Regardless of one’s religious persuasions, Pope Francis’ views on poverty are quite progressive. He insists that as long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world's problems. Inequality is the root of social ills.

When an African president accused of multiple crimes against humanity walks out of court by orchestrating an unprecedented and audacious obstruction of justice, it is not just a flagrant denial of justice to the thousands of victims. It is an outrage against all humanity. It is an affront to the rule of law. It is the triumph of injustice.

Sir Bob Geldof, this is 2014. Your time is up. Go away. Africa does not need stereotype-spewing, self-serving White saviours.

The Kenya government is pushing a raft of changes to security laws that if enacted would return the country to the dark days of dictatorship. An analysis of the Bill by the country’s statutory human rights body reveals that the proposed changes are momentous and seek to amend the Bill of Rights without a referendum and fundamentally alter the principles of criminal justice.

President Bill Clinton once said, “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” If that is so, America needs to gather all the good it has to end civil disregard and disrespect for blacks.

The Government of Kenya is proposing major changes to several laws to facilitate its war against terrorism in the wake of deadly attacks. Kenyans should be worried that some of the changes may entail abridgment of their rights and freedoms guaranteed in the constitution.

The increasing popularity of SWAPO as reflected in the 2014 general elections results does not make sense, especially in a situation of ever-worsening socio-economic conditions and massive corruption. What it does show, however, is that liberal democratic balloting is not some neutral event but a reflection of power relations that serve as a camouflage for social inequality.

As DR Congo continues to be rattled by one of the worst and longest humanitarian crises of the century, the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons seem to slowly slide into the forgotten portion of international consciousness. A visit to IDPs camps in North Kivu reminds of the very real plight they continue to be in.

Bunge la Mwananchi has revolutionized grassroots politics in Kenya since the 1990s. In this second part of reflections on the movement, the writer examines Bunge’s challenges and its future. Part I of this article appeared last week.

America is gripped by a deep racial anxiety stoked by strategic political manipulation and fear of rapidly changing demographics. The current system dehumanizes the racial Other. It must be changed.

In last week’s elections in Namibia, the ruling South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) won a landslide 80 percent of the vote up from 75 percent. How did the independence party achieve this?

Since independence on 28 November 1960, Mauritania has put in place a system of exclusion of its black population, promoting the affirmation of an exclusively Arab identity and the negation of the country’s African foundations

In this edited version of a new introduction to Assata Shakur’s autobiography, Prof Gumede points out that centuries of colonialism, slavery and apartheid have left a legacy of institutional racism, whereby dark skins are often instinctively prejudiced in societies across the globe. Racism is also endemic in global relations between nations.

Washington has engineered attacks on other nations around the world accusing them of human rights violations. Yet the administration has initiated no concrete programs to improve the plight of African Americans, particularly young black men. Every 28 hours, an unarmed black citizen is killed.

Killer cop Darren Wilson’s increased renown and profiteering from the death of Micheal Brown is very much a product of contemporary American society’s attitudes toward media, fame, race, and class.

While Black people waited for the indictment of white officer Darren Wilson who killed an unarmed Black youth in August, more Blacks were shot dead. Eventually Wilson was exonerated, sparking outrage across the country. The grand jury’s decision doesn’t surprise most Black people who are struggling for justice.

There is no need for more task forces or advisory commissions. The police must stop killing black people with impunity and nothing will make that less likely to happen than the sight of Wilson and his partners in crime sitting in federal prisons.

Bunge la Mwananchi has revolutionized grassroots politics in Kenya since the 1990s. Against the backdrop of elite politics and entrenched neo-liberalism, the movement has created a critical space for democratic participation from below and its impact has been far-reaching. Part II of this article appears next week.

Is it that some racially privileged white people must experience the atrocities that unprivileged non-whites live on a daily basis for the French society to be moved to show concern regarding some of the injustices in French society? Remy’s case shows once more that nothing has changed much since the Second World War.

Despite the determination on the part of the powers that be to push the UPOV-compliant Plant Breeders' Bill and GMOs down the throats of Ghanaians, they have been compelled by the mounting local and international pressure to beat a retreat