---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 14:25:11 +0000
From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 88 - BLACK HISTORY: SIGNIFICANCE FOR
    THE DIASPORA AND AFRICA



----------
From: [log in to unmask]
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:47:29 -0600
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 88 - BLACK HISTORY: SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE DIASPORA
AND AFRICA

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 88
A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa

CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights and
Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. Education and Social Welfare, 7.
Women
and Gender, 8. Refugees and Forced Migration, 9. Racism and Xenophobia, 10.
Environment, 11. Media, 12. Development, 13. Internet and Technology, 14.
eNewsletters and Mailing Lists, 15. Fundraising, 16. Courses, Seminars, and
Workshops, 17. Advocacy Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters
and Comments

If you have e-mail access, you can get web resources listed in this
Newsletter
by sending a message to [log in to unmask] with the web address (usually
starting with http://) in the body of your message.

Want to get off our subscriber list? Write to [log in to unmask] and
your address will be removed immediately!

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

1.EDITORIAL

BLACK HISTORY: SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE DIASPORA AND AFRICA
Rotimi Sankore
Black history is increasingly being celebrated in Europe and the Americas.
In
the United States and the United Kingdom especially, specific months of the
year - February and October respectively have been officially set aside to
celebrate or commemorate Black History month. On the African continent
itself,
the celebration or commemoration of Black history is yet to enjoy the same
status or significance it does in the diaspora. This is possibly because
Blacks
in the diaspora are under greater psychological pressure to fill the void in
their history and assert their social worth as equals to non-Blacks. It is
important to clarify here, that 'Black' in this write up, is used in
its 'narrow' sense to describe people of African descent or identity, as
opposed to its broader usage in say the United Kingdom to describe non-white
persons of African, Asian or other distinctly non-white origins.

It is also necessary to stress here, that African descent and identity are
of
equal value. This is an important clarification as there are now hundreds of
thousands or even a few million persons who may be able to trace their
ancestry
to Europe and Asia, but identify themselves firmly and unshakeably as
Africans,
and must be accepted and respected as such. (Some Africans argue that those
not
of African descent that exhibit a settler or colonial master mentality
should
be excluded from this definition. Whatever the merits or demerits of that
position, it is the subject of another debate entirely)

Why celebrate black history?

Many people of various 'races' including Africans, especially those that
reside
on the African continent often wonder what is significant about Black
history
that necessitates its celebration or commemoration in the diaspora. Why for
instance is it not important to celebrate White history? A school of thought
advocates that it is absurd to suggest that White history is not already
celebrated. After all, European history takes up a large chunk of the
history
syllabus of secondary schools and institutions of higher learning not just
in
Europe, but also in much of Africa and Asia and wherever else European
colonialists reached in their quest for riches, slaves and colonies to
exploit.
Even non – European history is taught from a largely European worldview.
European and more significantly African children are taught for instance
that
Mungo Park the European explorer discovered the river Niger. The subliminal
suggestion being that Africans lived around the river, and utilised its
resources for centuries but never 'found' it. Any responses to exam
questions,
which contradict this imparted wisdom leads to failure, and failure is
equated
with ignorance or at least, the inability to learn. By default, African
children have been taught since colonialism, that Africa has no history. But
again, why is all this of any significance? Why is there an increasing
desire
to assert that people of African descent and identity have a history, hence
the
celebration of Black history.

The answer lies in the potential of history to influence or control the
perception of self worth of individuals, countries, continents and peoples
or 'races'. No history equals no achievement. No achievement equals no
pride.
No pride equals no dignity and no dignity equals an inferiority complex. The
reverse of this process, a rich history, many achievements, cause for pride
and
dignity may not result in a superiority complex, but certainly does not lead
to
an inferiority complex. An inferiority complex, and lack of self-belief as
any
psychologist will confirm, leads to lack of motivation, which in turn
results
in underachievement.

Conventional history and wisdom has it for example, that most if not all the
great advances in and contributions to science, technology, industry, social
and political organisation were made, and are still being made by non-Black
people. In other words and in one sentence, the great strides in
civilisation
have been largely attributed to Europe and those of European descent. Africa
(and Africans) in contrast, has been portrayed as the “dark continent” of
savagery and barbarism that needed to be 'civilised', and in contemporary
times
is perpetually in need of support and handouts to save it from descending
into
the abyss of anarchy, hunger, disease and poverty. This image has a negative
effect on Blacks in the diaspora, and somehow has provided the philosophical
justification for slavery, colonialism and possibly, the incredible refusal
of
western governments at last year's world conference on racism, to accept
that
slavery was and is a crime against humanity.

The consequences of these are grave and raise many questions that demand
answers. Why, is race an issue? Because there is racism. Why is their
racism?
Because there is discrimination. Why is there discrimination? Because it
rationalises exploitation. Why is there exploitation? Because some people
benefit from it. If you are said to be inferior, your life cannot be worth
the
same as that of someone superior to you. If your life is not of equal worth,
then it is expendable, or at least exploitable and you can be a source of
cheap
or even free labour, hence slavery – hence Apartheid which as we all know,
institutionalised gross violations of human rights, and was established to
be a
crime against humanity. If apartheid is a crime against humanity, why not
slavery?

Slavery and colonialism played a great role in the erasure and
marginalisation
of African history. We know today, that history is told from the worldview
of
the 'conquerors'. If the Nazis had won World War 2, for example, world
history
would be told differently. The consequences of slavery, have therefore
included
decades of mis-education, Africans not to excel, but to service the clerical
and administrative ranks of colonial governments, as most Black south
Africans
were denied the same standard of education as Whites in order to perpetuate
an
underclass of ignorant millions with nothing but a life of slavery to look
forward to.

What is there to celebrate?

The celebration of black history in the diaspora, can therefore be seen as
an
attempt by Black people to show that they had a history before slavery and
colonialism that they have contributed to the march of world civilisation,
that
Black people have and can make giant strides and are therefore not inferior.
This poses the strong possibility of instituting self-belief, improving
motivation, and restoring dignity, which after all is a key human right.

In the entire history of humanity - both written and unwritten - only Africa
and Africans, have been subjected to centuries of full-scale slavery and
colonisation followed by being the battle ground of cold war politics. No
continent or people could have survived the forced removal for slavery, of
over
three hundred million of its people - mostly youth, followed by ruthless
colonial exploitation. If Europe were to suffer the same fate today, and
lost
three hundred million people in their prime to slavery, had borders
artificially broken up and redrawn to lay the basis for conflict, suffered
colonial exploitation, and cold war interventions that created and sustained
dictators of the likes of Mobutu of Zaire, it would resemble Africa today.
Conversely, if Africa had the dubious benefit of millions of unpaid slaves
to
build up the continent over centuries, it would have led to an accumulation
of
wealth and capital just as was created in Europe and America, which created
the
basis for the industrial revolution.

If we agree that the main aim of slavery was the economic exploitation of
slaves, it is easy to appreciate the fear by American and European
governments
and corporations that the admission that slavery is a crime against humanity
will leave them open to massive claims of compensation, which is a tacit
acknowledgement of the fact that the accumulated wealth of their countries
owes
much to slavery and colonialism.

The myth of racial superiority is built in part on promotion of the
falsehood
that Africa was civilised by Europeans. On the contrary, it is widely
acknowledged today by the greatest scientific minds of all races that Africa
is
the cradle of human civilisation. What is not widely acknowledged is the
implication of this on world history. Some people argue that there is no
need
to duel on the past - that we need to look to the future. This is wrong. We
must dwell on the past because the contemporary mis-understanding of history
serves to promote the myth of "white supremacy" and facilitate racism and
gross
violations of human rights. No serious person today underestimates the
importance of psychology in anything - even in sports. If all available
evidence suggests that Africans and "Blacks" have contributed nothing to
human
civilisation, the myth of racial superiority will remain and with it racism
and
the psychological damage inflicted on many people of African descent and
identity.

If contemporary history did not recognise the contributions of past Greek,
Roman or Chinese civilisations to human development, the perception of their
place in world history today would be different. Similarly, what would be
the
reaction if two thousand years from now, if the contributions of Albert
Einstein, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and other Jews to human civilisation were
denied, or the contributions of countless and nameless Japanese persons to
the
development of science and technology? There would be a void in the history
of
these peoples and nationalities. Of course, not all of Africa attained the
level of sophistication of the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Nubia or
Ethiopia, or later the social and political organisation of Mali, Benin or
Ghana "Empires". The same applies to China or Europe at the height of
ancient
Greek civilisation or the Roman Empire. Alongside advances existed
backwardness. The Romans for instance had the barbarians alongside them who
dealt them severe blows.

It therefore amounts to falsification of history not to clearly and openly
acknowledge the contributions of "Black" and African civilisations and
persons
to human development. Contemporary accounts of popular history therefore
need
to be corrected. For instance, papyrus [paper], alphabets and ink, which are
pillars of education, were used in ancient Egypt which contrary to the
Hollywood version of history was at the time a "Black" civilisation. It is
also
historical fact, that the libraries of Egypt were torched by invading Roman
armies of the Caesars during the decline of the ancient Egypt, which
alongside
its age, explains why most written ancient Egyptian History is lost. At the
height of Roman civilisation, shorthand was famously taught in Rome by the
African Tiro who opened a school to teach the scribes of the Roman Senate.

Similarly the fundamentals of modern mathematics were taught to Greek
scholars
by "Black" Egyptians who worked with fractions, algebra, geometry and the
value
of Pi which were all deployed in the construction of the great pyramids
hundreds of years before Greek civilisation and Isaac Newton. To this day,
modern science is unable to crack the wonders of the ancient pyramids of
Egypt,
which remain the best showcases of ancient African architecture. In
medicine,
it is widely assumed that Hippocrates a Greek is the father of modern
medicine
hence the Hippocratic oath but this is wrong. Imhotep of ancient Egypt is
now
acknowledged as the father of modern medicine. The symbol of the medical
profession - a winged staff entwined by serpents - was the insignia found on
his temples two thousand years before Hippocrates. His ancient temple was a
centre for experiments in anatomy, surgery and pharmacology.

