Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. I found out I'm one of the top readers of The Guardian last week, having read a combined 173 articles last year. This is all thanks to you, haha. So... thank you, I guess.
In issue #320, I focus on a historic law for women in Sierra Leone, a government in disagreement over climate solutions in Colombia and a fight over a gay man between India's government and the Supreme Court. Also, you'll read about an award-winning podcast about representation within the arts, a documentary with Idris Elba taking you to Mali and South Africa and an over-hyped upcoming Bollywood film breaking the YouTube charts already. Plus, so much more.
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Sierra Leone introduces a job quota and a 14-week maternity leave for women
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Last week Sierra Leone passed a new law that states that 30% of jobs in both public and private companies must be given to women. (BBC)
Why this matters: Sierra Leone is one of the first countries in Africa to pass such a law. Many women in the country have been campaigning for this for many years. Discrimination against women in the workplace is a "big issue," according to Manty Tarawalli, Minister of Gender and Children's Affairs, and the new law will "change the status quo," she said. Sierra Leone has one of the lowest levels of gender equality in the world. It ranked 182nd out of 189 countries according to the UN's 2020 Gender Development Index.
Tell me more
President Julius Maada Bio made an apology to women for their poor treatment in the past: "For so long we haven't been fair to you," he said. The quota also applies to management roles. Manty Tarawalli, Minister of Gender and Children's Affairs, said that the law lets girls who are still at school know "there are opportunities for them in Sierra Leone for employment for business" and for them to contribute to the economy, Ms Tarawalli said. Under the new Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (GEWE), women also get 14 weeks of maternity leave along with equal pay and training opportunities.
What if businesses don't put this law into practice?
They'll have to pay fines of up to 50,000 leones or US$2,500 per incident, and even potential prison time for institutions like banks that do not give women fair access to financial support. The law will apply to any business with more than 25 employees, but a final decision has not yet been made.
How have women in the country reacted to this new law?
"We are happy today as our dream for an improved political, social and economic empowerment of women and girls in Sierra Leone has started," Sally Ndimawa Adams, who heads the Sierra Leone Women's Forum, said. I emphasized started because women in the country also suffer high levels of sexual violence at work and in their private lives. They're also underrepresented in politics, with only 18 seats in the 146-seat parliament being held by women and with only four women present in Bio's 32-member cabinet. The new quota will also apply to the parliament. (DW) Most women in Sierra Leone currently work in insecure, poorly paid jobs, with few opportunities for advancement.
Bigger picture: This is not to say that women from/in Sierra Leone haven't been engaging in the economy so far. There are many examples. To name just a few so as to not paint a false picture: Thanks to Winstina Taylor, a Sierra Leonean female filmmaker and producer, Amazon Prime is able to stream four movies from Sierra Leone. (Awoko Newspaper) Or because of Daphne Pratt, a Sierra Leonean literary icon, poet and educator whose books many people read in order to learn the Krio language or Namina Forna, a Sierra Leonean-American writer and author of the New York Times bestseller "The Gilded Ones". (Poda Poda)
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It's official – Colombia will no longer approve new oil and gas exploration projects
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Colombia’s government last week, again, said that it will no longer approve any new oil and gas exploration projects. 'We want to move toward a new sustainable economy,' it said. (The Guardian) This is not the first – and probably not the last – time. The decision to move away from fossil fuels is super difficult for the Latin American country.
Why this matters: The science is clear: The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is wrecking our climate and our health.
Tell me more
Last week Irene Vélez, the Minister for Mines, again told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, "This decision is absolutely urgent and needs immediate action." Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, agrees. After all, he's made ending the country’s long history of economic reliance on oil a key part of his presidential campaign last year.
But other parts of the government, specifically the country's Minister of Finance José Ocampo, disagree with the President and keep putting out contradicting public statements, saying 'No, no, we are still open to new oil and gas projects <3 Please come.' An editorial note (in Spanish) at El Espectador wrote up a chronology of this highly controversial debate.
Why is this decision so controversial?
Let me summarize the discourse for you: 'How are we going to make money?!' and 'Why should we be the pioneers? For whom? Nobody will applaud us for this self-sacrifice and this will not affect the global demand for fossil fuels,' critics from the let's-think-about-ourselves-first group say. Manuel Rodríguez, the country’s first environment minister, even calls the idea childish.
