🔅 A Million-Dollar Gabon Mask Cheats Elderly Couple, Senegalese Duo Wins Caine Prize
Plus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Runs for Congo's Presidency & Nigerian Workers Strike a Deal
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Kigali, Rwanda
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From Crypto Billionaire to Courtroom Drama: The Rise and Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried | This is the story of a Stanford-educated crypto billionaire turned fraudster. Sam Bankman-Fried founded FTX, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, in 2019 and quickly became a household name in the world of digital currency. He was even nicknamed the "King of Crypto" for swooping in to save struggling firms during a market downturn. But then, disaster struck. FTX went bankrupt with over $8 billion missing. And yesterday, Mr. Bankman-Fried started a six-week-long trial for fraud.
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Brief & Bright: Africa's Top Five
A Million-Dollar Gabonese Mask: Elderly Couple Sues Antiques Dealer for Cheating Them
An elderly couple in France is feeling pretty salty after finding out that an African mask they sold for €150 ended up selling for an amazing €4.2 million at an auction. Now, they're suing the dealer, claiming he cheated them out of a seven-figure payout. The couple discovered the mask while cleaning out their house for a garage sale and sold it to the dealer, who promised to give them a fair price. Little did they know, the mask was actually a rare Fang mask from Gabon used in rituals and that's worth a pretty penny. The husband's grandfather, a former colonial governor in Africa, had brought it to France. The dealer, instead of displaying the mask in his shop, contacted three auction houses to get an estimate of its value. Turns out, it was worth a lot more than €150. The couple's lawsuit is still ongoing, but we wonder, What do the people of Gabon have to say on the matter?
A Senegalese Duo Takes Home the Caine Prize for African Writing
In a first for the Caine prize, a Senegalese writing duo has won the prestigious award for their “tender and poetic” story. Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo’s collaborative work, A Soul of Small Places, was inspired by Diallo’s personal experiences with gender-based violence in Senegal. But Diene’s background as a short story writer adds a touch of fantasy to the tale, incorporating African cosmology and spirits into the mix. The judges were impressed with the story, which speaks to important global issues without being too preachy. The duo won a cool £10,000, and their work will be featured in the 2023 Caine prize anthology. Not too shabby! You can read their story here.
Doctor, Activist, and Now Presidential Candidate: Meet Congo's Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Denis Mukwege, the man who has dedicated his life to helping rape victims and fighting against sexual violence, has a new mission: to save and develop his country. He’s running for president in the upcoming December elections. His announcement was met with cheers from supporters, who believe he can heal not just women, but the entire country. And with a nickname like “the man who repairs women,” might he be up for the task as top politician? He’s not alone in the race—President Felix Tshisekedi and opposition leader Martin Fayulu are also in the running. It’s going to be a tense election, but Mukwege says he is ready. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for running a hospital in eastern Congo for two decades that treats victims of war and sexual violence.
Nigerian Workers Strike a Deal
Looks like the Nigerian government finally caved to the demands of its workers, who were ready to strike for higher wages beginning early this week. After some intense negotiations, the unions have agreed to suspend their strike and give the government 30 days to meet their demands. The workers are asking for a monthly minimum wage of $260. The government’s initial response? A temporary wage increase of $32 a month for the next six months. This all comes after President Bola Tinubu made the bold move of scrapping fuel subsidies on his first day in office, causing prices and the cost of living to shoot up.
Ethiopia's Government vs. the WHO's Leader: A Case of Office Politics Gone Too Far?
Who knew that being the head of the World Health Organization could come with so much drama? In a shocking turn of events, it appears that Ethiopia’s government may have been trying to discredit their own homegrown WHO leader, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, through accusations of embezzlement and sexual misconduct. Tedros denies the claims and calls it a “smear campaign,” but the Ethiopian government has remained tight-lipped on the matter. Some say this rift between Tedros and the government can be traced back to the war Ethiopia's Prime Minister waged on the northern Tigray region, where Tedros used to be involved before his appointment at the WHO. In June 2021, the Ministry of Finance opened an investigation of Tedros, looking into allegations of shady property purchases and illegal procurement during his time as Ethiopia’s health minister. All of this coincided with Tedros' 2022 reappointment to the WHO, leading some to believe it was all just a ploy to discredit him before his reelection.
Food for Thought
“One does not love if one does not accept from others.”
— Nigerian Proverb.