To appreciate all this, the history of civilisations has to be placed in
context. The ancient African civilisations of Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia
existed
from around 2600 BC, the Chinese from around 1600 BC. By comparison, the
City-
states of Greece only came into existence around 650 BC and the Roman Empire
around 149 BC. With the possible exception of the Chinese who only stumbled
upon other civilisations around 126 BC the general pattern was that the
Romans
borrowed ideas from the Greeks who in turn had borrowed ideas from the
Egyptians. It is therefore not very surprising, that a lot of modern
thinking
is attributed to the Greeks especially through thinkers like Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle. It is also generally not known, that the Greek/Macedonian
Army
of Alexander the Great only reached Egypt over two thousand years after the
pyramids were built and that Greek scholars had previously come to learn in
Egypt. The rise and fall of civilisations also complicates much of history.
For
instance, the once great British Empire has shrunk while it is difficult to
believe that the USA did not even exist a mere 300 years ago.

"Black" contributions to modern civilisation

In modern times, it is generally assumed that the inventions that have
accelerated the growth of science and technology have been by "White"
people.
This perception exists in Africa, as well as in Europe and America where
people
should know better. But how are most people to know when the popular
versions
of history are misleading?

A variety of some popular everyday applications invented by "Black" people
include: the railway signal; lawn mower; gas burner; automatic refrigeration
system; traffic signal/traffic lights; fountain pen; motor used in engines;
overhead conducting system for electric railway systems; vending machines
that
deliver tickets and return change to customers; and automatic
street-sweepers.
Other complex devices include the first lubricator or oiling device used for
industrial machinery that allows machines to remain in motion while being
automatically oiled. [The term the "real McCoy" refers to a question asked
by
buyers who wanted to know if the machines on sale were the "real McCoy" -
after
the maker Elijah McCoy]; the first automatic refrigeration system for long
haul
trucks which today allows the preservation of food in transit. This was, in
turn, adapted to a variety of other carriers, including ships, railway cars,
and aircraft. A self-starting gasoline motor; the railway telegraph that
allows
trains in motion to communicate with stations; and the carbon filament used
in
electric lamps. "Black" people also introduced medical innovations such as
open-
heart surgery and the blood bank. Most of these examples with the exception
of
the blood bank and open-heart surgery are over a hundred years old and
exclude
contemporary developments or other areas of human endeavour such as
academia,
art, literature, sport, music and so forth.

In other words, if presented correctly, history shows that racial
superiority,
which rationalises racism, is a myth. If all races are equal, then there is
no
basis for racism and economic exploitation just as there never was any basis
for slavery and colonialism beyond greed. The correction of contemporary
understanding of Black history has massive implications for people of
African
descent and identity, in relation to racism, human rights, dignity and self-
respect. In other words there are serious sociological, psychological and
political reasons for correcting the wrong perception of, and for
celebrating
Black history. It is not a White versus Black argument, its an argument for
equitable recognition of the contribution of all peoples to the development
of
human civilisation.

*Sankore is Co-ordinator of CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated
Rights. Send your comments to [log in to unmask] and we will consider them
for publication in the Letters and Comments section.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES

AFRICA: THE ADVENTURE CAPITALIST: DOING BUSINESS IN AFRICA'S WAR ZONES
http://www.icij.org/dtaweb/icij_bow.asp?Section=Chapter&ChapNum=7
Niko Shefer leaned forward and explained the competitive advantage small
entrepreneurs enjoy over corporate multinationals when doing business in
war-
ravaged countries like Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I
move with cash. I can buy the president a Mercedes 600. How can a normal
company justify that? How do they explain that to the shareholders? I do not
need board meetings. I am the board.” Shefer is one of a new breed of
adventurers and opportunists who have the acumen and the ruthlessness to
profit
from Africa’s war zones.

BURUNDI: PEACE TALKS COLLAPSE
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2420245.stm
Talks between Burundi President Pierre Buyoya and ethnic Hutu rebels ended
last
week without them agreeing a ceasefire. Regional leaders had imposed a
deadline
which expired at midnight last Thursday for a deal to be reached.

DRC: ''HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE'' EMERGING IN ITURI, UN SAYS
A growing humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Ituri District, eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as rebels and ethnic militia battle
for
dominance, according to a UN official.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11478

DRC: MISSIONARIES DENOUNCE VIOLENCE IN MAMBASA
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=562
Missionary group The Dehonian Fathers have denounced recent violence in the
DRC. Father Dino Ruaro, one of the eye witnesses, writes: “What Bemba's
soldiers did is beyond imagination. In 33 years in Africa I have never seen
anything like this. The city of Mambasa was plundered."

ETHIOPIA: DROUGHT STIMULATES OUTBREAKS OF VIOLENCE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30834
At least 20 women have been shot dead in northeastern Ethiopia, humanitarian
sources told IRIN last Friday. The women, all ethnic Afars, were killed as
they
were on their way home from a market, the sources confirmed. The shooting,
which took place in late October, is believed to be part of increasing
tensions
in the Afar Regional State sparked by a severe drought affecting many parts
of
the country.

ETHIOPIA: PRIME MINISTER, WFP WARN OF MASSIVE FAMINE
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/current.asp#30249
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has warned that Ethiopia faces a
famine
worse than that of 1984, saying 6 million Ethiopians are in need of food aid
and 15 million could face starvation early next year. World Food Program
Ethiopia head Georgia Shaver echoed the warning, saying that while up to 14
million people need food aid across six southern African countries, "In
Ethiopia, we could have the same number in just one country."

NAMIBIA: MORE DELAYS PLAGUE DELIVERY OF DROUGHT AID IN NAMIBIA
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=557
The government drought food relief has yet to reach over 345 000 people, who
face starvation, due to bureaucratic and logistical delays. Hundreds of
tonnes
of maize meal, cooking, oil, sugar and fish have now been delivered to
several
warehouses nationwide. Those severely affected by drought in the Caprivi,
Otjozondjupa, Oshana, Omusati and Ohangwena regions are still waiting for
the
food to reach them.

NIGERIA: NIGERIA RULES OUT BAKASSI WAR
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2447407.stm
Nigeria and Cameroon will not go to war over the long-disputed Bakassi
peninsula, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said. The 1,000-square-
kilometre (400-square-mile) area was recently awarded to Cameroon by the
International Court of Justice, but Nigeria has refused to accept the
decision.

RWANDA: AT THE END OF THE TRANSITION: A NECESSARY POLITICAL LIBERALISATION
http://www.crisisweb.org
The restrictions on political and civil liberty in Rwanda, though partly
understandable in view of the fragile security situation related to the 1994
genocide and its aftermath as well as the long Congo conflict, are
radicalising
opposition to the leadership of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), stifling
reconciliation and hindering the transition to democracy, says a new report
from the International Crisis Group.

SIERRA LEONE: WAR AND PEACE IN SIERRA LEONE: DIAMONDS, CORRUPTION AND THE
LEBANESE CONNECTION
http://partnershipafricacanada.org/index.shtml
Sierra Leone's war was neither 'rebellion', in the sense of it being an
internal uprising, nor 'civil', in the sense of it being about clearly
understandable and achievable political goals. Rather, it was part of a
continuous narrative of escalating regional violence and terror driven
largely
by criminal economic interests. Now its recovery from decades of economic
meltdown and political and social turmoil will depend, to a very large
extent,
on how it manages its vitally important extractive sector, especially the
diamond industry. This is part of a new report released by Partnership
Africa
Canada. Related Links:
* http://www.actionaid.org/resources/pdfs/endconflict.doc
* http://www.actionaid.org/resources/pdfs/gatefold.pdf

SOMALIA: LEADERS CALL FOR UNFREEZING AL-BARAKAAT ASSETS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30872
Somalia's various political factions and the Transitional National
Government
(TNG), attending reconciliation talks in the Kenyan town of Eldoret, have
issued a joint statement calling on the international community to lift the
freeze on the assets of the Al-Barakaat bank.

SOMALIA: PEACE TALKS "ON COURSE", SAYS ENVOY
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30890
The Somali peace talks, under way in the Kenyan town of Eldoret, "are on
course", a statement issued on Tuesday by the office of Elijah Mwangale, the
Kenyan special envoy and chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development's technical committee, has said.

SOUTH AFRICA: PROTEST AGAINST SHELL
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=580&PHPSESSID=9ea8397d681e06b03aa57fedbc10c1ea
Members of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance recently held a
protest outside the Sapref plant in South Durban, South Africa and demanded
to
know why Shell MD, Richard Parkes had allegedly lied about a recent incident
at
the plant.

SOUTH AFRICA: SA NOT SURE ABOUT MERCENARIES IN IVORY COAST
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130012.html
The government was still investigating on Tuesday whether there was any
truth
to claims that South African mercenaries were helping the Ivory Coast army
counter a rebellion. "Our mission in the Ivory Coast is following the matter
closely," foreign affairs department spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said.

SUDAN: OIL COMPLICATES SUDANESE PEACE PROCESS
Despite progress in peace negotiations, and additional pressure on Khartoum
from the passage of the Sudan Peace Act in Washington, many observers remain
skeptical about the willingness of the Sudanese government to make peace as
long as its access to increased oil revenue is unimpaired. This posting by
Africa Action contains a briefing on recent developments in the peace
process
in Sudan, from Justice Africa, a non-governmental organization focused on
peace
and human rights, particularly in the Horn of Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11445

WEST AFRICA: AL-QAIDA SUSPECTS IN WEST AFRICA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120255.html
U.S. officials have reportedly uncovered what they believe is an al-Qaida
terrorist connection in West Africa, which could pose a threat to stability
in
the subregion. The Voice of America (VOA) quotes intelligence sources as
saying
that a man identified as a former Algerian Army Colonel named Mokhtar
Belmokhtar has been operating an arms smuggling network in West Africa that
has
links to al-Qaida.

