Back Issues

Kenya: Strategic highway to west reopens

2008-02-07

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15565

Normal transportation of goods and people to the west of Kenya resumed last week after days of disruption along the highway from Nairobi to west of the country and Uganda. Armed police cleared the highway of barricades erected by marauding youths in the ongoing post election violence that many people say has now taken a life of it’s own.

Zimbabwe: Global Zimbabwe Forum Protest on Feb 21-22

2008-02-07

http://www.zimaction.com/zimdiaspora/index.htm

The program has now been finalized for the February 21 – 22 protest. The Global Zimbabwe Forum need to contact as many Zimbabweans as we can reach to come to the demonstration. Please contact by email or by phone as many friends as you can reach.
We need to know by Wednesday next week how many people we can expect at the demonstration.

The following have been tasked with coordinating recruitment efforts:

New York.Fungisai and Alice (516) 967 4613/(646) 577 5289
Pennsylvania Nick Mada (610)2469462 nmada@msn.com Stan Mukasa (724) 467 0001 mukasa@iup.edu
Ohio/Michigan Zvidzair Ruzvidzo/Allan Banda Phone :614 622 0427 zvidzair@yahoo.com
Washington DC "Robson Nyereyemhuka"robson55@yahoo.com
Indiana Alan Bako (317) 345 2368
Accommodation arrangements are being made byMaswela at Maswelas@aol.com (513) 410 9495
Scheduled speakers for the protest are Ralph Black Handel Mlilo Ruzvidzo Zvidzair Nassar Rusike
The Event MC and also in charge of publicity will be Briggs Bomba
The next conference call will be on Thursday, February 14, starting at 9 p.m.
Conference details:
Number to Call ---: 1-605-475-6000 Access Code---- : 875057# Time----------:9.00PM (Eastern Time)

Walden Bello named 2008 Outstanding Pulbic Scholar

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/45866

Filipino academic and activist Walden Bello has been named the Outstanding Public Scholar of 2008 by the International Political Economy section of the International Studies Association (ISA). He will receive the award at the group’s annual convention to be held in San Francisco, California from March 26-29, 2008. Special events honoring Bello include a panel on his work on Thursday March 27, 2008 during the annual meeting. On Friday evening, March 28, Bello will join other scholar activists in speaking at a public event at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave, in San Francisco, co-sponsored by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Press.
Filipino academic and activist Walden Bello has been named the Outstanding Public Scholar of 2008 by the International Political Economy section of the International Studies Association (ISA). He will receive the award at the group’s annual convention to be held in San Francisco, California from March 26-29, 2008. Special events honoring Bello include a panel on his work on Thursday March 27, 2008 during the annual meeting. On Friday evening, March 28, Bello will join other scholar activists in speaking at a public event at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave, in San Francisco, co-sponsored by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Press.

In announcing the award, the committee chair Dr. Barry Gills noted, “Walden Bello has been chosen for this award due to his lifetime contribution to scholarship and activism on the international political economy of development, and his work for global justice. He has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership and dedication, and is therefore an example of 'Outstanding Public Scholarship'.” The Belgian newspaper Le Soir has called Bello "the most respected anti-globalization thinker in Asia." Canadian author Naomi Klein has described him as the "world's leading no-nonsense revolutionary." Chalmers Johnson has hailed him as the "world's best guide to American exploitation of the globe's poor and defenseless."

For over 30 years, Bello has been in the forefront of struggles for human rights, social justice, peace, and the environment. In the last five years alone, he has served as a key leader of the global movement against the war in Iraq, played a central role in the effort to roll back the World Trade Organization, led a peace mission to Lebanon during the Israeli invasion in the summer of 2006, and worked to bring a justice and equity dimension to discussions of climate change. His trademark as an activist has been his effort to connect issues and movements. As he told Interpress Service during the international conference on climate change in Bali in December 2007, “We are here because of the broadening character of the climate change crisis and the solutions being proposed at the Bali meeting. It is no more about techno-fixes. It has become a global emergency for which issues such as trade, justice, equity and democracy have to be factored in. And that is where our strengths lie.'' What makes Bello exceptional, however, has been his ability to link his activism on a number of issues with his academic work. His recent writings cover a wide range of topics, including the current conjuncture of global capitalism, the “relief-and-reconstruction-complex,” the developmental state debate, regional economic initiatives, and the awakening of the peasantry as a class. His most recent books are Walden Bello Presents Ho Chi Minh (Verso, 2007), Dilemmas of Domination (Henry Holt, 2005), The Anti-Developmental State (Zed, 2004), and Deglobalization: Ideas for a New World Economy (Zed, 2002). He is an editor of the Review of International Political Economy, the leading journal in a dynamic academic area.

Two earlier works placed Bello at the center of academic and political debate. In the early eighties, Bello and his associates came out with Development Debacle: the World Bank in the Philippines (Institute for Food and Development Policy, 1982), an expose based on 3,000 pages of confidential documents that they had spirited out of the World Bank. The book is said to have played a major role in the unraveling of the Marcos dictatorship. In 1991, he co-authored Dragons in Distress: Asia’s Miracle Economies in Crisis (Penguin), which departed from the usual glorification of East Asia’s “tiger economies” and called attention to their structural problems six years before the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.

As an activist, Bello helped organize the international network against the Marcos regime, being arrested several times and spending time in an American jail in the process. After Marcos fell, he joined the Institute for Food and Development Policy in San Francisco, later serving as executive director of the organization from 1990 to 1994. In 1995, he co-founded and served as executive director of Focus on the Global South, a research, analysis, and advocacy institute connected with Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. He joined the University of the Philippines sociology department in 1994, becoming a tenured full professor in 1997.
In December 2003, Bello was presented the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, at the Swedish Parliament for "...for outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalization, and how alternatives to it can be implemented." Earlier, in 2001, he was conferred the Suh Sang Don Prize, South Korea’s premier award for work on economic justice.

Aside from teaching at the University of the Philippines, Bello is an adjunct professor of international development studies at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and an adjunct professor in sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He was most recently Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Development Studies at St. Mary’s University. He has taught at the University of California at Berkeley and served as visiting professor at the University of California campuses in Los Angeles, Irvine, and Santa Barbara.

The International Studies Association (ISA), founded in 1959, has over 4,000 members from 80 countries. It is the most respected international studies association in the world. The ISA’s 49th annual conference, under the theme “Bridging Multiple Divides,” will be held from March 26-29, 2008 at the Hilton San Francisco.

The ISA’s International Political Economy (IPE) section is currently chaired by Dr. Ruth Reitan. The IPE annual award, begun in 2007, honors someone who has merged “scholarship” with “active participant in the civil-society, activist community.” Speaking at the ISA event on March 27 will be Dr. Bello, Dr. Barry Gills, Dr. Robin Broad, Dr. Richard Falk, and Dr. Susan George who was the 2007 IPE Outstanding Public Scholar. Further information on the ISA conference can be found at www.isanet.org The March 28 free, public event will feature Dr. Bello, Dr. Kevin Danaher, and Dr. Susan George and will begin at 8 pm. For further information on the evening event, contact Ruth Reitan at r.reitan@miami.edu, or Sian Askew with Routledge Press at sian.askew@tandf.co.uk
* * *

International Political Economy Section International Studies Association

Award for Outstanding Public Scholar – Criteria

In 2006, the IPE section of the ISA created an award for Outstanding Public Scholar. The award was first presented at the 2007 ISA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

In keeping with the criteria established by the IPE’s Outstanding Public Scholar Award Committee in 2006, the award is to be given to a person who has successfully straddled academia and activism:

• The awardee should have a record of writing that is used and recognized within the academic community.
• The awardee should have a record of work that moves beyond academia into activism. The awardee should be an active participant in some civil-society, activist community.
• Activism in this case means active involvement not just through writing. The awardee must be more than just someone whose work is used by activists.
• The award is not meant for someone whose role, however important, is to popularize writings. The awardee must be more than someone whose work reaches a broader, non-academic audience.
• To the extent possible, the award is meant to be given to an Outstanding Public Scholar for whom the award will have meaning and significance. In other words, the goal of the award is to honor someone whose “public scholarship” has not been recognized in public ways by academia.
• The award will be given only when there is a person whom the majority of members of the relevant award committee deem to have met the above criteria. The award does not need to be given annually.

Below is a list of award recipients.

• Dr. Susan George, France (2007)
• Dr. Walden Bello, Philippines, (2008)

The political crisis in Kenya: A call for justice & peaceful resolution

Maina Kiai

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/45969

Maina Kiai makes an impassioned plea for seriousness and commitment from all actors in the pursuit for a resolution to Kenya's political crisis

Kenya is at a cross-road that will mean either the complete disintegration of Kenya or the beginning of a new, more democratic, sustainable nation suited to the needs and aspirations of the Kenyan people in the 21st Century. In a deeply painful and costly manner–in terms of lives lost and destruction wrought—the crisis in Kenya has given the country a unique opportunity to move forward in a way that we have been advocating for the last 20 years. In a sense, Kenya is at its "civil war" moment that the US was at in 1861. Just as that war was pivotal in establishing and solidifying the democratic credentials of the US, this moment could lead Kenya to much greater heights if properly handled both domestically and internationally.

In this context, the mediation currently going on under the leadership of Kofi Annan, Graca Machel and Ben Mkapa is the last best chance for Kenya to move forward. Whatever can be done to keep the players at the table, and keep them there in good faith, is critical. And efforts that delay, or subvert the talks—whether through insensitive statements and actions or by trying to prolong the talks through acts of filibustering—must be condemned. Consistent regional and international pressure is necessary especially on the hardliners who think that the crisis will blow over. The consequences of the failure of the mediation efforts are too dire to imagine not just for Kenya but for the region.

What is going on in Kenya is a political crisis with ethnic manifestation because politics in Kenya is organized ethnically. Clearly there are cleavages and differences in Kenyan society that have erupted brutally to the surface. But these have erupted due to the failure of peaceful means of resolving and addressing these differences, including the failure of elections and political reforms promised to Kenya in the 2002 elections.

The crisis in Kenya was foreseeable. In March 2007, the KNCHR submitted a memorandum to President Kibaki urging him to maintain the "gentleman's agreement" that had been in place since 1997 whereby all parliamentary parties made nominations for appointment to the Electoral Commission of Kenya. We argued that unilateral abandonment of the agreement would likely invite chaos and instability were the elections disputed. Moreover, since January 2006 we witnessed consistent attempts by the state to reduce democratic space and instil fear in society.

THE EXTENT OF THE CRISIS

Some 1000 people have been killed in the one month since violence erupted on December 30, 2007. Note that 3000 people were killed between 1992 and 1998 in the state instigated clashes in the country. During that same period, more than 300,000 people were internally displaced, most of whom have not returned to their farms and homes. In the month since the elections, an additional 300,000 people have been internally displaced.

Part of the reason why militia—on both sides—have been so potent and dangerous is that they arose from the earlier violence of the 1990s and were never de-mobilized. Nor was there a process to deal with the root causes of that violence, with the Kibaki government choosing to sweep the matter under the carpet, despite campaign promises to the contrary. With grievances bubbling and fermenting close to the surface, it was relatively easy to reactivate the militia using methods similar to those of the 1990s. Most important, the paymasters and planners of the 1990s clashes were never held accountable.

It is estimated that in the month since the crisis started the Kenyan economy has lost about US $3 billion and about 400,000 jobs. Moreover the crisis has severely affected the economies of Uganda, Rwanda, Eastern DR Congo, and Southern Sudan and could bring them to ruin if not checked. All these nations have a history of conflict and violence that could be reawakened by economic collapse.

We have observed 4 forms of violence:

i) Spontaneous uprisings of mobs protesting the flaws in the presidential elections. These mobs looted, raped and burnt down buildings in an anarchical manner.

ii) Violence organized by ODM-supporting militia in the Rift Valley that was aimed at perceived political opponents. The initial militia action attracted organized counter-violence from PNU supporters especially in Nakuru, Naivasha areas of the Rift Valley, and Nairobi.

iii) Excessive use of force by the police in ways suggesting "shoot to kill" orders against unarmed protesters mainly in ODM strongholds including Kisumu, Kakamega, Migori, and the Kibera slum of Nairobi. Policing has been uneven in its implementation. In some strong ODM areas, the police have been shooting to kill, while when confronted with pro-PNU militia, they have opted to negotiate with the groups. However, in the Eldoret area, the police largely stood by and watched as pro-PNU supporters were killed and their houses burnt.

iv) Local militia in pro-PNU areas, on receiving internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Rift Valley, have mobilized in sympathy and turned on perceived ODM supporters, killing them, and burning their houses.

The violence is neither genocide nor ethnic cleansing: The root of the problem is not that different ethnic groups decided they could no longer live together. The root of the problem is the inability of peaceful means to address grievances. For this to be genocide there would have to be either state complicity or state collapse and the first obligation would be for the state to provide adequate security for those at risk. Instead we have uneven and selective policing with emphasis on preventing Raila Odinga from holding protests in Nairobi rather than protecting IDPs and others at risk across the country. We therefore believe that the quickest and most effective way to reduce the violence is progress in the current talks.

THE ELECTION TRIGGER

It is clear that the flagrant effort to steal the presidential election was the immediate trigger for the violence. All independent observers have said that the tallying process was so flawed that it is impossible to tell who won the presidential election. Since 1992, Kenya's elections have been progressively better and fairer, culminating in the 2002 elections which were the best ever, and the 2005 constitutional referendum. The effect of this progression is that Kenyans finally believed in the power of the vote as a way of peacefully resolving differences, a fact confirmed by voting trends in the recent parliamentary elections that saw almost 70 percent of incumbents lose their seats. When this sense of empowerment was subverted, and peaceful legal spaces for protests were disallowed, it is not surprising that frustrations boiled over and violence ensued.

We have documented some of the facts and analysis that make clear that the flaws in the tallying of presidential votes rendered untenable the conclusion that Mwai Kibaki was validly elected.

With the benefit of hindsight, there were steps taken that paint a picture of a well orchestrated plan to ensure a pre-determined result. These include:

i) President Kibaki's decision to abrogate the agreement of 1997 on the formula for appointments to the Electoral Commission ensuring that all the Commissioners were appointed by him alone; ii) An administrative decision within the ECK to give responsibility to Commissioners for their home regions, something that had never been done before, meaning that they appointed all the election officials in the constituencies in their home regions, in a manner that created conflicts of interest; iii) The rejection of an offer from IFES to install a computer program that would enable election officials in the constituencies to submit results electronically to Nairobi and then on to a giant screen available to the public making it virtually impossible to change results; iv) A decision to abandon the use of ECK staff in the Verification and Tallying Centre in favour of casual staff provided by the Commissioners directly; and v) A refusal to ensure that election officials in areas with large predictable majorities for any of the candidates came from different areas so as to reduce the likelihood of ballot stuffing.

WAY FORWARD AND ROLE OF US CONGRESS AND GOVERNMENT

At this "constitutional moment" that Kenya has reached, we believe the way forward must be centred on truth and justice as the only sustainable road to peace and development. This is the time for Kenya to end the impunity that has been a feature of our history since independence, and also to end the "winner take all" "first past the post" system. Specifically, we call for:

i) An international independent investigation into the 2007 presidential election process in order to come to closure on the elections, find out who did what and why; who ordered it; and promote accountability; ii) An international independent investigation into the post election violence—from citizens and police–so that there is accountability on all sides.

iii) An interim transitional government to be formed with limited powers of governance and for a limited time–between 1 and 2 years—with Kibaki and Odinga exercising equal powers.

iv) The primary duties of this interim government should be to undertake constitutional reform, and especially explore ways of reforming the current Imperial Presidency; motivate electoral reforms, police reforms, judicial reforms, land reforms, civil service reforms, devolution of power; and conduct new elections at the end of its term.

v) The interim government should also be charged with cooling passions and starting the process of reconciliation through a Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission that starts operations immediately after the new elections. It is important that presidential elections be held at the end of the interim government to inspire confidence in Kenya's electoral processes, and as a sign of the new Kenya.

vi) It is also important to note that significant work in all of these areas of reform has already been done in various constitutional drafts and also by Government Commissions and Task Forces so Kenya would not be starting from scratch.

To ensure that there is good faith in the mediation it is imperative that the U.S. Government work with the rest of the international community to maintain pressure on Kenya's leaders to treat the mediation with utmost seriousness. To this end, we welcome U.S .leadership in raising the crisis in Kenya at the UN Security Council, and call for pressure at this level to be maintained and increased.

We also urge Congress to request the release of the exit poll conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI) without delay so as to maintain pressure on all sides to negotiate in good faith. In addition, we urge Congress to work with the EU to have the EU Observation Mission Report released immediately.

In case of continued intransigence from any of the parties we call on Congress to impose travel bans on the hardliners on both sides and especially those implicated in instigating violence whether through militia or through the police. These travel bans should extend to hardliners in the civil service and to their immediate families.

Moreover, assets of the hardliners and those involved in violence should be traced and the assets frozen.

Finally, it is important that U.S. military and security assistance be frozen immediately. All US assistance to Kenya should be channelled through non-governmental sources.

* Maina Kiai is the Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), an independent state body charged with protecting and promoting human rights in Kenya. He writes on behalf of the KNCHR, as well as for Kenyans for Peace through Truth and Justice (KPTJ), a coalition bringing together more than 50 human rights, legal and governance groups in Kenya

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

PRELIMINARY RESPONSE TO THE MEDIATION PROCESS IN KENYA

Kenyans For Peace With Truth and Justice (KPTJ) and the National Civil Society Congress (NCSC)

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/45987

February 7th 2008
Nairobi

The Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice (KPTJ) coalition and the National Civil Society congress (NCSC) wish to reiterate their unequivocal support for the Kofi Annan-led AU and internationally backed mediation process in Kenya. Kenyans are desperate to see an end to the nightmare that the current crisis represents: this process represents an important, and perhaps the only remaining, opportunity to resolve the Kenya crisis. KPTJ and NCSC also wish to restate that real, lasting peace will only be achieved through both truth and justice with regard to the Kenya Presidential Election of 2007, and the violence that followed it.

