Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

Botswana, home to the world’s largest African elephant population, has lifted its five-year suspension of elephant hunting, attracting the ire of conservationists while placating those who argue that the land giants, known to kill livestock and destroy crops, are wreaking havoc on locals’ livelihoods.

In a statement detailing the reversal, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism cited the increasing prevalence of human-elephant conflict, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks’ inability to respond to animal control reports in a timely fashion, and the toll on communities ill-equipped to handle the unimpeded roaming of these roughly 12,000-pound creatures. The ministry further said that reinstatement will be performed “in an orderly and ethical manner.”

The exact nature of this “ethical” implementation remains unclear, as do the long-term ramifications of the decision for both Botswana’s human and pachyderm residents. But in the meantime, here’s what we do know:

Bonobo Mothers Meddle In Their Sons’ Sex Lives – Making Them Three Times More Likely To Father Children

BONOBOS DOING WHAT THEY DO BY GREG @ FLICKR

Bonobo Mothers Meddle In Their Sons’ Sex Lives – Making Them Three Times More Likely To Father Children

Dating is never easy, for any of us. Scenarios play over in our heads, classic questions and worries bombard us. Will she like me? Does he share the same interests? Will my mum be watching us have sex? Thankfully, that last question isn’t actually one we humans have to deal with. But new research shows that for bonobos, sex really is often a family affair. What’s more, rather than being an embarrassing hindrance, motherly presence greatly benefits bonobo sons during the deed.

Along with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus) are our closest living relatives. Restricted to a 500,000 km² thickly-forested zone of the Congo Basin, these endangered great apes were only formally discovered in 1928, which until 2017 made them the most recently-described living great ape species.

Operating in female-led social systems, bonobos are capable of showing a wide range of what were long held as human-specific feelings and emotions, such as sensitivity, patience, compassion, kindness, empathyand altruism.

They’re also perhaps the most promiscuous non-human species on the planet.

Elephants Reduced to a Political Football as Botswana Brings Back Hunting

Elephants Reduced to a Political Football as Botswana Brings Back Hunting

Botswana has reinstated trophy hunting after a 5-year moratorium on the practice.

In the wake of evidently declining wildlife numbers, former president Ian Khama imposed the ban in early 2014. Elephant numbers had plummeted by 15% in the preceding decade. The hunting industry had been granted a total quota of between 420 and 800 elephants a year during that time. Evidence of abuse was prolific and communities were not benefiting from the fees that hunters were paying.

Over the past five years Botswana has earned a reputation as the continent’s last elephant haven. It harbours just over a third of Africa’s remaining savanna elephants.

Khama’s successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has been in the job for just over a year. He’s promoted a conservation doctrine that is diametrically opposed to Khama’s.

Masisi recently hosted a conference in Kasane that brought together heads of state and environment ministers from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its pretext was to formulate a common vision for managing southern Africa’s elephants under the banner of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). But the conference was used to drum up support for Botswana’s intended reversion to elephant hunting.

Africa Has Lost Binyavanga Wainaina. But His spirit Will Continue To Inspire

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE WITH BINYAVANGA WAINAINA AT LANNAN FOUNDATION 2011. VIA FLICKR

Africa Has Lost Binyavanga Wainaina. But His spirit Will Continue To Inspire

Binyavanga Wainaina, one of Kenya’s most famous writers, has passed away.

How to write an obituary for a person of such standing? The conventional way would be by starting with the key biographical facts.

Wainaina was born in 1971 in Nakuru, Kenya. He went to school in Nakuru, Thika, and Nairobi. He studied a degree in Commerce in South Africa (University of Transkei) and later an MPhil in Creative Writing in the UK (University of East Anglia).

In 2002 he won the Caine Prize for African writing, with his short story “Discovering Home”. In 2003 he became the founding editor of African literary magazine, Kwani?, and he served as the director of the Chinua Achebe Centre for African Literature and Languages at the Bard College in the US.

Duke Ellington’s Melodies Carried His Message of Social Justice

DUKE ELLINGTON MURAL ON U STREET NW IN WASHINGTON DC.

