Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 16:38:54 +0200
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 115: BARRIERS TO AFRICAN REGIONAL INTEGRATION: THE
INTERNATIONAL AID SYSTEM AND CORPORATE INTERESTS

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 115: BARRIERS TO AFRICAN REGIONAL INTEGRATION: THE
INTERNATIONAL AID SYSTEM AND CORPORATE INTERESTS

A Weekly Electronic Newsletter For Social Justice In Africa

CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights
and Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. Education and Social
Welfare, 7. Women and Gender, 8. Refugees and Forced Migration, 9.
Racism and Xenophobia, 10. Environment, 11. Media, 12. Development, 13.
Internet and Technology, 14. eNewsletters and Mailing Lists, 15.
Fundraising, 16. Courses, Seminars, and Workshops, 17. Advocacy
Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters and Comments

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1.EDITORIAL

BARRIERS TO AFRICAN REGIONAL INTEGRATION: THE INTERNATIONAL AID SYSTEM AND
CORPORATE INTERESTS
Alex De Waal
Why is the entire African continental economy no larger than Spain's, at
$580 billion? Why is the combined GDP of the 40-plus countries that lie
between South Africa and Egypt scarcely bigger than the annual turnover of
ExxonMobil? There's a weary consensus that blames low prices for Africa's
agricultural exports, corruption, cash-starved infrastructure and,
increasingly, the devastating economic impact of AIDS. But less explored is
the perverse logic of dividing Africa's small economic space into fifty
sovereign entities. Regional economic integration is an absolute
prerequisite for poverty reduction: expanding markets, attracting
investment, and increasing savings. Unfortunately, there are powerful
interests that stand in its way - mainly the politicians and bureaucrats who
extract rent from their possession of sovereign privileges to tax and regula
te.

Take Djibouti in northeast Africa. It has about half a million people and
virtually no domestic economy. It depends wholly on three things: a port and
railway link that serve the much larger economy of landlocked Ethiopia, a
French military base (recently augmented by a U.S. command centre, used for
keeping watch on Yemen and monitoring al Qa'ida's attempts to infiltrate the
Horn of Africa), and lastly the fact that tiny Djibouti, by virtue of its
sovereign independence, has a seat at the United Nations, the African Union
and the Arab League, and therefore also has representation at the World
Bank, United Nations specialised agencies and bilateral donors. A simple
survey will show that across Africa, the smaller the country, the more aid
it receives per capita. Partly this is simply because most nations have a
desk officer in every large aid bureaucracy and thus a champion in the
system. And partly it is because every now and then, the vote of that
country may become important in some critical international forum. (The U.S.
suddenly became much more conciliatory towards Angola last summer,
coinciding with Angola taking one of Africa's seats on the U.N. Security
Council.) Small countries are also more attractive as sites for military
bases: their domestic problems are more manageable and their loyalty is more
easily obtained than larger ones.

Five years ago, there was some discussion that Djibouti might merge with its
neighbour Ethiopia. The rents that Djibouti's rulers can extract from the
international system have put paid to that. On the other side of the
continent, tiny Gambia broke up its sensible confederation with its sole and
much larger neighbour, Senegal, because its leading officials were profiting
too little from the arrangement.

The executives of international oil corporations, avowed globalisers in
theory, are in practice the friends of regressive political economies. Oil
companies prefer to negotiate deals with small countries rather than large
ones: in a country with a million people, political stability can simply be
bought, whereas there is a sad history of oil fuelling conflict in larger
countries like Angola, Nigeria and Sudan. Oil wealth is a top-down resource:
it's easy to distribute as largesse, and the smaller the constituency, the
more effective it can be.

NGOs certainly have no intention to impede the continent's growth, but their
operations may, at times, do exactly that. Aid agencies control substantial
parts of the transport sector in Mozambique, but their contracts are not
awarded through competitive bidding, but instead on opaque criteria
developed by bureaucrats behind closed doors in Washington or Brussels. The
domestic entrepreneurial class cannot compete.

Forty years ago, Africa's independence leaders came together to form the
Organisation of African Unity - a minimum framework for organising the
continent during the turmoils of the Cold War. Ordinary Africans longed for
something more: true political unity. Last year in Durban, Africa's heads of
state finally agreed to establish an African Union, a big step along this
road. The new institution promises to build an ambitious array of
institutions including a Pan African Parliament, but it is likely to be
hampered by financial weakness and the vested interests of governing elites.
Regional economic integration has historically been driven by a powerful
manufacturing sector seeking to expand its markets. This is the case for
Europe, the Far East and North America, and is manifestly the case for
economic globalisation. By contrast, regional integration among
non-industrialised countries has had more modest achievements - from the
Mercusur economic cooperation pact in Latin America to the historic alliance
of independent frontline African states against Apartheid South Africa.

As the least developed continent, Africa faces the greatest challenges to
integration. With the exception of South Africa, it is largely dependent on
agrarian produce, minerals and aid. The African Union's member states have
long been used to seeing their continental organisation as a forum to defend
their sovereign interests, and a bureaucracy in which to place 'their men'.
The current and incoming chairs - South Africa and Mozambique -are both
democracies, but there are fears as to the standing of the Union if a less
respected country were to become its head.

However, there have been encouraging steps. In its last years the
Organisation for African Unity refused to recognise the putschists in Sierra
Leone and Ivory Coast, and insisting on only accepting rulers who come to
power through constitutional means. But only when a Pan-African parliament
is established that can set continental standards for democracy, mineral
companies forced to become more transparent about payments to countries, and
aid distributed in ways that promote economic integration, will Africa begin
to escape its structural paralysis. That will require African leaders to
sacrifice the spoils of sovereignty for the long-term promise of continental
development.

* Alex de Waal is Programme Director for the Commission for HIV / AIDS and
Governance in Africa, and a director of Justice Africa. This editorial is a
shortened version of an essay from the book 'Unbinding Africa: Making
globalisation work for good governance', edited by Phoebe Griffith. More
information: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=15803

* Please send comments on this editorial to [log in to unmask]

IFJ CHALLENGE TO AFRICAN UNION LEADERS: SET JOURNALISTS FREE AND ABANDON
PRESS CONTROLS
IFJ ENDORSES CREDO-FAHAMU CAMPAIGN
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on African
Union Heads of State to release all jailed journalists and repeal all anti
freedom of expression legislation. The IFJ is supporting a petition launched
on June 5th by CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and
Fahamu to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in
Maputo in July and addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the
current Chair of the AU.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15817
Contact: [log in to unmask]

SUPPORT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: SIGN THE CREDO AND FAHAMU PETITION
CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have
launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all
incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression
legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of
Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki
of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to
read the full letter and join the petition.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15814
Contact: [log in to unmask]

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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES

BURUNDI: REBEL GROUP STEPS UP ATTACKS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34788
Attacks by the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour
la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) rebel faction led by Pierre
Nkurunziza have increased in several areas in Burundi, the latest being the
abduction on Monday of a local official in Kayanza Province to the north of
the country.

DRC: CEASEFIRE TALKS FOR NORTH KIVU REBELS TO RESUME
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34835
Negotiations to reach a ceasefire among various armed groups in North Kivu
Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were due to
resume on Wednesday in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, a UN official said.

DRC: CONGO CRISIS: MILITARY INTERVENTION IN ITURI
http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=1005
The district of Ituri in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is
experiencing spiralling violence bordering on genocide. The crisis urgently
needs to be stopped. However the French-led Interim Emergency Multinational
Force (IEMF) being deployed to Bunia, the administrative centre, is totally
insufficient. A much bigger UN intervention force is needed, that operates
over a greater geographic area and stays much longer than the few months
currently envisaged. There must also be sustained pressure on Rwanda, Uganda
and Congo's leaders - and their proxy militias - to support the local
pacification process in the area and finalise negotiations towards the
establishment of a legitimate transitional Congo government. This is
according to a new report from the International Crisis Group.

