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Chagos Archipelago. A Leaky Agreement.

Mauritius and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, almost bringing to a close a little-known but truly global dispute. One of the atolls hosts a major US military base.

The Chagos Archipelago is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean: a group of 60 small islands located exactly halfway between Zanzibar and Indonesia. The largest of the islets, Diego Garcia, hosts a US military base that is considered one of the most important defence installations in the world. From Diego Garcia, the US can conduct naval operations in the most diverse and important theatres: from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia to the South China Sea. But the Chagos are not a US territory. They are governed by Great Britain.

British Indian Ocean Territory, BIOT, political map. Atolls of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, with the largest island Diego Garcia, the site of a Joint Military Facility. 123rf

In 1965, London separated the archipelago from Mauritius, its colony at the time, to create the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the last colonial entity to be established by the British Empire, now in decline. The BIOT also includes territories belonging to the Seychelles: the islands of Aldabra, Desroches and Farquhar. While these were returned to the Seychelles once the country achieved independence in 1976, the same did not happen for the Chagos.
On the contrary, Great Britain decided to adopt a very clear line: to continue to exercise control over the island as long as it would be useful for defence and security reasons.

Second to Washington
BIOT was created to serve the interests of the United States. The dominant ally in the West during the Cold War. In exchange, Washington would have guaranteed a discount of 14 million dollars on a shipment of Polaris missiles. Between 1965 and 1974, the authorities of the United Kingdom then expelled the native inhabitants of the islands, the Chagossians (whose number was around 1500 at the time), so that the US military could manage Diego Garcia without any civilian population nearby. Once the local inhabitants were removed, London committed to setting up a legal and political architecture that could guarantee the Pentagon maximum secrecy, isolation and operational flexibility.

B-2 bomber takes off, B-52 bombers on tarmac on Diego Garcia. (Photo: Us Army)

The importance of the base has grown since the 1970s. Initially a structure with modest responsibilities, used mostly to monitor Soviet naval activity, its functions have since expanded to become essential as a naval base, airport and logistics hub. The base has been fundamentally, for example during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, conducted under US leadership since 2001. Diego Garcia has taken on a new specific strategic weight in the rivalry with China. Although the base is often described as jointly managed by the US and the UK, even in official documents, the truth is that the British rarely make use of the structure located in the heart of the Indian Ocean; the naval installations in Bahrain and those of the air force in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman are much more important for London than remote Diego Garcia. BIOT is also a rather peculiar jurisdiction. It is the only administrative unit present on earth that exists with the exclusive function of hosting the military base of a foreign country. A political status and a history so peculiar that they have been subjected to a profound legal review in recent years. The result is that British sovereignty over the islands could become a thing of the past before long.

Colonial abuse
In short, it can be argued that the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 was illegitimate because it was contrary to the prevailing international norms of decolonization and self-determination.
At least, this is what the United Nations and the vast majority of governments in the world have argued. From this perspective, therefore, the Chagos Islands are a territory of Mauritius illegally occupied by Great Britain.Mauritius has claimed sovereignty over the islands for decades. For a long time, London rejected any protest from Port Louis and refused to enter into negotiations on the issue. The US did the same. But the Chagos affair became impossible to ignore in 2019. That year, the UN International Court of Justice supported Mauritius’ position with an advisory opinion. That same year, at the General Assembly, 116 countries urged London to withdraw from the Chagos. Only five governments (including Washington) sided with the UK.

The agreement
The path has now been set, with London and Port Louis announcing last October that they had reached an agreement to resolve the dispute over the Chagos Islands. In the agreement, London intends to recognize sovereignty over the entire Chagos Archipelago in exchange for authorization to continue to administer Diego Garcia for a period of at least 99 years. During this first century, the island will continue to host the US military base under conditions substantially similar to those that have governed its management up to now. The pact also includes an economic component, the terms of which have not been disclosed. What is known is that London will pay an annual sum to Mauritius.

Westminster. The agreement results from several rounds of negotiations between British and Mauritian diplomats. CC BY-SA 4.0/Thomas Dahlstrøm Nielsen

An important aspect is that the agreement establishes that Port Louis will have to facilitate the return of the Chagossians to the archipelago (with the exception of Diego Garcia). What is the reason for this agreement? And why was it reached now? The impression is that London and Washington arrived at it after having achieved two objectives. The first is that Great Britain’s legal position was untenable. A state of affairs that, if not remedied, could also have compromised the operation of the Diego Garcia base. The second is that in the end, Mauritius is a somewhat tolerable “landlord”: a country that can be co-opted by the West even with just bilateral agreements and without resorting to obsolete imperial-style governance methods.

A historical provocation
A turning point occurred in February 2022, when Mauritius sent a ship to one of the islands of the archipelago (not Diego Garcia) as part of a mission officially defined as scientific (in theory, to document the rise in sea levels). The initiative, however, was full of political and legal value. Although London had in fact been informed in advance of the plans of the Mauritian delegation, the British authorities refused to intervene once the vessel entered Chagossian territorial waters. Indeed, British and American officials were present, as representatives of the Mauritian mission disembarked to raise the Port Louis flag on the territory of the archipelago. The symbolic gesture was carried out by an enthusiastic group of Chagossian diplomats, lawyers, journalists and activists.

Salomon Atoll is one of the many above-water features of the Chagos Archipelago. CC BY 3.0/Charles and Anne Sheppard

London’s hesitation on this occasion is not difficult to explain: given the uncertain status of the islands, Crown officials were not sure whether they were legally authorized to block Mauritian visitors and were therefore not prepared to take legal responsibility for any intervention. Given this situation, it is clear why US officials also considered the British era on the archipelago to be over. If London is not sure of its legal authority to stop unauthorized visitors to the islands, then it can no longer be considered a reliable “host.” If we add the fact that Mauritius had repeatedly publicly committed to guaranteeing the security of the US base under the terms of the sovereignty agreement, it is understandable why Washington began to seriously question whether it was worth remaining anchored to the old status quo.

Of the two contenders, USA wins
The October 2024 agreement is the result of several rounds of negotiations between British and Mauritian diplomats. The intensification of diplomatic efforts is due to the awareness that the status quo was now unsustainable for everyone. The talks have been strongly supported by the administration of former US President Joe Biden. On 1 April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump approved the deal between the UK and Mauritius. Under the terms of the deal, the UK will give up control of the Chagos archipelago while paying to maintain control of a joint US-UK military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, under a 99-year lease. The agreement, the Diego Garcia base will finally be able to rely on a clear legal basis without having to incur significant changes in its daily functioning. London would remain an intermediary between Washington and Port Louis and will also be responsible for paying the rent: for the US, this is a clear victory.

The Chagos Archipelago is a hotspot of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean. CC BY 3.0/Charles and Anne Sheppard

The agreement has nevertheless been criticised. In the United Kingdom, the opposition complained about the abandonment of the archipelago, stating that London should not give up its sovereignty. Even in the US, there is no shortage of critical opinions: some have raised fears of possible Chinese interference once the islands return to Mauritian control. The Chagossian diaspora is also divided: while some have welcomed the news of the agreement with joy, others have strongly opposed it. Finally, the new government of Mauritius led by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, elected in the elections last November, has accused the previous executive that signed the agreement of having obtained too little for the country. (Open Photo: Chagos Islands flag, wide brush stroke on transparent background. 123rf)

Peter Harris

 

South Sudan. Bishop Carlassare. “His gaze also fell on me.”

“He leaves us at a time when we seem to need him even more, the only firm voice of brotherhood and peace.” Christian Carlassare, bishop of Bentiu, in South Sudan, remembers Pope Francis.

The Pope has shown us God’s merciful love from the very beginning and has become a witness to it not only with his teaching but also with his actions. From the beginning of his pontificate, he has taken to heart the situation in South Sudan and that of many other human peripheries. In the silence that surrounds these realities, because they count for relatively little in the interests of power and the market, Francis has listened and has become their spokesperson, both in prayer and in remembrance in his Angelus messages, both in the invitation to Rome of the political leaders of South Sudan and in the visit to Juba which took place in 2023 as an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace.
For him, every situation of injustice and conflict does not simply represent a social issue to be tackled according to the logic of the Gospel: his gaze goes much further. It goes to those brothers and sisters who suffer injustice, are denied life, and cry out to God night and day and for whom the Lord sends witnesses to indicate the only possible way, that of conversion and reconciliation.

