---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pambazuka Editor <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 10:00 PM Subject: Pambazuka News 571: Change, transformation and resistance To: pambazuka-news <[email protected]>
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 571: CHANGE, TRANSFORMATION AND RESISTANCE The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa Keep Pambazuka Free and Independent! Become a Friend of Pambazuka NOW! http://www.pambazuka.org/en/friends.php Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839 CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Announcements, 3. Comment & analysis, 4. Advocacy & campaigns, 5. Books & arts, 6. Letters & Opinions, 7. African Writers’ Corner, 8. Cartoons /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1 Features DARING TO INVENT THE FUTURE: JOIN THE FRIENDS OF PAMBAZUKA (REMINDER) Firoze Manji As we enter a period of a profound crisis of capitalism, as working people and the poor are being forced to pay the costs of that crisis, the challenges facing Pambazuka are greater than ever. Our task in the coming period will be to expand the capacity of Pambazuka to support the growing movements for social and political transformation. We want you to join us in helping to build and support those movements. If you think that Pambazuka is important, if you find what we do useful, if you like the materials we publish in Pambazuka News, then join the Friends of Pambazuka ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/friends.php ) with a donation today. Together we will dare to invent the future. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80176 ****** ABDOULAYE WADE, ARE YOU A FRAUDULENT PAN-AFRICANIST? Horace Campbell President Wade wants a third term in office over the dead bodies of Senegalese people. Yet this is the same man who has tried to identify with Pan-Africanism. After Sunday’s elections, popular struggles for a better Senegal will continue. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80214 ****** ANTI-GAY RIGHTS CRUSADE IN AFRICA A DISTRACTION Sokari Ekine >From Uganda to Liberia, religious extremists are hijacking the law to drive the obsession with anti-homosexuality legislation rather than addressing the multitude of social and economic issues faced by 99 percent of Africa’s citizens. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80215 ****** WESTERN SAHARA: REFUGEE STARVATION ‘COULD TRIGGER NEW WAR’ Peter Kenworthy Saharawis are becoming increasingly impatient with the UN and many are willing to break the ceasefire between Western Sahara’s liberation front, Polisario, and Morocco, which has been in place since 1991, and return to war. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80197 ****** EGYPT: STRUGGLES THAT FUELLED A REVOLUTION Mohamed Elshahed The film ‘Bulaq’ succeeds in highlighting the fact that strong social ties and a community’s sense of ownership of place are far stronger than state plans and oppression. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80143 ****** CYNTHIA MCKINNEY TELLS IT LIKE IT IS A Conversation with Gary S. Corseri Cynthia McKinney ‘The attack on Libya was an attack on Africa! It was an attack on my aspirations as a person of African descent to have a free and independent Africa. That's what was attacked!’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80193 ****** HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD? Esther Vivas ‘It is necessary to formulate alternative policy options which have their centre of gravity in social struggles, antagonistic to today’s ruling class.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80144 ****** RE-IGNITING AGENTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN KENYA Julius Okoth Article 43 of Kenya’s constitution provides for social and economic rights of the citizens. All proponents of change need to work very hard to realise these rights, which are essential for ending the suffering of the poor. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80150 ****** SAY NO TO HAILE SELASSIE STATUE AT AU An open letter to acting AU Commission Chairperson Asrat Deferes Emperor Haile Selassie was no pan-Africanist. In fact there is overwhelming evidence of his autocracy and rejection of the Black cause. It will be an injustice to African history to erect his statue at the new AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80178 ****** AU VOTE A SETBACK FOR SOUTH AFRICA Jakkie Cilliers and Liesl Louw-Vaudran South Africa as a powerhouse on the continent expected to take the AU Commission Chairperson’s job. But the outcome of the election indicates that opposition to Ms Dlamini-Zuma was intractable. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80191 ****** ‘EMPTY LAND’ IN SOUTH AFRICA IS DESPERATE COLONIAL MADNESS Motsoko Pheko The colonial ‘empty land’ theory has no historical credence. It stirs very deep emotions in the hearts of African people who were dispossessed of their land at gunpoint and are still dispossessed – hence rampant poverty among them, whether they be Zulu Africans or Khoi Africans. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80196 ****** THE IGBO GENOCIDE AND ITS AFTERMATH The tragedy of Africa’s unlearned lessons Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe The perpetrators, of what were unquestionably crimes against humanity appear to have got off free. The consequences of the Igbo genocide for Africa have been catastrophic. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80138 ****** TOILET CAPITALISM: A ZIMBABWEAN BASKET CASE Khadija Sharife The power imbalances underpinning the structural layout of public worlds have reflected economic inequalities in areas characterised by those lacking political capital.In Zimbabwe, the scene is ripe for private waste sanitation companies or toilet capitalists. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80142 ****** CRISIS AT PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA Kola Ibrahim Education in Nigeria is in crisis following years of underfunding. And private universities that have mushroomed to meet the growing need for higher education have become so commercialised many of them are no better than glorified high schools. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80146 ****** RWANDAN EXILED JOURNALIST COMES OUT OF HIDING Tom Rhodes Gasasira has reason to be wary of Rwandan authorities. After three men beat him severely in 2007, his newspaper was suspended in April 2010 and his deputy editor assassinated in unclear circumstances in July that year. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80145 ****** IMF’S MAN OUATTARA NOW HEAD OF ECOWAS Crossed Crocodiles ‘They tell you in the mainstream media that Quattara won? How did he win? Who decides on who wins elections? What constitutional body has absolute and final say on election malpractices? The Supreme Court.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80152 ****** ON THE LURE OF INDIA AND CHINA Richard Pithouse It's not only money and military power that count in this world. Popular mobilisation can transform societies from below and it can strengthen states against private and imperial interests. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80179 ****** FIDEL CASTRO & 540 MINUTES Farooque Chowdhury The meeting, dubbed ‘Encounter of Intellectuals for Peace and Environmental Conservation’, was attended by more than a hundred laureates in literature, history and social and natural sciences and eminent thinkers from 21 countries. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80183 ****** THE OTHER DARKER CHARLES DICKENS Nigel Westmaas There is a paradox between the Dickens of empathy for the working class in industrial England and the Dickens who spoke and wrote about and supported some of the vilest descriptions and actions on blacks and Asians. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80192 ****** THE PROBLEM WITH BLACK REPUBLICANS Jessica Ann Mitchell If Black Republicans want more members of the Black community to learn about the benefits of their party, they are going to have to do a better job of openly holding their party accountable for racially divisive and hatefully charged rhetoric. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/80194 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2 Announcements CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY LEFT FORUM PANEL ‘Should Labour and the Left Propose a Global Green Jobs Alternative to Austerity and Climate Change?’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/80212 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3 Comment & analysis GHANA, CORRUPTION AND DEVELOPMENT Kofi Akosah-Sarpong Ghana is embroiled in a corruption scandal that ruling party MPs believe won't effect how people vote. Think again. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/80151 ****** POLICING FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY: GONE TOO FAR? Sarah Mount and Sanyu Awori Did the Tanzanian activists cause a breach of the peace or prejudice public safety and the maintenance of public order? Crucially, were the police, by prohibiting the alleged assembly and subsequently arresting the activists, using their discretion appropriately? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/80198 ****** SMALL ARMS AND VIOLENCE IN EAST AFRICA Andrew Mwangura A proliferation of small arms is fueling conflict and instability in East Africa. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/80153 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4 Advocacy & campaigns GROUPS CONDEMN RAID ON LGBTI WORKSHOP IN UGANDA WLUML/VNC The Ugandan government must protect its citizens against threats, violence and harassment based on their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80147 ****** RUSSIA'S CULTURAL CAPITAL PLANS GAG ON LGBTI All Out Sign this letter to the governor of Saint Petersburg and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80175 ****** STOP THE PLUNDER OF AFRICA'S OCEANS Add your voice to our call for fairer fishing Having almost completely destroyed their own fisheries, European fishing fleets are attacking the fish stocks of African waters. As a result, traditional fishing communities along the west African are catching fewer and fewer fish. Their livelihoods are under threat. The next Senegalese presidential elections will take place in February - so now is the perfect time to pressure politicians. Tell future leaders of Senegal to make sustainable fishing a priority. To sign the petition, go to http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/getinvolved/Stop-EU-Plunder-of-Africas-Oceans/ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80148 ****** SOUTH AFRICA: CALL FOR BUDGET JUSTICE A democratic government must have the capacity to deliver decent services that meet basic needs to enable the Constitutional guarantee of dignity and to confront the epic threat of climate change. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80188 ****** ONE SONG, THREE YEARS IMPRISONMENT The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a legal opinion declaring that the detention of Lapiro de Mbanga, one of Cameroon’s most famous singers, by the Cameroonian government was completely arbitrary and a violation of international law, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80149 ****** INVITATION TO AFRIKAN HISTORY MONTH 2012 SEMINAR, FREETOWN. Pan-Afrikan CommUnity Movement 'We are now also faced with a new scramble for Africa – the mad rush by European countries and multi-national companies to loot African resources and re-occupy our land.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/80195 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5 Books & arts MINING DEEP Morley Nkosi Yash Tandon A new book scrutinises the labour structure of the South African mining industry over the last 350 years. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/books/80140 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6 Letters & Opinions DISPATCH FROM DAKAR: THE PEOPLE ARE DETERMINED Akwasi Aidoo There is no way President Wade can hang on to power for very long. Chances are the politicians will work out some deal. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/80186 ****** HOMAGE TO A HUMBLE MAN Jacques Depelchin My sense is that there are texts that one should be able to see (right away) that need wider audience. I think the obituary ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/obituary/79958 ) written by Hirji on Henry Mapolu is one such text…if one is going to agree with what is said by Hirji. What is crucial, it seems to me, is that people beyond Tanzania, beyond sociologists, beyond academics, must hear/learn about what someone like Henry stood for. One of the things that stands out, among the many things, is how he refused to go for the job of district commissioner. A presidential appointment. In this day and age very few people know what ‘principled values’ mean. Hirji's obituary of Henry conveys that in a very clear way. ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7 African Writers’ Corner DEFENSELESS, EXPLOITED, ABUSED, AND IGNORED Elyas Mulu Kiros The plight of domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries and the lack of laws to protect them inspired Elyas Mulu Kiros to write a poem. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/80141 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8 Cartoons AFRICAN LEADERS AND THEIR WEALTH Gado How much do they own? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/80211 ****** HATCHING SEASON Gado Kenya is headed to elections. How are the politicians going about their campaigns? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/80209 ****** NIGERIA'S BOKO HARAM Gado How is successful has the Nigerian security forces been in dealing with the Boko Haram menace? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/80207 ****** ROBERT MUGABE AT 88 Gado The Zimbabwean president is amazingly still going strong. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/80208 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ Fahamu - Networks For Social Justice http://www.fahamu.org Pambazuka News is published by Fahamu Ltd. © Unless otherwise indicated, all materials published are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. 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