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Israel. At the Service of the Bedouin Communities.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

Sister Lourdes García, a Mexican Comboni missionary, works in the Bedouin communities of Jahalin, in the Judean desert. Her testimony.

Assalamu Alaikum (‘Peace be upon you’) is the greeting with which we are greeted every time we visit the Bedouin communities in Palestine. Although the word ‘peace’ is part of the daily encounter, its experience remains a longing that rests in the hearts of many Bedouins. The constant threat of forced displacement by the Israeli government, as well as non-recognition by Palestine, leaves these Bedouin communities in a situation of exclusion, precariousness, and extreme poverty.
For twelve years the Comboni Missionary Sisters have been working in the Bedouin communities of Jahalin, located in the Judean desert. We started in the field of health, then in the field of education, with the creation of kindergartens, and finally in every community with training activities for women. The objective is to improve the education of children so that they can continue their studies, and to promote the integration of women in order to improve the quality of life in the different communities. All this with the help of different organizations that have supported various projects.
A small interreligious network is being created to reach the most vulnerable. My hope is that we can live and work together for the common good, with each one using the strengths of their own faith, whether they are Jews, Muslims, or Christians.

Sister Lourdes García: “To improve the education of children”.

Our faith is proclaimed through daily gestures and actions, putting to the test the evangelical values of welcome, respect, encounter, and generosity, which thus become reality. Bonds of closeness, fraternity, and affection have been created with our Muslim brothers and sisters. Living together the significant moments of their lives, I was able to know, in addition to their culture and their traditions, the intimate reality of these communities. The welcome they give us with their joy, generosity and simplicity make us feel at home from the first moment.
We communicate in Arabic, which we learn to be able to express ourselves. Personally, my communication is still limited, but I am very happy to share life with them and to learn from their simplicity and generosity. Every time I understand them a little more and realize that they too have managed to understand me, I see the grace of God that accompanies me and encourages me to be patient, because I know that through the language, I will get to know them better.

For twelve years the Comboni Missionary Sisters have been working in the Bedouin communities of Jahalin, located in the Judean desert.

We visit communities and families to learn more about their needs and this is a big challenge. During these visits, we have observed various realities, for example, that women get married very young and no longer continue their studies or training. Apparently, families prioritize boys; however, many boys do not continue their studies for various reasons, such as lack of means of transport, economic precariousness or simply because they devote themselves to herding sheep. Furthermore, the vast majority do not know English or Hebrew, which is why they have no opportunities to work outside their environment.
Our missionary commitment also continues with the small Christian community of El-Azariyeh, in the city of Lazarus. It is a small Christian community of about ten families. We meet every week to pray the rosary with the women, organize moments of prayer, and visit the sick.
It is a complex reality that we still have much to learn about and understand, but we are encouraged by a strong desire to continue the mission that the Comboni Sisters started more than a decade ago. Continuity with human promotion, through training courses for women and young people, is a concrete way to make them protagonists
of their own lives.

Towards the 2023 Synod. Synodality, a path of renewal and conversion.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

The synod on synodality focuses on the call for interior renewal and constant conversion. To quote an African adage: “The one who does not dig his field dies of hunger”.

Life is like a seed. Those responsible should regularly check the soil for seed fertility, growth, and flowering. And this is also true in human growth. How can the synod on synodality remain fertile to bear fruit now and in the years to come? The Church is called to continuous purification, recognizing that humanity is a work “in progress”. Neither the person nor the Church is a finished product.
Serious reform is needed above all in the most critical and challenging areas: the renewal of religious life, the role of women in the life of the Church, attention to the little ones and the poor, etc.

A true change of heart requires that we operate in the “Jesus style”. A Church that knows on the one hand to listen to and accompany those who have been victims of abuse, without fear of following the path of radicalism against abuse and on the other recognizes the great contribution of women, the rights of children and the rights of those who find it difficult to clarify their identity and personality.
Jesus’ teachings revealed the face of a loving God in whom we can all recognize ourselves as his sons and daughters. The Lord said, “I have called you by name, and you are mine.”
The proof of our being Christians should be manifested primarily in our love for others, starting with the least privileged. The synodal renewal can be inspired by a second African proverb: “Firewood tied up in a bundle does not break”.By walking and working together we can support each other, learn from each other and encourage and animate God’s people in their struggles, fears and hopes.

As a synodal Church, we should work for the good and happiness of all. Such an approach requires a new way of looking at the Church so that it truly appears as the body of Christ where every member is respected and ideas are listened to and welcomed with an open mind. Christ did not come to condemn the world. And with his life and his death, Jesus demonstrated that he did not intend at all to form a club of “perfect people and successful people”. Rather, as Pope Francis has said, the Church should be a field hospital available to tirelessly treat the wounded and suffering.
The fundamental mission of the Church is the announcement of the Good News of Salvation. This message will attract when those to whom it is announced will see the love of a merciful God the Father reflected in our message: the means is the message. If we are arrested for our faith, will there be enough evidence to convict us? We will be successful in our endeavours if we show in our actions what we say in our words.
There is nothing more inviting to a person than being well received and welcome. Despite our weaknesses and the prejudices that often condition us, we can let God’s love shine like a bright light for the benefit of those we meet. We must forcefully and incessantly nourish this light source.

Marcel Uwineza sj
Kenya

Peru. The Ashaninka Ancestral Wisdom. Their Sensory Awareness.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

An indigenous ethnic group, the Ashaninka live in the central forest of the Ucayali department in the Atalaya province of eastern Peru.
The children learn not only from practice but also through
feeling and listening.

The Ashaninka children do not learn through theory but by daily practice from an early age: the boys still barely standing on their own legs already drag the machete and accompany their fathers to work, and the little girls watch their mothers weaving or cooking and try to imitate them. The Ashaninka parents seldom explain how to do something to their children, who learn from practice. It is normal, among this ethnic group, that 3–4-year-old boys accompany their fathers to work and learn by watching and by practicing. The girls learn by playing how to make a fire or how to cook cassava in cans of tuna or milk, which are the staple foods among this community.

