Police in Harare have stopped the Combined Harare Residents Association from holding public meetings with the contesting election candidates in the capital. Mfundo Mlilo, spokesman for CHRA, said on Wednesday that the officer commanding Southerton police district had banned 16 of their planned ‘meet the candidate public meetings’ in all low and high-density suburbs south of the capital.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise launched a report in Harare on Wednesday, titled “The effects of fighting Repression with Love” which documents the experiences of their members over the last few years as they were arrested, assaulted, humiliated and tortured at the hands of state agents, particularly the police. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa attended the event, along with representatives from civil organisations and diplomats.

Ethnic violence forced thousands of Mauritanians out of their homes and into Senegal two decades ago, but the two countries and the UN are working together to bring them back home. After leaving camps across the Senegal River from their homeland last week, the second group of repatriates received a warm welcome in Rosso.

Over the years, many Somali refugees in South Africa have achieved substantial independence and self-sufficiency without the assistance of the UN refugee agency. These skilled traders have relied on cultural and religious ties and networks, business savvy, determination and single-mindedness to establish businesses and ensure their communities function on clearly formulated lines.

With the new academic year in Kenya underway, teacher Moses Simiyu Kalenda is once again instructing children - just not in the place where he expected to be doing so. Previously, he taught pre-schoolers at Kalaha Farm, some 400 kilometres west of the capital, Nairobi; now he works from a makeshift class in a displaced persons camp, both he and his pupils victims of the violence that erupted after the Dec. 27 presidential election.

Chad has lifted a state of emergency and night curfew imposed across the oil-rich central African nation after a failed bid by opposition forces to seize the capital, Ndjamena, in February. A government statement said on Sunday: "A curfew, which was put imposed in special circumstances, was lifted today throughout Chadian territory."

A study of nurses and HIV/AIDS patients in five African nations has found that stigma is decreasing, but burdens both HIV patients and their nurses. The researchers say that this is limiting care options for HIV patients and strategies are needed to prevent stigma.

If the Kenyan lawmakers had debated and approved the recent ICT Bill put before parliament, some of the communications issues raised by the recent political crisis in that country would have been more easily dealt with, argues KICTANeT's Alice Wanjira.

Ethiopia is again facing food scarcity that has put the lives of over eight million Ethiopians at risk, particularly those in the South-West Oromia region where 11 people died of hunger and lack of clean water. The food insecurity, caused by a long period of drought in Oromia region, affected close to half a million people, the National Disaster, Prevention and Control Commission confirmed.

The Chadian government has continued to detain an unknown number of people without charges since rebels invaded the capital N’djamena for two days in early February, despite lifting a state of emergency on 15 March. "Detainees should be released immediately or charged with a crime and accorded all their rights, including immediate access to a lawyer and a hearing before an impartial judge to determine the lawfulness of their detention,” Human Rights Watch (HRW)’s Africa Director Georgette Gagnon said in a statement issued on 20 March.

If West African governments are serious about reducing migration from their countries they must invest in improving living conditions and reducing inequality, according to sociologists, economists and other experts meeting in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, this week.

Admitting to being HIV-positive is a difficult task for anyone, but David Balubenze was faced with some special challenges as the pastor of Deliverance Church Nankandulo, in Kamuli, about 100 kilometers from the capital, Kampala. Balubenze knew he was HIV-positive for a year before he told church elders and it was several more years before he informed his congregation.

At a meeting chaired by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon last week in New York, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Africa Steering Group made various recommendations on how to achieve the eight goals on the continent before 2015, the target year. Abimbola Akosile highlights arising issues for overall development

Atizar Mendes Pereira, journalist and director of Última Hora, a privately-owned Bissau-based newspaper was on March 11, 2008 arrested and detained by the Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Interior of Guinea Bissau. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that Pereira was interrogated for nearly six hours, before being released.

Benin has decided to renew for period of five years, the moratorium on the import, marketing and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and GMO by-products on its territory, official sources told the PANA. The renewal of the moratorium, introduced in 2002, was based on the lack of a legal, technical and scientific framework on the threat of transgenic products from some member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) invading the sub-regional market.

The coalition Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) is inviting members to submit grant proposals for actions that will contribute to the following campaign objectives:
1. By the end of 2008, SOAWR will have accelerated ratification in ten countries, namely Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and two North African Countries.
2. By the end of 2008 there will be national implementation strategies and actions generated and running in eight countries, namely Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa.

This is an invitation to NGOs to register for a short on-line survey (10 minutes) which the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) will launch in the next two weeks. The registration process will only take about a minute of your time. The survey is being conducted by IEG to get the feedback from NGOs on the Bank's work on land reform, policy and administration in client countries.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dramatically expanding its efforts to help the world's poorest farmers, with goals every bit as ambitious as its better-known global-health work fighting diseases such as AIDS and malaria. But the foundation's nascent agricultural program is encountering more resistance than much of its other work, with critics concerned that its market-oriented, technology-centric approach will open the door to big agribusiness interests and genetically engineered food.

This policy brief looks at the potential of southern Africa’s regional infrastructure interventions to achieve the overall objective to provide support to regional integration and contribute to poverty eradication. It also identifies knowledge and policy gaps that may exist with a view to recommend interventions to
address them. The brief examines the transport, energy, water, and financing components of the regional infrastructure interventions.

