Day: July 16, 2022

The world was sadder and more stressed out in 2021 than ever before, according to a recent Gallup poll, which found that four in 10 adults worldwide said they experienced a lot of worry or stress.

Experts say the most obvious culprit, the pandemic — and the isolation and uncertainty that came with it — is a factor but not entirely to blame.

Carol Graham, a Gallup senior scientist, says the culprit for declining mental health includes the economic uncertainty faced by low-skilled workers.

“There are some structural negative changes that make some people in particular more vulnerable. And in the end, mental health just reflects that,” says Graham, who is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland.

“For young people who do not have good higher levels of education, what they're going to do in the future is very unknown. What their stability will be like, what their workforce participation will be like. … Rising levels of inequality between skilled and unskilled workers is another part of it, having to do with technology-driven growth.”

Gallup spoke to adults in 122 countries and areas for its latest Global Emotions Report. Afghanistan is the unhappiest country, with Afghans leading the world when it comes to negative experiences.

Overall, the survey results were not surprising to psychologist Josh Briley, a fellow at The American Institute of Stress.

“Things are moving faster. There's so much information being thrown at us all the time,” he says. “And of course, media thrives on the bad stuff. So, we are constantly being bombarded with crisis after crisis in the news, on social media, on the radio and on our podcasts. And all that is drowning out the good things that are happening.”

Psychologist Mary Karapetian Alvord says being more connected online means people in one country can feel profoundly affected by what happens in another country, which wasn’t always the case in the past. For her U.S. clients, uncertainty is the biggest stressor.

“Uncertainty of life and how it's going to impact them on a daily basis. Prices going up and gas going up. And then the supply chain issues that are impacting people in their daily lives,” Alvord says. “But I think the bigger issue is that uncertainty and so much suffering. Of course, the shootings have come up. A lot of people are really stressed out and feeling like, ‘Where is it safe?’”

There have been more than 300 shootings involving multiple victims in the United States so far in 2022.

Happiness worldwide has been trending downward for a decade, according to Gallup. All three psychologists who spoke with VOA point to social media and the flood of unfiltered information as contributors to declining mental health and happiness.

“We've seen this explosion worldwide, and I think that's a big sort of tectonic shift in how humans interact and experience emotions and all sorts of things. And we're seeing that there's some real downsides to it,” Graham says.

Briley says part of the problem is that although people are more connected online, they’re often less connected in real life.

“The connection that we have with people, the physical connection has changed. We're more connected than ever before with people all the way around the world, but we may not know our neighbors’ names anymore,” he says. “So, we don't necessarily have that person where if my car breaks down, who do I call for a ride to work?”

More optimism, despite frowns

On the upside, the survey found that the percentage of people who reported laughing or smiling a lot was up two points in 2021, while the number of people who say they learned something interesting increased one point. Alvord says looking beyond the negative is critical to maintaining mental health.

“It's important for people to also find moments of, if not joy, at least satisfaction in life,” she says. “I think sometimes we reach for happiness and that's just not attainable … and so, our expectations need to be realistic.”

Minorities in the United States might already be doing that. The survey found that people from marginalized groups are among the most resilient.

“Their anxiety may have increased but their optimism, particularly for low-income African Americans, remains very high,” Graham says. “It was a finding I've seen for many years, but it surprised me that even during COVID, it held. I think that's more due to the kind of community ties and other ties that minority communities have built, almost informal safety nets, that have been very protective many, many times in history.”

Source: Voice of America

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — Many people walk by the unassuming 19th-century white-brick row house in the historic area of Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, not realizing it was part of a horrible chapter in U.S. history.

A sign out front indicates it used to be the Franklin and Armfield Slave Office, one of the major centers of the U.S. domestic slave trade in the 19th century.

Today, it has become the Freedom House Museum, which looks at a brutal past but also on the accomplishments of African Americans in Virginia.

Beginning in 1828, two slave traders, Isaac Franklin and John Armfield, used the building and three adjoining lots as a holding pen or jail for thousands of enslaved Blacks.

The enslaved were brought to the pen from local plantations where they had picked tobacco until the soil became exhausted. Then they were either bought directly or remained at the jail until they were shipped south to Natchez, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana, where they were sold at even higher prices to pick cotton and harvest sugarcane.

The slave jail grew to become one of the largest slave-trading companies in the United States until 1836.

"One of the scary things is that they created this almost perfect model for trafficking human beings," said Audrey Davis, the Freedom House Museum director who also heads Alexandria's Black History Museum. "They would buy the enslaved people at a good price and bring them to Alexandria and then sell them again for more profit."

The Freedom House Museum contains exhibits that show the atrociousness of slavery, but it also looks at the accomplishments of Black Americans in Alexandria. The museum recently reopened after being closed for renovations.

