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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)

Antigua Guatemala. Holy Week

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

The ancient capital of Guatemala, a baroque jewel among the mountains, is the scene of spectacular processions on carpets of flowers in the days before Easter. Holy Week is not just devotion, it combines faith, religiosity, art, gastronomy, life stories
and mutual help.

Evocative processions pass through the streets of the historic centre covered with elaborate carpets of flowers: Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala is an event that involves the entire community, between popular devotion and artisanal skill handed down from father to son.
Antigua, as the town is also known, was founded with the name of Santiago of the Knights of Guatemala at the beginning of the 16th century by Spanish colonists who made the capital, at 1,500 meters above sea level, an important cultural, economic, religious and political centre, lasting until 1773 when, following an earthquake that largely destroyed it, the capital was moved to Guatemala City. But the ancient one – Antigua itself – was rebuilt on a grid model inspired by the Italian Renaissance, with new monuments and superb Baroque churches, whose beauty adds to the charm of the ruined historic buildings, so much so that UNESCO has declared the city a World Heritage site. But it is in the days before Easter that streets and squares come alive, with a collective celebration of the passion and death of Jesus: the churches host vigils while the streets are covered with splendid carpets of flowers and coloured sawdust to welcome the processions.

Antigua, Guatemala – Man wearing purple robes in a Holy Cross procession. 123rf

The introduction of processions is closely linked to the arrival of the Spanish in the territory and was one of the evangelisation activities carried out by the missionaries who accompanied the conquistadors. With the processions, the first images and the first small floats emerged, created by Guatemalan artists. Initially, only six to eight people were required to transport the wagons. The event has grown in all its aspects and today the largest procession in the world, that of Calvary (linked to the Church of Our Lady of Remedies), has a float of approximately 26 meters, which is transported by 140 people who take turns carrying it leading the way through the streets of the city. Blood processions once existed, in which penitents walked with their faces covered and their backs scourged along the route, but they quickly died out. Holy Week processions in Guatemala are so important for the population that they can last up to eighteen hours without interruption.

Processions and the Confraternities
In Antigua, the first processions take place on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, continuing throughout Lent. They navigate the streets of the city, starting from a church and returning to the same place. One of the things that must not be missing in any Lenten or Easter procession in Guatemala is the processional carpets. They are made with coloured sawdust, flowers, fruit and pine cones.

The streets are covered with splendid carpets of flowers and coloured sawdust to welcome the processions.123rf

Also fundamental to the procession are the ornaments such as the cross, candles, images or banners of the brotherhoods responsible for the organization. Incense hovers in the air, devotees carry floats called cucuruchos from the cone-shaped hood they wear – and the essential brass band plays both funeral marches as well as festive tunes. We carry with us the awareness that the celebration is double, that of the passion and death of Christ, but also of his resurrection, a source of hope and life that continues.
An important role is played by brotherhoods, composed of people from all social backgrounds. They wear colourful clothes that vary depending on the day: black – for mourning – on Friday, purple on the remaining days of Lent. They carry huge platforms with images of Jesus, Mary and, in some cases, angels and/or their patron saint.

Antigua Guatemala. People with pointed hood costumes carrying paintings of the way of the cross at the procession of San Bartolome de Becerra. 123rf

The carrier formations alternate along the route. Every bearer sees this as a very important moment. The task of carrying the image is sometimes passed down from generation to generation. Other members of the brotherhood burn incense in thuribles along the route.
The most evocative moment is Palm Sunday, when men dressed in purple tunics, the cucuruchos, come out of the Church of La Merced holding up a canopy with the statue of Christ, followed by women, carcadoras, holding an image of the Blessed Virgin.

The Female Figure in Holy Week
The female figure in Holy Week has played an important role from the beginning. Proof of this is the coronation of Nuestra Señora del Manchén (Our Lady of Sorrows) in 1738. This sculpture shows the pain of the Mother of Christ during her passion. Created in 1660 and exposed for veneration on Good Friday of that year, she is venerated in the homonymous hermitage of Santiago of the Knights of Guatemala.

