Mandisi Majavu, who has been Pambazuka News Online News Editor for the last six months, has won a scholarship to study a two-year Masters Degree in Psychology starting from next year February. This is an opportunity of a life-time for Mandisi, and it was with reluctance that he resigned from his position. We are delighted to inform you that Sokari Ekine has taken over as Online News Editor as of this week. Sokari will be known to many of you both as the founder of the award-winning Black Looks blogsite as well as a regular columnist for Pambazuka News providing, amongst other things, a regular update on African blogs.

Africa’s Foreign Ministers meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are today expected to agree on a draft charter setting out new benchmarks on democracy, good governance and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. The draft charter outlines measures required to entrench these values and hence foster democracy and the rule of law in Africa. The charter sets out a new threshold against which Africa’s governments can be judged through existing mechanisms which regularly audit their performance such as the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) or those charged with arbitrating violations of rights such as the Africa Court on Human Rights.

FEATURE: Firoze Manji writes about the lack of politics at the World Social Forum in Nairobi
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Read all about what happened at the World Social Forum in Nairobi
PODCASTING: Hear the voices of the World Social Forum with unique Pambazuka News podcasts from Nairobi
PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD: Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem expresses frustration with NGO funding of events like the World Social Forum
AU MONITOR: An AU summit takes place in Addis Ababa at the end of January
CONFLICT AND EMERGENCIES: The AK47 stands accused of being the worst weapon of mass destruction on the 21st century
HUMAN RIGHTS: Businesses ignore human rights
WOMEN AND GENDER: Women urged to fight for their rights at WSF
REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION: The way refugees are presented is detrimental to their rights, says a new report
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: Concern over ongoing strike in Guinea
DEVELOPMENT: Call for social equity at World Social Forum
CORRUPTION: Peer review highlights South African corruption concerns
HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS: Striving towards a world free of TB
EDUCATION: ARVs and schooling in Kenya
RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA: Non-whites more likely to be questioned at airports, says report
ENVIRONMENT: Why Uganda is a funny place to store carbon
LAND AND LAND RIGHTS: Innovation for land rights
MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: New report on freedom of expression in Senegal
NEWS FROM THE DIASPORA: Call for action on Haiti
PLUS: e-Newsletters and Mailings Lists; Fundraising and Useful Resources; Courses, Seminars and Workshops

The World Social Forum, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in Africa, was supposed to be a forum for the voices of the grassroots. But Firoze Manji writes that, despite the diversity of voices at the event, not everyone was equally represented.

As one would expect, WSF was highly heterogeneous. There was a lot going on. At one level no one can deny the diversity of people from all parts of the world. WSF seemingly reflected the heterogeneity of civil society internationally: there were initiatives from grassroots women’s organisations, from feminists, social movements, small and large African organisations, international (or is it ‘multinational’?) organisations, donors and funders, grantees, activists, hustlers and the hassled. There were vociferous anti-capitalists and anti-(capitalist) globalisation meetings and discussions, as one would expect of an event that evolved out of the need to assert an alternative to imperialist globalisations of the Davos kind. And there were those whose politics could reasonably be viewed as part of the civil society infrastructure of modern-day imperial expansion.

But to describe only the diversity would be to miss the real, and perhaps more disturbing, picture. The problem was that not everyone was equally represented. Not everyone had equal voices. This event had all the features of a trade fair – those with greater wealth had more events in the calendar, larger (and more comfortable) spaces, more propaganda – and therefore a larger voice. Thus the usual gaggle of quasi donor/International NGOs claimed a greater presence than national organisations – not because what they had to say was more important or more relevant to the theme of the WSF, but because, essentially, they had greater budgets at their command. Thus the WSF was not immune from the laws of (neoliberal) market forces. There was no levelling of the playing field. This was more a World NGO Forum than an anti-capitalist mobilisation, lightly peppered with social activists and grassroots movements.

And the sense of the predominance of neoliberalism was given further weight by the ubiquity of the CelTel Logo – the Kuwaiti owned telecommunications company that had exclusive rights at the WSF; a virtual monopoly provided to a hotel that provided food at extortionate prices that most Kenyans, if they were allowed in, could hardly afford. And rumours were rife that the business of catering involved people in high places winning exclusive contracts. Hawkers, on whom most of Nariobians depend for providing everything from phone cards to food and refreshment were for a while excluded physically (as well as financially) from entering the China-built Moi Sports Stadium in Kasarani, the venue for the WSF. And it was only when frustrated activists took direct action to occupy the offices of the organisers that a more liberal policy for entry was implemented.

