Africa

Image: Presidential Election Results by Province. Orange denotes districts won by Kaboré, Red denotes districts won by Komboïgo and Green denotes districts won by Diabré. CC BY-SA 4.0

The U.S. Slaps Burkina Faso with Travel Ban Over Terrorism and Ethnic Violence

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – A U.S. State Department red level “Do Not Visit” warning against travel to Burkina Faso has been posted to the U.S. website, as rising rates of COVID-19, terrorism, crime and kidnapping are said to endanger visitors to that country.

“Terrorists may conduct attacks anywhere with little or no warning,” the State Dept warned. “Targets could include hotels, restaurants, police stations, customs offices, areas at or near mining sites, places of worship, military posts, and schools.”

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 27 November 2020

Morocco's Multiculturalism Fosters Sustainable Development

Viewpoint by Dr Yossef Ben-Meir

The writer is President of the High Atlas Foundation in Marrakech, Morocco.

MARRAKECH (IDN) – One ought not to doubt the Kingdom of Morocco’s abiding sincerity in its commitment to the principles of multiculturalism and to the diverse identities that constitute this Islamic nation. This embracing on the part of the government and the general public is a real, constant, and codified one, even synonymous with what it means today to be a Moroccan. However, the lived pluralistic experiences of the people must take new forms with every generation, and its translation into advancing development is now the nation’s foresighted call.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 26 November 2020

Photo: Abdel Razek was arrested with two other officials of the civil rights organization after the met with European ambassadors. Courtesy Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights

Egypt Bashed for Arrest of Prominent Rights Defenders

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – “Meeting with foreign diplomats is not a crime. Nor is peacefully advocating for human rights.” Those were the first words of Antony Blinken as he steps up to the plate and assumes the position of foreign policy adviser to President-elect Joe Biden.

Blinken joins prominent leaders in the human rights community coming to the defence of three domestic rights activists who met with Western diplomats for a briefing on November 3.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 23 November 2020

COVID-19 Shatters Hopes for Industrial Advance in Africa

But the Next Decade Might Trigger the Change Needed

Viewpoint by Jenny Larsen*

VIENNA (IDN) – Industrial development in Africa has been sluggish for some decades. Now, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic kick in, hopes for better progress, at least in the short term, appear to be fading. But if countries grasp the right opportunities, the next decade can deliver the industrial change needed to meet the challenges ahead.

Industrialization and development go hand in hand. There is hardly a country in the world that has developed without building a strong manufacturing base. But for Africa – sometimes referred to as the continent of the future – the fruits of industrialization have often seemed just out of reach.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 21 November 2020

Photo: The late Ghana President Jerry Rawlings sitting at a public function. The second phase of Ghana’s post-colonial history – from 1981 – is intensely controversial, centring on Rawlings himself. Source: Jerry John Rawlings Facebook

Legacy of Late Ghana President: A View from Nigeria

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) – The saying that a prophet is not appreciated at home may well be referring to former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, who died on November 12 from COVID-19 related complications, three weeks after his mother passed.

Ghana took to seven days of mourning, but Nigeria is crying more than the bereaved. Among Nigeria’s political elite, there has been a “condolence contest.” And among the wider public, the outpouring of grief and tribute on social media makes Ghana look like Rawlings’ distant second home.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 19 November 2020

Photo: Russian military expands in Africa by building bases in Africa. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence.

Russia Expanding Its Military Bases in Africa

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – After years of negotiations with Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia to establish naval bases, Russia has finally signed an agreement with Sudan, signifying further its return to Africa. Sharing a northern border with Egypt, Sudan is located on the strategic Red Sea coastline.

Moscow had a naval base in Somalia during the Soviet days, Eritrea appears to be steadily working for Russia, while Djibouti already hosts Chinese and American naval bases. China has a military base in Djibouti which was set up to support five mission areas. India is another Asian nation that has increased its naval presence in Africa. In order to protect its commercial sea-lanes from piracy, it has established a network of military facilities across the Indian Ocean.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 18 November 2020

Photo: Former Ghanaian leader Jerry John Rawlings, centre, greets people outside St. Paul's Catholic Church February 2, 2020. Rawlings, a Catholic, died November 12 at age 73 in the nation's capital, Accra. Credit: Damian Avevor/CNS.

In Memoriam of Rawlings, A Charismatic Leader and a Stalwart for Pan Africanism

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – “A bear of a man with a booming voice.” That’s how some will remember Ghana's former President Jerry John Rawlings who died November 12 in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, according to local media reports. He was 73.

“A great tree has fallen and Ghana is poorer for this loss,” said Ghana’s current president, Nana Akufo-Addo. Ongoing campaigns for the December 7 general elections were suspended in recognition of the former leader.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 17 November 2020

Photo: Maxwell Matewere, addresses a local community in Malawi about the threat of human trafficking. Credit: UNODC

How I am Combating Human Trafficking in Malawi

By Maxwell Matewere

A Malawian crime prevention expert with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Maxwell Matewere, has been active in the anti-human trafficking field for more than two decades. The following is being republished from UN News,

LILONGWE (IDN) – I was a young, recent law graduate when I first experienced the horrors of human trafficking. It was in 1998. I was working for a human rights NGO and attending a workshop in South Africa. A taxi driver told me about two girls from my home country who worked in a bar in Johannesburg. He was very concerned about them.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 16 November 2020

Photo: Fire at Kilimanjaro National Park, United Republic of Tanzania. Credit: TANAPA/TANAPA

Kilimanjaro Threatened by Fires Which Shaped It

Viewpoint by Andreas Hemp*

BAYREUTH (IDN) – In October 2020, firefighters in Tanzania had to tackle a number of fires on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain and the largest free-standing mountain in the world. The mountain and surrounding forests fall into Kilimanjaro National Park, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Andreas Hemp provides a glimpse into the mountain’s natural environment and the challenges it faces.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 15 November 2020

Photo credit: Ms. Jane Mufamadi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Freedom Park Memorial Museum Complex in Pretoria, South Africa.

The Five-Nation BRICS Finds Unity in Cultural Diversity

Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Under the Russian Chairmanship of BRICS 2020, Moscow has organised and hosted a series of corporate conferences, business forums and other important events. For example, the Roundtable discussion on the theme “International Cultural Cooperation for Strengthening BRICS Unity” brought high-profiled participants from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was part of efforts at broadening the scope of cooperation in different directions, and steps toward attaining an admirably influential position and becoming active on the global stage.