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High Commissioner visit’s University of Bradford
L to R Prof. Mark Cleary Vice Chancellor University of Bradford, H.E Mrs Joan Rwabyomere and Prof. John Cusworth former Dean SSIS University of Bradford
H. E. Mrs Joan Rwabyomere High Commissioner of Uganda to London and Ireland recently visited Bradford West Yorkshire to deliver a public Lecture at the University of Bradford.
During her visit, on the invitation of The NILE African Development Organisation and John and Elnora Ferguson Centre for African Studies (JEFCAS) University of Bradford, she first visited Tong High School which is in the outskirts of Bradford. This school in partnership with Ryecroft Primary and St John’s Primary School have very strong links with schools in Uganda including Masaka Senior Secondary School.
The High Commissioner later had a meeting with Professor Nana Poku the Dean of School of Social and International Studies and the Director of The Africa Centre at the University of Bradford. Mrs Rwabyomere then delivered a public lecture to those who attended who included members of staff, PhD and Masters Students from the University and members of the community. The lecture was chaired by Professor John Cusworth the former Dean of School of Social and International Studies. The lecture was about “Peace, Recovery and Development Programme (PRDP) for Northern Uganda” which was also a good chance for the Masters Students who will be travelling to Uganda later in the mother for the Africa Study visit.
High Commissioner and Prof Cusworth with some of the audience during the lecture.
H. E. Mrs Rwabyomere at Tong High School with the Head Teacher and some of the children from Ryecroft Primary School.
The CEO of The NILE Project a charitable company based in Bradford side it was a wonderful moment to have the High Commissioner come to Bradford and be able to meet the people.
Prof. John Cusworth thanked the High Commissioner for taking time to visit the University and be able to deliver a very wonderful lecture which was very productive to all those who attended.
The students who attended the lecture asked the University to make this part of the university’s regular policy of inviting different African diplomats and government officials to come and give lectures in different areas of interest.
The teachers and children ot the three schools who welcomed the High Commissioner asked her to come back to Bradford and there schools soon and even one of them who will be travelling to Uganda told the High Commissioner that she will tell the other children in Uganda that she met the Ugandan High Commissioner in London at her school.
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Three 'Asylum Seekers' Dead After Flats Fall
Three people who fell to their deaths from a block of flats in Glasgow were asylum seekers, Sky sources say.
Strathclyde Police confirmed that two men and a woman had died in the incident which happened in Petershill Drive, in the Springburn area of the city.
Sky's Rona Dougall said people in the area were shocked by what had happened.
"We understand that three people fell from the 15th floor," she said.
"Police are saying there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths."
The incident happened at the Red Road flats, which were once the highest flats in Europe.
The Red Road flats are due to be demolished
A spokeswoman for Glasgow Housing Association, which owns the flats, said: "We are very saddened to hear about the tragic incident at 63 Petershill Drive in the north of Glasgow.
"The police and the emergency services are continuing their inquiries and we are helping in every way we can."
Elizabeth Neilson lives in the opposite block and saw the bodies on the ground.
"I opened my blinds and saw them lying there this morning at about 8.30am," she said.
"I saw two concierges standing there and three bodies lying on the ground.
"It is horrible. I was traumatised.
"I phoned the concierge and he said he couldn't say much, but that three people had thrown themselves off the veranda."
A resident in the block where the incident happened said those involved had moved into the flats around two months ago.
All eight of the tower blocks in the complex, which are up to 30 storeys high, are due to be demolished in a phased programme shortly.
Many of the flats are unoccupied as the local authority is moving residents out to new accommodation.
In recent years some of the Red Road flats have housed asylum seekers from Kosovo, Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.
The area around the flats was cordoned off and a white tent put up by police.
Zimbabwe's forgotten children, struggling to survive
Zimbabwe: Digging for bones
| By Xoliswa Sithole Producer, Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children |
Zimbabwe, when I was growing up there, was the breadbasket of Africa and had one of the best education systems in Africa if not the world.
The healthcare system was great, too.
For a child born in apartheid-era South Africa, as I was, it was a land of opportunity. After my mother moved to Rhodesia, I received a first-class education, and graduated from university in post-independence Zimbabwe.
It is startling how quickly a society can fall apart.
My film, Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children, follows the stories of a number of children struggling to survive in the country today.
Zimbabwe has become a very hard place to be poor, and poverty is ugly. Conspicuous consumerism is very evident, and greed is also very visible.
I shot the film undercover, after getting a permit to make another film, about my childhood and how it has shaped me.
