Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. Thank you for offering your help with the subreddit! I'll get back to you shortly. This week's whlw is a little late, I know. *Sham smiles innocently*
In issue #338, I talk about the recent trade agreement between Kenya and the European Union (and whether it's truly a good thing for Africa or not) and forced sterilization programs in Japan, the United States and Europe. Also, a photo montage on the Cuba by Agnès Varda, a grieving article for the 'anniversary' of 'Bye, Bye Roe v Wade', a trailer for a new Disney show that upset a lot of people (mostly in South America), your next 'cleaning' playlist with a lot of Brazilian Samba, and so much more.
If you like this newsletter, yay! These lengthy emails take me hours and hours to write, research and make fun-to-read. You can support my work if you become a paid subscriber or buy me coffee. Or, just forward it to a friend.
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Estimated reading time: 10 min
You have access to all of my sources by clicking on what's underlined.
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Kenya and the European Union updated their relationship status to 'closer business partners'
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What happened
Kenya and the European Union have signed a trade deal, the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement.
Why this matters
This latest deal is the first broad trade deal between the EU and an African nation since 2016, and the most comprehensive agreement that Kenya has ever negotiated with the EU. Kenya currently sends roughly one-fifth of all its exports to the EU, its biggest market.
Tell me more
Once ratified and entered into force, Kenya will receive duty-free and quota-free access to the EU; meaning, they can send all of their products to the EU. In turn, the EU will receive more and more trade benefits such as tariff reductions over a period of 25 years, meaning, the EU cannot send all of its products to Kenya all at the same time but gradually. NTV Kenya livestreamed the entire event; you can watch them sign the trade teal at State House here. There are a few comments on that YouTube video; and none of them seem to be on the same page about it. But Kenyan Trade Minister Moses Kuria is pretty happy about it, saying "Today is a very proud moment for Kenya, and I believe a very proud moment for the European Union." European Union Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said Africa was a "priority region" for the EU, and he hoped the Kenya deal would "be a boost" to future trade links with Africa.
Did you know that Kenya mainly exports agricultural products to the EU? More than 70 percent of Kenya’s cut flowers are destined for Europe.
What's the criticism?
Critics say that the actual purpose of such deals is to create a Free Trade Area between two economically unequal regions, i.e. Africa and Europe. Some are saying this could lead to European products flooding Kenya, with local industries losing out because they cannot compete with the low European prices. "The Ruto administration should use this window to bolster homegrown industries to make local products competitive," writes an editorial by Daily Nation, one of Kenya's most popular independent newspapers.
Plus, there's criticism that, for example, the (tons and tons of) water used for cut flowers that Kenya exports to the EU could be used much more sustainably and more Kenya- or neighbor-oriented. After all, a single rose that is grown in Kenya takes around 10 liters of water to produce.
The deal has also raised questions about East African unity in general, writes Waihiga Mwaura for BBC. The only reason Kenya had to strike its own agreement is because the rest of the East African Community refused to sign the 2016 one that was brokered with the EU (they didn't really need it because only Kenya from the East African Community falls in the category of "emerging country", meaning only Kenya needed a deal for exports to enter the EU market).
Historical context: One of Kenya's main imports to the EU is tea. There's a very violent history behind this product. Basically, when British colonialists ruled in Kenya from 1895 until 1963, half a million Indigenous Kenyans were violently evicted during British colonization in order to make room for tea plantations. Tens of thousands of people died during that time. To this day, an estimated 200,000 acres of ancestral land is still owned by several British tea companies, including Lipton (formerly owned by Unilever), Finlay's, and Williamson Tea. A month ago, AJ+ did this insightful mini-documentary on "The Violent History of Britain's Cup of Tea".
Fun fact: If you love having flowers in your home, but are looking for more environmentally sustainable ways to do this, there are a few simple things you can do instead of buying that bouquet: potted plants, wooden or paper flowers, cacti and succulents, or seasons flowers grown closer to your home are good alternatives.
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Report: 'Over 25,000 Japanese citizens have been forcibly sterilized'
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What happened
 A report to the Japanese National Diet revealed that more than 16,000 Japanese citizens were sterilized without consent under a eugenics law between 1948 until 1996, including two nine-year-olds.