ZAMBIA: INFLATION, SHORTAGES ERODE FOOD SECURITY
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=559
Spiraling inflation has been worsened by a serious food shortage, which
spells
further hardship for ordinary Zambians, the majority of whom are low-income
earners, analysts have warned. Mulenga Kabungo, a married Zambian police
officer with six children, is among those expected to be worst hit by rising
food prices, especially that of the staple maize meal.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

CAR: UN TO INVESTIGATE OCTOBER RIGHTS ABUSES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30857
The UN Peace-building office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) has
set
up a commission to investigative human rights violations perpetrated in
October
when former government army soldiers invaded the capital, Bangui, in an
attempt
to oust President Ange-Felix Patasse, a senior UN official told reporters on
8
November.

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: ETHIOPIA TOLD TO COMPLY WITH BORDER DECISION
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30850
Ethiopia was criticised on Friday for ignoring an order by the international
Boundary Commission to remove resettled Ethiopians from Eritrean territory.
The
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), which met the two sides in
London
last week, said the Ethiopian government had “not complied with its
obligations”.

KENYA: BRITISH BRUTALITY IN MAU MAU CONFLICT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,836653,00.html
Dramatic evidence has been unearthed of such systematic British brutality in
the former colony of Kenya that it may require the rewriting of imperial
history. Hitherto secret files show that the then colonial secretary, Alan
Lennox Boyd, sanctioned a policy of violence towards interned guerrilla
suspects. A former colonial official, Terence Gavaghan, now living in
London,
was, according to a memo written by the governor, Sir Evelyn Baring,
authorised
to use force. Some detainees allegedly had their mouths stuffed with mud and
were beaten unconscious by his men.

KENYA: TOP MOI MEN QUIT KANU
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120621.html
Office of the President minister Joseph Nyaga has resigned from the Cabinet
and
defected from Kanu, rocking the party as it prepares for crucial
nominations.
He announced the move as former presidential trouble-shooter Mark Too also
declared he was joining the opposition to contest the Eldoret South seat.

LIBERIA: OPPOSITION TO UNITE FOR ELECTIONS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30906
Liberian opposition parties are proposing to unite and field a single
candidate
against the incumbent, Charles Taylor, in presidential elections in 2003,
news
organisations reported on Tuesday. "We want to become one single party ...
and
elect a new leader," the BBC quoted Chea Cheapo, co-ordinator of the
Committee
for the Merger of Liberian Political Parties, as saying.

MALAWI: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DRAFTING PLAN TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30865
Interference in the judiciary and an increase in the alleged harassment of
journalists in Malawi are issues that the Malawi Human Rights Commission
(MHRC)
aims to address in a plan to promote and protect human rights in the
country.
The plan being drafted in consultation with civil society and the
government,
would study rights that include civil, political and economic, and
compare "gaps" between what the constitution enshrined and the government's
performance.

MALAWI: OPPOSITION PARTIES TO WORK TOGETHER IN 2004 POLLS
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=569
Opposition parties in the country are working out ways to contest together
the
forthcoming general elections, president of the Malawi Congress Party Gwanda
Chakuamba says.

MAURITANIA: A FUTURE FREE FROM SLAVERY
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/AFR380052002!Open
Despite the legal abolition of slavery in Mauritania twenty years ago, the
government is yet to take practical steps ensure its abolition in practice,
Amnesty International says in a report: 'Mauritania: a future free from
slavery'. The report, published on the eve of the 21st anniversary of the
decree which officially abolished slavery, shows that human rights abuses
related to slavery persist in Mauritania, although the government denies
their
existence.

NIGERIA: GROUP PETITIONS AFRICAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OVER EXTRA-JUDICIAL
KILLINGS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120500.html
A human right organisation, Access to Justice (AJ) has petitioned the
African
commission on human rights over the systematic and extra-judicial killings
in
Nigeria, saying that the President Olusegun Obasanjo government has not done
enough to check the legacy of impunity in law enforcement practice in the
country.

NIGERIA: LAWYERS TELL OBASANJO TO STAND DOWN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120351.html
In a move reminiscent of taking the fight to the lion's den, the Nigeria Bar
Association (NBA), has visited President Olusegun Obasanjo in the State
House,
and told him that his decision to seek re-election would impair the nation's
unity.

NIGERIA: NO DEATHS BY STONING, GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30860
Nigeria's government has said it will not allow people to be stoned to death
on
the order of Shari’a courts. Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs Dubem Onyia
said in a statement that the government was aware of widespread
international
concern over recent death sentences imposed by Islamic courts and would "use
its constitutional powers to thwart any negative ruling which is deemed
injurious to its people".

NIGERIA: SHELL RAISES ALARM OVER BLACKMAIL BY 'RIGHTS GROUP'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120356.html
Shell Nigeria has reacted angrily to threats by human rights groups who say
they will disrupt Shell's activities in the Niger Delta unless it
compensates
women who were injured in protests against Shell's environmental record
earlier
this year.

NIGERIA: SUPREME COURT GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO NEW PARTIES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30859
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has unanimously thrown out several guidelines used
by
the country’s electoral body to deny registration to five political parties.
The court's seven judges, led by Chief Justice Mohammed Uwais, ruled that 11
of
18 conditions imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC)
for the registration of political parties were unconstitutional.

SOUTH AFRICA: ACADEMIC ARRESTED AFTER BEING ON THE RUN FOR 27 YEARS
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2002/11/2495.php
The leader and last remaining member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
-
a group that committed politically motivated crimes in the United States in
the
1970s - was arrested in Cape Town last Friday. James Kilgore, 55, who had
been
using the name Charles Pape, had been on the run from the FBI for the past
26
years. An article on the South African Independent Media Centre web site
notes
that Pape is the third international leftist arrested in South Africa over
the
past three months and threatened with deportation. "This is clearly part of
a
campaign by the ANC-IFP-NNP centre-right government to demonise
internationals
working alongside the emergent social movements and by doing so to
demoralise
the movements," the article said.

SOUTH AFRICA: APARTHEID COMPANIES FACE COURT
A non-governmental organisation has filed a lawsuit against 21 multinational
corporations and leading international banks for helping prop up the
apartheid
state. The Khulumani Support Group (Khulumani) filed the suit in its name as
well as that of 85 of its 33000 members, in the New York Eastern District
Court
on Monday. This posting from Africa Action contains a press release from the
Apartheid Debt & Reparations Campaign, a statement from the law firm of
Cohen,
Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, a list of the companies that are the defendants,
and
a profile of the Khulumani Support Group. It also contains excerpts from the
stories of individual plaintiffs who are parties to the case.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11442

TANZANIA: NGO BILL PROCESS UPDATE
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=574
Since the beginning of November, 2002, several activities have been carried
out
both in Dodoma and Dar es Salaam. The most important achievement has been to
engage members of Parliament, the media and general public to understand the
bill and flaws embedded in it. We received good responses from a number of
MPs
regarding the campaign.

ZIMBABWE: 'MORE AND WORSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING'
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5502
"I come to you today to appeal to you for prayers to ease out most serious
situation in Zimbabwe and to appeal to you to lobby by all means possible
for a
peaceful solution to the Zimbabwean crisis. We face an absolutely desperate
situation in Zimbabwe and the government is lying to the world about it. Our
government continues to engage in lies, propaganda, the twisting of facts,
half
truths, downright untruth and gross misinformation, because they are
fascists." - Archbishop Pius Ncube, Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe,
speaking
at the The Archbishop Denis Hurley Lecture, 7th November 2002.

ZIMBABWE: SA EMBRACES MUGABE AS ZIM CRISIS DEEPENS
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5530
South Africa this week dropped its ambivalence on Zimbabwe by endorsing
President Robert Mugabe’s controversial policies, but analysts warned that
Pretoria and southern Africa could pay a heavy price if such support pushed
Zimbabwe to the brink.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

4.CORRUPTION

DRC: PRESIDENT SUSPENDS TOP OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION BY UN
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50620
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has suspended a number
of
top government officials accused by the United Nations of stealing billions
of
dollars in public funds. Security Minister Mwenze Kongolo, Minister of the
Presidency Augustin Katumba Mwanke and State Security Chief Didier Kazadi,
were
among the group of officials suspended. All have denied the charges.

KENYA: BUDGET SECRECY AIDING GRAFT, SAYS FORMER KISAUNI MP
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50597
The secrecy surrounding budget allocations encourages corruption, a former
Kisauni MP has said. Mr Karisa Maitha said people were unable to question
ministries for failing to implement certain projects because they did not
know
their budgetary allocations.

MOZAMBIQUE: POLICE CORRUPTION NOT CAUSED BY LOW WAGES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130232.html
The deputy commander of the Mozambican police, Jorge Khalau, has admitted
that
there is corruption exists in the force, but says it cannot simply be blamed
on
low wages and poor academic qualifications.

NIGERIA: GROUP LEVELS FRESH CORRUPTION CHARGES AGAINST NA'ABBA
http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20021111news09.html
A grouping consisting of members from the House of Representatives calling
themselves the Democratic Vanguard Coalition (DEVACO), has leveled fresh
charges against the Speaker, Umar Ghali Na'Abba, urging him to account for
N2.4
billion said to be missing from the House's overhead vote.

SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI CALLS FOR LOCAL GOVT CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50621
President Thabo Mbeki has urged town and city councillors to crack down on
corruption at local government level. "There is a persistent perception that
we
are confronted by corruption at the level of local government," Mbeki told
the
opening of the four-day national general council meeting of the SA Local
Government Association in Midrand.

SWAZILAND: MSWATI TO FLY NOW, PAY LATER
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=11915
Swaziland's King Mswati III will take delivery of a long-range executive jet
worth $45-million before the end of November even though the parliament of
the
tiny southern African monarchy voted to cancel the deal, officials said on
Monday.

ZAMBIA: COMPANY ACCUSED OF GIVING MONEY TO PRESIDENT'S CAMPAIGN
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50644
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's election campaign used money from the
state-
owned electric company to print campaign posters, and regional chiefs were
wooed with gifts of cash and vehicles, two former ruling party leaders
testified Wednesday at a hearing into last year's election.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

5.HEALTH

AFRICA/GLOBAL: THE FTAA, ACCESS TO HIV/AIDS TREATMENT, AND HUMAN RIGHTS
http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/10/ftaa1029-bck.htm
This briefing paper by Human Rights Watch begins by giving an outline of the
WTO's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPS) and
of
the Doha declaration by WTO members, which states that countries can bypass
patents in medical emergencies. The paper argues that countries in the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) should resist pressure from the Office of
the
United States Trade Representative (USTR) to adopt a TRIPS-plus patent
regime
that increases patent rights of pharmaceutical companies. They state that
this
undermines the Doha Declaration and constrains developing countries' efforts
to
promote the health and human rights of their citizens.

