discrimination
Canadian Government Apologizes to the Inuit
The government of Canada apologized last week to the Inuit of Baffin Island for treating them very badly during the middle of the twentieth century. The apology was reported by a story in the CBC on Wednesday, August 14. Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, went to Iqaluit, the capital of the Nunavut Territory, […]
Wrapping Up the Batek Measles Epidemic
Since the mystery illness that affected the Batek village of Kuala Koh was finally diagnosed as a measles epidemic several weeks ago, the flood of news stories in the Malaysian press has slowed to a trickle. A few of them provide helpful updates and useful insights, however. On June 24, the New Straits Times published […]
Mbuti Struggle and Survive
According to the closing credits of a six-minute video posted to YouTube last week, the marvelous footage of an Mbuti community suffering from discrimination in the Eastern Congo was prepared by the Survival Media Agency. The beauty of the scenery—and of the Mbuti people themselves—recommends the production but it is worth summarizing its factual points […]
Egyptian Discrimination against the Nubians
Two weeks ago, the Washington Post published a scathing opinion piece by an American scholar about discrimination by the Egyptian government against their Nubian citizens. Amy Austin Holmes, who teaches at the American University in Cairo, focused her analysis on the recent reelection of Abdel el-Sisi as President of Egypt and the ways his government […]
Semai Seek their Rights
Several Semai spoke up at a political convention in a major Malaysian city last week to complain about the lack of services provided by the state for their villages. A report in the news service The Malaysian Insight described the ways the state of Pahang has been ignoring its Semai communities. After 60 years of […]
Update on Nubian Protests
Last November, Nubians staged protests in southern Egypt to dramatize their arguments that they’ve been cheated out of their rights and of their lands by the government. They demanded a recognition of their right to resettle their historic territory in Old Nubia, especially since it is guaranteed in the Egyptian constitution. A news story in […]
Mbuti Hardships on Idjwi
Mbuti living on Idjwi Island must cope with discrimination and hardships in their struggle to survive on the fringes of Bantu society. A Reuters feature last week described the conditions that they endure and the causes of their troubles. At 43 miles long and 131 square miles in area, Idjwi is the second largest island […]
The Plight of the Challa Yanadi
An illegal firecracker manufacturing facility in the outskirts of the Indian city of Nellore exploded on the last day of 2016, killing three Yanadi workers and seriously injuring numerous others. The explosion occurred in Porlukatta, a suburb of Nellore, according to a police official. Early news reports indicated that at least eight people sustained burns […]
Mbuti Cite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Many citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) believe that having sex with a Mbuti woman can cure a backache, or intercourse with a young Mbuti virgin can heal diseases. These superstitions prompt Congolese men to rape the pygmy women in the Goma area, where many have resettled due to the violence they have […]
Mbuti Refugee Stories
“We are like birds,” said the Mbuti woman. “Today we are here, but tomorrow we will move again. Even when someone dies, we have trouble finding a place to bury him.” Ragi Ngenderezi Abulengu was speaking about her life in the Mugunga Refugee camp, on the outskirts of the city of Goma, in eastern Democratic […]
