Back Issues

US ‘Racism’ over AIDS Drugs in Africa Adds Insult to Injury

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/1660

The recent remarks by Andrew Natsios, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, on the capacity of Africans to time manage the supposedly complex drug regime of AIDS anti-retrovirals, are astonishing in their ignorance. Natsios has gone on record in a speech made to Congress, and in an interview with the Boston Globe as saying the money raised by a new global fund to fight AIDS should be used almost entirely for prevention services, not for the anti-retroviral drugs that have been so successful in extending the lives of people infected with HIV. Among the more ‘politically correct’ reasons Natsios cited for the difficulties posed in getting such drugs to AIDS victims in Africa - a lack of roads, shortages of doctors and hospitals, and wars – he also stated there is a problem with Africans themselves. Many Africans, he told The Globe, "don't know what Western time is. You have to take these (AIDS) drugs a certain number of hours each day, or they don't work. Many people in Africa have never seen a clock or a watch their entire lives. And if you say, one o'clock in the afternoon, they do not know what you are talking about. They know morning, they know noon, they know evening, they know the darkness at night."

As Bob Herbert, writing in the New York Times points out, this view of Africans as “so ignorant they can't master the concept of taking their medicine on time has become a touchstone of the Bush administration”. As many African specialists have pointed out, the education levels and health infrastructure vary significantly on the 54-nation continent, rendering generalizations about the people of Africa at best useless, and at worst, deeply offensive. Moreover, recent advancements now allow people to take one or two pills daily that each contain several anti-AIDS drugs. This regimen, now being used in several small African trials, means that anti-retrovirals can be taken without the need for exact time keeping methods. Although several groups have called on Secretary of State Colin Powell to fire Natsios for his “racist” remarks, Natsios has declined to comment since his testimony, although a spokesperson has said he regrets offending anyone because of his comments.

This ignorance is a crude example of the Bush administration’s attitude towards issues facing developing countries, and towards the AIDS crisis in particular. The real worry of many, including Natsios and other top US policymakers, is that falling drug prices will shift global funding of diseases such as HIV/AIDS away from prevention efforts, into much more costly drug treatment. This anxiety is shared by many in the West. It was recently reiterated at a United Nations conference in Geneva which announced that the best way to manage spending on AIDS from the proposed new multi-billion dollar global fund for health was to concentrate on prevention strategies rather than the mass purchase of expensive anti-retroviral drugs – despite the fact that these drugs are routinely offered to western AIDS patients. The fear behind Natsios’ ignorance of the facts – and behind much of Western policy on this issue - is that the bill for providing such drugs to those millions suffering from HIV/AIDS in desperately poor parts of the world will simply be too expensive to contemplate.

But the problem of the cost of treating AIDS patients in Africa and in developing countries is not one that is going to go away. Despite some recent advances in this struggle, such as South Africa’s landmark legal victory against pharmaceutical companies allowing it to buy cheap drugs and the offer of cheaper drugs from pharmaceutical companies - resulting in an 85% fall in the cost of anti-retrovirals to developing countries in the last few months; and depite the establishment of a new global health fund, and mounting pressure on the WTO to reform patent rules when they meet later this month in Geneva, many countries in Africa face enormous problems in their ability to afford AIDS treatments, and to administer them. South Africa has recently said it will not embark on a large programme of AIDS treatment, arguing that anti-retrovirals are still too expensive and beyond the budget of the health department. But if South Africa, with a relatively good health care infrastructure, seems unable to initiate such a regime, what chance is there that other African countries can afford to do so either?

AIDS threatens to wipe out an entire generation in Africa, and to destroy gains that have been made in political and economic development. If such a horrendous epidemic is to be prevented, adequate resources are needed, and both prevention and drug therapy treatments should be made available to its people. Yet while the international community considers that preventing such a death toll is simply too expensive, and while it harbours influential leaders in its midst who appear to believe that Africa’s people are even too ignorant to receive help, adequate funding needed to solve Africa’s AIDS crisis seems – shamefully - unlikely to materialise.

To send your comments or corrections to Administrator Natsios directly, use the link: http://www.usaid.gov/public_inquiries.html or send a message to pinquiries@usaid.gov

For further coverage of this issue, see:

AfricaAction Letter to Powell Protests Racism at USAID http://www.africapolicy.org/docs01/nat0106.htm

AfricaAction Strategic Action Issue Area: Treatment Access
http://www.africapolicy.org/action/access.htm

KENYA’S SUCCESSION POLITICS AND THE THREAT OF RENEWED VIOLENCE, echoes from zimbabwe

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1701

Thank you to Mutuma Ruteere for his editorial. Only a few names and phrases need to be changed to make this an editorial about Zimbabwe. It exposes the same failure of leadership, promoting greed, corruption and human rights abuses instead of economic and social development - leading to the same disastrous results for the majority of the people.

During the 60's to the 80's, the OAU was consistent in assisting liberation movements to create international networks to help them in their struggles against colonial occupation and racism. Surely it would be naive to hope that the new African Union would become a force to assist people to resist the oppression of their own fraudulently elected governments. We have only ourselves to rely on. Are we developing joint strategies, or are we all struggling on our own?

nana busia, international alert

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1702

Resource Centre, Voluntary Service Overseas

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/1700

Please may we subscribe to your kabissa-fahamu newsletter. I am writing from the Resource Centre at Voluntary Service Overseas and I would like to
circulate this newsletter to our overseas department for whom I'm sure it will be valuable.

4th Festival of the Dhow Countries

2001-06-18

http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2001/200-event.html

Jun 29-Jul 14 2001 - Zanzibar - a celebration of Dhow culture from the lands that border the Indian Ocean: Africa, the Arabian Gulf States, Iran, the Indian sub-continent and the islands of the ocean itself.

AFRICULTURES LETTRES D'INFORMATION D'AFRICULTURES

24/2001

2001-06-18

http:/www.africultures.com

Lettre d'information d'Africultures
SERVEUR : Après trois mois d'essais, on a carrément décidé de migrer vers un
autre serveur, plus cher mais plus sûr. Vu que le site fait plus de 200 Mo
(très gros, très lourd), ça prend un moment. Mais il n'y a que comme ça
qu'on pourra résoudre le problème des pages qui s'affichent "impossibles à
ouvrir" (en fait, on y arrive en cliquant sur "actualiser").
Pour publier une petite annonce, un article ou sur un forum, le clic
effectué fonctionne même si la page fatidique "impossible d'afficher"
apparaît, sinon vous publiez votre annonce plusieurs fois.
On reste tous cool et ça va passer.


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Le Réseau télévisuel d'Outre-mer organise les 19 et 20 juin prochains à l'
Unesco la première édition des Rencontres Internationales Images du Sud.
Autour du thème : "Place et avenir des Images du Sud", les rencontres
permettront de s'interroger sur la nature, l'impact, l'originalité des
productions du Sud et d'étudier les possibilités d'organiser les rapports à
l'intérieur du paysage audiovisuel mondial.
Au terme de cette manifestation, un jury, conduit par Hervé Bourges,
Président de l'Union Internationale des Journalistes de la Presse
Francophone, remettra les prix "Orchidée". Ces derniers récompenseront le
meilleur présentateur de journal télévisé et le meilleur documentaire du Sud
dont des extraits seront projetés au cours de ces deux jours de débats.
Africultures est partenaires des Rencontres :
www.africultures.com/partenaires/images_sud.htm Vous pouvez vous exprimer
sur ce thème dans le forum correspondant.

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Dossier Africultures : l'Africanité.
Participez au débat !

Comme nous vous l'avons annoncé la semaine dernière, nous préparons un
dossier sur ce thème controversé et serions heureux de voir nos lecteurs
participer au débat. Vous pouvez publier votre contribution sur le site dans
le forum dédié à ce thème ou nous l'envoyer par mail.
Nous en publierons dans la revue des extraits choisis. Dernier délai pour
parution dans la revue : fin juillet.
Pour vous donner un avant-goût, une passionnante table-ronde sur ce thème
regroupant les écrivains Kossi Efoui, Koffi Kwahulé et Caya Makhélé autour
de Sylvie Chalaye est publiée sur la page d'accueil du site.


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Rappel : grande marche des "minorités" visibles, le 16 juin.
Le Collectif Egalité et d'autres associations organisent une Grande Marche
des "minorités" visibles, pour une France où existera l'égalité de fait et
non de forme. Départ devant la tour Montparnasse à 14h

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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 * PARIS

- Un art populaire, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, du 21 juin au
4 nov. Regard sur l'art populaire d'aujourd'hui, l'exposition regroupe 150
ouvres d'une cinquantaine d'artistes d'Europe, d'Afrique, d'Asie, d'Amérique
du Nord et du Sud. Avec, notamment : Kane Kwei, Ghana ; Cheik Ledy, RDC ;
Moke, RDC. www.fondation.cartier.fr

- Serge Corréa, artiste peintre, expose du 20 au 26 juin 2001 à la Mairie du
XIème arrondissement. Premier lauréat du Grand Prix de la République pour
les Arts, du Sénégal (1990), Serge Corréa a déjà exposé aux Etats-Unis, en
Europe et en Afrique.


ARTS PLASTIQUES * REGIONS

- 93 - Saint-Ouen - Portes ouvertes à l'atelier de Bruce Clarke, le 23 juin.
Bruce Clarke (Afrique du Sud) accueille dans son nouvel atelier, à partir de
15h. 30 rue Paul Bert - Rez-de-chaussée, à droite, au fond.


ARTS PLASTIQUES * RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS EN COURS

Paris :
- Djamel Merbah, peintures - Centre culturel algérien, du 12 au 30 juin -
Vernissage le 12 à 19h. www.cca-paris.com
- Ernest Düku, peintre de Côte d'Ivoire et Jean Luc Lacroix, sculpteur
Français, Galerie Agbé & Gbalicam, du 01 au 30 juin.
- Exposition des sculptures de l'artiste guinéen Oppo, Galerie
Allaire-Aigret, du 03 mai au 30 juin.
- Exposition "Arts d'Afrique", Musée Dapper, jusqu'au 30 juin. Cette
exposition inaugure le nouvel espace du musée.
- Ousmane Sow, Musée Dapper, du 26 avril au 30 juin. Les trois premiers
bronzes d'Ousmane Sow exposés au Musée Dapper. www.ousmanesow.com
- Le Mois de l'Estampe, Couvent des Cordeliers, du 01 au 30 juin.
"exposition-initiation" du 1er au 28 juin qui donne aussi l'occasion de
découvrir le Festival d'Assilah (Maroc).
www.officieldesarts.com/moisdelestampe

Régions :
- 78 - "Conversations pigmentées", artistes du Burkina Faso et du Cameroun,
Maison Saint Vincent, Villepreux, du 09 au 17 juin
- 86 - Terre d'Empreintes, Sénégal, Rurart, espace d'art contemporain,
Rouillé, du 01 juin au 20 déc. 2001. Terre d'Empreintes, Sénégal présente
les ouvres des artistes sénégalais Séni Camara, Sérigne M'Baye Camara, Viyé
Diba, Ibrahima Konaté. www.rurart.org
- 78 - "Conversations pigmentées", artistes du Burkina Faso et du Cameroun,
Maison Saint Vincent, Villepreux , du 09 au 17 juin.
- 77 - Regards sur l'Afrique, Galerie Terres contemporaines,
Moret-sur-Loing, du 02 juin au 01 juil. Avec les céramiques de Carole
Boissière, les sculptures céramique de Jade et d'Eugène N'Sonde, Les ouvres
plastiques de Cat Peguet, les sculptures de Christiane Robinchon et de Marie
Wermuth.
- 37 - Njulienne Ngaleu, Musée des amis du vieux Chinon, Chinon, du 10 avril
au 30 juin. "Etats nègres", exposition de l'artiste camerounaise Njulienne
Ngaleu.
- 25 - Jean-Baptiste Audat-Touré, Bibliothèque municipale d'Audincourt, du
29 mai au 24 juin. L'exposition se nomme : "Ma petite ONG".
- 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.

Monde :

- Maroc - Mohammed Bennani, Galerie Al Manar, Casablanca,du 12 juin au 7
juillet.
- Italie - Authentique/Ex-centrique : Africa in and out of Africa,
Fondazione Querine Stampalia, Venise, du 06 juin au 04 nov. Exposition dans
le cadre de la 49ème biennale de Venise. Africa in and out of Africa
rassemble les ouvres de sept artistes africains ou de la diaspora s'
illustrant dans la peinture, la sculpture, la photographie, la vidéo et le
multimédia. ddediana.querini@provincia.venezia.it
- Belgique - Mains de maîtres, Espace culturel de la Banque
Bruxelles-Lambert, Bruxelles, du 08 mai au 24 juin. Une centaine de statues
présentées d'un point de vue généalogique. L'exposition tente de redonner
les noms des artistes auteurs d'ouvres jusque là réputées anonymes.
- 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. James Kitamirike, Dan Sekanwagi, David Kibuuka,
Bruno Sserunkuuma, Fred Makubuya, et Derek Kaggwa.. www.theartroom-sf.com
- Suisse - 5000 ans de figures humaines - cent regards sur les collections
Barbier-Mueller, Genève, 02 avril au 15 oct.
- Espagne - Afriques : l´artiste et la ville, Centre de Culture
Contemporaine de Barcelone (CCCB), du 29 mai au 15 sept. Artistes :
Prologue, El Anatsui, Godfried Donkor, Berry Bickle. Dakar : Viyé Diba,
Amadou Kan-Si, Ousmane Dago Ndiaye. Paris : Patrice Felix Tchicaya. Abidjan
: Anapa, Ananias Leki. Lagos : Dilomprizulike, Akinbode Akinbiyi. Londres :
Sokari Douglas Camp, Eileen Perrier. Harare : David Brazier, Luis Basto,
Calvin Dondo. Johannesburg : Penelope Siopis, Santu Mofokeng. Cape Town :
Willie Bester, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Jane Alexander. Epilogue : Moshekwa Langa,
Bodys I. Kingelez, Samuel Fosso. http://www.cccb.org - jcarrera@cccb.org


CINEMA * AFRIQUE

- Cameroun, Gabon et Centrafrique - Festival Ecrans noirs, Yaoundé et
Douala, Bangui et Libreville, du 02 au 20 juin. Animé par Bassek Ba Kobhio,
il présente des films africains en Afrique centrale du 2 au 10 juin à
Yaoundé et Douala et du 11 au 20 juin à Bangui et Libreville. ta@iccnet.cm



DANSE * PARIS

- L'Afrique à Paris avec Jams Sylla et Guinée Groove, New Morning, le 22
juin. Jams Sylla, danseur, chorégraphe et aussi musicien réunit l'Afrique au
New Morning. En début de soirée, les danseurs sont invités à partager la
scène et à présenter leur chorégraphie, tels que Mutshi Mayé (Congo) et
Maguette (Sénégal). La New Afro Dance créée par Jams Sylla est un véritable
métissage de plusieurs influences rencontrées dans la danse africaine, la
danse contemporaine, les claquettes, le modern jazz et s'exprimant sous la
forme d'un alphabet gestuel. La musique aussi se partagera entre ses
compositions et d'autres artistes guinéens de la nouvelle génération : Bill
de Sam, rap guinéen ; Djely Moussa Condé, cra moderne ; Reicha, black soul ;
Mc Chanana, zouk love. Accompagné par le groupe "Guinée Groove". La soirée
se poursuivra jusqu'à l'aube sous le signe du métissage et de la fusion aux
sons du DJ "Sono mondiale".


DANSE * REGIONS

- Nantes- 2ème Festival International de Capoeira de Nantes, Espace
international Cosmopolis, du 26 au 29 juin : Résidence culturelle et
solidaire autour du Brésil (les jeux et loisirs franco-brésiliens).
Spectacles, Activités en Ateliers, Expositions, Manifestations
déambulatoires ponctueront cette résidence. www.paubrasil.org/

- Tournée - Yelemba, la troupe ivoirienne Yelemba est en tournée de mai en
juillet, 15 juin : Poitiers (86), Centre culturel La Maison des Etudiants -
16 et 17 juin : Poitiers (86), Master class percussions et danse - 20 juin :
Nantes (44), Démonstration percussions au Cosmopolis - www.yelemba.com



HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * PARIS

- Conférence : "Les communautés villageoises du sud du Tchad", Mairie du
19ème, le 21 juin. La boutique de l'anthrOpo propose dans le cadre de
l'initiation à l'anthropologie sociale et culturelle, une conférence sur
"Les communautés villageoises du sud du Tchad" par Martine
Garrigues-Cresswell, Maître de conférences à Paris V.

- Exposition : "Pris au Piège ! Maladies négligées / Patients oubliés", La
Villette, du 14 au 24 juin. Exposition itinérante de Médecins Sans
Frontières, qui propose au grand public une approche des principaux enjeux
de l'accès aux médicaments essentiels et des problèmes d'accès aux
traitements qui affectent aujourd'hui les plus démunis. Cette problématique
est illustrée par 5 pathologies : paludisme, tuberculose, maladie du
sommeil, sida et leishmaniose. Cette exposition propose aux visiteurs un
parcours alternant lectures, photographies, rencontres et interactions avec
des volontaires de MSF. A partir d'un jeu de rôle, les visiteurs pourront
découvrir la complexité de se faire soigner et la difficulté de se procurer
un traitement pour 80% de la population mondiale.


HISTOIRE / SOCIETE * MONDE

- Suisse - "Assises des Communautés noires de Suisse contre le racisme",
Berne (Eglise Française), le 23 juin.

- Espagne - Forum Europe "Les espaces publics de dialogue social à l'ère de
l'information", Barcelone, du 21 au 23 juin. Le Forum europe vise à devenir
l'espace de rencontre de ceux qui travaillent pour la construction
européenne à partir de la société active. Le Forum abordera des thèmes comme
coopération et solidarité, l'interculturalité et immigration, éveloppement
durable. Détail des conférences sur le site : www.diba.es/forumeuropa

- 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'Ethiopie, 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.

- Suisse - Exposition "Kua et Himba - Deux peuples traditionnels du Botswana
et de Namibie face au nouveau millénaire", Musée d'ethnographie, Genève, du
5 avril au 9 sept. Cette exposition est une approche monographique de deux
peuples d'Afrique australe frappés par les effets dévastateurs de la
modernité. L'exposition présente les recherches effectuées durant près de
vingt ans par l'ethnologue et juriste argentin Carlos Valiente-Noailles, qui
a réuni et offert au Musée une collection unique d'objets, de photos, de
films et d'enregistrements sur ces deux populations.
www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/ethg



LITTERATURE * PARIS

- Lecture : "Beyrouth Illuminations" de Mohamed Kacimi, Théâtre
international de langues françaises, du 22 au 23 juin. Dans le cadre du
Printemps-Algérie. Pièce de et avec Mohamed Kacimi. Relation de voyage avec
en écho la parole de Rimbaud, qui mène avec humour à Beyrouth, ville de la
mémoire en ruines, à Byblos, mouillage de l'Alphabet, à Tyr et Sidon, cités
habitées par tous les tumultes d'Orient et Baalbeck, temple de Grèce et de
Rome, érigé en hommage au soleil et qui voue aujourd'hui un culte à Allah.

- Carte blanche à Afida Tahri, Théâtre international de langues françaises,
le 20 juin. Dans le cadre du Printemps-Algérie. Comédienne, chanteuse,
metteur en scène, Afida Tahri présente une sélection de textes d'Algérie et
de chants berbères.

- Salon euro-arabe du livre, Institut du monde arabe, du 08 au 17 juin. La
sixième édition de la manifestation s'ouvrira cette année à l'informatique
et au multimédia ; Les Emirats Arabes Unis en sont l'invité d'honneur.
Unique rendez-vous en Europe des professionnels et de ceux qui s'intéressent
au livre arabe, le Salon euro-arabe du Livre, créé en 1990 par l'Institut du
Monde Arabe et par le regretté Pierre Bernard, directeur et fondateur des
éditions Sindbad, a pour mission de promouvoir l'édition arabe comme aussi
la production éditoriale européenne sur le monde arabe et de témoigner de
leur vitalité. Outre le Livre et la Revue, le Multimédia (CD-ROMS et outils
d'enseignement de la langue arabe) sera cette année l'un des axes
prioritaires du Salon, qui consacre par ailleurs une place de choix aux
nouvelles technologies et à l'informatique, avec un panorama des systèmes
compatibles avec la langue arabe. scharif@imarabe.org - www.imarabe.org


LITTERATURE * MONDE

- Allemagne - Festival de littérature mondiale de Berlin, du 14 au 24 juin.
Avec notamment Ken Bugul, Boubacar Boris Diop, Véonique Tadjo, Tahar Ben
Jelloun, Yvonne Vera, Nadine Gordimer, Abdourahman Waberi etc.



MODE * AFRIQUE

- Sénégal - 5e Simod, Semaine Internationale de la mode, Dakar, du 07 au 17
juin. Evénements : le 17 juin : clôture à Saint-Louis. Une exposition de
l'Ambassade du Portugal avec des costumes d'epoques.
http://sites.metissacana.sn/simod_2001/



MUSIQUE * PARIS

- Le Divan du Monde - le 16 juin : Noites do Brasil (Soirée brésilienne et
concert) - le 22 juin : Axum Tape, Sound System, soirée animée par le
Junior Sound System, vainqueur du championnat de France des sound system -
Le 24 juin : Jubile DJ Claudio, soirée brésilienne et world, DJ et concert.

- Au Batofar, le 15 juin : Toups Bebey & Le Pact, concert ethno-tronic, avec
Big Buddha aux platines à partir de 21h

- Au New Morning, le 15 juin : Canta Angola

- Au Centre culturel algérien , le 15 juin : concert de malouf constantinois
avec Thouria

- A la Scène, le 18 juin : Toups Bebey & Le Pact, pour l'enregistrement en
public de l'émission de RFI "La Bande Passante"

- Au Zénith, le 20 juin : Herbie Hancock + Marcus Miller

- Au Zénith, le 23 juin : 6ème anniversaire de Couleurs Tropicales. Un
concert "musiques du monde" pour fêter les six ans de l'émission Couleurs
Tropicales de Rfi. Avec : Passi, Doc Gyneco, Papa Wemba, Lokua Kanza, Tiken
Jah Fakoly, Pacific, Jocelyne Labylle, Slaï, Sonia Dersion, Nichols,
Leila,Chicot, Magic System, Extra Musica, Awilo Longomba, Koffi Olomide,
Patrick Andrey & Jim Rama, Thierry Cham, Meiway, Chris Lovard, Difanga, Guy
AL MC, Zouk Rn'b II.

- Tournée - Mr Salek : Le 19 Juin : L'OPA à 21h30. Le 21 Juin : aux Lilas
en plein air pour la Fête de la Musique.


MUSIQUE * REGIONS

- 92 - Festiv'Hop Style, Colombes, du 13 au 17 juin. 4 jours de fête : rap,
breakdance, expaces free style, battle, animations DJ'ings, rencontres
professionnelles, expositions de graffs, toiles. Avec entre autres, les
Cies Choream, Franck II Louise, Aktual Force et en soirée de clôture un
concert hip hop réunissant Disiz La Peste, Positive Black Soul et Stomy
Bugsy. www.la-salle-des-fetes.com

- 31 - Festival des Hauts de Garonne, du 23 juin au 15 juillet. La 9ème
édition du Festival des Hauts de Garonne propose concerts, ateliers
Résidence, arbres à Palabres. Le 23 juin : ouverture du Festival avec
Mahotella Queens (Afrique du Sud) + Kahil El Zabar "J.U.B.A PROJECT" (Jazz /
Usa) en concert gratuit aux Arênes de Floirac - 21h.
www.musiques-de-nuit.com

- 69 - V69 party, le 21 juin au Fridge a partir de 22h30. Une soiré Hip hop,
ragga, R'n'b avec en invité le Dj new-yorkais Rondevu (Das Efx, dangerous
Mind- New-York) et les Dj's lyonnais apporteront la "69 touche". soirée du
magazine Version 69 (sortie le 13 juin).

- 93 - Y'a d'la banlieue dans l'air, Bondy, du 09 au 23 juin. Le festival
propose cette année deux fêtes de quartier avec ces partenaires locaux. Le
16 juin : Fête de quartier De Lattre de Tassigny, Association Sos ça bouge,
de 9h à 20h30 : Méchoui citoyen, danse, kermesse, jeux, brocante, concerts.
Le 20 juin : Contes et Légendes avec Hassane Kouyaté, Rachid Bouali et
Nordine Hassani, accompagnés à la contrebasse par Bruno Lebris. Espace
Marcel Chauzy, Hôtel de ville. Le 23 juin : Spic, hip hop ; Zenzila, rock
métissé ; La Bomba cubana de Ruben Paz, salsa ; Kassav, zouk ; Bilal, raï.
Stade Léo Lagrange, gratuit.

- 13 - Au Balthazar, Marseille, le 15 juin : Malik Fahim & Les Royaltixs
(Reggae) - le 22 juin : "Blues Touareg" : La vie rêvée des Touaregs
aujourd'hui n'est plus cette longue caravane tranquille qui file sur l'océan
des sables. Après l'avant-goût de la veille la nuit entière sera bleu et
blues sur la musique des Ishumars,, musique d'exil et de résistance des
réfugiés-combattants Touaregs. À la lueur des feux de campements (de
réfugiés) une nouvelle poésie a fleuri, politique et philosophique qui
dénonce l'oppression et chante l'espoir. Moussa Ag Keyna, (un des musiciens
de cette nuit, a participé à l'album "Caravana" de Digital bled. En
partenariat avec l'association ATLIK présentation d'artisanat Touareg du
Mali et du Niger et expo photo - 22h.

- Tournée - Cheb Mami, le 20 juin à St Quentin, le 21 juin à Paris, Fête de
la Musique-Palais Roy. Le 23 juin à Pau, Festival

- Tournée - Boukakes, 22 Juin : La Bruguière (30)

- Tournée - Les Lascars contre le sida, le 15 juin : Briançon - le 21 juin :
Béziers

- Tournée - ARM Posse, Roots Urbain [live] Epice... 15 juin : Humanitaire
Reggae Festival (Viviez - 12) - Le 21 juin : La Locomotive (Millau - 12) -
Le 22 juin : (vend) Fête de la musique (Cournonsec -34) - Le 23 juin : Fête
du P.C. avec Zawaza + Les Boukakes (Lézan - 30)

- Tournée - Ano Néko (France/Côte d'Ivoire) - le 16 juin : Chalon

- Tournée - Alpha Blondy, le 16 juin : Nyon (99) Plein air à
Crans-sur-Nyon.

- Tournée - Tao Ravao/Vincent Bucher/Karim Touré, blues métissé fortement
imprégné de musique malgache, le 21 juin : Boulogne Billancourt (92),
Médiathèque.

MUSIQUE * AFRIQUE

- Maroc, Cheb Mami : le 16 juin au Festival d'Essaouira

- RDC : 21 au 23 juin, fête de la musique à la Halle de la Gombe, Kinshasa.
Concerts gratuits et télévisés : le 21, thème Métissage et Influences, avec
: Percussion Molokai, Jean Goubale, Maray Maray et Fuzio. Le 22 soirée Rap &
Soul Music, avec 6 jeunes groupes de hip hop: Fire, Ouest of Christ,
Balguer Fly, Section Bantou, Pensée Nègre Brute (PNB), Bawuta Kin (BWK). Le
23, tradition avec Rumba, Soukouss, Ndombolo etc. Viva la Musica Nouvelle
écriture, Blaise Bula & son groupe Pondération 8 + invités-surprise.

- Madagascar - World & Malagasy Music, Parc de l'Isalo, le 21 juin, à
l'occasion de l'éclipse totale de soleil.


MUSIQUE * MONDE

- USA - Concerts africains d'été à New York. le 15 juin : Martinique Day
Kali, Jocelyne Beroard from Kassav, Carole Elexis and Osmoge and Jean-Luc
Guanel and the Compa Band, SOB'S - le 21 juin : Touré Touré, Africaswings
Festival - le 22 juin : Femi Kuti, Irving Plazza - le 22 juin : Cesaria
Evora, Beacon Theatre, JVC Jazz Festival.

- Tournée - Ray Lema & Tyour Gnaoua - le 22 juin : Festa de Lisboa

- Tournée - "Techno Issa" Bagayogo feat. Madioko & Mamou Sidibé. Issa
Bagayogo mèle la musique traditionnelle à des samples rythmiques. Le 19
juin : Greifswald (Allemagne) - 20 juin : Berlin (Allemagne),
Kulturbrauerei - 21 juin : Rostock (Allemagne), Ostsee Jazz festival - 22
juin : Hattingen (Allemagne), Kemnade Festival - 23 juin : Amsterdam
(Pays-Bas), Amsterdam Roots Festival

- Tournée - Rokia Traoré - 15 juin : Lisbonne (P) - 16 juin : Holland,
Festival Mundial - 22 juin ou 23 : Amsterdam(H) Folk Roots Festival

- Tournée - Césaria Evora - le 15 juin : Miami Beach, Floride, USA - le 19
juin : Hilghland Park, Ravina, USA - le 21 juin : Vienna, Filene Center,
SA - le 22 juin : New York, Beacon - le 23 juin : West Hampton beach, ew
York - le 24 juin : Albany, New York

- Tournée - Kassav, le 19 juin : Kaustinen (F) Festival

- Tournée - Ba Cissoko Trio - Le 23 juin : Amsterdam rtoots festival,
Hollande



RAPPEL DES EXPOSITIONS PHOTO EN COURS


Paris :
- 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 :
- 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. - www.passions-africaines.com



PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * PARIS

- Le Souk du Bazar Nomade, Cabaret Sauvage, parc de la Villette, le 17 juin.
A partir de 15h : Le Souk, expositions d'artistes contemporains du Maghreb,
d'artisans et animations musicale. A 18h, sous le chapiteau : Le Bazar
Nomade. Un spectacle musical avec les groupes THALWEG (celto-berbère),
Zalamite (groove maghrébin), Cheikh Sidi Bémol (gourbi-rock) + invités

- Afrique 2001 - art, littérature, musique dans les bibliothèques de la
ville de Paris, du 09 mai au 31 août. Avec cette semaine plusieurs
rencontres : le 16 juin à 15h : Présentation, en compagnie d'un musicien,
des musiques africaines "modernes", écoutes discographiques, Bibliothèque
Saint-Fargeau, 20e - le 23 juin à 17h : Le chant des calebasses, concert
donné par Les Griots urbains, trois musiciens et deux danseuses,
Bibliothèque Place des fêtes, 19e - En photo : Du 1 au 30 juin : "La voiture
est dans la pirogue", photo de Benjamin Géminel réalisée lors d'un voyage au
Burkina Faso et Mali et accompagnées des textes qu'elles ont inspirés à six
écrivains africains, Bibliothèque François Villon, 10e. "La région Haoussa",
photographie de Patrick Bottequin, du 1 juin au 31 août, Bibliothèque
Couronnes, 20e - Du 1 au 30 juin : "Les Littératures d'Afrique noire de A à
Z". Cette exposition propose de présenter les littératures africaines en
donnant des informations sur l'histoire et la géographie du continent, les
genres littéraires, les problèmes de l'écriture, de la lecture et de la
langue d'expression, Bibliothèque Porte Montmartre, 18e. "Rythmes
enchanteurs de la savane", exposition d'instruments traditionnels. Du 12 au
16 juin à la Bibliothèque Goutte d'Or, 18e et du 19 au 23 juin à la
Bibliothèque Place des fêtes, 19e. parisbib@club-internet.fr

- Les Dogons du Mali, L'anthtropo, du 08 juin au 08 juil. La boutique
associative l'anthropo organise une exposition sur les Dogons du Mali,
sculptures, portes, perles, tissage, photo.


