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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 119: NEPAD AND ENERGY: TURNING OUT THE
LIGHTS
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 119: NEPAD AND ENERGY: TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 119: NEPAD AND ENERGY: TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS
A Weekly Electronic Newsletter For Social Justice In Africa
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1.EDITORIAL
ANNOUNCEMENT: PAMBAZUKA NEWS DATABASE GOES ONLINE
http://www.pambazuka.org/
We are pleased to announce that the Pambazuka News database is now
available on line. More than 15,000 news items, editorials, letters,
reviews, etc that have appeared in Pambazuka News during the two years
are now available in an easily accessible website. We hope that this
information will be of value to activists, researchers, academics,
journalists and others. We will be looking at ways to improve the
website, so your comments are welcome. The website has been developed
by Fahamu.
NEPAD AND ENERGY: TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS
Akong Charles Ndika
Couched in a new framework of interaction between Africa,
industrialised countries, and multilateral organisations like the World
Bank, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has been
promoted at all major world economic gatherings since its launch in
October 2001. At corporate globalisation forums like the G8 meetings,
its advocates have likened Nepad to the Marshal Plan that resurrected
Europe after World War Two, claiming that Africa's present development
status is as a result of insufficient globalisation, and the therapy is
to integrate Africa further into the global economy. By this strategy,
can Africa truly claim this millennium? Nowhere is an answer more
obvious than in the energy sector, the cornerstone of Nepad.
Energy is of premier importance for economic development in Africa.
With global business opportunities totalling trillions of dollars,
energy is one of the biggest businesses in the world. In particular,
energy consumption in developed countries is expected to swell
significantly in the years ahead. With these rosy business prospects,
Nepad intends to use energy as a launch pad for Africa into the global
economy. Against this, and despite the rich and diverse sources of
energy on the continent, per capita consumption of energy in Africa is
the least in the world, fronting energy poverty at the root cause of
underdevelopment. With about 40 to 45% of the 730 million people in
Africa living on less than a dollar a day, access, affordability, and
efficiency are the tenets on which any strategy that will align
Africa's energy economy on a path to sustainable development must be
judged.
Although Nepad makes a token reference to the need to guarantee a
sustainable supply of affordable energy as the cornerstone for poverty
alleviation, projects envisaged to operationalise the goal run opposite
to the energy needs of the majority of Africa's inhabitants. The
short-term action plan to dually anchor sustainable energy development
and serve as building blocks to the realisation of medium to long-term
goals are power systems, and oil and gas transmission projects. The
power projects include the Mepanda Uncua Hydro Power Plant,
Ethiopia-Sudan Interconnection, West Africa Power Pool (WAAP) Program,
Algeria-Morocco-Spain Interconnection, Algeria-Spain Interconnection,
Algeria Gas-fired Power Station, and the Mozambique-Malawi
Interconnection. The gas and oil transmission projects include: the
Kenya-Uganda Oil Pipeline, West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP), and the
Libya-Tunisia Gas Pipeline. Firmed on the profiteering devotion of
multinational corporations, are these projects really relevant to
Africa's development aspirations? Alternatively, will they actually
meet the energy needs and aspirations of present and future
generations? This article attempts an answer by calibrating the
projects on the following sustainability scales:
AFFORDABILITY: PUTTING PROFITS AHEAD OF PEOPLE
The power projects mentioned highlight an unbowed agenda to centralise
the supply of electricity in the continent. The seed capital for these
projects is the sweeping wave of privatisation of State Owned
Enterprises (SOE's) across Africa. Through policy-based lending, most
African countries are subscribing to the dictates of international
institutions like the World Bank to open the energy sector to foreign
investment through privatisation and deregulation. In these
circumstances, electricity is treated as a commodity rather than a
public service. Hence, the hallmarks of SOE's such as universal
service, non-discriminatory pricing between industrial and residential
users, and cross-subsidies to urban poor and rural populations are
substituted for full cost recovery, the credo of privatised utilities.
At the same time, and in order to maximise profits, multinational
corporations are exploring opportunities to transcend geographical
barriers. Anchored in neo-liberalism, the Nepad action plan facilitates
the lifting of geographical restrictions on electricity trade across
Africa. It is worth noting that this is inimical to the livelihoods of
the majority of Africans living below two dollars a day. Besides paying
the real cost for electricity, unreliable consumers will be priced out
of the grid. In sum, markets and customers in the Nepad action plan
take precedence over citizenship.
ACCESSIBILITY: NO ROOM FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
Access to electricity services is a clear marker of the difference
between the rich and the poor, between men and women. In fact, 80% of
the 500 million Africans without access to electricity live in rural
areas. In particular, the rural electrification rate of 16.9% in Africa
is the least in the world. The lack of electricity correlates with many
indicators of poverty such as poor education, inadequate health care,
and hardships imposed on women and children. Electricity services can
indeed enhance the quality of life of rural populations in countless
ways. For instance: electric light extends the day, providing extra
hours for reading and improving exam results in rural areas;
refrigeration allows rural clinics to keep needed medicines such as
vaccines; and solar dryers can lead to lower post-harvest losses and
enable rural farmers to market their produce when prices are higher.
Because of the rates of poverty and low population density in rural
areas, relying on grid solutions for lights on is a sure course for
lights off. In fact, the energy needs of rural Africa are
decentralised. Meeting the energy needs of rural populations requires
the exploration of renewable energy sources. In contrast, the Nepad
action plan prioritises the centralisation of power supply, the
opposite of the decentralised energy needs of rural masses. Driven by
profits, privatised utilities have no incentive to extend networks to
rural areas, unless government subsidies make up for the financial
loses and provide an attractive margin of profit. It is worth noting
that the neo-liberal fountain from which Nepad draws its viability is
at odds with subsidies. In fact, governments are compelled to shirk
their social responsibilities thereby leaving rural populations
permanently unconnected to the grid.
EFFICIENCY: PRIVATISATION OF BENEFITS AND SOCIALISATION OF RISKS
The Nepad action plan is based on a resource-led development approach
which prioritises the extractive industry sector, paving the way for
criss-crossing oil and gas transmission pipelines. The capital
intensive nature of these projects is beyond the purse of African
states; and the action plan intends to facilitate the establishment of
policies and institutional framework favourable for multinational
corporations to invest. This could include favourable contractual risk
guarantees that profits are placed ahead of public concerns and
generous tax exoneration provisions. But the fact is that oil mining
does not equate with the prosperity the international financial
institutions give it credit for. Even though Nigeria ranks seventh in
terms of world oil production, she tailed the human development report
in 2002. Another point that cannot escape attention, particularly in
the context of the present US-led war against terrorism, is the
potential millitarisation of pipeline routes and the inevitable impact
on the human rights of nearby communities. Envisaged power projects
will significantly impact on the livelihood development of communities.
For example, the Mepanda Uncua Hydropower Project will lead to the
construction of a 100 square kilometre reservoir that is going to
displace 1400 people, while floods are expected to impact on further
thousands.
I wouldn't like to conclude without resuscitating the focus of this
article: Is Nepad worth its value in sustainable development?
Calibrated on the aforementioned points, it is hard to answer in the
affirmative. In addition, credence for this pessimism roots in Nepad's
engagement with civil society organisations in Africa, international
social labour, and environmental movements. In obviating the
contributions of these actors, who in their struggle for
socio-environmental and economic justice have been able to bring about
a modicum of progressive global change, Nepad fails to differ from
other multinational corporations' designs to mine Africa's resources
and maim its people. Is this the price to be paid in order for Africa
to claim this millennium?
* Akong Charles Ndika is an Energy Policy Analyst with Global Village
Cameroon. http://www.globalvillagecam.org
* Please send comments for publication in the Letters and Comments
section of Pambazuka News to [log in to unmask]
SAPS: A NATIONAL MALADY
Karim F. Hirji
Air travelers are perhaps unduly worried about SARS, the severe acute
respiratory syndrome. The world at large, however, stands petrified at
the virulence of SAPS, the supremely arrogant patriotic syndrome. The
climax of the recent upsurge of its U.S. genetic variant was too
shocking and awful. The two syndromes have distinct pathogenic
features. SARS affects the lungs. SAPS invades the brain tissue,
perturbs neurotransmitter levels, and disrupts neural links. Relatively
few have contracted SARS thus far. SAPS has engulfed virtually a whole
nation. SARS can be rapidly lethal. Curiously, SAPS threatens the well
being and lives of unfortunate outsiders who come under the intense
gaze of the infected nation. The mode of transmission of SARS has not
been precisely delineated. SAPS, however, is known to spread
electronically, principally through the television screen. The
education system and other social institutions also play a role in its
propagation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16347
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
AFRICA: CONFLICTS DOMINATE AU DISCUSSIONS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307130036.html
Much of last Friday's proceedings at the Maputo heads of state summit
of the African Union (AU) was dominated by discussions, behind closed
doors, of the conflicts that have raged in countries such as the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Ivory
Coast and others.
BURUNDI: PEACE UNDER THREAT
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=24383
Renewed fighting between rebels and government forces in Burundi
erupted in the capital Bujumbura this week, leaving streets littered
with bodies and doubts about a peace process intended to end almost 10
years of civil war.
Related Link:
* Zuma arrives in Bujumbura as UN withdraws nonessential staff
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35449
DRC: EU CALLS FOR STRONGER PEACEKEEPING MANDATE
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1342
The EU has called for a stronger mandate for the UN Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, similar to that of the multinational
peace force mission deployed to the north-eastern town of Bunia.