Karambu Ringera, one of the few women to run for electoral office in the Kenya elections, gives a powerful vivid eye-witness account of the violence and the displacement.

Issues

When I left Nairobi for Nakuru to visit the internally displaced people's (IDP) camp, my aim was to be there for 2 days only. I arrived there on Wednesday January 23, little knowing that the events of that night would lock me in Nakuru for five days! On the night of January 23, all hell broke loose in Nakuru town. It was sad, scary and out of this world. I hardly recognized my country anymore. For three days, Kikuyus living in the Rift Valley were being evicted from their homes. The Nakuru violence was a spill over from Eldoret where many Kikuyus amng other ethnic groups had been evicted from their homes and their homes and property burnt. The week before, there had been similar clashes in Kisumu, once again targeting people from the Mount Kenya Region. The violence spread to Kericho, Burnt Forest, Elburgon, and areas surrounding Nakuru town. It was believed that Kalejins were in the forefront of these latter (Rift Valley) evictions and so, when loadfuls of Kikuyus landed into the Nakuru Show Ground (NSG) where these IDP were settled and attended to by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), Kikuyus in Nakuru felt they needed to do something about it. To see lorry after lorry of people being dropped at the NSG left many angry.

What was more devastating were the stories of anarchy – burnt homes, slaughtered loved family members, raped mothers and daughters, as destroyed property. The Kikuyus organized themselves and on the night of 23rd they struck at Ponda Mali a few blocks from where I spent that first night. In the morning, a few dead bodies were found but more fundamentally, houses were burnt – this time mainly Luo and Kalejin houses. By Thursday, these attacks were spread to more residential areas around Nakuru town such as Ronda, Mwariki, Kaptembwa, Githima, Freearea, Lakeview, Lanet, Karatina, Kiti, pangani, Flamingo, and Mawanga) – a second IDP's camp was opened at the Nakuru Stadium for Luos and Kalejins. A 7pm to 7am curfew was also set up – the speed with which this curfew was set up saved Nakuru from more blood shed than had already been spilt. On Friday, a friend and I walked to the areas surrounded Langalanga residential area to see what had transpired the night before because we heard was a lot of gunshot sounds. We hardly slept that night because we did not want to be attacked or for the block to be set a fire while we were asleep. The newspapers said that 5 people had been killed but that day we found at least 12 bodies lying uncollected – some had been eaten by dogs overnight. Most bodies had deep cuts – some on the head, some with throats slashed, others with cut off limbs – it was ghastly!! Later in the day, a police Landrover was loaded full of bodies of dead people.

It came for a second round – we estimated over 40 people killed in just…… On Saturday, Nakuru town was a no go zone both day and night. Police and army personnel were all over the town. A helicopter was being use to comb the area and spot trouble points and dispatch soldiers there speedily. The roads were blocked and some people were attacking certain groups of people as early as 5pm. We all were advised to stay indoors. Sunday was more calm were I was although we kept hearing gunshots in the surrounding estates. I had to do what I had initially set out to do in Nakuru – visit the IDP's camp at the Nakuru Show Ground. I went there on Wednesday to arrange to go and hold peace talks with the people at the camp. I intended to work with the counseling groups as my entry point. When the coordinator of the counseling program asked me to explain my approach, I explained that I used a participatory approach where people speak from their experiences. I planned on using the circle model and three statements guide the dialogue. The three statements are: Peace for me is; Peace for me would be; and In the name of peace I commit to… (participants state a concrete action they will undertake) .

The women were asked to use these statements to guide their sharing. We used a talking piece (a piece of stick). Initially I had asked for about 20-25 people. I got 30 women. However about 15 of them had come the day before and had not been debriefed – so they had to leave the circle. Women who had not been debriefed were required to do so before doing any other form of talking to people about their experiences. We held the circle with the 15 or so women left. The main concerns for the women were their children's education; lack of enough food; and where they would go since they did not want to go back to their old places.

The camp

While waiting for the women to gather, I heard a child crying outside. He was crying with a lot of emotion – a child of about 6 years old. I walked over to him and started coaxing him to stop crying while at the same time asking him why he was crying. He was standing alone and I thought he had lost his mother or whoever was with him. After some time, he stopped crying – almost – and then I was approached by a pregnant woman who had stood at a distance watching us. She told me that she had pinched the child for running away from school. The school was across the main road outside the camp. The mother was angry with the boy for crossing the dangerous road (cars were driving by all the time) alone. She also wanted him to stay in school because other kids were there. I told the mother to be patient with the child for after all he had seen, he may have been afraid that when he comes from school he might fond the mother gone. The kid never told us why he ran away for school, even though I tried to ask him. All he did was cry. We tried to get his older brother to take him to school and stay with him there the rest of the day. I do not know whether the mother was able to enforce this because soon after, a KRCS personnel came and took away the mother and the child to talk to them.

