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Underwater Environment. The New El Dorado.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

The vast riches of the seabed. Crucial role in communications. Technological innovations. Gas pipeline sabotage. The risks.

The sabotage episodes of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines last September 2022, together with those of the gas pipeline and the submarine telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia which occurred in October 2023, give further confirmation that the underwater dimension is becoming the new field of coercive power together with those of land, sea, air, cyberspace, and the extra-terrestrial environment.
Acceleration in the last twenty years in the technological field has, in fact, facilitated access to this dimension, the use of which was previously extremely limited. To date, although only 20 percent of the total has been explored, it acquires its own specificity such as to constitute the so-called ‘underwater environment’. This is the portion of water that extends from the surface of the seas and oceans (but also lakes and rivers) to the depths and the seabed itself.
A surface divided between abyssal seabed, up to 6,000 meters deep, and the continental shelf which can extend for hundreds of kilometres from the coast, with a depth of around 200 metres. The complex architecture of this environment is also enriched by the presence of valleys and underwater mountains, volcanoes, and tectonic faults in constant movement, as well as by the important riches contained in its seabed which reveal themselves, day after day, increasingly useful for the development of contemporary civilization characterized by the high use of technological components.

Oil pipeline underwater. 123rf

On closer inspection, in fact, in addition to natural gas and oil, the seabed is rich in rare earths, copper, cobalt, nickel, as well as freshwater springs, recently discovered in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, and hydrothermal springs whose Sulphide deposits contain industrially-sought-after metals such as silver, gold, copper, manganese, cobalt and zinc. In the seabed there are also resources whose commercial potential is considerable but about which little is known, or whose cumulative quantities are not sufficient to economically justify their extraction. The main resource of this type is that of methane hydrates, reserves of natural gas trapped at the bottom in ice-like forms.
Furthermore, the surface of the seabed hosts infrastructures of crucial strategic value which the Leonardo Foundation report, ‘Civilisation of the Sea’, the new underwater environment of humanity’ published in Italy, has divided into the following six macro categories: 1) mining infrastructure; 2) bio-farming infrastructure, in which agricultural crops are grown in a controlled atmosphere; 3) infrastructure for carbon dioxide storage; 4) infrastructure for the transport of electricity; 5) energy infrastructure; 6) communication infrastructure. Within the latter, in particular, through a network of 552 submarine cables spread over an area of 1.4 million km, 99% of global data traffic travels, compared by the authors of the Leonardo report to the nerve system in which there flows the current economic and social life of the planet. Given the crucial role that communications play today, it is clear that the interruption of one of them would cause a partial blockage of this flow, with the resulting economic damage.

A submarine communications cable under construction. 123rf

The infrastructure present in the underwater environment is, in fact, exposed to various types of dangers, whether natural, accidental, or intentional. As regards the risk of a natural or accidental nature, they are mostly attributable to the difficulties deriving from this environment, such as atmospheric pressure and the dangers deriving from marine fauna, but also to accidents that can occur in possible impacts with anchors, fishing nets and other manufactured goods. With regard to risks of an intentional nature, we include both sabotage, as occurred in the cases mentioned above, and techniques for intercepting cable communications. Furthermore, not being able to define with certainty the limit of jurisdiction of a State over a specific stretch of maritime territory, or the fact that the routes crossed by cables and ducts go beyond simple state sovereignty, increases the risk level and makes it more difficult to attribute responsibility. This level of risk could further intensify with the increase in technological development considering that unmanned systems are capable of overcoming the unavoidable limits that human activity encounters underwater. Their ease of use, together with their cost-effectiveness, leads us to predict an increasingly massive use which could result in both an increase in threats and enormous opportunities for exploitation and exploration of the seabed.
Therefore, it is now clear that in the coming years, the seabed will be increasingly crowded by underwater systems of all kinds, unmanned or with crews on board, as demonstrated by the new trend in the nautical sector to equip yachts with submarines.
The wealth of resources present on the seabed, together with the ease of access determined by technological innovation, constitutes an extraordinary source of opportunities, but also a new meeting ground and international competition between different ambitions and interests, as demonstrated by the increase in the phenomenon of the territorialization of the seas, through the proclamation of EEZs.

The Solitaire, is one of the largest pipe-laying ships in the world. CC BY-SA 3.0/PR Allseas

Furthermore, it should be added that although UNCLOS has established a regulatory structure for the oceans and the underwater world, it has not, however, proven sufficient to deal with the new and growing threats that arise in the underwater environment.
In particular, with regard to the resources located on the high seas, in that area which UNCLOS defines as the Area, it has been established that these resources are the common heritage of humanity and as such management has been entrusted to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) whose function is to administer them, as well as ensure the protection of the marine environment.
It is worth remembering that 168 nations and the European Union have signed up to UNCLOS today, including China and all the countries bordering the South China Sea which, together with the Arctic, constitute the two large areas in which the major challenges for resource exploitation exist. The USA, however, is not a party to it, as it refuses to accept the provisions on the exploitation of the seabed, while it accepts and acts in accordance with the other provisions of the Convention as they reflect the customary international law of the sea. According to some analysts, ratification would mean for the United States to cede sovereignty to the ISA and, therefore, preclude the possibility of digging freely in the high seas to exploit the huge mineral resources present in the ocean floors. It is therefore clear that, if underwater spaces were not regulated in time, the ease of access to the underwater environment, in an increasingly conflictual geopolitical context, would increase the intensification of acts of sabotage with considerable economic effects, as well as the free exploitation of resources with a strong environmental impact. (Open Photo: Underwater pipeline for gas transport.123rf)

Filippo Romeo

Comoros. The ‘Next Djibouti’ for Beijing.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

The World Bank continues to finance the upgrading of the ports of the Comoros islands, where China has put its eyes on for years in search of a new safe haven for its military expansion strategy in the southern Indian Ocean.

Fifteen million dollars to upgrade the three main ports of the Comoros islands. This is what the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) put on the table at the end of May to improve maritime connections between the ports of the three islands of the archipelago: Moroni in Grande Comore, Mutsamudu in Anjouan, and Boingoma in Mohéli.IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries, including the Comoros, one of the smallest nations (2,235 km²), least inhabited (870,000 inhabitants) and least developed in Africa (GDP per capita estimated to be $1,420, at the end of 2020).

The city of Moutsamudu on the Island of Anjouan. 123rf

With this new liquidity injection, the aid package for the modernization of the ports of the southern Indian Ocean archipelago, to which in addition to the World Bank the French Development Agency also contributes, now amounts to 85 million dollars. The launch of other projects for the upgrading of the country’s smaller ports is also expected within this year and the African Development Bank will also contribute to the financing.

Isolated archipelago
In recent years the pandemic and the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (the Comoros import wheat flour from Kyiv and petroleum products from Moscow) have made the situation in the archipelago even more complicated.A large portion of the World Bank financing, amounting to 60 million euros, will be used to renovate the port of Boingoma, in the northern part of Mohéli island, the smallest of the three islands located between Grande Comore and Anjouan. The port of Boingoma has only a 70-metre wharf with a 2,4- metre depth, it is therefore accessible to only very small vessels.