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * REGION

- 25 - Rencontres & Racines - Festival des cultures et des musiques du
monde, Audincourt, Esplanade des Droits de l'Homme, du 23 au 24 juin.
Rencontres et Racines se veut le rendez-vous des citoyens du monde, des
artistes et des amateurs de fête qui viennent le temps d'un week-end rendre
hommage à la tolérance. Cette année, un regard particulier sera porté sur le
continent africain. Une vingtaine de concerts se succèdent sur les deux
scènes avec le souci permanent de découverte et de métissage des genres. Le
"village aux couleurs du monde", aménagé autour des deux scènes, accueillera
une soixantaine d'associations représentant les différentes communautés et
cultures de la région. Une place importante est réservée aux arts plastiques
ainsi u'aux rencontres littéraire, conférences et débats. La programmation
musicale comprend les groupes : Modou Samb, Dezoriental, Leopraleur, Touré
Kunda, Watch clan, Pablo Moses, Irischtambul, Bonga, Sara Alexander, Flor
del Fango, Jam Session Bandïa et Manu Dibango. www.audincourt.com

- 49 - Les Orientales, Festival de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, du 22 juin au 1er
juillet. A l'occasion de la troisième édition des Orientales, les rives de
la Loire accueille à nouveau un Orient rare, nomade et traditionnel. La
vièle, instrument ancien resté le fidèle compagnon du poète et du musicien
sera cette année au cour de la programmation qui propose un voyage musical
dans des pays aussi différents que le Maroc, l'Irak, le Soudan, la Turquie,
la Mongolie, l'Algérie ou le Kazakhstan. Pour la programmation africaine :
Le 22 juin : Ensemble AhbabSheikh Larbi Bensari de Tlemcen, Algérie, Chant
et musique arabo-andalou et Rwayyes, poètes berbères de Marrakech, Maroc -
Le 23 juin : Le grand orchestre de musique arabe du caire, Egypte, hommage à
Oum Kalthoum avec les chanteuses Karima Skalli, Maroc ; Abir Nasraoui,
Tunisie ; Riham Abdelhakim, Egypte ; Salma, Palestine - Le 24 juin : Awlad
al-Bora'i et awlad Hajj al Mâhi, Soudan, chants soufis du Soudan ;
Al-Hajlane et son orchestre, Soudan, le groove soudanais des "chants de la
mallette". www.festival-les-orientales.com

- 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 17 juin : Ateliers en fête. Les ateliers du
théâtre de l'Air Nouveau présentent leurs travaux de fin d'année autour du
thème "La Liberté s'arrache".
- . http://perso.club-internet.fr/theanou


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * AFRIQUE

- Gabon - Libreville, Centre culturel français St Exupéry. Du 26 au 30 juin
: Le poète dans la cité, 4ème édition de la semaine scientifique et
culturelle. Hommage au poète Pierre-Edgard Moundjegou. Du 19 juin au 7
juillet : Exposition photo "Chroniques coloniales". Le fonds photographique
de Blaise Paraiso présenté ici propose un voyage où l'administration
coloniale fait suite aux pistes tracées par les explorateurs. Libreville
prise dans la tourmente de la deuxième guerre mondiale, puis les
revendications d'indépendance. www.ga.refer.org/ccf

- Niger - Centre culturel franco-nigérien de Niamey - Du 11 juin au 29
juillet : Photographie, "Banni Samay" photographies de Jean-Pierre Estournet
prises au cours de deux séjours au Niger dans trois villages du pays zarma.
Les 13 et 15 juin, 21h : Spectacle de marionnettes, "Une journée mémorable",
par le Koykoyo théâtre, texte et mise en scène de Cheikh Amadou Kotondi. Les
16 et 30 juin : Vidéo Documentaire, Hommage à Djingarey Maïga avec le 16 :
"Nuages noirs", Niger, 79 et le 30 : "Miroir noir", Niger, 87 - Musique :
Les 14, 15 et 16 juin : BCBG, rumba, Niger - www.ccfn.ne


PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE * MONDE

- Allemagne - Afrikanisches Kultur- und Filmfestival, Osnabrück, du 9 juin
au 8 juillet, http://www.osnabrueck.de/afrika

- 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". Du 10 juin au 14 octobre
01: "In the presence of spirit : African Art from the National Museum of
Ethnology, Lisbon". Programme des rencontres musicales, débats, projections
du Musée : www.si.edu/nmafa

- Allemagne - 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 est accompagnée de films, théâtre et musique. La
programmation détaillée est consultable sur les sites : www.hkw.de -
www.theshortcentury.com Africultures rendra compte de cette importante
exposition dans sa prochaine édition.




THEATRE * PARIS

- "El Maestro" de Aziz Chouaki, Théâtre international de langues françaises,
du 05 au 17 juin. Printemps - Algérie au Théâtre international de langue
française. Texte de Aziz Chouaki - Mise en scène de Nabil El Azan /
Compagnie La Barraca. Avec Mouss. Un chef d'orchestre dans une répétition
pour présenter l'Algérie au festival de musique appliquée à Genève. Le
Maestro dirige ses sept musiciens en les emmenant l'un après l'autre dans
l'Alger d'aujourd'hui.


THEATRE * AFRIQUE

- Congo - Kinshasa - Festival International de l'Acteur, du 22 au 30 juin.
l'Ecurie Maloba organise la 6ème édition du Festival International de
l'Acteur (FIA) du 22 au 30 juin 2001 avec la participation des artistes de
15 pays d'Afrique, d'Europe et d'Amérique. 20 spectacles de théâtre et de
danse sont au programme, ainsi que des rencontres professionnelles (dont une
rencontre des réseaux initiés lors des rencontres de Bangui et de Lille - cf
compte-rendus dans Africultures 27 et sur le site).

- Sénégal - Festival international de théâtre, Dakar, du 08 au 16 juin.
Dakar accueille la première édition du festival international de théâtre.
Les compagnies suivantes seront présentes : Théâtre de la fraternité
(Bénin), Nzonzi théâtre (Congo), Marbayassa (Burkina), Bivelas (Congo),
Wassangari (Bénin), une compagnie Tunisienne, Sizang théâtre (Côte
d'Ivoire), Acte 7 (mali), Cie 3 C (Togo). Toutes les troupes sénégalaises
participeront au festival : Gueules tapées, 7 Kouss, Atlantic théâtre,
Zenith Art, le théâtre de l'Université, Côté Jardin, Cie Gorgorlu. Pendant
toute la durée du festival, vous trouvez dans le site du Groupe 30
(http://www.groupe30afrique.sn) toutes les infos sur les troupes, les
comptes rendus de presse, etc.



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 16 sur RFO Sat à 21h : La nuit thématique de Haïti
A l'occasion de l'anniversaire de la commémoration de la levée de drapeau le
18 mai, RFO Sat présente une nuit thématique consacrée à Haïti. Des
documentaires relatant entre autres, les dernières élections mettront en
relief les atouts et les difficultés rencontrées par ce pays, ou encore un
concert de Wyclef Jean.

- Le 16 sur TV5 Europe à 21h05: Thalassa - Le delta des éléphants blancs
Le pétrole du delta du fleuve Niger est depuis 40 ans exploité par les
occidentaux et les habitants du delta, pas plus que les Nigérians n'en
profitent. Quand les compagnies pétrolières consentent à ouvrir leur
portefeuille, c'est pour donner de l'"argent de poche" ou quelques armes,
financer des écoles sans maîtres ou des dispensaire sans médecins. En
France, on appelle ça la poudre aux yeux, au Nigéria, des "éléphants blancs"
.

- Le 20 sur Arte à 20h15 : La traque des dicatateurs
La longue traque de l'ancien dictateur tchadien Hissène Habrè par les
militants de l'association Human Rights Watch.

- Le 22 sur TV5 Europe à 13h05 : F@xculture - Souad Massi, first lady du
folk rock arabe
Artiste phare de la nouvelle génération d'artistes algériens, Souad Massi a
inventé un folk-rock tout en finesse soutenu par des textes humanistes.
Seulement, voilà, la belle est trop populaire, trop libre, trop engagée.

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 (détails sur le site)

- ADEFFI, Association des Études Françaises et Francophones d'Irlande
propose une Conférence Annuelle le 27 oct. 01 à Dublin City University sur
la thématique "Chansons, musiques, arts et sociétés". http://www.mic.ul.ie/

- La Société suisse d'études africaines lance un appel à communications pour
le symposium international "Textes en contexte : Langue et écrit face à
l'Oralité africaine". Université de Zurich, Suisse - 18-20 octobre 2001.
www.unizh.ch/spw

- Concours littéraire et artistique bilingue sur le football en Afrique -
Les personnes intéressées sont invitées à soumettre, jusqu'au 10 août 2001
au plus tard, des textes bilingues (poèmes, narrations, essais, pièces de
théâtre), ou des compositions artistiques du registre oral (chanson,
présentations multimédia.) sur le thème du football en Afrique.
www.unizh.ch/spw

- The second european conference of the international society for literature
and science : experimenting arts and sciences. May 8-12, 2002. Danemark.
http://www.au.dk/en/

- The Third Annual Graduate Student Conference in African American History.
November 2-3, 2001. University of Memphis - Department of History.
http://www.people.memphis.edu/~history

- Colloque Maroc - Le Département de Langue et de Littérature Françaises
organise un Colloque international du 30 octobre au 1er novembre 2001:
"Ecriture et représentation du Maroc : Genèse et construction des images
culturelles"

- Appel à communications pour un numéro spécial de The review of
education/pedagogy, cultural study sur le thème "postcolonialism and
education"



CINEMA


News :

- Afrique du Sud - Moonlighting Filmmakers prépare l'adaptation au cinéma de
la pièce d'Athol Fugard "Valley Song". Le réalisateur en sera Harry Hook et
il sera produit par Little Bird. Il sera tourné au Cap et à Johannesburg et
raconte l'histoire d'une jeune Sud-Africaine qui rêve de la grande ville et
de son grand-père ancré dans le passé. (source : Screen Africa)

- Fonds francophones - La Commission de sélection du Fonds Francophone de
production audiovisuelle du Sud composée de 9 professionnels du cinéma et de
la télévision francophone siégeant sous la présidence du Directeur du Cinéma
et des Médias de l'Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie a tenu sa
1ère session de l'année 2001, les 3 et 4 mai 2001 à Liège (Belgique). La
Commission a retenu 25 projets sur les 64 soumis à son examen. Le total des
financements accordés s'élève à 5 620 000 FF pour une durée de 38 heures de
production. Les films aidés et les aides allouées sont publiées dans le
site.

- Nigeria - 400 professionnels nigérians du cinéma et de la video réunis à
Lagos
Le premier forum international sur la video et le cinéma nigérians de Lagos,
co-organisé par l'association des producteurs indépendants nigérians
(ITPAN), le centre culturel français de Lagos et l'Ambassade de France au
Nigeria les 31 mai, 1er et 2 juin 2001, a rassemblé plus de 400
professionnels nigérians. Producteurs, réalisateurs, acteurs, distributeurs,
journalistes spécialisés ont eu l'occasion d'échanger leurs points de vue et
idées avec près de vingt professionnels étrangers venus d'Afrique du sud, du
Bénin, du Burkina Faso, du Ghana, du Zimbabwe et de France. L'objectif
de ce forum était de faire découvrir à des professionnels français et
africains l'abondante production nigériane mais également de permettre aux
professionnels nigérians d'établir des contacts avec leurs homologues
étrangers afin qu'ils accèdent aux circuits internationaux de la production
et de la distribution. Lire l'ensemble du comte rendu dans la rubrique
murmure sur le site.

- Grande Bretagne - La 7ème édition du Festival du cinéma noir et asiatique,
Bite the Mango organisé par le Musée National Britannique de la
Photographie, Film & Television se tiendra du 21 au 29 septembre 2001 en
Angleterre. Le musée appel aux inscriptions du monde entier. Les courts
métrages de fiction britanniques seront automatiquement sélectionnés pour le
Prix de la Meilleure fiction britannique. Lors de l'édition 2000, le Prix du
Jury et du Public a été remporté par Sean Hogan & Navin Chowdhry pour This
Bastard Business. La date limite des inscriptions est le 29 juin 2001.
www.nmpft.org.uk



INTERNET

- Madagascar - Nouveau venu dans le paysage Internet malgache, le portail
international 123 Madagascar référence 950 sites et plus de 500 pages web.
Ouvert depuis le 19 avril dernier, il accueille chaque jour près de 500
visiteurs. Interview du webmaster : Emmanuelle Rasoarahona sur Afrik.com :
http://www.afrik.com/journal/internet/indexnet.htm?net-272-3.htm
www.123madagascar.com

- Reportage sur les demandeurs d'asile - Le 16 juin 2001 a lieu à
l'Assemblée Nationale, la journée des réfugiés. A l'occasion du 50éme
anniversaire de la Convention de Genève et de la première journée mondiale
des réfugiés, Raymond Forni, le président de l'Assemblée Nationale en
partenariat avec le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés
invite 577 réfugiés à siéger en lieu et place des députés lors d'une séance
extraordinaire au Palais Bourbon. A cette occasion visuelimage.com présente
le travail de Benoît Schaeffer, reporter photographe, un reportage de deux
ans sur le parcours des demandeurs d'asiles en France. Un texte de Richard
Ignazzi. Une interprétation en ligne pour visuelimage.com de Sébastien
Susset-Mirochnikoff. http://visuelimage.com/ch/index.htm
Ce travail à été sélectionné dans le cadre des projections lors des
prochaines rencontres du photojournalisme à Perpignan en septembre. il fait
l'objet d'une exposition itinérante dont les deux prochaines manifestations
auront lieu le 29 juin à Tours à l'occasion du 10éme anniversaire de
l'association AFTAM, et le 30 juin à Montauban pour le compte de
l'association France Terre d'Asile.



LITTERATURE / EDITION

News :
- L'agence de la Francophonie et l'agence du prix Jeune Ecrivain francophone
créent le prix des cinq Continents qui vise à promouvoir les nouveaux
talents. Le prix récompense un roman ou un recueil de nouvelles d'un
écrivain d'expression française et d'une autre nationalité, n'ayant pas
publié plus de cinq livres. Le prix est doté d'une bourse de 120 000 F et le
lauréat bénéficie d'une promotion et d'une aide à l'édition dans son pays.
Cette année le prix sera remis le 17 nov. à Beyrouth par la poète libanaise
Vénus Khoury-Ghata, présidente du jury. (Source : Le Monde du 8 juin 2001)

- Prix jeunesse - "L'Afrique Petit Chaka" a été récompensé par le prix
"Sorcières" décernés par l'Association des libraires spécialisés jeunesse.
(Source : Le Monde du 8 juin 2001)

- Concours - La 5ème édition du prix des Bibliothèques Partenaires
France-Afrique vise à promouvoir les partenariats décentralisés pour le
développement de la lecture en Afrique. Le concours, organisé par
l'association Culture et Développement s'adresse à toutes structures ayant
développé des actions de partenariats avec des bibliothèques africaines
autour de la promotion du livre et de la lecture. Le tandem lauréat recevra
un prix correspondant à une dotation d'achat de livres pour la bibliothèque
africaine d'un montant de 20000 F. Les dossiers de candidature sont à
envoyer avant le 15 juillet 01 à : Culture et développement, 9 rue de la
Poste 38000 Grenoble.


Parutions :

- "L'an des criquets", par notre correspondant au Burkina Faso : Jacques
Guégané, roman, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01, Collection Encres noires, 224p,
110F..
L'an des criquets est une relecture de l'Exode, et particulièrement de la
sixième des dix plaies dont Dieu s'est servi pour contraindre les pharaons à
affranchir les Hébreux. Méditation sur les difficultés d'une mobilisation
dont l'enjeu transcende les destins individuels, le poème est aussi un
hommage à Saint-John Perse. L'auteur n'avoue-t-il pas s'inspirer du poète
franco-guadeloupéen pour chanter une Afrique imaginée, tout en se libérant
d'une Afrique de violence qui ne cesse de forger elle-même ses chaînes avec
la complicité de l'extérieur ?

- Parution du 3ème numéro de TaXi, collection sur les artistes contemporains
sud-africains : Jeremy Wafer, Artist's book (Author : Lola Frost - Editor :
Brenda Atkinson, 100 pages ; English/French/Dutch) & Educational supplement.
Notons que la collection Taxi est une initiative réjouissante soutenue par
l'Institut français d'Afrique du Sud face à la pénurie d'édition sur les
artistes africains contemporains.

- "Ma vie transformiste", Vincent Colonna, roman, Ed. Tristram, avril 01,
312 p.,120F.
Diane et Philippine passait des vacances paisibles au Bénin, pays d'origine
de Philippine. Lorsque celle-ci disparaît, sans explications, Diane part à
sa recherche, dans la ville de Cotonou d'abord, puis à la frontière
togolaise, ensuite au Ghana, pour finir au Nigeria. Mais dans ces régions
dont elle ignore les règles, chacune des pistes qu'elle emprunte semble la
conduire vers une Philippine inconnue.

- "L'Odyssée fatale", Serge-Aimé Frederyckes, Ed. Les Affolettes, 172p., 105
F.
Serge-Aimé Frederyckes, originaire du Congo, pose la réflexion dans ce
premier roman sur le droit d'asile, la liberté d'expression.

- "Histoire et Civilisation Kongo", sous la coordination de Marie-Jeanne
Kouloumbou, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01, 160p., 90F.
Fruit d'un travail commun de chercheurs des deux rives du fleuve Congo, de
Brazzaville et de Kinshasa, cet ouvrage nous introduit à la culture Kongo.
Des textes et des réflexions permettent de relire dans une perspective
critique l'histoire et l'ethnologie coloniale, de réajuster l'histoire de la
conscience historique du peuple congolais, de promouvoir une meilleure
connaissance de toutes les facettes culturelles de la République du Congo.

- "La fin des haricots - Chroniques congolaises", Charles Djungu-Simba K.,
roman, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01, Collection Encres noires, 84p, 60F.
"Il doit y avoir d'autres façons d'être prudent que de s'exiler, répliqua
Clet. Vivre à l'étranger (.) n'a jamais été une sinécure, croyez-moi, à
moins d'avoir amassé beaucoup d'argent. Moi, ce que je crains, ce sont les
règlements de compte ". Passant d'une longue dictature d'un Maréchal
moribond aux griffes d'un certain aventurier catapulté par les voisins de
l'Est et autoproclamé Président, les compères kinois se demandent à quelle
sauce cette fois ils seront mangés.

- "Les Alizés de la souffrance", Mame Seck Mbacke, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril
01, 64p, 50F.
Poésie. Succession de petits tableaux ciselés avec goût, sur une étrange
musique : cascades de mots précieux, autant de ruisseaux chatoyants,
primesautiers qui finissent par s'épouser pour former une seule grande
rivière. Le ton est parfois nostalgique, désabusé, caustique. Mais il y a la
foi qui sauve. C'est la spiritualité qui sauve du désastre moral.

- "Contes kabyles. Deux contes du cycle de l'ogre", Youcef Allioui ,
bilingue français-kabyle, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01, Coll. Légendes des
Mondes, 94p, 60F.
L'auteur n'a cessé de recueillir auprès de ses parents d'abord puis de ses
proches tout ce qui, à leurs yeux, constituait ce qu'ils appelaient le "mot
ancien" et le "mot sacré" : mythes et croyances kabyles. Le mot ancien
contient toutes les autres traditions orales. D'où viennent les ogres et les
ogresses ? C'est la question que les enfants kabyles posent souvent à leurs
parents et grands-parents.

- "Etreintes", Bouthaïna Azami-Tawil, roman, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01,
Coll. Ecritures arabes, 172p, 90F.
"Ma mère m'avait conté l'histoire de l'Ermite, elle m'avait dit Il était une
fois il y a bien longtemps [.] mes yeux ont défailli une étrange agonie, mon
corps m'a échappé et, parfois, juste pour mourir un peu, je réveille cette
voix qui pleurait, par rainures liquides, ses sèves dans ma chair. "

- "Bleuir les doigts du monde - Pétrole puis soudain le désert", Chekib
Abdessalam, Préface de Philippe Tancelin, Ed. L'Harmattan, avril 01, Coll.
Poètes des Cinq Continents, 112p, 70F.
Alors que les entrailles de la terre livrent, peut-être, leur secret à la
pétrographie et que les pétrodollars peuvent swinguer, les états-majors
bomber le torse. Un désert peuplé de soleil et de lune, espace acuité,
resplendit. Amouraché du vivant et de l'âme, debout, par bonheur, le Sahara
bleuit la planète. A noter que Chekib Abdessalam prépare pour Africultures
un dossier sur le désert africain.


Publications :

- "Cinéville" - la revue d'action culturelle cinématographique de Kyrnéa
(François Campana) paraît sur 12 pages et papier glacé. Le numéro 2 de juin
comporte d'intéressants reportages sur des ateliers en région dans le cadre
de "un été au ciné" et le regard d'Olivier Nahmias sur les "Carnaval" de
Cannes, notamment à propos du film "L'Afrance" d'Alain Gomis.

- "Le Margouillat" - Le "mensuel endémique de l'île de la Réunion" de juin
comporte sa dose de BD et d'articles engagés, le tout sur un ton ironique
voire polémique qui réjouit. C'est le moment de s'abonner : augmentation en
vue ! www.margouillat.guetali.fr

- "Défis Sud", mai 2001 - Au sommaire de ce numéro, "Que faire du musée
Léopold ?" un entretien avec Toma Muteba Luntumbue, conservateur invité
pour la partie art contemporain de l'exposition ExitCongoMuseum à Tervuren,
Belgique, qui pose la réflexion sur la signification et l'actualisation du
Musée Royal. Egalement une enquête "Sénégal :A la recherche d'une identité
globale" autour des technologies de l'information et de la communication.
www.sosfaim.be

- "Congo-Kinshasa", n°8, hiver-printemps 01, bulletin trimestriel de la
campagne Congo-Kinshasa du Réseau Congo-France. (04 78 28 61 35)



MUSIQUE

News :

- Cameroun - Les EBENES'Art association organisent du 26 novembre au 01
décembre 2001 la Première Edition du Festival des Musiques Contemporaines
contre le SIDA. L'Association recherche des partenaires dans le domaine de
la culture afin de l'aider à réaliser ce programme. Elle souhaiterait
également participer aux forums culturels organisés à travers l'Afrique.
L'édition de cette année est réservée au Rap- Hip Hop. Cf petite annonce sur
le site.



PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE

- Suisse : Un Centre de recherche sur l'Afrique à Fribourg est en train de
voir le jour - Le CERDAF, Centre d'Etudes, de Recherches et de Documentation
sur l'Afrique de Fribourg a pour vocation de faire connaître une "autre
Afrique" et de travailler selon le principe de la science mise au service du
développement. Il réunit des chercheurs de diverses disciplines, africains
ou non. Obanda_s@hotmail.com

- Un rapport parlementaire les centres culturels français à l'étranger
dénonce leur politique culturelle. "Il faut en finir avec une conception
obsolète d'une culture française à vocation universelle que nos centres
culturels seraient chargés de diffuser au monde", écrit le rapport qui
poursuit :"Le rôle essentiel des centres culturels est de privilégier le
dialogue et les rencontres entre la culture française, passée et actuelle,
et les cultures locales." Pour le rapporteur, un centre culturel est trop
souvent conçu comme une vitrine de la France avant d'être considéré comme un
acteur du tissu local dans lequel il s'insère. Pour lui, il faudrait
"redonner sens et vie à nos centres culturels, en faire des lieux de
médiation et de confrontation animés, des foyers de création susceptibles
d'attirer les jeunes générations des 18-30 ans." Et pour cela faire rupture
avec un mode de fonctionnement qui "est, par certains côtés, une pesante
machinerie qui se retourne parfois contre la culture et la stérilise." Des
solutions sont proposées qui passent par une plus grande autonomie des
centres, une restructuration du réseau et une augmentation des budgets. Le
rapport est à lire à : www.assemblee-nationale.fr/rap-info/i2924.asp



THEATRE

- Diffusion du théâtre africain - www.webthea.com est un site consacré au
théâtre qui permet aux compagnies théâtrales de présenter leur spectacle,
leur tournée... Une nouvelle rubrique "Spectacles" entièrement dynamique
offre la possibilité pour toute les compagnies, théâtres et créateurs de
spectacles vivants, d'ouvrir un compte et d'inscrire leurs spectacles dans
cette base de données. Ce service est entièrement gratuit. La base est
ouverte à l'international. Le moteur de recherche prend en compte le pays et
ville d'origine de la production ainsi que le pays de représentation.
www.webthea.com



5) LE SITE AFRICULTURES DE LA SEMAINE

- http://www.iccnetafrica.com/portail/
le portail sur l'Afrique Centrale
Le 14 avril dernier, Nyemb Popoli et Tignous, Pahé et de Hallain Paluku,
deux caricaturistes gabonais et congolais étaient sur le plateau de la
cyberstation du siège de ICCNet à Yaoundé, à l'occasion d'un forum spécial
Culture Web, organisé dans le cadre de l'édition 2001 du Festival de la
Caricature de Yaoundé (Fescary), qui s'est déroulé du 10 au 14 avril
dernier. Ils ont répondu aux questions des internautes et donné un état des
lieux de la caricature dans leurs pays. L'intégralité du débat est à lire
sur : .http://www.iccnet.cm/webzine/forums/f14040100.htm

- Africultures est partenaire du festival et prévoit un numéro consacré à la
caricature africaine.
Le site du Fescary : www.iccnet.cm/irondel/index.htm
dans les pages "Evénements Africultures" :
www.africultures.com/partenaires/fescary.htm


6) QUOI DE NEUF SUR WWW.AFRICULTURES.COM ?

- La Nouvelle Lettre des Diasporas (Bénin) est en ligne sur le site
Le dernier Bulletin mensuel de liaison de La Médiathèque des Diasporas (N°
023 du 21 mars au 20 avril 2001), notre partenaire à Cotonou, est en grande
partie à lire à l'adresse
www.africultures.com/partenaires/mediath_bulletin.htm avec les articles,
l'actualité culturelle béninoise, les circuits touristiques originaux
organisés par la médiathèque.

- tout le cahier critique de juin est en ligne.

7) 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


8) 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.


9) 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.


10) 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).
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 !!

More...

Festival des Arts 2-5 août 01

2001-06-18

http://www.africultures.com/partenaires/art_de_rue.htm

Depuis 1996, les associations Ymako Téatri, Toucouleurs et Quartier France, organisent le Festival des Arts de la Rue de Grand Bassam, afin de remettre les arts dans leur espace original: la rue, où ils sont accessibles à tous.

Heart of Greed

2001-06-18

http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/06/10/reviews/010610.10fishert.html

Two books chronicle the history of Congo and Africa, from colonial rule to the present.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MR. KURTZ
Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo.
By Michela Wrong.
Illustrated. 338 pp. New York:
HarperCollins Publishers. $26.

THE GRAVES ARE NOT YET FULL
Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa.
By Bill Berkeley.
Illustrated. 309 pp. New York:
Basic Books. $27.50.

More...

Human Rights and the End of Empire

Britain and the Genesis of the European Convention

2001-06-18

http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-826289-2?view=lawview

The European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 established the most effective international system of human rights protection which has yet been invented. This is the first book that gives a comprehensive account of how it came into existence, of the part played in its genesis by the British government.

Income generation: experience from university libraries

2001-06-18

http://www.inasp.org.uk/lsp/index.html

Report on the fourth biennial conference of Standing Conference of African National and University Librarians - Eastern, Central and Southern (SCANUL-ECS). The theme of the meeting, which took place in Windhoek, Namibia in April 2000, was Sustainable Funding of African National and University Libraries.
Income generation: experiences from university libraries in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa
by Tirong arap Tanui, Joseph J.Uta, Annie Pienaar, Jenny Raubenheimer, Hesteer G. Boltman, Julita Nawe, Elizabeth Kiondo, James Mugasha, C.B.M.Lunga. Edited by Diana Rosenberg

In April 2000, SCANUL-ECS held its fourth biennial conference in Windhoek, Namibia. The theme of the meeting was Sustainable Funding of African National and University Libraries. Recognizing that there is a movement away from total reliance on government funding towards additional sources for library income, the meeting resolved that case studies of successful income generation by university libraries in the region be published and distributed to SCANUL-ECS members. This volume, containing case studies from eight university libraries in six African countries, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, is the result.

91 pp. 205x145mm ISBN 1-9029928-07-5 Price: £7.50. It is being distributed free to members of SCANUL-ECS.
Publication date: May 2001

Published by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)
27 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HU, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44-(0)1865-249909 Fax: +44-(0)1865 251060 Email: inasp@gn.apc.org
and
the Standing Conference of African National and University Libraries in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (SCANUL-ECS) c/o The Library, University of the North, Private Bag X1112, Sovenga 0727, South Africa

Distributed by INASP.

More...

NIGERIA: WRITER'S CITY OF ASYLUM

2001-06-18

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/highlights/010614_soyinka.shtml

Writers from around the world, who are under threat of persecution, may soon be able to find sanctuary in Nigeria.

The UNHCR and World Politics

2001-06-18

http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-829716-5?view=lawview

This book examines the role of UNHCR in world politics since its founding 50 years ago, its relevance towards reaching solutions to global refugee problems, and its effectiveness as the international community's principal protection mechanism for persecuted populations who have been forced into exile.

69 Nigerian Girls Deported Monthly, Says Atiku's Wife

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140466.html

About 69 trafficked Nigerian girls are deported monthly, wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Titi Abubakar, has said. Addressing youth corps members during an awareness campaign at the NYSC orientation camp in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Mrs. Abubakar lamented that between March and April this year, about 1,126 of such girls had been deported.

Call for Papers and Virtual Seminar Series on Men and Ending Gender Violence

2001-06-18

http://www.un-instraw.org/mensroles/

United Nations INSTRAW-GAINS is pleased to invite you to join its collaborative programme on: Men's roles and responsibilities in ending gender-based violence. This programme has two collaborative activities: An e-mail based VIRTUAL SEMINAR SERIES and a set of WORKING PAPERS.



Please JOIN our programme mailing list by sending an email with "subscribe"
as the subject to EMVnet-request@un-instraw.org

This mailing list is closely linked to the programme activities and is the
best way to participate. Although some of the programme resources are
web-based, these will also be sent by periodic updates to the mailing list.

By joining the programme you will participate in:

· The discussions of the Virtual Seminar Series
· A forum for information and resource exchange
· Opportunities for Partnership Building
· Updates and summaries of the Working Paper Series

The mailing list will last only the duration of the programme (June-December
2001) unless the community agrees to further activities. As a member of
this free programme, you will be asked to participate in discussions to
respectfully share your opinions and experiences.

CALL FOR PAPERS - We are issuing a call for working papers with suggested
topics focused on alliance building and public policies to support violence
prevention initiatives that involve men.
Deadline for abstracts is 30 June 2001.

THE VIRTUAL SEMINAR SERIES is a series of collaborative seminars focused on
men and ending gender-based violence. Experts and activists in the field
facilitate each seminar. The Series BEGINS 20 JUNE with the question "How
can conversations around men, masculinities and power help us understand and
end gender based-violence?" Facilitated by Robert Connell (University of
Sydney).

For complete information on these activities please see:
http://www.un-instraw.org/mensroles/ or send an e-mail to James Lang,
jlang@un-instraw.org

Please disseminate this announcement widely to other interested
organizations and individuals.

Sincerely,

James Lang
Research Coordinator
The United Nations International Research
and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
(INSTRAW)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.
jlang@un-instraw.org
http://www.un-instraw.org/mensroles/

More...

Enhancing women's political participation in Morocco

2001-06-18

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

One year before the general elections in Morocco, international and national organisations are preparing the field for an enhanced political participation of women. Morocco has one of the lowest rates of women's participation in government and politics globally, with only one female minister and no female parliamentarians.

New initiative to halt spread of AIDS among women

2001-06-18

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

Two UN agencies join hands to fight the fast spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls. Women now constitute 47% of the 34.7 million adults living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, while the number is 55% for Sub-Saharan Africa - and increasing.

PENNIES FOR ANGOLA

African Womens Charity Organisation

2001-06-18

http://hometown.aol.com/forafricanwomen/myhomepage/index.html

The Organization of Angolan Women - OMA is the women's wing of the Popular Movement of the Liberation Angola (MPLA) and has over one and a half million members now. It represents the determination of the women of Angola. We started the "Pennies for Angola" campaign in response to the intense attacks against the Angolan people in 1999 by UNITA, a rebel organization attacking those (mainly women) who do the planting of food in the rural areas.

98 prisoners of conscience in libya

Intervention requested

2001-06-18

http://www.omct.org

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source about developments in the trial of at least 98 prisoners of conscience in Tripoli, Libya. According to the information received, a group of at least 98 prisoners of conscience are being tried before the people’s court, having been arbitrarily arrested en masse in Libya’s main cities during June 1998, ostensibly on the grounds of political opposition and, more specifically,for supporting or showing sympathy for the underground Islamic movement, the Libyan Islamic Group.
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Libya.

Brief description of the situation:

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable
source about developments in the trial of at least 98 prisoners of
conscience in Tripoli, Libya.

According to the information received, a group of at least 98 prisoners of
conscience are being tried before the people’s court, having been
arbitrarily arrested en masse in Libya’s main cities during June 1998,
ostensibly on the grounds of political opposition and, more specifically,
for supporting or showing sympathy for the underground Islamic
movement, the Libyan Islamic Group. This movement is not known to
have used or advocated violence. The detainees include university
lecturers, engineers, medical doctors, university students and
businessmen. A list of their names can, if required, be obtained from
OMCT. It is thought that the total number of people arrested for their
political activities during the wave of arrests in 1998 may be as high as
140, although it has only been possible to obtain the names of 98 of them
so far.

According to the information received, the 98 prisoners were brought
before the people’s court in Tripoli for the third closed session of the
trial on June 3rd, 2001, having already attended closed sessions on March
18th, 2001 and April 29th, 2001. During the June 3rd session, which
reportedly lasted around ten minutes, it was decided to postpone the
hearing until June 17th. The detainees are being tried under the tajreem al-
hizbiyyah (Incrimination of Party Activism) law, or law 71 of 1972(2),
under which political activists can be tried by the authorities for
opposition to the principles of the September 1st 1969 revolution, leading
to possible sentencing for treason, which carries the death penalty.

According to the information received, the 98 prisoners have been held
incommunicado since their arrest. Even though attorneys were appointed
by their relatives, these attorneys were neither allowed to review the
cases nor were they allowed to meet with their clients. They were not
allowed to attend the session on April 29th. Subsequently, decision was
taken by the judge to appoint lawyers (from the popular attorneys office)
for their defence.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the 98
prisoners’ physical and psychological integrity and fears that they may
be subjected to torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment during their detention.

Action requested:

i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the prisoners’
physical and psychological integrity;

ii. order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal
charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial,
independent and competent tribunal and guarantee their
procedural rights at all times;

iii. ensure the right of those detained to be allowed to meet with
their lawyers;

iv. 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;

v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental
freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national
laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses:

Colonel Mu'ammar al-Kaddafi, Leader of the Revolution, Office of the
Leader of the Revolution, Tripoli, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya. Fax : + 218 21 333 01 85

Imbarak Abdalla El Shamek, Prime Minister, Secretary of the General
People's Committee Tripoli, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya. Fax : + 218 54 60 017

Mohammed Mohammed Belgassem al-Zuia, Minister of Justice and
General Security, Office of the Minister of Justice and General Security,
Tripoli, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
Fax : + 218 21 444 16 74

The General People's Congress (Human Rights section). Fax : + 218 21
361 39 07

Please also write to the Diplomatic Representatives of Libya in your
country.