Antigua Guatemala. The female figure in Holy Week has played an important role from the beginning. 123rf

The image shows the maternal face of pain and reveals the model of female holiness, that of the Mother of God. Some of its characteristics make it a unique image, it is the first Image of the Consecrated Blessed Virgin in America and the second image to be consecrated in Guatemala 21 years after Jesus the Nazarene of la Merced in Guatemala City.
In 2022, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the inclusion of Guatemala’s Holy Week in the World Heritage List because, as we read, “It is a religious and cultural celebration that forges the identity of Guatemalans around an expression of their faith, promotes tolerance, respect and social cohesion in the territories in which it is present.”

Pedro Santacruz

Paraguay. A Buffer State.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

A landlocked country with almost all its rivers navigable. The difficult road to independence. Lugo’s parenthesis. The world of the triple frontier. The landed oligarchies.

Paraguay nestles in the heart of the southern Latin American cone between Bolivia, which surrounds it to the north and northwest, Brazil which it borders to the east, and Argentina to the south, southeast and southwest.The country, whose territory is predominantly hilly with reliefs that do not exceed a thousand meters in height, has no access to the sea. This closure is compensated for by being a river platform, the centre of the passage of the major rivers, all navigable, which cross Latin America from north to south, from which it is possible to reach various other areas. Among the major rivers, Paraguay certainly stands out, from which the country takes its name and whose length is 2,620 km. It originates in the Brazilian region of Mato Grasso, flows briefly through Bolivia, enters the interior of the country crossing it from north to south forms the southern border with Argentina, and then flows to the right of the Paraná River in the Triple Frontier area.

Paraguay map. 123rf

The Paraguay River, flowing within the country for 1,300 km, divides the nation into two distinct parts both at a geo-morphological and population level considering that to the west of it, in the Chaco, less than 3% of Paraguayans live in an area that corresponds to 61% of the country. This area, arid and impervious, has always been perceived as a marginal space unsuitable for human settlement, unlike the southeastern region, rich in natural resources, which constitutes the socio-economic engine of the country.
Proof of this is the fact that, while the former hosts only three departments in which two hundred thousand of the over seven million inhabitants live, the latter has only fourteen departments. As the analyst Federico Larsen highlights, the existence of a small thriving production centre and an immense under-exploited and under-protected periphery reflects a constant in history that many South American countries have in common.In addition to the Paraguay River, there is the Paraná, whose length is 4,800 km, 800 of which flow through Paraguayan territory, delineating part of the border with Brazil and the border with Argentina, while in the western part there flows the Plicomayo which originates in the Andes, flows for approximately 1,800 km, including the Bolivian and Argentine sections, and then joins the Paraguay river of which it is the largest right-hand tributary.Unlike the number of its rivers, the territory is not very rich in lake basins.
Among the most important we have Lake Ypacaraí whose diameter is 56 km² and is located near Asunción, the capital. The country can also boast of possessing the Guarani aquifer which constitutes one of the largest underground freshwater reservoirs on the planet.

Ruins of the Jesuit Guarani reduction La Santisima Trinidad de Parana, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Paraguay. File swm

Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, around the year 1500, the area was sparsely populated and its only residents were the farmers of the Guarani, a population who immediately showed hospitality towards the expeditions, passing through their territories and in transit towards the Rio de la Plata in search of gold and silver mines.
The geographical position, the navigability of the rivers and the hospitality of the inhabitants constituted optimal conditions for conceiving the territory as a strategic base both for the control of the entire southern cone and for the achievement of the mining objectives in the Rio de la Plata, the latter being downsized following the discovery of the very rich Peruvian and Bolivian mines.
In this era, the Reductions experiment was carried out by the Jesuit Fathers aimed at promoting coexistence between Europeans and natives, i.e., self-sufficient communities capable of producing what they needed to live and defend themselves. This project constituted an important piece of a broader political plan of the Spanish Crown aimed at putting a stop to the exploitation of the natives and limiting Portuguese ambitions in South America.

