Today’s Topics:
1. Pambazuka News 347: Links and Resources (Firoze Manji)
format=flowed
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 347: LINKS AND RESOURCES
The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for
social justice in Africa
Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839
With nearly 500 contributors and an estimated 500,000 readers
Pambazuka News is the authoritative pan African electronic weekly
newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa providing
cutting edge commentary and in-depth analysis on politics and current
affairs, development, human rights, refugees, gender issues and
culture in Africa.
To view online, go to www.pambazuka.org/
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE ? please visit, www.pambazuka.org/
en/subscribe.php
CONTENTS:
1. Announcements,
2. Action alerts,
3. Zimbabwe update,
4.
Women & gender,
5. Human rights,
6. Refugees & forced migration,
7.
Social movements,
8. Elections & governance,
9. Development,
10.
Health & HIV/AIDS,
11. LGBTI,
12. Racism & xenophobia,
13.
Environment,
14. Media & freedom of expression,
15. Conflict& emergencies,
16. Internet & technology,
17. Fundraising & useful
resources,
18. Courses, seminars, & workshops,
19. Jobs
Support the struggle for social justice in Africa. Give generously!
Donate at: www.pambazuka.org/en/donate.php
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
Highlights from this issue
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Formation of the Citizens Assembly
ZIMBABWE UPDATE: SADC talks ‘dead and buried’ says MDC
WOMEN AND GENDER: Call for higher investments in women
CONFLICT AND EMERGENCIES: Rebels walk out of Uganda peace talks
HUMAN RIGHTS: Bush administration urges halt to apartheid case
REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION: Violence hampers aid in Chad
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: Moroccan trade unions strike for change
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: Egypt detains Islamists ahead of vote
DEVELOPMENT: African NGOs call for moratorium on biofuels
HEALTH AND HIV/Aids: Another setback for microbicide research
LGBTI: Lesbians, feminists gather in Maputo
RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA: Civil society to prepare for the Durban review
conference
ENVIRONMENT: Paying for the price of mining in South Africa
MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Liberian community radio station
closed down
INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY: Kigali Protocol comes into force
PLUS: e-newsletters and mailings lists; courses, seminars and
workshops, and jobs
*Pambazuka News now has a Del.icio.us page, where you can view the
various websites that we visit to keep our fingers on the pulse of
Africa! Visit del.icio.us/pambazuka_news
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
1 Announcements
VOTE FOR BLACK LOOKS
Last chance
Thanks to all who voted for Sokari Ekine’s blogsite, Black Looks.
Here’s your chance to help her get through to the finals. The final list is up and voting ends tomorrow for Best International Feminist Blog
www.acreativerevolution.ca/node/596/
Thank for your continued support
******
FORMATION OF THE CITIZENS ASSEMBLY
Invitation from CCR Kenya
www.meetingwizard.com/mwiz/v/r.cfm
-mtag=391760265&m=170466&g=1748545
You are invited to take part in the formation of the citizens
Assembly to lay out the framework for enacting a new constitution.
Kenya can and will rise again. But this is only possible if there is
a democratic constitution in place to institutionalize good
governance. The citizens Assembly is scheduled to be launched on
April 9-10,2008 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The structure and agenda of the assembly will be discussed in a web-
forum scheduled for Saturday, March 1, 2008, 5pm-7pm Kenya Time
(+3hrs GMT), 9am-11am Eastern— New York Time (-5hrs GMT). This will
be followed by The Way Forward forums in USA, Canada, UK, Sweden and
Kenya, between March 15-31, 2008. Organizers urge all concerned to
step on the path that leads Kenya towards genuine democratic
transformation. For more info Tegi Obanda +1-613-316-5501
(International Coordinator) or Peter Kironyoh +254-722-685830
(National Coordinator)
******
25 CITIES JOIN SOLIDARITY DAY WITH HAITI
February 29th Organizing Committee
So far 25 cities — in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Europe
and North America — are organizing for the International Day in
Solidarity with the Haitian People on February 29th, fourth
anniversary of the coup. They are planning street protests and
marches, vigils, film showings and public meetings to demonstrate
support for self-determination, democracy and justice for the people
of Haiti.. Everywhere, new people are becoming involved.
Solidarity events are being organized in Brazil, the US and Canada —
countries that provided troops and leadership for the foreign
military occupation of Haiti — as well as in South Africa, Ireland
and the Caribbean, in support of the resistance of the people in Haiti.
This is a critical moment for Haiti. Deepening poverty and the
spiraling cost of living, as well as continuing human rights
violations, are all part of daily life under Occupation. But the
people’s resistance remains strong, and our solidarity is needed.
Here is what you can do:
1. Organize an activity for Haiti on or around Friday, Febuary 29 in
your city or town. [It can be during the week before, or the weekend
after.]
2. Let us know now what you are planning — date, time, location,
type of activity, contact information — so we can build the
campaign. After your event, please call or email us a report
immediately so we can publicize each city’s protest activity while
the news is still fresh.Call +1-510-847-8657 or email feb29@sonic.net
3. Work for the safe return of abducted Haitian human rights advocate
Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. For more information and to sign the
petition, go to www.globalwomenstrike.net/Haiti/HaitiIndex.htm
and www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=207
4. Order the new DVD “What’s Going on in Haiti?” – about Haiti in
2007 under US/UN Occupation.The 16-minute DVD includes live footage
of the Dec. 22, 2006 UN massacre in Cite Soleil, and the massive Dec.