The Harbour in the city of Moroni. 123rf

All exports from and imports to Mohéli must be transited at Moroni or Mutsamudu with cargos offloaded and reloaded onto smaller vessels. The port of Boingoma is operational for only two working days per week. The current linear design of port Boingoma is highly vulnerable to climate events. In 2019, Cyclone Kenneth, and Cyclone Cheneso in 2023, damaged the structures of the port, which is not sufficiently protected against the ocean waves. The internal roads of this island are in a bad state. Mohéli is the poorest of the three islands that make up the Comoros State with a poverty rate of 53%.

China’s expansion strategy
Despite these limitations, the proximity of the Comoros to the strategic Mozambique Canal, through which 30% of global tanker traffic passes, still makes the archipelago attractive. China is the country that has invested the most in local ports in recent years. In 2015, the China Communication Construction Company was awarded the contract to build the Port of Mohéli Island. The work took two years to complete at a cost of almost $150 million.
In 2018, China Road and Bridge Corporation invested in the expansion of the port of Moroni, located on the western side of Grande Comore, 300 kilometres from the African mainland. Having very shallow waters, this port is not accessible to large merchant ships which must anchor offshore, and barges are used to transport their cargo to land. To solve the problem, Beijing has invested 165 million dollars to build a port off the coast of Sereheni, a town located 3 kilometres south of Moroni, so as to accommodate ships of up to 30 thousand tons.

Moroni. Grande Comore. CC BY-SA 2.0/Woodlouse

China, the first country to recognize the independence of Comoros from France in 1975, and among the few to maintain a permanent diplomatic representation there, has made large investments to rebuild the airport, the People’s Palace of Moroni, a stadium, roads, houses, and submarine fibre optic cables connecting the islands to the coasts of East Africa. Furthermore, China has also offered health aid against the spread of malaria.China is also strengthening the defence sector of the Comoros, training the local military personnel. In several respects, the Comoros could represent the ‘next Djibouti’ for Beijing, the microstate where China built its first military base abroad. And as in Djibouti, where Ismail Omar Guelleh has governed since 1999, also in Comoros, power has been for years in the hands of the same president, Azali Assoumani, former army chief of staff serving his fourth term.
Being able to count on an interlocutor that has so far proven stable, the Chinese government is toying with the idea of the archipelago as the next haven for its armed forces deployed in the southern Indian Ocean. In this sense, the redevelopment and expansion plan for the port of Moroni could serve as a test bed for the Chinese ambitions and it could lead, at a later stage, to a permanent military presence of China in the Comoros islands. (The landscape on the coast of the village Moya on the Island of Anjouan.123rf)

Rocco Bellantone

Bolivia. The Q’Owaku Ritual.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

The Q’Owaku ritual is performed as a blessing for workers or builders in the cities of Bolivia. But what does q’owaku mean? What is the difference between the q’owaku of the ancient Andean communities and the ritual of the bricklayers of the city of Cochabamba?
Let’s find out.

The q’owaku is an ancient ritual of the Andean communities of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, part of Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador; it takes its name from a plant commonly found in the Bolivian plateau.
This aromatic herb is burned, and the smoke carries its incense-like smell through the air. This offering is performed to thank and ask the blessing of the ancestral spirits. There is, however, a difference between the q’owaku of the Andean communities in the countryside and the q’owaku practiced in the Andean urban areas.

People building new homes in rural areas. 123rf.

In the countryside, where this tradition originated, the Q’owaku is a communal practice to give thanks to the Pachamama (Mother Earth), and to ask the ajayus (spirits) of the great apus and achachilas for protection of crops from weather phenomena such as hail or frost, and for abundance of products and animals. This is because land and livestock are the sources of livelihood of the Andean rural communities. For these reasons, the q’owaku ritual is performed three times: one during sowing, and two during the growth of crops.
On the other hand, in the urban area, the q’owaku ritual is related to the construction of buildings and the protection of workers. The workers’ q’owaku ritual is performed at the beginning of a work to ask for the protection of the workers from any accident that may occur.

Building a new home in Cochabamba. The q’owaku of the bricklayers is generally held on the first Friday of the month. 123rf

The q’owaku of the bricklayers is generally held on the first Friday of the month. On that day, workers and owners prepare a ritual meal: ají de fideo (a traditional noodle dish from Bolivia, originally from Cochabamba), roast beef and corn accompanied with wheat chicha. But the main element for the ritual is the q’owa plant.
On the day of the ritual, bricklayers finish work between four and five in the afternoon and, along with the boss who brings all that is needed for the ritual, they start to prepare the celebration; some light a fire, others assemble all the elements to perform the ritual. They also make the ají de fideo and put it into small pots of clay that are placed in the four corners of the building; by doing so, they ask permission to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for the building of a safe house with a solid infrastructure. Then, two people – generally the master builder and the owner – hold the q’owa with their arms up and invoke the blessing of the spirits of the ancestors and the apus (the spirits of mountains), so that the workers do good work. The participants in the ritual also ask the spirits to protect them from any work accident, and that they may be paid punctually. When the fire is hot enough the q’owa plant is burned along with other ingredients. Before long, the smoke of the fire and scent of the q’owa plant fill the air. Finally, the participants in the ritual share the meal they have prepared for the celebration as a sign of unity. After eating, they chew coca leaves and drink chicha, or other drinks, and beer in cans is currently offered.

A bricklayer. The participants in the ritual ask the spirits to protect them from any work accident. Pixabay

This is an occasion that gives the participants the opportunity to exchange ideas about the construction they are going to build. In the event that the construction has already been started, their conversation focuses on the progress of the work. Everybody expresses their opinion, and this is a moment that allows for getting to know each other. Workers try to do their best in order to get a promotion. Being promoted means receiving a higher remuneration, which will serve to satisfy workers’ personal and family needs. The drinks, the coca leaves and the cigarettes are the elements that help in fraternizing and enjoying the event. This urban q’owaku ritual ends between six and seven in the evening, then everyone goes back home, because they have to get up early the next morning and go on with their work. (Open Photo: La Paz. Pixabay)

Jhonny Mancilla Pérez

“I am on the side of peace”.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

“To those who ask me which side I am on with so many armed and bloody conflicts being pursued in various regions of the world, I reply without hesitation that I am on the side of the victims of war.”
A reflection by Father Saverio Paolillo, a Comboni missionary
who has worked in Brazil for more than thirty years with
street children and prisoners.

I stand with the people of Israel and Palestine, with the Russian people and the Ukrainian people, with the people of Sudan and all the other African countries who are facing the tragedy of war and paying its heavy price. I stand with civilians who want to live in peace and can no longer bear the consequences of decisive, armed conflicts unleashed without their consent from reinforced and adequately protected buildings.
I stand with the children torn from their families and deported, those who are blown up by mines they thought were toys. I stand with the innocent victims who lose everything: their physical and mental health, the safety of their homes and their emotional relationships.
I am on the side of the millions of refugees. I take the part of the young people who are forcibly conscripted and compelled to remain in the front line as “cannon fodder”, sent to the front by belligerent governments and military commanders who have no respect for life.

Illustration. Umberto Gamba.