“Pope Francis opened up roads and a wonderful journey to be undertaken in ecclesial unity towards that new land and those new heavens promised by Jesus”. File swm

His gaze also fell on me to ask me to serve the diocese of Rumbek and now the new diocese of Bentiu. In the days when I was attacked in 2021, he made himself present through his prayers. His attention towards me strengthened me given recovering the use of my legs and confirmed my desire to return to be a witness of peace and reconciliation.
In a meeting, he asked me if I was afraid of returning. I replied that the only fear would be that of not being able to serve the people of Rumbek and South Sudan because their needs are great. And he, as a good father, simply told me: “Know that there is the Lord. It is not so much yourself. It is He who leads His Church. You alone bear witness to His Word. He enlightened and greatly comforted me.”
Francis carried out his ministry as a pastor precisely with this great faith in the Lord. He was a witness to a lived faith, of a spirituality incarnate in the Galilee of our world that becomes a commitment in history. He was an example of fraternal love, of dialogue, of attention to the most vulnerable people and the most marginalised groups.

“Pope Francis invites us to continue on this path that he has traced, proclaiming the beauty, authenticity and joy of the Gospel”. File swm

He opened up roads and a wonderful journey to be undertaken in ecclesial unity towards that new land and those new heavens promised by Jesus, where we will all recognise ourselves as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. It is painful to receive the news of his unexpected death because, although weak, he seemed to have overcome the most critical moment and was recovering.
He leaves us at a time when we seem to need him even more, the only firm voice of brotherhood and peace, while everyone talks about rearmament and power.
Here too, the situation in South Sudan is very delicate, because political tensions that had remained dormant in recent years are rekindling and can spark further violence, partly already begun in some regions of the country. But this pain also comes mixed with the joy of Easter and faith in the resurrection. So even more, Pope Francis invites us to continue on this path that he has traced, a path where the Church – at long last a supportive and synodal family – opens its doors and goes to meet our brothers and sisters, proclaiming the beauty, authenticity and joy of the Gospel, and working to build a reconciled community that bears witness to peace. We will not forget him, Pope Francis, indeed, perhaps we will meet him a little further along the path, where he is already in the company of the Master. (Open Photo: Mons. Carlassare met Pope Francis in the Vatican. File swm)

A.P./MM

Music. Desert Blues.

Inspired by his Tuareg origins. Bombino is considered one of the best living blues guitarists. We met him in Madrid during one of his tours.

“The best place to create and listen to music is in the desert. It is there that you live a unique experience. You have the feeling that when you hold an instrument in your hand and play it, you finish an incomplete picture. It is in the silence of the desert that the notes pursue us, creating melodies that ride the dunes”.
He is considered one of the best living blues guitarists. He has managed to combine nomadic culture with sounds that fascinate the widest international audience.
His real name is Goumar Almoctar, but, in the world of music, he is called Bombino. A Nigerien Tuareg, he was born in Agadez, in the heart of the Sahara, on January 1, 1980. His childhood was not easy, between tribal tensions and continuous coups in the State of Niger that forced him to emigrate with his family to Algeria and then to Libya.
There, he worked for some time as a shepherd, passing the time learning to play the guitar. Towards the end of the nineties, he returned to Niger. He cultivated his passion for music. Influenced by “Desert Blues” – a blend of ethnic sounds and Anglo-American rock music – it had become second nature to him and he based his music on that of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler, then leader of Dire Straits.

Bombino in Concert. CC BY-SA 4.0/Hreinn Gudlaugsson

His debut album, “Group Bombino”, released in 2009, was followed by another recorded in 2011 live in Agadez, but it was only with the next album, “Nomad” (produced in 2013), that Bombino managed to attract the attention of critics.
In April 2016, “Azel” was released, a studio album that brought Bombino’s guitar playing to the forefront, while remaining true to his desert blues roots and singing in his native language, Tamashek. In 2017 he released La Sombra and in 2018 his sixth studio album, Deran. The album was met with widespread acclaim both for its musicality and its embrace of culture and heritage.
In 2021 Bombino released Live in Amsterdam. And finally, his eighth and final album released on September 15, 2023, is called Sahel. “Sahel is a mix of acoustic and electric songs – says the artist. I have been working on many of them for years. It was exciting to finally record these songs and work on the arrangements with my band. The album was recorded in Casablanca and produced by David Wrench.”
But this album has something different from the others. He continues: “I wanted to make an album that talks about the struggles of life in the Sahara and the experience of the Tuareg people. I also wanted to address universal themes such as love, which everyone can identify with. I tried to show the beauty of the region and to appeal for unity. Life is hard in the Sahel and we can only survive if we stick together and work for peace. These are the themes I was thinking about when I entered
the studio to record.”

All his musical works carry his origins within him. He says: “There is a lot of beauty in the vastness of the desert. When you are there, you are in the middle of a powerful experience. My hometown, Agadez, is of course very close to my heart. The Great Mosque of Agadez is 27 meters high and is the highest mosque built of adobe blocks. The Aire Mountains are also a very special place to visit and you can see a lot of vegetation in the mountain valleys. The region is much more geographically diverse than you might imagine.”
Of course, the lyrics of the songs are in Tamazigh. “With my songs I want to help the listener understand our Tamazigh culture. We Tuareg are welcoming because we live in the desert, where it is rare to see other people and have contact with the outside world. Our mission is to tell the whole world that we Tuareg are a welcoming people and the best way to do that is in my mother tongue, Tamazigh.”
The singer confirms how the history of the Tuareg has played an important role in his artistic career: “The history of the Tuareg has marked my life. As a young man, I had to flee Niger twice because of the political situation in the country. However, I never felt the need to take up arms to support the rebels’ cause, because I always thought that there was a way through music. I was able to use my guitar to help me in this task and to find a way out.” He does not hide the difficult times that Niger is living: “These are difficult times for my country. The economic situation is not good, there is a lot of inflation and it is difficult for people to find work. There are also security problems in some areas. I pray every day for Niger and I hope that things will improve. However, I believe in Niger and every time I finish my travels I always return home.”

The Great Mosque of Agadez is 27 meters high and is the highest mosque built of adobe blocks. File swm

Returning to the topic of music, Bombino wants to highlight the difference between traditional blues and rock. “The melodies, rhythms and phrasing are unique to my music. My rhythms have a connection to the past generation of Berber music. The melodies also come from a long tradition.”Bombino recalls how his music has been influenced by Tuareg musicians. He says: “Abdallah Oumbadougou was like a father to Tuareg musicians and was very important to me too. Ali Farka Touré’s musicality and virtuosity inspired me and showed me the path that African guitarists can take. I have always been a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler and I learned a lot from their guitars when I was younger.”What is the role of the guitar among the Tuareg? Bombino tells us: “The guitar is our alternative to weapons. It can bring about change and be a call to action, it can unite us. The world would be a better place if all weapons were replaced by guitars.”

“Our mission is to tell the whole world that we Tuareg are a welcoming people and the best way to do that is in my mother tongue, Tamazigh.” File swm

On December 7, 2018, with the Album Deran Bombino he received a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album, a first for an artist from Niger. He tells us: “I feel a great responsibility to represent the Tuareg people in the world, but it is also a great honour and a privilege. If it were not for Tuareg music, it is possible that nothing would be known about our culture in any other way.
Looking to the future, Bombino says: “I hope for peace in Niger and the Sahel and I hope that my music can make a small difference and contribute to achieving this goal. I would also like to establish new collaborations. In the last ten years, I have had some very interesting musical partners, and I can’t wait to see who will be the next one.”
He concludes: “The thing I am most proud of is the role I play in preserving Tuareg culture. When I play, I bring with me the pride of a people. A people who, in the silence of the desert, speak to the world with far-seeing eyes.” (Open Photo: Goumar Almoctar in music Bombino.CC BY-SA 3.0/Schorle)

Gonzalo Vitón

Sudan. Soft drinks are increasingly tasting blood.