Geneva, June 13th, 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...

AI Welcomes Belgian court judgment

2001-06-18

http://www.amnesty.org

Amnesty International welcomed the judgment late last night of the Brussels Court of Assizes which convicted four Rwandese nationals of war crimes committed in Rwanda in 1994.
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *

8 June 2001
AFR 47/001/2001
100/01



The judgment, by a civilian jury, found three of the four
accused guilty of all charges and a fourth guilty of some and
not-guilty of others. The trial and conviction of the accused is
the latest step in the use of universal jurisdiction over the
past decade as an essential tool in the struggle against impunity
in the case of states where the crimes occurred, which are unable
or unwilling to bring those responsible to justice.

"All states should ensure prompt, thorough and
independent investigations, wherever allegations of crimes under
international law are made. If such an investigation shows that
there is sufficient evidence for prosecution, then states should
prosecute suspects, in accordance with international law," the
organization said. It allows the national courts of any state to
try people accused of such crimes, regardless of the nationality
of the alleged perpetrators or victims and regardless of where
the crimes were committed.

Since the establishment of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1993 and the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1994, national prosecutors and
investigating judges in more than a dozen countries, including
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and
the United States have opened investigations or prosecutions
based on universal jurisdiction or have arrested persons at the
request of states conducting such investigations.

An Amnesty International study now being completed
indicates that approximately 120 states have legislation
providing for universal jurisdiction over war crimes or other
crimes under international law, such as crimes against humanity,
genocide and torture. However, in many states such legislation
needs to be strengthened.

In Belgium, the law is under attack by the government,
which is seeking to weaken it. The day before the judgment in
the Rwanda case, the Foreign Minister called for it to be revised
in a way which would seriously limit its effectiveness. Amnesty
International is calling for Belgium not to weaken its universal
jurisdiction legislation in any way.

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International.

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CAMEROON GOVERNMENT COMPENSATES ABUSED JOURNALIST:

PM HANDS OVER CHEQUE FOR $137,000

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/1592

Albert Mukong, the Cameroonian journalist and human rights activist who took his case to the UN Human Rights Committee, has been given $137,000 by the Cameroon Government in compensation for the abuses he suffered at the hands of the authorities.
The Human Rights Committee found in 1994 that his rights to liberty and security of person and freedom of expression had been violated.1 ARTICLE 19 acted as Mr Mukong's counsel. Andrew Puddephatt, Executive Director of the organisation, said:

"We congratulate the Cameroon Government for compensating Mr Mukong and, in complying with the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee, reaffirming the principle that governments are responsible for past human rights violations committed by the state."

Albert Mukong is a journalist, writer and long-time opponent of the one-party system in Cameroon who brought his case to the UN Human Rights Committee, protesting his arrest and detention without warrant in 1988 and
1990. His book, Prisoner Without a Crime, was banned.2 He left Cameroon in the summer of 1990, and in October of that year applied for asylum in the UK, having been warned that he would face immediate re-arrest if he returned to Cameroon. He now lives in Cameroon.

The UN Human Rights Committee recommended in 1994 that Mr Mukong be compensated, noting that when he was in detention he was "singled out for exceptionally harsh and degrading treatment", including being kept detained incommunicado, threatened with torture and death and intimidated, deprived of food, and kept locked in his cell for several days on end. Commenting on the defence which the Cameroon Government had set out, the Committee stated that "the legitimate objective of safeguarding and indeed strengthening national unity under difficult circumstances cannot be achieved by attempting to muzzle advocacy of multi-party democracy, democratic tenets and human rights."

ENDS For more information contact Ilana Cravitz on +44 20 7278 9292 or press@article19.org Notes for editors
1. Communication No. 458/1991 (views adopted on 21 July 1994, fifty-first session) stated that the Committee found that Mr Mukong has been subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of article
7 of the Covenant and that there was also a violation of article 19, the right to freedom of expression, since the restrictions on Mr Mukong, although provided for by law, were not necessary for the safeguard of national security and/or public order.
2. The book described his detention in local jails between 1970 and
1976.
3. Hollow Promises: Freedom of Expression in Cameroon Since 1995 (ARTICLE 19, October 1999) is at www.article19.org/docimages/460.htm and in French at www.article19.org/docimages/461.htm Reply to:

Ilana Cravitz, Communications Co-ordinator ilana@article19.org Direct line: +44 20 7239 1199 ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH, UK Tel: +44 20 7278 9292, Fax: +44 20 7713 1356, e-mail: info@article19.org, www.article19.org

More...

Chad: Women fired on by police

Request for action

2001-06-18

http://www.omct.org

According to information received by OMCT, an assembly of approximately 100 women met peacefully in front of the French embassy, in the early morning of June 11th 2001, with the intention to hand over a letter of protest regarding the &#8220;complicity of France in the electoral hold-up of May 20th 2001&#8221; to the French
Ambassador. It is reported that the police forces brutally put a halt to the assembly by throwing grenades at the women. Among the 14 injured, 4 are allegedly seriously hurt.


Case TCD 140601


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

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a
reliable source that on June 11th 2001 the Chadian police forces
shot grenades at a peaceful assembly of women. The following 14
women were been injured:

Ms. Moudeina Jacqueline (lawyer), Deneyolem, Touade
Eleonore, Nangadoun Raïmah, Temengdi Sidonie, Tabibe
Ruth, Achta Mahamat, Therese Nadjaldongar,
Ndoubamadji Taram Delphine, Blane Delphine, Boumi
Fatim Naguid, Koumadial Marie, Belingar Dina, Ndoninga
Rachel

According to the information received, an assembly of
approximately 100 women met peacefully in front of the French
embassy, in the early morning of June 11th 2001, with the intention
to hand over a letter of protest regarding the &#8220;complicity of
France in the electoral hold-up of May 20th 2001&#8221; to the French
Ambassador.

It is reported that the police forces brutally put a halt to the
assembly by throwing grenades at the women. Among the 14
injured, 4 are allegedly seriously hurt.


Action Requested

Please write to the Chadian authorities urging them to:

i. guarantee an immediate investigation into the
circumstances of this event, identify those responsible,
bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal
and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions
provided by law;

ii. guarantee adequate reparation to the victims;

iii.guarantee the respect of human rights and the
fundamental freedoms in accordance with national laws
and international human rights standards.


Addresses

1. Mr IDRISS DEBY, Président de la République
Présidence de la République, B.P. 74 N'Djamena Tchad
Fax : (235) 51 45 01; Tél. (235) 51 44 37; Telex 5201 KD/ 5307
KD

2. Mr NAGOUM YAMASSOUM, Premier Ministre
Primature N'Djamena - TCHAD
Fax (235) 52 20 89 Tél (235) 52 63 41 Telex 5351 KD

3. Le Général de Brigade ROUTOUANG YOMA GOLONG
Ministre de la Justice, Garde des Sceaux
Ministère de la Justice BP. 426 N'Djaména - Tchad Tél./Fax
(235) 52 21 39


4. Mr Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF,
Ministre des Affaires Etrangères et de la Coopération
BP. 746 N'Djamena - Tchad Tél 51 50 82 Telex 5238 KD

5. Le Général de Brigade MORNADJI
Chef d'Etat Major Général des Armées (CEMGA)
Camp des Martyrs BP. 916 N'Djaména - Tchad Tél/Fax : 52 38
11

6. Mr Adéramane Moussa
Ministre de l'Intérieur, de la Sécurité et de la Décentralisation
Ministère de l'Intérieur, N'Djaména - Tchad

7. Mahamat Ahmat Choukou
Ministre de la Communication, Porte parole du Gouvernement
Ministère de la Communication N'Djaména Tchad
Fax (235) 52 60 94

8. Colonel Weideing Assi Assoué
Ministre de la Défense
Ministère de la Défense et de la Réinsertion
Tél (235) 52 33 09 N'Djaména Fax : (235) 52 65 44

Geneva, June 14th, 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...

Criminal Justice on a Global Scale

2001-06-18

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/13/opinion/13BROO.html?ex=993438408&ei=1&en=490db

Substantial global consensus already exists that crimes against humanity and war crimes can no longer be swept under the rug. There is also broad recognition of a role for international courts, like the current tribunals examining crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as well as for national courts.

Former Child Soldier Pleads for Comrades in 87 Countries

2001-06-18

http://www.oneworld.net/ips2/june01/01_41_004.html

Ishmael Beah, a 19-year-old veteran of Sierra Leone's battlefields, pleaded with world leaders Tuesday to help the hundreds of thousands of children pressed into armed service in war zones around the world. "Conferences are great. UN reports are great. But we need to go out and rescue those children," Beah said at the release of a report condemning the use of child soldiers.

GLOBAL REPORT ON CHILD SOLDIERS

2001-06-18

http://www.child-soldiers.org/news_updates/jobrg_presspack.html

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers will launch its 450-page report 'Global Report on Child Soldiers 2001' on 12 June. The first-ever survey of its type documents military recruitment by government armed forces, paramilitaries and non-state armed groups in 180 countries.

Ibn Khaldun Center Sentenced

2001-06-18

http://www.ibnkhaldun.org/

Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an internationally renowned sociologist and advocate of democracy and human rights, was sentenced in Egypt to seven years in prison on May 21, 2001. This trial, held in a court that falls far short of international legal standards, was clearly politically motivated - intended to muzzle civil society in Egypt. His 27 co-defendants, colleagues from the Ibn Khaldun Center for Developmental Studies and the League of Egyptian Women Voters (HODA), were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1-5 years (some suspended). Eight defendants, including Nadia 'Abd al-Nur, Magda Al Bey, Mohammed Hassanein, Khaled al-Fayad, and Ussama Hisham Ali, remain in prison at this time.

Judging genocide

2001-06-18

http://www.economist.com/world/na/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=655648

Getting justice for the worst war crimes may be impossible. But two United Nations courts are trying, and a court in Belgium has just joined in.

KENYA: Moi brings opposition party into cabinet

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/kenya/20010611.phtml

President Daniel arap Moi on Monday brought opposition leader Raila Odinga into his cabinet, Kenyan radio reported. In a cabinet reshuffle, Moi appointed Odinga - leader of the National Development Party (NDP), which had recently established a partnership with the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) - as Energy Minister. Another NDP member, Adhu Owiti, was appointed Planning Minister, in what was the first time the first time KANU has been joined in cabinet by members of other parties.

MAURITANIA: Jailing of opposition figure condemned

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/mauritania/20010615.phtml

Opposition parties in Mauritania and human rights groups condemned on Thursday the five-year prison term handed down to the leader of the opposition Front populaire party, Chbih Cheikh Ould Malainine. The Criminal Court in Aioun, 800 km east of the capital, Nouakchott, sentenced Malainine and two others on Thursday for plotting to overthrow the government, media organizations reported.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE REPORT

ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM

2001-06-18

http://www.hrforumzim.com

The MDC is contesting the outcome of last June&#8217;s parliamentary elections in many constituencies that resulted in the victory of the ZANU (PF) candidate. The MDC has filed 41 cases from constituencies across Zimbabwe. ZANU (PF) is likewise contesting the election result in only one constituency where the MDC won a parliamentary seat. Trials began 12 February 2001.
Human rights abuses have been reported in all cases that have appeared before the High Court.
A report by the Legal Unit of the
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (also known as the &#8220;Human Rights Forum&#8221;) has been in existence since January 1998. Nine non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights joined together to provide legal and psychosocial assistance to the victims of the Food Riots of January 1998.
The Human Rights Forum has now expanded its objectives to assist victims of organized violence, using the following definition:
&#8220;Organised violence&#8221; means the inter-human infliction of significant avoidable pain and suffering by an organised group according to a declared or implied strategy and/or system of ideas and attitudes. It comprises any violent action, which is unacceptable by general human standards, and relates to the victims&#8217; mental and physical well being.
The Human Rights Forum operates a Legal Unit and a Research and Documentation Unit.
Core member organizations of the Human Rights Forum are:
The Amani Trust
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
The Legal Resources Foundation
Transparency International (Zimbabwe)
The University of Zimbabwe Legal Aid and Advice Scheme
Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and the Rehabilitation of the Offender
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association
Associate members are:
GALZ
ZIMCET
The Human Rights Forum can be contacted through any member organization or through the following:
The Administrator, c/o P O Box 5465, Harare &#8211; email: admin@hrforum.co.zw
The Legal Unit, c/o P O Box 5465, Harare &#8211; email: legal@hrforum.co.zw
The Research Unit c/o P O Box 5465, Harare &#8211; email: research@hrforum.co.zw
Telephone/fax: 792222, 737509, and 731660
Website: www.hrforumzim.com
All previous reports of the Human Rights Forum can be found on the website.


Background
The MDC is contesting the outcome of last June&#8217;s parliamentary elections in many constituencies that resulted in the victory of the ZANU (PF) candidate. The MDC has filed 41 cases from constituencies across Zimbabwe. ZANU (PF) is likewise contesting the election result in only one constituency where the MDC won a parliamentary seat. Trials began 12 February 2001.
Human rights abuses have been reported in all cases that have appeared before the High Court. Some of the victims seen by the HRLU (Human Rights Legal Unit) during March 2001 were victims of political violence that occurred when they returned home after testifying in the election challenges. The violence, which has mainly implicated ZANU (PF) supporters, but has also implicated some MDC supporters, is being used as a tool to intimidate people who had testified at the High Court. The intimidation continues to instil such fear that witnesses consider not testifying and in some cases have to be subpoenaed.
Many victims were forced from their homes because of an extreme fear of victimization and repeated intimidation. Victims are often forced to look for alternative housing and many are forced to live with family or friends elsewhere in the country. Most victims report beatings as the main form of torture.
Some victims seen by the HRLU were victims of other political violence, torture and ongoing intimidation in several constituencies.
Political violence has been reported in the following constituencies: Karoi, Hurungwe West, Chikomba, Chiredzi, Makoni West, Bikita West, Mabvuku, Shamva, Harare, Bulawayo, Bubi-Umguza, Mberengwe East, Mazowe West, Muzarabani, Masvingo North, and Mount Darwin.
The Clemency Order handed down by the President in October 2000, which declared that only those involved in political violence that resulted in murder or rape could be prosecuted, clearly has had serious effects. Police have taken little action to protect persons against political violence and in many cases, according to victims, refuse to take statements from MDC supporters. Some victims refrain from making reports to the police out of fear of further victimization often because of a perceived link between the assailants and members of law enforcement agencies. The police, as evidenced by statements of victims, have shown little intention of taking the reported matters seriously or investigating them with diligence.
It is urgent that the Zimbabwean government takes steps to ensure a climate of peaceful political competition. It is also imperative that the government ensures that the rule of law is restored, and criminal charges are brought against all alleged perpetrators, whatever their political affiliation.

Non-election petition related political violence
The information below relates to political violence that is not directly related to the election challenges.
Beitbridge

· Unnamed villagers received death threats from war veterans in early May in the town of Beitbridge. The villagers were told that they would be killed if they attended a rally where MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai was due to speak.

Bindura

· On 26 May, Zanu (PF) supporters who arrived in trucks attacked the homes of six unnamed MDC supporters in Bindura. Thousands of dollars worth of property was destroyed. Zanu (PF) has unleashed a wave of violence against suspected and actual supporters of the MDC in Bindura in an effort to prevent the party&#8217;s penetration into Mashonaland Central, traditionally a ZANU (PF) stronghold.

· Kelvin Mutede, a form 3 student and MDC member, was assaulted on 26 May by
ZANU (PF) supporters during an attack on a home belonging to a suspected MDC supporter. He lost a lot of blood, sustained a fractured right arm and suffered blisters all over his body.

· ZANU (PF) supporters destroyed the shop and car of MDC member Joseph Mashinya on 30 May at Chidembo Shopping Centre in Bindura.

· Felix Kunaka, an MDC district chairman, was assaulted by a group of ZANU (PF) supporters and war veterans that included Elliot Manyika, Provincial Governor of Mashonaland Central. Manyika assaulted Kunaka and then held him at gunpoint whilst the war veterans assaulted him. The matter was reported at Nyawa Police Station.

· Ian Millar and his family were held hostage by war veterans at Dawmill Farm in Bindura on 28 May. The Millar family is being held hostage until war veterans Robert Kandato and Steven Makazo are released from prison. The men are serving four years imprisonment for the attempted murder of Millar&#8217;s farm manager, Keith McGaw. The group has vowed not to release the Millars until Elliot Manyika, Provincial Governor of Mashonaland Central, addresses them.

Bulawayo

· On 16 May, war veterans and ZANU (PF) supporters abducted over 100 employees of Fawcett Security. The employees were forced to march through the city streets and ordered to chant ZANU (PF) slogans to ZANU (PF) offices on Basch Street, approximately 4km away. They were detained for about two hours at this location.

Bulilima-Mangwe

· Joel Sithole, the MDC candidate in the Plumtree Ward 10 council elections, was abducted near Brunapeg on 25 May by masked men whilst he was waiting for transport. He was thrown into a truck driven by a businessman who was identified by eyewitnesses. He was assaulted but managed to escape the following morning. War veterans, Tshitshi, Gwanyana, Tshingababili and one unnamed assailant were identified as the perpetrators. The police acknowledged the report and have said that investigations are underway.

Gweru

· ZANU (PF) supporters assaulted Zerubabel Mudzingwa, a Daily News reporter, in Midlands on 12 May after he was refused entry to a meeting at Mkoba Stadium. The assailants accused him of working for a paper that criticized the government and ZANU (PF).

Harare

· War veterans abducted the director of the Canadian aid agency CARE International, Dennis O&#8217;Brien, on 6 May. Canadian Ambassador James Wall was also assaulted whilst trying to resolve the dispute. The war veterans invaded the agency under the pretext of settling a labor dispute between the agency and a former worker. O&#8217;Brien was taken to ZANU (PF) provincial headquarters where he was held for two hours and had Z$400,000 extorted from him. The accused have been named as Everton Gwanzura, Eric Pfumvuti, Billy Hlongwane, John Tembo, Givemore Chiwara, Joel Samuel Muzhamba, Macdonald Tome and Charles Tawazadza. Ambassador Wall lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police.

· On 10 May, Mr. Timothy Mukwenge went to the ZANU (PF) provincial offices seeking assistance from the labor committee set up by the party. Mukwenge is a well-known MDC supporter. When Mukwenge arrived at the provincial office, he was taken to a small room where twenty ZANU (PF) supporters indiscriminately assaulted him. He sustained bruises all over his body and was dispossessed of his personal belongings, including Z$1,000.

· About 50 Zanu (PF) supporters and war veterans armed with iron clubs and bars attacked youths manning a car park belonging to Resias Musunda (an MDC activist). In the 6 May incident, Maxwell Matobo was bitten all over his back and Christopher Masaruare was seriously injured and was admitted to the hospital. The days income of Z$6,000, a receipt book and a cell phone were taken.

· On 21 May, Edson Mukwasi was assaulted in Kambuzuma by ZANU (PF) supporters. He sustained a swollen eye and several bodily injuries as a result.

· Godknows Musukutwa, a security guard at MP Madzimure&#8217;s home, was attacked on 23 May in Kambuzuma by unnamed assailants. He sustained serious injuries.

· George Slade was kidnapped from Eastlea and taken to ZANU (PF) provincial headquarters on Fourth Street by war veterans John Mada, David Mashakada and Cuthbert Magure who demanded Z$275,000 each from Slade. The three were arrested after a worker at the company informed the police about Slade&#8217;s abduction. They were charged with kidnapping and attempted extortion.

· Mr. Grace, the financial director of Load Engineering, was threatened on 15 May by former employee, Charles Kampwala, and two war veterans, Masimba and an unnamed perpetrator. They threatened to take him to ZANU (PF) headquarters and severely assault him or kill him if he refused to pay Kampwala Z$106,000. Kampwala was charged with extortion and was granted Z$1,000 bail.

· A group of MDC supporters face public violence charges on allegations that they assaulted former MDC members who defected to ZANU (PF). The victims were identified as Simon Matamisa, Kennias Makune, Wilson Mushamba, Ruzive Makumbe, Godfrey Mubvanyika, Constantine Mujera and Christopher Nhemachena. The assailants are alleged to be Edson Chifamba, Muchemwa Muzira, Moses Machakara, Trust Murehwa, Patrick Chakabveyo and Nelson Mataruse. The perpetrators are accused of assaulting the victims with whips and iron bars, and were arrested and released on Z$1000 bail pending trial. Two other assailants, Felix Njanji and Emmanuel Mususa were detained on charges that they trailed a ZANU (PF) supporter and attacked him with booted feet, planks and iron bars. The victim lost a tooth.

· On15 May, war veterans abducted Roy Atkinson, the general-manager of Heritage Clothing and took him to ZANU (PF) Harare provincial offices where he was beaten up. The previous week ZANU (PF) supporters had stormed the company and demanded that 200 dismissed workers be paid Z$200,000 each.

· War veterans, led by Eric Pfumvuti threatened Charles Chereka of Zimbabwe Plumbing Services and forced him to pay his employees Z$23,000. Pfumvuti has been charged with extortion and theft and has since been remanded into custody.

· Lovejoy Muzarengwana, Onward Chiriseri, Catherine Chauruka, Isiah Masendeke, and Evermary Marwa, supported by a group of war veterans, extorted Z$1.4 million dollars from Hossein Abdullar of Fine Print. The employees discovered that the company was changing ownership and extorted the money, with the help of the war veterans, as terminal benefits. They have all since been arrested and charged with extortion and theft. They have been each granted Z$2000 bail.

· War veterans John Mawewe Muzondiwa and John Alexious Makoni, extorted Z$5,000 from each worker at Ploughboy Company, saying it would go to ZANU (PF) headquarters. In reality the two war veterans alone shared the Z$115,000 that they had managed to collect. They have been charged with theft under false pretences.

· War veteran Fabiano Muronzi, extorted Z$6,324,986 from Malcolm Boland and John Stewart. Muronzi claimed that the money was payment for 16 workers dismissed from Boland&#8217;s medical company in 1995. Muronzi has since been charged with extortion.

· War veteran Ian Toto threatened the manager of Daily Health Pharmacies and managed to extort drugs worth Z$35,000, a Toyota Cressida, and Z$35,000 in cash. Toto was charged with extortion and granted bail.


· Augustin Ngoshi, a former employee of Pathology Centre, with the help of war veterans made his former employer, Purchit Ramesochanra Himatil, give him a Z$65,977 cheque. Ngoshi has since been charged with extortion.

· Marguerite Edith Murphy, a former employee of Books of Zimbabwe, solicited the help of war veterans in extorting Z$165,000 from her former employer, Adrian Mark Bolze. War veterans threatened to close the bookshop if Bolze did not pay.

· On 23 May, in Kambuzuma, war veterans attacked the home of Willias Madzamure, the MP for Kambuzuma. All the windows in the house were destroyed, and household goods looted. This was the second attack on Madzimure&#8217;s home, which was also attacked on 21 May.

· On 21 May in Kambuzuma, war veterans attacked the home of Willias Madzamure, the MP for Kambuzuma. Persons armed with stones, bricks, sticks, and catapults attacked the house. The group shouted that they wanted to kill Madzimure as they threw stones at his house.

· On 21 May in Kambuzuma, war veterans assaulted MDC supporter Itai Chandiwana at a beer hall near Madzimure&#8217;s (MP for Kambuzuma) home. The assailants moved on to attack Madzimure&#8217;s home itself.

Makoni East

· ZANU (PF) farm invaders, led by Nathaniel Mhiripiri, clashed with villagers legally settled on a local farm.

Masvingo

· Matthew Dondo and two other unnamed MDC supporters were abducted in the early days of May in the run-up to the Masvingo mayoral election. The three men were abducted and taken to Summerton resettlement scheme where they were threatened with assault and death. Their assailants were allegedly unnamed ZANU (PF) supporters.

· An unnamed ZANU (PF) supporter had his house stoned by MDC supporters in the run-up to the Masvingo mayoral election. The incident occurred in Macheke. Daniel Muchukuti, Kelvin Tichaona, Pilani Ngoniye, Joseph Chenga, July Ngwarati, Brian Mudavanhu, and Witness Madhuna were all arrested in connection with the incident and charged with public violence. They were released on Z$500 bail each.

· MDC supporters assaulted Shylet Uyoyo (Zanu (PF)), Jonasi Mare (ZNLWVA) and 13 unnamed ZANU (PF) supporters in the run-up to the Masvingo mayoral election. Mr. Uyoyo received four stitches at Masvingo General Hospital and the other victims were treated for minor injuries.

· MDC supporters were harassed and assaulted by war veterans in the run up to the Masvingo mayoral elections. Zanu (PF) campaign bases had been established in each of the 10 wards and night meetings were being conducted where MDC supporters were generally intimidated and assaulted.

· Farai Tembo, a ZANU (PF) member, was abducted and taken to Targets Kopje on 11 May after the Masvingo Mayoral election. He was assaulted and injected with an unknown drug, which rendered him unconscious for an hour. He was then taken to Masvingo General Hospital where he was admitted. MDC members Alois Chaimiti, Lawson Mapfira and one unnamed man were identified as the assailants. Mapfira has been picked up for questioning by the police.

· Collin Manyika, a member of ZANU (PF), was allegedly assaulted on 5 May after the Masvingo Mayoral Election by MDC member Alois Chaimiti and an unnamed assailant.

· In the run-up to the Masvingo mayoral election in early May, Shaky Matake and his wife received death threats from supporters of war veteran leader Chenjerai Hunzvi. The Matakes are MDC supporters. The perpetrators are alleged to be Nelson Ziwanai Ndiriri, Milton Mutunga, Tapera Israel Chaumba, Albert Manderera, Amos Mukundamhuka, Rodrick Mhungira and Vacious Raza. Ndiriri, Mutunga, Chaumba, Manderera, Mukundamhuka, Mhungira and Raza were arrested and charged with public violence. They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 18 months in jail. Simon Matakza, Manuel Maulati and Thandiwe Mudzviti pleaded not guilty and will stand trial.


· On 12 May, ZANU (PF) supporters assaulted an unnamed female CIO agent who was mistaken for an MDC activist. The assault preceded mayoral elections in Masvingo.

· On 21 May, ZANU (PF) supporters and riot police injured an unnamed male Masvingo resident. Riot Police fought MDC youths who formed a human shield against an advancing ZANU (PF) group. The violence occurred in the aftermath of the Masvingo mayoral election, which resulted in an MDC victory.

Mazowe West

· On 16 May, war veterans invaded Mazowe Citrus Estates and demanded the immediate removal of employees linked to the MDC. War veterans accused Richard Chiweta of protecting Farastan Muzondo in the face of their orders to fire Muzondo for his allegiance to the MDC.

Mount Darwin

· On 7 May in Chiutsi Village, approximately 300 to 400 war veterans and ZANU (PF) supporters descended on the home of Mr. Taylor Chimugoti around 3 a.m. The supporters wore ZANU (PF) t-shirts and sang ZANU (PF) slogans. They demanded that Chimugoti surrender MDC cards and other MDC material as they pelted him with stones. Chimugoti fell, and his assailants set upon him with knobkerries and thick poles. The mob of ZANU (PF) supporters searched Chimugoti&#8217;s home, stealing some food in the process. Chimugoti was tied up and dragged him for about one kilometer before he fainted. Subsequently, Chimugoti&#8217;s children discovered him and took him home. Two assailants were identified as: Benson Suze (ZANU (PF) youth chair) and Shephered Kararira Chiwashira (war veteran).

· On 8 May, war veterans and ZANU (PF) supporters approached Mr. John Machaya and accused him of being an MDC supporter. He was abducted and taken to Katarina Primary School where he was beaten, slapped and forced to chant ZANU (PF) slogans. He was also beaten with poles and had his leg dislocated. He identified his attackers as local chair Abraham Chimhondoro, Beaton Chimuronga, Onias Mende, Chatara, Kadhongi, Martin Kapenda (ZANU (PF)), Benson Zuze (Youth Commander), Shepherd Karawira (District Secretary of Development) and Chiwashira. Mr. Machaya was evicted and does not have prospects for relocation.

· An unnamed member of the MDC was beaten heavily by ZANU (PF) supporters and war veterans in Dotitto. He sustained a broken arm and rib and reported the incident to the police. When the perpetrators heard of this, he was beaten a second time and told to go and report to the police again.

· Two unnamed MDC supporters in Chahwanda were severely assaulted by ZANU (PF) supporters and war veterans. One collapsed and died whilst being assaulted and the other is seriously ill.

· An unnamed MDC supporter was severely beaten at Dotitto ZRP Secondary School by ZANU (PF) supporters and war veterans. Police officers at Dotito did not take any action on reported assaults.

Muzarabani

· Peter Mwale and Takunda Mangwende were assaulted in Centenary District on 1 May. They were assaulted with stones and sticks by 30 unnamed ZANU (PF) supporters and were treated for head injuries at Mvurwi Hospital.

· MDC supporter Show Goriati had Z$45,000 worth of property destroyed on 1 May in an attack in Centenary. The attack was perpetrated by ZANU (PF) youths apparently in retaliation for Chief Chiweshe&#8217;s assault by MDC supporters on 18 April.

· In Centenary, ZANU (PF) supporters forced villagers to pay between Z$10 and Z$50, as well as donate livestock, in order to help sustain ZANU (PF) youths who were campaigning in the area. The villagers were forced to surrender MDC cards and t-shirts, red caps and cards at night rallies that they are forced to attend.


Nkavi

· Unidentified war veterans abducted Abednico Bhebhe, the MDC MP for Nkayi on 26 May at a filling station and assaulted him. Bhebhe was later released and made a report to police before being treated and discharged from the hospital.

More...

Zimbabwe Parliamentary Election Challenges Newsletter

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum &#8211; June 11, 2001, v. 15

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/1594

Last week, Judge Ziyambi did not preside over any election&#8211;related cases at the High Court. The Marondera East petition was adjourned until after an inspection of the voters&#8217; roll, beginning on June 13th and expecting to last until the beginning of July. In the meantime, on June 14th, Judge Ziyambi is expected to open the Murewa South case. Due to the death of the Minister of Defense, Moven Mahachi, no verdict can be handed down in the Makoni West poll petition because the respondent would not be able to testify in his own defense.




Background

Last June, parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe in an atmosphere of fear and violence. The elections marked the first time a strong opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), challenged the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union &#8211; Patriotic Front (ZANU (PF)) in the political arena. The MDC won 57 out of 120 contested seats but the price was high as pre-election violence erupted in the form of extra-judicial killings, beatings, property damage and intimidation around the country.

International observers and commentators including Amnesty International, the Commonwealth, the US-based National Democratic Institute and the European Union all released reports citing evidence that the elections were not free and fair. In fact, Zimbabwe&#8217;s own Electoral Commission proclaimed the elections the bloodiest since the end of white minority rule in 1980.

Both political parties blame the other for incitement of violence. However, the MDC has brought legal challenges to the High Court of Zimbabwe in 39 constituencies in an effort to overturn election results in those areas. They are alleging that the violence perpetrated by ZANU (PF) agents, with the knowledge or active participation of the ZANU (PF) candidate at the time, unfairly affected the outcome of the vote thereby violating the Electoral Act of Zimbabwe. The cases have thus far involved numerous allegations of violence being perpetuated by veterans of Zimbabwe&#8217;s war of liberation. Factions of these veterans are widely regarded to be militant and very close to ZANU (PF). War veterans are seen to be responsible for numerous acts of violence perpetrated against white commercial farmers in the past year in protest of what is perceived to be white domination of the industry. The vast majority of the electoral violence was perpetrated against members or perceived members of the MDC. They are asking that all elections in these 39 constituencies be re-run to achieve accurate results. If any member of parliament is found guilty of election misconduct in these proceedings, that member will be ineligible to run for public office for five years and a bi-election will be called in that constituency to determine a new sitting member.

In addition to allegations of violence, many protest the government&#8217;s changes to the Electoral Act immediately preceding the election. The Electoral Act allows for the president to make changes to the electoral system. He did so in the following ways: 1) Changes in the postal ballot system were made on June 7, ahead of the voting dates of the 24th & 25th June, to make it more difficult for Zimbabweans abroad to cast their ballots, 2) The Electoral Supervisory Commission had its power to accredit observers and monitors revoked and placed in the hands of the Registrar General, 3) Sitting dates for the Nomination Courts were deferred from May 29 to June 3, 4) The Electoral Act&#8217;s 21-day provision between nomination and polling was shortened to 20 days, and 5) Voter registration was extended from 16 April to 12 June. (All information regarding changes to the Electoral Act is courtesy of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum&#8217;s report, &#8216;Human Rights and Zimbabwe&#8217;s June 2000 Election&#8217;)

The Amani Trust, a Zimbabwean NGO advocating for victims of organized violence and torture, will produce a weekly report for the international community on the progress of these trials. This report will focus on cases of gross human rights violations and electoral abuses within constituencies that have cases before the High Court.

Election results courtesy Zimbabwe Election Support Network &#8216;Report on the 2000 Parliamentary Elections: Zimbabwe&#8217;

Status of Cases
Makoni West has effectively ended due to the death of the respondent, Minister Mahachi. Judge Garwe hasn&#8217;t given the official word whether the Chikomba or Bindura poll petitions will also be discontinued as a result of the recent deaths of both respondents in those cases. Meanwhile, Judge Garwe has resumed presiding over the Makoni East case. The High Court has not as yet announced who will take over for Judge Devittie who is ceasing his involvement in the election petitions ahead of his resignation.

