Malta COVID-19 reproduction rate at 0.26

Chris Fearne says election to be held when best for the country

Jun 6 2021

For his weekly video blog for The Malta Independent, statistician Vincent Marmara stated that the reproduction rate (r-factor) for COVID-19 in Malta is at 0.26. The r-factor refers to how much COVID-19 is being transmitted from one person to another, with countries trying to get the number below 1. Marmara also noted the stability in number of daily cases at a very low level, stating that the slight increase over the past week was insignificant.

With no COVID-19 related deaths, the lesser amount of recoveries indicates the fact that there are few active cases in Malta. Marmara also noted that cases in France, Germany, Italy and Spain dipped, with UK experiencing the opposite as cases seem to be on the increase.

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Photo Source: Vincent Marmara FB, Flickr

Chris Fearne says election to be held when best for the country

Chris Fearne comments about PL’s positive survey results

Jun 6 2021

Speaking on One TV’s Paperscan, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne stated that, despite the positive results, these findings do not reflect the timing of the election. He stated that the election will be held at the best and appropriate time in order to keep it in the country’s interest and not to profit off of the Labour Party’s success in surveys.

Fearne continued by stating that a survey is just a survey and it does not reflect the real result of the general election. He urged Labour supporters to remain calm and not to enter a state of euphoria. Fearne emphasised the delicacy of the moment and highlighted the importance of continuing to work. He did however welcome the results and stated that this all indicates that the government is working in the right direction.

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Trust in Labour grows at PN’s expense in new survey

Jun 6 2021

In a MaltaToday survey which took place between Monday 31st May and Friday 4th June 2021, support for Labour was shown to have continued to increase at the expense of the opposition. Despite Opposition Leader Bernard Grech’s trust rating increasing by 4 points, the trust for the entire oppositional party did not increase. The survey was conducted among 650 respondents, with 45.7% stating they would vote Labour should an election were held tomorrow.

PN’s support however dropped to 29.3%, with the gap being wider at over 16 points. This would translate into around 48,000 vote difference. Prime Minister Robert Abela’s trust rating surpassed the 50% mark for the first time since September. The Nationalist party leader however scored lower than 30% again, with the gap between leaders at 21 points.

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Photo Source: Robert Abela FB, Bernard Grech FB

The tragic life of Ota Benga

Jun 6 2021

Young Ota Benga was placed in a zoo exhibit in the Bronx Zoo in 1906. His was a popular attraction, with myths surrounding his very existence as having originated from a tribe of cannibals. But how did Ota Benga come to be in this situation? His story, which unveils the worst of colonialism, racism and oppression, is one that deserves to be remembered.

Ota Benga was known (or more rather rumoured) to have been born as a member of the Mbuti people who resided near the Kasai River in what was then the Congo Free State. His people were attacked by King Leopold II of Belgium’s militia who were tasked with controlling the natives and exploit the supply of rubber in the Congo.

Benga was eventually discovered by American businessman and explorer Samuel Phillips Verner. Verner was tasked by the St. Louis World Fair to bring back an assortment of pygmies for an exhibition of ethnic peoples. Verner stated that he rescued Benga, but no accounts from Benga himself exist.

Benga was promoted as the ‘only genuine African cannibal in America’. HIs sharpened teeth were pointed out as being crafted for cannibalism, with Verner ‘rescuing’ him from the lifestyle and his eventual fate of being devoured by other people. Following this, Benga accompanied Verner when returning to the Congo. But the story does not stop there.

Benga was explained to have ‘not felt at home’ among the Batwa people and so ‘decided’ to return with Verner. He was eventually given residence in the American Museum of Natural History but caused ruckus by throwing a chair and attempting to escape. He was eventually taken to the Bronx Zoo in 1906.

William Hornaday, the director of the zoo, initially arranged for Benga to maintain the animal habitats. However, people seemed to take more notice of Benga himself and this resulted in Benga himself getting his own exhibition. It was littered with bones and the zoo encouraged him to shoot arrows from a bow he made.

After several controversies, Benga was allowed to roam around and eventually removed from the grounds and given to Reverend Gordon’s custody. He was placed in Howard Coloured Orphan Asylum, a church-sponsored orphanage. His teeth were capped and donned with American-style clothes. Unfortunately, World War 1 was just around the corner.

When the war broke out in 1914, returning to Congo became impossible. Benga was reported to have become depressed and on March 20th 1916, Benga built a ceremonial fire, chipped off the caps of his teeth and shot himself in the heart. He was around 32 to 33 years old.

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