Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. Happy new year! I had the flu these past few weeks. I feel so much better now! Did you catch the 8th All Africa Music Awards? I've put all the winner songs into this newsletter's Go Global Weekly Spotify playlist. Check it out here.
In issue #319, I focused on the Indigenous-led anti-government protests in Peru and the fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights of women in Zimbabwe. You'll also hear about a 32-year-old lawmaker in Afghanistan who was killed, that the president of Vietnam resigned, Brazil said no to "anti-abortion", a supergood data journalism piece about lipstick waste from Indonesia, my current favorite drama series from Egypt, and so much more.
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At least 50 people have died in anti-government protests in Peru – 'This is no longer a democracy'
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Refresher: The protests began last month. Congress removed former President Pedro Castillo. He was then arrested and sentenced to 18 months in pre-trial detention for trying to dissolve Congress ahead of a planned impeachment vote. Castillo's vice president, Dina Boluarte, became Peru's sixth president in five years. Many people in the (long marginalized and Indigenous) rural southern parts of Peru took to the streets to protest against this decision (Castillo, a socialist, was very popular here) and to call for Boluarte to step down and Congress to dissolve. The protests have grown bigger since, and people in the country's capital Lima and other cities have also joined. And: At least 50 people have died during the protests so far.
This week, the government of Peru has declared another 'state of emergency' in Lima and three other regions.
Wait, what's a 'state of emergency'?
When a government declares a 'state of emergency', it is able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. The last time it did so, on December 14, it removed some constitutional protections from citizens. (AP)
Why this matters: Peru, a nation of 33 million people, the fifth largest in Latin America, returned to democracy just two decades ago, following the authoritarian rule of President Alberto Fujimori. The country's current system is still based on the Constitution written under Fujimori. These protests are the Andean country's worst outbreak of violence in over 20 years.
What do the protesters want exactly?
They have a lot of demands. Here are some: a new president, a new constitution, a new governing system altogether. (Diario Correo, La República, Spanish) People have blockaded highways and airports and set some buildings on fire. A protest anthem shouted in the streets: "This democracy is no longer a democracy." Many people, especially in the south, believe that 'democracy' has only helped a small elite become richer and richer with little to no benefit for many other Peruvians. Writer Santiago Roncagliolo wrote on Twitter, "Si el Estado mata a más de cuarenta personas, y nadie asume la responsabilidad, no esperes que lo llamen “democracia." (English: If the state kills more than 40 people, and nobody claims responsibility, don't expect them to call it democracy.)
- Dive deeper: Historian José Luis Rénique has written several books in Spanish, among them "La nación radical" and "La batalla por Puno", where he analyzes the country's southern region and its difficult relationship with the central and distant Lima. For La República, he also gave an interesting interview (in Spanish) about the current protests and their meaning.
How has the government of Boluarte reacted to the protestors?
Right-wing groups, the army and the Boluarte government say, 'they're terrorists! They use weapons and homemade explosives.' Security forces have responded with violence. Victims have included civilians who were not protesting. (Reuters) There are even reports of two massacres; the Ayacucho massacre and Juliaca massacre. (Ojo Público) Juliaca is a poorer city in the south. Last week, 19 people died at a protest. Eighteen of the dead were civilians shot by firearms, according to a local prosecutor. One police officer was found dead inside a police vehicle that had been set on fire. This has not happened in at least 20 years in Peru. (The New York Times)
What do other governments in Latin America say about all this?
The Presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico are "deeply concerned" about the Peruvian Congress not respecting "the will of its citizens at the ballot box". They added that "it is no news" that Pedro Castillo, from the day of his election, "was the victim of anti-democratic harassment, in violation of Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights". (msn) Canada is supporting the Boluarte government. (CBC)
- Zoom out: A lot of people across Latin America have been losing trust in democracies over the last 20 years, according to the AmericasBarometer, a regional survey conducted by Vanderbilt University. It's super bad in Peru (only 21 percent say they are satisfied with their democracy) and Haiti. Colombia, Chile and Brazil follow.
What now?
Attorney General of Peru Patricia Benavides announced investigations last week for the alleged crimes of genocide, aggravated homicide and serious injuries against President Dina Boluarte, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, Minister of the Interior Víctor Rojas and Minister of Defense Jorge Chávez. (La República) Few have high hopes for this investigation. Boluarte, in a speech to the nation on Friday, offered her condolences to the families of the dead and added, "I am not going to resign."
