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A tortuous political journey.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

After the catastrophic war against the Triple Alliance, the country was crisscrossed by bitter political struggles and episodes of civil war between gangs, supported by Brazil and Argentina, who competed for the division of the Paraguayan territory.

The Colorado party was in power and governed uninterruptedly from 1870 to 1904 when it was ousted by the victory of the liberals who remained there until the Chaco war of 1932, won by Paraguay. In the following years, the country was overwhelmed by a militarist wave, with coups d’état soon followed by civil wars and armed clashes, until reaching the coup of 1954 which ensured Alfredo Stroessner, head of the Colorado party, power for thirty-five years.

Alfredo Stroessner. He was president from 1954 to 1989. CC BY-SA 4.0/TheStronista1954.

Stroessner, who was initially supported by the Argentine president Juan Domingo Perón, initially enjoyed broad popular consensus which was shattered between 1958 and 1962 with the growth of the phenomenon of armed struggle, carried out largely by Paraguayan exiles in Argentina whose intent was to establish a true democratic government.
From an economic point of view, Stroessner took measures aimed at a more equitable distribution of wealth which, however, proved ineffective. These included the expropriation of enormous quantities of land which, in a short space of time returned to the hands of large landowners, as the farmers, without the tools for processing and adequate resources, were forced to sell their lands. During his presidency, the Itaipú dam was also built which, even if it immediately guaranteed an impetus to the country’s economy with economic growth of 9% per year – the highest in Latin America, these effects proved to be short-lived due to the burdensome foreign debt.

Aerial view of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam on the Parana River. It was built under Stroesser’s presidency. Shutterstock/Jose Luis Stephens

A new Constitution was also passed which, not providing for any maximum limit on the re-election of the President, allowed Stroessner to remain in power until 1989, the year in which the strength of the opposition became evident also due to the profound economic crisis. This created the conditions for a new coup d’état which gave power into the hands of Andrés Rodríguez, Stroessner’s father-in-law. Rodríguez, animated by democratic intentions, prepared the ground for the 1993 elections which began a period of democratic stability in which the Colorado Party almost always had the upper hand in the electoral consultations. These electoral affirmations were also determined by the fact that the Paraguayan elites, as Federico Larsen clearly highlights, have historically had a conservative and traditionalist imprint. This applies both to the revolutionary aristocracy that led the independence process of 1811 and to the military, civil and ecclesiastical groups that supported the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner.
On closer inspection, in fact, the nationalist conservatives governed the country without interruption for 61 years – supporting General Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years – and precisely until 2008, the year in which the unprecedented administration of centre-left took power, chaired by Fernando Lugo. Except the Lugo parenthesis, Paraguay was, in fact, the only country in the southern cone not to be involved in the waves of progressive governments that swept the region at the beginning of the 20th century, in the 1940s and in the early 2000s.

Santiago Peña Palacio, president of Paraguay since 2023.

The success of the conservatives was also confirmed in the electoral round of last April 30 with the affirmation of Santiago Pena of the Colorado party who obtained 42.74 percent of the votes, more than 1.29 million, as against 27.49 percent for Alegre. In third place was the ultra-conservative leader Payo Cubas, candidate of the National Crusade, with 22.92 percent of the vote, thus proving to be the surprise of the electoral round. During the electoral campaign, the issue relating to relations with Taiwan and the renewal of the agreements with Brazil, for the management of Itaipú, which expired last August, was heavily debated. Paraguay is one of the few countries in the world to recognize Taiwan and not the People’s Republic of China. This factor is of crucial importance for the United States given that if Paraguay were to change front it would make possible the opening of negotiations for a free trade agreement between China and Mercosur, a topic that has been debated for years between the four member countries of the organization also following the impressive Chinese economic penetration in Latin America. Paraguay, however, is skilled in using this leverage both in relations with the United States, which is the country’s largest economic donor, and with Taipei which guarantees it the technology to improve its monitoring of the Paraná basin. Regarding relations with Brazil, the two countries find themselves at a crucial point in which they are about to start negotiations for the renewal of the dam management contracts.
In this regard, during a bilateral meeting last July between the two Presidents Peña and Lula, the need for progress was highlighted: in the integration of production chains and transport infrastructure, including the river routes in the Paraná basin and the interoceanic corridor, and in the EU Mercosur agreement.

The legislative building in Asunción. CC BY-SA 4.0/Cryaven

The current geopolitical posture of the country is in continuity with that assumed in the past in which it held, together with Uruguay, a role as a buffer country to avoid regional integration and, in particular, between Argentina and Brazil. In this regard, Larsen cites two examples from recent history that give a good idea of the objectives pursued by the country: the first concerns the construction of dams for electricity generation near the Triple Border (with Argentina and Brazil) in the seventies, which allowed Asunción to carve out a certain strategic importance by fuelling the rivalry between Brasilia and Buenos Aires; while the second concerns the entry of Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela into Mercosur – greatly desired by Lula and the then Argentine president Cristina Kirchner, but rejected by the Paraguayan parliament – which was only possible after the suspension of Paraguay from the organization, as it was deemed an anti-democratic country, due to the impeachment of Fernando Lugo carried out by the Chambers in 2012. (Open Photo: Lopez presidential palace at night in Asuncion, Paraguay capital. Shutterstock/Paulo Nabas)
F.R.

Guinea-Bissau. Getting married.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

The Manjak people are an ethnic group living in Guinea-Bissau. They number about 100,000 and are scattered throughout both the continental and insular region. They are mainly rice cultivators. Keeping cultural traditions alive is important among this group.
The ritual and traditions related to marriage are among the most interesting ones.

During the kakaw, when rice begins to sprout, the young people of the villages organise parties with dinners and dances. Girls also attend dances and, on these occasions, they wear the dress that they will wear on the day they leave their parental home to get married.The commitment between a couple becomes official when some members of the boyfriend’s family (those related to the father’s side) visit the girlfriend’s family and bring them two or three pumpkin bowls
filled with palm wine.

The commitment between a couple becomes official when some members of the boyfriend’s family visit the girlfriend’s family and bring them two or three pumpkin bowls filled with palm wine. 123rf

The acceptance of the gifts means that a tie has been established between the two families. At this point, the girl visits her future parents-in-law and stays with them for about two weeks. During this time, she helps them with housework and gets to know the habits of her future husband’s family. The family patriarch’s wife generally assists her and, in most cases, the two of them become friends.

The procession
On the eve of the girl’s departure from home, the naekkalo, the family patriarch, consults a soothsayer, and offers sacrifices to the u-caay, the spirit of the house, and to the p-cap, the spirits of the ancestors.
On the departure day, at nightfall, the namaka, the patriarch’s wife, anoints the spouse’s body with palm oil and helps her to wear the pagne, the wedding dress, then covers her shoulders with the kalenj kafang, the funeral pagne, and they reach the place where two bridesmaids are waiting.

