Papa Wemba - Africa Link

Transcription

South Africa Marks Freedom Day
In Style
Le 13ème Prix Ahmadou Kourouma
attribué à Mbarek Beyrouk
www.africalink.ch
Frank Osodi: Designing for women
brings out creativity in me
May/June 2016 Vol.17 No.2
THE VOICE OF AFRICA IN THE DIASPORA LA VOIX DE L’AFRIQUE DANS LA DIASPORA
72 HOURS BEFORE HIS DEMISE:
Papa Wemba:
Retirement
Does Not
Exist For Me
72 HEURES AVANT SA DISPARITION:
Papa Wemba:
“Pour moi,
la retraite
n’existe pas”
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May/June 2016
Editorial4
CONTENTS AND
CONTENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
AFRICAN LEADERS: Quit While The Ovation Is Loudest
DIRIGEANTS AFRICAINS: Quitter La Scène Au Plus Fort Des Applaudissements
Religion 7
When All Hope Is Gone
Swissline8
A basic income for all – the issue before Swiss voters
Parlementaires de tous les pays, présentez vos fiches de salaire!
Briefs10
Celebration12
France returns Artefact Illegally Exported
page 11
South Africa Marks Freedom Day In Style
page 12
Leur «naïveté»
14
Leur « naïveté » a sauvé des orphelins au Burkina
Integration16
NachbarNET Connects Neighbours for Cooperation
and Mutual Benefit
NachbarNET – nachbarschaftliche Hilfe und Zusammenarbeit
Platform19
Platform on Migration and Development (mdplatform)
Holds Inaugural Assembly
Lead20
72 HOURS BEFORE HIS DEMISE :
Papa Wemba: Retirement Does Not Exist For Me
Papa Wemba: “Pour moi, la retraite n’existe pas”
Economy23
Mozambique’s Five Main Economic Objectives
Book Fair25
Le 13ème Prix Ahmadou Kourouma attribué à Mbarek Beyrouk
Meeting26
Leur « naïveté » a sauvé
des orphelins au Burkina page 15
Business Leaders Take
Control of Their Businesses and Move Forward
Forum28
SAF’s Dialogue With Police Yielding Fruits
Meet Kenya Swiss Connection
Fashion30
Frank Osodi: Designing for women brings out creativity in me
Bantu knots make a comeback
UN News
32
AU News
34
page 28
Entertainement36
Book Review: The Convergence of Nations
Sports37
African Woman Appointed FIFA Secretary General
IAAF Mourns the Death of Renowned Distance Running
Dr Woldemeskel Kostre
World Anti-Doping Agency Declares Kenya Non-Compliant
May/June 2016
FATMA SAMBA DIOUF SAMOURA
African Woman Appointed FIFA Secretary General page 37
3
COMMENT
AFRICAN LEADERS:
Quit While The Ovation
Is Loudest
By George Ola Davies
Guest Contributor
Let us stop fooling ourselves that Africa’s democracy has arrived. True, the
days of incessant military coup d’états no longer hit world news headlines.
Many of those officers who plotted and led those coups have abandoned their
barracks, shed their khaki uniforms for civilian garbs and are in either caftans or suits in power.
“Democracy” for them, was the right path. But
what sort of democracy? Tanzania’s founding father,
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, once said that there was
no such thing like coca cola democracy - that is
one size suits all democracy. In essence what he
meant was that the West’s style of democracy being
imposed would not work in Africa. It also meant
Africa MUST fashion out its own model. Such a
model should not be devoid of certain fundamental
principles. But one can hardly say that with today’s
democracy in Africa.
Up until the time of going to press this year,
there have been presidential and parliamentary
elections in at least six countries on the continent.
The results have been staggering ranging from very
good to extremely distressful.
On the positive note were those in the Republic
of Benin and the Central African Republic. For
once, it was delightful to hear a losing candidate
calling the victor to not only congratulate him
but to pledge his support to working with him
for the good of the country. Lionel Zinsou was
the serving Prime Minister and the ruling party’s
candidate who enjoyed the support then outgoing
President, Thomas Boni Yayi. When he lost in the
second round to businessman, Patrice Talon who
had hardly walked the political path, he picked up
his phone, against the wish of his supporters, called
up Talon and congratulated him.
Zinsou could have used state apparatus to rig
and continued doing business as usual but thought
wisely for a country which, in all truth, has been
leading that part of the continent in its march
towards democracy. That chapter was closed, a
peaceful handing over observed and the nation
spared of bloodbath. Interestingly, President Talon
mas made it clear he will rule for only one term and
will be attempting to change the constitution to
make it a one-term presidency henceforth. Even as
this will be a huge task ahead of him, that he has
committed himself to rule for only one term is a
laudable gesture.
In the Central African Republic which had
All those leaders
that left power
honourably have
played or are still
playing distinctive
roles on the world
stage but particularly
so on the continent.
been embroiled in a political turmoil since 2013
it was former Prime Minister, Faustin Archange
Touadera that had the last laugh, albeit tinged with
deep thoughts of how to get the country out of its
lengthy quagmire. But at least he had the mandate
of the people in an election that featured three
former Prime Ministers, sons of former presidents
and laced with religious bias. In the end all the
candidates that lost to him confirmed they would
rally behind him and work for the progress of the
beleaguered nation.
Tel. +41 44 776 25 60,
Fax +41 44 776 25 63
info@africalink.ch
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IMPRINT
ISSN 1661-44-29
AFRICA LINK
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4
Editor-in-chief
Mr. Johnson Oduwaiye
Tel. +41 79 664 13 54
oduwaiye@africalink.ch
Mozambique has been serving as a bright example. The country - like Botswana, Namibia, South
Africa, Senegal and Cape Verde - has seen its presidents relinquish power at the end of their second
term in office since the death of Samoura Machel.
The same could not be said for polls in the
Republic of Congo, Uganda, Chad, Comoros,
Equatorial Guinea and Djibouti where the incumbent leaders extended their longevity in power
through dubious constitutional changes to suit their
personal purpose which, inevitably, has planted a
seed of deep discord that may backfire when they
would be long gone. They fail to realise that nothing would last forever. Some, like Museveni and
Obiang Nguema, have been planting their children
to eventually succeed them.
The leadership in these countries continued to
tailor electoral laws making it possible for them to
be in power eternally, thus constructing a dangerous path ahead for future generations. In the case
of Uganda and Congo, both leaders even ordered
the blockage of social media until their swearing in
ceremonies were held. President Yoweri Museveni
of Uganda even ordered the bundling of his key opponent, Kizza Besigye and sent him to the farthest
northern Karamoja district as he was being sworn in
for the fifth time having been in power since 1986.
This is a stack reminder of what the late King
Hassan of Morocco did when banished Abraham
Serfaty in the remote desert of Tazmamart prison
for eight years. Tazmamart prison was where inmates were left to rotten and most of them were
opponents of the King. When Serfaty came out
after a series of international pressure he was on
a wheel chair.
Denis Sassou N’guesso maneuvered his way, first
by organizing a referendum to scrap the term limit
in the constitution and suppressed his opponents
as polling drew near. If in Uganda and Congo the
leaders had a little over 60% of the votes cast in the
first round, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo had an even better deal. He
trounced his “opponents” and garnered a whopping
93% of the votes cast. The question worth asking
(continued on page 6)
Editor: Mr. Atsen Ahua
atsen.ahua@gmail.com
Associate Editors
Mr. Mohomodou Houssouba
Mr. Misseli M. Bationo
Representative/Political Editor
(Nigeria)
Mr. Ifeanyi E.nNwosu
Guest Contributor
Mr. George Ola-Davies
Contributing Editors
Ms. Folake Idowu,
Mr. Hilary Nwokeabia,
Mr. Paul Nzeshi (Nigeria),
Mr. Dennis Onyango (Kenya),
Mr. Keith Gottschalk (SA)
Dr.
Priscilla Bowens
May/June
2016 (USA)
COMMENTAIRE
DIRIGEANTS AFRICAINS:
Quitter La Scène Au Plus Fort
Des Applaudissements
Cessons de nous illusionner sur l’avènement de la démocratie en Afrique. Il est
vrai que l’époque où les coups d’Etat militaires faisaient constamment la une des
journaux est révolue. Beaucoup des officiers qui avaient tramé ces coups d’Etat
ont quitté leurs casernes, troqué leurs uniformes kaki contre des tenues civiles,
que ce soit le caftan ou le complet-veston.
Ils croyaient croire en la «démocratie».
Mais quelle sorte de démocratie? Mwalimu
Julius Nyerere, père fondateur de la Tanzanie,
a dit un jour qu’il n’existe pas de «démocratie coca-cola en prêt-à-porter». Cette phrase
signifie que cela ne marcherait pas d’imposer
le style de démocratie occidental en Afrique,
que l’Afrique DOIT se tailler son propre
modèle. Un tel modèle ne sera pas exempt de
certains principes fondamentaux; mais on ne
peut pas dire que c’est le cas de la démocratie
d’aujourd’hui en Afrique.
Cette année, peu avant que nous mettions
sous presse cette année, des élections présidentielles et parlementaires ont eu lieu dans
au moins six pays du continent. Les résultats
ont été hétéroclites, parfois très bons, parfois
d’une tristesse à pleurer.
Parmi les positifs, citons ceux de la République du Bénin et de la République centrafricaine. Cela faisait du bien, pour une fois,
d’apprendre qu’un candidat perdant avait
appelé le vainqueur, non seulement pour le
féliciter, mais pour l’assurer de sa volonté de
travailler avec lui pour le bien du pays. Premier
ministre en exercice et candidat du parti au
pouvoir, Lionel Zinsou jouissait du soutien
du président sortant, Thomas Boni Yayi. Au
deuxième tour, lorsqu’il a dû s’incliner devant
l’homme d’affaires Patrice Talon, qui n’avait
guère de carrière politique, il a saisi son téléphone, contre l’avis de ses partisans, a appelé
Talon et l’a félicité. Zinsou aurait pu profiter
de l’appareil étatique pour des manipulations et
continuer à faire des affaires comme si de rien
n’était, mais il s’est montré plus sage pour un
pays qui, en réalité, a ouvert la marche vers la
démocratie dans cette partie du continent. Le
chapitre était clos, la passation de pouvoir s’est
faite pacifiquement et la nation s’est épargné
un bain de sang. Fait intéressant, le Président
Talon a clairement exprimé son intention de
ne gouverner que pour un seul mandat et de
changer la Constitution pour que la présidence
ne dure dorénavant pas davantage. Bien qu’il
ait une tâche énorme devant lui, cet engagement à ne pas gouverner plus longtemps est
un geste louable.
En Centrafrique, qui était politiquement
dans la tourmente depuis 2013, c’est l’ancien
premier ministre, Faustin Archange Touadera,
qui a remporté la victoire; une satisfaction
certes mitigée par de lourdes préoccupations
pour sortir le pays du bourbier. Mais au moins
il avait le mandat du peuple dans une élection où s’affrontaient trois anciens premiers
ministres, fils d’anciens présidents, et frelatée
par les préjugés religieux. Finalement, tous les
candidats qu’il a devancés ont confirmé leur
volonté de se rallier à lui et de travailler pour
le progrès dans ce pays pressé de toutes parts.
Le Mozambique était un exemple brillant.
Comme le Botswana, la Namibie, l’Afrique du
Sud, le Sénégal et le Cap-Vert, ce pays, depuis
la mort de Samoura Machel, a vu ses présidents
passer le témoin à la fin de leur second mandat.
On ne peut pas en dire autant des scrutins
en République du Congo, Ouganda, au Tchad,
aux Comores, en Guinée équatoriale et à Djibouti, où les dirigeants en place ont prolongé
leur longévité au pouvoir par des changements
constitutionnels douteux dans leur intérêt
personnel, ce qui a inévitablement semé la
graine d’une profonde discorde; des retours
de f lamme seront alors à craindre bien après
qu’ils ne seront plus là. Ils ne réalisent pas que
rien ne dure éternellement. Certains, comme
Museveni et Obiang Nguema, manœuvrent
pour que leurs enfants leur succèdent un jour.
Dans ces pays, les gouvernants ont continué
à se tailler dans les lois la possibilité de rester
éternellement au pouvoir, ouvrant une voie
dangereuse pour les générations futures. Dans
le cas de l’Ouganda et du Congo, les deux
gouvernants ont fait bloquer les réseaux sociaux
jusqu’à leurs cérémonies de prestation de serment. Le Président ougandais Yoweri Museveni
a même ordonné que son principal opposant,
Pictures
By Africa Link,
except otherwise stated
Layout
Soldini Communication, Zürich
Opinions published do not necessarily
reflect those of the Editorial Board
Africa Link Bank Account
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All correspondence to
AFRICA LINK, Allmendstrasse 18, Postfach 1,
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Editorial Board Members
Mr. Peter Hevi
Ms. Folake Idowu
Mr. Mohomodou Houssouba
Mr. Misseli M. Bationo
May/June 2016
Tous les gouvernants
qui ont quitté
honorablement le
pouvoir jouent encore
des rôles majeurs sur
la scène mondiale, mais
particulièrement sur
le continent africain.
© by Africa Link Org
5
COMMENTAIRE
Quitter La Scène Au Plus Fort Des Applaudissements
Kizza Besigye, soit assigné à résidence dans un
lointain district du nord alors que lui-même
prêtait serment pour la cinquième fois depuis
son accession au pouvoir en 1986. C’est un
rappel brutal de ce qu’avait fait le défunt roi
Hassan du Maroc quand il avait banni Abraham Serfaty dans la prison de Tazmamart, en
plein désert, pendant huit ans. On y laissait
pourrir les détenus, dont la plupart étaient des
opposants au roi. Quand Serfaty en sortit après
une série de pressions internationales, il était
en chaise roulante.
Denis Sassou N’guesso a manœuvré à sa
manière, d’abord en organisant un référendum
pour abolir la limite de mandat inscrite dans
la Constitution; puis, à l’approche du scrutin,
il a réprimé ses opposants. Si, en Ouganda
et au Congo, les dirigeants ont obtenu un
peu plus de 60% des voix au premier tour, en
Guinée équatoriale, Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo a carrément battu ses «adversaires» à
plate couture et engrangé non moins de 93%
des voix. Il vaut la peine de se poser la question:
«Prenons-nous la démocratie au sérieux?»
Dans le Tchad voisin, le Président Idriss
Deby est bien installé dans son fauteuil depuis
un coup d’Etat en 1990 et ne semble pas près
de le quitter.
Comme si cette plaisanterie ne suffisait pas,
le Président nigérien Mahamadou Issoufou a fait
emprisonner son principal adversaire, Hamma
Amadou, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit trop malade pour
faire campagne. Pendant le second tour des
élections, Amadou écrivait dans la douleur dans
un hôpital français. La seule inconnue de ces
élections a été le taux de participation.
Les nouveaux challenges sur le continent
se font attendre. En République démocratique
du Congo, déjà, le Président Joseph Kabila est
presque certain de rester au pouvoir au-delà de
la fin de son deuxième mandat; les autorités
manœuvrent pour réduire au silence l’un de
ses adversaires, Moise Katumbi, s’il venait à
protester, et pavent la voie à de nouvelles violences dans un pays qui n’a plus connu la paix
depuis vingt ans.
Le Rwanda a déjà cassé la limite du mandat présidentiel pour que son Président Paul
Kagamé continue à gouverner aussi longtemps
qu’il le voudra. Les Sierra-Léonais bataillent
actuellement pour faire de même pour Ernest
Bai Koroma, dont le deuxième mandat, censé
être le dernier, expirera en 2017.
Tous les gouvernants qui ont quitté honorablement le pouvoir jouent encore des rôles
majeurs sur la scène mondiale, mais particulièrement sur le continent africain. Sir Ketumile
Masire et Festus Mogae du Botswana, Alpha
Oumar Konaré du Mali, Joachim Chissano et
Armando Guebuza du Mozambique, Thabo
Mbeki d’Afrique du Sud, Antonio Monteiro et
Pedro Pires du Cap-Vert sont quelques noms
qui viennent à l’esprit; mais d’autres, qui se sont
accrochés au pouvoir sous prétexte «d’aider à
terminer leur travail», font de la démocratie
une plaisanterie.
Quatre cents ans après sa mort, les os de
Shakespeare sont peut-être pourris, mais ses
monarques restent toujours d’actualité. Et luimême le savait bien: tout bon acteur devrait
quitter la scène au plus fort des applaudissements.
AFRICAN LEADERS: Quit While The Ovation Is Loudest
(continued from page 4)
here is “Are we really serious about democracy”?
In neighbouring Chad, President Idriss Deby is
safely on the chair which he occupied after a coup
d’état in 1990 and there are no signs that he will
relinquish it soon.
As if this joke was not enough, Niger’s President,
Mahamadou Issoufou, had his most serious challenger, Hamma Amadou, imprisoned until he was
too sick to even campaign. While the second round
of elections were being held, Amadou was writing
in pain in a French hospital. The only unknown
during those elections was the turnout at the polls.
We are still to see fresh challenges on the continent. Already in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, President Joseph Kabila is almost certain to
be in power beyond the end of his second term and
with moves entrenched to silence one of his most
serious challengers, Moise Katumbi, should he be
contesting, the authorities are paving the way for
continued violence in a country that has not known
peace for the past two decades.
Rwanda has already quashed the presidential
6
term limit for President Paul Kagame to continue
ruling for as long as he wishes. Sierra Leoneans
are presently battling to do likewise for Ernest Bai
Koroma whose second and “normally” final term
is in 2017.
All those leaders that left power honourably have
played or are still playing distinctive roles on the
world stage but particularly so on the continent. Sir
Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae of Botswana,
Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali, Joachim Chissano
and Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, Thabo
Mbeki of South Africa, Antonio Monteiro and
Pedro Pires of Cape Verde are some of the names
that easily come to mind. Others who have stuck
on to power under the guise of “helping to complete
their work,” are merely making democracy a joke.
Shakespeare’s bone may have all gone rotten
wherever they are 400 years this year after his
death but most of his sayings remain relevant today. Didn’t he say something to the effect that one
should quit when the ovation is loudest? I leave this
with you African leaders to ponder.
May/June 2016
RELIGION
When All Hope Is Gone
By Dr. Charles Stanley
John 4:1-42
SUMMARY
Hope is a word of optimism and expectation that looks forward with anticipation to the future, yet multitudes of people have lost their hope. Some are hopeless
about specific areas such as their marriages, children, health, finances, or jobs.
But for others, this emotion permeates their entire lives.
They exist but have no hopes, dreams, or
goals. This is not the way God intends for us to
live. He created us to live with purpose, working
toward goals and feeling a sense of anticipation
for the future.
