�

Nairobi(Kenya) – One of the best things to happen in East Africa lately is the huge popularity of local drama and films on TV.

In Kenya, Citizen TV, which smelled this change in taste earlier than most and exploited it, has been catapulted to the very top of the tree in the ratings. And, in a bid to broaden its appeal, dramas like the Kenyan-produced Makutano Junction are sprinkling some of their episodes with actors from Uganda.

So it was that a few months ago, I was with Ugandan visitors at a Nairobi mall when there was a lot of excitement in my party. It had been caused by the sighting of a popular character in Makutano Junction, which shows in Uganda.

The popularity of these local dramas derives partly from the fact that the stars are men and women you run into on the streets, so they are more real than Angelina Jolie or Denzel Washington. In addition, together with the Nigerian Nollywood films, which are probably more popular, they are successful for two other reasons.

They capture the cruelties, betrayals, and tensions of most African households; but mostly the duality of many urban Africans. By day, a minister, chief executive or local celebrity is a modern fellow, but at night he or she will be consulting a witchdoctor. A fire-breathing and future-focused feminist by day will hang upside down from a banana tree in the night because the juju man has told her it will help her bear the elusive child she is seeking.

It used to be said that you can take the African out of the village, but you can’t take the village out of the African. Nonsense. You can take the village out of us, of course. Only that the village doesn’t go away. It hangs around at the gate.

In the booming of Nollywood and local drama, however, there is something fundamentally amiss. There are stories about bosses who are sex pests, husbands who are serial adulterers, and evil stepmothers, but there has been no dramatisation of important moments in our history or the Africans who have shaped the continent over the past 50 years.

The evil stepmother, conniving witchdoctor, jealous girlfriend and lecherous tycoon have all had their stories told by our new homegrown producers, but not Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Chinua Achebe, or the Mau Mau rebellion. No African producer has been inspired to do a notable film on the Rwanda genocide, Nelson Mandela or Shaka Zulu. It is mostly Western movie and documentary makers that have done such films.

One reason for this is that there isn’t much writing on our history and its main actors that is designed to appeal to a mass audience. Nearly all of it is stiff academic stuff that tells you that the authors are clever and studied a lot of English, but does not shed much light on their subjects.

Producers and directors, therefore, have very little to work with, except material that they generate themselves. And they are too busy minting money from the juju tale for that.

The other category of writing is bitter partisan diatribes. Not many people who are not from the tribe of a great author or a good leader, will accept that he was or is good. The result is that we are in the strange position that in 20 years, if you wanted to understand what Africa was some years back from studying dramas by our own producers, you will learn more about the workings of witchdoctors than Wole Soyinka’s contribution to African literature.

Still, it’s far better to have our own witchdoctors on TV than Mexican ones.

Source.The East African (Kenya), by Charles Onyango-Abbo – February 2, 2009.

�

Kampala (Uganda)� The Uganda National Examinations Board has released last year’s Uganda’s Certificate of Education examination results. One issue that is intriguing is the fact that over 45% of the girls were in Fourth Division, while 4.4% completely failed.

While the girls performed better in English language, boys performed better in other large entry subjects such as History, Geography, Mathematics, Physics and Biology.

In 19 districts – Adjumani, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Kalangala, Katakwi, Kotido, Nebbi, Kaberamaido, Kyenjojo, Nakapiripirit, Pader, Sironko, Yumbe, Amolatar, Kaabong, Kiruhura, Koboko, Amuru and Buliisa – no girl passed in Division One. The only exception was in Abim where three girls passed in division one, but with no boy in the same division.

The Government has over the years made a number of interventions to promote the education of the girl-child.

Introduction of the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education programmes have enabled more girls to enroll in primary and secondary school. But the just released O’Level examination results do point to one grim fact: Girls still face serious obstacles that make it difficult for them to exploit the full benefits of education. And the poor performance of girls in key subjects such as Mathematics, Physics and Biology certainly means they are disadvantaged when they finally seek to join public universities where government policy favours science-related courses.

Why are girls generally performing poorly? The education ministry needs to undertake a thorough study of the factors that are contributing to the poor performance of the girls.

Obviously, one factor is the archaic cultural belief that the woman’s rightful place is in the kitchen.

Due to such beliefs, many families overburden the girl-child with domestic chores, leaving her little time to concentrate on her studies. The introduction of the policy of compulsory science subjects could also be contributing to the high failure rate among girls. All these issues should be thoroughly investigated.

Source:New Vision (Uganda) – February 2, 2009.

�

Banjul (Gambia) – C�te d’Ivoire has identified more than 4 million voters in preparation for the much-delayed elections, the UN mission in the West African state has revealed. C�te d’Ivoire postponed its elections scheduled for November last year, blaming sluggish voter registration by the electoral commission.

Spokesperson for the UN Operation in C�te d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Hamadoun Tour� said registration surpassing the 4 million mark was a positive indication despite delays and difficulties, which plagued identification and the census on going in the country. Mr. Tour� encouraged further efforts to deploy teams to identify more people around the country, which has been divided since 2002 between the Government-held south and a northern area dominated by the rebel Forces Nouvelles.

