Back Issues

Ghana: Ruling party thugs vandalise radio station, attack three persons

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/action/56687

A group of armed supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Techiman, a town in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana on May 28, 2009 besieged the premises of privately-owned Classic FM physically attacked three persons and vandalised the station.
A group of armed supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Techiman, a town in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana on May 28, 2009
besieged the premises of privately-owned Classic FM physically attacked
three persons and vandalised the station.

Kofi Doe Lawson, a producer, Michael Amankwah, marketing manager of the station and a food vendor were violently attacked by the angry supporters wielding machetes. Amankwah was hospitalised, treated and later discharged.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)'s correspondent reported that the
attack was as a result of an alleged voice recording of Simon Addai, a member of parliament (MP) of Techiman South constituency, who during a meeting with NDC members allegedly threatened to 'deal' with some members of the opposition, including prosecuting his immediate predecessor, for an acts of corruption.

The correspondent said but for the vigilance of the station security, the youth, who destroyed the entrance of the station would have also vandalised the studio. It took the intervention of the patrol team of military and police to bring the situation under control.

When MFWA contacted the MP, he denied making the statements attributed to him by the station. He accused the station of bias and unprofessionalism. The MP said the attack had not been officially reported to him.

Tributes to a fallen giant

Firoze Manji

2009-05-27

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/56576

In tribute to the passing of a giant of Pan-Africanism, Pambazuka News devotes this edition to the life and inspirational work of Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. Following Tajudeen's tragic death in a car accident on 25 May, Pambazuka has seen a huge response from those wishing to pay their respects and salute a true colossus of African liberation. In inspired remembrance, Pambazuka's editor in chief Firoze Manji rounds up the overwhelming wave of tributes we have received in the wake of Tajudeen's sad passing.

A giant of Pan-Africanism has fallen.

That is the overwhelming view of the hundreds who have written tributes to Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem since the tragedy happened.

Tajudeen was killed in a car accident in Nairobi on African Liberation Day, 25 May 2009, while driving to the airport to catch a flight to Rwanda to meet with the county’s president on the current maternal mortality rate campaign. He leaves behind his family, Munira and the girls, Aida and Aisha. Their burden, and perhaps also their solace, is that they must share that loss with thousands of us who saw Taju as a member of our family too.



As Emmanuel Akwetey wrote in his tribute: 'Taju's footprints are gigantic and he chose to leave them not only on us but the whole of Africa.'

'Africa has lost one of its greatest giants in the struggle for human rights, justice and democracy in the continent. You fought a good fight – you left an important footprint,' says Omano Edigheji, Human Sciences Research Council. 'He was a giant by any measure. He was genuinely committed to the liberation of our continent. Maybe after all, it was no coincidence he passed away on Africa's liberation day!', says Demba Mousaa Dembele.

Tajudeen kept the universal torch of Pan-Africanism alive, writes Issa G. Shivji. 'I say universal because for Tajudeen Pan-Africanism was NOT sub-Saharan only, or black only, or Muslim or Christian or Yoruba or Ogoni only. It was truly Pan-Africanist. He wouldn't give in to culturalism or into what Nyerere once called, these territorial divisions caused by "imperialist vultures".'



For all of us, the news has been difficult to take in – we wander around in a mist of disbelief.

'I have been struggling to find the words to express the distress and the sense of loss that I have been experiencing since my dearest friend Tajudeen departed from this world.' Patricia Daley

'I just cannot believe this … just cannot. I will not accept his parting us – so much work yet to be done, so much where his particular insight and wisdom from the one and only direction and perspective to reclaim Africa's dignity comes. That voice must not leave Africa – there is no substitute. Hard to find a Tajudeen amongst us. My brother, my brother, my brother – unbearable tragic news and loss not just to family, to all of us, to all of Africa!' Mammo Muchie

'Too painful to describe will be your absence… too many are the things we shall miss. Your magic way with words with moments like these with battling for an immortal idea.' Pauline Wynter and Jacques Depelchin



'I still can't believe that somebody so vital and alive is gone.' Onyekachi Wambu

'From Cape to Cairo, Mombasa to Dakar, Port of Spain to London and beyond, our grief speaks to the magnitude of his contribution.' David Johnson

But through the haze created by our tears, we begin to get a sense of the size of the man we have lost. One of my favourite anecdotes about Tajudeen concerns his application for doctoral study at Oxford University under the Rhodes Scholarship scheme. In uncompromising defiance of university protocol, Tajudeen insisted on dressing in traditional style for his interview and exam, and challenged those on the selection committee as to why he should want to be associated with such a notorious imperialist as Cecil Rhodes!

'The fall of a colossus like him is like the loss of a thousand generals.' Baba Aye, Socialist Workers' Movement



'I am shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of a friend and a man of the integrity and commitment that Taju has demonstrated in his political practice.' Gavin Williams

'A defender of Africa whose passion was tinged with humane attributes; of a leader whose nationality never mattered except the pan-African nationality.' Godwin Murunga

'He is a long distance runner for African Liberation.' Walter Turner, Host, Africa Today KPFA Radio

'He was the consummate communicator, the captivating storyteller, where the need arose, the rabble-rouser, the sympathiser and ultimately the African that had the solution to whatever manner of problem. He exhorted us not to agonise, but rather organise … and as we all know, he lived his life to the last, organising.' Ezra Mbogori, Akiba Uhaki Foundation



'He was nothing if not ubiquitous in pursuit of African liberation. We shall sorely miss his unbounded energy, his unfailing grace, his infectious optimism. Many have theorised about pan-Africanism, and theory is a good thing, but theory without practice is of little effect. In Tajudeen the theory and practice of pan-Africanism found a perfect synthesis.' Michael O. West

'Tajudeen was a complex figure – a comrade, a loving father, a unifier and a brilliant intellectual – and above all, a solid Pan-Africanist. He brought vigour and urgency in whatever progressive cause he espoused… A charismatic and larger-than-life figure, he had a strong and overwhelming presence, deploying his decisive mind and powerful voice to articulate the rights of the dispossessed and have-nots in Africa and the diaspora… Tajudeen was a born optimist and harbinger of hope. He never lost faith in the ability of the African people to transform their lives and control their destiny. He remained at the frontline of Africa’s quest for political, social and economic change and fearlessly fought for a free and united Africa.' Yusuf Hassan

'His vivaciousness, joy, his clarity of thought in the most dire circumstances, his spirit of fairness and his will to take on what is not just.' Fatma Alloo



Tajudeen was a relentless and bold critic of hypocrisy, something that so many people spoke about:

'He managed to shake us complacent diplomats and politicians to get out of the mentality of conference room when discussing African issues.' Ambassador Ahmed Haggag, Secretary General of the African Society

'The man was blessed with prodigious gifts: formidable intellect, eloquence, far-sightedness, energetic audacity, confidence, a sense of humour and pretty good acting skills. Not to mention his great writing ability and more.' Nii Akuetteh

'He filled the room with energy, razor sharp intellect and that most deadly weapon of struggle: humour.' David Johnson



'… reliable, responsible, bold, fearless, champion of the downtrodden and oppressed, friendly, human, highly intelligent, warm and honest with his opinion.' Segun Adeyi

'… larger than life, laughing, and talking boisterously everywhere.' Wangui wa Goro

'He lamented about "remunerated solidarity" from the North and the "protest by per diem" culture taking root in Africa and elsewhere in the South.' Kumi Naidoo

'... crusading advocacy work of Pan-Africanism and the unity of the African people.' Dani Wadada Nabudere




'His warmth, eloquence, oratory skills, intelligence, spirit and good sense of humour.' Ebrima Ceesay

'We invited Taju to the Centre for Basic Research to give a talk,' writes Mahmood Mamdani, Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University, New York. 'His opening salvo was a bitter indictment of Africa’s post-independence leadership: "If an American ship docked at Lagos port today, with a huge banner reading ‘Slave ship to America', there would a queue of millions of Nigerians wanting to get on that ship." This was classic Taju: there is no time for formalities or pleasantries; the time at hand is short… The most abiding memory I retain of Taju is that of eternal optimism, the determination that it is possible to proceed whatever the odds, and that the proof of genius lies in the ability to build with materials on the ground, to take a leap from text to life. He broke decisively with the "theory first" orientation of his older comrades. Taju honoured no rules, no commandments, no limits except those he encountered on the ground. He could work with anyone, whether government, UN, donor or NGO. The worth of a relationship for him did not lie in the identity of the other side, but in who set its agenda. It is worth recalling the signature with which he ended every note: "Don’t agonise, organise!"'



And many of the tributes attest to the extraordinary combination of the personal and the political:

'Taju was always so helpful, cheerful, reliable and just good – all the time. We shall always remember him as the bold, happy person who always made us think, laugh and do.' Roselynn Musa

'We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. Charisma, vivacity and integrity spout from him like water from the Mosi-oa-Tunya. His unforgettable presence, wisdom and brilliance constantly guide us through life.' Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell, Centre for Democracy and Development

'I came to have the utmost respect for his intellectual integrity, his brilliant analysis of the African predicament, and his untiring commitment to the pan-African cause. His exemplary life and work should remain a beacon for present and future generations of all Africans who are committed to putting the natural wealth of our continent to the service of the deepest aspirations of our people.' Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja

'His incisive analysis and sharp wit will be sorely missed by Pambazuka readers. Taju was one of those people that sparked any event he attended.' Deborah Bryceson

'A number of people have quoted his well-worn calling card: ‘Don’t Agonise!!! Organise!!!’ (The punctuation was deliberate). But that wide-eyed passion and righteousness, and a refusal to accept Africa’s, or his own, predicament as final is summed up for me in another of his phrases: 'Nothing For Me Without Me'. Alastair Roderick



Several commented on Tajudeen's commitment to the struggle for women's rights:

'His unwavering fight and contribution for justice in Africa and its women in the global effort to fight poverty and injustice is commendable. Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem will be especially remembered for his outspokenness and strong leadership in campaigning for global justice, good governance and what we stand for as Akina Mama wa Afrika. The women of Africa will always remember him for his for holding their hands in the fight for their rights and travelling this journey of stamping out inequality and the tenets of patriarchy in its various forms.' Solome Nakaweesi Kimbugwe, for and on behalf of Akina Mama Wa Afrika

'Taju understood that an African liberation can never be, without the liberation of African women. He departs the stage at a time when we need many more like him … and they are hard to come by.' Stella Mukasa, Uganda

'Thank you Taju for speaking up for the women of Africa. "Yes Jjaja", he said, "Women should not lose their lives while giving life." Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that our final conversation would be on life and rights. Oh Taju, that you should lose your own life fighting for women’s health rights, breathe your last on African Liberation Day.' Fatoumata Toure



'He has been an inspiration in the struggle for African liberation and African unity and in my professional life.' Doreen Lwanga

'He always sought alternatives where the mainstream had boxed us into a corner. Never one to retreat from an impasse, he’d always quote Amílcar Cabral: "Claim no easy victories, tell no lies."' Fatoumata Toure

Even those who were not fortunate to have met Tajudeen spoke highly of this giant:

'Although I never had the privilege to meet him in person, he was a firm and fixed star in my personal universe.' Henning Melber

'A great man has been lost but he leaves us with thousands of words for us to ponder on Mother Africa but more importantly to ACT, to DO, to SPEAK – thats what Tajudeen did and we should follow his way now more than ever.' Sokari Ekine

'I do not know Tajudeen personally but have been a silent admirer of the sort of charisma with which he maintained his fingers on the keyboard to inform, educate and entertain Ugandan readers in particular and Africa and the world at large.' Tumusiime Kabwende Deo

And due recognition has been given to Tajudeen by the Pan African Parliament:

'A group of us were gathered to meet with the Pan African Parliament (PAP), a body that Tajudeen had so much wanted to have legislative powers so that it could speed up the integration of Africa; a continent that was so close to Taju's heart. ... Twice, the Parliament gave a minute's silence in remembrance of an African icon; a man who knew every single leader on the continent; a man who never minced his words, even in the face of the most ruthless dictators, like his former President Sani Abacha who had wanted to kill him.' Dimas Nkunda

'In his work within the Pan African movement, Tajudeen was a consummate diplomat. Behind his disarming wit lay a critical understanding of the need to reach the people. Tajudeen knew the social movements across Africa. Within the Pan African movement he had to interface with many of the leaders who had come to power through the movement for change. From Kampala, Tajudeen worked tirelessly with the movement for peace in the Sudan. Opposition to wars and genocide was not an intellectual matter for Tajudeen, it was a matter of urgency that required skilful negotiation of African politics. Tajudeen was as opposed to the senseless war in Northern Uganda as he was opposed to the militarism and genocidal violence in the Sudan. He wanted to ensure that he was able to be effective as an opponent to these violations and betrayals. At times the betrayal was most painful as in the moment of the tragic death of John Garang of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement. The record of the meetings for peace convened in Kampala remains a record to be built upon by those committed to the Pan African principles of peace.' Horace G Campbell

THE WAY FORWARD

'What can we do to memorialise this great patriot of our Africa? We won't stop mourning anytime soon, but after our tears have dried up, can we start planning something in his name?', asks Akwasi Aidoo from TrustAfrica.

