and #231Unfiltered for organising. Happy #InDefianceDay in advance, fellow #Liberians!22 Jul 2026 06:45 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr7pxc6a3s2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mqo7d5knjc2bIn our new #scholarly #article, my co-author David Harris and I coin the term ‘electoral exceptionalism as democratic consolidation’ to show how #Liberia’s 2023 #elections can be considered both internally and sub-regionally #exceptional. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21681392.2026.269178815 Jul 2026 07:32 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqo7d5knjc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mqo6vlqg322bThe recent wave of #Afrophobic #attacks in #SouthAfrica proves that #whitesupremacy is alive! https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jul/08/how-did-south-africa-produce-an-anti-african-movement15 Jul 2026 07:24 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqo6vlqg322bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mqo6ppf6y22bIn reflecting on America@250, William Shoki of Africa Is a Country described the #UnitedStates as a “crime scene…a site of active, grave wrongdoing” against #dispossessed #indigenous #peoples and #enslaved #Africans. Check out his provocative analysis here: https://africasacountry.com/list/campaign/cam:b5b6k115 Jul 2026 07:21 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqo6ppf6y22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mqbl2ilp5s24Check out this detailed Analyst News story about my 7 July presentation to the Plenary of Liberia’s House of Representatives. Such precise reporting, with quotes, illuminates the timeliness of my #research on #Liberia’s and #SierraLeone’s ‘Negro’ clauses. https://analystliberiaonline.com/dr-pailey-challenges-negro-citizenship-clause-as-house-debates-liberias-178-year-citizenship-law/10 Jul 2026 06:57 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqbl2ilp5s24https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mq4y3bidhs2yYesterday, I presented preliminary findings from my new book project "Africa's 'Negro' Republics" to the Plenary of Liberia's House of Representatives. The Daily Observer captured my arguments brilliantly: https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/dr-pailey-reignites-citizenship-reform-land-security-debate/article_ae5a1970-7615-44b6-af32-2b3bfec3b511.html Thanx to Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon for facilitating!08 Jul 2026 11:07 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq4y3bidhs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mohoiqcdks26It was a pleasure doing this one-year retrospective of my 2024 Independence Day #National #Oration with one of #Liberia’s foremost #journalists Julius Jeh. His sharp questions, incisive commentary, and focus on the substance of my speech were refreshing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uww9-h3sUI17 Jun 2026 06:24 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mohoiqcdks26https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mohoaevzsk26Check out this latest journal #article chronicling the legacy of #Liberia’s #AngieBrooks, the only #African #woman ever appointed #president of the United Nations General Assembly: https://academic.oup.com/isagsq/article/6/2/ksag065/866771717 Jun 2026 06:20 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mohoaevzsk26https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3moho5445lk26Congrats to my #PhD alma mater SOAS Department of Development Studies on ranking #2 globally for #DevelopmentStudies! A well-deserved credit for top-notch #scholarship underpinned by a deep commitment to #socialjustice. https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/development-studies17 Jun 2026 06:18 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3moho5445lk26https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mohnxxnxws26Int’l actors must align strategies to curb #Ebola with those designed and developed by #African #governments and #regional #institutions, argues director-general of the #Africa #CDC Jean Kaseya in this Financial Times analysis. https://www.ft.com/content/d6b23498-c4a8-4ce4-95e6-c427f623920317 Jun 2026 06:15 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mohnxxnxws26https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mohntueqic26Rapporteur for the African Union’s committee of experts on #reparations Panashe Chigumadzi makes a strong case in this #Guardian commentary about why reparations for #slavery will become possible when the cost of refusal is higher than the cost of repair: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jun/06/africa-exception-slavery-reparations-african-union-justice17 Jun 2026 06:13 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mohntueqic26https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mmbgwd7tbs23#Teaching is a #vocation I take very seriously, so it’s worthwhile reading #anonymous #student #evaluations at the end of a taxing #academic year. These two stood out for me in 2025/2026.20 May 2026 08:02 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbgwd7tbs23https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mmbgpvamdk23Contrary to apocalyptic forecasting, #African #economies are now more resilient than ever to external shocks. Three factors help explain why, according to this vital Financial Times analysis by Ken Opalo: https://www.ft.com/content/d84cc813-777b-4729-9784-7c6d2bdb04aa20 May 2026 07:59 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbgpvamdk23https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mmbglykwg223Congratulations to Cassava Republic Press – the first #black-owned #African #publisher ever #shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction! It was co-founded in #Abuja, #Nigeria, 20 years ago by the indomitable Bibi Bakare-Yusuf: https://womensprize.com/library/the-mercy-step/20 May 2026 07:56 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbglykwg223https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mmbggsssxs23Congratulations to Sabastian Sawe of #Kenya for #winning the #London #Marathon in under two hours AND for breaking a world record! https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7232311/2026/04/27/london-marathon-two-hour-world-record-sabastian-sawe/20 May 2026 07:54 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbggsssxs23https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mmbgfmw6bs23Check out this important Democracy Now! interview featuring #AfricanAmerican #legal #scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw discussing her new #memoir #Backtalker, the gutting of #US #voting #rights and #critical #race #theory. https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/6/kimberle_crenshaw_backtalker_memoir_intersectionality20 May 2026 07:53 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbgfmw6bs23https://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mk2vbnmdqs2p“Dignity Must Define Us” was my #refrain as #Liberia’s 177th Independence Day Nat’l Orator in July 2024. I used it during a Feb 2026 Public Forum in #Finland to outline my #utopian vision for the world: #freedom from the #indignities of #capitalism, #racism & #sexism. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/00wrH-HV9ds?reload=922 Apr 2026 06:40 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk2vbnmdqs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mk2uf5qiuk2pThe United Nations passed a landmark #resolution last month declaring #transatlantic #slavery the ‘gravest crime against humanity’. 123 votes in favour! A true #reckoning would be if #reparations follow this largely #symbolic #recognition: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/116719922 Apr 2026 06:24 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk2uf5qiuk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mk2ubxewj22pDid you know that the African Union designated 2026-2036 as the ‘Decade of Reparations’ to account for #slavery and #colonialism as #crimes against #humanity? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/mar/08/how-africa-hopes-to-advance-campaign-for-reparative-justice22 Apr 2026 06:22 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk2ubxewj22phttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mk2u7pzk5k2pAre you concerned about extreme #wealth #inequality and have the skills to do something about it? Apply by 27 April for The Global Tax Fairness Fellowship: https://www.moralambition.org/fellowships/tax-fairness22 Apr 2026 06:21 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk2u7pzk5k2phttps://bsky.app/profile/robtelneajai.bsky.social/post/3mk2tvezazk2nSafiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon is a lushly-told #memoir about defying paternal strictures, breaking free of societal norms, and confronting the legacies of #colonialism. I highly recommend this #captivating story about growing up #Rastafarian in #Jamaica!22 Apr 2026 06:15 +0000at://did:plc:btoejb47f25op7o4txpw3vgx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk2tvezazk2n