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N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 The binionlhly magazine ol Alrica - 'is\ I urier Caribbean Pacilic & European Union cooperation and relations Jr I .. j From Normandy to Bastogne: SLibertv Road I urlulence in AUL; aviation The Courier Editorial Board Co-chairs Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Secretary General Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States wvww.acp.int Stefano Manservisi, Director General of DG Development European Commission ec.europa.eu/development/ Core staff Editor-in-chief Hegel Goutier Journalists Marie-Martine Buckens (Deputy Editor-in-chief) Debra Percival Editorial Assistant Okechukwu Umelo Production Assistant Telm Borrs Contributed in this issue Colette Braeckman, Victoria Burbidge, Elisabetta Degli Esposti Merli, Sandra Federici, Catherine Haenlein, Elisabeth Lequeret, Souleymane Mazou, Jacqueline Meido-Madiot, Dev Nadkarni, Andrea Marchesini Reggiani Project Manager Gerda Van Biervliet Artistic Coordination, Graphic Conception Gregorie Desmons Graphic Conception Loic Gaume Public Relations Andrea Marchesini Reggiani Distribution Viva Xpress Logistics ww.vxlnet.be Photo Agency Reporters ww.reporters.be Cover Hill of Buga in Burundi. At sunrise, the farmers set off for the fields. Andrea Frazzetta / LUZphoto Contact The Courier 45, Rue de Trves 1040 Brussels Belgium (EU) info@acp-eucourier.info wvww.acp eucourier.info Tel: +32 2 2345061 Fax: +32 2 2801406 Published every two months in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese For information on subscription, Go to our website www.acp-eucourier.info or contact info@acp-eucourier.info Publisher responsible Hegel Goutier Consortium Gopa-Cartermill Grand Angle Lai-momo The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the official view of the EC nor of the ACP countries. The consortium and the editorial staff decline ail responsibility for the articles written by external contributors. Table of Contents THE COURIER, N.17 NEW EDITION (N.E) al 't' M M DOSSIER 12 CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE MOVE 22 EDITORIAL PROFILE Anthony Hylton: Trade and aid are still in Europe's interests Romano Prodi. A Road Map to increase African Integration TO THE POINT Haiti: careful planning, not speedy reconstruction: Meeting with the Mayor of Port-au-Prince ROUND UP DOSSIER ACP Aeronautic Industry ACP aviation: Time for turn around A Single African sky? A regional centre of excellence for safety Pacific: At the cusp of a mini-revolution? Turbulent times for Caribbean airlines EU grounds African airlines EGNOS: EU satellite for African skies? CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE MOVE A cultural understanding Islamic Relief African Civil Society Organisations missing out on dialogue with China DISCOVERING EUROPE 26 ROUND UP Rithy Panh discusses his collaboration with Burkinab director Gaston Kabor -Interview DISCOVERING EUROPE Normandy & Bastogne (France and Belgium) Liberty Road From Normandy to Bastogne The Battle of Hastings in cartoon strip St. Thrse, 'Patroness ofthe Missions Farmers from developed and developing countries face the same struggle A territorial approach to development Electricians without borders A culture of literature and gastronomy ZOOM Aaron Mokoena: Bafana Bafana's exemplary captain OUR PLANET Earthquakes: between fatality and lucidity INTERACTION Democratic Republic of the Congo: a demand for sovereignty Africa's re-birth in bronze Food security remains at the heart of development strategies Interview with Commissioner Piebalgs: ODA not sufficient to reach the MDGs ACP-EU elected representatives concerned at the situation in Madagascar 24 Sudan: A step towards the 2011 referendum Cannes 2010: the ACP group ensures the promotion of its cinema REPORT 26 Burundi 27 29 Burundi moves forward, now at peace 29 Economic development in Burundi: a quickening of the pace 30 Multiple opposition 31 NGOs and Press: Brave enough to monitor abuses 32 Extensive aid for a land risen from the dead: 33 Interview with Alain Darthenucq, Head of the EU Delegation Success of a well-planned project Vivace Bujumbura Burundi: Places to visit 34 CREATIVITY Je danse donc je suis (I dance therefore I am) 36 Dak'art 2010: retrospective and perspective Rosenclaire: investing in the immaterial Homage to a 'Visionary Africa' FOR YOUNG READERS 38 40 World Cup 2010 42 43 YOUR SAY/CALENDAR The 2010 ACP Courier Photo Competition has been launched! For more information visit our website at www.acp-eucourier.info or contact award@acp-eucourier.info a cultural centre promoting artists from countries in Euro- pe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific and cultural exchanges between communities through performance arts, music, cinema, to the holding of conferences. It is a meeting place for Belgians, immigrants of diverse origins and European officials. Espace Senghor Centre cultural d'Etterbeek Brussels, Belgium espace.senghor@chello.be www.senghorbe C 411111 tJEN-OR N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 ROUND UP 24 INTERACTION 38 Ogoni boy, Niger Delta, Nigeria. George Osodi Courtesy of the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels (BOZAR) Courier On the problem of neutral evaluation, especially in Africa's case celebrates 50 years of inde- pendence this year. It is the object of attention in both the African and European press, though it is mostly French-speaking African countries that are celebrating their anniversaries, and the column inches are therefore largely in the French- speaking press. The celebrations taking place on a large and official scale in the 17 African countries in question have provoked caustic criticism from opponents. This is particularly true of Senegal, where the highlight has been the inaugura- tion ofthe colossal African Renaissance Monument, apparently the largest in the world. It has provoked an outcry among groups opposing the country's President Wade, as well as in Europe. The Courier has visited the monument and reports in this issue on the history and artistic conception of the work, which has a theatrical quality which is perhaps pompous but no more or less so than is the norm for this kind of symbol all over the world. The Courier provides an account of comments by officials and citizens in Senegal, some of whom consider that Senegal and the black race in general are indeed deserving of such great symbols. In the French press, much space has been devoted to the opposition's charges regarding the cost and poor taste of the celebration and to the personality of the president of the republic, and above all to a somewhat negative assessment of the 50 years of African independence. The monument has, however, cost the Senegalese treas- ury nothing; it was a deal made with North Korea, as President Wade points out, using his official speech to remind us that Senegal's independence fol- lowed five centuries of foreign presence there, including the period of slavery and colonisation. So it is 550 years that need to be assessed, and not 50. But it remains the case that just before independence the country was a great deal richer than it is now, and this has been brought up by a number of commentators in Europe in their evaluations of the road travelled since independence by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example. This is not true, however, of Colette Braeckman in her article for The Courier, which shows that despite all the travails, threats and handicaps which still exist, the DRC seems to be witnessing a new dawn. In Belgium, the commemoration of the anniversary of the independence of the DRC and of Africa has taken on a special importance, with a vast number of cultural activities centred on the major festival 'Visionary Africa', at the renowned Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar) and the Brussels Film Festival. But even culture is not immune to contro- versy. At the eleventh hour the festival removed from its programme the film 'Lumumba', by the respected Haitian film-maker Raoul Peck, as it questions the role of the Belgian State or officials thereof in the assassination of the hero of Congolese independence, Patrice Lumumba, a politician considered to be upright even by his detractors. And this at the same time as Raoul Peck is a guest of honour at 'Visionary Africa'. In any evaluation ofthe DRC since inde- pendence, the currency flowing into the country for its mineral resources and the squandering of these plays a major role. It is hard to provide a verdict. At the time of independence, the DRC had either one or two university-educated citizens, depending on which source is believed. Some have wondered whether any country could have managed with only one or two citizens educated to this level, when deals had to be struck with a throng of experts from extremely wealthy nations. And how and why did it come about that such a vast country had only one or two citizens educated at university? This question is in itself an assessment. So as we can see, the evaluation can be no more than a partial and biased one, perhaps like any such assessment. Hegel Goutier Editor in chief N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Anthony Hylton. "Trade and aid are still in Europe's interests" Debra Percival Jamaican politician, Anthony Hylton, is a former Foreign and Trade Minister and Energy Minister. Now an opposition Member of the Parliament, he has held the seat of Western Saint Thomas Parish for the People's National Party since 1993. His skills as negotiator for the Caribbean region in drawing up the Cotonou agreement between African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union (EU) earned him National Honours from the Government of Benin. He fought for the interests of the ACP in the Doha Round of world trade talks and for his region in concluding an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. Jamaica is in the CARICOM bloc countries that signed an EPA implemented at the end of 2008 which will eventually lead to free trade with the EU. We spoke with him about recent ACP- EU developments. "Call it cooperation or partnership, what is really needed is a genuine understanding of the needs of the Caribbean region", says Hylton. Is the EPA benefitting Jamaica? We warned the incoming Jamaican government that the EPA was not truly developmental. ACP countries were being asked to sign away potential benefits of the preferential trade arrangements [ed: notably sugar and bananas]. As a lawyer, even now I say that Cotonou's sugar protocol was a binding arrangement. The EPA does have potential. The benefits are largely to be gained on the goods side, but only if there is a market-building exercise in the Caribbean. Caribbean people were given a three- year moratorium [ed: easier access to the Caribbean market for EU goods and services is due to be phased in from the end of 2011 on expiry of the moratorium]. We never thought that those three years were sufficient. In the intervening years we have had a global recession and almost every EU country has pumped massive amounts of state aid into their own economies and created public deficits; in trade terms amounting to a subsidy. At the same time, Caribbean countries, including my own, are under International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programmes. We are facing a tremendous amount of fiscal consolidation and compression. This is the context in which we must now open our market to Europe. it of The future of the ACP Group The ACP Group was founded in Georgetown, Guyana in 1975. As Minister, I argued that the Georgetown Accord should be given real life so that the ACP could build other kinds of relationships, with the United States, Asia and other groupings. Whilst the Caribbean insisted on this, other ACP countries, particularly given the institutional arrangements in the ACP itself, have not wanted to move beyond the confines of the ACP- EU arrangements. Legally speaking, however, the ACP group has a separate existence. On the EU-Latin America- Caribbean Summit, 19 May 2010 The Caribbean needs to have a different kind of relationship with Latin America and Brazil. Some call for a Latin American- Caribbean arrangement without the United States and Canada. We have had a dialogue between the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean for some time but my concern is that this is not tri-lateral. So far, Latin America has been speaking to Europe and the Caribbean to Europe. Presumably if not restricted to trade, there are wider, global sets of issues that can be discussed. To read the full interview with Anthony Hylton, see: www.acp-eucourier.info. Courier SFoundation for Worldwide Cooperation Romano Prodi. A Road Map to increase African Integration Andrea Marchesini Reggiani After holding the role of Prime Minister of Italy twice, as well as President ofthe European Commission, what international position does a politician aspire to next? Having overseen two fundamental European projects -the single currency and the fifth enlargement of the EU (the sixth enlargement came under the Barroso presidency) -Romano Prodi has now decided to turn his attention to Africa. In September 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon selected Prodi as President of the African Union-UN Peacekeeping Panel, the aim of which was to make relationships between the UN and the AU closer and more profitable. In addition to giving courses at prestigious universities, he has created the Foundation for Worldwide Cooperation, which addresses social, cultural, economic and political problems with the aim of promoting new proposals for collaboration in the international context. The Courier met him at the first big event organised by his foundation, the 'Africa, 53 Countries, One Continent' convention, held on 21 May 2010 in Bologna. Participants at the convention included Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal, Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, Asha Rose Mgiro, UN Deputy Secretary- General and Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development. What is your view about the role of the AU in peace keeping? I believe that it is important to increase the participation of the AU in the decision- making process and in the execution of peace operations on the African continent, and to bolster its 'peacekeeping capacity' through financing. This thesis is still under discussion, and has not been agreed upon by everyone. Those who oppose the idea of a strong AU are those who favour bilateral relations with those African countries with which old ties exist. But multilateral cooperation with and between African countries is vital to their future, and anyway, history has condemned bilateral relations. For a while now, there has been much discussion about the impact of China on Africa. What should Europe's position be? It would be useful for the EU, China and the USA to come together, in order to avoid a situation in which Africa ends up as a pawn in a game between vying powerful countries. The EU has gained a great advantage: unifying so many different countries and therefore asserting itself as a model, and as a body which is capable of exercising strong coordination. But we must be realistic: the idea of working without China or the USA is unthinkable in Africa today. Rather, we should try to work with them to find a common policy towards the continent, aiming to strengthen the role of the AU and to define long-term strategies at the continental level, which are respectful of all local realities. Development policies are at the basis of the history of EU, but do you think that they could be endangered as a result of the fear and selfishness that seem to dominate public opinion? I had the privilege of being President in better economic times. We were able to carry out important work, such as starting up finance to enable the AU to play an active role in peace keeping. Despite some worries from public opinion, cooperation has remained a constant for the EU (the EU gives over half of worldwide public aid to development) and I hope it stays this way. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Haiti : careful planning, not speedy reconstruction Meeting with the Mayor of Port-au-Prince Jean-Yves Muscadin Jason, the Mayor of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti laid waste by the earthquake of the 12th January, was invited to Brussels at the end of April by the European Parliament's Development Committee. He also met the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response to give his views on the reconstruction process, stressing the importance of planning rather than starting work straight away.* Hegel Goutier I explained to them", he said to The Courier, "that before talking about reconstruc- Ltion, you need a construc- tion plan. I have asked for support from the European Parliament for a long-term multidisciplinary develop- ment centre for Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan area, as this would Jean-Yves Muscadin Jason, mayor of Port-au-Prince Hegel Goutier encourage both reflection and the pro- duction of plans like management, town planning, public security and transport programmes". Interview HG- On 12January, where wereyou when everything collapsed under your feet? J-Y M J was hosting an adminis- trative meeting of the city council's Courier Water distribution in Port-au-Prince, January 2010. Contrasto/REPORTERS finance department in an administra- tive building. There was a dull thud, and people ran out. I didn't know what it was, and I went to get my PDA (Blackberry) from the city council building, and put it in my bag. Then the building collapsed, and I found myself under the rubble, along with a few employees. There were other col- leagues who were stuck, and I went to look for help. We managed to get eve- ryone out, but there were several deaths at the run-down town hall, which had fallen down, and about a hundred at the city council, including fifty school- children. The city council runs eight local schools, and all ofthese collapsed. Didyou y" ii, il realise the extent of the damage straight away? At first, no. It was when I came out that I realized it had been an earthquake. I went straight to speak to our civil protection squad, and then out into the streets to help people. I saw it was a catastrophe. It was terrible. I went to several hospitals to look for doc- tors who could look after the seriously injured. It was a traumatic experience, and I'm still suffering from it. Why are the city council's civil pro- tection units so important? The State in Haiti is weak, and it has never wanted the city council to be strong. It's true that there is a consti- tutional stipulation for administrative and financial autonomy for councils, but not all city councils have been fully set up yet. I came here in March 2007, and first I had to fight within the frame- work of decentralised cooperation with foreign organizations to build up the city council. When I arrived, there was an embryonic volunteer organisa- tion which worked directly with the Interior Minister in the area of civil protection. It's thanks to the twinning programme we've started with several Mexican towns that we managed to set up local civil protection units just a few days before the earthquake, with about thirty technical staff who had just been trained. Is it true that the earthquake has created a kind of positive cathar- sis? There seems to have been a lot of progress in Haiti in the last few years. On the first days after the catastro- phe, those who were on the streets were citizens and volunteers linked to the city council. We managed to get neighbourhood councils going, and that's what helped us deal with the disaster. Besides, Haitians are fight- ers, people who are used to struggling against adversity, and the earthquake has shown our ability to respond. Our experience in Haiti might be helpful to other countries that suffer disaster like this. We got up, came together, and dug into the earth with our fingers, without waiting for the tractors and excavators, and we managed to save quite a lot of lives. It's also a valuable opportunity to build something new: we have to build and not rebuild, and find our own Haitian solutions. And that can only be done with citizens who are conscious what does that mean?, who have a sense of belonging to something on which we have to work each day to improve and polish, and who must understand that they are the masters of their own future. Was this all done with the help of the international community? We have received aid, but the kind of aid that kills. When you receive five planes full of hundreds of bottles of water, those plastic bottles stay in Haiti, and we have to deal with that. How are we going to get Haitians to accept these people who arrive with everything and who are frightened of us, who don't want to go into the so- called danger zones, what the NGOs call 'red zones' ? Now at least there is a local government which can provide reassurance, and take them to those areas where there are problems. When an NGO arrives with thou- sands, or millions, of bags of rice and hands them out in a way lacking in all respect, that spoils people and distorts the economy. These bags of rice are subsidized. We have rice in Haiti. Why don't we subsidise it to give to peo- ple? In the medium term, there's no room on the market for our rice from Artibonite, which is an area that wasn't hit by the earthquake. In a few years' time, our country will start to ask these questions about aid again. We will either still be receiving aid, which will be a disgrace, or we will be looking after ourselves. Either we have partners, or we have backers. Backers impose their own ideas, but partners take the time to talk things over and work with you to find solu- tions together. * The EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs visited Haiti later. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Haiti: EU-funded reconstruction begins European Commissioner for Devel- opment, Andris Piebalgs, signed the first five funding agreements for Haiti's reconstruction during a visit to Haiti, 23-24 April. They amount to E200M of a total European Com- mission E460M package pledged so far for the country's reconstruction. Piebalgs opened the first section of works of national road no.3 link- ing Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien in the north of the country. He also inaugurated the construction site of the new 'administrative city' which will replace the destroyed buildings housing Haiti's state institutions, and laid the first stone ofa school re-build in Mirebalais. "The future of Haiti lies in government and people's hands. And I want them to know that Europe will be a determined partner for the coming years", said Piebalgs prior to the Haiti visit. The total amount earmarked to date by EU Member States, the European Commission and the Luxembourg-based Europe- an Investment Bank (EIB) for longer- term projects is 1.235bn. ;r T,. .. t r .. -" ts partners with one voice: takes its first steps ^^/^ ^:t .^. \t.^.^^ r:,^ dll dlIlUILIUUs dllU UIIIIcUIL UalI. FIVt. months after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the 27 European Union (EU) member states finally agreed on 26 April they would establish the guidelines for the future EU External Action Service (EEAS). A compromise which has not been to everyone's taste. Marie-Martine Buckens E urope needs an External Action Service, which will, in a coordinated manner, present our response to the challenges which we face around the world and which will act to promote comprehensive policies", said the High Representative, Catherine Ashton who is British. The head of French diplomacy, Bernard Kouchner, agrees: "Europe needs this new dip- lomatic tool in order to act in a more effective, clearer and more coordinated way". This European diplomatic service would be made up of around 5,000 people. A third would come directly from member states, and two thirds from the Commission and the Council. However, before the service is put in place, it will be necessary to win over the European Parliament, which has threat- ened to block the service if it places too much emphasis on national Ministries of Justice. For their part, European develop- ment NGOs and non-European NGOs (CONCORD, CIDSE, Aprodev, Oxfam, etc.) have demanded an "urgent and comprehensive" revision of the EEAS proposal, stating that it goes against European interests and those of the poorest people in the world. In addi- tion, the NGOs will argue -with the help of lawyers -that, under European Treaties, the role of the EEAS should be limited to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the Union and, in any event, should exclude devel- opment cooperation. Call for CAP reform to achieve MDGs The European Union's (EU) Common Ag- ricultural Policy (CAP) must be urgently reformed if the eight Millennium Devel- opment Goals (MDGs) are to be met by 2015, says the Millennium Campaign for Europe -the European branch ofa United Nations' interagency set up by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to support citizens' efforts to hold their governments accountable for achieving the MDGs. "Official Development Assistance (ODA) cannot alone bear the development bur- den", said Eckhard Deutscher, Chair of the Development Assistance Commit- tee of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at the recent launch of the study, 'Give Development a Chance Europe's CAP needs urgent reform', drawn up by the Millennium Campaign. "The biggest challenge the EU's devel- opment aspirations are facing is the lack of policy coherence. The trade, develop- ment, agriculture and environmental poli- cies are simply out of sync with regard to developing countries", said Deutscher. German Socialist Member of the Euro- pean Parliament Gabriele Zimmer said, "CAP reform will be a reality check for the MDG package. As we will soon en- ter into the negotiations over the next EU budget, we need to fundamentally reform a subsidies regime that stands for waste at home and damage abroad". Find out more: www.endpoverty2015.org Courier Speaking to i Roud-p Security guarantee for Sahelian countries The armed wing of the former ruling Islamic Courts in Somalia, AI-Shabab is a powerful resurgent group and has been fighting foreign troops in the country since early 2007. aAPPhoto The "non-Maghreb" situation that currently prevails between the five countries of Western North Africa could weigh on the security situation, both of the EU and of the Sahelian countries. That is the substance of the warning issued by the Thomas More Institute, a European think-tank. M.M.B. On 7 April in Brussels, the Thomas More Institute held a conference to present its new report, Towards a sustainable security in the Maghreb: an opportunity for the region, a commit- ment for the European Union (EU). The fruit of several months of research and interviews by a multidisciplinary team, the report looks at the threats to lasting security in the Maghreb (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), whether in the form of tension between states, the challenges linked to immi- gration -from the region and from the Sahelian countries -or terrorism on a southern flank. The authors of the report see cooperation between states and a Euro-Maghreb partnership as one of the keys to this lasting security, not just for the countries of the Maghreb but for the region as a whole. Combating crime On the subject of combating crime and terrorism, the report's authors stress its "Maghreb and Sahelian" dimension and thus the need for ail the Maghreb coun- tries to be included in moves towards common security with the Sahelian countries, "or even beyond, as suggested by the links with South American drug traffickers", advises the report. "A new wider geographical approach is needed that encompasses the entire Maghreb and Sahelian area" "At the interface of two continents, the Maghreb region constitutes a crossroads, historically, geographically and geostra- tegically", Jean-Thomas Lesueur, general delegate at the Thomas More Institute, told us. "It is a region that is changing rapidly and is opening up ... opening up to its neighbour the European Union, with the prospect of new opportunities and also bringing new responsibilities, and also opening up to its south, pre- senting many challenges, which is an increasingly important factor in the bal- ance of the entire region. For Europe, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa the strategic stakes are changing with the need to consider the Maghreb and Sahelian area in its globality and its diversity." With the upcoming series of meetings between the EU and ACP countries, the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean) summit in Barcelona, the stated objec- tives of the Spanish presidency -which wants to strengthen relations with the Maghreb and Africa, its favoured stra- tegic partners -and the new EU inter- nal security strategy, is this a favour- able context for a better awareness of the stakes? "However you look at it", adds Lesueur, "there is no denying the facts... On the migration issues, on the terrorism and trafficking threats, and on the border problems in the region, a new wider geographical approach is needed that encompasses the entire Maghreb and Sahelian zone". N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Roud-p Hope for the Kalahari Bushmen The visit to Botswana in March 2009 of James Anaya, United Nations spe- cial rapporteur on indigenous peoples, seems to have produced results. The Bushmen, driven from their ancestral lands in the Kalahari in 2002, will have their case heard once again by the High Court on 9 June. M.M.B. at the European Parliament in March this year by Irish MEP Brian Crowley. He asked the EU Council "to assess the extent of the harassment facing the Kalahari Bushmen". Flashback. On 13 December 2006, the High Court of Botswana declared the expulsion of Gana and Gwi Bushmen to be "unlawful and anti-constitutional" and that they were entitled to live on their ancestral lands in the Kalahari Central Reserve (KCR). These expul- sions began a few years after diamond deposits were discovered in the reserve in 1980. The operating licence, which belonged to De Beers, was sold to Gem Diamonds, a new company set up with employees of the former South African diamond company that had apparently announced its intention to mine the site. To get the Bushmen to settle in new camps, the government sealed the well on the existing reserve. James Anaya called on the government to reopen the well, considering that the Bushmen who had returned to the reserve were "facing deplorable and dangerous living conditions due to their lack of access to water." Hearing The reply to Brian Crowley's question on the part of Europe was cautious. The Spanish Presidency pointed out that the issue of the San/Bushmen was the sub- ject of regular discussions between EU Heads of Mission and the Government of Botswana. These discussions take place in the context of Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement that provides for formal and systematic dialogue on the three key elements of the Cotonou A Basarwa woman smokes from a handmade pipe in Metsiamenong, a remote village in the heart of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. Reporters Agreement, namely respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule oflaw. At these meetings, the pres- idency added, the government informed the EU on the follow-up to the High Court ruling. The presidency said that "according to our information, the San/ Bushmen nominated last December their representatives who have been tasked to discuss the issue with the government. In order to find a solution to their relocation, contacts are now underway with the government". The case will be heard again by the High Court in early June. About 100,000 Bushmen still live in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Angola, where they have lived for tens of thousands of years. The Central Kalahari Game Re- serve lies in the heart of Botswana. It was created to protect the tradi- tional lands of the 5,000 Gana, Gwi and Tsila Bushmen and their neigh- bours, the Bakgalagadi, as well as the wild animals on which they depend. Other Bushmen, the Bu- kakhwe, who live close to the Oka- vango Delta, in the northeast of the country, have concluded an agree- ment with the NGO Conservation In- ternational and the company Wilder- ness Safaris to set up an ecotourism camp. Conservation International sees this as an initiative that will en- able tourists to discover the cultural heritage of these Bushmen and for the latter to use the resulting finan- cial resources for development pro- jects, thereby reducing the burden on the wild fauna. Courier New ACP management team Okechukwu Umelo Secretaries-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) have been appointed, which for the first time in the organisation's history includes two women. The four appointees are: Nthisana Matlhogonolo Philips (Botswana, Southern Africa), Head of the Department of Administration, Finance and Human Resources; Achille Bassilekin III (Cameroon, Central Africa), Head of the Department of Sustainable Economic Development and Trade; Michele Dominique Raymond (Haiti, Caribbean); Head of the Department of Political Affairs and Human Development; and Paulo S. Kautoke (Tonga, Pacific), Head of the Department of Macro-Economics, Bayimba resounds in Uganda The third edition of the festival will take place from 17-19 September, 2010 at the Uganda National Cultural Centre in Kampala Catherine Haenlein T he first Bayimba International Festival of Music and Arts was held in 2008. It was, in fact, the first organised festival in Uganda's his- tory and represented a brand new expe- rience for its people. A large and diverse audience was mesmerised by the vibran- cy ofthe beats, sounds and colours ema- nating from an eclectic range of events. Since then, the festival has become an eagerly anticipated annual event, and over 100 artists from Uganda, East Africa and beyond have performed on its stages, with acts ranging from live bands to dance, graffiti, storytelling, video mixing, fashion shows and 'silent disco'. Plans for the third edition of the festi- val are well under way, and an exciting range of live performances is expected. No less interesting will be the build up jj Y i-l -iY IiII Iu From left: Nthisana Matlhogonolo Philips, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Achille Bassilekin III and Michele Dominique Raymond. ACP secretariat Development Finance and Intra-ACP Programming. The selection of the new management team was announced by ACP Secretary- General, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, fol- lowing a competitive recruitment pro- cess in four of the six ACP regions. Chambas underlined the qualities of his new team which include its gender diversity and varied professional experi- ences and competence. Paulo S. Kautoke. ACP secretariat Youngsters dance to Islamic matali rhythms. Bayimba Cultural Foundation to the event, with a series of workshops and pre-festival events in Gulu in May, Mbarara in June and Mbale in July. The organisation behind this cultural phenomenon is the Bayimba Cultural Foundation -a Kampala-based asso- ciation whose vision is to make Uganda -and East Africa as a whole -an important hub for music and art on the African continent. And the festival has indeed had a profound impact on the creative and cultural landscape of the region. The unique fusion of such diverse artistic forms has led to a profu- sion of innovative cultural and creative exchanges, stimulating new forms of artistic collaboration. The festival has also played an important role in pro- jecting the music and arts of Uganda and East Africa to both a local and an international audience. The Foundation charges no entrance fee, thereby ensur- ing that the event is accessible to the widest possible audience. For more information on the festival, please see www.bayimba.org. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Roud-p Time for turn around Debra Percival tion ofpoverty and a thriving civil aviation industry may not be obvious. Our focus on the sector in the following pages highlights the development of aviation both for passengers and cargo -in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries as key to economic and social development. The dependency of a region on aviation is no greater than in the small island states of both the Caribbean and the Pacific, but they are both encountering challenges. In the Caribbean, rising fuel costs and the global downturn have hit airlines hard. In the Pacific, however, there is optimism that polit- ical cooperation and the arrival of smaller jets will increase services and give tourism a boost. The absurdity of the lack of frequent connections between major capitals on the African continent operated by indigenous African airlines was recent- ly brought home when chatting with a Congolese journalist colleague in Dakar, Senegal. He was 4179 kilometres miles from home yet the easiest way for him to return was with an EU airline via Paris (Dakar-Paris, 4065 km) then boarding another plane flying a flag of an EU member state to Kinshasa (Paris- Kinshasa 6,043 km). He almost doubled the time he should have spent in the air -and carbon emissions -in addition to having to submit to visa requirements when transiting an EU member state. His experience alone speaks volumes about the current domination of African skies by EU-based airlines. Africa's single market awaits take-off But so farprogress onthe Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 between African gov- ernments on a single African airspace has been slow. It sets out the principle of free market access of eligible air carriers for intra-African connections. With passenger numbers expected to soar over the next 15 years in the con- tinent, we look at the issues preventing a single market from taking off in the continent. We look too at growing Africa-EU cooperation in the sector from safety and security related matters, economic regulation, the environment, training and funding for navigational aids which will open up more regional airports on the continent. The EU is offer- ing to share its own aviation develop- ments including the Single European Sky, which is an ambitious initiative to reform the architecture of European air traffic control to meet future capacity and safety needs. Courier 1IDose A Single African sky? D. P. if and when liberalisation comes, dense point to point traffic will be needed if low cost carriers are to survive. by the global financial down- turn. In February 2009 alone, African airlines posted a pas- senger drop of 13.7 per cent, according to AFRAA, the Nairobi-based African Airlines Association which groups 40 of the continent's indigenous airline compa- nies. This year the ash cloud over Europe, caused by the eruption of Iceland's vol- cano Eyjafjallajkull caused the cancella- tion of some flights operated by African carriers with both passengers and cargoes of fresh fruit and vegetables and cut flow- ers particularly from East Africa affected. Such events of a more unpredictable and volatile nature have compounded the longer term issues of African airlines. They include safety, the connected issue of weak investment, the 'brain drain' of pilots and engineers and the slow progress towards liberalisation of African skies. The Yamasoukkrou Decision on the Liberalisation of Air Transport Markets in Africa in 1999 set out to create a single African sky by 2002 but its implementa- tion has been slow. It is one of the areas where the EU feels that it can share its "best practices", the EU's own sin- gle airspace established in 1992 having increased the number of intra-EU routes by over 40 per cent and the number of airlines operating in the EU market by more than 25 per cent. AFRAA hopes that the liberalisation will lead to more low cost African airline oper- ators and more passengers but it points out that airlines need to be in a position to survive liberalisation and that invest- ment is currently lacking. According to AFRAA statistics, the African continent currently accounts for only four per cent of the world's civil air traffic. It currently has just seven low cost operators and European domination Inter-continental flights to and from the African continent are currently domi- nated by European operators which carry over 70 per cent ofpassengers to and from the continent on a weekly basis. Back in the 1970s and the 1980s, Africa had 26 inter-continental airlines, including the company Air Afrique covering 11 states. Today just nine African carriers operate inter-continental routes says AFRAA. Some African airlines have benefitted from bilateral agreements with third countries in securing intercontinen- tal routes, says AFRAA. They include: Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, South African Airways, and Royal Air Maroc, Afriqiyah and Egyptair. But the body says that there is a need for better intra-Afri- can connectivity and further expansion is needed to shorten inter-city travel time and reduce costs. The issue of safety of African carriers is a huge one, says AFRAA. It says that 58 per cent of the continent's aircraft have an average age of 19 years. The aircraft construction company, Boeing puts the investment needed in the African fleet at $60bn between 2007 and 2027. What's more there are environmental concerns connected to operating older aircraft. AFRAA says that fleet renewal is vital to reduce the global carbon imprint of African airlines. Although the body applauds the EU's aviation carbon trad- ing initiative, it would prefer a global approach initiated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). AU-EU Aviation road map A roadmap for EU aviation cooperation between the EU and the African Union N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Commission (AUC) took off last year in Namibia at