A week ago I was in Istanbul at the 8th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). GFMD is an informal UN initiative that aims to address the interconnectedness between migration and development. The first two days of the forum involved two hundred and eighty delegates from Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and a hundred people th from government. We heard directly … [Read more...]
Irregular Immigration to Europe: The Role of European and African Union
In October 2013 at least 311 Africans drowned near the Italian Island of Lampedusa, trying to reach Europe. The incident sent shock waves around the world and, in particular the European Union (EU), which pledged to do whatever it takes to ensure that such tragedy would never happen again. During the 4th EU-Africa summit, a year after the tragedy, both EU and African Union … [Read more...]
In God’s name?
I was born and brought up as a Christian and although I was aware of religious differences in Uganda, I was also taught tolerance. Just as well, for you see I come from a large family and within that family are Christians, Muslims, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventists etc. This tolerance was not limited to my family but appeared to be the norm certainly within the education … [Read more...]
Where would you hide 200 teenage girls?
This is one those stories that we would want to be a bad joke but sadly this one isn't Nearly a fortnight ago 230 school girls were abducted from a boarding school in Nigeria and to date their were abouts remains a mystery. I am filled with questions about this How and why did this happen? How do you abduct 200 teenage girls? Where would you hide them? Is … [Read more...]
Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality bill: What do we know?
If you have been following news about Uganda, you will by now be aware that the legislators of that country finally passed the anti homosexuality bill. By way of background the anti-homosexuality bill was first proposed in 2009 by Ugandan MP David Bahati who argued that homosexuality was alien to Uganda’s cultural and religious beliefs and was a threat to the … [Read more...]
Debates about Mandela
I have followed several debates about Mandela's legacy since his death, I chaired one such debates over at Africa on the Blog and even contributed to one over at Business Fights Poverty. The debates have polarised between those that believe Mandela was a common terrorist and those that see him as a hero that stood up to an unjust system in which the black majority were … [Read more...]
Is being a Marxist a hereditary condition?
That is one of the questions a BBC Radio 4 journalist asked as part of his commentary with respect to the row that has broken out between a UK newspaper the Daily Mail and Ed Miliband the leader of the opposition Labour party here in the UK. An odd thing to say you might think, but that is what the Daily Mail appear to be suggesting in their article about Ed's … [Read more...]
What is the definition of terrorism?
In the aftermath of events at the Westgate shopping Mall in Nairobi Kenya there is an awful lot of soul searching and reflection as to how this could have happened, who knew what as well as what happens now. Further questions are to do with what impact if any these attacks will have on Somalis who call Kenya home and community cohesion broadly. I too, found myself in a … [Read more...]
Does Britain’s Bedroom Tax breach Human Rights?
Raquel Rolnik UN Housing rapporteur is in Britain and is looking at the government's social housing policy and some of her conclusions have so angered the Conservative party that Grant Shapps the party chairman has written a letter of complaint to the UN Rolnik has criticised the UK government's so called Bedroom Tax. For those that do not understand social housing policy … [Read more...]
Syria: Lining up the ducks
David Cameron the UK prime minister was dealt a political blow on Thursday night when he lost the Syria vote in the House of Commons. Whilst that must have been a huge disappointment for Cameron it was hugely demonstrative as to what good governance should look like and indeed a big day for democracy. But this was neither about good governance … [Read more...]
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