Four days before anniversary celebrations of Nigeria’s independence from Britain, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom issued yet another statement condemning attacks on worshipers in the country. The terrorist attack reportedly claimed 15 lives. It happened in Bukkuyum, which…
Now back in the U.S., an American nun who was kidnapped in Burkina Faso sends her gratitude as violence abounds in the region
Days after regaining her freedom from marauders who invaded her home and kidnapped her in Burkina Faso, Suellen Tennyson, an American Catholic nun, has recounted her experience in the hands of her captors. In an interview with the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese…
An angry tweet about colonialism while others pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth
As the world mourned the Sept. 8 passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, her legacy drew mixed reaction from Africa, where at least 15 countries once were held under British colonial rule. The legacy of Britain’s rule lies behind some…
A view from the drought: How climate change and hunger and the war in Ukraine are conspiring against life in Africa
In many parts of the world today, two major issues of concern are the rising cost of goods and services, and the scarcity of food. The inflationary aspect is in part connected to the war in Ukraine and the crisis…
Is Nigeria really the world’s most dangerous place for Christians?
Over the past several months, two Christian NGOs — Open Doors and the Voice of the Martyrs — have been persistent in their claims about religious violence in Nigeria. Both organizations believe the many acts of terror recorded in the…
South African women’s soccer team success shines a light on gender wage discrimination
There is a lingering giddy feeling that comes with winning a major sports competition. If in doubt, ask South Africans. Since July 23, when the country’s women’s national soccer team, Banyana Banyana, won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in…
Fact-finders highlight ethno-religious violence in Nigeria, while State Department declines to act
Christians and Muslims both fear they will be “eradicated” in Nigeria, a fact-finding team from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom discovered. Last year, the commission, known as USCIRF, asked the U.S. State Department to label Nigeria, Africa’s most…
Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some Nigerian medical students won’t be allowed to practice if they come home
In the last six months of his sojourn abroad as a medical student, Maurice Nwokejiezi has, on at least two occasions, come up against forces determined to thwart his ambition. The first was in Ukraine where in February, as a…
With refugee numbers rising worldwide, racism remains a factor in where they’re accepted and how quickly
In its message marking this year’s World Refugee Day June 20, the United Nations came up with a three-word catch phrase it believes should define how refugees are treated globally: “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever.” The subtheme is: “Everyone has the right…