Author of proposed new Tunisia constitution disavows project

Kaouther LARBI
Sun, July 3, 2022 


The Tunisian jurist who oversaw the drafting of a new constitution submitted to President Kais Saied said Sunday it has been changed into a charter that could lead to a dictatorship.

Some articles of the draft constitution published last Thursday in the official gazette could "pave the way for a dictatorial regime", warned Sadeq Belaid, who headed a committee tasked with drafting the document.

The published text is "completely different" from that submitted in person to the president late last month, the respected jurist told AFP.

In July last year, Saied orchestrated a dramatic power grab, which many have denounced as a coup, sacking the government and freezing parliament.


Belaid was viewed as a pro-Saied figure even during subsequent moves by the president to further consolidate power this year.

His disavowal of the altered constitution is therefore a blow for the president, just weeks before it is due to go to a referendum.

Contacted by AFP, Belaid confirmed he has withdrawn his support for the draft.

Saied has since his initial power grab moved to rule by decree and extended his powers over the judiciary and the electoral board.

Some Tunisians welcomed his moves against the sclerotic system that emerged from the revolution that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

But others have protested in the streets and warned that the president is targeting political rivals and dragging the country back towards autocracy.
- 'Completely different' -

The constitution for a "new republic" is at the centre of Saied's programme for rebuilding Tunisia's political system.

The president plans to hold a referendum on the constitution on July 25, to mark one year since his power grab.

The draft constitution published last week grants the president wide powers to rule.

It allows him to carry out "executive functions with the help of the government", whose chief he would appoint.

The president would also head the armed forces and name judges. The draft constitution waters down the role of parliament.


Belaid warned that the published document "contains risks and considerable shortcomings".

He specifically points to one article, which he said carries an "imminent danger" because it would give the president "very wide powers... that could lead to a dictatorial regime".

"That is why, as head of the national constitution committee... I declare, regretfully and in true conscience... that the committee has nothing to do with the document that the president" will submit for approval in a referendum, Belaid added.

The altered draft constitution augurs a "bad future" for the country, he contended.

His misgivings were initially published as a letter in the Assabah newspaper, and he spoke subsequently to AFP, confirming that he was the author.

"The text that I drew up after several weeks of work with the participation of dozens of experts at all levels is completely different from the text that has been published," he told AFP.

In contrast to Tunisia's past constitutions, the draft also makes no reference to Islam as a state religion or basis of the law.

The 2014 constitution, a hard-won compromise between the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha, which was parliament's biggest party, and its secular rivals created a system where both the president and parliament had executive powers.

It was adopted three years after the North African country's 2011 revolution that toppled Ben Ali.

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/07/tunisias-draft-constitution-ending.html

WOMEN LEAD THE YOUTH REVOLUTION
Hundreds of anti-coup protesters in Sudan defy security forces


Sun, July 3, 2022



Hundreds of Sudanese protesters demanding an end to military rule took to the streets of the capital Khartoum and its suburbs for a fourth straight day Sunday, witnesses said.

A violent crack down by the security forces during mass rallies on Thursday killed nine people, the deadliest day for several months in the long running protests against a military takeover last October led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Recent protests have seen crowds burn tyres and barricade roads with bricks, with security forces firing barrages of tear gas canisters and using powerful water cannons.

Demonstrators demand a restoration of the transition to civilian rule that was launched after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, which the coup derailed.


The death toll from protest-related violence has reached 114 since last year's coup, with the latest fatality recorded Sunday when a demonstrator died from wounds sustained at a June 16 rally, according to pro-democracy medics.

The coup plunged Sudan further into an political and economic turmoil which has seen rising consumer prices and life-threatening food shortages.

On Sunday, witnesses reported a heavy deployment of security forces on the streets of Khartoum, including both army vehicles as well as those of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a feared paramilitary unit commanded by Burhan's deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The RSF incorporated members of the Janjaweed militia, which was accused by rights groups of atrocities during the conflict that erupted in 2003 in the western region of Darfur.

More recently, the RSF has been accused of taking part in crack downs on protesters marching against the army.

The international community has condemned the recent bloodshed, with the United Nations' rights chief urging an independent probe into Thursday's violence.

The UN, African Union and regional bloc IGAD have tried to facilitate talks between the generals and civilians, which the main civilian factions have boycotted.

