Back Issues

COMIC RELIEF CAPITULATES TO RIGHT WING PRESSURES

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/719

One of the first decisions that George W Bush took when he reached the White House was to announce that the US aid programme would not fund family planning programmes with any element of abortion. Now one of the best known fundraising operations in the UK - which has raised 115 million of pounds for development programmes carried out by British NGOs in Africa - has capitulated to pressures from the right-wing lobby and the Catholic Church.

Apparently desperate to get money at any cost, Comic Relief has set up a separate bank account for funds that will not be used for projects “working on sexual and reproductive health”.

In its defence, Comic Relief said “less than 3% of all funds spent has been allocated to projects with a family planning component.” In a continent ravaged by HIV and AIDS, this statistic is shocking enough, casting doubt on the extent to which Comic Relief’s funds are being used to meet Africa’s priorities. Any serious analysis of poverty and its solutions will conclude that the involvement of women in the development process is fundamental. Their involvement, their health and that of their children, is intimately linked to their ability to make choices, including their ability to make informed decisions about family size.

For Comic Relief to bow to the pressures of the right effectively reduces the already small amount it devotes to work on sexual and reproductive health in Africa. It sets a precedent for other rightwing pressure groups to ask for their donations to be ring-fenced. What will Comic Relief say when that lobby says it wants none of its money to be used to help blacks?

Many NGOs in the UK have circulated protest letters to Comic Relief. Such protests come in the wake of growing criticism of the way in which Africans are portrayed in television programmes produced by Comic Relief for its fund-raising work. Many believe that these programmes portray African people merely as passive recipients of white benefactors instead of as people who fight against poverty, exploitation and injustice.

Tower of Babel on the internet?

World Bank Internet Scheme Contested

2001-04-30

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/knowledgebank/index.html

As its Spring Meetings end in Washington, the World Bank is in the final stages of planning a major new web initiative. The Bank claims that the site (the Development Gateway) will contain all points of view on over 130 development topics. The site aims to attract a wide audience of officials, NGOs, journalists and researchers in many countries, to become the "premier web entry point on poverty and sustainable development".

A number of civil society groups have been discussing the Development Gateway over the last year and have concluded that its approach is flawed and will do little or nothing to help people who currently lack the ability to get their voices heard on the internet. In recent weeks major NGO networks in South Africa and Latin America have taken formal positions not to join the Gateway.

A new briefing from the Bretton Woods Project, a London-based NGO which has been following the Gateway for over a year, presents extracts from current Gateway planning documents and the reasons why the Gateway is being contested. These include:
1) the site's chosen topic sections are too rigid and do not represent the way that many people in developing countries view development issues;
2) it is impossible to choose editors who will be trusted by the wide range of people the Gateway aims to serve;
3) the claim that the Gateway will contain only "high quality" material is controversial, while quality remains undefined;
4) the multi-million dollar site will compete unfairly with existing internet sites;
5) the site's interactive features will help promote the opinions of people in richer countries and office-based workers in developing countries;
6) the Gateway's independent governance arrangements are too little, too late

Many of these points have been raised with the Bank's Gateway team, which has proved unwilling to engage with questions about the fundamentals of their initiative. Unless they change their approach, civil society groups will have little option but to use the internet and e-mail to challenge the Gateway, while continuing to build up independent sites. The briefing ends with some suggestions and an appeal for people to help with this.
NOTES
A Tower of Babel on the Internet? can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/knowledgebank/index.html
Or e-mail: gdg@brettonwoodsproject.org asking for a copy by e-mail attachment (specify format if you do not want it in Word 2000).
Spanish version coming soon.

Note to editors: the Bretton Woods Project is happy to provide articles or features on this issue.

Note to web managers: please link to this briefing from your site.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
The Bretton Woods Project works with NGOs and researchers
to monitor the World Bank and IMF
Tel: +44 (0)20 7561 7546
* April-May Bretton Woods Update now on:
www.brettonwoodsproject.org/update
** Subscribe free to Update by mailing:
subs@brettonwoodsproject.org

Advocacy in Southern Africa - Lessons for the Future

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/758

Published by the Co-operative for Research and Education (CORE) US $40. 13 advocacy case studies from the region, dealing with issues including human rights, women's rights & political participation, rights of disabled people, land reform, civic education & election monitoring, HIV/AIDS, and landmines. Contact Phiroshaw Camay.

GIRLS FOR SALE

BUILDING A COALITION TO FIGHT TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA

2001-04-30

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. The following pages profile those who are campaigning to put an end to this insidious trade.

On the Record

2001-04-30

http://www.advocacynet.org/

The Advocacy Project's newsletter 'On the Record' describes the drama of campaigns, and is distributed free of charge to thousands of subscribers.

John Garrison, Development Gateway

Report on South Africa Consultation Meeting

2001-04-30

http://www.developmentgateway.org/aboutus/feb2001

I'd like to thank Kabissa for the opportunity to post this note about the consultation meeting on the Development Gateway, which was held in South Africa on February 15, 2001 and hosted by SANGONeT. Please see the link below to the report we prepared on the meeting. In addition, I'd like to clarify a few related issues --

We reiterate our appreciation to SANGONet for having agreed to host the consultation meeting and having invited the 15 organizations that attended.

The two Bank representatives who attended the meeting felt that it had been a substantive and useful exchange of information and views on the Gateway. They heard the many thoughtful concerns and critiques raised about the Gateway governance, editorial policy, and content management approach, and did their best to clarify the issues and respond to the questions.

In terms of the reference to the meeting, which appeared in the second edition of the Gateway's monthly newsletter, it is important to clarify that the Gateway publication did not actually state or intend to imply that the meeting participants endorsed or backed the Gateway, only that a constructive exchange had been held. We acknowledge in the meeting notes (see link below) that several of the groups present at the consultation meeting, including SANGONet, stated at the outset that their participation in the meeting did not imply endorsement of the Gateway. On the other hand, we have been criticized in the past for not consulting civil society enough on the Gateway, thus whenever we do hold these meetings we try to report on them as fully as possible.

In this light, we prepared notes on the meeting and posted them on the Gateway site. While the meeting notes are succinct, they attempt to portray the meeting as objectively as possible.

Please go to the following link to access the meeting report:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/aboutus/feb2001

We welcome comments on the meeting notes. These can be sent to jgarrison@worldbank.org

Thanks

Miriam Bamhare, Zimbabwe Book Development Council

2001-04-30

http://www.kabissa.org/links/detailed/425.html

Please advise us of the existing options for NGO funding within Kabissa. Our very much needed programme campaign for reading culture suffers greatly from under capitalisation of programme activities. Please reply soonest.

OUR REPLY: Kabissa is not a funding organisation. We're glad to provide you with space on the Kabissa site to promote your programmes. This is what Kabissa membership is for. You may want send a submission to the Kabissa-fahamu Newsletter, which is widely distributed among funders. See www.pambazuka.org/en/about.php for details or send your submission to editor@pambazuka.org. We can include up to 500 words in the newsletter and as much text as you need on the newsletter website.

Africultures

2001-04-30

http://www.africultures.com/

Lettre d'information 16/2001
Lettre d'information 16/2001
semaine du 13.04.01 au 22.04.01


Bonjour à tous,

Pour recevoir la lettre sans bug, entrez votre adresse e-mail sur la page d'
accueil du site : www.africultures.com


La lettre a 1610 abonnés à ce jour, ET POURTANT beaucoup ne sont pas encore
au courant ! Aidez-nous à la faire connaître en en parlant ou en la
transférant à vos amis !

Un résumé de la lettre en anglais est également publié chaque mois.


@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Le transfert de notre site vers le nouvel hébergeur est terminé, désormais,
en principe, tout fonctionne normalement ! Si vous vous heurtez à des bugs
ou des difficultés, merci de nous les signaler à redaction@africultures.com
!

@@@@@@@@@@@@@


1) l'AGENDA DE LA SEMAINE :


Nous rappelons que, pour ne pas surcharger cette lettre, nous ne publions
que les nouveautés.
Pour avoir la totalité de l'agenda, rendez-vous sur :
www.africultures.com/actualite/agenda/agenda_fr.asp

Les détails des programmations ainsi que les adresses, contacts et horaires
sont sur : www.africultures.com/actualite/agenda/lettre_diff.asp


ARTS PLASTIQUES * REGIONS


- 49 - Abdoulaye konaté, Amahigueré Dolo et Ismaël Diabaté, Grand Théâtre
d'Angers, du 19 avril au 27 mai. La ville d'Angers en partenariat avec le
ministère de la culture du Mali présente une exposition de trois artistes
maliens d'expression contemporaine : Abdoulaye Konaté, installations,
peintures, Amahigueré Dolo, sculptures et Ismaël Diabaté, peintures.

- 22 - Cool Diabang, Saint-Brieuc, du 18 avril au 05 mai. Cool Diabang est
plasticien de Casamance, Sénégal. Son travail est fortement marqué par
l'expression rythmique et gestuelle, inspiré de musiques et danses
africaines. Il est également conduit par le rythme naturel et la dimension
mystique de sa terre d'origine. Vernissage le 23 avril à 18h.


ARTS PLASTIQUES * RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS EN COURS


Paris :
- Exposition "Arts d'Afrique", Musée Dapper, jusqu'au 30 juin. Cette
exposition inaugure le nouvel espace du musée.
- Centre Culturel Algérien, à Paris (171, rue de la Croix
Nivert, 15ème), peintres algériens contemporains en hommage à Anissa Asselah
et son combat pour la culture en Algérie : "En mémoire de Anissa ASSELAH",
jusqu'au 12 mai.
- Michel Nedjar, Galerie de la Halle Saint-Pierre, du 08 mars au 22 avril.
L'exposition s'intitule "Chairdâme". www.hallesaintpierre.org
- Quatrième parallèle - Résidences d'artistes français et africains en
Centrafrique, Hôtel d'Albret, du 22 mars au 20 avril. Huit artistes
originaires de France, de Centrafrique et du Cameroun ont travaillé ensemble
durant vingt jours au cour de la forêt primaire à Salo, en République
Centrafricaine.
- Ouverture de la nouvelle Galerie Agbé & Balikam, exposition de Do Mesrine
(sculpteur togolais) et Pascal Heranval (peintre franco-sénégalais), du 24
mars au 22 avril.
- Mémoires, Cinéma Images d'Ailleurs, du 06 au 16 avril. Présenté par Ars
Ante Africa. Godefroy Kouassi, Papisco Kudsi, Yao Metsoko et Julien Sinzogan
nous dévoileront leurs ouvres en relation avec la mémoire : mémoire
collective ou mémoire intime. Traite négrière, génocide rwandais, mémoire
des ancêtres, héritage du griot et souvenirs intimes sont autant de sujets
qui inspirent ces artistes d'origine africaine. Exposition d'arts plastiques
pendant la durée du XI ème festival du cinéma Images d'ailleurs qui a pour
thème : "Cinéma et mémoire" (cf. Cinéma). aaarsslg@yahoo.fr
- Voyages au Maroc, Espace Lasri, du 03 avril au 05 mai. Six peintres
exposent : Mahi Bine Bine, Abdellatif Lasri, Mehdi Qotbi, Abdellah Sadouk,
Ilyas Selfati, Abderrahim Yamou.
- Regards d'Ailleurs - peintures de Guy Péronn, Armée du Salut (13ème), du
14 au 28 avril. Longtemps sujet récurrent de son ouvre, l'esthétique
africaine s'est, pour Guy Péron, chargée de chair et de vie, quand il s'est
rendu à plusieurs reprises en Afrique. Il s'est intéressé alors à tous les
peuples qui constituent notre planète ; il peint les êtres qui habitent
notre terre et l'enrichissement de leur diversité. Sa collecte de portraits
participe d'une sorte de recensement de la vitalité ethnique et invite à une
approche des peuples lointains.

Régions :
- 26 - Poteries nègres / écritures de terre, Maison de la terre, Dieulefit,
du 05 mars au 14 mai. Cette exposition est présentée comme un dialogue par
signes interposés entre une vingtaine de poteries d'Afrique de l'Ouest et
douze pagnes bogolans maliens dessinés à la terre. virot@wanadoo.fr
- 33 - Ousseynou Sarr, Espace Gambetta, Bordeaux, du 02 au 27 avril. Le
peintre sénégalais Ousseynou Sarr présente "Rythmes et Poésie". Cf.
interview dans Africultures 37.
- 49 - Paroles de Tisserands - l'art du tissage au Maroc, Mali et Ghana,
Cinémas d'Afrique, Angers, du 23 mars au 30 avril. Dans le cadre du festival
Cinémas d'Afrique d'Angers, une grande exposition est présentée afin
d'apporter les outils pour faire découvrir, connaître et pratiquer les
cultures d'Afrique dans leur diversité et leurs richesses.
- 87 - L'Art à Palabres, Limoges, du 30 mars au 16 avril. Exposition de
sculptures et de peintures d'artistes burkinabés invités dans le cadre de
"La Culture au grand Jour" organisée par le Conseil Général de Haute Vienne
et proposée par l'association Limousin Afrique Création.
- 92 - André Maire - Dessins d'Afrique et d'Asie, Musée des années 30,
Boulogne - Billancourt, du 01 avril au 04 août. Une soixantaine de grands
formats retracent les itinéraires en Afrique et en Asie d'André Maire, grand
peintre voyageur des années 30.
- 93 - Les Ouvres de Njulienne Ngaleu, Centre culturel du Théâtre de l'Air
nouveau, Pantin, du 04 mars au 28 avril. Artiste peintre, décoratrice,
originaire du Cameroun présente des toiles d'une forte dimension spirituelle
et d'une sensibilité féminine, tout en gardant un ferme enracinement dans la
culture africaine.

Afrique :

- Maroc - Hassan Slaoui, Galerie Al Manar, Casablanca, du 12 avril au 13
mai. Hassan Slaoui est né à Fès en 1946. Son travail rassemble l'argile, le
smagh, différents pigments, sur le bois que naguère il sculptait et qu'
aujourd'hui il utilise en tant que support, en tirant parti de sa texture.
Ouvre de mémoire, d'un homme, d'une culture. Ouvre très contemporaine aussi
dans son souci de valoriser la matière qui affleure sous la peinture et
donne à celle-ci une véritable profondeur.


Monde :
- Belgique - Exit Congo Museum, Tervuren, jusqu'au 24 juin. Une exposition
où dialoguent ethnographie et art contemporain. L'exposition "Exit Congo
Museum. Un Siècle d'art avec/sans papiers" propose une réflexion critique
sur les collections d'ethnographie à partir de 125 pièces maîtresses du
musée, de photographies d'archive, de cartes, de films.ainsi que des ouvres
d'artistes contemporains.
- Autriche - Peintres du Congo 1990 - 2000, Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienne,
du 01 fév. au 01 juil. 2001. www.ethno-museum.at
- Allemagne - The short century : independence and liberation movements in
Africa, 1945-1994, Stück Villa, Munich, du 15 fév. au 22 avril. Cette
exposition présente une cinquantaine d'artistes africains contemporains. Le
commissaire de l'exposition est Okwui Enwezor (Nigeria/New York), qui
dirigera la prochaine Documenta de Kassel. L'exposition, considérée comme la
plus importante organisée en Allemagne sur ce sujet, est accompagnée de
films, théâtre et musique. Elle sera à partir de mai à la Maison des
cultures du monde de Berlin.
- Belgique - Il était une fois. les Berbères, Centre culturel de
Schaerbeek, du 10 avril au 02 mai. En collaboration avec l'asbl AMAZIG,
AFOUS et le centre culturel arabe. Exposition collective : Ouarda Mabrouk
dite Mawa, Hadouch Abdeslam, Nouar Abdelkader, Fatima Zahmidi, Hamsi
Boubeker, Sakkali, Asme El Ouriachi. Portraits de femmes, hommes, enfants,
de villages, de marchés, de liberté. le désert nous fait découvrir ses
secrets... centre.culturel@chello.be - http:/go.to/ccschaerbeek


BD * AFRIQUE


- Cameroun - Fescary 01 - Festival International de la Caricature de
Yaoundé, du 10 au 14 avril. Depuis trois ans, l'Association Irondel fournit
aux caricaturistes africains plus d'ouverture, la possibilité de vivre de
leur talent et surtout d'en tirer fierté pour parer à la marginalisation
dont ils sont victimes dans les rédactions. Le thème de cette année est
"Caricature francophone, acquis et ouverture aux nouvelles technologies".
Une semaine pour apprendre aux caricaturistes les mécanismes du e-business
adaptés à leur art. Le festival recevra des caricaturistes de 6 pays
africains : Mali, Cameroun, Senegal, Madagascar, Gabon, Benin. L'invité sera
le caricaturiste Français Tignous. La première édition accueillait Wolinski.
La seconde, qui était la première à s'ouvrir à l'Afrique a vu la
participation de Plantu et Paul Roux, enseignant de dessin à l'université de
Montréal au Canada. Africultures est partenaire du festival (cf. Evénements
Africultures sur le site). Irondel@iccnet.cm -
www.iccnet.cm/irondel/index.htm


CINEMA * PARIS


- Cinéma et Mémoire, le cinéma Images d'ailleurs, du 06 au 15 avril. Cette
thématique permettra de développer le rôle du cinéma dans la construction et
la fortification de la mémoire. Il s'agit d'associer les expériences des
cinéastes africains et du monde entier ayant traité le thème de la mémoire,
soit à l'intérieur du matériau cinématographique, soit dans le contenu de
leurs films. Le festival propose une cinquantaine de films représentatifs du
devoir de mémoire. Parallèlement aux projections, seront organisés des
tables rondes, des concerts et expositions. Thèmes des rencontres : les
mémoires vives du cinéma africain ; panorama du cinéma africain ;
manipulation de l'histoire, manipulation de l'image ; mémoire intime ;
devoir d mémoire : rôle de l'image ; "17 octobre 1961 : contre l'oubli".
Exposition des artistes peintres togolais Yao Metsoko, Papisco Kudsi,
Godefroy Kouassi et Julien Singozan (Bénin). Africultures est partenaire du
festival et propose le détail de la programmation dans les pages "Evénements
Africultures".

- Il était une fois Les Mille et Une Nuits, Institut du Monde Arabe, du 07
avril au 10 juin. Dans le cadre de Ciné-IMA, l'Institut du Monde Arabe
présentera tous les week-end du 7 avril au 10 juin 2001, Il était une fois
Les Mille et Une Nuits, programmation d'une quarantaine de films sur les
multiples adaptations cinématographiques des célèbres contes des Mille et
Une Nuits. www.imarabe.org


CINEMA * REGIONS


- 17 - Festival Plein Sud, Cozes, du 06 au 16 avril. Le 11ème festival Plein
Sud propose spectacles et discussions pour diffuser les cultures africaines.
Dans la section Ciné Sud, compétition de courts métrages récents, du 7 au 9
avril, séances sur le Burkina avec Sia, le rêve du python ; Andagamman ;
Bintou ; et le Maroc avec Dans la maison de mon père. Table ronde avec
quelques réalisateurs.

- 95 - Cinéma africain au Ciné-Forum de Sarcelles. Au Ciné-Forum de
Sarcelles, quelques titres africains : 18 et 22 avril : La Faute à Voltaire
d'Abdelatif Kechiche et Couleur Paradis de Majid Majidi

- Tournée - Rencontre-débat autour du film "Circus Baobab".Plusieurs débats
sont organisés par Ecrans Nord-Sud en collaboration avec ses salles
adhérentes : le 14 avril : Crest - Cinéma Eden avec Laurent Chevallier et le
25 avril : Loriol - Cinéma Espace(s) avec Laurent Chevallier.*

- Tournée - Ecrans Nord-Sud organise des rencontres-débats autour du film
de Fatima Jebli Ouazzani " Dans la maison de mon père" : Le 13 avril : St
Georges de Didonne, le Relais avec Frédéric Devaux.


CINEMA * MONDE


- Belgique - 6ème édition de l'excellent Afrika Film Festival, Leuven
(Louvain), du 10 avril au 13 mai. Afrika Film Festival se tiendra du 18
avril au 13 mai 2001 dans plusieurs villes de Belgique telles que Leuven,
Brussels, Haacht, Tervuren, Aarschot, Diest et Dilbeek.
guido.huysmans@skynet.be - www.vl-brabant.be/afrikafilm

- Québec - Vues d'Afrique, Montréal, du 19 au 24 avril. Depuis 1985, Vues
d'Afrique offre, chaque printemps, une plateforme au cinéma africain et
créole qui s'impose aujourd'hui comme un événement incontournable en
Amérique du Nord. Les Journées du Cinéma africain et créole invitent le
grand public à vivre à l'heure du de cette cinématographie et à y rencontrer
ses auteurs. Du court au long en passant par le vidéo-clip, de la fiction au
documentaire, du grand écran aux productions télévisuelles... Plus de 100
films en provenance d'une quarantaine de pays africains et créoles dont la
plupart sont présentés pour la première fois en Amérique seront à l'affiche.
www.vuesdafrique.org -info@vuesdafrique.org


DANSE * PARIS


- Robyn Orlin, Théâtre de la Ville, du 10 au 21 avril. "Daddy, I've seen
this piece six times before and I still don't know why they're hurting each
other.", (Papa, j'ai vu cette pièce six fois et je ne comprends toujours pas
pourquoi ils se battent). Chorégraphie de Robyn Orlin, avec Gerard Bester,
Nico Moremi, Toni Morkei, Pule Molebat, Neli Xaba, Dudu Yende. Afrique du
Sud. Cf compte-rendu des rencontres de la danse de Tananarive dans
Africultures 25, p.105-109. www.theatredelaville-paris.com



DANSE * REGIONS


- 44 - 2ème Festival International de Capoeira de Nantes, du 09 avril au 29
juin. Le festival s'articule en 3 temps : du 9 au 14 avril : Stage
international de Capoeira, Ateliers, soirées /spectacles en présence de
nombreux maîtres, Exposition photos, vidéo-projections et conférences. Le 22
avril : 2ème BATIZADO de Capoeira des Pays de la Loire. Entre initiation et
graduation, le "Batizado" (Baptême) est un moment important qui marque
l'entrée du pratiquant dans la Capoeira. L'événement sera ponctué de
spectacles et de projections et se clôturera par une soirée festive. Du 26
au 29 juin : Résidence culturelle et solidaire autour du Brésil (les jeux et
loisirs franco-brésiliens), Spectacles, Activités en Ateliers, Expositions,
Manifestations, déambulatoires ponctueront cette résidence. Cf les
interviews de maîtres de Capoeira de notre dossier Brésil Noir dans
Africultures 34. http://www.paubrasil.org/

- Rencontres de danses urbaines en Rhône-Alpes, du 13 au 28 avril. Le 13
avril : soirée découverte - Saint Martin d'Hères. Le 18 avril : Rencontre
hip hop - Bourg de Péage, 17h. Le 20 avril : Plateau découverte - Saint
Priest, 15h.


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * AFRIQUE


- Maroc - Désir d'identité, Désir de l'autre, Meknès, du 19 au 24 avril.
Colloque international organisé par l'Université Moulay Ismaïl de Meknès, et
l'Institut français de Fès-Meknès. flmek@yahoo.fr - www.flmek.ac.ma


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * MONDE


- USA - Islam in Africa, New York, Binghampton University, du 19 au 22
avril. Colloque organisé par The Institute of Global Cultural Studies at
Binghamton University (Binghamton, New York, USA).


LITTERATURE * PARIS


- Edouard Glissant, Théâtre Molière - Maison de la Poésie, du 01 au 29
avril. "Guetteur de mer", Lecture des textes d'Edouard Glissant, mise en
scène par Benjamin Jules-Rosette.
- Centre Culturel Algérien, à Paris (171, rue de la Croix Nivert, 15ème)
rencontre avec Youcef Nacib autour de l'oeuvre poétique de Si Mohand "en
mémoire d'un poète résistant et révolté" le 19 avril à 19h.


LITTERATURE * AFRIQUE


- Sénégal - Atelier international d'écriture "Femmes en création", Mbour, du
12 au 21 avril. Avec la participation de femmes écricains sénégalaises et
suisses : Fama Diagne Sene, Lobé Ndiaye, Fatou Diouf et Bineta Ngaido
(Sénégal) et Sylviane Roche, Léna Srasser, Aline Moser et Odile Cornuz
(Suisse). Les écrivains Boubacar boris Diop, Aminata Sow Fall, Cheikh Aliou
NDao animeront les ateliers qui se dérouleront à Mbour (60 km de Dakar).

- Niger - Festival de contes Gatan-Gatan, Dogondoutchi, du 16 au 21 avril.
Oganisé par le collectif d'artistes Jawabi, cette première manifestation se
consacre à l'oralité. Le Festival Paroles d'Hiver des Côtes d'Armor (Dinan),
qui se consacre depuis plusieurs années aux arts de l'oralité (chaque année
des artistes africains sont accueillis en résidence, en tournée ou en
création) participera au festival avec comme objectif de tisser des ponts
avec Gatan-Gatan. Paroles d'Hiver sera également présent avec la conteuse
française Gigi Bigot. Jawabi@caramail.com

- Maroc - Présentation d'ouvrages, Casablanca, le 20 avril. Présentation à
l'Institut français de Casablanca, par le Dr M. Sijelmassi et le Pr. F.
Zahi, de L'art contemporain arabe, de A. Khatibi, qui paraît début avril aux
Editions Al Manar, en co-édition avec l'Institut du Monde Arabe. 1500 ex.,
130 p., 24 illustrations en quadrichromie. Cet essai, signé de l'un des
grands noms de la littérature maghrébine, est une introduction analytique à
l'art contemporain dans le monde arabe. Aucun ouvrage de synthèse n'avait
été jusqu'à présent consacré à ce vaste domaine, trop peu connu en Occident.


LITTERATURE * MONDE


- USA - Après Ahmadou Kourouma l'année dernière, Abdourahman A. Waberi et
quelques autres écrivains et créateurs français (ou de langue française)
vont faire sous l'égide du ministère des Affaires étrangères français une
tournée des universités américaines du 9 au 20 avril : le 9 à Columbia, le
10 à Philadelphie, le 12 à Boston, le 15 à San Diego, le 17 à Los Angeles,
le 18 à Baton Rouge, le 19 à New-York.


MULTIMEDIA * PARIS


- Tables-rondes autour des nouvelles technologies, Cité des Sciences et de
l'Industrie, du 02 au 29 avril. L'association Toile Métisse organise une
série de tables rondes "Le Futur du travail" autour des nouvelles
technologies. Vendredi 20 Avril : "La Renaissance Numérique et le Nouvel
Atelier de l'artiste". Samedi 21 Avril : "Le métissage culturel et
technologique: enrichissement ou uniformisation ? "


MUSIQUE * PARIS


- Le Divan du Monde présente une thématique africaine en avril. Le 13 avril
: Soirée Soul Africa, avec Gorgette Pantz (Cameroun) - Bikutsi (danse
traditionnelle du Cameroun) et Ntondo Be (Cameroun) - Gospel / Chant et
Reicha (Guinée) - Chanson. Le 14 avril : Concert Soul Africa, avec Fantani
Touré (Mali) Griotte moderne du Mali et Chantal Taïba (Côte d'Ivoire) -
Chanson. Le 14 avril : New Bled Vibrations (La Soirée de la nouvelle sono
orientale à Paris). Le 16 avril : Gospel Dream. Le 17 avril : Les contes de
Lila - Noz (Musique, danse et conte). 'Lila-Noz', est la rencontre de deux
musiques de transe : la gnawa et la celte. Pour rendre accessible cette
rencontre, la troupe a mit en regard, outre les musiques, les contes et les
danses qui offrent de troublantes similitudes entre négritude et celtitude.
Le 20 avril : concert Soul Africa avec Thierry Fouda (crooner camerounais)
et Chantal Ayissi (Cameroun) - Soukouss et Makossa. Le 21 avril : concert
Soul Africa avec Faya Tess (la Tina Turner' congolaise) + Krin Solo (Pop
africaine du Burkina Faso) + Franck Chaleur (Cameroun). Le 21 avril : Noites
do Brasil (soirée brésilienne). Le 22 avril : Soirée Soul Africa avec avec
la jeune scène franco-africaine : Mbana Cfa, Hasheem, Princess Anies, 15,
Vibre Cab'kaboe, Afrodiziac, Gasandji, En III Actes, Mass.

- Au New Morning, le 13 avril : Baco et le 14 Babacar Faye (danses, percus),
Black Pyramide (afro-groove) et Pape Djibi Ba (salsa mbalakh).

- Au Satellit Café, le 19 avril : Sophie Charaï (Maroc).

- Au Sentier des Halles, le 18 avril : La Fonction (P-funk, hip hop).

- Tournée - Jocelyne Labylle, le 14 avril : Zénith Magic System, le 21 avril
: Show Case Fnac Etoile.


MUSIQUE * REGIONS


- 07 - Au Teil, le 20 Avril : Boukakes (mélodies orientales métissées de
musiques tantôt Rock, Groove, voire Électronique, tantôt Rai, Gnawa et
Arabo-andalouse).

- 13 - A l'Iguane (Le Mourillon), Toulon, le 21 avril : Njaxas ak Daouda
Faye (Percussions du Sénégal).

- 14 - Au Zénith de Caen, le 21 avril : Césaria Evora.

- 16 - A Cozes, le 14 avril : Ye Lassina Coulibaly et Yan Kadi Faso. Ye
Lassina Coulibaly et Yan Kadi Faso présentent les musiques actuelles du
Burkina Faso et du Mali au Festival plein Sud de Cozes.

- 26 - A la Cigale, Nyons, le 15 avril : Positive Roots Band (roots ragga,
reggae, dub), le 21 avril : Calvin Jackson (blues, usa).

- 26 - A Montélimar, le 20 avril : Henri Dikongué.

- 26 - Soirée Sénégal, repas-concert, Valence, le 20 avril. Soirée au profit
d'une bibliothèque à Matam (nord est du Sénégal). Le matin : Marché
d'artisanat sénégalais, sur la place du marché. 18h30 : Vivio-conférence
"Solidarité oui ! Mais pour un développement durable. Au centre multimédia
du Parc Bab de LA Voulteouin. 19h : Repas sénégalais, sur réservation. 21h30
: Concert Walo Afro, musique traditionnelle du Sénégal.

- 29 - Au Grand Théâtre du Quartz, Brest, le 20 avril : Sula Bassana. Le
groupe Sula Bassana présente sa création "D'Ouest en Ouest" au Festival
"Musiques à Brest". Entre Bretagne et Afrique, entre écriture et oralité,
entre deux cultures populaires et une culture dite savante, les
"musiciens-voyageurs" de Sula Bassana proposent des compositions originales
et accueillantes pour des traditions vivantes bretonnes, africaines et
occidentales. Le spectacle du groupe Sula Bassana D'Ouest en Ouest est conçu
comme un voyage musical coloré où la danse se mêle aux chants, les
percussions africaines au piano acoustique, les flûtes occidentales et
traditionnelles au steel-drum : Poésie - Fête - Paroles de Femmes -
Proverbes - Berceuses - Contes - Gwerziou - Comptines ..

- 33 - Au Nautilus, Bordeaux, le 20 avril : Jah Shaka (sound system, dub).

- 34 - Tempo Sessions, Monptellier et sa région : le 21 avril : Orient
Express Moving Shnorers, au Chai du Terral.

- 72 - Europa Jazz, Le Mans, du 17 avril au 01 mai. Le 18 avril - Palais de
congrès : Anouar Brahem trio (Tunisie / Turquie) et le 30 avril - Abbaye de
l'Epau : Abdullah Ibrahim trio (Afrique du Sud / USA).
www.sarthe.com/europajazz

- 74 - Programme du Brise Glace, le 18 avril : Tété, le 20 avril : Paco
Sery, le 21 avril : Entre-A.I.D.E.S. pour le Mali, L'association annécienne
Mamouchka et le Brise Glace organisent une soirée humanitaire au profit de
l'AFAS, association de femmes de Bamako oeuvrant au niveau de la prévention
de terrain contre le sida. brise-glace@wanadoo.fr

- 86 - Au Confort Moderne, le 21 avril : Mike Ladd (hip hop USA).

- Tournée - Idir (chant kabyle), le 13 avril : Six Fours (83) espace
culturel André Malraux, le 20 avril : La Courneuve (93) centre culturel Jean
Houdremont.

- Tournée - Geoffrey Oryema, le 18 avril : Lyon 07 (69), le 19 avril :
Saint Etienne (42), le 20 avril :La mure d'Isère (38) et le 21 avril :
Sallanches (74).

- Tournée - Toma Sidibé, le 13 avril : Castanet Tolosan (31) Salle Jacques
Brel, le 14 avril : Pavie (32) restaurant la Fenière, le 19 avril :
Marseille 06 (13) le Balthazar, le 20 avril : Bourges (18) L'Iguana et le 22
avril : Lauzerte (82) Le Puits du jour.

- Tournée - Omar Sosa : le 13 avril : le Moulin, Brennan, le 14 avril : Palo
Palo, Montbéliard et 18 avril : l'Arsenal, Metz.

- Tournée - Binké Traoré et le groupe Kumba du Mali, le 14 avril : Nevers,
Café Charbon, le 19 avril : Toulouse-Ramonville, Havana Café et le 21 avril
: Niort, CAMJI.

- Tournée - Baaba Maal, le 19 avril : Paris, Café de la danse, le 20 avril :
Printemps de Bourges, l'Igloo, le 21 avril : Mantes-la-Jolie, Centre
Culturel Georges Brassens.

- Tournée - Buju Banton (reggae jamaïcain), le 17 avril : Le Cannet Cote
D'azur (6) Palestre et le 21 avril : Bourges (18) Salle Igloo.


MUSIQUE * AFRIQUE


- Guinée - Kill Point - Festival International de Hip Hop, Conakry, du 9 au
14 avril. Avec Pee Froiss (Sénégal), Darra J (Sénégal), Kajeem (Côte
d'Ivoire), Kill Point (Guinée), Zion B (Mali), Doumba Kulture (Burkina Faso)
et Troisième oeil (France). Programme : du 9 au 14 avril, Ateliers de
Formation : Musique assistée par ordinateur, Danse hip hop, Graph,
Ecriture. Jeudi 12 avril : Concert gratuit Boulevard Telly Diallo avec douze
groupes guinéens. Vendredi 13 avril : soirée DJ au Centre Culturel
Franco-Guinéen. Samedi 14 avril : Plateau international au stade du 28
septembre concerts de 16h à 24 h.

- Tunisie - Jazz à Tunis, les 13, 14, 15 avril et 19, 20, 21 avril.
www.Scooporganisation.com


MUSIQUE * MONDE


- Allemagne - A la Maison des Cultures du Monde (Haus der Kulturen der
Welt), Berlin, le 20 avril : Natacha Atlas.