I stand with the mothers and fathers who weep in front of the ruins of their homes or tirelessly dig through the rubble of the bombings in the hope of finding their loved ones buried there alive. I stand with the elderly who have nowhere to go and are left behind, totally abandoned. I will always take the part of the weak and the losers in every conflict.
Make no mistake, I am against war, that madness that benefits no one, “Massacres between people who don’t know each other, for the benefit of people who know each other, but don’t massacre each other” (Paul Valery).
I am against the leaders who declare it, the powerful people of the earth who encourage it and the rich people who finance it. I am not interested in their origins, their ideologies, their religions, their flags, the blocks to which they belong and the reasons that lead them to make this decision because war is always an irrational and inhuman option. As necessary and justifiable as it may seem, it is the worst crime against humanity.
It is never “holy” and it is never “righteous”. It is a certificate of failure, the worst solution or rather the worst failure to find a solution. It is the defeat of politics, but also a shameful surrender to the forces of evil.

Illustration. Umberto Gamba.

“War is a monster; it is a cancer that feeds itself by swallowing everything! Furthermore, war is a sacrilege, which destroys what is most precious in our land, human life, the innocence of the little ones, the beauty of creation” (Pope Francis). Therefore, it must always be avoided. Indeed eradicated. I stand against those who spread hatred and encourage violence. Against those who live and enrich themselves through war. Against those who produce weapons and sell them, those who are elected with the financing of weapons producers, and war must be invented to return the favour. I side against history books that always tell the version of the strongest, describe armed conflicts as moments of glory and celebrate as heroes individuals responsible for unprecedented massacres.
I side with PEACE. It has its price but it is the only way of being and living that makes us feel authentically human. I stand with those who know that “peace will only become a reality when it begins in all of us, and that war must be stopped in our hearts before it reaches the front lines. Hatred must be eradicated from hearts before it is too late. To do this, we need dialogue, negotiation, listening, diplomatic ability and creativity, a wide-ranging policy capable of building a new system of coexistence that is no longer based on weapons and deterrence” (Pope Francis).

Mission. To give meaning to life.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

Three young Comboni Missionaries from different countries speak about their vocation and missionary experience.

My name is Lwanga Kakule Silusawa a Comboni missionary brother working in our missionary magazine Afriquespoir in Kinshasa, DR Congo. I was born in Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a Catholic family. In 2009, I joined the postulancy in Kisangani where I continued to discern my vocation after which I was admitted into the novitiate. I did two years of novitiate in Benin and Togo. Thereafter, three years of theological studies in Colombia.

In 2014, I started studying journalism in Madrid, Spain. A year later, I joined the editorial team of the monthly Comboni magazine Mundo Negro. I worked there for four years. I corrected texts sent to me by missionaries from all over the world, specifically from Africa and Latin America, and presented them to the editor for publication.

Combining theory received in college with the practice of writing for the magazine was a luxury that none of my college classmates had.

Six years later, I came back to my land. I arrived in Kinshasa, on 15th January 2020, shortly before the Covid pandemic. The editorial team of Afriquespoir was waiting for me. I took a few weeks to know the reality and to immerse myself in the editorial line of this quarterly magazine.

Here, it is no longer a question of telling Africa to Europeans, as I did in Spain, but of telling the African reality to Africans themselves, with the intention of making them aware of the challenges of the continent and the need for them to get involved in the transformation of society.

The difficulties we face are due to the socio-political reality of the countries where our journal is published.
There are few readers because of illiteracy, little interest in reading among most people and because of poverty.

As journalists, our work requires a lot of time to read and get in touch with reality. So, it is hard to talk about things you have not seen, touched, or felt. We see this reality on a daily basis and touch it through our contact with people. That is why we go out, even outside our borders, to ask people about their experiences. We visit them in parishes, hospitals, schools, public offices, centres, etc. They have stories to tell and experiences to share. In turn, we have the mission to make this known to the readers.

The use of the means of communication is a constituent element of evangelization as enshrined in the Comboni missionary strategy. Through the magazine and books published by Afriquespoir, we transmit the Good News and we contribute to the intellectual, spiritual and missionary formation of the People of God.

This requires us an attitude of listening. Listen with the heart in order to speak with the heart, as Pope Francis encourages. It is listening to the reality that surrounds us, the people I meet in the streets or in the parishes, those I interview or photograph, listening and treating with respect the people who share with me their stories so that
I can tell them to the readers.

As a Comboni missionary brother journalist, I am happy with my mission. I proclaim the gospel through magazines, books, radio and television shows, social networks and web pages. I feel invited, as a journalist, to be faithful to the Gospel and improve the quality of my service; to be a good journalist and a good missionary.

Sr Lilia. How to be a missionary.
I am Sister Lilia Navarrete Solís from Mexico. When I was small, my mother and aunt often took me to a Salesian chapel near our house. I was part of the choir and on one occasion a lady came to tell us about an African country that was at war at the time. Listening to her, I thought: “I would like to go to a place like that, where I can give meaning to my life and for which it would be worth leaving everything”.

Leaving the church, the lady gave me a flyer from the Comboni Missionary Sisters with an address on the back. I was very young and didn’t have the courage to ask her for more information, but I took that paper with me and kept it as a treasure. Over time, I began studying nursing and working to help the family economy.

One day, curiously, my work took me to a parish where someone gave me another booklet from the Comboni Sisters. It couldn’t be a coincidence. So, I decided to contact the missionaries. From then on, I began to participate once a month in vocational meetings and, when I finished my studies, I asked to enter the Institute.

My mother didn’t accept my choice to be a missionary, but since the training was in Guadalajara and I didn’t have to leave Jalisco,
she was satisfied.

At the end of this first stage, I was sent to Brazil to continue my formation. After three years I returned to my family to say “yes” to the Lord and consecrate my life to the mission. My joy was even greater when I was assigned to Mozambique.

I thought I was ready for a mission in Mozambique, but I soon realized it would be the people who would teach me how to be a missionary.

I remember that in Magunde, in the province of Sofala, I had an encounter that changed my life. A woman came to the maternity ward where I worked as a nurse, and since there were no doctors, I delivered her baby. While she rested, I bent down to examine the baby. She saw the cross I was wearing, took it in her hand and asked me: “What is it?” I don’t remember my answer, but I do remember my surprise that she didn’t know Jesus Christ I was with her when she gave birth and I felt I was in the right place.

Five years later I had to leave Mozambique to continue my nursing service in Italy, accompanying elderly and sick nuns. During the pandemic, I did everything possible to prevent the virus from entering our home, even though the virus did take away some of our sisters.

Since last year I have been in Spain working in youth ministry and in mission promotion. I am also happy to see this assignment as a continuation of God’s work in me. The “yes” that I pronounced before the Lord on the day of my consecration as a Comboni missionary continues to be strongly alive in me. I have received more than I could give.

Fr. Aldrin. Working together with the people
I am Fr. Aldrin Janito, one of the pioneering Filipino Comboni Missionaries. I was born in Kiamba, South Cotabato, in the south of the country. In June 1991, I started my journey with the Comboni Missionaries. While undergoing my postulancy formation, I also graduated in Philosophy. Then I went to the Novitiate in Calamba, making my first profession in May 1995. I continued my theological formation at the International Scholasticate in Nairobi, Kenya.