AFRICA: RICH BLASTED FOR BREAKING MALARIA VOW
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=572
More than two years after African leaders and western donors pledged to
halve
the number of deaths from malaria, the disease remains one of Africa's top
killers, UN special adviser Jeffrey Sachs said last week.

DRC: 12 DEAD, 337 ILL IN BUNIA CHOLERA EPIDEMIC
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30836
At least 12 people have died and 337 are infected in a cholera epidemic in
Bunia, Ituri District, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where
rival ethnic militias have been fighting for control. "These figures should
drop following the intervention of health teams," Doudou Luemba of the UN
Children's Fund's (UNICEF) emergency department, told IRIN last Thursday.

EAST/SOUTHERN AFRICA: INFORMATION NETWORK STRENGTHENS AIDS FIGHT
http://www.comminit.com/pdskdv32002/sld-4340.html
The Regional HIV/AIDS Information Network (RHAIN) is a technical resource
network aimed at mobilising the strengths and expertise of organisations
working in the area of HIV/AIDS information and media development in
southern
and eastern Africa. The objectives of RHAIN are to: foster greater
collaboration and joint advocacy efforts on HIV/AIDS in the region;
strengthen
the flow of information on HIV/AIDS at regional and national level; and
promote
media development and training on HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.

IVORY COAST: HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGNERS GAIN PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Workers with organizations campaigning against HIV/AIDS and other civil
society
groups in Côte d'Ivoire, where 10 per cent of adults are HIV positive, are
acquiring professional skills to play a key role in the Government's efforts
to
decentralize the strategy against the deadly disease.

MALAWI: MOSQUITO NET PRICES SLASHED IN ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGN
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30902
While Malawi celebrates the onset of much needed rain, the government and a
group of NGOs have started their assault against malaria by dramatically
slashing the price of insecticide-treated mosquito nets. About eight million
Malawians suffer from malaria every year, and up to 5,000 people die of the
preventable disease which is spread by mosquitoes mainly during the rainy
season.

NAMIBIA: MALARIA SAPS ECONOMIC ENERGY
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=571
The Southern African Development Community's second Malaria Day and National
Malaria Awareness Week have been launched in Windhoek, Namibia.

SOUTH AFRICA: CONFERENCE DISCUSSES POVERTY AND AIDS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=14463
The United Nations held a two-day conference in Johannesburg, South Africa,
last week to discuss the relationship between Africa's severe food shortages
and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Xinhua News Agency reports. More than 50 people,
including U.N. delegates and representatives from local and international
non-
governmental agencies, were scheduled to meet at the conference.

SOUTH AFRICA: NEVIRAPINE RESULTS DELAY
http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20021102
South Africa's Medicines Control Council will have to wait until the end of
the
year for a report from the United States which will guide its decision on
whether to review the registration of nevirapine for the prevention of
mother
to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.

SOUTH AFRICA: PLAN TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR HIV CARE
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=14535
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma on Sunday at a National Health
Providers' Prayer Day gathering in eastern South Africa announced to an
audience of approximately 5,000 people, including Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang, that the South African Department of Health plans to
take
steps to address the shortage of health practitioners who are trained to
provide care for HIV-positive patients, the South African Press Association
reports.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: NATIONAL AND SECTOR HIV/AIDS POLICIES IN THE MEMBER STATES
OF
THE SADC
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=561&PHPSESSID=e681d18a7a19676b96cdc59e36fd820b
This report looks at the existing HIV/Aids national policies and plans among
countries in SADC. It notes where national strategies are not available, and
analyses sector-specific and other policy statements. It is intended to
provide
an overview of the current status of policy formulation and to suggest
future
steps to strengthen the policy environment for an effective response to the
epidemic.

SUDAN: PARASITIC DISEASE SWEEPS SOUTHERN SUDAN
http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2002/2002-11-08-19.asp#anchor4
The international medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders is
fighting a severe outbreak of the deadly disease kala azar in southern
Sudan.
Exhausted by decades of war, the population is left extremely vulnerable to
this disease. Kala azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, is a parasitic disease
that
is transmitted by the miniscule sand fly. If left untreated, the illness is
fatal.

TANZANIA: WE MUST TEND THE SOCIAL ROOTS OF HEALTH CARE
http://www.scidev.net/archives/editorial/comment40.html
Reducing the threats to ill health in developing countries is not just a
question of encouraging more research. It also requires attention to the
social
context in which health problems arise. And tackling this social context
requires a political commitment that is, in many ways, as important (and
difficult) to secure as extra financing.

UGANDA: WAR COSTS OUTWEIGH HEALTH SPENDING
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30918
Sixteen years of conflict in the north has cost the Ugandan economy about US
$1.33 billion, more than the sum spent on health care, according to research
just published. "The cost of the war is greater than central government
spending on health. All Ugandans are paying for this war," Phil Vernon,
Country
Director for CARE International in Uganda, said in a statement on Thursday.

ZIMBABWE: SHORTAGES HIT HIV/AIDS PATIENTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211100063.html
Susan Ndokwe, the chairperson of Chiedza Home of Hope in Glen View, says
that
the unending food shortages in the country have increased the vulnerability
of
patients, who need balanced food to boost the immune system. He says most of
their patients are no longer able to take their medication on hungry
stomachs.

ZIMBABWE: STIGMA PREVENTS PWAS FROM RECEIVING CARE AND TREATMENT
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=570
The Zimbabwean households already affected by HIV/Aids and those headed by
women, children or the elderly may have difficulty accessing food aid
because
of stigma, according to a recently released AIDS country profile.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE

AFRICA/GLOBAL: TURNING INDIGNATION INTO ACTION: CAN CHILD LABOUR BE WIPED
OUT?
http://www.id21.org/society/s5ailo1g1.html
Millions of children are engaged in labour that is detrimental to their
education, development and future livelihoods. How should the international
community work to eradicate exploitative child labour? How can this complex
phenomenon be measured? With a host of state and civil society organisations
now committed to its eradication, why are so many kids still engaged in
hazardous work? A book from the International Labour Organization traces the
ILO’s historical concern with the abolition of child labour and assesses the
prospects for its fulfilment.

BURKINA FASO: CHILD LABOUR MIGRATION FROM RURAL AREAS
http://home.online.no/~annekie/Africa_docs/BFEnglish.pdf
A total of 165,000 of Burkinabe child migrants between 6 and 17 years old
have
migrated to work while 9.5 percent of Burkinabe children 6-17 years old were
found to live outside the proximity of their parents, according to a recent
study by the World Bank. The objectives of the study were to identify how
many
children were involved in child migration from rural areas in Burkina Faso,
to
establish why the children migrate and also where the high risk areas were
for
child migration.

CONGO: HUNDREDS OF TEACHERS TRAINED ON HIV/AIDS-PREVENTION EDUCATION
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30849
An UN inter-agency effort in the Republic of Congo (ROC) has so far trained
1,939 teachers on HIV/AIDS- prevention education methods involving the
active
participation of students, Brenda Bowman, the project administrator, has
told
IRIN.

DRC: CHILD SOLDIERS ANXIOUS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30893
Considered among the fist casualties of the four-year war in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), demobilised child soldiers live anxious lives,
despite hope of peace on the horizon. "I have been taken care of for nine
months now, but I do not know what I will do [after the help stops]," Thomas
Elongo, a demobilised child soldier in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, and chosen
spokesman of his comrades, told IRIN recently.

GHANA: SCHOOL CHILDREN BUILD BRIDGES THROUGH ICTS
http://www.learningchannel.org/front.shtml
Students from the Asesewa school in Ghana and the Kingsmead school in UK are
using the internet and e-mail to know more about each other's countries. The
project will create an on-line resource on teaching and learning about Ghana
and development issues.

NIGERIA: IRIN FOCUS ON THE CHALLENGE OF ENFORCING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30878
While Nigeria signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child
(CRC) in 1991, it is yet to establish a law making the convention's
provisions
enforceable in its courts. A bill prepared in 1993 could not be signed into
law
by the then military government due to objections raised by religious groups
and traditionalists. A special committee was subsequently set up to
harmonise
the draft with Nigerian religious and customary beliefs.

RWANDA: 1 MILLION ORPHANS LACK TRADITIONAL CARE, UNICEF WARNS
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/current.asp#30323
The situation for Rwanda's estimated 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS
and decades of civil conflict is aggravated by the disruption of traditional
structures, including the extended family system and community solidarity,
UNICEF says.

SIERRA LEONE: YOUTH STILL TRAUMATIZED, FRUSTRATED AFTER WAR, STUDY SHOWS
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/category_search.asp?objCat=women
Three years after the signing of the Lome Peace Accord, young people in
Sierra
Leone say they remain traumatized by their country's decade-long war and
express frustration at the slow pace of recovery, according to a new study
commissioned by the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children. Six
hundred Sierra Leonean adolescents and youth in the western and northern
regions of the country who were interviewed say their experiences of adult
manipulation and betrayal had made them distrustful.

SOUTH AFRICA: CREATING A DIVERSION
http://www.rnw.nl/development/html/khulisa021107.html
Guns and gangsters hold a glamorous allure for many of South Africa's youth.
The reality for young people in the townships, however, is far from
glamorous.
It's a life of poverty, inadequate education and a lot of violence. The
South
African government hasn't committed sufficient funding to address the
problem,
and so it's left to organisations like Khulisa to try to prevent youth crime
and run programmes of rehabilitation.

WEST AFRICA: 60 MILLION CHILDREN TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST POLIO
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30877
At least 60 million children under five years of age in 16 West African
countries are to be vaccinated this week against polio, the World Health
Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday. The world's largest vaccine
manufacturer, Aventis Pasteur, has donated 30 million doses of oral polio
vaccines to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to facilitate the
vaccination.