'... may I humbly propose to create a "Tajudeen Annual African Prize" to be given to a personality whom a panel decide has done a great service for the cause of Pan- Africanism.' Ambassador Ahmed Haggag, Secretary General of the African Society

'… immortalising him to guide a rising generation of socialist, pan-Africanist activists, by compiling his profound writings and making this widely available.
Sun re o, egbon Taju…sun re.' Baba Aye, Socialist Workers' Movement

'Let each NGO recruit brand-new activists (as few as one and as many as capacity allows). Call them "Tajudeen Fellows". And train and mentor them to become brilliant activists. In this training, it is crucial that each learns to uncover a problem challenging global Africa. However, having exposed problems and challenges, they must not agonise, but must organise.' Nii Akuetteh

'… start thinking of working out a strategy for an AU and ECOWAS summit to declare Taju an African hero of our time.' Nana Busia

'The best we can do to honour his tireless efforts in promoting social and political justice in Africa is to continue exposing the injustice that exists and call for a renewed sense of quality African citizenry. ' Ronald Elly Wanda

'The Prof has done his deed, living his life to the fullest and inspiring a multitude of Africans. The ball is now in our court.' Salma Maoulidi, Sahiba Sisters Foundation, Tanzania

'He would not want us to mourn him long. Instead, he would want us to remember his words on every African Liberation Day – "Don't agonise, organise!" – until the continent is free.' Patricia Daley

'You will be missed dear friend but we know well, like Biko, Nkrumah, Lumumba, Cabral, Rodney, and countless others, your spirit lives!' Emira Woods, Institute for Policy Studies

'Tajudeen led, now we must follow.'
Michael O. West

'I am only certain about one thing. If one had asked Taju which day he would love to go in the far future, I am sure Taju would have said Africa Day. And as long as Africa Day is celebrated, Tajudeen will be remembered. For years Tajudeen has embraced this liberation day, and today it has liberated him from all earthly responsibilities and embraced him tightly, never to release him. It is one sad and symbolic gesture of the day claiming its own postcard, its one giant who has identified with the day all these years. It gives me a tiny thread of consolation that Tajudeen’s memory has been preserved, immortalised in a significant day that will always be alive. Because of this I pray, "Go down gracefully, Taju, and shine on." Amen.' Mildred Kiconco Barya

'In the words of Thomas Sankara, Tajudeen "dared to invent the future". He had a vision of Africa as she is meant to be and offered us his love to join him in making it a reality. May we all continue his legacy. Forward ever!' Hakima Abbas

***

Pambazuka News is proud to have been given the responsibility of hosting a page where tributes to this great comrade, friend, fighter and leader can be shared. Please continue to send in your tributes: we know that there are many who will write once they have managed to control the grief that we all feel deeply.

I am consumed by grief, but also by anger: Tajudeen was famous for railing against the failures of the neocolonial elite. Perhaps amongst one of their greatest failures has been to have done almost nothing to prevent the escalating epidemic of road traffic injuries in Africa that claim the lives of millions every year. I cannot prevent the sense of outrage that their neglect has contributed to the death of this hero of Africa.

In celebration of his writing over the years, Pambazuka is re-publishing a selection of Tajudeen's weekly Pan-African Postcards and is also planning to publish a printed collection in collaboration with Justice Africa and others. We hope that all institutions will consider the suggestions made above to establish initiatives that enable the fight that Tajudeen so profoundly believed in to continue. I hesitate to use the phrase that many have, 'A luta continua'. Whenever Taju and I met, we would bemoan the fact that our elites merely translated that slogan to mean 'The looting continues!'

We all share the sense of disbelief – and even betrayal – at your departure, Taju. But as they said about Hotel California, 'You can check out any time, but you can never leave'.

* Firoze Manji is editor in chief of Pambazuka News.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

Lessons in Liberation: Remembering Tajudeen

The Pambazuka News team highlights 15 of our favourite Pan-African Postcards

Pambazuka News

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/56611

Pambazuka News has published Tajudeen’s weekly Pan-African Postcard regularly since 2004. While we joke that Tajudeen’s writing was ‘an editor’s nightmare’, it was first and foremost a source of penetrating, incisive insight into pan-African affairs, expressed with humour and an underlying sense of optimism and belief that, however great the challenges the continent faces, by uniting and organising, we can build Africa into a great place for all its citizens.

In celebration of Tajudeen’s commitment and contribution to Pan-Africanism – and to the Pambazuka community – we have picked a few of our favourite postcards to share with you. These postcards, listed in chronological order, demonstrate Tajudeen’s uncanny ability to see to the heart of the matter, to understand the workings of the human heart, to clarify complex and controversial issues and to inspire people to work for change.

2004

1) Remembering Africa Day
Our first postcard is about the importance of remembering Africa Day – or rather Africa Liberation Day, as Tajudeen referred to it – a day on which we will also now always remember him.

‘The whole of Africa may now be under African rule but the agenda of liberating our peoples from poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment is as real today as it was in the 1960s and even more urgent.’



2005

2) Wanted: Followers of Prophet Blair for missionary work in Africa
Tajudeen expresses scepticism about Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa and its plans to save the continent in 2005, a ‘make or break year’.

‘It is still seeking to adjust Africa to global forces despite timid recognition in sections of the report that trade liberalisation, privatisation and the donor-driven market mantra have hugely contributed to the collapse of infrastructure, social lives and caused great deprivation in Africa.’

2006

3) Bye-Bye to Blair, Brown, Bob and Bono – the B stars in poverty pornography
Tajudeen is relieved to see the end of attempts by ‘busy-body new missionaries in the West’ to ‘dance poverty out of town’ and ‘talk it out of existence’.

‘I hope that in the new year these NGOs will start looking more to Africa and Africans rather than false prophets, saviours and messiahs from outside.’



4) Everyday should be a Woman's Day
Tajudeen celebrates the ‘giant strides’ made by African women but says the fact that we ‘point to women in top places’ means that their achievements are still unusual.

‘…we should spend the rest of the 364 days of every year taking action locally while thinking globally on how to right these wrongs. It is impossible to create a better world without bettering the lot of women.’

5) Football, Davids and Goliaths
Why is it that there are Africans in every winning football team, asks Tajudeen, but no winning African football teams?

‘No matter how talented a player is, in football, you are part of a team. We are big on big players and short on team spirit.’



6) From now on I say: not in my name
Tajudeen’s friends at the AU summit try to work out why he looks different – it's because he’s stopped smoking, following a plea from his daughter. Listen to the podcast [mp3].

‘I was… sad that my lifestyle was making her feel that her father might not be there. The buzz, the urge and everything that goes with that puff drained out of me that morning and ever since I have not filled up the pipe again.’

7) Islamic faith replaced Communism in the pantheons of Western phobias
Tajudeen remarks on the ripple effects on religious tolerance of Pope Benedict XVI’s ill-judged comments on Islam.

‘All citizens, whether Christian or Muslim or the majority who are neither, deserve and should enjoy the full rights to the protection of their lives, place of worship, and freedom of their consciences along with other rights.’



8) Honour To Whom It is Due: Celebrating Issa Shivji
Professor Issa Shivji is a legend in his own lifetime, for whom ALUTA CONTINUA is not just a slogan, but a working motto, writes Tajudeen.

‘It is not often that Africans, especially those of us on the Left, say thank you to one of us. Often we reserve our best homage till they are no longer with us.’

2007

9) Slavery is not dead
Maybe Africans are not interested in talking about slavery because it reminds us that many of our people today, whether in Africa or in the diaspora, still live like slaves.

‘Like chiefs and emperors, kings and other slave dealers of old our presidents and prime ministers preside over a system of power that continues to make our peoples "hewers of wood and drawers of water", while the riches of this continent continue to be siphoned off by others.’



10) The embarrassing grotesqueness of presidents
Why do leaders who promise national rebirth and inspire their compatriots to believe in them end up disappointing them? It is because they stay too long in power, says Tajudeen.

‘Afrika will survive these leaders but more than that we shall overcome these obstacles. We just have to keep hope alive and continue with the struggles.’

11) A Robin Hood president of Nigeria?
Amid fears that Nigeria’s elections were rigged, President Umaru Yar’Adua must show his independence from Olusegun Obasanjo if he is to gain credibility, writes Tajudeen.

‘We cannot be blaming any problems on Obasanjo anymore. As the Americans say: The buck stops at Yar’Adua’s desk now.’



12) Death by committee
How many more bureaucratic committees do we need to decide whether or not to form an African Union government, asks Tajudeen. It is time to get the people on board.

‘…the debate in the next six months in all our countries should shift to the streets, seminar halls, parliaments, county halls and at all levels to challenge our leaders and democratise the discussion'.

13) The demand for common citizenship
Any serious talk of building a United States of Africa must begin with the need to guarantee full citizenship rights to all Africans, and the freedoms to move, settle, work and participate in the political processes anywhere they may be, argues Tajudeen.

‘The granting of African citizenship will not automatically solve all the problems of ethnicity, racism, exclusionism and intolerance. What it will set is a new and more inclusive legal and political framework for us to deal with these problems as equal members of a shared political community without anyone of us feeling superior or inferior, or at the mercy of other citizens.’



14) Welcome to democratic Kenya where you can buy your own party
Politics is about money not people, writes Tajudeen, with Kenya as the ultimate example of the privatisation of politics through the veneer of multiparty democracy.

‘…the science of Monetics may be more appropriate than political science theories in understanding how the country is governed and mis-governed.’

2008

15) Greed, pauperisation, and the free market
The global economic downturn demonstrates why Africa should not accept neoliberalism and external wisdom as the answer to all its woes.

‘For decades we are told that the state is "useless", "inefficient", "parasitic", and "anti-enterprise", yet when the wheelers and dealers are in trouble they fall back on the same state to bail them out with freebies!’



You can view more of Tajudeen’s Pan-African Postcards on the Pambazuka website.

* Tell us which are your favourite postcards and why by writing to editor@pambazuka.org or commenting online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

Tajudeen at the 2007 African Union summit

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

2009-05-27

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/panafrican/56580

The West's child soldiers

Mahmood Mamdani with Ruben Eberlein

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/56582

RUBEN EBERLEIN: Your latest book (besides dealing with the political history of Sudan) is an ardent attack on the ‘Save Darfur’ movement in the US. You call it the ‘humanitarian face of the War on Terror’, their high school activists being the ‘child soldiers’ of the West. Why is it attractive for millions of people in the US to engage in the Darfur campaign?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: I have pointed out that Save Darfur is not a peace movement but a mobilisation for war, something clear from their slogans: ‘Out of Iraq, into Darfur’ or ‘Boots on the ground’. When children and teenagers are mobilised in support for war, they should be seen as child soldiers, whether in Africa or America. The difference is that the mobilisation around Darfur is not presented by Save Darfur as a political mobilisation for war, but as a moral crusade, which is what makes it attractive to millions of people in the US.

Save Darfur has many parallels with the War on Terror. One is presenting Save Darfur as a moral crusade rather than a political option. Second is obscuring the political and social causes of violence, instead claiming that violence is its own explanation, so that the only way to end violence is with more violence. Presumably, the difference is that ‘their’ violence is bad violence but ‘ours’ is good violence.

RUBEN EBERLEIN: Have you been surprised that your arguments evoke strong reactions among activists, but also among Sudanese/Darfurians living in the US as witnessed during the debate with John Prendergast in April 2009?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: I am not surprised that a critique of the politics of Save Darfur would evoke a strong reaction from activists associated with the organisation, be they Americans or Sudanese.

RUBEN EBERLEIN: What is your response to the charge raised by some people you would be an apologist of the regime in Khartoum?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: I would like to put my response to this question in a context. That context is the ways in which Save Darfur has marketed the conflict in Darfur to the American public, in the process distorting both its nature and its consequences. There have been at least five distortions.

The first concerns the numbers who have died. As early as 2006, a panel of experts appointed by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in conjunction with the Academy of Sciences concluded that Save Darfur claims of 400,000 dead were highly misleading and that 120,000 as the estimate of excess deaths during the high point of the conflict in 2003–04 – made by CRED, the WHO-associated (World Health Organisation) research unit in Belgium – was more reliable.

The second distortion arises from the assumption in Save Darfur publicity that all those who died were necessarily killed, when WHO data showed that 70 to 80 per cent had died of the consequences of drought and desertification, and 20 to 30 per cent of direct violence. According to CRED, ‘We estimate the number of violence-related deaths to be +/- 35,000.’

This is not to deny that further research is necessary to pinpoint how many of those who died of dysentery and diarrhoea may have survived in the absence of violence.

Third, Save Darfur publicity has obscured the history of the violence, and therefore both the fact that it is issue-driven and the responsibility for it. This conflict began as a civil war inside Darfur in 1987–89 against the backdrop of a colonial-era carving up of Darfur into a series of tribal homelands which discriminated against pastoralists and in favour of settled peoples. As a result, camel nomads of the north, who have no settled villages and move throughout the year, have no homeland. Then came the four-decade long drought which extended the boundaries of the Sahara another hundred kilometres to the south, pushing the camel nomads towards central Darfur.

