New African articles from December 2007

New African archives from December 2007

Profiting from poverty.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Again this article like so many in New African just skims the surface about the economic plight of African people the world over. We remain the only group of people--unlike the Jews, Chinese, Japanese and the Indians--who use our resources,...

Africa mourns Lucky Dube.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... The death of the South African reggae star, Luck Philip Dube, has brought shocking waves to the entire continent and beyond. His music was so inspirational and touching that you can hardly beat the rhythm. He is gone but his legacy will...

We have nothing to prove to Sarkozy.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I read with interest Baffour's Beefs (NA, October) on the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy's lecture at the Cheik Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. Many of us had believed that Sarkozy's type of stereotypical negative discourse belonged...

Election violence in Kenya.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... The violence meted to Raila Odinga and his ODM entourage in the larger Meru districts as he campaigned for presidency is very unfortunate! The same goes for the violence which erupted in the Dagoretti constituency during a rally organised by...

You are a tool of shame.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Your article, Zimbabwe Economy--The real story (NA, Aug/Sept) is a real masterpiece of propaganda. It did not serve the public with the right to know but to propagate Mugabe's regime, just as it would have served Goebbels in the Nazi regime had...

Zimbabwe campaign just absurd.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... The relentless campaign to tarnish Zimbabwe's international image has reached the zenith of absurdity. In a recent BBC television report, their correspondent Sue Lloyd Roberts, used an image of one severely malnourished child at a "mission...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2007... New African wishes to point out that the article, "Uganda ready for Commonwealth" (p60-62 of our November issue) was based largely on material written by Derek Ingram. Tom Mbakwe (who shared a byline with Derek) wrote the part at the beginning...

True visionary Thomas Sankara (1949-1987).(Lest We Forget)(Biography)
December 1, 2007... As the truth about the circumstances surrounding Thomas Sankara's cruel death continues to be elusive, let us not forget about the life he led and the legacy he bequeathed to current and future generations of "new Africans". The most...

A new baby is born.(New from IC)(IC Publications' New African French version)
December 1, 2007... For some time now, our French-speaking readers have been asking when a New African French version would be published by IC Publications, the parent company of New African and its sister-magazines, African Business, The Middle East and African...

The battle for the soul of the ANC.(African National Congress's Presidential candidates Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexwale, Cyril Rhamaphosa, Joel Netshitenzhe, Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota, Kgalema Mothlanthe, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka)
December 1, 2007... The most anticipated event in South Africa's recent history comes to a head from 16 to 20 December. More than 3,600 delegates will congregate in Polokwane in Limpopo Province to elect the president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC),...

The man we should venerate.(Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo)
December 1, 2007... On 17 October, a memorial was unveiled in a north London park in honour of a man we have all neglected to pay his full due. Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (otherwise known simply as OR) was, and still is, "the undersung hero" of the South...

Who was Oliver Tambo? By Zweledinga Pallo Jordan, South Africa's minister for arts and culture, and editor of Oliver Tambo Remembered.(Biography)
December 1, 2007... Oliver Reginald Tambo was born on 27 October 1917 in the village of Kantolo, in the Mbizana district of eastern Mpondoland (eQawukem) in the Eastern Cape. After serving the usual rural apprenticeship as a herd boy, he enrolled at an Anglican...

'Oliver Tambo created Nelson Mandela': by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, "the mother of the struggle" and ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela.
December 1, 2007... Oliver Tambo deserves to be remembered. As far as I am concerned, in his own village, Kantolo, we should have a monument to OR. And I think we could have done something more in Mbizana to remember OR's name, because he is the father of the...

Salutory lessons from Oliver Tambo: how others saw him and what they learned from him--truly inspiring stories of the life and times of a truly inspiring man.
December 1, 2007... Lindiwe Mabuza The current South African high commissioner to the UK. When I first met the ANC president, OR Tambo, in 1977, I unthinkingly called him "Buti", my brother, stemming from our culture's respect for our seniors. From that...

Swaziland: indigenous bank comes out tops; In a survey pitting the giants of global banking against the little ones, SwaziBank, the indigenous commercial bank of Swaziland, has beaten all its peers for providing excellence. Thandi Gumede reports from Mbabane.(NA Market)
December 1, 2007... It was a proud moment for Swazibank, the indigenous commercial bank of Swaziland, when it was voted the best development agency and the second best bank in the country. Other banks operating in the country are South African-based giants like...

