Featured This Week

FEATURE: Wangui wa Goro discusses the importance and the role of culture in today’s society. She argues that culture should be viewed as the pulse which can feed blood into the arteries of justice, peace, democracy and development.
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:
- Milton Allimadi interrogates the presentation of Africans in the Western media.
- According to the Slam Poetry movement, the performance of poetry is an art -- just as much an art as the art of writing it. However, is it possible to draw from the experiences of pre-colonial African oral traditions in developing an organically grown and contextualised slam poetry movement in Africa? asks Mphutlane Wa Bofelo.
- How does a post-colonial state undermine oppressive racial categories without unintentionally replacing diversity with homogeneity? Neville Alexander points out that Sub-national identities can be based on many different factors such as religion and linguistics.
PODCASTS: Pambazuka News celebrates the culture of resistance in Africa.
* Ngugi wa Thiong'o speaks to Pambazuka News about language and culture
* Emerging South African rapper PlanBe explores with Sokari Ekine violence and rape in South Africa.
* Omékongo wa Dibinga, Congolese poet, shares three of his poems with us exploring the attitudes towards Africa, aid and development
BLOGGING AFRICA: Sokari Ekine reports on a new documentary film called “NO” which highlights the realities of rape in the African American community and also focuses on the healing process for victims
BOOKS & ARTS: A poem from the urban music award winner, Omékongo Dibinga.
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Procedures to apply for media accreditation
CONFLICT AND EMERGENCIES: Links to news on Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad and DRC
HUMAN RIGHTS: Ghana forced to ban blood diamond trade
WOMEN AND GENDER: Campaigning against gender violence
REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION: Expulsion of illegal immigrants begins in Tanzania
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: Kabila has won Congo elections
DEVELOPMENT: Oil industry sees Africa as most promising
CORRUPTION: Future of fair trade
HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS: Zambia mortality ratio about highest in the region
EDUCATION: Blogger dismissed from University
ENVIRONMENT: Changing climate, changing lives
LAND AND LAND RIGHTS: Ugandan government can’t sell Acholi land
MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Urgent reforms to the DRC state-owned radio and television required
INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY: Critical view on communication for development
PLUS: e-Newsletters and Mailings Lists; Fundraising and Useful Resources; Courses, Seminars and Workshops
JOBS: Fahamu seeks Director for Education for Social Justice