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News|Migration Nearly 9,000 people died last year trying to cross borders, the United Nations agency for migration says....
South Africa is one of the hardest-hit countries in Africa with over 740,000 infections.
The country recorded 60 more virus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 20,011.
In a fight to revive a rare cultural heritage and heal a nation scarred by conflict a Central African Republic band and dancers are trying to revamp the country's traditional music and dance style - known as \"Motenguene\".
Its name translates into \"the dance of the caterpillars,\" and was handed down by the Pygmies, who gathered for food in ancestral forests in the southwest.
In the capital Bangui, the band Zokela gets the audience on its feet with its jangle of guitars.
It is one of four such traditions in the CAR, along with the \"bird dance\" from the north, the \"fish dance\" of the southeast and the \"savannah dance\" of central regions.
Zokela have been trying to revamp Motenguene's image for nearly 30 years.
In their shows, traditional bead necklaces and antelope skins are usually swapped for city-slicker clothes, while the kora -- a delicate, long-necked harp lute favoured in much of West Africa -- has given way to the electric guitar.
Social fabric
\"We are using this dance to distinguish ourselves a bit from our brothers in Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon,\" Saint-Pierre Dibaba Alagomme, the founder of Zokela, tells AFP.
Keeping the sound alive is also vital to the country's social fabric,
The CAR has been ravaged by decades of violence, corruption and nepotism.
In 2013, a coalition of armed groups from the Muslim minority ousted president Francois Bozize, plunging the country into a maelstrom of communal bloodshed.
But the musicians have another battle to fight.
For all the lively rhythms, it's difficult for the music to survive as concerts are poorly paid.
The CAR has no professional record industry and musicians must make do with the meagre fees from playing clubs and private functions such as weddings.
These events bring an average income equivalent to 75 euros (about $90) to be shared by 12 to 15 people.
Royalties
Recordings made in local studios are also considered too amateur for export. To make matters worse, professional musicians are also owed copyright fees dating back over 30 years.
\"It is our duty to promote this sector of activity, but there is one thing that must also be recognised, and that is that artists and cultural actors as a whole, are not receiving their royalties,\" says cultural promoter Yvon Eka.
\"Culture is the identity of a country. The crisis that the Central African Republic is going through today is cultural.\"
This year, The government drew up a national cultural policy to help.
\"We started with the realisation that the public consumes a lot more products from abroad, because there is no promotion of Central African culture as such,\" says Philippe Bokoula, director general of the ministry of arts and culture.
In July, a law was passed to make the Bucada operational.
\"The major part of the finance will come from the state, while we spread awareness among the radio stations and consumers and draw up charts with a scale of tariffs,\" Bokoula says.
Yet, the initiative -- awaited for decades -- remains in limbo, pending the publication of a
Getting the Nigerian International passport has become easier as the bulk of application processes can now be done online. Continue reading for comprehensive guidance.
The French president’s move took many by surprise and signals an ideological U-turn on the explosive issues of universalism and French identity.
A 23-year-old Malawian woman who travelled to Oman in search of job opportunities, has died. The deceased has been identified as Ida Chiwalo from Traditional Authority Mponda in Mangochi district who died last week Friday on 2nd June, 2023. According to a press statement by the Malawi government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chiwalo […]
The post Malawian lady dies in Oman appeared first on Malawi24.
On Tuesday, a Mexican citizen was shot and killed while being held in Border Patrol’s custody, prompting calls for a transparent investigation into the incident. The deadly shooting took place at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station in El Paso, officials said in a press release. The incident came a week after a detention center warden […]
The post In Texas, a Migrant Was Shot Dead in Border Patrol Custody appeared first on The Black Chronicle.
Rescue teams out in force on Wednesday in the Mediterranean as they tried to save some 88 people, including children and babies, who have been shipwrecked on a flimsy boat that gave way.
The Open arms vessel said it recovered five bodies and that the rickety boat collapsed and tipped them into the sea.
The Spanish NGO managed to distribute waistcoats and masks in the moments before the ground sank.
It is the second migrant boat that the organisation's vessel has rescued in less than 24 hours.
