A Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighter looks through a large concrete pipe where ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was allegedly captured and killed, with a dead loyalist gunmen in the foreground, in the coastal Libyan city of Sirte on October 20, 2011. - AFP

After 42 years at the helm of his sparsely populated, oil-rich nation, Muammar Gaddafi - the Arab world's longest-ruling leader - lost his grip on power after a six-month uprising.

Since he lead a successful military coup in 1969, Gaddafi styled himself as Libya's "brother leader" and the "guide of the revolution", as an almost paternal figure looking after Libya's six million inhabitants.

His relationship with the rest of the world was erratic. For years, Gaddafi was known in the West as a pariah, blamed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people. After years of denial, Libya acknowledged responsibility and agreed to pay up to $10m to relatives of victims; Gaddafi also declared he would dismantle all weapons of mass destruction.

Those moves eased him back into the international community.


In February, one week into the uprising, Gaddafi vowed to die as a "martyr" on Libyan soilIn February, only weeks after street protests brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, a rebellion against Gaddafi's rule started in the country's east.

Days after it began, Gaddafi gave a televised speech in which he vowed to hunt down protesters "inch by inch, room by room, home by home, alleyway by alleyway". The speech caused anger, helping to fuel the armed rebellion against him.

Early days

Gaddafi was born in 1942 in the coastal area of Sirte to nomadic parents. He attended Benghazi University to study geography, but dropped out to join the army.

The deposed leader came to power in 1969 at the age of 27 after leading a bloodless coup against King Idris.

After seizing power, he laid out a political philosophy based on pan-African, pan-Arab and anti-imperialist ideals, blended with aspects of Islam. While he permitted private control over small companies, the government controlled the larger ones.

The Libyan leader was an admirer of the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and his Arab socialist and nationalist ideology. As a strong member of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War era, Gaddafi tried to mold the Libyan political system in a way which he said was an alternative to both capitalism and communism.

Gaddafi played a prominent role in organising Arab opposition to the 1978 Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Later shunned by a number of Arab states, partly on the basis of his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gaddafi's foreign policy focus shifted from the Arab world to Africa.

The Libyan ruler argued for the creation of a "United States of Africa" - an idea first conceived by US pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey - in which the continent would include "a single African military force, a single currency and a single passport for Africans to move freely around the continent"

He also supported membership among countries in other parts of the world whose citizens are mostly part of the African diaspora, including Haiti and Jamaica.

The project did not pan out, although some of its ideas influenced the African Union, which was created in 2002. Gaddafi served as chairman of the African Union from 2009 to 2010.

A 2008 meeting of African monarchs proclaimed Gaddafi the continent's "king of kings".

Crushing dissent

In 1977 he changed the country's name to the Great Socialist Popular Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (State of the Masses) and allowed people to air their views at public congresses.

Some critics defined his rule as a military dictatorship, accusing him of repressing civil society and ruthlessly crushing dissidence. The regime has imprisoned hundreds of people for violating the law and sentenced some to death, according to Human Rights Watch.


At the UN General Assembly in 2009, Gaddafi accused the body of being a terrorism group like al-Qaeda [EPA]Lockerbie bombing

Gaddafi maintained a position of anti-imperialism throughout his rule, supporting independence movements against colonial rule around the world. He allegedly gave material support to groups labelled "terrorists" by numerous wealthy countries, including Colombia's FARC and Northern Ireland's IRA.

Libya's alleged involvement in the 1986 bombing of a Berlin nightclub in which two American soldiers were killed prompted US air attacks on Tripoli and Benghazi, killing 35 Libyans. Ronald Reagan, then the US president, called him a "mad dog".

The 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie is possibly the most well-known and controversial incident associated internationally with Gaddafi.

For many years, Gaddafi denied involvement, resulting in UN sanctions and Libya’s status as a pariah state. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence agent, was convicted of planting the bomb. In 2003, Gaddafi's regime formally accepted responsibility for the attack and paid compensation to the families of those who died.

Gaddafi also broke Libya's isolation from the West in the same year by relinquishing his entire inventory of weapons of mass destruction.

In September 2004, George W Bush, the US president at the time, formally ended a US trade embargo as a result of Gaddafi's scrapping of the arms programme and taking responsibility for Lockerbie.

The normalisation of relations with Western powers allowed the Libyan economy to grow, and the oil industry in particular benefited.

However, Gaddafi and Lockerbie came back into the spotlight in 2009, when al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison on the grounds that he was terminally ill and was nearing death. He returned to Libya to a hero's welcome from Gaddafi and many Libyans, sparking condemnation by the US and the UK, among others.

In September 2009, Gaddafi visited the US for his first appearance at the UN General Assembly.

His speech was supposed to last 15 minutes, but ended up lasting over an hour. He tore up a copy of the UN charter, accused the Security Council of being a terrorist body similar to al-Qaeda, and demanded $7.7tn in compensation to be paid to Africa by its past colonial rulers.

During a visit to Italy in August 2010, Gaddafi's invitation to hundreds of young women to convert to Islam overshadowed the two-day trip, which was intended to cement the growing ties between Tripoli and Rome.

Libyan rebellion

Inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyans began to hold protests against his regime in the eastern city of Benghazi in February of this year.

Gaddafi used military force to quell demonstrations, but the protests escalated into an all-out armed conflict, with NATO-led forces intervening.

On June 27, the brutal actions of the Libyan government were referred to the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants for Gaddafi, one of his sons and his spy chief on charges of crimes against humanity.

Gaddafi repeatedly blamed the unrest on al-Qaeda and a "colonialist plot". He called those opposed to him "rats", and alleged that they had been influenced by "hallucinogenic drugs". In his last address before rebels entered Tripoli, he accused "Western intelligence" of "working with al-Qaeda to destroy Libya".

On October 20, an NTC official reported that Gaddafi had been killed near Sirte after fighters liberated the deposed leader's hometown.

Footage obtained by Al Jazeera appeared to show Libyans dragging the body of their former leader through the streets.


Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

http://www.blogger.com/width=" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

The Second Session of the Committee on Human and Social Development Opens at ECA
Addis Ababa, 18 October 2011 (ECA) -

The second session of the Committee on Human and Social Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was opened Tuesday 18th October by the deputy-executive secretary of ECA, Ms Jennifer Kargbo. The committee is an intergovernmental body that guides the work of ECA in the area of human and social development. Membership of the committee comprises experts in social policy from government ministries, academia and some civil society organizations.
Ms Kargbo welcomed all participants to ECA on behalf of the executive secretary, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, saying the meeting comes at a critical time for Africa as the continent is being affected by the global financial and economic crisis, adverse effects of climate change, rising cost of food and fuels and the effects of natural disasters and civil strife.
“In light of this, ECA plans to undertake a strategic focusing exercise to better articulate the priority areas of social development that it should be addressing. This exercise will ensure that ECA responds more effectively to issues that member States consider priority and critical to achieving inclusive and equitable development in their countries,” she said.
Ms. Kargbo said although many African countries experienced economic growth in excess of six percent over the last ten years, the quality of life for the majority of people has not improved. “Although we need growth to end poverty, growth alone is not sufficient. The highest pay-offs to poverty reduction will only be attained through the provision of basic social services and creation of broad-based labour-intensive growth,” she said.
The deputy executive secretary concluded by calling on all the experts to deliberate extensively on the numerous challenges facing Africa and to make actionable recommendations that can guide the future work of the Economic Commission for Africa.
The African Union Commission (AUC) was represented at the meeting by Dr. John Strydom from its department of social affairs. He said the AUC has a comprehensive social policy framework that serves as its guiding principle.
He said the four key areas in its policy framework are implementing social protection measures across Africa; strengthening the family in Africa as the bedrock of many social protection measures in African societies; facilitating the development of human resources and labour migration; and supporting gender equality.
“The conference of African ministers for social development that took place in Khartoum, Sudan two years ago deliberated extensively on the policy options. The ministers came up with clear guidelines in these four areas and that is also very relevant with the agenda of this committee,” he said. He said the ministers have also asked for a report on social development measures being implemented in Africa at their next meeting, which is scheduled for 2012.
The meeting was formally opened by the Chairperson of the outgoing bureau, Uganda, who handed over to the new bureau, which is being chaired by Egypt. During the two-day discussion, the committee will advise ECA on its on-going work in the area of social development and make recommendations on new areas of focus.
Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Festival highlight: Women filmmakers