DRC: ILLICIT SMALL ARMS UNDERMINE PEACE EFFORTS
http://www.ips.org/
There are an estimated 100 million small arms in the hands of individuals,
or militia groups, in Africa, according to various reports. The
proliferation of such weapons was the major factor in the ethnic and
religious strife, political instability and violent crime on the continent,
the reports say. A Kalashnikov, or an AK-47 rifle, costs as little as 15
U.S. dollars in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

LIBERIA: CEASEFIRE RAISES PEACE HOPES
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=22480
Joy erupted in the battle-scarred streets of Monrovia Wednesday after a
ceasefire between Liberia's besieged government and two rebel groups brought
hope of an end to 14 years of war.
Related Links:
* Ceasefire signed in Ghana
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34806
* Fighting resumes in interior
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34782

LIBERIA: TOUGH CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR LIBERIA PEACE PACT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306180374.html
No-one is hailing the ceasefire agreed in Ghana on Tuesday between Liberian
adversaries as the end of that country's civil war. But most people,
especially Liberians, are hoping it will achieve a halt in the fighting - a
first step along a long road to peace.

MALI: PROMOTING PEACE AND RECONCILIATION -RADIO PROGRAMMING PROJECT IN
TIMBUKTU REGION
http://www.africanconflict.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=669
The Northern Mali Peace and Reconciliation Project, supported by a small
grant, has helped to promote peace through radio programming in Northern
Mali and is positive proof that small projects can bring large results. The
six-month activity has contributed to the significant conflict reduction in
the Timbuktu Region of Mali and left participating stations with mechanisms
and a mission to promote peace and reconciliation.

SUDAN/UGANDA: KHARTOUM DENIES BACKING UGANDAN REBELS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34850
Sudan has strongly denied accusations, made on Monday by the Acholi
Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative (ARLPI) in northern Uganda, that the
Sudanese army is continuing to arm the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel
group.

SUDAN/UGANDA: MUSEVENI ACCUSES SUDAN OF REARMING REBEL FIGHTERS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306160194.html
President Yoweri Museveni, on a state visit to the US, has accused Sudan of
secretly arming Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and fuelling the
insurgency in northern Uganda in a bid to expand her borders.

WEST AFRICA: THE TANGLED WEB OF WARS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/africa/03/tangled_war/html/default.stm
The full scale rebellion in Liberia is part of a complicated web of
conflicts which began more than a decade ago. Governments in Sierra Leone,
Liberia and Ivory Coast have been struggling to hold power against rebel
groups, trading accusations with neighbouring nations over who is backing
who. Liberia's rebel-turned-president, Charles Taylor is accused of arming
rebels in Sierra Leone's civil war, but is now under threat himself from a
rebel group which he claims started operating out of Guinea.

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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

AFRICA/GLOBAL: FIGHT CONTEMPORARY SLAVERY BY ELIMINATING ROOT CAUSES ­, SAYS
UN OFFICIAL
Contemporary forms of slavery cannot be eliminated unless the international
community goes beyond mere legal prohibitions to fighting its root causes
such as poverty, gender discrimination and violence against women, according
to the acting United Nations human rights chief Bertrand Ramcharan, who was
opening the 28th session of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of
Slavery in Geneva.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15789

AFRICA/GLOBAL: U.S. WINS ANOTHER EXEMPTION FROM WAR CRIMES COURT
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&ncid=655&e=1&u=/oneworld
/20030613/wl_oneworld/118151055524991
While angry and reluctant members of the UN Security Council voted last
Thursday to extend its exemption of U.S. soldiers and officials from the
jurisdiction of the new International Criminal Court (ICC) for a second
year, U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld threatened to block funding for
NATO's new headquarters in Brussels unless Belgium amended or withdrew a
controversial law permitting its courts to try foreigners for war crimes and
genocide.

AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA: IMPACT OF PRIVATISATION ON RIGHTS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED,
AFRICA COMMISSION TOLD
The South African Human Rights Commission (HURISA), in a statement to the
33RD session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights held in
late May, urged the commission to consider the impact that privatisation was
having on the implementation of socio-economic rights enshrined in the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights not only in South Africa but in
countries throughout the continent.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15706

ALGERIA: UNREST AND IMPASSE IN KABYLIA
http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=996
In late April 2001, lethal provocations by elements of Algeria's National
Gendarmerie triggered protracted and deadly rioting in Kabylia. That the
unrest from Kabylia's Black Spring continues to this day reflects the
political system's nation-wide failure to adopt reforms that address its
deficit of democratic representation, says the International Crisis Group.
Neither the regime, nor the Kabyle political parties nor the so-called
"Coordinations" that lead the protest movement in the region has to date
proposed a serious formula for ending the impasse.

ANGOLA: NEW BLOOD FOR ANGOLA'S MPLA
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=15758
Angola's ruling MPLA has started preparations for a landmark congress in
December that will see the most comprehensive cleaning out of a
revolutionary movement in Africa. President José Eduardo dos Santos said 45%
of the party's leadership would be swept out to make way for new blood. He
is insisting that every position, including that of leader, be contested at
what will be the MPLA's fifth congress.

GUINEA-BISSAU: UN DOUBTS ABILITY TO HOLD ELECTIONS IN JULY
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34742
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has cast doubt on Guinea-Bissau's ability to
hold credible parliamentary elections next month, remarking that the small
West African country "has embarked on a downward course" following its
return to democracy three years ago.

LIBERIA: A CALL TO ACTION
http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=998
The 4 June 2003 announcement of the indictment of Liberian President Charles
Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone propels the Liberian conflict
into a new situation, with both opportunities and risks for the
international community, says the International Crisis Group. Handled
correctly, it can provide an opportunity to purge the region of one of the
most serious threats to regional stability and usher in a new era of peace,
stability, and democracy. Mishandled, the indictment can spark a new spiral
of violence of catastrophic proportions not only for the Liberian people but
also for the citizens of Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

MAURITANIA: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS SET FOR NOVEMBER DESPITE COUP ATTEMPT
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34719
Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya has confirmed plans to go
ahead with presidential elections in November after narrowly surviving a
coup attempt that led to two days of heavy fighting in the capital
Nouakchott.

SOMALIA: AMNESTY CALLS FOR LEADERS WHO WILL PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34786
The London-based rights group Amnesty International has called on delegates
attending Somali peace talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to choose
leaders who will protect the human rights of all Somalis.

SWAZILAND: A WIND OF CHANGE
http://www.actsa.org/News/features/010503_swazi.htm
A recent manifesto by PUDEMO, the main opposition party in Swaziland, marks
a new phase in opposition politics, setting out detailed policies on issues
such as poverty and HIV/AIDS. But despite a growing yearning for freedom and
a rise in support of democratic forces, all opposition movements are forced
to operate illegally. Visit Action for Southern Africa's web site for an
interview with Mario Masuku, leader of PUDEMO.

ZIMBABWE: HARASSMENT OF LAWYERS AS CIVIC ACTION CONTINUES
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) says it has received disturbing
reports of the harassment of lawyers at police stations throughout the
country. "This is a very serious issue and is of grave concern to ZLHR," the
organisation said in a press statement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15698

ZIMBABWE: OPPOSITION SAYS HANGINGS A SHOW OF 'BRUTE FORCE'
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_791195.html
Zimbabwe's opposition has described the hanging of four convicted murderers
as a show of "brute force" at a time when its leader faces treason charges
that could lead to a death sentence.

ZIMBABWE: TSVANGIRAI PROTESTS HIS INNOCENCE
http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7008
The treason trial of Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, accused
of plotting to eliminate President Robert Mugabe ahead of presidential
elections last year, resumed on Tuesday. The trial, which resumed after a
three week break, concerns the first charges of treason brought against the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader and two key members of his
party, Welshman Ncube and Renson Gasela. Tsvangirai has also been charged
with treason - punishable by death in Zimbabwe - in connection with
anti-government protests organised by his party two weeks ago.
Related Link:
* Youths plan protests for Tsvangirai's release
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306180683.html

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4.CORRUPTION

AFRICA: ECONOMIC ELITE RANK CORRUPTION, IGNORE OWN ROLE - CRITICS
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=18719
A leading global business group has issued a ''corruption index'' for
African countries, but corporate governance watchdogs say the World Economic
Forum (WEF) ignored the role that its members play in corrupting poor
countries. The rankings released last Tuesday by the Geneva-based WEF, known
for its high-profile annual meetings in the alpine resort of Davos,
Switzerland that attract the world's corporate and political luminaries,
show Botswana leading the 21 African nations ranked for the quality of their
public institutions.