Duke Ellington’s Melodies Carried His Message of Social Justice

At a moment when there is a longstanding heated debate over how artists and pop culture figures should engage in social activism, the life and career of musical legend Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington offers a model of how to do it right.

Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. His tight-knit black middle-class family nurtured his racial pride and shielded him from many of the difficulties of segregation in the nation’s capital. Washington was home to a sizable black middle class, despite prevalent racism. That included the racial riots of 1919’s Red Summer, three months of bloody violence directed at black communities in cities from San Francisco to Chicago and Washington D.C.

Ellington’s development from a D.C. piano prodigy to the world’s elegant and sophisticated “Duke” is well documented. Yet a fusion of art and social activism also marked his more than 56-year career.

Ellington’s battle for social justice was personal. Films like the award-winning “Green Book” only hint at the costs of segregation for black performing artists during the 1950s and 60s.

Duke’s experiences reveal the reality.

Activists Want a San Francisco High School Mural Removed, Saying Its Impact Today Should Overshadow the Artist’s Intentions

Activists Want a San Francisco High School Mural Removed, Saying Its Impact Today Should Overshadow the Artist’s Intentions

For nearly a century, a massive mural by painter Victor Arnautoff titled “The Life of Washington” has lined the hallways of San Francisco’s George Washington High School.

It may not be there much longer.

The mural “glorifies slavery, genocide, colonization, manifest destiny, white supremacy [and] oppression.” So said Washington High School’s Reflection and Action Group, an ad-hoc committee formed late last year and made up of Native Americans from the community, students, school employees, local artists and historians.

It identified two panels as especially offensive. One shows Washington pointing westward next to the body of a dead Native American. The other depicts slaves working in the fields of Mount Vernon.

Because the work “traumatizes students and community members,” the group concluded that “the impact of this mural is greater than its intent ever was.” They are campaigning for its removal.

The idea that impact matters more than intention has informed debates about everything from microaggressions to cultural appropriation.

But when it comes to art, should impact matter more than intention?

As historians committed to preserving our cultural heritage – and as citizens invested in the power of art to engage the public – we see the growing chorus of voices favoring impact over intention as a dangerous trend, one that makes art more vulnerable to rejection, censorship or even destruction.

The Story of East Africa's Role In The Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Story of East Africa's Role In The Transatlantic Slave Trade

The recent discovery of the remains of the Portuguese slave ship São José off Cape Town has brought East Africa’s role in the transatlantic slave trade to public attention. But the São José was merely one of a large number of slave vessels that either rounded the Cape or put into Table Bay for refreshment.

The sinking of the São José two days after Christmas in 1794 marked the end of a bad year for the slave trade at the Cape of Good Hope. In April that year, a second vessel, the French ship Jardinière, had gone down off Cape Agulhas. Around 185 slaves had reached shore but many had then escaped or had died of their exertions. Only 125 were finally auctioned at Stellenbosch.

Selah Marley Pops Into BKLYN Studios May 3-4, 2019 With 'A Primordial Place'

Selah Marley Pops Into BKLYN Studios May 3-4, 2019 With 'A Primordial Place'

Selah Marley opens an art quickie ‘A Primordial Place’ , on view at BKLYN Studios In New York City from May 3rd until May 4th, noon to 8pm. BKLYN Studios is located at 445 Albee Square West, Brooklyn NY 11201 in Citypoint.

Jeneil Williams + Grace Mahary By Delphine Diallo In Africa Motherland For Vogue Portugal

Jeneil Williams + Grace Mahary By Delphine Diallo In Africa Motherland For Vogue Portugal

Model Jeneil Williams is center stage with Grace Mahary weighing in for ‘Africa Motherland’, styled by Melaney Oldenhof. Jeneil and Grace are channeling the Omo Valley people — a bedrock inspiration for Anne of Carversville and GlamTribal due to their 1) beauty and affinity to nature and 2) their location in southern Ethiopia, bordering the northern border of Lake Turkana.

