Reblogged from Hey unloving, I will love you via It’s a Kirby

Essay competition: Why the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa is important to youth
Deadline: 12 Noon GMT on 25 May 2011

In October 2010, the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020) was officially launched in Nairobi, Kenya. The decade is a critical moment for the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality on the continent. The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights coalition (SOAWR), a coalition of 37 organizations based throughout the continent, is committed to ensuring that African Union (AU) member states ratify and implement the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa as an instrument that will play an important role in the realization of the Decade’s objectives. Yet, unfortunately, not all Africans are aware of the Protocol and its significance.

In Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, this June, African heads of state and government will gather at a summit with the theme, “Youth empowerment for sustainable development”. Youth action is critical to the continent’s development, and more specifically, in ensuring that girls and women can make equally valued contributions to this development. As such, the SOAWR coalition would like to invite youth to reflect on the importance of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Contestants are asked to respond to the question, “Why is the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa important to you?” in an essay of a maximum of 2000 words.

The four best essays will receive a copy of African Women Writing Resistance: An Anthology of Contemporary Voices edited by Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, Pauline Dongala, Omotayo Jolaosho, and Anne Serafin. The winning essays will also be published on the Pambazuka News website (www.pambazuka.org). In addition, the writer of the essay awarded first place will be given the opportunity to attend the AU Summit in Malabo with her or his basic expenses (ticket, accommodation, etc.) covered.

The competition is open to citizens of all African countries aged between 18 and 25.

Entries can be submitted in English or French. The deadline for submission is May 25th, 2011, at 12 noon, GMT. Essays should be typed (1.5 line spacing and 12 point font) and sent in Word or PDF format to the SOAWR Secretariat through bkombo [at] equalitynow [dot] org with the subject “SOAWR Essay Competition”. Along with the essays, contestants should indicate the email address where they can be reached and provide their age, nationality and country of residence.

Source: Pambazuka

Solidarity Peace Trust’s film, Part of the Solution, is a retrospective look at the political events in Zimbabwe in 2001 culminating in the SADC Troika memorandum of April 2011. The short film takes a look at the issue of the manipulation of the COPAC Constitutional Outreach programme and intimidation of villagers in the rural areas. It goes further to suggest that the outcome of the process may not have the people at its heart. The DVD moves on to examine incidents of politically motivated violence, particularly those in Mbare and Downtown Harare involving the youth. In view of the objectives of the Inclusive Government and the Global Political Agreement, these events are disheartening, leaving many Zimbabweans wondering if it is possible that the impending elections will be marred by violence and voter intimidation.

If you would like a copy of this DVD please email your postal address to: products [at] kubatana [dot] net

One really has to wonder about the Zimbabwe government’s airport highway project. First, there’s hardly anyone using the airport. Second, on my return to Zimbabwe last Thursday evening, there were no traffic lights working and there was very little street lighting. The current road does its job just fine. Pretty soon we’ll have a very big and expensive road and we’ll still have no street lighting or working traffic lights because Zimbabwe’s national power company can’t deliver.

Some fine minds at work in our government.

The non-working traffic lights on the night I returned were of course causing mayhem. Lounging in the dark at these intersections were details of two policemen and women clearly waiting for some political chef to make his or her way home from the airport. They stood idly by gazing at the traffic snarled up in front of their noses. But, imagine if they were caught directing traffic and Mugabe or Tsvangirai came motorcading through!

On arriving home I was greeted at the back door with someone waving a torch at me.

I was told that most days and nights there had been a powercut. Since Thursday I’ve had one day of power. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) estimates our bills every month. Amounts are not based on actual useage. But do you think that they’ll take into account that as winter bites and they’re providing a third of the power they used to, that they will estimate their bills down. Ha. Fat chance. Instead our bills will remain the same, or in many cases, increase.

Bright sparks at work in ZESA? I don’t think so.

Recently president Robert Mugabe visited the Vatican for the beatification of  Pope John Paul II. This sparked widespread debate on whether Mugabe should  be invited to the ceremony. Many people believe that it is outrageous that the church accept and shake hands with a man who is known for the atrocities he has committed against his people. Many people feel his presence at the ceremony should not have been allowed and the Vatican should have condemned it. However on the other hand some people have argued that: “The Vatican is a Church; on what grounds can it ban someone from coming to Mass?”

The incident has caused a large amount of controversy as well as conflict between different ideas and beliefs. Although the argument that the Vatican is a church and on what grounds does the church have to “ban someone from coming to mass” is a valid argument, the pope shaking hands with Robert Mugabe could be seen as a gesture of acceptance that undermines the credibility of the church.

I thought I heard Walter Mupfanuchiya [sic] say, “for more news you can visit us on our website, mdc.co.zw.” I swear. The mind can sometimes let slip what lies hidden in the dark corners which we make strenuous albeit subconscious attempts to cloak. Something called the Freudian slip perhaps?

But anyways, when I saw him again cyborg-like reading the 8 o’clock bulletin the following day, I figured either my ears were playing tricks on me or Shamu and other mandarins had not been alert enough to catch this clincher. Or it could also mean they missed it because heck, they do not watch their own drivel!

Elsewhere, I had a chat with a female Botswana journalist who was puzzled why political parties that carry names such as African Christian Democratic Party, Christian Democrats, and other some such names with “Christian” in them and come blazing the trail as pro-lifers, preach the “political gospel” of the goodwill of Man, political salvation from political Devils, et cetera et cetera, do not produce any landslide win?

Her logic was simple. These are principles, virtues, ideals every human being firmly believes in, so why are these parties not popular as one would expect? Hmmmm. I extended the thread, but of course with no pretense to psychological interrogation, just common sense:

Why do bad men insist they are good?

Why does Zanu PF use violence on opponents when it already claims mass popularity?

Why do Tsvangirai supporters make good Zanu PF students by violently expressing their opposition to fellow “freedom fighters?”

Why does the MDC allow itself to disintegrate before it even tastes power as the only party forming government by pitting founding members against each other in congresses that are ostensibly held to showcase Tsvangirai’s democracy credentials?

Why do these African political parties that have invested years fighting the good fight for good governance allow egos into the democracy equation?

A guy parades his “popularity” among his party supporters when he is in essence contesting against someone he claims they are in it together punching from the same corner and still expects this “democratic model” to hold the centre together.

No wonder the “humiliated losers” have many a time decided to form their own political outfits and thus  begins the fall and fall into political obscurity. No wonder many believe rather ruefully that Zanu PF is here to stay. And no wonder political parties like those imagined by the Botswana journalist are always the type that emerge from the woodwork only when there is a poll looming.

A mind sure is a terrible thing to waste.