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Tea. From the Leaf to the Cup.

Thursday, 1 September 2022 8:00

Second only to water, tea is the drink most consumed in the world. Served hot or iced, the infusion favours small cultivators, the economic growth of developing countries, and the health of the people at large.

The origins of tea date back more than five thousand years, but its contribution to health, culture, and socio-economic development is increasingly important. Today tea is grown in very localized areas, supporting more than 13 million people, including smallholder farmers and their families, who account for 60% of world production and depend on the tea sector for their livelihood.
The importance of the drink goes beyond the simple act of pouring hot water over the tea leaves. During the pandemic, tea brought comfort to millions of people around the world, with growing demand, especially among young consumers who have developed a taste for the drink thanks to its hydration benefits and sense of well-being.The tea plant contributes to socialization, cultural heritage, rural development, and sustainable livelihoods. It is one of the main and most profitable agricultural crops for families in developing countries and, as a labour-intensive sector requiring processing, offers jobs in remote and economically disadvantaged areas.
This drink is enjoyed by millions of people from China to Argentina, India to the UK, and each culture has its own tradition of consuming white, green, black, and oolong teas or blends.

Tea plantation in sunset time. 123rf.com

The tea production chain moves over $17 billion annually, in addition to the $9.5 billion generated by the global trade in the product. “The tea sector contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular by reducing poverty and eliminating hunger. It creates jobs, generates income, and improves the living conditions of the communities involved in production activities”, the United Nations acknowledges.
China, India, and Sri Lanka (in Asia) and Kenya (in Africa) are the main tea producers in the world.

Production and consumption
World production of black tea is projected to increase by 2.2% per year, reaching 4.4 million tons in 2027. Green tea production will increase by 7.5% per year, reaching 3.6. million tons in 2027. In China, production is expected to more than double over the period in question, reaching 3.3 million tons. “Consumers are willing to pay more for specialty teas and are curious about the quality, the origin of the raw material and the contribution to sustainable development”, the FAO report underlines.

Indian woman picks tea leaves.123rf.com

On the other hand, European countries with a tradition of importing tea are experiencing a decline in consumption. The region’s market is highly saturated and faces competition from other beverages, especially mineral and spring water, and coffee – a trend that could be reversed by relying on the promotion of special or organic teas. The difference between special products and traditional ones is given by the quality of the leaves, the fuller cut, and the drying process as well as climate change, reveals the International Tea Market 2022 report, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The study highlights that there will be new income opportunities in rural areas and an improvement in food security in producing countries.

A Young Malawian woman picks tea leaves

Tea consumption has increased rapidly in China, India, and other emerging countries, thanks to rising household incomes and the diversification of production, which now includes herbal teas, fruit infusions, and speciality teas. Global demand is also benefiting from new young Asian urban consumers, which translates into a decrease in exportable production. The increase in production is also linked to greater consumption of tea. After the turmoil in the global tea trade caused by the pandemic, there are new concerns about exports to Russia, the world’s third-largest tea market. “Tea is exempt from economic sanctions. A large amount will likely be imported into Russia from India and Sri Lanka. In the long run, there will not be a major disruption to the trade”, explains Ian Gibbs, chairman of the International Tea Committee. The countries with the highest per capita consumption continue to be Turkey, Ireland, Morocco, and China.

Problems and uncertainties
The tea sector must face a number of challenges to ensure its long-term sustainability. Plantations are very sensitive to changes in growing conditions and some producing countries will suffer the impacts of climate change, such as floods and droughts. At the same time, it is necessary to reduce the carbon emissions generated by production and processing.Tea is produced in rainy monoculture systems and climatic conditions determine the growth. The Camellia sinensis bush, of Asian origin, can reach a height of 10 meters. In cultivation, it is pruned so that it does not exceed one meter in height.

Tea Plantation in Malawi.

The collection of leaves begins when the bushes reach one meter and ends after about twenty years. The aroma of tea leaves depends on the nature of the soil and the climate. For example, to make black tea, the leaves are left to wilt and rolled and then exposed to the air to continue the oxidation, fermentation, and drying process. To make green tea, the leaves are steam sterilized and then rolled and dried to make tea with a lighter, more herbaceous flavour.
Changes in temperature and rainfall affect not only the quality but also the properties of plant leaves. FAO’s Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG) recommends adaptation measures such as planting drought-tolerant tea, the diversification of production with other tree crops, organic farming, and investment in water conservation technologies.
“The tea sector must be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, from the leaf to the cup”, says Qu Dongyu, FAO Director General, who also focuses on inclusion and promoting market transparency. Product innovation and diversification are also key to expanding the market and increasing consumption, such as flavoured ready-to-drink tea and sparkling iced tea. (Open photo: 123rf.com)

Carlos Reis

Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands. A Maritime Sanctuary.

Thursday, 1 September 2022 8:00

Designing the ‘Common House’. Overall pastoral care. The Synod: ‘Live the experience of the pilgrims of Emmaus’. We talk about it with Mons. Patrizio Bonilla, Bishop and Apostolic Vicar of the Galapagos.

The archipelago of about 50 volcanic islands is located in the Pacific Ocean 1000 km from the west coast of South America. They are an unspoiled paradise with flora and fauna unique in the world. It is no coincidence that Charles Darwin gave birth to his theory of evolution right there. Since 1959, the Galápagos Islands have been a national park and in 1986 they were declared a ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO.

“Each island has its own beauty, like the flora and fauna that make it unique. Everything speaks to us of Creation, and for this reason we join the call of Pope Francis who invites us to safeguard our common home”, says Msgr. Patrizio Bonilla, Bishop and Apostolic Vicar of the Galapagos. And he continues: “If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to amazement and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of brotherhood and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitudes will be those of the dominator and the consumer, the mere exploiter of natural resources, unable to put a limit on his immediate interests. Conversely, if we feel intimately united to everything that exists, sobriety and care will spring up spontaneously”.
Bishop Bonilla was born in the city of Rio Bamba, in Ecuador. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Quito, then theological studies at the Studium Teologicum Ierosolimitanum in Jerusalem, and on 10 October 1993 made his solemn profession in the Franciscan Order. In 1996 he was ordained a priest in Jerusalem. He studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. On 7 December 2013 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno-San Cristòbal, he was consecrated bishop and began his episcopal ministry as apostolic vicar of the Galapagos.

