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Books. Spring Reading.

Three interesting books for this spring.

The modern world is built on commodities – from the oil that fuels our cars to the metals that power our smartphones. We rarely stop to consider where they come from. But we should.
In “The World for Sale”, two leading journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy lift the lid on one of the least scrutinised corners of the economy: the workings of the billionaire commodity traders who buy, hoard and sell the earth’s resources.

It is the story of how a handful of swashbuckling businessmen became indispensable cogs in global markets: enabling an enormous expansion in international trade, and connecting resource-rich countries – no matter how corrupt or war-torn – with the world’s financial centres.
And it is the story of how some traders acquired untold political power, right under the noses of Western regulators and politicians – helping Saddam Hussein to sell his oil, fuelling the Libyan rebel army during the Arab Spring, and funnelling cash to Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin in spite of strict sanctions. The result is an eye-opening tour through the wildest frontiers of the global economy, as well as a revelatory guide to how capitalism really works.
Javier Blas and Jack Farchy are journalists at Bloomberg, where Blas is a columnist specialising in energy and commodities while Farchy is a senior report covering natural resource.
The World For Sale, Money, Power nad the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resouces,Javier Blas & Jack Farchy, Penguin Books, 2022, London, 410 pages.

The history of the last half-century in America, Europe, and other major economies is in large part the story of wealth flowing upward. The most affluent people emerged from capitalism’s triumph in the Cold War to loot the peace, depriving governments of the resources needed to serve their people, and leaving them tragically unprepared for the worst pandemic in a century.
Drawing on decades of experience covering the global economy, award-winning journalist Peter S. Goodman profiles five representatives “Davos Men” – members of the billionaire class – chronicling how their shocking exploitation of the global pandemic has hastened a fifty-year trend of wealth centralization.

Alongside this reporting, Goodman delivers textured portraits of those caught in Davos Man’s wake, including a former steelworker in the American Midwest, a Bangladeshi migrant in Qatar, a Seattle doctor on the front lines of the fight against COVID, blue-collar workers in the tenements of Buenos Aires, an African immigrant in Sweden, a textile manufacturer in Italy, an Amazon warehouse employee in New York City, and more.
Goodman’s revelatory exposé of the global billionaire class reveals their hidden impact on nearly every aspect of modern society: widening wealth inequality, the rise of anti-democratic nationalism, the shrinking opportunity to earn a livable wage, the vulnerabilities of our health-care systems, access to affordable housing, unequal taxation, and even the quality of the shirt on your back. Meticulously reported yet compulsively readable, Davos Man is an essential read for anyone concerned about economic justice, the capacity of societies to grapple with their greatest challenges, and the sanctity of representative government.
Peter S. Goodman is the Global Economics Correspondent for the New York Times, based in London.
How The Billionaires Devouted The World, Peter S. Goodman, Custom House, 2022, New York, 472 pages.

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 War in Ukraine, a global hunger crisis, the West’s cost of living crisis – the eruptions of 2022 were all too predictable. In Price Wars, Rupert Russell lays out just how these crises are connected and how many such events plunged the 2010s into a decade of turmoil.
Entering the eye of the storm – from the trenches of Russian separatist-controlled Donbas to bomb disposal squads in Mosul to cattle raiders in Kenya – Russell discovers a butterfly effect of chaos in the real world being driven by chaos in the commodities markets.

The price of food and oil has the power to bankroll foreign invasions, plunge continents into poverty and spark revolutions, civil wars and refugee crises. And these prices, whistle-blowing hedge fund managers and Nobel Prize winners told him, have become irrational. In this thrilling expose of the dark financial forces that rule our world, Russell takes us on adventure into the inner workings of global disorder unlike any other.
Rupert Russell is a writer and filmmaker. He has filmed in twenty countries and made two award-winning documentaries. He has a PhD in Sociology from Harvard and has published in the Independent, Dazed and Salon. Price Wars is his first book. (Open Photo: 123rf)
Price Wars, How Chaotic Markets Are Creating a Chaotic World, Rupert Russell, Orion Publishing Co, 2023, London, 340 pages.

Japan and the Philippines Closer to Responding to China.

The two countries are preparing to increase cooperation in the military and strategic fields. Both countries share the same concerns about China and have unresolved territorial disputes with Beijing.

 For the first time since 1945, the Japanese Air Force participated in the military exercises of the Army of the Philippines which were held from November 27 to December 11. Tokyo Air Force General Izutsu Shunji stressed the importance of Japanese pilots participating in Philippine Air Force manoeuvres to enhance Japanese defence capabilities, while Connor Anthony Canlas, Commander-in-Chief Air Force Manila expressed his satisfaction, welcoming the two Japanese F-15s that took part in the war simulations for two weeks, emphasizing that Japan and the Philippines are now allies. An alliance in fact and certainly not accidental, considering how the Philippines were occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War, suffering the violence of the imperial troops who aimed to exploit the resources of the archipelago (primarily oil) to establish the Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

A Japan Air Self Defense Force F-15. CC BY-SA 4.0/ Angelique Perez

Dreams of imperialist greatness vanished and were relegated to history books in favour of decidedly more modern needs: China and its expansion in the Pacific.However, Japan and the Philippines are not only united by alignment with Washington and a common sense of insecurity deriving from Chinese ambitions to oust the United States from the Pacific, but also by territorial disputes that both countries continue with against Beijing for sovereignty over small islets in the middle of the ocean. Japan is trying to resolve a diplomatic conflict with China over the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands dossier, in whose waters fishing boats and coastguard vessels from their respective captaincies compete to guarantee access or to prevent it depending on the situation. There have been numerous attempts to resolve the issue, but Japan, which officially has sovereignty over the Islands, has always refused arbitration on the matter. What is certain is that China and Japan could be tempted by the immense reserves of raw materials potentially present under the oceanic crust of the islands rather than by their waters teeming with fish.

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

A different bone of contention is that of the Spratly Islands. A different case to that of the Senkaku/Diaoyu because in the case of the Spratly, there is a legal solution. In 2016, the International Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of the Philippines, dismantling Chinese territorial claims to the archipelago. Claims which, however, continue in the face of an unfavourable judgment (not binding in themselves as arbitration, but still an expression of current law): at the time, Xi Jinping declared that Chinese territorial claims would continue despite the sentence and the English-language press linked to the Communist Party of China went so far as to accuse the judges of having passed judgment on political grounds.
The war in Ukraine, with its (more or less exact) comparisons with the situation in Taiwan, prompted Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in recent months to visit various countries in South-East Asia.
In fact, Japan entered into military cooperation with Vietnam in 2021 (another country that perceives China as an uncomfortable neighbour) and with Thailand and Cambodia in 2022.

Senkaku Islands. CC BY-SA 3.0/ BehBeh

The main objective was to consolidate the Japanese role, but also and above all to make Beijing understand that Tokyo’s understanding with the various regional players in the Indo-Pacific is high.
Of all the local countries, however, the Philippines is, in all probability, the one with which Japan has the most understanding on the basis of the respective open fronts with Beijing.In the case of the Philippines, in particular, Beijing has shown that it is willing to override international law to continue on the path of revisionist and potentially aggressive foreign policy. However, it is difficult to say whether and to what extent the alliance of Indo-Pacific countries sharing diplomatic frictions with Beijing will intervene in the event of a direct confrontation with China, especially concerning the ‘hot’ issue of Taiwan. (Open Photo: The Izumo DDH-183, the first ship of the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer (22DDH) of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Izumo DDH-183). CC BY 4.0/Kaijō Jieitai)

Enrico Breveglieri

 

 

Uganda. Acholi Marriage. Not before Sunset.

The Acholi people live in Northern Uganda. They have a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Most of it is expressed in a wide variety of rites, dance, and music. We look at Acholi traditional marriage.