an EU-sponsored gathering of policy-makers, aeronautics industry rep- resentatives and service providers from both continents. The outcome was more EU-AU cooperation to improve aviation safety and security as well as implementa- tion of the Yamoussoukro Decision on Commission (AFCAC) to look at ways of pushing ahead an African single aviation market into operation. There was also agreement on further cooperation in air traffic management and on dialogue on environmental con- cerns. liberalisation for air passengers and cargo. The EU agreed f750,000 of funding to Also in the pipeline is possible EU financ- the Dakar-based African Civil Aviation ing for an extension ofits own navigation- al satellite, EGNOS, especially to improve safety at regional airports on the African continent. EGNOS already has receivers in North Africa (see separate article). Find out more: www.afcac.org www.afraa.org A regional centre of excellence for safety The European Union (EU) is providing funding for training at the African School of Meteorology and Civil Aviation. The Courier interviewed its Director, Sadamba Tchagbele. Souleymane Mazou C would you tell us about your institution? The African School of Mete- orology and Civil Aviation (Ecole Africaine de la Mtorologie et de l'Aviation Civile -EAMAC) is one of four training centres of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (l'Agence pour la Scurit de la Navigation Arienne en Afrique et Madagascar -ASECNA), located in Dakar, Senegal. Our institu- tion celebrated its 50th anniversary last December. EAMAC has made an enor- mous contribution to ensuring safety in the air space of member states. Today, EAMAC has 18 member states, includ- ing France. They include countries of central as well as west Africa. When it was set up, EAMAC mainly com- prised French-speaking countries, but now also has Portuguese and Spanish- speaking member states. What role does EAMAC play within the context of regional integration? In terms of integration, our institution's role is essentially one of cooperation. In this respect, it contributes to a high degree of integration among member states. The tools of integration are our train- ing institutions, in particular EAMAC located in Niamey, Niger, ERSI in Douala Sadamba Tchagbele. soueymane Mazou Courier DosI e (Cameroon), ERNAM in Senegal and the APSEC centre (aviation security), also based in Senegal. These training centres generally work and contribute towards the integration of our states, in particu- lar with regard to the men and women involved in aerial navigation services in our states. EAMAC has received funding from the EU to provide training. What are the main challenges in the field of safety and training? They are primarily technological. In the field of aeronautics, aircraft are being built to go faster, are increasing in size and are being designed to travel great- er distances. Various safety provisions have to be met regarding each of the aspects I mentioned. There are many safety challenges concerning technology, aircraft construction and in-flight service. Aircraft control panels have advanced enormously. ICT (information and com- munication technology) has extended into ail fields, including aviation. Training institutes must therefore keep pace with developments by adapting to technological developments in order to meet the requirements of customers who want staff to be trained to carry out vari- ous tasks on board an aircraft or on the ground. I would like to make a distinc- tion here because ASECNA is prima- rily an aerial navigation service provider. It does not encompass on-board areas, but ensures the smooth management of flights, in particular to prevent colli- sions. Ail of our training meets the stand- ards and practices recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the international body which establishes regulations aimed at ensuring safety in the air space of all countries. Do you face other challenges? Yes, in particular with regard to require- ments planning. This is one of the issues under discussion today at the African level -how can requirements be better com- municated to enable training centres to adapt to them. Another related challenge concerns the capacity of training centres. This involves scaling your training centre to meet requirements, taking account of the fact that needs vary. Discussions are taking place at the African level, with the assistance of ICAO, to create synergies between the African training centres. Another challenge is language training (ed: the ICAO has decided that from March 2011 no pilot or air traffic control- ler can practise unless they are proficient in English). This is a significant challenge for us, as we are mainly French speaking. Are you facing any other difficulties? Yes, above all in terms of funding for the training institutions. However, the crisis is a global one. The economic and finan- cial crises obviously have repercussions for institutions like ASECNA, and as we belong to ASECNA, we inevitably feel the impact of these events which are having a global effect. r...... Madagascar. Lait /Reporters N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 DosI e DosI e Pacific: At the cusp of a mini-revolution? Will more regional co-operation between governments and the arrival of smaller jets open the Pacific's skies and boost tourism receipts? Dev Nadkarni F or almost all island countries in the Pacific region tourism has always been either the biggest or the second biggest single revenue earner after remittances and certainly the biggest avenue for both direct and indirect employment. But natural factors like long distances and thin markets small markets with low seat loads where frequent flights are not economically viable have conspired with issues ranging from inadequate infrastructure and perceptions of politi- - .. cal instability to more recently eco- logical uncertainty, undermining the true potential of the region's beautiful destinations. This has resulted in under investment both in the infrastructure and transport sectors leading to high costs, less-than- optimal services and slow growth in the islands' economies that almost entirely depend on tourism for their survival. Long, thin routes typically of three hour or longer duration that require jet aircraft but with low passenger demand - and lack of appropriate aircraft to cost- effectively address this twin problem have plagued the aviation industry for decades, making some sectors in the region among the most expensive in the world. Added to that, a practicable air services agreement called PIASA (Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement) remained non-ratified for years, delaying a much needed open-skies policy across the region though good progress is now being made with better understanding between governments. ..... Courier TIDES At a recent European Union funded "Tourism Investment for the Develop- ment of Enterprise and Sustainability" conference in Samoa (TIDES) the Pacific Asia Travel Association's (PATA) Sydney-based Regional Director Chris Flynn, said Capacity Purchase Agreements (CPA) between operators innovatively tweaked around the real- ities of the uniquely long and thin [medium to long distance; with low seat occupany] nature of Pacific island air routes and could offer solutions to the region's long standing problems. More studies were necessary, he said, but solutions could be worked out around PIASA. One idea -though never tried anywhere else in the world so far but one that holds promise for the islands region according to Mr Flynn -was to slice and dice the cabin capacities of larger air- ... craft in CPAs between operators. This refers to code shares between airlines involving the capacity of the whole of the aircraft shared between two partner airlines.The slice and dice concept pro- poses that the cabin of a single aircraft be shared between three, four or five or more different airlines instead of the usual share practice of only two airlines being involved. China has introduced a number of Pacific Island nations to its preferred tourist destinations The region, however, is at the cusp of a mini revolution in aviation with the arrival of the new generation of smaller regional jets that are economical to run with lower seat load factors. Also, their appearance in the region -especially in Australia -coincides with new trends within island governments to co-operate regionally that will hopefully lead to more open skies sooner rather than later. Smaller jets The proliferation of smaller capacity jets with concomitant open skies will undoubtedly bring a whole new world of opportunities for Pacific Island tour- ism where it would become possible to island hop and experience more than one island destination in the course of one holiday because of convenient inter- island connectivity -something that is achieved today only by cruise ships. With the world emerging out of the recession, tourist arrivals from New Zealand and Australia, the region's primary source markets, have already begun to improve. Interest in the region is also bound to skyrocket from more non-traditional markets following the Shanghai Expo between May and October this year where the Pacific Islands have a combined pavilion that will be among the largest at the event. In addition, China has introduced a number of Pacific Island nations to its preferred tourist destinations: all this holds promise for ever growing tourist numbers as can already be seen by the increased number of flights between Pacific destinations and Asia and the US over the past 12 months. An airplane flies over Aitutaki the Cook Islands. Reporters Savai'i, Samoa. oD Percival N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 1IDose DsI e ~ ~ ~ eY hi,." -% ...... ,-g a s- -d6 . . . . . . . . . ..... ., ..t -I .- raBtnt e'aional Airport....o -r Jamaica, Montego Bay, Buccaneer Beach right at the Sangster International Airport. Reporters Turbulent times for Caribbean airlines Rising fuel prices, coupled with the global recession, have had a negative impact on the sustainability of the Caribbean's indigenous airlines. Some have been forced to merge or cease operations. Victoria Burbidge O ne airline which has recently opted to quit the market is Air Jamaica. After operating in the industry for 41 years, Jamaica's national carrier has thrown in the towel. An agreement for its pur- chase by Trinidad and Tobago-owned Caribbean Airlines was expected to be finalised late April 2010. According to Jamaica's Prime Minister, Bruce Golding the continued loss making operation was the main reason for the sale. It was also one of the country's conditionalities for Jamaica securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing the country's House of Parliament, Prime Minister Golding said the airline had wracked up losses of J$126bn, including losses of J$31bn over the last three years. Details of the sale are yet to emerge but it is expect- ed that Caribbean Airlines will con- tinue to operate routes that support the Jamaican tourism product, which has its major market in North America. Ian Bertrand, aviation consultant and former chief executive of British West Indian Airways (BWIA), the prede- cessor to Caribbean Airlines said Air Jamaica's failure was due mainly to its mandate to fully support the coun- try's tourism product. "If you want to lose money, support tourism, support routes that are strongly ethnic", he told the Courier. "It is not that the manage- Courier . ........... 1IDose Air Jamaica Airbus. hutterstock ment was bad, the mission statement was wrong." New environment But Norman Girvan, Professorial Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies' (UWI) Graduate Institute of International Relations in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago pointed out that the operating environ- ment for the airlines industry today is vastly different from what it was when BWIA and Air Jamaica were in their heyday. "Deregulation and Information Technology have brought a large number of new players into the industry and changed the way of doing business. Low-cost operating, no frills services, discounting and differential pricing are among the hallmarks of the new business models," he said in a recent presentation on Caribbean air transportation. "Fuel price increas- es, security and environmental con- cerns and global recession have greatly increased the cost and volatility of the business environment", he added. It is not the first time that a Caribbean airline is exiting the market. BWIA was wound up in 2006. "It was privatised in the 1990s and continued to make losses, and has now reverted to state ownership. Its rebranding as Caribbean Airlines however was a strategic move and may reflect its long-term ambi- tion", said Girvan. Bertrand, the man in-charge at BWIA at the time said, "BWIA failed largely because it was undercapitalised... it flew unprofitable routes". He further pointed that the other regional airlines were also experiencing difficulties, notably Bahamasair and Surinam Airways. Bahamasair is the national carrier of the Bahamas. It was set up after the discontinuation of service to the Bahamas by British Airways in 1970 and Pan American Airlines in 1973 due to the fuel crisis leaving a void in the Bahamian transportation industry. Tourism and the lives of persons living on the Islands were hurt. According to the airline's website, since the 1990s it has faced several challenges includ- ing the loss of revenue particularly on routes to the United States and escalat- ing costs. The Board ofthe carrier then mandated that the airline only engage in routes that would be profitable for the company. It has also introduced several initiatives to plug the holes in the carrier. These included the conver- sion of its fleet to more fuel efficient ones. Bertrand says that Surinam Airways has also faced financial difficulties. Established in 1955, the airline started its domestic activities and scheduled services between Paramaribo, the capi- tal, and the small bauxite town of Moengo, using pleasure planes. On 30 August, 1962, the SurinameseLuchtvaart Maatschappij was officially established. It was only after the Dutch speaking country's independence that the air- line established a transatlantic route to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. LIAT's bumpy ride Bertrand was cautious however about commenting on the operations of Leeward Islands Air Transport Services (LIAT). Headquartered in Antigua in the Eastern Caribbean, LIAT was founded in 1956 and today services 22 destinations in the Caribbean. Over the years the airline has also had a bumpy ride. In 1971, 75 per cent of its shares were acquired by Court Line, a well- known British charter airline. Courtline went bankrupt three years later but to save the airline, 11 Caribbean coun- tries came to the rescue and bought the airline. To save it from bankruptcy again, LIAT was partially privatised again in 1995 and in January 2007 it announced an intended merger with regional com- petitor, Caribbean Star Airlines. They entered into a commercial alliance, involving the flying of a combined schedule. However in June 2007, the share holder Governments of Barbados, Antigua and St. Vincent instead gave the go ahead to the Board of Directors to buy out Caribbean Star Airlines in October 2007. LIAT has subsequently changed its slogan to 'LIAT, Star of the Caribbean'. The airline is owned by seven Caribbean governments, with three (Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) being the major shareholders. Bertrand predicts that competition from the bigger players in the market will get "stiffer". He says that the region does not have the financial capacity to sustain loss-making airlines. "This is not an industry for the faint hearted or shallow pockets", he said. International carriers from North America and Europe such as JetBlue, Jet Air, Air Tran and Westjet have been capitalising on the Jamaican market. In just one year the four carriers expand- ed into Jamaica. Traditional carriers such as US Airways, American Airlines, British Airways and Delta have also expanded their scheduled services. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 DI e EU grounds African airlines An EU ban on over 100 African airlines from its airspace is benefitting EU companies, says the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) based in Nairobi, Kenya. EU's 'banned' logo. EC regularly revised 'blacklist' of international air companies that do not comply with EU regulations was published on 30 March 2010. Eleven -out of a total of 17 coun- tries -and a total of 111 companies on the list are from sub-Saharan Africa. AFRAA says that the EU list dam- ages both the reputation and business of many scheduled African airlines whose safety records and adherence to safe- ty standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are com- parable to the best airlines anywhere in the world. The ultimate beneficiaries of the ban are European airlines which dominate African skies to the disadvantage of African carriers The banning of all Sudanese carriers due to a poor safety performance of the civil aviation authority of Sudan and persistent non-compliance with inter- national standards in area of oversight -is one of the new entries in this thir- teenth update. And although Angola's airlines remain blacklisted, the ban on TAAG Angola Airlines has been partially lifted, meaning that the airline can now operate under certain conditions with specific aircraft to all destinations in the EU. Those countries whose carriers are blacklisted are; Angola (see exception), Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (with the exception of three carriers that are able to operate under restrictions and conditions), Liberia, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia. Further, the majority of aircraft of one company ofthe Comoros, Air Service Comoros are banned from entering EU skies, as are all aircraft of Rwanda's Silverback Cargo Freighters. European winners "The ultimate beneficiaries of the ban are European airlines which dominate African skies to the disadvantage of African carriers. If any list is to be published, it should be done so by the ICAO, the global regulatory of avia- tion safety, which has a known track record of impartiality", says AFRAA's Secretary General, Nick Fadugba. AFRAA argues that the majority of the African airlines on the list have never operated scheduled flights to Europe, do not plan to do so and have no air- craft with the range to fly to any EU state."The list includes many airlines that only exist on paper and are not operational", says AFRAA. The United States (US) has a more useful position, it says, with regards to African air safety challenges having launched a 'Safe Skies for Africa' initiative to upgrade African aircraft capacity by developing skills and provide infrastructure to improve safety. "All this is being done at a time when only a few US carriers are operat- ing to Africa", says AFRAA. It wants the EU to emulate the US programme with its own safety improvement pro- gramme for the African continent. "We are ready to support countries that need to build up technical and administrative capacity to guarantee the necessary standards in civil aviation", says EU Commissioner for Transport, Sim Kallis To view the full list: http://ec.europa.eu/ transport/air-ban/listen.htm Courier 1IDose EGNOS: EU satellite for African skies? The African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) are cooperating on how to improve satellite communication navigation in African skies to enhance safety and propel the continent's economic development forward. One option is to extend the EU's own European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS) to the whole of the African continent, its benefits extending to aviation and beyond. the existing Global Positioning System (GPS) and other satellite con- stellations presently under develop- ment, EGNOS will reduce accidents on approach and landing particularly for regional airports without traditional navigational aids. EGNOS consists of three geostationary satellites and a net- work of ground stations. It transmits a signal containing information on the reliability and accuracy of the position- ing signals sent out by GPS and allows its users to determine their position to within 1.5 metres. Aircraft flying over the northern part of the African con- tinent can already receive information from ground systems placed in North Africa. "Aircraft from the EU to Africa and vice versa will be able to use the same navigation instruments over both con- tinents. It is also worth mentioning that the same signal is being used in the USA and in Japan, and is being developed in India and Russia", says Fabio Pirotta, spokesperson for the EU's Enterprise and Industry Commissioner, Antonio Tajani. "An already completed cost- benefit analysis of deploying a system like EGNOS calculates a gain of lbn for African society," adds Pirotta. Improved air transport navigation and safety standards