On the sixth day, the bride returns to her parents to pick up the gifts the couple received. 123rf

The bride, leaves her home and helped by the bridesmaids joins a procession made up of women and her future husband’ s friends. The procession moves slowly, it is supposed to reach the bride and groom’s future house only at dawn. The bride sings a song, which she has composed herself, along with the bridesmaids and the other women.
Men mark the rhythm. From time to time, they lift the bride and take her 50 metres ahead, since they are convinced that she, like the king, is not supposed to step on the big fromagers’ roots.
The women, in their turn, during song pausing, give suggestions to the bride and remind her of the ritual she must perform once she has reached the threshold of her future house.
An old woman is waiting for the people in procession outside the house. She is clutching a rooster in one hand and a gourd in the other. She welcomes the people attending the ceremony and proceeds with the kalat uging ritual. She draws a line on the floor and pours a little wine. She then lays the rooster down on the line and invites the bride to come closer. Another woman grasps the bride’s right foot and places it
on the head of the roster.

An old woman is waiting for the people in procession outside the house. 123rf

The old woman now, beheads the bird with a sudden jerk. A third woman, then, takes the bride’s little finger and helps her to cross the line soaked with blood. Now the marriage is consecrated. The bride promises to respect marriage commitments. Any infringement would have serious consequences. When the ritual is over, the people enter the house and split into two groups.
The men with the husband’s friends and relatives reach the courtyard where the ‘pumpkins of the night’ have been placed. The bride’s sisters and the other women stay inside the house. The older wife offers the young bride a gourd full of palm wine, the girl pours some drops on the floor, as a sacrificial gesture, and drinks some of it. She then invites the other women to enjoy the banquet.

Together at last
The day after the wedding celebration, the family patriarch and his wife, take the amount of rice destined to wedding dinners away from the barn. The eldest sister of the family is in charge of the wedding dinner preparation. She will be the cook and the supervisor of meals, supposed to be four a day. She will present the bride with a rice-based menu with palm oil, bananas and chicken.
The first four nights after the wedding ceremony, the bride and the groom do not sleep together. The bride shares the house with two bridesmaids. Then, finally, on the fifth night, an old woman takes the bride to her husband. On the sixth day, the bride returns to her parents to pick up the gifts the couple received. She then visits the relatives of both families to ask for more gifts. Afterward, she will visit the peers and the elders of the village. Before returning to the conjugal house, the bride gives half of the gifts she received to her family. (Open Photo: 123rf)

Kabi Manuel Kumba

An economy controlled by a few.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

Paraguay is a country with a strong rural vocation where the agri-food sector predominates, firmly in the hands of the landed oligarchies active in the production of soya, mostly transgenic, wheat, and rice.

These crops also constitute the majority of exported goods, together with hydroelectric energy of which the country is the world’s leading exporter thanks to the production of the two large binational hydroelectric power plants: Itaipu (Paraguay and Brazil) and Yacyretà (Paraguay-Argentina), and that of further plants, certainly of smaller size, located within the national territory.
Paraguay also produces sugar cane, used mainly for the manufacture of rum and alcohol, tobacco, and cotton. In the few plots of land owned by farmers and small landowners, subsistence agriculture has developed, producing corn, cassava, beans, and fruit. The predominance of the agricultural sector, both industrial and subsistence, must, however, deal with the climate factor whose effects make crops vulnerable and, consequently, the economy of the entire country. Also of great importance is the livestock sector, which is gaining importance in the international meat market, and in particular, the extensive beef sector, which is dominant in the central regions of the Chaco and is among the main causes of deforestation in this area.

Herd of cows near Coronel Bogado town. About 85% of the land, around 30 million hectares, is owned by just 2% of the agrarian oligarchy.123rf

In addition to agriculture, trade and services also offer good support to the country’s economy which, unfortunately, is characterized by significant territorial heterogeneity in which the departments of Asunción, Alto Paraná, Central and Presidente Hayes are remarkable for their vivacity. The major national industries linked to the food sector are concentrated in Asunción and Central – sugar factories, meat processing and preservation industries and the production of alcoholic beverages – electromechanical chemical industries, cotton textiles, tobacco, wood, leather, glass, and concrete.
Last year the country stood out, compared to the countries in the area, for its economic performance whose growth is around 4.5%, reversing the trend of 2022 which reached only 0.2% due to climatic factors that have had a strong impact on the agricultural sector. This year’s positive performance, however, is unlikely to produce benefits for the entire population which experiences high levels of poverty dictated by the unequal redistribution of resources. We must bear in mind that 85% of the land, around 30 million hectares, is owned by just 2% of the agrarian oligarchy, the Human Development Index, calculated by the United Nations, places the country 105th in the global ranking, while 40% of the population live below the poverty line. In rural areas, 41.2% of the population does not have a monthly income to cover basic needs, while in urban centres this percentage is 27.6%.

In rural areas, 41.2% of the population does not have a monthly income to cover basic needs. Photo: Pixabay

For many poor people, the river constitutes a thriving economic resource, enabling them to irrigate their fields and engage in fishing. They sell their fish and agricultural products in the local markets.
This has, however, generated problems in large cities such as Asunción where farmers who have fallen into poverty have moved along the banks of the river in search of an easier life, even if they are periodically
forced to deal with the floods that oblige them to move to temporary accommodation.Paraguay is among the founding countries
of Mercosur and the WTO.
At the regional level, Brazil and Argentina constitute the major economic partners. Furthermore, the country has also signed trade agreements with Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Morocco, Mexico, and India. Profitable trade relations are maintained with the United States, the Russian Federation, Singapore, and China. Regarding China, it is worth highlighting that in recent years, following the pandemic and swine fever which also spread to the Asian continent, Paraguayan soy and meat producers have exerted strong pressure on the country’s governments, aimed at facilitating exports towards the Chinese market. This pressure, however, has not had the desired effects due to the strong diplomatic ties that exist with Taiwan which, if called into question, would alter regional geopolitical structures.

The Triple Frontier, a tri-border area between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Shutterstock/ lu_sea

The expansion of the country’s trade and industrial development are also strongly conditioned by infrastructure and telecommunications deficiencies, despite the geographical centrality of the country and the connection with the river system, known as Hidrovia and of which the Paraná is also a part, on which ports of international importance such as that of Rosario are located on the coasts. However, this system is heavily exploited by criminal organizations for their illicit trafficking which benefits from the poor security conditions and the absence of controls, also by a Mercosur regulation which, to facilitate navigation on the channels, provides for the prohibition of carrying out checks on goods in transit. This led to the signing of a memorandum with Washington which allowed the landing of US military personnel, whose presence should guarantee ‘better navigability conditions’ in the stretch of river that crosses Paraguay, as well as combatting drug trafficking, in particular cannabis, of which the country is the main producer in the area. Cocaine also travels via river from Bolivia and Peru and has an important logistical hub in Paraguay, as demonstrated by the huge drug seizures made in Europe, managed by massive criminal structures. From there, the drugs are directed towards Montevideo where the Hidrovia ends, thus entering into connection with the Atlantic ports. The porosity of the Triple Frontera, defined as a strategic hub for criminal and terrorist groups from across the continent, becomes crucial for the development of this business whose value is said to amount to 43 billion dollars a year. It is worth pointing out that some analysts warn against excessive emphasis on the criminal and terrorist phenomenon present in the Triple. It will be functional, in their opinion, to create the conditions for greater penetration by Washington in the area, to exploit the natural water resources (which the USA lacks) of the Guarani basin and, at the same time, keeping Brazil and Argentina under strict control. (Open Photo: Asunción waterfront. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Overkill53)

