THE WORLD – Page 193 – IDN-InDepthNews

Africa2016-03-222023-07-10

Philanthropy with a Pan-African Perspective

NEW YORK (INPS | GIN) – Bill Gates, Bono, the Ford Foundation and the World Bank, among others, are well-known supporters of development projects in Africa. But that’s hardly the full list.

A report on international giving by the Foundation Center found that approximately $255 million to Africa came from U.S. foundations in 2010. Compare that to the $40 billion that Africans in the diaspora sent home in remittances in the same year. This has since grown to $60 billion annually and now exceeds funding from private foundations and bilateral and multilateral aid agencies.

Africa2016-03-222023-07-10

‘Super Sunday’ Polls in Africa

NEW YORK (INPS | GIN) – Voters trooped to the polls in six countries across Africa on March 20, electing presidents and in Senegal approving a constitution with shorter presidential terms.

Among the surprises, the hand-picked successor to the outgoing president of Benin was defeated by a self-made entrepreneur Patrice Talon – “the king of cotton” – who ran as an “authentic Beninese” candidate. During the campaign he repeatedly attacked his opponent’s dual French nationality and the fact that he was living in France until being appointed prime minister by the outgoing former president.

Lionel Zinsou, with light skin, was also attacked as a “yovo” or “white man” during the campaign. He congratulated his opponent even before the official release of voting results was announced.

Africa2016-03-172023-07-10

Fierce Muslim Opposition to Make Liberia a Christian State

NEW YORK | MONROVIA (INPS | GIN) – An upcoming referendum to make Liberia a Christian state is meeting fierce opposition from the country’s Muslims and some Christians.

At a three-day retreat held by the National Imam Council of Liberia, a resolution was drafted that included a threat to boycott the referendum if the issue of the Christian state is not removed.

“The National Imam Council of Liberia is amazed beyond words that some of our compatriots are calling for the declaration of Liberia as a Christian nation,” an official of the Imam Council said.

Africa2016-03-172023-07-10

Campaign to Save Senegal’s Local Language Begins with a Book

DAKAR (INPS | GIN) – Waly Fay of Senegal had an obsession. He was determined not to let one of Senegal’s local languages become a footnote of linguistic history.

Not only was Serer the third most spoken language in Senegal but it was the language of the country’s first president. Although Léopold Sédar Senghor, a president and a poet, wrote most of his couplets in French, he never lost his “Serer-ness,” he told Fay with whom he corresponded over the course of his life.

Now, three decades since he began translating Senghor’s French language poems into Serer, Way’s book has been released.

Fay, a poet and academic, presented the book of presidential poems at a three-day party in the Serer-speaking region of Fadial.

Africa2016-03-162023-07-10

Mauritania Ratifies Pact to End Modern-Day Slavery

GENEVA | NEW YORK (INPS | GIN) – Mauritania has ratified the 2014 protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (1930), reinforcing thus the global movement against forced labour in all its forms, including human trafficking.

Mauritania follows Niger, Norway and the United Kingdom, as one of the first states to formally commit to implement the Protocol. The Protocol, adopted in 2014 by an overwhelming majority by the International Labour Conference, supplements Convention (No. 29) 1930, requiring States to take effective measures for prevention, protection of victims and ensuring their access to justice and compensation.

Africa2016-03-102023-07-10

European Parliament Adopts a Historic Resolution on Eritrea

By Klara Smits and Florence Tornincasa

STRASBOURG (IDN) – The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on Eritrea, which sends a strong signal to the European Commission, the EU Council, member states and the Eritrean government that human rights violations in the country need to be addressed.

The resolution approved on March 10 clearly identifies that Eritrean refugees are fleeing serious human rights violations and an indefinite national service which constitutes slavery.

The resolution also addresses the systematic extortion of refugees, a concern expressed earlier in resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.

Africa2016-03-102023-07-10

A 5-Million-Dollar Prize Fails to Tempt Wealthy African Leaders

NEW YORK (INPS | GIN) – Philanthropist Mo Ibrahim is finding it hard to reward a democratically elected African leader who serves his or her constitutionally mandated term (without last minute changes) and demonstrates exceptional leadership.

The five-million-dollar prize is just too small for such a commitment.

Money held by some of Africa’s richest leaders outsizes the modest reward by factors of 10 to 1000. Presidential wealth was the focus of a recent piece in the online magazine “African Spotlight” and the sums in their bank accounts were stratospheric.

To name a few of the wealthiest: Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) $10 million, Idris Deby (Chad) $50 million, King Mswati (Swaziland) $100 million, Paul Biya (Cameroon) $200 million, Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) $500 million, Teodoro Obiang (Equatorial Guinea) $600 million and Jose Eduardo dos Santos, (Angola) $20 billion.

Africa2016-03-102023-07-10

A Hotelier Sets Sights on Wangari Maathai’s Prized Forest

NAIROBI (INPS | GIN) – A unique urban forest, beloved by Nobel Laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), Wangari Maathai, is reportedly in the sights of a hotel developer.

“Wangari is dead but not resting in peace,” said Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, adding: “The proposed hotel in Karura Forest must be disturbing her spirit.”

According to Maathai’s Green Belt group, Ibis Hospitality Ltd, Nairobi-based, is hoping to build a five-star hotel on a 25-acre piece of forest. A spokesman for the group denies the group’s claim.

Asia-Pacific2016-03-052023-07-10

India and China can Rescue Asian Century from Oblivion

BEIJING (IDN | INPS) – One term which gained currency in the millennium’s first decade was ‘Asian Century’. The term represented a promise, a prospect and a goal; and, invariably, was used with optimism. For a while, it was as evocative as the term ‘21st century’ was in the 1980s, replete with visions of new vistas of life, living and development far removed from the poverty, deprivation and tribulations suffered by the world’s oppressed majority in the 20th century.

When the 21st century was actually upon us, much of the romantic yearning for it had ceased. Similarly, invocation of ‘Asian Century’ ceased to resonate with the aspirations it brought to mind. It came to be used less frequently, especially in capitals such as Beijing and New Delhi.

Asia-Pacific2016-03-042023-07-10

Jade Industry Key to Democratic Reform in Myanmar

This article is the third in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

SINGAPORE (IDN | Lotus News Features) – As a new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi takes over in Myanmar this month (March), reforming the country’s jade mining industry and ensuring that the benefits flow to the people and the national coffers would be the litmus test of its democratic credentials.

Many people tend to conclude that having a free and fair multi-party election and a long serving government being overthrown by the peoples’ verdict is the ultimate test of a country’s flowering of democracy. But, in today’s globalized economic system that by itself is not enough.