The result was a classic ecological conflict (1987–89) between peasant and nomad tribes over the best land: whoever would control the most productive land would survive the drought. The final contributing cause was the spill-over of the Cold War from across the border in Chad, a consequence of its incorporation into the intensified Cold War during the Ronald Reagan presidency. The day after Ronald Reagan became president of the US, he declared Libya a terrorist state. Soon after, Chad turned into a Cold War battleground, with one side in the civil war supported by the US, France and Israel and the other by Libya and the Soviet Union. If one was in power in N'Djamena, the other crossed the border into Darfur.

It is in Darfur that the opposition gathered, organised, armed and trained and from which it mounted operations. In the process, Darfur became militarised. In the mid-1980s, when there was no water in Darfur, the province was awash with guns. It is the ubiquitous AK-47 and the mortars and the bazookas, by and large a Cold War contribution, that made for the lethal violence of the civil war. The important point is that the big powers were implicated in Darfur long before the government of Sudan was. In fact, the present government in Sudan came into power only at the end of the civil war in 1989.

Fourth, Save Darfur spread the idea that the violence of the war was perpetrated by ‘light-skinned Arabs’ against ‘dark-skinned Africans’ when the issue that drove the civil war of 1987–89 was not race but land, and the issue that came to overlay it with the insurgency of 2003 was that of power.

Finally, Save Darfur has continued to claim that the violence continues (‘the genocide continues’, says Save Darfur) when all evidence point to a dramatic decline in the level of violence in Darfur with the entry of the African Union in 2004. Only last month, the UN Secretary General’s envoy to Sudan briefed the Security Council that the number of deaths from violence in Darfur had averaged less than 150 from January 2008 to April 2009, and that Darfur was no longer an emergency but ‘a low intensity conflict’.

If we strip away the distortions of this marketing campaign – the numbers who died, the multiple causes of death suggesting that most of those who died were not killed, the fact that the conflict began as a civil war in which the great powers were implicated, that this was a conflict over land and not a race war between ‘Arabs’ and ‘Africans’ and, finally, that the level of violence has diminished markedly since late 2004 – then we come to the kernel of the question of responsibility. I have written that the government of Sudan carried out its own little war on terror in Darfur in 2003–04; its result was the massacre of civilians in Darfur in 2003–04. No one can deny that the political power in Sudan, which is the al-Bashir government, must be held politically responsible for this, much as the de Klerk government in South Africa was politically responsible for the crimes of apartheid in the period before the post-apartheid transition.

The issue I raised in the book was not about the political responsibility of the al-Bashir government, which is a settled issue so far as I am concerned. Rather, I raised a larger and more important issue: how to end the conflict in Darfur. Like apartheid-era South Africa, Darfur is an ongoing conflict. As in the South African case, we are faced with a choice: either try those politically responsible for the killings or win them over to an agenda of political reform. Let us remember that, instead of being tried and imprisoned, the leaders of apartheid sit in a post-apartheid parliament. The same is the case with the leadership of Renamo in Mozambique. And that same choice was made in ending the civil war in South Sudan. Why not in Darfur?

RUBEN EBERLEIN: Do you think a US/Western mass movement concerned with the wars and conflicts in Sudan is desirable at all? If yes, how would such a movement ideally look like from your point of view?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: I think such a movement is highly desirable. It should, first of all, be a peace movement and not a mobilisation for war like Save Darfur. Second, instead of a moral crusade that obscures the politics of war and conflict, such a movement should highlight the political context of the conflict and thereby promote a discussion of political choices. The result would be to focus public attention on the issues that drive the violence, rather than a claim that violence is its own explanation. Third, such a movement should educate the public that a durable solution will not be possible without internal support, and without a process capable of healing internal rifts, rather than making the public believe that African problems can only have external solutions. Such an education would have the advantage of teaching the public the difference between solidarity and intervention.

RUBEN EBERLEIN: What do you think your book Saviors and Survivors has to teach us about the Sudan that transcends other important contributions like those by Julie Flint & Alex de Waal and Gérard Prunier?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: I like to think that I have learnt from those who wrote earlier by standing on their shoulders. Specifically, my book brings to light the following dimensions not found in the writings of Flint/de Waal and Prunier: I provide a critique of the dominant historiography of Sudan which underlies the assumption that ‘Arabs’ are a distinct race that immigrated into Sudan as ‘settlers’ over centuries. Instead, I bring together the writings of several authors, Western and Sudanese, to show that the ‘Arab’ tribes of Sudan did not migrate from anywhere but are actually indigenous groups that became Arabs at different points in time: the royalty in the 16th and 17th century, the merchants in the 18th century, and the popular classes much later. In other words, Sudanese Arabs are African Arabs, which is why it makes no sense to talk of a conflict between Arabs and Africans in Sudan or in Darfur.

Second, I show that whereas Arab tribes of contemporary Sudan have been associated with power and privilege in the riverain areas, particularly in the north, the opposite has been the case with the Arab tribes of Darfur, who are the poorest and the least educated of all tribes in Darfuri society and at the same time the least represented of all tribes in the state apparatus in Darfur. In other words, if Darfur has been marginal to Sudan, the Arab tribes of Darfur have been doubly marginalised, both inside Darfur and in Sudan.

Third, I show that the issue at the heart of the conflict – land – cannot be understood unless placed in the context of the colonial experience. It is colonialism that created tribal homelands in Darfur, distinguished between ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ tribes in each homeland, and acknowledged ‘customary’ right to both land and administrative positions for those belonging to ‘native’ tribes. In other words, colonialism turned ‘tribe’ from a principle of identity into a basis for sustained and institutionalised discrimination.

Fourth, I show that the conflict in Darfur began as a civil war (1987–89) and not as an insurgency against the central government in Khartoum. This is the big difference between Darfur and South Sudan. I also show that both sides in the civil war saw themselves as victims. At the reconciliation conference in 1989, one side accused the other of perpetrating genocide (in fact using the word ‘Holocaust’) whereas the other side claimed to be the victim of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by those claiming to be natives. By characterising the conflict in Darfur as ‘genocide’, Save Darfur was taking on the point of view of one side to the conflict. The result has been a partial narrative that has highlighted the demand for an ‘Arab belt’ during the civil war but has obscured the corresponding demand for an ‘African belt’ during that same war. The larger result has been a demonisation of Arab tribes of Darfur, blocking them out of political processes, such as Abuja.

Finally, I show that there are two possible ways ahead for Darfur and Sudan. The first is the way of Nuremburg, which is marked by two assumptions: a fight to the finish so the victor would provide the framework of justice – Victors Justice – and a separate future for yesterday’s victims in a separate homeland, a version of Israel. The second is the way of post-apartheid transition, one suited to situations of ongoing conflicts which, if we waited for a victor to emerge, would lead to even greater bloodshed. To settle these conflicts, however, we need to recognise both yesterday’s perpetrators alongside yesterday’s victims as survivors with political rights in the future; thus I call it Survivors Justice. For the whites and blacks in South Africa, as for Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, and for the tribes of Darfur – whether nomadic and pastoral, or Arab and non-Arab – there is no choice but to live together. There will be no Israel for any of them.

RUBEN EBERLEIN: In some of the last pages of your book, you deal with the widely popular call among refugees and inhabitants of Darfur for a military intervention by the West. Doesn’t this reality pose a profound contradiction for an analyst who is much more in favour of an internal or African solution for these conflicts?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: Yes it does. I prefer to be realistic and to recognise the existence of profound political problems in most African countries – not only Darfur and Sudan, but also others like Chad, Congo, Zimbabwe, Kenya and so on – where the government of the day rules with impunity and the opposition looks for a quick fix in terms of an external solution.

RUBEN EBERLEIN: You caution against taking the call for Western intervention as a kind of ‘false consciousness’. On the other side, you allege those in Darfur calling for foreign intervention are naive and victims of a ‘consumer mentality’. Thus, isn’t that the same as presuming a ‘false consciousness’?

MAHMOOD MAMDANI: So long as intervention is driven by big power interests and ignores the nature and balance of forces internally, it will only exacerbate the problem instead of ameliorating it.

* Mahmood Mamdani, Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University, will be leading a Pambazuka News public meeting on 'Darfur: Politics and the war on terror' on the evening of the 2 June in Oxford, UK. Saviors and Survivors will be available at the event at a special discounted rate.
* Ruben Eberlein is a journalist based in Berlin, whose blog is Africa: Politics and Societies South of the Sahara. This interview was originally published by Ruben and is reproduced here with his kind permission.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

Silencing silence and resisting repression

A commentary on Brian Chikwava’s Harare North and Petina Gappah's An Elegy for Easterly

Tendai Marima

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/56610

In 2005 was London’s Africa Year, and across the city were plenty of cultural events reflecting the rich variety of African arts, crafts, music, film and literature. Coincidentally in Zimbabwe’s turbulent history, this was the year of the government-led 'Murambatsvina: Operation Cleanup' that displaced thousands of urban dwellers and informal businesses. As can be expected, this generated a lot of mixed international publicity and at the Africa conferences and talks I attended in London at this time, all roads of discussion led to Zimbabwe in one way or another. Sentiments expressed were not always the most positive or easy to hear for a die-hard patriot like me; critics and scholars of literature said the Zimbabwean scene was stagnant; gone was the era of literary prizes and international fame comparable to the likes of the late Yvonne Vera, Charles Mungoshi, Chenjerai Hove and Dambudzo Marechera.

‘They’ – I anonymously refer to this collective body of public figures, academic and social literary commentators – dubbed this a ‘period of literary silence’, considering there had not been any novels as internationally successful as the late Vera’s The Stone Virgins in 2002. Yet writers like Brian Chikwava, Virginia Phiri and Julius Chingono were producing work that earned international critical acclaim.

Vera’s death left a great void in African literature no writer could ever or should be expected to fill. But her death signified an important loss in the Zimbabwean literature, which had already been affected by the diminishing popularity of the once-renowned Zimbabwe International Book Fair. Due to political and economic reasons the focus shifted to the Cape Town Book Fair, which was first held in June 2005. This ‘period of literary silence’ was also due to the repressiveness of the state which made it difficult to write and the extreme economic turmoil which, ‘they’ said meant the prospect of profiting from writing were very bleak and the publishing industry was on its last legs, thus adding to the ‘period of literary silence’. And so the analyses continued, damning Zimbabwe to literary obscurity, while hailing the Kenyans and Nigerians among whom prolific and important writers like Binyawanga Wainana, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Helon Habila made groundbreaking international success.

In 2006 Zimbabwe’s literary scene showed signs of life, alive and well. The veteran Shimmer Chinodya wrote the 2007 Noma Award winner Strife and the long-awaited sequel to Nervous Conditions, The Book of Not, was published by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Newcomer Valerie Tagwira boldly wrote about the 2005 urban cleansing in The Uncertainty of Hope, while publishing houses Weaver Press and ‘amaBooks continued to release their collections of short stories despite the difficult economic conditions faced in Zimbabwe. At the conferences and book releases I attended in 2006 and 2007, critics certainly seemed to have been appeased. Zimbabwe was slowly returning to the scene as an important literary voice and it is here in the diaspora that it was speculated more stories on contemporary Zimbabwe would emerge. Having the political freedom, necessary critical distance and funding to write about home at this point in our modern history are, in my view, important ingredients that would lead to the rise of Zimbabwean diaspora writing.

Enter Brian Chikwava and Petina Gappah.

In April of 2009 both of these writers released their individual texts. Harare North, by Brian Chikwava, is a tale of a ‘paper-free’ immigrant who comes to the UK and claims asylum. Yet ironically in Zimbabwe, the migrant was part of the ruling party’s 'Green Bombers' who were instrumental in the political violence against the opposition MDC and the violent seizure of farms. Cleverly written in first-person narrative, Chikwava tells of the unnamed narrator's experiences in London, commonly known to Zimbabweans as Harare North because of the long history of large numbers of Zimbabweans who have gone to live and work there.

Chikwava’s comedic tale experiments with private voice and language to capture the immigrant experience of London. Arriving at Gatwick Airport as an asylum seeker, the narrator makes it past immigration to meet his cousin in-law. This first encounter shows how family changes when abroad, as he is made to feel very unwelcome at the home of his cousin Paul and Paul's wife, Sekai. Sekai’s manner toward him is so cold that he describes her 'a lapsed African'. Becoming increasingly aware he is an imposition and eager to fulfil his mission to raise £3,000 so he can return to Zimbabwe and live comfortably, he leaves Paul’s home in search of work and finds his way to Brixton where he meets Shingi who works as a carer or a BBC ('British Bottom Cleaner').

In this share-flat, the main characters of the novel are low-income earners who live on the margins of Britain’s middle-class society in the ghettoes of Brixton, where they work as fish 'n' chip shop workers, porters and hair shampooists and braiders. The most striking thing about these characters is the familiarity of their conditions. Many Zimbabweans and immigrants of other nations work in intensive labour low-paying jobs and suffer multiple, inter-connected forms of social discrimination that Chikwava’s novel brilliantly portrays. As the story unfolds, the somewhat good-intentioned narrator changes and the witty and humorous tone of the novel shifts to an embittered critique on the individual, and the collective circumstances which led to his demise.

