ACORD'S objective is to contribute to Pan-African and Global initiatives that strengthen Food Sovereignty in Africa through an advocacy strategy aimed at supporting African citizens to define and implement food security policies adapted to their local contexts. Under the supervision of the Assistant Programming Director for Advocacy and Themes, the Livelihood Thematic Manager will play a role of facilitator and catalyst to engage ACORD and her key partners in the social action process on food sovereignty at Pan African and Global level.

The Gender and Agriculture/Rural Development in the Information Society GenARDIS) is inviting applications for its small grants programme. Deadline for applications is 25 February 2005.

On 14 February 2006, the state dismissed the charge of "defamation of the president" against "The Post" newspaper editor Fred M'membe. M'membe was originally charged in November 2005 and his trial was set to begin on 14 February. However, he was informed by the presiding magistrate, John Ndeketeya, that he was a free man because the state had decided not to proceed with the prosecution.

The CODESRIA Advanced Research Fellowship Programme is designed to contribute to the reinforcement and promotion of a culture of concentrated and extended reflection among African scholars. It is particularly targeted at a younger generation of post-doctoral African scholars interested in carrying out advanced research on any aspect of the African social reality, historical or contemporary. The programme is open to candidates from all disciplines of the Social Sciences and Humanities.

The decision to increase female accommodation inside the campus at the National University of Rwanda has reduced the risk of contracting HIV/Aids and having unwanted pregnancies. This was observed by the President of University Women Student Association (UWSA), Judith Kazaire. Recently the university's administrative council gave a directive to have one new hostel reserved for female students joining the university.

Despite years of interventions designed to turn around Mozambique's historically poor education system, the 2006 school year has kicked off to a dismal start, sparking debate about proposed plans to solve the countries chronic teacher shortages. According to Naima Saú, Deputy Director of Teacher Training at the Ministry of Education, teacher-pupil ratios were a major cause for concern: "on average, there are 50 pupils in each class, and some teachers even have as many as 70 pupils in a class".

Students, workers, shack dwellers and academics at South Africa's largest teaching university, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), are now in their 5th day of a militant strike against corporatisation. Thousands have marched under the banners of education for all, decent working conditions and academic freedom. One of the university's five campuses is under heavily armed police occupation and serious clashes between police and strikers look increasingly likely.

The DPPS will support the regional offices, local partners, and the humanitarian response team in developing strong, community-process capacities in comprehensive and sustainable disaster mitigation, prevention and preparedness work.

Fourteen year old Lindiwe – not her real name – became very withdrawn. Initially her teacher suspected that she had had a squabble with her friend but when she sank deeper into a depression, the teacher became very concerned. A home visit by a parent, who serves on the Care and Support committee of her school revealed that not only had Lindiwe lost both parents within one year but she had been abused by her caregiver, who seemed to be more interested in her child care grant than caring for Lindiwe. As a result of this information the committee could intervene and they placed the teenager with another family, while they also reporting the caregiver to the police, who are now investigating her.

The Coordinator heads a small secretariat and works under the guidance of the Management Board. He or she works in close consultation with regional representatives and members in planning and implementing programmes that further the aims of COPA. These programmes include training, capacity building, networking, information sharing, lobbying and advocacy. She or he may from time to time be directly involved in conflict transformation. The Continental Coordinator will oversee the management of COPA continental secretariat and Programmes and ensure that the organisation works towards its vision and mission. Being the point person for COPA in the continent he/she will ensure that there is synergy created in all the regional offices-Southern, Central, Horn, Eastern and ensure that COPA is linked and influencing other continental bodies to realise the vision and mission.

As the Uvira Programme Manager, you will take responsibility for all administrative aspects of the programme. This may include any or all aspects of finance, logistics and personnel needs. You are expected to play an active role in advocacy. You should have an interest and understanding of the basic rights of displaced populations and other civilian victims of violence and an ability to advocate locally in a constructive and inclusive manner.

