Shaimaa Agwa’s Post

Many South Africans look at China and its economic success, accredit it to Communism and start to believe that Communism can result in South Africa's economic growth - well is there any truth to it? With 24 days to the #2024Elections let's get informed through #CitizenConcerned and always #BewareOfTheComrades https://lnkd.in/dBf3ZVNX

You can read my opinion piece, The Fight Against Media Hegemony, published in Daily Sun. It explores media's role in power dynamics and the ongoing struggle for autonomy in the digital age.

My friend April Rinne just shared with me the stirring video “#FREEDOM” that kicked off the #Democratic #Convention. As I watched this amazing video, I felt very proud Exactly 25 years ago (1999), I arrived in the Land of the Free as a young immigrant and chose to stay as a naturalized US citizen. The core theme in this video is #Freedom - a value I viscerally cherish Yet, I believe the most important word in this video is #FORWARD The word #Forward is introduced in the midst of the video and is reinforced by Kamala Harris' statement: "#Extremists want to take us BACK. But we are NOT going Back." A forward-looking perspective - and forward-thrusting momentum - is what uniquely defines America I belong to 3 cultures: #Indian, #French, and #American One culture, a former colonial empire, refuses to move #Forward and wishes to go back in time and relive (and recreate) its grand old glory Another culture, a millennia-old civilization, is conscious and proud of its illustrious past but, as a young #democracy blessed with a youthful population, resolutely and willingly moves #Forward to become a #superpower in 21st century. Finally, America: a young nation born as an underdog that, since its independence from British rule, has known only one way to evolve: #Forward America taught me that the most important freedom is freedom from the ... PAST You fully experience freedom only when you confidently move FORWARD #America #Forward is the America I love !

Asians in America understand the real impact of divisive rhetoric. Our community has endured discrimination, violence, and prejudice throughout history, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to scapegoating during 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. But we also know our power. This fall, let’s elect leaders who recognize and respect us, and hold accountable those who exploit and demonize us for their own gain! Make a plan to vote today at apia.vote/MakeAPlan.

We need a strategy to stop the polarization based on identity politics because polarization is driven by the demonization of the other. We need a strategy to listen and calm down people in a world where social media, disinformation and manipulation reign supreme.

Well done

More changes on the way.

PLEASE WRITE & CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES to demand they stop helping Israel kill children, ethnically cleanse families & maintain its brutal racist apartheid WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS. OVER 65% of the people that Israel has been killing have been WOMEN (>10K) & CHILDREN (>14K), & they have been starving everyone, including babies, disabled kids, elderly, & pregnant women, so this is definitely both genocide & ethnic cleansing. 👉DECADES OF ETHNIC CLEANSING & BRUTAL RACIST APARTHEID is why EVEN Israel’s ex-head of Shin Bet (their FBI), Ami Ayalon, & ex-PM & General, Ehud Barak, BOTH say IF THEY WERE PALESTINIAN THEY WOULD FIGHT ISRAEL BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THEIR LIBERTY: lnkd.in/guNE7vay 👉EVEN the ex-head of Israel’s Mossad (their CIA), said “There is an apartheid state here. In a territory where two people are judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state.” lnkd.in/gF_2dqvM. 👉And what would you do if someone stole or demolished your house & livelihood, killed some of your family, & left the rest of you with nothing, to live in the squalor of a refugee camp? That is what Israel did to over 750K Palestinians in 1948, over 300K in 1967, over 250K since 1967, & MORE EVERY YEAR – FOR THE CRIME OF NOT BEING JEWISH. 👉Most of the families in Gaza owned homes & farms where Israeli cities & towns now stand, which Israel literally stole from them. Many even still have their front door keys. AND NOW ISRAEL IS TRYING TO DO IT TO THEM FOR THE 2ND TIME. Jewish-Israeli sources for 👆 1) Prof. Ilan Pappé, Historian: lnkd.in/gFBK6sPB 2) Miko Peled, ex-IDF soldier, son of an Israeli general & grandson of one of Israel’s founders: lnkd.in/geiy3_5s 👉I also cry for the 38 Israeli kids & others killed on 10/7, but this horrible conflict did NOT start on that day & there was no ceasefire. The proof is the nearly 2300 Palestinian kids killed by Israeli soldiers & settlers between 2000 & Oct 2023, including 43 kids during the 9 months just before 10/7 (all details on BTselem.org) 👉I will keep advocating for peaceful resistance & Palestinians have been trying for decades, but IDF soldiers shoot them in the knees, kill them, or at least imprison & beat them. If you don't believe it, read this 2020 Haaretz article titled: '42 Knees in One Day': Israeli Snipers Open Up About Shooting Gaza Protesters: lnkd.in/g4VqQRzs 👉And if you still believe the lie that Israel has offered Palestinians many generous peace deals that they keep rejecting, please read this article: lnkd.in/g2_EV6dV 🎯You can find hundreds of Israeli soldiers, professors, & journalists explaining the truth about this horrible conflict on this YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/g9KFXxMr They are like the white civil rights activists of our time. Please share their videos because in addition to helping promote equal rights, it will help fight antisemitism by showing that many Jewish people are trying to stop Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, & brutal apartheid.

An early morning session with Audrey Tang on what can we learn from Taiwan to inspire a deep renewal of UK democracy? In much of the world, democracy is at a low ebb, with autocrats, authoritarians, and outright fascists on a seemingly inexorable rise. Could the UK be different, despite the lack of a sense of excitement or transformation around the General Election campaign? Could this be a place where the democratic tide turns, and rises? What would it take to make that happen? There is a blueprint. In the face of the intense geopolitical pressure and deep disinformation, Taiwan has in the last decade become a beacon of hope for how democracy might be built on a foundation that enables pluralism and broad human flourishing, rather than stagnation and polarisation. Audrey Tang has been a key figure in the story throughout, working first from outside government and later as a Minister. Often, the narrative puts technology and democracy at loggerheads but through her work, Audrey has shown that they can be powerful allies. Thank You Jon Alexander Co-Founder of The New Citizen Project. Your conversation with Audrey was definitely a huge learning for me personally. I am glad The Conduit is bringing in intense topics and discussions of prime importance to us. #taiwan #audreytang #democracy For anyone interested, here is the link: https://lnkd.in/e-uXthnW