A look at Day 1 of G20 Leaders' Summit takeaways: Sophie Mokoena

The article is a transcript of a broadcast discussion featuring host and guest Sophie Mcuena at the G20 summit, focusing on Africa's role in global politics, historical injustices, and current challenges. Key points include: a conversation with the UAE minister highlighting the country's strategic importance, investments in Africa and South Africa, and aims to boost trade volumes, contrasted by UN allegations of UAE support for conflict groups in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which tarnishes its image. Discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron address global issues like Ukraine, Lebanon, and Russia as a 'unique problem,' but the host critiques the lack of international attention to Sudan's humanitarian crisis—worse than Gaza's—despite French support for Sudanese women, and France's strained relations in the Sahel (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso) due to colonial legacies. The talk emphasizes the necessity of contextualizing African issues through colonialism, with the African Union pushing for reparations; examples include Germany's refusal to compensate Namibia for genocide and calls from Latin American countries like Jamaica for slavery reparations and artifact returns. Broader South-South cooperation urges addressing debt from historical mineral extraction that enriched Europe and America while impoverishing Africa, advocating for local beneficiation of resources to prevent exploitation in the fourth industrial revolution (e.g., AI and rare earth minerals). The discussion highlights Africa's young population facing unemployment, drug use, and unrest in places like Madagascar and Kenya, warning of civil disobedience if socio-economic conditions worsen. Implications stress the need for G20 leaders to engage in difficult conversations, acknowledge past wrongs, include the Global South, and promote equitable development to avoid uprisings and foster a just global order.