The mediation process has achieved some success as well as raising significant concerns. It deserves applause that the two major combating political antagonists in this crisis have been brought to the negotiating table. It is also deserving of mention that these two groups have remained at the negotiation table despite the very challenging and sometimes outright traumatic environment they are dialoguing under. We will shortly be addressing the content of some of the interim agreements arrived at including the proposed Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission announced on February 4, 2008.

There are, however, deep concerns that remain and have been further deepened by unfolding events. The state of insecurity and incalculable losses of life, limb and livelihood in the country is a tragic derogation of all universally accepted norms and standards of human rights. The KPTJ and NCSC support the call contained in the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation documents for the immediate restoration of the fundamental rights and freedoms of Kenyans, including the right of peaceful assembly.

We note that, in the past week or so, two Members of Parliament from one side of the political divide have been murdered in suspicious circumstances and demand the speedy and conclusive clarification of these crimes. Further there have been highly inflammatory and unacceptable statements made by Mediation Parties that trespass on the mediation agenda and undermine the prospects of successful mediation with truth and justice. The pattern of disrespect towards and slighting of international partners- including the African Union and President John Kuffuor -which manifested itself again recently with the rejection of Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa cannot go uncondemned. In this regard, the KPTJ and NCSC express their concern over reports that the hotel room of His Excellency Kofi Annan was bugged. The situation should be investigated and, if the reports are true, those responsible be identified and punished.

Let it be known that ordinary Kenyans reject any slide towards a status as a pariah nation and are pained at the cavalier treatment of those who have tried to assist us out of our present predicament. Kenya must both see and project itself as an accountable and responsible member of the community of nations, in Africa and worldwide. We therefore call on all partners, regional and international, to desist from doing “business as usual” with Kenya: the protagonists must be forced to focus on the mediation process as the most urgent order of business. With regard to this, we reject the presence of IGAD foreign ministers in Kenya at this time and the planned holding of the EAC Summit as detracting from our national focus on the Panel of Eminent Africans (Annan) mediation process.

On the mediation agenda, we note as ordinary Kenyans that both this agenda and the participating parties seem to rotate around the dispute between two contending political sides. This fails to account for the voting and non-voting citizen who will ultimately be affected by the process and resolutions arising. Kenyans are emerging from a history of numerous experiences of failed involvement by competing political protagonists from independence to the IPPG and subsequent attempts at Constitutional Reform. While confidentiality of certain aspects of mediation may be temporarily necessary, the Kenyan people must have ownership of the process and it must be accountable to them. To this end, a mechanism that encourages transparency and includes the views of Kenyans on the process is necessary.

Having benefited from an examination and analysis of the agenda and initial statement as well as the emerging reports from the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation Process, the KPTJ and NCSC wish to recommend as follows:


FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES: That the foundational principles of the Mediation Process be clarified as the acceptance of universally accepted human rights, the protection and promotion of democracy and the rule of law, accountability, transparency, and the achievement of justice for all.
TRANSPARENT GROUND RULES: That the Mediation Process transparently spells out binding rules of engagement as well as attending sanctions in cases where parties are determined to be in violation of those rules. It is important that such rules bind parties to the process to conduct themselves in a manner that builds confidence, cultivates good faith and imposes sanctionable obligations;

LEGITIMACY & ENFORCEABILITY: That the Mediation Process and its outcomes be constitutionally embedded to ensure that it is binding, enforceable and does not suffer from interference from the competing political interests or challenges to its legality or legitimacy; the Mediation outcomes should be reduced to an instrument or instruments that can be deposited in the Parliament of Kenya;

OWNERSHIP & ACCOUNTABILITY: That the Mediation Process be open to receive the views of Kenyans and be bound to give feedback to them promptly. A mechanism should be established that encourages and consolidates the views of Kenyans. This could be in the form of a timely and periodic two-way feedback mechanism into which views of Kenyans are fed and there is dissemination of concrete information to wananchi on how the issues raised are being addressed. KPTJ and NCSC appreciate initial efforts to disseminate information and strongly encourage the mediation team to be proactive and continue to circulate this information more widely so many more Kenyans can be aware of the progress made;

TRIGGERS AND ROOT CAUSES: That the Mediation Process address itself to, and deal with, the context which has precipitated this crisis and in particular the underlying issues of electoral, institutional and constitutional failure, impunity, political corruption and the ethnicization of politics in order to lay the framework for finding a lasting resolution to the Kenya crisis;

ADDRESSING VIOLENCE: That the Mediation Process address all forms of violence that have manifested themselves through this crisis, while appreciating its evolving nature and the real capacity problems inherent in the task of ending widespread violence against Kenyan citizens. KPTJ believes that violence has evolved from the spontaneous post-election protests and organised militia action, to vigilante entrenchment and general banditry and crime. Responses must recognize that resolving violence is no longer just political but must encompass a range of urgent measures such as the enhancement of police capacity, restoring confidence of Kenyans in their security apparatus, and the creation of social safety nets;

TREATMENT OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED KENYAN CITIZENS: That due attention be paid to the safety and rights of the 350- 500,000 Internally Displaced Kenyan citizens so that their freedom to independently choose whether they should move or evacuate from their respective locations is not fettered but rather honored and facilitated. It is callous to compel people to live in places where they feel insecure without providing credible guarantees for their security;

TRUTH JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION: That discussions on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation must address independent, impartial, effective and expeditious mechanisms of restorative justice for all victims in order to address the self-negating cycles of revenge and violence. Such a process must draw a distinction between historical or communal grievances and contemporary crimes which should be investigated and prosecuted, lest violence end up being rewarded under the guise of addressing historical grievances or exacting revenge for perceived victimisation;

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: That Constitutional reform must be fast-tracked into a short-term and medium-term time-frame so as to make it practicable. A comprehensive constitution-making process should be entrenched in the current constitution through a constitutional amendment. Priority should be given to electoral reform, transitional government arrangements, top-level public service reforms, judicial reform and police reform. Immediately thereafter the comprehensive constitutional reforms should be completed.

ADDRESS CAPACITY DEFICITS: That any capacity deficits of the parties to reach and assure agreement be addressed and facilitated by the Parliament of Kenya and if need be the AU and the international community. That the international community continue to take such measures as are necessary to ensure that the Mediation Parties and their respective supporters are held accountable to the Kenyan people and to the principles of truth with justice.

KPTJ and the NCSC salute all Kenyans, such as those in civil society and the business community, who have resolved to work for lasting peace through truth and justice and call on non-violence to achieve these objectives. KPTJ and NCSC also applaud and express full solidarity with the Kofi Annan-led AU mediation process for beginning to craft a way out of this cataclysmic crisis in Kenya. KPTJ and NCSC appreciate the positive contributions of those such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and the African Union Summit. Given the historical failure of many national processes to resolve Kenya’s problems, it behoves all to ensure that there are concerted efforts to work towards the ultimate success of the AU Mediation Process in Kenya.

God/Allah Bless Kenya.

Signed:


The National Civil Society Congress
Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG)
Awaaz
Bunge la Mwananchi
Centre for Law and Research International (CLARION)
Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD)
Centre for Rights, Education and Awareness for Women (CREAW)
The Cradle-the Childrens Foundation
Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO)
East African Law Society (EALS)
Fahamu
Haki Focus
Hema la Katiba
Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU)
Innovative Lawyering
Institute for Education in Democracy (IED)
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya)
International Centre for Policy and Conflict
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)
Kenya Leadership Institute (KLI)
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)
Kituo cha Sheria
RECESSPA
Law Society of Kenya (LSK)
MARS Group Kenya
Muslim Human Rights Forum
National Convention Executive Council (NCEC)
Society for International Development (SID)
The 4 Cs
Urgent Action Fund (UAF)-Africa
Youth Agenda

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Intellectuals fail in times of crisis

Simon Gikandi

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/45990

Simon Gikandi takes on the role of the intellectual in a time of crisis.

What is the role of the intellectual in times of crisis? Do ideas make any difference in the management of public affairs? Can the imperative to act to change things be reconciled to moral demands?

These are questions that many Kenyans, especially the intellectual and professional classes have been wrestling with in the aftermath of the flawed elections of December 2007 and the wreckage of destruction and death that it has left in its wake.

At the centre of the agonising and hand- wringing that has been evident in the writings of intellectuals responding to the crisis, has been the question of how individuals should respond to a series of events that have broken up families, destroyed old friendships, and turned the very notion of a Kenyan identity into a what Chinua Achebe, writing on Nigeria, once called a convenient fiction.

What now appears to be a moral or ethical gap in the conduct of public affairs in Kenya has tended to be blamed on the political class, its opportunism, and its greed.

What has been missing in this debate, however, is the role of the intellectual class, the one group of people who should have provided us with the theoretical apparatus for managing public affairs without consideration of the demands of power politics and the dangerous cocktail of sectarianism and careerism.

Indeed, since 1982, we Kenyan intellectuals have abrogated our responsibilities as custodians of free thought and willingly supported the antics and policies of the political class.

Now we are in danger of yielding the moral high ground to the most parochial segments of our population. Soon, we will be at the beck and call of the Kenyan equivalent of John Kony or the late Alice Lakwena in northern Uganda.

Intellectuals are not likely to be seen walking across the rural countryside dressed in “tribal” dress, and wielding machetes, but it is a well-known fact that in Kenya some of our best minds have provided the ideas and the idiom that has fuelled communal conflict.

The worst kind of failure has been one of omission: The values we hold and the stories we tell ourselves, has often been distorted by respective governments and their opponents, but intellectuals have not been quick to correct such distortions.

The history books used in Kenyan secondary schools are a glaring example of this failure. They are all written to confirm to a syllabus established by the Ministry of Education and thus, instead of presenting history in a critical version, they rehearse political mythologies in the language of bureaucracy.

The section on political leaders in the New History Syllabus is a glaring example of what happens when the regimen of truth is sacrificed to bureaucratic expediency: it talks about the achievements of Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, Ronald Ngala, Oginga Odinga, and Daniel arap Moi, without even a hint of their monumental failures, the colossal mistakes that have brought us to the current crisis.

The history books used in our schools do not even pretend to invite critical thinking or to raise basic questions about historical memory, actions, or ideals.

The sections dealing with the structures of government, especially the role of the Electoral Commission of Kenya in governance, are banal recitations of the statutory function of this now disgraced body and others.

And it does not end there: Turning to the subject of “Mau, Mau” is even more troubling. Here, the most contentious event in the modern history of Kenya is represented as a list of causes and results, not conflicts and debates.

Major scholarship has been done on “Mau Mau” in some of the major universities in the world and great advances have been made on the politics of the movement, its causes and its aftermath, but the new history syllabus is not very different from the one in operation 35 years ago when I was a high school student.

Then and now, the education of Kenyan children was organised around a bureaucratic consensus. No wonder many products of our educational system rehearse some of the darkest moments of our cultural history with a bizarre mixture of ignorance and impunity, willing to slaughter their neighbours, friends, and even members of the own family in the name of invented colonial identities.

There is another dimension to the failure of national pedagogy: Why have Kenyan intellectuals failed to rise beyond partisanship to provide the voice of reason when rationality is needed most? I have known some of the intellectuals associated with both the Kibaki and Raila camps since I was an undergraduate at the University of Nairobi in the late 1970s and I worked with many of them in various groups opposed to the last dictatorship.

Yet, the people who should be providing guidance through the crisis, promoting the larger ideals that might still hold the country together, now seem to be functioning as the cold war warriors of the plutocracies.

What happened? It is common knowledge that after the 1982 coup attempt, the Moi government embarked on a systematic destruction of the university as an autonomous unit of knowledge production.

The campaign against the university took two forms: First, there was the imprisonment and forced exile of intellectuals and the wilful emaciation of institutions of higher education which, deprived of essential material resources and overwhelmed with unreasonable demands for admission, were reduced into skeletons of their former selves.

Second, the professorial class was incorporated into the State apparatus. Shuffled between the university and the bureaucracy, professors and lecturers could no longer claim to be custodians of free thinking; instead, they had become workers in the service of power. here were several consequences of the destruction of the university as an autonomous body.

One was the emergence of the Non Governmental Organisation as an alternative sphere of knowledge production. Unable to get jobs or sustain research projects at the university, intellectuals turned to non-governmental organisations, most of them funded by foreign interests.

It is here that some modicum of research was conducted in such areas as the rule of law, democracy, and gender equality. NGOs were crucial in creating a space in which issues that were not part of the state’s agenda for the university could be explored, but NGO knowledge could not provide a real alternative to the university as an autonomous space for disinterested thought.

It is not my intention here to malign NGOs, which I consider crucial in civic education, poverty eradication, and the general business of ensuring good governance, but NGOs are dependent on the interests of their foreign donors who decide research priorities within the larger project of “development.”

Much more seriously, NGO knowledge could not be pure knowledge because it was premised on utilitarian ends and its success was judged on its ability to influence policy. NGO knowledge could not be a substitute for the university as a conduit of pure knowledge.

A final consequence of the destruction of the local university was the expatriation of Kenyan knowledge. Kenyan intellectuals, working in all fields of human knowledge, hold prestigious positions in some of the leading universities in the world. Many of them produce important knowledge on Kenyan issues.

But in relation to the Kenyan polity, this is extroverted knowledge, produced within the confines and privileged spaces of foreign universities, and tied to the institutional needs and desires of foreign audiences and interests.

Research on Africa outside Africa carries the burden of its own alienation in relation to the place that is supposed to be its object of study.

* Prof Gikandi teaches at Princeton University. This article first appeared in the Business Daily Africa.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Intellectual and Social Responsibility in Scholarship: Lessons from Professor Issa Shivji

Francis B. Nyamnjoh

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/45989

Francis B. Nyamnjoh reflects on the central role Issa Shivji has played in the development of African revolutionary scholarship.

It is 15th July 2006 at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Issa G. Shivji, at 60, is giving his valedictory lecture. Titled “Lawyers in Neoliberalism: Authority’s Professional Supplicants or Society’s Amateurish Conscience”, the lecture marks the end of a rich and distinguished 36 year career of selfless service that started as a tutorial assistant in May 1970 and was crowned with full professorship in July 1986. The lecture is on a theme that has been at the centre of Shivji’s humanity and scholarship since his student days in East Africa and the United Kingdom. If neoliberalism cultivates corporate greed and reinforces an elitist order that never tires of globalizing a culture of poverty, Shivji as a lawyer and scholar has positioned himself passionately and selfishly at variance with neoliberalism. He uses changing land and labour regimes in Tanzania to criticize the changing concepts of personhood and human agency that have tended to question cultures and socio-political communities underpinned by collective success where greed is not the creed. Drawing on leading labour cases, Shivji convincingly demonstrates how Tanzania and Africa have jumped “from the frying pan of state nationalism into the fire of corporate neoliberalism”, hence his criticism of lawyers who come across more as technicians oiling the wheels of neoliberalism than as saboteurs to the corporate greed and global consumer culture it champions.

As he argues, neoliberalism generates a transnational legal intelligentsia to serve and oil it. The neoliberal elite globalizes the so-called ‘rule of law’, not as embedded in liberal political values of the Enlightenment period, but rather as “firmly rooted in the exigencies of the ‘rule of capital’ in the service of a corporatocracy.” The result is the global “expansion and protection of property relations and private appropriation of surplus value,” to the detriment of multitudes of poor and ordinary citizens simply seeking to get by. In the valedictory lecture, reproduced in the popular pan-African Pambazuka electronic news bulletin: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/36468, Shivji is scathing in his criticism of African lawyers and intellectuals at the beg and call of neoliberalism, which privileges profit over people and is interested in development and culture only to the extent that these guarantee profitability. Shivji has remained consistent and uncompromisingly critical over the last forty years.

In 1968, he published “The Educated Barbarians”, an article that was passionately critical by the injustices of unequal encounters that had reduced being cultured to emptying oneself of all meaningful cultural difference vis-à-vis neocolonial forces and its harbingers in Africa. In those days, as today, Shivji was committed to Africans old and young passionate about making the world a better place politically, economically and culturally. In his words, “We discussed Fanon while we worked in cashew nut farms around the University, taught literacy classes in Mlalakuwa based on Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, built our own shelters, called houses, through self-help.” It was an exercise of making both development and culture in tune with the lives and expectations of those called upon to partake of both.

This passionate commitment to challenging the culture of injustice and greed with the culture of equality of humanity and the celebration of difference seems to diminish in Africa by the day. Shivji is worried, and blames the insidiousness of Neo-liberalism, which “has taken its toll and the language of consultancy has displaced and replaced the language of conscience and commitment.” He argues that “corporatisation of the university is part of the neoliberal ideological attack on critical thinking, on intellectuals who would ‘Speak Truth to Power’. It undermines the university as a critical site of knowledge, as a mirror of society. No doubt, temptations are great and none of us is immune.” This recognition, notwithstanding, Shivji is particularly scandalized by the fact that even the committed progressive scholars of yesteryears “can only agonize and gradually forget even to diagnose the ills of our society.”

Professor Issa Shivji has had a rich career as one of Africa’s leading experts on law and development issues. He retires as director of the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Dar es Salaam where he has taught since 1970’s. In Tanzania where he was born in 1946, Shivji has served as advocate of the High Court and the Court of Appeal of Tanzania since 1977 and advocate of High Court in Zanzibar since 1989. He has served as visiting professor in Mexico, Zimbabwe, South Africa, United Kingdom, India, Hong Kong and USA, and has won several awards and distinctions. Shivji’s influence as a lawyer, scholar, professor and public intellectual is global. He has researched, written and published extensively on a broad range of issues including on human rights, land tenure, labour, higher education and the politics of recognition and representation.

