Continued.......In the following days, violence left 10 people dead from gunshot wounds and another 63 injured, with Gilberto Manhiça, head of the Order of Doctors, accusing police of a 'shoot to kill' approach. 

The protests reflect a deeper dissatisfaction in Mozambican society, as economic hardships and visible inequality fuel public anger.

Sources
Chapo wins
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/world/africa/mozambique-election-results-fraud.html

10 killed in protests
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/at-least-10-people-are-killed-by-police-in-mozambique-post-election-protests-medical-groups-say/ar-AA1tfWqV

Opposition figures killed
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4d3j1mm2yo

Doubt cast on election outcome
https://apnews.com/article/mozambique-election-irregularities-results-protest-killings-50ea2d587e563dece5454253547897d4

Protests show FRELIMO falling out of favour with youth
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/world/africa/mozambique-election-results-fraud.html

https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-bids-final-farewell-to-paulo-guambe-tomorrow-to-elvino-dias-on-tuesday-carta-269195

77% to live under poverty 2024
https://www.statista.com/outlook/co/socioeconomic-indicators/mozambique

Youth demographics in Mozambique
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1266482/share-of-adolescent-population-in-mozambique/

How did Europe get richer than Global South nations? Well, according to the British weekly magazine The Economist, the secret lies in Europeans being better able to digest animal milk than their Global South counterparts. So, according to them, it’s not slavery, colonialism or neo-colonialism, all systems that led to the plunder and pillaging of Global South resources for centuries.

In its March 2015 edition, @theeconomist parroted University of California academician Justin Cook's study that claimed Europeans had genes that enabled them to digest lactose better than Africans or Asians, thereby making Europeans less susceptible to diseases due to milk's nutritional composition, which consequently increased the European population, leading to cities' growth and catalysing industrialisation and economic development.

Continued.....
Not only is this assertion a dubious attempt to show Europeans as somehow superior, but it also tries to hide that Europe has been built on the back of resources that were stolen from Africa and other parts of the Global South.

For example, Belgium did not become wealthy because Belgians were better at digesting lactose, but because King Leopold II (1835-1909) looted the Congo’s wealth. Further, Britain built its wealth by kidnapping and enslaving Africans in the Americas and in Africa. To that list, add the wealth that France looted from its African colonies, and it becomes clear how Europe became rich. Drinking cow’s milk definitely had no bearing on it.

Since our friends at the Economist do not get it, we have helped them correct their headline.

SOURCES:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/famine-and-diseases-likely-drove-europeans-ability-to-digest-milk-180980483

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2015/03/28/no-use-crying?fsrc=scn%2Ffb%2Fte%2Fbl%2Fed%2F

“I’m grateful that we were finally rescued, but the scars of that time are still with me," is a harrowing sentiment from one of the Ghanaian fishermen who was recently awarded $25,000 compensation, following rescue from modern day slavery aboard a trawler owned by Scottish fishing firm TN Trawlers in 2020.

Aboard the Olivia Jean, the men endured dire conditions - confined quarters, verbal racial abuse, limited food and drinking water, and severe restrictions. Their contracts allowed them into the UK as seamen, yet they were denied the right to disembark, creating an environment ripe for exploitation. Despite TN Trawlers denying all allegations of mistreatment, a BBC documentary noscriptd Slavery at Sea highlighted their plight, leading to two criminal investigations into the company.

Continued......The fishermen's case against the UK Home Office underscores how little has changed for African workers in various industries. This tragic story unfolds against a backdrop of Scotland’s historical role in the European slave trade, where Scottish merchants once profited from African exploitation. Centuries later, African seafarers still struggle for basic protections and face barriers in Western waters, echoing the same lack of rights our ancestors experienced.