I was ordained into the priesthood on June 7, 1999. After my ordination, I served as a vocation promoter from 1999 until 2003 in my country. I was assigned to Sololo missions, Diocese of Marsabit in Kenya from 2003 to 2004. This two-year missionary service marked my life after witnessing the killing of my Kenyan people, who were mostly church leaders and infants. It was a horrible experience but it did not kill my missionary spirit. My last assignment was in South Africa where I spent 16 exciting years in two parishes, Waterval and Acornhoek.

Serving in these two parishes as the priest-in-charge was not easy. Some challenges I met included ancestor worship, several languages spoken in the area, sustaining the spirit/church commitment of the youth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the poor service delivery of the local government, rampant alcohol and drug abuse, criminality, such as stealing, teenage pregnancy, poor literacy,
HIV/AIDS, and unemployment.

As a parish, we tried to address these pressing issues by using alternatives, such as mobile catechesis (reaching people whenever they are), supplementary education and tutorial services after school, HIV/AIDS support group, setting up orphanages and drop-in centres, promoting ecumenism with other sects and local churches,
Sunday school, etcetera.

As an administrator of these parishes, I learned how to listen and exercise patience. As a Swahili saying goes, “hara haraka haona baraka,” meaning he who runs fast runs alone. The spirit of “Ubuntu,” of working together with the people, is essential. A missionary who learns several languages without learning the local culture and customs of the people risks of becoming a fluent fool.

My participation in the Comboni Year in Rome, Italy (2013-2014) strengthened and renewed my missionary spirit in Limone, Italy, home of our founder and father, St. Daniel Comboni.

Coming back home to serve the Philippines, in my delegation of origin as the new mission promoter, is fun and challenging.
Basically, to share one’s missionary experience with the people, stimulate interest, and lift their spirit by supporting and sustaining the mission of Christ, near and far.

Brazil. Our Floating Church.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

There are more than 120 communities distributed on the islands of the large Santana archipelago on the Amazon River, in Amapá. The fundamental role of community leaders. An urgent need to have permanent deacons. Two missionaries explain their pastoral activities.

We are in the North of Brazil, in the diocese of Macapá. Father Raul, a PIME missionary, originally from Guinea-Bissau, has been parish priest of the large archipelago for just over a year. The parish has 120 communities in 16 sectors, which take their name from the birds of the region. Some are close to each other, others are not. Therefore, the parish does not have a ‘mother church’ on the mainland, but only an office in the city of Santana and a pastoral centre for meetings in the community of Guajará.

The communities take their name from the birds of the region. File Swm

The communities are located in the State of Pará, in the municipalities of Afuá, Gurupá and Breves. “Our itinerary lasts from ten to fifteen days, and includes training, Mass, and celebrations of the sacraments. Once back in the city, we redo the planning to resume this pastoral itinerary as soon as we can”, explains Father Raul. The Alpino, the boat that the missionaries use to travel, has everything a parish church needs: books and liturgical objects, basic food parcels for needy families and food for the journey.Father Carlos, who is Mexican and has been curate of the parish for six months, says: “Boating on the river is not like driving in the city. Real-time communication is difficult because, on the islands, not everyone has access to the internet. Another challenge is economic because, although the parish is the largest in the diocese, it is the poorest. And there is the problem of guaranteeing our presence in all areas: for example, the community of São Bento, on the island from Roberta to Breves, is about 7-8 hours away by boat and its accessibility depends on the tide”.

The parish has 120 communities. File Swm

Although the logistics are challenging, this is not the biggest concern for the missionaries: “The pastoral difficulty at the moment is the lack of catechists in some communities”, explains Father Raul. “In our absence, it is the local leaders and coordinators who provide assistance and accompany the faithful. When we return, six months after the last visit, they inform us of the community’s difficulties and achievements. Therefore, lay people are indispensable to pastoral activity: if the parish moves forward, it is thanks to their work. In a spirit of synodality, everyone tries to do their part,” says Father Raul.
Elton Monteiro de Costa leads the community of Guajará in the absence of priests. He celebrates the Word on Sundays, visits families and recites the rosary with them. Despite the autonomy, Elton admits: “The arrival of the priests is a bright moment for us. It is the warmth of the emotion of a different community. It is a light that lights things up more and more”. The feeling is mutual, confesses Father Carlos: “The greatest happiness I feel during the visits is when I perceive the joy of the people when the priest arrives. Everyone is waiting anxiously to celebrate the sacraments, receive some training and spend the whole day in community”.
This year the communities worked on the theme of the Synod, convened by Pope Francis: ‘Participation, communion and mission’. There were moments of training and reflection, starting from the answers to the Synod questionnaires. At a local level, the parish has taken a concrete step: “We are putting into practice the three words: participation, communion and mission, uniting small communities to create a spirit of sharing. We work so that this mentality of synodality and openness embraces the entire parish”, says Father Carlos, adding that the majority of people have accepted this new ecclesial configuration and that, with the unification of smaller communities, it becomes easier for missionaries to carry out visits and pastoral work.

The parish is the largest in the diocese. File Swm

The missionary admits that the visits are insufficient for good pastoral and social work in the islands: “It is important to have a fixed place, a house within the territory so that we priests can be more available to anyone in need, and guarantee a service that goes beyond scheduled visits”. This would also allow us to welcome people who come from abroad and want to have a missionary experience on the islands. Father Raul, in turn, imagines another project: the permanent diaconate, as a result of the synod experience. “We have concluded that it is necessary to have direct collaborators in the area during our absence. Not just people to meet local needs, but willing to dedicate their lives as a vocation to the service of the universal Church”. The priests say they are dedicated both to raising awareness and encouraging lay people who feel this calling. Currently, the parish has one active permanent deacon, as well as a candidate in training, and the two missionaries are confident that in the future they will have others: “With the help of deacons, leaders and local coordinators, the pastoral work will be much better”, they conclude. (Open Photo: The Alpino, the boat used by the missionaries.)

Ace Valdez/MM

The new, Pharaonic Capital of Egypt.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

The Cairo metropolis, one of the most populous in the world, is collapsing. So, President al-Sisi has ordered the construction of a new capital, as yet unnamed. The lavish $50+ billion project. But the rising skyscrapers and monuments are already casting sinister shadows.

Along the ultra-modern twelve-lane highway from Cairo across the desert to Suez, the skeleton of a very tall skyscraper takes shape like a mirage; as one scans the horizon more closely, however, palaces, imposing buildings, domes, pylons, and viaducts slowly appear.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. CC BY 4.0/Min. of Communications and Information Technology.

This is not an illusion the heat creates. What, until less than ten years ago, was just an immense expanse of sand is now an endless, feverish construction site that, according to the dreams of Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will shape the new capital. Cairo is one of the most populous cities in the world, with over twenty million inhabitants living in a metropolitan area spread over the Nile’s two banks. A city that seems on the verge of collapsing at any moment under its own weight, suffocated by pollution, with insufficient infrastructure and often unstable and inadequate services.Hence, the idea is to abandon the millenary capital to its fate and to create a brand new one 50 kilometres farther east, with a monumental centre spreading over 700 square kilometres and capable of housing ministries and government offices as well as, in the most optimistic forecasts, seven million inhabitants.