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia. Doctor Francia’s long regime lasted until 1840. Museo Histórico Nacional de Uruguay

Until 1782, the area represented an important epicentre of local equilibrium. It is no coincidence that the Spanish kingdom decided that the largest province of the Viceregency of Peru would be that of Paraguay which initially extended to Tierra del Fuego, allowing access to both the Pacific and the Atlantic. Subsequently, the area lost its importance, both because it was deprived of an outlet to the sea and due to the growth of other regional realities and above all, that of Buenos Aires, continuing however to represent a bastion of defence for the Spaniards against the indigenous insurrections of the Chaco and against the ‘Portuguese Empire’ in the East.
In 1811, the country acquired independence at the cost of commercial isolation from Buenos Aires whose intent was to establish a sort of protectorate over Asunción. Argentine determination was such that it attempted to obtain the objective even through an invasion, repelled by a massive reaction which saw the mobilization of all sectors of society. The event constituted a watershed in the history of the country and favoured the immediate creation of an army and a government, led by the landed aristocracy, whose father was the liberal Jacobin José Gaspar García y Rodríguez de Francia, better known as Doctor Francia.
Doctor Francia’s long regime, which lasted until 1840, was characterized by a policy aimed at making Paraguay an autonomous industrial power. In those years, the country was one of the first to equip itself with its railway and carry out other important public infrastructure works, but also to impose customs duties aimed at protecting products. At a regional level, it developed an interchange with Montevideo, seeking to maintain free trade on the rivers that connected it to the Atlantic.

Francisco Solano Lopez Carrillo. Photo: Domenico Parodi

Doctor Francia’s policy was carried out by the Lòpez family under whose guidance the foundries, shipyards, metalworking industries, and water infrastructure were built which gave a strong impetus to agricultural activities. This policy, supported by the popular classes, the medium-sized producers and the lower clergy worried both the powers of the region, Argentina and Brazil, and Great Britain. The latter, in particular, worked to limit the industrial development of the entire region to guarantee a market for its manufacturing and secure the raw materials necessary for its production. Thus, the development that the country had known up to that point was interrupted following the defeat suffered in the disastrous war against the Triple Alliance – Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay – still considered today the greatest national tragedy, in which Paraguay suffered a drastic territorial reduction, the extermination of the adult population and the elimination of the industrial sector which was razed to the ground. (Open Photo: Paraguayan flag.123rf)

F.R.

Mexico. Thirty years after NAFTA and the uprising of the Zapatistas.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

Last January it recalled the 30th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed between the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as the insurrection of the Zapatista movement.

The indigenous movement that broke out at that time, led by the so-called “Subcomandante Marcos”, still exists in the Mexican state of Chiapas (bordering with Guatemala), but today has less weight and attention than in the past.

In a negotiation that was not clear, the government of then-president Carlos Salinas de Gortari decided not to confront the Zapatista movement militarily, opting for negotiation and allowing it to exercise a de facto government in a part of the territory of that state of Chiapas. This agreement worked for both parties. The insurrection did not spread but continued to exist. As for the Mexican government, it was able to isolate the movement, preventing its spread.

In January 1994, the North American trade integration agreement, called NAFTA, looked like a turning point for modern Mexico. A new beginning also started, which since the third decade of the 20th century had been governed by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), a hegemonic party without alternation, but with limited power: the presidential mandate was six years without any possibility of ever being re-elected, though the outgoing president would elect his successor, the process was called the “dedozo”.

After the PRI, the centre-right party called PAN governed for two terms, the third term saw the return of the PRI with Enrique Peña Nieto, and finally with Manuel Lopez Obrador of MORENA (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (National Regeneration Movement) as president, which embodied the return of traditional populism, but with pragmatism in relations with the United States.

In economic terms, Mexico is celebrating three decades of trade integration with the United States and Canada with a growing economy, which is attractive to investors. Mexico – together with Chile it is the country with the largest number of trade agreements with the world in Latin America – has integrated economically with the United States and Canada and increased its role as an exporting country.

A long the years NAFTA was reformulated and renamed USMCA – The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement – which entered into force on July 1, 2020. But this economic integration also had a geopolitical face.