The little girls watch their mothers weaving or cooking and try to imitate them. (Photo Swm)

Between the ages of 12 and 13, the Ashaninka boys have already demonstrated their knowledge of those tasks that are mainly performed by the men of the community such as: building, even if just a tiny house, or preparing a small piece of land for growing crops. Young teens have also to show that they are able to hunt and fish, basically they have to demonstrate that they are able to live on their own and can rely on their own skills. In the same way as the boys, the Ashaninka girls have to learn how to do chores. Being able to cook cassava, whether boiled or roasted, shows that a girl masters the necessary knowledge for a woman. Therefore, the Ashaninka children, boys and girls, learn by practicing, they do not need to learn through all those theories which are typical of modern education. The Ashaninka learn also through feeling and listening; for example, when they are hunting, they are able to feel the presence of an animal and to understand how far it is. It is not just a question of hearing, or smelling, or seeing but they can ’feel’ through all their senses interacting together.

The Ashaninka learn also through feeling and listening; for example, when they are hunting, they are able to feel the presence of an animal and understand how far it is. (Photo Swm)

And when the right moment to attack the animal has arrived, they do not have to think or plan or reflect, they just feel it and act consequently. Therefore, any explanation is superfluous.
Indigenous knowledge is based on sensory awareness, on the experience of feeling, explanations are secondary.
Besides, reflecting on what is necessary, or planning how to act, would break the interrelation between these people and their environment, it would interfere with their skill to feel the nature surrounding them. The Ashaninka learn and act spontaneously and intuitively. They get acquainted with their environment through experience.
Learning, among the Ashaninka, is also connected with their spirituality. According to their worldview, the world has been created by a superior being, Tajorentsi, who lives in harmony with other spiritual beings. The ‘shiripiare’ (healer) is the one who is in charge of transmitting the Ashaninka spiritual knowledge through rituals. Knowledge is transmitted throughout this ethnic group with the purpose of generating, nourishing, and protecting life.

Jhonny Mancilla Pérez

Uganda. “Giving our lives to the people of Karamoja”.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

For over a hundred years, the Comboni Missionaries have been working in north-eastern Uganda. “Being a missionary here means living side by side with the people, knowing their language and culture, and, if necessary, giving one’s life for them”. This is what Father Longinos López Fernández, from Spain, and Father Germano Joaquim dos Santos Serra, from Portugal, both working in Karamoja, said. We met them in Karamoja.

Located in north-eastern Uganda, the Karamoja region is one of the poorest in the country. It is a region traditionally inhabited by groups of pastoralists – called Karimojong – who frequently stray into neighbouring Kenya, giving rise to nomadism that easily becomes a source of tension and violence.The region is also the site of important pastoral work since the Christian faith arrived there, thanks to the courage and daring of the Comboni missionaries, whose work continues to this day. The faith is also ensured and strengthened, thanks to the presence of local catechists who guarantee its transmission, always combining it with local tradition and culture.

Elanyangikoi is the name by which Father Longinos López Fernández is known among the Karimojong.

Elanyangikoi is the name by which Father Longinos López Fernández is known among the Karimojong. When he was still a deacon, he was sent to Karamoja for pastoral work experience. One day, he was on his way in a pick-up truck to visit a village. The car was overloaded with people.
All of a sudden, the vehicle found itself in the middle of a raid by a group of warriors from a neighbouring ethnic group, who had come to steal cattle. Longinos still remembers that terrible event: “The only thing I thought to do was to step on the accelerator as much as I could and get as far away as possible from that hell, following the direction taken by the fleeing people. He had never heard gunshots in his life except on television and in the cinema. In the attack one person was killed.
The other passengers and locals commented on Longinos’ behaviour like this: “Apa elanyani ngikoi” [“father outran (in speed) the bullets”]. Since then, Longinos has been Elanyangikoi to everyone. In Karamoja, the work of the missionaries is carried out in harmony with that of the local clergy. The Church’s presence is characterised by a real closeness to the people, made up of direct contact with the persons who live in traditional villages, where ancestral traditions and ancient ways of life still persist.

Karimojong elder. The Church’s presence is characterized by a real closeness to the people.

Father Longinos says: “We Comboni missionaries are called to evangelise by giving our lives to these people, without expecting anything in return. On the other hand, a missionary who is not prepared to live like the people of the place where he is sent, literally getting his hands dirty and working hard to build something tangible as well, is most likely not a ‘good missionary’, because he will always be perceived by the people as someone who is out of touch with their surroundings. Life in the villages is very different from what one finds in the city. Those who come here to help must adapt to the way of life of the locals. Whether you are a white man or an African, it matters little: you have to fit completely into the environment and grow with those who live there.”
To be a missionary in Karamoja, it is indispensable to possess the local language. The study and preservation of this ancient language owe much to two Comboni missionaries, authentic pioneers in this field: Father Bruno Novelli and Father Mario Mantovani, both of whom have been in heaven for years. Today, this important work is carried on by a Portuguese Comboni missionary, Father Germano Serra.

Father Germano Serra. Since his arrival in 1984, he has never stopped studying both the culture and the Karimojong language.

He arrived in Uganda in 1984 and immediately became part of the local culture, well received by the local population. Since his arrival, he has never stopped studying both the culture and the Karimojong language, also trying to preserve and spread it, preventing its disappearance. It can be said without a shadow of a doubt that this has always been one of his missionary goals. And it continues to be so.
Father Germano is proud of his passion for the Karimojong language, which he intends to safeguard at all costs. To this end, he has even opened websites and blogs where only this language is allowed, and people take part in them, competing to see who can show off the best Karimojong. A Karimojong dictionary and grammar are now accessible on the Internet, and it is possible to enrich and deepen them. Father Germano is happy here. He says he would not mind ending his days in Karamoja.We had the opportunity to visit a village in Losilang parish, pastorally cared for by Joseph Lokedin, a diocesan priest. We were greeted festively by the people, who took to dancing in their typical way: the dancers perform prodigious ‘high jumps’.

They build bricks following the traditional method.