Sermon Points
The story of Jesus and a Samaritan woman
is one that gives hope to those who have lost
it (John 4:1-42). When Jesus was going from
Judea to Galilee, the shortest route was through
Samaria. However, from a Jewish perspective,
this was not the wisest or most desirable choice
because there was enmity between them and
the Samaritans. But Jesus was undeterred by the
racial and religious animosity, and His decision
to go through Samaria resulted in the transformation of a woman who had lost all hope.
Various life circumstances cause people to
have a sense of hopelessness. Sometimes this
feeling is not the result of anything a person
has done, but in other cases, hopelessness comes
from a sinful lifestyle or unwise decisions. This
was the case for the Samaritan woman.
First of all, she had made wrong choices. She
had been married five times and was now living
with a man who was not her husband. Because of
this, she had suffered much difficulty, endured
rejection, and been the object of gossip in her
small community. Her situation left her feeling
morally dirty and emotionally empty.
Second, she had repeatedly failed. She’d
searched for love and was probably discouraged
because none of her marriages had lasted. Her
dejection may have led her to give up on marriage altogether and simply live with a man.
Third, she may have felt trapped. Where
could she go to escape her situation? She needed
a man for survival. Despite her search for security, she remained dissatisfied. The immorality
was beginning to take its toll on her life, and she
probably thought no one would ever love her.
Finally, she was isolated from her community. No one wanted to associate with her. Even
May/June 2016
the religious leaders didn’t want anything to do
with her for fear of ruining their reputations. A
personal encounter with Jesus Christ radically
changes people’s lives. This is exactly what happened to the Samaritan woman one day when
she came to the well to draw water. She arrived
around noon, a time when no one else came, and
was surprised to see a man sitting there. Even
more shocking, he asked her for a drink of water.
There were three problems with this situation. First of all, Jesus was a Jew, and she was
a Samaritan. Second, he was a man, and she
was a woman. And third, Jesus was a rabbi. A
conversation between the two of them was not
acceptable in that culture because of what others might think. According to Jewish custom,
a man was not to be alone with a woman at an
inn or talk to her on the street—even if she was
his own wife, sister, or daughter.
Furthermore, if a rabbi or teacher was seen
speaking to a woman in public, his reputation
would be ruined. Yet Jesus broke all these
social barriers and started a conversation with
a Samaritan woman. He began by asking her
for a drink. When she questioned why He was
talking to her, Jesus shifted the conversation
to what He could give her—living water. This
made no sense to her because He had nothing
with which to draw from the well.
However, Jesus clarified the issue by explaining, “Everyone who drinks of this water will
thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water
that I will give him shall never thirst” (vv. 1314). The woman was immediately interested
in this living water. She enthusiastically asked
Jesus to give it to her so she wouldn’t have to
repeatedly come back to the well and haul water
home. But Jesus abruptly changed the subject
saying, “Go, call your husband and come here”
(v. 16). When she told him she didn’t have a
husband, He agreed with her and told her she’d
had five and was now living with someone who
was not her husband.
He wasn’t being critical but was simply help-
ing her to see where she was emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The woman responded the
way many people do today when someone talks
to them about Jesus— she changed the subject.
Although she perceived from Christ’s insight
that He was a prophet, she started talking
about the disagreement between the Jews and
Samaritans regarding where to worship. After
Jesus explained that one day people would worship God in spirit and truth, the woman brought
up the subject of the Messiah, saying that He
would declare all things to them.
When Jesus claimed He was the Messiah,
she immediately believed. She began that day
as a rejected and hopeless woman, but found her
hope restored in Jesus because He accepted her
just the way she was, didn’t condemn her, and
loved her unconditionally. She was no longer
interested in well water because she had found
living water. Leaving her water-pot, she went
into the city, which had previously rejected
her, boldly proclaiming that she had met the
Messiah.
This once discouraged and ostracized woman
became the city evangelist. She was now full of
excitement and purpose, wanting everyone to
know that Jesus had changed her life, and she
would never be the same again. Through her
witness many believed in Him, and they even
invited Jesus to stay with them for a while.
Today people are still going to wells seeking
something that will satisfy their inner thirst,
only to discover that sin is like salt water: It
just increases their thirst for more of the wrong
things. As believers, we are called to pass the
living water on to thirsty people who don’t know
where to find it. Those who are living in disobedience, indulgence, and worldly pursuits don’t
realize that God created them for Himself—to
be His beloved children. That’s why He sent
His Son Jesus to pay their sin debt in full. As
followers of Christ we can lead them step by
step into a relationship with Him just as Jesus
did for the Samaritan woman.
Response
What kinds of wells have you dipped into
to try to satisfy your thirst? What was the outcome? Have you discovered the living water of
salvation in Christ? If so, what are you doing
to pass it on to others?
How can you start a conversation that will
bring someone into a relationship with Jesus?
Dr. Charles Stanley is the pastor at
In Touch Ministries, Inc
7
SWISSLINE
A basic income for all – the
issue before Swiss voters
The Swiss are voting in June on whether the state should pay a monthly basic
income to every citizen. Is it the answer to the changing jobs landscape or an
utopian concept?
The idea is to have an income by which all people could live in dignity. No specific amount has
been set out; it would be up to the lawmakers to
figure that out. But the promoters of the initiative
have mentioned a monthly income of CHF2,500
($2,600) for adults and CHF625 for minors.
"Based on population statistics from 2012, this
means it would cost the country CHF208 billion
a year. This would come to about 35% of GDP. It
is flabbergasting," says Clottu.
Nor does the intiative specify where the money
would come from, so it would have to be worked
out in legislation following a “yes” vote. According to the model suggested by
the promoters, an unconditional
basic income – known in some
countries as a universal basic income – would be mainly funded
from taxation on salaries and the
transfer of social welfare benefits.
For the remaining CHF25 billion or so, there would have to
be more taxes or transfers within
government.
"Finding CHF25 billion
worth of additional taxes, the
way things are now, seems imHow much would be given would be worked out later by lawmakers (Keystone) possible to me," says Clottu.
One idea from the promoters
Put forward by an independent citizen group, would be to increase the current value added tax
the initiative doesn’t have much political backing. (VAT) of 8%. "This would mean purchasing power
In parliament it was rejected by the centre-right would go down and the country’s economy would
majority and gathered little support, even among be weakened," says Clottu.
left-leaning parties. The House of Representatives
"I too am against increasing VAT. But that is just
voted it down by 157 to 19 with 16 abstentions. In one idea among many. Among the promoters, there
the Senate its sole supporter was leftwing Social are those who want a micro-tax on financial transacDemocrat Anita Fetz.
tions. I think that would be the right way to go, as
"It is worthwhile to talk about this proposal, well as a tax on computers. Since the discussion is
because it is an idea that could be a real solution, taking place in the context of the digitalisation of
most likely in 20 or 30 years time, when the digi- work, funding should be sought for it in the same
talisation of work will result in the loss of many area," Fetz believes.
jobs," says the Basel senator.
"It is a far-out idea that is not feasible," says Proactive approach
Raymond Clottu, a conservative right Swiss People’s
In any case, says Fetz, "it is a mistake to talk
Party parliamentarian, pointing to the "enormous about funding now. The question is: what does
society do if the traditional income gained from
costs" it would bring.
The initiative, "for an unconditional basic income", is rooted in debate about a two-speed society
where the pay gap continues to grow. Unlike other
similar initiatives, it focuses on the digital revolution
and the resulting loss of traditional jobs.
Supporters say giving everyone from the cradle
to the grave an unconditional basic income to
cover all essential needs would eradicate poverty
and dependence on social welfare. It would allow
people to choose a job they like, encourage training,
creativity and volunteering. They believe it would
free up more time for caring for children and elderly
and infirm family members.
8
work is lacking? When automation and sophisticated computer programming have swallowed a
lot of jobs in all fields, from the unskilled to the
highly qualified, then we are going to need to find
an answer.” So it is better to be proactive than to
have to fix things after the fact, she says.
"This initiative isn’t proactive, it’s putting the
cart before the horse,” notes Clottu. “In time we will
have to examine how we can generate income, but
in spite of pseudo-robotisation there will always be a
need for the human being. Behind every computer
there has to be a human being. There will be jobs
that disappear, but new ones will appear. Being
proactive means strengthening the links between
training and industry. It is at the level of training
that we should be aware and evolving to keep
up with the needs of industry and technological
developments."
One of the concerns from both from the left and
the right is that the universal basic income calls into
question the whole Swiss social security system.
But Fetz says: "It would not replace all social
insurance schemes. Currently there are 13. Reducing the number would be an opportunity to
adapt the system to new challenges." She believes
we cannot continue with a system based on the
principle of full employment when major changes
are on the horizon.
For Clottu, though, a basic income would "put
at risk a system which is not perfect, but works
well enough, and motivates people to work and get
training. So we should try to improve it, consolidate it", not bring in a basic income which would
burden wage-earners and businesses and "destroy
the motivation to work".
Translated from Italian by Terence MacNamee
Wording of the proposal
The initiative proposes to insert the following article in the
federal constitution:
1. The government will provide a basic income.
2. The basic income will allow the people to live in a dignified manner and participate in public life.
3. Legislation will determine the funding for the system
and the actual amount of the basic income.
What would you do?
Only 2% of Swiss would stop working if the government
paid them a basic income of CHF 2,500 per month; a
further 8% would consider quitting work depending on
the circumstances. That’s according to an opinion poll
carried out on behalf of the promoters of the initiative,
using a sample of 1,076 people.
Source: Swiss News Agency
May/June 2016
SWISSLINE
COMBIEN GAGNENT LES ÉLUS
Parlementaires de tous les
pays, présentez vos fiches
de salaire!
En Suisse, on se targue souvent d’avoir l’un des parlements les moins chers du
monde. Mais les élus helvétiques gagnent-ils vraiment moins que leurs collègues des autres pays? Et quels sont les parlements qui rémunèrent le mieux leurs
membres? swissinfo.ch a mené l’enquête.
La question des salaires des parlementaires et
de leur statut fait régulièrement l’objet de débats.
Récemment, le sénateur zougois Joachim Eder a
déposé une initiative parlementaire pour exiger
qu’on n’accorde plus d’indemnités de nuitées aux
parlementaires qui ne séjournent pas hors de la
maison.
Quelques mois plus tôt, le député Hans Grunder avait de son côté déposé une autre initiative
parlementaire – pas encore traitée par le plénum
– dans laquelle il demandait de limiter la durée
des mandats pour éviter que le législatif fédéral
«ne se transforme insidieusement en parlement
professionnel».
S’il est resté un parlement de milice, soit une
structure qui permet à ses membres de continuer
à exercer un autre travail à côté de leur mandat
politique, le parlement suisse s’est de plus en
plus professionnalisé ces dernières décennies.
En moyenne, le mandat d’un conseiller national
(Chambre basse) implique une charge minimale
de travail de 50% et celui d’un conseiller aux Etats
(Chambre haute) de 70%.
L’Italie en tête du classement
De fait, le système d’indemnités du parlement
suisse permet, à ceux qui le souhaitent, de se consacrer entièrement à la politique, sans se faire trop de
soucis quant à leurs fins de mois. Chaque élu perçoit
un salaire annuel de 26'000 francs, auxquels s’ajoute
une indemnité de 440 francs pour chaque journée
de travail durant les sessions, les séances de commissions ou de groupe parlementaire. En moyenne, ces
indemnités représentent un apport annuel de près
de 40'000 francs pour chaque conseiller national*.
En d’autres termes, sans compter le remboursement
des frais, un parlementaire suisse perçoit un salaire
de près de 66'000 francs (60'000 euros) par an.
Est-ce peu? Beaucoup? Par rapport au salaire
moyen en Suisse – 50'300 euros en 2014, selon
les chiffres de l’OCDE – la différence est minime.
Par rapport à leurs collègues étrangers, la différence
May/June 2016
est toutefois énorme. En Italie, un membre de la
Chambre des députés dispose d’un salaire fixe
presque trois fois plus élevé que celui de son homologue suisse. En tenant compte des indemnités et
des allocations journalières,un député italien peut
gagner plus de 165'000 euros par an, alors qu’un
citoyen italien ‘normal’ doit se contenter d’un salaire
cinq fois inférieur (30'600 euros).
En mettant en relation le salaire moyen des
citoyens lambda et des parlementaires, il apparaît
que ce sont les députés brésiliens qui sont les mieux
lotis. Ces derniers gagnent près de dix fois plus que
le salarié moyen brésilien. Les députés espagnolssont
quant à eux les moins bien rémunérés en Europe
occidentale: leur salaire fixe est pratiquement
identique au salaire moyen de leurs compatriotes.
Un salaire qui peut doubler
L’indemnité parlementaire ne représente toutefois qu’une composante du salaire des élus. En
prenant en compte les différents types de remboursement des dépenses – impossibles à résumer
dans un graphique tant les systèmes sont différents
d’un pays à l’autre – la rémunération annuelle peut
parfois être multipliée par deux.
C’est le cas de la Suisse. Grâce aux indemnités
de repas, d’hébergement, de voyage ainsi qu’une
somme annuelle de 33'000 francs à titre de contribution aux frais de personnel et de matériel, un
conseiller national peut espérer gagner 50'000
euros supplémentaires par an, parvenant ainsi à un
total de 110'000 euros. Et cela même s’il renonce à
engager un assistant personnel. Cette dépense est
en effet versée sur une base forfaitaire. Il n’y donc
pas besoin de justificatif, contrairement à ce qui se
fait dans d’autres pays.
En Italie, chaque parlementaire peut compter
jusqu’à 62'000 euros par an pour couvrir ses
dépenses. Outre le remboursement des frais de
personnel (à justifier, mais dans une limite de
50%), de téléphone ou de déplacement, les députés
reçoivent une carte qui leur permet de voyager gra-
tuitement en train, en bateau ou en avion dans toute
la Péninsule. Et ce n’est pas tout: ils ont également
accès gratuitement au coiffeur, ou plutôt aux quatre
coiffeurs du parlement.
Les députés allemands, français ou britanniques
ne sont pas en reste. En Allemagne, par exemple,
chaque membre du Bundestag est remboursé à hauteur de 52'000 euros par an pour ses frais et reçoit
250'000 euros par an pour le salaire de ses collaborateurs. Contrairement à ce qui se fait en Italie, c’est
cependant l’administration du Bundestag qui verse
directement les salaires, et non le député. En France,
ce que l’on nomme «indemnité représentative pour
les coûts de mandat» s’élève à près de 70'000 euros
par an et celle réservée aux collaborateurs à 114'000
euros. Les députés français peuvent par ailleurs
voyager gratuitement en train, en première classe,
dans tout le pays et effectuer jusqu’à 80 vols internes
par an sans débourser un centime.
Plus d’un million de frais pour les
députés US
En Grande-Bretagne, hormis un remboursement
forfaitaire de 14'500 euros, chaque député peut se
faire rembourser tous les frais engendrés par son
activité parlementaire. En moyenne, cela représente 115'000 euros par an. La Grande-Bretagne
est toutefois l’un des pays les plus transparents
dans ce domaine: chaque note de frais de chaque
parlementaire peut être consultée sur un site internet. Un système mis en place en 2009, après des
révélations sur l’utilisation peu vertueuse de l’argent
des contribuables par des membres de la Chambre
des communes.
Cette transparence est également de mise aux
Etats-Unis, mais elle n’empêche pas les députés
américains de prétendre au titre de champions du
monde en matière de remboursement de frais de
personnel, de voyage et de matériel divers. En plus
d’un salaire annuel de 153'000 euros, les représentants du Congrès peuvent dépenser sans trop
compter: en 2012, chaque député a reçu en moyenne
1,15 million d’euros. Par rapport à certains de leurs
pairs à l’étranger, les 246 membres du parlement
suisse ont donc encore une certaine marge avant de
pouvoir être taxés de dépensiers.
Par Daniele Mariani, (Traduction de l'italien:
Samuel Jaberg), swissinfo.ch
Soyez le premier à donner votre avis sur cet
article:
*pour cette analyse, seuls les membres des chambres
basses des différents pays ont été pris en compte, et non
ceux des sénats; par ailleurs, il n’a pas été tenu compte
de la charge endossée par les élus: dans certains pays,
par exemple, un chef de groupe perçoit une rétribution
plus élevée qu’un ‘simple’ député.
9
BRIEFS
Tigo Invests US$75m To Scale
up its 4G and 3G Sites
Tigo will this year be investing over US$ 75 million
on the network expansion and quality improvement
by scaling up its 4G and 3G sites, fiber network as
well as increasing the number of customer service
outlets countrywide
The Tanzania’s digital lifestyle telecom operator,
Tigo, is now the leading mobile telephone company
with the fastest and widest 4G LTE network in the
Tanzania. Tigo 4G has impacted positively on customers lifestyle enabling them to enjoy a faster internet
connection, five times faster than 3G technology.
From inception in April 2015 in Dar Es Salaam,
the company has expanded to Arusha, Tanga, Dodoma, Morogoro, Moshi, Mwanza, Tabora, Musoma,
Bukoba, Kigoma and Shinyanga and plans are underway to cover all major cities before the end of this year.
The Tigo 4G LTE network provides faster internet
speed to surf and download content and in making
uninterrupted Skype calls. The 4G LTE significantly
enhances the customer experience in in high definition
video streaming. With the current partnership with
YouTube, Tigo customers can also enjoy free video
streaming at night.
Tigo General Manager, Diego Gutierrez said,
“the expansion of 4G technology to all corners of the
country is in line with our commitment to provide
our customers with world class services that enable
them to enjoy a fully digital lifestyle.”
He added. “The countrywide expansion of 4G
once again demonstrates not only Tigo’s leadership
in delivering cutting edge technology and innovation
in Tanzania but also emphasizes our commitment to
increase access to the Internet to as many Tanzanians
as possible.”
Diego Gutierrez assures customers that Tigo is
currently embarking on a network modernization
program which includes increasing capacity to all the
12 4G LTE covered cities as well as increasing considerably the 3G coverage countrywide and optimizing
the 2G network.
Africa Link
Equatorial Guinea
Nationals To Undergo Training
in Oil & Gas Technology
The Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy of
Equatorial Guinea has announced its signing of an
agreement with the Southern Alberta Institute of
Technology (SAIT Polytechnic) to provide comprehensive technical training to Equatorial Guinea
nationals in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada.
The two-year program, which will provide the
10
students with core and specialized oil and gas knowledge, is part of the government’s drive to promote
workforce nationalization in the industry. SAIT’s
International Workforce Development and Workforce Nationalization Training have been successful
in transferring technology to Africa countries, boosting national capacity and promoting local content.
The first partnership between SAIT and Equatorial
Guinea saw the training and development of the first
nationals to work in the oil and gas industry, specifically on the offshore Zafiro complex, the country’s
largest oil field.
