Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. I apologize for making you wait for this week's issue. This issue was a tough one to write while stuck in transit and with very limited internet connection. If anything's missing or I made any mistakes (not typos), please feel free to reply to this email.
In issue #351, I write about the wedding hall fire in Iraq, Kenya's affordable housing plans and what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh. Plus, a Bhojpuri cinema legend, how Lionel Messi probably helped reopen the Argentinian embassy in Bangladesh, a Sri Lankan immigrant makes the best baguettes for President Macron, a Nigerian crime thriller film that's trending at number one in South Korea and a unique love story involving the Chinese language and a very determined professor, and so much more.
I'm not sure if you've read the previous emails, but some changes are coming to this newsletter. After almost a decade, I decided to roll out a VIP Membership, starting October 16. I explain everything here. In short: If you want to continue receiving this email from me every Monday, the way it looks now, read this. If it sounds good, you can become a VIP Member here. If you don't want to become a VIP Member, you'll get a very short version of this newsletter (just the 'what else happened' bit), and I hope that's OK.
Without further ado,
Have fun reading,
Sham
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Estimated reading time: 10 min
You have access to all of my sources by clicking on what's underlined.
Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the maps.
Map 1, TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0
Map 2, Addicted04 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Map 3, Aivazovsky, Public domain
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Kenya’s president is taking on affordable housing
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What happened
President William Ruto wants to improve housing for a lot of people, and said very poor neighborhoods will not exist in the next decade because of the affordable housing project that is currently being rolled out.
Why this matters
Currently, more than 6.5 million Kenyans live in very poor neighborhoods across the country.
Tell me more
To pay for this, there's a new controversial law where workers give a small part of their pay (1.5 percent) to the government. Some people don't like this and are taking it to court. Ruto said, 'the fact that so many people still live in these places should be a huge concern to the country. Can you not see the long-term benefits?' He's already started building nearly 18,000 new homes in places like Mukuru, Rongai, and Kibera to help people with less money. "The number of people who have a mortgage in Kenya is less than 40,000. We should have around 1.5 million people paying a mortgage to become homeowners. But the problem is that we do not have houses that ordinary people can buy. The houses that are being built are highly priced," President Ruto said.
Details: If you want to know how it looks like in such neighborhoods, take a look at Kibera. This African Arguments article shows a few photographs that I found very impressive. For example, look at this picture of a ten-year-old following a Facebook live of a ballet dance session at her house in Kibera.
Did you know that there is a George Floyd mural at Kibera in Nairobi? I found it in this African Arguments interview with activist Gacheke Gachihi.
What’s the bigger picture?
If you’re a reader of this newsletter, you should know better than to trust anything a president says without looking at the bigger picture. April Zhu in Africa Is A Country wrote an article detailing the Kibera evictions of 2018 and the formal anti-people politics of housing for the poor that persists in Nairobi. "In many ways, Nairobi’s anti-poor urban design today is a facsimile of colonial plans. Many low-income households are forced into the city’s 'low-quality, high-cost trap,' where landlords are free to pursue economic incentives without administrative oversight or protection for tenants," Zhu writes.
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A fire destroyed a wedding hall in Iraq, killing at least 119 people
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What happened
A fire broke out at a wedding in Qaraqosh, Iraq, killing 119 people, including 27 children.
Why this matters
To many in Qaraqosh, the fire was yet another example of corruption and safety issues in Iraq. Many believe that businesses and the government often risk people's lives to make money.
Tell me more
The fire started when people lit flares during the bride and groom's dance. The flares set the ceiling decorations on fire, and the whole hall quickly caught fire. Videos of the incident are available online. Many guests are still missing, and about 80 are in hospitals. A first report has found what many witnesses had already said: The wedding hall violated basic safety requirements and lacked emergency exists and a sprinkler system. The building was also made out of highly inflammable material. Plus, the building had been built illegally on farmland. "How can a wedding hall like this be allowed to stay open when it did not meet any of the safety requirements?" asked Hanan Matti, who heads the Beth Nahrain Organization for Women in Qaraqosh, which advocates for the rights of women and children.
Details: The material in the wedding hall was similar to that in the Grenfell Tower in London, which also caught fire in 2017, killing 72 people.
Did you know that Iraq has an ancient Christian minority? They mostly live in smaller villages in northern Iraq, as well as in the large cities of Baghdad and Mosul, and in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraqi Christians have gone through a lot. When the Islamic State took over northern Iraq in 2014, the militant group expelled Christians in many places, including in Qaraqosh. Christians have only recently begun to return and raise families in the area again.
What now?
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani visited the Hamdaniya district, where the fire took place, and Mosul to meet with investigators and to visit the wounded in hospitals. Prayers were held for those whose lives were lost at the Syriac Catholic monastery of Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah in Hamdaniya. Sudani offered condolences and pledged to hold accountable those responsible, and promised that families who lost relatives would receive compensation. Since then, the owner of the hall has been detained by the authorities, and questions are being raised about the slow response of the Civil Defense Force.
