PAMBAZUKA NEWS 97 A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa
CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights and Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. Education and Social Welfare, 7. Women and Gender, 8. Refugees and Forced Migration, 9. Racism and Xenophobia, 10. Environment, 11. Media, 12. Development, 13. Internet and Technology, 14. eNewsletters and Mailing Lists, 15. Fundraising, 16. Courses, Seminars, and Workshops, 17. Advocacy Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters and Comments If you have e-mail access, you can get web resources listed in this Newsletter by sending a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the web address (usually starting with http://) in the body of your message. Want to get off our subscriber list? Write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and your address will be removed immediately! /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1.EDITORIAL PRISONER RELEASES - A RISK FOR THE GACACA SYSTEM Statement By African Rights, Kigali, Rwanda African Rights questions plans by the Government of Rwanda to release around 30- 40,000 genocide detainees on bail. Announced in a Presidential communiqué on 1 January 2003, we fear that this unexpected decision will undermine efforts to deliver justice for the victims and survivors of the 1994 genocide through the gacaca courts. Genocide suspects who have confessed - but not those accused of leading the killings - , minors who were between 14 and 18 years old during the genocide, elderly prisoners, the chronically ill and “other persons accused of ordinary crimes” will be included in the releases. The measure will apply only “to detainees who run the risk of being imprisoned for longer than provided for under the law”. While it is entirely understandable that the government must seek to prevent illegal detentions and the injustices they entail, we believe that this must be weighed against the potential havoc that the releases could wreak in the administration of genocide justice and that an alternative solution should be sought. It was clearly stated that the prisoners will remain subject to justice and are merely being offered “provisional liberty”. This is unlikely to reassure genocide survivors and witnesses who will be anxious that the suspects may gain an opportunity to attack their accusers or to evade justice through corruption or by going into hiding or exile. Mass “provisional liberty” represents a foray into the unknown. It is doubtful whether the Ministry of Justice or any other government department could offer assurances as to what the consequences will be. In every aspect of the genocide prosecutions, and from the outset, the Ministry of Justice in Rwanda has been forced to broach uncharted territory and take on overwhelming challenges, but this move is certain only to compound its existing struggles. Judicial institutions, which are already severely over-stretched, must now hasten to examine the cases of the relevant detainees within a month; this at a time when the nationwide launch of gacaca has brought its own pressures. And as the gacaca courts begin their work, many of them will now face additional and unanticipated practical difficulties. Firstly, the State can no longer guarantee the presence in court of the prisoners who have confessed. In this respect the sole reliable factor in the gacaca trials has been complicated. Even more worrying is the potential for released prisoners, returning to their communities, to intimidate the residents, thereby preventing wider participation in the trials and causing damage and trauma to individuals. Government assurances to increase the provision of counsellors and tighten security in court are to be welcomed, but inevitably cannot safeguard prosecution witnesses and judges in the period before the hearings. As African Rights' forthcoming report, 'Gacaca Justice: A Shared Responsibility', highlights, the implementation of gacaca is already encumbered by the reluctance of witnesses to name perpetrators and by several logistical problems, including shortcomings and gaps in the law, the inadequacy of some judges (Inyangamugayo) to their task, and dwindling popular attendance in some areas. But crucially, we believe the releases will undermine popular confidence in the process - the very factor upon which, our findings show, the success of gacaca depends. On the basis of our past research upon attitudes to justice, there is every reason to be concerned that the releases will have a negative impact upon all the parties involved in gacaca. Although these are not the first releases of genocide prisoners, they involve by far the largest numbers to date. Previously the government singled out selected groups of prisoners for unconditional release on humanitarian grounds; these were the elderly, the chronically ill and minors. The fact that this latest batch will also include these groups but apparently on different terms - in that they will be tried - is bound to be a source of confusion. Reactions among detainees to these earlier releases, as detailed in African Rights' June 2000-report: 'Confessing to Genocide', give some indication as to how this latest development will be received by them. At the time, prisoners and justice officials alike voiced near unanimous opposition to the release of elderly prisoners, arguing that many of them had led the slaughter, influencing the youth. Furthermore, the selective releases encouraged the hope among detainees that if they maintained their silence, the economic burden of imprisoning them would eventually ensure wholesale releases. This was a major obstacle to the functioning of the confession and guilty plea procedure, as it was implemented prior to gacaca. Gacaca gained a better reception as detainees anticipated much more lenient treatment and speedier trials. They are bound to have felt frustration at the delays so far and the releases will relieve this for some. But rather than prompting others to genuine confession it may be that they will encourage opportunism, with prisoners offering partial or inaccurate confessions simply in the hope of immediate release. Overwhelmingly, the releases will reinforce the perception that the government lacks the capacity to properly administer genocide justice. There have already been substantial inconsistencies in genocide prosecutions due to the introduction, first, of the confession and guilty plea procedure and, secondly, gacaca. It is logical that the government should seek to harmonise the system by, as the President suggested, “affording” prisoners who confessed prior to gacaca “the advantages available to those who confess under the law establishing gacaca courts”. But the current situation of some 120,000 prisoners in Rwanda's prison has persisted for years and with it an understanding of the time constraints involved. It is unfortunate that there have been delays in launching gacaca nationwide and this is almost certainly at the root of the problem. But nothing was done to prepare people or the gacaca courts for the possibility of imminent releases on this scale. Any sense that the government is wavering in its commitment to implement the gacaca system in its original form will create public uncertainty and weaken resolve. It is only six months ago that the first 12 pilot sectors began to implement the gacaca system. The sectors where the work is most advanced have just reached the stage of gathering the information necessary for categorising suspects. The witnesses who remain to be called include detainees who have confessed. A very large number of them may have given only superficial or partial accounts and fear being denounced for the crimes they have failed to reveal. Gacaca itself was introduced, in large part, because the confession and guilty plea procedure introduced in 1996 did not accelerate the pace of justice as hoped. It took time and considerable human resources to establish the veracity and comprehensive nature of prisoners' confessions, a process that slowed down the course of justice. Only after detainees have had the opportunity to confront the residents on the hills will it be possible to establish whether their confessions were full and sincere. If they are able to go home now, they will have the time to influence the outcome of their cases. The communiqué will also undoubtedly affect the independence of the gacaca judges. These judges are not operating in a vacuum, but in a given social and political environment. Whatever the arguments to the contrary, in reality it will be extremely difficult for these judges to send back to prison thousands of detainees which the State has already taken the decision to free, especially in a country where respect for authority is deeply ingrained. Moreover, in 'Gacaca Justice', African Rights emphasises that there is still no firm consensus about past wrongs and agreement about the meaning and purpose of justice initiatives in Rwanda. We suggest that the participatory nature of gacaca holds out the possibility of depoliticising the issue by placing it openly in the civil arena. The communiqué to release prisoners will have profound implications for the workings of the gacaca courts, and the sudden momentous decision will catch them unprepared. African Rights hopes the Government of Rwanda will pause and reflect how best to convince the people of Rwanda that genocide justice is a civil and moral enterprise rather than a political initiative or a lottery. * African Rights – Working for Justice, is a rights advocacy organisation working in Rwanda. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Related Link: * More genocide suspects released http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31987 * Send comments on this editorial for publication in the Letters and Comments section of Pambazuka News to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES AFRICA: U.S. WAR FOCUS RESULTS IN 'MALIGN NEGLECT' OF AFRICA A sustained financial and diplomatic commitment from the United States to conflict resolution in Africa was crucial to regional and international security, with the historical role that the US had played in destabilizing many African countries giving Washington a "unique responsibility" to engage with African efforts to achieve peace and stability, according to a new Africa Action report entitled "Africa Policy for a New Era: Ending Segregation in U.S. Foreign Relations." At a media briefing launching the report Adotei Akwei, Africa Advocacy Director of Amnesty International USA, said "the U.S. pre- occupation with the geo-strategic value of African countries in the 'war on terrorism' must not trump efforts to promote human rights and advance democracy." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12998 BURUNDI: ZUMA CONFIDENT ABOUT BURUNDI http://iafrica.com/news/sa/49708.htm It appears that all the major obstacles involving the Burundi peace process have been overcome and a peace force will be in that country soon, Deputy South African President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday. "We believe that in a matter of days many things will be happening. We believe we have crossed all the major hurdles and implementation (of the peace force) will start soon," he told the Johannesburg Press Club. DRC: THE FORGOTTEN CRUCIBLE OF THE CONGO CONFLICT http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=877 Despite a 2002 power-sharing agreement between Congolese parties, serious fighting continues in Eastern Congo, particularly Kivu and Ituri Provinces, where the population is suffering enormously under an almost complete absence of international attention. Unless peace-building processes are crafted specifically for the East and made central to the transitional government’s program, the headlined political agreements and other peace accords that have been brokered will remain never implemented words on paper says a report from the International Crisis Group, which warns against Congolese elections until serious progress is made in the peace process. ETHIOPIA: VIOLENCE ON THE INCREASE IN REMOTE GAMBELLA REGION http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31894 Dozens of people have been killed amid spiralling ethic clashes between rival groups in Ethiopia's western Gambella Region, on the border with Sudan. Although the area has traditionally been witness to tribal violence, the ferocity and scale of attacks are now causing serious concern. IVORY COAST: IVORIANS PROTEST AGAINST PEACE DEAL http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/ivo030127.html Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has returned home to uproar after signing a peace accord with rebels at a meeting near Paris. The deal has sparked huge anti-French protests in a country already split by civil war. Tens of thousands of protesters attacked the French embassy and French-owned businesses. But in France, other African leaders, the European Union and the United Nations gave their stamp to the deal. MOZAMBIQUE: FAMINE IN REMOTE AREAS A LOT WORSE THAN REPORTED http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=893 An international relief agency this week said the effects of food shortages in Mozambique were a lot worse than what had been reported. Following a visit to the southern African country, World Relief President Clive Calver said there was a grotesque unawareness about the impact of the food crisis, especially in remote areas. SOMALIA: 'FISTFIGHT' AT SOMALI PEACE TALKS http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2701787.stm A Somali professor says that his arm was broken by thugs hired by warlords at the ongoing peace talks in the Kenyan town of Eldoret. Professor Mohammed Abdi Gandhi told the BBC that he was beaten up after he and other representatives of civil society, including women, stormed a meeting of warlords. SOMALIA: LEADERS' COMMITTEE PROPOSES DELEGATES FOR SOMALILAND http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31924 Somali leaders attending the peace talks in the Kenyan town of Eldoret have proposed that extra delegates be allocated to represent the self-declared republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia, according to one of the leaders. SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI SAYS NO TO WAR IN IRAQ http://allafrica.com/stories/200301240704.html President Thabo Mbeki made an eloquent call last Friday for the Iraq question to be resolved peacefully through the United Nations, and not through war. Mbeki said South Africans had an interest in the peaceful resolution of the Iraq question, and "an obligation to stand up and join the struggle for peace. SOUTHERN AFRICA: HIV/AIDS A "HORRIFYING NEW DISASTER" http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31994 Although a humanitarian crisis had been mitigated in Southern Africa through swift food aid deliveries, a horrifying new disaster was looming in Southern Africa in the form of HIV/AIDS, James Morris, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy for humanitarian needs in Southern Africa warned on Wednesday. SOUTHERN AFRICA: MUCH NEEDED FUNDS PLEDGED FOR REGIONAL FOOD CRISIS http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=869 Three NGOs working to stave off the southern African food crisis have received a $114m emergency aid grant from a US Agency. This is for International Development Catholic Relief Services, which has announced that the grant would be channeled through itself, CARE and World Vision, to provide emergency and supplementary food distributions. This includes agricultural support and development training in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SOUTHERN AFRICA: UN WARNS OF ECONOMIC COLLAPSE AND INSECURITY http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=859 Around 12 million of Southern Africa’s 60-million people may die prematurely of Aids alone unless prompt and decisive action is taken to respond to the region’s humanitarian crisis, United Nations agencies have warned. SUDAN: CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES CRITICAL TO PEACE TALKS http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2003/jan/01222003_sudan.asp Five leading humanitarian organisations working in both southern and northern Sudan called on all actors in the peace process to make substantial progress towards peace in the coming weeks, including maintaining and extending the current cessation of hostilities. UGANDA: AUTHORITIES DENY FAMINE-RELATED DEATHS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31983 The Ugandan authorities have discounted local media reports of 79 deaths from severe famine in the semi-arid northeastern part of the country. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY AFRICA/GLOBAL: BINDING INSTRUMENT NEEDED TO GOVERN TNC'S The pursuit of voluntary principles or guidelines regarding companies' responsibilities and obligations in the human rights field should be complemented by the development of a binding instrument guaranteeing the cessation and non-repetition of a violation. This is the view of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) with regards the drafting of the 'Norms of Responsibility of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights' by a UN sub-commission. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12891 AFRICA/GLOBAL: CIVICUS HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AT THE WEF AND WSF http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=867 CIVICUS took its message of support for broader civic participation and engagement in global policy-making and processes to the recently-held World Economic Forum in Davos and World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. As an international alliance of civil society organisations in more than 100 countries, CIVICUS promotes the rights of citizens and citizen groups to be actively involved in decisions affecting their lives and communities. AFRICA/GLOBAL: TORTURE AND THE FIGHT AGAINST TERROR The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has expressed “deep concern” about increased questioning of the prohibition of the use of torture in countries that had previously vigorously upheld the absolute nature of this prohibition. This was now enabling the nations allied in the so-called "war against terror" to actively engage in the use of torture, either through their security services or those of states known to have poor human rights records. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12944 AFRICA: HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL As representatives of the world's civil society gathered in Porto Alegre and political and business leaders met in Davos, Amnesty International delivered its own alternative globalisation message: Globalise respect for human rights, globalise justice and globalise accountability for those who abuse rights. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12858 DJIBOUTI: US SEALS IMMUNITY DEAL The United States last Friday signed a deal with Djibouti that gives US troops in the Horn of Africa country immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12887 ETHIOPIA: CLERGYMEN, DEMONSTRATORS REPORTEDLY BEATEN UP BY POLICE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31874 Ethiopia’s federal police have beaten up clergymen and tortured religious demonstrators, the country’s human rights watchdog claimed on Thursday. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) said the assaults occurred after clashes between police and demonstrators at Addis Ababa's Lideta Mariam Orthodox church on 26 December. ETHIOPIA: EDUCATED SUFFER GOVERNMENT REPRESSION http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/01/ethiopia012403.htm The Ethiopian government is muzzling educators and students with a policy of harsh repression that includes extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and widespread denials of freedom of opinion and association, Human Rights Watch said in a new report. KENYA: WATCH OUT FOR 'MOISM WITHOUT MOI' http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270776.html Prof Ngugi wa Thiong'o, planning a visit to Kenya after many years in exile, has called on Kenyans to strongly guard against a serious ailment called "Moism without Moi". Prof Ngugi says this in his message of gratitude to Kenyans for bringing the momentous change that has ended "Moi's reign of terror and set me and many others free from exile". LIBERIA: CATHOLIC COMMISSION HIGHLIGHTS ABUSES AND VIOLATIONS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31998 Liberia's Catholic Justice and Peace Commission on Wednesday reported that extensive instances of human rights abuses and violations including arbitrary arrests of civilians by government forces were committed in Liberia in 2002. MALAWI: MALAWI SACKS MINISTER OPPOSED TO THIRD TERM BID http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28163263 Malawi President Bakili Muluzi on Tuesday sacked a senior minister opposed to his plans to amend the constitution so he can stay in office beyond the current legal limit of 10 years. Commerce and Industry Minister Peter Kaleso had been removed and his position handed to Muluzi ally Paul Maulidi. NIGERIA: 24 PARTIES SUE ELECTORAL BODY OVER ELECTION FEES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31916 A coalition of 24 Nigerian political parties on Thursday filed a suit in an Abuja court challenging the decision of the country's electoral commission to impose fees on contestants in coming general elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced it would charge as "processing fees" amounts ranging from 500,000 naira (US $4,000) for presidential candidates to 25,000 naira ($200) for those seeking local government councillorships. NIGERIA: OBASANJO MAY FACE UNITED COALITION http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270294.html Former vice-president and defeated presidential aspirant of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Alex Ekwueme, has called on all Nigerians across political divides to join hands in confronting the PDP. NIGERIA: POLITICAL VIOLENCE INCREASING BEFORE ELECTIONS The Nigerian government is doing far too little to prevent a wave of political violence in the pre-election period, Human Rights Watch says in a briefing paper. Some Nigerian officials have publicly condemned the rising political violence. The fifteen-page briefing paper, "Nigeria at the Crossroads: Human Rights Concerns in the Pre-Election Period," documents how politicians across Nigeria have used violence as a tool to acquire or retain political support, wealth and influence. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12934 ZIMBABWE: AMNESTY URGES GOVT TO CEASE CRACKDOWN ON ACTIVISTS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31907 Amnesty International last Friday said the level of fear among human rights activists in Zimbabwe has never been greater. The rights group called on the authorities to immediately cease the crackdown on activists perceived to be opponents of President Robert Mugabe's government. ZIMBABWE: MBEKI, OBASANJO 'TIMID WITH MUGABE' http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=6039 Zimbabwe's main civic groups have backed the blistering attack on President Thabo Mbeki by Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader, saying they were all frustrated by Mbeki's timidity in dealing with President Robert Mugabe. They spoke after Tsvangirai expressed his frustration with Mbeki to diplomats on Thursday, telling them that Mbeki was denying the existence of tragic circumstances in Zimbabwe and cheered Mugabe in the name of "a dubious African brotherhood". Related Links: * France defies UK over Mugabe http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2688005.stm * Mugabe’s grip tightens http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=14877 ZIMBABWE: THE PEOPLE NEED FOOD, NOT CRICKET Solidarity for Peace in Zimbabwe has called on competing cricket teams, cricket unions, reporters and cricket supporters to insist that the security shields around cricket grounds be removed. "We are told their purpose is to protect the players. In reality we know that their real purpose is to prevent the cricketers and visitors from seeing the plight of people outside," said a statement. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12851 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION AFRICA: WHAT OIL CAN DO TO TINY STATES http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51408 Marooned off Africa's western coast, the 150,000 people of São Tomé e Príncipe scrape a living from cocoa, fish, aid and tourism. But oil firms, sniffing with seismic ships, think billions of barrels may lie beneath the island-state's territorial waters. Oil could change everything in this former Portuguese colony. This week, for instance, the president, Fradique de Menezes, sacked a parliament that had been planning to curb some of his powers—including his power to negotiate oil deals. An election will be held in April. BURUNDI: IN A TALE OF MURDER LEADING TO BURUNDI'S ELITE, ONLY GUSTAVE THE CROCODILE IS CLEARLY INNOCENT http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=372539 The plot is pure le Carré, but tailored for the tropics. A bloodied body washes up on a lake shore in a central African country. The nation is shocked when the victim turns out to be a top United Nations official, clubbed to a pulp and flung to the crocodiles. Who could commit such a crime? Local police scramble into action, and make their arrests. But something smells rotten. A dogged reporter starts digging in the city's murky underworld. Soon a web of intrigue unfolds including rogue army officers, Western aid money and, maybe, the country's most powerful men. KENYA: CHEAPER BRIBES FOR KENYANS http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2690905.stm A survey conducted in Kenya by a corruption watchdog has found that ordinary Kenyans were forced to pay less money in bribes last year than in the previous year. The survey by Transparency International said that ordinary Kenyans had become emboldened and were beginning to challenge the culture of bribe-taking. KENYA: EMBATTLED JUDGE OGUK ON FRAUD CHARGE http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271345.html High Court Judge Samuel Odhiambo Oguk has been formally charged with obtaining money by false pretences. Oguk appeared before Nairobi Chief Magistrate, Mr Boaz Olao, and entered a plea of not guilty immediately after particulars of the two-count indictment were read out to him. KENYA: NGILU WARNS CORRUPT HEALTH OFFICIALS http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271350.html The Ministry of Health, listed among the most corrupt institutions in the country, will ensure corrupt staff are sacked and prosecuted, the Minister, Charity Ngilu, has warned. NAMIBIA: LOOTING OF FOOD AID INVESTIGATED http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=870 The Namibian government is investigating incidents of looting of relief food in recent weeks. The Namibian newspaper has reported that large quantities of maize meal, cooking oil and other commodities meant for drought relief had been looted in the Kavango and Ohangwena Regions, in the north and north-western parts of the country. NAMIBIA: NUJOMA WARNS GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES OVER GRAFT http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51434 President Sam Nujoma has expressed dismay over corruption in some State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) in which some individuals are enriching themselves with funds that are meant for improving living standards of the Namibian people. SOUTH AFRICA: CRACK TEAM FORMED TO STAMP OUT E-CAPE CORRUPTION http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51386 The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, has launched a multi-sectoral anti-corruption task team for the Eastern Cape. The team is being deployed in the province at the directive of President Thabo Mbeki. SOUTH AFRICA: NNP THROWS MARAIS AND MALATSI TO THE WOLVES http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=11&o=14839 The New National Party's leadership has suspended the party membership of Social Development Deputy Minister David Malatsi and former Western Cape premier Peter Marais pending an internal party investigation. Earlier in the week the pair were suspended from party activities pending a probe by the Public Protector into their role in the controversial Roodefontein golf estate development. SOUTH AFRICA: SCOPA IS BACK ON TRACK, CHAIRMAN VOWS http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270049.html Parliament's public accounts committee (Scopa) began 2002 deeply divided and maligned over the multi-billion rand arms deal, but new chairman Francois Beukman is now confident Scopa is back on track for 2003. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH AFRICA: AFRICA ACTION DEMANDS DOLLARS TO MATCH ANNOUNCEMENT ON AIDS Africa Action has welcomed the announcement of new money to fight HIV/AIDS by the Bush administration, but Africa Action Executive Director Salih Booker noted that this money must be made available immediately if it is to save lives and have a real impact on the course of the pandemic in Africa and globally. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12980 AFRICA: BUSH PROPOSES $15 BILLION OVER FIVE YEARS TO FIGHT AIDS http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#15741 President Bush in his State of the Union address proposed spending $15 billion over the next five years to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, a plan which includes $10 billion in new money, the Boston Globe reports. Aids activists remain sceptical. AFRICA: BUSH TURNS BACK ON AIDS FUND US-based HIV/AIDS lobby group ACT UP has slammed President George W Bush for turning his back on the UN Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. ACT UP said in a statement they were “disappointed” that only a small sum each year would be sent to the fund. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12959 GHANA: VIOLENT CONFLICTS SCARE DOCTORS FROM NORTH http://allafrica.com/stories/200301290153.html The recurrence of violent conflicts in the northern part of the country is one of the major factors that discourages doctors and other health workers from accepting postings to the area, says Doctor Elias Sory, Northern regional director of health. MOZAMBIQUE: POSITIVE LIVES: ART CARE BRINGS NEW HOPE IN MOZAMBIQUE http://www.msf.org/countries/page.cfm?articleid=F644531E-D497-4455- 8EC250F3752EC748 Thirteen percent of the people in this south-east African country have HIV: approximately 1,100,000 people. Close to 500 people are newly infected each day. An entire generation of Mozambicans is in mortal danger. Médecins sans frontières (MSF) runs five HIV-identification projects in Mozambique. Starting this month (January), MSF will open a new service in the country: treatment with anti-retroviral therapies; medicines which, although not able to eradicate the virus, can prolong the lives of HIV+ people for many years by effectively suppressing it. NIGERIA: 2.5M NIGERIANS HIV POSITIVE - REPORT http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271305.html About 2.7m Nigerians are reported to have tested positive and are living with HIV/AIDS, while 250,000 have died from full blown AIDS. NIGERIA: GOVERNMENT PLANS 100 NEW AIDS CENTRES NATIONWIDE Faced with increasing numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS, the Federal Government plans to establish 100 centres for its Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARV) programme this year. To achieve the desired results, it has also concluded arrangements for pharmaceutical companies to begin local manufacture of the anti-retroviral drugs. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12856 NIGERIA: HIV-POSITIVE WOMAN SUES OVER TREATMENT DENIAL The Centre for the Right to Health (CRH) a non-governmental human rights organisation based in Lagos, has filed an action at the Lagos High Court on behalf of a woman living with HIV/AIDS . The 39-year-old woman was denied access to treatment solely due to her HIV/AIDS status by the General Hospital in Lagos sometimes in March 2002, when she visited the hospital for treatment of opportunistic infections. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12869 SOUTH AFRICA: FINANCIAL SECTOR CAMPAIGN TARGETS INDUSTRY’S HIV/AIDS DISCRIMINATION http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=877 The South African Communist Party and the Aids Consortium have called for a meeting with the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, Jody Kollapen, to inform the body of its campaign against HIV/Aids discrimination in the financial sector. SOUTH AFRICA: US-BASED AIDS GROUP PLANS TO FILE COMPLAINT AGAINST GLAXO IN SA http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280068.html US-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation is planning to file a complaint with the SA Competition Commission against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, in a bid to widen access to AIDS drugs. The attorney representing the foundation in SA, Musa Ntsibande of law firm Strauss Daly, said that the complaint would argue that Glaxo abused its dominant market position in contravention of the Competition Act, and was engaging in excessive pricing of its drugs to the detriment of the consumer. SOUTH AFRICA: YOUTH SICK AND TIRED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20030107 A group of Guguletu youth - some victims of domestic violence and some affected by it - say perpetrators of rape, women and children abuse should be punished more harshly. National Adolescent Friendly Clinic Intiative 's Sbongile Pilane and his peers, all adolescent youth, are educating thousands of other youth them about their sexual rights and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. UGANDA: GOVERNMENT AGREES TO INCREASE HEALTH SPENDING http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=15670 In a "dramatic policy U-turn," the Ugandan government has agreed to increase health sector spending with money from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a move that will increase the country's resources devoted to health care, including HIV/AIDS, the Lancet reports. ZIMBABWE: STI RISKS HIGH AMONG ZIMBABWE'S YOUTH http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm? Section=PRB&template=/Content/ContentGroups/Articles/03/STI_Risks_High_Among_Zim babwes_Youth.htm Young people in Zimbabwe have a lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS, says a recent research article. In a country where roughly one-third of adults have HIV, the National AIDS Council (NAC) estimates that more than 50 percent of all newly- reported HIV infections are among people under age 18. Yet the country's young people are generally unaware of the risks of infection. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE AFRICA: AIDS, PUBLIC POLICY AND CHILD WELL-BEING http://www.unicef-icdc.org/research/ESP/aids/ This paper presents the findings of a global study carried out in 2000 on the specific impact of HIV/AIDS on children. The study is based on nine country case studies - six in Africa and three in Asia - and a review of five key areas: the health sector, the education sector, access to antiretroviral drugs, economic impact and child impoverishment and orphanhood. ANGOLA: 69 PERCENT OF ANGOLANS LIVE IN POVERTY http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=878 For the first time since the end of the Angolan civil war, poverty is mapped in the country. New national statistics have shown that between 68 and 69 percent of Angolans live in poverty, although it is expected that real numbers could be even higher. IVORY COAST: BELLIGERENTS RECRUIT CHILD SOLDIERS http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=15368 Fatherland TV, a rebel-run television, shows how new recruits, some as young as 13, go through the rigours of military training in northern Cote d'Ivoire. One of the recruits, Alpha Soumahoro, a high school dropout from Bouake, the second city of Cote d'Ivoire, which is held by rebels, says he is fighting to restore the ‘dignity' of his ethnic group, the Dioulas. KENYA: WHY CHILD LABOUR WILL NOT END SOON http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270555.html Whereas the Government's move to implement free and compulsory universal primary education has been lauded as a sure way of ridding society of child labour and street children, experts are still sceptical. They argue that free and compulsory education alone is unlikely to stem the problem if it is addressed in the way in which it is being done at the moment. MALAWI: RISING NUMBER OF STREET CHILDREN AS FOOD CRISIS DEEPENS http://www.tearfund.org/news/newsitem.asp?id=7892 As the food crisis tightens its grip in Malawi, Christian relief and development agency Tearfund reports a worrying increase in the number of children coming onto the street in the desperate search for food and money. Starvation looms for more than three million people in Malawi, almost a third of the population, as a result of the country’s worst food crisis for decades. NIGERIA: CARE CENTRES GIVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31893 Set up in January 2001 by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Umuchigbo community, the Umuchigbo centre is one of 113 early childhood education centres set up on an experimental basis in 10 states in central and southeastern Nigeria with an estimated population of 28 million people. They now have a joint enrolment of 12,108 children managed by 459 teachers or caregivers. The centres are part of a new initiative to give Nigerian children the best possible start in life. NIGERIA: REPRESENTATIVES TO REVISIT CHILDREN'S BILL http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32001 Nigeria's House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to revisit the Child Rights Bill and reverse its decision last October to reject the bill on the grounds it offended certain cultural sensibilities. SOMALIA: CHILDREN SENT ABROAD FACE TOUGH FUTURE http://www.europaworld.org/week113/agapintheirheart24103.htm According to a new report released this week by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Somali children sent abroad in the expectation of a better life instead end up facing serious psychological and identity problems, and in extreme cases, are even forced into prostitution as part of an exploitative child-smuggling business. SOUTH AFRICA: CHILD LABOUR MUST BE STOPPED http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271166.html The Congress of South African Trade Unions has expressed concern at a report, commissioned by the Department of Labour, that reveals that 36% of children in South Africa are involved in child labour, as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). SOUTH AFRICA: PUPILS SHUN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271067.html Scores of township schools are facing closure or are standing empty despite widespread overcrowding of classrooms around South Africa. Hassan Lorgat, spokesman for the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, said pupils were leaving township schools because they thought schools in the suburbs offered better education and were less dangerous. ZIMBABWE: TEACHERS' UNION THREATENS STRIKE http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271274.html The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) has gave the government an ultimatum to address its concerns to avert a possible strike early next month. Leonard Nkala, the Zimta president, said the Public Service Commission should address the teachers' demands or risk industrial action. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7.WOMEN AND GENDER AFRICA: GLOBALISATION, LABOUR STANDARDS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS: DILEMMAS OF COLLECTIVE ACTION http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=871 This document assesses the view that globally enforced labour standards are in the interests of workers everywhere, particularly those who are unable to fight for such standards themselves. While such views may be genuinely held, the author believes that they are based on a historical and uncontextualised understanding of what is at stake. AFRICA: STRUGGLE AGAINST AIDS IN AFRICA MUST ADDRESS IMPACT ON GIRLS AND WOMEN Sexual abuse of girls in Zambia fuels the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the strikingly higher HIV prevalence among girls than boys, Human Rights Watch says in a new report. Concerted national and international efforts to protect the rights of girls and young women are key to curbing the AIDS epidemic's destructive course. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12928 DRC: ELIMINATE UNFAIR PRACTICES AGAINST WOMEN http://193.194.138.190/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/AA8895FA97806B18C1256CBC002D 3640?opendocument Commending the Congo for its frank acknowledgement of serious obstacles to gender equality, expert members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also stressed the need for the Government to take concrete measures to eradicate the deeply entrenched traditional practices and customary laws that continued to subject women to unfair treatment. EAST AFRICA: USING THEATRE TO ADDRESS GENDER ISSUES http://www.comminit.com/pdskdv92002/sld-6250.html People's Popular Theatre (PPT) is a community-based group that uses theatre to raise awareness about discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, or disability. The organisation conducts research on traditional cultural art forms and practices, exploring how they affect gender relations and then working to correct gender imbalances in society through performance art. In addressing these issues, PPT uses African artisitic modes to strengthen cultural identity. PPT focuses most of its activities in Kenya. KENYA: GOVT TO ESTABLISH GENDER COMMISSION http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280840.html The Government will establish a National Gender Commission to over see gender issues in the country, minister for gender, sports, culture and social services Najib Balala says. KENYA: WOMEN LEADERS ANGRY OVER CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW DELAY http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31984 A section of women leaders in Kenya has accused members of the country's constitutional review team of trying to delay the review process "for personal gains" after commissioners called for the rewriting of the draft constitution. LESOTHO: TWIN CRISES DEVASTATING FAMILIES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31900 The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, James T. Morris, has highlighted the plight of women and children amid the twin crises of HIV/AIDS and food shortages. MALI: WOMEN, LIVING SPACES AND HEALTH IN URBAN MALI http://www.id21.org/urban/s6cps1g1.html How do urban women manage their health in their day-to-day lives? Can the organisation of living space lead to poor health? What health challenges are presented by communal living? These questions are explored in research from University Laval, Quebec, into health practices in a squatter commune in Mali. NIGERIA: WOMEN PROTESTERS DISRUPT WORK AT NAVY BASE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31917 Hundreds of women protesters in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta have blocked access and disrupted construction of a new naval facility planned by the government to protect oil operations in the troubled region, residents said last Friday. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION AFRICA/GLOBAL: MIGRATION, GLOBALISATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT http://www.id21.org/society/s10cct1g1.html By all appearances, migration has stepped up in the past two decades. Is it correct to say that migration is one of the problems of globalisation? What effect does this movement have on local economic growth? Does it contribute to sustainability in any way? AFRICA/GLOBAL: VICTIMS OF PROGRESS: RESETTLING PEOPLE DISPLACED BY DEVELOPMENT http://www.id21.org/society/s10cdt1g1.html Infrastructure development projects annually displace over ten million people. Dams, mines, urban renewal projects, water and sewage pipelines, roads and railways all lead to the loss of residence and livelihoods. Do the resettlement guidelines formulated by governments and donors address the serious socio- economic consequences? Are displaced people sufficiently consulted, compensated or assisted by resettlement schemes? BOTSWANA: BUSHMEN'S COURT CASE AGAINST BOTSWANA TO BE HEARD The crucial case for the 'Bushmen' of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) has been referred to Botswana's High Court to be heard as 'a matter of urgency'. The court will consider the case brought by over 200 Bushmen and determine if they were deprived of their land by the Botswana government forcibly, wrongly or without their consent. At least 1500 Bushmen have been evicted from the CKGR in the last six years. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12843 DRC: INTER-AGENCY MISSION TO ASSESS IDP SITUATION NATIONWIDE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31909 An inter-agency mission will begin a two-week tour on Monday to assess the situation of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a view to devising strategic plans to overcome the country- wide problem, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). KENYA: FIGHTING VIOLENCE AGAINST REFUGEE WOMEN Since she fled her war-torn homeland more than 10 years ago, Somali refugee Zahara Mohamed Ali has learned a brutal lesson: "When you are a refugee, you become subject to all kinds of violence. You can always be mistreated." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12940 KENYA: REFUGEES FACING FOOD SHORTAGES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31882 Competing food crises on the African continent, leading to over-stretched donor funding, have led to food rations being cut in Kenya's two main refugee camps. Over 220,000 people in Kenya's northern camps of Kakuma (in Turkana) and Dadaab (in Garissa) had their food rations cut from 2,120 kilocalories per day to about 1,600, Lara Melo, spokeswoman for the World Food Programme told IRIN on Thursday. LIBERIA: DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ENDS VISIT http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31889 The Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Mary Ann Wyrsch concluded on Thursday a two-day assessment visit on the general refugee situation in Liberia and expressed concern over the increasing number of refugees in the country as a result of the conflict in neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire. LIBERIA: HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORT http://allafrica.com/stories/200301240052.html The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Liberia, Marc Destanne de Bernis, on Tuesday appealed for additional support to meet the needs of refugees and returnees from Cote d'Ivoire in Liberia, the UN in Liberia reported. MALI: RETURN AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR TRAFFICKED CHILDREN http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280795.html The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has provided return and reintegration assistance to 293 illiterate and impoverished Malian children trafficked to work as domestic and agricultural labourers in Cote d'Ivoire. NAMIBIA: DEVELOPMENT POLICIES FAILING TO ASSIST MOST MARGINALIZED MINORITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES A new report from Minority Rights Group International (MRG) expresses serious concern over the treatment of minority communities in Namibia who remain disadvantaged, marginalized and at risk in a country of extreme disparities in wealth, high unemployment and dangerous levels of rural poverty. MRG's report highlights the detrimental affects of development policies which fail to consult minority groups or consider the impact on their lives and means of livelihood. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12889 RWANDA/UGANDA: RWANDAN REFUGEES OVERWHELM UGANDA http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280783.html The influx into Uganda of Rwandan refugees expelled from Tanzania continues unabated, breaking down the screening capacity at Uganda's border posts. Refugee rights' lawyers have called on the governments of Uganda and Tanzania to intervene to avert conflict between the refugees and locals who are increasingly competing for land. ZIMBABWE: ABANDONING NOMADIC LIFESTYLE LEAVES THE SAN TRAUMATISED http://allafrica.com/stories/200301271289.html For the San people who live in the forests of Makhulela, about 120km west of Plumtree town in Bulilima District, the transition from abandoning their traditional life of hunting and gathering to that of cultivation and rearing livestock has left them trapped in a time-warp. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: THE END OF DEVELOPMENT? GLOBAL WARMING, DISASTERS AND THE GREAT REVERSAL OF HUMAN PROGRESS http://www.neweconomics.org/uploadstore/pubs/e_o_d.pdf This report by the editor of the World Disasters Report and the New Economics Foundation's Policy Director argues that human development faces potentially the biggest u-turn in its history. After decades of painfully slow human advancement, global warming and bad development threaten a great reversal of human progress. AFRICA: AFRICA EDGES CLOSER TO BEING LEAD-FREE http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=2701200311404336&authors=Katie% 20Mantell&posted=27%20Jan%202003&c=1&r=1&t=NB Most African countries will have switched to unleaded petrol - or will have almost phased out lead from petrol - within five years, according to research by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). AFRICA: COLLISION COURSE: FREE TRADE'S FREE RIDE ON THE GLOBAL CLIMATE http://www.id21.org/urban/s7aas1g1.html Economic activity can cause environmental degradation, it is clear. But just how great is the impact of international trade on the global environment? This study focuses on the extent to which the transportation of goods around the world increases greenhouse gases and leads directly to climate change. AFRICA: TROPICS, GERMS, AND CROPS - HOW ENDOWMENTS INFLUENCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=884 This document asks whether economic development depends on geographic endowments like temperate instead of tropical location, the ecological conditions shaping diseases, or an environment good for grains or certain cash crops? Or do these endowments of tropics, germs, and crops affect economic development only through institutions or policies. EAST AFRICA: STATES TO REGULATE FISHING ON LAKE VICTORIA http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280832.html The three East African countries have developed an action plan to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on Lake Victoria. Directors of fisheries from the three countries said they have established regular cross-border meetings involving fishermen, law enforcement agencies, fisheries officers and local authorities from both sides of the border. ETHIOPIA: ZEBRA CONSERVATION LINKED TO FOOD SECURITY http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31926 A British conservationist, fighting to save a rare breed of zebra from extinction, has stressed that its future is intertwined with Ethiopia’s food aid dependency. Dr Stuart Williams is battling to save an estimated 500 Grevy's zebras which live in the mountainous areas of southern Ethiopia. KENYA: KENYA DISTRIBUTES IMPROVED EUCALYPTUS TO FARMERS http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2003/2003-01-28-03.asp A new variety of genetically superior eucalyptus trees has been introduced in Kenya, a move that could save Kenya's forests from further depletion. The trees are being introduced to rural farmers in an initiative spearheaded by the National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Program - an extension initiative funded by the Swedish International Development Agency. NIGERIA: COMMUNITY PROTESTS SHELL'S INDIFFERENCE http://allafrica.com/stories/200301280306.html The people of Ochigba community in Ahoada East Local Government, Rivers State, have staged a peaceful demonstration over the attitude of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to an oil spillage in the area two months ago. SOUTHERN AFRICA: ZIMOZA ON TRACK http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270260.html Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia are ironing out the details of an environmental initiative that aims to share natural resources and their management in the underdeveloped trans boundary region linking the three countries. The ZIMOZA trans boundary natural resources management initiative will see the participating regions of Luangwa in Zambia, Zumbo in Mozambique and Guruve in Zimbabwe combine efforts to develop the area by building schools, health centres, boreholes and other amenities. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA MALAWI: REPORTER SHOT On 27 January 2003, Penelope Paliani-Kamanga, deputy chief reporter for the "Daily Times", Malawi's oldest daily, was shot in the knee by a rubber bullet. The shot was fired by Blantyre anti-riot police, who fired shots to disperse demonstrators. Members of civil society were demonstrating against the tabling of a bill in Parliament aimed at allowing President Bakili Muluzi to serve a third term in office. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12888 SOMALIA: PUNTLAND ADMINISTRATION LIFTS BAN ON BBC REPORTERS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31978 The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, have lifted the ban on two BBC reporters, according to a senior official in the region's commercial capital, Bosaso. SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=883 The South African Department of Health issued public statements in May 2002, upgrading its HIV/Aids policy, and acknowledging the link between HIV and Aids. But the Department of Health has yet again taken a step back by inviting an Aids dissident to address departmental officials. Minister Tshabalala-Msimang is not, however, alone in playing down the magnitude of the HIV/Aids problem. It seems that the Afrikaans and the conservative English media also follow her lead in the limited coverage HIV/Aids receives. SOUTH AFRICA: SABC JOURNALISTS ASSAULTED http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=882 Two SABC journalists were allegedly assaulted and held captive by teachers at a school near Lomanyaneng, North West Province. The two radio journalists, Ms Lexi Herholdt and Ms Nthabiseng Makhongoana told the South African chapter of MISA that they were investigating a story of a school principal who refused to give learners reports because of non-payments of school fees. UGANDA: FIRST AFRICAN WOMEN'S RADIO STATION http://www.comminit.com/CommforDevNews/sld-6317.html 101.7 Mama FM, 'The Voice to Listen To' is the first radio station run by and for women in Africa, and one of three in the world. Mama FM is a community radio station aiming to address the plight of the underprivileged through developmental interactive communication and broadcasting gender sensitive educational programmes. Covering a radius of 400 km and 13 million people in Uganda, the station broadcasts in English, Kiswahili and local languages. ZAMBIA: MONITOR JOURNALISTS PICKED UP BY POLICE FOR QUESTIONING http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=880 Police picked up three journalists from the privately owned Monitor newspaper for questioning, in connection with a story the newspaper published in its October 18-21, 2002 edition. The story links Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's brother, Harry Mwanawasa, to corruption. ZIMBABWE: ACT USED TO ARREST AND TORTURE Since the promulgation of the repressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA), the police have selectively used it to curtail the freedoms of the opposition and civil society through summary arrests, says the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe. Those arrested are usually taken to police stations unknown to their lawyers and families. Some have been assaulted and others even tortured. In most cases, the accused are either released without charge or have their cases dropped due to lack of evidence. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12848 ZIMBABWE: INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ORGANISATIONS REGISTER http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=881 Two international news agencies, Reuters and Agence France Press, have obtained accreditation for their bureaux and news staff in Zimbabwe, after submitting the stipulated fees in US dollars to the Media and Information Commission. The American news agency Associated Press refused to do so and closed its bureau, although it retains two correspondents. ZIMBABWE: JOURNALISTS ARRESTED Fanuel Jongwe, a senior journalist with the Daily News, was arrested last Friday together with five foreigners in the mining town of Zvishavane. The group was charged for practising journalism without licences. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12882 ZIMBABWE: OPPOSITION PARTY OFFICIAL ARRESTED FOR TALKING TO INDEPENDENT MEDIA http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=887 Kenneth Gwabalanda Mathe, an official of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, appeared at the Victoria Falls magistrate’s court, charged under section 12 (a) of the Public Order and Security Act, for having given comment to a daily newspaper. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: IMPROVING GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE http://www.southcentre.org/publications/occasional/paper08/globalgovernance.pdf Global economic governance refers to the institutions, norms, practises and decision-making processes from which rules, guidelines, standards, and codes arise in order to manage the global economy. This paper - produced by the South Centre - recommends that in order to carry out a true reform of global economic governance, democratic participation and representation with a view towards reforming decision-making must be guaranteed; South-South cooperation through coalitions and groupings must be encouraged, and a realisation of the need to strengthen existing institutions, rules, and processes, or to even replace them with new ones, must be made. AFRICA: DAVOS CLUB SNUBS AFRICA http://www.ips.org/index.htm Despite talk from WEF officials that this evidently exclusive organisation is moving towards openness and inclusion, African officials and NGOs here are complaining that the "elitist" gathering has failed them. AFRICA: INDEBTED TO DEATH http://www.rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml? sh_itm=0cc3fe3d84ee485826b5d4492d9dcddb&r=1 Foreign debt is a tool for the economic domination of the Third World by large corporate interests, and the corporate agenda is now entering a dangerous new phase: the exchange of territory for debt repayment. That was the message delivered this weekend at a World Social Forum panel on corporate domination by Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow. World Social Forum Links: * http://www.portoalegre2003.org * http://www.oneworld.net/specialreports/worldsocialforum/ * http://www.choike.org/ AFRICA: POVERTY-ERADICATING JOB CREATION http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=888 This report presents a macro-economic framework underlying many policy proposals by churches, labour, and non-governmental organisations. The core of the proposal addresses a "virtuous circle" of growth arising out of social investment that would expand the economic capacity for human development and growth. AFRICA: PREACHING THE FREE TRADE GOSPEL http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,878208,00.html America's top trade official, Robert Zoellick, went to Africa to preach the new gospel. Free trade is good for your economies, he told representatives of 31 countries assembled in Mauritius to mark the second anniversary of the US African growth and opportunity act, a regional trade pact allowing them special access to America's markets. Africa would "benefit greatly" from reducing or even eliminating subsidies and other barriers to trade, Mr Zoellick told the meeting. Pity then, that the message doesn't seem to have got through to America's farmers - who received an 10% increase in subsidies last year - or for that matter the American steel industry, which George Bush protected from foreign competition with punitive tariffs on imports. SOUTH AFRICA: CAN SHELL BUILD TRUST? http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=868 Just four months after the infamous World Summit on Sustainable Development, world leaders and corporates (such as Shell) gathered this week in Davos, Switzerland, to further entrench globalisation and its associated ills, says environmental NGO groundWork. SOUTH AFRICA: NORTHERN NGOS - PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERSHIPS http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=863 What is the role of Northern NGOs within the context of development aid to South Africa? This report examines what a selection of Northern NGOs have been doing in South Africa, particularly since 1994. It also looks at what their priorities have been and how they have changed. This also includes the question of what they see as their future roles and contributions towards development in South Africa, in coming years. UGANDA: THE SHORT-RUN WELFARE EFFECTS http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/publications.htm The promotion of human welfare is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of economic development. To achieve this, many developing countries adopted trade liberalisation in the late 1980s. Analysis of Uganda, a typical Sub- Saharan Africa country largely recognized as a front-runner in trade liberalisation, finds that trade liberalisation is no panacea to developing country problems, says this paper from the United Nations University. ZAMBIA: CIVIL SOCIETY GAINS VOICE ON REDUCING POVERTY IN ZAMBIA http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html UNDP has helped transform strained relations between the Zambian Government and civil society into productive dialogue on the national poverty reduction strategy and other development issues. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY ‘THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: TOWARDS AN INFORMATION SOCIETY IN AFRICA' VUB Press In the book 'The digital divide in developing countries: towards an information society in Africa' the editors have brought together a selection of articles centred around the changing communications landscape and the digital divide in Africa. Some authors point at the possibilities of ICTs for Africa to become part of the global information society. Others are warning for too optimistic scenarios and are arguing that the way to go is long, difficult and problematic. In general this book is presenting an overview of the different discourses and scenarios linked to the information society in Africa. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12965 CASE STUDY SERIES ON ICT-ENABLED DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHED http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=872 Bridges.org and the International Institute for Communication and Development have launched a case study project to search for innovative and effective uses of ICT at the ground level. "We are hoping that the project would establish a resource for ICTs and development stories that would, over time, begin to show a pattern of best practice. The intention is to disseminate the case studies through a variety of channels to reach the widest possible audience." IMPROVING ACCESS TO EDUCATION VIA SATELLITES IN AFRICA http://imfundo.digitalbrain.com/imfundo/web/tech/documents/satprimer/Improving% 20access%20via%20satellite.pdf?verb=view This paper explores the uses of satellite technology and its potential contribution to education, based on the premise that lack of technical infrastructure is severely hampering the potential use of ICTs for basic education in sub-saharan Africa. A total of 18 examples of satellites in education are explored and a list of providers in Africa is given. NEW DATABASE ON THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY SYSTEM A new database on the United Nations human rights treaty system includes easy- to-use organisation of all material of the UN human rights treaty system by state and the organisation of all material of the UN human rights treaty system by theme or subject matter. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12860 SOUTH AFRICA: CURIOSITY CURES THE KNOWLEDGE GAP http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=886 Researchers in South Africa were astonished as rural youngsters quickly taught themselves how to operate their first computer without any formal instruction. Run by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and supported by the Department of Science and Technology, the project was designed to find out whether rural South African children had the cognitive skills to understand computers without any formal training. USING SMS TO FIGHT TB A Cape Town doctor has dramatically helped the fight against tuberculosis (TB) by introducing a SMS service to remind patients to take their medication. Dr. David Green, a consultant in Managed Care, Disease Management and Information Systems, became so frustrated when his mother constantly forgot to take her medication for hypertension, that he started sending her SMS reminders -- and it worked. It did not take him long to make the connection between the effectiveness that his SMS messages had on alerting his mother, the high incidence of TB in Cape Town, and the possibilities that bulk SMS messages could present. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12964 WI-FI DISCUSSION FORUM SA mail list IOZ has launched a new mail list for those interested in wi-fi. As it notes: "Regulatory restrictions on the use of wireless telecommunications in South Africa notwithstanding, the WiFi list advocates the development of wireless communities and the deployment of WiFi as a mechanism for the delivery of broadband services in both urban and rural areas". Its interest is focused on but not limited to South Africa. The IOZ.wifi mailing list is an open list; to subscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], with "subscribe wifi" in the body of your message. (Reposted from: Balancing Act News Update, http://balancingact-africa.com) /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS FORUM ON HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA AF-AIDS is a regional forum on HIV/AIDS in Africa, moderated by the Health & Development Networks Moderation Team (HDN, www.hdnet.org) with technical support from Health Systems Trust (HST) on behalf of the AF-AIDS Policy and Steering Committee (HST, HDN & SAfAIDS). To join, send a blank message to join- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] RECEIVE COSATU LABOUR NEWS DAILY http://www.cosatu.org.za/news.html#news-e COSATU and SAMWU provide labour news daily by e-mail. This free service focuses on labour news stories and features, primarily from South Africa, but also from the rest of Africa. It includes news briefs and daily labour news summaries as well as a weekly digest of key news stories. To subscribe, visit the web site provided. SOMALI CIVIL SOCIETY EMAIL NEWSLETTER [EMAIL PROTECTED], previously known as Somali Civil Society News, is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. The name of the newsletter has been changed to karti@somali- civilsociety.org to ensure synergy between this newsletter and the one that is also produced periodically by the NOVIB Somalia project that is also known as KARTI. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali- civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING ANGOLA: EU TO DISBURSE 50 MILLION EUROS http://allafrica.com/stories/200301300046.html The European Union (EU) will grant 50 million Euros in the forthcoming five years for Angola. In a first phase, the amount will be used in humanitarian aid, the returning and resettlement of war displaced people, reinsertion of former UNITA soldiers, health improvement, agriculture and de-mining. BRITISH COUNCIL GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT SMALL PROJECTS FUND The removal of gender discrimination and the promotion of gender equity remain central elements within the Higher Education Link scheme. The Gender and Development (GAD) small projects fund supports projects that specifically target gender issues. These projects focus on gender and development and are intended to either add a gender dimension to an existing Higher Education Link or to stimulate interest in a gender area in a particular country to form the basis for future HE links activity. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12931 GATES FOUNDATION COMMITS $200 MILLION TO GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE http://fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml;jsessionid=5IGED12BIGS0MP5QALRSGW15AAA ACI2F?id=23000002 The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $200 million grant to establish the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, a joint venture with the National Institutes of Health that will seek to identify critical scientific challenges in global health and increase research on diseases that cause millions of deaths in the developing world. HOW THE INTERNET CAN BRING FUNDRAISING BACK INTO BALANCE http://news.gilbert.org/clickThru/redir/4639/15863/rms To discover the real promise of online fundraising, we have to first start with the right vision of the craft of fundraising itself. As with all attempts to empower nonprofit practices with new technology, it's almost always a mistake to start with the technology itself. It is wiser to start with a pure understanding of the nonprofit practice that the technology is meant to serve. In this case, that means asking: What is fundraising? INTERNET NONPROFIT CENTER Information For And About Nonprofits http://www.nonprofits.org/ The Internet Nonprofit Center publishes the Nonprofit FAQ, a resource of information provided by participants in many online discussions about nonprofits and their work. Resources at the Internet Nonprofit Center include Resources for fundraising online and a feature on "Fundraising Productivity". NEW WEBSITE ON HUMAN RIGHTS FUNDING The International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG) web site has been designed as a resource not only for human rights funders but also human rights groups around the world. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12930 SOUTH AFRICA: SOCCER TOURNAMENT TO RAISE FUNDS IN COMMEMORATION OF NKOSI http://www.iol.co.za/index.php? click_id=125&art_id=vn20030128132628621C383014&set_id=1 The inaugural Nkosi Johnson International Soccer Challenge will take place on February 9. The Kansas City Wizards from the United States will play against two premier soccer league clubs to raise funds for Nkosi's Haven. All the money raised during the two games will be contributed to Nkosi's Haven in honour of the boy who touched so many hearts with his Aids message. SOUTHERN AFRICA: UN WELCOMES PRETORIA'S $20 MILLION DONATION FOR RELIEF OPERATIONS IN REGION http://allafrica.com/stories/200301290693.html The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed South Africa's $20 million donation for the agency's emergency food operation for southern Africa. ZAMBIA: ZAMBIA TO RECEIVE K 420M FOR HIV http://www.zamnet.zm/newsys/news/viewnews.cgi?category=10&id=1043914714 Zambia is slated to receive more than K 420.4 million for AIDS programmes from the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. ZAMBIA: ZEC SECURES K5BN RELIEF FOOD http://www.zamnet.zm/newsys/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id=1043914307 The Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has secured relief commodities from its cooperating partners amounting to $190,000, (about K5 billion) for distribution. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS 13TH ICASA UPDATES --1ST CALL FOR ABSTRACTS, DEADLINE EXTENDED The ICASA conference is the forum where every 2 years, African Scientists, Health providers, social leaders, political leaders and communities come together to share experiences and updates on the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The next ICASA (13th ICASA) conference will be held in Nairobi Kenya from 21st - 26th September 2003. Abstracts are invited for presentation at the conference. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12915 5TH ANNUAL WORKSHOP ON PROCEDURES OF THE AFRICAN REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM 11-20 AUGUST 2003, FAJARA, THE GAMBIA The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa is a pan-African NGO that works towards the promotion and protection of human rights and development, through the implementation of African human rights treaties. The Institute will hold its Fifth Annual Workshop on Procedures of the African Regional Human Rights system. The workshop will give participants practical, concrete knowledge of how to use African human rights treaties and enforcement mechanisms in their work. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12911 AFRICA: POVERTY ANALYSIS INITIATIVE http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=892 The Poverty Analysis Initiative team is organizing three activities in Africa, under the Attacking Poverty Program, at the end of January and in early February. A high-level meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, should establish a regional forum for supporting empirically based policy analysis, and monitoring and evaluation of poverty. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH MICRO-INSURANCE SCHEMES IN AFRICA: TRAINING FOR TRAINERS AND PROMOTERS Arusha, Tanzania, 3 To 7 March 2003 Today, in most African countries, only limited public health expenditures reach the poor. Decreasing social and health budgets, often inadequate and poor quality health services, as well as cultural problems, are major constraints for many poor to gain access to health care services. The main objective of this program is to increase knowledge on the monitoring and evaluation aspects of health micro-insurance schemes in Africa. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12913 SOUTH AFRICA: SACP TO HONOUR JOE SLOVO http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=876 The South African Communist Party will hold a seminar that is aimed at appraising the theoretical contribution to the South African struggle of its late former national chairperson, Joe Slovo within the alliance and the overall South African perspective. SWAA CONFERENCE: ACCESS TO CARE AND TREATMENT FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) is pleased to announce its IXth International Conference: Access to Care and Treatment for Women, Children and Families in Africa. The event will be held in Khartoum, Sudan from 26-29 May 2003. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12914 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES EMAIL THE COFFEE GIANTS http://www.maketradefair.com/spage/english/action11.asp? cat=1&subcat=1&select=1&special=yes Nestle have recently settled a claim against the Ethiopian government, reducing the claim from $6 million to $1.5 million and agreeing to immediately donate the money back to be spent on famine relief. Visit Oxfam's campaign web site and find out more about their campaign against the coffee giants and how you can help make trade fair. TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/iraq/tenthings.html Discover all the methods available for you to make your voice heard against the war on Iraq by visiting the web link provided. Use fax, email phone and snail mail to join the campaign against the war. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS ANGOLA: PROGRAMME DIRECTOR Save The Children http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/8472C3943572F7D2C1256CB1004D4FEC Save the Children has been successfully working in Angola since 1989 and our programme has brought widely recognised improvements to children's lives. Our work has included pioneering work in family tracing as well as nutrition, management of health systems and strengthening community social structures. As the Programme Director, you will be critical in leading the programme forward in a new direction in response to the changes in the context in Angola since the ceasefire in April 02 and subsequent cessation of civil war. BURUNDI: SENIOR FIELD OFFICER Christian Aid With responsibility for Christian Aid's Burundi Programme, you will manage the staff and field office, develop Christian Aid's policy and programme, and contribute to the strategic planning of the wider team. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12907 GAMBIA/UGANDA/GHANA/MALAWI/GREAT LAKES: COUNTRY DIRECTOR ActionAid We are looking for dynamic and competent candidates to fill the Country Director positions in the countries in Africa where we work. These are very senior leadership and management positions in the organisation directly reporting to the Africa Regional Director and having functional relationships with counterparts in Africa and other divisions and regions of ActionAid. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12910 GHANA: COUNTRY DIRECTOR Concern Universal http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/9713069B5FFEC276C1256CB10045B55B Concern Universal's mission is to enhance the dignity and to improve the lives of people living in poverty; to enable people to help themselves by providing practical opportunities to create a better future; to work with determination and care to empower people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or political affiliation. TANZANIA: TEACHERS Iringa International School http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=142556 The Iringa International School is in search of several full-time Primary and Secondary School teachers. These are full-time, 35 hour a week, multi-subject teaching schedules. The hours are, generally, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 to 1:30 Fridays. Applicants must be passionate and experienced in the subject area, for which they are applying, disciplined workers, creative, team players, and above all caring teachers. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS DESPITE GOOD INTENTIONS: WHY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO THE THIRD WORLD HAS FAILED For more than thirty-five years, Thomas W. Dichter has worked in the field of international development, managing and evaluating projects for nongovernmental organisations, directing a Peace Corps country program, and serving as a consultant for such agencies as USAID, UNDP, and the World Bank. On the basis of this extensive and varied experience, he has become an outspoken critic of what he terms the "international poverty alleviation industry". He believes that efforts to reduce world poverty have been well-intentioned but largely ineffective. On the whole, the development industry has failed to serve the needs of the people it has sought to help. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12933 HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WELFARE http://www.du.edu/gsis/hrhw/volumes/2003/3-1/ The first issue of the 2003 volume of Human Rights & Human Welfare is now online. It currently features three robust essays by Richard McIntyre, Paul J. Magnarella, and Todd Landman, covering some recently-acclaimed titles by Michael Ignatieff, Richard Falk, Patrick Hayden, and George F. DeMartino, among others. STRATEGISING AGAINST THE GAZE http://www.chimurenga.co.za/ Confronted with Western criticism (which, after all, reflects the public's desires and thus the success of these films in Europe), films by directors of African descent intrinsically have to prove their ‘Africanism’. Only then can they receive the holy unction, the recognition of their "authenticity", begins this article in the online version of CHIMURENGA, an arts, politics and culture magazine. THE DEBT TRAP IN NIGERIA: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE DEBT STRATEGY Edited By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Charles C. Soludo And Mansur Muhtar http://store.yahoo.com/africanworld/1592210015.html The Debt Trap in Nigeria - Towards A Sustainable Debt Strategy - is the first major study to put the debt question in Nigeria into perspective. It is the outcome of a historic conference held in May 2001, at Abuja, to debate Nigeria’s future in the context of the debt overhang. Convened by the National Debt Management Office, in collaboration with the African Institute for Applied Economics, Enugu, and the UK Department for International Development, the Conference was attended by a broad spectrum of local and international participants from the public and private sector. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: AUXILLIA CHIMUSORO AWARDS 2003 The Zimbabwe AIDS Policy and Advocacy (ZAPA) project invites nominations for individuals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), AIDS Service Organisations (ASOs), Community-based Organisations (CBOs) or corporate institutions that have excelled in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, research, care and support programmes in Zimbabwe for this year's awards ceremony to be held in March 2003. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12912 DR. J. AYO LANGLEY Department Of African Studies, Howard University, Washington DC, United States I think the Newsletter is a welcome and long overdue perspective on NGOs. My students in the "NGOs and Africa" course will love it. Thanks. DR. JOHN K FULTON The Alliance For Southern African Progress The prevailing political and economic cataclysms of Zimbabwe demand high priority action from the international community. Peace and security in the country is no longer a mere threat, but breeched in real terms, with dire implications internally and regionally if the atrocious human rights violations in the country are permitted to persist or escalate. The offensive politically motivated violence and blatant contempt for justice, law and order is the direct result of Robert Mugabe’s untenable governance policies. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12919 INVITATION TO SUGGEST TOPICS FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH REVIEW 2003 The preparations for the SAHR 2003 are underway. The theme for this year is equity. We would like to invite you to submit your suggestions on what you think should be covered in this Review, by 15 Feb 2003. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=12859 KATHERINE SALAHI, BELLAGIO PUBLISHING NETWORK Oxford UK 'How Europe Underdeveloped Africa' (Pambazuka News 96, Section 12) is by the late Walter Rodney, not Patrick Wilmot, who is alive, living in London, and an editor of News Africa, according to their website. A new edition of Walter Rodney's ground-breaking work is available from East African Educational Publishers. REDUCING ZIMBABWEAN CRISIS TO RACE IS 'CHEAP' "The people being starved to death are not white; the majority of those killed by the regime's killing machine are not white; those who languish in jail as I speak to you and are subjected to incessant torture and sub-human conditions are not white; those in the rural areas who are daily subjected to brutal treatment are not white. It is therefore despicable and cheap for anyone to reduce such a tragedy to an issue of race for the sake of a fake African brotherhood and political expediency." - Morgan Tsvangarai, quoted in the Zimbabwe Independent, January 24, 2003 WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE A Letter Reposted From PHA-Exchange Because I am safe, well fed and in good health, I can TRY to demonstrate against a system in which half the people in this world of plenty are not safe, do not eat enough, and are in poor health…So much so that 30,000 of them die every day of avoidable causes. Because political and economic decisions affecting people everywhere in the world are taken in a small mountain resort called Davos in Switzerland. Here leaders of multinational corporations dictate to our "elected leaders" mostly behind closed doors. For example, the UK (represented by British Petroleum) and the Netherlands (represented by Shell) decide how to dispose of Nigeria's oil reserves. Meanwhile Nigerians live (and die) in poverty. Yesterday, on the 25th of January 2003, I tried with thousands of others to demonstrate for democracy, peace and social justice. At Landqart and Berne, we were gassed, hosed, sprayed with rubber bullets, herded into enclosures, made to stand for hours in the cold, marched along rail tracks to reach our destination, put on and off trains, chased up and down streets, running, frightened, outraged. BUT we had the luxury of transport home in a warm, comfortable train where we ate snacks, looked after our headaches and stinging eyes, and thought about what went wrong. That luxury is the right of every human being on earth. Next week, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families may be attacked; they have been bombed senseless since 1991. They will also be on the move but without food, water or aspirins. If this happens, many of them will die. That is why we go to Davos. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY FAHAMU, KABISSA, AND SANGONET Fahamu - learning for change Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.fahamu.org Kabissa - Space for change in Africa 24 Philadelphia Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kabissa.org Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT) P O Box 31 Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.sn.apc.org The Newsletter is an advocacy tool for social justice. The Newsletter is open to any organisation committed to this goal. You can use this Newsletter to tell others about your work, events, publications, and concerns. The quality and range of information depends on you. SUBMIT YOUR NEWS If your organisation is a regular provider of information, please ensure that your information is widely read by adding [EMAIL PROTECTED] to your addressbook and mailing lists. Help us in particular by making sure that sections relevant to your work are well represented. We consider every submission to that address for inclusion. Please attribute original sources by including a website address and/or contact e-mail. SUBSCRIBE The Newsletter comes out weekly and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail. Subscription is free! To subscribe, send an e-mail to <pambazuka-news- [EMAIL PROTECTED]> with only the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. WRITE AN EDITORIAL We welcome original editorials. Typically, editorials run 300-500 words and include links and contact details of their authors. Space is available through the website for longer editorials. Please inquire to [EMAIL PROTECTED] FAIR USE This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We strive to attribute sources by providing direct links to authors and websites. When full text is submitted to us and no website is provided, we make the text available on our website via a "for more information" link. Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] immediately regarding copyright issues. The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed editorials, do not necessarily represent those of Kabissa, fahamu and SANGONeT. (c) Kabissa, Fahamu and SANGONeT 2003 If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] should you need further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