He has published 15 books that include his 1989 groundbreaking The Concepts of Human Rights in Africa - a critique of dominant ideologies of human rights that seeks to reconceptualise human rights from the perspective of the working people of Africa, 6 monographs, 33 book chapters, 36 articles in scholarly journals, and over 40 other papers, reports and writings in newspapers, newsletters and bulletins. His most recent book -- Let the People Speak: Tanzania Down the Road to Neoliberalism—published by CODESRIA to coincide with his valedictory lecture, consists of 90 critical and thought-provoking essays selected from over 150 written between 1990 and 2005 in three different newspapers. The book captures the richness of Shivji’s contributions as a public intellectual. It deals with the period when Tanzania under external pressures from donors and financial institutions was forced down the road of neo-liberalism. The local compradorial elites whose economic appetites had been suppressed under Nyerere’s radical nationalism now openly flexed muscles to get a place under the capitalist sun as nationalism, radical or otherwise, was abandoned, and neo-liberalism uncritically embraced.

The essays are on varied subjects ranging from the politics of multi-party, the strains and stresses of the Union with Zanzibar, the deep-seated extra-constitutional behaviour of the ruling elite to the hopes, fears and resistance of the working people. In these essays, contemporary Tanzanian history is recorded in sweeping journalistic strokes without burying the commitment of a critical public intellectual in turgid scholarship. As a warning on the slippery slope that neo-liberalism constitutes, Let the People Speak will echo in many an African country. Hence the salience and relevance of Shivj’s renewed call for the resurrection of a radical, people driven Pan-Africanism. Shivji sees in the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), an institution that epitomizes the Pan-Africanism he would want to resurrect. CODESRIA was created in 1973 with a clear mandate to promote the production and dissemination of multidisciplinary social research by African scholars. It was tasked with the responsibility of doing this simultaneously with an investment of effort in transcending the various barriers of language, geography, discipline, gender and generation that hamper cross-national African networking for the advancement of science.

As a foundation member, Shivji has played important roles in the life of CODESRIA. He has been an authoritative and important voice. His high standing and commitment to intellectual activism have played a pivotal role in CODESRIA’s history. The Social Science community in Africa has benefited enormously from the spread of his ideas and influence, and from the encouragement that he has never relented in giving so many people. Shivji has served CODESRIA in various capacities over the years, including as: Chair person for the Drafting Committee to the 1990 Dar es Salaam Declaration on Academic Freedom & Social Responsibility of Academics; Director of CODESRIA Democratic Governance Institute, July – September 1996; Chairperson, CODESRIA Governance Reform Committee, 2000-2002; and Executive Committee member of CODESRIA, 2002-2005. It is this African and global social science community which Shivji has shaped and been shaped by that reacted with outpours of email messages of congratulations and recognition when Shivji made public his retirement through an open invitation to his valedictory lecture.

Without space to do justice to the scores of testimonies in praise of him, let me refer only to a few: Carlos Lopes, a scholar of Guinea Bissau currently Assistant Secretary General at the UNO, writes:

When I was still a teenager I was already reading Issa Shivji, thanks to my mentor's insistence, the late Mário de Andrade, leading Angolan intellectual and founder of the MPLA. When later I wrote my first book, in 1982, quotes from Shivji were prominent. So despite being from a totally different generation I feel I have been in dialogue with Shivji for decades now; and, as a result, consider his enduring influence on my thinking, very important. However what I really would like to mention is the personality of this scholar that always considered himself an agent of change, a revolutionary, committed to the transformation of our beloved continent. From the Dar School to the activism of AAPS, or CODESRIA, Issa has been a reference figure because of his personality. Bonds were established because of his intellectual honesty. We know what he stands for and we know his personal interests matter little for he is a man of convictions, and his convictions are for the good of the collective. At this moment I would like to pay tribute to him and his colleagues that have put the University of Dar es Salaam in the radar of Africa's transformation. We need you!

Dr. Thandika Mkandawire, former Executive Secretary of CODESRIA, author of African Intellectuals, and currently Director of UNRISD in Geneva, writes: Dear Issa, Thanks for the invitation. I really wish I could attend this event to pay tribute to a courageous and inspiring scholar I hope you realise that your retirement at such an early age simply marks a new beginning. I therefore look forward to more of your seminal work. Warm regards

Dr. Jacques Depelchin, a committed intellectual, academic, and activist for peace, democracy, transparency and pro-people politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and author of Silences in African History, writes:

Dear Issa, For your fidelity and commitment to emancipatory politics at all times, we can never thank you enough. However, do not worry, although things might look gloomy, there are unmistakable signs that --to paraphrase Ayi Kwei Armah in his novel KMT-- the people of the Sphere shall prevail over the people of the Pyramid. It is easier to heal than to give into the idea that everything has fallen apart. Do take care

Dr. Jimi Adesina, Professor of Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa, and co-editor of Africa and Development Challenges in the New Millennium, writes: Mzee: Wished I could be there. Thanks for the years of inspiring intellectual leadership that you given all of us and the space that you continue to provide for the intellectual project at the service of ordinary people, who daily do extraordinary things. I am sure this is only a formal end of employment at UD rather than a retirement. May your cooking place never grow cold!

The President of CODESRIA Teresa Cruz e Silva, a Mozambican Historian, had this, among other things, to say: Professor Issa Shivji is a brother, a friend, and in many ways an inspiration to Africans big and small, an intellectual animated by a passion for freedom, a passion well summed up in the title of his latest book: ‘Let the People Speak’. After such an illustrious academic life rich in contribution to the development of Social Sciences in Africa, Professor Issa Shivji deserves his formal retirement from the University of Dar es Salaam, although I doubt, given his wisdom and generosity of spirit, that he is going to allow himself the rest he needs. On behalf of CODESRIA, also represented today by the eminent Professor Archie Mafeje and two former Presidents of CODESRIA, Professors Zenebeworke Tadesse and Mahmood Mamdani -- all three of them founding members of CODESRIA, allow me Professor Shivji to congratulate you and the University of Dar es Salaam for your outstanding academic production and your contribution to the formation of new generations of African scholars in the last decades. Allow me also, personally, to express my gratitude and my tremendous admiration for your scholarship and integrity, as well as your strong intellectual activism illustrated by your writings on Africa and particularly on contemporary Tanzanian issues, and your consistent and very honest positions concerning world politics.

My first true memory of Issa Shivji´s name come from the mid to the late 70´s, after the independence of my country, Mozambique, when at the very new African Studies Centre at Eduardo Mondlane University and under the leadership of Ruth First and Aquino de Bragança, an uninformed young and enthusiastic group of Mozambicans received all the strong influence of the Dar es Salaam school, particularly the very first contacts with issues related with African development, the new research approaches on African history and for the first time a rare chance to read African authors. For scholars of my generation, Issa Shivji´s name always has been a source of inspiration and an extraordinary example of struggle to build up African universities not only with high standards, but with scholars committed to the development of the continent. The huge range of Issa´s achievements was and is still recognized by successive generations of scholars who have his work and intellectual commitment as a source of inspiration. Today we are here to celebrate a transition from one fruitful stage to another one in the academic life of Professor Issa Shivji. Issa´s energy and commitment have been a vital resource for CODESRIA, and for the social science community in general. We sincerely trust that he will continue to guide the young generations and to give more and more of his commitment to African Development. Which is way I say to him: Issa, for this new phase of your life we wish you happiness and good fortune, but CODESRIA cannot guarantee you the rest you so badly need after working so hard. For we need you even more than ever to mentor the younger generation in whom you have sown the seeds of HOPE in a bright future for Africa.

Professor Issa Shivji has never been a lip service scholar, less still a scholar who pays lip service to social responsibility. He does not thrive in dissemblance, and would state his mind even at the risk of being the only voice who dares to say the king is naked in his new clothes. Not untypical therefore, he found reason to voice his concerns about the the Mo Ibrahim Prize for a retired African president which was awarded to Joachim Chissano of Mozambique. In this commentary titled “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul” (see Pambazuka), Shivji argues that “it is naïve, if not mischievous, to award a person – moreover with a cash prize – for bringing peace or democracy to his country.” He questions the reason for the award – “good governance”, the yardsticks by which this is determined, and the derogatory assumptions vis-à-vis Africa, its humanity and dignity that surround the award. He particularly regrets the “uncritical and unqualified celebration” of the award “by scribes and even academics and intellectuals”.

It is too simplistic, he argues, to assume that African problems are created exclusively by Africans, or that the excesses of the world out there has little bearing on the excesses of the world in here. Not to recognize this especially by scholars is dangerous, as it could easily lead to mistaking villains for heroes, mercenaries for savours, dictators for democrats, exploiters for philanthropists, capitalists for socialists. Only such critical understanding can put in perspective the fact that no one who has “made millions of dollars from the sweat and blood of the African people” can be celebrated when instead of returning “a few million to the people through providing badly needed schools, dispensaries, and water wells, proceeds to “add insult to injury by robbing (poor) Peter to pay (rich) Paul.” As Shahida El-Baz remarked in an email to me and others when she read this piece by Issa Shivji, “This is really refreshing. To read/hear such honest, brilliant and committed analysis is like a glowing light in the middle of darkness, where a great number of those, who used to be called progressive intellectuals, enjoy adopting uncritically the fashionable concepts and policies of imperialist globalization. It is also a typical description of what is happening in all our countries. Thank you Issa for holding the torch so high. Keep going…”

The magnitude of Professor Issa Shivji’s scholarly, legal, political and educational contributions to development and culture in Africa and globally, and his humanity, honesty and generosity of spirit constitute a glowing example worth emulating of intellectual and social responsibility in action and in tune with Africa and its predicaments.

* Francis B. Nyamnjoh is Associate Professor and Head of Publications and Dissemination with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). Email: Nyamnjoh@gmail.com, Website: www.nyamnjoh.com

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Xenophobia is all of us - a response to Pius Adesanmi

Owen Sichone

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/panafrican/45967

Owen Sichone responds to Pius Adesanmi on the issue of black South Africa's xenophobia towards other Africans

I was quite amazed by Pius Adesanmi's description of South African xenophobia mainly because it was such a non-African perspective. At the end I was left thinking "They've got you my brother, they've got you."

Everyone knows that xenophobia is a problem in South Africa so there is no need to differ with him on that point. However, the Biafran war alone should prove that xenophobia in Nigeria has a presence, even without mentioning the mass expulsion of the Ghanaian teachers and other guest workers once upon a time.
In a paper celebrating the cosmopolitan nationalism of the FRELIMO fighters he had visited in the liberated zones of pre-independence Mozambique, Yoweri Museveni (then a student at the University of Dar es salaam contrasted this revolutionary nationalism with the tribalism of the Ugandan peasants and Makerere intelligentsia:

"The peasants in western region of Uganda, for instance will refer to people from the Northern region of the country as Banyamahanga (foreigners) or as Abadokori (somebody whose language is not intelligible). (Y.T. Museveni 1972. 'Fanon's Theory of Violence: Its Verification in Liberated Mozambique' Department of Political Science, University of Dar es Salaam) so there. It is not only the South Africans who call foreigners babblers or barbaroi. And it is not always an insult either, but that is a topic for another discussion. It does not seem that anyone, either on the street, the taxis or KFC outlet called him Ikwerekwere but he nevertheless describes it quite well:

"… we took a bus and headed back to Georges Hérault's residence. I still don't know what it was about us that gave us away as foreigners but the other passengers, all Blacks, lapsed into an uneasy silence as soon as we entered. I looked at the faces around us and thought I saw hostility." I do not doubt that he saw something that looked like hostility but why didn't he say Sani bonani nonke" and see if anybody would bother to return his greeting? Is that not what we do in Africa?

"The tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Harry confirmed my worst fears when we left the bus. I had just experienced, firsthand, South African xenophobia and I was to experience it again and again throughout my three-month sojourn in that country. Harry explained to me – with the coolness of someone used to it - that the Black South African passengers on the bus had identified us as makwerekwere, hence the naked hostility." Yes they have got you. They have got you so bad that you are paranoid. In contrast when Adewale Maja-Pearce came to Johannesburg he was not jumpy and do you know why? Because he was not wearing American blinkers. If he had not been intimidated by Lagos, he reasoned, nothing that Jozi could throw at him would shake him. Oyinbo man needs to look at Africa with the Open Minds that Fela once sang about and not fear his own shadow.

In many accounts of the Rwandan and Burundian genocides, killers have discovered that they killed one of their own would lament: "We thought he was Hutu" or "He looked like a Tutsi" and judging identity by the appearance method is unreliable – to the say the least but so is judging hostility by level of fear felt.
Yes Makwerekwere is the derogatory term used by Black South Africans to describe non-South African blacks but amaXhosa may also call Basotho the same, and vice versa. Yes Black immigrants from the rest of Africa, are called makwerekwere but NOT especially Nigerians who are put both by police and citizens into a special category, one that evokes fear. But judging Nigerians by their appearance (tall and dark) or their favourite activity (419 activities of one sort or another) will invariably yield Cameroonians, Ivorians and Liberians etc.

So why is Pius "confounded by the fact that Black South Africa had begun to manufacture its own kaffirs so soon after apartheid" ? Like the Biafrans, they have been let done by their leaders. Just look at post-elections Kenya and see the petty bourgeois selfishness that Museveni criticised in his own country and you will understand that South African leaders have not just keep silent about the support they received from the Frontline States (including Nigeria) but that they have not shared the national cake equitably. The inherited Brazilian style gap between rich and poor always creates violence in society. There is still apartheid in post apartheid South Africa and it is not just the foreign Africans who suffer. Indeed the Nigerian doctors and other professionals are more likely to be beneficiaries of the end of the apartheid system than the poor workers whose factories closed down because of the flood of cheaper Chinese goods onto a previously protected market and now have no hope of ever earning wages again.
So let us not portray South Africans as ignorant, ungrateful or just bloodthirsty. The only way to reverse xenophobia, whether in Nigeria, Russia or South Africa is by exposing its roots in social inequalities and joining the struggle against social injustice.

* Dr. Owen Sichone is a professor in the Department of Social Anthropology, at the University of Cape Town

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Chad is also a story of blood oil

John DeMarco

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/45992

Chad is also a story [see Alex De Waal's article at http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/45872 ] of blood oil, in my opinion, and the blood is on the hands of the World Bank and western governments. Recall that in the 1990's the World Bank agressively backed western oil companies to overcome all obstacles and construct the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, delivering Chadian oil to gaping western fuel tanks. (Ironically, at the time the World Bank was running ads on CNN warning us that increasing fossil fuel consumption might contribute to global warming!) The Bank's public justification was that extracting the oil was the only hope for development in Chad. Some of us opposed the pipeline and the World Bank's role, on the grounds that Chad had no effective government and a history of conflict, and that the oil money was unlikely to be of real benefit to Chadians under those conditions. The oil has been in the ground for millions of years; we argued for keeping it there a few more years until we could be sure it would be well used. Obviously the conflict in Chad predates the oil exploitation, but the World Bank literally poured oil on the flames, providing something much more valuable for rival factions to fight over. Now we are seeing the kind of 'development' oil has brought to Chad: more years of civil war and the resulting human suffering. Will we be surprised to see western governments install or prop up whichever 'government' is likely to keep the oil flowing?

Kenya: Solutions

Amate Gaitu Project

Michael Baingana

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/45994

A re-run of the elections without fundamentally changing the constitution of Kenya would simply lead to a re-run of violence http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/45900 .

Power sharing among the political elite would not necessarily translate into a resolution of the problems at the grassroots which is where the crisis is.

Kenyans need massive devolution of power (to tax and spend, resolve and control land issues) to the provincial level and even lower levels. This is what would really let off the political steam.

On Chad, world bank and African leader corruption

Chuck Lee

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/45993

De Waal [www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/4587] reminds us that Idriss Deby "dismantled a model World Bank program for control of Chad’s oil revenue, which had been intended to ensure that the funds were used for development, rather than patronage and arms purchases. He fixed the elections. He stays in power through intrigue, intimidation and cash." This is an important reminder about how corrupt African leaders themselves play a central role in the immiseration and marginalization of their own people.

The Disillusioned African, by Francis Nyamnjoh

Reviewed br R. E Ekosso

2008-02-05

http://www.ekosso.com/2008/02/the-disillusion.html

I would not call this book a narrative in the conventional sense, but it tells a story nonetheless. It is a story of time, the times we live in. It is also (and this is where then non-narrative part comes in) a story of a man's mind. Charles is this man. His story is an engaging mixture of curiosity, great learning, down-to-earth humour, and social comment. He has left Cameroon for Merrie England to study philosophy, and he compares and contrasts the English society (and to my mind, the entire Western society by extension) with Africa. The hilarity occasioned by some of his observations is alone adequate recompense for buying the book.

Africa: Zamdela Spoken Word festival

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/45861

The Zamdela Arts and Culture Center in conjunction with Ditiro Productions and Icebound Projects host the Zamdela Spoken Word Fest from 29 February to 2 March 2008. The festival is aimed at promoting the culture of reading and writing by improving the writing and performance expertise of budding writers and exposing their works to the broader community, and by building relations between emerging and established writers. Organizers hope that the event would boost the morale of writers and artists and open doors for publishing and recording opportunities for them
ZAMDELA SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL

The Zamdela Arts and Culture Center in conjunction with Ditiro Productions and Icebound Projects host the Zamdela Spoken Word Fest from 29 February to 2 March 2008. The festival is aimed at promoting the culture of reading and writing by improving the writing and performance expertise of budding writers and exposing their works to the broader community, and by building relations between emerging and established writers. Organizers hope that the event would boost the morale of writers and artists and open doors for publishing and recording opportunities for them

The festival will kick-start with a Creative Writing and Spoken Word Workshop for about forty budding and aspirant writers on March 29 at 2pm at the Zamdela Arts and Culture Center. On 1 March at 2pm there will be a launch of the poetry book; “The Heart’s Interpreter” by Mphutlane wa Bofelo. The keynote speaker at the launch will be Allan Kolski Horwitz of Botsotso Publishing and performances will be by Kush Khoza, Botsotso Jesters, Icebound and Slam Master-Mphutlane wa Bofelo.