This precious land is believed to be the foundation of humanity: ALL PEOPLE. Except for a few white nationalists, the 1970 theories about separate lines of human development happening independently of each other have not withstood scientific scrutiny. All humans first migrated out of Africa and 98% of scientists agree.

Brooklyn-based, French-Senegalese photographer Delphine Diallo is behind the lens for ‘Africa Motherland’ in Vogue Portugal’s entire April 2019 issue devoted to Africa.

Red Sea Stone Tool Find Hints At Hominins’ Possible Route Out of Africa

Red Sea Stone Tool Find Hints At Hominins’ Possible Route Out of Africa

The Omo Valley's Surma + Mursi Tribes, Vintage 2008, In Hans Silvester's Own Words

The Omo Valley's Surma + Mursi Tribes, Vintage 2008, In Hans Silvester's Own Words

As a design person, no book has influenced me more in life than Hans Silvester’s 2008 book ‘Natural Fashion, Tribal Decoration from Africa.’ His images of members of the Surma and Mursi tribes, the product of 12 trips into the isolated Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia, have become legendary.

Many of the people commenting on on the Silvester images don’t own the book and have not seen them in art galleries. I fear that much of their original meaning and importance is being lost in the muck, so to speak. For this reason, I want to attach Hans Silvester’s own words to the images, and this is my first effort. ~ Anne

Criminals Will Not Leave 500,000 Tons Of Woolly Mammoth Ivory Tusks Buried In Arctic

Criminals Will Not Leave 500,000 Tons Of Woolly Mammoth Ivory Tusks Buried In Arctic

The upcoming CITIES conference, taking place in Sri Lanka from May 23 to June 3 and attended by 183 countries, will consider the Israeli proposal to give protection status to the woolly mammoth, a species extinct for 10,000 years.

Supporters of the Israeli proposal argue that affording the prehistoric mammoth Appendix II protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)could play a vital role in saving elephants who are being poached at the rate of around 30,000 animals a year.

Many argue that banning woolly mammoth ivory will only drive the excavation of woolly mammoth ivory into organized crime syndicates. A ban on woolly mammoth ivory will surely drive up the price of ivory, making it impossible to believe that the estimated 500,000 tons of mammoth tusks buried in the Arctic will remain there untouched.

EYE: Gucci Denies Black Community Boycott Is Slowing Sales | Leigh Bowery Inspired Sweater

EYE: Gucci Denies Black Community Boycott Is Slowing Sales | Leigh Bowery Inspired Sweater

Kering's chief financial officer Jean-Marc Duplaix rejected the notion that the blackface scandal played a determining role in Gucci's recent sales slowdown. Per ‘Business of Fashion’, "He dismissed the idea that backlash against a balaclava sweater widely criticized for resembling blackface had hurt sales."

Still — when growth slows some and the word ‘boycott’ is being called for by Oscar-winning director Spike Lee — a smart person takes the situation very seriously. 50 Cent immediately posted a video of himself burning his Gucci clothing, and Soulja Boy covered up the forehead tattoo that was once an ode to the brand, writes Complex.

"Gucci's done," Soulja said before being asked if he planned to ditch his collection of Gucci pieces. "Nah, we ain't gon' return it...I'll just give it to charity."

Dams Can Mimic The Free Flow Of Rivers, But Risks Must Be Managed

Dams Can Mimic The Free Flow Of Rovers, But Risks Must Be Managed

In recent decades, humans have built many dams. These are designed to regulate flow for irrigation, hydropower and water supply. Most major rivers in the world are dammed.

But there are detriments to damming rivers. Many people depend on the natural ebb and flow of unrestricted rivers that swell with water in the rainy season and wane in the dry season. When the natural flow is changed, people and ecosystems are affected: globally, an estimated 472 million people living downstream of dams have suffered adverse effects from changes to the rivers’ flows.

Muslims Arrived In America 400 Years Ago As Part of the Slave Trade and Today Are Vastly Diverse

Muslims Arrived In America 400 Years Ago As Part of the Slave Trade and Today Are Vastly Diverse

Most Americans say they don’t know a Muslim and that much of what they understand about Islam is from the media.

