KABISSA-FAHAMU NEWSLETTER 26 * 5722 SUBSCRIBERS
KABISSA-FAHAMU NEWSLETTER 26 * 5722 SUBSCRIBERS
Speakers from Kenya, South Africa, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana,
Israel, USA along with workshops and forums.
HUSITA6 will highlight a wide range of topics that emphasize the ethical and effective uses of information technology within human services education and practice including innovative applications, software and hardware developments, pilot or research projects, technology and social justice, anti-oppression, and equity issues.
Two books chronicle the history of Congo and Africa, from colonial rule to the present.
Black on black racism and xenophobia in South Africa.
The House of Peoples' Representatives approved a proclamation stating that corruption suspects wouldn't be released on bail.
CAF is a charity with a unique purpose: to do all in its power to ensure that charitable giving to all charities is as robust and effective as it can possibly be.
Looks at the interactions between wild biodiversity and agriculture around the world. It outlines a new solution to the biodiversity extinction crisis based on a new understanding of wildlife biology and ecology, on-the-ground experimentation, and major scientific advances in genetics, remote sensing, and other fields. The recommended approach, called ecoagriculture, seeks to help farmers, most urgently those living in or near biodiversity hotspots, to grow more food while conserving habitats critical to wildlife.
Endless queues at the few Zimbabwean petrol stations with supplies are the most visible signs of an economic crisis that worsens by the day. With no reserves of foreign exchange to buy imports, Zimbabwe has suffered fuel shortages since December 1999. Superficially, this only affects the small minority of people wealthy enough to own a car. Yet the economic slump is so
severe that an entire society is being impoverished.
Residents of the eastern Congolese town of Beni are caught in the crossfire of week-long violent clashes between two competing rebel factions, with many civilians killed and injured, Human Rights Watch said today.
Africa's first major treatment and training centre for HIV/AIDS is scheduled to open in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, early next year, according to a press statement on Monday from the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa.
United Nations INSTRAW-GAINS is pleased to invite you to join its collaborative programme on: Men's roles and responsibilities in ending gender-based violence. This programme has two collaborative activities: An e-mail based VIRTUAL SEMINAR SERIES and a set of WORKING PAPERS.
The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which looks set to reduce the cost of essential AIDS treatment significantly. The Industrial Property Bill will allow the government to import or manufacture cheaper copies of brand-name drugs, including the anti-retrovirals (ARVs) used in the drug cocktail used to fight AIDS, according to campaigners for the affordable availability of drugs.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services yesterday launched this year's National Immunisation Days of June 19 and 20 and July 24 and 25 countrywide, under the theme 'Let's Kick Polio Out Of Namibia'. The project, which is part of the global effort to eradicate polio was initiated in Namibia for the sixth consecutive year.
As policy makers around the world grapple with the economic and political issues raised by climate change, Dr. Robert Watson, the World Bank's Chief Scientist and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), called on the international community to "keep the scientific warnings of the potential effects of climate change uppermost, as we work together to limit the magnitude of climate change in a cost-effective way, and make ourselves less vulnerable to the climatic changes that lie ahead."
The 25th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising will be commemorated in Soweto on Saturday under the theme Non-Racialism: A Youth Vision for the 21st Century.
Angola's long and brutal civil war has robbed millions of children of their youth and their futures. Statistics indicate that long after Angola extricates itself from its internecine conflict, its youth will continue to pay dearly.
A senior Congolese rebel Commander, Col. Gideon Kibonge, has been arrested and is detained in connection with the recent fighting in the northeastern Congolese town of Beni, sources have said. Emmy Allio reports that Kibonge is the defence minister of Jean Pierre Bemba's Congolese Liberation Front (CLF). He is also head of military intelligence in the Congolese Liberation Movement.
Large numbers of Kamajor militiamen have left Guinea's troubled "Parrot's Beak" region and returned to Sierra Leone leaving behind their families, the World Food Programme said in its latest emergency report released on 8 June.
Albert Mukong, the Cameroonian journalist and human rights activist who took his case to the UN Human Rights Committee, has been given $137,000 by the Cameroon Government in compensation for the abuses he suffered at the hands of the authorities.
Giving the back of his hand to the suffering of millions, a key Bush administration official is opposing any extensive use of the life-extending anti-AIDS drugs in Africa, insisting that the health care infrastructure is too primitive and that Africans, in most cases, are incapable of following the regimen.