Experience some of the best cinematic work by African women, from established filmmakers, to the new wave of African and Diaspora directors. See Sambizanga, the first film made in Africa by a woman; delve into the experimental lens of Zina Saro-Wiwa’s stunning short films; witness refreshing, stereotype-shattering documentary films, such as Surfing Soweto (from South Africa) and Koundi and National Thursday (from Cameroon). And much, much more!

Visit www.filmafrica.org.uk for further info on these films, and for the full festival programme

Image: Koundi and National Thursday






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Film Africa 2011: Celebrating African Cinema

3rd-13th November

Brought to you by the Royal African Society and SOAS

www.filmafrica.org.uk


THE LAUNCH OF CANUK -NIGERIA CARVIAL AT THE PALACE OF WESTMINISTER




The Air arik director and then

The founder of Nigeria Carnival mr Kashif

The chairman of the cebtral association of nigerians in the UK Chief Bimbo

The Coe of Ben tv Dr alistair with journalist from the nigeria Tribune

Trumpet GAB Awards. 44a Selby Road Leytonstone, London E11 3LT

T: 020 8522 6600 F: 020 8522 6699 E: gabawards@the-trumpet.com. W: www.gabawards.com



Press Release





Shortlist of GAB Awards Finalists released



The Judging Panel for the Gathering of Africa’s Best (GAB) Awards has released the names of the initial batch of Finalists who have made it past the first stage of the screening process. Recipients of the GAB Awards will be announced at a colourful ceremony holding at the Hilton London Paddington on Sunday 23rd October.



The list of those who made it as Finalists range from achievers in the fields of Finance, Business, Media, Entertainment, Health, Charity, Youth Empowerment, Community Engagement, and more.



The Finalists include: Mrs Evelyn Oputu – the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Bank of Industry Nigeria; Em Ekong – Director of Urban Inclusion London; Gibril Faal – Chair of the African Foundation for Development; Iyamide Thomas – Regional Care Advisor of the Sickle Cell Society UK; Music Producer - Anthony Everest; Broadcaster par excellence – Princess Deun Adedoyin-Solarin of Princess of Arize; and Chief Superintendent Wayne Chance – London’s Southwark Borough Police Commander.



Others include Richard Taylor OBE of the Damilola Taylor Trust; Actress Ellen Thomas; Dr Comfort Momoh MBE – a Public Health Specialist; colourful Media guru - Dr Bisi Olatilo; Atul Bhakta – Managing Director of One World Express Inc; Dayo Olomu – Founder of dayoolomu.com; and journalist – Jasmine Dotiwala.



The GAB Awards was founded in 1999 by The Trumpet newspaper (Britain’s largest distributed Black newspaper) against the backdrop of huge negative publicity being flaunted by the UK mainstream media, among many others.



The importance and high profile of the GAB Awards has been acknowledged by the Mayor of London. In 2007, the GAB Awards was celebrated as one of the programmes of the Mayor’s Black History Month Season.



Past events have attracted the support and presence of numerous African missions and their Heads; Royalties; Celebrities from numerous areas of human endeavour; UK and African government officials and politicians; because of the lofty ideals the event represents. Past guests have included the Heads of Mission of Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Egypt, Sierra Leone; HRH Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III – the Alaafin of Oyo, HRH Oba T.A. Akinloye, Sateru II – the Ojomu of Ajiranland, Prince Bola Ajibola, Chief & Chief (Mrs) J.K. Randle, Chief & Chief (Mrs) Oluwole Adeosun, John Fashanu, Rt.Hon. Simon Hughes, Rt. Hon. Dianne Abbott (both of the British Parliament), William Hague (then leader of the Conservative Party), Erelu Lola Ayonrinde – two-time Mayor of the London Borough of Wandsworth; Cllr Anna Mbachu (then Mayor of Waltahm Forest), John Bowis (MEP), Lloyd ‘Ragamuffin’ Honeyghan – the former undisputed and two-time World Boxing champion, but to mention a few.



Previous recipients of the GAB awards include Nelson Mandela, Professor George Kirya, Henry Annan, Anthonia Okonma of Bad Girls, Cyril Nri of The Bill, Paralympics medallist Ade Adepitan, Chief Dele Momodu, Ishola Akay (MBE), Most Rev. Father Olu Abiola (OBE), Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Patti Boulaye, and the late Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo.



Tickets to the event are currently on sale and must be purchased in advance of the day:



Tickets: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Regular VIP

Individual:               £100 £200

Couple:                £175 £300

Table of 10:               £875 £1500



Tickets can be booked by calling 020 8522 6600 or 07956 385604 or email gabawards@the-trumpet.com or by visiting www.gabawards.com / www.gabawards.eventbrite.com.



There are also marketing opportunities that exist through Advertisements in the Programme of Events, Exhibition Stands, Sponsorship of the event and insertion of products and promotional materials in the Goody Bags.





And the Finalists are...

Prefix
Forename
Surname
Organisation
Description
Category

Ms
Em
Ekong
Director, Urban Inclusion
Business

Mr
Gibril
Faal
Chair, African Foundation for Development
Community Development

Ms
Iyamide
Thomas
Regional Care Advisor, Sickle Cell Society
Health

Mr
Anthony 'Aremu Orin'
Everest
Talent Publicity
Entertainment

Sheri
Adegbesan
Chief Executive, Life Changers Foundation
Community Development

Theodora
Ibekwe
Founder, Miss Elegant International
Entertainment

Princess
Deun
Adedoyin-Solarin
CEO, Princess of Arize
Media

Mr
Emmanuel
Akintunde
Managing Director, GF Drums
Entertainment

Make Messages Count
A Youth group
Youth Empowerment

Chief Superintendent
Wayne
Chance
Southwark Borough Police Commander
Community Engagement

Mr
Richard
Taylor OBE
Co-Founder, Damilola Taylor Trust and the Spirit of London Awards
Youth Engagement

Youths Against Crime not Crime Against Youth
A Youth group
Youth Empowerment

Mrs
Evelyn
Oputu
Managing Director, Bank of Industry Nigeria
Industrial Development

Ms
Jasmine
Dotiwala
Executive News Editor, BBC Media Trust
Media

Dayo
Olomu
Founder, Dayoolomu.com
Leadership

Mr
Atul
Bhakta
Managing Director, One World Express Inc.
Business

Dr
Bisi
Olatilo
CEO, Biscon World TV
Media

Chief
Julie
Coker
Veteran Broadcaster
Media

Dr
Comfort
Momoh MBE
Female Genital Mutilation / Public Health Specialist
Health

Ms
Ellen
Thomas
Actress
The Arts

Mr
Taiwo Toyin
Rotimi
Leicester African Caribbean Business Association
Community Development

For immediate release: Tuesday 18th October, 2011
Law to curb conflict minerals under attack

by the Chamber of Commerce

Global Witness calls on the SEC to resist industry pressure and issue robust regulations



Global Witness is calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) not to cave in to industry pressure and to issue effective regulations to combat the trade in conflict minerals. The call comes on the day of a crucial SEC roundtable and in the face of aggressive industry lobbying aimed at making the new rules weak and ineffective.



