It all started with a Rolex watch

This issue didn't mean to be so mean to the French, but they asked for it. My deep dives this week go to Peru (where they're likely going into political crisis mode over a Rolex watch and a Cartier bracelet) and to the DRC (a new report, once again, links cobalt mining to health issues in people living close to the areas where cobalt is being mined). Plus, I have some good LGBTQ+ news from Cuba and Thailand, a Nigerian swimmer's plan to raise awareness on mental health, an intro to Med Hondo, one of the founding fathers of African cinema and a new Aya Nakamura song that's a literal 'F*ck you' to France's far-right, so you can bring all of you to the Easter dinner party tonight and a North Korean TV's obsession with a white British man, and so much more.

Peru is having its very own 'Let them eat cake' moment with a Rolex watch

What happened:
A Rolex watch is causing trouble in Peru. President Dina Boluarte's home was raided by police last weekend because recently there's been accusations by the press that she had illegally enriched herself during her presidency because, 'well, look at all the different Rolex watches she's started wearing since taking office. When have those been purchased?!'. Prosecutors suspect her of violating the country's laws against unlawful enrichment and failing to declare assets. 'I have a clean vest, and I will not resign until 2026,' Boluarte has said in response at a press conference since.

Why this matters:
Most people in Peru are very fed up with their government. Latest polls show an 82% disapproval rating for President Boluarte, and half of the country believes Peru is not a democracy anymore. There were protests when the last president was ousted and arrested (that's a whole other issue), and 49 people died during those. Some analysts write that no country in Latin America suffers higher rates of dissatisfaction with democracy and government institutions than Peru. The country has seen at least six presidents in the last decade, and this Rolex story (and, sadly, not that of the death of 49 protesters) has the potential to start yet another political crisis in the country. Peruvian political analyst Juan de la Puente already posted on X, 'the Dina administration is over.'

Tell me more:
Some 20 officials from the public prosecutor's office and 20 police raided President Boluarte's house last Friday night, and the palace on Saturday morning. She's called the raids a "disproportionate" measure and "abusive." Peruvian Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen also criticized the raids. "The political noise that is being made is serious, affecting investments and the entire country," he wrote on X. "What has happened in the last few hours is disproportionate and unconstitutional actions." Peruvian historian Joseph Dager is also appalled, 'the president personifies the nation. How could you raid her home?!' People working at the palace said that the raid was carried out "normally and without any incident."

Why all this fuss?
Two weeks ago, a report came out that got everyone curious, especially the country's prosecutors: Is Dina Boluarte corrupt? According to news outlet La Encerrona, President Boluarte has worn 14 different watches, including a Rolex, since she became Vice President during the administration of now-jailed former President Pedro Castillo (the Castillo chapter in Peruvian politics is such a juicy story). The investigation also revealed that during that period, while her monthly salary ranged from 30,000 to 16,000 soles (US$8,000 -- US$4,300), she wore watches like the Rolex, which is valued at US$14,000 in Peru. As the days went by, it was revealed that she also has a US$58,000 Cartier bracelet, according to another report by the newspaper La República. In Peru, the elected authorities must report to the government any assets worth more than 10,300 soles, or about US$2,774, and disclose any gifts received from third parties. Boluarte's response? 'Yes, I own a Rolex watch, but I bought it with money I earned since I was young'. This whole thing has become a controversy because the economy is flagging and hunger is growing in the country. The investigative news program Cuarto Poder reported that President Boluarte wore one Rolex model worth more than US$18,000 at an event in February to address poverty in vulnerable populations. This is like when Marie Antoinette was saying, 'let them eat cake' (which I have come to find out that she's never actually said that, but you get the point).

Who is Dina Boluarte?
She hasn't been elected to office by the people, but she has been in office since December 2022. She took over the presidency, following Castillo's ouster (he tried to dissolve Congress, which is unconstitutional; he's arrested now). At least 49 people were killed in the protests that followed; she's "apologized" for them last July. However, she also has staunch critics who accuse her government of leaning too much into authoritarianism because she doesn't really address demands for early elections and works with members of congress on laws that threaten to undermine the independence of Peru's judicial system.

What now?
Criminal lawyer Carlos Caro told news outlet RPP that Boluarte could face an investigation even with just a small sign of wrongdoing, because she is a public official, and that 'because the watches are quite valuable, if Boluarte bought them from a jewelry store or an authorized Rolex seller, those sellers are required to maintain sales records for 10 years according to anti-money laundering rules.' So far, the Public Ministry has requested copies of photographs and video records of the watches. They have also asked for information on travel expenses, salaries, among other things, and receipts from the president. For La República, journalist Doris Aguirre yesterday wrote that it was found at least one of the watches has been purchased in July 2023, when she was in fact already in office. So... things are not adding up. Political crises are nothing new in Peru, writes journalist Paola Ugaz. "Since 2016, no president in Peru has finished their five-year term", she writes in this article for ABC International. But this "latest crisis will further tarnish the image of the Peruvian presidency, with potentially significant political and economic implications," Benjamin Gedan, the director of the Wilson Center's Latin America Program, said in this interview with journalist Eléonore Hughes for AP. Given the economic struggles of many Peruvians, "allegations of corruption could be incendiary," Gedan added. Boluarte will testify to the prosecutor's office on April 5, Boluarte's lawyer told news outlet RPP. To be continued.

Cobalt mining is seriously harming women and girls in the DRC, another report says

What happened:
According to a new report by two human rights groups, more and more women and girls in cobalt-mining communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are having reproductive health problems such as miscarriages, infections, and birth defects.

Why this matters:
As the world goes gaga over green energy (hello, electric cars!), the demand for cobalt is shooting up. And wherever people are mining cobalt for companies, drinking water is contaminated. Yes, companies keep claiming that they comply with environmental standards, but the local water's (or whatever's left of it) still a toxic cocktail, impacting community health and day-to-day life.

Tell me more:
The report in question has been published by the UK-based human rights group Rights & Accountability in Development (RAID) and the Kinshasa-based NGO AFREWATCH and is one of the first in-depth studies of the environmental impacts of industrial cobalt mining on the human rights of hundreds of thousands of Congolese people living in and around Kolwezi, the heart of DRC's cobalt industry. The groups say there is a link between the reproductive health issues that these women face to...