Back Issues

The Rich get richer, the poor poorer

The real meaning of "development"

2001-05-21

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/sg2000unedited.PDF

Wealth and Poverty

The wealth of millionaires grew by 6% in 2000 compared to 18% in 1999 and an overall increase of 375% since 1986.

The number of millionaires grew by 2.9% last year to 7.2 million and their total wealth grew from $25.5 in 1999 to $27 trillion in 2000.

The number of individuals worth more than $30 million rose 3% last year to 57,000 and their wealth grew by 6% to $8.37 trillion.

Growth in wealth for these groups is expected to average 8% annually for the next 5 years.

Meanwhile:

The % of people living on less than a dollar per day has decreased from 28.3 in 1987 to 24 in 1998 but the actual numbers have increased from 1,183,200,000 in 1987 to 1,198,900,000 in 1998.

Source - Poverty Stats: Implementation of the First UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) Report of the Secretary General September 21 2000. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/sg2000unedited.PDF
Source - Wealth Stats: Yahoo Headlines Elif Kaban, European Private Banking Correspondent

Cited at http://www.comminit.com/

www4mail: Enabling e-mail access to resources and databases on the Internet

2001-05-21

http://www4mail.org

E-mail access to Internet resources and databases is a topic dear to Kabissa, since it enables African organisations who have difficulty accessing the Web to do so with ease - via email. Our colleagues in Trieste have come a long way to solving the problem. We urge you to take advantage of the service that they have made possible.

SPECIAL DELIVERY
The information revolution has not only brought scientists closer together on a global scale; in the minds of some critics, it has created a 'digital divide'--a gnawing gap between scientists in the North, who enjoy full e-connectivity, and their colleagues in the South, who do not.

ICTP's "www4mail" project, which Centre staffer Clement Onime and I launched in 1998, has sought to close this troublesome divide by providing researchers in developing countries with access to databases, online journals, and scientific preprint repositories via e-mail.

Simply put, www4mail gives browsers in the South the means to navigate the internet off-line and free-of-charge through low-cost technologies that are available in their home countries. As a result, www4mail offers an instructive example of a technological solution to disparities in 'information access' between the North and South. It also aims to help fulfil ICTP's mandate for transferring knowledge to developing countries.

An important lesson learned from www4mail is that high-bandwidth access to the internet is not essential for bridging the digital divide. Indeed the service--and the software that drives it--offers web information to internet users in countries where full connectivity is not widespread. As an added bonus, www4mail's support for non-Western character sets enables internet users from these countries to interact with web-based information in their own languages. Since its launch more than two years ago, the software has evolved rapidly thanks largely to extensive user feedback that has led to enhancements and new features. www4mail was designed to overcome many of the obstacles--such as JavaScript, cookies and frames--that have sometimes impeded the use of other free software. At the same time, it has tried to replicate, as closely as possible, the experience of browsing the web via full internet connection, including searches of online databases.

Most importantly, the software is easy to use and extremely reliable. So much so that the www4mail project was named a finalist in the Stockholm Challenge Award 2000, a 'cyberspace competition' that included more than 600 projects from 84 countries (see News from ICTP, Summer 2000, p. 14).

An evolving goal of the project is to disseminate the service more widely and to use it as a catalyst to build capacity in developing countries for setting up and hosting local www4mail services. Until now, five main public www4mail servers--one each in Germany, Italy and the United States and and two in Canada--have been established to deliver web pages via e-mail to users around the world. Each server can supply more than 5,000 pages of information daily. We hope to have additional servers in place in the near future. www4mail's value is reflected largely in its rising number of users. But like the dynamic environment in which it operates, the project's prospects for success in the future (and the not-so-distant future at that) lie in its ability to meet the demands of an ever-more sophisticated and complex operating environment. That, in turn, means finding ways to provide easy access to more dynamic content, multimedia elements, and specialised software. To keep pace, the www4mail project must continually draw on state-of-the-art knowledge and technologies. For this reason, observations and insights from www4mail users are always welcome. It's the only way we can ensure that we stay abreast of advances in the field in ways that allow us to serve the needs of scientists working in remote areas. By taking one small step at a time, projects like www4mail will help determine whether, over time, the digital divide narrows into a sliver of separation ultimately bridged by creative applications of today's technology.

[This article first appeared in "News from ICTP", No. 95, Winter 2001. Many thanks to Enrique Canessa for permission to reproduce it.]

Questions concerning www4mail may be addressed to Enrique Canessa ([url=mailto:canessae@ictp.trieste.it]canessae@ictp.trieste.it[/url]). For a first-hand look at the project, see http://www4mail.org

To learn more about using the Kabissa www4mail server, contact Tobias Eigen ([url=mailto:tobias@kabissa.org]tobias@kabissa.org[/url]). Alternatively, simply e-mail [url=mailto:www4mail@kabissa.org]www4mail@kabissa.org[/url] with the word "help" in the message body. Full instructions will automatically be returned to you via e-mail.

An online discussion about the Kabissa www4mail server for the African non-profit sector is ongoing! To join, write to [url=mailto:www4mail-discuss-request@kabissa.org]www4mail-discuss-request@kabissa.org[/url] with only the command "subscribe".

Chris Morry, The Communication Initiative

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1166

emmanuel otokhine, The Comet newspaper, Nigeria

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1167

Please send me a copy of proposal that make a difference: how to write effective grant proposals. I'm a journalist in one of the national dailies in my country. I feel the material will be useful for our monday job project.

<i><b>OUR RESPONSE</b>: This publication usually costs £22.00 and can be purchased through the fahamu website (http://www.fahamu.org/prop.html). However, a special offer is available to subscribers of this newsletter: introduce 20 new subscribers from Africa to this newsletter and we will send you a free copy of PROPOSALS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE, an interactive computer-based learning tool produced by fahamu. Requires Acrobat PDF. Send details to editor@kabissa.org.</i>

Mansour DIOUF, Institut Panos Afrique de l'OUEST

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1170

I am forwarding you the electronic newsletter of PANOS INSTITUTE WEST AFRICA called Mediactu (in french) dedicated to media and information pluralism in West africa. The english version will be soon available for anglophones. I am receiving the Kabissa-Fahamu newsletter and your website is listed in our links page: http://www.panos.sn/liens/ntic.htm
It would be a pleasure if you could do so.
--{ Liste hébergée par PoPList }------{ http://www.poplist.fr/ }--
--{ Voir en bas de ce mail les options de désabonnement }--
______________________________________________________________________


MédiActu, 10 mai 2001
Bulletin édité par l'Institut Panos Afrique de l'Ouest
Archives disponibles en ligne sur <http://www.panos.sn/actus/index.html>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


MÉDIACTU N° 13
____________________________________________________

La lettre d'information de l'IPAO
« Informer, communiquer, développer »
____________________________________________________

SOMMAIRE

ACTU
Burkina Faso : Lancement d'un magazine musical
Côte d'Ivoire : La radio-TV publique va être scindée en trois
entités autonomes
Côte d'Ivoire : Prochaine restructuration du groupe Fraternité-Matin
Libertés : RSF publie son rapport annuel
Satellite : Des câblo-opérateurs africains lancent une chaîne TV
panafricaine francophone
Afrique centrale : Des journalistes fondent une association sous-régionale
Côte d'Ivoire : _Le Jour_ au bord de l'éclatement
Cap-Vert : Aide gouvernementale en vue pour l'audiovisuel et
l'agence de presse

INITIATIVES
Afrique centrale : Synchronisation médiatique pour la vaccination
Mali : Les médias dans la lutte contre la corruption

NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES DE L'INFORMATION
Sénégal : Les Ntic à la portée des pauvres

PLURALISME
Côte d'Ivoire : Le président Gbagbo favorable à la dépénalisation
du délit de presse
Sénégal : Dispositif d'alerte pour la couverture des élections
Mozambique : Une loi pour l'accès à l'information
Ghana : Les président Kufuor veut de meilleurs rapports avec la presse
Kenya : Plus de transparence dans l'attribution des fréquences
Zambie : Un code gouvernemental pour la couverture des élections

CYBERTHÈQUE

AGENDA

SITES DU MOIS


____________________________________________________
1 - ACTU
----------------

----------------
(créations)
----------------
BURKINA FASO

Lancement d'un magazine musical
(Panos, 30 avril 2001) Le magazine à dominante musicale _Label
Magazine_ (périodicité non précisée) a fait son apparition le
22 avril, rapporte l'Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana) dans
une dépêche publiée le jour même en français et en anglais.

Ce nouveau confrère, publié au format tabloïd sur une vingtaine de
pages dont quatre en couleurs, met l'accent sur la musique et la
jeunesse, et entend d'une manière générale promouvoir la culture
burkinabè et les arts.
_Label Magazine_ est édité par Seydoni Production, société de
production musicale qui a vu le jour en 1997.

Sources : Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana), 22/4/01
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200104230020.html> (en français) et
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200104220058.html> (en anglais)


----------------
(échos)
----------------
CÔTE D'IVOIRE

La radio-TV publique va être scindée en trois entités autonomes
(Panos, 1 mai 2001) Le 23 avril, le ministre de la Communication et
des Nouvelles technologies de l'information, Lia Bi Douayoua, a
annoncé que le gouvernement envisageait de scinder la Radiotélévision
ivoirienne (RTI, publique) en trois entités autonomes, afin « de
rendre la machine RTI moins lourde et surtout d'assainir la gestion ».

Selon Mme Bernadette Bah, qui rapporte cette information dans un
article de _Fraternité-Matin_ publié le 24 avril, « la télévision
ivoirienne [...] est en faillite », avec une « dette qui s'élève à
plus de 15 milliards de FCFA ». La vétusté et l'inadaptation de ses
équipements en brident la qualité, tandis que les « effectifs
pléthoriques » (950 agents) et la masse salariale colossale en
obèrent la rentabilité.

Le projet de restructuration prévoit la création de trois sociétés
autonomes. La télévision regroupera la Première (chaîne généraliste),
TV2 (chaîne thématique, de débats et de variétés) et la chaîne
régionale de Bouaké. La radio regroupera elle aussi trois entités :
la chaîne nationale, Fréquence 2 et la chaîne régionale de Bouaké.
Enfin, une société de diffusion proposera ses services à la radio et
à la télévision publiques, mais aussi aux opérateurs privés qui
feront appel à elle. L'éclatement de la radiotélévision publique en
trois sociétés autonomes rendra ces futures sociétés plus faciles à
gérer et leur donnera une taille humaine.

En attendant, le gouvernement va injecter 186 millions de FCFA au
sein de la RTI dans les jours qui viennent, afin de « réparer et
renouveler l'équipement de la RTI endommagé lors du coup d'État de
décembre 1999 et des autres tentatives de coup de force ». Le
prochain budget de fonctionnement de la RTI bénéficiera lui aussi
d'une dotation de 250 millions de FCFA, et 450 millions lui seront
alloués au titre des liaisons satellitaires de l'opérateur américain
Comsat.

Source : Fraternité-Matin, 24/4/01 <http://www.fratmat.co.ci/story.asp?ID=4891>

Ressources
--------------
Radiotélévision ivoirienne (RTI) : http://www.rti.ci/


----------------
(échos)
----------------
CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Prochaine restructuration du groupe Fraternité-Matin
(Panos, 1 mai 2001) Le gouvernement va faire procéder à un audit du
groupe Fraternité-Matin, afin d'en cerner les forces et les
faiblesses, puis de le restructurer en profondeur, rapporte l'Agence
panafricaine d'information (Pana) dans une dépêche du 19 avril
publiée en français et en anglais.

L'audit et la restructuration qui s'ensuivra devront mettre un terme
à l'endettement du groupe public, assainir ses finances et moderniser
ses machines, ses installations et son parc informatique.

Selon le ministre de la Communication et des Nouvelles technologies
de l'information, Lia Bi Douayoua, l'impact social du futur plan de
restructuration aura pour effet de « revoir la situation de certains
éléments du personnel, dont les pigistes et les personnes en âge
d'aller à la retraite ».

Le groupe Fraternité-Matin a vu le jour en 1963 et publie les
quotidiens _Fraternité-Matin_ (créé le 9 décembre 1964) et
_Ivoir'Soir_ (créé en 1987), et les magazines _Femme d'Afrique_,
_Stades d'Afrique_ et _Auto Magazine_.

Sources : Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana), 19/4/01
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200104190080.html> (en français) et
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200104190341.html> (en anglais)

Ressources
--------------
Fraternité-Matin : http://www.fratmat.co.ci/
Ivoir'Soir : http://www.ivoirsoir.ci/


----------------
(échos)
----------------
LIBERTÉS

RSF publie son rapport annuel
(Panos, 3 mai 2001) Comme chaque année depuis dix ans, le 3 mai est
estampillé Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse. Une
manifestation ponctuée par de nombreux événements, dont l'un des
principaux est la publication du rapport annuel de Reporters sans
frontières (RSF).

Et comme chaque année, le rapport 2001 de RSF note des évolutions
très contrastées en matière de liberté de la presse, tant en Afrique
que dans le reste du monde. Le millésime 2001, à l'instar de ses
prédécesseurs, hésite entre l'optimisme prudent et la franche
déception. On trouvera ci-dessous un aperçu du rapport de RSF tel
qu'il transparaît à travers son introduction générale et son
introduction pour l'Afrique.

Le contexte mondial
Dans maints endroits du globe, les « deux grands ressorts de la
répression » les plus efficaces sont encore « la confiscation de
l'information par le pouvoir et la légitimation de la répression par
des lois liberticides ».

Ces lois deviennent liberticides dès lors que les « gouvernements
font de la nécessaire législation sur la diffamation ou l'atteinte à
la dignité des personnes » un « usage abusif ». Quand il ne s'agit
pas, tout simplement, de dévoyer les lois sur la presse en inventant
« des délits subjectifs, c'est-à-dire des délits dont la matérialité
dépend entièrement du point de vue de l'autorité qui poursuit ». Un
délit de sale gueule journalistique dont les appellations officielles
seront ici « la dissémination de fausses nouvelles », là « le trouble
à l'ordre public et l'incitation au désordre », ou encore
l'« atteinte au moral de l'armée ». « Faire état d'une manifestation,
surtout si c'est une manifestation de protestation contre le
gouvernement », peut suffire à mener un journaliste en prison. « Dans
certains États du Nigeria » qui ont adopté la charia, « les
journalistes encourent des peines de bastonnade s'ils portent
"atteinte à la morale islamique" », précise RSF.

Le contexte africain
Au vu des statistiques africaines, RSF note que « la situation de la
presse s'est améliorée » et que « le nombre de journalistes tués et
interpellés a considérablement diminué » en l'an 2000. L'an dernier,
explique RSF, six journalistes ont été tués (dont trois en Sierra
Leone) dans l'exercice de leur profession et deux autres ont trouvé
la mort dans des circonstances non élucidées, soit presque trois fois
moins qu'en 1999.

« Les plus grandes prisons du continent » sont l'Éthiopie (sept
journalistes y sont encore emprisonnés, dont plusieurs en détention
provisoire), le Rwanda (« quatre journalistes sont toujours détenus
de manière arbitraire ») et la République démocratique du Congo
(« trois journalistes ont été condamnés à des peines allant jusqu'à
trois ans de prison par des tribunaux militaires »).

Au total, « plus de 150 journalistes ont été interpellés ou
incarcérés au cours de l'année » 2000, accusés le plus souvent de
diffusion de fausses nouvelles, de diffamation, d'incitation à la
rébellion ou d'atteinte à la sécurité nationale.

« Les pays où les interpellations ont été les plus nombreuses sont
l'Angola, la République démocratique du Congo, le Nigeria et le
Cameroun », précise RSF. Ce n'est pas un hasard, car « les conflits
armés et la corruption demeurent les principaux sujets qui entraînent
des poursuites ou des pressions contre des journalistes africains ».

RSF note que la chaîne privée kinoise Télé Kin Malebo a été
nationalisée en mars 2000, ce qui constitue une première sur le
continent.

Les gouvernements ne sont pas les seuls ennemis de la presse, car les
groupes politiques, les milices et les rébellions armées ne sont pas
en reste. Ainsi le RUF est-il « responsable de la mort de trois
journalistes en 2000 » en Sierra Leone et le RCD a-t-il détenu et
maltraité deux journalistes en République démocratique du Congo. « Au
Nigeria, les journalistes sont régulièrement pris à partie par des
milices armées proches de partis politiques ou de groupes
ethniques », signale RSF, et « au Zimbabwe », des journalistes ont
été la cible de « vétérans » et de « membres du Zanu-PF », le parti
au pouvoir.

RSF s'inquiète de ce que « l'accès des journalistes à l'information
est limité dans un certains nombre de pays » et que « la presse
gouvernementale est favorisée au détriment des journaux privés ». Les
journalistes sont parfois même « sommés par la justice ou la police
de révéler leurs sources », « l'affaire la plus grave [ayant eu] lieu
en Afrique du Sud, où la police a perquisitionné les locaux de la
télévision nationale et de plusieurs agences de presse ».

Mais la presse privée africaine n'est pas non plus exempte de
« dérives inquiétantes » et « de trop nombreux journalistes ne
respectent pas les règles élémentaires de déontologie », s'alarme
RSF. Et de préciser que « la dérive la plus importante a eu lieu en
Côte d'Ivoire où certains titres de la presse écrite ont tenu, tout
au long de l'année, des propos racistes contre les populations du
Nord majoritairement musulmanes et contre Alassane Dramane
Ouattara », l'un des ténors de l'opposition...

Et pour finir, une foule de liens...
À l'occasion de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse, de
nombreuses associations du monde entier ont organisé, organisent ou
organiseront une multitude d'événements. Le site de l'International
Freedom of Expression Exchange (http://www.ifex.org/ Ifex, Réseau
international pour la liberté d'expression) s'est doté d'une section
spéciale où un certain nombre de ces manifestations sont
répertoriées. Consultation indispensable !

De son côté, le Comité pour la protection des journalistes (CPJ) a
publié sa liste annuelle de ceux qu'il considère comme les dix
ennemis de la presse. Cette année, le président libérien Charles
Taylor et le président zimbabwéen Robert Mugabe ont rejoint
l'aréopage des dix affreux, parmi lesquels continue de figurer le
président tunisien Ben Ali.

On trouvera ci-dessous des liens concernant les pays examinés dans le
rapport 2001 de Reporters sans frontières (RSF), dans le rapport 2000
de l'Institut international de la presse (IPI, International Press
Institute) et dans le rapport 2000 de Comité pour la protection des
journalistes (CPJ, Committee to Protect Journalists).

Pages d'accueil des rapports
RSF : http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR (Rapport 2001)
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/world.html (Rapport 2000)
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/pages_att00/attacks00.html (Rapport 2000)

Introduction générale
RSF : http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/wpf_afri.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/pages_att00/intro00.html

Introduction africaine
RSF : http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/intro_africa.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/africa.html

Afrique du Sud
RSF : pas en ligne (notice présente en version papier)
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/southafr.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/South_Africa.html

Angola
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Angola
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/angola.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Angola.html

Bénin
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Benin
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/benin.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Benin.html

Botswana
RSF : néant
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/botswana.htm
CPJ : néant

Burkina Faso
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Burkina+Faso
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/burkinof.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Burkina.html

Burundi
RSF : néant
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/burundi.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Burundi.html

Cameroun
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Cameroun
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/cameroon.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Cameroon.html

Cap-Vert
RSF : néant
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/capeverd.htm
CPJ : néant

Centrafrique
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Republique+Centrafricaine
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/car.htm
CPJ : néant

Comores
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Comores
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/comorosi.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Comoros.html

Congo
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Congo
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/congo.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Congo.html

Côte d'Ivoire
RSF : URL inaccessible
(http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Cote+d)
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/ivoricoa.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Cote.html

Djibouti
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Djibouti
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/djibouti.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Djibouti.html

Érythrée
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Erythree
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/eritrea.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Eritrea.html

Éthiopie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Ethiopie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/ethiopia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Ethiopia.html

Gabon
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Gabon
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/gabon.htm
CPJ : néant

Gambie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Gambie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/gambia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Gambia.html

Ghana
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Ghana
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/ghana.htm
CPJ : néant

Guinée
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Guinee
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/guinea.htm
CPJ : néant

Guinée-Bissau
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Guinee+Bissau
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/guinea_b.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Guinea-Bissau.html

Guinée-Équatoriale
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Guinee+Equatoriale
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/equinea.htm
CPJ : néant

Kenya
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Kenya
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/kenya.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Kenya.html

Lesotho
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Lesotho
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/lesotho.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Lesotho.html

Liberia
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Liberia
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/liberia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Liberia.html

Madagascar
RSF : néant
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/madagas.htm
CPJ : néant

Malawi
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Malawi
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/malawi.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Malawi.html

Mali
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Mali
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/mali.htm
CPJ : néant

Mauritanie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=MO&pays=Mauritanie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/mauritan.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/mideast00/Mauritania.html

Mozambique
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Mozambique
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/mozamiqu.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Mozambique.html

Namibie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Namibie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/namibia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Namibia.html

Niger
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Niger
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/niger.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Niger.html

Nigeria
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Nigeria
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/nigeria.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Nigeria.html

Ouganda
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Ouganda
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/uganda.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Uganda.html

RD Congo
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=R.D.+Congo
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/drzai_.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/DRC.html

Rwanda
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Rwanda
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/rwanda.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Rwanda.html

Sénégal
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Senegal
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/senegal.htm
CPJ : néant

Sierra Leone
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Sierra+Leone
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/sierrale.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Sierra.html

Somalie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Somalie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/somalia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Somalia.html

Soudan
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=MO&pays=Soudan
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/sudan.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/mideast00/Sudan.html

Swaziland
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Swaziland
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/swazi.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Swaziland.html

Tanzanie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Tanzanie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/tanzania.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Tanzania.html

Tchad
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Tchad
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/chad.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Chad.html

Togo
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Togo
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/togo.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Togo.html

Zambie
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Zambie
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/zambia.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Zambia.html

Zimbabwe
RSF :
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR&%20region=AF&pays=Zimbabwe
IPI : http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/zimbawe.htm
CPJ : http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/africa00/Zimbabwe.html

Pays non traités dans ces rapports :
Maurice
Seychelles

Sources : Reporters sans frontières (RSF), 3/5/01
http://www.rsf.fr/rapport2001/annonces.php?langue=FR

Comité pour la protection des journalistes (CPJ)
http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/pages_att00/attacks00.html

Institut international de la presse (IPI)
http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/world.html

Ressources
--------------
Réseau Ifex (section spéciale 3-Mai) : http://www.ifex.org/wpfd/index.html

Les dix ennemis de la liberté de presse, selon le CPJ :
<http://www.ifex.org/alerts/view.html?id=8650>


----------------
(créations)
----------------
SATELLITE

Des câblo-opérateurs africains lancent une chaîne TV panafricaine francophone
(Panos, 3 mai 2001) Cela faisait plusieurs mois que l'on annonçait
l'arrivée d'une chaîne satellitaire panafricaine francophone montée
par des câblo-opérateurs africains à l'intention de leurs pairs,
Africable, dont le lancement était finalement prévu le 24 avril,
après plusieurs reports successifs et des essais techniques depuis le
début du mois d'avril.