He said the mission would strengthen its logistical support through special operations that began on Tuesday by air and river and to the interior of the country. The operation is also supporting the identification process with over 200 vehicles, according to the Mission. “The goal is to help the national structures to attain an optimal enrolment of the target population,” said Mr. Tour�. Meanwhile the UN Security Council has extended the UNOCI and the French troops mandate in C�te d’Ivoire until 31st July 2009. However, it has reduced the troop presence by one battalion.

The Security Council’s adopted new resolution urged the signatories to C�te d’Ivoire ‘s latest peace agreement to protect vulnerable civilian populations, including hundreds of thousands displaced by the conflict since 2002.

It further urged all political actors in C�te d’Ivoire to agree as soon as possible on a realistic time frame for the polls, after extending UNOCI’s mandate. The resolution notes that despite some improvement in the overall human rights situation, rights violations against civilians continue, “including numerous acts of sexual violence”.

The presidential election was originally scheduled for October 2005, but the country failed to go ahead with the planned schedule due to a division between the rebel north and government-controlled south, separated by a buffer zone patrolled by UN and French peacekeepers. New Forces (FN) rebels split C�te d’Ivoire, a leading cocoa and diamond exporter in western Africa, in two after a botched coup attempt in 2002, with the north remaining under FN control.

source.The Gambia Journal (Gambia) – February 2, 2009.

�

Kampala (Uganda)� An LRA commander captured during Operation Lighting Thunder underway in the Garamba jungles, north-east DR Congo, died on Friday.

Maj. Okello Opore, who was captured in Duroma, died from bullet wounds. He was an escort to Okot Odhiambo, the LRA second-in-command. Opore, who hails from Adilang in Pader district, was undergoing treatment at a facility in Dungu, Operation Lightning Thunder’s tactical base.

“He was shot on Friday night in an ambush north-east of Dungu, as he was looking for food and after 30 minutes, he died,” operation spokesperson Capt. Deo Akiki said.

Details have emerged as to why Odhiambo has opted to seek for pardon from the Government. Sources said Joseph Kony’s deputy was reportedly in favour of signing the peace agreement before the December 14 offensive. This is said to have caused a rift between him and his boss.

Odhiambo was also compelled to surrender due to the multiple injuries he had incurred during the operation. He was wounded in an earlier attack on December 14 and sustained bullet wounds two weeks ago during a clash with the UPDF, 30km north of Doruma.

Odhiambo was reported to be suffering from gout and walks with difficulty. His guardswere said to be carrying him on a stretcher. Odhiambo was also said to have been unhappy with the execution of his predecessor, Vincent Otti, and reluctantly accepted to replace him.

source.New Vision (Uganda)- February 2, 2009.

�

Nairobi (Kenya) – The drivers of motorcycle taxis called one another. The women of a nearby camp for the displaced gathered their skirts, snatched up jerry cans and headed for their rendezvous with fate.

It was a Saturday, children were out of school and many joined the dash for free riches. After the fires were doused on Sunday, the village of Sachang’wan and its environs was mourning the loss of 110 people while another 178 suffered serious burns. Forty six were airlifted by the Kenya Air Force to Nairobi where their condition was described as critical.

Police said the tanker was transporting fuel from Mombasa to Eldoret. The driver is said to have run away from the crowd of looters after the accident, the fate of his turn boy is unknown. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. The Nakuru Provincial General Hospital is treating 66 and Molo District Hospital 112 where many received treatment from the floor. According to police, two officers died and 10 are in hospital, some under intensive care.

According to the official version of events, the officers tried to keep the crowd away from the dangerous cargo. Some survivors, however, claimed the officers were charging villagers a fee of between Sh50 and Sh100 to be allowed to fill their containers from the tanker. Those who did not have it scooped the fuel from a nearby trench. When the tanker exploded, they were knee-deep in the highly flammable river.

Many, burning human torches, died in a nearby thicket of blue gum, as they attempted to make their way to Molo River which is close to the road. The forest also caught fire and some of it was consumed in the flames which burned for nearly three hours. Apart from the tanker, two other vehicles, a saloon and a sport utility vehicle, were burnt. Their curious drivers are said to have stopped to find out what was happening when the tanker exploded.

Most of the victims were from Borop farm, Jolly farm, Kwa Mzungu village, Salgaa shopping centre, Sachang’wan centre and even as far as Total, 20 kilometres from the scene.

How the truck ended up in a ditch on that particular stretch of road is also eliciting curiosity because the road is flat and in relatively good condition.
A police officer who talked to the Nation on condition he is not named because he was not authorised to comment on the investigation said he saw the tanker parked on the roadside and the driver and turn boy get off a few kilometres from Salgaa trading centre and before the Mau Summit Junction.
According to him, it was perfectly normal for truck drivers to park their vehicles in that area for a rest or to carry out a mechanical check and he didn’t pay much attention to it. Drivers also park on the roadside to siphon fuel off their tanks which they then sell to roadside brokers.

