Gay Zimbabwean teacher quits after death threats

Yahoo – AFP, September 28, 2018

Discrimination against homosexuality is widespread across the African continent -
and in Zimbabwe, homosexuality is illegal (AFP Photo/RAJESH JANTILAL)

Harare (AFP) - A Zimbabwean teacher who came out as gay quit his job after receiving death threats, sparking an online petition supporting him which had received 1,500 signatures by Friday.

Neal Hovelmeier, who taught for 15 years at St John's College, a posh Harare school, came out to students last week, hoping it would help curb homophobia at the school.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe. Hovelmeier's decision came after the school authorities encouraged him to do so following news that a local newspaper was planning to out him.

In a letter sent to parents on Thursday, Hovelmeier said he understood that the announcement "has caused grievous and deep concern to a section of our community."

He said he had "no idea of the force of anger and resentment such a declaration would make" but added he respected people with strong views based on custom, tradition and religion.

"I have been in receipt of death threats as well as threats of physical danger to myself and my pets," he revealed in the two-page letter.

He said he had been told that a legal challenge was being launched to remove him from the school.

"For my own sense of integrity, I will not submit myself to a sham trial or investigation ...It is for this reason, and with a very heavy heart, that I have come to realise that my current position as deputy headmaster is now untenable and I hereby tender my resignation with immediate effect".

The school, which last week came out in support of the teacher, refused comment.

Former Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe was known for his crusades against homosexuality and in 2010 he called gays "worse than pigs and dogs" and "wayward".

An online petition in support of Hovelmeier was launched on Thursday and by Friday afternoon it had attracted over 1,500 signatures.

"Let’s get Mr Hov back where he belongs and as a Zimbabwean community make the change that desperately needs to happen. #weacceptyou," it said.

Discrimination against homosexuality is widespread across the African continent.

EU seeks closer North African ties to fight migrant smugglers

Yahoo – AFP, Lachlan CARMICHAEL, September 20, 2018

Kurz said the EU leaders meeting in Salzburg had backed the plan (AFP Photo/
Christof STACHE)

Salzburg (Austria) (AFP) - EU leaders vowed Thursday to intensify talks with Egypt and other North African countries on how to curb flows of illegal migrants to Europe and to fight those who traffic them.

European Council President Donald Tusk said the leaders meeting in the Austrian city of Salzburg have also agreed to attend a summit with their Arab counterparts in February to tackle migration, among other issues.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said all EU leaders backed the plan to engage more with North African Arab countries and noted that Egypt, at least, is "ready to intensify talks with the European Union".

"I believe that this will be an important further step in the fight against illegal migration, but above all also in the fight against the business of traffickers," Kurz told reporters earlier.

Taking the lead in the negotiations will be Tusk, who chairs European summits, and Kurz, whose country currently holds the EU's sixth-month rotating presidency.

Kurz said the talks would also focus on economic development, echoing an EU approach with sub-Saharan Africa to ease the poverty that often drives migration.

The EU has previously struck cooperation deals with both Turkey and Libya, whose coast guard officers are trained by the Europeans to stop migrant sea crossings.

The deals with the two gateway countries have helped to cut migration to Europe sharply since a 2015 peak, but the bloc wants to expand work with all north African countries.

The 28-nation bloc is increasingly focusing on less controversial plans to bolster its external borders, but sharp splits persist over redistributing asylum seekers who make it to Europe.

Egypt's foreign ministry confirmed Thursday it has proposed hosting an EU-Arab League summit on a range of issues, including migration, but did not mention a date.

The Cairo-based Arab League includes North African countries Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco as well as those in the Middle East and Gulf.

'Efficient' Egypt

Kurz, who visited Egypt with Tusk on Sunday, said Cairo has been "efficient" in the last two years in preventing boats from leaving its shores or forcing them back when they did.

EU sources told reporters that Egypt has set a high bar in fighting traffickers and smugglers, which could be emulated by other North African countries.

Tusk said he will have more talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday. Both are due to attend the UN General Assembly in New York at the weekend.