Why this matters
Sterilization is a safe and effective form of permanent birth control used by more than 220 million couples around the world today. When it's performed forcibly or without your knowledge, it can have serious mental health damages. Mostly people who are poor, trans, disabled, immigrant, Black, Hispanic or Indigenous are affected by forced sterilization.
Tell me more
Recently, the Japanese parliament released a long-awaited 1,400-page (!) study, based on a government investigation which began in June 2020. The study acknowledged that about 25,000 people had been sterilized – more than 16,000 of which were without consent. The law, in place for 48 years (!), forced people to undergo operations to prevent them having children deemed "inferior". Many of them had physical or cognitive disabilities, or mental illness. Most of the surgeries took place in the 1950s and 60s; the law, however, remained intact til today.
What do you mean, 'without consent'?
Some people were told that they were coming in for routine procedures like appendix operations. Local governments at the time had the power to arbitrarily assign the surgery.
What now?
The victims of the sterilization program have been fighting for compensation for their physical and mental suffering. Four courts have granted damages, but others argue that the 20-year statute of limitations has expired. Lawyers argue that victims were informed of the procedure after it was too late to file a claim. Similar policies were in effect in Sweden and Germany, which have already apologized and paid out compensation.
Zoom out: Forced sterilization of women with disabilities is still happening in Europe. The European Parliament is currently debating a binding legislation that would make this practice illegal. 'Progressive' Sweden's own eugenics law was put to rest in 1976. Also, in the beginning of this year, California's government was looking for about 600 people who they sterilized either against their will or without their knowledge, so that the state can pay them at least $15,000 each in reparations.
On a related note, on September 27, for the first time in Japan, a transgender person will give direct arguments at the Supreme Court concerning the constitutionality of a law that requires sterilization to change one’s gender on the family register. Fingers crossed, Takakito Usui!
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South Africa: The government of South Africa reported that on May 18, at least 31 people were killed in a gas explosion at an illegally operated mining shaft in Welkom, Free State. (AFP via Bangkok Post)
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Iran: Fourteen people died from drinking bootleg alcohol in Alborz province, Iran. (RFE/RL)
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Israel/Palestine: Hamas killed four Israelis and injured four others in a mass shooting at a restaurant and a petrol station near the Israeli settlement of Eli in the occupied West Bank. The two gunmen were killed by a civilian and a soldier. (BBC News) In the same week, six Palestinians were killed and 90 others were injured during an IDF raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, (Al Jazeera) a Palestinian man was killed, and several others were injured, during a pogrom by Israeli settlers in Turmus Ayya (BBC News), another Palestinian man was shot and killed at a checkpoint in Qalandiya after opening fire on Israeli security forces, (ABC News) an Israeli drone conducted the first West Bank airstrike since 2005, targeting a car, and killing two PIJ members and an Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades member. (Middle East Eye), and Morocco canceled this year's Negev Summit meeting in response to Israel approving the construction of over 4,500 settlements in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. (Middle East Eye)
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Honduras: At least 41 inmates were killed and seven others were injured during a riot at a women's prison in Támara, near Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (AP)
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India / Nepal: The mayor of the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, Balen Shah, banned the screenings of Indian films after dialogue in the recent epic film Adipurush stated that Sita from Hindu mythology was born in India instead of Nepal. (Al Jazeera)
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Qatar / UAE: The foreign ministries of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates announced that they will restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies in Doha and Abu Dhabi, after relations were suspended six years ago during the Qatar diplomatic crisis. (Al Jazeera)
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United States: The US Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 decision that the US federal government is not obligated to secure water access for the Navajo Nation. (Reuters)
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Zambia: Zambia agreeed with the Export–Import Bank of China and other creditors to restructure US$6.3 billion in debt, which includes maturity extensions and interest rate reductions. The deal, facilitated by the French government, also allows Zambia to access a $1.3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund. (Financial Times)
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UAE / Philippines: UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan granted Philippine President Bongbong Marcos' request for humanitarian pardon to three imprisoned Filipinos, two on death row for drug trafficking and another serving a 15-year sentence for slander. (CNN Philippines)