“The oil and gas sector is driven by people and
technology. Through this historic training program,
we are investing in both,” said H.E. Gabriel Mbaga
Obiang Lima, the Minister of Mines, Industry and
Energy. “The Government of Equatorial Guinea is
empowering its nationals with the technical tools
they need to lead the next generation of our nation’s
oil and gas industry so we can be better stewards of
our resources.”
Students will receive a world-class curriculum
that covers production field operations, energy asset management, maintenance of operations and
electrical instrumentation and mechanical training.
Underpinning the program will be extensive safety
training. Upon completion, every student will receive
an SAIT Certificate of Achievement and will return
to Equatorial Guinea equipped to handle the rigorous
demands of the oil and gas industry.
Equatorial Guinea produces nearly 300,000
barrels per day of petroleum liquids and exports 3.7
million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas to
markets worldwide.
CARE International, launched in 2014 with the
aim of supporting 15,000 rural Rwandan women to
secure long-term economic independence by providing them with the skills, knowledge and tools they
need to turn their micro enterprises into profitable
and sustainable businesses. To date, it has provided
financial literacy and investment readiness training
to 16,146 women engaged in CARE International’s
Village Savings and Loan Associations in the districts
of Rulindo and Gicumbi. Through the project, 2,353
women have started new businesses, with over 1,535
new jobs being created.
Skilling for Change is supported by Accenture’s
corporate citizenship initiative (http://www.apo.af/
uFi1yo), Skills to Succeed, which is equipping more
than three million people around the world with the
skills to get a job or build a business.
Laurie Lee, CEO of CARE International,
said, “Putting women at the centre of development efforts is a catalyst for fighting poverty. When women are empowered to make
and control their own money, the impact on
their own lives and the lives of their families can be nothing short of life-changing.”
Africa Link
Uganda
ICC Tasks Govt On Bashir
Arrest
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has written to the government seeking an explanation over the
Photo:
Daily Monitor/PPU
Tanzania
Africa Link
United Kingdom
Cherie Blair highlights project
achievements
Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and wife of former British Prime
Minister, Tony Blair, participating in the World Economic Forum meeting in Kigali noted that Women
entrepreneurs have the potential to shape Africa’s
economic future.
She added, “The success of my Foundation’s Skilling for Change project in Rwanda has shown that
when women are given the skills and tools they need
to flourish, entire communities and economies benefit.
Unlocking the full potential of women entrepreneurs
is crucial to driving growth across Africa, and, indeed,
the world.”
The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (http://
www.CherieBlairFoundation.org), Accenture and
President Museveni (right) greets Sudan’s
Omar-al-Bashir at the former’s inauguration
failure to arrest embattled Sudanese president OmarEl-Bashir, who was in the country last week to attend
President Museveni's sixth swearing-in ceremony.
The presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser in a May 17
communiqué directed the court's registry, which is
responsible for external affairs, to request "competent
authorities of the Republic of Uganda to submit by
June 24, their observations with respect to their failure
to arrest and surrender Omar-El-Bashir while present
on the territory of Uganda."
The letter was also countersigned by two other
Judges March Perrin de Brichambaut and Chang-ho
Chung.
May/June 2016
BRIEFS
The ICC's regional outreach coordinator Maria
Kamara confirmed the existence of the document,
saying: "it is just a request for a submission."
The request for submission comes on the heels
of a diplomatic protest memo the court tendered to
Ugandan authorities on May 11, a day before the
swearing-in, reminding the government "of their
obligations, as a State Party, to cooperate with the
immediate arrest and surrender of President Bashir to
the Court, pursuant to article 89(1) of the Statute, in
the event that he attends the said ceremony."
"To the date of this report, no reply to the abovementioned note verbale, has yet been received from
the authorities of the Republic of Uganda," the confidential note sent to the Foreign Affairs ministry last
week reads in part.
Daily Monitor
Madagascar Prime Minister
Resigns
The secretary general of the Madagascar
Presidency, Ralala Roger, said country's government led by Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo
has resigned.
"Resignation of the government was accepted
by Madagascar's President Henry Rajaonarimampianina," Roger said.
He added that those who resigned would continue to perform state duties until the appointment
mate between the president and the prime minister
already spread out in Madagascar.
Mr. Ravelonarivo, a general, was appointed as
the 18th Madagascar's prime minister to replace
Kolo Roger on January 17, 2015.
(Xinhua/NAN)
Tanzania
AfDB approves USD 120 million Line of Credit to CRDB
Bank Plc
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) through its private sector window has approved a USD 120-million line
of credit (LOC) to CRDB Bank Plc (“CRDB”)
in Tanzania.
CRDB, the largest commercial bank in Tanzania, was established in 1969 and listed on the
Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange in 2002. CRDB
has a wide geographical coverage of the Tanzanian market where it operates over 120 branches
across the country and an additional 3 branches
in Burundi. It supports various sectors such as
power, manufacturing, agriculture and SMEs
over the past years. In 2008, the AfDB provided
a risk-sharing facility to promote SMEs in the
agriculture sector, through which more than 270
SMEs have benefited.
Since 2008, CRDB has expanded its SME
loan portfolio and has partnered with more than
2,125 agents or non-banking intermediaries to
widen its reach. The agency banking has enabled
CRDB to provide services in far-flung areas where
establishing branches may be uneconomical hence
efficiently allowing the financially excluded to
access banking services.
Africa Link
Nigeria
France returns Artefact Illegally Exported
Jean Ravelonarivo
of the new members of the government.
Indiscretion from the followers of the outgoing prime minister said that he was forced by the
president to resign. On Wednesday the Prime
minister still said that he would not resign.
Report says months ago, rumours on the stale-
May/June 2016
France has officially presented to Nigeria the
Nok Terracotta that was repatriated after it was
intercepted in France while in transit from Togo
to the United States on 22 October 2008.
French Ambassador to Nigeria Denys Gauer
officially presented the artifact, a Terracotta
figurative sculpture, to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a
recent ceremony to mark the 2016 International
Museum Day in Abuja.
Minister Lai Mohammed receiving the artifact from
Ambassador Denys Gauer
In his address, the Minister thanked the
French Government for demonstrating the will
to fight illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts and
urged other countries to emulate France.
“I will like to thank Ambassador Denys Gauer
for his country’s show of support in our fight
against illicit trafficking of cultural goods and
their untiring efforts at restitution and return
of such items. I wish to recommend this ‘French
Model’ to other countries,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed re-emphasised the determination of this administration to elevate culture
and tourism to the mainstream of the economy in
its quest to diversify the economy, create wealth
and generate employment.
In his remarks, the French Ambassador said
the presentation of the Nok Terracotta was in
line with the International Law and within the
framework of the 1970 UNESCO Convention
aimed at preventing the illicit import and export
of ownership of cultural properties, which was
ratified by both France and Nigeria.
He said the gesture was an illustration of the
French policy to fight illegal trade in cultural
goods.
Ambassador Gauer said the artifact was intercepted in France as it was being taken to the
United States on Oct. 22nd, 2008.
The Nok culture appeared in Nigeria around
1000 B.C. and later vanished under unknown
circumstances around 500 AD. It is the earliest
producer of life-sized Terracotta in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Africa Link
11
CELEBR ATION
By Samuel Polley
Freedom day in South Africa is 27 April. This is the day, 22 years ago when
the country broke away from the clutches of apartheid and held its first nonracial democratic elections. The day is celebrated in South Africa and at all
its diplomatic and other missions the world over.
In Switzerland this year, Ambassador Claudinah
Ramosopele hosted hundreds of guests from Swiss
government and civil society as well as members of
the diplomatic corps and residents of South Africans
in Switzerland.
Ambassador Ramosopele took her guests down
memory lane telling her guests of the importance of
the day and its significance this year. “This year,” she
told them, “marks 20 years of the country’s constitution,” describing it as “ground breaking” due to the
inclusion of the Bill of Rights, which guarantees a
society in which Human Rights are entrenched
She also reflected on Election Day in 1994. “This
election a marked turning point that saw the previously disadvantaged become part of the political
processes. As a mark of the continuing maturity of
our young democracy, the August local elections
will be the 10th round of nation-wide national,
provincial and local elections since 1994.”
She told her audience of how that election
marked “a turning point that saw the previously
disadvantaged become a part of the political processes. As a mark of the continuing maturity of our
young democracy, the August local elections this
year will be the tenth round of nationwide national,
provincial and local elections since 1994.”
She expressed gratitude to the Swiss Federation
for its continued support towards the South African
National Development plan.
In her remarks, the head of the Sub-Saharan
division in the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs,
Mrs. Anne Lugon-Moulin, spoke of the importance
of South Africa to Switzerland especially in the area
of Swiss direct investment, which she described
as huge. She described this as a two-way traffic
as “South Africa’s direct investment is very much
present in Switzerland.”
She spoke of the scientific and economic coop-
1
2
3
4
12
eration between the two countries as well as the
recent deliberations over human rights matters.
“This platform offers us the opportunity to discuss
many matters of common interest, and also, sometimes, our diverging views. In that spirit, we do have
a very good partnership in transitional justice and
dealing with past issues, on which South Africa
has a lot to share.”
The occasion was graced by South Africa’s musical star, Zahara, whose melodic and heart-warming
tunes brought everybody to the dance floor with
her hour-long performance, with Zahara joining
for a dance. In a poignant moment, Zahara sang
her song Mandela. Zahara told Africa Link, in an
interview featured in the next issue, that she had
been honoured when invited by Nelson Mandela
personally to his house to sing for him.
Pic 1 r-l: Her Excellency Claudinah Ramosopele,
her spouse Mr. Augustine Mgoola, Mr. Johann
Paschalis, Counsellor Economic and Political Affairs, with his spouse, Mr. Mr Livy Lesufi from
South African Mission in Geneva. Pic 2 l-r:
Mr Luyolo Thomas, 1st Secretary Economic, Mrs
Maria Bokaba Corporate Service Manager Pic 3:
Amb. Ramosopele receiving a guest
May/June 2016
CELEBR ATION
1
2
3
4
6
7
5
8
Mr. Augustine Mgoola, 2nd right, poses with friends
Pic 1: The guests listening to the
Ambassador’s address Pic 2: The
Ambassador delivering her address
Pic 3 &4: Guests going through
some South African items displayed at the reception Pic 5:
Mrs. Gloria Poku and Mr. Ernest
Amponsah Ghanaian Diplomats
in Berne Pic 6: Amb. Ramosopele and Mrs. Lugon-Moulin
watching Zahara performing
Pic 7: Zahara performing at the
occasion Pic 8 & 10: “Easy Mr.
1st secretary” (pic 8) “It’s freedom
day celebration Mr. Editor.” Mr.
Luyolo Thomas surprised most of
the guests with his excellent dance.
9
10
May/June 2016
13
LEUR «NAÏVETÉ»
Leur « naïveté » a sauvé des
orphelins au Burkina
Par César Deffeyes
A l’aube de la vingtaine, ces deux amies romandes, « amoureuses de l’Afrique »
ont voulu fonder à partir de rien un orphelinat au Burkina Faso. Quinze ans
plus tard, le centre Africatilé existe toujours. Piloté par un groupe d’amis depuis
Lausanne, il offre à 16 enfants la vie digne à laquelle rien ne les prédestinait.
Retour sur une belle histoire.
rité de chacun se reflète dans la vie quotidienne.
De mon côté, ça m’a ramené à l’essentiel et m’a
évité de me perdre à une époque où ma révolte
aurait pu me mener sur de mauvais chemins »,
explique Laure Revertera qui préside depuis peu
le conseil de fondation de Nouvelle Planète tout
en officiant comme économiste et professeure
de yoga « Et puis l’Afrique où nous retournions
plusieurs semaines chaque année nous a rapproché. On y a attrapé plusieurs fois le paludisme,
fait la vaisselle pour cinquante personnes dans
une bassine et même failli y mourir suite à une
Elles ont le regard clair, franc et
pétillant de celles qu’habite la joie
et qui ne doutent de rien. Laure
Revertera, et sa « sœur de cœur »
Séverine Peguiron pourraient mourir
demain, leur courte vie serait en un
sens déjà réussie. Grâce à ces deux
Vaudoises de respectivement 35 et
37 ans, seize orphelins burkinabés
quasiment destinés à finir exploités
dans des mines, dans des réseaux de
prostitution ou de mendicité mènent
en effet aujourd’hui une existence
paisible, encadrés par sept employés
dans l’orphelinat qu’elles ont fondé
à Banfora, ville de quelques 110
000 habitants situé au sud-ouest
du Burkina-Faso. Cela fait quinze
ans que cela dure et chaque année,
depuis Lausanne, Laure, Séverine et
leurs amies se démènent dans une
ambiance bon enfant pour récolter
les quelques 30 000 francs nécessaires au bon fonctionnement de
leur « bébé ».
« Elles l’ont fait car elles ne
savaient pas que c’était impossible
». Cette célèbre maxime colle à merveille au projet Africatilé. Né dans
l’esprit des deux Romandes, alors au
début de la vingtaine, l’idée de lancer
en orphelinat semblait alors un brin
voir totalement naïve à beaucoup. «
Plusieurs personnes ayant plus d’exComme elles sont toutes deux professeure de yoga, les deux jeunes femmes profitent de leur séjour à Banfora pour enseigner
périence dans l’humanitaire avaient quelques postures aux enfants dans et devant le centre.
essayé de nous dissuader en affirmant
qu’il était impossible d’espérer faire vivre une et sur ces « hasards de la vie qui n’en sont pas ». panne de voiture dans la brousse », se souvient
telle structure à distance depuis la Suisse comme
hilare Séverine qui elle-même vit aujourd’hui en
nous le voulions », explique le duo. Mais c’était Le projet d’une vie
enseignant le hatha yoga.
sans compter sur l’amitié unissant les deux
Aussi quand Dieudonné Soimaï Soma, son
« On avait découvert le Burkina à 16 et 18 ans
jeunes femmes et leur complice Sophie Bättig dans le cadre d’un camp de l’ONG Nouvelle Pla- compagnon d’alors, lui-même orphelin lui a
qui rejoindra vite l’aventure, sur leur réseau, sur nète. L’Afrique nous avait reconnectées à la vie et confié son vieux rêve de fonder un centre dédié
leur profonde « histoire d’amour avec l’Afrique » à son véritable rythme. Car là-bas, l’ordre de prio- à ses jeunes semblables, la Vaudoise s’est emballée
14
May/June 2016
LEUR «NAÏVETÉ»
Séverine Peguiron (à dr.) et Laure Revertera contactent
régulièrement la directrice de l’orphelinat à Banfora
afin d’avoir des nouvelles du centre et de leurs
protégés. Crédit : César Deffeyes
Les deux jeunes Romandes ont découvert en fin
d’adolescence le Burkina-Faso, sa pauvreté, la joie
stoïque de ses habitants, et y ont fondé un orphelinat
quelques années plus tard. Crédit : Laure Revertera.
illico. « L’Afrique nous avait tellement nourri
et fait grandir qu’on voulait lui rendre un peu.
Dès le départ avec Laure, on savait que ce serait
un projet de vie et on l’accepté. » Comme pour
montrer que toute l’aventure se déroulerait sous le
sceau de l’amitié, le nom est trouvé autour d’une
bonne bouffe à l’Abyssinien de Fribourg. Ce sera
Africatilé, ce qui signifie « Soleil d’Afrique » dans
un des 60 idiomes du Burkina. La première année
sera toute entière dédiée à la récolte de fond et à
trouver un local. Avec un groupe d’une vingtaine
d’amis séduits par leur enthousiasme, Laure et
Séverine ont vendu des gâteaux au marché de
Lausanne, organisé des concerts de reggae, vendu
des T-shirt et ORGANISER des soirées « repas
de soutien ». « Malgré notre jeunesse et notre inexpérience, nos interlocuteurs croyaient au projet
même si tout restait à faire. Je crois qu’on était
convaincantes car convaincues, résume Séverine.
On voulait 20 000 fr pour pouvoir tourner toute
une année et on y est arrivé !»
et deux d’entre eux y commencent même une
formation professionnelle. Mais au bout de six
mois, les déconvenues annoncées surviennent.
« La directrice gérait mal les choses et on a dû
envoyer une délégation de Suisse pour la renvoyer. Sur place, on a été frappé par la bonté et
les capacités d’une simple nourrisse très croyante
pourtant peu qualifiée sur le papier et on l’a bombardé à la tête de l’orphelinat », raconte Laure.
Quinze ans après, Félicité Medah puisque tel est
son nom y officie encore. « Au début, Dieudonné
lui téléphonait une heure tous les jours depuis la
Une famille pour tout un quartier
Une fois louée une grande maison à Banfora
pour 100 fr par mois, les services sociaux locaux
leur confie rapidement une vingtaine d’enfants
de 2 à 16 ans. La plupart sont toujours au centre
May/June 2016
Suisse mais rapidement on a compris qu’elle était
la perle qui allait nous éviter bien des problèmes.
Les rares moments où elle n’est pas au centre,
Félicité passe son temps à prier pour ceux qui y
sont. Je suis persuadée que cela aide grandement
», confie Séverine.
Au départ, l’association ambitionnait de
replacer ses protégés dans leur « famille manches
longues », à savoir leur famille élargie. Malheureusement, chaque tentative s’est soldée par un
échec car ils y étaient négligés voir maltraités.
« C’est peut-être la preuve que les enfants qui
sont dans notre orphelinat sont les bons », positive encore Séverine en optimiste invétérée. A
Banfora, les gens appellent le centre, « la famille
Africatilé ». C’est tout dire sur la manière dont
il est perçu là-bas. Tous les soirs, des nuées
d’écoliers squattent la cour de l’établissement
pour venir y étudier à la lueur des seules lampes
électriques du quartier. Et les choses tournent en
partenariat amical avec les associations « Amis
des enfants du monde » et avec le « Groupe BléPain Prochain ».
L’association Africatilé peut compter pour
cela sur les dons de sa centaine de membres et sur
les diners de soutien et divers évènements qu’elle
organise chaque année. « Exactement 100%
des fonds ainsi récoltés vont là-bas car grâce au
bénévolat, nous évitons les frais de fonctionnement », précise Anne-Laure Bagutti du comité
de l’association. Pour parvenir à pareil résultats «
avec des bouts de ficelles », elle et les cinq autres
membres du comité de l’association se réunissent
une fois par mois chez l’un ou l’autre. Assister,
comme nous l’avons fait, à l’un de ces meetings
où rires et rigueur font bon ménage permet de
mesurer la complicité unissant les membres de
la joyeuse bande et de comprendre aussi à quel
point le soleil d’Afrique brille toujours en eux.
www.africatile.ch
Mamadou, l’enfant des rues qui peut rêver
de devenir agronome
Parmi les seize orphelins pris en charge par Africatilé, Mamadou est l’un des plus anciens. A bientôt
17 ans, il en déjà passé 11 au centre ! Le jeune burkinabé rêve de devenir agronome et pourrait bien
y parvenir un jour. Il est en effet l’un des meilleurs élèves de sa classe. « Mamadou a 14 sur 20 de
moyenne et est classé 6e sur 65 dans l’école où nous le scolarisons », relève fièrement Félicité Medah,
directrice de l’orphelinat. Pourtant, son jeune protégé revient de loin. A un mois, il perdait son père.