Tusk called the informal Salzburg summit in a bid to defuse simmering tensions over migration.

Since the summer, Italy has repeatedly turned away rescue ships carrying hundreds of African migrants to force other EU member countries to share responsibility for them.

The migrants were finally relocated to member states and non-member Albania on an ad-hoc basis, but EU countries have for years found an overall relocation plan elusive.

EU diplomats said it will also take time to develop proposals agreed at a June summit to set up centres in Europe and North Africa to separate genuine refugees from economic migrants who can be deported.

The officials say Brussels is not asking Egypt to host a disembarkation platform, which it opposes.

EU diplomats said disembarkation platforms could be part of a broader package, including improved trade, for North African countries.

Kurz, whose government takes a harder line on migration, said more EU leaders realise that tougher external borders rather than "sharing refugees" were the solution.

Hurdle of resistance

The EU is still confronted with the refusal of Hungary and other former communist eastern countries to admit migrants, particularly from Muslim countries.

But Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said frontline countries like Italy have not given up on a scheme to redistribute the asylum seekers who arrive on their shores among other bloc members.

Italy's defence minister Elisabetta Trenta said meanwhile her country's military mission to Niger had finally received the parliament's green light to start helping authorities in that African transit country to check migration.

Kurz added that a proposal to boost the European border and coast guard agency from 1,300 agents to 10,000 from 2020 still faced resistance from member states reluctant to yield sovereign powers over migration.

Officials in Brussels have proposed the guards have greater powers to intervene, albeit under the authority of member states.

Hotspots, not trouble spots: Africa seeks tourism boom

Yahoo – AFP, Gregory WALTON, September 19, 2018

Tanzania's Zanzibar has become a magnet for tourists in the past decade (AFP 

Photo/GULSHAN KHAN)

Cape Town (AFP) - Africa draws just five percent of the world's tourists despite boasting attractions ranging from the Pyramids and Victoria Falls to wildlife safaris and endless strips of pristine beach.

But the continent's huge potential can be unlocked by eco tourism, cultural experiences, domestic travel and political stability, said experts at an African tourism conference hosted by Airbnb in Cape Town last week.

"When you look at the success stories, it's those countries who've embraced trends," said the African Tourism Association's (ATA) managing director Naledi Khabo who spoke at the summit.

"When you look at some countries which have made sustainability a focal point, like Tanzania, or Rwanda, they're very attractive for certain travellers."

Eco-friendly safaris and carbon-neutral lodging draw increasing numbers of tourists from Europe and North America.

The number of tourists visiting Tanzania has more than doubled since 2006 to above one million contributing 14 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), according to Tanzania Invest.

Tourism is now the second largest driver of growth in Kenya, home to some of the
world's most visited safaris (AFP Photo/ROBERTO SCHMIDT)

Khabo, who speaks for the African tourism sector, said other success stories included South Africa, "which is promoting the diversification of their products beyond the safari".

South Africa has witnessed a boom of experience-based tours, taking travellers to disadvantaged township and rural communities as well as wine farms and game lodges.

Abigail Mbalo founded the 4RoomEkasi concept to showcase food and lifestyles in South Africa's black communities to visitors

"We tapped into the development of tourism in rural and township spaces," she said. "We are now starting to see cultural inclusivity. Those areas have been untapped."

'A safe place to travel'?

Tourism is a major employer of poor black South Africans and accounts for nearly 700,000 jobs -- a rare success story in a country with an unemployment rate of almost 27 percent.

The World Bank, which spoke at the tourism summit, praised the emerging trend for community-based travel projects like Mbalo's for creating opportunities for women and young people.

Cultural tourism is becoming more of a trend across Africa (AFP Photo/

ANDREW KASUKU)

"Every new business, destination, route or visitor creates opportunity for local people," said the World Bank in a statement.

While many African destinations have courted foreign visitors' hard currency, Kenya has invested heavily in promoting "staycations".

The country moved to promote domestic travel after dips in foreign arrivals following violent unrest and criminal attacks in recent years.