In the American view, the hemisphere runs from Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. North America is assumed to be a region that integrates Mexico with the United States and Canada. In geopolitical terms, for Washington, the border with Guatemala is an integrated space in its own right.

This does not prevent the existence of conflicts such as the one generated by the growing illegal immigration of Mexicans and Latin Americans crossing the southern border of the United States. But integration is not just economic.

Lopez Obrador’s pragmatism has allowed him to maintain good relations with Trump and Biden. In foreign policy, Mexico maintains its traditional attitude by keeping a low-profile role in international relations and avoiding a regional leadership role.

At the national level, Lopez Obrador has delegated a growing role to the Armed Forces by increasingly expanding the military role beyond its specific security area. In 2023 he gave the Navy a role in the administration of the ports and in the corridor that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific.

He relaunched the Mexican airline, under the leadership and control of the Air Force. He launched the national production of medicines with a distribution system throughout the territory and appointed a general as leader. This is the weakness of the Mexican state that has made it increasingly rely on the military structure which maintains an important organisation, discipline and territorial deployment.

As regards the presidential elections which will be held on June 2, the polls give a clear advantage to the official candidate, Claudia Sheinmaum. She is expected to defeat the only opposition option, Xchitl Gàlvez, with the support of the centre-right PAN party; the PRI, whose last run of government was pragmatic social democracy; and the left-wing PRD. The US presidential election will be held five months after the Mexican one. A possible Trump victory is not perceived by the current Mexican president as a threat. (Open Photo: Logo of the NAFTA Secretariat of North American Free Trade Agreement. CC BY 3.0/ Nicoguaro – Subcomandante Marcos. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Mangokeylime)

Rosendo Fraga/Nueva Mayoria
Latin American Affairs Analyst

Nigeria. At the top of the crime world.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

Africa’s most populated country and leading economy boasts the continent’s highest crime index and cumulates all superlatives as new forms of criminality are emerging.

Nigeria which ranked sixth in the world and first in Africa with a population of 236 million in early 2024 and also boasts the largest GDP on the continent, alongside South Africa and Egypt, holds a leading position in terms of criminality. According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the country ranks 6th worldwide with a crime index of 7.28, and second in Africa after the Democratic Republic of Congo (7.35) but ahead of South Africa and its gangs (7.18).
The range of crimes is extremely wide and is adapting to the evolution of society. In November 2023, the Nigerian Senate estimated the country’s annual loss caused just by cybercrime, including hacking, identity theft, cyber terrorism, harassment and internet fraud at $500 million.

A woman is being attended to by a nurse in a clinic. Most hospitals have introduced a practice known as “family substitution”, in which patients must find a family member to donate the same amount of blood that has been used for them. File swm

Criminality is infiltrating the entire society. Poverty and the lack of health facilities have led to an enormous blood traffic. Blood shortages in hospitals have forced patients to find their private donors. The unmet demand for blood has generated a huge black market in which people donate blood for profit. Only one-third of the demand is collected through official channels. The rest of the blood is unchecked and therefore there is no guarantee that it is free from disease which is illegal according to the National Blood Service Commission.
This situation forced most hospitals to set up a practice known as “family replacement”, in which patients must find a family member to donate the same amount of blood that has been used for them. Most donors simply pose as family members and the hospitals do not bother to check IDs. The blood type does not always match. Commercial donors are contacted by middlemen who broker deals between them and the patients who buy the blood for $10 to $25 a pint and cash half of it. There are also private blood banks. In principle, illegal commercial blood donations carry a six-month jail penalty but few people are prosecuted.

Lagos. A billboard warns of the dangers of being a victim of human trafficking. File swm

Human beings and their organs are another traded commodity. In 2021 the local press reported that such factories were on the rise, often disguised as private medical clinics, orphanages or social welfare homes which are part of a large industry that makes advantage of desperate teenagers with unwanted pregnancies or who are simply poor. Sometimes, women are kidnapped and raped and their babies are taken away from them, sold for adoption or trafficked to become
prostitutes or child labourers.
According to a joint report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Nigeria’s National Institute for Security Studies published in 2022, in Enugu state, baby boys are sold for illegal adoption for between Euro 1,500 and Euro 3,000 while baby girls are sold for between Euro 1,000 and Euro 2,000.
This criminal business is part of the wider trafficking of persons. Nigerian women and children are the principal victims of both domestic and international trafficking. Between 2015 and 2018, about 6,350 victims were identified, including 1,680 in Western Europe. Most of the cross-border trafficking is perpetrated by transnational organised criminal groups for sexual exploitation. And of course, there is also the lucrative business of migration to Europe. Around 32,000 Nigerians were present in Libya as of April 2022 according to the International Organisation of Migration.