On Friday, the three bodies jointly condemned the violence and "the use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities".

bur/pjm

Hundreds of anti-coup protesters in Sudan defy security forces

Khartoum – Hundreds of Sudanese protesters demanding an end to military rule took to the streets of the capital Khartoum and its suburbs for a fourth straight day Sunday, witnesses said.

A violent crackdown by the security forces during mass rallies on Thursday killed nine people, the deadliest day for several months in the long running protests against a military takeover last October led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Recent protests have seen crowds burn tyres and barricade roads with bricks, with security forces using live bullets, firing barrages of tear gas canisters and using powerful water cannons, according to medics and the United Nations.

ALSO READ | Tear gas fired as Sudan anti-coup protests flare again

Demonstrators demand a restoration of the transition to civilian rule that was launched after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, which the coup derailed.

“We will continue this sit-in until the coup is overturned, and we have a fully civilian government,” demonstrator Muayyad Mohamed told AFP in central Khartoum.

The death toll from protest-related violence has reached 114 since last year’s coup, with the latest fatality recorded Saturday when a demonstrator died from wounds sustained at a June 16 rally, according to pro-democracy medics.
‘We will not compromise’

“We will not compromise until the goals of our revolution are realised,” said Soha, 25, another protester, who gave only her first name.

“We are here in the street demanding freedom, peace, justice, a civil state and the return of the military to the barracks.”

The coup plunged Sudan further into political and economic turmoil which has seen rising consumer prices and life-threatening food shortages.

On Sunday, witnesses reported a heavy deployment of security forces on the streets of Khartoum, including both army vehicles as well as those of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a feared paramilitary unit commanded by Burhan’s deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The RSF incorporated members of the Janjaweed militia, which was accused by rights groups of atrocities during the conflict that erupted in 2003 in the western region of Darfur.

More recently, the RSF has been accused of taking part in crack downs on protesters marching against the army.

The international community has condemned the recent bloodshed, with the United Nations’ rights chief urging an independent probe into Thursday’s violence.

The UN, African Union and regional bloc IGAD have tried to facilitate talks between the generals and civilians, which the main civilian factions have boycotted.

On Friday, the three bodies jointly condemned the violence and “the use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities”.


Source: AFP

Picture: Twitter/@_hudsonc

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Wisconsin school district dropped book on Japanese-American incarceration during WWII from curriculum, arguing that the story was 'unbalanced'

Taiyler Simone Mitchell

Thu, June 30, 2022 

Manzanar War Relocation Center reconstructed residential block located in the Owens Valley, California. Japanese Americans were interred here during World War II.iStock / Getty Images Plus

• A Wisconsin school district banned teachers from including a book on Japanese internment camps in their curriculum.

• The book, "When the Emperor Was Divine," was set to be part of an advanced 10th-grade English class.

• Community members and teachers created a petition challenging the district's decision.

A Wisconsin school board decided against allowing high school students to read a book about the incarceration of Japanese-Americans in the US during World War II.

Julie Otsuka's 2002 book, "When the Emperor Was Divine," was set to be part of an advanced 10th-grade English curriculum at Muskego High School, located in Muskego, Wisconsin, and a part of the Muskego-Norway School District.

The historical fiction book — based in part on the author's own family history — highlights a Japanese internment camp in Utah.

After Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese Americans were forcibly placed in internment camps amid national racial discrimination so the US could prevent spying, according to a post by The Washington Post. While no spies were ever found, some of the prisoners who survived the camps returned to damaged homes.

Anti-Asian hate persists today, with hate crimes skyrocketing against the Asian community throughout the pandemic.

The book is among a number of other pieces of literature on race and sexuality that conservatives have pushed to remove from schools and libraries.

Nearly 200 community members, including teachers, parents, and students of the high school, signed a petition urging board members to allow the book to be taught.

"I've never felt so under attack for just doing my job or doing my duty to teach kids about others and their world. At one time this would have been college and career readiness; now it's 'indoctrination,'" an anonymous teacher wrote in the petition.

"The anti-diversity sentiment that the school board is supporting leaves me feeling scared and uncomfortable teaching. It is my ethical responsibility to grow global citizens--I cannot do that without exposing them to a diverse populace," another anonymous teacher wrote.

