đ Sex Toys vs. Women's Rights, Sierra Leone's Disputed Winner, Lawsuit Against a French Oil Giant...
Uganda Lawsuit, Sierra Leone Election Dispute, Zimbabwe Sex Toys, and More!
Photo of the day: Girl in Malabo, Guinea Ecuatorial
Markets:
đ˘ Nigerian SE: 60,108.86 (+1.30%)
đ˘ Johannesburg SE: 74,543.48 (+0.30%)
đ˘ Ghana SE: 2,809.39 (+0.87%)
đ´ Nairobi SE: 107.19 (-0.02%)
đ´ US S&P 500: 4,370.95 (-0.17%)
â Shanghai Composite: 3,189.38 (0.00%)
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Brief & Bright: Africa's Top Five Highlights
đżđź Sex Toys and the Battle for Women's Rights in Zimbabwe |Â In Zimbabwe, owning a sex toy is illegal and can land you in prison. But, as womenâs rights activists in the African country have pointed out, thatâs a violation of womenâs right to sexual pleasure. So, Sitabile Dewa, a 35-year-old womenâs rights activist, is challenging the law and suing the Zimbabwean government. Itâs not just about sex toys. This is part of a larger challenge where womenâs choices are constantly under scrutiny, and where sex isnât seen as something for women to enjoyâitâs just for childbearing. So, womenâs rights activists are pushing back. Theyâre challenging the idea that women are just sexual objects and that they should be dependent on men for pleasure. Theyâre demanding autonomy over their bodies and the right to explore their sexuality.
âď¸Â A Magazine Named After a Defunct Airline | Air Afriqueâthe Paris-based art collective and magazine named after the defunct West African airlineâis the coolest thing since sliced bread. It's mission: To ârevive the African transcendenceâ the airline evoked. In the mag's first issue, you can expect to find licensed images from the airlineâs old in-flight publication. And if you're in the market for a luxurious afro-futuristic blanket, Bottega Veneta has got you covered (pun intended). The Italian luxury fashion brand is the only advertiser in the mag, and is selling limited edition blankets designed by Abdel El Tayeb, a French-Sudanese designer.
đşđŹ Oil Pipelines vs. Nature: Ugandan Activists Take French Oil Giant to Court | Ugandan activists are taking French oil giant TotalEnergies to court, demanding damages for alleged food and land rights violations in the companyâs East African operations. The civil suit filed in Paris is the second time activists have tried to stop the 897-mile pipeline project, which would transport oil from wells in western Uganda to Tanzaniaâs Indian Ocean port of Tanga. Critics worry that the pipelineâs ecological fragility could lead to a catastrophe. They also make other claims, ranging from lack of timely payment for land on which the pipeline will be built, to damaged houses from flooding during construction of oil processing facilities. Ugandaâs government insists that the oil drilling project is key to economic development, claiming that oil wealth could help lift millions out of poverty.
đ¸đąÂ Sierra Leone: Julius Maada Bio Declared Winner Amid Election Disputes | Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leoneâs incumbent president, has been declared the winner of the countryâs election with 56% of the vote. But not everyoneâs happy with the outcome: His main opponent, Samura Kamara, called it âdaylight robberyâ and international observers raised questions about the counting process. To be fair, thereâs been some drama leading up to the election, including violence and accusations of fraud. Still, itâs a win for Bio and his supporters, who celebrated with banners and parades in the streets of Freetown. Bioâs now in his second and final five-year term, but heâs got a big job ahead of him: The country is dealing with a troubled economy, rising cost of living, and concerns about national unity. Sierra Leone has come a long way since its civil war in 2002.
đ African Railways Get a Boost from Afreximbank | Afreximbank, the African Export-Import Bank, is giving Ghana's railway system a much-needed upgrade. They signed an agreement with the Ghana Railway Company to finance the development of a 299 km standard gauge railway network. The project will cost an estimated $2.1 billion and will be used to connect Ghana's western corridor to the Port of Takoradi, providing an essential link to external markets. Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prof. Benedict Oramah, said, âThis project is about more than just transportationâitâs about unlocking pent-up demand for Ghanaian mineral and agricultural commodities in regional and international markets.â The project is expected to create 5,000 direct jobs and 50,000 indirect opportunities, plus provide training for 400 citizens of Ghana. Plus, itâs estimated that the railway line will facilitate the export of minerals and commodities resulting in at least $950 million of trade per annum.
Food for Thought
âAnyone who urinates in a stream should be warned because any of his relatives may drink from the water.â
â Kenyan Proverb.
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