AFRICA: SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,978989,00.html
Washington's determination to find an alternative energy source to the
Middle East is leading to a new oil rush in sub-Saharan Africa which
threatens to launch a fresh cycle of conflict, corruption and environmental
degradation in the region, campaigners warn. This risks bringing more misery
to the continent as western oil companies pour billions of dollars in secret
payments into government coffers. Much of the money ends up in the hands of
ruling elites.

KENYA: FORMER KENYAN PRESIDENT SAID TO RECORD STATEMENT OVER INVOLVEMENT IN
BANK SCAM
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65189
Former President Daniel arap Moi has been asked by the anti-corruption
police to record a statement over the Euro Bank scandal, it has been
revealed. Investigators want to know if he ever ordered any of the former
parastatal chiefs facing graft charges to pump millions of taxpayers' money
into the bank before it collapsed.

LESOTHO: AFRICAN CONDUIT GUILTY IN LESOTHO BRIBE TRIAL
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65166
The long-running series of corruption trials against leading international
construction companies in the southern African state of Lesotho has reached
another milestone with a guilty plea from one of the main intermediaries for
the bribes. Jacobus Michiel du Plooy, a South African consultant, has
pleaded guilty to paying $375,000 (£225,000) to Masupha Sole, the former
chief executive of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project who is serving 15
years in prison for accepting more than $2m in bribes from a dozen western
companies. The cash was paid on behalf of Impregilo SpA, Italy's largest
construction company, according to the indictment.

LESOTHO: GERMANS GUILTY OF BRIBERY
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1374570,00.html
A German engineering company, Lahmeyer, was on Tuesday found guilty of
bribing a top official of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

NIGERIA: AFRICANS TO DISCLOSE DETAILS OF OIL DEALS
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c
=StoryFT&cid=1054966238975
Nigeria and Sao Tome have pledged to publish the financial results of their
next licensing round for a $270m oilfield. The decision is a breakthrough
for the UK-led campaign to reduce corruption in oil and mineral-rich
developing countries by pushing governments to disclose the amount of money
international companies pay to develop their resources.

NIGERIA: ANOTHER 13 BILLION LOSS TO FAULTY ACCOUNTING
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65180
Bad news comes in bunches, says this commentary in Nigeria's The Vanguard
newspaper, and what the nation has been told recently about happenings in
the oil and gas sector has been mostly bad news - underlining the reasons
why Nigeria ranks as the second most corrupt nation on earth.

NIGERIA: PRESIDENT ORDERS PROBE OF $2.4M HALLIBURTON TAX BRIBE
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65210
The Nigerian government has ordered a probe into a $2.4 million bribe,
allegedly paid by U.S.-based oil service company, Halliburton, to some
Nigerian tax officials, news media reported Wednesday.

SOUTH AFRICA: OIL SLICK TARS BIGWIGS
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=59&o=22231
Sharp new questions over conflicts of interest have emerged about the
controversial private company that secured a "government-to-government" deal
to buy Nigerian crude oil. Two weeks ago the Mail & Guardian reported that
"South African Oil Company" (SAOC), a private company registered in the
offshore tax-haven Cayman Islands, was still benefiting from a Nigerian
state oil contract allocated in 1999 to "the Republic of South Africa" -
though neither oil nor income flowed to this country.

ZAMBIA: BLOW FOR CHILUBA THEFT CASE
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65193
A Zambian court has dropped charges against six men who were accused of
stealing state finances - along with former President Frederick Chiluba. But
the court in Lusaka reserved the right to re-arrest the six if new evidence
came to light.

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5.HEALTH

AFRICA/GLOBAL: AFRICAN NATIONS TO LOBBY ON GENERIC DRUGS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18282
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Africa's major free trade
bloc, plans to lobby the United States and pharmaceutical companies for the
right to produce generic antiretroviral drugs, according to the group's
secretary general, Reuters reports. COMESA Secretary-General Erastus Mwencha
said that patent disputes in the World Trade Organisation are "robbing the
region of a key weapon against AIDS," according to Reuters.

CAMEROON/CHAD: CONDITIONS ALONG PIPELINE IDEAL FOR HIV SPREAD
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18333
A lack of adequate health care and an increase in migration and prostitution
that has accompanied the construction of a $3.7 billion oil pipeline route
in Cameroon and Chad have created ideal conditions for the spread of HIV,
the Los Angeles Times reports in the second article in a two-part series on
the pipeline.

DRC: CHOLERA SPREADING IN KASAI ORIENTAL - WHO
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34757
The UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern over the spread
of cholera in Kasai Oriental Province, central Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), where three new areas were affected between 1-8 June.

MOZAMBIQUE: CHOLERA KILLS 87 PEOPLE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34803
Eighty-seven people have died of cholera in Mozambique since the beginning
of the year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Tuesday.

SOMALIA: FIRST POST-WAR MEDICAL COLLEGE OPENS IN MOGADISHU
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34793
Somalia's first medical college in 12 years officially opened in the
capital, Mogadishu, on 15 June. The Benadir University Medical College
(BUMC) is to be funded by donations from Somali physicians and an annual fee
of US $1,500 per student, its rector, Dr Usman Adan Abdulle, told IRIN.

SOUTH AFRICA: ACTION PLEDGED ON AIDS DRUGS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2995384.stm
South Africa's health system will soon offer drugs blocking the Aids virus,
the body that advises the government on HIV/Aids has said. The South African
National Aids Council (Sanac) made the announcement following a meeting with
the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) - a group that has been urging the
government to supply the drugs.

UGANDA: AIDS NOT SERIOUS SICKNESS, SAYS MUSEVENI
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=18228
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is in Washington, D.C., this week
meeting with government and business leaders, including President Bush, to
discuss AIDS, trade and terrorism, said in an interview with the Washington
Times that "AIDS is not a serious sickness ... because it's not very
contagious" and that people can easily avoid acquiring the virus.

ZAMBIA: COUNTRY TO ADOPT HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER FOR HIV POPULATION
http://tinyurl.com/eflg
Zambia, a country hit hard by HIV/ AIDS, will soon have a human rights
charter to protect its HIV/AIDS-infected citizens from various forms of
abuses and discrimination. Matrine Chuulu, coordinator of Women in Law in
Southern Africa, a non-governmental organisation in Zambia working on the
charter, said Wednesday that the charter will be launched in November this
year.

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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE

AFRICA/GLOBAL: FAIR CHANCE - ATTAINING GENDER EQUALITY IN BASIC EDUCATION
http://www.campaignforeducation.org/_html/actionweek/downloads/AFairChanceFu
llReport.pdf
A failure to achieve gender equality in basic education will result in
almost certain failure of the other Millenium Development Goals (MDG's),
according to a report that aims to inform campaigning and advocacy work in
the North and South on girls' education. The report highlights the progress
that has been made in reducing gender gaps in education in the developing
world and the size of the challenge that remains. Despite individual success
stories, says the report, very large inequalities still exist in the
majority of developing countries, and the rate of progress needs to
accelerate four-fold to achieve the gender equity goal.