Marriage is still one of the biggest ceremonies among the Acholi. Preparing for a traditional marriage among the people of Acholi can take a whole year. Before a marriage can occur, the parties involved in a marriage are supposed to have agreed on the terms of the marriage.
It usually starts when a young man has identified a girl he likes and is ready to marry her.
Though in the past, young men had no say in whom they wanted to marry because their parents would decide on which girl and family he is going to marry; young people were not given any chance for courtship or getting to know each other like it is today.

“The parents of the boy would find a hardworking, well-disciplined young lady. Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0/Rod Waddington

The parents of the boy would find a hardworking, well-disciplined young lady and they would look for the family she comes from. From there they would investigate it to see if the people in the family were well-behaved and hardworking, and if it is what they are looking for, they will contact the girl’s parents and pronounce their intention for the visit.
The girl’s father, brothers and uncles sit together and draft a letter which is referred to as an assessment letter. In this letter a list of things supposed to be presented at the ceremony of the traditional marriage, is indicated. There is no standard bride price among the Acholi as it depends on the family.
Among the items requested, if a boy has had a child with the girl before paying the bride price, he will be requested to pay what they call, luk pa latin or lutino (fine for having child or children with girl before marriage); if he has lived with her before paying the bride price, he will be asked to luk pa nyako (fine for living with the girl without marrying her).
Other requirements include hander kerchief,  ayenya (when the girl stays with a boy without marriage and her parents find her at his home), obal kare (sitting allowance), lapeny dog nyako (acknowledging the groom), luk loducu (fine) a lamp, carton of match box, washing and bathing soap, envelope with money to respect mother of bride, suit for father of bride, chair for father of bride, gomesi (cloth for bride’s mother), sugar, tea leaves, transport fare for relatives from a distance (onyon coro), two goats for paternal aunt, two goats for maternal uncle, money to make mother’s dress, a big sauce pan, goats (depends on family between 10 onward), cows (depending on family from 10 onwards) then money, this also depends on the family.

Preparing for a traditional marriage among the people of Acholi can take a whole year. Photo:123rf

However, a princess’ bride price differs from the ordinary Acholi girl, in addition to what is usually requested, the groom will be required to also bring leopard skin, beads, bangle, a spear, and a shield made from the ears of an elephant or an equivalent in monetary terms.
When the groom’s family receives the assessment letter they will reply stating to the bride’s family when they would visit to bring the bride price. This time they will prepare themselves and make sure they have everything requested for by the bride’s family. When taking the bride price, it is a difficult time for the groom’s entourage unless they have a good negotiator because bride price in Acholi is all about negotiation skills and being humble to your in-laws if you fail to negotiate, and to take what they have requested for you can easily be sent away without the bride. The elders in Acholi say a lady’s bride price does not enter a home before sunset (keny pa nyako pe donyo I gang idye ceng). On D-day, the bride’s family prepares to receive their guests; they cook Acholi traditional dishes which will include dek ngor (shelled and mashed pigeon peas, peanut butter with a sprinkle of shea butter); smoked meat in peanut butter (olel), chicken, boo (cow peas pasted with peanut butter), which will be served with millet meal (kwon kal), sweet potatoes, or cassava. Then there will be a lot of alcohol and other soft drinks.At sunset, when the groom entourage arrives, the number of guests is dictated by the bride’s family. They are welcomed by ululation from wayo (paternal aunt of bride) and songs. When they reach the compound of the bride, they are expected to go into the family house where the negotiation will take place.
All guests in the groom’s entourage will be requested to take off their shoes and get on their knees, as they enter the family house (ot pa maro) while crawling because the Acholi culture dictates that a young man has to show respect to his mother-in-law by crawling in the house. If anyone in the entourage enters the house walking, he will pay a cash fine which will be decided by his in-laws.

Acholi Village in the North of Uganda.

While in the house, the groom’s entourage sits down on mats already prepared for them because they are not yet allowed to sit on the chairs together with the bride’s relatives. Also, they are not expected to look around the house, and they should sit still not to turn around or look up and down lest they will be fined for disrespecting your mother in-law.
While in the house, the bride’s uncles and brothers will be waiting for groom and his people so that the negotiations start, which can go right into the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning. The bride’s father has no say in this whole ceremony; he sits and just stares as his clan’s men make the decision on his daughter.
The mother of the bride and all the other women in the family will not be present while all these negotiations begin. After greeting the guests they are expected to walk out and only the paternal aunt will be present while these negotiations take place.
Once both sides have agreed and the bride price is paid, the paternal aunt will make a ululation to alert the other members of the family, outside this negotiation, that the bride price has been paid and celebrations can begin.

Acholi Dancers. CC BY-SA 4.0/Bettycath

All the while, the bride only comes to greet the visitors and to acknowledge that she likes the groom and will only return after the bride price is paid.  After the ululation, the entourage gets special treatment, but before the bride price is paid, they are ignored and no one gives them food or water to drink or any snack to eat.
This is the time the bride’s family will boil water for bathing for the groom’s entourage, give them water to drink, food, alcohol, soft drinks, and the merry making will begin. Both sides will come together as a family and will sing and dance together, they will sing songs to mock each other but will dance together and sing together in the mockery.
The merry making will go on for two or three days depending on the family of the bride. If the bride is from a wealthy family and they can entertain the groom’s entourage for more than two days they will go on.  Since the paternal aunt receives a goat, she is expected to prepare food and bring it to the groom’s entourage at the feast.
Lakwena (messenger) is a person who is sent to deliver messages to the groom family and vice versa. He, too, is appreciated with a goat from the groom’s family so he is also supposed to prepare a feast for the groom’s entourage after the feast from the bride’s family. Lakwena is always related to the bride could be an uncle or brother.
After all the feasts the bride will have another ceremony by her family to send her off to her husband’s home where she will be given cooking pots, dishes, and other household utensils to go start a home.

Another interesting culture about the Acholi and marriages is that a man can live with a woman without paying her bride price, but once she dies, her family will not bury her before the man pays him (bride price).
The Acholi traditional marriage is one of the most expensive marriages in Uganda which has sometimes scared away young men grooms because of exorbitant prices.
Today, the cultural institution (Rwot Kaka) in Acholi is working round the clock to see that marriage in Acholi is simplified. The deputy Paramount chief of Acholi stated that they forwarded the by-laws to parliament for guidance to effect punishments if someone disobeys the law.
According to the by-laws one will be required to present a lamp, litre of paraffin, laundry and bar soap, a carton of match box, a saucepan (nyal ber) stool and suit for the father-in-law, a gomesi for mother-in-law and cigarettes. Other items will include a goat for uncle, paternal aunt, another for preparing a marital home. Other requirements include facilitation for marriage committee, six goats and six cows for dowry bride price or an equivalent in money.
For a woman from a royal family, a groom will be requested to present a leopard skin, bangle, and beads and if an abnormal birth, the groom is expected to present a sheep and white hen for rituals.

Irene Lamun

DR Congo. Pope Francis. “Hands off Africa!”

“Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited or a land to be plundered”, says Pope Francis. And he invites the church to be close to the people with compassion, consolation and reconciliation. No scheming or compromises with power. “We must raise our voices for the people and for justice.” From Kinshasa, Celin Avil reports.

From the plane, Pope Francis can see the expanses of sheet metal shacks that surround Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which with its 15 million inhabitants is one of the largest urban agglomerations on the continent.
The ITA Airways Airbus A350 lands softly at Ndolo airport. The Pope is met by the damp tropical heat and an overcast sky. He is received by representatives of the government and of the local church. After brief greetings, Pope Francis leaves the airport for the Palais de la Nation north of Kinshasa on the banks of the Congo River. Along the way, there are thousands of people on the roofs, bridges and sidewalks.

Arriving at the Palais de la Nation, the Pontiff sits next to the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi. “Welcome”: the Congolese president repeats it five times to the Pope, in French and in the other four national languages of the country, Lingala, Kikongo, Kingwana, Tshiluba. He describes the nation – 26 provinces in which over 450 tribes live – with a rich and harmonious cultural diversity, which has not been “a factor of separation”, but “a ferment for the advent of a land of peace and hospitality, as well as welcoming for the peoples of Africa and the world”. Regretfully, in the last three decades, says the head of State, this “has been undermined by enemies of peace and by terrorist groups, especially from neighbouring countries”, and unfortunately, for almost thirty years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been tormented by violence, while armed groups, supported by foreign powers interested in the riches of the subsoil, commit cruel atrocities.

