South Sudan: Progress on peace agreement ‘limps along,’ UN envoy tells security council
Although the transitional government in South Sudan continues to function, with state governors now appointed, among other developments, progress on the 2018 peace agreement “limps along,” the top UN official in the country told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Sept. 16.. David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), updated ambassadors on the country’s...
Deadly cyanide dump unearthed near Namibia coast
GINNEWS WINDHOEK, Namibia (GIN)–Twelve drums of highly toxic calcium cyanide, plus loads of other chemicals, including nitric and sulphuric acid, were left behind when its owners abandoned the Namib Lead Mine about four years ago. The drums pose a serious danger to the health of thousands of people in the vicinity. They were recently found in an abandoned mine in the...
International media and Obama’s message to the Muslim world
(FinalCall.com) - Pre- and post-reaction to President Obama's speech delivered in Cairo to the Muslim world was overwhelmingly favorable and seemed to take on new meaning as time progressed. According to the British daily, The Guardian, though the president didn't reveal any new policy programs June 4, the speech will go down in history for its tone–the vocabulary–he used...
Congo atrocities just the cost of doing business?
(FinalCall.com) - President Obama's upcoming trip to Tanzania may have more to do with Rwanda than meets the eye. During the recent 21st African Union/Organization of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho remarked that Rwanda should “negotiate” with the FDLR (Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a rebel movement operating in the...
‘Pink Tax’ costly for African females needing personal care products
@jehronmuhammad While South Africa and Tanzania, facing increased “global” scrutiny in 2018 removed their tax on women's sanitary pads, the government of the East African country re-introduced the tax while unveiling its budget, according to the Daily Nation. This taxation of menstrual products has intensified menstruation stigma and has been especially “punishing to girls from low-income homes who have...
Thousands in Senegal say ‘Enough’ in rally for economic social change
(GIN)—For centuries, Senegal was called the “country of teranga” or “country of hospitality.” The mask of hospitality was lifted recently to expose the frustration of thousands of young Senegalese fed up with government corruption and what was called “wealth hoarding by the political class.” Protestors are also demanding the release of political prisoners and reform of the criminal justice system. “Trop...
UN marks first International Day for People of African Descent
The UN celebrated the enormous contributions the African diaspora has made in every field of human endeavor, marking the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a greater commitment to advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all, in his inaugural message on Aug. 31. Long overdue “It is a long overdue recognition...
Africa 2021: Perplexing, horrendous, dramatic and inspiring
Africa’s year 2021 was perplexing, horrendous, dramatic but also inspirational. It can be summed in the “two-ness” of the sojourn of American Black folks as expressed in W.E.B. Du Bois’ inspirational writing about Black lives and how they matter, published in 1903, in “The Souls Of Black Folk”: “An American, a Negro; two souls, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals...
Tanzania’s Muslim female president seeks partnerships during ‘royal tour’
On the heels of a White House visit, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, made a special stop in New York City: The world premiere of Emmy award-winning journalist and travel editor Peter Greenberg’s global television special, “Tanzania: The Royal Tour.” “This is a very special, up close and personal journey to and through a country, seen through the...
Female African warriors and their brave fight against the African slave trade
The film “The Woman King,” directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring award-winning actress Viola Davis, though receiving much acclaim, has also been criticized for historical inaccuracy. When questioned about the “backlash” Davis paraphrased Prince-Bythewood, stating, “you’re not going to win an argument on Twitter.” Davis’ husband and producing partner, Julius Tennon added, that the film depicts history but also...