Several miles away it was a similar situation but on a different boat. Some 13 people drowned off the Libyan coast while it managed to save 85 who were adrift and in danger of sinking in international waters.
Their boat was badly damaged, with water and gasoline spilled inside.
The NGO has criticised the fact that the countries of the Mediterranean have abandoned these people and have not moved government relief teams.
Since the start of the year, more than 575 migrants have died while trying to reach Europe, according to the UN's Migration body the IOM.
The rescue ship set sail from the port of Barcelona (northeast Spain) on November 4 bound for the central Mediterranean, where in recent days it was waiting to receive a request for help.
UK & France wage war against people trafficking Home Secretary and European counterparts meet to renew discussions on how to crack down on illegal migration and people trafficking. Plans to step up co-operation to tackle illegal immigration across Europe and bring people smugglers to justice have been agreed today at a meeting of the Calais […]
The post RENEWED CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL MIGRATION appeared first on African Voice Newspaper.
By ZANE IRWIN, Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — More than 60 migrants are feared dead after a Spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde that originally had more than 100 people aboard, authorities and migrant advocates said Thursday. Seven bodies were found on the boat and an estimated […]
32% of the 4,500 respondents, aged 18-24, are optimistic about Africa’s prospects, a drop of 11% since the last survey of its kind published in early 2020
Ethiopia's Minister of Defence Kenea Yadeta on Wednesday denied allegations that Eritrea is assisting Ethiopia in the fight against Tigray People's Liberation Front or TPLF in the Tigray region.
The statement comes after the Tigray president on Tuesday accused Eritrea of attacking his region at the request of Ethiopia, saying that \"the war has now progressed to a different stage.\"
Up to 200,000 refugees could pour into Sudan while fleeing the deadly conflict, officials said Wednesday, while the first details are emerging of largely cut-off civilians under growing strain.
Communications remain almost completely severed with the Tigray region a week after Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a military offensive in response to an alleged attack by regional forces.
He insists there will be no negotiations with a regional government he considers illegal until its ruling “clique” is arrested and its well-stocked arsenal is destroyed.
Reports grew of the targeting of ethnic Tigrayans across Ethiopia, the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau said in a Facebook post.
The administration of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, announced rallies in support of the federal government's measures there and in other cities in the Oromia and Amhara regions Thursday, along with a blood drive for the Ethiopian army.
The European Union, the African Union and others have urged Abiy for an immediate de-escalation as the conflict threatens to destabilize the strategic but vulnerable Horn of Africa region.
Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigray’s regional government, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, blame each other for starting the conflict. Each regards the other as illegal.
The TPLF dominated Ethiopia's ruling coalition for years before Abiy came to office in 2018 but has since broken away while accusing the prime minister's administration of targeting and marginalizing its officials.
Experts have compared the fighting to an inter-state conflict, with each side heavily armed. The Tigray region has an estimated quarter-million fighters, along with four of the Ethiopian military's six mechanized divisions.
That's a legacy of Ethiopia's long border war with Eritrea, which made peace after Abiy came to power but remains at bitter odds with the TPLF.
More than 60 people have died after a boat carrying migrants was found off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa. Thirty-eight people were rescued, including children aged 12 to 16, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. An estimated 100 people, mostly from Senegal and Sierra Leone, were said to have been on […]
The post More than 60 die after migrant boat found off Cape Verde coast first appeared on Gajreport.
The post More than 60 die after migrant boat found off Cape Verde coast appeared first on Gajreport.
The exploitation of migrants in Africa and the protection of their human rights were among the topics discussed by officials on Wednesday at a conference looking at the impact of migration across the African continent.
Police in Rumphi are keeping in custody 45 Ethiopians for allegedly entering the country illegally. Eyasu Temesgen and 44 others were arrested at Bwengu on February 14, 2023 while aboard a motor vehicle. Following a tip, the officers came across the said motor vehicle registration number KA657 Canter Lorry coming from the direction of Karonga […]
The post 45 Ethiopians arrested in Rumphi for illegal entry appeared first on Malawi24.
Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson headed the office for migrations, environment and covid-19 response for five years
Multiple people were wounded Wednesday when an explosive device hit an international ceremony commemorating the end of World War I.