The minerals trade in eastern Congo has been in the grip of different armed groups for over a decade. Illicit profits from the trade provide an incentive and a means for rebels and certain units of the Congolese army to maintain their operations and carry out attacks on the civilian population.



The SEC is finalizing rules to implement a provision contained in the Dodd-Frank Act passed by Congress last year. Section 1502 of the law aims to break the link between minerals and conflict in the eastern Congo by requiring companies to carry out ‘due diligence’ checks on their supply chains to determine whether their products contain conflict minerals.



Section 1502 has already had positive impacts, including helping to end the Congolese army’s illegal control of the largest tin ore mine in the region earlier this year, and promoting mining sector reforms by the Congolese government. While serious challenges remain, the law presents the best chance in over a decade to establish a clean minerals trade that contributes to development, rather than fuelling instability.



“This law is already catalyzing some positive changes on the ground, including demilitarization of some mining areas in eastern Congo and laudable efforts by certain companies to clean up supply chains,” said Mike Davis of Global Witness. “Despite these efforts, the US Chamber of Commerce is working at all levels to derail the regulations and continue business as usual.”



The Chamber of Commerce claims that it is too burdensome for companies to trace their supply chains and has argued for the rulemaking process to be re-started. However, Global Witness research to map out the trade route from mine to manufacturer demonstrates that the supply chain is not nearly as complex as the corporate lobbyists would have us believe.



Leading electronics manufacturers have already implemented the new law’s requirement to trace metals in their products back to the smelters that refined them. Two industry associations are developing systems for reviewing smelters’ own supply chain controls – another initiative that can help companies comply with Dodd Frank. Some businesses have begun investing in sourcing clean minerals directly from Congo.



These positive moves are being undermined by delays in the SEC’s publication of the regulations to complete Dodd Frank’s 1502 provision on conflict minerals, which were supposed to be announced in April. The delay has already sown uncertainty in the minerals trade and deterred many buyers from purchasing Congolese materials.



The announcement of new rules was always likely to cause some short-term uncertainty and disruption to the trade. Months of paralysis in the regulatory process have prolonged and deepened these impacts and caused unnecessary suffering for those Congolese who rely on mining for a living. It is crucial that the SEC announces clear and robust rules as soon as possible, so that companies can be in no doubt about what standards they have to meet and can begin applying them, and so that any disruption caused to people on the ground is kept to a minimum.



/ Ends



Notes to editors:


1. The SEC is holding a roundtable on Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the conflict minerals provision, as part of its rulemaking process. The roundtable will involve the participation of representatives from Global Witness, other civil society groups, companies and investors.

2. For more information on the Chamber of Commerce’s arguments against Section 1502, see US Chamber of Commerce submission to the SEC on February 28th, 2011 http://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-40-10/s74010-87.pdf and US Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capitol Market Competitiveness submission to the SEC on July 18th, 2011 http://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-40-10/s74010-276.pdf



Contact:

US: Mike Davis +44 7872 600 860

US: Corinna Gilfillan +1 202 621 6665, cell: 202 725 8705

UK: Annie Dunnebacke +44 7912 517127

Prince Charles
--


THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL TO TOUR COMMONWEALTH AND GULF COUNTRIES

The British Government has asked The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to undertake official visits to South Africa and Tanzania from 2nd November to 9th November 2011 at the invitation of President Zuma and President Kikwete. The Prince of Wales will also visit Gulf countries on 31st October and 1st November. In Kuwait HRH will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Independence and 20th anniversary of liberation as the guest of the Amir and the Crown Prince. The Prince of Wales will stop briefly in Qatar for discussions with the Emir before departing for the Commonwealth countries.

Their Royal Highnesses’ Commonwealth tour will focus on trade and investment promotion to support Britain’s economic recovery and strengthen the economies of our partners; employment opportunities and development issues; education and practical support for disadvantaged young people; sustainability issues in the run-up to the Durban Climate Summit later in November; and shared heritage and conservation of traditional livelihoods and wildlife. In Tanzania the Royal visit will be part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Independence. Bilateral ties including economic cooperation will also be to the fore in Kuwait and Qatar.

In both Commonwealth countries there will be a strong focus on The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) work to protect endangered species and fragile ecosystems. The Prince of Wales has recently become President of WWF UK. In South Africa Their Royal Highnesses will visit the Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg to see the legacy of former President Mandela.
The work of the Department for International Development (DFID) will assume particular prominence in South Africa and Tanzania given the UK Government’s commitment to the development of both countries.Email This

Press release
Sunday 16th October 2011

For immediate use



Energy firms should use profits to stop crippling price rises- Ed Miliband





Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party, has today called on energy firms to use their profits to stop crippling prices rises.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror today, Ed Miliband said:

“Electricity and gas bills are going to force a huge winter squeeze on the finances of families and the elderly. Energy prices have risen remorselessly, with the typical dual fuel bill going up almost 50 per cent in four years.

"The rises come as the National Grid prepares for weather as bitter as 2010 which saw the coldest December on record. And,winter fuel payments have been cut by £50 for the over 60s and £100 for the over 80s.

"For those facing this triple hit, there will be scant comfort in the sight of David Cameron holding an Energy Summit in Downing Street tomorrow.

"Ministers in suits around a warm table will do nothing to persuade people that Mr Cameron and this Tory-led government understand the realities of families struggling to pay the bills.

"All the big six energy firms have seen their profits rise sharply this year. On Friday, Ofgem said the profit margin for energy companies has risen to £125 per customer per year - up from £15 in June. There is nothing to stop those power companies giving up those profits. Instead of an improved bottom line they could use this extra money to stop crippling price rises.

"Mr Cameron should also take this opportunity to support the fundamental reshaping of the energy market I called for at the Labour Party conference. We must put an end to a rigged market which allows the energy firms to rip off families and businesses who desperately need help. At present, 80 per cent of people pay too much for their energy. If the few big dominant firms were forced to sell the power they generate to any retailer, companies such as supermarkets could come into the market. There would be more competition and the upward pressure on prices would be eased.

“People want Mr Cameron to act. We shall find out tomorrow whether he is listening.”





Ends

Colorful Festival in London UK


The Eritrean Public Campaign Committee will host a two-day Festival 21/22 October 2011 @ "The Decorium" in Wood Green London, 22 Western Road, N22-6UH




The annual Eritrean Festival offers a wonderful and unique opportunity to introduce Eritrean cultures and traditions, and meet and share with Eritreans from all over the United Kingdom. It provides participants with a fun and creative environment for networking and discovery.




•Friday 21/10/2011 ( Starts 17;00 - Ends 01;00)

•Saturday 22/10/2011 ( Starts 11;00 - Ends 01;00)



Festival Eritrea is a yearly folk-fair. It first started in 1984, during the years of the struggle for liberation, has had enormous impact on Eritrean heritage of conserving national identity.



The history of the founding of festival Eritrea is a cultural political counterpart of the "unity in diversity" policy of the Eritrean People Liberation Front, and its strategy of political and cultural representation.

National festival long before and after independence promoted the political praxis of homogenization the different Eritrean societies and created a frame of reference that de-emphasized local differences. In this culture, new types developed, and cultural traditions were re-evaluated in order to attach then to the form of national representation associated with the "unity in diversity" policy of the struggle for liberation and strong belief in an indivisible nation later depicted as "one people, one heart".

