12 September 2011 — Pambazuka News
The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa
Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839
CONTENTS: 1. Announcements, 2. Zimbabwe update, 3. Women & gender, 4. Human rights, 5. Refugees & forced migration, 6. Social movements, 7. Emerging powers news, 8. Africom Watch, 9. Elections & governance, 10. Corruption, 11. Development, 12. Health & HIV/AIDS, 13. Education, 14. LGBTI, 15. Environment, 16. Land & land rights, 17. Food Justice, 18. Media & freedom of expression, 19. Social welfare, 20. Conflict & emergencies, 21. Internet & technology, 22. Fundraising & useful resources, 23. Courses, seminars, & workshops, 24. Publications, 25. Jobs
1 Announcements
FAHAMU REFUGEE LEGAL AID NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER ISSUE
The new Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter is now available (
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/546/FRLANSept2011.pdf ) .
This issue includes breaking news about Australia’s plan to ‘swap’
asylum seekers with Malaysia; an in-depth article on the issue by Dr
Savitri Taylor; a trio of pieces about the situation faced by Rwandan
refugees, including an important statement, which you can sign on to,
against the planned invocation of the Cessation Clause; a review of
issues faced by LGBTI people in Sudan, a little-known topic; case
notes on rulings about Dadaab camp and UK-Cyprus return; discussion of
a recent review of asylum in Poland; and a report from visits to
Syrian refugees in camps in southern Turkey ? as well as our usual
announcements of opportunities, requests and relevant new resources.
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REQUEST FOR FRENCH?ENGLISH ARTICLE TRANSLATION
Do you have experience translating articles in French into English?
Would you be able to volunteer to translate an article for us? Please
drop us a line at editor@pambazuka.org if so.
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2 Zimbabwe update
ZIMBABWE: LIBYA CONFLICT: ZIMBABWE EXPELS ENVOY TAHER ELMAGRAHI
Zimbabwe has expelled Libya’s ambassador who abandoned Col Muammar
Gaddafi and backed the rebels. Taher Elmagrahi joined protesters who
stormed the embassy and raised the pre-Gaddafi flag. Zimbabwe’s
foreign minister said it did not recognise the rebel National
Transitional Council.
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ZIMBABWE: SADC DRAGS FEET ON APPOINTING REPS TO ASSIST JOMIC
Members of a regionally appointed team that is meant to assist
Zimbabwe?s unity government with implementation of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) have still not been selected, months after
SADC leaders resolved that the political parties needed help.
Additionally, no timelines for the process have been set.
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3 Women & gender
AFRICA: FEMALE AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
An Afrographique infographic depicting the percentage share of formal
firms that are owned by women in Africa.
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AFRICA: THE 50 WOMEN SHAPING AFRICA
Women are our best hope for the continent, says Zimbabwean writer
Petina Gappah in her introduction to The Africa Report’s list of the
50 women shaping Africa. Porgress has been slow, but many women are
showing the art of the possible, inspiring a new generation to take
control of their destiny.
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SOUTH AFRICA: 19 DAYS OF ACTIVISM FOR PREVENTION: 1-19 NOVEMBER
By focusing during 19 days on the prevention of diverse types of abuse
and violence against children and youth, the 19 Days of Activism for
Prevention campaign aims to continue to bring to light the alarming
problem, its multifaceted aspects, and the need to generate sufficient
grass-roots interest and government and public support for better
prevention measures.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES ON THE CARDS FOR WOMEN
A number of jobs and business opportunities will arise as the South
African government continues to design implementation programmes that
favour renewable energy and energy efficiency. This information was
made available at a workshop for women organised by the national
Department of Energy. The aim of the day-long meeting was to help
women understand this sector and the potential it holds for them in
terms of job creation and business ventures.
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SOUTH AFRICA: HEALTH SECTOR TO STAND AGAINST RAPE
The rape of girls and women remains a major concern in South Africa,
and the health care sector needs to be better equipped to collect
evidence to prove sexual violation to help secure the conviction of
perpetrators by the courts. The Foundation for Professional
Development, a project of the South African Medical Association, is
trying to improve how rape survivors are treated. It?s currently
training health care workers to counsel victims of rape and to collect
forensic evidence to help survivors build strong legal cases should
they want the justice system involved.
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ZAMBIA: THE PERILS OF BEING A WIDOW
Brian Moonga reports for Radio Netherlands Worldwide that widows in
Zambia are increasingly experiencing theft, alienation and sexual
exploitation. According to Ruth Mwewa, president of Zambia Widows
Association, the privatisation of numerous industries over the past
two decades, which resulted in the liquidation of over 2,000
companies, saw many families become destitute and desperate.
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4 Human rights
ANGOLAN: GROUPS DEMAND RELEASE OF ANGOLAN PROTESTORS
A number of human rights organisations have condemned the arbitrary
use of agression towards and detention of, youths who were involved in
the demonstrations at Independence Square in Luanda on September 3 ?
as well journalists who were covering the event.
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ETHIOPIA: ETHIOPIA EXPELS AMNESTY GROUP, JAILS OPPOSITION PARTY LEADERS
Ethiopia has expelled a delegation of international rights group, the
Amnesty International, and detained two opposition party leaders.
Amnesty said its delegation was on an official visit to the Horn of
Africa country. The opposition leaders were arrested on the back of
individual meeting with the expelled delegation, a statement issued by
Amnesty said. ‘We are extremely concerned that the arrests of the two
men occurred within days of talking with our delegates. Although the
government denies it, we are worried that their arrests are not a
coincidence,’ said Michelle Kagari, deputy programmes director for
Africa.
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ETHIOPIA: USING AID AS A WEAPON OF OPPRESSION
Containing video documentation, this report reveals that a joint
undercover investigation by BBC Newsnight and the Bureau of
Investigative Journalism has uncovered evidence that the Ethiopian
government is using development aid as a tool for political
oppression. Posing as tourists, the team of journalists travelled to
the southern region of Ethiopia.
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GLOBAL: ATTICA IS ALL OF US
September 9-13 mark the 40th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion. This
massive prison takeover by hundreds of inmates and the callous
repression and murders by the state of New York are part of a unique
moment in US history. The legacy of Attica and the fight for human
rights is carried on in the prisons of Georgia, Ohio, California and
wherever people are caged for years on end.
