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!

WHO IS THE REAL 'KING OF ROCK & ROLL'?

Songwriters are to recording artists what shadows are to people, often unacknowledged in the background.

Born in Brooklyn in 1931, Otis Blackwell was a prolific songwriter and a talented pianist and singer, winning 'Amateur Night' at the Apollo Theater in 1952.

Despite being born at a time when Black people faced many obstacles in the US, particularly in an industry that was predominantly white, his undeniable talent made it difficult to ignore him. Blackwell's career catapulted when his 1955 demo tape found its way to the 'King of Rock & Roll,' Elvis Presley. He became the man behind Presley's most iconic hits, including two of the biggest: 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'All Shook Up.' Presley's delivery of Blackwell's songs mimicked the latter's style.

However, in this 1984 clip from his appearance on the 'Late Show with David Letterman,' Blackwell performed 'Don't Be Cruel,' in his style.

Continued……Elvis’s version of the song was number one for seven consecutive weeks on Billboard's Top 100 pop chart in 1956.

Although Blackwell wrote songs for Presley for five years, the pair never met. On some of Blackwell’s songs, Presley is falsely credited as a ‘co-writer’. According to Blackwell, this 'seemed to have been the practice at that time,' he told Letterman, and had been a condition for working with Presley.

Blackwell became highly sought after, writing songs for other notable artists of the era like Jerry Lee Lewis, Dee Clark and Jimmy Jones. His lyricism was described by the rock & roll historian Peter Guralnick, as being 'so apt at getting across a sentiment that immediately clicked not just with the audience it reached, but with the singer.' Blackwell sold over 200 million copies of over 1,000 songs. 

Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, the US-based National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, Blackwell's contributions helped shape the sound of early rock & roll. He passed away in 2002, but is still celebrated for his gigantic contribution to the genre.  

Who do you think is the true 'King of Rock & Roll'? Let us know in the comments.

SOURCES:

https://rockhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Otis_Blackwell_2010.pdf

https://www.businessinsider.com/otis-blackwell-black-musician-behind-elvis-greatest-hits-history-2023-3

https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/otis-blackwell.shtml

In truth, nothing lasts forever. Yet in Nigeria, they say that until you've experienced the enchanting aroma of Hausa perfume, the concept of “lasting forever” becomes utterly redefined.

Hausa perfumes have a powerful and alluring scent because they contain a much higher concentration of perfumed oils, which allows the fragrance to last longer on the skin.

This week's proverb teaches us not to make conclusions about things we have not experienced or seen.