As soon as the crew got off, he said, he heard a loud noise and the tanker tumbled into a ditch. Word quickly spread and soon the area was teeming with men, women and children, many with jerry cans. They headed for the tanker, which is suspected to have been loaded with 42,000 litres of petrol.

A motorcyclist in Molo town who only gave his name as Kinyanjui, told the Nation that he was at the scene when the explosion occurred. He had already got 20 litres of petrol from the tanker and was loading it onto his motorcycle when the tanker exploded. He recalled how the crowd comprising men, women and children pushed and shoved to get at the fuel.

An eye-witness, Mr Joseph Kipchumba, said General Service Unit officers were the first to arrive at the scene but did not seal it off. Instead, they started charging those who had gathered to loot the fuel.

“Some people were angry because they could not afford the fee being demanded by the officers and threatened to set the truck on fire and spoil the party if they were not allowed to scoop the flowing petrol,” he said. It is at this point that one irate person, Mr Kipchumba claimed, lit a match. The ensuing explosion was immediate and violent and was heard several kilometres away.

However, Rift Valley Provincial police boss Joseph Ashimalla said they could not pinpoint the exact cause of the explosion until the investigations into the incident are completed.

Another witness, Ms Esther Mukuhi, also blamed the police.

“I was scrambling to get to a position where I could scoop petrol when the GSU officers stopped me and demanded Sh50 which I did not have,” she said at the Molo District, where she was helping to rescue victims. Ms Mukuhi said she ran to her house to collect the money. Then she heard the explosion.

“I looked back and saw large flames jumping up to the clouds, I rushed back to see what was happening and learned that some people had been trapped in the inferno,” she said. The middle aged woman is now thanking God that she did not have the cash. “This was a blessing in disguise, if I had the money, I would have paid with my life, I would be among the dead,” she said.

The government responded to the tragedy by declaring five days of mourning, flying the victims to Nairobi for treatment and promised to foot the bill
Among those who visited the scene were Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Security minister George Saitoti, among others.
Prof Saitoti brought a condolence message from President Kibaki who is attending an African Union heads of state summit in Ethiopia.

And later while briefing the press, Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan said the government was planning to hold a national harambee for the families of the victims. He said the Red Cross would have final list of victims by today evening and urged locals to check with the society on the fate of their kin. He appealed to all those injured not to hide for fear of arrest but come out and get treatment.

source.The Nation (Kenya) – February 2, 2009.

Harare (Zimbabwe) – The spirits of a nation were lifted when Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main section of the Movement for Democratic Change declared that his party would enter a unity government under terms negotiated at a special regional summit.

Following an extraordinary meeting of its leaders in Pretoria, South Africa on Jan. 26-27, the Southern African Development Community announced Zimbabwe’s political rivals would urgently form a power-sharing government as initially agreed in Sep. 2008. Tsvangirai had indicated the resolution did not fully address the issues his party had presented to SADC leaders before the meeting. This led to concern that the MDC would pull out of the deal, a move many feared would condemn the crisis-torn country deep into the abyss.

“Basically, two positions emerged after the SADC summit,” a senior MDC official told IPS on condition of anonymity. “There were those who felt we should not go in since the issues we had tabled at the SADC meeting were not addressed. Others however felt that opting out could also have an impact on our significance on the political scene, especially in light of the current crisis the country is going through.”

Despite the MDC’s earlier hardline stance, indications that the party would join the unity government emerged a few hours before Tsvangirai’s announcement, when the party participated in the setting up of a Joint Monitoring Committee, as agreed on Sept. 15 last year.

Addressing journalists after the party’s national council meeting, Tsvangirai said his party had unequivocally decided to join the unity government. “We are unequivocal, we will go into this government,” he said.

“SADC has decided and we are bound by that decision. February 11 is the swearing in of the prime minister and the deputy prime minister…What the national council has endorsed is what SADC has endorsed.”

But Tsvangirai quickly warned that his party still had some issues with ZANU PF. “This agreement is a significant milestone on our journey to democracy but it does not signify that we have arrived at our destination – we are committed to establishing a democratic Zimbabwe regardless of how long that struggle takes us.”

There had been growing pessimism in Zimbabwe about the deal ever being implemented. After agreeing to work together in Sep. 2008, Tsvangirai and Mugabe fell out over control of key ministries.

Analysts were however quick to point out that there would not be a smooth transition, after the opposition said it would “continue the struggle” that saw the deal being stalled for over four months.

“This is just but the beginning,” said political analyst Lovemore Madhuku. “Remember the MDC still has some outstanding issues they said they wanted addressed by SADC. Those issues are still outstanding. What this means is that the next few weeks after the swearing in would be spent more on the resolution of those issues. It’s unlikely ZANU PF will give in so easily.”

“This is just another stage of an ongoing process,” said Professor Eldred Masunungure, a political analyst. “There are a number of issues that remain unresolved and differences are likely to emerge over those issues. The challenge now is to balance that with resolving the situation on the ground, which needs urgent attention. The challenge for Tsvangirai is to have effective alternatives on the table.”

source.Inter Press Service (IPS) – February 2, 2009.