"We have managed to develop the domestic market. Twenty-one percent of Airbnb occupancy is domestic market. It's benefiting us," said Kenya's Tourism Minister Najib Balala at the conference.

Tourism, now the second largest driver of Kenya's GDP growth, was worth $1.2 billion in 2017.

But many countries on the continent have struggled to woo foreign visitors fearful of political instability and violence.

"The biggest challenge is perception," said Khabo. "Sometimes there is a real threat and sometimes it's just perceived."

Adventure tourists keen to see gorillas up close are flocking to Rwanda (AFP 

Photo/Ivan Lieman)

Rwanda's transformation

Rwanda is one country that has successfully transformed its global image. The small east African nation was torn apart by a genocide in 1994 but has since established itself as a high-end destination.

"Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner, which is amazing to see in a country like Rwanda," said Rosette Rugamba who was appointed by President Paul Kagame as head of Rwanda Tourism from 2003 to 2010.

"It is a huge contributor to the image-building of our country."

Zimbabwe, which is home to some of Africa's best game and Victoria Falls, has enjoyed a boost in visitor numbers since long-serving despot Robert Mugabe resigned in November.

While the number of foreign visitors to Victoria Falls jumped nearly 50 percent in the first quarter of this year, the country still operates far below its tourist potential.

"The onus is on African governments and tourism boards to be more proactive in addressing perceptions," added Khabo.

Visitor numbers to Egypt plunged after the 2011 revolt (AFP Photo/FETHI BELAID)

One African country that has seen its tourism industry squeezed is Egypt, once a magnet for travellers that has since the 2011 revolt seen visitor numbers plummet, despite the huge draw of the Pyramids and the Red Sea.

Another is the Democratic Republic of Congo, which for years has been riven with often deadly political and ethnic unrest.

"There's an enormous amount the DRC has to offer" including gorillas, pristine national parks, and smouldering volcanoes, said tourism author Anita Mendiratta, who spoke at the conference.

"That's limited now because of the safety and security."

Impoverished eSwatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy

Yahoo – AFP, September 19, 2018

Mswati has been in power for 32 years, making him one of the longest-serving
rulers in Africa (AFP Photo/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

Mbabane (eSwatini) (AFP) - The tiny country of eSwatini, until recently known as Swaziland, is ruled by a playboy king with many wives and supreme control over a nation struggling with poverty and HIV.

Ahead of parliamentary elections on Friday, here is some essential background about the landlocked kingdom wedged between South Africa and Mozambique.

King in control

King Mswati III was crowned in 1986 when he was only 18, four years after the death of his elderly father, Sobhuza II.

Now aged 50, he has been in power for 32 years, making him one of the longest-serving rulers in Africa.

With unrestricted political power over his 1.3 million people and ruling by decree, he is the only absolute monarch on the continent and one of the few remaining in the world.

His surprise declaration in April that the kingdom would return to its pre-colonial name, eSwatini, was criticised as an example of his authoritarianism.

Mswati has 14 wives -- his father is said to have had at least 70 -- and the right to choose a new one at the annual Reed Dance, when thousands of bare-breasted virgins dance for him.

Political parties banned

After independence from Britain in 1968, Sobhuza II abandoned a British-style system and in 1973 restored a traditional form of government that gives the royal family supreme power.

It effectively bans political parties, which are barred from parliamentary elections held every five years.

Candidates for the 69-member parliament stand as individuals; the king directly appoints 10, as well as the prime minister, senior cabinet members and the judiciary.

Mswati has been in power for 32 years, making him one of the longest-serving 

rulers in Africa (AFP Photo/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

The government stifles dissent and demonstrations, including by pro-democracy trade unions.

A much-criticised 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act has been used to arrest and charge democracy and opposition activists.

Widespread poverty

Around 63 percent of Swazis live in poverty and a quarter of children under five show signs of malnutrition, according to UN agencies.

About 26 percent of the labour force is unemployed and 77 percent of Swazis rely on subsistence farming, with severe drought leaving many in need of aid.

The country has little developed industry, with sugar production being among the most important, and is heavily dependent on South Africa, which provides 85 percent of its imports and receives 60 percent of exports, the World Bank says.