AFRICA/GLOBAL: WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR DRAWS ATTENTION TO PLIGHT OF
TRAFFICKED
Gymfoe was trafficked in Ghana when she was 12: "The woman told my mother
I'd go to school, I was so happy. But that's not what happened." In reality
she was forced to work long hours in harsh conditions. She received no money
and was denied her rights to school and rest. The International Labour
Organisation (ILO ) the UN body which regulates the world of work, has
adopted 12 June as World Day Against Child Labour. This year the focus was
on child trafficking, and the damage it can do to children, families,
communities and ultimately whole countries.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15680

AFRICA: AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS MUST RESPECT CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
On the Day of the African Child on June 16, Amnesty International called on
African governments to ratify the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare
of the Child, where they have not done so already, and for all governments
to rapidly put into practice the terms of the Charter. Everyday, African
children continue to be used as soldiers, often to fight on the front line,
or as porters, messengers, guards, or cooks.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15697

AFRICA: CONTINUED CHILD SOLDIERING CASTS SHADOW ON CELEBRATIONS FOR THE DAY
OF THE AFRICAN CHILD
The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers has called on African
governments and armed groups to implement commitments to stop child
soldiering. "The Day of the African Child is not only a celebration of
progress towards child rights; it is also a time to remember the tens of
thousands of child soldiers caught up in conflicts across Africa," said
Casey Kelso, Coalition coordinator. It is estimated that more than 120,000
African children - some no more than 7 or 8 years old - are currently
participating in armed conflicts as combatants, spies, messengers, sentries,
porters, servants and sexual slaves.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15743

DRC: CALL TO UPHOLD CHILD RIGHTS
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.c
gi?a0415_BC_UN-Congo
Leading human rights and aid agencies called the situation in Congo one of
the world's largest humanitarian tragedies and demanded urgent action to
halt the sexual abuse and forced recruitment of children. In a 36-page
report, a network of agencies called on all parties in Congo's war to uphold
international treaties to protect children's rights.

ETHIOPIA: EDUCATION KEY TO FIGHTING CHILD TRAFFICKING, SAYS UNICEF
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34732
Education is a key weapon in preventing girls from falling victim to child
trafficking, Bjorn Ljungqvist, the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
in Ethiopia, said last Thursday.

NIGERIA: UNIVERSITY TEACHERS END SIX MONTHS STRIKE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34792
Nigerian university lecturers have ended a six-month strike to demand
improved government funding of education in compliance with the ruling of an
industrial arbitration panel. The strike had brought teaching to a halt in
the universities of Africa's most populous nation.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: BIRTH REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN GIVES CHILDREN RIGHTS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34772
The importance of registering a child's birth formed the central theme of
Monday's Day of the African Child commemorations throughout Southern Africa.
The campaign, which is being led by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and
regional governments, hopes to give almost 17 million unregistered
sub-Saharan children access to the rights they would automatically qualify
for, just by being registered.

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7.WOMEN AND GENDER

AFRICA/GLOBAL: PREGNANT WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MORE PRONE TO ABUSE
http://www.jhsph.edu/Press_Room/Press_Releases/Hyder_pregnancyviolence.html
Four percent to 29 percent of women in developing countries experience
domestic violence during pregnancy, according to research from the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers report that
violence during pregnancy is a major public health concern, because of the
high rate of pregnancy in the developing world, and they call for more
research to implement preventive policies.

AFRICA: AFRICAN WOMEN CALL FOR GENDER BUDGETS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306170300.html
They contribute over 70% of Africa's wealth from agriculture. But women
still comprise 70% of the poorest in the world remaining the most
vulnerable. Delegates from Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Eritrea and Uganda converged in Uganda from May 27 - 28 to deliberate the
way forward in resolving the plight of African woman, focusing on gender
responsive budgeting.

AFRICA: DEBATE RAGES OVER WOMEN AND SHARIA
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2977446.stm
The debate over Islamic law is raging globally, among Muslim women's groups
alarmed by cases in Nigeria and Pakistan. "I believe in the justice of God.
So if justice is not done to me here on earth it will be done in the
hereafter," says Amina Lawal. Ms Lawal, divorced mother-of-three, retains a
strong faith in her Islamic religion, even though she has become what many
see as a victim of Islamic law.

AFRICA: FIGHTING PREJUDICE AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF GIRLS IN SCHOOL
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306120019.html
Girls in Africa still face an uphill battle to go to and stay in school,
while some struggle to be taken seriously and others face sexual harassment
by male teachers. That is the conclusion of Professor Penina Mlama, the
executive director of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE),
herself a former Dean of Students at the University of Dar es Salaam in
Tanzania.

AFRICA: PREGNANCY DISEASE CLOAKED IN SILENCE
http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=86&art_id=qw105595128112B216&set_id=1
Calling it a condition too unpleasant to discuss, a United Nations agency
urged African nations on Wednesday to end the silence and confront one of
the world's worst pregnancy-related disabilities. Girls and women suffering
from obstetric fistula, a condition resulting from obstructed labour, endure
an uncontrollable leakage of urine or feces that often means being shunned
by their family.

ETHIOPIA: WOMEN'S COALITION ON HIV/AIDS LAUNCHED
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34821
One of Africa's first ever national women's coalitions aimed at combating
HIV/AIDS has been formed. The coalition, made up of tens of thousands of
women countrywide, is headed by some of the leading female figures in
Ethiopian society.

NIGERIA: A LIFE ON HOLD
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/06/15/insight/in01.asp
It's been more than a year since Nigerian mother Amina Lawal was sentenced
to death by stoning. The repeated postponement of her appeal has exacted its
 own toll, writes the author of this article, Festus Eriye, from Katsina,
Nigeria.

SUDAN: NGOS ACCUSE GOVERNMENT SECURITY ORGANS OF HARASSING WOMEN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306170140.html
Eight women from Nuba Indigenous Ruya Association were on June 3 harassed
and detained in questionable circumstances by government security organs
here. According to a press release issued by Nairobi-based Nuba Relief,
Rehabilitation and Development Organisation (NRRDO) on June 6, the women
were among a delegation attending an All Nuba Women Conference in the Nuba
Mountains (June 5-9), organised by Ruya Association (Kadugli), and NRRDO in
Kauda.

SWAZILAND: CREATING THE "NEW MAN"
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34720
Disturbed by the stereotype of a typical Swazi male as a misogynist and
polygamist, Swazi men are determined to show the positive side of African
male culture and are reconsidering their roles as husbands, fathers and
family providers. "I don't think we knew how bad we were until we started
reading news reports about the chauvinistic Swazi man," laughed labour union
organiser Charles Mdluli, a member of the Swaziland Alliance of Men. "We are
out to prove that Swazi culture provides for strong men who are still
sensitive to others."

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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION

AFRICA/GLOBAL: TRANSFORMING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AID AGENCIES AND
REFUGEES
http://www.id21.org/society/s10cob1g1.html
Is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) succeeding in moving beyond
the traditional role of supplier of food, water and shelter, towards an
inclusive, community development approach? Is commitment to a rights-based
approach to provision of refugee needs simply rhetorical? Are refugees
enthusiastic about the new approach and seeing concrete benefits?

AFRICA/GLOBAL: UNHCR HIGHLIGHTS PLIGHT OF REFUGEES ON EVE OF WORLD REFUGEE
DAY
http://www.irna.ir/en/head/030619134901.ehe.shtml
This year's World Refugee Day, which falls on Friday June 20, is dedicated
to the millions of young people whose futures have been jeopardized by war,
persecution and exile, said a message released by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Phillippe Lavanchy on Thursday.

AFRICA: IS THE UNHCR DOING ITS JOB? COMBINING REFUGEE RELIEF WITH LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
http://www.id21.org/id21-media/refugees/refugeecamps.html
Food and water deprivation, inadequate health and education facilities,
prison-like restrictions on freedom of movement, ethnic and gender violence,
ad-hoc justice and collective punishment: this is how Cairo-based refugee
scholar Barbara Harrell-Bond recently described the plight of many refugees
in UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) camps in Africa. When
id21 put this description to the UNHCR's Jeff Crisp, he largely agreed.
Refugee camps are supposed to be safe havens for people fleeing war,
persecution and natural disaster. Why then are they places where refugees
are apparently deprived of their human rights and given little hope and even
fewer opportunities to improve their lives?

AFRICA: REFUGEE FLOWS AND THE AFTERMATH
http://www.id21.org/society/s10cmp1g1.html
Is the impact of refugees always negative? Are governments that accept
refugees justified in depicting them as a burden? Or are refugees potential
agents of development? Could support of livelihood activities enable
refugees to lessen their dependence on aid and reduce tension with their
hosts? Could locals benefit from refugee camp infrastructure when refugees
go home? A working paper entitled 'The role and impact of humanitarian
assets in refugee-hosting countries' from the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees series 'New issues in Refugee Research' focuses on the humanitarian
assets and infrastructure provided to refugee hosting countries in order to
better understand the consequences of refugee and humanitarian assistance.

