In the United States, two weeks before the first televised debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on ABC, the Democratic candidate’s team is proposing to leave the microphones open at all times, so that everyone can interrupt the other at any timeThis is despite the fact that during the last face-to-face between the Republican billionaire and Joe Biden, these microphones were cut when a candidate was not speaking, in order to avoid any disturbances.
At first, the Republicans refused. But when faced with a journalist from CNN, Donald Trump makes ambiguous statement : “I don’t really care, well I would prefer to have the mic open, but we agreed that the rules would be the same as the previous debate. I didn’t like it, but hey, it worked.“Remarks which suggest that he would be ready to reopen the microphones.
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This question of microphones highlights two things about the American presidential campaign. First, concerning the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris’ strategy is that of a clash of personalities. One of his advisors explains it to the online media Politico : “Those who manage Trump prefer the microphone to be muted because they believe that their candidate will not be able to maintain presidential stature for 90 minutes.“
The idea of the Democrats is therefore not to use these debates to present a program, but to push the Republican to excess, in a confrontation where ultimately the substance matters little for the moment. BBC speaks of a “vibe campaign“, an atmosphere campaign : Kamala Harris remains vague about her ideas, avoiding press conferences and interviews, a vagueness that allows her to garner support from diverse groups of voters by minimizing points of contention.
On the other side of the political spectrum, in the Republican Party, this affair of microphones being cut or not reveals the nervousness of the campaign team, visibly embarrassed by the possible excesses of its candidate.
Already, a few days ago, the New York Times raised this issue : “Despite calls from his advisers to focus on substance, the former president insists on running the campaign his way.“His staff wants to limit the excesses in order to capture the vote of independent voters, but during a meeting in North Carolina, Donald Trump questions his activists: “Do I engage in personal attacks or do I not engage in personal attacks?“The crowd supports the first option and the billionaire concludes with this joke: “My advisors are fired.“
Trans women in Tonga worried about rising intolerance
The Washington Post takes us to the Tonga Islands in the Pacific, in a beauty pageant dedicated to trans women – called “leitis” on these islands. Speaking of trans women is perhaps an abuse of language: the article specifies that leitis are rather considered as a third gender, apart from the classic categories, even if most choose to use feminine pronouns. It should also be noted that they are part of an ancient tradition of the archipelago.
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The photos in the article show their preparations, the makeup, the dresses, the moments of laughter and solidarity. The text tells us about their anxieties in the face of a transphobia that has been growing for several years in Tonga. The leitis were until then relatively well accepted by the Christian churches already present, Catholic and Methodist. But the latter are losing ground: more and more inhabitants of the archipelago are joining the Mormon and evangelical cults, often arriving from the United States, whose approaches to the subject are much more conservative.
Intolerance and aggression are increasing: two leitis have been killed since 2017. The article nevertheless ends on a note of hope – we are at a beauty pageant after all – with a coronation, mascara running with emotion, and a close-knit community that supports the life choices of these leitis.
The rise and limits of Afrobeats
The British newspaper The Guardian returns to the success of Afrobeats, a genre that covers popular music from West Africa – and especially those from Nigeria. Today, Afrobeats stars are invited to major Western festivals, their songs become viral hits on social networks – the most famous, Calm Downby Rena, has been streamed over a billion times on Spotify.
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The Guardian cites a report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry: in 2023, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where recorded music has experienced the strongest growth in the world (this for the second year in a row). It is also the only region in the world to exceed 20% annual growth. As a result, in recent years, the Lagos music scene has been changing: large ultra-modern studios, record labels that are moving to the most upscale neighborhoods and duos with international stars.
But the coin has a downside, the daily specifies: “It has never been harder to start a career.“New talent is facing a kind of toll, the prices of each service to create a song and market it have increased, and making mainstream music is becoming”a game for rich man.“
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