The women we visited with started telling us what life was like at the camp. They said that they had a mug of porridge in the morning, no lunch, and very little dinner. The food at dinner was so little – "it is meant to keep the soul alive" – one old lady told me. The food is so little that even children do not get satisfied – so mothers normally shared out their own food to the children. Girls were known to exchange food for sex too. There was lots of sexual activity as evidenced by the number of used condoms found lying around the camp every morning – the KRCS medical team dishes out condoms at the camps. The disturbing part was the rapes that were happening at the camps. The women told us that at night men would scream to make people start running away in panic. Then they would time women and girls, catch them and rape them. So, women were being told to watch over their girls. Women were also being advised not to go to the toilets at night.

On Friday we were sitting in circle sharing when we heard gunshots. The women panicked and one of them worriedly asked "have they come for us here?" This made me realize how scared these people really were. Their fear was deep. I was sad that I could not be of any help in trying to alleviate it. We ourselves from the outside were sitting on edge not knowing whether we would be safe or not going back home. All I could do was encourage them, hope with them that things would change, and assure them that they were safe in the camp because it was guarded. This sense of security was short lived. On Saturday afternoon there was a panic stampede that took place because a run-away prisoner jumped in to the camp in white underwear, the dress code of the attackers of the people in their farms. The IDP thought the attackers had come for them right in the camp. The person who was the man screamed that the attackers had followed them into the camp and there was a stampede that caused the breaking of the NSG periphery fence – fracturing the delicate sense of security they may have felt in this place.

A lot of food and clothes had been donated to the KRCS for these IDP in the camps around Kenya. We saw many lorries loaded with stuff come to the camp. The KRCS also had an office in Nakuru town where they stored these things. The surprising thing was that the people told us they never received any good clothes. They got third rate stuff – the KRCS staff in the store selected clothes for themselves before letting the IDP get into the store to select – the women informed us.

The people also said that the store people let about 30 people to get into the small store and they gave the people only few minutes to select clothes. This meant that one had no time to select good stuff – so they ended up with old t-shirts and skirts. One woman who had brought in a selection of very good clothes found someone selling one of her dresses in the local market! In view of this, when the women told me that they need underwear and pads, I decided not to hand these to the KRCS office as I had done on Wednesday when I first went to the camp. Counseling is being done in the camps by many people. However when I asked whether there were any people talking about peacebuilding I was told "no one had thought of that."

I found my niche. So, I set up to come on Thursday January 24 to start the peace dialogue. Lack of information on where women can get help for educational needs of their children or for material needs is alarmingly much in the camp. At Nakuru many women came to ask me for assistance – where to take their kids for schooling; how they can leave the camp and reach their relatives; how they could earn a living – several girls were looking for househelp jobs (to be employed in people's homes) – and so on. One man approached me with a letter which had a female handwriting seeking assistance for relocation. Since I am from far (Meru – Nakuru is about 9 hours by car from Meru) and did not have the capacity to help, I told the women that they have to speak with the KRCS personnel in their camp so they can ask the questions they were putting to me. I know that the organization is meant to assist people the camps in various ways. So, I insisted that they talk to these people.

The Peace Circle Dialogue

We sat in a circle and I introduced myself, asked someone to open with prayers, after which I asked everyone to introduce themselves and say where they were from. We started off with 30 women, 15 eventually went for debriefing (they had arrived at the camp the night before), two of 15 were called to go to the hospital to check on one of them who had given birth to a baby (they said to me smiling: "we have been blessed with a new life even here"), and two others left for other business. In the end, we had about 10 women who stayed throughout the 2 and a half hour session. I introduced the peace dialogue idea and why we were doing it. I gave the three statements that were going to guide our dialogue, looked for a talking piece and then I began the process.

What emerged was very interesting. Each woman gave her story – most spoke about their history. Some gave incidents before the clashes (current displacement) as what gave them no peace, incidents that were exacerbated by the violence. Most were painful family issues – including wives being told to go where they came from because they were from a different ethnic group – being forced to leave with ones children because the children had the blood of the unwanted ethnic group. On the second day, the women were less personal and our discussions were more on what others had suffered. I was told of an elderly lady who was gang raped and then ripped open because the gangsters wanted to "see where they had been." The woman died. One woman came to me for assistance for her son who is beginning high school. She said to me, "one of the children has been taken to an orphanage. Now I need a place for my son who is attending a day school, but see where he is coming back every end of day. Please take him with you and help him get into a boarding school." At that moment I wished the community home we are building for AIDS orphans and other children in crisis was complete.

I would have taken this boy to stay there while we looked for a boarding school for him. I took the lady's contact so that when I got a school for the boy, I would call them. I have already asked the IPI Program Director to check out a school for this child whose name is Isaac Geita. His mom's name is Margaret Wambui. The women who followed the three statements guiding our peace dialogue had this to say about their view of peaceful being or otherwise and what they committed to do for peace. (i) I have peace when: Peaceful moments cited by these women included when they pray, read the Bible, and when they are able to provide food, shelter and health to their families, including being able to educate their children. (ii) Peace for me is: Some of the answers I got include: End of conflict and violence; all the children in this camp going back to school. Help for those infected by HIV/AIDS, widows, single mothers, and orphans. The women said that education is the only hope for their children considering all their property was gone and the parents were in no position to support them now that they had lost everything. (iii) In the name of peace I commit to: The women committed to praying for peace; supporting those who were in need like orphans; encourages each other to keep hope in God. The women felt that if they kept their hope in God, He would deliver them and prosper them wherever they are.