Since 1984, Eritreans in the diasporas in Europe gathered annually in Bologna, Italy, in order to take part in a "national" festival consisting principally of live musical and dance shows, drama presentations, seminars and sale of native cooking and cuisines, and to listen to the latest developments.

Festival Eritrea in Bologna was an annual folk-fair where all these social, economic, and political resources were mobilized and negotiated and put together mainly in the form of live stage shows in the presences of Diaspora Eritrean people.

Though Festival Eritrea did give a twist or new dimension, cultural ceremonies. After independence the Festival Coordinating Committees, have striven to promote national unity and cultural diversity by encouraging points of contact and exchange between the different cultural traditions.

Festival Eritrea is an annual event recreated in 1993 out of which evolved region based folk fairs involving all the different ethnic groups, thereby contributing to the formations of a national culture from the multi-cultural make-up of Eritrea.

Festival Eritrea is a traditional cultural event. From the early years of its inception, it involved the presentation of traditional songs and dances of all the people of Eritrea and acted as a platform for ethno cultural affirmation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, together with Government Chief Whip John Nasasira and Junior labour minister Mwesigwa Rukutana, have this afternoon dramtically announced they have resigned from Cabinet ahead of their trial before the anti-corruption court tomorrow. Their resignation follows indictments over their alleged role in the 14 billion shillings tender for fixing Speke Resort Munyonyo, ahead of the the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala



The Nigerian civil war was the watershed in the history of the Nigerian military. It demonstrated the need for a modern, professional army, navy and airforce, with sophisticated weaponry, and led to a huge increase in expenditure and personnel. It also demonstrated - very significantly - how the military could wield supreme political power.bUT AS OF PRESENT THINGS HAVE CHANGED.The nigeria army is now professional ,educated ,serving the people of nigeria when protecting the borders a nd sovereinity of the county.Below is the story of the modern nigeria professional army .Today as nigerians we are proud of our officers especially the good work they do in peace keeping missions abroad.These officers are here in the UK in institutions of higher learning .This is the decoration of promoted military officers by H'E DR DALHATU TAFIDA , the high commissioner of nigeria.


Ayoub mzee with LT.COL .U.V UNACHUKWU

Ayoub mzee with decorated officer Colonel CS OKAFOR

The high commissioner and the DA Major general decorating colonel okafor

A salute to HE DR TAFIDA

A GROUP PHOTOGRAPH

DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT

Rejea taarifa ya msiba wa Mzee Said Muhammad Sikamkono mazishi yatafanyika kesho tarehe 13/10/2011 katika makaburi ya Hainalt Garden of Peace saa nane mchana. Ila kabla ya makaburini tunaombwa wote tufike msikiti wa Sakina Walthamstaw (basi namba 179) saa sita na nusu mchana. Msiba uko nyumbani kwa marehemu Woolwich Dorkyard ambako wote tunakaribisha muda wowote kujumuika na familia ya marehemu wakati huu wa majonzi .Wakina mama pia wanaweza kufika msikitini au nyumbani kwa marehemu kwa ajili ya kutoa pole.



Address ya sehemu ya msiba ni;



Woolwich Ferry

405,Frances Street, London.

SE18 5JU.



Kwa maelezo zaidi tafadhali wasiliana na;



07813539025 - Haruna mbeyu.Katibu Jumuiya ya Watanzania -london



07766454596 - Abdallah Mdidi

EG AT 41

TODAY IS THE 41 INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR EQUITORIAL GUINEA .A DPLOMATIC RECEPTION WAS HELD AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL IN PARK LANE LONDON



Ayoub mzee with the Trinidad and Tobago highn commission london

Equatorial Guinea is a small country off West Africa which has recently struck oil

The Tanzania dEPUTY hIGH COMMISSIONER Mr Kilumanga at the event

Since the mid 1990s the former Spanish colony has become one of sub-Sahara's biggest oil producers and in 2004 was said to have the world's fastest-growing economy

The cameroon high commissioner ad other diplomats

The EG Ambassador tosting to a guest

The Gabon High commission and a guest

one to one

Investors

For immediate release: 6th October 2011



Afghanistan and its allies must bring transparency to mineral sector if country is to prosper – Global Witness



Urgent call for action on eve of 10 year anniversary of allied invasion



Afghanistan and its allies must take urgent steps to prevent the potential benefits of its vast mineral and petroleum deposits being lost to the corruption that has plagued the aid effort of the last decade, said Global Witness on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the allied invasion. In the run-up to transition in 2014, many of the rights to access the country’s natural resources will be allocated. Transparency and fairness must be instilled from the outset to ensure these new revenue streams are used to build a sustainable economy and lift a generation of Afghans out of poverty.



Despite billions having been invested in aid over the past ten years, Afghanistan remains poor and heavily reliant on foreign assistance. Yet the country’s natural resources provide the potential to generate huge wealth. The government of Afghanistan has announced up to $3 trillion in mineral and petroleum deposits including copper, iron, gold, oil, chromite, uranium and rare earths.(1) Revenue from one mine alone is already equal to 25% of all other domestic revenues for the country.(2)



Increasingly, the country’s minerals are viewed as the best chance to bring stable, peaceful prosperity to Afghanistan and the region and to fill in the post-transition funding gap. But if badly managed, minerals could trigger further instability and entrench corruption. Countries like Cambodia and Nigeria have squandered their resources whilst at the same time receiving billions of dollars in aid.



“The government of Afghanistan and its allies have a narrow window of opportunity to become a world leader in resource transparency and embed good governance as rights to these resources are being sold over the next three years.” said Juman Kubba, Global Witness Campaigner. “The stakes could not be higher: get it right and minerals could be the catalyst for peace and prosperity; get it wrong and there’s a massive risk they will be lost to corruption, or form a new axis of instability and conflict.”



Afghanistan’s candidacy for the international Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a very positive sign of a commitment to greater accountability, as is Minister of Mines, Wahidullah Shahrani’s support for transparency in the sector.(3)



To build on this, the Afghan government and its allies must:

•Embed clear, credible and transparent processes for the award of natural resource concessions that provide the Afghan people with information on how, to whom and on what grounds contracts are awarded;
•Require extractive companies to disclose revenue paid to the Afghanistan state on a project-by-project basis.
•Set up sound legal, regulatory and contractual frameworks which safeguard the economic interests of the Afghan people and address social, environmental and human rights risks;
•Embark on a continuous process of local consultation and ensure appropriate grievance mechanisms to ensure the ‘buy-in’ of the Afghan people, particularly those directly affected by mining activities;
•Publish existing and future concession contracts including associated infrastructure agreements to allow potential issues to be identified, implementation to be monitored and resource revenues to be tracked through the budget.


“The rush to find alternative sources of financing for Afghan development should not come at the expense of good governance. Systems are urgently needed to make sure precious mining revenues do not go the same way as the billions of dollars diverted in aid over the past decade,” said Kubba. “The country’s donors, including the US, the EU, the UK and Germany, currently fund the equivalent of 91% of Afghanistan’s GDP.(4) They should work with the government to promote meaningful measures that will wean the country off aid and on the road to a peaceful and prosperous future. This must be at the top of the agenda for the crucial international conferences in Istanbul and Bonn later this year.”



/ENDS


Contact: Juman Kubba, jkubba@globalwitness.org +44 (0) 772 0972 394 ; Eleanor Nichol enichol@globalwitness.org +44 (0) 7872 600 870; Oliver Courtney ocourtney@globalwitness.org +44 (0)7739 324 962



Notes:



(1) Most recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated at least 1 million metric tonnes of rare earth element resources within the Khanneshin carbonatite in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This estimate comes from a 2009-2011 USGS study funded by the Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO).


