Pambazuka News to launch French edition 31 July

Pambazuka News launches French edition
Press Release: 19 January 2006
Fahamu
www.fahamu.org

Pambazuka News, the newsletter and website with a focus on social justice issues in Africa, recently nominated by PoliticsOnline and the 6th Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy as one of the top ten websites internationally “who are changing the world of internet and politics”, is to begin publishing of a French language version of it highly popular electronic newsletter on January 31, 2006.

Produced by Fahamu, Pambazuka News currently has more than18,000 subscribers and a readership estimated at 100,000 across Africa and internationally. The weekly newsletter, which is now five years old, has become the most widely known forum for debate, commentary and insightful analyses of current affairs in Africa.

“The newsletter has succeeded in creating a pan-African community, uniting people working in human rights, conflict prevention, health, social welfare, environment and social justice right across the region,” said Kenyan Director of Fahamu and Editor of Pambazuka News, Firoze Manji. “But there is a significant and unfortunate gap between those working in English-speaking and French-speaking countries, and we intend to bridge that gap through producing a French language version of Pambazuka News.”

“But publishing in these languages is only the first step,” he said. “In the longer term we want to publish an Arabic edition, and then look at other African languages such as Kiswahili.”

Early editions of the French language version of the newsletter will consist of translated commentary, analysis and snippets from the English version of the newsletter. Soon, however, staff in West Africa will be providing original French content for the French version of Pambazuka News. “It is hoped that in the future the French edition will rival its English counterpart in terms of reach and content,” said Manji.

The Pambazuka News website has also been overhauled to allow for French content to be displayed and visitors will soon be able to choose their language preference.

For further details contact:

Firoze Manji: + 44-7786-628686
Patrick Burnett: + 27 73 232 3043
Atieno Ndomo: + 254- 733 912930

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Those interested in subscribing to the French e-newsletter can do so by sending an email to [email protected] with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line and their full name in the body of the email. All requests for subscriptions are considered confidential and Fahamu has a strict policy of not sharing email addresses with third parties. From the beginning of February, a subscribe function will also be available from the Fahamu website.

Issued by:

Fahamu – Networks for Social Justice
www.fahamu.org

Pambazuka News website
www.pambazuka.org

Write to [email protected] for queries.

ABOUT FAHAMU

Fahamu has a vision of the world where people organise to emancipate themselves from all forms of oppression, recognise their social responsibilities, respect each other’s differences, and realise their full potential.

Fahamu is committed to serving the needs of organisations and social movements that aspire to progressive social change and that promote and protect human rights. We believe that civil society organisations have a critical role to play in defending human rights, and that information and communications technologies can and should be harnessed for that cause. We are committed to enabling civil society organisations to use the internet to promote social justice.

Formed in 1997, Fahamu uses information and communication technologies as a tool for social change by developing supported distance learning materials for human rights and civil society organizations; innovative ways to make information and learning for change accessible; being a catalyst for critical social debate; producing social justice e-newsletters; and undertaking social policy research on Africa.

Fahamu comprises a small core of highly skilled and experienced staff based in Oxford (UK), Nairobi (Kenya) and Cape Town (South Africa). We also have an international network of Associates. Our work is also made possible through the commitment of volunteers and interns.

Pambazuka News is a project of Fahamu.

Fahamu is registered as a company limited by guarantee in the UK (4241054). Fahamu Trust is registered as a charity (1100304). Fahamu is also registered as a trust in South Africa (IT 372/01).

Fahamu’s work has been supported by the following: Article 19; Australia Aid; Commonwealth of Learning; Commonwealth Secretariat; Christian Aid; DANIDA; DFID; European Union; Ford Foundation; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Foundation for Human Rights (South Africa); Geneva Foundation; HIVOS; International Development Research Centre, Canada; JG & VL Joffe Charitable Trust; New Field Foundation fund of the Tides Foundation; NOVIB; Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa; Oxfam GB; SIDA; Sigrid Rausing Trust; TrustAfrica; University of Oxford; University for Peace; and many individual donors.

ABOUT PAMBAZUKA NEWS

Pambazuka News means ‘awaken’ or ‘arise’ in Kiswahili. The service is published by Fahamu (www.fahamu.org) and is a weekly electronic newsletter and complementary website for social justice in Africa with a subscriber base of over 18 000. Pambazuka News is widely forwarded and reposted and it is estimated that the newsletter therefore reaches some 100,000 people on a weekly basis. This number excludes those who read the newsletter online at www.pambazuka.org or at www.allafrica.com where the newsletter appears in full each week.
Pambazuka News has:

- Supported for the campaign for the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.
- Produced special editions on women’s rights for broader dissemination and for lobbying at African Union meetings. One of these editions was also produced as a pamphlet and in .PDF version and entitled ‘Not Yet a Force for Freedom’. Pambazuka News acted as a platform for the news and views of the coalition campaigning for the ratification of the protocol.
- Pambazuka News has developed and hosted a petition on the Pambazuka News website in support of women’s rights. This has also involved the development of an SMS function that enables people to sign the petition by SMS and receive SMS updates about the campaign. News about the petition has been covered by VOA, BBC, Reuters, SABC, UN-IRIN and African radio and newspaper outlets in at least 20 countries.
- Supported the campaign for the Remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in 2004 by producing a special issue that profiled the genocide through a series of ten editorials. Pambazuka News also acted as a forum for the distribution of news and information on the commemorations.
- Produced an editorial book entitled ‘African Voices for Development and Social Justice’ profiling key editorials carried in the newsletter during 2004. The book is distributed internationally through African Books Collective.

The production of a French language version of Pambazuka News has been made possible by a grant from the New Field Foundation, a fund of the Tides Foundation.

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