16 march in Port-au-Prince against the Occupation that preceded it.
Live footage of the July 6, 2005 UN massacre in the same neighborhood
also included. English narration. Order by phone or email. Be sure to
include the street address where you want it delivered. Our costis
about $8 for each DVD including shipping by US priority mail [fast
mail or overseas is more]. Your contribution will be appreciated;
mail to HAC, PO Box 2218, Berkeley CA 94702.
5. Order buttons for the ‘3rd International Day in Solidarity with
the Haitian People’ (2-inch round). Our cost is about $1 per button
including shipping by US priority mail. Be sure to include your
street address. Order by phone or email. Mail contributions to HAC,
PO Box 2218, Berkeley CA 94702
6.. Spread the word to your friends in other cities. Circulate these
documents:
a. The Call to Action: 3rd International Day in Solidarity with the
Haitian People – Coordinated International Protests on Feb. 29, 2008
is posted on the Haiti Action Committee
websitewww.haitisolidarity.net as well as at the news website
www.haitiaction.net Contact us to receive the Call to Action in
Spanish or Portuguese.
b. Collective Punishment of a People, a timely, half-sheet analysis
of Haiti since the February 29, 2004 coup, can be downloaded at
www.haitisolidarity.net Suitable for printing up and passing
out at your event.
Thank you, brothers and sisters.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
2 Action alerts
SOUTH AFRICA: POLICE SHOOT 3 CHILDREN IN CAPE TOWN
Police have started shooting people at close range in Delft. There is
pandemonium and brutality. Following yesterday’s ruling in the High
court which upholds Thubelisha Homes and the state’s eviction order
against the community, the residents decided to appeal at the Supreme
Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. The lawyers worked through the night
doing the paperwork for this appeal.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/action/46228
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
3 Zimbabwe update
SADC TALKS ‘DEAD AND BURIED’ SAYS OPPOSITION MDC
The two factions of the MDC on Thursday, jointly announced the end of
dialogue with Robert Mugabe?s ruling ZANU-PF. They also accused South
African President Thabo Mbeki of having failed to broker a resolution
to the stalled talks. The talks completely broke down in January when
Mugabe unilaterally called the polls for 29th March, leaving no time
for the implementation of a new draft constitution agreed on by all
parties.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
4 Women & gender
GLOBAL: UNFPA CALLS FOR HIGHER INVESTMENTS IN WOMEN
www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1099
Government officials, experts, and representatives of non-governmental organizations will meet here next week to evaluate
investments made so far in achieving equality between men and women.
The gathering, during the Commission on the Status of Women to take
place from 25 February to 7 March 2008, will share lessons learned
and good practices, identify effective policies, and foster the
exchange of national and regional experiences to achieve gender
equality, empower women, and reduce gender-based violence.
******
NIGERIA: RIGHTS GROUP URGES UN TO ADDRESS SEX TRAFFICKING
Equality Now, an international human rights organization has urged
United States member states to make specific commitments to end sex
trafficking. In a statement, the group said it was concerned that the
issue of sex trafficking had been marginalised at the forum to Fight
Human Trafficking now holding in Vienna, Austria.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/46230
******
GLOBAL: CITIZENS GUIDE TO GENDER ACCOUNTABILITY
www.genderaction.org/images/Gender%20Justice_Final%20LowRes.pdf
The Citizen’s Guide to Gender Accountability is written in context of
recent endeavours by International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to
assess compliance and enforce institutional accountability to their
own policies and procedures on gender equality as well as other cross-
cutting issues. The establishment of the accountability mechanisms
such as the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) is also designed to
empower locally-impacted and other concerned individuals to raise
policy related concerns, including those on gender and seek redress
for negative impacts resulting from Bank operations.
******
GLOBAL: UNFPA SCALES UP EFFORTS TO SAVE MILLIONS OF WOMEN
www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1098
A new thematic fund for maternal health has been created to boost
global efforts to reduce the number of women dying in pregnancy and
childbirth. The fund, established by UNFPA, the United Nations
Population Fund, will also encourage developed countries and private
sponsors to contribute more to saving women?s lives.
******
ALGERIA: WOMEN CITE PROBLEMS WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW FAMILY CODE
tinyurl.com/28tws4
Three years after Algeria’s family code was revised, women are
looking back with regret on their initial enthusiasm for the change.
What appears to have been a well-intended effort to protect women and
children’s rights has inadvertently caused many of them to lose
everything.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
5 Human rights
SOUTH AFRICA: BUSH ADMINISTRATION URGES HALT TO APARTHEID SUIT
tinyurl.com/25aztr
The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to throw out a
lawsuit that accuses more than 30 U.S. and European corporations of
violating international law by assisting South Africa’s former
apartheid government. The case — three suits being considered
jointly — seeks up to $400 billion in damages from corporations such
as Ford Motor Co., IBM Corp., Citigroup Inc., and General Electric
Co., for their business relationships with the South African
government from 1948 to 1994, according to court papers.
******
KENYA: KENYA HAS NO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, JUDGES SAY
www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982093
Kenya does not have a constitutional court, the Court of Appeal has
declared. Eleven days ago, the Court of Appeal told High Court judge,
Justice Joseph Nyamu, that the Constitution had not created a
constitutional court with supervisory powers over all the other
courts. Nyamu, who heads the Constitutional and Judicial Review
division of the High Court, ran into trouble after he asserted that
the constitutional court was mandated to inquire into alleged
violations of fundamental rights and freedoms of a litigant that may
arise from a decision of the Court of Appeal or the High Court.
