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Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 09:43:23 -0700
From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]>
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Subject: [WASAN] FW: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER,Vol.2,
    N0.7--Press release&Book Review



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Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 04:57:23 -0500 (CDT)
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Subject: RE: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER,Vol.2,N0.7--Press release&Book Review

International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism
WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER
Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development
Vol. 2 No.1 April 5, 2002

Please send this newsletter to anyone who is interested!!!

CONTENTS

1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS
2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
3. REFUGEES
4. HEALTH/ ENVIRONMENT
5. DEVELOPMENT
6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY
7. GRANTS
8. WORLD BANK PIPELINE
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS
10. ABOUT US
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS
http://www.lij.kabissa.org

In this week edition of WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER(WAN), we will deal with only
two
issues a press release from LURD rebels and a book review. Your comments
will
be highly appreciated.

The LURD rebel has send us a Press release tittled "LURD WANTS PEACE BUT
INSISTS ON TAYLOR'S EXIT ".
Our concern is asking "Taylor to exist" is it the democratic way? what
happened
to the ballot box? The LURD are now coming as "savour", have we Liberians
realized that the same bullet they will use to get rid of Taylor is the same
bullet they will use to keep themselves in power,  suppress the very people
they claim to be liberating and step on press freedom? Why must we flount
our
constitution everytime someone gets greedy for power?  We do appreciate them
wanting peace and so we will share with our readers their "BUTS" in their
press
release.
We have also received a book review on the recent published book by Gabriel
Williams a Liberian journalist.