A history that goes back a long way
The new capital, which does not yet have an official name, is just the latest in a series of projects, that started in the 1970s during Sadat’s era, to decongest the Cairo metropolis. Thus, in recent decades, numerous satellite cities have sprung up, either prepared to accommodate hundreds of thousands of inhabitants or planned as industrial development areas, such as the ‘City of the Tenth Ramadan’, the ‘City of 6 October’ and the more recent ‘New Cairo’, an exclusive city desired by Mubarak in the early 2000s.It was Mubarak, himself, who first outlined the idea of a new capital, an intuition that the current leader al-Sisi has resurrected not only as a strategic project but even as a symbol of a new efficient, modern and attractive Egypt.

The capital of Egypt, Cairo home to 20 million people. File swm

The city plan therefore mixes avant-garde architecture, references to the classical age and a symbolism referring to the pharaohs’ glorious past: triumphal arches, colonnades, minarets and immense tree-lined squares drawing typically Egyptian symbolism to frame the impressive monumental buildings clad in light marble.
Finally, the beating heart of the new capital will be the so-called Central Business District, a small Manhattan crowded with skyscrapers topped by the New Iconic Tower, a 390-metre cylindrical glass and steel tower that will be the tallest on the African continent.
For his new city, probably the largest ever built from scratch, al-Sisi has spared no expense: in 2015, the year in which work began, the planned sum was USD 45 billion, a figure that is set to rise considerably, to over USD 50 billion, and which was made available mainly through funding from Beijing, the country’s main partner.

Sustainable project?
The rhetoric, when new cities are built, is always the same: the concepts of sustainability, smart cities and green technologies pervade every discourse; the images full of trees, water features, reflective glass, and elegant people offer a perception of modernity, serenity, and widespread well-being.From the official website of ACUD, the state-owned company managing the project, 51% is controlled by the army; however, a distressing and far from reassuring idea of a smart city transpires, with an operation centre capable of monitoring, with sensors, drones and thousands of cameras, the new city’s every aspect, from energy production to traffic and air quality, but not only. Modern artificial intelligence and recognition systems, for example, will be used to signal the presence of suspicious persons, the access of unauthorised individuals, or the occurrence of gatherings.

New Administrative Capital. CC BY-SA 4.0/Abdelrhman 1990

Equally unconvincing is the tale of a green and sustainable city, reiterated by the Egyptian authorities even at the Cop-27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. It is true that a large part of future energy needs will be covered by photovoltaic systems and that the current Cairo is one of the most polluted cities in the world, but the impact the new metropolis’ construction has on the environment is incalculable, starting with the endless land consumption and passing through of the resources and energy use.As if that were not enough, the new capital, like many from-nothing founded cities, seems to be designed to have cars at the core: huge six- or eight-lane motorways surround the neighbourhoods and connect the nerve centres, while the plan is to build thousands of kilometres of new roads.

The shadow of the crisis
The president’s confident face stands out on dozens of blow-ups covering the construction sites accompanied by resounding slogans. ‘A new capital for all Egyptians’, reads one of them, but you have only to look around and realise that this is unlikely to be the case. Very few will be able to afford to buy the new and exclusive flats that are now being offered for just under a hundred thousand dollars in a country where an elementary school teacher earns about a hundred euros a month.
Certainly, the presence of ministries, government offices, and the headquarters of private companies will force many employees and officials to move to the new residential areas, but only a minority of them will be able to afford to enter such houses; the others will either lose their jobs or be forced to make very long and expensive daily commutes from Cairo.

Iconic Towers. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Mohamed Ouda

Another sensitive issue is that of time. Moving offices, services and staff is a delicate and time-consuming operation, which means that for a long-time, residential areas will at risk of remaining half-empty, making them less attractive and jeopardising the survival of businesses and services.Time is a factor far from negligible, also politically: in 2024 there will be presidential elections in which al-Sisi, thanks to a providential amendment to the constitution, will be able to run for a third term. Despite tight control over the opposition and dissidents, discontent over the economic crisis is growing and risks becoming explosive.It is no coincidence that work continues feverishly and the construction sites are swarming with people. The inauguration should anticipate the electoral appointment and make people forget the controversy. Indeed, with the galloping cost of living and a public debt that has quadrupled in the last 15 years, the new city could turn from being the pride of Cairo’s strongman into a failure that could compromise his stay in power.

The hidden face of the smart city
A group of young men sitting under the concrete pylons of the new monorail waits for a possible day job, others behind them stagger along carrying heavy buckets full of cement on their shoulders. Not far away, a middle-aged worker prays on a worn-out mat lying next to a Caterpillar after finishing his daily duty.
It is the backstage of the smart city, the part usually unseen but lying behind every great work in human history: old people with their faces hollowed out by wrinkles and fatigue, or very young people, little more than children, who, covered in dust, toil away at the humblest jobs, carrying bricks, mixing cement or shovelling sand.

Central business district 2, New Administrative Capital. CC BY-SA 4.0/Abdelrhman 1990

The roadsides, the vertiginous scaffolding, and the construction sites of the large squares, are swarming with thousands of people from Cairo’s slums or from rural areas as migrants; others come from farther afield, from South Sudan or Ethiopia.
They live hidden inside compounds in the desert or in miserable shacks; no one sees them and yet it is thanks to their hands and sometimes their blood that the magnificent new capital takes shape. A story that repeats itself, from the pyramids’ time to the present day.
Their half-voiced phrases, but above all their disenchanted glances, make it clear that despite the regime’s rhetoric, they are well aware that the elegant palaces and scenic squares taking shape amidst the sand will never be attainable for them.

Nothing new under the sun
The course of events seems to repeat itself cyclically in this corner of Africa with a history stretching back thousands of years; Cairo, itself, was built from nothing to become a new capital. In the year 969, after conquering Egypt on behalf of the Fatimid empire, the Sicilian-born Arab general Jawhar al-Siqilli decided to found a new city just north of the then capital Fustat.
A little over a thousand years later, history rewound. Fustat was slowly absorbed by the new city, becoming a neighbourhood but also a dumping ground. Will present-day Cairo have the same fate? Hard to think so, but Egypt’s history, as we know, is thousands of years old and is studded with enigmatic, immense, exaggerated projects. Pharaonic, in fact. (Open Photo: Central business district (CPD) in the New administrative capital of Egypt. CC BY-SA 4.0/Mahan84848)

Federico Monica/Africa

The Hare and the Elephant.

Friday, 1 December 2023 8:00

There was once a herd of elephants who went to gather honey
to take to their in-laws.

As they were walking along, they came upon Hare who was just about to cross the river. She said to one of them: “Father, please help me get across the river.” The elephant agreed to this request and said to Hare: “You may jump onto my back.”

As Hare sat on the elephant’s back, she was quick to notice the two bags full of honey that the elephant was carrying. She started eating honey from one of the bags, and when she had eaten it all, she called out to Elephant saying: “Father, please hand me a stone to play with.”