Dans son édition datée du 26 avril, le bulletin suédois _Lyngsat_
confirme que la jeune chaîne est bel et bien montée à bord du
satellite NSS 803 (338,7° Est, en Mpeg-2 clair, polarisation
circulaire droite ,à 4 055 MHz selon _Lyngsat_ ou à 4 058 MHz selon
Africable), satellite sur lequel se trouve déjà le bouquet numérique
francophone Le Sat.

La chaîne Africable a été mise sur pied par plusieurs
câblo-opérateurs membres de l'Association des opérateurs privés de
télévision d'Afrique (Opta). Pour ce faire, ils ont auparavant créé,
le 11 octobre 2000, la société Africable Network, dont le siège est à
Bamako. Les principaux investisseurs d'Africable Network sont des
rediffuseurs TV opérant au Bénin (TV+ et ATV), à Djibouti (Djibnet),
au Mali (Multicanal) et au Togo (Média Plus).

Le président d'Africable Network est Ismaïla Sidibé, par ailleurs
secrétaire général de l'Opta, président du réseau MMDS (télévision
par micro-ondes) bamakois Multicanal et directeur général de Mali
Télévision.

La vocation d'Africable est d'être reprise « en exclusivité » par les
réseaux privés MMDS et câblés d'Afrique subsaharienne « répondant à
certains critères de qualité et de déontologie ». Toutefois, précise
Africable, « dans un avenir plus ou moins proche, la chaîne pourra
être reprise dans des bouquets » en réception directe par satellite.
Des « négociations » en ce sens « sont déjà très avancées » avec
« des projets en bande KU » tels que « le projet francophone de
CFI/Portinvest et le projet anglophone Multichoice ».

La chaîne Africable sera commercialisée auprès de ses rediffuseurs
pour un prix mensuel avoisinant les 1 000 FCFA par abonné, ce qui
devrait garantir aux abonnés un tarif d'abonnement compétitif.

L'objectif d'Africable est « d'offrir aux populations subsahariennes
des programmes qui soient plus en harmonie avec leurs goûts et leurs
revenus que les chaînes du Nord actuellement reçues sur le
Continent ». Il s'agit aussi de « promouvoir des échanges de
programmes entre les production africaines (dont celles des chaînes
nationales) et les chaînes de l'outre-mer francophone, dans le cadre
du partenariat avec RFO » (Réseau France outre-mer).

Outre les quatre partenaires fondateurs, les rediffuseurs potentiels
incluent huit réseaux membres de l'Opta répartis dans autant de pays,
et des réseaux de six autres pays actuellement en cours d'évaluation.
Soit une vingtaine de pays et un parc de 50 000 abonnés potentiels.

Africable est avant tout une chaîne à caractère familial et émet tous
les jours de 9 h 30 du matin jusqu'à 2 h du matin (toutes heures
indiquées en temps universel). Sa programmation actuelle fait la part
belle à la musique, avec environ cinq heures par jour de rythmes
africains, antillais et afro-cubains. La grille des programmes
initialement prévue met en outre l'accent sur des émissions grand
public :

« --> Un film ou téléfilm chaque soir, rediffusé le jour suivant à 14 h 30 ;
--> des documentaires, séries, télénovelas et dessins animés à partir
de 18 h, également rediffusés le lendemain à partir de 12 h ;
--> la cuisine, la mode, l'art et la culture de tous les pays du Sud
seront au rendez-vous chaque soir à partir de 17 h 30. »

Africable Network a conclu des accords techniques avec deux
prestataires français : RFO pour le formatage et la plateforme de
diffusion numérique, et France Télécom pour le codage en Mpeg-2/DVB,
le cryptage en Viaccess, le multiplexage et le transport du signal
sur le satellite NSS 803.

Le chiffre d'affaires et le seuil de rentabilité prévisionnels n'ont
pas été dévoilés. On sait toutefois que, outre la redevance des
abonnements, Africable se financera par la publicité et par le
parrainage direct de certaines émissions.

La chaîne Africable a pour slogan « La chaîne du Continent ». Tout un
programme...

Sources : Lyngsat, 26/4/01 et Africable, 4/01

Ressources
--------------
Lyngsat : http://www.lyngsat.com/

NSS 803 : http://www.lyngsat.com/nss803.shtml

Africable : http://www.africable.net/

Association des opérateurs privés de télévision d'Afrique (Opta) :
http://www.multi-canal.com/opta/index.html

Multicanal : http://www.multi-canal.com/

Canal France international (CFI) : http://www.cfi.fr/

Multichoice : http://www.multichoice.co.za/

Réseau France outre-mer (RFO) : http://www.rfo.fr/

----------------
(créations)
----------------
AFRIQUE CENTRALE

Des journalistes fondent une association sous-régionale
(Panos, 7 mai 2001) Réunis le 5 mai à Windhoek (Namibie) pour une
conférence sur la liberté de la presse, des associations de médias,
des organes de presse et des journalistes en ont profité pour créer
l'Organisation des médias d'Afrique centrale (Omac), rapporte
l'Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana) dans une dépêche du 5 mai.

Les membres fondateurs de l'Omac sont issus de huit pays d'Afrique
centrale : Burundi, Cameroun, Centrafrique, Gabon,
Guinée-Équatoriale, RD Congo, Rwanda et Tchad.

Un bureau provisoire a été créé en vue de préparer l'assemblée
générale de l'association, qui aura lieu dans six mois à Yaoundé
(Cameroun). L'Omac siège pour l'instant à Bujumbura (Burundi), son
secrétaire général provisoire étant un journaliste burundais, Cyprien
Ndikumana. Son confrère Modeste Mutinga, de la République
démocratique du Congo, a été temporairement nommé président.

L'Omac a pour principaux objectifs de promouvoir et de défendre la
liberté de la presse (un mécanisme sous-régional d'alerte est en
gestation), d'assister les organes de presse dans leur développement
économique et technique, d'étoffer leurs aptitudes professionnelles
par la formation des journalistes, et de renforcer la solidarité
entre les professionnels des médias.

Source : Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana), 5/5/01
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200105050075.html>


----------------
(échos)
----------------
CÔTE D'IVOIRE

_Le Jour_ au bord de l'éclatement
(Panos, 8 mai 2001) Mis en minorité le 2 mai par l'assemblée générale
des actionnaires, Jérôme Diégou Bailly, directeur de la publication
et gérant du quotidien _le Jour_, a été démis de son poste de gérant
mais conserve la propriété du nom de son journal. Il pourra donc
créer un nouveau journal du même nom, tandis que les autres
actionnaires devront créer un nouveau titre, rapporte Bally M. Ferro
dans un article de _Soir-Info_ publié le 4 mai.

_Le Jour_ est édité par les Éditions du soleil, société à
responsabilité limitée au capital de 5 millions de francs CFA dont
Diégou Bailly ne détient que 35 % des parts. L'assemblée générale du
2 mai l'a mis en minorité face à un pacte réunissant le principal
actionnaire, Ela Actions (50 %), et Coulibaly Biahimary (10 %),
directeur administratif et financier qui a démissionné le 17 avril ;
le personnel (5 %) s'est abstenu.

Les Éditions du soleil publient trois titres, dont le quotidien _le
Jour_ et le mensuel _Sentiers_. Le départ de Diégou Bailly contraint
les autres actionnaires à relancer le quotidien sous un nouveau nom,
tandis que le fondateur du journal pourra en conserver le titre s'il
souhaite créer un nouveau journal. En attendant, _le Jour_ a cessé le
paraître le 24 avril et ne reparaîtra pas jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Quant
à son site web, il est en jachère depuis le 9 avril.

Les associés du _Jour_ reprochent à Diégou Bailly « sa mauvaise
gestion », alors que ce dernier dénonce « des abus de biens sociaux
de l'ordre de 200 millions de FCFA », « porte plainte contre [...]
Coulibaly Biahimary » et « va diligenter un audit pour faire le point
de la situation du journal ».

Entre-temps, Diégou Bailly, cité par notre confrère, recherche « des
partenaires voulant faire un journal indépendant », pour parution
« dans un délai raisonnable ».

Le Far West capitalistique et rédactionnel que connaît ce pionnier de
la presse indépendante a pour origine l'éclatement de la coalition
politique qui unissait le Front populaire ivoirien (FPI) et le
Rassemblement des républicains (RDR) quand ces partis étaient tous
deux dans l'opposition. Le FPI est maintenant au pouvoir et ses
relations avec son ancien allié sont devenues quasi haineuses. La
presse ivoirienne d'informations générale, très politisée, s'en fait
le reflet à travers ses colonnes. Partagé entre chèvre et chou, le
_Jour_ n'a pas su trancher entre les pro-FPI et les pro-RDR de sa
rédaction, et sa ligne éditoriale flottante lui a fait perdre « 40 %
de ses recettes publicitaires et de ses ventes ». L'article de Bally
M. Ferro donne un compte rendu saisissant des luttes politiques qui
ont sapé la vitalité du _Jour_.

Diégou Bailly en a tiré les leçons. « Je ne céderai pas sur la
liberté et l'indépendance de la presse. Je ne vais pas me laisser
marcher sur les pieds par des gens qui veulent infantiliser le
métier », déclare-t-il, cité par notre confrère.

_Le Jour_ a été créé en 1994. Héraut d'une presse indépendante de
qualité, son souci de rigueur et son professionnalisme lui avaient
forgé une réputation flatteuse. On le comparait parfois au _Monde_
français et au _Times_ britannique...

Source : Soir-Info, 4/5/01
<http://www.presseci.com/soirinfo/articles/3336-2008.html>

Ressources
--------------
Le Jour : http://www.lejour.ci/ (ce site n'est plus actualisé)


----------------
(échos)
----------------
CAP-VERT

Aide gouvernementale en vue pour l'audiovisuel et l'agence de presse
(Panos, 10 mai 2001) En marge de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de
la presse, le nouveau gouvernement a fait savoir qu'il prendrait
bientôt des mesures en faveur des médias, notamment publics, rapporte
l'Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana) dans une dépêche du 4 mai.

Jorge Tolentino Araujo, secrétaire d'État adjoint au Premier
ministre, a déclaré que le gouvernement étendrait la zone de
couverture de la radio et de la télévision publiques à l'ensemble de
l'archipel. Pour ce faire, le gouvernement entend y « améliorer les
conditions techniques et matérielles», précise la dépêche.

L'Agence capverdienne de presse (Inforpress selon la Pana, Cabopresse
selon notre documentation) bénéficiera aussi de la sollicitude
gouvernementale et sera renforcée « pour lui permettre de devenir une
source d'information crédible pour toutes les entreprises de presse
du pays et les Capverdiens établis à l'étranger ».

Source : Agence panafricaine d'information (Pana), 4/5/01
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200105040250.html>


____________________________________________________
INITIATIVES
----------------
Les initiatives menées dans le domaine de l'information et de la
communication pour vulgariser et promouvoir le développement.
----------------

AFRIQUE CENTRALE
Synchronisation médiatique pour la vaccination

Les média d'Afrique centrale ont été appelés à travailler de concert
pour sensibiliser les populations, dans le cadre des Journées
nationales de vaccination qui seront synchronisées entre l'Angola, la
République démocratique du Congo, le Congo et le Gabon.

Il s'agira surtout, pour les journalistes, de couvrir les zones
frontalières où les fréquents déplacements de population ne
permettent pas une bonne couverture vaccinale. La presse est invitée
à donner des contenus positifs aux informations diffusées pour
emporter l'adhésion des populations, et à utiliser les langues
locales pour plus d'impact.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200104230134.html


MALI
Les médias dans la lutte contre la corruption

Un séminaire sur la corruption a été organisée à l'intention des
journalistes maliens. Les professionnels des médias publics et privés
maliens ont été éclairés sur des sujets comme « l'histoire de la
lutte anti-corruption au Mali », « le mécanisme de préservation et de
répression de la corruption », « la législation malienne en matière
de corruption », « les partis politiques et la corruption ».

Les travaux ont aussi porté sur la maîtrise du journalisme d'investigation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200104250197.html


____________________________________________________
NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES DE L'INFORMATION
----------------
L'actualité, les évolutions et les applications des nouvelles
technologies de l'information et de la communication.
----------------

SÉNÉGAL
Les Ntic à la portée des pauvres

Le projet Joko, que le musicien sénégalais Youssou Ndour a lancé pour
réduire la fracture numérique entre riches et pauvres, a débuté. Le
chanteur veut en effet ouvrir quelque trois cents clubs équipés des
outils qu'offrent les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de
la communication, dans les domaines de la micro-édition, de la
téléphonie, de la télécopie et de la connexion à Internet.

Les deux premiers « clubs Joko » installés l'ont été dans un village
et dans un quartier populaire de Dakar qui a vu naître le musicien.
Le projet de Youssou Ndour a été lancé le 23 octobre 2000, avec le
soutien de la firme Hewlett-Packard dans le cadre de son initiative
World E-Inclusion.
http://jokoclub.org/


____________________________________________________
PLURALISME
----------------
Veille sur le cadre institutionnel et réglementaire garantissant le
pluralisme de l'information.
----------------

CÔTE D'IVOIRE
Le président Gbagbo favorable à la dépénalisation du délit de presse

La célébration de la Journée mondiale de la presse a été porteuse de
bonnes nouvelles pour la presse ivoirienne. Le ministre de la
Communication et des Nouvelles Technologies a en effet annoncé une
série de mesures au profit des médias. Il ainsi déclaré que les
200 millions de francs d'aide alloués à la presse vont être inscrits
au budget 2001. Mais aussi que le président de la République
souhaitait une dépénalisation des délits de presse.

Par ailleurs la libéralisation du secteur va être renforcée, avec un
appel d'offres qui verra l'attribution de cinq fréquences pour de
nouvelles chaînes de télévision et une dizaine de fréquences pour des
radios commerciales.
http://www.fratmat.co.ci/story.asp?ID=5088


SÉNÉGAL
Dispositif d'alerte pour la couverture des élections

Pour prévenir les atteintes à la liberté de la presse, les menaces et
les violences contre les journalistes le jour des élections
législatives sénégalaises du 29 avril dernier, le Syndicat des
professionnels de l'information et de la communication du Sénégal
(Synpics) avait mis en place un dispositif d'écoute et d'alerte.

Plusieurs lignes de téléphone ont été ouvertes à cette fin,
permettant aux journalistes de signaler toutes les atteintes dont ils
sont l'objet dans l'exercice de leur fonction. L'alerte permet aux
« veilleurs » en poste de saisir aussitôt les autorités ou les
leaders politiques concernés pour un rappel à l'ordre et d'organiser
la solidarité entre confrères. Les incidents sont immédiatement
médiatisés à travers les ondes des radios. Le dispositif avait
également été mis en place lors de l'élection présidentielle de 2000.


MOZAMBIQUE
Une loi pour l'accès à l'information

Les journalistes mozambicains reconnaissent jouir d'une liberté de
presse, mais se plaignent des entraves qu'ils subissent dans l'accès
à l'information, notamment par les restrictions notées au niveau des
services de l'État.

À l'occasion de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de presse, célébrée
le 3 mai dernier, le bureau mozambicain de l'Institut des médias de
l'Afrique australe (Misa) a décidé de s'attaquer à ces barrières.
Selon le président de Misa-Mozambique, son organisation prépare un
projet de loi sur le libre accès à l'information. Il affiche son
optimisme de voir les députés mozambicains l'adopter.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200105040021.html


GHANA
Les président Kufuor veut de meilleurs rapports avec la presse

Le président ghanéen en appelle à une collaboration saine entre le
gouvernement et les médias, en vue de la construction d'une véritable
démocratie au Ghana. John Kufuor a fait cette déclaration en recevant
le bureau exécutif national de l'Association des journalistes du
Ghana.

À cette occasion, le président Kufuor a donné son accord pour la mise
à disposition d'un local au profit du centre de presse. D'autres
doléances ont été soulevées au cours de cette rencontre par le
président de l'Association des journalistes du Ghana, en particulier
la révision des taxes à l'importation sur les produits entrant dans
la fabrication du journal, qui menacent la survie de la presse.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200104260416.html


KENYA
Plus de transparence dans l'attribution des fréquences

Le gouvernement kenyan prépare une nouvelle réglementation dans le
domaine de l'audiovisuel. Selon le ministre de l'Information, le
document sera disponible dans les trois prochains mois. Cette loi est
attendue comme devant apporter plus de transparence dans
l'attribution des fréquences et renforcer la libéralisation du
secteur audiovisuel. La presse kenyane avait dénoncé le fait que des
demandes déposées par des groupes de presse locaux ont été rejetées,
alors que des groupes étrangers ont vu leurs requêtes agréées.

Selon les procédures encore en vigueur, c'est la Commission de la
communication qui gère les fréquences, alors que le ministère
s'occupe de l'attribution des licences. Le nouveau projet de loi
devrait aboutir à la centralisation des procédures. Quelque cent
vingt porteurs de projets de radiotélévision attendent leur
autorisation d'émettre. Sur les vingt-deux licences attribuées
l'année dernière, cinq stations de radiotélévision ont commencé à
émettre.
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/27042001/News/News113.html


ZAMBIE
Un code gouvernemental pour la couverture des élections

Le gouvernement zambien prépare un guide sur la couverture des
élections à l'intention des journalistes. Ces mesures, selon les
autorités, visent à prévenir certains travers relevés lors
d'élections précédentes, liés à la corruption, aux allégations de
fraude, à la désinformation, etc.

Selon le secrétaire permanent à l'Information, tous les médias qui
voudront assurer la couverture de l'élection présidentielle prévue
cette année devront se conformer à ces principes généraux, tels que
le respect de l'équilibre dans l'information.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200104250122.html


____________________________________________________
AGENDA
----------------

- DU 11 AU 15 JUIN 2001 : Formation à travers Internet sur le
reportage sur le sida

Organisée par le Centre africain des femmes dans les média. Les
connaissances des journalistes sur les questions liées au sida seront
renforcées. Les journalistes recevront aussi des conseils pratiques
pour le reportage sur le sida.

La formation s'adresse aux femmes journalistes francophones.
http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=846


- DU 2 AU 5 NOVEMBRE 2001 : Premier festival international du dessin
de presse et de la bande dessinée (Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire)

Ce festival regroupera des dessinateurs, caricaturistes et
scénaristes, pour une réflexion sur le dessin de presse et la bande
dessinée en Afrique.
http://www.assistweb.net/cocobulles


____________________________________________________
CYBERTHÈQUE
----------------

1 - Les ennemis d'Internet. Les entraves à la circulation de
l'information sur Internet

Ce rapport 2001, publié par Reporters sans frontières et
Transfert.net (février 2001, 150 p.), recense les États qui entravent
la circulation de l'information sur Internet parce qu'ils ne peuvent
plus la contrôler.
http://www.00h00.com/direct.cfm?titre=4802011801


2 - Presse et Démocratie - Numéro 7

Ouvrage collectif du service de liaison non gouvernemental du système
des Nations unies.

Les auteurs : Adovi Sokémawu John-Bosco Adotevi (journaliste
togolais) ; Godefroid Lumisa Bwiti (journaliste zaïrois) ; André
Hakizimana (journaliste burundais) ; Jean de Dieu Ndoutoum-Eyi
(journaliste gabonais) ; Jean-Martin Tchaptchet (coordinateur général
de l'ONG africaine S.O.S. Environnement à la base).
<http://www.unsystem.org/ngls/documents/publications.fr/voices.africa/number7/vfa7.01.htm>


____________________________________________________
SITES DU MOIS
----------------

GBICH !

Découvrez la société ivoirienne à travers l'humour savoureux des
dessinateurs de ce journal satirique.
http://www.assistweb.net/gbich


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More...

patrick earle

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1146

Wyva Hasselblad

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1171

Africultures Lettre d'information

2001-05-21

http://www.africultures.com

Semaine du 18.05.01 au 27.05.01.
Lettre d'information 21/2001
semaine du 18.05.01 au 27.05.01


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 1640 abonnés volontaires 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.

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

Festival de Cannes du 9 au 19 mai : cette année encore, un reportage
africulturel quotidien sur www.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 * RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS EN COURS


Paris :
- Expositions des sculptures de l'artiste guinéen Oppo, Galerie
Allaire-Aigret, du 03 mai au 30 juin. Egalement, un film sur l'artiste
"Portrait d'artiste - Oppo" d'Elsie Haas sera projeté le 7 juin à 18h.
- Exposition "Arts d'Afrique", Musée Dapper, jusqu'au 30 juin. Cette
exposition inaugure le nouvel espace du musée.
- Julien Sinzogan, Galerie Agbé & Gbalicam, du 27 avril au 29 mai. Julien
Cossi Sinzogan (Bénin).
- Ousmane Sow, Musée Dapper, du 26 avril au 30 juin. Les trois premiers
bronzes d'Ousmane Sow exposés au Musée Dapper. www.ousmanesow.com
- Nicholas et Anderson Mukomberanwa, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, du 04
mai au 15 juin. Deux générations de sculpteurs du Zimbabwe. www.art-e.net
- Mohamed Khadda, Centre culturel algérien, du 16 mai au 08 juin. Le 16 mai
: Commémoration du 10ème anniversaire de la disparition de Mohamed Khadda -
vernissage 19h. Exposition de peintures, aquarelles et gravures de Mohamed
Khadda. www.cca-paris.com
- Claude Makelela, Espace Rives inédites, du 15 mai au 14 juin. Claude
Makelela est peintre, originaire du sud-est du Congo ; autodidacte, c'est
dans l'artisanat des villages qu'elle a appris de nombreuses techniques de
création. Elle a choisi une expression abstraite d'où surgissent des
personnages et des signes symboliques : elle peint ses émotions, un monde
qui évoque la nostalgie, un parcours intérieur à la recherche d'un passé.

Régions :
- 18 - "Émergences des Écritures", Sancerre, du 28 avril au 31 mai,
peintures récentes d'Askett, peintre et sculpteur ivoirien.
- 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.
- 83 - Darrah, Maison communale Gérard Philippe, La Garde, du 12 au 20 mai.
Darrah, le peintre résidant à Lomé / Togo présentera ses ouvres dans le
cadre du 18ème Rendez-vous des Jeunes Plasticiens à La Garde (Var), organisé
par l'Association Elstir et la ville de La Garde. Graffiti, tags, mots,
personnages en forme de martiens doux et insolents, jaillissement de
couleurs...
- 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.


Afrique :

- Côte d'Ivoire - Foire Internationale Africaines des Arts Plastiques,
Abidjan, du 09 au 26 mai. Pour sa seconde édition, la FIAAC prend de
l'ampleur et acquiert une dimension internationale en présentant douze
peintres et deux photographes d'Afrique du Sud, du Nigéria, du Mali, du
Ghana, du Burkina Faso, du Sénégal et de Côte d'Ivoire. La foire 01 sera
l'occasion d'exposition des ouvres destinées à la vente, d'animations
pédagogiques ainsi que de créations. Les manifestations se dérouleront
essentiellement au centre culturel français et à l'Hôtel Ivoire.


