Equality Now, an international human rights organization dedicated to ending violence and discrimination against women globally, is seeking to recruit a Program Officer, who will assist the Nairobi Office Director with program work and specifically in the areas of managing a fund for grassroots activism to end female genital mutilation (FGM), helping draft and publish Awaken, a semi-annual newsletter that addresses FGM, and research and campaign related to the legal defense of adolescent girls in Africa.

Black Perspectives on the South African Human Rights Ruling Against the Forum for Black Journalists

The details surrounding the Forum for Black Journalists (FBJ) and Radio 702's Katy Katapodis showdown have been rehashed in the media ad nauseam and while these may soon be blurry bits of yet another tantalising 'racism' story, what is likely to remain stubbornly in our memories is that the HRC ruled in favour of the complainant. This decision, which made little or no reference to the submissions made at the hearing called by the commission (other than Katapodis'), has been warmly accepted by those who preach the gospel of non-racialism, integration and transformation in the New South Africa.

Mainstream media reports have been inundated with praises, from both blacks and whites, of this essentially anti-black ruling but this is hardly surprising in a white supremacist country where black interests are often shelved and hardly recognised as such. It is even less surprising then that there have been few voices in the media that represent the marginalised black perspective that rejects the decision not only in terms of the immediate consequences for the FBJ and other black organisations but its implications on blackness as a whole. Granted some black organisations have come out with their hands behind their heads desperate to show those who matter that they are the custodians of non-racialism but the conspicuous absence of black voices is hardly a reflection of a blanket acceptance of the HRC's decision. There are quiet rumblings among blacks who are slowly being hit by the hard reality that this decision is perhaps an unapologetic, institutionalised affront on our blackness.

We Write What We Like (wewrite) is calling for contributions on this issue not only to give space to those whose unpopular views have been rejected in the mainstream but to engage black thinkers in a much needed dialogue.

Wewrite is an online journal for black thought, which was launched in 2005.

Send your submissions to [email][email protected] by the 30th of May 2008.

Andile Mngxitama, special issue Editor.

Our member organisation, the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ Zimbabwe) issued two Daily Media Updates over the weekend which we attach here. Firstly, Update no. 31 of 19.2.08 notes that the government controlled papers continue in ‘their cheerleading role for ZANU PF’. The second, Update no. 32 issued on 20.4.08, states that “While the privately owned ‘Standard’ was reporting a widespread campaign of violence against MDC supporters that has claimed as many as 10 lives so far, the ‘Sunday Mail’ and ‘Sunday News’ (20/4) continued to passively report on the country’s political crisis as normal electoral procedure in the nine stories they carried.”

We refer you to ‘Bill Watch’ produced by Veritas and released on 18.4.08 and containing more information and linkages to other sources of information. Please follow the link to the Kubatana website to access this:

In relation to the issue of the re-count of votes, the Institute for Democracy in Southern Africa (IDASA) has today, 21.4.08, released a Guide to the Delay in Zimbabwe election results The Inconvenient Truth. The guide follows what IDASA describes as confusion amongst the media and several political analysts as to precisely what ought to have happened after people went to the polls in Zimbabwe on March 29. IDASA notes that confusion could have been avoided by referring to the Electoral Act. They conclude that ‘SADC observers left before the announcement of the results and were not present to witness the vicious retributive campaign unleashed by ZANU PF’. IDASA concludes that the ‘excuses’ given by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for the delay in releasing the presidential results evokes scepticism. Please see the full report at: http://www.idasa.org/

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report on Saturday, 19.4.08 about the setting up, by ZANU PF, of ‘torture camps’ and how opposition voter have told of beatings and intimidation. HRW reports that torture and violence are surging in Zimbabwe and that ZANU PF is using a network of informal detention centres to beat, torture and intimidate opposition activists and ordinary Zimbabweans. To access the report, please follow the web link below: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/19/zimbab18604_txt.htm

In further reports of violence we attach an Alert, issued on 19.4.08 by the Murewa Community Development Trust (MCDT) about how the war veterans and youth militia have set up detention centres which are being used to torture opposition and human rights activists throughout the communities around Murewa district, 75km east of Harare in the province of Mashonaland East.

The Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum released a Press Statement entitled ‘Every Day of Inaction is a Crime against the People of Zimbabwe’. The statement notes growing concern about the escalation of retributive violence perpetrated by the Zimbabwe state security forces and paramilitaries against civilians across the country. They recommend a number of actions to be taken by SADC, the African Union, the ANC and the South African Government.

