---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 14:41:21 -0800 From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [WASAN] FW: KABISSA-FAHAMU-SANGONET NEWSLETTER 44 - ANTI TERROR LEGISLATION AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA ---------- From: "Kabissa-Fahamu-SANGONeT Newsletter Editor" <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 16:17:03 -0600 (CST) To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: KABISSA-FAHAMU-SANGONET NEWSLETTER 44 - ANTI TERROR LEGISLATION AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA KABISSA-FAHAMU-SANGONET NEWSLETTER 44 * 8114 SUBSCRIBERS This Newsletter is an advocacy tool for social justice. It 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. CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights and Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. 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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. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1.EDITORIAL ANTI TERROR LEGISLATION AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA By Rotimi Sankore The surprisingly quick collapse of the Taliban over the past month has seriously embarrassed Western political commentators, military analysts, ex- Russian soldiers defeated by the Mojahedin and the Taliban who were all united in their warnings of tough battles ahead and about Afghanistan being "the graveyard of foreign invaders." Three key factors contributed to the retreat of the Taliban and the victories of the Northern Alliance. Firstly and most importantly, the end of the cold war meant that the US Air Force had a free hand to utilise superior air power to its full advantage and drop almost everything except tactical nuclear weapons on the Taliban. The second and no less important factor contributing to the collapse of the Taliban, is the fact that most Afghans had suffered enough of Taliban extremism. Imprisonments and punishments for listening to non Taliban music or watching television, no cinemas, no libraries, no schools or jobs especially for women, forced growing of long beards for men, dehumanisation of women, arbitrary executions and sustained human rights violations have all exhausted the Taliban's political capital. The third factor, which the Taliban did not at all consider was that the US government, would by pass the public relations tragedy of engaging the Taliban directly with American troops. By utilising the Northern Alliance as a first wave following the massive bombing campaign, the US military was able to sidestep the most potentially potent weapon of the Taliban – the sight of US troops on international news attacking and occupying a Moslem country. This means that unlike during the Soviet invasion when the US government supported the Afghan and Arab fighters with over $300m a year over ten years and CIA and military training, the Taliban have nowhere to turn to for support. Even Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that had previously provided financial and strategic support have now turned against them leaving them isolated. Putin’s co-operation is not without benefits. The US government attacks on Afghanistan, has done the dirty work for the Russian government of destroying the training bases of Chechen separatists. Putin also has a "free hand" to crush Chechen rebels and other internal dissent without worrying about any serious Western objections. It is not only in Chechnya that human rights have been sacrificed in order to build and sustain the "anti-terror coalition". As regards rights violations, the major difference between the Saudi regime and the Taliban is GDP and Per Capita Income. In Pakistan the fact that General Musharraf heads a military regime that ousted an elected government has been buried by the "strategic" need to win over the Pakistani government. Musharraf in turn has opportunistically become "civilised" and sacrificed his Taliban friends for Western support, which will bolster his consolidation of power. It is almost impossible to believe that this is a regime that was only recently suspended from the Commonwealth. In China, Chinese Foreign ministry officials have linked "Chinese support for the global campaign against terrorism to US support for China's campaign against those advocating independence for Tibet and the Muslim province of Xinjiang." The new wave of anti-terror legislation across the world threatens to undermine democracy especially in Africa where in the past, proxy wars resulting from cold war rivalry between the "East and West" led to full support and recognition of all sorts of dictatorships for decades. Now it appears that all any corrupt, undemocratic or insecure government needs to do to ensure the support of the "West" is to sign up to the anti-terror war and introduce "anti-terrorist" legislation which is sure to be used to suppress or undermine democratic opposition and humans rights. At best, even if not put to immediate use against civil society, such laws are likely to be a sword of Damocles dangling over the neck of anyone overly keen on exercising democratic rights even in the most peaceful and law abiding way possible. For instance, journalists, lawyers, trade unionists and human rights organisations in Nigeria are alarmed at recent statements by representatives of the Nigerian Police about "the need to revive" the Anti- Terrorist Squad set up by the late dictator General Sanni Abacha. In all its years of existence, not a single terrorist was arrested or prosecuted. Instead, it was used to terrorise the media, human rights community, the pro-democracy movement and other real and imagined enemies. In Uganda, critics of the government have stated that "the Anti-terrorism Bill seeks to lower the standard of proof on which one can be held and convicted on a terrorism charge. If passed in the present form, the Minister of Internal Affairs will be given powers to add any organization to the terrorist list. By the stroke of a pen, the minister can add all opposition parties to the terrorist list, and its leaders will be rounded up and thrown in jail" In South Africa, the government is currently preparing a terrorism bill to comply with calls for a clampdown on terrorism in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States. The bill, which was originally drafted to replace the draconian apartheid anti- terror act, which was used to suppress opposition to white minority rule, may now be fast tracked and become law by mid 2002. Many South Africans are alarmed that the proposed bill contains clauses, which allows for detention without trial for interrogation purposes. The recent memories of Apartheid and the persecution of "freedom fighters" as terrorists means that in South Africa at least any anti terror laws are likely to meet stiff resistance if they are perceived as anti democratic. Many lawyers have stated that they would oppose "any detention for the purpose of interrogation." In countries such as Zimbabwe where regardless of any merits for the argument for land distribution, Robert Mugabe has wielded the entire matter like a cudgel against all opposition, any accusations of terrorism are sure to be accompanied by very severe repercussions. For instance, the Zimbabwean government has recently accused journalists of being "agents of terrorism" which is no small misdemeanour considering the local political climate. This trend will no doubt be spurred on by the introduction of anti- terrorist legislation in the US, UK Italy and other Western countries which more or less give governments "dictatorial" powers to detain people [foreigners or not] indefinitely on mere suspicion and without charge or any publicly stated reason. In some cases, even the detained persons will not be told of the reasons for their detention and if charged, will have lawyers chosen for them or be tried by military tribunals. The well publicised statements of the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi likening anti-globalisation protesters to terrorists or boasting about the alleged superiority of western civilisation over other civilisations will not comfort those that fear these laws will be abused. Considering, that the United States government is likely to push for African governments to "demonstrate full commitment to tackling evil" and "make it impossible for terrorists to operate within their borders", it is no exaggeration to caution that democracy on the African continent may be in for a rough ride. The number of Muslims in countries in Africa and Asia that indicated their opposition to the attacks on Afghanistan on religious grounds will not have escaped the attention of the US government and such counties in particular may come under pressure to "act swiftly against terrorists." As can be seen with the case of Pakistan, the terrorist atrocities in the US has been clearly seized as an opportunity for an undemocratic government to reintegrate itself into the respectable ranks of "the international community" and address the United Nations General Assembly after being suspended from the Commonwealth. No matter how unpopular it may seem, the point must be made that it will be a serious mistake to sacrifice democracy in Africa on the altar of "eradicating Bin Laden and Al