AFRICA: SHORTFALL IN LEGISLATION ENACTMENT FOR REFUGEES
Of the 47 AU Member States which have ratified the 1969 OAU Convention on
Refugees, only 28 had enacted legislation to give effect at the national
level to the international obligations they have undertaken, said Ilunga
Ngandu, UNHCR Regional Liaison Representative for Africa. "In many
instances, the legislation enacted falls short of the standards laid down in
the international instruments. Some laws are formulated and applied as
instruments of control, focusing on the obligations of refugees, while
remaining silent on their civil, social and economic rights, or severely
curtailing these rights," he said in an address to the 33rd ordinary session
of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights held in Niamey, Niger
between 15 and 29 May.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15707

BOTSWANA: PERSECUTION OF BUSHMEN STEPPED UP
At least ten Bushmen from Molapo, in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
(CKGR), Botswana, have been charged with entering a game reserve without a
permit, according to Survival International. Botswana police issued the
charges on June 16.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15754

BURUNDI: EDUCATION FOR REPATRIATION: PROVIDING REFUGEES WITH VOCATIONAL
SKILLS
http://www.id21.org/society/s10cel1g1.html
The international community provides protection and assistance to 350 000
Burundian refugees in 10 camps in western Tanzania. With 10 000 Burundian
refugees entering adulthood in the camps each year and the prospect for
return uncertain, there is much scope for boredom, apathy and crime. What
form of education is relevant and stimulating for such refugee populations?
A paper from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) entitled
'Vocational training for refugees: a case study from Tanzania' evaluates
ongoing skills training programmes for Burundian refugees.

CENTRAL AFRICA: UN AGENCY REPATRIATES 1,108 REFUGEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34697
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repatriated
1,108 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the
neighbouring Republic of the Congo since Monday, an official of the Central
African Republic told IRIN on Wednesday.

ERITREA/SUDAN: PROGRESS ON REPATRIATION OF ERITREAN REFUGEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34731
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reached an
agreement with the governments of Eritrea and Sudan on where to open a
humanitarian corridor between the two countries to facilitate the
repatriation of thousands of Eritrean refugees, the UNHCR has said.

ERITREA: 8,700 EXPELLEES FROM ETHIOPIA RESETTLED
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34770
A total of 8,700 Eritreans expelled from Ethiopia in 1998, and who have been
homeless ever since, have been given farmland by the Eritrean government.
The 2,870 families have each been given one hectare of land.

LIBERIA: 30,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE LIVING IN A STADIUM
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34706
The Liberian capital Monrovia remained quiet last Thursday for the second
day running, but relief workers said nearly 50,000 people displaced by a
rebel push into the city's western suburbs were living in extremely
difficult conditions at a sports stadium and several schools.

TANZANIA: 5,000 REFUGEES TO RETURN HOME FROM TANZANIA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306180564.html
The governments of Rwanda and Congo-Brazzaville together with the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have agreed to return home 5,000
Rwandan citizens who fled the country during the 1994 genocide. However,
over 1,000 of the refugees residing in western Tanzania have appealed
against repatriation, alleging that they will be persecuted if they returned
to their country.

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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

IVORY COAST: ACTIVIST WHO FOUGHT AGAINST CITIZENSHIP RESTRICTIONS IS NOW IN
EXILE
http://dfn.org/news/ivory-coast/kamagate.htm
"Whoever is in control of the government will need to specify who is Ivorian
and who is not," stressed Abahebou Kamagate in an interview with the Digital
Freedom Network. As a human rights activist, Kamagate fought to challenge
the government's increasingly restrictive citizenship laws that could
exclude almost half the country's population, especially those from ethnic
groups associated with the northern region. Kamagate is the vice president
of SOS Exclusion, an Ivorian human rights organisation, and believes that
the question of citizenship is at the root of the conflict which has divided
the country between north and south.

SOUTH AFRICA: 'POLITICS NOT FOR US, GOD ALREADY CHOSE US'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306180161.html
They believe God created an elect group of whites to rule the peoples of the
world. They also believe the Bible forbids racial "interbreeding". Yet Jaco
van der Merwe, spiritual leader of the Lewende Hoop (Living Hope)
congregation in Kroonstad, denies their message is political. Police and
intelligence officers do not seem to agree that the teachings of the Lewende
Hoop church are a-political.

SOUTH AFRICA: BOEREMAG TREASON TRIAL POSTPONED AGAIN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306180160.html
Nearly a month after it was to have started, the treason trial of 22 alleged
Boeremag members was postponed for the fourth time because of unresolved
legal aid issues on Tuesday.

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10.ENVIRONMENT

AFRICA/GLOBAL: WORLD STRUGGLES TO FEND OFF DESERTIFICATION
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-17-11.asp
Every year, vast patches of the Earth turn barren and unproductive, the
consequence of drought and poor land management. This process - known as
desertification - has far reaching costs to humanity, United Nations
Secretary Kofi Annan said this week, and poses "an ever increasing global
threat."

AFRICA/GLOBAL: WORLD TO GET GLOBAL LAW ON GM TRADE
http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=866&language
=1
A new international law covering the conditions under which genetically
modified (GM) organisms can be traded between countries is to come into
force later this year, after the Pacific island of Palau last week became
the 50th state to ratify the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Palau's move
triggered a 90-day countdown before the protocol - which will regulate the
impact on the environment and human health from trade in GM organisms -
comes into legal force on 11 September.

AFRICA: WILDLIFE 'TO BE PRIVATISED'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2994568.stm
A South African private company has said that it has plans to take over a
string of national parks throughout Africa.

GUINEA: BONFIRE SMOKE ADDS MISERY TO LIFE IN CONAKRY
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34778
A pall of heavy smoke from thousands of backyard bonfires lit to chase away
an evil spirit has created a foul atmosphere in the Guinean capital Conakry.
Health workers and environmentalists have appealed over the radio for people
to put out the fires, which have clogged the air with pollution for several
days.

KENYA: WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE: CONFLICT AND CONSERVATION
http://www.iied.org/docs/blg/w_and_p_masaimara.pdf
This paper from the International Institute for Environment and Development
(IIED) reports on the proceedings of two one-day workshops held with
communities in the Trans-Mara District where a human-elephant conflict study
has taken place. The workshop concluded that farming is increasing because
communities receive no other form of benefit from their land. Therefore, if
wildlife could be made to pay, residents would be willing to set land aside
for conservation and tolerate the presence of wildlife in the area. To
ensure that, better local coordination and planning are also needed.

LESOTHO: NO MORE FREE WATER, PAY OR GO THIRSTY, SAYS WASA
http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1278
Poor urban communities will from 1 July be without clean and safe drinking
water, unless they reach to the bottom of their already dry purses to pay
for the right to drink, cook and bathe from clean and safe water. The Water
and Sewage Authority will hand over or close public standpipes to
communities and implement new water charges starting July, disclosed WASA
Chief Executive Officer, Sechoba Makhoalibe.

SOUTH AFRICA: SA TAKES A STAND ON WHALING
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=59&o=22245
The South African government will play a critical role next week in ensuring
the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Government
representatives say they will support a controversial proposal at the highly
charged yearly meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to
strengthen the group's conservation mandate. The IWC is the global forum
that regulates whaling issues.

SUDAN: GOVERNMENT REVIEWING POLICY ON GM FOOD IMPORTS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34787
The Sudanese government has guaranteed the World Food Programme (WFP) that
all food deliveries will be permitted to enter the country for the next six
months, while it conducts a review of its policy on genetically modified
(GM) foods.

