But first in Malawi, where the government recently expelled the refugee rights group – INUA Advocacy from the Dzaleka refugee camp. The Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi is one of Africa’s largest. For the last three decades, it has been a home for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing from political instability and violence in their home countries. The Malawian government’s partnership with INUA Advocacy granted the group access to the camp to scrutinize the human rights situation. However, the recent termination of this partnership raises eyebrows at the already deteriorating situation in the refugee camp. In March 2023, the Malawian government gave a directive to enforce its encampment policy, which ordered all refugees in cities, villages, or towns outside the camp to return. In May, the police began rounding up thousands of refugees across Malawi, temporarily detaining and forcefully relocating them back to the Dzaleka camp. As expected, not long after, the forceful relocations birthed numerous challenges in the camp, such as out-of-school children due to overcrowded schools and the shortage of food, shelter, water, health services, and sanitation facilities. The Dzaleka refugee camp was initially meant to host 12,000 people but currently accommodates around 50,000. And despite President Lazarus Chakwera’s promise in June to improve the living conditions of the refugees in the camp, there has been no significant progress. The Effects Of PCOS Go Beyond Fertility Issues For Women Afghanistan: Taliban sends abused women to prison – UN Homosexuality predates colonialism. It is homophobia that’s new We see and acknowledge the support and allyship from some of our white brethren towards gay people on the African continent. We are however sensitive to the ways in which this support can exclude certain things from the conversation. Many times when white people and former colonial countries refer to homosexuality on the continent, it is often from a lens of casting Africa as “unprogressive,” “close-minded,” further feeding the narrative of whiteness as “evolutionary” without taking into account the era of colonialism and how it in many ways created and bolstered the current homophobia many gay Africans experience. There is a recasting that is happening of colonialists as “saviors” quick to render a hand to as always “close-minded” and “monolithic” Africa, a recasting that is more than just worrying, also incredibly dangerous. It is important for us to approach every conversation with context and understanding, homophobia in Africa is no different. “I have been treated unfairly”: The harmful traditional practice suppressing women in Nigeria Across the Idoma, Igala, and Ekureku people of Nigeria, certain traditions are keeping tabs on women’s fidelity, income, and their choice to bear children. One Tuesday morning in April 2016, the Easter celebration was around the corner when, at about 3:34 AM, a thunderous knock startled 52-year-old Janet* and her six children. As she struggled with the door bolt, she whispered a prayer to herself, “Lord, not again.” At the door was Oche*, her 77-year-old husband, who had come home drunk as usual in the company of a strange woman. As soon as he saw Janet, his jaw tightened and his hand curled into a fist. “I told you not to get a job but you are adamant!” he snapped. Janet was only 17 when she was forced to marry Oche who was 42 in 1987. She had written her Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), the final lap in Nigeria’s basic education system, hoping to be a nurse. Oche, a civil servant at the time, didn’t allow Janet to learn a skill or further her studies. “Anytime I tried to seek a job, he would threaten me with Aleku, the spirit of justice,” she says. This prominent traditional practice is prevalent amongst the Idoma people of Benue State, Igala people of Kogi State, and Ekureku people of Cross River State in Nigeria. The Idoma people believe in Aleku to maintain justice in the land. The Igala people believe in Ibegwu to uphold justice, while the Ekureku people believe in Edu-ekolo to protect the family. The common feature in this tradition is that the spirit oversees women and keeps a tab on whether they are loyal to their husbands or not. Did you know that the Great Rift Valley, stretching across East African countries like Kenya and Ethiopia and even reaching Lebanon in Asia, is often considered the cradle of humanity? Scientists have found many ancient fossils within the Rift Valley that have shed light on the origin and evolution of humans.