标签： Dominica

In a landmark display of religious devotion that underscores the Catholic Church’s lasting hold on public life in France, an estimated 800,000 worshippers and pilgrims packed central Lourdes to attend Pope Leo XIV’s open-air mass, CBS News has confirmed. The Saturday service marked the pontiff’s first public mass in the country in nearly 20 years, drawing followers from across France and neighboring European nations to the iconic gathering space. The massive turnout has sparked renewed discussion about the role of faith in a traditionally secular Western nation, at a time when regular weekly church attendance has fallen steadily across most of the continent. While France has maintained a strict legal separation of church and state for more than a century, the sheer scale of the crowd for Pope Leo XIV’s mass offers clear evidence that the Catholic Church remains a powerful cultural and social force in the country, defying broader regional trends of declining religious participation.

When Jamaica took the floor at the 81st United Nations General Assembly general debate this week, it carried a stark, urgent lesson for the global community: even nations that follow every rule, make hard choices, and build long-term resilience can lose decades of progress in a single catastrophic event. Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith turned the country’s recent trauma from Hurricane Melissa into one of the most compelling arguments for small developing states heard during the week of global diplomacy.

The destruction left by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on October 28, 2025, is almost unfathomable for a small open economy. Early assessments peg total damage and economic losses at 56.7% of Jamaica’s entire annual gross domestic product – more than half a year of national output erased in just a few hours of extreme weather. Johnson Smith emphasized that Jamaica had done everything in its power to prepare: years of deliberate fiscal discipline had built robust economic buffers, and the country had proactively invested in catastrophe insurance and catastrophe bonds that unlocked immediate liquidity for emergency response. Even with all this prudent planning, however, the Minister told the Assembly that no amount of national preparation can fully shield a small developing state from a climate disaster of this scale. One extreme weather event, she noted, can unravel decades of hard-won development, no matter how well a nation governs itself.

This devastating experience forms the core of Jamaica’s central policy demand: a fundamental reworking of how the global community measures national vulnerability to climate and economic shocks. Per capita income alone, Johnson Smith argued, cannot capture the structural risks small island developing states face. Crossing an arbitrary income threshold does not make a country any less exposed to catastrophic hurricanes or other climate-driven disasters. Jamaica is once again pushing for global development and concessional finance eligibility to be guided by multidimensional vulnerability indices, and is calling for climate finance that is truly accessible, reasonably priced, and predictable for at-risk nations.

The credibility of Jamaica’s case is strengthened by its own track record of strong governance before the storm. Before Hurricane Melissa hit, the country had cut its national debt from a high of more than 140% of GDP down to just 62%. Unemployment fell to a historic low of 3.4%, and even after the storm, it has only edged up to 3.7%. Credit rating agencies have retained or improved Jamaica’s ratings despite the massive disaster, a testament to the country’s stable economic fundamentals. Johnson Smith stressed that Jamaica is not asking for special treatment or to be let off the hook for its responsibilities – instead, it is demanding an international system that gives responsible, well-governed small states the support and policy space they need to recover and grow after climate shocks.

Johnson Smith’s address also advanced the broader regional agenda of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with clear conviction. Jamaica joined regional partners in nominating Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana for the position of UN Secretary-General, framing small states as natural bridge builders whose global influence stems from their credibility, not their geographic or population size. On the ongoing crisis in Haiti, Jamaica called for sustained international support for the Haitian Gang Suppression Force, Haitian National Police, and national armed forces, urging the UN Security Council to renew the Force’s mandate at what Johnson Smith described as a critical crossroads for the country.

On the issue of transnational organized crime, Johnson Smith echoed Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s call for a coordinated global campaign against gang activity, reminding major arms-exporting nations that illicit firearms flooding Caribbean communities do not originate locally. She pushed for stricter international export controls on small arms and mandatory post-delivery verification to crack down on illegal diversion. Domestically, Johnson Smith noted, Jamaica has already made major progress: the country recorded its lowest annual homicide count in more than three decades in 2025, and the Global Peace Index now ranks Jamaica as the most peaceful nation in the Caribbean.