The Apostolic Prefecture of Galápagos was erected on May 6, 1950, by Pope Pius XII, taking its territory from the diocese of Guayaquil. On 4 September 1954, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate the principal patroness of the apostolic prefecture. Finally, on July 15, 2008, the apostolic prefecture was elevated to apostolic vicariate by Pope Benedict XVI.
The seat of the vicariate is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on the island of San Cristóbal, where the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is located. The territory is divided into 11 parishes.
Reflecting on the ‘common home’ that is so dear to Pope Francis, the bishop says: “If we consider that the Galapagos Islands contain the largest number of plant and animal species on the planet, we will understand the concern of Pope Francis who invites us to develop a love for and awareness of this Home that we share. Pope Francis calls us to a necessary ecological conversion that leads us to live an integral ecology at the individual and social levels. For this, he calls us to reflect on the fact that living the vocation of protectors of God’s work is an essential part of a virtuous life. With this, we are committed to safeguarding the Galapagos Islands as a ‘maritime sanctuary’.
We ask the bishop what characterizes the pastoral care of his vicariate? What are the priorities and policies you are implementing? “When I took up my ministry, we began to observe the realities that deserved priority in our pastoral action. The fundamental axes of our work are in family pastoral care: we cannot exempt ourselves from supporting it because it is from how families are constituted that we build our society in its fundamental values; and then the pastoral care of young people and adolescents and children, who are the wealth and life of society. There is also the ordinary pastoral care of the parishes, to follow all those ecclesial groups that need accompaniment. Evangelization through the media is a privileged field of work. In our mission we have two radio stations, Santa Cruz FM (Puerto Ayora) and Voz de Galápagos FM (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno) and a television channel TV13 Galápagos, in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Finally, the pastoral care of the sea and the protection of creation is one of the great fields of work of the vicariate, especially to strengthen the accompaniment of people who work at sea. To this is added the protection of the common home, respect for the conservation and veneration of nature”.

What are the current needs of the life of the parishes? “First of all, the authentic witness of the faith. The Church cannot be understood without the transmission of the Gospel. Without the encounter with Jesus, there is no evangelization. The task of the Church, and therefore of the Christian community, is nothing other than proclaiming the Gospel until Christ is recognized as the only Lord of human history. Faith is strengthened by giving it, as Saint John Paul II reminded us in the Redemptoris Missio. Mons Bonilla insists on a journey of ‘pastoral of the whole’. With the ‘overall pastoral care’ in the parish, we want to say that all forces are involved and committed to the task of the mission, considering the needs that arise from taking this pastoral choice seriously. Our parish priests and our communities have distinguished themselves in the search to fully live the theme: to love and to serve. In light of the programmatic bases described above, we say that the life of the parishes is quite fruitful; however, we still need to work on the formation of the faithful. For this, we have implemented Biblical, ecclesiological and Marian formation courses and thus update our priests and missionaries”.
The pandemic is still affecting us: how are you experiencing this difficult situation? “In this time of the pandemic, we have had an opportunity to highlight our feelings of solidarity and fraternity with those who have been attacked by the virus. Although the income and economy of the Galapagos are mainly tourism and fishing, these have been reduced. We keep in mind that everything comes from the continent, from Ecuador, and this aggravates our life because we do not have what is necessary. It has been a tough time for all of us, with no flights and shortages of some products. We were isolated from the world. However, providence and fraternity have helped us. Now our challenge is to reactivate the economy of the islands”.

Pope Francis asks the universal Church for a synodal push. How is the Vicariate of the Galapagos implementing this ecclesial thrust? “Pope Francis asks us to live as an outgoing Church, a Church that is a field hospital where everyone can experience fraternity and human solidarity as a distinctive feature of Christians who are committed to the Gospel. Speaking of synodality, my thoughts turn to a Church that wishes to resemble the first Christian communities, where she lived fraternally, without selfishness or envy. I am thinking of a Church that wants to embody the Word of God in life and witness it day after day in open dialogue and attentive listening. For this, to live the synodal impulse, we should live the experience of the pilgrims of Emmaus: let the Lord speak to us until our hearts burn and move us to live charity and mercy in communion, participation and mission”. (L.P.)

Africa. Chocolate Can Be Sustainable.

Thursday, 1 September 2022 8:00

Deforestation, exploitation of labour, including minors and the use of pesticides. All too often chocolate has a bitter taste.
Yet, a multiplicity of experiences is succeeding to make the cocoa supply chain sustainable.

‘The food of the gods’. This is the meaning of the Mayan expression ‘kakaw uhanal’ from which the term ‘cocoa’ derives. According to an Aztec legend, in fact, the cocoa tree was a gift to mankind from the god Quetzalcoatl. A plant stolen from the other gods and whose seeds were able to instil strength.
From Central America, the Conquistadors brought cocoa to Europe and the passion for the hot drink that was obtained from it quickly infected all the courts of the Old Continent. Today there is no corner of the planet where chocolate, the main derivative of cocoa, is not consumed.

Every year 5 million tons are produced worldwide. Double what it was 30 years ago. And the figure is constantly growing. While cocoa is used everywhere, there are mainly two production continents: Latin America and Africa. In particular, 77% of the cocoa purchased by the confectionery multinationals comes from the latter. About 65% of the world supply comes in particular from only two countries: Ivory Coast and Ghana. The European Union is the largest importer.
A product whose market is worth 100 billion dollars a year, which only partially goes to producers: 2 billion, or 2%.
Most of the profits remain in the hands of those involved in processing the beans and distributing the processed products.
Why doesn’t cocoa generate wealth for producing countries? Because the big companies that control the market decide the prices. Cargill, Olam, Barry Callebaut. And those that turn it into chocolate: Mars, Nestlé, Ferrero and Meiji. And none of them is African.

The Market
Cocoa, like other commodities, is bought by multinationals through the market. In particular, futures contracts are being purchased. That is, the commitment to purchase an asset that will be used in the future at a predetermined price. There are three places where cocoa futures contracts are traded: ICE Futures US of New York, ICE Futures Europe, and CME Europe of London.

Such contracts have, in fact, been used for hundreds of years to help farmers cope with the uncertainty of harvests due, for example, to unforeseen climatic conditions that can compromise them. Their original purpose was to allow farmers to sell their crops at a future date for a guaranteed price. However, these same contracts can be bought and sold by speculators who have no interest in the actual sale of food. Instead, with futures trading, they can profit if prices change over time. Basically, by betting on the price of food.
In 2019 Ghana and Ivory Coast launched a joint initiative which, roughly like OPEC, the association of the major oil producers, aimed to regulate and protect the cocoa market. COPEC has decided to impose a tax of $400 per ton on cocoa importers, in addition to the market price determined by the stock market prices. After initially agreeing, the multinationals have started a battle to avoid paying the tax. They are now working on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the exchange where futures of various commodities such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, and sugar are traded. This is in order to use the stored stocks to deal with emergency situations, thus bypassing the two producing countries.Ghana and the Ivory Coast have reacted with a media campaign, accusing Mars and Hershey’s of not paying the negotiated surcharge to help farmers out of poverty, especially now that, due to the pandemic, the price of cocoa has fallen, further reducing the profit margins of farmers.

