Nbr. 428, April 2004

Index

• Forget the past?
• South Africa: good progress, but ...
• Africa still being abused.
• An affront to our integrity.
• Common wealth or common debt?
• Her Majesty deserved better.
• Needed: a new brotherhood.
• Ghana representative.
• It's time to quit.
• That meagre budget!(Letters) (Brief Article) (Letter to the Editor)
• Visa requirements African style.
• No longer shall they kill our prophets ...
• Africa's first Oscar: on 25 January, Charlize Theron, the white South African film actress, brought honour to Africa by winning the continent's first Oscar at the 61st Golden Globe Awards held in Los Angeles, USA. She won the "Best Actress" category for her role in the film, Monster.
• Aristide's ouster, African lessons.
• A different kind of coup: as Portugal seeks to build new partnerships with its former African colonies, we should not lose sight of the importance of the 25th April 1974 coup in Lisbon. It even speeded up the demise of Ian Smith's regime in Zimbabwe and apartheid in South Africa.
• Apartheid sinners face the music: the recent arrest of Gideon Nieuwoudt, a former apartheid policeman allegedly implicated in the death of Steve Biko, has suddenly thrown the spotlight on the apartheid sinners who slipped through the fingers of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The net is now closing in on them, reports Pusch Commey.
• $45m member debt slows AU progress.
• To buy or not to buy: a lively debate has erupted following the announcement by Kaiser international to sell its 90% shares in the Tema-based Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) to the Ghana government. To buy or not to buy is now the question facing the government. George Frank Asmah reports.
• How could the mercenaries get this far: the sad story of foreign-paid African mercenaries on African soil has raised its ugly head yet again with the arrests of alleged mercenaries in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea last month. Janet Jere and Chipo Shoko report on how dangerously easy they could have got away with their plot to murder.
• Biya, the life president? As the October elections approach, the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) is split down the middle on the issue of whether or not to limit the presidential term. Tansa Musa reports from Yaounde.
• Soldiers sue for pay: Soldiers who served in the Uganda Army under former Presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin are suing the Museveni government for $470m in payment arrears. Bamuturaki Musinguzi reports from Kampala.
• "Ti France" bows out after 27 years: last month, President France Albert Rene finally announced his retirement, but as Fletcher Erwood reports, Rene will still remain the top man calling the shots behind the scenes.
• Economy on the up: despite severe negative weather conditions that have led to food shortages, Lesotho's economy performed well in the 2002/03 fiscal year. Janet Jere reports.
• Land reform: Namibia moves into the fast lane; After years of going slow on land reform, the Namibian government is now moving into the fast lane to bring some equity into land ownership in the country. For Namibia, this is a very radical move. Uazuva Kaumbi reports from Windhoek.
• South Africa: farm violence, enough is enough; Two recent incidents of white farmers throwing their black workers to lions or driving their pick-up vans over them, have outraged the whole nation, particularly Cosatu, the largest trade union in the country. Gift Sipho Siso reports.
• Garner as hope: Ghana, down in the doldrums just a decade ago, now shows what democracy can do for any country that takes it seriously. Peter Ezeh, after a recent trip to Accra, compares his native Nigeria with the Ghana he saw.
• Kenya: the rainbow shows its true colours; Changing the constitution and devolving his powers, were some of President Mwai Kibaki's campaign pledges, but if the March events at the Constitution Review Conference are anything to go by, this promise threatens to bring his entire house down, reports Janet Jere.
• Botswana: a role model for southern Sudan? In search of a model, a group of Southern Sudanese has been to Botswana to find out why the Southern African country is such a prosperous and stable nation. Our correspondent, Jacob Akol, a Southern Sudanese himself, went along with them. This is his report.
• Angola: no elections yet; It has been 12 years since Angola last held national elections, but it is unlikely that the country will do so soon, as the ruling MPLA party insists on completing its 14-task programme before elections are held. Gina Jere reports.
• South Africa: the dilemma of Western economics; The figures look great on paper, the economy is growing but the gains are trickling up not down as it should be. And the number of the poor is increasing. Pusch Commey reports on South Africa's election year budget.
• Uganda's vanilla boom: Uganda is currently experiencing a vanilla boom. And growers are laughing all the way to the bank. Curtis Abraham reports from Kampala.
• A unique business opportunity in the health care industry; Dynamic and fast working imported OXYCELL[TM]--super immune system modulator our motto: every man has a right to live!(Advertisement)
• The fear of vaccines: fear that a vaccine used by the WHO to combat polio can cause sterility in both men and women, has spurred some Northern Nigerian states to block a crucial vaccination campaign that is aimed at eradicating the disease from West Africa by the end 2004. it reminds me of my boyhood in Ghana.
• Nigeria: next president from the north? John Paden, one of America's foremost Africanists, has revealed that President Obasanjo has convinced his ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to field a northern candidate for the next presidential elections in 2007. Jim Fisher-Thompson reports from Washington DC.
• Nigeria: oil sector review, as economy grows; Nigeria's economy grew by a record 10.75% in 2003 due to a rise in oil output, according to a report by an IMF visiting team. Janet Jere reports.
• Why you shouldn't smoke! Ever heard of this before: "there is oral tobacco in the form of sweets mainly used by children. The earlier children start smoking, the more likely they are to continue smoking throughout life, to smoke heavily, and to die from a smoking-related disease." Genstacia Bull reviews John Crofton and David Simpson's new book, Tobacco: A Global Threat.
• Happy anniversary, South Africa; What will the next 10 years bring for South Africa? Already I sense a creeping desire--not yet a process, but one can feel the urge--a need in some corners to separate South Africa from "the rest of Africa". But here is a reminder: South Africa is African.
• Russia: attacks on foreigners on the rise; "We will kill all foreigners, Russia is for Russians", shout skinheads who appear to have licence to roam, maim and kill. Nassor Ali reports on the harrowing experience of Africans and Asians in Russia.
• 'No Vietnamese ever called me a nigger': celebrating 40 years of the greatest boxer of them all.
• Tunisia: a country that works.