Queda". The ‘rise’ of the likes of Saddam and Bin Laden also shows clearly that short 'termism' in foreign policy is to put it crudely "a ticking bomb." The only way to defeat and keep terrorism and its sympathisers out of Africa and by doing so reducing their potential bases, is to ensure more, not less democracy. Africans must make it clear, that while they condemn terrorism, the fight against it cannot be used as an excuse to create more Mobutu’s on the continent. The tragedy of these latest developments, is that by introducing legislation in their countries which before September 11 would have been unthinkable, the governments of the US, UK other Western countries may have robbed themselves of the moral right to speak up when similar laws are introduced and used to undermine democracy in Africa and strengthen governments which may in the long run turn out to be eventual enemies of "civilised values." *The above is an excerpt from an article on "The Anti-Terrorism Campaign Democracy and Human Rights" For full article click on the link below. Rotimi Sankore is a Human Rights Campaigner and Journalist with a keen interest in Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4520 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES ANGOLA: FEAR OVER MILITARY CALL-UP http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=15933 "Once you join the army, that's forever," Pedro says. "You die there." Pedro, 26, is one of the many young Angolan men who are worried by a fresh initiative by the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) to recruit new soldiers. ANGOLA: HOPES FOR PEACE IN SPITE OF WAR - UN http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16095 Angola is closer to peace today than it was a year ago, the UN's Special Envoy to Angola, Ambassador Mussagy Jeichande, told IRIN in a recent interview. CENTRAL AFRICA: BELGIUM INVESTIGATING EXPLOITATION OF DRC RESOURCES http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16006&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=CENTRAL_AFRICA A Belgian commission of inquiry on the Great Lakes convened on Friday in Brussels to investigate alleged involvement of Belgian and non-Belgian companies in the illegal trade of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and to explore measures to halt such activities from fueling war in the region. DRC: EU SUPPORTS PEACE PROCESS The main aim of the EU troika’s visit to Central Africa, lead by Belgian foreign minister, Louis Michel is to examine the peace progress achieved in the different States and to examine the possibility of establishing a Great Lakes conference under the auspices of the EU and UN. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4402 DRC: MIXED REACTION TO UN REPORT ON RESOURCE EXPLOITATION http://allafrica.com/stories/200111220001.html Reaction to the addendum of the April report by the UN panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has, so far, been mixed. DRC Information Minister Kikaya Bin Karubi said his country rejected any suggestion that Angola, Namibia, or Zimbabwe - allies to the Kinshasa government since war erupted in August 1998 - were looting the resources of the Congo, saying that these were "countries that came to our rescue in this war of aggression". ERITREA: CONSOLIDATED APPEAL FOR 2002 LAUNCHED http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16266&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ERITREA The United Nations country team on Tuesday launched its Consolidated Appeal (CA) for Eritrea for the year 2002, requesting a total of US $120 million to fund a series of emergency and reintegration programmes drawn up by 11 UN agencies and partner NGOs. ERITREA: TWO MILLION LAND MINES AND UXO http://allafrica.com/stories/200111220006.html Eritrea, a country of 3.5 million people, is infested with about two million mines and units of unexploded ordnance (UXO), Andebrhan Weldegiorgis, the commissioner for coordination with the UN peacekeeping mission, has told the UN General Assembly in New York. GUINEA- SIERRA LEONE: GOVERNMENTS MUST SOLVE GUINEAN TROOPS ISSUE http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16113 Issues surrounding the withdrawal of Guinean troops from their base near Koindu in eastern Kailahun District of Sierra Leone, will have to be resolved by the governments of the two countries, according to the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). HUMANITARIAN AID MUST NOT BECOME CRISIS MANAGEMENT TOOL http://www.europaworld.org/issue58/humanitarianaid231101.htm Although the European Union is developing the capacity to become a fully- fledged crisis management actor in the international arena and is co- operating with the United Nations, it does not regard its humanitarian work as a crisis management tool and is not in favour of a humanitarian alliance. SOMALIA: PEOPLE FLEE GAROWE http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=15872&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA Families are fleeing their homes in Garowe, the regional capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, in fear of renewed fighting, a local journalist told IRIN. They are doing so because of reports of militia approaching the town, and the fear of more clashes, Muhammad Sa'id Kashawito of Midnimo radio said on Friday. SOMALIA: UN POLITICAL OFFICE TO STAY ON http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16265&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA The United Nations Secretary-General has ordered an extension of the United Nations Political Office for Somalia's (UNPOS) to run for a further two years. THE LONE GUNMAN http://www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_novdec_2001/sprinzakhyper.html Our post-September 11 comprehension of terrorism must recognize a new enemy: the megalomaniacal hyperterrorist, argues Ehud Sprinzak. UN URGED ON PLIGHT OF CHILD SOLDIERS Alhaji Babah Sawaneh was only 10 when rebels in Sierra Leone kidnapped and beat him. Then they taught him to fire an assault rifle. The former child soldier, now 14 and reunited with his family, spoke before the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. His plea for improved protection of children in war was echoed by representatives of member states, and the council adopted a resolution aimed at ending the recruitment of child soldiers. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4431 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY CAN ISLAM BRING DEMOCRACY TO THE MIDDLE EAST? http://www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_novdec_2001/takeyh.html A new generation of theological thinkers, led by figures such as Iranian President Muhammad Khatami and Tunisian activist Rached Ghannouchi, is reconsidering the orthodoxies of Islamic politics. In the process, such leaders are demonstrating that the Middle East may be capable of generating a genuinely democratic order, one based on indigenous values. CONGO: BELGIUM BEHIND ICON’S MURDER http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/23nov-drc.html Belgian government ministers bore “moral responsibility” for events leading to the murder of the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba in 1961, a parliamentary inquiry has found. CONGO: NEW ELECTORAL CRITERIA LAW FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16089&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=CONGO The transitional parliament of the Republic of Congo (ROC) in Brazzaville on Saturday adopted a new electoral law setting out conditions for presidential candidates, AFP reported on Monday. DRC: ARREST AND DETENTION OF RUP LEADER Mr. José Mafwata Shamba, Secretary General of the Rassemblement National Populaire (RNP) party, was arrested on October 4 and subesequently detained. He has not been allowed access either to legal counsel or to his family since his detention began, giving rise to fears that he may be being subjected to ill-treatment or torture, which are prevalent in the DEMIAP's jails and have even lead to deaths in detention. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4451 EGYPT: THE LAWSUIT AGAINST NAWAL EL SAADAOUI Publication Of A Judicial Observation Mission The case against Nawal El Saadaoui fits in with the climate of intolerance prevailing in Egypt and stoked by Islamist thought, with silent consent from the authorities. It represents a permanent danger for freedoms of all sorts. