Prince William, Duke of Cambridge has come under fire for his latest comments on Africa. The royal suggested that population growth poses a threat to wildlife on the continent. Prince William has been accused of hypocrisy and stigmatising women’s rights in Africa by a prominent writer after he blamed population growth for destroying the continent’s wildlife.
The Duke of Cambridge told an awards ceremony: “The increasing pressure on Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces as a result of the human population presents a huge challenge for conservationists.”The comments echoed similar sentiments he made in 2017 at a gala for the Tusk Trust when he said: “Africa’s rapidly growing human population is predicted to more than double by 2050 — a staggering increase of three and a half million people per month.“There is no question that this increase puts wildlife and habitat under enormous pressure.”
But his comments have seen him accused of stigmatising women’s rights in Africa. Writer Eliza Anyangwe fumed: “It should be obvious to all that panic about population growth in Black and brown parts of the world is underpinned by race and class prejudice.” In an opinion piece for CNN, Ms. Anyangwe fumed: “It should be equally obvious that what every woman needs is the freedom to choose for herself if, when, and how many children she will have.
“If despite years of talking about conservation Prince William has not considered that his concern for Africa’s wildlife could stigmatise Africa’s women, perhaps now is the time for him to do so.”
Ms. Anyangwe, who founded the Nzinga Effect, a media project focusing on the stories of African women, blasted the Duke for his hypocrisy as he is himself expecting his third child.
She continued: “When it comes to overpopulation as the cause of wildlife loss in Africa, Prince William just won’t let it go.
“Then, as now, people have been quick to point out two things: the first is the Duke of Cambridge’s hypocrisy.
Author: Linda .R. Jones
London, UK
lindarj83@gmail.com
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