******
UGANDA: GOVERNMENT STRIKES DEAL WITH LRA ON TRIALS
tinyurl.com/39b42u
The Ugandan government has struck a deal with the Lord’s Resistance
Army (LRA) about where their leaders will be tried. LRA leaders
accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes would be tried by a
national court under the terms of the deal. Many of the people have
been charged with horrific crimes ? and international warrants have
been out for their arrest for more than two and a half years.
******
RWANDA: EX-MINISTER PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 11 CHARGES BEFORE UN
GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25695
A former Rwandan government minister has pleaded not guilty to 11
charges during his first appearance before the United Nations war
crimes tribunal set up to deal with the 1994 genocide in the small
country. Callixte Nzabonimana, 55, who served as minister of youth
and sports in Rwanda?s interim government in 1994, made the plea
yesterday before Judge Dennis Byron of the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is based in Arusha, Tanzania.
******
SIERRA LEONE: COURT UPHOLDS SENTENCES ON MILITIA CHIEFS
africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL22858165.html
Sierra Leone’s war crimes court on Friday rejected an appeal by three
former militia leaders against long jail sentences handed down last
July for atrocities committed during the former British colony’s
civil war. “The court finds no reason to interfere (with the
sentences),” Presiding Judge George Gelaga King told the Special
Court for Sierra Leone.
******
RWANDA: FRANCE TO PROSECUTE TWO GENOCIDE SUSPECTS
tinyurl.com/3ywj5b
In a historic decision, a French court has accepted a request of the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to try Wenceslas
Munyeshyaka and Laurent Bucyibaruta before French courts for their
alleged participation in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Munyeshyaka
was a priest in charge of the St Famille parish in Kigali during the
genocide in which countless Victims who sought refuge there were
brutally massacred.
******
AFRICA: ANGOLA ‘WORST’ FOR CHILD DEATHS
english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/
25418434-14B6-4FE4-90DC-960BFDD4A447.htm
Angola has been ranked worst in the world for tackling child deaths,
in a new report by a UK-based charity that compares child deaths to a
country’s income per person. Oil-rich Angola has a child mortality
rate of 260 deaths per thousand – 162 deaths higher than predicted
for its economy’s size, according to the report, released on Monday.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
6 Refugees & forced migration
CHAD: VIOLENCE HAMPERS AID AS MORE REFUGEES ARRIVE
africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN224766.html
Violence in eastern Chad is preventing aid workers from reaching
thousands of refugees who fled Sudanese government attacks in Darfur
last week, with a new wave of refugees expected after fresh
bombardments. Beatrice Godefroy, head of the Swiss branch of Doctors
Without Borders in Chad, told Reuters up to 8,000 refugees had poured
across the border from Darfur last week and were living rough in the
desolate area around the border town of Birak.
******
EGYPT: MIGRANT SHOT DEAD TRYING TO CROSS BORDER
tinyurl.com/3exvoj
Egyptian security forces shot dead a Sudanese man trying to cross
into Israel on Tuesday. A total of five African migrants have now
been killed crossing the border so far this year. Security officials
said 50-year-old Ermeniry Khasheef was shot in the back after he
ignored orders to stop as he attempted to cross barbed wire near the
border town of Rafah.
******
BURUNDI: UN SEEKS $34 MILLION TO HELP REFUGEES RETURN HOME FROM TANZANIA
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25698
Seeking to end one of the most prolonged refugee situations in the
world, the United Nations is appealing for $34 million to assist
218,000 Burundians who fled to neighbouring Tanzania to escape
violence in their homeland over 35 years ago. The so-called ?1972
Burundians? are among the hundreds of thousands of Burundians who
sought refuge in neighbouring countries that year to escape ethnic
violence which killed an estimated 200,000 people. They are distinct
from Burundian refugees who arrived in Tanzania in the 1990s.
******
NORTH AFRICA: RETURNING TO MAURITANIA
english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3639D16D-6F7C-4D20-B408-
EF6B121F3BF8.htm
In the coming months, up to 24,000 Mauritanians will return home
after almost 20 years in exile. Many have been living in refugee
camps in Senegal since a minor border dispute escalated into deadly
ethnic riots in 1989. Some black Mauritanians later returned on a
voluntary basis, but the vast majority remained in Senegal.
******
CHAD: AID REACHES REFUGEES IN MALTAM AMID DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76871
As refugees began moving from the northern Cameroonian town of
Kousseri to a more permanent site in Maltam some 32 kilometres away
this week, services and facilities were being rapidly prepared to
accept them but conditions remain extremely basic. Refugees, most of
whom fled Chad at the beginning of February when anti-government
rebels launched an attack on the capital N?djamena, started being
trucked to Maltam on 16 February.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
7 Social movements
MOROCCO: TRADE UNIONS STRIKE FOR CHANGE
tinyurl.com/2unstn
Despite pleas from Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, three of Morocco’s
five national trade unions held a 24-hour strike on Wednesday
(February 13th), paralysing the nation's civil service. The FDT
(Democratic Labour Federation), UNMT (National Union of Moroccan
Labour) and USF (Civil Servants? Union) proceeded with the strike
after two meetings with El Fassi. Morocco?s two other trade unions
opted out of the strike, saying that the government should be given
more time to consider the union’s demands for pay increases and
legislative reforms.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
8 Elections & governance
EGYPT: GOVERNMENT DETAINS ISLAMISTS AHEAD OF VOTE
www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=332887
Egyptian police detained dozens of members of the Muslim Brotherhood
on Wednesday, expanding a crackdown on the country’s strongest
opposition group ahead of local elections in April. The Islamist
group, which holds one fifth of the seats in Parliament, poses the
most serious challenge to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP)
in the April 8 elections for local councils, which the NDP has
dominated for years.