Monde :
- Belgique - Exit Congo Museum, Tervuren, jusqu'au 24 juin. Une exposition
où dialoguent ethnographie et art contemporain.
- Autriche - Peintres du Congo 1990 - 2000, Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienne,
du 01 fév. au 01 juil. 2001. www.ethno-museum.at
- USA - Uganda's International Art Renaissance, The Art Room, San Francisco,
du 01 mai au 31 mars 2002. East Africa's visual history is redefined by
international expansion of Uganda's postwar art renaissance. Leading artists
of this movement offer renewed perspectives for their growing global
audience in the 21st century. Featured artists include James Kitamirike, Dan
Sekanwagi, David Kibuuka, Bruno Sserunkuuma, Fred Makubuya, and Derek
Kaggwa. Exhibited works scheduled to change periodically during exhibition.
www.theartroom-sf.com
- Suisse - 5000 ans de figures humaines - cent regards sur les collections
Barbier-Mueller, Genève, 02 avril au 15 oct.
- Allemagne - De Douala à Berlin, 2yK Galerie, Berlin, du 03 mai au 03 juin.
Avec Cercle Kaspiki, Blaise Bang, Salifou Lindou, Jules Wokam, Hervé Yamguen
et Hervé Youmbi .


CINEMA * PARIS


- 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

- "Lumumba" de Raoul Peck, Centre culturel algérien, le 22 mai. Diffusion du
film dans le cadre de la célébration de la journée de l'Afrique.
www.cca-paris.com

- Les années Pop : cinéma et politique, Bibliothèque d'information publique,
du 23 au 25 mai. La Bpi présente un cycle de films documentaires sur le
thème cinéma et politique durant les années Pop, de 1956 à 1970. Parmi les
48 projections : le 23 mai à 20h30 : "Moi, un Noir", Jean Rouch, 1958. Le 24
mai à 17h : "Afrique 50", René Vautier, 1950, "Les Maîtres fous", Jean
Rouch, 1955.

- Ciné-débat citoyen, "Vivre au Paradis" de Bourlem Guerdjou, cinéma La
Pagode, le 19 mai. La Ligue de l'Enseignement et La Fédération des Ouvres
Laïques de Paris, organisent ce débat. Séance suivie d'un débat avec Brahim
Benaïcha (scénariste du film) et Jean-Luc Einaudi (historien et auteur de
nombreux ouvrages liés à l'Algérie contemporaine). Avec la participation d'
Ecrans-Nord-Sud.


CINEMA * REGIONS


- 16 - Rencontre débats autour de "Circus Baobab", Barbezieux, les 21 et 22
Mai. Présence de Laurent Chevallier au cinéma le Club de Barbezieux pour des
séances scolaires et tout public.

- Cannes - Festival de Cannes, du 09 au 19 mai. Seul film africain en
sélection officielle : "Hijack Stories," d'Oliver Schmitz (Afrique du Sud)
à Un certain regard. La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs a sélectionné "Fatma",
premier film de Khaled Ghorbal (Tunisie) ainsi que "Bintou", court métrage
de Regina Fanta Nacro (Burkina Faso, grand prix du court métrage au
Fespaco). La Quinzaine organise en outre une séance spéciale pour Carmen
Guey (Joe Gaye Ramaka, Sénégal) le 19 mai à 17 h 30 au Noga Hilton. Le film
sortira par contre le 27 juin en France (Euripide Distribution). Cannes
Junior a retenu Bàttu, de Cheick Oumar Sissoko (Mali), Sia, le rêve du
python de Dani Kouyaté (Burkina Faso) et Les Siestes Grenadines, de Mahmoud
Ben Mahmoud (Tunisie), ainsi qu'un court métrage : Premier noël de Kamel
Shérif (Tunisie). On note également en présentation officielle hors
compétition le film tourné par l'Iranien Abbas Kiarostami en Afrique : ABC
Africa

- Tournée - Ciné-contes, avec Racines noires, du 21 au 29 mai : 11
représentations en Charente.


CINEMA * AFRIQUE


- Afrique du Sud - Soweto Film Festival, Soweto, du 23 au 26 mai.
thelma@iafrica.com


DANSE * REGIONS


- Tournée - Yelemba, la troupe ivoirienne Yelemba est en tournée de mai en
juillet, le 19 mai : Ris Orangis (91) - Festival Musiques et danses du
Monde, le 20 mai : Paris (75) - Festival Le Printemps des Rues. Le 23 mai :
La Roche sur Yon (85) - Festival Positive Vibrations, le 25 mai : Angers
(49) - Festival Tous en scènes (Création Akeikoi from Connexion), le 26 mai
: Poligny (39) - Le Moulin de Brainans et les 28 et 29 mai : Winterthur
(Suisse) - Afro-Pfingsten Festival.

- 67 - Festival Nouvelles danses, Strasbourg, du 09 au 19 mai. Au programme
le spectacle de Robyn Orlin (Afrique du Sud) : Daddy, I'v seen this piece
six times 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
font mal...)


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * PARIS


- Francophonie au pluriel, 3 rue Emile-Duclaux, du 17 au 20 mai. Colloque de
l'année francophone internationale, sous le haut patronage de l'Unesco,
l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, l'Agence universitaire de
la Francophonie, le Rectorat de Paris. www.francophone.net/afi


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * REGION


- Partout en France - Festival de la citoyenneté, du 23 avril au 23 mai.
Citoyenneté, solidarité nationale et internationale, intégration, luttes
contre toutes les formes de discrimination. sont les thèmes des différents
projets qui ont été labellisés pour le festival se déroulant dans tous les
départements. www.conseildelajeunesse.org

- 67 - 5 colloque de l'AEFECO : L'Europe et la Francophonie, les
francophonies et l'Europe, Faculté des Lettres de l'Université Marc Bloch,
Strasbourg, du 21 au 26 mai.

- 67 - Journée culturelle des Antilles, Strasbourg, le 19 mai. Le cercle
européen de représentation des Antilles-Guyane organise une journée
culturelle autour des Antilles. Une conférence-débat sur le thème "La
Guadeloupe et la Martinique - Histoire - culture - Traditions et modernité"
sera animé par M. Jacques Adelaïde-Merlande, Président de la Société
d'Histoire de la Guadeloupe et M. Léo Elisabeth, Président de la Société
d'Histoire de la Martinique.


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * MONDE


- Belgique - Le Noir du Blanc, Images des Noirs dans la culture populaire
occidentale, Rue Haute 139, Bruxelles, du 20 avril au 27 mai. "Le Noir du
Blanc" présente une version de la grande exposition créée à Amsterdam au
Tropenmuseum en décembre 1989. Douze ans plus tard, cette exposition n'a
rien perdu de son actualité. Elle nous montre la naissance, la vie, la mort
ou la survie des images des Noirs dans les sociétés du Nord. Les médias les
plus divers véhiculent des préjugés, obsessions et stéréotypes qui se sont
ancrés dans nos cultures et nos consciences, souvent depuis l'enfance et à
notre insu. http://www.internationaalhuis.be/htmlfr/index.html

- Angleterre - Congrès mondial du Conseil International d'Etudes
Francophones, Portland, du 26 mai au 02 juin.
http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/cief

- Suisse - La Reine de Saba - Bilqîs - Mâkedâ : une légende noire et dorée,
Musée d'ethnographie, Genève, du 18 mai au 28 juin. Il était une fois une
reine noire qui rendit visite au roi Salomon ... , Les fouilles
archéologiques de l'ancienne Arabie du Sud, les textes sacrés des trois
cultures monothéistes, les chroniqueurs royaux d'Éthiopie, d'Orient et
d'Occident, artistes et poètes de tous temps ont nourri la légende de la
reine de Saba. Elle anima également les visions d'émancipation noire aux
USA. Cette exposition révélera les multiples visages de cette figure
féminine universelle.


LITTERATURE * PARIS


- Ambassade du Burkina Faso, le 26 mai de 11h à 16 h : Journée littéraire
"Littérature africaine et développement".


LITTERATURE * REGION


- 13 - Algérie, écritures contemporaines, Arles, Manosque, Digne, Marseille,
Martigues, du 16 au 22 mai. L'association libraires du Sud à Marseille
propose une manifestation en région autour de la littérature algérienne de
langue arabe et de langue française. Programme : Le 18 mai : Grande soirée
consacrée à l'Algérie à l'espace Ecureil à Marseille : "Algérie, regards
intérieurs". Présentation du quatrième numéro de la Pensée de Midi animée
par Thierry Fabre, débat sur la littérature algérienne avec Leïla Sebbar,
Waciny Lâredj, Salim Bachi, Faouzia Laradi, les Editions Barzakh avec Selma
Hellal, Sofiane Hadjaj, Areski Mellal, Lazhari Labter. Le 19 mai :
Rencontre avec "Les femmes et la littérature de fiction" en collaboration
avec le CIDIM et l'Association Chebba dans les quartiers nord avec Leïla
Sebbar et Maïssa Bey. Rencontre sur la poésie algérienne au centre
international poésie Marseille avec Lazhari Labter, Faouzia Laradi, Nacer
Safane, Nacera Tolba (qui fera la présentation et une lecture). Le 21 mai :
Rencontre au Collège International des Traducteurs Littéraires à Arles avec
Waciny Lâredj et sa traductrice Catherine Charruau, Faouzia Laradi,
Abdelkader Djemaï, Selma Hellal, Assia Moussaï animé par Claude Bleton. Le
22 mai : Martigues. Rencontres en collaboration avec la librairie Alinéa, la
Médiathèque, La Maison des jeunes et de la Culture et l'Association A.S.T.I.
Rencontre à la Médiathèque avec Boualem Sansal et le club de lecture.
Lecture et débat à l'A.S.T.I. avec Faouzia Laradi. Rencontre à la
M.J.C.C./Débat autour de l'histoire-mémoire avec Boualem sansal, un
historien ou un sociologue (comme Benjamin Stora) animé par Nadjib Touaïbia
(La Marseillaise).

- 34 - La Comédie du Livre, place de la Comédie, Montpellier, du 18 au 20
mai. La Comédie du Livre Thème : la francophonie - Ville : Alger - Pays :
l'Egypte. Très nombreux écrivains annoncés, parmi lesquels Yasmina Khadra,
Maïssa Bey, Assia Djebar, Edouard El Kharrat, Gamal Ghitani, .

- 59 - Café littéraire avec Raharimanana, Café le Salséro, Lille, le 25 mai.
Parlons ensemble d'Afrique, sur le thème de "Littérature et Mémoire".
Raharimanana est le co-auteur de l'article "Pour une Afrique désirable". Ses
nouvelles ont déjà servi à évoquer Madagascar et ailleurs. Cette fois
Raharimanana s'aide du roman pour visiter la mémoire de son ïle avec "Nour,
1947" paru aux éditions Le Serpent à Plumes. Avec la participation musicale
de "Melle Clotilde"

- Guyane - 3ème Salon du Livre et du Multimédi@ de Cayenne, du 16 au 20 mai.
Pour le 3ème Salon du Livre et du Multimédia de Cayenne, l'association
Promolivres a choisi Haïti comme invité d'honneur. Cette manifestation se
veut un événement culturel pluridisciplinaire où l'écriture et la lecture
auront une place de choix. Après le Brésil en 1999, Haïti, à travers sa
jeune génération d'écrivains, est à l'honneur en 2001 en Guyane. Comme lors
des deux précédents salons les écrivains en provenance d'Haïti, du Québec,
de Cuba, des Antilles, de France hexagonale et d'ailleurs seront présents
aux côtés de tous les auteurs de la Guyane pour rencontrer le grand public
sur les stands des éditeurs et des libraires. Aux activités habituelles
(séances de signatures, rendez-vous avec les auteurs au café littéraire du
Salon, rencontres dans les établissements scolaires et à l'Université,
conférences, etc.), vient s'ajouter une journée professionnelle, le jeudi 17
mai, durant laquelle se dérouleront des tables rondes à destination de tous
les professionnels de la chaîne du livre et de la lecture qui auront l'
occasion de réfléchir ensemble sur des thèmes de fond et des sujets d'
actualité se rapportant à leur activité. Le multimédia occupera une place
de choix à l'intérieur du Salon où les professionnels présenteront les
dernières nouveautés en matière de sites Internet et de cédéroms. Un
important volet animation consacré à la jeunesse sera déployé par le biais d
'ateliers : d'illustration, de calligraphie, de reliure, d'initiation à l'
informatique, de contes etc., qui seront proposés aux jeunes visiteurs du
Salon... En outre, cette année, le Salon a décidé de rendre hommage à un
écrivain guyanais qui à cette occasion sera célébré comme il se doit.
promolivreGuyane@wanadoo.fr - www.promolivres.fr.fm



LITTERATURE * AFRIQUE


- Nigeria - Foire du livre, Abuja, du 17 au 19 mai. La foire du livre aura
pour thème "Education : outil pour le développment national".


MODE * PARIS


- Vincennes - Festival "Black is Black" de la beauté noire, du 26 au 28
mai. Le salon réunit les exposants de plusieurs régions et pays venus
présenter les nouveaué et les créations en matière de produits, de services
liés à l'univers de la cosmétique, de la coiffure, de la mode, de la beauté
afro-caribéenne. Stylistes, créateurs et artistes s'y côtoieront.


MODE * REGION


- 92 - Défilé de mode, Lycée Mendes France, Ris Orangis, le 18 mai. Oumou
Sy, styliste sénégalaise, initiatrice du Simod (Semaine Internationale de la
Mode, du Carnaval de Dakar, et fondatrice du cybercafé Metissacana),
présentera un défilé de mode au Lycée Mendes France de Ris Orangis le
vendredi 18 mai à partir de 18h30 dans le cadre d'un opération de
coopération décentralisée menée par les élèves avec le soutien des
enseignants et du proviseur du Lycée. La soirée se déroule au bénéfice de la
construction d'une école a Banco-Donadji dans le Koulikoro au Mali.
oumousy@metissacana.sn


MUSIQUE * PARIS


- Le Divan du Monde - Le 18 mai : Soungalo Coulibali (Percu), le 18 mai :
Sound Live Faya (Tremplin ragga), le 19 mai : Noites do Brasil (Soirée
brésilienne). Le 25 mai : Deliquent Habits (Hip-Hop US). le 25 mai : Soirée
rouge, Différents styles musicaux se croiseront au cours de cette soirée :
House, Hip Hop, Ragga, la seule condition à remplir pour accéder à cette
nuit thématique : porter du Rouge. Le 26 mai : Soirée orientale.

- Au Centre culturel algérien, les 18 et 19 mai : Chant et musique chaabi
avec El-Hachemi

- Au Zénith, le 19 mai : Concert Génération Beur fm. Avec : Assia, K Mel,
113, Fadela Rabah, Asma, Akli D, Fares.

- Au Théâtre international de langues françaises , le 19 mai : Souad Massi.
Artiste phare de la nouvelle génération d'artistes algériens, elle fait
chanter la langue arabe sur des musiques proche du folk-rock.

- A Vincennes (94), le 26 mai : Salif Keita.

- Au Glaz'art, le 25 mai : Tala, musique du monde, celtique, berbère et
orientales mêlées aux sonorités du jazz moderne.

- Au Théâtre de la ville, du 26 au 28 mai : Susana Baca (Pérou). Elle est
l'héritière des esclaves africains. Collectage, enseignement,
interprétation, Susana s'emploie à réhabiliter et pérenniser ce patrimoine.
Elle que l'on nomme la "diva du Pérou noir" se situe au confluant de trois
cultures : africaine, andine et espagnole. Sa musique marie guitare
espagnole, polyrythmies africaines et instruments andins.

- Au Palais des sports, le 19 mai : L'Odyssée du zouk. Avec Edith Lefel,
Leïla Chicot, Thierry Cham, Ludo Sonia Dersion.


MUSIQUE * REGIONS


- 13 - Au Balthazar, Marseille, le 19 mai : Sons of Gaïa - Hommage à
Augustus Pablo - Reggae + Sound System Rockers, le 23 mai : Soirée Atout
13, avec Fortress (Hip-hop) et Tito & the Roots Vibrations (Reggae). Le 24
mai : À l'occasion de la commémoration de l'abolition de l'esclavage :
Karaïb Percus - Percussions Antilles + Exposition des tableaux et oeuvres de
Stéphane Cattier. Le 25 mai : Foxafunk - Funk.

- 13 - Au Docks des Sud, Marseille, le 19 mai : La fiesta des jeunes,
ateliers Musiques : hip hop, soul, afro, orientale moderne, capoeira.

- 13 - Au café 113, le 18 mai : kebendo, groupe de percussions accompagné de
danseuses africaines.

- 26 - La Cigale, Nyons, le 26 mai : Cry Freedom Family, ragga groove,
textes en créole, arabe et français, rythme afro.

- 33 - Au Nautilus, Bordeaux, le 18 mai : Fonky Family (hip hop), le 22 mai
: The Wailers (reggae).

- 33 - Soungalo Coulibaly - Cie Norbert Senou, Salle Bellegrave, Pessac, le
19 mai. Dans le cadre de la onzième rencontre africaine de Pessac en
collaboration avec Déclic Europe Afrique Noire et la ville de Pessac.
Soungalo Coulibaly, maître-tambour de renom international, est considéré à
juste titre comme l'un des plus grands joueurs de djembé du moment. Il est
de ces artistes inspirés pour qui la tradition est en perpétuel mouvement.
Il ne craint pas d'innover en mêlant les instruments des différents
répertoires traditionnels de son pays natal, le Mali, ni de rappeler la
parenté, chez lui si évidente, de ces musiques avec le jazz et le blues. En
ouverture de ce concert la Cie bordelaise de danse afro-contemporaine
Norbert Senou présentera le spectacle "Sèves de Vie" ; pièce pour trois
danseurs de formations et de cultures différentes entre danse et théâtre.
www.musiques-de-nuit.com

- 45 - A L'Astrolabe, Orléans, le 25 mai : Gnawa Diffusion.

- 47 - Au Florida, Agen, le 19 mai : Assassin (hip-hop).

- 91 - 26ème Festival de Musiques et Danses du Monde, Ris Orangis, le 19
mai. Un festival dédié aux musiques de tradition orale et aux danses
traditionnelles Il accueillera plus de 150 artistes des 5 continents, dont
notamment Yelemba, la troupe de musique et de danse traditionnelle de Côte
d'Ivoire ; Alafia, chants, percussions et danses du Brésil ; Miloud Charqui
et Massoumeh Pourmir, musique et danse égyptienne ou encore Rumbokan, danse
afrocubaine. Des stands associatifs, ateliers ainsi que des animations
sonores et bals pour les enfants sont prévus. Egalement présent le 10ème
salon-marché des musiques et danses traditionnelles. Parquet 2 : 20h30 à
21h50 : Alafia - Musique et danse du candomolé brésilien. 22h20 à 23h40 :
Miloud Charqui et Massoumeh Pourmir - Musique et danse orientales. 0h à
1h10 : Rumbokan - Musique afro-cubaine. Chapiteau : 19h à 20h20 : Yelemba
(Côte d'Ivoire).

- 92 - Au Fahrenheit, Issy-les-Moulineaux, le 18 : Marousse (Reggae Vibes) &
Ya Basta (Ska Punk)

- Tournée - Tempo Forte, les 18 et 19 mai : La Bodeguita de la salsa, St
Etienne (42), les 25 et 26 mai : El Habana Café, Toulouse (31).

- Tournée - Idir (chant kabyle), le 19 mai : Compiegne (60) Espace Jean
Legendre.

- Tournée - Geoffrey Oryema, le 18 mai : Taverny (95), le 23 mai :
Gerardmer (88).

- Tournée - Césaria Evora, le 19 mai : Lorient (56) Palais des sports de
Kervaric, le 23 mai : Brest (29) Le Quartz, théâtre de Brest

- Tournée - Boukakes, le 19 Mai Montpellier (34), le 25 Mai Perpignan
(66), le 26 Mai Vauvert (30).

- Tournée - Soriba Kouyaté, le 18 mai : Colombes, festival, le 19 mai:
Bordeaux, "musiques due nuit", Du 24 mai au 3 juin : Allemagne.

- Tournée - Les Lascars contre le sida, le 18 mai : saint -Gaudens, le 26
mai : Vienne.

- Tournée - Djoloff, le 19 mai : Mont De Marsan (40) Plein air à Mont de
Marsan, le 25 mai : Toulon (83). Zénith.

- Tournée - Les Wailers, le 20 mai : Cap d'Agde, le 22 mai : Bordeaux, le
Nautilus , le 23 mai : La Rochue sur Yon, Festival, le 25 mai : Vernouillet,
la Scène.

- Tournée - Omar Sosa, le 18 mai : théâtre de Nîmes, 19 mai : festival en
pays d'Apt (84).

- Tournée - Mama Sissoko, le 18 mai : Théâtre Jean Vilar Vitry (94) en 1è
partie de Salif Keita, le 26 mai : Festival Senteurs Africaines, St Paul les
3 Châteaux (26).

- Tournée - Wofa - percussions et danses de Guinée, le 19 mai : Palais des
Congres, Le Mans, le 23 mai : Salle Poirel, Nancy, le 26 mai : Soissons, les
29 & 30 mai : Théâtre de St. Quentin en Yvelines.

- Tournée - N'gary, les 18 et 19 mai : Nantes.

- Tournée - Mapuka, le 18 Mai : Bataclan et le 19 mai : gala universitaire,
Compiègne.

- Tournée - Ye Lassina Coulibaly, le 18 mai : Marseille.

- Tournée - Festival de l'eau, 2ème édition, le Burkina Faso, du 19 au 30
mai. Deuxième édition du Festival de l'eau "Rencontres entre musiques
traditionelles et électroniques sur le fleuve Mouhoun" Burkina Faso.
Evénement artistique culturel, le festival aspire à partager et faire
partager la richesse de toutes les formes d'art et de cultures par des
rencontres et des créations pluriculturelles et pluridisciplinaires conçues
le long des berges d'un fleuve et présentées au cours d'une tournée
internationale. La descente du Mouhon s'est déroulée entre le 13 janvier et
le 2 février 2000 réunissant un groupe d'artistes internationaux (4
continents représentés) dont la plupart utilisent les nouvelles
technologies, des artistes Burkinabés qui vivent dans les villages au bord
du fleuve. Le groupe d'artistes nomades auxquels se rajoutent les artistes
burkinabés rencontrés au bord du fleuve Mouhoun font une tournée en Europe.
Les 19 et 20 mai : Maison du livre, de l'image et du son à Villeurbanne. Les
22 et 23 mai : Festival Musique Action, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy. Les 25, 26 et
27 mai : Résidence au 102, Grenoble. Les 29 et 30 mai : le Cabaret sauvage,
Paris 19. rens. 01 40 03 75 15. www.olats.org/festival-eau


MUSIQUE * MONDE


- Tournée USA - Beù Beù, le 24 mai : au Cornelia Street Cafe, New-York., le
25 mai : au Davis Center, New-York, en première partie du concert d'Hamiett
Bluett., le 31mai : à la Knitting Factory, New York, dans le cadre du
Festival Vision.


RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS PHOTO EN COURS


Paris :
- Montreuil - Johannesburg, ombres, élections et lumière, Bibliothèque
Robert Desnos, du 27 avril au 18 mai. A l'occasion de la 2ème édition du
Festival de la Citoyenneté opération nationale, initiée par le Ministère de
la Jeunesse et des Sports, l'association MIWA présente l'exposition :
"Johannesburg, ombres, élections et lumière" de Moctar Kane,
photojournaliste. L'exposition est composée d'une trentaine de photographies
en couleur illustrant les premières élections multiraciales en Afrique du
Sud en 1994, celles de 1999, et quelques scènes de rues à Johannesburg.
miwa.asso@montreuil93.net - miwa.asso@caramail.com
- Les Dogons par les Dogons, Fnac Montparnasse, du 03 mai au 23 juin. La
découverte de la photographie par sept jeunes villageois dogons. Exposition
proposée par Antonin Potoski. Et du 3 mai au 9 juin : "Guinna Dogond",
photographies d'Agnès Pataux.


Régions :
- 14 - "Faso nord-sud", Honfleur, du 12 au 27 mai. Exposition des
photographies de Lionel Antoni au OFF des Chroniques Nomades de Honfleur 5e
festival de la photographie de voyage et d'aventure. Il présentera à cette
occasion son livre sur le Burkina-Faso "Faso nord-sud" coédité par Ebene
éditions et l'Harmattan.. ebene.edition@libertysurf.fr
- 29 - Faune et la flore de l'Afrique, Oasis-Galerie, Trémor, du 08 avril au
17 juin 2001. Tanzanie, Kenya, Namibie, Zimbabwe et de Afrique du sud.
photos de Gilles Petetin. webmaster@passions-africaines.com -
www.passions-africaines.com

Afrique
- Maroc - Ré Soupault, Galerie Al Manar, Casablanca, du 15 mai au 07 juin.
En collaboration avec l'Institut Goethe, Rabat, présentation au public
casablancais d'une exposition des travaux photographiques de Ré Soupault
(1902-1996). De superbes images réalisées par une photographe découverte
tardivement. Erna Meta Niemeyer, dite Ré Soupault, d'origine allemande,
passée par le Bauhaus, amie de Fernand Léger, de Man Ray, épouse de
Soupault, fixe l'ambiance du Paris de 1936, celui de "la Marseillaise" de
Jean Renoir, de la "Belle Equipe" et du "Jour se lève", de J. Duvivier ;
mais aussi celle du Tunis de l'époque coloniale, où Soupault a été envoyé
pour mettre sur pied une radio contrecarrant la propagande fasciste.
Villes-jardins, mondes secrets.


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * PARIS


- l'Afrique dans tous les sens, La Maroquinerie, du 15 au 20 mai. Six ans
déjà que le festival l'Afrique dans tous les sens entraîne dans un voyage
initiatique autour des 5 sens, à travers la musique, le cinéma, la
gastronomie, les arts plastiques, la mode, l'artisanat, la littérature, le
conte, les performances, la danse... Cette année à la Maroquinerie, six
jours durant où l'Afrique se décline et se vit dans tous les sens.
Africultures est partenaire du festival. Le programme détaillé se trouve
dans les pages "Evénements Africultures".

- Afrique 2001 - art, littérature, musique dans les bibliothèques de la
ville de Paris, du 09 mai au 31 août. Avec cette semaine, le 18 mai à 19h :
L'art africain à Paris, Peut-on assurer, dans la permanence, une plus grande
présence de la création contemporaine africaine à Paris ?. Avec Etienne
Féau, conservateur en chef du Musée des arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie ; Kra
Nguessan, artiste plasticien, conférencier. Bibliothèque Goutte d'Or, 18e.
Le 19 mai à 16h : Musique peule guinéenne, animation musicale par Ali Wagué
Trio (flûte tambi, balafon, kora, chant). Bibliothèque Couronnes, 20e. Le 23
mai à 15h : Contes d'Afrique avec Laurence Benedetti. Bibliothèque Fessart,
19e. Expositions, jusqu'au 31 mai : Photo, "Impressions d'Afrique", annabel
Olivier. Bibliothèque Couronnes, 20e. "La région Haoussa", photographie de
Patrick Bottequin, jusqu'au 31 mai - Bibliothèque Glacière, 13e.
parisbib@club-internet.fr


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * REGION


- 13 - Au Sud du Sud, Marseille, du 18 au 22 mai. Au Sud du Sud propose des
rencontres multiples entre le continent méditerranéen et le continent
Afrique. Le 21 mai, 19h30 : Cinéma, "La nuit noire", 3 courts et 3 longs
métrages, avec Olivier Barlet, rédacteur en chef d'Africultures. "Teug", de
Samba Félix Ndiaye, dans la série "Le trésor des poubelles", Sénégal, doc 17
mn. "Couleur Café", Henry duparc, Côte d'Ivoire, fiction, 2000. "Les Malles"
de Samba Félix Ndiaye, dans la série "Le trésor des poubelles", Sénégal, doc
14 mn. "Po di Sangui" de Flora Gomes, Guinée Bissau, 96, fiction. "Les
chutes de Ngalam" de Samba Félix Ndiaye, dans la série "Le trésor des
poubelles", Sénégal, doc 9 mn. "Le Cri du cour" de Idrissa Ouedraogo,
Burkina Faso, 94, fiction. Dernière séance à minuit. Le 22 mai, 20h30 :
Cinéma avec Olivier Barlet, "Teug", de Samba Félix Ndiaye, dans la série "Le
trésor des poubelles", Sénégal, doc 17 mn. "Nyamanton ou la leçon des
ordures" de Cheikh Omar Sissoko, Mali, fiction, 86, en présence du
réalisateur, sous réserve. 26 - Foire internationale de Valence, du 05 au 12
mai. Dans le cadre de la Foire internationale de Valence qui a lieu du 5 au
12 mai 2001, l'association Ascada propose plusieurs activités autour de
l'Afrique : artisanat, dégustations, démonstrations.

- 13 - "La Mangrove" - festival des arts de la Caraïbe, du Pacifique et de
l'Océan Indien, Marseille, du 15 au 31 mai. Théâtre, danse contemporaine,
musique, cinéma, arts plastiques, photographie et littérature sont au
rendez-vous de cette manifestation.

- 49 - Festival Alliances Urbaines, Bagneux., du 12 au 19 mai. Un festival
qui explore l'univers Hip Hop dans toutes ses disciplines : musique, danse,
graph. Un forum propose la rencontre avec les différents acteurs du
mouvement. Le 19 mai - espace Léo Ferré : BOSS Sound System, en première
partie : Djouz Corporation, Chien du Bloc, Ticka le Prêtre, Sélection Fu,
Billal Crew. Dj Bloody Money, dj Manic, Dj NV. Jusqu'à l'aube.

- 69 - Festival 6e Continent, Lyon, du 11 au 19 mai. 6e Continent, un
festival pluridisciplinaire pour la promotion des cultures du monde et
valorisation de la diversité culturelle, cette année autour du Sénégal et du
Maghreb. Le festival 6e Continent en est à sa troisième édition. Du 11 au 26
mai : Exposition d'arts plastiques avec les Algériens Nora Bounas, Sofiane à
la salle Mur Mur, le Sénégalais Pape Sow à la galerie La Rage et une
exposition collective des artistes sénégalais de St-Louis Iba Sow, Ibrahima
Condé, Bocar Sy et Jacob Yacouba à la galerie de l'Elysée. Cinéma, 18 mai à
20h30 au CNP Bellecour : Nuit cinéma avec "TGV" de Moussa Touré (Sénégal) et
"Tunisiennes" de Nouri Bouzid (Tunisie). Concerts, le 19 mai à 20h30 : Sur
la grande scène du stade du Colombier (rue Chevreul Lyon 7e), Moncif,
reggae (France-Maroc) accompagné par les musiciens d'Alpha Blondy. Walo Afro
traditionnel (Sénégal) en première partie. Le 19 mai à 0h00 au Ninkasi Café
: Rencontre entre Rachid Chatiri, un jeune Gnawa du Maroc et Dj Spider à la
Marquise. Atelier danse, 19 et 20 mai : Un atelier danse africaine avec
Doudou N'Diaye Rose Junior dans les locaux de la Cie Azanie.
festival.6continent@wanadoo.fr

- 93 - Centre culturel du Théâtre de l'Air nouveau, Pantin, du 2 mai au 29
juin : Exposition "Racines d'esclaves. Esclavage technologique", les ouvres
de Baala Samba, Guadeloupe. Le 26 mai : Théâtre "Les Enfants de la mémoire",
mise en scène : Luc Saint-Eloy, textes extraits des ouvres d'Aimé Césaire,
Léopold Sédar Senghor et des chansons de Eugène Mona.
http://perso.club-internet.fr/theanou


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * MONDE


- USA - Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington. Du 7 janvier
2001 au 6 janvier 2002 : "Encounters with the Contemporary". Du 15 avril au
7 oct 01 : "Recent Acquisitions". Du 6 mai 01 au 6 janvier 02 : "Beautiful
bodies : Form and decoration of African Pottery". Programme des rencontres
musicales, débats, projections du Musée : www.si.edu/nmafa

- Belgique - KunstenFESTIVALdesArts, Bruxelles, du 04 au 26 mai. Deux
spectacles africains au programme : Boyzie Cekwana (chorégraphe sud
africain) et William Kentridge (metteur-en-scène sud-africain).
www.kunstenfestivaldesarts.be

- Belgique - 22ème Fête des Fleurs, Place Bischoffsheim et alentours,
Bruxelles, du 19 au 20 mai. Une fête axée sur les spectacles de rue, le
café-théâtre, le bar musical. Une fête avec un prix des "Arts de la Rue"
deuxième édition, à destination de jeunes artistes. Une fête qui implique
une soixantaine d'associations et institutions installées dans la commune ou
invitées. Avec parmi les troupes programmées : Cie Les Nouveaux Disparus "La
Fiancée de l'Eau" (sous tente berbère). Al Fanfarrah - Fanfare,
Afro-soukos et Zico man - Bal Congolais, Oulad Cheikh Mohand - Musique
traditionnelle du Rif, Don Fiasko, ses bouffons et trois géants , le groupe
de percussion de Malik Choukrane, la troupe Yiri-Massa (Burkina Faso).
lavenerie@swing.be

- Allemagne - Programmation Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. Du 18 mai
au 29 juillet : The short century : independence and liberation movements in
Africa, 1945-1994. L'exposition présente une cinquantaine d'artistes
africains contemporains. Elle était précédemment présentée à la Stück Villa
de Munich. 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. La programmation détaillée est
consultable sur les sites : www.hkw.de - www.theshortcentury.com

- Suisse - Foire sud-africaine, Kongresshaus, Zürich, le 21 mai.
www.suedafrikamesse.ch - andy@kapweine.ch


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * AFRIQUE


- Comores - Komor4 Festival, Alliance Franco-Comorienne, Moroni, du 24 au
27 mai. "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. Avec trois missions par rapport à la notion de
comoriennité défendue par ses organisateurs. Renforcer les acquis culturels,
en emmenant les artistes du cru à redécouvrir le patrimoine dans une
perspective plus contemporaine. Promouvoir les expressions artistiques
engendrées par cette dynamique dans les différents pays, qui ont contribué à
construire historiquement à l'édification de la culture comorienne, de
Zanzibar au Portugal, en passant par le Yémen et la France ou l'Inde. Dans
l'autre sens, continuer le principe d'échange entre ces différentes contrées
et l'Archipel, en conviant des artistes actuels originaires de ces pays à se
produire aux Comores. Pour la première édition, le festival se veut plus
modeste. Seuls 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. 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. C'est le premier événement du genre
sur l'Archipel, en proie à une crise séparatiste depuis trois ans, qui allie
pluridisciplinarité et esprit d'échange entre les différents acteurs de la
culture sur place. Africultures est partenaire du Komor4 Festival.
twamay@yahoo.fr

- Gabon - Manifestations au CCF St Exupéry de Libreville, du 15 au 26 mai :
exposition, "Les technologies traditionnelles". A l'occasion du séminaire
interdisciplinaire annuel du Laboratoire Universitaire de la Tradition Orale
(LUTO), qui se déroule à l'université Omar Bongo du 14 au 26 mai, une
exposition sur les technologies du Gabon (traditionnelles et alternatives)
est présentée au ccf. L'approche proposée vise à réaliser un recensement
multisectoriel de toutes les potentialités techniques léguées par les
cultures traditionnelles. Le 22 mai, 18h : Conférence : Présentation du
livre de Luc Ngowet "Petites misères et grand silence. Culture et élites au
Gabon". Le 25 mai, 19h : Cyber-conférence "Développement de site et
transfert de fichiers : les outils qu'il vous faut" par Jean-Louis chabran,
ingénieur informaticien. Le ccf St Exupéry initie tous les derniers
vendredis du mois des cybers-conférences consacrées à internet. Elles visent
à apporter les connaissances au grand public pour une appropriation
effective dans ce domaine.


THEATRE * PARIS


- "1962" de Mohamed Kacimi, Théâtre du Soleil, du 04 mai au 03 juin. 1962 de
Mohamed Kacimi. Mise en scène Valérie Grail. Une création de la compagnie
Théâtre Italique. Avec Jean-Benoît Terral, Valérie Grail. Chaque
représentation se prolongera dans l'accueil du théâtre au Café de Tipasa, un
cabaret des années 60 entre Marseille et Alger, pour goûter aux saveurs, à
la poésie, et aux musiques de la Méditerranée. Parmi les invités : Teppaz,
Nadia Lakaf, Albaycin, Adama, Beidja Rahal, Ferhat. cie-italique@wanadoo.fr

- "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

- "Rue des petites daurades" de Fellag, Théâtre international de langues
françaises, le 25 mai. Printemps-Algérie au Théâtre international de langue
française. Lecture du premier roman de Fellag. Avec Fellag et Hugues
Massignat. Fellag a vécu à différents périodes dans plusieurs quartiers
populaires de Paris. Il y a rencontré des êtres magnifiques. Dans leur
retenue comme dans leur excès. "Rue des petites daurades" est leur histoire.
A 20h30.

- "Prophètes sans Dieu" de Slimane Benaïssa, Théâtre international de langue
française, du 15 au 20 mai. Printemps-Algérie au Théâtre international de
langue française. Texte et mise en scène de Slimane Benaïssa, avec Sid Amhed
Agoumi, Slimane Benaïssa, Gérald Chatelain, Rachid Brahim-Djelloul (violon),
Emmanuelle Drouet (chant). Moïse convoque les deux autres prophètes Jésus et
Mahomet pour tenir une réunion au sommet pour tenter de comprendre pourquoi
la planète va si mal aujourd'hui, alors qu'ils sont tous trois fils
d'Abraham et qu'ils prêchent le même Dieu.

- "Héloïse et Abélars", Théâtre musical du Chatelet, du 16 au 22 mai. Cet
opéra est d'Ahmed Essyad, compositeur marocain.

- "Le Tiers restant" de Mohamed Zaoui, Théâtre des Songes, du 11 mai au 02
juin. Mise en scène de Laurence Labrouche. Avec : Reda Atmani, Abed Fralhia,
Christophe Salles, Didier Tanguy et Anne Touati. Et les musiciens : Farid
Belkadi (chant et bendir) et Tahar Hani (chant, luth et conception de la
trame musicale de la pièce)/ Une pièce qui raconte le drame algérien à
travers l'histoire de Tayeb "l'errant".


THEATRE * AFRIQUE


- Côte d'Ivoire - 2ème festival International de Marionnettes pour enfants,
Abidjan, du 14 au 27 mai.



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 22 sur TV5 Europe à 21h05 : Temps présent - "Fric, Afrique et Sida".
reportage de Bertrand Theubet et Alec Feuz. Dans les pays occidentaux, les
trithérapies ont fait des miracles et le taux de mortalité des malades du
Sida a chuté de façon spectaculaire grâce à l'utilisation d'anti-rétroviraux
(remboursés par les assurances maladie). En Afrique, où l'on estime à 26
millions le nombre de personnes infectées par le virus, le miracle n'a pas
eu lieu. Jusqu'à la fin des années 90, les traitements (plus de 10'000 Fr.
CH par an) étaient vendus au prix fort aux pays africains. Dans des pays où
le budget santé par habitant n'excède pas 4 ou 5 dollars par an,
l'utilisation des trithéapies est réservée à une partie très limitée des
malades. Situation intolérable dénoncée notamment par Médecins sans
Frontières, qui mène depuis plusieurs années une campagne en faveur de la
baisse du prix des médicaments, notamment des traitements antisida. Sous la
pression, les 5 principaux laboratoires pharmaceutiques qui se partagent le
mar! ché des médicaments antisida aux USA, en Angleterre, Allemagne et
Suisse, ont opéré une première baisse des prix au printemps 2000.

- Le 23 sur Planète à 20h30 : Portraits de la musique jamaïcaine, doc. 98.
Trois ans de recherches ont permis de dresser ce rigoureux historique de la
musique jamaïcaine, des premiers sound systems à l'actuel "retour aux
sources".

- Le 25 sur Arte à 23h30 : "Mossane", film de Safi Faye, Sénégal, 96. Une
fois devenue jeune fille, la belle Mossane fait l'objet de toutes les
convoitises et de toutes les rivalités au sein de son village au Sénégal.
Refusant l'idée d'un mariage de raison, Mossane se bat pour imposer le choix
de son cour.
-
Le 25 sur France 2 à 0h15 : Histoires courtes - "Baobab", court métrage de
Laurence Attali.

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


APPELS A CONTRIBUTION


Edouard Glissant : Session sur les Oeuvres de fiction d'Edouard Glissant
pour la conférence ICCL en Martinique entre le 7 et le 9 novembre 2001.
vloicho@emory.edu

Africa and Latin America : Call for Essays. Interdisciplinary Symposium.
Plattsburgh Studies in Foreign Languages, Literature, and Culture - 5
October 2001. jean.ouedraogo@plattsburgh.edu


ARTS PLASTIQUE


l'Afrique à Venise : L'Afrique sera présente à la 49e biennale de Venise,
qui accueille cette année une importante exposition. "Authentic/Ex-centric :
Africa in and out of Africa", Curated by Salah Hassan and Olu Oguibe. Du 6
juin au 4 novembre 01 avec les artistes : Willem Boshoff, Maria Magdalena
Campos-Pons, Godfried Donkor, Rachid Koraïchi, Berni Searle, Zineb Sedira,
Yinka Shonibare.



LITTERATURE / EDITION


News :

- Marie Cardinal : décès de la romancière Marie Cardinal. Elle est l'auteur
d'un roman "Les mots pour le dire" prix Littré 1976, qui racontait son
"aventure" analytique. Elle est née à Alger et a passé son adolescence dans
ce pays alors en éruption.

- Pointe-Noire en images et en sons : Les éditions Actes sud publient
"Mawata - Fonds Tié-Tié", ouvrage de photographies de Samuel Keller
accompagné d'un Cd. Ce livre sonore, propose un parcours sensitif au cour
des quartiers populaires de Pointe-Noire, au Congo. Les photographies, les
sons et les musiques, trouvés le long de la ligne du cent-cent "Mawata -
Fonds Tié Tié" rassemblent des moments quotidiens de la vie pontégrine.
L'ouvrage contient des chants traditionnels et contemporains de groupes
musicaux de Pointe-Noire. Mai 01, 72 p., 60 similis, 1 CD. www.actes-sud.fr

Parutions :

- "Changing Men in Southern Africa (Global Masculinities Series), Robert
Morrell, University of Natal, Zed Books. First in a new series on
understanding masculinity in its local and global contexts. New
ethnographies of masculinity in the South exist - this timely book fills a
gap. Relevance for courses on African Studies and development, gender and
cultural studies. http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/

Publications

- "Rézo international", n°5, printemps-été 2001, publié par l'AFAA,
l'association française d'action artistique, avec un point sur le programme
Afriques en Création.

- "Le journal de l'agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie", n°21,
mars-avril 2001.


MUSIQUE


News :

- Charte des musiques du monde : L'Assemblée Générale de Zone Franche -
réseau des musiques du monde, réunie le 14 mai 2001 au Divan du Monde à
Paris, a adopté une charte, la "Charte des Musiques du monde". Cette charte
constitue un appel pour le respect du droit des artistes, du droit d'auteur,
de la protection des oeuvres et des patrimoines artistiques - malgré la
faiblesse ou les incohérences des lois et des dispositifs réglementaires.
Elle est un acte posé pour la reconnaissance pleine et entière du secteur
des musiques du monde dans sa dimension sociale, économique et en tant que
composante du secteur culturel. Elle est aussi un outil contre la piraterie
et les dérives qui gangrènent le développement économique de la musique
dans le monde.

Sorties :

- Carlos Burity : Sortie de "Ginginda" de Carlos Burity, la grande vois du
semba d'Angola. Mélodie distribution.


5) LE SITE AFRICULTURES DE LA SEMAINE


- Voyages à thèmes : Transversales. Chaque année l'association Transversales
conçoit de nombreux voyages dans le monde entier dans une approche
authentique des pays visités. Voyage dans les pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest,
par groupe, à la carte : Mali, Burkina, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Bénin, Sénégal,
Centrafrique... Petites annonces, recherche de coéquipiers.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/voyages.transversales/


6) PETITES ANNONCES GRATUITES


Pour répondre à la demande et élargir les contacts possibles, nous
développons l'ESPACE INTERACTIF sur le site. Les petites annonces
correspondent maintenant à l'espace "PROPOSER" dans la nouvelle page
d'accueil du site. Elles seront bientôt complétées par un espace
"RECHERCHER" où les réponses selon lisibles pour que tout le monde en
profite (renseignements, contacts, bons plans) et par un espace "PRESENTER"
où les associations et projets culturels, de solidarité, de jumelage etc
pourront s'auto-présenter et lier des contacts. Les forums correspondent à
l'espace "DISCUTER".
www.africultures.com/pratique/annonces/annonces_fr.htm

Pour toucher directement votre public, vous pouvez aussi annoncer dans cette
lettre. Contactez agenda@africultures.com


7) ABONNEMENTS A AFRICULTURES

Africultures est une revue largement illustrée de 128 pages par mois
diffusée au prix de 60 FF (9,15 Euros) en librairies par les éditions
l'Harmattan (10 numéros par an, ne paraît pas en juillet-août).
La frilosité des libraires pour l'Afrique, pour les revues en général et
pour une revue mensuelle en particulier font que Africultures reste
difficile à trouver en librairie. Par contre elle peut être commandée
partout, y compris sur les librairies sur internet.
L'abonnement reste la meilleure solution : 400 F France, 500 F étranger, 600
F par avion pour 10 numéros.
Pour pallier aux faiblesses de la diffusion et mieux toucher nos lecteurs à
l'étranger, NOUS PUBLIONS TOUTE LA REVUE SUR INTERNET : l'abonnement est de
240 F pour un an et comporte tout : tous les numéros parus, soit près de
5000 pages, les 10 numéros à venir (un an) et les bases de données.
Tous les articles sont ainsi lisibles en ligne, téléchargeables,
imprimables. Des moteurs de recherche efficaces par thèmes et par auteur
permettent de considérer la revue comme une référence, une véritable
encyclopédie documentaire et critique des expressions culturelles africaines
contemporaines. Les cahiers critiques de la revue y sont facilement lisibles
en html (pages internet normales). Par contre, les dossiers de la revue et
les cahiers critiques jusqu'à septembre 2000 y sont publiés en PDF, ce qui
nécessite de télécharger (gratuitement) si on ne l'a pas encore le logiciel
Acrobate Reader, qui restaure la mise en page exacte de la revue.
Comme c'est un peu lourd, notamment pour les faibles bandes passantes
africaines, nous préparons la publication intégrale de la revue en html.
C'est beaucoup de travail mais ce sera chose faite d'ici la fin de l'année.