The event was being held at a cemetery in the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to French government officials.
Several countries had representatives at the ceremony, held at a cemetery for dead non-Muslims, the officials from the French Foreign Ministry said.
The identities of the victims were unclear.
Saudi state television broadcast from outside the cemetery and acknowledged that an attack involving an explosive device took place.
However it stressed that things were under control and the security situation was now \"stable.\"
The report said an official statement about the cause and casualty details was upcoming.
The stabbing was carried out by a Saudi man, who was arrested. His motives remain unclear.
France has suffered two deadly attacks by foreign-born Muslims in the past month alone.
A teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded outside Paris for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his class for a debate on free expression. Three people were later killed in a church in the southern city of Nice.
The depictions of the prophet sparked protests, leading to calls for boycotts of French products among some Muslims in the Middle East and South Asia.
France has urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries to be \"on maximum alert\" amid the heightened tensions.
Wednesday marks the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and is commemorated in several European countries.
The French officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, condemned the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion and Saudi officials have not commented on the attack.
In another segment of the Led By Donkeys' investigation which was conducted by journalist Antony Barnett, Johnston Busingye says it is “immoral” for Britain to claim to be a compassionate country given its past in places including \"Africa\", \"India\" and \"China\".
[New Times] Nigerian music icon Patoranking and King Promise, the 'Terminator' hit maker, are both in town, where they are expected to engage in different activities including meeting and interacting with their fans at the new Shooters Lounge.
Libyan authorities deported some 165 Nigerians back to their home country on Tuesday (June 20). Libya is major starting point for migrants who wish to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
Two boats carrying illegal migrants on Wednesday were intercepted by a Senegalese navy patrol off the coast of Senegal.
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met with a main opposition rival on Wednesday and promised to pursue talks aimed at calming a standoff over the October 31 election, which has ignited clashes killing scores of people.
Ouattara met with opposition candidate and former president Henri Konan Bedie in Abidjan.
The election handed Ouaterra a third term, which some say violates a two-term constitutional limit.
\"It was a first meeting... to break the ice and restore trust,\" said Ouattara.
\" And we agreed to meet again very soon to continue this dialogue, which has got off to a good start and mutual trust is restored.\"
Both Ouattara, 78, a nd Bedie said the meeting was an important first step but did not indicate that they had made any concessions.
Bedie, 86, said: “In the days and weeks ahead, we will call each other and meet so that the country becomes what it was before.”
Ouattara was declared victor of the election with more than 94 percent of the vote, which was boycotted by the main opposition.
Up to 85 people have been killed in the clashes that ensued after Ouattara decided to run for a third term.
More than 8,000 people have fled the country to seek refuge in neighbouring states, fearing the violence last seen after the 2010 election, which killed more than 3,000 people, could reignite.
A suspected financier of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Felicien Kabuga, made his first appearance at a UN court in The Hague on Wednesday after decades on the run.
Felicien Kabuga's a suspected financier of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, which saw 800,000 people murdered, according to the UN.
Kabuga, now in his 80s, is accused of crimes against humanity including genocide.
UN prosecutors also accuse Kabuga of helping create a Hutu militia group and urging the killing of Tutsis through his media company.
He is also accused of helping to buy machetes in 1993 that were distributed to genocidal groups.
He denies the charges.
He is \"very tired,\" said his lawyer, Emmanuel Altit.
Kabuga, one of Rwanda's richest men was first indicted by the now-closed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) two decades ago.
On the run
But he was not arrested until this year in May, near Paris.
He was transferred from France to The Hague in October.
The initial hearing before a pre-trial judge took place at the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which has taken on cases left over from the ICTR.
Kabuga spent years on the run using a succession of false passports, with investigators saying that he had been helped by a network of former Rwandan allies to evade justice.
His lawyers argue he should be tried in France but France's top court ruled he should be moved to UN custody.
Kabuga was initially to be transferred to the UN court's facility in Arusha, Tanzania, which took over the ICTR's duties when it formally closed in 2015.
But a judge ruled he should first be taken to The Hague for a medical examination, and it was not immediately known when or if Kabuga might be transferred to Arusha.