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GLOBAL: NEWS ABOUT THE GUANT?NAMO PUBLIC MEMORY PROJECT
As of September 1, the Guant?namo Public Memory Project will be
coordinated from the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at
Columbia University, steered by a leadership committee of partners
including the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.
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MALAWI: GROUP SEEKS ACCESS TO INFORMATION TO MONITOR MINING ACTIVITIES
The Karonga Natural Resources Justice Committee (KANRJC) has
petitioned the government of Malawi for access to information that
would allow them to monitor effectively mining activities to ensure
compliance of labour standards and respect of people’s rights.
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SOUTH AFRICA: HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA?S FRUIT AND WINE
INDUSTRIES
A Human Rights Watch report documents conditions in South Africa?s
fruit and wine industries that include on-site housing that is unfit
for living, exposure to pesticides without proper safety equipment,
lack of access to toilets or drinking water while working, and efforts
to block workers from forming unions. While the Western Cape?s fruit
and wine industries contribute billions of rand to the country?s
economy, support tourism, and are enjoyed by consumers around the
world, their farmworkers earn among the lowest wages in South Africa.
The report also describes insecure tenure rights and threats of
eviction for longtime residents on farms.
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5 Refugees & forced migration
AFRICA: STUDY FINDS TEACHERS FACE BARRIERS IN REFUGEE COMMUNITIES
The Commonwealth Secretariat will present a paper on the role and
status of forced migrant teachers in emergencies at the UK Forum for
International Education and Training International Conference on
Education and Development at Oxford University on 13 September 2011.
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COTE D’IVOIRE: SHORING UP BORDER SECURITY
With fear still rife among the Ivoirian refugees remaining in eastern
Liberia, NGO the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is managing
refugee camps in Grand Gedeh County, is working to ensure refugee
camps are apolitical and weapon-free.
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LIBYA: ONGOING AND RENEWED CONCERNS FOR DETAINED MIGRANTS
Human Rights Watch reports that black Libyans and African migrants are
being held on suspicion of having fought as mercenaries for Gaddafi,
by the de facto authorities, the National Transitional Council (NTC),
solely on account of their skin colour. The migrants are being held in
ad hoc places of detention across Tripoli, and it remains unclear how
or if the NTC plans to review each case to determine whether there is
evidence of criminal activity or not.
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SOMALILAND: GOVERNMENT TO EXPEL ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
The Government of Somaliland announced that it will expel about
100,000 illegal immigrants from the country. The government set one
month for illegal immigrants to leave Somaliland, or face punishment,
warning Somalilanders found hiding illegal immigrants will also be
subject to punishment. The Government plans to repatriate about 80,000
? 90,000 illegal immigrants mainly Ethiopians in one month.
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SOUTH AFRICA: LACK OF DATA ON MIGRANTS ?HAMPERS PLANNING?
Local authorities in South Africa are unable to consider the full
effect of population migration trends in their budgeting and planning,
leading to inadequate service provision, poor social cohesion and
economic marginalisation, the South African Local Government
Association (Salga) warned.
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UGANDA: ‘SHOOT US ALL DOWN’ – THE LAKANG AND APAA LAND CONFLICT IN
AMURU DISTRICT
The Refugee Law Project, under its video advocacy programme, has
produced documentaries to show the work being done at RLP, as well as
highlight the plight of forced migrants in Uganda. Research looked
into the nature and dynamics of land ownership, land access, and land
use as well as how political perceptions and considerations factored
as important elements in the land conflicts and how the question of
investment played out in the context of ongoing conflicts associated
with land in Amuru district.
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6 Social movements
ANGOLA: DEMOCRACY PROTESTERS ARRESTED
At least 24 people were arrested for trying to stage a rally calling
for more democracy and the resignation of Angolan President Jos?
Eduardo dos Santos. The rally, organized in Luanda by a youth
movement, gathered about 200 at Independence Square, in Luanda when
the police stepped in and made the arrests. Protesters, journalists
and several police officers were injured.
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NIGERIA: JUSTICE IN NIGERIA NOW: GBARAMATU WOMEN DISRUPT CHEVRON OPERATIONS
Hundreds of placard-carrying women, from about 10 Gbaramatu
communities in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State,
laid siege to the project site of Chevron Nigeria Limited at Chanomi
Creek and disrupted the laying of pipelines for the multi-billon
dollars Escravos Gas to Liquid project.
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7 Emerging powers news
LATEST EDITION: EMERGING POWERS NEWS ROUNDUP
In this week’s edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a
comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to
China, India and other emerging powers…
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/emplayersnews/76170
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8 Africom Watch
AFRICA: SQUADRON ESTABLISHED TO TRAIN AIR FORCES IN AFRICA
A squadron of airmen with key skill sets, including air traffic
control and civil engineering, is preparing for a mission to train air
forces in Africa to deliver supplies and large numbers of troops into
conflict zones. The New Jersey-based 818th Mobility Support Advisory
Squadron was established in April and is expected to become
operational later this year in support of U.S. Africa Command,
according to Air Force officials.
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SOMALIA: OBAMA WIDENING WAR IN SOMALIA
Led by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the U.S. is stepping up
its war in Somalia, The Nation magazine reports. ‘The CIA presence in
(the capital) Mogadishu is part of Washington?s intensifying
counter-terrorism focus on Somalia, which includes targeted strikes by
US Special Operations forces, drone attacks and expanded surveillance
operations,’ writes Jeremy Scahill, the magazine?s national security
correspondent.
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9 Elections & governance
AFRICA: AFRICA NEEDS ITS JUDICIARY TO UNDERPIN SOCIAL PROGRESS
South Africa is one of Africa’s most liberal outposts, while Kenya has
a reputation for conservatism. But no society is static, least of all
in Africa. And the recent appointment processes around new chief
justices in these two regional powerhouses demonstrates just how
important ? and potentially vulnerable ? the democratic rule of law
is, in places that have long histories of human rights abuse, and
where inevitable social change threatens age-old customs. An opinion
piece by Mark Gevisser for The Guardian.
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KENYA: HISTORY MADE AS PARLIAMENT PASSES 15 BILLS
The Kenyan Parliament has made history by passing 15 Bills that
required to be enacted by August 27 in a record four days. The Bills
include the Elections Bill, the National Gender and Equality Bill, the
Kenya National Rights Human Commission Bill, the Political Parties
Bill, the National Police Service Bill, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission Bill and the Commission on Administration of Justice Bill.