Pope Francis with the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi. Photo: Vatican Media.

The head of State affirms that the Congolese people will continue to defend the integrity of their country and that the values of sharing, equity and responsibility can serve as the basis for building a more just and humane society.
Having expressed his thanks, Pope Francis immediately goes to the heart of the problem, recalling how over the decades, exploitation has changed form, from political to economic, leading to the paradox that the fruits of the earth make the country “foreign to its inhabitants”. The pontiff, with a determined gaze, repeats: “Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hands off Africa! Enough of oppression. Africa is not a mine to be exploited or a land to be plundered. May Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny! Africa deserves space and attention, respect and listening”.

‘Peace be with you’
The following day, in the large area of Kinshasa’s Ndolo airport, over a million people attended the Pope’s first and only public mass with a liturgy full of joy, dancing and singing.
Pope Francis addressed the faithful with a homily entirely focused on peace and its sources. “In a world discouraged by violence and war, Christians must do as Jesus did. Quite insistently, he repeatedly said to his disciples: ‘Peace be with you!’ and we are called to make our own and tell the world of this unexpected and prophetic announcement of peace”.

Over a million people attended the Pope’s first and only public mass with a liturgy full of joy, dancing and singing. Photo: Vatican Media

The pope recalls the example of Jesus: “He himself shows us three sources of peace, three sources for continuing to nourish it. They are forgiveness, community and mission”. For forgiveness, he says: “He knows your wounds, he knows the wounds of your country, of your people, of your land! They are burning wounds, continually infected by hatred and violence, while the medicine of justice and the balm of hope never seem to arrive. Brother, sister, Jesus suffers with you, he sees the wounds you carry inside and wants to console you and heal you, offering you his wounded Heart…Together today we believe that with Jesus there is always the possibility of being forgiven and starting over, as well as the strength to forgive yourself, others and history!”.
The pope speaks of amnesty of the heart: “May the time be right for you, who carry a heavy burden in your hearts and need to be relieved of it to breathe again” and he invites the faithful to write ‘Peace be with you’ in their rooms, on their clothes and outside their houses. He asks the community to stay together but “not to go ahead alone, seeking power, career, ambitions in society or even in the Church”.
The Congolese Catholic Church continues to be among the most vivacious in Africa, with a growth in the faithful who represent about 33% of the population which is 90% Christian and high Mass attendance, even among young people. And it can count on more than 4,000 diocesan priests and 11,000 religious engaged in the various areas of pastoral care. There is also no shortage of lay activism, with numerous lay associations and movements.

Victims of violence and war in the East
There was a moment full of emotion when meeting with representatives of the victims of the wars in particular from the east of the country, in Ituri, in North and South Kivu.
Hearing the terrible experiences recounted by the victims, Pope Francis’s face became sad and tears came to his eyes. Their stories seem impossible, extreme horror stories.
Francis thanked them for their courage, lamenting how the world is oblivious to all these tragedies.

Villagers going to the local market in Bogoro walk past a Bangladeshi patrol unit of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). UN Photo/Martine Perret.

Peace in the country depends on peace in the east. The Pope condemns violence at all levels. Personal and collective violence. He recalls that the causes are internal and external to the nation. His prayer is also for the conversion of the authors of these sad stories. Gun violence is provoked by the lust for possessions for their own sake.
He then addresses the perpetrators of violence and invites them to put an end to the war created and fuelled to enrich some at the expense of the poorest. Enough! Enough! But then, what are we to do? We must say no to violence with no ifs or buts. Hatred and violence are unacceptable, especially for Christians. God is a God of peace. Greed, envy, and resentment are the basis of violence, and they must be eradicated.
What is being asked is the disarming of the heart while maintaining the strength to be indignant in the face of evil and to denounce it. No to discouragement and fear. No more violence, resentment, or simple resignation. Yes, to reconciliation, to forgiveness, because these break the circle of violence.

The bishops, close to the people
Before departing from Ndolo airport, the Pope met the bishops of the 48 Congolese ecclesiastical circumscriptions and thanked them for the days spent in this land which, with its great forests, is the ‘green heart’ of Africa and lungs for the world.
The pope asks for them to be defended against the rapacity of humans. The forest is an image that speaks to our faith: we need to breathe the pure air of the Gospel. The Church is very important in the DRC, but it is also its lungs, breathing for the universal Church.

Pope Francis said to the bishops: “We must raise our voices on behalf of the people and for justice.” Photo: Vatican Media

The pope recalls that bishops are the voice of God who touches people’s wounds. Being close to God brings them close to people with compassion, consolation, and reconciliation.
The Pope also suggests some paths for effective pastoral care: uproot the plants of hatred and selfishness, of rancour and violence; overthrow the altars dedicated to money and corruption; build coexistence based on justice, truth and peace.
Pope Francis concludes: “Announce the Word, denounce evil, awaken consciences and comfort those who are afflicted and without hope. Console the people. Closeness and testimony go hand in hand. Closeness to priests, first of all, to pastoral workers and people to build harmony without putting yourself on a pedestal. No scheming or compromise with power. We must raise our voices on behalf of the people and for justice”. (Open Photo: Along the way, there are thousands of people on the roofs, bridges and sidewalks. Photo: Vatican Media)

 

 

Pope Francis to Congolese Youth.

Looking at the hands with which a different future can be built, Pope Francis suggests “five ingredients for the future”, like the five fingers.

In the stadium of the Martyrs of Kinshasa, 65,000 young Congolese welcome Pope Francis with songs and dances, with such unimaginable joy in a country torn apart by violence and wars. The consequences of conflicts are enormous, especially for young people.

They say as much to the Pope, emphasizing, in their testimonies, that “many of us are forcibly recruited into armed groups. In the country, many young people live in indifference and selfishness, making calculations and programs in their own interest. We want to be young people connected to human and Christian values, but the social media disorient us”. Yet, they want to ‘build a better world’, they want to work, build the Church and Congolese society in justice and reconciliation. And they are asking the Pope to be their spokesperson to the ‘leaders of the world so that they may really take care of young people’.

And Francis, after thanking them for their welcome and the many hands that greeted him, asks them to look at their hands saying: “Do your hands seem small and weak, empty and unsuitable for such great tasks? I would like to point out one thing: all hands are similar, but no two pairs of hands are the same; no one has hands like yours; you are a unique, unrepeatable and incomparable resource. No one in history
can replace you”.

And what are hands for? “To build or to destroy, to give or to hoard, to love or to hate? You see, you can shake your hand and close it; it becomes a fist; or you can open it and make it available to God and to others. Herein lies the fundamental choice”.

Looking at the hands with which a different future can be built, Pope Francis suggests “five ingredients to build the future”, like the five fingers. “The thumb, the finger closest to the heart, corresponds to prayer, which makes life pulsate”, says the Pope. And it’s not an abstract ingredient, but “the fundamental one, because we can’t do it alone.
We are not omnipotent, and when anyone thinks they are, they fail miserably. This is why we must root ourselves in prayer, in listening to the Word of God”.

The second finger, the index finger, is the one with which “we indicate something to others. The others, the community, that’s the second ingredient. Friends, don’t let your youth be marred by loneliness and closure. Always think of yourselves as altogether and you will be happy because the community is the way to feel good about yourself and to be faithful to your call. “

“Instead, individualistic choices seem tempting at first, but then they just leave a big void inside. Think of drugs: you hide from others, from real life, to feel omnipotent; and in the end, you find yourself deprived of everything. But think also of the addiction to occultism and witchcraft, which engulfs you in the pangs of fear, vengeance and anger. Do not allow yourselves to be fascinated by false selfish paradises, built on appearances, on easy money or on distorted religiosity”.