There is much to be said on this novel as it offers a solid, yet complex and engaging critique on politics, class, family and illegal migrants. As a novel about Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans in London, this, in my view, is a book critics and commentators have been waiting for. It speaks boldly and critically about the political breakdown in Zimbabwe while simultaneously addressing the brutal conditions awaiting those that seek refuge in the borders of 'Harare North'. This is one book that will ‘end’ the ‘period of silence’ in Zimbabwean literature. But if there are any more voices of uncertainty and doubt, An Elegy for Easterly by Pettina Gappah will put those to rest. This collection of short stories show a star is rising in Zimbabwean and world literature.

An Elegy for Easterly is a collection of thirteen tales about life in Zimbabwe that offers an intimate view of the everyday lives of ordinary people. Each of the stories shows how people survive in the hyper-inflationary, politically volatile and plagued society we are often (rightly or wrongly) told is Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. This text shows the survival strategies people use in order to live from day to day. Despite the mass exodus of Zimbabweans to neighbouring countries and abroad since 2000, it is not everyone who can or wants to leave.

For as many reasons that people left Zimbabwe, there were as many reasons to stay and make life work as best one could. This, in my reading of Gappah’s book, seems to be strongest message: That life must go on in Zimbabwe. Despite the harsh conditions faced, people still live and they have triumphs and tribulations just like anyone else in any other part of the world. This is evident in the characters of Mai Toby who sews for a living in An Elegy for Easterly and Emily in The Annexe Shuffle, who is a promising, ambitious university student who has some deep psychological issues.

Gappah courageously tables issues that often produce deathly silences when raised among strangers for fear of persecution as one never knows to whom they are expressing their political opinion. The opening tale, At the Sound of the Last Post is about the state funeral of a top government official. Instead of speaking about the deceased’s contribution to the party and country, the fictional Prime Minister uses this as an opportunity to launch into an onslaught of the West and its colonising mission. This is a direct criticism of President Mugabe, which may be alarming and problematic for reader. It is problematic because this story reads as banal, nothing is left to the reader’s imagination and the political is at the fore of this story. In ‘In the Heart of the Golden Triangle’, it takes over the stories so much that their creative potential is not exploited.

This no-holds barred depiction has already sparked controversy among readers and writers who are Mugabe loyalists and staunchly defend the strange mix of nationalism and barbarism his pan-African-Marxist agenda has descended into. In my view, a split of polar opposites among readers is inevitable, with those who will and have read Gappah’s bluntness as anti-patriotic, reiterating the anti-West rhetoric of Mugabe.

On the other hand there are those who will hail Gappah’s efforts and use a novel in their literary analyses to further construct the binary between Mugabe/Tsvangirai, bad/good and in their selective reading, continue the stereotype that only dishonest or Zanu PF affiliated people are successful in Zimbabwe.

This would also be a gross misreading of the novel and the middle-ground needs to be drawn between these two camps. A sensible, impartial reading of this novel is necessary; all agendas aside and an appreciation of the fictional struggles faced and overcome, assessing the varying ways in which they provide mirror real life in present-day Zimbabwe.

As critical reflections of Zimbabwe, there are many parallels and comparisons to be drawn between Chikwava’s novel and Gappah’s short stories. Gappah challenges the absolutism of nationalist rule from the external perspective of non-ZANU supporters. Chikwava, on the other hand, provides an internal, fictive account of the brainwashed mindset of Mugabe’s youth militia. He writes in the voice of a former Green Bomber, who, as events unfold, begins to see – albeit unwillingly – the betrayals of the nationalist Third Chimurenga struggle.

As a literary critic with a vested interest in African literature, I sincerely hope these writers will be read, if not for anything else, to re-ignite critics' and readers' interest in the Zimbabwe (and its diaspora) and to confirm that the country remains a literary powerhouse on the Continent and its borders beyond.

* Tendai Marima is a Zimbabwean currently undertaking a PhD in Zimbabwean women's writing at Goldsmiths, University of London.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

'Writing is the only thing I enjoy'

An interview with Helon Habila

Mildred Kiconco Barya

2009-05-27

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/56578

Helon Habila was born in Nigeria where he worked as a literary editor and lecturer. His first novel, Waiting for an Angel (Hamish Hamilton, 2002), won the 2003 Commonwealth Prize for best first novel, Africa region. His short story, Love Poems, won the Caine Prize in 2001. His second novel, Measuring Time, was published in 2007. Habila co-edited the British Council’s New Writing 14 anthology with Lavinia Greenlaw, and Dreams, Miracles and Jazz Anthology of Short Stories with Kadija Sesay. Habila was the Chinua Achebe Fellow in Global Africana Studies in 2005–06.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Why do you write?

HELON HABILA: Writing is what I have always wanted to do. It is the way I make sense of the world around me, in narrative form. This way everything has its back story, its complications, and hopefully its denouement.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: At what age did you start writing creatively?

HELON HABILA: My first attempt was at 17, and I was actually able to publish a chapter from what I had written as an independent short story with the rather improbable title, 'Embrace of the Snake'. That was my first sally as a writer, and I can't describe to you how great it felt, at that age, to have that documentary evidence, that proof of your status as a writer.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Describe your writing journey.

HELON HABILA: It has been a long road, and when I look back sometimes I am surprised at how really long it is. Of course there have been detours, and pauses, but I have always been able to maintain my focus because really writing is the only thing I enjoy doing, the only thing at which I am good and confident.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What are the thematic concerns in your writing?

HELON HABILA: I really don't know. I don't think any writer can tell you these are my themes – I can only say these are the themes I have touched upon so far in my career, I don't know what themes I will explore in the future. Writing is a journey, and as with most journeys, there is growth, and change, even accidents.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What inspired you to write Love Poems?

HELON HABILA: I was inspired by my history, and my country's history. I was at a point in my life when I had started to experience what I'd call an awakening, political, and also artistic, and there was that desire in me to comment on events happening around me. Everything came together. There was so much anger in me, and hunger, and frustration, and I am glad I was able to let it all out in that story.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: How did you know about the Caine Prize?

HELON HABILA: Through the Association of Nigerian Authors, in Lagos. There was a notice on the wall, calling for entries, so a year later I entered.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What was your initial response when you won the Caine prize?

HELON HABILA: I was happy definitely – but there was so little time for reflection, everything moved so fast. I was so fortunate to have a completed novel at the time – I had initially self-published it as a story collection.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What has been happening or not happening since winning the Caine?

HELON HABILA: So much. At the moment I am in America, teaching Creative Writing at George Mason. So, three continents: Africa, Europe, America. Like I said, it has been a long road.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: If you were to rewrite your submitted story what would you change?

HELON HABILA: I guess you mean the Caine Prize winning story. Nothing. Not a comma.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: How often do you revise or redraft your stories?

HELON HABILA: Very often. As a rule, the more you rewrite, the more sense your story makes, the better it gets.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Apart from writing, what else do you do and why?

HELON HABILA: I am a father and a husband. That's really all I have time and energy to do after writing and teaching.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Forty years from now where do you see yourself?

HELON HABILA: Dead, probably. I am in my 40s, and if I lived 30 more years, I'd consider myself blessed. So, forty years hence, I hope to be dead and famous.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What’s your best quote?

HELON HABILA: 'Hope for the best, expect the worst, life is a play and we are unrehearsed'. I don't know who said that, or if they said it in those exact words, but it is my favourite quote. It keeps me on my toes.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What genre do you read most and why?

HELON HABILA: Fiction, of course, to size up the competition, and poetry, to sharpen my vocabulary, but recently I am turning more and more to biography. There is so much to learn from the life of those who have done what we are striving to do. I learn from their triumphs and their failures that there is nothing new under the sun.

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

A certain beauty and a certain happiness

An interview with Leila Aboulela

Mildred Kiconco Barya

2009-05-27

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/56579

Leila Aboulela was born in 1964 and grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and now divides her time between Abu Dhabi and Aberdeen. She is the author of two novels, The Translator, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Minaret, long listed for the Orange Prize and IMPAC Dublin Award. Leila was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African writing for her short story, The Museum, included in her book of short stories Coloured Lights. Her work has been translated into nine languages.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Describe your writing journey and what inspires you to write?

LEILA ABOULELA: I started to write in 1992 when I was living in Aberdeen. I was very homesick for Khartoum and I wanted to write about a certain beauty and a certain happiness that was characteristic of a city not known for its tourist value. People around me did not know much about Sudan or about Islam, the two things that made up my identity. This increased my loneliness and feeling of exile. In addition, the anti-Arab and anti-Islam atmosphere in the media following the first Gulf War made me want to write articles and non-fiction. But I found that I was unable to do that. Whenever I tried to write, for example a letter to the editor of a newspaper, it was fiction that came out. Fiction seemed to be the only space where I could express my feelings and where my identity was welcomed.

Writing felt very natural to me, something that did not require a lot of effort. I was teaching Statistics at the time and really had to push myself to teach, and felt very tired afterwards. I liked sitting for long hours writing, I liked the feeling that I was producing work, something tangible that could last and reach a lot of people. It came as a relief that the things that occupied my mind, the things I thought of, and was fascinated by, were not useless but could be made legitimate by putting them down on paper, by being shaped into a story. I wanted to show the psychology, the state of mind and the emotions of a person who had faith. I was interested in going deep, not just looking at 'Muslim' as a cultural or political identity but something close to the centre, something that transcended but didn’t deny gender, nationality, class and race. I wanted to write fiction that reflected Islamic logic, fictional worlds where cause and effect are governed by Muslim rationale.

In 1993-–94 I attended Creative Writing workshops led by Todd McEwen, who was then writer-in-residence at the Aberdeen Central Library. The workshops broadened my reading and introduced me to the work of Scottish writers. Todd McEwen suggested that I send my stories to the (now no longer) annual Harper Collins Scottish Short Stories Anthology. My story Souvenirs (the first story I set in Scotland) was published in the Flamingo book of New Scottish Writing 1997. This was my first publication by a major publisher.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: How did you know about the Caine Prize?

LEILA ABOULELA: My editor at Heinemann, Becky Clarke, submitted the anthology which included my story.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What was your initial response when you won the Caine Prize?

LEILA ABOULELA: Delighted and dismayed that I had to make an acceptance speech. I didn't have anything to say!

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What has been happening or not happening since winning the Caine?

LEILA ABOULELA: My collection 'Coloured Lights' got published by Polygon and my second novel Minaret was published by an even bigger publisher Bloomsbury. It was also published in the US. Also since winning the prize, my stories have been included in anthologies of African Writing the latest being Gods and Soldiers by Penguin.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Apart from writing, what else do you do and why?

LEILA ABOULELA: I am a housewife. Why? It's a respectable career for a woman!

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Forty years from now where do you see yourself?

LEILA ABOULELA: Dead, I hope.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: What genre do you read most and why?

LEILA ABOULELA: Serious love/family stories usually written by women. I just finished Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie and it is wonderful!

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Which five authors do you admire most and why?

LEILA ABOULELA:
Jean Rhys: Because of the transparent way she writes about feelings.
Anita Desai: Her intelligent insight into the lives of ordinary people.
Doris Lessing: Always challenging, always ahead, and unafraid.
Ahdaf Soueif: Personally and culturally I can understand and relate to her work. I know and enjoy the Cairo she so vividly portrays. An inspiring, generous writer.
Buchi Emecheta: Because of her direct authentic voice, her writing on being an African in Britain. Like her I moved to Britain in my early twenties and I can relate to her novels of culture clash and the conflict between modernity and tradition

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: List your favourite five books.

LEILA ABOULELA:
Crime and Punishment: Because it is about a big subject – the meaning of life – yet it is gritty, gripping and its depiction of city life gives it a modern, timeless feel.
Jane Eyre: Emotionally powerful and solid. It is both disturbing and comforting, a nightmare and a romantic fantasy.
Rebecca: The first book I read that did not have illustrations. The book that made me fall in love with reading.
The Wedding of Zein: Tayeb Saleh’s classic about the spiritual potential of a village idiot. For me it captures the Sudanese character, the pathos and idealism.
Memories of Rain: The best cross cultural love story I have ever read. Sunetra Gupta writes with equal depth about Indian and British culture.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: If you were to make a wish right now what would it be?

LEILA ABOULELA: I wish that my new novel, Lyrics Alley, the one I am completing now, will be the best I have ever written.

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

History

Karest Lewela

2009-05-27

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/56577

I feel the intensity of the pressure crushing me
In this ocean of a world, I remain confused
Am I the gushing waves or the solid rocks?
However the perspective, I am crushed
Left wishing I were the sand, inconsequential
Indifferent observer in the war of futility

As the tide subsides
I wait impatiently for the wind of fortune
To carry the grains of my persona
With the unfulfilled aspirations of my father’s mother
I pray for the salty waters of perspiration
To soak in my negative-ism and negative-ity

I see a thousand different ways I could have chosen to go down
Ignorance, Poverty, Vainglory
I choose the bullet of idealism
That should the world not hear my scream, they’d feel the thud
Of aspirations ignored, of dreams deferred, of dead passion
Ideological death that will resurrect into curiosity for those to come

Let the scarlet pigmentation soak into the soils
Let it be impossible to wash it away in wishful thought
Let it seep into the essence that was humanity
Let it be the cause of delirium
Let it ring
Hollow

In the morning
Let them whisper in murmuring tremors
Of the lies written in historical epithets
Let them confess for deprivation of an identity
Of a rich heritage that would shame their lack of culture
Let them name me after my forefathers and not theirs

For I am of them that history corrupted their story
_
* Karest Lewela is a Kenyan poet and activist for social justice. He is based in Nairobi and is currently the contracting and procurement manager for Kenya Shell Limited.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

Review of the African Blogosphere – May 28, 2009

Dibussi Tande

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/56581

New in Nairobi wonders whether endemic corruption is changing the relationship between the sexes in Kenya:

“Are men generally being equated with politicians, gangsters or conmen in a country that is losing faith in the former and struggling to deal with the latter?

