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We voted in The Gambia for the very first time since the fall of a dictator who ruled for 22 years
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The Gambia elected a "new" president last weekend. The country's current president, Adama Barrow, has been... re-elected (this is how he looks like).
Why this matters: Africa's smallest mainland country used to have a pretty complicated relationship with elections. Not anymore. Bloomberg called this election 'the biggest test of its democracy.' Why? For 27 years, you couldn't have an election in this West African nation without Yahya Jammeh being one of the candidates; if not the only one. He ruled the country for 22 years until 2016 where he was forced into exile. This is the first time, he wasn't on the ballot.
- Recommended: Amat Jeng for Al Jazeera wrote an opinion article about this election and how he believes that it can serve as a model for societies who are just getting out of dictatorships. Jeng is a Gambian academic at the Uppsala University in Sweden.
Fun fact: Gambians vote with marbles. No kidding. This very unique voting system was introduced in the early 1960ies because a lot of people back then didn't know how to read or write. CNN shows how it looks like, voting with marbles. It's simple but difficult to cheat. Alieu Sanneh explained it in detail on The Conversation. Sanneh is a political scientist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, United States.
Who's Barrow? Is he a good guy?
I don't know if he's a good guy but he's built roads and a lot of infrastructure in places that had none before, and for that a lot of people are thankful. But he did say, in 2019, that he'd only serve as a short-term transitional leader after the dictatorship and look, it's already 2021. There are also those that say, 'he is a thief'. He also should have made public a report of human rights abuses under Jammeh's regime.
Is there an alternative to Barrow?
Yes, even though all six candidates in the presidential race were men. For example, his former mentor Ousainou Darboe. He is the leader of the main opposition party, the United Democratic party, short UDP. The opposition party is also at the moment looking into some 'irregularities' aka they think the election was rigged and are looking for proof.
What else is the country talking about?
Climate change. It's one of those countries that are feeling the effects of it already. Its beaches are disappearing, and the country is relying economically on tourism. Experts say, 'if the status quo remains as it is there will be climate refugees.' They also talk about FGM, child marriage, and so on.
Btw, Berlin people: In case you thought that The Gambia 'is soooo far away', you might be getting your drugs from someone from there; like Jawara. Read his interview with VICE this summer; the 23-year-old Gambian has been a street drug dealer in Görlitzer Park since his claim for asylum was rejected.
And London people: Same goes for you. Go and visit one of Sanneh's Gambian cooking classes at Migrateful. She arrived in the UK from The Gambia six years ago and I've been told she makes great yassa chicken and a warming pepper soup. Or just follow the incredible journalist work of Essau Williams, who covered the elections for BBC like a true future-Pulitzer-Prize-winner.
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We caught 12 people who we think were responsible for a lot of war crimes during the Bosnian Genocide
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These past two weeks, police in Bosnia has been busy arresting people for war crimes that happened more than 25 years ago.
Wait, what happened?
Well, first, it arrested seven (Serb) people who are suspected of killing 22 (Bosniak) civilians in 1992. A couple of days later, it arrested five (Bosnian) people who are suspected of war crimes against more than 100 (Serb) civilians in and around Sarajevo between 1992 and 1994.
Why this matters: More than 100,000 people were killed during the war between 1992 and 1995 in Bosnia. The country's Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats fought against each other. The victims were mostly Bosniak civilians. To this day, justice hasn't been served, not all bodies have been found and families are still looking for closure, even if it's just a legal one. This does not make reconciliation and healing easier.
What's the vibe like in Bosnia now?
Super tense. Just last week, Serb lawmakers in Bosnia want the Serb Republic (one of two autonomous regions in Bosnia) to pull out of Bosnia's armed forces, judiciary and tax system; 'kind of like how the UK did with Brexit,' said Bosnian-Serb leader and genocide-denier Milorad Dodik. Meaning, Serb nationalism in Bosnia is well and alive.
Wait, what?
It hasn't happened yet but the international community and the rest of the country are really worried about this new development. "It’s notable that we are 26 years almost to the day since the Dayton peace accords were signed and there’s talk of potential return to conflict or a major crisis with Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is deeply concerning to us," said Derek Chollet, a senior adviser to U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken.
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura, genocide researcher, is a little bit more critical and thinks that the international community is only putting out "empty and carefully curate[d] political statements." Plus, she tweeted: "Dayton has been lauded as this massive success story in Intl. Diplomacy but it was never anything more than a reward to the Serb nationalists who expelled, tortured and massacred their way into an entity."
I feel like I don't know much about Bosnia
Start with fiction. For example, Saša Stanišić wrote an extremely good autobiographical novel about his family's life in Bosnia and Germany; the book is called Herkunft in German, Where You Come From in English. Or, I have talked about this movie before, watch Quo Vadis, Aida? by Jasmila Žbanić. It's incredible.
- Btw: Žbanić yesterday won Best Film at the 2021 European Film Awards. You should have tuned in because in her speech she went like, "This film is dedicated to the women and mothers of Srebrenica. They found a way to build peace in a destroyed country. Women always need to find a solution to the mess created by men."
Speaking of massacres (what a transition...), Spain two weeks ago found a mass grave of nine people under a monument of fascist politician José Maria Albiñana (that was partly paid by Francisco Franco). And it opened a can-of-worms-kind-of-discussion about fascism in Spain today.
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We made a huge step towards justice for the Yazidi community in Iraq and worldwide – after the 2014 genocide that ISIS committed against them
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Speaking of justice, a couple of hundred kilometers up north, a court in Germany, for the very first time, sentenced a former member of the armed extremist group ISIS to life in prison because he had enslaved a five-year-old girl in Iraq in 2015, chained her up and left her to die of thirst.