PHOTO * MONDE


- Belgique - Lettres d'Erythrée, Théâtre Royal de Namur, du 30 mars au 28 av
ril. SOS Faim vous invite à visiter l'exposition de photographies "Lettres
d'Erythrée". La région de Keru, à l'ouest de l'Erythrée, illustre une
situation vécue dans toute l'Afrique subsaharienne. Trente années de guerre
l'indépendance et de conflits frontaliers ont ravagé cette contrée.
Subissant également une très rude succession de sécheresses, les populations
se déplacent toujours plus loin pour fuir les combats, creusent de plus en
plus profond pour trouver de l'eau, se rassemblent encore plus nombreuses
pour réédifier des infrastructures. Balancés entre un présent hostile et un
futur incertain, les hommes et les femmes se battent quotidiennement pour
réimplanter la vie là où les sables et le feu des combats ont tout
recouvert. Alors que les blessures du passé sont encore très présentes, ils
trouvent l'énergie pour, dans d'interminables mouvements de "va et vient",
construire leur avenir. Soutenus dans leurs reportages par SOS Faim, Gaël
Turine, photographe, et Didier Schmutz, journaliste, nous livrent une
chaleureuse invitation à la rencontre avec ces hommes et les femmes de ce
territoire africain libre depuis 1991 seulement. www.theatredenamur.be -
www.sosfaim.be



RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS PHOTO EN COURS

Régions :
- 29 - Faune et la flore de l'Afrique, Oasis-Galerie, Trémor, du 08 avril au
17 juin 2001. Passions-africaines.com organise cette exposition sur la faune
et la flore de l'Afrique (Tanzanie, Kenya, Namibie, Zimbabwe et de Afrique
du sud). L'exposition résulte de 10 années de contemplation et de patiente
« traque photographique » à travers la savane et le désert de l'Afrique
noire : des merveilles de la nature que peu d'entre nous peuvent contempler.
L'auteur de ces photos est Gilles Petetin , un chasseur d'images qui voyage
régulièrement et longuement en Afrique. webmaster@passions-africaines.com -
www.passions-africaines.com


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * REGIONS


- 25 - Festival Afrique, Théâtre Bernard Blier, Pontarlier, du 20 au 29
avril. Africultures est partenaire du festival et participera aux rencontres
cinématographiques. 20, 21 et 22 avril : Week-end "Cinémas d'Afrique noire
1990-2000", animé par Olivier Barlet (rédacteur en chef d'Africultures).
Films : Po di sangui, Quand les étoiles rencontrent la mer, Fools, La
Génèse, Hyènes, Ta Dona + courts et moyens métrages. En présence de deux
écrivains dont Gaston-Paul Effa et Jean-Luc Raharimanana. Du 20 au 29 avril
: Exposition, 32 photographie d'Ananias Leki-Dago (lequel illustre notre
prochain dossier d'une cinquantaine de photos !), Des oeuvres du
peintre-sculpteur Kra Nguessan, Des oeuvres de la peintre béninoise
Geneviève Aïssi. Programme détaillé et horaires dans les pages Evénements
Africultures. jackzack.association@voila.fr

- 35 - Du 18 au 28 avril, festival culturel : Expressions d'Algérie.
Peinture : expo d'oeuvres de Karim Sergoua, de Denis Martinez, de Mohand .
Littérature : lecture débat avec Anouar Benmalek; lectures "Mémoires
vivantes source de paix". Photo : "Visages de femmes" de Tahar Yami. Musique
: Selim Allal quintet; Gnawa Diffusion; Arezki Benoufella. Conférences :
"Algérie, la guerre invisible" avec B.Stora; débat associatif "expériences
associatives croisées"; "Comment assumer son identité berbère, tout en étant
citoyen de la République" avec Mustapha Saadi. Festival organisé par les MJC
de Rennes et les associations : Mouvement de la Paix, Maison Internationale
de Rennes, ASDA (Association de solidarité avec les Démocrates algériens),
ASA (Association solidarité des Algériens), ACBB (Action culturelle berbère
bretonne).Programme sur : http://www.ville-rennes.fr/a/accueil.htm

-


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * AFRIQUE


- Niger - Centre Culturel de Niamey. Exposition : Du 3 au 29 avril :
Alhousseini Touré, plasticien. Concert, les 18, 19 et 20 avril : Tamaye
(Niger) - cfndir@intnet.ne - www.ccnf.ne

- Maroc - Les manifestations de Dar bellar, Marrakech. Le 21 Avril, à 18h :
Inauguration de l'exposition "Images de Jemaa El Fna", photographies,
toiles, banderoles et barres en bois..porteront des textes de Juan
Goytissolo, tracant des étapes extraordinaire de la ville de Marrakech.
dar_bellarj@hotmail.com


THEATRE * PARIS


- "Le Ventriloque", Théâtre international de langue française, du 07 mars au
14 avril. Une nouvelle création du TILF : "Le Ventriloque" de l'auteur
québécois Larry Tremblay, dans une mise en scène de Gabriel Garran avec
Valérie Decobert et Hassane Kouyaté. Le Ventriloque est une pièce
inclassable, fantasmatique, qui tourne autour de deux personnages, une femme
blanche et un homme noir, qui prennent tour à tour de multiples identités :
ventriloque/poupée, adolescente/thérapeute... On y retrouve le thème, cher à
Gabriel Garran, de l'africanité comme révélateur de l'ambivalence culturelle
contemporaine : un ventriloque noir, une quête menant en Afrique, une mort
placée sous le signe du vaudou... Interprété par Hassane Kouyaté, comédien
originaire du Burkina Faso, né d'une famille de griots, il est conteur,
musicien, danseur. Le 31 mars : atelier avec Hassane Kouyaté, inscriptions
requises.

- "Le Costume", Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, du 28 mars au 26 mai. De
Mothobi Mutloatse, adapté par Barney Simon - Adaptation française :
Marie-Hélène Estienne - Mise en Scène : Peter Brook - Avec : Marianne
Jean-Baptiste, Sotiguui Kouyaté, Marco Prince, Bakary Sangaré. Il y a
longtemps, à l'ouest de Johannesburg, il y avait une ville, une ville
merveilleuse qui s'appelait Sophiatown. Elle n'était pas jolie, elle n'était
pas rose bonbon... - cf la critique d'Africultures sur
www.africultures.com/Articles/pdf/26_91_92.pdf


THEATRE * REGIONS


- 92 - Chemin d'école, Le Théâtre de l'Air Nouveau, Pantin, du 10 au 29
avril. Le Théâtre de l'Air Nouveau présente "Chemins d'école", d'après le
roman de Patrick Chamoiseau, adaptation et mise en scène par Luc Saint-Eloy.
La pièce nous conte les premiers pas d'un négrillon qui avait commis
l'erreur de réclamer l'école. Le conteur nous convie à suivre à la trace
l'apprentissage de la langue française à l'école primaire dans une île des
Antilles; Le drame se noue du fait de l'inadaptation de l'enseignement
dispensé. Traité sur le ton de la comédie, le spectacle composant entre le
théâtre, le chant, la danse, la musique réunit 21 personnages joués par cinq
comédiens et deux musiciens.

- Tournée - "Les Nègres" de Jean Genet, Vitry-Sur-Seine, du 22 janv. au 20
avril. Mise en scène Alain Ollivier. La pièce sera ensuite présentée en
tournée. Les 6 et 7 avril : théâtre d'Evreux, scène nationale. Les 9, 10,
11, 12 et 13 avril : Le Volcan, scène nationale du Havre. Les 18, 19 et 20
avril : Nouveau théâtre d'Angers, centre dramatique national. Cf critique et
interview dans Africultures 37 et sur le site d'Africultures.


THEATRE * AFRIQUE


- Tournée - "Une hyène à jeun", de Massa Makan Diabaté (écrivain malien), en
tournée africaine : les 13 et 14 avril 2001 au terrain du Lycée ACI 2000 de
Lafiabougou à Bamako, Mali, les 20 et 21 avril 2001 à Ségou (Mali).


THEATRE * MONDE


- Belgique - "la fiancée de l'eau" de Tahar Ben Jelloun, Schaerbeek, du 20
au 26 avril. La compagnie des nouveaux disparus présente "la fiancée de
l'eau" deTahar Ben Jelloun mis en scène par Jamal Youssfi.
centre.culturel@chello.be


TELEVISION


Vous trouverez, dans le plus grand détail, toutes les émissions concernant l
'Afrique programmées à la télé au jour le jour sur :
www.africultures.com/actualite/television/page_tele.htm

- Le 14 sur Planète à 20h : "Teacher, don't teach me nonsense" La musique
de Fela Kuti. Roi de l'afro-beat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti a marqué l'histoire du
Nigeria. Compositeur, saxophoniste et chanteur hypnotisant, il était aussi
un partisan radical du panafricanisme, adversaires des régimes militaires -
ce qui lui valut 9 séjours en prison.
- Suivi d'un débat sur Forum 21h : Fela et l'afro beat. Un débat autour de
son héritage musical et de ses combats politiques avec : Femi Kuti, son
fils, musicien ; ID, ancien associé, auteur de "Fela, why blackman carry
shit" ; Jacqueline Grandchamp - Thiam, amie proche de Fela ; Francis
Keterman, manager de Fela et aujourd'hui de Femi, Eric Trosset, directeur
artistique du label Comets Records, label de Tony Allen, ancien batteur de
Fela ; Manu Dibango, musicien, auteur-compositeur ; Francis Dordor,
journaliste musical aux Inrockuptibles.

- Le 17 sur Arte à 20h15 : Le piège guinéen reportage de Hubert Dubois.
Fuyant les combats au Libéria ou en Sierra Leone, 400 000 personnes avaient
trouvé refuge en Guinée. Mais elles doivent fuir de nouveau..

- Le 18 sur Arte à 21h30 : Musica - Les mille et une voie : Les musiques de
l'islam. Le cinéaste tunisien Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud nous fait découvrir la
diversité des musiques de l'islam, de Dakar à Delhi, du chant soufi à la
transe des derviches..

- Le 20 sur Planète à 22h : Femmes assises sous le couteau. Au quotidien, le
combat contre l'excision d'une mère de famille malienne qui milite au sein
du Groupe de femmes pour l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles (GAMS).



RADIO


L'Afrique à la radio : www.africultures.com/actualite/radio/radio.htm



2)- LES MURMURES DE LA SEMAINE


Les sorties, les rumeurs, les prix, les informations etc.
Pour ne pas surcharger la lettre nous ne donnons pas le détail de l'
information. Vous le trouvez sur :
www.africultures.com/actualite/murmures/lettre_diff.asp

SANS-PAPIERS

A Lyon, France, sept personnes sans-papiers sont en grève de la faim depuis
le 26 février 2001 pour obtenir leur régularisation et celle des autres
sans-papiers « français ». Des informations mises à jour régulièrement,
avec la chronologie des manifestations, les photos des grévistes, leurs CV,
des coupures de presse et des traductions de la pétition dans différentes
langues sont disponibles sur le site http://grevelyon.anotherlight.com

APPELS A CONTRIBUTION


- Assises contre le racisme en Suisse : Tenue des premières "Assises des
Communautés noires de Suisse contre le racisme", à Berne (Eglise Française),
le samedi 23 juin 2001. En cette année proclamée par l'ONU "Année de lutte
contre le Racisme", le Groupe de réflexion et d'action contre le racisme
anti-Noir (GRAN), issu du Forum suisse contre le Racisme (FCR), en
collaboration avec la Commission Fédérale contre le Racisme (CFR), réunit
les représentants de l'ensemble des diverses communautés noires de Suisse,
ainsi que des spécialistes et toute autre personne intéressée, au sein des
premières "Assises des Communautés noires de Suisse contre le racisme". Ces
Assises ont pour objectifs d'amener les participants à : échanger leurs
expériences et engager une réflexion commune sur le racisme anti-noir ;
formuler des recommandations concrètes à l'adresse des autorités et acteurs
sociaux ; définir une contribution pour la Conférence mondiale sur le
racisme qui se tiendra du 31 août 2001 au 7 septembre 2001 en Afrique du
Sud. Une enquête sur le racisme anti-noir est en train d'être faite. Toute
personne concernée et intéressée peut y participer ainsi qu'à la préparation
des assisses. mthiam@worldcom.ch


CINEMA


News :

- Togo : un plan d'action pour re-dynamiser le cinéma. l'Agence
intergouvernementale de la Francophonie a animé du 21 au 22 mars 2001 un
séminaire pour relancer le secteur du cinéma du Togo qui a donné lieu à un
plan d'action. Celui-ci vise à la formation des techniciens, au
renouvellement du matériel, à la réhabilitation des salles de projection qui
sont fermées dans la capitale, Lomé. Les professionnels ont également
préconisé la construction de salles de cinéma, la création de billetterie,
et d'une maison du cinéma. jdokokou@hotmail.com - source : Africa Film & TV
News Flash N°113

- Publications : "Sous l'arbre à palabres II", Guide pratique à l'usage des
cinéastes africains et du Sud. Tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur les dispositifs
de financement dont peuvent bénéficier les cinéastes du Sud, les
producteurs, la diffusion, les aspects juridiques, les adresses. Edité par
le Festival International du Film d'Amiens - Tél : 03 22 71 35 70 -
contact@filmfastamiens.org


LITTERATURE / EDITION


News :

- Afrique du Sud : Le centre pour des arts créateurs de l'université de
Natal-Durban en association avec l'institut français de l'Afrique du Sud a
avec succès présenté "Le temps des écrivains, festival international des
écrivains" les 26-31 mars 2001. Sous le thème "mots migrants", ce festival a
comporté une sélection de 15 auteurs représentant 11 pays différents pour
des lectures, discussions, ateliers, conférences et animations dans les
écoles. Les écrivains ayant participé étaient : J Bernlef (Hollande), Mongo
Beti (Cameroun), Mia Couto (Mozambique), Amma Darko (Ghana), E K M Dido
(Afrique du Sud), Ronnie Govender (Afrique du Sud), Alexander Kanengoni
(Zimbabwe), Dany Laferierre (Haïti), Mandla Langa (Afrique du Sud),
Christine Lincoln (Etats-Unis).

- Italie : Afrique et Orient, une nouvelle revue italienne. Le trimestriel
"Afriche e Orienti" a été créée en 1999 et est centrée sur les problèmes
d'immigration, de développement, coopération, multiculturalisme et droits de
l'homme. afror@iperbole.bologna.it - afror@iperbole.bologna.it


Revue on line :

- Le dernier numéro de "Mots Pluriels" (no 17 - avril 2001 - sous la
direction de Pr Timothy A. Unwin, Bristol) vient de paraître sur le thème :
"Ecrire l'exil : rupture et continuité". Sommaire sur le site. Vous
trouverez ce numéro à l'adresse habituelle :
http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/MotsPluriels/

Parutions :

- Ange-Séverin Malanda : A paraître trois ouvrages de l'écrivain
Ange-Séverin Malanda.

"Histoire et pouvoir dans la littérature antillo-guyanaise". Contribuant à
l'effort de ceux qui, aux Antilles et en Guyane, interrogent le langage et
l'histoire, le présent travail confronte différentes problématiques.
Procédant à une relecture de plusieurs écrits, l'auteur poursuit une
recherche portant sur les anciens autant que sur les plus récents tours de
pensée ou d'écriture. Les enjeux qu'il repère se jouent dans le rapport
entre écriture et oralité, ou entre langage, savoir, droit et pouvoir. Cette
étude, qui traite des représentations de la colonisation, de l'esclavage et
de l'univers postesclavagiste, questionne les discours qui se tiennent au
sujet de la 'créolité' ou de la 'guyanité'. Il dénombre quelques thèmes ou
problèmes que les auteurs de la Martinique, de la Guadeloupe ou de la Guyane
et d'Haïti reproduisent ou transforment continuellement ou progressivement.
Editions Silex/Nouvelles du Sud, 46, rue Barbès, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, Fax :
01 45 21 85 57.

"Dose" (roman). Des femmes et des hommes tentent de sauver leur peau alors
que la guerre n'en finit pas de faire des ravages. Tandis que leur pays
agonise, quelques personnages usent d'un humour dévastateur; ils défient les
gouvernants et leurs complices. Abel Gsiri a été assassiné. Gna-Li, qui n'a
pu terminer ses études de détective (études qu'il suivait par
correspondance!), entame une enquête qui l'entraînera dans un monde gangrené
par la corruption et la prostitution. Eprouvant des passions déchirantes,
démêlant les fils d'un incroyable imbroglio, il croise Dupuis, un
journaliste qui fuira l'Afrique lors de l'opération 'Oiseau rare'. Entre
polar et hallucination, 'Dose' conduit le lecteur aux confins de
l'actualité. Editions du Ciref, 11, rue de Saint Marceaux, 75017 Paris,
Tél.: 06 85 65 06 47, Fax: 01 43 80 64 95..

"Ordres et enjeux de la narration chez Henri Lopes". Usant des ressources de
la philosophie et d'autres sciences humaines, cette étude tente d'évaluer le
statut assigné au livre dans l'oeuvre d'Henri Lopes. La plupart des récits
forgés de l'auteur du 'Pleurer-Rire' décrivent des personnages pour lesquels
l'accès au livre n'est pas une simple fantaisie : lire un texte équivaut, à
leurs yeux, à un véritable rite de passage. Le livre initie des expériences
ou des figures de la liberté et de l'espérance. La lecture fonde ou renverse
des désirs et des croyances. En tentant de s'identifier à d'autres
personnages romanesques, les héros dont Lopes décrit les itinéraires donnent
à réfléchir sur des problèmes d'interprétation. Parcourant diverses régions
du savoir, la présente étude s'appesantit particulièrement sur les aspects
les plus singuliers des textes d'Henri Lopes. Les procès narratifs ne
peuvent être assimilés à des représentations 'idéologiques'. Les
investissements en fonction desquels se structurent les récits de Lopes
peuvent permettre de réévaluer certains lieux communs de la critique
littéraire. Editions Silex/Nouvelles du Sud - 46, rue Barbès, 94200
Ivry-sur-Seine - Fax : 01 45 21 85 57


- "African Theatre : Playwrights and Politics", Martin Banham, James Gibbs &
Femi Osofisan, James Currey Publishers, mars 200, 192 p. James Currey
Publishers 73 Botley Road Oxford OX2 0BS UK.

- "Matatu" 21/22 FonTom From Ghanaian Literature, Theater and Video.

- "Territoires de l'Instant", photographies de Daoud Aoulad Syad et poèmes
de Ahmed Bouanani, Ed. de l'Oeil. Deux artistes marocains qui sont également
réalisateurs s'unissent pour composer une ballade libre dans les réalités et
imaginaires de leur pays. Editions de l'Oil : 01 49 88 03 57


MODE


- Simod : Le 5e Simod (Semaine Internationale de la mode), organisé par la
styliste Oumou Sy, initialement prévu du 19 au 29 avril, se déroulera
finalement du 7 au 17 juin 2001 à Dakar. Le carnaval de Dakar aura lieu le 9
juin. http://sites.metissacana.sn/simod_2001/


MUSIQUE

News :

- Hip Hop Guinée : Le groupe guinéen de rap Kill Point - leader du mouvement
hip hop en Guinée - vient d'être déclaré "groupe africain de l'intégration"
pour la 1ère édition des Hip-hop Awards qui se déroulera à Dakar (Sénégal)
le 15 avril prochain. Le troisième album du groupe remporte par ailleurs en
Guinée un succès sans précédent puisque en à peine 3 semaines il se serait
déjà vendu 40 000 cassettes. Intitulé "Le Combat continu", l'album comporte
dix titres dont certains ont été enregistrés en France au studio Or Série
de Saint-Denis. Kill Point est également l'initiateur du premier festival de
rap africain en Guinée, baptisé "Le Rap aussi", qui se déroule à Conakry du
9 au 14 avril. Plus de 25 groupes sont attendus en provenance de Côte d'
Ivoire, Sénégal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Bénin. L'affiche du
festival présente aussi des artistes français - DJ Rebel et Troisième
Oeil - venus de Marseille pour travailler avec Kill Point sur une création
qui trouvera une seconde étape en France en juillet prochain. L'
aboutissement de cette rencontre franco-guinéenne sera présenté le 4 août
2001 lors du festival Nuits Métis de La Ciotat (Bouches-du-Rhône) organisé
par l'association Contre Jour. Prophète G, leader du groupe Kill Point,
mettait il y a peu l'accent sur l'importance que revêtait ce premier
festival de rap pour toute la jeunesse guinéenne. Selon lui, "le hip-hop,
qui n'a pas très bonne réputation en Guinée car marqué par des phénomènes
de violence et de gang, doit profiter de l'occasion pour gagner ses lettres
de noblesse". C'est donc avec un message de paix et de tolérance que s'
annonce la manifestation qui doit pour son final accueillir plus de 10000
spectateurs au stade de Conakry. Source : Didier Urbain, correspondant de
Contre-Jour, Conakry. contre.jour@wanadoo.fr

Sorties :

- Omar Pene et le Super Diamon de Dakar : Sortie de l'album "25 ans" le 7
mai 01chez Night & Day. "25 ans" c'est l'interprétation nouvelle du
répertoire du Super Diamono qui couvre leurs débuts jusqu'à leurs titres les
plus récents. Une musique rythmée, évoluant vers l'acoustique qui mêle aux
sonorités sénégalaises le jazz, le rythm'n blues, le reggae, la salsa.

- Mario : Sortie du maxi 3 titres "l'esprit du Hip Hop" chez Atlantis
Records.

- Stamina : Sortie de l'album du groupe marseillais Stamina aux tendances
reggae - dance hall. Atlantis Records.

- Jamao : Sortie de l'album "Noah's Boat", Crossroad Production Ltd. Un
univers sonore énergique, rock qui explore l'alchimie des guitares,
batterie, kalimbas, balafon, derboukas et autres spring drums. Avec le
phrasé très personnel de Morgane Grantz qui chante aussi bien djola que
créole ou français et anglais.

- Laba Sosseh : L'album "El Maestro, 40 ans de salsa." sort chez Africa
Productions, distribution Mélodie. "La voz africana" comme l'appellent les
Latinos revient avec ce nouvel album, condensé de salsa à la mode africaine.


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE


- Comores : Komor4 Festival. Les premiers pas d'une dynamique comorienne de
la pluralité culturelle. "Komor4 Festival" est une initiative de
l'association Twamay, prévue pour avoir lieu tous les quatre ans en terre
océnano-indienne, dans l'archipel des îles Comores. Premier événement du
genre sur l'Archipel, en proie à une crise séparatiste depuis trois ans, le
festival allie pluridisciplinarité et esprit d'échange entre les différents
acteurs de la culture sur place. Le Komor4 va se dérouler dans la capitale
comorienne du jeudi 24 au dimanche 27 mai prochain, dans les locaux de
l'Alliance Franco-Comorienne de Moroni, partenaire de l'événement. Pour la
première édition, les artistes locaux y seront représentés. Au programme :
musique, théâtre, littérature, arts plastiques, débat d'idées, forum
culturel sur le web, animations dans les écoles, rencontre de professionnels
de la musique. Avec la participation entre autres du plasticien Modali, dont
l'exposition, conçue spécialement pour le festival, sera ensuite présentée
en France. Africultures est partenaire du Komor4 Festival. infos :
twamay@yahoo.fr

- 6e Continent, un festival pluridisciplinaire pour la promotion des
cultures du monde et la valorisation de la diversité culturelle de nos
quartiers, dédié cette année au Sénégal et au Maghreb. 11 au 19 mai 2001
Lyon - Guillotière. Le festival 6e CONTINENT en est à sa troisième édition.,
temps forts de diffusion des cultures du monde. Durant ces 8 jours, nous
rencontrerons des peintres, des écrivains, des cinéastes, des musiciens, des
conteurs sénégalais ou maghrébins, venus de là-bas ou issus de la diaspora.
Une semaine de découverte, de réflexion et de FÊTE. Africultures est
partenaire du festival et vous tient informé du programme de cette
manifestation dans les pages "Evénements Africultures."


TELEVISION


- Bouquet francophone : TIJI, la chaîne des moins de 7 ans diffusée en
Afrique depuis début avril 01. Tiji a rejoint le bouquet francophone Le Sat
qui comprenait déjà huit chaînes : CFI-TV, TV5 Afrique, RTL 9, Mangas, MCMA
Africa, Planète, Euronews, Festival. Le SAT est aujourd'hui présent dans 35
pays de l'Afrique francophone, anglophone et lusophone, avec un parc de
plus de 64.000 abonnés. mke@cfi.fr - coustlant@canalj.fr - source : Africa
Film & TV News Flash N°113

- Africable : la chaîne du continent africain : La création d'une chaîne
panafricaine par satellite en perspective. Africable Network Sa est une
société chargée de mettre en oeuvre et d'assurer l'édition et la diffusion
de la chaîne panafricaine en procédant notamment aux acquisitions de droits
et à la production d'oeuvres audiovisuelles. Le siège social est Bamako et
Mr Sidibé Ismaïla, Président de Multicanal et Directeur Général de Mali
Télévision en assure la Présidence. le programme comportera dès son
démarrage 16 heures quotidiennes dont 6 heures de musique environ, un film
ou téléfilm chaque soir, des docs, séries, télénovelas, dessins animés.
Egalement la cuisine, la mode, l'art et la culture de tous les pays du sud
seront au rendez-vous. Une heure sera chaque soir consacrée à présenter les
modules locaux des journaux télévisés de différentes chaînes nationales du
Mali, Sénégal, et de Côte d'Ivoire. nayou@spider.toolnet.org - source :
Africa Film & TV News Flash N°113


5) LE SITE AFRICULTURES DE LA SEMAINE


http://www.ankhonline.com/
Egyptologie, histoire de l'Afrique et sciences exactes

le site présente la revue Ankh, Revue d'Egyptologie et des Civilisations
africaines et tout, vraiment tout sur l'histoire des civilisations
africaines anciennes, d'après les travaux de Cheikh Anta Diop. (les études,
les écrits, les parutions, les colloques, les recherches...)


6) PETITES ANNONCES


Les petites annonces rencontrent un grand succès dont nous nous réjouissons.
Elles sont entièrement gratuites et vous permettent d'annoncer des cours ou
des stages, de chercher ou proposer un emploi, de trouver un djembe à
vendre, de chercher de l'aide pour une étude, un correspondant, votre
dulcinée..: www.africultures.com/pratique/annonces/annonces_fr.htm

Pour un contact direct, vous pouvez aussi annoncer dans cette lettre.
Contactez agenda@africultures.com


7) DESABONNEMENT

Pour vous désabonner, vous pouvez entrer votre email et cliquer sur
"résiliation" en page d'accueil du site, ou à défaut nous envoyer un mail à
agenda@africultures.com C'est également à cette adresse que vous pouvez
nous envoyer des informations. La lettre étant gérée par un serveur, on ne
peut lui répondre directement.


8) COPYRIGHT

Reproduction totale ou partielle dans les listes de diffusion autorisée avec
mention de la source : Lettre d'information d'Africultures
www.africultures.com (archives en ligne). Semaine ...../2001, du ... au ...
Reproduction dans les sites internet et les média soumise à copyright
international. S'adresser à la rédaction. Notre travail (de titan !) à une
valeur que la diffusion de nos contenus doit pouvoir financer pour assurer
notre autonomie : les contrevenants seront poursuivis.


BONNE AFRISEMAINE A TOUS !!

Contacts mail :

Rédaction : redaction@africultures.com
Agenda / Murmures : agenda@africultures.com
Partenariats /Liens / Bons Plans : comment@africultures.com
Webmaster / petites annonces : annonce@africultures.com

Two new books on the ICC

2001-04-30

http://www.oup.co.uk/law

"Towards an International Criminal Procedure". Christoph Safferling, Assistant Professor in the Law Faculty, University of Hannover. "International Criminal Law A Commentary on the Rome Statute for an International Criminal Court" Edited by Judge Antonio Cassese, Professor of International Law.
Dear Friends,

Please find below details of the two new books on the ICC to be published
in May and October 2001 respectively. For more information, please refer to
http://www.oup.co.uk/law or email leesona@oup.co.uk


"Towards an International Criminal Procedure"

Christoph Safferling, Assistant Professor in the Law Faculty,
University of Hannover

The aim of this book is to develop an international criminal
procedural order. The Statute of the International Criminal Court
(ICC) was agreed in 1998. This provides a rough outline of a
procedure, but it still needs to be made workable for the prosecution
of international criminals. Such a procedural order would need to
reconcile Continental and Anglo--American approaches. The book
therefore contains a comparison between German (i.e. one of the main
leading Continental legal systems) criminal procedure and English and
US criminal procedure, how they developed historically and
philosophically, and where they stand today. It covers the criminal
process from the first steps of the investigation up to the
imprisonment of the convicted.

In addition to this comparative perspective, this study also analyses
international human rights law as the basis of an international
procedural order. For this purpose the contents of the relevant human
rights law is extracted from international agreements and
international bodies such as the Human Right Committee or the European
Court of Human Rights and applied to the procedure of the existing
International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and that of the ICC
Statute.

As a contribution to the fast-growing field of international criminal
law, this book will be of use to all academics, practitioners, and
government officials involved with the new International Criminal
Court.

Readership: Academics, practitioners, and officials involved in
international criminal law

450 pp
May 2001
0-19-924350-6
£60.00/$95.00 Hardback

International Criminal Law
A Commentary on the Rome Statute for an International Criminal Court

Edited by Judge Antonio Cassese, Professor of International Law

Editorial Board: Albin Eser, Director, Max Planck Institute for
Foreign and International Penal Law, Giorgio Gaja, Professor of
International Law, Florence University, Member of the Institut de
droit international, member of the United Nations International Law
Commission, Philip Kirsch, QC, Ambassador, Canadian Embassy,
Stockholm; Chairman of the `Committee of the Whole' at the Rome
Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of the ICC, Alain Pellet,
Professor of International Law, University of Paris X-Nanterre, member
and former Chairman of the United Nations International Law
Commission, and Bert Swart, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal
Procedure, University of Amsterdam

International Criminal Law: A Commentary on the Rome Statute for an
International Criminal Court offers a unique opportunity to revisit
the whole of international criminal law.

This thematic Commentary on the Statute appraises the contribution
made to international criminal law by post Second World War national
criminal courts and by ad hoc international criminal Tribunals;
re-examines the case-law developed by those courts and Tribunals;
establishes to what extent the Rome Statute codifies this body of law
or instead departs from it; and makes a critical assessment of the
Rome Statute as a viable working tool for international criminal
justice.

Written by an outstanding international team of experts under the
general editorship of Professor Antonio Cassese, this timely companion
to the burgeoning field of international criminal law will be of
interest to international legal scholars, practitioners, judges and
all those interested in the administration of international justice,
as well as to all students of international institutions


Readership: Academics and practitioners specializing in international
criminal law, government ministries and non-government organizations;
law libraries

2 volumes - I. 800 pp; II. 800 pp; plus free volume
October 2001
0-19-829862-5
£125.00/$205.00 Hardback







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Ageing in a Gendered World: Women's Issues and Identities

2001-04-30

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/news/pubs/articles/instraw993c1.html

In every region, populations are getting older. Moreover, ageing is a gendered phenomenon: women live longer, they have fewer resources, and they are expected to care for elderly relatives as well as young children. The causes are familiar: lower - or nonexistent - pay for 'women's work' and breaks in earnings history add up to lower pension income, while social and cultural norms assign women to take care of both young and old, regardless of the costs to themselves. In many places, women are the community caregivers, yet their own need for care goes unmet.

Botswana woman politicians unhappy about media cover

2001-04-30

http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/msindex.htm

Women in politics in Botswana are unhappy with the way the media in this country covers them. They say they have experienced that their issues do not always receive supportive and positive coverage.

Engendering Development - Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice

2001-04-30

http://www.worldbank.org/gender/prr/

A Policy Research Report by the World Bank focusing on gender issues and their broad economic and social implications in developing and transitional countries. The report examines the conceptual and empirical links between gender, public policy, and development outcomes and demonstrates the value of applying a gender perspective to the design of development policies.

Persecution is Not Gender Blind

2001-04-30

http://www.womenlobby.org/asylumcampaign/

The European Campaign on Women Asylum Seekers is launched to draw attention to the type of persecution women experience and by doing so to exert pressure on Member State governments and the European institutions to develop a gender-sensitive European Policy on Asylum, in which women can claim asylum in their own right, based on their own experience of persecution as legitimate reasons for seeking and obtaining asylum in any of the EU Member States.

TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN

The misery behind the fantasy: from poverty to sex slavery

2001-04-30

http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/news/8mars_en.htm

This compilation of 'information sheets' and 'funding sheets' has been prepared to raise awareness and gives an overview of European strategies and actions on the growing problem of trafficking in women. It covers elements common to various types of trafficking in human beings and concentrates on the issue of trafficking in women.

Sudan: Church shootings and arrests must be investigated

2001-04-30

http://www.amnesty.org/news/

Amnesty International today took note of the presidential decree pardoning 47 people arrested over last Easter and called for an impartial and independent investigation into the shootings, beatings and arrests by the Sudanese riot police on April 11, 2001.
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *

26 April 2001
AFR 54/009/2001
71/01


Amnesty International today took note of the presidential decree
pardoning 47 people arrested over last Easter and called for an
impartial and independent investigation into the shootings,
beatings and arrests by the Sudanese riot police on April 11,
2001.

"Amnesty International is concerned that at least nine
people, including children, were flogged as punishment, after
being convicted with 47 others for causing 'public disturbance'
in an unfair and summary trial."

On 11 April, Christians gathered at All Saints Cathedral
in Khartoum for prayers and to discuss the cancellation of a
religious rally organized by church authorities on 10 April. Some
students, angry at the cancellation, reportedly went outside the
church with stones. When the riot police intervened, those
outside the church ran inside. According to witnesses, police
threw teargas inside the church making it difficult for people to
breathe, and fired bullets at the crowd injuring many. Police
then entered the church and indiscriminately arrested at least 56
people.

One person, Edward Jemi, lost a hand from bullet wounds.
At least two others were hit by bullets. It is reported that
some, including women, were beaten and that one person was
stabbed by the riot police.

The 56 people arrested were brought the next day to a
criminal court and charged with causing public disturbance.The
judge refused to allow their lawyer to defend them. The trial
lasted less than an hour. Six women and three children were
sentenced to 15 and 20 lashes respectively and were flogged on 12
April and then released. The remaining 47 were sentenced to 20
lashes each and from seven to 20 days in prison.

Other people present in the cathedral, including Church
officials and a journalist, Alfred Taban, were also arrested.
They were later released, apart from Alfred Taban, who was held
incommunicado without charge until he was released on 17 April
without explanation.

"The government should conduct an impartial and
independent investigation into the incident", Amnesty
International said."And those responsible for unlawful shootings
should be brought promptly to justice. All people detained by
the police should be given the opportunity of fair trial
including being defended by a lawyer of their choice."

The human rights organization further urged the Sudanese
government to take immediate action to ensure that its security
forces comply with international standards, especially the UN
Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law
Enforcement Officials, thereby protecting the life and safety of
civilians.

The organization is also calling on the Sudanese
authorities to refrain from inflicting torture such as flogging
as punishment, especially for children. The Sudanese authorities
should guarantee the right to free assembly and freedom of
religious belief and practice.

Background
Church authorities in Khartoum had planned events for
Easter and had invited a German evangelist to address a rally on
10 April in Green Square in central Khartoum, which they had
booked. After threats by Islamic groups to disrupt the
celebrations, the Sudanese authorities ordered the church
authorities on 9 April to move the event to Haj Yusif in the
outskirts of Khartoum. Because of the short notice, people turned
up on 10 April in Green Square. Clashes ensued with the police.
It is alleged that the police threw tear gas and shot at people.
At least 50 people were arrested and later released. Clashes were
also reported on the same day in Haj Yusif. Following these
incidents, the church authorities decided to cancel the event and
were discussing their decision with the Christian community the
day after in All Saints Cathedral, when they were disrupted by
the police.

The use of excessive force by the Sudanese security
forces has been reported several times in the past, as well as
complaints by the Christian community of harassment and
restriction of their right to freedom of religion.

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International.

Bishop charged with genocide

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1299000/1299239.stm

A Rwandan bishop who was arrested in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday has been charged with genocide and conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity by a UN tribunal in Tanzania.

Burundi coup arrest

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1300000/1300435.stm

Twenty members of the Tutsi Parena party in Burundi have been arrested after they visited their colleagues in prison. The group were detained when they went to give food and other supplies to two senior Parena party officials who had been arrested in connection with an attempted coup in Burundi earlier this month.

COSATU CEC statement

Allegations by Safety and Security Minister

2001-04-30

http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html

COSATU&#8217;s Central Executive Committee today, at its scheduled meeting of 24-26 April, discussed the serious implications of recent allegations made by the Minister of Safety and Security in connection with alleged threats to the safety of the President, and its linkage to processes of contestation over political leadership
positions in the ANC.
COSATU is seeking an urgent meeting with its Alliance partners to discuss these matters.
COSATU&#8217;s CEC noted with grave concern, current
processes surrounding these conspiracy allegations. The public announcement by the Minnister of Safety and Security of the investigation of leading members of the
democratic movement in thatis connection, is particularly serious. It is highly irresponsible to announce the names of people subject to investigations, long before any final conclusions
have been reached. This violates the due process of law and can harm the security of the individuals involved. Furthermore, it aggravates the spread of rumours and fear.
It is critical that these allegations do not lead to measures that will undermine democratic processes and the rule of law, either within the ANC or in the broader society.
The long tradition of open debate and political contestation in the democratic movement needs to be defended and consolidated. COSATU therefore particularly welcomes that part of today&#8217;s statement by the ANC committing itself to these democratic practices. That tradition must not be undermined by measures that intervene in the normal processes of elections in any of
the Alliance partners. At the same time the CEC is absolutely opposed to rumour mongering and character assassination of any individuals, regardless of who these individuals are.
Further, if the allegations are true, it is absolutely unacceptable for physical threats to be used by anyone in pursuit of their political objectives. COSATU will support
any investigation by the police into genuine threats to our leadership, but would caution against any temptation by state organs, including the police, to involve themselves in
legitimate internal political contestation, which in fact would be entirely unconstitutional, and therefore illegal. It is absolutely important that the spirit of democracy and
the constitution is seen to be upheld, and that any fear that organs of state are being abused to intervene in internal political disputes is decisively dispelled.
The COSATU would welcome the investigation of the
police into genuine threats to our leadership, but rejects
their involvement in normal internal political
events.COSATU CEC appeals to all South Africans,
including members of the Alliance to address these
issues in a calm and sober way and avoid contributing to
anan atmosphere of paranoia, hysteria, and witch hunts.
To overcome the challenges we face as the democratic
movement, wWe must create a climate of open debate
and reasoned argument. This is both in the interests of
our country, and the democratic movement.


