THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jan

09

2024

China’s diplomacy seeks to “make the world a better place for all” – President Xi

CHINA has exercised a steadfast determination in its foreign policy stance, insisting on emphasis on multilateralism and shared prosperity throughout the international community. The rapid geopolitical rise of China’s global stature under President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party has been accompanied by massive economic growth that has catapulted China into the world’s second-largest economy after only the US. Geopolitical economists believe that China, as the world’s fastest developing economy over the past decade, stands in good stead to overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy. This is good news for the entire global south in particular. China’s…

Jan

05

2024

By The African Mirror

Peter Magubane: courageous photographer who chronicled South Africa’s struggle for freedom

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

PETER Sexford Magubane, a courageous South African photographer whose images testify to both the iniquity of apartheid and the determination and devotion of those who brought about its demise, passed away at 91 years of age in early January 2024. KYLIE THOMAS, Senior Researcher and Senior Lecturer (Radical Humanities Laboratory, University College Cork), NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Magubane leaves behind a vast archive of extraordinary images, many of which continue to be the signature images of some of the worst atrocities committed by the apartheid regime. The photographer suffered great losses during apartheid. In 1969 Magubane…

Jan

04

2024

By BHARGAV ACHARYA

Peter Magubane, South African photographer who documented apartheid, dies aged 91

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PETER Magubane, the renowned artist-photographer who shed light on the everyday struggles of Black South Africans for decades under apartheid, died on Monday. He was 91. After joining Drum magazine in 1955, Magubane gained prominence as one of the few Black photographers covering the repressive era. One of his landmark images, taken a year later in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb, showed a white girl sitting on a bench with a sign reading "Europeans Only" while a Black worker sat behind her combing her hair. In the 1960s, amid a surge in anti-apartheid activism, he covered Nelson Mandela's arrest and the…

Jan

03

2024

By MATHATHA TSEDU

Peter Magubane was a freedom fighter, full stop!

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

BRA Peter Magubane is gone. And with that passing, a chapter of revolutionary media players who were guerrillas with cameras, notebooks and pens is steadily fading. A few remain, though, such as Joe Thloloe, Thami Mazwai, Maud Motanyane, Pearl Luthuli, Ike Segola, Bokwe Mafuna and a few others. Bra Peter, as I called him, was a true revolutionary who fought for freedom. Put differently, Bra Peter was a freedom fighter. He was NOT an anti-apartheid activist. To describe him as such, as many media outlets have been doing, is insulting and cheapens both his commitment and contribution to the struggle…

Dec

31

2023

By ABBEY MAKOE

Special farewell to the great Mbongeni Ngema

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

A great man is no more. He left us when we least expected. It's been quite difficult to come to terms with the news of the passing of Mbongeni Ngema. He was my brother's keeper. We were brothers-in-arms. Twenty-four hours after Ngema lost his precious life in a head-on collision returning from delivering a eulogy at the funeral of his longtime manager, Mom Sheila Paris, in Lusikisiki in SA's Eastern Cape province, the terrible news is beginning to sink in painfully. Munt'omnyama, as Ngema and I were fond of calling each other along with a few members of his inner…

Dec

27

2023

By ABBEY MAKOE

US attempt to help Taiwan to secede from China “doomed to fail” – Beijing

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AT a time of great geopolitical flux – decried by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a consequence of the “obsolete” global governance system – indications are that international peace efforts lag way behind a satiable appetite for conflict. The UN was founded in the aftermath of WW11 in 1945 in a noble effort to ensure no repeat of global conflict that had left nations in ruins. The UN Charter espouses the essence of a consensus-led international world order. The ethos of multilateralism has therefore formed a nucleus of the UN system, where debate and consensus triumph over bullying and…

Dec

14

2023

By The African Mirror

China-Africa relations in 2023: key moments and events to remember

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN a year when headlines have been dominated by conflict in Europe and the Middle East, and geo-economic tensions between China and the West, China-Africa relations were, in comparison, a steady and stable norm. Having followed China-Africa relations for two decades, I wanted to flag a few key moments from this year. These reveal that the relations between China and the continent have focused on building momentum and deepening ties, especially when it comes to trade and the promotion of African exports. LAUREN JOHNSTON, Associate Professor, China Studies Centre, University of Sydney They also highlight China’s growing commitment to supporting…

Dec

21

2023

By The African Mirror

Somali pirates are back in action: but a full-scale return isn’t likely. Here’s why

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

AN Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded US$400,000 in ransom and threatened to use the Iranian ship for additional hijackings if the payment was not made. PETER VIGGO JAKOBSEN, Associate Professor, Royal Danish Defence College TROELS BURCHALL HENNINGSEN, Associate Professor, Royal Danish Defence College Two days later, other Somali pirates hijacked a tanker, Central Park, off the Yemeni coast. The tanker sent a distress signal during the attack. Forces from a nearby American warship captured the pirates as they tried to flee in a small…

Dec

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Mohamed Amin was a famous Kenyan photojournalist – there’s much more to his work than images of tragedy

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KENYAN photojournalist Mohamed Amin (1943-1996) rose to fame for documenting the 1984 famine in neighbouring Ethiopia with powerful images of the tragedy. He also captured the Ethiopian people’s suffering during the brutal reign of Mengistu Haile Mariam. These images, broadcast by the BBC, shocked the global public and had a significant international impact. They mobilised governments, individuals and institutions. This even led to Live Aid – the famous 1985 benefit concert to raise funds for victims of the famine. TAMARA ANTONA JIMENO, Lecturer at Journalism and Global Communication, Universidad Complutense de Madrid ISMAEL CRESPO MARTÍNEZ, PhD Candidate in Journalism, Universidad…

Dec

12

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya at 60: the shameful truth about British colonial abuse and how it was covered up

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

IT is fairly well known that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were affected by terrible acts of violence under the British colonial administration. The British government and King Charles have acknowledged it, and some victims of violence have taken the British government to court for these crimes. AOIFE DUFFY, Senior Lecturer, University of Essex Less known is how much the British imperialist government tried to cover up these violations. My research reveals how harsh British detention camps in Kenya were, and the extremes to which the colonialists went to conceal information about this. Much of this violence…