in African skies were priorities pinpointed at the first Africa- EU aviation high-level meeting in Windhoek, Namibia in April 2009. The potential of an EGNOS-like system was identified in the first Action Plan of the 8th partnership of the Africa-EU strat- egy dealing with Science, Information Society and Space. A decision on the ail-important issue of funding could come at the end of year at the Africa-EU Summit The political go-ahead from the EU for EGNOS (or a similar system) for Africa and a decision on the all-important issue of funding could come at the end of year at the Africa-EU Summit to be held in Tripoli, Libya on 29-30 November 2010, says Pirotta. "The building of EGNOS has cost over C700M to cover Europe. Any solution to cover Africa would involve sharing part of the EGNOS infrastructure and would hence cost substantially less", he adds. The sky's the limit Beyond aviation, EGNOS has spin-offs in other sectors and could be applied to improve knowledge of the positioning of seagoing vessels, animal husbandry and land management as well applications in the oil and mining industries. The EU wants to extend EGNOS to Africa which uses exciting navigation satellite constellations (GPS, Glonass) and potentially Galileo a system of 30 satellites in medium orbit in development). SESA N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Islamic Relief (IR) is a faith-based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), but it does not just assist Islamic communities in developing countries, as its speedy aid to Haiti showed. D. P. Birmingham, the United Kingdom, it works with the world's poorest communities regardless of race, religion or gender, explains Sarah Douik, its Brussels-based international officer. Its partners in over 30 countries implement and coordinate aid, from the provision of water supply to education and emergency humanitar- ian aid. The act of giving is not one of generosity but also a duty to fulfil nghts to the poor Douik says that it has easier access to Muslim grassroots communities espe- cially through using local technical experts and a few senior expatriates from other developing nations. In Chad its country director is Mauritanian and in Mali, Moroccan. Its funders include the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the EU's European Development Fund (EDF), Germany, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden. - Islamic Relief In Chad, the EU is presently co-fund- ing with IR an 18 month 'Community Development project in the Salamat Canton' (563,243) to promote local empowerment in 118 villages. Although it is particularly active in African nations with Muslim communi- ties Chad, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Malawi -Douik says it is the values of the Islamic faith that guide its actions. "The act of giving is not only one of generosity but also to fulfil rights to the poor", she explains. IR was one of the first NGOs to go into Haiti following the January 12 earthquake. In Sudan and Ethiopia, IR also implements projects with non-Muslim communities as it is the case in Juba (South Sudan). Vital aid to Sudan In 1984, Sudan was the first country where IR worked following the famine. Many of the projects are focused on conflict recovery and include drilling boreholes, improving health facilities and reintegrating refugees. IR is also leading an NGO EDF support- ed consortium under a Rehabilitation and Recovery Programme. EU-funded (initially for 2006-2009 with E54.3M from the 9th EDF), and administered by the United Nations Development Pro- gramme (UNDP), it is reaching 800,000 people in ten areas across rural Sudan. Individual projects which include ex- panded agricultural production, medical treatment, job creation and explanations of the dividends of peace to communi- ties, are being implemented by 48 na- tional and international NGOs. IR emphasises the importance of a sec- ond phase ofthe project which could be hampered because Sudan did not sign the Cotonou Agreement (2000-2020) before the deadline, July 1, 2009 and is so not currently eligible for funding un- derthe 10th EDF (2008-2013). In March 2010, the European Commission told IR and other European NGOs active in Sudan in writing that it is trying to find a solution to address the vulnerable popu- lations in Sudan using unspent 9th EDF funds (2000-2007). Courier African Civil Society Organizations missing out on dialogue with China D. P. n many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, China is emerging as an economic -and political -power. But more needs to be done to get civil society organizations (CSOs) in both Africa and China involved in mon- itoring the deals done between African governments and Chinese consortia, heard a conference, 'China, Africa and the European Union', organised by the Institute of Development Policy and Management of the University of Antwerp (UCSIA), Belgium. China's push into Africa is often cited as "win-win" for both China and Africa where African governments exchange commodities such as oil, cobalt copper, gold, ore and diamonds for Chinese con- cessionary loans used for much needed infrastructure investment for economic growth. "The challenge is how this will trick- le down to the ordinary people. This is what should be analysed by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other actors", said Stefaan Marysse, Professor of Political Economy at UCSIA. Zoom into a map of the infrastructure of sub-Saharan Africa in the 1950s still under colonial rule and compare it with that of 2010. They are almost identical and show that such investment remains outward looking -towards seaports as opposed to creating transport links within the continent. "Economic rela- tions with China are very much the same as a colonial power but without the political domination", said Marysse. Other issues which should be taken on by both Chinese and African CSOs include the conditions of labour used by Chinese companies in Africa, environ- mental degradation created by Chinese projects and the new xenophobia emerging in Africa directed at China, Jonathan Holslag, Head of Research at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies said. He alleged 40 murders of Chinese on the continent in the last five years. The growing tension beyond peaceful protests is being pro- voked by Chinese companies bringing in their own people and depriving local people of jobs, and according to Holslag by the belief that China has contacts with local political elites. He said there was a general perception of China being "a negative and new colonising power". No home grown CSOs But the conference also put the spot- light on the lack of home grown African CSOs to raise such issues of China- Africa relations. Many ofthe continent's CSOs, said Anthony Otieno Ong'ayo, had been set up with European funding specifically to address European issues. He called for wide-ranging pan-African CSO dialogue to address and raise the problems linked to China's presence in Africa Within China, CSOS are a fairly recent phenomenon, put at 870,000 in 2002, said Otieno Ong'ayo. They have mini- mal contact with the international com- munity, he said. The status of unregis- tered Chinese CSOs is precarious and they lack legitimacy and face fund- ing difficulties whereas the activities of those that are registered are lim- ited by government policy; they can neither advocate nor organise. Otieno Ong'ayo thus called for Chinese CSOs to form partnerships with similar CSOs in China and also for more partnerships between Chinese CSOs and African academia. See: www.ucsia.org A visitor viewing items exhibited at the Africa Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. Reporters / Novosti N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 l~i~~ II -g.:irr li--- -r - images is a right" Interview by Elisabeth Lequeret* Journalist and critic for Cahiers du Cinma Rithy Panh, the Cambodian director of the famous documentary 'S21- la machine de mort khmre rouge' (The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine), talks to us about a productive working relationship with Imagine, Gaston Kabor's training centre in Ouagadougou. y ou werepatron ofthisyear's Cannes Film Festival, along with the actress Sandrine Bonnaire, of the Les Cinmas du Monde Pavilion ... It was an honour and a great experi- ence. I came into this with lots of intentions: that there would be an exchange, a meeting point with these twelve young filmmakers, including six who incidentally are from the ACP area. We need to back the future, and they are the future. It was wonderful to meet the young Nigerian filmmak- er, Elhadj Magori Sani, and discover his impressive documentary, 'For the best and for the onion'. Our role is to talk about them. l'll keep in touch to see how they develop and how I can be of help. I hope that more like Gaston Kabor and Rithy Panh emerge, peo- ple who make the cinema they like, and who also want to showcase it. You are a renowned film-maker and in 2006 you also founded the Bophana audiovisual resource cen- tre, in Phnom Penh ... We wanted to grow in three direc- tions: memory, training and produc- tion. We started off with the most pressing, memory. Given our history and the state of audiovisual archives in Cambodia, collecting and restor- ing the existing archives, which were disappearing as a result of a lack of money, was a must. At the same time, we trained archivists and researchers. We recently received a grant to put tra- ditional Cambodian music online for free. It is published as open content. Those who download the music can, if they wish, help us by making a dona- tion, within their means: one Euro, Courier Round I The band from RDC "Staff Benda Bilili" at the opening of the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes. CACP two Euros or more. The money will be used to save Cambodian culture. How many people work at Bophana and what type of organisation is it? Thirty-five, whose average age is under 30. It is a non-profit associa- tion. The idea is to create a structure, then at a later point, when the state has the funds, hand it over to them, so that in the next ten years, Bophana will become the National Cinema of Cambodia. At the same time, we also have to train technicians, to build the core professions. At the moment we have two training programmes, for cam- era operators and sound technicians, taught by Cambodian technicians who I trained myself ten years ago. We try to include people outside the system, people who are disadvantaged. Every time I go into a paddy field, I think that there may be an Eisenstein look- ing after the oxen. When did your work with Imagine, Gaston Kabor's training centre in Ouagadougou, start up? Two years ago. Gaston is a great film- maker and a great friend. He started working in the area of training, where he is much more advanced than us. For example, Imagine is already work- ing on an animation project. On the other hand, there was no equipment available to access images at Imagine. Ouagadougou is almost like the Mecca for cinema in black Africa. Gaston Kabor does not, of course, claim to be replacing the Cinema of Ouagadougou. Rather, in a more modest way, Imagine sets out to provide public access to the cinema, not only in Burkina Faso, but also continent-wide. My principle is to always invite people to come to see us. So, Gaston came to Cambodia, with a representative of the centre to observe. Then they wrote up the project, tailored to their own needs. Bophana has lent its expertise, that's all. Mostly technology. Actress bandrine Bonnaire (centre) with M.H Makongo, Presidentot the Committee otAL;P Ambassadors (lett) and Mrs Jeanette Kavira Mapera, Minister for culture and arts in the DRC. Accompanied by young ACP directors invited to the Cannes festival, they ascend the stairs together for the screening of the film by Chadian, Houroun who was winner of the jury prize. CACP It's a project dealing with access to images: what are the images? Images from the films produced by the Imagine centre, and perhaps eventu- ally images from television and films shown in the Cinema of Ouagadougou. There is no point in digitising images if they are then left on a shelf. For a project to work you need the com- mitment of a professional. Gaston is a great filmmaker. He really wants to convey something. He realized that it was he who for years had brought eve- ryone together at Fepaci (Federation of African Filmmakers). He is a man of integrity. All this interests me. He wants to help us; I want to help him, it's natural. I am therefore kept up to date with what he does in the train- ing field. He has very good ideas, like bringing in professionals from animated films. I applauded his move to build a centre where disadvantaged young people could sleep and work. We cannot do this at Bophana because of a lack of space, but it's a great idea! "Ideally, French-speaking people should get more involved in South-South exchanges" Are you working on projects together? Yes, film cycles. And archivists from Imagine have come to train with us. They learnt about our technology, then a computer expert from Cambodia spent one month in Burkina Faso to help get the project started. It works very well. They speak to one another in French. Ideally, French-speaking people should get more involved in South-South exchanges. This is not a money issue, but a political one. And an issue of mutual trust. Everyone must assume their own responsibili- ties. If Gaston and I wanted to do business, we would. But we love our countries, we love our culture, our people, everything. Do you have projects in other coun- tries in the ACP zone? Five African countries are interested in the project. They are going to come to Bophana to see how it works and perhaps, eventually, Imagine will take over and work with them. Which countries? We have been liaising with Mozambique and Rwanda. We need to identify the countries where the memory-related need is urgent. We have met with people, but the way they operate is a little too expensive. There are too many members of staff. We need to discuss these choices. Gaston's proposal is to create three or four posi- tions, and then expand according to demand. Because there is work to be done; we have to work with those in education, to make one's voice heard. At first people think it's not free, or that it is complicated but our system is as easy to use and fun as an Internet search browser. * You can find the whole interview in French on the Courier website: http://new.acp-eucourier.info. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Report by Marie-Martine Buckens S ixty-six years ago, after long, secret preparations, the allied landings began on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The liberation of the European coun- tries occupied by Hitler's Germany was under way. The landing, followed by the Battle of Normandy, paved the way for the liberation of Paris, and then the whole of France. Four months later, it was the turn of Belgium and its northern neighbour, the Netherlands, to be freed from the Nazis after another horrify- ing battle, the Battle of the Ardennes, centred around the town of Bastogne in Belgium. This issue's 'Discovering Europe' section looks at these events. The main focus is on Normandy -or more precisely Lower Normandy; until the versatile French decided to reunite the Lower and Upper parts -the ancient dukedom whose name harks back to the arrival of the Vikings ten centuries ago. Leaving Caen, which is still known as the 'city of a hundred steeples' despite the fact that three quarters of it was razed to the ground by the end of the Second World War, and following the 'Road to Freedom' -a route running from the landing beaches to Bastogne -visitors will encounter the past but, more importantly, the present as well. In particular those men and women who, through hundreds of associations, are cooperating with their counterparts in the South, as this region has based its ethos on adopting an 'international outlook'. Courier From Normandy to Bastogne village just a stone's throw away from Madeleine Beach, which became legendary under the codename 'Utah Beach'. On 6 June 1944 at 1 o'clock in the morning, 15,000 American parachut- ists dropped into the area. After three hours of fierce fighting, Sainte-Mre- Eglise became the first French vil- lage to be liberated. Shortly before- hand, the English took possession of Bnouville bridge, an impasse to the north of Caen, a prefecture in Lower Normandy. An impressive Allied fleet, made up of 7,000 war ships and landing vessels, appeared along the Norman coast- line. They were confronted with the Atlantic Wall, a daunting network of 12,000 blockhouses and artillery posi- tions stretching from Norway to the Spanish border. 'Bloody Omaha' The landing itself was able to get under way. At Omaha Beach, just to the east of Utah Beach, a first wave of American soldiers leapt into the water from the landing vessels. It was low tide and to reach the foot of the cliffs, they had to cover 400 metres of open ground. By 8 o'clock, more than half of the 6,000 men in the first four waves were either dead or wounded. By the first evening of Operation Overlord, 35,000 men had landed, but 3,000 were left on the sands in what would go down in history as 'Bloody Omaha.' Further along the coast, Arromanches- les-Bains, at the far end of Gold Beach, was taken by the English on the morning of June 6. Once the German defences had been breached, the Allies faced the problem of how to get fresh supplies through and land heavy equipment, as all the major ports, like Le Havre and Cherbourg, were in the hands of the Germans. Arromanches was chosen as the site for the construction of an incredible 500-hectare artificial port codenamed 'Mulberry'. With a landing capacity of 7,000 tonnes of cargo a day, this artificial port was a key factor in the progress made by the Allied forces. It helped to secure the gradual lib- eration of Normandy and in particu- lar Avranches, a town close to Mont Saint-Michel, freed by General Patton on 31 July 1944. A look back at history During the Second World War, the Axis powers controlled most of Eu- rope, with the exception of Great Britain. The USA, a rising economic and industrial power, achieved deci- sive military victories in the Pacific in 1944 and the Allied troops were fighting in North Africa. On the east- ern front, Soviet forces had great difficulty in holding back the Ger- mans despite logistical support from the Americans. Stalin suggested that the Allies also carry out opera- tions in Western Europe to provide relief for his front. The Allied com- manders Roosevelt for the USA, Churchill for Great Britain and Stalin for the USSR decided to open up the front in France, more specifically in Normandy, where the Germans least expected it. It was decided that the invasion would take place from Great Britain, which became a military hub where equipment was stored and thousands of soldiers were trained. Sixty-six years on, this battle re- mains the most significant logisti- cal operation of the landing. Three million soldiers, mainly American, British and Canadian but also from other Allied forces (French army, Polish, Belgian, Czech, Dutch and Norwegian troops) crossed the Eng- lish Channel to land in Normandy; 130,000 arrived on D-Day. The Bayeux Memorial commemorating the Battle of Normandy o Marie Martne Buckens N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Torches every kilometre of the way Liberty Road begins in Sainte-Mre- Eglise. Stone markers, erected at one- kilometre intervals, line the route and a torch is carved on each of them. The route crosses France from west to east until it reaches Metz, where it goes northwards to Luxembourg and Arlon before finishing in Bastogne, in Belgium, a distance of 1,145 km. In December 1944, the Germans launched a final offensive in the Ardennes. For Hitler and his chief-of- staff it was the last throw of the dice. While the Battle of Bastogne was just another chapter in this bloody conflict, its outcome was crucial to the defeat of the Nazi army. The German army came face to face with the American divisions. On 22 December, General McAuliffe's legendary response to a surrender ultimatum was "nuts". To overcome the shortage of ammuni- tion which threatened to become cata- strophic, several parachute operations were carried out. On 26 December, Patton's troops broke through the German defences, entering Bastogne. However, the battle did not end until 16 January. Eight hundred of the encircled troops were killed, 3,240 injured and 661 disappeared or were taken prisoner. The battle of Normandy a constant reminder at the Caen memorial Built on the site of a former blockhouse where the German General Richter had his command post, the role of the Caen memorial goes beyond exhibiting the history of the landings. It has the greater ambition ofencouraging reflection about peace by presenting the history of the 20th century. In this respect, it is the only museum in the world offering a complete look at the period from 1918 to the pre- sent day. Its activities are never-ending. Enjoying a strategic position around 12 kilometres from the landing beaches, the memorial has just opened (May 2010) a permanent exhibition dedicated entirely to D-Day and the ensuing battle in Normandy, which lasted until the end of August, just a few days before the liberation of Paris. The exhibition, built around 10 areas, features 80 information panels, maps al- lowing visitors to follow the progression of military operations, 500 photos, slide shows and films as well as posters, mod- els and items from the memorial collec- tions. Is such interest in this tragic chap- ter of history still justified 66 years after the event? It most certainly is, judging by the number of tourists from Europe, Canada, America and Asia who cross the landing beaches. 