The people of the village are very generous towards their pastor. The parish community has also started an income-generating project: they build bricks following the traditional method, handed down by the elders. Although we are in the 21st century, these bricks work wonderfully here and are in great demand.
The courageous commitment shown by the Comboni missionaries working in this region undoubtedly owes its origin to their specific vocation: to give their lives to Africa. But their commitment is also nourished by the example of those who have paid for this evangelising work with their blood.
We went to see the tomb of Father Mario Mantovani, also visited by many visitors today. Father Mario was one of the pillars of the evangelisation work in Karamoja. He was one of the first to specialise in the study of the local language, writing two grammars and a specific study on the verb, and compiling a voluminous vocabulary. Even today, all those who want to work here make use of these three volumes.
One day, Father Mario was travelling with Kiryowa Godfrey, a young Ugandan Comboni brother. Their car was attacked by a large group of raiders (over 300) and the two were riddled with bullets. Before them, 11 other Comboni missionaries had shed blood in Uganda, victims of the violence that here often takes the form of robbery or raid.
In this place whose culture is more than unique and where few foreigners can boast of actually owning the language, Comboni missionaries and sisters are working today. They have come here to give their lives to these wonderful people. (Ecclesia)

Progress in the Tourism Sector.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

The economy of the Dominican Republic is a liberalized, open, and strongly export-oriented economy.

For about a decade, it has been experiencing a phase of expansion, becoming one of the fastest growing in Latin America and the Caribbean, as evidenced by the estimates of the World Bank. The engine of this growth, which generated an increase of 4.9% in real GDP in 2022, is provided by the tertiary sector and in particular by the hotel, bar and restaurant sector; however, it is also derived from the positive situation of macroeconomic influences such as the decrease in oil prices, and the increase in the price of gold, which the country possesses in substantial quantities, together with silver and nickel.
The extraction of bauxite was halted some years ago.In fact, the World Bank also informs us that the tourism sector grew by 24% in the same period, supported both by an active anti-Covid vaccination campaign put in place by the Government and by the consequential recovery of global tourism and expansive budget policies.

Dominicus Beach at sunset in the Dominican Republic. 123rf.com

Economic growth is generating an increase in the middle class and, therefore, it is hoped that there will be a reduction in the still prevalent poverty and inequality. To date, in fact, the growing sectors have not yet managed to support the creation of quality jobs or the quality of basic goods and services. Furthermore, there is a massive transfer of population towards the cities, to the detriment of rural areas forced to suffer growing impoverishment.
In the last 15 years, the urban population has increased by 50% and the country has gone from an agricultural society to being dominated by large metropolitan areas. The World Bank said that the country is grappling with rising inflation which obviously affects the livelihood of the population, especially those already exposed to the effects of poverty. Structural reforms have been launched in recent years to consolidate stability through measures such as constitutional reform, reform in the energy and water sectors, public-private partnerships, and anti-corruption initiatives.These factors, together with the geographical position and the high infrastructural development of the country should attract further foreign direct investments in the coming years and support growth potential in the medium term.

Aerial photo of the Punta Cana Airport. The Dominican Republic has 9 international airports.
CC BY-SA 4.0/ Doodybutch

The central position is, in fact, perfect for international companies looking for easy access to North and South America, especially the United States. They are favoured by the infrastructural system of the country which is suitable for supporting global trade and which is the best in the Latin American area as recognized in 2019 by the ‘Global Competitiveness Report’, published by the World Economic Forum. This network includes 9 international airports, 12 seaports, and over 20,000 kilometres of highways and roads. Manufacturing and commercial companies can reach the States in 3 days by sea and 2 hours by air. In addition, call centres and other service-oriented businesses are located in the same time zone as the East Coast of the United States, which would be a significant advantage in terms of business development opportunities. To this, we must add the strong support given by the Government through the free zone regime and the 79 industrial parks which have already attracted a large number of companies due to highly competitive services. Of these companies, those that produce medical devices represent the largest category of industries in the country.
Currently, there are 33 manufacturers including B. Braun, Cardinal Health, Baxter Healthcare, and others. The electronics segment is also present within these platforms with approximately 22 companies possessing distinct capabilities such as the production of intermediate components and the assembly of final products. There are also logistics parks created to facilitate activities such as storage, deconsolidation, packing, repackaging, labelling, re-labelling, distribution and re-export of goods and companies that have already established their centres include IKEA, Caterpillar, Rolex, Diageo, Evergreen, and others. Ultimately, companies looking to expand their global presence find in the Dominican Republic one of their best allies.

Tobacco field. 123rf.com

As far as the primary sector is concerned, the main crops, mostly destined for foreign markets, are sugar cane, widespread in the southern coastal plain and produced using manpower provided by Haitian labourers. Coffee is another of the predominant crops for the island’s economy and is grown on the slopes of the Sierra de Bahoruco and on the Samana peninsula, while cocoa and tobacco are produced on all the inland plains. Also widespread is the production of rice, corn, and cassava, mostly intended for internal consumption.
The agricultural sector is also linked to the industrial sector concentrated essentially in the transformation of products and whose fabric is made up of sugar factories, tobacco manufacturing and rum distilleries. However, the processing techniques, if we exclude the larger companies, are still not very industrialized and dependent on the use of animals and outdated means. Another important sector for the local economy is that of the forests from which discrete quantities of rare timber and colouring products are extracted, but their intensive exploitation has led to a degree of impoverishment over the course of colouring the last decades. (Open Photo: 123rf.com) – F.R.

Ghana. ‘Hogbetsotso’, a Festival of the Exodus.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

It is one of the indigenous festivals in Ghana celebrated by the Anlo people of Southern Ghana to commemorate the escape from the region of Notsie in Togo to their present abode in the Volta Region of Ghana between the 14th and the 15th centuries.

Hogbetsotso is a festival that reminds the Anlo people of their ancestry. It rekindles the bond of relationship that existed between them and other Ewe-speaking people and also affords the citizens the opportunity to appraise their development programmes in the past year. The festival is an occasion when the whole of Anlo is open to visitors and where the full cultural value of the people is put on display.
The term Hogbetsotso, according to history, was derived from three words from Ewe language spoken by the people of Volta Region- ‘Ho’, meaning to uproot or move, ‘Gbe’ meaning day and ‘Tsotso’, meaning crossing over. So literally, Hogbetsotso means the day the people rose up and moved out of Notsie. The Hogbetsotso Festival is also known as the Festival of Exodus. It stems from the Ewe word ‘Hogbe’ or ‘Hohogbe’, meaning the day of the Exodus.