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After diamonds and minerals, soft drinks and other products are increasingly profiting from bloodshed. Most of the world’s supply of Gum Arabic, which the food industry relies on, is controlled by Sudanese warlords. Moreover, alternatives are unlikely
to emerge soon.

Traditionally, gum Arabic, derived from the sap of acacia trees, serves as an emulsifier in the food industry, particularly for making soft drinks, including the classic “Coke. ” This product, known in Egypt since the era of the pharaohs as “kami” and used to ensure the cohesion of mummies, is also employed today by breweries to create the desirable foam much appreciated by beer consumers. Additionally, it is utilised in various other industries, including textiles, construction, printing, and painting. In the cosmetics sector, it is used to mix, stabilise, and thicken ingredients in products such as lipsticks.
Most of the world’s production originates from the Sahel region, particularly Sudan, which contributes 70 to 80 per cent of the total. This is where the acacia groves are located in the Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan, and Southern Darfur provinces. Following Sudan are Chad, Nigeria, and other nations such as Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Egypt, and Southern Sudan.

From Left: General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and General Mohamed Dagalo’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

However, since the outbreak of the conflict between General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and General Mohamed Dagalo’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2022, there has been growing suspicion that revenues from the production and trade of Gum Arabic are being used to fill the coffers of Sudanese warlords.
Most of the business has been in the hands of the RSF since they took control of the main rubber-harvesting regions in western Sudan
at the end of 2024.
Until then, production had been exported through Port Sudan. The SAF levied export duties, general taxes and forestry fees that amounted to $1,500 per tons of rubber, thus fueling the war effort of General Burhan, who had been sanctioned by the United States for his role in bombing civilian infrastructure, schools, markets and hospitals.

Displaced people in Darfur. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2022, more than 12 million people have been displaced. File swm.

But now the RSF, accused by the US of genocide in a war that has displaced 12 million people and killed at least 150,000, are reaping most of the rewards. The RSF have also burned fields, raided farms, killed farmers and looted thousands of tonnes from warehouses in the capital, Khartoum. According to the Sudanese Chamber of Commerce, 30,000 tonnes of gum arabic have been looted since the war began. Most of it has been recovered by RSF. This amount represents about a quarter of the world’s annual production of Gum Arabic. According to industry sources, the RSF extorts about $2,500 per truck, which alongside higher transport costs caused a spectacular increase to $4,000 a metric ton from $1,200 before the war.  Nowadays, the RSF is controlling almost all the Sudanese Gum Arabic supply chain,  which poses ethical challenges for the main traders and clients of the product, who are seriously exposed to the risk of funding indirectly the Sudanese warlords.

Traceability is a challenge.
According to UNCTAD (United Nations Conference for Trade and Development), the main importers are the French companies Nexira and Alland & Robert which buy annually up to 50 percent of the Sudanese Gum Arabic production. Other important clients include the Kerry Group from Ireland, the Dutch corporation FOGA Gum and the Indian Savaji Group which created a joint venture with Alland & Robert in 2019 to sell Gum Arabic on this huge market.

The main importers are the French companies Nexira and Alland & Robert, which buy annually up to 50 percent of the Sudanese Gum Arabic production. Courtesy Nexira.

Further downstream, important Gum Arabic consumers include the powerful American soda drinks giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. Both companies value so much this magic product which stops the sugar from falling to the bottom of the can that they successfully lobbied the US administration to carve Gum Arabic out of the sanctions package imposed on Sudan in 1997 for sponsoring terrorism and providing refuge to Osama bin Laden.
Some of the main consumers such as Nestlé and Mars have made statements claiming they abide by ethical principles. Nestlé says it is committed to source commodities in a responsible way while Mars, which makes M&Ms, claims to engage with its suppliers regarding the situation in Sudan and is prepared to take action in the event of a violation of its policies. By contrast, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have
remained silent so far.

A man sells gum Arabic in a market in Chad. Shutterstock/Pierre Laborde

However, traceability of the product is a challenge. Sudanese gum is smuggled into neighbouring countries that are also producers, making it difficult for Western companies to protect their supply chains from conflict gum. Last March, Reuters reported that traders in Chad, Egypt and South Sudan have begun aggressively offering the commodity at low prices and without proof that it is conflict-free.
Meanwhile, Kenya and Cameroon, which so far had exported small quantities to the EU, have increased their sales on this market after the start of the Sudanese civil war. The Rapid Support Forces are also exporting it via the Central African Republic. Egypt, which traditionally is a minor exporter, has seen its exports rise as well, according to industry sources. According to Reuters, exports from South Sudan have also increased since the beginning of the Sudanese civil war.

Diversification, a long process
The identification of the source of origin is also difficult because traders in the neighbouring countries are reluctant to reveal that they may be involved in smuggling operations or in the resale of stolen products. Industry consultants estimate that nearly all the Sudanese production, now under the RSF’s control, is smuggled, although the Association for International Promotion of Gums (AIPG), the main industry lobby which represents the main processors of the product, declared last January that there was no evidence of links between the gum supply chain and the Sudanese belligerents.

Sudan. Warehouse for storing Gum Arabic. Most of the world’s production originates from the Sahel region, particularly Sudan, which contributes 70 to 80 per cent of the total. Photo: UNOPS

Nevertheless, major players such as Nexira implicitly acknowledge the existence of such a link and seek to protect their reputations by arguing that they have taken steps to reduce the impact of the conflict on their supply chain by cutting imports from Sudan and diversifying their sourcing to ten other countries. But such diversification is a long process: according to Bloomberg, the French company has imported at least 149 shipments totalling 3,679 tonnes of gum arabic from Sudan since the war began. Some of Nexira’s imports came from the Sudanese company Afritec, which has paid extortion money to the RSF.
The main Gum Arabic processors and buyers belong to the Sedex platform used by companies to assess and manage ethical and sustainability risks within their supply chains. But Chadian traders are often not able to provide a Sedex certification that guarantees buyers that their suppliers meet sustainable and ethical standards, while Sudanese suppliers in Sudan say that buying Gum Arabic that meets ethical standards has become nearly impossible.

A few alternative
The problem is that in the short run, there are very few alternatives to replace Sudan, the swing producer of the commodity. Chad or Nigeria are also producers but it would take years before they could boast from groves large enough to compete with the Sudanese ones. According to the chairman of the Chadian Gum Arabic Exporters Association, Abechir Ahmat, the demand is soaring there but also in Mali and Niger.

Pieces and powder of raw gum arabic.CC BY-SA 3.0/Simon A. Eugster

The 10 percent growth of the world market of gum Arabic up to 2 million dollars by 2030 projected by the Market Research Future experts is a powerful incentive for Sudan’s neighbours to build an important alternative production capacity. Chad has a huge potential to become such an alternative, since it could produce the double of the current global crop, says a note from the economic service of the French Embassy in Yaoundé. But for the time being, there is no alternative to the Sudanese production.
More specifically, there is no immediate alternative to natural Gum Arabic. However, should the main consumer countries, the European Union, Japan and the United States, declare a boycott of ‘conflict’ gum from Sudan, one of the medium-term options could be for the chemical and food industries to develop the production of synthetic emulsifiers.
But the consequences of such a well-intentioned policy could be disastrous for African producers, wiping out the tens of millions of smallholders who depend on Gum Arabic, often organised in cooperatives, in Sudan alone. (Open Photo: Gum Arabic, also known as acacia gum. 123rf)

François Misser

 

Bolivia. Santa Vera Cruz Tatala, the feast of fertility.

The feast of Santa Vera Cruz marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of a new life cycle. It is considered the fertility feast for the regeneration of human and animal life.

According to oral narratives, the festival was anciently celebrated on a stone bearing the sign of a cross, a symbol of the encounter between cyberspace and Pachamama (mother earth), because the Andean cosmovision must be understood starting from the beginning
of yanantin or parity.
For Andean communities, there is no ch’ulla (the odd or singular number), everything has its partner and therefore life continues in pacha (time and space). This is why the encounter of two beings generates life.
It can therefore be said that life in the Andean world is regenerated by the encounter between external space, from which rain and solar rays fall, and the earth that receives them.

Santa Vera Cruz is the second most important festival in the department of Cochabamba. Photo Eco de Tarija.

