Once a respected and professional example of high legal standards around the world, the Nigerian judiciary has now entirely lost its way, writes Sabella Ogbobode Abidde. The judiciary is plagued by lost case files, tampered evidence and inmates seemingly locked up indefinitely, Abidde stresses, a picture of decline that mirrors that of Nigerian society as a whole.

‘There is no doubt that South Africa will become the next frontier for "land invasions"', writes Grasian Mkodzongi, ‘the situation in the country is a ticking time bomb. It’s almost impossible to think that a system of extreme injustice and poverty reflected across the country could be sustained forever.’

As racial tensions continue to rise over the murder of Eugene Terreblanche, Azad Essa writes a satirical piece on reports from the South African Muslim and Halaal Authority (SAMHA), that they have been inundated by calls from foreigners asking ‘if it was true that Terrorblanche was Muslim'.

A hat tip to

With Zanzibar in the throes of political instability as its 2010 elections approach, Chambi Chachage calls for a 'win–win situation' and draws upon Mahmood Mamdani's emphasis on 'survivors' justice'.

Fiercely critical of the US's role and continued presence in Haiti in the wake of the country's earthquake, Kali Akuno highlights the dangers of the supposedly neutral term 'humanitarian intervention' and calls for solidarity with the Haitian people in the face of the 'militarisation of the relief and reconstruction effort'.

As Major Hamza Al-Mustapha – a former aide to Sani Abacha – continues to be held without trial in Nigeria, Sabella Ogbobode Abidde argues against his indefinite detention. No matter how dubious a person's reputation may be, Nigeria needs to move away from the anti-democratic legal practices that characterised its former military regime, Abidde concludes.

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Julius Malema’s distortion of history, says Ayanda Kota, ‘is a key characteristic of authoritarian regimes'. The 'fact that the ANC has now descended to this level,' Kota adds, 'is a very serious warning sign about where this country is going.’ While the call for nationalisation in a socialist context would be a call for ‘socialisation’, in the current pro-capitalist South African context, the call for nationalisation is a call for increasing the elite’s plunder, Kota argues.

Supporting Henning Melber’s arguments

‘This House believes that Namibia is a shining example of post-colonial peace, democracy, and development.’ This was the topic of a debate held in the Houses of Parliament in London on 18 March, where Henning Melber was invited to speak against the motion. The opinions in Melber's speech closely reflected those expressed in his article ‘

The inability of the regional military command in Jos to curtail the recent killings reflects not just a professional problem, but ‘deeper systemic social failure’, writes Kola Ibrahim. Although the armed forces are ‘prepared to undertake foreign military operation in the interests of the capitalist ruling class and imperialist forces under the guise of peace-keeping’, argues Ibrahim, they ‘can hardly defend public safety’. What’s really needed, says Ibrahim, is for security forces to be democratised and made accountable to the masses, but ‘it will take a pro-poor government that emerges from a people’s movement to do this’.

Asymmetric negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between African countries and the European Union, with the power balance in favour of the latter, have created a sense of helplessness among ‘concerned citizens, government circles and indigenous business interests’ that stand to lose out if comprehensive EPA is signed. But all is not lost, says Yash Tandon – there’s ‘still plenty of scope and space to save the situation’.

Ann Njogu delivered her acceptance speech at the International Women of Courage (IWOC) awards held in Washington DC on 8 March 2010. Her speech was a portrait of the struggles and achievements, injustice and poverty in Kenya. Amongst others, she dedicated her award ‘to all the human rights defenders in Kenya’, stating that ‘They are the true champions and heroes of our struggle for change. They continue to put their lives in harm's way because they are convinced that a different and better Kenya is possible. A different and better Africa is possible and a different and better world is possible.’

Used to evoke poorer nations' continual domination at the hands of the rich of the world, the phrase 'global apartheid' gained prominence when used by former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki in 2001. Drawing on Africa's economic experience over the past 50 years, Yash Tandon stresses that while this is certainly a valid conceptual term, African states themselves have played a key role in intensifying their own countries' victimisation.

Oludolapo Onajin asks why Nigerians continue to suffer and smile. He argues that Nigeria, with its own great minds, should not ‘be under the yoke of a ruling class illiterate in resourcefulness’. He asserts that while Nigerians are paying for their politicians’ education, healthcare, services and lavish lifestyles, these politicians are denying them decent standards of living and access to services. Onajin concludes that Nigerians need to break away from their current accepting and placid attitude and must ‘rewrite their futures’ themselves.

‘Please tell me how we address this patriarchal society and how we can reach a point where women are superior’ is what one young girl from an impoverished school in Zimbabwe replied when asked what she thought was standing in the way of her dreams of a trail-blazing career. ‘She’s going to need that kind of bull-headed feistiness to move herself forward in her life’, writes Sokwanele’s Hope, ‘especially if she stays in our country’. It is voices like those of this young girl, says Hope, that will help silence the few who seek to ‘preserve the status quo by denying rights to others'.

Any popular movement that is serious about building the power of the poor and about demanding the full recognition of the equal humanity of the poor will face many challenges and tests, write Abahlali baseMjondolo: 'We have confronted and passed many challenges and tests since 2005. The attack on our movement in Kennedy Road has been the greatest test that we have faced so far. But we have passed it.'

Foreign investors are pouring billions of dollars into large extractive projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, writes Peter Bosshard, but in ‘a classic case of the resource curse’, the projects ‘are not promoting the country’s long-term development’, but attracting ‘short-term profiteers, conflict, and corruption’. The World Bank’s rehabilitation of the Inga 1 and 2 hydropower dams are the latest example of this trend.

With the death of both Rashid Kawawa of Tanzania and Akena Adoko of Uganda in January this year, Kintu Nyago compares their legacies. Of Kawawa he says: ' If Nyerere… was the grand architect of Tanzanian nation building, regional liberation and security, then Kawawa was his trusted, skilled, implementing mason.' Of Adoko, however, Nyago is not so praiseworthy. He argues that Adoko's actions were 'selfishly and politically calculated:… intended to retain power… against the wishes of the people of Uganda.'

India has issued a moratorium on Bt Bringal, which is genetically modified to produce a toxin that protects the crop from pests including stalkborers. Trevor Wells warns that following the introduction of the similarly modified Bt maize in South Africa, pests appear to have developed resistance to the previously widely used and effective natural pesticide Bacillis thurengiensis, which could have significant ecological and economic consequences.