Kush Khoza is the alter ego of Qalo Gabela, a senior software developer and analyst who designs, develops & maintains the Pan African Culture Websitewww.kush.co.za. The Botsotso Jesters are Allan Kolski Horwitz, Ike Mboneni Muila and Siphiwe ka Ngwenya, a poetry performance collective that also publish the literary magazine, Botsotso. As Botsotso Publishing they publish books of poetry and fiction. The group has performed at many different festivals, schools and universities and are acknowledged as pioneers and innovators in the field of poetry performance. As a collective and as individuals, The Botsotso Jesters have been published in numerous anthologies, magazines and websites, both locally and internationally. As Botstso Jesters they have published We Jive Like This, (Botsotso Publishing, 1996) and Dirty Washing (Botsotso Publishing, 2000) and released the CD,Purple Light Mirror in the Mud (Botsotso Publishing, 2001. Serame wa Makhele popularly known as Icebound is one of the most celebrated Slam Poets and Spoken Word Artists in the Free State at the moment. He was a founder of Soul Poetic, a group in which he was a lead poet and backed up by a guitarist and bongo drummer who were also back up singers and composers. Icebound is also the director of the Events Management Company, Icebound Projects and a freelance journalist. The festival ends with a bang on the 2 March with the Zamdela Slamjam where 12th Slam poets will battle with words, with the audience being the ultimate judge. The Zamdela Slamjam will feature an open mic session to offer a platform to poets, comedians and singers.


Contact:

Mphutlane: 0738698726
Mamiki: 0783284123



ZAMDELA SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL
29 February

Creative Writing and Slam Poetry Workshop

2pm at Zamdela Arts and Culture Center (Participation is by confirmation and is limited to 40 participants)

1 March

Launch of “The Heart’s Interpreter” by Mphutlane wa Bofelo and performances by Kush Khoza, Botsotso Jesters, Icebound and Farouk Asvat.

Keynote speech by Allan Kolski Horwitz

(Attendance is limited to workshop participants and invited guests)

2 March

Zamdela Slamjam and open mic

2pm at Zamdela Arts and Culture Center9Attendance is free)

Contact: Mamiki (Zamdela Arts and Culture Center) 0783284123
Mphutlane (Ditiro Productions) 0738698726
Icebound (Icebound Projects) 0820429905

You, S/He: a Language Test in Time of Strife

Stephen Derwent Partington

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/45991

Rewrite this sentence as a question:

I should kill you.


Next, correct this split infinitive:

To clearly know what’s wrong.


Reverse the pronouns in this sentence:

You’ll forgive me.



The infinitive of Love is:

Love; To Love; Be Loved; Despise?


Note down five synonyms for Neighbour

and five antonyms for Hate.


Select a word from those in brackets

and insert it in this sentence:

I _______ my fellow humans

(Murder; Rape; Displace; Respect.)


Last: if a Person is the key to peace

determine if it’s I or You or S/He

(tick any one, or two, or three.)


*Stephen Derwent Partington, is the Kwani? poetry editor and a member of the Concerned Kenyan Writers Initiative.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Review of African Blogs – 02/07/2008

Dibussi Tande

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/45953

Ken Opalo comments on the continued inability of the Zimbabwean opposition to join forces in time for the forthcoming presidential elections:
“You would imagine that with a president like one Robert Mugabe the Zimbabwean opposition would do anything in their capacity to have him out of power. But you would be wrong. This power hungry lot (yes, this is what I think of them) has refused to come up with a coalition against Mugabe. Their leaders, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, have confirmed that talks between their rival MDC factions have “broken down irretrievably” - according to the BBC.
A divided MDC almost certainly guarantees the aging Mugabe a win in the March polls. … Tsvangirai and Mutambara owe it to their countrymen and women to form a united front if they really want to unseat Mugabe. They have no business running separate campaigns in March because this will guarantee the presidency to Mugabe.
[…]
Sadly, this is yet another case of African leaders lacking true leadership. It also paints a bad picture of both Tsvangirai and Mutambara and makes one doubt whether these two really want to end the bad governance that we’ve come to associate with Bob or whether they just want to perpetuate the same old practices of rent-seeking, cronyism and over-the-roof inflations rates - but may be with less human rights abuses and the jailing of opposition supporters. Even this is questionable, after seeing what Kenya has turned into following the “bad” years of Moi rule. African leaders just have a way of making you look back and shock yourself by wishing you had the likes of Moi in power.”

No Longer at Ease continues to provide daily updates on the crisis unfolding in Chad:

“The government is in control of the capital N'Djamena for the moment. The rebels are saying they'll return. But the most development has been in the French position: it seems they've made their minds up in supporting president Idris Deby, though few days ago they seemed to be waiting to see who will win. The UN resolution calling on members of the Security Council to lend support to the Chadian president raised the prospect of French intervention. The French defense minister said that their helicopters have been monitoring the Chadian-Sudanese border to expose any foreign intervention.

Thousands of Chadians have crossed over to Cameroon, and hundreds of civilians are reported dead or injured.”

Brenda Zula revisits President Levy Mwanawasa’s firing of Zambia’s Ambassador to Libya, Mbita Chitala.

“According to the Times of Zambia Newspapers, the President’s action was prompted by Mr. Chitala's article in which he was advocating for policies which he termed as being contrary to the Government position on the African Union.

Mr. Chitala was not given any authority by the Zambian government to write what he wrote on in The Tripoli Post.

‘The article has caused untold embarrassment to His Excellency the President and the Government of Zambia, and a Foreign minister of a country whose leader was described in very unkind words has intimated that he will send a note of protest to the Zambian Government.’"

Constitutionally Speaking comments on the strange case of a sex worker who took her employer to the South African Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after she was fired. The CCMA refused to hear her case on grounds that her contract with her employer was an illegal one, a view not shared by the blogger:
“The criminalisation of sex work unfairly discriminates against woman because women are mostly those arrested and harassed for offering their sexual services to men who, in turn, are mostly not similarly pursued. This infringes on the human dignity of sex workers and, I would argue, all women, because it suggests that those making the laws believe that it is acceptable to have a different standard by which the law could measure male and female sexuality.
Besides, this kind of legal marginalisation - based on the moral views of some in our society - should have no place in a Constitutional state based on the respect for diversity and difference.
[…]
While it is therefore correct to say that the common law prevents the enforcement of illegal contracts, I would argue that as far as the protection of vulnerable groups such as sex workers are concerned, the Bill of Rights now requires us to jettison this principle of the common law. In stead, it requires an expansive interpretation of the definition of employer in the LRA to include protection for vulnerable groups like sex workers who harm no one when they engage in the illegal activity of prostitution.


CNN Lybia one of the rare English language blogs from Lybia writes about deletion of one of the leading Libyan blogs following a campaign by the Libyan Union of Bloggers:

“Those of you who browse the Arabic language sector of the Libyan blogosphere, have definitely come across what used to be the most popular Libyan blog of Tariq Ali, a Libyan guy who confessed frankly that he didn’t believe in any religion… his blog has recently been deleted after [a] message… sent by the Libyan union of bloggers to maktoob, the host of Tariq's blog.
[…]
The other thing that is far beyond me is the reason behind the move of the Libyan union of bloggers against Tariq!! Was it because the guy identified himself as a Libyan? And they think of themselves as our guardians, so they have the right to impose a censorship of what we write? Do we have to be more cautious now, since we have a union that is capable of causing our blogs to be deleted? Are they proud of their union now as its first accomplishment was silencing a Libyan blogger? Has Tariq lost his blog because he doesn’t believe in God, or because he is Libyan??

This so-called union of Libyan bloggers doesn’t actually offer anything to Libyan bloggers, it only speaks in our name to achieve the personal goals of its founders, so "she" can add in her CV that she is the elected boss of all Libyan bloggers.”

Scribbles from the Den has a more upbeat and positive article, originally published in Chicago Tribune, about the increasing political influence of African bloggers:
“But perhaps the most remarkable -- and least appreciated -- novelty in Africa's turbulent political scene is the blossoming of information technology.
The world's poorest continent is, not surprisingly, also its least wired: Only 5 percent of Africans have access to the Internet, compared with the global population's average of 22 percent. But Web use in Africa has exploded almost ninefold since 2000, experts say. And by prying open the stranglehold that repressive regimes once held on the news, it has become, in the hands of ingenious Africans, a powerful tool for democratization and even disaster relief.
[…]
The U.S. should take note. As it prepares to engage with Africa more intensely than at any time since the Cold War, in part by the Pentagon's establishment of a new Africa Command headquarters to coordinate military and security interests, the U.S. will be competing on an increasingly flat information playing field.
Gone are the days when Washington could control its messages in client states. The scruffy cyber cafes of Chad and the man in Congo who rents his cell phone by the minute -- sometimes climbing atop a tree to improve reception -- ensure that Washington's voice will have to vie with those of the resource-hungry Chinese, or with the designs of Al Qaeda recruiters.”

* Dibussi Tande, a writer and activist from Cameroon, produces the blog Scribbles from the Den

Interviews with women in north Kivu

Rwanda’s Contact FM radio talks to women in north Kivu in the forefront of fighting what has been described as “femicide” in eastern DRC.

2008-02-07

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/broadcasts/podcasts.php

In this series of interviews, Rwanda’s Contact FM radio talks to women in north Kivu in the forefront of fighting what has been described as “femicide” in eastern DRC.
The recent peace conference in Goma, north Kivu has raised hopes that a durable solution to the almost decade long conflict in eastern DRC will finally be found. But Congolese women of DRC are paying a huge price as each bout of fighting results in ever more women raped and mutilated. Rape is being used as a weapon of war in what increasingly looks like a no win situation for all parties concerned and Congolese women are upping the ante in the fight to break the silence about the atrocities committed against them for too many years.

Kenya: China donates US$300,000

2008-02-07

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/africa_china/45957

Chinese government donated 300,000 US dollars humanitarian aid to Kenyan Red Cross Society on Monday. "A friend in need is a friend indeed," Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhang Ming said in the handover ceremony, adding the Chinese government and its people had enjoyed a "deep friendship" with the Kenyan. "During the current difficult time, the Chinese government and its people are highly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Kenya, and that's why we made donations one after another," said the ambassador.

Southern Africa: China formally opens embassy in new ally Malawi

2008-02-07

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iSymN7EBlfJIGBpStLQUl4c_TVSA

China on Saturday formally opened a new embassy in Malawi, after the poor southern African nation announced last week it was switching its diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing. "We have officially established diplomatic relations to serve the common aspirations of the people of the two countries," Zhai Ju, assistant foreign minister and special envoy to Chinese President Hu Jintao, said in a prepared speech obtained by AFP.

West Africa: China signs to lend Gabon $83 mln for hydro dam

2008-02-07

http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN732858.html

China will lend Gabon 37.2 billion CFA francs on concessionary terms to part-fund a hydroelectric dam scheme, the central African country's presidency said in a statement published on Saturday. The "Grand Poubara" hydro scheme is linked to a $3 billion Chinese-led project to mine iron ore at Belinga, which is a key plank in government efforts to wean Gabon's middle-income economy away from dependence on declining oil production.

MDC unity pact crumbles

2008-02-07

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15524

The much awaited and celebrated united front of the two Movement for Democratic Change factions that was sealed last Sunday crumbled in the eleventh hour again presenting President Robert Mugabe with chances to win the March 29 election. Arthur Mutambara leader of one MDC faction told the media contingency that the whole deal had been reversed following an impasse over nomination seats.

Support the people of Zimbabwe - London meeting

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/45907

The 29 March elections will not solve Zimbabwe's crisis. From 8 - 9 February, nearly 4,000 delegates will attend the Zimbabwe People's Convention in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to decide how to organise themselves and work together to bring about peace and social justice. The majority of Zimbabwean men, women and children do not have food, clean water, and medical services. Come and hear what they have to say and find out how you can support them.
"A Little Solidarity Goes a Long Way!"

Support the People of Zimbabwe Saturday 23 February; 12.30pm - 5pm Room G2, School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), Thornhaugh St., London, WC1

The 29 March elections will not solve Zimbabwe's crisis. From 8 - 9 February, nearly 4,000 delegates will attend the Zimbabwe People's Convention in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to decide how to organise themselves and work together to bring about peace and social justice. The majority of Zimbabwean men, women and children do not have food, clean water, and medical services. Come and hear what they have to say and find out how you can support them.

+ FILM OF ZIMBABWE PEOPLE'S CONVENTION

Russell Square tube. Buses - 7, 59, 68, 91, 168, 188
077 899 90 397 or 079 844 05 307
Organised by the African Liberation Support Campatign and Free Zim Youth

Bulawayo Polytechnic suspends five students

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/45920

In a move calculated to instill fear in students, Bulawayo Polytechnic College has suspended five students following a demonstration staged by ZINASU on 23rd of January 2007. The Principal, Mr. T. P. Ndlovu has vowed to deal amply with all those who involved themselves in the demonstration. The suspended students are Melusi Hlambano, Food and Accommodation Secretary 2006, Tinashe Mhlanga, Bothwell Gwature, Brian Sibanda and Tinashe Chichera.
In a move calculated to instill fear in students, Bulawayo Polytechnic College has suspended five students following a demonstration staged by ZINASU on 23rd of January 2007. The Principal, Mr. T. P. Ndlovu has vowed to deal amply with all those who involved themselves in the demonstration. The suspended students are Melusi Hlambano, Food and Accommodation Secretary 2006, Tinashe Mhlanga, Bothwell Gwature, Brian Sibanda and Tinashe Chichera. These students are being accused of inciting other students to revolt against the administration due to poor education delivery system. It is alleged that more students, who are to date evading audience with the Principal, are on the suspension waiting list, and shall be issued with their suspension letters upon having audience with the Principal.
These students, after being issued with their suspension letters on 2nd of February 2008, were immediately escorted by the campus security out of the campus premises. They are stranded right now as some of them come from outside Bulawayo. They are yet to attend a hearing on this matter.
Meanwhile the Vice President, Emmanuel Mabuda is being threatened that if any ZINASU activity is carried out on campus without the knowledge of the administration and the police, he shall be suspended. ZINASU treasurer was also abducted and dumped in Nyamandlovu, 30 kilometers outside Bulawayo.

Students Solidarity Trust

Police raid youth Forum offices

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/45921

In a clear case of the intolerance and partisan nature that continues to characterize the police force, 10 police officers on Saturday 2 February raided the Youth Forum offices in Harare. They arrested Terence Chimhavi the Youth Forum’s Advocacy Officer as well as Farirai Mageza, a member of the Youth Forum in Harare. The two were arrested at around 1600hrs and were detained at Avondale Police Station where they were thoroughly interrogated for more than 8 hours.
POLICE RAID YOUTH FORUM OFFICES

In a clear case of the intolerance and partisan nature that continues to characterize our police force, 10 police officers on Saturday 2 February raided the Youth Forum offices in Harare. They arrested Terence Chimhavi the Youth Forum’s Advocacy Officer as well as Farirai Mageza, a member of the Youth Forum in Harare. The two were arrested at around 1600hrs and were detained at Avondale Police Station where they were thoroughly interrogated for more than 8 hours. The two were accused of being the masterminds behind the spraying of graffiti messages denouncing gross misgovernance on walls around Avondale Shopping Center. The police based their allegation on the fact that they had seen posters of civic society leaders who were brutalized by their colleagues on March 11 2007 and other posters depicting gross human rights violation and the general meltdown of social service delivery in Zimbabwe at Youth Forum offices. The two were released after midnight without any charges leveled against them.

The two had gone to the Youth Forum’s offices to do some office work and were surprised to see ten plain clothes officers from Avondale Police Station from the Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI) unit. The police officers were in the company of one Mapfumo, a Harare property mogul who owns the premises that house the Youth Forum offices. Apparently Mapfumo who had an axe on his person had led these officers to the offices on the pretext that he wanted to evict the Youth Forum from his property as he felt that he personally did not like the nature of work that the Youth Forum was undertaking. Mapfumo said he wanted to evict the Youth Forum and create space for the Ministry Of Policy Implementation In The Office Of The President. Mapfumo told the two in the presence of the police officers that the Ministry of Policy Implementation in the Office of the President had raised serious concerns with him on the activities of the Youth Forum when they had visited the premises to view them as they wanted to acquire the property as they gear up for the harmonized March 29 elections. Mapfumo further alleged that some of the posters that were in the offices were subversive and denigrated the President whom he personally had no problems with. Mapfumo said he preferred to have more progressive people on the premises rather than the Youth Forum who are into the ‘business of politics’. Mapfumo further gave a directive in front of the police officers that he wanted the Youth Forum out of his premises before Monday the 4th of February, failure of which he promised to take decisive action which he said was not going to be very pleasant for the Youth Forum. He also further threatened to take the case to higher offices.

The behavior exhibited by the police is shocking but not surprising as they temporarily allowed Mapfumo to be above the law. The Youth Forum offices have for the past 5 months been under surveillance by people who are suspected to be from the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). These people who are in the habit of changing vehicles with tinted windows everyday, usually park their vehicles a few meters from the Youth Forum offices, a clear tactic to intimidate the Youth Forum workers and members who frequent the offices.

This case is just but a tip of the iceberg. Cases of harassment of civic rights activists are clearly on the rise, mainly attributed to the impending harmonized elections slated for March 29. The Youth Forum is fully aware of the tactics used to silence pro-democratic institutions by the police as they seek to jealously guard Mugabe’s quest to remain Zimbabwe’s president. The behavior exhibited by police clearly shows their partisan nature. It is quite surprising that the police could not lay any charges against the two despite having detained and interrogated them for such a long period of time. What is also shocking is how the police could tolerate a man wielding an axe, a weapon which is classified as a very dangerous weapon, to execute an eviction. Surely there are legal procedures in place for any evictions to take place.