Filippo Romeo

Asia. Walking together.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

The experience of the Missions Etrangères de Paris which from Europe paved the way for evangelization on the continent in the 17th century. The commitment to the church in China. The reception of Asian priests in France. We talked with Father Vincent Sénéchal, the Superior General Father of the Missions Etrangères de Paris

“We are currently around 150 missionaries present in 14 different countries: 12 in Asia and two in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar and Mauritius – said the superior general Father Vincent Sénéchal, a missionary in Cambodia for years -. In the 17th century, we were founded to accompany the growth of the Churches in Asian countries. What does this charism mean today? Of course, the mission has changed since then. Interreligious dialogue is an example of this: living in India cultivating relationships with Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims is something we have never done before and also helps us reflect on evangelization. But our main task remains the same: to strengthen the Church where it is numerically small, to evangelise together with local communities. And we do this by trying to respond to their needs: in some contexts, it means helping in the training of local clergy. But there are others where the Church is still being born today: I think, for example, of the diocese of Port-Bergé in Madagascar, where Catholics are a small minority and where the bishop is still one of our missionaries.”

Father Vincent Sénéchal, the Superior General Father of the Missions Etrangères de Paris.

A role, therefore, of service to the local Churches, rather than carrying out their programs: “Many bishops tell us: we are grateful because you come to stay with us, not to build your house here – continued Father Sénéchal -. For us, this is a fundamental face of the missionary spirit.”One of the forms of this service is also the welcome given in France to priests who come from Asia to study at the Catholic Institute of Paris, the most important French theological faculty. “We usually accommodate between 65 and 70. Today, more than a third are Vietnamese, other large groups are Indians, Koreans and Indonesians. They stay in our community in Paris for a few years.”
Among these students, there are also some priests from mainland China. “We try to work for the unity of the Church in China – explained the vicar general of the Missions Etrangères de Paris, Father Étienne Frécon, a missionary in Taiwan -. We know that there are wounds to heal and that it will take a long time: we try to maintain a balance, to be attentive to the sensitivities of all Catholics in China, including the underground communities. But it is important that priests and bishops of the “official communities” can go out and have contact with the Churches of the rest of the world. The mission in China is friendship, being brothers, with simple gestures: it is a different commitment compared to our presence in Hong Kong or Taiwan, but it is a concrete way to support
these communities.”

François Pallu, founding father of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. CC BY-SA 4.0/Archive MEP

The Missions Etrangères de Paris are aware that Asia itself is a protagonist in the mission today, even in a land like France. “These local Churches have been helping for some time now. Personally, I come from a French diocese where one of our missionaries died a martyr in Korea in the 19th century. Well, today in Le Mans we have six Korean priests. Evangelizing is also this”, assured Father Sénéchal. The parable of the Vietnamese Church is also very significant: “From its foundation to today – continued the superior general of the MEP – our institute has had around 4,300 missionaries: of these, 1,200 have carried out their ministry in Vietnam. This is a community that has experienced harsh persecution, with priests killed or expelled, and many injuries. Today we no longer have missionaries there, but there is great vitality in the local Church. Catholics make up around 8% of the population and are a significant presence: they too send missionaries all over the world. They have never separated but always walked together. We continue to support them in their needs, but they themselves are creative. For example, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is a city that has grown a lot in recent years. Thus, the local Catholic communities have been divided into groups to create new parishes: to each, they sent missionary teams made up of a priest and some lay people. As soon as they can, they open churches, built with very simple materials. They accompany the changes in the country.”

A Christian community in Mondolkiri, in the northeast of Cambodia. Photo: MEP

“When I go to Vietnam – added Father Sénéchal – I am always very struck by how strong the local lay people are in their faith, also nourished by organizations such as the Legio Mariae or the Sacred Heart Group. I am also struck by how much they cultivate the memory of the roots of their own Church: this year the episcopal conference decided to start the cause of beatification of the first two bishops of Hanoi and Saigon, François Pallu (1626-1684) and Pierre Lambert de La Motte (1624-1679), two missionaries of our institute. I found it a courageous gesture: despite the wounds of history, they want these two Frenchmen to become blesseds. They are capable of going beyond the criticisms of those who say that Christianity in Asia is the religion of foreigners. They say: they are our bishops; this is the Church.”

Father Nicolas de Francqueville in Taiwan. Photo: MEP

The enduring strong bond with the Churches of Asia is also a sign for France of today: “In Paris – commented Father Etienne Frécon – our task is to promote the mission ad gentes, sharing the experience we live in the world. We have a volunteer program for young people and vocational animation activities. There is the museum in our headquarters on rue du Bac, the Hall of Memory of our Martyrs. A few years ago, we also created an institute of research on Asia, which works on our historical archive but also includes a library with thousands of books on Asia and in Asian languages, a photo library, maps… All materials are available to students and scholars. Our goal is not so much to have many activities in Paris or France, but to share the experience we lived in the field on mission.”

A young MEP volunteer in Cambodia. “We do not propose taking a job in a developing country, but a way to live the mission”. Photo: MEP

The proposal to young French people to experience a period of volunteering on a mission also fits into this spirit. “These are experiences that can last from a few months to two whole years – continues the vicar general of the institute -. We do not propose taking a job in a developing country, but a way to live the mission. Some collaborate directly in pastoral activities; others work in boys’ hostels or slums. Sometimes in their service, they also work with other congregations.” (Open Photo: Chinese lanterns and the Symbol of the Missions Étrangères de Paris. 123rf)

Giorgio Bernardelli/MM

Morocco. The challenge of culture.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

Over the last ten years, fourteen museums have been opened. A cultural strategy that aims at rediscovering its rich cultural,
traditional and artistic heritage.

Rabat is not part of the tourist circuit of a country with incredible geographical variety and richness. The quiet capital of the Kingdom of Morocco is far from the chaos of Casablanca, the frenzy of Marrakesh, the perennial international atmosphere of Tangier, or the ancient charm of Fez, with its impressive medina. However, something began to move at the beginning of the century when the country witnessed the succession of the monarchy and presumed changes in the way of governing, after the death of Hassan II, which did little to transform a regime that controlled everything.With the coming to power of Mohammed VI, in addition to investments in infrastructure in the north of the country – an area traditionally vindictive and far from the blind obedience of the rest of the country – Morocco seemed to rediscover its rich cultural, traditional and artistic heritage.