The functions of a servant-leader: "True leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others.".(Nuggets in a Nutshell)
December 1, 2007... In my last column, I bemoaned the greed and selfishness that characterise political and corporate leadership in Africa. Then, I advocated the injection of servant leadership into Africa's systemic governance. I suggested that in spite of the...

Nigeria: Yar'Adua will step down if ... President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua took office in May this year under the shadow of a disputed election, but after six months in office, the former university don has shown that he is quietly asserting his own authority. But there is a threat hanging over his head. Joseph King reports from Abuja.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the soft-spoken former state governor, was chosen by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for the top job, but mindful of the damage the disputed election has done to his credibility and the government he heads,...

Kenya: election campaign in full throttle; With the general election date firmly set for 27 December, Kenya is in a frenzy. As we went to press, the three main candidates for the presidency were frantically roving the country to convince the electorate on why they deserve their votes. Wanjohi Kabukuru reports on how the tables have turned.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... For Kenyans, this will be an anxious Christmas and a New Year of either shattered dreams, wishful thinking or triumph. The greatest irony in this election is that campaign issues that were so dear to Kenyans a while ago are no longer viable as...

Liberia: going against the grain; Why does Liberia want to host the US military command for Africa (Africom) against the better judgement of other African countries? Lansana Gberie, just back from Monrovia, reports on the thinking of the Liberian leadership and other unresolved matters facing the country.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... On 25 June 2007, the online journal allafrica.com published an extraordinary "guest column" written by Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The article focused on the creation of the US military command for Africa (Africom), and...

Malawi: 'is corruption really worse?'.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... The latest report by the global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International, claims that corruption in Malawi is worse now than before President Bingu wa Mutharika came to power. "Wrong," says information minister. Patricia Kaliati....

Zimbabwe: at last, scales fall from opposition eyes.(Feature)(politics)
December 1, 2007... Depending on how one looks at it, strange things are happening in Zimbabwe's body politic. After nearly eight years of intense bickering that has sometimes taken a violent turn, the main political parties are now not only on speaking terms but...

Libya: Italy says sorry for colonialism--with a road.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... It is not too often that former colonialists apologise for the wrongs they inflicted on Africa. But Italy has chosen not only to do it in words, but also in kind by building a billion dollar motorway across Libya as a sorry for its colonial...

Cote d'Ivoire: how Houphouet's house of sand collapsed (2).(Feature)(Felix Houphouet-Boigny)
December 1, 2007... Although Houphouet-Boigny had the best of intentions in bringing the "northerner" Alassane Ouattara into his government as prime minister, he had not adequately prepared the higher echelons of his party for the appointment, and it was not long...

New constitution, new rumbles: for over four years now, Zambians have been embroiled in a protracted marathon to adopt the country's fifth constitution in just over 40 years of independence. The dispute is not over whether the country needs a new constitution, but how to have it. Reginald Ntomba reports from Lusaka.(Feature)
December 1, 2007... In April 2003, the Zambian government appointed a Constitution Review Commission (CRC) to collect people's views on what type of constitution they wanted and to recommend the method of how it should be adopted. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

African researchers have to speak out more: the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Abdoulie Janneh, wants African intellectuals, at home and in the Diaspora, to play a major role in the continent's development. He spoke to Joachim Arrey and Magatte Wade. Here are excerpts.(Feature)(Interview)
December 1, 2007... What are, in your view, the constraints on African development? Over the last few years, Africa has been growing at a near fast rate of 6% and this implies that Africans are better managing their economies. They will, however, need to be...

Mo Ibrahim prize: a case of misplaced priorities?(Under the Neem Tree)(Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership)
December 1, 2007... I wish that I could say I am enthusiastic about the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. But even though its motive is impeccable, it is likely to be viewed with derision, for there just are far too many causes in Africa in...

Southern Sudan: we want peace but not at any price.(Sudan People's Liberation Movement's Salva Kiir Mayardit)(Interview)
December 1, 2007... On 11 October 2007, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) suspended its participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU), citing "consistent intransigence" of their main partner in the GNU, President Mohammed Omar al Bashir's...

