🔅 Kenya's Political Heatwave
Plus: Senegal Court Sentences Popular Opposition Leader, Lesotho's Wildest Dream: Taking Back Land from South Africa, The African Folklores that Survived the Slave Trade, And much more... ☕
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POLITICS
Kenya's Political Heatwave
Kenya’s been sweltering in the political heat these past few weeks
Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for protest marches to be held every Monday and Thursday, with the intention of drawing attention to high living costs and alleged electoral fraud.
The marches have sparked protests, and some violence, with some protesters reportedly throwing stones at police stations, and an office of the president's party being set on fire.
What's this all about?
The protests began after last year's election, where the opposition blamed President William Ruto of mismanagement, while his supporters accused Odinga of using anger over rising prices to press for political concessions and a possible role in government.
The price of 2kg of maize flour, a staple, increased to 179.98 shillings ($1.36) in February, up from 134.79 in April 2022. Kenya's inflation rose to 9.2% year-on-year in February from 9.0% a month earlier, largely driven by food and transport prices.
What's been the response?
The government has said the vote was fair, and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called for the protests to stop.
On Thursday, Odinga rode through Nairobi's Pipeline neighbourhood in a convoy with other opposition leaders, as hundreds of supporters marched alongside, waving twigs, saucepans and empty packets of flour.
Violence broke out, with some protesters throwing stones at police stations, and officers firing tear gas. Odinga said his car was hit by live bullets, an assertion yet to be verified.
The offices of Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party were also set ablaze in the western town of Siaya, a claim his spokesperson Dennis Onyango has accused of "ethnic profiling", saying he had assumed the attackers were Odinga supporters because they were from his ethnic group.
Where to next?
Late last night, President Ruto addressed the nation, calling for peace and calm.
Shortly after, Odinga said he accepted Ruto’s olive branch, and called off this week’s planned demonstrations.
However, he added that his supporters reserve the right to protest, and that the government needs to engage with them meaningfully and address their concerns, notably the high cost of living — otherwise, he said, they would resume demonstrating next week.
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OTHER HEADLINES
Across the Continent
🇸🇳 Senegal Court Sentences Popular Opposition Leader | A court in Dakar just sentenced leading opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two months of suspended prison time for libel. He had accused Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang of embezzlement. While the sentence won't stop Sonko from running in the presidential elections next year, it's still a bummer—especially for his supporters, who have taken to the streets to protest what they say is a politically motivated campaign. On the flip side, the government has praised the court's verdict as a "victory for democracy, rule of law, and the justice system." Sonko is still facing separate charges of sexual abuse, though he has denied any wrongdoing. Unsurprisingly, this has sparked outrage in the country and fuelled speculation that the current president, Macky Sall, will try to extend his term beyond 2024. But Sall isn't talking, leaving everyone in the dark about his intentions.
🇱🇸 Lesotho's Wildest Dream: Taking Back Land from South Africa | Lesotho is trying to reclaim South African land that was taken from them by Dutch settlers in the 19th century. Sure, it's a wild dream, but they're going for it! The motion was proposed by Tsepo Lipholo, a minor opposition leader in the Lesotho parliament, who claims that the Basotho people were robbed of their land and it's time to take it back. The motion suggests that Lesotho should reclaim all of Free State province, which is more than four times the size of the kingdom, as well parts of four other provinces. Lipholo claims that he has the UN and African Union on his side, but it's unlikely that South Africa, which completely envelops Lesotho, will ever cede the land.
🌍 The African Folklores Surviving the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade | The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a dark period in world history, but African folklore and religion survived the voyage to the Americas and even evolved in the new land. From Anansi the spider to Mami Wata the mermaid-medusa hybrid, here are six figures from African folklore that live on in the Americas today: Anansi the spider is still revered in West Africa as a wise trickster, while in the US, African Americans have their own version of the trickster figure: Br’er Rabbit. Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, is also still alive and well in the US and the Caribbean, as is High John the Conqueror, the spirit of a root believed to bring good fortune. Mami Wata, a water spirit with a connection to snakes, is also widely celebrated in the Caribbean. Last but not least is the legend of the Flying Africans, which has become an important part of African American and Afro-Caribbean literature and art.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk. No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks.”
— Kenyan Proverb.