Through this issue we hope to dig into and provide a platform for the medium that best brings, on the page, writing, art and ideas together - a medium still criminally unexplored these parts. However, the idea isn't to present another "African Comics" anthology, or similar missionary or developmental projects. Though Chimurenga is a very politicised space, it's also a space for pleasure. We're inviting comics creators and graphic storytellers who have produced cutting-edge work to submit some original pieces for this issue, or excerpts from work-in-progress.

“In most countries, university communities can be viewed as social barometers: academics and students can respond more freely and idealistically to external events than can people in the outside world whose lives are more constrained. Thus, during the apartheid years, universities were in the vanguard of change, being centres of political protest and seeking ways of throwing off the yoke of oppression,” says this commentary about the current staff crisis at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “The fact is,” the commentary goes on to say, “that at the University of KwaZulu-Natal at least, academic freedom appears to be shrinking rather than growing, and oppression is believed to have returned with a vengeance - the grim irony being that this now appears to be coming, not from outside, but from within the institution itself.”

The CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program (G&D) is pleased to invite applications from qualified women scientists in East Africa for a two-year fellowship. With generous support from The Rockefeller Foundation, these fellowships are open to women scientists from national agricultural research institutes (NARIs) and universities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania working in crop sciences. The overall goal is to increase women's skills, visibility and contributions to science and development.

Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) is relocating its Head Office to Kampala, Uganda. AMwA is seeking an Executive Director, who will oversee the relocation from UK to Uganda, and lead the organisation through the next phase of its development from the head office in Uganda. The UK office will continue to carry out programmes in UK/Europe as a regional office.

Oxfam recognises the next few years as a defining moment for the African Union as a positive force for realising the social, economic, political and cultural rights of Africans. Over the last few years, we have successfully supported the emergence of strong coalitions and effective advocacy that has held the African Union accountable to this vision (see www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/ issues/panafrica). This position shall expand these relationships and make a real impact on poverty and suffering by influencing African policy makers to promote and protect the rights of poor communities across the continent. This would be your challenge should you join us as the Pan Africa Senior Policy Analyst. Follow the link for more information, as well as a French version of the job posting.

Jean-Louis Ngalamulume, editor-in-chief of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "L'Eclaireur", has been imprisoned at the capital city's Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK) since 31 January 2006. The journalist stands accused of "public injury" towards Denis Kisalambote, a land holder in Mount Amba (located on the east side of the city). The journalist was stopped on 27 January at approximately 2:00 p.m. (local time) by M. Kinuani, an officer of the judicial police force, who then drove him to the Kin-Mazière police station. In a verbal hearing, Ngalamulume was questioned regarding an article that appeared in the 11 January edition of his newspaper (issue 56), within which M. Kisalambote was described as being "incompetent" and "tribalist".

Independent Newspapers has offered to publish an apology for any offence a weekend article might have caused to Muslims, already in an uproar about a Danish-penned cartoon lampooning the Prophet Muhammad, according to a report on news24.com and as reported on www.journalism.co.za Chris Whitfield, editor of the Cape Times and a member of an Independent Group newspaper delegation, said: "(The) decision to apologise by Cape Argus was an acknowledgement of an error in judgement." The delegation met the Muslim Judicial Council on Tuesday.

The CODESRIA Democratic Governance Institute is an interdisciplinary forum which brings together African scholars working on topics related to the broad theme of governance. The aim of the Institute is to promote research and debates on issues connected to the conduct of public affairs and the management of the general development process in Africa. The Institute was launched in 1992 and has been held every year since then in broad collaboration with the Cheikh Anta DiopUniversity, Dakar, Senegal.

Tanzania is to receive more than $11 million from the US for a multifaceted anti-corruption programme. The grant is part of a US aid initiative intended to reward and encourage economic, social and governance reforms in developing countries. The two-year, $11.1 million package is being awarded to Tanzania in response to the country's own proposals for fighting corruption.