I have heard that women are quicker now to abandon men who let them down, either by failing to hold down a job, drinking their wages, or just generally not measuring up to expectations. Women are happy to hook up and have children but if the men don't deliver, they are also ready to walk, presumably if their financial situation allows it. I wonder if this is a symptom of general disillusionment with the governing classes, traditionally dominated by men, now distilled into the home?

And if women are taking the lead in the home and showing less tolerance for men's foibles, is there room for a similar shift in politics?”

Edirisa outlines some strategies for preventing the spread of cervical cancer which is now killing one woman every two minutes in Uganda:

“Cervical cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Uganda. At Mulago hospital 80% of women diagnose or referred with cervical cancer already have the disease in its latter- and far more life threatening- stage. Cervical cancer claims more than quarter of a million lives each year, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin American, but how can a disease that is so treatable in its early stages be responsible for claiming so many lives?

With very high survival rates in the early stages it is very important that women take the necessary steps to either catch the disease fast or to prevent it in the first place...

Although you may consider it embarrassing to go for a cervical screening it’s important to remember that these are health care professionals and really there is no need for embarrassment.”

Rafiki Kenya writes about Kenya’s first Eco Cabs:

“I had never seen such a strange animal before. Apparently, it is one of the new Toyota Prius Eco Cabs. Eco Cabs is a new fleet of hybrid taxis in Nairobi that provide customers with high standard services and the option of driving green in style. Eco Cabs has been launched to showcase the concept of green transport and to inspire other businesses to make a meaningful transformation towards greener processes. Eco Cabs produce over 60% less emissions compared with other vehicles with the same engine size when driving within the city. The cabs are designed to symbolize the green concept: they are all painted green with a green leaf signifying how green the cabs are.

Ironically, the Eco-cab was parked at one of the petrol stations in Nairobi... what a nice contrast!”

OoTheNigerian makes a case for promoting Nigerian internet startup companies and sprucing the country’s tarnished online image in the process:

“Nigeria has some impressive startup companies on the internet but one thing you’ll notice is the absence of their identity on the ‘about page’. I am making a sure guess that they lack confidence in their Nigerian identity. I doubt having ‘Nigerian’ on your biography will give you more sales...

Nigerians and everyone interested in battling the scourge of internet fraud should help promote the few Nigerian Startups so that those who are seeking to make a way on the internet will see positive role models to look up to. For instance all Nigerian papers and blogs should encourage Sturvs and have ’sturv this’ alongside digg and co, Purchase books from BookNg, e.t.c…

The Federal Government (the first and only time I am calling them) should stop the politics with Nigeria’s TLD name .com.ng. and get the domain .ng working so we can have our identity online. we should not have to call our sites Interswitchng.com it should be interswitch.ng”

Agendia Aloysius sees no benefit in the presence of foreign military bases and troops in African countries:

“Some of these colonial troops arm rebels in different countries, push the rebels to rise against government, then they come in as mediators or peacekeeping forces…

These troops have brought no changes on the lives of the people, on the contrary, they have instilled fear, uncertainty...

Africa desperately needs leaders who will think about their people, not a colonial- relay type of leaders whose only wisdom is in stashing state funds in foreign banks and seeking protection of foreign troops to protect their interest in the country.

In my opinion, foreign troops should only be stationed on temporary basis where there is war and if the stationing of any such troops will aggravate the situation, then foreign troops should not even go there.”

Scribbles from the Den revisits the May 1990 launching of the opposition Social Democratic Front which served as the catalyst for the return of multipartyism in Cameroon:

“On May 26, 1990, a crowd estimated at about 20,000 by CRTV and about 80,000 by the SDF defied the over 2000 troops sent in to prevent the launching... when it was all over, six civilians were dead by gunshot wounds…

The launching of the SDF once again brought into focus the multiparty question in Cameroon...

The launching of the SDF forced the government’s hand on the issue of political pluralism in the country. As Jean-Jacques Ekindi rightly argued, “The deaths of Bamenda come to remind us of the urgency of the debate on multipartyism.”

Thanks to its stand-off with government and the sympathy generated by the Bamenda incidents, the SDF was able to successfully present itself as a credible alternative to the ruling CPDM. The party’s launching also mobilized political activists, particularly those in exile, who began thinking of creating other political parties.”

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

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

China- Africa watch news roundup

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/africa_china/56689

Sanusha Naidu compiles a list of the top stories on Sino-African relations.
Great Wall To Build Computer Manufacturing Plant In Africa
Zambia: Africa Needs Sustained Economic Development – Envoys
The Battle for the Indian Ocean
=35042&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=41937191b3/]Food Security in Africa: China's New Rice Bowl
India’s Bharti and South Africa’s MTN Seek Merger, Threaten China Mobile
China looking at boosting private role in industry
Chinese Mineral Deal Blocking Congo's IMF Debt Relief
Cooperation between ICBC and Standard Bank of South Africa Enters Its Prime
China, Sierra Leone vow to further enhance friendly ties
US envoy to visit China, other nations on Darfur peace
FACTBOX-China's quest for Africa's minerals
Chinese State Councilor vows to advance Sino-African strategic partnership
ICBC Gets $220 Million in Dividends From Standard Bank Group
First glass factory opens in Ethiopia
India-Nigeria Business Forum to boost trade and investment
Asia’s fourth African studies centre launched in Macau
Chinese Investment in Ethiopia: Developmental Opportunity or Deepening China’s New Mercantilism?
A new type of multinational

Army threatens war over Gono removal

2009-05-29

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news280509/armythreatens280509.htm

The country’s security chiefs have taken the current political fight over the reappointment of Gideon Gono a step further, threatening to take up arms to prevent the removal of the Reserve Bank Governor from his post. Robert Mugabe on Monday declared that Gono, his money-man for many years, will retain his job despite the political deadlock that has been created with the MDC over Gono’s position.

EU not ready to rersume ties with Zimbabwe yet

2009-05-29

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=5640&cat=1

The European Union is not yet ready to establish normal ties with Zimbabwe or resume aid despite a "positive evolution" in politics there, according to a letter made public Thursday. "The EU shares your opinion that there are indications of a positive evolution of the political situation in Zimbabwe," the bloc said in a letter to John Kaputin, secretary general of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations.

Norway resumes aid to Zimbabwe

2009-05-29

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=5632

Norway said on Monday it was renewing aid to Zimbabwe it cut off in 2000, despite worries about what it called "years of misrule, embezzlement and hyperinflation" under President Robert Mugabe. The Norwegian government, one of the first to renew badly needed aid, said it would give 58 million crowns (5.8 million pounds) via non-governmental organizations, the World Bank and United Nations, avoiding the government financial system.

Zimbabwean journalists & lawyers brought before the courts

2009-05-29

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news280509/zimjournos280509.htm

There was much activity in the magistrates’ courts in Harare on Thursday when human rights lawyers, two senior journalists and WOZA activists appeared in court for separate, routine, remand hearings. Two editors from the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper, Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure, appeared before Magistrate Catherine Chimanda, who ruled that they will stand trial on June 16 th. This was after the State Prosecutor, Moses Musendo, argued that they face serious charges that justifies them standing trial.

Africa: R U Ready 2 Talk? Keep your chats exactly that!

New Campaign for South African girls

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/nto2oe

An innovative new campaign was recently launched in Johannesburg, that aims to ensure that young people are empowered to use their cell phones and the Internet for positive self expression. The campaign was launched by Girls’Net, a daughter project of Women’sNet. Says Faith Nkomo of Girls’Net “80% of young people have access to a cellphone – we must be acting to make sure we take advantage of this tool to help young people access opportunities and create positive social spaces to interact in.”

Kenya: Domestic workers often do more than housework

2009-05-29

http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84559

When Nora Adhiambo, 21, started working as a housekeeper for a family in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, she expected to cook, clean and look after their young children; not that she would have to regularly have sex with her employer. "He would force me to have sex with him; every time he would sleep with me without a condom and this went on for two years," she told IRIN/PlusNews. "He threw me out when I told him I was pregnant; I realised later that I had not only left that house with a pregnancy but also HIV."

Malawi: Women’s economic opportunities will curb poverty

Daniel Manyowa

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/56621

The recent 29 May polls in Malawi saw the number of women members of Parliament rise from 14% to 22%. About 125 women competed for the 193 seats, with 43 successfully gaining ground. For the first time since independence in 1964, Malawi also has a female vice-president, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Joyce Banda. However, this is still far from the 30% by 2005 target set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The recent 29 May polls in Malawi saw the number of women members of Parliament rise from 14% to 22%. About 125 women competed for the 193 seats, with 43 successfully gaining ground. For the first time since independence in 1964, Malawi also has a female vice-president, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Joyce Banda.

However, this is still far from the 30% by 2005 target set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It is even further from the 50% by 2015 agreed by most SADC leaders last August when they signed the Protocol on Gender and Development. Although Malawi, along with Mauritius and Botswana, has not yet signed this document, there is still a need for the nation to move in the same direction as its regional counterparts, and address the vast gender imbalances in governance.

Such low representation of women makes it difficult to ensure government creates policies and programmes to reach another of the SADC Protocol’s provisions, economic empowerment of women, including access to productive resources.

Just prior to the elections, DanChurchAid, a Danish humanitarian organisation, mounted a national conference in Lilongwe to explore economic empowerment strategies. Ngeyi Ruth Kanyongolo, Law Lecturer at the University of Malawi, described how being deprived of economic resources disadvantages Malawian women.

"Women in Malawi don’t have control over their own income, and access to loans and farming land is very minimal," explained Kanyongolo. Kanyongolo noted that putting more women in decision-making positions is part of the solution, yet the country needs many diverse initiatives if economic and social rights are to be a reality for women.

The conference produced the Lilongwe Declaration, which calls upon every sector of society to do “something extra” to expand economic opportunities for women, especially rural women. It also urges micro finance lending institutions to put in place deliberate affirmative actions to increase the number of women accessing loans. Providing an environment in which women are able to help themselves is at the heart of such economic empowerment, and affirmative action is needed to help break some of these barriers.

For example, women often have difficulty accessing credit to start a business, and the removal of collateral as a requirement to access loans from financial lending institutions, along with reduced interest rates for women, would go a long way to help women entrepreneurs. Women should be guaranteed the ability to own and have control over own income and assets.

This is not to say that there are currently no such initiatives. For example, some institutions, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector are promoting village saving and credit cooperatives and associations, providing business management skills trainings, and linking women to loan providers.

However, there is the need for government to ensure that legal frameworks to guarantee these measures are in place, and perhaps with greater gender representation at the decision-making table, this would be a reality.

Women in governance structures should also translate into woman’s perspective on budget formulation – where the resources go. It is also important to provide a way for grassroots women to be involved in this budget process, to ensure that their priorities are addressed.

Dan Church Aid Secretary General Henrik Stubkjaer noted that Malawian women comprise the majority of the labour force in the country’s agricultural sector, which is the backbone of the nation’s economy. In addition, it is estimated that an additional 6% of food could be produced annually in SADC if women had equal resources at their disposal as men do, such as ownership of land.

Likewise, studies elsewhere have shown greater mothers control over resources at the household level means it is more likely that resources will be allocated to children’s health and nutrition in the family.

In Malawi, poverty largely has a woman’s face - 58.4% of the poorest households are female headed, 90% of Malawian women are not in waged employment, and of those living with HIV or AIDS 57.2% are women. If Malawi is to move from poverty to prosperity, there is a need for government, the private sector, and organisations to capitalise on the potential of all of its citizens – men and women.

* Daniel Manyowa is a freelance journalist based in Malawi. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service that provides fresh views on everyday news.

Global: It's not just the economy, it's a human rights crisis

Amnesty International report, 2009

2009-05-29

http://thereport.amnesty.org/en/introduction

In September 2008 I was in New York to attend the UN high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally agreed targets to reduce poverty by 2015. Delegate after delegate talked about the need for more funds to eradicate hunger, to cut preventable deaths of infants and pregnant women, to provide clean water and sanitation, to educate girls. The life and dignity of billions of people were at stake, but there was only limited will to back up the talk with money.

Kenya: Death squads: Alston's final report

2009-05-29

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/604322/-/ujpubg/-/index.html

Prof Philip Alston, a UN human rights official, on Thursday released his final report in which he accuses top police officials of running death squads and describes Kenyan courts as “slow and corrupt”. Describing the state of Kenyan justice system is “terrible”, Prof Alston said: “Investigation, prosecution and judicial processes are slow and corrupt.”

