17 July 2014 — Pambazuka News
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Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839
CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Announcements, 3. Comment & analysis, 4. Advocacy & campaigns, 5. Jobs
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1 Features BIOMETRIC SMART ID CARDS: DUMB IDEA Jane Duncan
Countries in the South have jumped on the biometric bandwagon, including South Africa, in spite of the many red flags about the technology. Citizens need to be aware that the ID cards allow governments to carry out surveillance of people considered to be a threat to the interests of the ruling classes http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/92502
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THE BRICS: A RESPONSE TO YASH TANDON Mike Davies
In the Pambazuka special edition on “Revisiting the sub-imperialist BRICS ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/673 ) ,” Patrick Bond and other writers were critical of the role of BRICS. Later Yash Tandon wrote a rejoinder ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/91832 ) to such BRICS bashing. Below is a piece that calls progressive forces to address the agency of local elites in colluding with capitalism and imperialism and oppose both global imperialism and local tyranny http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/92503
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INSIDE OR OUTSIDE? The perpetual dilemma of what constitutes the best interests for children with mothers in prison Irene Sithole
Should little children be allowed to stay with their mothers in prison or they should be separated? This is a difficult question, but there are some suggestions on what should be done for the best interests of the child http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/92504
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AFRO-URUGUAY: A BRIEF HISTORY George Reid Andrews
Afro-Uruguayans have contributed to the construction of Uruguay as a consequence of enslavement. They have set up important organisations such as Mundo Afro to lobby the national government to recognise its black minority as an equal member of the national community http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/92501
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2 Announcements CALL FOR PARTICIPATION TO THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS
The next Pan African Congress will be held in four months time. Nations, organizations and individuals from around the Pan African world are invited to offer support prepare for this event http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/announce/92422
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UNDERSTANDING THE EMERGING POWERS FOOTPRINT IN AFRICA: A CIVIL SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE AND GUIDELINE Online course
Ten sponsored places are available for applicants for this course that intends to strengthen civil society’s understanding of and engagement with Global South nations whose presence is growing in Africa http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/announce/92342
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PAMBAZUKA SPECIAL: WHEN WILL PEACE BE CREATED FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE DRC?
The special issue on the DRC seeks to expose not only the realities of war that continue to have a traumatic and tragic impact on the lives of those directly affected, but also to address the complex realities and issues that the Congolese have faced in the past since the assassination of its valiant leader, Patrice Lumumba http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/announce/92009
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PAMBAZUKA NEWS: CALL FOR VOLUNTEER TRANSLATORS
Pambazuka News needs volunteers to translate articles. Published weekly in English and French, and every 15 days in Portuguese, our electronic newsletter sometimes translates articles from one language to another. Through this, we aim to break down language barriers, give more audience to relevant analysis for our contributors and encourage exchanges between linguistic communities in Africa and around the world. In this Pambazuka is unique.
To deal with our increasing translation needs, we are looking for volunteers to strengthen our team of volunteer translators who assist us in this task and contribute to what Pambazuka is.
We engage to sign all translated articles with the name of their authors.