Last July, major cocoa buyers have agreed to pay a premium and back a price floor on cocoa sold by Ivory Coast and Ghana as part of an agreement to combat poverty among farmers.Cocoa industry players will back a fixed ‘living income differential’ (LID) of $400 a tonne on all cocoa contracts sold by Ivory Coast or Ghana. Buyers will also pay a country premium that will enable cocoa regulators in both countries to reach a target floor price of $2,600 per tonne which should allow farmers to earn a minimum of 70% of the target floor price.
Signatories include Hershey (HSY.N), Mars, Blommer Chocolate, Nestle (NESN.S), Sucden, Mondelez (MDLZ.O), Touton, Barry Callebaut (BARN.S), Cargill, Ferrero, Olam and Ecom Trading.
Yves Brahima Kone, chief executive of the Ivory Coast Cocoa and Coffee Council, said companies had been dragging their feet on LID commitments, hindering efforts to make the industry more sustainable. “The aim of the pact is to allow all actors in the cocoa value chain to play their role and respect their engagements”, he said.

The lack of a processing industry in Africa
Europeans consume half of the chocolate produced in the world (around 48%). North America 24% (United States 20% and Canada 4%), followed by Asia (15%) and Latin America (9%). Africa, the continent in which the main cocoa producers are located, consumes only 3% of the chocolate and other derivatives that are produced in the rest of the planet – a paradox closely linked to the lack of a cocoa processing industry in producing countries. A paradox that some pilot experiences try to break.

In Grand-Bassam, the ancient capital of the Ivory Coast, Choco + was born, a chocolate shop that transforms cocoa to produce 100% Ivorian chocolate bars so as to export finished or semi-finished products, thus reversing the practice of importing bars and spreads produced thousands of kilometres away which generate surplus value elsewhere. But that’s not all: Choco + is also a job creation tool for young Ivorians and it plans to expand production soon to include cosmetics made from cocoa.
The project also makes use of collaboration with Trusty, an innovative platform which, by exploiting blockchain technology, allows products to be traced from the places of cultivation through all the processing stages. The issue of traceability is essential to meet the need for transparency of both consumers and companies by ensuring the purchase of a product made while respecting the environment and human rights. In Togo, on the other hand, there is Choco Togo, a cooperative founded in 2014 that transforms organic Togolese cocoa, producing chocolate for the local market and for export – a reality that employs 85 people, 45 of whom are women.
The SCEB, Société Coopérative Équitable du Bandama, operates in M’Brimbo, a village 130 kilometres north-west of Abidjan, the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. It is a federation of over 250 growers who, together, produce just under 300 tons of cocoa beans per year.
A project that has allowed, for fifteen years now, to eliminate the use of pesticides and deforestation.

In 2008 – says the French newspaper Le Monde – there were just about fifteen farmers who were convinced by Jean-Evariste Salo, promoter of this initiative, to stop logging and using pesticides. Production then amounted to 13 tons of cocoa beans. Today the yield per hectare has not increased. What has grown is the quality of the product, the well-being and health of those who grow cocoa and that of the community as a whole: a shop, a school and a laboratory for cocoa analysis were built in M’Brimbo and a mutual aid fund was set up for producers in difficulty.
Essential for the success of the project was the agreement with Ethiquable, a French company specializing in fair trade products. The latter buys the cocoa beans produced by the members of the SCEB at almost double the minimum price set by the Ivorian authorities: 1,350 CFA Francs compared to 825 CFA Francs on the conventional market (2.05 Euro versus 1.25 Euro).

Claudia Vago/Valori

The Path of Reforms.

Thursday, 1 September 2022 8:00

A country like India that aspires, at least in Asia, to be the first competitor of the People’s Republic of China and to guarantee stable and sensitive progress for a young population, with an economy that has many difficulties in launching itself, now sees a further slowdown at the conjunction of pandemics with conflicts causing a marked uncertainty regarding the development of the consequences of both.

With a GDP planned for 2022 at an encouraging 5.4 per cent, it cannot ignore the winds of change that could be favourable to what was initially planned. Again, in January, specialists indicated that the value of exports could exceed pre-pandemic levels, rising to 418 billion dollars for the fiscal year ended in March. In reality, adding the export of services to those of goods, the figure exceeded 650 billion, with a positive balance of 40 billion on total imports. Positive signs, which are open to further improvement in view of the ambitious goal of 5,000 billion GDP by 2030 (almost doubling the current figure), even more so having on the doorstep the examples of China and Bangladesh whose growth rate of exports are, respectively, 3 and 4.2 per cent, or 3-4 times that of India which – on the admission of the country’s own analysts – India does not fully exploit its potential in various sectors.

Container terminal full of containers with flag of India. 123rf.com

Its reluctance to intervene with greater incisiveness in foreign markets has also made it difficult for India to take full advantage of the changes in the flow of foreign production and investments in search of more favourable markets. Many industrial giants are looking for locations where they can set up production less linked to the intensity of work and India offers good opportunities with potential for employment that could guarantee 80 million new jobs.
Despite the evident potential, economic policies that are sometimes inconsistent or applied with urgency and a still ambiguous strategic location do not help to ease international scepticism about its possibilities and if India, unlike other Asian countries, has not based its growth on exports, on the other hand, the growth of the internal market is still burdened by statism, bureaucracy, administered prices and
poor liberalization.

Truck backing up getting ready to pour concrete into the foundations. ©amlanmathur/123RF.COM

Pravakar Sahoo lecturer at the Institute for Economic Growth of the University of Delhi and an internationally renowned academic and government consultant of India says, “While India does not actively promote an export-based growth model, it is fully integrated into the global economy with a high degree of trade openness. Indian growth, however, is based on the combination of domestic demand and exports, but like all developing countries, adequate levels of investment are needed to allow for the objectives set, as well as a sufficient consumption to support a better quality of life. These aims can be achieved simultaneously with the development of exports, not as an alternative to it”. How can India set itself objectives that are appropriate to the needs of the population and its potential? “The country is in transition and there is a growing demand for public works and infrastructure – said Sahoo. Poverty reduction and the creation of new jobs have so far not met expectations. Growth is necessary for the government to meet socio-economic needs and create jobs in a country where the average age is 25, but it can only be sustained if the government pursues the path of reforms that improve governance and if investor confidence is restored”.

Obviously, much will also depend on international contingencies because – the economist again points out – “we can certainly say that external factors, such as stagnation in the USA and Japan and the crisis in Europe, are partly responsible for the difficulties of the Indian economy which are above all due to internal factors: the difficult implementation of official policies, the lack of investor confidence, and the delay and resistance in initiating foreign direct investment reforms, especially in the banking and financial sectors. Some past decisions, such as the blocking of foreign investment in multi-brand trade and the retroactive use of certain income tax measures have contributed to a certain slowdown in the economy”. Two years of pandemic and, now, the uncertainties generated by the Ukrainian conflict are further obstacles to the elaboration of coherent and effective development policies.(Open Photo: Indian rupee currency symbol with many mirroring images of itself on red background. 123rf.com)

(S.V.)