Siphiwe Mgcina
COSATU Spokesperson

siphiwe@cosatu.org.za
082-821-7456
339-4911

*********************************************************

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DRC: Children condemned to death penalty

intervention requested

2001-04-30

http://www.omct.org

The International Secretariat of OMCT is very concerned about the death penalty to which 4 children were condemned by the Military Court (COM, Cour d&#8217;Ordre Militaire) of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Military Court is an
exceptional court from which no appeal is possible. In each of these cases the trials have allegedly been carried out summarily.

Case COD 270401.CC
CHILD CONCERN


Brief description of the situation

According to the Comité des Observateurs des droits de
l&#8217;Homme (CODHO), a member of OMCT, the convicted
children are:

1. Diyavanga Nkuyu, born on 15 March 1984,
arrested on 25 February 1999 and convicted in May
1999 for criminal association;
2. Mbumba Ilunga, born on 26 January 1984,
arrested on 13 September 2000 and convinted on
11 October 2000 for involuntary murder;
3. Mwati Kabwe, born on 15 Mai 1984, arrested on
2 September 2000 and convicted on 10 October
2000 for involuntary murder;
4. Bosey Jean-Louis, born on 25 Mai 1984, arrested
on 2 June 1999 and convicted on 2 July 1999 for
involuntary murder.

According to the information received, all these children were
convicted as soldiers at the time of the facts. They are currently
awaiting the execution of their sentences in the ex Makala central
prison in Kinshasa.

Summary of the judicial procedure

The Congolese military penal code subjects every soldier,
including those under 18 years old, to the competence of the
armed forces jurisdiction and to punishments stipulated by
military law.

Furthermore, the international secretariat of OMCT recalls that,
according to the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human
Rights in the DRC, the COM has been widely criticised for its
failure to satisfy the conditions of independence and of
impartiality in its judgements. The COM exercises prerogative
powers that are incompatible with international norms on the
administration of justice. In particular, its statutes do not allow
any form of appeal.

Action requested:

Please write to the authorities in the Democratic Republic of
Congo urging them to:

i. immediately repeal the death sentences passed on
each child, in conformity with their international
obligation established art. 6, paragraph 5 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
and reiterated in article 37 of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child;
ii. ensure that the children sentenced to death have the
right to appeal the sentence before a competent,
independent and impartial authority or judicial body,
according to article 40, paragraph 2 of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child;
iii.amend the Congolese legislation as a matter of
priority in order to abolish the death penalty for
children under 18 years of age;
iv. ensure the competence, independence and
impartiality of the COM as well as the fairness of its
procedures, according to article 14 paragraph 1 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights as well as article 40, paragraph 2 of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child;
v. recognize the necessity for every child to be judged
by judges with a special training in juvenile justice;
vi. guarantee the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms throughout the country in
accordance with national laws and international
human rights standards and, in particular, the
Convention on the Rights of the Child.


Addresses:

President Joseph Kabila. Présidence de la République,
Kinshasa-Ngaliema, République Démocratique du Congo. Fax
(+ 243) 880 02 120

Minister of Justice, Ministère de la Justice, BP 3137, Kinshasa
Gombé, République Démocratique du Congo. Fax : (+243) 880
55 21

Minister of Human Rights, Ministre des droits humains, Fax :
(+243) 12 20 664

Please also write to the embassies of Democratic Republic of
Congo in your respective country.

Geneva, April 27, 2001

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of
this appeal in your reply.


Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org
http://www.omct.org

Eritrean minister speaks out

2001-04-30

http://www.eedn.org/

A former Eritrean Government minister has openly criticised the president. It is the first time in Eritrea that a leading politician has dared speak out against President Isaias Afewerki.
Mahmud Sherifo, who was sacked two months ago, said in
an interview with a local newspaper that the president
did not support the creation of political parties.

Mr Sherifo hinted that the reason for his dismissal as
local government minister was his involvement with a
committee drafting a law on political parties.

Democracy

The draft law details the rules for the establishment
of political parties ahead of Eritrea's first general
election in December.

Mr Sherifo outlined the events leading up to his
sacking.

He said President Isaias stopped publication of the
draft laws and then sacked him before his committee
met to discuss the delay in publication.

According to the Eritrean constitution, the draft laws
have to be made public in order to be debated in open
meetings around the country.

They then have to be ratified by the national
assembly.

It is widely known that after this process there will
be little time for political parties to form before
the elections.

Response

Presidential adviser Yemane Gebremeskel said it was
the prerogative of the president to appoint or sack
any minister at any time.

He denied that there was any connection to the draft
law.

Mr Sherifo was one of the highest-ranking members of
the government before he was sacked in February.

There has been much speculation in Asmara as to the
reasons for the sacking.

According to some Mr Sherifo was openly critical of
the president during government meetings.

News of Mr Sherifo's interview spread rapidly around
Asmara, with copies of the newspaper quickly selling
out.

It is unheard of in Eritrea for a senior politician to
speak out publicly against the ruling establishment.

National Survey of HRE in USA - preliminary findings

2001-04-30

http://www.hrusa.org/features.shtm

The National Survey of Human Rights Education in the United States has been completed and preliminary results are available for input and feedback. The initial results are based on the 20 states who responded that human rights education is mandated and/or part of their state educational standards.

Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Succumbs to Leukemia

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104250257.html

Reverend Leon H. Sullivan, convener of the 6th African-African American Summit and world leader on Africa and related issues has succumbed to leukemia, announced his daughter, Hope Sullivan Rose.
Condolences can be faxed to:

480-443-1824

or mail to:

5040 East Shea Blvd, Ste 260
Phoenix, AZ 85254

Thank you and please share this information with other freedom fighters.

Also, we must keep his vision alive and see how we can commit to making his works move forward.

Row deepens over ANC 'plot'

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1298000/1298640.stm

Leading members of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party have criticised the investigation into three of its members in connection with a plot to oust President Thabo Mbeki.

SA: National Survey Report on Human Rights Awareness

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/751

National Institute for Public Interest Law and Research. In 1997, NIPILAR started a project, which specifically looked at civil society&#8217;s awareness of their human rights and constitutional instruments and Institutions that promote democratic practice. This report looks at the local SA system and establishes how people know of these and their functions.
National Survey Report
on
Human Rights Awareness

Published by: NIPILAR
(National Institute for Public Interest Law and
Research)

January 2001

Address: Private Bag X 06,
Arcadia,
0007

Telephone: +27 (12) 328 5901/4

Fax: +27 (12) 328 7434

Mobile: +27 ( 83) 510 5981

E-mail: nipilar@nipilar.org


© National Institute for Public Interest Law and Research
NIPILAR holds all copy rights to this publication. Any publication of information
contained herein, although not forbidden, NIPILAR insist on full
acknowledgement.


Research conducted by : CASE

ISBN : 0-620-27271-6











Acknowledgements:

NIPILAR would like to thank all those who contributed in ensuring that this project was a success.

We thank Sury Pillay for her technical support at conceptualisation stage and during editing, CASE researchers Mr. Piers Piqou and Dr. Ran Greenstein for compiling the results report, Matshabe Nthubu for providing project management support, USAID for providing finance, without which we would not have been able to conduct the survey and HSRC for allowing CASE to use their research system of information gathering on the ground.

&#8220;Ningadzinwa Nangemuso&#8221;


































Foreword

The latest bi-annual human rights awareness survey comes out at a very critical time in history of our young democracy.

In August/September 2001, South Africa will be host to the International Community when it gathers for the World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia and other forms of Intolerance.

It was for this reason that, included in the survey was racism experienced by members of society from all walks of life.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to USAID for its financial support, Sury Pillay for her technical input during the editing and CASE for their good work in conducting the survey.

On looking at the results of this survey, we come to the conclusion that awareness campaigns on human rights and that of institutions supporting constitutional democracy have to be intensified.

NIPILAR hopes you will indeed find these findings thought provoking and intriguing. I hope these results will inject a sense of urgency in tackling social difficulties that are invariably informed by lack of human rights respect and protection in our communities.

Enjoy reading these findings.


Musa Madonsela
Chief Executive Officer
NIPILAR
Pretoria
















Background

In 1997, NIPILAR started a project, which specifically looked at civil society&#8217;s awareness of their human rights and constitutional instruments and Institutions that promote democratic practice. The instruments looked at were mainly those that operate at international level, like the Convention on the Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), etc.

This approach drew a lot of criticism from various sectors of the human rights movement. One of the criticisms levelled at this approach was that, the International Instruments would not make an effective impact on the ordinary person, unless it is directly linked to our own national instruments and institutions.

It was then decided that, in order for us to establish baseline information, CASE would be instructed to mainly look at our local system and establish how people knew of these and their functions.

Emphasis was on awareness of the South African Constitution&#8217;s Chapter Nine (9) Institutions. This survey exercise is undertaken with the purpose of identifying areas that human rights raising campaigns should be concentrated on, so as to help build a vibrant society that respects and promotes the culture of human rights.

As a human rights awareness raising organisation, which mainly targets vulnerable members of our society, a survey of this nature is indeed vital. As once we know where and how human rights abuses take place, we are, as a member of a collective human rights movement, in a position to campaign for intervention, so as to effectively address such.

There is no doubt that our organisation, working in collaboration with some of the Institutions mentioned in the report and many others can make valuable contribution in promoting and protecting the human rights culture in our country.

Although International and regional instruments were not our focal point for this year&#8217;s survey, we will continue to include them in future surveys, as they are vital to the measurement of human rights awareness and respect in our new democracy.

Methodology
Sampling
The sampling frame was based on the 1996 Census data. The country was divided into Enumerator Areas (EAs), each comprising on average 100-125 households and each with an equal chance of being included in the survey. The selection was done to reflect stratification of the sample by province and by area (urban, informal, rural, etc.), to ensure that all segments of the population are represented in the sample. In each of the selected EAs, eight interviews were conducted with household members who were 18 years old and above.

To identify a visiting point, all stands were numerically labelled on the EA maps. Where possible non-residential stands (shops, churches, etc.) were excluded beforehand. The total number of stands within the EA was divided by eight, giving both the starting point (first visiting point) and the interval used to select additional visiting points. By adding the interval to the first visiting point, subsequent stands were identified until the quota was met. Some maps did not indicate non-residential stands, and the fieldworkers substitute these if they were selected.

If the selected stand had more than one independent household, they were labelled numerically in a clockwise direction, starting with the main household. A household was then randomly chosen using the random number grid. At every selected household, members were listed in a chronological order of age, from the oldest to the youngest. A random number grid was used to select a qualifying respondent from the members of the household.

On certain EA maps stands were marked as &#8216;flats&#8217; or &#8216;hostels&#8217;. If there were several blocks of flats or hostels in the area, the random number grid was used to choose a particular block. For blocks of flats, a floor was randomly chosen and a questionnaire administered at every nth apartment (depending on the size of the interval). The same procedure was used in hostels. For hostels that did not clearly demarcate rooms, beds were counted as households for the purpose of the survey.

If there were several farms or rural settlements within the boundaries of the EA, the random number grid was used to select a farm. The number of households on the farm was established and the total divided by eight to obtain the sampling interval.

Fieldwork
The fieldwork was supervised by the fieldwork manager at C A S E, using a network of provincial supervisors and fieldworkers. Each province had a supervisor responsible for co-ordinating all fieldwork activities in the province and checking back on 10% of the sample. Most of the fieldworkers who worked on the survey were drawn from a database of experienced supervisors and interviewers, many of whom with extensive data collection experience. Fieldworkers were mainly recruited around targeted areas to ensure they shared the same language and cultural orientation with local respondents as much as possible.

Training took place in provincial centres, covering sampling and selection procedures, completion of the questionnaire, content of the questions with particular attention to technical terms and their translation, and interviewing methods. To measure the effectiveness of the training role playing and written exercises were undertaken. Issues regarding translation were discussed in detail to ensure that all interviewers in the provinces understand the language used in the questionnaire and agree on how to translate particular terms into the vernacular.

Once the questionnaires were completed and returned from the provinces, the responses were coded, the data were punched and the results were analysed with the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Abbreviations/Acronyms

· GP- Gauteng Province
· EC/ECP- Eastern Cape Province
· NWP- North West Province
· WC/WCP- Western Cape Province
· MP- Mpumalanga Province
· NC/NCP- Northern Cape Province
· KZN- Kwazulu Natal Province
· FS/FSP- Free State Province
· NP- Northern Province


Note: The difference between percentage of those who Know and do not know how to answer is those who would neither agree, nor disagree with statement, as expressed.

NIPILAR acknowledges the weakness of the survey, in failing to lower the age limit, so as to accommodate the whole youth age group (14 years up-wards). This made it impossible to establish how much was the level of human rights awareness at that age level of 14 to 17 years, which is a vital age group.

This weakness will be corrected in the survey, that should take place in 2002.




EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BI-ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS SURVEY &#8211; 2000

This survey is a follow up on the past few years surveys, which looked at many human rights instruments, especially those of International standing.

This (2000) survey concentrated mainly on national instruments and institutions.

The Instruments looked at were:

1. The bill of Rights

We began with the Bill of Rights, as this is the Corner Stone of the South African democratic System. It affirms democratic Values of Human Dignity, Equality and Freedom. The state is tasked with the duty to protect, promote and fulfil the rights, as enshrined in this bill of rights. We asked respondents to give their views on the main purpose of the Bill of Rights.

Our findings were that, only a third of respondents could provide an answer, with 36% of them saying they had never heard of the bill of Rights, an additional 29% saying they had heard about it, but did not know of its purpose. This means that two thirds of respondents could not provide an answer to the question asked.

Lack of knowledge was particularly observed in Northern Province (77%), Eastern Cape (76%), Northern Cape (73%) and KZN (70%).

Provinces that scored higher in this area were western Cape, 47% of overall, of whom 33% specified that it applied to all residents and 14% only mentioned South African citizen, followed by 38% in Gauteng, where 25% specified that it applied to all residents and 13% said it only applied to South Africans. The lowest was KZN and Northern Province, where only 18% could give correct answers, followed by Northern Eastern Cape at 22% each.

The main purpose of the Bill of Rights

The different age groups concurred on one thing, which was that they had not heard of the bill of rights (36%). The don&#8217;t know category was also high (29%) and those who answered correct were at 20%.

On gender comparison a greater percentage of women either did not know of purpose (31%) or had never heard of it (39%), compared to their male counterparts (28% and 32% respectively).

2. Human Rights Violations

Respondents were asked, in which context and/or circumstances were their human rights violated in South Africa. 39% of respondents could not answer the question.

The most Common response was the workplace (18%), followed by relations between black and white (14%), dealing with government (7%), rural areas (7%), dealing with police (5%) and in schools (3%).

Respondents from Gauteng and Western Cape were likely to mention workplace, where most human rights violations take place (24% respectively).

We found that respondents in other provinces would mention different areas, where human right violations took place. These were: Mpumalanga dealing with police (9%), Northern Cape and Eastern Cape dealing with government (11% and 9% respectively), Free State and Western Cape, in dealing with rural areas and Gauteng also mentioned school (5%).

No significant age based variations were found in response to this question, though, the younger the respondents, the more they were likely to mention race as the context in which violations take place. Only 11% of those aged 51 years and over mentioned relations compared to 16% in age group of 18-50.

Women respondents were the most to say they did not know answer (42%) against males (35%). Both gender groups are in agreement, in line with total respondent&#8217;s results, that most human rights violations take place at work (21% male and 16% female). Women registered the same percentage of violations at dealing with police and home (5% each) as their male counterparts. White and black violations registered the second highest percentage, after work (13% male and 14% female).

3. Human Rights Institutions

3.1 Awareness

Respondents were asked to list the four main human rights promoting Institutions provided for in the South African Constitution. Here, respondents were asked to list the institutions, rather than answer whether they had heard of a particular institution. It appears though, that some interviewers, particularly in Mpumalanga and the North West, field workers read out a list of existing institutions and marked responses accordingly.

Of the four Institutions, 46% of respondents mentioned the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), 34% mentioned the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), 31% mentioned the Constitutional Court and 25 mentioned the Public Protector.

The levels of knowledge varied between different race groups, with Indians and whites respondents showing a higher level of knowledge.

The age group of less than 50 showed a high level of knowledge than the age group of 51 and above.

Women would prefer to go direct to institutions (11%), a community leader (9%), Advice Centres (7%), a church (4%) and/or a lawyer (3%) whereas, their male counterparts would most likely go direct to institution (15%), community based advice centre office (7%), community leader (8%), other community based organisation and political parties (4%).

60% of women respondents said they would not know where to go, against 58% of their male counterparts.

3.2 Performance of various institutions

Here, respondents were asked whether the various institutions were successful in their work.

The results were:

SAHRC - 34% Said it was successful and 7% it was not
46% and said they did not know.

CGE - 26% Said it was successful and 7% said it was not, whereas 54% said they did not know.

Public Protector - 15% Said it was successful and 8% said it was
not with 65% saying they did not know.

Constitutional Court - 20% said if was successful, whereas 8% said it
was not, with 59% saying they did not know.

4. Other Institutions

The study also looked at other democracy promoting Institutions, to establish the public knowledge thereof.

These were IEC, which scored high in the urbanised provinces, particularly Gauteng (72%) and Western Cape (66%) and above 50% in all other provinces.

When respondents were asked if there was a need for a Commission to promote the respect of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, 43% of respondents agreed that there was a need for such an institution. Provinces, where such Commission&#8217;s support came from were NP (54%) WC (53%) MP (48%) and KZN (47%).

When respondents were asked about the government&#8217;s National Action Plan (NAP) for the promotion and protection of Human Rights only 9% said they had heard of it and knew what it was. The majority (75%) had not heard of it, and a further 15% said they had heard of it, but did not know what it was. Whites and coloured&#8217;s level of knowledge was higher at 14%, compared to African (8%) and Indian (7%).

Out the women respondents, a large number (78%) said they were not
aware of plan to promote and protect human rights, whereas only 8% were
aware. On the other side 72% of men were not aware and 12% new of the
plan.

5. Access to human rights institutions

94% of respondents said they had never directly approached a human rights promoting Institution. Only 7% of African, 3% of Coloureds and 2% of Whites and Indians said they had directly approached one or more of the Institutions.

When asked, how they would make Contact with them, if they needed to, 59% said they would not know where to go and 13% said they would go to relevant Institutions. The rest would go to an advice centre office, a community leader or organisation, a church, political party or a lawyer. Indian and Africans, in particular, said they would not know where to go (69% and 62% respectively), compared to coloureds (55%) and whites (47%).

High responses of lack of knowledge of where to go were evident in provinces with large rural population (71% in KZN and NP and 62% in EC and NC). Conversely, respondents who said they would go direct to the institutions were most common in the central and urbanised provinces, Gauteng (20%) and Western Cape (26%).

The Human Rights promoting Institutions scored very low as sources of information, where only 6% of respondents listed them as such. The most common sources listed were radio (26%), television (20%) and newspapers and magazines (7%). Over a third (34%) of respondents said they had no source of information on human rights issues and institutions.

Different provinces used and scored differently on the different sources of human rights information, radio being the most relied upon source, especially In rural based provinces. Television was also mentioned as a source in some provinces e.g. W.C. (42%), N.C. (30%), G.P. (29%) and NWP (21%). Newspapers and magazines were also featured In WCP (12%) GP, (11%) and N.W.P (9%) as sources of such information.

The Age group of 51 and above were more likely to say they did not have sources of information (43% of respondents), whereas among the younger age of 50 and below only 31% said they did not have. Similarly, women were more likely to say that they had no source of information (38%), compared to men (30%).

OPINIONS AND ATTITUDES

We then moved to look at respondent&#8217;s opinions regarding various rights related issues. Here, respondents were asked to indicate whether they agreed with a particular read statement or disagreed with it.

6. Racism

Respondents were asked if they viewed racism as the one of the most problems in the country.

The response was White and Indian people were the most likely to disagree that racism was one of the most problems in the country at 24% and 19%, respectively. On the other hand, most respondents from all race groups agreed with the statement (64% whites, 63% Indians, 76% coloureds and (71%) Africans.

Gauteng and Mpumalanga viewed racism as one of the most important problems in South Africa at 79% each followed by NCP (76%), NP (71%) and ECP (55%). Within the different age groups/categories, the highest (36%) age group to agree with statement was 18 to 34 (youth). The age group of 35 and above was the highest to say they disagreed (18%) and did not know (7%).

When comparing results between different gender groups, men scored higher in agreeing with statement (36%) against their Women counterparts (34%). Women were the most to disagree (9%) or the did not know how to answer (6%) whereas men registered a lower disagreement (7%) or did not know (4%).

7. Socio-economic rights

The percentage of white people who disagreed with the statement that socio-economic rights (access to water, housing, education, health and social security) were basic rights that should be guaranteed to all, was found to be more than double the national average (7%). Only 3% of African People and coloureds and Indians disagreed with the statement. Agreement with the statement was highest with coloureds, at 96% followed by Africans (87%) and Indians (82%).

Support for socio-economic rights was particularly strong in Western Cape (96%), Eastern Cape (95%) and Northern Cape (89%). Those who agreed (44%) within different age categories were the youth group of 18-34 years, whereas the age group of 35 upwards registered lower results at 43% in agreement with.

On gender both men and women respondents equally agreed with the statement (44%). Men scored higher in disagreeing with it (2%) against women (1%).

8. Constitutional protection for criminals/convicts

Respondents were asked if they felt that the constitution provided too much protection for criminals/convicts

Most provincially based respondents were In agreement that criminals and crime suspects were afforded too many rights. The highest scoring province was Western Cape (79%), with lower figures in other provinces highest among them being Northern Province at 56%.

Disagreement with the statement was highest In Gauteng, at 14%, followed by NW (12%) and Free State (11%).

When different age group&#8217;s results were compared, it was found that there was equal agreement between all age groups (27%) with the statement. However, the older age group (35 and older) was higher on answering the did not know (25%) against the youth group (18to34), which registered 20%.

Men agreed with statement (29%) and 16% of them did not know how to answer against women, agreeing (25%) and not knowing how to answer (28%).

9. Land Reform -Government to speed up land reform and distribution

Respondents were asked about land reform and distribution, the majority, across all groups agreed that it should be speeded up to prevent potential violence and disruption. It is however not clear what would have been the response if respondents were not faced with the prospect of violence and disruption.

The age group of 18-34 registered a high result in agreeing with statement (34%) and the group of 35 and higher registered a slightly lower result of 33%. On the other the group of 35 and above were highest not to know how to answer at 12% against 10% of the youth group.

Men ranked higher in agreeing with statement at 35% against women (33%). Both male and female respondents equally disagreed with statement at a rate of 4%. 12% of women respondents did not know the answer against their male counterparts 10%.

The highest scoring race group that supported the statements was coloureds at 71%, followed by Africans and Indian respondents (68% each) and whites were last at 57%. White people were the most likely to disagree with the statement that land reform and distribution should be speeded up (24%) compared to 5% of respondents In all other race groups.

The support for this statement was strong In ECP (70%), WCP (76%) and KZN (71%), where as opposition to the statement was most common In the NWP (14%) and ECP (11%).

10. Inequality and democracy

Here we found that a majority of 54% fully agreed that socio-economic inequalities undermine democracy In South Africa and that the state should take steps to address it.

It was however surprising that African respondents were the least likely to agree with the statement (51%), compared with coloureds (65%), Indians (62%) and whites (60%). Whites were the most likely to disagree with the statement (14%) and Africans were the most likely to say that they did not know (27%). Strong agreement with the statement was expressed In WC (69%) and EC (66%), whereas the strongest disagreement was In the NW (17%) and the FS (13%).

Of the respondents, men were the most likely to agree to the statement (27%) compared to that of women (21%), whereas on the other hand, men were also the most to disagree with the statement (+4%) compared to women (+3%). Women were the most to say that they did not know how to answer (21%) compared to men (19%).

11. Media Control

When the respondents were asked whether they thought that there should be external control over the content of the print media (newspapers and magazines), especially on issues that may involve racial bias, 30% agreed, 20% disagreed and 14% said they did not know.
Africans and Coloureds were rated highest In agreeing with the statement, whereas Indians and Whites scored higher In disagreeing with the statement. 47% of Africans, 43% of Indians, 37% of Coloureds and only 13% of Whites said they did not know. 59% of Whites said they did not agree with the statement.

NP scored the highest (54%) In agreeing with the statement, whereas other provinces registered less than a third. The strongest opposition to the statement was In WC (41%), Gauteng (39%) and EC (36%). In other provinces, a high percentage of respondents said they did not know, particularly In the FS (57%), Mpumalanga (54%) and KZN (52%).

Gender ration was male scored 31% In favour, 30% not In favour and 38% not knowing whereas women scored 29% In favour of and 27% not In favour of and 44% said they did not know.






































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U.N.: Progress On Disappearances Pact Hailed

Wins and Losses as U.N. Session Ends

2001-04-30

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/04/un-0426.htm

The prospect of a new international treaty on forced disappearances is the top achievement of this year's United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which ends April 27 in Geneva, Human Rights Watch said today.

Zambia's president urged to step down

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1300000/1300823.stm

Zambia's vice president and 10 government ministers are to boycott a special ruling party congress meeting called to extend President Frederick Chiluba's rule.

Zimbabwe shrugs off court loss

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1300000/1300002.stm

Zimbabwe Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has dismissed reports that President Robert Mugabe's governing party has suffered a setback in the High Court. The court nullified the result of last year's election in two constituencies on Thursday, including one contested and lost by the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

ZIMBABWE: Western diplomats meet over threats from war vets

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/zimbabwe/20010427.phtml

Western diplomats and members of non-governmental organisations met on Thursday to discuss tightening their security after reports that Zimbabwean war veterans were planning to raid foreign missions suspected of funding or supporting the opposition, AFP reported.

African Refugees Speaking Out Face Persecution

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/749

Voices in Exile shows how the rights of refugees in Africa to freedom of expression and information are not adequately safeguarded by the UN and OAU Conventions and are often overridden by political or practical considerations. It cites examples of national authorities and UNHCR limiting refugees' expression or punishing them for speaking out, but also emphasizes the increasingly active role being played by African NGOs in supporting refugee rights.
Publication date: 24 April 2001

Voices in Exile1 shows how the rights of refugees in Africa to freedom of
expression and information are not adequately safeguarded by the UN and OAU
Conventions2,3 and are often overridden by political or practical
considerations. It cites examples of national authorities and UNHCR limiting
refugees' expression or punishing them for speaking out, but also emphasizes
the increasingly active role being played by African NGOs in supporting
refugee rights. The study looks at refugee law, policies and practice in
Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zaire/DRC and Zimbabwe.

The report identifies a number of problems with the practice governments and
international agencies when it comes to refugees exercising their rights to
free expression. It calls for a systematic and proactive approach to be
taken by governments and international agencies to providing refugees with
information - an approach which should include the active participation of
refugees themselves. There is also an urgent need to base policy and
practice relating to refugees on an explicit acceptance that individuals
retain fundamental rights guaranteed under international law.

Africa's unique solution to the problem of large numbers of refugees is
collective determination of their status which has, in practice, meant that
refugees are housed in, and often confined to, camps. While such camps may
be a convenient means for managing large refugee populations they make it
easier for authorities to restrict various rights, including freedom of
movement and expression,4 and for pre-existing (often repressive) power
structures to be preserved.5

Laws on "hate speech", "subversion" and "public order" are used to limit
expression for refugees, particularly on political matters.6 Selective and
highly politicized application of such limitations may have far-reaching
consequences. For example the Kenyan and Ugandan authorities actively
support and encourage the activities of the Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA).7 On the other hand, refugees have been expelled from Zimbabwe on the
basis of such provisions simply for expressing views against the host
country or their country of origin.

Voices in Exile describes the threat which refugee media can be perceived as
posing to both host and home country governments. It sets out how
refugee-run Radio Kwizera in Tanzania was taken over in 1996 by the
Tanzanian army, who used it to help with forced repatriation; and how Radio
Burundi attempts to jam it.

ARTICLE 19 also notes examples of UNHCR failing refugees and even actively
punishing those who criticize officials or speak out on controversial
matters. For example:
* The refugee status of a group of Congolese refugees in Tanzania was
withdrawn in 1998 after their harsh criticism of UNHCR.
* An Ethiopian refugee in Kenya was punished after being accused of
instigating violence by organizing a human rights seminar.
* UNHCR headquarters refers complaints directly back to the individual
or office the complaint has been made against, leading to unpleasant
consequences for those already vulnerable
* independent access to camps is difficult to gain due to obstruction
by officials.8

ENDS

For more information contact Jon Lunn on +44 20 7278 9292 or e-mail
press@article19.org

Notes

1. Voices in Exile: African Refugees and Freedom of Expression, ARTICLE
19, April 2001.
2. 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees;
3. 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee
Problems in Africa.
4. Under the Tanzanian Refugee Act no person other than the 'competent
authority', or someone designated by them, may address a public gathering of
more than five asylum seekers or refugees.
5. The report suggests that the continuing war in the Democratic
Republic of Congo can be directly traced back to the inadequate response to
the refugee influx of 1994: as a result of the failure to disarm and
separate the armed forces and militias, not of there being 'too much'
freedom of expression, by way of radio broadcasts, in the refugee camps.
6. Such legislation is backed by an unfortunately over-broad provision
in the OAU convention which restricts "subversive activities", including
"attacking" any OAU member state "through the press, or by radio". ARTICLE
19 advocates a careful interpretation: it is unacceptable to suppress views
because the national government or international agencies find them
unacceptable.
7. Including forced recruitment and military training of minors.
8. In the course of researching the report, a UNHCR official refused an
ARTICLE 19 representative entry to Kibondo refugee camp in Tanzania, despite
the fact that he held a government permit to visit, citing "lack of
clearance" from UNHCR.


Reply to:

Ilana Cravitz, Communications Co-ordinator
ilana@article19.org

Direct line: +44 20 7239 1199

ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression
Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH, UK

Tel: +44 20 7278 9292, Fax: +44 20 7713 1356, e-mail: info@article19.org,
www.article19.org

BURUNDI: Thousands temporarily displaced by fighting

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/burundi/20010426a.phtml

A wave of fighting between the Burundian army and rebel forces has caused "massive temporary displacement" although most of the victims tend to move back to their homes "when calm returns", humanitarian sources told IRIN on Thursday. The recent wave of fighting started on 24 February in Bujumbura-Mairie and resulted in the temporary displacement of 54,000 people, the sources said.

KENYA-TANZANIA: Refugees ready to go back if tensions ease

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/kenya/20010425.phtml

Tanzanian refugees who fled to Kenya from the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar have told UNHCR that they would be ready to return home "if talks between the government and the opposition [Civic United Front (CUF)] lead to a declaration that would ease tensions on the islands".

Economic Collapse Alarming, Says Envoy

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104280068.html

The German Ambassador has described Kenya as the fastest collapsing economy in Africa after Zimbabwe. Whereas the Ugandan and Tanzanian economies were growing at 5 per cent, Kenya's has been declining for the last few years, says Mr Jurgen Weerth.

Rwandan minister to sue UN over Congo report

2001-04-30

http://www.woza.co.za/africa/reuters/apr01/rwanda26.asp

A top Rwandan minister said on Wednesday that he would take legal action against the United Nations for mentioning his wife in a report on the looting of the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral wealth.

Tanzania to Probe Gold Scam

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104290004.html

The Tanzania government has formed a four-man task force to investigate a massive corruption scandal involving government officials suspected to have pocketed millions of Tanzania shillings in compensation to some 900 people relocated from a gold mining area in Geita, Mwanza, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

To Forgive Or Not To is the Question

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104280074.html

Transparency International Kenya convened an open forum last week to discuss whether Kenyans should think of an amnesty for economic crimes.

UN Staff Charged in Refugee Plot

2001-04-30

http://www.iht.com/articles/17743.html

Three Kenyan workers for the United Nations were arraigned Monday on charges of threatening to kill Ambassador Johnnie Carson of the United States, three international UN staff members and an employee of the U.S. Immigration and Nationalization Service in an attempt to cover up an extortion racket.

"FORGIVE AND FORGET" WON'T FIX THIRD WORLD DEBT

2001-04-30

http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/010426.html

When the World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings open in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2001, officials will point proudly to the roughly $20 billion in debt that they have promised to cancel since their heavily-protested meetings last year. These promises take a step in the right direction, concludes a new report from the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based research organization. But even full cancellation would only be a Band-Aid for a broken system.

African Prospects: Facing the Challenges

Statement by African finance ministers

2001-04-30

http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2001/tr010428.htm

Those of us seated here represent some of the poorest countries in Africa which have had long relationships with the Bretton Woods institutions, especially in regard to the fight against poverty. We are committed to growth in our countries, through which we can effectively combat poverty, and to that extent, we are carrying out in various degrees of progress programs with the Bretton Woods institutions aiming at essentially combating poverty through action programs better known as PRSPs.

AID AND REFORM IN AFRICA:

LESSONS FROM TEN CASE STUDIES, FINAL REPORT

2001-04-30

http://www.worldbank.org/research/aid/africa/release/aid.htm

Welcome to a post-mortem of and a critical look at Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in Africa together with a proposed new recipe to make them better, avoiding their (sometimes now judged clumsy) pitfalls.

At What Price, Development?

2001-04-30

http://www.focusweb.org/publications/2001/At_What%20Price_Development.htm

The first Preparatory Committee (Prepcom) Meeting for Financing for Development (FFD), held in the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York from February 12 &#8211; 23, seemed unable to move beyond an over simplified equation between development and economic globalisation. It seems clear that unless fundamental changes are brought about in the international financial system, architecture, institutions and governance in favour of poor and developing countries, these countries are likely to pay a far higher price for development than before.

demonstrate against shell

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, uk

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/680

We hereby invite you to participate in a massive demonstration and protest against Shell and other allied companies. We have within the past months
received and collated a list of over 5,000 supporters appending their signature and disgust against the environmental award given by WEC to Shell for polluting and destroying Ogoniland.
P.O. BOX 22067, LONDON SW2 5WR, UK
TEL: +44 (20) 8539 9050 FAX/PHONE: +44 (20) 7737 1550
CELL/MOBILE PHONE: 07968 965 760
E-MAIL: mosopgb@hotmail.com
CONTACTS: mrs gbenewa phido / harrison neenwi


PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY

25th April 2001

DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST SHELL

Dear friends and activists,

We hereby invite you to participate in a massive demonstration and protest
against Shell and other allied companies. We have within the past months
received and collated a list of over 5,000 supporters appending their
signature and disgust against the environmental award given by WEC to Shell
for polluting and destroying Ogoniland. MOSOP and other supporters of
justice believe that this award is undeserved, unjustified, distasteful,
tactless and insensitive to the memories of murdered Ogonis and those who
continue to suffer due to Shell&#8217;s shameless corporate greed and arrogant
attitude of putting profit before people.

To further drive home our message to WEC and Shell, MOSOP in association
with various international NGO&#8217;s, environmental and human rights
organisations have scheduled a demonstration during the 17th Annual WEC gold
medal presentation ceremony as below:

DATE: Friday, 18th May 2001

TIME: 6.00 p.m.

VENUE: The National Building Museum
Judiciary Square NW
G Street between 4th & 5th Streets
Washington DC
USA


All organisations and individuals who are opposed to corporate greed and
support the call for justice are welcome to participate in a show of
solidarity both for Ogonis, the Niger Delta People and for the oppressed
people across the world.

Please be punctual and come with your placards and banners with inscriptions
denouncing Shell&#8217;s greed and disregard for environmental protection.