8) DESABONNEMENT

Pour vous désabonner, vous pouvez entrer votre e-mail 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.


9) 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

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Contactez Bruno par eMail a mailto:zilber@domeus.fr

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More...

Cultivating Peace: From Conflict to Collaboration in Natural Resource

2001-05-21

http://www.idrc.ca/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Product_ID=389&CATID=15

Conflict over natural resources, such as land, water, and forests, occurs everywhere today, as it has for centuries. Whether it be a local dispute between neighbouring farmers or an international debate over shared resources such as a waterway, people compete for the natural resources they need to ensure or enhance their quality of life. Conflict can even be seen as “a normal feature of natural resource manage-ment,” says Jacqueline Ashby, Director of Research at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. The conflict may unfold as a simple war of words or it may escalate to armed confrontation with loss of life.
Cultivating Peace: From Conflict to Collaboration in Natural Resource Management
http://www.idrc.ca/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Product_ID=389&CATID=15
Conflict over natural resources, such as land, water, and forests, occurs everywhere today, as it has for centuries. Whether it be a local dispute between neighbouring farmers or an international debate over shared resources such as a waterway, people compete for the natural resources they need to ensure or enhance their quality of life. Conflict can even be seen as “a normal feature of natural resource manage-ment,” says Jacqueline Ashby, Director of Research at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. The conflict may unfold as a simple war of words or it may escalate to armed confrontation with loss of life.
Edited by Daniel Buckles IDRC/World Bank 1999, ISBN 0-88936-899-6, $35
300 pp., paperback, 6¾" x 9¾"

More...

The Tenth Plague

An Art Performance about Greed, Life and Death

2001-05-21

http://www.aidoh.dk/art_and_events/10thplague/ukplagueconcept.htm

The initiator of this performance is Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot. For the time being his chief project is a world wide art manifestation titled The Pillar of Shame. Within a decade, 10 sculptures, 8 metres in height will be set up to mark severe infringements against human rights. The first three sculptures have been mounted in Hong Kong (1997), Mexico (1999) and Brazil (2000). The aim is to highlight the ethical basis of our civilization to ensure the survival of the Planet. This is also the aim of this performance that will pinpoint the greed of the big pharmaceutical companies who are filing a lawsuit in defence of their patent rights, with the consequence that millions of people in the poor countries will die of lack of medicine.

Valley of the Ancient Voices

2001-05-21

http://www.ancientvoices.co.za/

Welcome to this very special experience of Africa, and join a 4-hour journey that spans thousands of years in the Valley of the Ancient Voices. Rock art, relics and artefacts give clues to the myriad of animals and people that have crossed through this place &#8211; using it as a place of refuge, or a home, or of spiritual significance. Follow the same paths that they did, paths as ancient as the rocky outcrops into which they have been worn.

Battle Against Maternal Deaths African Leaders Must Be Committed-UNFPA Director

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105180368.html

Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, Mr. Kunio Waki has stressed that international financial and other support to combat Africa's high maternal and neonatal deaths, must be backed by leadership and commitment from within Africa itself.

Serial Killings, Sexual Harassment of Women Now Under Attack

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105190065.html

The spate of serial killings and sexual harassment of women and teenage girls girls has been at its peak in Accra since two years or so ago, without any arrest or punishment of penetrators, until recent times when the country came under the new administration of President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Anti-Torture Committee launches torture prevention database

2001-05-21

http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/press/20010517en.htm

What proposals does the CPT have to stop police ill-treatment? What is the Committee's position on solitary confinement? What has the CPT said about restraining psychiatric patients? What are the Committee's views on the treatment of immigration detainees? These and many other questions can now be answered via a new database launched today by the CPT. It contains the full texts of all published CPT reports, amounting to some 5000 pages of text. Searching has been made as easy and powerful as possible: users can search for any words, but can also select from pre-established lists of keywords, detention places, categories of detained persons and States.

France Must Investigate Alleged War Crimes

Aussaresses Revelations Suggest Policy of Abuse, Says Rights Group

2001-05-21

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/05/chirac-ltr0515.htm.

The French government should launch an official investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by French forces in Algeria, Human Rights Watch said today.


(New York, May 16, 2001)
The inquiry should examine whether the French government ordered or
tolerated the use of torture and summary executions against supporters
of Algerian independence in the mid-1950s, as recently alleged by
General Paul Aussaresses, and lead
to prosecution of those considered responsible, as such crimes are not
barred by a statute of limitations. The government should also initiate
criminal proceedings against Gen. Aussaresses.

In a letter to President Jacques Chirac, Human Rights Watch said the
revelations in the book Special Services, Algeria 1955-1957, and in
articles written by Gen. Aussaresses indicated that French civilian and
military authorities may have been complicit in a policy of war crimes
and crimes against humanity. In his book, Aussaresses described in
detail his own participation in torturing prisoners to death and in
extrajudicial executions of Algerian activists, including National
Liberation Front leader Larbi Ben M'Hidi.

Aussaresses alleges that torture was "tolerated, if not recommended" by
high French officials who had an "exact knowledge" of his actions.

"The Aussaresses case has rekindled a national debate about how to
address French activities in Algeria almost 50 years ago," said Kenneth
Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "But that doesn't mean
that France can avoid its responsibility to find the truth and to do
justice."

Human Rights Watch commended President Chirac for saying that he was
"horrified" by Gen. Aussaresses disclosures and for calling for
disciplinary sanctions against him and his suspension from the
prestigious Legion of Honor. "But the gravity of Aussaresses' crimes
demands much more," said Roth. "For France to ignore allegations of war
crimes as have been made in this case would seriously undermine efforts
around the world to enforce these essential standards."

The rights group, based in New York, noted that opposing Algerian forces
also violated humanitarian law by targeting civilians, but said this did
not provide valid grounds or excuse for France to use summary executions
or torture, nor excuse it from probing these matters now.

In its letter to President Chirac, Human Rights Watch said that the
government should also initiate criminal proceedings against Gen.
Aussaresses. It noted that a policy of summary executions and torture is
a crime against humanity, which under international law is not subject
to statutes of limitations or to the French amnesty laws that purport to
cover the events in Algeria.

Human Rights Watch has recently made similar recommendations to the
government of the United States regarding the allegations, which
surfaced around the case of former Senator Bob Kerrey, that United
States troops committed violations of international humanitarian law
during the Vietnam War.

A copy of the Human Rights Watch letter to French President Chirac can
be found at http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/05/chirac-ltr0515.htm It can
be found in French at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/05/chirac2-ltr0515.htm

More...

Genocide Suspect Cross- Examines Witness

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170289.html

Genocide suspect Hassan Ngeze today cross-examined a witness who testified against him before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Ngeze and two other genocide suspects are jointly being tried for using the media to incite ethnic hatred that led to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Government to Act On War Vets As Attacks On Firms Widen

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170189.html

Gangs of self-styled veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s independence war this week widened their attacks on private businesses throughout the country as it emerged that the European Union (EU) is mulling measures against Harare that could include sanctions to pressure the government to uphold the rule of law. Sources however said the government of President Robert Mugabe might be finally responding to the crisis. It decided at a Cabinet meeting this week to act on party supporters blamed for leading the campaign against industry and commerce.

Local Government Elections 2000 e-book

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/1081

EISA's latest e-book project is a first in many respects. It is the first electronic resource on local government. It is the first one-stop resource on local government structures, municipal electoral law and reporting on the local elections. It is the first interactive multimedia publication on local government in South Africa which explains the complex process through a visually exciting tour of video, animation, photography and insightful commentary and analysis.
We are pleased to invite you to the launch of EISA's CD Rom:

Local Government Elections 2000 e-book

EISA's latest e-book project is a first in many respects. It is the
first electronic resource on local government. It is the first one-stop
resource on local government structures, municipal electoral law and
reporting on the local elections. It is the first interactive multimedia
publication on local government in South Africa which explains the complex
process through a visually exciting tour of video, animation, photography
and insightful commentary and analysis.

Date: Thursday, 31 May 2001

Time: 5.30pm

Venue: EISA offices, 2nd Floor, The Atrium, 41 Stanley Avenue,
Auckland Park, Johannesburg

RSVP: Lion Phasha

<mailto:lion@eisa.org.za>

Phone: 011 482 5495

Fax: 011 482 6163

Copies of the e-book will be available at R85.00 each.

Introduction by EISA Director, Dren Nupen

Multimedia presentation of the e-book by co-authors, Dr David Pottie and
Heather Ford

More...

Mugabe's reign of terror forces MDC into hiding

2001-05-21

http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=72025

Zimbabwe's beleaguered opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been forced to take much of its political activity "underground" to avoid the violence of a government widening its net of repression and terror to attack diplomats and aid workers.

NAMIBIA: Prosecutor general to decide on torture allegations

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/namibia/20010517.phtml

Namibia's prosecutor general is to decide whether to prosecute policemen accused of systematically torturing people suspected of being part of an armed separatist attack in Caprivi almost two years ago, 'The Namibian' said on Thursday. Jackson Tangeni Kuutondokwa, the deputy prosecutor general in Kavango, was quoted as saying that his recommendations were being typed up before being dispatched to Windhoek for Prosecutor General Hans Heyman to decide.

Rwanda genocide suspect arrested while working inside UN tribunal

2001-05-21

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Distribution/Redirect_Artifact/0,4678,0-493752,00.html

The international tribunal for Rwanda has arrested one of the most wanted men for the 1994 genocide in its own building after he was discovered working at the United Nations court under a false name.

Rwanda: arbitrary arrests

Intervention requested

2001-05-21

http://www.omct.org

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l'Homme, a member of the OMCT network, of the arbitrary arrest of six people in Rwanda.

Case RWA 150501

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Rwanda.

Brief description of the situation


According to the information received, six people have been arbitrarily arrested,
allegedly by the Rwandan authorities, between the 24th and 30th of April 2001,
reportedly near the Rwanda-Uganda border, and have been detained at an
unknown location ever since. They include: Emmanuel Mudenge (a lawyer and
official of the Ruhengeri General Prosecution Department); Alfred Bandora
(lawyer, Kigali General Prosecution Department official); Kalim Tushabe
(Assistant Public Prosecutor, Kigali Republican Prosecution Department);
Sebusoni Gasana (law student, National University of Rwanda, Butare);
Kalisa (economist, Private Sector Federation official); and Hubert Gatsinzi
(lawyer, Rwanda Revenue Authority official).

According to the information received, when asked about the arrest of
the three magistrates during an interview with local newspaper Umuseso,
Rwandan Justice Minister Jean de Dieu Mucyo reportedly claimed that
his Ministry was unaware of any information concerning these arrests.
The detainees' families are also reportedly unaware of their whereabouts.

OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity
of all six men, given the current situation in Rwanda, in which
disappearances and arbitrary arrests are reportedly currently on the
increase.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Rwanda urging them to:
1. locate the detainees and take all necessary measures to
guarantee their physical and psychological integrity;
2. order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal
charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial
and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at
all times;
3. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the
circumstances of these arrests in order to identify those
responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or
administrative sanctions as provided by law;
4. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental
freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national
laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses
- Major Général Paul Kagame, Président de la République, Présidence
de la République, BP 15, Kigali, Rwanda. Fax: +250 82321 or +243 888
5689
- Colonel Emmanuel Habyarimana, Ministre de la Défense, Ministère
de la Défense, BP 23, Kigali, Rwanda. Fax :(+ 250) 72431 ou (+ 250)
76969
- M. Jean de Dieu Mucyo, Ministre de la Justice et des Relations
institutionnelles, Ministère de la Justice, BP 160 Kigali,Rwanda. Fax:
(+ 250) 865 09
- M. Gasana Ndoba, Président de la Commission National des Droits
de l'Homme, BP 269, Kigali, Rwanda. Fax:(+ 250) 82702

Please also write to the embassies of Rwanda in your respective country.

Geneva, May 15, 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

More...

SOMALIA: IRIN interview with Somali National Movement (SNM)

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/somalia/20010518.phtml

The self-declared state of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, is gearing up for a referendum on the constitution ­- including an article on independence ­- at the end of May. Unilateral independence was declared on 18 May 1991 by the northern-based Somali National Movement (SNM) after it had fought a successful insurgency against former President Muhammad Siyad Barre, whose government collapsed in January 1991.

The Human Rights Based Approach to Development:

Workshop Reports and papers available

2001-05-21

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hrca

In October 2000, NGOs and representatives from official aid agencies met in Stockholm to discuss experiences of applying the human rights approach to development. The workshops "Working Together" were hosted by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights. The NGO and donor agency workshops came up with a number of practical recommendations.

Unesco database on human rights training and research institutions

2001-05-21

http://www.unesco.org/human_rights/index.htm

UNESCO has published a database of more than 600 human rights research and training institutions world-wide on the Internet. This database is the electronic version of the World Directory of Human Rights Research and Training Institutions. Searches on the database may be performed in English, French and Spanish.

ZIMBABWE: Government calls off veterans

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/zimbabwe/20010516.phtml

The Zimbabwean government on Wednesday called an immediate halt to invasions of private businesses by self-styled war veterans, news reports said.
"This should cease forthwith as it constitutes the crimes of kidnapping and extortion," Home Affairs Minister John Nkomo was quoted as saying. So-far, the police have been singularly ineffective in halting the scores of urban raids by ruling party militants which began in early April, further threatening Zimbabwe's already ailing economy.

ANGOLA: WFP gets food to IDPs from Caxito

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20010517.phtml

WFP has distributed 15 days' worth of emergency rations to about 3,000 people who fled Caxito in Bengo province after a UNITA attack on 5 May. The Cacuaco municipal authority, just outside the capital Luanda, resettled about 2,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Caxito on four hectares of land in Bairro Caop Velho, Funda, WFP said in its latest situation report.

DRC: "Slow motion holocaust" taking place

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/drc/20010518c.phtml

The relief organisation, Refugees International, has said the recent positive developments in the DRC are having little immediate positive impact on the Congolese people. Anne Edgerton, who recently visited the region on behalf of Refugees International, told a US sub-committee that displacement was still occurring in remote areas as armies withdrew and redeployed to new territory in the country.

GUINEA: UNHCR urges Guinea to open up to asylum seekers

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/guinea/20010517.phtml

UNHCR said on Thursday it was "deeply disturbed" by Guinea's continued closure of its southern border with Liberia and its refusal to allow Liberian asylum seekers to enter the country. The UN agency said its representative in Guinea had told officials at the Ministry of Interior of its "growing concern" over Guinea's failure to meets its international obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention.

GUINEA: WFP completes delivery of food to 44,000 refugees in Parrot's Beak

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/guinea/20010517a.phtml

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it has completed the delivery of emergency food aid to 44,000 refugees in various camps in the Parrot's Beak, a remote corner of southwestern Guinea that juts into Sierra Leone. The area was affected by fighting in recent months. About 47,000 other refugees relocated to safer camps in the north are receiving food from WFP.

How anti-trafficking initiatives criminalise refugees

2001-05-21

http://www.carf.demon.co.uk/feat50.html

The context in which refugee policy is framed within the European Union has changed dramatically since the 1980s. From being an issue of human rights and cold-war politics it had, by the early 1990s as the number of asylum claims rose, become an issue of immigration control. By the end of the decade the paradigm had shifted again to criminology, moving from border control to the fight against transnational organised crime.

SOUTH AFRICA: New study about reproductive health among refugees

2001-05-21

http://www.wits.ac.za/csvr/

A new baseline study to determine reproductive
knowledge among young refugees in South Africa's most populous province shows that although there is a general awareness about HIV/AIDS, specific
knowledge about how the disease is transmitted and prevention strategies is "alarmingly low".


JOHANNESBURG, 17 May (IRIN) -
The study was conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation (CSVR) on behalf of UNHCR among refugees aged 10-24 in
Gauteng Province. According to the findings, about 89 percent of the total
sample had "reportedly" heard about AIDS. Among the 10-14 year olds, the
figure was 68 percent, 91 percent among 15-19 year olds and 92 percent of
20-24 year olds. "Of concern is the number of respondents aged 10 to 14 who
reportedly have not heard of AIDS (32 percent)," said the report.
"Significantly, 48 percent ... of all Somalis reportedly have not heard of
AIDS."

It added that in response to the question "do you worry that you could get
AIDS?", 40 percent of 20-24 year olds, and 30 percent of 15-19 year olds
said "they do not worry" about getting AIDS. Most people cited unprotected
sex or sex with many partners as the principal causes of contracting
HIV/AIDS.

According to the study, violence against women was "widely accepted" by both
male and female refugees and was often seen as an "expression of love, or as
a necessary means of disciplining a woman". One in 10 of those interviewed
reported that they had been raped. "One in five respondents (male and
female) believe that is a woman's fault if she is raped. Fear of social
stigma, rejection and ridicule contribute to the creation of a context in
which a significant minority (17 percent) of refugees believes that rape
should be kept quiet," said the report.

The study noted that there was a "marked discrepancy" between known
contraceptive methods and actual usage. The male condom was the best-known
method, said the report, and yet had a 37 percent and 44 percent reported
usage among the 15-19 and 20-24 age groups respectively. "Forty percent of
respondents (males and females) aged 15-24 years say that it is not
acceptable for a woman to ask her partner to use a condom," noted the
report. "Women express discomfort at requesting condom use, as this is
reportedly seen as a challenge to 'male power or authority' or as an
indication of infidelity in the relationship."

One in three women interviewed said they relied on "natural or traditional
methods" such as the rhythm or calendar method. "Knowledge about existing
family planning services is low. Less than half the respondents reportedly
knew where the nearest family clinic is," said the report.

The CSVR website: http://www.wits.ac.za/csvr/

More...

TANZANIA: Hungry Kibondo refugee reports "exaggerated"

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/tanzania/20010518.phtml

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday played down reports in the Tanzania media of refugees abandoning their homes to escape hungry refugees who were marauding in the community and taking food by force in Kibondo District, Kigoma Region, western Tanzania. The 'Guardian' newspaper on Thursday quoted Kibondo police sources as saying that they did not have enough officers to control the refugees who had abandoned their camps because they did not have enough food.

UNHCR and the Global Consultations on International Protection

2001-05-21

http://www.unhcr.ch/issues/asylum/globalconsult/main.htm

The UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) is organising Global Consultations on International Protection. They reflect the heightened recognition over recent years of the fact that refugee protection is an international concern and that crafting responses to address many of today's issues is best approached on the basis of multilateral cooperation, fully informed by the protection concerns at stake, as well as the dilemmas and challenges in addressing them in all regions. To move the process forward, UNHCR is committed to ensuring the fullest possible involvement of the major stakeholders in the process, including NGOs.

Corruption - the universal language

2001-05-21

http://www.eturbonews.com/news/051401.htm

In Arab countries it is called baksheesh, hongbao in China, matabiche in central Africa, propina in Latin America, pots de vin in France, in other parts of the world it is called bribery; whatever the term, there is a significant cost to the world economy because it exists, and flourishes. Githongo claims that corruption is a major international scourge that undermines economic, political and social development. Sanchez explains that "corruption will always flourish in the obscurity of totalitarianism, authoritarianism and dictatorship- regimes that limit power to an unaccountable few." Sanchez does not limit corruption to certain governments or economic systems; he finds that democracy is not immune to corruption.

Corruption crisis hits athletics

2001-05-21

http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001may/features/16may-athletics.html

The preparations of more than 30 South African athletes for this year's world championships have been plunged into crisis following allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement against senior Athletics South Africa (ASA) officials, which prompted the postponement of the team announcement.

Corruption Is an Insult to the Poor

Romano Prodi

2001-05-21

http://www.iht.com/articles/19964.html

Most of us who enter politics do so because we hope to change things for the better. Tackling world poverty is an obvious ambition. Yet in the world today millions of people continue to live in conditions that most Westerners can barely imagine.

De Lille back at arms probe

2001-05-21

http://news.24.com/News24/South_Africa/0,1113,2-7_1024387,00.html

Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) MP Patricia de Lille will on Tuesday appear again before prosecuting authorities in Cape Town in terms of a subpoena to disclose information about the multi-billion rand arms deal.

Donors to Vet Anti-Graft Bills

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105160647.html

Anti-graft legislation must be scrutinised by the International Monetary Fund before enactment, Attorney-General Amos Wako said yesterday. The redrafted Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority Bills, will consequently be looked at by the Bretton Woods institution before being taken to Parliament, he said.

Lecture on the Economics of Corruption Attracts International Audience

2001-05-21

http://www.gwdg.de/~uwvw/

Research on corruption has become increasingly important. All international organizations emphasize the fight against corruption, codes of conduct in this area are gaining increasing importance in the eyes of multinational firms, and donor aid is willingly offered for effective reform programs. But training qualified students in anti-corruption, has not yet actually started. This is a requirement which universities will have to face in the future by making "good governance" and anti-corruption reform part of their programs. PD Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff, assistant professor at the University of Goettingen, offered a lecture in the economics of corruption at his University in April 2001. He is the creator of the Corruption Perceptions Index which is annually published by Transparency International.

New Kaca Bill Worries MPs

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170461.html

The newly published Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (Kaca) Bill is flawed, some MPs said yesterday. Published by Attorney-General Amos Wako two weeks ago to revive the outlawed body, the Bill does not resolve the jurisdictional conflicts between Kaca and the AG's office, the parliamentarians said.

Nigeria: Police And Their Myriad Problems

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105160383.html

A Lagos-based national newspaper last week did nearly a full-page feature on how recruitment into the police force is riddled with fraud such that a candidate is required to pay as much as N250, 000 for the recruitment form, plus so many other sums for greasing the palms of some officials and self- appointed recruitment officers. All that came shortly after the former Lagos State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, went full blast on the police and its corrupt agents at the Oputa Panel which has just ended its sitting in Enugu.

Old Mutual must hand back our money

Press statement issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

2001-05-21

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

The Bloemfontein Court of Appeal, on 18 and 19 May, will hear an appeal against the Cape Town High Court&#8217;s ruling in favour of Old Mutual, who were accused of mismanaging an employees&#8217; pension fund. COSATU is extremely concerned that the appeal should be upheld and that Old Mutual be found guilty, in the interests of thousands of workers directly affected and millions more who
may be affected by the precedent set by this case.



Old Mutual was sued by the pension fund curator for R65
million of pension fund money which, it was claimed, had been
wrongfully paid out to an American company, CAF, (later to
become AMK Technologies), which was owned by the
employers of two of the fund&#8217;s members. It is alleged that
CAF/AMK&#8217;s owners used this money to finance their
companies, which subsequently went into liquidation.

