A spectacular concert in an atmosphere of joy and freedom marked the end of the inaugural Nguva Yedu ~ Thuba Letu ~ Our Time youth arts festival in Harare. 600 people packed the Book Café car park for the final concert on Saturday 28 March, which presented 10 hours of outstanding poetry and some of the southern African region´s top music acts.

The challenge of making a fresh start in Britain is the subject of a darkly comic and fast-paced new novel, Harare North, by Zimbabwean writer Brian Chikwava. The novel is set in Brixton in south London, and it offers a view of London as seen through the eyes of its migrant population, particularly Africa's dispossessed. Hence, Harare North, the title and ironic name the book's unnamed hero gives to London.

Join us as we seek to remember and celebrate Haiti and its Revolutionary history. We shall remember the slave revolution of 1791-1804 which was the only successful slave revolution in history. In addition we shall seek to create awareness about recent political events in the country such as the kidnapping of Aristide, the disappearance of Pierre- Antoine Lovinsky and the deployment of a United Nations military force (MINUSTAH), actions that were all coordinated by imperialist forces.

Madagascar's transitional leader Andry Rajoelina unveiled his new administration Tuesday and immediately froze all mining contracts, defying regional powers who have ordered him to reinstate his toppled predecessor. Rajoelina, who forced president Marc Ravalomanana to step down earlier this month, said he was ordering a review of all mining contracts with foreign firms to ensure greater revenues from drilling and extraction rights.

Hundreds of African migrants are believed missing after the boats they were using to try to reach Europe capsized on Sunday and Monday. At least 21 bodies have already been recovered, and search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, Libyan officials told Reuters. News agencies, citing Italian media reports, claimed 23 survivors had been recovered. One of the boats was believed to be carrying around 250 passengers, and another had as many as 365.

SOCFEX condemns the arbitrary detention of Jama Ayanle Fayte, freelance reporter of Lasqorey website and the subsequent sentencing to two years today by the regional court of Puntland. A regional court in semi autonomous state of Puntland has sentenced Mr. Jama Ayanle Fayte of Lasqorey.net – a Somali news website after has been accused of publishing unfounded reports that the authorities deemed as false. The interior minister pressed the charges against Mr. Fayte who appeared the court without defense lawyer.

Moremi Initiative is pleased to announce its call for applications to the Moremi Initiative for Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) Fellows Program. The MILEAD program is a one-year leadership development program, designed to identify, develop and promote emerging young African women leaders to attain and succeed as leaders in their community. Interested candidates from Africa or the Diaspora are invited to apply by contacting Moremi Initiative>

Salma Maoulidi pays tribute to Khalfani Hemed Khalfan, who died on 28 March 2009. Khalfan, an activist who campaigned primarily for the rights of people with disabilities in Zanzibar through organisation , helped bring about the passage of Tanzania's Disability Act and encouraged participation in civil society more broadly in Zanzibar.

The Casablanca court of appeals in Morocco should overturn two suspended jail sentences and fines of an independent newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists has said. On Monday, a court in Casablanca sentenced Managing Editor Ali Anouzla and Publishing Director Jamal Boudouma of the independent daily Al-Jarida al-Oula to two-month suspended jail terms each and a fine of 200,000 dirhams (US$24,190) for "defamation" and "insulting the judiciary," according to local news reports. Anouzla said his lawyer will appeal the ruling as soon as he receives a copy of the decision.

For its Investigative Journalism Helpdesk in Johannesburg, South Africa, the (pan-African) Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR), seeks a Peer mentor/editor to assist investigative journalism projects carried out by African investigative journalists, either individually or as FAIR grantees and FAIR team projects.

Democratic Republic of Congo will push ahead with a $9 billion Chinese mining and infrastructure package despite pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which believes the deal will add to Congo's debt mountain, a top government official said on Monday. Under the 2007 agreement, Congo will receive much-needed roads, railways, hospitals and schools while China secures billions of dollars worth of lucrative copper and cobalt reserves it needs to feed its export-driven economy.

We have received news from the African Union Legal Counsel’s office that the Democratic Republic of Congo deposited its instrument of ratification with the AU on 9th February 2009 although according to the status update attached DRC ratified the same on 9th June 2008 making the number of countries that have ratified the Protocol 27.

Tanzanian researchers will investigate whether mobile phone technology can be used to encourage safer sex among homosexual men. The project aims to give homosexual men information about HIV/AIDS via their mobile phone's short message service (SMS) in the dominant language, Kiswahili.

Members directly engaged schools in Bulawayo on issues of education as part of an ongoing campaign to demand affordable education for all children. Community-based demonstrations were held at five schools in Bulawayo whilst representative groups met with school heads at another five schools to outline the concerns of parents. These activities will be duplicated across Bulawayo at other schools in coming days.

Smitu Kothari, noted Indian and international scholar, author and activist, who contributed to the network for over twenty years, passed away on 23 March. Deeply involved in ecological, cultural and human rights issues, Kothari strove to forge global alternatives to the world’s injustices.

The African continent has been central to the project of capitalist globalization, and the dominance of Western economic and geopolitical interests continues to profoundly shape Africa's internal dynamics in the postcolonial period. This collection of essays and interviews from leading activists and socialists offers critical insights into class struggle and social empowerment across the continent.

cc The US terms of engagement for participation in the Durban Review Conference (DRC), a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerances (WCAR), constitute 'a major setback to the international movement to eliminate racism, xenophobia, colonialism, and imperialism' says activist Kali Akuno. He argues that the Obama administration's revisions to clauses on issues including reparations for the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the genocide of indigenous people in the western hemisphere will simply preserve the status quo ante of race, power and exploitation on a global scale.

AfriGadget is a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.

Tanzania's HIV prevalence has dropped to 5.7 percent from a high of seven percent in 2004, according to the recently released Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2007/08. The study was carried out among people aged between 15 and 49 in all 26 regions on the Tanzanian mainland and the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar.

The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart has announced and appointed a new National Education Advisory Board which will advise him on ways to improve Zimbabwe's primary and secondary education. The board's immediate task is a rapid assessment of the state of primary and secondary education, as the foundation for a long-term plan and funding for the Ministry, a statement from Coltart says.