Global Voices » Sub-Saharan Africa

Mali: Interim President Injured as Protesters Enter Presidential Palace

Lova Rakotomalala — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:06:59 +0000

Malijet reports that Interim President Dioncounda Traoré was hurt [fr] during protests [fr] that asked for his removal and caused three casualties.

Zambia: Judge Suspensions Unfold into Embarrassing Drama

Gershom Ndhlovu — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:48:54 +0000

The suspension of one Supreme Court Judge and two high court judges and setting up of a tribunal to investigate their conduct by President Michael Sata is slowly but surely turning into an embarrassing drama.

A day after President Sata swore in the tribunal headed by Malawi high court judge Lovemore Chikopa, Zambian high court judge, Flugence Chisanga, ruled against it in an injunction in a move that inevitably pitted the judiciary against the executive.

President Sata swears in Malawian Judge Lovemore Chikopa to head the tribunal probing three Zambian judges. Picture courtesy of State House via Zambian Watchdog

Ms Justice Chisanga said:

Upon hearing counsel for the applicants and reading the affidavits of Judges Mutuna and Kajimanga respectively, it is hereby ordered that the applicants be and are hereby granted leave to apply for judicial review.

And it is further ordered that the leave so granted shall operate as a stay of the decisions of his Excellency the President to appoint a tribunal, to suspend the applicants and any adverse measures against the applicants in relation to the performance of their Constitutional duties as duly appointed Puisne Judges pending determination of this matter or further direction by this court.

Justice Minister, Sebastian Zulu, quickly issued a statement that was placed on the state house website saying the judiciary was panicking, ordering the Solicitor-General to overturn the ruling:

I have ordered the solicitor General to immediately have that stay revoked on the ground that under section 16 of the state proceedings Act. An Injunction may not be granted against the state.”
“An Order of stay is in fact a mandatory injunction which is ordering that the tribunal should not take off, That is what the law does not allow. It (law) doesn't allow such an order as far as I a[m] concerned.

Zulu also told a press briefing that the court’s decision was illegal and amounted to a direct attack on the president’s decision.

One of the three suspended judges, High Court Judge Philip Musonda. Photo courtesy of statehouse.gov.zm.

Ruling in the matter after the application by the State to have the injunction against the tribunal dismissed was set for hearing on May 24.

The matter also engulfed the Chief Justice whom the University of Zambia Students Union called upon to step down.

Netizens have followed this matter keenly on social media forums.

Ms Justice Chisanga won kudos for her courage. Commenting on a related post on Zambian Watchdog, Solicitor wrote:

What a galant lady this Chisanga is she. Fearless and sticks to then law without looking at who is involved. this how judiciary should be. The weak judges must learn from this judge who can’t succumb to executive presure. I hope she will be the next chief justice after [Enerst Sakala] as she will uphold the rule of law. Pf cadres on blogging should stop trivializing such bluntant abuse of eecutive powers by its president and some of those in his party. Zambia doesn’t belong to MCS nor to his party and the likes of membe and Nchitos but to all of us.We need a relaible judicial system which will defend the rights of fair justice for every one without looking at the faces of those involved and this is what lady Chisanga has just demonstrated…

MUKUKA MBULU – AYANGA NA MAKA on the development under the same story wrote, wrote:

The measure of any Judiciary is whether it can stand the pressure from the Executive and in this case Judge Chisanga has more than redeemed the Juciary. The measure of any corruption fight is whether you can confront and arrest not just your enemies but also your friends and in this case Mr. Sata has failed completely by refusing to confront his friends to compel them to pay back the K14bn owed to DBZ or even to talk about it. Contrast this to what the President would have said and done if the K14bn was owed by Henry Banda. The Corruption fight is DEAD because it is targeted only at enemies and this case proves it. Thank you Judge Chisanga. The coutry owes you the same way it owes Christon Tembo who gave up the Vice Presidency of Zambia to fight the Chiluba Third term bid while the same Mr. Sata was supporting Chiluba.

In one exchange between two tweeps, the following was gleaned:

@munshyamunshya: My advice to Zulu & Co. don't pick a fight with the entire judiciary.

@imatambo: @munshyamunshya: are the supreme court judges above the law? In the interest of separation of powers they should be checked by the executive

@munshyamunshya: @imatambo No, judges aren't above law. And so when they are corrupt you report them to ACC and Judicial Complaints commission!

One sceptic tweep doubted the authenticiy of the judicial review:

@sandaykc: @Zambia_Reports @missbwalya @gndhlovu @the_josephk @VOAAfrica Good attempt for judicial review but we all know by now this is all academic.

Zambia: President Sues Citizens and Media for Alleged Defamation

Gershom Ndhlovu — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:05:50 +0000

Zambian President Michael Sata is suing an opposition leader, a newspaper, a radio station and an academic for alleged defamation.

President Sata recently sued United Party for National Development leader Hakainde Hichilema, the Daily Nation newspaper, radio station Hot FM and University of Zambia lecturer Cholwe Beyani for defamation of character and demanded to be paid K1.2 billion or US$ 266,667 in damages.