DRC: REBELS LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=24380
The head of the main rebel group in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
has officially announced the end of his movement's five-year war
against the Kinshasa-based government, the rebel group said on Saturday.
EAST AFRICA: PLANS UNDERWAY TO CREATE PEACEFUL REGION
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=19258
Countries of the Great Lakes region, the African Union and United
Nations, have come together to work out a long-term strategy to promote
peace in the region. Representatives of the two organisations, together
with those from the Great Lakes countries comprising Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), met
here recently and pledged to work towards quelling wars that have
engulfed the region. The meeting, called the International Conference
For Peace, Security, Democracy and Development for the Great Lakes
Region, was the first of its kind.
IVORY COAST: PEACEKEEPERS SAY 2,000 GUNMEN STILL ROAM THE WILD WEST
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35419
About 2,000 gunmen who formerly fought for both government and rebel
forces in the west of Cote d'Ivoire are still at large, preying off the
civilian population and preventing relief agencies from operating
freely in the lawless region close to the Liberian border, according to
a source in the French peacekeeping force.
LIBERIA: HOW WASHINGTON SET THE STAGE FOR WAR
http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,297
The more involved the U.S. becomes in the crisis-wracked continent of
Africa, the clearer it is that Washington isn't the solution - but
instead bears responsibility for the civil wars and social catastrophes
across Africa. Exhibit A is Liberia.
Related Link:
* Liberia: Ending the Horror
http://www.fpif.org/outside/commentary/2003/0307liberia.html
LIBERIA: LURD WARNS AGAINST DEPLOYMENT OF ECOWAS TROOPS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35355
The main Liberian rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and
Democracy (LURD), has warned against the planned deployment of 1,500
ECOWAS peacekeepers in the war-torn country prior to the departure of
President Charles Taylor into exile.
NIGERIA: GROUPS OPPOSE US TROOPS DEPLOYMENT TO NIGER DELTA
Nigerian civil society groups have called for a review of the United
States government's foreign and oil policy. In an open letter to the
visiting United States President George W. Bush, the groups said
America's foreign and oil policy currently served only the interests of
powerful corporations. The groups specifically opposed plans by the
U.S. to deploy troops to guard Nigerian oil installations. For four
decades Western oil companies operating in Nigeria had reduced the once
balanced and life-sustaining Niger Delta to a "veritable nightmare".
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16319
NIGERIA: PEACEKEEPERS READY TO DEPLOY TO LIBERIA
http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,53535.jsp
The Nigerian army says its contingent of a West African peacekeeping
operation pledged for war-ravaged Liberia is ready for deployment.
Nigeria has pledged to send 750 soldiers for the operation. West
African nations last week agreed to form the force for war-torn Liberia
and send a first contingent of around one thousand within two weeks.
The move is aimed at arresting the deteriorating humanitarian situation
in the country.
SAO TOME: MILITARY COUP IN SAO TOME
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3070355.stm
Efforts are under way to hold talks with the leaders of the coup which
toppled the government of the West African island state of Sao Tome and
Principe on Wednesday. Rebel army officers in the tiny former
Portuguese colony seized the prime minister and other cabinet members
in the dawn coup, which appears to have been largely bloodless. Sao
Tome and Principe, one of the world's poorest states, has offshore
oilfields which are due to begin producing within the next four years.
SOMALIA: FACTION LEADER REJECTS "FLAWED" AGREEMENT
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35416
Mogadishu-based faction leader Muse Sudi Yalahow rejected a peace
agreement signed earlier this month by delegates to the peace talks in
Nairobi, saying it was "flawed".
SUDAN: HUMAN RIGHTS MUST BE AT CORE OF PEACE AGREEMENT, SAYS AMNESTY
As Sudanese mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Machakos
Protocol, which paved the way for the current peace process, Amnesty
International is calling for human rights to be made a full component
of any forthcoming peace agreement. "Unless human rights for all become
a full component of a forthcoming agreement crucial for the future of
Sudan, peace will not be sustainable," Amnesty International says in a
new report entitled 'Sudan: Empty promises? Human rights violations in
government-controlled areas'.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16458
SUDAN: KENYAN MEDIATOR SAYS SUDAN PEACE ACCORD MAY BE SIGNED IN AUGUST
http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng004325&dte=16/07/2003
The Sudan peace process may be concluded in mid-August if the latest
round of talks - adjourned in a stalemate Saturday over a power-sharing
disagreement - resumes next week, Kenyan mediator Lazarus Sumbeiywo
said in Nairobi Wednesday.
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
AFRICA: SPLITS OVER MUGABE
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l2_ca.asp?sa=49
Sharp divisions between member states of the African Union (AU)
attending the groupingıs second summit led to Zimbabwe being left out
of the agenda as the organisers tried to avoid anything that could
further divide the 53-member body already riven by serious
disagreements.
DRC: GENOCIDE COURT SETS SIGHTS ON CONGO CONFLICT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,12292,999634,00.html
The international criminal court is likely to investigate war crimes in
the Democratic Republic of Congo, its chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno
Ocampo, has said. Mr Moreno Ocampo said that he was "closely following"
the situation in Ituri, the north-eastern province where thousands of
civilians have been killed in tribal conflicts since last year.
DRC: REBELS GATHER IN CAPITAL
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3070507.stm
The leader of the second largest rebel group in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, Jean Pierre Bemba, has arrived in Kinshasa, ahead of
Thursday's inauguration of the vice-presidents in the new transitional
government.
Related Link:
* "No turning back" as vice-presidents sworn in
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35455
LIBERIA: LARGE SCALE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, U.S. CONGRESS HEARS
Both the government of Liberia and Liberian rebel forces are
responsible for violations of international humanitarian law amounting
to war crimes and other serious human rights abuses, according to a
briefing before the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus. "Tens of
thousands of Liberians have been forcibly displaced and hundreds if not
thousands of civilians have been killed, either deliberately or in
crossfire. Recent human rights abuses committed by both sides include
the forced recruitment of children in displaced and refugee camps,
forced labour, assault, and sexual violence against civilians, as well
as attacks on humanitarian workers," said Washington Director for
Africa of Human Rights Watch Janet Fleischman.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16315
MALAWI: ELECTION CAMPAIGN PROMISES TO BE UGLY AND BRUTAL
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=19228
Malawi's presidential and parliamentary general elections in 2004
promise to be ugly and brutal. Last week in Blantyre, the militant
³Young Democrats² - a wing of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF)
- brutally beat up a local newspaper journalist and robbed him of his
two cameras and a cellular phone.
MALAWI: TEN MONTHS AND COUNTING DOWN: ARE WE SURE THAT THERE WILL BE A
LEVEL PLAYING FIELD?
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1333
With 10 months to go until elections, the author of this article says
it is time to ask some important questions: Has Malawi really enjoyed
progress as a democracy or have we stalled between real democracy and
the freedoms that come from that, or authoritarianism with its limited
political freedoms.? Has our politics become dysfunctional and
irrelevant? Has our political polarised position encouraged a breeding
ground for extremists and sycophants who are keen on creating violent
conflict?
MOZAMBIQUE: AU SUMMIT DRAWS TO A CLOSE
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=24357
The second African Union (AU) summit in Maputo was drawing to a close
on Saturday after two days of deliberation where heads of state elected
new leaders responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation.
NIGERIA: POLICE USE OF LETHAL FORCE AGAINST DEMONSTRATORS MUST BE
INVESTIGATED, SAYS AMNESTY
Amnesty International is urging Nigerian authorities to launch an
independent public inquiry into the death of at least four people
reported to have been killed in Lagos in clashes involving the police
and civilians during demonstrations against an increase in the price of
fuel. More than seven days after the people were announced dead, no
investigation has been carried out.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16459
RWANDA: GOVERNMENT REGISTERS EIGHT POLITICAL PARTIES AHEAD OF POLLS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35399
The Rwandan government has registered eight political parties ahead of
presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 August and 29
September respectively, a government minister told IRIN on Monday. The
minister for local government and social welfare, Christopher Bazivamo,
said the registered parties were free to operate.
SWAZILAND: KING, UNIONS STRIKE DEAL IN RUN-UP TO SUMMIT
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1340
A spirit of compromise is at work in Swaziland between the royal
government and pro-democracy forces agitating for political reform, as
both parties return to the old Swazi values of dialogue and consensus.
UGANDA: SHARP DECLINE IN HUMAN RIGHTS
Abductions, torture, recruitment of child soldiers, and other abuses
have sharply increased in the past year in northern Uganda due to
renewed fighting between Ugandan government forces and rebels, a
coalition of national and international organisations said in a report
released this week.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16305
ZIMBABWE: MIXED REACTION TO MUGABE'S NEW AU POST
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=187575
The African Union's new ambassador for Southern Africa is none other
than Robert Mugabe. The AU summit held in Mozambique at the weekend
provided an opportunity for Africa to show a commitment to its noble
ideals. But it ended on an anticlimax, some observed, with no
discussion on the political situation in strife-torn Zimbabwe. While
some opposition politicians were "galled" by the election of Mugabe as
one of the AU's five vice-chairpersons, others declared themselves
"content".