(2) See Ministry of Finance, 1390 Budget (currently in draft), page 28. Available here. [Accessed 25 September 2011]. Aynak mining revenue is recorded at $53 million and listed separately from other domestic revenue recorded at $205 million.



(3) The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a scheme which brings together government, civil society and companies in building a transparent and accountable extractive sector. Ministry of Mines, Wahidullah Shahrani, publically announced his support for transparency in the sector at the Fifth International Conference on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.



(4) The 91% figure is based on a World Bank estimate of aid at $15.4 billion in 2010/11. Taken from a presentation by the World Bank Afghanistan Country Team entitled “Issues and Challenges for Transition and Sustainable Growth in Afghanistan” and dated 26 July 2011.



Global Witness investigates and campaigns to prevent natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses

KCCUK
Concert Series


Performance:
KAYA
Kayageum & Guitar







Korean Cultural Centre UK: Multi Purpose Hall

Friday 21st October 2011
7pm- 8:30pm

EAT EVERYTHING , ANYTHING FOR £8 ONLY AT THE NEWLY OPENED EAST AFRICA RESTAURANT JAMBO RESTAURANT LONDON- IN TOTTENHAM HALE
JAMBO RESTAURANT.Is an all Halal food outlet based in Tottenham.Near Tottenham hale station .Whoever wants a classy plate of rice,matoke , Kinyebwa,Nyama choma or any East Africa Dish, JAMBO RESTAURANT is the place to be.We also do outside catering for weddings and parties. CONTACT DETAILS :jamborestaurant@gmail.com, TEL +44 789748894


ADDRESS:127 HIGH CROSS RD,TOTTENHAM,LONDON NEAREST STATION@ TOTTENHAM HALE STN TEL:0208808221,0782224003

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=127%20HIGH%20CROSS%20RD%2CTOTTENHAM%2CLONDON%20NEAREST%20STATION

Press Listings:
Friday, October 7th - Saturday, December 18th




Third Annual Black Panther Film Festival

Voices of Political Prisoners

Free 'Em All

Legacy of Torture: The War Against The Black Liberation Movement

Post Screening Panel with Black Panther Party Members

(10/07) 7:00PM



Third Annual Black Panther Film Festival

Interview Excerpt with Assata Shakur
A Visit with Kamau Sadiki

Eyes On the Rainbow

The Spirit of the Black Panther Fallen Comrades

Video Tribute to Past Political Exile Michael Tabor
In The Land Of The Free

Post Screening Panel with Black Panther Party Members

Closing Reception with Legendary DJ Afrika Bambaataa (10/08) 4:00PM



Documentary in Bloom
Curated by Livia Bloom
Seven Songs For Malcolm X &
The Last Angel of History
(10/10) -(10/16) 7:30PM



Congo in Harlem 3

Curated by Friends of the Congo, True-Walker Productions, and Maysles Cinema

(10/16)-(10/23)



DocWatchers Special!

Curated by Hellura Lyle

Salesman

In Celebration Of Al Maysles' 85th Birthday!

(11/07) 7PM



DocWatchers

Curated by Hellura Lyle

Promised Land

(11/14) 7PM



Documentary in Bloom

Presented by Livia Bloom

Daguerreotype

(12/12- 12/18) 7:30pm




To see our calendar
and find out more about films screening later this month, please visit our website:

www.mayslesinstitute.org/cinema/calendar


* Suggested $10 donation at the door for all screenings
but no one is turned away for lack of funds.

Press comps are also always available for members of the press.






Want to Become a Maysles Cinema Founding Member?
Enjoy great benefits including free admission to all Maysles Cinema Screenings.
Please visit our website www.mayslesinstitute.org for more information.





Friday, October 7th, 7:00pm
3rd Annual Black Panther Party Film Festival

Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the founding of the BPP


THEME: Remembering our Political Prisoners



Voices of Political Prisoners

The Freedom Archives, 2000, 40 min. excerpt

Nuh Washington - Call Me Nuh & Last Statement

Jalil Muntaqim - Voice of Liberation



7:45pm

Free Em' All

Compilation of inspiring speeches from various political prisoners.





8:45pm

Legacy of Torture: The War Against The Black Liberation Movement

Andreas Alegria, Claude Marks & The Freedom Archives, 2005, 28 min.

In 1973, thirteen alleged "Black militants" were arrested in New Orleans connected to events in San Francisco. Some of them were tortured for several days by law enforcement authorities, in striking similarity to the horrors visited upon detainees in Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. In 1975, a Federal Court in San Francisco threw out all of the evidence obtained in New Orleans. The two lead San Francisco Police Department investigators from over 30 years ago, along with FBI agents, have re-opened the case. Rather than submit to proceedings they felt were abusive of the law and the Constitution, five men chose to stand in contempt of court and were sent to jail. They were released when the Grand Jury term expired, but have been told by prosecutors that "it isn't over yet." This is the story to date: of history, repression, and resistance.



Post Screening Panel with moderator King Downing, Cisco Torres (San Francisco 8), Ashanti Alston (BPP) and Russell Shoats Jr. (son of Political Prisoner Russell Shoats Sr.)






Saturday, October 8th, 4:00pm

3rd Annual Black Panther Party Film Festival

Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the

founding of the BPP



THEME: Remembering our Political Prisoners





Interview Excerpt with Assata Shakur



4:20pm

A Visit with Kamau Sadiki

Excerpt from political prisoner Kamau Sadiki's visit with his daughter.





4:30pm

Eyes of the Rainbow

Gloria Rolando, 1997, 45 min.

Eyes on the Rainbow deals with the life of Assata Shakur, the Black Panther and Black Liberation Army leader who escaped from prison and was given political asylum in Cuba, where she has lived for close to 15 years. This film also covers Afro-Cuban beliefs and culture, including the Yoruba Orisha Oya, goddess of the ancestors, of war, of the cemetery and of the rainbow.



Post screening panel with moderator Cleo Silvers, Rosemari Mealy (BPP), Pam Hanna (BPP) and her daughter Ksisay Torres and granddaughter Youri



6:15pm

Intermission



6:45pm

The Spirit of the Black Panther Fallen Comrades

Video Tribute



7:00pm

Video Tribute to past political exile Michael Tabor





7:30pm

In The Land Of The Free

Vadim Jean, 2010, 84 min.

This 2010 documentary (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) is about the Angola 3, three prisoners who while serving their time in Angola State Prison (the United States' most notorious penal colony) joined the BPP and participated in non- violent resistance campaigns protesting the terrible conditions, prisoner abuse and sexual slavery rampant inside the prison. As a result they were falsely accused of murder while in prison and have all been, with the exception of Robert King who was released in 2001, serving the last 38 years in solitary confinement.



9:00pm

Closing Reception with Legendary DJ Afrika Bambaataa






Thursday, October 13th, 6:30pm
The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association and the Maysles Cinema Present:


The Best of the New York International Children's Film Festival, Anime Caribe and the CariBBeing Film Festival's Animated Shorts

@ the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park

(122nd Street and Mt. Morris Park West/Fifth Ave)





RAIN LOCATION:

Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church

(15 Mount Morris Park West at 122nd Street)


100 % FREE
Strictly for the Young and the Young at Heart!!!!!!


The Best of the New York Children's International Film Festival








Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Dean Fleischer-Camp, 2010, 3 min.
An up-close and personal interview with Internet video star Marcel, a tiny shell with one eyeball, two shoes, and a really great
personality!