Quelques années plus tard, sa mère se remariait et l’abandonnait lui et sa sœur chez leur grand-mère.
Rapidement, cette dernière devint folle et les abandonna sur un marché avec pour consigne d’aller
vivre chez une lointaine tante. Mamadou avait alors 4 ans. Finalement recueilli par cette fameuse
tante dans une grande pauvreté, il s’est mis ensuite à vivre de mendicité. Heureusement, les services
sociaux s’en sont finalement mêlés et l’ont placé dans un orphelinat à peine ouvert. Africatilé rentrait
dans sa vie. Laquelle ne serait dès lors plus jamais la même…
15
INTEGR ATION
NachbarNET Connects Neighbours for
Cooperation and Mutual Benefit
By Johnson Oduwaiye
NachbarNET is a charitable organisation founded in 1998 to provide a communication
network for the residents of Basel city to enable neighbours who need a service connect with
those who offer such a service for mutual benefit. It is done for a token remuneration or for
an exchange.
It is open to all residents of the city and
mediates between the two groups in an
uncomplicated manner, free of many rules
Switzerland is known for, to realize the
needed services. In addition it brings people together in a social network leading to
new experiences and building new
acquaintances.
The organisation focuses on about
13 areas of everyday life, Mr. Niklaus
Pierre-Alain, the head of the organisation, told Africa Link. He also added
that even though these are the main
areas the organisation is working on
its services are not limited to those
areas and that it is open to new needs
and services that may be requested
for.
Accompany old people
This service is mostly needed and requested
by elderly people who are not able to walk well
and cannot go out alone. This may be because
their children live far away, or are not available
because of the nature of their work to accom-
How it works
The procedure is in the form of
demand and supply – those in need
of a service (demand) and those who
render the service (supply). Both
have to look up the organisation’s
website, fill appropriate form, and
submit it. Persons without access to
the internet can call NachbarNET’s
Mr. Niklaus Pierre-Alain
office, and will be directed on how to
go about it all.
The suppliers of the services range from
pensioners, people with little professional
commitments and students to those who are
in need of a service but could not afford it.
In this latter case what they will do instead is
exchange services. One typical example is in
the area of education. A native English speaker
who wants to learn German will request the
services of a German speaker and they will
both exchange teaching classes as the German
speaker would also wish to learn English. What
NachbarNET does in this case is to connect
the two parties making sure that they live in
the same neighbourhood.
The present list includes the followings:
“An English speaker who
wants to learn German and
ready to teach English can
be provided with a German
speaker who wants to learn
English and ready to teach
German in form
of exchange.”
16
pany the elderly parent for a walk, medical visit
or to go shopping.
Mr. Pierre-Alain further explains: “One
thing common with old people is that they
don’t like to ask their direct neighbours for such
help. But with this system we try to fill in the
gap. There are many kind hearted
people ready to engage in charity.
They want to render their services
to those in need not because they
would be remunerated but simply
because they have a good heart, after
all they only receive a token amount
for ther services.”
Other people in need of the
service include the physically challenged and single mothers with a
baby.
Private Teachers for
Children
Those families whose children
need additional lessons but with
inadequate financial resources can
also contact NachbarNET to connect the families with the required
teachers for private classes. There
are teachers for subjects like mathematics, English, German or French.
New comers to the canton can also
look for exchange classes to learn German while
he/she teaches other language he/she is capable
of like English, Chinese, and French.
Also for a newcomer who speaks only one
language, and wishes to socialise with other
people within the community but could not
because of the language barrier, there are possibilities for such a newcomer to find students
or retired teachers that can help out by either
taking him/her for a sporting or other social
activity.
Childcare
Childcare could be a burden for many
parents, particularly those working and single
May/June 2016
INTEGR ATION
mothers. Through NachbarNET a relaxing
solution could be found as it provides capable
hands to take care of children to relieve their
parents of the daily stress. There are experienced adults and students often from Swiss Red
Cross babysitter course that provide the service.
Learning and improvement of languages
We have only mentioned English, French,
Chinese, above but there are other languages,
of course. Languages like Spanish, Swahili,
Hindi as well as other major European, African
and Asiatic languages. It is not difficult to find
people who enjoy teaching their language and
culture. Equally so, there are people willing to
learn a language through exchange programme.
Auto Dispatcher / Carriage
Another service the organisation provides, is
contact for transportation. There are people who
make their vehicle available for transportation
purposes. Such people can be accessed at the
NachbarNET’s web site. Like in other services
the cost is negligible.
Letter writing and Translation
Many migrants could not read or write German. When they receive letters from the Migration office, their landlord, or insurance company
they are left perplexed as they could hardly do
anything about such letters without any help.
With a request to NachbarNET, the problem
will be solved as there are retired experts in these
fields who are ready to provide assistance. They
not only help with the translation, they can also
write the necessary replies and advise the person
on the next step to take.
Gardening
Gardening is not one of those chores that
many home owners love doing especially when
they get older, their backyards are clear testimony to show for that. On the other hand there
are people who have no garden but whose hobby
is to plant their own vegetables.
With a request made through the organisation a solution could be found. There are
people especially old people, who have a garden
but could no longer maintain it. Furthermore
they do not want to hire professional garderners to take care of it for them. They are, on
the other hand, ready to exchange it with the
understanding that the whole garden will be
taken care of by the hobby-gardener or whoever needs it.
May/June 2016
Computer Aid
Many people in this country keep pets, and
such people do go on holidays creating a need
for somebody to take care of the pet when away.
The care may include taking dogs for walk, and
taking general care of animals when the owners
are not around.
an employment office so it does not pay for any
service rendered, rather the beneficiaries pay. In
difficult financial circumstances NachbarNET
can be asked for support. The mediation is free.
NachbarNET is also a platform for social
network where people of different nationalities,
background and age could meet. Last year it
launched a project called Nachbar Café where
people meet once a month to interact and
socialise.
NachbarNET is registered as a C-Organsiation
in 2007, and is under the patronage of the GGG,
but it is still a legally independent body recognized
by the canton of Basel-Stadt as a charitable organisation. It depends on donations for its activities.
Other areas of assistance include Leisure,
Compost, Plants Casting, Lunch Tables,
Guidance for new residents.
Is NachbarNET’s membership made
up of all who need and render services, old and young people?
Many computer users sometimes run into difficulties that may need some form of expertise.
NachbarNET easily comes in here as they have
a host of computer experts that are willing to
offer their professional services to the non avid
computer user.
Dogs Run / Animal Care:
How does the organisation function?
People searching for any of the above mentioned services could go to www.nachbarnetbasel.ch section demand and supply page, and click
on their area of interest. There is a form to be
filled out and submitted after for the necessary
“There are teachers for
subjects like
Mathematics, English,
German or French that
NachbarNET can connect
with parents whose
children need extra
classes for some
subjects.”
process. That means demand and supply can be
entered directly via organisation website. People
without Internet access can call NachbarNET
office for information.
A token fee is paid for services, and such a fee
varies according to the service. For example accompanying someone for shopping, a visit to the
doctor or for a walk attracts a CHF.10 per hour
fee. In the case of teaching the renumeration is
CHF.20 per hour. NachbarNET does not run
“That’s a good question. We have over 1,000
responses annually,” Mr. Pierre-Alain said. So we
cannot say that those in the demand category are
members. Normally we don’t have membership
per se. Those recognised as members are those
who offer services and have been called upon
regularly to render their services. But officially,
we do not run a membership form of organisation. To be regularly called upon you have to
register two or three services you can render.
Are there Africans and people of African descent who participate in your
services?
Yes, we have a couple of active ‘members.’
Our members spread across nationalities, race,
colour and religion. You have to be open-minded
to be in our service which all in our programme
know and accept.
How do you check and balance the
suitability of the people who participate in your programme?
We check the details of the person who
applies, name, address, what he/she does and
where. It is after verifying these that we add an
individual’s name in our list. When the person
is connected with the person who needs his/
her service we ask the latter to give us feedback
after the first meeting, and after the completion
of the service. We rely very much on feedbacks.
We do remove from our list those people who
do not measure up to our expectation, especially
if they make the same mistake two or three times
– like going late to the client, or when clients
complain of poor services rendered.
When a client lodges a complaint, we discuss
17
INTEGR ATION
NachbarNET Connects Neighbours for Cooperation and Mutual Benefite
with them, especially the elderly ones who request
that we do not send the same person to them for
one reason or another, especially that based on
the person’s colour or nationality. We ask them
to judge by the person’s performances rather than
by the skin colour and nationality since there are
good and bad people everywhere. Sometimes
their complaints are based on prejudice. But if
the level of objection is serious or they insist, we
send someone else as a replacement.
What are some of the benefits, apart
from money, that people gain and
learn from your programme?
First we are not a commercial institution, so
financially we always emphasise on the token
payment from clients. Our aim is to create an
awareness of how Swiss people function, their
living relationship, and to get in contact with
other people, taking part in social activities and
learn how to spend their free time by engaging
in voluntary and charity services. This is an
important lesson.
We are aware that many new migrants in
their 30s and 40s find it difficult to get new
social network. After work and during free
days or weekends they don’t know what to do
as their families are not here. So it is relieving
and a good opportunity to have a platform like
ours where one can get somebody to spend time
together, and engage in social and sporting
activities. Through NachbarNET they could
NachbarNET – nachbarschaftliche Hilfe und
Zusammenarbeit
NachbarNET ist ein 1998 gegründeter Verein, der in der Stadt Basel ein Mitteilungsnetz anbietet, um in der Nachbarschaft Dienstleistungen anzubieten oder
Hilfe zu suchen, so dass beide Seiten davon profitieren können. Dafür wird eine
kleine Entschädigung bezahlt oder ein anderer Dienst angeboten.
Das Netzwerk ist für alle Einwohner der
Stadt offen und vermittelt auf unkomplizierte
Weise (und ohne die berüchtigten Schweizer
Reglementierungen) zwischen den Beteiligten. Es
dient auch als soziales Netzwerk, das Menschen
zusammenbringt um neue Erfahrungen zu machen
und Bekanntschaften zu schliessen.
NachbarNET vermittelt Hilfeleistungen in 13
Bereichen des täglichen Lebens an, wie Niklaus
Pierre-Alain, der Geschäftsführer der Organisation, Africa Link gegenüber erklärt. Er betont, dass
nicht alle vermittelten Dienste in diese Kategorien
fallen, da das Netzwerk auch offen ist für neue
Bedürfnisse oder für Hilfe in anderen Bereichen.
So funktioniert NachbarNET
Das Netzwerk funktioniert aufgrund von
Angebot und Nachfrage – wer eine Dienstleistung
braucht, fragt nach; wer Hilfe leisten will, bietet
an. Beide Seiten können sich auf der Website des
Vereins anmelden, das entsprechende Formular
18
ausfüllen und einreichen. Wer keinen Internetanschluss hat, kann sich telefonisch auf dem
Büro von NachbarNET melden und erhält dort
Unterstützung beim weiteren Vorgehen.
Benutzt wird das Netzwerk unter anderem
von Pensionierten, Menschen mit kleinem Arbeitspensum oder Studenten, die eine Dienstleistung brauchen, aber dafür nicht bezahlen
können. In diesem Fall bieten sie an Stelle einer
Entschädigung oft eine Gegenleistung an. Ein
typisches Beispiel kommt im Bereich Bildung vor:
Ein Englischsprechender, will Deutsch lernen und
sucht Hilfe bei einer deutschsprachigen Person,
die ihr Englisch verbessern möchte. Sie geben
sich nun gegenseitig Unterricht. NachbarNET
vermittelt, damit sich die beiden Lernenden in
der Nachbarschaft finden.
Folgende Bereiche gehören zum Angebot:
Begleitung von älteren Menschen, Nachhilfe für
Schüler, Kinderbetreuung, Sprachen lernen, Fahrdienste und Transporte, Hilfe bei Schreibarbeiten
learn and engage in integration process without
even realising it. It’s worthy of encouraging
as there are many things to learn and gain in
this platform more than in any other similar
platforms.
NachbarNET is not only a platform to get
some daily needs satisfied, and to render relative assistance but also to earn some pocket
money and learn how Swiss people function,
and to understand their living relationship,
help to get in contact with other people, and
engage in social activities for a little fraction
of what it would have normally cost.
We envisage further development in our
activities.
und Übersetzungen, Gartenarbeit, Unterstützung
am Computer, Hunde ausführen und Haustiere
betreuen.
Welche Nutzen haben die Teilnehmer
dieses Netzwerks, abgesehen von den
finanziellen Vorteilen?
Unser Ziel ist es aufzuzeigen, wie die Menschen
in der Schweiz funktioneren, wie sie Beziehungen
leben und mit ihren Mitmenschen in Kontakt treten, wie sie sich sozial engagieren und ihre Freizeit
mit Freiwilligenarbeit bereichern können. Das ist
ein wichtiges Lernfeld.
NachbarNET ist nicht nur eine Plattform, die
hilft, den Alltag zu bewältigen und Unterstützung
zu bekommen, das Netzwerk bietet auch die
Gelegenheit, ein Taschengeld zu verdienen, die
Schweizer besser zu verstehen, neue Menschen
kennenzulernen und am Gesellschaftsleben teilzunehmen – dies alles zu einem Bruchteil der
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NachbarNET
Erlkönigweg 30 / 4058 Basel
Tel: 061 381 02 30
Montag bis Donnerstag 8:30 - 10:30 Uhr
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May/June 2016
PL ATFOR M
Platform on Migration and Development
(mdplatform) Holds Inaugural Assembly
By Samuel Polley/Calixte Ndzana
From left to right: Peter Aeberhard / Secretariat , Pascal Fendrich / Secretariat, Ramla Allani / Fondation Suisse du Service Social International (Tunisian Community Project
living in Switzerland Project), Calixte Ndzana / Africa Link Magazine, Hamdija Kocic / Matica BiH , Khadija Jamac / Somlaliland Swiss, Olivier Feneyrol / Terres des Hommes
Foundation Olivier Feneyrol, Francesca Albanello, Caritas, Secretary
The Swiss Civil Society Platform on Migration and Development (mdplatform)
held its inaugural general assembly on 10 March, 2016 in Berne. The mdplatform represents different stakeholder groups from various categories, such as development and migration associations, migrant associations and representatives
from academic world and the private sector.
The platform was implemented by a consortium on behalf of the Swiss Civil Society’s Global
Programme Migration & Development (GPMD).
With more than 60 participants, the first
General Assembly exceeded the expectations of
the secretariat. The participants were split into
three working groups:
* Migrant and Diaspora organisations,
* Development organisations,
* Others which group the academia, human
rights and unions.
They each dealt with three questions after
which they presented the outcome of their deliberations in a plenary session.
The first group consisting of Migrant and Diaspora organisations, highlighted the importance
of capacity development such as project design,
advocacy, communication and logistics. They also
discussed how the current humanitarian refugee
crisis is being handled from a “migration and development” perspective and how to raise awareness
and build bridges between expert knowledge and
migrants associations.
May/June 2016
The Academic working group expressed its
interest in establishing contact with civil society
as well as to learn more about the practical experiences of migrant associations. They also dealt with
issues such as migration and trade, investment,
governance and development in Switzerland and
citizenship and integration. They stressed the
importance of research and proposed the linkage
of a number of studies so as to ease such research,
especially for civil society organisations.
The development organisations working group
focussed mainly on the transfer of knowledge and
common development of methods and concepts to
reach common results. As with the first working
group, this group also highlighted the importance
of capacity building. They identified labour immigration, human rights, children, education and
empowerment as some of the key areas that should
enable them achieve the desired results.
The recommendations that were made by the
working groups will form the nucleus of the secretariat’s 2016 annual work plan of the secretariat
that is expected to be drafted soon.
Already a core group that will monitor the annual work plan was elected and its members will
hold office for two years.
Core group member / Organisation
Calixte Ndzana / AfricaLink Magzine; Khadija
Jamac / Somlaliland Swiss; Ramla Allani
/ Fondation Suisse du Service Social International (Projet- Communauté Tunisienne Résidente en Suisse); Hamdija Kocic / Matica BiH;
Rosa Maria Losada / World Trade Institute;
Magdalena Urrejola / Gesellschaft für bedrohte
Völker.
Permanent members
Consortium members are Caritas Switzerland (lead) and Helvetas Swiss Inter- cooperation. The Swiss Forum on Migration and
Population Studies and Terre des Hommes
are strategic partners of the consortium.
Geert van Dok / Caritas Schweiz; Claudia
Paixão / HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation;
Olivier Feneyrol / Terres des Hommes Foundation; Vacant / Secretariat (non-voting members); Peter Aeberhard / Secretariat;
Pascal Fendrich / Secretariat.
For more information go to
www.Mdplatform.com.
19
LE AD
72 HOURS BEFORE HIS DEMISE:
Papa Wemba: Retirement
Does Not Exist For Me
George Ola-Davies
It was 5a.m. in Abidjan, 6a.m. in Kinshasa and a voice went silent in the most
spectacular way. That voice had thrilled Africa and beyond for nearly four decades. It was that of Jules Shungu Wembadio Kibumba, popularly known as
Papa Wemba.
Friends and relatives supporting Papa Wemba’s wife,
3rd right.
In his usual ebullient manner he was entertaining a crowded audience at the Festival des Musiques
Urbaines d'Anoumabo, (FEMUA2) in Abidjan, Côte
d’Ivoire. The emotion in Matongé, Bandalingua,
Messina, Kingambua, Kasavubu and all other quarters in Kinshasa was palpable. The wailings, recitation of lyrics of his innumerable songs by vendors,
market women, and bystanders filled the air; Talk
less of the blaring speakers in the city’s many bars
and record stores.
Musicians, government officials, close friends of
Papa Wemba, and even his enemies spoke glowingly
in unison as they hailed his illustrious career. Still
the body was in faraway Abidjan where he slumped
on stage as he was doing the closing session of that
night’s performance.
His death resonated in all of Africa and even
beyond. In the Paris (African) district of “Chateau
Rouge,” a minute silence was observed for him at the
marketplace where he used to be a frequent visitor.
This was followed by wailings by those who shared a
splice of his life when he lived in France in the 1980’s.
In the Matonge district of Brussels that is home to
thousands of Congolese, the atmosphere was sombre
all day long that Sunday when the news broke out.
Many African capitals marked the period in different
ways. In Gabon, for example, the airwaves was filled
with his music all day long on Monday April 25.