For more information on the demonstration, contact the following MOSOP
representatives in Washington DC
1. Benjamin Osaro-Olali 703 920 5451 e-mail: benosaro@aol.com
2. Onumgwe Osaro 703 892 4746
3. NiaBari Dum-erenee 703 739 0569 e-mail: nialaw@juno.com
4. Nwagia Saro Nkesi 703 931 5920 e-mail: giasaro@starpower.net
5. Lucky Pianwi 202 832 2364 e-mail: lpianwi@aol.com
6. Gogo Nwiakoro 202 986 9254
7. Saturday Seven Nnam 202 986 9254 e-mail: satnam@aol.com
8. Barisua Ikpe 410 426 7225/410 323 7491
e-mail: lahikpe@aol.com


MOSOP and the Niger Delta People sincerely thank everyone who has
contributed to this petition and protest.

Yours in the Struggle

Mrs Gbenewa Phido
MOSOP-UK President



For more information about the award visit
www.wec.org

To send more letters of protest, e-mail WEC&#8217;s gold medal Co-ordinator Susil
Singh:
Susil@wec.org

Find here copy of the protest letter, which can be reproduced on an e-mail
to WEC.



PROTEST AGAINST OBSCENE REWARD FOR SHELL&#8217;S ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES!!!


29th January 2001

John .F. Mizrock
President /CEO
World Environment Center (WEC)
419 Park Avenue South
Suite 1800
New York NY 10016, USA

Dear Mr Mizrock,

On 10th January 2001, your organisation (WEC) ignored Shell&#8217;s disgraceful
environmental record and gave them an award for environmental quality.

We, the undersigned organisations and individuals from around the world,
wish to express our total disappointment and shock at your choice of company
- Shell whose environmental track record in Ogoniland and the Niger Delta of
Nigeria is below average to say the least. We share the concerns of the
Ogoni people who have called for the immediate disqualification of Shell
from this award. This is because an environmental award to Shell undermines
the struggles and demands for a healthy environment by the Ogonis as well as
exonerates and endorses the company&#8217;s atrocities in the community since
1958.

We understand that WEC is an independent organisation which has been funded
by the United Nations Environment programme to advance sustainable
development and social responsibility, encouraging environmental leadership
and help improve environmental health and safety practice world-wide. Going
by this criteria, giving this award to Shell confirms your organisation&#8217;s
refusal to abide by its stated terms of reference thereby encouraging the
destruction of the natural environment of the Ogonis and Niger Delta people
whose land is continuously being savaged by Shell in Nigeria.

Shell&#8217;s activities in Ogoni led to the community&#8217;s crisis of 1993 &#8211; 1996,
which resulted to the killing of over 3,000 people including women and
children. Other human rights violations that ensued included raping of
thousands of teenage girls, young women and grandmothers, the sacking of 30
Ogoni villages and the maiming of youths etc. These human rights violations
was climaxed with the hanging of human & environmental rights activist Ken
Saro Wiwa and 8 other Ogonis on November 10, 1995 which caused international
outrage on Nigeria and mass boycott of Shell&#8217;s product across the world.
The human and material cost of this crisis on the Ogoni people cannot be
quantified in monetary terms. Yet Shell&#8217;s reckless oil exploration
activities remain unchanged in the Niger Delta. Shell&#8217;s poisonous gas
flares still pollute Ogoniland 24 hours daily since 1958, causing terminal
lung and chest illnesses; surface pipelines still criss-cross the lands,
causing explosions from overheating; oil spills and fires continue to
destroy lands, streams and rivers. Shell still refuses to implement proper
cleanup activities on the land or offer compensation to the landowners etc.
See below Shell&#8217;s most recent disasters in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.

RECENT HISTORY ON SHELL&#8217;S ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS IN NIGER DELTA:
1. &#8220;Pipeline explosion rocks Delta Community. This pipeline belonging to
SPDC exploded in Warri. Spilling about a million barrells of oil in the
area&#8221; &#8211; Daily Times of Nigeria 9th January 2001
2. &#8220;Shell&#8217;s oil spill claims 28 lives including women & children in Akassa
Local Government. More than 200 villages were affected &#8211; Post Express 5th
January 2001
3. &#8220;Fire guts Shell&#8217;s &#8216;well 18&#8217; in Ugheli Nigeria.&#8221; - Nigerian Guardian 13th
December 2000.
4. &#8220;Ikarama oil spill spreads to Ahoada, the spill has polluted the people&#8217;s
source of drinking water&#8221; &#8211; Nigerian Observer 5th November 2000
5. &#8220;Shell&#8217;s oil spill occurs at well 32 (Ekulama) covering river and
destroying aquatic lives. Ekulama women protest against Shell over shooting
of youths&#8221; &#8211; Environmental Rights Action Nigeria. 10th August 2000
6. &#8220;Unending crude oil pollution. Shell immerses Biseni community in Crude
oil and refuses to clean spill&#8221; &#8211; Environmental Rights Action Nigeria 15th
July 2000
7. &#8220;Shell, blood stains from Evwreni&#8221; &#8211; Environmental Rights Action Nigeria
22nd February 2000
8. &#8220;Shell instigated attacks on Elelewon&#8221; &#8211; Evironmental Rights Action
Nigeria 31st January 2000
9. &#8220;Shell spill in Eregbesene&#8221; &#8211; Environmental Rights Action Nigeria 27th
January 2000
10. &#8220;43 years on, Oloibiri is a study in neglect &#8211; the road to Oloibiri, the
first oil well at Oloibiri, view of the No. 2 location of Shell at Oloibiri
in 1956&#8221; &#8211; Nigerian Guardian 25th December 1999.
11. &#8220;6 Years after abandonement, Shell facilities spew oil in Bodo&#8221; &#8211; ERA
27th December 1999
12. &#8220;Shell in Bille; unending spills and crisis&#8221; &#8211; ERA 24th November 1999
13. &#8220;Shell fails to clean spills, refuses to pay compensation in Amuse
Oyigbo&#8221; &#8211; ERA 22nd Nov. 1999
14. &#8220;Shell&#8217;s well in Ogoni area goes aflame. A dormant oil well belonging
to Shell burst into flames in Yorla oil field&#8221; - Nigerian Guardian 27th
July 1999
15. By 1993, Ogoni could point to 3,000 oil spills from high-pressured oil
lines laid over their farmlands.
16. Shell has been summoned to the Human Rights Commission sitting in Port
Harcourt &#8211; Nigeria on 16th January 2001. This is in relation to the
corroboratory role it played with the Nigerian dictator by sponsoring the
Nigerian army with amunitions and financial assistance, which was used to
kill, unarmed Ogonis in order to deter them from protesting against its
activities. Shell is also expected to answer to its role in the hanging of
Environmental /Human Rights Activist Ken Saro Wiwa and the 8 other Ogonis
hanged by the draconian regime of Sani Abacha. &#8211; Comet News 16th January
2001
17. &#8220;Shell fights compensation order of $40m&#8221; &#8211; British Broadcasting
Corporation News 26th June 2000. Shell still refuses to pay oil spill
compensation court order to the Ebubu Ejaama people of Ogoni for 1970 spill,
which devastated the area.
18. US Supreme Court ruling confirms Shell can be sued by Ogonis in the US
courts for its environmental crimes in Ogoni.

Judging from above, it is obvious that Shell&#8217;s presence in the Niger Delta
of Nigeria does not reflect the environmentally friendly organisation that
it portrays to the International community. The true story of Shell in
Nigeria is that of an organisation that ignores social responsibility,
sustainable development, and exhibits great disdain for environmental health
and safety.
Finally, the award you contemplate suggest that you are rewarding Shell for
its cruel disregard for the environmental and human rights of the Ogoni
people in particular and the people of the Niger Delta in general. This
contemptuous award defies the memory of Ken Saro Wiwa and thousands of
Ogonis who have laid down their lives in protest of Shell&#8217;s corporate
cruelty and irresponsibility.

We are by this petition demanding that you immediately disqualify Shell from
this award until it changes it attitude towards the environmental and human
rights disasters in Ogoni and the Niger Delta.

Yours truly,

Signed by:

Xx xxx

IMF, Bank Are Finally Listening, Say African Finance Ministers

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104300002.html

African anger over tough and "dogmatic" conditions imposed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund is absent from the Bretton Woods institutions' spring meetings for the first time in many years.

Monetary Penalties on Labor Rights Backed

2001-04-30

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/04/tradelet.htm

Monetary penalties should be used as the primary tool for enforcing trade agreement provisions, including workers' rights protections, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.

new report reveals third world debt package failings

2001-04-30

http://www.dropthedebt.org/press/sustainability2304.shtml

An embarrassing report from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund released over the weekend casts a dark shadow over their Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, showing little confidence that the controversial debt package will provide an end to the debt crisis for the countries involved.

Nile ministers achieve agreement on water

2001-04-30

http://nile.ca/

An historic meeting of Ministers of Water Affairs from the Nile Basin countries has ended with agreement to cooperate on seven basin-wide projects. The meeting marks an important milestone of the Nile Basin Initiative
(NBI), an unprecedented partnership which has united nine African countries in pursuit of sustainable development and management of the River Nile water resources.
Nile Basin Ministers of Water Achieve Agreement on
Cooperative Projects as Historic Meeting Wraps Up

KHARTOUM, SUDAN, March 29, 2001: An historic meeting
of Ministers of Water Affairs from the Nile Basin
countries ended here today with agreement to cooperate
on seven basin-wide projects. The meeting marks an
important milestone of the Nile Basin Initiative
(NBI), an unprecedented partnership which has united
nine African countries in pursuit of sustainable
development and management of the River Nile water
resources.

"I and my colleagues from the Nile Basin have agreed
to endorse a number of proposed basin-wide project
proposals under the NBI Shared Vision Program which,
when funded, will contribute to socio-economic
development and poverty alleviation in our countries,"
said Mr. Kamal Ali Mohamed, Minister of Irrigation and
Water Resources in Sudan and current Chairman of the
Nile Council of Ministers of Water Affairs of the Nile
Basin States (Nile-COM). "We have also agreed to
schedule the first International Consortium for
Cooperation on the Nile (ICCON)  an international
donor forum led by the World Bank  for June 26 to 28
of this year in Geneva," the minister said.

The Minister from Uganda, Mr. Henry Muganwa Kajura, on
his part said: "It has taken three years of
stakeholder consultations and intensive regional
discussions to reach this consensus," adding that
"through broad consultation, we have tried to identify
the priorities and concerns of key stakeholders
throughout the Basin. Their input has been critical to
the development of these project proposals."

"This watershed agreement reflects the new spirit of
cooperation between the countries of the Nile," said
the Minister from Ethiopia, Mr. Shiferaw Jarso.

In addition to the basin-wide Shared Vision Program
projects, the Council of Ministers endorsed the
sub-basin projects being prepared under the sub-basin
Subsidiary Action Programs (SAPs). The two sub-basin
programs under the NBI, the Eastern Nile (ENSAP) and
the Nile Equatorial Lakes (NELSAP) presented various
priority projects at the meeting. These projects
ranged from efficient water use for agriculture and
hydropower interconnection, to watershed management.

ENSAP includes Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan while NELSAP
brings together Burundi, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and
Uganda.

The NBI is a transitional regional partnership that
brings together nine of the ten countries of the Nile
basin: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and
Uganda. Eritrea, which is participating as an
observer, has expressed strong interest in joining
this historic partnership. At the heart of the NBI is
the urgent need to alleviate poverty.

For further information contact:

Dr. Osman El Tom Hamad
Nile-TAC Chairman
Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources
Khartoum

Mr. Meraji O.Y. Msuya
Executive Director
Nile-SECRETARIAT
Hilton Hotel
Khartoum
Tel. 249-(0)11-774100

Protesting for Whom?

2001-04-30

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/opinion/24FRIE.html

I thought about going to the Quebec Summit of the Americas, but I lost my gas mask so I decided to go to Africa instead. It's interesting listening to Africans talk about globalization. While the protesters in Quebec were busy denouncing globalization in the name of Africans and the world's poor, Africans themselves will tell you that their problem with globalization is not that they are getting too much of it, but too little.

African Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB and other infectious diseases

2001-04-30

http://www.fmh-abujasummit.org/

Updates and coverage of the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other Related Infectious Diseases, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria this year with the mandate to find solutions to the crisis.

Koffi Annan: "Dear friends, This is a conference about Africa's future. The incidence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases is higher on this continent than on any other. Of course, this fact is connected to Africa&#8217;s other problems. Africans are vulnerable to these diseases because they are poor, undernourished, and too often uninformed of basic precautions, or unwilling to take them. Many are vulnerable because they have neither safe drinking water nor access to basic health care. They are vulnerable, in short, because their countries are underdeveloped. And therefore the best cure for all these diseases is economic growth and broad-based development."

April 25 is Africa Malaria Day 2001

2001-04-30

http://mim.nih.gov

Resources on malaria from the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM). MIM is stimulating collaborative research to answer the needs of public health programs in malaria-endemic countries, modernizing communication systems used by the African research community, and strengthening research capacity and human resources where malaria takes its greatest toll --sub-Saharan Africa.
Dear Colleagues,

In support of Africa Malaria Day, we at the MIM Secretariat have an-
nounced to the press our two up-coming conferences focusing on ma-
laria research in endemic-countries. Today is the first ever Africa
Malaria Day. Africa Malaria Day was developed at the April 25, 2000
Roll Back Malaria meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.

Andrea Egan, PhD
Coordinator
Multilateral Initiative on Malaria
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive MSC 2220
Building 31, Room B2C39
Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Tel: +1-301-402-6680
Fax: +1-301-402-2056
mailto:egana@mail.nih.gov
http://mim.nih.gov


--
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

John E. Fogarty International Center For Advanced Study in the Health
Sciences

NIH NEWS RELEASE
Wednesday, April 25, 2001

Contact:
Jennifer Cabe
Tel: +1-301-496-2075


MALARIA RESEARCH AND TRAINING BENEFITS GLOBAL COMMUNITY
April 25 is Africa Malaria Day 2001

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, BETHESDA, MD -- Malaria kills 2.7 mil-
lion people each year, according to the most recent estimates, and is
responsible for enormous economic burdens in malaria-endemic regions.
Ninety percent of those who die of malaria are African children under
the age of 5. Over 1.5 billion new infections occur annually. Unfor-
tunately, these numbers are on the rise due to insecticide resis-
tance, antimalarial drug resistance, and environmental changes.
Unless new strategies are developed, death and illness due to malaria
will increase, and the disease will continue to be a substantial bar-
rier to the economic and social development of malaria-endemic re-
gions and a threat to the millions of people who travel to those re-
gions each year.

In 1997, an international alliance of research and public health
agencies and African scientists launched the Multilateral Initiative
on Malaria (MIM). MIM is stimulating collaborative research to answer
the needs of public health programs in malaria-endemic countries,
modernizing communication systems used by the African research commu-
nity, and strengthening research capacity and human resources where
malaria takes its greatest toll -- sub-Saharan Africa. MIM supports
23 collaborative malaria research projects between African laborato-
ries that are also in partnership with laboratories in Europe and the
United States. Detailed information about MIM, its partners, and ac-
tivities is available on the MIM website at:
http://mim.nih.gov

April 25, 2001 is the first-ever Africa Malaria Day. Today, MIM is
announcing two international conferences on malaria. MIM will hold
the Third MIM Pan-African Conference on Malaria from November 18 to
22, 2002, in Arusha, Tanzania. This conference will bring together
malaria researchers who battle "Plasmodium falciparum" malaria, which
causes the most severe illness and which is the dominant form of ma-
laria in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, MIM is organizing a confer-
ence to focus on a second form of malaria, "Plasmodium vivax", in
January 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand, together with partners in Asia.
"Plasmodium vivax" malaria significantly contributes to malaria mor-
bidity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Both conferences will
bring together malaria researchers and malaria control experts with
the aim of transferring malaria research advances into critically
needed control, prevention, and treatment programs. MIM selected Af-
rica Malaria Day to announce these two international conferences to
draw attention to the fact that malaria research and capacity build-
ing in malaria-endemic regions are essential, integrally linked com-
ponents in an effective approach to addressing malaria.

"It is essential that those most impacted by malaria participate in
finding research solutions," said Gerald T. Keusch, M.D., Director of
FIC and of the MIM Secretariat, and NIH Associate Director for Inter-
national Research. "Support for research conducted in malaria-endemic
regions by local researchers will have critical, lasting impacts lo-
cally and globally."

Keusch added, "Given the profound toll that malaria takes on socie-
ties, African leaders have been at the forefront of MIM in addressing
this issue." The lead organizers of the Third MIM Pan-African Confer-
ence on Malaria are the National Institute for Malaria Research in
Tanzania, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and MIM.

The Second MIM Pan-African Conference on Malaria was held in March
1999 in Durban, South Africa, and included over 850 delegates. The
proceedings of that conference are available on the MIM website at:
http://mim.nih.gov/english/achievements/conference.html#durban_report

FIC is the international component of NIH and currently serves as MIM
Secretariat. NIH, primarily through the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), supports malaria research to address
critical needs related to vaccine development, vector biology and
control, health economics, health information systems, and other re-
search areas, while FIC promotes capacity building through its ma-
laria research training programs for scientists from malaria-endemic
countries. In addition to the two international scientific confer-
ences announced today, other activities of the MIM Secretariat at NIH
include:

RESEARCH TRAINING GRANTS:
To expand the capabilities of malaria researchers, FIC developed the
International Malaria Research and Training Program (IMTRP). The
scarcity of trained malaria researchers in the regions most severely
impacted by the disease is a major impediment to successful malaria
research. In 2000, the IMRTP began supporting collaborative training
programs between U.S. institutions and malaria researchers in endemic
countries. More information about the IMRTP is available on the FIC
website at:
http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs/malaria.html

TRAINING WORKSHOPS:
MIM sponsors workshops about the grant application and peer-review
process to train researchers from malaria-endemic regions to success-
fully apply for research grants. The current issue of the journal
"Trends in Parasitology" (Vol. 17, No. 4, April 2001) includes a re-
port on a recent MIM training workshop.

ADDRESSING MALARIAL ANEMIA:
To foster research on the interaction between malaria and anemia,
MIM; NIAID; FIC; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) organized meetings of haematologists, nutritionists, and ma-
laria researchers to discuss these interactions. Subsequently, NIAID
and FIC developed a joint research and training program to support
research in malaria-endemic countries on the pathogenesis of severe
malarial anemia. More information about this program, which is cur-
rently accepting applications, is available on the FIC website at:
http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs/malaria.html

Information about NIAID malaria research activities is available at:
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/malaria

FIC is the international component of the NIH. FIC promotes and sup-
ports scientific research internationally to reduce disparities in
global health. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Fact sheets, press releases, and other FIC-related
materials are available at:
http://www.nih.gov/fic
http://www.nih.gov/fic/news/press.html
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr2001/fic-25.htm

cosatu statement on HIV/AIDS

2001-04-30

http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html

COSATU&#8217;s Central Executive Committee (CEC) at its meeting today welcomed Zackie Ahmet and Mark Heywood, Chairperson and Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) for a discussion on how to take forward the campaign for affordable treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. The CEC agreed that last week&#8217;s court case victory against the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PMA) was a critical step toward establishing a legal framework for making medicines in South Africa affordable. It was also an important victory of activists, poor people and people with HIV/AIDS over corporate abuse of power.
Statement by COSATU Central Executive Committee on the
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) &#8211; 26 April 2001


COSATU&#8217;s Central Executive Committee (CEC) at its
meeting today welcomed Zackie Ahmet and Mark Heywood,
Chairperson and Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign
(TAC) for a discussion on how to take forward the campaign
for affordable treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.


The CEC agreed that last week&#8217;s court case victory against
the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PMA) was a
critical step toward establishing a legal framework for making
medicines in South Africa affordable. It was also an important
victory of activists, poor people and people with HIV/AIDS
over corporate abuse of power.


The CEC recognised that this victory was only possible
because of a superbly organised global effort and the
dedication of thousands of volunteers. COSATU
congratulated and thanked all their allies and supporters for
their contributions.


There is however also agreement that a long battle still lies
ahead before affordable medicines are accessible to all those
who need them. If steps are not taken immediately to
implement the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment
Act, the victory could prove to be a hollow one.


The whole of civil society has to share the responsibility for
taking the campaign forward. COSATU demands that
employers, especially the big corporations, provide free
treatment to those of their workers and their families who are
living with HIV/AIDS. We also demand that insurance
companies, banks and medical aid schemes end all
discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS.


But the government has a special responsibility to give a lead.
COSATU will be government's firmest supporter when it
does the right thing, such as introducing the Medicines Act,
but we will be its sternest critic if it fails to meet its
constitutional duties to protect life and dignity. Particularly
concerning are the continual delays in implementing a
countrywide mother-to-child transmission prevention
programme and the lack of a treatment plan.


The government must:
· Immediately implement the Medicines Act;
· Immediately promulgate the regulations required under
the Act;
· Begin implementing a countrywide mother-to-child
transmission programme without further unnecessary
delays;
· Immediately apply for voluntary licenses on essential
generic medicines;
· Invest more money into AIDS prevention
programmes and include treatment as part of the
prevention message;
· Develop a treatment plan by 16 June, which will
outline how treatment will be made accessible to all
South Africans with HIV/AIDS, opportunistic and
sexually transmitted diseases, and will commit the
government to increased health-care spending.


Linked to these measures, the government must urgently
introduce a comprehensive social security system, to end the
poverty and hunger which contribute to the spread of
HIV/AIDS and makes its treatment far more difficult.


The pharmaceutical companies must act in good faith and not
hamper the implementation of the Medicines Act. They may
be represented in discussing the Pricing Committee
regulations, but civil society, particularly TAC, other AIDS
groups, health-care workers and labour must also be
represented and have greater influence, as they represent the
majority of our people.


An important lesson from the PMA court case has been that
global solidarity on social issues is immensely powerful. We
would not have won so easily and quickly without global
mobilisation. Issues of concern to all poor countries must be
combated with a united front.


The next big battle is Brazil&#8217;s legal battle in the World Trade
Organisation with the United States pharmaceutical companies
who want to stop the Brazilian government doing the same as
the South African government is trying to do. The South
African government must issue a statement of support for
Brazil.


COSATU&#8217;s objectives are to get treatment for people with
HIV/AIDS in the context of building a quality health-care
service. We will use all means at our disposal to achieve these
aims, including:
· Highlighting the issue of affordable treatment on May
Day, 1 May, and Youth Day, 16 June;
· Writing a joint letter with TAC to the Minister of
Health, setting out our demands;
· Organising an AIDS Walk to raise money and
awareness;
· Sending an office-bearer to Brazil to convey our
solidarity and negotiate for the importation of cheap
antiretroviral drugs;
· Convene an Alliance summit meeting to discuss the
treatment plan;
· Work with fellow trade unions in the Southern African
region.


For further information please phone Theo Steele, Cosatu
Campaigns Coordinator, on 011 339 4911

Siphiwe Mgcina
COSATU Spokesperson

siphiwe@cosatu.org.za
082-821-7456
339-4911

*********************************************************

Visit the COSATU web site at http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html for copies of our most recent press statements.

Get free e-mail for union members. Visit www.union.org.za and sign up now! It's free!

COSATU takes steps to ensure that any attachments are free from
viruses. You should, however, carry out your own virus check before
opening any attachment. COSATU accepts no liability for loss or
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Drug firms to make Aids drugs cheaper: Annan

2001-04-30

http://www.sabcnews.com/SABCnews/world/other/0,1009,14079,00.html

Six of the world leading pharmaceutical companies have agreed to make retroviral drugs for HIV/Aids affordable in developing nations, Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General said yesterday. "We agreed that they will reduce the prices quite considerably and some have cut it back by 80, 90%," Annan told a news conference in Nigeria on the sideline of a two-day African Summit on HIV/Aids, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

Expecting infection?

Preventing malaria and anaemia during pregnancy

2001-04-30

http://www.id21.org/health/h4cs1g1.html

In malaria endemic areas, pregnant women are more likely to be infected with malaria than other adults, particularly during the first pregnancy. They may not have symptoms of malaria, but infection can lead to severe anaemia and low birthweight, increasing maternal and infant mortality. What can health services do to lower the risk for pregnant women?

HIV CAUSING TUBERCULOSIS CASES TO DOUBLE IN AFRICA

2001-04-30

http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc01/TB_240401.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today warned that Tuberculosis (TB) cases in Africa will likely double over the next decade as a consequence of the increased spread of HIV and the under-funding of strategies effective in curing TB.

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Tue, 24 Apr 2001

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/698

Following Court Victory, AIDS Activists Shift Focus on South African Government AIDS Drug Policies; AIDS Crisis Has Spurred Public Relations Challenges for Pharmaceutical Industry, Wall Street Journal Reports; After South Africa Court Case, 'Unified Strategy' on HIV/AIDS May Be Difficult to Find.
-----------------------------------------------

* Following Court Victory, AIDS Activists Shift Focus on South Afri-
can Government AIDS Drug Policies

* AIDS Crisis Has Spurred Public Relations Challenges for Pharmaceu-
tical Industry, Wall Street Journal Reports

* After South Africa Court Case, 'Unified Strategy' on HIV/AIDS May
Be Difficult to Find

* Nigeria Hosts Infections Disease Conference This Week, Launches
AIDS Action Plan

* Homegrown 'cures' Undermine AIDS Efforts

* Kenyan Ministry of Health Introduces Drug Importation Bill


--
Following Court Victory, AIDS Activists Shift Focus on South African
Government AIDS Drug Policies

Following the pharmaceutical industry's decision last week to drop
its lawsuit against the South African government, AIDS advocates con-
cluded that the "next big barrier" to expanding access to AIDS treat-
ments "might well be the government itself," the New York Times re-
ports. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of South Africa
and 39 pharmaceutical companies last week agreed to drop their law-
suit against the South African government over a law that would allow
the country to import and manufacture cheaper generic AIDS drugs.
Following the victory, AIDS advocates had hoped to "hear a sense of
urgency" from government officials about providing treatments. In-
stead, South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang "made
it clear that providing AIDS drugs was not a government priority."
She said, "For the moment, the best advice is to treat opportunistic
infections. ... We are indeed treating people who are HIV-positive.
It is not correct to say that just because we do not provide antiret-
rovirals that we are not treating people." Following the health min-
ister's lead, the ruling African National Congress in its online
newspaper listed "countless reasons why the country should think
twice about providing lifesaving AIDS cocktails," the Times reports.
Such comments have "revived concerns" about the South African govern-
ment's commitment to providing treatment for its 4.7 million HIV-
positive residents, the Times reports. In response, AIDS activists
have decided to "turn up the heat" in their efforts to persuade offi-
cials to provide treatments that are "readily available in the West"
(Swarns, New York Times, 4/21). Thanduxolo Doro of the National Asso-
ciation of People Living with HIV/AIDS said, "We need not only gov-
ernment, but also the private sector including pharmaceuticals, tra-
ditional healers and faith-based organizations, to combine resources
for treatment." The Treatment Action Campaign is calling on the gov-
ernment and private companies to expand access to treatment and urg-
ing the government to provide Nevirapine to reduce vertical transmis-
sion of HIV. TAC Chair Zackie Achmat said, "In the short term, we
want the government to have a treatment strategy and a plan. We also
want the private sector to announce they will put their employees on
antiretroviral treatment and assist in bringing the prices down." He
added, "We hope to have a treatment plan in place by Dec. 1 and to
roll out antiretrovirals in the public sector by New Year." The Con-
gress of South African Trade Unions, representing 1.7 million mem-
bers, said it plans to "appeal to major employers to supply antiret-
roviral drugs to employees and their families" (Keeton, Agence Free-
Presse/Washington Times, 4/21).

Settlement Will Not Harm Drug Makers

Although the pharmaceutical industry agreed to drop its suit against
South Africa, some experts say the decision will not "cost the drug
companies anything of substance." Amir Attaran, director of interna-
tional health research at Harvard University's Center for Interna-
tional Development, said, "It is largely symbolic." Still, the Times
reports that the settlement is "expected to embolden other developing
nations" because the industry is "not likely" to challenge another
developing country's efforts to manufacture cheaper AIDS treatments.
Ron Bayer, a public health expert and professor at Columbia Univer-
sity, said that drug makers "lost by pursuing this case, not ending
it. It was a strategic blunder. Agreeing to pay South Africa's court
costs is an amazing kind of defeat," but only on the public relations
front (Gellene, Los Angeles Times, 4/21).


--
AIDS Crisis Has Spurred Public Relations Challenges for Pharmaceuti-
cal Industry, Wall Street Journal Reports

The international pharmaceutical industry is "reeling from an un-
precedented wave of public scorn," with the recent lawsuit against
the South African government representing "only the latest in a
string of business and public relations setbacks," the Wall Street
Journal reports in a front-page story. "Worst of all," the African
AIDS epidemic has exposed how large a profit companies make on their
drugs, "a secret the industry has steadfastly guarded for decades."
The Journal states that by lowering the price of AIDS drugs in Afri-
can countries to a point that they say yields "no profit," the compa-
nies "have revealed that some medicines are priced -- excluding re-
search expenses -- at eight to 10 times their cost of manufacturing
and distribution." Tim Fuller, executive director of the Gray Pan-
thers, a seniors advocacy group, said, "All you have to do is look at
how much they're selling drugs for in other countries to see how high
they're jacking up prices in the U.S." For example, Merck is selling
its protease inhibitor drug Crixivan in poor nations at $600 per year
per patient, compared to $6,016 in the United States. Similarly,
GlaxoSmithKline is selling its AIDS drug Combivir in Africa for $730,
compared to $6,289 in the United States. The Journal reports that
some companies prefer to donate their drugs at no cost rather than
lower costs and potentially expose their profit margin. For example,
Pfizer Inc. in December offered to donate its antifungal drug Diflu-
can to AIDS patients in South Africa. Mark Heywood, head of South Af-
rica's Treatment Action Campaign, said, "If the company had lowered
its price to what generic makers charged, it would have shown the
world what its profits were. People elsewhere might have started won-
dering why it has to charge so much." But in their defense, drug com-
panies warn that by meeting demands for lower prices and reduced pat-
ent protection for AIDS drugs, the same demands may develop for other
disease treatments. GSK CEO Jean-Pierre Garnier said, "Isn't it
ironic that the companies that brought the drugs to market are the
ones being criticized for people dying?" (Harris, Wall Street Jour-
nal, 4/23).


--
After South Africa Court Case, 'Unified Strategy' on HIV/AIDS May Be
Difficult to Find

Now that 39 pharmaceutical companies have settled their lawsuit
against a South African law that would permit the importation and
production of generic AIDS medications, the focus of the interna-
tional health community is shifting to the development of a "unified
strategy" to deliver the drugs to those in need in developing na-
tions, the Washington Post reports. But developing an international
anti-AIDS initiative may be an "even tougher challenge" than the
"battle" activists and health experts have fought for lower drug
prices. Advocates and health workers cannot agree on whether to con-
centrate money and resources on "sophisticated treatment" of AIDS pa-
tients using the discounted drugs or on prevention, basic health pro-
grams and treatment of AIDS-related diseases, and funding for any
such program is uncertain. According to an unnamed international
health official, "it's so politically incorrect to say, but we may
have to sit by and just see these millions of [already infected] peo-
ple die." Though this idea is "unacceptable" to many in the developed
world, the official continued, "If all of these resources go to
treating the terminally ill, then we can in fact see this process
turn into one that's really negative for the development of effective
prevention programs." Bill Gates, who has contributed more to the in-
ternational effort against AIDS than any single donor, also warned
that the emphasis on treatment "risked undermining prevention ef-
forts." Critics of a strategy that relies on antiretroviral therapy
point out that Africa has "neither the health infrastructure nor the
personnel to support widespread use of the complicated [drug] re-
gime."

Who Will Foot the Bill?

Creating a comprehensive strategy has taken on a "new urgency" as
several major donors have recently "indicated willingness" to provide
"substantial new funding" for a global initiative. UNAIDS has esti-
mated that an annual minimum of $3 billion is needed to "establish
basic HIV prevention and non-antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan
Africa." Adding antiretroviral therapy for those already infected
would push the total to $10 billion a year. Currently, international
contributions come to less than $1 billion. The United States, the
largest national donor, currently spends $114 million on interna-
tional HIV/AIDS efforts. The Senate voted to increase that amount to
$1 billion in the budget it recently passed, but that version has yet
to come before President Bush, who proposed a "small fraction" of
that total in his budget plan. Japan and the European Union have also
recently indicated that they will provide "major new funds" to a
global AIDS initiative. But according to the Post, "nobody believes
that $10 billion is a realistic expectation for the near or middle
term."

Colliding Strategies

Today in London, members of UNAIDS are expected to present a "broad"
plan for the establishment of an international trust fund to be ad-
ministered by a "joint governing committee" of donors and aid recipi-
ents. Representatives from each of the Group of 8 nations, the Neth-
erlands and Scandinavian countries, and private donors such as the
Gates Foundation are participating in the meeting. U.N. efforts, how-
ever, were recently "thrown into an uproar" when UNICEF Executive Di-
rector Carol Bellamy wrote in a New York Times op-ed that her agency
was "prepared to step forward as the lead United Nations agency in
the procurement" of anti-AIDS drugs. That op-ed, which was not ap-
proved by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, "upset" other agencies
within the U.N., as well as World Health Organization Director Gen-
eral Gro Harlem Brundtland, who saw the op-ed as a "premature policy
proposal" and a "public challenge to WHO's primacy on AIDS," the Post
reports. A group of Harvard scholars, led by economist Jeffrey Sachs
has also drawn up a proposal for a global AIDS trust fund. That pro-
posal was criticized by activists for including the major drug compa-
nies at the exclusion of generic drugmakers, who many see as respon-
sible for helping to drive drug prices down.

An African Solution

The "big decisions" in AIDS policy may no longer lie with interna-
tional health organizations or the drug companies, said James Love of
the Consumer Project on Technology. Instead, Love said African na-
tions must "have the guts" to take the next step in battling HIV/AIDS
by drafting legislation to produce and import generic drugs. African
governments "seem caught between their desire" to procure part of the
proposed new funding and "early resentment of the expected onslaught
of advice and dictates" from western officials. "We'll do what we
can, not because of pressure, but because we think it's right," South
Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said last week at
the settlement of the drug lawsuit (DeYoung, Washington Post, 4/23).


--
Nigeria Hosts Infections Disease Conference This Week, Launches AIDS
Action Plan

Nigeria is hosting a "major" conference this week, targeting Africa's
three "biggest killers" -- HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, the
Agence France-Presse reports. The four-day conference, scheduled to
begin Tuesday, is sponsored by the World Health Organization and the
Organization of African Unity, and attendees will include former
President Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
(Cunliffe-Jones, Agence France-Presse, 4/22). At the close of the
conference, the government plans to launch an "emergency action plan"
against AIDS. Nigerian Health Minister Alphonsus Nwosu said, "Since
AIDS has constituted itself to an extraordinary emergency problem,
Nigeria has decided to launch an extraordinary emergency response to
combat it" (Agence France-Presse, 4/22). But some health workers and
administration officials are skeptical of whether the conference will
yield action, based on the current state of the country's public
health infrastructure. One Nigerian health worker said, "To put it
plainly, we have had a lot of conferences and what they produce most
is hot air and not much else. Where's the impact?" The country cur-
rently spends less than $3 per person per year on public health, and
70% of the health care budget goes towards Nigeria's "giant" teaching
hospitals, "leaving little for basics such as primary health care for
the population, mostly living in places remote from the main cen-
ters," according to health workers. Another health official noted,
"There are a number of big public hospitals but the staff there are
generally badly trained and often go on strike. Primary care barely
exists. Many people cannot afford to go to doctors, and drug sellers
do not know the right prescriptions or dosages to hand out. Public
health education is a joke" (Agence France-Presse, 4/22).


--
Homegrown 'cures' Undermine AIDS Efforts

Nigeria's efforts to stem the AIDS epidemic are "being undermined by
the growing number of homegrown 'cures,'" Reuters reports. The north-
ern Kano state assembly recently passed an bill endorsing a group
"claiming a spiritual cure" for AIDS, which involves "smearing honey
and petroleum jelly on sufferers and reading versus of the Koran."
Reuters reports that more than 60 groups in Nigeria have announced
"purported cures" for AIDS, and the government has allocated about
$1.7 million to test these claims. WHO's African Regional Director
Dr. Ebrahim Samba said at a news conference yesterday, "This is very
dangerous. There are no cures. But this isn't only a problem in Nige-
ria, there are claims all over Africa" (Doran, Agence France-Presse,
4/22).