When she was given the stone, she put it in the now empty bag of honey and started eating the honey from the second bag. When she had eaten it all, she again requested another stone saying: “Father, please hand me another stone for the one you gave me has dropped, and I want to throw it at the birds.” Elephant handed her another stone, and then another, as she kept asking for stones on the pretext that she was throwing them at the birds, until she had filled both bags with stones.

When Hare realised that the elephants were about to arrive at their destination, she said to the elephant, which was carrying her: “Father, I have now arrived, please let me down.” So, Hare went on her way.

Soon afterwards, the elephant looked at his bags, only to realise that they were full of stones! He exclaimed to the others: “Oh my goodness! The hare has finished all my honey!” They lifted up their eyes and saw Hare leaping away at a distance; they set off after her.

They caught up with Hare within no time, but as the elephants were about to grab her, she disappeared into a hole. But the elephant managed to catch hold of her tail, at which time the skin
from the tail got peeled off.

Elephant next grabbed her by the leg. Hare laughed at this loudly, saying: “Oh! You have held a root mistaking it for me!” Thereupon Elephant let go of Hare’s leg and instead got hold of a root. Hare shrieked from within and said: “Oh father, you have broken my leg!”

As Elephant was struggling with the root, Hare maneuvered her way out and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Elephant had by this time managed to pull out the root only to realise that it was not Hare’s leg. Once more he lifted up his eyes and saw Hare leaping and jumping over bushes in a bid to escape. Elephant ran in pursuit of her once more.

As Hare continued running, she came across some herdsmen and said to them: “Hey you, herdsmen, do you see that elephant from yonder, you had better run away, for he is coming after you.” The herdsmen scampered and went their separate ways.

When Elephant saw the herdsmen running, he thought they were running after Hare; so, he too ran after them. When he caught up with them, he said: “Hey you, herdsmen, have you seen a hare with a skinned tail passing along here?” The herdsmen answered: “You have passed her along the way as she was going in the opposite direction.” While Elephant had been chasing the herdsmen, Hare had gained some time to run in the opposite direction.

Next, Hare came upon some women who were sewing outside the homestead and said to them: “Hey you, mothers who are sewing, do you see that elephant from yonder, you had better run away
for he is coming after you.”

On hearing this, the women scampered for the safety of their houses immediately. But soon the elephant caught up with them and asked: “Hey you, honourable ladies, might you have seen a hare with a skinned tail going toward this direction?” The women answered: “There she goes over there.” Hare kept running and this time she came upon antelopes grazing and she said to them: “Hey you, antelopes, you had better run away for that elephant is coming after you.”

The antelopes were startled and they ran away. But soon the elephant was upon them, and he asked them: “Hey you, antelopes, have you seen a hare with a skinned tail going in this direction?” They pointed out to him the direction that Hare had followed.

Hare next came upon a group of other hares, to whom she said: “Hey you, hares, do you see that elephant coming from under? You should all skin your tails for he is after those hares with unskinned tails.”

Thereupon all the hares quickly skinned their tails. At the same moment the elephant arrived and asked them: “Hey you, hares, have you seen a hare with a skinned ail going towards this direction?”

The hares replied: “Don’t you see that all our tails are skinned?” As the hares said this, they were displaying their tails confident it would please Elephant. On noticing that all the hares’ tails were skinned, Elephant realised that Hare had played a trick on him. Elephant could not find the culprit, for all the hares were alike. And there ends the story. (Photo: 123fr.com).

Folktale from Maasai People. Tanzania

Why Spider Lives in Ceilings.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 8:00

Once upon a time, the rainy season came to the forest, as it must come every year. But this time there was more rain than ever before. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. At night the water fell with a roar like thunder. In the morning it beat against the branches of the trees and tore their leaves from them. It pounded against the thatched roofs of the villages and rushed about the footpaths.

Little girls set pots under the sky to catch the water, and ran back slipping and sliding. The small, friendly rivers became deep and wide, and covered the sides of their banks. During the darkness the people fastened their doors and did not even look outside, for they could hear nothing but rain, rain, rain.

The animals in the forest, too, were frightened by all the water. Hare could not find meadows of grass for his dinner. Elephant could not walk through the trees to chew the young branches. Tortoise could not crawl slowly along the earth to catch insects; and Spider, who had been too lazy to plant his farm or to set his fish traps, had nothing to eat at all. Worst of all, the great Leopard, who hunts at night, was hungry, and had to stalk the forest during the day.

One afternoon, after many days, the rain stopped. Spider set out at once to look for something to eat. He went down the wide path that led to the river. Leopard was hunting, too with, hungry look in his eye. He walked quietly on his four soft feet along the path that led to the river. That is how it happened Spider and Leopard walked right into each other.

Now usually, Leopard loves a fat and juicy supper. He never thinks of anything as puny as Spider. But today he thought even Spider would taste good, so he stopped to chat and tried to look friendly.

“Good afternoon, Spider – said Leopard -. How do you fare in all this wet weather?” Now, Spider was lazy and very naughty, but he was not stupid. He knew at once that Leopard’s voice was much too sweet.

“I am well, Leopard, but I am in a great hurry,” he answered. And with that, Spider jumped behind a great palm leaf, and Leopard could not find him, no matter how he tried.
Leopard was so angry. He roared a roar that echoed against the hills. He sharpened his claws and his eyes turned green.

“Never mind – he thought after a few minutes – I will go to Spider’s house. I will hide behind his door and wait for him to come back. Then I will eat him, and if he brings any food, I will eat that, too.”

Leopard went up the path from the river. He went into Spider’s little house, which was made of banana leaves. There he made himself into a round ball. He put his nose on his great paws and sat down to wait.
But the Spider was not stupid.

He guessed exactly what Leopard would do. And so, he took some time to think about how he should handle the matter.

First, he went to the river and caught some fish left in the traps by people. Then he went to a farm and ate cassava. For it is the custom that a hungry man can help himself to as much food as he needs,
and no one will mind.

When he had enough to eat, Spider spent the afternoon looking for all his friends. He stayed away from his house as long as he could. Finally, it began to get dark. The sky filled with clouds, and once again, the rain began to fall. At last, Spider had to go home. So, he went up the path that led past the river, and near his little house made of banana leaves.

Spider looked at the earth to see if Leopard had left arty tracks. He listened to see if Leopard made any sound.
He saw nothing and he heard nothing. Still, he knew the ways of Leopard, and he decided to try something else.

So, he kept walking down the path, humming to himself, just as though he were thinking of nothing. Suddenly he cried out. “Ho! My banana-leaf house!” Nobody answered. Everything was silent. Spider walked a little nearer. Still, there was silence. Nobody said anything.

“That’s funny – said Spider loudly -, my little house always answers me when I call her. I wonder what is wrong.”

Once again, with all his might, he shouted, “Ho! My banana-leaf house. How are you?” And from deep inside the house came a small high voice. “I am fine, Spider. Come on in.”

Then Spider burst out laughing, “Now I know where you are, Leopard, and you shall never catch me,” he said. And with that, he ran as quick as a flash through the window and up to the highest corner of the ceiling. Leopard could not catch him although he tried and tried. The spider was warm and dry and safe in the ceiling. That is why he decided to live there. And he is living there still. (Photo: CCA2.0/ A.K.M Monjurul Hoque Topu) – (Folktale from West Africa)

The challenge of internal security.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 8:00

Pakistan is experiencing a now prolonged period of political instability which began in April 2022 following a parliamentary motion of no confidence in the then Prime Minister Imran Khan, former cricket star and founder and President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pti).