If you are a student or professional translator, we are counting on you. Write to the editors at the following address: editor@pambazuka.org
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3 Comment & analysis BATTLING IMPUNITY What next after the AU undermines the jurisdiction of its own court? Obote-Odora Alex
Leaders who fail to follow the law must be accountable for their actions before courts of law. But the Protocol adopted by African leaders on 4 July turned this basic legal principle on its head. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/92505
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WHEN WILL AFRICA OVERCOME THE PITFALLS OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT GROWTH? People want genuine development, as demonstrations, strikes spread across continent Abayomi Azikiwe
With Africa firmly integrated into the international financial order, there is almost no potential within the existing political arrangements for substantial advancements in the socio-economic status of workers, farmers and youth. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/92509
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AFRICA, CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOW-CARBON ECONOMIES: IS THERE ROOM? Gussai H. Sheikheldin
Thinking about the problem of climate change in Africa from the angle of low-carbon economy can be useful as it addresses environmental, economic and technological matters of development all at the same time http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/92506
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ETHIOPIA: THE CRIME OF EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION Alemayehu G. Mariam
Extraordinary rendition violates every rule in the human rights book. The process invariably involves forceful abduction, detained incommunicado for an extended period, interrogation and torture http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/92508
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SOBUKWE: A LEADER WHO WALKED THE POLITICAL TALK TO THE FINISH Motsoko Pheko
Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe is not as well known as he should. The founding president of the radical Pan African Congress, Sobukwe was the single most potent threat to apartheid. Without the fire in his breast and the unshakable conviction of his mind, it is unlikely that apartheid would have collapsed when it did. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/92507
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4 Advocacy & campaigns CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS CONDEMN APPROVAL OF EPAS BY ECOWAS LEADERS
Many reputable organisations have over the years demonstrated that the EPAs are against the fundamental developmental needs of the economies of West Africa. The EPAs will lead to the collapse of the domestic manufacturing and other productive sectors due to undue pressure from the subsidized goods from Europe and loss of revenue from trade taxes http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92499
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DRAFT APPEAL TO THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS A Call for Assistance in the Efforts to Halt Racism, Racial Discrimination and Acts of Genocide Directed Towards the People of the City of Detroit in the United States of America
Two organizations allege that deliberate actions by the State of Michigan through its Governor Rick Snyder and majority right-wing legislative bodies are calculated and well-planned to foster the disempowerment of the African American people http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92498
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OUR STRUGGLE TO BE COUNTED AS PART OF THE PUBLIC CONTINUES
The cases of two women who were arrested for protesting against the demolition of their homes were dismissed last week. It is a positive sign, but the struggles of the shack-dwellers against state neglect and violence continue http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92500
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PROTEST LETTER TO PCEA MODERATOR RT. REV. DAVID GATHANJU ON DESTRUCTION OF KIBAGARE WETLAND
Two members of civil society were attacked and wounded by goons hired by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa last Saturday when they visited Kibagare wetland where PCEA has begun construction of luxury apartments. Now civil society wants the PCEA leadership to stop the destruction of the wetland http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92497
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URGENT CALL FROM GAZA CIVIL SOCIETY: ACT NOW!
Numerous Palestinian civil society organisations are calling on people and nations of the world to demand and end to the orgy of brutal violence conducted by the Israeli government in Gaza. Without international pressure, Israel will continue the massacres http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92495
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YOUNG WOMEN STAND UP AGAINST VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION Peter Kenworthy
Eradicating violence and discrimination against women in Zimbabwe is an arduous task that demands hands-on training and mobilization in the rural areas where the violence is most prevalent. Not by a well-meaning Western NGO, mind you, but by the women themselves. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/92496
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5 Jobs AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL JOB: INDIVIDUALS AT RISK CAMPAIGNER Location: Nairobi Starting salary: USD$ 48,254 A I Amnesty International
Use your experience as a human rights campaign strategist to respond to some of our most critical campaigning issues. Working with the global Individuals at Risk Team, you will lead our work on behalf of Individuals at Risk (IAR) in Sub-Saharan Africa, assessing changing situations and reacting quickly to emerging priorities, capitalising on your political judgement and inspiring worldwide action within days. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/92174
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CAMPAIGNER – SOUTHERN AFRICA (LUSOPHONE COUNTRIES) Location: Johannesburg Type: Permanent A I Amnesty International
The mobile revolution. Geopolitical power shifts. A radically altered global economy. The world is changing, and so is the way that people fight for their rights. In order to be effective, Amnesty International’s (AI) International Secretariat needs to change how we work. That’s why we’ve opened a hub in Johannesburg. And why we need your campaigning expertise with us on the ground. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/92494
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REGIONAL ADVOCACY COORDINATOR – AFRICA Salary: $68,699 per annum Location: Nairobi, Kenya
For more than 50 years, we’ve been campaigning for human rights, wherever justice, freedom and truth are denied. We’ve reshaped policies, challenged governments and taken corporations to task. And in doing so, we’ve changed thousands of lives for the better. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/92337
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RESEARCHER – SOUTHERN AFRICA (LUSOPHONE) Location: Johannesburg Type: Permanent A I Amnesty International
The mobile revolution. Geopolitical power shifts. A radically altered global economy. The world is changing, and so is the way that people fight for their rights. In order to be effective, Amnesty International’s (AI) International Secretariat needs to change how we work. That’s why our Southern Africa Regional Office needs your research expertise with us on the ground. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/92493
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End of Pambazuka-news Digest, Vol 320, Issue 1
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The New Dark Age 