President Petro and his supporters reply, 'yes, you are right, we are very reliant on oil right now but alternative economies will make up for it, trust the process. We can invest in tourism and our country has a huge capacity for clean energy production.' (El País, El Colombiano, Spanish)
The policy has also been criticised by environmental experts who say the move does not address the country’s key environmental issues, such as cattle-ranching and unsustainable agriculture which are driving deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, nor will it have any significant effect on the global climate crisis.
Sigh.
Yes, sigh.
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The government and Supreme Court of India are fighting over a gay man
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India's government and Supreme Court are fighting over a gay man becoming the first openly gay judge in the country's history. (Times of India)
Why this matters: There have been some wins for same-sex rights in India. As a consequence, LGBTQ+ issues are now part of many national discussions as many people in Indian society are starting to embrace homosexuality as part of India. Pride parades and Bollywood movies have been helpful as well as the country's tireless (pro-)LGBTQ+ activists.
Tell me more
In India, a group of five judges, including the chief justice, selects the candidates for judgeships and refers them to the Justice Ministry for comments (they cannot say no). Even if the ministry has objections, the judges can send the candidate’s name back, and the ministry must appoint them. So, last week, the Supreme Court published the government's arguments against the appointment of Saurabh Kirpal on the grounds that he is gay and likely a "security threat" (he has a Swiss partner and some are worried about foreign intervention... Yeah, you get the joke, right?).
Ooh, juicy. What did the Court say?
The Supreme Court judges stated that Kirpal’s sexual orientation is not only a matter of pride but his constitutional right. "[He] possesses competence, integrity and intellect. His appointment will add value … and provide inclusion and diversity." And one senior Supreme Court lawyer, Menaka Guruswamy, said: "We expect better from our government. LGBT people have always been a part of the social fabric of India." (The Washington Post)
Is the government in India anti-LGBTQ?
Well, India's government is currently ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). And in the past, senior leaders of this party have indeed made statements against homosexuality. (Indian Express) However, attitudes seem to be shifting. Just a little over a week ago, Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of a Hindu organization that is very close to the BJP, made statements in support of queer people. (Reuters)
Tell me more about Kirpal
Kirpal is an openly gay senior advocate who has been practising for more than two decades. He was part of a team of lawyers that represented Sunil Mehra and Navtej Singh Johar, the now well-known petitioners in the historic case in which India's Supreme Court struck down the colonial-era Sec 377, which criminalised homosexuality. 50-year-old Kirpal is also the son of Bhupinder Nath Kirpal, who served as the 31st Chief Justice of India. (First Post)
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More you might have missed
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China: Twenty-eight people were killed and 53 others were rescued during an avalanche at a tunnel in Nyingchi, Tibet, China. (Al Jazeera)
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Iraq: Four people were killed and around 80 others were injured during a stampede at a stadium in Basra. It is suspected that the incident occurred when some people tried to push their way into the stadium. (Al Jazeera)
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Afghanistan: At least 70 people and 70,000 cattle were killed due to freezing temperatures across Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera)
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DRC: The United Nations reported the discovery of mass graves in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, containing the bodies of 49 civilians. CODECO militants are suspected of being behind the killings. (AP)
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New Zealand: Chris Hipkins was chosen to succeed Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.