The board denied pushing forward with adding the book from the curriculum at a meeting on June 13, but the meeting was not recorded and its minutes were not published, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ann Zielke, a parent of a student in the district, told NBC News that School Board Vice President Terri Boyer claimed the book offered an "unbalanced" account of historical events.

"What she said to me was that we actually need an 'American' perspective,'" Zielke said, adding that the people in the internment camps were Americans.

"She clarified and said that she felt that we needed the perspective of the American government, and why Japanese internment happened," Zielke added. "And so then again, we had raised voices at this point. I told her specifically, I said, 'The other side is racism.'"

Otsuka's editor Jordan Pavlin wrote a letter to the Muskego-Norway board saying that "When the Emperor Was Divine" has been "course adopted in hundreds of schools throughout the country, where it has become a staple of high school English classes."

Palvin mentioned also that "historical fiction has the power to open our hearts and eyes to lives far beyond our own experience. It has a unique ability to elicit deep compassion and empathy, and to transport young readers into other times and cultures."

"It has the power not only to edify but to transform and deepen our perspectives; it enables us to look outward, beyond the confines of our circumscribed lives, with greater sympathy and understanding," she added.

Muskego-Norway School District and a representative for Julie Otsuka did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

END ZIONIST OCCUPATION!

Palestinian teen shot by Israeli forces dies

AFP , Sunday 3 Jul 2022

A Palestinian teenager died on Sunday after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank a day earlier, Palestinian medical sources said.

Mourners carry the body of 17-year-old Kamel Alawnah during his funeral in the West Bank village of Jaba, north of Jenin, on July 3, 2022. AFP

The 17-year-old was identified as Kamel Alawnah by the Palestinian health ministry, which said he "succumbed to wounds from live fire by the occupation (Israeli army) in the abdomen and hand in Jenin".

A Palestinian medical source told AFP that Alawnah was wounded in Jaba, a village in the Jenin governorate of the northern West Bank.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that "a suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail" at its troops near Jaba on Saturday.

"The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspect," the army added. "A hit was identified."

Forty-nine Palestinians have been killed since late March across Israel and the Palestinian territories; civilians, attackers and suspected militants among them.

They include Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who according to the United Nations was killed by Israeli army fire while covering a military raid in Jenin.

Israeli occupation forces have been carrying out near-daily raids in the West Bank, including in and around Jenin.

GLOBAL WARMING 

Glacier collapses in Italian Alps, six dead: rescuers

The disaster struck one day after a record-high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at the glacier's summit.

Issued on: 03/07/2022

Rome (AFP) – An avalanche sparked by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others on Sunday, an emergency services spokeswoman said.

The glacier collapsed on the mountain of Marmolada, the highest in the Italian Dolomites, near the hamlet of Punta Rocca, the route normally taken to reach its summit.

The disaster struck one day after a record-high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at the glacier's summit.

"An avalanche of snow, ice and rock hit an access path at a time when there were several roped parties, some of whom were swept away," emergency services spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP.

She said six people had been confirmed dead and eight were injured.

Two of the injured were taken to hospital in Belluno, another in a more serious condition was taken to Treviso and five to Trento, she said.

"The total number of climbers involved is not yet known," Canova added.

She did not specify the nationalities of the victims.

Helicopters were scrambled to take part in the rescue operation and to monitor the situation from the air.

Rescuers in the nearby Veneto region of northeast Italy said they had deployed all their Alpine teams, including sniffer dog

A handout photo from Alpine rescue services shows where an ice glacier collapsed on Marmolada peak in Italy on July 3, 2022. © Alpine Rescue Services via Reuters

Further collapses feared

Images filmed from a refuge close to the incident show a mix of snow and rock hurtling down the mountain's slopes and causing a thunderous noise.

Other footage shot by tourists on their mobile phones showed the greyish avalanche sweep away everything in its path.

Experts quoted by the Corriere della Sera daily said they feared further collapses of ice.

Renato Colucci, a glacier specialist quoted by the Italian agency AGI, added that the phenomenon was "bound to repeat itself", because "for weeks the temperatures at altitude in the Alps have been well beyond normal values".

The Marmolada glacier is the largest in the Dolomites mountain range, which is part of the Italian Alps and situated on the northern face of Marmolada.

The glacier in the autonomous Italian province of Trento feeds the Avisio river and overlooks Lake Fedaia.

According to a March report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), melting ice and snow is one of 10 major threats caused by global warming, disrupting ecosystems and infrastructure.