Cape Town High court Judge Blignaut ruled that Old Mutual
had breached the Pensions fund Act and the Financial
Institutions Act by paying this money into CAF/AMK&#8217;s
account. But, he said, Old Mutual had not caused, and was
not liable for, CAF-AMK&#8217;s losses and had not committed
any breach of contract. In effect he gave them a rap across
the knuckles then let them off the hook. This was despite a
clear betrayal of trust between the company and the pension
fund members and the theft of their money.

COSATU is concerned that this case set a very bad
precedent and the Appeal Court must reverse it. Otherwise,
this will give all employers, fund administrators and other
service providers in the retirement fund industry a green light
to spend workers&#8217; pension funds without any concern for the
employees&#8217; and pensioners&#8217; interests. Workers and
pensioners will have no control over where their money is
invested and will be left uncertain as to how much pension
they can expect to receive.

COSATU reaffirms its demand for the government to legislate
to make clear that pension funds belong to their members and
that any decisions on how they are invested must be taken by
the Boards of Trustees, as stated in the Pensions Funds Act.

COSATU calls on all its members whose pension funds are
administered by Old Mutual to be vigilant and check if their
assets and money are being properly managed.

For further information, please phone Jan Mahlangu,
COSATU Pension Fund Policy 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.

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

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More...

UGANDA: Museveni pledges to fight corruption in Uganda's 'backward' society

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105160468.html

President Yoweri Museveni yesterday told Uganda's donors and creditors that he was committed to fighting corruption in Uganda's "backward and pre-industrial society," writes John Odyek. "There is political will to fight corruption," Museveni said at the International Conference Centre. Earlier a senior economist with the World Bank, Satu Kahkonen, said many public officials ask for bribes to "grease the wheels of bureaucracy," thereby increasing the costs of doing business.

Zambian ministers probed

2001-05-21

http://news.24.com/News24/Africa/Southern_Africa/0,1113,2-11-40_1025231,00.html

Zambia's Anti-Corruption Commission said on Tuesday it had launched a probe into allegations two cabinet ministers used state funds to finance elections within the ruling party.

ZIMBABWE: War veterans arrested for alleged extortion

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/zimbabwe/20010517.phtml

Several war veterans were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly extorting about US $25,000 from a private company under the pretext of solving a labour dispute, the state-controlled 'Herald' reported. Also arrested were 10 employees of the unnamed firm. All those arrested were expected to appear in court on Thursday. Joseph Chinotimba, chairperson of the ruling party-linked war veterans in Harare commended the police action.

African Governments Spend Millions on US Lobbying Efforts

2001-05-21

http://www.oneworld.net/ips2/may01/17_15_020.html

African governments are paying millions of dollars to lobbyists in hopes of influencing Washington's policy, according to an examination of US government files. Oil-producing nations - especially, Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea - are paying the biggest fees by far, but others, especially those with which Washington has difficult relations, are not holding back the cash.

Crucial Meeting On Coffee

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105150453.html

A year ago, there was hope that a plan by the Association of Coffee Producing Countries (ACPC) aimed at retaining about 20 per cent of coffee produce on the world market would ultimately stop the price slide from over US200 cents per pound in the early 1990s to less than US50 cents today. This was the third in a variety of strategies to check the decline, but like the previous attempts to manipulate the market such as the export quota system, it seems to have failed.

FAO DIRECTOR GENERAL:

GM FOODS: BENEFITS AND RISKS

2001-05-21

http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0131.htm

Biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can help to increase the supply, diversity and quality of food products and reduce costs of production and environmental degradation, as the world still grapples with the scourge of hunger and malnutrition, Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a speech in Stockholm today. The environmental risks of biotechnology should, however, be openly addressed and the new technology should not be allowed to widen the gap between rich and poor nations, he said.

FAO PROPOSES A FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY FACILITY FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

2001-05-21

http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0129.htm

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today proposed setting up a US$98 million fund to help the world's least developed countries (LDCs) improve the safety and quality of their food products. The proposal was made at the third UN Conference on the LDCs (Brussels, 14-20 May) .

Freeing up the third sector

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/development/1106

On average it takes anything from 18 months to 3 years to register a charitable association in Nigeria. Generally referred to as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) &#8211; which itself is a misnomer - these are in law, associations or bodies corporate with or without separate legal personality or land-holding capacity. Typically, they are formed for philanthropic purposes and run by trustees, whatever their preferred title. My beef in this essay is with the current slow and bureaucratic process of registration and supervision of what has become a key alternative and complementary channel of development for our people.


By Kachi Okezie, POLICY magazine

030301



In the UK &#8211; where I practice - the voluntary sector has come to be known as the &#8220;third&#8221; sector of the economy, after the public and private sectors. Here, there are currently over 400,000 registered voluntary organisations, including 190,000 active charities, altogether turning over an estimated £24 billion per annum (Office of National Statistics, 1999). The sector engages 23 million people including unpaid volunteers and paid employees, with an annual spending of £11 billion and growing.

The Charity Commission is the government department created to help charities utilise their resources more effectively and to ensure that the public's trust in charities continues to be justified. Essentially this role is both supportive and supervisory. Supportive of a sector recognised as a growth sector, creating employment and contributing to the national economic vibrancy. Supervisory of the overall activities of charities to maintain public confidence and protect the public against abuse, bearing in mind that this is largely a donor society.

In Nigeria, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is the government agency charged with matters of corporate governance, including incorporation and regulation of bodies corporate. This is comparable to the UK Companies House. But the regulation of charitable associations tends to fall upon the Ministry of Justice - the Federal Attorney General - to be exact. And it is here that the bottleneck lies.

There is every good reason for the regulation of charitable associations and their trustees; no one denies that. The difficulty lies in understanding the specific policy direction of such regulation. What does it aim to achieve, overall? Is it to support and advance the sector or is to regulate for its own sake, in other words, &#8220;regulate to strangulate&#8221;.

In the UK it takes on average 4 to 6 weeks to complete registration of a Charity, less for a company limited by guarantee. The name-search is available on the Internet between 9am and 8pm (Monday to Friday). I have actually done UK searches while in Abuja! The fees are official and known to all and there are no bribes. If there are hitches, you are promptly informed by phone, fax or email. Overall, you are supported throughout the process in an incredibly pleasant and polite manner. This is largely because your potential contribution to the sector is understood and valued. And this is in a donor-society!

Against the above grain, I ask: Why does it take up to 2 years to complete registration of charitable associations in Nigeria &#8211; a country with all to gain from the active stimulation of the third sector through which impoverished and marginalised local communities can access development aid kindly and generously provided by benefactors worldwide? What business has a donor-recipient, third world nation with an unflattering GDP, restricting a viable source of development inflow, under the guise of regulation? What is the policy basis, if any, for such regulation?

Some might tender the demands of state security as a rationale for the fervent control of NGOs in Nigeria, the imperative being to ensure that only &#8220;trusted&#8221; associations and individuals are allowed to operate in the sector. But this argument falls to pieces against contemporary experience where the profit-seeking public and private sectors are actively encouraged to attract foreign investment, with little if any fetters.

I locate the real reason for this irrational anxiety over the growth of the NGO sector in our recent military past. It is a throwback of dictatorships seized by a paranoid disposition which rendered them insecure and suspicious of anything they didn&#8217;t fully understand. There is in the present democratic dispensation no place for such retrograde influences on developmental or any other policy, for that matter.

Government policy should not only welcome the growth of the voluntary (NGO) sector, but also embrace its ethos of selflessness and altruism. I know of many international foundations that have provided opportunities for some of our leaders past and present to improve their education and careers. I also know of no past American President or comparable world leader who has not retired into active philanthropy. Yet, conversely, I struggle to identify one of our own equivalent who is remotely engaged in this area.

Only last month I toured Nigeria with representatives of Mercyships, the international Christian charity whose hospital ships have for the past 22 years visited over 40 countries - most of them in Africa - bringing hope and healing to those in real need. Wherever they&#8217;ve been, local people have received FREE medical assistance including surgeries they could never have been able to afford, education and training in healthcare and hygiene. They have built sanitation facilities, clinics, maternities and water projects in rural communities, again completely FREE!

Recently, a Scottish chap who felt that Africans had suffered too much in the world stakes decided to do something to help remedy this inequity. He donated £4.7 million to buy a new 300-bed 16,000 tonne hospital ship to be named the &#8220;Africa Mercy&#8221;. This is the ship we hope will visit Nigeria sometime soon.

Perhaps there is a lesson in philanthropy for some of our own rich and powerful. As for the government, an immediate root and branch shake-up of the regulatory process to free the NGO sector from its current gridlock of bureaucracy and corruption is the least that is required. The process should be streamlined and all potential bottlenecks identified and removed. Computerising the entire system naturally makes sense, although a computer is useless without a will to improve systems. Regional decentralisation of the process should be considered urgently. In particular, a downward review of the registration fees should be explored. Targets should be set for number of registrations completed within the shortest time frame and (as obtains here in the UK) all personnel are under a duty to maintain statistics on their work, from which annual data are collated. Corruption should be visited with strict consequences and the public should be encouraged to report cases of corrupt demands by public officials, without fear of backlash.
To Mr President, therefore, one says, government&#8217;s inability to deliver development to all is bad enough, but understandable. But failure to facilitate free development inflow from alternative sources, thereby denying ordinary people access to the world&#8217;s good gifts, is one sin Nigerians will struggle to forgive.

More...

New International Development Goals Web Site

2001-05-21

http://www.developmentgoals.org/

The new Development Goals web site presents the latest data on country and regional progress towards the International Development Goals on poverty, education, gender equality, child, infant and maternal mortality, reproductive health, and the environment. Country tables present time series data for four of the last ten years.

Poverty Trends and Voices of the Poor

2001-05-21

http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/data/trends/index.htm

The latest "Poverty Trends and Voices of the poor" shows that social indicators in the developing world have generally been improving over the last three decades. However, living conditions have deteriorated substantially for many Africans. Sub-Saharan Africa is in fact experiencing a serious health crisis because of AIDS: on average, life expectancy decreased from 50 years in 1987 to 47 years in 1999, and in the countries hardest hit by the epidemic decreases were of more than ten years of life. Child mortality increased from 155 per 1,000 in 1990 to 161 per 1,000 in 1999. Sub-Saharan Africa also experienced declines in enrollment rates between 1980 and 1994.

Quicker Debt Relief for Conflict-Affected Countries Pledged

2001-05-21

http://www.oneworld.net/ips2/may01/20_52_027.html

The international community has agreed to seek a moratorium on debt service payments for the world's most highly- indebted countries in "exceptional" situations - such as those plagued by civil wars, floods and natural disasters - and to facilitate access to debt relief for post-conflict countries. "A historic decision, is what we call it," said Swedish trade minister Leif Pagrotsky, who served as president of the Third UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC-III). "And that is on top of the present process going on to reduce debt for the least developed countries. This is a new step forward in that area".

SOMALIA: North-south economic divide growing

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/somalia/20010517.phtml

The combined effects of the continuing livestock ban and high inflation are leading to a growing "north-south economic divide" in Somalia, said a joint report by the USAID Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) and the European Union funded FAO/Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU). The north and central parts of the country continue to suffer the impact of lost livestock exports to the Gulf states, whereas the ban has had a "negligible impact" in the south, FSAU said in its April monthly food security report.

Sudan oil atrocities trigger calls for tighter business rules

2001-05-21

http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/news/media/pressrel/010517p.htm

European companies with their sights set on potentially huge profits from Sudan's rich oilfields are turning a blind eye to massive human rights abuses, says a new report calling for cross-border controls on big business.

Zimbabwe: Domestic Debt Shoots to $180 Billion

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170208.html

Zimbabwe's domestic debt, on a downward trend earlier this year, has risen dramatically to more than $180 billion or nearly the entire national budget for this financial year, according to statistics released by the central bank this week.

2001 WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY

2001-05-21

http://www.who.int/inf/

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the annual meeting of the 191 Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its highest governing body. The 54th WHA takes place this year from 14 to 22 May at the United Nations "Palais des Nations" in Geneva, Switzerland.

Annan advances plans for international AIDS and health fund

2001-05-21

http://www.unaids.org/

An international fund to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria will be a major tool for economic growth in the developing world, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Geneva.
In a speech to the World Health Assembly, Mr Annan said that in order to encourage development in many countries, the runaway contagion of HIV/AIDS, and other diseases must be contained.

BELGIAN RESEARCHERS BLAME DDT FOR EARLY PUBERTY IN IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

2001-05-21

http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/16/5/1020

Scientists at the Liege University in Belgium have reported that DDT, a pesticide that has been banned in Europe but is still in use in the
developing world to fight mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, is causing children in the developing world to develop earlier than their peers in the developed world.

COSATU appreciates Wits&#8217;s pledge

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/1065

COSATU expresses its appreciation to the University of the Witwatersrand for committing its support to the Treatment Action Campaign against the closure of the Johannesburg Hospital HIV/Aid clinic. The federation views the closure of the clinic as a &#8216;punch below the belt&#8217; to the Johannesburg HIV/Aids sufferers, especially in an area where an alarming number of infected people live.
----------------------------------------

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 appreciates Wits&#8217;s pledge

COSATU expresses its appreciation to the University of the
Witwatersrand for committing its support to the Treatment
Action Campaign against the closure of the Johannesburg
Hospital HIV/Aid clinic.

The federation views the closure of the clinic as a &#8216;punch
below the belt&#8217; to the Johannesburg HIV/Aids sufferers,
especially in an area where an alarming number of infected
people live.

It is also extremely unfortunate that this happened when we
thought we were on the right track in the battle against this
disease following the court victory against the Pharmaceutical
companies.

COSATU would like to reiterate that that victory will be
meaningless unless all sections within our society commit
themselves fully to the battle and join hands in intensifying the
battle against HIV/Aids &#8211; as we did during the Pretoria High
Court protest for cheaper medication.

The University&#8217;s pledge of support to this cause is an
illustration of its commitment to the HIV/Aids sufferers &#8211;
something that COSATU salutes. We hope this sets an
example to other training institutions.

We call upon the Johannesburg Hospital CEO, Mr Pillay, and
the Gauteng MEC for Health, Dr Gwen Ramakgopa, and the
head of the AIDS Directorate in Gauteng, Dr Liz Floyd, to
give their full support to Wits University in this matter.

For further information, please contact Theo Steele,
COSATU Campaigns coordinator, on 011 339 4911.


Siphiwe Mgcina
COSATU Spokesperson

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

More...

Dream models? Health services during social change

2001-05-21

http://www.id21.org/health/h2gb1g2.html

Which provides the best health service, the 'American' model or the 'European' model? According to a report by the UK Institute of Development Studies, neither example is useful for countries undergoing rapid social change. For countries like China and South Africa, these dominant models are too static and fail to take into account constantly changing social and
political realities.

Epi Info 2000 update

2001-05-21

http://www.cdc.gov/epiinfo/

Epi Info and Epi Map are public domain software packages designed for the global community of public health practitioners and researchers. Both provide for easy form and database construction, data entry, and analysis with epidemiologic statistics, maps, and graphs. Although "Epi Info" is a CDC trademark, the programs, documentation, and teaching materials are in the public domain and may be freely copied, distributed, and translated. A new version of Epi Info 2000 has been released on the CDC web site. This version is an update to Version 1.05. Please download the patches (7 floppies) from the web site to update your software to Version1.1.

Focusing Foreign Policy on Health Issues

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170536.html

Two prestigious U.S. policy groups are calling for health issues to have a higher priority in foreign policy and national security planning. The recommendation comes from a study group launched by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Milbank Memorial Fund, a health policy organization.

House Votes to Revive Bush Abortion Policy

2001-05-21

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36701-2001May16.html

The House voted by a narrow margin yesterday to restore President Bush's ban on aid to international organizations that perform abortions, refer patients to abortion clinics or advocate abortion rights overseas.

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 17 May 2001

2001-05-21

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm

South African Generic Drug Manufacturer Requests Permission to Produce Patented AIDS Drugs; 'NewsHour' Continues Examination of AIDS in Africa, Addresses Distribution of Antiretroviral Drugs in Botswana; Bianca Jagger Works to Fight 'Human Catastrophe' of AIDS in Africa; South African Department of Health Has Not 'Killed' Possibility of AIDS Drug Provision, Letter Says.
South African Generic Drug Manufacturer Requests Permission to Pro-
duce Patented AIDS Drugs

Aspen Pharmacare, the largest generic drug producer in South Africa,
announced yesterday that it would "seek permission" from five other
companies to manufacture patented AIDS medications, the AP / Phila-
delphia Inquirer reports. Aspen has already obtained the raw materi-
als to produce the drugs but will not begin the process unless the
patent holders approve. The AP/Inquirer reports that Aspen has asked
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Merck and GlaxoS-
mithKline for permission to produce their AIDS medications. However,
some of the "major" companies have "voiced reservations" about allow-
ing generic production, saying their factories enable them to produce
drugs less expensively than small local companies. Vikash Salig, As-
pen's new business development director, said that the company has
two plants in South Africa, exports drugs to 30 countries and has the
capability to produce "enough drugs" to treat millions of patients.
Robert Lefebvre, senior director for project access at Bristol-Myers,
said the company is open to "negotiating licensing agreements." He
added that two of its AIDS drugs may already be produced generically,
as Videx does not have a patent and the firm does not plan on enforc-
ing its patent on Zerit. He added, "We are not going to let the pat-
ent stand in the way of making the medication accessible or afford-
able" (Cohen, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/17).


--
'NewsHour' Continues Examination of AIDS in Africa, Addresses Distri-
bution of Antiretroviral Drugs in Botswana

In the third episode of a "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" four-part series
on AIDS in Africa, reporter Elizabeth Farnsworth describes the Bot-
swana government's efforts to distribute antiretroviral drugs to its
people. In March, Botswana President Festus Mogae announced that the
government would try to provide anti-HIV drugs to all who need them,
regardless of their ability to pay. He also created a National AIDS
Council, a multi-sectoral national committee that is working to in-
stall similar committees in each town and suburb. In addition, mining
giant Debswana, owned in part by the government, announced it would
subsidize 90% of patient costs for employees living with HIV. Farns-
worth explained that the disease has become a "growing threat" in the
country's largest diamond mine, as the mine is "highly mechanized and
dependent on skilled labor." But with 30% of the workforce HIV-
positive, the company may lose many of its skilled laborers to the
disease. Dr. Kobus Erasmus explained, "We're going to be in trouble
in this mine if we don't treat them. ... We're the first company
that's going to treat HIV patients on a large scale."

Help from Pharmaceutical Firms

National and corporate efforts to treat Botswanans have been assisted
by drug discount offers from large multinational pharmaceutical firms
like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck. Merck and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation have begun a $100 million project to distribute the
drugs widely in Botswana. The Harvard AIDS Institute has also part-
nered with the Botswana government to research HIV type C at the pub-
lic hospital in Gabarone and is providing clinical care to patients
with HIV/AIDS. The program's "goal is to help develop models for pro-
viding antiretrovirals safely." President Mogae said, "The health
budget is growing by leaps and bounds. ... It's maybe three or four
times what it was three years ago, and we were under no delusion that
in another three years, it will be double or triple what it is today.
Without help, we couldn't possibly manage." But Dr. Banu Khan of the
National AIDS Coordinating Agency noted, "It's not just the price of
the drugs. It's the overall package, the testing for viral load, for
the CD4 count ... these are costly and also the training of health
care workers to prescribe these drugs." Further, Khan added that "if
you don't correctly administer the drugs in the right combination,
and you don't counsel people to take it correctly and for a long
time, then the virus is able to develop resistance and the drugs are
not that effective." A "high tech laboratory" to analyze patient re-
sponse and adherence to the drugs is being built in Gabarone with
funding from the government, Harvard and Bristol-Myers Squibb, but
Farnsworth noted that "more facilities will be necessary" (Farns-
worth, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 5/16). To read the full tran-
script of the report, click here. To listen to the segment in Real-
Audio, click here. Note: You must have RealPlayer to listen to this
report.


--
Bianca Jagger Works to Fight 'Human Catastrophe' of AIDS in Africa

In a London Independent profile yesterday, Bianca Jagger, former wife
of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, answered the public's questions about
her involvement with charity group Christian Aid's work with AIDS in
Africa, saying, "I realized that I could not close my eyes, look the
other way, and pretend [the epidemic] was not happening. I want to
draw attention to the human catastrophe that is ravaging the sub-
Saharan region of Africa." She added her concern that "an entire gen-
eration of orphans is growing up without role models" and said, "It's
no coincidence that it is in the poorest countries in Africa where
the AIDS epidemic has its strongest grip. Many African governments
are no longer able to provide basic health care." She called the
failure of other countries to help fight AIDS in Africa "a moral out-
rage," saying, "The industrialized nations must help rebuild the
health care and education systems, which must become free of charge
for those who cannot afford it." Jagger said of Christian Aid, "It
has grass-roots, community-led care programs, and I believe this is
the most effective way of getting aid to those who need it. ...
Christian Aid is calling [for] governments of the industrialized na-
tions to increase the amount they give in overseas aid. Only with a
massive concerted effort can we hope to avert the decimation of a
continent" (Independent, 5/16).


--
South African Department of Health Has Not 'Killed' Possibility of
AIDS Drug Provision, Letter Says

"It is incorrect to state [as a May 14 Guardian headline does] that
the South African government has 'killed' the possibility of ever
providing antiretroviral drugs for AIDS," Jo-Anne Collinge of the
South African Department of Health writes in the Guardian. "The text
makes it clear that, at present, South Africa's minister of health,
Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, believes there are other more pressing
priorities in AIDS care that are likely to claim the limited health
budget," she says. Due to the increasing threat of drug resistance,
the "questions of safety and efficacy are acute in respect of anti-
retroviral therapy," she writes, concluding, "The Department of
Health is responsible for ensuring that our interventions are safe,
effective and sustainable. Hence the minister's emphasis on the
training of health professionals and adequate health infrastructure"
(Collinge, Guardian, 5/16).

--
The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org,
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by National
Journal Group Inc. c 2001 by National Journal Group Inc. and Kaiser
Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

More...

Malaria research offers new promise

2001-05-21

http://www.thelancet.com/journal

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday welcomed the results of a just-published study on malaria, which, it said, could offer new hope in reducing the toll of the illness among infants. The study of 701 children in Ifakara, southern Tanzania, published in 'The Lancet' medical journal "opens up an exciting new possibility of reducing the impact of malaria in young children", WHO stated.

The research - sup-
ported by WHO, the UNDP and the World Bank - monitored infants who
received an anti-malarial drug together with the second and third
doses of diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus (DPT)
vaccine, and with the measles vaccine. The intervention, which ap-
peared to be safe in this trial, was found to cut the prevalence of
severe malaria by 59 percent and associated anaemia by 50 percent,
with a treatment that would cost just US 25 cents. "The results of
this study open up an important way to reduce the toll of death from
anaemia and malaria in infants," WHO stated. The challenge now was to
validate the research findings in other malaria-affected areas and
confirm the safety of the treatment, it said.

