New African articles from January 2004

New African archives from January 2004

Human progress came from Africa.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Did President Museveni really write the article in your November issue, or did someone do it for him? When he says that the climate in most of "sub-Saharan Africa did not exert enough pressure on Africans in the way that the harsh northern...

Keep raising hopes for us.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... My words may not mean much to you, but I cannot resist the urge to draw your attention to my feelings. Writing to the editor of a popular magazine like New African is such a wonderful thing to me, especially when it concerns striking issues...

Windhoek, the beautiful.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... On his recent tour of Africa, the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had this to say about Namibia. "I was surprised when I arrived in Windhoek [the capital]. Only a few cities in the world are as clean and beautiful as Windhoek."...

Visa exemptions, African-style.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... There is something that I cannot just understand when it comes to visa requirements for African countries. Most of us are happy and proud that our leaders now finally understand the need to unite in order to compete with the "countries of...

Zimbabwe inflation.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Ours must be the only country in the world which runs a jingle every 30 minutes advertising its own money which now has an expiry date! You cannot get an ambulance or hearse unless you provide the petrol. We can no longer use public telephone...

What rampant hypocrisy!(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I read with great interest the article Ghana Bends Knee to USA (NA, Dec). The US government has signed Article 98 agreements with several African countries whereby they get aid or military assistance in return for exempting US citizens from...

Exploitation knows no colour.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... In her column about the failed WTO talks in Cancun, Stella Orakwue insinuates that "the West" has white lives more at heart than those of blacks. I beg to differ. In spite of similarities, there is undoubtedly a world of difference between...

Human rights at Ashanti Goldfields.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Your story, South Africa/Ghana--merger or takeover? (NA, Oct) made a crucial omission: Ashanti Goldfield's human rights record. Last February, the National Swedish Television Network (SVT1) broadcast a very disturbing documentary, revealing...

Where are our academics?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... "The continent has a bright future... We are ready to tighten our belts and work hard" (President Nujoma, NA Nov). "Recovery and social transformation is possible... The talk of aid is a lot of hot air" (President Museveni, NA Nov). ...

A tale of two state visits: Mbeki vs Bush.(The Gallery)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A state visit to Britain is a grand affair. The Queen rides in the open-top state coach with the visiting head of state to receive the greetings and adoration of her subjects lined up on the pavements with flags and flowers. It is all an open...

Sudan: peace in our time?
January 1, 2004... Is lasting peace about to break out in Sudan after decades of war between the government and the rebels in the South? An agreement on security arrangements was signed in late September, compelling Washington, which had been facilitating the...

Sudan: how to achieve lasting peace.
January 1, 2004... Prof Kwesi Kwaa Prah traces the history of the conflict in Sudan, and argues that unless there is a constitutional dispensation that recognises the fundamental African character of Sudan and also gives equal rights to the Arab minority, it is...

Zimbabwe/Commonwealth: Africa reacts.(Around Africa)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 5-8 December did not want the Zimbabwean issue to dominate the agenda, but it did. Zimbabwe's suspension was extended indefinitely, forcing President Mugabe's...

Kenya: 40 years of independence.(Around Africa)
January 1, 2004... Kenya celebrated 40 years of independence on 12 December. On the same day in 1963, Prince Phillip, the duke of Edinburgh, representing the Queen, handed over the instruments of power to Prime Minister (later President) Jomo Kenyatta in Uhuru...

South Africa: the lady with nine lives.(Around Africa)
January 1, 2004... For the first time since the ANC government came into power in 1994, Winnie Mandela was left out of the Gauteng province nomination for the provincial legislature. But she immediately bounced back, getting nominated in another state--for the...

Africa: 2004, the year of elections; This year promises to be an eventful one as a record 13 African countries hold general or presidential elections.(Around Africa)
January 1, 2004... Leading the list is South Africa whose parliamentary election is expected in August. After 10 years of majority rule, the country still faces the challenge of transferring economic power from the white minority to the black majority. The...

Haiti/France: it's pay back time.(Around Africa)
January 1, 2004... When France refused to recognise Haiti's independence 200 years ago, Haiti was forced to pay its coloniser the equivalent of $22 billion in today's money, to be free. Now Haiti wants that money back, and will not take no for an answer. Regina...

Sierra Leone: square meal for all ... not quite.(Around Africa)
January 1, 2004... Having enjoyed peace, the people of Sierra Leone now want economic progress. But is the government doing enough? Mike Butscher reports from Freetown. ********** Eight years ago President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah promised to deliver peace....

The WAWA syndrome.(Under the Neem Tree)
January 1, 2004... Investors will not come and invest in a country where you cannot make telephone calls. How can West Africa ever hope to compete for investment with the Asian tigers (for instance) when broadband internet connections are as rare in West Africa...