Further to the reports about the Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe, IANSA, the International Action Network on Small Arms, have launched an on-line petition. We refer you to the following link where you can sign the petition: http://www.iansa.org/stoptheshipment/stoptheshipment.php

Finally, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban ki-moon, arrived in Accra Ghana on Saturday 19.4.08 for the 12th UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In an ‘off the cuff’ remark, he referred to various crises in Africa, including that in Zimbabwe, and noted that he intended to raise the issue during his meetings with regional leaders over the weekend. His full comments can be read via the following link:

A British schoolteacher, her two female Kenyan colleagues and a Somali headmaster were killed in an overnight attack in central Somalia blamed on Islamist insurgents, witnesses said on Monday. The four were killed when suspected rebels attacked and briefly took control of Beledweyne, the capital of Somalia's Hiraan region located about 300km north of the capital, Mogadishu.

An overnight fire that destroyed a primary school dormitory in Uganda, killing 19 schoolgirls and two adults, may have been set deliberately, police said on Tuesday. "Preliminary investigations indicate that it was homicide," police Inspector General Kale Kaihura told reporters at the scene.

In 2000 the Malian government signed up to UN Education for All goals to help 50 percent more adults become literate by 2015, but eight years on still only 30 percent of Malian adults can read or write, and the government is yet to outline its strategy to address the problem.

The Golden Jubilee of the African Liberation Day invites you to an Open Parliament-Style Debate on the Progress of African Unity and possible interventions by the current generation & Drafting of the People's Declaration on Unity Every Friday Beginning on the 18th of April 2:00 - 5:00 pm The Professional Centre, Nairobi.

From 2008 to 2010 the SEPHIS programme will run a research project on ‘Sexualities and Modernities’ sponsored by the FORD Foundation. The objective of this programme is to allow researchers to gain a deeper historical and comparative understanding of the complex interplay between cultural contexts and the politics of sex- and gender-based claims of identity. Dissemination to advocacy groups and into the public sphere is an essential part of this endeavor. The deadline for applications is 1 May 2008.

After seven years of operation, SaferAfrica is changing its name to Surpazwith effect from Monday 7th of April, 2008. The new name better reflects the evolution of our work over the years. SaferAfrica originally served to provide technical assistance and capacity to African international and regional organizations, governments and civil society organizations in the field of peace, safety, security and development.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) and the Council for the development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) are pleased to announce the holding of a workshop onPolitical Participation in Africa. The workshop will be held on 6-27 July 2008 at the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal. The organizers will cover all the costs of participation (travel, lodging, meals, stipend) of the 20-25 applicants who will be selected to join this three-week workshop.

Wajibu is a journal of social and ethical concern, which has been published in Nairobi, Kenya, on a quarterly basis since August 1985. Wajibu seeks to enlighten people on social, economic, political and spiritual issues that are topical, relevant and of common concern. It wishes to promote dialogue among the various communities in Kenya and seeks to promote values that lead to the building of a just, free and peaceful society.
Wajibu looks for readership among all educated Africans and others who have the interest of our continent at heart. Over the years, our subscribers have mostly been research institutions, universities, seminaries, individual professionals in various fields and a few secondary schools. About 90% have been Kenyan, 5% from other African countries, and the remaining 5% from other continents.

Eight independent African states comprising Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and United Arab Republic (Egypt), gathered in Accra, Ghana, from April 15 to 22, 1958 to dedicate themselves to the cause of total political and economic liberation and unification of the African continent and the uplift of the African Personality. It was at this conference that the principle of “one man one vote” was adopted to provide cohesion and direction for the liberation movements. Moral and material support was promised the freedom fighters.

The convener, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Prime Minister of Ghana, in his inaugural speech referred to the significance of the occasion being the first time in history that independent African states had gathered together with the common aim of evolving strategies to safeguard their independence, plan for the total liberation and unity of Africa and to shape their common destiny in their own interest by raising the living standards of their people through economic, cultural, educational, technical and scientific cooperation. 

It would be a sad day for Africa and the younger generation if this historical signpost passes by unobserved continentally through an African Union organised celebration. For historical amnesia to affect Africa to the extent of intellectual paralysis on the part of the vast array of African institutions that have become the repository of the history of Africa’s development and progress is an indictment on the leadership and the civil servants that underpin them. Will April 15, 2008 pass by without rekindling any memories in the political minds of the present rulers of Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia? Will the significance of April 15, 2008 pass by unrecognised by the other member states of the African Union as the conference was the forerunner of the African Union? 