Ethiopia. Beyond the question of ethnicity.

Thursday, 1 September 2022 8:00

On November 4, 2020, a new war began in Ethiopia. Just three years earlier, the country had signed a peace agreement with neighbouring Eritrea that earned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

The current conflict, which pits the central government against a coalition of its Kililochs (region-states), has caused thousands of deaths and more than 50,000 refugees, mainly in neighbouring Sudan.

Many experts have analysed the conflict underlining its ethnic character. Supporting the perception of the French journalist Vincent Hugeux (“explaining everything through the prism of the tribe is absurd, denying it is inept”), we believe that this approach does not allow us to understand the root causes and we propose to expand it with three internal and external motivations that explain the current situation.

First, Ethiopia has been a relatively stable federal state since 1995. Granting autonomy to its regions was one of the reasons for the creation of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
in May 1988.

After coming to power, Abiy Ahmed opted for a centralist policy that favours the most populated regions of the country to the detriment of the others. It cannot be forgotten that centralism was the key element of a profound trauma in Ethiopian history: the famine that spread between 1983 and 1985. Government aid was placed in the most populated regions, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move close to them.

In addition to this factor, many forget in their analyses that this is not the first conflict in Tigray.
Already between 1974 and 1990, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) opposed the successive governments that led the country through armed struggle and had special importance in overthrowing the Mengistu regime and establishing the current federal state.

Tigray has had an enormous influence both in history and in the Ethiopian government, which Abiy Ahmed has tried to mitigate by excluding Tigrayans from the army and the aforementioned tendency towards centralism.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that most civil conflicts cross the borders of the country at war and Ethiopia is no exception.

On the part of the federal government, the main ally is Eritrea, which actively participated in the support of federal troops following the peace agreement mentioned above.
The main dispute between Ethiopia (when it was under the TPLF government) and Eritrea was the city of Badme, and its handover by Abiy Ahmed to the Eritreans was seen as a betrayal in Tigray.

The presence of the United Arab Emirates, which sent Chinese drones to Ethiopia, is more subtle, while Turkey has provided it with war material that has allowed it to stop the TPLF offensive and launch a counter-offensive. Furthermore, by March 2020, Turkey had already committed to training the federal armed forces.

From the Tigray viewpoint, things aren’t so clear. There is a relative slant of the United States in its favour, highlighted by the imbalance in reporting the crimes committed by each side. Furthermore, the Addis Ababa government denounces the support of Egypt and Sudan, interested in prolonging hostilities to delay the Great Renaissance Dam.

In short, focusing on ethnicity misleads the understanding of the Ethiopian conflict. It is a gesture of resistance of the less populous Kililochs to continue to count on the Ethiopian political landscape, compared to the more populous ones like Amhara – from which Abiy Ahmed comes. This situation is aggravated by internal and external geopolitical interests.

Dagauh Komenan
Historian, specialized in International Relations

New political openings.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

Suriname is a unitary Republic with executive power vested in the President of the Republic, who is elected by the members of parliament for a five-year term; while the Chamber, composed of 51 seats, has legislative power.

The 51 members of the assembly are chosen from the ten electoral districts into which the country is divided from an administrative point of view. Six of these are located in the coastal area.
Paramaribo elects seventeen, while the district of Coronie, located a little farther west, elects only two.
The accentuated intercom division present within the country is also considerably reflected in the political sphere. Bouterse, of Creole origin, has always taken advantage of this, betting on the card of nationalism and unity among the few thousand inhabitants during his electoral campaigns. The years of his presidency, however, were marked by isolation in the international arena and an important break with the Netherlands which led to all types of financial aid being cut off.

Flags of different countries of the historic city of Paramaribo. 123rf.com

The only relations Suriname maintained at that time were with Guyana, and Venezuela. In particular, a bilateral cooperation relationship had been established with Venezuela in the fields of agriculture, communications, legal assistance, fisheries, energy, transport, culture and health. In 2005, Suriname decided to participate in Petrocaribe, an alliance proposed by Venezuelan President Chávez aimed at strengthening cooperation and solidarity relations between Caracas and the Caribbean countries. This relationship was essentially based on the sale of oil at a reduced price and on favourable terms. In addition to Guyana and Venezuela, the country has only sporadic relations with the rest of the countries of the South American region.
This, above all, was due to the cultural diversity of the country and the poor flow of trade which is directed mainly towards the USA and Europe. In fact, even with respect to the large organizations set up by the countries of the region, the country initially limited itself to participating in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty – that is, a cooperation between neighbours for the preservation of the Amazon forest – and from the 1990s, after the end of the dictatorship, it began to weave timid relations with its neighbours, and in particular with the countries of the Caribbean area.

Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi is the 9th president of Suriname.

In fact, since 1995 Suriname has been a member of CARICOM, an organization that aims to promote the economic integration of members, subsequently also entering the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, a strategy developed by some members of CARICOM to further strengthen economic integration. It was only after 2008 that it joined UNASUR, CELAC and Mercosur.
Due to its strategic position and the mineral resources present within it, Suriname was tempting to Chinese investments whose penetration was further favoured by the historical Chinese community present in the area. In this regard, suffice it to say that Huawei and other Chinese companies are playing a central role in the creation of ‘smart cities’. Furthermore, China is Suriname’s largest creditor. As it is obvious, the Chinese purpose is to invest in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean basin with the main objective of increasing its presence in this area in order to challenge the diplomatic domination of the United States in the region.

Jules wijdenbosch bridge over suriname river in paramaribo, capital of suriname. ©mathess/123RF.COM

This strategy certainly also includes the agreement signed between China and the CELAC countries for the three-year period 2022-2024 to strengthen economic cooperation. It should be noted that in the last two decades the links between China and Latin America and the Caribbean have grown commercially, especially in the period from 2000 to 2020.
In 2020 the National Assembly elected Chan Santokhi to lead the country, thus ending the Bouterse era. According to some analysts, this constitutes a new era, also in terms of international relations and therefore a greater opening of the country towards the Western hemisphere. (Open Photo: Presidential palace in Paramaribo. ©mathess/123RF.COM)

Filippo Romeo

Herbs & Plants. Euclea natalensis. An important medicinal plant in Tropical Africa.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

It is an important and frequently used medicinal plant in tropical Africa. It can be used to treat various human diseases.