ZIMBABWE: MOVING TOWARDS A NEGOTIATED TRANSITION?
http://www.idasa.org.za/
Political and economic decay in Zimbabwe has become one of the major
problems confronting post-apartheid Southern Africa and seriously
threatens Africa's resolve to address democratic issues and re-invent
its international image. According to Africa's critics and many of its
Northern supporters, the lack of assertive action towards Zimbabwe is
indicative of the fact that NEPAD and the African Union will be unable
to amount to anything more than rhetoric. Despite humanitarian crises
and overwhelming pressure for reform, Mr. Mugabe remains in power and
apparently continues to enjoy the support of influential regional
players. Increasing internal pressure and political dissent from
pro-democracy forces have not compelled Mugabe's regime to concede that
a crisis exists. How has this regime, which shows increasingly little
regard for democratic principles, human rights, rule of law and
political pluralism managed to cling to power even when change appears
inevitable? asks this report from the Political Information &
Monitoring Service of Idasa.
ZIMBABWE: TSVANGIRAI MUST ANSWER TREASON CHARGES-PROSECUTORS
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16645024.htm
State prosecutors argued on Wednesday against calls for the treason
case against Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to be
dropped, saying he must answer charges he plotted to kill President
Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai and two senior colleagues in the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) could face death sentences if convicted of
plotting to assassinate Mugabe in 2001 amid Zimbabwe's worst political
and economic crisis in decades.
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4.CORRUPTION
CAR: BATTLING CORRUPTION
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=70078
The Central African Republic is trying to ditch its reputation as a
smuggler's den and has taken a key step towards cleaning up its diamond
industry. This week at an international conference in Bangui, CAR
joined the Kimberley Process, a global initiative aimed at ending trade
in so-called "blood diamonds" by establishing that exported gems have
not come from conflict areas.
CHAD: COUNTRY JOINS OIL CLUB AMID CORRUPTION, ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=70095
Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, is set to join the elite
club of oil-producing nations Tuesday as black gold begins flowing into
a pipeline towards a terminal in the Atlantic Ocean off Cameroon. The
multi-billion dollar project, co-funded by the World Bank and a
consortium of oil companies led by ExxonMobil, is expected to generate
up to 250,000 barrels of oil a day when it reaches full operating
capacity. But promises of riches for the landlocked desert country of
eight million, where per capita income is well under a dollar a day,
have met with scepticism among environmental and human rights groups,
as well as opposition groups who fear that little of the newfound oil
wealth will trickle down to the poor.
DRC: WARLORDS AND ADVENTURERS IN SCRAMBLE FOR RICHES
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=70112
Ituri, the province where the peace process in Congo now faces its
stiffest challenge and where French-led peacekeepers are attempting to
halt the bloodshed, has remained a frontier of unbridled capitalism
ever since King Leopold of Belgium sent in two Australian gold
prospectors 100 years ago. Warlords and adventurers have thrived on the
trade in gold, diamonds and timber, receiving arms in exchange from
godfathers in Kinshasa, Uganda and Rwanda, all of which have been
battling for control of the province through proxies.
KENYA: KENYA INVESTIGATING DOZENS OF AIDS NGO'S IN FAKE CHARITY
CRACKDOWN
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18727
Kenya's National AIDS Control Council, the agency that coordinates the
country's response to the AIDS epidemic, has recently cut off funding
to four fraudulent nongovernmental AIDS organisations and is
investigating another 10 organisations, the New York Times reports.
KENYA: UNITE AGAINST GRAFT, SAYS KIBAKI
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307130148.html
President Mwai Kibaki has called on African countries to unite against
corruption, tribalism and poverty, which he termed enemies of unity in
the continent. The President said most of Africa's problems were caused
by poor governance.
KENYA: WHY WAR ON GRAFT MAY SOON FIZZLE OUT
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/Comment/
Comment160720032.html
When he took over the reins of power on December 30, President Kibaki
promised Kenyans that the days of corruption as a national pastime were
over and that his administration was committed to a policy of
zero-tolerance to corruption. And because he made this declaration in
the presence of his predecessor, whose regime is blamed for runaway
corruption in the public sector, Kenyans were convinced that things
would change for the better. But have they? Is the Governmentıs war on
corruption losing steam? Although it has demonstrated an impressive
commitment to erasing the sad legacy of corruption from the public
domain, the goals it set for itself may, after all, have been too
ambitious, says this commentary from the Daily Nation newspaper.
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5.HEALTH
AFRICA: BILL GATES: KILLING AFRICANS FOR PROFIT AND P.R
http://www.gregpalast.com/printerfriendly.cfm?artid=232
The generosity of computer magnate Bill Gates in giving money to
African Aids victims isn't as simple as you might think, says this
article. Gateıs demi-trillionaire status is based on a nasty little
monopoly-protecting trade treaty called ³TRIPS² the Trade-Related
Intellectual Property Rights rules of the World Trade Organisation.
TRIPS gives Gates a hammerlock on computer operating systems worldwide,
legally granting him the kind of monopoly the Robber Barons of yore
could only dream of. But TRIPS, the rule which helps Gates rule, also
bars African governments from buying AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
medicine at cheap market prices.
AFRICA: GLOBAL AIDS FUND FACES SERIOUS SHORTFALL
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307160457.html
The cash-strapped Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and
Malaria fell under the spotlight on Wednesday, when ministers from 14
countries met in Paris, France, to address the fund's financial woes.
The fund, which has committed US $1.5 billion to programmes in 92
countries in the last 18 months, faces a lack of money for proposals
waiting to be funded in October.
AFRICA: HIV/AIDS AND AGEING: A BRIEFING PAPER
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1344
The purpose of this article is to explore the main ways in which HIV
and Aids impact on older women and men in developing countries. It also
reviews the research, programme and policy implications of including
older people in current and future interventions to halt and reverse
the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and links them to national and
international development targets.
AFRICA: MALARIA VACCINE INCHES CLOSER
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&ncid=655&e=7&u=/
oneworld/20030709/wl_oneworld/4536631811057778148
The development of a vaccine against malaria could be five to eight
years away, a leading researcher says. "We will try to shorten that,
but it is not going to be easy,² Prof. Adrian Hill, a Wellcome Trust
research fellow at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the
University of Oxford told media representatives.
AFRICA: RESISTANCE TO AIDS VIRUS IS GROWING, SAY SCIENTISTS
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/
story.jsp?story=425092
The Aids virus is becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used to
treat it, researchers say. These findings, presented at the conference
of the International Aids Society in Paris, show that the resistance
appears to be attributable to HIV-positive patients who were taking the
medication infecting others with a drug-resistant strain.
AFRICA: TUBERCULOSIS, PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE NEED FOR ARVS
http://www.aidsmap.com/news/newsdisplay2.asp?newsId=2188
Tuberculosis remains the single greatest public health challenge
associated with HIV worldwide. Despite widespread recognition of this
fact, and clinical trials showing that interventions can help few
programmes exist to implement such measures, according to a view
presented at the International Aids Society Conference in Paris this
week.
AFRICA: WHO CALLS FOR FREE ANTI-TB DRUGS
http://kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18832
The World Health Organisation, in a report released at the
International AIDS Society's 2nd Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and
Treatment in Paris, called for free anti-tuberculosis drugs and
improved health care for HIV-positive people, Reuters reports. About
33% of the 42 million HIV-positive people worldwide also have TB, and
90% of them will die within a few months without treatment, which
typically costs about $10 per person.
EAST/SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEARLY 19 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV, SAYS WHO
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18786
Approximately 18.6 million people in East and Southern Africa were
HIV-positive at the end of 2002, according to World Health Organisation
statistics presented last week at a WHO workshop in Harare, Zimbabwe,
Xinhua News Agency reports.
KENYA: GOVERNMENT TO EMPLOY 100 MORE DOCTORS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307150115.html
The Government will employ 100 more doctors next month to ease the
current shortage, Health Assistant Minister Gideon Konchella has said.
At the same time, Konchella expressed disappointment that some health
personnel have disobeyed a directive to prescribe treatment free of
charge on certain ailments.
MOZAMBIQUE: AU SUMMIT FOCUSES ON FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35342
African leaders meeting in Mozambique last week for the second African
Union (AU) summit said the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis (TB) was a priority for the continent, and a new regional
effort which would demand greater financial support from the
international community was needed.
NIGERIA: ACTIVISTS CHARGE BUSH TO BACK COMMITMENT WITH ACTION
Nigerian HIV/AIDS activists under the aegis of the Treatment Action
Movement (TAM), a coalition of civil society groups working in the area
of HIV/AIDS treatment and care, have called on U.S. President George W.
Bush to ensure that his AIDS policies are not merely rhetoric, but
focus on improving the quality of lives of the continent's 30 million
people living with HIV/AIDS.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16318
SOUTH AFRICA: WILL SECRET AIDS REPORT GET A STATE RESPONSE?
http://www.iol.co.za/
index.php?click_id=125&art_id=vn20030714004210817C175657&set_id=1
An "angry and disappointed" Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Sunday
leaked the key findings of a secret government report, kept under wraps
for months, which says that 1,7 million lives can be saved by 2010 if
Aids drugs are given to everyone needing them. This comes after months
of frustration among health care workers and activists, who say they
have lost patience with the government's apparent ambivalence over
anti-retroviral drug programmes.
UGANDA: AIDS ACTIVISTS QUESTION BUSH'S MOTIVES
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=186318
Aids activists have questioned U.S. President George W. Bush's
purported commitment to fighting the pandemic, asking whether his
policies were aimed more at helping leading drugs companies. "Is the
pharmaceutical industry running your Aids programme? And does it want
to run ours too?" the Ugandan Access to Essential Medicines Coalition
asked in an open letter to the US leader, a day ahead of his trip to
the east African country.