Such conduct from the Zimbabwe Republic Police deserves condemnation of the highest order and the Youth Forum urges police officers to desist from executing unlawful and illegal arrests lest history will judge them accordingly. How then can we trust such an openly partisan police force to facilitate the holding of free and fair elections? The police force must stop this clear abuse of office and gross violations of constitutional provisions of freedom of association and conscience. The Youth Forum will not tire in its quest to advocate for an election that is free and fair come March 29. The Youth Forum also urges all youths to shun acts of violence and intolerance to diverging views. The Youth Forum urges all the youths of Zimbabwe to vote against this clear abuse of the police by the state. The youths should vote against arbitrary arrests and torture, state sanctioned violence aimed at innocent civilians including women and children, repressive legislation(AIPPA, POSA, BSA etc),poor justice delivery system, state sanctioned impoverishment of the masses by the gluttonous man and women in the ruling regime and unaffordable life.


Youth Forum Information and Publicity
youthforumzim@yahoo.co.uk
+263 11 925 759, +263 23 353 291

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights call to voters

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/45922

On 29 March 2008 Zimbabwe will be holding its harmonized presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections. Zimbabweans will again be faced with the opportunity to exercise their democratic right and freedom to choose freely, through the ballot box, leaders with the mandate to securing a prosperous, peaceful and democratic Zimbabwe.
4 February 2008

ALERT

On 29 March 2008 Zimbabwe will be holding its harmonized presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections. Zimbabweans will again be faced with the opportunity to exercise their democratic right and freedom to choose freely, through the ballot box, leaders with the mandate to securing a prosperous, peaceful and democratic Zimbabwe.

EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND YOUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION


ZLHR urges anyone who has:-

· been denied the right to register and have their name placed on the voters’ roll;
· found their name missing from the voters’ roll and been denied re-registration (please note that 7 February 2008 is the deadline for registration of names on the voters’ roll);
· been denied the right to inspect the voters’ roll;
· been denied access to information about the constituency and/or ward in which s/he is to vote; or
· in any way been hindered from participating in the forthcoming 29 March 2008 elections to seek legal services to secure their right to political participation as enshrined in the Electoral Act.

ZLHR Contact Details:

Harare - Landline: (04) 251468 or 708118
Cell: 011 619 746; 011 635 451; 0912 789 951; 011 635 448

Bulawayo - Landline: (09) 888371
Cell: 0912 249 436

Mutare - Landline: (020) 60183/4
Cell: 011 210 649; 0912 432 646

Inserted by ZLHR as a public service

ZESN calls for longer inspection of voters' roll

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/45925

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes the announcement made by the Registrar General’s office concerning the opening of inspection of the voters’ roll from 1 to 7 February 2008. ZESN is seriously concerned that the time allocated for the inspection of the voters’ roll is far too short considering that there are new constituencies and wards countrywide.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes the announcement made by the Registrar General’s office concerning the opening of inspection of the voters’ roll from 1 to 7 February 2008. ZESN is seriously concerned that the time allocated for the inspection of the voters’ roll is far too short considering that there are new constituencies and wards countrywide.

ZESN believes that this time is inadequate and proposes that it be extended to at least three weeks. ZESN is also deeply concerned that the inspection of the voters’ roll that started today was only announced in the print media. Prior to commencing the exercise it has not been adequately publicized. This might result in most prospective voters not being able to participate in this crucial exercise. ZESN believes that advertisements in the print media are not an appropriate and sufficient medium of communication of this strategic component of the electoral process. This is especially so when considering that a large number of Zimbabweans live in remote areas where they have little, if any, access to newspapers or are too poor to afford them. It is evident that not all eligible voters will get the opportunity to inspect and register if the exercise is to be ‘fast-tracked’, as projected in the announcement by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

The SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections recognise the importance of full participation of citizens in the political process. It is with this in mind that ZESN calls on the ZEC to ensure that all eligible Zimbabweans are registered as voters and are aware of their respective new wards and constituencies.

ZESN believes that voter registration processes in particular, inspection should not be a cosmetic exercise but should be a meaningful and all-inclusive electoral process in order that it may amply serve its purpose in the conduct of fair elections. In order for the country to hold truly democratic, free and fair elections it is necessary for these processes to be taken seriously and accorded ample time so as to ensure that an up to date voters’ roll is compiled.

ZESN calls ZEC to immediately launch a massive education campaign on the need to inspect the voters’ roll and reiterates on the need to extend the inspection of the voters’ roll.

ZESN, also still calls on all Zimbabweans to go out in their numbers to inspect the voters’ roll and ensure that they know their constituencies and ward so that they may be able to exercise their right to vote in the 2008 harmonised elections. End//

PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN ZIMBABWE

FOR COMMENTS AND FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT
Zimbabwe Election Support Network
+263 (04) 250735/6 or 703956
zesn@africaonline.co.zw <mailto:zesn@africaonline.co.zw> / info@zesn.org.zw <mailto:info@zesn.org.zw> or visit www.zesn.org.zw <http://www.zesn.org.zw/>

War vets leader Chinotimba threatens Makoni

2008-02-07

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news060208/warvets060208.htm

Newly announced presidential candidate Simba Makoni had a taste of his own party’s medicine Wednesday when the state machinery against him kicked into gear. Not only was he expelled from Zanu PF but both the government owned media and war veterans took turns slagging him off. A few hundred war veterans demonstrated at the Zanu PF headquarters with deputy leader Joseph Chinotimba warning Makoni against showing up at the building. He called on war vets to take control of the headquarters declaring that Makoni and his followers are now barred from entering the premises; ‘We are now going to campaign vigorously for President Mugabe.

AU Monitor: Issue 123, 2008

Weekly Roundup

2008-02-07

http://www.aumonitor.org/

This week’s AU Monitor brings you news and updates from the African Union (AU) summit.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has been elected Chair of the African Union, promising that he will do everything “within his mandate to work towards peace and stability on the continent”. In addition, Jean Ping, Gabonese Foreign Affairs Minister, was elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), replacing President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali. At the close of the AU summit, Mr. Ping stated that the AU should deepen its ties with the Arab world to help end conflicts in Africa where “Arab’s and African’s meet” and to promote economic development. Kenyan Erastus Mwencha, Secretary General of COMESA, was elected as Deputy Chairperson of the Commission while seven Commissioners were also elected to the AUC at this 10th ordinary session.

In an interview with President Mbeki at the close of the AU summit, he noted that progress on industrialization, the theme of the summit, would only occur once Africa became a manufacturing continent rather than simply an exporter of raw materials. Referring to both the decisions relating to the audit report and the union government, President Mbeki stated that they would be effectively postponed until the next summit of the AU in July with further inter-session deliberation. In her analysis, Anita Powell calls the stagnation of the Union Government decision power politics. Notably, the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Executive Secretary Tomas Salomao has cautioned the formation of a union government until sub-regional groups increase ties and communication amongst themselves first.

Further, the AU Executive Council made a decision on the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union, stating that no region should sign one if it is not discussed at the continental level. The Council said that the signing of any agreement will affect the continent as a whole. Afroflag Youth Vision and Oxfam International have issued a joint statement urging African governments to join forces and block the European Unions proposed economic partnership agreements (EPAs), as they will have a critical negative impact on Africa’s industrial development and economic policies.

The African Commission on Human and People’s Right’s (ACHPR) will hold its fourth extraordinary session in The Gambia this month, addressing, among other matters, the human rights situation in Kenya. ACHPR has also issued a statement on the violence in Kenya, expressing grave concern for the destruction, loss of life, and displacement of civilians; the group has also called upon all those involved to work through differences through dialogue and urges the Kenyan government to protect those at greatest risk.

The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) coalition issued a communiqué on the situation in Kenya, expressing their concerns over the civil and political unrest following the elections and the violation of human rights that occurred as a result. While the president of the West African Bar Association, Femi Falana, urged the African Union to take proactive steps to limit the violence in Kenya, calling for them to impose sanctions on the Kenyan government for “violating its obligations under the AU Constitutive Act and African Charter as well as promoting unconstitutionalism”.

The media rights group, Committee to Protect Journalists, has called on the AU to “strengthen AU institutions dedicated to supporting press freedom” to help ensure democracy, stability, and freedom of speech throughout the continent. While, a group of civil society organizations (CSO) released a communiqué on a people-centered African Union and the importance of CSO involvement in AU affairs. The communiqué states: “With a commitment from the AU to enhanced engagement of African civilians in the process of uniting the African continent, there remains the actualization of a new form of partnership. We believe that civil society can serve as the critical link between the African peoples and AU”. Further, a recent CSO Continental Conference resulted in a host of recommendations from African civil society on the audit of the AU, the union government, peace and human security and EPAs.

In regional news, Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) Ambassador Juma Mwapachu calls for police and immigration authorities to join the movement in promoting cross-border trade and free movement of people in the region, encouraging authorities to contribute to regional integration as opposed to hindering it. Similarly, in an attempt to further economic integration, SADC will launch its Free Trade Area in late August, 2008, coinciding with the annual Summit of Heads of State.

Southern Africa: NGOs demand that SADC leaders prove their commitment to gender equality

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/45863

NGOs meeting in Johannesburg have challenged leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to put their money where their mouths are by adopting a binding protocol for promoting gender equality at their August summit. In a statement following a three day strategy meeting, members of the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance[1] commended the recent move by senior officials responsible for gender to strengthen the draft SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that was watered down and then deferred at the 2007 Heads of State summit in Lusaka.
NGOs meeting in Johannesburg have challenged leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to put their money where their mouths are by adopting a binding protocol for promoting gender equality at their August summit.

In a statement following a three day strategy meeting, members of the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance[1] commended the recent move by senior officials responsible for gender to strengthen the draft SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that was watered down and then deferred at the 2007 Heads of State summit in Lusaka.

The NGOs have, however, raised a number of key areas that they believe are crucial for achieving gender equality that are still missing from the current draft. The Alliance called on South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who will be hosting the 2008 summit and has a progressive track record on gender issues, to add his political weight to ensuring that these gaps are addressed.

The draft Protocol is one of the most ambitious projects by governments of SADC to bring together all existing international and regional commitments for achieving gender equality and enhance these through measurable targets in all sectors.

In the making since 2005, the Protocol has gone through seven different drafts, and faced major resistance ahead of the 2007 summit, with key sections removed or whittled down by senior officials from finance and trade-related ministries. Following the instruction from leaders that there be "further consultation" on the protocol, senior officials responsible for gender met in Livingstone in December to try to salvage what they could of the original draft, while taking note of concerns that it was too long and prescriptive.

While the Lusaka draft reduced the targets to be met by 2015 from 24 to
14, the Livingstone draft has 19 targets. Sections on health, HIV and AIDS and the media that had been cross referenced with existing SADC Protocols that make little or no reference to gender have been reinstated, albeit in abbreviated form. The language is considerably strengthened, and key issues such as maternity and paternity leave reinstated.

The Alliance agreed, however, that there are eight areas that have been dropped in the current draft of the Protocol around which lobbying efforts will be focused between now and the August summit in South Africa. The key demands of the consortium are that:

* The Protocol state commitments using obligatory language like "ensure" instead of "endeavour".
* The Protocol state explicitly that where there are contradictions between customary law and Constitutional provisions for gender equality the latter is given precedence.
* The rights of socially excluded and vulnerable groups be recognised and protected.
* Marital rape, which is recognised in the 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender and Development that preceded the Protocol, and is recognised in the laws of six SADC countries, should be reinstated in the definition of gender violence. This is all the more urgent in a region where an alarmingly high proportion of women newly infected with HIV are home makers whose partners have been unfaithful.
* The recognition of the rights of cohabiting couples to prevent the denial and loss of property and other rights in the event of death or other circumstances that nullify the union. Cohabitation is a fact in SADC countries, and lack of rights in these unions is causing hardship, particularly for women and children.
* Strengthening of the gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS, such as female controlled methods of contraception and sexual rights which, if fully promoted, can significantly contribute to halting and reversing the pandemic by 2015 in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
* Strengthening of the provisions on education, which in the amended form have lost their specificity on early childhood development, career planning, vocational training and effective policies in addressing school girl pregnancies.
* Reinstating of provisions in the otherwise strong section on women's economic empowerment on access by women to government and other state controlled procurement opportunities.
* The addition of specific targets for mainstreaming gender in the media, and media practise.
* The Alliance roadmap involves intensive lobbying and advocacy in-country and at a regional level, including offering technical support where this may be required through to the August summit, where it plans to hold a parallel civil society forum and launch a high profile campaign for the adoption of a strong Gender Protocol.

For more information contact Pamela Mhlanga,
Gender Links, on 011 622 2877 or dedirector@genderlinks.org.za <mailto:dedirector@genderlinks.org.za

Global: UN Foundation to donate $1 for every signature to UNIFEM

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/45941

The United Nations Foundation announced today its support for the "Say NO to Violence against Women" campaign. The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first 100,000 signatures to the online campaign that is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM. The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
People can sign on to the campaign at www.sayNOtoviolence.org
UN Foundation to donate $1 for every signature to UNIFEM online campaign

WASHINGTON DC / New York (January 22, 2008) -

The United Nations Foundation announced today its support for the "Say NO to Violence against Women" campaign. The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first 100,000 signatures to the online campaign that is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM. The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

"Recent UN research has demonstrated the shameful scope of violence against women around the world, where one in three women are subject to some form of coercion or abuse in their lifetimes," said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. "To turn the tide on violence, the international community must work together to stand up for the human rights of women and that's what UNIFEM's "Say NO" campaign does. It allows people everywhere to go on record and stand up for a world free of violence against women."

"Thanks to this fantastic challenge grant, every signature will bolster our cause to make ending violence against women worldwide a top priority", said UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman who champions the campaign. What's more, it will help provide critical resources for local initiatives that are supported through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women – whether it is working to prevent human trafficking, assisting survivors of domestic violence or helping implement laws against rape."

People can sign on to the campaign at www.sayNOtoviolence.org

"The more people join, the stronger the message that there is an ever-growing movement of people who are demanding decisive action to put a stop to what is probably the most pervasive human rights violation", added acting UNIFEM Executive Director Joanne Sandler. "This generous donation will provide an additional strong incentive for people to sign up to the campaign." The "Say No to Violence against Women" campaign was launched November 26, 2007. To date more than 18,000 people worldwide have signed the call that urges an end to violence against women and encourages support to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. This Trust Fund, managed by UNIFEM for the UN system, supports innovative initiatives by governments and non-governmental organizations to end violence against women. Since its establishment in 1996, it has helped fund some 250 initiatives in 120 countries. "Each day, each hour, each minute, a woman in the world is a victim of violence," said Wirth. "Taking this simple step, signing on to the campaign, sends the message that enough is enough and the cycle of violence must stop now."

For more information about the campaign visit www.sayNOtoviolence.org or www.unfoundation.org

Chad: Pregnant women, their children, fleeing volence face increased risk

2008-02-07

http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1097

As tens of thousands of people flee the ongoing violence in Chad, concerns are being raised by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, for the health and safety of expectant mothers and their children. Thousands of refugees have streamed across the border between Chad and Cameroon to seek shelter from the fighting. UNFPA seeks to make motherhood as safe as possible during crisis situations by providing care before, during and after delivery and by helping those who want to delay or avoid pregnancy.

DRC: Ex-warlord sent to international court

2008-02-07

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN737224.html

A former Congo warlord was flown to the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Thursday to face war crimes charges including murder, sexual slavery and using child soldiers, a court spokesman said. Mathieu Ngudjolo was the head of the Front of Nationalists and Integrationists (FPI) militia during conflict in northeast Ituri Province that grew out Congo's 1998-2003 war.

Chad: Prominent opposition members arrested

2008-02-07

http://tinyurl.com/3b9rfa

Four prominent members of the Chadian opposition have been arrested by security forces in N’Djamena. The whereabouts of Lol Mahamat Choua, Ngarlejy Yorongar, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, and Wadel Adbelkader Kamougué remain unknown since their arrest on Sunday. Amnesty International has received information suggesting they may be detained at the city's presidential palace. No legal justification has been given by the authorities for their arrest. A spokesperson at the Presidency told Amnesty International on Tuesday that "they can not confirm whether these four people have been arrested."

Global: Reporting on violence against children: A thematic guide for NGOs

2008-02-08

http://www.crin.org/docs/NGO_Guidelines_reporting_VAC_to_CRC_2008.pdf

These guidelines are designed to help non-governmental organisations to include comprehensive information on the incidence of violence in their reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.. NGOs have a unique role to play and they alone can give meaning to the data and statistics presented to the Committee. It is by making this information available that corrective measures can be identified that will move the NGO community towards its goal of ending violence.

Rwanda: Gacaca jails genocide doctor

2008-02-08

http://www.afrol.com/articles/27915

A traditional "gacaca" court on Tuesday sentenced a doctor to 15 years in prison for his role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, right groups confirmed. Theoneste Niyitegeka, who had wanted to join the country's presidential race in 2003, was first acquitted in October. Doctor Niyitegeka was arrested after judgment had been handed down.

Guinea: Children exploited, abandoned, sold into slavery

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76619

After the sun sets on the streets of the Guinean capital, Conakry, children drift by darkened storefronts and settle into nooks between buildings, curling up to sleep on the pavement. Residents in the city told IRIN they had noticed more and more children living on the streets in recent years - children like orphans Abubakar and Alya who have been on the street together for one year.

Mozambique: Destination unknown for trafficked children

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76528

A truck packed with 40 children was intercepted in the central Mozambican province of Manica this week, sparking concern over increased child trafficking and the urgent need for effective legislation to address the problem. "All the children are now in the protective custody of social welfare authorities in Chimoio [in Manica Province]. While investigations are underway, authorities have been trying to contact their parents," the UN Children Fund's (UNICEF) Thierry Delvigne-Jean told IRIN.

DRC: Peace deal brings little comfort to displaced in North Kivu

2008-02-08

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47a749192.html

Forty-year-old Fabukuze Ulimubenchi suffered a miscarriage and lost contact with her two children after fleeing her home in troubled North Kivu province last week. "We fled in different directions when we heard gunshots. I am not even sure my [two] children are with their father," the tearful woman said as she queued up to receive aid at a Catholic church in Kiwanja, the main town in North Kivu's Rutshuru district. UNHCR is providing protection services.