Darfur: blessed are the peacemakers? Negotiating peace in the Darfur crisis is proving to be extraordinarily difficult. Baffour Ankomah went to Syrte, Libya, to watch the latest stage of the Darfur peace process roll into town under the guidance of AU and UN mediators. It is not a job for mere mortals, he reports.(Feature)(Sudan)(African Union and the United Nations)
December 1, 2007... From the outside, it looks like a glamorous job--flying first class, sleeping in first class hotels, and being driven in "first-class" limousines to and from conference centres. But, from what transpired at President Muammar Gaddafi's...

The living dead.(Not in Black or White)(black men's mental illness)
December 1, 2007... Can you liken "madness", "mental illness", "mental problems", "depression", "manic depression", "clinical depression", "schizophenia", "delusional disorders", "paranoia", "obsessive neurosis", "anxiety", "phobias", "psychosis" to a...

Presenting a balanced view of Africa: Simphiwe Sesanti on why any journalist who presents a balanced view of Africa, and any African leader who doesn't just want the crown but the jewel as well, must expect vilification.(Opinion)
December 1, 2007... The past few months have seen New African publishing readers' letters expressing conflicting views about the coverage of Zimbabwe. But none has been more interesting than Simon Barker's ('When will you sack Baffour, NA, June 2007) who called...

South Africa: pan-Africanism at its best.(Profile)(Joseph Eshun)(Interview)
December 1, 2007... "I am a pan-Africanist through and through. Everywhere in Africa is my home. Every African is my brother. I am from the West, married East, and live in the South." Joseph Eshun, originally from Ghana but now a big-time businessman in South...

LPG--the fuel for Africa: the 20th edition of the World Liquid Petroleum Gas Association's Forum was held in Cape Town, South Africa in October. There could have hardly been a more appropriate city to host this annual event, reports Stephen Williams.(Special)
December 1, 2007... Bottled gas, otherwise known as Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), is increasingly being mentioned in the context of sustainable development. Without question, the link between energy and developmental aspirations is pivotal, and there is a clear...

The rise and rise of LPG: just as Africa is being encouraged to switch from using charcoal and firewood, so should the developed world be encouraged to cut back on using charcoal--and Liquefield Petroluem Gas (LPG) has a number of benefits as a substitute fuel.(Special)
December 1, 2007... It is not just white South Africans that savour smoke-flavoured meats cooked on open fires; visit any black township and, usually in the proximity of the bus and taxi ranks, you'll find a wide choice of roasted chicken, goat, beef, the famed...

Benin glorious treasures.(Diaspora)('Benin - Five Centuries of Royal Art')
December 1, 2007... Last month, an extraordinary exhibition opened in Paris. Entitled "Benin--Five Centuries of Royal Art and running until January 2008, it gathers together some of the finest antiquities originating from the City of Benin. It has also awakened...

Nations cup ahoy! The best of Ghana's proverbial hospitality will be on display from 20 January to 10 February 2008 when it hosts the rest of Africa in the 26th edition of the biennial continental soccer fiesta, the MTN 26th African Cup of Nations (GHANA 2008), reports Stephen Gyasi Jnr from Accra.(Football)(African Nations Cup)
December 1, 2007... At last, the African Nations Cup (GHANA 2008) tournament has arrived--almost. Officials of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) are highly optimistic about making the tournament one of the best organised in recent times. [ILLUSTRATION...

Rugby World Cup: the Africans at their best; Who is laughing now?(Sport)
December 1, 2007... World sport changed forever in these last few weeks. The old "certainties" have suddenly disappeared. As Clayton Goodwin reports, it had been long argued that people of African descent could not handle an oval ball as well as they kicked a...

Ghana: Kufuor's last budget; The last budget statement under President John Kufuor's government was presented to Parliament on 15 November. Stephen Gyasi Jnr reports on the highlights.(Endtail)
December 1, 2007... Coming on the heels of the 13-month-long nationwide energy crisis, a big chunk of the budget has been allocated to catering for the energy needs of the country as a way of checking the recurrence of the debilitating energy crisis of 2007. This...