UGANDA: WAILING WOMEN AND A WEEPING BUSH
In African tradition an important visitor is welcomed with drums,
dancing and singing. But, says this press release from Health Rights
Action Group in Uganda, the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush in
Uganda was more likely to be received with mothers wailing for the loss
of their children. In this context - and with tears rolling down his
cheeks - President Bush should leave Africa with the $3 billion cheque
for 2004 to fight AIDS signed and an immediate plan to put more money
into the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16316
ZIMBABWE: HIV CRISIS NOT A POLITICAL PROBLEM, ACTIVISTS TELL BUSH
Statement By Zimbabwean Activists About HIV/AIDS And Bush's Africa Visit
"Whilst we applaud President Bush's visit to this part of the world,
his stance and commitment to HIV/AIDS treatment, as well as his US$15
billion financial package to help with treatment in Africa and the
Caribbean, we are also painfully aware that Zimbabwe is not listed as a
recipient of the President's philanthropy. We are in no doubt of the
fact that the exclusion of this country is linked to the relentless and
persistent human rights abuses in this country, and the explicit
demands by Washington that democracy and good governance be restored."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16317
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
NIGERIA: MUSLIM GROUPS URGE RESISTANCE OF POLIO VACCINATION
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35390
Two influential Islamic groups in Nigeria have urged Muslims to resist
the governmentıs immunisation programme aimed at eradicating the polio
virus. They alleged the immunisation is dangerous. The Supreme Council
for Shariıah in Nigeria (SCSN) and the Kaduna State Council of Imams
and Ulama said in a communiqué issued at the end of a joint meeting in
the northern city of Kaduna on Sunday they considered government
motives for the programme suspicious.
AFRICA/GLOBAL: TACKLING THE POVERTY-TRAFFICKING LINK: CAN THE SEXUAL
ABUSE OF CHILDREN BE ENDED?
http://www.id21.org/society/s6au1g1.html
The child sex trade is a multibillion-dollar industry. Girls and boys
are bought and sold like commodities and sexually exploited for
commercial gain. What is the international community doing to end this
inhumane trade? Can it succeed? A paper from UNICEF reports from the
front line of the fight to give vulnerable children the right to
protection from abuse, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child. Drawing on testimonies from children and leading figures in
the child protection movement, it debunks myths, calls for zero
tolerance of traffickers and suggests how international agencies,
police forces, legislators, judges and educators can do more to end the
scourge.
AFRICA: UNICEF CALLS FOR TOTAL BAN OF CHILD SOLDIERS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307110442.html
There are too many hands of African children holding guns instead of
pencils or books, United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
executive director Carol Bellamy has said. Briefing journalists at the
African Union (AU) summit in Maputo on the involvement of children in
African conflicts, Bellamy said the situation was intolerable because
the future of the continent lies in the hands of its children.
ETHIOPIA: CHILD PROSTITUTION ON THE RISE, REPORT SAYS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35392
Child prostitution in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is ³increasing
at an alarming rate², according to a study by Save the Children-Denmark
(SCD). The NGO revealed that the lure of work brought many child
prostitutes some as young as 13 - to the city. The report, compiled
with government officials and a local child rights organisation, urged
immediate action to tackle the magnitude of the problem.
LESOTHO: YOUTH ON THE MOVE TAKING MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1346
Against the backdrop of rampant hunger and famine in Lesotho,
especially in the rural villages, youth volunteers have taken it upon
themselves to help communities with projects aimed at curbing abject
poverty and HIV/Aids. Youth volunteers from the Lesotho Work Camps
Association have embarked on work camps to help people in the villages
with irrigation schemes during dry seasons, water supply, construction
of houses and roads as well as soil and water conservation.
LIBERIA: UNICEF VACCINATES CHILDREN AND WOMEN DESPITE WAR
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35357
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Liberia has ended a campaign to
vaccinate 128,000 children under five years old and 230,000 women of
child-bearing age around the capital, Monrovia, despite the recent
escalation in fighting between government troops and rebels.
MOZAMBIQUE: NEW MALARIA VACCINE TRIALS COULD SAVE CHILDREN
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35409
Doctors in Mozambique are hoping that a new malaria vaccine will
provide a breakthrough in lowering the toll the disease is taking.
Trials starting on Thursday are expected to test the efficacy and
safety of the vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS02A, on 2,000 children.
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIAL POLICY WITH RESPECT TO CARE
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1339
This article looks at Africa's traditional practices of care for
infants. It also focuses on children and the elderly, and at how people
and policy are struggling to cope with massive change.
TANZANIA: CALL TO FOCUS ON YOUTH IN FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1338
Radical changes in approach to the youth are needed if Tanzania is to
curb the spread of HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted infections, an
official of the international NGO Africa Medical and Relief Foundation
told IRIN.
ZAMBIA: LET'S COMBAT CHILD TRAFFICKING, SAYS MINISTER
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307160151.html
Government has called on the police to work closely with non
governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing in child abuse to combat
child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. Youth, Sport and
Child Development Deputy Minister Gunston Chola said the problem of
child trafficking required concerted efforts as it was a problem
affecting many countries.
ZIMBABWE: HARDSHIPS SADDLE CHILDREN'S HOMES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307140160.html
Children's homes in Zimbabwe are failing to cope with the increasing
number of children that require care as the current economic meltdown
and the Aids pandemic continue to cause social disintegration and
impoverishment. An investigation by The Standard has established that
most children's homes in Harare are overwhelmed by the number of
children that need shelter, food and education as the political, social
and economic crisis worsens.
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
AFRICA/GLOBAL: WOMEN, WATER AND TRANSPORT: MAKING PLANNERS LISTEN TO
WOMEN'S NEEDS
http://www.id21.org/society/s6apb1g1.html
What are the links between women's access to water and to transport?
How can transport services be reshaped to better meet women's needs? In
societies with deeply-rooted gender roles, how can women be helped to
participate more actively in decision-making processes affecting water
and transport?
AFRICA: UN RIGHTS OFFICIAL WELCOMES NEW PROVISIONS TO STRENGTHEN
WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFRICA
The Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has
welcomed the decision taken at the recently concluded African Union
Summit in Mozambique to strengthen women's rights by adding gender
specific provisions to an existing charter. "The adoption by the
African Union of a specific treaty on the rights of women reinforces
the message that women's rights require priority attention in the
protection of universal and inalienable rights," Bertrand Ramcharan
said in a statement from Geneva.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16335
AFRICA: WTO DECISIONS AGGRAVATE WOMEN'S POVERTY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307140725.html
The Head of the Gender and Economic Reform in Africa (GERA) section of
the Third World Network (TWN) Zo Randrianamaro has said women have a
larger stake in the upcoming 5th ministrial meeting of the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) meeting in Cancun Mexico in September. This is
because most WTO rules have had a greater negative impact on women than
on men. Randrianamaro said the majority of people in Ghana and Africa
at large who have been excluded from benefiting from the proceeds of
WTO rules are women.
SOMALIA: QUEST TO NURTURE SOMALIA
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=17086
When Asha Ahmed Abdalla was a teenager in her native country of
Somalia, she used to daydream about what it would be like to be
Somaliaıs first lady, and decided to set her sights on achieving that
goal. But Abdalla grew up and her dream evolved. After years of
humanitarian and political activity, the 45-year-old mother of three
has set her eyes on the ultimate prize: to become Africaıs first woman
president.
SOMALIA: WOMEN SLOWLY MAKING POLITICAL INROADS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35364
In the past, Somali women have not had a significant role in politics,
but there are now signs that the trend is slowly changing. Although
they only make up a small minority at the peace talks currently
underway in Kenya - with 35 women out of 362 official delegates - this
tiny step is seen as progress.
SOUTH AFRICA: MEN IN CRISIS
http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20030707
The South African manıs reputation is in crisis. He is held responsible
for one of the worldıs highest rape rates, including the rape of
children and babies. He perpetrates domestic violence, which is
commonplace. And womanisers who prefer condom-less sex are driving the
HIV/AIDS epidemic, experts tell us. A range of researchers grappling
with what has, and is, framing this male identity have identified
economic circumstances, the new political order and HIV/AIDS as
important factors.
SWAZILAND: GENDER FOCUSED RESPONSES TO HIV/AIDS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1345
This report looks at the gendered impact of HIV/Aids in Swaziland, and
advocates the promotion of shared responsibilities for the prevention
and care and to address the power relations and inequalities between
men and women.
TANZANIA: ACTIVISTS CHALLENGE GENDER INEQUALITY AS WOMEN MARRY WOMEN
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=19234
Tanzania still has a long way to go in achieving gender equality and
cultures in some communities continue to force women to ³marry² another
woman in order to bear a son for inheritance purposes. This culture
exists among the Kurya tribe in the country's North Western region of
Mara bordering Kenya.