This was the first full WSF held in Africa (Mali was host to one of the polycentric WSF’s last year). But the forum was marked by the under-representation of social activists from Africa – or indeed from the global south. Inevitably this reflected on how debates and discussions were framed. Pambazuka News staff had hoped that this space would be the basis for forging a broader radical pan-Africanism. But that was, sadly, not to be. The white North, with it hegemonic parochialism, was over-represented. Social movements from the South were conspicuous by their numerically small presence at the forum.

Probably the most consistently heavily attended forum throughout the week was that organised by the Human Dignity and Human Rights Network which had the largest tent, and held meeting after meeting throughout most of the week, with a caste of well known speakers. But like most of the events at WSF, the set-up of the meetings was of a traditional platform of speakers with the audience being talked at rather than being engaged in discussion. While we heard the experience of both survivors of human rights abuses and human rights defenders, there was little political analysis.

And that probably catches the sense of most, thankfully not all, of the WSF events: there was lots of talking and sloganeering. There was much discussion about policies and alternatives to existing policies. But one couldn’t help feel the absence of politics. It’s as if many believe that nice policies (or human rights legislations) get made by nice people. But the reality is that what ends up as policy is the outcome of struggles in the political domain – fundamentally between the haves and the have-nots. But in a week in which the voices of the have-nots were under-represented, I guess we should not be surprised by the absence of politics.

I think everyone was disappointed by the surprisingly low turn-out: estimates of 30,000 to 50,000 people attended, compared with an expected crowd of 150,000. What made so many keep away in droves? Despite asking many this question, I have found no satisfactory reasons offered.

* Firoze Manji is director of Fahamu and editor of Pambazuka News

* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Your column on WSF by Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is exactly the sort of stuff that US leaders point to when they want to discredit the WSF and those who support it (http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/39303). It's full of mistakes and raving.

A report on the African Union commissioned by three civil society organisations—AfriMAP, AFRODAD and Oxfam—and endorsed by nineteen others, will be launched this evening (January 24) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The report titled Towards a People-driven African Union: Current obstacles and New Opportunities interrogates the key challenges facing the African Union in realising its vision and mandate. The 72-page report is the first independent, substantive and public assessment of the progress of the African Union towards the goal of greater accountability and accessibility since it was founded in 2002. It reviews and makes extensive recommendations on the interaction between the African Union and various sectors, including civil society, in articulating its vision for the continent.

The African Union Commission has released a draft agenda of the eighth ordinary session due to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between January 29-30, 2007. The main highlights of session include: the election of the chairperson of the African Union Commission and bureaus of the Assembly, adoption of the 2007 budget, adoption of the special report titled An African Union Government: Towards the United States of Africa and consideration of integrating NEPAD into the AU structures.

The 6th Summit of the committee of participating Heads of State and Government of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APR Forum) is set for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 28 January 2007. Click on a link for a draft programme of the summit. The programme of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government implementation committee is expected to be finalised before the end of this week.

The African Union Commission has released a draft agenda of the eigth ordinary session due to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between January 29-30, 2007. The main highlights of session include: the election of the chairperson of the African Union Commission and bureaus of the Assembly, adoption of the 2007 budget, adoption of the special report titled An African Union Government: Towards the United States of Africa and consideration of integrating NEPAD into the AU structures.

African Flames Brenda Zulu speaks with Wahu Kaara, Convener of Mobilisation, WSF

On the main challenges of hosting the WSF in Kenya

The irony of it is that many members of the Kenya Social Forum can not afford to pay the US$ 5 registration fee and these people are from homeless communities like Kibera. The other thing is that we were operating under the budget. I have been convener of mobilisation but was not able to raise the funds.

On the main issues that Kenyans would love to address

Kenyans would love to create a consciousness of good governance because of multi party politics. It should be known that not all the solutions are in politics

On what WSF will do for Kenya and Africa?

It would be able to give us another identity of being an equal actor with others. It would put the record right that we are not a nation of insecurity and not what the Americans are doing to Somalis by chasing them out of their own country.

The World Social Forum has already demonstrated that the government, civil society and mass movements can work together. We have enjoyed having meetings with our government. The World Social Forum has also bridged the working relation between us and the government.

This World Social Forum will give Africans presence and voice in bringing about paradigm shift from neo-liberalism that has perfected exclusion, disposition, violence in the guise of globalisation for prosperity; yet it is globalisation for commoditisation of all aspects of life and natural wealth to serve the interest of market and wealth.

On the impact of the forum

The NGOs and Civil societies have no choice than let go the leadership of social movements in demonstrating this leadership.