Constituency Case Status Ruling Appeal
Buhera North Tsvangirai vs. Manyonda Completed MDC To Supreme Court
Chinhoyi Matamisa vs. Chinyangwa Completed ZANU (PF) To Supreme Court
Chiredzi North Mare vs. Chauke Completed Pending
Chiredzi South Tsumele vs. Baloyi Completed Pending
Gutu North Musoni vs. Muzenda Withdrawn - -
Hurungwe East Chadya vs. Marumahoko Completed MDC To Supreme Court
Kariba Sigobole vs. Mackenzie Withdrawn - -
Makoni East Mudzengerere vs. Chipanga In Progress
Makoni West Makuwaza vs. Mahachi Completed None
Marondera East Munhenzva vs. Sekeramayi In Progress
Masvingo South Rioga vs. Zvobgo Withdrawn - -
Murewa South Nezi vs. Matisa Begins 14 June
Mutoko South Muzira vs. Muchena Completed MDC To Supreme Court
Shurugwi Matibenga vs. Nhema Completed ZANU (PF)
Zaka West Musimiki vs. Chindanya Withdrawn - -
Zvishavane Maruzani vs. Mbalekwa Completed ZANU (PF) To Supreme Court

Sources: Witness statements, medical reports and court testimony.

*Election results courtesy Zimbabwe Election Support Network &#8216;Report on the 2000 Parliamentary Elections: Zimbabwe&#8217;


Prepared by the Amani Trust. Founded in 1993, Amani Trust is a Zimbabwe human rights non-governmental organization whose mission is to offer rehabilitation to survivors of organized violence and torture and their families. It also aims to make the nation aware of the consequences of organized violence and torture, and to work towards the prevention of future organized violence and torture. Amani Trust is also a member of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, a coordinating body and coalition of nine Zimbabwean human rights organizations, which works to provide legal assistance to political violence victims.
Address: 1 Raleigh Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
Email: amani@echo.icon.co.zw
Telephone: 792222

More...

ZIMBABWE: Rights group goes bankrupt

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/zimbabwe/20010614c.phtml

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZimRights), once the leading human rights watchdog in the country, is bankrupt. The human rights watchdog went broke following the withdrawal of funding by its major donors who are unhappy with the organisation's in-house squabbles and the alleged infiltration of the group by agents of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), the 'Daily News' reported.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN agencies mobilise to help displaced

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/car/20010612.phtml

UN humanitarian agencies are mobilising to help tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence of the failed 28 May coup attempt against President Ange-Felix Patasse in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital Bangui, a UN spokesman said.

GHANA: Illegal Liberians immigrants turned away

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/ghana/20010615.phtml

Ghana's minister of interior, Malik Alhassan Yakubu, said a ship with 167 Liberians was denied entry into the country because it was carrying illegal immigrants, Ghana Radio reported on Thursday.

Rwanda: Rural Poor Forced to Leave their Homes

2001-06-18

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/rwanda/

The Rwandan government has violated the basic rights of tens of thousands of people by forcing them to abandon their homes in rural areas and move to makeshift dwellings in government-designated sites, Human Rights Watch has charged in a report.

(New York, June 11, 2001) released
today.

The government's massive plan to reorganize life in the rural areas,
known as the National Habitat Policy, decreed an end to Rwandans'
customary way of living in dispersed homesteads. Many homeowners were
forced to destroy their own homes and many families lived for more than
a year in hovels made of sticks, mud, and banana leaves.

Some who resisted the plan were punished with fines or jail terms, the
Human Rights Watch report says. The 91-page report, "Uprooting the Rural
Poor in Rwanda," says that from early 1997 through the end of 2000
hundreds of thousands of Rwandans living in Kibungo, Mutara,
Kigali-rural, and Ruhengeri provinces left their homes for the sites.
Ninety percent of Rwandans live in the countryside and are supposed to
be affected by the policy.

"The Rwandan government has caused terrible suffering for the poor
people out in the hills," said Alison Des Forges, Senior Advisor to the
Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. "It has also made many people
angry at a time when opposition political movements are growing among
Rwandans inside and outside the country."

The policy has affected both the minority Tutsi, the people targeted by
a genocide in 1994, and people of the majority Hutu ethnic group. The
genocide and a simultaneous war between the then government of Rwanda
and the Rwandan Patriotic Front left many widows and orphans. According
to the report, many households headed by these women and children have
suffered most from the enforced relocation.

Commenting on the absence of substantial protest against the relocation,
one Tutsi widow told Human Rights Watch researchers, "You can't expect
us to sleep with an empty stomach and then have the strength to
complain." Using the Kinyarwanda term for the government-designated
sites, she continued, "We need to deal with living in the umudugudu just
like we deal with losing members of our family."

Many donors knew money given to resettle refugees who returned from
exile beginning in 1994 also facilitated the rural reorganization that
forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, but they continued
nonetheless to deliver millions of dollars of aid.

While implementing the relocation, government authorities ordered
landholders to divide their lands with returnees or even to cede them
all their fields. Those who gave up all their land moved to the
government-established sites where they now have only small gardens. In
some cases, military officers or businessmen with government connections
have appropriated large holdings of land from the poor, a practice
purportedly justified by the supposedly greater productivity of larger
holdings. The government is now focusing on reforming landholding rather
than on forcing further villagization. It is proposing to eliminate all
the small holdings of millions of poor farmers and is seeking
international funding to pay for this.

"Making agriculture more productive is imperative, but progress towards
that laudable goal must not be made at the expense of the human rights,"
said Des Forges. "Donors seeking to support beneficial change in Rwanda
must consider how proposed reforms will affect the lives of all
Rwandans."

More...

SUDAN: Bahr al-Ghazal IDPs "in bad shape"

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/sudan/20010615a.phtml

The situation affecting people displaced by intensive fighting in Western Bahr al-Ghazal was now reaching crisis levels as many of the 30,000 who had fled their homes "have been found to be in quite bad shape already, especially those who haven't made it to some of the major centres," UNOCHA reported on Thursday. David Courrie, an official of the OCHA office in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said that rains expected any time now would render many roads impassable and complicate efforts to deliver aid.

WFP Says Militia Leaves Hot Spot

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106130528.html

Large numbers of Kamajor militiamen have left Guinea's troubled "Parrot's Beak" region and returned to Sierra Leone leaving behind their families, the World Food Programme said in its latest emergency report released on 8 June.

Ethiopia: No Bail for corruption

2001-06-18

http://www.telecom.net.et/~ena/Newsenglish/60824.1206.htm

The House of Peoples' Representatives approved a proclamation stating that corruption suspects wouldn't be released on bail.

Heath resigns as judge

2001-06-18

http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=79&art_id=qw992443623918B236

Judge Willem Heath, the former corruption buster who last month was denied a discharge from the bench by President Thabo Mbeki, has resigned to work in the private sector.

SA: DA set to investigate forgery allegations

2001-06-18

http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,866908-6099-0,00.html

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will appoint an independent committee today to investigate allegations that Cape Town's mayor, Peter Marais, presided over the forging of signatures, Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel said yesterday.

SAA paid millions in bribes

2001-06-18

http://news.24.com/News24/South_Africa/0,1113,2-7_1038427,00.html

Transnet and South African Airways have been accused of knowingly paying R26 million in bribes to employees of Cameroon Airlines and that country's government officials.

South Africa: Magistrates' fraud exposed

2001-06-18

http://news.24.com/News24/South_Africa/0,1113,2-7_1037357,00.html

A highly confidential and extremely sensitive report that could lead to various senior magistrates soon being arrested for fraud and corruption, has been handed to the national director of public prosecutions, Advocate Bulelani Ngcuka.

Zambian bank managers arrested for money laundering

2001-06-18

http://www.news24.co.za/News24/Finance/Economy/0,4186,2-8-25_1037302,00.html

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission said Friday it had arrested three senior managers of one of the country's largest banks, who have allegedly been involved in money laundering, fraud and corruption.

BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO DEBT

2001-06-18

http://www.debtchannel.org/guide/index.html

The debt burden is the biggest single barrier to development in the Third World, the most powerful tool that western nations use to keep whole countries in bondage. In order to understand the debt crisis and the struggle to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, we must understand how it all started.

Call to arms on Africa

2001-06-18

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4204499,00.html

Tony Blair and Thabo Mbeki are right to describe the fight against poverty in Africa as the most pressing moral challenge of our time. They are also right to say progress depends on leadership from African governments, but that rich countries can and should do more to help. The coming months offer several opportunities for Tony Blair to take specific action which would further his commitment to Africa and we urge him to take the following steps.
First, he could demonstrate the UK's determination to curb the flow of small arms to Africa by including the promised legislation in the first Queen's speech of the new parliament next week.

Second, he could use next month's G8 summit in Genoa as an opportunity for making progress on a range of issues critical to Africa's development, including health, education and debt.

Third, he could ensure that the government uses the WTO ministerial meeting in Qatar this November to press for improved market access for African countries, an end to the subsidised dumping of agricultural products and reform of WTO patent rules in order to protect poor people's access to medicines.

Over the next six months, we believe it would be possible to make real progress in each of these areas and we urge Tony Blair to seize the opportunity of his second landslide victory to press for radical international action.

Barbara Stocking
Director, Oxfam

&#8226; South Africa has 5m HIV sufferers, acute education, health and development needs. To solve these problems would indeed involve admirable struggles.

The UK Department for International Development allocated just £47.8m to South Africa in 1999-2000. Yet, in the same year, South Africa ordered £3bn of UK aircraft, and more recently had the luxury to deliberate ordering £2.9bn of UK Super Lynx helicopters for its new naval warships.

Frantic military purchasing and not a "rogue" state or a serious security threat in sight. No wonder the UK government wants to join Mr Mbeki's struggle ... whatever that is.

Richard Bingley
Campaign Against Arms Trade

&#8226; No doubt both leaders would recognise that their proposed new partnership with the international community should include the fight against corruption, not least where this is fuelled by bribes paid by international business.

Companies based in the UK are no strangers to such practices: of the first 67 companies to be debarred by the World Bank since 1998 for corrupt practices in relation to contracts funded by the Bank, 36 are British. Nearly all of these projects were in Africa.

This situation might be described as being actively encouraged by the UK government since such bribes remain tax deductible.

Three authorities are examining the possibility that up to five European companies (including British Aerospace) may have behaved improperly in relation to the 1999 £5bn arms purchase by the South African government. Daimler Chrysler is already the subject of an investigation by the prosecutor's office in Munich.

The most explicit commitment the UK can make to fighting corruption in Africa is to criminalise a bribe paid overseas and to end the regime by which such bribes are tax deductible. All other larger OECD member states have introduced such legislation since signing the OECD anti-bribery convention in 1997.

Britain stands alone as the proponent of double speak and obfuscation on this issue, and in this way threatens to undermine the whole momentum of the global fight against corruption.

Laurence Cockcroft
Transparency International

More...

More Hunger and Poverty May be Enduring Impact of Climate Change

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140533.html

As policy makers around the world grapple with the economic and political issues raised by climate change, Dr. Robert Watson, the World Bank's Chief Scientist and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), called on the international community to "keep the scientific warnings of the potential effects of climate change uppermost, as we work together to limit the magnitude of climate change in a cost-effective way, and make ourselves less vulnerable to the climatic changes that lie ahead."

OAU summit doomed

2001-06-18

http://www.oneworld.org/afronet/monitor161/headline1.htm

As the country-wide strike by civil servants entered its second week, Civil Servants Union of Zambia (CSUZ) president Leonard Hikaumba has vowed that his union will disrupt the summit meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Lusaka next month.

World Bank Chief: Africa Needs Aid

2001-06-18

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-af/2001/jun/14/061401361.html

Africa needs billions of dollars in aid to help a generation of forward-thinking leaders pull their countries from a downward spiral of poverty and disease, the World Bank president said Thursday.

ZIMBABWE: Battling for survival

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN

Endless queues at the few Zimbabwean petrol stations with supplies are the most visible signs of an economic crisis that worsens by the day. With no reserves of foreign exchange to buy imports, Zimbabwe has suffered fuel shortages since December 1999. Superficially, this only affects the small minority of people wealthy enough to own a car. Yet the economic slump is so
severe that an entire society is being impoverished.


[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

HARARE, 13 June (IRIN) - The line of cars began in a narrow side-street and
snaked around three
corners before finding its way to the crowded forecourt of a petrol station
over 1 km away. A heat haze danced on the roofs of the 200 vehicles in the
queue as drivers waited with growing impatience to fill up.

John Maponga had queued for over three hours to be served at the Total
petrol station in the
Harare suburb of Helensvale. He asked: "How am I meant to run my business
when I have to waste time like this? Look what has happened to Zimbabwe. I'm
going to emigrate to Zambia. At least they have petrol there."

Endless queues at the few Zimbabwean petrol stations with supplies are the
most visible signs of an economic crisis that worsens by the day. With no
reserves of foreign exchange to buy imports, Zimbabwe has suffered fuel
shortages since December 1999. Superficially, this only affects the small
minority of people wealthy enough to own a car. Yet the economic slump is so
severe that an entire society is being impoverished.

President Robert Mugabe's government has achieved the distinction of
recording some of the worst macroeconomic statistics in Africa. Last year,
unemployment rose to 60 percent, inflation ran at 57 percent, the budget
deficit swelled to 23 percent of gross national product and the entire
economy contracted by 6 percent. The victims of the collapse can be found on
any street corner in Harare.

Thomas Karimadondo, 25, once worked in a clothing factory in the industrial
suburb of Graniteside. He lost his job when the company closed in 1999. To
support his son, now aged 3, he joined the informal economy and based
himself opposite Meikles Hotel in central Harare, where he sold souvenirs,
mainly small wooden elephants, to tourists. But Zimbabwe's tourism industry
was crippled last year when the number of visitors fell by 70 percent.

So Thomas lost his livelihood once again. He still earns a living as a
street trader, but now sells goods that are in constant demand - petrol
funnels. As he walked beside a row of cars halted at the busy junction
between Second Street and Tongogara Avenue, Thomas carried his collection of
shiny, silver funnels with genuine pride. "Other people sell old ones that
leak, but mine are the best," he said.

His customers seem to agree. Thomas sells about 10 funnels a day, at the
equivalent of US $1 each, making him rich by the modest standards of Harare
street traders. "Everyone needs one of these funnels. I can sell all that I
buy," he said. Thomas has survived by spotting the gap in the market created
by Zimbabwe's fuel crisis. For the very poorest, living outside the formal
economy, survival now hinges on ingenuity.

Entire families are dependent on selling the unlikeliest objects. When asked
where he gets the funnels from, Thomas looks uncertain. In fact, the clean,
metal cylinders are made from Harare's street signs, which are rapidly
disappearing. Finding your way around the city is increasingly difficult
because countless streets have become anonymous overnight. The metal signs
have numerous uses. Many people eke out a living by turning them into coffin
handles and then selling them to undertakers. About 2,000 Zimbabweans are
estimated to die of AIDS every week, so the demand for coffins is growing
fast. The business of death allows thousands to live.

The battle for survival is also fought by the 40 percent of the workforce
who hold jobs in the formal economy. An inflation rate of 57 percent is
indiscriminate in the poverty it causes. The petrol price increase of 74
percent announced on 13 June has already led to a 50 percent rise in bus
fares and will push up the cost of every basic essential.

A manual worker living in the dormitory town of Chitungwiza, 25 km south of
Harare, will typically earn the equivalent of US $55 per month from a
factory job in the capital. Yet the cost of commuting by bus each day is now
about US $1.36. Every month, the worker will spend more than half of his
salary on bus fares, before buying a meal or paying the school fees for a
single child. So more and more people are walking to work. Every day in
Chitungwiza, thousands rise at 4 a.m. and walk the 50 km round-trip, to and
from Harare. The additional strain this imposes, and the hours it adds to
the working day, have become unavoidable.

Only the very richest have been shielded from the effects of economic
collapse. But even they risk poverty when they reach old age. Inflation has
wiped out the value of savings and pensions, depriving those who once held
senior government positions of a quiet retirement.

Steven Sibanda, 73, retired from the civil service as an Assistant Secretary
in 1987. His pension was then worth US $400 per month. It has now plummeted
to US $145 per month at the official exchange rate, and US $57 at the more
realistic "parallel" rate. Last year, Sibanda's pension was upgraded by 15
percent - less than one third of the inflation rate.

He said: "We've reached the crunch point now. To survive, we're going to
have to make severe economies." Sibanda cannot afford to visit his children
in South Africa and may soon have to dispense with his gardener and
housemaid. To supplement his income, he does occasional lectures at the
University of Zimbabwe and other casual jobs. "We don't really have a
retirement any more. We have to go on working to survive," he added.

For people at every level of Zimbabwean society, a country that once prided
its self on its orderliness and sophistication, survival involves nothing
but a struggle.

[ENDS]

IRIN-SA - Tel: +27-11 880 4633
Fax: +27-11 447 5472
Email: irin-sa@irin.org.za


[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 subscriptions, 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.]

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


Subscriber: kate@fahamu.org
Keyword: AIDS

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Can Research Fill the Equity Gap in Southern Africa?

2001-06-18

http://www.equinet.org.zw/policy.html

Equity in health is a shared value across Southern Africa. Weak delivery on this value implies that it needs to be given greater profile as a health priority and more sustainable ways found of delivering on it. Research can play a role both in raising the profile of equity issues and in exploring policy tools and mechanisms for its implementation, particularly if in so doing it builds constituencies that pressure for equity in health.

Credit Suisse Group Contributes $1 Million to UN Global Aids Fund

from Philanthrpy News Digest

2001-06-18

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/20010605/004210.html

The Credit Suisse Group - the fourth-largest financial institution in the world - has announced a $1 million contribution through its Winterthur insurance subsidiary to the United Nations Global Aids Fund, making it the first corporation to contribute money to the international fund.

Free CDROM: International Family Planning Perspectives

2001-06-18

http://www.agi-usa.org/cd_rom/

International Family Planning Perspectives on CD-ROM provides easy access to 10 years of peer-reviewed research on sexual and reproductive health from your computer desktop. The CD-ROM holds an archive of articles, digests and updates published in International Family Planning Perspectives between 1990 and 1999--more than 700 searchable files.

Kenya: Legislation Promises Cheaper Drugs for AIDS Patients

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140553.html

The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which looks set to reduce the cost of essential AIDS treatment significantly. The Industrial Property Bill will allow the government to import or manufacture cheaper copies of brand-name drugs, including the anti-retrovirals (ARVs) used in the drug cocktail used to fight AIDS, according to campaigners for the affordable availability of drugs.

Largest HIV/Aids clinic in Africa to be opened this year

2001-06-18

http://www.sabcnews.com/SABCnews/south_africa/health/0,1009,16328,00.html

Senior executives of Pfizer, a company producing anti-fungal drugs like Diflucan, today announced the opening of a large-scale HIV/Aids clinic in Africa later this year or early 2002, in Uganda.

Namibia: Nation Urged To Join Polio Fight

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140552.html

The Ministry of Health and Social Services yesterday launched this year's National Immunisation Days of June 19 and 20 and July 24 and 25 countrywide, under the theme 'Let's Kick Polio Out Of Namibia'. The project, which is part of the global effort to eradicate polio was initiated in Namibia for the sixth consecutive year.

Refusing to Save Africans

2001-06-18

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/11/opinion/11HERB.html?searchpv=day04

Giving the back of his hand to the suffering of millions, a key Bush administration official is opposing any extensive use of the life-extending anti-AIDS drugs in Africa, insisting that the health care infrastructure is too primitive and that Africans, in most cases, are incapable of following the regimen.
New York Times

June 11, 2001

By BOB HERBERT




As head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Andrew Natsios is the administration's point man on foreign aid. In an interview with The Boston Globe, he said the money raised by a new global fund to fight AIDS should be used almost entirely for prevention services, not for the antiretroviral drugs that have been so successful in extending the lives of people infected with H.I.V.

Painting with a very broad brush, Mr. Natsios said attempting to get the drugs to Africans any time soon would not be worth the effort because of the difficulties posed by a lack of roads, shortages of doctors and hospitals, wars and other problems.

According to Mr. Natsios, the problems extend to the Africans themselves. Many Africans, he told The Globe, "don't know what Western time is. You have to take these (AIDS) drugs a certain number of hours each day, or they don't work. Many people in Africa have never seen a clock or a watch their entire lives. And if you say, one o'clock in the afternoon, they do not know what you are talking about. They know morning, they know noon, they know evening, they know the darkness at night."

This view of Africans as so ignorant they can't master the concept of taking their medicine on time has become a touchstone of the Bush administration. Back in April, The Times's Joseph Kahn reported on concerns voiced by an unnamed senior Treasury Department official: "He said Africans lacked a requisite `concept of time,' implying that they would not benefit from drugs that must be administered on tight time schedules."

Africans may be dying by the millions from AIDS, but the brutal stereotyping of the Dark Continent lives on, encouraged by U.S. government officials who should know better.

Mr. Natsios's primary response to the epidemic that is roaring like a fireball across southern Africa is to just say no. "Just keep talking about prevention," he told The Globe. "That is the strategy we're using &#8212; even though I'll be beaten up and get bruises all over me from the fights on the subject."

Mr. Natsios may not realize it, but just talking about prevention has failed. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 25 million people are infected with H.I.V., and more than 17 million have already died. In South Africa, which is being brought to its knees by this epidemic, the rate of infection for all people 15 to 45 years old has nearly reached 20 percent.

The United States, a rich and healthy nation, cannot close its eyes to suffering on such a colossal scale. There is medication available to ease the suffering and its cost is coming down. Now the steps must be taken to get the medicine to the people in need.

I spoke with Mr. Natsios last Thursday. He conceded that in South Africa and the country with the worst outbreak of AIDS in the world, Botswana, the health care infrastructure is, in fact, pretty good.

As for the difficulty Africans or anyone else might have following the daily antiretroviral regimen, now might be a good time to burst a widely held misconception. Antiretroviral therapy does not always require patients to take dozens of pills a day.

"Our patients take two pills in the morning and two pills in the evening. That's it," said Toby Kasper, an official with Doctors Without Borders, which recently established an antiretroviral therapy program for patients in a village in South Africa.

The trend in drug therapies &#8212; in the U.S. and elsewhere &#8212; is toward newer, more consolidated regimens that are easier to follow.

Mr. Natsios reluctantly acknowledged that some limited use of antiretroviral treatment in Africa may be O.K., and he said he didn't mean to offend anyone with his comments about African concepts of time.

The truth is that both prevention and drug therapy are desperately needed in Africa.

No one believes antiretrovirals can be effectively administered in countries that are at war, or in areas devoid of doctors and hospitals or clinics. But there is a role for antiretroviral therapy to play in the catastrophe in sub-Saharan Africa. And it would be to the everlasting shame of the United States if its officials proved to be a barrier to that kind of life- saving treatment.

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SAfAIDS Discussion Forum Review

New Start HIV Counselling & Testing Initiative

2001-06-18

http://www.safaids.org.zw

At SAfAIDS monthly discussion forum (May, 2001), Dr Patrick Osewe of USAID presented and discussed the New Start HIV Counselling and Testing Initiative. In 1998, Population Services International, NACP and USAID launched an initiative to provide voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in Zimbabwe. To date, the New Start clinics have provided HIV counselling and testing to 18,973 individuals.





NEW START VCT SERVICES
· Voluntary and anonymous testing
· Clients pay $Z50
· Free promotion weeks
· Client centred counselling
· Same day results
· Do not issue written results to clients
· Emphasis on quality

Background
Zimbabwe has among the highest HIV prevalence in southern Africa. Many Zimbabweans are aware of HIV and AIDS in both urban and rural areas. A significant number of Zimbabweans feel that they are already infected, yet they have never been tested. Current statistics show that the reverse is true. Around 70 % of Zimbabweans are HIV negative.

Before VCT was introduced in Zimbabwe, an HIV test was costly and required a physician&#8217;s referral. As a result, few people were tested. Due to the inaccessibility of HIV testing, individuals soon recognised that they could use blood donation as a way of getting tested. The National Blood Service would accept them as a regular donor if they were negative on two consecutive occasions. However, it could be a lengthy and stressful process for someone waiting for results. Individuals needed an easier process with greater access to HIV testing&#8212;hence the New Start initiative

VCT Delivery Models
Several models exist for the delivery of VCT services. For example, VCT services can be implemented as a service provided in public sector clinics or in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Another option would be to establish a clinic that deals only with HIV counselling and testing. Uncertain which option was best for Zimbabwe, the New Start initiative implemented several different VCT delivery models.

1. Public Sector Clinic
Opportunities
· Clinics are in high density areas
· High volume of clients
· Some staff have counselling experience
· Less stigma
· Mobilisation of community resources
· Low price for services
· High potential for replication

Challenges
· Staff perceive services as additional burden
· Low motivation of staff - low salary
· Limited staff
· Long waiting periods
· Inconvenient clinic hours
· Lack of space for expansion

2.NGO Provider
· Opportunities
· Specialised
· Quality standards easily enforced
· Long tradition of working with communities
· Employ staff according to demand and resources
· Flexible hours

Challenges
· Weak management support system
· Diversion from core activities
· Potential for stigma
· Donor dependent

3.Public Sector/NGO Partnership
Opportunities
· Increased absorptive capacity
· Reduce waiting time
· Clinics continue to focus on core activities
· Additional resources
· Community mobilisation/target population

Challenges
· Lack of space
· Unwillingness to accept outside providers
· Management of relationship

4. Private sector model
Opportunities
· Commitment to quality
· Perceived to be private and confidential
· Respond to client needs
· Complementary to other services

Challenges
· Expensive and inaccessible
· Limited absorptive capacity
· Resist quality control&#8212;operate under limited supervision

The New Start programme was integrated with the services of public sector clinics or in partnership with NGOs throughout the country. The newest clinic was developed as a direct walk-in site that only provides VCT services. Through an evaluation of the various delivery models, it was found that clients preferred the programmes in public sector clinics. Clients felt that the purpose of their visit would remain anonymous by visiting a clinic where there was a high volume of clients and numerous health services were provided. However, the clinic staff found VCT was a further duty and service that put additional burden on an already overworked staff. The evaluation found that the quality of the programme was more efficient in clinics where staff were devoted only to providing VCT services.

Quality Assurance of the New Star Programme
· Weekly group supervision meetings are conducted
· Counselling session reflection
· Periodic visits by site facilitators
· Direct observation
· Mystery clients (anonymous observation of service)
· In-service training
· Stress management workshops
· Exchange visits
· 10% of specimens for Quality Assurance at laboratory

Challenges
The New Start programme continues to face several challenges, with both the staff and the clients. The programme strives to maintain country and regional standards as well as to develop criteria for hiring counsellors. There is a high risk of staff burnout from the increasing number of clients attending the clinics. The programme is examining various options such as training lay counsellors and/or peer educators. Additionally, the New Start Initiative is continually exploring various strategies to encourage follow-up counselling, the mobilisation of communities and partner notification.

Characteristics of New Start Clients
· 56% male: 44% female
· 50% have never married while 36% are married. 5% are widowed
· 78% are HIV negative while 22% are HIV positive
· More female clients are positive than male clients
· More married clinics are positive that never married or widowed clinics
· The majority of HIV+ clients are between the age of 25-29
· Between the ages of 20-24, there are approximately 5 times more women who test positive as compared to men in a similar age group.
· 66% of clients come to be tested because they are curious

The Next Steps
The New Start Initiative is examining methods to develop:

· A mobile VCT programme to high density and rural areas
· Linkage with support groups
· Linkage with other services
· Youth Friendly VCT sites
· Communication Campaign
· Linkage with pilot treatment initiatives
For more information, please contact:
SAfAIDS

Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination Service
17 Beveridge Rd,
PO Box A509, Avondale
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: 263-04-336193/4
Fax: 263-04-336193/4
Email: info@safaids.org.zw
Web: www.safaids.org.zw


For Information about the New Start Centres
Tel: 263-04-572600 or702446 (Harare)

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Some wonder if life imitates art in AIDS policy

2001-06-18

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/166/nation/Some_wonder_if_life_imitates_art_in_AIDS_policy+.shtml

AIDS activists are asking questions after two senior US officials have said that distribution of cocktails of anti-AIDS drugs would be complicated by Africans' inability to tell time.

UGANDA: Kampala chosen for major AIDS training centre

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN

Africa's first major treatment and training centre for HIV/AIDS is scheduled to open in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, early next year, according to a press statement on Monday from the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa.

NAIROBI, 12 June (IRIN) - The state-of-the-art centre would train medical personnel from across the
continent on the latest treatment options and bring the highest standard
of care to patients, the statement said.

At least 80 clinicians from across Africa would be trained each year,
according to Nelson Sewakambo, Dean of Medical Studies at Makerere
University, where the centre is to be located. "Our goal is to strengthen
medical infrastructure, replicate it across Africa and bring the latest
medicines to bear on treating this disease so that African doctors and
nurses can offer modern AIDS care to their patients," he added.

Dr Thomas Quinn, an American doctor involved in the Alliance, said Uganda
had been chosen for the centre because President Yoweri Museveni's
leadership on HIV/AIDS had helped make it the most successful African
country in the fight against the disease. The strain of HIV prevalent in
Uganda would also respond to the drugs used against the virus in the US,
the BBC quoted him as saying.

"This new centre is an important step for Africa as we seek to control the
AIDS pandemic and improve the quality of care," said President Museveni.
"This new approach will complement the work our own doctors are doing and
can have a positive impact across Africa."

An estimated 820,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda, and there
are some 25 million HIV-infected people on the African continent.

The new clinic, to be located at Makerere University Medical School, will
be funded by the Pfizer Foundation pharmaceutical company and operated by
the Alliance in partnership with the university, according to Monday's
press statement.

"The Academic Alliance is a ground-breaking effort because it is the first
large-scale AIDS training and treatment program aimed at improving care
for patients who typically have no resources or access to even rudimentary
medical help," said Dr Merle A Sande, co-director of the Alliance and
Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Utah, USA.

One of the goals of the clinic would be to put more patients under
treatment with anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), which are combined with
anti-fungals and other medicines that fight AIDS-related opportunistic
infections, according to Associate Dean of the Makerere School, Dr Samuel
Luboga. The centre would use diagnostic technology to monitor patients on
ARVs and determine what kind of treatments are most appropriate for
Africa, he said.

Negotiations were ongoing with companies that manufacture ARVs so that it
would have supplies on hand when the clinic opened, according to Monday's
press statement.

The Alliance was working closely with the Ugandan medical and public
health community and would actively seek assistance from the Ugandan
Minister of Health, local organisations, the staff and faculty of Makerere
University Medical School and Mulago Hospital, the national hospital of
Uganda, the statement added.

[ENDS]

[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]






[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
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UK drugs giant under pressure to lead shake-up of global patent rules

2001-06-18

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/whatnew/press/cutcost8.htm

A decision by UK drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline to cut the cost of medicines in the developing world has been welcomed by campaigners now calling on the company to take a lead in pushing for a change to global patent rules.

WTO PATENT RULES AND ACESS TO MEDICINES: THE PRESSURE MOUNTS

Oxfam Policy Paper On WTO Patent Rules And Access To Medicines

2001-06-18

http://oxfam.org.uk/policy/papers/wtorules.htm

Public outrage over the exorbitant prices of HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa is focussing public attention on the harmful role of global patent rules in blocking poor people's access to vital medicines. In response to mounting public pressure, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members have taken an unprecedented step in agreeing to hold a special meeting to discuss the impact of global patent rules on access to medicines. They will meet on 20 June at the WTO in Geneva.

Child authors lead the way in education

2001-06-18

http://www.sabcnews.com/SABCnews/south_africa/education/0,1009,14918,00.html

Eight KwaZulu-Natal school children have managed to get into the history books by co-authoring a book that is currently being distributed for use by children in the province. The authors, who mainly come from disadvantaged backgrounds, wrote about their experiences when they were still in junior primary school. They believe education is the key to success and a weapon in the socio-economic development of any winning nation.

Children of War

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140279.html

Angola's long and brutal civil war has robbed millions of children of their youth and their futures. Statistics indicate that long after Angola extricates itself from its internecine conflict, its youth will continue to pay dearly.

GOZ-UNICEF COUNTRY PROGRAMME

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/education/1653

The Government of Zimbabwe-UNICEF Country Programme is just over a year and a half into its 2000 to 2004 implementation. It aims at placing children first in the national planning and development process, increasing their participation in development and contributing towards building the capacity of firstline duty-bearers (households and communities) in fulfilling the rights of children.
COUNTRY CLIPS




All of this fits into the broader framework of a Human Rights Approach to Programming (HRAP). This approach uses principles embodied within the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other Human Rights instruments, to affirm the concept of children and women as subjects of rights as opposed to being objects with needs.

The overall Country Programme goal is Child Survival, Development, Participation and Protection (CSDPP) with a special focus on HIV/AIDS. Besides this, it focuses on identifying and addressing critical capacity gaps of duty-bearers at community, district and national levels. The Country Programme&#8217;s implementing strategy is to support the realisation of children&#8217;s full potential by facilitating various duty-bearers to promote, fulfil, protect and respect children&#8217;s rights. The Country Programme is sub-divided into three components: 1) Rights Planning & Advocacy (RPA); 2) Child Learning & Lifeskills (CLL); and 3) Health, Nutrition & Environment (HNE). Each of these is responsible for the implementation of various distinct, but inter-related projects.