--
Kenyan Ministry of Health Introduces Drug Importation Bill

Kenya's Ministry of Health has introduced a bill that would legalize
the importation of cheaper generic AIDS drugs, BBC News reports. Ken-
yan Public Health Minister Sam Ongeri said the government "would not
helplessly watch as Kenyans continue to die from the disease while
drugs protected by unrealistic patent laws remain unaffordable." Like
South Africa's 1997 Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, the
Kenyan law would adhere to the patent protection provisions of the
World Trade Organization (BBC News, 4/22).

Malaria in pregnancy Brochure

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/688

Malaria in Pregnancy Advocacy Brochure now available in French.
--------------------------------------------------------------

We have been gratified by your response to the Malaria in Pregnancy
Advocacy brochure. More than 3,000 brochures have been distributed so
far. We are very pleased to announce that the brochure is now avail-
able in French, and will be available in Portuguese in the near fu-
ture.

Please send your requests for the French brochure to
<paltman@jhsph.edu> or <awolff@smtp.aed.org> We would like your help
in tracking the use of the brochure. Please let us know how you in-
tend to use it and keep in touch with us about how and to whom it was
distributed. We invite any questions, comments or suggestions you may
have in regard to the brochure and suggestions about how to extend
its use.

We hope that the dissemination of the information in the brochure
will improve malaria control implementation and encourage malaria
policy that reduces malaria morbidity among women of child bearing
age and their infants. It has been designed to inform and advocate
for recognition of the effects of malaria in pregnancy and strategies
for mitigating those effects. We hope that it will be the basis for
discussion and further investigation, and that it will encourage the
implementation of malaria interventions for pregnant women and con-
tinued discussion between those working in malaria research and con-
trol, those working in reproductive health and those making policy.

Production of the brochure is supported by USAID Africa Bureau.

Penny Altman
MPNet Secretariat Coordinator
Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
Department of International Health
Division of Community Health and Health Systems
mailto:paltman@jhsph.edu

Prevention programmes?

Television and AIDS education in Côte d'Ivoire

2001-04-30

http://www.id21.org/health/h5psi1g3.html

Could television be a valuable tool in the fight against HIV? Who is most likely to watch television shows about AIDS? Researchers from Population Services International (PSI) investigated the impact of a soap opera dealing
with AIDS in Côte d'Ivoire.

Principles of disaster mitigation in health facilities

2001-04-30

http://www.paho.org/English/PED/fundaeng.htm

This is an updated compilation of documents from PAHO/WHO. It has been revised to address the needs of health professionals, particularly those involved in health facility planning, operation and maintenance. It focuses on problems in areas of high seismic risk. It introduces vulnerability assessments and practical measures to mitigate damage in hospitals, including structural and nonstructural aspects, and administrative and internal organisation.

Somalia: Health Ministry Warns Against Aids.

2001-04-30

http://www.hornafrik.com/

The Health Ministry of the Somali Transitional Government has currently undertaken a health program aimed at orientating the public towards the dangers of AIDS for the human being.

"SAY YES FOR CHILDREN" GLOBAL MEDIA LAUNCH

2001-04-30

http://www.globalmovementforchildren.org/

"Say Yes for Children" is an unprecedented attempt to rally people everywhere behind 10 overarching actions and principles needed to improve the lives and protect the rights of children and young people. A series of national and regional launches are planned for the campaign, and the international launch takes place today in London. The campaign aims to collect pledges worldwide using both the Internet and paper pledge forms. The results of the campaign will be presented to world leaders at the UN Special Session on Children in September 2001.

COSATU: May Day mobilisation

2001-04-30

http://gate.cosatu.org.za/mailman/listinfo/press

COSATU has organized the 2001 May Day celebrations that will take place in its various regions countrywide. The theme of this year&#8217;s May Day is &#8220;Stop the job loss bloodbath! Create quality jobs; Fight poverty!&#8221; We are calling on all workers to attend these events to celebrate the victories that workers have achieved throughout the world.
----------------------------------------
Press statement issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

To receive future press statements go to http://gate.cosatu.org.za/mailman/listinfo/press
----------------------------------------


COSATU has organized the 2001 May Day celebrations that
will take place in its various regions countrywide. The theme
of this year&#8217;s May Day is &#8220;Stop the job loss bloodbath!
Create quality jobs; Fight poverty!&#8221; We are calling on all
workers to attend these events to celebrate the victories that
workers have achieved throughout the world. These victories
need to be consolidated. There are also major struggles
ahead such as job losses and rampant privatisation that need
to be tackled head-on by the South African workers.

ANC, COSATU and SACP Alliance leaders will speak at
these events. All rallies start at 9 am. The programme is as
follows:

MAY DAY ACTIVITIES AND DEPLOYMENTS:

EASTERN CAPE REGION:

Venue: Transkei Technikon, Umtata
Speakers: Thulas Nxesi, Xolani Phakhati (COSATU)
Membathisi Mdladlana (ANC)

Venue: Babs Madlakane Hall, Uitenhage
Speakers: Gwede Mantashe, Welile Nolingo (COSATU)
Membathisi Mdladlana (ANC)

KWAZULUL NATAL REGION:

Venue: Umlazi Stadium, Durban
Speakers: Zwelinzima Vavi, Amon Ntuli (COSATU)
M. Tshabalala Msimang, Sbu Ndebele (ANC)

MPUMALANGA REGION:

Venue: Kanyamazane Stadium, Nelspruit
Speakers: Joseph Nkosi, Bones Skulu (COSATU)
P Dexter, NJ Mahlangu (ANC)

Venue: Kwagga Stadium, Nelspruit
Speakers: Randall Howard, Fundi Nsimande (Cosatu)
Thoko Didiza (ANC)

WESTERN TRANSVAL REGION:

Venue: Potchefstroom Stadium
Speakers: Archie Palane, Lindelwa Dunjwa (COSATU)
M Lekota (ANC)

Venue: Mphatlalatsane Hall, Vaal
Speakers: Alinah Rantsoele, Abey Witbooi (COSATU)
Amos Masondo (ANC)

NORTHERN CAPE/ FREE STATE REGION:

Venue: Agricultural college, Taung
Speakers: Senzeni Zokwane, Freddie Mohai (Cosatu)
J Radebe, W Direko (ANC)

Venue: Upington Civi Hall, Upington
Speakers: Joseph Thee, Derrick Cele (COSATU)
G. Fraser Moleketi, M Dipico (ANC)

NORTHERN PROVINCE REGION:

Venue: Pildich, Pretoria West
Speakers: Slumko Nondwango, Joyce Pekane(COSATU)
M Msimang, Fth Mkatshwa (ANC)

Venue: New Mokopane Training College,
Mahwelereng
Speakers: Petrus Mashishi, Louisa Thipe (COSATU)
S Mufamadi, N Ramahlodi (ANC)

WESTERN CAPE REGION:

Venue: Company gardens, City Centre - CT
Speakers: Xolile Nxu, Ebrahim Patel (COSATU)
D. President Zuma, E Rasool (ANC)

WITS REGION:

Venue: Library Gardens, Johannesburg
Speakers: Crosby Moni (COSATU)
N. Mapisa-Nqakula, M. Shilowa (ANC)






Siphiwe Mgcina
COSATU Spokesperson

siphiwe@cosatu.org.za
082-821-7456
339-4911

Government to Fund Private Varsities

2001-04-30

http://allafrica.com/stories/200104230295.html

President Yoweri Museveni has said the Government is to extend financial grants to all private universities because of their role in economic growth of the country.

public library of science

2001-04-30

http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org

As of the end of March, more than fourteen thousand scientists from 130 countries have joined in signing the open letter in support of the Public Library of Science initiative. With your help in informing your colleagues about this effort, and encouraging them to support it, the open letter can be published in May with the signatures of 50,000 scientists.
As of the end of March, more than fourteen thousand scientists from
130 countries have joined in signing the open letter in support of
the Public Library of Science initiative. As a result of this initia-
tive, several scientific publishers have already decided to adopt the
policy advocated in the open letter, and almost every publisher and
scientific society is discussing it. Yet, most life scientists are
still unaware of this initiative, and many of those who do know of
its existence have a distorted view of the proposal and its purpose.

The breadth and depth of support for this initiative from the scien-
tific community will determine its success. We believe that with your
help in informing your colleagues about this effort, and encouraging
them to support it, the open letter can be published in May with the
signatures of 50,000 scientists.

To achieve this goal, we each need to reach out to at least ten of
our colleagues. We would therefore like to ask you to consider two
steps:

1. Send an email message to all the scientific colleagues in your ad-
dress book (using the text attached at the bottom of this message, or
a modified version of it, or use your own language).

2. Spend an hour or two of your time in the next week talking to col-
leagues at your own and other institutions, explaining to them the
reasons that you chose to support the initiative, and encouraging
them to join you in signing the letter. (Let them know that they can
sign the letter online at: <http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org> ).

Please also make a special effort to talk directly with the editors
and publishers of journals that are important to you, informing them
of your support of this initiative, and encouraging them to adopt the
policy that the letter advocates. We would greatly appreciate hearing
about any such efforts you are able to make.

Your time and effort can make the crucial difference in the success
of this initiative.

Sincerely,

Michael Ashburner, University of Cambridge
Patrick O. Brown, Stanford University
Mary Case, Association of Research Libraries
Michael B. Eisen, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and UC Berkeley
Lee Hartwell, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Marc Kirschner, Harvard University
Chaitan Khosla, Stanford University
Roel Nusse, Stanford University
Richard J. Roberts, New England Biolabs
Matthew Scott, Stanford University
Harold Varmus, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Barbara Wold, Caltech


========= Model email message to send to colleagues =========

Dear Colleague,

We write to ask for your support of an initiative to provide unre-
stricted access to the published record of scientific research. An
open letter in support of this initiative has been signed by more
than 14,000 scientists from 130 countries. We hope you will take a
minute to read the letter and consider signing it.

The open letter, a list of the scientists who have already signed it,
and some answers to frequently asked questions are posted at:
http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org

This site also provides a way for colleagues to sign the open letter
online.

You may also wish to read an editorial written by Richard J. Roberts,
recently published in PNAS, which explains why he supports the ini-
tiative:
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/041601398v1

This is a grassroots initiative, and the breadth and depth of support
it receives from the scientific community will determine its success.
If you decide to support this effort, please consider spending an
hour or two of your time in the next week talking to colleagues at
your own and other institutions, explaining to them the reasons that
you chose to support it, and encouraging them to join you in signing
the letter. Your effort can really make a difference.


======== OPEN LETTER ========

We support the establishment of an online public library that would
provide the full contents of the published record of research and
scholarly discourse in medicine and the life sciences in a freely ac-
cessible, fully searchable, interlinked form. Establishment of this
public library would vastly increase the accessibility and utility of
the scientific literature, enhance scientific productivity, and cata-
lyze integration of the disparate communities of knowledge and ideas
in biomedical sciences.

We recognize that the publishers of our scientific journals have a
legitimate right to a fair financial return for their role in scien-
tific communication. We believe, however, that the permanent, archi-
val record of scientific research and ideas should neither be owned
nor controlled by publishers, but should belong to the public, and
should be freely available through an international online public li-
brary.

To encourage the publishers of our journals to support this endeavor,
we pledge that, beginning in September, 2001, we will publish in,
edit or review for, and personally subscribe to, only those scholarly
and scientific journals that have agreed to grant unrestricted free
distribution rights to any and all original research reports that
they have published, through PubMed Central and similar online public
resources, within 6 months of their initial publication date.

--
Jie Li
University of South Alabama
mailto:jli@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

STEP Publications website

2001-04-30

http://www.ilo.org/step/publs

Consult and download most of our free publications through the publications webpage of STEP.

International COnference on racism

SANgoco to highlight poverty, racism and gender

2001-04-30

http://196.14.83.2/briefing/nw20010424/6.html

The African delegation to the International Conference on Racism in August will highlight issues of poverty, racism and gender, the SA National Non-Governmental Coalition said on Monday. After a meeting to start a joint civil society preparatory initiative, Sangoco president Mercia Andrews said: "It will be a very difficult conference because it is about the underbelly of our society at the moment. "Poverty in South Africa has a certain face... very much a rural women's face. Racism is very much tied up with economics here."

News from GCRCRM

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/racism/755

The Steering Committee of the Global Campaign for Ratification of the Convention on Rights of Migrants last week agreed to begin focused campaign activities on six countries being Bangladesh, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau and Zambia . The aim is to achieve the entry into force of the Convention by the time of the World Conference Against Racism and Xenophobia. For information, please contact Jonathan Hepburn.

British Zoologist Banned from Ghana Dam Site

2001-04-30

http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-24-05.htm

A British scientist has been banned from Bui National Park in Ghana, which is due to be flooded by a hydroelectric dam on the Black Volta River. University of Aberdeen zoologist Daniel Bennett says he is the only living scientist to have conducted biological research in the 1,800 square kilometer (700 square mile) reserve, which he says contains, "the last pristine wilderness in the entire Volta System."

Climate Breakdown Pits USA Against the World

2001-04-30

http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-23-02.html

High level talks on the Kyoto climate protocol at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York over the weekend have confirmed global opposition to America's decision to abandon the deal in its current form.

Earth Week with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka of Nigeria

2001-04-30

http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-27-01.html

Nigerian Nobel Prize winning author Wole Soyinka has an Earth Week message for the world about his homeland - at least a third of the entire country is polluted in some way.

GM: The precautionary principle is coherent

Peter Saunders

2001-04-30

http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidbiotech/comments/comments109.htm

Gary Comstock claims that the precautionary principle commits us at the same time to two contradictory courses of action, that we should develop GM crops and that we should not. He concludes that the principle is therefore 'incoherent'.

international forestry experts meet at fao

2001-04-30

http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/paper/adviso-e.stm

International experts representing private sector forest industries involved in paper and wood products will meet this week with their FAO counterparts to discuss issues related to climate change and the paper and wood products industry, and review recent progress made in forestry and forest products certification, FAO said.

New Instrument Will Help Public Visualize, Track Progress Towards Sustainable Development

2001-04-30

http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/24Apr0104.html

The prototype of a new tool to help policy makers and the public visualize and track progress towards sustainable development will be unveiled today at United Nations headquarters. "The Dashboard of Sustainability" is a unique new way to present indicators of sustainable development as gauges similar to the control panel of an aircraft or car. The instrument turns a complex array of economic, social and environmental performance indicators into a simple graphic representation of a country's current position relative to an agreed consensus about sustainability.

SUDAN: Government acknowledges drought crisis

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/sudan/20010427.phtml

The Sudan government has said that it is essential to act quickly on a serious problem of drought in a number of affected regions. In a high-level meeting between government officials, diplomats and humanitarian agencies this week in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, the government called for "swift action domestically and at the international level".

Inside The World Bank:

Marketing A "Free" Press

2001-04-30

http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/worldbank.shtml

Only a free press, they believe at the World Bank, can check abuses, promote accountability and insure more transparency &#8212; all prerequisites for better functioning markets, which they expect will reduce poverty and improve the quality of life.

MEDIA MONITORING PROJECT ZIMBABWE

Media Update # 2001/16

2001-04-30

http://www.icon.co.zw/mmpz

Monday 16 April to Sunday 22 April 2001. The government&#8217;s campaign to encourage Zimbabweans to celebrate Independence Day &#8211; and the event itself - dominated the state-owned media in the week. Zimpapers and the ZBC both quoted government officials and sympathetic analysts as interpreting the enthusiastic response as an expression of the people&#8217;s faith in the President, the ruling party and the government&#8217;s fast-track land seizures.




The private press dwelt on the socio-economic crisis gripping the
country and used this as a base to assess Zanu PF&#8217;s 21 years in
power.
Political violence returned to the headlines with the assault on
Chief Chiweshe receiving prominence in all the media. However,
none of the state-owned media ever report incidences of violence
against political opposition supporters and officials, a job the
private Press &#8211; and particularly The Daily News - has been doing
diligently since it became a common phenomenon last year.
Industrial violence and the threat of it, perpetrated by war veterans
posing as arbitrators in labour disputes could also be found only in
the private press.
Controversy sparked by Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo&#8217;s
vitriolic denial of a Daily News story that Vice-President Msika had
invited Edgar Tekere to rejoin the ruling party, also featured in the
week and provided a clear example of how severely compliant the
state-controlled media is. It also provided more evidence of Moyo&#8217;s
campaign to intimidate the privately owned Press and the
journalists working for it.


B.

1. INDEPENDENCE DAY

ZBC spearheaded the government&#8217;s national mobilization campaign
to encourage Zimbabweans to attend Zimbabwe&#8217;s 21st
Independence anniversary celebrations. Apart from independence
documentaries, 32% of ZTV&#8217;s bulletins monitored between Monday
and Wednesday concerned themselves with independence issues.
This included a number of historical features with no news value,
which found their way into the news line-up. Radio bulletins were
similarly dominated, while Zimpapers carried historical land
features over the period to support its stories on President
Mugabe&#8217;s statements and on the newspaper group&#8217;s interpretation
for the &#8220;astounding&#8221; success of the event (The Herald 19/4).
While The Herald (19/4) carried the president&#8217;s stadium address at
length as its lead story without criticism or comment, it carried a
story reporting the Independence Day message from the MDC
leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, the previous day (18/4) with heavy
intercessions from unnamed &#8220;political commentators&#8221; and
&#8220;analysts&#8221; who described Tsvangirai&#8217;s comments about the
&#8220;obscene&#8221; land ownership imbalance as a &#8220;political gimmick by
a desperate party&#8230;&#8221;
ZTV&#8217;s hour-long interview with Mugabe on the eve of independence
reappeared at length in Zimpapers&#8217; titles the next day (18/4)
without any comment from the British authorities, which he
accused of launching an international propaganda campaign to
isolate Zimbabwe; a theme he returned to the next day at the
National Sports Stadium, where he also attacked the white
community and blacks who were being used as &#8220;fronts&#8221;.
Zimpapers reported his upbeat assessment of his government&#8217;s
efforts to restore the country&#8217;s social and economic fortunes
without question.

However, The Daily News (19/4) led its Independence Day report
with a story headlined, Mugabe threatens to take over firms,
without actually substantiating this statement. The headline seems
to have been interpreted from the single comment that, &#8220;any
closures (of mining or manufacturing enterprises) will have to
have the assent of government. The welfare of the workers
will, in every case, be the decisive or determining factor.
Government will not tolerate any closures.&#8221;
The story then sought comment from the MDC and quoted a CZI
survey, which reported that 400 companies had folded last year.
But nowhere was the threatened &#8220;take-over&#8221; clarified. The privately
owned daily made no other reference to the President&#8217;s speech or
to the national event.

The Herald (19/4) however, carried a number of stories, including a
round-up of the regional celebrations freely quoting attendance
figures without any corroboration, even from the police. Nor did any
of the other media. Thus The Herald stated that at least 50 000
people attended the event at the National Sports Stadium, while
the Zimbabwe Mirror estimated the crowd at 45 000, and The
Zimbabwe Standard quoted 35 000, all without any corroboration.
Nor did any of the media make a serious attempt to find out why
Zimbabweans had attended the event in such large numbers,
beyond the odd anecdotal sample. The Herald (19/4) provided
meaningless assessments in its propaganda report, including such
comments as: &#8220;The celebrations&#8230;.saw probably the largest
attendance at the sports facility in a long time,&#8221; and, &#8220;The
astounding attendance in the scotching (sic) heat and
revolutionary messages&#8230;.&#8221;

The Standard (22/4) asked the question, What Drove People to the
Stadium? but did not manage to answer it adequately. Although it
quoted Information minister, Jonathan Moyo, saying it was a clear
message of support for government policies, and even war vet
leader Chinotimba, the paper relied too heavily on the speculation
of &#8220;analysts&#8221; and two named political scientists. Only at the end of
the story did it quote two ordinary Zimbabweans.
If more of those who attended had been polled (50 or so) for their
opinions a more accurate sample could have been obtained.
Estimates of attendance figures on ZBC also appeared arbitrary
and even conflicting:
Radio 2/4: Marondera 20 000 (19/4 1pm); Mutare 25 000 (19/4
6am); The rest were described as thousands or large gatherings.
Radio 1/3: Marondera 5000+, Masvingo 10 000 (18/4 8pm);
Chiredzi 5000+ (19/4 8am);
Television: Television merely said &#8220;thousands&#8221;.

News of the celebrations dominated ZBC. Although they were a
national event, ZBC&#8217;s presentation of the celebrations was
distinctly partisan.
ZBC&#8217;s commentary, which chronicled the history of Zimbabwe,
included a whitewash of the Gukurahundi massacres by
government: &#8220;&#8230;A sad chapter in the history of Zimbabwe was
when some guerillas took up arms against the government.
This sad chapter was closed with the signing of the Unity
Accord in 1998&#8221;.
Other commentaries in the form of interviews with analysts
sympathetic to the ruling party also presented only one side of
Zimbabwe&#8217;s story. Comments included accusing the private media
of tending to &#8220;copy from outside&#8221; and not focusing on &#8220;things of
real value to us Zimbabweans.&#8221;
Through these commentaries ZBC tried to mislead its audiences
by creating the impression that Zimbabweans are of one mind
when in fact there is a wide variety of opinion that ZBC, as the sole
national public broadcaster, has a duty to cover.
Instead viewers were subjected to opinionated and emotional
comments, such as:
&#8220;We see a lot of people going to England, business people,
but they are not selling their businesses, they are not selling
their properties. What is it? If they want to go why shouldn&#8217;t
they sell their properties and go?&#8221;
from their commentator Happison Muchechetere.
Commentator Claude Mararike, said he liked to refer to sections of
the local population who supported white farmers &#8220;as partners in
crime&#8221;.
Such partisan commentary undermined any idea that the
celebrations should have been presented as a truly national event.
And a comment from Dr Tafataona Mahoso, one of those analysts
interviewed, helped to illustrate this failure. He accused the
privately owned media of selective reporting, describing them as
having &#8220;strategically set up people who they always go to as
sources to create a picture of opinion in Zimbabwe which is
not there.&#8221;
In their coverage of the celebrations, the state media were guilty of
a similar offence.

ZBC&#8217;s news bulletins on the day of the event were rather more
representative. Radio and television reported comments from the
opposition. On ZBCTV, there were 30 voices from the ordinary
people, 18 from Zanu PF, two from MDC, four from war veterans,
five from professionals. This is a divergence from the usual
domination of the voice of officialdom and Zanu PF on news.
Although the reports were mainly about the success of the
celebrations, the dominant view presented was those in support of
the ruling party. Radio 1/3 for example, just quoted an observer
saying the large attendance was an endorsement of President
Mugabe&#8217;s leadership (18/4, 8pm).
The Zimbabwe Mirror&#8217;s story of the day (20/4) aptly summed up the
state media&#8217;s presentation of the celebrations:
&#8220;That the 21st Independence celebrations would be used as a
stage to sell the government&#8217;s currently uncompromising
revolutionary posture was a foregone conclusion.&#8221;
The private Press was sharply critical of President Mugabe&#8217;s
announcement that he would run as Zanu PF&#8217;s candidate in next
year&#8217;s presidential elections (Financial Gazette 19/4, and The Daily
News 20/4), and used the occasion to run bleak commentaries on
the ruling party&#8217;s record of governance (The Daily News 18/4, The
Financial Gazette and The Independent 20/4), a sharp contrast to
Zimpapers&#8217; optimism.
In its commentary headlined, Twenty-one Years Lost to Greed and
Deceit, The Independent noted, &#8220;Where Zimbabwe once offered
the prospect of a prosperous non-racial democracy, it is now
universally perceived as a prostrate basket case governed by a
gang of thieves who openly espouse racism.&#8221;


2. POLITICAL VIOLENCE

While the private Press has continued to report incidents of
political violence, mainly against opposition political party
supporters, the state media has diligently ignored such events
unless the victims are supporters of the ruling party.
Thus the assault on Chief Chiweshe made news headlines in all
the daily papers.
The Herald (17/04) and the Daily News (17/04) gave front-page
prominence to the attack on the chief, allegedly by MDC
supporters. The Herald story relied solely on ZANU PF national
commissar Border Gezi, who blamed MDC supporters. No
comment was accessed from the MDC.
The Daily News on the other hand, provided some context to the
attack suggesting that the Centenary area was politically volatile. It
also reported that before the attack Chief Chiweshe had disrupted
the funeral of an MDC supporter, Ndoga Mupesa, who had died
following an assault allegedly by ZANU PF militias. The Daily News
quoted both ZANU PF and MDC officials.
The next day, The Daily News and The Herald reported that two
MDC members had been arrested for the assault on the chief.
The Daily News (20/04) comment criticized the politicization of
chiefs and headmen, which it blamed for the attack on Chief
Chiweshe.
In the week, The Daily News carried four stories on political
violence &#8211; including the attack on the chief. The other articles
focused on attacks on National University of Science and
Technology and Glen Norah MDC members by the police, as well
as an attack on Cotton Company of Zimbabwe officials in Gokwe
for allegedly recruiting MDC supporters. The Standard (22/04)
reported the resurgence of violence against MDC supporters in
Muzarabani.
ZBC had previously ignored incidents of political violence in
previous weeks. In the week however, it reported the attack on
Chief Chiweshe.
Unlike the press, it did not provide details of the attack but just
quoted Heritage Zimbabwe chair Jocelyn Chiwenga and an
unnamed person condemning the attack and saying that it was an
omen for Zimbabwe (17/4; Nhau/Indaba and ZBCTV, 8pm).


3. TEKERE AND JONATHAN MOYO

The controversy that erupted over The Daily News&#8217; (16/04) front-
page story quoting Vice-President Joseph Msika as having invited
Edgar Tekere to rejoin ZANU PF exposed the extent to which the
state media are so heavily controlled.
Although the story quoted both Msika&#8217;s statement and Tekere&#8217;s
response, ZBC was quick to issue a Department of Information
denial in its ZBCTV news bulletins the same evening without any
reference to Msika or Tekere.
The Herald expanded on the denial the next day, quoting Minister
of Information, Jonathan Moyo, wearing his party&#8217;s deputy
secretary for information hat extensively. He used the opportunity
to launch a vicious and vitriolic assault on The Daily News and its
political reporter, Sandra Nyaira.
Nowhere did The Herald attempt to source a comment from Msika
or Tekere, preferring to run Moyo&#8217;s venomous attack at length and
without question.
Part of it read:
&#8220;&#8230;.the outrageous claims by the British-sponsored Daily News
and its political reporter must have come not only as a shock
to the diverse audience at the house-warming party, but also
as clear proof that, as a British sponsored paper, the Daily
News is now beyond redemption as it has lost all capacity to
tell the truth as it is&#8230;..
&#8220;&#8230;Reporters who churn out hogwash and newspapers that
publish trash necessarily lose their claim to freedom of
expression&#8221;
Earlier in The Herald story Moyo described The Daily News report
as &#8220;a complete distortion of the truth and abuse of journalistic
privilege&#8221;.
MMPZ would like to remind the minister that freedom of expression
is a fundamental human right that cannot be reduced to a &#8220;claim&#8221;
that can be withdrawn at the whim of authority. In addition, there is
no privilege attached to the practice of journalism; it is merely the
exercise of every individual&#8217;s right to freedom of expression. There
must be no constraints on who should be allowed to practice
journalism. Sufficient laws guaranteeing the right of redress in
cases of inaccuracy and defamation already exist.
Such wild and intimidating statements from a government minister
do immeasurable harm to Zimbabwe&#8217;s claim to be a democracy.
The Daily News (18/04) reported that Moyo had vowed to target
individual journalists. The article also quoted a Daily News driver
who accompanied Nyaira to the Mt Darwin party, saying that Moyo
was not present when Msika spoke about Tekere.
The Herald (20/04) and all the private newspapers (with the
exception of the Standard) carried Tekere&#8217;s response to Moyo&#8217;s
statement, in which he confirmed that Msika had indeed asked him
to rejoin Zanu PF.
MMPZ notes with concern the unquestioning &#8220;statement reports&#8221; to
which ZIMPAPERS has subjected its readers to in recent weeks.
While Government and ruling party officials have a right to explain
the policies of the day through the public media, efforts should be
made to access implicated sources in the interest of fairness,
balance and objectivity.
Ends

The MEDIA UPDATE is produced and distributed by the Media
Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ), 221 Fife Avenue, Harare,
Tel/fax: 263 4 734207, 733486, E-mail: monitors@mweb.co.zw,
Web: http://www.icon.co.zw/mmpz

Feel free to respond to MMPZ. We cannot be able to respond to
everything but we will look at each message. Also, feel free to
circulate this message.

To unsubscribe, send a message to monitors@mweb.co.zw

mediachannel update

APRIL 25, 2001

2001-04-30

http://www.mediachannel.org

MediaChannel.org - news, reports, resources and opinion. Featuring content from over 650 media-issues groups worldwide.


APRIL 25, 2001, NEW FEATURES:

SPECIAL REPORT: THE KREMLIN'S MEDIA TAKEOVER
15 years after the Chernobyl accident, the Russian press is facing its own
meltdown. MediaChannel affiliates unravel the mess.
http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/putin.shtml

NEWS DISSECTOR: BANKING ON MEDIA
As the Summit of the Americas in Quebec saw positive coverage this
weekend, another globalization force, the World Bank, was reaching out
to journalists for help, reports Danny Schechter.
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/worldbank.shtml

INDIA: NEW MEDIA, OLD INJUSTICE
A dot-com news site is lauded as the savior of Indian journalism.
But are India's unglamorous stories and impoverished newspapers
being left in the cold?
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/oped/indiatech.shtml

ART, CULTURE AND CORPORATIONS
A satire of Citigroup's Web site, Daniel Garcia Andujar's trademarked
phrases. Robert Atkin's latest News and Reviews.
http://www.mediachannel.org/arts/gallery/index.html

DAILY MEDIA NEWS
Breaking news stories about the media internationally,
from mainstream and alternative sources.
http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/

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**FROM OUR AFFILIATES**

A WWW WORTH CELEBRATING
Kids in worldwide sharing stories of schoolyard bullying. International
high-school teams who've created multimedia encyclopedias.
The 2001 Childnet Awards remind us what the Web is for.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#childnet

MEDIA READER
The best media about the media.
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THE MEDIACHANNEL POLICY CENTER
In a time of rapid and sweeping change, media policies matter.
MediaChannel previews a new gateway to media policy
information, discussion, resources and organizations worldwide.
http://www.mediachannel.org/policycenter/index.html

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MEDIACHANNEL EVENTS:

NEW YORK, APRIL 26
Join Media Channel editor Danny Schechter
for a lunch time talk on media and democracy at the
Writers Guild of America East, 1 PM, 555 W 57th St.
212-767-7808 for more information.

SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 27-29
Join Project Censored, MediaChannel and many of our affiliates at the
Press Freedom Conference and Alternative Media Expo.
http://www.projectcensored.org/frontpagenews/11-26-00altmedia.html

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Thanks to the merger boom, media power is more concentrated than ever.
A new online chart presents the global media overlords in vivid color.
http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership


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natali Prize for Journalism

west africa

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/694

The Natali Prize for West African Journalism - Applications Sought from West African Print Journalists. Celebrating Journalism in the Struggle for Fair and Just Development.
The Natali Prize for West African Journalism - Applications Sought from West
African Print Journalists.

Celebrating Journalism in the Struggle for Fair and Just Development

The Natali Prize was established by the countries of the European Union in
honour of the late Lorenzo Natali, vice president of the European Commission
with special responsibilities for development issues. The Prize is awarded
to print journalists who have demonstrated a striking insight and particular
dedication to the reporting of human rights issues within the context of the
development process.

Democracy and Human Rights go hand in hand but sometimes they are brushed
aside in the drive for economic development. Development can only succeed
if freedom and individual rights are promoted and defended. But is the
message getting through?

Journalists in West Africa have an opportunity to play a key role in the
global debate through the Natali Prize for West African Journalism, a
competition organised by the countries of the European Union, to encourage
reporting which recognize the value of human rights and democracy in the
fight for fair and just social and economic development.

For a copy of the application form and rules for the Natali Prize for West
African Journalism (available in English and French) contact;

Media For Democracy West Africa
BP: 21 722, Dakar, SENEGAL
Telephone: (221) 864 12 72 / 864 04 24
Fax: (221) 825 49 45
Email: mfdafrica@sentoo.sn

Ghana International Press House
C/o Kabral Blay-Amihere
Ghana Journalists&#8217; Association
P.O. Box 4636, Accra, GHANA
Telephone: 233-21-234.692
Fax: 233-21-234.694
Email: waja@africaonline.com.gh

PLEASE NOTE:
* Application deadline: 1 June 2001
* Applicants submitting more than ONE ARTICLE will be disqualified from
the competition.

The Natali Prize for West African Journalism is a project initiative of the
European Commission Development Directorate coordinated by the International
Federation of Journalists in Brussels.
International Federation of Journalists
266 rue Royale
B-1210 Brussels
BELGIUM.
Tel : +32 2 223 37 29
Fax : +32 2 223 03 43
Email : prize@ifj.org
Web: http://www.ifj.org

Newspapers: A Portal to the Future

The 8th World Editors Forum Conference

2001-04-30

http://www.wan-press.org/congress.forum/forum/index.html

Multimedia newsrooms are no longer a vision or a controversial challenge. They have become an existing model, to be researched and pursued. More than ever, editors need to get connected to this new reality without losing their core values on the way. The WEF Hong Kong Conference will focus on the fascinating opportunities that the new century is opening up to newspapers and at the same time insist on the discussion on how quality content can be maintained and developed while seizing the new technological opportunities.

nigeria: new media monitoring project

2001-04-30

http://www.article19.org/

As democratic governance in Nigeria approaches its second anniversary, the activities of the media, believed worldwide to have a significant bearing on the successful prosecution of the form of government, is once again coming under scrutiny. Media Rights Agenda, working with ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, based in London, this month begins a Media Monitoring Project in Nigeria.
News Release



As democratic governance in Nigeria approaches its second anniversary, the activities of the media, believed worldwide to have a significant bearing on the successful prosecution of the form of government, is once again coming under scrutiny. Media Rights Agenda, working with ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, based in London, this month begins a Media Monitoring Project in Nigeria. The Media Monitoring Project will assess the coverage given by the media to four specific areas. These include the issues of democracy, public accountability, political and human rights issues.



The project, which in its first phase, will run for a nine-month period, will end in December 2001. Generally, the exercise aims to determine how the news media act to provide a robust atmosphere for the promotion of democratic governance, including public accountability, ensuring fair and objective coverage of political issues and political interest groups and a fair and objective coverage and the promotion of human rights issues and safeguarding the rights of disadvantaged and minority groups.



The objectives of the project are to determine the extent of coverage given to these issues by state-owned and private media. It will also determine the kind of issues that are covered as well as those left out and how comprehensively events relating to them are reported and analyzed.



For example, the monitoring exercise will establish the pattern of reporting events affecting government officials, democracy and human rights issues, in state-owned and private media. It will determine the prominence given to them, the manner in which they are reported relative to other events and the allocation of space or air-time to opposition figures to provide different view-points as opposed to official positions.



It will also determine the fairness of allocation of space/air time to the three political parties in relation to each other and relative to the time given to government officials in the media as well as how these impact upon the democratic process, how much effort is made by the news media to report government activities at the state and local government levels in order to reach the poorer and less advantaged communities, especially in rural areas.



Lastly, the project aims to determine whether the private media provide an alternative viewpoint and source of information to the state-owned media in assessing the performance of government.



Media Rights Agenda will publish monthly reports, which will draw attention to patterns of inequitable reporting, inadequacy or otherwise of analysis, commentaries and news and to provide a framework for balanced reporting in the media.



MRA expects that the exercise will provide a barometer for the media to measure their performance in reporting on the issues involved in the monitoring exercise and, therefore, undertake voluntary adjustments to bring themselves in conformity with international standards in the coverage of political issues.



It expects also that the project will provide a basis for continuous and qualitative reporting of relevant issues and the nascent democracy by the media in order to help in developing, sustaining and strengthening the culture of democracy in Nigeria.



The monitoring exercise will cover both the print and electronic media. In all, there will be ten daily newspapers and five weekly magazines to be covered during the exercise. There will also be six television and six radio stations, spread across Nigeria, which the monitoring exercise will cover. They have been deliberately selected to include private and publicly funded media having national and sectional coverage including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.