But we must also guard against the temptation to “point the finger at someone else, to exclude them because they are of a different origin from yours such as a different region or tribe, which seem to strengthen you in your group and instead represents the denial of the community. You know how it happens: first, you believe the prejudices against others, then you justify the hatred, then the violence and, in the end, you find yourself in the middle of a war”.

“But  – the Pope wonders – have you ever talked to people from other groups or have you always been closed in yours? Have you ever listened to the stories of others, have you approached their suffering? Of course, it is easier to condemn someone than to understand them; but the way that God indicates to build a better world passes through others, through the whole and through the community. That is how to build up the Church, broaden horizons, see one’s neighbour in everyone
and take care of others.”

“The central finger, the middle finger, which rises above the others as if to remind us of something essential represents, however, honesty. Being a Christian is bearing witness to Christ. Now, the first way to do this is to live righteously, as He wants. This means not letting yourself be entangled in the snares of corruption. The Christian can only be honest, otherwise, he betrays his identity.”

“Without honesty we are not disciples and witnesses of Jesus; we are pagans, idolaters who worship ourselves rather than God, who use others rather than serve them. But – I wonder – how do you defeat the cancer of corruption, which seems to expand and never end? St. Paul helps us, with a simple and ingenious sentence, which you can repeat until you remember it by heart. It is this: ‘Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good'”.

The Pope appeals to young people not to “let themselves be overcome by evil: do not allow yourselves to be manipulated by individuals or groups who try to use you to keep your country in the spiral of violence and instability, so as to continue to control it without regard for anyone. But conquer evil with good: be the transformers of society, the converters of evil into good, of hatred into love, of war into peace”.

This can be done because “we are free to choose: don’t allow your life to be swept away by false ideas, don’t let yourself be carried away like a dry log in a dirty river. Be indignant, without ever giving in to the flattery, persuasive but poisoned, of the filth of corruption”.

The ring finger, the finger on which wedding rings are worn, is also the weakest finger, “the one that finds it hardest to work”. He reminds us “that the great goals of life, love above all, pass through fragility, hardships and difficulties. They must be faced with patience and trust. In our frailties, in crises, what is the strength that keeps us going?”

“Forgiveness.Because forgiving means knowing how to start over. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting the past but not resigning yourself to the fact that it repeats itself. It is to change the course of history. It is to raise those who have fallen. It is accepting the idea that no one is perfect and that not only me, but everyone has the right to be
able to start afresh”.

Finally, the little finger, the smallest one. “You could say: I am little and the good I can do is only a drop in the ocean. But it is precisely littleness, making oneself small that attracts God. There is a keyword in this sense: service. Those who serve make themselves small. Like a tiny seed, it seems to disappear into the earth and instead bears fruit. According to Jesus, service is the power that transforms the world”.

These five tips are like fixed points, like traffic rules without which there is disorder and confusion and time and energy are wasted as anger builds. “On the other hand, even in the midst of confusion, it does us good to give our hearts and lives a fixed point, a stable direction, to start a different future, without chasing the winds of opportunism. Come out together from the pessimism that paralyses. The Democratic Republic of Congo expects a different future from your hands because the future is in your hands. Thanks to you, your country will once again become a fraternal garden, the heart of peace and freedom of Africa!”.  (Open Photo: Vatican Media)

(C.A.)

How Climate Change Affects Girls and Young Women.

Drought, floods, abnormal heat waves. Today we are faced with a climate crisis that is unprecedented in human history, the consequences of which are there for all to see.

It is primarily the inhabitants of the poorest and most vulnerable countries and, more generally, those belonging to the most disadvantaged social groups, especially women, who pay the highest price for this situation. “Compared to men, women and girls are more likely to lose their lives due to extreme weather events. Furthermore, since climate change often leads to forced migration, loss of income and housing, this makes them more vulnerable to gender-based violence”, write researchers Betty Barkha and Katrina Lee-Koo in a paper recently published in The Conversation.
Children and young people also pay a particularly high price for this situation: “Climate change threatens their fundamental right to education, food, and recreation. Given the fact that younger people are less responsible for this situation than adults, climate change has been defined by the Human Rights Council as the gravest intergenerational injustice of our times”.

Climate change threatens the fundamental right to education, food, and recreation. (Photo: Unicef)

Floods, storms, and droughts amplify discrimination and gender inequalities, limiting or preventing girls, especially those living in the poorest countries and in the most vulnerable communities, from attending school. According to a study conducted by the Malala Foundation, in 2021 alone, due to the impacts of climate change, at least 4 million girls in middle and low-income countries were unable to complete their studies. And if there is no turnaround, climate change will be one of the factors that will force at least 12.5 million girls to leave school by 2025.The concrete impact of this situation is dramatic and, in various areas of the world, is already clearly evident. In the two-year period 2010-2011, the United Nations recorded an increase in early marriages in Ethiopia linked to the very severe drought that hit some areas of the country: in order to survive, the poorest families in rural areas gave their daughters in exchange for the payment of a dowry. Between 2018 and 2019 in Somalia, following migration from rural areas to the city due to floods, droughts and conflicts, student enrolment rates dropped from 45% to 29%.

In an increasingly warmer world, it is also more difficult to get supplies of water. (Photo: Unicef/Noorani

In an increasingly warmer world, it is also more difficult to get supplies of water: in many African countries, this task traditionally falls on the shoulders of women and girls, who are forced to undertake longer and longer journeys. In Botswana, 70% of the students who interrupted their studies during a period of drought were female. The lack of water in schools also prevents teenage girls from using the bathroom on menstruation days: not being able to take care of their hygiene properly, they often decide to stay at home, losing precious school days.
Working conditions are also exacerbated by global warming. Esmeralda, 15, lives in a rural area of Peru where the consequences of climate change are already evident. Hers is a peasant family and she is a delegate of the Movimiento Nacional de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes Trabajadores Organizados del Perú: “We are no longer able to produce as in the past. Due to the consequences of climate change, women and girls have to work harder to support their families”. Esmeralda then explains how the scarcity of water has forced women and girls to go deeper and deeper into the Amazon jungle to find new sources, with the risk of being attacked and suffering violence and rape by men engaged in mining or in the illegal felling of trees.

Photo 123rf

But what do teenagers and young women think of this situation? How aware and informed are they of climate change and its consequences? In the first months of 2022, UNICEF ​​and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts carried out a survey that involved more than 33 thousand girls aged 10 to 25 in 90 countries on all continents.
The results indicate that 3 in 10 (28%) have no clear idea as to what climate change is and 1 in 10 (9%) have never heard of it. On the other hand, the topic excites the majority of respondents: 44% know what climate change is and 19% “could talk about it for hours”.
However, the picture changes slightly if you look more closely at some contexts: in Europe, the percentage of girls and young women who claim to have an excellent knowledge of the subject stands at 28%. In the countries of North Africa and the Middle East, there are many more (17% compared to 9%) who have never heard of climate change.

Taking concrete actions to protect the environment. Unicef/Dejongh

More than half of the girls and young women who participated in the survey (56%) said they were unaware of the disproportionate impact of climate change on the lives of girls and young women. Upon learning, nearly 8 in 10 respondents (79%) believe girls have the power to mitigate the problem.Half of the girls aged 10-17 who participated in the survey think that climate change is not taken as seriously as Covid, a percentage that rises to 63% for women between 18 and 25 years old. Most girls and young women (80%) say they have already done something in favour of the environment, such as participating in awareness campaigns, educating parents and peers, or taking concrete actions to protect it. However, this commitment is not recognized by the institutions: 6 out of 10 girls say that their governments have never consulted youth movements when it came to enacting policies to combat climate change. (Open Photo: Unicef/ Souleiman)

I.Sesana, R.Panuzzo, P.Ferrera
Terre des Hommes

China: which foreign policy?

The People’s Republic of China urgently needs to revive the national economy after GDP growth stopped at 3% last year, marking the second-worst performance in the last 50 years.