Chad: Chadians trickle home from nearby Cameroon, others seek refuge

2008-02-08

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47a9eccd4.html

Chadians who had fled to Cameroon to escape fighting between rebel and government forces started trickling back home Wednesday morning after an uneasy calm returned to the Chad capital N'Djamena. Some were returning just for the day and planning to return to Cameroon overnight. But, other residents of the capital were still making their way across the border bridge to the security of the neighbouring country.

Kenya: Number of Kenyan refugees in Uganda rises to 12,000

2008-02-08

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47a886fc2.html

A UNHCR emergency response team has been deployed to south-east Uganda where the number of Kenyan refugees fleeing poll-related violence across the border has risen to 12,000. The small refugee agency team will be based in the border town of Tororo. They will lead emergency response and coordination with the local and central authorities in the area.

Burundi: UNHCR operations chief upbeat about refugees

2008-02-08

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47a871134.html

The UN refugee agency's operations chief believes there is an end in sight to the problem of hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees in Tanzania. "After more than three decades, there is hope to end this protracted refugee situation," Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Judy Cheng-Hopkins said in Bujumbura on Monday at the end of a 10-day mission to Tanzania and Burundi.

Zambia: A new kind of IDP

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76638

Zambia's open-door investment policy is coming under criticism from rights activists for passing on the real cost of development to the poor, who are being evicted to make way for the new prestige projects. Campaigners describe the victims as 'internally displaced persons' (IDPs) - a description usually applied to people who flee to another part of the country as a result of conflict or disaster.

Global: Fighting FTAs

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/socialmovements/45908

bilaterals.org, GRAIN and BIOTHAI are launching a collaborative publication, "Fighting FTAs: The growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements". While global trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) stagnate, governments and corporations are busy spinning a complex web of bilateral free trade and investment agreements (FTAs). "Fighting FTAs" looks at what this FTA frenzy is really about, how social movements are fighting back and strategic learnings emerging from these struggles.
Fighting FTAs press release Press release

7 February 2008

Fighting FTAs: new publication and website on resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements launched

bilaterals.org, GRAIN and BIOTHAI are today launching a collaborative publication, "Fighting FTAs: The growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements". While global trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) stagnate, governments and corporations are busy spinning a complex web of bilateral free trade and investment agreements (FTAs). "Fighting FTAs" looks at what this FTA frenzy is really about, how social movements are fighting back and strategic learnings emerging from these struggles.

FTAs are powerful weapons of neoliberal globalisation that go much further than WTO agreements. Through these secretive deals, states and corporations are trying to divide and conquer the world, creating vast new privileges for transnational corporations. Typically, FTAs cover a broad array of issues, from giving corporations the right to sue governments, to legalising the dumping of American farm surpluses, to raising the cost of life-saving medicines through longer patent terms. FTAs further concentrate economic power and natural resources in the hands of a few, disempower communities, destroy biodiversity and undermine food sovereignty. And each concession made through an FTA becomes a benchmark for further deals.

FTAs are not just trade deals, though. They are important foreign policy tools to advance governments' geopolitical interests. The US, for example, explicitly links its FTAs to the so-called "war on terror". The EU, China and Japan and others also combine economic and political agendas through these agreements.

Small farmers, workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, indigenous peoples and many others have been under attack from FTAs and bilateral investment deals ever since the North America Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1992. But together with many other social sectors, they have been fighting back. From Australia to Colombia, and from Morocco to Korea, massive popular struggles to defeat FTAs have been waged by grassroots movements, often met with fierce repression. Today, as FTAs continue to mushroom, people's resistance is growing.

It can be hard to get an overall view of what all these FTAs mean. And because these deals are often bilateral ones, many resistance struggles are carried out at the national level, which can make it difficult to link forces across borders. "Fighting FTAs" aims to help to overcome these hurdles and facilitate more sharing and learning from the diverse movements against FTAs worldwide.

"Fighting FTAs" is a collaborative effort of many people involved in these struggles on the ground. To accompany the publication, a dedicated website is available with additional texts, audio interviews, photos from the struggles, anti-FTA films and other resources.

"Fighting FTAs: The growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements", bilaterals.org, BIOTHAI and GRAIN (editors), 102 pages, February 2008. Available in English, French, Spanish and soon Thai. Online at http://www.fightingftas.org Hard copies available on request from fightingftas.org@gmail.com Groups are free to reproduce and translate the material.

South Africa: Informal settlement residents to appear in Regional Court

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/socialmovements/45906

This Thursday, 7th February 2008, eight Joe Slovo residents charged with public violence last year are due to appear in the Cape Town Regional Court in Parow (Court Number 4). The Joe Slovo Task Team is very disturbed that the case has been moved from the Bishop Lavis Magistrates Court to the Regional Court and that it is set down for trial, whereas they do not even have a lawyer.
This Thursday, 7th February 2008, eight Joe Slovo residents charged with public violence last year are due to appear in the Cape Town Regional Court in Parow (Court Number 4). The Joe Slovo Task Team is very disturbed that the case has been moved from the Bishop Lavis Magistrates Court to the Regional Court and that it is set down for trial, whereas they do not even have a lawyer.

The community of Joe Slovo intends to hold a protest outside the court in large numbers.

Mzwanele Zulu, spokesperson for the Joe Slovo Task Team says "we don't even know why this case has been brought against us. It was well documented that it was the police who committed public violence against us by shooting us at an illegally unacceptable close range with rubber coated metal bullets and dragging old women along the ground and injuring them. All of this was photographed and captured on video".

Zulu added that the arrests were even more illegitimate because the police targetted activists only, whereas the entire community was involved in the peaceful protest.

The arrest of Zulu himself did not take place during the protest but two days later when Zulu went to the Langa police station to inform police that the community wanted to have a meeting inside the settlement to discuss the way forward.

The police agreed not to harass the meeting in any way. However, just minutes later as Mzwanele was walking home, police swooped on him and arrested him. The community later heard that there was an instruction from the provincial commissioner to arrest Mzwanele. This is ludicrous because at the protest, the police insisted on speaking to a negotiator from [the] Task Team and Mzwanele was that negotiator. So it is clear that Zulu was arrested merely for being a community leader and for speaking to the media.
We are seeing a disturbingly increased use of the public violence charge by the state against protestors, especially against chief marshalls or community or union leaders or community media spokespersons. It is unlawful for the police to charge people who are not committing any crime. Last week, the SA Municipal Workers' Union Chief Marshall Leon Johannes was arrested for public violence merely for asking the police to stop shooting at other protestors.

For comment, call Mzwanele Zulu on 076 3852369

South Africa: Khulumani outrage at appaling attacks on asylum seekers

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/socialmovements/45933

On the Night Of January 30, members of the South African Police Service accompanied by officials of the Department of Home Affairs conducted a brutal and violent raid on the premises of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg at around midnight, reportedly breaking down the doors of the church and violently attacking and beating up many unarmed and defenceless people who were sheltering in the church. The minister of the church, Bishop Paul Verryn, was also assaulted in the attack. Many people reportedly had items of personal property illegally confiscated by their ‘attackers’ in scenes reminiscent of the behaviour of security agents under apartheid.
On the Night Of January 30, members of the South African Police Service accompanied by officials of the Department of Home Affairs conducted a brutal and violent raid on the premises of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg at around midnight, reportedly breaking down the doors of the church and violently attacking and beating up many unarmed and defenceless people who were sheltering in the church. The minister of the church, Bishop Paul Verryn, was also assaulted in the attack. Many people reportedly had items of personal property illegally confiscated by their ‘attackers’ in scenes reminiscent of the behaviour of security agents under apartheid.

Most people who shelter at Central Methodist Church are asylum-seekers who have to wait for indeterminate periods of time for their applications for recognition to be processed by the Department of Home Affairs. Khulumani Support Group condemns the behaviour of those who conducted the ‘raid’ and calls on the South African government to investigate the attack and to take the strongest disciplinary measures against the officials who authorised and oversaw the violation of the human rights of both the asylum-seekers and of the church and its membership who have agreed to the use of their church building to assist asylum-seekers. Khulumani Support Group expresses deep regret for the manner in which the ‘victims’ of this hostile attack were treated by officials of its government, given the reality that they have fled political persecution and human rights violations in their own country only to find themselves brutalised by the agencies tasked with providing for their safety and security. We are ashamed of this behaviour. Khulumani will be lodging a complaint in this matter with the South African Human Rights Commission and supports the call of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to accept the request of the African Union’s African Commission on Human and People’s Rights for its Special Rapporteur on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, to visit South Africa to investigate the treatment of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa.

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai endorsed as MDC presidential candidate

2008-02-07

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news060208/mt060208.htm

The MDC national council, the party’s main decision making body, has endorsed Morgan Tsvangirai as its presidential candidate for next month’s general elections. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said primaries to choose parliamentary and council candidates are also almost complete. He said party structures have since Saturday been selecting candidates for all the 210 constituencies up for grabs.

Zimbabwe: Election nominations, inspection & voter registration extended by a week

2008-02-07

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news060208/voter060208.htm

The government has announced that the Nomination Courts that were scheduled for Friday February 8th, have been moved to Friday February 15th. This is for registration of candidates seeking to run in the presidential, parliamentary and council elections on March 29th. According to the state’s Herald newspaper, the date was changed following requests by ZANU-PF and both factions of the MDC for more time to select candidates.

Africa: 10th AU Summit keeps alive the dream of unity

2008-02-07

http://www.sardc.net/Editorial/Newsfeature/08050208.htm

The African Union has accelerated plans for unification through the establishment of a high-level group of heads of state and government, under the leadership of President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania, who is the new AU chairperson. The high-level group, made up of Kikwete and President John Kufuor of Ghana as the outgoing AU chairperson, includes 10 other leaders, two from each of the five regions of Africa.

Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF expels Makoni

2008-02-08

http://www.afrol.com/articles/27937

A senior official of the ruling Zanu-PF party and former Finance Minister of Zimbabwe has been expelled from the party a day after he had announced to contest against President Mugabe in the 29 March polls. Simba Makoni, an ex-ally of Mugabe, on Tuesday revealed his presidential ambition at a press conference. He pledged loyalty to the party, although he wants to run as an independent candidate. He also wants to un under Zanu-PF colours.

Tanzania: PM tenders resignation

2008-02-08

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=331715

Tanzania Prime Minister Edward Lowassa told Parliament Thursday he had tendered his resignation to the president after being implicated in a corruption scandal over an energy deal. "Because I have been linked to this scandal, I have decided to write to the president asking to be relieved of my duties," the premier told lawmakers during a session of the Dodoma-based Parliament broadcast live on television.

Mozambique: Commercial overfishing threatens coastal livelihoods

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76611

Artisanal fishing provides a critical source of food and income to thousands of Mozambicans, but the ever-increasing local and international demand for fish, combined with rapidly depleting stocks, is putting increasing strain on this way of life. The UN Food and Agriculture Programme (FAO) has estimated that small-scale fishermen, who caught 84,065 tonnes of fish for the domestic market in 2000, will need to catch 171,040 tonnes to help meet local demand by 2025.

Africa: Gates announces additional $306 million for agriculture towards total of $900 million

2008-02-05

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2008/week5/Monday/012720.html

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $306 million to six farming programs as part of a broader expansion by the charity into agricultural development. The grants, into projects for creating higher quality coffee, rice and better irrigation technologies as well as other projects, will nearly double the amount to date that the Gates Foundation has given to agricultural projects.

West Africa: Mali gets $42mln for poverty reduction efforts

2008-02-07

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15559

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved International Development Association (IDA) funding in the amount of US$42 million for Mali's Second Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC II). "We hope that with continued implementation of the reforms already under way, which the Government has pledged to continue, Mali with improve further its public management performance and effectiveness, to the benefit of its people”, said Agnès Soucat, World Bank Task Team Leader of the project.

Southern Africa: To end power shortages, region must run while others walk

2008-02-07

http://www.sardc.net/Editorial/Newsfeature/08030108.htm

As southern Africa enters its second year of crippling energy shortages as accurately predicted by the Southern African Power Pool about four years ago, massive short-term projects of close to US$8 billion will need to be fast tracked over the next couple of years to get the region out of the present situation. Electricity shortages have in recent weeks severely affected some Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states leading to scheduled and, in some cases, unscheduled power cuts.

Africa: Cultivating wild fruits 'could boost nutrition'

2008-02-08

http://tinyurl.com/39qwfm

Africa's traditional fruits could boost nutrition, environmental stability and economic development if given the right scientific and agricultural support, says a report. The report, by the National Research Council of America, was released last week (30 January) and is the third in a series by the council called 'Lost Crops of Africa'.

Malawi: subsidising agriculture is not enough

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76591

Malawi is riding high on the success of its fertiliser subsidy programme and has become a regional exporter hoping to profit from booming food prices, but analysts are a bit more wary. Globally food prices have shot up by nearly 75 percent within a decade and will continue to do so, according to the World Bank's annual Global Economic Prospects 2008.

Africa: ARV provision could cut HIV transmission by 90 per cent

2008-02-07

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/B3AB61E8-5151-4994-A955-507FD47F8C8C.asp

The provision of antiretrovirals (ARVs), along with comprehensive sexual risk behaviour and ARV adherence support programmes, cut the risk of HIV transmission by 91% over a three year period in a study from eastern Uganda, the Fifteenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections heard today in Boston.

Africa: Large cohorts show excellent responses to ART

2008-02-07

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/8CDF6E30-15BA-420F-A75F-184D0DD89E38.asp

The positive impacts of antiretroviral programmes in several African countries and other resource-poor areas were highlighted in a series of oral presentations to the Fifteenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston on Wednesday. These studies, which represent some of the first longer-term data on treatment response in low-income countries, pointed toward successes in patient retention, immune recovery, and reductions in mortality

Egypt: Stop criminalizing HIV

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/45918

A series of arrests in Cairo sparked by one man’s admission to police that he was HIV-positive endangers public health as well as human rights, Human Rights Watch has said. Human Rights Watch called on Egyptian authorities to overturn the convictions of four men for the “habitual practice of debauchery,” and to free four others who are held pending trial. The government should end arbitrary arrests based on HIV status and take steps to end prejudice and misinformation about HIV/AIDS.

Kenya: Healthcare threatened by political crisis

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76620

Health officials are concerned about the long-term impact of Kenya's political crisis on healthcare, especially in areas hardest hit by violence since the end of December 2007. "The most worrying issue is that of drug resistance among patients of chronic diseases," Ian van Engelgem, the medical coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), told IRIN on 5 February.

Sierra Leone: Health project starts in 5 regions

2008-02-07

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15553

Five districts in the country will soon benefit from a health service project, themed "strengthening district health services in Sierra Leone", funded by the African Development Bank - AfDB- and the government of Sierra Leone. This was disclosed by the Sierra Leone Ministry Of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) during the launching on Wednesday January 30, this year, at the Miatta Conference Hall in the capital Freetown.

Uganda: Unplanned pregnancy frequent among women after starting ARVs

2008-02-07

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/A102DB42-3C50-4FFC-8920-43BB865FD3BF.asp

Unwanted or unplanned pregnancy is a significant risk for women with HIV within 18 months of starting antiretroviral therapy, and in Uganda few were being offered family planning methods in order to avoid pregnancy, researchers reported on Tuesday at the Fifteenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston.

Swaziland: School gates close on orphans

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76612

Thamie Simelane, 12, is among hundreds of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Swaziland who might not be going to school, despite government assurances that the tuition fees of these children would be covered. Headmasters rely on school fees to run their institutions, but limited government funds have materialised sporadically, often forcing schools to start sending children home.

Morocco: Government boosts vocational education programmes

2008-02-07

http://tinyurl.com/2wywdr

The Moroccan government plans a broad expansion of vocational education centres, job agencies and training partnerships with business professionals. The plan addresses the growing number of workers who do not fit the needs of the market and the problem of unemployment in the country.

Morocco: Unemployed graduates continue demanding public sector jobs

2008-02-07

http://tinyurl.com/38rp93

Unemployed Moroccan graduates are keeping up their protest in a bid to be given public-sector jobs. After gathering outside the Istiqlal party headquarters, they were allowed to speak to a government committee, but for now, the situation remains unresolved.

Senegal: Arrests for 'gay wedding'

2008-02-06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7226346.stm

Police in Senegal have arrested several men following the publication of pictures claiming to depict a wedding ceremony between two men. The pictures were published in Icone magazine, whose editor, Mansour Dieng, has since received death threats. Mr Dieng has also been questioned by police over the issue. Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal but it is not clear whether the arrests were in connection with the ceremony or the death threats.

South Africa: 07-07-07 Campaign launch hailed as a huge success

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/lgbti/45934

The 07-07-07-Campaign to end hate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersexed (LGBTI) persons was launched at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, Heideveld in Cape Town on the 2nd anniversary commemorating the violent and brutal death of 19 year old Zoliswa Nkonyana (04/02/06). The provincial campaign is being spearheaded by Cape Town's Triangle Project, the oldest LGBTI service organisation in the country in partnership with the national Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Western Cape 07-07-07 Alliance partners.
Western Cape 07-07-07 Campaign launch - Sunday, 03rd February 2008

Hailed as a huge success

Monday, 04 February 2008

The 07-07-07-Campaign to end hate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersexed (LGBTI) persons was launched at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, Heideveld in Cape Town on the 2nd anniversary commemorating the violent and brutal death of 19 year old Zoliswa Nkonyana (04/02/06). The provincial campaign is being spearheaded by Cape Town's Triangle Project, the oldest LGBTI service organisation in the country in partnership with the national Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Western Cape 07-07-07 Alliance partners.

The 07-07-07-Campaign was initiated by the JWG following the brutal and violent murders of two lesbians, Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Massoa in Soweto on 07 July 2007, and is so named after the deaths of these activists and human rights defenders.