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4441 KENYA: 16 DEATHS CONFIRMED AS PASTURE WARS RAGE http://allafrica.com/stories/200111210454.html Sixteen people have been confirmed dead and 200 houses burnt down as the pasture wars in Tana River District entered the third day. RWANDA: ANNAN BACKS SURVIVORS OF GENOCIDE, HOLOCAUST http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16090&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=RWANDA UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan pledged on Sunday that the world body would continue to be a "close partner" to the survivors of genocide and holocaust aiming to transform their trauma into action to prevent a recurrence of war crimes. UGANDA-KENYA: TURKANA LEAVE KARAMOJA TO AVOID DISARMAMENT http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16305&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=UGANDA-KENYA Turkana pastoralists who have been living and grazing their cattle in eastern and northeastern Uganda for almost 30 years have returned to Kenya to avoid handing their guns over to the Ugandan government, according to local news reports. ZAMBIA: ELECTION DATE FINALLY ANNOUNCED http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=15834&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZAMBIA Ending months of uncertainty, Zambian President Fredrick Chiluba announced on Thursday that presidential, parliamentary and local government elections would be held on 27 December, news agencies reported. ZAMBIA: WORKERS SACKED FOR BEING HIV POSITIVE http://www.oneworld.org/afronet/monitor184/headline6.htm A newly formed human rights group charged this week that unscrupulous employers in Lusaka have sacked at least 45 workers since June 2000. because they tested HIV-positive. ZIMBABWE RETREATS ON ELECTION OBSERVERS http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3095 Zimbabwe's state election agency said yesterday that foreign observers would be welcome at presidential elections next year, in an embarassing retreat from President Mugabe's enraged dismissal of a European Union delegation last week. ZIMBABWE: MUGABE SEEKS TO DELAY HARARE ELECTIONS http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3097 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government sought Sunday to overturn a High Court decision allowing long-delayed mayoral and council elections in Harare to go ahead next month. ZIMBABWE: CRACKDOWN ON OPPOSITION CONDEMNED Human Rights Watch today called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to speak out strongly on the need to ensure that the rule of law is respected in Zimbabwe. “The situation in Zimbabwe seems to be deteriorating daily,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4401 ZIMBABWE: NEW LAWS TO CRUSH ENEMIES http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/23nov-zim.html Robert Mugabe’s government is tightening its fist before the up-coming elections. ZIMBABWE: POLITICAL VIOLENCE REPORT OCTOBER 2001 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum http://www.zwnews.com/Octoberviolence.doc State agents attacked at least 10 persons in Chimanimani including a nine- year-old boy. One of the victims of the attack was beaten by soldiers and sustained a fractured skull. In Bindura, an 11-month-old infant was taken into custody along with its parents and beaten by a police officer. There have also been reports of widespread attacks on civil servants in October, particularly focused on teachers. This is the continuation of intimidation and threats since January; civil servants have been ordered to support Zanu (PF) in numerous rallies throughout the year. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION ANGOLANS HANDICAPPED BY A CULTURE OF CORRUPTION http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56357-2001Nov20.html This is a country on the take, disfigured by a core group of senior government officials whose corruption is so malignant that it has metastasized to virtually every level of Angola's public sector, according to diplomats, relief workers, academics and Angolans from all walks of life, says Jon Jeter in the Washintton Post. KENYA: MOI TO NAME EXPERTS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200111170008.html President Moi has said he will appoint a team of internationally respected experts to combat corruption. KENYAN MINISTER OUSTED AFTER IMF ROW http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1668000/1668924.stm Kenya's finance minister, Chris Okemo, has been replaced in a surprise cabinet reshuffle following a public row with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). NIGERIA: IMMIGRATION OFFICERS URGED TO SHUN CORRUPTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200111200272.html Immigration Officers nationwide have been advised to abstain from corrupt tendencies as the present administration would not spare anybody caught in the act. SIERRE LEONE: PUTTING CORRUPTION ON THE AGENDA http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=15211 What ever that might be the acceptable definition, it is an established fact that corruption is a two way process, involving members of both the public and private sector, who are engaged in illegal, illegitimate and unethical actions that diminish a country's economic prospects and degrade its social and political institutions. THINK AGAIN: DEBT RELIEF http://www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_novdec_2001/easterly.html Debt relief has become the feel-good economic policy of the new millennium, trumpeted by Irish rock star Bono, Pope John Paul II, and virtually everyone in between. But despite its overwhelming popularity among policymakers and the public, debt relief is a bad deal for the world's poor. By transferring scarce resources to corrupt governments with proven track records of misusing aid, debt forgiveness might only aggravate poverty among the world's most vulnerable populations, argues William Easterly from the World Bank. UGANDA: FIGHTING GRAFT ISN'T EASY, SAYS SPEAKER http://allafrica.com/stories/200111200419.html The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, has said that although MPs have tried to fight corruption to a small extent, stamping out graft completely is impossible. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH GIVE WOMEN A CHOICE! GIVE CHILDREN A CHANCE! Treatment Action Campaign Solidarity Campaign On the 26-27 November 2001, South Africa will witness a court case that can help to alter the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our country. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) calls on your support and solidarity to save people from unnecessary death and suffering. We ask you to encourage our government to change its tragic course in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4415 Contact: [log in to unmask] GLOBAL FUND BETRAYS PEOPLE WITH AIDS International AIDS activists and medical organizations protested at the opening day of meetings of the Board for the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, in Brussels, and demanded the Global Fund subsidize cheap AIDS Drugs. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4453 HIV-POSITIVE MOTHERS CAN SAFELY USE FORMULA AS ALTERNATIVE TO BREASTFEEDING http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#8142 Mortality and morbidity rates are similar for breastfed and formula-fed children of HIV-positive mothers, indicating that formula feeding can be a "safe alternative" to breastfeeding in resource-poor settings as long as women are properly educated and clean water exists, according to a study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. HIV/AIDS: WHICH SUCCESS STORY AT ICASA 2001? http://archives.hst.org.za/af-aids/msg00057.html The national prevalence of HIV in Zambia is clearly on the decline and Zambia does have a story to tell. It is a story of a strong, active, and highly developed community response to AIDS. MOZAMBIQUE: AIDS PREVENTION WORK STUNTED BY POVERTY, TABOO, 'WILLFUL' IGNORANCE http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#8143 HIV prevention efforts in Mozambique have been hindered by poverty, taboo and sometimes "willfull" ignorance, Reuters reports. An average of 600 to 700 people a day are infected with HIV in the nation, which has 17 million citizens. Mozambique is among the world's poorest nations, where most people have never seen and do not know how to use condoms. In addition, it is considered taboo to talk openly about sex, and many people doubt the existence of HIV/AIDS, making it more difficult to alter sexual behavior. NO NEW DRUGS FOR 'UNPROFITABLE' DISEASES OF DEVELOPING WORLD http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20011019 Virtually no new drugs are being developed for diseases that predominantly affect the poor, according to a report released by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). The report, "Fatal Imbalance" claims among others that from 11 companies surveyed, only one new tuberculosis (TB) drug was brought to the market in the last five years. SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS -- MANY STILL TAKE RISKS http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html#durex Eight in 10 South Africans are concerned about contracting HIV/AIDS or another sexually transmitted infection, but many are not protecting themselves, a major international sex survey revealed. SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI REGIME IN COURT FOR BARRING AIDS DRUG http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,606605,00.html The South African government was accused in court this week of sacrificing the lives of tens of thousands of babies by its "insane" policy of refusing to make anti-Aids drugs widely available to pregnant women. SOUTH AFRICA: NEVIRAPINE SUIT AGAINST GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#8144 AIDS activists from the Treatment Action Campaign and other groups will begin a court case Monday against the South African National Department of Health and eight of nine provincial health ministers, alleging that government health officials are "violating [AIDS] sufferers' constitutional right to life and health care" by not providing the antiretroviral drug nevirapine to the nation's pregnant women to reduce the risk of vertical transmission, Reuters/Contra Costa Times reports. SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLICATION ON HIV INFECTION AMONG YOUTHS In this study published in AIDS, the authors found an extremely high prevalence of HIV among young women (34%) and men (9%) aged 14-24 years from a township in the Carletonville district of South Africa. The authors suggest that these remarkable findings are due to high rates of HIV transmission from men to women, and the major role played by HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus type 2) in the spread of HIV in this population. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4449 WORLD AIDS DAY Saturday 1 December, 2001 SAfAIDS (Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination Service) has planned the following activities as a way of addressing the 2001 World AIDS Campaign. If you are in the area where any of our activities for the World AIDS DAY are taking place, please join us. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4440 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE BRIEFING ON CHILD SOLDIERS AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION http://www.child-soldiers.org The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers submits the following briefing for the regional preparatory process of the Second World Congress on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, alerting participants to the dire need to address the problem of child sexual exploitation in armed forces and armed groups. CHILDREN IN OUR MIDST - Voices Of Farmworkers' Children http://www.weaverpresszimbabwe.com/child/childframeset.htm For many years farmworkers in Zimbabwe have been a marginalised and neglected community. This is even truer of their children. Children in our Midst brings together the voices of several hundred childrencollected through essays and interviews. You can order a copy by email or visit the Weaver Press web site. Contact: [log in to unmask] MOZAMBIQUE RECOVERY: LISTENING TO OLDER PEOPLE http://www.helpage.org/dev/news/MozamRecov/MozamRecov.html Older people in Mozambique have struggled to recover from the devastating floods of 2000. Necodemus Chipfupa of HelpAge International describes how older people's organisations have mobilised support for vulnerable people in the community. NIGER: ORGANISATION IMPLEMENTS EDUCATION INITIATIVE http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=16111&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGER The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is currently implementing an education initiative in two largely nomadic regions of Niger. The programme focuses on sustaining school enrolment in a Catholic primary school in the northern Tuareg region of Tchirozerine, as well as in public primary schools in Bermo, primarily inhabited by the Peul people, a statement from CRS said. NIGERIA'S CHILDREN: WHAT MANNER OF FUTURE? http://allafrica.com/stories/200111090260.html With dislocation in the Nigerian economy, women and children, have been at the receiving end. The report presented by UNICEF in Lagos recently painted a gloomy picture of the situation, but at the same time, gave a ray of hope that with concerted effort, this vulnerable group of humanity can be rescued from disease, ignorance and want. Godwin Haruna was there. SCANDAL OF BRITAIN'S CHILD SLAVES REVEALED http://www.globalmarch.org/clns/clns-nov-15.htm#1 Hundreds of West African children have been brought illegally into Britain and other European countries in a modern-day form of slavery, according to a BBC investigation. The probe, triggered by the tragedy of Victoria Climbie, says that the practice of children being brought to Europe amid promises of a life of comfort and a good education is widespread. SOUTH AFRICA: BOARDING SCHOOLS ARE PRONE TO UNREST http://allafrica.com/stories/200111110009.html In South Africa, boarding schools register more strikes and other forms of students' agitation than other schools. A reason being advances is that children in these schools live away from their families at a time when they badly need guidance. SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH URGED TO BECOME NET SAVVY http://allafrica.com/stories/200111190548.html South African President, Mr Thambo Mbeki has urged African youth to master the Internet technology and use it to solve the enormous problems confronting the continent. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7.WOMEN AND GENDER AGENDA CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS Agenda is a feminist quarterly based in Durban, South Africa, now in its 14th year. The Editorial Advisory Group decides on themes in advance. Contributions on topical and current gender issues, gender analysis, reviews and interviews are welcomed. We seek ongoing contributions, particularly from women who have never published their research or writing. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4400 Contact: [log in to unmask] BURUNDI: WOMEN TRAINED IN PEACE-BUILDING AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIFEM and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in collaboration with ABANTU for Development, an African women’s NGO, held a ‘Peace and Communications Skills Workshop for Burundi Refugee Women’ from 1-4 October. The need for the workshop resulted from a UNIFEM Training Needs Assessment Mission for Burundi Refugee Women, conducted in June-July 2001. While the target beneficiaries were Burundi refugee women and men in Kibondo, Kasulu and Ngara refugee camps in Tanzania, participants also included key implementing partners of UNHCR who have a direct bearing on the lives of refugee women in the camps. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4403 Contact: [log in to unmask] EGYPT: OVERTURN BOY'S CONVICTION FOR HOMOSEXUALITY A sixteen-year-old boy's prosecution and conviction for engaging in sexual relations with men violates international standards, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Egyptian authorities. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4419 GENDER, SOCIETY & DEVELOPMENT SERIES Call For Papers The Editorial Team of the Gender, Society & Development series is planning a book on 'gender/women and sustainable resources management' to be published in 2002. The book will be the 6th in the series produced by KIT (Royal Tropical Institute) and co-distributed by Oxfam GB. The Team is looking for authors, especially from the South, with practical experience in the field of integrating and mainstreaming gender/women' issues into the management and use of natural resources for sustainable development. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4444 SUDAN: MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN PEACE-BUILDING AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION UNIFEM, in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) held a policy seminar from 15-16 October in Khartoum, Sudan to integrate a gender perspective in the resolution of armed conflicts in the East and Horn of Africa region. The two-day seminar drew participants from the IGAD Member States, which included Ministers in charge of Women/Gender Affairs, Women Parliamentarians, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local women’s NGOs. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4404 UNIFEM DIRECTOR, NOELEEN HEYZER Day Against Violence Against Women Violence against women is a universally devastating and often unpunished crime with far-reaching implications. As Dr. Heyzer says in her statement: "What happened in Afghanistan demonstrates that the way in which a country or community treats women and protects and promotes their human rights, is one of the best early warning indicators of its respect for international norms and standards ". Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4405 WHAT IS HAPPENING TO SOCIALIST FEMINISM? Call For Papers: May 2002, Toronto, Canada Socialist feminism's synthesis of radical feminism with socialism seems to becoming undone. Many socialist feminists have become postmodernists or postmodern "materialists." Others, especially socialist eco-feminists, are drifting into cultural feminism. Some are calling for a move from socialist to Marxist feminism. Is socialist feminism necessarily "totalistic" and "essentialist"? Does postmodern feminism really defend "difference" and eschew grounding politics in "nature"? Is postmodern materialist feminism a coherent project? Is postmodern feminism anarchist? Is cultural feminism the "feminist" feminism? Is it "radical"? Can the domination of women and nonhuman nature be adequately addressed by Marxist feminism? How is the shift to postmodernism in theory affecting feminist practice, political engagements, and research? Please send completed conference form (below) and 100-word abstract, by January 15. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4448 Contact: [log in to unmask] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION NIGERIA: IMMIGRATION SERVICES DEPORT SIX PAKISTANIS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16021 The Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), on Sunday deported six Pakistani nationals who were arrested two days earlier for threatening the peace and security in Sagamu, the capital of southwestern Ogun State, The Guardian reported on Friday. REFUGEE ASSISTANCE New training materials to improve skills of humanitarian workers in offering psychosocial help to war-affected people have been developed by Oxford University''s Refugee Studies Centre in collaboration with other partners. The manuals represent the ''state of the art''in this field currently and are directed at UN and NGO agencies working with war-affected populations around the world," said Carol Eyber of the Centre. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4435 REFUGEES VICTIMS OF TERRORISM, NOT ITS PERPETRATORS At a recent UN meeting, Christophe Payot, on behalf of the European Union, said the number of internally displaced persons was increasing dramatically, and they now outnumbered refugees by almost two to one. The figure was estimated at 25 million, in 40 or so countries, half of them in Africa. But while refugees enjoyed a special status and international assistance, protecting and guaranteeing the rights of internally displaced persons was primarily the responsibility of the State concerned. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4433 WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & ARMED CONFLICT http://www.savingwomenslives.org/factsheet_women_and_armed_conflict.htm More than 26 million refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons are registered worldwide and millions more are unregistered. 50% are girls and women. Gender-based violence tends to increase in refugee situations, where reproductive health services are often lacking. For example, a 1994 study of Rwandan refugees in Tanzanian camps found that 60% of the women had a reproductive tract infection and more than 20% of births at a Burundi refugee camp in Tanzania in 1998 were below average weight, and infant deaths rose sharply from prewar levels. Of Rwandan women who reported being raped, 17% were HIV-positive. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA EDUCATING CHILDREN AND YOUTH AGAINST RACISM Office Of The High Commissioner For Human Rights, Durban, South Africa http://www.iearn.org/racismreportfinaldoc.pdf There is perhaps no place better to focus anti-racism efforts than to educate children and youth about racism and how to combat it. Racism, after all, is only as strong as its proponents and practitioners – and educating the next generations is surely one of the most effective ways of reducing the number of racists and the potential appeal of their message. Accordingly, this Report focuses on anti-racism educational efforts directed at children and youth. NIGERIA: FOCUS ON TENSION BETWEEN COMMUNITIES IN KADUNA STATE http://allafrica.com/stories/200111220008.html Reputed for decades to be the melting pot of Nigeria's cultures, the northern state of Kaduna has witnessed some of the most violent confrontations between different ethnic and religious groups since President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected in 1999. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT BEHIND CONSUMPTION AND CONSUMERISM http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Consumption.asp Today's consumption is undermining the environmental resource base. It is exacerbating inequalities. And the dynamics of the consumption-poverty- inequality-environment nexus are accelerating. If the trends continue without change - not redistributing from high-income to low-income consumers, not shifting from polluting to cleaner goods and production technologies, not promoting goods that empower poor producers, not shifting priority from consumption for conspicuous display to meeting basic needs - today's problems of consumption and human development will worsen. CLIMATE CHANGE: BIG DROP IN CROP YIELDS FORECAST Billions Across The Tropics Face Hunger And Starvation http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=225&ArticleID=2952 Harvests of some of the world's most important food crops could fall by as much as a third in some crucial parts of the planet as a result of climate change, scientists are warning. The decline comes at a time when there is an urgent need to raise yields to feed as growing, global, population. ETHIOPIA: ORGANIC FARMING METHODS GAINING GROUND http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16263 Under a pilot scheme in drought-prone North Welo, farmers are turning away from the use of expensive and potentially dangerous chemical pesticides in favour of ancient methods of pest control to help their crops flourish. GREEN INDUSTRY: AN AGENT OF CHANGE? http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?section=9&id=1199 Can industry be trusted to deliver sustainability? A quick glance back at the corporate track record gives sobering food for thought. Much of the past half century of economic development has come at the cost of havoc wrought on the life-support systems of the planet and its social fabric, while the twin drivers of growth and profit have repeatedly ridden roughshod over other considerations. KENYA: GREENS DISMAYED AT FOREST EXCISION PLAN http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=15842 The livelihoods - and perhaps even the lives - of many Kenyans are threatened by a government plan to excise, or remove, over 167,000 acres of the country’s forests, according to protesting environmental campaigners. NIGER: REMAINING GIRAFFES ENDANGERED http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16020 Signifying a further breakdown in some of West Africa's environmental ecosystems, the last giraffe population in the region has shrunk from just 100 to a much smaller and endangered number found in Niger's Koure region, 60 km east of the capital Niamey. STOP TREATING OCEANS AS SEWERS, OFFICIALS URGED http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20011121/wl/stop_treating_oceans_as_se wers_officials_urged_1.html Environmental disaster looms if governments fail to take swift action to stop waste flows from land polluting the sea, officials from around the world will warn this week. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA ETHIOPIA: NEW RADIO SHOW ENCOURAGES HIV/AIDS PREVENTION A new radio serial drama that begins airing this Sunday, Nov. 25, in Ethiopia is designed to encourage young adults to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies by depicting characters engaging in either risky or safe sexual behavior. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4434 ETHIOPIA: TWO MORE JOURNALISTS CHARGED Two Ethiopian journalists, Wesenseged Gebrekidan, deputy editor-in-chief of "ETOP" newspaper, and Kidushabet Belachew, editor-in- chief of "Mebrek" newspaper have both been charged by the High Court. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4423 KENYAN MEDIA FEARS NEW BILL http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20011121/wl/kenyan_media_fears_new_bil l_1.html Kenyan media rights activists have condemned a bill they fear aims to muzzle the press before the country goes to the polls next year. LIBERIAN NEWSPAPER CLOSED BY GOVERNMENT http://allafrica.com/stories/200111220073.html Liberia's leading independent newspaper, The NEWS, has been summarily closed by the government for the second time this year, on the grounds that it has not paid its taxes. The chairman of the newspaper has been taken in for questioning. MEDIA MONITORING PROJECT ZIMBABWE MEDIA UPDATE # 2001/46 ZANU PF’s propaganda in the state media plumbed unprecedented depths during the coverage of the murder of Cain Nkala, the Bulawayo war veteran’s leader. The state media exposed their total disregard for the general standards and ethics of journalism to churn out inflammatory hate speech reminiscent of the hate radio before and during the genocide in Rwanda. ZANU PF officials and war veterans were quoted describing the opposition, as ‘terrorists’ or the ‘enemy’. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4443 ONEWORLD LAUNCHES WORLD NEWS SYNDICATION WITH YAHOO! NEWS OneWorld, the leading online network for human rights and sustainable development, has announced a daily news syndication to the World News section of Yahoo News, one of the most popular news site on the Web. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4442 SOUTH AFRICA: RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION VIOLATED, COURT TOLD http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/ THE Constitutional Court has been asked to decide upon the constitutionality of a clause of the Code of Conduct for Broadcasting Services which is alleged to have a "chilling effect" on the right to freedom of expression. SUDAN: ARREST OF JOURNALISTS On Tuesday 20 November, 22 journalists from the independent Sudanese newspaper Al-Watan were arrested for protesting about a ban on their publication of an article concerning corruption. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4450 THE WAR ON JOURNALISM http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/ As seven western correspondents are killed in one week in Afghanistan, author Phillip Knightley asks if frontline reporters are now considered legitimate targets. US PLANS TV STATION TO RIVAL AL-JAZEERA http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/ An Arabic-language satellite television station financed by the US and aimed at winning hearts and minds in the Muslim world could shortly become a reality. President George Bush has been told of Initiative 911, which would put half a billion dollars into a channel that would compete in the region with al-Jazeera and would be aimed specifically at younger Muslims who are seen as anti-American. ZIMBABWE WARNS MEDIA http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011123/wl/zimbabwe_journalists_dc_1.html Zimbabwe's government has threatened to treat six journalists working for foreign media organizations including The Associated Press as "terrorists" after accusing them of filing false reports on political violence. ZIMBABWE: EDITORS TELL MUGABE TO WITHDRAW THREATS http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,606788,00.html The International Press Institute has written to the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, asking him to repudiate his government's accusation that local and foreign journalists are colluding with terrorists. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT ETHIOPIA: BIG REDUCTION IN FOREIGN DEBT http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=16075 Ethiopia's foreign debt has been almost halved in the last two years following succesful debt cancellation programmes. FACING THE FOOD CHALLENGE IN AFRICA It has been taken for granted that Agriculture and the economies of countries in sub-Saharan Africa must remain liberalized irregardless of the consequences that arise from this process, argued participants at at a recent course in Sustainable Agriculture for East & Southern Africa held in Eldoret, Western Kenya. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4406 IMF CALLS FOR EXTRA AID FOR POOR http://www.debtchannel.org/front.shtml The International Monetary Fund has called on the world's richest countries to boost aid budgets and debt relief efforts to prevent the gathering downturn in the global economy pushing millions more people in the developing world into abject poverty. MOZAMBIQUE GETS DEBT RELIEF FROM PARIS CLUB http://www.debtchannel.org/front.shtml The Paris Club of creditors agreed to reduce Mozambique's debt by $1.65 billion in net present value under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC). The country will devote all the resources freed by the debt relief into priority areas identified in the country's poverty reduction strategy. NEW CURE FOR BATTERED COMMODITY PRODUCERS? http://www.gemininewsservice.com/default.asp?content=articlesmp&id=451 Commodity producers in developing countries have generally suffered from fluctuating world prices. Efforts by international organisations over the last 30 years to help them have failed in an increasingly competitive market dominated by the rich. Now a World Bank-sponsored task force believes extending some modern market instruments would help, reports Gemini News Service. OTTAWA MEETINGS OF THE IMF/WORLD BANK A report on the recent World Bank/IMF meetings from 50 Years is Enough, with some details on what happened in the unofficial events outside the meetings, and some thoughts on what results of the meetings might be. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4439 RENOWNED U.S. ECONOMISTS DENOUNCE CORPORATE-LED GLOBALIZATION http://www.earthisland.org/ggn/ggn_article2.html Recent Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, along with well-known economist Paul Krugman, have of late made a flurry of public statements critical of the policies and processes of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank / IMF, and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) — while leaving plenty of harsh words for the blatantly pro-corporate actions of the Bush Administration. Both economists point to the disruptive and distorting influence of large corporate entities through their dominance over both domestic and international institutions. RWANDA DEBT NETWORK (RDN) POLICY PAPER Save Lives! Cancel The Debt http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/jmi/jmi-policies/Rwanda_debt_network.htm Every Rwandan needs to be given a stake in a peaceful future. There are numerous obstacles to peace and development, which require imaginative responses from government and civil-society groups, in conjunction with donors, regional organisations, and NGOs. Large-scale financial and technical assistance will be needed. Rapid population growth is placing pressures on an under-resourced social sector, and is increasing competition over land and water in densely populated rural areas. The social sector, cruelly targeted during the genocide, urgently needs new investment. Training of teachers, health workers, and administrators is critical. Violent conflict continues. SOUTH AFRICA: INTERVIEW WITH SANGOCO PRESIDENT http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/28nov-seeds.html NGOs want to reassert their roles in shaping public policy and becoming a delivery partner in the alleviation of poverty, health issues, joblessness and homelessness, according to Zakes Hlatswayo, the newly elected president of the South African National NGO Coalition. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: What’s Land Got To Do With It? Ahead of the September 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa is reviewing its plans and progress towards sustainable development. This paper argues that more attention needs to be given to land reform as a key component of sustainable development strategy. It raises a number of questions and concerns that need debate before the Summit and beyond. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4417 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY AFRICAN RADIO BROADCASTING VIA THE NET http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,7,43462.jsp This web page lists many African radio stations which broadcast live over the Web. BUILDING AN ONLINE COMMUNITY WEB DEVELOPERS http://slashdot.org/books/01/11/27/167256.shtml A new book by the author/ designer of several online communities is reviewed on Slashdot. The review includes some pointers and is followed by a discussion. CENSORSHIP AND SITE-BLOCKING: US NETWAR The US 'war on terrorism' is having serious effects on online liberty and freedom of expression. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4455 Contact: [log in to unmask] FIRST HUMAN EMBRYO CLONED Amidst much controversy, the first human embryo has finally been cloned. Read on for links to articles and interviews with the scientists and comments on the ethics involved. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4452 FREE ACCESS TO AFRICAN INFORMATION DATABASES UNTIL NOVEMBER 30, 2001 Free access to over half a million unique references for African Studies. Read the article for full details of this powerful bibliographic database aggregation. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4522 Contact: [log in to unmask] MORE THAN 4 MILLION AFRICAN NET USERS http://www.idg.net/crd_idgsearch_711510.html?sc= This article discusses Mike Jensen's latest research into Internet growth and usage in Africa. Contact: [log in to unmask] POOR COUNTRIES TRY TO CASH IN ON E-COMMERCE http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20011120/wl/poor_countries_try_to_cash _in_on_e-commerce_1.html Buying and selling across the World Wide Web offers "unlimited" opportunities for developing countries, says a new United Nations report. RED ALERT http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/ Relief agencies such as the Red Cross are using the web to coordinate humanitarian aid. Elen Lewis on how alertnet could revolutionise the way aid workers deal with crises. REDHAT CHALLENGES MICROSOFT JUDGEMENT http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2001/press_usschools.html Open Source leader proposes to provide software to every school district in the United States if Microsoft provides computing hardware for the 14,000 poorest school districts. SCIENTISTS BUILD COMPUTER FROM DNA http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7946153.html Israeli scientists have built a DNA computer so tiny that a trillion of them could fit in a test tube and perform a Billion operations per second with 99.8 percent accuracy. SOMALIA: THE UNITED STATES SHUTS DOWN THE INTERNET Cyberwar Or Cyberterrorism? Somalia's only Internet company and its key telecommunication company have been shut down by the United States, because of suspicions of terrorist links. The United Nations and many nonprofit aid organizations have been affected. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4430 Contact: [log in to unmask] SOUTH AFRICA SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL CYBERCRIME TREATY http://www.idg.net/ic_734499_1794_9-10000.html Thirty countries signed a controversial international treaty to combat online crime last week. Representatives of 26 Council of Europe member states, plus the U.S., Canada, Japan, and South Africa, put their signatures on the document at an international meeting in Budapest. UNWIRING THE WEB http://www.techreview.com/magazine/dec01/innovation1.asp Community-owned wireless networks are gaining popularity—and could help bridge the digital divide. WOMEN SHUN NETWORKING JOBS New Research http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1679000/1679106.stm The lack of role models for women in the IT industry and the perception that networking jobs are 'too technical' for women discourages them form choosing this as a career path. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS E-CIVICUS - CONNECTING CIVIL SOCIETY WORLDWIDE Number 141 - 25 November, 2001 Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4528 Contact: [log in to unmask] EQUINET NEWSLETTER 23 NOVEMBER 2001 Newsletter Of The Network For Equity In Health In Southern Africa Seeking to develop and widen the conceptual understanding of equity in health, Equinet identifies critical areas of work and policy issues and makes visible existing unfair and avoidable inequalities in health. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4501 Contact: [log in to unmask] ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (ACACIA PHASE II) http://www.idrc.ca/acacia/newsletter/Sep01.PDF Acacia is a program to help sub-Saharan African communities develop the ability to use ICTs for their social and economic development. The Acacia program is commencing its second phase, which will look to build on the first phase, notably by focussing on disseminating findings widely, learning from its initial projects and developing new types of projects. The September newsletter summarizes some of the lessons from Phase I and outlines current activities and plans for Phase II. Contact: [log in to unmask] NEWSLETTER OF THE COALITION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ICC UPDATE #24, November 2001 Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4546 Contact: [log in to unmask] REQUEST FOR ITEMS FOR DEMOCRACYNEWS Deadline: 30 November http://www.wmd.org The next issue of DemocracyNews will go out on 5 December, 2001. In order to make DemocracyNews as useful to you as possible, we ask you to send us any items related to democracy work that you would like us to include. We welcome items on your collaborative efforts with other groups to advance democracy; democracy-related activities particularly in countries that are struggling to democratize; upcoming events (conferences, training programs, and workshops); and new publication announcements (case studies, training manuals, and conference reports). Contact: [log in to unmask] THE DRUM BEAT CLASSIFIEDS Vacancies - November 21, 2001 Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4536 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING BEYOND AID - STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT During the past two years, the Beyond Aid Project (a collaboration between CAF West Africa and GAPVOD) has worked to build foundations for the future security and sustainability of a healthy NGO sector in Ghana. The project explores strategies for deepening NGO/Corporate partnerships, trains non- profit personnel in resource mobilisation skills and encourages alliances among organisations for collaborative projects. Beyond Aid also facilitated the design of a new partnership framework for Government-NGO relations in Ghana. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4534 Contact: [log in to unmask] LARGE FOUNDATIONS ADJUST THEIR GRANTMAKING IN RESPONSE TO SEPTEMBER 11 http://fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=2200040 Many large foundations have adjusted their grantmaking since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- not only to provide funding for the relief and recovery efforts but also to support organizations working to address long-term problems related to the attacks, the New York Times reports. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS EPIDEMIOLOGY AND FIELD RESEARCH METHODS TRAINING COURSE Umea University, Sweden 27 May - 14 June 2002 The overall aims are to discuss epidemiological design, analysis and interpretation, as well as the roles of quantitative and qualitative approaches in public health research. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4544 Contact: [log in to unmask] GENEVA: WORLD CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM 14-19 July 2002 Mandat International is a non-profit-making NGO which has as its principal missions to welcome and help non-governmental delegates (in particular those from developing countries) coming to Geneva to participate in international conferences. In order to strengthen international cooperation, we are participating in the organization of a World Civil Society Forum which will take place from the 14th to the 19th of July 2002 in Geneva. For this occasion we expect the participation of representatives of civil society from all over the entire world, especially from NGOs. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4531 Contact: [log in to unmask] KENYA: LET AFRICA LIVE! December 10 To 15, 2001 http://www2.womensnet.org.za/events/show.cfm?id=219 The conference will specifically bring together young,researchers,educators, advocates, counsellors and policy makers. It will provide a strong platform in shaping the future role of young people in HIV/Aids prevention and care within the continent. Contact: [log in to unmask] NIGERIA: COMMUNICATIONS AFRICA 2001 CONFERENCE Postponed From Dec 3-5 2001 To March 11-13 2002 The requests forwarded due to current events in the world, involving international travel, safety and security, "Communications Africa 2002" will be delayed by three months. In the mean time, however, we would like to request advertisers on the Event Booklet should send your adverts beforehand. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4532 Contact: agmichael@globaltradenetworks SOUTH AFRICA: CONTINENTAL CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION COURSE 4 February 2002 - 8 March 2002 This workshop will cover diverse aspects of conflict transformation and peace building, and is aimed at capacity building for people working in conflict transformation, development, human rights and related fields on the African continent. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4545 Contact: [log in to unmask] SOUTH AFRICA: WORLD AIDS DAY http://www2.womensnet.org.za/events/show.cfm?id=291 The Dobozu Youth Development Association DYDA is holding an event which will involve educating the public about the dangers of Aids to the community. The responsibility is everybody's . The theme this year is 'MEN AND AIDS' DO YOU CARE? The function will emphasisize the role and responsibility of men in stopping the spread of aids. Contact: [log in to unmask] TANZANIA: MANAGEMENT COURSE FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAMME May To June 2002 The course aims at contributing to the reduction of human suffering related to food and nutrition problems in Tanzania and other African countries. The course is specifically intended for programme implementers at district level, who are responsible for planning and implementation of activities (programmes, projects, etc.) directed at improving the food and nutrition situation of population groups at risk. This course, therefore, is designed to strengthen the ability of participants in planning, managing, administrating and evaluating such activities within the constraints and opportunities present in their own geographical and socio-economic situation. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4533 Contact: [log in to unmask] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES GIRLS FOR SALE -- BUILDING A COALITION TO FIGHT TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA http://www.advocacynet.org/nigtraffick_girlsforsale_6_25.html Hundreds of Nigerian women and girls have been lured into prostitution in Europe and the Middle East, where they are vulnerable to abuse and violence. This website profiles those who are campaigning to put an end to this insidious trade. Contact: [log in to unmask] NETACTION'S GUIDE TO USING ENCRYPTION SOFTWARE http://www.netaction.org/encrypt/ Encryption is a software tool that uses scrambling to make data unreadable to anyone other than the intended recipient. It is useful to ensure the privacy of data that you store on your computer, or that you want to email to someone else. Do you need it? /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS ADVISOR FOR HIV/AIDS HEALTH REPORTING PROGRAMS http://www.comminit.com/vacancy575.html Extensive health news reporting, expertise in HIV/AIDS issues, experience with gov't funded grant programs, excellent communication skills. This position is based in Washington, DC and reports directly to the VP of Programs. Contact: [log in to unmask] ANGOLA: INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS SEEKS MEDICAL DIRECTOR http://www.comminit.com/vacancy585.html Monitor and evaluate impact of program on beneficiaries and affected communities. Recommend necessary changes to ensure objectives are met. Provide technical expertise for new proposals. Masters in Public Health desired. Contact: [log in to unmask] AWID RESOURCE NET JOBS - ISSUE 89 Monday, November 26, 2001 Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4503 BASICS II PROJECT: ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL OFFICER