Establishing effective prevention programmes in schools requires an understanding of the effects of early alcohol use in students, as well as developing policies and strategies, argues Rwanda's Minister of Education in The New Times newspaper.

The second part of the series continues with the discussion on the report of the accreditation exercise released by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in early January 2006. As pointed out in the first instalment, the report startled three first generation universities (namely UI, UNN and OAU) whose law programmes lost their accreditation.

For the first time, researchers in Africa and other developing countries will be able to apply for European Union (EU) funding under nearly the same terms as European researchers, as opposed to a limited amount of funding for earmarked projects. Especially South African scientists already have known how to make use of these funds.

The SPPO will perform the following duties: - Develop the methodologies and systems of quality assurance and data validity of grant data and performance based decision processes, and develop institutional capacity to improve the performance culture at all levels (Global Fund unit, Sub-recipients, CCM, civil society).

In order to coordinate its future operation in the Greater Darfur, ACTED is seeking an experienced candidate who would be available within the next few weeks for the position of Country Director Sudan.

African countries have responded to the need to boost science and technology by creating centres of excellence. But creating such centres in just a few African countries is unlikely to lead to an effective spread of science, technology and innovation necessary for development across the whole continent.

Few people would question that Africa's economic development relies on building its own base of scientific and technological capacity. But most African countries seem unsure how to create such indigenous capacity. Should they create new centres of excellence? Or should excellence be encouraged to flourish in existing centres?

Job Purpose: To be responsible for strategic development and effective management of the Concern Angola country programme in line with Concern Worldwide organisational and country specific strategies, policies and procedures.

DEPHA is an inter-agency project, hosted by UNEP and with partners from several UN agencies. DEPHA’s mission is to provide a high quality service for the exchange of critical map and data resources for humanitarian and development planning in the Horn. This is achieved by the acquisition, development, and dissemination of information products that conform to international data standards and reflect the most recent and most accurate data available.

This week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned names and Numbers or ICANN is holding its Annual General Meeting in Sao Paulo, the largest commercial hub in South America, where incidentally it has been raining almost continually for the past ten days or so. ICANN is the body that coordinates addresses on the internet.

The Great Iroko has Moved On: Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 1922 – 2006

The Council for the development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) regrets to announce the death in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 04 December, 2006, of one of Africa’s most illustrious citizen-intellectuals, the incomparable Joseph Ki- Zerbo.

Academic historian of the very first order, life-long pan- Africanist by instinct and by choice, unrelenting crusader for social change and justice, untiring advocate of African collective self-reliance, teacher to at least three generations of African social researchers, an unflagging source of inspiration to many who were lucky to encounter him, a great example in selfless service to the community, the giant Iroko, king of the tropical rain forest, standing tall in dignity and majesty: That was the quintessential Ki-Zerbo who, after 84 years of sojourn amongst us, has now moved on, leaving his indelible foot prints in the sand of time – all time – and challenging us, in honour of his memory, to take the baton with courage and commitment until Africa is truly liberated.

Born to a father who was reputed to be the first convert to Christianity in the area that was known at the time as Upper Volta, Ki-Zerbo was to define an early and unambiguous trajectory for himself as a committed historian with a deep and abiding interest in the twin projects of democracy and development in Africa. As a young academic, he invested himself in the study of the history of Africa, helping through his original works both to enrich the historical method and to challenge the fallacies of the day about Africa, not least among them, the widespread racist discourse of the period that Africa had no history. Together with other nationalist historians of the time, they were to build a corpus of literature that came to constitute the core of African History as a field of knowledge, complete with its methods and tools.

An important part of that effort was to be synthesized into the UNESCO General History of Africa of which he was a directing editor. But his role as a doyen of African historians also included the dedication of his time to the construction of the institutional basis of the production and reproduction of historical knowledge in and about Africa. His paramount role in the building of the African Association of Historians was but one of his engagements in this regard.

For Ki-Zerbo, retrieving and documenting the history of Africa may have been an important pre-occupation to which he applied himself completely. But in and of itself, it was not sufficient if that history – its high points and low moments – did not serve as a point of departure for the creation of an autonomous foundation for the political, economic, social and cultural emancipation of Africa and its peoples. And it was in this pre-occupation that he came to immerse himself as scholar and activist, in the struggles for national liberation, democracy, social justice and development, doing so without any apologies to those who might have felt that he went too far beyond his scholarly calling to immerse himself in local and global political contestations.

Thus it was that he was to assume various roles at the same time: prolific university professor, indefatigable activist in various social movements, party leader – mostly in opposition – and, ultimately, conscience of the African nation: That was the inimitable Ki-Zerbo, a man who was passionate about his convictions and who was prepared to pay the price when it became necessary, including leaving his professorial post in France to volunteer in the newly independent state of Guinea under a Sekou Toure who had successfully mobilized the populace to reject Charles de Gaulle’s neo-colonial project of an enlarged French federation; he was also to spend time in exile from Burkina Faso in the 1980s.

Few were the intellectuals of Ki-Zerbo’s generation who emerged to become a living encyclopedia of human history, including detailed recollections of many landmark events in the 20th century history of Africa and the world which he himself witnessed first hand or participated in directly. He had formal and informal sessions with many of the leaders of the African independence project, including Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Frantz Fanon, Modibo Keita, Amilcar Cabral, Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, and Julius Nyerere, to cite a few.

