Day: May 23, 2022

Heavy rains lashed South Africa, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes on the east coast, officials said on Sunday, only a month after the worst floods in living memory killed more than 400.

No fatalities were immediately recorded but there was severe damage to some buildings, mainly in Durban, capital of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province.

“We are yet to receive a full comprehensive report on the impact of these latest heavy rains, but as reports come in a worrying picture is however emerging,” KZN premier Sihle Zikalala said during a news conference.

Torrential rain in late April killed 435 people in floods and landslides. Meanwhile, survivors were left without drinking water for nearly two weeks.

The repairs continue after the storms caused damage worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The latest floods hit infrastructure, roads, bridges and damaged buildings.

“Some areas are inaccessible and have become islands at this stage,” Zikalala said.

Near the Umdloti beach resort north of Durban, parts of the road had been washed away, leaving gaping holes and cars balanced on the edge, an AFP journalist witnessed.

“The flooding started late yesterday afternoon but as a result of the collapse of this road we couldn’t get out,” one local resident, Kevin Govender, told AFP.

They were only able to get out once the emergency services arrived on Sunday.

Nearly 250 people were evacuated from the resort town overnight and rescue operations were continuing Sunday, as the emergency services received more calls for help. Some homes have lost power.

The water purification station for the eThekwini area around Durban has also been damaged, said officials.

The South African Weather Service put the alert level at the highest. Officials called on residents to stay at home.

Authorities opened 82 reception centres while police, firefighters and rescue workers were ready to respond rapidly to emergencies.

The army has also been called in for reinforcement.

Officials already evacuated elderly people in several villages.

Around 3.9 million people live in Durban, and the Indian Ocean city hosts one of Africa’s main ports.

The rains are expected to continue until Monday, according to forecasts.

South Africa is usually untouched by storms which regularly hit its neighbours like Mozambique and Madagascar.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

One of the most prominent events in the world of contemporary African art is kicking off in the Senegalese capital after a four-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 14th edition of the Dakar Biennale features the work of hundreds of artists from around the world, ranging from immersive installations to costumed performances.

About 100 spectators gathered on Dakar’s ocean walkway as dancers outfitted in traditional West African costumes gyrated to the sound of djembes. One dancer, dressed as a broomstick, twirled about, while another, donning a mythical lion costume, approached those filming on cellphones to offer a roar. Behind them, a young woman covered in mud held still as an artist covers her in powdered pigments.

The event is one of hundreds set to take place in Dakar over the next month.

The official 2022 biennale selection includes 59 artists from some 30 countries, but hundreds of other spaces, both in Dakar and throughout Senegal, are showcasing art. Even restaurants and hotels have converted their walls into miniature museums.

“The Dakar biennale is unique because it brings together the great majority of audio-visual creators from around the African continent and its diaspora,” said Khalifa Dieng, a scenographer for the National Gallery exhibit. The gallery is hosting works by Senegalese painter El Hadji Sy for the event.

Nigerian painter Tyna Adebowale traveled from her home base in the Netherlands to show her work. She completed an artist residency in Dakar and said she was inspired by the sense of community she found.

“I love the creative vibe of Senegal as a whole,” Adebowale said. “There’s no ego, it’s towards one goal, which is art and culture for the sake of the whole country, the community, the people. I love the collective support that I see. It’s a very beautiful spirit, very vibrant. I really admire it.”

The energy at the festival is perhaps more amplified this year as the 2020 event was postponed due to COVID19, making this the first biennale in four years.

This year’s theme is “Ndaffa,” which means to forge out of the fire in Serer, one of the languages spoken in Senegal.

It refers both to the need to recalibrate as we emerge from the pandemic into a new world, as well as to the history of African creation and its influence on contemporary African art.

Lou Mo is one of four official international curators. Her exhibit, “Havana: Forge of the South,” seeks to link Havana with Dakar via shared themes of migration, race and creolization. Dakar, she said, has become one of Africa’s leading art hubs.

“Both with the biennale that’s now 32 years old, to different institutions, different artists,” she said. “And I think there’s definitely an international trend of raising the importance of African art. So, I think there’s many possibilities for Dakar in the future.”

The event will continue through June 21.

Source: Voice of America

Facebook parent Meta said it will start publicly providing more details about how advertisers target people with political ads just months ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

The announcement follows years of criticism that the social media platforms withhold too much information about how campaigns, special interest groups and politicians use the platform to target small pockets of people with polarizing, divisive or misleading messages.

Meta, which also owns Instagram, said it will start releasing details in July about the demographics and interests of audiences who are targeted with ads that run on its two primary social networks. The company will also share how much advertisers spent in an effort to target people in certain states.

“By making advertiser targeting criteria available for analysis and reporting on ads run about social issues, elections and politics, we hope to help people better understand the practices used to reach potential voters on our technologies,” Jeff King wrote in a statement posted to Meta’s website.

The new details could shed more light on how politicians spread misleading or controversial political messages among certain groups of people. Advocacy groups and Democrats, for example, have argued for years that misleading political ads are overwhelming the Facebook feeds of Spanish-speaking populations.

The information will be showcased in the Facebook ad library, a public database that already shows how much companies, politicians or campaigns spend on each ad they run across Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. Currently, anyone can see how much a page has spent running an ad and a breakdown of the ages, gender and states or countries an ad is shown in.

The information will be available across 242 countries when a social issue, political or election ad is run, Meta said in a statement.

Meta collected $86 billion in revenue during 2020, the last major U.S. election year, thanks in part to its granular ad targeting system. Facebook’s ad system is so customizable that advertisers could target a single user out of billions on the platform, if they wanted.

Meta said in its announcement Monday that it will provide researchers with new details that show the interest categories advertisers selected when they tried to target people on the platform.

Source: Voice of America