******
ZIMBABWE: MUGABE CALLS RIVAL PROSTITUTE
www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15952
President Robert Mugabe has likened independent presidential
aspirant, former Zanu-PF political bureau (politburo) member and
finance minister, Simba Makoni to a political prostitute who tries to
endear himself to the electorate even when the electorate does not
like him. This is the first time that the 84-year old leader has
openly castigated Makoni for having brokered away from his ruling
Zanu-PF party, an attack that could be the opening episode of more
that are yet to come as Mugabe moves to launch his presidential
campaign in the near future.
******
COMOROS: AU BLAMES REBEL ISLANDERS FOR CRISIS
africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN242554.html
The chairman of the African Union Commission blamed the leaders of a
renegade island in the Comoros on Friday for stoking a crisis that
has prompted the government to prepare an invasion. Mohamed Bacar,
the self-declared president of Anjouan island, has defied the AU and
the national authorities in the coup-prone Indian Ocean archipelago
since he won an illegal election last June.
******
KENYA: AFRICA’S TOP DIPLOMAT PUSHES RIVALS TO AGREE
africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN229651.html
Africa’s top diplomat pushed Kenya’s feuding parties on Friday to
reach a speedy deal after the government agreed in principle to
create a prime minister’s post to help end a deadly post-election
crisis. “The weekend will be crucial. We hope that next week we’ll
have something which can be agreed,” newly-elected African Union
chairman Jean Ping told a news conference in Nairobi.
******
MOROCCO: POLITICAL PARTIES HOPE TO COUNTER GROWING VOTER APATHY
tinyurl.com/2h2tg5
Reforming the political process topped the agenda at a conference of
Moroccan politicians this week. Party leaders acknowledged they have
failed to properly address the needs of the younger generation and
said changes are planned to get the public involved in politics.
******
SUDAN: CABINET RESHUFFLED
english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/
The Sudanese cabinet has been reshuffled. State media reported the
dismissal of Mohammed Ali Mardhi, the justice minister, and the
moving of Awad Ahmed al-Jaz, the energy minister, to the finance
ministry. Mardhi has been replaced by Adbel Basit Sabderat, who was
the federal affairs minister.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
9 Development
AFRICA: NGOS CALL FOR MORATORIUM ON BIOFUELS
www.afrol.com/articles/28075
Uproar is slowly spreading among African civil society organisations
and scientists, fearing that the biofuel revolution will bring more
food insecurity, higher food prices and hunger to the continent. A
petition calling for a “moratorium on new agrofuel developments in
Africa” has so far been signed by over 30 NGOs all over the continent.
******
TANZANIA: BUSH SIGNS $700 MILLION HUMANITARIAN PACT
www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/17/africa/bush.php
President George W. Bush has been smothered with affection here,
never more so than on Sunday, when he sat at a wooden desk under a
sweltering sun with President Jakaya Kikwete by his side, and signed
a $698 million grant of foreign aid to Tanzania. But while people
here in the capital city of this east African nation are excited
about Bush, another American politician seems to excite them even
more – Barack Obama.
******
AFRICA: WIDESPREAD PRAISE OF BUSH?S AFRICA VISIT IGNORES FLAWED LEGACY
www.africaaction.org/newsroom/release.php?op=read&documentid=2806
As President Bush returns to the United States from his whirlwind
tour of Africa, Africa Action notes with concern that coverage of
Bush?s trip has concentrated on particular successes in individual
countries while ignoring the systemic, continent-wide development
challenges that unjust U.S. economic policies continue to promote.
Most of the attention around the Bush visit has focused on U.S.
public health programs in Africa, particularly the President?s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
******
UGANDA: BIODIVERSITY: PRIVATISATION OF SEEDS MOVING APACE
www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=41289
The Ugandan parliament will soon have a hearing on the draft Plant
Variety Protection Bill, approved by the cabinet early last year. If
passed unmodified, the bill is likely to entrench the rights of
breeders and companies while curtailing the rights of small farmers
to exchange, save and breed new varieties using hybrid seeds.
******
UGANDA: BIODIVERSITY: EXPOSING ‘’THE AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION’’
www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=41288
Uganda?s major trade partners are not only looking for food markets
but also for seed markets. This has happened in a push that has been
packaged as ??the new green revolution?? by corporations involved in
biotechnology and chemicals. They have been supported by
philanthropic organizations, notably the Rockefeller Foundation and
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
******
AFRICA: EVALUATING THE SEVEN AFRICAN ‘SUCCESS STORIES’
www.eldis.org/go/country-profiles&id=35528&type=Document
This paper evaluates the seven presumed African success stories:
Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and
Uganda. It gives a detailed analysis of the economic, political,
governance and human development scenarios in each country, and
identifies the emerging challenges.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
10 Health & HIV/AIDS
AFRICA: HERPES TREATMENT IN AFRICA: TIME FOR A RETHINK?
www.aidsmap.com/en/news/E7E89B48-68EE-4FE5-946C-9B22E1804E91.asp
Giving people with genital herpes an advance supply of anti-herpes
medication and instructions on how to recognise the early signs of a
herpes attack may be the most effective way of limiting the spread of
HIV in Africa through herpes lesions, doctors from the United Kingdom
and South Africa argue in a recent edition of The Lancet.