UGANDA: WOMEN LIVE WITH FEAR OF RAPE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307160489.html
Women in northern Uganda live under fear of rape. The women and girls
are victims of the long-running war between government troops and Mr
Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army rebels. A new human rights report
jointly released in Uganda and Canada appeals to the UN Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, to appoint a special envoy on the conflict. The
report cites rape as a major concern amongst the women.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
AFRICA/GLOBAL: EDUCATION 'IMPERITIVE' FOR REFUGEES
http://www.aed.org/news/news_release_EducationImperative.html
The Education Imperative, a new publication co-published by the Academy
for Educational Development (AED) and the Women's Commission for
Refugee Women and Children, documents the scope of the educational
problem facing refugees and internally displaced persons and explains
why education in emergency situations is essential. According to the
report, education promotes a sense of normalcy that helps children cope
with the effects of crisis and supports redevelopment of civil society.
In addition, safe learning environments can shield children and teens
from exposure to landmines, recruitment into militias and gangs, and
sexual violence.
AFRICA: UNHCR LAUNCHES SPECIAL APPEAL FOR REFUGEES IN AFRICA
The UN refugee agency has said it planned to launch a special appeal
for funds to cover unforeseen needs in seven different African
countries, none of which has received much international attention.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16333
CAR: UN REFUGEE AGENCY TO ASSIST 2,000 RETURNEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35329
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the Central
African Republic (CAR) has set aside 10 million francs CFA (US $17,988)
to assist some 2,000 people who have returned home since June, the
agency's country representative, Emile Segbor, told IRIN on Thursday.
CONGO/DRC: UNHCR REPATRIATES 197 REFUGEES FROM KINSHASA TO BRAZZAVILLE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35347
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriated
last Thursday 197 Republic of Congo refugees from neighbouring
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following assurances from
Brazzaville authorities that their safety would be guaranteed.
CONGO: UN AGENCY REPATRIATES 334 MORE REFUGEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35358
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriated
334 more refugees from neighbouring Gabon to the Republic of Congo, the
agency's refugee protection officer in Brazzaville told IRIN last
Friday.
GUINEA: TOO LITTLE TO RUN
http://www.refugees.org/news/press_releases/2003/toolittletorun.cfm
The 50 or so laughing children playing in the mud on a hot, rainy day
deep in Guineaıs remote Forest Region are mostly younger than 12 years
old, and, although small for their age, seem reasonably healthy. The
mud, their youth, and giggles are not the only things they share in
common, however. Each are abandoned children that were forced to flee
the orphanage they called home when the northeastern Liberian border
town of Ganta turned into a war zone earlier this year. They also have
another commonality that bonds them; each child is now a refugee in a
foreign land, attempting to again restart their already broken lives.
SIERRA LEONE: REFUGEES HEAD HOME
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=19225
"Thank God for arriving home safely,² says 20-year-old Emerson Fowai,
who was among 360 Sierra Leoneans evacuated from war-torn Liberia last
week. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) commenced the
repatriation of Sierra Leonean refugees from Liberia last week. And, so
far, close to 700 have been transported in two batches.
SOUTH AFRICA: ANTI-EVICTION CAMPAIGN HIT WITH SPATE OF UNLAWFUL ARRESTS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1328
The Anti-Eviction Campaign, a group that campaigns against the forced
removal of people from their homes, says it is ³saddened and disturbed²
by recent events, including a spate of arrests, to hit the community of
Mandela Park in the Western Cape, which comprises thousands of old
people who are all facing eviction.
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
AFRICA: 'NEVER AGAIN,' NOW IN THE CONGO
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.07.18/oped2.html
'A Sept. 11 toll, every day, for 666 days," headlined a June 25 article
in a Johannesburg newspaper, The Star, on the five-year-old conflict in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. How odd. The death of at least 3.3
million Africans - exceeding the numbers killed in either the Korean or
Vietnam wars - seems comprehensible to the newspaper's predominantly
white readership only in terms of a catastrophe that has so profoundly
affected the West. After the Holocaust, the world said "never again."
And yet, less than a decade ago, the international community turned
away from genocide in Rwanda. Now it seems willing to allow a replay in
the Congo. To many in Africa, white as well as black, the West is prone
to a sort of blindness when it comes to the fate of Africans.
THE NEW YOUR TIMES' RACIST REPORTING ON AFRICA
http://www.blackcommentator.org/49/49_nyt.html
More than 10 years ago, I brought to the attention of editors at The
New York Times my expose of cases of journalistic concoctions by
reporters and editors during the newspaperıs African news coverage. I
was virtually ignored. So you can imagine how I felt when Jayson
Blairıs plagiarism and fakery came back to haunt Times editors. Times
editors have known for years that reporters and editors committed ugly
transgressions in the past. Blairıs only mistake was being caught.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
AFRICA/GLOBAL: LANDMARK REPORT URGES GOVERNANCE REFORMS TO ARREST
DECLINE OF WORLDıS ENVIRONMENT
http://newsroom.wri.org/newsrelease_text.cfm?NewsReleaseID=252
A landmark report released last week calls for fundamental changes in
how decisions are made concerning the worldıs natural resources. The
report, World Resources 2002-2004: Decisions for the Earth Balance,
Voice, and Power, stresses the urgent need for such changes to arrest
the accelerating deterioration of the worldıs environment and to
address the crisis of global poverty.
AFRICA/GLOBAL: OTHER FISH IN THE SEA, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update25.htm
A recent review of marine fisheries concluded that a startling 90
percent of the world's large predatory fish, including tuna, swordfish,
cod, halibut, and flounder, have disappeared in the past 50 years. This
10-year study by Ransom Myers and Boris Worm at Canada's Dalhousie
University attributes the decline to a growing demand for seafood,
coupled with an expanding global fleet of technologically efficient
boats.
AFRICA: ACTIVISTS SUE TO STOP THE U.S. FROM IMPORTING AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-07-11/s_6496.asp
An animal rights coalition filed a lawsuit last Thursday aimed at
stopping the import of 11 African elephants to two U.S. zoos. The Save
Wild Elephants Coalition, which has been fighting for months to keep
the elephants in their natural habitat in Africa, filed suit in federal
court in Washington, D.C., challenging permits issued this week by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
AFRICA: SOLAR POWER NEEDS VIABLE BUSINESS MODELS
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/july/15july03/index.html
Solar power holds great potential as a source of clean, renewable
energy for Africa, but turning that potential into reality requires
effective marketing and financing of solar photovoltaic (PV) solar
panel installations, combined with viable business models. Experts
from 15 solar programmes in 13 countries took part in a workshop in
Pretoria, South Africa, recently that focused on these elements for
success.
AFRICA: SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE FOCUSES ON THE DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN NATURE AND SOCIETY
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/short/100/14/8059
The last decade has witnessed the emergence of an array of increasingly
vibrant movements to harness science and technology in the quest for a
transition toward sustainability. These movements take as their point
of departure a widely shared view that the challenge of sustainable
development is the reconciliation of society's development goals with
the planet's environmental limits over the long term.
AFRICA: UNESCO CALLS FOR RADICAL REFORM OF WATER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
http://portal.unesco.org/en/
ev.php@URL_ID=13603&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
In the face of looming water shortages, which threaten to affect
billions of the earthıs inhabitants by mid-century, UNESCO is calling
for a radical review and reform of water education programmes and for a
speedy doubling in the number of water professionals around the world.
This call is contained in a speech that the Director-General of UNESCO,
Koïchiro Matsuura, will deliver on Thursday July 17.
KENYA: EMPOWERING WOMEN RESULTS IN SMALLER POPULATIONS THAT PRESERVE
BIODIVERSITY
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-07-16/s_4776.asp
In and around the Kiunga National Marine Reserve on Kenya's northern
coast, basic services are hard to come by. Pushed by poverty and the
decline of marine ecosystems the use of resources is intensifying. In
Kiunga, the World Wildlife Fund is supporting a small number of girls'
scholarships. These are paired with environmental education, including
in-school activities and a week-long conservation camp.
MOZAMBIQUE: ENVIRONMENTALISTS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST INCINERATION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307150544.html
Activists from the Mozambican environmentalist NGO "Livaningo" staged a
demonstration on Monday in front of the World Bank offices in Maputo,
to protest against the bank's support for the building of incinerators
to burn toxic waste in developing countries, reports Tuesday's issue of
the daily paper "Noticias".
NIGERIA: FUEL PRICE HIKE SPELLS DOOM FOR NIGERIAıS FOREST
http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2003/2003-07-15-01.asp
Inhabitants of an oil rich country, Nigerians have had to resort to
using wood for fuel due to the increase in price of petroleum products.
When the Nigerian government on June 20 suddenly increased the prices
of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and the commonly used
kerosene by about 50 percent, it was a decision with far reaching
effects. Nigerian environmental groups say that massive deforestation
of the nationıs severely depleted forest may follow if the fuel price
increase is not reversed.
