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How We Process Information: Why Politicians Can Overtly Lie and People Still Believe Them
Why do people still believe him if there is so much evidence that proves he is lying? Over the past few months I heard this sentence (or different iterations of it) on multiple occasions. Whether applied to Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Nigel Farage, Álvaro Uribe, Nana Akufo-Ado or John Dramani Mahama, the outrage was…
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LET 2016 BE A CALL TO ACTION
In the past six months, political decisions in several countries have stunned pundits and progressists alike, defied all political expectations, and set social justice and civil rights a few years back. In England, after a reductionist and disinformation campaign, old white males from peripheral areas proved decisive in the Brexit referendum. In Spain, corruption on…
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Black, Feminist, Queer, Transgender, Gender non-conforming
“The revolution is black, female, queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming” – Lhola Amira Accra is evolving at a fast-pace. Recently named Africa’s capital of cool by the New York Times, the unremitting music (and radio) is joined by a bursting art scene. What characterizes the art scene in this city, however, is its markedly political character.…
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Cogitations
This is Priscilla. She is 17 years old, she has just finished high school, and she comes from the north – the poorest region in Ghana – where her mother lives. She now lives with her father in Accra. I was on a run in Legon when she stopped me. She asked me, “do you…
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Threads of Art by Yaw Obuobi
The best thing about London is its wealth of art galleries, museums, and cultural events. The Gallery of African Art is currently displaying “Threads of Art” by Ghanaian-British artist Yaw Obuobi. Upon entrance, the pieces catch the spectator’s eye. They are colourful and evocative. Upon closer inspection – and this can only be completely appreciated in…
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The Death of the “Non-Refoulement”. How the European Union Sentenced Itself and Refugee Law
On Friday 18th, 2016, European and Turkish leaders reached an agreement to tackle the refugee crisis. The deal contains a series of provisions. Most notably, refugees arriving to Greece will be returned to Turkey. For every Syrian refugee sent back to Turkey, one Syrian in Turkey will be resettled in the EU. This deal, that…
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Peace negotiations in tatters: key elements to understanding the talks between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP
For the outsider, most days can look the same in Bogotá. It will rain at some point in the day, and inevitably a trancón (as the horrible traffic jams are known in local vernacular) will stop the city before and after the workday. Despite the fact that common criminality is rife in the city, commerce is…
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