Chiefs dress in very colourful regalia and sit in state to receive homage from their subjects. (Photo Anlo State).

This historic festival is a day that unfolds Ewe history and brings to play the memories of legendary exodus and heroic acts of men of boldness and their mystical powers that liberated the Ewe-Dogbo people from the rule of ‘tyrant’ King of Kings Torgbui Agorkorli of Notsie in Togo
by walking backward.
Notsie is seen as the place of a major exodus of the Anlo ancestry. In order to commemorate the exodus and the bravery of their traditional rulers who led them on the journey, the people created this annual ‘Festival of the Exodus’. The Anlos are believed to have migrated from Southern Sudan to Notsie, their ancestral federated region (now within the territory of the modern State of Togo), and then to their current home on the eastern coast of Ghana in the late 15th century (1474). The Anlos initially resided in Yorubaland, close to the Benin-Nigeria border, before relocating to Notsie in central Togo, according to history.

Woman in traditional dress on her way to the festival. (Photo Anlo State)

The Hogbetsotso is celebrated in the month of November at Anloga, a town in the Southern Volta of Ghana which is the traditional and ritual capital of the Anlo State. Anloga, also a town marked by a meandering lagoon and golden sand beaches overhanging the Atlantic Ocean, is where the grand durbar is held on every first Saturday in November. The celebration is divided into three activities: Peacemaking ceremony, Purification or ‘dodede’, and a Durbar. The festival is celebrated at Anloga by the Anlo people from Anloga, Keta, Abor, Vodza, Whuti, Dzita, Kedzi, Afiadenyegba, Srogbe, Alakpe, Konu, Atito, Atiavi, Tsiame, and Devegodo, among other villages.
The Anlo-Ewes begin the observance of Hogbetsotso with a period of peacemaking, during which any outstanding problems are resolved. On the last Thursday before the day of the durbar, the ritual performed is aimed at social reconciliation. This activity is aimed at reconciling individuals and groups within the 36 Anlo states. Known as ‘Nugbidodo’ meaning reconciliation, the residents of Anlo strive for peace among themselves at all times.
The belief is that the ancestors dislike unresolved disagreements and misunderstandings because they bring illness and impede development. To resolve any small squabbles, ‘nugbidodo’ is conducted among family members, lineages, clans, and traditional rulers. Moreover, it is widely believed that the Hogbetsotso festival will not be successful until this rite is properly executed.
‘Hanududu’ is one of the events that should not be missed by visitors. It is time when all married landlords give supplies for their wives to prepare meals, and an open house is hosted to that effect. The idea is that people who fight don’t eat together. As a result, this is organised to compel people to feast together, resulting in reconciliation amongst all parties involved and an expression of harmony among family members, clans, and the general public.

Hogbetsotso is a festival that reminds the Anlo people of their ancestry. (Photo Anlo State)

Another important ritual is the state cleansing and sanitation programme known as ‘Dodede’ and ‘Apekplorkplor’ which is also performed by recognised seers. These are events aimed at cleaning up the nearby area. This cleaning ceremony begins at the Volta Estuary and goes on for days until it finally reaches the Mono River in the Republic of Benin. An essential aspect of the festival is a durbar of chiefs and the people. Chiefs dress in very colourful regalia and sit in state to receive homage from their subjects.
The ‘dodede’ rite, which literally means ‘disease removal’, entails the eradication of ailments , as well as the expulsion of bad spirits, believed to be the source of these maladies.
‘Dodede’ is seen to be a good way for individuals to connect with the Supreme God (Mawu), the lower gods (trowo), and their ancestors (togbinoliawo), and it is a completely private rite. There are many other ceremonies associated with the festival, including a purification ceremony of the traditional stool and a period of general cleaning when the villages are swept and rubbish burnt, and dancing, singing, and general merry-making going on throughout the festival.

Children are on their way to the festival. (Photo Anlo State)

During the celebration of this festival, many art forms which contribute to the success and pageantry of the festival are exhibited. One of the most significant rituals that precedes the Hogbetsotso festival is a state divination which is performed by distinguished seers selected from major towns throughout the 36 Anlo States. Once the seers have announced the rituals that need to be carried out, the traditional priests perform the appropriate ceremony invoking the gods of the land. After that, all the seers gather at ‘Atiteti’, one of the Anlo towns on the estuary of the Volta Lake to perform additional sacrifices.
A day is set aside to illustrate how the hostages’ departure or escape was orchestrated. To deceive the king and his elders, the departing party marched backward, giving the impression that they were approaching rather than fleeing Notsie. The ‘Misego’ or ‘Husago’ dance, which is thought to be the vehicle for the exodus, is used to reenact this occurrence today during the Hogbetsotso.
The chiefs and the people of Anlo climax their month-long Hogbetsotso Festival with a grand durbar which attracts traditional authorities from other kingdoms, who are accompanied by large retinues of sub-chiefs and courtiers, amidst beautiful displays of art and culture. The durbar forms a significant part of the week-long Hogbetsotso festival which brings together all the chiefs and elders of Anlo-land at a colourful durbar to mark the annual event in the Volta Region. Due to the rich culture of the Hogbetsotso festival and its historical background, various Ewe cultural troupes from Benin, Nigeria, and the Diaspora have opportunities to put up performances to illustrate the migration of the Anlos from Notsie in Togo to their present location.
Drumming and dancing are essential components of any festival, and the Hogbetsotso is no different.
During the durbar, people from all around Ghana, the Diaspora, and foreigners gather in large numbers to express respect for the paramount chief, who had hitherto avoided public visibility.