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11.MEDIA

DJIBOUTI: JOURNALIST DETAINED ON CHARGES OF LIBEL
The Writers in Prison Committee says it is "deeply concerned" by the
prolonged detention of Daher Ahmed Farah, the editor of the newspaper Le
Renouveau and leader of the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development
(MRD). According to information received, Farah was detained on 20 April
2003 following the filing of a complaint against Le Renouveau by General
Zakaria Cheik Ibrahim, the deputy head of the army.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15736

DRC: CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS IN EASTERN DRC
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is "deeply concerned"
about the safety of journalists working in eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), an area currently under the control of the Congolese Rally For
Democracy (RCD-Goma) movement. Recently, one journalist was attacked and
another was detained in reprisal for their work.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15732

LIBERIA: JOURNALISTS ATTACKED, DISPLACED AND LIVING IN FEAR
Following the recent incursions into the capital, Monrovia, and subsequent
retreat of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels,
residents of the Duala and New Kru Town suburbs have been subjected to a
reign of terror. The attacks are allegedly being perpetrated primarily by
government forces. Journalists and human rights activists in Monrovia have
suffered the worst reprisals in what appears to be the targeted and
systematic looting, arson and rape of residents caught up in the conflict.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15787

NIGERIA: MEDIA COULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN ELECTIONS
Although the 2003 elections have come and gone the exercise is still raising
some dust. The role played by the media as the people's watch-dog came under
review with the verdict that they could have done better. This was the
consensus at a day-long roundtable discussion.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15775

NIGERIA: PROJECT LAUNCHED TO REDUCE HIV/AIDS STIGMA
Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria has announced the commencement of
a two-year project to reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in
the media and other identified communities in Nigeria. The project aims to
harness the capacity of the Nigerian media and communities as a potential
force for change to reduce the high levels of HIV-related stigma and
discrimination in the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15733

SOUTH AFRICA: COSATU CLAIMS SABC POLICY IGNORES WORKING CLASS
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=172216
The Congress of South African Trade Unions on Wednesday said that while the
SABC's draft editorial policy was "full of excellent intentions and worthy
ideals" there remained a huge gap between the course of action the public
broadcaster had prescribed and what it was doing in its day-to-day
broadcasts.

SUDAN: SECURITY OFFICIALS QUESTION RSF CORRESPONDENT
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has protested over the lengthy interrogation
of journalist Faisal el Bagir, the organisation's correspondent in Sudan, on
8 June, upon his return from Athens, Greece, where he had attended an
international conference of the future of news media in Iraq. "The
interrogation was clearly aimed at intimidating the journalist and human
rights defender," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said. "We call on the
Sudanese authorities to put a stop to this kind of harassment, which is
completely unjustified."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15731

TOGO: THREE JOURNALISTS ARRESTED AND DETAINED
Dimas Dzikodo and Philip Evégnon, editor-in-chief and editor, respectively,
of the private weekly "L'Evénement", as well as Colombo Kpakpabia, a
journalist with the private weekly "Nouvel Echo", were arrested by police
officers on 14 and 15 June 2003. They have since been detained and
questioned at national police headquarters in the capital, Lome. The
journalists have been accused of "distributing false news" with the intent
of damaging the country's reputation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15788

ZIMBABWE: AMENDMENTS TO MEDIA LAW PASSED
Although some of the concerns of the Parliamentary Legal Committee (PLC)
were addressed in recent amendments to the controversial Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the law still remains
lethal in as far as it makes demands for the accreditation of journalists
and media houses respectively. Access to information remains totally closed
and much power is vested in public officials and the MIC. This is according
to a statement on the amendments made by MISA-Zimbabwe.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15734

ZIMBABWE: CHARGES AGAINST EDITOR WITHDRAWN
The state has withdrawn charges against Norna Edwards, editor of "The
Mirror", a weekly newspaper in the town of Masvingo, 293 kilometres south of
the capital, Harare. Edwards and reporter Kennedy Murwira were facing
charges of contravening Section 80 of the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15737

ZIMBABWE: MEDIA CRACKDOWN GETS WORSE
Reporters Without Borders has deplored the arrest and beating by government
supporters of radio journalists Shorai Katiwa and Martin Chimenya and called
on the government to ensure the media could operate freely in Zimbabwe. The
two reporters, of the pirate radio station Voice of the People (VOP), were
seized on 2 June by war veterans and young supporters of President Robert
Mugabe's African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) who interrogated
them, took away their mobile phones and tape-recorders and beat them after
accusing them of belonging to the main opposition party, the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15735

ZIMBABWE: MONITORING PROJECT DEPLORES STATE REPRESSION
The Media Monitoring Project has deplored the assault and harassment of
journalists from the private media by ZANU-PF youths and state security
agents during the MDC's week-long mass action. "Such attacks terrorize those
going about their lawful business and stifle the free flow of information
and therefore undermine the foundations of democratic society," said the
project in a weekly update on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15738

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12.DEVELOPMENT

AFRICA: 'BOTTOM OF THE BARREL: AFRICA'S OIL BOOM AND THE POOR'
http://www.catholicrelief.org/get_involved/advocacy/policy_and_strategic_iss
ues/oil_report.cfm
Sub-Saharan Africa is in the midst of an oil boom. The revenues available to
reduce poverty in this context are huge, says a new report from Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), who estimate that governments will receive over $200
billion in oil revenues over the next decade, enabling them to invest in
health, education and other vital necessities. The dramatic development
failures that have characterized most other oil-dependent countries around
the world, though, warn that petrodollars have not helped developing
countries to reduce poverty; in many cases, they have actually exacerbated
it. Without improving their democratic institutions and administrative
capacity, it is unlikely that Africa's oil exporters will be able to use
petrodollars to fuel poverty reduction.

AFRICA: AFRICA MUST NOT BE AFRAID TO REJECT OR REOPEN INTERNATIONAL TRADE
NEGOTIATIONS
Whenever the African Union meets to discuss trade issues before the 5th
World Trade Organisation Ministerial in Cancun, Mexico, in September this
year, they should not sell away people's rights, writes Percy F. Makombe in
the latest edition of the SEATINI Bulletin. "The right to food, to basic
services like drinking water, healthcare, housing and education are rights
that are protected by the African Charter on Human Rights and the United
Nations Declaration on Human Rights," he argues, concluding that: " Each
African state must, as provided for under the Doha mandate, exercise its
sovereign right to reject or reopen any draft package purporting to reflect
the outcome of negotiations."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15750

AFRICA: AFRICAN UNION SEEKS TO SHED THE IMAGE OF MERE 'TALK SHOP'
http://www.ips.org/
A year into its mandate to replace the old Organisation of African Unity,
the African Union is seeking substantive acts to counter criticism that it
is a mere "talk shop" for travel-loving ministers. Also on the African
Union's "to do" list is reforming its finances, particularly the need to get
member states to pay subscription fees that will make programmes, and thus
the African Union's prestige, a reality.

AFRICA: GOVERNMENTS URGED TO REJECT WTO AGRICULTURAL PROPOSALS
"The 'liberalisation' of agricultural trade and deregulation, promoted by
the WTO, the IMF, Free Trade Agreements and the like are substantial causes
of damage all over the world. Hunger, unemployment, inequality, poverty, and
degradation of natural resources are increasing in the rural world,
particularly in the South. Farmers are forced into rural exodus and
migration. Increasingly, large corporate agri-business is taking their place
and taking up their lands," says a declaration made in Dakar, Senegal in May
by representatives of farmers organisations and agricultural producers from
Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15749

ETHIOPIA: SEEDS OF HOPE IN A TIME OF HUNGER
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/emergency/art4636.html
If there were a simple reason for Ethiopia's chronic food shortages, the
problem would likely have been resolved before now. But the causes are
complex, and addressing them requires a multifaceted approach. This article
outlines the causes of food insecurity in Ethiopia and describes Oxfam's
work to create solutions that are effective, fair, and sustainable.

SOUTH AFRICA: DEBATING THE TRUTH ABOUT WATER DISCONNECTIONS
South African Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Ronnie Kasrils recently
launched an attack on "startling" claims that up to 10 million people in
South Africa had suffered water disconnections after failing to pay their
bills due to the government's cost-recovery approach to the sector. Click on
the link below for the response by Municipal Services Project co-director
David McDonald to the attack and the original article by Kasrils.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15696

SOUTH AFRICA: HUNDREDS PROTEST AGAINST WEF
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,1009,60348,00.html
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Durban City Hall for a march to
protest against the World Economic Forum's Africa Summit last week. The
protests were organised by the Ethekwini Social Forum in conjunction with
the Treatment Action Campaign, other NGO's and various community
organisations.