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Bolivia: A judge in Bolivia ruled that opposition figure Luis Fernando Camacho must remain in prison ahead of his trial. Camacho was arrested in December on charges of terrorism. (Reuters)
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Peru: Peru indefinitely closed its iconic Machu Picchu historic site due to the ongoing unrest which has killed dozens of people. (BBC News)
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Kazakhstan: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dissolved the Mäjilis, ending the seventh convocation, and called for a snap election on March 19. (AFP via The Hindu)
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United States: The first Native American woman stepped out on a spacewalk to prep the International Space Station for more solar panels. Her name: Nicole Aunapu Mann. She's a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California. She was accompanied by Japan's Koichi Wakata. It was also his first spacewalk. (AP)
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Ethiopia: Eritrea's forces withdrew from Shire and other major towns in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. (Reuters)
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Burkina Faso: Last week, more than 60 women and girls who had been abducted by extremist groups loosely affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State outside of two villages near the northern city of Arbinda were freed on Friday, the national broadcaster said. Thirty-nine of them were younger than 18, the report said. About 10 percent of the country’s population have been displaced because of these extremist groups. (The New York Times)
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Canada: The Anishinabe of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation, an Indigenous group in Canada, announced last week that they found more evidence and what looks like the remains of 171 Indigenous children on the grounds of a former residential school, the St. Mary's School, in northwestern Ontario. The St. Mary’s School was operated for the government by an order of the Catholic Church from 1897 until 1972. So far, at least 36 children died at St. Mary’s, according to records from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. (Native News Online)
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Brazil: Commander of the Brazilian Army Júlio César de Arruda is fired by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the aftermath of the January 8 Congress attack and is replaced by Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva. (AP)
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Tanzania: Tanzanian opposition party Chadema organized a political demonstration in Mwanza. This is the country's first demonstration since President Samia Suluhu Hassan abolished her predecessor John Magufuli's seven-year ban on political assembly earlier this month. (AFP via VOA)
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Podcast about representation within the arts: "Shade"
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I read the Esquire the other day (I know. Don't ask why.) and came across this collection of podcast recommendations. Among them was this award-winning arts podcast with short and sweet episodes that don't last longer than 30-or-so minutes. I've only listened to a few episodes so far but a favorite has been an older one, from February 2021, about the legacy of Gordon Parks.
If you feel like you don't know Gordon Parks, chances are high that you've seen his work, portraits of political leaders, protest images and stills from the civil rights movement, from Malcolm X to Muhammad Ali and Black Panther party members Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver. There are photos from the segregated south, and from a police brutality protest in 1963. Parks' work was also shared widely during the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States in 2020, and his photography, as The Guardian's Nadja Sayej puts it, 'ever-relevant'.
In the episode I'm recommending, the host is joined by photographer Andre D Wagner (who took these beautiful 'Queen & Slim' pictures). Wagner shares the impact of Parks’ work on his own photography, his experiences of the protests, plus his working practice & life as a street photographer.
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Article: How India's caste system limits diversity in science
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I've just finished Isabel Wilkerson's Caste book from 2020, so I'm a little hung up on the research on caste discrimination. And I stumbled upon this very insightful read on caste discrimination in India by Ankur Paliwal.
The article itself is part of a Nature series examining data on ethnic or racial diversity in science in different countries.
In six charts, Paliwal examines what's really happening to marginalized communities in academia in India. For example, at undergraduate level, Adivasis and Dalits are under-represented in science courses but not arts courses (2019-20 government data) or, according to the 2011 census, Muslims make up around 14% of the country’s population, but only 5.5% of those enrolled in higher education in 2019–20 were Muslims.
This sentence truly stuck with me at the end: "The day I would be able to say my full name without hesitation in an institute, I will feel that equality has arrived."
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A feel-good documentary with Idris Elba taking you to Mali and South Africa
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The plot on IMDb: "In 2013, famous actor Idris Elba produced and released "Idris Elba presents Mi Mandela", an album inspired by his time researching and portraying Nelson Mandela in the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom".
The musical culture of South Africa was a great influence to him, both present day and historically, and connecting to the music Mr. Mandela would have listened to throughout his life was a great aid in Elba's preparation for the role. Arrangements were made to record the album in South Africa and Mali at the end of 2013.
Sadly, just before Elba left, his father, Winston, passed away. While working simultaneously on the album and promoting his film, Elba had BAFTA award-winning director Daniel Vernon document his movements. "Mandela, My Dad and Me" not only documents one man's struggle in producing his first album, but also his emotional quest to pay a fitting tribute to two inspirational men."
"This one might be worth watching simply because Idris Elba is in it. Ha, just playing, there's a lot more to this hour-long, feel-good documentary—directed by Daniel Vernon—than that. It follows the Ghanaian-Sierra Leonean actor on the path to self-discovery through the making of his album Mi Mandela in Mali and South Africa," writes Damola Durusomo in a review for OkayAfrica.
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"Munda Sona Hoon Main" from the movie "Shezada" climbed to the top of YouTube charts upon release last week, attracting almost 30 million views in just six days. "Shezada" is not out yet and set to release on February 10th, 2023.
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It's sad but also kind of an unexpected headline:
People have been smuggling eggs from Mexico to the United States this past week because they're too expensive in the U.S. (NPR)
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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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