---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pambazuka Editor <[email protected]> Date: Thu, May 10, 2012 at 6:17 PM Subject: Pambazuka News 584: Struggles for the promised land: Letters from West African sisters To: pambazuka-news <[email protected]>
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 584: STRUGGLES FOR THE PROMISED LAND: LETTERS FROM WEST AFRICAN SISTERS The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa Pambazuka News is delivered free to you with the support of donations from Friends of Pambazuka. KEEP PAMBAZUKA FREE AND INDEPENDENT! BECOME A FRIEND OF PAMBAZUKA NOW! http://www.pambazuka.org/en/friends.php Follow Pambazuka @pambazuka Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839 CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Announcements, 3. Comment & analysis, 4. Advocacy & campaigns, 5. Books & arts, 6. Cartoons /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1 Features STRUGGLES FOR THE PROMISED LAND: LETTERS FROM WEST AFRICAN SISTERS These simple exchanges between two citizens of Africa show their dreams, pain, hope and civic action to ensure that the continent becomes the promised land where everyone can live in peace and justice, solidarity and prosperity. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82018 ****** LUTTES POUR LA TERRE PROMISE: LETTRES ENTRE SOEURS D'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST NOTE DE L'EDITEUR: Les lettres qui suivent font partie d'un echange emouvant et d'une rare perspicacite entre deux femmes qui ont ete, pendant des decennies, des leaders respectes de mouvements citoyens en Afrique de l'Ouest. Deux femmes connues pour leur sagesse, leur courage, leur creativite et leur engagement sans faille pour la justice, la paix et le bien-etre de leurs pays respectifs, la Guinee-Bissau et le Mali. Cette semaine, Pambazuka est heureux de partager une partie de ces correspondances personnelles, echangees a la suite des coups d'Etat survenus d'abord au Mali en mars, puis en Guinee-Bissau en avril. Les lettres ont ete traduites du francais et sont signes avec des noms d'emprunt pour la securite de ces femmes, de leurs camarades et de leurs familles en ces moments difficiles qu'ils sont en train de vivre. (La version en anglais des lettres peuvent etre lues a http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82019 ****** GLOBAL AND NATIONAL RESISTANCE TO GMOS Nnimmo Bassey To push genetically engineered crops into Africa, the promoters work hard to ensure lax biosafety laws, ignore the Africa Model Law on Biosafety and ensure lack of transparency while truncating participation. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81980 ****** SOUTH AFRICA: RESPECT OUR RIGHTS Pumla Gqola The proposed law results from consultations between the state and traditional leadership structures. It ignores the voices of millions of rural women disenfranchised by those structures. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82004 ****** RISING TRIBALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA William Gumede A solidarity for the vulnerable that cuts across the ethnic, regional and political divide is the final counter-balance against tribalism in South Africa. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82016 ****** COURTS IN CHARGE OF (RE)WRITING HISTORY? Vincent Larochelle Are international criminal courts serving political agendas rather than upholding legal principles of justice? The recent ruling on the Charles Taylor case raises troubling questions. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82031 ****** THE CABALIZATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI Uche Igwe Although the Malawian constitution is clear about succession in the event of the death or incapacitation of the president, a cabal close to the late President Mutharika wanted to install their own man in power instead of Vice President Joyce Banda. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81974 ****** BINGU'S LEGACY AND THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF MALAWI Steve Sharra The late President Mutharika was hailed at home and abroad. But after the 2009 landslide re-election victory, his quest to engineer the election of his brother to succeed him in 2014 and increased autocracy astounded many. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82048 ****** RECLAIMING MALAWI: SOLIDARITY IN TIMES OF PERIL Steve Sharra Various forms of solidarity have been seen in Malawi recently. But effective solidarity can only be achieved when the elites shed their tendency to alienate those groups they see as 'illiterate', 'uneducated' and 'ignorant'. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81975 ****** THE COLLAPSE OF THE EURO; THE FALL OF THE CFA Chika Ezeanya African countries operating under the exploitative CFA Franc must free themselves from its shackles. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82022 ****** THE FAILURE OF THE ARAB "STATE" AND ITS OPPOSITION Hisham Bustani The post-colonial Arab state was everything else but a state. Concepts like the rule of law, governing institutions and citizenship rights did not apply. With a few exceptions, the organised Arab opposition seldom challenged this system. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81976 ****** SENEGALO - GAMBIAN RELATIONS: CONTINUITIES IN THE PAST AND FUTURE Jeggan C Senghor Close ties between Senegal and The Gambia go back many decades. But the collapse of the Senegambia Confederation underscores one lesson among many: Every effort must be made to ensure popular support for cooperation endeavours. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81977 ****** DRAFT CONSTITUTION CHALLENGES SOMALIA'S WILL FOR NATIONHOOD Mohamud M Uluso The proposed constitution serves the interests of the Transitional Federal Government and its international backers, not the people of Somalia. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/81983 ****** THE ZIMBABWE CONSTITUTION-MAKING PROCESS AND OUTCOME A tokenistic exercise for the rich, corrupt and powerful Maxwell V Madzikanga A lot of money and time have been invested in writing a new constitution. There are several drafts lying around. Why not immediately hire reputable drafters to finish off the job and put the resulting document to a referendum? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82005 ****** A CALL TO PEOPLE OF COLOUR: BUILD TOWARDS LIBERATION Sharon Cromwell For people of colour the time has come to seek true liberation: not by struggling to be heard by the powers that be but by hearing one another's voice and building solidarity. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82017 ****** WHAT EXACTLY IS THE VALUE OF ETHNIC ACCOUNTING IN KENYA? Samuel Abonyo Kenya's National Cohesion And Integration Commission (NCIC) has claimed that 'the five largest communities' have a disproportionate share of total workforce in public universities and constituent colleges in Kenya. But how does this make a contribution to national cohesion and integration? http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82023 ****** THE LATTER DAY SLAVE MERCHANTS IN KENYA Julius Okoth Mass unemployment is forcing thousands of Kenyans into the hands of private employment bureaus who export them to the Middle East where they often become trapped in abusive and exploitative work. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82036 ****** JUSTICE FOR THE CONGOLESE ATTAINABLE IN 2012 Kambale Musavuli With the perpetrators of a war that has killed an estimated six million people in the Congo still roaming free, justice needs to be delivered to create the conditions for peace and reconciliation. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/82037 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2 Announcements DEADLINE EXTENDED! FAHAMU SEEKS DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice Leading a dedicated team to accompany the development and implementation of campaign strategies led by progressive African social justice movements, the Utetezi Director will support innovative strategies to amplify grassroots demands and realize people-centred change. Location: Nairobi, Kenya or Dakar, Senegal. Deadline for application: May 18, 2012. For further information, please see ( http://www.fahamu.org/node/246 ) the job description. To apply, please send the duly completed application form attached to: [email protected] ****** MOGADISHU THEN AND NOW Press Release: A pictorial tribute to Africa's most wounded city, 4 - 24 June 2012, Alliance Francaise, Nairobi An exhibition to be held in Nairobi aims to allow present and future generations of Somalis to learn about their rich heritage so that they can work towards restoring and preserving it. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/82024 ****** VACANCY @ FEMNET Head of Communication FEMNET is seeking to recruit a suitable person to fill the position of Head of Communication. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/81979 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3 Comment & analysis DAMAGE TO NOK SCULPTURE IN PRIVATE WESTERN COLLECTION Will other African artefacts end this way? Kwame Opoku The recent damage to a Nok sculpture raises important questions about the legality and morality of removing African artefacts from their origins and transporting them to the West. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/82028 ****** ZANZIBAR: WHAT DO CHILDREN THINK OF CHILDREN'S RIGHTS? Eva Buzo Moving beyond ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensuring that it is incorporated into national legislation is the way to ensure children's rights. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/82030 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4 Advocacy & campaigns AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY: A CELEBRATION OF RESISTANCE Friday May 25th 5-9PM at Ufungamano Centre Nairobi 'As we look forward to celebrating the 54th anniversary of Africa Liberation Day, we look back to its founding principles to assess and plan the onward progress of the African revolution.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82020 ****** GUINEA BISSAU: NGOS CONDEMN COUP Statement of a group of National and International NGOs in Guinea Bissau concerning the Coup d'e tat of April 12, 2012. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82026 ****** LAND GRABBING: WHITE FARMERS STILL PRACTICE BLACK SPOT POLICY Mshwathi Community Though apartheid ended on paper, black South Africans in uMshwathi continue to struggle against being uprooted from farmlands by white land grabbers. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82027 ****** PROGRESSIVE NGOS MUST LEARN TO ENGAGE OUR MOVEMENTS AS EQUALS 'We want to make it clear that we want to have good working relationship with all progressive or potentially progressive forces. However, this does not mean that we can accept being oppressed within our own struggle.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/81982 ****** RIO+20: INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN OF STRUGGLES Peoples of the World against the commodification of Nature La Via Campesina La Via Campesina calls on all the peasant organizations of the world and their allies to organize actions in the month of June. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/81978 ****** SA COURT ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO CRIMES IN ZIMBABWE High Court orders South African authorities to investigate crimes against humanity committed by state officials in Zimbabwe. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82006 ****** SOMALIA: PACM OPPOSES DEPLOYMENT OF SIERRA LEONEAN TROOPS Sending troops to Somalia will be seen as furthering the agenda of imperialists. The idea of Africans fighting Africans is abhorrent. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82029 ****** THE DRAFT LUSAKA DECLARATION ON MAINSTREAMING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE INTO THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT DGENDA Organic Agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/81981 ****** "TAKE THE SEED BACK" - INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR TAKE THE FLOUR BACK 'Beneath the rhetoric that GM is the key to feeding a hungry world, there is a very different story - a story of control and profit.' http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/82021 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5 Books & arts AFRICANS IN CHINA Adams Bodomo 'Africans in China' is the first book-length study of Africans travelling to China and forming communities there. Employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods involving prolonged interaction with approximately 800 Africans across six main Chinese cities - Guangzhou, Yiwu, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau - Professor Adams Bodomo (The University of Hong Kong) has constructed sociolinguistic and sociocultural profiles that illuminate the everyday life of Africans in China. This unprecedented book provides insights into understanding issues such as why Africans go to China, what they do there, how they communicate with their Chinese hosts, what opportunities and problems they encounter in their China sojourn, and how they are received by the Chinese state. Learn more about the book, which was published by Cambria Press in 2012, at http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604977905.cfm Watch a six-minute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkFa_yG9jrg]Video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkFa_yG9jrg ) Clip ( http:// Video ) . * BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS * Please do not take Pambazuka for granted! Become a Friend of Pambazuka ( http://www.pambazuka.org/en/friends.php ) and make a donation NOW to help keep Pambazuka FREE and INDEPENDENT! * Adams Bodomo is the African Studies Programme Director at the HKU School of Humanities. * Please send comments to editor[at]pambazuka[dot]org - [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News ( http://www.pambazuka.org/ ) . ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6 Cartoons FRANCE'S NEW PRESIDENT AND AUSTERITY Gado Gado welcomes new French president. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/82039 ****** POLITICAL DEGREES Gado Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga last week arrived in Nairobi in full graduation attire from the US where a college conferred on him an honorary doctorate, his third. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/cartoons/82038 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ Fahamu - Networks For Social Justice http://www.fahamu.org Pambazuka News is published by Fahamu Ltd. 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