However, Beijing’s ambitions have to deal with an extremely unstable and conflictual international context, marked by the persistence of the war in Ukraine, the slowdown of the global economy and the risks relating to the possible emergence of new variants of Covid-19.

In this framework, Beijing would seem to intend to make a series of changes of an essentially tactical nature to its foreign policy, in order to adapt it to current challenges and to achieve long-term strategic objectives which remain unchanged.

In particular, Chinese diplomacy could adopt a more conciliatory approach, setting aside the confrontational and combative rhetoric characteristic of the so-called wolf warriors diplomacy.

Signs of a change in this direction have emerged with the removal of the “hawk” Zhao Lijian from the role of Foreign Ministry spokesman, with the first soothing statements by the new Minister Qin Gang and, above all, with the speech by Vice Premier Liu He at the Davos Forum in which there was once again strong talk of an opening of the Chinese market to foreign investors and capital.

The objective of the changed diplomatic approach underway is to put an end to the progressive deterioration of relations between China and the Euro-Atlantic bloc that began with the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 and intensified following Beijing’s failure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In particular, the Chinese leadership wants to try to reverse the trend that sees EU states increasingly committed to strengthening strategic autonomy, through diversification plans for the supply of raw materials useful for the development of critical technologies,
the systematic use of golden power and the implementation of innovative legislation aimed at making it more difficult for Chinese companies to enter the European market.

With these tactical changes, however, the priorities of Chinese external action should not change in the course of 2023. In particular, the theme of re-unification with Taiwan, the revival of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will remain at the centre of Beijing’s foreign policy, especially in its Asian segments, the development of strategic partnerships with Central Asian and African actors and, more generally, the support of international fora, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which aim to develop a multipolar international system.

In this context, the plan to modernize the People’s Liberation Army should also continue unabated, aimed at consolidating China’s position as a global player and developing its projection and
deterrence capabilities.

The Taiwan dossier, in particular, will occupy a prominent place in Chinese foreign policy. From this point of view, Chinese military pressure in the Strait should remain high during 2023, just as the People’s Republic’s “blow-for-blow” response strategy to the moves of the USA and their partners in the region should remain unchanged.

However, it seems unlikely, in the short to medium term, to see an escalation since strong Chinese action, at the moment, would complicate the plans to relaunch the domestic economy underway which remain absolute priorities.

On the BRI, it is reasonable to expect a progressive relaunch of infrastructure development plans related to connectivity and trade, after two years in which the focus was mainly on supporting partner states in tackling the health emergency linked to COVID-19.

However, Beijing’s projects will have to deal with the complicated internal economic situation and with the series of economic crises underway, especially in South Asia, where a key BRI state like Pakistan even risks default if not promptly supported by the international community.

In Asia, competition with India should remain high and could manifest itself, with increasing force, in territories considered “disputed” such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
At the moment, it seems unlikely that there will be substantial changes in the situation in Ladakh, on the Sino-Indian border.

In fact, in this area, China would seem to have an interest, at least in the short term, in leaving the current balance of forces unchanged, which allows it to maintain the ground gained and consolidate its control through the construction of infrastructures useful for troop mobility.

Meanwhile, Beijing has recently relaunched its commitment to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with an agreement on oil extraction, a possible prelude to a greater presence also aimed at countering the growing terrorist threat. Complex dossiers remain those of North Korea and Myanmar. In fact, although the two countries are useful to China in countering the US “integrated deterrence” strategy in the Indo-Pacific, they are going through critical phases that could create problems for Beijing even in the short to medium term.

In Africa, 2023 will see a consolidation of the Chinese position while the relaunch of any investment plans remains linked to the performance of the Chinese domestic economy. However, the overall strategy for the region should not change and China remains ready to exploit, as it has done in recent years, any spaces left open by the other international players present on the continent.

Overall, the effectiveness of Xi Jinping’s external action by China in the course of the new year should in any case remain linked to the performance of the domestic economy and developments
in the conflict in Ukraine.

The continuation of the war, in particular, could further distance Beijing from its European partners, further degrade relations with the USA and widen the polarization of the international context. This scenario could frustrate the efforts made by Chinese diplomacy and complicate the plans to revive the economy, a real challenge for the People’s Republic in 2023. (Photo: Foreign Minister Qin Gang (left) meets Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Jan 11, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tiziano Marino/CeSI

 

Cinema. Irreducible Women.

 In the film ‘Nanny’, Nikyatu Jusu’s debut horror explores the dark side of the American dream. ‘Hawa’ by Maimouna Doucouré tells all about the world of adolescents without pity. Two films that represent the new wave of contemporary Afro-descendant cinema.

‘Nanny’ by director Nikyatu Jusu is the first horror film to win the prestigious Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, confirming the potential of films that use the genre to tackle political and social issues in an unprecedented way. In this case, the director, born in New York to Sierra Leonean parents, mixes horror and social drama to reveal the dark side of the American dream.

Aisha, masterfully played by Anna Diop, works as a babysitter in a wealthy New York family. The woman is saving up to bring her son Lamine from Senegal, from a relationship with a married man whom she then abandoned. As in Sembène Ousmane’s masterpiece, La Noire de…, which appears here in filigree, what initially seems like a good job opportunity slowly transforms into a relationship of first psychological and then economic exploitation. While the ambiguities of her employers emerge, Aisha is haunted by disturbing dreams and visions that throw her into a state of anguish and insecurity.
The woman can’t breathe, she feels suffocated by a system that turns out to be increasingly classist and racist. It is then that the siren Mami Wata and the spider Anansi, two figures of traditional African folklore, burst into her life as signs of premonition and alarm and then guide her in the painful process of self-determination and awareness.
They are supernatural presences that become resistance and rebellion against a capitalist system that systematically exploits immigrant and African-American women by throwing them on the margins of society or at worst into a mental hospital. The film, says the director, is a dark but hopeful love letter addressed to all mothers who have been systematically excluded from the American dream.

Water and memory
The story of the film originates from the experience of her own mother who, forced to work as a maid to support the family, sacrificed her creative and artistic potential. And the theme of motherhood is strong in all its nuances and contradictions.
Aisha forms a strong bond with Rose, the rich little girl she babysits. With her, she shares chebu yapp, a traditional Senegalese dish but also the adventures of the spider Anansi. She teaches her French while she has to settle for short phone calls with her son Lamine.
Rose’s mother, Amy, is forced to go out drinking on Friday nights with her male colleagues in order to advance her career and to endure the constant betrayals of her photographer husband. And it is precisely the realism of the characters and the strong political reading of American society that allows the supernatural dimension to break into history without falling into banal folklore.

Nanny director Nikyatu Jusu (Photo: Sundance Film Festival)

Mami Wata and Anansi are contemporary reinterpretations of tradition. They appear in a children’s picture book or in a postmodernist painting. The horror element slowly creeps into the hyper-modern spaces of the house where Aisha works. The water springs from the walls, it floods her dreams. Source of life, death and rebirth, water is also a memory of trafficking. Water that attracts and can kill as well as save.
But the horrific element also manifests itself in the reportage photographs of the girl’s father who travels the world immortalizing riots in the suburbs, clashes with the police and corners of Africa while his career wife, increasingly neurotically worried about her daughter, systematically forgets to pay Aisha. But it’s not just the images that fill the story with tension.
A stratified sound fabric (music, silence but also the chatter of Harlem, where Wolof is spoken) helps to create a complex narrative that incorporates political denunciation and refined psychological investigation.‘Nanny’ is a remarkable debut for a director who is not afraid to denounce the racism present in academic and cinematic circles where black women are often forced to shoot social dramas due to a lack of big budgets. Nikyatu Jusu’s new project will be the adaptation of her short, Suicide by Sunlight, a story of black vampires who can run in the sunlight because they are protected by melanin.
And in the future, she foresees nothing less than a remake of Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead’.