Book Review - Liberia: The Heart of Darkness
By Emmanuel D. Abalo
 The literary effort, LIBERIA: THE HEART OF DARKNESS, written by an
enterprising, young Liberian professional, journalists and human rights
campaigner Gabriel I.H. Williams, is by far, in recent memory, a
well-written
narrative of a personal, historical and professional masterpiece that rises
from the ruins of a nation state. The book for its historical merit, details
the creation in the 1800’s of the West African state of Liberia, which
creation some historians maintain, was doomed to self destruct because of
the
societal perpetuation of two classes of people for well over a century and a
half. Namely, the well educated, "civilized" and elite Americo-Liberian
settlers who are in the minority versus the aborigines, impoverished, less
educated and less sophisticated majority. According to the author, " a
general
understanding prevails that the problems of inequality and injustice that
have
long plagued Liberia amount to the sum total of the country’s self
destruction. While there is also agreement that the problems began and were
known from the beginning of Liberia’s founding, it becomes puzzling as to
how
successive governments over more than a century failed to adequately address
those problems" .Thus the basis for the "prolonged period of enmity" that
existed between the natives and the settlers known as Americo-Liberians.
Liberia’s political history is replete with various attempts, through
violent
means, to change the status quo, prominent being the military overthrow of
the
Tolbert government in 1980 by enlisted men led by a native Samuel Doe.
Through
the brute force of arms to violently change the government and perpetuate
itself in power, the erstwhile People’s Redemption Council of Samuel Doe
and
its subsequent second Republic " civilian" structure" set into motion a
platform or blueprint for others to copy or follow to "resolve" whatever
gripe
they had against the government. And so began the formation and launching of
the, the National Patriotic Front (NPFL) rebel organization and its various
offshoots that unleashed a modern day calamity on the country and West
African
sub region. But the author, in his unique style, revisits his genealogy so
as
to portray his connection between his upbringing and how he is thrust into a
century long national struggle. As is evident, most readers would share a
common bond with the writer, especially some of the everyday growing
experiences and family life except for some, the unfortunate and
unimaginable
terror visited upon his person and close family members by combatants and
circumstances of the war. The mind-blowing and near fatal account of his
arrest, interrogation and death sentence by fighters of one of the rebel
factions, the Independent National Patriotic Front (INPFL) led then by
Prince
Johnson, in itself vividly illustrates how the writer, Mr. Williams, came to
realize the futility of his selfless contributions he had been making to his
community and nation.. He writes, " I could not believe that my life was
coming
to such a tragic end simply for trying to be well-meaning and a advocate for
the common good of general society. In my late twenties, at the time of the
war, I was already regarded as one of the rising stars in the Liberian
media".
He continued, " this very terrible and traumatic experience gave me a deeper
understanding of the very destructive nature of the war, particularly how
unarmed people became fair game for4 the combatants of the various
factions."
The author, however, recounts the redeeming and unending initiatives of
local
civic and religious organizations including the national Press Union Of
Liberia
( PUL), the Interfaith Mediation Committee and some politicians to still
find a
negotiated settlement to the long-running and intractable national crisis.
The
international community, including the United States and the Economic
Community
of West African States (ECOWAS) have also been extensively involved in the
peace process, including the intervention of a peacekeeping force ECOMOG .
The
ECOWAS Peace Plan remains the framework for an appreciable long-term
resolution
of the ugly and embarrassing state of affairs today in Liberia. In his
profound
frustration at the intransigence of the rebel warlord Charles Taylor, during
the war, Mr. Williams averred, "the Taylor scenario is yet another example
that
a despot can never be easily appeased, and the resulting effects are often
human tragedies". The Liberian author , in the book, extensively enumerates
his
professional growth and development as a media personal and pays tributes to
many senior local media professionals and colleagues who nurtured him.
Prominent among which are Rufus M. Darpoh, Kenneth Y. Best and others
including
colleagues like Klon Hinneh, T. Max Teah, Isaac Bantu , Lamini Waritay and
your
humble servant. It is worth noting the author’s participation in the
Herculean task of reuniting the fractious Liberian Press after the civil
war.
His commitment to undertaking this task in his capacity as Secretary General
of
the Press Union of Liberia along with others PUL executives was an
opportunity
to keep hope alive and guarantee that the national dialogue continues
towards a
peaceful negotiated settlement of the war. Despite the hardcore positions
and
sometimes inflexible positions of all factions in the conflict, the efforts
of
Mr. Williams and others sought to maintain equal access to the media as an
alternative to the armed solution.. He concludes in chapter seven of his
book,
under the subtitle, " The Liberian Press During the War," by saying,
"Indeed,
ours was a very challenging mission to keep alive a dream for a free press
and
society, a cause for which many of courage have sacrificed in the past and
continue to do so…" Another important aspect examined in the book is
the "strategic interests" of the United States during the period of the Cold
War which were regarded then as "vital". However, the Liberian situation was
further compounded. According to Mr. Williams, " as the Liberian civil war
degenerated into un uncontrollable state of mass death and destruction and
appeals were made for timely U.S. intervention, , American policy makers
simply
looked the other way. State Department officials argued that there was no
justification for direct U.S. intervention because Liberia was no longer of
strategic importance to the United States." However, the U.S. remains very
involved in the sense that it continues to encourage national
reconciliation,
continues to provide humanitarian assistance and maintains pressure on the
current Taylor government to function under acceptable and civilized
international laws. The Liberian journalist and author succinctly identifies
the core of the Liberian problem when he says, "Liberia, a glaring example
of a
failed states, says a lot about the questions regarding the ability of Black
people to govern ourselves. We often tend to become slaves to greed and
personal ambition to the detriment of general society." Accordingly, he
furthered, " the fate of Liberia lies in the hands of none but its own
citizens." This 455 page narrative which draws on its powerful imageries
from
real life, first hand accounts, media report and the author’s ability to
evoke emotive reactions is quite commendable. And so for those seeking a
historical perspective, a personal flair and an insight into the author’s
professional development and association and continued engagement in the
international arena to tell the Liberian "story" and seek help for the
resolution of the conflict, I strongly recommend the book, LIBERIA: THE
HEART
OF DARKNESS by Gabriel I.H. Williams. The book is published by Trafford
Publishing. This review was written by Emmanuel D. Abalo, a Liberian
journalist, human rights activist and former Vice President of the Press
Union
of Liberia (PUL)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Office of the National Spokesman & Coordinator Central Working Group
Liberians
United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD) Voinjama, Lofa County,
Republic
of Liberia
May 28, 2002
Press Release
LURD WANTS PEACE BUT INSISTS ON TAYLOR'S EXIT
In view of genuine appeals and repeated calls from the United Nations
Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, international
institutions, and the Liberian populace in general, Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), have elected to reduce and/or halt our
military activities in the country with immediate effect. This is done with
the
view of providing the international community, particularly the UN, OAU, EU,
the inter-Religious Council of Liberia, and other international groupings
the
opportunity to derive a reliable solution to the Liberian situation and its
prevailing consequences. However, our forces will vehemently defend areas
under
our full control and, retaliate should they come under any form of attack
from
Taylor's NPFL /NPP Monrovia regime rebel ATU soldiers. We in LURD stand for
peace and want security for our country and the Mano River Union basin which
has been grossly criminalized by Taylor and his Libyan allies for the past
decade. In furtherance of our sobriety and quest for peace and economic
development for our country and people, we call on the international
community
to seize this vital opportunity in prioritizing the Liberian question by
paving
the way for the departure of Taylor. We are prepared to dialogue with any
individual or group of Liberians, except Charles Taylor who is the sole
problem
for the region. We wish to state clearly that the civilians who were
massacred
near the Sierra Leonean borders in Cape Mount County, Liberia were killed by
the Monrovia regime’s ruthless ATU rebel soldiers on the orders of Taylor.
We
strongly condemn this ugly act and call on the international community to
prevail on the Taylor regime to respect the civilian dimension relative to
protection in armed conflict. We want the world to know that looting,
massacres
and extra judicial killings are trademarks of Charles Taylor and his
followers.
Taylor and his evil forces have been doing this for the last decade. So news
report that LURD's forces bother civilians is absolutely misleading. This is
an
inaccurate and unsuccessful projection of Taylor's action and tendencies on
our
Movement. These Monrovia gangs do these evil acts with the view of making us
(LURD) look bad in the eyes of the international community and Liberians in
general. At the moment LURD’s forces have under control Lofa, Gbarpolu,
and
Bomi Counties, and key areas in central Liberia. Suehn, B.F Goodrich Rubber
Plantation and surroundings close to Bong Mines are also under full control
of
our forces. These latter areas are battle front-lines which are within
striking
distances of the capital, Monrovia. There is increased unity and progress in
LURD. Rumors and misguided lies carried out by Taylor's stooges that there
is a
rift in our midst are false and very cheap. Our leadership is together and
we
are focused on cooperating with other Liberian groupings in sorting out a
post
Taylor political and economic formula through which our country can have
genuine democracy, peace, freedom and economic development. The End