The IPCC has said glaciers in Scandinavia, central Europe and the Caucasus could lose between 60 and 80 percent of their mass by the end of the century.

The traditional way of life of people such as the Sami in Finland's Lapland, who raise reindeer, has already been affected.

Thawing permafrost is also hampering economic activity in Canada and Russia.

© 2022 AFP

Alpine glacier chunk detaches, killing at least 6 hikers

By FRANCES D'EMILIO

This image released on Sunday, July 3, 2022, by the Italian National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps shows the glacier in Italy's Alps near Trento a large chunk of which has broken loose, killing at least six hikers and injuring eight others. Alpine rescue service officials, which provided that toll Sunday evening, said it could take hours to determine if any hikers might be missing. The National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted that the search of the involved area of Marmolada peak involved at least five helicopters and rescue dogs. (Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP)


ROME (AP) — A large chunk of an Alpine glacier broke loose Sunday and roared down a mountain in Italy, sending ice, snow and rock slamming into hikers on a popular trail on the peak and killing at least six and injuring nine, authorities said, warning that the toll might climb.

A local Civil Protection official, Gianpaolo Bottacin, was quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA as providing the toll, but stressing that the situation was “evolving” and that there could be perhaps 15 people missing.

In late evening, the National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted a phone number to call for family or friends in case of “failure to return from possible excursions” to the glacier.

Rescuers were checking license plates in the parking lot as part of checks to determine how many people might be unaccounted for, a process that could take hours, Corps spokesman Walter Milan told The Associated Press by telephone.

The glacier, in the Marmolada range, is the largest in the Dolomite mountains in northeastern Italy and people ski there in the winter. But the glacier has been rapidly melting away in recent years.

Experts at Italy’s state-run CNR research center, which has a polar sciences institute, says the glacier won’t exist anymore in the next 25-30 years and much of its volume is already gone.

The Mediterranean basin, shared by southern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, has been identified by U.N. experts as a “climate change hot spot,” likely to suffer heat waves and water shortages, among other consequences.

“We saw dead (people) and enormous chunks of ice, rock,″ exhausted-looking rescuer Luigi Felicetti told Italian state TV.

Nationalities or ages of the dead weren’t immediately available, Milan said.

Of the hospitalized survivors, two were in grave condition, authorities said.

This image released on Sunday, July 3, 2022, by the Italian National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps shows the glacier in Italy's Alps near Trento a large chunk of which has broken loose, killing at least six hikers and injuring eight others. Alpine rescue service officials, which provided that toll Sunday evening, said it could take hours to determine if any hikers might be missing. The National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted that the search of the involved area of Marmolada peak involved at least five helicopters and rescue dogs. (Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP)

The fast-moving avalanche “came down with a roar the could be heard at great distance,″ local online media site ildolomiti.it said.

Temporarily, the search by helicopter and dogs for any more victims or missing was halted for the night while rescuers evaluated the risk that more of the glacier could break off, Walter Cainelli, after conducting a rescue mission with a search dog, told state television.

Rescuers said blocks of ice were continuing to tumble down. In early evening, a light rain began to fall.

The SUEM dispatch service, which is based in the nearby Veneto region, said 18 people who were above the area where the ice struck would be evacuated by the Alpine rescue corps.

Some of those making the trek in the area where the avalanche barreled through were tied together by rope, according to local emergency services.

But Milan said some of the hikers might be able to get down by themselves, including by using the peak’s cable car.

SUEM said the avalanche consisted of a “pouring down of snow, ice and rock.” The detached section is know as a serac, or pinnacle of ice.

Dubbed the “queen of the Dolomites,” Marmolada rises about 3,300 meters (about 11,000 feet) and is the highest of the 18 peaks in that eastern range of the Italian Alps, offering spectacular views of other Alpine peaks.

The Alpine rescue service said in a tweet that the segment broke off near Punta Rocca (Rock Point), “along the itinerary normally used to reach the peak.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the section of ice to break away and rush down the peak’s slope. But the intense heat wave gripping Italy since late June loomed as a possible factor.

 

This image released on Sunday, July 3, 2022, by the Italian National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps shows the rescue operations on the glacier in Italy's Alps near Trento a large chunk of which has broken loose, killing at least six hikers and injuring eight others. Alpine rescue service officials, which provided that toll Sunday evening, said it could take hours to determine if any hikers might be missing. The National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted that the search of the involved area of Marmolada peak involved at least five helicopters and rescue dogs.