Jamaa el Fna in Marrakesh. The Jamaa el-Fna Museum helps to explain the richness of public space, a square, in which both the culinary aspects of the country’s culture and entertainment and theatre converge. 123rf

At the top of Rabat’s Mohamed V Avenue, at the main entrance of the capital’s Royal Palace – there is one in every major city in the country – construction began on what was inaugurated in 2014 as the Museum of Contemporary Art Mohamed VI. Three years earlier, as its director Mohamed El Idrissi recalls, the Alawite monarch appointed the artist Mehdi Qotbi – acclaimed for his work related to Arabic calligraphy and his collaboration with writers such as Léopold Sédar Senghor, Octavio Paz or Aimé-Césaire, among others – president of the National Museum Foundation. El Idrissi defines it “an independent and autonomous structure, responsible for managing museums in Morocco”.
The director continues: “We started by working on a diagnosis that allowed us to get an idea of the buildings that needed specific interventions to transform them into museums and prepare them to host works that require particular conditions; of the collections which had to be redistributed throughout the national territory to make each museum as lively as possible; and the plans that focused on the public, on the people we wanted to come to visit us, generating a cultural mediation and programming that did not exist until today”. The intense work on these three central areas has made it possible to boast, ten years later, a circuit of 14 museums inaugurated and two under construction, located in Tangier, Tetouan, Meknes, Rabat, Marrakesh, Safi and Agadir.

One of the 3,500 pieces of Amazigh jewellery exhibited at the Oudayas Museum. Photo: National Museum Foundation

The reign of Hassan II was indisputably associated with the great mosque of Casablanca – whose 200-meter-high minaret made it the tallest Islamic temple in the world in 1993, second only to those in Mecca and Medina, and whose financing was partly paid for by the “voluntary” contribution of each citizen in the years of its construction – and his successor Mohammed VI, chose to use culture to improve the country’s image.
In this attempt by African countries to leave behind the strongholds of the colonial era – Morocco remained a French protectorate until 1956 and a Spanish protectorate until 1958 – the Maghreb country has implemented a deliberately decentralized cultural strategy in the last decade, with a theme as varied as its culture itself.”The museums we started with dated back to the colonial era, they were fossilized in time and presented a rigid display, invariable in time and space, which did not adapt to our regional specificity. Furthermore, in that period, Morocco was starting to develop a regional strategy that we had to accompany from a cultural point of view. Looking at the map of our museums, we realized that they were not representative of the reality of our heritage. There were cities where there was not a single museum”, says El Idrissi, adding “We needed to do the work of adapting the contents to the region of origin and creating museums
where they did not exist”.
The pedagogical dimension is one of the innovations that can be noted in some of the new proposals. “We want them to become attractive spaces for young people and schools; we are working on a more active programme. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, we also needed temporary ones. And we wanted to make sure we could receive exhibitions from abroad, to modernize our spaces.”

In a single day
Today in Rabat it is possible, in just one day, to visit the halls of the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art – where, in addition to Moroccan artists, works by Picasso, Goya, Giacometti or the Impressionists have been exhibited, contemplate jewels dating back to 150,000 years ago – found in 2021 in a cave near Essaouira – in the Chellah Museum, or the caftans (traditional costumes) at the Oudayas Museum, finishing with an immersion in the artistic works of the new generation of Moroccan photographers at the carefully maintained Museum of Photography for which the Fort of Rottenburg (dating back to 1869), located on the Atlantic, was restored.
This space was inaugurated shortly before the pandemic with an exhibition of 20 photographers selected by Younes Alaoui Ismaili, a Moroccan documentary photographer.

Fez city medina old town. The museum collects the Jewish tradition of the city of Fez. 123rf

Director El Idrissi explains the particularities of each restored space: “In Tangiers, it is important to create a place to exhibit the history of the country’s painting, as well as to invite foreign exhibitions or convey the fact that it is the diplomatic capital of the Kingdom. As in Tetouan, we exploit the ethnographic heritage, the Andalusian character and the local heritage to talk about an art that has developed over the years.
The National Museum Foundation has set up three museums in Marrakesh to encourage reflection on material (fabrics and artifacts) and intangible items (due to the confluence of cultures) of its heritage. The Jamaa el-Fna Museum helps to explain the richness of a public space, a square, in which both the culinary aspects of the country’s culture and entertainment and theatre converge, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001 for hosting a vibrant concentration of popular cultures through music, religion and oral artistic expressions.

The main gate of Chellah. in the Chellah Museum there are jewellery exhibited j dating back to 150,000 years ago. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Fernando Pascullo

El Idrissi continues his story with the restoration of the spaces dedicated to music in Meknès, to the cultural heritage of Agadir – on which work is still in progress – and to the museum that collects the Jewish tradition of the city of Fez: “There are 16 museums, but we have also staged 20 major exhibitions at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, starting in 2014 with a major exhibition on medieval Morocco, then moving on to Giacometti, Picasso from the Pompidou collection, the Bank of Spain collection from Goya to the present day, to the impressionists and, currently, one on Arab modernity from the collection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, together with an exhibition dedicated to Beninese art.”
On opening days, entry is free and the museums overall register an average of 10,000 visitors per day, and in the three months in which they hosted the Rabat Biennial (before the pandemic), 150,000 people passed through the halls of the Mohamed VI Museum. “When you offer something of quality, the public responds and comes, it shows interest and is eager to learn and live new cultural experiences,” he concludes.

Carla Fibla García-Sala

Adriano Karipuna. The Amazon. Protecting our territory.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

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 today numbers only 59 people.

Adriano and his few companions are so attached to his land that they have taken its name: Karipuna, is a segment of the immense Brazilian Amazon, in the municipality of Panorama, 186 kilometres from
the city of Porto Velho.

In 1998 – when Adriano was eight years old – this territory was “demarcated”, that is, officially recognized by the State as the property of the Karipuna (who agreed to see it reduced by almost half compared to its original size): as a result, it is coveted by the indigenous peoples of Brazil because it should mean security, self-determination, freedom of movement, protection of their culture and biodiversity…

But these conditions are essential, given the appetites of the timber industry and of the companies that would like to profit from the destruction of the forest: invasions and raids are frequent and in recent years there has been no shortage of murders of defenceless Indians.

For years, Adriano – who has also been threatened with death – has been asking the Brazilian government, on behalf of the Karipuna people, to fulfil its duty to protect the land and the forest. And his battle has become, symbolically, a battle in defence of all the indigenous peoples who inhabit the green lung of the planet.

“In the Amazon – he recently recalled – in the first half of 2022, almost four thousand square kilometres of forest were lost, much of which will be transformed into soybean crops and pastures. As well as that, at least 350 indigenous peoples are in extremely difficult conditions and are resisting strenuously to defend their environment.”

He continued: “We are afraid of a genocide because they are after our land. The Brazilian government must remove these invaders and protect our territory and our people. This is the role of the state. And the world must pay attention to the Karipuna people. We protect the forest not just for indigenous people, but for everyone.”

“We are taking care of this heritage. And we need you to be more responsible towards us, indigenous people. We are crying out for help and assistance in protecting our territory, this piece of the Amazon.”

Mentioned by Pope Francis on the occasion of the 2019 Synod for the Amazon, Adriano recalled: «The forest is a sacred place to be entered very carefully. When we hunt, we never kill a mother with her cubs and if small fish end up in our nets, we throw them back into the water. We would rather go hungry than destroy a food source: Brazilians should learn from us; the world should learn about the real love we have for nature.” (Photo: Sermig)

Cultural and Ethnic Diversity.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

The country has a population of 7,353,000 inhabitants, with a population density of approximately 16 people per km2, of whom 56% live in urban areas.

