Pambazuka News 550: Wangari Maathai: The tree that became a forest
Pambazuka News 550: Wangari Maathai: The tree that became a forest
Countries that provide better opportunities for women can raise overall productivity, make institutions more representative and advance development prospects, according to a World Bank report. Focusing on gender equality and development, the 'World Bank Development Report 2012' found that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have made rapid progress in enhancing women’s education, longevity and lowering fertility levels. Still, there are several fundamental problems that must be addressed.
Abdul worked as a journalist in Somalia before death threats from Al-Shabab militia drove him to leave his native country and head for Mozambique where friends told him he would receive help at Maratane refugee camp in Nampula Province. The boat he boarded in Mombasa had 110 other passengers. Now Abdul and his fellow passengers are all being detained in the same prison in southern Tanzania. Neither the Mozambican police who arrested them in the northern town of Palma and then violently deported them to the Tanzanian border, nor the immigration officials who found them there attempted to determine which of the migrants were asylum-seekers entitled to receive protection and assistance, and which were economic migrants subject to immigration laws.
A new report by the London-based Amnesty International has slammed the European Union for 'shamefully' failing to help thousands of refugees stranded near Libya’s borders. In a report titled, 'Europe, Now It Is Your Turn to Act', Amnesty International has strongly criticised EU governments for failing to offer resettlement to an estimated 5,000 refugees – who would face persecution or conflict if returned to their own countries.
In order for global climate change policies and efforts to progress, intense local activism and countries most adversely affected by climate change must play a leading role. If they don't, an upcoming meeting of state parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) in South Africa will be a conference of 'paralysis' and 'profiteers', says Patrick Bond, climate justice expert and author of the book 'Politics of Climate Justice' coming out in November.
The United Nations Agency for Refugees has extended the implementation of the cessation clause to 30 June next year. The clause was supposed to be implemented on 31 December this year. The UNHCR cessation clause stipulates that a person recognised as a refugee, will either voluntarily return to the country of origin or apply for residence in the host country. The clause, does not allow claims for refugee status after verification by the agency that there are no conditions in the country of origin that qualify for UN protection.
Pambazuka News 547: Ten years after 9/11: War can't bring peace
Pambazuka News 547: Ten years after 9/11: War can't bring peace
In a blog post, Peter Kenworthy explores how many African leaders in particular see homosexuality as 'un-natural' and 'un-African' and do not believe that homosexuals should have any rights at all. Homophobia is therefore not only illegal and punishable in many African countries, but also legitimised by the leaders of these countries, and African homosexuals are frequently assaulted, expelled from their jobs, or chased from their homes. The cultural claims that homosexuality is alien to Africa are rarely if ever substantiated, however, and homophobic laws and opinions could alternatively be seen as colonial imports based on European 18th or 19th century Puritanism.
While attention has, appropriately, been focused on getting food and medicines to the victims of the famine in the Horn of Africa, many observers are asking about longer-term solutions, especially if droughts such as the current one become more frequent with climate change. One possibility is to expand irrigation.
An international pressure group is to be launched in Britain to tackle the rise in homophobic violence around the world, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. The UK's three main political parties have declared their support for Kaleidoscope, an independent group campaigning for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, after a series of high-profile attacks on sexual minorities in developing countries.
Kenya's Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife has come up with a new policy that will see the ministry take responsibility in wildlife conservation, compensation of wildlife related damages on crops, properties, death and injuries.
While the rising economic involvement of China in Africa has drawn wide attention in recent years, there has been significantly less attention to the impact of the Chinese model in thinking about development strategies in Africa. A new joint report from the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, made up of the developed countries, is an index of the growing impact of such reflection. The report excludes issues on which significant disagreement would be likely, such as the roles of democratic institutions and civil society.
Unidentified armed men torched the studios of a private television station that aired programmes favorable to Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, local journalists and news reports said.
The court trying Hosni Mubarak over the killing of protesters in January summoned the head of Egypt's ruling military council and other top officials to give testimony that could prove decisive in determining the fate of the ousted president.