View of Lagos. Nigeria’s strategic location along global shipping routes between the Americas, Europe and Asia. File swm

Nigeria’s strategic location along global shipping routes between the Americas, Europe and Asia, its large-scale transport infrastructure, and its porous borders make it an attractive platform for criminal organisations which use it as a base for drug trafficking operations. Nigeria has become a transit hub for the South American cartels to smuggle cocaine and heroin into the European Union.
While cannabis is the only drug cultivated domestically, synthetic, Nigerian criminal organisations are increasingly producing illicit synthetic opioid drugs such as methamphetamine with a total of 16 labs seized by the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency over the period 2011-2019, reports UNODC.
Synthetic opioids represent a market worth more than $ 1 billion annually. This production of opioids is connected with the import of tramadol from Southern Asia which is used non-medically. Methamphetamine is then reexported to Japan, to the Philippines or elsewhere. According to the US State Department, one kilogram sold $ 7,500 in Nigeria can be re-sold for $ 250,000 in Australia.
Oil theft, refining and dealing are one of the country’s most important economic activities. In 2023, the Nigerian army destroyed 233 illegal refineries in the four states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta and Rivers and arrested 1,112 suspected oil thieves. The troops also impounded 72 trucks and recovered more than 356 arms and ammunition, say military sources. Oil theft and the related sabotage of pipelines to siphon the crude are causing a loss of more than 200,000 barrels per day, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

A lot of kidnappers operate on the highways, especially between Abuja and Kaduna. File swm

The Stakeholder Democracy Network, which supports local populations affected by extractive industries, has described two methods to steal oil. One consists of diverting oil from a pipeline to convey it by smaller pipes to barges which either supply local refineries or bring the crude to larger vessels that refuel tankers in the high sea.
The second technique, called “topping”, consists of adding undeclared crude to a shipment for which the export permits have been issued. Sources in the Niger Delta say that bunkering activity cannot stop because the military and the police are involved. Some speak of a “sophisticated mafia of powerful Nigerians and foreigners”, including also government officials, retired oil industry personnel, politicians and businessmen. One of the consequences of this theft is the lack of safety in these operations. In April 2022, a blast at an illegal oil refinery on the border of Nigeria’s Rivers and Imo states killed 100 people. Such incidents are frequent.
Piracy is endemic along Nigerian coasts. Before the amnesty granted to Niger Delta militants in 2010, most attacks were robberies. Between 2011 and 2016, oil tankers were targeted for hijacking to offload the content. After 2016, began a wave of kidnappings for ransom, targeting crews rather than cargo, reports UNODC. In 2020, 23 kidnapping attacks at sea were reported. Maritime crime is rooted in unemployment and environmental grievances. Fishermen unable to make a living in contaminated waters are increasingly preying on maritime commercial flows. Some of the hijackings are politically directed. Ironically, criminal groups also provide escort services.

Close-up view of ship’s stern fortified with razor wire. Anti-piracy protection. Shutterstock/Jouni Niskakoski