******
AFRICA: HIV AND MALARIA IMPORTANT CAUSES OF MATERNAL DEATH, STUDY SHOWS
www.aidsmap.com/en/news/6A1F8F84-DD66-4E6D-A238-7BB6CD3218AE.asp
Efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Africa are not being driven
by evidence, say Spanish and Mozambican reasearchers, after an
autopsy study published this week in PLoS Medicine revealed that half
of mothers died of infectious causes and just under one in seven died
of HIV-related causes. Common obstetric complications accounted for
just 38% of deaths during pregnancy, labour or after delivery.
******
GLOBAL: ANOTHER SETBACK FOR MICROBICIDE RESEARCH
www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76811
The first microbicide candidate to reach the final phase of testing
has failed to prevent HIV transmission, researchers announced this
week. Testing of the microbicide, Carraguard, was carried out over a
three-year period on 6,000 women in South Africa, and was completed
in March 2007. But there was no difference in HIV infections between
women in the group using Carraguard compared to the placebo group.
******
GLOBAL: WHO NARROWS DOWN SECOND-LINE ARV OPTIONS
www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76633
As developing countries scale up their antiretroviral (ARV) treatment
programmes, more and more people living with HIV are expected to
develop resistance to their drug regimens and will need second-line
medicines. Many second-line drugs are either unavailable or
prohibitively expensive in developing countries, and doctors often
lack experience or knowledge of what combination of second-line ARVs
to prescribe.
******
KENYA: BLOOD DONORS ENCOURAGED TO LEARN HIV STATUS
www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76826
Blood donation drives held in Kenya in recent weeks to meet the need
created by post-election violence have highlighted the shortage of
regular blood donors and the problem this creates in public
healthcare, say officials from the national blood transfusion
service. “We realise people have a lack of confidence in their health
status that generates the fear to donate blood,” said Stranslaus
Onyango, assistant programme officer at Hope Worldwide Kenya.
******
RWANDA: CUTTING EDGE HIV/AIDS PREVENTION PRESENTS CHALLENGES
www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=41301
Certain medical workers in Rwanda have expressed concern about the
country’s campaign to promote male circumcision as a means of curbing
the spread of HIV. They fear that in a country with low levels of
knowledge about sexual health, people could mistakenly believe the
procedure offers complete protection against the virus. An
epidemiologist based in the capital, Kigali, said there was a risk of“a bloodbath in the country once circumcision is taken as an anti-AIDS measure.”
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
11 LGBTI
AFRICA: AFRICAN LESBIANS, FEMINISTS TO GATHER IN MAPUTO
www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=mozambique&id=1819
The Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) with LAMBDA, which is a gay
organisation in Mozambique, is hosting a third Leadership Institute
conference in Maputo, Mozambique. Taking place between 24 and 29
February, the conference will discuss among other things the work
that CAL does, the African Feminist Charter of Principles, HIV and
Aids, gender, sexuality and violence against Women.
******
SENEGAL: ANTI-GAY PROTESTERS TEARGASED
www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=senegal&id=1815
Senegalese police clashed with hundreds of people protesting against
the publication of photos of an alleged wedding betwen two men in the
country. Police fired teargas to contain the large crowd. A local
magazine, Icone, broke the story in early February. The publication
followed arrest and detention of homosexuals who were later released
without charge. Icone’s editor claimed he has since received several
death threats for exposing homosexuals in a society where they face
social stigma and blackmail.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
12 Racism & xenophobia
GLOBAL: CIVIL SOCIETY TO PREPARE FOR THE DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE
www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/6320.html
FORUM-ASIA and International Movement Against All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (IMADR) will organise the 1st Regional Workshop on the
Durban Review Conference (DRC) 2009. About 30 representatives of
civil society organisations are expected to attend the event, which
will be held from 25 to 26 February in Bangkok. They two
organisations will facilitate civil society consultation and
participation in response to the DRC.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
13 Environment
SOUTH AFRICA: PAYING THE PRICE FOR MINING
www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76780
One legacy of South Africa’s extensive mineral deposits is the
infrastructure and wealth of the country. But another more troubling
legacy is emerging as an increasingly urgent problem: environmental
contamination from over 100 years of mining that could severely
pollute the country’s water, affecting the food chain and citizens’ health.
******
SWAZILAND: THE MYTH OF SUSTAINABLE PLANTATIONS
www.eldis.org/go/country-profiles&id=35384&type=Document
Swaziland's timber plantations have been held up as a model of
sustainable forestry management, where other plantations around the
world are considered to have had negative environmental and social
impacts. However, the authors of this report argue that these
plantations are sustainable in the narrowest sense of the term, that
of 'long-term productivity' rather than 'sustainability' as it is
understood in a development context.