Esther with her mother and baby sister
I was raised as a child of the Zanu party. My stepfather's cousin Ndabaningi Sithole, founder of Zanu, was a prominent politician, and my cousin Edison Sithole the first doctor of law in southern and central Africa - he disappeared in 1975, abducted by Ian Smith because he was a human rights lawyer and political activist.
But while I was making this film the Zimbabwean government launched Operation Murambatsvina (Remove the filth) - a slum clearance programme that left thousands of people on the streets.
This made me resolute to make another film, about Zimbabwe's children.
I focus mostly on three stories.
There are Michelle and Grace, who live with their father Joseph. Joseph dreams of saving enough money to pay for his children's education, but for now they all work - by digging bones from a rubbish heap and selling them.
"What I am doing is child abuse really," he says. "They should not be working like this. It hurts me."
There is Esther, who looks after her mother as she dies of Aids, and also her younger brother, Tino.
After her mother dies, Esther's life becomes simpler. "It's much easier to look after Tino now, because I don't have to look after mum as well," she says.
Esther's case is not an unusual one in today's Zimbabwe. It's a common scenario.
Zimbabwe: Harare's street kids
There are also the street children.
When I lived in Zimbabwe in my twenties, there were hardly any street children in Harare.
Children are now not only living on the streets, they are giving birth on the streets. A second generation of street children is growing up.
The system was supposed to take care of its people, but it has failed.
In less than a generation, the country has changed beyond all recognition.
The polarised lives of Zimbabwe's rich and poor
Sue Lloyd-Roberts visits Philip Chiyangwa, the millionaire businessman nephew of Robert Mugabe, at his opulent Zimbabwe home full of deluxe cars
| By Sue Lloyd-Roberts |
Thursday marks the first anniversary of Zimbabwe's so-called "inclusive government".
It has been a year since President Robert Mugabe swore in his former political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, as Prime Minister and the two agreed to a series of conditions enshrined in the Global Political Agreement and to work on a new constitution which would pave the way to free and fair elections.
Watch Newsnight's Zimbabwe film in full
So what has been achieved?
"The inclusive government has bought peace and there is food in the shops," Julius, a 35-year-old teacher said. "Anytime you get a dollar, you can rest assured that you will find something to buy."
The problem is getting a dollar. Teachers like Julius will mark the anniversary by going on strike this week.
He said he welcomes the fact that the coalition government has restored peace to the country, but complained that he still cannot feed his family.
Julius takes homes $150 (£96) a month. Over $100 goes on renting two rooms in a house, which leaves him with a little more than a dollar a day to spend on food.
Reminder of past pain
We followed him to the supermarket where the shelves were stocked high. He bought one loaf of white bread - "our weekly treat" he explained - and then walked outside to a market stall to purchase his family's more regular fare - 1kg (2lb) of potatoes.
 |  When she was born, we had no food at all. She went for hours without food. She is three years old but looks like a two-year-old.  Julius, teacher talking about his daughter |
He took us home to meet his wife and two daughters.
"Of course, things are better than they were," he said, pointing to his younger daughter. "When she was born, we had no food at all. She went for hours without food. She is three years old but looks like a two-year-old.
"I feel like crying every time I look at my daughter - it reminds me of the history I don't want to remember," he said.
He is right. Things were a lot worse.
I have travelled to Zimbabwe regularly over the last tumultuous decade and, if I were to write a report card at the end of this, the first year of the inclusive government, it would read: "A good start, could do better, but with a very uncertain future."
Mass rallies
The timetable for political reform has slipped badly.
 It is a year since Zimbabwe's former political rivals struck a deal |
Only the former opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have been holding outreach meetings with their supporters to discuss a new constitution, which is meant to pave the way for free and fair elections.
These meetings should have been concluded last November.
At a rowdy, dancing and singing MDC gathering two hours' drive east of Harare which I went to, people were celebrating that they are able to meet at all.
"It was horrible before," Susan, a local party organiser, said. "Zanu PF thugs would come and beat people. Now, we thank God that we can move freely and meet together."
The meeting was addressed by the MDC deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe.
To cheers, she told the crowds that her party wants to restore political power to the prime minister and to parliament.
Zanu-PF are not holding mass, outreach meetings.
Asset control
Back in Harare I found Paul Mangwana, Zanu-PF's constitutional expert, at his legal practice putting finishing touches to what his party believe should be the shape of the new constitution - to put the power firmly in the hands of the one executive authority because of Zimbabwe's wealth.
 Four thousand white commercial farmers have had farms seized |
"We have a rich inheritance - nickel, platinum, diamonds - every mineral known in the world," he said. "We need to concentrate power in one, strong individual to safeguard those resources and protect them from being taken by foreigners."