Manager of Community Engagement and Empowerment at Triangle Project said: "Black lesbians in townships and rural communities are continued targets of corrective rape; verbal, sexual and physical abuse; plagued by violence and trapped by the collective oppressions of sexism, homo-prejudice, negative hetero-normative values, subversive patriarchal structures and misogyny - often leading to brutal and cruel deaths."

"Very often, other vulnerable individuals such as effeminate men or 'cross-dressers' and 'butch women' are humiliated and publicly shamed, with no support from local authorities, politicians or religious leaders."

Speakers at the launch all echoed sentiments of utter outrage and anger. "How can we be truly free if individuals on the margins of society are not free? When one individual suffers, we all suffer,"
said Forum for the Empowerment of Women's Dawn O'Reilly who delivered the keynote address. "When our bodies are being violated because of power borne out of hatred and prejudice, and one's personhood is oppressed and made less because of sexual orientation and sexual identity, then we have to say very boldly that it's not okay! We are outraged!"

Dr Yvette Abrahams from the Commission for Gender Equality who pleaded with ordinary persons who carry the power within themselves to be catalysts of positive change in the own communities, said: "We are divine creations regardless of who we are. We need to recognise the humanity within each other and embrace a spirit of 'Ubuntu' to combat acts of hatred and violence, regardless of our sexual orientation, sexual and gender identities."

Funeka Soldaat representing Women in Action, Khayelitsha where Zoliswa lived and was murdered urged the 07-07-07 Alliance to be visible and to mobilise the community because women's livelihoods are being compromised and lives are lost on a daily basis. "Let this not be a campaign on paper, but a campaign that will be an active voice for the most vulnerable and violated," she pleaded.

The main speakers were joined on the platform by diverse voices from the religious communities who made a passionate appeal to faith communities to practice acceptance, inclusion and compassion.

The Western Cape 07-07-07 Alliance aims to put the spotlight on the disparity between our progressive constitution and the implementation of human rights on the most basic level. "We further aim to document incidents of hate and gender-based violence against black lesbians in townships and rural communities, and to put structures and programmes in place where these crimes can be reported and victims can be supported," said Valentine.

The Western Cape 07-07-07 Alliance consists of LGBTI organizations and activists; the Women and HIV/AIDS sectors, as well as individual human rights activists working together to put an end to all forms hate.

Marlow Valentine WC Alliance Coordinator

For further information regarding the 07-07-07-Campaign, kindly contact the following individuals:

Triangle Project: Marlow Valentine: (021) 448 3812 / endhate@triangle.org.za or marlow@triangle.org.za
Commission on Gender Equality: Keegan Lakay: (021) 426 4080 / keeganl@cge.org.za
WC Network on Violence against Women: Caroline Davids: 021-6335287 / caroline@womenscentre.co.za

South Africa: Campaign commemorates murdered lesbian

2008-02-08

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=southafrica&id=1805

In commemoration of the second anniversary of Zoliswa Nkonyane’s brutal murder in February 2005, Triangle Project and its Western Cape alliances launched the end hate 07-07-07 campaign on 3 February in Cape Town at Saartjie Baartman Center. Women, the HIV/Aids sector and individual human rights activists gathered with a common goal, to put an end to all forms of hate crimes.

Nigeria: Poor oil spill clean-up methods affect Niger Delta communities

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76635

A few days after villagers in Kedere in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region noticed oil seeping from the pipe that runs beside the village, a few boys from the village went out with shovels, dug pits a few feet deep, scooped the oil into the ground and burned it, finally covering it with sand. “During the dry season, it looks nice,” Anyakwee Nsirimovu, director of the Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Port Harcourt, told IRIN, describing the simple process which he said is a common spill clean-up tactic in the region.

DRC: World Bank committed to in improving management of forests

2008-02-05

http://go.worldbank.org/9X92X6EYN0

The World Bank independent Inspection Panel said that it appreciates the World Bank Group’s efforts to tackle difficult and risky problems under trying circumstances in the forest sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). While pointing to a series of significant policy compliance failures in Bank-supported forest-sector reforms, the Panel noted the view of many stakeholders, including critics of the Bank’s actions, that the Bank should stay engaged in DRC forest work and strengthen efforts to address problems and correct policy shortcomings.

Global: Is the Bank's carbon markets approach an effective way to address climate change?

2008-02-07

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art-560138

The World Bank's involvement in the carbon market is under hot debate. In this article, Janet Redman from the Institute for Policy Studies opposes its approach while Jon Sohn, from Climate Change Capital argues that there is a role for the Bank to play.

Madagascar: Picking up after Cyclone Fame

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76590

The authorities and aid agencies in Madagascar are coming to grips with the destruction left by cyclone Fame; although there is room for improvement, the response so far has shown that the 2007 cyclone season taught valuable lessons. In late December tropical cyclone Fame made landfall in the northwest of the island "as a category one, meaning winds of 120 to 150 kilometres per hour," said Edouard Libeau, Emergency Specialist at the UN's Children Fund (UNICEF) in Madagascar. Fame tore through the centre of the island and then slowly dissipated as it moved east towards the Indian Ocean.

Niger: Joiurnalist to be released conditionally

2008-02-08

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=25454

Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, the editor of Aïr Infos, a privately-owned weekly based in the northern city of Agadez, was to be freed lon February 6 after a criminal appeal court in Niamey ruled that he should be granted a provisional release, his lawyer told Reporters Without Borders. “We hail this sensible decision by the judicial authorities and we are delighted for Diallo, his family and colleagues,” the press freedom organisation said. “We hope this bodes well for next week, when the same court is to issue a decision on the case of another detained journalist, Moussa Kaka.”

Côte d’Ivoire: RFI suspended indefinitely

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/45905

Radio France International (RFI), on January 31, 2008 again had its permission to broadcast on FM suspended by Cote d'Ivoire'sNational Council for Broadcast Communication (CNCA). Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the Ivorian regulator body this time accused the management of the French public broadcaster of failing to honour its financial obligation to the CNCA.
Cote d'Ivoire ALERT:

RFI suspended indefinitely

Radio France International (RFI), on January 31, 2008 again had its permission to broadcast on FM suspended by Cote d'Ivoire'sNational Council for Broadcast Communication (CNCA). Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the Ivorian regulator body this time accused the management of the French public broadcaster of failing to honour its financial obligation to the CNCA. The RFI has been suspended over the last few years for several reasons. The last time was in July 2005, when RFI's FM broadcast were suspended, and the station was fined an amount of 9 million FCFA (over 20,000 US$) for alleged unprofessional misconduct.

Prof. Kwame Karikari Executive Director MFWA
Tel: 233 21 242470 Fax: 233 21 221084
Email : mfwa@africaonline.gh.com
Website : www.mediafound.org

Zimbabwe: Editor's trial resumes

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/45924

The trial of Bright Chibvuri the editor of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions’ The Worker magazine charged under the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) resumed on 1 February 2008 in Plumtree only to be postponed yet again. The trial but had to be postponed after the magistrate ruled that he needed time to consider legal arguments which arose during the trial.This comes hardly a day after the trial was postponed on 31 January 2008 because the trial magistrate was on a prison visit in the town.
MISA-Zimbabwe Alert:Editor's Trial Resumes

Alert Update
4 February 2008
Editor’s trial resumes but postponed yet again

The trial of Bright Chibvuri the editor of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions’ The Worker magazine charged under the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) resumed on 1 February 2008 in Plumtree only to be postponed yet again.

The trial but had to be postponed after the magistrate ruled that he needed time to consider legal arguments which arose during the trial.This comes hardly a day after the trial was postponed on 31 January 2008 because the trial magistrate was on a prison visit in the town.

Plumtree resident magistrate Mark Dzira postponed the matter to 28 February to give him time to consider legal arguments which arose at the resumption of the trial and determine the issue of whether an accreditation card is similar to a press card. The issue arose during the cross-examination of the second prosecution witness, Inspector Sifelani who is the officer in charge of law and order section in Plumtree.

Sifelani had earlier told the court that he had arrested Chibvuri after he failed to produce an accreditation card and had charged him for practicing journalism without an accreditation card. However, under cross-examination, it was put to him that under AIPPA, there is no mention of an accreditation card but a press card.

A dispute arose between the state led by the prosecutor a Mr Thandabantu and the defence lawyer Munyaradzi Nzarayapenga. While the prosecution argued that the line of questioning was unnecessary and calculated at harassing the witness, the defence argued that this was the gist of the matter aimed at proving that the charge had therefore been improperly instituted.

Earlier, magistrate Dzira had adjourned the matter and called the prosecution and the defence to his chambers following an argument over the prosecution's intention to produce in court Chibvuri's warned and cautioned statement. The defence objected to the production of the warned and cautioned statement arguing that the statement had not been confirmed as having been adduced freely and voluntarily as required in terms of Zimbabwe's laws.

Chibvuri is being charged with contravening Section 83 of AIPPA which penalises the practice of journalism without accreditation.

The prosecution is expected to close its case on 28 February 2008.

Background

Chibvuri was arrested in Plumtree on 3 March 2007 and spent two nights in police custody. He was only released on 5 March 2007.

At the time of his arrest, Chibvuri had applied for accreditation but had not received a response from the Media and Information Commission (MIC), but was eventually duly accredited.

End

For any questions, queries or comments, please contact:

Nyasha Nyakunu
Research and Information Officer
MISA-Zimbabwe
84 McChlery Drive
Eastlea
Box HR 8113
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel/Fax: 263 4 77 61 65/ 746 838
Cell: 263 11 602 448
Email: misa@misazim.co.zw
Website: www.misazim.co.zw

Liberia: Newspaper publisher narrowly escapes plot to kill him

2008-02-08

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=25336

Reporters Without Borders is deeply concerned to learn of journalist Sam O. Dean’s discovery that a thousand US dollars were offered for his murder. Dean, who publishes the Monrovia-based Independent Newspaper, appears to have narrowly escaped death on 30 January when an attempt was made to lure him into an ambush.

Nigeria: Newspaper’s chairman freed after being held for two days by state governor

2008-02-08

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=25236

Reporters Without Borders notes that Sam Asowata, the chairman of the board of the Abuja-based independent weekly Fresh Facts, was released on 29 January, two days after being arrested over an article accusing the governor of the southeastern state of Akwa Ibom of corruption. The state of Akwa Ibom said it was withdrawing its libel suit “to reinforce relations with the media.” Essien Ewoh, Fresh Facts’ distributor in Akwa Ibom, is still held. He was arrested on 24 January.

Lesotho: IPI calls for charges against journalist to be dropped

2008-02-08

http://africa.oneworld.net/article/view/157585/1/

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, calls for all charges against Lesotho journalist Thabo Thakalekoala to be dropped. These charges include High Treason, a charge that carries the death penalty. According to information before IPI, Thakalekoala was arrested on 22 June 2007, shortly after completing a morning broadcast for Harvest FM Radio.

Chad: President calls for EU deployment as rebels regroup

2008-02-07

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN724535.html

Chad's President Idriss Deby called on the European Union on Thursday to deploy a peacekeeping force urgently to the east, as his government sought to tighten security after a weekend rebel assault. Prime Minister Nouradine Delwa Kassire Coumakoye announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew across the capital N'Djamena and swathes of east and central Chad after the remnants of the rebel column which attacked the city withdrew halfway to the Sudan border.

West Africa: World Bank urges post-conflict

2008-02-07

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN025235.html

World Bank President Robert Zoellick has pledged to seek ways of giving quicker financial support to African states struggling after conflict in the world's poorest continent. Zoellick met finance ministers from Liberia, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast on Tuesday during a brief visit to Liberia, the second stop on a tour of African

Somalia: Somali militant group claims bombing of Ethiopians

2008-02-07

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN749385.html

A militant Somali Islamist group linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility on Thursday for bombings that killed at least 20 Ethiopian immigrants in a northern Somali port earlier this week. Regional officials confirmed that the al Shabaab militant group was responsible for the blasts on Tuesday night in the port of Bosasso in an area where Ethiopian immigrants congregate. Close to 100 people were wounded.

Eritrea: UN Peacekeeping grinds to a halt

2008-02-08

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=41100

A dispute between the United Nations and the government of Eritrea over fuel supplies has virtually grounded the eight-year-old U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). The mission was mandated to monitor a peace agreement in the aftermath of a border dispute between the two countries. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that unless UNMEE, which is based both in Addis Ababa and Asmara, receives fuel "immediately", he will be forced to relocate the peacekeeping mission, and move troops out of the Eritrean capital.

Ethiopia: “Eight million need assistance, despite record harvest”

2008-02-08

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76621

Ethiopia experienced a record harvest during the meher season that runs from June and October but pockets of poor food production across the country have still left millions of people needing food assistance, according to a food security update. Citing the Somali region in particular, the update issued by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) on 6 February stated that poor rains during the deyr season, from October to November, exacerbated extreme food insecurity in parts of the region.

Global: Developing nations 'increase share of tech exports' - report

2008-02-08

http://tinyurl.com/35kcq9

Developing countries' shares in technology exports are continuing to grow but the digital divide remains, says a UN report released on 6 February. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, 'Science and technology for development: the new paradigm of ICT', explores the role of information communication technology (ICT) in enhancing innovation in developing countries and confirms its influence on development.

Africa: Getting something done in ICT policies

2008-02-07

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html

In a week in which the heart of South Africa’s ICT industry - Sandton - suffered continuous load-shedding (rolling power cuts for those of you who speak English), no-one doubts that developing a modern ICT-enabled economy in Africa is a challenge. It is easy in these circumstances to respond cynically by asking: Government? What is it good for? But a small number of African Governments have managed to make a difference through facilitating major projects but the majority are in the slow-track when it comes to getting the big things done.

Global: The 22nd Prix Ars Electronica - International Competition for CyberArts

2008-02-08

http://www.aec.at/en/prix/index.asp

The 22nd Prix Ars Electronica - International Competition for CyberArts is open for entries. From its very inception in 1987, the Prix Ars Electronica has been conceived as an open platform for various disciplines at the intersection of art, technology, science and society. More than 3,300 submissions in 2007 have further enhanced the Prix Ars Electronica’s reputation as an internationally representative competition honoring outstanding works in the cyberarts. The categories Digital Musics, Digital Communities and Hybrid Art are great indicators for this trend. he deadline for submission is March 7, 2008.

Africa: CODESRIA Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing 2008

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/45867

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the seventeenth competition under its Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing. The grants are designed to contribute to the development of the social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening of research capacities in African universities through the funding of primary research conducted by post-graduate students and professionals.
CODESRIA Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing 2008

Objectives:

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the seventeenth competition under its Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing. The grants are designed to contribute to the development of the social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening of research capacities in African universities through the funding of primary research conducted by post-graduate students and professionals. In this connection, candidates whose applications are successful are encouraged to use the resources available under the grants to cover the cost of their fieldwork, the acquisition of books and documents, the processing of data which they have collected and the printing of their thesis/dissertation. As the Council has a strong interest in encouraging African researchers to engage one another on a sustained basis, recipients of the small grants will also be supported to order books and journals produced by African scholarly publishers, including CODESRIA itself.

Eligibility:

The Programme is open to graduate students and professionals currently registered in African universities preparing their theses and dissertations in all social science fields and in other disciplines involving social or economic analysis.

Application Procedures:

Grants are awarded solely on the strength of the applications received by CODESRIA. All applicants are required to use the application forms designed by CODESRIA and available with this announcement. The application forms can also be downloaded from the CODESRIA website (www.codesria.org).

In filling out the forms, applicants are requested to keep the following guidelines in mind:

(i) Research Proposal: The presentation by candidates of their research proposals should contain a clear statement of the research hypotheses, a critical review of the existing literature, the methodology to be used, the expected results of the work, and a detailed work plan and timetable. The research proposal should be based on an innovative problematic which sets out the originality of the theme in relation to on-going research in the same area;
(ii) Budget: Applicants should present a detailed budget with expenses clearly linked to specific phases of their research. The budget should not exceed USD 3000 for those preparing a PhD, USD 2500 for those preparing an M.Phil, and USD 2500 for those preparing an MA or MSc. Apart from trips for fieldwork in the country in which the research is actually conducted, travel abroad is not funded under the grant.
(iii) Statement of Institutional Support: A statement is required from the applicant’s institution of affiliation giving approval for the proposed research and an assurance of continued institutional support throughout the preparation of the thesis/dissertation. This statement of institutional support should be done on the institutional letterhead and must carry the official stamp;
(iv) Letters of Reference: Two letters of reference must accompany each application, one from the thesis/dissertation supervisor assessing the applicant’s research proposal and abilities and another from a faculty member assessing the applicant in relation to other graduate students and commenting on the scientific merit and validity of the proposed research;
(v) Curriculum Vitae: Applicants should include a current curriculum vitae which, among other things, indicates their discipline and nationality, and provides a list of their recent publications and on-going research activities in which they are involved.

Application Deadline and Selection Procedures: The deadline for the receipt of applications is Friday 09 May, 2008. Applications found to be incomplete or which arrive after the deadline will not be taken into consideration. The independent Selection Committee charged with screening all applications received will meet in Dakar, Senegal, from 26 to 30 May, 2008 and the results of its deliberations will be announced shortly thereafter.

All applications should be submitted to:
The Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing
CODESRIA, BP 3304, CP 18524, Dakar, Senegal.
Tel.: +221-33 825 98.22/23
Fax: +221-33 824 12.89
E-mail: small.grants@codesria.sn
Website: http://www.codesria.org

Global: Call for submissions for the SEED Awards 2008

2008-02-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/45996

The SEED Initiative is seeking submissions for "The 2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development". We welcome innovative ideas from any group in a developing country, which is working in partnership with others to generate environmental and social benefits in an entrepreneurial way. The Award is not a cash prize - but the services offered have a value of US$25,000. The call is open until the 16th March 2008.
Call for Submissions for the SEED Awards 2008

Do you have an entrepreneurial or innovative idea that is locally-driven and has great potential to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries? Are you finding new ways of simultaneously improving incomes and strengthening livelihoods; tackling poverty and marginalisation; and managing and conserving natural resources and ecosystems? Are you developing a new concept that brings together people and organizations from different backgrounds - a project that challenges partners to pool their human, financial, and natural resources?