'La poche de Falaise' Tourists also flock to another memorial, nestling in the heart of the Auge region, at 'La poche de Falaise' where a key battle took place in August 1944. After the capture of Cherbourg at the end of June, the allies' progression was halted. Operations Epsom, Charnwood and Goodwood in the British sector and the Americans' arduous war of the hedge- rows in Normandy's bocages had failed to push back the German front. The bat- tle of Falaise opened the way for the al- lied forces to liberate Paris, but there was a heavy price to pay. Tens of thousands of allied soldiers met their deaths within the space of several days, while the num- ber of fallen on the German side was ten times higher. General Eisenhower said the battle was one of the greatest killing grounds of the war and marked the be- ginning of the end of the conflict. Viewpoint indicator in Arromanches Xavier Rouchaud Courier St. Thrse, 'Patroness of the Missions' More than 700,000 pilgrims travel every year to the Basilica of Lisieux, built in honour of Sister Thrse of the Child Je- sus. But the city benefits little from the pil- grims because of a lack of hotel accom- modation a situation which the public and religious authorities have decided to improve. Little Thrse, as she is also known, con- sidered by the Catholic religion as one of the greatest saints of the 20th century, had an extraordinary life. An extraordi- nary but short life which began in 1873 and was brought to a close 24 years later, after two years spent in a "night of faith". The future saint entered the Carmelite Order when she was 15 years old. She began writing what would collectively come to be known as the "Story of a Soul". Her writings, published in small numbers shortly after her death, quickly became an overwhelming success. Why? "In the early 20th century, anti-cler- icalism was virulent in France", explains a lay attache to the Carmelite Order. Th- rse knew some atheists, friends of her uncle. She herself, suffering from tuber- culosis, wondered about the existence of God. But she decided to believe. Her "little way" is the opposite of the doctrine of the period which placed the utmost importance on effort. Her "effort" was in offering up the small deeds of everyday life. She made reference to St John ofthe Cross God is love in contrast to the Jansenists, with their image ofa vengeful God. In this way, Thrse brought a new message. Very quickly, people began to go to Lisieux, "a bit like the way that some people visit the St-Sulpice in Paris, after having read The Da Vinci Code!" Canonised in 1925, Pope John Paul II de- clared her the 33rd Doctor of the Church in 1997. Patroness ofthe Missions, Th- rse of Lisieux's popularity has spread to many countries around the world, as evidenced by the number of Carmelites, especially in Africa, and also in the Car- ibbean and Asia. The Battle of Hastings in cartoon strip Hung in Bayeux cathedral in 1077, this 70-metre long and 50-centime- tre high tapestry, which is in fact a piece of fine embroidery, depicts a watershed in European history the victory of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, over the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The tapestry welcomes more than 40,000 visitors each year, depicting the epic tale which begins in 1064 when Edward, the aging King of Eng- land who had no direct heir, sent his brother-in-law Harold to Normandy to offer the crown to William, whom he had chosen as his successor. But despite taking an oath of allegiance to William, Harold seized the crown of England on Edward's death in 1066. It only took William, who would become William the Conqueror, sev- eral months to prepare his troops and lead them to victory at Hastings, where he defeated Harold and his army on 14 October 1066. Count- less people have studied this unique work and many believe the only true subject of the tapestry to be the con- quest of England and its justification. It served as a kind of political white paper as well as incidentally provid- ing religious and moral edification. However it is interpreted, the Bayeux tapestry remains a masterpiece of creativity. The method of narration, the continuous scene-by-scene de- velopment and the style of accen- tuating subjects in relief are similar to the techniques used in cartoon strips. Eternal travellers, the Vikings were influenced by artistic styles from faraway lands that are reflected in the tapestry Barbarian art (drak- kars, furniture), Byzantine (flat fig- ures), Muslim (brick arches), Persian Sassanid (sacred fire between the lions) and Egyptian Coptic (column capitals and interlacing). Part of the Bayeux tapestry 0 Reporters The Lisieux Basilica Sunset/Reporters N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Historical farms in Lower Normandy Xavier Rouchaud Farmers from developed and developing countries face the same struggle Pascale Cauchy, the Vice president of the Lower in charge of Culture and Heritage since 2010, decentralised cooperation for six years. SO ur decentralised coop- farmers i c 0 eration is exemplary, the chant and has even been of agricul singled out by the towards t European Union", explains the former agriculture Deputy Mayor of Caen by way of intro- cial to far duction. She continues: "To give you an since it example: five months ago we organised the surplt a conference bringing together farmers on stalls from both developed and developing which w( nations. We invited our traditional part- Decentral ners from Madagascar and Macedonia, purpose". and representatives from Peru. At this ties; mea conference I spoke about our vision and devel for the wealthy producers in developed or even b countries. And yet, look at the milk thework. crisis in Europe, which is hitting our say what's producers in Normandy hard. In reality, ised area. because it's a case of food security, we how to de are facing the same problems as devel- advise dev oping countries". Pascale C Respect of agriculture to apply cooperati< Pascale Cauchy, elected representative which sh ofthe Europe-Ecologie Party, goes on to January. say: "The problem is the vicious circle how cult in which most farmers find themselves. and socia Productivity is a synonym for overpro- source of duction, but also for indebtedness and ofwork ai excessive pollution. Fortunately, some Normandy Region, has been prior to which she headed n Normandy have now made ge and are practising a type ture which is more respectful he environment. A type of *e which is also highly benefi- *mers in the developing world does not generate surpluses, ises which would then appear in developing countries and uld stifle local production. ised cooperation serves this How? "By serving communi- ning those in the developed hoping worlds working together y asking an NGO to carry out But it is not up to the NGO to right; it has its own special- Whereas a community knows velop its own territory and can eloping communities." ;auchy fully understands how the concept of decentralised on to the area of culture, for e has been in charge since "Ideally, it's about looking at ire -as well as its economic i1 roles -can function as a decentralised jobs. I have a lot iead of me..." L'Esprit Village has been a staple in Orne for 17 years Going back to nature is reality in Lower Normandy. Proof of this can be found in the ever growing suc- cess of L'Esprit Village. The adven- ture began in 1993 when Sylvie Le Calvez and Claire Lelivre decided to create l'Acteur Rural, a media company based in La Carneille, in the Normandy countryside. The aim, we read in the magazine, is "to demonstrate that the countryside is undoubtedly a place of memory, cul- ture, knowledge and know-how but also a place of creativity, innovation, a laboratory where the future is built in a different way". Over the years, l'Acteur Rural has acquired new communication tools: la Lettre de l'Acteur Rural aimed at professionals which was subsequently replaced by the Blog des Acteurs on territorial and sustainable development, the website of the Village magazine, and a space for debates. Today it has a permanent team of five people and a network of around 15 writers spread throughout France. The magazine changed its name over time to be- come I'Esprit Village. Info: http://www.village.tm.fr/ Courier I iye. ~ iviarie-viartine bucKens There are more than 300 players in the field of international solidarity in the Lower Normandy region. Most have joined forces as part of the 'Horizons Solidaires' association, which is aiming to develop a new approach: a territorial approach to development. L ia Chevalier, project represent- ative for Horizons Solidaires, explained: "These players, most of which are non-profit organizations, include educational insti- tutions, public bodies and around 30 local and regional authorities commit- ted to decentralised cooperation. These players mainly provide support in West Africa; Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Niger but also in Madagascar, the Balkans and, to a lesser extent, in south- east Asia." The Horizons Solidaires network focus- es on and works with the majority of these bodies in Lower Normandy. The network's main tasks are to pro- vide support, information and train- ing for member organizations. "We are currently in a post-evaluation phase, and are setting up a development approach based on the region", added Lia Chevalier. Taking account of devel- opments in national and international cooperation, all the network's missions and actions focus on three key areas: 'resource centres', 'engineering and training' and 'dialogue forums'. "An international outlook" The project representative explained: "The nature of the activities carried out by the regional network, Horizons Solidaires, is very diverse. It provides individual and collective support for the players in Lower Normandy, aiming to improve their practices and strengthen their capacities. It raises awareness of decentralised cooperation among the local and regional authorities and sup- ports them in their projects. It offers players a forum for exchange, dialogue and pooling of their activities, in partic- ular through the Mali and Burkina Faso intensified dialogue groups. Thanks to its communication tools, the network keeps all players in Lower Normandy informed of meetings, events, sympo- siums, other international cooperation events and co-financing opportunities". The network is supported by both the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Regional Council of Lower Normandy. Its policy guidelines are set out in a tripartite agreement. In addition, the network is committed to the 'international outlook' policy estab- lished by Lower Normandy as part of the Lower Normandy regional develop- ment initiative. There are now nine French regions which have multi-player regional net- works: Resacoop in the Rhne Alpes region, Lianes Coopration in the Nord- Pas de Calais region, Medcoop in the Provence Alpes Ctes d'Azure region, CentreAider in the Central region, Cercoop in the Franche Comt region, Auvergne, Rciproc' in the Champagne Ardenne region, Alcid in the Pays de la Loire region and Cap Coopration in the Aquitaine region. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 A territorial approach to development Electricians without Borders (Electriciens sans frontires) The Lower Normandy section of 'Electriciens sans frontires' (Electricians without borders) provides electricity and water for people in need in West Africa. Set up three years ago, this relatively new NGO is working on four projects, three of which are at implementation stage. SW e are 35 volunteers, Sy / people who have / taken early retire- V V ment and employ- ees. Most of us core from the engi- neering industry", explained Maurice Roupsard, President of Electriciens sans frontires (ESF) in the Lower Normandy region. Based in Caen, the recently established organisation is still in the development stage. Mr. Roupsard added: "Our first task is to raise our profile. We have only existed for three years. We joined the Horizons Solidaires regional network as this enables other regional organizations or authorities to call upon us." This enabled ESF in Lower Normandy to secure its first major project in January 2009. "Cherbourg town hall asked us to examine and take delivery of a 64 m2 solar field in Casamance, Senegal. The electricity produced should enable a water tower to be supplied with water from boreholes and a battery system to be set up for local lighting", said Mr. Roupsard. In addition to the receipt of materials, the developing NGO has also provided training for drill opera- tors to enable them to intervene in emergency situations. "All of the drill operators in the region have been given this training. We have also taken advan- tage of the opportunity to meet the team responsible for the hydro-electric plant in Dakar to allow them to take over", explained the President ofESF in Lower Normandy. Sustainability The water tower (which had not been used for 20 years as the diesel pump had broken down) should enable the village to be supplied with water and new areas of market gardening to be established. Mr. Roupsard said: "This will prevent an exodus from the countryside. We also want to stop new crops, like jat- ropha, from becoming new cash crops, like cotton." ldiiiiiiiy -ri iuLuvuiLdiu dalu WVdLu[ pl ujeL III Lu~ddiiill dllue. w Liecirciens-sanstrontieres The project has been launched by the regional authorities in Casamance in line with the new priorities of Horizons Solidaires (see separate article). Mr. Roupsard explained: "Within the framework of decentralised coopera- tion, a regional authority from the north is cooperating with a regional author- ity from the south. The project has to be sustainable, and the population has to be able to use and maintain the equipment, which is where the training we provide comes in." In Casamance, ESF worked with another NGO from Cherbourg and received financial sup- port from the European Union. Mr. Roupsard underlined: "We are not a funding provider. The studies we carry out are free of charge. We then draw up an agreement and submit the draft to the ESF's National Committee, which ensures the project conforms to the code of ethics established by ESF at national level. We later carry out a brief iden- tification mission on the ground. We then appeal to companies in the Lower Normandy region to provide the funds required." The NGO which can call on the expertise of ESF France, estab- lished in 1986 -is currently working on three other projects in Mali, Togo and Madagascar. In addition to pumping systems for drinking water, autonomous energy production projects, essentially photovoltaic solar equipment, aim to provide lighting for classrooms and out- patient and maternity clinics. Courier A culture of literature and gastronomy C capital ofthe Lower Normandy region, Caen was known as the 'Norman Athens' in the 17th century, in reference to the academies of art and literature established there during the period. The city and its region delight in maintain- ing this reputation, without overlooking another art form dating back more than a millennium, the art of cuisine. In May 2005, the prestigious Magazine Littraire commented: "Caen is today a genuine centre of literature in view of the magnitude and diversity of its exhi- bitions and literary and philosophical institutions ... it has kept alive the glit- tering literary memory of the original city, better known for its memorial and beach landings than for literature, and yet..." The poet Franois de Cornire explored Caen in a work which is sadly out of print, but available in the city's excellent network of libraries. A vivid portrayal ofthe 1950s and 1960s, when Caen was enjoying a recovery after the bombings, gives it an extra sparkle. He writes: "Isn't it in Caen that they've been talking about the May revolu- tion since February 1968? Yes! But it's ignored". Going back even further, wasn't the most ancient work in French literature, La Chanson de Roland, an epic poem from the end of the Ilth century, written in Anglo-Norman? This region's passion for literature has never been in doubt since. There are other names we could mention; Guy de Maupassant, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, Gustave Flaubert, the much celebrated author of Madame Bovary, and even Marcel Proust who, despite being a Parisian, looked out over the bocages, lingering in Cabourg, and immortalised them in A l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs (In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower). The region also boasts highly acclaimed artists like Le Poussin, Gricault, Fernand Lger and Marcel Duchamp. It has also provided inspiration for many others, including Claude Monet, Courbet, with his falaises d'Etretat, and Eugne Boudin, who painted the beach at Trouville. Another major artistic achievement is Gymnopdies by Erik Satie, a pianist and composer born in the region. Marie Martine Buckens Apples and tripe The bocages the wooded countryside typical of Lower Normandy looks like a patchwork of English gardens, where apple trees, interspersed with pear trees, compete with one another in huge haras, which are properties with prestigious names like the Aga Khan. While the haras are often hidden from view, concealed behind hedges perfectly manicured with dressmakers' shears, the orchards can been seen from everywhere. They are a mouth-watering sight. Apples are used for ail sorts of things in Normandy, not least tarts, apple juice served at breakfast, cider taken as a pre-lunch aperitif, and finally calvados, enjoyed between courses in the even- ing they call it the "trou normand" (Nor- mandy hole) or simply as a digestive. It is a liqueur that has had controlled des- ignation of origin labelling (appellation contrle) since 1942. Just like Camem- bert, the famous cheese from the village of the same name, and which partially owes its reputation to the fact that it was in the rations issued to soldiers during the 1914-1918 war. Other cheeses, like pav d'auge and pont-l'vque, followed close behind. The list of recommendations is far too long, but don't leave Mont-Saint-Michel without tasting the sait meadow lamb or Caen without trying its famous tripe. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Aaron Mokoena with project participants. AaronMokoenaFoundation Aaron Mokoena: Bafana Bafana's exemplary captain What drives Aaron Mokoena, captain of the 'Bafana, Bafana' (Boys), South Africa's national football team? We spoke to him as he was preparing for the FIFA World Cup Finals on home turf. D. P. and O.U. African players onto the field in their first game on 11 June 2010 against Mexico which kicks off the FIFA World Cup in the upgraded Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Known as 'the Calabash' its design is based on an iconic African pot, and it is a short-distance from the football-crazy township of Soweto. Aaron currently plays for Portsmouth FC, a side that has had its ups and downs this season. It is at the bottom of the English Barclays' Premier League (it has already been relegated and is in administration due to debts) yet has also won through to the country's FA Cup final, to be held on 15 May in London's Wembley Stadium against the team at the top of the League when we went to press Chelsea. What would Aaron tell young people who would like to be in his football boots? "All I can say is follow your heart, but the most important thing is to be committed", he says on the eve of one of Portsmouth's last four remain- ing matches of the Premier League this season. "Along the way there will be a lot of sacrifices. You have to be ready for these but most of ail, enjoy it", says the 29-year-old midfielder. Aaron was born in the township of Boipatong, 45 minutes south of Johannesburg. "I loved being in sport. 1 used to play basketball and volleyball", he tells us. He was spotted at an early age by South African football legend, Jomo Sono, who had his own club, Jomo Cosmos "He saw me playing and approached me", says Aaron. He spent the next two years playing in South Africa and at just 17 was the youngest ever player in South African side to be picked for the national side, a record that still stands. Adapting to Europe Aaron left South Africa at just 18 to play in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen, and subsequently for Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam and Belgium's KRC Genk and Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen. He left for the UK in 2005 to play for Blackburn Rovers and this season joined Portsmouth FC. He speaks of the per- Courier Zoo - ~ --r mm r-- ''S. >c. .a.