A key role in the development of this crisis was undoubtedly played both by the Islamist parties and movements that withdrew support from the government and by the army. After Khan’s removal, the mandate to form a new executive was given to Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and President of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (Pml-N). On 12 August 2023, the parliament was set to expire due to the completion of the 5-year tenure. However, to gain more time for elections and other political gains, Sharif and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance agreed to dissolve the parliament on 9 August 2023 which was approved by the President of Pakistan. Meanwhile, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar took oath of office as the 8th caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan on 14th August 2023. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced a general election for January 2024, almost three months later than scheduled.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the 8th caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan. Pk.gov.

Last August 2023, Imran Khan was also sentenced to three years in prison for corruption, on charges of abusing his premiership, due to the illegal purchase and sale of state gifts, received during visits abroad, for a value of over 140 million Pakistani rupees, equal to 500,000 dollars. The accusation, which almost sent him to prison, was changed to preventive bail and a postponement of the trial under the anti-terrorism law. A similar fate also befell the major leaders of his party, who ended up in prison on various charges.
Despite these vicissitudes, Khan still enjoys broad popular support, as demonstrated by the results obtained in the local elections and the large demonstrations, he organized with the aim of using the streets as a lever to bring down the government and send the country to the polls.
During his government mandate, Imran Khan stood out in the foreign policy for his friendly relations with China and the Russian Federation, while in domestic politics for having remodelled the internal balance of the armed forces and intelligence through the appointment of trusted generals of his. It should, however, be noted that it was precisely the military elites who established Khan and his party, as early as 2011, as the third political force with the aim of countering the two traditional sides of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), now abundantly stratified in the country. However, after the first year of Khan’s government, they assumed a different posture which turned into open conflict after April 2022. Khan, in fact, having proven himself to be difficult to control, today constitutes an element of challenge for the military as well as a fearsome competitor since his electoral support base is mostly made up of the urban middle classes, traditionally pro-military, but also of retired officers and some of the young army officers.

Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former prime minister. He was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption. (Photo: Shealah Craighead)

Over the course of these years, the situation in the country has been extremely complicated by floods, economic crises, and the risk of a new explosion with India, due to the Kashmir issue, with which a new ceasefire agreement was signed in 2021. However, one of the greatest challenges to internal security is continually posed by terrorist organizations and in particular the Tehrek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP). This is the Pakistani Taliban group, formed in 2007 as an organization affiliated with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, in protest against the aid that the Pakistani government was giving to US military operations in the region. During his government, Khan had revealed some glimmer of negotiations which were immediately closed after his exit from the scene also due to the problem of the difficult relations existing with Kabul, whose Executive is not officially recognized by Islamabad.It should, however, be noted that relations between Islamabad and the Taliban over the years have always been ambiguous and controversial. The Pakistani army, in fact, continued to provide assistance to the Taliban unofficially during the twenty-year period 2001 – 2021. The objective was essentially twofold and aimed at maintaining good relations with the major players in the field, to avoid antipathies that could in the future turn into possible agreements between India and Afghanistan, as well as keeping the Pakistani Taliban at bay.

Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud leader of Pakistani Taliban. Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0/ Tasnim News Agency

However, the Taliban’s return to power has not caused the desired effects as the influence of the latter on the TTP is proving to be modest as demonstrated by the more than two hundred attacks suffered by Pakistan. In addition to the TTP, the other major group that threatens the country is the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP), which in the space of a few years has become a leading player on the Afghan scene. According to analysts, this group was instrumental in carrying out the ‘dirty’ jobs, with the support of the Pakistani services, which the Taliban could not and did not want to claim as their own since they were sitting at the negotiating table in Doha at the time.
These elements, which render flexible the complexity of the internal scenario, lead to the hypothesis that these upheavals, of which the attacks are the cruellest expression, are functional in redefining the balance between the various factions operating on terrain, a crossroads of various interests, crowded with various actors and on which the greatest international tensions are released.(Open Photo:Spc.Ken Scar)

Filippo Romeo

The Economic Crisis.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 8:00

Pakistan has been in a situation of heavy economic crisis for some time now, perhaps one of the worst in its history, further aggravated by internal political instability and the massive floods of 2022, the toll of which was almost little short of dramatic: around 1,700 people lost their lives, 33 million were left homeless, around 800 thousand cattle and other animals died, and numerous school and healthcare infrastructures were damaged.

This tragedy greatly increased the inflation that was already gripping the country and which, reaching 25%, has mainly affected the prices of food goods (which are increasing also due to the war in Ukraine), generated the stagnation of growth and the halving of foreign exchange reserves. These factors produced social unrest and displacement with the looting in flour distribution centres set up throughout the country. Furthermore, the monsoon rains, which hit Pakistan in 2023, have greatly worsened the situation which currently appears catastrophic also due to the repercussions on the lives of less well-off populations.

The economic structure of the country is mainly based on agriculture. File Swm

The economic structure of the country is mainly based on agriculture characterized by the concentration of large estates whose holders are interconnected to political power, both at a federal and provincial level. This arrangement often results in the non-payment of taxes and determines an underground economy estimated at 100% of the official GDP.The lack of industrial development has meant that the country has become dependent on foreign exports, resulting in a chronic trade balance deficit, exacerbated by the current global economic situation. To correct this imbalance, tariff and non-tariff barriers were introduced in 2017, which however also discourage the penetration of foreign economic actors despite the Special Economic Zones (SEZ).
The energy crisis also weighs on the economic crisis and has a long history. In the 1950s, a natural gas field was discovered in Sui, which contributed to the development of a dense infrastructure network to produce electricity, which today is insufficient to cope with the constant increase in consumption also caused by the exceptional population growth of the country and its middle class. This has also led to a substantial increase in energy imports, especially from the Gulf countries. However, the outbreak of the war in Ukraine forced the European Union to quickly diversify its energy and supply sources, due to the decrease in supplies of Russian gas. This has made Europe a very sought-after location to the point of encouraging suppliers to increase their business with the countries of the Old Continent, thus reducing availability to Asian customers including Pakistan which, on the other hand, has begun to import gas and oil from Russia.

Karachi Seaport. CC BY-SA 4.0/King Eliot

Furthermore, it should be added that the war in Ukraine also determined the outcome of the agreements with the IMF. In the opinion of some analysts, Islamabad, in fact, sold weapons to the United States in exchange for receiving the last tranche of a loan from the IMF, facilitated by US mediation. These weapons would subsequently have been destined for the Ukrainian army and everything would have happened following a secret agreement between Pakistan and the United States, as disclosed by the investigative media The Intercept, based on internal government documents. According to analysts, this would have determined the change in Pakistan’s posture in the geopolitical sphere and the consequent reward in terms of economic aid from the IMF.
Again, according to rumours, the agreement between Pakistan and the United States took place after the removal of President Imran Khan, who on 10 April 2022 was removed by a no-confidence vote by Parliament and then arrested.
The former president was trying to negotiate better conditions with the IMF for loans, while on a foreign policy level he was relocating the country, a historically of the United States, initiating greater ties with Russia and China and expressing neutrality on the war in Ukraine.
The loan of over 2.7 billion dollars allowed Islamabad to avoid an imminent default on foreign debt, even if the conditions requested by the IMF to restructure the economy have triggered new protests from the population due to the elimination of subsidies for fuel and the consequent surge in prices.