Bittersweet comedy
‘Hawa’, on the other hand, is the new film by Maimouna Doucouré who, after the controversy sparked by her first feature film ‘Mignonnes’, chooses a bittersweet comedy to once again tell the story of the world of adolescents. Hawa (Sania Halifa) is a fifteen-year-old albino of African origin who lives alone with her grandmother Maminata (Oumou Sangaré) who, although seriously ill, still works.
Grumpy and always ready to attack, Hawa scans the world through her thick glasses and darts through her streets on her scooter.She works as a cashier in a small neighbourhood grocery store but dreams of being adopted by Michelle Obama.

When she learns that her heroine will be in Paris to present her latest book, she sets off on a mad dash to meet her and fulfil her wish. Like her, in all training trips along the way, she will meet obstacles and opponents but also singular helpers such as the singer Yseult, the astronaut Pesquet and above all the very shy friend Erwann. A painful journey that will end with the acceptance of reality and with a tribute to one’s African roots. The story is not convincing and is guilty of naivety but the film has the merit of describing an outsider without pity or rhetorical overtones. And behind the patina of the Frank Capra comedy one can glimpse the same desperate desire to be accepted as Amy, who in ‘Mignonnes’ rebelled against the traditions of her own family and her father’s polygamy by choosing to be part of a dance, grew willing to do anything to win a contest. The director is preparing her third film, an ambitious biopic about Josephine Baker produced by Studio Canals. There are common traits in the films of these two ambitious young directors who look at their African origins from the right distance and use the genre, be it horror or comedy, to tell of powerful and indomitable female characters and tackle crucial issues such as cultural alienation and capitalist exploitation. (Open Photo: Anna Diop stars in Nanny. (Photo: Sundance Film Festival).

Simona Cella

Girls and Young Women. Broken Lives.

The waves break gently on the shore. The crystal-clear water glistens invitingly under the rays of the sun. Eleanor sits on the shore and looks out to sea. Her palms shade her face. Eleanor is twelve years old and she can’t wait to be grown up.

Some distance from the sea stands her wooden house. It is a traditional stilt house with a roof of leaves. The house is surrounded by red and orange flowers. Birds chirp as the trees sway gently to the rhythm of the wind. Eleanor has a happy childhood. The family lives on a small island near the coastal city of Madang not far from Alexishafen in Papua New Guinea. Her father, a Filipino, is a fisherman. Eleanor is the third of six children.The sun slowly descends on the horizon.
It’s time to go home. Curiously from a distance, she sees people she hadn’t seen before in front of the house. An elderly gentleman enters and talks to her father and uncle.

The family lives on a small island. 123rf.com

They talk agitatedly and finally shake hands. The old man gives some money to her father. Eleanor is at the door. The father tells her to take her things that her mother had already prepared and go and live with that man. Protesting, she turns to flee but the man stops her in front of the door. Bursting into tears, she lets herself be carried away. She hasn’t the strength to lift her head and see her mother.
She is taken on board a boat and after two hours they arrive at a village. People stare curiously. They enter the house where there are other children and a woman. That evening, she is abused. The next morning the other woman tells her that it hasn’t rained for weeks and she has to go get water from a well several kilometres away. A little boy accompanies her. Along the way no words are spoken; only the memories of the violence of the night. The days pass and the abuse continues. Three months later she is pregnant. She feels ashamed and desperate. She thought: “but how is it possible that I am expecting a child if I am still a child too?”

She no longer dreams; she just waits for another day with no hope and no future. 123rf.com

After eight months, a baby girl was born and Eleanor gave her the name Marie-Therese. She looked at the baby with sad eyes. A life born of violence. With each passing day, the man becomes more and more violent. He often comes home drunk in the evening.
To add to the abuse she suffers from the man, the woman who lives there often beats her for not doing the housework.
One day, the man tells Eleanor that she has to go to work because he can’t support her and the little girl. So in the early hours of the morning when the sun is not yet high, Eleanor, with a large basket full of bananas, coconuts and sweet potatoes goes to the market. The only consolation is that she can take little Marie-Therese with her.
In the early afternoon, she returns with the money and gives it to her husband. She starts cleaning the house, fetching water and firewood.
Finally, she can sit down. She looks at the sea, gazing into the distance. She sees a group of children who, after climbing the bent trunk of a palm tree, dive into the turquoise water shouting with joy. Big tears appear on Eleanor’s face. She no longer dreams, she just waits for another day with no hope and no future.

Huali Leret

Africa. Close to the People.

Three African women speak of their social commitment.

Kenyan Catherine Ngila is one of the most prestigious scientists on the African continent. In 2016 she was named South Africa’s best scientist and in 2021 she received the L’Oréal / UNESCO Prize for Women in Science.

She was born in Kitui, 62 years ago, the first of the family of 27 brothers and sisters to attend high school and university, although she was the daughter of her father’s fourth wife. She was orphaned at the age of six, “I realized very early on that I had to study to be able to take care of myself because I wouldn’t have my mother to take care of me”.
During her childhood and adolescence, Catherine combined long journeys to and from school with the daily transport of water from the river to the family home. What she took from the river was a cloudy, reddish liquid which she had to filter through a piece of cloth and dilute with calcium bicarbonate to try to remove the impurities. This rudimentary water treatment didn’t ease Ngila’s doubts, “and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was enough to make the water clean”.

Catherine Ngila is the director of the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Johannesburg. (Photo: Twitter)

Professionally, Ngila graduated from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, received her PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of New South Wales (Australia) and worked as a lecturer in Botswana and several South African universities, where she became one of the first black faculty members. Today Ngila is the director of the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Johannesburg and is the acting executive director of the African Academy of Sciences and a member of the South African Academy of Sciences.
The team she leads at the University of Johannesburg is working on using nanotechnology to detect and remove toxic substances and trace metals from water. “My dream – she says – is to produce a commercially viable water nanofilter accessible to rural African households”.
The other major challenge is access to higher education for girls. When she majored in chemistry, she was aware of the tendency to think that girls couldn’t pursue science. This reality prompted her to ask governments, and UNESCO itself, to promote campaigns to encourage girls to choose scientific studies. (Javier Fariñas Martín)

Eliana Silva, telling stories
In October 2020, Eliana Silva took her cue from the ‘Voices of African Women’ dossier, published by the New African magazine, to talk about the ‘inspirational story of Bina’.

At the end of the collaboration, and as a digital corollary, Silva left four tags that serve to define her as a communicator: #storytelling, #narratives, #representation, and #belonging.
Silva’s cultural heritage – the daughter of a Portuguese father and Angolan mother – led her to learn and feed on the values and riches of the metropolis and the former colony. And from this knowledge, with the help of the net, in 2014 her desire to live and work in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, developed. Maputo was another colonial mirror in which to look at oneself. But, due to your breadth of vision, you also understand the other great point of reference for the Lusophone world: Brazil. Because of her predilection for that country, she has declared: “I have a Bahian body, a Paulist brain and a Carioca soul”.
If we take for granted the definition of storytelling as the art or ability of a person to tell stories, we understand that this concept fits Eliana Silva’s personal and professional life. This is demonstrated, for example, by her latest editorial project, Marcas por Escribir, presented in February last year, through which she wanted to position companies from the Lusophone world on the market. The initiative aimed to become a space where the stories of Mozambique, Angola, and Cape Verde converge, but which also had a reflection in São Tomé and Príncipe and Guinea-Bissau. Silva has also worked in the world of institutional communication, marketing and advertising, a path that led her to the Create advertising agency, or to Índico, the official magazine of Mozambican Airlines.