The Tatala festival expresses this encounter in a ritual sense through pilgrims. Currently, however, it is intertwined with the Christian cross, that is, between ancestral and Christian spirituality. The stone has been replaced by the Christian cross, but the ancestral elements remain.
The central celebration is on May 3, but it begins on the evening of May 2, including the night, and ends on May 9. It lasts all week because pilgrims come from the four cardinal points to perform their ritual at Tatala. On May 2, starting at seven in the evening, devout pilgrims begin to arrive to make their offerings and perform their ritual expressions. From seven o’clock, the ceremonies at the Tatala begin.
Some bring the best fruits they have harvested, such as corn, potatoes, wheat, pumpkins and other products, as a sign of gratitude to the Tatala for its blessing. They retreat to a certain distance, leaving their offerings at the foot of the cross and there they prepare their altar with images of animals: a sheep, a cow or a pig, according to their wishes.

Pilgrims come from the four cardinal points to perform their ritual at Tatala. Photo: Bol.gov

They burn their manure with candles and surround it with stones as a fence. While the cow dung burns, the owners begin to recite the ch’alla (a kind of invocation to Mother Earth) and the pijchean (sharing coca leaves). In this way they express gratitude and at the same time ask for the blessing of the Tatala.
As they become animated with the drink, they continue the couplets dedicated to the Tatala. With these, they express their feelings. Then they sing their songs to the sound of the accordion or charango, accompanied by the guitar, and dance to the rhythm of the music in a group.On the other hand, they also sing in counterpoint, both between men and between women, in a romantic perspective that depends on their spontaneous inspirations. This also depends on the moment they are living or their feelings.
Those who make lamps for their animals and their products see how the dung and the candle are consumed. In their ch’alla and in the sharing of the coca they ask for the blessing of the Tatala so that the animals can multiply, be protected from diseases, etc. That is why, once the meal is finished, they wait for it to cool and then take it home in a container. Once home, they scatter the ashes in the corral of their livestock as a sign of blessing, protection and so that they multiply. In this way, there will always be food for the family and the community.

Three generations attending the Tatala Festival. Photo: Cenda

However, other families will ask for a child, so those interested must take a doll that families who have already had a child bring as a sign of gratitude and leave it at the foot of the cross. Then those interested pick it up and take it home until next year, when they will have to return it to other families who need it, especially new ones who ask for it. This rite has a special meaning for them: to have a healthy child and to obtain it from the God of life through this sign.
The feast of Santa Vera Cruz Tatala embodies the sense of regeneration, the beginning of new times and a life lived to the full. You can see that expression in the pilgrims of the communities who come with their offerings to ask for an abundance of produce, to express gratitude for what they have received this year and, in some cases, to ask for better weather, if they have not had good harvests, or even to complain to the Tatala about his couplets. For a whole week, this festival is celebrated, where the four cardinal points meet. After a week, it ends with the arrival of the last pilgrims and the image is kept in the sanctuary of Santa Vera Cruz until next year.
Santa Vera Cruz is the second most important festival in the department of Cochabamba. Every year, it welcomes more than 40 thousand pilgrims. (Open Photo: Bolivian young Lady) – (Pixabay)

Jhonny Mancilla Pérez

 

 

Mongolia. Batmunkh Luvsandash. A Steward of the land.

Determined to protect his homeland from mining, Batmunkh Luvsandash’s activism resulted in the creation of a 66,000-acre protected area in Dornogovi province in April 2022, abutting tens of thousands of acres already protected by Batmunkh and allies.

Mongolia is a large and sparsely populated nation – with numerous nomadic and semi-nomadic communities – whose economy has traditionally been driven by agriculture and herding. After the collapse of the Soviet Union – a major financial benefactor – Mongolia capitalized on its vast deposits of gold, copper, zinc, uranium, and coal to kickstart
its stagnant economy.

Beginning in the 1990s, direct foreign investment and an accompanying explosion in mining exploration transformed the country into an extractive hub, launching the nickname “Minegolia.” Today, minerals account for 23% of Mongolia’s GDP and the total mineral reserves are valued at US$1-3 trillion. Chinese demand for copper and coal makes up more than 90% of the country’s exports.

The environmental impact of the mining boom has been substantial. In a country that is exceptionally arid, averaging fewer than 15 inches of rain annually – and under two inches per year in Dornogovi province, mining operations are extremely water-intensive and use substantial amounts of groundwater. Multiple academic studies warn that groundwater resources will be insufficient for both mining and drinking water
within 5-8 years.

Additionally, climate change is causing lakes and rivers throughout Mongolia to dry up, forcing herders to leave traditional grazing grounds. This is coupled with the effects of mining on the landscape, which fragments wildlife habitats, erodes grasslands, and pollutes already-scarce water sources for wildlife and herders.

Located in the southeastern corner of the Gobi Desert, the sandy dunes and underground springs of Dornogovi – once explored by famed Italian merchant Marco Polo – support tremendous biodiversity. The region is home to wild camels, Argali sheep, and 75% of world’s endangered Asiatic wild ass, as well as 300 species of native plants.

The East Gobi region (including Dornogovi) has Mongolia’s highest number of active mines, which are routinely developed without formal environmental impact assessments. Nearly 10% of Dornogovi’s total land area is currently within active mining concessions.

What’s more, the patchwork approach to granting mining concessions causes severe habitat fragmentation and conflicts with local herders. The presence of heavy trucks and equipment on the region’s dirt roads has also caused significant dust pollution, helping to speed up the desertification process.

Born to a nomadic herder family on the vast, windblown steppes of Dornogovi, Batmunkh Luvsandash, 81, grew up with a profound understanding of the East Gobi Desert’s unique geography and wildlife. He spent his career working on construction and mining projects as an electrical engineer, and his experience taught him that, once irreparably damaged, nature cannot recover. In the last two decades of the country’s mining bonanza, Batmunkh has grown alarmed at the destructive impact on both wildlife and herder communities.

In 2015, the Mongolian government issued mining exploration licenses for a vast area around the base of Dornogovi’s culturally sacred Hutag mountain, spurring Batmunkh into action. He resolved to safeguard his beloved lands and decided that an official protected area would
be the best strategy.

Applying his engineering background and deep knowledge of the region, Batmunkh spent several months surveying the desert on foot, covering the longer distances by vehicle. Using natural features such as streams and mountaintops to demarcate boundaries, he drew maps by hand to delineate zones that he believed should be protected.

Growing up in Dornogovi, Batmunkh had learned which areas have the highest concentrations of wildlife and vegetation, so his proposed boundaries were far from random. He also collected information from state agencies and research institutes to bolster the scientific rationale for the protected area.

Unbeknownst to Batmunkh, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) had been assisting the Mongolian government in identifying critical regions for biodiversity protection and had used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map the same areas Luvsandash was seeking to protect.

According to Tsogtsaikhan Battsengel, a GIS technician with TNC Canada: “One day, Luvsandash showed up in the local government’s office with a map of the land he wanted to protect. Everyone was amazed because his hand-drawn map was nearly identical to the GIS model we had created.”

Soon thereafter, Batmunkh regularly travelled from his rural home in Dornogovi to TNC’s offices in Ulaanbaatar, where he shared maps and data with local staff to collaborate on identifying areas with the highest concentrations of wildlife.

To strengthen his case for the protected area, Batmunkh researched Mongolia’s constitution and laws on environmental protection and land rights. He also met regularly with state agencies in Ulaanbaatar; maintaining strong relationships and working in concert with government officials was a key part of his campaign.

Batmunkh’s goal was to create a protected area that forbade extractive industries and allowed traditional herding and livestock practices to continue. Stressing the importance of balancing development with conservation, and guided first and foremost by science, he submitted the proposal for the protected area to the local government and members of parliament in spring 2020. In order to bolster his case, Batmunkh cited various Mongolian laws protecting sites of cultural, historical, sacred, and environmental importance.

In April 2022, Batmunkh’s dedication paid off: Authorities approved a 66,000-acre protected area prohibiting all extractive activities within its boundaries. The protected area is also geographically close to three others, totalling 205,600 acres, for which Batmunkh secured protections between April 2019 and September 2020.

The protected area safeguards vital habitat for the endangered Asiatic ass and other wildlife while preserving a centuries-old way of life for his community, empowering locals to continue stewarding the land. Today, rangers – often drawn from the local herder communities – now regularly patrol the protected area.