ZIMBABWE: STIGMA PREVENTS PWAS FROM RECEIVING CARE AND TREATMENT
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30868
Zimbabwean households already affected by HIV/AIDS and those headed by
women,
children or the elderly may have difficulty accessing food aid because of
stigma, according to a recently released AIDS country profile.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

7.WOMEN AND GENDER

AFRICA: DRAMA CHANGES ATTITUDES TOWARDS GENITAL MUTILATION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2412231.stm
Female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to be practised in approximately
28
countries in Africa. Whilst considered by some cultures as an essential rite
of
passage to womanhood, opposition to the practice has largely come from
outside
these communities, with the United Nations pledging to eradicate it within
three generations.

NAMIBIA: MP SAYS INTERNET CAN BE EMPOWERMENT TOOL FOR WOMEN
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=583&PHPSESSID=8e2fddbdc51d81d06ce4695259b8c937
Women and Child Affairs Deputy Minister Marlene Mungunda, says Information
Communication Technology, particularly the Internet and e-mail, could be
used
for women's empowerment. She said that ICT can enable women's groups or co-
operatives to exchange information about the markets, prices, opportunities
and
experiences.

NIGERIA: MISS WORLD FINALISTS TO BOYCOTT NIGERIAN CONTEST
http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/msindex.htm
A young and blonde Danish girl is shattering Nigeria's dreams of organising
a
world event of unprecedented beauty, estimated to produce millions of US$ of
tourism revenues. Masja Juel, or Miss Denmark, is leading a boycott campaign
in
response to a Nigerian death-by-stoning sentence of a woman for having a
child
outside marriage.

SOUTH AFRICA: KNOW YOUR BODY
http://www.rnw.nl/development/html/body021105.html
Creating a cultural archive of Memory Cloths was only the beginning of
Andries
Botha's engagement with the women of KwaZulu Natal. With friends, he
established an NGO - Create Africa South. He found a sponsor for the Amazwi
project in The Netherlands, The Prince Claus Fund, and expanded it to offer
business courses and micro-credit to women working on the Memory Cloths. He
says it's not so strange that a sculptor also runs a non-governmental
organisation.

SUDAN: FOCUS ON WOMEN AND WAR
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30871
Three years ago, Arab raiders kidnapped Akwal from her home in southern
Sudan
along with her four children. During her captivity, she lived through
frequent
beatings and ill-treatment. "Sometimes we had no food for two days," she
recalls.

SWAZILAND: FOCUS ON WOMEN AND CHILD ABUSE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30896
Activists in Swaziland have been working hard to expose the fallacy that
mistreatment of women and children is sanctioned by Swazi tradition.
Challenging traditionalists who have hidden behind notions of "custom", the
message has now reached isolated pockets of the country such as the northern
Hhohho region.

ZAMBIA: MODELLING THE EFFECTS OF TRADE ON WOMEN, AT WORK AND AT HOME
http://www.id21.org/society/s6bmf2g1.html
What is the impact of trade on women's lives? How can we assess – or even
predict – it? This research analyses the effects of changes in economic
policies on women in Bangladesh and Zambia. It concludes that complementary
policies are needed to enhance women’s ability to respond to economic
incentives; reduce the many competing demands on their time; and improve
their
overall well-being and social welfare, which are not necessarily increased
by
economic gains.

ZIMBABWE: WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS: BARRIERS TO WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP
http://www.id21.org/society/s6ccc1g1.html
Why don’t more women set up their own businesses? Are programmes aimed at
encouraging entrepreneurship among women getting it right? How do cultural
ideas about men, women and money affect would-be women entrepreneurs? A
recent
paper draws on experience with entrepreneurship training for women in
Zimbabwe.
It found that women face a number of barriers to becoming entrepreneurs,
such
as their lack of access to education and capital. However, cultural
attitudes
may be even more important in holding women back. To get more women in
business, training programmes need to recognise and challenge restrictive
gender norms.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION

AFRICA/GLOBAL: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HOST 7 OF 10 ASYLUM SEEKERS WORLDWIDE
While developing countries have produced 86 per cent of the world's refugees
over the past decade, they also proved to be a safe haven for seven out of
ten
of those seeking asylum, according to a new statistical yearbook released by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11349

ANGOLA: A NEW YET UNCERTAIN BEGINNING FOR THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED
Victims of the tactics of two armed forces, Angola's four million internally
displaced persons (IDPs) face a future as uncertain as their past.
Throughout
2001 and the first quarter of 2002, UN figures indicate that the number of
new
IDPs in Angola fluctuated between 20,000 and 50,000 each month, the number
rising to over 60,000 in September 2001 owing to a massive movement of
people
following UNITA rebel attacks in the north of Bengo province.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11475

BOTSWANA: BOTSWANA DENIES DIAMONDS FORCED BUSHMEN OFF RESERVE
http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2002/2002-11-11-03.asp
The Botswana government has denied that diamonds were behind the
controversial
relocation of the Basarwa bushmen from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve,
and
has accused British advocacy group Survival International of a "campaign of
deception." The Botswana human rights group Ditshwanelo, which is part of an
NGO negotiating team on the future of the Basarwa, has distanced itself from
Survival International's campaign which has focused on the alleged role of
diamonds and the firm de Beers. Ditshwanelo said this "confrontational"
intervention had stalled talks between the government and the negotiating
team.

COTE D IVOIRE: SIERRA LEONEAN REFUGEES RETURN HOME
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30883
Some 26 Sierra Leoneans who had been living in a transit centre in Cote
d'Ivoire's commercial capital, Abidjan, were helped to return home on Friday
by
the International Organization for Migration (IOM). They were among some 50
Sierra Leoneans made homeless by the razing of shanty dwellings in Abidjan
following a 19 September mutiny, IOM said in a news release.

GUINEA: RELOCATION OF LIBERIAN REFUGEES RESUMED
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30887
UNHCR has resumed the relocation of Liberian refugees in Guinea from a
transit
centre near Gueckedou, near the border with Liberia, to locations farther
inland. The insecurity in Liberia, plagued by fighting between rebels and
government forces since 1999, has prompted nearly 40,000 Liberians to flee
to
Guinea, 50,000 to Sierra Leone and 17,000 to Cote d'Ivoire.

LIBERIA: WORLD VISION ASSISTANCE FOR DISPLACED
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30886
The distribution of agricultural and health packages has started in Liberia
in
six camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) under a grant of US
$105,000
provided by the German government and managed by World Vision's Liberia
office,
the organisation said on Tuesday.

SUDAN: DISPLACED CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
After suffering decades of civil war, recurrent drought and widespread
inter-
ethnic conflict, Sudan now hosts the largest number of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in the world - some 4 million people. The main cause of this
unparalleled level of displacement has been, and continues to be, the civil
war
which has been fought since 1983 between the Khartoum government and
southern
rebels, including the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11479

UGANDA: UNCERTAINTY OVER IDP RETURNS
Since the mid-1990s, the northern and western districts of Uganda have been
plagued by high levels of insecurity resulting from armed insurgencies and
rebel attacks on civilian targets. The Acholi people of northern Uganda have
borne the brunt of the violence, with some 500,000 people - roughly half the
Acholi population - forced to remain in "protected camps" guarded by the
Ugandan military.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11477

ZAMBIA: SCRAMBLE FOR NON-GM STOCK TO FEED REFUGEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30881
A government ban on genetically-modified (GM) foods has resulted in a
scramble
to source stock to feed the thousands of refugees camped in Zambia. The
World
Food Programme (WFP) was forced to distribute US-donated milled GM maize to
refugees in the first week of November, as the government ban was announced
on
29 October, giving the agency little time to source non-GM food.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

SOUTH AFRICA: IS THIS THE END OF THE RAINBOW FOR SOUTH AFRICA?
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=349566
The headlines from South Africa have been sneaking their way, ever more
alarmingly, into our consciousness. The most recent – "White extremists set
off
bombs in Soweto" – came only last week, but the trend had been developing
for
months – "Ten charged with plot against Pretoria", "Afrikaner arms cache
seized", and so on. In isolation, each might be shrugged off as part of the
background noise of global strife. Together, they raise a question that the
world never imagined would have to be asked again: is the ghost of apartheid
stirring? Will a resurgent white right attempt bloodily to turn back the
clock
and destroy the dreams of Nelson Mandela's "rainbow nation"?

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

10.ENVIRONMENT

AFRICA/GLOBAL: CLIMATE TALKS DEEPEN NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=0511200212390345&t=N&authors=TV%
20Padma&posted=5%20Nov%202002&c=1&r=1
Sharp divisions between rich and poor nations on how to cope with climate
change deepened last week at international climate change talks in Delhi,
with
developing countries rejecting Western demands to set targets to limit their
emissions of greenhouse gases.

AFRICA: NEW HOPE FOR RENEWAL OF AFRICA'S DESERT MARGINS
http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2002/2002-11-11-02.asp
Traditional, indigenous knowledge and modern land management techniques will
be
wedded in a new $50 million program to heal dying and degraded lands on the
margins of Africa's deserts. These lands account for about five percent of
Africa's land area and are home to an estimated 22 million people.

KENYA: BEES KEEP ELEPHANTS OFF CROPS
http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=051120021626061&t=N&authors=John%
20Whitfield&posted=5%20Nov%202002&c=1&r=1
Beehives could help to protect African farms from damage caused by elephants
by
stopping them from eating crops, according to new research. Elephants can
destroy whole fields of crops, especially where farmland borders reserves in
countries such as Kenya. But they avoid beehives, and researchers have found
that even empty hives are enough to reduce elephant damage, probably due to
their odour.

KENYA: WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY? IN-MIGRANTS AND EXCLUSION IN THE
SERENGETI-MARA
http://www.id21.org/society/s2bkh1g1.html
The conversion of East African rangelands to cultivation is giving rise to
conflicts over different land uses. How can tensions be resolved? This study
explores the impact of such changes on different groups and asks questions
about the implications for their livelihoods and the environment. It also
seeks
pathways to limit conflict in the buffer zones around the Serengeti-Mara
ecosystem.