The newspapers that will be monitored in the exercise include The Guardian, The Punch, The Comet, National Interest, ThisDay, and Daily Times. Others are Daily Champion, The Post Express, New Nigeria and Daily Trust. The magazines include TheNEWS, TELL, Newswatch, The Source and The Week.



The broadcast stations which will be monitored under the project are: Radio Nigeria in Kaduna and Lagos; Aso FM Radio, Abuja; the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos, Murhi International Television (MiTV), Lagos; Ray Power 100.5 FM radio, Lagos; Channels Television, Lagos; Minaj Broadcasting International, Obosi, Anambra State; Rivers State Radio, Port Harcourt; and the Kaduna State Radio.



While the print medium monitoring exercise will be conducted in Lagos, MRA has set up four centres around the country from where the electronic media will be monitored. Monitoring centers have been opened in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja.



The monthly report, which will be published by MRA on its finding from the exercise, will be distributed to media houses, relevant government departments and agencies, regulatory bodies in the media such as the Nigerian Press Council, and the National Broadcasting Commission, professional associations in the media such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the political parties and other interest groups and stakeholders.



The monitoring exercise began early April with a one-week training programme held at the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, where the Lagos monitoring centre will be based and from where other monitoring centers will be coordinated. Mr. Rotimi Sankore, a consultant to ARTICLE 19, facilitated the training. After the one-week training, Mr. Sankore will to be available for a further two-week to provide on-the-spot technical and expert assistance for the effective take-off of the exercise before returning to London.



Mr. Sankore has had an extensive experience in Media Monitoring in eastern and southern Africa where he has conducted the training of Media Monitors and coordinated media monitoring projects on behalf of ARTICLE 19.



The media monitoring exercise is the second of such to be embarked upon by Media Rights Agenda. For six months, beginning from December 1998 through May 1999, during the elections that ushered in the present democratic government and leading to the handing over to President Olusegun Obasanjo, MRA also carried out a similar exercise. From that exercise, two reports titled: Media Scorecard and Airwaves Scorecard were published monthly over a six months period. One each of the reports focused on the Print and the Electronic media.



In that monitoring exercise, efforts were made to examine the extent of fairness exhibited by the media in giving each political party equal and uninhibited access to state their views regardless of the agenda of the parties and views their members might subscribe to. In addition, the exercise also examined how the government acted to ensure free media access to political news sources and protect the media from harassment.



The Ford Foundation is providing funding support for the Media Monitoring Project, including for the publication of the proposed monthly reports, while ARTICLE 19 is funding the training exercise for the monitors as well as the purchase of some media monitoring equipment, through funds obtained from the Swedish International Develpoment Agency (SIDA).

World Press Freedom Day

2001-04-30

http://www.wan-press.org/3may/english/index.html

3 May 2001 will be the tenth edition of World Press Freedom Day. The World Association of Newspapers once again calls on media to make a major effort to give impact to this important occasion and by doing so to remind the enemies of a free press that they must account for themselves on the international stage.

Aid workers killed in Congo

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1300000/1300179.stm

Six workers for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been killed in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the organisation says.

ANGOLA: Humanitarian crisis in central highlands

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20010423.phtml

A "critical" humanitarian situation is unfolding in the Angolan central highlands as a result of "persistent insecurity" that has driven people off their land, an OCHA statement has warned.

ANGOLA: World Vision appeals for flood aid

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20010427.phtml

The provincial government of Namibe in southern Angola has appealed to the international community and non-governmental organisations operating in Angola to help victims of new flooding which has left more than 7,000 families homeless and in desperate need of food, shelter and medicines, World Vision reported on Thursday.

COUNCIL MISSION TO TRAVEL TO GREAT LAKES REGION NEXT MONTH

2001-04-30

http://www.un.org/News/ossg/hilites.htm

The Council&#8217;s mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa will monitor the progress made by the parties in adopting the provisions of Security Council resolution 1341, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which urges respect for the ceasefire, cooperation with the UN Mission on the ground and the disengagement of forces to agreed positions. The mission will also encourage the parties to commit themselves to the next steps in the peace process.

DRC: Angola's presence defended

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/drc/20010426b.phtml

Angola's Interior Minister Fernando da Piedade has said the country's army intervened in the DRC and also in the Republic of Congo (ROC) because of these countries rights to "legitimate defence against aggressor forces, national judicial fundamentals and respect for international law".

Liberia battles for northern towns

2001-04-30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1299000/1299592.stm

Thousands of Liberian troops have been sent to the country's troubled northern border with Guinea where the rebels control a number of towns. Officials said the troops had launched simultaneous counter-attacks on the rebel held towns of Foya, Kolahun, Vahun, Voinjama and Zorzor.

SOUTH AFRICA: Mandela to receive Burundian leaders

2001-04-30

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/southafrica/20010427.phtml

Former South African President Nelson Mandela was scheduled to meet representatives of the Burundian army, leaders of religious groups and socio-professional groups in Pretoria on 4 May, PANA reported on Thursday.

A telecommunication revolution for Africa?

2001-04-30

http://www.worldspace.com/

The WorldSpace Corporation today launched the world's largest digital audio broadcast system, inaugurating a first-of-its-kind satellite radio service that will transmit a wide array of multilingual radio programming across the entire African continent.
WorldSpace Launches the World's Largest Digital Audio
Broadcast System, Providing Unprecedented Coverage
across African Continent.

From the Cape to Cairo, from Dakar to Dubai,
First-of-its-Kind Satellite Radio Service Illuminates
Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (October 21, 1999) - The
WorldSpace Corporation today launched the world's
largest digital audio broadcast system, inaugurating a
first-of-its-kind satellite radio service that will
transmit a wide array of multilingual radio
programming across the entire African continent.

At a gala ceremony here, news, music, entertainment
and education programs began flowing on three
broadcast beams from the WorldSpace "AfriStar"
satellite. WorldSpace is the U.S.-based company that
sees a huge untapped market for satellite digital
radio service in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean. More than 600 dignitaries,
government officials and broadcasters attended the
launch ceremony.

The AfriStar satellite will supply more than 25
channels of news, music, entertainment and educational
programming. Each of three beams on the solar-powered
satellite will cover an enormous territory -- 14
million square kilometers -- and together will cover
all of Africa and the Middle East. Listeners will use
special radios manufactured by Hitachi, JVC,
Panasonic, and Sanyo to receive the WorldSpace signal.

At the service launch here, Noah A. Samara, WorldSpace
Chairman and CEO, said, "This truly is an historic day
in broadcasting. For 10 years we've worked towards
this day. For the first time, crystal clear radio
programming is being heard in areas that until now
have been under-served by traditional radio sources.
We are proud to have ushered in a new era with our
digital audio service."

Free, Multilingual Service Offers Wide Array of
Programming:

The free, multilingual WorldSpace radio service offers
a wide variety of programming with digital-quality
sound. Listeners can choose news from CNN
International or Bloomberg L.P., or the best of
African regional radio from South Africa's Kosmos
Digital, the Kenya Broadcasting Company, Egyptian
Radio and Television, Media 1 of Casablanca, Radio Sud
of Dakar and others. Programming is broadcast in
several languages, including English, Afrikaans,
French and Arabic.

Using its state-of-the-art studios in London and
Washington, DC, WorldSpace has created its own
original programming, from modern rock, contemporary
pop hits and global dance, as well as spoken word
programming for both children and adults.

"We're delighted with the diversity of broadcasters
that we have been able to offer our listeners," Samara
said. "This validates our long-held belief that a
critical need exists for high quality programming that
reaches a much wider geographic audience than with
today's conventional analog radio systems. Ultimately,
our programming partners may be able to reach as many
as one billion people through our broadcast system."

For more info, please visit:
http://www.worldspace.com/

P.S. I really doubt it. The satellite audio receiver
sells for US$170-210 for the models available. Unless
used by local stations, it may be cheaper to use a
good radio for the ordinary citizen. May be prices
will drop soon.

Civil Society Web Managers Survey

2001-04-30

http://www.sdcn.org/

The Sustainable Development Communications Network
is launching a new initiative to develop training materials for civil society Web managers.

> Please reply by 4 MAY 2001 to twillard@iisd.ca
>
> Background
>
> The Sustainable Development Communications Network
> is launching a new
> initiative to develop training materials for civil
> society Web managers.
> Web managers are those individuals who help
> researchers, public
> relations staff, designers, programmers, and IT
> managers work together
> to create Web products and services. Web managers
> are not technical
> specialists; they are communication specialists able
> to take advantage
> of Internet technologies as appropriate. They are
> the people
> responsible for making sure that Web products and
> services actually meet
> the needs of their audiences: policy-makers,
> practitioners, businesses
> and/or the general public. In some organizations,
> the role of Web
> manager may be a full-time job. In other
> organizations, the tasks of
> Web management may be given to someone who is also a
> researcher,
> information assistant, or graphic designer.
>
> Your Region?
>
> Please indicate the region of the world where you
> currently work (see
> http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/regions.htm for
> map of regions).
>
> ___ Africa - Sub-Saharan
> ___ East Asia and the Pacific
> ___ Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
> ___ Latin America and the Caribbean
> ___ Middle East and North Africa
> ___ OECD
> ___ South Asia
>
>
> Your Training Needs?
>
> Which of the following Web management topics do you
> want to learn more
> about?
> Please select only five topics. Number those five
> in the order of
> importance to you (1 is most important, 5 is least
> important).
>
> ___ Developing communications and engagement
> strategies
> ___ Integrating online and print publishing
> ___ Establishing achievable Web goals
> ___ Financing/budgeting for Web products and
> services
> ___ Managing Web teams with in-house and contracted
> staff
> ___ Managing content and workflow
> ___ Prototyping and usability testing
> ___ Creating Web style guides and product
> specifications
> ___ Developing information architectures for SD web
> sites
> ___ Writing and editing for the Web
> ___ Marketing Web products and services
> ___ Managing user feedback and communications
> ___ Understanding and using Web site statistics
> ___ Maintaining relevance of Web content
> ___ Managing Web site redesigns/overhauls
> ___ Other ____________________________
>
>
> Please, feel free to forward this message to other
> civil society Web
> managers. We are especially interested in the
> responses of those working
> in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the
> Middle East, Asia,
> Central and Eastern Europe and the South Pacific.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Terri Willard
> Coordinator
> Sustainable Development Communications Network
> http://www.sdcn.org/
>
>
>
> ------------
> ***GKD is an initiative of the Global Knowledge
> Partnership***
> To post a message, send it to: <gkd@mail.edc.org>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to:
> <majordomo@mail.edc.org>. In the 1st line of the
> message type:
> subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd
> Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at:
> <http://www.globalknowledge.org>

Email more important than websites for NGOs

2001-04-30

http://news.gilbert.org/features/featurereader$3608

I ask leaders of nonprofit organizations if they have an email strategy and their usual response is something on the order of "huh?" They are spending enormous amounts of money and staff time on their web sites and it's the rare exception that the organization even has enough of an email strategy to have a newsletter. They are wasting their money. I'm serious.

Nonprofit E-Learning Partnership announced

2001-04-30

http://www.smarterorg.com/news04_19_01.htm

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, the largest nonprofit consulting and training firm in the US, and SmarterOrg, the first e-learning provider focused exclusively on the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, announced a partnership today to develop and deliver online learning courses for nonprofit organizations.

Balancing Act NEWS UPDATE 57

2001-04-30

http://www.balancingact-africa.com

Somalia: Africa's newest market is tiny and awaits a full peace. For the optimist, Somalia is nearer to being busy reborn than busy dying. In
these circumstances it's hardly surprising it has been one of Africa's last countries to get connected. Abdi Mohammud describes the currently tiny size of the market, the fierce competition for it and the prospects for future growth.
COMING SOON: THE INTERNET MEETS SUITCASE RADIO AND THE STATE OF THE WEB IN
COTE D'IVOIRE
____________________________________________________________________________

NEWS UPDATE 57: SOMALIA - AFRICA'S NEWEST MARKET IS TINY AND AWAITS A FULL
PEACE

For the optimist, Somalia is nearer to being busy reborn than busy dying. In
these circumstances it's hardly surprising it has been one of Africa's last
countries to get connected. Abdi Mohammud describes the currently tiny size
of the market, the fierce competition for it and the prospects for future
growth.

If our correspondent is "off the mark" or you have factual amendments, mail
them to us and we will include them in subsequent News Updates. If you'd
like to contribute, write and let us know.

If you need information about a particular place or issue, just send your
questions in. We are always happy to follow up on readers concerns.

If you want to subscribe to News Update, simply send a message saying I want
to subscribe to info@balancingact-africa.com Also if you no longer wish to
subscribe, simply send a message saying I no longer want to subscribe to the
same address.

- > WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday

- > FREE SMALL ADS - GO TO OUR WEBSITE: http://www.balancingact-africa.com

- > PAID FOR ADS? MAIL US FOR A RATE CARD: info@balancingact-africa.com

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT: COUNTRY RESPRESENTATIVES WANTED
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is an organization
that addresses the benefits and risks to society resulting from the use of
computers. CPSR have been in existence for the past 19 years and will be
celebrating the 20th Anniversary in 2001. CPSR work to influence decisions
regarding the development and use of computers because those decisions have
far-reaching consequences and reflect our basic values and priorities.
Country representatives wanted through Africa to help African countries
develop Social Responsiblity in Computing. For information about how to
become a representative and to become a member of CPSR, please send mail to
kwami@infoelink.com and visit our Web page at http://www.cpsr.org


____________________________________________________________________________
SOMALIA - AFRICA'S NEWEST MARKET IS TINY AND AWAITS A FULL PEACE
____________________________________________________________________________

The new millennium has brought Somalis two things: One, an interim
government, known as the Transitional National Government, which was formed
in exile in the neighbouring Djibouti. The country has been without a
central government since the overthrow of President Barre in 1991. Secondly,
the introduction of the internet. Apart from linking Somalia to the rest of
the world, it has made Somalia notable as being among the last of the
countries in Africa to go online.

It is against this background that the three major telecommunications
companies headquartered in Mogadishu ­ Barakaat, Telcom Somalia and
Nationlink Inc. ­ chose to form a joint Internet company ­ Somali Internet
Company (SICO). The company is currently operating in Mogadishu and the
outlying regions of Somalia as a fully-fledged ISP.

Prior to the formation of SICO, Telcom Somalia was the only ISP in Somalia.
Telcom Somalia¹s services remained a preserve of a few because it was
expensive to ordinary Somalis. In order to get connected, one had to
generate an international call to access a server in Norway (the national
telco is part Norwegian-owned).

SICO has put up a local server in Mogadishu that has a bandwidth capacity of
128 Kbps with a VSAT link that connects to Etisalat (Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation), its gateway to the rest of the world.

SICO has a dialup system with an access mode that connects the major
telecommunications companies in Somalia and thus reaching their final
subscribers. Presently, the company¹s 325 subscribers, emanating from the
three major telecommunications network operators, can access the server
through the telecommunications companies¹ access phone lines. SICO¹s server
has been configured in a manner that it can allow future expansions in case
the current limit is exhausted.

In order to minimize technical hitches and perfect its delivey of quality
and affordable service to its customers, SICO has entered into a contract
with a UAE-based company that provides it with online technical support and
assistance through Remote Access Services (RAS). In addition, the company
has a qualified team of both managerial and technical staff.

Although the company enjoys the largest market share in Somalia ­ especially
southern Somalia ­ it does not mean that the market is free from competitors
and other upcoming ISP¹s. There are other two independent ISPs that are
fully operational in the cities of Bossasso in the north-east (now Puntland)
and Hargeisa in the north-west Somalia (now Somaliland) respectively.

Even in Mogadishu where SICO enjoys almost a 100% monopoly, there are other
upcoming companies, like NetExchange, that are planning to offer Internet
services.

SICO started offering its service at a fee of US$ 6 per hour for surfing
including the PTNS charges. Three months ago, the company reduced the hourly
charge for surfing by half to US$ 3. This new rate has attracted many
customers.

The major users of internet in Somalia include community-based
organizations, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, a few academic
institutions, the business community and a very limited number of Internet
cafes. With peace in the country, it is expected that their number will go
up dramatically. According to Mr. Mohamed Jama, a former consultant of SICO,
the company will review its pricing policy to a more affordable rate once
its subscribers numbers 1000.

On the future plans of SICO, Mr. Jama said, " the company aims at expanding
its network and build a national data management backbone that will cover
all the regions of Somalia."

SICO intends to embark on a programme of designing and developing
value-added Internet services including e-commerce, teleconferencing,
telemedicine, telecentres and even introducing to its customers the idea
Virtual Reality (VR) among many others.

The present circumstances prevailing in Somalia, by and large, threatens the
very existence of a technology that is currently in its infanthood. First,
the absence of a lasting peace and the issue of political instability have
scared away both local and foreign investors from pumping their wealth into
the Somali economy. The impact of this situation negatively affects the
Internet market.

Awareness on Internet usage and the role this powerful technology can play
in communication and development is still at a low level among the Somali
public. It will take some time before the general public come to appreciate
the presence of Internet in their immediate environment.

Inadequate skilled manpower, insufficient supply of quality computer
hardware and half-baked computer training skills offered by some of the
private learning institutions in Somalia are among the obstacles that blocks
the way forward for Internet.

In a nutshell, the expansion and performance of any one ISP in Somalia
largely depends on its ability to provide quality, safe and affordable
Internet solutions in a completely free market environment. The competition
in Somalia is cut-throat and the market is unregulated. Where these two
factors collide the first casualty is monopoly ­ a condition that has partly
led to poor performance of many state enterprises and parastatals in Third
World countries, especially those in Africa.


____________________________________________________________________________
NEWS ROUND-UP AND SNIPPETS
____________________________________________________________________________

* INCREDIBLE CONNECTION SIGNS UP WITH M-WEB

Incredible Connection has announced that it had signed a deal with M-Web
Business Solutions that sees the functional and design overhaul of their
online offering, and the relocation of SA's largest consumer technology
retailer to the "highly trafficked M-Web shopping environment".
(source: http://www.boot.co.za/news/apr01/mweb24.asp )


* NIGERIA'S OBASANJO SETS SEPTEMBER DEADLINE FOR NITEL PRIVATISATION

Nigeria's President Obasanjo has set September 2000 as the deadline for the
privatisation of Nigeria's state-owned telco, NITEL. Obasanjo's position
on NITEL's privatisation was made public at his recent meeting with the
National Council on Privatisation (NCP). At the meeting, the president
underscored the urgent need to have NITEL privatised as "the exercise would
send the right signal to both local and foreign investors about the
seriousness of government on the privatisation programme". The government
has halted NITEL's negotiations for a joint venture with Dutch-based Mobile
Systems International as being inconsistent with a desire for a fully
privatised company. As with much else in Nigeria, there is often a gap
between timetabled intentions and speed of action but we await further
announcements with interest.
(sources: various)


* SA'S COMAIR SELLS EXCESS INVENTORY ONLINE

Amorphous New Media, a South African digital design agency, has provided
Comair with an online mechanism to sell their excess inventory online.
"e-savers is designed to provide Comair with an online device to sell
distressed inventory in a quick and cost-effective way," says Lara Holing,
sales and client services director at Amorphous New Media.
(source: Boot http://www.boot.co.za/news/apr01/amorphous23.asp )


* MGX IS APPOINTED SUN'S FIRST AFRICAN STORAGE DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

Sun Microsystems SA has announced the appointment of MGX as its first
storage market development partner, bringing to market a new Sun initiative
focusing on storage, currently the IT industry's highest growth area in ICT
spend. MGX is Sun's first SMDP appointment in Africa.
(source: Boot http://www.boot.co.za/news/apr01/microsystems24.asp )


* EGYPT: THIRD MOBILE TELCO SOON

Chairman of Telecom Egypt Aqeel Bashir has announced that the establishment
of a third mobile service provider will be initiated in six months. Telecom
Egypt will choose an anchor investor fairly soon, he said. State-owned
Telecom Egypt is expected to strike a deal with an international
bank within a week to help it identify an appropriate strategic investor.
(Middle East Times 2001 via DigAfrica)


* AFSAT AGREEMENT SIGNED IN TRIPOLI

An agreement to set up the African satellite company , Afsat, was signed in
Tripoli between the African Regional Organization for Satellite
Communications, the Libyan General Post and Telecommunications Company
and the French Company Alcatel Espace. The project aims at providing all
parts of Africa with telephone services and internet, in addition to radio
and television broadcasts.
(source: BBC Online)


___________________________________________________________________________
ON THE MONEY
___________________________________________________________________________

* GETTY AND CORBIS: THE WORLD OF ONLINE IMAGES - BACKGROUND PROFILE

Since Mark Getty founded Getty Imagesin 1993, the Seattle company has bought
13 major companies, including Photodisc, Art.com, and most recently The
Image Bank and Visual Communications Group -- Getty's largest competitor.
Founded by Microsoft's Bill Gates, Corbis, Bellevue, Wash., has the second
largest online photo collection. Its holdings include the Bettmann Archive
and the recent acquisition of the leading French photo news company Sygma.
While the companies say they provide a valuable service by offering
customers access to more than 100 million digital images online, the photo
industry is complaining about the consolidation of an industry once
dominated by what the Americans call "mom-and-pop" shops, individually-owned
small businesses.

Jim Pickerell, who publishes the Selling Stock newsletter, estimates Corbis
and Getty together represent $500 million in gross sales of an industry that
grosses $1.25 to $1.4 billion a year. He questions, however, if Corbis and
Getty's move to transform the industry from an analogue system -- where
photos were delivered on transparencies -- to a digital, Internet-based
system is the way to go. "Getty and Corbis are focusing almost exclusively
on the online environment and taking what had been analogue businesses and
forcing them into [the] online environment at possibly too fast a speed," he
said. "They may kill the goose that laid the golden egg in the process of
driving it all digital."

Getty acknowledges the hurdles it faces in moving analogue customers to its
digital system. Bud Albers, Getty's chief technology officer, said one of
the biggest challenges in acquiring the companies and keeping their
customers was maintaining the brand while integrating their photography
collections into Getty's online system. Getty purchased some companies, like
The Image Bank, for its photographs. It bought Art.com and Photodisc for the
technology, Albers said. Integrating the photos into Getty's online system
was the easy part, he said. Educating customers on the new online system
takes longer.

Aiming to wring more revenues out of its digital assets, in February Getty
Images launched gettyworks.com, a dedicated web site for business
professionals to use to help them create their own corporate materials and
presentations. It is, the company claims, a comprehensive do-it-yourself Web
site for creating a wide range of image-rich business communication
materials, including reports, newsletters, stationery, Web sites, and
Microsoft(R) PowerPoint(R) presentations.

A recent Harris Interactive poll showed 82 percent of all business
professionals surveyed, who use a computer at work and have access to the
Internet, believed having professional-looking business materials could give
them a competitive advantage. In addition, the same research showed 32
percent of the business people surveyed were spending an average of more
than $100,000 a year on design. Further, large businesses were
disproportionately spending more -- 50 percent of the large businesses
surveyed indicated they spend more than $100,000 a year.

In January, Microsoft-owned competitor Corbis announced a company-wide
restructure to increase its focus on customer-oriented activities,
accelerate the integration of its numerous acquisitions and increase
productivity. These steps are aimed at enabling Corbis to create a
profitable, all-digital business model while enhancing its position as the
global leader in providing a comprehensive suite of photography and other
digital content under a single brand.

Key elements of the reorganization are a consolidation of redundant
functions generated through acquisitions, reduction of analog support
activities as new digital platforms are adopted, and the creation of shared
services departments to provide a cohesive approach to supporting newly
re-aligned market groups: Creative Professionals, Business Communicators and
Consumers.A significant result of these changes was the immediate layoff of
approximately six percent of Corbis' 1,300 employees worldwide. Positions
eliminated are spread across Corbis offices in New York, Bellevue, Los
Angeles and London, and are primarily in marketing, technology and analog
operations.
http://www.corbis.com
(sources: various including Tech Web News and PR Newswire


* I-TOUCH'S MAGIC CLINCHES DEAL WITH MTN

iTouch has clinched a deal with mobile phone network provider MTN which
opens up the world of mobile magic to MTN subscribers, and should
dramatically expand its leading position in this SA market sector.
Previously only Vodacom cellphone users were able to download iTouch's
extensive mobile magic range of ringtones, operator logos, picture messages
and group graphics.
(source: Boot http://www.boot.co.za/news/apr01/itouch25.asp )


____________________________________________________________________________
USEFUL WEB SITES AND DISCUSSION LISTS
____________________________________________________________________________

* AFRICA CALLING: RADIO STATIONS ON THE INTERNET

A list of African Radio Stations broadcasting on the Internet can be found
on:http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/partial.html

(URLs for the stations below may be found on the above page)
Algeria - Radio Algrienne
Angola - Radio Ecclesia
Benin - Golfe FM
Egypt - SIS
Gambia - Afrobeat
Ghana - Joy FM
Kenya - KBC
Madagascar - Korail FM
Maroc - Medi1, Alkhbar
Senegal - RTS, Nostalgie,SudFM
Tanzania - Radio One
South Africa -Channel Africa, ClassicFM, 5 FM, Kaya FM, Metro, East Coast
Radio
Tunisia - Radio Tunis
Uganda - Radio Simba
(source: TAD Newsletter)

* COMMONLINK LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION WEB SITE

CommonLink ­ Linking Global Citizens, a new educational web site exploring
global citizenship and aimed at all schools internationally, will launch in
June 2001.Created through a partnership between the Commonwealth Institute
<www.commonwealth.org.uk> and the British Council Australia
<www.britishcouncil.org.au>, CommonLink¹s main feature is a series of
moderated forums investigating topics as wide ranging as, among others,
cultures, democracy, media, sport, fair trade, society and active
participation in both accessible and challenging ways, and aimed at
exploring how we are connected to each other locally and within the wider
world.

CommonLink provides a unique opportunity for Africans schools to participate
in a truly international project and establish contact, make links and
exchange ideas with their counterpart abroad. High profile guests will also
be invited to the forums and pupils will be able to email them and receive
personalised answers.The moderated forums are supported by background
material on the topics dealt with, tips for discussions, links to other
sites, information on the Commonwealth countries, polls, quizzes, virtual
postcards, as well as guidelines for teachers on how to make the best of
CommonLink.CommonLink will run until June 2003 and all African schools are
invited to participate. For more information, please contact Paola
Marchionni, Project Coordinator, at pmarchionni@commonwealth.org.uk


* WEB ANIMATED MOVIE SATIRE ON ICANN

ICANN plays a deeply important role in global internet governance
but we couldn't help chuckling at a piece of none too profound, web satire
at its expense:
http://www.paradigm.nu/icann/icannstage.html
(source: Richard Bosire via Afrik-IT)


* US AFRICAN DIASPORA MUSIC SCENE

There's always a constant flow of announcements from the USA about different
African music events and recording artists. Rosy! who claims to be the
number one recording artist in Cameroon is playing the Oasis at Silver
Spring, Maryland every Friday. Doors open at 11.30 pm. Other Cameroonian
recording artists appearing include: Ndedi Eyango, Pierre Diddy Tchacounte
and a surprise guest...
For more info, visit: http://www.rosyonline.comor oasisofsilverspring.com

Through http:// www.groovetech.com you can click on MR. Supreme¹s weekly
show April 30th at 4pm PST and see Ka¹shana from THE BLOCK album.
For more info: http://www.goldenrecord.com


* OVERVIEW OF STATE OF AFRICA'S INTERNET

The US Internet Council State of the Internet Report 2000 finds that high
connection costs, low incomes, poor infrastructure, illiteracy, lack of
trained personnel, disinterest and a failure to understand the benefits of
internet access continue to slow the expansion of computer penetration and
internet use in Africa. See http://www.usic.org/


* GHANA GOVT HINTS IT WILL STRENGTHEN FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The new government of President John Kufuor is giving indications that it
will scrap those aspects of the Penal Code that criminalise freedom of
expression.
http://www.africaonline.com/site/sn/
(source: West Africa Newsletter)


* AFRICAN CENTURY MAGAZINE GOES ONLINE

African Century's first issue is now out and all the articles are available
at http:// www.african-century.com Developing the web site has not b een
without unexpected technical problems. It is committed to developing a fully
interactive site. Editor Dapo Ladfimeji says:"What is presently available is
only the tip of the iceberg of what we are working on. We hope to have the
graphics, comments and textual glitches sorted out in the next week or so".
Make a note to go visit it in a week's time.


* AFRICAN ARTISTS IN HOLLAND: ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS

Africaserver has recently published a survey of over 30 African artists
living / working in the Netherlands. For each of them it has included some
artwork, a portrait, biography and a contact address .

At the same time it has surveyed Dutch institutions active in the field of
contemporary African art. Both surveys are in English and Dutch. The launch
of this new module part of Art and Culture
http://www.africaserver.nl/kunstcultuur/index_uk.htm was done in discussion
with the African artists and the institutions involved.
(source: Fons Geerlings, director, Africaserver )


___________________________________________________________________________
LETTER FROM UGANDA: THE POWER OF POWER
___________________________________________________________________________

Life in Africa's Christina Jordan describes the nightmare of moving her
computer facilities to a neighbouring building. The difficulties she
encountered may well strike a chord with others and help illustrate that
closing the digital divide is more than just providing access to computers.
The telecomms infrastructure may be improving but the power system lags
dangerously behind.

In the "old days" just 3 weeks ago, when we finished interviewing clients
we'd close the office and climb up the hill to the Life in Africa computer
room at my home. It was an awkward arrangement - inefficient, and a hassle
for the volunteers. They weren't able to get as much exposure to the
internet as they wanted to, and with rarely enough hands on deck to get all
the work done, I spent countless sleepless nights pulling up the slack.

In January, just as a new volunteer training class began, the other tenants
in the building we were sharing announced that they would leave. Though it
would mean an increase in rent that we could hardly imagine being able to
afford, it was also a golden opportunity to merge LiA's loan program and
internet activities into a single, smooth running operation. The volunteers
would get more training and experience on the internet; the clients would
benefit from an increased presence of loan program staff; and I would
benefit from more human resources to help manage LifeInAfrica.com. In short,
it HAD to be done. So once we raised the funds, it should have been simply a
question of unplugging the computers and plugging them back in at the new
location, right? WRONG!

First, we had to provide our computers with a secured environment. Not only
would it be unwise to leave the computers unsecured during off-hours, but no
insurance company would talk to us without certain minimum security measures
in place. One of our clients had recently received a loan to start offering
iron bars on windows as part of his contracting business. We became his
first customer when we asked him to completely cage off one of our new
rooms. Though a few of the bars are not *quite as straight as they would be
with more practice, he did a fine job.

The security issue still wasn't solved, however. The prices for commercial
security services are way out of our reach, so we hired a "local-local"
night watchman who guards the place with a bow and arrow. The guardhouse
we've had built will keep him dry when it rains, and the new papyrus fence
will keep people from passing by the windows and seeing the computers
inside.

Next, we had to completely rewire the building for electricity. There was no
earthing, and the poor quality wires were probably 20 years old. In what
would be the computer room, there was only one plug, and connecting through
it used to send a few sparks flying. Now we have 5 plugs in that room -
complete with earthing! - and the lights in each of the other rooms actually
work too.

One of the common problems with the power supply in Uganda is voltage peaks.
When the voltage level gets too high it can destroy a motherboard, so we
decided to install a voltage switcher on our main electricity switch. With
this contraption, whenever the voltage goes above a certain level, the power
to the whole building simply switches off. With this, plus our UPS
(uninterrupted power supply) units to ensure that our computers could still
be shut down properly if the power went off, we thought we were set.

The last major task was to move the wireless equipment that connects our
computers to the internet via a satellite link. This technology consists of
a small transmitter connected on one side to our computer network, and on
the other side to a dish-like antenna on top of the building. The antenna
sends and receives signals through a tower it points to on top of a nearby
hill, providing 24 hour internet access to all of our computers, without a
modem or a dial-up connection of any kind. It's a brilliant invention which
is used in many Kampala offices, since it's much cheaper and more reliable
than a dial-up connection (local phone calls are NOT free!)

Just one small problem... somewhere between our new office and the tower on
the hill, there is a huge mango tree which kept blocking part of the signal!
After all that investment in security and electricity, the location of the
new LiA computer center was fundamentally flawed.

Okay - calm down, take some deep breaths...

After hours of turning the antenna this way and that, the technicians
finally got it working. The signal still isn't quite perfect - it fades in
and out if the wind blows that darned tree the wrong way. But with a little
patience, it works. Whew!

Moving day! Finally! After the last clients left, 7 of us headed up the hill
to pack up and move. We didn't get all set up that first day, but did manage
to unpack the computers and set them where they were supposed to be. What an
impressive site! It was very exciting. After a small celebration with the
gang to toast to the changing face of LiA, I returned home and actually went
to bed before midnight for a change. It was a good thing, too, since the
next couple of days required every ounce of energy I could muster to
maintain my cool.

Remember that power switcher thing? Well... for more than half of the first
day and ALL of the second day, the voltage was coming in consistently at
dangerous levels. Which meant no power. None. At all. So... on to Plan B.

We removed the voltage switcher and bought voltage stabilizers instead. Much
more expensive (budget? what budget?), but obviously necessary. The
stabilizers also switch off automatically if the voltage gets too high, but
not before trying to bring it down to a normal level. With those units
installed, we thought we could finally begin to get our machines set back
up.

Nope. During a rainstorm the next day, the power went off. It came back on
within half an hour for our neighbors on both sides, but we were powerless
yet again. Around 5pm an electrician (another LiA client) stopped by and
found the problem: our central electrical connection is not through a fuse
box but through a single ancient switch, which was no longer gripping as it
should. Seeing our misery, he tightened it up free of charge, and even
showed us how to wiggle it gently if the problem occurs again. Yippee! It
was now Friday night, and we could FINALLY get back to work.

Believe it or not, IN ADDITION to all of this nightmare, we also had a major
computer crash. The crash occurred 2 days before we moved the internet
connection, and that computer (which was also the network server, and is
still under warranty, thank goodness) is now in South Africa for repairs.

We had dreamed of buying an additional computer, but didn't have the
funds... necessity intervened, and now we've had to buy one whether we had
the money or not. Losing all of our email contacts was a terrible setback,
and our budget is now in a terrible state. Actually, though, I was surprised
to see how much the prices on new computers in Uganda have fallen over the
past year. We bought a 733 MHZ Pentium III with 124 MB of RAM for under
$1200 - which is hundreds less than we paid for a less powerful, less
sophisticated machine just one year ago.

In fact, throughout this whole saga, I have repeatedly been struck by the
advanced telecommunications equipment available here in Uganda. During the
move, our driveway at home was torn up because they are laying fiber-optic
cables on our street. Our wireless internet connection is clearly far more
sophisticated than any dial-up connection anywhere. We didn't even think of
installing phone lines in the office - the cellular phone network has
expanded to include almost the entire country in just 2 short years, and
cell phones are cheaper in Uganda right now than they are in Europe.

Juxtapose this against the power infrastructure, and it's quite mind
boggling, really. At the end of the day, though, in spite of all this
technology, it's power that still has the real power! Without electricity,
our wireless connection doesn't work, our computers go down, and we are left
with only our cell phones to communicate with... there is talk that the
leading cellular company will also be providing cellular internet access
through their network very soon. Sounds promising, but could it completely
bypass the power grid?

Short of buying a generator, and replacing the ancient switch with a new
fuse box, we've done about all that we can right now to ensure a stable
power supply to the new LiA computer center. So far, so good. We've been
without electricity for only about 45 minutes so far this week. Wiggling the
switch didn't help on that occasion - it was a general power failure, for
which patience was the only solution.

Luckily, I really am getting more sleep now that the workroom has moved out
of my home, so my patience is in more ready supply :) After more than 10
days offline, however, I am eager to rebuild everything we lost in the crash
and FINALLY get back to work!

If you'd like to see what our new office looks like (including the wireless
equipment AND the ancient power switch) take a peek right here:
http://LifeInAfrica.com/about_LiA/office.htm
(source: © 2000, The Life in Africa Foundation)


____________________________________________________________________________
IN SEARCH OF THE BUSINESS MODEL
____________________________________________________________________________

* NORTH AFRICA: THE IMPACT OF ARABIC URLs

Nearly 75,000 websites to date have registered an Arabic character URL
address using any of several technologies now available to bypass the Latin
character-based Internet domain name system. Most addresses were registered
over the past six months, since the Dubai inaugural meeting of the Arabic
Internet Names Consortium (AINC). A non-profit organisation based in Los
Angeles, AINC comprises member companies offering unique Arabic domain name
solutions. They meet periodically to agree on standardised address suffixes
in Arabic, even as they fiercely compete to win a critical mass of
registrants. A frontrunner has already emerged, increasing the likelihood
that its technology will become the region's standard.

