Press review
- Ecology
For Cameroon's pygmies, no forest is impenetrable enough
The traditional way of life of hunter-gatherers known as pygmies is threatened not only by the presence of loggers but by the failure to identify them as a part of the forest ecosystem.17 May 2005 - Sylvestre Tetchiada - Ecology
Recurrent dry spells 'cause for concern' in southern Africa
The rising temperatures and recurrent dry spells in Southern Africa points to the impact of climate change and are "cause for concern", a senior scientist said.14 May 2005 - Africafiles - Africa
Africa and the UN Security Council Permanent Seats
As the battle for permanent seats on a reformed United Nations Security Council heats up, the author treads the minefield of politics and internal dealings over the African contenders in the race. The battle ahead, he writes, is likely to be “long, nasty and brutal” and is sure to lead to increased tensions between African power brokers.
6 May 2005 - Dr Wafula Okumu - Kenya
The constitution as a promissory note
The people of Kenya should demand a constitution that recognizes
inequality and poverty, that is committed to the liberation of women,
that sees health and education as human rights, and that addresses land
redistribution.3 May 2005 - Mukoma Ngugi - Africa
Mapping the path for democratisation of Africa
Can Africa's history of undemocratic and authoritarian states be overcome? Wafula Okumu says hard work and commitment lie ahead, but that there is cause for optimism.
22 April 2005 - Wafula Okumu - Rwanda
Genocide and the role of the Church in Rwanda
What exactly was the role of the Catholic Church in the Rwandan
genocide? NDAHIRO TOM, a Rwandan human rights commissioner, paints a picture of deep historical and political complicity and calls for the Church to restore its credibility by contributing to the process of justice.16 April 2005 - Ndahiro Tom - Report card
Botswana a model for Africa?
The year 2016 features prominently in most Botswana programmes and education is no exception13 April 2005 - Rodrick Mukumbira - Darfur, Sudan
Darfur - the failure to protect
Two years into the crisis in Darfur, the humanitarian, security and political situation is deteriorating. Atrocity crimes are continuing, people are still dying in large numbers of malnutrition and disease and a new famine is feared.17 March 2005 - International Crisis Group - Economic Justice
KAIROS Analysis of Outcome of Feb. 4-5, 2005
Pleasant images are endlessly revolving in our heads because of the spin that has been so subtly applied to the debt cancellation theme. Many today believe that the recent memorandum of understanding recently promulgated on this theme after the G7 Finance ministers meeting was an agreement to effect the debt cancellation scheme on behalf of the poorest nations. A closer reading, conducted by Kairos and other interested parties, of the suggestions bandied about at the meeting shows that the real aim of even the most fervent promoters of the MDGs is, approximately, a ten year respite from debt armotization for the affected countries, NOT debt cancellation.17 March 2005 - kairos EDUCATION IN AFRICA:Colonialism and the Millennium Development Goals
Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker, can become the head of the mine, that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. Nelson Mandela2 March 2005 - Hugh McCullum- Tanzania:
A century later, little has changed for most females
In some Tanzanian communities there are cultural practises that work against women's empowerment. The government recently announced that it is finalising a National Family Policy designed to address strategies to safeguard and promote the interests of households, including the protection of women's rights.23 February 2005 - IRIN, Dar es Salaam - Africa
NEPAD IGNORES PRESS FREEDOM CONCERNS, SAY IFEX MEMBERS
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African
initiative aimed at tackling poverty on the continent through better
governance, has been criticised by international organisations for ignoring
press freedom.15 February 2005 - International Freedom of Expression eXchange - Africa
Can Blair Commission Solve Africa’s Problems?
The economic history of Africa has been dominated by the extraction, exportation and retention of natural resources abroad. Efforts made by post-colonial nationalist leaders to build up their countries' productive capacity were swiftly swept aside by the structural adjustment programs which the international financial institutions imposed on Africa subsequent to the fiscal crisis of the late 1970s.15 February 2005 - Singy Hanyona World AIDS Day: the clock is still ticking
AIDS. It killed roughly 3 million people last year, most of them poor, and most of them in Africa. Between 34 and 42 million people are living with HIV. Absent antiretroviral therapies, AIDS will have killed the vast majority of them by 2015.17 December 2004 - Hein Marais- An Interview With Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai
Getting to the heart of the matter
On 10 December, 2004, the noted environmentalist, women's rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner Ms. Wangari Maathai became the first African woman - and one of only 12 women in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She first gained international recognition in 1977, when she founded the Green Belt Movement to combat deforestation and soil erosion in her native Kenya. Nearly three decades and 30 million trees later, the movement had literally transformed the Kenyan landscape and become an influential force for democracy and women's rights.19 January 2005 - PAMBAZUKA