In April, Batmunkh Luvsandash received the Goldman Environmental Prize, known as the “Green Nobel Prize”. (The Goldman Environment Report – Photo Goldman Environmental Prize)

Pope Francis to Young People. “¡Hagan lío!”

During his pontificate, Pope Francis has placed young people at the centre of his pastoral attention, recognising them as key players in building a better future. He has sought a sincere and profound dialogue with new generations, addressing their challenges and encouraging them to be agents of change in society and the Church.

Below are a few thoughts, among many, that Pope Francis has left for young people.

“Walk. If you fall, get up, get help, and don’t stay on the ground. Get up and walk towards a goal; train yourself every day of your life. Nothing in life is free, everything is paid for. Only one thing is free, the love of Jesus. Therefore, with this gift that we have, the love of Jesus, and with the desire and will to walk, let us walk in hope. Let us look at our roots, without fear, do not be afraid!”.

“Know that you are not alone. You know Jesus will never turn away from you but walks alongside us in our suffering, in our anxieties and in our loneliness. Young people are called to realize how Jesus gives himself and does so on the cross, on the various crosses of our lives
and of our world.”

“I would encourage you to keep seeking and to be ready to take risks. Let us find the courage to see our world not as in its death throes, but in a process of giving birth, not at the end, but at the beginning of a great new chapter of history. We need the courage to think like this. So, work to bring about a new “choreography”, one that respects the “dance” of life by putting the human person at the centre.”

“The Church and the world need you, the young, as much as the earth needs rain. Jesus now speaks to you, who are the present and the future of our world… do not be afraid….Dear friends, allow me, as an older person, to share with you, young people a dream that I carry within me: it is the dream of peace, the dream of young people praying for peace, living in peace and building a peaceful future…. What is more, you are a sign of peace for the world, showing how different nationalities, languages and histories can unite instead of divide. You are the hope of a different world. Thank you for this. Onwards!”

“God loves by surprise. It is not programmed. And to allow ourselves to be surprised, it is important not to become fixed on convincing and proselytizing answers to all of life’s questions, to the doubts of faith and to the challenges that today’s society brings to us”

“We must care about what is happening in the world” and about “the fate of millions of people, of so many children, who have no water, no food, no medical care, while the rulers seem to be competing to see who can spend the most on the most sophisticated armaments… We care about everything, including all of creation and the digital world, which we are challenged to change and make more and more humane.”

“To dream, to take a risk, to be committed to changing the world, to rekindle your hopes and aspirations, and to contemplate the heavens, the stars and the world around you. Give their passions and dreams free rein, and, through them, offer the world, the Church and other young people something beautiful, whether in the realm of the spirit, the arts or society… Make your voices heard.”

“Dear friends, I remind you of the great mission you have received to bear witness before everyone to the joy born of friendship with Christ.
I remind you to make your voices heard and “¡Hagan lío!”
(to make a mess,).

“I invite you to be the voice of all, especially of those who have no voice. And today some so many people have no voice, so many who are excluded, not only socially, due to problems of poverty, lack of education, drugs, dictatorship… but also of those who do not know how to dream. Network to dream, and do not lose this ability. Dream…”

“Our life is a pilgrimage, a journey that pushes us beyond ourselves, a journey in search of happiness; and Christian life, in particular, is a pilgrimage toward God, our salvation and the fullness of every good.

However, it is normal that, even though we begin our journeys with enthusiasm, sooner or later we begin to feel tired… The solution to tiredness, paradoxically, is not to stay still to rest. It is rather to set out and become pilgrims of hope. This is my invitation to you: walk in hope!

“Moments of crisis, which make life seem like a difficult journey through the desert. These times of crisis, however, are not lost or useless times, but can reveal themselves as important opportunities for growth. They are moments of purification of hope.”

“Dear young people, do not allow the spark of youth to be extinguished in the darkness of a closed room in which the only window to the outside world is a computer and smartphone. Open wide the doors of your life! May your time and space be filled with meaningful relationships, real people, with whom to share your authentic and concrete experiences
of daily life”

“Each young person’s heart should thus be considered ‘holy ground,’ a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must ‘take off our shoes’ to draw near and enter more deeply into the mystery.” (Photo: CNS)

 

 

Arts. Symbols of resistance.

Video makers, sculptors, painters and creative Sudanese have taken part in the civil society protests of recent years, but after the outbreak of the conflict they had to leave. In Nairobi they have enriched an active and supportive community of artists. We met some of them at the Kuona Artists Collective.

Yassir Ali Mohammed is part of the Kuona Artists Collective and works at the eponymous visual arts centre, in a central neighbourhood of Nairobi, but on an internal street, where it feels like being in the countryside. The centre is a courtyard bounded by containers, each of which is the studio of one or more artists. African painters and sculptors of different nationalities produce works using different techniques and materials. The sculptures, which capture the attention of visitors right from the entrance gate, are exhibited in the courtyard. The recycled ones are particularly interesting. It is a fascinating place, where you can breathe experimentation and beauty.

One of the paintings of Yassir Ali Mohammed “Windows of my Soul” File swm

The paintings that Yassir has exhibited on the walls of his studio are magnetic. Many have dark backgrounds divided into countless squares that contain signs that recall ancient hieroglyphics and alphabets. It is difficult to take your eyes off them: “In my paintings, I have worked on the atmosphere of ancient Nubia in contemporary ways. I have used my love for Nubian motifs and symbols”, he says to describe them.
Yassir is Sudanese, originally from Nubia, the region that extends along the Nile, divided between northern Sudan and southern Egypt, the cradle of a civilization even older than that of the Pharaohs.
His attachment to his country and his roots is evident. “The themes and images I paint,” explains the artist, “are as varied as the techniques I use, yet they often pay homage to the richness of Sudan’s history and culture.” Yet Yassir has lived in Nairobi since 2004.
He graduated in art from the Department of Science and Technology at the University of Sudan in 1997 and, like many university students, he became involved with opposition movements. He did not feel free to express himself either with his thoughts or with his works. At that time, in Khartoum, the Islamist regime of President Omar El-Bashir, deposed in April 2019 after 30 years in power, was still firmly in command. The country was closed and the rigidly interpreted rules of Islam were like a cloak that limited creativity.

Yassir Ali Mohammed. “I have used my love for Nubian motifs and symbols”. File swm

Nairobi was the closest African city that offered stimuli, exchanges and a market. But very few Sudanese artists had moved there. Until 2023, when many had to reach Yassir to escape the violence of the conflict that has been devastating the country since then. The war pits the two main actors – the national army (SAF) and the militias of the Rapid Response Forces (RSF) – against each other and in more than two years, it has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet.
“Until the war broke out, here in Nairobi, there were only four of us – says Yassir. Now there are at least thirty of us. And then there are the photographers, the sculptors, the musicians, the filmmakers”.
A community that, generally speaking, formed bonds during the years of art school and actively participated in the popular movement that led to the fall of the Islamist regime. Yassir says: “During the months of the revolution, at least 4,000 posters were produced and circulated online to support the popular movement, call for demonstrations and distribute slogans. Some were printed during the phase of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s civil government and an exhibition was organized in Khartoum, in memory of their contribution to the revolution.”

View of Nairobi. “There are at least thirty of us: photographers, sculptors, musicians and filmmakers”. File swm

Painters, sculptors, musicians, singers, photographers, filmmakers, and street artists have given voice and colour to the hopes for change in the country. Now, in exile, it is natural for them to form collectives, organise exhibitions and multicultural activities, support each other for the needs of daily life and to help those trapped by the war. They do it not only in Nairobi, but also in Cairo, Kampala and in Arab countries or wherever they have found refuge.

Solidarity and different ways of speaking about the war
In Nairobi, group exhibitions have been an important part of the conferences and symposiums on the situation in the country. The visual part of the analysis, with its immediate impact, is often more effective than that of words and testimonies themselves. So much so that even reports on the situation in Sudan often use photos of works of art rather than those of suffering victims, observes Ahmed Elzobier, a human rights activist and collaborator with Amnesty International.