Yet, Nigeria has several distinct kidnapping problems. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Database, the number of incidents quadrupled between 2019 and 2021. Kidnapping is associated with banditry and political violence. The number of abductions has soared from 28 in 2015 to 413 in 2021 and the number of victims raised from 900 to 5,287 during the same period. The more important incidents were the kidnapping of 344 schoolboys in Kankara (Katsina state) in 2020 and the kidnapping of 277 schoolgirls in Jangebe (Zamfara state) in 2021. Sometimes kidnappers, disguised as policemen also operate on highways, specially between Abuja and Kaduna.
Despite it has little wildlife left Nigeria has become an important wildlife trafficking hub. Before 2014, most African ivory came out of East Africa while most pangolin scales emanated from Central Africa. Since then, despite being home to less than 0.2 percent of the world elephant population, over 25 percent of all seizures of elephant tusks around the globe between 2015 and 2019 could be traced back to Nigeria. Vietnamese customs also seized in February 2022 6.2 tons of pangolin scales shipped from Lagos.
All these groups and their activities are often intertwined. According to the UNODC report, cult-related violence of brutal mafias, seeped in secrecy and blood rituals are common in the Rivers, Edo and Lagos states. Junior confraternities recruit among unemployed youth and out-of-school children even secondary school students who join also street gangs used for political agitation with names such as Black Axe or Vikings Confraternity. One of these groups called the Icelanders became involved with the militant group Niger Delta Vigilante Service.
The range of activities is wide and includes revenge attacks, attacking other cults, oil theft, refining and dealing, attacking political enemies, forcing businesses to pay protection, drug dealing, selling guns, disrupting elections, pimping prostitutes, etc. Sometimes, politicians who are themselves cult members use these groups during elections for services such as causing chaos to suppress voter turnout, stealing ballot boxes, or killing opponents. (Open Photo: Nigerian Police.123rf

François Misser

Journey to Beauty Through Arts and Creativity.

Friday, 1 March 2024 8:00

A journey towards Beauty is also a journey to God. Fr Raul Tabaranza, a Comboni missionary from the Philippines is exploring this journey, making use of his artistic painting talents.

Art says a lot; if you can read the message of a painting, the artist’s emotion is always there. Even though a work of art may not be easy to understand or to like for everyone, we should learn to read a work of art and to find its beauty, no matter how abstract it may be.
Some may appreciate an abstract painting even when they do not find meaning in it or are incapable of interpreting it. The colour combination, the strokes and delicate details, and the harmony of the different elements make the piece beautiful. It may not be relevant to some, yet very meaningful to others.

The Woman of Payatas, the biggest garbage dumping site in Manila, Philippines.

Recently, I have visited the chapel of St Little Brother Charles de Foucauld, in Rome. I fondly called him my Seraphic Little Brother. The artist, through his painting, uses a unique way of expressing his prayer and reaching out to God. He captures the Beauty of God and the Blessed Mother Mary, in simple ways as fruits of his contemplation. As a hermit, he was constantly praying, writing journals and poems, and painting his thoughts. Art can be a form of prayer and meditation.
My works of art are also very varied in form and style: from abstract paintings, paper collages, clothes collages, doodles, newspaper canvasses and more. My strokes vary according to my time and mood. An artist is like a chameleon: changing styles and colours, blending paints, enjoying a wild imagination and varied ideas of artwork based on reflection prayer. St. Charles de Foucauld expressed beauty in many different ways too.

Spirituality in Arts
There are always spiritual motivations in art. If one visits museums and galleries, one sees the beauty of art in for example sacred walks or sacred dances. There we find the artist’s hidden “spiritual posture” painted with striking colors. The fascinating book “Two Dancers in the Desert” portrays Charles de Foucauld and his Unseen Partner (God), as experiencing a spiritual dance during his eremitic journey. With great trust in God, one need not be afraid during one’s life journey, for one will always have a safe landing. Even though I was given that book more than ten years ago, the images are still very present in my heart. I painted my version of the same title.

Mary and John at the foot of the cross

The journey towards Beauty through art requires a great deal of imagination and the use of one’s senses. It is always transformative, as one develops patience, appreciation of silence or solitude, valuing of time and resources, communing with nature and getting closer to God, as one executes one’s talents. As a self-taught artist, I am still on a journey, exploring my talents. There is still so much to learn and to develop. I feel increasingly closer to myself, knowing myself better and probably becoming closer to God in many hidden ways.
Expressing beauty in art is life-enhancing; it helps us to rediscover resources that are present within us. It is about creating our own space, expressing our faith, cultivating our imagination with vision, and transcending our current moment in life into the future, which is spiritual and hopeful.
Many people visit museums and galleries seeking religious motivation, regardless of their religious denominations. They experience awe, great reverence, and stimulated emotions recognizing the presence of God. Visiting sacred places makes one wonder because many paintings will lead one to reflect on and experience God’s presence. These places display ancient works of art and religious and cultural artefacts which are instrumental in strengthening our faith.