The distribution on the territory is uneven because only a small percentage, around 3% of the Paraguayan population, which is largely mestizo and descended from Spaniards and indigenous people, live in the Chaco. The remaining part live east of the river and, in particular, around the capital Asunción which is home to around 500,000 inhabitants.Asunción is the industrial and cultural centre of the country, the seat of the government, as well as the main river port. In addition to Asunción, the other large urban centre is Ciudad del Este, known internationally as the commercial centre of the Triple Frontier, an area known for its flourishing illegal and criminal activities.

Héroes del Chaco Bridge over the Paraguay River, which connects Asunción with Nueva Asunción. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Overkill53

Approximately 332,000 inhabitants of different ethnic groups and nationalities live in Ciudad del Este, where the main community is that of the Lebanese Shiites, but there is also a large presence of Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Syrian, and Palestinian immigrants. Ciudad del Este is a new city that originated in 1957 when it was founded with the name of Puerto Flor de Lis. Its foundation was part of a broader and planned march towards the east by Alfredo Stroessner who intended to give life to this agglomeration for the future construction of a bridge towards the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu. Its name was subsequently changed to Puerto Presidente Stroessner and then definitively changed in 1989 into Ciudad del Este. The centre is a labyrinthine agglomeration of thousands of small shops where it is possible to shop at very convenient prices since imported products are tax-free and among the various merchandise, electronic and IT products stand out.
The city centre in which these activities are developed has been defined as one of the most important international commercial centres, on a par with Miami and Hong Kong.

Paraguari market. Fruit vendor. Approximately 50% of the population speaks only Guarani. Photo: Hugo Diaz Lavigne

From the point of view of culture and identity, Paraguay is one of the few Latin American realities in which the identity of the people has been well preserved. This conservation could have depended, as some scholars maintain, on the geography that limited contamination, while for others, including Maria Gabriella Dionisi, it is a derivative of the historical events that have, in addition, conditioned the reality of the country by generating an identity of the defence of their myths and their own culture, against any form of colonization.
According to the scholar, these events would have favoured that vital push aimed at decisively safeguarding ethnicity, language, and culture, despite the continuous attempts at cultural homologation made by both Europe and the United States over the last two centuries. Perhaps it is no coincidence that approximately 50% of the population speak only Guarani, 43% are bilingual and the remainder 7% speak only Spanish.
Guaranì was recognized as a national language together with Spanish by Alfredo Stroessner in 1967 and taught in the schools starting from 1994. Today it is used as a domestic language, unlike Spanish which is also used in working and commercial life. In addition to the two main languages spoken according to the aforementioned percentages, which are merely indicative, it should be added that 15 indigenous languages and dialects whose diffusion is limited are spoken in the country.

Asunción. National Shrine Our Lady of Caacupe. About 90% of the population profess to be Catholics. File swm

The trait of homogeneity also presents itself from a religious and ethnic point of view, with 90% of the inhabitants professing the Catholic religion. The ethnic aspect, in particular, distinguishes Paraguay as the most homogeneous country in the whole of South America.
Approximately 90% of the population is made up of mestizos (Spanish and Guarani), 2% of Amerindians, 1.7% of Germans, and 4.5% is made up of other ethnic groups including the Korean community. The indigenous groups are divided among 19 ethnic groups which are grouped into five linguistic families. Among these, the Ayoreo indigenous people, located in the Paraguayan Gran Chaco, are at risk of extinction due to the deforestation of their ancestral territories, carried out by multinationals and global finance giants.
According to organizations aimed at protecting indigenous communities, including Global Forest Watch, one of the largest deforestation processes on the planet is under way in the Paraguayan Gran Chaco. It would seem that in the twenty years 2001 – 2021, Paraguay has lost 32% of the tropical forest present in its territory and the situation is further worsening with the works for the construction of the intercontinental Bi-Oceanic Corridor (in the departments of Alto Paraguay and Boquerón and which also involves the construction of underground canals and bridges), which has resulted in further deforestation in the Paraguayan Gran Chaco. (Open Photo: Shutterstock /Daniel M Ernst)

F.R.

Music. Palestine. Sounds of a wounded land.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

A mix of traditional music with the modern musical styles of pop rock and hip-hop. The theme always remains the life of a people who have been suffering for too many years.

The Holy Land has always been a difficult country, overflowing with political tensions and conflicting religiosities. It is difficult to say – even more so after the recent terrorist attack by Hamas and the very harsh Israeli response – if and when these places will be able to have that peace which should also be a natural condition for a land defined as ‘holy’.What is certain is that on both sides, the majority of musicians, both Jewish and Palestinian, have almost always tried with their music and their songs to create common points between religions and civilizations with intertwined and at the same time very different roots.

Kamilya Jubran with Oud during a concert in the Domforum, Cologne, Germany. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Raimond Spekking

This time we want to talk about the Arab-Palestinian scene, since it is much less known in the West than the Israeli-Jewish one which, thanks to some pop stars like Noa and the unforgettable Ofra Haza, but also many klezmer groups and a world-famous jazz singer like Yael Naim, is more well-known on the European and US markets.
It must be highlighted that most of the more famous groups and soloists mix traditional music with the modern languages of pop rock and hip hop, often using their lyrics to express the suffering caused by the sociopolitical condition of their people, to promote their culture but also to strengthen hope in a different future.

Faraj Suleiman is a Palestinian composer and pianist. His music is strongly influenced by Arabic/Eastern melodies and rhythms. Facebook

The tormented Gaza Strip is at the forefront of this type of approach, primarily with bands such as Osprey V or 47 Soul who have been proposing a powerful blend of hip hop and rap since 2012; while among the soloists the pop singer Maysoon Zayed should be mentioned.
The Ramallah scene is also very rich, where we find the DAM band, one of the best-known groups even outside Palestine and among the most politically committed to supporting the Palestinian struggle, the more folkish and now almost legendary Sabreen by Kamilya Jubran, and Al Raseef, an Italian-Palestinian band that blends rock and jazz with sounds which are clearly of spicy Middle Eastern flavour.
Other creative hubs with lively musical panoramas are Bethlehem (with the famous Sol Band) and Nazareth, where the heavy rock band Khalas is based; and Faraj Suleiman from Galilee and one of the most interesting pianists in the entire Arab world.
(Open Photo: Palestinian young men play the oud (lute) on the coast of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Shutterstock/Anas-Mohammed)

Franz Coriasco

The Kimberley Process. The stones of conflict.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

The West aims to sanction the Kremlin also in the diamond market of which Russia is the main producer. Among those directly affected are Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Trying to classify Russian diamonds as conflict diamonds to limit their foreign trade as much as possible: the failed attempt took place from 6 to 10 November in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on the occasion of the last annual meeting of the Kimberley Process (Kp), the international certification agreement which since 2000 aims to guarantee that proceeds from the sale of diamonds do not end up in the hands of rebel movements, terrorist groups or criminal organizations.
The meeting, in which the 85 countries adhering to the agreement and which together cover 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds were represented, marked yet another rift at an international level over new sanctions to be inflicted on Moscow in response to the aggression of Ukraine that began in February 2022.