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11.MEDIA
AFRICA: PRESS FREEDOM FAILS TO FEATURE AT AU SUMMIT
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on the eve of the Assembly
of Heads of State at the African Union (AU) summit in Maputo,
Mozambique, expressed "deep concern" over the state of press freedom in
Africa. "We are dismayed that the issue of press freedom does not
appear on the conference agenda. As long as journalists' rights are
suppressed, and they are not free to report on official injustices,
such as corruption and other hindrances to development, the AU will not
be able to fulfil its mandate," said the CPJ.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16411
CAR: JOURNALIST RELEASED, ANOTHER FACES LEGAL HARASSMENT
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has protested the arrest of Ferdinand
Samba, publication director of the independent daily "Le Démocrate",
who was detained for four days, beyond the legal time limit for
detentions in police custody. The organisation has expressed concern
about the deteriorating press freedom situation in the Central African
Republic (CAR). "This latest incarceration of a CAR journalist is all
the more dismaying in that General François Bozizé's new regime had
made specific commitments regarding media freedom and had earlier
announced the decriminalisation of press law violations," RSF
Secretary-General Robert Ménard said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16416
DJIBOUTI: JAILED OUTSPOKEN OPPOSITION LEADER MUST BE RELEASED, SAYS
AMNESTY
Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional
release of Daher Ahmed Farah, an opposition party leader and director
of his party's newspaper. Daher Ahmed Farah, a prisoner of conscience,
has been repeatedly arrested because of his peacefully-held political
opinions.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16415
ERITREA: VOICE OF AMERICA CORRESPONDENT ARRESTED
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest and conscription
into the Eritrean army of the local correspondent of the radio station
Voice of America (VOA) and called for the immediate release of him and
18 other jailed media workers in the country, which it said was
"Africa's biggest prison for journalists."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16414
MALAWI: EDITORS MEET ON VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1329
Editors from private media houses have met to discuss political
violence against journalists. The meeting held under the auspices of
the media watchdog the National Media Institute of Southern Africa was
convened to review the state of the media environment in the wake of
the beating up of "The Nation" journalist, Daniel Nyirenda.
MALAWI: PRESIDENT NON-COMMITTAL ON VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALIST
In what could pass as a face-saving move, President Bakili Muluzi has
condemned as "unfortunate" the beating of Daniel Nyirenda, a
photojournalist with "The Nation" newspaper, by youths belonging to
Muluzi's ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16413
NAMIBIA: SWANU BEMOANS 'MEDIA CENSORSHIP'
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1330
Namibia's oldest political party, the South West Africa National Union,
has bemoaned what it says is a rise in censorship and sectarianism in
the local media, particularly those controlled by the State. Launching
its website in Windhoek, the party accused the media of practising
"prostituted journalism", aimed at the ideological indoctrination of
the Namibian masses.
WEST AFRICA: PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE ON MEDIA AND PEACE NEEDED
The needs and challenges imposed by the evolving conflicts in West
Africa call for the collaborative commitment of organisations active in
the region working on media and peace and the mobilisation and
deployment of intervention strategies along a common, coordinated and
comprehensive platform. In addition, the raging conflict situations in
Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire required urgent and particular attention.
This is according to recommendations from a three-day regional media
and peace programme planning meeting in Accra, Ghana, held from July 8
-10, 2003. The meeting examined the current situation, role and fate of
the media within the context of the protracted civil strifes and
violent conflicts that, directly or indirectly, afflict all of the
countries in West Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16454
ZIMBABWE: BROADCASTING AUTHORITY SELLING THE PUBLIC A DUMMY
Sizani Weza
The outreach campaign being conducted by the Broadcasting Authority of
Zimbabwe (BAZ) represents yet another attempt by the authorities to
frustrate aspiring broadcasters through delays. The questionnaire's
results are obvious-they will either justify ZBC's unfair monopoly in
the sector or give good reason for the need for an alternative
government run broadcaster.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16417
ZIMBABWE: JOURNALISTS HAVE 'NORMALISED' HARDSHIP, SAYS MMPZ
The Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) has noted with concern the
manner in which journalists controlling Zimbabweıs media have
apparently normalised the grinding socio-economic hardships in the
country to the extent that they no longer consider these stories of
great news value. As a result, investigative news about the real
effects of inflation on the public; transport problems; the alarming
collapse of the health delivery system; and rampant corruption in all
sectors of Zimbabwean society have either been given scant attention or
ignored altogether, says the organisation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16412
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12.DEVELOPMENT
AFRICA: BUSH IN AFRICA
The petro-military-commerce safari that George Bush embarked upon last
week may well succeed in the areas that progressive critics fear most,
writes Johannesburg-based academic and activist Patrick Bond. First,
the imperial-subimperial nexus in South Africa and Nigeria will
tighten. Second, the possibility of increased US military activity on
the continent will increase in some areas with bases in West Africa and
the Horn of Africa to guard oil fields and lesson in others.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16314
AFRICA: BUSH TRIP LEAVES KEY AFRICA POLICY ISSUES UNRESOLVED
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&ncid=655&e=1&u=/
oneworld/20030714/wl_oneworld/4536634251058189169
On his first week back from his whirlwind trip across Africa, President
George W. Bush will have a lot of explaining to do. Visiting UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan will want to know what the U.S. president
is prepared to do in war-torn Liberia. Annan and many in Congress, as
well as AIDS activists both here and in Africa, also want to know
whether Bush is prepared to push Congress to approve the full US$3
billion dollars for fiscal year 2004 as the first instalment of his $15
billion emergency program to fight AIDS in Africa.
AFRICA: BUSHıS TOUR AND US IMPERIALISMıS DESIGNS ON AFRICA
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/jul2003/afri-j15.shtml
A fraudulent aids policy aimed at advancing a neo-colonial agenda was
championed, U.S. corporate interests were advanced through the touting
of a free trade agreement and the primacy of access to oil over
democratic rights was made clear - these were the core issues of the
recent visit to Africa by U.S president George W. Bush, according to
the World Socialist Web Site.
AFRICA: TAKING A FIRM STANCE AGAINST NEPAD
Paper Presented At The African Civil Society Meeting On The Occasion Of
The II Conference Of The Heads Of State And Government Of The African
Union
"Even though some of NEPAD's stated goals may be well intentioned, the
development vision and economic measures that it puts across for the
realizations of these goals are either flawed in that they do not
reflect the problems affecting Africans in general and workers in
particular or makes heavy reliance on past discredited IMF, World Bank
programmes. As a result, NEPAD in its present form does not and will
not contribute to making Africa a better place for the average worker.
It does not explicitly recognize the role of the worker in development;
neither does it explicitly uphold the rights of the worker throughout
its deliberations. It relies on the assumption that NEPAD's benefit to
the worker can only come through indirect "trickle down" effects. This
has not worked in the past (under IMF, World Bank programmes) and there
is no reason to expect that it will work now."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16447
GRC EXCHANGE - A NEW WEBSITE PRESENTING RECENT THINKING IN GOVERNANCE
FOR DEVELOPMENT
http://www.grc-exchange.org/
Hosted by the Governance Resource Centre (GRC) of the UK Department for
International Development, and compiled by leading international
experts, the GRC Exchange provides a focal point for sharing ideas and
experience in governance. Information services include: Governance
Theme pages key texts and resources exploring the key governance
themes and cross-cutting issues; Information Database summaries of
and access to the best writing in governance.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: TOWARDS A CIVIL
SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE ON REFRAMING POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES
Presented At The UNDP MDGs Forum, Johannesburg, 2 - 4 July 2003
http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000416/index.php
Especially since the mid-1990s, Southern African civil society
organisations have consistently campaigned against poverty and for
policy and governance transformation towards defined social development
objectives. The Millennium Development Goals correspond directly with
the objectives of civil society organisations that have been active in
social and economic justice advocacy work in the region. However,
Southern African civil society organisations have either ignored or
been slow in taking up the Millennium Development Goals framework in
their research, service provision, community organisation, and advocacy
work. Meanwhile, there is increasing coordinated research, education,
and advocacy work beginning to happen among Southern African civil
society organisations in regard to the New Partnership for Africa's
Development and the African Union.
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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY
FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DATABASE
http://fossfa.org/database/
The FOSSFA database is a repository of information about people,
projects and organisations working on Free and Open Source Software in
Africa.
NGO KNOWLEDGE MAP
http://ngomap.blogspot.com/
This blog collects knowledge on the world of non-government
organisations (NGOs). A specific theme is to improve the world by
mapping the NGO world.
SIMPUTER: COMPUTERS FOR THE POOR OR AN IDEALISTIC DREAM?
http://www.scidev.net/Features/
index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=182&language=1
The Simputer - a cheap, pocket-sized computing device designed for use
by rural populations in India - has been hailed as a breakthrough in
bringing the world of computing to the poor. But with delays in
production, escalating development costs and a dearth of buyers, can
this idealistic project ever be pulled off?
SNA ENEWSSCHOOLNETAFRICA E-NEWS
SNA ENEWSSchoolNetAfrica E-News is an e-mail service aimed at people
interested in education through information and communication
technologies (ICTs) in African schools. The latest edition contains
information on a project called 'From Guns to Computers', an executive
summary of ICT's in African Schools, information about a regional
workshop on teacher training and more.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16410
THE BASICS OF NONPROFIT EMAIL: ESSENTIAL PAPERS AND RESOURCES
http://gilbert.forms.soceco.org/15863/48796/20dbe452b7d9/56376
This report is the first in a new series of research publications by
The Gilbert Centre. It contains previously unpublished material,
including: 59 selected and annotated email related online resources;
and "Twelve Ways To Fail at Email", the 12 fundamental Dos and Donts.
UN SEEKS TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/Comment/
Comment030620037.html
The remarkable information technology advances have created vast new
opportunities, yet they have also generated 'new divides' between rich
and poor," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said last week at a meeting
of information and broadcasting ministers in Bangkok. The widening
digital divide has led the UN to call the first-ever World Summit on
the Information Society this December, bringing together political,
private sector, civil society and media leaders to spread the benefits
of the digital revolution and promote "inclusive digitalization."
