"Somebody has locked themselves in the toilet. The upstairs bathroom is locked and Frank has disappeared with the keys. There is a small riot at the door, as drunk women with smudged lipstick and crooked wigs bang on the door." This is an extract from Discovering Home by Binyavanga Wainaina. You can read the full piece by visiting the website provided.

Radio and television leaders from five continents will meet in Geneva, December 9-11, 2003. Their goal is to highlight the essential role of media in building tomorrow’s world. Public and private broadcasters are joining forces to find the best way to meet the challenge of the Information Society.

The current controversies in South African journalism call for robust debate among practitioners and the public. The issues – particularly in relation to journalistic ethics, and the role of journalists in society – are relevant not only to South Africa but to the whole Southern African region. It's critical that the issues are discussed at all levels of society, including practitioners and state and civic structures, to interrogate to what extent current practices pose a threat to the media in the region. The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, with support from OSISA, is holding an important “Open House” to address these issues in the regional context.

South Africa believes it has notched up yet another Africa conflict resolution success with the signing in Pretoria on Sunday of the final details of a power-sharing agreement between Burundi's transitional government led by President Domitien Ndayizeye and rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza. But the smaller and increasingly active National Liberation Front (FNL) of Agaton Rwasa has rejected the peace process.

Cameroon's prime minister has called on citizens to help President Paul Biya fight corruption by denouncing offenders in a nation rated as one of the world's most corrupt countries.

The T-shirt, the poster, the billboard. Traditionally the weapons of protest and of solidarity are remarkable for their ability to cross oceans with similar messages, as displayed in an exhibition at the Johannesburg Art gallery in South Africa. Sponsored by the British Council, the “Upfront and personal - three decades of political graphics” exhibition comes on the back of an upsurge in the anti-war movement across the globe and was spurred on by the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Under the overall authority of the Director-General and his Assistant Directors-General, and under the supervision of the Director, Bureau for Field Coordination, the Director of the UNESCO Office in Dakar will be responsible for the two dimensions of the Office, namely, as the Regional Bureau for Education in Africa, and as the Cluster Office serving Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone in all the fields of competence of the Organisation.

The Limpopo Department of Education and the Flemish Government are inviting tenders for the implementation of a project focusing on developing the capacity of Sekhukhune District structures to provide curriculum and management support to schools in their district.

The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) is the first Africa-wide fundraising and grant-making fund that aims to support the work of organisations working to promote women's rights in Africa. The AWDF funds local, national, sub-regional and regional organisations in Africa working towards women's empowerment.

Life without discrimination may be a reality for many Western women but in Ethiopia, the road to equality remains a daily struggle. Ethiopian women are still subjected to genital mutilation and arranged marriages, and suffer a lack of access to education - infringements of women's basic human rights which are denying them the opportunity to improve their lives in one of the world's poorest countries.

Symplice Kalunga wa Kalunga, a journalist and host of the political affairs programme "Nouvelle donne", which airs on the private television network Channel Media Broadcasting (CMB), was arrested at the network's headquarters on October 29. He was taken in for questioning by police detectives possessing a summons, who were accompanied by armed members of the national police. The journalist was assaulted at the time of arrest, forced into a vehicle and handcuffed while being taken to the Kinshasa/Gombe Public Prosecutor's Office.

CrisisWatch is a 12-page monthly bulletin from the International Crisis Group designed to provide busy readers in the policy community, media, business and interested general public with a succinct regular update on the state of play in all the most significant situations of conflict or potential conflict around the world. Each month, CrisisWatch briefly summarises developments during the previous month in some 70 situations of current or potential conflict.

At a landmark solidarity meeting in Harare on 30-31 October, Zimbabwean, African and international human rights organisations pledged to alert Africa and the SADC region to the full extent of the Zimbabwe Government’s continued gross human rights abuses and its relentless persecution of the media.

Whether Liberia takes advantage of its best chance for peace in years and West Africa regains stability depends on bold action by the UN, which needs to shape a comprehensive regional security strategy while rapidly building its peacekeeping force up to strength, says a new report from the International Crisis Group. The report analyses the immediate security threats the UN mission (UNMIL) faces and recommends steps that should be taken by various parties.

Mbulawa Shiri grimaced on the 30th October 2003 as he lay on a hospital bed at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Zimbabwe's largest referral health facility. Zimbabwe's doctors had gone on strike, demanding higher salaries. The doctors argued that such a hike was needed to keep pace with inflation in a country where the black market sets the real cost of living.

The South African NGO Coalition Biannual NGO Week, held from 27- 29th October 2003, has successfully concluded its deliberations, according to Sangoco. Read more by clicking on the URL provided.

The repatriation of 350 refugees from the Central African Republic to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been delayed further pending the holding of more meetings to discuss details for the operation. "There are pre-conditions to be met before the repatriation begins," Jean Kitambala, the director for civil protection and refugees at the Congolese Ministry of Interior, told IRIN.