Artistic depiction of Michael Sata as Zambia's Black Moses. Image source: 90 Days Countdown Facebok group.

President Sata also indicated that he wanted Hichilema to retract the defamatory story published in The Daily Nation newspaper edition of May 16, 2012, in which the paper quoted the opposition leader as saying Sata awarded a K600 million contract to his friend to renovate State House.

The Lusaka Times story quotes the letter to the Daily Nation as saying:

We have been retained by Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, the current president of Zambia and of the Patriotic Front political party, to act for him in a matter concerning your defamation of him in the article in the Nation Newspaper edition published on 8th of May, 2012 (Vol. 2, Issue 175) entitled ‘Sata Shielding Crooks.’

President Sata also demanded a retraction, an apology and K500 million from a University of Zambia (Unza) lecturer Cholwe Beyani for defamation who for saying the removal of lawyer Vincent Malambo from representing the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) was an attempt by the head of state to shield his friends from prosecution.

Sata also filed a defamation suit against Hichilema over alleged defamatory remarks the UPND leader made when he featured on Hot FM’s Hot seat live programme on April 26. President Sata is demanding K500 million as compensation.

Sata in his suit also also demanded another K500 million from Hot FM Radio as the publisher of the alleged defamatory remarks and for the radio station to retract the defamatory remarks made by Hichilema.

According to instructions sent to his lawyers Ituna Partners, Hichilema has been given 7 days to apologize and retract the statements he made.

On May 11, the offices of international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, representing former President Rupiah Banda’s son, Henry, wanted in Zambia for questioning on allegations of various crimes that may have been committed during his father’s reign, received correspondence from President Sata’s legal representatives threatening litigation and demanding compensation in response to public statements made by Mr Amsterdam on the PF’s government’s pursuit of political opponents.

Said the sharp-tongued Amsterdam (this author has interviewed him before):

President Sata’s crude efforts to silence and bully opponents with threats and intimidation will not work, and we would in fact welcome the opportunity to lead a serious public debate on the unlawful conduct of this administration… As a public figure, I had no idea that President Sata was so sensitive to criticism, but given this government’s stance toward freedom of the press, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

While President Sata is suing citizens, he himself is constitutionally immune from civil and criminal prosecution as head of state. Netizens have added their voice to the President suing his critics.

Commenting on the Zambian Watchdog, Mambwe wrote:

Close friends of Sata (Guy Scott, GBM, Kambwili) should pluck up some courage to advise their President that his Republican status does not allow him to behave like an ordinary man in the streets of Lusaka, Kitwe of Ndola where he can exercise the luxury of making money by sueing percieved enemies to courts. A President must learn to absorb cruel and well-meaning criticism from the public. The Speakers Corner in London’s Hyde Park have preserved such a facility where the Queen can be criticised severely. If Sata is sensitive to honest criticism, then he must resign, declare to forego his presidential immunity and face his colleagues on a level playing ground. His lawyers will have to fight it out with other sharp-shooting talented legal minds.

Advocate wrote:

If the nation had to sue for the unfulfilled promises within 90 days,how many cases could there be.I thought a President should have thick skin to critism and other comments.There should be a well designed system to rebut various accusations inorder to inform the public about the truth.That is what leadearship is all about.Are people expected or forced to be quite even if they suspect something has gone wrong within the Executive.Dictatorships start this way.

Mayotte: Capsizing Boat Kills at Least 5 Economic Refugees

Lova Rakotomalala — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:36:19 +0000

Malango Actualité provides the social context [fr] related to the sinking of a boat that killed at least 5, including 3 children and an infant. The fishing boat was carrying 43 people from Comoros to the French territory of Mayotte. It is the third disaster of such kind in 2012 for Comoran economic refugees.

Zambia: Tensions Continue Over Severe Fuel Shortages

Isabella Mukanda-Shamambo — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:29:17 +0000

Zambians are bemoaning looming fuel shortages in the country where Kabwe, a town that links the city of Lusaka and the Copperbelt province is already facing severe shortages with motorists queuing for hours to buy the commodity. Fuel shortages in Zambia are not a new phenomenon whenever the Indeni plant shuts down, sometimes for maintenance.

The Indeni plant is where imported crude delivered via the Tazama pipeline is processed into finished products; diesel, petrol and kerosene. Zambian citizens are incensed by the fact that President Michael Sata’s PF government donated five million liters of fuel to Malawi barely a month ago. This seems to evoke feelings of bitterness especially in those who did not vote for the president during the previous elections.

Fuel cans. Image by Stanley Kubrock from eufrika.org (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).

The Zambian Watchdog reports:

The crude oil importation deals entered by the PF government are finally being felt in various parts of the country through fuel shortages.
In Kabwe, motorists have been queueing for Petrol and Diesel for four days now whilst brothers and sisters in Malawian are enjoying the abundant fuel ‘donated’ by the generous neighbouring PF government in Zambia.

