While the Kenyan government was hosting an international conference on female genital mutilation (FGM) in Nairobi between 16-18 September, two Kenyan sisters mutilated two weeks before were calling for justice in their case. Santeyian and Dorcas Keiwua, 16 and 14 years old, respectively, were cut on August 28, 2004 in their home in Orkiriaine at Lolonga Division of Narok District.

48 teachers in 24 primary schools in and around Cairo, Egypt and the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa followed professional development programmes to integrate a range of ICT-enhanced activities into their teaching of literacy, numeracy and science, supported through workshops and school visits, a range of multimedia resources, as well as through a web environment.

The National Council of Moroccans in France (CNMF) has urged French authorities to "act immediately" to put an end to racist acts targeting the Maghreban community in Corsica, notably Moroccans. This call was made after a man of Moroccan origin was shot dead September 17th by two individuals, and the car belonging to a Moroccan national was blown up in Bastia. The two incidents occurred following a series of attacks against the interests of the Moroccan and Maghreban community in the French Island.

On the weekend of September 2, 2004, a group of Kenyans in Toronto had the chance to meet with the e-government Kenyan delegation that was visiting Canada. Lead by the Hon Raphael Tuju, Minister for Information and Communications, the team was in Canada to explore ways and learn from experiences that would make it possible to implement the e-government strategy, which intends to enhance government efficiency, accountability and transparency.

An Internet crime bill in Zambia, which includes provisions that could see convicted hackers facing sentences of up to 25 years in jail, has caused some controversy in the country's IT community but is expected to become law soon.

After Rwandan-backed rebels led an insurrection in the eastern city of Bukavu, the government in the DRC issued three directives restricting news coverage, authorities imprisoned four journalists, and attackers allegedly led by an army officer severely beat another journalists. These new attacks on the DRC press are explored in "Fragile Freedom," a special report by Julia Crawford, the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) Africa program coordinator. The report, is based on a two-week mission to the central African nation, more than 20 interviews, and a visit with the imprisoned journalists.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged the authorities to free Radio Rwanda journalist Dominique Makeli, who has been held for 10 years in various Rwandan jails without ever appearing in court. Arrested on 18 September 1994, Makeli is currently being held in Kigali central prison. "On the 10th anniversary of Makeli's arrest, we believe his release would send a strong signal of good faith if the Rwandan government wants to be able continue proclaiming its support for press freedom," the organisation added.

Eritrea has been in an extended news blackout since September 2001 when the government closed the privately-owned newspapers and imprisoned the leading journalists. On the eve of the third anniversary since the round-up of journalists and the elimination of the independent press in Eritrea, Reporters Without Borders renewed its call to the authorities to free the detained journalists and let the privately-owned media resume working so that Africa's youngest nation may cease to also be the continent's biggest prison for the press.

Nigeria's National Assembly has stopped further deliberations on a draft law, "Journalism Practice Enhancement Bill, 2004", which would threaten media freedom by imposing sanctions, jail terms, fines and suspensions on journalists and media establishments found guilty of sensational reporting on violent conflicts, parliamentary or inter-governmental disputes, natural disasters and other "negative trends and tendencies".

The independent newspaper "Umeseso" has been threatened with temporary closure and one of its reporters has had to flee the country to safety. While the Rwandan government continues to emphasize its commitment to a free press, its actions against Umeseso, for refusing to reveal its sources for some controversial articles, shows otherwise.

A meeting was held on 8 September 2004 among civil society members to discuss the ICT Empowerment Charter and how it would affect each of their organizations. Several South African organizations have recognized the Charter as being essential in their progress towards socio-economic
development. By using the ICT sector to encourage civil society participation, South Africa aims to address the impact that historical imbalances have had on the country.

Due to the lack of copyright and pornography legislation related to the Internet, many Kenyans continue to view disturbing material in public Internet cafes and offices without the fear of being penalized. While some Internet café operators, parents, schools and libraries have begun to install filtering software, the problem remains to be unregulated by the government.

The Mozilla Web browser has officially been released in Luganda, one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in East Africa. The Web browser has been named "kayungirizi" due to its ability to use the Internet to link users to various resources.

Media associations from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have agreed to form a network to provide support for journalists in the Mano River sub-region of West Africa. During a three-day seminar in August 2004, journalists discussed the need to involve more women in media organizations, the need to develop the capacity of media unions and the role of media in conflict resolution.

Over the past week armed State Security Service (SSS) agents have raided the offices of two independent publications, have confiscated equipment and have arrested and detained editorial staff for their critical reportage on President Olusegun Obasanjo and other government officials.

Jonah Fisher of the BBC Radio and Reuters, based in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, left the country on Thursday after his accreditation was suddenly withdrawn. Soon after a conversation regarding Fisher’s "racist negative reporting", with the Information Minister Ali Abdu Ahmed, Fisher was informed that he needed a ministry of information permit to continue working outside Asmara.

The Chief Directorate: Population and Development, South Africa, would like to set up an email information service to various organizations in Southern Africa and send out information to them regarding regional issues such as poverty, HiV/Aids, youth, gender, environment, population, development and other topics of relevance. If your organisation is interested in joining such a list, please send Carol Lombard an email at: [email protected].

As part of the computer education initiative for Ugandan schools, "Fresh Start for Donated Computers Initiative in Uganda" software giant Microsoft will donate free licensed copies of its Windows 98 and 2000 operating system for personal computers. This programme will help to empower teachers and students to achieve their full potential by providing technology and training in education.

In order to take advantage of new ICTs that have been developed to combat poverty and achieve sustainable development in Africa, women in Africa need to actively participate in ICT initiatives. The Conference on Women and ICT is to be held at the Arusha International Conference Centre, Arusha, Tanzania on 18-20 October 2004 to draw a roadmap for the caucus that will enable effective participation at WSIS-Tunis 2005.

Led by the President of the Nigerian Information Technology Practitioners in the Americas, Professor Manny Aniebonam, a group of Nigerians in the diaspora plan to invest in the establishment of 40 ICT parks in 39 universities across the country over the next three years. The newly created company, AfriHub Nigeria Ltd aims to increase the technological capabilities in Nigeria through the support of American universities and companies.