Riahiem Shadad is an art curator. He owned an art gallery in Khartoum. “Nairobi was kind and welcoming”. Photo: Laura M. Lombardía

The power of visual art in communicating complex situations is now rooted and widespread, so much so that in April 2024, to commemorate the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war, the Kenyan section of Amnesty International, in collaboration with the organizations Sudan Democracy First Group (Sfdg) and International Film Festival, organized an exhibition of works by Sudanese artists entitled Brushstroke of Resilience: A Year of Reflections and Memories from Sudan. There was also a practical purpose, effectively summarized in the concept of “The Art of Aid”.
The painter Omayma Gutabi, director of Sdfg and curator of the initiative, intended to raise funds to support community kitchens, which, with a few thousand dollars, fed, and are still feeding, hundreds of people in areas unreachable by international aid, where hunger was now a widespread experience. Fundraising to support the exhausted population in conflict zones is almost a constant in the activities of Sudanese
artists, not only in Nairobi.

A second home in Kenya
But in Nairobi it also seems to have been easier than elsewhere to fit into the vibrant artistic world of the city and express one’s needs.
For Rahiem Shadad, a young cultural operator, curator and manager of the Downtown Gallery in Khartoum that promoted contemporary Sudanese visual art, “Nairobi was kind and welcoming, I managed
to settle in really quickly”.

There are more than 11 million refugees, and the risk of famine in 14 areas of Sudan. File swm

The hospitable environment has also been conducive to solidarity. One example among others. The Sudanese artistic community of the city has contributed to the support of the program, The Rest Residency. A sort of “virtual residence” that has distributed concrete aid to new arrivals, organised English language courses and provided contacts to facilitate the integration and the beginning of artistic production in the host country.In August 2024, 21 artists from The Rest Residency exhibited the works of six months of collective and individual work at the Circle Art Gallery, which aims to promote the visual art of East Africa. An interesting context is in a well-known gallery in the city. Curator and director of the initiative, Rahiem Shadad, described its meaning unequivocally: “With more than 11 million refugees and the risk of famine in 14 areas of Sudan, this exhibition represents a cry of protest from the Sudanese cultural sector towards the parties in conflict: lay down your weapons and put an end to the war immediately”. (The entrance of the Kuona Artists Collective – Photo: Courtesy KAC)

Bruna Sironi

Adiós, Francisco.

Poverty, peace, creation and mercy are the four pillars of the intense adventure of the first Pope, called “from the far side of the world”. Peripheries always at the centre. Preference for the poorest. An outgoing Church.

Starting from his choice of name, Bergoglio wants to give a clear indication of what his pontificate will be like: Francis is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation. Mercy was then added to complete the four pastoral pillars of his teaching. Let us trace some important moments of these
twelve years of pontificate.
Journeys. On July 8, 2013, somewhat surprisingly, Francis began his travels, choosing an emblematic destination: Lampedusa in southern Italy. There had recently been yet another serious shipwreck that had caused dozens of deaths among migrants. It is thus clear that Bergoglio also intends to give this activity a stamp in line with his own pastoral priorities. Peripheries always at the centre. Preference for the poorest.
An outgoing Church.

Pope Francis during his Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates on February 3, 2019 (Vatican Media)

In Europe, for example, he will start with Albania and never touch large countries. Strasbourg and Marseille were not visits to France, but to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in the first case and to the bishops of the Mediterranean gathered at a conference in the second (the peripheral Ajaccio, his last trip, was the shortest). In contrast, in other continents, he will preferably visit contexts and situations, rather than countries, with a particular eye on the underprivileged and on dialogue with other religions, Muslims first and foremost. Some of the trips will directly enter the history of the Pontificate. The one to Iraq, after the end of the devastation of ISIS, the trip to the Holy Land, the two stops in the Arabian Peninsula (Abu Dhabi and Qatar), the first ever of a Pontiff to that region, the visit to the UN, and also Japan and the overflight of China during the trip to South Korea. Francis never returned to Argentina, despite having travelled several times to Latin America. Among the trips, we must also remember the World Youth Days – WYDs. The one in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 was grandiose (his first trip abroad, a few months after his election), followed by those in Krakow 2016, Panama 2019 and Lisbon 2023.
The Pope visited ten African countries: Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in 2015; Egypt in 2017; Morocco and then Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius in 2019; DR Congo and South Sudan in 2023. Congolese media, such as the station Radio Okapi, now remember him as a “friend” of the country. The images of the Pope’s arrival in the capital, Kinshasa, greeted by tens of thousands of people, are still fresh in the minds of many.

“Hands off the Democratic Republic of Congo, hands off Africa – the Pope’s cry at the time! -. Stop suffocating Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited or a land to be plundered. Let Africa be the protagonist of her own destiny! Let the world remember the catastrophes committed over the centuries to the detriment of the local population and not forget this country and this continent. Africa, the smile and the hope of the world, counts for more – Francis added -. Let it be spoken of more, let it have more weight and representation among the nations!”
During the same trip, the Holy Father also visited South Sudan. In the world’s youngest country, Francis made a direct appeal for peace and an end to tribalism to President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar, the protagonists of the civil war that ravaged the country between 2013 and 2020 and who are still engaged in a power struggle that is the cause of constant instability and violence. “Future generations will venerate your names or erase your memory, depending on what you do now,” Francis warned the two leaders.
Consistory. His first Consistory for the appointment of new Cardinals took place on 22 February 2014. Pope Francis had in mind his own “geopolitics” of purple.  He went to the peripheries and to churches that had never had a cardinal.
New words and gestures. His is a Pontificate of gestures, as well as speeches and documents, almost an encyclical written with body language, with unexpected encounters, with hugs for the sick, even the most seriously ill. His teaching and his preaching have the same style. The Pontiff uses a language of images (“Church on the move”, precisely, to speak of missionary work; “shepherds with the smell of sheep” to recommend priests to be close to the people of God; “Sunday Christians”, to stigmatise the distance between faith and life of certain practitioners, and several other typical expressions).

Documents. The exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, promulgated in November 2013, was a true programmatic document of his pontificate. Fundamental documents will be the social encyclical Laudato Si’, the first dedicated entirely to the protection of creation, with the innovative proposal of integral ecology (there are not many crises, but only one that includes them all) and then Fratelli Tutti, which is its ideal continuation, and of course Amoris Laetitia, on the question of communion for divorced and remarried people), the fruit of the two synods dedicated to the family between 2014 and 2015. His final encyclical is Dilexit Nos on the Sacred Heart.
The Jubilee of Mercy. The crescendo of the first years of his pontificate was reached by the surprising proclamation of the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. The Jubilee is being celebrated with innovative methods. The Pope orders that holy doors be opened in all the dioceses of the world. And he himself anticipates its opening, set for December 8, 2015, by a few days, opening the holy door of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Bangui in the Central African Republic on November 29, during his first trip to Africa.

The Jubilee: Pilgrims of Hope. In December 2024, Pope Francis opened the “Holy Door” in St Peter’s Basilica. In the Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee, Pope Francis writes: “SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5)…May the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf. Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1).
Migrants, the poor and the Economics of Francis. Over the years, the Pope has explored many of the themes he had already stated at the beginning of his Pontificate. Attention to the poor and the least fortunate, also, for example, by an alternative way of doing economics. In fact, “Francis Economy” was born, a movement of young economists to change the rules that too often do not take sustainability into account, leave the poorest behind and do not respect the environment. The Pope also promotes some symbolic initiatives, such as the Synod for the Amazon, with a purpose that is not only pastoral, but also linked to the protection of the largest green lung in the world. Finally, the question of synodality emerges more and more as a way of living the Church and establishing a new contact with the world (the double synod of 2023 and 2024 would be dedicated to this theme). The Pope increasingly raises his voice in defence of migrants, asking for their welcome, protection, promotion and integration. And he makes two visits to Lesbos, the Greek island where there is one of the largest refugee camps in Europe.

