Dossier articles from the past 3 months
In the world of rural Africa, the market is not just a place for buying and selling or commercial exchange. All over the continent, the market is a place characterised by an intense celebration of social exchange and becomes a place of encounter between the scattered members of one’s family, one’s own village and of…
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Approaching the market of any African city, the visitor is immediately involved. The eyes are struck by the gaudy colours of thousands of objects, clothes, fruit of all kinds piled up everywhere, the continual sounds of people speaking or shouting, pleasant and obnoxious odours all mixed together, people bumping into each other, brushing by or…
Read moreIn some rural areas of the Sahel such as the Mossi plateau in the north of Burkina Faso, or in the region of Atakora in northern Benin, one has the impression of never coming across a village. There is nothing but dwellings scattered throughout the bush, apparently independent of each other; the country people live…
Read moreIt is still dark when Esther rises. The children are still asleep and her husband murmurs something inaudible. Today is market day. She fills a large basket with produce from her field. She hopes to sell it and buy something for the house. Whatever the husband earns is his own and what she earns is…
Read moreThe country is extremely rich in water resources and minerals. The latter have featured largely in its economy. On the contrary, the agricultural sector occupies a secondary position but, despite this, it employs as much as 37% of the workforce, a much higher percentage than the industrial sector which absorbs about 14,3%. These figures show…
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Azerbaijan is a Caucasian republic located in the south-east, straddling Asia and Europe, in an extremely advantageous position that provided these territories with an opportunity to play a crucial role in the international, economic, and cultural ambit. Watered by the Caspian Sea, to the north it borders Georgia and Russia, to the west Armenia and…
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In the autumn of 2020, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan again broke out violently causing the deaths of 2,425 Armenians and 2,783 Azeris. The truce, signed on 9 November through the mediation of Russia and after 44 days of intense fighting, stipulated the transfer of all seven districts occupied by Armenia adjacent to Karabakh…
Read moreIn 1917, ownership of the region of Karabakh was claimed by the new-born republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan following the Russian revolution that caused the decline of the Empire. This territorial dispute saw the intervention of the victorious powers after the First World War, especially the British who had a sort of protectorate over Transcaucasia.…
Read moreIn the vast semi-desert uplands of southern Ethiopia, and in the northern desert region of Kenya, the Borana have their home. They believe themselves to be the first of the groups that form the great Oromo family. “We were the first to arrive, at dawn”. The experts agree that the Borana — around half a…
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Among the Borana people marriage is preceded by several stages and long negotiations, which can go on even for two years. The boy’s father takes the first step by visiting the girl’s parents, on this occasion he brings them some tobacco and coffee as gifts. The girl’s parents accept the gifts the first time but…
Read moreThe birth of a child is always an important event that brings joy to the Borana. The joy is all the more important when the child is a first-born or a male. The announcement of the birth is made by the father who shouts to all “Olla, ilmi dallae buna tambo nyada” (People of the…
Read moreEvery eight years, the feast of final Borana passage called Gadamoji, when a man reaches complete social and ritual maturity, is celebrated. Due to the fact that it is celebrated at such long intervals and its importance and influence in various aspects of the life of the tribe, this is one of the more typical…
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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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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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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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