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LIBERIA: REFERENDUM HURDLE – NEC WANTS LAWMAKERS TO RESOLVE ABSOLUTE
MAJORITY ISSUE
The National Elections Commission on Tuesday September 6, 2011, met
with lawmakers, asking them to consider a way out of a possible
constitutional crisis likely to result from the ensuing legislative
and presidential Elections. The NEC delegation, headed by Chairman
James Fromayan, wants the legislators to fashion a way to save the
commission the unreasonable costs of rerunning the legislative
elections pursuant to an absolute majority requirement to win.
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LIBERIA: REFERENDUM PLAGUED BY HIGH NUMBER OF INVALID VOTES
This report from Christian Media Cross finds that the chairman of
Liberia?s National Elections Commission is expressing concern about
the large number of invalid votes in the constitutional referendum.
Elections chief James Fromayan says some voters marked both ‘Yes’ and
‘No’ as if it were done deliberately.
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MALAWI: GOVERNMENT BECOMES A ONE-MAN SHOW
Malawi?s president has been running the country?s 22 ministries on his
own after firing his entire cabinet. But political and economic
analysts say that his delay in appointing a new cabinet is detrimental
to the country?s development. Some analysts say government has come to
a standstill because of this, while others say the situation shows
that the president has lost control.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ACTIVISTS CRITICISE ZUMA?S CHIEF JUSTICE PICK
Several leading human rights activists are urging South African
President Jacob Zuma to reconsider his plan to appoint a controversial
pastor to lead the country’s judicial system. Three women Nobel
laureates say that Zuma’s selection, Mogoeng Mogoeng, would weaken
women’s rights if appointed as chief justice of the Constitutional
Court.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ANC YOUTH LEADER SUPPORTERS CLASH WITH POLICE
South African police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse
supporters of the leader of the youth wing of the governing African
National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg. Julius Malema was due to face
a disciplinary hearing when hundreds of his supporters started to
throw stones and bottles at police.
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SOUTH AFRICA: LIBYA POLICY REFLECTS PAST LOYALTIES
While Libya’s neighbours rush to recognise rebels who ousted Muammar
Gaddafi, regional powerhouse South Africa is blocking the release of
Tripoli’s frozen millions to them. The policy reflects Pretoria’s
strong ties to Libya’s former strongman that date back to the
anti-Apartheid struggle, and frustration that Western intervention,
not African mediation under the African Union, has again proven
decisive on the continent.
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SOUTH AFRICA: THE WAGE SUBSIDY POLICY DEADLOCK AND YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS
South Africa’s official opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA)
has launched a website developed to track the opportunity cost of not
implementing the youth wage subsidy policy announced by President
Jacob Zuma in his February 2010 State of the Nation Address. Nobody
disputes that South Africa has a crisis of youth unemployment. The
rate of joblessness in the country is amongst the highest in the
world, and 71% of the unemployed are under the age of 34.
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SOUTH SUDAN: PROFESSOR LAKO TONGUN ON INDEPENDENCE
Africa Today spoke with Professor Lako Tongun on the independence of
the Republic of South Sudan. Professor Tongun was in attendance during
the celebrations in Juba, South Sudan on July 11, 2011.
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THE GAMBIA: CLIMATE OF FEAR AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL POLL
Human rights advocates watching Gambia are worried that abuses against
perceived dissenters will rise as the November presidential election
nears, killing any chance of a free and fair poll. Already the
official campaign period – the only time opposition parties are given
access to the media and allowed to actively campaign – has been shrunk
to 11 days from four weeks, sparking concern among political leaders.
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10 Corruption
ETHIOPIA: WIKILEAKS EXPOSES UN ERITREAN SANCTION LIES
Thomas C. Mountain, writing on counterpunch.org, reports that the
recently released, and long awaited, Wikileaks Files on Ethiopia
expose the lies used to justify UN ‘inSecurity’ Council Sanctions in
force against Eritrea.
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GLOBAL: JAMAICA?S ?DUDUS? COKE: U.S. GOVERNMENT?S STATEMENT LEADING TO
THE GUILTY PLEA
Jamaica?s druglord Christopher ?Dudus? Coke, former strongman in the
Prime Minister?s political constituency, has pleaded gulity to charges
of two counts of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit
assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering respectively,
laid against him in the United States, and is awaiting sentencing.
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KENYA: ANTI-GRAFT BOSS GIVEN WEEK TO LEAVE OFFICE
Kenya’s anti-corruption chief and his deputies have been given seven
days to leave office after lawmakers adopted legislation establishing
a revamped anti-graft watchdog enshrined under the new constitution.
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LIBYA: REBELS PROBE STATE FUND CORRUPTION
A report in the FT states that Libya?s rebels are examining possible
corruption at the country?s $65 billion sovereign wealth fund and its
links to the family of Colonel Muammer Gaddafi, according the man in
charge of the investigation. Mahmoud Badi, a former technocrat with
the Gaddafi regime, has been appointed by the National Transitional
Council to track Libya?s foreign assets, including those held by the
Libyan Investment Authority.
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NIGERIA: ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY FAILS TO DELIVER
Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, set up in 2002, was supposed to crack
down on corruption in Africa’s most populous nation but it has failed
to deliver, Human Rights Watch said.
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NIGERIA: CIVIL SOCIETY SCORES PRESIDENT LOW
A civil society organisation in Nigeria has described the performance
of the government under President Goodluck Jonathan as inept. The
Coalition against Corrupt leaders, a civil society monitoring the
performances of government officials says the first 100 days of
Jonathan’s administration falls short of average expectation.
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NIGERIA: HRW REPORT: ‘CORRUPTION ON TRIAL?’
The record of Nigeria?s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
In Human Rights Watch?s newest report, ‘Corruption on Trial? The
Record of Nigeria?s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,’ this
highly credible NGO takes a break from its more usual investigations
into conflict and violence to assess the successes and failures of
Nigeria?s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ? the agency
tasked to investigate and prosecute financial crimes ranging from
advanced fee fraud, more commonly known as ‘419’ scams, to money
laundering to government corruption.