SOUTH AFRICA: WEF AN "ANTI-DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION"
A declaration handed to the World Economic Forum (WEF) regional meeting held
in Durban last week declared the WEF "an anti-democratic institution",
saying that any decisions taken by the WEF "cannot be considered to be
binding on the people of Africa and the world". The declaration said: "We
are committed to an autonomous, unified Africa and demand that we the people
of Africa, and not the corporate and political elites, shape our own
destiny. We reject neo-liberal economic policies, as embodied in NEPAD and
GEAR, including privatisation and unregulated "free trade" instead of fair
trade."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15701

TANZANIA: RELIGIOUS LEADERS URGE GOVERNMENTS TO INVOLVE PUBLIC IN NEPAD
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306170142.html
Religious representatives in Tanzania have challenged African governments to
ensure active participation of the citizenry in discussions on the
implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY

GOOGLE HACKS: 100 INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH TIPS & TOOLS
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596004478/cyberjournali-20/104-36599
00-6230342#product-details
Everyone loves Google, and it's the first place many people turn to locate
information on the Internet. There's a big gap, though, between knowing that
you can use Google to get advance information on your blind date and having
a handle on the considerable roster of fact-finding tools that the site
makes available. Google Hacks reveals--and documents in considerable
detail--a large collection of Google capabilities that many readers won't
have even been aware of.

NEPAD E-SCHOOLS INITIATIVE TO BRING COMPUTER LITERACY TO AFRICAN SCHOOLS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1276
The NEPAD E-Schools Initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum's
Africa Economic Summit in Durban with the aim of bridging the digital divide
and giving the continent's children the skills they need to thrive in the
21st century. The programme will energetically target the young to ensure
that the majority of the people of the continent will have the skills
necessary for them to function in the information society and knowledge
economy.

NEW ICT DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY
http://www.ictdevlibrary.org
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation's ICT Development Digital
Library (ICT DevLibrary) provides a unique collection of ICT-for-development
reports and documents for policy-makers and practitioners in developing
countries. It uniquely provides direct, "one-click" access to these
documents, and makes these often bulky documents accessible to users on low
bandwidth connections.

SPAM IS NOT A PROBLEM
http://www.goodexperience.com/columns/03/0530.spam.html
With the right approach, dealing with spam should take about two minutes per
day. The return on this investment is significant: more productivity, less
stress, and more confidence in your use of technology. Click on the link and
find out how to deal with spam.

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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS

AFRICA FILES
http://www.africafiles.org/index.asp
For a wide variety of material on Africa, visit AFRICAFILES, a network of
volunteers relaying African perspectives and alternative analyses for viable
human development in the interest of justice and human rights.

ARTICLE 19 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MONTHLY DIGEST
Volume 1/Issue 2 - May 2003
http://www.article19.org
The aim of this digest is to compile on a monthly basis the trends of
violations on freedom of expression on the continent. It will be based on
information gathered from partners within the IFEX network and elsewhere.
The first part of the digest will highlight and summarize the regional
trends and the second will take a closer look at legal dimension of one of
the threats of the month. Email [log in to unmask] for a copy of the
digest.

CAFRAD WEB NEWS LETTER
CAFRAD Web News Letter is published monthly. For more information contact
Meryem Ben Amar: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]

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15.FUNDRAISING

AFRICA: CLINTON FUNDS AIDS FIGHT
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=15835
Former US president Bill Clinton said he hopes to use his foundation to
treat at least 700 000 Aids patients in Africa and the Caribbean. The
William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation is working with the governments
of Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania and several Caribbean nations to fund Aids
prevention and treatment.

GUIDE TO EUROPEAN POPULATION ASSISTANCE
The fourth edition of the "Guide to European Population Assistance" has
recently been published, giving information on how to access funding from
all major European public budget lines in the field of sustainable
development.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15824

KENYA: GLOBAL FUND GIVES GOVT SH3.8B FOR AIDS BATTLE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306160673.html
The Government's fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria has
received a major shot in the arm with a Sh3.8 billion grant from the Global
Aids Fund. However it has been cautioned that the money must be spent for
the set purpose.

SOUTH AFRICA: MANDELA MEMORABILIA RAISES OVER R1 MILLION FOR CHARITY
http://www.sabcnews.co.za/south_africa/general/0,1009,60688,00.html
Just over R1 million has been raised at an auction of former president
Nelson Mandela's memorabilia. The auction was held to raise money for the
Nelson Mandela Trust, which supports certain charities.

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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS

1ST WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG AFRICAN SCIENTISTS ON MALARIA RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
6 ­- 11 October 2003, Arusha, Tanzania
The Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) through the
project called Malaria Research Coordination and promotion through MIM
(MALCOPROMIM) would like to announce and invite nationals from the Africa
region to apply for the one week workshop on Research Methodology/Proposal
writing to be held on 6-11 October, 2003 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15741

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR NGOS IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION
Mango's highly regarded finance training programme for NGOs will be
returning to Zambia in August 2003. This year Mango will run the
ever-popular introductory course - Practical Financial Management for NGOs -
and, for the first time in Zambia, the follow-up course on Strategic
Financial Management for NGOs. Both courses are aimed at managers in small
to medium sized NGOs. No previous financial management experience or finance
qualifications are required for attending the course - just a desire to
understand how financial management contributes to successful programme
management. The courses will be held at the Zambia Centre for Accountancy
Studies (ZCAS), Lusaka. Although designated as non-residential, good quality
and reasonably priced guest accommodation is also available at ZCAS.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15740

GLOBAL CHANGE AND REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY IN SOUTH AFRICA
27 - 29 October 2003, Cape Town, South Africa
http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=278&lang
uage=1
This national symposium will look at the implications of important drivers
of global change for national and regional sustainability of human and
ecological systems in South Africa. It will build on the 1995 southern
African IGBP meeting and the South African Country Study on Climate Change
completed in 1999.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS (NANGO) NGO EXPO
25 To 27 September 2003
Following the successful 2002 NGO EXPO, NANGO is pleased to announce that
the 2nd EXPO will be staged from 25 - 27 September 2003 at the Harare
Exhibition Park. Once again we intend to showcase the works being done by
NGOs in an attempt to further unveil the sector to its significant
stakeholders. This year's EXPO will adopt the theme "NGO Sector Unveiled:
Dialogue for Development" as it strives to reach out through the exhibition
of its products and services and thus reveal the nature of the sectors'
significant contribution to Development in the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15816

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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES

SAY NOT TO WHIPPING IN SUDAN
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) says it has been informed by
the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) of the sentencing to 30
lashes of the whip of a 15 year-old girl in Nyala, Western Darfour, in
Sudan. The OMCT is calling for letters to be sent to Sudanese authorities
protesting the sentence.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15711

SUPPORT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: SIGN THE CREDO AND FAHAMU PETITION
CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have
launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all
incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression
legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of
Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki
of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to
read the full letter and join the petition.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15802
Contact: [log in to unmask]

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18.JOBS

DRC: TRAINER
War Child Netherlands
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1367.html
The Trainer trains and coaches local workshop-leaders in the identification
of psychosocial needs and in conducting creative workshops. The trainer
reports to the Content Supervisor and/or Head of Mission.

ETHIOPIA: NUTRITION COORDINATOR & FOOD SECURITY ADVISOR
Merlin (Medical Emergency Relief International)
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/F036E1035F0159AAC1256D40004B2FBF
The goal of this mission is to address acute and chronic humanitarian crises
within Ethiopia where the inability of the health system to cope fully with
the needs of an increasingly vulnerable population experiencing a food
crisis has combined with the destabilizing effects of systemic changes in
the health system and limited capacity and resources. Merlin proposes to
address the most immediate problems facing the health sector. Project
activities will provide immediate relief to the population in the short term
but will also affect medium and longer term issues surrounding the
identified gaps within the health sector.