The story continues:

Sources in the Ministry of Energy have told the Watchdog that the situation is likely to worsen as the ship carrying crude oil imported by the PF government suppliers has not docked in Tanzanian port of Dar-es-Salaam forcing the Indeni plant to shut down the refinery on Monday.
The PF [ruling Patriotic Front] government is giving a few litres of fuel to selected oil marketing companies for the Zambia consumers and industries as they also have to fulfil the fuel promise to Malawi ‘within 90 days’.

Supporters in a truck celebrate the victory of opposition leader Michael Sata as he was sworn in as the fifth Zambian president. Image by Owen Miyanza, copyright Demotix (23/12/2011).

Rio, Zambian Watchdog reader, responds:

It is not only Kabwe; some filling stations in Ndola have either no diesel or Petrol: I filled up my fuel tanks for the cars to be safe!

Another reader, Kapyololo, thinks that fuel shortages is a sign of poor governance:

Now fate is catching up with these PF goats. they thought things will be well with them when they secretly donate five million liters of fuel to Malawi. we call this carelessness. Jesus in the bible was very clear when he said do not give food meant for children to dogs otherwise your children will die of hunger. what now, fuel shortage is looming in the country. will Malawi give us our fuel? even the alleged cheap fuel which this kabimba with his mathani crookman are planning to bring in the country is not enough. come on people, lets not experiment with governance.it is costly.
don’t say kapyololo did not warn. we saw this comig

Czar has a logical explanation:

PF’s lies are what got them into government. Those of you who believed their lies and voted en mass for them should swallow your pride and admit you got it wrong. Mismanagement is the order of the day. Politics done to appease kaponyas (hustlers) will not develop this country.

Royd Moonga shares his displeasure on Zambian People’s Pact Facebook group:

WHAT A PRESIDENT :Shamelesly Kabwe hit wth FUEL SHORTAGES barely a month with PRESIDENT Sata shocking 5m litres of Fuel donation to Malawi!

Royd's sentiment is echoed by a few others such as Timothy Tslubaby Chimpangu:

it was sad,i was in kabwe that day,it was hell,we were buying fuel from the changanyas.shame on this man with his decisions.

Archritius Mwanakayaya says:

the man is shameless,the economy is hanging due 2 lack of direction by this govt

Mubiana Sitwala disagrees:

Before you call anyone shameless, identify, understand and analyse. If the issue is country wide your concern can be genuine, but this is an issolated case of Kabwe. Find out if the shortage is caused by the donation of fuel to Malawi. May i beg you to be rational in your attacks on the president.

Kanyanja writes on his Facebook wall:

The crude oil importation deals entered by the PF government are finally being felt in various parts of the country through fuel shortages.
In Kabwe, motorists have been queueing for Petrol and Diesel for four days now whilst brothers and sisters in Malawian are enjoying the abundant fuel ‘donated’ by the generous neighbouring PF government in Zambia.

Gift Mbewe reminds Zambians that this is not the first time Zambia experiences fuel shortages:

Its not the first time this is happening. It used to happen even in MMD. But the point to note is that so far no change, still the MMD mentality.

The 5 million litres of fuel were donated by Zambian government following the death of Malawi's president Bingu wa Mutharika.

Science Blogging in Sub-Saharan Africa

Lova Rakotomalala — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:31:30 +0000

Blogging has become an integral part of popular culture in Sub-Saharan Africa but blogging about science is still lagging behind. Many initiatives have been launched to increase the culture of sharing in the African scientific world, yet African science blogs, particularly about research, are still few and far between.

Lack of public interest?

The reason for this dearth of science blogging may be related to the uneven development of scientific research on the continent; the need for more research is well-known. B. Ruelle explains on his blog [fr]:

Le niveau de développement atteint par l’Asie du Sud-Est devrait pousser les Africains à investir dans la science et la technologie ; la science et la technologie représentent la seule voie d’évitement de la perpétuation de la faiblesse de l’Afrique dans le commerce international ; c’est aussi, dans un monde inégalitaire où racisme et xénophobie perdurent, la condition de l’affirmation de la part des Africains dans l’un des phares de la connaissance humaine.

The level of development reached by Southeast Asia should push African nations to invest into science and technology; science and technology are the only way to avoid the enduring shortcomings of Africa in international trade; it is also the only way to prevent racism and xenophobia in this increasingly inegalitarian world; the one remedy to assert African contribution to the global human knowledge pool.

University of Cheik Anta Diop in Dakar Senegal by Myriam Louviot (CC-License-BY).

The continent is not short on talented scientists. Bernard Kom lists a few of the mosts prominent African scientists [fr] right now, and some of them are also active on the web.

Jacques Bonjawo is a Cameroonian engineer who chairs the Board of Directors of the African Virtual University (AVU). He explains the objectives of the institution [fr]:

L’UVA a été conçue comme un système d’éducation à distance à travers Internet dont la mission est précisément de former une masse critique d’africains à des coûts faibles, grâce à des économies d’échelle ; une formation moderne et de qualité au terme de laquelle l’étudiant devient immédiatement opérationnel sur le marché de l’emploi.

The AVU was conceived as a complete remote online teaching institute whose mission is to train a critical mass of Africans at low cost through economy of scale. We provide a modern quality curriculum that aims to make the student immediately operational for the job market.