South Africa: Hamilton Naki, the unsung hero.(Feature)
January 1, 2004... Did you know that a black man, Hamilton Naki, played a major role in the first human heart transplant in 1967, but was forced by apartheid South Africa to pretend he was just a gardener? Yet, without Naki's surgical skills, that medical...

Zimbabwe: the men behind the balaclava.(Feature)
January 1, 2004... On 17 November, it was reported that a new armed group calling itself the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement (ZFM) "has been formed to topple Mr Mugabe". A search for the backers of this shadowy group has thrown up some interesting revelations. Osei...

Somaliland: will the good times keep rolling?(Feature)
January 1, 2004... In 1993, Somaliland declared itself an independent republic within the boundaries of the old British protectorate, and has since been an oasis of peace in the troubled region. But three recent murders of expatriates are threatening the peace in...

'This is the last chance for Liberia'.(The Interview)
January 1, 2004... The former Nigerian general and head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar, who is now the chief mediator of the Liberian peace process, tells Ben Asante in Monrovia that he is optimistic things will work out better this time in Liberia, and that it...

Zimbabwe is out. Isn't it brilliant?(Not in Black or White)
January 1, 2004... Mugabe fought again, won again, and the Commonwealth has lost. The white members' overweening arrogance and insurmountable contempt for black self-determination has blown their anachronistic house down. They never learn, do they? They always...

Nnyanzi the master.(The Arts)
January 1, 2004... Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi, the Ugandan artist, is an undisputed master of batik in East Africa. He has just been celebrating 25 years of his illustrious career. Curtis Abraham went to see him in Kampala. ********** Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi's day...

Ghana says it with beads.(Arts and Culture)
January 1, 2004... Beads have always been a fashion item. More so in Kroboland in Ghana where, thanks to the Dipo puberty rites, bead-making has become a huge industry. Kwadwo Gyan-Apenteng reports. ********** In the wake of all the negative effects of...

Kora Oye! Ugandan pastor and Cape Verdean diva are the toast of African music 2003.(Arts and Culture)
January 1, 2004... The 2003 Kora Awards--Africa's version of the Grammy's--were held in Johannesburg on 6 December. The glittering ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Centre saw the Ugandan pastor, George Okudi, winning two awards--Best African Male Artist...

Haiti: 200 years of black independence.(Diaspora)
January 1, 2004... On New Year's Day, Haiti will celebrate 200 years of independence, the second black nation in the Western hemisphere to achieve independence (the first was Palmares established around 1595 in northern Brazil and finally destroyed in 1694). But...

Salvador da Bahia: a truly African city.(Diaspora)
January 1, 2004... Salvador da Bahia is the capital of Bahia, a state in northeast Brazil which is larger than France, and the most African of all the Brazilian states. Simon Dungworth has been there to meet with the long-lost African brethren. This is his...

Welcome to Kim Collins country.(Diaspora)
January 1, 2004... The islands of St Kitts & Nevis and Dominica, with their 90% African-descendant population, are known as the 'sleepiest places on earth'. They have just been celebrating their 20th and 25th independence anniversaries. Clayton Goodwin reports....

24th African Nations Cup: Tunisia, here we come!(Football)
January 1, 2004... From 24 January to 14 February, all eyes will be on Tunisia where the 24th edition of the African Nations Cup finals take place. With no less than 7 past winners in a field of 16 finalists, the competition will be tough as newcomers Rwanda,...

Groups of contention: the 16 finalists, in their groups. Peter Law is the pundit.(Football)
January 1, 2004... GROUP A Tunisia (Fifa world ranking, 46), DRCongo (55), Guinea (101), Rwanda (123) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TUNISIA (coach, Roger Lemerre, French) Tunisia have had the benefit of regular warm-up games against good...

Six players to watch: the stars likely to shine in Tunisia are from Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Guinea and Nigeria.(Football)
January 1, 2004... Dennis Oliech, Kenya This teenage forward has helped himself to 14 international goals over the past 15 months, mostly coming on as a substitute. Now playing in Qatar with Al Arabi, Oliech is yearning for a move to the English Premiership....

Yamile the statesless: should the "stateless" Yamile Aldama, the ex-Cuban triple-jumper, start learning the words of the Qatar national anthem? Clayton Goodwin thinks not.(Athletics)
January 1, 2004... Yamile Aldama is arguably the best triple-jumper in the world today--but it is an argument that is unlikely to be settled. The 31-year-old Cuban, who won the silver medal at the World Championships in Seville in 1999 and came fourth in the...

My beef with Museveni: Museveni states: "The African feudal class was wiped out because it was in competition with the colonialists for power." Do you really think it was a competition, Sir?(Endtail)
January 1, 2004... The world would agree that Africa is behind in its economic and technological development and President Museveni gives us some of the many reasons for the present state of affairs (Why Africa is lagging behind, NA, Nov). However, I came away...