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More and more women in Zimbabwe are suing hospitals to get better reproductive health services
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Many women in Zimbabwe say they have experienced disrespect, negligence and abuse while seeking maternity services. And few have started to go to court to seek justice and accountability from the public health system.
Why this matters: The sexual and reproductive health rights of people who can give birth are – you guessed it – human rights. However, people all over the world have these rights denied or restricted as a result of laws, policies and practices. States must provide everyone with accessible, affordable, good quality sexual and reproductive health care and services.
Tell me more about the public health system in Zimbabwe
It's not in a good state. Linda Mujuru for Global Press Journal writes that it's "fallen apart in recent years following years of economic and political instability." It used to be among the best in Africa during the 1980s and 1990s. According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about two doctors per 10,000 people in Zimbabwe. The WHO’s recommendation is one doctor per 1,000 people. Today, a lot of health care workers and nurses have migrated, for example, to the United Kingdom because the salary and working conditions are a lot better.
Oof.
This is not all: In some clinics in Zimbabwe today, women give birth under candlelight or using the cellphone torch because of power outages. Plus, in 2021, a study on one hospital in the capital Harare found that women seeking maternal health care experience all forms of discrimination, and some believe 'well, this is all part of childbirth.' (It's not.) Norman Nyazema for The Conversation explains how the country got here. Nyazema is the former director of the Institute of Continuing Health Education, a postgraduate arm of the medical school at the University Of Zimbabwe.
Why are specifically women being treated so poorly at hospitals?
The same study says, 'class and power.' Plus, 'not many women know much or anything about their health rights. They also don't know that health professionals can and should be held accountable should they do something wrong.'
How are women now seeking justice?
With the help of an organization called Women and Law in Southern African Research and Education Trust, or short WLSA. They provide legal aid to women like Letwin Siyampongo. Siyampongo is now suing the Harare City Council, who owns the clinic in which she gave birth on her own. In an interview with The Herald, she says, "The nurses failed to assist me and when my baby came, he fell on the floor as there was no one to receive him. Now I need to take him for a scan to determine if he suffered permanent injuries to the head but unfortunately I cannot afford it." She ultimately wants the clinic to acknowledge that what staff did to her was wrong and to assure her through proper medical examinations that her son is OK.
What is the government doing about it?
'We now reward health facilities based on their performance. Also, we made sure there's more training for midwives and specialist doctors.' When Linda Mujuru for Global Press Journal asked Donald Mujiri, the spokesperson in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, about the lack of available resources and enough funding: No comment.
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More you might have missed
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DRC: Ten people are killed and 39 others are injured when a bomb explodes at a Pentecostal church in Kasindi, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera)
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Afghanistan: Former lawmaker Mursal Nabizada and one of her bodyguards are shot and killed in Kabul inside her home, while her brother and a second security guard are injured. Taliban police spokesman Khalid Zadran condemns the killing and says that a "serious investigation has been launched". (AFP via Arab News) Nabizada was a critic of the Taliban and served as a Member of the National Assembly of Afghanistan for Kabul. She was 32 years old.
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Burkina Faso: Jihadists kidnap dozens of women in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso, according to local officials. (BBC News)
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Kenya: LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba has been buried at his family's village in Sergoit in western Kenya. Chiloba's body was found earlier this month in a metal box dumped on the roadside near the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, where he was a student. Police have detained five suspects, including Chiloba's partner, but none have been as yet charged. (BBC)
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Nepal: A plane which had departed from Kathmandu crashes in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal, killing all 72 people on board. (Reuters) With 720 plane crash deaths in last thirty years, Nepal ranks 12 of 207 nations. The country has a mountainous terrain, which is the main cause of fatalities, and a poor accident investigation record. (The Hindu)
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Vietnam: Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigns as president of Vietnam, the second highest-ranked position in the country, citing responsibility for several recent scandals in the government. (VnExpress)
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China: The National Bureau of Statistics reports that China's population, the largest in the world, declined for the first time since 1960, with a population decrease of 850,000 people reported in the past year. (The New York Times)
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Antigua an Barbuda: Today, on Wednesday, citizens in Antigua and Barbuda headed to the polls to elect members of the House of Representatives. (Jamaica Gleaner)
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Philippines: The Court of Tax Appeals of the Philippines acquitted journalist Maria Ressa and her online news website Rappler of tax evasion filed against them by the government in 2018. (The Asahi Shimbun)
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Brazil: Brazil's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Tuesday announced that it wants to withdraw from the Geneva Consensus, an anti-abortion declaration that former President Jair Bolsonaro had signed. (gov.br) Speaking of, Pam Belluck for the New York Times this week wrote an interesting profile of the 96-year-old "Father of the Abortion Pill" Dr. Étienne-Émile Baulieu.