******
AFRICA: CLIMATE CHANGE ‘POSES DROUGHT RISK FOR AFRICA’
tinyurl.com/37hf2r
Climate change could pose a new threat to food-insecure Sub-Saharan
Africa, according to the USAID Famine Early Warning System Network
(FEWS NET). Christopher Funk, a geographer-climatologist from the
University of California Santa Barbara and member of FEWS NET,
presented their draft Climate Change Impact Report at the annual
meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) in Boston, United States
******
MADAGASCAR: CYCLONE KILLS 22
www.afrol.com/articles/28084
At least 22 people have been confirmed dead a week after cyclone Ivan
struck Madagascar. It has also left thousands of people homeless and
displaced in the north-west town of Anosimahavelona. The announcement
of further three of heavy rains by weather forecast officials has
already caused panic in many parts of the Indian Ocean, including the
capital, Antananarivo. These places are already affected by floods.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
14 Media & freedom of expression
LIBERIA: COMMUNITY RADIO STATION CLOSED DOWN
Following a management dispute, SMILE FM, a community radio station
based in Zwedru, a north eastern-town, about 643 kilometres from
Monrovia, the police on February 20, 2008 closed down the station.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/46291
******
SOMALIA: MEDIA HOUSE ATTACKED, JOURNALISTS’ EQUIPMENT CONFISCATED
www.ifjafrique.org/anglais/index.php?page=lire&id=497
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns the attack
carried out by armed forces of the Somalia?s Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) at the offices of Waayaha Press, a Mogadishu-based
privately owned weekly newspaper. On Tuesday, 19 February 2008,
security forces, who were conducting security related operation in
Bakara market, came into the offices of Waayaha Press and ordered the
management and the journalists to move into one side and searched the
offices, according to the management of the media house.
******
CAMEROON: MINISTER BANS EQUINOX TV
www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/15942
Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam,
signed on Thursday a ministerial order banning the Douala-based and
private TV station Equinox. According to the ministerial text,
Equinox has been tagged with carrying out "irregular activities in
their station", the text read. The text was also read, exclusively on
the government controlled radio and TV, Cameroon Radio and
Television, CRTV.
******
TUNISIA: GOVERNMENT LIFTS BAN ON SEVERAL CONTROVERSIAL BOOKS
tinyurl.com/2d77td
In a decision welcomed by Tunisian researchers and novelists, the
Ministry of Culture announced that several works previously banned by
the Censorship Department will be freed for publication. The Arab
Institute for Human Rights (AIHR) confirmed on Monday (February 18th)
that Tunisia would lift the ban on books which have been held in a
legal limbo for years.
******
NORTH AFRICA: NEW ARAB MEDIA CHARTER SEEN AS CENSORSHIP TOOL
tinyurl.com/39z4do
A new charter to regulate satellite television networks adopted
recently by Arab information ministers is under attack in the
Maghreb. Critics see the measure as an attempt to censor Arab media
and render political dissent impossible.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
15 Conflict & emergencies
UGANDA: REBELS WALK OUT OF PEACE TALKS
www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=333087
Ugandan rebels have walked out of peace talks because the government
refused their demands for senior government posts, a rebel
spokesperson said on Friday. The two sides have been meeting in Sudan-mediated peace talks since July 2006 in an effort to resolve a brutal
20-year insurgency in northern Uganda. Earlier this week, the talks
took a major step forward with an agreement on how to prosecute
alleged war crime
******
SOMALIA: SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS AFRICAN UNION MISSION BY SIX MONTHS
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25688
The Security Council has extended for another six months the African
Union-led mission in Somalia, which has been helping the war-wracked
country that has not had a functioning government since 1991 to
achieve national reconciliation and facilitate the delivery of
humanitarian aid. Established in February 2007, AMISOM is also tasked
with providing protection to the Transitional Federal Institutions
(TFIs) to help them carry out their functions of government, and
security for key infrastructure.
******
DRC: UN PROBES KILLINGS BY GOVERNMENT FORCES, REBELS IN THE EAST
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25685
The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC) has said that it is investigating human rights
violations committed by both Government troops and rebel groups in
the eastern part of the strife-torn nation. The human rights section
of the mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, has positively
identified eight victims, including three children, who were killed
by Congolese Army soldiers on 2 January in a village near Goma, the
capital
******
DRC: REBELS HALT PARTICIPATION IN CEASEFIRE BODY
africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN236970.html
Congolese Tutsi rebels said on Friday they were suspending
participation in an east Congo ceasefire commission until an
independent inquiry was launched into United Nations allegations that
they massacred civilians. The move announced by renegade Tutsi
General Laurent Nkunda marked the latest hitch in a ceasefire accord
for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo signed on January 23 by
Nkunda’s rebels, the government and rival militia groups.
******
KENYA: ARMED AND DANGEROUS
www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5316&l=1
Kenya is at risk of plunging into a new wave of violence, despite
progress in negotiations to end a political crisis, because several
armed groups are mobilising on all sides of the country's ethno-political divisions, according to the International Crisis Group
(ICG) think-tank. Firearms are much less widely available in Kenya
than in neighbouring countries. In the context of this article,
'armed groups' include those using machetes, spears, poison arrows
and clubs.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
16 Internet & technology
AFRICA: COURSE ON ONLINE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news100b.php
Wikiversity is organising an online course ?Composing free and open
online educational resources?. Starting on March 3, 2008, the course
is designed for teachers and teacher-students who do not have prior
knowledge or skills related to free and open education resources.