Rights Planning & Advocacy
RPA is responsible for such issues as Rights Promotion and Protection Advocacy, Rights Monitoring and Planning, and Community Action for Children at Risk. Specific activities include projects on Resource Allocation, Reduction of Social Inequity, Partnerships for Child Rights Action, Community Planning for Action, Decentralised Planning for Child Rights, Child Status Monitoring, Community Response for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS, and Reduction of Child Abuse and Exploitation.

Child Learning and Lifeskills
CLL is implementing projects related to Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD), Equity, Quality and Relevance of Education, and Young People Development and AIDS Prevention. Project activities include Innovative Community ECCD Initiatives, Early Childhood Education and Care, Education Quality and Relevance, Lifeskills Education, Equity in Access to Education, Girl&#8217;s Education, Strengthening the Support for Children and Adolescents, and Promoting Child and Adolescent Development and Participation.

Health, Nutrition & Environment
HNE is engaged in Child Health and Nutrition, Reproductive and Adolescent Health, and Hygiene Education, Water and Sanitation (HEWASA). Focused activities include Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), Micro-nutrient Deficiency Control, Improved Care Practices for Nutrition & Development, Safe Motherhood and Perinatal Health, Adolescent Reproductive Health, Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission of HIV, HEWASA Policy, and Planning and Support for Community HEWASA.

Getting Closer to Communities
The selection of districts in which UNICEF is active is based on access to Basic Social Services, density of child population, prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Sexually Transmitted Infections (STD/STI) and UNDAF Interventions.


A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN

While primary concern lies with further developing the Country Programme and securing its implementation, a top priority preoccupying UNICEF is the preparatory process for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Children that will take place in New York from 19 to 21 September 2001. This session is to review the implementation of the Plan of Action agreed to during the World Summit for Children in 1990 and to identify what needs to be done to accelerate future progress. At the same time, UNGASS will endorse renewed commitments to children. To this end, leading up to UNGASS and beyond, UNICEF and its counterparts have recently kicked off the Global Movement for Children (GMC) and Say Yes for Children Campaign (SYC).

The GMC seeks to unify and galvanise leaders for children, provide a focus for partnership, expand the constituency, increase pressure for change, be an agent for social transformation and reframe the issue of children&#8217;s rights. Its mission is to increase and broaden the level of action for children and to campaign for the end of discrimination against children and adolescents. The fulfilment of child rights set out in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted and ratified world-wide in 1989, is fundamental to ending discrimination against children. The catalyst for the GMC is the SYC that was launched world-wide on 26 April in London. Adults, children and young people rallied across the world to tell their leaders what the priorities for children must be, using &#8220;word of mouth&#8221; and the internet.

GMC and SYC embody a Rallying Call for Children of ten guiding principles aimed at furthering the best interests of children and enhancing the quality of their lives in the 21st century. This Rallying Call comprises responsible and accountable actions. It reminds people to work for and with children and highlights what to stand for and against, and pledge to through signature. It is the vision behind which the activists for children will unify, galvanise, and reach out to the world in an explanation of what the world needs to do to accelerate the realisation of children&#8217;s rights. The ten rallying points are:

(1) Leave No Child Out
(2) Put Children First
(3) Care for Every Child
(4) Fight HIV/AIDS
(5) Stop Abusing, Harming & Exploiting Children
(6) Listen to Children & Young People
(7) Educate Every Child
(8) Protect Children Against War
(9) Protect the Earth for Children
(10) Fight Poverty: Invest in Children

The target group of GMC & SYC include children, young people, CSOs, CBOs, NGOs, private sector organisations, the media, the general public, government departments, policy-makers and UN agencies. In Zimbabwe, the Focal Points Committee of the National Programme of Action for Children (NPA), an inter-ministerial committee with significant NGO representation, is taking the lead in planning and organising GMC and SYC activities, that are being spear-headed by the children themselves. The National Launch of GMC and SYC took place on Saturday 12 May, and was a great success with over 1600 signatures collected. The event involved a children&#8217;s march from Town House to Harare Gardens and an open-air entertainment event with active participation of children and vast media coverage.

In preparation for this event, the NPA convened a Children&#8217;s Consultative Forum on 9 April, funded by UNICEF and facilitated by Save the Children UK. A group of 18 marginalised children, including orphans, street children and children with disabilities, together with Child Governors from various provinces in Zimbabwe, provided concrete suggestions as to how they feel their concerns should be best articulated and presented during and beyond the national launch of GMC and SYC. More information on UNGASS, GMC and SYC can be accessed through http://www.gmfc.org


HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC - THE WAY FORWARD

A team of UNICEF Officers participated in the Governor&#8217;s and Resident Minister&#8217;s Meeting, held in Murambinda, Buhera, from 5-6 February 2001. Governors, Provincial Administrators, Provincial Medical Directors and Buhera Rural District Council Officials met to discuss implemented strategies and ways forward to effectively address the pandemic of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, and share experiences and lessons learned. Buhera was especially selected as they had practical experiences to show how the process of Community Capacity Development (CCD) has boosted HIV/AIDS prevention, care and control. This process involves facilitating district leadership to strengthen community capacity to assess their situation, analyse the causes of their problems, plan and take appropriate action to address the identified problems, using primarily the resources within their midst.

This process of assessing problems and analysing their causes, as well as, the various roles of who has the obligation of doing what, and whether the capacity to undertake such obligations exist, has proven to be effective in boosting interventions aimed at preventing sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS among children, while at the same time highlighting the importance of support for care of those already infected. As a result, understanding the relationship between child rights and HIV/AIDS has increased significantly. Although CCD is a long and demanding process that requires commitment and support from all stakeholders, the experience of Buhera has demonstrated the effectiveness of CCD in cultivating the potential of the communities to address their problems, involving provincial leadership, council members, NGOs and village chiefs since the project started in August 1999. Achievements so far include:

(1) Enhancing commitment and sense of ownership of councillors, chiefs and community leaders
(2) Sensitisation of communities to become increasingly aware of the problems of realising and committing to promoting the rights of children
(3) Communities developing action plans to address identified problems
(4) Local resources being identified and mobilised
(5) Development and strengthening of basic community information collection mechanisms

Hence the meeting concluded that in their joint fight against HIV and AIDS, all parties involved should primarily focus on continued mobilisation and awareness raising activities, enhanced monitoring and follow-up visits to project sites, more co-ordination of the wealth of activities being undertaken by various donor platforms and secure additional sources of funding to implement identified projects. Replication of the CCD as implemented in Buhera is anticipated in other provinces and districts of Zimbabwe, such as Hurungwe, Zvishavane and Rushinga. This would include amongst others, intensified peer education and counselling among adolescents, as well as, supporting and empowering communities to account and care for orphans and home based patients.

Community Counselling Initiative
In 2000, UNICEF in co-operation with the government counterparts, initiated a community based counselling project designed to create and maintain an acceptable and accessible support network helping communities address problems associated with HIV/AIDS. Some of the achievements reported as a result of creating this network include direct intervention by the communities themselves during times of crisis for individuals, families and community groups. Additionally, the community has taken an active approach in identifying and solving their problems, which is in keeping with UNICEF&#8217;s Triple A and CCD approach. To date, a total of 55 courses have been held in 9 districts and 2035 participants have been trained. Targets for training this year include 20 disadvantaged rural districts, in which 4000 individuals are expected to be trained.


DEVASTATING CYCLONE BATTERS SCHOOLS

In January, UNICEF officers and officials of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MoESC) and the Task Force on Cyclone Eline, visited schools in Chiredzi, Zaka and Chipinge, Chimanimani, Beitbridge and Mwenezi districts to investigate the effects of Cyclone Eline. They found that the school infrastructure was in a serious state of disrepair and concluded that a phased rehabilitation strategy was needed, taking into account that there would be very limited community capacity to contribute to the reconstruction of the schools. Some families are still struggling to build houses to replace those destroyed by the cyclone. Many families will go for two years without a decent harvest or any at all, firstly because of last years&#8217; cyclone, secondly because of the recent severe drought. Very few schools have development plans or follow maintenance guidelines; a deterioration syndrome is in evidence. Enrolment in most schools visited is going down as children follow their parents to the resettlement areas because of extreme poverty. Also, due to food shortages, cases of children fainting in class are reported as early as their second lesson. Some children do not even bother coming to school.

In terms of damage to school facilities, there are some districts outside the 8 identified by the UN that were badly affected too. Both Chivi and Bikita were found to be desperately in need of assistance. The worst affected school, Zunga, with an enrolment of 1601 pupils and 41 teachers, had the roofs of 21 of the 27 classrooms blown off, whereas half of the classrooms need to be condemned and re-built. The team came across a few schools that have received support from the private sector. Notable contributions were from Tanganda Tea Company, Hippo Valley Estates and Delta Corporation. Plan International and the EU have also made substantial contributions. The Ministry has agreed to organise a one-day workshop that would focus on supervision of construction projects for newly appointed education officers later this year, so that they can effectively supervise projects at regional level.


FOOD SECURITY COMPROMISED

In February, UNICEF and WHO Officers visited project sites in Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland province to assess the effects of the prolonged January dry spell on food security prospects, while at the same time evaluating their preparedness for health epidemics and health related disasters. The WHO-UNICEF team concluded that the early planted crop, forming at least 80 percent of the crop in most districts visited, was a total write-off, whereas the then raging torrential rains threatened to destroy the late planted crop that had escaped the dry spell. As coping mechanisms are generally poor in most districts, people tend to rely on crops for their food and on cash for other things (school fees, children&#8217;s clothes, etc). Consequently, most families are ill-prepared to deal with crop failure and are buying maize at exorbitantly high prices. Although all districts visited have received funds from the Central Government under the food-for-work scheme, the amounts are inadequate for their imminent needs. At most, they cover about 3 months needs for a small proportion of potential beneficiaries.


PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT & MONITORING

Following the completion of the 1st year of the GOZ-UNICEF Country Programme, the two parties met last February to review country programme implementation, reflect on achievements, deliberate on current activities, decide on practical ways to address constraints and build on lessons learned. Both parties concluded that, while in general Zimbabweans are willing to promote the rights of children, a combination of factors still impact negatively on the efforts to fulfil their obligations. These include increasing poverty, persistent poor macro-economic performance, increasing morbidity, mortality and orphanhood due to HIV/AIDS, as well as inadequate access to basic social services such as education, health care, safe water and sanitation. The meeting further acknowledged the rapid decline in aid flow into Zimbabwe due to the prevailing socio-economic and political situation, which was noted with concern as it necessitates more efficient and effective use of the limited resources available.

Performance in programme delivery in 2000 has been better than the past seven years, with an overall implementation rate of 80 percent. In addition to this, fund-raising attempts were carried out throughout the year. UNICEF has managed to raise some funds for drought-assisted activities and further funding for specific activities seems promising. In 2001 UNICEF Zimbabwe has, for the first time since Independence, become predominantly an emergency Country Programme, with 52% of the programme now funding emergency activities, as compared with 48% for regular programmes. The current depressed flow of aid into Zimbabwe requires that sustainability measures aimed at inculcating a spirit of self-reliance within communities, be built into all projects, keeping in mind that an enabling environment is vital to support the various processes of empowerment. During the meeting, the need was reiterated to constantly explore ways of meaningfully involving children and young people in project planning, implementation and monitoring, especially given the fact that they are not adequately represented in local leadership and other decision-making structures. There is evident willingness amongst both children and young people to contribute to solving problems facing their communities and take leadership in interventions aimed at improving their situation.


ENHANCED REPORTING OF CHILDREN&#8217;S RIGHTS

In March, UNICEF sponsored a three-day Media Workshop organised by the Association of Freelance Journalists of Zimbabwe (AFJZ). Freelance journalists from various districts and provinces of the country gathered in Maphisa, Kezi, to discuss how to effectively report on child right issues. UNICEF officials facilitated the workshop which was geared towards enhancing the reporting qualities of freelance journalists by building their knowledge on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other human rights related conventions. The workshop encouraged vivid discussion among participants on such issues as birth registration, the need to educate the general public and the boundary between reality and ethics. At the end of the workshop, a Code of Conduct that journalists reporting on child right&#8217;s issues should adhere to, was agreed on, highlighting their joint responsibility that, in principle, reporting on child right issues should be in the best interest of children.


SAVING LIVES & SUPPORTING FAMILIES

Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) is a programme conceived to strengthen and support family and community action, contribute towards making health sector development community-oriented and promote coordinated inputs from other relevant sectors to prevent duplication and waste of resources. IMCI seeks to achieve acceleration in the prevention of diseases, improve home care of the sick, improve compliance with treatment and change behaviour and practice. Families have a major responsibility of caring for their children and for the need to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. Both require a partnership between health workers and families. Multi-sectoral teamwork is of paramount importance if IMCI successes are to be achieved.

IMCI is a global and effective low-cost approach for improving childhood health and is expected to facilitate rapid and effective treatment using standard methods. In Zimbabwe, UNICEF has chosen Chegutu, Chipinge, Hwange and Zaka districts to pilot the IMCI programme. On Thursday 24 May, UNICEF Country Representative, Dr. Justin Maeda, officially handed over four Toyota Hilux project vehicles to the Government of Zimbabwe for use in the IMCI project. Three of the vehicles are earmarked for Chegutu, Chipinge, and Zaka Rural District Councils. These three districts will use the vehicles to carry out community activities related to IMCI. The fourth vehicle will be used by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (MoHCW). Mr. C. Zhakata, Director of Policy Planning at MoHCW, who is also responsible for IMCI implementation in Zimbabwe, received the keys to the vehicles on behalf of the Government, together with Chief Chivero of Chegutu and representatives from the other two districts.


HIV/AIDS YOUNG PEOPLE&#8217;S CHAT

In preparation for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS taking place in New York from 25 to 27 June 2001, UNICEF organised a special discussion through the Voices of the Youth Chatroom on Thursday 24 May. UNICEF is supporting six youth journalists to attend the UNGASS on HIV/AIDS and report on its proceedings. The 3 hour Internet chat session provided an opportunity for youth across the world to get together with youth journalists and discuss the various issues at stake before they travel to New York. Approximately 100 youths from 20 countries participated in this Internet event. The Zimbabwe delegation included a representative from the Junior Council, two pupils of Arundel School, as well as, two pupils of Mufakose Number 2 High School.


DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD

On Saturday 16 June, the Government of Zimbabwe will commemorate the Day of the African Child by staging the 11th session of the Children&#8217;s Parliament at the Harare International Conference Centre. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has declared 16 June as the Day of the African Child in memory of the children massacred in Soweto, South Africa, in June 1976. In many ways, the Day of the African Child has become a reference point for measuring the delivery of promises made to children during the World Summit on Children in 1990. This year&#8217;s theme of the Children&#8217;s Parliamentary Session is &#8220;A World Fit for Children&#8221;, which has been derived from the overall objective of the Global Movement for Children. Sub-themes that will be discussed among Child Parliamentarians include part of the &#8220;Say Yes for Children Rallying Points&#8221;, such as &#8220;Educate Every Child&#8221;, &#8220;Combat HIV/AIDS&#8221;, &#8220;Fight Poverty&#8221;, &#8220;Protect the Environment for Children&#8221; and &#8220;Promote Peace&#8221;.


STAY TUNED...COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE

· United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Children - Update and other preparatory meetings leading up to UNGASS.

· Youth to Youth (Y2Y) Programme HIV/AIDS Week. Y2Y members and other youth visiting homes to assist those caring for the terminally ill as part of the International Year of the Volunteers.

· HEWASA Final Evaluation of the Community Based Management Project.

· KABP - Findings of the National Baseline Survey on Key Developmental Issues of Children and Adolescents (Tobacco, Reproductive Health & Child Care).


UNICEF&#8217;s MISSION &#8211; EXTRACT

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children&#8217;s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT UNICEF

6 Fairbridge Avenue, Belgravia, P.O. Box 1250, Harare, Zimbabwe; Tel + 263 4 703 941/2; 721 692; 730 093/4; Fax + 263 4 731 849; e- mail harare@unicef.org

More...

Is Africa in Denial over Child Slavery?

2001-06-18

http://www.geographical.co.uk/geographical/features/april_2001_slave.html

It is common practice in parts of Africa for children to be cared for by wealthier members of their extended families. In return the children undertake household and other chores. What is commonly known but not publicly acknowledged is that some children end up in conditions akin to slavery, writes Cameron Duodu.

NIGERIA: Govt ratifies child labour conventions

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/wa/countrystories/nigeria/20010615a.phtml

The Nigerian government has ratified five of the eight core conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions against child labour, 'The Guardian' newspaper reported on Thursday. The ratification was disclosed by Godfrey Preware, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity, at the 89th plenary session of the ILO which ended in Geneva recently, the paper said.

CAR:Executions sow terror among Yakomas

Daily Mail and Guardian, daily South African news

2001-06-18

http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html#CAR

SUMMARY executions are being carried out daily in the Central African Republic following a failed coup bid, sowing terror among members of the Yakoma ethnic group who are being targeted, witnesses claimed.

Celebrate a Great Day to Remember

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140204.html

The 25th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising will be commemorated in Soweto on Saturday under the theme Non-Racialism: A Youth Vision for the 21st Century.

SA: SAMWU Protest

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/racism/1607

A local council in Hartbeespoort which is trying to maintain apartheid got a favorable court ruling. The South African Mine Workers Union is protesting this ruling.
SAMWU PRESS STATEMENT

Union to protest outside Pretoria High Court tomorrow in Hartbeespoort "whites only" case

More than 1000 members of the South African Municipal Workers Union from Pretoria, Brits and Hartbeespoort Dam will be protesting outside the Pretoria High court from 10am tomorrow, Tuesday 12th June 2001.

The protest centres around the case of Hartbeespoort Dam versus Brits Council and the MEC for Local Government, which will resume from the 12th-15th June 2001. The case involves opposition by white former Hartebeespoort councillors to the amalgamation of the council's assets with the former Brits municipality, arising out of the demarcation and last year's local government elections.

The former New National Party councillors of Hartbeespoort Dam initially attempted to interdict the demarcations process last year, as they were opposed to being combined with Brits municipality. They lost the interdict after it was contested by SAMWU and the North West MEC for Local Government, Darkie Afrika.

The councillors then reverted to their plan B, which was to privatise all the council's assets to the newly formed Gemeenskapontwikkelings (Pty) Ltd - owned by the eight white members of the previous nine-person council. There was no open tender procedure and Hartbeespoort's only black councillor, Reverend Frank Senatle, was not informed about the privatisation.

After forming the company, the former councillors then took up a High Court case and succeeded in getting an interim ruling that Brits municipality should not touch the assets of Hartbeespoort Dam until the entire High Court case has been heard.

SAMWU is completely opposed to this interim ruling, as it has delayed service delivery to the poor and township dwellers, predominantly from Brits, for the past six months. It has also meant that rates from the wealthy citizens of Hartbeespoort Dam cannot be accessed to cross subsidise service delivery for the poor - which was one of the main objectives of the national demarcation process. Hartbeespoort Dam is the home of South Africa's most expensive residential real estate, with properties selling for as much as R12 000 per square metre, or R3.6 million per house - the highest selling price anywhere in the country.

The union sees the judge's interim ruling as a bad sign. SAMWU does not understand how any judge in his or her right mind can agree to extend apartheid in one town in the country. This is unconstitutional and against the Municipal Systems Act. The union demands that the case be finalised in favour of the MEC and former Brits Council. The former Hartbeespoort local council has never made any attempt to service black working class people in the area. Last year it was reported that not one RDP house had been built for the over 2 000 homeless blacks living and working in Hartbeespoort. National funding of R16 million allocated for houses had been unused. This cannot continue for another day! Immediate integration of all assets and equitable service delivery must be implemented in the newly amalgamated Madibeng Council without further delay.



For comment, call

SAMWU Provincial Secretary

Itumeleng Mosala on

072-241-2888

More...

South Africa's new racism

2001-06-18

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stm

Black on black racism and xenophobia in South Africa.

USA: USAID Chief Displays Racism, Ignorance

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/racism/1657

This posting contains a press release from Africa Action and a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell from Africa Action, the Religious Action Network and the Health Gap Coalition, protesting the racist remarks by USAID Adminstrator Andrew Natsios in an interview with the Boston Globe. Natsios said antiretroviral treatment for AIDS was not practical in Africa because 'Africans don't know what Western time is'.
Date distributed (ymd): 010608
APIC Document

+++++++++++++++++++++Document
Profile+++++++++++++++++++++

Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +US policy focus+

SUMMARY CONTENTS:


The posting also contains excerpts from comments from Natsios
on antiretroviral treatment made to reporters on the Secretary of
State's Africa trip last month, along with corrections from Paul
Davis of ACT UP Philadelphia.

For those who might want to send their comments or corrections to
Administrator Natsios directly, his e-mail address is
anatsios@usaid.gov

For additional background see
http://www.africapolicy.org/action/access.htm

and

http://www.globaltreatmentaccess.org


+++++++++++++++++end
profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Africa Action Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:(202) 546-7961 (212) 785-1024

Letter to Powell Protests Racism at USAID

Top Official's Remarks Suggest U.S. Opposes Saving Lives of
Africans living with HIV and AIDS

Friday, June 8 (Washington, DC/New York City) - Africa Action, the
Religious Action Network and the Health GAP Coalition today
issued the attached letter to US Secretary of State, Colin Powell
protesting the racist remarks of Andrew Natsios, Adminstrator of
the United States Agency for International Development, reported in
yesterday's Boston Globe. Natsios is opposing treatment and care
for 25 million African living with HIV and AIDS as too costly and
has used the false argument that the antiretroviral treatments
commonly used in rich countries to restore health and prolong life
are inappropriate for Africans.

Responding to Natsios' remarks arguing that Africans can't tell
time, Africa Action's President of the Board of Directors, Rev. Dr.
Wyatt Tee Walker, stated that, 'Such blatant racism is becoming
the defining feature of U.S. policy toward the AIDS pandemic in
Africa.' Walker served as Chief of Staff for the late Dr. Martin Luther
King. Salih Booker, Executive Director of the organization, added
that, 'The administration is unwilling to spend appropriate amounts
of money to help save African lives and has now stooped to using
ignorant and racist arguments to justify their policies.'

This is the second time in the past two months that Africa Action
has condemned the racism that seems to be a central determinant
of US foreign policy as far as this administration's response to the
global AIDS pandemic is concerned. On April 30th, a similar letter
to Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neill, requested that he
identify and publicly repudiate the unnamed senior official in the
Department of the Treasury who told the New York Times that
Africans lacked a requisite 'concept of time' necessary to benefit
from HIV drugs. 'Secretary O'Neill responded this week with an
insulting form letter that dismissed our concerns,' said Booker.

The letter to Powell calls for the dismissal of Natsios.

For more information visit our website:
http://www.africapolicy.org

To Contact the Health GAP Coalition: (215) 731-1844
http://www.globaltreatmentaccess.org and http://www.healthgap.org

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

Letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell

June 8, 2001

Dear Secretary Powell,

We are writing to express our deep sense of outrage at the
shockingly racist comments made by your Administrator for the
U.S. Agency for International Development, Andrew Natsios. We
represent organizations and churches advocating equitable access
to treatment for people with HIV/AIDS around the world and
especially in Africa where - as you are well aware - the majority of
people presently living with HIV and AIDS reside.

According to an article in yesterday's Boston Globe, Mr. Natsios
said that Africans 'don't know what Western time is,' and that
'Many people in Africa have never seen a clock or a watch their
entire lives. And if you say, one o'clock in the afternoon, they do
not know what you are talking about.'

We are writing to demand that you repudiate this offensive
behavior. Someone such as Mr. Natsios, with such ignorant and
bigoted views, does not belong in a policy-making position, and
should be fired. We request that you issue an official apology and
retraction on behalf of the State Department of which USAID is a
subordinate, and state publicly that the Department itself does not
endorse these racist views.

This is the second time in the past two months that we have been
forced to condemn the racism that seems to be a central
determinant of US foreign policy as far as this administration's
response to the global AIDS pandemic is concerned. On April
30th we wrote a similar letter to Secretary of the Treasury, Paul
O'Neill, requesting that he identify and publicly repudiate the
unnamed senior official in the Department of the Treasury who told
the New York Times that Africans lacked a requisite 'concept of
time,' implying that they could not benefit from HIV drugs. This
week we received an insulting form letter response from Secretary
O'Neill that ignored the very issues we raised making clear his
insensitivity to the racism in his department. It has been
suggested that he may have been the unnamed senior official
himself quoted in the Times article of April 29th. We hope that we
will receive a more enlightened response to this letter.

US officials involved in shaping international AIDS policy should
have a working knowledge of African realities, as well as treatment
issues. If US officials lack such knowledge, we suggest they visit
any of the numerous clinics run by local health care providers,
governments, and NGOs, to learn for themselves about the
capacity that exists to deliver HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa. A US
policy that refuses to address the imperative of treatment access -
using such ignorance as an excuse - has deadly implications.

The comments also reveal a lack of expertise on issues of
HIV/AIDS among US officials shaping international AIDS policy.
New combinations of anti-HIV drugs involve as few as six pills a
day, and already are being administered in settings in the
developing world including in Africa.

Arguments about the inability of people to adhere to anti-HIV
treatment regimes are often trotted out as an excuse for inaction.
However, adherence rates achieved in developing countries are
already comparable to those in the United States. US policy must
be based on facts and not bigoted stereotypes

More important than the views of any individual, however
misguided, are the policies of the administration. The nations of
the world seem finally ready to begin addressing the AIDS
pandemic in a way that is remotely proportionate to the scale of
the tragedy. It is time for the U.S. to announce its commitment to
increase its contribution to the Global Fund proposed by United
Nations Secretary General Kofi Anan to address HIV/AIDS, as
well as TB, malaria and other infectious diseases.

Given the moral imperative of providing life-saving treatments to the
more than 25 million HIV-positive people in Africa, the
administration and this fund must commit to do exactly what Mr.
Natsios is advocating against: invest in treatment - the purchase
and delivery of life-saving medicines - on a scale at least
proportionate to investments in prevention.

We respectfully request an immediate and direct public response
to this matter.

Sincerely,


Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, President, Africa Action Board of
Directors, and Founder, Religious Action Network

Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Action

Sharonann Lynch, Health GAP Coalition


cc: President George W. Bush
The Honorable Paul O'Neill, Secretary of the Treasury
Walter H. Kansteiner III, Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs (designee) The Honorable Kofi Annan, Secretary General,
United Nations
Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS
The Congressional Black Caucus
Zackie Achmat, Chairperson, Treatment Action Campaign

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

Quotes from Boston Globe, June 7, 2001

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's top foreign aid official
said yesterday he wanted the new Global AIDS and Health Fund to
focus almost completely on prevention and include little if any
money for anti-retroviral drugs for those living with AIDS.

...

Natsios said the only money on drugs should be for anti-malarial
and TB medication for those with HIV/AIDS, as well as nevirapine,
which interrupts the transmission from mother-to-child.

...

Natsios, who spent a decade in aid work in Africa, said many
Africans ''don't know what Western time is. You have to take these
(AIDS) drugs a certain number of hours each day, or they don't
work. Many people in Africa have never seen a clock or a watch
their entire lives. And if you say, one o'clock in the afternoon, they
do not know what you are talking about. They know morning, they
know noon, they know evening, they know the darkness at night.


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

Natsios Comments during Africa Trip, with corrections

Paul Davis
pdavis@critpath.org
Health GAP Coalition, ACT UP Philadelphia
+1.215.474.6886 direct tel.; +1.215.474.4793 fax;
+1.215.731.1844 ACT UP

June 7, 2001

USAID head Andrew Natsios seems strongly inclined to advertise
his deep ignorance of AIDS treatment regimens. Interspersed
within his comments to reporters below (from Sec. Powell's Africa
journey, found on State Department web page), I inserted a few
factual corrections [in brackets].

USAID Administrator Natsios Press Remarks on HIV/AIDS in
Africa

Andrew Natsios, Administrator,
United States Agency for International Development
Press Remarks En Route to South Africa with Secretary Powell

May 24, 2001

<snip>

QUESTION: Andrew, can you explain why AID programs are
focused so much on prevention? Are you saying that to treat the
problem is just too hard and too big and too expensive?

MR. NATSIOS: Well if we can -- just go back to the United States.
Forty percent of the people who know that they have HIV/AIDS in
the United States are not in a treatment program. And that is not
because they cannot afford it. A friend of mine in Boston -- a
prominent talk show host [name off the record] -- and the rigor you
have to go through to take this medication....

[FACT: in spite of quiet resistance from the pharmaceutical
industry, US AIDS treatment guidelines were finally revised this
year to reflect the data-driven conclusions that the initiation of
therapy should be delayed _until_needed. We do not start therapy
immediately upon diagnosis. Most people living with HIV are not
taking medicine now because it is not clinically indicated. Drug
companies had supported the dangerous but profitable position of
immediate treatment initiation since 1996.]

..It's 17 to 25 pills a day...

[UNTRUE. People with HIV initiating treatment would now have
take from one to three pills in the morning, and one to three pills at
night, with no food restrictions or tight schedules. Some
combinations are working where all pills can be taken once at
midday. Additionally, the willingness of generic drug manufacturers
to combine products originating from different patent holders into a
single pill promises to further simplify complexities of treatment
regimens. DISCLOSURE: treatment for opportunistic infections can
increase pill burdens, although ARV therapy has been shown to
prevent many OIs.]

Every two hours....

[UNTRUE except for the very treatment experienced individual who
has spent years 'using up' treatment regimens that often began
with monotherapy or other suboptimal regimens.]

.. And you have to change the cocktail -- the mix of drugs -- every
three or four months, or you can die from the toxicity of the drugs.

[The premise and conclusions of this sentence is incorrect. People
with HIV change cocktails after some of the drugs they use have
started to fail. People have delayed initiation of therapy in part due
to toxicity, and the NIH and public entities are studying the
effectiveness of 'pulsing' ARV treatment in part due to toxicity.
What is inarguable is that access to medicine dramatically cuts
death and dying as well as rates of new infections.]

And it does not always work. There are some people who are HIV-
positive where the drugs simply will not keep you alive....

[TRUE. The unknown percentage of people with HIV who will
eventually fail treatment may be high. But the additional 15 years of
life we can afford to purchase right now allows time for the newly
promising vaccine research to bear fruit. And the outcomes of
untreated HIV is already known.]

.. So you have to have a very high level of infrastructure, higher
levels of education, levels of education, you have to have a cold
(inaudible) because some of the drugs have to be refrigerated....

[UNTRUE save for a single ARV that is rarely used in its
refrigeration-required formulation due to extreme side effects]

..Now if you apply that to Africa, and if we can't get forty percent of
the people who are HIV-positive to take the drugs in the United
States,...

[IGNORANCE DISPLAYED AGAIN: 40% of US people living with
HIV are not clinically indicated to be receiving ARV treatment.]

************************************************************ This material
is distributed by Africa Action (incorporating the Africa Policy
Information Center, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee
on Africa). Africa Action's information services provide accessible
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and international
policies toward Africa that advance economic, political and social
justice and the full spectrum of human rights.

Documents previously distributed, as well as a wide range of
additional information, are also available on the Web at:
http://www.africapolicy.org

To be added to or dropped from the distribution list write to
apic@igc.org For more information about reposted material,
please contact directly the source mentioned in the posting.

Africa Action / Africa Policy Information Center (APIC)
110 Maryland Ave. NE, #508, Washington, DC 20002.
Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545.
E-mail: apic@igc.org
************************************************************

------- End of forwarded message -------

More...

Let Solar Power See the Light of Day

2001-06-18

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15g.html

Is it really a lack of the right technology that is keeping solar power off the mass market? Or is the light from our nearest star, the Sun, being held hostage by an economy that is devoted to using up the Earth's last drops of fossil fuel at all cost?

African environmental information online

2001-06-18

http://www.uz.ac.zw/ies

The Institute of Environmental Studies (IES) at the University of Zimbabwe announces its website. You will also be able to access the website with information on the activities of the Southern African Network for Training and Research on the Environment <www.uz.ac.zw/ies/santren> Here you will find information about the diferent projects going on at the institute and also the different publications from the Institutes and its associates in many different countries. This is a valuable site for finding information on the environmental activities in Zimbabwe and in Southern Africa.

African Illegal Wildlife Traders Raided

2001-06-18

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-01.html

DJIBOUTI-VILLE, Djibouti, June 13, 2001 - Traders in the city center marketplace openly selling wildlife products restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were raided Friday by government authorities on a mission. With the assistance of 25 police, officials inspected over 40 stalls at the Rue de Brazaville and seized 16 ivory pieces, 11 sea turtle shells, including three hawksbill turtle shells, nine leopard skins, two cheetah skins, the hide from a spotted hyena and nearly 250 ostrich eggs.

Common ground, common future

How ecoagriculture can help feed the world and save wild biodiversity

2001-06-18

http://www.ids.ac.uk/eldis/comm.htm

Looks at the interactions between wild biodiversity and agriculture around the world. It outlines a new solution to the biodiversity extinction crisis based on a new understanding of wildlife biology and ecology, on-the-ground experimentation, and major scientific advances in genetics, remote sensing, and other fields. The recommended approach, called ecoagriculture, seeks to help farmers, most urgently those living in or near biodiversity hotspots, to grow more food while conserving habitats critical to wildlife.

More...

Europe Proposes Trade Advantages for Green Nations

2001-06-18

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-04.html

The European Commission is holding out a carrot to entice developing countries into making environmental sustainability a pillar of their international trade programs. The Commission has proposed that developing countries meeting certain environmental standards be eligible for tariff concessions on their exports to the European Union.

