World News

A different look at Edward Colston statue | South Africa’s response to COVID-19

Posted by: The Conversation Global

Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2020

 

Protesters attending a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol last weekend stand accused of vandalism for tearing down a statue of local figure Edward Colston and throwing it into a river. Their actions follow years of local debate about what should be done with the monument, given that Colston made his fortune from the slave trade. Claudine van Hensbergen proposes that rather than viewing it as a grizzly end, the act of dismantling this sculpture marks a natural next step in Colston’s history. By drawing attention to the activities that landed him on a plinth in the first place, the protesters have opened the potential for a more truthful discussion of the man and his legacy.

In other news, South Africa needs to adopt a more localised and differentiated approach in the next phase of its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doing this will be made a little easier by the fact that the country has extensive lessons to draw from three decades of managing HIV/AIDS. Kaymarlin Govender, Ayesha BM Kharsany, Gavin George and Sean Beckett outline crucial steps that need to be taken for a localised approach to work.

Laura Hood

Politics Editor, Assistant Editor

Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour. PA/Ben Birchall

Public sculpture expert: why I welcome the decision to throw Bristol’s Edward Colston statue in the river

Claudine van Hensbergen, Northumbria University, Newcastle

After years of inaction by authorities, protesters have forced the point – opening a new chapter in this monument's history.

South Africa moved into level three of a five-tier lockdown on June 1, 2020. Michele Spatari / AFP via Getty Images

South Africa must adopt a localised response to COVID-19. What it would look like

Kaymarlin Govender, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Ayesha BM Kharsany, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Gavin George, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Sean Beckett, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Local participation and ownership of the response to COVID-19 is the only sustainable option.

Politics + Society

19 facts about the 19th Amendment on its 100th anniversary

Dianne Bystrom, Iowa State University; Karen M. Kedrowski, Iowa State University

On the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, women's historic struggles to vote continue to resonate as the country debates who should vote and how.

Why violence is a hallmark of Kenyan policing. And what needs to change

Douglas Lucas Kivoi, The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)

The level of accountability within police agencies in Kenya is very low. They operate with impunity, because they know they will get away with it.

COVID-19

Coronavirus: Canada stigmatizes, jeopardizes essential migrant workers

Jenna L Hennebry, Wilfrid Laurier University; C. Susana Caxaj, Western University; Janet McLaughlin, Wilfrid Laurier University; Stephanie Mayell, University of Toronto

Migrant workers are not inherently more vulnerable to COVID-19, nor more likely to be carrying it than Canadians. Yet our treatment of them this year stigmatizes them and puts them at risk.

Venezuelan migrants face crime, conflict and coronavirus at Colombia’s closed border

Annette Idler, University of Oxford; Markus Hochmüller, University of Oxford

The coronavirus-related closure of the Colombian border hasn't stopped desperate Venezuelans from entering – but it has made the trip more dangerous.

En español

Nuestras neuronas sufren atascos que pueden dañar el cerebro

Marçal Vilar, CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Imaginémonos que las carreteras estuvieran llenas de obstáculos. O que los camiones se estropearan cada dos por tres y las taponaran. Caótico, ¿verdad? Algo así le puede pasar a nuestras neuronas.

Nueva Zelanda sin coronavirus: Cinco medidas para no dar pasos atrás

Michael Baker, University of Otago; Nick Wilson, University of Otago

Dos de los principales epidemiólogos que diseñaron la estrategia de eliminación del virus en Nueva Zelanda explican los detalles de la noticia y los retos que se le presentan al país en el futuro.

En Français

La pandémie entame les trois niveaux de confiance dans la monnaie

Jean-Michel Servet, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)

Au-delà des craintes d’attraper le virus par les billets et les pièces, les aspects hiérarchique et éthique sont mis à mal.

Alertes aux séismes et tsunamis : comment gagner de précieuses secondes

Zacharie Duputel, Université de Strasbourg

Prévenir à l’avance de l’arrivée d’un séisme ou d’un tsunami peut permettre de se mettre à l’abri et d’organiser les secours. Comment détecte-t-on rapidement ces évènements si imprévisibles ?

 
 
 
 
 
 

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