The latest release of leaked diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks has revealed some persons around the presidency have tried to use their influence to manipulate control of the country's oil resources for their personal gain.
An article in The Economist examines how China’s oil trade with Africa is dominated by an opaque syndicate. Ordinary Africans appear to do badly out of its hugely lucrative deals.
Fearing a repeat of hunger riots around the world in 2007-2008, international policymakers are putting agriculture high on the agenda. The G20 agriculture meeting in Paris in June issued an action plan aimed at increasing global agricultural production by 70 per cent in the next four decades in order to address the challenge of trying to feed an expected 9 billion people by 2050 – a challenge that is growing harder with climate change. One priority target to boost world food security should be the millions of smallholder farmers in developing countries who live on less than two hectares – some of the poorest people on the globe.
Durban should not be the burial ground for the Kyoto Protocol, says Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, about his expectations from the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change happening in his hometown in South Africa later this year.
Africa Monitor reports (includes video) that higher global food prices are likely to spell trouble for aid organisations working to relieve famine in the Horn of Africa. Food prices are on the rise again, according to a new report issued last week by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Fishermen in Haiti and some African countries could lose their livelihoods as ocean acidification causes a decline in mollusc populations, a study has found. Human industrial activities release carbon dioxide, which dissolves in sea water, increasing its acidity. This higher acidity damages the mollusc stocks on which many fishermen in Gambia, Haiti, Madagascar, Mozambique and Senegal rely.
An increasing number of Nigeria's 70 million Christians are following so called 'prosperity teachings' - the belief that prosperity is a blessing. Services are held in mega-churches, with millionaire pastors preaching the word. Tomi Oladipo reports for the BBC.
An infographic by the Global Sociology Blog details the slum population in urban Africa by country.
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) was granted government approval in July to officially register congregations throughout the country. Algerian Christians view the decision as a positive step toward repealing a law that restricts Christian worship.
In Africa, access to positions of political responsibility remains an exception for female politicians. But this is changing. In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first woman elected at the head of a country: Liberia. Today, women candidates are increasing and the next African elections will open new perspectives to all who have pledged to stir things up in Africa.
A new scramble for Africa is under way. As global food prices rise and exporters reduce shipments of commodities, countries that rely on imported grain are panicking. Affluent countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China and India have descended on fertile plains across the African continent, acquiring huge tracts of land to produce wheat, rice and corn for consumption back home.
This study by Diana E. H. Russell and Roberta A. Harmes (Eds) finds that the lethal impact of AIDS on many women and girls must be recognised as a form of mass femicide that is devastating women throughout the world. These femicides are occurring as a result of the overlap of four gender-related problems: AIDS, male sexism and domination, genital mutilation, and rape.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is making an urgent appeal to warring parties in southern Libya to respect international humanitarian law and ensure no harm comes to the more than 1, 200 migrants seeking refuge at an IOM-established migrant transit centre in the town of Sebha while it works out how best to evacuate them, APA learns in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The New York Times carries a report that officials in Niamey, Niger are warily watching and bracing for what they call the disaster scenario that has not yet happened: a huge influx of defeated soldiers loyal to the fallen Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that it has uncovered plots by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to destabilise Nigeria. The party has called on security agencies to be alert and monitor the activities of CPC and its members, especially against the backdrop of present security challenges in the country.
Malawi’s Human Rights Commission has accused President Bingu wa Mutharika of inciting violence against critics that has led to petrol bomb attacks on the properties of two leading activists. Mutharika riled activists when he threatened attacks against his opponents who staged an unprecedented protest against his government in July.
A ‘family’ campaign in Uganda is urging lawmakers to pass the notorious anti-homosexuality bill. The Family Life Network and Uganda Coalition for Moral Values says the government should do the 'right' thing, rather than bow to international pressure.
Amnesty International has released a report on human rights abuses committed during the movement to topple Libyan fugitive leader Muammar Gaddafi. The 122-page report consisted mainly of damning examples of violations by Gaddafi's regime, saying the strongman's forces are guilty of crimes against humanity, but it also says the National Transition Council (NTC) is guilty of human rights violations, and appears unwilling to hold its fighters accountable for them.
Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) is a 501(c)3 organisation dedicated to using the power of media to transform education and improve lives in the developing world. Position Summary: The Programme Director, West Africa, will report to the VP, Global Education Programmes. Success in this position will hinge on effective management of current school-based projects in West Africa in accordance with organisational priorities and donor contracts; fully engaging donors and government partners; and spearheading new partnerships and funding for expansion in the region.
In a post on the Huffington Post Union of Bloggers, the writer exerts that the 'people’s revolt' against another tyrant is unquestionably exciting, and the demise (political and/or otherwise) of Muammar Qaddafi will be widely hailed. But below the surface something else is going on, and it concerns not the Libyan people, but an elite. In reality, a narrowly-based Libyan elite is being supplanted by a much older, more enduring one of an international variety.'
Greenpeace, in response to an explosion at a leaking gasoline pipeline in an industrial area of Kenya's capital in which at least 75 people were killed and 112 hurt, urged the Kenyan government to support its citizens in the wake of this incident. 'This again is a reminder to our African leaders to move away from the dangerous and dirty fossil fuels towards a renewable energy path with cleaner jobs, greener economies and a safer, more sustainable future for Africa's people,' Greenpeace said.
On 20 September 2011, Zambians will go to the polls to elect its next president. As is often the case with elections in this part of the world, questions have been raised about the likelihood of the elections leading to violence, writes Judy Smith-Höhn, Senior researcher, African Conflict Prevention Programme, ISS Pretoria Office.
Authorities in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland are obstructing independent journalists from covering government politics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. Four reporters have been harassed and arrested while on assignment since early September.
Guest blogger, Ahmed Sule, shows that attacks on both African immigrants and black Libyans (part of the legacy of 19th Century slave trade) have largely remained on the periphery of mainstream media. The political establishment, supporting the rebels, have done even less to acknowledge these atrocities that tarnish the rebels’ pursuit of democracy.
The high rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nebbi district has been attributed to lack of sensitisation of the community on the danger of the disease, says Rev. Fr. Juvenile Ayelangom, the Nebbi director of Caritas, a Catholic church organisation.
'To See the Mountain and Other Short Stories' is a compilation of Caine Prize 2011 Shortlisted Stories and the Caine Prize African Writers’ Workshop Stories 2011. The Caine Prize for African Writing, an annual literary award, recognises talents from all corners of the African continent and the globe. First presented in 2000 to Sudanese author Leila Aboulela for her story, 'The Museum', the award seeks to find the best original short story, published in English, by an African writer, whether situated in Africa or abroad.
The South African Civil Society Information Service points to two reports that find that whites dominate management positions in South Africa and that white people continue to be appointed and promoted in empowering positions in the workplace while blacks are constantly overlooked. The 11th CEE Report further argues that employers are more likely to employ white females and Indians from the designated groups 'when compared to the African and Coloured population groups at nearly all occupational levels.'
The constitution-making process in Zimbabwe is being derailed by the existence of the unjustified sanctions imposed on the country by Britain the U.S. and the European Union, a senior Zanu-PF official has said.
The Zimbabwe government is threatening to shut down 'private and foreign' news media organisations that it says are 'abusing their journalistic privileges by denouncing the country and its leadership.' The threat comes just days after the release of new US diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks revealed widening rifts within the country’s dominant party, ZANU-PF.
More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced as fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and rebels in the country’s Blue Nile state continues, the United Nations (UN) reported. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that tens of thousands of displaced people cannot be reached by relief agencies due to movement restrictions against UN staff imposed by the government in both Sennar and Blue Nile states.
The international peasant's movement La Via Campesina and its South African member the Landless People's Movement are mobilizing for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will take place in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011.
Some 20 political parties and social movements from both sides of the Green Line issued an historic declaration in support of the social protests currently rocking Israel and their necessary linkage to the struggle against Israel’s occupation and colonial policies.
