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Monthly Archives: April 2021

China. The Dragon over Antarctica.

Antarctica enjoys an apparent calm, beyond the logic of power that involves the rest of the world. The ambiguous Chinese interest in the continent and the latest Peking decisions seem to have disturbed the Western powers. The Antarctic is one of the few places in the world where all human activity is regulated by treaty.…

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Myanmar. A New Generation fighting for democracy.

Myanmar’s democratic transition took an unexpected turn in the early morning of Monday, February 1, 2021, when Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar’s military (known as Tatmadaw) performed a surprise coup d’état and arrested the country’s leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint just before the first session of the newly elected…

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To become a ‘Muslim Singapore’.

Seven years have passed and the real reasons for the introduction of the most severe version (at least on paper) of the Islamic penal code are still unknown, at least in part. From among the various analyses of the question, we may synthesise three points of convergence.  The first is that of national identity, closely…

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Venezuela. The Indios Warao: the ‘Boat People’.

The Warao indigenous people inhabit the states of Bolívar, Monagas, Sucre and Delta Amacuro in the eastern part of Venezuela. The majority of them lives on the banks of the Orinoco River in the Delta Amacuro. This tribe, which is currently estimated to number about 50000, is the second-largest indigenous group in Venezuela, after the…

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Music. Jonas Gwangwa. Antiapartheid jazz leader.

The South African musician and composer was active both in music and in politics. At the cost of exile. Together with Hugh Masekela, a reference point for jazz enthusiasts. He died on 23 January, the same day on which, in 2018, Hugh Masekela passed away. The South African trombonist Jonas Gwangwa was just eighteen months…

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SHELL Company in Nigeria. Decades of Crime and Impunity.

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is one of the most polluted areas in the world. In the 1950s, important oil reserves were discovered in the area and since then the region has been a battle ground of environmental conflicts between international oil companies (Shell, Chevron, ENI and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) and the…

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Nigeria. Islands in an archipelago.

John Campbell, a Senior fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, recently wrote a book on Nigeria (“Nigeria and the Nation-State – Rethinking diplomacy with the postcolonial world”). A career diplomat, Campbell has written a work that is well worth reading and briefly examines the historical, political, and cultural roots of…

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Why the Sun Shines by Day and the Moon by Night.

In the beginning of the world the king called the people together to be given their tasks. He sent out messengers for them. He sent the dove to call the moon, and the bat to call the sun. Each messenger was given a certain time to go and return, so that they might all arrive…

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Brazil. Capoeira, the dance of the resistance.

A martial art that combines dance, self-defence and music, with its roots in ritual Bantu dances. In Brazil, it is the symbol of the fight against racism and social exclusion. It is not just a way of fighting but an expression of cultural identity, in particular that of the African-Brazilians. Dancing, singing, oral culture and…

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Advocacy

Adriano Karipuna. The Amazon. Protecting our territory.

He has inherited the legacy of his father, one of the few survivors of the genocide half a century ago, and represents a "people" that…

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Baobab

The cat... with a bag.

One day, a penniless farmer from an oasis went to a rich merchant in the neighbouring village to ask for a loan. The old harvest was…

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Youth & Mission

Peace in the Holy Land.

God of Comfort, send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine. You are the Advocate of the…

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