MALAWI: FARMERS TO DRIVE HUNGER OUT
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=568&PHPSESSID=93759ac4ce1c3c3ef344fe004975fc9a
European Union Head of Delegation, Wiepk van der Goot, says Malawi can get
out
of its hunger situation and dependence on food aid through growing different
types of crops and using irrigation practices during the winter season. Food
security can also be diversified into income security through the growing of
crops for sale and consumption, he says.

RWANDA: FOSSEY FUND BUILDS CAMP TO DETER GORILLA POACHERS
http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2002/2002-11-08-19.asp#anchor3
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International has announced an action plan to
halt
a recent poaching spree that has left six mountain gorillas dead, one infant
in
temporary captivity and several others missing in Rwanda.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: STATES WIN RIGHT TO SELL IVORY STOCKPILES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130531.html
Southern African countries have won their fight to resume limited trade in
ivory, angering conservationists who said this would be a green light for
poachers to resume the illegal killing of elephants. Countries at the United
Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites)
meeting
in Chile gave the go-ahead to Botswana and Namibia for a once-off sale of
its
ivory stockpile.

UGANDA: RWANDA AND BURUNDI TO JOIN THE BID TO SAVE LAKE VICTORIA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120284.html
The Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Co-operation (LVRLAC) is to
expand
to include Rwanda and Burundi, in a bid to protect and conserve the waters
and
surrounding areas of Lake Victoria. Dr. Julius Odongo, LVRLAC's secretary
general, says the organisation took this decision because both Rwanda and
Burundi partly share the waters of the lake. "What these countries do in
regard
to their environment ultimately affects Lake Victoria and its surroundings,"
he
says.

ZAMBIA: RARE WHITE RHINOS FACE STARVATION IN ZAMBIA
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/11/11082002/reu_48908.asp
Zambia's five rare white rhinos are facing starvation due to a drought that
has
nearly destroyed grazing pastures in the famine-threatened southern African
country, officials said on Thursday. The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA)
said
the drought had already claimed 48 other wild animals in the Musi-O-Tunya
national park in southern Zambia since June.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

11.MEDIA

MOZAMBIQUE: PRESIDENT'S SON TO BE INTERROGATED ABOUT JOURNALIST'S MURDER
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has welcomed the recent decision
by
Mozambique's judicial authorities to extend their investigation into the
murder
of journalist Carlos Cardoso to Nymphine Chissano, a son of President
Joaquim
Chissano. Cardoso, Mozambique's leading investigative reporter, was gunned
down, execution-style, on November 22, 2000. Six people were arrested in
March
2001 for the murder.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11361

SOUTH AFRICA: MEDIA COVERAGE OF KHAYELITSHA ANTI-EVICTION CAMPAIGN AVOIDS
THE
ISSUES
Since Friday, media in Cape Town and on national television and radio have
been
covering Housing MEC Nomatyala Hangana's resolution to crackdown on members
of
the Khayelitsha Anti-Eviction Campaign. This resolution comes after
communities
within the Greater Khayelitsha area have consistently defied banks and
returned
evicted people to their houses. The coverage from the Cape Times, E-TV and
the
SABC is notable for its one-sidedness on this issue. AEC members are
portrayed
as common criminals, and MEC Hangana continues to avoid the very real issue
of
the housing crisis in the area.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11435

SUDAN: TWO JOURNALISTS ARRESTED, COPIES OF THREE NEWSPAPERS SEIZED
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has condemned the arrest by state security
officials of Sidahmed Khalifa, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper "Al-
Watan", and his son Adil Sidahmed Khalifa, a journalist from the same
newspaper, on November 9. The editor was arrested a few hours after
criticising, at a press conference, the seizure of an issue of his own
newspaper and those of two others published in Khartoum.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11332

TOGO: EDITOR ARRESTED AND FALSELY ACCUSED OF WRITING ARTICLE
The Writers in Prison Committee (WIPC) of International PEN has expressed
deep
concern over the continued imprisonment of Claude Améganvi, editor of the
journal "Nwayo", who is currently serving a four month sentence. He has been
charged with "distributing false information, defamation and disturbance of
the
public order" and is threatened with a maximum sentence of five years'
imprisonment.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11351

ZAMBIA: REJECTION OF BILLS A BLOW TO MEDIA FREEDOM, SAY ACTIVISTS
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=558
The Zambian government has thwarted attempts by the Zambia Independent Media
Association and six opposition members to table three bills, that ensure
greater freedom of the press. Instead it is deciding to introduce its own
media
freedom bills instead.

ZIMBABWE: CPJ MOURNS DEATH OF AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST
The board of directors and staff of the Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ)
have expressed their sadness at the death of Zimbabwean journalist Mark
Chavunduka. Chavunduka, 37, died on November 11 at West End Hospital in
Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, according to his relatives. The cause of death
is
unknown.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11436

ZIMBABWE: MISA PROTESTS ROAD SHOW BAN
A road show that the MISA-Zimbabwe Advocacy Committee in Bulawayo had
planned
to hold in the city was banned on Saturday 9 November 2002. MISA-Zimbabwe
says
the banning of the show is yet another example of the infringement of the
peoples right to freedom of association, assembly and expression as
guaranteed
in section 20 of the constitution.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11322

ZIMBABWE: RADIO STATION VOWS TO CONTINUE REGARDLESS OF BAN
Gerry Jackson, the Station Manager of SW Radio Africa, a community radio
station based in the United Kingdom and broadcasting to Zimbabwe has vowed
that
the station will continue broadcasting regardless of a government ban
prohibiting Zimbabweans working for the station from visiting the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11439

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

12.DEVELOPMENT

AFRICA/GLOBAL: "DON´T LET BIG BUSINESS RULE THE WORLD", SAYS FRIENDS OF THE
EARTH
http://www.foei.org/media/2002/1113.html
As the United Nations (UN) meets for the first time to pick up the pieces
after
the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Friends of the Earth
International has accused governments of betraying people and the planet in
Johannesburg. Friends of the Earth International has called on governments
to
abandon the neoliberal trade agenda which dominated negotiations in
Johannesburg and instead to develop and implement global rules for big
business
as promised. Friends of the Earth International is calling for a commitment
to
deliver on this promise.

AFRICA/GLOBAL: EXPERIENCES WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF POVERTY MAPS
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=581&PHPSESSID=8e2fddbdc51d81d06ce4695259b8c937
Finding ways to reduce poverty and inequity is a daunting challenge for
local,
national and international decision-makers. One important aspect of this
challenge is the spatial heterogeneity of poverty: poor people tend to be
clustered in specific places. Aggregated, national-level poverty data masks
this subnational variation.

AFRICA/GLOBAL: THE IMF AND WORLD BANK: UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY AND ROLLING
BACK
THE STATE?
http://www.id21.org/society/s7amej1g1.html
A hard-hitting report from the World Development Movement charts recent
civil
unrest in 23 developing countries directed against policies championed by
the
IMF. Citing evidence drawn from official documents that the free market
policy
model is failing, it points out that protesters in countries of the South
come
from across the social spectrum. Peasants, the unemployed and indigenous
people
are joining trade unionists, public sector workers, religious leaders,
doctors,
teachers, small businessmen and, in some cases, even policemen in venting
their
anger. Of the 23 countries documented, three quarters have IMF-sponsored
privatisation programmes. In 2001 seventy six people, including a
fourteen-year-
old boy, were killed, and thousands injured and arrested in protests.

AFRICA: NEPAD WILL HANDLE PEER REVIEWS UNTIL AU IS READY
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37
The African Union would be ultimately responsible for a comprehensive peer
review mechanism, but until the necessary structures were in place, this
task
would fall on the New Partnership for Africa's Development, government
representative Joel Netshitenzhe said on Wednesday.

MOZAMBIQUE: DONORS BREAK THEIR PROMISES
Only half of the money which foreign donors pledged to Mozambique for
reconstruction after the devastating floods of February 2000 has been
disbursed. Public Works Minister Roberto White gave the Mozambican
parliament,
the Assembly of the Republic, the disheartening figures on Tuesday, showing
that donors are much better at providing fine words than hard cash.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11440

NAMIBIA: WATER WOES CONTINUE TO FLOOD INFORMAL RESIDENTS
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?
action=viewarticle&articleid=578&PHPSESSID=8e2fddbdc51d81d06ce4695259b8c937
Residents of Swakopmund's DRC informal settlement are still struggling with
water problems, more than three months after the installation of a new
vandal
proof pre-paid water meter system.

NIGERIA: UNDP, CHEVRONTEXACO AGREE ON NIGER DELTA PARTNERSHIP
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30882
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has agreed to help US oil
transnational ChevronTexaco execute community development projects in
Nigeria’s
volatile Niger Delta region, company officials said on Tuesday. Under the
terms
of the agreement, signed on Monday, UNDP will place at ChevronTexaco's
disposal
its expertise in infrastructure development, health care, education and
micro-
credit schemes, details provided to IRIN showed.

SOUTH AFRICA: HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT DIFFERENCE WE ARE MAKING? REFLECTIONS ON
MEASURING DEVELOPMENT
http://www.dev-zone.org/cgi-bin/links2/jump.cgi?ID=4240
This report is adapted from a presentation for a workshop between Christian
Aid
and South African partners, held in Durban during October 2001. The report
argues that knowing the difference development workers make is in itself a
part
of good development practice. In order to achieve this competence, certain
processes and skills are required of organisations and individuals in
development.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY

BRIDGES.ORG - RESOURCES ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
www.bridges.org
Bridges.org features a list of online reseources on their web site. Links
are
divided into the following categories: reports, research and position
papers;
policies and regulations; news and events; organizations and initiatives;
regional digital divide resources and practical resources.

