Dear newsletter subscriber,
Around the world, satirists draw, write and film for freedom, often under repressive conditions. Many struggle with repression or work in exile. One of them is Sudanese cartoonist Khalid Albaih, who talks about his work in the new D+C issue. Some of his art deals with the conflicts in Sudan and Gaza. “Through these works, I try to create a sense of solidarity – connecting people who are both distant from and deeply affected by these tragedies. In the end, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, even through art, is what can bring real change”, he says.
But not every political joke promotes democratic values. Extremist forces use humour for their ends, too. In political discourse on social media and elsewhere, they deride disadvantaged people and stoke fear and prejudice. Criticism is quickly labelled “humourless”.
Satire can undermine autocracy, while extremist humour can undermine democracy. One strategy to fight anti-democratic forces is, once again, humour. Sophia McClennen and Srdja Popovic show how this works.
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter – and that you don't lose your sense of humour even in difficult times. Please feel free to share your opinions, criticisms and suggestions by emailing us at euz.editor@dandc.eu
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Kind regards,
Jörg Döbereiner
Managing editor of D+C |
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Focus:
The power of humour |
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“Challenge the history that our new-age pharaohs will try to write” |
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| © picture alliance/Anadolu/Davit Kachkachishvili |
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Laughing in the face of oppression: How humour can defy autocracy |
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“Criticism of what rules, coated in candy” |
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| "Western nations pretend that the money they’re giving to developing countries is charity. It isn’t, it’s justice." |
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Representative of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad |
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Almost 750,000 internally displaced persons have returned to their places of origin in Syria since November 2024, according to a new report published by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at the end of February. Since January 2024, more than 570,000 people have returned to Syria from abroad, more than half of them after November 2024.
However, after 14 years of war, 7 million people are still displaced within the country. The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix shows that one in five displaced people in Syria are living in difficult conditions in tents or emergency shelters. According to the report, around 28 % of those who have returned to their places of origin are living in damaged or unfinished buildings.
Among other things, the IOM is currently expanding its cadastral database to help displaced Syrians prove ownership of their homes and land, reclaim their property and rebuild their lives. |
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| What has also caught our interest |
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Another forgotten conflict: The almost 50-years-old dispute over the Western Sahara is just one level of the deeper conflict between Algeria and Morocco, writes Abdelkader Abderrahmane in Africa Is a Country. And it is by no means just about who owns the territory. |
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“Guten Tag from Germany, the country that needs saving, according to Elon Musk” – Jan Böhmermann, Germany’s most internationally famous satirist, in a New York Times video on how Germany is trying to “remember away” its Nazi past.
In doing so, he says, the country has managed to conjure up the ghosts of that past, so that the far-right AfD was able to become the second strongest force in the last federal election. Should the rest of the world be worried? Jawohl, it should! By the way: Tim Wolff, who we interviewed for our focus section, is co-author of the clip. |
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The Master of Advanced Studies ETH Mediation in Peace Processes (MAS ETH MPP) at ETH Zurich focuses on developing the skills of mediation professionals: those who work behind the scenes to help parties involved in a violent political conflict reach a peace agreement. The scholarship application period for the 2025-2027 course is now open.
Please note that candidates must fulfil the following criteria: citizenship of a non-OECD country; Master’s degree (applications from applicants without a Master’s degree can only be accepted in exceptional cases); professional prospects for a career in mediation related to peace processes; relevant experience in mediation, peace processes, peacebuilding or political negotiations in violent conflicts; proficiency in English (level: C1).
Deadline: 13 April
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The Facility Investing for Employment (IFE) has launched competition rounds in Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda and Senegal. Companies as well as public and non-profit organisations can apply for co-financing grants.
To be eligible, the investment projects must create jobs in the private sector. In addition to the grants, applicants can apply for a contribution to the social protection schemes offered by the employer. Grants between € 650 000 and € 10 million per project are awarded for the job creation component. Preference will be given to projects that combine job creation with social protection measures.
Deadline: 15 April
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For African professionals: Join the Impactpool Virtual Career Fair for African Nationals 2025 on 24 April 2025 from 11am CEST to 5pm CEST, where leading international organisations are actively seeking African talent in areas such as sustainable development, humanitarian aid and more.
The fair is open to participants from all sectors, whether project management, finance, healthcare, technology or any other field. Essential criteria for participation in this career fair are more than four years of relevant international work experience, a university degree (Bachelor’s degree will be considered if you have more experience) and multilingualism (English, French, Arabic, Spanish). Please ensure that you submit your CV in English when registering.
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Imprint
Publisher information: ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL gGmbH Service für Entwicklungsinitiativen
Publisher: Fazit Communication GmbH, Pariser Strasse 1, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)69 7591-3110 | Email: euz.editor@dandc.eu
Website: www.fazit.de | Managing Directors: Jonas Grashey, Hannes Ludwig |
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