On the long-running campaign for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, the Minister confirmed that the historic petition delivered to Buckingham Palace has now been referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. She also confirmed Jamaica’s support for the UN General Assembly resolution introduced by Ghana in March 2025. Johnson Smith defined reparatory justice as encompassing six core pillars: truth, acknowledgement, repair, compensation, development, and reconciliation. Notably, she framed Jamaica’s claim around its own individual petition rather than referencing CARICOM’s established Ten-Point Plan, marking a distinct approach for the country’s advocacy.

On the topic of US-Cuba relations and the decades-long trade embargo, Johnson Smith struck a carefully balanced tone: the delegation expressed clear concern for the hardship faced by the Cuban people, encouraged ongoing domestic reform efforts on the island, and called for diplomatic engagement rather than continued isolation under the blockade.

Sixty-four years after Jamaica gained independence and raised its black, green and gold flag, the country has delivered one of the most actionable and evidence-backed arguments for the upcoming global debate on climate and development finance. As the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa makes clear, vulnerability for small island states is structural, not a consequence of low national income. The next critical step is turning this powerful case made from the UNGA rostrum into tangible change to the international eligibility rules that shape access to critical finance for at-risk nations.

Every public figure eventually confronts an unnegotiable truth: influence does not come free. For every amplification of voice, every reach of fame that crosses borders, there is an unspoken invoice attached: responsibility. For most people across the globe, the dream is simply to be heard. A tiny, lucky cohort achieve far more than that: their words resonate across continents, their quips spark global conversations, their perspectives shape front-page headlines, and their personal narratives rewire how millions of people see the world. Trevor Noah, you are part of that rare group.

Long before Hollywood opened its doors to your talent and your decade leading *The Daily Show* turned you into a household name across North America and beyond, the many fans who have followed your work have always valued something deeper than your celebrity. We have always admired your rare gift: turning sharp humor into incisive insight, simplifying complex, messy global issues without reducing them to meaningless triviality. You make audiences laugh, but you also push them to think. You have proven again and again that wit and wisdom do not have to be mutually exclusive. That is why this open letter is being written to you today.

This is not a letter to a comedian, nor is it a letter to a prominent South African expat. It is a letter to one of the most influential African voices on the global stage, a person whose words carry unmatched credibility with millions across the world. There comes a defining moment for every influential person when they must answer a question that no one else can answer for them: What is your voice for? Is it only to entertain, educate, or provoke? Or will you step forward when history calls to bear witness to injustice? Today, you have reached that crossroads.

South Africa, the nation that inspired the world by dismantling the apartheid regime, is once again grappling with a devastating, contradictory crisis: organized xenophobic violence targeting fellow African migrants. Across the country, migrant communities live in constant fear of intimidation, their businesses are looted and attacked, and entire neighborhoods are gripped by terror. The root causes of this unrest are well-documented: crippling mass unemployment, deep structural inequality, stretched public services, weak border management, and widespread public frustration that has boiled over.

These problems are not imaginary, and no honest observer would dismiss the very real struggles facing ordinary South Africans. It is entirely legitimate — in fact, it is the responsibility of any sovereign government — to enforce national immigration laws; a country that cannot regulate who enters and stays within its borders cannot claim meaningful sovereignty, and South Africa is no different from any other nation in that right. But there is another equally non-negotiable truth that must be stated clearly: no immigration policy on Earth justifies mob violence. No constitutional democracy allows ordinary citizens to take power into their own hands, to decide who belongs in the country, who must be expelled, and whose property can be stolen. When the rule of law cedes to mob rule, every person in the country becomes vulnerable. That is why this moment demands more than just political commentary. It demands unflinching moral clarity.

For years, you have helped the world understand the United States. You explained the complexities of American race relations to audiences who had never experienced systemic racism firsthand. You broke down the chaos of the Donald Trump presidency for global audiences alternately amused and horrified by his term in office. You have spoken thoughtfully and gracefully on police violence, democratic backsliding, elections, identity, prejudice, and power, and millions have listened because you have built up a reputation as a trusted, credible voice.