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SOMALIA: CORRUPTION, THE WAR ON TERROR HINDERING FOOD AID TO SOUTHERN SOMALIA
An iWatch News report finds that as the famine in southern Somalia
worsens, aid experts fear that corruption and the politics of
terrorism are crimping the flow of humanitarian relief to areas where
starvation is worst. Abundant U.S. aid targeted for the Horn of Africa
cannot directly reach starving people in southern Somalia because it?s
blocked by Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-aligned Islamist group labeled a
terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
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11 Development
AFRICA: MICROFINANCE: WHAT ROLE IN AFRICA?S DEVELOPMENT?
There is continuing debate about the impact of microfinance on poverty
reduction. In this analysis for Africa Renewal, David Mehdi Haman and
Oliver Schwank argue that while microfinance cannot transform African
economies, the scheme is necessary to help advance the continent?s
development goals.
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AFRICA: PATHWAYS TO PROGRESS
Status of water and sanitation in Africa
The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) commissioned the
production of a second round of Country Status Overviews (CSOs) on
water supply and sanitation, to shed light on the factors that
underpin progress in the sector. The World Bank, Water and Sanitation
Program (WSP), and the African Development Bank implemented this task
in close partnership with UNICEF, WHO, and the governments of 32
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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AFRICA: SMALL SEED PACKETS COULD PLAY BIG ROLE IN AFRICA’S BATTLE
AGAINST DROUGHT
If more small farmers in Africa’s drought-prone regions grew improved
varieties of dryland crops, their communities would be better prepared
for prolonged dry spells and scarce rain, reports The Guardian.
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AFRICA: WATER AND SANITATION ACCESS LIES IN COMPLETING TRANSITION TO
COUNTRY-LED SERVICE DELIVERY
According to a new report released by the Water and Sanitation Program
(WSP) at the World Bank, African countries that transition to taking a
leadership role in safe water and sanitation service delivery to the
millions of people without access have an unprecedented opportunity to
drastically reduce these numbers by 2015.
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AFRICA: WHY AFRICA IS LEAVING EUROPE BEHIND
In an opinion piece in the FT, William Wallis asserts that Africans
are relishing something of a reversal in roles. The former colonial
powers in Europe are wrestling with debt crises, austerity budgets,
rising unemployment and social turmoil. By contrast much of
sub-Saharan Africa can point to robust growth, better balanced books
and rising capital inflows. There is an opportunity in this novel
scenario: for Africa to assert itself on the global stage, and for
European countries to take advantage of their historic footprint in
Africa by stimulating commercial expansion to their south. But it is
far from clear either side will grasp it.
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AFRRICA: STRENGTHENING PUBLIC WATER IN AFRICA
While both North?South partnerships and South-South Partnerships have
strengths and limitations, linking these in networked models is an
effective way to mobilise expertise and funding and achieve success.
Such a networked partnership, involving six public water operators
from Europe and two from Africa, was developed to improve access to
water in Mauritania. The partnership rests on a solid basis of shared
public service principles. A crucial factor in the partnership is the
contribution of the Moroccan state water company ONEP, one of Africa?s
best performing public water operators.
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KENYA: KENYA LOSES OUT AS FOREIGN INVESTORS HEAD TO UGANDA
Kenya is losing its grip in the battle for foreign direct investments
(FDI) to Uganda and Tanzania as heightened political tensions and
restrictions on foreign ownership in some sectors turn away
multinationals. The FDI inflows to Kenya dipped from Sh67.8 billion in
2007 to Sh13.1 billion in 2009 and Sh12.4 billion last year, according
to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Last year,
Uganda?s FDI inflows jumped to Sh78.8 billion from Sh75.9 million
while Tanzania?s increased from Sh60 billion to Sh65.1 billion?making
the twin countries the key beneficiaries of the region?s common
market.
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MOZAMBIQUE: INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE
Many scholars acknowledge that industrial policy can work well in
countries with strong merit-based public services and political checks
and balances. However, there are very few empirical studies available
that analyse industrial policies in low and lower-middle income
countries. This study by Deutsches Institut f?r Entwicklungspolitik
intends to help fill this gap by assessing the quality of industrial
policies and industrial policy making in Mozambique.
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12 Health & HIV/AIDS
AFRICA: AIDS BREAKTHROUGH HIGH HOPES HIT TIGHT BUDGETS
After 30 years and over 20 million deaths in Africa alone, US
researchers report that early treatment of people infected with the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that leads to AIDS cuts
transmission of the disease by over 96 per cent. Announced by the US
National Institutes of Health on 12 May after a six-year, nine-country
clinical trial that cost $73 million, the discovery that
anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) can make people living with HIV far less
infectious means that humanity finally has the tools to reverse the
epidemic.
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AFRICA: HIV AND AIDS AND OLDER PEOPLE IN AFRICA
HIV affects older people in two main ways. Large numbers of older
people are themselves living with HIV. Many are also taking on vital
caring responsibilities for loved ones living with HIV and the
children orphaned by AIDS. This briefing is aimed at the European
Union (EU) and member states. It sets out the need to strengthen the
response to HIV in Africa by providing interventions on the basis of
genuine need rather than age.
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AFRICA: HIV AND THE NEGLECT OF OLDER AFRICAN ADULTS
While the focus of HIV and AIDS interventions has always been on the
20-40-year-olds most likely to be infected, African democracy
institute Idasa warns that health workers and social planners have
neglected to take into account the elderly who have contracted the
virus ? and their numbers are growing.
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AFRICA: THE MALARIA MOSQUITO IS DISAPPEARING ? BUT IT IS NOT JUST GOOD NEWS
An article in Health New?s ‘Health Canal’ describes the disappearance
of mosquitoes carrying malaria in areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The
article explains why there may still be cause for concern in the
malaria fight.
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KENYA: SOUTH AFRICAN RESEARCH COUNCIL TO HELP KENYA ON NANO-TECHNOLOGY
South Africa?s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
announced that it is to collaborate with researchers in Kenya to
develop a nano-medicine technology aimed to revolutionise treatment of
communicable diseases. The aim of the technology is to improve on the
efficiency of the existing drugs used in the treatment of diseases
like HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
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13 Education
AFRICA: RHODES UNIVERSITY ‘THINKING AFRICA: LIBERATION, RACE AND
HIGHER EDUCATION’ SUPPLEMENT
‘Thinking Africa: Liberation, Race and Higher Education’ supplement
was published by South Africa’s Mail and Guardian newspaper (26 August
2011) and contains reflection pieces from Rhodes University’s
‘Thinking Africa: Fanon 50 years later’ (6-9 July 2011) colloquium as
well as the ‘Race in Higher Education Roundtable’ (11-13 July 2011)
organised under the auspices of the university’s Centre for Higher
Education Research, Teaching and Learning.