-f. 4N'3 -ara. *; ':,~g sserrtMd ZktjlCLJd~ t4 Football training project, Aaron Mokoena Foundation, South Africa. Aaron Mokoena Foundation sonal wrench of leaving South Africa at a young age and having to adapt to the unfamiliar practicalities of grow- ing up in Europe. "I wanted to follow my dream. I really loved football and wanted to make it in football and here I am today", he says. Eagertogivesomethingbacktohis coun- try, last year he launched in Boipatong the Aaron Mokoena Foundation which aims to develop football in South Africa to the levels of what has been achieved internationally by South Africa's nation- al rugby and cricket teams as well as developing young persons' life skills through sport."It's all about creating opportunities for girls and boys. I want to leave a legacy", he tells us. As captain of the national side, a lot of people look up to him. "It is using football as a vehi- cle but developing them in sport and life in general for the future of South Africa. Not everybody can become a footballer. South Africa needs doctors, administra- tors and teachers and so on." Projects to be sponsored by the Foundation include developing coach- ing skills, especially at community level, developing a football curricular pro- gramme in schools, introducing girls and young women to football and devel- oping local junior leagues to increase participation in competitive football; also improving infrastructure for sport. Aaron has put some of his own money into the Foundation and has some spon- sors but is keen for other partners to come on board. "It is open doors for others to come in and help", he says. 'Mbazo' Known as 'Mbazo' ('The Axe') because of his tackling skills, he says that his nickname has stuck because of the way in which he unswervingly takes eve- rything on and never gives up. "I am a very committed character but at the same time, a very humble person. I do not allow fame to take me over. I am always in control of my life and destiny. I want to be myself, not somebody else. I want to enjoy my life and be judged in a positive way", he says. Off the field, he relaxes by playing golf and snooker, watching movies, reading and listening to music: "Almost anything that makes me dance". So how is he preparing for all the big games this summer? "It's all about training. The day before the game, I love my privacy and have a quiet time to think about the game ahead. On the day, I don't like to think about the match but like listening to my music until the game starts." "...you always have to be in control of your life and not let fame control you" He is clearly relishing the prospect of leading the host team out onto the field at the Calabash -the historic stadium where Nelson Mandela held his first mass rally after his release from prison in 1990.The coming weeks are extreme- ly busy. After training for the FA Cup Final, he was to join the national side in South Africa in the run up to the World Cup Finals. He says participating in the FA Cup Final is now the highlight of his career; previously it was playing in the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2002 in Japan and South Korea. But he won't be drawn on giving pre- dictions for the World Cup: "I feel that this World Cup will be a surprising one for everyone". It is the first time that the tournament has been held on the African continent. "I hope that African countries can do well. Most of all, South Africa has to do well and we are training very well and very hard at the moment", he says. Will he still be playing for Portsmouth next year? "At the moment, I don't know what's going to happen. I still have to sit down with the administrators and see what their plans are. I just want to play football", he tells us. "I have been so lucky to have big coach- es like Carlos Parreira [South Africa's current coach] who told me that you always have to be in control of your life and not let fame control you. He also treasures the words of his Portsmouth coach, Avram Grant: "In football [and life] you have to learn from and forget all the negative things". N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 ~ __ Ii mn between fatality and lucidity The earthquake that ravaged Haiti was not at ail exceptional, seismologists will tell you. What has changed over the past century is the influx of populations to urban centres located in risk areas, resulting in an exponential increase in the number of earthquake victims. While waiting for a necessary review of national planning policy, we take a look at some of the world's hotspots. M.M.B. For the ACP states, it is no doubt the Pacific region that is most at risk, Dr Michel Van Camp, a seismologist at the Belgian Royal Observatory, tells us. A quick look at the list of major earthquakes (a mag- nitude equal to or greater than 6 on the Richter scale) in the past three months confirms it: of the 50 earthquakes list- ed (!) more than 20 were recorded in the Pacific: in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, or in Papua New Guinea, a major epicentre. "It is what is known as the Pacific 'ring of fire'. The seismic activity there is intense, as it also is in nearby countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan certainly, and even Alaska." Courier Stretched to breaking point The Caribbean (again for the ACP states) comes second to the Pacific. "Before the disaster in Port-au-Prince there had not been an earthquake in the region for 250 years", explains Van Camp. "But the Caribbean Plate is moving at the rate of more than 1 cm a year compared with the North American Plate. Do the calcu- lation: that makes 2.5 metres of tension built up in the course of two and a half centuries. It could not hold out much longer. It is like an elastic band stretched to breaking point that finally snaps." Yet he sees the Caribbean as an area less at risk than the Pacific Coast of America in this region. "Cities are becoming potential weapons of mass destruction" The Belgian seismologist points to a future high risk region: the foothills of the Himalayas where India is colliding with the Eurasian continent. "Earthquakes of a magnitude of 8 are in the making. When you look at the number of major cities located in the Ganges Valley, then disaster scenarios are certainly to be expected." Although, like other seis- mologists, he stresses the unexceptional nature of current seismic activity, Van Camp also issues a warning: "There will be more and more victims when you con- sider that more than half the population now lives in major urban centres. Cities are becoming potential weapons of mass destruction". He also points out that many cities in the Mediterranean Basin are still on the danger list: Cairo (which was partly rebuilt using blocks from the pyramids following an earthquake in the Middle Ages) and Alexandria (which lost its lighthouse), Istanbul, a number of cities in Algeria and Morocco, and also Tehran. Resettlement as the need arises The sprawling growth of Bukavu, located on the banks of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR), in the vicinity of vol- canoes, the Indian megalopolises in the Ganges Valley, close to the Tibetan plateau, or the many homes built in flood zones (as France re- cently learned to its cost)... There is a long list of dangerous places on the planet where people, despite warnings or even after being driven out by disaster, have settled, in the belief that they can escape an inevi- table fate. Until the authorities decide to act. But compulsory relocation often gener- ates anger and incomprehension, as was the case after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (United States) and, just recently, the floods that hit areas of Western France. In Mozambique, following the 2001 and 2007 floods, populations living on the banks ofthe Zambeze River were moved to about 50 resettlement centres. In Tehran, President Ahmadinejad is seeking to induce no fewer than 5 million peo- ple to move home due to fears of an earthquake. In the absence ofa gen- uine regional planning policy, these are ail decisions taken in isolation as the need arises. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 OuI i., Landslides and African volcanoes And Africa? "Compared with the Pacific and Caribbean regions, the African continent has been spared, relatively speaking, thank God", says Van Camp. But seismic risks, and above ail volcanoes, are neverthe- less real, especially along the fault line ofthe East African Rift that runs from Ethiopia to the Zambezi, over 6,000 km in length and between 40 and 60 km wide, creating the chain of great lakes and the site of many volcanoes. These are most numer- ous (67) and least known in Ethiopia, where Erta Aie has been erupting continuously since 1967. Then there is the Nyragongo, close to Lake Kivu in the DRC. This leg- endary volcano is also unique, by virtue of its alkalinity that renders its lava fluid and therefore very fast flowing (up to 100 km an hour) and dangerous. The inhabitants of Goma will never forget the years 1977 and 2002 when major lava flows covered sections of the city, leaving thou- sands dead. The presence of large quantities of methane gas in the depths of Lake Kivu (an estimated 65 km3) is another threat to the popula- tions ofthe region. Luc Andr, head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the Royal Muse- um of Central Africa in Belgium, cites the Nyragongo as an excellent case study. "Its magmatic activity can also produce increase of the methane and C02 contents within the deepest parts ofthe Kivu lake. Lake Kivu is a stratified lake and a landslide could easily cause an inversion of this stratification." Carbon dioxide is also found in small pockets close to the ground, known as 'mazukus' ('devil's breath' in Swahili), where it stag- nates, being 1.5 times the density of air, killing any people or animals who venture into it. Luc Andr: "It is there- fore vital for planners to map seismic zones, zones at risk of landslides. But this is far from being the case and as the concentration of popula- tions in urban areas increases so too does the risk. Look at Bukavu on the shores of Lake Kivu. It has become an urban sprawl. The slightest land- side and we risk another disaster." a demand for sovereignty Colette Braeckman On the eve of the 50th anni- versary of its independence, which will be celebrated in Kinshasa on 30 June 2010 in the presence of King Albert II of Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is experiencing a unique moment in its history with the recon- struction of its infrastructure and the reordering of a state so often presented as bankrupt. The authorities, whose mandate comes from the 2006 elections won by President Kabila with 58 per cent ofthe votes, are feeling the pressure of time: 30 June 2010 will be a time of celebration but also a time for introspec- tion and review while the next elections, set to take place in 2011, are already determining the political agenda. Countering the scepticism of the International Crisis Group, which in April denounced the stalemate regarding the democratic project, the National Assembly has launched the next Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Its office is to be limited to seven members, all from political parties, to the great displeasure of civil society which will not be repre- Courier Inerc i sented. The INEC will have the task of organising the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections, and the local elections, which should have already taken place, having been postponed yet again. When the celebrations core to an end on 30 June, the election race will begin, with a notable absentee: Jean- Pierre Bemba, still held in The Hague by the International Criminal Court. The leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, a rebel movement which became a political party, vice- president from 2002 to 2006, a chal- lenger to Kabila with 42 per cent of the votes in the second round, Jean-Pierre Bemba is still regarded by his followers as the natural leader of the opposition and his absence will weigh heavily on the elections. If the reconstruction work is to con- tinue, it is a safe bet that the current authorities will be given credit for man- aging to mobilise the necessary capital. However, past contracts with Chinese state companies had to be revised and reduced; loans provided by China in order to revive the mining sector and for large infrastructure projects originally amounted to US$9bn, but pressure from the International Monetary Fund, who feared the country becoming indebted again, forced the Congolese to renounce US$3bn. This is a sacrifice which could be offset by new partners: South Korea, which has pledged to build the Banana deep-water port, Turkey and Brazil. For its part, the European Union has just provided a major donation: 337M to be allocated to infrastructure, the health sector and improving river navigation. Chinese contracts In addition, the economic situation is improving: benefiting from the dou- bling of the prices of raw materials, the government has for the first time set aside surplus funds, limited inflation to 14 per cent, stabilised the exchange rate of the Congolese Franc at 900 FC to one dollar and the Finance Minister, Matanda Ponyo is certain that this year the DRC will achieve the long- awaited, almost mythical 'completion point' of the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries), enabling the country to cancel US$10bn off the total of its foreign debt, estimated at US$13.lbn. There is, however, one disappointment: while the authorities had hoped that the writing off would occur before 30 June, as a kind of 'birthday gift', the People look at newspapers at a makeshift news stand in on a Kinshasa street, Democratic Republic of Congo. CAP IMF has postponed the review of the Congolese case until July. The experts will once again investigate the now famous 'Chinese contracts'. Writing off the debt would, neverthe- less, revive the 'social front' which con- tinues to lag behind such as increasing wages in the public sector and finally establishing free education. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of independence, it appears that, in sev- eral areas, the Congolese authorities intend to restore state authority and reduce what they perceive as the trus- teeship ofthe international community. This demand for sovereignty explains the desire to see the United Nations Mission in DR Congo (MONUC), which has been present in this country for ten years, bring its work to a close in November 2011. In fact, Kinshasa hopes that in 2010, the MONUC forc- es will refocus on the eastern side of the country. The most recent events which have occurred in the province of Equateur show that this may be a risky gamble: in fact, over the Easter week- end, the rebels, meaning the Enyele, a tribal movement, attacked Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur, and the opera- tions to regain the city were conducted by the Congolese armed forces with the support of a MONUC contingent. It later emerged that the rebels, armed and equipped with sophisticated communi- cations devices, were not just fishermen fighting to recover their ponds, but part of a structured movement receiving sup- port in neighboring countries. Insecurity Other regions also remain plagued by insecurity: the formidable Ugandan rebels of the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) are still rampant in the Uele district, where they commit atrocities against civilians (kidnapping of hun- dreds of villagers, maiming, sexual vio- lence ...), and these groups have not yet been eradicated despite the efforts ofthe Congolese army and the military train- ing that is now provided in Kisangani by American instructors. In addition, the war in Kivu is far from over: the military operations carried out against Rwandan rebels by the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) have allowed the repatria- tion of more than 20,000 Hutus, but armed groups still control certain min- ing sectors and take revenge on civilians while the former Tutsi rebels of Laurent Nkunda (who is still under house arrest in Rwanda) are generally integrated into the national army but still control their former strongholds. The Congolese authorities believe that the national army, which is in the process of restructuring, will be able, within a year, to take over from the 20,000 MONUC peacekeepers, but the international community could decide otherwise... N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Africa's re-birth in bronze The colossal bronze African Renaissance Monument, conceived by Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, surges into Dakar's skyline with a strong message of Africa's rebirth. It creates a dramatic silhouette on a featureless area of the city's landscape and promises to raise funds for the country's young children. D.P. R wounding the 'Corniche' in Senegal's capital, Dakar, a giant African man protec- tively holding a woman with his right arm comes into view. His left arm surrounds a baby who is point- ing towards the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. The bronze monument rises from the extinct Ouakam volcano at the Almadies tip, the most Westerly point of the African continent. At 53 metres, it is now the world's tallest statue. Inaugurated on 3 April 2010, the day before Senegal celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, it symbol- ises the rebirth of the African continent after five centuries of slavery and two of colonisation. Dwarfing even Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (40.44 metres) and New York's Statue of Liberty (46.5 metres) the monu- ment's lifespan is put at 1,200 years. Some African Heads of State including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and cur- rent President of the African Union, Malawi's President Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika and other dignitar- ies, notably civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson, were in Dakar to give it their seal of approval. New ties with Europe President Wade explained to the gather- ing that the robust African man exits the volcano "as if propelled by an invis- ible force, replacing the straight jacket of the past with fresh stirring from inner Earth". After the tragedy of slav- ery, the statue sends the message that "Africa is still there, not broken", said Courier Inercto Wade, and is surging forth to form new relations. Based on a union of reason, cultural complementarities and mutual friendship, a new triangular cooperation between Africa, Europe and Americas was replacing the triangular trade - based on slavery, he said. From the 15th century onwards this consisted of Europe capturing and buying slaves in Africa and selling them to the United States to labour in the cotton fields. The cotton was then sold to Europe. The statue also symbolised the need to incorporate in the continent's develop- ment both its "vibrant and talented youth" and its diaspora as a "sixth region", said Wade. "The time for take- off has arrived for Africa", he added. The monument cost nothing to build At a seminar in Dakar on the theme of African renaissance on 3 April, President Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika explained that the African Renaissance meant a "a way of life", to remove poverty and hunger, establish good governance and move develop- ment forward which should be driven by science and technology. Other par- ticipants put across the message that Europe was closing to African peoples and fears that Europe's special relation- ship with Africa was being negated by Europe's closer relationship with the Mediterranean basin, including North Africa. Hungarian sculptor A sculptor of Hungarian descent, Virgil Magherusan, designed the statue envi- sioned by President Wade in his 2006 book, 'Un destin pour l'Afrique' (A des- tiny for Africa Paris ed. Michel Lafon, 2006, 262 pages). Mansudae Overseas Project Group of Companies, a North Korean group, one of only a few in the world still making such huge structures, was contracted for the construction. Although the statue was estimated to have cost 12bn CFAs (its current market value is estimated at upwards of 20bn CFAs), not a single penny had to be paid said Wade. A legal "payment in kind" agreement was reached whereby North Korea was given land by Senegal's State Property Registration Department. Some members ofthe Islamic faith have protested at the monument's represen- tation of the human form but it is dif- ficult to find other criticism on Dakar's streets. Most say it sends the message that "Africa is rising". "Other conti- nents have their monuments, so why