Euclea natalensis (Family Ebenaceae) is a dioecious shrub or small bushy tree with a straight trunk and a dense spreading crown. It grows to an average of 15 m in height.
The bark is dark grey, thin and finely cracked. The leaves are hard and leathery, dark green and shiny above and paler underneath.
The flowers are small, bell-shaped, cream to yellow and are carried in many-flowered, branched sprays in the axils of the leaves. The fruits are rounded, fleshy berries, 7-13 mm in diameter, borne on hairy stalks. They are smooth or bristly, yellow, orange, red and black, in dense, conspicuous clusters. They are edible and attract birds.
The name Euclea means ‘good report’, from the Greek eucleia (eu– good, and kleos report). The species name natalensis means from Natal, South Africa. The plant is widely distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Photo: David Becking.

Euclea natalensis is an important and frequently used medicinal plant in tropical Africa. The roots, bark, twigs and leaves of Euclea natalensis exhibit several medicinal applications are used to treat and manage various human diseases and ailments throughout its distributional range including abdominal pains, diabetes, diarrhoea, malaria, roundworms, stomach problems, toothache, venereal diseases and as an antidote for snake bites. The roots and/or bark decoction or infusion is used in traditional medicine to treat worms, stomach disorders, toothache, headache, chest complaints and pleurisy, urinary tract infections, venereal diseases, schistosomiasis, dysmenorrhoea and scrofulous swellings, abnormal growths on skin and leprosy.

CC BY-SA 3.0/ / Karen Wiebe

The infusion of the Euclea natalensis root is used as a purgative and for abdominal complaints, but is liable to produce emesis. In some communities, Euclea natalensis charred and powdered root is topically applied to skin lesions in leprosy treatment and also taken internally for ancylostomiasis. The root powder can be applied to relieve toothache and headaches.The herbalists and traditional healers administer orally the root decoction of Euclea natalensis to treat diabetes.In some sub-Saharan African countries, the root of Euclea natalensis is an ingredient in a number of herbal concoctions containing roots of other medicinal plants used to purify the blood. Infusions and concoctions of the roots and bark are used to treat intestinal worms, stomach disorders, chest complaints, urinary tract infections, headache, toothache, leprosy, abnormal skin growths and as a purgative. The bark decoction of Euclea natalensis is administered in some communities for the treatment and management of prostate cancer.
A decoction of the roots is administered as an anthelmintic. In some communities, the Euclea natalensis root decoction is taken orally for treating infertility, menstrual problems, puerperium and as an abortifacient. The topical application of the root decoction mixed with other medicinal plants is known to relieve chest complaints including those patients suffering from pleurisy and pleurodynia.

CC BY-SA 3.0/ / Karen Wiebe

The root infusion mixed with roots of other medicinal plants can be administered orally to treat amoebic dysentery. In addition, the root infusion can be administered for sexual stimulation, the treatment of urinary tract infections and vaginal discharge. The root infusion can also be administered for the treatment of constipation, diarrhoea, enema, as a purgative, and for stomach problems. The powdered leaves applied topically or a root decoction can be administered orally as an antidote for poisoning and snake bites.
In addition to the medicinal uses, Euclea natalensis twigs are used as toothbrushes. Both the peeled twigs and unpeeled roots are used as chewing sticks in order to clean the teeth and maintain oral hygiene. This is due to the fact that the bark contains compounds with antimicrobial activity. In some communities, the root bark of Euclea natalensis is chewed mixed with chewing gum to clean the teeth in the belief that it benefits oral health. The antimicrobial potential of Euclea natalensis roots may explain its use for oral care.
The pounded roots are boiled and used to make a black dye which is often used as a floor stain, and also for dying mats and basket wares. The roots are chewed by women to impart a red colour to their mouths. (Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0/ JMK)

Richard Komakech

African Youth Survey 2022.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

The 2022 African Youth Survey (AYS) sponsored by Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a leading African foundation encouraging active citizenship across the continent, shows how young Africans plan on building a better future for themselves, their countries, and the continent that ties them together.

The Youth Survey of 4,500 face-to-face interviews with 18-24 year old’s revealed that African Youth are concerned about climate change:
– 78% are worried about increasing levels of pollution (Most concerned including Ghana – 92%, Ethiopia – 89% and Rwanda – 88%)
– 72% are highly concerned with the increasing frequency and severity of extreme environmental events (Top countries including Rwanda – 90%, Ghana – 89% and Ethiopia – 88%)
– 77% are concerned that climate change will lead to an increase in infestation and crop destruction from insects (Greatest concern expressed from Ethiopia – 91%, Malawi – 91% and Kenya 88%
– 74% worry that climate change is destroying natural habitats critical for wildlife, farming, or living (Countries indicating greatest worry including Ethiopia – 87%, Malawi – 86% and Rwanda – 83%)
– 72% are concerned by extreme heat waves or cold spells that last for abnormally long periods (Top countries including Ghana – 85%, Kenya – 85% and the DRC – 80%)
In step with those concerns, Africa’s youth, according to the Survey, want to see their governments doing more to address climate change, doing more to reduce carbon emissions and doing more to adopt green energy solutions.
– 85% of youth polled believe that their government needs to be more proactive in addressing climate change (Top countries including Rwanda – 99%, Ethiopia – 95% and Malawi – 95%) – 84% believe their governments should be working harder to adopt green energy solutions (Top countries including Rwanda – 98%, Malawi – 95% and Ethiopia – 94%)
– 81% believe that their governments ultimately need to make a more concerted effort to reducing carbon emissions (Top countries including Rwanda – 97%, Ethiopia – 94% and Malawi – 93%)
The covid-19 pandemic hit Africa hard, having a detrimental effect on education, health, and economic well-being.
However, Young Africans today are anxious to re-open their economies, create jobs, and start their own businesses. Respondents are also more optimistic about Africa’s prospects (34%) than those of their own country (28% on average). Faith in the African Union (82% favorable) remains the strongest of any multi-lateral or external actor when it comes to shaping the continent’s future.
The survey found the lack of well-paying jobs to be a top concern among respondents who, at the same time, voiced overwhelming support for entrepreneurship and enterprise. The survey reveals:
– Employment: 86% worry whether they will be able to garner well-paying jobs, youth in Kenya (94%), Zambia (94%), and Ghana (93%) expressed the greatest doubts. Some 69% are dissatisfied with their government’s job creation efforts.
– Entrepreneurship & Personal Ambitions: While only 30% of respondents call their current standard of living “good” – an 11-point fall since 2019 –77% expect that condition to improve over the next two years. 78% plan to start their own businesses in the next five years. With the world’s fastest-growing youth demographic, Africans are demanding more from their governments.
In the field of communications, democracy and equality, the survey shows:
– Connectivity & Media: 71% of respondents see Wi-Fi connectivity as a fundamental human right. Yet one out of three polled presently had no access to the Internet outside of work, 62% found mobile data to be too costly, 23% reported they cannot afford mobile data at all, and only 13% could afford data at all times.
– Democratic Ambitions: While 74% prefer democracy to any of its alternatives, over half (53%) say a Western-style version of that may not be suitable in the African context and that Africans must find their own solutions. Only 18% are interested in running for office.
– Equality: Almost half of respondents (47%) said they have experienced discrimination, and a whopping 83% say their country should do more to protect ethnic minorities. 81% are concerned about gender-based violence.
“Once again, this survey has demonstrated that Africa’s greatest resource is our rising generation,” noted Ichikowitz Family Foundation Executive Chairman Ivor Ichikowitz.
For the 2022 AYS, the survey interviewed youth from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Sudan, and Uganda in addition to those from 2020 survey nations of Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia. (C.C.) – (Open photo: 123rf.com)

