海角大神

The inclination of good teachers is to nurture, prepare, and empower. Whose role is it to protect the environment in which they work 鈥� and in ways that don鈥檛 introduce new grounds for insecurity?

In this piece, our continent-roaming Africa bureau chief explores African perspectives on the blockbuster film set in a fictional nation there. When asked about what delighted her, she noted the powerful Senegalese score. Then she went all Fulbright scholar on us: 鈥淭he Dora Milaje, the king鈥檚 all-female cadre of bodyguards,鈥� she enthused in an email, 鈥渁re based on a 17th-century group of female warriors from the Dahomey civilization in Benin.鈥�

From the bobsledding niece of a pro baseball player to the daughter of Olympic rowers, a number of this year鈥檚 Winter Olympians were influenced by athletically accomplished family members. Perhaps surprisingly, that doesn鈥檛 always translate to added pressure.

The social and political divide between Estonians and the Russian-speakers in their midst dates back to World War II. But today, as Estonia celebrates the centennial of its independence, efforts to bridge that gap are emerging amid a rising sense that disunity is self-defeating. 鈥淲e鈥檙e too small a country,鈥� says one Estonian politician, 鈥渇or us to be divided into smaller communities.鈥�

This last piece is kind of meta: It鈥檚 a difference-maker profile of a woman whose work is all about telling the stories of the difference-makers around her.

Despite the media attention on them, neither the Syrian civilians who have fled war in the Middle East nor the Rohingya Muslims who have fled repression in Myanmar are the world鈥檚 largest group of displaced people. That record goes to 4.1 million people dislodged in Congo.

The little-noticed crisis in the heart of Africa has worsened over the past year to the point that the European Union and the United Nations announced this week that they are seeking to double foreign aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is four times as large as France. An estimated 7 million Congolese are considered to be 鈥渇ood insecure.鈥� Only 1 in 7 earns more than $1.25 a day. Last October, the UN refugee agency declared a Level 3 emergency聽in parts of Congo, the highest possible ranking.

The country鈥檚 woes stem from two major conflicts less than two decades ago that have left a governance vacuum. Some 120 rebel groups are fighting either for ethnic dominance or to control the country鈥檚 vast mineral wealth, which is estimated at $24 trillion.

Yet the biggest crisis is whether President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled for 16 years and remains very unpopular, intends to hold elections and step down as he has promised. In recent months, his forces have killed nearly a dozen people in peaceful protests called by the Roman Catholic secular leaders. Another protest is called for Feb. 25. (Also this week, Switzerland imposed sanctions on 14 allies of Mr. Kabila who might have stashed ill-gotten wealth in Swiss banks.)

Both the political crisis and the violence of the militias make it difficult for foreign groups to reach the millions of people in need. The situation in Congo is not the image that Africans want to project to the world just when they are hailing the version of a fictional and wise African nation, Wakanda, in the Marvel movie 鈥淏lack Panther.鈥�

In recent weeks, the continent has seen two democratic successes with the ouster of corrupt presidents in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Now it may be Congo鈥檚 turn. Its people have a strong national identity and a desire for duly elected leaders. With more foreign assistance, they might be able to be the next success story in Africa.

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