IFC postpones funding for Niger Delta

2001-06-18

http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/articles.html?id=010614009001&query=IFC+postpones+funding+for+Niger+Delta

International Finance Corporation, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank, has postponed a decision on funding oil services companies in the Niger Delta following protests from environmental campaigners.

Political Will to Stop Spreading Deserts is Missing

2001-06-18

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-02.html

More than 100 countries in all climatic regions on all continents are seriously affected by desertification, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a statement marking the UN's World Day to Combat Desertification on Sunday.

Rehabilitating the Baringo Drylands of Kenya

2001-06-18

http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=982

A bull called Mwalimu helped save the lives of hundreds of cattle in Kenya's Baringo District during a recent drought. Mwalimu means "teacher" in Swahili and this bull taught other cattle to do something that does not come naturally to them - eat cactus.

TANZANIA: Habitat agenda promises urban quality of life

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/tanzania/20010613.phtml

A novel urban renewal programme in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, has been used at the UN General Assembly's "Istanbul plus 5" special session on human shelter to demonstrate the potential for partnership between communities and local government in improving urban services and amenities.

Uganda Reopens War Torn Rwenzori National Park

2001-06-18

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-11-02.html

The government of Uganda has announced that the closed Rwenzori Mountains National Park bordering the strife ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will reopen on July 2. The opening will pave the way for mountaineers to have access to Africa's third highest peak - the scenic 5,100 meter (16,575 foot) Mt. Margherita.

A Viable Press Is Vital

2001-06-18

http://www.oneworld.net/anydoc2.cgi?u=http://allafrica.com/stories/200106080114.html|root=528

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where hundreds of millions of people live in poverty, the media can help development - if they form partnerships to make it possible, urges Gambian journalist Modou Thomas.

Africa: the radio scene tells all

2001-06-18

http://www.unesco.org/webworld/points_of_views/150501_ngangue.shtml

Radio, the most widely used medium in Africa, can only flourish on democratic soil, which helps to explain why private stations are thriving in the west and not in the centre of the continent.

Globalization Limits Media Change

2001-06-18

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

What if we had a chance to start over, to reorganize our media system? Could we do it? These questions are not now on the agenda in the United States and are unlikely to be any time soon. That's why I was so excited about the possibilities in societies undergoing major transformations and economic restructuring. As the rest of society is reorganized, there is the opening to recreate media, too.

Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe

Media Update # 2001/21

2001-06-18

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

The death of another ruling party stalwart, war veterans&#8217; leader, Chenjerai Hunzvi, dominated the news in all the media. But it wasn&#8217;t just his death that attracted attention; controversies emerged over the cause of his death and the decision to declare him a national hero.

Monday 4th June to Sunday 10th June 2001

SUMMARY

The abrupt and arbitrary banning of the NDA&#8217;s television phone-in
show, Talk to the Nation, was reported in the mainstream Press,
but was ignored by ZBC itself.
Coverage of the ruling party&#8217;s legal challenge to the Masvingo
mayoral election result was inadequate in all the media and
distorted in the state Press, which also continued to distort the few
incidents of politically motivated violence that it did cover.


HUNZVI&#8217;S DEATH

The war veteran leader&#8217;s death was accorded national headlines
throughout the media. But ZBC&#8217;s coverage was strangely muted.
ZTV&#8217;s 8pm bulletin (4/6) gave just three minutes to the news itself,
and another two minutes to condolences from President Mugabe.
A third two-minute report was devoted to an interview with Health
Minister, Timothy Stamps, providing a lengthy explanation for the
cause of Hunzvi&#8217;s death (malaria). However, ZBC failed to explain
why it was necessary for the Minister of Health to explain the
cause of death instead of the more usual practice of obtaining an
official statement from the hospital where Hunzvi died.
ZBCTV&#8217;s coverage increased to nine minutes the following evening
after President Mugabe had visited the mourners and pre-empted
the Politburo when he announced that declaring Hunzvi a national
hero was a mere formality. The next evening (6/6, 8pm) all stations
announced that the Politburo had &#8220;unanimously&#8221; decided to declare
Hunzvi a hero.
But the real mystery was why it had taken so long for the Politburo
to arrive at its unanimous conclusion. None of the media raised this
question and the only clue Zimbabweans had of the Politburo&#8217;s
lengthy deliberations came from radio bulletins. Radio 1 & 3 (6am
and 8am, 6/6) announced that the Politburo was due to meet at
9am to decide Hunzvi&#8217;s status. In their lunchtime bulletins, all
stations reported that the Politburo was still meeting and Radio 1 &
3 continued to report this in its 2pm and 3pm bulletins. If the
compiler of the station&#8217;s bulletins was not slow in updating the
news, this would have meant that the Politburo had met for nearly
six hours to decide whether to declare Hunzvi a national hero &#8211; an
exceptionally lengthy session despite the President&#8217;s pre-emptive
statement the previous day.
However, the decision provoked a flurry of critical stories in the
private Press, and even Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo,
appeared to have difficulty providing an explanation. He was seen
on ZBCTV (6/6, 8pm) saying:
&#8220;Cde Hunzvi&#8230;is a hero because he was a hero, because he
lived the life of a hero&#8230;&#8221;
And the reporter failed to seek clarification for the minister&#8217;s
attempt to justify the Politburo decision when he went on to say,
&#8220;&#8230;the notion that some people have that somehow it is the
Politburo that sits and makes heroes out of people is not
correct.&#8221;

The private press (The Daily News 7/6, The Zimbabwe Independent
8/6, and The Financial Gazette 7/6) all quoted people who were
critical of the decision. But Zimpapers&#8217; titles merely endorsed the
ZANU-PF decision.
In an article entitled, Controversy over Hunzvi&#8217;s hero status, The
Zimbabwe Independent carried the comments of several individuals
who all believed the honour was being abused for political
purposes. Political scientist Masipula Sithole said: &#8220;They are
making Heroes&#8217; Acre a ZANU PF graveyard....&#8221;
The same story also traced previous controversies surrounding the
hero status issue, and quoted a Zimbabwe Liberators Platform
spokesman calling for a national debate on the topic. The weekly&#8217;s
editorial comment highlighted Hunzvi&#8217;s involvement in the
&#8220;lawless&#8221; farm invasions.
The Daily News (7/6) quoted the MDC querying the &#8220;selection
criterion&#8221; of a national hero arguing that &#8220;the criterion for the
selection of a hero has been privatized by ZANU PF and has
witnessed the elevation of mediocrity and the rewarding of
extortion, murder, theft, violence and torture.&#8221;
The state media unquestioningly glorified Hunzvi&#8217;s legacy, quoting
an array of ZANU PF government officials, including President
Mugabe and Vice-President Msika. The Herald (5/6) in a front-page
story next to giant photo of Hunzvi, quoted Mugabe describing his
leadership in the &#8220;land-based Chimurenga&#8221; as &#8220;inspiring&#8221;.
Stamps&#8217; mysterious appearance on ZBCTV the day Hunzvi died
was partially explained in its evening bulletins on June 6th and in
The Herald the next day, all quoting Mugabe saying, &#8220;&#8230;malicious
rumours are already circulating that Hunzvi died of Aids, but
that is not true. Dr Stamps told me that he had contracted
malaria&#8230;.&#8221;
An interesting report in The Zimbabwe Independent, however,
made a concerted attempt to disprove this claim. Quoting &#8220;well
placed medical sources&#8221;, and an authoritative medical reference
book, the paper suggested his death was caused by AIDS related
tuberculosis. This claim was based on the medication Hunzvi
received, according to the paper&#8217;s investigations. Notably, this has
not been refuted by the state. If indeed Hunzvi had died from any
AIDS related disease &#8211; and malaria could be one - it would be an
indictment of government&#8217;s commitment to its own national AIDS
awareness campaign.


NDA PROGRAMME

Zimbabweans who had been following the NDA&#8217;s &#8220;Talk To The
Nation&#8221; programme, must have been disappointed when ZBC
suddenly dropped it without warning.
Worse still, the public broadcaster completely ignored the story
that made the front pages of the public and private Press.
But while The Herald (6/6) (also The Chronicle) confined its story to
the ZBC in its announcement that: &#8220;ZBC switches off NDA-
sponsored live TV programme&#8221;, The Daily News of the same day
went further: &#8220;Moyo bans TV programme&#8221;, and quoted the
NDA&#8217;s Kindness Paradza, to support its headline: &#8220;I do not know
the reason for the action, but the best person to ask is
Jonathan Moyo. Put all your questions to Moyo. Don&#8217;t even
bother asking the ZBC.&#8221; The paper was apparently unable to get
Moyo, but did quote his principal Press secretary (Hwengwere)
saying that Moyo&#8217;s office supported the decision on the grounds
that &#8220;the professional integrity of the ZBC was at stake.&#8221; But
this was not explained.
The Herald simply reported Moyo as saying the government fully
supported the &#8220;decision&#8221;. And while the voices of unnamed ZBC
sources were also quoted at length in an effort to explain why the
programme had been dropped, comment from the NDA was
completely missing.
The Daily News reported that Moyo had apparently been angered
by the appearance of the MDC MP Tapiwa Mashakada, who had
&#8220;outclassed&#8221; his ZANU PF colleague, MP David Chapfika, in a
debate about the country&#8217;s economic crisis. Some credibility for
this claim could be found in The Herald, which quoted a ZBC
source as saying: &#8220;Live productions can be tricky and
dangerous&#8230;Maybe the programme should not have been
broadcast live. You do not know what someone will come and
say and there is no way of controlling it.&#8221;
But this did not trouble the ZBC (or Moyo) in the NDA&#8217;s first two
shows featuring ministers Ignatius Chombo and Patrick
Chinamasa. Nor were there problems over the &#8220;professional
integrity&#8221; of the ZBC, or the fact that these two programmes must
have also breached sections of the Act, which The Herald noted,
invested editorial responsibility in the public broadcaster.
The dailies followed up their stories the next day. The Daily News
balanced its story by incorporating a number of voices including the
MDC and Prof Moyo. The Financial Gazette (7/6) only quoted
MDC&#8217;s Learnmore Jongwe &#8220;lambasting&#8221; the ban.
The Herald and The Chronicle (7/6) merely reproduced a statement
from ZBC chairman, Gideon Gono, feebly reiterating that ZBC&#8217;s
decision to withdraw the programme was a policy decision and not
a political one. No other opinion was sought, not even from the
NDA to balance the story.
MMPZ deplores what amounts to a deliberate policy by The Herald
to ignore obvious sources for the purpose of skewing information in
favour of one party against another. This is an unacceptable
compromise of balance, accuracy and impartiality.
MMPZ also deplores the ban on the basis that it was made in an
effort to stifle further democratic debate on important national
issues of public interest and that it is a clear indication that
government will not tolerate any attempt by the ZBC to fulfill its
national public broadcasting duty to provide its audiences with a
diversity of opinion.


ELECTORAL ISSUES

News of the Bulawayo mayoral election and ZANU PF&#8217;s challenge
to the Masvingo election result continued to receive media
attention, but little of the coverage was very helpful to the media&#8217;s
respective audiences.
Last week however, The Standard (3/6) did score a first when it
reported that government intended to postpone the Bulawayo
mayoral poll, which a week later proved to be true. The Herald, The
Chronicle, The Daily News and The Zimbabwe Independent (8/6)
reported that Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa, had
postponed the elections reportedly because the voters&#8217; roll was in a
shambles. But The Daily News headline (8/6), &#8220;Anger as
Bulawayo polls are postponed&#8221;, was misleading because it
suggested universal anger, when the only anger registered in the
article was expressed by the MDC. It would have been more apt
had the paper interviewed the city&#8217;s residents to find out what they
thought.
Whilst the state owned media merely endorsed the government
reasons without question, the privately owned press tried to
investigate clandestine motives behind the decision. The Daily
News, The Independent and The Standard (10/6) in its editorial
comment speculated that ZANU-PF wanted to delay a second
defeat, after losing the Masvingo mayoral poll. They also
speculated over the ruling party&#8217;s inability to secure a suitable
candidate, with The Daily News (9/6) quoting George Mlilo
objecting to being elected by the ruling party as their candidate in
absentia: &#8220;I have no intention of standing for ZANU PF. I just
can&#8217;t.&#8221;
Daily News readers who had listened to Radio 2&#8217;s lunchtime
bulletin the day before would have been thoroughly confused, since
the radio announced that Mlilo would stand as the ruling party&#8217;s
candidate.
A clue to what may have happened was contained in a paragraph
in the daily&#8217;s story reporting that Chinamasa had dismissed
charges that ZANU PF had delayed the election because Mlilo had
snubbed the party. (Mlilo was reported to have agreed &#8220;on
reflection&#8221; to represent the party the following week).
Zimpapers&#8217; coverage of the court proceedings in the ruling party&#8217;s
challenge to the Masvingo poll suggested that voting discrepancies
found in the reconciliation of voters would boost the ruling party&#8217;s
call for a rerun of the election (The Herald&#8217;s, 6/6). But after the
recount and reconciliation, it was discovered that only seven people
from outside Masvingo had voted. And none of the media clearly
reported what was to happen over the objection to the voters&#8217; roll.
The Daily News missed (or ignored) the recount story altogether,
while The Standard (10/6) merely reported that the MDC believed
the recount had yielded &#8220;nothing to warrant nullification of the
results.&#8221; But the story did not provide a clear explanation why a
report on the voters&#8217; roll was being compiled by the Registrar-
General&#8217;s office, or indeed, whether this was being carried out in
accordance with a court order.
ZBC did no better. Its audiences are still in the dark over
developments in the Masvingo case. ZBC merely reported (6/6,
Radio 2 8pm, ZTV Nhau/Indaba & 8pm) that the High Court was re-
examining the Masvingo election papers following ZANU PF&#8217;s court
application to nullify the results.



POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Nationwide demonstrations by the Zimbabwe National Students
Union (ZINASU) were underplayed by ZBC. It only reported the
Chinhoyi Technical College demonstration during the week (5/06,
ZTV Nhau/Indaba) and ignored demonstrations in other regions. Nor
did the state broadcaster mention the abduction and torture of
ZINASU president Nkululeko Sibanda. Instead, ZBC reported the
formation of Zimbabwe Progressive Students Union (6/6 ZTV
Nhau/Indaba & 8pm), a new students association whose president
was quoted criticizing ZINASU leadership for habouring political
ambitions. There was no information on who constitutes this new
students association.
President Mugabe&#8217;s denunciation of politically motivated violence at
a police event was given prominence on ZBC&#8217;s 8pm bulletins (7/6),
thus portraying him to be a man who abhorred such activity. He
challenged the police to take stern measures against perpetrators
of violence. But his statements coincided with The Financial
Gazette&#8217;s article claiming that South African, President Thabo
Mbeki, had written a letter to Mugabe stressing that he should
uphold the rule of law. Mugabe, who has been conspicuous by his
silence on violence, gave the impression that he was responding to
Mbeki&#8217;s letter. However, President Mbeki was quoted as having
denied The Financial Gazette article (Radio 2, 1pm, 9/6), two days
after it was published.
ZBC reported (9/6, 8pm) that violence broke out at Stoneridge farm
when resettled farmers allegedly attacked war veterans occupying
the farm. The follow-up (10/6, 8pm) quoted war veterans who
warned the farmer to stop instigating violence despite the farmer&#8217;s
repeated denial that he had sent his workers to attack the
occupiers. Circumstances leading to the outbreak of violence were
not clear. ZBC&#8217;s report stated that war veterans were quick to solve
the matter, in an attempt to portray them as peacemakers. Their
Secretary General Andy Mhlanga was quoted saying that the war
vets would not retaliate and that they would forgive the farm
workers.
In another violence related story, ZBC used Andrew Young&#8217;s
comments (5/6, Radio 6pm & 8pm, ZTV 8pm) to downplay the
gravity of the violence that characterized last year&#8217;s general
election. Andrew Young who was given five minutes and 40
seconds to comment on the land issue, was quoted saying,
&#8220;&#8230;When you think of the numbers of people that were killed
in our civil rights movement, black people killed by whites, or
by police, the numbers here are very minimal considering the
radical social change&#8230;this is essentially a predominantly a
non-violent social change movement&#8230;&#8221;

None of the state owned media bothered to question this ludicrous
comparison. Any serious news organization would have accessed
comments from alternative sources about such statements.
Instead, ZBC sought supportive comments from their regular
commentator Prof Mwesiga Baregu (6/6, ZTV 8pm), who stated
that Young&#8217;s comments on land were a clear indication that he is
disappointed with the failure by the United States and Britain to
fulfill their promises.

Fresh incidents of politically motivated violence continue to be
recorded in the press, but regrettably, Zimpapers continues to
report them along biased political lines. For example, whilst The
Herald and The Chronicle (6/6) reported the closure of the Mwenezi
District Administrator&#8217;s offices by landless peasants and war
veterans, they avoided the fact that the administrator had been
assaulted, a fact reported in The Daily News (6/6).
Similarly, The Herald and Chronicle failed to tell readers of the
alleged abduction, torture and disappearance of ZINASU&#8217;s leader,
Nkululeko Sibanda, again reported in The Daily News (8/6) and
(9/6). This is despite the fact that the state-controlled newspapers
have been following the recent student demonstrations, as well as
providing good publicity to the formation of the same splinter
students&#8217; group reported by ZBC.
Elsewhere, The Daily News reported the abduction of the son of the
MDC&#8217;s chairperson for Mazowe District, and a new wave of farm
invasions in the Macheke area, as well as the invasion of a farm
belonging to the MDC candidate in Masvingo. The state-controlled
media ignored all these reports.
ENDS

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

Why The Latest News About Online News Ain't So Good

2001-06-18

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

Citizens who want news and the journalists who construct news are increasingly turning to the Net as their prime resource. But what kind of medium is the Internet as a place to keep in touch with a changing world?

Windhoek Final Report

Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/1628

In his keynote address, Mr. Abid Hussain, the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, congratulated UNESCO and MISA for organizing the Windhoek conference &#8220;Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects&#8221;. He emphasized the need for Africa to reinforce freedom of speech and freedom of the media, without which, no real development progress could be made.
Final Report
"Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects"



3- 5 May 2001
Windhoek



A. Keynote Address and First Plenary Session: Obstacles to Media Freedom in Africa

1. In his keynote address, Mr. Abid Hussain, the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, congratulated UNESCO and MISA for organizing the Windhoek conference &#8220;Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects&#8221;. He emphasized the need for Africa to reinforce freedom of speech and freedom of the media, without which, no real development progress could be made.

2. Recalling the movement to establish free, independent and pluralistic media in Africa, which started 10 years ago, he noted that achievements made so far have been both exciting and challenging. As a result, Africans do not now need any assistance to speak; they can speak and are speaking for themselves. Mr. Hussain affirmed that democracy could not be defended in silence and secrecy, but only by confronting the challenges could lasting democratic governance be achieved. He warned that authoritarian regimes have not yet come to an end, and the media must therefore continue to give voice to those who struggle to defend democracy. It is extremely important, Mr. Hussain said, that democracy be nurtured because only then can human rights be guaranteed.

3. He noted that certain values, such as the need to preserve national security and national unity, have been used by authoritarian regimes as excuses to curtail freedom of expression and to persecute journalists. In many instances, repressive statutory provisions, such as law and order regulations, have also been used as an excuse to suppress human rights. Yet, even in countries where it has been claimed that national security, unity and the existence of law and order have led to economic gains and development, insecurity has continued to reign in the streets and, invariably, the gains made have been quickly lost. By suppressing public opinion through denial of freedom of the press, such governments did not receive feedback from the people and hence could not get public support for their policies. In addition, many governments use the excuse of preservation of national culture to suppress human rights. Yet, noted Mr. Hussain, the culture being protected is often not the people&#8217;s culture, but that of a small middle class elite in such countries.

4. He observed that both the speed and volume of information flow nowadays have helped to defeat those who sought to censor information, with the consequence that governments have been forced to be more accountable to their citizens. He recommended the setting up of more watchdog organizations to safeguard freedom of the media because the media are &#8220;too important to be left in the hands of politicians&#8221;. He also suggested that increased information flow to deprived rural populations should be addressed as an urgent priority.

B. Presentation of Background Papers

5. Dr. Lewis Odhiambo, Director of the School of Journalism at the University of Nairobi, made a brief introduction to his document, reviewing the media situation in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. He pointed out that one of the major obstacles to freedom of the media were the many anachronistic administrative laws and regulations which still remain on the statute books of those countries. Given that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an important benchmark against which to measure the freedom of the media in any country, he argued that only the Ugandan constitution came close to measuring to this international standard. The constitutions of Kenya and Tanzania fail the test in that they do not guarantee the right of access to information in the possession of government and public institutions.

6. He said that the other obstacle to freedom of expression and the media was a conservative judiciary that habitually interpreted civil rights provisions in the constitutions of the countries under review in such a way as to assure law and order, rather than to enhance human rights. Moreover, in some countries in the region, good human rights laws exist but are simply ignored. For instance, whereas Uganda has strong constitutional protections for freedom of the media, the law also provides that Parliament shall make laws regulating how such freedoms are to be exercised. To this extent, Parliament becomes an official censor that decides what people may know and say. He also stressed that in some countries, government owned media had lost their public service aims and were competing with the private media in the search for advertising revenue. He affirmed that the development of the media could not be achieved in poor countries where people live on less than a dollar a day and that some large media houses were taking over smaller institutions and destroying them in order to minimize competition.

7. In his introduction to the background paper &#8220;Southern Africa Regional Perspectives&#8221; Mr. Cyril Sipho Maphanga, Home & Co. Media Lawyers Network from South Africa, asked to what extent the resolutions in articles 4 and 9 of the Windhoek Declaration had been fulfilled. He indicated that the research work carried out for his paper had been based on two main premises: a) That freedom of expression had been granted in the SADEC countries&#8217; constitutions; and b) That there was an enabling legal and economic environment for the media. He indicated that, in some countries, there were no written (constitutional) guarantees for freedom of expression, while in others there were specific laws protecting secrecy of sources, but that these laws actually were insufficient to protect the freedom of expression. Mr Maphanga mentioned that many countries still restrict freedom of expression through public order and security laws and by declaring states of emergency. These provisions have a chilling effect on the exercise of freedom of expression and lead to self-censorship. The majority of the countries of the region have restrictive legislation, such as those relating to sedition, official secret laws and "false news", as well as on the disclosure or non-disclosure of sources. He nevertheless remarked that, in the last ten years, there had been advances especially in the areas of access to and diffusion of information and the creation of media councils. He recommended the reviewing of laws that go against the press and also pleaded for the enforcing of international conventions, such as the African Charter of Human Rights.

8. In his remarks, Mr. Kabral Baly-Amihere, President of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), indicated that West African media had a long tradition from which one would expect some refinement in the application of the laws referring to freedom of the media. However, in fact, that was not the case. He noted that governments of the region showed arrogance and contempt. In support of this argument he gave examples of countries that forbid foreign journalists to exercise their profession without permit, others that arrest journalists and even kill journalists with impunity. He also criticized the arrogance of governments that use armed conflict to restrict freedom of the media. However, he mentioned that there are countries that were making efforts to scrap criminal libel laws.

9. Presenting his report on Central Africa Regional Perspectives, Mr. Celestin Lingo, President of the Cameroun Union of Journalists (UJC) and Acting Director-General of &#8220;Le Messager&#8221;, indicated that obstacles to the media in that region are numerous and varied. He said that press bills in most countries of the region have too many repressive articles and indicated that there were others that still have judicial and police censorship. As press bills are usually attached to criminal codes, journalists tend to be treated like common criminals. Courts also hand-down heavy fines that cripple the economic viability of the media, while journalists also suffer from numerous acts of violence.

10. Mr Lingo also described economic ailments of the independent media, including a lack of income from government advertising, small markets, inadequate technology and the high costs of newspaper production. In this context, he criticised governments in the region for not respecting the Florence and Beirut agreements on the Free Flow of Cultural Goods and, in particular, of newsprint and printing equipment. He mentioned the deplorable working conditions of journalists, which in some cases pushed them to abandon the media in search of better paid jobs and which forced some journalists to give in to corruption, through being paid for &#8216;articles on command&#8217;. Finally, he pleaded for comprehensive assistance to the independent press and for strong national media associations.

11. During the discussions following the presentation, a participant asked if recommendations of the AMARC and Article 19 pre-conference workshops were to be included in the Windhoek Seminar recommendations. She asked why the background documents had not addressed the question of regulations and licensing of broadcasting institutions and the broadcasting sector in general. To conclude, she informed the audience that contrary to the outcome of the study on East Africa, there were, in fact, &#8220;community radios&#8221; operating in East Africa. Another participant wondered what the UN was doing about eliminating censorship, while a representative of an international NGO stated that civil defamation laws were also often in breach of the guarantee of freedom of expression.

12. With respect to the recommendations of the AMARC/Article 19 pre-conference workshop, the participants were informed that these would be presented to the Windhoek Seminar drafting committee for possible inclusion in the Seminar&#8217;s recommendations. On the question of information on broadcasting, the panel indicated that there was a real problem in accessing information on the subject and that there was not a clear definition of &#8220;community radios.&#8221; On the matter of censorship, the UN Special Rapporteur indicated that, as an intergovernmental organization, the UN used several means of putting pressure on governments, such as reporting to the General Assembly and visits to Member States.

C. Presentation of &#8220;Insult Laws: Insult to Press Freedom&#8221; by Marilyn Greene, Executive Director, World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) and Mr. Ronald Koven, European Representative (WPFC),

13. In assessing the development of freedom of expression since the first Windhoek conference, Ms. Marilyn Greene stressed that freedom of expression belongs to everyone. She regretted that there were public officials who found journalists &#8220;annoying and threatening&#8221;; similarly she was concerned with &#8220;Insult Laws&#8221;, especially those that protect Heads of State and governments from being criticized. She affirmed that such laws were inconsistent with the provisions of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration and gave many examples of those. She explained her organization&#8217;s fight against "Insult Laws" and called for their elimination. Ms Greene mentioned that it was important for the media to keep the pressure on leaders on the issue of accountability and praised the European Court of Human Rights for its position against &#8220;Insult Laws&#8221;, arguing that the function of the press in a democracy is precisely to participate in the political process and in public issues carried on by political office holders. She ended her presentation by pledging support to those who fight for the elimination of these laws and reaffirmed that only through openness and transparency can a nation realize its full potential.

14. Mr. Ronald Koven, based his speech on a presentation made by James H. Ottaway Jr, World Press Freedom Committee Chairman, at the 3 May celebrations at the United Nations in New York, in which he indicated that nobody should prescribe what the media should print or broadcast. He related this practice to the text of Article 19 which, in his opinion, was the clearest and most unfettered UN statement in this field. He made reference to the WPFC&#8217;s book New Code Words for Censorship in which it is stated that &#8220;freedom of expression is best protected by the concept of negative liberty that means the least possible regulation&#8221;. He affirmed that &#8220;the best defense against racism, insult, hate speech and offence is more speech, not less&#8221;.

15. Mr Koven then read extracts of a letter sent to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in which his organization criticized a joint statement submitted by three international rapporteurs on freedom of expression in preparation for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance which refers to the &#8220;moral and social obligation by the news media&#8221;. The main argument advanced by WPFC was that similar statements of obligations or roles assigned to the written and broadcast press by others had been exploited to curb free speech. Mr Koven called for total freedom of expression without any interference, in the name of the fight against racism, insult, hate speech and offence.


D. Second Plenary Session: Information Technology: Public Service Broadcasting, Internet and Liberalization of Airwaves


16. Speaking on Southern Africa Regional Perspectives, Dr Roland Stanbridge of Stockholm University said that since Windhoek 1991, the Internet has come to Africa and is changing the media landscape. Before, it was rare for African media to report on events even in neighboring countries, unless they were simply publishing material from AFP, Reuters, BBC World, etc. Communication links between African states were scarce and expensive but there is now some form of permanent connectivity in all 54 African States and about 200 online news media on the continent.

17. Dr Stanbridge said that some journalists were beginning to use the Internet for conducting research and the e-mail as an everyday-working tool; they also read online newspapers from other African States. He observed that all these promoted debate and the free flow of ideas and led to more nuanced and contextual information. Media managers, however, were often uninterested in providing newsroom access to the Internet. In recent years, a number of donor and training organizations have held a variety of online literacy courses. Several innovative examples have emerged, e.g. MISAnet, MediaF, PANOS.

18. He gave examples of the use of Internet to thwart attempts to silence outspoken media, such as when the Zambian government ordered the ISP Zamnet to remove an issue of &#8220;The Post&#8221; newspaper. By the time Zamnet removed the issue, it had already become available at several other Internet sites around the world. He observed that Africa news media should make ICT developments and issues understandable to their audiences and should become actively engaged in debates on the development of IT policies.

19. Dr Lewis Odhiambo, School of Journalism, University of Nairobi, presented the situation in East Africa and said that even though the broadcast sector had been practically opened in all East African countries, true diversity had been hampered by three principal factors:

i. Public broadcasting, through devolved to state corporations, has not been given full managerial independence and editorial autonomy. In fact, members of their boards of management have continued to be government appointees, and they have functioned, in practice, as government departments.

ii. Public broadcasters have been given undue advantages over private broadcasters in terms of frequency allocation and geographical area of coverage.

iii. The poor economic performance of East African nations during the 1990s restricted the expansion of the broadcast sector, thus most new entrants tended to be affiliates of foreign-based broadcasters, especially from Europe, South Africa and the US.

20. Other problems include poor information infrastructures, lack of communication policy frameworks against which privatisation of the sector was to be effected, political patronage and corruption in the allocation of frequency spectrums, and poor understanding of audience characteristics and capacity to consume broadcast media products.

21. Dr Nihi Alabi, journalist and communication consultant from Ghana, presented the West Africa regional perspectives and said that in Africa, radio and television had been perceived as extremely sensitive media organs because coup makers could simply storm a radio station to announce that they had seized power. He remarked that laws were not the only obstacle to good community radio stations, but in certain countries there were numerous stations which were of a poor standard because of the lack of training of their staff.

22. He said that Senegal stands out as a shining example of a truly pluralistic country. Dr Alabi noted that the country&#8217;s media landscape glitters, while in other countries in the sub-region, it can only flicker. He also said that the 3rd Republican Constitution of January 1992 in Mali guarantees press freedom, but behind the façade of this media pluralism reigns an inexplicable hostility towards certain individuals of the media. He said that it was easy for people to visit West Africa and come away having seen liberalisation but the true picture was more difficult.

23. M Mwamba wa ba Mulamba, Secretary General of &#8216;Journalists in Danger&#8217;, Kinshasa talked on Central Africa regional perspectives. He noted that it was difficult to gather information in this region, which is large and has no developed infrastructure, particularly transport, and no contact with the Great Lakes. He said that the advent of the Internet in 1995-1997 had improved the flow of information. There was less censorship, thanks to the Internet. But the costs of access are high - US$300 a month. Newspapers also have low circulation &#8211; 5 000 copies maximum.

24. Ms Farhana Ismail, Regional Adviser for the IFJ and executive member of the Media Workers&#8217; Association of South Africa, said that talk about pluralism is at the abstract level &#8211; the biggest challenge was the effect of changes in the newsroom; new technology vs. jobs. She argued that it was necessary to look at how women, for example, are developed in the newsrooms and are depicted in the media. She suggested that the Windhoek Declaration could be enhanced by looking at issues of gender, saving jobs, maintaining integrity and the public&#8217;s right to know.

25. Mr John Barker, Head of Africa Programme for Article 19 and of the Global Campaign for Free Expression underlined the fact that there was a need to regulate markets in order to limit mergers and take-overs of press ownership. He then briefly presented the issues that were covered in the pre-conference workshop on broadcasting.

26. The following are some of the comments and issues raised by the participants after the presentations:
· Inaccuracies in the Central Africa report. Kinshasa has 12 radio stations operating and eight are community-based. A festival of community radios was held on March 19-22, 2001. Radio stations that were broadcasting foreign content had been paid by the foreign broadcasters to relay their material. There are no armed troops guarding the radio stations.
· There is no broadcasting commission in Zanzibar, and on the mainland Tanzania. FM radios that cover 25 % of the country can reach the whole country by means of boosters.
· Need to develop policy and find a common understanding of telecommunications in Africa.
· Civil society must have a stake in developments in the media &#8211; in England, for example, they have the &#8220;Association of Listeners and Viewers&#8221;.
· New technologies &#8211; telephone still a luxury in many areas. Government must provide infrastructure, like telephone lines.
· Need for reduction of taxes on production equipment;
· Media landscape might have changed with new press freedom laws, but fear still rules. Private press still hampered, editors jailed. Editors have financial and other organizational problems.
· Broadcasters should encourage private producers, thus enhancing diversity.
· Africans themselves should invest in community radio.
· Africa is behind in the development of ICTs.
· Imperative that there be pressure groups like the Campaign for Open Media, that forced the South African government to liberalise the airwaves. Such groups, as the Freedom of Expression Institute and the Media Monitoring Project in South Africa, should be established throughout Africa.
· Struggle to repeal libel laws in Benin.
· Are donors committed to supporting troubled media practitioners?
· Allocation of frequencies is done by ITU &#8211; problems are at the national level.

27. Mr Leonard Sussman of Freedom House in the U.S.A presented preliminary results of a "Survey on Freedom on the Internet". He gave a comprehensive overview of the development of the Internet, providing a wide range of figures and other details. He noted that the Internet was hard to censor, and thus provided great opportunities for the freedom of expression to prosper.