Indigenisation is the key to the Zanu-PF political philosophy, a philosophy which would appear to exclude white Zimbabweans.
Four thousand white commercial farmers have now had their farms confiscated and given to black farmers, many of whom are supporters of Mr Mugabe.
A diamond mine has been taken from its white Zimbabwean owner and is being operated by a government-owned company, protected by soldiers.
From 1 March, any company operating in Zimbabwe must ensure that the majority of shareholders are indigenous Zimbabweans.
Luxury lifestyle
My "minder" at the Ministry of Information was very keen that I should meet someone he believes is a model of a successful businessman in Zimbabwe today.
Philip Chiyangwa, Mr Mugabe's nephew, bought several companies at a time when high inflation, price controls and shrinking demand made it difficult for them to operate in Zimbabwe.
Now a millionaire, he displays the full list in his "Native Investments" portfolio on full-length wall charts.
It encompasses everything from luxury hotels, foodstuffs to the window frame company he says he bought from Roland "Tiny" Rowlands.
| It is a gift from God. It is a blessing from God. I know people are hungry and we are very grateful for what has been done for us. Elizabeth Chiyangwa Married to President Mugabe's nephew |
He is optimistic about Zimbabwe's future: "It is in our hands to take the country wherever it needs to go. Look at me - I have never left Zim for any other country, I don't intend to leave this country, I am doing business here and I am successful here.
"If I want to buy a jet tomorrow, I will do it here. If I want to buy a Rolls Royce, I have one. If I want to drive a Bentley then I have one. If it's a beautiful mansion house, I bought one. I built it myself," he said.
Mr Chiyangwa invited me to visit the 35-room mansion where his wife, Elizabeth, showed me around the family car collection - her husband's Rolls Royce and Bentley, her Mercedes and their daughter's sports cars.
I asked her whether she feels comfortable with such wealth when people in her country are starving.
"It is a gift from God," she replied, "it is a blessing from God. I know people are hungry and we are very grateful for what has been done for us".
As Julius puts his children to bed that night, after another meal of potatoes, he could be forgiven for wondering whether it is not his turn, and the turn of millions like him in Zimbabwe, to receive such gifts and blessings. *****************************************************************************************
Bob Geldof demands proof of BBC Ethiopia aid report
Bob Geldof: "If there is any money missing I will sue the Ethiopian government"
Bob Geldof has challenged the BBC to substantiate its report that millions raised for famine relief in Ethiopia were diverted to pay for weapons.
The anti-poverty campaigner said there was "not a shred of evidence" Band Aid or Live Aid money was siphoned off.
The report included claims that substantial sums of aid that went into rebel-held areas of Tigray province in 1985 were used to buy arms.
The BBC World Service has said it is standing by its report.
Mr Geldof told BBC One's Andrew Marr show he would personally sue the Ethiopian government and spend the money on aid if any evidence was produced.
'Credible voices'
He said: "Produce me one shred of evidence and I promise you I will professionally investigate it, I will professionally report it, and if there is any money missing I will sue the Ethiopian government for that money back and I will spend it on aid.
"There is not a single shred of evidence that Band Aid or Live Aid money was diverted in any sense, it could not have been."
The news and current affairs editor at the World Service, Andrew Whitehead, said the BBC stood by its report.
Taking part in a discussion with Mr Geldof, Mr Whitehead said the BBC had "quite a lot of evidence" to support the report.
The World Service report featured interviews with two former members of a rebel group who made the allegations dating from the mid-80s.
They told the BBC they posed as merchants in meetings with charity workers to get aid money which they used to fund attempts to overthrow the government.
 Gebremedhin Araya (L) says he posed as a merchant to get aid |
One rebel leader estimated that $95m (£63m) from Western governments and charities, including Band Aid, was diverted.
The CIA also alleged aid money was being misused, Mr Whitehead pointed out in a radio discussion.
He accepted the 1985 report from the crime agency was written before Band Aid had gone into Ethiopia, but said it established "a pattern" that international aid was being used for military purposes.
The report concluded: "Some funds that insurgent organisations are raising for relief operations, as a result of increased world publicity, are almost certainly being diverted for military purposes."
Mr Geldof, who was speaking to the BBC from Nairobi, also said one of the sources quoted in the report was a "dissident political exile" who was "not credible".
| There is a clear public interest in determining whether some money given as famine relief ended up buying guns and bullets Andrew Whitehead, BBC World Service |
Martin Plaut, the World Service's Africa editor who broke the story, said a lot of his nine-month investigation was spent trying to corroborate or dismiss events.