******
AFRICA: INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS AGREE A SCHEME TO CONNECT THEMSELVES BY
FIBRE
www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html
A meeting of the members of the Indian Ocean Commission in Addis
Ababa last week decided to give the go-ahead to connect their island-members by fibre to each other and the rest of the world. The
connecting cable would be available on non-discriminatory terms and
under a low-cost, high volume regime. The project has its origins in
a consultants? study started in mid 2007 and completed at the end of
last year. The study looked at the likely demand from the different
island members and the technical and financial feasibility of the
project.
******
AFRICA: KIGALI PROTOCOL COMES INTO FORCE
fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5522087
The protocol on policy and regulatory framework for NEPAD ICT
Broadband Infrastructure Network, known as the Kigali protocol, came
into force on 13th February 2008, after His Excellency Dr Bingu Wa
Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi put pen to paper in
Lilongwe, Malawi. Malawi thus became the seventh country to ratify
the protocol. Other countries that have already ratified the protocol
are: Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and
Zimbabwe. Ratification by seven countries was the majority needed to
bring the protocol into force.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
17 Fundraising & useful resources
AFRICA: AFRICAN DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS (ADDRF)
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in
partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
and Ford Foundation, is pleased to announce the African Doctoral
Dissertation Research Fellowships (ADDRF), a new fellowship program
to support doctoral students at African universities whose theses
address issues relating to heath systems strengthening in Africa.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/46244
******
GLOBAL: CRITICAL HALF – CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
www.womenforwomen.org/cfpapers.htm
Women for Women International, a non-profit humanitarian
organization, seeks submissions for the Fall 2008 issue of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half. This issue will focus on
global women?s movements and women?s movements globally in various
contexts, including politics, women?s rights, social change,
religion, and economic endeavors. Women?s movements may be global in
their organization or effects, as in the international feminist
movement, or they may be global in their concerns but local or
?grassroots? in their organization and immediate impact.
******
GLOBAL: FELLOWSHIPS FOR THREATENED ACADEMICS
www.iie.org/programs/srf/
The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF)
provides fellowships for established scholars whose lives and work
are threatened in their home countries. These fellowships permit
professors, researchers and other senior academics to find temporary
refuge at universities and colleges anywhere in the world, enabling
them to pursue their academic work and to continue to share their
knowledge with students, colleagues, and the community at large.
Fellowships Deadline is March 5.
******
GLOBAL: GRANT AVAILABLE: PHD AND POST-DOCTORAL – MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The Institute has the opportunity to fill alternatively 1 PhD Grant,
or 1 postdoctoral Grant Starting May 2008 (negotiable). The grant is
to be awarded in the context of the Max Planck Fellow Research Group“Law, Organizations, Science, and Technology” (LOST) headed by
Professor Richard Rottenburg (Max Planck Fellow). The current
research focus is on “Biomedicine in Africa”. Special attention is
given to medical practice and argumentation in juridical contexts
such as in the control of epidemics, the legitimisation and
legalisation of diagnostic and healing practices, intellectual
property rights, medical evidence in various forms of courts of
justice etc. (for more details see www.eth.mpg.de/)
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/46233
******
GLOBAL: WWSF PRIZE FOR WOMEN'S CREATIVITY IN RURAL LIFE
The Women?s World Summit Foundation cordially invites you to submit
nominations for its 15th annual PRIZE for women's creativity in rural
life, honouring creative and courageous women and women?s
organisations working to improve the quality of life in rural
communities around the world. Deadline: 31 March 2008.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/46203
******
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE: JOURNAL FELLOW SUPPORT
PROGRAMME
www.csvr.org.za/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=652&Itemid=147
The International Journal of Transitional Justice (IJTJ) is pleased
to announce the introduction of a Journal Fellows Support Programme
aimed at increasing the publication and dissemination of pieces from
south-based transitional justice practitioners and scholars. The
Programme will provide the opportunity for five applicants to develop
their writing, analytical and comparative content skills through a
short training workshop followed by a one year e-mentorship by
leading scholars and practitioners in the field globally as well as
the IJTJ Editorial team.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
18 Courses, seminars, & workshops
AFRICA: SUB-REGIONAL METHODOLOGICAL WORKSHOPS FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH IN
AFRICA
The 2008 session of the CODESRIA sub-regional methodological
workshops will explore the conditions for the employment and
validation of qualitative perspectives in African contexts. To this
end, the workshops will be open to all the social research
disciplines. These disciplines are uniformly confronted with broadly
similar difficulties of understanding social reality and the
challenges posed by techniques of data collection and analysis,
which, on account of their ?qualitative? nature, are suspected by
some to be seriously lacking in scientific rigour.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/46293
******
GLOBAL: 2009-2011 ROTARY PEACE CENTER – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
tinyurl.com/2wxwyo
The Rotary Foundation announces a call for applications for the
2009-11 Rotary World Peace Fellowships (RWPF) and January and June
2009 Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies (RPCS) Program sessions. The
deadline for completed applications to be submitted to The Rotary
Foundation for these sessions is 1 July 2008.
******
GLOBAL: COUNTERING TERRORISM THROUGH HUMAN SECURITY SOLUTIONS
fletcher.tufts.edu/AfricaConference/index.shtml
The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies?with support from the
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and co-sponsorship from the
Conflict and Human Security Studies Program at the U.S. Military
Academy, West Point; the Fletcher Institute for Human Security; the
Feinstein International Center at Tufts University; and Synexxus, Inc.
