In this article, Kady Souley Boncano shares her experience of how radio made her a star in her country. She describes the changes Niger has undergone in the last few years and the way radio has affected the life of women in Niger.

This downloadable book considers the study of women's rights activists who respond to conflict or crises in their own countries. The authors address their strategies and why it is that the capacity of women activists is extremely limited. In 2003 the Urgent Action Fund launched a year-long project identifying concrete ways to improve international support for the interventions of women's rights activists during all phases of a conflict. Women were interviewed in three conflict areas: the Balkans (Kosovo and Serbia); Sierra Leone; and Sri Lanka.

Mauritania deposited its instrument of ratification of the protocol on the African charter on human and peoples’ rights on the rights of women in Africa with the African Union on 14th December 2005. Burkina Faso and Guinea in West Africa will very shortly deposit their ratification instrument as their parliaments have respectively authorised it. Outside West Africa, Mozambique’s Parliament has also approved the ratification of the Protocol.

Micro-credit facilities for men could emerge as a powerful tool to check the alarming increase in cases of violence against women in Kenya. Experts say that with easy access to small loans for income generating activities, men would have less time on their hands to be abusive. Violence against women has been on the increase in this East African nation. An estimated 2,800 rape cases were reported in 2004, according to the police. This was 500 times more than the figure reported in 2003. Jennifer Riria, chief executive of the internationally-known Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT), is pushing to expand micro-credit services to include men.

The Native Leadership Scholarship (NLS) program creates educational opportunities for women around the world who are grassroots leaders, organizers and activists demonstrating financial need. NLS invests in women's leadership and leadership development by supporting non-doctoral graduate education in human rights, sustainable development, and public health.

Referring to countries in the feminine, as in: "The country has been declared a 'highly indebted poor country' (HIPC) by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, who structurally adjusted her into debt in the first place," indicates to me that the author is completely out of touch with how power operates and, indeed, how he serves it. How can we take anything he says seriously?

(The article to which this comment refers can be read at

A number of African bloggers have written on the Australian race riots. MentalAcrobatics from Kenya - (http://www.mentalacrobatics.com/think/archives/2005/Dec/race_riots_in_a…) discusses the riots in the context of Australia’s “White Australia Policy” which itself is rooted class conflict between “convicts and exclusives”. Australia is well known for its disgustingly abhorrent treatment of indigenous Australians which continues unabated today. It is therefore hardly surprising to hear that race riots have broken out and even less surprising to hear that once again it is Islam that is being blamed yet again. He concludes by pointing out that there is a lesson for Kenyans:

“Remember Mboya's quote on, ‘avoiding the pitfalls of those who run before us?’ Not only on a tribal level but on a racial level as well. For example when you ignore one part of the country while formulating a development agenda justifying it with statements like, ‘well they are not really Kenyan’ disaster will come, did come.”

Chippla’s Weblog - Chippla's Weblog (http://chippla.blogspot.com/2005/12/reforming-nigerian-aviation-sector…) writes critically on the Nigerian aviation sector following yet another plane crash in which 110 people died, of whom 52 were children. Chippla has already written extensively on the previous two crashes and here he questions “the wisdom in allowing airliners older than 22 years to remain in service in Nigeria”. Apparently there is a law to this effect but it has not been implemented. The post goes on to provide a brief historical overview of the Nigerian airline industry from the early days of Nigerian Airways to the present liberalisation of the domestic airline industry.

“With the rush to liberalize the domestic airline market in Nigeria, common sense seemed to have been thrown to the dustbin. For instance, the airplane which crashed two days ago was not only 32 years old but was actually bought five years ago when it was 27 years old according to this report. Why should a carrier be allowed to buy an airliner this old? Furthermore, the airliner in question, a DC-9, was bought in 2000 at a time when its manufacturer McDonnell Douglas no longer existed (McDonnell Douglas was bought over by Boeing in 1997) which would have made it difficult to obtain spare parts.”

He concludes that temporary solutions should no longer be tolerated and there should be nothing less than an outright ban on aged airliners.

Freedom for Egyptians - Freedom for Egyptians (http://freedomforegyptians.blogspot.com/2005/12/social-freedoms-and-cha…) posts about the different responses in Egypt and the US to women being harassed by their partners. Using a female friend as an example, he writes that in Egypt harassment of a woman is not discussed or followed through in order to avoid spoiling her reputation:

“A family might advise their daughter never to mention a harassment issue no matter what because if a would-be groom learns that somebody tried to harass his future wife he might consider not marrying her. The reason is always that if a woman has good manners, she would not have been harassed in the first place. Having a harassed daughter in the family is a lasting stigma, because this means that she did not respect herself. Reporting violated rights is not an issue.”

