New African articles from February 2005

New African archives from February 2005

Mixed race.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... I agreed with the gist of the article by Carina Ray entitled The origins of mixed race population (NA Jan 05); that is that rape cannot be the main explanation for the origins of mixed race people. However, I was disturbed by the section on...

Balanced not biased reporting on Zimbabwe.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... The United Kingdom is famous for the freedom of speech it grants. Nevertheless, hate speech in a major publication such as New African is a matter of concern. So far I have accepted Mr Baffour Ankomah's opinions on Zimbabwe as just that. ...

Misled on Zimbabwe.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... Allow me to respond to Mr Baffour Ankomah's recent article on Zimbabwe in which he simply regurgitated the Zimbabwe government's hollow propaganda. The land issue and the lack of rule of law and deterioration of democracy in Zimbabwe are two...

Ghana's democracy.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... I believe democracy is a good social system if only it would be understood in its context. The history of democracy in the US and the rest of the Western world comes as a result of the constant coexistence and understanding of each other's...

Nigeria for UN seat.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... In re-appraisal of Ben Asante's article Nigeria--We deserve a permanent Security Council seat, NA Dec 04, I ask who else would represent Africa as the growing need to reform the United Nations Security Council rises to embody all of the world's...

Why does nobody care about blacks?(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Some of our readers may find the title on the cover of New African this month too provocative. In a change to the normal format of the magazine, we have invited three writers to cast their very different and contrasting opinions on the world's...

Sudan: a nation's new hope; After two years of lengthy negotiations, a north/south peace agreement has finally been reached in Sudan, heralding a new era for Africa's largest country. Tom Okello reports.(Around Africa)
February 1, 2005... When the day finally came, it was as momentous as it was significant for the whole of Africa. After decades of fighting in the continent's longest running intractable conflict, the ink finally dried on a comprehensive peace agreement between...

Kenya.(In Brief)(grandfather enrolled for education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... An 84 year-old great grandfather who enrolled in a Kenyan infant class is facing possible expulsion after parents complained he is a "disruptive influence." Kimani Maruge (below), who is considered to be the world's oldest pupil, began learning...

Ethiopia.(In Brief)(legend Bob Marley )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Rumours that the remains of Reggae legend Bob Marley were to be exhumed and reburied in Ethiopia were denied by his widow. Rita Marley was quoted as saying the reburial would take place in February to coincide with his 60th birthday to be held...

Nigeria: separate conferences to debate future; Civil liberties and pro-democracy groupings in Nigeria have defied the federal government in proclaiming their desire to convene a sovereign national conference, aimed at working out the future of the country. Ironically, just as the government announced the modalities of setting up its own. Ola Sheyin reports.(Around Africa)
February 1, 2005... A group of 42 civil rights movements, under the aegis of Pro-National Conference Organisations (PRONACO), met for two days in Lagos, Nigeria, mid-January to fashion out the modality of convening a national conference to debate the future of the...

Uganda.(In Brief)(Peace talks with Lord's Resistance Army )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are struggling to bear fruit. A ceasefire expired at the end of December and the prospects of negotiations appear to be disappearing once again. A government peace...

Guinea.(In Brief)(Guinean president Lansana Conte)
February 1, 2005... An apparent attempt on Guinean president Lansana Conte's (above) life failed to unnerve him, a year after he won a third term in office. Unknown assailants opened fire on the presidential convoy while driving the president through the capital,...

West Africa: Ecowas targets deeper economic integration; With West Africa getting on top of the political instability that has wrecked the region for the past 15 years, Ecowas is now to concentrate on economic integration. Baffour Ankomah and Ben Asante report from Accra.(Around Africa)
February 1, 2005... Deeper economic integration was the key phrase on everyone's lips when Ecowas leaders ended their 28th Ordinary Summit in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on 19 January. The heads of state, therefore, approved a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for...

South Africa: disgraced Thatcher escapes jail; When faced with the prospect of going to prison for his involvement in a coup plot to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea, Sir Mark Thatcher paid the money and ran. Tom Okello reports.(Around Africa)
February 1, 2005... Mark Thatcher was found guilty in January of participating in preparations for a failed coup attempt to topple President Obiang Nguema of the oil-rich West African nation. After months of denial, his admission as part of a plea bargain in a...

Nigeria.(In Brief)(Police chief Tafa Balogun's retirement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Police chief Tafa Balogun declared he was retiring in mid-January with immediate effect. The surprise announcement came without any warning or official reason, with President Olusegun Obasanjo thanking him for his 28 years of service and...

And finally ...(In Brief)(research of mosquitoes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... New research has discovered why mosquitoes prefer the taste of some people and not others. Scientists believe the human body in some people produces odours that can mask the natural smell which the insects find appealing. The researchers...

Ghana: Ala Adjatey's last words; Baffour Ankomah reports from Accra on the fall of the Speaker of parliament and an abrupt end to a political career.(Feature)
February 1, 2005... Peter Ala Adjatey, a veteran politician and legal brain, is the immediate past Speaker of the Ghanaian parliament. A former national chairman of President John Kufuor's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adjatey was elected unopposed as Speaker...