Mzamose Gondwe from Malawi recognizes the need to promote more African engagement with science. That is the objective of her blog, African Science Heroes. She explains what she aims to accomplish:

I documented in print, exhibition and film African Science Heroes, Afrrican scientists who have made considerable contributions to science. In this way I hope to generate a sense of pride in our African science accomplishments and promote public engagement with science.

African research pigeonholed?

When scientific news from Africa makes it to mainstream media platforms, it is usually related to environmental programmes, public health or research on exotic animals. A typical story that was shared many times on various online media was the recent research publication of the mating habits of the female gray mouse lemur in Madagascar. The title itself, “Costly sex under female control in a promiscuous primate”, was bound to draw quite a bit of interest from the non-scientific community.

As it turned out, the study draws interesting conclusion about strategy for the survival of the species as Sara Reardon from Science NOW explains:

Either a polygamous lifestyle confers some unknown evolutionary advantage for females, the team concludes, or girls really do just want to have fun.

African science and engineering has much to offer in other areas as well. The blog Afrigadget highlights innovative engineering projects aiming at solving specific problems. One of these projects is biogas installations in Kenya.

Paula Kahumbu explains how piki piki (motor bikes in Kiswhahili) can help distribute dung more efficiently:

The problem I face is common to many folks around here, we rent houses but we don’t have livestock. But there are huge cattle farms around us. So Dominic came up with a solution that creates jobs and moves poop quickly and efficiently. So we went to the local juakali welder on the roadside to create a dungmobile ..a trailer designed specially for cow dung!

The Africamaat project aims to document the full history of African science and its inventors. More precisely, it adds [fr]:

Notre démarche vise donc essentiellement à démontrer qu’il est profondément arbitraire d’exclure systématiquement l’Afrique noire de l’historiographie universelle lorsqu’il est question des sciences

Our approach aims to demonstrate that it is deeply arbitrary to systematically exclude black Africa from the universal history of science.

In this video, YouTube user White African showcases an invention by Killian Deku, a Ghanaian engineer that came up with a device to dose the amount of chlorine to add to water:

Open access to publications

Madagascar is accustomed to have its lemur population draw more headlines that its people. However, it should not go unnoticed that the scientific blogging community there is starting to emerge. Several projects aim to collect and make available to the public all the scientific resources about the country.

Ange Rakotomalala describes the objectives of website Thèses Malgaches en ligne [mg]:

Ho hitanao eto ireo vokam-pikarohana tontosa teto amin'ny firenentsika nanomboka tamin'ny taona 2002.

On this website, you will be able to find all the theses and dissertations published since 2002

The scientific community blog MyScienceWork aims to promote the culture of sharing among scientists [fr]:

Pour construire la culture scientifique de demain, la science doit devenir toujours plus multidisciplinaire. Elle doit s’adresser aux amateurs de science, au public, aux professionnels de la recherche [..] En 2011, nous avons publié les textes d’étudiants en informatique des pays d’Afrique du Nord, de chercheurs en communication d’université belge, de doctorants en neurosciences, en agronomie, d’exobiologistes de renom [..] Parce que nous croyons que la culture générale doit inclure les savoirs scientifiques, nous vous remercions chaleureusement. Faites passer le message : « partager c’est vivre ».

To build the necessary scientific culture of tomorrow, science must strive to become more multidisciplinary. It must be accessible to science amateurs, the general public, the research scientists [..] In 2011, we published articles on IT from countries in Northern Africa, in communication with renowned Belgian researchers, and in neuroscience, agronomy and exobiology from PhD students [..] We did so because we believe that general knowledge ought to include science and we thank you for reading us. Please pass along this message: “sharing is living”.

The final words on science in Africa belong to Cheikh Anta Diop, one of the most prominent scientists in Africa, as posted by Africamaat [fr]:

En attendant, les spécialistes africains doivent prendre des mesures conservatoires. Il s’agit d’être apte à découvrir une vérité scientifique par ses propres moyens en se passant de l’approbation d’autrui, de savoir conserver son autonomie intellectuelle

Meanwhile, the African specialists must take prudent measures. It must be about being able to discover a scientific fact by our own means and without the approval of anyone else, about keeping our intellectual autonomy

Malawi: President Promises to Lift Ban on Homosexuality

Isabella Mukanda-Shamambo — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:30:03 +0000

Just months after the Zambian netizens were up in arms against UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for asking the country to be tolerant of homosexuals, President Joyce Banda says that Malawi will lift the ban on homosexual acts in the country angering some Malawi netizens over the pronouncement.

In her first national address Joyce Banda told Parliament that her government will repeal laws that discriminates against people based on sexual orientation.
“The indecency and unnatural acts laws shall be repealed,” she said.

A map showing penalties targeting gays and lesbians in Africa. Image source: http://ilga.org/

Malawian religious groups have made it clear that same sex marriages cannot be allowed in God-fearing and cultural strong Malawian norms. However, human rights groups argue that minority rights, including those that encourage same sex marriages, should be promoted.