A year after an international advocacy campaign aimed at winning HIV/AIDS treatment for workers of multinational corporations in Africa, AIDS activists contend that Coca-Cola continues to stall rolling out treatment programs with its bottlers in Africa.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said on Monday that it noted the weekend joint rally of its governing partner the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) - and said it would discuss it on a bilateral basis.

The global White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) and Zambia White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood are hosting a workshop focusing on building the skills of the WRA members and National Secretariats.

Organised returns from Zambia to Angola will be suspended next week as the onset of the rainy season renders roads impassable, said the UN refugee agency today. The last return convoy of Angolan refugees in Zambia will leave on November 11 for Cazombo in Angola's western province of Moxico, the main destination of Angolan refugees in Zambia. UNHCR will resume repatriation at the end of the rainy season in May next year.

The Health Manager (HM) is responsible for overseeing all IRC health interventions in Nundu Health Zone. The Health Manger is responsible for planning, developing and implementing emergency health interventions (in collaboration with the Health Coordinator) as needed, while planning longer-term public health programs.

Preferably with a background in journalism, media studies or social marketing, CIVICUS requires a communications associate that will work as part of a team with the Communications Team, under the direct supervision of the Media and Publications Manager. The Communications Associate should be highly proficient in English, a team-player, familiar with MS Office applications and desktop publishing software, computer-assisted research and reporting skills, able to work in a multi-cultural environment, and will assist in producing regular CIVICUS information materials such as newsletters, reports, and media releases.

The spectre of famine and reliance on outside help could soon threaten large parts of Africa, scientists believe. They think increasing water scarcity may leave much of the continent not only thirsty, but without enough water to grow sufficient food for its needs. On present trends, they expect one in three of the world's people will be affected by water shortages in 2025. The annual crop loss across Africa could be as much as the entire grain harvest produced by the US and India.

The government of Guinea violated the United Nations arms embargo on Liberia and supplied weapons that Liberian rebels used to commit atrocities, Human Rights Watch charged in a briefing paper released this week. On Thursday the U.N. Security Council, of which Guinea is an elected member, is due to review the sanctions regime on Liberia, which is in force until May.

As the U.S. Congress approves $87 billion for the U.S. occupation of Iraq, long-standing promises by rich creditors to provide debt "relief" of some $49 billion for 42 countries remain unfulfilled, and largely off the radar screen for policymakers. Yet debt remains a crippling burden not only for the 34 African countries that qualify as Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), but also for major African powers such as Nigeria and South Africa. A new issue of the AfricaFocus Bulletin contains the summary of a new report on Debt and Destruction in Senegal by Dembe Moussa Dembele, director of the Forum for African Alternatives.

Trials of an experimental HIV vaccine will begin on 24 human volunteers in South Africa, where 4.7 million people, or 11 percent of the population, are HIV-positive, Associated Press reported this week. The treatment, which is also being tested in the United States, is one of about two dozen potential vaccines being tested on about 12,000 human volunteers worldwide.

On 1 November 2003, a team of two plainclothes and two armed and uniformed police officers raided the privately-owned Omega TV station, based in Lusaka, and ordered staff to immediately cease test broadcasts. The officers referred to "orders from above" as the reason for their actions. The station closed until 3 November, when the order was reversed by Lusaka Province Police Commanding Officer Chendela Musonda.

Cabinet Minister Najib Balala says he will oppose the Terrorism Bill because "it intends to oppress Muslims". The minister said the Terrorism Suppression Bill, which is expected to be debated in Parliament this week, proposed draconian laws that "are inhuman and against logical thinking".

In many developing countries, stigma and discrimination together pose one of the most significant challenges to stemming the spread of HIV and Aids. People known to have HIV often are isolated and the targets of gossip and name-calling. They can lose status and decision-making power in the household and community, family and friends shun many, and they frequently lose their jobs and sometimes their housing. As a result, it is not surprising that people often go to great lengths to hide their HIV status or deny that they might have it - fuelling the spread of the epidemic.

Zimbabwe's chronic fuel shortages and a lack of spare parts for mechanised farming implements threatens the prospects for agricultural revival in the new planting season, analysts warn.

In less than two weeks there have been three major incidents of police brutality. Write to the police and government departments reminding them that the police are meant to protect the public, not brutalise them on behalf of the government in power.

The ‘Control Arms’ campaign aims to reduce arms proliferation and misuse and to convince governments to introduce a binding arms trade treaty. Arms proliferation and abuse have reached a critical point, fuelling human rights violations, poverty, and conflict.

The Bulletin will feature material from a range of Africa-focused organisations. It will be limited to an average of 2 to 3 issues a week and offer selected material relevant to promoting international policies that advance economic, political, and social justice and human rights in Africa. Contact [email protected] to subscribe or unsubscribe.

The sharp reduction in the costs of scholarly communication brought about by the Internet has provoked a fierce debate on the costs of access to scientific information. Developing-country scientists are benefiting from the competition this has generated.