E. Third Plenary Session: Status of Journalists and Media Professional Organizations


28. The session heard reports, in order of presentation, from West Africa, Southern Africa, MISA, East Africa, and Central Africa. All the reports gave an assessment of the progress made and challenges encountered against the provisions of Article 12 of the Windhoek Declaration which proposed the establishment or strengthening of independent media professional unions or associations to promote the rights and interests of journalists.

West Africa

29. The report notes that, before 1991, there existed in some form or another unions or associations in many countries. Since then, there has been significant progress as well as some difficulties. There is one national union or association in most countries that unites all journalists. In a number of countries, however, there are two unions representing (usually) practitioners in the public and the private sectors.

30. In addition to the professional groupings, which serve as the principal representatives of journalists in their countries, several other organisations have also been set up to perform various roles in promoting the rights and welfare of journalists. Several media women&#8217;s associations have been formed by female professionals to promote gender equality as well as deal with the specific questions of women in the media. There have been attempts at regional networking of these gender-based organisations.

31. In many countries, there have been formed guilds of editors, associations of publishers and broadcast station owners, and groups based on specialised areas such as economics and finance reporters, sports writers, etc. There have also appeared media rights and free expression non-governmental organisations such as the Media Rights Agenda in Lagos, Nigeria and the Media Foundation for West Africa in Accra, Ghana. At the national level in countries like Mali and Ghana, there have been formed networks of community radio stations. A West Africa Independent Broadcasters Association was formed, but has been dormant for some time. Some unions still come under strong pressure from the governments in the countries. An example is the Press Union of Liberia which operates under severe difficulties. Some of the unions have played important roles in calling for the reforms of inimical laws. The union of private media in Togo, for example, worked to reduce the penalties associated with a law.

32. Many of the national associations have established Press Centers, offices that bring together the unions and provide many services including Internet access and training facilities. Many of them have initiated, in collaboration with international press organisations such as the IFJ, training courses to upgrade members&#8217; professional capacity. Some of the unions or associations have established committees or observatories for monitoring and promoting professional responsibility and ethical behavior. This has in many countries helped to minimise professional abuses and to protect many media organisations from possible problems with the law. The West African Journalists Association which is the umbrella regional organisation for the unions and associations, has also seen significant organisational strengthening and effectiveness during this period.

Southern Africa

33. Considerable progress has been made with regard to the development of independent media and media organisations. However, the capacity for journalists to organise themselves as professional organisations to champion the interests of professionals has often been compromised by the failure of the professionals themselves to organise. Some progress in terms of the organisation of unions has been made in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe where there are effective unions. In a number of other countries there are no unions of much significance. Angola and Namibia have no effective union; Botswana&#8217;s exists only in name; and those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique also have severe weaknesses and are, therefore, ineffective. With the exception of South Africa, no union in the sub-region has been able to establish codes of ethics or conduct for its members.

34. Some of the factors that have hindered effective organization of unions of journalists were identified. They include:

a) lack of resources among journalists, such as inability to open offices, poor logistics, poor salaries and, therefore, weak membership subscriptions;
b) lack of unity among journalists, exemplified by the situation in Zimbabwe where the professionals are polarized between those working in the state-owned media and those in the privately owned media.

35. In some countries, there have also arisen expressions of animosity between publishers and editors. Some has come about from an allegation that many publishers are not interested in advocacy issues to promote rights of journalists and other pursuits and seem concerned only with their business interests. Also, in this region, a number of women&#8217;s media organisations have emerged to address questions of gender in media as well as the specific interests of women in the media. A participant drew attention to problems facing the South African Journalists Union (SAJU) which, she said, has been declining in membership since 1994. It has also lost much of its bargaining capacity and has not been producing any new cadre to replace the old leadership that is leaving the scene.

Media Institute for Southern Africa

36. The report focused on the origins and work of this regional organisation. MISA started as a self-initiative of journalists and not as an organisation driven by donor need or agenda. Some of the people who started the organisation later became publishers themselves. Its focus was on the interests of journalists. However, it also pursued interests of other communication professionals. From its inception, MISA saw itself as an implementing arm of the precepts and objectives of the Windhoek Declaration in the Southern Africa region. This is the benchmark by which the organisation assesses its achievements and challenges over the period.

37. The MISA report said that the organisation has met about 95% of the objectives it set itself over the decade. It started off with a project to monitor and defend attacks on journalists; produced &#8220;Alerts&#8221; that aroused the world to protest any act of repression of journalists; and contributed to promoting an improved atmosphere for journalists to work in. It also set up a legal defence fund to support journalists and media organisations persecuted in the courts by the state. It has also successfully challenged legislation inimical to media rights and free expression.

38. MISA initiated training projects to support professional capacity development and also set up a scholarship scheme to offer assistance to journalists for further training programmes to upgrade their professional capacity. It has also established prizes for journalistic excellence region-wide. A number of national unions also administer similar awards to give incentives to journalists for higher professional standards.

East Africa

39. Media practice in the region is characterised by low technical skills and limited professional capacity. This has been exacerbated by the liberalisation of the industry, by which means more media organisations have emerged, employing many practitioners without adequate preparation. In addition, journalists also have low social status.

40. There are training institutions in all the countries. Some offer university-level training, while others offer training at the diploma level. Kenya has training programmes in about three universities, the best known being the School of Journalism at the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. Tanzania&#8217;s School of Journalism has been offering diploma courses for a very long time. The St. Augustine&#8217;s Training Centre (formerly the Nyegezi Training Centre) provides advanced training in journalism. There are also a number of private training programmes in Tanzania. In Uganda, Makerere University offers a course in media and there are also a number of private training centers.

41. Practitioners in East Africa have varied backgrounds and, generally, have poor remunerations and irregular working conditions which leave them vulnerable to exploitation by employes. Professional associations are generally weak in the region. Mainland Tanzania has a union of journalists which is voluntary. In Zanzibar, however, it is obligatory for all practitioners to join the union. Though Uganda has no professional association that brings all professionals together, professional women have had a well-organised body for a number of years in this decade.

42. Though the report did not include Rwanda and Burundi, a participant noted that in Rwanda, journalists do not have national organisations. Instead, practitioners are organised in some of the specialised areas such as sports and culture, while women media professionals also have an association.

Central Africa

43. The region presents a picture of professionals struggling against difficulties to organise themselves. Many countries have organisations which have not been recognised, or which are weakened because of governmental interference.

44. Gabon has the strongest economy in the region. But journalists have no central association or union, and have no collective bargaining. The groups existing are those that bring together professionals in a number of specialised areas, such as sports and finance. Journalists may also be found within the union of cultural workers. The government has impeded the organisation of the journalists. The Central African regional association of journalists plans to organise its next congress in Gabon with the hope that they can influence the government to liberalise its attitude to the journalists in the country.

45. In 1996, the Cameroun Union of Journalists was formed. However, government interfered with by attempting to impose on the union its favored leaders. The struggles left the union inactive until 2000 when the union appointed its own independent leadership. Since then, the organisation has shown remarkable dynamism. In the Central African Republic, the national union is inactive largely because the government is opposed to its independent leadership. But the group of newspaper editors, who are part of the regional body, are, for example, active in promoting some activities to support journalists in collaboration with UNESCO.

46. The government of Equatorial Guinea has refused to recognise the national journalists' organisation and even refused to allow members to travel to participate in regional activities. The Democratic Republic of Congo has a number of organisations of journalists and some non-governmental organisations (such as Journalists in Danger) that fight for the rights of journalists. Chad has about the strongest union in the region, which has been at the forefront of struggles for media rights and journalists&#8217; welfare. It has been involved in processes of media law reform to liberalise the environment and conditions of operation. The union is working to try to unite different groups into a stronger national body. It has initiated training programmes to upgrade the professional skills of its members with support from donor organisations.



F. Fourth Plenary Session: The Impact of The Windhoek Declaration


47. Five speakers representing various organizations, and regions of the world including UNESCO, IFJ, Latin America, IFEX and the Pacific gave presentations. The moderator, Mr Torben Krogh, also gave brief remarks on the contribution of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) to the realisation of the tenets of the Windhoek Declaration. He spoke of linkages with UNESCO and said that, before the Windhoek Declaration, IPDC would support only project proposals approved by governments. However, IPDC decided that projects to be supported should promote pluralism and, thus, the independent media became a priority.

48. However, the IPDC experienced problems with the shift as there emerged a lot of competition for such resources by the private media. To avoid the unnecessary competition, IPDC drew up criteria and gave community media high priority, the reason being that, where they have been established, promotion of pluralism and press freedom of the media have resulted.

49. Mr. Alain Modoux, Assistant Director General for Communication and Information for UNESCO, also noted that many things have changed since the first Windhoek Seminar. He said that, in the 1990s, the political climate was different. The Windhoek conference was specific, decisive and clear cut. Conference participants at the Windhoek meeting in 1991 were chosen by journalists or newspapers themselves and not governments as before. This was a tremendous change as it saw civil society increasingly participating as decision makers in the media.

50. Mr Modoux said that the Windhoek Declaration document was not perfect, but it came from the hearts of the journalists and it spurred UNESCO to encourage the same climate of change in all the regions of the world. Thus, the Windhoek Declaration gave rise to the subsequent adoption of similar Declarations made in the rest of the world. But it was the Windhoek Declaration that was the pillar for the "wind of change" in the media world. So, it was African journalists who brought about change in UNESCO, the United Nations and the whole world.

51. He went on to point out that nobody changed a single word, not even a comma, in the Declaration when it reached the United Nations and that the process started in Windhoek led to World Press Freedom Day. Mr Modoux said that in spite of achievements, a lot was still to be done. This included policies and regulations that still hamper freedom of the press.

52. The President of the International Federation of Journalists, Mr Christopher Warren, said that the process of democratisation has not been a European phenomenon but that everybody played a role. It was important to understand the process, rather than just one conference held ten years ago, and that UNESCO&#8217;s role also needs to be recognized. The challenge now was to build institutions of the culture of democracy, without which democracy will not be achieved.

53. Mr Warren said that the concept of democracy has become unchallengeable and there had been a dramatic growth of NGOs committed to change and democracy. Changes had come in public broadcasting, which was becoming much freer than ten years ago, while there had also been growth in trade unions, in print, broadcasting and internet. He also noted that a credible media is one which reflects the needs of its country and which does not exclude women from decision making positions.

54. Mr Warren saw many challenges ahead, including a need to build culture of democracy institutions without which a free press will not be realized and sustained. There was also a need to recognize and appreciate that an independent press should reflect the community it serves and also that the increased exclusion of women in the media from senior positions does not tally with the tenets of the Windhoek Declaration. Public service broadcasting required strengthening and there was a need to recognize the impact of globalisation on the media. He concluded with a call for Internet to be made accessible to all.

55. Mr Andres Garcia Lavin, Director General of Grupo Sispe (Mexico), began his presentation by noting that a UNESCO/UN regional press freedom seminar in Santiago de Chile, brought together communication experts and news media professional bodies to study the development of the media and democracy in the region. The seminar resulted in the drafting of the Santiago Declaration that stressed democracy as a &#8216;sine qua non&#8217; for harmony and development and the promotion of a diversity of news media outlets. The Santiago Declaration had denounced violence against journalists, as well as political and economic pressures on the press, and although Africa and Latin America had very different communication infrastructures, the Windhoek principles turned out to be applicable to press freedom in Latin America.

56. He said that, in the year 2000, under the leadership of UNESCO&#8217;s Freedom of Expression Programme, there has been another important achievement in broadcasting. UNESCO put together the long time leading broadcasters organization, the International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) with AMARC, to discuss IAB&#8217;s platform on legal access to the airwaves. Two meetings had so far taken place, and great progress has been made in finding consensus for all parties concerned.

57. Another speaker, Ms Rebeccah Nelems, from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), outlined the role of IFEX as a pluralistic network that provides a forum for discussion and debate, without losing sight of some of the underlying fundamental beliefs and tenets to which all its members subscribe. IFEX stands as a response to the Windhoek Declaration&#8217;s call for the international community to contribute to the achievement and implementation of the initiatives and projects set out in the Declaration&#8217;s Annex. IFEX has contributed to the &#8220;development of co-operation between media&#8221; in Africa and in other regions through the exchange of information. She said that IFEX is a testament to the possibility of solidarity and co-operation within a pluralistic, diverse and multi-national community and is also a testimony to the very strong commitment of many individuals and organizations to realize and fight for the tenets outlined in the Windhoek Declaration.

58. The final presentation was given by Mr William Parkinson, President of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), who said that there are similarities between the PINA Convention and the Windhoek Declaration. Journalists from the Pacific experience different challenges in the realization of the freedom of the press than those in Africa, but they are just as real. He said that UNESCO has provided training and equipment in the Pacific and that there had been a shift in the attitude of some donors towards development aid thanks to UNESCO which did a needs assessment survey and agreed with the recipients on their priorities. Now, other donors have started respecting the views of the recipients of the aid and support to NGOs is also increasing.
59. At the conclusion of the presentations, a wide range of comments and views were raised from the floor. These included:
· It was wise for UNESCO to not hold a global conference on press freedom, but concentrate on the regional ones held following the Windhoek Declaration.
· A global conference, however is due in 2003. It will be called the World Conference on the Information Society.
· Issues of developing the traditional media should take centre stage too.
· Concern was raised on how a lowly paid journalist would exercise independence and later on adhere to the professional ethics. The plenary noted that, indeed, most countries are experiencing economic hardships and therefore not in position to offer a decent living for journalists.
· In Cameroun, the Windhoek Declaration helped reinforce the fostering of a free press. There is a need to review the current relationship between NGOs and the media. Both should aim at working closely.
· A need to review the Florence Convention to see how UNESCO can use part of the Convention to make further progress in promotion of the media.
· It is important for various organizations within a country to reach an agreement or a common approach. When this is done, then UNESCO may find it easier to allocate the funds .
· It was noted that IPDC does not accept project proposals that do not promote pluralism.

































FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
PART 1

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on the Development of an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, we, journalists and other media professionals from Africa, joined by representatives and observers of international organisations and NGOs, gathered again in Windhoek, Republic of Namibia.

Through a three day meeting entitled The Windhoek Conference: Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects (3 &#8211; 5 May, 2001) we explored the decade which has elapsed since the Windhoek Declaration was adopted on 3 May, 1991.

At the official opening ceremony on World Press Freedom Day, we were addressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, representing the President of the Republic of Namibia, the Representative of the UN Secretary-General, the Director-General of UNESCO, the Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President of the UNESCO Advisory Group for Press Freedom and the Representatives of the CANO Foundation and the World Association of Newspapers. The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for 2001 was presented during the official opening ceremony.

In four conference sessions, we discussed Obstacles to Media Freedom in Africa (Plenary I) Public Service Broadcasting, Internet and Liberalization of Airwaves (Plenary II), Status of Journalists and Media professional Organizations (Plenary III) and the Impact of the Windhoek Declaration (Plenary IV).

Through a further three workshop sessions, we reviewed Political, Social and Economical Obstacles: Media Legislation, Ownership, Independence and Pluralism (Workshop I), New Communication and Information Technologies (Workshop II) and Status of Journalists and Media Professional Organizations (Workshop III).

By way of a keynote address and additional presentations on Insult Laws: an Insult to Press Freedom and Survey on Freedom on the Internet we further explored issues pertinent to the development of media in Africa.

Throughout our deliberations, we recognized that the political, economic and technological environment in which the Windhoek Declaration was adopted has changed significantly since 1991. In line with these changes, we call for issues such as community media, private and public service broadcasting, legislative frameworks, protection and safety of journalists, the right of journalists to form organisations, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and gender and the portrayal of women in media to be more fully addressed in the development of the media in Africa.

Acknowledging the enduring relevance and importance of the Windhoek Declaration to the protection and promotion of freedom of expression and of the media, at the conclusion of the conference and after substantive debate, during which various and different views and opinions were expressed, the participants proposed the following recommendations:


General Recommendations


1. We call on UNESCO to conduct a comprehensive review of States&#8217; compliance with these Recommendations, to be published on the fifth anniversary of this Conference.
2. We support moves within the African Commission to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression for Africa similar, to those already existing at the UN, OAS and OSCE.
3. We call upon national governments and the international community and donors to support regional initiatives and organisations which support freedom of expression.
4. The international community and donors should provide support to public media only where their independence is guaranteed in law and in practice.
5. The employment policies and practices of media houses and organisations should promote equal opportunities and equitable representation of women.
6. Professional codes of ethics should promote positive coverage of women&#8217;s issues.
7. Media professionals are encouraged to develop effective self-regulatory mechanisms to promote a higher degree of professionalism and ethical standards.
8. We call upon all international partners interested in upholding the Windhoek Declaration on the need for a diverse, pluralistic media to consider assisting private media enterprises directly, rather than through governments or government institutions.

Recommendations on Media legislation, Ownership, Independence and Pluralism

1. States should ensure that their constitutions guarantee the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, information and communication, in accordance with international law, that these rights are effectively protected through the courts, and that laws and practices which are inconsistent with these rights may be rendered of no force or effect.
2. States should comply with their international obligations in relation to human rights, including freedom of expression and information.
3. States should ensure full respect for the rule of law, including due process rights, an independent judiciary and protection against double jeopardy.
4. States should undertake a comprehensive, consultative review of all laws which affect freedom of expression with a view to repealing or amending those laws which are inconsistent with that right.
5. States should, in an open and participatory manner, develop communication and information policies designed to promote a diverse, pluralistic and free media.
6. Training on human rights and the importance and content of freedom of expression should be provided to judges and others responsible for the administration of justice
7. Criminal laws which protect reputations, such as defamation, libel and slander laws, should be repealed and, where necessary, replaced with civil laws.
8. Civil laws which protect reputations should provide for a defence of reasonableness even in case of error, should require the plaintiff to prove the falsity of any statements of fact, and remedies for breach of these laws should be designed to redress the harm to reputation, not to punish.
9. Special laws which criminalise criticism of judges, the courts and the administration of justice should be repealed.
10. Criminal laws on sedition and which prohibit the publication of &#8220;false news&#8221; should be repealed.
11. States should pass laws which provide for access to information held by public bodies, and to information required for the exercise or protection of any right held by private bodies, and such laws should be based on the principle of maximum and timely disclosure.
12. Restrictions on freedom of expression in the name of public order and national security should be imposed only where there is clear evidence of a significant risk of imminent harm to a legitimate interest and there is a close causal link between the risk of harm and the expression.
13. Freedom of expression includes the free flow of information regardless of frontiers and States should guarantee the right of journalists to travel to other countries, their right of entry and their right to report freely upon events in those countries.
14. States should promote an enabling economic environment for a free and pluralistic media, including through preferential taxes, and by ratifying and complying with the Florence and Beirut Agreements and their protocols.
15. States should not control print media and should divest themselves of any existing state or public print media.
16. States should provide resources, and create a conducive policy environment for the development of the media, of indigenous, national and cross-border languages, with a view to promoting the free flow of information, transparency in governance and the development of critical civil societies in the continent.

Recommendations on the Status of Journalists and Media Professional Organizations

1. Journalists are encouraged to form one strong organisation or union that can defend its members and protect them, rather than having a number of weaker groups. At the same time, it is important to have specialised groups which promote particular interests and which complement the broader objectives of umbrella organisations.
2. Journalists unions or organisations should endeavor to obtain collective bargaining agreements for their members where these agreements do not exist. Where they exist, unions and associations must insist that they are respected and implemented.
3. Greater collaboration must be encouraged between journalists unions and associations, and NGOs working for press freedom and the progress of the mass media.
4. The establishment of voluntary self-regulatory bodies by unions/associations promotes both professionalism and journalists&#8217; independence, by helping to reduce governmental and other external interference. The establishment of these self-regulatory bodies should be encouraged, supported and strengthened.
5. Governments should ensure that legislation is in place which enables voluntary regulatory bodies to promote the independence of journalists, the media and journalists&#8217; unions and associations, in conformity with international standards on media freedom and freedom of association.
6. The organisation of professional women journalists into distinct and identifiable associations should be encouraged and supported, including by journalists&#8217; unions and associations.
7. Journalists&#8217; unions and associations should promote the equal representation of women in leadership positions in media organisations. The journalists&#8217; unions and associations should ensure that internally, there is at least one-third representation of women in leadership positions.
8. UNESCO and the international community should develop a Plan of Action for the rebuilding of the media, for the training of journalists, and for the establishment of viable and independent journalists organisations in countries in Africa that have suffered civil wars and other wars of destruction, such as Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The Plan of Action should include the establishment of a monitoring and oversight mechanism.
9. Training of media professionals should be promoted for all types of media, old and new, mainstream and community. These activities should be supported at all levels, including in the development of curricula, research, educational material, and training of trainers. There is an urgent need for better networking of educational institutions at the continental, regional, and sub-regional levels.
















PART 2

AFRICAN CHARTER ON BROADCASTING 2001

Acknowledging the enduring relevance and importance of the Windhoek Declaration to the protection and promotion of freedom of expression and of the media;

Noting that freedom of expression includes the right to communicate and access to means of communication;

Mindful of the fact that the Windhoek Declaration focuses on the print media and recalling Paragraph 17 of the Windhoek Declaration, which recommended that a similar seminar be convened to address the need for independence and pluralism in radio and television broadcasting;

Recognising that the political, economic and technological environment in which the Windhoek Declaration was adopted has changed significantly and that there is a need to complement and expand upon the original Declaration;

Aware of the existence of serious barriers to free, independent and pluralistic broadcasting and to the right to communicate through broadcasting in Africa;

Cognisant of the fact that for the vast majority of the peoples of Africa, the broadcast media remains the main source of public communication and information;

Recalling the fact that the frequency spectrum is a public resource which must be managed in the public interest;

We the Participants of Windhoek + 10 Declare that:

PART I: GENERAL REGULATORY ISSUES

1. The legal framework for broadcasting should include a clear statement of the principles underpinning broadcast regulation, including promoting respect for freedom of expression, diversity, and the free flow of information and ideas, as well as a three-tier system for broadcasting: public service, commercial and community.
2. All formal powers in the areas of broadcast and telecommunications regulation should be exercised by public authorities which are protected against interference, particularly of a political or economic nature, by, among other things, an appointments process for members which is open, transparent, involves the participation of civil society, and is not controlled by any particular political party.
3. Decision-making processes about the overall allocation of the frequency spectrum should be open and participatory, and ensure that a fair proportion of the spectrum is allocated to broadcasting uses.
4. The frequencies allocated to broadcasting should be shared equitably among the three tiers of broadcasting.
5. Licensing processes for the allocation of specific frequencies to individual broadcasters should be fair and transparent, and based on clear criteria which include promoting media diversity in ownership and content.
6. Broadcasters should be required to promote and develop local content, which should be defined to include African content, including through the introduction of minimum quotas.
7. States should promote an economic environment that facilitates the development of independent production and diversity in broadcasting.
8. The development of appropriate technology for the reception of broadcasting signals should be promoted.

PART II: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

1. All State and government controlled broadcasters should be transformed into public service broadcasters, that are accountable to all strata of the people as represented by an independent board, and that serve the overall public interest, avoiding one-sided reporting and programming in regard to religion, political belief, culture, race and gender.
2. Public service broadcasters should, like broadcasting and telecommunications regulators, be governed by bodies which are protected against interference.
3. The public service mandate of public service broadcasters should clearly defined.
4. The editorial independence of public service broadcasters should be guaranteed.
5. Public service broadcasters should be adequately funded in a manner that protects them from arbitrary interference with their budgets.
6. Without detracting from editorial control over news and current affairs content and in order to promote the development of independent productions and to enhance diversity in programming, public service broadcasters should be required to broadcast minimum quotas of material by independent producers.
7. The transmission infrastructure used by public service broadcasters should be made accessible to all broadcasters under reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

PART III: COMMUNITY BROADCASTING

1. Community broadcasting is broadcasting which is for, by and about the community, whose ownership and management is representative of the community, which pursues a social development agenda, and which is non-profit.
2. There should be a clear recognition, including by the international community, of the difference between decentralised public broadcasting and community broadcasting.
3. The right of community broadcasters to have access to the Internet, for the benefit of their respective communities, should be promoted.

PART IV: TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CONVERGENCE

1. The right to communicate includes access to telephones, email, Internet and other telecommunications systems, including through the promotion of community-controlled information communication technology centres.
2. Telecommunications law and policy should promote the goal of universal service and access, including through access clauses in privatisation and liberalisation processes, and proactive measures by the State.
3. The international community and African governments should mobilise resources for funding research to keep abreast of the rapidly changing media and technology landscape in Africa.
4. African governments should promote the development of online media and African content, including through the formulation of non-restrictive policies on new information and communications technologies.
5. Training of media practitioners in electronic communication, research and publishing skills needs to be supported and expanded, in order to promote access to, and dissemination of, global information.

PART V: IMPLEMENTATION

1. UNESCO should distribute the African Charter on Broadcasting 2001 as broadly as possible, including to stakeholders and the general public, both in Africa and worldwide.
2. Media organizations and civil society in Africa are encouraged to use the Charter as a lobbying tool and as their starting point in the development of national and regional broadcasting policies. To this end media organisations and civil society are encouraged to initiate public awareness campaigns, to form coalitions on broadcasting reform, to formulate broadcasting policies, to develop specific models for regulatory bodies and public service broadcasting, and to lobby relevant official actors.
3. All debates about broadcasting should take into account the needs of the commercial broadcasting sector.
4. UNESCO should undertake an audit of the Charter every five years, given the pace of development in the broadcasting field.
5. UNESCO should raise with member governments the importance of broadcast productions being given special status and recognised as cultural goods under the World Trade Organization rules.
6. UNESCO should take measures to promote the inclusion of the theme of media, communications and development in an appropriate manner during the UN Summit on the Information Society in 2003.

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ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF PEOPLES' STRUGGLE

COMMUNIQUÉ

2001-06-18

http://www.geocities.com/ilps2000/

We, anti-imperialist and democratic mass organizations from different countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Europe and Oceania, are happy to announce the successful holding of the First International Assembly establishing the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS). This is a historic moment for all progressive forces throughout the world who are fighting for national independence, democracy and social liberation against imperialism and reaction.

(ILPS)
27 May 2001
Zutphen, The Netherlands



From 25 to 27 May 2001, we deliberated on and ratified the Charter of the ILPS, passed resolutions on the concerns of the League and elected the members of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC).

The First International Assembly was attended by 337 delegates, representing 218 mass organizations from 37 countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA.

Prof. Jose Maria Sison, chairman of the International Initiative Committee (IIC), opened the assembly. He welcomed the delegates on behalf of the IIC and delivered the report on the historical background of the assembly and the preparatory work undertaken by the IIC that led to the successful launching of the League.

As approved by the delegates, the nature and objectives of the International League of Peoples' Struggle are as follows:

The League is an anti-imperialist and democratic formation. It shall promote, support and develop the anti-imperialist and democratic struggles of the people of the world against the ideological, political, military, economic, social and cultural domination and attacks of imperialism and reaction.

The League has a broad mass character and shall not be subordinate to any political party, government or church and shall afford equality to all participating organizations. It shall strive to realize the unity, cooperation and coordination of anti-imperialist and democratic struggles throughout the world.

The League stands and fights for the following:

1) The cause of national liberation, democracy and social liberation against imperialism and all reaction;
2) Socio-economic development for oppressed and exploited countries and nations and social equity for all working people;
3) Human rights in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural fields against state violence, national oppression, class exploitation, gender oppression, fascism, castism, racism and religious bigotry;
4) The cause of just peace and struggles against wars of counterrevolution and aggression and against nuclear, biological, chemical, missile and other weapons of genocidal and random mass destruction;
5) Promotion of trade union and other democratic rights of the working class, improvement of wage and living conditions against all forms of intensifying exploitation of labor and the destruction of working class organizations in their pursuit of the historic mission of fighting for social liberation;
6) Agrarian reform and rights of peasants, farm workers and fisherfolk against feudal, semifeudal and capitalist exploitation and oppression;
7) The cause of women's liberation and rights against all forms of sexual discrimination, exploitation and violence;
8) Rights of the youth to education and employment;
9) Children's rights against child labor, sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation;
10) Rights of indigenous peoples, national minorities, and nationalities for self-determination and decolonization against discrimination, racism, castism and national oppression by imperialism and local reaction;
11) The rights of teachers, researchers and other educational personnel and struggle against ideas and researches directed against the people;
12) The right of the people to health care and the rights of health workers;
13) Science and technology for the people and development, environmental protection against plunder and pollution and the destruction of the foundations of human life, the right to safe and healthy food and water and opposition to manipulation of genetic technology for imperialist profit;
14) Arts and culture and free flow of information in the service of the people and the rights of artists, creative writers, journalists and other cultural workers and against imperialist and reactionary propaganda and oppression;
15) Justice and indemnification for the victims of illegal arrest and detention (especially political prisoners), violations of due process, torture, extrajudicial executions, disappearances, mass displacement, and other blatant forms of human rights violations;
16) Rights and welfare of homeless persons, refugees and migrant workers displaced by imperialism and local reactionaries;
17) Rights of aged people towards a life in dignity and secured existence; and
18) Rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered against discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia.

Fifteen workshops were held addressing the issues of most of the above concerns. Resource speakers made very informative presentations, draft resolutions were deliberated on, and country experiences were shared. The resolutions formulated by the different workshop groups were submitted and approved in the plenary session. Resolutions on specific issues and country situations were also submitted for signing by individual members.

Elected to the International Coordinating Committee (ICC), the highest decision-making organ of the League between assemblies, were: H.A. Khan Rano of Bangladesh, Danny Claes and An Lenaerts of Belgium, Honore Lokossa of Benin, Nay Myo Hlaing of Burma, Cecilia Diocson-Sayo and Hari Sharma of Canada, Jim Balikwisha of Congo, Leopoldo Grullon of the Dominican Republic, Remzi Sahinoglu of France, Metin Atak of Germany, Errikos Finalis and Aris Lambrou of Greece, Fathima Natesan Burnad and Darshan Pol of India, Ita Nadia and Mega Suhantara of Indonesia, Arman Riazi of Iran, Irene Fernandez of Malaysia, Bernardo Ranferi of Mexico, Sapkota Nabin of Nepal, Chuck Barkey of the Netherlands, Daphna Whitmore of New Zealand, Azra Talat Sayeed of Pakistan, Crispin Beltran, Cherry Clemente, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza of the Philippines, Hahn Choong Mok of South Korea, Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk of Thailand, Hasan Gulum, Memik Horoz and Musa Servi of Turkey, Ray Light and Joe Navidad of the United States of America.

The ICC elected the following as its officers to constitute the International Coordinating Group: Crispin Beltran as Chairperson; Memik Horoz as Deputy Chairperson; An Lenaerts as First Deputy Chairperson for Internal Affairs; Bernardo Ranferi as Second Deputy Chairperson for External Affairs; Arman Riazi as General Secretary; Cherry Clemente as First Deputy General Secretary; Jim Balikwisha as Second Deputy General Secretary; Danny Claes as Treasurer; and Irene Fernandez as Auditor. The ICC decided to invite Prof. Jose Maria Sison as consultant of the League or in a similar capacity in recognition of his services as Chairman of the International Initiative Committee and in prospect of his continuing advisory role.

The International Coordinating Committee decided that the General Secretariat and the international headquarters of the ILPS shall be located in Utrecht, The Netherlands. #


FOR THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY:
The International Coordinating Committee

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Unions using tools of new economy to build support

2001-06-18

http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/05/28/focus2.html

Like many advocacy groups, local and national labor organizations are increasingly turning to technology to get their message out more effectively.

Angola: Mission impossible for UN in Kuito

2001-06-18

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1394000/1394645.stm

The refugee camp around Kuito, Angola is running out of food as more people arrive.

ANGOLA: Savimbi comments dismissed

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20010614a.phtml

The Angolan government has dismissed as "nothing new" comments made on Wednesday by rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in a BBC interview. The ruling party's information secretary Norberto dos Santos told the Portuguese radio station RDP on Thursday that "what Angolans really want to know is when Savimbi is going to end the war".

BURUNDI: No peace in DRC at expense of Burundi, envoy warns

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/burundi/20010615.phtml

Burundi's permanent representative to the UN Marc Nteturuye on Wednesday stressed there would not be lasting peace in the DRC if that country had to rebuild itself at the expense of Burundi. He told a Security Council debate on Congo that "the welcome peace prospects in the DRC are paradoxically, but deliberately, at the root of the worsening security situation in Burundi".

Congo: Rebel Fighting Imperils Beni Residents

Uganda, Rebel Leader Urged to Protect Civilians in Eastern DRC

2001-06-18

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/06/drc0611-brif.htm

Residents of the eastern Congolese town of Beni are caught in the crossfire of week-long violent clashes between two competing rebel factions, with many civilians killed and injured, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York, June 12, 2001)
Beni is the administrative capital of parts of northeastern Congo
occupied by Uganda and nominally controlled by the Ugandan-backed rebel
Front for the Liberation of Congo (FLC). The clashes have erupted
between opposing factions of the Army for the Liberation of Congo (ALC):
those loyal to the FLC's leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, and those loyal to
Mbusa Nyamwisi, a local rebel leader who had left the town soon after
joining forces with the FLC.

The fighting has disrupted civilian life, forcing residents to hunker
down in their homes, and bringing schools, markets, and other civilian
activities to a standstill. An eyewitness who fled Beni yesterday told
Human Rights Watch that the population was fleeing to the surrounding
bush following the arrival on the same day of five truckloads of troop
reinforcements for Bemba's camp. The witness said seventeen people were
killed in the market area alone, while others were hit by stray bullets
as they fled. Soldiers looted the empty stands in the market after the
traders fled. The official Ugandan daily New Vision on Saturday reported
that fifty people were killed in the fighting. Human Rights Watch has
learned that the casualties included many civilians.