Its key textile sector lost thousands of jobs after the United States removed the kingdom from a lucrative trade pact in 2014 due to concerns over workers' rights.

It was admitted back into the African Growth and Opportunity Act in December 2017.

World's highest HIV rate

Around 27 percent of adults aged 15 to 49 were living with HIV last year, according to UN figures, the highest prevalence of the AIDS-causing virus in the world.

However the number of new HIV infections has halved since 2010 and AIDS-related deaths are down 28 percent, according to UNAIDS.

This is after campaigns to boost access to virus-suppressing drugs and male circumcision.

Around 3,500 people died from the disease last year, from a peak of in 7,900 in 2005, while 44,000 children were AIDS orphans.

Freedoms flouted

The government has almost total control of the media and the only independent newspaper, the Times of Swaziland, is routinely intimidated into retracting articles that are critical of the authorities.

Homosexuality is outlawed, miniskirts were banned in 2012 and in 2017 the government ordered that only Christianity could be taught at primary and secondary schools.

The Economist Intelligence Unit 2017's democracy index ranks Swaziland 144 out of 167 countries, placing it firmly in the "authoritarian" category.

China's Xi offers $60 bn Africa aid, says 'no strings attached'

Yahoo – AFP, Ben Dooley, September 3, 2018

President Xi Jinping insisted that China will not impose its will on Africa despite
a huge investment program (AFP Photo/Lintao Zhang)

President Xi Jinping told African leaders Monday that China's investments on the continent have "no political strings attached", pledging $60 billion in new development financing, even as Beijing is increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy projects abroad.

Xi offered the funding at the start of a two-day China-Africa summit that focused on his cherished Belt and Road initiative. The money -- to be spent over the next three years -- comes on top of $60 billion Beijing offered in 2015.

The massive Belt and Road scheme is aimed at improving Chinese access to foreign markets and resources, and boosting Beijing's influence abroad.

China has poured billions in loans for roads, railways, ports and other major infrastructure projects in Asia and Africa.

But critics warn that the Chinese leader's pet project is burying some countries under massive debt.

"China's investment in Africa comes with no political strings attached," Xi told a high-level dialogue with African leaders and business representatives ahead of the summit.

"China's cooperation with Africa is clearly targeted at the major bottlenecks to development. Resources for our cooperation are not to be spent on any vanity projects, but in places where they count the most."

But Xi admitted there was a need to look at the commercial viability of projects and make sure preparations are made to lower investment risks and make cooperation "more sustainable".

Belt and Road, Xi said, "is not a scheme to form an exclusive club or bloc against others."

Later, at the start of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi announced $60 billion in funds for eight initiatives over the next three years, in areas ranging from industrial promotion, infrastructure construction and scholarships for young Africans.

He added that Africa's least developed, heavily indebted and poor countries will be exempt from debt they have incurred in the form of interest-free Chinese loans due to mature by the end of 2018.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa reviews an honour guard at the 

Great Hall of the People (AFP Photo/Andy Wong)

'New colonialism'

A study by the Center for Global Development, a US think-tank, found "serious concerns" about the sustainability of sovereign debt in eight Asian, European and African countries receiving Belt and Road funds.

But South African President Cyril Ramaphosa defended China's involvement on the continent, saying FOCAC "refutes the view that a new colonialism is taking hold in Africa as our detractors would have us believe."

During a visit to China last month, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamed warned against "a new version of colonialism", as he cancelled a series of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects worth $22 billion.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, current chairman of the African Union, also rallied behind China's involvement in Africa.

"Africa is not a zero sum game. Our growing ties with China do not come at anyone's expense," he told the summit.

'Fractured world'

At the last three-yearly gathering in Johannesburg in 2015, Xi announced $60 billion of assistance and loans for Africa.

Nations across Africa are hoping that China's enthusiasm for infrastructure investment will help promote industrialisation on the continent.

