THE CPM
THE CREDENCE par Mwesigwa CPM EST. MMXXVI

Excellency,

Letters on the Great Lakes and Africa–Asia relations.

TWO REGIONS · ONE LETTER · EVERY WEEK

CREDENCE NO. 1 Why a letter of credence Chiang Rai, Thailand · 30 October 2026 READ THE LETTER →
KAMPALA · KINSHASA · KIGALI · BUJUMBURA · JUBA · NAIROBI · DODOMA · ADDIS ABABA · BANGKOK · CHIANG RAI · VIENTIANE · HANOI · PHNOM PENH · KUALA LUMPUR · JAKARTA · MANILA ·

THIS WEEK'S LETTER

Why a letter of credence

READ CREDENCE NO. 1 →

CREDENCE NO. 1

Excellency,

The Great Lakes and Southeast Asia share more than they admit.

Yet they mostly learn about each other through third parties.

Aaron Mwesigwa Mwebaze

THE MAP

From the Nile to the Mekong.

Great Lakes

Burundi · DR Congo · Kenya · Rwanda · South Sudan · Tanzania · Uganda

Southeast Asia (ASEAN)

Brunei · Cambodia · Indonesia · Laos · Malaysia · Myanmar · Philippines · Singapore · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Vietnam

Two regions of the Global South, each shaped by a great river and both working toward sustainable development. These letters connect them.

SDG 17 · PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Exchange of Notes

A research partnership between the Great Lakes and Southeast Asia, two Global South regions working toward sustainable development. Scholars and practitioners from both regions share ideas, research shared policy questions together, and turn what they find into better policy for their communities.

  1. Present your note

    Tell us who you are, where you work or study, and the policy question you care about.

  2. Be paired

    We pair you with a scholar or practitioner in the other region who is working on a related question.

  3. Exchange and publish

    Together you write a short policy note. Selected notes are published on The CPM, with both authors credited, in the languages of both communities.

PRESENT YOUR NOTE → HOW IT WORKS

ABOUT THE CPM

Two Global South regions, in direct conversation.

The Credence par Mwesigwa is an independent publication. It connects the Great Lakes and Southeast Asia, two Global South regions working toward sustainable development, so that they learn from each other directly rather than through third parties.

Our aims

  • Inform. One clear letter each week on security, governance, public health and relations between Africa and Southeast Asia.
  • Connect. Bring scholars and practitioners from both regions into direct partnership through Exchange of Notes.
  • Improve policy. Turn shared research into better policy for the communities we come from.
  • Widen access. Publish in English, French, Thai and Kiswahili, so more people in both regions can read and take part.

Our fundamentals

  • Independent. We do not speak for any government or institution.
  • Evidence first. Every letter names its sources.
  • An African reading. We offer the perspective that international coverage too often leaves out.
  • Open. Free to read, and everyone is welcome to write with us.
Aaron Mwesigwa Mwebaze holding a microphone at an international meeting

FOUNDER

Aaron Mwesigwa Mwebaze

Ugandan policy researcher based in Chiang Rai, Thailand. His master's research examines policy implementation, accountability and stakeholder partnerships, with a focus on Uganda's tourism sector. He founded The CPM and Exchange of Notes to build the same kind of partnerships between the Great Lakes and Southeast Asia, two Global South regions working toward sustainable development.

Receive the letters.

One a week. Five minutes to read. Free.