He said: "We came across a lot of other evidence which made it clear that yes, indeed, some of the money had gone astray."
He added that the "balanced, measured" programme had gone through the entire BBC editorial process and had not simply been "thrown on air".
Mr Geldof and the Band Aid Trust are taking their complaint to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom.
They and a number of other agencies, including Oxfam, the Red Cross, Christian Aid and Save The Children, are also writing to chairman of the BBC Trust, Sir Michael Lyons.
John Kennedy, a co-founder of the Band Aid Trust, said: "The trust is writing to the BBC and Ofcom to complain about the broadcast."
A Christian Aid spokeswoman confirmed it was planning to support the complaint. *****************************************************************************************
Uganda mudslide victims buried on Mount Elgon
Heavy rains caused the landslide in Bududa district, Uganda
Burials are being held in Uganda for people killed in a mudslide which swept away three villages near the eastern town of Bududa.
The BBC's Joshua Mmali at the scene on the slopes of Mount Elgon said in some cases entire families were being buried.
About 90 bodies have been recovered; more than 260 people are still missing.
The UN says it is supplying tents and plastic sheeting for up to 5,000 people left homeless by the mudslide.
In one village, eyewitnesses said schoolchildren took shelter in a health centre later engulfed by the mud.
Lack of tree cover
Army officers are at the scene trying to recover bodies.
The army says the search operation will take months and that some of the bodies may never be found.
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"We're getting bodies six feet to eight feet underground [nearly 2.5m] - making it very hard as the area is muddy and rocky," Lt Col Wilson Kabera - in charge of the recovery operation - told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"We cannot get heavy earth-moving equipment to this point so we're basically using hand-held tools," he said.
Reporter say continuing heavy rain is hampering the operation.
Whenever a shower starts, people flee the excavation scene fearing further landslides, he says.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni visited the area on Wednesday and said the mudslide was partly due to the loss of tree cover.
The region, about 275km (170 miles) north-east of the capital Kampala, often suffers from landslides but this is an unusually high death toll.
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Teenager 'sets himself on fire' in Leeds
The man, in his late teens, suffered serious injuries in the incident outside the UK Border Agency Reporting Centre on Kirkstall Road on Friday afternoon.
Emergency services were called just after 3pm and two fire engines from nearby Leeds Central fire station were first on the scene.
Crews found the man with extensive burns and gave him first aid, including administering oxygen and covering his injuries with specialist burns treatment pads.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called at 3.15pm and sent a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance.
Paramedics treated the victim, who was then taken to Leeds General Infirmary.
His condition was initially said to be "serious".
Police were also called to the scene and were working with fire investigators to establish how the fire started.
A UK Border Agency spokesman added: "We can confirm that there was an incident outside our Reporting Centre in Leeds, involving one individual.
"Emergency services were called immediately and are treating the individual concerned.
"We can confirm that this was an isolated incident and no other member of the public or staff were affected. Our office and reporting centre in Leeds are now closed until Monday (21 December)."
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Foreign prisoners given £500 to leave Britain after sentence
Removing overseas offenders by force costs an average of £11,000
BBC Examines ‘The Demise of Skilled Workforce’ in Nigeria
By BBC World Service International Publicity
Published October 19, 2009
In a week of special programming (October 19-23, 2009), BBC Hausa Service examines the state of Nigeria’s higher education and the effect on it of protracted university strikes.
Running at 5.30 GMT daily, BBC, in a series called ‘the Demise of skilled workforce?’ explores the realities of university education in Nigeria and asks whether the country’s university graduates can be relied upon as the country’s future workforce.
The education system in post-independence Nigeria was the pride of the country. With high-quality research and learning in the educational institutions, the country was able to export skilled and knowledgeable graduates. Nigeria’s university graduates were a workforce sought after across Africa. Today, however, things are changing as regular strikes by university teachers as well as student riots are becoming the order of the day.
That former Central Bank Governor of Nigeria, Prof Charles Soludo, once said that the vast majority of Nigerian graduates are ‘unemployable’ mainly because they lack the necessary skills required by high-tech and manufacturing industries may not be surprising to observers of the situation.
In 2009, Nigerian universities stayed closed for four months due to disagreement between university staff and the Nigerian government over pay and funding. The situation has been assessed by some observers as a cumulative effect of neglect by successive Nigerian governments of the public education sector, in a setup in which the children of the well-to-do and top government officials are sent abroad for their studies.
“In recent years,” BBC Hausa Service head, Jamilah Tangaza,says,”Nigerian universities have been criticised as ‘breeding grounds for half-baked graduates’.”