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ERITREA: EXPANSION OF SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS SHOWS SIGNIFICANT GROWTH
The expansion of schools in the rural areas has shown significant
growth, according to the Ministry of Education. Reports indicated that
the number of schools ranging from elementary to secondary level rose
from about 750 in 1996/7 to 1,681 in 2010/2011, of which 1,176 are in
the rural areas.
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GHANA: BLIND URGE GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT EDUCATION OF DISABLED
The Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Dr. Peter Obeng
Asamoah, has appealed to the government to channel more resources into
the education of persons with disability in the country, especially
the blind. He stressed that if the country was serious about getting
rid of blind beggars from the streets of the cities, then a conscious
effort must be made to provide them with the requisite education.
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GLOBAL: 8 SEPTEMBER, INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY: 793 MILLION ADULTS
CAN NEITHER READ NOR WRITE
This year?s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8
September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. During a
ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international
Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi,
Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States of
America. South and West Asia account for more than half (51,8%) the
world?s adult illiterate population, ahead of sub-Saharan Africa
(21,4%), East Asia and the Pacific (12,8%), the Arab States (7,6%),
Latin America and the Caribbean (4,6%), North America, Europe and
Central Asia (2%).
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14 LGBTI
CAMEROON: ALLEGED HOMOSEXUALS DENIED BAIL
Two men who are currently being tried for alleged homosexuality in
Yaounde were recently denied bail. Police said the men – aged 19 and
20 – were caught having oral sex in a car after visiting a nightclub
in the capital, Yaounde. Their bail application was refused and they
are to remain in custody at the Kondengui maximum security prison in
Yaounde until the case is over.
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KENYA: LGBTI KENYANS SPEAK OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THEM FOR BEING ‘DIFFERENT’
Even as Kenyan LGBTI activists fight for legal recognition they are
confronted by the spectre of violence against community members based
upon their sexual orientation. Many members of the LGBTI community
have faced violence in the course of their lives and as a result are
psychologically affected by this. Behind the Mask?s Melissa Wainaina
interviewed two LGBTI individuals about such violence and the effect
it had on them.
******
KENYA: QUEER CINEMA COMES TO KENYA
The Inaugural OUT Film Festival will be the first public showing of
cinema that reflects the life of sexual minorities. The film festival
wants to make known a community that Kenyan society deems to be
secret. The festival aims to entertain, educate and celebrate. There
will be a variety of films and documentaries from within and outside
the continent that will alter the way you look at the way the Queer
community lives and loves.
******
NIGERIA: AFRICAN LESBIANS LAUNCH WEST AFRICAN LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS
DEFENDERS PROJECT
Friday August 26, 2011 saw the Coalition of African Lesbians, CAL,
launch its LGBT Human Rights Defenders, HRD project in Lagos, Nigeria.
Participants in the HRD workshop, which was held in collaboration with
The Initiative for Equal Rights, TIER, a Nigerian-based LGBT human
rights organization, attended the launch alongside some members of the
Lagos LGBT community.
******
////////////////////////////////////
15 Environment
AFRICA: CHINA CONSUMERISM LATEST THREAT TO AFRICA’S ELEPHANTS
China’s fast-growing consumerism and lax policing of ivory laws are
the latest threats to wild elephant populations, said an author of a
recent report on endangered species. Esmond Martin and Lucy Vigne,
authors of the report that was presented at a meeting of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in
Geneva in mid-August, visited ivory carving factories and stores in
southern China in January.
******
AFRICA: CLIMATE CHANGE & AFRICA
A look at policy formulation
Research on futurechallenges.org, including an African climate
vulnerability map via http://www.grida.no, finds that floods,
droughts, desertification, coastal storms and famine are just a few of
the impacts of climate change in Africa. Climate change is endangering
the lives and livelihoods of millions of Africans and also hindering
the continent?s economic growth and social progress.
******
AFRICA: ECONOMIC COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
A report by Climate Exchange Network for Africa includes five
chapters, which cover: the impacts of climate change in Africa;
options for adapting to climate changes; an assessment of the economic
costs of climate change and adaptation; mitigation scenarios; and
policy recommendations.
******
GLOBAL: ETC GROUP CALLS ON UK GOVERNMENT TO HALT GEOENGINEERING EXPERIMENT
In response to reports that British scientists are about to test the
hardware needed to put sulphur particles in the stratosphere as a
climate technofix, international technology watchdog ETC Group is
calling on the UK government to halt the controversial test and
respect UN processes underway to discuss these issues.
******
GLOBAL: FACING UP TO THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS
With rising population growth and changes in the earth’s climate
putting stress on the consumable 1% of the planet’s water, the global
water crisis risks becoming a source of cross-border conflict.
Sub-Saharan Africa is especially vulnerable given its dry climate,
which is exacerbated by underdevelopment and mismanagement of water
resources. In 2000, countries in Africa and in other regions set
targets to halve by 2015 the number of people without access to these
basic services. Some of them may meet these targets.
******
KENYA: A MODEL FOR CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION IN AFRICA
infoDev’s Climate Technology Program published an article in The
Africa Energy Yearbook 2011, co-written with the Kenyan government and
private partners. The publication discusses the Climate Innovation
Center (CIC) in Kenya and how it will support the government’s
objectives in the Greening Kenya Initiative.
******
KENYA: UNIQUE BIOFUEL WARMS ITS WAY TO KITCHEN AS SEARCH FOR GREEN
ENERGY HOTS UP
A solar cooker manufactured by Consumer?s Choice that uses bio-ethanol
gel and cuts down on harmful indoor emissions has sold over 2,000
units and is looking to upscale its production by creating
partnerships with UN agencies and other non-governmental
organisations. Consumer?s Choice is currently partnering with the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR in a pilot project
at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Under the programme, 70 families
have been supplied with the stove and a daily one litre ration of
bio-ethanol gel.
******
UGANDA: SAVE MABIRA NATURAL FOREST CAMPAIGN
NAPE and other members of Save Mabira Crusade, in collaboration with
other citizens of Uganda and Friends of the Earth International (FoEI)
have submitted a petition opposing the proposed giveaway of Mabira and
other forest reserves in Uganda. Save Mabira Crusade is a network of
individuals, NGOs, civic leaders, religious, cultural and academic
institutions, political organisations and local communities that have
come together to save one of Uganda?s most valuable rainforests.