A court in Malawi sentenced Malawi gay couple to jail for fourteen years 2010. This was after the gay couple, Steven Monjenza and Towonge Chimbalanga, hosted an engagement ceremony. They were immediately arrested and thrown in jail.

Netizens reacted to the news on Facebook. Khalil notes:

She dnt have a choice

Isaac disagrees:

She had a choice of keeping quiet.

Abdulmalik suggests that the move results from donor pressure:

No wonder the late President quarreled with her. She is just a stooge of the West. We don't need such stooges in Africa

Joyce Banda speaking at the DFID conference in 2010. Photo shared on Flickr by DFID under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) .

Harutizwi asks, “Where is our African identity?”:

Western nations are pressuring African nations to legalise homosexuality in exchange 4 aid. Malawi's Banda is already playing 2 the western tune. Where is our African identity? If we allow homosexuality will we ever hv a future? Ndiyani achazvara 4 the next generation? I can't even say gone 2 the dogs coz dogs hv never heard o4 that. May the God o4 heavens save mankind.

But Phetie reminds critics that Malawi's system of government and even Christianity did not come from Malawi:

Its no prblm 4 Malawi legalising homosexuality…after all almost evrythn in our system of government copies 4rm western countries…even christianity came 4rm them

Clemans congratulates the president:

Wow Banda congrats

Lyson Sibande identifies five fallacies against decriminalisation of homosexuality:

Fifth fallacy: The Bible is the ultimate judge over homosexuality

It is an absurd fallacy ever, to think that every human being believes in the Bible. In this regard, it is a total disregard of the secularism of the constitution should homosexuals’ rights be criminalized on Christianity grounds. There is no rationale behind judging homosexuals with the Bible, which they may not believe in. It is like forcing a Moslem or Hindu to swear over the Bible. Nonetheless, if homosexuality is a religious catastrophe, then denominations have the right to deal with it among their memberships within their jurisdiction.

My conclusion:
According to Christianity, homosexuality harbors grievous transgression of God’s law and is punishable by death; Leviticus 20:13, as a Christian myself, I believe this Biblical teaching is irrefutable within its domains. However, non Christian homosexuals can not be denied their rights based on Biblical dogmas. Malawi as a secular nation that upholds democracy; where discrepancy arise as such that particular religious beliefs conflict with democratic fundamentals, democracy must prevail; because democracy is for everyone while religion is for those that espouse the respective teaching. Therefore, such a gesture as condemnation of gaysim based on Christian morals would symbolize crucifixion of democracy on the cross of Christian creeds.

Seba Space, LGBT blogger from Uganda, believes that Joyce Banda's heart is in the right place:

Bless her soul for taking a lead on homosexuality. Malawi‘s president has vowed that the gay law will be repealed.

Yes, Malawi’s Joyce Banda is swimming against the parliamentary tide but her heart is in the right place so we must applaud her stance. Africa needs a lot of conviction politicians like her.

On Twitter, the news quickly attracted attention.

@mugumya: #Malawi's president #Banda wants to overturn ban on homosexuality in country. Why do I think she will lose the next election?

@femianthony: In Malawi, Homosexuality is Punishable by 14 Years in Prison

@moronwatch: @gnixon88 @Original_Cindy I'm not - just returned from Malawi where a book on the evil of homosexuality was on sale at the airport

However, the Africa producer for BBC News, @forbeesta, says that the President's Office in Malawi has denies the reports:

@forbeesta: Malawi Pres Banda's office have confirmed to me that they object to reports that she will repeal homosexuality laws. BBC will update #Africa

Early this year, Uganda re-tabled a controversial anti-gay bill introduced in 2009 that proposed the death penalty for homosexual acts. Former Liberian first lady Jewel Howard Taylor has introduced a bill making homosexuality liable to a death sentence.

Malawi will be the first country in Africa to lift ban on homosexuality since 1994. It is outlawed in 38 African countries and it can be punishable by death in Mauritania, Sudan, and northern Nigeria.

Africa: Fresh Perspective in Telling African Stories

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:57:16 +0000

SautiProject is an African citizen journalism project supported by Al Jazeera Kiswahili and Pawa254 Sauti Project is an African citizen journalist initiative; a fresh perspective into the telling of African stories. It's journalism with a flair, stories with a passion.

Ethiopia: G8 Summit Casts Fresh Light on Ethiopia

Endalk — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:39:22 +0000

Netizens have stepped up their efforts to draw attention to Ethiopia’s independent media situation as the G8 Summit in the United States approaches. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and three other African heads of state are expected to attend.

Of late, there has been much talk about Ethiopia’s fast economic growth and increased crackdown on media. While the state media continuously highlights economic achievements, netizens maintain that free press is key to stable economic growth and food security. Africa's food security is on the agenda for the upcoming G8 Summit which will be held at Camp David in Maryland from 18-19 May, 2012.

Several media and human rights organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have been highlighting the relationship between free press and food security.