The situation of Zimbabwe's women farm workers, always one of the most exploited sectors of the workforce, has been worsened by the current land reform programme, said a study prepared by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition.

Graca Machel has called for the amendment of the Parliamentary Protocol of the African Union to ensure at least two members from each country are women. "This is the only way that the change from the OAU (former Organisation of African Unity) to the AU can give a real chance to women to take their rightful place in the continent's decision-making," she told journalists on arrival in Nairobi on Tuesday.

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China propelled international concern and action on the role of media in perpetuating women's subordination. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) gave an overview of problems and issues surrounding women and the media and spelled out specific strategies for governments, media organisations, non-government organisations and other civil society actors. More than four years later, WomenWatch, an initiative of the United Nations to assess progress and obstacles on BPFA held an online-discussion. The discussion concluded that there have been few improvements in media portrayal of women both in advertising and news coverage.

Leaders of the Anglican Church in Africa have condemned the appointment of the first openly gay Anglican bishop. Archbishop Peter Akinola, leader of the Nigerian Church, said the consecration of Gene Robinson meant a "state of impaired communion" now divided the Church worldwide.

Corruption - the misuse of public power for private benefit - is difficult to measure because officials who take bribes try to hide such activity. Corruption skews public spending toward the sectors where bribing is easier, shifting it away from education, health, and maintenance of existing infrastructure and toward large public works construction and the buildup of military. The environment also suffers. Deforestation is often spurred by corruption, and public officials have used concessions for mining and fuel extraction to liquidate a nation's resources without passing the revenue on to citizens, according to information from the Worldwatch Institute.

The least developed countries (LDCs) may be contributing the least to emission of greenhouse gases but they are the most vulnerable to climate change. Can national development policies include adaptation to the anticipated unfavourable impacts of climate change? What lessons can be learnt from LDCs that have begun planning their long-term adaptive capacity?

Every day many tens of millions of people throughout the world face the very real threat of eviction and the permanent loss of their homes. Numerous human rights standards equate forced evictions with the violation of housing rights. Nevertheless, too many governments continue to view eviction as an acceptable policy tool during broader efforts of urban beautification, city rejuvenation or economic development. The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) identified more than 6.7 million people worldwide who were forcibly evicted during 2001-2002 and acknowledges that the real number of evictees is far higher. African and Asian governments have carried out the largest proportion of the world’s evictions in recent years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has written to authorities in Mali, saying it is disturbed by the continued imprisonment of three journalists working for privately owned Sido radio station. According to local sources, police in Ségou, a city in southern Mali, arrested program host Chériff Haïdara; radio director Mamoutou Traoré; and reporter and program host Gata Ba on October 20, 24, and 26, respectively.

Police officers in Equatorial Guinea arrested journalist Rodrigo Angue Nguema at his home in the capital, Malabo, on November 3. Angue Nguema works as a correspondent for the wire service Agence France-Presse (AFP), as well as several other foreign news organisations, and is one of the only independent journalists in the country. Angue Nguema is currently being held at the central police station in Malabo.

Uganda’s estimated 100,000 people living with AIDS, who are in urgent need of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) but cannot afford them could soon have access to locally produced ARVs at a cost of less than 50 US cents per day, according to a Ugandan company planning to produce the drugs.

Roger Southall, the executive director of the democracy and governance research programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), says accessing donor funds by various government departments is not always without complications. Southhall was responding to allegations in a report tabled in parliament by the Auditor-General yesterday, that spending agencies were slow in processing requests for money. As a result, huge amounts of donated money went unspent.

The Rwandan and Malawian governments as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed a tripartite agreement on Tuesday to repatriate close to 5,500 refugees who fled the central African nation at the height of the 1994 genocide.

Eastern Africa, which is under the umbrella of the socio-economic and political organisation, the Inter Government Authority on Development (IGAD), has shown some almost miraculous progress in the past year, argues Ferdinand Katendeko in an article for the Peace and Conflict Monitor. The region is composed of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea which have all experienced conflict. With the year 2003 drawing to an end in less than two months there is much to be hopeful about.

Earlier this week, the Clinton Foundation announced the dramatic reduction of AIDS drug prices after its negotiations with several "generic" pharmaceutical manufacturers; the result was a cutting in half of the price of antiretroviral treatment for AIDS patients in several poor countries. While the news was welcome to most persons working on the issue, and while indeed many groups eagerly await specific details that might reveal problems or wonders in this deal, there is an underlying question that will remain unaddressed by technical evaluations of the new drug price reduction: what does it mean when a foundation headed by a person who - years ago - placed trade sanctions on countries attempting to import low-cost medicines now helps to procure such drugs and enters the spotlight of praise in the "AIDS community"? The issue is not merely one of hypocrisy or even of repentant revelation and progressive reform. At issue, more generally, is the question of what the meaning of AIDS has become as it has travelled through so many powerful institutions and been altered by so many professional "institutionalists", and what the implications of this are for those people genuinely concerned about human well-being.