******
ZAMBIA: INNOVATIVE PROGRAMME SAVES WILDLIFE, PROTECTS FORESTS, AND
FIGHTS POVERTY IN AFRICA
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS) examines how the Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO)
programme has succeeded in stabilising wildlife while improving
agriculture in the Luangwa Valley. The ten-year-old initiative, run by
the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is even close to becoming
financially self-sufficient.
******
////////////////////////////////////
16 Land & land rights
AFRICA: DEMAND FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY COULD DRIVE MORE LAND GRABS
Rising demand for the dominant form of renewable energy worldwide ?
wood ? could drive yet more acquisitions of land in developing
countries where food insecurity is rising and land rights are weak,
say researchers at the International Institute for Environment and
Development. In a briefing paper published August 30, they warn that
this new trend needs greater public scrutiny and debate.
******
GLOBAL: INDIA?S ROLE IN THE NEW GLOBAL FARMLAND GRAB
This new report by Economics Research Foundation and GRAIN provides a
detailed examination of the role of the Indian government and Indian
companies engaged in overseas agricultural land acquisitions in
Africa, Asia and Latin America.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: LAND REFORM GREEN PAPER RELEASED
The discussion paper on the ’emotive’ land reform issue is now out,
and the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti,
is set to table it in Parliament. Releasing it to the media, he said
that the draft Land Protection Bill would be out in the next three
months. The minister said consultations around land reform were
scheduled for completion in the next two months.
******
SOUTH SUDAN: DIVVYING UP SOUTH SUDAN
Though much of the attention on land grabs in Africa has focused on
Asian and Middle Eastern buyers, the Oakland Institute has been
revealing that U.S.-based institutions are active as well. This is
particularly true of South Sudan, where ‘US investors are intimately
involved’ in land dealing.
******
TANZANIA: AGRISOL & SERENGETI ADVISERS: LAND GRABBERS?
Bernard Baha of the Land Rights Research and Resources Institute
points out in the paper ‘The Politics of Investment in Large Scale
Agricultural Ventures’ that Tanzania has always been a country in the
spotlight concerning cases of land grabbing for various uses. In the
recent past there has been a lot of information in both print and
electronic media about land being taken for various investment
purposes. Little is known about these deals between the government and
foreign investment companies eyeing Tanzania as a destination for
agricultural investment.
******
////////////////////////////////////
17 Food Justice
AFRICA: IFAD PRESIDENT SAYS AFRICA NEEDS TOOLS TO FEED ITS POPULATION
Africa will conquer hunger when its governments give the citizens
tools and resources they need to feed themselves, Kanayo F. Nwanze,
president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), said on the eve of an international conference in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, to address the famine crisis in the Horn of Africa. In a
statement sent to PANA, Nwanze urged African countries not to wait for
the international community to solve problems facing the continent.
******
AFRICA: SEED POLICIES WILL BOOST FOOD SECURITY IN WEST AFRICA
Institutions such as United Nations? Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) and pan-African rice research organisation AfricaRice are
promoting the adoption of national seed policies that will support
sustainable growth and development of the seed sector in West Africa.
******
KENYA: THE ROLE OF THE U.S. IN KENYA’S EMBRACE OF GM CROPS
Kenya has finally joined a growing number of countries in the world
which have allowed the importation, growing and commercialisation of
genetically modified organisms. The National Biosafety Authority (NBA)
gazetted the final regulations that allow for the commercialisation of
genetically modified organism in Kenya. This means that on application
to the agency, one can import such products for commercial use, and
soon, modified seeds and planting materials will be available to
Kenyan farmers.
******
MOZAMBIQUE: FOOD SECURITY OUTLOOK
Although the 2010/11 agriculture season was affected by a number of
shocks including localized floods during the first half of the season
and midseason long dry spells, national staple food availability is
estimated to have increased, as indicated by the recently released
preliminary production estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture.
These figures indicate that 2010/11 cereal production (maize, sorghum,
millet, and rice) was about 2.91 million MT, an increase of 4.6
percent over last year and 21.5 percent above the five?year average.
******
////////////////////////////////////
18 Media & freedom of expression
AFRICA: INVESTIGATE WITHOUT PERIL: HOW TO SUPPORT INVESTIGATIVE
JOURNALISM IN EAST AFRICA?
Investigative journalism distinguishes itself from regular journalism
by its depth and subject matter, often involving crime, political
corruption or corporate wrongdoing. It can play an essential role in a
country?s governance by keeping corporations and government
accountable. However, the political and economic environment in some
regions of the world present specific challenges for investigative
journalists: countries that score low on governance and transparency
present particular risks and underline the need to build investigative
journalism capacity. This brief analyses the obstacles to
investigative journalism in the East African region, focusing on Kenya
and Uganda, and discusses what can be done to help address these
barriers.
******
AFRICA: TEXTING, TWEETING, MOBILE INTERNET
New platforms for democratic debate
New media platforms are changing how people communicate with each
other around the world. However, there is great variation in both the
kind of communication platforms people make use of as well as in how
they access these platforms. Computer ownership and internet access
are still the prerogative of the wealthy few in wide swathes of the
African continent. All the same, mobile internet access is on the rise
and if current growth rates continue, African mobile phone penetration
will reach 100 per cent by 2014.
******
GLOBAL: ‘VOICES 2.0’ – REVOLUTIONISING PARTICIPATION WITHIN
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
A new SDC Working paper soon to be published titled ‘Deepening
Participation and Enhancing Aid Effectiveness through ICTs and Media’
examines why and how development practitioners can adopt ICTs and
media for increased participation and better results into their daily
practice.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: JOURNALISTS ATTACKED DURING ANC PROTEST
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by anti-press violence
by supporters of Julius Malema, youth leader of South Africa’s ruling
African National Congress, and is relieved that the party leader has
urged restraint. Malema supporters protesting their leader’s
disciplinary hearing at ANC headquarters in Johannesburg hurled
bottles, stones, and bricks at police and reporters. At least nine
journalists were injured.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: OPPOSITION FIGHTS SPY PROVISION IN INFO BILL
Opposition parties urged the ANC to strike a provision from the
Protection of Information Bill that would allow intelligence agents to
classify any part of their work, but the ruling party refused.