Do you need support to make your idea a reality, or to help you grow? If so, then we would like you to tell us about your idea.

The SEED Initiative is seeking submissions for "The 2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development". We welcome innovative ideas from any group in a developing country, which is working in partnership with others to generate environmental and social benefits in an entrepreneurial way.

SEED Award Winners receive a tailored package of support services to help them to become established and to increase their impact. This includes access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance. The Award is not a cash prize - but the services offered have a value of US$25,000.

The call is open until the 16th March 2008.

For further information please see www.seedinit.org where you can also find the application form and learn about previous Award Winners.

We look forward to receiving your application and to reading about your ideas.

For information about the SEED Awards:

www.seedinit.org seedawards2008@seedinit.org
Tel: +49 30 8900068 99
For any other queries about the SEED Initiative:

helen.marquard@seedinit.org
Tel: +44 1420 488 544
The SEED Initiative - Supporting Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development c/o The World Conservation Union (IUCN)

28 Rue Mauverney Gland CH-1196 Switzerland &#65532;

Africa: CODESRIA Social Science Faculty Seminar Series - 2008/2009 Competition

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/45860

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the 2008/2009 competition for its new initiative designed to contribute to the development, restoration and/or consolidation of a culture of regular faculty seminars in African universities. In announcing the competition, the Council will also like to invite applications from staff of faculties of social sciences of African universities for the resources available to support the programme.
CODESRIA Social Science Faculty Seminar Series

2008/2009 Competition

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the 2008/2009 competition for its new initiative designed to contribute to the development, restoration and/or consolidation of a culture of regular faculty seminars in African universities. In announcing the competition, the Council will also like to invite applications from staff of faculties of social sciences of African universities for the resources available to support the programme.

The Social Science Faculty Seminar Series is one of the new initiatives of CODESRIA as part of its strategic objectives for the advancement of the frontiers of the production and dissemination of knowledge. It grew out of a desire to fill an observed gap in the quest for the renewal of the African higher education system, namely, the collapse of the culture of regular departmental and/or faculty seminars which, themselves, were connected to the culture of advanced research to which staff and postgraduate students alike subscribed until the 1980s when the crises of funding in African higher education triggered a host of other problems that undermined all established academic cultures. The reasons for the collapse of the culture of seminars in the average African university are too well known to bear recounting here; suffice it to note that the entrenchment of a counter-culture of consultancies has further weakened commitments to knowledge sharing and exchange through the seminar system.

Similarly, the consequences of the collapse of seminar culture on the higher education system are all too familiar to necessitate a detailed enumeration here; the point should be made, however, that it has reproduced the fragmentation and atomisation of African social research along lines that have added up to weaken the African voice in the international market place of ideas. Through the Social Science Faculty Seminar Series, CODESRIA seeks to contribute to efforts aimed at reviving the culture of scholarly life on the African university campus and, in so doing, feeding into the challenges of constructing an environment that would be conducive for research and learning. Furthermore, through the Seminar Series, it is hoped to be able to encourage greater academic networking within African universities in ways which might enable individual researchers not only to discover opportunities for debate and collaboration with one another, but also to transcend disciplinary, generational and gender barriers to scholarly exchange.

Staff of faculties of social sciences of African universities interested in organising regular seminars are invited to submit well thought out applications for the consideration of CODESRIA. The frequency of the seminars could vary from monthly to quarterly meetings; they must be organised around a global theme, although the topics for each of the monthly or quarterly presentations could vary from author to author. The paper presenters in the seminars should be staff members or postgraduate students of the faculty which will be hosting the programme; exceptionally, however, external speakers drawn from other universities could be invited to participate in the seminar series. Organisers of the seminars are required to commit themselves to drawing participation in the meetings from several departments within the university system and to reflect this in the scheduling of speakers. The seminars should also be open to all teaching staff and postgraduate students interested in participating in them. Application documents should include a short proposal which speaks to the environment of research in the university from which it is coming, the overall theme that will be covered by the seminar series and specific topics which individual authors will be addressing, the proposed frequency of the seminars, the groups that will be targeted by the seminar programme, the expected outcomes, and the person(s) who will assume editorial responsibility for the revision and compilation of the papers presented for possible publication by CODESRIA.

Applications should also include a detailed budget with clearly delineated lines that should be properly justified. No ceilings are set for the funding support available from CODESRIA but for indicative purposes, applicants may wish to note that up to USD100,000 will be available annually from the Council to support up to 10 faculty seminars across Africa. A provision for the purchase of books and/or journals relevant to the overall theme of the proposed seminar series will also be welcomed by CODESRIA, it being understood that the books will be lodged in the university or faculty library for the benefit of all members of the university community. At the end of the seminar series, electronic and hard copies of the revised papers presented will be submitted to CODESRIA for processing for dissemination on the Council’s web site and through its publications programme. To this end, the Council has introduced a new rubric within its publications programme known as the CODESRIA African Universities Social Science Faculty Seminar Series.

For the 2008 session, applications for seminars beginning from July 2008 to June 2009 will be welcomed by the Council. Applications for this round of the competition should be received by Friday 31 May, 2008. The applications received will be reviewed by an independent selection committee and the recommendations of the committee will be notified to applicants during the course of June 2008. All enquiries and applications should be sent to:

CODESRIA,
Social Science Faculty Seminar Series,
P.O. Box: 3304, Dakar, CP 18524 – Senegal.
Tél: +221-33 825.98.22/23 — Fax: +221-33 824.12.89
E-mail: Faculty.Seminars@codesria.sn
Website: http://www.codesria.org

Africa: CODESRIA Text Book Programme: Call for Applications for 2008

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/45859

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to call for proposals for its revamped programme for the publication of text books for use in African universities. The programme was initially introduced as part of a broad set of objectives for achieving greater balance and relevance in curriculum development in African universities by making available to teachers and students, text books that are adapted to the African historical context and the environment of research and learning on the continent.
CODESRIA Text Book Programme: Call for Applications for 2008

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to call for proposals for its revamped programme for the publication of text books for use in African universities. The programme was initially introduced as part of a broad set of objectives for achieving greater balance and relevance in curriculum development in African universities by making available to teachers and students, text books that are adapted to the African historical context and the environment of research and learning on the continent. In this role, it was conceived as an important element of the Council’s wider institutional mandate and publications strategy but it also helped, along side other CODESRIA publications, to assuage the book famine that afflicted the African social research community in the 1980s and 1990s. Through the revamped text book programme, the Council aims to continue to contribute to the nurturing and growth of younger African researchers brought up in a tradition of critical, engaged and rigorous scholarship premised on theoretical and methodological foundations that enable them to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the frontiers of knowledge.

Against the background of the foregoing, African researchers are invited to submit proposals for text book projects for consideration by the Council. All those wishing to send in proposals must already be senior scholars with a proven track record of academic achievement and a demonstrable knowledge of the domain in which they wish to produce a CODESRIA textbook. In deciding which proposals to support, the Council will place emphasis on the value which is likely to be added by the project. Proposals for consideration could be by individuals wishing to be single authors or by scholars hoping to pool together a group of other contributors whose input they will then edit into a book for use in African universities. Furthermore, multi-author proposals or proposals consisting of the identification and collection into one volume of classics produced by some of the most outstanding thinkers will also be welcomed. Each textbook could either be organised around a discipline or body of disciplines, or on a specific theme. The textbooks could also either cover the entire African continent or a specific sub-region or country.

Applications for consideration under the textbook programme should include the following materials:
i) A proposal which includes a clear theoretical, methodological and pedagogic justification for the project;
ii) The curriculum vitae(s) of the project leader(s) and a bio-sketch of all the other contributors;
iii) Two copies of the publications of the project leader(s) which they consider to be the most significant and relevant to their proposal;
iv) A detailed calendar and budget for the implementation of the project.

All applications received will be examined by an independent selection committee and those which are recommended for support will be eligible for funding by the Council. For indicative purposes, prospective applicants for support within the textbook programme may wish to note that up to USD10,000 may be available from CODESRIA resources to assist them in realising their projects. To be eligible for consideration for support within the 2008 financial year of the Council, all applications should be received by 30 June, 2008. Applications should be sent to:

The CODESRIA Text Book Programme,
Department of Training, Grants and Fellowships,
CODESRIA,
BP 3304, CP 18524,
Dakar, Senegal.
Tel.: +221-825 98 22/23
Fax.: +221-824 12 89
E-mail: text.book@codesria.sn
Website: www.codesria.org

global: 10th International Training Course on Disability and Development,

11th to 20th March, Bangalore

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/45857

Actionaid is happy to announce 10th International Training Course on Disability and Development, scheduled from 11th to 20th March 2008,Bangalore. The ten-day intensive exercise is intended for Programme Managers of organisations and projects involved in development and disability work. The course is designed to equip the participants with appropriate attitudes, necessary knowledge and basic skills to initiate, monitor, develop and strengthen disability and development programmes apart from facilitating information exchange among participants.
Actionaid is happy to announce 10th International Training Course on Disability and Development, scheduled from 11th to 20th March 2008,Bangalore. The ten-day intensive exercise is intended for Programme Managers of organisations and projects involved in development and disability work. The course is designed to equip the participants with appropriate attitudes, necessary knowledge and basic skills to initiate, monitor, develop and strengthen disability and development programmes apart from facilitating information exchange among participants. The participants will also be oriented towards Information Dissemination, Networking and Advocacy related to disability, development and CBR.

The workshop is targeted at middle and senior level professionals from the Government, NGOs, International NGOs and individuals interested in disability work. As the medium of instruction is English, fluency in
reading, writing and speaking English is a necessary prerequisite. The number of participants will be restricted to 28. Faculty comprises a team of distinguished professionals, practitioners, disabled activists and management experts.

Curriculum includes;
* Addressing attitudes, Myths and Misconceptions towards people with disabilities.
* Basic Concepts, Perspectives and Approaches
* Poverty - Disability & Development
* Inclusive education & Livelihoods
* Disability and issues of multiple marginalisation(Women with Disability)
* Disaster and disability
* National and International policy framework.
* CBR and Development
* Using participatory approaches in planning, implementation, monitoring, reviewing and evaluation.

The course will emphasise the use of participatory learning approaches and have a fieldwork component. Lectures, group discussions, case studies and work analysis will form an essential component of the programme.

Kindly write to Training co-ordinator for brochure and application;
Training Co-ordinator - ITC,
Actionaid, No.139, Richmond Road, Bangalore- 560 025.
Ph. 080-25586682,
Email: victor.jc@actionaid.org

Global: Race and gender: Perspectives on globalization - CEU Summer University

2008-02-05

http://www.sun.ceu.hu/02-courses/course-sites/gender/index-gender.php

Democracies everywhere are undergoing transformation and redefinition in response to particular contemporary phenomena. These phenomena include the rise of global capitalism and the subsequent globalization of many aspect of culture; large scale migration or immigration; identity politics; the development of new, powerful supranational entities like the European Union; neo-liberal policy; and, in the case of Central and Eastern European countries, the dismantling of state socialism. This course specifically considers how these processes shape political and social belonging in democracies today in various ways. Application deadline: 14 March 2008.

Global: UN meets Web 2.0

New Media, New Entrepreneurs and New ICT Opportunities in Emerging Markets

2008-02-05

http://www.un-gaid.org/en/node/1347

The Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA-GAID) will organize an event, entitled "United Nations Meets Web 2.0 - New Media, New Entrepreneurs and New ICT Opportunities in Emerging Markets", on 25-26 March 2008, in Conference Room IV of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This event is second in a series of intimate, interactive and action-oriented meetings organized by UNDESA-GAID with ICT leaders, who create new and innovative technologies.

Africa: Senior Program Officer, Africa - AJWS

2008-02-05

http://www.ajws.org/who_we_are/careers/senior_program_officer_africa.html

The Senior Program Officer for Africa will be responsible for shaping and implementing the strategic direction of AJWS’ grantmaking in Africa and directly managing grants in Southern Africa. S/he will represent AJWS’ Africa program at international forums as well as AJWS Board and donor meetings. S/he will manage the work of the two Africa Program Officers and consultants in the field. S/he will also work as part of a closely knit Grants Department and with other AJWS programs including advocacy, volunteer programs, and communications. For immediate consideration, please forward your resume and cover letter to opportunities@ajws.org and indicate your name and "Senior Program Officer, Africa" in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE that candidates need to be authorized to work in the US, as AJWS doesn’t have the capacity do undertake visa procedures right now.

Nigeria: Volunteer positions - ECF

2008-02-05

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/45892

Edem Children Foundation (ECF) is a Child’s Rights NGO working in Southern Nigeria. Our work focuses on reducing violence against children and young people, reducing the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children, as well as mother-to-child empowerment opportunities. Application Period: January 14th to March 14th, 2008. Duration of Volunteerism: 3 to 6 months
Edem’s children Foundation (ECF)- “leaving no child and young person behind”

JOB/VOLUNTEER ANNOUNCEMENT.

Post:

(1) ICT Volunteer
(2) Fund Raising Volunteer

Edem Children Foundation (ECF) is a Child’s Rights NGO working in Southern Nigeria. Our work focuses on reducing violence against children and young people, reducing the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children, as well as mother-to-child empowerment opportunities.

ECF is committed to working with children and young people who are neglected by their families, communities and government and are most vulnerable.
We believe that access to basic services is an integral part of a right based approach to development.

VISION

ECF envisage a society where no child and young person is left behind in self-actualisation.
ECF also envisages a continent where every child has hope and opportunity.

VALUES: Good governance, Accountability and Gender equality.

MISSION

ECF Mission to work for the improvement of the plight of children and young people in Africa, through information sharing, training, research, education and early intervention.
Bridging the gap between theory, policy and practice.

ECF has opened a Mini ICT centre Called. WOMEN & CHILDREN RIGHTS INFORMATION CENTRE (WOCRIC) (Phase 1).

The Goal of the WOCRIC. To support the development of women, youths and children (vulnerable groups) as well as reduced the high rate of human rights violation through the information, communication and technology facilities.

The Centre offers the following services/activities.
· Free Training for women, youth and children on the use of computer and internet (ICT). · Collection of information on human rights in the subject areas of human rights education, women and children’s rights, arrest, detention, refugees, capital punishment, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and freedom of media.
· Collation of international instruments, national legislations, court documents, questionnaires, reports, leaflets, letters, media reports and books on women and children rights.
· Classification and recording into computer worksheets, according to thematic and geographic areas.
· Conduct and women and children’s rights abuses.
· Conduct counselling for parent and children.
· Campaigning to solicit local, national and international support to stop the violation of women and children’s rights.
· Provision of helpline where victims of the rights based violence could call to reach ECF for help.

Appeal for Support:

ECF-WOCRIC is currently seeking support from Cooperate bodies, Individuals and Donors for upgrading of facilities and books at the centre.
We are also requesting for ICT volunteers.
Application Period: January 14th to March 14th, 2008 Duration of Volunteerism: 3 to 6 months Salary: Is a none payment services.

For further information on how to support us /apply, contact us at:

Programme Director.
ECF-WOCRIC
#23 Etinyin Abasi Street, Off Atamunu Street, Calabar South, Cross River State-Nigeria Email: ecfnd@yahoo.com, Phone: +234 8077205323, 803 6181632, 8028158532

South Africa: Intern - Women's Net

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/45937

Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the position of Intern. the deadline for applications is 15 February 2008.
VACANCIES AT WOMEN'SNET

* Are you passionate about gender and women's rights?
* Are you interested in how information and communication technologies are used for social change and action?
* Do you want to be part of a dynamic and innovative team?

Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the following position:

INTERN

The Women'sNet internship programme provides the opportunity for South African women to develop their ICT skills and gain valuable experience for a nine-month period.

Key responsibilities
* To source information for the Women'sNet website
* To update the Women'sNet website
* To respond to online queries
* Filing and in-house information management
* To provide administrative support to Women'sNet staff Requirements
* Good organisational skills
* Proficiency in English and at least one African language
* Good computer skills
* Good communication's skills
* Good writing skills
* An interest in ICTs and its development use, and an enthusiasm for technology Send a motivation letter, detailing your experience and why you are applying as well as your CV to: women@womensnet.org.za or fax to 0866 378 235.

Deadline for applications:15 February 2007.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews.
More information: http://womensnet.org.za

South Africa: Project Officer - Women's Net

2008-02-06

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/45939

Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the position of Project Officer. the deadline for applications in 15 February 2008.
VACANCIES AT WOMEN'SNET
* Are you passionate about gender and women's rights?
* Are you interested in how information and communication technologies are used for social change and action?
* Do you want to be part of a dynamic and innovative team?

Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the following position:

PROJECT OFFICER

The primary responsibility of the project officer will be to provide support to Women'sNet's projects.

Key Responsibilities

* Logistics support for training events, publications, meetings and events
* Training assistance in programmes
* Research to contribute to project related work
* Content development for projects
* Assistance with reporting on project- related activities
* Attending meetings or events on behalf of Women'sNet
* Some administration tasks related to projects
* Participating in planning processes for the organisation as a whole, and in, monitoring and evaluation of projects

Requirements

* Relevant degree or diploma in gender, development or related studies or work experience
* Experience in and an understanding of the developmental challenges facing South African women
* Interest in ICTs and its development use
* Computer skills and an enthusiasm for technology
* Good writing skills, including report writing
* Good organisational skills
* Proficiency in English and at least one African language


Deadline for applications:15 February 2007.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews.
More information: http://womensnet.org.za

South Africa: Chief Executive Officer - GEMSA

2008-02-06

http://www.gemsa.org.za/page.php?p_id=366

The Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network is a Southern African NGO based in Johannesburg that has chapters in 13 southern African countries. The GEMSA secretariat seeks the services of an experienced, highly motivated and committed individual to fill the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The successful candidate will come from Southern Africa.

Fahamu