Taking the 38th G8 Summit as a window of opportunity, Joel Simon, Executive Director of CPJ, writes a public letter to President Barack Obama:

Dear President Obama:

As you prepare to host the G-8 summit and discuss the security of food supplies with leaders from Africa, we call on you to strongly consider the role of an independent press in identifying and assessing agricultural challenges and famine, and facilitating the national and international response to food crises.

Mr. President, we are deeply concerned that Ethiopia’s ongoing repression of investigative journalism fuels tensions that threaten the country’s relative stability and risk unraveling the economic and social progress registered in recent years. Since 2011, under the guise of a counterterrorism sweep, the government of Ethiopia has brought terrorism and anti-state charges against 11 independent journalists, including blogger Eskinder Nega, who may face life in prison for his writing about the struggle for democracy. Such policies deter reporting on all sensitive topics, including food security

Charlayne Hunter-Gault hopes that issues around press freedom in Ethiopia will come up during the summit:

It is time for me to return to Ethiopia and try to see the prime minister, to plead yet again for the journalists’ freedom and for their right to free expression. And maybe, just maybe, in the interim, when Prime Minister Zenawi attends a G-8 Summit Food Security at Camp David on May 19, American officials can weigh in, too, on the importance not only of strategic partnerships but also of freedom of speech in a democracy.

Alemayehu G. Mariam, an activist based in the US, asks, “Does aiding dictators who use food aid for political purposes end famine and food shortages in Africa?”:

On May 19, President Obama and the G8 leaders will have to face some tough questions: What is the moral hazard of endlessly supplying food relief to the Horn countries? Why should the world continue to help a country that leases millions of hectares of the most fertile land in the country and become the breadbasket for India and the Middle East while its people are starving? Why should the world provide food aid to a country when the ruling regime weaponizes the aid to decimate opposition, crush the democratic aspirations of the people and flagrantly violate human rights? Does aiding dictators who use food aid for political purposes end famine and food shortages in Africa?

Endalk summarises online commentaries about press freedom and food security in Ethiopia:

The campaign for press freedom has reached a critical stage in recent weeks. In this context it may be worth collecting commentary from those participating in an effort to regain freedom of the press in Ethiopia – from analysts to reporters to readers. You can also share your opinion on my blog, or throw in a perceptive from elsewhere to this collection.

Some Ethiopians in the Diaspora have gone as far as urging President Obama to rescind his invitation of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. A Group of Ethiopians calling themselves Ethiopian National Transition Council posted a call on their Facebook page to detain Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at Camp David:

This is a call for all Ethiopians who love their country and are courageous enough to come and face him off, show your anger and disgust, and be heard loud and clear that his invitation is immoral and unacceptable and that he should never be allowed to touch American soil in respect of the millions who are his victims and suffering at home and abroad. This is a call for President Obama to stand by many Ethiopians who stood by you during your election in 2008. President Obama we got your back on your election and now it is your turn to show us to what extent you go to be on our side.

However, Daniel Berhane thinks that it is important for Zenawi to participate. He points out that Zenawi has been participating in the G-8 annual summits since year 2005.

*Thumbnail: Courtesy of EYOUTHM Facebook group.

Cape Verde: Encouraging Storytelling and Creative Writing

Georgi McCarthy — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:36:58 +0000

[All links lead to sites in Portuguese.]

Set over the course of seven weeks, a creative writing competition promoted by the young Cape Verdean journalist Odair Varela on his blog, Crioulo n'Descontra, has led a dozen word lovers from three different continents to get behind their keyboards and let their imaginations flow.

The competition was launched at the end of March [en] to “promote a taste for writing and for linguistic and artistic evolution”. Odair suggested a set of four challenges; the responses, written in either poetry or prose, were published on his blog.

On 9th May the winners were announced, determined by counting the number of views their texts had received. This article will provide an overview of the stories told.

What will Cape Verde be like in 2090?

In the first challenge, competitors were asked to imagine possible routes for Cape Verde in terms of sustainable development, energy, environment and climate change. Anete Carvalho wrote ‘País Museu‘ (Museum Country), José Soares posted a poem, ‘Verdes eram as ilhas‘, (The Islands were Green), and ‘Retrospectiva 2012-2090‘ (2012-2090: Retrospective) was written by Silvianne Spencer. The piece with the most views was a poem written by Suruk Rodrigues:

Constrói-se uma terra de betão.
E do sonho cultivado, colhe-se desilusão!
Que caia chuva, para transbordar apenas
barragens cheias de lágrimas dos que choram em vão!

A land is built from concrete.
And from the dream grown, disappointment is harvested!
Let the rain fall, and allow the reservoirs
filled with the tears of those who cry in vain to overflow!

Different approaches to tourism were also portrayed in several texts, such as that of Letícia Varela, written in Galician and entitled ‘Relógio do Tempo‘ (Time Clock). The possible extinction of Cape Verdean Creole was alluded to in the pieces by Nani Delgado, ‘Não Vou Ficar‘ (I Will Not Stay), and by Ary Rodrigues, ‘Um Povo Sempre Escravo‘ (A Nation Forever A Slave), which also talks about the country's economic growth and the influences of China.