ICT AND POLICY WORKSHOP REPORT
The ICT policy and civil society workshop was held in Addis Ababa from 6 to
8
November 2002. It was organized by the Association for Progressive
Communication (APC), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and Article 19.
Eighty-two African civil society representatives drawn from twenty-five
countries, regional and international organizations (UNECA, UNESCO and the
ITU)
participated in the workshop to strengthen the role of Civil Society
Organisations (CSOs) in national, regional and global ICT fora. Read their
Statement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11407
Contact: [log in to unmask]

KABISSA LAUNCHES CAPACITY-BUILDING PROJECT IN WEST AFRICA
Kabissa has been commissioned by GTZ, the German corporation for
international
cooperation, to develop learning materials to enable non-profit
organizations
to use the Internet more effectively in their work. The project, “Time to
Get
Online: Simple Steps to Success on the Internet”, will initially target
organizations in West Africa whose main agenda concerns human rights,
freedom
of information, responsive government and democratization.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11468

LINUX: A GOOD NEWBIE GUIDE
Your Questions Answered
http://patb.dyndns.org/Programming/patb_linux.html
Pat Bierne's linux FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is wonderful. If you are
interested in learning more about Linux - it's origins, essential
compononents/
functions and where to get it - this is the site to visit.

PRIZE-WINNING PROJECT MAKES INTERNET ACCESS FOR ALL SCHOOLCHILDREN IN
NAMIBIA A
REAL POSSIBILITY
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=563
SchoolNet Namibia, a volunteer-driven organisation that is working to see
all
Namibian schoolchildren get access to a computer and the internet, was
awarded
the APC Africa Hafkin Communications Prize for people-centred information
and
communications technology policy.

SOUTH AFRICA: COMMUNITY IT CENTRES TRAIN UNEMPLOYED SOUTH AFRICANS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211110364.html
The people of the West Rand town of Carletonville now have the opportunity
to
learn valuable IT skills thanks to the establishment of a Communal
Information
Technology Centre (CITC). The CITC concept, the result of a
government-private
sector partnership, is aimed at providing skills development and income-
generating opportunities for the unemployed.

SOUTH AFRICA: MORE ON THE ECT ACT
http://196.30.226.221/sections/business/2002/0211120727.asp?A=%&O=F
The ECT Act that caused much uproar among the business and Internet
community
in South Africa is still a spectre of confusion for many involved in IT.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS

YOUNG WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP EMAIL LIST
http://www.dev-zone.org/cgi-bin/links2/jump.cgi?ID=4305
The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Young Women and
Leadership (YWL) programme offers an on-line forum to: - share ideas and
important information - initiate debates around issues that affect young
women
in their different contexts - provide a space for young women to network
across
various contexts - allow young women to articulate their visions,
perspectives
for the advancement of the women's rights and social justice agenda
internationally; - share updates on the YWL programme.

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION ONLINE
http://www.hrea.org
The Electronic Resource Centre for Human Rights Education is an on-line
repository of human rights education and training materials, on-line forums,
databases and links to other organisations and resources. Visit the site and
enter your email address to receive monthly updates of resources available.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

15.FUNDRAISING

ANGOLA: NEW HUMANITARIAN AID MODELS ANNOUNCED
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130654.html
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) will adopt new
models
of assistance to Angola in 2003 and cancel emergency aid and funding. The
information was released recently by Ocha coordinator, Erick De Mull,
alongside
the "conference on international emergency aid put to test" held in Luanda.

CRITICAL INGREDIENTS FOR FUNDRAISING SUCCESS
All of us involved in resourcing the work of voluntary sector organisations
have an amazing opportunity to contribute to a better world. As catalysts in
the process of raising awareness, and then converting our supporters'
compassion into action, we have an enormous responsibility as well, writes
Stewart Crocker, Chief Executive of the Resource Alliance.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11469

KENYA: AIRPORTS GET $750,000 EQUIPMENT FROM US
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130638.html
Three Kenyan airports will receive equipment from the United States.The
high-
tech detection equipment, valued at over $750,000 (Sh60 million), will be
used
to improve security services at Jomo Kenyatta International and Wilson
Airports
in Nairobi; and the Moi International Airport, Mombasa.It includes modern
baggage x-ray machines, walk-through metal detectors, hand wands and
explosive
trace detectors.

NIGERIA: N75M ETF ENGINEERING CENTRE FOR ADO POLY EKITI
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130658.html
The Education Tax Fund (ETF) has approved N75 million as its contribution to
the establishment of the Obasanjo Engineering Innovation Centre of the
Federal
Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.

SOUTH AFRICA : JAPANESE DELEGATION COMMITS R60M FOR TSOLO CLINICS
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=130
A Japanese business delegation has committed about R60 million towards
upgrading two clinics in Tsolo in the Eastern Cape province. The delegation,
led by Total Engineering Corporation general manager Yoji Ishikawa, made the
announcement during a two-day visit to the province.

SOUTH AFRICA: GIVING AND SHARING LAUNCHES A FUNDRAISING AND VOLUNTEERING
CAMPAIGN
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=129
This week marks the beginning of the Giving and Sharing week. This
initiative
is geared towards mobilizing people and spreading the spirit of philanthropy
and volunteerism throughout South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICA: THE ART FOR AIDS ORPHANS AUCTION IS AIMING TO RAISE R1-MILLION
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=131
Artist Beezy Bailey has organised a fundraising auction that will take place
on
November 19 at the Good Hope Suite, GrandWest Casino, Goodwood. Fifty-five
of
South Africa's top artists, including Marlene Dumas, will donate their work.
Patricia de Lille will be the key speaker and she will talk on the issue of
AIDS orphans. The Night of 100 Stars and the Adele Searll Memorial Trust
will
administer the funds.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHED ITS NEW
SOUTHERN AFRICA STRATEGY
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=132
DFID in Southern Africa has outlined the new strategy to support poverty
elimination in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland as
well
as regionally across SADC. The new strategy emphasises the need to focus on
jobs, growth and equity in addition to improved governance and service
delivery, as well as to respond to the challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

UGANDA: MUBENDE GETS SH50M FOR COFFEE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211130634.html
Some 40 coffee farmers in Mubende have benefited from a government donation
of
sh50m. This is in pursuit of the strategic policy of planting better quality
clonal coffee which is more resistant to disease than the traditional
varieties. He added that the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) had
distributed about 40,000 seedlings to the farmers as they wait for more
seeds
later this month. He also added that private nursery operators had been
approached to supplement seeds from UCDA.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS

4TH CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SEXUALITY,
CULTURE AND SOCIETY (IASSCS)
22 -25 June 2003, South Africa
http://wiserweb.wits.ac.za/conf2003/
The conference will be hosted by the Wits Institute for Social and Economic
Research (WISER), and the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa (GALA),
and
The Graduate School for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of
Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from 22-25 June
2003.

AFRICAN SOCIAL FORUM
15-19 December, Addis Ababa
The African Social Forum surfaced in January 2002, and started fulfilling
the
objectives that it was entrusted with : laying the foundations of a space of
convergence, democratic debates and mutual guidance, on the one hand, and
promoting African participation in the world social movement, on the other.
The
ASF organising committee expects the participation of 200 representatives of
all the components of the African social movement. However, this number will
be
adjusted in mid-November, based on the resources mobilised. In any case, 150
participants will be necessary to achieve the critical mass required for a
sufficient representation of the African social movement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11315

HIV RADIO TRAINING EVENT
December 16-21, Lagos, Nigeria
Women radio journalists from Nigeria are invited to apply for a six-day
training program on reporting on HIV/AIDS, to be held in Lagos from December
16-
21. The training is being organized by the African Women's Media Center
(AWMC)
in collaboration with the International Press Center (IPC) and Journalists
Against AIDS (JAAIDS-Nigeria).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11374

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY
17 February - 11 May 2003
http://www.hrea.org/courses/2E.html
This distance learning course provides human rights activists with a range
of
proven human rights advocacy methods and critical concepts as a means for
them
to reflect on and deepen their own work. The course will look at the
theoretical foundations and critical issues of human rights advocacy,
elements
of advocacy planning, and strategies for action.

INTRAC FIVE-DAY RESIDENTIAL COURSES IN OXFORD, UK
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT, 9 – 13 Dec 2002
This course aims to develop and improve the management capabilities of NGO
staff and development workers. Such staff have considerable technical skills
and extensive experience of working on a range of projects with local
partners,
yet often lack the necessary management skills to handle difficult
organisational problems or facilitate effective change. The course will not
only help participants improve their management capabilities, but will also
help them gain an awareness of the impact of their management style, develop
greater insight into their leadership role, and increase their confidence in
being able to facilitate organisational change.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11470

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES

16 DAYS OF PEACE CAMPAIGN
Southern Africa's rape statistics are ranked third highest in the world.
With
the advent of HIV AIDS, rape has become tantamount to a death penalty. One
in
three women are regularly battered. Widows are daily dispossessed of their
property. Children, and especially the girl child, are daily abused:
emotionally, physically and sexually. Schools are not safe. Even the
workplace
is not safe. Gender violence is a daily, costly and deadly reality for the
people, and especially the women of our region. Is there anything that can
be
done about it? More importantly is there anything you can do about it?
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11443

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ
All That's Missing Is "u"
Let world television record no attendance for human rights sake. Principles
before sport. Support the boycott. Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, International
Cricket
November, December 2002 Question: Who is the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket
Union? Answer: Robert Gabriel Mugabe

ANTI-WAR MARCH
Johannesburg, Friday, 15th November
The Gauteng Anti-War Committee announces a march to take place this Friday
in
protest against the war-mongering coming from the US and British
governments.
We join millions of people around the world that have - in various ways -
protested against the prospect of a US-led war against Iraq - whether a
unilaterally-declared war or one sanctioned by the UN. Over the past few
weeks,
a million people marched in Italy, at least half a million in the US,
200,000
in the UK, millions in the Arab world and millions more in various other
parts
of the world. As the sabre-rattling continues in Washington, the Gauteng
Anti-
War Committee joins these millions of people around the world in raising
South
African voices in protest.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11375

PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS
http://www.maketradefair.com/spage/english/action13.asp?
subcat=5&cat=1&select=1&special=yes
Every year 15 million people die from infectious diseases. 40 million people
live with HIV/AIDS and the numbers are mounting. Most live in developing
countries, many are children, and women are often worse hit. Much of this
illness and death could be prevented if poor people had access to affordable
medicines. But currently, one third of the world's population does not have
regular access to affordable medicines, and only a tiny percentage have
access
to HIV/AIDS medicines. Take this vital chance to make sure that millions of
people in the developing world have access to affordable medicines!