Each company offers a unique Arabic character domain name which functions as
an alternative route to a website with an existing Latin character address.
The companies' differing business models are informed by their respective
technologies. Providers of a front-end or "keyword" solution, which re-maps
Arabic characters into ASCII code, face the formidable task of uploading the
requisite software application to individual users. Providers of a back-end
solution need only sign on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and backbone
providers, but risk total obsolescence if an incompatible solution wins the
day.

The growing prevalence of Arabic character domain names stands to boost
Internet adoption across the Middle East and North Africa. Viewed in a
broader context, the "Arabisation" of web content and computer interface are
major drivers of Internet uptake. New users will hail mainly from the
region's lower/middle-income classes, where foreign language mastery will
remain a luxury but computers will become more easily accessible. A
meaningful contingent will also hail from the more affluent sphere,
particularly in the Gulf states, where proficiency in English is not
necessarily a prerequisite to the maintenance of a comfortable standard of
living. The latter group has had ample opportunity to use the Internet but
been deterred by a relative lack of Arabic-language content.

Demand for Arabic character domain names is difficult to forecast because of
a major wild card: non-Middle Eastern companies wishing to adopt an Arabic
name in order to address the region's Internet users. We forecast that the
market for names within the Arab world alone will be worth $126m over the
next two years. (This figure stems from our research on public- and
private-sector Internet adoption and the ratio of subscribers to domain
names. It also accounts for a likely reduction in domain name registration
fees.) Forty-five percent of the demand will come from Egypt, the most
populous Arab country, where the government aims to make dial-up Internet
access available free by October 1st 2001. Another 43% will come from the
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Most of the remaining 12% will be divided between North Africa and the
Levant, with Morocco and Lebanon contributing the lion's share.

The major back-end solution provider for Arabic domain name registration is
Nativenames.net, a California-based technology and Web development company.
Its business model involves the installation of an Arabic platform add-on
free of charge on the region's ISP servers. A server needs to run Windows
2000 or Arabic-enabled Windows, or use version 9.1 of Berkeley Internet Name
Domain (BIND), an implementation of the Domain Name System protocol.

The company authorises portals to sell its Arabic domain names at the
standard rate of $35, from which it takes a considerable cut. In countries
where there is a single backbone provider, such as Morocco and the UAE,
Nativenames need only sign on the backbone provider; the ISPs and, in turn,
their subscribers, automatically fall into place.

For the countries in which additional legwork is required, Nativenames is
well on its way, having signed on all but two of Egypt's 70-odd ISPs, three
out of nine in Lebanon, and five out of six in Jordan. Saudi Arabia's
Internet backbone provider and regulator, the King Abdulaziz City for
Science and Technology (KACST), has yet to sign on, making Saudi Arabia the
company's major blind spot. In the two months since its launch, Nativenames
has registered more than 50,000 domain names.

Of the major players in the Arabic domain names space, Walid.com, with
13,000 names registered and counting, is the leading front-end (download)
solution provider. I-dns.net offers a rival back-end solution and dominates
the Chinese character domain name space. Its strategy of signing on ISPs to
exclusivity agreements seems to be less effective in the Arab world,
however.

All these solutions may become obsolete should the powerful non-profit
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) decide to reengineer the Internet's
base character set from ASCII to Unicode. This and other eventualities may
lead the current Arabic domain name solutions players to try out creative
spin-off ventures, enabling them to leverage their knowledge base in other
applications. Such opportunities abound in an era of blurred linguistic,
cultural and national boundaries. Western governments stand in immediate
need of effective transliteration solutions for immigration and
naturalisation databases.

Large pharmaceutical and food companies require advanced linguistic
technologies to manage massive lists of contacts, clients and employees in
Arab countries. In a region where the population will double over the next
25 years, the management of names and other proper nouns is a solid growth
industry.
(source: Pyramid Research via DigAfrica)


* A MOBILE HEALTH SOLUTION

Health Laboratory Services and the Eastern Cape Department of Health in
South Africa have developed a mobile solution to improve healthcare delivery
in rural areas.A pilot project just completed in the Transkei used wireless
application protocol (WAP)-enabled cellphones to allow doctors to receive
detailed laboratory test results on the same day that samples were sent off.
This was reportedly a first for the area, which is not served by power or
telephone lines. The doctors at the six clinics involved in the pilot
project are now using the cellphones extensively.

"As well as SMS, the system also has a Web and WAP interface to enable data
to be input and delivered to the various people that need it. This
technology requires a minimal learning curve for the staff at the clinics
and gives doctors and medical researchers full access to the statistical
data. As the cellphones become more Internet-enabled, this solution will
expand to provide an excellent solution for these types of applications.

"The beauty of the concept is that it is simple, cost-effective and easy to
roll out. We are currently rolling out the project to Transkei's roughly 400
clinics, and we hope to roll it out throughout SA by the end of this year."
(source: Financial Gazette via Dig Africa )


* MICROSOFT FUNDS WEB-BASED EDUCATION COMPANY

Microsoft has joined a US$48 million investment round for Blackboard, a
company that provides software for online education providers.
(source: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2001/0104170857.asp )


___________________________________________________________________________
PEOPLE
___________________________________________________________________________

* AFRICA ONE PRESIDENT NAMED TO EX-IM BANK'S SUB-SAHARA COMMITTEE

Africa ONE President, Patricia Bagnell has joined the sub-Saharan Africa
Advisory Committee of the United States Export-Import Bank (The Ex-Im Bank).
"I am delighted to be able to serve on this committee to assist the Ex-Im
Bank in promoting US exports to Africa and boost the US-Africa economic
relationship," said Ms. Bagnell, upon her appointment. The sub-Saharan
Advisory Committee provides expert guidance to the Ex-Im board in developing
policies that will further strengthen Ex-Im Bank support of US exports to
Africa.

Africa ONE is a private company, seeking to build, own and operate a 32,000
kilometer undersea fiber optic telecommunications cable system around the
entire continent. With landing points in about two dozen coastal cities in
Africa, the Middle East and Europe, this cable will, for the first time,
link African nations to each other and to the rest of the world.


____________________________________________________________________________
EVENTS
____________________________________________________________________________

* SIYAFUNDA: PARTNERS IN LEARNING EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA - 1994 AND
BEYOND

A conference organised by the South Africa Education Group to lfuture
developments and specifically at forms of partnerships that are emerging in
the country to address quality education and social transformation, and the
different partnerships being developed between South Africa and the United
Kingdom.

Venue: Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London
WC1 on Saturday 19 May 2001 from 9.30am to 5.15pm. Of particular interest to
News Update readers because it looks at the digital divide, partnerships and
privitisation. Speakers include:
Thami Mseleku, Director General, South African Department of Education,
Professor Colin Bundy, Director of the School of Oriental and African
Studies (SOAS) and former Vice Chancellor of the University of
Witwatersrand, Professor Shula Marks, SOAS, University of London and many
others.

Workshops/themes include: HIV/AIDS and the impact on education.
redesigning Schools, curriculum 2005, globalisation, privatisation,
teachers and learning, skills development, the digital divide, quality
reform in schools/anti-racism, education and social policy, gender Issues
and life-long learning.

Conference fee (includes coffee, tea and lunch):
Corporates £50 Individuals £20 Students £10
Please make cheques payable to &#338;CCETSA (SAEG)¹ and send to

Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa (CCETSA)
Unit 22 The Ivories, 6 Northampton Street, London N1 2HY
Tel: 020 7354 1462
Fax 020 7359 4875
Email: ccetsa@gn.apc.org
Web: www.canoncollins.org.uk

____________________________________________________________________________
BACK NUMBERS: AFRICA AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
____________________________________________________________________________

52. Internet business centres spring up across the continent...Now Ghana
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act49.html

49. Digital growth in Africa -Things Govts can do for free or nearly free
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act49.html

48. Volunteers seek to build an IT culture in Africa
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act48.html

44. Recycling unwanted computers to needy users in Africa
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act44.html

35. Bridging the information divide - health and internet special
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act35.html

34. Getting connected: A telecomms special
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/balancing-act34.html

31. Schoolnet: Building tomorrow's digital generation
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act31.html

27. Telecentres: The key to wider internet access?
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act27.html

25. ACT 2000: Taking the pulse of internet development
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act25.html

23. Africa's digital rights - a minefield of issues
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act23.html

22. Digital villages open up access to skills and education
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act22.html

21. Spectator at the feast - An African at INET
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act21.html

20. Africa and the digital divide: three clouds don't make a rainy season
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act20.html

You can read and download these at http://www.balancingact-africa.com . If
you have difficulties accessing the web, mail us on
info@balancingact-africa.com

___________________________________________________________________________
PAID FOR ADS
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In response to an increasing number of enquiries from companies wanting to
advertise their products and services, we have drawn up a rate card for ads
in this section (or in other parts of News Update) and for banner ads on our
web site. To see a copy of our rate card, e-mail a request
(info@balancingact-africa.com)

EQUITABLE BUSINESS FREEWARE

Our compilation of business freeware is completed by Equitable. Along with
free business software you will also get government grant money
applications, 1 million wholsalers, and the best business start up ideas.
There is so much more! Take a look at http://www.succeedware.com

Digital Digest - DigAfrica's Technology Alert

April 26-28, 2001

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/678

Partners fight internet fraud. E-mailing our lives away. Nigeria: Atlantic Bank Opens Shop for Internet Banking. Nigeria: Nitel's Privatisation. Gambia: Gambians Abroad May Vote in October Elections.
Partners fight internet fraud


NEW YORK: Thirteen countries on Tuesday backed a project to tackle cross-
border internet fraud and improve consumer confidence in e-commerce.

A multilingual website - www.econsumer.gov - will provide information on
consumer protection in the 13 countries and give consumers the opportunity
to file complaints online. A parallel password-protected site will allow
governments to share complaint data and other information on investigations
into e-commerce fraud.

The 13 countries are: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Mexico,
New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also backed the
plan.


SOURCE: Financial Times via DigAfrica
----------------------------

E-mailing our lives away
AAP
Thursday 26 April 2001, 08:17 AM


The use of e-mail has increased more than 600 per cent in six years, but
face-to-face meetings are still highly valued, an international e-mail study
has found.

Rogen International and Goldhaber Research Associates surveyed more than
1,200 executives world wide and found that most spend about two hours of
every working day sending and responding to e-mails.

But, on average, about 10 minutes longer was spent in face-to-face meetings
which were particularly favoured when imparting bad news or important
information, Goldhaber Research Associates president Gerry Goldhaber said.

"The desire for employees to still use face-to-face communication for a
number of important decisions is quite encouraging in the online world," he
said.

"It may be that warm flesh still beats cold plastic from many business
decisions."

While 85 per cent of executives agreed e-mail had improved business
communication they complained of wasted time dealing with junk mail.

"While the impact of e-mail is dramatic, we also believe that half of an
e-mail users time is spent dealing with junk e-mail, a significant waste of
an organisation's valuable resources," Dr Goldhaber said.

Rogen International is a global consulting and training company and
Goldhaber a research organisation.

SOURCE: theage via DigAfrica


Digital Digest &#8211; DigAfrica´s Technology Alert
April 28, 2001



1. Nigeria: Atlantic Bank Opens Shop for Internet Banking
2. Nigeria: Nitel's Privatisation
3. Gambia: Gambians Abroad May Vote in October Elections

-----------------------------------------------------------

Atlantic Bank Opens Shop for Internet Banking
by Martina Ogu

Apr 27, 2001 -- "The bank's technology initiative Internet banking does not,
however, stop us from physically locating our branches at the doorsteps of
our customers," he stated.

SOURCE: Vanguard via DigAfrica

------------------------
Nitel's Privatisation

Lagos, Apr 27, 2001 -- The plan to privatise the Nigerian Telecommunications
Limited (NITEL) which has been on the drawing board since the privatisation
and commercialisation programme began a few years ago is finally being
concretised.
With the September 2001 deadline given by President Olusegun Obasanjo for
NITEL's Privatisation, it could be taken for granted that the
telecommunications company will soon join the privatisation train.

Obasanjo's firm position on NITEL's privatisation was made public at his
recent meeting with the National Council on Privatisation (NCP). At the
meeting, the president underscored the urgent need to have NITEL privatised
as the exercise would send the right signal to both local and foreign
investors about the seriousness of government on the privatisation
programme.

It is encouraging that a decisive step is now being taken on NITEL's
privatisation. The entire privatisation programme has been slow and,
sometimes, uncoordinated. Not only that, certain vital sectors of the
economy have not been given the needed attention that would convince the
investment public that government really intends to move away from the old
system of government ownership and control of vital public enterprises. This
fear is rooted in the fact that NITEL and the National Electric Power
Authority (NEPA) whose services are germane to the growth of the economy
have not benefited from the privatisation exercise. If government makes its
chosen September deadline realistic, it would have recorded a milestone in
the privatisation programme.

There is every reason to have NITEL privatised and urgently too. The
importance of telecommunications in any economy cannot be over-emphasised.

Telecommunication is one of the vital infrastructures which lubricate an
economy. In Nigeria, we are all aware of the damage which a non-functional
telecommunication system has wrought on the economy. Businesses which ought
to be transacted within minutes are delayed or outrightly frustrated owing
to ineffective telecommunication system.

We recognise the fact that concerted efforts have been made in recent times
to move away from this problem. The recently introduced Global System of
Mobile (GSM) Telecommunications which is expected to become operational in
Nigeria in a few months time is a case in point. But we must not lose sight
of the fact that mobile telecommunication systems are expensive here and
therefore not within the reach of many. There is no guarantee, for instance,
that the GSM will be cheap. The man in the street cannot therefore hope to
get any succour from it.

The real hope which Nigerians have in the telecommunications business is an
improved and efficient NITEL. If this has to come through its privatisation,
we cannot but welcome it.

What needs to be done is to ensure that the exercise does not run into
hitches. Already, government has taken the lead in this regard by ensuring
that all bottlenecks that could hinder the privatisation are eliminated.

Significant among this is government's decision to halt the negotiations
between NITEL and Dutch-based Mobile Systems Intern-ational (MSI) on the
ground that the joint venture negotiation would be inconsistent with NITEL's
privatisation. This is a sensible decision considering the fact that a
privatised NITEL would have its ownership structure changed and cannot
therefore be in a position to go into joint venture partnership. A
continuation of the negotiation would have meant that somebody is already
sure of what a privatised NITEL would look like.

As government has advised, it is now incumbent on concerned government
agencies to work harmoniously so as to ensure a speedy privatised NITEL. It
is also important to adhere strictly to the privatisation time table
released by government in this regard. If NITEL is successfully privatised,
government would have made a significant progress in the privatisation and
commercialisation programme.

SOURCE: This Day via DigAfrica
-------------------------------

Gambians Abroad May Vote in October Elections
by Sheriff Bojang Jr & Pa Ousman Darboe


Banjul, Apr 27, 2001 -- Efforts are being made to register Gambians abroad
as voters in the October presidential elections.
This was disclosed Thursday by Gabriel Roberts, chairman of the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC), at a press conference on the imminent voters
registration exercise.

However, according to him, the exercise would only be done in countries
where Gambians are many.

On the planned voters registration exercise, Mr. Roberts said it was to
enable the commission update its data on eligible voters.

He added that the first phase of the exercise "has been the upgrading of our
computer network and the development of new database software that will not
only be more robust and allow greater data manipulation, but will also take
care of the other problems associated with the 1996 registration system."

Mr. Roberts pointed out that the new registration exercise would ensure that
voters are registered not just anywhere within their constituency, but
within the ward they live in and at the same station they will cast their
vote on election day.

The IEC boss explained that the exercise would render the records of the
1996 exercise obsolete and that all Gambians must register again, regardless
of whether they currently have a voter's card or not.

He announced that Monday, May 21 would be the first day of the registration
exercise which would end on Saturday, June 30, noting that "though
registration will be on throughout this period, not all registration
stations will be opened and closed at the same time." Only the new voter's
card, he said, would be accepted at the polling booths on election days.

SOURCE: The Daily Observer via DigAfrica -- DigAfrica analyzes, informs and
updates on Internet & Telecommunications activities and progress in Africa
as-they-unfold.
© Copyright DigAfrica 2001 -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica




Title : DigAfrica &#8211; &#8220;Your ICT gateway to Africa&#8221;
Description : E-group at Yahoo. DigAfrica analyzes, informs and updates on Internet activities and progress in Africa as-they-unfold.
URL : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica
Subscribe : DigAfrica-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Telemedicine Information

2001-04-30

http://www.hst.org.za

Health Systems Trust publishes a monthly newsletter called UPDATE, which is also accessible via the internet. This month's issue deals with Telemedicine.

The Drum Beat - 91 - The Communication Initiative

Apr. 30, 2001

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/731

The email and web network from THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partnership. Covering communication for development activities.




Chair of Partners Group: Denise Gray-Felder, Rockefeller Foundation
dgray-felder@rockfound.org

Director: Warren Feek wfeek@coastnet.com

Web Site: http://www.comminit.com

PROGRAMMES


1. Corporacion Cactus - Colombia - works to improve conditions for workers in the flower industry. Cactus promotes the participation of communities located near the flower production sites in industry decisions on the use of natural resources and shared spaces. They provide training in labor rights, legal defense mechanisms and worker health safety and advocate for protecting labor rights in Colombia. Because Colombian-grown flowers are directed towards international markets, Cactus has focused on establishing relationships with European fair trading organisations, including the International Flower Campaign. They publish a newsletter, and broadcast a radio programme in the region where the flowers are produced. The radio programme features exchanges between workers and the local population. Contact Patricia Sierra cactus@colnodo.apc.org


2. Lake Chilwa Theatre Project - Malawi - a social mobilisation project of The Story Workshop, using action theatre produced by a team of community drama facilitators and radio soap opera stars. Aim is to focus residents of Lake Chilwa on their roles as guardians and beneficiaries of the area designated as an internationally important wetland. Sponsored by the Lake Chilwa Wetland & Catchment Management Project in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs and DANIDA. http://www.storyworkshop.org/chilwa.html Contact info@storyworkshop.org


3. Awassa Tukol Vocational Training & Arts Center (ATVAC) AIDS Education Circus - Ethiopia - 40 homeless teenage performers, part of a self-sufficiency programme in Awassa, recently performed an AIDS Education Circus with audiences numbering in the thousands. The youth are producing shows targeting their peers that increase awareness of AIDS prevention practices. Performances include gymnastics, martial arts, drumming, acting, song and dance, and are written by the youth performers. ATVAC is seeking support from various international and Ethiopian agencies for a performance tour of the Southern Regions. Contact Mr. Girma Melesse, Managing Director, ATVAC, at ph 251-6-201804, fx 251-6-202900 OR David Schein david@freestreet.org


4. Radio Forum - Global - The 1st Radio Forum to be held at a World Summit on Media for Children took place at the conference held in Thessaloniki, Greece, bringing together programme makers from many different radio production and broadcasting organisations. Digital radio, internet radio, innovative education radio, children's radio in transformation, participation, access and the Digital Divide were all issues to be discussed. The Radio Forum's guest speakers included representatives from national, local, community and grassroots radio groups with producers, station managers and programme makers from Europe, Africa, India, USA and Latin America. Contact Sarah McNeill sarahmcneill@dial.pipex.com


5. Center for Media, Education & Technology (C-MET) - Sierra Leone - a resource for Sierra Leonean media professionals, indigenous NGOs, and civil society institutions. Established to promote the use of journalism as a source for positive change. They provide subsidized Internet access for media professionals and staff of local NGOs; skills training for media professionals, including computer-assisted research and reporting; and Internet cyber cafe, for use as a workshop and a training center; and, a website for the media of Sierra Leone. Future projects scheduled for implementation in 2001 include initiatives supporting legal and judicial reform, and capacity building for legal professionals, the judiciary, and for higher education and cultural institutions. http://www.cmetfreetown.org Contact David Tam-Baryoh c-met@sierratel.sl


6. Pacific Media Initiative (PMI) - Australia - The PMI is funded by the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program (AusAID), and provides customised short-course training to media professionals, including government, private sector and community media liaison officers in the Pacific region. The PMI aims to increase the role of the media in the Pacific region in promoting government accountability and to assist community development. Activities include: customised workshops using trainers from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island Countries; university scholarships for media professionals; and work attachments to established media organisations. Contact Louise Morrison l.morrison@mei.unimelb.edu.au


7. Nigerian Association for the Promotion of Adolescent Health & Development (NAPAHD) - Nigeria - the umbrella organization for youth serving NGOs on health and development. Objectives include overseeing adolescent reproductive health programs in Nigeria; facilitating the exchange of information and ideas among youth-serving and youth organizations; building the capacity of youth-serving and youth organizations; and liasing with government, donors and other stakeholders for provision of enabling environment, resource mobilization and effective youth programming. Contact Dr. Oluwole Odutolu livanig@skannet.com


IMPACT DATA


8. Sida dans la cité (SDLC) - Cote d'Ivoire - SDLC is a television soap opera based on the life a family touched by AIDS. Researchers from Population Services International (PSI) investigated the impact of the soap opera. The weekly show has a large audience, reaches many poor people and those in rural areas, who have limited access to AIDS information. Exposure to SDLC is very high. About 70 percent of urban people know about the programme and have seen at least 1 episode. Although rural populations have less access to television more than 1/2 of respondents have seen the show. Over 3/4 of young people who are not yet sexually active have seen SDLC. http://www.comminit.com/id2001/sld-1649.html


E-FORUM


9. Discussion Forum focusing on HIV/AIDS & stigma, denial, shame & discrimination in Africa. Although AIDS-related stigma is one of the key obstacles in accessing care for persons and families affected by AIDS, little has been done to understand the root causes and plan stigma-reducing interventions. This e-mail forum is launched as part of a strategy to facilitate the development an African operational research agenda on stigma. To join, send an e-mail to:
join-stigma-aids@hdnet.org


WEB SITES


10. Understanding Poverty, Health & Development in Africa - a site in development. Its goal is to help ordinary people to easily comprehend the policy and practical dimensions of poverty, its measurement and interplay with health and development.
http://expage.com/chpsspovertystory


11. The Population & the Environment pages of Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programmes (JHU/CCP) website. Includes articles, evaluations, and an available CD-ROM. http://www.jhuccp.org/popenviro


EVENTS


12. 10th International Conference of People Living with HIV/AIDS - Port of Spain, Trinidad, October 27-31 2001. The programme will move on four tracks: 1) Positive Living - Treatment Access, Treatment Literacy, Complimentary/Alternative Health issues, Gender-related health issues, health research, home and community care; 2) Positive Environment - Issues related particular aspects of the HIV+ community: women, indigenous and minority communities, sex workers, gay/lesbian/bisexual, secondary prevention; 3) Positive Engagement- Skills building and leadership development: working with networks, fundraising, board development, national level involvement, advocacy training, program development; 4) "The Parallel Forum" - opportunity for allied (non-HIV identified) organisations and institutions to work with the HIV+ leadership from around the world, 600 assembled in one place, on themes of mutual interest. http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2001/91-event.html
Contact Stu Flavell gnp@xs4all.nl


13. "The Art of Getting Attention," an Advertising Council Conference in Washington, D.C., May 14-15 2001. Programme includes: The State of Public Service Communications; Know Your Audience: A Macro View of America; Laying a Solid Foundation through Research; Powerful Creative: The Key to Getting Results through Public Service Advertising; Public Service Communications Online; Beyond the Ad: Public Relations; Options for Funding Public Service Advertising Campaigns.
http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2001/99-event.html
Contact seminar@adcouncil.org


MATERIALS


14. "The Strange War: Stories for a Culture of Peace" by Martin Auer - a collection of stories for children and young people. The book has been translated from German into English, Albanian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Ukrainian. All downloadable free of charge at
http://www.peaceculture.net/


15. Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Materials - from Family Care International.

a. "Stepping Out": a Training Kit (Video & Discussion Manual) http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-563.html

b. "You, Your Life, Your Dreams" http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-581.html

c. "Get the Facts" http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-1650.html


Contact fcipubs@familycareintl.org


*

Consultants http://www.comminit.com/exchange.html


*

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

To unsubscribe, reply and type "unsubscribe" as subject.

WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/723

International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism. Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development. Vol.1 No.17, 27 April, 2001.


CONTENTS

1. EDITOR'S COMMENTS
2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
3. REFUGEES
4. HEALTH/ENVIRONMENT
5. DEVELOPMENT
6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY
7. GRANTS
8. NEWS AROUND LIBERIA
9. ABOUT US
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

1. EDITOR'S COMMENTS
http://www.kabissa.org

In our last edition, we featured C.R. Dettling response to Dr. Patrick L.N.
Seyon's piece on the just ended American Elections. This week we are featuring a
story on Foreign Affairs --by Thomas Friedman, that appeared in the New York Times.
It makes for good reading, his views on globalization in the African context. This
was send to us by Perla Coll from the International Center in Washington, DC.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/opinion/24FRIE.html?
ex=989128176&ei=1&en=9d0909446f
0daa5d

ACCRA, Ghana &#8212; I thought about going to the Quebec Summit of the
Americas, but I lost my gas mask so I decided to go to Africa
instead. It's interesting listening to Africans talk about
globalization. While the protesters in Quebec were busy denouncing
globalization in the name of Africans and the world's poor,
Africans themselves will tell you that their problem with
globalization is not that they are getting too much of it, but too
little. (source:NYTimes)

2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

Parliament prepares exit of Guinea-Bissau government
http://www.afrol.com/ms_index.htm

afrol News - The Parliament of Guinea-Bissau is set for an extraordinary session on
30 April to vote on a motion of censure to the government of independent Prime
Minister Faustino Imbali. His recently appointed government does not enjoy a
parliamentary majority basis.

Trend of women bleaching their skin growing
http://www.afrol.com

afrol News- For years, cosmetic products supposed to bleach the dark skin of African
women have found an ever-growing market on the African continent. In some
countries, like Mali and much of Central Africa, these dangerous products are
reaching a popularity out of dimension.

UN Official Fears Prospect of Increased Fighting
http://www.allafrica.com

A UN official Wednesday expressed concern about "what appears to be prospects of
increased fighting in Liberia." "I would hope this is short-lived and that if
there are any differences, the parties can deal with them in a more adult way by
talking and not fighting," said Carolyn McAskie, the UN deputy emergency relief co-
ordinator for humanitarian affairs. McAskie told a news conference at the end of a
three-day mission.

UN report names culprits in central Africa's dirty war and claims there is
no shortage of companies in developed nations willing to turn a blind eye.
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-18-10.html (source:Sophie Hooper)

3. REFUGEES

Thousands Arrive in Daru From Guinea And Liberia
http://www.allafrica.com
About 12,500 people have arrived on foot since February in Daru, eastern Sierra
Leonea, after fleeing Guinea and Liberia, UNHCR reported on Tuesday. Most of them
came from Liberia, especially the Vahun area in the northwest. They said they left
Vahun because of the presence of Liberian troops and Revolutionary United Front
(RUF) elements along the border.

4. HEALTH/ENVIRONMENT

Tuberculosis follows footsteps of AIDS in Africa
http://www.afrol.com/ms_index.htm
afrol News - The number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Africa, already in the
millions, will double over the next decade as HIV continues to spread across the
continent,the United Nations warned today, calling for a concurrent effort to fight
both infectious diseases.

African Aids Summit Opens in Abuja
http://www.allafrica.com/stories/200104260112.html

The African Summit on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases
opened in Abuja Thursday with several African Heads of State, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and former US President Bill Clinton attending.
As organisers awaited the arrival of more leaders, those at the opening session
included host President Olusegun Obasanjo, Togolose President and OAU Chairman
Gnassingbe Eyadema, Malian President and ECOWAS Chairman Oumar Alpha Konare and
Arap Moi of Kenya.

ICRC Contributes to fight Against Meningitis
http://www.allafrica.com

A shortage of vaccines is hindering West Africa's efforts to stop an outbreak of
meningitis that has killed more than 3,000 people, the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday.

Benin Gets First Public Sector Drug Plant
http://www.allafrica.com
Benin's first plant for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products in the public
sector is to be inaugurated 15 May, an official source said (source:PANA)

HIV CAUSING TUBERCULOSIS CASES TO DOUBLE IN AFRICA
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2001/en/pr2001-21.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today warned that Tuberculosis (TB) cases in Africa will likely
double over the next decade as a consequence of the increased spread of HIV and the
under-funding of strategies effective in curing TB.


5. DEVELOPMENT

How NGOs can kill development
http://www.africaonline.com/site/articles/1.10.1329.jsp
There is no doubt that much good has been done through NGOs often in situations of
extreme need. But NGOs have increasingly come under fire, and some people maintain
that with the best intentions they at times do more harm than good. What are the
problems?

New Jubilee + web site - the successor to Jubilee 2000 - with news,
analysis and debate about international debt and finance.
http://www.jubileeplus.org (source:Sophie Hooper)

OAU Special Session on HIV/AIDS Provides Golden Opportunity
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/index.html

UNDP Africa Bureau Director to encourage intensified action against epidemic
Speaking at a special session on HIV/AIDS called by
the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Abuja, Nigeria on 26 April, Abdoulie
Janneh, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa,
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will push for stepped up action
against HIV/AIDS by African leaders and the international community.

6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

NATALI PRIZE --WEST AFRICAN JOURNALISTS
http://www.ifj.org

The Natali Prize for West African Journalism - Applications Sought from West
African Print Journalists. Celebrating Journalism in the Struggle for Fair and Just
Development The Natali Prize was established by the countries of the European Union
in honour of the late Lorenzo Natali, vice president of the European Commission
with special responsibilities for development issues. The Prize is awarded
to print journalists who have demonstrated a striking insight and particular
dedication to the reporting of human rights issues within the context of the
development process.
Democracy and Human Rights go hand in hand but sometimes they are brushed
aside in the drive for economic development. Development can only succeed
if freedom and individual rights are promoted and defended. But is the
message getting through? Journalists in West Africa have an opportunity to play a
key role in the global debate through the Natali Prize for West African Journalism,
a competition organised by the countries of the European Union, to encourage
reporting which recognize the value of human rights and democracy in the
fight for fair and just social and economic development.
For a copy of the application form and rules for the Natali Prize for West
African Journalism (available in English and French) contact; Email : prize@ifj.org
Application deadline: 1 June 2001

Ghana: Government indicates it will change libel laws
http://www.africaonline.com/site/sn/
The new government of President John Kufuor is giving indications that it will scrap
those aspects of the Penal Code that criminalise freedom of expression.

7. GRANTS

Are you seeking grants for your organizations? The below listed foundations if
contacted could probably give you a grant.
http://www.kabissa.org/lij

The UNDP Global Environmental Facility (GEF) has a small grants programme that could
be helpful. http://www.undp.org/sgp/ The Regional Bureau for Africa Website
http://www.pub.intnet.mu/un

World Learning, 1015-15th Street, NW Suite 750, Washington, DC. 20005-2605 e-mail:
info@worldlearning.org

World Council of Credit Unions, 805-15th Street, NW Suite 300, Washington,DC. 20005-
2207, e-mail: info@woccu.org

Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), 1600 Wilson Blvd, Suite 710, Arlington,
Va. 22209, E-mail: vita@vita.org

Visions in Action, 2710 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC. 20009-2154 e-mail: visions@
igc.org

8. News Around Liberia.
http://www.kabissa.org/lij

The late Youth and Sports Minister Francios Massaquoi, who was killed by
dissendents as the government alleged will be buried today friday, 27 April, 2001.
According to government reports, the war that is ragging in northern Liberia, Lofa
County it is very fierce and is taking a toll on the citizens in that part of the
country. There has been an out cry from Liberians that these looters disguise as
liberators should stop their carnage.
Meanwhile, a press release from Ministry of Information, states that any report
about the war should be cleared with the Ministry before publishing, to avoid
misinformation.
The price of gasoline went up LD$5.00, yesterday. Bringing the price of gasoline at
the pump to LD$145.00/gallon. The exchange rate to the US dollar is LD$47.00

9. ABOUT US
http://www.kabissa.org/lij

This is the WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER, published and distributed free of charge by
the Liberia Institute of Journalism, in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. This
project is funded by a grant from the International Center--731-8th Street, SE,
Washington, DC. 20003.
Articles, informations and news are welcome for publication. Send them to the editor
Vinnie Hodges at lij@kabissa.org
The Liberia Institute of Journalism(LIJ), a non-profit institute establish to train
journalists. On Friday, April 20, 2001, ended a five-day workshop on "how to write
and report the news on human rights and political reporting". On Tuesday, 17 April
2001 launched "The Journalists " a weekly newspaper. If you are interested in a
complimentary copy e-mail the editor at lij@kabissa.org
---
WestAfrica-Newsletter is hosted on Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
To post, write to: WestAfrica-Newsletter@kabissa.org
Website: http://www.kabissa.org/lij

AFP ANNOUNCES PRINCIPLES FOR NEW E-DONOR BILL OF RIGHTS

2001-04-30

http://www.afpnet.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=887&content_item_id=1624

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the largest association of fundraisers in the world, has announced the development of principles for the E-Donor Bill of Rights, a document which lists the rights that donors should expect and demand when making an online charitable gift.

philanthropy news digest

2001-04-30

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/682

April 24, 2001 Volume 7, Issue 17.
==============================================================


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::::::::::::::: QUOTATION OF THE WEEK ::::::::::::::::

"While more people are volunteering, there is a great
untapped resource of additional potential volunteers....
Our research shows that the best way to get people
involved is simply to ask them. Nearly 90 percent of
people volunteer when they are asked."

-- Sara E. Meléndez, president and CEO of Independent
Sector (Independent Sector Press Release 04/18/01).

::::::::::::::: IN THE NEWS ::::::::::::::::

-- Nonprofit Coalition Formed to Support Charitable
Contributions Deduction
-- Peninsula Open Space Trust Receives $100 Million
for Coast Initiative
-- Goldman Environmental Foundation Announces 2001 Awards
for Grassroots Activism
-- Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds Launch Initiative to
Support State Arts Agencies
-- CRDF Announces Expansion of Program to Support
Scientific Research and Higher Education in Russia
-- Intel Teach to the Future Program Launced in Five New
England States
-- Merck Foundation Endows Organic Chemistry Chair at
Princeton
-- Tobacco Fees to Go to Charity
-- Independent Sector Reports Hourly Value of Volunteering
Continues to Rise

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Nonprofit Coalition Formed to Support Charitable
Contributions Deduction

Leaders of some of the nation's largest nonprofits and
religious organizations have announced the formation of
the Coalition to Help America Give
(http://www.helpamericagive.org/) and will urge Congress
to extend the deduction for charitable contributions to
all taxpayers.

The coalition comprises more than 550 nonprofit organiza-
tions representing millions of donors and volunteers in
virtually every community in the U.S.

"The charitable contributions deduction recognizes a group
of taxpayers whose donations are the lifeblood of
charities," said John Seffrin, Ph.D., CEO of the American
Cancer Society and co-chair of the coalition. "Our tax
system should acknowledge and reward the generosity of all
taxpayers, including those whose hearts may be larger than
their wallets."

Eighty-five million households, or 70 percent of all tax-
payers, do not itemize their tax returns and therefore are
not eligible to deduct their charitable contributions.
Under current law, only the 30 percent of taxpayers who
itemize receive a deduction for their charitable gifts. The
charitable contributions deduction proposed by President
Bush would give every taxpayer a dollar-for-dollar deduc-
tion for their charitable gifts.

"Nonprofit Leaders Form 'Coalition to Help America Give' to
Support a Tax Deduction for the Charitable Contributions of
All Taxpayers." Independent Sector Press Release 04/24/01.
http://www.independentsector.org/media/help_amerPR.html

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004109.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Peninsula Open Space Trust Receives $100 Million for
Coast Initiative

The Peninsula Open Space Trust, a private, nonprofit land
trust based in Menlo Park, California, has received
separate $50 million leadership gifts from the David and
Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon E. and Betty L.
Moore Foundation toward its $200 million "Saving the
Endangered Coast" campaign.

