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Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Remembering Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o: Freedom, he wrote
Ngugi wa Thiong'o was in his teens when he returned from his elite British-run English-medium school one day to find his family home in Kenya razed by the colonial rulers in response to the Mau Mau uprising. Only a hedge they had planted remained, he later wrote in In the House of the Interpreter (2012), 'beyond it our homestead is a rubble of burnt dry mud, splinters of wood, and grass'. It was a moment that never left him, becoming the seed of a quiet rebellion that would eventually make him one of Africa's fiercest literary minds and unwavering moral voices. The writer, 87, who died on May 28, wrote to rebuild what had been destroyed — not just in his village, but across a continent's collective memory. Thiong'o's life was shaped by the winds of colonialism, repression, resilience, and the corruption-laden aftermath of independence in Kenya. But he refused to be blown off course. He wrote as if words were weapons to carve out a space for truth. His Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first major novel in English by an East African writer. But after imprisonment without trial — punishment for a play he had co-written in his native tongue Gikuyu on corruption — Ngugi turned away from English altogether. In a prison cell, he began Devil on the Cross (1980), scribbled on toilet paper, the first modern novel written in his mother tongue. From then on, he insisted that African stories be told in African languages. Thiong'o's continued exposition of malfeasance in post-colonial Kenya earned him the wrath of political gatekeepers. Exile followed, but so did global recognition, as he became a lodestar for generations of African writers — among them Nigerian greats Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka. If there's one lesson Thiong'o leaves behind, it is that the fight for freedom does not end with the fall of a regime. And that the stories of a people, told in their own words, are acts of liberation in themselves.
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Britain transfers Chagos Islands to Mauritius after court delay
May 22 (UPI) -- The British government signed-off Thursday on ceding the Chagos Islands back over to Mauritius after a last-minute court ruling delayed the transfer of international territory. "The public interest and the interests of the United Kingdom would be substantially prejudiced by the grant or continuance of interim relief," British High Court Judge Daniel Chamberlain ruled in discharging the injunction. Thursday's signing ceremony ceding the British-run Indian Ocean archipelago back over to its neighboring island nation of Mauritius was temporarily called off at the last moment after Britain's High Court issued an injunction in the middle of the night to islanders opposing the more than $4 billion agreement. The more than $135.6 million yearly lease for Diego Garcia, in a number revealed Thursday for the first time, will have a net value of cumulative payments of around $4.5 billion to Mauritius. But the 11th-hour legal act paused the ceremony with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian government representatives. "On-call" Justice Julian Goose granted the temporary stay at 2:25 a.m. local time to two Chagos petitioners, ruling that the defendant, Britain's Home Office, must "maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order," pending a further hearing during working hours Thursday. "It is with great emotion and great pride that we signed the historic agreement on the Chagos," Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said in a Facebook post, calling the now finalized agreement a "major step forward" for Mauritius, adding how "at no point have we compromised our national sovereignty." Under the agreement, Britain transferred sovereignty to Mauritius -- home to a giant U.K.-U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia --but will retain control of Diego Garcia by leasing it back in its 99-year, multi-billion dollar deal with an option clause to renew another 40 years. Meanwhile, the United States will pay Britain for use of the base, but that figure has not been made public. The Mauritian prime minster said Thursday will be "etched in our history as the day in which truth and justice prevailed." "This is not just a victory, but a clear recognition of our legitimate right on the Chagos archipelago," he said. "After years of fighting and negotiations, Mauritius is finally being listened to and respected." Stuart Luke, legal counsel for Beatrice Pompe, one of the claimants, told the Financial Times that his client was "deeply concerned that the government has chosen to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands without any consultation or protections for those that are indigenous to the islands." A British government spokesman declined to comment at the time but insisted the deal with its former colony was "the right thing to protect the British people and our national security." "Our country is elated that this 60-year struggle is finally over, especially for our brothers and sisters who were forced to leave their homes," Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover told the BBC in celebrating the deal signing. Diego Garcia inhabitants have been engaged in a decades-long legal battle against their forcible displacement during the construction of the base throughout the late 1960s, mainly to Mauritius, the Seychelles and Britain, with the Chagos Islands split off from Mauritius when it became independent in 1968. Initially, the United States welcomed the deal when it was struck in October and will see the other 57 currently uninhabited islands in the archipelago opened up for settlement. Diego Garcia, however, will remain out of bounds to its former residents and their descendants on "security grounds." Then-U.S. President Joe Biden called the deal "a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes." But the deal was temporarily delayed after President Donald Trump won back the White House in November. Trump later gave his backing in February during a visit to Washington by Starmer, despite warnings from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior Republicans who say Mauritius' links to China posed a "serious security threat" to U.S. national security. The American president had "a feelings its going to work out very well," Trump said about the deal at his meeting with Britain's Labor Party leader Starmer. However, Rubio said Thursday on social media the agreement secured the "long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia, which is critical to regional and global security." Joining a protest by Chagos residents outside Parliament, the opposition Conservative Party's shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel called Thursday's legal intervention "a humiliation" for Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. "Their rights, views and voices over the future of Chagos have been ignored by Labour which continues to cause distress and uncertainty for this wonderful community," she wrote in a post on X. "Labour's Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians," said Patel. The deal has also been condemned by Human Rights Watch, which has demanded Britain and the United States pay reparations after a 2023 report alleged the "forced displacement of the Chagossians and ongoing abuses amount to crimes against humanity committed by a colonial power against an Indigenous people." On Thursday, Britain's Conservative Party leader was critical of the agreement, saying Chagos had been British since 1814 and hosts a "vital" military base. "Surrendering it to Mauritius is an act of national self-harm," Kemi Badenoch, an MP from North West Essex, posted on X. "It leaves us more exposed to China, and ignores the will of the Chagossian people," she added, saying Britain is "paying billions to do so." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Eyewitness News