Conclusion

Before people massacre others, they dehumanize and demonize the enemy. While walking around Ponda Mali, area in Nakuru to see the results of the violence, we came across many bodies of dead people that lay all over the place. Two young people were walking past one body and they said "it is fat!!" They did not see this as a person – he had become an object, hence "IT.". Down the path we found another body and this time, a woman sold her tomatoes unbothered by the presence of a dead body near where she was selling. I wondered at this lack of … fear, respect… what did I expect them to feel for these departed ones – perceived as 'the enemy' by them?

It was sad to witness the disgrace we have come to as a nation – we have become so removed from our humanity – we have failed to see we were the 'other' we were butchering. To fail to 'see' that our humanity is inescapably intertwined with that of those whose lives we have cut short, is to fail to 'recognize' how inhuman we have become. I desire to participate in healing the broken cord that joins me to my sister and brother, no matter their ethnic origin; reconcile the severed human spirit broken by our fractured humanity.

Way Forward

Part of my reason for being in Kenya is to work for peace in Africa. Little did I know I would be doing this for my beloved country. I have already put in place a peace training program under Institute for Nonviolence and Peace (INPEACE) (INPEACE was launched in 2005 at the Women's Congress held in Nairobi that year). I intend to continue the peace dialogues in the IDP's camps that I started in Nakuru. I also intend to do a training for leaders, who will hopefully share what they learn with their constituents. Then I will start systematic trainings for civil society, with a focus to women and youth. I am already meeting with people and organizations willing to partner with IPI's INPEACE to run the trainings. The plan is to begin with trainings for women and youth in the camps and leaders and follow up with longer term programs for civil society and learning institutions. I also hope to continue helping with material and informational assistance to women and young girls in camps.

For those interested in supporting women and girls materially, IPI has been collecting clothes and food stuffs and taking to various collection points in Meru. However, from the experience of what the women in Nakuru told me, IPI will be distributing the stuff directly to women in their tents within the camps like we did the last time we donated underwear and pads to women and girls at Nakuru.

*Dr. Karambu Ringera was one of the few women who ran for elected office. She was the North Imenti Parliamentary Aspirant.

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

This week's AU Monitor brings you updates and analyses from the 10th Ordinary Session of the African Union, where President John Agyekum Kufuor ends his term as Chairman of the African Union this week. President Kufuor is acknowledged for his many accomplishments and the progress that the AU has made during his tenure.

Lybian leader Mouammar Kaddafi is hosting a five-nation mini summit for African leaders ahead of the upcoming AU Summit. Also in preparation for the Summit, the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) of the AU member states opened its session, where participants will focus on important issues, including budgetary issues, contributions from member states and the problem of staff hiring for the Commission.

In other AU news, Sholain Govender provides in-depth reflections on the past, present, and future of the African Union. Also, Ousseynou Guèye reports on the audit of the African Union, noting that it reveals serious inadequacies of the organization that prevent it from reaching its goals. Lastly, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Professor Alpha Oumar Konare urged AU Foreign Ministers to insure implementation of principles adopted by Member States, including democracy, good governance, and gender equality. Chairperson Konare also showed concern about non-indifference, insisting that member countries assist one another during times of crises.

In peace and security news, the capability of the joint UN-African Union Peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has been thrown into question, following an attack earlier this month. Currently the mission is vulnerable to such attacks due to lack of proper equipment, particularly helicopters. Further, during a recent meeting of the AU Executive Council, Senegal expressed concern that the crises in Kenya was not on the agenda and asked the council to "breaks its silence on the issue".

In women's news, Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR) held its Review and Agenda Setting Meeting recently under the theme: "Building an Accountable African Union: Perspectives of the African Women's Movement". Also, the AU has commissioned a new report to study the role of female child soldiers in conflicts in Africa. Litha Musyimi-Ogana, Director of AU's Gender Development Directorate stated that "We need an African solution to the crisis and women have proved to be the best in post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation". Lastly, Ethiopian lawyer Meaza Ashenafi says that African governments have failed to domesticate gender equality laws into national policies and notes that "Irregularities in adapting and implementing various laws and agreements regarding women's rights and gender equality in Africa is a threat to the proposed union government of Africa."

Finally, Hiruy Amanuel analyses the phrase "ethnic politics", stating that appealing to ethnicity is sub-national, narrow and even dangerous", and can inhibit attempts at Pan-African unity.

Environmental groups have for several years accused mining companies in Ghana of destroying the environment. In a strange twist of events, it now seems that farmers have turned to illegal mining as a result of the devastation of the pollution caused by mining activities. Ghana’s ranking among gold-producing countries by volume improved from 11th in 2005 to 10th in 2006. Production from new mines such as Chirano Gold Mines and Newmont Ghana Bold have offset the effects of the declining output from established mines, according to Jurgen Eijgendaal, president of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.

