Why Africa's Turning Anti-Gay
Western activism is causing more harm than good to a continent making LGBT people into scapegoats for colonialism.
As an LGBT activist, I was always happy to see my picture in the paper. It showed that I was doing my job, getting attention for the cause I believed in—and, of course, getting some attention myself.
But after a story about George Freeman, director of the Sierra Leone LGBT organization Pride Equality, was published in a local newspaper last year—with photos accompanying it—he was dragged from his car and beaten by two men on motorcycles.
As China eats West's lunch in Africa, bad policy reaps chaos in South Sudan, CAR
Yossef Bodansky, Senior Editor, Global Information System / Defense & Foreign Affairs
Major Western states, with historical dominance over key African regions and markets, have, in the first years of the 21st Century, been losing influence in many areas of Africa. Often the Western states — the U.S., UK, and France in particular — have been ceding political and economic influence to either the People's Republic of China (PRC), Iran, or merely to an increasing unwillingness of African societies to comply with the wishes of external powers. Recent Western military or political interventions in such areas as Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan, and elsewhere have not produced the strategic outcomes desired by the West, implying that Western policies have lacked the ability to adapt to changing African circumstances, or to the attraction of Chinese or other options.
"Ground truth" intelligence and historical trends seem to be indicating that superficial, broad brush assessments by international media and policy think tanks of the causes of insurgency and perceived instability in a range of Sahel and sub-Saharan African states may be fueling, rather than helping to suppress, conflict in the region.
Non-African tendencies to attribute all instability and violence to Al Qaida-related jihadists have proven to be both factually incorrect and counterproductive. Consequently, growing numbers of grassroots forces, not all of them Muslim, seek the support, supplies and expertise from local jihadists to combat Western-sponsored crackdowns which they cannot endure or withstand.
Ghana: 10,000 public schools without toilets
A survey conducted in public schools across the country has revealed that about 10,000 schools do not have toilet facilities. The number is half the estimated 20,000 public schools in Ghana, apart from the thousands of privately owned schools that may not have toilet facilities. This was made known at a dissemination workshop held on the theme: "National Minimum Standards and Implementation Models for WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) in Schools in the Country".
HRW Reports Massacres in CAR
The group Human Rights Watch reports it has uncovered evidence of massacres in remote villages in Central African Republic. It accuses both anti-balaka militias and Seleka fighters for the attacks. The armed groups have been waging inter-communal violence since December.
Human Rights Abuses Worsening In Gambia
(JollofNews) – The human rights situation in the Gambia under the leadership of President Yahya Jammeh's regime is getting worse by the year, Amnesty International said.
In its Universal Periodic Review of the Gambia, the rights organisation said although human rights are guaranteed under the Gambian constitution and the various international and regional human rights treaties ratified by Gambia, human rights are often violated with impunity and President Jammeh has on several occasions denounced human rights as a "Western notion".
It added that the Gambian government tolerates no dissent and human rights defenders, journalists, and political opponents face intimidation, harassment, death threats, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearance.
It added that there is a climate of fear in the country and most Gambian civil society or media now practice self-censorship for fear of reprisals.
Amnesty International said the Jammeh regime uses enforced disappearance to instill fear among human rights defenders, journalists, opposition party members and former security force personnel. It added that the regime rarely carried out investigations into enforced disappearances and the perpetrators are not brought to justice.
In its Universal Periodic Review of the Gambia, the rights organisation said although human rights are guaranteed under the Gambian constitution and the various international and regional human rights treaties ratified by Gambia, human rights are often violated with impunity and President Jammeh has on several occasions denounced human rights as a "Western notion".
It added that the Gambian government tolerates no dissent and human rights defenders, journalists, and political opponents face intimidation, harassment, death threats, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearance.
It added that there is a climate of fear in the country and most Gambian civil society or media now practice self-censorship for fear of reprisals.
Amnesty International said the Jammeh regime uses enforced disappearance to instill fear among human rights defenders, journalists, opposition party members and former security force personnel. It added that the regime rarely carried out investigations into enforced disappearances and the perpetrators are not brought to justice.
AMERICAN JUSTICE: PRIVILEGED WHITES VS. DISADVANTAGED BLACKS
If you take a moment and look at many of the recent cases that have made the news, you will find one thing to be a constant; if you aren't Black and have money, you can get away with anything in this country.
What do I mean by that? African American males make up roughly 7% of the entire U.S. population, yet approximately 46% of our African American males are in prisons nationwide. Of the more than 2.3 million people currently in prison, many of them are Black and are there for nonviolent, first-time or low-level offenses.
Statistically, African Americans get charged and receive felony convictions at a higher rate than any other cultural group in America. According to the 2010 census from the U.S. Census Bureau, Blacks comprised 13.6% of the U.S. population, yet were incarcerated at a rate of 4,347 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same race and gender. Subsequently, White males were incarcerated at the rate of 678 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents.
EU, Africa lock step on climate challenges
EU, African leaders stress need for collaborative efforts to tackle climate change.
April 2 (UPI) -- Parties to a joint European Union-African summit said Wednesday actions taken to address the challenges of climate change are central to their partnership.
"We confirm that action on climate change is a central area of the Africa-EU Partnership and that we will do all that is in our power to convince other partners of the need for a fair, balanced, equitable and ambitious legally binding agreement to be adopted by the end of 2015," a joint statement read. EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard met in Brussels with African leaders to discuss climate issues.
To break barriers, give women more access to climate finance
When climate-related disasters strike, everyone is affected — but when it comes to health and household management, women tend to suffer more than men. Despite this, women and gender issues are yet to be included completely in large-scale climate finance facilities — mechanisms instituted to mitigate disaster effects and spur climate adaptability in development work — due to several challenges, including lack of information and accessibility.For climate finance mechanisms to become truly sustainable, impactful and comprehensive, putting women at the center of climate action by breaking barriers on accessibility is vital, experts agreed in a recent online conversation hosted by the Asian Development Bank. https://www.devex.com/news/to-break-barriers-give-women-more-access-to-climate-finance-83178
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