Eliana Silva has also worked in the world of institutional communication, marketing and advertising. (Photo: Marcas por Escribir)

However, it is in the literature that Silva’s main references are found. In the midst of the pandemic, the author has decided to present “Bina, the discoverer of the Indian Ocean”, her first foray into the world of fiction for children and teenagers. Through this work, you approach the world of albinism, with a significant impact on societies such as that of Mozambique – it is estimated that 30,000 people in the country suffer from this genetic alteration – and also that of Angola. Bina is the result of almost ten years of work, observation and conversations with friends and acquaintances. About the book, Eliana Silva said that “it’s a book with a lot of empathy, a lot of travel, a lot of courage and a lot of colour. I wanted to share the message that all girls and boys can go anywhere” as the protagonist of this story.
In the book, it is said that Bina was born on the island of Mozambique, the island of coral origin where the Portuguese established the first capital of the colony, and with a bicycle, she crosses Brazil, France, Japan and Angola. And in this South West African country, she meets Milu. An Albino like herself, Milu helps the protagonist of this story to discover and value the uniqueness of each person, regardless of skin colour, identity, or characteristics. “Cycling will be the most fun” of this story created by Eliana Silva, who Eugenio Scalfari, a historical Italian journalist and co-founder of La Repubblica, would say are “people who tell what happens to people”. (J.F.M.)

Helena Ndume. Ophthalmologist by vocation
A person’s true calling sometimes has little to do with the first impulses of the heart. This is the case of Helena Ndume who, as a teenager, dreamed of becoming a fashion designer; instead, she finishes studying medicine.

Helena received her medical doctorate from the University of Leipzig in 1989. She later specialized in ophthalmology, realizing that this specialization was the most necessary to address blindness, a major problem in her home country of Namibia, where there were just six ophthalmologists working in the public health system. Since then, Dr Ndume has dedicated her life and her career to the treatment of blindness and visual impairment, not only in Namibia but also in neighbouring countries in southern Africa. Since 2005 she has been the head of the ophthalmology department of the public hospital in Windhoek, the capital of her country.

Helena Ndume has received important awards. (Photo: SEE International)

Years previously, supported by her husband, Dr Solomon Guramatunhu, also an ophthalmologist, she joined the Surgical Eye Expedition-SEE, an international charity with 600 ophthalmologists. With them, at least twice a year, she organizes week-long clinics in which she provides free eye surgeries to several hundred people in need.
For Dr. Ndume, “there is no money in the world that can repay the joy of those who, after being blind for many years, suddenly regain their sight. It’s not nice to stay in private practice, earning money, while there are thousands of blind people around you”, she says.
Dr. Elena Ndume has received important awards. Among them, the Nelson Mandela Prize in 2015, awarded by the United Nations in recognition of her dedication to the service of humanity. In 2022 she obtained two important awards: the Lions Club International Humanitarian Award and the Forbes Woman Africa Social Impact Award. (Celin Avel)

Africa. The French Group Bolloré Changes Strategy.

The sale of the logistics segment to the Mediterranean Shipping Company of the Italian-Swiss shipowner Gianluigi Aponte opens up new scenarios. The Bolloré dynasty looks to communication, agriculture and energy.

The change had been in the air for a while now, but the official announcement came shortly before Christmas: Bolloré sold its transport and logistics activities in Africa to the Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The sale of Bolloré Africa Logistics (BAL), for a total value of 5.7 billion euros, represents a significant turnaround for the French group. 250 branches in 47 countries, 16 container terminals, river ports, 74 shipping agencies, three railway concessions and a turnover of more than two billion euros: these are the numbers of the company, the flagship of the group. According to the words of the new owner, Bolloré Africa Logistics will remain autonomous and will keep the current president while only the brand will change.

Cyrille Bolloré, third son of the tycoon Vincent is head of the group.

The declared objective of the Italian-Swiss shipowner Aponte is to improve the connectivity of the continent with the rest of the world and guarantee internal trade. The MSC, in fact, in addition to ensuring continuity in the management of the ports, has announced new investments: shipyards, container terminals, storage facilities, roads and railways.
Many hypotheses have emerged in recent months to explain the reasons for the sale: from the increased Chinese competition in the logistics sector to the legal troubles linked to the port concessions, up to the difficult political relations with French president Emmanuel Macron. Equally complex is being able to identify the group’s new strategies on the continent. The only certainty is that Bolloré will not leave Africa. ‘The Bolloré group will maintain an important presence in Africa, in particular through Canal+’, reads the press release that formalizes the sale ‘and will also continue to develop sectors such as communication, entertainment, telecommunications and publishing’.

Canal + Multichoice
The development strategy, once the money from the sale has been collected, seems therefore to be directed toward communication and entertainment. Today Bolloré owns nearly 30% of Vivendi, a French media company, and about 18% of Universal Music Group, a record label considered one of the leaders in the music industry.
In 2019 it also acquired the Editis publishing group. To corroborate the hypothesis of a greater commitment by Bolloré in the entertainment sector there are: the performance of Canal + and the participation in Multichoice. Canal + has become one of the leaders in cinema and TV and made a 6% profit in the first half of 2022.
Active for 30 years in Africa, it now reaches 7 million subscribers in French-speaking countries. It offers 35 channels, many of which are in official African languages. The group has also recently set up in Ethiopia with 9 channels in the Amharic language. The company has also invested in the production of local dramas, to ensure new annual releases.
The Bolloré group’s interest in television entertainment is also expressed in its involvement in Multichoice, a South African company that manages a satellite TV system in English-speaking African countries.

Today the shares of Multichoice in the hands of Canal + amount to 26%. In the field of communication, Vivendi Africa is responsible for extending the fibre optic network. Since 2015, it has connected one and a half million users belonging to the middle class, in countries where Canal+ also operates. It is present in 12 cities in 7 African countries. The goal is to become a reference player for the very high-speed internet network in Africa. The entertainment and media sector is not the only one the group plans to focus on.
In the words of Cyrille Bolloré, third son of the tycoon Vincent, now head of the group, logistics remains one of the key areas in which the Puteaux-based company will continue together with the development of supply chains. The agricultural experience of the group in Africa, until now, has been limited to the cultivation and transformation of palm oil and rubber, through participation in the Belgian-Luxembourg Socfin.

Container terminal in Tema, Ghana. CC BY-SA 3.0/ SteKrueBe

The company is accused by local and international NGOs of land grabbing, pollution and violation of human rights. The latest investment front is energy storage through the subsidiary Blue Solutions.
According to Fabricio Protti, deputy CEO of the group, this activity is an opportunity for the African continent in search of solutions to conserve the energy also produced from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. There is another company that remains firmly in family hands. This is the Havas advertising dealership. An activity that Vincent used to strengthen his network of relationships with African heads of state. Cyrille Bolloré belongs to a different generation than that of African leaders, but it is realistic to think that he will maintain the relationships started by Vincent. A demonstration of how to operate: it is a matter of switching from port concessions to freight forwarding and, in particular, to the management of transport and logistics services for large companies.

Generational change
Cyrille Bolloré, who took over from his father after his official retirement in February 2022, also wants to explore the agricultural sector. The project provides for the technical and financial support of the farmers. This hypothesis comes from the words of Deputy Protti, who guarantees continuity in the countries in which BAL operates as insurance for future investments. Further confirmation is the news of the visit of Cyrille Bolloré to Alassane Ouattara, in the Ivory Coast, accompanied by the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in the role of mediator. The meeting, held last January, was supposed to help the Ivorian authorities digest the sale to MSC and ensure continuity. (Open Photo: Container ship MSC Zoe. CC BY-SA 2.0/ kees torn)

Marta Gatti

 

Zimbabwe. Big Brother is watching you with a little help from China.

The country is embarking on a vast Cybercity project and on the promotion of digital technology. The downside of it is that this technology is used to build a surveillance state.

Zimbabwe is entering the digital age with determination. On the last 20 July, President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the US. $ 500 million Cybercity project in the Mount Hampden area, 26 km northwest of Harare which will be financed by the United Arab Emirates-based Mulk International company. The future city will be surrounded by surveillance cameras for purposes of security. Similar initiatives should take place elsewhere in the country over the next years with an aim to create a society with industrial, commercial, and residential areas, driven by digital technology. For such purpose, the government relies mainly on Chinese companies which are developing surveillance technology.

Harare City.