On the other hand in the US when a woman reports sexual harassment either to her employers or her apartment owners, she is treated with respect and her concerns and fears are taken on board. He goes on to discuss “social freedoms” of women in Egypt and female circumcision both of which are used to control and subjugate women to “complete sexual obedience”.

Unashamedly pro American and libertarian, Rantings of a Sandmonkey - Rantings of a SandMonkey (http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/12/europeans-pissed-at-ahhn…) has a rant about the European media being “mad and disappointed at Arnold for rejecting clemency for Tookie's execution”. He is referring to the execution of convicted murderer and ex-gang leader, Stanley Tookie Williams at midnight on Monday in California. Clearly in favour of capital punishment, Sandmonkey writes in response to calls for clemency by the European media and human rights organisations:

“Let's see if you can follow this with me: Tookie killed people, and he founded a gang that killed people and ruined hundreds if not thousands of lives. The fact that after his arrest, conviction and being put on death row he finally saw the light and wrote a couple of children books against joining gangs, well, it's pretty goddamn convenient and doesn't change what he did. Will executing him bring back those he killed? No. Will it bring some sense of justice to the families of his victims? Sure. Is it an appropriate way to make him pay for his crimes? Nope. He should be executed 4 times, one time for each life he took by his own hands. But since that's impossible, killing him once will have to do. The fact that you can only kill him once, well, that's the travesty of justice. Ok?”

South African blogger, Mzansi Afrika - Mzansi Afrika (http://mzansiafrika.typepad.com/mzansi_afrika/2005/12/fuel_shortages_.h…) writes about the recent fuel shortages in South Africa which are causing planes to be delayed and petrol stations to run dry. Apparently the cause of the shortages is being blamed on the change to unleaded fuel as from 1st January 2006, though it is not clear why this should cause fuel shortages. Coming from an oil producing country - Nigeria - where fuel shortages have been an everyday part of life for as long as I can remember, I don’t hold much sympathy for this temporary blip in fuel consumption for South African motorists - unless of course it continues for the next three decades!

Black Star Journal - Black Star Journal (http://blackstarjournal.blogspot.com/2005/12/shame-on-you-george.html) comments on George Weah’s refusal to concede defeat in the Liberian elections:

“The political neophyte lost a runoff to veteran opposition leader and economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, despite the fact that most of the political class endorsed him. I'm not sure if Weah is sore about losing to a woman or if his influential entourage is upset about not having access to the spoils of power.”

Given Liberia’s recent violent history, Weah’s macho muscle flexing behaviour is distasteful and irresponsible and transforms his reputation as an “honest” man into a spoiled brat and one who if not careful could lead the country into further violence.

Nigerian blogger in London, Soul On Ice - Soul on Ice (http://obifromsouthlondon.blogspot.com/2005/12/smells-like-biafran-mone…) raises the issue of Biafra which is once again in the news as the Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) calls for strikes in Eastern Nigeria in support of a new Biafra. Referring to the Nigeria civil war (1967-1970) in which a million plus people died including Soul’s own relatives, he concludes that 35 years on little has changed – the legacy of colonialism lives on.

“From Nigeria, Palestine all the way to Pakistan and India wars and tribal tensions flourish. You gotta love the British Colonist. First they enslave us and then leave our lands in ruins. Incapable of unifying because of marked differences. Differences ignored because of the hunger and greed for everything African. Divide and conquer. The art of war. The sun tzu doctrine. For how can you drive out the invader if you are fighting amongst yourselves? The British legacy lives on till this day. Amen.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

In post-war Sudan, reproductive health care is becoming an everyday topic and reality in the capital, which hosts Africa's only university for women. Women in rural areas and the war-torn south are largely cut off from such advantages. Here among the dozen or so red brick buildings spread across 20 acres in the ancient city of Omdurman - the northern third of Sudan's capital of Khartoum - sits the remnants of a dream that is beginning to reawaken after decades of war.

Women in the northern Nigerian state of Kano are ignoring a ban stopping them travelling on public motorbike taxis. On Monday (December 12) religious authorities began implementing the ban passed earlier this year. In accordance with Sharia law, men and women are not allowed to travel together on public transport. The women say there are not enough public transport alternatives in the state that adopted Sharia law in 2000.