FOR AFRICA http://www.comminit.com/vacancy587.html In order to work more effectively BASICS II has developed Country Results Teams (CRT) as the vehicle through which technical and administrative support (headquarters and field office) is coordinated for BASICS II countries in order to facilitate implementation of country workplans and to obtain successful performance results. Responsible for monitoring the administrative and budgetary aspects of the CRT work, and to see that the team members have the information and support they need. Contact: [log in to unmask] ERITREA: INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS SEEKS COMMUNITY HEALTH COORDINATOR http://www.comminit.com/vacancy585.html The goal of the program is to develop community capacity for health education / information and to promote activities on such topics as: Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses, hygiene and sanitation, mine awareness and injury prevention, and prevention of communicable diseases such as HIV and STDs. Fluent in written and spoken English; Arabic an asset. Contact: [log in to unmask] KENYA: AFRICAN MEDICAL AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION SEEKS DIRECTOR GENERAL http://www.comminit.com/vacancy567.html Will primarily be responsible for providing strategic direction and management to ensure delivery of AMREF's agenda by spearheading the successful implementation of the new corporate strategy. Contact: [log in to unmask] NAMIBIA: POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL SEEKS PROJECT DIRECTOR Closing Date: December 15, 2001 PSI/Europe wishes to appoint an experienced professional to manage a project to develop HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Testing services in Namibia. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic organization on the cutting edge of HIV/AIDS prevention and control. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4505 Contact: [log in to unmask] PROGRAM DIRECTOR: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FARM RADIO NETWORK http://www.comminit.com/vacancy595.html Monitoring, evaluation and continuing development of the program. Developing projects that will complement the core program activities. Strengthening of the Network, primarily by enhancing partner participation in our decision-making processes, and volunteer participation in activities that support our mission. Bilingual(French/English), with excellent communication (oral/written) skills. Contact: [log in to unmask] SIERRA LEONE: INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS SEEKS GENERAL SURGEON http://www.comminit.com/vacancy585.html The highly energetic surgeon will be a self-starter whose skills complements the dynamic Sierra Leone surgical programs. Provide and coordinate training in trauma and emergency care for relevant hospital staff. Contact: [log in to unmask] SOMALIA: WELL WOMEN MEDIA PROJECT SEEKS PROJECT MANAGER Closing Date: November 30, 2001 This is a two year contract, renewable. This post will take lead responsibility for managing and developing a project which will address women's health issues through an interactive radio magazine programme. Operating from an office/studio in Hargeisa, Somaliland the project is funded for five years and builds on the experience of a two-year pilot project. Programmes are written and produced by Health Unlimited's national staff and broadcast to the Somali speaking Horn of Africa. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4504 Contact: [log in to unmask] SOUTH AFRICA: JUNIOR ATTORNEY The Non Profit Partnership wish to appoint a Junior Attorney, with a right of appearance within the NPO Tax Communication and Support Services Programme. This is a two-year contract, Cape Town-based position. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4508 Contact: [log in to unmask] SOUTH AFRICA: SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR Reporting to: Digital Information Coordinator, Digital Information Unit, The Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (www.eisa.org.za). EISA is a non- profit organisation working towards strengthening democracy and elections in the SADC region. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4507 Contact: [log in to unmask] VACANCIES IN UN AGENCIES Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4502 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS AFRICULTURES NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2001 The latest information on African art from Africultures. Further details: http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4418 GLOBALISATION: POST-NEO DEPENDENCY AND POVERTY IN AFRICA Daniel A. Offiong http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_New_Titles_5 6.html#a850 Throughout the 1980s, incomes, living standards and investments in Africa plummeted, while poverty declined in South and East Asia. With world attention now focussed on global issues, not least damaging effects in Africa, this timely book argues that structural adjustment programmes in Africa, enforced by the international financial institutions, have produced a tighter dependency than colonialism achieved. 978156475X, 2001, Fourth Dimension. IGBO PHILOSOPHY OF LAW F.U. Okafor http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_New_Titles_5 6.html#a882 This is a first attempt at the philosophical articulation and projection of the Igbo concept of law and the role of law in the traditional environment. In the Igbo traditional setting, the rules of law are uncodified. The author, who teaches philosophy of law and logic at the University of Nigeria, defines the law of a given community as the body of rules recognised as binding by its members. On this concept of law, he has based his attempt to elucidate the philosophical underpinning of those rules recognised in Igbo traditional legal system as law. THE POLITICS OF MEMORY : TRUTH, HEALING AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Ifi Amadiume http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856498433/africapolicyinfo/104- 4878312-2927959 Why does conflict deteriorate into violence and war? How does collective memory influence healing and social justice in post-conflict situations? This book brings together a distinguished group of scholars, policy-makers, justice workers and social activists to answer these questions. In a creative engagement with issues of human rights in relation to truth, healing and social justice, they look at how people rebuild broken communities and the tensions between reconciliation and social justice in post-conflict situations. Zed Books, 2001. ISBN: 1856498433 WHOSE LAETIE ARE YOU? MY SOWETAN BOYHOOD Chimeloane, Rrekgetsi http://www.africabookcentre.com/abc/E150.htm Growing up in a loving family, with the affection and support of his best friend Levi, and universal boyhood exploits - shooting rats with ketis, learning karate, stoning street lamps. Also more sinister experiences: dodging stones and avoiding enemies when you had to cross territories, running the gauntlet of dogs, bullies and thugs. The world Chimeloane sketches contained both the 1976 rising and endless wonder: the Valiant Regal taxi which produced money from its back seat, the magic of seeing bioscope and emulating the starrings, a world where you shared sweets with your chomis. Kwela Books, 2001, 0795701233. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS DR JOHNSON NKUUHE Parliament Of Uganda Thanks for copies of Fahamu-Kabissa-Sangonet newsletter. I have even shared copies with my fellow MPs in Uganda. IVAN SEMAKULA I think Iam obliged to say a word or two to you and the entire :KABISSA- FAHAMU SANGONET NEWSLETTER. First and foremost, thank you so much for the tireless efforts you have always put in by providing the most accurate info and also fighting for the marginalised communities. This is a work well done. Thank you so much. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY KABISSA, FAHAMU AND SANGONET Kabissa - Space for change in Africa 5130 Connecticut Ave, NW #306, Washington DC 20008, USA [log in to unmask] http://www.kabissa.org Fahamu - learning for change Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK [log in to unmask] http://www.fahamu.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 <kf-newsletter- [log in to unmask]> with only the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' 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 2001 If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to kf-newsletter- [log in to unmask] Please contact [log in to unmask] should you need further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Universal Inkjet Refill Kit $29.95 Refill any ink cartridge for less! Includes black and color ink. http://us.click.yahoo.com/gwUrIA/MkNDAA/ySSFAA/DKgolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, Nov 28. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, 306 23rd Ave. S at S. Main St, Suite 200 , Seattle 7:00 PM WASAN business meeting 7:30 PM Program: "Malaria In Africa Today" by Dr. Patrick Duffy We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see 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 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] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>