China has provided aid to Africa since the Cold War, but Beijing's presence in the 

region has grown exponentially with its emergence as a global trading power 

(AFP Photo/Yasuyoshi CHIBA)

Ramaphosa noted that Africa exports its minerals to China while the Asian country exports to the continent what its factories produce.

"This obviously limits ability African countries to extract full value of abundant natural resources and create work for its people. It is through platforms like FOCAC that we should work to balance the structure of trade between Africa and China," he said.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will oversee the signing of a telecommunication infrastructure deal backed by a $328-million loan facility from China's Exim bank during his visit, his office said.

China has provided aid to Africa since the Cold War, but Beijing's presence in the region has soared with its emergence as a global trading power.

Chinese state-owned companies have aggressively pursued large investments in Africa, whose vast resources have helped fuel China's transformation into an economic powerhouse.

African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki acknowledged that concerns have been expressed about debt, but said "the risks must be put into perspective" as "Africa's financing needs are such that it must seize every opportunity offered to it."

Djibouti has become heavily dependent on Chinese financing after China opened its first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa country last year, a powerful signal of the continent's strategic importance to Beijing.

Locals in other countries have complained about the practice of using Chinese labour for building projects and what are perceived as sweetheart deals for Chinese companies.

An editorial in Kenya's Daily Nation said Monday that African leaders "should use the summit to ask tough questions. What are the benefits in this relationship? Is China unfairly exploiting Africa like the others before it?"

China's Xi says 'no strings attached' to Africa investments as Beijing increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy projects abroadhttps://t.co/J5zkE9lAL4 @AFPgraphics on top investors in Africa, with China in fourth place, according to UNCTAD data pic.twitter.com/zY7TLSoG3r

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 3, 2018

Related Articles:

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)  - (Text version)

“… The Future of the Illuminati

Now, I want to tell you something that you didn't expect and something I've reported only one other time. What about all of the money that the Illuminati has? There are trillions and trillions of euro in banks, under their control, waiting. What are they going to do with it and where are they going to use it? It's still here. They're waiting.

This group is waiting for something to happen that they know is going to happen, for they see it coming as much as I do. However, I would like to tell you something that they don't expect. With awareness comes generational shift. Those in charge of this money will not always be elders. The indigos eventually will have it.

They are waiting for something to happen in Africa - the building of a new civilization, a continent that has nothing to unlearn. Once Africa is cured, once it's ready, a new civilization can be created from the ground up. Africans will be ready to learn everything about building a foundation for the most advanced civilization ever and will do it with the most modern and inventive systems available. Eventually, this new continent will even beat the economics of China.

This is the prediction and always has been, and the Illuminati's money will fund it. Did I say the Illuminati will fund it? [Kryon laugh]The Illuminati's money will fund it, but there is a difference from the past, dear ones. The ones who inherit the positions in the Illuminati will be a different consciousness. Listen, they are not suddenly going to be the ones who have the good of everyone in their hearts - hardly. They want to make money, but what they will see instead is a way to make a great deal of money through this investment. In the process, it will automatically help hundreds of thousands, and they will be at the beginning, the foundation, that builds the new Africa. The new African states of unification eventually will create a continent stronger than any of the others, and it will have one currency. The resources alone will dwarf anything in the world.

"Wow, Kryon, how long is that going to take?"

The Humans in the room control that and those listening later and reading. When you leave this room, what are you going to do? Go home, report this, rub your hands together, and wait for it to happen? It won't. For the Humans in the room and the old souls hearing and reading have got work to do, and I've told you this before. You've got work to do.

There's an alliance that you're going to have to create with one another and with another group - the young people of Earth. The youth of this earth are changing the way things work. Can you see it? You're not supposed to sit around and watch them either, because they need you, old soul.

It's time for you to align with the indigos and the concepts of the youth of the planet. Do not think for a moment that their age shows their wisdom. These two attributes are not commensurate with one another; they're not linear. These young people may be older souls than you are! Don't think that because they've got technology that you don't understand that you can't be one with them. Their technology is social networking, the very thing we are talking about, where everyone can talk to everyone. The new consciousness on the planet starts in two areas - the children and the old souls.. …”

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

".. Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit. …."