Last week, Judge Ziyambi did not preside over any election–related cases at the High Court. The Marondera East petition was adjourned until after an inspection of the voters’ roll, beginning on June 13th and expecting to last until the beginning of July. In the meantime, on June 14th, Judge Ziyambi is expected to open the Murewa South case. Due to the death of the Minister of Defense, Moven Mahachi, no verdict can be handed down in the Makoni West poll petition because the respondent would not be able to testify in his own defense.
The Rwandan government has violated the basic rights of tens of thousands of people by forcing them to abandon their homes in rural areas and move to makeshift dwellings in government-designated sites, Human Rights Watch has charged in a report.
The government of Uganda has announced that the closed Rwenzori Mountains National Park bordering the strife ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will reopen on July 2. The opening will pave the way for mountaineers to have access to Africa's third highest peak - the scenic 5,100 meter (16,575 foot) Mt. Margherita.
At SAfAIDS monthly discussion forum (May, 2001), Dr Patrick Osewe of USAID presented and discussed the New Start HIV Counselling and Testing Initiative. In 1998, Population Services International, NACP and USAID launched an initiative to provide voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in Zimbabwe. To date, the New Start clinics have provided HIV counselling and testing to 18,973 individuals.
The Organization of Angolan Women - OMA is the women's wing of the Popular Movement of the Liberation Angola (MPLA) and has over one and a half million members now. It represents the determination of the women of Angola. We started the "Pennies for Angola" campaign in response to the intense attacks against the Angolan people in 1999 by UNITA, a rebel organization attacking those (mainly women) who do the planting of food in the rural areas.
Like many advocacy groups, local and national labor organizations are increasingly turning to technology to get their message out more effectively.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will appoint an independent committee today to investigate allegations that Cape Town's mayor, Peter Marais, presided over the forging of signatures, Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel said yesterday.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission said Friday it had arrested three senior managers of one of the country's largest banks, who have allegedly been involved in money laundering, fraud and corruption.
The MDC is contesting the outcome of last June’s parliamentary elections in many constituencies that resulted in the victory of the ZANU (PF) candidate. The MDC has filed 41 cases from constituencies across Zimbabwe. ZANU (PF) is likewise contesting the election result in only one constituency where the MDC won a parliamentary seat. Trials began 12 February 2001.
Human rights abuses have been reported in all cases that have appeared before the High Court.
Equity in health is a shared value across Southern Africa. Weak delivery on this value implies that it needs to be given greater profile as a health priority and more sustainable ways found of delivering on it. Research can play a role both in raising the profile of equity issues and in exploring policy tools and mechanisms for its implementation, particularly if in so doing it builds constituencies that pressure for equity in health.
What if we had a chance to start over, to reorganize our media system? Could we do it? These questions are not now on the agenda in the United States and are unlikely to be any time soon. That's why I was so excited about the possibilities in societies undergoing major transformations and economic restructuring. As the rest of society is reorganized, there is the opening to recreate media, too.
Citizens who want news and the journalists who construct news are increasingly turning to the Net as their prime resource. But what kind of medium is the Internet as a place to keep in touch with a changing world?
Amnesty International welcomed the judgment late last night of the Brussels Court of Assizes which convicted four Rwandese nationals of war crimes committed in Rwanda in 1994.
A local council in Hartbeespoort which is trying to maintain apartheid got a favorable court ruling. The South African Mine Workers Union is protesting this ruling.
The Credit Suisse Group - the fourth-largest financial institution in the world - has announced a $1 million contribution through its Winterthur insurance subsidiary to the United Nations Global Aids Fund, making it the first corporation to contribute money to the international fund.
Galillee College is offering tuition scholarships for a three week training program: "Urban Economic Development", October 17 - November 5, 2001. These scholarships are available for citizens of African countries possessing the minimum of a BA and fluency in English.
The European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 established the most effective international system of human rights protection which has yet been invented. This is the first book that gives a comprehensive account of how it came into existence, of the part played in its genesis by the British government.
This book examines the role of UNHCR in world politics since its founding 50 years ago, its relevance towards reaching solutions to global refugee problems, and its effectiveness as the international community's principal protection mechanism for persecuted populations who have been forced into exile.
Slow start for online giving leads to new Internet approaches
Depuis 1996, les associations Ymako Téatri, Toucouleurs et Quartier France, organisent le Festival des Arts de la Rue de Grand Bassam, afin de remettre les arts dans leur espace original: la rue, où ils sont accessibles à tous.
Lettre d'information d'Africultures
A bull called Mwalimu helped save the lives of hundreds of cattle in Kenya's Baringo District during a recent drought. Mwalimu means "teacher" in Swahili and this bull taught other cattle to do something that does not come naturally to them - eat cactus.