The entire festival period is marked by singing, dancing and merry-making. (Photo: Ministry Of Tourism, Arts & Culture)

As it’s a cultural event, the chiefs of the Anlo people led by the ‘Awoemefia’ (Paramount Chief of the Anlo State), currently Torgbui Sri III dress up in colorful traditional clothing known as the regalia. They sit on a raised platform, addressing the Anlo community while locals watch over. The entire festival period is marked by singing, dancing and merry-making. Born of age-old oral legend, the Hogbetsotso festival has been celebrated for generations.
The ‘Agbadza’, the traditional dance of the people of Anlo which is performed vigorously during the grand durbar of the Hogbetsotso festival. It is a way of expressing joy to their ancestors and gods. The ‘Agbadza’ is a staple during the Hogbetsotso providing a glimpse of the Anlo community’s culture and history. Agbadza was formerly known as ‘Atrikpui’, which imitates the flying birds. Sometimes the people, especially the women, dance backwards while carrying their baggage with a stick in their hands and as they move, they watch from left to right to illustrate their departure from Notsie.
The women dress in a manner that reveals their backsides known as ‘Atufu’. Historically, it is said that that is where the women kept their most valuable possessions while embarking on their journey from Notsie. (Open Photo: The Awoamefia of the Anlo State, Torgbui Sri III. Anlo State)

Damian Dieu Donne Avevor

Inequalities. Africa and Climate Change, New Fiscal Rules Are Needed.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

Africa is responsible for only 4% of CO2 emissions but is suffering enormous agricultural and health damage.
It is proposed to provide help by taxing multinationals and the consumption of the richest countries.

Climate change is making its effects felt on humanity, affecting the cornerstones of survival and social organization. But accountability and consequences don’t follow a consistent pattern. On the contrary, they move in an inversely proportional relationship, in the sense that those who have polluted the least suffer the greatest damage.

This is what is highlighted by the Climate Inequality Report 2023 published by the World Inequality Lab work group. Climate change is known to be due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which began to accelerate during the industrial revolution and due to reach stratospheric levels of our days.

It is estimated that 2,453 billion tons of carbon dioxide have been emitted since 1850, but the contribution of the different continents is extremely different. The biggest polluter was North America, responsible for 27% of all historical emissions. Followed by Europe (22%), China (11%), Russia and South Asia (9% each) and Latin America (6%).

The one that has polluted the least is Africa, responsible for just 3.8% of all the carbon dioxide emitted in the last two centuries. Even the data on current emissions tell us that Africa is the least to blame for all. In 2017, according to the latest available calculation, at the top of the list, we find China with 23% of emissions, followed by the USA (19%) and the European Union (13%).

Africa comes last with 4%, as evidenced by the fact that half of its population still does not have any type of electricity. But if we come to the damage, Africa is the continent that is paying the most. On all levels: agricultural, health, water or social.

On an agricultural level, climate change has a paradoxical effect because productivity has increased in the northernmost part of the globe, as evidenced by Canada and Russia. In the subtropical areas, on the other hand, agriculture is severely damaged, in some areas due to excess rainfall and in others due to its absence. In 2022, Pakistan was hit by a vast flood that caused almost 2,000 deaths and losses of over 15 billion dollars, of which five billion were attributable to the agricultural sector.

In Africa, however, in the Sahel region, the problem is drought. Countries such as Mali, Niger, Sudan, and Somalia, have experienced drops in agricultural productivity of up to 40% in recent years due to the lack of water. The reduction in agricultural harvests has the immediate effect of causing hunger, because in Africa, as in many other countries in the southern hemisphere, a significant percentage of families still practice subsistence agriculture, i.e., they live directly from what they produce. And when there is no more to eat or drink, the only option is to leave.

In 2022, in Somalia, due to drought, more than a million people moved in an attempt to survive. It is the drama of displacements due to natural causes that are destined to get increasingly worse. The World Bank calculates that between now and 2050, over 200 million people could find themselves forced to migrate to neighbouring cities or towns to escape the disasters caused by climate change.

In addition to hunger, thirst, or drowning, climate change can also kill from excessive heat, because heat waves aggravate the condition of those who are already fragile for other reasons. From this point of view, rich countries are also particularly exposed because they have a large percentage of elderly people.

But age is not the only element of fragility that can transform excess heat into mortal danger. Even young people may be at risk of dying if their nutritional status is deficient and if they suffer from recurrent illnesses. For this reason, despite being the continent with the highest proportion of young people, Africa is included among the areas of the world at high risk of mortality due to heat waves.

Moreover, various studies are demonstrating that climate change also affects the biological cycles of insects, including those that transmit diseases. For example, a resurgence of dengue, a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, and malaria, a parasite transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, is expected in tropical and subtropical areas where these diseases are already present.

Climate change imposes a double challenge on all the countries of the world: a change of energy approach to breaking the link with fossil fuels and the adoption of useful measures to protect themselves from the damage caused by climate change is now under way. But all this requires a great financial effort and the countries that most need to defend themselves are those least able to do so due to their own poverty.

Focusing on Africa alone, all the 53 countries that comprise it have declared a need of 2,800 billion dollars for the decade 2020-2030, 70% to be used for transition and energy strengthening and 30% for increased resistance to climate change.
But African governments have admitted that they can cover just 10% of their needs or 264 billion dollars.

All the rest will have to come from elsewhere. And this is where international solidarity comes into play, but it is leaking from all sides. Despite pledges by rich countries to allocate $100 billion annually to poorer countries specifically for climate change-related spending, in 2020 the amount raised stood at $83 billion. All sorts of hardships are invoked by rich countries to justify their defaults, but the World Inequality Lab report points to ways to boost the climate spending relief fund, three in particular.

The first proposal concerns the introduction of a tax on air and sea travel. It has been calculated that if the proposal were adopted by all 195 signatory countries of the Paris Agreement, it could generate an income ranging between 132 and 392 billion dollars a year.

The second proposal concerns the taxation of multinationals. A recent agreement promoted by the OECD provides ways to prevent multinationals from evading taxation by taking advantage of the fact that they operate on a global scale.

The aim is to force multinationals to pay at least 15% of all profits earned worldwide through a series of tax measures that should be applied first and foremost in the countries where multinationals operate through their subsidiaries. But if this level of taxation were not to be activated, or for some other reason should prove insufficient, the system tries to recover the losses through a mechanism that allows the countries in which the parent companies reside to also tax the profits made abroad. This is good, but it is less good that the money is pocketed by the states that are lucky enough to host the parent companies, usually the richest.

However, this injustice could be remedied if that money were donated to funds created to provide assistance to the countries of the South of the world, primarily the ones against climate change.

The third proposal is the invitation to seriously tax the incomes and assets of the richest. This would allow not only to raise funds to be allocated to the fight against climate change, but to directly reduce carbon dioxide emissions since 50% of all carbon dioxide emitted annually worldwide is due to consumption by the richest 10% of the world’s population.

