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Why Black South African Women Are Protesting at the Oscar Pistorius Trial
As Oscar Pistorius faces trial for murder, a large group of South African women have become like a shadow that the runner seems unable to shake. In this notoriously violent country, a vocal group of women, most of them black, say they believe Pistorius’ girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was a victim of an all-too-common crime, one…
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Will There Ever Be Unity in Africa?
(The Root) — This year, African heads of state are celebrating 50 years of Pan-Africanism through the African Union and its progenitor, the Organization of African Unity. Heads of state are meeting on Saturday at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to celebrate the 54-nation organization, founded on Marcus Garvey’s Pan-Africanist philosophy of collective self-reliance…
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Mubarak in Egypt: Ousted but Influential
(The Root) — The man who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for decades clearly still exerts some sway over events in the country. This week, as Egyptian officials struggled to determine who won the first free election in decades, Hosni Mubarak, 84, created a diversion in a truly unique way: by going into a…
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South African Bill Evokes Apartheid Era
(The Root) — Imagine being subject to a separate law because of your ethnic group. Imagine having no choice over who your leaders are. Imagine not being allowed to have a lawyer at a legal hearing. Imagine being told that your case can’t be heard because you’re a woman and your victory would “make women…
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Zuma's Private Parts Cause Art World Stir
(The Root) — South Africa’s president and ruling party have somehow managed to turn a national penis joke into a constitutional challenge that could affect the hard-won freedoms of the country’s residents decades after the end of apartheid. A provocative exhibit that opened two weeks ago and features works from Brett Murray, a white artist…
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Rape in South Africa: Still All Too Common
South African media reported the horrifying details of the viral video that has shocked the world: a 17-year-old, mentally disabled girl being raped by seven men in a Johannesburg township. She screams: “You are forcing me, you are forcing me.” The 10-minute cellphone video spread like wildfire until a tabloid paper alerted police on April…
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African Experts: Stop Kony? Not So Fast
One place you won’t find a “Stop Kony 2012” sticker is at the headquarters of the African Union, the continental body that has spent years chasing the elusive rebel leader. The Ethiopia-based organization has released no reaction to the wildly popular video calling for the arrest of warlord Joseph Kony. The slickly produced video —…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