Do I hang my head in shame as I send out this release in the hope that the world media will wake up to this story and remind their readers and viewers of the significance of April 15, 2008 as there is the distinct possibility that no significant statement would come out to make the African child and youth proud of their past? Occasions such as the 50th Anniversary of the First Conference of Independent African States are celebrated with such pageantry to make citizens love their own memories. It is for the sake of the African child that I herein appeal to the world media to give due attention to the occasion as it is their human right for African children and youth to be taught to love their own memories. 

Lest we forget, 5 December 2008 will also mark the 50th anniversary of the epochal All-African People’s Conference held in Accra, Ghana, where a permanent secretariat was established for the global Pan-African movement with George Padmore as the first secretary-general. It was Dr. Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP) government that purposefully linked the independence of Ghana to the cause of total liberation of Africa under a union government. These epochal stories of Africa and their impact must be retold to hold the attention of and sparkle the genius in the African child both at home and abroad. 

Social grants are out of the reach of many of the poorest South Africans because they cannot afford to get the necessary identity documents from the Department of Home Affairs. Some of the biggest barriers are money for transport to the Home Affairs offices or to pay for documents they needed to get ID books, such as baptismal and doctors’ certificates, photographs and photocopies.

The Internet Service Providers' Association of South Africa (ISPA) has begun a series of computer literacy training courses in the five provinces of South Africa. According to ISPA the Free State, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga are the targeted provinces for the training. Chairperson of ISPA's Teacher Training Working Group Bernie Amler explained that the latest round of skills training will boost the practical knowledge of 121 educators from 13 schools and represents one of ISPA's biggest investments in South Africa.

You can contribute to building South African philanthropy by nominating a philanthropist for the Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards 2008. If you, or anyone you know, has made a remarkable contribution to social change by giving money, time and energy then send in a nomination! Join us in celebrating South African philanthropy and in recognizing individual philanthropists who, through their financial giving, have made a real difference for social change. Deadline for nominations is 16 july 2008.

The International Conference on e-Learning (ICEL-2008) invites researchers, practitioners and academics to present their research findings, work in progress, case studies and conceptual advances in areas of work where education and technology intersect. The conference brings together varied groups of people with different perspectives, experiences and knowledge in one location. It aims to help practitioners find ways of putting research into practice and researchers to gain an understanding of real-world problems, needs and aspirations.

The Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre has recently published a book “Human Sexuality in Africa: Beyond Reproduction”. The book is structured into four parts comprising of some papers presented at the quarterly ARSRC organized Understanding Human Sexuality Seminar Series from seasoned professionals from across Africa. Many topical issues are highlighted in this book, such as the access to sexuality education, sexuality and social institutions and sexuality beyond reproduction.

Nominations are now being sought for the 2008 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.The prize will be awarded at an event at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 10 December 2008, as part of the annual commemoration of Human Rights Day.

The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights was instituted by the General Assembly in 1966 (Res. 2217/XXI of 19 December 1966), and was awarded for the first time on 10 December 1968 on the occasion of the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thereafter, the prize has been awarded in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993, 1998 and then in 2003. The prize is honorary in nature and is awarded approximately every five years to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of human rights.

A special committee has been entrusted by the General Assembly with the selection of laureates from nominations sought from Member States, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations in consultative status and from other appropriate sources, in accordance with the above-mentioned resolution. This committee is composed of the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council, the Presidents of the Human Rights Council, the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women and Chairman of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.

The Prize is an opportunity not only to give public recognition to the achievements of the awardees themselves, but also to a send a clear message to human rights defenders the world over that the international community is grateful for, and supports, their tireless efforts to promote all human rights for all.

How can work in the humanities be a concrete political tool? How can the knowledge of the humanities be mobilized in socially revolutionary ways? This presentation will reflect on the state of the humanities in Chile and other countries in the process of democratic consolidation and will analyse two cases. The first is the collective book writing of Hilando en la Memoria the first anthology of Mapuche women poets. And the second is the work on a Chilean national icon, 1945 literature Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral, to produce knowledge and dialogue on gender, sexualities, the body, memory, and Human Rights.

The Somali consul in the port city of Aden has called on the international community to take steps to end the deaths of migrants - mainly Somalis fleeing in flimsy smugglers’ boats to Yemen - in the Gulf of Aden, and find a lasting solution to their plight.