Ouagadougou, Bamako, Lomé, Cotonou, Lusaka,
Nairobi all mourned in their fashion.
Less than three days before he breathed his last
breath, he told Radio France International’s Claudy
Siar in an interview: “Retirement does not exist for
me. I am still in the tunnel and I wish to see the
more.” He spoke of transmitting his savoir faire to
generations yet to come. That moment, he said, will
come and “I will be there.” Sadly, those radiant wishes
were dashed 72 hours later. He was to return to Kinshasa, in a wooden box in the hold of an aircraft, to
be lifted by eight smart looking gentlemen in black
suit and white shirt.
Papa Wemba was a simple man. He fulfilled many
of his cherished dreams professionally as well as in
life in general. As late as August 2014, he crowned
his 44-year-old love relationship with Marie Rose
and sundry, the young, the old, celebrated African,
European and even Japanese musicians. His had
associations with Youssou Ndour (Show me the
Way), Koffi Olomide,(Wake Up) Barbara Kanam
(Triple Option).
But it was his association with Peter Gabriel that
galvanized his international outlook. They were on a
three-year world tour that took the group such European cities as London, Paris, Lyon, Brussels, Rome,
Amsterdam, Berlin and Bordeaux among many others. The tour also took the group to various cities in
the United States. His visit to Japan marked another
milestone in his career. It was the first time Japanese
musicians sought to blend their music with Rhumba
and adopted the Congolese icon as one of theirs.
Many people speak of Viva La Musica which he
created in the 1970’s which was also a label. They
forget that his real musical career started as the lead
vocalist of Zaiko Langa Langa. His carrier really
kicked off when he went down to Kinshasa from
his native Kassai Orientale Province as a villager in
a mega city. He established himself and was a fighter
till his death.
In the interview with Radio France, he paid tribute
to Kabasele, (Le grand Kale) Franco, Papa Wendo,
Pepe Kale Tabouley Rochereau, all of whom he had
Papa Wemba
(Mama Amazone) with a ceremonial church wedding
in Kinshasa. The solemnization could be equated
with some of his most successful concerts, albeit with
religious tunes replacing his compositions and the
choir not gyrating on stage. I remember coming out
of the service at the St. Joseph church at Matonge - a
valued programme clutched in my hand as my only
souvenir - and he whispered to me as I congratulated
him: “Brother, it was a long time promise. I have done
it. We have done it.” He wanted to say more but the
many solicitations prevented him. Mama Amazone
was always by his side even before tying the nuptial
chord and she had a strict upbringing of their kids,
none of whom took after their father’s musical career.
Professionally, he had an unmeasurable success
on stage, in studios, training younger artists and
even on camera as an actor. He performed with all
a stint with. He would end with: «May their souls
rest in peace.” Little did he know that he was on his
way to joining them a few hours later. He spoke of
the many lessons he learnt from them, how he had
kept the flame of Congolese Rhumba burning against
all the odds of today’s fast moving world of hip hop,
World Music, Rap and other rhythms.
He did not just stick on to Rhumba. He was one
of the architects of the Soukous movement which
today dots the dance floors in many African settings.
When in 2011 I approached him to lead Congolese
artists in composing a song that preached peace for the
Presidential and Parliamentary elections that had all
the trappings to once again derail the fragile society,
he did not hesitate for one second. He told me that
as long as he was going to be preaching to the entire
population and it was not going to be on the fringes
(continued on page 22)
20
May/June 2016
LE AD
Il était cinq heures du matin à Abidjan et six heures à Kinshasa quand une voix
s’est tue de la plus spectaculaire façon qui soit. Cette voix qui enchantait l’Afrique
et le monde depuis près de quarante ans, c’était celle de Jules Shungu Wembadio
Pene Kikumba, plus connu sous le nom de Papa Wemba.
artistes qu’il a formés, et même devant les caméras,
en tant qu’acteur. Il s’est produit avec tout le monde,
des jeunes aux plus chevronnés et acclamés des
musiciens d’Afrique, d’Europe, et même du Japon. Il
a chanté en duo avec Youssou N’Dour (Show me the
Way), Koffi Olomidé (Wake Up) et Barbara Kanam
(Triple Option).
Mais c’est son tandem avec Peter Gabriel qui a l’a
littéralement propulsé sur la scène internationale.
Les deux artistes ont effectué ensemble une tournée
mondiale de trois ans qui les a conduits dans de nombreuses villes d’Europe (comme Londres, Paris, Lyon,
Avec son exubérance coutumière, il était en train
de régaler le public venu nombreux au Festival des
musiques urbaines d’Anoumabo (FEMUA2) à
Abidjan, en Côte d’Ivoire. À Matonge comme à
Bandalungwa, Masina, Kingambua, Kasa-Vubu et
dans tous les autres quartiers de Kinshasa, l’émotion
était palpable, tandis que s’élevaient sur les marchés,
dans le concert des lamentations, les paroles de ses
innombrables chansons reprises par les vendeurs, les
femmes et les chalands. Sans parler des haut-parleurs
fonctionnant à plein volume dans les nombreux bars
et magasins de disques de la ville.
Des musiciens, des représentants du gouvernement,
des amis proches de Papa Wemba, et même ses
ennemis ont unanimement salué son illustre carrière.
Sa dépouille se trouvait pourtant encore dans cette
lointaine Abidjan, où il s’était effondré sur scène vers
la fin du concert qu’il donnait ce soir-là.
L’annonce de sa mort a retenti partout en Afrique, et
même au-delà. À Château Rouge, quartier africain
de Paris, une minute de silence a été observée sur la
place du marché où il se rendait fréquemment, suivie
des gémissements de tous ceux qui l’avaient connu à
l’époque où il vivait en France, dans les années 80.
Dans le quartier bruxellois de Matonge, où vivent des
milliers de Congolais, l’atmosphère est restée sombre
tout au long de ce dimanche, après l’annonce de la
nouvelle. De nombreuses capitales africaines ont marqué l’événement, chacune à sa manière. Au Gabon,
par exemple, les radios ont diffusé sa musique pendant
toute la journée du lundi 25 avril. Ouagadougou,
Bamako, Lomé, Cotonou, Lusaka et Nairobi ont
exprimé leur deuil à leur façon.
“Pour moi, la retraite n’existe pas”, avait-il déclaré au
micro de l’animateur Claudy Siar lors d’une interview
diffusée sur Radio France Internationale moins de
trois jours avant son décès. “Je suis toujours dans le
tunnel, et j’ai envie d’en savoir davantage.” Il s’était
confié sur son désir de transmettre son savoir-faire aux
générations futures. “Ce moment viendra, et je répondrai présent”, avait-il alors affirmé. Malheureusement,
soixante-douze heures plus tard, ces vœux ardents
devaient être réduits en poussière, tandis qu’un avion
ramenait son corps à Kinshasa, dans un cercueil en
Bruxelles, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin et Bordeaux) et
d’ailleurs. Ils se sont également produits dans plusieurs
villes des États-Unis. Par la suite, la carrière de Papa
Wemba a connu une nouvelle étape importante à
l’occasion de la visite de l’artiste au Japon. Pour la
première fois, des musiciens japonais étaient désireux
de mêler leurs notes aux rythmes de la rumba. C’est
ainsi qu’ils adopté la légende congolaise.
Nombreux sont ceux qui évoquent le groupe Viva
La Musica qu’il avait fondé dans les années 70, et
qui était aussi un label. Ils oublient que sa carrière
musicale a véritablement débuté alors qu’il était le
chanteur principal de Zaïko Langa Langa. Mais c’est
lorsqu’il a quitté sa province natale du Kasaï-Oriental
pour gagner Kinshasa qu’elle a vraiment décollé. Le
villageois qu’il était s’est alors emparé de la mégapole,
où il s’est établi et donné jusqu’à sa mort.
Dans son entretien sur Radio France Internationale, il
avait rendu hommage à Kabasele (Le grand Kallé), à
Franco, Papa Wendo, Pepe Kalle et Tabu Ley Rochereau, avec lesquels il avait brièvement collaboré. “Paix
à leur âme”, avait-il conclu, sans savoir que la sienne ne
tarderait pas à les rejoindre quelques heures plus tard.
Il avait évoqué les nombreuses leçons que ces grands
noms lui avaient apprises, expliquant comment il avait
Papa Wemba: “Pour moi,
la retraite n’existe pas”
George Ola-Davies
May/June 2016
Le corps de Papa Wemba en chapelle ardente
bois soulevé par huit hommes en grande tenue, portant
costume noir et chemise blanche.
Papa Wemba était un homme simple. Il avait réalisé
un grand nombre des rêves qu’il nourrissait, tant sur
le plan professionnel que personnel. Ce n’est qu’en
août 2014 que ses 44 ans d’amour avec Marie-Rose
(Mama Amazone) avaient été officiellement scellés par
un mariage religieux à Kinshasa. À l’exception de ses
compositions qui avaient été remplacées par des chants
religieux et du chœur qui ne tournait pas sur scène,
cette célébration avait été en tout point semblable à
l’un de ses concerts les plus réussis. Je me souviens,
au moment de quitter l’église St Joseph de Matonge,
serrant dans ma main un programme de cérémonie
en guise de seul souvenir, qu’il m’avait murmuré à
l’oreille, au moment où je lui adressais mes félicitations:
“Mon frère, c’était une vieille promesse. Je l’ai tenue.
Nous l’avons tenue.” Il avait voulu en dire plus, mais
les nombreuses sollicitations dont il était l’objet l’en
avaient empêché. Mama Amazone a toujours été à ses
côtés, et ce, bien avant que leur union ne soit scellée.
Elle a donné une éducation stricte à leurs enfants,
dont aucun n’a embrassé la carrière musicale du père.
Professionnellement, il a connu un succès prodigieux,
à la fois sur scène et en studio, auprès des jeunes
21
LE AD
Papa Wemba:“Pour moi, la retraite n’existe pas”
entretenu la flamme de la rumba congolaise envers et
contre la déferlante du hip-hop, de la World music,
du rap et d’autres rythmes actuels.
Il ne s’est pas contenté de se consacrer à la rumba. Il
a été l’un des architectes du soukous, un mouvement
musical qui s’est propagé jusqu’à animer bien des
pistes de danse en Afrique aujourd’hui.
En 2011, lorsque je lui avais proposé de diriger un
groupe d’artistes congolais afin de composer une
chanson pour la paix en vue des élections présidentielles et parlementaires qui avaient toutes les
chances, une fois de plus, de faire dérailler une société
déjà fragile, il n’avait pas hésité une seule seconde. Il
m’avait répondu qu’à partir du moment où son prêche
était destiné à l’ensemble de la population et qu’il ne
risquait pas d’être récupéré à des fins politiques, il
était prêt.
La voix angélique et haut perchée de Papa Wemba
s’était alors élevée, magistrale et dominant les solos de
guitare et les guitares rythmiques si caractéristiques
de la musique congolaise. Cette voix était reconnaissable entre toutes. Il était resté fidèle à sa rumba, ce
qui lui avait d’ailleurs valu le surnom de “The King”
(“Le Roi”), nous offrant de magnifiques chansons,
comme Maria Valencia (1992), Mwana Molokai, Kuru
Yaka, Amalengo, Africain comme toi, et une kyrielle
d’autres qui continueront d’embellir son répertoire
bien après sa mort.
Sa présence sur scène était électrisante. Il bondissait,
roulait des mécaniques et entraînait la foule qui reprenait par cœur les refrains de ses nombreuses chansons.
Il s’efforçait de rassembler la jeune génération, non
seulement à Kinshasa où il vivait, mais partout en
République démocratique du Congo, de Lubumbashi à Mbandaka, en passant par Bukavu, Goma,
Kananga, Kindu et même en République du Congo
voisine. Ceci n’est aujourd’hui plus qu’un rêve si l’on
partage l’avis d’un de ses successeurs, Koffi Olomide,
qui a déclaré, à l’annonce de sa disparition, “[qu’]avec
sa mort, la musique congolaise a[vait] perdu toutes ses
valeurs”. Peut-être pas toutes, mais une grande partie,
car la tendance aujourd’hui consiste à vivre avec son
temps, c’est-à-dire celui d’un mélange des genres qui
risque fort d’avoir raison de la rumba authentique.
En dehors de sa carrière musicale, c’est sans doute son
style vestimentaire flamboyant qui a le plus marqué
les esprits. En effet, il portait toujours de coûteux
vêtements de créateurs et on le surnommait “le pape
des sapeurs”, le terme “sapeurs” signifiant ici “Société
des ambianceurs et personnes élégantes”.
Il avait un jour déclaré sur une chaîne de télévision
de Kinshasa qu’il avait 34 enfants, dont il s’occupait
tous. “À la maison, je ne suis pas Papa Wemba. Je ne
suis pas ce personnage que l’on célèbre. Je suis tout
simplement Papa. Je n’ai jamais imposé quoi que ce
soit à mes enfants. Ils sont libres de faire ce qui leur
Papa Wemba: Retirement Does Not Exist For Me
(continued from page 20)
of any political grouping, he was ready.
Papa Wemba’s angelic high pitched chord soared
markedly above the strings of the distinctive Congolese solo and rhythm guitars. That voice could hardly,
if ever, be mistaken. He stuck mainly to his Rhumba
music for which he was labelled “The King” and
graced the scene with such tunes as Maria Valencia,
(1992) Mwana Molokai, Kuru Yaka, Amalengo,
Africain comme toi, and a myriad of others that will
embellish his repertoire even in death.
On stage he was electrifying. He would jump,
swagger and would move the crowd with him as they
render the chorus of his many songs.
To the younger generation, he had been working
to bring them together not only in Kinshasa where
he lived but across the whole of the D.R. Congo from
Lubumbashi, through Bukavu, Goma, Kananga,
Mbandaka, kindu and even in neighbouring Republic
of Congo. This has now remained a dream but as one
of the offspring, Koffi Olomide said just after hearing
22
the news of his death: “With his death, Congolese
music has lost all its values.” Maybe not all but a huge
slice as the tendency today is to roll with the times
with different woven melange that may engulf the
real Rhumba music.
Away from his musical career he would be best
remembered for his flamboyant style of dressing: He
was always in expensive designer clothes and was
nicknamed le pape des sapeurs” or the Pope of Sapeurs.
Sapeurs itself means (la Société des ambianceurs et
personnes élégantes,) loosely translated as “a society
of posers and people of elegance”
He once told a television channel in Kinshasa that
he had 34 children and that all of them was being
cared for. “At home I am not Papa Wemba. I am not
that celebrated figures. I am simply Papa. I have not
imposed anything on my children to do. They are
free to do whatever they want to and we will support
them as long as it is for their lifelong benefit.”
But there were some dark sides to his life’s story. In
plaît et je les soutiendrai toujours, du moment que
c’est pour leur bien.”
Mais il a également connu des heures sombres. En
2004, la justice française l’avait reconnu coupable
d’avoir fait entrer illégalement des étrangers en
France, le condamnant à une peine de prison pour
cela. Il avait reconnu avoir accepté de l’argent de
certaines de ces personnes, soutenant toutefois que
c’était dans le but de les extraire de leur misère en
République démocratique du Congo et de leur offrir
une vie meilleure en France. Tous étaient entrés en
Europe en tant qu’artistes de remplacement pour son
groupe. Sa réputation en avait été considérablement
ternie, l’Angleterre lui refusant même un visa d’entrée
l’année suivante.
Après avoir purgé une partie de sa peine, il avait
été libéré et renvoyé au pays, où il fut accueilli en
héros. Cet événement avait profondément changé
sa vie. Devenu fervent Catholique, il était revenu
aux sources de sa carrière de choriste, mais cette fois
pour composer des chants religieux aux rythmes
de rumba.
Papa Wemba nous a quittés. Pour son enterrement,
il a reçu sur sa terre natale les honneurs dus à une
vedette et à une personnalité respectée. Des officiels
du gouvernement au plus haut niveau, des politiciens,
des artistes et des fans venus de tout le pays lui ont
rendu un dernier hommage le lundi 2 mai. Il nous
a quittés, mais sa musique reste vivante.
Adieu à toi, Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba,
dit Papa Wemba.
2004 he was convicted and sentenced to a jail term in
France for bringing in illegal aliens into the country.
He admitted taking money from some of the people
but claimed it was to take them out of their misery
in the D.R. Congo to a better life in France. They
had all come into Europe as back up artists for his
group. The conviction cost him a lot of credibility and
was refused visa to go to Britain the following year.
After spending a fraction of his jail term he
was released and went home to a hero’s welcome.
That transformed his life and he became an ardent
Christian and went back to where he started off as
a chorister, but this time composing religious songs
with Rhumba rhythms.
Papa Wemba may have gone. He received a
fitting burial of a star and a respected personality
in his homeland. Government officials from the
highest level, politicians, artists, well-wishers from
all over the country paid their last respect to him
on Monday May 2. He is gone but his music is still
very much alive.
Fare thee well, Jules Shungu Wembadio Kibumba,
Papa Wemba.
May/June 2016
ECONOMY
AMB. COMISSÁRIO PRESENTS SCSA
Mozambique’s Five Main
Economic Objectives
By Samuel Polley
The situation was hardly propitious for the Mozambican Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent representative to United Nations Organisation at Geneva
(UNOG), Pedro Comissário, when he met with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce
for Southern Africa (SCSA.)
Bank, the African Development Bank (ADB), the
European Union, the United Kingdom, Austria,
France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Canada, Sweden,
Switzerland, Ireland, and Finland.
These did not appear to have deterred Ambassador Comissário from painting the existing brilliant
picture of his country’s opportunities. He urged
SwissCham to pursue its long nurtured programme
of opening a chamber in Mozambique assuring them
that a close relationship between his office and SCSA
was one of his priorities. He also promised to work
hand in hand with them to make that possible.
Ambassador Comissario
The meeting was to present the country’s favourable conditions for foreign investors and to convince
the chamber to join the group of investors that had
been helping Mozambique’s economy grow and
providing employment for its teeming population.
But the meeting came against the backdrop of
a myriad of hiccups hitting the country which was
hitherto considered one of the success stories on the
African continent.
Once blighted by a civil war that altered all forms
of development, Mozambique resurged from that
dull period with significant economic growth and
a seemingly healthy political climate until very recently when 14 donor nations and funding agencies
suspended financial aid to Maputo. The suspension
came in response to revelations about over a billion
USD worth of undisclosed government loans.
The budget support group, known as the Programme Aid Partners (PAPs), consists of the World
May/June 2016
As part of his presentation he spoke of the successful multi-party elections in 2014 which was the
fifth since 1994 after the Rome peace deal in 1992
that brought an end to the seemingly interminable
civil war. It was the first time, he said, that a third
party (The Mozambique Democratic Movement)
joined the political foray in addition to the two well
established RENAMO and FRELIMO. The MDM
even won 17 seats in the 250 seat-parliament, he told
them. ‘That this time we had a third party, shows the
vitality of our politics, and also the fragmentation of
the dualism of RENAMO and FRELIMO.”
