By The slightly distorted tunes of ”Jingle Bells” are resonating from the speakers of an old transistor radio. Colourful lights are twinkling in the decoration-cluttered Christmas trees. Children filled with excitement and people in festive clothing are waiting in a crowd to enter the churches for mass. It is Christmas time
How Much is Enough? The International Community’s Feet are Dragging over the Conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia
This article is an opinion piece and its contents represent the standpoint of its author, not UPF Lund or The Perspective’s editorial board. November 4th marked exactly one year since armed violence broke out in Tigray in northern Ethiopia. The fight continues to rage between the Ethiopian and Eritrean government
Ten years of Tunisia’s democratic experiment
It all started in Tunisia in December of 2010, when street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight in protest of the government after being harassed by local police. Ten years later, one often hears that the Arab Spring has become the ‘Arab Winter’. Egypt went from dictatorship to holding democratic
By Bombs, Borders, and Blackmail – A look backwards and forwards at the turbulence in the Western Sahara
The Western Sahara, the territory on the Northwest coast of Africa which is sometimes called ‘Africa’s Last Colony’ due to its listing by the UN as a non-decolonized territory, has had an extremely turbulent year. From escalating violence in the South of the territory to diplomatic fights over international recognition,
The Humanitarian Crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia – A Witness Report
Steve Evans, Flickr It has been six months since the Ethiopian government launched a military operation against the regional Tigray People’s Liberation Front, TPLF, on November 4th 2020, after weeks of rising political tensions. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared a state of emergency and all communication to and from the
The Future of Democracy in Uganda
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Flickr Two days after the polls closed on January 14th, the incumbent president Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of the 2021 Ugandan election. According to the official statistics, the President received 59% of the votes. The main contender, Bobi Wine, fell short with just
COVID-19 Vaccine Programs Shine Light on Global Health Inequality
U.S. Secretary of Defence, Flickr By September 2020, the world’s richest countries, which represent less than 15% of the global population, have bought over 50% of all available COVID-19 vaccine doses. What is more, high and middle-income countries have additional bilateral deals to administer further doses that exceed their actual
How Abiy Ahmed Won the Nobel Peace Prize – and Lost the Trust of His People
About one year ago Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, travelled to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 2019. The committee honoured him with the award “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with
By ▶︎ Interviewing Engineers Without Borders
The Perspective Pod had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Siri and Nafis from Engineers WIthout Borders (EWB) chapter in Lund. This student driven organisation mission is: “Through humanitarian engineering, we engage, inspire and unite people to build a sustainable future.” In the episode we talk about the
Addressing Anti-Colonial Amnesia and Disregard: The Forgotten Soldiers of An Empire
During WWII, Britain mobilised a huge, now-forgotten, army of African soldiers from its colonies on the continent to fight against the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan). These African soldiers were wrenched from their homes by colonial conscription laws, fought bravely and well during the Second World War. But