Kenya: Not out of the woods yet
10-Aug-10: Eldoret (Kenya) — Kenya has endorsed a new constitution that seeks to unite the country, but it will take much more to ensure ethnic harmony, especially in Rift Valley region, where thousands were displaced in the election less than three years ago. Read more
Africa: Warning on rapid urbanizaation at economic forum
06-May-10: Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - The World Economic Forum should send a warning on rapid urbanization to all levels of leadership in Africa.The undersecretary general and executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Professor Anna Tibaijuka, made this suggestion yesterday. Read more
Congo (DRC): LRA are minor rebels, but major terror
06-May-10: Niangara (Congo) — They may number as few as 100 men, women and adolescents, but Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) units scattered across the forests of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Orientale Province have sown sufficient terror to make some 318,000 people take flight, abandoning their homes and fields, in many cases to the uncertain sanctuary of urban centres. Read more
Sierra Leone: Bold plan for maternal health
04-May-10: Freetown (Sierra Leone) - Josephine Bangali fetches water from the well to set to boil over a wood fire so she can sterilise her instruments. The clinic is built of mud. In one of its three rooms stands a rickety bed where she can admit in-patients; it is also the room where Bangali delivers babies. She relies on a kerosene lamp at night - supplemented with a torch when she can afford batteries. Read more
Zambia: UN rejection of ivory sale unfair (editorial)
25-Mar-10: Lusaka (Zambia) - The Zambian Government, through Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Catherine Namugala has good reason to feel unfairly treated by the UN wildlife conference taking place in Doha which rejected Zambia's proposal to ease trade restrictions on sale of ivory. Read more
Namibia: Female hip-hop artists challenge stereotypes
11-Mar-10: Windhoek (Namibia) — African hip-hop prides itself on a more positive portrayal of women, but traditional cultural attitudes towards women still dominate the industry, say Namibian female rappers. Read more
Albie Sachs: The Role of Courts in Democratisation and Social Transformation
04-Mar-10: Albie Sachs, Judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa (1994-2009), and author of the book The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law, lectures on the role of courts in democratisation and social transformation. Read more
South Africa: UK labour group to Zuma: Remain firm on Zimbabwe sanctions
04-Mar-10: London (UK) - A British labour group has urged South African President Jacob Zuma not to call for targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe's inner circle to be lifted, saying that a relaxation of the measures would be seen as a relaxation of support for human rights in Zimbabwe. Zuma began his state visit to the UK on Wednesday and is expected to raise the sanctions issue with British Prime Min... Read more