******
SUDAN: DETAINED SUDANESE JOURNALIST RELEASED, OFFICIAL SAYS
A Sudanese reporter was freed after President Omar al-Bashir ordered
the release of all detained journalists, a government official said.
But a press freedom activist and local journalists say a number of
media professionals and technical staff are still being held.
******
////////////////////////////////////
19 Social welfare
BOTSWANA: COUNTRY TO DEVELOP POLICY TO PROTECT TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Botswana is developing a policy to protect, preserve and promote its
indigenous knowledge and mainstream it into the country’s
macro-economic framework. Development of the policy will involve
identifying, documenting and gathering local traditional knowledge
practices from areas including agriculture, health, culture and
religious beliefs, and then feeding them into a legislative framework.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: ‘TWO WORLDS’ DOCUMENTARY LOOKS TO ADDRESS INEQUALITY IN
POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA
‘Two Worlds’ is a documentary film which looks to address inequality
in post-Apartheid South Africa, a country described as both a ‘first’
and a ‘third’ world in one. The film features interviews from 18
people including students, researchers and activists, searching for
answers to some of the crucial issues affecting the country today. The
documentary questions why South Africa has one of the greatest divides
between rich and poor in the world, and ultimately attempts to use
South Africa as an example of global inequality.
******
////////////////////////////////////
20 Conflict & emergencies
COTE D?IVOIRE: ECOWAS TEAM IN POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION TALKS
A high-level ECOWAS delegation led by the President of the Commission,
Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, arrived in Abidjan on Monday, 22nd
August 2011 for talks with officials of the Government of Cote
d?Ivoire on how the regional organisation can support the country?s
post-conflict reconstruction.
******
LIBYA: AFRICAN UNION REFUSES TO RECOGNISE LIBYAN REBELS AS ‘LEGITIMATE
AUTHORITY’
The Telegraph reports that the African Union has refused to recognise
the National Transitional Council as the legitimate authority in
Libya, calling instead for an ‘inclusive government’.
******
LIBYA: INTERPOL ISSUES RED NOTICE FOR ARREST OF MUAMMAR GADDAFI AT
REQUEST OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
INTERPOL has issued Red Notices for Libya?s Muammar Gaddafi, his son
Saif Al-islam Gaddafi and former director of military intelligence
Abdullah Al-Senussi after the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, requested the world police body to
issue internationally wanted persons notices against the Libyan
nationals for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder and
persecution.
******
NIGERIA: DEATH TOLL REVISED IN UN ATTACK
The death toll from the suicide bombing at the UN headquarters in the
Nigerian capital stands at 21, with 73 injured, the deputy United
Nations chief announced, reducing a previous toll of 23.
******
SOMALIA: HUNDREDS DYING DAILY AS SOMALIA FAMINE SPREADS
Famine has spread to six out of eight regions in southern Somalia,
with 750,000 people facing imminent starvation, the United Nations
said, and hundreds of people are dying each day despite a ramping up
of aid relief.
******
SOUTH SUDAN: MSF CONDEMNS LARGE SCALE ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS
The international relief organisation M?decins Sans Fronti?res/Doctors
Without Borders (MSF) treated over 100 patients in the town of Pieri
and referred another 57 to hospitals in Leer and Nasir following a
raid on the town of Pieri and twelve surrounding villages in Jonglei
State, South Sudan. The majority of the referred cases were women and
children with gunshot wounds.
******
SUDAN: POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES IN SOUTH KORDOFAN STATE
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have collected evidence
indicating that the Sudanese Armed Forces may have committed war
crimes in Southern Kordofan. In a rare trip to the Nuba Mountains
region of Southern Kordofan, researchers from the two human rights
groups found that an indiscriminate bombing campaign carried out by
the Arab government in Sudan since early-June is killing and maiming
men, women and children.
******
SUDAN: SPLM-N VOWS TO BUCK BLUE NILE?S ?COUP?
The Sudan People?s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) declared
resistance to what it described as a coup against the elected governor
of the Blue Nile State, Malik Aggar, announcing intensification of its
efforts to forge a nationwide alliance to execute regime-change
agendas.
******
ZANZIBAR: FERRY DISASTER COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
An op-ed piece in The Citizen notes that Saturday?s sinking of a
ferryboat off the coast of Unguja Island with the loss of almost 200
lives brings to the fore a very pertinent question: were any lessons
learnt from the May 21, 1996 MV Bukoba disaster in Lake Victoria in
which close to 1,000 people died? It is hard not to draw comparisons
between the two incidents given that factors behind the accidents bear
an uncanny resemblance.
******
////////////////////////////////////
21 Internet & technology
AFRICA: LOW COST CELLULAR TELEPHONES AID AFRICA MHEALTH DEVELOPMENT
Low price cellular telephones are helping advance mHealth
opportunities across Africa, prompting developers to examine possible
applications to address public health challenges. One application
being developed for the Kenyan market provides symptom checkers,
medical alerts and a searchable database of medical facility
locations.
******
AFRICA: MOBILE INTERNET IN AFRICA
This schematic diagram based on figures from On Device Research shows
that for African internet users, well over 50% have mobile internet as
the sole access method. In contrast, only 20% of UK mobile internet
browsers never or infrequently (once a month or less) use the desktop
internet. Most mobile internet users in Africa are aged between 13 and
34 (91%) and male (83%), the typical early adopter profile. Many are
in school or university, showing the need for a level of education.
******
AFRICA: SURFING THE AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY WAVE
The Frontier Strategy Group finds that the adoption of new forms of
communication in Africa over the past decade ? both mobile telephone
and internet ? has been nothing short of revolutionary. The continent
is estimated to have produced over 316 million new mobile phone users
since 2000, passing 500 million total subscriptions late in 2010, and
its total internet user population is now estimated at almost 120
million. Previously, communicating over long distances was fraught
with difficulty and expense; that outlook has been transformed. The
significance of these trends for African economic development,
transparency and democratization is profound; the opportunity for
technology companies and indeed for businesses across many other
sectors capable of leveraging such channels for advertising and
delivery is no less significant.