 (Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP)

“The temperatures of these days clearly had influence” on the glacier’s partial collapse, Maurizio Fugatti, the president of Trento Province, which borders Marmolada, told Sky TG24 news.

But Milan stressed that high heat, which soared unusually above 10 C (50 F) on Marmolada’s peak in recent days, was only one possible factor in Sunday’s tragedy.

“There are so many factors that could be involved,″ Milan said. Avalanches in general aren’t predictable, he said, and heat’s influence on a glacier “is even more impossible to predict.”

In separate comments to Italian state television, Milan called the recent temperatures “extreme heat” for the peak. “Clearly it’s something abnormal.”

The injured were flown to several hospitals in the regions of Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, according to rescue services.

As in other cases of disasters amid nature in Italy, prosecutors opened an investigation to see if there was any indication of possible wrongdoing linked to the avalanche.

Climate activists stage protest at British Grand Prix

Agence France-Presse

July 4, 2022 

This handout photo from Just Stop Oil shows activists on Silverstone circuit.

Just Stop Oil

SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom — Climate activists invaded the circuit at Silverstone on Sunday shortly after the British Grand Prix was red-flagged following a multi-car crash at the start.

The same group, Just Stop Oil, were responsible for a stunt at a London art gallery last week, when two protesters glued themselves to the frame of a Vincent van Gogh painting.

And Louis McKechnie, one of those taking direct action on Sunday, tied himself to the goalpost during an Everton-Newcastle match last season.

Formula One's governing body the FIA said they had removed the group from the circuit with police announcing that "a number of arrests" had been made.

"We confirm that after the red flag, several people attempted to enter the track," an FIA statement reported. "These people were immediately removed and the matter is now being dealt with by the local authorities."

Both Northamptonshire Police and Silverstone had warned of potential disruption in the run-up to the race after intelligence received.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali said the protest was "irresponsible and dangerous".

"Everyone has the right to speak out on issues, but no-one has the right to put lives in danger," the Italian told Sky Sports.

"The actions of a small group of people today were completely irresponsible and dangerous.

"We thank the police for their great work and we shouldn't be complacent about the risk this posed to the safety of the drivers, marshals, fans and the individuals themselves."

In a media statement Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for Sunday's latest action at one of the jewels in Britain's sporting calendar.

They demanded that the British government "calls an immediate halt to new oil and gas projects in the UK" and warned they would "continue to disrupt sports, cultural events and oil until this demand is met".

McKechnie said: "I'm in resistance because I cannot stand by while our government licenses new oil and gas projects. Our addiction to oil has brought us to the brink of catastrophe.

0:05

Louis Mckechnie, one of the climate activists who held a protest at Silverstone 

/  AFP/File

Cameroonian activist pushed for restitution of deity

A young Cameroonian activist is the force behind a quest to restitute a sacred statue stolen by a German colonialist 120 years ago. Njobati Sylvie believes restitution is integral to confronting Cameroon's past.

Njobati Sylvie's grandfather was the heir apparent of the Nso community

Restitution activist Njobati Sylvie could not hide her joy whenGermany's Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced that a statue of Ngonnso would be returned to Cameroon.

Ngonnso is a mother deity of the Nso people in northwestern Cameroon. A statue of her was taken by Kurt von Pavel, a German colonial officer in Cameroon, who subsequently donated her to Berlin's Ethnological Museum in 1903.

"I feel super elated, it has been a journey that has culminated to a win for the Nso community, Cameroon and by and large the entire African continent," Njobati told DW.

Ngonnso has a central role for the Nso as she is considered a mother deity

The restitution journey

Njobati started the Twitter campaign #BringBackNgonnso in 2020, which played a large part in raising awareness for the restitution cause.

But her activism actually started before that — when she decided to reconnect with her Nso heritage and trace her roots.

Njobati grew up in Cameroon's Anglophone region with her mother and her grandfather, the heir-apparent to leadership of the Nso community, though he couldn't take up the position because he became a Presbyterian pastor.

"I grew up with my grandfather totally disconnected with my culture and tradition," Njobati said. "I was embedded into Christianity."