Ambassador Comissário reminded his audience
of Mozambique’s long drawn civil war. But he also
told them of the current crisis in certain parts of
the country. He said that the opposition party, RENAMO, have been carrying out daily attacks adding
“even though we had successful elections in 2014 we
have this negative situation that results in violence.”
RENAMO leader, Alphonso Dhlakama, he says,
“expects to win, but he does not succeed. When he
loses, he goes to the bush and starts fighting again.”
He also believes that RENAMO have not given up
all their weapons since the peace agreement.
Ambassador Comissário is just one of the many
senior government officials making a strident effort to
attract investors into his country. On April 19, President Filipe Nyusi was himself in Berlin, Germany
where he held talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel
on the prospects of assistance with peace dialogue
with RENAMO. RENAMO itself has substantial
support, which some observers argue is because of the
apparent misuse of power by the FRELIMO party
that has been in power since 1994. Rural dwellers feel
left out of the economic boom whilst at the same time
those within the FRELIMO hierarchy have been
amassing massive fortunes. The Ambassador said
that the President is “prepared to do anything within
the constitution,” to resolve the current situation.
During the talks in Germany, President Nyusi
and a large delegation of business people discussed
economic ties between Germany and Mozambique.
Before the resurgence of the current crisis in
2014, growth rate of Mozambique was 7%, but the
Ambassador said, “For the first time this year, we are
not expecting to even reach 6%. The most optimistic
figure is that expected to be about 5.7%.” While in
general terms this is good, he said, “In the current
world economic climate, Mozambique will be disappointed with signs that their economic growth is
beginning to slow down.” He described the current
period as transitional as the government is taking
serious measures to revitalise the economy.
As the government continues to invite foreign
investors to Mozambique the Ambassador assured
SwissCham members that his country has been
learning from the mistakes of other African nations
“that have put all their eggs in one basket”. Rather
than just focussing on the oil and gas markets, which
are vulnerable to external influences, it is seeking to
boost the agricultural sector, which he says is currently “dormant.” Tourism, which has an unfulfilled
potential in Mozambique requires “further investment in infrastructure.” He explained that many of
the lodges and hotels along the coastline were built
and owned by South Africans, which is good because
they encourage tourism but one of the downside of
such ownership is it does not bring tangible profits
to Mozambique as the funds are repatriated.
The diplomat enumerated his country’s five main
economic objectives as:
•Achieving economic growth of 5.7% per annum; previously this was set at 7.5% growth.
• Encourage investment they are trying to “improve the business environment”, making it easy to
accept business into the country.
•Build structural economic infrastructure, for
example road networks, which are currently receiving
a lot of investment.
• Reduce unemployment and
• Reorganise the public administration sector.
23
ECONOMY
Mr. Saager
On the question of the alarming mass exodos
of Mozambicans in recent months he said: “This
is also a matter of concern to the government”,
adding that the authorities have sent delegations
to the affected areas on a fact finding mission in
order to find solution to the problem. He outlined a
number of reasons for this recent migration. Firstly,
he said, it is the instability caused by RENAMO
which wants to wholly control the provinces where
they won majority seats during the 2014 election.
“They used those neighbouring territories to terrorise and wipe out the authority of the central
government, attacking government institutions and
people who sympathised with FRELIMO.” But in
addition he said these areas had been hit by severe
drought and famine and so the people have been
looking for solace elsewhere. The foreign minister
had himself gone to meet with his compatriots in
neighbouring Malawi to where they fled in large
numbers and reassured them of the government’s
support with a promise that everything was being
done to facilitate their return rapidly and safely.
In his closing remarks, the Ambassador spoke
of China’s influence in Mozambique and the rest of
Africa in response to queries from his interlocutors
about Beijing’s growing influence on the continent.
China ranks amongst Africa’s biggest trading partner and in 2014 completed $166 billion of trade
with the continent. This figure is expected to hit
the $1.7 trillion mark by 2030. Mr. Comissário
Mozambique: Govt Looks to China
for Financial Help
Mozambique is struggling with a financial and economic crisis. After his pleas
for help went unheeded by Europe, President Nyusi is now hoping for a bailout
from China, wrote Antonio Cascais
Mozambique's head of state Filipe Nyusi (shown
above) is under heavy pressure. For months he had
been denying media reports about financial scandals,
corruption and misappropriation of state monies. But
in April Nyusi had to own up to hidden public debt
to the tune of 1.25 billion euro ($1.4 billion), accumulated by his predecessor and mentor Armando
Guebuza. Nyusi's admission further highlighted the
depth of the country's economic crisis.
Western donors reacted swiftly: the International
Monetary Fund stopped the transfer of the second
installment of a previously authorized credit and
suspended ongoing negotiations with Maputo on
financial aid. The group of 14 main donors, known
as G14 for short, temporarily suspended financial
support for the state budget. And the US announced
a review of bilateral development cooperation.
The president's apology
Nyusi, who was elected president in 2015, is
trying hard to limit the fallout. Recently he em-
24
barked on a charm offensive which took him to
Brussels and Washington. According to analysts,
this didn't work as well as he had hoped. Donors
were more interested in understanding how the
undisclosed debt came about. The loans were made
by the Swiss bank Credit Suisse and the VTB
bank of Russia, ostensibly to public enterprises
EMATUM and Proindico. Both banks have
refused to comment. Independent analysts found
out that a large part of the undeclared loans was
used to buy arms.
The upshot was a steep increase in public debt,
which now represents more than 70 percent of the
country's Gross Domestic Product. In 2012, before
Mozambique was hit by a drop in commodity
prices, it was a mere 42 percent.
Recently the government publicly apologized for the scandal. It promised to reduce
the deficit without increasing taxes or cutting
expenditure any further, a move analysts believe
is impossible.
was quick to point out both the negative and positive aspects of doing business with China. “In my
opinion, the negatives are the way they do business
in some sectors”. He alluded to their lack of respect
for the environment and sustainability, particularly
in the forestry sector, where he says he has personally seen forests being completely devastated by
Chinese logging. “It is not only a problem of the
Chinese, it is our problem as well.” Unscrupulous
business people that are looking for quick profit
at any cost do allow people to come in and cut the
trees just because they have money. “
When addressing the issue of government-togovernment relationships, Ambassador Comissário
said: “With China it is better than with Europe;
you don’t have conditionalities. Getting credit
from European governments or institutions is
not based on morality or any other standard, it is
just based on unilateral vision of what European
interests are.” He then compared the sanctions
on Zimbabwe from European nations, due to
human rights violations, to the lack of sanctions
on Saudi Arabia. “Double standards” according
to the Ambassador.
Will China help?
This is where Beijing comes in. President Nyusi
is currently in China for a week-long official visit,
accompanied by a delegation of high-ranking government officials. "I want to point out that China is one
of our most important economic partners," he said
in the eastern province of Jiangsu where he praised
trade relations with Beijing. A meeting with Chinese
President Xi Jinping is scheduled in the coming days.
This is the head of state's second bilateral meeting in the last six months. The first occurred on the
fringes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
(FOCAC) in South Africa in December 2015. At
the time, Xi pledged up to $60 billion to the African
continent in the form of soft loans and development
aid. Mozambique acquired the status of "priority
partner" and was promised more than $5 billion
from China in the following two years.
The Chinese loans flowed mostly to big construction projects, including a power line between the
provinces of Zambezia and Nampula in northern
Mozambique. This project alone received $400
million. The state-owned newspaper "China Daily"
called the East African country a "rough diamond"
that was waiting to be polished by its most important
Asian partner. It went on to say that Mozambique
was a "golden gate into southern Africa", a "territory
with boundless natural resources" and "an enviable
geographic location."
May/June 2016
BOOK FAIR
SALON DU LIVRE ET DE LA PRESSE DE GENÈVE
Le 13ème Prix Ahmadou Kourouma
attribué à Mbarek Beyrouk
Par Marie Rumignani
Dans le cadre du Salon africain du livre, de la presse et de la culture de Genève,
le Prix littéraire Ahmadou Kourouma, dédié à la mémoire de l’écrivain du même
nom, a été remis le vendredi 29 avril au mauritanien Mbareck Beyrouk pour son
roman « Le tambour des larmes ».
Decernée en présence de Madame Chirstiane
Kourouma, l’oeuvre lauréate de 2016 raconte
l’histoire de Rayhana, jeune fille de bonne famille, non mariée, et qui entame une grossesse. Sa
mère l’oblige à abandonner son bébé pour éviter le
déshonneur. Rayhana s’enfuit en emportant avec
elle le tambour de la tribu. Célébration du désert
et de ses contradictions, sur fond d'intrigues familiales et de rivalités amoureuses passionnelles,
M. Mbareck Beyrouk avec le chèque de son prix
le roman rend compte de la difficile rencontre
entre l'univers séculaire des peuples nomades et
une modernité parfois agressive.
Né en 1957 à Aztar, dans le Nord Mauritanien, Mbareck Beyrouk a étudié le droit avant de
devenir journaliste. En 1988, il crée le premier
journal indépendant de son pays et se bat pour la
liberté de presse et d’opinion. Nouvelliste avant
tout, il publie son premier roman Et le ciel a
oublié de pleuvoir en 2007, suivit par un recueil
May/June 2016
intitulé Nouvelles du désert. Aux éditions Elyzad
paraissent Pour qui refleurira le printemps ? dans
le volume Rêves d’hiver au petit matin et le roman
Le Griot de l’émir. Auteur reconnu en Mauritanie, il écrit pour que sa culture ne meure pas.
Le Sénégalais Moahmed Mbougar Sarr,
lauréat 2015, et le Togolais Sami Tchak, lauréat
2007, étaient présents à la remise du prix, de
pération suisse (DDC) et par l’Organisation
Internationale de la Francophonie, récompense
un ouvrage, un essai ou une fiction consacré à
l’Afrique noire, et dont l’esprit d’indépendance,
de lucidité et de clairvoyance s’inscrit dans le
droit fil de l’héritage légué par le grand écrivain
ivoirien.
Ces cinq dernières années, le Prix Ahmadou
Kourouma a été remis à :
2015 : Terre Ceinte (Présence Africaine) de
Moahmed Mbougar Sarr
2014 : Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit (Grasset)
de Mutt-lon
M. Mbareck avec un exemplaire de son livre
même que l’ambassadeur de Mauritanie aux
Nations Unies à Genève, son Excellence Madame
Salka Mint Bilal Yamar et Monsieur Ridha Bouabid, représentant permanent de l’Organisation
Internationale de la Francophonie auprès des
Nations Unies. L’auteure haïtienne Ketly Mars,
lauréate du Prix Ivoire 2015, assistait également
à la cérémonie.
Le Prix Ahmadou Kourouma, soutenu par
la Direction du Développement et de la Coo-
2013 : Le terroriste noir (Seuil) de Tierno
Monénembo
2012 : Notre-Dame du Nil (Gallimard – Continents noirs) de Scholastique Mukasonga,
2011 : Photo de groupe au bord du fleuve (Actes
Sud) d’Emmanuel Dongala
Avec le soutien de la Direction du Développement et de la Coopération (DDC)
et de l’Organisation Internationale de la
Francophonie.
25
MEETING
FIRST SWISS ALPHA GROUP MEETINGS SPRING 2016
Business Leaders Take
Control of Their Businesses
and Move Forward
By Staff Reporter
The Alpha Group (TAG) which brings together entrepreneurs for peer-to-peer
exchange and support in a unique, member-driven experience held its inaugural meeting in Switzerland on April 14. The meeting was held in Schlieren, and
brought together 20 participants from different business sectors.
Ms. Patricia Jehle
26
The TAG programme aims to assist local
businesses double their profits within two to
three years. So said Ms. Patricia Jehle, who was
appointed the Group’s Regional Director for the
two areas for English-speaking groups.
She said “The Alpha Group is part of the
global Noble Manhattan group, which has an
outstanding track-record of aiding business
leaders achieve significant changes and developments in their businesses. At monthly advisory
board meetings, TAG members participate in
workshops focusing on key elements of business
development covering a wide range of topics, and
learn best practices from other business leaders
during intensive strategic design sessions.”
Members also receive personalized assistance
in progressing projects and overcoming problems through ‘mastermind’ sessions. During
these sessions, she added, fellow members and
business leaders combine their collective wisdom
and experience to brainstorm strategies and
solutions, and drive their businesses forward.
“Our members leave these monthly meetings
with clear strategies mapped out, and step-bystep implementation plans tailored to their own
unique business requirements.”
Membership of an Alpha Group is exclusive
with a limit of 20 members, and a strict ‘no-competition’ policy. To ensure that there is no rivalry
no two members operate in the same business
sector. And the ‘broad-spectrum’ approach to
membership also ensures that members bring
together the widest possible range of knowledge, skills and experience to assist each other in
achieving maximum results.
“Membership gives business owners and senior
decision makers regular access to their very own
external ‘board of advisors’ dedicated to assisting
them fulfil their commercial ambitions. In addition they do have access to online resources, and
a global network of contacts.
The Alpha Group’s Managing Director,
Colin Lindsay, said: “The Group aims to assist
businesses to double their profits within two to
three years. That may seem ambitious, but Noble
Manhattan has an established history of members
achieving much more than this in many cases.”
Ms. Jehle is now establishing groups in the
Zürich and Baden areas for existing businesses
seeking new growth and increased profits.
For Further information, contact Patricia at
patricia.jehle@the-alpha-group.biz
Details could be found at our website:
www.the-alpha-group.biz
May/June 2016
BOOK: NEW PUBLICATION
In a world characterized
by violence and conflict
in many regions, there is
brokenness that occurs at
the personal, family, community, and societal levels
in virtually all countries of
the world as we push into
the second decade of the
twenty-first century. Everywhere there is the need for
the reconstruction of lives,
families, communities, and
whole countries and regions. This need manifests
most strongly in Africa,
which has had more than
its fair share of disruption
and brokenness. «A time
to build» models the reconstruction strategy of
Nehemiah, a Jewish exile
and cup-bearer to the Persian Emperor Artaxerxes
who was appointed Governor of Judea by the Emperor in the 5th century BC
to reconstruct the broken
walls of Jerusalem. His
strategy is fresh and relevant to individuals, families, communities and nations needing reconstruction today.
Available at:
Trafford bookstore/Time to build: www.trafford.com
Amazon: Amazon.com/Time to build
May/June 2016
27
FORUM
By Staff Reporter
Sincere and objective dialogue leads to understanding, and understanding in this
case leads to respect which the Swiss African Forum (SAF) and Police in canton
Berne aim at to address their differences.
need to have a round
table discussion to understand each other,
the cultural divide and
the system in operation.”
He added that there
was a need to put confidence-building measures in place, a situation where fear of those
who are to protect the
community take them
at a glance as potential
r-l:Giorgio Andreoli and Annette (GGGfon), Issa Abdullahi (SAF),
suspects, “ is not acManuel Willy Regional Police Chief Berne, Mess Barry (Stadtrat Berne),
ceptable”.
Richard Fonje (Musician) and representative of SDC.
To embark on the
That such a dialogue has been welcomed by project they needed a partner at least which they
Police authorities in canton Biel and Zurich, and sought and found in GGGfon who have been busy
more cantons are positively considering same, documenting Police harassment. Together they
shows that the Dialogue is appreciated as a right proposed this project with the help of Contactmeans to tame the unplatable relationship between citoyennetes, who supported the project through
the police and African community in the country. organise Dialogue 1 and Dialogue 2.
Earlier this year the SAF in collaboration
Mr Abdullahi expressed African community’s
with Gemeinsam Gegen Rassismus and Gewalt appreciation to among others,the GGGfon, the
(GGGfon) held a session on the ‘Dialogue Project Canton Police Berne especially Mr Manuel Willi
with the Police’ at the Kornhaus, Berne. At the the Regional Chief, ISA Bern, KI Bern “for their
well-attended gathering was a cross section of the support, cooperation, patience and tolerance.”
In the course of the project:
African Community from all over Canton Bern
and neighbouring cantons, which was graced by • Several small round table meetings regarding
the Police Regional Chief Mr Manuel Willie, trust building measures were held with the Police.
representatives of Swiss Development Corporation (SDC), Kompetenzzentrum Bern, ISA Bern,
diplomats and media.
This was as a backdrop of accusation and
counter-accusation by the two parties. The African
community had always accused Police of engaging in an act of aggressiveness, indiscriminate
controls, harassments and lack of respect for their
members. On the other hand, the Police had
complained that Africans tend to be aggressive
when ‘controlled’.
The National coordinator of SAF, Issa Abdullahi recalled that the ‘Dialogue Project with police’ “was initiated as an outcome of a brainstorming session where we agreed that a Dialogue with
police should be employed as a means of finding
a lasting solution rather than confrontation. We A cross section of the attendees
28
• The discussions were very open and productive;
touching on cultural issues, proper education and
orientation, as well as human rights.
• Twice Open Forums were held in Berne in
which the African community met with the police
and engaged in face to face objective dialogue.
And once in Biel.
• A meeting of heads of African Organisations
was earlier held in March 2015 to update the
community on what SAF is doing and to seek
their support and cooperation.
• As a follow up, SAF held a forum for the African
community in cooperation with African Diaspora
Council and the ‘Ubuntu Arbeitsgruppe’ to
discuss racial issues and also to update the community in order to see a unified way forward in
the Dialogue with the Police.
• An Info Flyer on the rights and privileges of
the members of the community and the Police
was produced and distributed in African Centres,
Integration offices, Asylum centres and African
Embassies, as well as to individuals.
The Forums have created awareness among the
African community of their rights and privileges,
and opportunities for both parties to express
themselves in general and individual view.
A forum like this also offers the community
the rare chance to assess themselves on the questions: Who are we? What can we do? What do
we stand for? What are our advantages and disadvantages? Can we stand in one voice against a
May/June 2016
FORUM
common cause? How do we react to those who
are soiling our name?
While the participants admitted and acknowledged that the job of the police is important, and
the community should not interfere with their
job, they also insisted that they must be addressed
with respect.
“Respect must be from both sides. We have
however made it clear that what we are calling for
is that the community be treated just like others,”
Dr Sakem a key member of SAF explained.
“No controls based on the colour of the skin
and no harassment,” added Doumbia Morisara
of SAF.
The Project made some visible achievements,
Some officials of SAF at the Dialogue Forum
but more is needed to mobilise the community to
create more awareness of the development among
their peers in the country.
