Category Archives: Africa

Famine, Forced Migration and Fear: Tigray One Year Later

Image by Gerald Schombs on Unsplash  By Sarah Rennie In April 2021, when I last wrote about the Tigray war, four months of violence had plagued this northern Ethiopian region. At the time of writing this article (exactly a year later), the brutal conflict is still ongoing. While there are now many different factions involved,Continue reading “Famine, Forced Migration and Fear: Tigray One Year Later”

Not Even the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Can Get Kagame in Trouble

The international community’s golden child at the 2018 Munich Security Conference. Photo by MSC / Hildenbrand By Anna Videbaek Smith Not even the late-night hours of August 27th 2020 could tame the scorching Dubai heat, as 66-year old Paul Rusesabagina boarded a private jet. While slightly jaded from ill health and the passing of time,Continue reading “Not Even the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Can Get Kagame in Trouble”

Sexual Liberation in Morocco: Not just a matter of morality

Photo by Fabio Santaniello Bruun on Unsplash By Charlotte Lang In an age of purported sexual liberation, it can be easy to forget that mandates around sexuality occupy not just a social sphere but a legal one. Since major reforms to the Moroccan Moudawawa (family code) were implemented in 2004, the nation has been laudedContinue reading “Sexual Liberation in Morocco: Not just a matter of morality”

Child brides: the global victims of gender-based violence

Photo credit: ‘Girls Not Brides Global Member Meeting’ by Hassan Ouazzani via Flickr By Louisa Campbell The reality of child marriage pervades young girls’ lives across the globe. Child brides are more likely to be victims of domestic, sexual and physical violence as well as less likely to finish their education. This harsh reality isContinue reading “Child brides: the global victims of gender-based violence”

Oil Extraction in the Niger Delta: Shell’s Present-Day Negligence Rooted in Colonial Past

Image by George Osodi/Getty Images By Jessica Harris In 2010 the Gulf of Mexico was devasted by the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion. In the largest spill in US history, the broken well pumped 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. After a six-year legal battle, BP paid $20.8 billion in damages — the largestContinue reading “Oil Extraction in the Niger Delta: Shell’s Present-Day Negligence Rooted in Colonial Past”

Air Pollution and Rights to Clean Air: Disproportionate Rates of Premature Mortality in Women

Photo by Quinn Buffing on Unsplash Written by Jessica Harris During the first few months of spring this year, banana bread and elaborate recipes flooded social media platforms as homebound citizens were combatting boredom under national lockdowns. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, much of the developed world has spent more time in the kitchen, claiming the spaceContinue reading “Air Pollution and Rights to Clean Air: Disproportionate Rates of Premature Mortality in Women”

The Tanzania dilemma highlights the World Bank’s shaky position on human rights

Written by Elisabeth Mäkiö World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim visits Zanaki Primary School. Photo Sarah Farhat / World Bank via Flickr. March 20, 2017 The World Bank has recently been making headlines with regards to their stance on human rights. This is due to a proposed loan of US$500m from the World BankContinue reading “The Tanzania dilemma highlights the World Bank’s shaky position on human rights”

A Profile of South Sudan

With an increasingly rapid technology-driven news cycle, ongoing worldwide political crises occupy space in the collective consciousness for less and less time, with the exception of a few intermittently covered hot-button issues. Issues receiving particularly minimal attention also tend to be those with little to no relation to Western peoples, which in turn leads toContinue reading “A Profile of South Sudan”

Paradise Lost: Leading “A Better Life” with Nestlé’s Peter Brabeck-Letmathe

On the cloudy evening of Monday 9th April, students gathered in the Hotel du Vin to listen intently as the Lafayette Club’s latest guest, the Chairman Emeritus and Former CEO of food giant Nestlé, enlightened us as to the ways in which his company plans to help each one of us to lead “a betterContinue reading “Paradise Lost: Leading “A Better Life” with Nestlé’s Peter Brabeck-Letmathe”