It’s not surprising then to see the many misunderstandings that exist about Muslims. Some see them as outsiders and a threat to the American way of life and values. President Donald Trump’s controversial policy to impose a ban on Muslims from seven countries entering into the United States played into such fears.

What many don’t know, however, is that Muslims have been in America well before America became a nation. In fact, some of the earliest arrivals to this land were Muslim immigrants – forcibly transported as slaves in the transatlantic trade, whose 400th anniversary is being observed this year.

‘Too Many Elephants’ in Africa? Here’s How Peaceful Coexistence with Human Communities Can Help

‘Too Many Elephants’ in Africa? Here’s How Peaceful Coexistence with Human Communities Can Help

Africa’s elephant population has plummeted from roughly a million in 1970 to around 400,000 today – a decline which is largely blamed on poaching for their ivory tusks. At its peak in 2011, poaching claimed 36,000 elephants a year, or one every 15 minutes.

Many of us are familiar with these statistics thanks to campaigns to end the ivory trade. But with our attention focused on poaching, an arguably greater threat to Africa’s elephants has emerged. In the time that Africa’s elephant population has crashed, its human population has boomed. The number of people living in Africa has doubled since 1982, reaching a billion in 2009, and is expected to double again by 2050.

To feed and house this growing population, natural habitats have been fragmented by roads and railways and entire swathes have been converted to farmland and settlements. As a result, Africa’s elephants have been squeezed into smaller and increasingly isolated pockets of land. It’s very possible that the future for all of Africa’s elephants will resemble what is currently seen in South Africa.

Lupita Nyong'o Set To Narrate US Version 'Serengeti' For Discovery Channel Wildlife

Lupita Nyong'o Set To Narrate US Version 'Serengeti' For Discovery Channel Wildlife

Beloved actor Lupita Nyong’o is already an award-winning narrator devoted to protecting wildlife in Africa. the short documentary, supported by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation won top honors in the Virtual Reality/360° Storytelling category at the 2018 Jackson Hole Science Media awards.

Now the articulate, multi-dimensional, Oscar winner, currently making headlines for her role in Jordan Peele’s latest movie ‘Us’, has signed on to narrate the American version of a new “innovative series” ‘Serengeti’ for the Discovery channel. The six-part series, a joint venture of Discovery Channel and BBC One, is the vision of ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller and Emmy winner director John Downer. ‘Star Wars’ actor John Boyega will narrate the British version.

Safari Tourism May Make Elephants More Aggressive – But It’s Still the Best Tool for Conservation

Safari Tourism May Make Elephants More Aggressive – But It’s Still the Best Tool for Conservation

By Isabelle Szott, PhD Candidate in Conservation Biology, Liverpool John Moores University and Nicola F. Koyama, Senior Lecturer in Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University. First published on The Conversation.

Going on safari in Africa offers tourists the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular wildlife on Earth – including African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Known for their complex social systems, long memory and high intelligence, this species is also threatened by poaching and shrinking habitats, so further disturbance to their precarious existence could have serious consequences.

Wildlife tourism can help protect these animals and their habitat by generating income for conservation and providing stable work in local economies. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya receive two to five million visitors to protected areas each year, generating receipts of up to USD$90m. But as it becomes more popular worldwide, it’s worth remembering that we often don’t know how tourism affects the animals we observe.

New Survey Raises Concerns About Elephant Poaching in Botswana

PHOTO BY DIGITALARBYTER :) ON UNSPLASH

New Survey Raises Concerns About Elephant Poaching in Botswana

By Ross Harvey, Senior Researcher in Natural Resource Governance (Africa), South African Institute of International Affairs. First published on The Conversation

Botswana has an elephant poaching problem. The numbers far exceed previous years according to a new survey. The survey was conducted between July and October 2018 by conservation group Elephants without Borders, in collaboration with Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

The survey reported a total of 1677 observed carcasses in the survey area of northern Botswana. The surveyors visited carcasses that were of concern – reported as possibly poached – which numbered 104 out of a total of 128 “fresh” carcasses.