What has been achieved has been achieved
according to the National Co-ordinator include:
• Full recognition and appreciation of our problems by the Police and the media,
• A visible improvement in the way the police
confront us,
• The Police Chief acknowledged that the Project
has been helpful and useful, and has developed
interest in further cooperation on similar projects
in the future,
• Info Card on the rights and privileges of both
sides have been produced and distributed to
Another cross section of attendees
Meet Kenya Swiss Connection
By Correspondent
The Kenya Swiss Connection (KSC) inaugurated the founding of the association
recently in Switzerland with an all-night social gathering which brought Kenyans
all over Switzerland and neighbouring countries together in line with its aims.
In a brief chat with Africa Link, the President
of KSC, Mrs Sara Müller-Okello said: “In our bid
to learn different cultures while living here, we did
not only discover how diverse they are, but we also
saw why it`s important to try and bridge them.”
This motivated some Kenyans with some Swiss
to set out to found the association with the moral
and financial support of some cooperate bodies,
governments and individuals resulting in the official launch of the Kenya Swiss Connection on
the 28 Nov 2015.
The KSC aims among others at fostering unity
among Kenyans residing in Switzerland and
neighbouring countries and also provides a forum
for anyone in these countries interested in Kenya.
May/June 2016
Africans and it has become part of the education
material for the police,
• The Police participated actively in the Football
event in 2013 and the Cultural festival in 2015,
• The Police have also intensified their efforts to
recruit qualified and interested Africans into the
Cantonal Police Force,
• Other Cantons have indicated interest in this
initiative,
• Human rights issues and some outcomes of
this Dialogue have been imbedded into the Police
training Programme,
SAF explained, “To win some respect and
recognition demands a lot of investment in terms
of time and resources. It is a worthy investment.”
“We have brought many speakers, from an
aspiring Kenyan presidential candidate, seasoned
Swiss politicians to ordinary people to speak at our
events since KSC was launched. They had taken
to the podium with emotional and life changing
presentations,” she said. She added that KSC plans
to continue in this trend, and looking forward to
welcoming people who will speak on various issues
like current affairs, history, traditions, business etc.
KSC is currently, voluntarily run by an executive council made up of nine councillors and the
standing committees. Members are regularly invited
to general meetings and non-members are also free
to join, on condition that they adhere to our rules
and regulations.
In the recent Annual General Meeting new
councillors were elected and committees’ chairpersons appointed. The association can now embark
projects chosen project to be either executed here on
in Kenya. Also expected is the registration of a savings and credit union (SACCO) for the members,
which will give members an advantage in matters of
personal development, finance and project management back in Kenya.
The new officials of the association are: . Sara
Müller-Okello, President ; Charles Njau, Secretary General; Emmanuel Baraza, Vice President;
Ramadhan Mohamed, Treasurer; Mary SchererMunywoki, Chairperson Youth and Gender, Lucy
Oyubo-Osterwalder, Chairperson Communication,
Suleiman Jembe, Chairman Planning and Development; Jael Blind, Association Secretary and Anna
Kabibi Kambi, Chairperson Social.
The Kenya Swiss Connection is planning several
social events for it´s members, sponsors and friends
these include the Family Grill Party on 30 July 2016
at Adligenswil, Luzern and the Mashujaa Day on
29 Oct 2016 in Zurich.
29
FASHION
Frank Osodi:
Designing for women brings
out creativity in me
By ‘Lade Ojo
Frank Osodi came into limelight when he designed the dress that Agbani Darego,
wore and won the Miss World 2001. Before then, Frank was already a top model.
Today, Bunor Creazioni, his label is known for iconic and sassy creativity. In this
interview, he speaks on what makes a good designer and what he is doing to empower
up and coming designers.
You’ve been on the quiet side for a
while. What has been happening to
you?
I’m there in my studio, working. I have had
my own fair share of all these shows. I only do
shows that I’m directly involved in, so that I
can also have that platform that I love to do,
discovering talents and putting them on the
runway, giving them the visibility that I think
they deserve. That is what a lot of young designers don’t have. That is what gives me pleasure
now. Aside that, I am always here working for
my clients.
You are known to make female outfits
predominantly. Why don’t you do
male outfits?
I used to. But the truth is that it does not
require so much effort in terms of creativity.
Men practically dress the same way. A shirt on
a trouser and maybe a jacket, and they are gone.
But with female clothing, there’s stoning and
appliqué and even the stoning is in different
ways. There are a variety of stones, appliqué and
lots of things you can do on female wears. You
can experiment with styles each time. There are
so many things to do as far as women’s clothing
is concerned. Your creativity comes out best.
Nigerian, or better African designers
are yearning for a fashion hub. Do
you think that is what is needed now?
Osodi at work
His men’s wear collections
30
When they are asking for a hub, what they are
looking for is a bail-out because many of them
are not fashion designers in the real sense of it.
Sincerely, what we have is a bunch of lazy young
designers. The fact that you love fashion does not
make you a designer. What you find these days
is someone who is jobless and loves fashion, then
carry catalogues and sews for people. Most of the
things they sew are copied. Does that make you
a designer? Definitely not. How many of them
can cut? How many of them can make illustrate?
How many of them can advise a client? A lot of
them are lazy designers.
Here in Nigeria, tailors are their designers,
they don’t know no jack. Very few of them do.
With about 70 percent of those parading themselves as young designers, if you have a show
with about a 100 of them, their collections all
look alike. And they are asking for a hub. First,
train as a designer, learn to consult, understand
your client and try to be unique with your work.
People must know you for something and not just
copying other designers’ job.
May/June 2016
FASHION
What makes a good designer?
A good designer is someone who dreams and
nurtures the dream to reality; someone who takes
it from the sketch to realisation. You sit down and
you dream; you put your dream in a sketch and
you realise it because realising it is not a joke.
It’s about making sure it’s what you design on
paper that’s wearable art. Some people can make
sketches and yet don’t know how to achieve the
sketches. They expect the tailor to turn it around.
A good designer takes a look at your physique, asks
you questions to be able to understand you, the
fabric and then transfers that onto the paper, get
into the studio and brings it to reality.
How would you describe a stylish
woman?
Some styles of Bantu Knots
A stylish woman is someone who dresses to suit
her physique. You need to know yourself and wear
what suits your physique not because it’s in vogue
or it’s trendy but because you should know what
your body can pull, what your body should pull.
That is what I call a stylish woman.
Is it about the quality of what you
wear?
Not necessarily. What is quality? It’s more
about being well put together. Does it sit well and
is it well cut? Some women might not like to dress
expensive when they go out, but when you get to
their homes, you will be shocked how expensive
their homes are. There are people who spend all
their money on shoes and bags. They can wear
anything but for them, their shoes and bag must
speak volumes. And sometimes if they don’t tell
you how much it costs, you might never know.
When you are not working on clothes,
what do you do?
I watch comedy. I just relax with comedy. I
like to laugh and be entertained. I travel sometimes too.
What life lessons have you learnt?
Life has taught me that the best way to enjoy
this life is to be humble and simple. Humility and
simplicity is what life is all about. This is what God
wants for us. I am simple and I am happy.
What’s your favourite food?
Edikang Ikong soup and Nsala soup.
Where is your favourite holiday spot?
Cape Town. I like Cape Town because it’s
heaven on earth.
May/June 2016
Bantu knots make a comeback
By ‘Lade Ojo
Call it a Bantu knot, a protective style, or a 90s look making a hard-core fashion
comeback—it's certainly making the waves lately!
Before now, Bantu knots was usually worn late at
night, covered with a scarf, and hidden from everyone.
However, nowadays, more ladies wear the knots out.
And it is not unlikely that you would pass by one or
two ladies wearing the style.
It takes a certain level of confidence to rock a
bunch of knots in your hair. But once you do, it really
becomes this threshold of style and hair confidence.
Bantu knots are a cute, flirty style traditionally sported
by women of Ibibio tribe, mostly from Akwa Ibom
and Cross Rivers states of Nigeria, and Zulus in
South Africa.
For modern natural divas, Bantu knots are a way
to wear the hair so it is protected from the elements
and close to the scalps. These knots work well with just
about all hair types. You can wear the Bantu knots as
a style themselves or you can blow dry or sit under a
dryer to set the style immediately.
They are created when the hair is sectioned off
and twisted into knots. The shapes of the sections
depend on how the hair is parted, and can easily be
made into diamond, triangle or square shapes, and
the possibilities are endless.
To get a fuller look, this style is formed when
your hair is twisted around itself until it forms a knot
that resembles a stack of tires. When you remove the
knots your hair will resemble a corkscrew rope. The
“rope” may then be separated with your fingers and,
if necessary, finger combed to loosen the curl and
shape it into the style you desire. The finished result
is a head full of springy, bouncy curls that may be as
tight or loose, as defined or tousled as you desire. It is
an awesome way to style your hair without using heat
and does not require much manipulation.
You can do this style at night, and by morning
it’s air-dried.
31
UN NEWS
Economic Woes Threaten
Poverty Reduction Gains
The global deficit in quality jobs and deteriorating economic conditions in a number of regions threatens to undo decades of progress in poverty reduction, warns a
new report by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO).
Workers in Colombia’s palm oil sector. Photo: ILO
Along with these challenges, the ILO’s World
Employment and Social Outlook 2016: Transforming jobs to end poverty notes that relative poverty in
developing countries is on the rise. Indeed, it finds
that more than 36 per cent of the emerging and developing world lives in poverty – on a daily income
of less than $3.10 purchasing power parity (PPP).
Noting that some $600 billion a year – or nearly
$10 trillion in total over 15 years – is needed to
eradicate extreme – and moderate – poverty globally by 2030, the report concludes that the problem
of persistent poverty cannot be solved by income
transfers alone; more and better jobs are crucial to
achieving this goal.
“If we are serious
about the 2030 Agenda
[...] then we must focus
on the quality of jobs in
all nations," said Guy
Ryder, ILO DirectorGeneral in a press release
on the report, which estimates that while almost
a third of the extremely
or moderately poor in
developing economies
have jobs, their employment is vulnerable in
nature: they are sometimes unpaid, concentrated
in low-skilled occupations and, in the absence of
social protection, rely almost exclusively on labour
income.
Moreover, among developed countries, more
workers have wage and salaried employment, but
that does not stop them from falling into poverty.
To that end, the report finds that the incidence of
relative poverty has increased by one percentage
point in the European Union, since the start of the
global economic and financial crisis.
Further, recent deterioration of economic pros-
pects in Asia, Latin America and the Arab region
and natural resource rich countries has begun to expose the fragility of employment and social progress.
In some of these countries income inequality has
begun to rise after decades of declines, raising the
possibility that progress on poverty might be at risk.
“Clearly, the Sustainable Development Goal of
ending poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030
is at risk,” Mr. Ryder continued.
“Right now, while 30 per cent of the world is
poor, they only hold 2 per cent of the world’s income,” said Raymond Torres, ILO Special Advisor
on Social and Economic Issues. “Only through
deliberately improving the quality of employment
for those who have jobs and creating new decent
work will we provide a durable exit from precarious
living conditions and improve livelihoods for the
working poor and their families.”
The study also finds that high levels of income
inequality reduce the impact of economic growth
on poverty reduction. “This finding tells us that it
is past time to reflect on the responsibility of rich
nations and individuals in the perpetuation of
poverty. Accepting the status quo is not an option,”
adds Mr Torres.
The report concludes with a number of recommendations to address the structural challenges to
providing quality jobs and a concomitant reduction
in poverty. They include, among others: tackle lowproductivity traps, which lie at the heart of poverty;
strengthen rights at work and enable employer and
worker organizations to reach the poor; reinforce
governments’ capacity to implement poverty-reducing policies and standards; and boosting resources
and making the rich aware of their responsibility.
UN human rights chief welcomes Pfizer's decision
to bar use of its drugs in executions
The United Nations human rights chief today warmly welcomed the initiatives announced by pharmaceutical company Pfizer to ensure that the drugs it produces will
not be used by States to carry out executions by lethal injection.
“Businesses, across many industries, can help
prevent human rights violations from occurring,”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid
Ra-ad Al Hussein, said in astatement released by
his Office (OHCHR). “It is heartening to see
companies playing an active role in furthering the
trend towards ending use of the death penalty.”
Pfizer announced that it would restrict the sale
of seven products that have been part of lethal
injection protocols in some States. Resale will be
restricted and Government entities will be required
32
to certify that the products they purchase will not
be used for any penal purposes. Pfizer has said it
will monitor the distribution consistently.
Mr. Zeid called on all businesses to act in
accordance with their human rights responsibilities as set out in the UN Guiding Principles on
Business and Human Rights, to “avoid causing
or contributing to adverse human rights impacts
through their own activities, and address such
impacts when they occur” as well as to “seek to
prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts
that are directly linked to their operations, products or services.”
The High Commissioner noted that other
companies beyond the pharmaceutical industry
may be involved in activities relating to the administration of the death penalty, and called on
such businesses to carry out human rights due
diligence across their operations to ensure that
they are not in any way contributing to the use of
capital punishment.
Mr. Zeid also urged States not to resort to
questionable sources for the drugs required to
administer lethal injections. He stressed that the
UN opposes the use of the death penalty in all
circumstances.
May/June 2016
UN NEWS
Family of UN Peacekeeper
Who Saved 100s In Rwanda
share Stories
On 31 May 1994, as Rwanda was descending in to chaos, Captain Mbaye Diagne,
a military observer at the United Nations Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMIR), was in the capital, Kigali, driving back to the base when a mortar fell near
his vehicle. He died instantly. He was 12 days from finishing up his service
ated the Medal, the Council deeply regretted that
Captain Diagne’s death, his family “never received any
expressions of appreciation from UN Headquarters
for the sacrifices made by their distinguished family
member.”
He lived well ‘before leaving
Captain Mbaye was “a jovial, generous man” who
“loved helping others,” his widow said.
“His life was short but he lived it as if he had
lived many years. He did that well before leaving,”
she recalled.
Ms. Diop was accompanied by a daughter,
In the months before his tragic death, even though pray [hard] that the war will end,” Ms. Diop said,
Coumba Kane Diagne, and a son, Serigne Cheikh
as a military observer he was unarmed, Captain Di- recalling what she had been told.
agne, of Senegal, had risked his life time and again to
The Hotel des Mille Collines became well-known Mbacke Diagne, who were aged four and two years
save hundreds people during the genocide in Rwanda. after more than 1,200 people took refuge there in old, respectively, when their father was killed.
The UN honoured his courage today with the inau- 1994. The story was immortalized in the film Hotel
“They say a lot about him; what he did in Rwanda,
gural ‘Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Rwanda. Beyond the Hotel’s refuge, the UN estimates the people he saved. He was a good man,” said Mr.
Cheikh Diagne, who does not
remember much of his father.
“Our mother told us that every
time he came home, he took
us together, brought us to the
store to buy us candy. He loved
spending time with us.”
His sister remembers only
one of those days, “He came
[and] took me in his arms [...]
This is the only memory I have
of him.”
Ms. Diop, recalled that
on 31 May 1994, it was the
police who came to tell her the
news, some 17 hours after her
husband had died behind the
wheel of his vehicle.
“The next day, we were at
home waiting for the remains
to come. It took five days for
the body to arrive in Senegal,”
she said.
Since that day, Ms. Diagne
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presents the "Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage" to Ms. Yacin Mar Diop, widow
raised her children alone: “I
of Captain Diagne. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
lived with my kids without their
dad. This was very hard, but
Courage,’ which was awarded to his family.
that more than 800,000 people were systematically with the means available, I tried to educate them
“In Rwanda, he called me often to tell me about murdered throughout Rwanda. The vast majority and get by.”
“My children went two years without schooling
the situation there. Sometimes [I even heard the were Tutsi, but moderate Hutu, Twa and others were
and I know that if their dad was there, he would not
shots],” remembers his widow, Yacine Mar Diop, in an also targeted.
In May 2014, the Security Council created the have been happy. He watched their education closely,”
interview with the UN News Centre. “And I told him
to be careful because he had a lot of young children.” ‘Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal’ to honor the military she continued.
She said the whole family feels a great sense
Once while on the phone, Captain Diagne passed and members of the police and civilian personnel of
the receiver to Rwandans he had ferried to safety in UN and associated personnel who braved extreme of pride at receiving today the UN medal from
danger in carrying out their duties or duties in “the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
the back of his truck.
“He deserves it with everything he has done in
“It is your husband who saved us. He hid us here service of humanity and the United Nations.”
By the unanimously adopted resolution that cre- Rwanda,” Ms. Diop said.
at the Hotel des Mille Collines. God is with him. We
May/June 2016
33
AU NEWS
African Leaders Call for more Accountability on Maternal and Health Issues
As part of concerted efforts to reduce maternal and child deaths the African
Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with MSH-ASH, USAID and
key partners, organized a high level side event in the margins of the Women
Deliver Conference.
The event was aimed at strengthening collaboration among advocates and partners in support of the
AU Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal
Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), and to ensure that
coordinated campaign efforts coalesce into accelerated action towards ending preventable maternal and
child deaths. The session provided an opportunity to
articulate the campaign focus in the post 2015 period,
increase the visibility of the revised AU’s policy instruments in the context of other continental and global
frameworks such and Agenda 2063 and the SDGs as
well as promotes the use of the AU resources, such as
the CARMMA website and the African Health Stats
data platform as tools for strengthening accountability
in the region.
Speaking during the event, the Head of the
HIV&AIDS, TB and Malaria Division Dr. MarieGoretti Harakeye emphasized the need for partners to
work together to achieve health commitments across
Africa. She reiterated the importance of multi-sectoral
Agenda 2063 Promotes Investment
In African Agriculture
The importance of Africa’s agriculture
in contributing to food and nutrition
security, poverty reduction and overall
economic growth is well documented.
However, the task of transforming Africa’s
agriculture into a modern and dynamic sector is a
complex one, faced with a number of key challenges.
These include limited investment, technologies,
knowledge and infrastructure to link input and
output markets across the continent.
For agriculture to make a meaningful contribution
to attainment of the aspirations enshrined in Agenda
2063, the Africa Union’s strategic framework for the
socio-economic transformation of the continent over
the next 50 years, increased levels of, and targeted
investments are required. A transformed and modern
agriculture will be key to achieving inclusive growth
and sustainable development on the continent.
The transformation of Africa’s agriculture is
anchored in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP). The Malabo
Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and
Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved
Livelihoods, adopted during the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Unions Heads of State and Government, provides further impetus to the CAADP
process and gives the direction for agriculture on
the continent for the next 10 years. This essentially
constitutes the agricultural component of the first 10
years’ implementation plan of Agenda 2063.
The investments, which are required for this
34
transformation process, should come from both the
public sector and private sector. Whilst CAADP
implementation in the first 10 years focused on
mobilizing public sector financing to address the
agriculture sector investment requirements, there is
evidence that private sector investments will continue
to be central to leveraging existing public sector
efforts. Under the right conditions, private sector
investments have the potential to drive pro-poor
development and strengthen food security.
Recognition of the pivotal role of the private
sector in the renewed push for agriculture and agribusiness development in Africa, informs efforts to
leverage the private sector and other stakeholders.