Carla Gonçalves tells the story of an anthropologist and researcher who, in 2090, finds the book ‘A Morabeza das Ilhas Crioulas' (The Morabeza of the Creole Islands), which has a “clear cover that features stunningly beautiful white dunes; beautiful moraines and flowers with mountains towering in the background”, causing him to search for the meaning of “morabeza”. He travels to the islands; when he arrives, however, the last remaining inhabitant says ‘Não há mais Cabo Verde‘ (Cape Verde is no more):

Eis que Nhô Chico lhe responde num inglês rudimentar: Morabeza era a nossa essência, a música, a saudade. Morabeza eram as nossas crioulas, uma diferente da outra, mas todas únicas. Morabeza eram as nossas praias de areias brancas e negras, as montanhas fortes e imponentes, a simpatia e acolhimento. Morabeza eram as flores, a diversidade cultural, a dança. Morabeza era aquilo que nos distinguia, que nos fazia únicos. Mas isso acabou e não há mais aquele Cabo Verde…

Nho Chico spoke to him in broken English: Morabeza meant our essence, our music, our desires. Morabeza meant our creole women, each one different from the others, all unique. Morabeza meant our beaches covered in black and white sands, our strong, imposing mountains, our friendliness and hospitality. Morabeza meant flowers, cultural diversity, dance. Morabeza was what distinguished us, what made us unique. But now it's over and Cape Verde is no more…

Murder and escape

Dolls from Cape Verde. Photo by Wanaku on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

“Someone has to be killed, and that's your task”, states the second challenge, which encourages the use of fast-paced prose to deliver crime, action and lots of gore.

From the boss murdered by an indignant ex-employee, the beautiful brunette who succumbed to the poison of a Loxosceles anomala spider, the ‘Grande Mistério da Boneca Assassina‘ (The Mystery of the Murdered Doll), to the crime of passion and the classic butler mystery, but there was still room for a coup d'état from the revolutionaries, and for the introduction of the movement of the “indignados” in Cape Verde, as Suruk Rodrigues wrote in the story of Zeca:

Zeca sofria com perseguição política dos novos tempos, que poucos entendem, ou seja, na rua era bandido, na escola era drogado, e não conseguia bolsas de estudo, estágio, trabalho ou coisa melhor. Arquitectou com genialidade o movimento dos indignados de Soncent com sede e acção no Mindelo, que no mês de Julho de 2012 vinha a ocupar as manchetes dos jornais neoliberais numa dura perseguição aos “fascistas” e entre eles o pai da sua amada.

Zeca suffered from a newfound political persecution, which few understood. In other words, he was a criminal in the street, a drug addict in school, and he couldn't get scholarships, an internship, work or anything better. He had the brilliant idea of starting the movement of the outraged of Soncent, based in Mindelo. In July 2012 he came to be in the headlines of neoliberal newspapers in a stringent persecution of “fascists”: among them, the father of his beloved.

He ends up being stabbed in the back by his future father-in-law in a public square, in full view of everyone.

Who killed Eva?

More crime to inspire the authors, but this time the challenge profiles the suspects of the murder of Eva Sequeira, a fifty-something-year-old wealthy widow who was found dead in her mansion.

The suspects include “Eva's stepdaughter, who she never got on well with”, the “retired doctor who had been in love with Eva since childhood (although it was never reciprocated)”, the “young, good-looking stranger”, the “butler's son who was devoted to Cármen [the stepdaughter]”, and Eva's best friend:

No final do interrogatório, o investigador Nataniel Borges prendeu dois suspeitos sob acusação de cumplicidade na morte da senhora Eva Sequeira. Quem foi para a cadeia? Quais os motivos que os levaram a cometer tão horrendo crime?

At the end of the interrogations Detective Nataniel Borges arrested two suspects on the grounds of involvement in Eva Sequeira's murder. Who was sent to jail? What forced them to commit such a horrendous crime?

The story with the most views, written by Margareth Lima, blamed Eva's best friend for committing a crime of passion:

…eu amei aquela vadia desde o dia em que a conheci. Sofria cada vez que a via com outro, meu único conforto era a existência de outra pessoa que ela ignorava o amor. E justo quando ganho coragem e me declaro ela pede desculpas dizendo que só me queria como amiga. Queria ficar com esse imbecil [o médico aposentado], porque era seu Adão. Mereceu morrer sem disfrutar do seu Adão.

I loved that bitch from the day I met her. I couldn't bear seeing her with other people. My only comfort was the existence of another person whose love she ignored. And just when I plucked up the courage to admit my love for her, she apologised saying she just wanted to be friends. She wanted to stay with that prick [the retired doctor] because he was her Adam. She deserved to die without enjoying her Adam.

Three days and a farewell

What would you do if you were told that you had only three days left to live?

The repentence of someone who only ever knew how to be “a vile executioner, an opportunist and often sadistic for power”: he is taken door to door to visit those he owes apologies to for his behaviour in life.

A woman from Santo Antão. Photo by Julien Lagarde on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The “poet“, in “Quando fui morrer” (When I went to Die), “[she hurried] to condense [her] life for her family and closest friends” in an all-night celebration.