North Africa: Chad hands over 82 child soldiers to UNICEF

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/njzdkn

The Chadian government handed 82 under-18 child soldiers over to UNICEF during an official ceremony. The children were caught following armed clashes between the Chadian national army and rebels of the Union of the Resistance Forces (UFR).

North Africa: Clinton urges Egypt to respect human rights

2009-05-29

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE54S00W20090529

It is in Egypt's interest to show more respect for human rights, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday, hitting a raw nerve in U.S.-Egypt relations ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama. Clinton met representatives of Egyptian pro-democracy groups at the State Department one day after she received Egypt's foreign minister.

Tanzania: Witnesses testify in albino trial

2009-05-29

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8071405.stm

Witnesses have testified in the case of 11 men in Burundi, accused of the attempted murder of albino people and selling of their body parts. Initial charges of murder have been dropped because the prosecution failed to produce enough evidence. Police suspect the body parts are being sold in neighbouring Tanzania, for use in witchcraft.

Uganda: Carry out Rights Commission recommendations

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/m2sc6e

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda should ensure that the recommendations of the Uganda Human Rights Commission are carried out and that independent commissioners are appointed promptly to the new Equal Opportunities Commission, the Human Rights Network-Uganda, the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative and Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Museveni.

Cote d'Ivoire: Request for country condition research and expert advice

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/56614

The Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre Ltd.(HKRAC) is assisting a male, Muslim asylum claimant from central Cote d'Ivoire with family origins in northern Cote d'Ivoire. The claimant was involved in the local branch of the Rassemblement des Republicains (“RDR”), and became the head local mobilizer for a town of 40,000 people. He experienced police harassment, intimidation and threats on account of his political activities.
The Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre Ltd.(HKRAC) is assisting a male, Muslim asylum claimant from central Cote d’Ivoire with family origins in northern Cote d’Ivoire. The claimant was involved in the local branch of the Rassemblement des Republicains (“RDR”), and became the head local mobilizer for a town of 40,000 people. He experienced police harassment, intimidation and threats on account of his political activities. The police cracked down on RDR members in the aftermath of a nationwide protest in November 2006 and the client went into hiding in Abidjan. The client believes he is on a government hit list (the Red List).
HKRAC are looking for country condition research and expert advice on:
The current status of opposition party activities in Cote d’Ivoire. For example, whether they operate openly, whether members are monitored and threatened by the ruling party, whether a hit list exists.
The current situation of Muslim Ivorians.
The viability of the internal flight alternative to Abidjan for persons with the client’s profile.
Please contact: Sanjula Weerasinghe, Director of Casework - sanjula.weerasinghe@gmail.com
Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre Ltd.
G/F, Room 2, 2 Jordan Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3109 7359
Fax: +852 3422 3019
www.hkrac.org

Somalia: Over 67,000 Somalis displaced by escalating fighting -UN

2009-05-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30910

The number of Somalis fleeing the latest escalation of fighting in and around Mogadishu has surpassed 67,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today, adding that worsening security has also hampered aid delivery to the capital. Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several north-west areas of Mogadishu on 8 May.

Sudan: 4.9 million IDPs face ongoing turmoil

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/nzcbf5

The IDMC has released a new profile of the situations of internal displacement in Sudan. As a result of Sudan’s numerous conflicts, about 4.9 million people remain internally displaced in the country; together they make up the single largest internally displaced population in the world.

Kenya: Jimmy Kibaki, Tonny Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo do not speak for the Youth Movement

Press statement by the National Youth Convention

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/socialmovements/56685

In September of 2008, 1300 delegates from all the eight provinces of Kenya created the National Youth Movement at the National Youth Convention. 14 Key resolutions were passed and has been actively recruiting and implementing them through members across the country and at the national level. The National Youth Movement is active and will deliver results as per to the aspirations of the young people who legitimately formed it.
Press Statement by the National Youth Convention.
Nairobi: Thursday May 28th 2009

Jimmy Kibaki, Tonny Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo do not speak for the Youth
Movement.

In September of 2008, 1300 delegates from all the eight provinces of Kenya
created the National Youth Movement at the National Youth Convention. 14 Key
resolutions were passed and has been actively recruiting and implementing them
through members across the country and at the national level. The National Youth
Movement is active and will deliver results as per to the aspirations of the
young people who legitimately formed it.

The NYC was represented at the Inter Ethnic youth Forum at the Jumuia
Conference Center in Limuru. The Action Plan adopted by the 170 representatives
of the different ethnic groups from across Kenya will and forms part of the
outreach programmes that is under implementation. NYC supports the efforts of
the Inter Ethnic Forum and stands by its action plan.

Jimmy Kibaki, Tonny Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo were invitees to the National
Youth Convention and gave the convention a wide absence. As such they were never
elected to represent the National Youth Movement. The NYC notes with grave
concern that after Kiema Kilonzo un-invited at the Inter Ethnic Dialogue showed
up and after noting that the US Government and other development Partners were
keen to work with youth in Kenya, he is conspiring with others (Jimmy and Tonny)
to hijack the Youth Movement’s Agenda for short term political gains. The trio
does not have a following and no track record of working for the youth
development in Kenya and therefore a cheap political outfit that will expire
immediately after the next general election.

The National youth Movement therefore recommits its force and following from
across the country on the resolutions as passed by delegates from all the 210
constituencies and welcomes all partners working in the youth development arena
to supporting the youth agenda in Kenya We caution all the Development Agencies
against working with rogue politicians purporting to be committed on the youth
agenda.

The National youth Movement will continue to watch out for the youth of Kenya
in persisting for the mainstreaming and promoting of their visibility and voice
in the national agenda. While every Kenyan has a right to work and organize
young people for any noble cause, we take exception for politicians who want to
use young people and dump them after they are done with their short term
political agenda.

Signed for and on behalf of the National Youth Convention.

Emmanuel Dennis Ngongo – Convener
convener@nyckenya.org

CC: All Development Partners and Foreign Missions in Kenya

Madagascar: Wade meets Madagascar’s Rajoelina

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mcqsuu

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday granted audience to the head of Madagascar’s transitional authority, Andry Rajoelina, the Senegalese press Agency (APS) reported. “I am leaving with a feeling of relief in the sense that the situation which prevails in Madagascar has been clarified to President Wade who is leading mediation between the two parties,” said Mr Rajoelina, who ousted President Marc Ravalomanana in March.

Niger: Leader dissolves parliament

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/lkaxt4

Niger's president has dissolved parliament after the country's constitutional court ruled against plans to hold a referendum on whether to allow him a third term in office. Mamadou Tandja gave the order to dissolve the legislature on Tuesday, hours after the court said a move by the ruling coalition to hold a public vote on a third presidential term was illegal.

Nigeria: Democracy endures 10 years after military rule

2009-05-29

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE54S09J20090529

A decade after Nigeria's last military ruler ordered his troops to "forever resist the seduction and temptation of political power", democracy still has a fragile hold on Africa's most populous nation. Nigerians marked 10 straight years of civilian rule on Friday frustrated that corruption remains endemic, poverty widespread and infrastructure shambolic, but fairly confident that the military is unlikely to stage a comeback.

Somalia: Somaliland parties agree on election date

2009-05-29

http://www.afrol.com/articles/33399

The Somaliland political parties have signed an agreement with the Electoral Commission to fix an election date in the Horn of Africa state. The agreement which is derived from a series of negotiations among the political parties and the electoral committee, saw all parties agreeing to 27 September 2009 as the official day for the polls.

Global: World Bank Corruption

2009-05-29

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/6134

The International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank that makes grants and interest-free, long-term loans to poor countries around the world, lacks effective safeguards against corruption, according to a report by the Bank's own Independent Evaluation Group (IEG). The report concluded that IDA, which currently lends and grants about $10 billion annually to governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, doesn't protect its funds adequately from theft and diversion.

Zambia: Health funding frozen after corruption alleged

2009-05-29

http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84578

Foreign aid for government health projects in Zambia, where most of the national health budget is donor-funded, was frozen last week after allegations of corruption. The governments of the Netherlands and Sweden announced they had suspended aid after a whistleblower alerted Zambia's Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC] to the embezzlement of over US$2 million from the health ministry by top government officials.

Africa: Africa’s growth to fall to two percent in 2009

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mzxk6z

African growth will fall to 2% in 2009 from 5.1% in 2008 and agriculture will prove the continent's best chance of pulling itself from poverty. Most African economies had been growing steadily but the global economic crisis has caused aid flows to fall, slashed demand and prices for its agricultural exports. "GDP growth in Africa has declined from 6.0 percent in 2007 to 5.1 percent in 2008 and is expected to be 2.0 percent in 2009," a report published jointly by the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission (ECA) for Africa said.

Africa: Carrying out a Joint Governance Assessment: Lessons from Rwanda

2009-05-29

http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3194

Can a joint approach to governance assessment help to improve aid effectiveness? What can be learned from the first Joint Governance Assessment (JGA) undertaken in Rwanda during 2008? A JGA aims to bring government and development partners together to review governance performance based on commonly agreed indicators. This brief from The Policy Practice recommends that such an assessment can prove to be helpful to advancing dialogue, but is likely to be a long-term and difficult process that is only suited to particular circumstances where the process can address joint concerns of government and donors.

Africa: Financing smallholder farmers 'will grow Africa out of poverty'

2009-05-29

http://www.afrol.com/articles/33394

A panel consisting of Italian leaders together with international and African leaders has today appealed for focused investments on smallholders farmers in Africa in order to avoid a further and deepening crisis amidst the already ugly scars of the global slum effects.

Experts to define private sector, civil society roles in Nepad

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/l22xed

An expert group meeting on the role of the private sector and civil society organizations in the implementation of NEPAD programmes and projects is underway in Addis Ababa to identify challenges hindering the process. Opening the meeting the Head of the NEPAD Support Section at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Emmanuel Nnadozie challenged the team to clearly "articulate policy measures to accelerate their involvement in NEPAD implementation at regional, sub regional and national levels".

Southern Africa: Still kicking against controversial EPA

2009-05-29

http://www.ipsterraviva.net/europe/article.aspx?id=7409

High-level talks at a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) meeting in Gaborone last week failed to produce an agreement on the signing of the interim economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union. A week after the trade ministers of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Angola and Mozambique - the SADC-EPA configuration - met in Botswana's capital there is still no clarity about the region's position on a trade deal with the European Union (EU).

West Africa: Mali gets US$14 million for road projects

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/n7qz37

The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has loaned Mali a bout US$14 million for the partial financing of road projects in the capital, Bamako. Official sources said the money would be used to help build a multiple interchan geat La Paix roundabout in Bamako, develop the city section of the Main Road (RN 5) and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

Africa: "Survival is a human right" - Panos digital stories

2009-05-29

http://www.panos.org.uk/?lid=27158

In the autumn of 2008 Panos London worked with participants from the African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) to produce digital stories about their lives and concerns. All the participants are living with HIV and were at risk of being removed to their country of origin where treatment is not necessarily accessible, affordable or available. These stories are being used as part of AHPN's Destination Unknown campaign.

Africa: Pregnant, HIV-positive and falling through the PMTCT cracks

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/56683

An estimated 900 babies in the developing world are infected with HIV every day because governments fail to reach pregnant women with prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. "We are doing a bad job of testing women for HIV and then following them up, and an even worse job of ensuring that infants receive appropriate prevention and treatment services," Janet Kayita, regional PMTCT advisor to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), told a press conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on 25 May.

Africa: Some AIDS work in Africa ‘mismatched’ from actual causes, says UN-backed report

2009-05-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30927

The publication of potential “mismatches” between prevention strategies and the actual causes of HIV/AIDS in some African countries has already helped to improve efforts to combat the disease, according to the lead United Nations agency on the issue. The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said that a series of reports from Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland and Uganda showed a “relative lack of evidence-based policies and programmes.”

Global: Moving the fight from the boardroom to the ground

2009-05-29

http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84601

The war against HIV/AIDS, which has too often been fought in plush offices and conference centres, needs to be reclaimed by people in developing countries, who are most affected, or it will continue to be a losing battle. This was the message from the Global Citizens Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by international anti-poverty agency ActionAid, and attended by a broad range of organisations in the field of HIV and AIDS to discuss using social mobilization to "repackage" the HIV response.

South Africa: Rush job on National Health Insurance?

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mujqxj

An ANC task team headed by the former Director-General of Health Dr Olive Shisana and heavily laden with trade unionists, is trying to convince the ANC and government to hastily implement a National Health Insurance (NHI) plan that many believe spells disaster for the buckling public health system. Inequities in the health system, which has resulted in the private sector monopolising resources disproportionately, need to be addressed. However, this must be done in a manner that does not destroy the functioning private sector and cause more skilled health professionals to leave the country.

Zimbabwe: School demands maize, chicken as fees

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/lyxde3

Disgruntled parents of Sojini Secondary school in South West Zimbabwe have expressed their anger towards the headmaster of the school whom they accuse of trying to milk them dry by demanding outrageous fees structures. Some of the parents revealed to AfricaNews that the school which is located in Mbembesi rural district, was demanding 10 and 16 buckets of maize plus some chickens for O and A’ level students respectively.