It is a class without borders, considering that billionaires are found not only in North America, Europe, and Japan but also in China, India, and Latin America. Therefore, the responsibility for fair taxation falls on all the countries of the world, but above all on those with a high per capita income. (Open Photo: 123rf.com)

Francesco Gesualdi

Maya. The Magic Town.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

The ltzaes, a brave and peaceful group of Maya have been in these lands since time immemorial.

They were led by a priest named Zamna, and while they were resting after their arduous journey, he recalled the words spoken to him by the queen of Atlantis: “Our land will disappear within one moon. Since you are the wisest and best of my people, I have chosen you as a guide and messenger of my commands.”

“Choose a group of families and three chilames. You shall go to a place which I will show you, and there you will find a city. You will build a high temple and beneath it, you will keep the texts that recount our history, and those that will be written in the future.”

“You and the chosen ones shall sail to the west in nine ships. After nine days you will find an uninhabited land with rivers and mountains, and there you will enter. You will wait until you find water, and there you shall find the city as I have commanded you”.

On the second day of sailing, after they had set off, a storm sank two of two boats. Zamna thought that the end had come for the group,
but the storm waned.

Finally, they came to the uninhabited land of rivers and mountains foretold by the queen, but there was no water: the land was dry, and covered in a strange plant, very green, with hard, sharp, pointed leaves.

Suddenly the sky became dark and heavy rain began to fall. The travellers were happy to receive this water from heaven, but they did not know how long it would last, so Zamna arranged for some
of it to be stored.

As he passed by one of the strange plants, a torn spear his foot. When the Itzaes saw this, they punished the plant by cutting off the leaf and beating it violently against the stones of the place.

However, Zamna noticed that the leaves produced a tough fibre that could be useful for the people. He realized that his wound had been a sign, and ordered them to stop punishing the plant.

Meanwhile, the rain continued, and the water flowed through a gap in the rocks. Zamna followed the stream and discovered the place
indicated by the queen.

So, then the priest joined the vitality of the water, the power of heaven, the essence of the chosen ones, and the strength of the plant – which he named henequen – and he founded the great city we now known as Izamal. (Photo:123rf.com)

(Mayan Legend)

World Youth Day. Pope Francis: “Each of us is an “original”.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

More than one and a half million people took part in World Youth Day (Lisbon, 1- 6 August). Fragments of the Pope’s speeches.

“You are not here by accident. The Lord has called you, not only in these days but from the very beginning of your days. He called you by name. Each of us is called by name. You, you and you, all of us here, myself included: all of us have been called by name. None of us is a Christian by chance; all of us were called by name. In God’s eyes, we are precious children, and he calls us each day in order to embrace and encourage us, to make of us a unique and original masterpiece. Each of us is an “original”, whose beauty we can only begin to glimpse.” (Welcome Ceremony of the Young at the Parque Eduardo VII”.

“I would encourage you, then, to keep seeking and to be ready to take risks. At this moment in time, we are facing enormous challenges; we hear the painful plea of so many people. Indeed, we are experiencing a third world war fought piecemeal. Yet, 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.” (Meeting with university students at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa of Lisbon)

“Jesus dries our hidden tears with his tenderness. Jesus wishes to relieve our loneliness with his closeness. Moments of loneliness are sad indeed, yet Jesus is there; he wants to relieve that loneliness. Jesus wishes to calm our fears, your fears, my fears; he wants to calm those deep fears with his consolation. He also desires to encourage us to embrace the risk of loving. Indeed, you know it well, better than I do, that to love is risky. We must take the risk of loving. Yet, though it is a risk, it is a risk worth taking, and Jesus accompanies us as we do. He always accompanies us, always walks with us. Throughout our lives, he is always by our side.” (Stations of the Cross with Young People)

“Yet 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!” (At the conclusion of the Holy Mass for World Youth Day)

Before concluding the World Youth Day, Pope Francis invited young people “from all over the world” in Rome for the Jubilee and announced Seoul, South Korea, as the next World Youth Day site. The event will take place in 2027. He also invited the young people present to come to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, calling it the “Jubilee of Young People”. (Photo Vatican media)

Dominican Republic. The Gateway to North and South America.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

A painful story that continues today. Internal tensions have favoured the spread of corruption. Difficult union with Haiti. Privileged relationship with the United States. Increasing tourism.

The Dominican Republic is located on Hispaniola Island which it shares with Haiti, which borders it to the west. It occupies about two-thirds of the entire territory of the eastern side which corresponds to an area of 48,671 km². The country is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Mona Passage which separates it from Puerto Rico.
The territory is mainly mountainous, with a series of successive chains from west to east. In particular, in the Cordillera Central, there are peaks that reach considerable heights and among these, the Pico Duarte stands at 3,098 m. representing the highest point not only of the country but of all the Caribbean islands.

123rf.com

The hydrographic network is quite developed and is characterized by five main basins of which the Rio Yaque del Norte, which flows for 296 km, is the longest and most important river in the Dominican Republic. There are also several lake basins scattered throughout the territory, but generally small in size with the exception of the saline Lake Enriquillo, whose surface area of 265 km² makes it the largest in the Caribbean.
The history of the island, as with most of the countries in the area, has been strongly conditioned by the effects of colonization and this can already be seen from the name that was assigned to it in 1492 upon the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

Santo Domingo. The Christopher Columbus Monument.

Since then, Hispaniola assumed a high strategic value by serving as a logistic base to be used for penetration into the southern region of the American continent. This resulted in the extermination of the aboriginal population, the Taina, in less than 25 years, and the occupation of the territory rich in gold mines and arable land in which a growing number of African slaves imported massively by the Spaniards was employed in the first twenty years of the 1500s.
In 1520, the Spaniards lost interest in the island leaving it in the hands of a local governor to head towards new lands. This facilitated the penetration of English, French and Dutch explorers into the western area which corresponds to present-day Haiti. Among these, the French had the upper hand and after having officially obtained a third of the territory from the Spanish crown calling it Isle de Saint Domingue, they converted the area to sugar production, transforming it into one of the richest colonies in the world and the most lucrative in the Caribbean, obviously backed by a cruel system of slavery.