Tangaza adds that “incessant strikes may mean that the country’s future workforce is in real jeopardy” and that “the current impasse between the government and the unions spell doom for a country whose president wants Nigeria to be among the 20 most developed countries of the world by 2020.”
While a university don, Prof Umaru Pate, offers his analysis of the situation, BBC Hausa’s Ibrahim Isa talks to a parent whose children are at home because of the strike and who cannot afford to send them overseas.
The BBC also talks to Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education, Aisha Jibril Dukku, to find out whether the reason why government officials are seen as paying little attention to the country’s education system is because most of them send their children overseas to get good education.
BBC Hausa’s Nurah Ringim takes a trip to a textile company in the northern Nigerian State of Kaduna to find out what measures industries are taking to bring graduate engineers up to standard. The journalist gauges the concern of industrialists over the quality of Nigerian graduates and how this concern is affecting their businesses. What do they make of the incessant strikes by universities in Nigeria and their impact on the workforce they employ?
During the four months of the latest strike action in 2009, dozens of students were arrested for armed robbery, prostitution and petty crimes. BBC Hausa’s Shehu Saulawa reports about the concerns and fears of parents and students alike, and the social, economic and political costs of the continuing strike.
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The Folly of Prematurely Rushing Into Marriage
Most marriage failures are courtship failures. Hunting for love never brings the right partner; it only creates longing and unhappiness. Love may come when we least expect it, MARY GESARE contends, but we need not settle for anybody just to have someone.
Many youth enter marriage little more prepared for it. They have this illusion that marriage is full of happiness and love. They do not have an inkling that passion at high tide fades away faster than they know. They think that they’ve found the solution to their problems. What many people don’t know is that there is no short-cut in life and finding a permanent cure to a problem in its early stages is better than waiting till it becomes difficult to tackle.
“I ran away from home to live with my boyfriend who was at the moment staying alone. I thought that by living with him I would get all the freedom that my parents denied me but that was only to remain a thought. My marriage came to an end sooner than I thought: I got pregnant and was shown the way out of his house. Going back home was my last choice,” says Meg Kim.
Given a chance to change her past, a close friend of mine would like to be single again and instead complete her college education to become a useful person to society.
Why do so many marriages fail these days?
It is because many do it out for wrong intentions. A 22-year-old woman I know confesses that she would like to get married to an old, ailing, but financially stable man who would soon die and leave her with the inheritance.
Money-driven or gold-digging women are known to hasten the death of their spouses just to inherit their wealth. Money is what counts these days; gone are the days when people married without thinking of their spouses’ size of pocket.
What are your standards of an ideal man?
“The inner being of the man” says Angie. “Looks don’t equal personality, you might be an angel from the outward appearance and at the same time a devil inside.”
Linda says, “I judge them from their looks, clothes, whether one is driving or not and the type of mobile phone the man uses; you can’t pull out a Motorola C113 and expect me to give you my number!”
Choosing to have children is another task which many couples don’t know how to handle. Kids need attention which very many people are not prepared to give.
In the traditional African society, children were seen as a source of blessings and wealth, unlike today when many young parents see them as a burden and even the cause of poverty. That’s why we have very many cases of unplanned pregnancies, abortion and marriage disagreements which end in separation and divorce.
Marriage can be a source of happiness or sadness depending on how you view it. These are the days when most married people wish that marriage was a contract which has an expiry date to relieve someone out of problems associated with married life.
“If you are a teenager don’t run into marriage as an escapist route. Take your time while it is still available. Enjoy your youth not forgetting that youth is not to live in immorality but the power to discover and explore life in its fullest,” says a counseling psychologist. “Commit yourself to marrying only when you are ready to settle down.”
If you decide to get married and go out, rave or spend time with your friends, then you are out for a surprise. Babies don’t walk before they crawl because they will still crawl no matter how many years they take.
The youth shouldn’t rush into adult roles. Waiting till the right moment doesn’t harm anyone; instead it builds your knowledge and simply gives you the time you need to be truly ready to take that serious step of tying the knot.
Money and looks should never be given the first priority concerning a marriage mate, after all success in relationships consists not only in finding the right mate but also being the right mate yourself.
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Why Does Eastern Africa Not Play Football?
Published December 11, 2009
What is more significant in football; winning the match, appearing at the event, or not making an appearance at all since you know that you will not win the game? East Africa seems to have chosen the last option and for the last eight decades that FIFA has held the World Cup tournament none of the countries that make up the East African region has ever featured. Not even as a guest.