NIGERIA: COUNTRY DIRECTOR
International Foundation For Election Systems (IFES)
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/580D51FD1519B90BC1256D42006D44EA
The Country Director will manage the IFES program in Nigeria. Primary
responsibilities will include program management and implementation, and
management of the IFES field office in Abuja. The Country Director is also
responsible for identifying new opportunities for IFES within the existing
program and beyond.

SIERRA LEONE: SEXUAL & GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
International Rescue Committee
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/84D64827D311ED77C1256D400078B7C2
The IRC seeks a Sexual & Gender Based Violence Program Coordinator for its
Guinea program. The Coordinator will prepare proposals, narrative reports
and other written documentation, including budget information and
monitoring; Assist in identifying and developing continuing education
activities and supervision of existing staff; interviewing, hiring, training
and supervision of new personnel; Develop and implement training materials
for SGBV staff, and other target groups of the SGBV program ranging from
community representatives to Guinean legal & judicial representatives.

SOUTH AFRICA: SENIOR MANAGER FOR RESEARCH/PROGRAMME MANAGER FOR ACADEMIC
TEACHING
Centre For Conflict Resolution
The Centre for Conflict Resolution is an independent, non-governmental
organisation. Based in Cape Town, it works nationally and in other African
countries to promote constructive, creative and co-operative approaches to
the resolution of conflict and the reduction of violence. It invites
applications from suitable candidates for the following positions: Senior
Manager for Research and Programme Manager for Academic Teaching. For more
details please click on the URL provided.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15825

WEST AFRICA: DEPUTY DIRECTOR
REACH
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1351.html
The REACH West Africa Deputy Director works closely and in a complementary
fashion with the Project Director to effectively lead and manage the
project. This includes the achievement of the vision and strategy of the
Project, and managing key relationships with USAID/WARP, the Project's
Management Committee, REACH's partners, and other key stakeholders,
including the Project's Advisory Committee and other donors and cooperating
agencies.

ZAMBIA: SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR/TEACHER
The Cogitare Foundation
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=175385
This is administrative educational work serving as the Head Administrator of
an elementary school. This employee is responsible for providing direction
and leadership for all activities within the school. Work involves
overseeing the management of the educational program, the decision making
and communication processes, the business operations, the staff relations
program, the community relations program and the physical buildings.

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19.BOOKS AND ARTS

"HEAVY LOAD" TWO DRUMS, TALKING ABOUT OPPRESSION
http://www.africancolours.com/?content/artweldanny.html
A solo exhibition of Danisile Ncube's work takes place at the Alliance
Francaise in Harare, Zimbabwe between 3 June - 3 July and is entitled:
"METAL-TALK". It is composed of sculptures and metal masks.

AFRICA: A CONTINENT SELF-DESTRUCTS
Peter Schwab
http://www.palgrave-usa.com/catalogue/index.asp?ISBN=031224018X
Can Africa survive? Many of the nations of sub-Saharan African have all but
ceased to exist as organised states: tyranny, diseases such as AIDS, civil
war and ethnic conflict--and border invasions threaten the complete
disintegration of a region. Peter Schwab offers a clear, authoritative
portrait of a continent on the brink. Globalisation and an accompanying
level of economic health have passed over Africa. Added to these factors is
a patronizing attitude from the West that change in Africa must take place
within Western parameters, a UN that lacks any real power, and a US foreign
policy in Africa that is unclear.

CHILD SOLDIER: FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE
China Keitetsi
http://www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.africabookc
entre.com/acatalog/New_Titles_June_2003.html&CatalogBody
This is the true life story of a young Ugandan girl who runs away from her
oppressive and abusive home and is drafted into Yoweri Museveni's National
Resistance Army and is soon in the thick of a guerrilla war.

COMPLEX PROBLEMS, NEGOTIATED SOLUTIONS
Michael Warner
http://styluspub.com/books/book4922.html
This book suggests strategies, principles and tools to reduce
development-induced disputes and interpersonal conflict as obstacles to
achieving sustainable rural livelihoods. Consensual 'win-win' negotiation is
promoted as the preferred strategy, but set firmly within the context of the
alternatives. The importance of conflict management processes that 'fit'
with local customary and legal approaches is stressed.

OLONANA OLE MBATIAN
Peter Ndege
http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_New_Titles_6
8.html
Olonana ole Mbatian, popularly known as Lenana, was one of the most
outstanding Masai and Kenyan leaders, African chief and Laibon
(prophet/visionary), whose life spanned the second half of the nineteenth,
and the first decade of the twentieth centuries. He lived through and
influenced a crucial period in Kenya's history: when the Masai were engaged
in nation building, there was competition for leadership, land, people,
livestock, wealth and power; and when European intrusions, which were
becoming ever more intensive, were shaping Kenya's colonial culture and
economy. This is a balanced and critical study of an individual's biography,
and historical context.

THE AGE OF CONSENT: A MANIFESTO FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER
George Monbiot
http://www.word-power.co.uk/catalogue/0007150423
George Monbiot asks and answers the key questions of our time: what would
global democracy look like? And how could we make it happen, against the
resistance of the world's most powerful governments? The world is run not by
its people but by a handful of self-appointed men in the rich nations. They
make the decisions on which everyone else depends: concerning war, peace,
debt, development and the balance of trade. The rest of us have no means of
holding them to account. While these men might have a national democratic
mandate, on the global level their rule is unchallengeable.

UNBINDING AFRICA: MAKING GLOBALISATION WORK FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
Edited By Phoebe Griffith
Promoting good governance is high on the list of priorities of Northern and
African policymakers. But before we can build strong institutions, democracy
and the rule of law we need to tackle the double bind facing Africans today.
On the one hand, African states often do not have the capacity to institute
much needed reforms. Yet the solution - giving Northern Governments,
companies and NGOs overwhelming influence over how African countries are
run - is only making their governments weaker over the long-term. Unbinding
Africa explores how globalisation in its current form is affecting the
continent.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15803

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20.MEMBERS CORNER

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21.LETTERS AND COMMENTS

BRIAN MACGARRY
I am interested in the method Simon Hinds (Pambazuka News 114 letter) is
using to prove Andrew Meldrum is a propagandist, not a journalist. If he can
produce proof that some agency apart from the papers he writes for is paying
him to write the stories, he would have a case, but he is only studying
content. With the state media entirely in the hands of ZANU-PF propagandists
(even musicians whose songs are in any way critical are banned, and this
includes the two most eminent Zimbabwean musicians, Thomas Mapfumo and
Oliver Mutukudzi), the independent media being constantly harassed (and this
includes arrest and assault on journalists, the bombing of one newspaper's
press and of the office of an independent radio station which is forced to
broadcast from outside the country and party thugs destroying vendors'
stocks of papers they don't like, with no independent radio or TV station
permitted, someone needs to present the other side. Is Meldrum doing any
more than this?

CHERYL SANCHEZ
How are we going to force Sudan and Mauritania to stop slavery? Nobody knows
how many Africans lost their lives in Mauritania from 1989 onwards. What is
the African Union doing about modern day slavery?

ROBIN OPPERMAN
Excellent as always. I am passing this on for you.

SIBANZE SIMUCHOBA
I feel sick to the core each time I see child soldiers brandishing guns.

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PAMBAZUKA NEWS IS PUBLISHED BY FAHAMU
In Association With SANGONeT
Fahamu - learning for change
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620 Overport City, Durban 4001, South Africa
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http://www.fahamu.org
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Editor: Firoze Manji, Fahamu
Research and compilation: Patrick Burnett, Fahamu
Contributing Editors:
Alan Finlay, SANGONeT http://www.sn.apc.org
Rotimi Sankore, CREDO [log in to unmask]

Pambazuka News is hosted at Kabissa
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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, E Main St, between 23 & 24th, Suite 200.
7:00 pm Business meeting.
7:30 pm Zimbabwean Film "Jit", followed by a discussion.
(Everyone is welcome).

We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see http://www.ibike.org/africamatters/calendar.htm .  To post a message: [log in to unmask]  To subscribe send a message to [log in to unmask]  To unsubscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] . All past postings are archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-afr-network

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