On the Forum’s handicap

For our local media there have been no media reports. This has been the main handicap because the media has not been interested in publicising this event.

* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

Key members of the local chapter of Transparency International board have retired in a move widely seen as aimed at ending the perception that it was close to President Kibaki’s Government. The Daily Nation reports that the decision is being seen as a move by TI-Kenya to cleanse itself especially after two directors were forced to resign by the board.

The Tide Online reports that in a recent conversation with a group of educated, enlightened and experienced Nigerians, most were disenchanted with the current style of campaigns and primaries by some politicians who are either looking for a second term or aspiring for higher political offices.

A long-awaited report on good governance in South Africa identifies crime, graft and xenophobia as potential pitfalls for the continent's biggest economy, according to a leaked copy obtained by Reuters. The APRM report, which will be presented to heads of state at an African Union summit in Ethiopia on Sunday, places official corruption among South Africa's biggest problems.

The LGBTI activists presented a workshop on Sexuality and Social Justice which included Fikile Vilakazi is the director of the Coalition of Africa Lesbians (CAL), Wendy Landau of Behind the Mask, Bridge from the UK and Manohar from Sangama in Bangalore in India. The focus of the workshop was sexual rights and social justice. The concept of sexual rights is a different way of talking about sexual issues in which an integrated approach to sexuality must include women broadly because they made be denied their sexual rights in various ways. The concept is to move away from identity politics to one of integration of sexual minorities such as , sex workers, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, and also breaking these down into class and gender. The approach is a new and radical one which moves to incorporate all minorities and to make alliances with as many oppressed groups across a broad spectrum of the communities in which we live.

Fikile Vilakazi is the director of the Coalition of Africa Lesbians (CAL) which covers 12 countries including, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, Nigeria, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania. The CAL run a number of programmes for lesbians across Africa including a Creative Expression project to help lesbians come out through writing, discussions, poetry and art. The main issues facing the lesbian community in Africa is that even in countries like South Africa where lesbian rights are enshrined in the constitution, society itself is still very homophobic which puts them at risk of hate crimes including rape, beatings, and even murder. The recent Civil Union / Same Sex Marriage Bill passed by the South Africa parliament is not the primary concern of the LGBTI community in South Africa. Rather women are concerned over the curative hate crimes, and the homophobia in society. Despite the fact the lesbians are legally able to adopt children people still ask how can lesbians be parents in South Africa? There is also the issue of fundamentalist religions, Christians, Muslims and Hindus .

The legalising of of same sex marriage in South Africa has had repercussions in various African countries such as Nigeria and Uganda which have been extremely negative in their response and have used the South Africa decriminalisation to enforce even more draconian punishments of homosexuality in their countries. On a postive note the response by these governments has been that there is now an active dialogue in Africa around LGBTI issues and more and more of the LGBTI community are coming out and challenging their respective governments and religious institutions on the issue of sexuality and human rights.

Manohar of Sangama spoke eloquently about the innovative movement to bring together different sexual minorities across class and caste divisions in India.

* Sokari Ekine is the new Online News Editor of Pambazuka News

* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

The embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Edwin Snowe, Jr. has called on the Ministry of Justice to relax activities leading to investigating the alleged bribery involving lawmakers and re-direct its investigation to the disappearance of the chairs of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker from the Centennial Pavilion.

A potentially explosive document related to the Caprivi, which the Swapo Party has persisted in saying does not exist, has suddenly surfaced in Namibia. Compiled over 40 years ago and signed by former President Sam Nujoma, it describes the merger in the 1960s of Swapo and a political party led by Caprivi secessionist Mishake Muyongo.

Guinea's long borders and central position mean analysts view it as a regional lynchpin, saying serious domestic instability could easily spill over, ending tenuous progress towards the consolidation of peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which both experienced devastating civil wars in the 1990s.

Two South Africans are fighting the U.S. plan to put their names on the United Nations Security Council list of suspected terrorists alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The United States accuses Junaid Dockrat and Farhad Dockrat of being "financers, recruiters and facilitators of al-Qaeda and the deposed Taliban in Afghanistan".

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has reiterated its deep concern regarding the situation in Guinea. Whilst the Guinean inter-union group was meeting in Conakry to take stock of the situation following the bloody repression that had claimed 30 lives on Monday, its leaders were summoned to the palace of President Lansana Conté on Tuesday afternoon.

An international coalition of free expression groups has urged new U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to remind Tunisia of its obligations under international law to respect freedom of expression and other human rights. The IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG) says more than one year after Tunisia hosted the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the state of free expression is as poor, if not poorer, now than it was when the conference was held in November 2005.