Mozambique and Angola--the communist episode: as a lifelong member of the resistance against dictatorship and colonisation, I am only too happy that the independence of Mozambique and Angola had also a positive impact on the continuing struggle for black emancipation in Southern Africa.(Lest we forget)
February 1, 2005... Amongst the commemorative dates of particular relevance to Africa, 2005 marks the passing of the 30th anniversary of the independence of Mozambique (25 June) and Angola (11 November) in 1975. This was the culmination of the decisive military...

Can elections herald a new dawn for DR Congo?(Interview)(Rally for Congolese Democracy )(Interview)
February 1, 2005... The Democratic Republic of Congo is shaping up for its first presidential elections in over forty years. But for a nation emerging from the ashes of a tumultuous five-year war, which indirectly claimed the lives of over 3.5 million people, the...

Mbeki: 'why can't we have the same aid and generous loans?'.(Comment)
February 1, 2005... This is Part Two of a special series of articles about global approaches to poverty eradication and economic development, written by the South African president, Thabo Mbeki. Here, he argues that European reconstruction after World War II was...

Mano River youth: from warriors to peace builders; For the first time since the conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire began, the youth of the region are being mobilised to play an effective role in peace building and development. Baffour Ankomah reports from Conakry, Guinea, on the programme sponsored by the Mano River Union (MRU), Ecowas and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).(Feature)
February 1, 2005... "Let us be clear. Half-educated youth with no prospect of being integrated into a better future is a prescription for disaster. If young people do not have a stake in the existing social and political order, if they do not feel that there is a...

Empowering NGOs: international donors impose tight financial controls on Africa's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) but now they are pressing for millions of dollars to build their capacity and offer vital services. Nick Cater reports from Ethiopia.(Feature)
February 1, 2005... Throughout Africa a new generation of non-governmental organisations is springing up to fill the gaps between the private sector and government itself, especially in tackling the continent's crises and conflicts. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Beaten, yet forbidden to cry: when Ghana became independent in March 1957, something eerie happened. Many of the British colonial civil servants, who had never been on friendly terms with the Africans they bossed, suddenly changed.
February 1, 2005... Where they had formerly used one's bald surname in calling one, they began to use the first name. So, Mensah became Quayezee (for Kwasi) and Twumasi became Coffee (for Kofi). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One would have thought the Ghanaian...

Dying to speak the truth: the brutal murder of one The Gambia's most prominent journalists at the end of last year drew international condemnation for a country once lauded for its press freedom. Yet as Sheriff Bojang Jnr reports, the killing comes just days after the endorsement by parliament of significantly tighter and more restrictive media laws.(Feature)
February 1, 2005... According to Kenneth Best, a renowned Liberian journalist who founded the Daily Observer, the first and only daily newspaper in The Gambia: "There is no foolproof coat that a journalist can wear to prevent him from getting in trouble... you...

A new approach to a continuing problem: following the tragic passing of Nelson Mandela's only remaining son, Ola Sheyin takes a look at fresh impetus to tackle the very real and persisting crisis of HIV/Aids.(Health)
February 1, 2005... "In a few short releases from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, USA, summer 1981, the American authorities informed the populace that a new, mysterious disease had been discovered in the heavily populated cities of Los Angeles,...

The legacy of Mary Seacole: it wasn't until the now famous nurse garnered the most votes in a poll to discover the top Black Briton that Mary Seacole was well known. Yet, as Clayton Goodwin reports, in Caribbean and African heritage communities, she has long been highly revered and venerated.(Diaspora)
February 1, 2005... Mary Seacole? I have never heard of her... This was the general response of the British public on learning last year that Mary Seacole had come first in a poll for top Black Briton. Of course, that was not the response of the readers of this...

Black sheep of the family: February, black history month. "Write your own history," Theresa said out loud to herself. Black people should write more memoirs, she thought. Our memoirs. Even if we might be forced to fictionalise the truth to make it palatable to others.(Not in Black or White)
February 1, 2005... "Cafe latte, regular, please, in a take-away cup but for here." The coffee shop was not busy, but it wouldn't stay that way. He's new, Theresa thought. She watched his hands closely as he made her coffee. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Pablo...

Cameroon: the magic of medicinal plants; Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the Congo Basin are not only providing medicine and food for the people of the region and beyond, they are also bringing in lots of cash--in foreign exchange. Tansa Musa reports from Yaounde.(Feature)
February 1, 2005... For a long time wood producing countries in the Congo Basin neglected Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). But today, as forests gradually disappear and the value of timber exports decline, countries in the region looking to diversify sources of...

Tingatinga: the art of East Africa; Whether you are in Nairobi or Mombasa, Zanzibar or Arusha, Lamu or Tanga, there are hundreds of tingatinga artists. Stephen Williams profiles the source of this important art movement.(Arts)
February 1, 2005... Throughout East Africa, particularly where tourists are to be found, visitors are confronted with brightly coloured paintings of birds, animals, urban and village scenes. It is an art form that, while not exactly traditional, is certainly part...

Africa's modern: Griot; Perhaps one of the greatest stars of world music is the celebrated Guinean musician Mory Kante. His music is a colourful blend of inspirational African vocals performed over a pulsating western beat. Recently in the UK to promote his latest album, Sabou, he spoke to Beverley Andrews about success, London audiences and above all, his love of music.(Culture)
February 1, 2005... Mory Kante has always maintained that his mother sang to him even when he was still in her womb. "Music I guess is something which I feel has always been a part of me," he says. "In many ways it is a life that I think I was destined to have....