In 2022, 51.40% of global diamond production was concentrated in Africa. File swm

At the Victoria Falls meeting, what can be termed as the Western Front, led by the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, proposed to broaden the definition of conflict diamonds to include precious stones sold to finance the military invasion of a state by of another, also through the use of the regular army. The measure, tailor-made to strike the Kremlin, as expected, however, was blocked by the principle of unanimity which conditions the vote for any proposed amendment to the Kimberley Process regulation. In fact, Moscow had no difficulty in gathering a handful of votes against the proposal. Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, China and several African countries in which the Russian giant Alrosa operates have aligned themselves with its diktat.
Botswana immediately paid the price for the stalemate. At the urging of the Belgian company HB Antwerp, the government of Gaborone, which hosts the permanent secretariat of the Kimberley Process as of January 1, 2024, supported the Western cartel. The ball is now in the court of the United Arab Emirates, which has assumed the rotating presidency of the body at the beginning of 2024. On the possibility of restricting Russian diamond exports Ahmed Bin Sulayem, head of the free trade zone Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, was clear: “Geopolitical gridlock cannot be allowed to hinder the crucial work of the Kimberley Process.” In short, the agreement is not to be altered.

The market split in two
The global diamond market thus finds itself split in two. On the one hand, there are the G7 leaders who at the beginning of December reached an agreement to limit imports of Russian diamonds from 2024. From March this year, the restriction will also be extended to precious stones processed in third countries and simultaneously controls will be increased to guarantee the general traceability of what is placed on the market.It is the African countries that are most concerned that they will suffer the consequences of this crackdown on Moscow. The African Diamond Producers Association (Adpa), an intergovernmental organization made up of 15 member states and 5 observers (including Russia), has spoken out against the attempt to use the Kimberley Process platform to sanction the Kremlin.

Rough diamond sorting. ALROSA is one of the largest diamond companies in the world. Photo: Alrosa

But in this game, Africa can aspire to play a much more active part than being simply a mining continent. This is stated by the latest KP estimates according to which in 2022, 51.40% of global diamond production was concentrated on the continent, where 66.40% of the global value of this business also stands. Eight of the top ten producing countries are African. The second, behind Russia, is Botswana with 24.8 million carats extracted, whose commercial value, however, is much higher (almost 5 billion dollars compared to around 3.5 billion in Moscow). If in Botswana the bulk of production is in the hands of Debswana, a joint venture between the South African group De Beers and the Gaborone government, in Zimbabwe (seventh in production and value) and Angola (sixth in production and third in value) Alrosa is in pole position.

Artisanal miners in Angola. File swm

In the Angolan mine of Catoca in 2022, the Russian company extracted around 6 million carats worth around 1.2 billion dollars. Although Alrosa’s presence remains well-rooted in Africa, the effect of sanctions on Russia is pushing more and more countries to loosen or review relations with the Russian giant. Behind it, there is an element of economic rather than diplomatic opportunism. Today a diamond identified as not coming from a mining chain involving Russian players is worth much more since this guarantees it access to central markets such as that of Antwerp, where precious stones worth 26 billion dollars are traded every year. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian diamonds in Antwerp have lost 95% of their market share. This has inevitably made any form of collaboration with Russian companies uncomfortable, if not “toxic”, even for African countries. With the war in Ukraine set to last for a long time, choosing which side of the market to take will be more important than ever. (Open Phot: 123rf)

Rocco Bellantone

The cat… with a bag.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

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 finished, the new one was still in the field and there was nothing left in the pantry to barter. But as borrowing is a savannah custom, the farmer decided to try his luck with a merchant called Sidi, hoping he was not completely heartless.

“Sidi – he said -, could you advance me some money for my next crop, which promises to be very good? I will then be able to buy some tea, some sugar and a few yards of cotton cloth to get rid of these rags I have been using as trousers for years. I will certainly repay you.
As God is my witness!”

“Listen, friend – replied the merchant – Firstly, I’m running a shop, not a bank. Secondly, I am not a fool to advance money from those who have nothing certain to give me. Who’s to say that your harvest won’t be affected by a cold snap or a drop in the water level of your well? And where will you put the locusts? They could get into your garden and your crop would be gone in an instant.” Then he added: “Unless you can guarantee me one hundred percent that you have power over these natural phenomena.” And he burst out laughing.

“These things are in God’s hands – said the farmer -. As a good Muslim, you should know that just as you should know that Allah provides. In any case, the money I borrow from you would all be spent in your shop and you would profit from it. Besides, am I not one of your most loyal customers?”

“Loyal customer – replied Sidi -, don’t make me laugh. Loyal to the point of meditating on my ruin by asking me to advance money for something that does not yet exist. Look, man, I have listened to you enough. Go away and leave me alone. I have wasted too much time with you already.” Not satisfied, he shouted at him: “Get out of my sight.”

The farmer swallowed the insult resignedly and walked away. His eyes were red with rage and he felt his throat tighten. But he would never crawl like a worm before the merchant. The poor, even when robbed of everything, always have their pride to defend, especially when it is the last thing they have left.

That same evening, Sidi the trader was celebrating on the terrace of his house with his friend Nujagma. A meal of mutton and couscous was spreading an appetizing aroma. The two of them ate and drank with gusto and argued passionately. Suddenly the guest felt his blood run cold and cursed: “Innahu Suleymana! (By the power of Solomon). Sidi, whose big cat is this?” said Nujagma.

“What cat?” said the other, turning round. “There, on your right – said the friend – I swear I have never seen one so big.” “It really is huge – said Sidi – Surprises are the order of the day in this mountainous region. Just last week, when you were in Tamanrasset, people caught and killed a kambaltou. (a person believed to have the power to turn into a beast and devour other people).

“Auzubillahi!” (May God protect me) – cried Nujagma – I have never heard of them. May God protect me from these creatures: they must be related to the ginn (spirits).

“One must not believe in these tall tales – continued Sidi -. You know very well that the people here are ignorant and very superstitious: their capacity for invention knows no bounds. Even after the arrival of Islam, animism is still widespread. As for the two of us, a visit from a lousy cat, no doubt attracted by the smell of meat, will not upset us. Leave him alone and look at that starry sky! Tonight, it looks even more
beautiful than usual.”

“You are right – agreed the friend -. Besides, the cat is gone now. I saw him go into the shop.” “Excellent! – exclaimed Sidi -. The shop is full of rats. This cat will be of great service to me. I’d better lock him up.” Sidi got up and locked the door. When the meal was over, he accompanied his friend home.

When he returned, he lay down on a mat in front of the shop. His avarice was such that he guarded his possessions himself, refusing to hire one of the many unemployed in the village. The next morning, Sidi got up very early. It was a time when tea and sugar sold very well and people came to the shop from sunrise. He opened the door wide and stood behind the counter.

The first customer was not long in coming. He made a lot of purchases and took out a large banknote. The trader then opened the drawer where he kept the money bag to give him change, but he could not find it. He looked in the cupboard, rummaged under the table, moved some sacks, rummaged in the back room…. All in vain. The bag was gone.