Credibility is one of the most precious forms of public capital a person can build. It cannot be bought, unlike fame. It cannot be manufactured out of thin air, like celebrity. It is earned slowly, one thoughtful, honest conversation at a time. By any metric, you have earned that credibility. And that credibility now brings an unavoidable, if uncomfortable, obligation: Africa needs your voice on this crisis. Your opinion will not fix the problem overnight, but silence from trusted, respected voices leaves space for extreme, unthinking voices to dominate the public conversation.

History has repeatedly shown that public discourse abhors a vacuum. When reasonable people hold back, unreasonable voices rush in to fill the space. When thoughtful people stay silent, louder, more extreme factions gain influence by default. Silence is not neutral. Silence shifts power to the most extreme actors in any debate.

After Nelson Mandela, the two most globally recognizable South Africans are both based in the United States: Elon Musk and Trevor Noah. The contrast between the two could not be more stark. One is the world’s richest entrepreneur, the other one of the most gifted storytellers of our generation. One shapes the future of global technology, the other shapes how we talk about the most pressing issues of our time. One moves global markets, the other changes how millions of people think. One accumulated unprecedented personal wealth, the other accumulated unprecedented public trust. Money shifts individual behavior, but stories can change entire civilizations.

Musk has never hidden where he stands on issues from immigration to free speech to global politics. Whether you agree with his positions or oppose them, no one can question what he believes. He has chosen his causes openly, and history and those affected by his work will judge him accordingly — but no one can accuse him of ambiguity.

Your influence is very different, Trevor. It is built less on raw power and more on the affection that millions of people around the world have for you. People do not just listen to what you say — they like you. That is an even more powerful tool. Affection breaks down people’s defenses, humor opens closed minds, and trust makes it possible to have conversations about topics that would otherwise be too divisive. That is why your silence on this crisis carries so much weight. It is not that silence is always wrong, but when you have the ability to elevate a difficult conversation, abandoning that conversation has consequences.

Let me be clear: I am not asking you to defend illegal immigration. I am not asking you to condemn all South Africans. I am not even asking you to choose between your home country and your continent. I am asking for something simpler, and far more demanding: defend the basic principles of a civilized society.

I am asking you to defend the principle that governments are tasked with enforcing laws, and citizens are bound to obey them. Defend the idea that no matter how understandable public frustration is, it never justifies collective violence against vulnerable, defenseless people. Defend the belief that no African should fear another African simply because they crossed an invisible line drawn on a map.

This is not a political issue. It is an issue of conscience. Every generation inherits unfinished work from the ones that came before it. Nelson Mandela’s generation dismantled apartheid. Your generation must defend something just as fundamental: the idea that African solidarity is more than just empty speeches delivered once a year on Africa Day. You and other influential African voices must prove that Pan-Africanism is measured not by slogans, but by how we treat each other when times are hard, that our shared humanity must survive even the worst economic anxiety.

There are moments when comedians have to stop telling jokes. There are moments when storytellers have to become witnesses to history. There are moments when public figures realize that history is no longer asking whether they are entertaining — it is asking whether they will show up.

Africa has celebrated your success. It has cheered your talent. It has defended your right to speak truth to power. Now, Africa is asking something of you in return. Help us speak truth to ourselves. The hardest conversations we ever have are not with our enemies — they are with our own people.

At the end of the day, the question is not whether you agree with every government policy or every public protest. It is whether you believe that organized violence against fellow African migrants has reached a point serious enough to demand a response from one of Africa’s clearest, most trusted voices. I hope you will step forward. Not because the world needs to know where Trevor Noah stands — but because Africa deserves to hear from you.

This article is written by Anthony Kila, Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development at the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), and author of *Crucial Cs Around D: The Disciplines of Decision-Making and Leadership*. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Dominica News Online.