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Monthly Archives: June 2022

Uganda. Luwombo, a Traditional Dish Cooked in a Banana Leaf.

Among the Baganda people living in the area north and northwest of Lake Victoria in south-central Uganda, Luwombo is one of the most popular dishes. It is prepared for specific occasion by specific people. It is a stew steamed in banana leaves; it has been considered to be a very special dish that was/is served…

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UK/Rwanda. Prioritizing economic rights over individual rights.

Why did British Home Secretary Priti Patel, claiming her aim is to destroy the cross-channel traffickers’ “business model”, choose Rwanda for her recent £120 million Migration and Economic Development Partnership?  And from what budget does the funding come? Asylum seekers and migrants seeking a safe or better life in the UK are to be treated…

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Pygmies, the last caretakers of the forest.

Indeed, the Pygmies have always been the caretakers of the forest, truly forest advocates. Messok Dja, an area of Congo rainforest especially rich in biodiversity, is the ancestral land of the Baka people who have managed the forest since time immemorial. The Baka are one of the many Pygmy groups living in the forest spreading…

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DR Congo. Bringing Back the Smile.

The Nyota Centre in Bukavu gives hope to many young girls who have suffered oppression and violence. We visited the Centre. In the large courtyard, we see some girls chasing each other while others are jumping over stones. In a corner, some little girls are drawing on pieces of paper. The climate is peaceful. Nobody…

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UK-Rwanda. “Offshoring migrants”: a controversial deal.

The UK and Rwanda have signed an unprecedented deal to transfer asylum seekers to the tiny African country in return for a cash package. NGOs, opposition parties and UN bodies disapprove. Rwanda’s President Kagame denies that that deal may consist in trading human beings, while Denmark is considering to follow UK’s example. On the last…

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The Unending Saga of Jacob Zuma.

The former president faces two important trials. At the moment, he has only been in prison for three weeks. The strategy is to extend the trial time in order to prevent him from returning to prison because of his advanced age. In June 2021 Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, was…

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South Africa. A Bitter Season.

Next December, the African National Congress will hold its five-yearly elective conference. President Cyril Ramaphosa will be looking for a second term as party leader, in view of the 2024 general elections. Weakened by internal struggles and weak governance, the African National Congress may split in two at the December congress. For many political parties…

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Bolivia. The ‘Andean romeria’. A Festive Path among Songs and Prayers.

The pilgrimages of the various Andean communities are a combination of ancestral traditions and Christian spirituality. The pilgrimage festivals take place between the months of September and October, which according to the Andean agricultural calendar are the months for sowing. The pilgrimage is prepared one year in advance when an organiser is selected for the…

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IX Summit of the Americas. From the Pandemic to Ukraine.

The ninth summit of the Americas, which brings together all the presidents of the continent, will take place from 6 to 10 June in Los Angeles. Washington’s real priority is to reach an “immigration pact”. It is a political initiative conceived during the Clinton administration to accompany the process of economic integration, which its predecessor,…

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Advocacy

Sister Rosita. Four Decades of Refugee Advocacy.

When asked how a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun ended up as one of Brazil’s most influential refugee advocates, Sister Rosita Milesi, 79,…

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Baobab

Kalulu and the Great Spirit of the Forest.

Vusi was an honest man and a hard worker. He had cleared a large piece of moorland and turned it into a beautiful fertile field. He…

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Youth & Mission

Towards World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul with the courage…

On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter's Basilica the traditional…

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