Every year, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction - Africa Regional Office offers training courses that focus on field experiences and participatory approaches. These courses are designed for managers and leaders of development organisations. Participants have been drawn mainly from development organisations such as indigenous and international NGOs, community-based organisations and government agencies.
SUMMARY executions are being carried out daily in the Central African Republic following a failed coup bid, sowing terror among members of the Yakoma ethnic group who are being targeted, witnesses claimed.
No place is ever perfect but Morocco offers an interesting model for how the internet and telecoms can be developed if a strategic plan is in place. It is seeking to use the internet to compete more effectively in the global economy, grow employment opportunities and to slow down the drain of skilled workers to Europe. Najat Rochdi describes how the country has approached the task.
The debt burden is the biggest single barrier to development in the Third World, the most powerful tool that western nations use to keep whole countries in bondage. In order to understand the debt crisis and the struggle to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, we must understand how it all started.
Eight KwaZulu-Natal school children have managed to get into the history books by co-authoring a book that is currently being distributed for use by children in the province. The authors, who mainly come from disadvantaged backgrounds, wrote about their experiences when they were still in junior primary school. They believe education is the key to success and a weapon in the socio-economic development of any winning nation.
Published since January 2001, this free online monthly magazine covers a wide range of scientific issues concerning Africa. Each issue features a number of short pieces written by scientists with a general audience in mind. Science in Africa additionally includes information on upcoming science events, jobs, funding opportunities, and science education activities and opportunities. A free email newsletter is also available.
The aim of this portal is to bring together all African conservation groups and NGOs in one place on the internet, to exchange information and ideas; to provide aid and assistance to all the smaller African conservation groups - publicity, wider recognition, free websites (and website hosting) where necessary, and eventually financial aid - some of whom don't even have electricity, let alone internet access; to build up a Research resource on the internet.
Radio, the most widely used medium in Africa, can only flourish on democratic soil, which helps to explain why private stations are thriving in the west and not in the centre of the continent.
More than 100 countries in all climatic regions on all continents are seriously affected by desertification, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a statement marking the UN's World Day to Combat Desertification on Sunday.
Is it really a lack of the right technology that is keeping solar power off the mass market? Or is the light from our nearest star, the Sun, being held hostage by an economy that is devoted to using up the Earth's last drops of fossil fuel at all cost?
A new senior-level post has been created by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, directing their work on ICTs and development. The applicant must be a Commonwealth citizen; the post is London-based. Initial three-year contract with a competitive salary; Closing date for applications: 7 July 2001; To apply, please send cover letter, detailed CV, examples of previous work and the names of three referees to the Executive Director, CTO, Clareville House, 26/27 Oxendon St, London SW1Y 4EL, UK by 7 July 2001.
In his keynote address, Mr. Abid Hussain, the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, congratulated UNESCO and MISA for organizing the Windhoek conference “Ten Years On: Assessment, Challenges and Prospects”. He emphasized the need for Africa to reinforce freedom of speech and freedom of the media, without which, no real development progress could be made.
Getting justice for the worst war crimes may be impossible. But two United Nations courts are trying, and a court in Belgium has just joined in.
International Family Planning Perspectives on CD-ROM provides easy access to 10 years of peer-reviewed research on sexual and reproductive health from your computer desktop. The CD-ROM holds an archive of articles, digests and updates published in International Family Planning Perspectives between 1990 and 1999--more than 700 searchable files.
Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an internationally renowned sociologist and advocate of democracy and human rights, was sentenced in Egypt to seven years in prison on May 21, 2001. This trial, held in a court that falls far short of international legal standards, was clearly politically motivated - intended to muzzle civil society in Egypt. His 27 co-defendants, colleagues from the Ibn Khaldun Center for Developmental Studies and the League of Egyptian Women Voters (HODA), were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1-5 years (some suspended). Eight defendants, including Nadia 'Abd al-Nur, Magda Al Bey, Mohammed Hassanein, Khaled al-Fayad, and Ussama Hisham Ali, remain in prison at this time.
Duration: Two years (Renewable) Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya; Closing Date for Applications: 30 June 2001; Contact Details: Executive Director African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) P.O. Box 45917, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel. (+254-2) 527 400/07/09 E-mailed applications are encouraged.
International Finance Corporation, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank, has postponed a decision on funding oil services companies in the Niger Delta following protests from environmental campaigners.
Public outrage over the exorbitant prices of HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa is focussing public attention on the harmful role of global patent rules in blocking poor people's access to vital medicines. In response to mounting public pressure, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members have taken an unprecedented step in agreeing to hold a special meeting to discuss the impact of global patent rules on access to medicines. They will meet on 20 June at the WTO in Geneva.