While ICT continues to advance in western and Asian countries, African countries still experience a lag in its implementation, and that continues to widen the digital and knowledge divides. A study by Kiptalam et.al observed that access to ICT facilities is a major challenge facing most African countries, with a ratio of one computer to 150 students against the ratio of 1:15 students in the developed countries.
The Independent Living Institute takes a look at this important subject and finds that little has been written about people with disabilities in Africa. Reference material has been drawn from the general textbooks of social sciences and principles of community health on the epidemiology of diseases.
It is now common knowledge that ICTs play important roles in the development process. In West Africa, projects such as Esoko, Grameen MoTech and Project ABC are confronting the challenges of development from different angles. Another interesting area with great potential in this sphere is the role of ICTs, social media in particular, in citizen engagement.
Deforestation worsens famine in Africa, but drylands restoration could help. Millions of people across the Horn of Africa are suffering under a crippling regional drought and tens of thousands have died during the accompanying famine. The best hope in the short-term is food aid and logistical support, but in the longer term, dryland reforestation efforts may help improve food security, argues a new report from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which links human-caused land degradation, including deforestation, to intensified drought.
This past June, the National Popular Assembly (ANP) of Guinea-Bissau approved a law prohibiting female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) nationwide. The controversial law had been on the table for discussion for 16 years, before it was ultimately approved by 64 votes in favour to 1 vote against.
After a series of field trips to the Horn of Africa region conducted by the Brenthurst Foundation over several years, most recently in Somaliland in June 2011, the Foundation made a documentary film to tie-in with the publication 'African Game Changer? The Consequences of Somaliland’s International (Non) Recognition'. The film is based on interviews conducted in Somaliland in June 2011. It explores the issue of recognition/non-recognition through the eyes of Somalilanders, as well as the social and economic challenges they face in their daily lives.
Jean-Paul Pougala answers questions from readers concerning his article 'The Lies of the Western war against Libya', which was translated into forty languages.
Arguably the repression of activists and journalist by Egypt’s interim military government is a sign of how strong citizens’ movements are and how frightened the regime is of losing power as the country moves toward elections and drafting a new constitution, writes Rick Rowden for Goethe-Institut.
Wikileaks has exposed a US cable examining Marc Ravalomanana's landslide re-election victory which saw him emerging ahead of 13 other candidates with 55 per cent of the vote. 'At the same time, rather than growing more relaxed and comfortable in power, he appears increasingly to see enemies around him, broaching little dissent as he becomes more isolated and autocratic,' says the cable.
Severe malaria threatens tens of millions of lives across the globe. Up to a million children, most in Africa, succumb to it each year. The survivors risk life-long neurological deficit and other serious problems. Accurate diagnosis and injectable treatment are urgently needed to deal with the condition. Yet, children with signs of severe malaria often reside in remote locations. Professor Karim Hirji of Muhimbili University in Tanzania describes the significance of his own research.
The Mental Health and Poverty Project (MHaPP) is a 5- year study of mental health policy development and implementation in four African countries: Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Following broad situation analyses in each of the four countries, three areas of intervention were identified.
We are very pleased to announce that admissions are now open for five scholarships for candidates from African Commonwealth countries to study for the part-time Masters in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford, starting September 2012.
The course website can be found , while details about the scholarships, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found on the
Bisi Alimi contributes to a series by The Guardian on voices of people from around the world who have found themselves stigmatised for their sexuality. While at university in Nigeria and standing for election, a magazine wrote about him and exposed him as being gay. This led the university to set up a disciplinary committee.
Why does Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi refuse to make public the details of a ‘large chunk’ of Ethiopian land given to Sudan, asks Alemayehu G. Mariam.
In response to Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, Mzonke Poni of Abahlali baseMjondolo stresses that dialogue around housing, justice and a dignified existence can never be a matter of mere stage-managed engagement.
Uganda's Makerere reflects the crisis facing many African universities – how to fund higher education amid rising demand for places and concerns about falling academic standards, argues a piece on The Guardian's Poverty Matters blog.
It has been more than eight months since the harmonised version of the National Climate Change Commission Bill was forwarded to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan for assent. Uche Igwe asks why there is still no word from the presidency on the fate of this very important bill.
