🔅 Cameroon/Germany's Unequal Exchange & An Art-Filled Album Launch
Plus, Africa's Suicide Law Revolution & Ghana Supreme Court Says "Game On" for LGBTQ Bill"
Photo of the day: Mauritius
Markets:
🟢 Nigerian SE: 63,930.72 (+0.27%)
🔴 Johannesburg SE: 77,016.83 (-0.08%)
🔴 Ghana SE: 2,860.97 (-0.01%)
🔴 Nairobi SE: 110.90 (-0.65%)
🔴 US S&P 500: 4,534.87 (-0.68%)
🔴 Shanghai Composite: 3,169.52 (-0.92%)
Burundi Gets a Bailout from the IMF | Burundi, the East African country with a long history of conflict and political upheaval, just got some good news: a $271 million Extended Credit Facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The loan will help address the country’s balance of payments needs, rebuild its external buffers, and support the government’s reform agenda. Plus, the IMF loan is expected to “catalyse donor funding” and help the country make the transition from fragility. It’s a much-needed boost for Burundi, which hasn’t had an Upper Credit Tranche-quality arrangement with the IMF since 2015.
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Brief & Bright: Africa's Top Five Highlights
🇨🇲 40,000 Cameroonian Artifacts in Germany: An Unequal Exchange | Germany has a staggering 40,000 artefacts from Cameroon, more than any other museum collection in the world. What's more, they're mostly in storage, not on display. It's an impressive figure, but not a surprising one when you consider that Germany occupied Cameroon from 1884 to 1920, and used brutal tactics to control the native population and plunder their resources. The artefacts, which include masks, thrones, and musical instruments, were likely looted during this period. But here's the kicker: the Cameroonian state collections in the capital of Yaoundé only have 6,000 artefacts. Cameroonian embassy officials are understandably pushing for restitution of the objects, noting that "Germany is full" and "Cameroon is empty" and that the artefacts are necessary to build the future. Restitution is the goal, but it's a long process—one that requires confronting the brutality of the past.
🇬🇭 Ghana’s Got Talent: The Bamboo-Made E-Cargo Bike | The humble cargo bike is getting an eco-upgrade, thanks to Ghana’s talented bamboo craftsmen. The German bicycle company, My Boo, is bringing us the Kumasi EP6, a sustainable cargo bike made from bamboo and flax composite. And don’t let the materials fool you—this bike can carry a whopping 418 kg (190 lb) and is designed to handle the extra weight of hauling cargo like a champ. My Boo sources its bamboo sustainably from Ghana, where local craftsmen dry and treat the bamboo before cutting it to size and assembling it into the frame. Then the flax composite is made in a process similar to carbon fibre, where five to eight layers of flax fabric are soaked in resin, then shaped around the bamboo and sanded to a clean finish. The frame is then sent to My Boo’s factory in Germany for final assembly.
☁︎ The Global Suicide Law Revolution | The movement to decriminalise suicide is picking up steam around the world. In the last year, Ghana, Malaysia, Guyana, and Pakistan have all taken steps to make suicide no longer a crime. The movement is part of a larger trend of countries understanding mental health issues and the fact that criminalising suicide can be detrimental to people who are struggling. Kenya and Uganda are two of the countries currently considering decriminalisation, while discussions are being held in Nigeria and Bangladesh. The criminalisation of suicide has its roots in British colonial rule, yet has been abolished in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland since the 1960s. There are still 17 countries where suicide is criminalised, and in Nigeria, even children as young as seven can be arrested for attempting suicide. Criminalising suicide denies people access to health services, discriminates against those who are struggling, and can even mean that the wills of those who are successful in their attempts are invalidated, as is the case in Kenya. But in countries where suicide has been decriminalised, people are more likely to seek help and suicide rates tend to decline.
🇳🇬 Mr. Eazi's Art-Filled Album Launch | Afropop star Mr. Eazi is taking his music career to the next level with an album launch unlike any other. The musician has commissioned thirteen artists from eight countries to create works of art based on each of the songs on his upcoming album. The exhibition, which will be travelling to Lagos, Accra, London, and New York, will double as a listening party for fans and music industry professionals alike. The project was funded by Mr. Eazi's Choplife IP company, which is dedicated to investing in African culture. He was inspired to launch the exhibition after seeing the work of Cotnou native Patricorel in an exhibition at the Hotel Maison Rouge in Benin. Since then, he has collected over 50 pieces of art from various artists, including Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux from Paris and Kufa Makwavarara from Zimbabwe. The London leg of the exhibition will be hosted by the contemporary African art fair 1-54, and the director of the fair, Touria El Glaoui, is excited to see Mr. Eazi platforming the work of emerging African artists. The album and exhibition launch is sure to be a hit, and a great way to support African art and culture.
🇬🇭 Ghana's Supreme Court Says "Game On" for LGBTQ Bill | Ghana's Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to a bill that would criminalize same-sex relations, being transgender, and advocating LGBTQ rights. The bill, which has been debated since August 2021, now needs only a final stage of parliamentary approval before it becomes law. It has the backing of religious and traditional leaders, and would mean jail sentences of up to 10 years for advocating for LGBTQ rights and publishing content considered pro-LGBTQ. Oh, and those found guilty can have their sentences reduced if they agree to conversion therapy, a form of treatment that has been called out by the UN as torture. Ghana isn’t alone in its anti-LGBTQ stance: Uganda signed one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in May, which included the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”.
Food for Thought
“An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.”
— Ghanaian Proverb.
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