Kenya: NGO sets agenda for sexuality discussions

2009-05-29

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=kenya&id=2146

A Non Governmental Organization in Kenya's Nyanza province is set to launch a sexual identity and human rights debate project on Tuesday.Kenya Female Advisory Organization (KEFEADO)’s executive director Dolphin Oketch says the debate will open space for dialogue on sexuality. Oketch says there has been silence on homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transsexual practices in Kenyan schools, families and the society that must be addressed.

Rwanda: Gays mistreated - Amnesty International

2009-05-29

http://www.afrol.com/articles/33400

Amnesty International has said Rwandan gays and lesbians face serious hostilities, harassment and intimidation in the East African state. According to the Amnesty International 2009 report, the treatment of the lesbian community is not isolated but indicative of general short-fall in the respect of human rights, saying the Rwanda government reacted with hostility to criticism on gay and lesbian community.

New evidence reveals police in Europe target minorities excessively

2009-05-29

http://www.justiceinitiative.org/

Pervasive use of ethnic and religious stereotypes by law enforcement across Europe is harming efforts to combat crime and terrorism, according to a report released today by the Open Society Justice Initiative. Ethnic profiling occurs most often in police decisions about who to stop, question, search, and, at times, arrest. Yet there is no evidence that ethnic profiling actually prevents terrorism or lowers crime rates.

SOmalia: Seeking alternatives to charcoal in Somaliland

2009-05-29

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84568

Insufficient cheaper alternatives and a large former refugee population are fuelling tree-felling and dependence on charcoal in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, adversely affecting the environment, say analysts. Most urban households use charcoal for everyday cooking. "We use a sack of charcoal every four days because our family is large," said Zahra Omar, a mother of 12, in the capital, Hargeisa.

Africa: Africa almost giving land away, says UN

2009-05-28

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/612aa510-488c-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

African countries are giving away vast tracts of farmland to other countries and investors almost for free, with the only benefits consisting of vague promises of jobs and infrastructure, according to a report published on Monday. “Most of the land deals documented by this study involved no or minimal land fees,” it says. Although the deals promise jobs and infrastructure development, it warns that “these commitments tend to lack teeth” on the contracts.

Global: Large-scale foreign land acquisitions could harm local people - UN

2009-05-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30920

A United Nations-commissioned study shows that land acquisitions are on the increase in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, raising the risk that poor people will lose access to land, water, and other resources.

Gabon: Government imposes news blackout on President’s health

2009-05-29

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31436

Reporters Without Borders has written to communication minister Laure Olga Gondjout and National Communication Council chairman Emmanuel Ondo Methogo voicing concern about the suspension of two Gabonese newspapers, Ezombolo and Le Nganga, and the warnings issued to Radio France Internationale (RFI) and the Canal Overseas Africa satellite TV service over their coverage of President Omar Bongo’s health.

Gambia: Court fixes date for ruling in journalist's case

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/ngao38

Amina Saho-Ceesay, sitting at Banjul Magistrates' Court, has set 15 June for ruling on Point Newspaper's Managing Editor and Reuters correspondent, Pap Saine's matter, PANA was informed Thursday. According to reliable sources, the judgement date was fixed during the Wednesday session of the court after Saine's lawyers had urged the magistrate to “acquit and discharge” the journalist, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish “a prima-facie case” and that Saine had “no case” to answer.

Sierra Leone: Editor charged with “defaming President”

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mepkap

Authorities in Freetown have charged Sylvia Blyden, Publisher and managing editor of the privately-owned 'Awareness Times' newspaper in Sierra Leone, with “defaming” President Ernest Bai Koroma, the sub-regional rights body, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), said in a statement received by PANA Thursday.

Somalia: Journalists die amid renewed violence

2009-05-29

http://www.ifex.org/somalia/2009/05/27/two_journalists_die/

A radio producer was gunned down last week in crossfire in Mogadishu, while another journalist died on 26 May from gunshot wounds suffered while covering fighting in central Somalia in April. They are the third and fourth journalists to be killed in Somalia this year, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Zimbabwe: Independent editors to stand trial

2009-05-29

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=5641

Harare Magistrate, Catherine Chimanda on 28 May 2009 ruled that editors of the Zimbabwe Independent , Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure, appear for trial on 16 June 2009. The two are charged under Section 31 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act which criminalises the communication of statements that are likely to undermine public confidence in the law enforcement agents.

Afria: Sub-Saharan Africa to receive $10 bln in SDRs-IMF

2009-05-29

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLP33690920090525

Sub-Saharan Africa will receive around $10 billion from the IMF in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help its economies weather the global financial crisis, the Fund's chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Monday. As part of a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the world economic downturn agreed at April's G20 summit, the IMF will issue $250 billion worth of SDRs, which can be used to boost foreign currency reserves.

Africa: Tainted data hide the cost of Africa’s upheavals

2009-05-28

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/385b003e-48a6-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

Even by Africa’s grim standards, it was a horrendous statistic: 5.4m people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo from “war-related causes since 1998”, claimed the International Rescue Committee in January last year. The figure, based on a series of house-to-house visits across the country conducted by the New York-based agency, won widespread acceptance. It was used by the IRC and other relief bodies in their appeals for funds, cited by diplomats in their efforts to restore peace to the region and reported by journalists seeking a statistical shorthand for an African catastrophe.

CAR: Under the Gun - violence and displacement in Central African Republic

2009-05-29

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84566

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in the throes of a humanitarian crisis for more than a decade. Army mutinies, coups and attempted coups, rebellions, gangs that kidnap for ransom and, more recently, elements of Uganda’s notorious Lord’s Resistance Army have made life for civilians, especially in the north, extremely challenging, unpredictable, and very dangerous. As IRIN’s new documentary film, Under the Gun, demonstrates, many Central Africans have little say over where they live even.

East Africa: EU could send police mission to Somalia

2009-05-28

http://euobserver.com/9/28143/?rk=1

Defence ministers on 18 May discussed a French proposal to enhance the EU naval operation fighting piracy off the Somali coasts with a police training mission in the African country that could start in September. "There was a French proposal discussed today on a police training mission in Somalia, but no decision was taken yet," Czech minister of defence Martin Bartak told a press conference after the meeting.

Nigeria: Relief workers slowly access conflict-hit Delta creeks

2009-05-29

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7SH2D2?OpenDocument

The Nigeria Red Cross says conflict-hit areas it has been able to access in the Niger Delta are in better condition than anticipated, but that continued restrictions on aid workers' movement leaves many questions unanswered. Government soldiers are controlling access in and out of the Delta, site of a military incursion launched on 13 May to crack down on Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) militants.

Sudan: Army takes town from rebels

2009-05-29

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8073430.stm

Sudan's army says it has taken control of a town near its border with Chad, recently seized by rebels. Sudan says more than 60 people were killed during the fighting with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement around the town of Kornoi, in Darfur. The news comes as African leaders meet for talks, partly on regional conflict.

Africa: APC says goodbye to the Africa ICT policy monitor site

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/leuxh2

The APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor website was launched in late 2001 with a goal to provide information to African civil society organisations to fruitfully engage in information and communications technology (ICT) policy advocacy in Africa. At that time the idea of ICT policy advocacy was a relatively new one in many countries on the continent, and we wanted governments and policy-makers to recognise that access to and the use of ICTs is a basic human right.

Africa: Putting the local into African services and applications

2009-05-29

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act_454.html

2009 is the year of the Big Change. Cheaper and more abundant international fibre capacity will come to East Africa and 2010 will see the same happen in West Africa. New cross-border fibre connections will tie more countries together: two announcements are in the news sections below. But Africa is in danger of getting all the pipes and hardware in place and missing out on thinking about the user and the services and applications they might use.

Africa: The big debarte at eLearning Africa

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mfgga5

For the first time, at this year’s eLearning Africa in Dakar, delegates from all over Africa and beyond will join leading international experts for a major debate on an issue of central importance for the future of education in Africa. The subject for this year’s debate is technology, an issue that is likely to stir up a lively discussion among delegates. The debate, which will be held in English and French, will be co-chaired by former British parliamentarian Dr Harold Elletson, a member of the advisory board of eLearning Africa, and the well-known Senegalese television presenter Khalil Gueye.

Benin: Where mobile users carry 3, 4, even 5 SIM cards to make a call

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/nl2xx6

In 1997, the people of Benin were definitely ready for the arrival of cellular phones, referred to as GSMs in the area (GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communication, a specific mobile standard). The fixed telephone was not widely adopted due to a lack of bandwidth and of technology adequate enough to allow the volume of connections necessary to serve Benin.

Africa: Arms & Air Transport

AfricaFocus Bulletin May 25, 2009 (090525

2009-05-29

http://www.africafocus.org/docs09/arms0905.php

"Air cargo companies involved in illicit or destabilizing arms transfers to African conflict zones have also been repeatedly contracted to deliver humanitarian aid and support peacekeeping operations, according to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from a press release, the executive summary of the report, and chapter 3, with data related to past conflicts in Angola, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and to continuing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Sudan.

Global: Climate Change Media Partnership 2009 Fellowship

2009-05-28

http://tinyurl.com/qjl7ml

The Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) has opened its 2009 Fellowship Programme. It encourages all journalists in developing countries who report on climate change to apply. This programme comes during a critical year of negotiations that ends in December with the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where a new global deal could be struck.

South Africa: Research on Gender and Soccer World Cup 2010

Call for expressions of interest

2009-05-28

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/56602

Gender Links (www.genderlinks.org.za) is commissioning research on the impact of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 on the advancement of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. The successful research will form the basis of deliberations on interventions and strategies at the Symposium on Gender and World Cup 2010 scheduled for August (Women’s Month) 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Successful researchers will be required to present their submission at the Symposium on FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010.
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Research on

Gender and Soccer World Cup 2010

Synopsis

Gender Links (www.genderlinks.org.za) is commissioning research on the impact of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 on the advancement of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. The successful research will form the basis of deliberations on interventions and strategies at the Symposium on Gender and World Cup 2010 scheduled for August (Women’s Month) 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Successful researchers will be required to present their submission at the Symposium on FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010.

Requirements

The expression of interest should draw from the detailed brief at Annex A and use the form attached at Annex B. It should be submitted no later than Friday 22 May 2009.

Submissions and enquires should be directed to:

Judith Mtsewu

Southern African Alliance Manager - Gender Links

Gender Links

9 Derrick Avenue

Cyrildene 2198

Johannesburg, South Africa

Email: alliance@genderlinks.org.za

Fax: 011 622 3742

Criteria for selection:
CRITERIA Weighting
Demonstrate knowledge about the subject matter

(Soccer 2010 and its potential contribution to advancing the economic objectives of the SADC Gender and Development Protocol)
50%
Research methods 12.5%
Access regional stakeholders and women as individuals and/or organisations 12.5%
Previous experience 25%

ANNEX A: DETAILED BRIEF

Aim

The aim of the research is to highlight, through evidence-based research, the gender dimensions of the FIFA Soccer World Cup and to devise an action plan for ensuring that this major global and regional event contributes to advancing the economic provisions of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

Time frames

DATE ACTIVITY DELIVERABLE
11 May Submit Expression of Interest with information under the Requirements section (later in this document)

* Expression of Interest
* Work plan
* Research budget
* CV and
* Sample of previous relevant research work

15 May GL to notify successful researcher
25 June Submit draft research submissions Final research
1 July GL to provide feedback to researchers regarding their submissions
15 July Submit revised research submissions (Between 3000 – 5000 words) Revised and final research
August (TBA) Gender and FIFA Soccer World Cup Symposium Successful researchers present at the Symposium



Background

The FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 is one of the most important economic events for South Africa and the Southern Africa region over the next two years and has the potential to offer women in the region opportunities to participate in and access a range of economic opportunities as well as to ensure a social legacy from 2010. A concerted effort is required to consult women regarding how they can access economic and other strategic sectors of this event. Delivery of the FIFA Soccer World Cup will happen at the regional and local level and local government, as the sphere closest to the people, is critical to the economic empowerment of communities in general and of women in particular.

The recently signed and adopted SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, foregrounds the need for SADC countries to address and advance the economic empowerment of women in light of the economic realities faced by women of the region and their often dire economic conditions. Articles 15 to 19 in the SADC Gender and Development Protocol seek to provide “for the equal participation of women in economic policy formulation and implementation.” These articles have provisions and targets on entrepreneurship, access to credit and public procurement contracts, as well as stipulations on trade policies, access to property, resources and employment.


Main Research themes

The current and potential role of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 in advancing gender equality

* The active participation and creation of space for women in decision-making structures in all sectors of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010, particularly those relating to economic opportunities in the form of procurement and employment and the creation of new and additional economic opportunities particularly at the local level, and any other relevant issues.
* Is there evidence of deliberate mechanisms that have developed by local government to ensure the inclusion of women in local economic development initiatives? What mechanisms have been used to enable a greater participation of women?
* How can local government use 2010 as a flagship project for benefitting women’s economic needs?
* What is the role of local government in ensuring that women have access to and participate in all sectors that relate to the Soccer World Cup 2010?
* What will the potential impact of the Soccer World Cup 2010, positive or negative, be on women in the SADC region?