XI Assembly of the World Council of Churches. A Courageous Confession of Faith.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

After last year’s postponement due to Covid-19, the XI World Assembly of the WCC (World Council of Churches) will be held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September 2022.
The theme of the Assembly: ‘The love of Christ moves the world to reconciliation and unity’.

An extremely topical issue, especially in the difficult and tragic situation of the Russian-Ukrainian war into which Europe has fallen, which makes the appeal for reconciliation and peace even more urgent and necessary. Although it was decided well before the war (and pandemic) events, it may seem daring to affirm an action of God operating in history when the unfolding of events marks the defeat of fraternity and peace.
Yet precisely in this situation, the title takes on the value of a courageous confession of faith which, even in a dark time like ours, leads to renewal and hope.

The XI World Assembly of the WCC (World Council of Churches) will be held in Karlsruhe, Germany.

From the very beginning, the themes of the Assemblies of the WCC have constituted interesting lenses with which to scrutinize the spirit of the times, the theological orientations, and the hopes of the Churches. Also, in this case, the theme of the love of Christ is a way to summarize the legacy of more than seventy years of communion of the member Churches in the work for unity, justice, and peace. At the same time, it is also a formulation that indicates the way forward for the work of the WCC: a theme that provides a yardstick for evaluating what has been said and done on the path of unity, and still is today, and last but not least, the indication of a clear eschatological perspective.
The proposal of love-agape, the heart of the Christian faith, suggests the love of Christ, the proclamation of agape, perhaps because it is considered too obvious or banal.
In reality, we are faced with the central message of the Gospel, well-rooted in the divine plan of unity and reconciliation for all human beings, which is made visible in the incarnation of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches. Photo: Peter Williams/WCC.

The Church, as the body of Christ (Ep 1: 22-23), receives this love and is immersed in it, bearing witness to it, and sharing it with others so that peace and justice may spread especially where the children of God are sounding the cry of suffering.
In this way, the Churches can see with new eyes the common vocation in the various spheres: in the search for communion (koinonia); in defining one’s service to each person and to creation (diakonia); in the commitment of the divine mission to love the world (Missio Dei); and in the translation into words of the common prayer for one another and for the whole world (leiturghìa).
The action of the Church, the body of Christ, is so founded and rooted in the love of the Lord that it makes us one with him, urges us to love and, at the same time, makes us love itself.

The Love-Church-World relationship
The Karlsruhe theme does not so much mention the Church, but the world, immediately indicating the task and role of the Christian community. Moreover, attention to the human community and the need to bear witness to life and faith, in the midst of world events, has always characterized the Christian Churches since the birth of the WCC.
Indeed, it is the Church, the body of Christ, who receives God’s love and feels invested with the responsibility of communicating and manifesting it to all. ‘The Church is at the service of God’s love and must constantly fight alongside those who suffer, both through her presence and her action. In sharing this love of God, the Church allows them to perceive the patient love of God in Jesus Christ on their behalf, and the Church herself is also led to a deeper experience of this same love’ (Faith and Constitution, Church and world § 38.1990).

37th Word Student Christian Federation (WSCF) General Assembly, Berlin, 24 -30 June 2022, Photo: Anam Gill/WSCF

In this text the mission of the Church in the world appears clearly, as a sign of this love for those who suffer, which allows humans to experience and meet with divine compassion and, at the same time, receive a further deepening of this love.The Church, therefore, learns to be more modest in recognizing and exercising her mission, but also in admitting that not all of her members always make visible the depth of God’s love: ‘We lament our current disunity, our lack of mutual love, which make us servants of Christ a poor and mediocre sign’ (Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity, p. 17).

The unity of the Church, as a witness of reconciliation, needs to identify itself and be in contact with its service for the transformation of the world. Church and world, therefore, are no longer separate realities but united by the one love of Christ.
Love thus manifests all its ecumenical relevance. As human beings, we know that unity and love go together and that, more than shared ideals and projects, it is love that unites and creates unity.
Communion among Christians is not a question of reasoning intellectuals or abstract ideas, but of love. Many in the Churches are pushing for the search for unity not only to be an institutional or formal question but to be based on relationships, on common prayer and above all in mutual love. The fact of focusing on love not only unites us as Christians but also leads us to a deeper relationship with all believers and all people of good will. This is the value of universal unity proper to love. Bringing back to the centre the love of Christ ‘poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit’ (Rom 5: 5), the WCC once again reaffirms spiritual ecumenism as the privileged and most effective way for a true ecumenism of the heart.

A new ecumenical paradigm?
In Karlsruhe, therefore, the love of Christ will catalyse the attention of the Churches and will certainly be the force that will animate them in the work to live an experience of reconciliation and unity. In this perspective, Karlsruhe can be the place where ecumenical relations are set up in a different way, shifting the focus from the ‘product’, understood as the result achieved, to the ‘production process’, that is the necessary aptitudes and qualities to reach the set goal.This means that attention to the final goal of unity and to the problems that the Churches will have to face, or to what the impact of their action will be, is reduced to the advantage of sharing in the achievement of each single goal. Consequently, ecumenism is also called to question itself about the hermeneutical changes it must undergo, that is, whether it is necessary to define a new paradigm of action and its possible declinations.

But the dynamic vitality of the love of Christ, which inspires and moves the Churches, can only suggest a paradigm in progress (dynamic paradigm) more suited to characterize the current moment.
In fact, this meaning hosts in its definition the dialogic and dialectical dynamism of love itself, allowing an evolutionary vision in tension towards fulfilment, capable of taking into account a hermeneutic of differences according to which diversity is no longer the element most difficult to manage, but the humus in which the path towards unity comes to life and advances the road to unity.
In this way, it is not so much the definition of the characteristics and requirements of unity that is increasingly delineated, but the face of the homo oecumenicus: hospitable, responsible, a disciple of Christ, one with whom all Christian traditions can collaborate and who will be able to think and act in a new way with respect to the past.
Ultimately, what is lived together as a relationship and sharing is worth more than what is studied together, and what today constitutes the mutual patrimony of intentions and commitments will be the binding force of the unity that still remains to be built, of which the next WCC Assembly will mark an important stage.