Don't Go
Turgut Akacik, 2010, 4 min.
Awesome, thumpy, electronic disco music propels this non-stop chase scene of a movie - as a cute, pink-bellied, one-eyed CGI bunny gets chased around an apartment by a live action black cat.

Gravity
Renaud Hallee, 2009, 2 min.
Falling objects are synchronized to produce rhythms and patterns.


Johnny

Malena Modéer, 2010, 4 min.Colorful stop motion, goofy live action, surreal homemade sets, and a ridiculous pigeon costume come together to humorous effect in the story of Johnny - a hilariously narrated, tongue-in-cheek fable about what happens to little boys who don't drink their milk!










Book Girl and Cabinet Girl

Jane Wu, 2010, 3.5 min.Two girls realize the value of their friendship after a journey of broken hearts, torn pages and reconciliation.










Pixels

Patrick Jean, 2010, 2.5 min.
Old school video game icons take pver New York City ( and the world) in this music video for French techno-popa band Naive New Beaters.

The Lost Thing
Andrew Ruhemann/Shaun Tan,2010,15.5 min
A boy encounters a strange creature on a beach and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to think about. This beautifully animated film comes from Passion Pictures, producers of past NYICFF favorites City of Paradise and Dog Who Was a Cat Inside.




Ormie
Rob Silvestri, 2010, 4 min.
Ormie is a Pig, in every sense of the word. Pig see cookie. Pig want
cookie. But they are out of reach... or are they?

The Deep
PES, 2010, 2 min.
Metallic objects come to life in the depths of the sea, in the newest
film from New York's brilliant stop-motion artist PES - whose past
NYICFF selections include Western Spaghetti, Dogs of War, and Game
Over.


The Best of Anime Caribe and the CariBBeing Film Festival's Animated Shorts













Jerk Chicken
Samuel Stewart, 2010, 6 min.
Jerk Chicken is an animated comedic short that explores the work day of a Jamaican jerk chicken chef named Ron. However, Ron's passion for his craft is short lived as the frustrations of the chicken eventually emerge.

How Anancy Became Famous
Andrew Davies and Ananse Animation Project, 2010, 4:41 min.
Most times Anancy, without working hard, without playing by the rules, comes out on top. He has a way of getting into scrapes and a
wonderfully cunning way of getting out of them. Anancy also represents the resilience and survival instinct of a people who can come through any situation.







Kina Sky
Corretta Singer, 2009, 6:13 min.
A robot girl trapped on a floating island longs for freedom and
finally her dream comes true after a stroke of inspiration.



Krik Krak Anansi
Camille Selvon Abrahams, 2010, 7 min.
Anansi is not amused when he hears Brer Monkey announce that there is a shortage of Bananas. This is by far his favorite food and he cannot stand to have to share. But as usual he concocts a mischievous plan.Pretending to be selfless and caring Lil Anansi tricks his friends into giving him quarter of each of their Bananas. Little does Anansi know that what goes around comes around.









October 10th - October 16th at 7:30pm





Presented by Livia Bloom





Two Films by John Akomfrah: Seven Songs for Malcolm X and The Last Angel of History

In conjunction with the theatrical premiere of John Akomfrah's The Nine Muses (2011) at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Maysles Cinema presents the U.S. theatrical premiere of two foundational films by the British-Ghanaian pioneer filmmaker.













Seven Songs For Malcolm X

Dir. John Akomfrah, produced by the Black Audio Film Collective, 1993, 52 min.

An homage to the inspirational African-American leader. Seven Songs for Malcolm X collects testimonies, eyewitness accounts and dramatic reenactments to tell the life, legacy, loves, and losses of Malcolm X. Featuring interviews with Malcolm's widow Betty Shabazz, Spike Lee, and many other, SEVEN SONGS looks for the meaning behind the resurgence of interest in the man whose X always stood for the unknown.











The Last Angel of History

Dir. John Akomfrah, 1996, 45 min.

An examination of the relationships between Pan-African culture, science fiction, intergalactic travel, and computer technology, Akomfrah's Afro-futurist documentary posits science fiction as a metaphor for the Pan-African experience of displacement, alienation and otherness. The film intertwines the work of musicians including George Clinton and Sun Ra with the writing of black science fiction authors Samuel R. Delaney and Octavia Butler. Images of Pan-African life from different periods of history are edited together with interviews with leading cultural figures including DJ Spooky, musician Derek May, astronaut Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols, novelist Ismael Reed, and cultural critics Greg Tate and Kodwo Eshun.


Last Angel of History
October 16-23, 2011

Friends of the Congo, True-Walker Productions, and Maysles Cinema Present:
Congo in Harlem 3






This the third annual series of Congo-related films and special events at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem. This year's program features a wide range of films by Congolese and international directors, representing some of the most important issues facing the Democratic Republic of Congo today. Most screenings will be followed by panel discussions, special events, musical performances, and receptions. Congo in Harlem 3 will provide audiences with more than the traditional movie-going experience -- it will offer opportunities to celebrate Congolese culture, learn about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, engage in dialogue, and get involved.



A critical focus of this year's program will be the upcoming 2011 presidential elections in Congo, scheduled to take place in late November. Key issues will be addressed in panel discussions and post-screening Q&As.

Highlights of the program include "Re-contextualizing Rape" a panel discussion featuring Activist Gloria Steinem, Panzi Foundation President Lee Ann De Reus, and other special guests (October 18th); Kafka in Congo and Murder in Kinshasa (October 19th and 20th) featuring post-screening discussions with directors Marlène Rabaud and Arnaud Zajtman; a dynamic duo of sensational music films, Kinshasa Symphony and Benda Bilili! (October 17th and 21st) ; and a special appearance by Djo Munga, acclaimed director of Viva Riva! (October 22nd and 23rd).



Throughout the series, there will be a silent auction of fashion items created by African designers, courtesy of Bel Esprit. Proceeds from the auction will help support the ongoing programming of Congo In Harlem.



Congo in Harlem 3 is a non-profit series. All events have been made possible by the generous support of the Caipirinha Foundation, V-Day, Panzi Foundation, DISH Africa TV, and contributions from other organizations and individuals.






***All proceeds from Congo in Harlem will go toward a fund for emerging Congolese filmmakers ***

Series Partners and Friends:

Friends of the Congo, Man-Up, Now AfriCAN, Project Girl Performance Collective, HEAL Africa, Panzi Foundation, Cultures of Resistance, Mutaani FM, Yole!Africa, V-Day, Tabilulu Productions, Music Box Films, National Geographic Entertainment, New York African Film Festival



Congo in Harlem 3

Series Schedule



Sunday, October 16, 3:00PM

Breaking the Silence: Congo Week



Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 3 min.

Blood in the Mobile

Dir. Franck Piasecki Poulsen, 2010, 82 min.

Director Franck Piasecki Poulsen embarks on a personal mission to uncover the origin of the minerals in his Nokia cell phone. Navigating the bureaucracy, corruption, and dangers of eastern Congo, he arrives at Bisie, one of the largest and most notorious illegal mines in the region, where armed groups maintain tight control and inhumane conditions and child labor runs rampant. Determined to know if his cell phone is funding conflict in the Congo, Poulsen works his way into Nokia's corporate offices, where he confronts executives about their mineral supply chain.

Discussion to follow film



Monday, October 17, 7:30PM

Papa Wemba: Singing for a Democratic Congo






Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 4 min.

Kinshasa Symphony

Dir. Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer, 2010, 95 min.