World’s highest ATM at a height of 16,007 feet above sea level installed by The National Bank of Pakistan, (NBP) at the Pak-China border, Khunjerab Pass.

In 2019, financed with IMF loans, Pakistan entered the rescue program for its economy and the package included loans of around six billion dollars, increased to seven in 2022. The agreement was blocked for a long time because the IMF was not sure whether Pakistan was capable of implementing some reforms. The granting of loans, as always happens in these cases, is in fact subordinate to profound economic reforms, which Pakistan has not always been able to respect. This dynamic is quite well known in the economic history of the country which since the 1980s has participated in over twenty rescue programs, most of which were suspended because they were incapable of achieving the ambitious pre-established objectives or because they were paralyzed by political instability. As is evident, the repeated liquidity injections have failed to revive the country’s fortunes as they were subordinated to the request for rigorous fiscal measures which resulted in an increase in the tax burden on citizens, combined with drastic cuts in public spending in key sectors such as transport, infrastructure, health, and safety.
Over the years, however, foreign benefactors have always come to the country’s aid, the USA during the Cold War and later China, also in order to avoid the risk of a country equipped with nuclear weapons going out of control. Having also linked Pakistan to the BRI through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Beijing fears a possible failure of the country. Such logic, however, leads Pakistani governments, which alternate in power, to pursue an aid policy rather than encouraging economic development plans and fiscal reforms.

Sunday textile market on the sidewalks of Karachi. CC BY 2.0/ Steve Evans

Despite the precarious conditions in which the country finds itself, it must be borne in mind that in recent years it has risen considerably, together with Iran and Uzbekistan, in the Global Innovation Index (GII). This is an aggregate index that includes various factors difficult to measure objectively, that were developed by the World Intellectual Property Organization, and which represents an excellent compass for understanding the direction taken regarding technological innovation. A trend confirmed by the results in the technology sector was recorded in 2021, the year in which investments in national start-ups rose to 350 million dollars compared to 36 million in 2019. In 2022 there was a physiological decline, but the performance still remains higher than the pre-pandemic level. This trend has pushed the Government to work on the definition of five Special Technology Zones (SZ) – located in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan, GB and AJK – with the aim of encouraging companies operating in the technological sector, both local and global, to open their operations in the country. (Photo: Statue of a bull outside Islamabad Stock Exchange, Islamabad, Pakistan. CC BY-SA 3.0/Danish47)
(F.R.)

The Growth of Fashion in Africa.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 8:00

If there is a sector in Africa that is giving great satisfaction not only to the economy (and therefore to the GDP) but to the image of a continent rich in creativity, this is the fashion sector.

An industry, that of fashion, a source of pride for those who work in it, for Africans on the continent and for those in the diaspora who see shapes, colours and designs that represent them increasingly present on catwalks and ready-to-wear collections.From some recent analyses, there are two countries, above all, in which the fashion industry is booming: Egypt and Nigeria. These two countries are expected to collectively generate $2.5 billion in revenue from the sector by the end of 2023. But that is not all.

A continent rich in creativity. 123rf

The market volume will increase in Nigeria at the rate of 10.03% per year while in Egypt the annual growth rate is estimated at 16.40%.
Obviously, buyers will generate these flows. Buyers are increasing significant and are facilitated today by e-commerce and social media. Especially Tik Tok, very popular among Generation Z with its Y2K trend and the influence of Afrobeat artists and music. It is obvious that Africa and its young people have not been immune to it.

Long wave
In Nigeria, the boom began in the 80s and 90s of the last century thanks to local designers who had introduced ready-to-wear clothes. According to a PwC report, in 1991, the Nigerian fashion industry was valued at $50 million (it was $10 million just six years earlier). In 2015 the country represented 15% of the fashion market in sub-Saharan Africa, a market worth 31 billion dollars, and the sector has continued to grow (17% between 2010 and 2019).
Egypt, for its part – as Ventures Africa highlights – has always benefited from the strength of its cotton industry. There were years, like 2009 and 2010, when the country had contracts with 23 countries to export cotton worth $140 million. The creation of many textile factories has strengthened its industrial strength and the country is continuing to focus on this with the creation of the largest textile factory in the world, destined to produce 30 tons of fabric per day.

“Lagos Fashion Week has already become a consolidated event. It is above all, creativity that is allowing made-in-Africa fashion to emerge.”123rf

In January 2022, the country’s fashion exports had also increased by 54% compared to the previous year and Egypt will continue to focus on this sector as it has already demonstrated with the first edition of the fashion week which was also an opportunity to present its main brands.
Meanwhile, although still new, Lagos Fashion Week has already become a consolidated event. It is above all, creativity that is allowing made-in-Africa fashion to emerge. It is due to its talents, its stylists, and its models. It is therefore obligatory to mention some brands that are making the history of African fashion.

Brands and designers
Let’s start with the Nigerians: Fruche, founded by Frank Aghuno, a self-taught designer who had his stylist mother as a mentor. Fruche is based on the desire to find the perfect balance between the old, the new and the future, and revolves around cultural and artisan tailoring techniques. Equally Nigerian is ÀSÒ, founded by designer and beauty curator Aanuoluwa Ajide-Daniels. The house defines itself as ‘a documentation of futuristic creative exploration’ and plays to undermine the conventional male and female representation in fashion. We then mention Tj who Tj operates from the perspective of trans-culturalism with an eye not only on the continent but also on Asia and Europe.
Other interesting contributions to African sartorial creation come from Mali, with Awa Meite, which bears the name of the director, stylist and actress who founded it and whose autumn/winter 2023 collection was presented at Portugal Fashion. This brand rhymes with sustainability and with a concept of Afro-minimalism that highlights the extraordinary works of local artisans.

The Kenyan KikoRomeo which has been producing original clothes since 1996. 123rf

And speaking of sustainability and ethical industry, we should remember the Kenyan KikoRomeo which has been producing original clothes since 1996. Certainly, in this case, as in the others, social media has helped to reach a much wider audience.
The rise of fashion in Africa, moreover, has been rewarding experimentation and ‘classicism’ of (and on) traditional fashion fabrics for years. As in Ghana, whose characteristic Kente has attracted the interest and imagination of stylists and which, on another front, has allowed characters such as Christie Brown and Ozwald Boateng to emerge.In Senegal, the names and creations of Selly Raby Kane and Algueye Dakar or the colourful Mokodu Fall, who simply defines himself as an ‘artist’, are well known. In Rwanda, there is Sonia Mugabo, whose staff is made up of 80% women. After all, it is to them that her creations go.
Finally – but obviously it doesn’t end here – South Africa of which we must mention the BAM Collective which explores luxury fashion and the now well-known young designer Thebe Magugu, who today collaborates with Dior. (Open Photo: 123rf)

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