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

18.JOBS

AFRICA: PROGRAM OFFICER / CO-ORDINATOR
RAINBO
http://www.rainbo.org/
We are looking for a Program Officer / Coordinator for our Amanitare
program.
This is an interesting position that requires, a well-organised and self-
motivated person who is able to work independently as well as co-ordinate
the
efforts of the rest of the AMANITARE team and our Africa-based members of
the
partnership.

DRC: MEDIA MANAGER
Search For Common Ground
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/372451F4F30E8E21C1256C630078C091
We are seeking a TV and Radio Producer to become the Media Manager. S/he
will
lead the media campaign for the new Children at Risk Project and participate
in
the training and management of a team of Congolese producers in basic
production skills. The Children at Risk project is focused on war-affected
youth, facilitating re-integration, resettlement, and prevention of future
combatants. This position reports to the Country Director, DRC and is
located
in Kinshasa, but travel within the DRC is expected.

EAST AFRICA: HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISER
Working with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in London and the
region, the Human Rights Adviser for East Africa will be based in Nairobi
and
seek to promote greater respect for human rights in East Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11344

GUINEA: SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE COORDINATOR
American Refugee Committee
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/C183ECDD997940CEC1256C64007F6D1F
Develop programs to improve the safety of female refugees and their
children;
implement programs aimed at reducing the incidences of sexual and gender
based
violence (SGBV); conduct in-service training; oversee the distribution of
economic grant supplies and materials; maintain grant beneficiary databases
and
prepare statistical reports; liase with local officials and donors as well
as
other NGO's; prepare monthly reports on SGBV activities and indicators;
supervision of national and refugee CSI staff.

UGANDA: COUNTRY DIRECTOR
International Rescue Committee
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/2925E1EB9CFEE6D7C1256C670074498A
Responsibilities will include Strategic Planning, Program Implementation and
Evaluation; Fund Raising and Grant Management; Policy Implementation; Human
Resource Management; Security, Health & Safety; Communications and
Authorizations; Financial Management and Representation.

UGANDA: EDITOR
OneWorld Radio
http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=1818
The OneWorld Radio CATIA Editor, based in Uganda, will be responsible for
the
development and high quality editing of OneWorld Radio CATIA website[s] in
English. Editorial work will include regular updating of all text sections
of
the site[s], in-depth research about African broadcasters' needs and
networking, report writing and membership recruitment/support. Closing date:
5pm Friday 29 November.

UGANDA: PROJECT MANAGER
One World Radio
http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=1817
The OneWorld Radio CATIA Project Manager, based in Uganda, will be
responsible
for planning, coordinating and delivering these activities throughout
Africa.
This will include coordinating training and networking events, developing
strategic partnerships and supporting broadcaster members, and managing
online
outputs. Closing date: 5pm Friday 29 November.

UK PROGRAMMES MANAGER
AKINA MAMA WA AFRIKA
The post holder will strengthen, run and manage AMwA's Programmes for
African
women's organisations in the UK and assist with the implementation of AMwA's
Strategic Plan.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11329

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

19.BOOKS AND ARTS

COMPILATION OF DECISIONS OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES'
RIGHTS
Edited By The Institute For Human Rights And Development In Africa
Published in April 2002 by the Institute for Human Rights and Development in
Africa, the Compilation of Decisions on Communications of the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 1994-2001 is the first volume to
collect all the jurisprudence of Africa’s regional human rights mechanism.
Including nearly 500 pages of decisions and the African Charter, the
Compilation shows the development of the African Commission’s jurisprudence
in
respect of Article 55 communications over the past eight (8) years. The
Compilation is organised in an easily accessible format indexed both by the
provisions of the African Charter that have been breached by states parties,
and according to the countries against which communications have been
submitted.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11372

FROM THE ESCAMBRAY TO THE CONGO: IN THE WHIRLWIND OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
Víctor Dreke
http://www.pathfinderpress.com/d800/832.shtml
In this participant's account, Víctor Dreke describes how easy it became
after
the Cuban Revolution to "take down the rope" segregating blacks from whites
at
town dances, yet how enormous was the battle to transform social relations
underlying all the "ropes" inherited from capitalism and Yankee domination.
He
recounts the determination, internationalism, and creative joy with which
working people have defended their revolutionary course against U.S.
imperialism--from Cuba's own Escambray mountains, to the Americas, Africa,
and
beyond.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REFUGEE LAW
January 2002; Vol. 14, No. 1
http://www3.oup.co.uk/reflaw/hdb/Volume_14/Issue_01/
A new issue of International Journal of Refugee Law has been made available.
Table of Contents:
* Internal Flight/Relocation/Protection Alternative: Is it Reasonable?
Ninette Kelley, pp. 4-44
http://www3.oup.co.uk/reflaw/hdb/Volume_14/Issue_01/140004.sgm.abs.html
* UNHCR Resettlement: Evolution and Future Direction
Gary Troeller, pp. 85-95
http://www3.oup.co.uk/reflaw/hdb/Volume_14/Issue_01/140085.sgm.abs.html
* Anne F. Bayefsky and Joan Fitzpatrick, eds. Human Rights and Forced
Displacement
Reviewed by Jane McAdam, pp. 173-174
http://www3.oup.co.uk/reflaw/hdb/Volume_14/Issue_01/140173.sgm.abs.html

LATEST ALBUM TRACES NDEBELE'S 10-YEAR MUSIC RECORDING CAREER
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211120328.html
The master of museve music, Somandla Ndebele, marks the dawn of a decade as
a
professional musician with the release of a compilation album. Ndebele's new
album, Tsanangudzo, can best be described as a chronicle of his short but
illustrious career. It is a compilation of eight songs he performed with his
Denda Brothers band since 1989, when they released the single Mandiomesera.

POLITIKON: SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL STUDIES
Volume 29 Number 2/November 01, 2002
http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com
* The African National Congress and the policy of non-racialism: a study of
the
membership issue p. 133, Nhlanhla Ndebele
* Judicial decision-making and the use of panels in the South African
Appellate
Division, 1950-1990 p. 147, Stacia Haynie
* Political culture and democracy: the South African case p. 163, Carlos
Garcia-
Rivero, Hennie Kotzé, Pierre Du Toit
* Communitarian deliberative democracy and its implications for political
discourse in South Africa p. 183, Yusef Waghid
* What price truth? South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in
critical perspective p. 209, Christian M. De Vos

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS

KRIS PETERSON
There is a very important meeting coming up with the intellectual property
law
commission in Abuja at the Hilton, on Nov 20-22, that will decide the
legality
of importing generic drugs for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The meeting is meant to
finalize Nigeria coming into compliance with the TRIPS Agreement of the
World
Trade Organization in which Nigeria is required to change its intellectual
property/trade policy to match new global rules. These global rules are
flexible, but if not properly designed could mean that importing drugs from
generic companies could become illegal in Nigeria, leaving little chance for
PLWHA to ever access drugs in the future. The meeting is being organized and
funded by the US Department of Commerce and the Nigerian private sector is
tagging along. This will be the third time they have met, and this time,
they
will decide the final fate of the intellectual property law in Nigeria,
before
it is sent to the National Assembly. If the U.S. has its way, it will
succeed
in blocking the implementation of parallel importation laws (which allows
for
the importation of generic drugs) and make compulsory licensing (which
allows
for the local manufacturing of generic drugs) very stringent.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=11345
Contact: [log in to unmask]

LETTER FROM HARARE: LIFE GRINDS TO A HALT AS MUGABE'S FUEL RUNS OUT
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5529
There is a joke that Zimbabweans lack so many basic commodities that they do
not know which queue to join, but it no longer seems very funny. In Harare’s
once comfortable suburb of Greencroft yesterday about 200 people queued
outside
the supermarket for bread. At the Shell service station next door about 20
lorries and buses were waiting at the diesel pump. At the Mobil station next
to
that the queue for petrol stretched down the road and out of sight. Bread
shortages have been the norm for more than six months in Zimbabwe, but they
are
now being matched by fuel shortages that threaten to paralyse the country.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY FAHAMU, KABISSA, AND SANGONET
Fahamu - learning for change
Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK
[log in to unmask]
http://www.fahamu.org

Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
24 Philadelphia Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA
[log in to unmask]
http://www.kabissa.org

Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT)
P O Box 31
Johannesburg, 2000
South Africa
[log in to unmask]
http://www.sn.apc.org

The Newsletter is an advocacy tool for social justice. The Newsletter is
open
to any organisation committed to this goal. You can use this Newsletter to
tell
others about your work, events, publications, and concerns. The quality and
range of information depends on you.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
If your organisation is a regular provider of information, please ensure
that
your information is widely read by adding [log in to unmask] to your
addressbook and mailing lists. Help us in particular by making sure that
sections relevant to your work are well represented. We consider every
submission to that address for inclusion. Please attribute original sources
by
including a website address and/or contact e-mail.

SUBSCRIBE
The Newsletter comes out weekly and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail.
Subscription is free! To subscribe, send an e-mail to <pambazuka-news-
[log in to unmask]> with only the word 'subscribe' in the subject or
body.

WRITE AN EDITORIAL
We welcome original editorials. Typically, editorials run 300-500 words and
include links and contact details of their authors. Space is available
through
the website for longer editorials. Please inquire to [log in to unmask]

FAIR USE
This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We strive to
attribute sources by providing direct links to authors and websites. When
full
text is submitted to us and no website is provided, we make the text
available
on our website via a "for more information" link. Please contact
[log in to unmask] immediately regarding copyright issues.

The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed editorials, do
not
necessarily represent those of Kabissa, fahamu and SANGONeT.

(c) Kabissa, Fahamu and SANGONeT 2002

If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by
sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to
[log in to unmask] Please contact [log in to unmask] should you
need
further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Share the magic of Harry Potter with Yahoo! Messenger
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4Q_cgB/JmBFAA/46VHAA/DKgolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, October 30, 2002. Location: Douglas-Truth Library, 2300 Yesler, Seattle
7:00 pm Business meeting
7:30 pm Program: The Complexity od Addressing HIV/AIDS with in the Masaai Culture, by Jayne Lewis. (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

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~