Economic opportunities (procurement, employment, trade and entrepreneurship) for women in the planning and delivery of the FIFA Soccer World Cup

* What is the quantity and monetary value of contracts going out to women businesses?
* Are there specific sectors where women dominate? Which ones and what are the reasons for the dominance of women in some sectors?
* Do gender disaggregated data on employment for the delivery of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 exist? Where are women most located in terms of employment sectors and employment levels?
* Do targets exist in terms of access to employment, procurement and trade opportunities for women in the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010?
* How could the gendered division of labour impact on women’s ability to access economic opportunities offered by the World Cup?



Human trafficking and/or sex work

* What migration patterns might develop as a result of World Cup 2010?
* Vulnerabilities of women and children to sexual exploitation across borders
* How is the advent of the regional visa for the World Cup likely to affect women?
* In what ways could the long-distance transport sector enable the sexual exploitation of women during the World Cup? Which other sectors could perpetuate the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women?



Gender Based Violence

* In what ways can the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 exacerbate the occurrence of gender based violence?
* Which specific types of gender based violence are likely to be most prevalent? Why?
* In what ways could a major international event of this nature be used to galvanise support for ending gender violence?
* How are governments and civil society prioritising and responding to this issue?
* What should governments’ and civil society’s response be to this?

Research methodology

* Secondary research
* Review of relevant literature
* Key strategic interviews to be included
o Regional bodies
o Regional structures
o National soccer bodies
o Local government structures, for example the 2010 office in the City of Johannesburg.
o Local and regional organisations dealing with human trafficking and sex work



Scope of work

* The research will primarily take place in South Africa which is hosting the World Cup but must integrate the regional component as the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development is a sub-regional instrument and the impact of the FIFA World Cup for women, both negative and positive will span women across the region. There is a limited budget for regional travel; this would need to be motivated. Phone, fax and E Mail can be used for gathering regional inputs.
* The research must be undertaken within two months and completed by no later than 15 July 2009.

Outputs

* 25-30 page evidence-based research on the potential economic and social legacy of the FIFA Soccer World Cup for women which foregrounds the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and the specific articles on economic empowerment for women.
* Proposed action plan over the next year for ensuring that women of Southern Africa are empowered through this major event.
* List of all those interviewed and suggested participants in the August symposium.
* Media strategy and list of suggested topics for debate as part of the build up to Soccer 2010 to raise awareness about the gender dimensions of this major global and regional event.
* Presentation at the Gender and Soccer World Cup 2010 Symposium in August 2010.



Outcomes:

* The Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance shall use the research to advocate and lobby at various platforms of both government and non-state actors for greater and deliberate consideration and mainstreaming of gender in the planning and delivery of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010.
* Public awareness around the positive and negative legacies the FIFA Soccer World Cup will have for women and to put the issue in the public domain.

ANNEX B: FORMAT FOR GL GENDER AND SOCCER 2010 EOI

I. ADMINISRATIVE INFORMATION
NAME OF COMPANY OR RESEARCHER
KEY CONTACT
ADDRESS
E MAIL
PHONE/CELL PHONE

II. COMPANY/ RESEARCHER PROFILE

Please provide in not more than half a page information on your company including:

* When the company was formed.
* Vision and mission
* Major assignments undertaken.

III. APPROACH

Please outline in not more than three pages

* Your understanding of what is to be achieved.
* How you plan to go about doing this.
* How you plan to combine interviews and secondary research to give a solid, action oriented analysis.
* Outline of the research report.



IV. PREVIOUS EXEPERIENCE

Please list at least three previous assignments that you have undertaken that are relevant to this undertaking. Each should include:

* Name of project.
* Subject.
* Location.
* Output and outcomes.
* Why the research is relevant to this assignment.


V. KEY PERSONNEL

Please give the names and a brief biography of the person/s who would be involved in the project, including their titles, roles and experience.

VI. BUDGET

Please provide a detailed budget for the research process using the format provided below. Please note that all costs must be broken down and explained in the second column. PLEASE NOTE THAT TRAVEL AND ACCOMODATION COSTS SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED. SHOULD GL AGREE THAT THESE ARE NECESSARY, THEY WILL BE PAID FOR DIRECTLY. Should you wish to submit you budget in the form of an excel spread sheet this would also be acceptable:
BUDGET ITEM DETAIL AMOUNT- RANDS
Research

Editing

Presentation of research
Administrative and communication costs (please detail)

Contingency
VAT
TOTAL


Proposed payment tranches

* Upfront
* On final delivery

ATTACHMENTS

Please include at least three examples of research previously undertaken

Africa: Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) short courses training calendar

2009-05-29

http://www.icdtraining.com/

The Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) is pleased to announce to you its short course offerings for the period June – December 2009 in Windhoek, Namibia. ICD invites you; your colleagues and your institution to the management development courses that will enhance your skills and make you more effective at the workplace. ICD courses are aimed at skills transfer and course delivery makes use of you work experience and specific needs and integrated computer based problems and simulations.

Certificate Course in Resource Mobilisation

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/56694

* Are you an Executive Director or manager of a non-profit organization
* Are you working in the NGO sector?
* Is your organization’s sustainability threatened by shrinking donor support?
* Are you in charge of fundraising and resource mobilisation in your organization
* Do want to enhance your skills in fundraising?
* Are you a trainer or consultant in fundraising and resource mobilisation for the non-profit sector?
If your answer to any or all of the above questions is yes, then this 20 days course organised jointly by GIMPA, the Resource Alliance (UK) and the African Women’s Development Foundation (AWDF) Ghana is definitely a must!
CERTIFICATE COURSE IN RESOURCE MOBILIZATION FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

September 7 – October 2, 2009

* Are you an Executive Director or manager of a non-profit organization
* Are you working in the NGO sector?
* Is your organization’s sustainability threatened by shrinking donor support?
* Are you in charge of fundraising and resource mobilisation in your organization
* Do want to enhance your skills in fundraising?
* Are you a trainer or consultant in fundraising and resource mobilisation for the non-profit sector?



If your answer to any or all of the above questions is yes, then this 20 days course organised jointly by GIMPA, the Resource Alliance (UK) and the African Women’s Development Foundation (AWDF) Ghana is definitely a must!

The Certificate in Resources Mobilization for Non-Profits course will equip you with critical knowledge and skills which when applied in everyday work situations will result in a significant increase in the effectiveness of your fundraising.

Come and learn from the experience of fundraising experts and donor agents. This is your organization’s ticket to financial sustainability.

Course content

The courses content address critical issues including the following:

* Role and relationships of state, business and voluntary sector
* Public policy environment within which non-profits operate
* Main sources of non-profit funding and support
* Donor prospecting and research; donor motivations and trends in giving
* Ethics, accountability and transparency
* Effective Communications and resource mobilisation
* Strategic planning, financial planning
* Resource Mobilisation Techniques (Diaspora Fundraising, Fundraising events, Payroll Giving, Corporate Fundraising)
* Managing self (self-awareness, time management, stress management) and others (suppliers, volunteers, staff)

Target Audience

* People working in resource mobilisation in the non-profit sector. They may be involved full-time or part-time in mobilising resources and may be paid or volunteers
* Trainers or consultants in fundraising and resource mobilisation for the non-profit sector
* Officials with responsibility for fundraising in public Institutions
Cost

Tuition fee:US$ 1.500

Accommodation: Air Conditioned room - $18.4 per night, Executive Room - $42 per night (includes dinner)

Meals:Lunch $5, Dinner $5

Entry Requirement

* Applicants with first degree or its equivalent are preferred though completion of other certificate and diploma courses may be sufficient.
* Applicant must know how to use email and word processing and simple spreadsheet software.
* Applicant must have a minimum of one year’s experience in mobilising resources.

Assessment and Evaluation

* A combination of continuous assessment, exams and project presentation at the end of the course are used to assess students for the award of certificate.
* Participants must be regular in class for at least 90% of the course duration to qualify for the award of certificate.

For further information about the course, please contact:
AWDFCapacity Building Unit at awdf@awdf.org or cbu@awdf.org
The Assistant Registrar, Business Support & Executive Programs
GIMPA, P. O. Box AH 50, Achimota – Ghana
Tel: 021-42161 or 401681-3 Ext. 1082, 1076.
Email: bsep@gimpa.edu.gh

Application forms are available on GIMPA’s website: www.gimpa.edu.gh or the Cash Office, GIMPA.

Global: CHRI Event on extrajudicial killings in Kenya

2009-05-29

http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/default.htm

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative would be will be organising a side event in collaboration with Eastern Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders project and African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF) at United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) on Extrajudicial Killings in Kenya and Police Reforms in East Africa on the same the day the UN Special rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston is to present a report on Kenya on 3 June 2009 from 2:00 -4:00 PM in room number 25.

Africa Spectrum

2009-05-29

http://www.giga-hamburg.de/index.php?file=z_af_spectrum.html&folder=publikationen

Africa Spectrum no. 1/2009 has just been published. It has established itself among the internationally acknowledged and accredited peer-reviewed African Studies journals and is included in the relevant internationally recognized abstracting and indexing lists. Africa Spectrum is with immediate effect an Open Access journal. We thereby seek to contribute towards reducing the existing asymmetric relations in the global academic world. As of the next issue (no. 2/2009) Africa Spectrum will also be published exclusively in English. We would like to encourage all to visit our web site and invite scholars to submit manuscripts:

Africa: Africa Advocacy Coordinator - Nobel Women's Initiative

2009-05-29

http://tinyurl.com/mryj96

The Africa Advocacy Coordinator leads the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s advocacy and strategic communication initiatives in Africa. The Coordinator is focused primarily on women’s rights and armed violence in Sudan and Darfur, but also provides analysis and support for other Nobel Women’s Initiative issue areas, including violence and repression in Burma and Iran, climate justice and nuclear disarmament.

Global: Digital Communications Specialist (consultancy) - OI

2009-05-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/56693

OI are looking for a consultant to work a total of 30 days over a three – four month period to undertake project work relevant to the OI digital presence. We are preferably looking for someone who can work two days per week. The successful candidate will need to be a highly experienced digital communications professional who is able to come into the post and take over on both digital campaigns work and web managerial tasks with confidence. We particularly need support from a web specialist to help us move forward on some areas of site development.
Digital Communications Specialist (consultancy)

OI are looking for a consultant to work a total of 30 days over a three – four month period to undertake project work relevant to the OI digital presence. We are preferably looking for someone who can work two days per week. The successful candidate will need to be a highly experienced digital communications professional who is able to come into the post and take over on both digital campaigns work and web managerial tasks with confidence. We particularly need support from a web specialist to help us move forward on some areas of site development.

About OI

Oxfam International (OI) is a confederation of 13 independent non-governmental organizations (affiliates) working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries.

Together we are working to fight poverty and related injustice around the world.

About the OI web team

The OI web team is responsible for OI’s web presence. In addition the team works with the confederation through the OI campaigns teams, cross confederation web managers network and the digital communications group to develop coordinated digital campaigns and improve digital presence.

Purpose of the consultancy

To work with the Website Technical Developer to improve the OI website home page for a better user experience and to launch our new site theme (design).

To complete the set up of our new mailing list and facilitate names sharing among the Oxfam confederation.

To undertake any other web projects arising from collaboration with the Website Technical Developer on improving user journey.

To liaise with OI campaigns teams to advise on international digital campaigns around key events.

To work with campaigns to create and publish digital campaigns/key event information on the OI website.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced digital communications specialist who has proven previous experience of delivering on these areas of work, preferably for an international website. You will need sound web editorial skills, knowledge of web based content management systems (knowledge of Drupal a definite plus), graphics packages and video editing software. You will also have experience of setting up and managing mailing lists. In addition, you will have experience of advising on digital campaigns (preferably international) and the creation of digital products for campaigns.

You will need to be fluent in English and knowledge of French and/or Spanish will be an advantage. You will need proven organisational and time management skills and the ability to work as part of an international team.

Budget and work pattern

We are looking for someone who can work up to 30 days over 3 – 4 months, starting immediately. Some of the time must be worked weekly, although offers of a longer period of full-time work followed by dedicated weekly hours for campaigns work may be considered. The post can be worked in the office at Oxford or remotely.

How to apply

To apply please send your CV, links to any examples of websites/web tools you have worked on (specifying your role) and covering email to recruitment@oxfaminternational.org

If you would like an informal discussion about the post prior to application please call Carolyn Baker, Head of Digital Communications on +44 (0)7824865118.

Please use the subject line ‘Digital Communications Specialist’ and highlight relevant experience, day rate (or range) and availability.

Closing date: 1st June 2009 09:00 GMT

How we will select:

We will select the successful candidate against the following criteria:

1. Skills match
2. Proposed work pattern
3. Day rate
4. Location

Anyone shortlisted will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.

Global: Intern: Gender and Development

2009-05-28

http://tinyurl.com/qgrb8s

UNRISD is now accepting applications for a two to three-month internship position to begin in July 2009 (preferred starting date: 2 July) in the Gender and Development Programme (GAD). Eligible candidates must be currently enrolled in a master’s or PhD degree programme (as per UN Secretariat rules regarding interns) in economics, sociology, political science or a related field from an accredited university and have academic and professional experience in issues related to gender and social development. Written and spoken fluency in English is essential.

Fahamu