Lorenzo Raniero/MO

Kenya. The Thousand Faces of the Parish Community.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

A large number of initiatives have been started in the parish of Kariobangi in the outskirts of Nairobi to respond in concrete terms to the needs of the people.

The parish of Kariobangi, in the outskirts of Nairobi, was founded in 1974 by Comboni missionaries. The parish territory includes three large areas – Kariobangi, Huruma, and Korogocho – with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants, of which about 20,000 are Catholics. Korogocho is a shanty town of houses built with corrugated iron sheets located near the Dandora landfill, the largest in East Africa, where the waste generated in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya is collected.
In the other two areas of the parish – Huruma and Kariobangi – most of the inhabitants make a living by selling objects recovered from
Dandora and doing odd jobs.

In this social context, the parish carries out numerous initiatives and projects in favour of life, without neglecting pastoral care, liturgy, and preparation for the sacraments. The four Comboni priests of the parish, supported by some sisters and catechists, carry out this essential service, at the centre of which are the base communities.

Fr Andrew Wanjohi, parish priest of Kariobangi.

According to Fr Andrew Wanjohi, parish priest of Kariobangi, “they are small domestic Churches, made up of several families, which meet weekly for Christian formation and to respond to the first aid needs of the sick and the poor. Only later do we add the other projects run by the parish”.The parish also runs five primary and one secondary school, where about 1,600 boys and girls are taught. Father Andrew continues; “Education helps our kids to see a future that is different from the one around them. Our approach goes beyond teaching notions but tries to enter the heart of tradition through knowledge of African lifestyles, myths, languages, beliefs, stories from different cultures, poetry, legends, and proverbs”.

From health to sport and music
During the 1990s, AIDS had a major impact in Kenya, with the emergence of a large generation of orphans. To welcome them, the Comboni Missionaries opened a centre called Watoto Wetu (our children), which still functions today.
At the same time, they launched the Comboni Health Program (CHP) project in Korogocho to accompany HIV-positive people.
Today the centre accompanies 671 people, mostly Korogocho residents. Associated with the CHP, in the parish complex of Kariobangi, a physiotherapy centre for children with movement problems and paralysis operates two days a week.

However, the largest health facility in the parish is the dispensary in Kariobangi, where hundreds of people receive medical care every day.
Another example of the initiatives carried out in Kariobangi is the San Juan Sports Society, which the Combonians started in 2003. In Korogocho, in particular, there is no public park or sports centre where young people can meet to develop activities that take them away from the permanent danger of alcohol and drugs.
For this reason, a football field and courts for basketball and volleyball were built on the property of the San Juan chapel. In addition, a chapel building has been fitted out for the practice of other sports such as boxing, karate, or taekwondo. Boxer Elizabeth Akinyi, who represented Kenya at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, trained here.
Sport gets young people moving and so does music. In 2007 the Comboni Missionaries participated in the foundation, also in the San Juan area, of the Ghetto Classics Music Program, a music school that has trained hundreds of boys and girls in Korogocho and is recognized nationally and internationally.Another example is the San Juan library, which has about 300 reading stations and makes thousands of schoolbooks available to users for consultation.

All these social initiatives were born with the aim of uniting and creating bonds between people in a place where ethnic divisions are evident and which in times of crisis, such as during some electoral elections, has been the scene of acts of violence.
Attention to the most vulnerable, in all stages of life, defines the social commitment of the parish of Kariobangi. For 30 years now, the Pro-Life program has been helping young women who have been victims of domestic violence or are pregnant. Two specialized social educators, Ann and Georgina, work full time listening to these girls and raising awareness in schools and families. For the most serious cases of girls who have to leave their families, the Missionaries of Charity have opened a space to welcome them to their community of Huruma.
They also welcome abandoned children with neurological problems or mental illnesses.

A further challenge for the parish is the question of the street children. Many families are unable to guarantee food or school fees for their children and some of them decide to make a living on their own, often in the Dandora landfill, where they first experience how harsh life can be. In this context, many of them often end up consuming alcohol and drugs. To try to recuperate these boys and girls, the Comboni Missionaries have created specialized programs, through which they accompany hundreds of them.
The Comboni Missionary Sisters, present in the parish since the 1980s, manage the Kariobangi Institute for the Promotion of Women, a professional school for girls with problems of social integration. The centre offers three training options: tailoring, hairdressing, and beautician courses. At the end of their training, young women receive a certificate recognized by the Kenyan government which allows them to face life with a greater chance of success.

Enrique Bayo

The use of language at global climate talks.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

The yearly UN climate summit or Conference of the Parties (COP) produces international agreements that guide countries in their response to the climate crisis. At least, it should.

Instead, the climate pacts so far have largely played into the already inaccessible climate discourse. High-minded rhetoric excludes the people most impacted by the climate crisis by keeping its language confusing and difficult to communicate.

The vagueness of the language means that countries most responsible for the climate crisis can easily take advantage of the situation to benefit themselves. We saw this in the use of seemingly similar words like ‘should’ instead of ‘shall’ in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which suddenly signalled a less intense commitment from global north countries to lead the way in reducing emissions.

The COP27 agreement, which will be held next November in Egypt, cannot be just another text that serves dirty industry
and energy lobbyists.

At COP26 in Glasgow last November there was a lot of attention on the switching of coal phase-out to coal phase-down. Developed countries most responsible for the climate crisis were ‘disappointed’ by India’s intervention. It is true that the language was watered down.

However, something just as crucial was not just switched out but erased – the concrete mechanisms for climate finance to be transferred from developed countries to developing countries for loss and damages were reduced to a dialogue. With this crucial information in mind, India’s intervention makes more sense when the global north countries most responsible for the crisis refuse to pay climate reparations.

Language is used as a tool to compromise and delay action. Why are the parties at the COP still acting as if there are compromises to be made with the worst polluters and emitters? The climate crisis presents itself in no uncertain terms: billions of people across the globe are already experiencing the worst impacts.

Weakening key phrases of landmark agreements does us no favours when we are surer than ever of what we stand to lose as we inch closer to ecological and climate collapse. There can be no room for uncertainty, no ‘should’ taking the place of ‘shalls’ and ‘musts’; no calling for may ‘phase-downs’ when what we need are complete phase-outs alongside reparations for loss and damages experienced by global south countries and for adaptation.

For the global north to dodge and diminish the overwhelming urgency of widespread, systemic climate action is to sign away the lives of millions upon millions of the most vulnerable populations and groups.