Women in southern African are being encouraged to study maths and science to contribute more to the socio-economic development of the region. Studying these subjects would boost their involvement in decision-making that affects agriculture, food security and poverty alleviation, said delegates at the Southern Africa Mathematics and Science Association (SAMSA) meeting last Wednesday (30 November) in Malawi. At present, a mathematics or science class in southern Africa has just two or three women for every seven or eight men, according to SciDev.

The purpose of this book is to contribute to current policy-making, programme planning and implementation on Gender and Human Rights. It is intended for a wide audience of policy makers, magistrates, judges and lawyers, academics and civil society organisations grappling with these issues, and is published by The Commonwealth organisation. It is also intended as a conceptual and policy-oriented resource for those committed to implementing and supporting the Human Rights goals of the new Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.

Kalomo district, some 400 kilometres South of Lusaka, is a hub of hospitality business in the area. The tourist capital Livingstone about 120 Kilometres away and other places of tourist interest makes it a place of tourist attraction. But inadequate infrastructure, especially the bad road conditions, no electricity and lack of communication facilities discourage people from stopping by. To address these issues, Bwacha women ICT club based in the centre of Kalomo town, thought of marketing produce of the local area using the internet in order to make ends meet.

A leading international women's rights group has launched a campaign calling on the U.N. Security Council to consider a woman candidate for the post of the next secretary-general. With Kofi Annan's tenure as U.N. secretary-general ending next year, Equality Now drew up a list with the names of highly-qualified women leaders who should be considered for the position. "The question is not whether or not women will do a 'better job' at the helm the of U.N., the question is why, since the founding of the U.N. 60 years ago, has a woman never been selected -- or at least publicly considered -- to serve as secretary-general, despite the fact that there are many qualified candidates and despite the promises made by governments to reach gender equality within the U.N.?" said Taina Bien-Aime, executive director of Equality Now.

FEMNET is seeking a new Executive Director. Ethical, strong and visionary African women, who are committed to African women's autonomy and choice in all areas and who would like to contribute to the African women's movement are hereby invited to apply for the position.

The GBV Coordinators in Africa will be responsible for managing and implementing grant-funded GBV projects and for integrating GBV into CCF's overall program strategy.

The purpose of this position is to support effective implementation of the technical aspects of Oxfam's public health response in eastern Chad; to promote gender equity throughout the programme cycle and provide gender analysis to support the implementation of Oxfam's programme.

The man who would be president is accused of rape. A soccer star admits to having sex with an under age girl but claims it was consensual and he did not know her age. His wife is charged with assaulting an alleged lover. A young woman in her prime is kidnapped from college and brutally murdered. A jealous lover is charged with killing a police woman. Two young girls disappear from their home in Soweto. A teacher, found guilty by a disciplinary committee of rape, is still teaching in a school. These stories and many more have dominated the headlines since the last Sixteen Days of Activism campaign that runs each year from 25 November (International Day of No Violence Against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day). No matter what the outcome of investigations and court cases still pending, the reality that underpins each of these stories is that gender violence is not abating, according to the Agenda website.

On 9 December, HREA announced in Rabat the conclusion of its study on gender bias in schoolbooks in Morocco. The study was part of a year-long programme to review textbooks in Morocco for human rights and gender equality. Fifty primary school textbooks were reviewed. Says HREA project coordinator Mustapha Kak: "The list of suggested books covered most subject matters, especially those subjects thought to contain concepts and principles related to human rights and gender equality", explains Mustapha. Textbooks for Arabic, Art, French, Family Education, Geography and National Education, History, and Islamic Education were analysed. The study was conducted in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Education.

Systems of power universally limit power and opportunity for women. Like other systems, churches everywhere are only beginning to tackle the systemic reasons for genderism. Some, of both genders, having been helped by some church workers and wise ones in their communities, will have been moved towards understanding and action. Such individual actions are commendable but systemic change in power is required on a very large scale that most have not imagined yet. It will take generations for substantive change, and it could come faster in developing countries, as women and men mobilize there.

Chances are you know a woman who has survived physical or sexual assault. Perhaps that woman is you. Chances are also high that you or someone you know is living with HIV/AIDS. Last week the world commemorated World AIDS Day. The 2005 theme, “Keep the Promise,” exhorts us to fulfill promises made by the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session and its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The Declaration recognized many factors that perpetuate HIV/AIDS, including violence against women. The promises made in the Declaration included that by 2005 governments would develop and implement “national strategies for women’s empowerment” and support the elimination of “all forms of violence against women and girls.” But, have these promises been kept?