The rivalry between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
At the beginning of the 1800s, the echoes of the French Revolution reached the Caribbean Island, generating insurrections among the population after years of terrible mistreatment. This resulted in the declaration of war against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte which, in 1804, gave rise to the independence of Saint Domingue which was renamed ‘Haiti’, i.e., land of high mountains, going down in history as the first independent nation in Latin America and the oldest
Black republic in the world.

Juan Pablo Duarte, founder of the Dominican Republic. Oil portrait of Duarte by Dominican artist Abelardo Rodríguez Urdaneta.

All this was won at a very high price as Haiti was obliged by the French until 1947 to pay a gigantic indemnity to compensate for the money, they would not have received due to the lack of exploitation of the territory.
The eastern part of the island that remained under Spanish rule declared itself independent in 1821 under the name of ‘Spanish’ Haiti. This condition, however, lasted just two months since in 1822 it suffered the occupation of neighbouring French Haiti, which lasted for more than two decades, giving rise to countless social conflicts that are still present today. In fact, Haiti governed with the aim of unifying the island and to do so it adopted drastic repressive measures such as the prohibition of the use of Spanish in official documents, the introduction of French in primary education, and the limitation of Spanish cultural traditions. In addition, the French government enacted land reform that harmed white landowners and forced Dominicans to contribute to the payment of the huge Haitian debt. From the Dominican perspective, these actions were seen as a forced ‘Haitianization’ which resulted in the birth of a secret separatist group which succeeded in declaring independence in 1844. It was only then that the eastern part of the island began to call itself the Dominican Republic which, however, in the 20th century underwent a new occupation by the United States.

At the Border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. CC BY 2.0/Alex Proimos

These historical processes led to very strong social inequality between the two parts of the island that identify themselves as two distinct peoples. In the genesis of the two states, we can thus grasp the reasons for the rivalry, not yet completely dormant, which has characterized the relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Haitian occupation and the clashes that took place in the following decades have, in fact, compromised relations between the two countries; the rivalry has been renewed and exacerbated several times in the course of recent history, also in conjunction with the increase in illegal migratory flows of the Haitian population towards Dominican territory. Furthermore, the subsequent economic imbalance between the two countries achieved over the years has led many Haitians to cross the border. For many generations, in fact, Haitian farmers have been key elements in the development of the Dominican economy as a low-cost labour force. This phenomenon is still very much felt today and constitutes a real problem for the country. In fact, considerable flows of migrants depart from Haiti to cross the borders illegally to find work in the fields of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, generating a situation of difficult coexistence. In February 2022, the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader announced and commenced the construction of a 164 km barrier along the border with Haiti, aimed at stopping illegal immigration and drug trafficking. (Photo: 123rf.com) – F.R.

Green hydrogen: To transform Mauritania into a Euro-African regional hub.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

The sustainability of the energy sector and the search for clean and low-carbon energy technologies are the basis of the European Union’s strategy on energy policy which has as its main objective the so-called carbon “neutrality” by 2050.

Europe, in addition to increasing the domestic production of clean energy, aims to diversify its import basket, ensuring the supply of “green” energy resources. Among the renewable energy sources is green hydrogen, defined in this way because its production does not cause greenhouse gas emissions and can be achieved through the electrolysis of water, i.e., a process in which the H2O molecule is split into hydrogen and oxygen by an electric current.

Despite the lack of sufficient efforts to increase the production of hydrogen, it also seems to play a decisive role in the decarbonisation of some highly polluting sectors, such as the chemical and steel industries.

Even Goldman Sachs has underlined its importance and has estimated that the global hydrogen market should reach a total value of one trillion dollars within 30 years. It is actually estimated that the global demand for hydrogen will increase sevenfold by 2050, the date chosen by the European Green Deal for achieving carbon neutrality.

In fact, in 2020, as part of the energy transition objectives, the European Union adopted a plan that aims to support investments, infrastructure and hydrogen research which should represent 13-14% of the European energy mix of 2050.

In order to pursue this goal, the European Union adopted, in May 2022, the REPowerEu plan, and established that by 2030 European countries will have to produce 10 million tons of green hydrogen and import another 10 to diversify the energy portfolio and make it more “green”. However, the investment costs for achieving these objectives are well above the 20 billion provided by the REPowerEu that the European Union has allocated to the production of green hydrogen.

Currently, to fill the investment gap, a European Hydrogen Bank has been set up to support the production of 10 tonnes of green hydrogen which, according to recent estimates by the European Commission, would need further investments of between 335 and 471 billion Euro. According to the EU, most of these funds will have to come from private capital with loans expected to reach 115 billion, a figure that remains lower than the foreseen cost.

In parallel, the European Union had identified Ukraine as a possible ideal exporter of green hydrogen for Europe as Kiev had guaranteed the production of 10GW of hydrogen by 2030. Despite the war between Russia and Ukraine, in February 2023, the President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen signed a strategic partnership on biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic gas with Ukraine which, however, probably, due to the uncertainties related to the conflict, will not be able to respect the promised investments in the field of renewables.

In the immediate term, this lack of funds, combined with the ambitious objectives of the European Union, forces member countries to find green hydrogen elsewhere, including Africa where, if properly exploited, trends towards decarbonisation and energy diversification can be translated into great economic opportunities and great profits for emerging countries such as Mauritania.

In fact, Mauritania has embarked on its courageous “green” policy which aims to mobilize and develop the country’s vast resources, in particular renewable energies, iron ore, and gas, with the hope of reducing the caused by gas emissions by 92% by 2030 and increase the share of renewables in its energy mix by up to 60%. To achieve this goal, the country has developed a series of projects and accords.

First of all, there is the AMAN project, signed in May 2022, in partnership with the Australian company leader in renewables CWP Global, which envisages the construction of a plant with a total value of 40 billion dollars which will produce 1.7 million tons of green hydrogen and will become Africa’s largest hydrogen hub.

According to estimates, this project alone should contribute to an increase in Mauritanian GDP of 50-60% by 2035. In 2021, the NOUR project was also launched, signed with the English multinational Chariot Limited which envisages the construction of a plant for the production of green hydrogen on an onshore and offshore area of over 14,000 square kilometres. According to the company, this project would make Mauritania “the cheapest green hydrogen producer in Africa”.