Chinese companies such as Huawei and Hikvision are installing everywhere facial recognition close-circuit television cameras on behalf of the Zimbabwean police in Harare and Bulawayo. Facial recognition technology from the Chinese firm Hikvision is already operational at airports and international border posts.
Zimbabwe’s state-owned fixed-line telephony operator TelOne inaugurated 2017, two data centres with cloud facilities in Harare and Mazowe as part of a wider US. $ 98 million network upgrading project implemented with Huawei. This Chinese company’s involvement in Zimbabwe traces back to 2013, when Huawei helped to upgrade the Zimbabwe’s mobile network of the state-owned mobile phone company, NetOne with a $ 218 million dollar loan from the China Exim Bank. In 2017, Net-One secured another $ 71 dollar million loan from the same bank for further network expansion, also by Huawei.
Obviously, the Zimbabwean authorities do not care about the concerns over the security of Huawei’s telecommunication equipment voiced by the U.S. and U.K. governments which banned its use. It’s even the opposite: the tense relations between Harare on the one hand and the U.S. and the U.K. on the other, which imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe since 2002, only contributed to strengthening ties between the African country and China.
In February 2020, the Chinese company was even given an absolute tax exemption by the Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance.

President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa. (Photo: Gov. Ag.)

Under a $100 dollar million deal, Hikvision and the artificial intelligence Guangzhou-based start-up Clouldwalk will supply facial recognition technology, to store and process in China biometric data of millions of Zimbabweans and set up a mass police state surveillance grid in collaboration with Huawei. Cloudwalk’s access to these biometric data will enable this company to correct common race-related errors in facial-recognition software and gain new market shares in other countries. The Zimbabwean state has insisted that these technologies would empower the state to fight crime and advance the state’s law enforcement ambitions. Yet, facial recognition technology poses risk to privacy and civil liberties, warn human rights organizations.
The process is based on an algorithm that detects a face and compares it to faces from a biometric dataset. Such an algorithm also captures skin pigmentation and eye colour.
Critics point out that these systems do not always operate perfectly and may result in false matches which can undermine civil liberties or in failures to match correct identification which can provoke a denial of access to services or jobs.
In 2015, Google Photos tagged two African-Americans as gorillas through facial recognition, discovered Forbes. Another source found that Google Photos was also confusing white faces with dogs and seals. In this context, CloudWalk’s penetration of the Zimbabwe market can help the Chinese start-up to improve its means of facial recognition, by gaining access to a black population, which can improve the identification of dark-skinned people worldwide and open new business opportunities. In a way, Zimbabweans have become the guinea pigs of the Chinese facial recognition industry in its quest for a comparative advantage over Western competitors.

photo: 123rf

Zimbabwe is only one of the targets of the Chinese facial recognition industry. In 2021, the Washington-based Heritage Foundation revealed that China had built or renovated more than 280 government, presidential, parliament, military offices and foreign affairs buildings in Africa. Namibia, Ghana, Angola, Uganda and Equatorial Guinea are amongst the largest recipients of official buildings built by Chinese firms. In Zimbabwe, China built namely the National Defence College and also financed the 650-seater Parliament House.
With the use of digital spyware, a few state security officers can trace a vast number of citizens, and capture and store their data without any controls, warns the anti-censorship network “global voices advocacy”. Accordingly, section 57 of Zimbabwe’s constitution provides for the right to privacy, yet this provision is being blatantly violated by the Harare government which spies on citizens and stores their information under the guise of biometric voter registration and likely uses this
data for political ends.
Such fear is not mere paranoia. During former President Mugabe’s rule, the government used laws and security structures to carry out surveillance of opponents and generalised mass surveillance of the population. The Interception of Communications Act as well as mandatory SIM-card registration regulations made it easier for the state to monitor communications.  Since 2018, Zimbabwe collected fingerprints, photos, addresses, and phone numbers, allegedly to clean up the voters’ roll, which was reportedly full of “ghost voters”. But this frightens members of the minority Ndebele ethnic group, who are still traumatized by the massacre in 1983 of some 20,000 people by the army when Mnangagwa  was head of the security. People fear data collection “is a way to re-identify and target us,” says Rodwin Sibanda of the Habakkuk Trust, a Christian NGO founded by church leaders in Bulawayo. The fact that in China itself, these technologies were used to steal data from the Uyghur community, adds to the anxiety of Zimbabwean rights activists.

Photo: Bulawayo News

Reports from Zambia and Uganda implicated Huawei employees in assisting governments in spying on their political opponents, subsequently leading to opponents’ arrests.
Steven Feldstein considers that China’s influence is driving the proliferation of AI surveillance technology and thereby contributes to the rise of authoritarianism in Africa.  The gap between the adoption of novel facial recognition tools and robust legal measures that prevent abuses – along with citizens’ inability to provide input on how this technology should be used  – allows for rampant exploitation by private companies and state actors in the facial recognition space, writes Bulelani Jili, Meta Research Ph.D. at Harvard University, in an article published by the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Centre. Another victim in the process is Africa’s sovereignty.
In 2018, the French newspaper Le Monde revealed that servers in the African Union’s building in Addis Ababa were secretly sending data to a computer in Shanghai.
In December 2020, Reuters reported that Chinese hackers secretly redirected surveillance footage from the AU headquarters so it could be viewed abroad. Prior to the 33rd AU Summit in February of that year, the Japanese cybersecurity firm Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) alerted AU technicians of the security breach, after it spotted unusual traffic between the AU and a Chinese hacking group known as “Bronze President”, pursues Reuters. The chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki, denied however that any Chinese hacking took place while the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin dismissed the Reuters report as “an attempt to harm China-Africa relations”.

During the repression in Matabeland of 1983, China was Zimbabwe’s largest arms supplier.

China’s involvement in Zimbabwe’s cyber surveillance systems does not come as a coincidence. It aims at strengthening a strong relationship that traces back to the struggle for independence period, with the links between Robert Mugabe’s party, the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and China. The Harare government has described the giant Asian country as an “all-weather-friend”.
During the repression in Matabeland of 1983, China was Zimbabwe’s largest arms supplier. Between 1980 and 1999, Zimbabwe imported 35 percent of its arms from China and the bilateral relationship deepened, as the EU and the US imposed sanctions to protest against the human rights violations under the Mugabe regime.
In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first foreign country to adopt the Chinese yuan as its primary international currency.
Bilateral trade is an important dimension of these links. In 2022, it amounted to US $ 2.24 billion with a $ 180 million surplus for Zimbabwe, making China, its third largest trading partner after South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Zimbabwe’s main exports include gold, nickel ores, platinum group minerals, ferrochromium, tobacco and diamonds, while its main imports are machinery, vehicles, as well as iron and steel. China is also an important investor. The list includes the US$1 billion dollar steel manufacturing plant being constructed by Dinson Iron and Steel Company, a Zimbabwe-based subsidiary of the giant Chinese steel producer, Tsingshan Holdings whose subsidiary AfroChine, has made sizeable investments in the construction of chrome smelters.

Zimbabweans have become the guinea pigs of the Chinese facial recognition industry.

China also financed the US$ 1.4 billion Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project. Beijing’s ambassador in Harare Guo Shaochun reminded that China also financed the National Pharmaceutical Warehouse, the Kariba South Hydro PowerStation Expansion and the upgrading of the Victoria Falls and Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airports, besides donating millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
China also heavily invested in the mining sector, especially in the highly strategic lithium mines particularly coveted by the automotive industry for the production of electric cars. According to the United States Geological Survey, Zimbabwe is currently Africa’s first producer and hosts the second-largest reserves on the continent.
In 2021, the Chinese company Zhejiang Huayou acquired controlling rights to the Arcadia mine. And in 2022, President Mnangagwa officiated the launch of Sinomine’s 200-million-dollar project to build another lithium mine and processing plant in Bikita, in the Masvingo Province. The Marange diamond fields which are one of the world’s richest deposits are being mined by a joint venture formed by the Chinese company Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group and the Zimbabwean military’s investment vehicle Matt Bronze. Chinese investors are also involved in gold and nickel mining. China has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, whatever the price. The stakes are just too high. (Open Photo: 123rf)

François Misser

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