Tony Blair and Thabo Mbeki are right to describe the fight against poverty in Africa as the most pressing moral challenge of our time. They are also right to say progress depends on leadership from African governments, but that rich countries can and should do more to help. The coming months offer several opportunities for Tony Blair to take specific action which would further his commitment to Africa and we urge him to take the following steps.
A highly confidential and extremely sensitive report that could lead to various senior magistrates soon being arrested for fraud and corruption, has been handed to the national director of public prosecutions, Advocate Bulelani Ngcuka.
Africa needs billions of dollars in aid to help a generation of forward-thinking leaders pull their countries from a downward spiral of poverty and disease, the World Bank president said Thursday.
Senior executives of Pfizer, a company producing anti-fungal drugs like Diflucan, today announced the opening of a large-scale HIV/Aids clinic in Africa later this year or early 2002, in Uganda.
The European Commission is holding out a carrot to entice developing countries into making environmental sustainability a pillar of their international trade programs. The Commission has proposed that developing countries meeting certain environmental standards be eligible for tariff concessions on their exports to the European Union.
The death of another ruling party stalwart, war veterans’ leader, Chenjerai Hunzvi, dominated the news in all the media. But it wasn’t just his death that attracted attention; controversies emerged over the cause of his death and the decision to declare him a national hero.
According to information received by OMCT, an assembly of approximately 100 women met peacefully in front of the French embassy, in the early morning of June 11th 2001, with the intention to hand over a letter of protest regarding the “complicity of France in the electoral hold-up of May 20th 2001” to the French
Ambassador. It is reported that the police forces brutally put a halt to the assembly by throwing grenades at the women. Among the 14 injured, 4 are allegedly seriously hurt.
Judge Willem Heath, the former corruption buster who last month was denied a discharge from the bench by President Thabo Mbeki, has resigned to work in the private sector.
The 13 June 2001 resolution of the United States House of Representatives to provide Sudanese rebels with ten million dollars worth of assistance has confirmed the concerns of much of the international community at the negative influence American government policy continues to exercise on the long-running Sudanese conflict.
DJIBOUTI-VILLE, Djibouti, June 13, 2001 - Traders in the city center marketplace openly selling wildlife products restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were raided Friday by government authorities on a mission. With the assistance of 25 police, officials inspected over 40 stalls at the Rue de Brazaville and seized 16 ivory pieces, 11 sea turtle shells, including three hawksbill turtle shells, nine leopard skins, two cheetah skins, the hide from a spotted hyena and nearly 250 ostrich eggs.
Substantial global consensus already exists that crimes against humanity and war crimes can no longer be swept under the rug. There is also broad recognition of a role for international courts, like the current tribunals examining crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as well as for national courts.
UN humanitarian agencies are mobilising to help tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence of the failed 28 May coup attempt against President Ange-Felix Patasse in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital Bangui, a UN spokesman said.
Ishmael Beah, a 19-year-old veteran of Sierra Leone's battlefields, pleaded with world leaders Tuesday to help the hundreds of thousands of children pressed into armed service in war zones around the world. "Conferences are great. UN reports are great. But we need to go out and rescue those children," Beah said at the release of a report condemning the use of child soldiers.
A decision by UK drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline to cut the cost of medicines in the developing world has been welcomed by campaigners now calling on the company to take a lead in pushing for a change to global patent rules.
As the country-wide strike by civil servants entered its second week, Civil Servants Union of Zambia (CSUZ) president Leonard Hikaumba has vowed that his union will disrupt the summit meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Lusaka next month.
It is common practice in parts of Africa for children to be cared for by wealthier members of their extended families. In return the children undertake household and other chores. What is commonly known but not publicly acknowledged is that some children end up in conditions akin to slavery, writes Cameron Duodu.
The Institute of Environmental Studies (IES) at the University of Zimbabwe announces its website. You will also be able to access the website with information on the activities of the Southern African Network for Training and Research on the Environment
The Government of Zimbabwe-UNICEF Country Programme is just over a year and a half into its 2000 to 2004 implementation. It aims at placing children first in the national planning and development process, increasing their participation in development and contributing towards building the capacity of firstline duty-bearers (households and communities) in fulfilling the rights of children.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, where hundreds of millions of people live in poverty, the media can help development - if they form partnerships to make it possible, urges Gambian journalist Modou Thomas.
Transnet and South African Airways have been accused of knowingly paying R26 million in bribes to employees of Cameroon Airlines and that country's government officials.