Why this matters: In general, international crimes do not get prosecuted enough. So, this is an extremely important verdict; it was only possible thanks to a detailed (and very speedy) report in 2016 which proved, 'yes, what ISIS did to the Yazidi community in 2014 in Iraq was genocide'. More than 10,000 Yazidis were killed and about 7,000 women and girls were enslaved, many of whom are still missing. However, because of this verdict, similar cases can now be brought to justice. ISIS is to this day doing a lot of really cruel things to people worldwide. So, any sort of justice that comes with legal outcomes like this is a blessing to those still hurting today.
Shouldn't a court in Iraq sentence him though?
Not necessarily. Germany has signed the Rome Statute (Iraq hasn't), meaning they can charge people for international crimes. "The concept of international crimes is relatively new, stemming from the 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute). These are understood as “the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”. At the top of this list is the crime of genocide," wrote Chamu Kuppuswamy for The Conversation. Kuppuswamy is a senior lecturer and interdisciplinary researcher, School of Law, University of Hertfordshire.
- Btw, Iraq's courts also deal with former ISIS members. For example in March 2020, an Iraqi court sentenced Mohammed Rashid Sahab, also a former IS militant, to death for “repeatedly raping a Yazidi woman whom he held captive” and had forced to marry him. There was no mention of genocide, however.
How do you prove that genocide happened?
It's super difficult. Genocide is literally the crime of crimes, but it is also the most difficult to prove because it does not only require intent, but specific intent to destroy an identifiable group of people. And that report back in 2016 helped the German court sort things out much, much faster.
How did the Yazidi people react?
"The verdict is a win for survivors of genocide and the entire Yazidi community. Germany is not only raising awareness about the need for justice but is acting on it," said Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad. 'All of you need to follow Germany's example'
I want to see the world from the Yazidi perspective
Oh, you're in luck. Just last week, a new book came out, Der Tag, an dem meine Kindheit endete (translate: The Day My Childhood Ended). 19-year-old Farhad Alsilo wrote it. Eight years ago, he and his Yazidi family had to flee ISIS in Iraq. Today, he lives in Stuttgart, Germany. Deutsche Welle talked to him about this new start.
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We made sure that palm oil companies can't touch Indigenous forests in West Papua anymore
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A court in Indonesia decided that three palm oil companies are not allowed to extract palm oil from forests in West Papua anymore. 'They belong to the Indigenous people,' it said.
Why this matters: This ruling is a major victory for Indigenous rights and environmental preservation. Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of palm oil (it's a billion-dollar-industry for the country; palm oil from here makes up 55 percent of the global palm oil market). The palm oil industry in Indonesia, however, is full of problems such as 'stealing Indigenous lands' or 'destroying protected forests'.
Who does the land belong to?
The land that these palm oil companies were extracting oil companies from belongs to the Moi people, one of more than 250 ethnic groups in Papua. 'We are so grateful for this ruling. We feel protected now,' Moi advocates said.
How big is the land?
The total land covered by the three companies is some 90,031 hectares (222,471 acres) big. If you have no idea how big that is, well, it's larger than New York City.
What's next?
Palm oil industry watchdogs are like, 'well, this was good news but we are worried that things might actually get worse in the coming future. In 2018, president Widodo put up a stop-sign on issuing permits for new plantations for three years. The three years are now over. This means palm oil companies can now apply for licenses for new plantations. At the moment, the price of crude palm oil is super high, so the demand is there. We fear for Indonesia's forests.'
Is this bad for the climate?
Yes, super bad. A study published in the journal Nature Communications in 2018 found that each hectare of rainforest converted to palm oil plantations in Indonesia results in 174 lost tons of carbon, and most of it ends up in the air as carbon dioxide. Plus, deforestation is one of the number one contributors to climate change. Not to mention that we're also destroying (the homes of) so many (endangered) species like Sumatran orangutans and tigers in the country.
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OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING
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Chile: The country became the world's 31st nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Baby steps but still: <3
Japan: In the same spirit, the country's capital Tokyo decided to recognize same-sex partnerships in 2023. Actually, most people in Japan support same-sex marriage but the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is too conservative. (Yes, the party's name is a false friend.)
France: The international lifestyle and fashion magazine ELLE has announced that it will ban fur from all pages of its publications in a move to support animal welfare and reflect changing tastes.
Canada: The country officially banned the so-called 'conversion therapy' for all LGBTQ+. YAY! France is getting there. Speaking of Canada, the huge supermarket chain Walmart said bye bye to single-use plastic bags there, too.
Barbados: It's official. Barbados is now officially a republic. 'After 396 years, we're free.' The country also announced that it plans to introduce universal basic income.
Science: Astronomers found a new planet that's mostly made of iron.
United Arab Emirates: The country became the first Arab country to implement a 4.5-day workweek.
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Jamaica's Ministry of Health and Wellness has launched a campaign about how great weed is. It's called the 'Good Ganja Sense.'
The government is using music and bus ads, like the one below, to bust negative myths about cannabis and promote medical weed.
Warning: It's an instant earworm – even though they didn't hire the 'cucumba' guy.
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If you enjoy this newsletter, you have this newsletter's patrons to thank at least in part. Patreon makes an important contribution to helping me stay freelancing and scour the internet for underrepresented news and perspectives. So, thank you so much to everyone supporting me there.
That's it. 'See' you next week. And again, thank you for your patience,
Sham
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