Sidi was upset. “I had all my money in it,” he shouted to those who tried to calm him down. Attracted by the shouting, many rushed to see what had happened. “Perhaps you forgot where you put it,” a friend said to him. “No, no – he replied -. It was here last night when I locked
the door”.

They searched the entire warehouse from top to bottom but found nothing but the footprints of flour, clearly left by a cat, leading from the counter to a wall. “It must have come all the way down here,” said one man, and then jumped up and ran away, passing between the metal sheets and the wall. Another added: “The footprints are partially obliterated as if something had walked over them. Perhaps the cat dragged something behind it that touched the ground”.

Sidi immediately thought that the cat had run away and taken the money with it, but the people found the idea rather absurd. “Why – they said – would it take money? What would it do with it?” Some, however, asked him if the bag was by any chance made of leather. “Perhaps – they explained, the cat, attracted by its peculiar smell, took it to eat when he left the shop,” Sidi assured them that the bag was made of cloth.

Following the cat’s tracks, they arrived at the house of the farmer who had asked Sidi for help the day before. “Assalam Alaikum!” (Peace be upon you), they said to him. “Alekutn salam” (Also with you),
the farmer replied.

“We’re chasing a cat – they continued, claiming it had stolen Sidi’s bag -. We followed its tracks and they led us here. We ask your permission to continue our search.” “A cat that stole a bag? – said the farmer – I’ve never heard of such a thing! But if you really want to continue your search, go ahead”.

The footprints led to the well the farmer had dug in the middle of the garden. Someone leaned over the small wall, and looked down, but saw only his own image reflected in the water. They searched every corner of the house, but not a shadow of the cat. So, they decided to go home.

In the days that followed, Sidi was very depressed: the thought of having lost all that money gave him no peace. As for the farmer, he came to the shop every morning on time, dressed like a prince. He made many purchases, paid in cash, and left, never forgetting to ask the shopkeeper if he had any news of the cat that had stolen his bag.

It should be noted that the villagers had known before that this peasant had the power to transform himself into a cat. However, they never mentioned it to anyone. Deep down, they were happy that one of the poorest of the poor had managed to teach this greedy and evil merchant a resounding lesson. Of course, Sidi never found the bag of money again. (Photo: Pixabay)

Folktale from Morocco

The Republic of Cyprus. Towards new waves of migration.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

An island divided between two states with a buffer zone under the control of the UN at its centre. It is subject to the various interests of the great powers in the eastern Mediterranean. The migration issue makes Cyprus the country with the highest rate of asylum seekers in the entire European Union. The upheavals of the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as the dramatic conditions of Syrian society and Lebanese decadence give rise to fears of greater waves of migration towards Cyprus in the short term.

Of the 27 countries of the European Union, the Republic of Cyprus is the most eccentric and marginal. This is the case geographically (it is firmly placed on the Asian continental shelf), politically (it is the product of a civilization fault between the Turkish world and the Greek world which finally divided the island) and demographically (the current inhabitants are Greeks but also Arabs, English, Romanians, Bulgarians and Russians… and incessant melting pot started by Hittites, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, Ottomans), strategically (between imperious Turkish expansionism, the failure and destruction of the Syrian state, the crisis and fragmentation of Lebanon, the brutal Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the various interests of the great powers in the eastern Mediterranean), economically (despite everything it has a thriving economy, especially in financial services and tourism, with a considerable per capita income of $34,163 in 2023, not less than the European average).

Cyprus, Larnaca, Old town. Pixabay

In this singular geopolitical balance, the migration issue has been erupting for some years, confirming once again the exceptional nature of this state of 9,251 square kilometres of which Turkey occupies 3,355 and another 604 are unused because they make up the demilitarised buffer zone between the South and North under the auspices of UN or British military bases. In 2022, with 912,703 registered inhabitants, 22,190 people arrived in Cyprus requesting asylum, a number equal to 2.4% of the resident population.
Some of this relatively large number of migrants arrived by sea, sailing by any means (even jet skis) from the nearby coasts of Lebanon, Syria or Turkey, and it is the route mostly used by Syrians, Afghans, Lebanese, Somalis, Eritreans and Palestinians (now including families from Gaza). Others came by land, crossing the buffer zone of the island from North to South with the help of traffickers, after having reached Turkey by plane with an expensive enrolment in one of the many private universities set up ad hoc in the part of Cyprus under Ankara’s control. Until recently, this was the path taken by many Africans. It is currently interrupted by the same Turkish authorities who had allowed it.

A large number of migrants arrived by sea. 123rf

What fate awaits migrants in Cyprus? A minority obtain refugee status, a regularization which gives rise to the legal obligation to reside in the country for at least five years before possibly moving elsewhere, in accordance with the provisions of the European Union regulations. The majority of migrants, however, after the rejection of their asylum application, or after their downgrading from potential refugees to economic migrants without rights, become irregular.
There are few repatriations in the Cypriot system, whether forced at the expense of the state or voluntary, perhaps upon payment of a couple of thousand euros as a severance package. Thus, they remain in limbo, stranded on the island, prisoners in the open air, living and sleeping on the streets, making do somehow, exposed to hardships and illnesses, supported by remittances from distant relatives in the more fortunate cases. Anyhow, these are the unfortunate ones. In summer, the squares and gardens in Cypriot cities are full of failed migrants as well as tourists. Arriving in Cyprus as an illegal immigrant is very easy, but it is difficult to proceed without regularization to other European Union countries: geography is inexorable.

The majority of migrants, after the rejection of their asylum application, or after their downgrading from potential refugees to economic migrants without rights, become irregular. 123rf

The Cypriot population is not at all happy with the many migrants remaining on the island without residence documents, but on the whole, it is tolerant and integration is often possible. The economy is buoyant, there is work whether good or bad, and society is already pluralistic. The emergence of a xenophobic neo-Nazi group was matched by that of associations aimed at defending migrants. It should be remembered that many Cypriots themselves have a refugee history, albeit a unique one. After the Turkish invasion in 1974, cross-exoduses between the North and South of the island, with the abandonment of homes and properties, involved almost half the population: hundreds of thousands of people of Greek culture fled from the North and many of Turkish culture also fled from the South. For a quarter of a century, until 1999, the UNHCR played its part in assisting these refugees, recognized as such by the international community. In loco, it was only the determination of the Nicosia government not recognizing the self-proclaimed independence of Northern Cyprus that allowed them to be defined as internally displaced persons.

Pournara Hotspot
The largest hotspot through which everyone passes, with basic room for a thousand people, is that of Pournara, 10 km from Nicosia. It is located in the countryside which is pleasant in winter but parched in summer, in the plain between the two mountain chains of the island, the Pentadaktylos and the Trodos, the former in the Turkish area and the latter in the Greek area.
Pournara is a heaving mass of human beings with almost no possessions. Containers, cardboard shacks, makeshift tents given as a one-off gift by some European institution, which are now ruined, host an excessive number of people who often sleep on the floor, lack winter clothing, walk around in slippers or flip-flops without socks and receive barely enough food for subsistence. There are no trees to be seen and, in the summer, the secluded guests crowd together under the few existing canopies to escape the scorching sun. Internal fights are frequent, especially between Arabs and Africans, although the decline in numbers of the latter and their segregation in isolated corners of the camp means they now happen less frequently. The guests have nothing to do all day except to indulge in idleness and get bored or depressed.