With Africa hosting the World Cup event for the first time in 2010, it would have been better to have representatives from all over the continent—west, east, centre, south and north—but, as it has turned out, none of the six representatives is from eastern Africa: Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique. Four—Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria—are from West Africa, one—Algeria—from North Africa and the other is hosts South Africa, representing the southern tip of the continent. The absence of Eastern Africa is shocking, but this region appears to see nothing wrong and is in fact hosting another regional affair, the Confederation of East and Central Africa Football (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup in Nairobi and Mumias (November 28-December 13, 2009) in Kenya.
Completely unknown when it comes to major football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, the Under 20 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, it is hard for one to believe that a football culture exists in this region whose populace is among the world’s top football fans. This leaves many across the continent wondering what is wrong with this part of the continent. Is it that East African countries are always unfairly eliminated in the World Cup qualifiers or the players aren’t playing, can’t play and will never play ‘real’ soccer as cynics point out?
East Africa, like the rest of the continent, has representatives in Europe playing for well known international clubs; however the countries do little to nurture their own talent. They wait for European clubs to spot the talent and then they will continuously rely on what has been discovered to propel them to fame. Except for the regional tournaments like CECAFA, eastern African that these countries host among themselves, most East African countries hardly ever play outside their borders.
Talent is the major problem in this part of the continent. The few players that have been discovered and heavily relied upon to bring glory the nations are on the contrary less committed to their nations due to poor remuneration, poor management, and inadequate facilities.
Why, then, should East Africa continue to host tournaments such as CECAFA and masquerade as a soccer region it can’t play football? Perhaps to console themselves over their miserable losses in major tournaments or to remind themselves of what they ought to have done in the past? This region needs to accept the fact that they will never play standard football unless it tackles the many loop-holes it has refused to identify as problems requiring urgent attention. Instead of wasting enormous resources hiring foreign coaches and team managers that can’t change the situation or trying to recuperate what does not exist, the region needs to venture out into other sports like rugby, cricket or even athletics where they tend to perform relatively well.
Well known for producing distant runners, Kenya, for instance, should stop believing that there is a curse bestowed upon it by the Maghreb when all the facts point to the fact that that curse is self-inflicted and that it can easily be eliminated in the same way. No wonder spectators need to be reminded whenever there is a match in which their country men are participating for them to get to stadia.
Nicholas Musonye, the Kenyan CECAFA secretary-general, laments that unless Kenyans steer clear of the prevailing apathy and lack of enthusiasm to soccer that sees ‘too few spectators’ at stadia, no future CECAFA tournaments will be held in Kenya.
Saying stadium attendance in Mumias in western Kenya was far from matching the required enthusiasm for soccer, Musonye said, “I have nothing to say about Nairobi because most of what you have [here] are ‘pub-gossip-fans’ who prefer to watch football on beer.”
But Musonye, a former sports writer, was not through with Kenya yet. Said he on BBC, “Kenyans pretend to be soccer fans but all they want is to drink free beer. They even ask for money from football officials. It was very useless holding this tournament in Kenya.”
Predictably, Kenya isn’t fairing well in the tournament that ends on December 13, 2009. Perhaps the Kenyans–if they can feign to be fans as Musonye says–are also masquerading as the soccer players they aren’t?
Uganda may be the defending CECAFA champion, but we ought to ask ourselves why it can’t stand up against the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria or Egypt if, indeed, it plays ‘soccer’.
Leading Tanzanian Fashion Designer Mustafa Hassanali Showcases in India
Published December 9, 2009
Fashion designer Mustafa Hassanali has just showcased his creativity at Oxybleach India International Fashion Week.
The Only designer from Africa at the event that ran December 3-5, 2009 at Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Delhi, this was Hassanali’s first Show in Asia.
According to Hassanali, OIIFW ’09 not only marked “the marriage of international fashion with beauty” but also brought together 11 international designers and one Indian designer on the runway.
He described his 30-piece collection as “a fusion of what is East African”, an “eclectic mix” and “our vibrancy of culture and customs for the cosmopolitan market…from the Swahili coast Khanga to the Maasai land accessories.”
Tanzania’s best known fashion designer, Hassanali describes OIIFW ’09 as “a traveling showcase of beauty, glamour, style, culture, grace, fashion and futuristic technology that is bound to gain India recognition, not only as the gateway to Asia but also as a major destination of international fashion destination.”
Hassanali’s work in India came on the heels of two major events he had just held in Dar Es Salaam: the second Swahili Fashion Week (November 4-6, 2009) at which he promoted the Khanga as the dress of East Africa, and Mustafa Hassanali Cares, his first solo art exhibition (November 23-28, 2009).
The art exhibition, he says, was “inspired by nature, the feel of the morning dew, the warmth of the setting sun, and the chills of the cool weather…the Small things which bring Joy to Our Lives.”
