Africa: the fragile peace
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a slight fall in peacefulness over the last year according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) report, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. On the 2021 GPI, the average country score for sub-Saharan Africa deteriorated by 0.5%. Of the 44 countries in the region, 21 improved, 22 deteriorated in […]
South Africa at the crossroads
Now is a critical time for South Africa, a major test of its institutions and leaders. Former President Jacob Zuma (79) is finally behind bars. The Constitutional Court, the country’s Supreme Court, will hear his appeal against a sentence of 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court. By refusing to testify Zuma defied a […]
Four things you need to know about forests and health
Forests are good for our physical and mental wellbeing. Spending time around trees helps boost our immune system, lowers blood pressure and promotes relaxation. From cleaner air to providing natural cooling and the freshwater we drink; forests support our health in ways that may not be visible. 1-. Forests provide us medicines Many of the […]
Puerto Rico – Dancing People
If you take a walk at sunset along the north-eastern beach of Puerto Rico at the end of July, you can hear the sound of drums giving the welcome to nightfall. Groups of people get together in front of their houses or under coconut trees ready to dance to the rhythm of the drums. The […]
UN Report: next 18 months crucial for achieving global goals
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods around the world in 2020, pushing back into poverty an additional 119-124 million people, says a new United Nations report. An equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost, and the number of people suffering from hunger, which was already climbing before […]
Living Without Destructive Plastic
Plastic was and is a magical invention. It is a material based on oil and has thousands of excellent and life-saving uses. In the medical world, in construction, in tool-making, manufacturing of phones and other gadgets, cars, household items, furniture and almost everything you see has plastic in it. Our modern world depends on plastic […]
Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya: Death of the Moses of the Congo
Like Moses, Cardinal Monsengwo, who died in France 11th July aged 81, fought for most of his life to lead his flock to the promised land of democracy, although he never saw it himself. Most of those who knew him consider Mgr. Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya to have been one of Congo’s greatest figures and even […]
Oral Literature: Why cattle can’t speak
A long time ago it is believed that the Pokot people were very similar to cattle. They could all speak the same language face to face and loved keeping the other company. They would also share duties among themselves and whenever there was an issue to discuss, they would do this during the night hours. […]
The puppies of Islamic State
Born in the Caliphate and indoctrinated to believe in a ‘different world’. The images are few and taken from a distance. They show boys from 9 to 15 years old with Kalashnikovs in their hands, shooting as they run. They throw themselves to the ground and immediately rise again, shooting all the time. Behind them, […]
Child soldiers: the difficulty of ‘adapting to peace’
There are at least eighteen countries, where children are recruited and used in armed conflicts. From regular army to rebels, from guerrilla movements to drug cartels. The phenomenon has assumed the status of a humanitarian disaster. Dahara was 15 and had never used a weapon until he arrived in Libya, together with his eighteen-year-old cousin […]