He shared in all the key debates on the future of pan- Africanism as independence dawned, as well as in the reflections that occurred on the development alternatives that the continent could explore. But through all these experiences, he never sullied his reputation for intellectual integrity and personal honesty, a fact which earned him a moral high ground to reproach – publicly and privately – the first generation nationalists as many of them began to abandon the ideals of nationalism in pursuit of personal projects of power maximization. His voice was the voice of authority and throughout his life, as the first generation leaders gave way to succeeding generations, he reserved his right, exercised in his uniquely magisterial manner, to counsel, to remind, to criticize and to condemn as the need arose.

The membership of CODESRIA was fortunate to enjoy glimpses of the rich experience embodied in Ki-Zerbo when he delivered one of the three keynote addresses to mark the grand finale conference of the
30th anniversary celebrations of the Council in December 2003 in Dakar, Senegal. It was also an occasion at which, in recognition of his contribution, he was honoured by the African social research community with a life membership of CODESRIA, alongside Archie Mafeje, Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ali Mazrui.

None amongst the nearly 500 African scholars who were assembled in Dakar for his speech left the venue of the conference without feeling inspired as much by the richness and clarity of his message as by the coherence and lucidity with which, despite his nearly 82 years, he delivered his message: That was our Joseph Ki-Zerbo, the ageless Iroko who, for the African social research community, was the mentor for all seasons. But, beyond Africa too, he was also celebrated as a rare gift to humanity as evidenced by the many laurels he won, including the Alternative Nobel Prize awarded by grassroots social movements to distinguished world figures.

We can only be grateful as an institution that in the last month of his life, and with the support of his widow, Josephine, and children, CODESRIA was given the privilege of recording interviews with him on his life, his work, his times as part of the Council’s initiative documenting the contributions of leading African scholars in a digital format that could become a veritable pedagogical tool for present and future generations. Ki-Zerbo and his family could not have given the CODESRIA membership and the wider African social research community a better gift to bequeath to the world.

And now, as we express our regret that he has had to move on, we also feel inspired to celebrate his life and to rejoice that while he lived, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, was among us and we were the happier for it. For, truly great scholars of his standing are rare - and human beings do not come better than him.

Long live Joseph Ki-Zerbo.

Members of CODESRIA interested in sending messages of support and solidarity to the Ki-Zerbo family are invited to do so by e-mail to:[email protected] and the Council will arrange to have their messages delivered.

Mobile phone technologies have taken Africa by storm. The technology has raised new possibilities for activism by human rights and social justice organisations and for service delivery in fields such as health care, banking and agricultural information.

In 2007, Fahamu and Tactical Tech will hold a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, that will aim to enable those using mobile phone technologies in activism or service delivery work to exchange their experiences of using the technology in the African context and plan strategies to support their work. The conference will explore areas related to the use of mobile technology in the African context, future trends, best practice and available tools and resources.

If you have used mobile phones in your work, Fahamu would like to hear from you. Please click on the link for more details.

This links through to a review of the book 'Adjustment Problems of African Students at Public Universities in America': "The basis and rationale for this book is great. It is mean to be a tool for African students wishing to study in the United States. The book begins with steps to take after one has been admitted into a university. The book explains the important steps that need to be taken before you leave for the U.S. and the work of international student offices upon your arrival."

The Zimbabwean government has suspended the teaching of human rights and democracy in secondary schools and announced the setting up of the Chitepo Ideology College, poised to indoctrinate youths in Zanu (PF)'s socialist policies. This is in addition to Border Gezi youth militia training - already a prerequisite for admission to tertiary institutions, including the Journalism School at the Harare Polytechnic.

The ability to read and write was considered essential for educated persons, and Africans from all walks of life strove to participate in the new literary culture. Karin Barber and an international group of Africanist scholars have uncovered a trove of personal diaries, letters, obituaries, pamphlets, and booklets stored away in tin-trunks, suitcases, and cabinets that reveal individuals involved in the new occupation of the colonial era - putting pen to paper.

Join an eclectic group of internationally-renowned authors, editors, publishers and agents in a week-long literary festival in Nairobi that includes writing workshops, panel discussions, readings and public lectures. Thursday, 14 December 2006.

Historical Society of Nigeria, 52nd Annual Congress Call for Papers Date: 14th to 17th October, 2007, Venue Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa, State Theme: Federalism in Historical Perspective.

Under this task order, the contractor will independently provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the Global AIDS Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tanzania. USG aims to expand services for HIV prevention, care and treatment to individuals affected and infected with HIV.

Fahamu, Networks for Social Justice, is seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial and socially committed educator to join us as Programme Director of Fahamu’s Education for Social Justice programme. Based in Nairobi, you will have national, continental and international responsibilities for developing, managing and expanding distance-learning and other capacity building initiatives

CHRI is currently preparing a report on the impact of anti-terror legislation on policing in Commonwealth countries, from a human rights perspective. This report will be presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next year in Kampala.

CHRI’s research team is trying to gather data primarily from the internet and also from CHRI’s contacts.I am part of the research team for the report. We are currently in the research phase of the project and are in the process of identifying the relevant security and anti-terror legislation in each Commonwealth country.

We have been experiencing difficulty identifying material in some of the African countries like Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria ad Zambia.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could assist us in looking for the legislation or help us in guiding us to the organisation/university/or persons who may help us with our research.

We are particularly looking for the following:
- The names or copies of anti-terror or security legislation, ordinances or directives that impact on policing.
- Practical examples of abuses committed by the police under anti-terror legislation or in the “fight against terror”.

Additionally, we would appreciate you putting us in touch or providing the details of any of your contacts working in the field of security and human rights in your country.

Would really be grateful to you if you could help us and provide us with some information on the subject.
Aditi Datta
Media and Communications Officer
ommonwealth Human Rights Initiative

[email][email protected]