The people of Swaziland are out in sustained protest against the country's 'system of royal oppression', writes Mario Masuku.
Almost two decades after the genocide in Rwanda, in which up to 1 million people died, hundreds of thousands of survivors are still waiting for reparation, writes Juergen Schurr.
In the wake of sustained social unrest in many parts of Africa this year, Toby Moorsom considers the extent to which the continent might be said to be ‘rising or flailing’.In the wake of sustained social unrest in many parts of Africa this year, Toby Moorsom considers the extent to which the continent might be said to be ‘rising or flailing’.
Something to celebrate?
Pulling the strings from behind the scenes...
Tumusiime Kabwende Deo investigates the current malaise in Uganda's education sector which has seen teachers going on strike for the second time this year after fruitless month-long talks with the government for a 100 per cent pay rise.
International peasant's movement La Via Campesina (LVC) makes clear its intentions to bring together millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world. It defends small-scale sustainable agriculture as a way to promote social justice and dignity.
STARS Foundation has announced the launch of the 2012 STARS Impact Awards recognising outstanding organisations working in children's health, education and protection. Organisations working with children in Africa, the Middle East, Asia or Pacific are invited to apply. This year, thanks to a partnership with the Ashmore Foundation, STARS is able to increase the number of Awards it intends to offer to 14. Of these, 6 Awards are made up of US$100,000 of unrestricted funding and additional consultancy support and the other 8 Awards will range in value from US$15,000 to US$60,000.
With the highest rate of human trafficking in East and Central Africa, several non-governmental organisations in Kenya are now under investigation by INTERPOL. The trail of corruption may also reveal human trafficker’s collusion with Kenyan authorities including the police and intelligence, as well as the judiciary.
Non-governmental organisation Defense of Foreigners has accused Libya's new authorities of jailing and torturing some 300 foreigners, mostly Tuaregs from Mali and Niger, suspected of being backers of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
An IDN report finds that in the run-up to an important global forum on aid effectiveness, African leaders from fragile and conflict-affected countries have called for new approaches to development in the region and a reassessment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The call emerged from a regional meeting on peace- and state-building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, September 7-9, 2011.
Most Somali women fleeing to Dadaab in northeastern Kenya have never visited an antenatal clinic, let alone given birth in a hospital. Most of the 470,000 refugees in Dadaab are from Somalia, where about 80 per cent of deliveries take place at home or with unskilled traditional birth attendants, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). With an estimated 1,400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, WHO describes maternal and prenatal health in Somalia as being 'of pressing concern'.
Guest blogger Andy Kristian, a US based Ugandan photographer, writes that Africa is on the brink of losing her land. The telescopes of several countries and corporations are on Africa, which until recently still possessed vast areas of arable and virgin land. This shift is due to rising food prices, climate change and massive populations in Asia, particularly, China, Arab Countries such as Egypt and Kuwait, and India.
The documentary film 'The Axe and the Tree: Zimbabwe’s Legacy of Political Violence' screened in Johannesburg at The Bioscope on Thursday 8 September at 6:30pm, followed by a Q&A with the director, Rumbi Katedza. More screenings are scheduled during the Tri Continental Film Festival.
Teachers across Kenya boycotted classes as schools in that country reopened for their final term in this academic year. A nationwide teachers strike now threatens to disrupt preparations in the run up to this year's national examinations by standard eight and form four candidates.
The Obama administration has decided to add the Republic of South Sudan to the list of countries included under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programme, Sudan Tribune has learned. The move comes as South Sudan gained its independence in July and the United States swiftly recognised it.
Public spending on education in Africa has been increasing annually according to a new report, but how is the money distributed? A report examined by The Guardian reveals that in some countries in Africa development aid accounts for 50% of government education budgets.
The IOM office in South Africa is backing the production of a feature film which seeks to explore the complex themes of migration, xenophobia, identity, fear and reconciliation. The movie titled 'Man on Ground' is centred on Ade, a successful Nigerian banker based in the UK and Femi, his estranged brother who lives and works in South Africa.