The whitewashing of 200 years of enslavement
Why is it common knowledge that we saved runaway slaves from the United States, but few know that Africans and Indigenous peoples were bought, sold and exploited, right here? In this two-part radio documentary for CBC, I examine the history of slavery in colonial Canada, its lasting legacy and the ways in which it has been whitewashed from our history. Read More Read More
FRENCH DEFENCE and DEFENSIVENESS
French footy fans are on the verge of a mental breakdown because they’ve been asked to thank Africa for the World Cup victory. That was one of the quips made by Daily Show presenter Trevor Noah and others after France beat Croatia in the final. Name-checking Africa hadn’t been a big deal until a few fragile fans made it one, demanding we Stop saying Africa won the World Cup! Stop... Read More
L’Afrique dépouillée de ses poissons
Les océans font l’objet d’une exploitation si intense qu’elle met en péril la reproduction de nombreuses espèces. L’accaparement des eaux poissonneuses de l’Afrique par les chalutiers industriels français, espagnols, chinois, coréens, japonais ou russes menace la sécurité alimentaire du continent. Read More Read More
New Strategy to Tackle Ancient and Brutal FGM tradition
F.A. Cole was hoping to feel ‘whole’ again when she was flown to Los Angeles for clitoral reconstructive surgery last September. She never knew such a procedure was possible – not since she was taken at the age of 11 to “the local cutter” in Sierra Leone, where she was stripped, blindfolded and had her hands tied behind her back. To contain her screams, she was gagged. ... Read More
Africa’s Fight Against Illegal Fishing
In a series of reports for radio, print and television, we track illegal industrial fishing in East and West Africa, and its disastrous consequences for the environment and food security. The scramble for fish is making the Atlantic Ocean more dangerous: Senegalese finding fewer fish at home are forced to venture further out – but are shot by the Mauritanian Coast Guard... Read More
Kenya Takes on the Pirates
Local fishers near Kizingitini, near Kenya’s northern coast Coastal states in East and West Africa are host to rich fisheries, and to the hundreds of foreign fishing vessels they attract. But environmental groups and local fishermen say they are finding habitats damaged, dead fish washed up on the shore and netshotstar app download and equipment destroyed. But African coastal... Read More
First Steps to Brussels Crackdown on Illegal Fishing
The European parliament has voted overwhelmingly to bring in new rules cracking down on illegal fishing, which could help coastal states confront criminal activity in heavily fished African waters. Thursday’s vote to overhaul Europe’s external fleet legislation could deter commercial operators from encroaching on waters relied upon by local fishing communities. (This article... Read More
Good Samaritans or criminals? France wrestles with fate of those helping migrants
IT WAS A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION that would land Pierre-Alain Mannoni in court facing charges normally associated with human trafficking. Returning home from an evening out in La Roya — rugged, mountainous back country near his home in Nice, inland from the Mediterranean Sea — his friends invited him to see an old building appropriated by activists and NGOs. Read More Read More
Paris Attacks one year on: ‘I live with this every day’
Gregory Reibenberg held his wife’s hand until she drew her last breath, assuring her that he would look after their daughter, and himself. Surrounded by dead bodies and shattered tables that had been shot up or thrown aside by people running for their lives, he then closed Djamila Houd’s eyes. After kissing her for a final time, the rest, he says, is a blur. Read More Read More
What happens to Migrant kids after Calais?
CALAIS, FRANCE—Peering through the gates that separate converted shipping container housing from the sprawling migrant camp known as The Jungle, Tony and Abdul, both 16 and from Sudan, are deciding what to do next. They have been stuck in the squatter camp outside Calais for seven months despite frequent attempts to get to the U.K. And France’s biggest slum is about... Read More