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Singapore: Singapore held its first LGBTQ+ rally since it decriminalized gay sex. (The Japan Times)
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Australia / Afghanistan: Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie announced that she has referred several members of the Australian Defence Force to the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes during the war in Afghanistan. (Canberra Times)
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Romania: Influencer Andrew Tate was charged by Romanian authorities with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group as part of an ongoing investigation. (BBC News)
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Estonia: Estonia passed a bill legalising same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption by 2024, becoming the first Baltic and post-Soviet state to do so. (CNN)
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South Korea: The Ministry of Education announced plans to reform the College Scholastic Ability Test by removing questions unrelated to the curriculum taught in state schools. Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said that the reform aims to minimize students' dependence on hagwons and address the negative consequences of high-pressure education on students, citing the correlation with South Korea's high suicide rates. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
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Watch... the trailer for the 35-min travel documentary: "Salut les Cubains" (1963) by Agnès Varda, a photo montage of around 1800 black-and-white pictures Varda took when she visited Cuba only four years after Fidel Castro came to power, exploring the country's intellectuals, arts, post-revolution vibes. Varda was a Belgium-born French film director, who died in 2019. I haven't seen too many of her movies (yet) but now I'm like, 'why not?'. What I really like about "Salut les Cubains" is the simplicity of it. It's not so much a chronicle of anything, but a sketchbook of impressions, small moments where memories and narratives come together. You can watch this even if you don't know anything about Cuba or the revolution. If you have a MUBI subscription, check it out here.
Listen to... "Brazilian Samba Grooves with Batukizer" on the YouTube Account 'My Analog Journal'. Batukizer are Carla from Rio de Janeiro and Rasmus from Copenhagen. Carioca by birth and Brazilian by heart, Carla has traveled all around Brazil and was schooled in dance, percussion and acting. Her career led her to Denmark, and eventually her vast knowledge and Rasmus' digging for Brazilian roots and rarities formed the DJ duo Batukizer. Currently living in Denmark, they DJ internationally, deliver a steady flow of mixtapes on their own channel and recently Carla rocked the crowds at NyegeNyege Festival 2022 in Uganda. Check them out on Instagram.
Read... the article: "A year ago Roe v Wade was overturned. Grieve for the new America" by Moira Donegan for The Guardian. It’s been a year since the federal right to an abortion in the United States was abolished by the U.S. Supreme Court. Donegan writes about "how horribly and dramatically our country has changed since then." The columnist’s verdict? "The supreme court’s decision has created a two-tiered class of US citizenship: one for men and one for women. It is a generational tragedy."
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The trailer for "Primos" by Disney is out, and wow, things on social media quickly escalted after that. Here's what happened: Last week, Disney released the trailer for Primos, a new animated series from Mexican-American creator and executive producer Natasha Kline about her experiences growing up and having all of her cousins come to stay for the summer… and a shitstorm, as we Germans like to call internet events that inspire mega debates, happened shortly after. Cristina Escobar for Latino Rebels summarizes what this shitstorm was all about in this opinion piece. In short: People are debating who is Latino/a, Latinx, Hispanic and why and how these terms and who gets to use them and for what creates different dilemmas. Very worthwhile read.
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A man in Uganda sued the admin of a WhatsApp group he was part of after he was kicked out for disagreeing how the group was run. He's now back in it by a court's verdict.
Tell me more
The group called "Buyanja My Roots" is a social welfare organization requires new members to pay subscriptions (to run medical camps for those who cannot afford treatment and to respond to emergency calls such as disasters).
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That's it from me. I'm visiting my parents' town at the moment: Nuremberg.
For the maps, say thanks to Wikimedia Commons.
Map 1: John Doe / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Map 2: John Doe / CC-BY-SA-3.0
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Hey, I'm Sham, the person behind this newsletter. Since 2014, I email a bunch of strangers once a week, curating news headlines from Asia, Africa and Latin America. I work under the assumption that, here in the West (I live in Berlin, Germany), we don't read or know much about the global majority, aka the rest of the world.
My goal is to help you burst your Western-centric bubble.
If you want to know more about me, visit my website or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.
Questions or feedback? Just reply to this email. I intend to write back.
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