In a country better known for conflict and corruption, a group of 200 individuals has managed to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever undertaken: a symphony orchestra. As the musicians prepare for a public performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, they must overcome a litany of challenges, including power cuts, traffic noise, makeshift instruments, and the rigors of survival in one of the world's most chaotic cities. The result is a document of passion, cooperation, and the power of music.



Tuesday, October 18, 7:30PM

Co-Presented by the Panzi Foundation

PANEL DISCUSSION

Re-contextualizing Rape

Congo has been dubbed the "Rape Capital of the World", but why? This panel will explore the complexities that contribute to gender-based violence in Congo, and examine the role of rape in popular understanding of Congo's crisis. Panelists will discuss activist dilemmas in tackling the problem, offer perspectives from the ground, and suggest meaningful ways to make a difference.

Panelists: Gloria Steinem, Feminist activist, and co- founder of the women's media center Lee Ann De Reus

Gloria Steinem

President of the Board, Panzi Hospital Foundation

Other guests to be announced



Panel Preceded by:









Voices Without Borders: Project Girl Congo

Directed by Jessica Greer Morris

The Project Girl Performance Collective will perform an excerpt their theatrical piece "Voices Without Borders," based on the experience, strength and hope of young girls in DR Congo and the US.

Women Beyond War: A World March in Africa

Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 5 min.

Congo: A Common Cause

Dir. Shana Mongwana, 2011, 15 min.

Zero Tolerance

Dir. Dieudo Hamadi, 2010, 18 min.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, October 19, 7:30PM

Kafka in Congo







Dir. Marlène Rabaud and Arnaud Zajtman, 2010, 59 min.

Fifteen years ago, Gorette Mawuzu's land was stolen from her. Too poor to hire an attorney, she had been representing herself in court for the past decade and a half without clear resolution. At the same time, Bahati Lukwebo, an administrator responsible for the National Congolese Assembly's finances maneuvers to maintain his position within a dysfunctional bureaucracy. From opposite ends of the social spectrum, this elegantly observed film reveals the challenges and corruption built into Congo's legal system.

Discussion with directors Marlène Rabaud and Arnaud Zajtman





-------------------------------------------------------




Thursday, October 20, 7:30PM







Thembo Kash: Cartooning For Justice DRC/Congo

Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 5 min.



Murder in Kinshasa: Who Killed Laurent Désiré Kabila?

Dir. Marléne Rabaud and Arnaud Zajtman, 2011, 48 min.

On January 16th, 2001, Laurent Désiré Kabila, the President of DR Congo, was murdered by one of his bodyguards. Moments later, the bodyguard was shot and killed, setting the stage for one of Congo's greatest mysteries. With unprecedented access to key actors in the assassination -- including a hidden camera passed to one of the accused in prison --

Murder in Kinshasa

poses vital questions about a case that will likely go unsolved in the annals of Congolese history.

Discussion with directors Marlène Rabaud and Arnaud Zajtman



-------------------------------------------------------




Friday, October 21, 7:30PM


Lexxus Legal: Hip Hop for Social Change

Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 4 min.





Benda Bilili!





Dir. Renaud Barret and Flaurent De La Tullaye, 2010, 85 min.

Courtesy of National Geographic Entertainment

From the gritty slums of Kinshasa to packed concert halls in Europe,

Benda Bilili!

charts the improbable transformation of five paraplegics and a virtuoso street-kid into a global music phenomenon. Their band, Staff Benda Bilili (meaning "Beyond Appearances") is living proof that against all odds, dreams can become reality.



Reception + Live music



-------------------------------------------------------





Saturday, October 22, 7:30PM

Viva Riva!











Dir. Djo Munga, 2011, 96 min.

Courtesy Of music Box Films

Riva is a small time operator who has just returned to Kinshasa with a fortune in hijacked petrol. With wads of cash and out for a good time, Riva is soon entranced by a beautiful nightclub siren, who also happens to be the kept woman of a local gangster. Into the mix comes Riva's Angolan crime-lord ex-boss, who is after his stolen fuel. Director Djo Munga's high-octane thriller is the first major action film shot in Kinshasa in nearly two decades, and landmark film in Congolese cinema.

Discussion with director Djo Munga + Reception



-------------------------------------------------------




Sunday, October 23, 3:00PM



PANEL DISCUSSION

Youth Power: From Cairo to Congo

Using the North African revolution as a starting point, this panel will explore the Congolese youth movement, and its potential impact on the upcoming elections as young Congolese strive to have greater say in the future of their country.



Panelists



Jimme Briggs, Journalist, author and founder of the Man-up campaign



Nathaniel Houghton Founder CEO of Congo Leadership Initiative



Priscilla Kounkou- Hoveyda , Co-founder NowAfriCAN



Kambale Musavuli Activists and student for fRinds of the Congo




Panel Preceded by:

Building Beyond Conflict: Inspiring Congolese Kids For A Brighter Future

Cultures of Resistance, 2010, 7 min.





Papy (Mon Histoire)







Dir. Djo Munga, 2007, 53 min.

When Papy, a policeman living in Kinshasa, discovers that he has AIDS his life begins to spin out of control. His wife abandons him, leaving him to care for their two children, and he is even rejected by his own sister. In order to get treatment, he must have a family member serve as a confidant, but with nobody to turn to, what will Papy do? Based on a true story, Papy is hard-hitting drama that ultimately inspires a message of hope.





Discussion with director Djo Munga + closing night reception




Monday, November 7th, 7:00pm
DocWatchers Presents:
Salesman
A Special Screening of Salesman in Honor of
Al Maysles' 85th Birthday on November 26th
Curated By Hellura Lyle








Salesman
Albert Maysles, David Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin, 1968, 85 min.


The documentary follows four salesmen as they travel across New England and Southeast Florida trying to sell expensive Bibles door-to-door in low-income neighborhoods. The film focuses in particular on the struggles of salesman Paul Brennan, a middle-aged Irish-American Roman Catholic from Boston, who struggles to keep up his sales.




The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director Albert Maysles

Film Trailer




Monday, November 14th, 7:00pm
DocWatchers Presents:
Promised Land










Yoruba Richen, 2010, 52 min.
Though apartheid ended in South Africa in 1994, economic injustices between blacks and whites remain unresolved. As revealed in Yoruba Richen's incisive Promised Land, the most potentially explosive issue is land. The film follows two black communities as they struggle to reclaim land from white owners, some of whom who have lived there for generations. Amid rising tensions and wavering government policies, the land issue remains South Africa's "ticking time bomb," with far-reaching consequences for all sides.


Q&A with Director Yoruba Richen & Reception to follow screening

Film Trailer


December 12th-December 18th, 7:30pm



Presented by Livia Bloom







Daguerreotypes

Dir. Agnès Varda, 1975, 75 min.

An essential film in Agnès Varda's oeuvre, this classic documentary makes its US theatrical premiere in this week-long engagement at the Maysles Cinema. A highlight of the 1975 New York Film Festival that has rarely been seen in the States since then, Daguerreotypes is a portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers on the Rue Daguerre, a picturesque street in the 14th Arrondissement that has been the filmmaker's home for more than 50 years. The title is also a pun, referring to the early photographic process of printing on silver-plated copper that was developed by Louis Daguerre in the early 19th-century. As in her films The Beaches of Agnes and The Gleaners and I Varda, who narrates the film, gently opens up a fantastic world in microcosm. One by one, viewers meet her shopkeeper neighbors--the butcher, the grocer, the barber and their families--both in their own domains and then at a daring magic show.