USING PDAS AND CELLPHONES: THE RIGHT DEVICES AT THE RIGHT PRICE?
http://www.balancingact-africa.com
The cost of a computing device is one of the significant barriers
holding back the use of ICT uptake in Africa, whether for personal,
corporate or government use. Devices like the simputer have yet to make
a significant dent on this barrier. However there are a number of
experiments with PDAs that offer tantalising clues to ways in which it
might be broken. Visit the Balancing Act web site for the full story.
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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS
ARTISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS' NEWSLETTER
http://www.ahr.org.za/news072003/index.html
This issue includes:
-Human Rights Art Student Exchange
- Visiting Artist: Anthony Nkotsi
- Exhibition: South African Bill of Rights in Massachusetts
- Burma in Need for Support
- Human Rights Film Festival
- Coming Up: Images Portfolio in Constitutional Court.
BOOKLINKS
http://www.bookaid.org/resources/downloads/BookLinks_3.pdf
Produced twice a year by Book Aid International, this newsletter aims
to help strengthen links between librarians, publishers and
booksellers. It provides a forum for debating relevant topics and
includes regular features on key ICT issues, as well as showcasing
relevant websites and e-mail addresses. To join the mailing list,
please contact the Editor at [log in to unmask]
E-CIVICUS 204
4-17 July 2003
In the latest issue, CIVICUS looks into education and civil society,
including: Universal Primary Education in Uganda and Pakistan; Save the
Children refurbishes schools in Zimbabwe; Gender disparity in
education. To subscribe email [log in to unmask]
ICONNECT GHANA
http://www.iconnectghana.org
ICONNECT GHANA is a quarterly online, offline and e-mail knowledge
service designed to enable the use of ICTs as a tool for Ghana's
development.
NEW HUMAN RIGHTS SEARCH TOOL
http://www.hurisearch.org
HURIDOCS has announced a new tool for searching human rights
information on the Web, http://www.hurisearch.org. HURISEARCH allows
searching sites of non-governmental human rights organisations in 58
different languages. HURISEARCH is a pilot project, and at the moment
over 600 sites of human rights NGOs are included. Suggestions to
include additional sites are welcome. HURISEARCH has been established
in cooperation with Human Rights Education Associates.
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15.FUNDRAISING
FUNDRAISING FROM EUROPE
Chris Carnie
http://www.chapel-york.com/
Fundraising from Europe is much more than just obtaining funds from the
European Union. It also means fundraising from the 370+ million
individuals, thousands of companies and trusts and foundations. This
book will help you fund raise from the latter three sources. The
European fundraising market turns over £200 billion each year. It
includes some of the worldıs largest foundations, headquarters of many
of the worldıs leading businesses and one-third of the wealth held by
the worldıs high net worth individuals. This book shows you how to
successfully access these funds using case studies and providing facts
and figures from the extensive and valuable European scene.
SOUTH AFRICA: DIDATA HELPS AIDS CENTRE
http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2003/
0307151028.asp?A=SCR&S=Social%20Responsibility&T=Section&O=SL
Global technology group Dimension Data has announced that it will help
Grahamstown's St Raphael Centre for the care of people with HIV/AIDS to
achieve its goal of raising R1 million.
SOUTH AFRICA: MANDELA REMAINS COMMITTED TO FUNDRAISING DESPITE AGE
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1390451-6078-0,00.html
Nelson Mandela, two days before his 85th birthday, says he will
continue to seek funding for schools projects and programmes geared at
fighting HIV/Aids. "I will spend the rest of my days trying to help
secure a more educated and healthier South Africa," Mandela said on
Wednesday.
SOUTH AFRICA: MPUMALANGA MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVE R4M FROM USAID
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307150557.html
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has
signed an agreement with Ehlanzeni Municipality aimed at building the
capacity of councillors in the area. Ehlanzeni comprises four
municipalities - Mbombela, Nkomazi, Umjindi and Thaba Chweu. The
partnership programme will see direct financial assistance, about R4
million from the USAID, flowing into Ehlanzeni, which amongst others,
will be used to develop and implement an efficient ward system.
SOUTH AFRICA: R225M PROVIDED TO FUND MINDSET NETWORK
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1390444-6078-0,00.html
Mindset Network, a multimedia satellite TV network, has been launched
in Johannesburg with corporate support valued at R225 million. Mindset
Network is a non-profit organisation which will address the education
challenges which face South Africa, including schooling, health and
entrepreneurship.
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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS
DEVELOPMENT LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAMME
Institute Of Social Studies, The Netherlands, 17 May 2 July 2004; 24
May 8 July 2005
The Development Law and Social Justice Programme is an academic
programme aimed at strengthening capacity for lobbying, advocacy and
networking on human rights issues. It brings together experienced human
rights activists, legal practitioners, jurists, academics and human
rights policy makers and facilitates their sharing of experiences and
strategies. The Development Law and Social Justice Programme covers
core issues in human rights. These include legal resources and
political instruments of an international and regional nature and the
role of various state and non-state actors in shaping international and
regional human rights policies. They also include collective rights
such as those of women, children, minorities and indigenous peoples and
state responsibility for protecting them, and various strategies for
strengthening human rights advocacy, education, communication and
resource mobilisation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16383
HIGHWAY AFRICA NEW MEDIA CONFERENCE
8 - 10 September 2003, Grahamstown, South Africa
www.highwayafrica.org.za
The annual Highway Africa new media conference will run this year in
Grahamstown from 8 - 10 September 2003. This year's theme is
Mainstreaming Media in the Information Society and the three-day
conference will include discussions, debates, training workshops and
evening entertainment. Please visit www.highwayafrica.org.za for more
details.
REPORTING HIV/AIDS ON RADIO
Institute For The Advancement Of Journalism, 11 - 15 August 2003,
Johannesburg
The course is aimed at HIV/AIDS journalists and producers working for
public and commercial radio stations. Case studies, assignments,
role-plays and group exercises will characterise training methodologies
and proceedings of the workshop. These will take participants through
vigorous discussion and debate on creating and compiling a marketable
and developmental programming on HIV/AIDS.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16380
THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIPLOMA PROGRAMME
Institute For Social Studies, The Netherlands, 14 January 26 March
2004; 12 January 24 March 2005
The Human Rights Diploma Programme is an academic programme aimed at
strengthening capacity for the promotion, protection and advancement of
human rights activities to meet a specific need in human rights
advocacy and activism. It builds upon existing theoretical and
practical experiences and equips the participants with the capabilities
for protecting, enforcing and evaluating the impact of human rights.
The Human Rights diploma programme covers a number of substantive
fields. These include international human rights law and organisations,
where the evolution of international human rights law and practice as
well as its current implementations are covered. It also includes
domestic instruments for the protection and promotion of human rights
which seek to analyse and compare the ways and mechanisms used by
various countries to protect human rights. It further analyses the role
of state and non-state actors in the enforcement, promotion and
protection of human rights, and the use of information and
communication technologies in human rights work.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16382
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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES
OPEN LETTER CAMPAIGN FOR THE DRC
http://www.dwcw.org/cgi/wwwbbs.cgi?Africa&109
The humanitarian crisis continues in eastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo. While the recent formation of an interim government and arrival
of a multinational protection force in the province of Ituri have
brought a new level of security and opportunity to the country, they
have not ended fighting among rival militia groups or prevented
violence against civilians and human rights violations in the eastern
territories. The undersigned in the letter available by clicking on the
link provided call on their governments to support, each to the limit
of its capacity, an expanded and strengthened effort in the DRC, that
matches the extent of the emergency.
PETITION AIMS TO BOOST WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN MALAWI
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1331
A petition from the NGO Gender Co-ordination Network to State President
Bakili Muluzi calls for greater women's participation in political and
decision-making structures. By signing the petition, you will
participate in a chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to actively support
in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development.
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18.JOBS
EASTERN AFRICA: RECRUITMENT OF SHORT-TERM SENIOR CONSULTANTS
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation focuses on strengthening
middle level organisations in local government, private sector and
civil society. ³Building Advisory Practice² (BAP) is a new initiative
by the SNV country programmes in Eastern Africa to examine the ways we
assist our partners and clients to become stronger institutions and
better at reaching their goals and objectives. Countries involved in
the initiative are Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. Based
on preliminary case studies developed during the BAP start-up phase,
the initiative will now focus on developing knowledge products that
will guide efforts to improve the quality of services. SNV will engage
several experts/writers to execute this process. Their main task will
be to produce three booklets, involving assessment of current
materials, further research and consultations. They may also contribute
to production of other materials as needed. The assignment will involve
travel to the different countries.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16375
KENYA: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER
Acord
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1403.html
ACORD is working in alliance with others to promote social justice and
development. With an income of £8 million p.a. it implements long-term
development programmes in 18 African countries that unites practical
work with advocacy, research and social action. As a result of the
relocation to Nairobi and the restructuring of our Head Office, ACORD
is looking for an experienced English and French or Portuguese speaking
Human Resource Manager to be based in our Nairobi office.
KENYA: RESEARCH TRAINEE
African Population And Health Research Centre
The Africa Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) invites
applications from qualified candidates for the position of Research
Trainee. The description of the position is available through the link
provided. For more information about APHRC, please visit the website:
http://www.aphrc.org
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16376
SOUTH AFRICA: LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME OFFICER
The Electoral Institute Of Southern Africa (EISA)
EISA is a not-for-profit section 21 company located in Johannesburg.