Communities close to Tanzania's Lake Natron had publicly opposed to the proposed plans to erect soda ash plant in the area. The plant will threaten the survival of the world's largest population of Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor. A traditional chief from Pinyinyi, a village in the area, who questioned why they would "accept a project that will later destroy us," described it as "taking a fish and throwing it into the bush."

The Uganda government ministries and departments are now connected to each other and teleconferencing between them is possible. According to a statement issued by the information communication technology ministry, the network is being refined and will be officially launched in Kampala soon.

A delegation of eleven government officials from Malawi is in Uganda for a study tour on the implementation of information communication technology (ICT). The delegation also includes officials studying energy projects among others. "We are here to learn how the Uganda government is implementing universal access through various information communication technology projects," said the Malawian government manager for the Wide Area Network Patrick Machika who is also the leader of the ICT group.

This year will signal the next phase in social media development in South Africa with more enterprise companies playing in the space as well as the growth in open source development of enterprise 2.0 platforms in the first quarter of 2008. A look at 2007's biggest trends reveals the key areas of development going forward into the New Year. Teenagers are not the only generation bent on enjoying the online media space, and what new technologies have to offer South Africa. Many companies are starting to join the numerous networks that have been promulgating the Internet in a quest to keep up with the growing demands of an informed public.

I am writing this message in a desperate cry... a cry for the people who I love, who are me. Many of yours might live a comfortable life in peace in which you don't have to worry about your future, let alone the future of your family. You have a safe roof above your head and you like all your neighbors. Or maybe not all, but no one ever told you and you never felt the need to kill your neighbor.

Unfortunately this is not the case for many people living in Kenya... all longing for a good future, a future in which their children could grow up, a future in which the world is one... a future in which all could sleep at night, without having to worry about their children...

This is the moment I would like to ask you to act… to leave alone your daily problems, to start thinking... this is the moment we can tell our children, that we have said, enough is enough...we love the world, we live here, and we love the people of Kenya... please act!!!! Please help us... please don't let another Rwanda happen!

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Nigerian political activist Kayode Ogundamisi finally makes it to the blogging world in his blog Kenerry Bird! In this post Kayode is critical of religion as it is played out in Nigeria, particularly the “partnership between Pastors, Imams and other religious leaders with the corrupt people in government.” To get an understanding of the relationship between religion, the religious in Nigeria and corruption he points out some interesting facts:
“We do have the highest growth in Christianity and Islam in the world nonetheless remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
It is high time we start probing the finances of those who hide under the banner of religion to steal and deceive the people.........
A Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Joseph Itegbe, was on Tuesday arraigned at Tapa Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing N5.7 million tithe belonging to the church.”

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African Gadget a blog about local alternative technology solutions has launched a new site and a new online project called “Grassroots Reporting”. The idea is to recruit volunteer contributors from across the continent to report on local technologies. Anyone interested should please leave a comment on the blog with your email address (which will not be published). In this way the blog will be able to spread the word about the huge range of local technologies and innovations being developed and used by Africans for Africans.
“One of the big goals here is to create a service that doesn’t just publish interesting stories about African micro-entrepreneurs, though we do plan on continuing that, but to also explore ways that we can be a conduit back to those very same people. This redesign already has our future plans for dealing with entrepreneurs built into it. Part of that is the future phases of the AfriGadget store, but we’re also looking at ways to partner with others and encourage direct investment into worthy entrepreneurs businesses.”

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Sociolingo reports on a project from North Western University in the US which is publishing ancient African maps online. The maps date from the 16th to the 20th century. An excellent project.

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Concoction complains about the lack of news on Africa from all sections of the US mainstream media. 45,000 people die each month in the DRC but this is not reported instead one death of a Hollywood start is at the center of the evening news.
“You read about 45,000 people dying each month in DRC online while the death of some young actor found dead in his NY apartment dominates the evening news on major news channels - even BBC world had to say something about it. Although I liked Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and it's sad he died so young..., still I can't help wondering when 45,000 people dying each month would get the same attention?”

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From Kenya,Thinkers Room asks a series of questions and posts a list of ”shattered myths” about Kenya. Here are some snippets.
Questions:
Where is the President? Mr Kibaki cannot have it both ways. If he insists he is the duly elected president then it is incumbent upon him to act accordingly. He must not only do something, he must be seen to be doing something................. Where is the Church? I’m not impressed at all by any of the churches in Kenya. The Catholic Church, The Anglican Church, the Islamic community and the Independent churches have been very lethargic indeed.
Shattered Myths:
Kenya is an oasis of peace. Is it now?........... Kenya believes in the right of law. The ODM refuses to challenge the elections in court. While I understand their reluctance,”

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Also from Kenya,You Missed This believes the Annan talks are “doomed to fail” due to pettiness on both sides and the fact Annan and his team really do not have any powers to influence the present stalemate.
“Even before the nominated teams begin negotiations, signs are already emerging that the Annan led mediation talks are doomed to fail. Yesterday, the talks were nearly sabotaged by Office of the President protocol officers who were insisting that Kibaki sits alone on the ‘high table’ because he is the ‘supreme presidential authority’. The ODM and Mr. Annan on the other hand, would hear none of it and in the end, Raila and Kibaki occupied the same ‘high table’ flanking Annan on both sides as equals. This was after Annan and the Speaker of the National Assembly as the convener of the meeting over-ruled the OP protocol officials. Such pettiness, emanating from the PNU side, clearly shows that they are treating their political adversaries as junior partners.”