******
GLOBAL: MOBILE CONNECTIONS TO SURPASS 6 BILLION BY YEAR-END
Total global mobile connections are set to surpass 6 billion by
year-end, according to the latest Wireless Intelligence forecasts, a
landmark which would mean the industry has added the last 1 billion
connections in just 16 months. Wireless Intelligence estimates that
the 6 billion milestone will be reached in late November and that
total global connections will end the year at 6.07 billion. Africa is
set to overtake the Americas as the second-largest regional market on
648 million connections (11 per cent of the total). Africa is forecast
to record the strongest year-on-year connections growth of all the
global regions, rising 18 per cent over the previous year.
******
////////////////////////////////////
22 Fundraising & useful resources
AFRICA: MOBILE MEDIA TOOLKIT
The Mobile Media Toolkit is a project of MobileActive.org, a global
network of people using mobile technology for social impact. The
Secure section of the Mobile Media Toolkit also features another
project from MobileActive.org called SaferMobile, which helps
activists, human rights defenders, and journalists assess the mobile
communications risks that they are facing, and then use appropriate
mitigation techniques to increase their ability to organize, report,
and work more safely.
******
GHANA: RURAL FISH FARMING
Fish is the primary source of protein for the majoirty of Ghana’s 23
million inhabitants. Because of significant challenges impacting the
global fishing industry, including unsustainable fishing practices,
these individuals are rapidly losing their primary source of income
and nutrition. Rural entrepreneurs across the country have attempted
to start their own fish farms to fill the protein need and subsequent
market demand. These fish farmers, however, have not been successful
due to poor dissemination of technical resources, lack of quality
supplies, and ineffective business models. Tilapiana was created to
address this market opportunity and social need by working with
village entrepreneurs to design, implement, and manage sustainable
fish farms.
******
GLOBAL: FELLOWSHIPS FOR THREATENED SCHOLARS
The IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) is pleased to announce a call for
applications for threatened academics whose lives or work are in
danger in their home countries. Fellowships support temporary academic
positions at safe universities and colleges anywhere in the world.
Professors, researchers, and lecturers from any country or field may
apply.
******
KENYA: BACK TO SCHOOL?
A blog post by People to People International documents that the PTPI
family joined together in support of their Mombasa, Kenya Chapter,
sending more than $6,000 to help the chapter cover school fees for 23
students who otherwise would not be able to attend school.
******
KENYA: M-PESA SCHEME WILL HELP PLIGHT OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN IN KENYA
Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation
dedicated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world?s poorest
countries, has set up an aid initiative in the slums of Nairobi to
combat the sharp increase in severe malnutrition in slums. Concern
Worldwide plans to use M-PESA money transfer service to enable people
to buy food. It is hoped that the initiative will help 20,000 people
over the next five months.
******
////////////////////////////////////
23 Courses, seminars, & workshops
AFRICA: 5TH AFRICA CONFERENCE ON SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS
The purpose of the 5th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights
is to catalyze dialogue on the interrelationship between, culture,
sexuality and attainment of sexual health for all in Africa.
******
AFRICA: AFRICA BUSINESS WOMEN CONNECT SUMMIT
The objective of the Africa Business Women Connect Summit is to
enhance economic performance on the continent in the three largest
export sectors for women: craft/textiles, agribusiness and services.
ABW intends to unite successful African businesswomen from 53
countries in Africa. The initiative will be launched at a summit in
Ethiopia in 2013, reaching 530 African Business Women, followed by
in-country activities reaching an additional 5300 women supported by a
Wisdom Exchange TV.
******
TANZANIA: CALL FOR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 2011
Social Media for Social Change is an intensive course for youth and
volunteers that will introduce you to social media tools that drive
social change. Social media includes internet-based and mobile phone
tools and platforms for communications, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The course will provide you with skills in how to plan and organise a
basic social media communications strategy for your organisation that
strengthens networking. To register or get more information about the
Training, please contact Isabella Falsted at isf.gptza@ms.dk or Elsie
Eyakuze at eyakuzee@mstcdc.or.tz
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/76089
******
////////////////////////////////////
24 Publications
AFRICA: SPECIAL ISSUE OF RESEARCH IN AFRICAN LITERATURES ON ASIAN
AFRICAN LITERATURES
Research in African Literatures Volume 42 Number 3, Asian African
Literatures, Special Guest Editor, Gaurav Desai
Citing the long history of the presence of peoples from the Indian
sub-continent in Africa, the National Museums of Kenya sponsored, in
2000, a special exhibit on the ‘Asian African Heritage.’ This special
issue of Research in African Literatures follows the lead of this
exhibition by bringing together new essays by some of the leading
scholars who have written on Asian African literatures in East and
South Africa. The articles engage both with writers who are now
considered canonical, such as M.G. Vassanji from Tanzania and Ahmed
Essop from South Africa, as well as newer voices that have emerged
over the past decade.
******
THE GRANTA BOOK OF THE AFRICAN SHORT STORY
According to the novelist Helon Habila, editor of Granta?s forthcoming
Book of African Short Stories, to put together a collection
representing every African language, people and nation is impossible.
Instead, Habila has compiled Granta?s new collection to showcase what
he sees as a ?new generation? of emerging African short story writers.
******
////////////////////////////////////
25 Jobs
AFRICA: LEGAL CONSULTANT FOR MENA REGION
ARTICLE 19 is seeking to engage a Legal Consultant, fluent in both
English and Arabic, who will be responsible for ensuring it is able to
play an enhanced role in promoting the rights to freedom of expression
and freedom of information by developing an enabling legal and policy
environment in the MENA region.
******
INTERNATIONAL GRANTS POLICY AND PROGRAMME MANAGER
Common Ground Initiative
Use your understanding of international development issues to
strengthen the contribution of the African Diaspora to international
development debates, policy and practice.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/76082
******
NIGERIA: SHN PROGRAMME MANAGER
Applications are invited for the post of Programme Manager to join the
Partnership for Child Development (PCD). PCD is an organisation
committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of
school-age children and youth in low-income countries. The Partnership
for Child Development has launched a new programme that will support
government action to deliver cost effective school feeding programmes
in sub-Saharan Africa. The Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme
supports government action to deliver sustainable, nationally owned
school feeding programmes sourced from local farmers in sub-Saharan
Africa. The programme provides direct, evidence-based and
context-specific support and expertise for the design and management
of school feeding programmes linked to local agricultural production.
******
////////////////////////////////////
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End of Pambazuka-news Digest, Vol 192, Issue 1
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The New Dark Age 