Basic

The debt crisis building up for African countries in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has strong echoes of the 1990s when many had accumulated unsustainable debts. The result was that 31 countries were offered debt forgiveness packages. This involved all major bilateral and multilateral creditors. But not private sector lenders. This opened the door to unscrupulous speculators who hoovered up debt on the cheap and demanded that African governments pay up. These events are weighing heavily on current efforts to ease the debt burden on countries struggling to carry the cost of measures to contain COVID-19. Danny Bradlow describes what might be possible.

The fact that many of us have so much fantastic technology at our fingertips is certainly helpful for getting through lockdown. But talking to your friends and family over video chat is uniquely exhausting and often frustrating. That’s why I was excited to hear that singing together and playing music remotely is a more powerful way to feel connected. Brain scientists David Greenberg and Ilanit Gordon explain that music plays a powerful role in meeting our deep-seated need for connection – which is heightened during times of crisis.