Hassanali says the exhibition was also part of his 10th anniversary celebration since his first crowning outfit designed for Miss Tanzania, Hoyce Temu, in 1999.
“The flamboyance and rich cocktail of colour inspired this collection of art from left-over fabrics and haberdashery, ranging from Khanga Kitenge, Bazein, and Satins,” he said.
Hassanali said his environment-consciousness had made the British Council in Tanzania to select him as ‘a Climate Change Icon’.
“This is from my role in creating an initiative for a better, cleaner and neater future for Tanzanian through art, fashion, and design,” he explains.
Hassanali says he is committed to both promoting the creative sector, especially fashion in Tanzania and the Made in Tanzania’ brand.
The Mustafa Hassanali Cares exhibition, he says, was part of his 10th Anniversary Celebration since his first ‘Crowning Outfit’ designed for Hoyce Temu, Miss Tanzania 1999.
“I believe in the never-say-die attitude and I use my talent and creativity in making a better today and tomorrow for the fashion fraternity along with the various social causes very close to my heart,” he says, adding that he, Mustafa Hassanali, is “a fashionista personified!”
Hassanali says his work with international models like Naomi Campbell, Patricia Oluchi Onweagba and Millen Magese has revolutionised the perception of the fashion scenario of Tanzania.
So how does Hassanali’s work differ from that of other fashion designers?
“From corporate wear, traditional costumes, or even a Wedding ensemble”, Hassanali says, “I handle each piece with great care and I give the utmost attention to the whole outfit. Each design and outfit is Unique; a duplicate is never created.”
Among the events at which Hassanali has shown his work include Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief, Arise Africa Fashion Week 2009, Durban Fashion Week, Cape Town Fashion Week, Vukani Fashion Awards, Miss Ethiopia Beauty Pageant, Mediterranean Fashion Festival, M-Net Face of Africa, Mozambique Fashion Week, Uganda Fashion Week, and Kenya Fashion Week that, he says, have brought him immense experience and exposure.
Miss Africa Yorkshire Pageant
08 December 2009
The Miss Africa Yorkshire Pageant is a cultural showcase of the African heritage in Yorkshire.
The Pageant is a charity event providing a platform for young African women in Yorkshire to showcase talent, leadership, culture and a unique opportunity to speak up for Africa, raising awareness on pertinent issues concerning the continent and how British people and friends of African can help make a difference in Africa.
Proceeds from this event will help to fund identified projects dealing with needs in healthcare, education and the protection of women and children’s rights.
To find out more about this event and to register, please contact the organizers or visit the website.
Ugandan Music Train Sarah Ndagire Travels, Sings, Dances, Tells Stories
Published November 4, 2009
The beauty of the African continent is unmatched. Apart from the natural beauty of the continent, rich and varied wildlife and agreeable climate, African tunes with the riveting dance rhythms of the people best capture the beauty of the mother continent. With the emergence of ephemeral, fast-produced formulaic mantra-like genres—Kapuka and Genge in Kenya and Bongo Flava in Tanzania—that appeal to hip-hop-loving younger people, Africa’s commercially-driven airwaves are giving less attention to the celebration of truly African music.
This partly explains why great afro-fusion artists like Sarah Ndagire may not be so well known among the new generation but her music—a celebration of Uganda folk songs and other traditional rhythms—puts her ahead of many other up-and-coming musicians.
A singer whose solo career has just begun, Ndagire has produced two music albums, Katiitiira (2006) and Train (2007). The 2006 album is all the more significant to the African music because it is in this album that she fuses modern and traditional rhythms, bringing to the limelight the beauty of traditional folk songs of Uganda that are likely to appeal to connoisseurs as much as to any ordinary listener who enjoys well packaged music.
Katiitiira, that opens the 2006 album, was an original folk song that Ndagire has fused with modern rhythms to give it a more contemporary feel. The song is followed up by another eclectic song, Peter which is about distant love. The song is about a distressed woman whose husband has left for Japan to make money to better the lives of his family; six months later the wife has not heard a word from him, forcing her to share her plight with her work colleagues. She tells the story to the background of a highly danceable Congolese-styled beat.
This is just an insight to one of the many themes that Ndagire’s music tackles. While she seeks to enlighten the world about the traditions of her own people, she uses her music to voice the challenges facing women and children. Oliko Meyo, sang in Luganda, talks about broken promises, love and betrayal.