Furthermore, during the COP27 last November, the multinational BP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh el-Ghazouani aimed at studying the feasibility of some projects which, if implemented, would lead to the production of around 2 million tons of green hydrogen per year.

Finally, in March 2023, Infinity Power Holding (a joint venture between the Egyptian Infinity and the Emirate Masdar) and the German company Conjuncta GmbH signed an agreement with the government of Mauritania worth a total of 34 billion dollars for the construction of a hydrogen plant which will be completed in 2028 and will have a production capacity of 8 million tons of green hydrogen per year. This project is particularly relevant for Germany to reshape its energy basket.

Hand in hand, as evidence of Mauritania’s attempt to become
a global hub of green hydrogen, there is the formation of the so-called Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, of which Nouakchott is part with
five other African countries, namely Egypt, Kenya,
Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.

This alliance aims to promote cooperation in the development of green hydrogen that could sustainably industrialize Africa, increasing the GDP of member countries from 6% to 12% for an economic return of 126 billion dollars. The AGHA allowed Mauritania to exercise real “hydrogen diplomacy” towards some 200 representatives of African governments who gathered on April 13 and 14 in Nouakchott for the Africa Green Hydrogen Finance Accelerator Forum, convened with the support of the Alliance and the United Nations.

The Forum, which met with the aim of discussing new projects to be implemented to accelerate the production of energy from renewable sources and green hydrogen, concluded with a request from the Mauritanian government sent to the World Bank and the IMF to actively intervene for the development of green hydrogen in Africa.

The hydrogen market will play a central role in pursuing the European strategy of energy transition and security, since Europe will necessarily have to resort to the import of renewable energies if it wants to achieve its objectives in the field of sustainability. Although Morocco and Egypt are candidates as ideal exporters of green hydrogen, by virtue of the agreements that have been signed with the European Union, the latter does not want to repeat the same mistake made with Russia, i.e., relying on a single (or few) energy partner.

In parallel, the need to diversify sustainable investments, while respecting the condition of energy security, will likely increase Mauritania’s chances of transforming itself into a regional green hydrogen hub, thanks also to investment costs that have been judged lower than in other countries. (Open Photo: 123rf.com)

Alessandro Di Martino
C.e.S.I.

Political Life.

Friday, 1 September 2023 8:00

The Dominican Republic is a presidential republic based on the system of representative democracy with a Head of State directly elected by the people every 4 years.

The president exercises executive power through a government directly appointed by him and he is the head of the three-armed forces present in the country: the army, the navy, and the air force. Congress, which manages the legislative branch, is made up of two houses of parliament, the House and the Senate, whose members are elected every 4 years. The Senate represents the Dominican provinces and is made up of 32 members, one for each province plus the representative of the Capital District who elects a senator. The Chamber of Deputies is made up of 190 representatives: 178 are elected proportionally by vote, 7 are the deputies abroad and 5 are chosen from among the parties without representation based on the number of votes. Then there is the judicial power entrusted to the Supreme Court at the national level, while the courts of appeal, the courts of first instance, and the justices of the peace deal with territorial justice.
There are about 15 parties that lead the country’s political life, although only three of these represent the majority. The Social-Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), in the centre-right, and the two heirs of the Dominican Revolutionary Party which died out in the 1990s: the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), both in the centre-left.

The Chamber of Deputies. Photo: CD Office.

The 2020 elections registered the victory of the PRM with the candidate Luìs Abinader. This was a remarkable event in the political life of the country since the undisputed domination of the PLD that had governed for 20 of the last 24 years has now been supplanted. Among the factors that led to this change of pace is undoubtedly the international Odebrecht scandal, which gave rise to the demonstrations against corruption that took the name of ‘Marcha Verde’. Odebrecht S.A. is the leading Brazilian multinational in the sector of infrastructural development and the chemical industry, with significant investments also in the energy sector. The company (established in 1944) from Salvador of Bahia was able to establish itself on a global level also using the tested system of paying bribes for the achievement of important tenders.
The scandal broke in 2017 and drove many Dominicans into the streets to denounce corruption and rampant impunity, cronyism, and continuity in the management of power in the hands of the party that had governed without interruption for about 16 years.
The movement, in which the middle class also participated, intended to unite different associations and organizations, urban and rural, alternating national, regional, and local events over time. The protests found a new impetus in January 2020, following the interruption of the electoral process concerning the renewal of local offices, as a result of the non-functioning of the automated voting system, introduced for the first time on that occasion.
From an international point of view, the country experiences periodic disputes with Haiti generated by migration issues and illicit trafficking along the border. Nonetheless, it has a strong commercial link which makes the neighbouring country its second largest export market.

Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, 54th President of the Dominican Republic. (Photo. Pres. Office)

The Dominican Republic enjoys a highly privileged relationship with the United States, a bond that has been reinvigorated on several occasions over the years. Indeed, the country has contributed a significant military contingent to the US mission in Iraq. In addition, joint strategies for security and the fight against drug trafficking were agreed and the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement (Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement) was concluded in 2004.
In 2009 the United States supported the Dominican Republic in negotiating with the International Monetary Fund to receive the disbursement of loans and insisted that the debt agreement existing between the Paris Club and the Dominican Republic be renegotiated in favour of the latter (2004). Currently, more than 2 million Dominicans reside in the United States. US bilateral aid to the Dominican Republic in 2021 totalled $30.75 million in 2021, of which approximately $23.3 million is for global health.

More than 2 million Dominicans reside in the United States.123rf.com

Despite the intense ties with the United States, in 2018 the country increased diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, recognizing it only and exclusively as ‘legitimate China’. This follows an offer from the Chinese side of 3.1 billion dollars, to be invested in infrastructure projects, and in particular for the construction of a new expressway and a new natural gas thermoelectric plant. It would seem, however, that although President Abinader intends to continue promoting and developing trade between the two countries, at the same time he is not in favour of entrusting the Chinese counterpart with investments for the construction of strategic works, such as ports and infrastructure.In terms of energy, Venezuela plays an important role in supplying the country. In 2005, an agreement was signed between the two states within Petrocaribe, aimed at ensuring the supply of Venezuelan oil at advantageous prices. (Open Photo: Santo Domingo National Palace. (CC BY-SA 2.0/ Jean-Marc Astesana)

Filippo Romeo

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