Six Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports have been published, each more pressing than the last in calling for immediate and global climate action. Why is this watering down still happening?

The latest IPCC reports have already explicitly named colonialism and other socio-economic injustices as active drivers of communities’ vulnerability to the climate crisis. Both the I PCC and grassroots movements have long demonstrated that dirty industries have no place in any sort of climate-resilient society.

The only thing left is for world leaders, through COP, to make a definitive choice: profit, or people and planet. We must consign the dirty industries to the past, or we have no future.

The COP27 agreement cannot be just another text that serves dirty industry and energy lobbyists to hinder genuine progress and climate justice. We demand nothing less than clear-cut messaging across the board to single out the worst perpetrators. Global north developed countries need to be explicitly held accountable.

We need to see real mechanisms put in place to hold the largest polluters especially to their promises and pledges of deep emissions cuts. We need concrete mechanisms to facilitate climate reparations from the global north to the global south in the form of finance and technology transfer, both to minimise and manage loss and damages and to adapt and transition into a renewable energy system.

Yes, language matters. But at the end of the day, it is only a reflection of the political will of leaders and their willingness to actually bring the COP agreements into policy. The landmarks we have seen so far of language being clearer in naming the systems that are destroying the planet have been a feat of the people — civil society, scientists, the most marginalised sectors — pushing leaders to enact the people’s will.

Mitzi Jonelle Tan/ Spokesperson of Youth Advocates
for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP)/ Resurgence & Ecologist.

Suriname. A Multi-coloured Country.

Monday, 1 August 2022 8:00

It is the smallest country in South America with a population of just over 600,000 inhabitants and a population rate that has been steadily decreasing since 1970. About 245,000 people live in Paramaribo, the capital. Located near the mouth of the 480 km long Suriname River that crosses the country from south to east, colonial architecture predominates in the city and the historic centre is
a UNESCO heritage site.

The country is located on the Atlantic Coast, even if it is considered a Caribbean country, and is nestled between French Guiana, with which it borders to the east, Brazil to the south, and Guayana to the west. The country occupies an area of 163,821 sq. km of which about 80% is covered by uncontaminated rainforest. It is rich in waterways and mineral resources and is in continuity with Guyana both geographically and morphologically. In the past, these territories, which constituted a single segment, were perceived by the Spanish and Portuguese as unhealthy and not to be dealt with, despite being located in the part of the South American continent closest, as the crow flies, to Europe or, more precisely, to the Iberian Peninsula.

Suriname political map with capital Paramaribo. 123rf.com

This refusal was perhaps determined by the presence of swamps and the appearance of the forests. Unlike the Spaniards and the Portuguese, the English, the French and, above all, the Dutch – the latter belonging to the powerful West India Company – did not disdain to establish themselves in those territories on which they established their respective sovereignties, carrying out a division into three parts defined as follows: British Guiana, Dutch Guiana or Suriname and French Guiana.
The name Guyana probably derives from the name of a village called ‘Guyane’ already present in those territories and inhabited by indigenous people. By founding the first establishments with exclusively commercial purposes, the settlers effectively began colonization through the abundant use of slaves imported from Africa. In the course of the following centuries, Dutch Guyana or Suriname changed hands several times between the English and the Dutch depending on which country held the balance of power. The reclaimed territories were used for coffee, cocoa, and sugar cane crops. However, the settlers had to face the problem of manpower since Indians, Black Africans, and Creoles did not want to work in the plantations under their orders and, therefore, decided to withdraw to the virgin forests, little known at that time.
This forced the Dutch to enter into five-year contracts with the mostly Chinese and Indian workers employed on these plantations.
In the following years, in addition to these crops, stock-raising, the mining of gold and bauxite, as well as the production of timber
were also developed.

Cannon at fort Nieuw Amsterdam in Paramaribo. 123rf.com

In the history of Suriname, 1950 undoubtedly represents an important date since in that year it was granted self-government by the Netherlands. This process, which became complete in 1954, allowed Suriname to become part of the kingdom of the Netherlands and therefore to develop its own political life characterized by a close confrontation between the National Party of Suriname (PNS), an expression of the black and mulatto majority who favoured independence, and the Asian-backed Progressive Reform Party (PPR), which advocated maintaining ties with the Netherlands. This confrontation reached a turning point on 25 November 1975 with the achievement of independence by the country which, however, throughout its history was not immune from interference by the military who, as in many other countries in the region, played a crucial role in the political equilibrium of Suriname by determining its isolation from the rest of the international community.
In 1975 a new government was formed headed by the major representative of the National Party Henck A. Arron and whose members were representatives of various ethnic groups – Creoles, Africans, Indonesians and Chinese – while many Dutch citizens returned to their homeland and Holland allocated a few billion florins to help Suriname take its first steps with a certain degree of tranquillity. However, after about five years of activity, Arron’s government was overthrown in 1980 by a military coup and replaced by the military junta, chaired by D. Bouterse who imposed two years of martial law on the country, after which, following harsh protests by the population, a constituent assembly was appointed which produced a constitutional text approved in 1987. During those five years, the country was isolated, which caused both a decrease in exports of aluminium and bauxite and the suspension of economic aid from the Netherlands and the United States; factors that aggravated the country’s already precarious economic situation.

With the launch of the new constitutional charter, new elections were also held which ended with the victory of the Front for Democracy and the affirmation of Ramsewak Shankar. However, Bouterse was appointed head of the Military Council, and this allowed him to have control of domestic politics. This balance showed all its precariousness after just a short time, dissolving in 1989 when the government tried to reach peace with the ‘bosch neger’ (descendants of slaves who fled to the forests) who had already been defending their autonomy since 1986. They met with strong opposition from the military who sent against them the ‘Amerindians’ of the Amazonian Tucayana. In the face of this pacification process implemented by the government on December 24, 1990, the military overthrew R. Shankar and called new elections, held on May 25, 1991, which assigned the victory to the nationalist New Front and the presidency to R. Venetiaan.

The National Assembly in Paramaribo.

The new government concluded an economic assistance agreement with the Netherlands, promoted constitutional changes to limit the influence of the military, and formalized Suriname’s entry into the Caribbean community in 1995. The constitutional changes did not prevent Bouterse from playing a crucial role in the political life of the country in the years that followed. After several ups and downs, which also saw him involved in drug trafficking, he finally returned to the vertex of the state in 2010, when he was elected president of the Republic, confirming his mandate also in 2015. The last presidential election was won by Chandrikapersad ‘Chan’ Santokhi, a former police officer and exponent of the Vooruitstrevende Hervormings Partij (Progressive Reform Party, VHP), a social-democratic party founded in 1949 by the union of old Hindu and Muslim parties. (Open Photo: 123rf.com) (F.R.)

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