Your thoughts in the comments are welcome

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj0ln81yyjo 

https://www.freedomunited.org/news/inside-the-human-trafficking-scandal-rocking-scotlands-fishing-industry/ 

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

Continued.....Sources:


https://unu.edu/cpr/blog-post/addressing-continuing-threat-modern-slavery-africa

https://www.ilo.org/publications/major-publications/global-estimates-modern-slavery-forced-labour-and-forced-marriage#:~:text=Report-,Global%20Estimates%20of%20Modern%20Slavery:%20Forced%20Labour%20and%20Forced%20Marriage,the%20International%20Organization%20for%20Migration.&text=Modern%20slavery%20is%20a%20scourge,%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9

NIGERIA TO REPLACE FOREIGN CARTOONS WITH LOCAL CONTENT

Nigeria plans to replace foreign cartoons with locally produced content out of concern that the country's 110 million children are exposed to harmful 'foreign' behaviours that do not align with Nigerian values.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), responsible for communicating government policy, staying abreast of public opinion, and promoting patriotism, national unity, and the development of Nigerian society, made the announcement on 11 October. The agency reported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had already given his approval for the shift towards more local content, although specific steps on how this transition will occur have yet to be outlined.

Nigerian animated productions, such as 'Jay Jay: The Chosen One,' have garnered significant support, possibly providing a model for domestic content. 

The government also sees this initiative as an opportunity to redefine Nigeria's image abroad.

Continued......
Earlier this year, Disney+ announced the launch of a Nigeria-based animated series noscriptd, 'Iwájú.' However, viewers must pay for the video-on-demand subnoscription service to watch the series produced by London-based Pan-African company Kugali Media.

SOURCES:

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/politics/nigeria-moves-to-replace-foreign-cartoons-with-local-content-to-prevent-foreign-behaviors-of-children-243462.html 

https://guardian.ng/news/fg-to-replace-foreign-cartoons-with-nigerian-content-that-promotes-values

https://www.cnn.com/world/africa/iwaju-disney-plus-nigeria-premiere-kugali-media-spc-intl/index.html

https://data.unicef.org/how-many/how-many-children-under-18-live-in-nigeria

UGANDA TO LOSE BILLIONS OVER ANTI-GAY LAW

The charity Open for Business estimates that Uganda's anti-gay law could cost the country as much as $8.3 billion over five years due to diminished foreign investment, trade, and tourism. Since enacting the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023, Uganda has already faced losses between $470 million and $1.66 billion. One of the strictest anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the world, the act prescribes life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relations and the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality.' In response, the World Bank suspended its loans to Uganda but is considering reinstating funding with new 'mitigation measures' to prevent discrimination in its projects.

Continued......This economic penalty contrasts sharply with the West's absent or limited responses to Uganda's other regional actions, raising questions over whether these sanctions are driven by justice or narrower Western interests. Despite its constitution granting the right to peaceful assembly and demonstrations, Uganda's record of suppressing opposition politics is well-known. Protests against corruption in July, for example, were met with arrests and torture, yet Western voices remained largely silent. Similarly, the UN has cited Uganda exploiting mineral resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and supporting armed groups like M23 for destabilising the Great Lakes Region for more than 20 years. The UN's highest court, the International Court of Justice, also ruled in 2022 that Uganda pay $325 million in reparations to the DRC.

Let us know what you think.

Continued......Sources.
Uganda to lose billions from anti gay law
https://www.barrons.com/news/uganda-to-lose-up-to-8-3-bn-due-to-anti-gay-law-charity-24668f33

Uganda suppression of protests
http://www.vanguardafrica.com/africawatch/2024/7/30/in-name-only-ugandas-constitutional-democracy

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/22/uganda-hundreds-disappeared-tortured

Uganda destabilization of DRC ordered to pay reparations
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c134kgdpd6do

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60323990

https://www.rightofassembly.info/country/uganda

$10K TOILET SEAT? PENTAGON’S BLOATED BUDGET

If you had to guess which country’s military has splashed out $10-thousand on a toilet seat, what would you say? Well, it’s not a ‘corrupt’ African nation, it’s the United States.

Its defence budget is set to top $1-trillion for the first time in 2027, or thereabouts. And its massively inflated deals with contractors helps explain why. African Stream's Kenneth Kaigua looks at the eye-watering prices being paid for low-end goods. And he also exposes the revolving door connecting politicians and weapons manufacturers.

Washington's current $822-billion defence budget is more than the next 10 biggest spending countries combined. Maybe it's time to call the US military HQ the Penta-con!