"The exhibitions talk about Alexandria's role in the domestic slave trade, but also stress that African Americans are not defined by slavery," Davis told VOA. "We have many years of perseverance from surviving enslavement and want to make sure that people are getting the full view of the African American experience in Alexandria."

At the museum entrance, a sign explains, "This exhibit honors the memory of the enslaved people who created our nation." And on an entryway wall, some of the names and ages are listed of the more than 8,500 enslaved people who went through the doors of the jail.

Treyvon Harris, 14, from Fort Washington, Maryland, scanned the names of the young and old, but stopped when he saw a 1-year-old child.

"That means a baby could be a slave for his whole life and even be taken away from his family," he said in disbelief.

The slave pen took up an entire block and contained a kitchen, infirmary, dining area and outdoor courtyard for exercise. Since the traders knew healthier and better-looking enslaved people would bring higher prices, they were given a little more food. A tailor shop at the complex also provided new clothes for them to wear at the auction market.

"The U.S. had a large and growing population of enslaved labor," explained Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a professor of Africa diaspora studies at Norfolk State University in Virginia. "The buying and selling was a big business that also fueled other industries, like steamships and schooners that transported enslaved people."

Davis said the reaction to the slave pen in Alexandria was mixed at the time, with some people believing slavery was wrong and others accepting it as an important part of the economy.

"People in Alexandria certainly knew what was going on, even though there were high walls around it," Davis said. "They would have seen the trafficking of human beings by the nearby Potomac River where the people were boarded on boats."

Several domestic slave trading firms operated the pen until it was liberated in 1861 by anti-slavery Union troops during the U.S. Civil War. The pen was turned into a jail for Confederate soldiers and unruly Union troops.

Today, all that remains of the slave jail is the house. However, Davis said she doesn't want Freedom House to be defined just by the period of enslavement.

"While we must understand what happened during slavery, it is not the only defining moment of the African American people," Davis said. "African Americans have had amazing achievements that have helped our culture and society."

An exhibit called "Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality" shares inspiring stories of extraordinary individuals who struggled for equality.

In Alexandria, they included Albert Johnson, the first Black physician allowed to practice in the city, and Shirley Marshall-Lee, the first African American certified scuba diver.

Visitor Ingrid Schoenburg from Fairfax, Virginia, said, "What is so compelling is that the museum shows the power of the human spirit when faced with adversity."

Lakisha Jones from Houston, Texas, agreed.

"This place is a reminder of what our people went through," said Jones, who is African American, "and how they persevered and continue to do so today."

Source: Voice of America

GENEVA — A new United Nations report says African countries must diversify exports if they are to survive economic shocks.

A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, calls on African countries to broaden their exports beyond commodities if they are to escape poverty.

UNCTAD’s economic development in Africa report for 2022 says that global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine war threaten African countries’ economies. It says millions of Africans already struggle to make a living in the middle of a rapidly rising food and energy crisis.

U.N. economists say Africa will not get out of its poverty trap if the continent remains dependent on exports of primary products, mainly in the agricultural, mining, and extractive industries. They note commodities still account for more than 60% of total merchandise exports in 45 of Africa’s 54 countries.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan says 1 out of 2 Africans, more than 600 million people, are severely vulnerable to food, energy, and finance shocks. She says Africa must diversify its economy to become more resilient.

“The report makes clear the great potential for African countries to transform their economies through services, supporting the continent’s long-standing economic diversification goals, boosting productivity and development," Grynspan said.

UNCTAD says knowledge-intensive services, such as information and communication technology, or ICT, and financial services, could be a game-changer for Africa. However, they note the sector currently accounts for only 20% of the continent’s services exports.

Grynspan says traditional services, such as travel and transport, dominate, accounting for about two-thirds of the total services trade.

“The analysis we are sharing today provides convincing evidence that high-value services, especially high-intensity ones in ICT and finance, are often the missing links that explain why diversification has not been achieved in the continent," Grynspan said.

Grynspan says economic diversification should be a priority in Africa. She says it is the only path to sustainable growth and to high-quality jobs for young people.

The UNCTAD report calls on African countries to implement policies to better link trade in high-value services with other sectors, especially manufacturing. It also calls for removal of protectionist measures that limit the development of high value-added services trade.

Source: Voice of America

STATEMENT BY THE CITY'S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, COUNCILLOR MALUSI BOOI

Various City of Cape Town social housing projects, in partnership with social housing institutions are under way in the central city as well as other parts of the metro where the need is. Next week, the Mayoral Committee is expected to recommend to Council the handover of the Salt River Market social housing site to the social housing partner for the start of construction.

Under way:

• City-supported/enabled projects with developer nearing construction phase include Pine Road (+/- 240 units) and Dillon Road (+/- 150 units) in Woodstock; Salt River Market (+/- 200 units)

• Projects undergoing land use management processes to be made available for social housing include New Market (+/- 200 units); Pickwick (+/- 600 units); and Woodstock Hospital (+/-700 units).

