The Awakening

69 years on, the Bandung Spirit remains alive in the Global South

"Few cities in history have won so many hearts and minds as Bandung"...
The historic Asian-African Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, was held in the city on April 18, 1955. It marked the first time that the countries of the Global South united to oppose imperialism and colonialism in defense of their sovereign rights and a more equitable world.

Silver lining for Potosi: Bolivia awakens from its tragic past

A vast silver mine was discovered in 1545 in Potosi, whipping local Spanish colonists into a frenzy. It was estimated that at its peak, the silver production contributed approximately half of the world's total output.
In just a few decades, Potosi, once "nothing but barren mountains and llamas," expanded into a bustling city with over 100,000 inhabitants, comparable in scale to London and Paris of the same period...

Kenya's railway evolution over a century: A tale of awakening and development

"It is not uncommon for a country to create a railway, but it is uncommon for a railway to create a country," Sir Charles Eliot, then commissioner of British East Africa, made the bold statement in 1903.
Eliot, "who initiated the policy of white supremacy in the British East Africa Protectorate (now Kenya)," was referring to the meter gauge railway built by British colonialists in East Africa between 1896 and 1901...

The Suez Canal: A century of Egyptians being Trapped and Salvaged

"Remember that you are not merely shifting earth, you are bringing prosperity to both your families and this beautiful land," the french groundbreaker told Egyptian workers rallied around him at the launching ceremony of a project challenging human imagination on April 25, 1859.
What unfolded afterward, however, proved his speech was yet another hollow promise by Western colonizers.

Rwanda's rebirth: A nation of unity emerges from shadow of genocide

On April 7, 1994, Rwanda plunged into darkness as nearly 1 million Rwandans, predominantly Tutsis, fell victim to brutality in three months. Hutu militias unleashed a wave of terror, perpetrating beatings, torture, rape, and murder against Tutsi civilians, including numerous women and children.
The seeds of division were sown through the colonial scheme of "divide and rule."