WHO estimates that there are 300 to 500 million cases of malaria
worldwide every year. The malaria research it welcomed on Monday was
based in Ifakara, a semi-rural area with a population of about 55,000
situated in the flood plains of the Kilombero river, southern Tanza-
nia. In areas of high malaria transmission, such as the Kilombero
Valley in southern Tanzania, about half of all malaria hospital ad-
missions and deaths are in children younger than one year, according
to the research findings in 'The Lancet'. The well-established Ex-
panded Program on Immunisation (EPI) routinely delivered vaccinations
to infants and, if there were no adverse interactions, could be used
to deliver anti-malarial interventions to the target group in certain
settings, it said. Efficient malaria control depended on targeting
the groups at highest risk of disease and death, and a preventive
rather than curative approach was appealing and would reduce the im-
pact of people's poor access to curative services, the report added.

For further details, go to:
http://www.thelancet.com/journal

or to read the full text article (you have to register free
of charge) go to:
http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol357/iss9267/full/llan.357.9267.original_research.16231.1

--
[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's
IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect
the views of the United Nations. For further information, free sub-
scriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail:
irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-
print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit
and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial sites requires written IRIN
permission.]

More...

NEWSHOUR EXAMINES ANTI-HIV/AIDS EFFORTS IN BOTSWANA

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Wed, 16 May 2001

2001-05-21

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_repro.cfm#4548

In the second installment of a four-part series on AIDS in Africa, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" reporter Elizabeth Farnsworth examines the AIDS crisis in Botswana, where nearly 36% of sexually active adults are HIV-positive and some estimate that the country's overall life expectancy has been reduced by 20 to 40 years.
In the second installment of a four-part series on AIDS in Africa,
"NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" reporter Elizabeth Farnsworth examines the
AIDS crisis in Botswana, where nearly 36% of sexually active adults
are HIV-positive and some estimate that the country's overall life
expectancy has been reduced by 20 to 40 years. Botswana is relatively
prosperous by sub-Saharan African standards, with a per capita annual
income of $3,700 compared to an average income of $300 in much of the
region. A flourishing diamond market and relative political stability
have kept the standard of living higher, but the good transportation
infrastructure and increased mobility of the population may contrib-
ute to the spread of HIV among the country's population of 1.6 mil-
lion, according to the report. Farnsworth details the country's ef-
forts to test pregnant women and reduce vertical transmission through
a pilot program offering expectant women the option of taking the
drug AZT. Dr. Tom Kenyon of the CDC estimates that nearly 24,000 HIV-
positive women deliver babies every year in Botswana. With a trans-
mission rate of 40%, an estimated 9,600 children are born with HIV
every year. Hospitals in seven of the country's 24 health districts
offer AZT as part of the two-year pilot program, and Dr. Loeto Maz-
hani, head of the program, would like to see it implemented nation-
wide by December. Currently, the drug is supplied at a reduced price
with assistance from its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, and UNICEF.
However, many women refuse to be tested for the virus even though
they risk transmitting the virus to their child, with some citing the
fear of stigma as the reason. In an effort to protect more infants,
the government announced last month that it will give the drugs to
all pregnant women who want them, regardless of whether or not they
have been tested for HIV. Some women who do not have the virus may
take the drugs, but officials say that the risk is "outweighed by the
benefits." Although Botswana has taken steps to protect infants, lit-
tle has been done to protect their parents and other adults already
infected with HIV until now. The government "promised" in March to
provide antiretroviral medications to "all who need them" to help
citizens live longer lives. Without such efforts, President Festus
Mogae said, Botswanans "face no less than extinction" (Farnsworth,
"NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," PBS, 5/15).

--
c 2001 by National Journal Group Inc. and Kaiser Family Foundation.
All rights reserved.

More...

virtual scientific African seminar on HIV/AIDS research

2001-05-21

http://citation.thread.free.fr/prevges/ChemAIDS.html

For the younger African generations, there is a need to design sustainable ways to spark interest for reading the scientific literature on HIV/Aids even in the absence of a sufficient number of graduate research stipends. Under the following URL, you will find the description of a virtual seminar concept in which a free solution is suggested (in English and French).

Becoming Human:

Paleoanthropology, Evolution, and Human Origins

2001-05-21

http://www.becominghuman.org/

A project involving Arizona State University's Institute for Human Origins (founded and directed by Donald C. Johanson, best-known for his discovery of "Lucy"), documentary filmmaker Lenora C. Johanson, and Terra Incognita, this site is designed to teach a general audience about human evolution and the search for early hominid life in the field. The key feature of the site is an extensive (and very professional) flash-driven, online documentary which includes a number of pop-up sub-exhibits that provide additional information and resources on various topics. Other sections of the site include News & Views, which offers recent paleo news stories and expert views, and Resources, which includes a glossary, related sites, and media references. A Learning Center with activities and lesson plans is scheduled to be added this summer.

Côte d’Ivoire:

IRIN Focus on integrating Liberian children in education

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/cotedivoire/20010515.phtml

Côte d'Ivoire's authorities hope to integrate some 20,000 Liberian children into the education system in the next school year, which starts in October, but first a number of hurdles need to be surmounted, participants in a workshop held to discuss the idea noted. Examining the technical and socio-psychological obstacles facing the proposed project and coming up with ways to ensure its success was the focus of the meeting, held on 7-9 May in the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, 241 km north of Abidjan.

Future scientists? Innovations in teaching science

2001-05-21

http://www.id21.org/zinter/id21zinter.exe?a=g&w=4cfl1&d=c

What is the best way to teach science? What kind of teacher training makes better science teachers? Donors now tend to fund in-service training (INSET) for teachers already in the classroom rather than pre-service teacher training. But what makes an effective INSET programme? And how can effectiveness be measured? Collaborative research by the Universities of York and Swaziland uses teacher perceptions and student learning outcomes to measure the effectiveness of an INSET programme for junior secondary science in Swaziland and asks whether the INSET methodology could be used in other subject areas.

Poverty and Children

2001-05-21

http://www.unicef.org/pubsgen/poverty-ldcs/

The decade of the 1990s returned a mixed score card for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Overall, the LDCs recorded only modest progress, but there were some encouraging experiences in social development and economic integration. The Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries presents an opportunity to review these experiences and agree on strategies to build on lessons learnt to accelerate the fight against poverty. These strategies must be centred on the realization of the rights of children.

Protest Links: In solidarity with AAU and EHRCO

2001-05-21

http://www.geocities.com/lmak27455/protest.html

Please sign the petition on behalf of AAU Students, and Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam and Dr. Berhanu Nega. A world wide hunger strike is being organized in solidarity with the hunger strike of Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam and Dr. Berhanou Nega. Please stay tuned for further instructions. Please go immidiately to the following webpage to express your concern on the situation at AAU, of EHRCO and the state of Ethiopia.

International Conference on Racism and Public Policy

2001-05-21

http://www.unrisd.org/racism/

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is organizing an international conference on 5 September 2001 in Durban, South Africa.

South African Arms Manufacturers Protest Inequity in Employment

2001-05-21

http://gate.cosatu.org.za/pipermail/press/2001-May/000023.html

Today, close to 500 workers from Denel division Vektor-arms making company are to protest over the employment equity, transformation, and re-alignment for black workers.

Travel Grants for NGOs for World Conference Against Racism in Durban

2001-05-21

http://www.unog.ch

The Office of the High Commissioner has received some funding through the auspices of the European Commission to provide financial assistance to NGOs wishing to participate in the World Conference Against Racism (31 August - 7 September) and the NGO Forum (28 August - 1 September) in Durban, South Africa.

UN Prosecutor Dismisses Racism Claims

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170109.html

Florence Hartmann, the spokesperson of the UN prosecutor, today dismissed claims that the number of employees of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) were dismissed on the basis of their race and color.

Alien Species: Common, Costly and Destructive

2001-05-21

http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-14-02.html

Invading alien species are responsible for a worldwide biodiversity crisis, driving large numbers of native plant and animal species to extinction on every continent. The damage is documented by IUCN - the World Conservation Union in a new survey of the 100 worst alien species issued in time for Biodiversity Day, May 22.

Backlash Hits Bush Energy Policy

2001-05-21

http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-18-02.html

Criticisms of the Bush administration's National Energy Policy unveiled Thursday are being expressed by a wide range of citizens groups and politicians from across the political spectrum and around the world. Objections to its reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power rather than renewables and conservation dominate the comments.

Changing Times Challenge World Hunger Organization

2001-05-21

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/15/science/15GREE.html

The organization that brought the world the green revolution is now struggling to survive the gene revolution. Few organizations have affected the lives of as many people as the little-known Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which plays a major role in developing better crops for poor countries.

Cheap Drinking Water Undermines Environmental Protections

2001-05-21

http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-15-07.html

A new study by the World Resources Institute reveals that water policies in most of the world are failing to protect the world's freshwater systems, resulting in growing water scarcity and alarming declines in the numbers of aquatic plants and animals. The study recommends that water prices should reflect the cost of supplying water and protecting watersheds.

Communities reject Shell's waste disposal facility

2001-05-21

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/

THE proposed plan by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to build a facility to recycle waste generated in one of its areas of operation ran into a hitch yesterday as the communities in which it was to be sited rejected it.

Developing infrastructure for biotechnology

2001-05-21

http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidbiotech/comments/comments111.htm

The arguments about the pros and cons of agricultural technology - pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and biotechnology - are widely known. The Green Revolution is touted by some as being one of the great accomplishments of modern society and others as one of the great evils. A distinction is often made between the applications of agricultural technology in developing countries and in developed ones.

Industrialized Nations Commit to Eco-Friendly Financial Practices

2001-05-21

http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-17-01.html

Environmentally damaging subsidies and tax exemptions to agriculture and energy are on their way out in the world's most developed nations. Environmental ministers or their representatives from the 30 industrialized countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development adopted an environmental strategy for the next decade at the annual OECD ministerial meeting in Paris Wednesday that pledged to eliminate or phase out these financial perks by 2010.

KENYA: Pastoralists still facing hardship in the east

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/kenya/20010518.phtml

Food security prospects have improved in arable districts and western pastoral areas of Kenya following favourable short and long rains, but food insecurity persists in pastoral districts in the east, according to the latest country report from USAID's Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). Food production trends would be uncertain in these pastoral areas after critically needed rains were low and poorly distributed, it said.

Kenyans clash over threatened forests

2001-05-21

http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/05/14/environment.kenya.reut/index.html

A man whirls a whip around his head and brings it down hard on a Kenyan youth clad in a "Save our Forests" T-shirt. The whip cracks again and a mob starts hurling rocks at a busload of environmental activists from Kenya's Green Belt Movement, barring their way to a patch of threatened woodland. A rock shatters a window, blood oozes from a passenger's head and the bus roars away from the village, the visitors abandoning their plans to expose forest destruction.

Presbyterian Church: Vote Kenyan Government Out for Environmental Sins

2001-05-21

http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-17-04.html

The Presbyterian Church wants Kenyans to vote out the current government in the coming general election for its failure to take stronger action against pollution and the destruction of water catchment areas. A hard hitting statement issued by the church&#8217;s General Assembly said it was "raising very serious concern about the pollution of environment where uncollected garbage continues to pollute our city and urban towns."

Focus on Key Issues At World Newspaper Congress

2001-05-21

http://www.wan-press.org

With the most comprehensive programme in its 54-year history, the World Newspaper Congress, to be held in Hong Kong from 3 to 6 June, will examine a
multitude of major current issues that have a direct impact on newspaper strategies, management and revenues. There is still time to register!

MEDIA MONITORING PROJECT ZIMBABWE

MEDIA UPDATE # 2001/19 Monday 7 May to Sunday 14 May 2001

2001-05-21

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/1075

Media inadequately covered the Masvingo mayoral elections. The Zimbabwe Independent and The Zimbabwe Mirror (11/5) had no story on the event while The Daily News and The Financial Gazette failed to inform its readers about important electoral issues. However, the Daily News provided the most comprehensive and impartial coverage of the pre-election violence. The state media put on a partisan performance, preferring to urge the public to vote Zanu PF. This message was supported by the prominent coverage given to alleged defections from the MDC to Zanu PF.

1. MASVINGO MAYORAL ELECTION

In an election, media coverage would have information that would
enable voters to make informed decisions about who to vote for.
The public broadcaster, ZBC, should provide opportunities for
candidates to publicly express their policies and to interact with
the public and/ or journalists, where possible. However, this was
glaringly missing.
Of the paltry 13 articles on the elections in the mainstream public
and private press, coverage concentrated on the pre-poll violence at
the expense of the other critical electoral issues such a monitoring.


MMPZ statistics on coverage in the two dailies show that in The
Herald of the six stories covered and the 13 voices quoted on
campaigns, five voices (38%) favoured Zanu PF, three voices (23%)
were from the police, two voices (15%) were from government. The
single voice from the MDC was denying allegations from Zanu PF
that an MDC rally had flopped.
In The Daily News, of the four stories reported and the fifteen voices
quoted eight (53%) were MDC, three voices each (20%) were
accorded to Zanu PF and the police, while the remaining one voice
belonged to a professional.
Of all media, only The Financial Gazette quoted an independent
candidate in a week where it predominantly quoted the MDC (five
voices (50%). Zanu PF, the police and residents were quoted once.
On radio 1, 19 stories were about the mayoral election campaign.
9 voices were Zanu PF, three were of MDC and 11 of the voices
were unidentified. On radio 2 there were only four stories on
mayoral elections. Three favoured Zanu PF.
On ZBCTV, out of the 34 voices given to election campaign, 17 or
50% were of Zanu PF, and the remaining 50% were equally divided
between the MDC, Masvingo residents and polling agents. As in
The Herald, the voice of the MDC was quoted only denying
allegations made by Zanu PF&#8217;s supporters that MDC was
perpertrating political violence. Only once did ZBCTV refer to an
MDC rally, in a 15 sec piece which stated that the rally flopped.
All state media were guilty of political advertising for the ruling party
to which they gave pre-rally publicity. The Herald (10/5), ZBC (radio-
10/5 and 11/5 morning bulletins), carried updates on the progress
of the ruling party campaigns.
Details on the MDC rallies only emerged in the private press. The
Financial Gazette (10/5), for instance, reported that &#8220;&#8230; the ZANU
PF dominated Masvingo town council &#8230; denied the MDC
permission at the last minute to use Mucheke stadium for a
campaign meeting on the pretext that a soccer match was to be
played there later that afternoon.&#8221;

VOTING
Only on voting day did the ZBC audience meet one of the
opposition candidates where on ZBCTV&#8217;s 8pm (8/5), MDC Chaimiti
was quoted expressing confidence that he would win.
All weekend media reported that the voter turnout was low. MDC
was again quoted in a negative context when MP Silas Mangono
refuted Zanu PF supporter allegations that MDC had fiddled with
the voters roll to ensure that Zanu PF did not vote (13/5, ZBCTV,
8pm).


2. POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Reports of political violence were minimal and partial in the state-
owned media. Predictably, the weeklies carried few articles on
political violence.
It is important to compare the two stories on this rally that
appeared in the privately and state owned media.
The Herald (11/5) and &#8211; in an attempt to highlight ZANU PF&#8217;s
&#8220;unbridled support&#8221; (Herald Editorial.) carried a front-page article
which stated that thousands of people attended ZANU PF rallies
and that the town had closed down. ZBC (ZBCTV, 11/5, 8pm) in a
lengthy six minute report in which it quoted all six Zanu PF officials
reported that none of the people could fit into the hall.
The Daily News (10/5) took a different angle. It reported that
&#8220;Business came to a virtual standstill &#8230; after ZANU PF
supporters ordered the closure of the town to force residents to
attend mayoral campaign rallies addressed by Vice Presidents
Muzenda and Joseph Msika.&#8221;

There were only two reports on political violence on ZBC. All of
these implicated the MDC.
Both The Daily News and The Financial Gazette provided
substantial evidence on the violence perpetrated by war veterans.
The state-owned media did not subject the role of war veterans in
the political violence to any scrutiny. In fact, war veterans were
presented as victims of MDC perpetrated violence (The Herald 9/5) -
a point reinforced in an editorial comment MDC: Violence doesn&#8217;t
pay.
In addition, The Herald carried only four reports of violence in the
week compared to 13 in The Daily News. Only one company
invasion by war vets was reported (The Herald 7/5) in which an
Affirmative Action Group official was quoted justifying the action. Of
the other three political violence reports, two blamed the MDC, a
point reinforced in an editorial comment (The Herald 11/5), and the
other was on ZANU PF intra-party political violence. In contrast,
The Daily News carried 13 political violence articles, including five
on company invasions. Both ZANU PF and MDC were accused of
the pre-poll violence in Masvingo, with The Daily News highlighting
the partiality of the police. The private press subjected the partiality
of the police to scrutiny, quoting both MDC and police officials who
confirmed selective prosecution.
Both MDC and ZANU PF were accorded space to comment on the
political violence although in the Daily News the MDC voice
outnumbered that of the police and Zanu PF (10 voices to three
each). The Herald quoted four Zanu PF voices versus none of the
MDC and three of the police.

There were contradictory statements in the private and state-owned
media.
The Herald (8/5) and the ZBC reported that seven MDC youths had
been arrested for political violence, and quoted police
spokesperson Bothwell Mugariri who confirmed the arrests. The
Daily News (7/5) reported that both MDC and ZANU PF youths had
been arrested for violence, corroborating its reports with quotes
from both MDC and ZANU PF officials.

The Financial Gazette (10/5) reported of a blitz on Masvingo MDC
leaders, also highlighted the role of the war veterans in the pre-poll
violence.

The police in Masvingo was reported to have refused to talk to the
Daily News. MMPZ notes with concern the increasing number of
incidents in which the police have refused to avail information to
The Daily News. The police refusal to divulge information to some
sections of the press is antithetical to the principles of freedom of
information.

The Financial Gazette (10/5) story quoting Minister Jonathan
Moyo as saying that President Mugabe would not stop company
raids formed the basis of Minister Moyo&#8217;s attack on the private
press in The Herald (11/5) in which he said
&#8220;There now appears to be a pattern that has developed within the
oppositional press to deliberately twist, distort, misrepresent and
falsify news and information for political purposes at the expense of
the public&#8217;s right to know, and at the expense of the interests of
professional and ethical journalism&#8221;.
The denial was also quoted in the electronic media on 10/5 8pm
bulletins.

Politically motivated attacks on company were ignored in the
electronic media. The assault on a Danish envoy only came to light
in the form of a government response in parliament to MDC queries
(9/5 8pm television)

The Standard (13/5) reported that suspected Chief Chiweshe
attackers had been beaten, relying solely on the victim for
comment. The paper also reported that SOS offices had been
closed after war veterans had invaded offices.
The Sunday Mail (13/5) did not have a single article on political
violence.


3. JUDICIAL MATTERS

(a) MDC COURT CHALLENGES

The MDC court challenges received substantial media coverage.
However selective reporting and bias was reflected in both the state
media and The Daily News. The state media reported that the MP
Chiyangwa had retained his Chinhoyi seat but ignored that Zvobgo
had lost his application (ZBC, 9/5).
The Daily News (10/5) underplayed Philip Chiyangwa&#8217;s court
victory in an article headlined High Court dismisses Zvobgo&#8217;s
application as Chiyangwa wins in which Chiyangwa&#8217;s victory was
only reported in the 15th paragraph.
Only The Daily News (12/5) reported that a deal had been struck
between MDC&#8217;s Zachariah Rioga and ZANU PF&#8217;s Eddison Zvobgo
to drop the election petition for Masvingo South, and instead join
hands to work against political violence in the constituency. The
article however begged for more comment from the MDC
leadership.

The state-owned media, reported that MDC Zaka West candidate
had withdrawn his petition after defecting to Zanu PF (The Herald
9/5). ZBC however highlighted the defection where Musimuki was
quoted at length on ZBCTV (3 mins 30sec) attacking the MDC (8/5,
8pm) at the expense of the real story; the electoral petition
withdrawal.
The Daily News ignored the development altogether while The
Herald (9/5) quoted ZANU PF secretary for administration
Emmerson Mnangagwa who attacked the MDC, but did not quote
MDC. The Financial Gazette (10/5) and belatedly in The Daily
News (12/5) quoted MDC spokesman Learnmore Jongwe as saying
Musimuki had tried to extort money from the MDC. The Financial
Gazette (9/5) added that Musimuki had been offered a job as a
headmaster and Z$ 800 000 by ZANU PF.

If, initially the defections to Zanu PF were newsworthy, they now no
longer are. However, the ZBC continues to give prominence to
uncorroborated reports about defections. On the 10th, MDC youths
from Bindura were reported to have defected to Zanu PF. On the
11th the MDC youths who attacked and stoned President Mugabe&#8217;s
Highfields home during the June elections as well as Dr Hunzvi&#8217;s
surgery and Bikita and Mutoko also defected. There was no
information on the state of individuals who were arrested in
connection with the cases. Neither was there a comment from the
police on whether they would be charged or not.


(b) RESIGNATION OF JUSTICE DEVITTE

Reporting in the state media were at variance with each other.
While the ZBC merely announced that resignation of Devitte (8/5
ZBC, am bulletins); The Herald (8/5) speculated at length on the
resignation quoting unnamed legal analysts but not Justice Devitte
himself.
The report linked the resignation to the nullification of June Election
results in three constituencies and speculated that the Judge had
been &#8220;&#8230; offered a job and permanent residence status &#8220;possibly&#8221;
in Australia&#8221;. The article also quoted another unnamed legal
analyst who dismissed the resignation:
It does not make sense to sentence someone to the
gallows and then leave the country the next day.
Some of these judges are making political
judgements as part of building their CVs and not
for the promotion of justice.

Ends

More...

mediachannel update

MAY 16, 2001

2001-05-21

http://www.mediachannel.org/

MediaChannel.org - news, reports, resources and opinion. Featuring content from over 660 media-issues groups worldwide.


MAY 16, 2001, NEW FEATURES:

DAILY NEWS, ETERNAL STORIES
Jack Lule uncovers seven myths that shape journalism. He uses the
example of Haiti to explain the unconscious racism of the U.S. press
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/oped/lule.shtml

NEWS DISSECTOR: WHERE DO YA GO WHEN PBS SAYS NO?
PBS, America's public broadcaster, is being challenged once again by
independent filmmakers &#8212; Danny Schechter among them.
http://nt.oneworld.org/views/dissector/pbs.shtml

MEDIA READER
The best media about the media.
MediaChannel's international, biweekly, multimedia magazine
* Advertising AIDS
* Dan Rather On Kerrey And Journalism
* Singapore's Global Culture
And much, much more... Plus: Streaming audio and video
http://www.mediachannel.org/news/mediareader

CITIZENS' MEDIA WATCH
Recent posts include:
* An inside story of Nike censorship
* War over Taiwan plays out in U.S. and Chinese press
* Digital video disappointments at a journalism conference
http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/cmw.shtml

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

**FROM OUR AFFILIATES**

ITALY'S PROPAGANDA MINISTER?
Journalist Paola Di Maio doubts the legitimacy of Italian media magnate
Silvio Berlusconi's election win.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#italy

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
The computer-animated kids film "Foodfight" shouldn't be called a movie,
insist activists. Meanwhile, TV watchdogs file a complaint that the word
"news" is used deceptively for infotainment shows.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#truth

FRAMING STORIES IN MACEDONIA
Journalists and experts discuss coverage of the Macedonian crisis,
and explore how reporting can help amplify or pacify conflict.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#macedonia

GRRRL VIDEO POWER
Watch the teen-produced video collection "Smashing the Myth
(or Not Just White, Rich and Dangerously Thin)," and read the
young curators' comments, articles and news
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#grrrl

***************************************************
NEW MEDIACHANNEL E-BOOK!

"MEDIAOCRACY 2000: HAIL TO THE THIEF"
How the Media Stole the US Presidential Election
Edited by Danny Schechter, MediaChannel
and Roland Schatz, MediaTenor.
http://www.electronpress.com/excerpts/hailexc.htm

Hard-hitting analysis of the role of the U.S. media during the 2000
presidential election. Featuring commentary and reporting by
MediaChannel affiliates with an original introduction by Danny
Schechter. Forward by Crocker Snow, editor of the World Paper.