Prayer and Arts
Another inspiring icon in capturing beauty through art is St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She was given the duty of painting and was relieved from her work in the sacristy. She expressed her prayers more in art through painting and poetry, including community and social activities through plays and drama, like the production of Joan of Arc. Her artistic talents were the fruit of her prayer and deep contemplation. Paul Claudel, French poet wrote: “Looking at a work of art that illustrates the spiritual testament of St. Therese of Lisieux, we could say that the eye listens and the soul is elevated”.

Holy Spirit. A combination of abstract painting and doodle

My latest doodles engage more gospel stories, traditional celebrations and the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. I also have many doodles with varied expressions. My paintings are more abstract, having deeper symbols and meaning.
The journey of an artist is not only about capturing beauty but also about delivering messages of faith, hope, and love. I guess that this is the real essence when your message is conveyed artistically. It is a spiritual process for an artist, hoping to bring about spiritual experiences for others. Art is an approach, a method of evangelization, presenting the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. I look at myself, asking if painting is affecting my journey as a missionary priest: in the real sense, not at all! In fact, it helps me strike a balance. I juggle with multiple roles and many other commitments. I paint my prayers and capture their beauty. It has been a challenge, but my priesthood and my commitments are sources of inspiration too. It is all about flexibility of time and remaining an active participant in our missionary and community life.

Fr Raul designing a doodle in his office.

I had other dreams when I was young, I wanted to be a doctor and a teacher, but God chose me to become a Comboni missionary priest. Therefore, I see it as a great privilege because I have discovered more gifts and talents in myself, being a missionary priest.
I feel that I must nurture all the gifts entrusted to me by God, and make them fruitful for the kingdom.
Finally, I think that artists are not merely painting, singing, dancing, writing, and performing, but they are heralds and witnesses of hope for humanity. For me, painting started as a hobby, yet now, I feel it my responsibility to let my fellow human beings see and experience the real beauty around us: the beauty that God has created for us. (Painting: Dancers in the Desert, inspired by St. Charles de Foucauld’s book Two Dancers in the Desert)

Chad. Restoring Dignity.

Thursday, 1 February 2024 8:00

In the southern region of Chad, in Bodo, to be exact, an African fashion project is coming to life to offer women the opportunity to earn a living by working in a sewing atelier. Sister Paola Letizia who heads the project, tells us about it.

Their names are Paterne, Brigitte, Priscilla, Janette, and Eliane and they are five nembadje, a word which in ngambay (Chadian language) means ‘queens’. They are queens for their bearing, their innate elegance, the clothes they wear, their colourful headdresses and the taste they demonstrate. Every morning they emerge from their houses with walls made of dried earth, straw, and cow dung, with a sheet of metal for a roof, and “they come to my school with such natural elegance that they seem ready for a fashion show. They convinced me to put my dream into practice: opening an atelier for the production of African fashion accessories”, admits Sister Paola Letizia Pieraccioni, Italian missionary of the Alcantarine Franciscan nuns and director of the École Catholique Associée (ECA) of Bodo, a rural village in southern Chad.

Sister Paola Letizia Pieraccioni with a married couple in the Bodo area. File swm

Paterne, Brigitte, Priscilla, Janette and Eliane are all teachers at her school, but for some months now, they have also been the first seamstresses of the workshop that Sister Paola Letizia opened in the Chadian bush with one objective: to challenge fragility, here personified in women. And so, thanks to the contribution of some friends, five sewing machines were purchased with the material required to get started, and thanks to a room made available by the parish priest, the atelier came to life.
Sister Paola Letizia created this project with a very ambitious ultimate goal: to defeat the alcoholism that grips local society, a phenomenon in which women play a central role. Yes, because they are the ones who produce the alcoholic beverage that is consumed by the litre and that empties the millet granaries. On the other hand, for them, this is one of the few jobs that allows them to earn that little bit of income essential for family expenses.