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The fight for Nagorno-Karabakh, one of the world's longest-running disputed, has likely come to an end
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What happened
On September 20, Azerbaijan took control of Nagorno-Karabakh/the Republic of Artsakh. The republic and its institutions will "cease to exist" from 1 January 2024.
Refresher: Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan have long argued over who gets to live and rule over it. Internationally, the region has been recognized as part of Azerbaijan but Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled and mostly inhabited by ethnic Armenians. They’ve fought several wars about it, the most recent one in 2020. Both countries signed a very uneasy ceasefire then. Until… December 2022, and then late last month when it all escalated once again, this time it feels more final.
Why this matters
Nearly 120,000 Armenians, virtually the entire population, have now left Nagorno-Karabakh over the past two weeks, fearing persecution, violence, and even ethnic cleansing from Azerbaijan. "Ethnic cleansing does not need direct violence, just the threat of it," said Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and expert on the region.
Tell me more
Before Azerbaijan took full control effectively, they blocked food, fuel and medicine to the region in December 2022. The blockade lasted for nine months and caused a severe humanitarian crisis. Then, on a random Tuesday morning, Azerbaijan started what it called an “anti-terror” operation, after some Azeri civilians were killed by landmines and put the blame on Karabakh Armenians. And, literally on the very next day, leaders in Nagorno-Karabakh said they were made to give up by Azerbaijan and Russia (who’s kind of always been protective of Armenians). According to Armenian officials, at least 200 people have died and 400 have been wounded in the offensive. Social media channels are filled with people looking for their lost relatives, many from rural parts of Nagorno-Karabakh where communication lines were cut.
Why did Russia support this?
Some say that the very sudden ending to this decades-long dispute had something to do with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia doesn’t have the resources to make everyone scared of it as it could before,” one analyst told The New York Times. However, it’s not a real loss for Russia. Yes, Russia lost (abandoned?) Armenia but won points with Azerbaijan and Turkey (because Russia didn’t do anything) and will get to keep its peacekeepers on the ground.
Did you know that Armenia and Azerbaijan buy most of their weapons from Russia? But, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Azerbaijan spent US$2.2 billion on weapons in 2020 compared with US$634 million for Armenia.
What now?
Things are still uncertain. Azerbaijan hasn't said how they'll treat the Armenians who stay. Many Armenians are angry and want their leader, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to step down. Pashinyan, however, keeps saying, 'I just don’t want to drag Armenia into this mess. Another war could pose a profound threat to Armenia’s existence.' For many Armenians, however, Pashinyan’s stance isn’t good enough. Most Armenians, especially those in Nagorno-Karabakh, feel let down by other countries, including the U.S. and EU. 'Why didn’t you do anything?' Some believe, 'Maybe Azerbaijan’s oil and gas reserves are really good alternatives to Russian energy.' Meanwhile, people in Azerbaijan's capital are celebrating their win.
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Pakistan: A bombing killed at least 52 people in Mastung, a district in southwestern Pakistan. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. (The New York Times)
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Australia: Australia has stopped trying to get rid of the varroa mite, a bug that harms bees. This mite has been a problem worldwide since the mid-1900s. In the U.S., it's in about 40% of bee hives. Australia believed that it, of all nations, had remained free of the mite, but the pest was detected last year. Since then, more than 14,000 hives have been destroyed in an attempt to eradicate it, but the government said the infestation has been around longer and spread further than realized. (Reuters)
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Nigeria: Amazon is building its South African headquarters on a site in Cape Town, a site so significant that, according to Trevor Sacks at Africa As A Country, "it is not an exaggeration to call it ground zero for colonial dispossession in Southern Africa." A coalition of Indigenous communities, civic associations, religious bodies, and environmental groups are legally challenging it.