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Grandiose Parlor reports that $10 billion has been spent on Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure between 1997 and 2007. Despite this, the majority of citizens still do not have a regular electricity supply. An excellent example of corruption and mismanagement!

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Kameelah Writes comments cynically on the Obama fever presently sweeping across America.
“As my little imagination works, Obama will continue to pander to everybody and their mama until he becomes president. At night he sneaks to chat with his daughters about the end of the Gaza Blockade . Shortly after Obama is inaugurated, Obama and I are going to meet on U street in D.C. to jointly craft his inaugural speech. In the speech he will say all the things that he was previously far to smart to publicly assert.”

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Black Looks publishes a video “fire in the delta” together with the response of a group of civil society organisations to the Nigerian government’s postponement (yet again) of the end of gas flaring by the multinational oil companies.
“In 2005, the High Court declared gas flaring illegal yet both the Nigerian government and oil multinationals have ignored the court ruling. Last year the Nigerian government once again promised to stop all gas flaring on the 1st January this year - a promise that goes back nearly 40 years. Companies defying the order were to be shut down. Once again the government has shown complete disregard and insensitivity to the communities in the Niger Delta and given into pressure from Shell, Chevron, Elf etc. The date has now been set for the end of the year but no one really believes that the government will once again bow to the oil multinationals.”

* Sokari Ekine blogs at Black Looks http://www.blacklooks.org and http://www.africanwomenblogs.com

This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from two 2007 reports on the garment industry and AGOA, drawing on the cases of Namibia, Lesotho,and Swaziland.

1.1 Introduction

Sub-Saharan Africa has recently received substantial foreign investment in the garment industry, since the US drew up the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This act is removing barriers to trade between the US and Africa, and has also facilitated the growth in trade in garments from Africa towards the US. Governments in the various countries have put a great deal of effort into attracting the garment industry, and have competed with their neighbouring countries in offering incentives for manufacturing companies to start production - and later on to continue production - in their countries.

Have these efforts been beneficial for the countries in question and who has really gained from these efforts? What have been the consequences of attracting what is known to be an unstable, footloose industry? This report brings together various case studies and analyses, and looks at the consequences of this investment for those that it should ultimately benefit; the population and workers in the garment industry in the various countries in Africa.

This report focuses on Lesotho and Swaziland as two countries that received a share of the foreign investment in the wake of the AGOA, and whose garment industries and exports have grown substantially. ...

6. Critical Issues

So far the AGOA has predominantly benefited the foreign investors that came to Sub- Saharan Africa to profit from the tariff benefits under the trade arrangements, and from the incentives provided by the various governments. In the race to attract this investment, African governments have provided substantial incentives to the industry, ranging from 0% taxes to full rebates on imports to providing factory shells and infrastructure. When they arrived in these countries, the investors identified the AGOA as the main attraction, and the incentives were more the icing on the cake. Nevertheless, for the countries in question these incentives could mean the difference between benefiting from the investments in the garment industry or totally losing out. ...

What becomes clear is that, following the MFA [Multi-Fibre Agreement] phase-out, a substantial number of companies closed down, most without paying benefits to their workers, some leaving large debts unpaid. Nevertheless, a considerable number of companies decided to continue producing, while still trying to squeeze out a bit more from the governments in their host countries. There are several interesting initiatives, notably in Lesotho, that could (potentially) improve the lives and working conditions of the workers in these industries, but a thorough study is needed to make sure that they are not, once again, geared towards benefiting the companies. ...

6.1 What have the countries gained?

The question is whether the AGOA has benefited the economies and the workers, specifically when looking at the benefits of the garment industry. ... Governments, with the support of donors, have put a great deal of effort into attracting investment, foregoing taxes, investing money in factory shells and in highly specific infrastructure, while turning a blind eye to labour abuses. ...

Neither downward pressure on labour rights nor government incentives have prevented companies from leaving the African countries where they temporarily had a presence. This creates ever more desperate attempts by countries to keep the investors, in an industry that has already cost countries too much, by offering better incentives. For instance, a company like Tri-Star was able to use the desperation of a country like Uganda for foreign investment to get the government to provide and invest in buildings and infrastructure, secure loans and credit facilities. The company left the country without repaying any of its debts, leaving behind a destitute workforce that did not even have enough money left to pay the bus fare home. And this happened after the company had already abandoned factories in Tanzania and Kenya, without repaying its debts or paying off its workers.

As is clear from the reports on the different countries, by focussing on the garment industry, countries have not accelerated industrial development in a way that enabled the countries to create new productions systems or develop the innovative capacity to input into new or existing industries.

The mostly Asian companies that have invested in the industry in Swaziland and Lesotho, for example, have invested very little in the local economies or in their own companies. Most of the companies were given factory shells, rebates, tax-free import of machinery, tax holidays, etc., without contributing much themselves. This has made it much easier for companies to start production in a country, sometimes even for a very short time period, and to leave without looking back. ...