?presents a two-day conference, ?Countering Terrorism in Africa
Through Human Security Solutions? on Thursday, February 28 and
Friday, February 29 at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
******
GLOBAL: HUMAN RIGHTS SHORT COURSES 2008
www.humanrightstools.org/shortcourses.htm
The Human Rights Tools website now features more than 60 short
courses and summer schools spanning 2008 and 2009, from the general
introductions to very specialized courses on indigenous peoples,
discrimination, women?s rights, and more.
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
19 Jobs
AFRICA: YOUNG DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS – AKDN
https://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/jd?ai=736&ji=2175480&sn=L&cd=2&si=0
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is looking for young
development professionals for a number of positions in Africa which
would give these professionals excellent exposure to cross sectoral
development issues. These posts are particularly suited to
development professionals seeking a unique and challenging
international development experience. The individual would have an
excellent opportunity to make a contribution to some of the most
important challenges facing modern day Africa. Deadline: 14 March 2008.
******
GLOBAL: EXTERNAL RELATIONS ADVISOR – UNIFEM
jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=3799
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) seeks a senior
professional to support its external relations strategy in order to
strengthen understanding and support for work on gender equality and
women’s empowerment in the inter-governmental bodies – the UNDP-UNFPA
Executive Board and the UN Commission on the Status of Women – and
will also support UNIFEM’s cooperation with its Consultative
Committee. The Advisor will also cover other inter-governmental
processes that are relevant to efforts to advance gender equality and
women’s empowerment. Closing date: March 03, 2008.
******
GLOBAL: HUMAN RIGHTS SPECIALIST – UNIFEM
jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=3798
The CEDAW South East Asia Programme (CEDAW SEAP) is a programme of
the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), supported by
the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The Programme
goal is the realization of women’s human rights through the more
effective CEDAW implementation.The programme seeks a Human Rights
Specialist. Closing date: March 03, 2008.
******
GLOBAL: NETWORK FACILITATOR: IKNOW
jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=3723
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, iKNOW
Politics, is designed to increase the number and effectiveness of
women in political life by utilizing a technology enabled forum to
provide access to resources, expertise, dialogue, and knowledge
creation on women’s political participation. iKNOW Politics seeks
Network Facilitator: International Knowledge Network of Women in
Politics (iKNOW Politics) / UNIFEM / New York, NY, USA. Closing date:
February 25, 2008.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: GENDER CONSULTANT – CIVICUS
www.civicus.org/new/jobs_info.asp?id=1230
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is one of the
leading and most diverse international civil society networks, with
members and partners in more than 100 countries and around 30 staff
members from 20 countries. CIVICUS implements a range of activities
focusing on strengthening civil society and its role worldwide.
CIVICUS is recruiting a Gender Consultant to advise on the
implementation of its Gender Policy and to consider related equality
issues. Closing date of applications: 28 February 2008.
******
SOUTH AFRICA: RESEARCHER POST, THREE YEAR CONTRACT – CCLA
The Centre for Culture and Languages at the University of
Johannesburg, a new interdisciplinery centre in the Faculty of
Humanities, has just advertised the
the post of Researcher. Please send a comprehensive cv, including
current
remuneration, date of last increase, and the telephone numbers and
email addresses of at least three referees to: recruitment@uj.ac.za
or fax: +27-11=5593173. Closing date: end February.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/46234
******
SUDAN: VOLUNTEER, SCHOLAR MENTORING, MATERIALS & TRAINING OF TRAINERS
– WINROCK INT’L
tinyurl.com/2ud6sc
Winrock’s Gender Equity through Education program addresses education
and training gaps in Sudan by providing immediate educational
assistance to girls, women, and communities while pursuing long-term
impact by helping the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology
(MoEST) ensure its policies are equitable and further operationalize
its plans. The project is working primarily in Southern Sudan and the
Three Areas. The volunteer will work with the Sudanese NGO to adapt
and finalize mentoring tools, and will develop and deliver a Training
of Trainers (TOT) for a cadre of trainers who will then train mentors
in the project’s target regions.
******
TANZANIA: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – WOMEN’S DIGNITY
Women’s Dignity promotes citizen engagement to enable all Tanzanians-
particularly marginalized girls and women – to realize their basic
right to health. We hold a particular commitment to enhancing the
rights of girls and women living with obstetric fistula. We seek
innovation, bold vision, strong management and keen leadership.
Strong preference will be given to a Tanzanian national. This is a
senior level position requiring an experienced person. WDP offers
competitive remuneration in a setting that promotes learning, social
justice, team-work and high ethical standards. Closing date: February
29, 2008.
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/46241
******
/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
Fahamu – Networks For Social Justice
www.fahamu.org
© 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:
www.pambazuka.org/en/about.php
Pambazuka news can be viewed online: www.pambazuka.org/
RSS Feeds available at www.pambazuka.org/en/newsfeed.php
Pambazuka News is published with the support of a number of funders,
details of which can be obtained at www.pambazuka.org/en/
about.php
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE go to:
pambazuka.gn.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pambazuka-news
or send a message to editor@pambazuka.org with the word SUBSCRIBE or
UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line as appropriate.
The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not
necessarily represent those of Pambazuka News or Fahamu.
ISSN 1753-6839
End of Pambazuka-news Digest, Vol 91, Issue 3