2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY





3. REFUGEES
News Conference to Release The:
World Refugee Survey 2002
http://www.uscr.org
The U.S. Committee for Refugees-a nonprofit humanitarian organization that
works for the protection and assistance of refugees, asylum seekers, and
internally displaced persons worldwide.
Thursday, June 6, 2002, at 10:00 a.m.
The National Press Club,Lisagor Room, 13th Floor, 529
14th .N.W.,Washington,D.C.
The World Refugee Survey 2002 is an authoritative annual report published by
the U.S. Committee for Refugees. It details refugee situations in 133
countries
around the world.
The 290-page report reviews refugee conditions and government policies
affecting refugees and displaced persons, provides statistics on refugees
worldwide, and features articles on current issues affecting refugees. Among
these are articles addressing the impact of September 11 on refugees in the
United States and internationally.

4. HEALTH/ENVIROMENT


Diarrhoea, Malaria Claim 700,000 Children Yearly
http://allafrica.com/stories/200205310484.html
No fewer than 700,000 children below five years old die yearly as a result
of
diarrhoea, malaria and other child-killer diseases.Out of this number,
170,000
children die before they reach one month, just as 45,000 women die yearly of
pregnancy related causes.

5. DEVELOPMENT

6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

View the webzine version of the IFEX "Communique" on line at:
<http://www.ifex.org> or <http://Canada.ifex.org>. International Freedom of
Expression eXchange Clearing House

7. GRANTMAKERS



The Foundation Center in Washington, DC, has over 65,000 names of donors.
You
can logon their web page at  http//: www.fdncenter.org. You might just get a
donor to fund your project.


8. WORLD BANK PIPELINE PROJECT


9. ANNOUNCEMENT

http://www.lij.kabissa.org

On January 15-16, 2002, the Liberia Institute of Journalism (LIJ), hosted a
two-
day Symposium on “Creating a Space for Dialogue between and amongst
journalists, human rights advocates/activists, civil society, women groups,
youth groups, decision-makers, traditional leaders and politicians,” from
the
three Mano River Countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to create a
space
for dialogue that will create an enabling environment for peace in the
Union.
The proceedings and Resolutions have been published. We will be happy to
send a
copy to anyone interested. We ask that you send us $25.00 to help cover
shipping and handling. Just email us your request at [log in to unmask]


Welcome to the first issue of InterConnection’s electronic newsletter,
IConnect. IConnect is a monthly newsletter that showcases how organization
are
using their websites to accomplish their missions, provides information on
technology assistance tools and training, and lists sources of support for
non-
profits. If you would like to suggest a resource for IConnect let us know by
writing to [log in to unmask] </cgi-bin/compose?
curmbox=F000000001&a=61a9380a129dd1e170d4d0cd4c72a335&mailto=1&to=iconnect@i
nter
connection.org&msg=MSG1022796611.82&start=431933&len=7105&src=&type=x>
A note to remind you of the online conference Information Access for
Rural Women that begins next week, June 3. Following is information
about the conference, including a registration form. For each week of
the 3-week conference we shall have a set of facilitation messages
(brief introductory message + questions) to help us share and discuss
the issues. The facilitation messages (English, French, Spanish) are
available at: <http://www.wougnet.org/Events/IARW/iarwdiscuss.html
<http://216.33.148.250:80/cgi-bin/linkrd?
_lang=EN&lah=50109cc20a4af48ce1b4f334857ae7cd&lat=1022921638&hm___action=htt
p%
3a%2f%2fwww%2ewougnet%2eorg%2fEvents%2fIARW%2fiarwdiscuss%2ehtml>>
Online Conference: Information Access for Rural Women
June 3 - 21, 2002

10. ABOUT US

http://www.lij.kabissa.org

The WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER (WAN), is an online publication of the Liberia
Institute of Journalism (LIJ), located at the corner of Broad and Johnson
Sts.,
in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa, and funded by the International
Center-731 -
8th S.E., Washington, DC. To subscribe just logo our webpage at
http://www.lij.kabissa.org or email the editor Vinnie Hodges at
[log in to unmask]
We do publish news, information and articles free of charge send all to the
editor Vinnie Hodges.
---
WestAfrica-Newsletter is hosted on Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
To post, write to: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.kabissa.org/lij


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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, May 29, 2002. Location: Douglas Truth Library, 2300 E Yesler Way, Seattle
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30 PM PROGRAM: Good Read.  A free event.

We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see http://www.ibike.org/africamatters/calendar.htm .  To post a message: [log in to unmask]  To subscribe send a message to [log in to unmask]  To unsubscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] . All past postings are archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-afr-network

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