Vanda wanted to fulfil the dream she had beyond her Creole life: to see the snow. She ends up in the Swiss Alps with her eyes closed, a smile on her lips and a heart full to bursting.

While the “bride“ decided to block all social networking sites before she died (”I never liked the idea of seeing dead people on Facebook.”), Vitoria, the character in Bolivian Margareth Lima's winning piece, took advantage of the social network to arrange a huge birthday and farewell party with “family, former classmates, teachers, workmates, friends, and even enemies”. She was the only one who had a reversible death, as at the end of the story we find out that the results of the medical tests were not in fact hers.

And thus ended the first creative writing competition launched exclusively by a blog and promoted through Facebook, sowing the seeds for “changes in writing habits and routines that can put down their roots and become even more developed with the passage of time”.

Togo : Presidential Patrimony versus University Facilities

Abdoulaye Bah — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:03:53 +0000

Commenting on the declaration of assets of the new French President Francois Hollande, Jeogo wrote [fr]: “What is certain is that the patrimony of Francois Hollande (..) is no match for the patrimony of the “big shots “of the Togolese Republic (..) yet the crowded university is still without air-conditioned computer rooms; one room is equipped with a score of old computers that are not connected to the internet and where a power outage often ends the class sessions.”

Lesotho: 2012 General Election Date Set

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:17:46 +0000

Lesotho will hold general elections on 26 May 2012. King Letsie III set the date for elections following successful political negotiations mediated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Blogging from Lesotho, Michael Jordan reports:

Political violence in the enclave encircled by South Africa has flared up ahead of May 26 elections – an ominous sign in what one analyst calls the latest “stress test” for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. Cracks have emerged here with high-profile assassinations, rumors of a “hit squad,” and clashes at campaign rallies.

So the United Nations invited Archbishop Tutu to bolster democracy in the land, where, before launching his crusade against Apartheid next door, he served his first bishopric from 1976-78. On Friday, his “prayer meeting” extracted a pledge among political rivals to keep the peace and respect election results.

Citing the past political violence of South Africa, Tutu urged an audience that included the prime minister of Lesotho, “Please, please, please, please do not let the same happen to this stunningly beautiful land. Nothing can be so precious that it can be bought with innocent lives.”

Voters during Lesotho elections in 2007. Photo courtesy of GNDEM's Flickr page.

He continues:

Lesotho’s election is more than a contested vote in a remote country rarely heard from. It comes on the heels of successful elections across the continent: Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, and Zambia have recently all experienced peaceful elections. There have been a few notable blemishes: a couple of coups des états in Mali and Guinea-Bissau, and a contested election in Cote D’Ivoire in late 2010 that briefly turned into a civil war.

Khotso From Lesotho notes that political parties involved in the elections are too many to keep track of them all:

Elections are upon us in Lesotho. The scheduled date of national elections is May 26th. Parties are in full swing with events and meetings. On the weekends people come out and sing, hold flags, line up their horses, and urge people to vote for their party. There are many parties here, so it is hard to keep track of it all, but there are at least 2 major parties and from what people are saying it will be a very close election. The current prime minister formed a new party to run with and there has already been a bit of fighting (actual physical fighting) even within this one party.

Although the elections do not seem to be a trending topic online, there are tweeps sharing information, insights and opinions about the May 26 elections:

@takwiram: Of factions & fractions, party splits & contested elections. Lesotho has 120 MPs + 33 senators for 2,2 million people & GDP pc of $1,600

@KayZeeKokotela: Lesotho's upcoming elections, May 26, a true testimony of Basotho's freedom.

@TumiVolume: “@KommandaObbs: It's annoying how a small country like Lesotho has over 17 political parties contesting for general elections.” democracy

@Snitzerd: @WilliamJHague. The Kingdom of Lesotho is going for General Elections on the 26th may…international support needed

@gophlyone: Lesotho elections have neva been so closely contested, u can't tell who's going to win this one…LCD, DC, BNP or ABC

@KCMokoma: This weekend will most dramatic weekend as ever in Lesotho political history. We faithfully pray for peaceful elections

The elections will take place against the backdrop of political violence. The Lesotho Political Parties Leadership Forum claims that there is a “hit squad” that has been assigned to kill prominent people ahead of the general elections.

Ghana: Will Parliament Pass Right to Information Before 2013?

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:44:53 +0000

Cecil Dadzie wonders whether the Ghanaian parliament will pass Right to Information Bill before 2013: “The Rights to Information Bill (RTI), which was laid before Parliament in February, 20I0, has generated controversy, with the RTI Coalition blaming Parliament for feet-dragging in passing the bill into law.”

Africa: The Golden Baobab Award

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:07:50 +0000

Submit your story for The Golden Baobab Award: “The Golden Boabab Award was established in 2008 to encouraged writers in Africa who specialize in books for children and young adults.”

Lesotho: Touching Tiny Lives

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:04:01 +0000

Touching Tiny Lives works to mitigate the effect of HIV/AIDS on the most vulnerable infants and children under age five by supporting their health, nutritional, developmental, and emotional needs in Lesotho.