6.2 Factory closures

As is clear from the chapters on Lesotho and Swaziland, there are no safety nets to assist workers if their factories close down or they are dismissed. Even if they are given terminal benefits, the amounts are so low that they have spent the payment within a few weeks. Companies are not informing the government nor the workers when they plan to leave the country, nor are there mechanisms in place that could stop companies from leaving. There is not enough effort being made to prevent companies fleeing the country. If they leave, there are no mechanisms in place to make sure that they pay their debts to the workers, to their suppliers, to the national banks, etc.. Governments do not set up funds for companies in which they can put deposits in case they declare bankruptcy or suddenly leave the country. Workers are often left in the cold, without their terminal benefits, sometimes without their wages for the last months and without a social plan to mitigate some of the adverse effects of the sudden unemployment.

The factories use their position to bargain for better investment conditions. For countries desperate for foreign investment and employment, this does not seem like such a bad deal. The costs incurred when companies close are high, however, both economically and socially. If the companies flee the country, they leave behind a shell and infrastructure that was constructed specifically for their needs, and for which the country has incurred high costs.

With factories closing or threatening to close, the workers are put in a complicated position. You have no real bargaining power if you expect your factory to pack up and leave at any time, and the threat of closure can always be used by the management, whether implied or real. In this situation, it is unlikely that workers will negotiate for better wages and improvement of labour conditions. As more and more factories are closing down, the possibility of finding employment elsewhere is also decreasing.

...

6.4 Employment in the garment industry

It is unquestionably the case that the most important sector in terms of employment under the AGOA has been the garment producing sector, due to the labour-intensive nature of garment producing factories and the surge in the industry. A proportion of these jobs in the sector in fact existed before the creation of the AGOA, or were associated with trade with other countries. Malawi, for example, used to export predominantly to South Africa. Since the AGOA came into existence, producers in Malawi have shifted their focus to the United States market, although employment in the sector has remained much the same.

Most of the jobs in this industry are low skilled, with very few people advancing or being trained on the job. Most of the foreign-owned companies fly in their own management, and other top and middle management are recruited in China and India, for example.

Drawn by trade agreements and other incentive programmes to countries desperate for foreign investment and jobs, investors, including Asian investors, have been able to circumvent local labour laws, as well as internationally agreed labour standards laid down in ILO conventions. In Swaziland, for example, violations documented at Asian-owned factories in the last 6 years include forced overtime, verbal abuse, sexual intimidation, unhealthy and unsafe conditions, unreasonable production targets, and anti-union repression. In 2001, when asked about their influence, the Department of Labour in Swaziland admitted that in an attempt to keep investors happy it did not pursue labour law violations to its fullest ability. They say they "can't push investors too hard," but instead are "very gentle and persuasive". Another example is the sacking of the 'AGOA girls' by the President of Uganda because the workers were "not disciplined" when they protested against bad labour conditions. While investors can see profitable returns on their investments, one wonders if workers and their communities really benefit when wages and conditions are substandard and tax abatements and subsidized infrastructure mean that little money goes back into the community. The argument that workers would otherwise have no jobs or no income should not be an argument to sustain exploitation that has consequences for generations because workers cannot even send their children to school.

* AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at [email][email protected]

Much has been speculated about the causes of the ongoing civil violence in Kenya. With the perspective of more than two decades of experience in community work, my own view is that the root problems are not tribalism, and not even politics (which has only been an inciting spark), but rather, a long history of trenchant poverty and the once-simmering, now boiling desperation of a generation of Kenyan youths who have been denied basic life opportunities. The primary perpetrators of the ongoing violence and unrest are ambitious young men, aged 15 to 35, with nowhere to go thanks to a soaring unemployment rate. Their anger has seethed at the surface for a long time. The post-election fracas has merely provided an opportunity for tensions to explode, and the aggression by youth has been carried out in an effort to gain attention to their "cause," which, truth be told, is a thoroughly just one: economic opportunity, the ability to lead a life of purpose, the ability to provide for one's family.

For this reason, the solution to the crisis lies not in combating tribal enmity or perhaps even in bringing our country's political feuding leaders to a peaceful compromise. Rather, at the local level at least, we believe the solution requires addressing the deep-seated and psychologically debilitating material needs of our young people. This work has taken two main forms.

First, together with local community leaders and nationally-recognized peace activists, Ugunja Community Resource Centre has formed committees in our catchment area to address youths' concerns, to allow for the constructive rather than destructive venting of frustrations, and to discuss ways to move forward and achieve peace and justice. Thus far, these committees have been established in six constituencies: three in Siaya District and three in Kisumu, with a total of 70 committee members. In this work, UCRC adamantly stresses that the key to success is having local leaders serve as committee members, who in turn help to promote the leadership among youths that their community has lacked.

Second, UCRC has begun to directly support youths who lack income-generating opportunities and have, out of desperation, gotten involved in ongoing criminal activities. An association has been formed to provide small capital for small business revitalization. To date, the association has been a success; it meets twice-weekly, and the participants are developing business plans and capital budgets of roughly Ksh 1,000 each (USD 15). This program has already helped to decrease tensions and improve day-to-day security.

