On my first day, I was sent to the African Village, known as 'Station Afrique' in French.
It's set in Île-Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
I went to meet sports fans, delegations from the African continent, journalists and some of the organisers:
The opening ceremony takes place this Friday evening, in central Paris with prestigious guests only.
I'll share interviews with African fans and sports people along the way...
23 July 2024
The Olympics start here in Paris on Friday.
Azhar Sakoor is executive member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance Youth League in South Africa.
The group has organised a petition urging "for the ban of Israel from participating in the Olympic Games. This action would mirror the historic decision to ban apartheid South Africa from international sporting events due to its policies of racial segregation and oppression.
"The parallels between the apartheid policies once practiced by South Africa and those currently enforced by Israel against the Palestinian people are unmistakable. As South Africans who have lived through and triumphed over apartheid, we have a moral obligation to stand against similar injustices wherever they occur.
"The Olympic Games are a global symbol of unity, peace, and respect for human dignity. Allowing Israel to participate despite its ongoing violations of international law and human rights undermines these core values. Just as the international community rallied to isolate apartheid South Africa, we must now call for the exclusion of Israel from the Olympics until it ends its discriminatory practices and respects the rights of the Palestinian people."
See from Human Rights Watch: "World Court Finds Israel Responsible for Apartheid."
Al Jazeera reports: "Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from world sport following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the IOC [International Olympic Committee] orchestrated their gradual return under a neutral banner, subject to strict conditions."
-
Do you remember this piece?
X-ray and a flame...
By Donald Rodney
From 1988
-
See the current exhibition at Spike Island:
-
more soon
I’m a foreign news journalist, so travels and displacements are a huge part of my life. So, my problem with being in Bristol is that I don’t want to go anywhere else…
-
more soon
And at the wonderful Autograph, in Shoreditch, on his work in Harlem, NYC, USA:
-
articles to come...
2024 is a big election year for the world and especially for Africa, and in July all eyes are on Rwanda.
Listen from here:
https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20240714-kagame-poised-to-extend-rule-for-fourth-term-as-rwanda-heads-to-polls
-
Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.
Kagame, who has effectively led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, confronts challenges from two other candidates: Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.
The 66-year-old incumbent is lauded for steering Rwanda's economic resurgence post-genocide, with GDP growth averaging 7.2 percent from 2012 to 2022. However, his administration faces criticism for suppressing political dissent domestically and involvement in neighbouring Congo's conflicts.
Kagame's previous electoral victories have been overwhelming, securing over 93 percent of votes in 2003, 2010, and 2017, with his last win nearing an unprecedented 99 percent.
In contrast, his current rivals Habineza and Mpayimana garnered less than one percent each in the previous election.
Rwanda's National Electoral Commission received a total of nine presidential candidacy applications.
Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS University of London talks to Spotlight on Africa about what's at stake in the election.
Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau.
Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.
-
Listen from here:
https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20240714-kagame-poised-to-extend-rule-for-fourth-term-as-rwanda-heads-to-polls