The three-year campaign -- the largest land conservation
effort ever undertaken by a local land trust in the U.S.
-- aims to preserve more than 20,000 acres of open coastal
land in California's San Mateo County.

"The San Mateo Coast is a national treasure that must be
preserved," said POST president Audrey Rust. "This land is
the only remaining undeveloped coast next to a major
metropolitan area left in the world. It's beautiful, it's
spectacular, and it has incredible value in terms of
recreation, agriculture, and natural resources.... It is
also very fragile...."

The San Mateo Coast has been designated by scientists at
Conservation International and Princeton University as one
of the most critical environmental "hot spots" in the world.
Hot spots are defined as ecosystems rich in biodiversity
that are threatened by development.

"Peninsula Open Space Trust is an exceptional organization
that has become a national leader in protecting open lands,"
said Jeanne Sedgwick, director of the Los Altos-based
Packard Foundation's conservation program. "This $50 million
grant is one of the largest grants ever made by the Packard
Foundation. It demonstrates our confidence in POST, our
commitment to helping to preserve the San Mateo Coast, and
our understanding of the magnitude of the challenge facing
us."

"POST Launches $200 Million Campaign To Save 'The
Endangered Coast'; Organization Receives $100 Million in
Grants From Packard, Moore Foundations." Peninsula Open
Space Trust Press Release 4/18/01.
http://www.openspacetrust.org/Press/campaign_release.htm

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Goldman Environmental Foundation Announces 2001 Awards for
Grassroots Activists

Two American journalists who risked their careers to expose
the dangers of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), a
Rwandan who fought to save mountain gorillas amidst his
country's genocidal wars, and a Bolivian worker who
spearheaded a major victory in the struggle over the
privatization of public water supplies are among the eight
winners of this year's Goldman Environmental Prizes
(http://www.goldmanprize.org/), the world's largest award
program honoring grassroots environmentalists.

Funded by the San Francisco-based Goldman Environmental
Foundation, Goldman Prizes are awarded annually to
environmental activists from six continental regions:
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South/Central America,
and Island Nations. Established in 1990 by Richard N.
Goldman, chairman of Goldman Insurance Services, and his
wife Rhoda, the program initially awarded each recipient a
stipend of $60,000; since then, the stipend has been
raised three times and currently stands at $125,000. In
addition to the cash award, recipients travel to San
Francisco and Washington, D.C. for an awards ceremony and
presentation, press conferences, media briefings, and
meetings with political, public policy, financial, and
environmental leaders.

"The world is getting smaller, and the need is growing for
everyone to take responsibility for keeping our planet
healthy," said Richard Goldman in announcing this year's
winners. "The winners this year illustrate how the
environment is affected by wars, international business,
economic policies, and the tendency to put short-term gains
ahead of long-term solutions. They also illustrate how the
courage and commitment of a single visionary individual can
make a difference for generations to come."

For the complete list of 2001 Goldman Prize recipients,
visit the Goldman Environmental Prize Web site:
http://www.goldmanprize.org/press/press.html

"Eight Global Environmental Champions Awarded 2001 Goldman
Prize." Goldman Environmental Foundation Press Release
04/23/01.
http://www.goldmanprize.org/press/press.html

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004107.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds Launch Initiative to Support
State Arts Agencies, Encourage Public Participation
in the Arts

The New York City-based Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds
(http://www.wallacefunds.org/) have announced the creation
of the State Arts Partnerships for Cultural Participation
(START), a new initiative designed to help state arts
agencies (SAAs) adopt more effective guidelines, programs,
and funding practices aimed at encouraging broader public
participation in the arts. Initially, thirteen exemplary
state arts agencies will receive multi-year grants totaling
$9.6 million to support their programs, research, and
outreach efforts.

The agencies receiving grants include the Arizona
Commission on the Arts, the California Arts Council, the
Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Kentucky Arts
Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Minnesota
State Arts Board, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts, the North Carolina Arts
Council, the Ohio Arts Council, the South Carolina Arts
Commission, and the Washington State Arts Commission.

"State arts agencies are the unheralded supporters of the
arts," said Wallace Funds president M. Christine DeVita.
"Our START initiative will not only shed light on how
important SAAs are to the cultural life of our country, but
will showcase thirteen exemplary agencies, which have shown
dedicated leadership in connecting people to the arts. SAAs
have the access and, now with our support, the means to
work more effectively as innovative advocates, catalysts
and sponsors of the arts within their states, from their
urban centers to their most sparsely populated rural
corners."

Along with the direct grants to the thirteen state
agencies, START will commission extensive research that
builds on the work of SAAs and local arts groups and, in
cooperation with the National Assembly of State Arts
Agencies and the six regional arts organizations under the
leadership of Arts Midwest, support dissemination efforts
aimed at making innovative approaches for expanding arts
participation available to other states and local arts
organizations.

"'START' Initiative Supports State Arts Funders to Promote
Arts Participation; 13 State Arts Agencies to Receive
Grants." Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds Press Release
04/24/01.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004106.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

CRDF Announces Expansion of Program to Support Scientific
Research and Higher Education in Russia

The U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation
(http://www.crdf.org/), a private, charitable organization
created in 1995 by the U.S. government in response to the
declining state of science and engineering in the former
states of the Soviet Union, has received grants totaling
$12.5 million for the continuation and expansion of its
Basic Research and Higher Education (BRHE) program.
The new funds will allow the organization to continue its
efforts to improve the research capabilities of Russian
universities.

The $12.5 million in new funding comes from the Chicago-
based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
(http://www.macfound.org/), which awarded the CRDF a
five-year continuation grant of $11.5 million, and the
Carnegie Corporation of New York (http://www.caregie.org/),
which renewed a two-year $1 million follow-on grant to
the program. The Russian Ministry of Education, which
jointly administers the BRHE program with the CRDF and
provides a portion of the funding cost as well, also
renewed its commitment to the program.

"The MacArthur Foundation has a long-term commitment to
strengthening and sustaining the type of vibrant,
independent, academic communities that are so essential to
a healthy democratic society," said MacArthur Foundation
president Jonathan F. Fanton. "By helping build the science
research capacity of Russian state universities, the Basic
Research and Higher Education program is providing the
current generation of scientists a place to continue their
work while at the same time providing the next generation
of scientists the motivation, training, and leadership they
need to build both their research and teaching careers."

The renewed support from MacArthur, Carnegie, and the
Russian Ministry of Education highlights the success of
the three-year old BRHE program, which to date has
established eight high-quality research centers in Russian
universities. With the new funding in hand, the CRDF will
build on its success and create eight additional RECs
in Russia over the next three years. The organization also
plans to administer a variety of activities designed to
integrate the RECs and provide the infrastructure that
will allow them to become self-sustaining centers of
excellence.

Further information on the Basic Research and Higher
Education program is available upon request or by visiting
the CRDF Web site:
http://www.crdf.org/Centers/brhe.html

"CRDF Announces Continuation and Expansion of Program to
Support Scientific Research and Higher Education in
Russia." U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation
Press Release 04/18/01.
http://www.crdf.org/News/brhepressreleaseapr01.html

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004102.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Intel Teach to the Future Program Launched in Five New
England States

Semiconductor giant Intel (http://www.intel.com/) has
announced the launch of its Teach to the Future program in
Vermont and four other New England states. The program,
which is presented with support from Microsoft, will train
5,400 teachers to use the Internet for research, build Web
pages, and give multimedia presentations -- skills that can
be used in classrooms to stimulate student learning.

Intel will invest $100 million in cash, equipment, and
curriculum development materials over a three-year period.
Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/) will contribute $344
million in software (estimated retail value) and program
support -- the single largest software donation in the
company's history.

"Intel Teach to the Future relies on teachers training
fellow teachers, so all can relate the new technology to
their common classroom experience," said Ann S. Hurd,
Intel's East Coast public affairs manager. "The master
teachers, already familiar with computer technology,
receive forty hours of technology training, and twenty-four
more hours of leadership training provided by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation."

Eventually, the program hopes to train more than 400,000
teachers and millions of students in 20 countries around
the world. Springfield, Massachusetts-based WGBY, a
division of the WGBH Educational Foundation, manages the
program in New England for Intel.

"Intel Teach to the Future Program Will Train 5,400 New
England Teachers to Use Classroom Computers to Improve
Student Learning." Intel Corporation Press Release
04/17/01.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004102.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Merck Foundation Endows Organic Chemistry Chair at
Princeton

The Merck Company Foundation
(http://www.merck.com/overview/philanthropy/2.htm),
the principal philanthropic vehicle of New Jersey-based
pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., has donated $3 million
to Princeton University (http://www.princeton.edu/) to
establish a new chair in organic chemistry.

Named in honor of Arthur A. Patchett (Princeton, '51), a
research chemist and former vice president of medicinal
chemistry at Merck, the Arthur Allan Patchett Professorship
in Organic Chemistry will further the university's efforts
to advance research at the interface of biology and chemis-
try and to train future chemists in synthetic approaches to
biologically interesting molecules.

A chemistry major at Princeton, Patchett graduated Phi Beta
Kappa and went on to receive his Ph.D. in organic chemistry
from Harvard University in 1955, working in the
laboratories of Nobel Laureate R. B. Woodward. During his
career, Patchett conducted groundbreaking research that led
to the development of several major cardiovascular drugs,
including the ACE inhibitors enalapril and lisinopril and
the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors lovastatin and
simvastatin.

"Art Patchett played an absolutely pivotal role in the
invention of some of the most important and widely used
families of drugs available today. We conservatively
estimate that literally hundreds of thousands of people
throughout the world are alive today directly as a result
of the therapeutic agents that Art helped to pioneer," said
Thomas N. Salzmann, Ph.D., senior vice president for basic
research at Merck's research laboratories in Rahway, New
Jersey. "We are delighted to establish this chair at Art's
alma mater in recognition of a truly remarkable career in
science."

"Merck Establishes Professorship in Organic Chemistry at
Princeton." Princeton University Press Release 04/23/01.
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/01/q2/0419-merck.htm

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004105.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Tobacco Fees to Go to Charity

According to a recent story in the Boston Herald, the law
firm of Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesmer
(http://www.brownrudnick.com/html/home_w.htm) has
announced the creation of the Brown Rudnick Center for the
Public Interest to coordinate the firm's pro bono legal
service work, charitable contributions, and community
service.

Brown, Rudnick was one of the lead firms in the state of
Massachusett's suit against the tobacco industry. That
litigation resulted in an $8 billion settlement for
Massachusetts residents in 1998 to repay decades of state
funds used to care for residents afflicted with smoking-
related illnesses. Brown, Rudnick and four other firms
shared $775 million in fees, payable over twenty-five
years, for their services in the case.

Brown, Rudnick also will create a charitable foundation
under the aegis of the center that will direct $10 million
of the firm's tobacco fees into educational programs for
inner-city residents in Hartford, Providence, and Boston
-- the three cities where the firm has offices -- said
Brown, Rudnick partner Joel Reck.

The huge fees received by Brown, Rudnick and the other
firms generated a firestorm of criticism. Last month, the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Massachusetts one
of twenty-one "target states" in its continuing investigation
into the fee controversy. But Reck, who will serve as chair
of the foundation, said his firm was more interested in
moving on and using some of its windfall to help those
less fortunate.

"It's actually a quite untold and underappreciated story
about lawyers," said Reck. "People think about lawyers as
greedy, but if you look at other occupational groups,
lawyers give huge amounts of time and money in a way that
other professions don't."

Mulvihill, Maggie. "Tobacco fees to go into charity."
BostonHerald.com 04/24/01.
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business/bar04242001.htm

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004108.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Independent Sector Reports Hourly Value of Volunteering
Continues to Rise

To coincide with National Volunteer Week (April 22-28),
Independent Sector (http://www.independentsector.org/), a
D.C.-based coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and
corporations working to strengthen philanthropy and citizen
action, has released new information which shows the hourly
value of volunteer time increasing to $15.39 last year, up
from $12.45 in 1994.

Since its initial survey on volunteering six years ago, IS
has tracked a steady increase in the hourly value of
volunteer time. The number is based on the average hourly
wage for non-agricultural workers published in the
"Economic Report of the President" and then increased by 12
percent to account for benefits.

"Now that there are indicators that the nation may be
experiencing an economic down-turn, the nonprofit community
will rely on the volunteer workforce more than ever," said
IS president and CEO Sara E. Meléndez. "Volunteers are the
lifeblood of the hundreds of thousands of nonprofit
organizations in this country."

According to last year's survey, the activities for which
people volunteer are as varied as the people who donate
their time. The most popular areas include direct service
activities such as serving food (24 percent of
respondents), fundraising (16 percent), volunteering for
religious congregations (14 percent), giving advice or
counseling (11 percent), working with young people
(11 percent), organizing events (10 percent), and visiting
people or offering companionship (9 percent).

"While more people are volunteering, there is a great
untapped resource of additional potential volunteers. There
are many factors that motivate people to volunteer," added
Dr. Meléndez. "Our research shows that the best way to get
people involved is simply to ask them. Nearly 90 percent of
people volunteer when they are asked."

"Independent Sector Update Reveals the Value of Volunteer
Time Continues to Rise." Independent Sector Press Release
04/18/01.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/004103.html


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:::::::::::: DAILY UPDATES (April 18-23) ::::::::::::::

-- Motorola Foundation Gives $1 Million for Morehouse
College Leadership Center
-- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards $3.2 Million to
Fourteen Washington Schools
-- Nortel Networks Commits $2.75 Million to Photonics
Center at Duke
-- University of California, Davis Receives $2.6 Million
Grant for Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental Research
-- Sara Lee Corporation Gives $5 Million to Create Women's
Health Center in North Carolina
-- Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in
Research Grants
-- Advent/MicroEdge Acquires NPO Solutions


Motorola Foundation Gives $1 Million for Morehouse College
Leadership Center

The Motorola Foundation in Schaumburg, Illinois, has
announced a $1 million gift toward construction of a new
Leadership Center at Morehouse College
(http://www.morehouse.edu/). The gift is the largest ever
by the foundation to a historically black college or
university.

The 63,000-square-foot center will house the school's
leadership development and community service departments
and will feature state-of-the-art computer and information
technology systems. Although it's intended to serve the
Morehouse campus specifically, the center will be available
to students and faculty throughout the entire Atlanta
University Center area.

"Thanks to offerings such as the visionary 3-2 engineering
program with Georgia Tech and the fine liberal arts'
programs that prepare students for work in prestigious
graduate schools, Morehouse will continue to train men who
make significant contributions to the world," said Motorola
Foundation executive director Roberta Gutman. "We are
honored to contribute to their success."

Founded in 1867, Morehouse, in Augusta, Georgia, is the
nation's only historically black, private liberal arts
college for men.

"Motorola Foundation Provides $1 Million Gift for the
Leadership Center At Morehouse College." Motorola
Foundation Press Release 04/20/01.
http://www.motorola.com/ies/ESG/3pressrel2-3.html

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004100.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards $3.2 Million to
Fourteen Washington Schools

The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
(http://www.gatesfoundation.org/) has awarded a total of
more than $3.2 million in grants to fourteen Washington
schools in recognition of their excellence and commitment
to helping all students achieve. The grants will allow the
selected schools to accelerate their efforts to create
high-achievement, technology-enriched teaching and
learning models. Including these grants, the foundation
has invested more than $86 million in Washington's schools
and school districts.

The schools selected were Emerald Park Elementary, Emerson
Elementary, Grand Mound Elementary, Horizon Middle School,
Kenroy Elementary, Kettle Falls Elementary, Madison
Elementary, Monument Elementary, Mountlake Terrace High
School, Mullenix Ridge Elementary, Talbot Hill Elementary,
Vaughn Elementary, Whitstran Elementary, and West Valley
City Middle School.

"It was clear to me when I visited the principals of these
schools that all have adopted some successful strategies
for improving their students' education," said Kyle
Miller, program officer of school grants for the Gates
Foundation. "Also clear is that each school is on the
verge of tremendous growth. Our grants will enable the
schools to expand their good work and more evenly
distribute their success to benefit all students."

This is the second round of school grants given in the
state of Washington. To be eligible for the program,
schools must have fewer than 600 students, use research-
based practices, and have at least two teachers trained in
using technology for learning. Schools must also provide a
budget match of at least 20 percent of the grant. The
Gates Foundation intends to provide grants to more than
100 Washington state schools over the next three years.

For more information about the school grants program and
the schools selected in this round of funding, visit the
Gates Foundation Web site:
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/pressroom/release.asp?PRindex=368

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Recognizes 14
Washington State Schools as High Achievement Models." Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation Press Release 04/18/01.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/pressroom/release.asp?PRindex=368

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004098.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Nortel Networks Commits $2.75 Million to Photonics Center
at Duke

Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering has received
a six-year, $2.75 million contribution from Nortel
Networks (http://www.nortelnetworks.com) to further the
school's efforts in photonics research and the training of
future generations of engineers. The gift from Brampton,
Ontario-based Nortel includes $1.5 million to create an
endowment fund to support a new professorship at the Pratt
School and $1.25 million to support research at the
Fitzpatrick Center for Advanced Photonics and
Communications Systems
(http://www.fitzpatrick.duke.edu/textSite/duke.html). In
recognition of its gift, Nortel, a global manufacturer of
telecommunications and networking equipment, has been
designated a "founding partner" of the center.

"Nortel Networks' $2.75 million commitment to join the
Fitzpatrick Center as a founding partner is a significant
statement by one of the world's leading technology
companies about the important role the Center will play in
advancing photonics research and training future
generations of photonics engineers," said Duke president
Nannerl O. Keohane. "One of the principal goals of the
Fitzpatrick Center is to partner with high-tech industry
leaders to ensure that North Carolina is at the forefront
of new technology research and development."

The center is named for high-tech entrepreneur Michael J.
Fitzpatrick and his wife Patricia, who last December
announced a donation of $50 million to Duke and Stanford
universities to make both schools international leaders in
advanced photonics.

Current plans call for the center, which will be home to
at least 21 research and visiting faculty, 33 postdoctoral
fellows, and up to 138 graduate and 40 undergraduate
students, to be completed in late 2003.

"Nortel Networks Named 'Founding Partner' in Fitzpatrick
Center for Photonics at Duke University." Duke University
Press Release 04/19/01.
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/Engin/nortel2.htm

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004095.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

University of California, Davis Receives $2.6 Million
Grant for Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental
Research

The University of California, Davis
(http://www.ucdavis.edu/) has received a $2.6 million
grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation
(http://www.packard.org/) for a new research and education
center dedicated to addressing environmental problems in
the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental Research will
support multidisciplinary research on the basin ecosystem,
enable greater collaboration among scientists, increase
educational opportunities, and provide information and
awareness programs for the public.

"If we are going to reverse the deterioration of this unique
natural resource, researchers must help policymakers and
resource managers make the best science- based decisions,"
said UC Davis scientist Charles Goldman, who has studied
the Tahoe basin ecosystem for four decades. "The new
research laboratory and its educational programs will give
us the facilities to strengthen the essential connection
between scientific knowledge and public policy."

Goldman, the director of the UC Davis-based Tahoe Research
Group, has monitored water quality and clarity and other
issues at the lake since 1959. Last month, the group
announced that Tahoe had lost another two feet of clarity
in 2000, bringing the average clarity depth measurement to
67.3 feet -- a 35-foot decline since 1968. Nutrients and
fine sediment particles entering the lake are responsible
for the growth of algae and the deteriorating water
quality.

"University of California, Davis Receives $2.6 Million
Grant for Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental Research."
University of California, Davis Press Release 04/17/01.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004094.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Sara Lee Corporation Gives $5 Million to Create Women's
Health Center in North Carolina

The Chicago-based Sara Lee Corporation
(http://www.saralee.com/) has announced a $5 million gift
to the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation
(http://www.forsythmedicalcenter.org/), in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, to create the Sara Lee Center for Women's
Health. The new center will expand health services, offer
new preventive and wellness programs, and increase the
availability of preventive screenings and mobile
diagnostic units for women in twenty northwest North
Carolina counties.

"We're proud to put the Sara Lee name on the door and
provide support for a much-needed center dedicated to
better women's health," commented Paul Lustig, executive
vice president of Sara Lee and president and CEO of Sara
Lee Branded Apparel. "The Sara Lee Center for Women's
Health will expand service capacity to address the health
needs of all women in our community throughout each stage
of life."

About 73 percent of Sara Lee Branded Apparel's domestic
workforce is comprised of women and more than 80 percent
of consumers purchasing the company's products are women.

In addition to educational and counseling programs and
pre-natal classes on pregnancy and birth, current services
specifically designed for women that will become
associated with the new center include a Level III neo-
natal unit, an infant nutrition center, a breast clinic,
and the Today's Woman Health and Wellness Center.

"Sara Lee Announces $5 Million Gift to Forsyth Medical
Center Foundation, Creating the Sara Lee Center for
Women's Health." Novant Health Triad Region Press Release
04/17/01.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004099.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------
Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in
Research Grants

The New York City-based Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson's Research (http://www.michaeljfox.org/) has
announced its inaugural round of funding for researchers
pursuing a cure for Parkinson's disease. The recipients
(in alphabetical order) of the fifteen grants totaling
$1.5 million are:

Marine E. Emborg, M.D., Ph.D. (Rush University); Matthew
Goldberg, Ph.D. (Brigham and Women's Hospital) and Jie
Shen, Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School); Stephen Kish, Ph.D.
(University of Toronto); Rudiger Klein, Ph.D. (European
Molecular Biology Laboratory); Ronald J. Mandel, Ph.D.
(University of Florida College of Medicine); Graeme Mardon,
Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine); Eliezer Masliah, M.D.
(University of California); Jose A. Obeso, M.D. (Clinica
Universitaria de Navarra); Amy Rubinstein, Ph.D. (Zygogen
LLc); Michael Schwarzschild, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts
General Hospital); Lorenz Studer, M.D. (Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center); Catherine M. Verfaillie, M.D.
(Regents of the University of Minnesota); Gail D. Zeevalk,
Ph.D. (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey);
Renping Zhou, Ph.D., (Rutgers); and Michael Zigmond and
Ruth Perez (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine).

"This initial round of research grant funding represents an
exciting first-step in our foundation's active involvement
in the search for a cure," said Michael J. Fox, the popular
actor who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's
disease in 1991. "The overwhelming number of proposals that
were submitted affirm our belief that promising research
opportunities exist, merely awaiting much-deserved funding."

"1.5 Million in Research Grants Announced." Michael J. Fox
Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
http://www.michaeljfox.org/flash/grant_main.html

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004096.html

--------------------------<<>>-------------------------

Advent/MicroEdge Acquires NPO Solutions

Advent Software has announced the acquisition of Loudon,
New Hampshire-based NPO Solutions, a provider of
information software management to community foundations,
through its wholly owned subsidiary MicroEdge, Inc.
New York City-based MicroEdge offers software and services
for grants management, matching gifts, and volunteer track-
ing. Together, MicroEdge and NPO Solutions have an
installed base of 1,900-plus organizations and more than
11,000 users.

"Community foundations are experiencing tremendous growth,
and there are significant opportunities for us to help them
to better serve their donors and communities by providing
leading technology solutions and forging closer
relationships with the financial community," said John
Sestak, a partner at NPO Solutions. "Joining forces with
MicroEdge and Advent will give us the important
infrastructure we need to address the changing needs of
this market...."

According to a Q&A document on the Advent Web site, NPO
Solutions clients will continue to use the company's
grants management software in the short term. Going forward,
however, the two companies plan to combine the best aspects
of their existing grants systems into a comprehensive suite
of Web-enabled modules.

For more information on the acquisition, visit the Investor
Relations area of the Advent Web site:
http://www.advent.com/about/financials/npo_qa.pdf

"Advent Software Acquires NPO Solutions." Advent Software
Press Release 04/17/01.
http://www.advent.com/news/PR_Detail.asp?id=350

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010417/004097.html

:::::::::::::::::: PND ON THE WEB ::::::::::::::::::

* PND Message Board
http://members4.boardhost.com/PNDtalk/

Brand new! Log on and join the discussions!

* Job Corner
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/jobs/index.html

The most comprehensive nonprofit job resource on the
Web now includes job openings at grantmaking public
charities, domestic nonprofit organizations, and
U.S. colleges and universities. To take advantage of
this free service, e-mail a description of your job
(full-time positions only) to: jobcorner@fdncenter.org

* NPO Spotlight
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/spotlight.html

Let the world know about your good work! Every week,
the NPO Spotlight highlights the activities of a
different U.S. nonprofit organization; periodically,
we shift the focus to an NGO in a country other than
the U.S.

This week: Alliance for Children and Families

* Connections
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/connections.html

Links to philanthropy-related sites and content of
interest.

* Conference Calendar
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/confs/index.html

Events, conferences, and symposia of interest to the
field.

* PND Reviews
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/webreview.html
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/bookreview.html

This week, "On the Web" visits the Web site of the
the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. And "Off the
Shelf" reviews "From Making a Profit to Making a
Difference: How to Launch Your New Career in
Nonprofits" by Richard M. King.

::::::::::::: SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE ::::::::::::

Have a question about foundations, philanthropy,
or fundraising? Visit our online reference service at:

http://fdncenter.org/learn/librarian/

For PND Reviews and the RFP Bulletin as well as
links to relevant Web sites and related source
documents, or to search the complete PND archive
(300+ issues dating to January 1995), visit
Philanthropy News Digest on the World Wide Web

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/current/index.html

To leave this list at any time, send a message to
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at:

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Venture Philanthropy:

Strategic Investments for Social Progress

2001-04-30

http://www.changemakers.net/resources/monthly/0401morino.cfm

Venture Philanthropy 2001: The Changing Landscape highlights a number of issues that characterize the emerging field of venture philanthropy. One of the most compelling is that there is no commonly shared definition for what venture philanthropy is and how it is put into practice.

"Teaching Globalization across Boundaries: Considering a New Civics"

the second annual National Institute for Secondary Educators, Seattle, WA, July 23-27, 2001

2001-04-30

http://www.GlobalSourceNetwork.org

Are you interested in teaching about the global economy in your classroom? This five-day institute will focus on an inter-disciplinary approach to teaching about economic and social globalization in grades 6-14. Join community and business leaders, master teachers, and other experts to examine multiple perspectives on globalization issues and learn how to bring these critical debates into the classroom.
Global Source Education presents "Teaching Globalization across
Boundaries: Considering a New Civics", the second annual National
Institute for Secondary Educators, Seattle, WA, July 23-27, 2001.

Are you interested in teaching about the global economy in your classroom?
This five-day institute will focus on an inter-disciplinary approach to
teaching about economic and social globalization in grades 6-14. Join
community and business leaders, master teachers, and other experts to
examine multiple perspectives on globalization issues and learn how to
bring these critical debates into the classroom. Themes and practices we
will explore include: Globalization 101, corporate accountability, labor
studies, human rights education, globalization across academic
disciplines, and reaching students of color and immigrant populations.
There will be an emphasis on engaging students in civic participation,
including service-learning strategies and resources. Share and learn best
teaching practices with other educators who care about how globalization
is affecting our lives and those of their diverse student populations.

The daily sessions will take place at the Seattle University School of Law
and optional events will be hosted at various community locations.
Participants will obtain an extensive, multi-media starter library package
on various globalization topics, along with a 300+ page course handbook,
books, videos, and other support materials for the classroom. Educators
will be eligible to earn between 2-5 continuing education credits and 30
clock hours. The cost of the program plus materials is heavily subsidized
for teachers at a rate of $295. For more information and registration
instructions, visit our website at http://www.GlobalSourceNetwork.org or
contact Global Source at: Info@GlobalSourceNetwork.org

African Diaspora Network Winter-Spring 2001 PANAFEST 2001

IT Conference: Computer Literacy-Distance Education-Medicine

2001-04-30

http://www.earthcorp.com/JOURNEYS

Prof. Rogers' ROOTS Trips-Africa Brazil Cuba
- Multidisciplinary; each Program has it own Theme. 29 Programs in 2001 & 2002: 1 to 4 Weeks
Apply Now. Depart from NYC June-July-Aug-Sep-Dec-Jan-Feb
Prof. Rogers' ROOTS Trips-Africa Brazil Cuba
- Multidisciplinary; each Program has it own Theme. 29 Programs in 2001 & 2002: 1 to 4 Weeks
Apply Now. Depart from NYC June-July-Aug-Sep-Dec-Jan-Feb

Instant Info on ROOTS JOURNEYS

For autoresponder info on Prof. Harold Rogers' ROOTS Progs
to AFRICA BRAZIL CUBA, send an Email to: ABC@starmail.com, HRogers@ccc.edu

Or, visit: http://www.earthcorp.com/JOURNEYS

International Human Rights: Laws, Mechanisms, and Practices

2001-04-30

http://www.scps.nyu.edu/ngo

Course number: X12.9226 Tuition: $340 Sec. 1: Thurs. 6.20-8.25 p.m. May 24-July 12 (8 sessions)
Taught by Maria Green, lawyer and director of the International Anti-Poverty Law Center. Held in New York, USA.
International Human Rights: Laws, Mechanisms, and Practices

Course number: X12.9226
Tuition: $340
Sec. 1: Thurs. 6.20-8.25 p.m.
May 24-July 12 (8 sessions)

Taught by Maria Green, lawyer and director of the International
Anti-Poverty Law Center

International human rights are not vague concepts of justice. They are
precisely defined international laws, stemming from a series of treaties
and overseen by a complex of the UN and other mechanisms. This course
provides an introduction to international human rights laws (including
special laws that protect children, women, racial minorities, and other
groups); an explanation of the international procedures for overseeing
their protection; and the methods used by NGOs in human rights advocacy.
Particular attention is paid to international economic, social, and
cultural rights, including the human rights to food, health, housing,
education, and work.


More information on this course and the others offered for the
Certificates in International Affairs and Non-Governmental Organizations
may be found on the web at www.scps.nyu.edu/ngo

An information session will also be held Friday, April 27th , 6-8 pm, 48
Cooper Square, 2nd floor. Here you will have an opportunity to hear
from our director, Vera Jelinek, and some of our faculty. It will be
your chance to speak to the faculty and ask questions.

For more information, call 212.998.7133.

To register:

On the Web: via Albert, the student web registration and information
system at New York University, scps.nyu.edu/albert

Mon. Mar. 12-Tues. May 15,
Mon. through Fri. 8 a.m.-midnight
Sat. noon-6 p.m.

Credit Cards accepted: Discover, Visa, Mastercard, American Express
By Telephone: 212-998-7171

Mon. Mar. 12-Tues. May 15
Mon. through Thurs., 9.30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri., 9.30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Credit Cards accepted: Discover, Visa, Mastercard, American Express
After May 15, call 212.998.7133 to register.

NCRM Spring Conference and Rally: Building a United Future

Saturday 26 May 2001. 9.30am, Highfields Youth and Community Centre, 96 Melbourne Road, Leicester LE2 ODS

2001-04-30

http://www.ncrm.org.uk/conference

The Spring Conference offers a critical chance to analyse the problems and set out our priorities prior to the expected June General Election. We can begin to build the foundations of our future together despite New Labour's attempt to sow divisions amongst us, especially through its legislation towards refugees - a practice responsible for countless deaths, splitting of families through forced dispersal programmes, unlawful detentions and imprisonment of innocent people and destitution via the shameful and discriminatory voucher schemes.
NCRM Spring Conference and Rally: Building a United Future
Leicester, Saturday 26 May

Over the last year we have been saturated with calls for help, assistance
and support from individuals and families suffering from racial violence
and miscarriages of justice. We have also campaigned against racist
legislation, the proposals to curtail defendant's rights, the
implementation of key Macpherson recommendations and for a public inquiry
into racism in the prison system. However the window of opportunity to
call for and win more openness and accountability, afforded to us through
the Lawrence inquiry and other campaigns, is fast closing.

The Spring Conference offers a critical chance to analyse the problems
and set out our priorities prior to the expected June General Election.
We can begin to build the foundations of our future together despite New
Labour's attempt to sow divisions amongst us, especially through its
legislation towards refugees - a practice responsible for countless
deaths, splitting of families through forced dispersal programmes,
unlawful detentions and imprisonment of innocent people and destitution
via the shameful and discriminatory voucher schemes.

Saturday 26 May 2001. 9.30am
Highfields Youth and Community Centre,
96 Melbourne Road, Leicester LE2 ODS

*Speakers
*Book stalls
*Food for sale
*Creche
*Poetry and music
*Free entry for NCRM members

For more information and to book places, please visit the website at:
http://www.ncrm.org.uk/conference

Or contact:

Halima Mohamed
National Civil Rights Movement,
14 Featherstone,
Southall,
Middlesex UB2 5AA

Tel: 020 8574 0818 / 020 8843 2333
Fax: 020 8813 9734
Email: info@ncrm.org.uk

SIYAFUNDA: PARTNERS IN LEARNING

2001-04-30

http://www.canoncollins.org.uk

A Conference organised by the SAEG (South Africa Education Group) c/o Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa. Venue: Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way London. WC1. Date: Saturday 19th May 2001. 9.30-5.15pm. SPEAKERS/ WORKSHOP LEADERS to include:
Mr Thami Mseleku, Director General, South African Department of Education. Professor Colin Bundy, Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Witwatersrand. Professor Shula Marks, SOAS, University of London. This conference will examine changes in education in South Africa since 1994, paying particular attention to the strategies formulated to address social justice and the eradication of the apartheid past. It will look to future developments and specifically at forms of partnerships that are emerging in the country to
address quality education and social transformation, and the different partnerships being developed between South Africa and the United Kingdom.
SIYAFUNDA: PARTNERS IN LEARNING
EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA - 1994 AND BEYOND SUPPORTED BY CHEVENING


A Conference organised by the SAEG (South Africa Education
Group)

c/o Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa


VENUE

Institute of Education

University of London

20 Bedford Way

London WC1


<underline>DATE:

</underline>Saturday 19 May 2001

9.30am =96 5.15pm


<underline>SPEAKERS/ WORKSHOP LEADERS to include:


</underline>+ Mr Thami Mseleku, Director General, South African Department=

of Education

+ Professor Colin Bundy, Director of the School of Oriental and
African Studies (SOAS) and former Vice Chancellor of the
University of Witwatersrand

+ Professor Shula Marks, SOAS, University of London

+ Professor David Simon, Royal Holloway, University of London

+ Dr Elaine Unterhalter, Institute of Education, University of London


+ Russell Southwood, Balancing Act, Publisher of =91News Update=92

+ Dr Andre Kraak, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria
(UK)

+ Mr Robbie van Niekerk, Oxford University

+ Dr Leon Tikly, Bristol University

+ Dr Jenni Karlsson, Education Policy Unit, University of Natal

+ Dr Mary Crewe, Director, HIV/AIDS Centre, University of
Pretoria (SA)

+ Dr Nazir Carrim, University of Witwatersrand (SA)

+ Dr Yusef Sayed, Centre for International Education, University of
Sussex

+ Dr Shireen Motala, Director, Education Policy Unit (EPU),
University of Witwatersrand (SA)

+ Dr Gavin Williams

+ Dr Salim Vally, Education Policy Unit (EPU), University of
Witwatersrand (SA)

+ Pro-Vice Chancellor John Volmink, University of Natal (SA)


This conference will examine changes in education in South Africa
since 1994, paying particular attention to the strategies
formulated to address social justice and the eradication of the
apartheid past. It will look to future developments and specifically
at forms of partnerships that are emerging in the country to
address quality education and social transformation, and the
different partnerships being developed between South Africa and
the United Kingdom.


<underline>WORKSHOP THEMES:


</underline>HIV/AIDS and the impact on education

Curriculum 2005

Privatisation

Skills Development

Quality Reform in Schools/Anti-Racism

Gender Issues

Redesigning Schools

Globalisation

Teachers and Learning

Digital Divide

Education and Social Policy

Life-long learning


<underline>CONFERENCE FEE </underline>(includes coffee, tea and lunch):


Corporates: =A350

Individuals: =A320

Students: =A310


Please make cheques payable to =91CCETSA (SAEG)=92 and send to <italic>


</italic>Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa (CCETSA)

Unit 22 The Ivories, 6 Northampton Street, London N1 2HY

Tel: 020 7354 1462

Fax 020 7359 4875

Email: <underline><color><param>0000,8000,0000</param>ccetsa@gn.apc.org</u=
nderline></color>

Web: www.canoncollins.org.uk

The 2001 CAS Conference, "Africa's Young Majority",

2001-04-30

http://www.ed.ac.uk/centas/conf01.html