• The first precinct in Parow (+/- 350 units) for release to the market within the current year.

• City-supported/enabled with developer Maitland (+/- 200 units) is under construction.

The City currently has more than 6 500 social housing units in the overall pipeline across 50 land parcels city-wide, including 2 000 social housing units in the central Cape Town area. There are also 2 500 opportunities nearing completion or about to begin construction along the Voortrekker Road Corridor and near important economic nodes. We call on all partners to join our movement for more social housing, affordable housing and mixed-use development.

Western Cape Government driven projects, supported by the City, include the Conradie Park development in the inner city feeder suburb of Pinelands, Founders Garden, and Helen Bowden Nurses Home in Green Point. All have significant potential for social housing unit yields.

The City has been a pioneer in the development of a social housing programme.

Social housing happens in a very heavily regulated environment with various pieces of legislation applicable.

For instance, mostly, a full disposal programme in terms of the Municipal Asset Transfer Regulations must be met, development packaging must be done, and this includes a likely myriad development legislation such as rezoning if applicable and statutory timeframes.

The City launched its Land Release Programme as a priority programme of Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis at its Housing Indaba in April 2022. It aims to unlock and drive the potential for a large-scale public private sector affordable housing programme and much work has been done since the launch a few months ago.

It focuses on:

1. A more fluid and rapid pipeline of land release for social housing

2. Identifying large mixed-use sites for private sector development

3. Unlocking the massive potential of micro-developers

4. Developing an enabling environment to accelerate land release

The Land Release Programme is part of our efforts to build Cape Town, our City of Hope, together.

The City’s land release for housing is however not sufficient on its own. National Government must come to the party. We continue to call on National Government to release its large pieces of suitable land to the City for the development of affordable housing. National Government sits on the largest well-located mega-properties in Cape Town for housing – with a yield of potentially over 100 000 units. These properties include Wingfield and the completely under-utilised sprawling parliamentary village of Acacia Park.

The need for more affordable housing for those earning up to R22 000 per month, is unique to Cape Town but it is a challenge. Therefore, the City developed its Human Settlements Strategy, which looks at how to deliver more affordable housing, in partnership, at scale and with innovation.

The broadening of the City’s strategic role from regulator to greater enabler of affordable housing, in partnership with all role players, including emerging developers, traditional private developers, social housing partners, and households themselves, is critical to meeting an increasing demand for affordable housing.

Building hijacking

One of our major constraints in accelerating the pipeline of affordable housing – especially on certain inner city sites - is the cost and time burden of unlawful occupation, and the lengthy court processes the City has to follow to unlock otherwise suitable land. Securing land and buildings also presents a significant cost burden over time, but it is essential to protect valuable land for affordable housing development.

The orchestrated building hi-jackings of March 2017 by Ndifuna Ukwazi under the Reclaim the City banner in particular have delayed flagship social housing projects in central Cape Town. We are determined to fast-track this social housing through the correct legal channels.

Source: City Of Cape Town

DURBAN - While conducting an operation last night, a team of members, joined by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, arrested three men last night, one of which is a police Sergeant.

The operation, which is one of many, primarily intended to stabilize crime in the Umbilo area, was carried out at least until midnight.

Whilst the team was busy with their operations on Noble Road in Umbilo, they noticed something suspicious going on in between occupants in a police vehicle from Durban Central and a civilian male outside a block of flats on Noble Road in Umbilo.

The team continued with their observation on the said activity. An unknown male was seen leaning through the window into the front passenger seat of the police vehicle, handing something over to the passenger.

The team rushed toward the said police vehicle but upon seeing the team approaching, the member in the passenger seat threw something out through the window.

The police officer, a 39-year-old Sergeant, was confronted and placed under arrest for corruption and defeating the ends of justice after an amount of R200-00, which is what he is suspected to have thrown, was retrieved from the drain.

The man who handed the money to the police was subsequently caught with drugs. The civilian was ordered to take the operational team to his apartment where they found a second man. The flat was searched and police found pieces of Cocaine and R7000-00 cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime. Two men, aged 52, were placed under arrest for possession of drugs. All the three suspects are due to appear before the Durban Magistrates Court on Monday, 18 July 2022.

"We often see videos or pictures or receive information of police officers engaging in such criminal activities and we are unfortunately almost always never able to prove that such police officers are actually engaged in criminal activities", said General Nhlahla Mkhwanazi.

"I accompanied those hard working members last night as a show of support and to boost the morale of our hard working members throughout the province as well as the country and these arrests last night, especially that of the police officer, is a giant leap for those hard working police officers to rid our ranks of corrupt elements", added General Mkhwanazi.

It is very unlikely that the other two constables who were in the company of the arrested Sergeant will go unpunished. They are likely to answer for their actions or omissions within SAPS departmental processes.

Source: South African Police Service