Indeed, one of the commitments in the Malabo
Declaration which is on “Enhancing Investment
Finance in Agriculture”, calls for increased involvement of the private sector, in its diversity, both local
and international, in African agricultural development, especially targeting strategic agricultural
commodities value chains at national, regional and
continental level.
So what are the required levels of investment? According to FAO estimates, over the period from 2006
to 2050, the cumulative global investments required
in Sub-Saharan Africa in agriculture and downstream
support services amount to USD 940 billion [in 2009
USD]. Of this amount, about 66 percent will be
required for agribusiness and agro-industries capital
outlays, covering items such as cold and dry storage
(USD 78 billion), rural and wholesale market facilities
(USD 159 billion), first stage processing (USD 207
approach to deal with the social determinants of
health, noting the importance of strengthening health
systems in the SDG era. Ms Diene Keita, UNFPA
Country Representative in Democratic Republic of
Congo lauded the Commission for establishing the
data platform and was optimistic the platform will
be used to hold African governments accountable for
progress against their own commitments for maternal
survival. She also called on the Commission to draw
the attention of the African leadership to good work
CARMMA is doing at country level to save lives of
women and children in Africa Dr. Ishrat Husain,
Senior Health Advisor, Africa Bureau, USAID acknowledged the importance of evidence to the AUC’s
efforts with CARMMA. The panel led an interesting
discussion, and concluded that CARMMA needed
to utilize the data platform to hold member states
accountable to ending preventable maternal and
child mortality.
billion), mechanization (USD 59 billion) and other
power sources and equipment (USD 115 billion).
These investments will have to be made primarily
by the private sector. The public sector will thus be
confronted with the need to create and maintain
conditions that favour investment in agribusiness and
agro-industries by the private sector.
Consequently, The AUC and the NEPAD Agency
have been making various efforts aimed at scaling up
investments into the agricultural sector. The AUC
Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture
has organized a series of private sector fora, the
outcomes of which have fed into the development
of the Continental Agribusiness Strategy. To give
further voice to private sector concerns, there are
ongoing efforts at strengthening national agribusiness
chambers, with a view to establishing a continental
agribusiness chamber / platform in the near future.
Furthermore, through the facilitation of the New
Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, hosted
at the AUC, work is ongoing which aligns private
sector investment priorities with public sector policy
commitments. Similarly, through the Grow Africa
Partnership hosted at the NEPAD Agency, efforts
are made to increase private sector participation
in agriculture and to accelerate the execution and
impact of investment commitments.
The engagement of the private sector, within and
outside the continent, should complement public sector investments in the agricultural sector, from both
domestic and external sources, to deliver the required
financing for the bold commitments in the Malabo
Declaration in order to realize the transformation
that will bring about food security and prosperity
for the people of this continent.
May/June 2016
AU NEWS
AU Commission and Afro-Arab Youth
Council Sign MoU
The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Afro-Arab Youth Council (AAYC)
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today for strengthening
cooperation and collaboration between the two parties to facilitate the implementation of the development and integration agenda of the African Union.
The MoU was signed by H.E. Dr. Aisha L.
Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs of the
African Union Commission, and Mr. Yousif Al-Kazim President of the Afro-Arab Youth Council, who
was represented by Mr. Awad Hassan, the Secretary
General of the AAYC.
Dr. Aisha L. Abdullahi expressed her appreciation
for the level of the existing working relationship
between the two institutions and described the sig-
ned MoU as a platform to strengthen this important
partnership.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs also made
reference to the Declaration of 2016 as "African Year
of Human Rights with a Special Focus on the Rights
of Women”, which provides an opportunity for the
entire continent to take stock of the human rights
situation on the continent in general, and the rights of
women in particular. Dr. Abdullahi further added that
the celebration of 2016 as the year of human rights in
Africa seeks to, among other things, enhance public
awareness on human rights instruments and mechanisms; assess the ratification and implementation of
the human rights instruments.
Dr. Abdullahi concluded by calling on the AfroArab Youth Council to encourage its members to be
part of the continental youth movement that is supporting the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063
2nd Meeting of CFTA-NF Kicks off
in Ethiopia
The 2nd Meeting of the Continental
Free Trade Area Negotiating Forum
(CFTA-NF), kicked off today at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
During the next five days, Member States will
consider all the post launch preparatory issues and
essential process issues and technical documents that
will enable the efficient conduct of the negotiations.
The Meeting will specifically, among others, consider
and adopt definitions of the Principles Guiding the
CFTA Negotiations, and also discuss Approaches
and Modalities for CFTA Negotiations.
The 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly
of Heads of State and Government of the African
Union, which was held in Johannesburg, South
Africa in June 2015, launched the negotiations for
the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area
(CFTA). The launch of the negotiations marked a
major milestone in the implementation of the Summit decision to establish a continental free trade area
by the Indicative date of 2017.
May/June 2016
On behalf of H.E. the Commissioner for Trade
and Industry, the Head of Trade Division, Mr.
Nadir Merah recalled the achievements of the 1st
Meeting of the CFTA Negotiating Forum and
commended negotiators for the commitment to
conclude CFTA Agreement by 2017. He informed
the Negotiators that the Department of Trade and
Industry is committed to providing technical and
administrative support to the negotiations through
the just established CFTA Support Unit. He
emphasized that the principles guiding the CFTA
negotiations should be defined in such a way that
the CFTA will achieve the intended objectives.
He stressed the importance of establishing the
by adopting policies, plans of actions and programmes
at the national level. She also called on the AAYC to
work closely with the AUC to promote democracy
and good governance as well as the protection and
protection of human and peoples' rights in Africa.
Mr. Awad Hassan, Secretary General of the AAYC
reaffirmed the commitment of the AAYC to work
closely with the AUC towards the two institutions’
common goals as well as the implementation of joint
activities to ensure the involvement of African youth
in the promotion of democracy, good governance and
the promotion and protection of human and peoples’
rights in Africa. He also expressed the intention of the
AAYC to partner with the AUC in implementation
of the AU Agenda 2063.
According to the signed MoU, the African Union
Commission and the Afro-Arab Youth Council will
explore opportunities for cooperation and non-exclusive partnership in the area of participation of African
youth in policy development and implementation at
the continental level, involvement of African youth in
the promotion and protection of human and peoples’
rights in Africa, implementation of the AU Human
Rights Strategy for Africa, implementation of Project
2016 and the implementation and population of the
AU Agenda 2063.
Technical Working Groups as well as agreeing on
the CFTA Negotiating Forum Work Plan. Before
concluding, Mr. Merah informed the Negotiators
that a dedicated session to discussing modalities
for the CFTA negotiations was planned on Friday
which is the last day of the meeting.
The Chair of the meeting, Mr. Sayed Elbous,
Senior Advisor to the Minister of Trade and
Industry Ministry of the Republic of Egypt, welcomed the participants to the meeting and recalled
the successful conclusion of the 1st Meeting of the
CFTA Negotiating Forum held in February 2016.
He emphasized the importance of the second meeting as key milestone towards the establishment of
the Continental Free Trade Area.
The role of the African Union Commission in
the negotiations is to provide and coordinate technical and administrative support to the Member States
and REC’s. The AUC also serves as the Secretariat
to the CFTA Negotiating Forum. In playing its
support and harmonization role, the AUC closely
collaborates with the RECs, the UN Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African
Development Bank (AfDB) who are members of
the Continental Task Force on the CFTA operating
at the level of Chief Executive Officers and at the
Technical level.
35
ENTERTAINMENT
Book Review: The Convergence of Nations
Author:
Review:
Book:
Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais
Samuel Polley
The Convergence of Nations
Africa has long been touted at a continent that is on the verge of achieving its potential. Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais’s book, The Convergence Of Nations, seeks
to show the world that the time has come and Africa is about to take off.
The Convergence of Nations; Why Africa’s
Time is now, is a compilation of essays written
by Africans on the state of the continent. It is
split into four sections; Africa’s place in the
world, Building sustainable growth, Changing
societies and finance and the future. It reads
as an instruction manual for ‘African capitalism’ and seeks to offer hope for those already
invested in the continent and those that are
considering what they believe to be a leap of
faith in to Africa.
Jamie Humphreys propose “misdemeanours of
those in public office need not impede a country’s potential for progress.” As an example they
sight President Goodluck Jonathon’s Nigerian
government, which was “widely criticised” with
regards to corruption and tackling corruption.
More recently, President Buhari has vowed to
take up the challenge and improve Nigeria’s anti
corruption record.
Whilst this book offers differencing views
from its varied contributors, one theme run-
In his introduction, Mr Bastos de Morais,
writes with real hope about Africa’s chances
of reaching its potential. He writes, “Africa’s
outlook is more positive than it has been for 40
years”. Mr Bastos de Morais outlines a plethora
of areas that can contribute to the growth of
Africa. From learning about the development
process of other regions, and financial sector
transformations, such as central banks providing
more liquidity, to the influx of foreign capital
inflows, driven by technology experts and ‘smart
manufacturers’ flooding into the continent.
“With a pool of young talents, fertile land and
abundant commodities, Africa is without a
doubt poised to play a larger role in global business” expects the books compiler. Despite his
hope, the entrepreneur does not want to dismiss
the challenges that Africa faces and has faced,
with Ebola, health care, poverty and political
unrest all issues featuring in this book.
The issue of corruption, a stereotype that has
long plagued Africa and the world’s perception
of Africa, is often visited. This book does not
entirely remove this doubt, but does attempt,
successfully, to show that much of the continent
has improved in recent times. In the chapter,
Building African Capitalism, Kingsley Chiedu
Moghalu suggests that it is corruption that
“prevents the real take off, let alone the growth,
of African free markets.” Although, in their
chapter, the corruption battle, Tim Daniel and
36
willing to work hard to achieve her dream of
creating her own fashion business, was let down
by health and public service infrastructure, and
tragically died in a second rate health clinic.
Clayton also submits that “without developing
soft infrastructure, marginalised and poor communities will fall prey to agitators with much
more radical agendas, who do not have Africa’s
best interests at heart”, like we have seen in part
of Northern Nigeria.
Convergence of Nations seeks to find solutions to many of the issues that plague the
African continent. Many of these solutions
are interlinked and need mutual development
in order to be successful. From stemming the
tide of movement of people to radical groups to
bringing people out of poverty the book looks
at ways of increasing international trade both
within Africa and internationally, reducing
the skill shortages and improving agricultural
yield, amongst others. All these things lead to
increased employment which, with massive
population growth and a rapidly increasing
working age demographic, is both a potential
cause of current and future problems and also a
way to meet the continents potential.
This book covers a very wide range of issues
facing Africa and offers brief road maps in overcoming the continents problems. In many cases
authors suggest that looking outwards and not
only living by the mantra “African solutions to
African problems” is necessary. Learning from
the lessons of more developed nations and taking
lessons from the success stories of others are both
important for quicker economic development
and poverty reduction. Other topics discussed
in chapters through out the book include, investment and risk, energy and Africa’s mineral
resources, manufacturing, urban dynamism,
and finance and the middle class.
ning through most of the chapters is the need
to develop infrastructure. Whether discussing
developing regional integration, harnessing
the demographic dividend, or strengthening
agribusiness, all authors agree that infrastructural development is a priority to reach these
targets. Infrastructure and its importance to
Africa’s development also gets a chapter all to
its self. Jonathon Clayton begins his chapter
with a poignant story of Fiona M, who although
At first glance The Convergence of Nations
seems to broad to really cover the whole African
continent, but this book gives a great general
overview of so many topics with expert insight
into the complicated nature of Africa’s situation.
From West to East to Southern Africa, this book
takes examples from around the continent and
puts them together to create a picture of potential change and hope.
May/June 2016
SPORT
FATMA SAMBA DIOUF SAMOURA
African Woman Appointed
FIFA Secretary General
By Mola Ajisafe
For the first time in the history of FIFA a woman has been appointed its Secretary
General. Was the appointment suggested by the promised reform expected to take
place in FIFA?
The appointment of the woman, Fatma
Samba Diouf Samoura of Senegal was announced on 13 May 2016 by FIFA President
Gianni Infantino at the 66th FIFA Congress in
Mexico City. Ms. Smoura 54, who has spent 21
years working for United Nations succeeds the
former Secretary General Jerome Valcke banned
from football related activities for 12 years.
“Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the
most challenging issues of our time,” President
Infantino was quoted in FIFA press release. “She
has a proven ability to build and lead teams,
and improve the way organisations perform.
Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that
transparency and accountability
are at the heart of any well-run
and responsible organisation.”
of football executives – as we continue to restore
and rebuild our organisation," President Infantino said, adding "No one exemplifies what we
need more than Fatma does, and we are thrilled
that she has joined our team.”
Since starting her UN career as a senior logistics officer with the World Food Programme
in Rome in 1995, Ms Samoura has served as
country representative or director in six countries: Republic of Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad,
Guinea, Madagascar and Nigeria. She speaks
French (her mother tongue), English, Spanish
and Italian.
In her own comment, Ms Samoura said
“Today is a wonderful day for me, and I am
honoured to take on the role of FIFA’s Secretary
General. I believe this role is a perfect fit for my
skills and experience – strategic, high impact
team building in international settings – which
I will use to help grow the game of football all
over the world.
"I also look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to bear
on the important reform work that is already
underway at FIFA. FIFA is taking a fresh approach to its work – and I am eager to play a
role in making that approach as effective and
lasting as possible.”
In her current UN role in Nigeria, Ms
Samoura has wide-ranging responsibilities
including budgeting, human resources, and
procurement, among others. She coordinates the
activities of approximately 2,000 staff members,
and monitors and evaluates the security, political and socio-economic situation and trends in
Africa’s most populous country.
Prior to joining the UN, Ms Samoura spent
eight years in the private sector, working in the
fertiliser trading sector for Senchim, a subsidiary
of Industries Chimiques du Senegal. Her areas
of responsibility included product export and
import programmes, tenders, and the establishment of a national distribution network.
As required under FIFA statutes, Ms Samoura will undergo
an eligibility check administered
by the independent Review Committee, per Article 37 of the FIFA
Statutes. Ms Samoura will assume
the role of FIFA Secretary General
in June.
President Infantino praised
Ms Samoura’s integrity, and said
the Council was particularly
impressed with her operational
experience, as well as her expertise in governance and working
in multi-cultural environments.
He said her expertise will complement the long-standing and
deep knowledge of world football
within the FIFA leadership team
and administration.
“It is essential for FIFA to
incorporate fresh perspectives –
from outside the traditional pool Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura
May/June 2016
37
SPORT
IAAF Mourns the Death of Renowned
Distance Running Dr Woldemeskel Kostre
Kostre was considered by many to be the architect
of Ethiopia’s phenomenal success at longer distances
from the mid-1980s onwards, although he also had a
reputation of being a disciplinarian and authoritarian
even when his athletes were setting world records.
“We have lost Dr Kostre but he had been ill for a
long time. Dr Kostre was a very strict man but he
showed me how to behave. He gave discipline a top
priority. It is very sad he has now left us,” said Ethiopian distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie.
Runners he coached included Olympic champions
Haile Gebreelassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh
Dibaba, Haile Gebrselassie and Derartu Tulu.
Kostre was a promising middle-distance runner
himself before studying sports science in Hungary
during the 1960s.
In addition to being a fluent English speaker, on
the occasions he returned to Hungary in recent
years – such as at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor
Photo: VOA
The IAAF is very sad to learn of the
death of the renowned distance running coach Dr Woldemeskel Kostre, the
recipient of the 2006 IAAF Coaches'
Award, who died in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa at the age of 69 early
on Monday May16.
Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre, the recipient of the 2006 IAAF Coaches' Award
Championships and the 2006 IAAF World Road
Running Championships – he surprised many
by still being able to converse comfortably in the
language and among the first to pay public tribute
to Dr Kostre on Monday was the Hungarian Ambassador to Ethiopia.
Dr Kostre was appointed as an assistant coach of
World Anti-Doping Agency
Declares Kenya Non-Compliant
By Alex Isaboke
Montreal — Kenya has been declared in
breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) rules, meaning some of the
world's top athletes could miss the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
WADA recently made the announcement after the
body's Compliance Review Committee unanimously
recommended that Kenya be declared non-compliant
with immediate effect, citing that the Kenyan Anti
Doping legislation passed by Parliament is not in line
with WADA code.
The development has raised fears amongst Kenya's
top athletes who are concerned on their participation
at the Olympics that gets underway in August as they
await the decision to be made by the International
Athletics Association Federation (IAAF).
Olympic and three-time world champion Asbel Kip-
38
rop wrote on his official Face book page, "Somebody
tell whoever is concerned regarding doping issues
that Kenya has talents hardworking and athletes
by nature.
"We don't need some stupid bans in the name of a few
dopers. We are the real human nature with talents in
conjunction with hard work. Respect this transparent
truth and help us in a way to stop the intruders who
are fighting not only to win races against us but to
finish the real hard work talent and nature in us.
"In this case you will save the sport. Do not demoralize, do not kill a dream. For the sake of true and real
ones spare God given talents for us," Kiprop, who is
preparing to compete at the Oregon IAAF Diamond
League in USA wrote.
World javelin champion Julius Yego said, "it's worrying and painful to remember the sacrifice, perseverance and dedication put towards achieving the
the Ethiopian athletics team at the 1972 Olympic
Games and for more than 30 years after Munich he
was a familiar face among the Ethiopian delegation
at major championships.
The IAAF wishes to pass on its sincerest condolences
to Dr Kostre’s family as well as the many athletes
he guided and inspired.
success and ultimate goal and suddenly get in against
you in any sport!!... it's hurt breaking and saddening!!!
"I love and respect the rule/code of sport! If Kenya
will be declared non -compliant then it's not that
Kenyan athletes have been winning through performance enhancing drugs!! It's just the few elements
who have been there and it's also everywhere in the
world not only Kenya!! These are the elements we
need to eradicate," Yego declared.
Kenya has already missed two WADA deadlines to
show they are tackling doping in sport, with IAAF
president Sebastian Coe threatening to suspend
their athletes from the August 5-21 Olympics if
the country is found to be 'non-compliant' which is
currently the case for Russia.
President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a new anti-doping
law on April 22, which it had been hoped would
allow the African athletics powerhouse to be given
the green light by WADA, but this apparently did
not satisfy WADA, with the compliance committee
recommending that Kenya should be declared in
breach of its code.
May/June 2016
G
U
E
S
T
-
H
O
U
S
E
Das G u e s t-H ous e
mit Cha r me
Casa Heinrich
Guest-House
Heinrichstrasse 68
8005 Zürich
Tel. 044 271 04 77
Fax 044 271 04 47
guesthouse@casaheinrich.ch
www.casaheinrich-guesthouse.ch
40
May/June 2016

Papa Wemba - Africa Link

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