by Enock Wanderema | 9 Sep 2024 | Africa, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Politics
Strong governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. A Kenyan activist scuffles with plain clothes police officers during a protest against the finance bill in Nairobi, Kenya 6 June 2023. (AP...
Governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. Correspondent Enock Wanderema reports on social media as the vessel for East African youth to mobilise and demand change. His article deal with the themes of politics, youth activism, social issues and demographics.
Exercise: Take the case of Uganda and explore it further. Look into Uganda’s demographics, its political leadership, job opportunities and its economy. Compile a short report on why Uganda youth are now mobilizing and what issues are top of the agenda. Are recent protests bringing about change? How? Students can then choose a country in the Global South that is experiencing social change. Compare the cases.
by Lauren Heuser | 10 Jul 2024 | Decoder Replay, Government, History, Politics
When the rule of law doesn’t apply to world leaders, can they be reined in? Should a president or prime minister be above the law? A man takes a bribe. (Photo by Kazakov Anatoliy Pavlovich/Getty Images) Editor’s note: On 2 July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court...
by Barry Moody | 30 May 2023 | Europe
As Italian authorities reinvestigate the disappearance of a teenage girl from the Vatican 40 years ago we have to ask: Why is Italy so ripe for conspiracies? The Bramante spiral staircase at the Vatican. Credit: Andreas Tille (CC By-Nc-Nd 4.0) Prosecutors in Rome...
by Rafiullah Nikzad | 12 May 2023 | Asia, Educators' Catalog, Human Rights, Journalism
For 20 years Afghan journalists could report without fear or favor. With the Taliban in control they are out of favor and under intense fear. Many have fled. Afghan journalists attend a press conference of a former president Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Afghanistan, 13...
Guest writer Rafiullah Nikzad shares his experience as a journalist forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban retook control in 2021. This article underscores the importance of a free press, in line with News Decoder’s mission to amplify voices that are under-reported and under-heard.
Exercise: Read the article together as a class, then launch a discussion on the importance of a free press. What does independent journalism bring to a country? Why might some governments seek to censor what is published? What are the social, political, economic and legal frameworks that underpin a free press? Have students investigate the level of press freedom in your country, using the Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. You may consider having students conduct a comparative analysis of several country case studies.
by Feizal Samath | 15 Jul 2022 | Asia, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Human Rights, Personal Reflections, Politics
My family can barely make ends meet amid runaway inflation and shortages of foodstuffs. No wonder Sri Lanka has kicked out a corrupt ruling clan. Protesters take over the office of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, demanding he resign, Colombo, Sri...
News Decoder correspondent Feizal Samath provides an on-the-ground glimpse of life in Sri Lanka following months of inflation, essential shortages and protests that led to the ouster of the president and the ruling clan. Samath gives context to a situation that many outside of the region ignored until images of protestors storming the presidential palace flooded the media. By painting a picture of his own challenges in procuring fuel and everyday foods, Samath puts readers in the shoes of those whose lives have been disrupted by turmoil.
Exercise: Ask students to imagine a part of the world different from their own and write a first-person narrative of what life looks like for a teenager there. How do the political and economic realities impact their family, their schools or their daily routines?