Sales of this book will benefit MediaChannel.org.

167 pages.
German Edition published by Innovatio, January 2001
U.S. edition published by Electron Press, May 2001
http://www.electronpress.com/excerpts/hailexc.htm
*******************************************************************
MediaChannel welcomes our new affiliates:
* Aarangan * The Haiti Support Group
* Centre UNESCO de Catalunya * Drik Picture Library
http://www.mediachannel.org/


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

*************************
MEDIACHANNEL EVENT:

A discussion with Walter Cronkite and Dr. Benjamin Barber:
Media and Democracy: The Future of Journalism and the
Threat to the First Amendment

Thursday, May 24, 2001, 6 p.m.
First Amendment Center, 580 Madison Avenue (56th and 57th streets)
New York, NY.

More events, action alerts and other notices on the BULLETIN BOARD
http://www.mediachannel.org/bulletinboard

MEDIACHANNEL'S BULLETIN BOARD AND MARKETPLACE
jobs*events*action alerts*services*equipment*programming & more
http://www.mediachannel.org/bulletinboard
http://www.mediachannel.org/market
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THE GLOBAL OWNERSHIP CHART
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

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

GLOBAL NEWS INDEX
*Bookmark This!*
Find newspapers and news sites worldwide with quick links to
over 600 news sources sorted by region and country.
http://www.mediachannel.org/links/links-frameset.html

********************************************************
MEDIACHANNEL SEEKS INTERNS!
MediaChannel is seeking interns with a background in media studies,
media activism, or with Web publishing, programming, and multimedia
skills.
Contact catherine@mediachannel.org
********************************************************
THE JOURNALISTS' TOOLKIT
http://www.mediachannel.org/getinvolved/journo
THE ESSENTIAL BOOKMARK FOR ANY JOURNALIST
Research tools, interview tips, Web writing guides and more!
http://www.mediachannel.org/getinvolved/journo

WEBMASTERS: YOU CAN ADD THIS ICON:
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===================================================
AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE MEDIA.

MediaChannel is a not-for-profit project of OneWorld and The Global
Center, and is produced by Globalvision New Media.

MediaChannel.org ( http://www.mediachannel.org ) is the first Web
portal dedicated to international media issues, and the premiere Internet
source for analysis and information about the media. Driven by content
from a network of more than 660 international media
organizations and contributors.

MediaChannel explores areas such as freedom of expression, citizen
access to media, trends in media ownership, media arts and the
intersection of media and politics.

Support for MediaChannel.org has come from the Rockefeller Foundation,
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MediaChannel.org relies on grants and donations to continue its work.
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More...

Key contacts for Africa advocacy

2001-2

2001-05-21

http://www.woaafrica.org/key2congress.htm

As we have done for many years, the Washington Office on Africa has developed this directory of key contacts in the administration and on select committees in Congress, together with a listing of the Congressional Black Caucus. We hope you find it helpful in your own advocacy efforts. Essential for all of us with a concern for a more just US policy toward Africa is to ensure that our views are heard, and this guide seeks to provide an aid in doing so.

Lobbying and Advocacy

2001-05-21

http://www.hakikazi.org/advocacy.htm

Paper from Hakikazi - Local Catalysts in Tanzania.

Nonprofit Lobbying Guide

2001-05-21

http://www.indepsec.org/clpi/

The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide demonstrates the many ways nonprofits can use lobbying to advance their causes in federal, state and local legislatures. Author Bob Smucker draws upon his more than 25 years of experience as a lobbyist for charitable organizations to give a jargon-free explanation of the laws governing lobbying limits, lobbying with private foundation and corporate grants, reporting to the IRS, and education efforts during a political campaign.

The CIVITAS Advocacy Campaign

2001-05-21

http://www.civnet.org/civitas/palermo/civadvoc.htm

CIVITAS International hs established an international Advocacy Campaign for the institution of the eight "Action Steps" necessary for adequate civic education, including a K-12 curriculum, teacher training, and classroom materials that support education for democracy, as well as the development of a professional civic educators association, and the capacity to evaluate student progress.

ANGOLA: UNITA pledges to release Caxito child hostages

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20010516.phtml

UNITA has promised to search for and return about 60 children kidnapped by its soldiers during an attack on a children's home in Caxito, about 55 km outside the capital Luanda. Without accepting responsibility for the kidnappings, the rebel movement said in a communiqué released on Tuesday that "the UNITA General Staff has ordered a strict inquiry aimed at identifying children who might have been forced to accompany the Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FALA) in the wake of the 5 May 2001 raid ... ". It said the children would be handed over the closest Catholic mission if they were found.

BURUNDI: NGO denies paying ransom for hostages

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/burundi/20010518b.phtml

The director and co-director of the humanitarian relief agency Memisa-Coped held a press conference in Bujumbura on Thursday during which they denied having paid a ransom for the release of their six workers who were abducted in Makamba province last Friday by the rebel Forces pour la defense de la democratie (FDD). Bob Smit and Father Jean-Berchmans Nzisabira wanted to counter claims that a sum of US $12,000 was paid.

Congo River reopened to traffic

2001-05-21

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1341000/1341884.stm

The United Nations Security Council has announced the reopening of the Congo River to commercial traffic, a vital thoroughfare which has been blocked for two-and-a-half years as a result of the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DRC: UN team arrives on "most important mission ever"

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/drc/20010518d.phtml

A United Nations Security Council delegation arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday night on "the most important mission the Security Council has ever undertaken", in the words of the mission leader, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte. In a brief statement at Kinshasa airport, Levitte said the 12 ambassadors in the delegation hoped "to help the parties in the Congo conflict move towards peace and a complete application of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement".

DRC: UN Unlikely to Boost Peace Efforts in the Region

2001-05-21

http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/may01/12_26_034.html

The United Nations (UN) Security Council mission to Africa's Great Lakes region is not likely to provide much of a boost to the struggling peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, say Southern African security analysts.

ETHIOPIA: Government welcomes decision on arms embargo

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/ethiopia/20010517.phtml

Ethiopian government has welcomed the decision of the UN Security Council to lift the embargo on arms sales to Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said. In a statement on Wednesday the Ethiopian foreign ministry said the decision by the council had reminded both countries "to desist from engaging in an arms race and other military activities, and turn to economic development and reconciliation in a bid to bring about peace and stability in the Horn of Africa".

EU Council Adopts Common Position On Africa

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170273.html

The European Council of Ministers this week discussed the situation in the Great Lakes region, as well as a common European policy towards Africa in general. In a report on the proceedings, the Council said it adopted a new common position on conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa, which included features such as strengthening African capacities for conflict prevention, improving support for African capabilities in the field of peacekeeping, and emphasising the strategic role of development cooperation in conflict.

KabilaLifts Ban On Political Parties

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105180016.html

A UN Security Council mission, currently visiting the Congolese capital Kinshasa, has welcomed a decision by President Joseph Kabila to lift the ban on political parties. "This sets the stage for positive developments in the days to come," Ambassador Jean David Levitte of France, who is leading the mission, told journalists following the group's meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki in Johannesburg before leaving for Kinshasa.

LIBERIA: Government complains to UN about Lofa invasion

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/liberia/20010517.phtml

Liberia has called on the United Nations to investigate ongoing attacks on its soil by Guinea-based insurgents and said it has a right to defend itself, despite a UN arms embargo. In a 10 May letter to the UN Secretary-General, Foreign Minister Monie Captan said the embargo had impaired Liberia's ability to defend itself. He said Guinea was "openly, blatantly and with impunity" allowing Liberian dissidents to invade the northern county of Lofa in an effort to unseat the government of President Charles Taylor.

MALAWI: Food a priority as winter approaches

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/malawi/20010516.phtml

Families affected by floods earlier this year continue to return to their homes, but their living conditions are getting more difficult as winter approaches, according to OCHA. The agency said in its latest situation report that because the floods had washed away crops, and relief aid had consisted of mainly non-food items, food had become a priority. "Relief items so far received and distributed by the government have mainly been non-food items. Malnutrition especially among children and pregnant women for the coming months is of great concern. The food resources of the Department for Disaster Preparedness, Rehabilitation and Relief have almost been exhausted."

NAMIBIA: NDF claims major victory against UNITA

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/namibia/20010517a.phtml

The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) said it participated in a joint operation with the Angolan army that "dislodged" UNITA rebels from Mavinga, a strategic town deep inside Angola, 'The Namibian' reported on Thursday. Army Chief Major-General Martin Shalli was quoted as saying that the joint-operation was carried out last week in southern Angola's Cuando Cubango Province, more than 200 km north of the Namibian border.

SIERRA LEONE: RUF, CDF agree to ceasefire

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/sierraleone/20010516.phtml

Rival forces in Sierra Leone's long-running war agreed on Tuesday to stop fighting and allow the UN mission in the country, UNAMSIL, to guarantee the free movement of people and goods nationwide.

Sudan: Christian Right might inflame war, observers fear

2001-05-21

http://www.peacelink.it/afrinews/62_issue/p4.html

Fears are rising that if American evangelicals continue to focus exclusively on the religious dimensions of the Sudanese war, there could be a backlash from Islamic fundamentalists, thus intensifying the conflict. Analysts, mainstream Church officials, and aid workers are worried that the stance taken by the Christian Right might jeopardize relief operations and precipitate a humanitarian crisis in Sudan. They note that the Americans are oversimplifying a war that has economic, cultural and political elements.

Summit of Government Allies Planned for Saturday

2001-05-21

http://allafrica.com/stories/200105170277.html

Military allies of the DRC government are due to meet in Kinshasa on Saturday to discuss ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict, Congolese foreign ministry officials told AFP on Wednesday. The officials did not say whether all three allied heads of state - from Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe - would attend the meeting.

AITEC WEST AFRICA 2001 ENDS IN ACCRA

2001-05-21

http://www.aitecafrica.com/

As the taste of wine improves with age, for the record number of thirty-nine exhibitors, one hundred and fifty conference delegates drawn from the Liberia, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, South Africa, UK, USA and over seven thousand visitors who made it to the 5th West Africa Computing, Telecomms & Broadcasting Expo, (AITEC 2001) business couldn't have been better.

Container of Computers enroute to Cameroon

2001-05-21

http://www.WorldComputerExchange.org

A container filled with 380 computers and monitors for schools in Cameroon has just sailed from Boston. It is expected to arrive in the port of Douala, Cameroon on June 12th. The computers were donated by 15 businesses and other organizations to the World Computer Exchange of Hull, Massachusetts. The computers will be arranged in networks of computers in 34 schools with over 17,000 students in the region around Yaounde, Cameroon.



Boston, Massachusetts, USA (May 17, 2001):

The schools in Cameroon were recruited, trained, and prepared by the Exchange&#8217;s partner, the Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) Cameroon as part of its SchoolNet Cameroon Initiative. SDNP Cameroon became a partner of the Exchange in October of 2000. SDNP is led in Cameroon by their National Coordinator Dr. Wawa Ngenge (http://www.sdnp.undp.org/sdncmr/wawa.htm).


The Sustainable Development Networking Programme of the United Nations (http://www.sdnp.undp.org) is paying the shipping costs of the International Freight Transport.


Among the volunteers who volunteered for a day helping to prepare and pack the computers into the container were a team of twelve from City Year Boston and a team of 22 students from the Youth Technology Entrepreneurs chapter at Waltham High School. Sponsored by a grant from Youth Venture, some volunteer students from the Technology Project at the South Shore Charter School helped to prepare many of the computers and recruit some US partner schools.


The Exchange offers a simple and efficient option for US businesses. &#8220;The Exchange van stopped by and picked up our dozen computers and monitors. We didn&#8217;t have to pay a recycler to remove our equipment and we felt great knowing that the computers were going to have a new life connecting schools,&#8221; said Kelly Goodwin of the Merchant Bank Group of Imperial Bank&#8217;s offices in Boston.


The Exchange partners with businesses, educational institutions and other organizations to gather computers, to help maintain them after installation and to recruit both U.S. and foreign schools to participate in a cross-cultural and educational exchange program.


"Our main goal in donating the computers is to help underprivileged students communicate in a wired world that many Americans take for granted,&#8221; said Joseph H. Rossi, Tolland Bank CEO/President. &#8220;We would like to see more U.S. schools and businesses help the Exchange carry out their mission.&#8221; Tolland Bank of Connecticut recently donated 10 Internet-ready computers to the World Computer Exchange.


Currently, the Exchange is working with over 700 schools in 24 countries that are interested in being partnered with interested US K-12 schools. So far, about fifty U.S. elementary and high schools throughout New England, California and Illinois have volunteered to be partnered with the overseas schools. Exchange president, Timothy Anderson, hopes that many more U.S. companies will donate computers and more US schools will be willing to form simple partnerships with these overseas schools.


&#8220;The $80,000 worth of used computers that these companies generously donated would have cost many times that to purchase new in Cameroon. They will help students in Cameroon to bridge divides to new information, to new partner schools in the US, and to new markets for small businesses in their communities,&#8221; said Anderson. &#8220;That is why we are trying to get the word out that we offer another option to placing working computers in landfills or melting them down &#8211; we can give these used computers new lives connecting schools in poor countries around the world.&#8221;


The World Computer Exchange, headquartered in Hull, Massachusetts, is an educational organization working to connect poor youth to the Internet. WCE President Timothy Anderson founded the Exchange in 1999 with a team from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a brokering organization to help overseas nonprofits to prepare and connect their local schools to the Internet and to partner schools in the US. The Exchange currently sends several containers per year full of computers and is beginning to help teams of tech-savvy US students to go and visit and provide technical training in exchange for learning more about other cultures and history. For more information visit www.worldcomputerexhange.org


The 380 computers and monitors and assorted networking equipment currently enroute to Cameroon were donated by the following fifteen organizations: Aquent, Cambridge Prepress, Center For International Development at Harvard University, Daman Consulting (Texas), Houghton Mifflin, Imperial Bank, Institute for Youth Enterprise, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Kalish Communications (Missouri), Magellan Behavioral Specialties (Maryland), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Own The World Computer Services, Radcliffe, Tolland Bank (Connecticut), the Town of Hull, and several individuals who shipped computers to Hull from around the country. Several of the companies listed responded to an article about the Exchange in the Wall Street Journal. Several of these companies agreed to give a continuing flow of computers to the Exchange whenever they upgrade their equipment.


In early February, the Government of Cameroon and the United Nations Development Programme office in Cameroon both formally included SchoolNet Cameroon in the UNDP&#8217;s ICT for Development Programme for the 24-month period starting in April and identified the Exchange, SchoolNet's partner in computer donations for schools, as an official SchoolNet Cameroon partner.


You can view SDNP Cameroon&#8217;s thoughtful and detailed implementation plan and draft list of schools at http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/Cameroon-SDNP-Plan.doc Their packing list / invoice and duty forms can be viewed at http:www.worldcomputerexchange.org/Cameroon-Certificate of Donation.


The Exchange has also just worked with Citizens International sending a container of computers and books to River State University of Science and Technology in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The next planned Exchange shipments will be to Nepal, Benin, Ecuador, Bangladesh, India, and Uganda.





Timothy Anderson
President
World Computer Exchange, Inc.
936 Nantasket Avenue
Hull, Massachusetts 02045 USA
+781.925.3078
FAX: +509.752.9186
timothy@WorldComputerExchange.org
www.WorldComputerExchange.org

Bridging the Global Digital Divide for Youth

More...

Electronic Governance - A key issue in the 21st century

2001-05-21

http://www.mit.gov.in/eg/article2.htm

In simple terms Electronic Governance can be defined as giving Citizens the choice of when and where they access government information and services. Putting the Citizen at the centre of government means taking a delivery channel view. This would mean using more and more of Electronics & Information Technology in many of the government functions.

Guiding Nonprofits Into the 21st Century

2001-05-21

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47329-2001May5.html

Technology has always attracted big dreamers. Think back to the rhetoric of two years ago, when e-commerce was supposed to change the world. Yet, as the economy sputters, there are people who still believe that a computer and a high-speed Internet connection can make a real difference. Some of them can be found at Technology Works for Good (www.technologyworks.org), a Washington group devoted to helping nonprofits connect with the community.

Information and Communication Technology for Development:

Winners of the ICT Stories Competition 2001

2001-05-21

http://www.iicd.org/stories/index.html

The ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Stories web site, just announced the winners of the 2001 competition - read about cases of ICT projects that are contributing to development in countries as diverse as India, Mongolia, Gambia and Niger.

Managing Distributed Environments

Remote meeting Technologies at the Chaotic Fringe

2001-05-21

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/current_issue/ruhleder/index.html

This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a company with widely distributed holdings within a volatile industry. The need for this distributed organization to respond as a unified whole to a rapidly changing environment required it to confront the uncertainties and contingencies introduced by invisibility, distance, and fragmentation of information. In this paper, we focus on issues generated by the integration of remote meeting technologies into local work practices. We compare face-to-face meetings with virtual meetings to understand how these new technologies impact the work of a distributed organization, and to uncover the new order that emerges around the use of these technologies.

South Africa - Talking revolution

2001-05-21

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN

As the sun slips behind the jagged hills of the Transkei, Chief David Lingazwe surveys the land his family has farmed for hundreds of years. He smiles as he tucks a cell-phone into the folds of the traditional blanket he wears to keep out the evening chill. The chief's daughter Bonizwe has just given birth at a government hospital in Bizana, 60 km away. A year ago, Vodacom, one of Africa' biggest mobile technology players, installed a mast and base station in Amambisi village, ending isolation, but also bringing hope to this impoverished community of 30,000.
Before, the village, 50 km from the
nearest road and often cut off by swollen rivers, would have waited
days for the news of the birth.

Amambisi, with no electricity or running water in a province with 50
percent unemployment seems an unlikely place for a mobile phone boom.
But operators are taking the plunge in rural parts of South Africa
and erecting network infrastructure in order to be a part of one of
Africa's most important growth industries. "Things are changing round
here quickly," Zwelibanjiwe Njomi, the principal of the local secon-
dary school told IRIN. "Before the mast it took half a day to get to
town to make a call, now we're in touch with the whole world," he
beamed.

Mobile phone technology, once the preserve of a privileged few, is
now touching the lives of millions of rural South Africans. Many of
Africa's fixed line operators are cash-strapped state-owned companies
that do not have the resources required to modernise their ageing
systems. "In many cases mobile is taking the place of fixed line,"
Fernando Goncalves of Siemens, one of the continent's key infrastruc-
ture providers, told IRIN.

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) expects mobiles to over-
take fixed phone lines in Africa within the next five years. In South
Africa, mobiles already exceed fixed line phones. The ATU estimates
that only about two percent of Africans have phones compared to a
global average of about 10 percent. Africa has only 14 million phone
lines, fewer than Manhattan or Tokyo. "It's a huge challenge, because
of poor infrastructure and low incomes," said Mondi Mama of the Vo-
dacom Foundation, the development wing of Vodacom. "But we're suc-
ceeding against the odds in South Africa and it's a blueprint for the
rest of the continent," he added. The company has business in Tanza-
nia and Lesotho and is eyeing the lucrative Nigerian market.

Vodacom's confidence comes from strategies they've pioneered in
places like Amambisi. "We had to get over the problem of poor credit
records and non-existent bank accounts and now prepaid accounts for
nearly 80 percent of our business in South Africa," said Don Schorn,
the regional Vodacom head in KwaZulu Natal.

The prepaid scheme, besides making cellphone lines available to mil-
lions of low income subscribers, has also meant business opportuni-
ties in impoverished rural areas. Nokawe Tozana was a teacher in Jo-
hannesburg until she saw the potential of selling airtime to mobile
phone users. "Those far from town need airtime, often they cannot
travel to buy the cards, so I go to them," she explained. Equipped
with a hand-held device that allows her to sell the airtime anywhere,
she ventures into newly-networked parts of the country. "Business is
good and I'm helping people keep in touch," she added as she loaded
her newly-purchased car for a trip to the rural Northern Province.

The device was purchased through the South African Council of
Churches' Sakhisizwe Trust. The trust distributed 15 machines last
year and plans to distribute 500 machines to rural entrepreneurs and
organisations this year. "This is a great opportunity for job crea-
tion and also to provide funds for churches and women's organisa-
tions," said Thembile Xipu, the director of Sakhisizwe Trust. To fi-
nance the US $400,000 cost of the airtime machines, the trust
enlisted the help of a Philadelphia investment firm, Reinvest in
South Africa. "It appealed to our concept of a double bottom line: to
run a business while essentially empowering a community," said Sam
Folin, managing director of the Reinvest in South Africa fund. Xipu
added that the machines could be programmed to sell credit for elec-
tricity and water as well as cellphones, "effectively bringing bank-
ing to areas with no financial institutions".

Network providers in Africa are aware that their businesses can only
grow if access to phones improves. The relative cost of a phone con-
nection in Africa's mostly low income countries remains many times
higher than in Europe. The answer is more public phones. Private
"phone shops" are springing up across the continent. Senegal has over
7,000 "telecentres", employing over 10,000 people and generating
nearly a third of all phone revenues. South Africa wants to improve
public phone access to the point where everyone is within a 30 minute
walk to a phone.

The problem is resources, but the South African government has en-
shrined the principal of community phone access in its licence agree-
ment with the big operators. "Under our licence obligations we agreed
with the South African government we'd put in 22,500 phones into ar-
eas where the phone density was less than one per hundred people,"
Schorn said. The phones are usually located in a container, where
people pay less than half the cost of a mobile call. "We see this as
an important development tool as well as growing the market," Schorn
added.

At the Amambisi phone shop a long early-morning queue snaked away
from the container as the heavy steel doors were swung open for busi-
ness. "Having phones in our village at last is great, my son got a
job because he could contact an employer," Mary, waiting to phone a
relative in Durban, told IRIN. Another customer said that she had
started a weaving business and the phone had helped put her in touch
with buyers. "At last we feel part of the modern world," Chief Lin-
gazwe said.

Increasingly, greater access to communications networks is being
viewed as a prerequisite to development rather than an outcome. "You
simply cannot have growth without connectivity in our wired globe,"
Phillip Matundwe of ATU told IRIN. Vodacom's Don Schorn is positive
about a connected continent. "Mobile phone technology must be the fu-
ture for Africa. After phones the next step is internet connections.
Within a decade I believe every very rural African will have an e-
mail address, now that's an African Renaissance."


[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's
IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect
the views of the United Nations. For further information, free sub-
scriptions contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-
post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting
by commercial sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
2001

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