The emphatic position of UCRC is that there are no "good guys" and "bad guys" in this situation. The police, for example, have been widely villainized, but we must also show them compassion. The police have been traumatized. They were never prepared for the level of violence and chaos that has taken place. They have been enormously provoked and are totally, totally drained. They've received no time off, little to eat, no time for sleep, and have not seen their families in weeks. UCRC is working with the police in Kisumu to reduce the impulse to shoot civilians. One police officer told me, "Before you came we spent 1000 bullets, now we have not spent one."

There seems to be no end in sight to the appalling violence against women in the Kivu region of eastern DRC. In North Kivu alone, there are 250 cases of rape reported each month and the unofficial figure could be much higher. Every hospital and health centre in both Kivus report cases of sexual violence on a daily basis, and the victims range from six months to 95 years of age. This is sexual violence in its most barbaric form, since rape is invariably accompanied by torture and mutilation leading some activists to describe what is happening to Congolese women as femicide. The trauma of these women is exacerbated by the fact that they are often rejected by their families and that perpetrators seldom brought to justice. All factions involved in the fighting in Kivu are accused of brutality against women though the majority of crimes are attributed to the Interhamwe militia, still active in Congo after fleeing Rwanda when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the country and ended the genocide in 1994.

"Sous les volcans" talks to women of the Kivus, the victims and the activists in an attempt to break the silence about what is happening to women in eastern DRC. A documentary prepared and presented by Michael Gabriel Mudimbi of Contact FM.

Tactical Tech are looking for advocacy organisations to test their new mobile advocacy toolkit which they are producing in conjunction with Fahamu. We would like to narrow this first phase of testing to organisations who were represented at the meeting in Nairobi organised by Fahamu in June 2007.

The toolkit is made up of easily accessible tools and materials explaining mobile technologies. This project is carried out in collaboration with the African Human Rights organisation Fahamu.

This toolkit makes the most of the technologies that are currently available in this space to enable advocates and NGOs use mobile phones to:

* Provide access to information such as recorded voice or audio and news updates
* Increase participatory processes and facilitation through polling, voting, surveying and incident reporting
* Enable citizen journalism and remote publishing by using mobiles to blog or to create podcasts, and to upload photographs.
* Conduct awareness raising and outreach through demographically targeted or time based messaging, alerts, ringtones and games or small scale applications
* Co-ordinate meetings or organise ash mobilisation and calls to action
* Provide services allowing the creation of alert/SOS systems for migrant workers and other communities and of early warning and emergency response systems in general.

Tactical Tech is coordinating with a network of 50 of the worlds leading practitioners working with mobiles and advocacy to create the toolkit. It contains a range of tools, case studies and practical how-to guides as well as a set of references for additional resources and reviews of web-based services.

The organisation testing the toolkit should be looking to implement the use of mobiles in one of their projects so we will require some knowledge of the basics of mobiles and computers in order that the most effective use possible is made of the material.

Tactical Tech are looking for the following outcomes from this testing process;

* Feedback on whether the content is understandable, appropriate and well structured
* Feedback on the tone and presentation of the information; whether the language is understandable
* What is missing from the toolkit
* What isn't needed in the toolkit
* Whether the tools included are functional and appropriate

Feedback on the toolkit should be provided not just by the technologists in an organisation but also by programme staff and board members so that a broad range of opinion is canvassed this is vital to ensure that the material is appropriate for those working at different levels of an organisation be it strategic or technical. We will request that full documentation of the testing process is carried out by the organisations taking part.

This process will help us build the final official version of the toolkit in March 2008 so it can be of benefit to advocacy organisations around the world.

If you are interested in taking part please contact [email][email protected]

The finalists for OneWorld's Person of 2007 award have been announced. Justine Masika Bihamba, Rajendra Pachauri, Betty Makoni, and Vicky Tauli-Corpuz lead the field. Be inspired by their amazing efforts to protect human rights, improve lives, and yes, even save the planet. Vote today!

The Palestine Solidarity Committee is proud to participate in the fourth consecutive International Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), the key event being a public rally with Azmi Bishara on the 3rd of February at the Careers Centre in Soweto. The rally will be broadcast to the other participants of the global Israeli Apartheid Week in the US, Canada, UK, Palestine amongst other countries and will serve as the international launch pad for their respective IAW campaigns.

An organization defending press freedoms in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Union of Professionals of the Press (SNPP), attacked the incarceration of a reporter who has investigated the country's mining industry. Investigative journalist Maurice Kayombo has been behind bars in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January 9 on charges of “blackmail and bringing (the mining) authority into disrepute,” according to Journalists in Danger and the International Federation of Journalists.

Kenyan women have called for an immediate end to inter-ethnic killings, impunity, and gross violations of human rights, especially the increasing cases of sexual crimes and gang rapes. In a communiqué handed over to the mediation team led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, they demand the proclamation of a national disaster as well as the enhancement of security for the civilian population by the State.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, calls for stronger commitment to end female genital mutilation/cutting. We call on governments to protect the rights of women and girls. We call on leaders to take action to end female genital mutilation in line with the United Nations resolution adopted last year. In the resolution, governments reiterated that female genital mutilation violates the rights of women and girls. They said the practice constitutes an irreparable, irreversible abuse.