Zimbabwean teen teaches taekwondo to fight child marriage
HARARE, Zimbabwe—In Zimbabwe, where girls as young as 10 are forced to marry due to poverty or traditional and religious practices, a teenage taekwondo enthusiast is using the sport to give girls in an impoverished community a fighting chance at life. “Not many people do taekwondo here, so it’s fascinating for the girls, both married and single. I use it...
W. Africa’s legendary Dahomey female warriors
No story about Africa’s kingdom of Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin, would be complete without chronicling the history of their fearless female warriors. In fact, in the history of the world these fearless women warriors called “Agojie” or Dahomey Amazons by the French literally left European colonialists “shaking in theirs boots.” The Agojie warriors are called the only documented frontline...
Africa, the internet and youth organizing
Autocratic leaders in Africa are increasingly relying on internet shutdowns to mitigate young people’s use of social media to mobilize against post-colonial political structures across the continent. The internet continues to grow and “gain considerable power and agency around the world,” noted The Conversation, a research-based online publication. The internet is perceived to be a threat by governments that have...
U.S. accusation of South Africa selling weapons to Russia could be a ploy directed at upcoming BRICS summits
During a recent press briefing from South Africa, the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, leveled accusations that weapons were being loaded onto a Russian vessel which is under U.S. sanctions. However, Redge Nkosi, a former member of the administration of Nelson Mandela, made the distinction that the vessel was “not sanctioned by the United Nations.” Nkosi was very...
Is scholar linked to Sudanese rebel group?
(FinalCall.com) - Looking into the reasons for Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi's most recent arrest, his fifth since his falling out with President Omar Al-Bashir, analysis as always comes from different quarters: Political science professor at Al Neilein University Hassan Al-Sa'ori believes the detention is somehow connected to Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim's “failure to distort the...
UN refugee agency: Keep borders open for fleeing Ethiopians
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Nov. 11 that it is working with Sudanese authorities to help more than 7,000 refugees who have fled Ethiopia over the past two days, following major clashes in the Tigray region of the country. The Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local authorities are screening and registering people arriving in...
Bush bombs Africa, no outcry!
Somalia: a clear case of ‘blood oil' in Africa (FCN, 02-05-2007)Bush's Goal: Bring African leaders in line with U.S. policy (FCN, 12-08-2006) Annan: U.S. wrong to support warlords in Somalia (FCN, 06-29-2006) U.S. covets Africa's black gold (FCN, 10-01-2002)The Oil Factor In Somalia (LA Times, 01-18-1993)How the U.S. Government destabilized foreign governments (FCN, 07-22-1985) WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - As world conflicts go, this...
The legacy of violence by the British Empire in Africa and beyond
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, once said, “You can’t fathom the depths of Satan.” Caroline Elkins in her 2022 book, “The Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire,” gives much substance to Mr. Muhammad’s weighty words. But if not for Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, who as a child spent much time...
Thousands of African workers kept in appalling conditions
Hoping to escape the war, death and destitution rampant in their home countries, thousands of African workers embark every year on a grueling journey to the affluent Persian Gulf countries looking for employment. The more fortunate ones will end up doing backbreaking manual labor earning a pittance, barely enough to make ends meet. Should they be unlucky, a fate worse than...
Another Failed South Sudan Peace Agreement
Before the ink was dry on yet another peace agreement to end South Sudan's hostilities, violations occurred between President Salva Kiir's forces and troops belonging to rebel leader and former South Sudan vice-president Rick Machar. The two leaders, meeting June 26 in Khartoum with President Omar Bashir and after two days of talks that included Uganda President Yoweri Museveni,...