"Jean-Pierre Bemba and the Ugandan army backing him should do everything
possible to ensure that civilians are protected," said Suliman Baldo,
senior researcher at the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch.
"Humanitarian groups must have access to those who were harmed in the
fighting."

Baldo called on the United Nations Security Council to condemn the
fighting, and to authorize the United Nations' Organization Mission in
Congo (MONUC) to send observers to investigate the situation in Beni, in
particular the extent of loss of lives among civilians and damage to
property, and report its findings to the Security Council.

For further information and analysis:
Eastern Congo/Uganda: A pattern of factional rebel disputes, with
disastrous consequences for civilians available online at:
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/06/drc0611-brif.htm

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More...

Congolese Rebel Commander Arrested in Beni

2001-06-18

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106140009.html

A senior Congolese rebel Commander, Col. Gideon Kibonge, has been arrested and is detained in connection with the recent fighting in the northeastern Congolese town of Beni, sources have said. Emmy Allio reports that Kibonge is the defence minister of Jean Pierre Bemba's Congolese Liberation Front (CLF). He is also head of military intelligence in the Congolese Liberation Movement.

DRC: Kabila orders demobilisation of child soldiers

2001-06-18

http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/drc/20010615c.phtml

DRC President Joseph Kabila has launched a national campaign to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to prepare for their demobilisation from the Congolese army and their reintegration into society, UNICEF announced on Thursday. The initiative, which has the financial support of UNICEF, seeks to prohibit all children under 18 years of age from being sent to the frontline and from being involved in any purely military task, such as the handling of weapons.

ENCOURAGING WAR AND HINDERING PEACE?

The Bush Administration's Sudan Policy

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/1644

The 13 June 2001 resolution of the United States House of Representatives to provide Sudanese rebels with ten million dollars worth of assistance has confirmed the concerns of much of the international community at the negative influence American government policy continues to exercise on the long-running Sudanese conflict.
The European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council
1 Northumberland Avenue
London
WC2N 5BW
England

Tel: 020 7872 5434
Fax: 020 7753 2848

Email: director@espac.org

Date of Publication: June 2001





"The people in Sudan want to resolve the conflict. The biggest obstacle
is US government policy. The US is committed to overthrowing the
government in Khartoum. Any sort of peace effort is aborted, basically
by policies of the United States...Instead of working for peace in
Sudan, the US government has basically promoted a continuation of the
war."

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, December 1999 (1)


"For the last eight years, the U.S. has had a policy which I strongly
disagree with in Sudan, supporting the revolutionary movement and not
working for an overall peace settlement."

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, April 2001 (2)




The 13 June 2001 resolution of the United States House of
Representatives to provide Sudanese rebels with ten million dollars
worth of assistance has confirmed the concerns of much of the
international community at the negative influence American government
policy continues to exercise on the long-running Sudanese conflict. (3)
It had been hoped by many that the incoming Bush Administration would
adopt a more progressive and better-informed approach to Sudan than that
shown by the Clinton Administration. The Sudanese government had also
welcomed the possibility of constructive American involvement in
Sudan.(4)

While there were some early hopes and encouraging statements by the
American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and despite the clear policy
failures of its predecessor, a policy characterised by the disastrous
and farcical 1998 cruise missile attack on the al-Shifa medicines
factory, it is clear that the new United States government has continued
to pursue a very questionable course.

War-weariness within Sudan, which has been at war off and on since 1955,
has become increasingly obvious. In January 2001, the Roman Catholic
Comboni missionaries condemned the civil war as "immoral and a tragic
farce". They stated that "The number of victims is escalating,
especially among women and children. Spiritual, human and cultural
values are getting lost. Corruption, tribalism and fratricidal hatred
are fostered. Degradation, underdevelopment and anarchy increase". The
Comboni missionaries also pointed stated that "The word 'liberation' is
abused" and that the civil war was "not any longer a struggle for
freedom of the Sudanese people and for the defence of human rights". (5)

Throughout 2001, the Sudanese government repeatedly called for a
peaceful resolution of the conflict. Khartoum has also, since 1997,
offered an internationally-supervised referendum whereby the people of
southern Sudan would be able - for the first time since independence -
to chose their destiny, either within a united Sudan or as a separate
state. This offer was incorporated into Sudan's new 1998 constitution
and has been repeated on several occasions (6), most recently during the
June 2001 peace talks in Nairobi. (7) It is an offer that has also been
acknowledged, but not taken up, by the SPLA. In mid-May, Khartoum once
again declared its readiness to enter into "an immediate and
comprehensive ceasefire" and to restart negotiations for the achievement
of a comprehensive peace: it called upon the SPLA to do the same. (8)
On 24 May 2001, at least in part as a response to United States
concerns, the Sudanese government stated that it would unilaterally
cease air strikes against military targets in southern Sudan. (9) The
Sudanese government said that the decision was taken "in pursuance of
the state's set policy for achieving peace and stability, bolstering the
reconciliation process and the continued call by the state for a
comprehensive ceasefire." The Khartoum authorities also stated:

"The government calls upon the other parties for an immediate response
for boosting the peace process in the country and appeals to the
international community to back up the call for a comprehensive
ceasefire." (10)

It was immediately following this declaration and call for peace that
the Bush Administration's initial provision of three million dollars
worth of assistance to the Sudanese rebels was made public, soon to be
augmented by the ten million dollars in assistance announced in June. It
was said that the assistance would be used to purchase vehicles and
communications and office equipment for the rebels. (11) It was also
stated that a contract for providing such services had been awarded to
DynCorp, a private company accused of mercenary involvement in other
conflicts. (12)

This assistance is going to an organisation guilty of appalling human
rights abuses, The New York Times, a vigorous critic of the Sudanese
government, has stated that the SPLA: "[H]ave behaved like an occupying
army, killing, raping and pillaging." It also described the SPLA leader
John Garang as one of Sudan's "pre-eminent war criminals". (13) 'The
Economist' summed up the general image of the SPLA when it stated that:

"[The SPLA] has...been little more than an armed gang of
Dinkas...killing, looting and raping. Its indifference, almost
animosity, towards the people it was supposed to be "liberating" was all
too clear." (14)

For all the immediate implications of such clear American assistance, of
even deeper concern is the fact that such assistance serves to encourage
the SPLA to continue with what is an unwinnable war. Shortly after the
announcement of this American encouragement, the SPLA launched a
concerted offensive in the Bahr al-Ghazal region of southern Sudan. The
offensive continued during the regional Intergovernmental Authority on
Development peace summit in Nairobi in Early June, with the rebels
ignoring further calls for a peaceful solution to the conflict. (15)

History would appear to be repeating itself. Former President Carter has
in the past stated that the millions of dollars of assistance to the
rebels previously provided by the Clinton Administration had a negative
effect on the SPLA's interest in negotiating a political settlement.
(16) The Bush Administration's financial support for the SPLA has also
clearly encouraged the SPLA to once again ignore calls for a negotiated
settlement of the conflict and to continue with what can only be
described as a no-win war. As much has once again been noted by key
American academics specialising in Sudan. Commenting on American
assistance to the SPLA, Stephen Morrison, the director of the Sudan
project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in
Washington-DC observed that:

"This package feeds false hopes and expectations on the part of the
southerners and sustains excessive paranoia in Khartoum." (17)

The results of this overt support for violence are clear. The present
American-encouraged SPLA offensive, aimed at capturing several towns
within Bahr al-Ghazal, has resulted in massive displacement of southern
Sudanese civilians. On 8 June, the International Committee of the Red
Cross stated that the offensive had led to the displacement of at least
20,000 civilians. The Sudanese Catholic Information Office reported that
most activities within the region had been halted by the offensive:
"locations from Tonj northwards remain no go areas forcing both church
and humanitarian agencies to suspend their flights to the region." (18)
By 11 June, the United Nations estimated that 30,000 civilians had been
displaced within Bahr al-Ghazal. (19) Two days later, the Roman
Catholic Bishop of Rumbek, Bishop Mazzolari, reported that just under
60,000 civilians had been displaced by the offensive, and that these
civilians were in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. (20)

Unsurprisingly, the Sudanese government has reacted to the offensive and
has mobilised forces to check SPLA attacks. (21) On 12 June, in order
"to defend itself in the face of continued aggression" by the SPLA,
Khartoum announced the resumption of military air strikes within
southern Sudan. (22)

The international community has been very concerned by the implications
of this offensive and the human suffering involved. The European Union
stated its concern at the renewed military activity by the SPLA
"particularly in Bahr al-Ghazal in Southern Sudan" and by Khartoum's
resumption of bombing in response to the offensive. The European Union
reiterated its call on all sides "to engage in a continuous and
sustained negotiation towards a just and lasting political settlement of
the conflict in Sudan, and considers essential that a comprehensive
ceasefire, effectively monitored by observers accepted by both sides, be
prompted as a matter of urgency within the context of the ongoing IGAD
negotiation process". (23) The Arab League stated that the situation is
"regrettable and dangerous".

Washington's position towards Sudan continues to be one of hypocrisy. In
late May 2001, the American Secretary of State Colin Powell promised to
try harder to end the conflict in southern Sudan. He stated that any
American special envoy would "engage with the parties to see if we can
re-energise some of the peace process that has been in place..." (24)
American pressure had also resulted in a marked reduction of air strikes
against targets in southern Sudan. The United States then announced that
it would be providing Sudanese rebels with millions of dollars worth of
overt assistance, all this to an organisation with an appalling human
rights record. Washington could not be unaware of the implications of
such a move. Clearly encouraged by this development, for example, the
SPLA rebels shunned all calls for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of
the conflict and launched a major offensive, displacing up to sixty
thousand civilians in one of the most famine-affected areas of southern
Sudan. In an interesting twist to the issue, having been responsible
directly or indirectly for encouraging the ongoing offensive Bahr al-
Ghazal, the Bush Administration then expressed outrage when Khartoum was
forced to resume the use of air strikes against rebel forces in the
region. (25)

The Bush Administration's Sudan policy can at best be described as
confused and uncoordinated. At worst it appears to be a continuation of
the deeply flawed policies of the Clinton years. Whichever it is, the
simple fact is that Sudan has moved on politically, domestically,
economically, regionally and within the international community. The
sooner American policy reflects these changes and works towards a
peaceful solution to Sudanese problems the sooner Sudan will be at
peace.




Notes

1 'Carter, Others Say US Has Faltered in Africa', 'The Boston
Globe', 8 December 1999.
2 'Carter Says Wrong Time for Mideast Talks', News Article by
Reuters on 24 April 2001.
3 'U.S. House Backs Efforts to Aid Sudan', News Article by Reuters
on 13 June 2001.
4 'Sudan Welcomes U.S. Peace Involvement but Urges Neutrality',
News Article by Associated Press on 28 May 2001.
5 'Declaration of the Comboni Missionaries Working in Southern
Sudan', The Comboni Missionaries, Nairobi, 19 January 2001.
6 See, 'Sudan offers South secession', News Article by BBC, 22
February 1999 at 00:16:14 GMT; 'Southern secession better than more war:
Sudan's president', News Article by Agence France Presse, 22 February
1999, at 10:04:31; 'Referendum agreed at Sudan peace talks', News
Article by BBC World, 7 May 1998, at 11:06 GMT; 'Sudan Says Happy for
South to secede', News Article by Reuters, 7 May 1998.
7 'Khartoum Urges Rebels to "Stop Fighting and Talk"', News
Article by Agence France Presse on 5 June 2001
8 'Government "Ready for a Ceasefire', News Article by United
Nations Integrated Regional Information Network, 15 May 2001.
9 See, for example, 'Sudan Declares End to Air Raids on Rebels in
South', News Article by Reuters on 24 May 2001, and 'Sudanese Government
Declares Halt to Air Raids in South', News Article by Agence France
Presse on 24 May 2001, and
10 'Sudanese Government Declares Halt to Air Raids', News Article
by Agence France Presse on 24 May 2001.
11 Sudanese Rebels to Receive Dlrs 3 Million in Assistance', News
Article by Associated Press on 25 May 2001.
12 See, for example, Jeremy Bigwood, 'DynCorp in Colombia:
Outsourcing the Drug War', 23 May 2001 on Corpwatch at www.corpwatch.org
13 'Misguided Relief to Sudan', Editorial, 'The New York Times', 6
December, 1999.
14 'The Economist', March 1998.
15 See, for example, 'Khartoum Urges Rebels to "Stop Fighting and
Talk"', News Article by Agence France Presse on 5 June 2001 and 'Sudan's
Government Calls on International Community to Push for Cease-Fire',
News Article by Associated Press on 5 June 2001.
16 Ex-President Opposes Policy of Aiding Khartoum's Foes', 'The
Washington Times', 25 September 1997.
17 'U.S. Slates $3 Million for Sudan's Opposition', 'The Washington
Post', 25 May 2001.
18 'Civilians Flee Town Under Siege', News Article by Sudanese
Catholic Information Office, Nairobi, 8 June 2001.
19 'Tens of Thousands Displaced by Bahr al-Ghazal Fighting', U.N.
Integrated Regional Information Network, 11 June 2001.
20 'Fighting in Sudan's Bahr el Ghazal Leaves 57,000 Displaced:
Bishop', News Article by AFP on 13 June 2001.
21 See, for example, 'Sudan's Beshir Steps Up Mobilisation Against
Rebel Offensive', News Article by Agence France Presse on 7 June 2001,
and 'Sudan Mobilizes as Rebel Forces Advance', News Article by Middle
East Newsline, Cairo on 8 June 2001.
22 See 'URGENT Khartoum Announces Resumption of Air Strikes in
South', News Article by AFP on 11 June 2001.
23 'Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
on Sudanese Peace Process', Brussels, 12 June 2001.
24 'Powell Pledges More Efforts to End Sudan War', News Article by
Reuters on 27 May 2001.
25 'U.S. Concerned at Reports of Air Raids in Sudan', News Article
by Reuters on 8 June 2001.

ENDS



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SUDAN: Humanitarian crisis "nightmare" for US

2001-06-18

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Hunger and war have made Sudan one of the most immediate humanitarian challenges for the US, one of "the three nightmares" it faces, according to the US special humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Andrew Natsios. "Many of us are horrified at the very serious humanitarian situation in Sudan, caused by both drought and war," AlertNet has quoted him as saying at a forum of voluntary agencies and relief NGOs in Washington, USA.

US Army Operated Secretly in Congo

2001-06-18

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The United States military has been covertly involved in the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a US parliamentary subcommittee has been told. Intelligence specialist Wayne Madsen, appearing before the US House subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, also said American companies, including one linked to former President George Bush Snr, the father of the current US President, are stoking the Congo conflict for monetary gains.

E-commerce in the developing world

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This article looks at examples of e-commerce and internet infrastructure taking off in developing countries. There are examples from all over the world.

Gauteng schools online

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Gautengonline, an initiative of the Gauteng education department in South Africa, aims to have all learners in the area online by 2006. Ikaneng Primary in Soweto made the connection at the launch this month. Is the project sustainable, and how exactly will learners benefit? (If you have web access you can access the video footage which supplements the article.)

In defence of open source

2001-06-18

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Chip Salzenburg of the Open Source Initiative analyses the technology of open source and the GNU Public License, which he calls a 'technology of trust'.

Microsoft is using open source

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Despite it's opposition to the open source movement, Microsoft definitely uses open source code, including software from the FreeBSD operating system. This article discusses this contradiction.

Radio and democracy in Africa

2001-06-18

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This article takes an in-depth look at radio technology in Africa, and what it is achieving. The vital link between democracy and radio is highlighted by the author.

AFRICAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

2001-06-18

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The aim of this portal is to bring together all African conservation groups and NGOs in one place on the internet, to exchange information and ideas; to provide aid and assistance to all the smaller African conservation groups - publicity, wider recognition, free websites (and website hosting) where necessary, and eventually financial aid - some of whom don't even have electricity, let alone internet access; to build up a Research resource on the internet.

Morocco Uses the Web to get into the Global Economy

Balancing Act NEWS UPDATE 64

2001-06-18

http://www.balancingact-africa.com

No place is ever perfect but Morocco offers an interesting model for how the internet and telecoms can be developed if a strategic plan is in place. It is seeking to use the internet to compete more effectively in the global economy, grow employment opportunities and to slow down the drain of skilled workers to Europe. Najat Rochdi describes how the country has approached the task.

Science in Africa

2001-06-18

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/

Published since January 2001, this free online monthly magazine covers a wide range of scientific issues concerning Africa. Each issue features a number of short pieces written by scientists with a general audience in mind. Science in Africa additionally includes information on upcoming science events, jobs, funding opportunities, and science education activities and opportunities. A free email newsletter is also available.

Charities Aid Foundation

2001-06-18

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High-Tech Hopes Meet Reality

2001-06-18

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Slow start for online giving leads to new Internet approaches

African Computing & Telecommunications Summit

30 July - 2 August 2001

2001-06-18

http://aitecafrica.com/events2/act/act2001_out.html

Speakers from Kenya, South Africa, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana,
Israel, USA along with workshops and forums.

courses at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction

2001-06-18

http://www.iirr-africa.org/training.htm

Every year, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction - Africa Regional Office offers training courses that focus on field experiences and participatory approaches. These courses are designed for managers and leaders of development organisations. Participants have been drawn mainly from development organisations such as indigenous and international NGOs, community-based organisations and government agencies.
IIRR-AFRICA, YEAR 2001 COURSE BRIEFS


Dear Colleagues,

We are glad to announce our course schedule for the year 2001. Every year, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) - Africa Regional Office offers training courses that focus on field experiences and participatory approaches. These courses are designed for managers and leaders of development organisations. Participants have been drawn mainly from development organisations such as indigenous and international NGOs, community-based organisations and government agencies.

These courses mainly target development practitioners from Eastern Africa but have attracted participants from as far as Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Cameroon. Since 1995, close to 2000 people have attended the courses.

Short five-day customised courses on subjects such as PRA, Strategic Planning, Training of Trainers and other participatory methods can be offered on request.


YEAR 2001 COURSE SCHEDULE


DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT: CONCEPTS. PRINCIPLES AND TOOLS
5th &#8211; 16th March 2001 (Nairobi &#8211; Kenya)

The objective of this course is to enhance the capabilities of participants in managing participatory, people-centred sustainable development programmes and projects. The course comprises topics such as development trends, gender, capacity building, using indigenous knowledge, management roles and functions, leadership, project planning, participatory monitoring and evaluation, fundraising and proposal writing.

PARTICIPATORY MONITORING AND EVALUATION
11th-22nd June 2001 (in Uganda ) - 26th November &#8211; 7th December 2001 (Kenya)

The course covers types and elements of M&E, setting up of M&E systems, development of indicators and data collection. Participants will share ideas, experiences and acquire skills in the use of various tools for monitoring and evaluation.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT COURSE IN PROJECT DESIGN AND PROPOSAL WRITING
20th-31st August 2001 (Kisumu &#8211; Kenya)

Through participatory methods, participants will learn some of the tools and techniques that facilitate needs assessment, design of sustainable, people-centred projects and the formulation of successful proposals. Topics include principles of participatory planning, community needs assessment, establishment of project baselines, village entry techniques, planning tools and writing of project proposals

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND/OR STRATEGIC PLANNING
9th &#8211;20th July 2001 (Nairobi &#8211; Kenya)

This course consists of two independent but related one week modules. Through the module on Organizational Development (8-13 July) participants will appreciate OD as a distinct approach to capacity building. Different ways/tools on how to assess organisational effectiveness will be discussed and applied. Key concepts of the OD process model will be discussed and participants will acquire basic insights that will allow them to enhance organisational performance.
The module on strategic planning (16-20 July) will address issues such as the rationale and components of a strategic plan, the strategic planning process and key concepts and principles related to strategic management. At the end of the course participants will have acquired basic understanding and skills required to facilitate the strategic planning process in their own organisation.








GENERAL INFORMATION ON IIRR COURSES


Duration, field trips and agency visits

Each course takes two weeks and includes one agency and one field trip. During the agency visits, participants learn how leading development agencies are managed. Specific emphasis is placed on the course theme. During the day-long field visits, participants interact with other development practitioners at work in communities.

Venues

The Skill Development Course in Project Design and Proposal Writing course will be held at the Action Aid -Kiboswa training centre in Kisumu. Courses on Strategic Planning and Organisational Development, the Development Management and Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (25th November &#8211; 7th December 200) course, will take place in Nairobi at the Mary Ward Centre. The venue for the Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation course 10th-22nd June 2001 to be held in Uganda will be identified later.

Cost

The courses cost $1,000 for Kenyans and $1,200 for other nationalities. As regards the Organiasational Development and Strategic Planning course, fee are $ 500 and $ 600 respectively per module. It covers tuition, full-board accommodation. Participants are expected to pay for their own travel to Nairobi, Kampala or Kisumu. Medical and insurance covers as well as out of pocket allowances. Partial fellowships are offered in special cases but organizations seeking such support must apply for it indicating their contributions.

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Human Services IT Applications Conference

September 12-15, 2001, Charleston SC, USA

2001-06-18

http://www2.uta.edu/cussn/husita/husita6.htm

HUSITA6 will highlight a wide range of topics that emphasize the ethical and effective uses of information technology within human services education and practice including innovative applications, software and hardware developments, pilot or research projects, technology and social justice, anti-oppression, and equity issues.

Urban Economic Development

2001-06-18

http://www.galilcol.ac.il/Urban.htm

Galillee College is offering tuition scholarships for a three week training program: "Urban Economic Development", October 17 - November 5, 2001. These scholarships are available for citizens of African countries possessing the minimum of a BA and fluency in English.
For further details, see our website:
http://www.galilcol.ac.il/Urban.htmv
or contact our International Department:
International_Department@galilcol.ac.il
Galillee College, P.O.B. 1070 Tivon
ISRAEL 36000
Tel. 972-4-9837444
Fax. 972-4-9830227
WEB: http://www.galilcol.ac.il
--
Ms. Rachel Gottlieb
Director, African Division and Education Sector
International Department
Galillee College, P.O.B. 1070 Tivon
ISRAEL 36000
Tel. 972-4-9837444
Fax. 972-4-9830227
email: rgottlieb@galilcol.ac.il
WEB: http://www.galilcol.ac.il

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African Centre for Technology Studies VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: RESEARCH FELLOW, TRANSBOUNDARY NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/1632

Duration: Two years (Renewable) Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya; Closing Date for Applications: 30 June 2001; Contact Details: Executive Director African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) P.O. Box 45917, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel. (+254-2) 527 400/07/09 E-mailed applications are encouraged.
African Centre for Technology Studies VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: RESEARCH FELLOW, TRANSBOUNDARY NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Post: Research Fellow Level: P-3
Duration: Two years (Renewable)
Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya

The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) is a leading international policy research and training institution based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Centre's research and training activities are largely but not exclusively in the areas of biotechnology, biological diversity, climate change, environmental governance, and industrial change policy. With financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ACTS shall be launching a regional research project on policies and institutions for effective management of transboundary watersheds in Eastern and Southern Africa. The project's goal is to enhance the abilities of governments in the region to develop, adopt and implement systemic policies and guidelines for environmental impact assessment as well as to institute laws for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from sustainable management of transboundary watersheds. The Centre invites applications for the position of Research Fellow. Reporting to the Director of Policy Research and Outreach, he/she will be responsible for reviewing relevant regional and national policies and laws, identifying and promoting principles and policies for transboundary watershed management, training government officials in issues associated with environmental impact assessment, collaborative natural resources management and intra- and inter-community resource management. The Research Fellow shall also establish strategic partnerships with such regional bodies as the East Africa Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), and government departments and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Candidates must possess at least a Master of Environmental Policy (or its equivalent) degree from an internationally recognized university. They should have at least five years of relevant experience in environmental policy and law research. Ideal candidates will have published in international journals and participated in regional environmental policy processes. They must have good writing and analytical skills as well as demonstrated ability to develop policy research projects. They should be team players, independent thinkers and able to work with minimum supervision. An internationally competitive salary and benefits package will be offered. Applicants are required to submit detailed curriculum vitae and copies of their recent journal articles (not later than 30 June 2001) to:
Executive Director African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
P.O. Box 45917, Nairobi, Kenya j.mugabe@cgiar.org Tel. (+254-2) 527 400/07/09 E-mailed applications are encouraged.

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Author: learning materials on effective campaigning skills

Adilisha: Strengthening Human Rights Organisations

2001-06-18

http://www.fahamu.org/ad_announce.html

Applications are invited from experienced trainers, preferably from one of the SADC countries, to produce course materials for strengthening the campaigning capabilities of human rights and other activist organisations as part of the Adilisha project. The purpose of the course is to enable human rights activists to define, develop and run effective mass-based / popular campaigns for the protection and promotion of human rights and the promotion of respect for human dignity. Those interested in applying should familiarise themselves with the project summary at: http://www.fahamu.org/ad_projsum.html and with the full details of this announcement. Applications, including CVs, should be sent to info@fahamu.org, and should include a 3-5 page proposed course outline listing topics to be covered and associated learning objectives, together with a bibliography of relevant literature not exceeding one page.

Author: Learning materials on leadership and management

Adilisha: strengthening human rights organisations

2001-06-18

http://www.fahamu.org/ad_announce.html

Applications are invited from experienced trainers in leadership and management, preferably from one of the SADC countries, to produce course materials in plain English, to be used by the Adilisha project for strengthening the leadership and management capabilities of human rights and other activist organisations in southern Africa. The purpose of the course is to introduce managers and other staff in these organisations to some of the key issues, skills and competencies that underpin their work as leaders and managers. Those interested in applying should familiarise themselves with the project summary at http://www.fahamu.org/ad_projsum.html and with the full details of this announcement. Applications, including CVs, should be sent to info@fahamu.org, and should include a 3-5 page proposed course outline listing topics to be covered and associated learning objectives, together with a bibliography of relevant literature not exceeding one page.

CONTENT MANAGER

OneWorld.net

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=353

Salary : £29,500
Location : Vauxhall, London, United Kingdom
Closing Date : 18 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 1 Jun 2001

Director, Development Programmes for the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

2001-06-18

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/1627

A new senior-level post has been created by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, directing their work on ICTs and development. The applicant must be a Commonwealth citizen; the post is London-based. Initial three-year contract with a competitive salary; Closing date for applications: 7 July 2001; To apply, please send cover letter, detailed CV, examples of previous work and the names of three referees to the Executive Director, CTO, Clareville House, 26/27 Oxendon St, London SW1Y 4EL, UK by 7 July 2001.
COMMONWEALTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANISATION Director, Development Programmes The CTO is the leading Commonwealth agency in information and communication technologies. It works with governments, telecommunications businesses and other organisations to promote telecoms, internet and other information and communications technologies (ICTs), particularly in social and economic development. It currently delivers 200 bilateral technical cooperation projects annually, alongside a programme of international conferences and workshops, and other work with a variety of business and development partners. The postholder will:
- direct a new three-year partnership with the UK Department for International Development and others, 'Bridging the Digital Divide', to enhance capacity-building in policy-making and regulation in information and communications in developing countries;
- develop the CTO's work with international development agencies to promote use of information and communication technologies in social and economic development and address the digital divide;
- ensure that the CTO remains at the forefront of activity in telecommunications and ICTs for development.

The successful candidate will have expertise and experience in at least two of the following:
- development policy, in particular ICTs for development;
- telecommunications policy and regulation;
- managing technical cooperation programmes and relations with donor agencies, and will report directly to the Executive Director.

The post will be based in London on an initial three-year contract with a competitive salary. The CTO is an intergovernmental treaty organisation, and staff positions must be filled by citizens of Commonwealth countries. To apply, please send cover letter, detailed CV, examples of previous work and the names of three referees to the Executive Director, CTO, Clareville House, 26/27 Oxendon St, London SW1Y 4EL, UK by 7 July 2001. Interviews will be held in London in late July.

Fax: +44 20 7 930 5516; email: b.fowlds@cto.int

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FOOD SECURITY ADVISOR SIERRA LEONE AMME MANAGER, SOUTH SUDAN

Save the Children UK

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=356

Salary : £ 22,617 GBP pa
Location : FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
Closing Date : 20 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 1 Jun 2001

Library Information Officer (Europe)

Amnesty International

2001-06-18

http://web.amnesty.org/jobs/

Salary: GBP 20,300 per annum (pro rata for part time staff) Duration: to end December 2001 Hours: 17.5 hours per week Location: Clerkenwell, central London Closing date: 07/07/2001 Ref. no: IRP/01/3 For further information and an application form, please contact: Human Resources Program Amnesty International International Secretariat 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW E-mail: jobs@amnesty.org Fax: 020 7956 1157 or apply online.
Library Information Officer (Europe)

Part-time, fixed term appointment to end December 2001 Working as a member of a self-managing team, you will have particular responsibility for providing library and information services to researchers and campaigners working on human rights issues in the countries of Europe. You will combine a commitment to delivering high quality services to users with professional information management expertise: skills and knowledge in electronic and hardcopy information sources, the Internet, databases, budget monitoring and the ability to understand user needs. The ability to work positively as part of a team in a multicultural environment is essential.

Salary: GBP 20,300 per annum (pro rata for part time staff)

Duration: to end December 2001 Hours: 17.5 hours per week Location: Clerkenwell, central London Closing date: 07/07/2001 Ref. no: IRP/01/3 For further information and an application form, please contact:
Human Resources Program Amnesty International International Secretariat
1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW E-mail: jobs@amnesty.org Fax: 020 7956 1157 or apply online at http://web.amnesty.org/jobs/

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MEDIA FOR PEACE PROGRAMME OFFICER

Panos

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=374

Salary : A competitive remuneration package will be offered
Location : Kampala, Uganda
Closing Date : 15 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 11 Jun 2001

MOTHER CHILD HEALTH/TRAINER

Catholic Institute for International Relations

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=348

Location : Hargeisa, Somalia
Closing Date : 22 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 31 May 2001

PASTORALIST COMMUNICATION PROGRAMME OFFICER

Panos

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=375

Salary : A competitive remuneration package will be offered
Location : Kampala, Uganda
Closing Date : 15 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 11 Jun 2001

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR DRC

Save the Children UK

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=370

Salary : £ 27,346 GBP pa
Location : Kinshasa, Congo
Closing Date : 29 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 8 Jun 2001

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, ETHIOPIA (2 YEAR CONTRACT)

HelpAge International

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=369

Salary : £22, 161 pa
Location : Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Closing Date : 11 Jul 2001
Job posted on : 6 Jun 2001

PROGRAMME MANAGER

Save the Children UK

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=338

Salary : £22,065 pro rata
Location : Vilanculos, Inhambane Province, Mozambique
Closing Date : 24 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 25 May 2001

PROGRAMME MANAGER, SOUTH SUDAN

Save the Children UK

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=355

Salary : £ 22,617 GBP pa
Location : South Sudan - Lokichoggio based -, Sudan
Closing Date : 20 Jun 2001
Job posted on : 1 Jun 2001

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR (SDC), GO-INTERFISH

CARE International UK

2001-06-18

http://nt.oneworld.org/jobs/ads/index.cfm?job_id=380

Salary : Grade H - see http://www.care.org/jobs/salaries.html
Location : Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Closing Date : 29 Jul 2001
Job posted on : 12 Jun 2001

UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIPS

2001-06-18

http://www.ias.unu.edu/postgrad_ed_prog/ias_postgraduate.asp

Postdoctoral and PhD Fellowships are offered for a period of ten months. Location: Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University (UNU/IAS)in Tokyo, Japan. Closing Date for Applications: June 30, 2001; Contact Details: Further information on the fellowships and application forms can be obtained by e-mail <phdfellowship@ias.unu.edu> or by writing to the following address: SecretaryPostdoctoral and Ph.D. Fellowship ProgrammeUnited Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, JapanFax 81-3-5467 2324
UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIPS The Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University (UNU/IAS) is a multi-thematic, interdisciplinary, research and training centre located in Tokyo, Japan. Its programmes are directed at pressing global issues of concern to the United Nations, making use of advanced research methodologies. Postdoctoral and PhD Fellowships are offered for a period of ten months. Postdoctoral candidates must have completed a PhD degree and PhD candidates must be at the advanced stage of their doctoral dissertation. Candidates' current research must be closely related to one of the following current thematic areas of the institute (Please refer to the document IAS Strategic Direction and Programmes which is available on our website): <http://www.ias.unu.edu/postgrad_ed_prog/ias_postgraduate.asp> Biodiversity, Biosafety and Sustainable Development Information Technology for the Environment Ecosystems and Socio-Economic Impacts Urban Ecosystems Ecosystems and Institutions Fellows will carry out their research in Tokyo under the supervision of institute faculty members and/or affiliated scholars in Japan. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to work on the institute's projects and activities, while PhD fellows will balance their work-- dissertation with that of the institute's projects and activities. Language proficiency in English is essential. Fellowship awards include a monthly stipend (Postdoctoral: Yen 280,000/month, PhD: Yen 250,000/month), subsidised accommodation (rents start from Yen 80,000/month), and a return ticket between Tokyo and the fellow's country of residence. Please note that residing at the institute guesthouse for the ten-month period is a prerequisite of the fellowship. Applicants from developing countries and women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Fellowships commence in October 2001. Completed applications for the next intake must reach UNU/IAS on or before June 30, 2001. Applications will only be considered if complete and all required documentation has been received. Further information on the fellowships and application forms can be obtained by e-mail <phdfellowship@ias.unu.edu> or by writing to the address below:
SecretaryPostdoctoral and Ph.D. Fellowship ProgrammeUnited Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, JapanFax 81-3-5467 2324

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Fahamu