---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pambazuka Editor <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 8:02 PM Subject: Pambazuka News 548: Africa, Palestine and World Conference against Racism To: pambazuka-news <[email protected]>
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 548: AFRICA, PALESTINE AND WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839 CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Announcements, 3. Comment & analysis, 4. Advocacy & campaigns, 5. Books & arts, 6. Letters & Opinions, 7. Cartoons /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1 Features AFRICA AND PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD AT THE UN Lessons for decolonisation Horace Campbell ‘Social justice and transformation in Africa and Palestine are inextricably linked,' writes Horace Campbell. The 'demilitarisation of the region can only be secured by uniting the peace and justice forces in all parts of the world.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76539 ****** THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER TROY DAVIS' NAME NAACP, Dave Zirin 'Tonight the State of Georgia killed an innocent man,' writes the NAACP, following the death of Troy Davis on 21 September. 'Troy's execution, the exceptional unfairness of it, will only hasten the end of the death penalty in the United States. The world will remember the name of Troy Anthony Davis. In death he will live on as a symbol of a broken justice system that kills an innocent man while a murderer walks free.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76558 ****** THE WORLD MUST FIGHT RACISM Reflections on Durban and after Pierre Sane A decade after the historic World Conference against Racism, the issues raised remain relevant and urgent despite western opposition, writes Pierre Sane. The whole world must confront racism, which continues to reinvent its justification and modes of expression. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76540 ****** TENTH-ANNIVERSARY REFLECTIONS ON THE WCAR Jehan Abad The United Nations General Assembly will meet on 22 September 2011 at the UN headquarters in New York City to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), which contains a series of principles and proposals for fighting racism, writes Jehan Abad. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76506 ****** SUDAN STRUGGLE: AN AFRICAN SELF-DETERMINATION CAUSE Explo N. Nani-Kofi Clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Sudan Armed Forces are the latest flashpoints in a crisis that points to issues beyond the borders of Sudan, writes Explo N. Nani-Kofi. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76513 ****** OPPOSING CESSATION OF PROTECTION FOR RWANDAN REFUGEES Fahamu mounts petition drive, releases report Fahamu Refugee Programme Fahamu Refugee Programme has mounted a campaign to oppose States and UNHCR withdrawing the protection of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees from tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees currently in exile. ‘These are not people escaping retribution from the 1994 genocide,’ said Director Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond OBE. ‘They are those who have been fleeing Rwanda since, some quite recently, including large numbers of genocide survivors, who were never refugees before, as well as government officials and army officers, because of instability, ethnic strife, arbitrary judicial procedures, indiscriminate retaliation, political violence, intolerance of dissent, impunity, and lack of accountability.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76557 ****** EGYPT: DIARY OF A REVOLUTION Part one Gabriele Habashi Gabriele Habashi gives a gripping account of her experience during the early days of the protests that would eventually force President Hosni Mubarak out of power in Egypt. She debunks some myths about how the revolution actually unfolded. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76550 ****** AFRICA WILL HOLD NATO RESPONSIBLE FOR BLACK LIVES IN LIBYA Cameron Duodu Following reports of racist attacks on black migrants in Libya by anti-Gaddafi forces, Cameron Duodu says it’s ‘shameful that after touting “African unity” since 1963, Africans still have to seek NATO’S protection, because Africans are killing Africans.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76502 ****** NATO'S NEO-COLONIAL WAR: WHITHER INTERNATIONAL LAW? Courtenay Barnett For those who think that anything good is going to come out of the NATO-led war in Libya, and feel that it is mainly a question of some wrongly supporting Gadaffi, Courtenay Barnett begs to differ and examines the choices. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76510 ****** ANTI-IMPERIALIST RAGE SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTIVE Nii Akuetteh Nii Akuetteh wonders why his fellow Pan-Africanists and anti-imperialists are in a rage over the six-month imperialist intervention in Libya but not over the ten years Gaddafi was an imperialist stooge exiling, kidnapping, torturing and killing Africans, anti-imperialists and democrats. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76544 ****** MALAWI: UMUNTHU, EDUCATION AND A GLOBAL PARADOX Reflections on International Day of Peace Steve Sharra Plans for Malawian civil society protests on 21 September plunged the country into a state of anxiety on International Day of Peace, writes Steve Sharra. But with conflicts continuing elsewhere across the globe, Sharra argues that as long as we perpetuate ‘educational policies that ignore larger ideals of uMunthu-peace, social well-being and the greater good, the world will continue the paradox of celebrating peace amidst war, violence and death.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76507 ****** PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND GENDERED IMPLICATIONS OF DISASTERS Salma Maoulidi Salma Maoulidi writes that Tanzania has witnessed in the past week significant events in the country and region, which on the face of it may not appear related to her ongoing discussions on women and the constitution. However, from the president’s meeting with Islamic religious leaders, to the untimely death of Wambui Otieno-Mbugua, to the sinking of the ship off the coast of north Unguja, there is much to say about how these events make a more realistic discussion on women as subjects of the new constitution pertinent. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76508 ****** SOUTH AFRICA: WHY A UNIVERSAL INCOME GRANT MAKES SENSE Hein Marais Is job creation really the best way to seek wellbeing for all in countries with chronic, high unemployment? No, according to Hein Marais – especially not in a wealthy middle-income country like South Africa, where very high unemployment combines with high poverty rates. A universal income grant, he argues, makes much more sense. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76500 ****** CAMEROON: A DIVIDED OPPOSITION CHALLENGES PRESIDENT BIYA Dibussi Tande Are the 23 candidates in Cameroon’s October 9 presidential elections only in it for the money? Without a unifying opposition figure what hope for change is there? These are among the questions raised in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, compiled by Dibussi Tande, which also takes a look at elections in Zambia and Liberia. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76538 ****** WHY FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH South Africa, Libya and Ivory Coast Antoine Roger Lokongo Western powers preach democracy to African countries, but those same powers then undermine democracy in Africa, argues Antoine Roger Lokongo. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76501 ****** KENYA: GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED ON RIGHT TO FOOD Joseph Kibugu Kenya is under national and international obligation to guarantee the right to food, but the current famine and inadequate response point to government failure, writes Joseph Karugu, who calls for effective measures to end the cycle of famines. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76543 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2 Announcements FAHAMU CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS Comparative African perspectives on China and other emerging powers in Africa China’s deepening engagement with Africa is receiving increased attention from the global media, the public and private sectors and academic research. This should not however overshadow the activities of other emerging powers in Africa, including India, Brazil and the Gulf states. This call therefore seeks to develop African perspectives in the discourse surrounding the engagement between Africa and these emerging powers. Deadline for receiving applications: 12 October 2011. For further details please download information here ( http://www.fahamu.org/Fahamucallforresearchproposals2011-final.pdf ) . ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3 Comment & analysis ZIMBABWE: THE PROPOSED POLLING STATION-BASED VOTERS’ ROLL Opportunity and risk Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) One of the major features of proposed electoral reforms is the possible introduction of a localised voting system which will be conducted using polling station-based voters’ rolls. ZESN takes a closer look at the benefits and risks of such a system in the Zimbabwean context. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76505 ****** WILL THE FIRE IN THE ISRAELI EMBASSY SPREAD TO THE WHOLE REGION? Gabriele Habashi The fire at the Israeli embassy in Cairo on 8 September probably won’t ‘turn into a bushfire’, writes Gabriele Habashi, but it does give the Egyptian military an excuse for clamping down on protests by ordinary people in the eyes of the international community. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76548 ****** ETHIOPIA: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ON THE RISE Billene Seyoum Woldeyes As Ethiopian women’s rights organisations struggle to stay afloat following government legislation that prohibits them from receiving international funding, violence against women continues to rise, writes Billene Seyoum Woldeyes. But in the absence of social and institutional support, where can victims of gender-based violence turn to for help? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76504 ****** STATEMENT ON UN PEACEKEEPERS INVOLVED IN SEXUAL ABUSES IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE WILPF International WILPF International finds that the lack of procedures by the UN and those who occupy on humanitarian grounds are part of a militarisation that, without effective regulation, investigation, prosecution and punishment, has again lead to the commission of acts of serious sexual violence against women and young girls in Côte d'Ivoire. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76511 ****** SOUTH AFRICA: LAND REFORM GREEN PAPER DENOUNCED AS INADEQUATE Mike Cowling Mike Cowling finds that the first three pages of South Africa's land reform Green Paper seem to set the tone of what is to follow, by explaining what needs to be done without providing any indication of how this is to be achieved. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76512 ****** NO HONOUR AMONG DICTATORS Alemayehu G. Mariam According to Alemayehu G. Mariam, Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi has no qualms about backstabbing his professed friend, President Omar Bashir of Sudan, which is nothing strange. Dictators are in power for themselves and their cronies. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76542 ****** FINANCIALISATION AND WORLD FOOD PRICES: WHAT’S CARICOM DOING? Norman Girvan There is growing evidence that the financial markets have discovered the huge opportunities presented by agricultural commodities, writes Norman Girvan. The consequences are devastating, as speculators drive up food prices and plunge millions of people into poverty. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/76549 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4 Advocacy & campaigns ZIMBABWE: VIOLENCE AGAINST LESBIANS IN CHITUNGWIZA Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) A lesbian member of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) was physically assaulted and beaten on 2 September. The attack comes after continued reports of harassment and threats towards LGBT people in the area by known individuals. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/76545 ****** CALL FOR ORGANISATIONS TO SIGN THE DAKAR APPEAL AGAINST LAND GRABBING!! La Via Campesina http://www.dakarappeal.org During the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in February 2011, social movements, organizations of small food producers and other CSOs released a collective appeal against land grabbing. Over 650 organizations have already endorsed it. If your organization has not signed on yet and would also like to support this appeal, please do so before 7 October 2011. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/76509 ****** RIO+20 - AGRICULTURE, SIGN ON DOCUMENT The Development Fund, Norway http://www.timetoactrio20.org]www.timetoactrio20.org Sign up to a document with challenges and proposals for Rio+20 and agriculture, in the run-up to follow-up conference to the 1992 Earth Summit. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/76551 ****** NO REDD!! No REDD Platform http://noredd.makenoise.org/ On the World Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations, The No REDD Platform, a coalition of climate justice groups and Indigenous peoples organizations, seeks support for the letter attached. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/76554 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5 Books & arts ‘THAT LOOMING PRESENCE OF LIFE AND DEATH’ Interview with Professor Patricia Jabbeh Wesley Roland Bankole Marke Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, professor of English and Creative Writing at Penn State University, prize-winning poet and vocal survivor of the Liberian civil war, speaks to Roland Bankole Marke about her work. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/books/76503 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6 Letters & Opinions AFRICAN LESBIAN MAKES US HISTORY Nick Mwaluko Following the marriage of two lesbians of African descent in New York earlier this year, Nick Mwaluko asks whether their historic act will help change perceptions towards same-sex relationships in Africa, not just in the US. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/76546 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7 Cartoons WHERE IS GADDAFI? Gado We could speculate until the camels come home... http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/76537 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ Fahamu - Networks For Social Justice http://www.fahamu.org Pambazuka News is published by Fahamu Ltd. © Unless otherwise indicated, all materials published are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. For further details see: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/about.php Pambazuka news can be viewed online: English language edition ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en ) Edição em língua Portuguesa ( http://www.pambazuka.org/pt ) Edition française ( http://www.pambazuka.org/fr ) RSS Feeds available at http://www.pambazuka.org/en/newsfeed.php Pambazuka News is published with the support of a number of funders, details of which can be obtained here ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/about.php ) . 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