Since the invasion of the war in Ukraine and then with the hostilities in Gaza the Pope has insisted on calling for a halt to the violence. 123rf

Appeals for Peace. Since the invasion of the war in Ukraine (February 24, 2022) and then with the hostilities in Gaza (after the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023), the Pontiff has increasingly insisted on calling for a halt to the violence, fearing the start of a third world war that will no longer be fought piecemeal. His was the unprecedented decision to personally go to the Russian embassy to the Holy See the day after the aggression in Kiev to try (in vain) to speak with Putin.
Of all the images, one in particular will remain in people’s hearts. It was the evening of March 27, 2020. He has climbed the stairs alone while the rain pours down on a deserted St. Peter’s Square and the sky is dark above the capital. The intense and evocative image of Pope Francis in prayer before imparting the special blessing Urbi et Orbi during the COVID pandemic. (Photo: Pixabay)

Mimmo Muolo/Avvenire-Francis Mutesa/Swm

The Catholic Church. A Human and Social Gospel.

There is a Catholic minority in Mauritius, but it is highly valued by both the government and the population for its traditional contribution to social work, in collaboration with the other numerous religious groups present in the country.

Mauritius today has over 1 million,300 thousand inhabitants, mostly Hindus, Buddhists and Confucians (50%); over 32% are Christians of which 25% are Catholics (and 7% Protestants – Anglicans, Presbyterians, Adventists, Baptists and other Pentecostal groups) and Muslims or of other religious faiths. There are over 330,000 Catholics, in 44 parishes in the diocese of Port-Louis and the apostolic vicariate of Rodrigues erected in 2002.In 1985, the Catholic Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean was established by the Holy See, which includes the five bishops of the Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean (CEDOI): the dioceses of Port Saint Louis and the Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues (Mauritius), Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion, Port-Victoria (Seychelles) and the Apostolic Vicariate of the Comoros.

Mons. Jean Michaël Durhône, bishop of Port Louis Diocese

In 1989 and 2019, Mauritius welcomed John Paul II and Pope Francis respectively. The Catholic Church has been present on the islands since the 18th century. In fact, the erection of the apostolic prefecture of the Indian Ocean Islands (now the diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion) dates back to 1712, which included, in addition to the islands of Réunion, the Seychelles and Mauritius, French colonies, to which Madagascar was added in the second half of the 18th century. The apostolic prefecture was entrusted by the Holy See to the Lazarists, who landed on the archipelago in 1722. Over time, various other missionary congregations, including the Benedictines, Spiritans and Jesuits, joined the Lazarists. The most profound imprint on the development of the Church was left by the Lazarist Jacques Désiré Laval, beatified by John Paul II in 1979 and remembered as the “saint of the island”. He worked there for over 20 years, between 1841 and 1864, dedicating himself above all to the evangelization of the slaves brought from the continent. Those who converted in large numbers formed the first large nucleus of the Mauritian Catholic community, and over the years, in the encounter between black Africans and white European colonizers, they formed the mixed-race majority of Creoles. After independence, in 1968, the government proclaimed religious freedom, and since then, many new Churches, religious groups or syncretistic sects have been created. The notable contribution of the Catholic Church in the fields of education, health and social promotion have always been recognized and appreciated by the various governments that have succeeded one another.

Celebration of Palm Sunday in a parish in Port Louis. File archive.

The visit of Pope Francis – as witnessed by many Catholic faithful – helped to consolidate relations between the different faith communities, between which tensions had arisen at the time of independence. “At that time” – says an elderly person present at the time – “the Catholic Church worked very effectively for reconciliation between the various faiths. And today it continues its commitment as an instrument of unity and collaboration”. Even in Mauritius, however, ecclesial activity has been weakening due to the crisis of priestly and religious vocations in recent years. It should also be emphasized that many Catholics and Christians of other denominations are conditioned by the animist faith. The belief of many in the power of magic or the evil eye influences how faith is practiced, often accompanied by the fear of evil spirits and various superstitions. It should be reiterated, however, that the adherents of the various religions, originally from Africa, Europe and Asia and present in all the islands of the Indian Ocean, have mostly cultivated relationships of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, dialogue and participation in festivities and humanitarian initiatives organized by the adherents of the different religious faiths. (Open Photo: St Louis Cathedral, Port Louis. Shutterstock/Lobachad)

John White

The Nyanjira smile.

Once upon a time, there was a girl of enchanting beauty. Her name was Nyanjira. She had soft, smooth skin and a very sweet smile that was always just a little intriguing.

What particularly caught people’s attention, however, was her lower teeth. Not because they were as white as milk or particularly well aligned, but because no one had ever seen them. And this caused everyone an inordinate desire to see them at least once.

Some swore they had glimpsed them, even if only for a very brief moment. “They are very small and numerous”; “they are all the same and very sharp”; “they are very sharp and so short that they barely peep out from the gums”; “in truth, they are normal, but all the ones in front are missing, that’s why you can’t see them” . . . All lies!

The truth was that no one had ever seen them. Nyanjira was not a frivolous girl. More serious than her age required her to be, she was not fond of playing, joking and laughing. She was always shut up in the hut or in the backyard, intent on the tasks her mother entrusted her with. Was this a fault? Perhaps. The fact is that adults considered her to be the ideal of the perfect girl and the lavish praise they heaped on her only fanned the flames of jealousy in her companions.

One day, they orchestrated a stratagem to get her away from home, at least for a day. They went to her and said: “Together with the village boys, we have organised a walk in the fields and woods. Why don’t you come too?” Nyanjira was about to say no, when her mother intervened: “That sounds like a good idea. Go and have fun.” The girl smiled and said, “One minute and I’ll be ready.”

The group of friends immediately set off. They walked for hours, joking, playing and laughing. Nyanjira was overjoyed. She revealed to a friend: “I had never thought that our place contained so much natural beauty.” It was very hot, but the numerous springs gave everyone new energy and a new desire to continue the trip.

At one point, the sky was covered with black clouds, full of rain. “We’d better hurry home,” the young men said to each other. Instead of following the main path that wound through the fields, they decided to take a shortcut through the forest. When they reached the middle of the forest, a strong wind arose and began to shake the trees.

The trees began to dance as if they wanted to fly: they bent until their branches touched the ground and then, after the gust of wind had passed, they straightened up again, hurling their branches against the sky; immediately afterwards. You could see them whirling with furious rotating movements, and then they bent down again on the side where the wind was pushing them. There was a first bolt of lightning and then another, followed by two deafening claps of thunder. After that, the thunderbolts followed one another at a pace so impetuous that one would think the sky was on fire.

However, the furious thunderstorm did not deter Nyanjira’s friends from the plan they had devised. And so, the boy who had suggested taking the shortcut pretended to stop to pick something up from the ground, waited for the others to pass him, and then turned into a hyena.
Then, with four leaps, he caught up with them and overtook them, without being seen.

A few moments later, the young people arrived at a stream. Acting as a bridge was a tree trunk placed across the stream. It was the last obstacle to overcome before reaching the village. But in front of the trunk, almost as if to block the passage, was the hyena.
The animal says: “The boys can pass. The girls, however, must first, in turn, sing the song Lak Nyanjira”.

Now the wind is stronger than before. The lightning and thunder have grown closer. The raindrops have already begun to fall. There is no time to lose. The boys pass in a single file. When they reach the other bank, they turn and encourage the girls to follow them.

The first girl appears and sings the agreed chant: “Lak Nyanjira, nyarma mayande tindo. Tinde nitindo.Rading madichol. Chee, chee. Lang Audi kadho, Yee, Yee. Onjero Kaundi, Jengo undi, undi.” (“The teeth of Nyanjira, my mother’s daughter, are small and beautiful. You, pretty brunette, have thin cheeks. Chee, Chee. Aundi’s group passes. Yee, Yee, Onjero, Aundi’s son, passes by”).

The hyena smiles, steps aside and lets the girl pass. “Next, the second,” says the animal. The second one also passes the test, and so do the third, the fourth … and all the others. Now only Nyanjira is left. With her traditional calmness, she approaches the hyena and says to her: “You will never get me to sing. Move aside and let me pass”.

Her friends on the other side shout at her, “What’s the matter with you? Sing and pass”. She, however, remains impassive. The rain falling on her face makes her even more beautiful.
And when a flash of lightning shines, the light seems to focus on her. “Sing, Nyanjira, sing!” her friends insist.

Determined to make her open her mouth, the hyena begins to feign menace. Howling in a deep voice, it approaches her and shows her sharp teeth, but the girl remains undaunted.
Then the animal displays a trembling fury: “If you don’t sing, I’ll bite you and ruin that pretty face of yours”.