GERMAN EXPRESSIONISTS AND COLONIALISM
The primitivist art movement
Bright, contrasting colors, simplified forms, and a return to a supposedly simple life untouched by industrialization are among the features of primitivism. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Still Life with Flowers and Sculptures" (1912) is a primary example. In Germany, this style was at the height of popularity when imperial Germany was a colonial power.
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Sylvie's identity crisis

When she went to university in Yaounde — the French speaking side of Cameroon — she says her Anglophone background made her unwelcome, which led to what she describes as an identity crisis and a sense of emptiness.

"I remember one day at the market someone called me an Anglofool," she said. "This was just the beginning of a backlash I received as a young person."

At this point in her life Njobati realized that she had been "fully covered by cultures that are not hers." "I also remember asking myself: Who am I if I'm stripped of the colonial heritage? Who am I if I'm stripped of the English or French system of education, law or even religion?" she said.

Njobati believes young people should be involved in restitution conversation

But these multiple identity crises emboldened her quest to reconnect with her original heritage.

History unfolds

"Some of my young peers felt like I'm putting up a show," she recalls. "They thought I'm not qualified to have a conversation with myself. They believe only African diasporas do such things."

This journey of reidentification is what resulted in her realization that Ngonnso — "the founder of Nso community" was not in her rightful place.

When she was told the history of what unfolded before the statue was taken from the Nso people, she felt disturbed, before developing her commitment to restoring the statue.

"Ngonnso was stolen from the palace, in a violent expedition," she said. "The palace where it used to sit was razed down by the German colonialists. There is no way it can continue being away from its rightful place."

"I remember promising my grandfather that I will ensure that we bring back Ngonnso. He also wanted to see Ngonnso back. Unfortunately he died before this could happen," she added.

AFRICAN ART STARS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS AT VENICE BIENNALE 2022
Cameroon: Angele Etoundi Essamba
African artists have long lacked representation at the Venice Biennale; the 2007 fair had only one African pavilion. Fifteen years later there are eight, including the Cameroon pavilion, which features work by photographer Angele Etoundi Essamba, among others. Her mission to "portray womankind" is reflected in her images of women who radiate strength and independence.
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Tapping into social media's power

Njobati embarked on a strategic approach that involved rallying masses on social media, through the #BringBackNgonnso campaign she pushed on Twitter and Facebook.

"Some of my peers thought that this was a waste of time and resources. But I asked myself how many people with the desire to see Ngonnso back to Cameroon will die before her restitution happens," she said.

Thanks to the campaign, the statue, which spent decades in the basement of Berlin's Ethnological Museum, was finally brought up for public display.

Watch video 42:36 Stolen Soul — Africa's Looted Art

Youth involvement in restitution

Njobati's resolve shed new light on the conversation about young people's involvement in confronting Cameroon's colonial past. "Young people should be key stakeholders in this conversation," she said.

But restitution is often seens as a complex and uninteresting topic for the average young African, especially in light of the multiple challenges that affect them, such as unemployment.

However, according to Njobati, a true African rebirth will only be realized "when the youth get reconnected with their true heritage."

The statute of the goddess Ngonnso will be returned to the kingdom of Nso in Cameroon

Why restitution now?

Germany has agreed to return a trove of looted African colonial artifacts in recent times.

According to Njobati, the successful quest she led that began the Ngonnso restitution process should encourage other young Africans.

"For us it's Ngonnso, a sacred statue, but there are thousands of stolen African artifacts still being displayed in multiple European museums. We, the youth, should lead the quest of bringing them back," she said. "For me it's about the principle of justice. Africa has suffered colonial crimes for a long time. We must deal with these issues if we want to remain true to confronting colonial past," she added.

According to the 31-year-old, "continued display of the artifacts at European museums is disrespectful and a simple a show of power." "It demonstrates that the colonialists came, conquered African nations, took their integral heritage, some with spiritual significance, and are holding them captive at museums."

What's next for Ngonnso?

The Prussian Cultural Heritage foundation is now set to hold further talks with Nso representatives on how Ngonnso will be returned to Cameroon.

Njobati will take part in these talks, and believes this success has opened possibilities for the return of thousands of other objects being held in European museums.

"The quest that began with the need of bring back Ngonnso will now advance to a quest to take back all the heritage that belongs to the African continent," she said. "My intention is to rally young people, historians, researchers in a bid to have what is rightfully ours brought back. This is our heritage. Let the artifacts be brought back to us."