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South Africa: As of last Tuesday, a major highway in Johannesburg will be renamed after Winnie Mandela Drive. Its previous name was William Nikol Drive, named after an Afrikaans theologian in the apartheid era. South Africa has been relatively slow to erase its nomenclature of oppression. Some didn’t like the change, 'too expensive' and 'yes, she was a struggle hero but her security detail did some violent sh*t'. (The Continent, issue 137)
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Kenya / Haiti: Kenya is leading a multinational force to Haiti. Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua signed a deal last week to this effect with his U.S. counterpart in Washington (the U.S. is funding the mission with US$100 million). There’s a lot of criticism about this at home. Many accuse President William Ruto of supporting America’s neocolonial agenda. (The Continent, issue 137)
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Russia: Russia is formally seeking readmission to the United Nations Human Rights Council, after being expelled last year for invading Ukraine. 24 countries said no, 93 said yes. (The Continent, issue 137)
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Venezuela / Ecuador: For the first time since Mexico has collected data, the number of South American migrants transiting the country are outpacing Central American migrants. Venezuelans and Ecuadorians are now the predominant nationalities traveling north to the United States. (Central American News newsletter)
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China / United States: The two countries are getting closer… again. The Wall Street Journal reported both countries were paving the way for a Xi Jinping visit to the U.S. in November. There’s a lot to talk about: U.S. sanctions, Chinese expansionism, plus Chinese hackers stole 60,000 emails from the State Department this year alone. (Wall Street Journal)
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Panama / Colombia: Over 400,000 migrants have crossed the Darien Gap this year, more than double the number from 2022. The Darien Gap is a thick jungle between Panama and Colombia. It used to virtually impenetrable. Local businesses are helping migrants. For example, a guide through the jungle costs US$170, and someone to carry bags costs US$100 for the journey. Costa Rica, in response, has declared a state of emergency and Mexico (where most migrants are headed) is like, 'I think we need a continent-wide solution here.' (The New York Times)
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Global: Artificial-intelligence tools are transforming ever more scientific fields, according to a Nature analysis. A survey of 1,600 researchers found that scientists are using AI to process data, write code and papers, and to translate their work into English. (Nature)
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Ivory Coast: Ivory Coast painter Aboudia was the best-selling artist of 2022 based on the number of artworks sold at auction. Take a look at his Instagram; you’ll find some memories of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. (Baobab newsletter)
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Uganda / Kenya / Tanzania: The three countries will co-host the men’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2027. This will be a first for each of these countries, and it is the first time since Ethiopia in 1976 that the continental football tournament will be played in eastern Africa. Morocco will host it in 2025. (The Continent, issue 137)
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El Salvador: On September 15, groups in San Salvador protested, asking for the release of people they believe were wrongly arrested under the State of Exception. At the U.N. General Assembly, President Bukele praised his efforts to control gangs. Since starting this effort, more than 72,000 people have been arrested. (Gato Encerrado, Central American News newsletter)
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United States / Venezuela: The U.S. will grant temporary work permits and deportation relief to the roughly 500,000 Venezuelans living in the country. Migration, especially forced migration, from Venezuela to the United States will likely continue. The Venezuelan government is getting more and more anti-democratic. More than seven million Venezuelans (that’s around a quarter of the country’s population) have fled since the humanitarian crisis began a decade ago. (AP)
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Watch... the trailer for "The Black Book", a 2023 Nigerian crime thriller film produced and directed by Editi Effiong, starring Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sam Dede, Shaffy Bello, Femi Branch, Alex Usifo, Ade Laoye and Ireti Doyle. It’s currently trending at number one in South Korea. In an interview with Semafor, movie director Editi Effiong said, "It shows me that there is a market for African stories. … The world is ready."
Listen to... the podcast episode "The Wubi Effect" by Radiolab, which explains how the development of the QWERTY keyboard almost left China in the (technological) dust for one very basic reason: the Chinese language, with its 70,000 plus characters, couldn’t fit on a keyboard. The story of how Chinese computer programmer one professor, Wang Yongmin, solved this puzzle is truly fascinating.
Read... the article: "A Sri Lankan Baker’s Baguette Conquers France" by Roger Cohen for the New York Times Saturday Profile. This year was the 30th birthday of a big French Baguette Award (it’s not called that but I think it’s a better name) in Paris. Tharshan Selvarajah, a 37-year-old guy from Sri Lanka, won it this year’s award. He's been in France for 17 years but hasn't applied for French citizenship yet. His win? He gets to deliver baguettes to President Macron for a year and pocketed about US$4,250. Plus, now, there's always a huge queue at his bakery, Au Levain des Pyrénées. Interestingly, a lot of recent winners of the French Baguette Award have roots in Tunisia or Senegal. Immigration's a hot topic in France (and in Europe) right now. Selvarajah himself has also faced some racism. The baguette contest? It's all anonymous. Bakers drop off their baguettes, which get a number, and then a jury checks them out. His win doesn’t really mean anything but I appreciated how him making a really good baguette made us all pay attention to his life story; one that media might not have picked up otherwise.
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"Kaisan Piyawa Ke Charitar Ba 2.0" by Pawan Singh. This music video is the most unhinged and erotic Indian music video I have ever seen (but I haven't seen more than 500 yet). Pawan Singh is an Indian actor and playback singer in Bhojpuri cinema, and one of the most popular ones at that. Film songs performed by him have also become major hits in the states of western Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Referred to as "Power Star" by his fans, Singh is known for films such as Pratigya (2008), Satya (2017) and Crack Fighter (2019).
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Two Bangladeshi TV companies are looking to acquire rights to broadcast Argentinian football’s third division, where the country’s national team captain plays.
This is all thanks to Lionel Messi, who literally sparked a soccer obsession in Bangladesh; so much so, that the Argentinian embassy in Dhaka reopened this year.
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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 the Americas. 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.
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