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Ethiopia/Tigray: Amharan Special Forces announce their withdrawal from the Tigray Region in line with an African Union-backed peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. (Al Jazeera)
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Somalia: The Somali Armed Forces claim that it recaptured the port town of Harardhere from Al-Shabaab militants. (Al Jazeera) According to a Puntland officer, Somali forces allied with regional militias also recaptured the town of El Dhere. (The Globe and Mail) Just days before, eleven people were killed and more than 50 injured by an al-Shabaab suicide car bombing in Buloburde, Hiran. (VOA)
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Indonesia: The good news is this good piece of data journalism by Indonesian independent media site Deduktif. By combining online surveys, data from the Indonesia Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, and field reporting, Deduktif wants readers who use and/or buy lipstick to know about the waste lipsticks create. And they've also made it possible for you to personalize it. In the interactive format, you can enter your name and, for instance, the number of lipsticks you buy, and receive personalized responses and data visualizations based on your entries. Check out the video (in Indonesian) here.
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Podcast episode: "A Very Offensive Rom-Rom", by Invisbilia
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So, this is an old episode; it was first aired on April 5, 2019. Somehow, I just got around to it.
What is it about?
A young (Asian) woman discovers a pattern in her dating habits (she has only dated White men) that disturbs her. So, she wants to see if she can... well, change who she is ultimately attracted to.
The episode is as intense as that description. Is this even possible? Should we be hacking our desire to match our values? How ethical is this even? So many questions, so few answers. I've been looking for a good discussion of this episode and haven't found any, and thought, 'perhaps the whlw community wants to weigh in on this with me.' Do you?
Listen here. If you do, share your review by replying to this mail. I'll publish some of it in the next issue.
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Article: The biggest museums in the United States still haven't returned Native American human remains
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The intro to this longread doesn't need my re-write:
"Archaeologists and museum collectors looted Native American remains from ancient homes, graves and places of worship. Government and military officials harvested the dead from battlefields and massacre sites. The remains of more than 110,000 Native American, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Natives’ ancestors are still held by museums, universities and federal agencies. A 1990 federal law called for remains to be returned to descendants or tribal nations. Why haven’t these been?"
Reporting by Logan Jaffe, Mary Hudetz and Ash Ngu, ProPublica, and Graham Lee Brewer, NBC News ProPublica has found that a small group of institutions and government bodies has played a very big role in the law’s failure. Read here.
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An addictive drama series about women's rights in Egypt
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I may have been sick these past two weeks but I was not alone: The character of Faten Amal Harby, a divorced woman with two daughters, kept me company. I haven't shut up about this 2022 series and this woman ever since I started watching it (I'm on episode 15, don't spoil).
What is it about?
The series highlights vital societal issues including partner violence, divorce, as well as the injustice and hardships Egyptian women face when opting for divorce, including children custody rights. Faten is a strong Egyptian woman who decided to file a lawsuit against the Personal Status law to change this unfair law that deprives her of her rights.
Watch it on Netflix (don't worry, it's got English subtitles), or the trailer first if you need some more convincing.
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"Piensa en Mi" by Cartel de Santa climbed to the top of YouTube charts upon release this week, attracting five million views in 5 days. Cartel de Santa is one of the first rap bands in Mexico. In April 2007, one of the band members, MC Babo, turned himself in to Mexican police officials claiming that he accidentally shot and killed his fellow band member. In January 2008, Babo was released from jail after nine months incarceration, after the group paid a bail of about 130,000 pesos. (Las Noticias Mexico)
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In Iran, there is an imam in Karaj who claims the reason for less rain in the country is the result of many women taking off their hijab. His name is Mohammad-Mehdi Hosseini Hamedani. And yes, he is a clown. (Iran International)
If this wasn't funny enough, I have a news game about a famous oligarch in Moldova for you. How rich are you, from zero to Vladimir Plahotniuc? Play here.
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That's it from me.
Have you checked out this newsletter's very own Spotify playlist Go Global Weekly yet?
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