Maysles Cinema
343 Lenox Ave
(127th and 128th streets)
New York, NY 10027


The Maysles Cinema was founded by documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles and is directed by Jessica Green. Please direct press inquiries, including requests for complimentary tickets to cinema@mayslesinstitute.org, or contact the Cinema at 212.582.6050 ext 221

Sustainable development is impossible without integrating economic, social and environmental factors, says Janneh
ECA Press Release No. 125/2011

New York, 10 October 2011 (ECA): For development to be sustainable, it is essential to harness and build strong linkages between the three pillars of economic growth, social development and environmental protection, said UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Abdoulie Janneh.

“Without such an approach, gains made in one pillar could undermine progress in the other two,” Janneh told the Second Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations October 4 in New York on the theme “Integration of the Three Pillars is Important for the World … and for Africa”

The Second Committee, also known as the Economic and Financial Committee, was hearing briefs on various issues relating to economic growth and development such as macroeconomic policy questions, financing for development, sustainable development, human settlements, poverty eradication, globalization and interdependence, operational activities for development, and information and communication technologies for development. It had invited the heads of UN regional commissions to address it.

Mr. Janneh said evidence from several parts of the world shows that where the emphasis has been on only one pillar, it would be difficult to achieve sustainable development.

Citing two examples from the African experience, Janneh said while the region had achieved positive real growth rates since 2000, even in the face of the global economic and financial crisis, this had not translated into a commensurate reduction in unemployment and poverty.

“Similarly, although there has been a noticeable increase in foreign direct investment in the natural resources sector, environmental degradation and erosion continue unabated and the sector contributes little to value-addition,” he said.

African regional, sub-regional and national institutions have taken on board the need to balance economic, social and environmental objectives, as a basis for sustainable development, said Janneh, citing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Programme (NEPAD) as an example of an integrated framework for sustainable development, “as it addresses the economic, social and environmental dimensions of Africa’s development challenges and priorities”.

NEPAD reflects a common vision and shared commitment to eradicating poverty and to placing African countries, both individually and collectively, on the path to sustainable growth and development, he said.

Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) lead in policy harmonization and the planning for regional integration, which are important elements for promoting the balanced integration of the three pillars of sustainable development.

Janneh said the Capacity Development Programme (CDP) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was a good example of an integrated framework aimed at translating the long-term development strategy of the sub-region into coherent and concrete programmes of actions, focusing on ten strategic axes that cover the social, economic and environmental spheres.

At the national level, African countries have also developed diverse instruments to promote sustainable development such as long-term visions, national development plans, poverty reduction strategies, and specific national strategies for sustainable development. “In many instances, institutions have been established to oversee and coordinate the implantation of these plans and strategies,” he said.

Notwithstanding these positive approaches, the implementation of integrated frameworks and strategies has been generally weak, with limited effectiveness due to inadequate institutional, technical and technological capacities, often compounded by limited budgetary resources, said Janneh.

He said collective global and regional action is needed to have a balanced and meaningful integration of the three pillars of sustainable development. “Otherwise we will be faced with the classic prisoners’ dilemma which means a race to the bottom that further worsens the tragedy of the commons. As our universal organization, the UN has a key role to prevent this from happening,” said Janneh.

The ECA has been assisting in this regard through knowledge activities, consensus building forums and direct technical advisory services especially in partnership with other stakeholders like the African Union, the African Development Bank and the Regional Economic Communities.

There are several joint multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary forums led by ECA that provide platforms for promoting integrated and interlinked approaches, including the African Development Forum, the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM-Africa),the AU/ECA Conference of Economic Ministers, the Committee on Food Security and Sustainable Development and its associated Africa Regional Implementation Meetings (RIMs) .


Issued by:

ECA Information and Communication Service

P.O. Box 3001

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

Tel: 251 11 5445098

Fax: +251-11-551 03 65

E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org

Web: www.uneca.org







EAT EVERYTHING , ANYTHING FOR £8 ONLY AT THE NEWLY OPENED EAST AFRICA RESTAURANT JAMBO RESTAURANT LONDON- IN TOTTENHAM HALE
JAMBO RESTAURANT.Is an all Halal food outlet based in Tottenham.Near Tottenham hale station .Whoever wants a classy plate of rice,matoke , Kinyebwa,Nyama choma or any East Africa Dish, JAMBO RESTAURANT is the place to be.We also do outside catering for weddings and parties. CONTACT DETAILS :jamborestaurant@gmail.com, TEL +44 789748894


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Helping Africa's Poor to Manage Risks Key to Region’s Progress, Says New Report

New York, 6 October 2011—African countries should enhance the strength and resilience of their poor populations through targeted social safeguards, according to “Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”, a region-specific report released today.

This year’s annual report shows that such policies will help in the region’s steady progress on some of the MDGs, eight internationally-agreed targets to reduce poverty, hunger, maternal and child deaths, disease, gender inequality and environmental degradation by 2015.

In spite of this progress, recent food, fuel and financial crises, coupled with threats from climate change and the recent instability in North Africa are likely to affect the region’s MDG achievement.

“We urge policy-makers to recalibrate their social protection programs, so that they are perceived not as handouts but rather as measures to strengthen productive assets,” said the authors of the foreword to the report.

According to the report, national schemes, such as pensions, safety nets and school feeding programmes, can impact positively on several MDGs by addressing the immediate needs of the most vulnerable, providing them with labor market skills and safeguards against relapses into poverty.

The document lays out a number of success stories in the area of policy, including Algeria's social protection scheme that contributed to reducing unemployment from 30 to 10 percent between 2000 and 2009, and Ethiopia’s 2005-2008 public works projects that led to construction of nearly 4,500 rural classrooms and improved food security for 7.8 million citizens.

Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme, covering 67 percent of the population, cut out-of-pocket expenditure for health by 50 percent. In Malawi, agricultural subsidies and outreach services resulted in an increase in the number of food-secure households, from 67 to 99 percent between 2005 and 2009.


Such schemes provide immediate protection for the poor while also making a longer term contribution to creating dynamic economies and more resilient societies, according to the report published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC).

Tracking MDGs
Thanks to policy innovations and social protection schemes, Africa has made steady progress on a number of targets. For example, it increased primary school enrolment rates from 65 to 83 percent between 1999 and 2008.

In addition, 80 percent of the 36 African countries that have data for 1990 to 2010 increased the number of women in parliament during that period; and HIV/AIDS prevalence rates have dropped from just under six percent in 2001 to five percent in 2009.

However, while all regions of the world made progress on reducing maternal mortality, Africa faces a formidable task on this indicator, with several countries showing averages of 1,000 deaths per 100,000.

In addition, although the population with access to safe drinking water increased from 56 to 65 percent between 1990 and 2008, the rate of progress is insufficient for the continent to reach the 2015 MDG target of reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Progress on some of the MDGs may have stalled or been reversed by the impact of the global economic crisis on Sub-Saharan Africa where the proportion of those earning less than US$1.25 a day decreased from 67 to 58 percent between 1998 and 2008.

More than 20 percent of young people in North Africa, for example, remained unemployed in 2008, while more than 75 percent of the labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa had vulnerable jobs in 2009.

In addition to carefully targeted and fiscally sound social safeguards, the report says more attention should be focused on designing strategies that promote job-rich growth and increase agricultural productivity.

To access the report, please visit http://www.undp.org/africa/mdg/




For more information, please contact:

Ethiopia:
UNECA: Yinka Adeyemi, Tel: +251-11-5443537, yadeyemi@uneca.org,
AUC: Noureddine Mezni, Mobile: +251911511723

New York: UNDP, Nicolas Douillet, +1.212.906.5937, nicolas.douillet@undp.org
Tunisia: AfDB, Pénélope Pontet de Fouquières, +216 71 10 12 50, p.pontetdefouquieres@afdb.org