Speaking to DW, Prussian Cultural Heritage foundation president Hermann Parzinger said that objects that were not necessarily looted "should also be repatriated."

"We are open to restitution and after the due diligence is followed we are obliged to return .... In every restitution process we must get a claim and we access them diligently and independently," Parzinger added.

'ART IS A SOFT POWER'
Stella Gaitano
Born in Sudan in 1979, the author writes mainly about war, escape and displacement, but also about great expectations and hopes for her native country. In early 2022, she fled to Germany with the help of the PEN writers' association. Art is a living thing that needs space to be freely expressed, accepted and supported, Gaitano says.
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Edited by: Keith Walker

Germany seeks 'safety first' approach to legalizing cannabis

Germany is on the path to legalizing recreational marijuana use. Safety and public health will be top priorities in the upcoming legislation, the health minister has said.

Germany's government announced plans to introduce a law to legalize marijuana use

Germany's government is moving forward with plans for legislation to legalize cannabis consumption.  Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Thursday that a draft law is scheduled to be ready by the end of the year.  

The upcoming legislation is "a long-awaited step for many," Lauterbach said, adding that the government will apply a "safety first" principle to its efforts toward legalizing marijuana use.

"The current, primarily repressive way of dealing with cannabis has failed," Lauterbach said. 

Germany's three-party coalition government of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP) has been on board with cannabis legalization and committed to the "controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for consumption" in its coalition agreement

Lauterbach reverses his stance on cannabis

Lauterbach had previously been against the legalization of cannabis, citing health risks. While the health minister's position has changed over the past two years, he still urged that key details on the matter need to be clarified.  

He said the protection of minors and aspects concerning the criminal code, tax and road traffic law need careful consideration.  

"Cannabis use is not a small thing for young people, and especially for children, and can destroy a life before it has really begun," the minister said. However, he also recognized the need for well-secured, quality access to the drug without criminalization as something that "must be accepted and is a part of a modern society." 

Currently, about 4 million adults in Germany use cannabis, according to the health minister.  

asw/sms (AFP, dpa) 

Denmark's PM 'regrets mistakes' in 2020 mink cull decision

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen apologized to mink breeders following the release of a report critical of government actions. But she maintained her stance on the decision to cull millions of minks during the pandemic.

Denmark culled over 15 million minks early in the COVID-19 pandemic

Danish Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen has responded to criticism following the release of a report into the November 2020 cull of more than 15 million minks saying Friday, "I regret the mistakes that have been made."

The commission tasked with investigating the decision to cull the entire mink population in the country published its report on Thursday.

The commission criticized Frederiksen's office for actions that "led to the gross misleading of mink breeders and the public and the clearly illegal instructions to authorities."

In a statement posted on Facebook, Frederiksen said she took the criticism "very, very seriously." 

What did Frederiksen say?

The Danish prime minister began her statement by apologizing to those affected by the cull and acknowledging there had been mistakes.

"I would like to apologize to the mink farmers and their families. I know it has been hard. And the fact that there have been mistakes in the process has made it all the more painful," Frederiksen said.

However, the prime minister said she stood by the November 2020 decision. "For the sake of the Danes' health and our country's reputation and responsibility to the rest of the world, the only solution was to cull the mink. Unfortunately."

The decision garnered a high degree of controversy largely because legislation had only been put in place a month after the cull began.

Frederiksen said it was a time of great pressure and "in the midst of a major crisis, the legal remedy should of course have been in place."

The prime minister said she was pleased that the commission felt that she had "complied with her duty to tell the truth and that I had neither knowledge of nor any intention to mislead."

Decision decimated Denmark's mink industry

At the time the decision was made, Frederiksen said the cull was necessary due to concerns that the animals had become infected with the coronavirus and that it was beginning to mutate.

Up until November 2020, Denmark had been the largest producer of mink fur, but the decision to kill the animals wiped the industry out and resulted in the country's agriculture minister, Mogens Jensen, resigning after facing intense scrutiny over the handling of the crisis.

Frederiksen said it would now be up to her colleagues to decide on what should happen next but that she hoped there would be a level of understanding "that mistakes can unfortunately occur when a government has to deal with a difficult crisis situation for Denmark."

kb/sms (dpa, Reuters)