Bilibili is an alcoholic drink made from fermented millet. File swm

“I understood – explains the missionary – that the redemption of women’s dignity starts from an economic redemption. The fact that they are not financially independent, but depend on their husbands who leave all the expenses of the family household on their shoulders, forces them to do anything to earn some immediate money. Those who do not produce bilibili, i.e., the alcoholic drink made from fermented millet, even sell their bodies, an increasingly frequent phenomenon even among adolescents: men take advantage of this economic poverty and the consequences are many, on a moral, spiritual and health level and also socially, due to unwanted pregnancies”.
The condition of women in Chad, especially in rural areas, is one of submission in the marital relationship, which often leads to states of oppression or episodes of violence.
The Church is committed to the promotion of women to restore their dignity, starting with that economic autonomy which is fundamental to free oneself from all slavery. Unfortunately, polygamy is also widespread in this area of Chad: with second marriages by men, first wives find themselves abandoned with their dependent children. “And to eat and survive they have to earn something quickly, they turn to the production of bilibili because the demand is high, given that everyone drinks!”, observes Sister Paola Letizia who is also responsible for the diocesan Committee for the fight against alcohol-related evils.
The team visits all the parishes of the diocese of Doba and does a great job of prevention and awareness, with listening groups, especially for young people, but it also visits primary schools because the scourge of alcoholism spreads across the entire population and it is a dominant factor of moral degradation and poverty. “If they made polenta with that millet used to make the drink, there would be even fewer food problems given that here the food is barely enough for subsistence,” the sister remarks. But how can we motivate these women and convince them to stop producing bilibili?

At the market in Bodo. the demand for Bilibili is very high. File swm

The African fashion atelier project is Sister Paola Letizia’s answer to this question and the attempt to pull the plug on the phenomenon of alcoholism, offering women an alternative income. “In the daily exchange of glances with the young people I meet – confesses the nun – my heart as a woman and as a consecrated person is increasingly compassionate: if I think about the way people see me, I have not seen people looking in the same way on the young and teenage girls or the women of Chad. The beginning of this project is in the heart, from woman to woman, but it is also in the sense of injustice that I experience firsthand because if you love a people, the one who wounds their heart, also wounds your heart and your dignity”. And so, Sister Paola Letizia set out to challenge fragility: to start the atelier, however, “I couldn’t start with the women who make bilibili, because unfortunately I can’t guarantee them an immediate profit: it takes time, both to learn to sew and to market the products made. I started with the teachers of the school of which I am director because they already have a fixed salary for their work and therefore can trust the project which in the initial phase does not have an instant economic return”.Certainly, the marketing of the artifacts is still to be developed: for this reason, everything “depends on Divine Providence, also on our hopes, our courage and perhaps even a little recklessness”, Sister Paola Letizia adds.

Brigitte with one of the bags she has made. Photo PM

Certainly, the project is a challenge to fragility because it is designed for people seen to be on the margins of Chadian rural society (such as women) but also because the pillar of the atelier is Auguste, a disabled man forced to live in a wheelchair, whom the Sisters have helped since he was a child: after a cutting and sewing course, he became the village tailor and today he is the cornerstone of the African fashion project. He is the manager of the atelier, the one who has to kneel on the mat to cut the fabrics and design the models. He cannot go and check the work of the young seamstresses. He is fragility personified. But it was for people like him that the tailoring shop was organized, precisely according to his needs. Auguste, if he had not found the support and love of the nuns, would no longer be alive like all children who are born with serious malformations and disabilities, because here the social context does not provide any type of assistance and the daily living conditions are so harsh that they do not allow those who are not self-sufficient to survive. Furthermore, traditional religion sees witchcraft in every anomaly: this is also why families tend to remove or, worse, eliminate disabled children. Auguste, with his personal, social, and professional success, is a living challenge to fragility, just like ‘his’ atelier. (Open Photo: swm)

Chiara Pellicci/PM

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