So, saying, he opens her mouth wide and pretends he wants to bite Nyanjira’s leg. Then he lifts a leg and makes as if to claw it. But he holds back: he does not want to ruin Nyanjira’s skin; he would never forgive himself. The paw, however, has already started to descend on Nyanjira. The hyena tries to retract its sharp claws as much as possible, but the limb comes down on the girl, tearing the cloth that surrounds her.

The sight of the girl’s naked body seems to humanise the animal’s eyes for an instant. From the mouths of the friends on the other shore comes a very clear: “Ooohh!”.“Adorable stubborn one”, thinks the hyena, “you are as stubborn as you are beautiful. But if you think you’ve won,
you’re wrong”.

He takes three steps back, points his front paws at the ground, bends his hind legs and then leaps at Nyanjira. The girl’s quick movement is useless, and the two end up in the mud. The hyena is on top of the girl. His snout is close to Nyanjira’s face. It almost touches it. The four eyes stare at each other. In those of the girl there is terror; in those of the animal, a sense of enchantment. Which the girl notices, amazed. “All right, all right I’ll sing,” says Nyanjira.

The girl gets up. She picks up the cloth from the ground and wraps it around her body. Then, staring skyward, she lets out a deep sigh and opens her mouth.  “Lak Nyanjira nyarma mayande tindo. Tinde nitindo. Radingo madichol. Chee, Chee.”

Her song is infinitely more melodious than that of the countryside. More modulated and caressing than that of a swallow. Even the wind calms down. The lightning continues, but no longer followed by thunder.

The forest resounds with the song of Nyanjira. “Lang Aundi kadho, Yee, Yee…” Caught up in the singing, Nyanjira seems to relax. On her face, the smile returns, and no longer only hinted at, but broad, open. The lips, the beautiful lips, open and the teeth appear in all their splendour.

The hyena, the girls and boys burst into shouts of jubilation. Someone shouts, “I have seen Nyanjila’s teeth!” And the others: “Me too, me too”. There is no longer jealousy in the girls’ hearts. There is real joy which reaches even Nyanjira who finally laughs. She laughs and sings. She sings and laughs. And discovers that it does her good, and makes her feel better. “Onjem Kaundi, Jengo undi undid.”

Having finished singing, Nyanjira lowers her eyes towards the hyena. She no longer sees the animal, however, but the boy she knew very well. She then bursts into laughter and lets him embrace her. Suddenly, the lightning ceases, the thunder dies down, the wind calms down, the trees quieten down, the rain stops falling, the sky becomes clear again and the sun begins to shine again.

Nyanjira crosses the stream, followed by the boy, and the group of friends set off towards the village. Everyone is singing. Everyone is happy. They have finally seen Nyanjira’s teeth. And Nyanjira laughs and laughs and laughs…. (Illustration 123rf)

Folktale from Luo people, Kenya.

Economy. Adaptability and Innovation.

From dependence on sugar cane to diversification into tourism, financial services and innovation, Mauritius looks like a parable with few equals in Africa. But between threats from the climate crisis and transparency issues, there are plenty of question marks.

Over the past few decades, Mauritius has gone from being an economy based on the monoculture of sugar cane to a diversified economy centred on services. The path between these two extremes has been punctuated by strategic policies, long-term development and critical issues that have tested the adaptability of the islands. The archipelago, at present, is at a crossroads: opportunities for sustainable growth collide with a series of urgent challenges that require decisive action, starting with those related to transparency.

From Sugar to Finance
At independence in 1968, Mauritius’ economy was agriculturally driven: sugar was the country’s leading export, contributing 90% of exports and 25% of GDP. Faced with limited resources and a growing population, the government prioritized diversification. The establishment of an export industrial zone in the 1970s facilitated the development of the textile industry and created new employment opportunities. By 1985, the sector accounted for 60% of exports.

The waterfront is the main shopping district of the capital city. 123rf

In the 1980s, tourism emerged as one of the pillars of the local economy, contributing 15% of GDP by the 1990s. The islands have successfully marketed themselves as a luxury destination.
The economic evolution of the islands has gone through two other key moments: in the 1990s, Port Louis launched itself on the financial services market, laying the foundations for the Mauritius International Financial Centre, the financial hub of the islands.
Advantageous tax agreements, sometimes considered controversial, have also played a role in the growth of the sector: this is the case of India; the 1983 Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with the Asian country (a bilateral convention against double taxation which, in short, prevents income and capital that pass between two countries from being taxed twice) facilitated 37% of Delhi’s foreign direct investments
between 1994 and 2017.

Industrial landscape in import export and business logistics at Port Louis. 123rf

Finally, with the new millennium, Port Louis has embraced the information economy, focusing on informatics and communication infrastructures with the launch of the Digital Mauritius 2030 Vision program.The goal of the initiative is to make the islands a regional hub of innovation. The path just described has nevertheless borne fruit: to date, extreme poverty is virtually absent in Mauritius. The country also has the second or third highest per capita income on the continent, depending on the source.

Opaque obstacles
While there are successes, Mauritius faces challenges that threaten the economic progress achieved so far. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of an economy heavily dependent on tourism. In 2020, the islands’ GDP contracted by 15%. Although the country has recovered, resilience and sustainable growth remain priorities. The financial services sector, once the cornerstone of the Mauritian miracle, has been the subject of particular scrutiny. Its inclusion in the so-called grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2022 for anti-money laundering deficiencies has highlighted the low reliability of global business networks.

People crossing the street in the centre of Port Louis. The country also has the second or third highest per capita income on the continent Shutterstock/The Visual Explorer

Between 2012 and 2021, the sector averaged almost 6% of GDP. Governance issues have made the challenges even more complex. As shown by an audit conducted by the current government, the previous government of former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth appears to have manipulated upwards the GDP growth figures during his administration (2019-2024). For example, in 2023 the growth figure was reduced from 7 to 5.6%. The growth of the construction sector was overestimated by 12%. These revelations have eroded public trust in institutions and made the need for transparency more urgent.
In fact only 100 days after the elections Mauritius’ former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth was arrested on Saturday, 15 February and released on bail two days on money laundering charges.
He was detained along with three others after the anti-corruption agency said it had seized suitcases of cash and luxury watches in raids on 10 locations, including Jugnauth’s home. But few Mauritians expected the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) to move so quickly, or to arrest the former prime minister on such serious charges.

The intentions of the new government
Among the priorities of the new government, which was sworn in last November, are transparency and good governance. It seems to be a good starting point to reset the economy. It starts by strengthening economic governance. In this sense, independent audit bodies should examine public accounts to ensure correct reporting. Collaboration between the Central Bank and the Institute of Statistics is crucial in this area. Then there is the imposition of greater fiscal discipline; new impetus to exports and trade, also focusing on emerging markets and regional trade agreements to mitigate the trade deficit which in 2022 reached 32.7% of GDP. The government then aims to develop the renewable energy sector, to reach a target of 60% by 2030, and to promote digitalization. The digital sector already produces 8% of GDP, employing over 24 thousand people. The last point is to invest in human capital, also by encouraging the return of the qualified diaspora and at the same time blocking the so-called brain drain abroad.

Aerial view. Resort in Mauritius. Tourism and environmental sustainability will play an important role in the future of the Island. 123rf

Tourism, along a pathway of environmental sustainability will play a role. The goal on the horizon is to attract knowing travellers, preserving the natural heritage and increasing its appeal. Before the pandemic, tourism represented almost 20% of GDP with around 100 thousand jobs created. To ensure the future of its economy, Mauritius must put sustainable and inclusive growth first and then transparency. The path must continue to be that of diversification while the fight against the climate crisis will be carried forward by involving everyone: public and private, perhaps in partnership, and local communities. In conclusion, Mauritius seems to be a success story: an economy that has freed itself from its agricultural origins by showing adaptability and capacity for innovation. The future, however, will require further efforts. The climate and governance crises cannot become insurmountable obstacles for a country that wants to be (and ultimately is) a model for the economies of small island states. (Open Photo.  A Financial Building in the City Centre. 123rf)

Rehana Kasenally

Photo Gallery – Snapshots from Africa

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