Many young people who came with great hope feel betrayed.123rf

Mostly young if not very young men, who arrived with great hope, feel betrayed. Many sense that their asylum request will not be accepted. Until recently, the majority in Pournara comprised Congolese, Nigerians, Cameroonians and other Africans who arrived overland from Northern Cyprus, but at the moment it is made up of Asians. They are Afghans, Iranians, Pakistanis, Palestinians, and above all Syrians. The latter are refugees from a war that has lasted for thirteen years: they would have full right to asylum but now various members of the European Union, and the Republic of Cyprus is no exception, would like to declare Syria a safe country, to be able to reject the refugees.
The Syrians of Pournara are mainly teenagers in the painful condition of never having been able to go to school. Before the war, Syria had high levels of education but since 2011, everything has collapsed. The absolute lack of education is a very serious handicap on the future of these children who, among other things, unlike their fathers, do not speak English or French but only Arabic.
The upheavals of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the nearby region, as well as the dramatic conditions of Syrian society and the unexpectedly rapid Lebanese decline, give rise to fears of greater waves of migration towards Cyprus in the short term. (Open Photo: 123rf)

Roberto Morozzo della Rocca

The world is entering an era of instability.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), he world has entered a more dangerous period in the last twelve months, with increased tensions and conflict reshaping the global defence-industrial landscape.

Data published in the new The IISS Military Balance 2024 shows how countries are reshaping their equipment and spending plans and how their regional ties are changing under geopolitical reality.

The IISS Military Balance shows the deteriorating security environment which is exemplified by a mounting number of conflicts, such as the Hamas–Israel war, Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s takeover of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, coups in Niger and Gabon, as well as China’s more assertive manoeuvres around Taiwan, in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

In Ukraine, Russian equipment losses continue on a large scale. IISS analysts assess that its full-scale invasion has cost Russia more than 3,000 main battle tanks, roughly as many as the Kremlin had in its active inventory before February 2022. Russia has been drawing on stored equipment to replenish losses.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has relied heavily on Western equipment to maintain its inventory levels and help underpin its deep battle to strike targets beyond the frontlines. But Kyiv also continued to demonstrate its ingenuity in other ways, using Western and indigenously developed systems to put Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the back foot. It has also shown the utility of uninhabited maritime vehicles (UMVs), giving the technology that other navies have been exploring a boost.

The combination of Russia’s war on Ukraine and rising tensions between with China and Western countries have been principal drivers of military spending. Global defence spending is up 9% to a record $2.2 trillion from the previous year and poised to rise further in 2024, based on already announced spending commitments.

This era of insecurity is also resetting the global defence-industrial landscape. The US and Europe are ramping up production of missiles and ammunition and while progress has been slow, those efforts promise to soon deliver a greater defence production capacity after decades of underinvestment.
Russia’s focus on equipping its armed forces is causing some long-term buyers of arms from Moscow to look elsewhere.

The IISS revealed that non-US NATO countries now spend a combined 32% more than they did when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, showing how Moscow’s actions have driven a response in the West. But that spending is only fixing long-standing issues and there are suggestions that inflation remains a concern, with costs for some types of ammunition more than doubling. The West’s basic inability to keep up with demand is being addressed, but gaps remain glaring.

While the West ramps up spending, so are China and Russia, which now dedicate more than 30% of government outlays to total military expenditure. The past year has also shown how some armed forces are reviving interest in equipment that had been neglected, such as artillery and air defence, while also embracing new technology, such as hypersonic glide vehicles and cruise missiles, or direct attack munitions. Nuclear weapons are also very much back on the agenda, with China adding missile silos and the United States modernising warheads and delivery systems.

Sub-Saharan Africa
The ISS noted that Niger suffered a coup in July 2023, adding to the list of countries in the Sahel region where the armed forces ousted an elected government. The coup was particularly shocking for some Western countries, such as France and the US, that had embraced working with Niger’s military to battle Islamic terrorists in the region. Some African states considered intervening in Niger to restore the elected government but held off. The US, which had suspended counter-terrorist UAV operations in Niger after the coup, resumed those later.

Unrest in Ethiopia has driven a large increase in the country’s defence spending as it tries to restore order. Addis Ababa more than tripled its defence budget from ETB22 billion ($430 million) in 2022 to ETB84 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2023. Ethiopia’s Amhara region witnessed mounting tensions with local forces ready to confront the Ethiopian National Defense Force.

Mali asked the UN to cease its operations in the country. The UN Security Council in June agreed to sunset its operations in the country that had lasted about a decade.

Angola’s defence spending level has eroded somewhat in recent years as the country dealt with currency depreciation and years of recession. Angola’s defence budget in dollar terms in recent years has been consistently behind Nigeria’s, the second-highest in the region
after South Africa.

Africa has become an increasingly important market for relatively new defence exporters. Türkiye won Nigerian shipbuilding deals in the past year and its companies struck deals in Senegal, Togo and Chad for items such as UAVs. The United Arab Emirates also has begun supplying arms to some African countries. The exporters are making inroads at a time Russia has focused on satisfying domestic equipment needs.

Gabon, in late August, suffered a coup after a disputed election that would have returned Ali Bongo to power and extended his family’s more than 50 years in office. The coup appeared to be driven more by the way the election unfolded than by the terrorism concerns that sparked such overthrows in other parts of Africa.

The IISS noted that spending in 2023 across the region remained dominated by large countries with high population numbers, with six states comprising over half of the region’s defence spending.

In 2023, South Africa allocated R52 billion to defence, representing the region’s largest military budget despite longer-term funding cuts. As a percentage of GDP, South African defence spending fell below 1% for the first time in 2016 and the level has eroded further since then. In real terms, defence spending has declined consistently since 2021 since rising budgets have failed to keep pace with inflation. To respond to financial instability, the South African government curtailed budget allocations, seeking to control debt and reduce economic risk.

Although debt levels are expected to stabilise earlier than forecast, the 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement suggests defence funding will increase, with additional spending going to enhance border security. Pretoria also emphasised the procurement and maintenance of deployable medical and naval equipment, though reduced funding has undermined modernisation ambitions, the IISS reported.

Although military spending rebounded in 2023, defence-industrial capabilities remained hampered by the region’s historical lack of sustained spending. South Africa has the region’s most developed arms industry, although it has struggled in recent years. A South African defence department strategic plan stated that an unfavourable economic outlook and the need to curtail defence outlays will lead to significant industrial challenges.

In 2022, Denel was in line for a roughly R3.4 billion bailout via the 2022 Special Appropriation Act, which required the company to implement a turnaround plan and provide greater clarity on how it would develop a sustainable business model. That included steep staff reductions, with employment levels falling by 33% from 2021. In 2023, Denel reported a profit of R390 million and aimed to use its improved financial position to rebuild its skilled labour force, after the loss of highly specialised staff. (Open Photo: 123rf) – (Defence News)

Photo Gallery – Jubilee 2025. Pilgrims of Hope

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Baobab

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