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Monthly Archives: August 2022

New political openings.

Suriname is a unitary Republic with executive power vested in the President of the Republic, who is elected by the members of parliament for a five-year term; while the Chamber, composed of 51 seats, has legislative power. The 51 members of the assembly are chosen from the ten electoral districts into which the country is…

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African Youth Survey 2022.

The 2022 African Youth Survey (AYS) sponsored by Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a leading African foundation encouraging active citizenship across the continent, shows how young Africans plan on building a better future for themselves, their countries, and the continent that ties them together. The Youth Survey of 4,500 face-to-face interviews with 18-24 year old’s revealed that…

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XI Assembly of the World Council of Churches. A Courageous Confession of Faith.

After last year’s postponement due to Covid-19, the XI World Assembly of the WCC (World Council of Churches) will be held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September 2022. The theme of the Assembly: ‘The love of Christ moves the world to reconciliation and unity’. An extremely topical issue, especially in the difficult…

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Kenya. The Thousand Faces of the Parish Community.

A large number of initiatives have been started in the parish of Kariobangi in the outskirts of Nairobi to respond in concrete terms to the needs of the people. The parish of Kariobangi, in the outskirts of Nairobi, was founded in 1974 by Comboni missionaries. The parish territory includes three large areas – Kariobangi, Huruma,…

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The use of language at global climate talks.

The yearly UN climate summit or Conference of the Parties (COP) produces international agreements that guide countries in their response to the climate crisis. At least, it should. Instead, the climate pacts so far have largely played into the already inaccessible climate discourse. High-minded rhetoric excludes the people most impacted by the climate crisis by…

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Suriname. A Multi-coloured Country.

It is the smallest country in South America with a population of just over 600,000 inhabitants and a population rate that has been steadily decreasing since 1970.  About 245,000 people live in Paramaribo, the capital.  Located near the mouth of the 480 km  long Suriname River that crosses the country from south to east, colonial…

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Africa. World Press Freedom Index. Digital authoritarianism.

Censorship, information regulation, isolation from the outside world. These are the new ways in which digital authoritarianism is exercised by various African governments. The causes and effects of these forms of authoritarianism are indicated by the World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders, and a work by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition.…

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How the Tiger Got His Stripes.

Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, so long ago that the tiger had no stripes upon his back and the rabbit still had his tail, there was a tiger who had a farm. The farm was very much overgrown with underbrush and the owner sought a workman to clear the ground for him…

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Books. Summer Reading.

Three interesting books for this summer. Why is Africa still perceived as a country when there are around 2,000 languages spoken on the continent alone? The book It’s a Continent seeks to counter the misconception that Africa is a country by breaking down this vast, beautiful and complex continent into regions and countries. Each of…

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Reflection. Daily Marys.

In the Central Latin-American tradition, devotion is strong to Our Lady with the child Jesus in her arms. The people have made it their duty in their daily life. The image of Our Lady among the people leads us to contemplate how motherhood is lived-in working-class quarters inhabited by people with indigenous cultures or other…

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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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