25-04-2025
- Eyewitness News
Legal battle for state to take control over Mangaung Correctional Centre continues
JOHANNESBURG - The legal battle for the state to take control over the controversial Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein 2023, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) attempted to terminate its contract with the British-run security provider G4S after murder and rape convict, Thabo Bester, escaped from the facility in 2022. ALSO READ:- 4 murder-accused wardens from Mangaung Prison to apply for bail - DCS probing gross misconduct at Mangaung prison following inmate's murder - DCS tells MPs it's ready to take over running of Mangaung Prison G4S countered these attempts by taking the government to court in a case that's yet to be prison faces fresh scrutiny following the arrest of four officials this week for the murder of an dark clouds hang over Mangaung Correctional Centre outside Bloemfontein, it casts a shadow over the future of the privately run facility.G4S, a British-owned security provider, has been managing Mangaung Correctional Centre for 25 years, with its contract set to expire in June DCS has been trying to end its contract with G4S through a two-year High Court legal battle, it seems G4S is likely to see its contract is despite the prison once again making headlines following the murder of an inmate in March and attempts to cover up their prison officials, including three senior managers and four junior wardens, were suspended last week for the murder of Mpho Mkhumbeni, who died in March, after he and his cellmates were severely beaten and pepper-sprayed following a raid at their cell. On Tuesday, police arrested the four junior wardens who will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday for bail application.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK government recalls Parliament for emergency legislation over saving British Steel
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government on Friday called an emergency weekend session of Parliament to pass legislation aimed at saving the country's last factory that makes steel from raw materials, a move that has been widely called for since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said in a statement that lawmakers are being asked to return Saturday from their Easter break to debate legislation that will effectively see British Steel and its plant in the north of England town of Scunthorpe taken back into public ownership, in the near-term at least. 'The bill provides the government with the power to direct steel companies in England, which we will use to protect the Scunthorpe site,' it said. 'It enables the U.K. government to preserve capability and ensure public safety.' Though the term 'nationalization" was not used, it's clear that Starmer's center-left government will take over the day-to-day running of British Steel from Jingye Group, the company's Chinese owner since 2020. Jingye has said the Scunthorpe plant is financially unsustainable due to 'challenging market conditions,' tariffs and increased environmental costs. Trump's decision last month to slap a 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum has weighed on the prospects of British Steel. Though Starmer voiced disappointment at the tariffs imposed, he has not retaliated and is seeking to negotiate the tariffs away. The steel works, which employs around 2,700 workers directly, may soon run out of the iron pellets used in two massive blast furnaces following Jingye's decision to cancel orders for these essential raw materials. Unions have called for a rescue. 'It is in the national interest that a solution is found to secure a future for British Steel as a vital strategic business,' said Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the union Community. 'We can't allow Britain to become the only G-7 country without primary steelmaking capacity.' At its height in the postwar period, British steelmaking was a global leader, employing more than 300,000 people, before cheaper offerings from China and other countries hit production. It now employs about 40,000 directly, with the industry accounting for just 0.1% of the British economy. Britain's remaining steelmakers are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions amid the threat of global warming. Most have shifted to electric arc furnaces that make steel from recycled material. That has left Scunthorpe as the only factory with blast furnaces capable of turning iron ore into virgin steel. It is the first time lawmakers have been recalled from their recess to sit on a Saturday since 1982 in the aftermath of Argentina's invasion of the British-run Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK government recalls Parliament for emergency legislation over saving British Steel
The U.K. government on Friday called an emergency weekend session of Parliament to pass legislation aimed at saving the country's last factory that makes steel from raw materials, a move that has been widely called for since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's office said in a statement that lawmakers are being asked to return Saturday from their Easter break to debate legislation that will effectively see British Steel and its plant in the north of England town of Scunthorpe taken back into public ownership, in the near-term at least. 'The bill provides the government with the power to direct steel companies in England, which we will use to protect the Scunthorpe site,' it said. 'It enables the U.K. government to preserve capability and ensure public safety.' Though the term 'nationalization" was not used, it's clear that Starmer's center-left government will take over the day-to-day running of British Steel from Jingye Group, the company's Chinese owner since 2020. Jingye has said the Scunthorpe plant is financially unsustainable due to 'challenging market conditions,' tariffs and increased environmental costs. Trump's decision last month to slap a 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum has weighed on the prospects of British Steel. Though Starmer voiced disappointment at the tariffs imposed, he has not retaliated and is seeking to negotiate the tariffs away. The steel works, which employs around 2,700 workers directly, may soon run out of the iron pellets used in two massive blast furnaces following Jingye's decision to cancel orders for these essential raw materials. Unions have called for a rescue. 'It is in the national interest that a solution is found to secure a future for British Steel as a vital strategic business,' said Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the union Community. 'We can't allow Britain to become the only G-7 country without primary steelmaking capacity.' At its height in the postwar period, British steelmaking was a global leader, employing more than 300,000 people, before cheaper offerings from China and other countries hit production. It now employs about 40,000 directly, with the industry accounting for just 0.1% of the British economy. Britain's remaining steelmakers are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions amid the threat of global warming. Most have shifted to electric arc furnaces that make steel from recycled material. That has left Scunthorpe as the only factory with blast furnaces capable of turning iron ore into virgin steel. It is the first time lawmakers have been recalled from their recess to sit on a Saturday since 1982 in the aftermath of Argentina's invasion of the British-run Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.