EISA's mission is to strengthen electoral processes, good governance,
human rights and democratic values through research, capacity building,
advocacy and other targeted interventions. EISA services governments,
electoral commissions, political parties, civil society organisations
and other institutions. EISA has a vacancy for local Government
Programme Officer. The post requires the following qualifications: A
minimum 3 years qualification in Social Science; A postgraduate
qualification is an advantage; Familiarity with and experience in local
government environment in South Africa including an understanding of
relevant legislation; Good computer skills; Willingness to travel;
Support and work within EISA vision; Self-motivated and able to work
under pressure; and Facilitation and training experience.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16378
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19.BOOKS AND ARTS
ARTIST IN RESIDENCY: FRED KATO MUTEBI
Www.africancolours.com
http://www.africancolours.com/?content/fredkatomutebi.html
Visit www.africancolours.com for a display of work by Ugandan graphic
artist Fred Mutebi, whose motivations are the African people and their
environment, the colours and the splendour of Uganda (the pearl of
Africa), and the rural people of Africa.
BEARING WITNESS
Fiona C. Ross
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/
isbninquiry.asp?endeca=1&ean=9780745318912
People who witness acts of terror and violence are often called after
the event to bear witness to what they saw. In cases where this
violence is inflicted by the state upon its own people, the process of
bearing witness is both politically complex and traumatic for the
individual involved. Fiona Ross's fascinating study of the process of
bearing witness is the first book to examine the gendered dimensions of
this topic from an anthropological and ethnographic viewpoint. Taking
as a key example the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South
Africa, Ross explores women's relationships to testimony, particularly
the extent to which women avoid talking about or are silent about
certain forms of violence and suffering.
JOURNAL OF PEACE BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
CALL FOR PAPERS: VOLUME I NUMBER 2 Peace Building And Development
Challenges And Opportunities In Africa
Journal of Peace building and Development, a new tri-annual refereed
journal providing a forum for the sharing of critical thinking and
constructive action on issues at the intersections of conflict,
development, and peace, is calling for papers for its first issue. This
volume IV will endeavour to capture and examine critical peace building
and development topics and questions that challenge our era in the
African context. Please click on the link for more information.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16348
KENYAN WINS 2003 CAINE PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Congratulations: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/new16072003003.htm
Kenyan writer Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is this year's winner of the 2003
Caine Prize for African Writing. She was awarded for her short story
Weight of Whispers, published in Kwani? magazine in 2003. Yvonne beat
five other African writers drawn from Zimbabwe, Congo and two from
South Africa who were all highly commended by the panel of judges, led
by Abdulrazak Gurnah. The prize that is awarded annually for African
creative writing is named after the late Sir Michael Caine, former
chairman of Booker Plc and chairman of the Booker Prize management
committee for nearly 25 years.
NKRUMAH AND GHANA
Kofi Buenor Hadjor
http://store.yahoo.com/africanworld/0865430004.html
This study of Nkrumah provides a compelling account of one of the most
significant politicians in post-colonial Africa. Hadjor argues that
although Nkrumah's experiment failed, it continues to have relevance
for Africa today. He also illustrates how certain mistakes were
unavoidable during Nkrumah's time. He writes of the clarity of
Nkrumah's vision, which helps throw light on the problems many Africans
face today. In this important way, Hadjor's reworking of the essential
themes of Nkrumah's presidency contributes to the debate on the
political future of Africa and promises to give focus to the recent
revival of interest in Nkrumah.
SOUTH AFRICA / DUTCH CONTEMPORARY DANCE COLLABORATION
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1335
Comprising of six dancers, the work Ludic Liminalityı, will be
showcased to a South African audience before moving to the Netherlands
for a series of performances there in November and December.
SOUTH AFRICA: TIMBILA POETRY MANIFESTO
http://www.africapulse.org.za/
index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1341
³We, poets of South Africa, declare for all the country and the world
to know that a country that does not appreciate poetry is a doomed
country. This means that our poetry, just like our music and dance,
contributed a great deal to South Africaıs present dispensation.
Another reason is that new South African poetry is hardly ever studied
in schools and universities; and that our public libraries do not carry
sufficient poetry resources. Although there are policies and
institutions to support the arts, there has been very little support
for poetry and poets. We therefore commit ourselves to building a
conscious society that appreciates poetry from primary to higher
levels.²
THE GEOPOLITICS OF HUNGER 2000-2001: HUNGER AND POWER
Edited By Action Against Hunger
http://www.du.edu/gsis/hrhw/booknotes/2003/bn-munoz-2003.htm
In 2001, Action Against Hunger celebrated its 22nd birthday with a
growing awareness that the eradication of hunger requires much more
than simply ensuring that global production of foodstuffs maintains
pace with growing populations. In that year, AAH published The
Geopolitics of Hunger, 2000-2001: Hunger and Power, an edited volume
that presents an overview of contemporary food security issues. Indeed,
the argument made by AAH is more complicated than supply and demand:
control of food supplies is a tool wielded by authorities in power and
those seeking to contest that power. Famine is more often a result of
human action than environmental drought or disaster. The Geopolitics of
Hunger describes the places and ways in which chronic malnutrition and
the threat of starvation result from political manipulation of food
supplies, despite international legal prohibitions against the use of
food as weapon of war.
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21.LETTERS AND COMMENTS
A LETTER FROM SENEGAL
Dear Friends
As you probably know, this week George Bush is visiting Africa.
Starting with Senegal, he arrived this morning at 7.20 PM and left at
1.30 PM. Let me share with you what we have been through since last
week: More than 1,500 persons have been arrested and put in jail
between Thursday and Monday. Hopefully they will be released now that
the Big Man is gone; The US Army's planes flying day and night over
Dakar. The noise they make is so loud that one hardly sleeps at night;
About 700 security people from the US were here for Bush's security,
with their dogs, and their cars. Senegalese security forces were not
allowed to come near the US president; All trees in places where Bush
will pass have been cut. Some of them have been there for more than 100
years; All roads going down town (were hospitals, businesses, schools
are located) were closed from Monday night to Tuesday at 3 PM. This
means that we could not go to our offices or schools. Sick people were
also obliged to stay at home; National exams for high schools that
started on Monday are postponed until Wednesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=16401
AFRICA UNION PRESS FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CAMPAIGN PETITION
STILL OPEN
CREDO & FAHAMU
CREDO and FAHAMU would like to thank everyone that has supported or
signed up for the African Union Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression
Campaign. The campaign petition with signatories as of July 7th was
submitted to the African Union in Maputo at the African Union 2nd
annual summit on the 9th of July. The campaign petition is still open
till the end of September 2003. The updated list of signatories will be
submitted to the newly elected Chairperson of the Commission of the
African Union H.E. Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare who replaces the interim
Chair H.E. Amara Essy. The new African Commission Chairperson resumes
office in September. The petition can be signed at the petition site by
clicking on http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/freeafricanmedia/ or
by sending: Name, Name of organisation, Position or Title, (if
applicable) Country and comments if any - to
[log in to unmask] . Also help by circulating the
information to other persons or organisations. If you would you like to
do more, please make this message part of your signature and/or forward
it to like-minded people.
DOREEN LWANGA
Uganda
I read with satisfaction and excitement word by word the "Open Letter
to President Bush² (see PAMBAZUKA 118). I include myself as an endorser
of such a detailed and well-assessed letter which touches on a lot of
the subjects that affect the work, aspirations and hearts of many
Africans longing for continental prosperity. However, I was
disappointed that the writers ignored African-Americans, who are a
strategic and powerful constituency for Africa in the United States. As
continental Africans, we share ancestral, historical, societal and
economic sameness with African-Americans even though we may live on two
different continents. African activists and civil society - especially
those engaged in changing US/Africa relations - have an obligation to
involve and tap the powerful voices of African-Americans.
JUSTIN SCOTT
Congratulations on the launch of Pambazuka News (online database) and
thank-you for including me in your mailing list. The weekly summary
appears to be comprehensive and exhaustive with the many challenges
which face the African continent. My best wishes and I look forward to
keeping abreast of African news and hopefully peace and progress.
MICHAEL CARMICHAEL
The Oxford Centre For Public Affairs, UK
The letter (PAMBAZUKA NEWS 118: OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH) and the
following links and news items are a brilliant summary of the state of
African politics and human rights at this point in time. Helen
Wangusa's letter to Bush is a masterpiece of insight and analysis into
the shameful manipulation of the media for political purposes that is
driving the American agenda in Africa. There are many more problems in
Africa than can be covered in this one newsletter, and I would like to
take this opportunity to recommend subscription to Pambazuka News to
everyone interested in human rights.
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PAMBAZUKA NEWS IS PUBLISHED BY FAHAMU
In Association With SANGONeT
Fahamu - learning for change
14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK
620 Overport City, Durban 4001, South Africa
[log in to unmask]
http://www.fahamu.org
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http://www.fahamu.org.za
Editor: Firoze Manji, Fahamu
Research and compilation: Patrick Burnett, Fahamu
Contributing Editors:
Alan Finlay, SANGONeT http://www.sn.apc.org
Rotimi Sankore, CREDO [log in to unmask]
Pambazuka News is hosted at Kabissa
1519 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 301, Washington DC, 20036 USA
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http://www.kabissa.org
SUBMITTING NEWS: send to [log in to unmask]
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The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed
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(c) Fahamu 2003
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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, E Main St, between 23 & 24th, Suite 200.
7:00 pm Business meeting.
7:30 pm Zimbabwean Film "Jit", followed by a discussion.
(Everyone is welcome).
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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