In her second album Ndagire refers herself as a train that will travel to every city to let other people know of her people’s rhythms. However in this album she addresses serious issues like the HIV/Aids scourge which is captured in Kunsiko Yaffe that opens the 2007 album. The message behind the song is to caution people about this deadly animal “HIV” that is attacking humanity. The song calls upon everyone to get out their weapons and fight it. Village woman speaks of the role of women as breadwinners.
Ndagire’s music is both educative and unique in many ways. But the fact that Ndagire sees the need to promote the traditional rhythms is all the more fascinating. This perhaps is the only way to get the local airwaves to start noticing this great asset of the African culture that is being ignored by ‘modernity’ and ‘globalisation’
It is definite that songs like Peter, Nyami Jumbi and Katiitiira irrespective of the language they are sang in have the universal appeal that any avid listener cannot fail to warm up to. Folk songs may look very much outdated to the current breed of musicians, but any musician who wants to produce music that will stand the test of time needs to tap into the traditional music for inspiration.
As if to appeal more to the world that is getting more hooked to audiovisual media content, Ndagire has now put selected songs of her music on DVD. It has Melody, Nyamijumbi, Olikom’eyo, Katitira, Train, Kunsiko, Peter and, of course, Ndagire’s profile.
World AIDS Day 2009
01 December 2009
Each year, we mark World AIDS Day on December 1st. World AIDS Day is an opportunity to remember those we have lost to the pandemic and to resolve anew our battle against this deadly killer.
The World Health Organiastion announced recently that HIV/AIDS is the number one cause of disease and death among women ages 18-49 worldwide. AIDS has already taken the lives of 25 million people and 33 million more are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS around the world today.
And yet, as infection rates rise, the public's level of awareness of their very real risk for contracting HIV wanes. We have a funding crisis for HIV/AIDS worldwide. Even the current budgeted relief programs come nowhere close to meeting the need we have to get those who require treatment into care. And stigma continues to prove as deadly as the disease itself, keeping people from getting tested and treated for HIV/AIDS.
But we also have new political capital, particularly in the United States, to fight the monster of AIDS. President Obama has pledged to fight HIV/AIDS.
We have more—and better—treatments than ever before. We have had some significant breakthroughs in research in the last year. We have made great headway in stopping mother-to-child transmission of HIV, we are pursuing better medical understanding of post- and pre-exposure prophylaxsis, microbicides, preventive and therapeutic vaccines, and new classes of antiretroviral medications.
One thing has become evident throughout the course of the AIDS pandemic—the resolve of the HIV/AIDS community is powerful and there is much courage and determination on the part of people living with and affected by HIV to keep fighting the virus.
So on this day of mixed blessings, may we all fondly remember those we have lost to AIDS and re-pledge our determination to battle HIV/AIDS until the day when we have a cure.
We want to know what World AIDS Day means to you. E-mail us at nileafrica@africanachievers.com subject line "World AIDS Day" to submit your comments.
Ban launches new Network of Men Leaders to combat violence against women
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launches a Network of Men Leaders
“These men will add their voices to the growing global chorus for action,” he said, noting that 70 per cent of women experience in their lifetime some form of physical or sexual violence from men, the majority from husbands, intimate partners or someone they know... More
New rules for migrants
12 November 2009
Every migrant who enters the UK will require ‘permission’ to stay under new draft proposals published in parliament.
Under measures in the draft Immigration Bill (new window), the five current application categories available to migrants will be replaced by one clear concept - ‘permission’ to be in the UK. With this new approach, migrants will either be granted permission or refused, making the rules easier for applicants and staff. Those in the UK must gain permission or face removal for breaking the law.
New streamlined system
The Home Office has also published proposals for a new streamlined asylum support system. The suggested shake up includes proposals to:
- make the principles of the asylum system clear to all who apply, rewarding those who play by the rules and getting tough with those who do not
- streamline the current complex system of support to make it easier to understand and easier to operate
- do more to ensure the system works towards the return of those who have been found to have no protection needs and who have no right to be in the United Kingdom.
Read the full story (new window) on the UK Border Agency website.
Humanitarian situation in East Africa
22 October 2009
The UN estimates that over 15 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance across East Africa.
The worst drought for a decade has parched large areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Eritrea and has increased acute malnutrition rates in children under five across the region.
DFID recently announced £39 million of additional humanitarian support, bringing our total contribution this year to £83 million. This will help supply:
- food aid distribution (£35 million)
- emergency feeding programmes to treat acutely malnourished children (£18 million)
- clean drinking water and sanitation (£9 million)
- basic healthcare to the most vulnerable (£13 million)
- cash transfers to maintain livelihoods and support to refugees (£8 million)
This support will be delivered by the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the Red Cross and other non government agencies such as Oxfam and Save the Children.
Testimonials