not Africa?" said others interviewed. Inside, when up and running, the visi- tors' centre exhibition spaces, shops and galleries are expected to generate income. Visitors will eventually be able to ascend by lift -or stairs -to the hat on top of the man's head where there is a circular observation 'terrace' that looks across the Dakar peninsular to the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The State holds 55 per cent of the monument's shares, the Abdoulaye Wade Foundation 30 per cent and the National Agency for Young Children, 15 per cent. Wade has pledged that during his period in office, 100 per cent of the monument's earnings will go to the national Children's Agency and to the 'Case des Tout Petits', an associa- tion benefitting young children. Haiti's past and present tragedies took centre stage at the inaugura- tion. The performance of a scene of the 1963 play, The Tragedy of King Christopher (La Tragdie du Roi Christophe) by Martinican Aim Csaire gave a voice to one of the heroes of Haiti's revolution (1791- 1804) which led to independence from France and the formation ofthe first Black Republic. Although Henri- Christophe's Kingdom in the North of Haiti fell, the monuments he cre- ated, the Sans Souci Palace and the 'Citadelle' remain standing after the 12 January 2010 earthquake. President Wade called on other Af- rican governments to follow his own example in offering land to Haitians following the quake. As descendants of black slaves, he said they had a right to a new life on the continent. For many ofthe slaves traded to the Americas, 'the door of no return', of the old slave post on the Ile de Gore, a 20 minute ferry ride from Dakar, would have been their last footstep on the African continent. In the speech on the inauguration of the African Renaissance Monument, President Wade said that Ile Gore, now a heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), "carries the stigma of this shameful traffic that Senegal has declared a crime against humanity". N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Inercto Food security remains at the heart of development strategies On 31 March 2010, two years to the day after the first hunger riots broke out in various countries of the south, the European Commission presented its new strategy to help developing countries address the issue of food security in both emergency situations and over the long-term. M.M.B. W while in the aftermath of the 2008 riots all the industrialized countries blamed themselves, rec- ognising that they had neglected agri- culture in their aid programme, on 31 March the European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, empha- sised that: "Enhancing food security remains an issue ofprimary importance for the European Union (EU). We have placed food security, sustainable agri- culture and rural development at the heart of our policy towards our develop- ing country partners. It is unacceptable that, in 2010, one billion people are still suffering from hunger and malnu- trition." He added that the initiative would help to meet the Millennium Development Goals. "It is unacceptable that, in 2010, one billion people are still suffering from hunger and malnutrition." The strategy presented by the Commission includes two 'strategic frameworks', one of which ensures food security over the long-term, and the other in emergency situations. Kristalina Georgieva, the Commissioner responsi- ble for policy on emergency humanitar- ian aid, said: "there can be more effec- tive ways of helping people, other than through simple food hand-outs." The Commissioner explained the new meas- ures envisaged include providing seeds and tools to disaster-affected farmers to help them get back on their feet and offering cash grants so that people can buy the food they need -helping local producers in the process. The long-term strategy foresees a series of measures (see box) involving both EU Member States and the interna- tional community. Within this frame- work, Andris Piebalgs announced that the Commission had decided to allocate almost 3bn billion in 2010-2012 within the initiative on global food security The long-term priorities In its communication the Commission proposes: - A substantial increase in support to de- mand-led agricultural research, exten- sion and innovation, aiming to reach 50 percent by 2015; -A joint initiative with the African Union to accelerate the implementation of the African Land Policy Guidelines; - Support for the establishment or expan- agreed at the G8 summit of world lead- ers in 2009. Info : http://ec.europa.eu/development/ services/dev-policy-proposalsen.cfm sion of targeted and flexible social safety nets adapted to local contexts; - Promoting better integration of nutrition in development policies, including in ed- ucation and health, and related capacity building; - Support for the reform of the Commit- tee on World Food Security to make it the pivotal global institution on food se- curity. Courier Inercto Interview with Commissioner Piebalgs "ODA not sufficient to reach the MDGs" M.M.B. O n 21 April, you delivered the first major development policy statement of your new mandate in the form of a 12-point Action Plan in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These are the internationally agreed tar- gets for tackling poverty worldwide by 2015. What are the central messages of your Action Plan? Two main points: Europe has to respect its commitments regarding financial support to developing countries and has to ensure that we have the best value for money. Europe has already committed to increase its aid to developing coun- tries which today amounts a 49bn in 2009. We are the most generous donor in the world, contributing to more than half of global aid. Yet, we know this will not be enough if we want to reach our target of 0.7 per cent of EU GNI to aid and ensure a drastic reduction of poverty by 2015. This is do-able but requires a lot of political will. The Action Plan thus proposes to Member States to establish realistic and verifi- able annual roadmaps to be reviewed by EU leaders every year until 2015. What is at stake is Europe's credibility on the global scene. Why are we calling for more and better aid? We are talking about simple things, those that we take for granted in our lives. They are: reliable access to clean water, to energy, to a working transport infrastructure, health services and to education. I also add security and rule of law as fundamentally important pre- requisites for development. We should not live under any false assumption that this aid on its own will succeed in bringing clean water, energy, healthcare, transport and education for everybody. It is only ifwe see our aid as a catalyst, that we can harbour such ambi- tions. Indeed, such a change could hap- pen if this money can be used as a seed to boost growth through supporting the creation of new markets, generating industrial activity or building capacities such as improved tax systems. Good governance is key to development. Without the rule of law, security or sound public finances aid will never suc- ceed in giving people a long term future. If we ignore this we will succeed only in poverty management, not poverty alleviation. Simply keeping people alive is not my objective. The Plan also focuses on the 'qual- ity' side of aid. We have to make every euro count, and target the poorest and most fragile countries -for example in Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa -as well as the MDGs that are most off track, such as maternal and child health, food security and education. On top of that, the Action plan also refers to the importance of making our EU policies, in other fields, work for development. I will work closely with my colleagues in trade, agriculture, environment, climate change, security, and migra- tion, all to ensure a coherent approach. The accompanying message is that the EU must define a common position in view of the UN Summit on MDGs in September and speak with one voice to call upon other donors to match our level of commitment. Some of the member states are far from reaching their objectives of 0.7 per cent of their GNIfor development aid. Given this, would it be better to work on another basis? I don't think so. Member States agreed to the 0.7 per cent target set out by the UN in view of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Some of them already reached this target, others are going in the right direction. Changing the basis would send a wrong message. However, this does not prevent us from thinking about new sources of financ- ing for development. ODA alone will Andris Piebalgs. 0EC N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Interctio It ra not be sufficient to reach the MDGs. Developing countries also have to help themselves by raising further domestic resources. We will help them to set up sound and transparent taxation systems, and we will accompany them in the fight against tax evasion. Promoting good governance will be one of my priorities. With the new EU external relations policy, is there roomfor cooperation between the EU andindividual mem- ber states' development policies? If so, how do you see this new coopera- tion working out in practice? There is more than room! The Lisbon Treaty calls for coordination of EU and national policies, to increase efficiency and plays on the complementarities. It provides the Commission with the possibility to "take any useful initiative to promote the coordination" of these national and EU policies. I already intend making good use of this compe- tency by calling Member States to coor- dinate upstream their programming of aid so that we avoid redundancies. That way, we could save as much as 3 to C6bn yearly. For some time now, the EU and Member States have been success- fully working together in selected pilot countries. A more recent example ofthis principle is the EU action plan for the reconstruction of Haiti. We have been able to establish a common plan, and to present a joint pledge of f1.2bn during the international donors' conference on 31 March. Now, I will work with our international and Haitian partners to ensure that aid is properly used. This is how the EU can be stronger and more efficient. ACP-EU elected representatives concerned at the situation in Madagascar "I would like to convey one of the Assembly's concerns and that is the dramatic situation in Madagascar", declared Louis Michel at the inaugural meeting of the 19th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 31 March in Tenerife (Spain). M.M.B. Minister Miguel Angel Mora- tinos, the MEP and Assembly co-president called on the EU Council to strengthen European sanctions imposed on Madagascar and to bring them into line with those decided on by the African Union (AU). "The elections have become a major source of conflict and political violence", said ACP co-president Zambian Charles Milupi, expressing his regret, "when in fact they are intended to decide between political sensibilities and guarantee peace and stability". He added that "as members of parliament and of the JPA we must fully oppose any non-democratic seizing of power, whether through coups d'etat or civil manipulation of democratic processes". Milupi stressed the direct involvement of the African Union, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the SADC (Southern African Development Union) in the political crises in Niger, Guinea and Madagascar. The ACP Assembly, which twice a year brings together 78 MEPs and 78 national MPs from the African, Caribbean and Pacific states, relegated the delegations from Niger and Madagascar to the rank of observers without voting rights on grounds of the lack of constitutional order in those countries. Louis Michel pointed out that Niger "is making positive proposals that point in the right direction". Equatorial Guinea, which is also grappling with political problems, did not send delegates to the Tenerife meeting. Agrofuels to the rescue of food security? Contrary to the opinion of most ana- lysts, the PANGEA association be- lieves that food and agrofuel produc- tion can go hand in hand. Meghan Sapp, Secretary General of Part- ners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA), told the ACP-EU Joint Assembly meeting in Tenerife that agrofuels had been wrongly present- ed as responsible for the 2008 rise in world food prices. She countered claims that agrofuels have served to link food prices to oil prices by point- ing out that rice prices remained high even after oil prices fell. Another ar- gument submitted by Meghan Sapp is that food production has risen steadily at the rate of two per cent a year over the past 20 years while the population growth rate dropped to 1.14 per cent a year. She also stressed the detrimental effect of trade barriers and subsidies that re- duce access to food and drew atten- tion to the structural adjustment pro- grammes imposed on the developing countries in the 1980s that resulted in them opening up their markets to food exports from Europe, the United States and Brazil at dumping prices. Courier It ract Sudan: A step towards the 2011 referendum Ministerial dialogue held in Luxembourg 26 April called on Sudan to settle its outstanding differences post- election and fully implement the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The CPA includes the holding of a January 2011 referendum on southern Sudan's self-determination. At a separate meeting, the EU's 27 Foreign Ministers said they had concerns that Sudan's recent legislative elections, held 11-15 April -the first in 24 years -had not fully complied with international standards. However, they too voiced support for the CPA between the Government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the referendum which is expected to determine whether the south -which is largely Christian -should split from the mostly Muslim north. EU Foreign Ministers also said that the EU was committed to maintaining a high level of humanitarian aid for Sudan in response totheneeds ontheground. Sudanhasnot signed the Cotonou agreement (2000- 2020) and does not receive European Development Fund (EDF) assistance. EU Ministers also called for ail parties in the Darfur crisis to address the root causes ofconflict in a peaceful dialogue. Sudan's recent national poll returned incumbent President Omar-al Bashir with 68 per cent of the vote, whereas in the semi-autonomous southern part of the country, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Salva Kirr, received 93 per cent of the vote. The 130-strong EU observer mission for the elections, led by Belgian Socialist Member of the European Parliament, Vronique de Keyser, together with a six-MEP delegation headed by Portuguese Socialist, Ana Gomes, reported allegations of widespread meddling in the voting process. Gomes, however, applauded the "lively political debate" which she hoped would now propel the country's "democratic transformation" forward. She added that it was important that the EU already look beyond the referendum to help ensure that Sudan does not become a failed state. "We should not end up with institutions in the south that are weaker than those in the north which is the case already," said Gomes. She suggested that funds be used under the EU's stability instrument, for example, to build the capacity of institutions and civil society. Cannes 2010: the ACP promotes its cinema For the first time the ACP Group was the official partner of the Les Cinmas du Monde Pavilion (World Cinema Pavilion) in Cannes. At this 63rd edition of this prestigious festival, the President of the Committee of ACP Ambassadors, Mr. Ren Makongo, the Ambassador of Gabon, explained to the cinema going public how the policies of the ACP Group are contributing to cultural development in ACP countries. Jacqueline Meido-Madiot* and the ACPFilms Programme, along with its partner EuropeAid, which manages EU-funded external programmes, accompanied the young ACP directors, in partnership with OIF, RFI, TV5 Monde, CFI, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Overall coordinator was CulturesFrance, which was running the Les Cinmas du Monde Pavilion. The tone of the Festival was set even before its official opening. On 13 May 2010, the ACP Secretariat brought the Les Cinmas du Monde Pavilion to life by organising an 'ACP Day', a special event to welcome 12 young filmmakers from the Artistic Delegation, including six from the ACP, and three beneficiaries ofthe ACPFilms Programme. A public meeting was held on 'development cooperation policies in the cultural field'. The event whipped up lively debate, which went on throughout the festival, and especially during the legal workshops led by Matre Michel Gyori. The ACP Secretariat, also a partner of the Film Market, hosted a 'Producers Network' round table. As well as accompanying ACP filmmakers, the ACP Secretariat was a partner in the opening evening of 'Director's Fortnight', with a screening of the film 'Staff Benda Bilili' directed by Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye, which showcases a musical group from the city of Kinshasa. The grand premiere: Mahamat Saleh Haroun, an official selection, took the Jury Prize. With "A Screaming Man...", the Chadian director, officially in competition in Cannes for the first time, has made his fourth feature film. In 1999, his first film "Bye-Bye Africa" was selected for the Venice Film Festival and won the Best First Film Prize. Next "Abouna" was presented at the Director's Fortnight in 2002 and "Daratt", received the Special Jury Prize in Venice in 2006. With "A Screaming Man", the ACP Secretariat is delighted that a film supported by the ACPFilms Programme is gaining recognition. M S Haroun) As the ACP Committee ofAmbassadors examines possibilities for the cultural sector's future funding under the 10th European Development Fund, the award of the Jury Prize to Mahamat Saleh Haroun, only strengthens the call from AC P professionals for continued political and financial support in the field. It is vital for the expansion, including the economic development, of both the ACP creative sector and film industry. *Jacqueline Meido-Madiot is the Consultant on Cultural Policies for the ACP Secretariat. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Burund forward, now i i moves t peace Hope is reborn and new initiatives are bearing fruit. "Peace is back". It's not really fresh news; the last armed faction laid down its arms back in April 2009. But this is one of those countries that appear to be locked into an image which people hold of it, in this case that of ethnic conflict. Burundi deserves to be discovered, for the economic opportunities, for its programmes to strengthen democracy, for its beauty, and above ail for the qualities of its people, hospitable, respectful of others, and full of curiosity about the outside world. Report by Hegel Goutier the first elections recognized as democratic. A new round of elections will begin this May, from local councils to the president, continuing until July or August. It's clear that the demons of old have not yet been fully exorcised. No one would dare to exclude altogether the possibility of outbreaks of ethnic hatred, but observ- ers appear to be optimistic and that progress hence far is irreversible. The blurring of the ethnic factor The most significant victory chalked up by the country in the last few years is the blurring ofthe ethnic factor. At the time of the Courier report in April, there was more concern about the risk of fraud by political parties than about issues of ethnicity. The country's new constitu- tion balances the "one man, one vote" system with a quota arrangement for each ethnic group at ail levels of power. Forty per cent of seats for deputies are automatically reserved for Tutsis, and Hutus and Tutsis enjoy equal represen- tation (50-50) in the upper chamber, the Senate, even though the latter group represents just 16 per cent of the total population. Neither one of the two groups may possess more than 67 per cent of the local administrative staff in any given municipality in the country, nor is any party allowed to be mono- ethnic. Should the 2010 elections pass without incident, Burundi will enter a new era in its history, allowing its potential, in which a number of foreign organizations have already shown their interest, to Courier shine. The fields ofhydroelectric power, the mining of minerals, and tourism all look promising. And then there's the country's strategic position for southern and central Africa. Forty per cent of seats for deputies are automatically reserved for Tutsis, and Hutus and Tutsis enjoy equal representation (50-50) in the upper chamber, the Senate. History Like the rest of Africa, the territory occupied today by Burundi was already settled at the start of the Paleolithic period, as proven by the 'finds' of carved stones. Iron tools also show that human beings were active here in the early Iron Age. Oral sources transmitted from gen- eration to generation by accredited pos- sessors of the truth point to the arrival in the area of the Great Lakes around a thousand years ago of a people speaking a Bantu language. This group is consid- ered to be the Hutus, a farming people who supposedly drove out the Pygmies, whose descendants are thought to be the Twas, a marginal group today. A later period saw the arrival from the north-east of Africa (Ethiopia, Egypt, Somalia) of the Tutsis, who were live- stock farmers. The first kingdom of Burundi was established at the end of the eighteenth century, under the leadership of the king (Mwami) Ntare Rushatsi, a mythi- cal hero. Most oral sources indicate Mwaro village. o Hegel Goutier that he was a Hutu, and that the kings almost always married Tutsi women. The descendants of these unions are known today as 'Ganwa', neither Hutu nor Tutsi. The first European explorers arrived in the area in the middle of the nineteenth century. Livingstone and Stanley met in Burundi in 1871. In 1890, the country became a German protectorate, joining with Rwanda under the name Ruanda Urundi, but the monarchy survived. After the First World War, the League of Nations entrusted Ruanda Urundi to Belgium, which was to annex the two countries to Congo in 1925. The first of the major revolts against the occupying power took place in 1934. The colonist's game: Tutsis against Hutus What followed is recounted for us by the historian Augustin Nzojibwami, former president of the FRODEBU (Front for Democracy in Burundi) political party who tirelessly works for dialogue between the two com- munities. The Belgian administration's policy was to use the Tutsi minority against the Hutu majority. In 1957, the 'Bahatu Manifesto' made its appear- ance in Rwanda, followed by a revolt against the colonial system. At the end of 1960, local elections with universal suffrage were organised in the three territories. In Burundi the victorious parties were those which advocated a regime of trust territory rather than outright independence. The legislative elections of September 1961, however, were won by the UPRONA (Union for National Progress) party, a supporter of independence and largely made up of Tutsis. On 1 January 1962, Rwanda and Burundi hence became autonomous states and six months later, on 1 July, they became formally independent. At this point the two countries separated. The former opted for a republican sys- tem and the second remained a monar- chy. Shortly after, the prime minister of Burundi, who was also a prince, was assassinated. Burundi fell into the tur- moil which would only come to an end in 2009. In 1966, under the leadership of UPRONA, a one-party system, which was to last until 1982, was introduced. A major outbreak of killings took place in 1972.The victims were essentially Hutus and some 300,000 people were killed. The elections of 1993 were won by the FRODEBU party, made up for the most part by Hutus, and the president of Burundi, Melchior Ndadaye, was assas- sinated in the same year, sparking off a wave of massacres against the Tutsis. This turn of events led to the arrival of UN troops and to the long Arusha peace process under the auspices of President Mandela, which eventually resulted in a peace agreement finally brought to completion when the last Hutu armed movement, the FNL, laid down its arms at the end of 2009. The introduction of the new constitution guarantees the participation of both principal ethnic groups in all levels of administration in the country. * See Christine Deslaurier's Petit Fut Guide to Burundi. Painting of a king. "Oral sources indicate that the first kings (Hutu) almost always married Tutsi women" Hegel Goutier N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Report Repor Economic development in Burundi: a quickening of the pace Yves Sahinguvu is the first vice- president of Burundi, a position reserved for a Tutsi under the terms of the constitution ratifying the Arusha Accords, which put an end to fifteen years of civil war. HG The President of the Republic is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at the moment. Is this visit part of the consultation process between countries of the Great Lakes region? It is true that the President is vis- iting the DRC. Relations within the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) are very good. Burundi is also part of the East African Community (EAC). After all the conflicts in the region, things are now going very well between Burundi, the DRC and Rwanda. Trust is being revi- talised and the economy boosted. The region's development bank, the BDGL, which put the three countries back on their feet has now been relaunched, and agricultural projects are up and running once more. The methane gas of Lake Kivu is being exploited by the DRC and Rwanda, and Burundi is soon to join them. Other projects in the pipe- line, include the Ruzizi 3 hydroelectric dam, the power station needed by all of our countries, and in the case of Burundi, major industrialisation works are going ahead like nickel extraction at Musongati. "The crisis has also led to a reduction in budgetary support" How has the global economic crisis affected Burundi's economy? The world crisis has hit us hard. We have just come out of fifteen years of conflict. The last rebel group only laid down their arms in April 2009. Burundi is a country that depends mainly on its agriculture, in particular the cultivation of coffee and tea for export. The crisis has had its repercussions, most sig- nificantly in the drying-up of bilateral aid. There has also been a reduction in direct investment. The most impor- tant factor has been reduced export earnings. Between July and September 2008, the price of our coffee fell by 24.1 per cent. The crisis has also led to a reduction in budgetary support. Courier Yves Sahinguvu. o Hegel Goutier Which backers have reduced aid? Countries which have helped us histori- cally, like France, but we are genuinely happy that the European Union (EU) has provided support and continued to do so in 2009. An organisation has been set up to keep tabs and auster- ity measures have been taken as far as public spending is concerned. Greater transparency has been introduced in the administration of State finances. We have asked for budgetary support from the EU and 7.5M from the 'vulner- ability FLEX' programme. We have also received strong support from Belgium. Budgetary support is normally granted to countries with relatively high standards of government. How are preparations for theforthcoming elections? The government is very happy about what has already been achieved in the lead-up process to the May elections. The electoral code has already been promulgated, the electoral commission set up, the calendar announced, and the enrolment of voters completed. Now is the time for the posting of electoral lists. The financing is in place, and there is a shortfall of only $US10M, which we hope to be able to find between now and the elections. The code of conduct for the different political parties has been agreed, and a decree has been announced summoning the voters to the various elections: local, presidential, and for the legislature and the Senate. Observers have been invited, and the EU has responded very positively, pro- viding 83 observers. There will also be other observers from the African Union (AU), the EAC, the CEPGL, and from Belgium, France and Germany. "We have reached an agreement with the United Nations with a view to no amnesty being granted for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity" There are, however, some difficulties and challenges. There have been isolat- ed cases of intolerance, and confronta- tions between young people affiliated to political parties, particularly involving individuals linked to the majority party. The government has already taken steps to put an end to these problems. There have been attempts by certain mem- bers of political parties to purchase attestations of registration for certain individuals, but the CENI (National Independent Electoral Commission) has taken effective measures to counter such fraud. We also have to pay close atten- tion to fraud related to the use of infor- mation technology, but on the whole we are optimistic. What about intimidation ofjournalists? It is true that a few journalists have been intimidated, arrested and taken to pris- on. There are presently no journalists in prison, and things have got better. Given the massacres of the past, is it the case that justice and recon- ciliation between Hutus and Tutsis is impossible without a Truth and Reconciliation process like that of South Africa? Social reconciliation is a must for Burundi. Specific measures were taken after the Arusha Accords. These were integrated into the Burundian consti- tution and the electoral code, name- ly the quota system. We have 60 per cent Hutus and 40 per cent Tutsis (the minority ethnic group) in the govern- ment, and the same proportion in the National Assembly. In the Senate, it is 50 per cent for each group, because this is the authority with the responsibil- ity of keeping an eye on what happens in the other governmental institutions. It is 50-50 too in the army, and at the rank-and-file level of local government, no one ethnic group can have more than 67 per cent of local administrative staff, etc. Resha Beach / Lake Tanganiyka. o Hegel Goutier N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Report Other measures have also been taken to recover and honour Burundian cultural values and encourage mixing at a ter- ritorial and ethnic level, like the peace villages housing internally-displaced Tutsis and repatriated Hutus who have returned from Tanzania (ofwhom there are almost 800,000). We have reached an agreement with the United Nations with a view to no amnesty being granted for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. As far as the possible future relationship between the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Tribunal for Burundi which are to be set up, we still have to come to an understand- ing. Is the Tribunal prosecutor going to be satisfied with the cases that the Commission refers to him, or will he be able to submit a case to the court himself? Burundi seems to be lagging behind its neighbours economically. Rwanda, for example, has its sights set on becoming a minor economic dragon. Several programmes have been set up with a view to kick-starting the econ- omy. We have plenty of assets, like our major nickel deposits, petroleum in Lake Tanganyika, the lake itself, and a range of truly magnificent landscapes. A number of backers are now at the point of making investments. As far as the East African Community (EAC) is con- cerned, we are in the process of bring- ing all the customs systems together, including VAT regimes. In the near future, I believe that we will perhaps progress faster than Rwanda. As regards government, there has been some harsh criticism, in par- ticular in relation to the fraudulent sale of the presidential plane. This has been in the news for three or four years now, and in fact the National Assembly has set up a commission which has published a report on it, and this is now in the hands of the Ministry of Justice. We firmly believe that this proc- ess will be rapidly dealt with and those who were ultimately responsible for this abuse will be brought to justice. It is not acceptable that a plane should be sold under conditions that were not properly specified, or that such lapses should be allowed to pass unpunished. What are your other foreign affairs inaepenaence m priorities? Are you interested in relations with China, Thailand and Brazil? We are a landlocked nation. We have to have good relations with neighboring countries. China gives us support in a wide variety of fields, such as health care, agriculture and many more. With regards to Thailand, we are perhaps taking our first steps now, with a project in the pharmaceuticals field. We con- tinue, however, to enjoy close relation- ships with long-standing partners like Belgium and the EU. We decided to seek integration into the EAC for a number of reasons, the first and foremost being the small size yet significant population of our country. monument, bu]umoura. v enave peny or asses". o Hegel Goutier We are keen for our people to enjoy free- dom of movement in the wider region. This has already been achieved within the EAC, and is due to come into force in July 2010. Burundi has had problems, of course, with dualism between the two ethnic groups. We now need to bury this in the context of a larger political group, in order to forget our internal disputes. We mustn't forget that we only have small, with a population of just eight million, so we have to be part of a bigger unit. Courier e'por Report Multiple opposition On the eve of the elections, around forty opposition parties are lined up to face the government of the president of the republic, Pierre Nkurunziza, whose rule is based largely on the support of the CNDD-FDD* party. In the absence of reliable opinion polls, it is impossible to evaluate the electoral significance of the opposing parties, but ail of these groups are harsh critics of the government, accusing it of poor governance, thinly-veiled repressive actions, and corruption. f observers are to be believed, those in the best position to take advantage of the situation are the old parties previously in power, FRODEBU and UPRONA, and a new movement led by the fiery Alexis Sinduhije, formerly an independent journalist who, after conducting investi- gations into a number ofmurky business deals, spent time in prison for "insulting the head of State". For Lonce Ngendakumana of FRODEBU, grievances against the party in power are multiple.The govern- ment puts budgets for programmes to the vote without providing all the neces- sary information. Examples can be seen in a set of six dams, and a large airport in the centre of the country. According to Ngendakumana, the government has also covered up serious cases of misap- propriation of funds, as, for example, in the case of the fraudulent sale of the presidential plane when it is supposed to be leading the fight against corruption. Ngendakumana also accuses the presi- dent of abusing his power. He says the second vice-president of the country, who blew the whistle on the plane affair, has been excluded from the par- liamentary committee and accused of conniving with the opposition, and that, through the Constitutional Committee, the President has illegally dismissed 22 deputies who criticised him. Parliament is in fact the only institution with the legal right to call for such a sanction. The President has also been accused of having turned a blind eye to a militia linked to his party which has terrorised members of the opposition. This militia is alleged to have killed as many as six members of FRODEBU. The leader of UPRONA, Bonaventure Niyoyankana, lays emphasis too on the culture of impunity in favour of power- ful organizations that apparently played a role in crimes against humanity in the years of the conflict, and also of the criminals who assassinated the vice- president of OLUCOME (Watchdog for the Fight against Corruption and Misappropriation of Funds), Ernest Manirumva, and other defenders of civil liberties. He also attacks the nepotism of which the government is accused. Alexis Sinduhidje of the MSD (Move- ment for Solidarity and Democracy) says he wants to build a country which is completely without fear. He says the State should grant each citizen the right to protection.This is not the case today, he says, giving the example of his own imprisonment under a false pretext. He believes that in Burundi it is the State which is responsible for the death of citi- zens: "Even today, the State continues to kill citizens". With such a panorama of fear, panic, terror and lack of protection of the individual, continues Sinduhije, the State is holding up to ridicule the freedom to do business. Furthermore, he is not in favour of the current finan- cial system, which obliges citizens, and the rural poor in particular, to take on debts at usurious rates of interest, when in Burundi the people already pay very high taxes, which amount to 70 per cent of GDP. * Conseil National Pour la Dfense de la Dmocratie -Forces de Dfense de la Dmocratie (National Council for the Defence of Democracy -Forces for the Defence of Democracy) N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Jean Mlinani / -HUUtbU 5alwanya scissionn de Frodebu). Hegel Gouber Lonce Ngendakumana /FRODEBU. SHegel Gouter Alexis Sinduhidje / MSD. SHegel Gouter Bonaventure Niyoyankana / UPRONA. SHegel Gouter Repor NGOs and the Press Brave enough to monitor abuses One of the few positive effects of the serious conflicts of the last 30 years between the Hutu and Tutsi communities has been the dynamism of today's civil society, with a press committed to good governance and reconciliation between communities and democracy. League (League for Human Rights), Joseph Ndayizeye, sums up the political situa- tion in Burundi. "Since the end of the conflicts, the situation has improved a lot as far as street violence is concerned, but the same is not true of human rights. It is clear that there are still murders, banditry and cases of rape of women. What is most shocking is that the perpe- trators are not identified and arrested by the police and taken to the courts." Stand up and be counted In recent years, young people allied with political parties have formed militias and been involved in clashes with knives and stones. These attacks carried out by young militiamen have not led to any deaths, but other killings have occurred which opposition parties have attributed to political motives. There have been at least five of these deaths, according to the vice-president of the OLUCOME group (Watchdog for the Fight against Corruption and Misappropriation of Funds). There have also been numerous cases of rape, which is endemic despite the end of the war, and the association known as SERUKA (Stand Up and Be Counted) has led the way in defending victims and making a real attempt to apprehend the criminals. Onesphore Nduwayo, the director of the OAG (Watchdog for Governmental Activities), an umbrella organisa- tion comprising a number of groups, explained that the OAG publishes in- depth reports on a variety of topics related to the governance of the coun- try. Nduwayo questions those in power who agree to be interviewed. "But we give all those involved the chance to explain themselves. Before anything is published, it is critiqued by all those implicated. We generally avoid giving names, except in blatant cases which are already in the public domain. But when we do make a denunciation, we don't mince our words." A recent case studied by the OAG is the annulment by the Minister for Domestic Affairs of the ruling registered by FORSC (Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society), considered to be a flagrant case of abuse of power. The FORSC had demanded explanations regarding the killing on the 9th of April 2009 of the vice-president of OLUCOME, Ernest Manirumva, which has become a cause clbre of NGOs and the independent press. OLUCOME is an important symbol. Its offices have been searched and it is clear that they are under surveillance, to the extent that its representatives Journalist (Radio-TV Renaissance) and leader of opposition. 0 Hegel Goutier Courier Report :HI PEU DUE P NSt rl WlCOUP OLLICOME D'UN ACTE DE CORRUPTIO% COME VOUS SOUTIENDRA. X NUMEROUS SUIVANTS: 853004 C'EST GRATUIT. Poster of the NGOO LUCOME. "Conuption benefits few and kils many"... The vice president of the NGO was killed. Hegel Gouer received us behind reinforced doors, with CCTV cameras everywhere. Its president, Gabriel Rufyiri, says: "Yes, we do live in a state of anxiety. We carry out investigations and denounce powerful individuals. We know that the truth of the strongest is always the one that prevails. Since 2003, we have investigated more than 1,000 dossiers on "those in power, the government, and the courts". The Press: determination and responsibility Denise Mugugu, one of the journalists whose relations with the authorities are strained, is president of the House of the Press, an institution funded by the European Union which also serves as a school for specialised studies, a studio, an audiovisual archive and a centre for the analysis of audiovisual information. Mrs Mugugu highlights the drift which is apparent in government media, which attack individuals who have had a brush with the government, even in terms of their private lives. "Relationships with those in power get complicated every time a journalist dares to research cer- tain cases of misappropriation of funds. Right now there are no journalists in prison, but they are the object of intimi- dation." In this respect, two weekly magazines, Iwachu and Arc-en-ciel, community radio stations, and above ail the TV station Tl Renaissance have recently been in the spotlight, along with two evangelical TV stations which do not broadcast news, but produce awareness- building programmes. Among the best of the radio stations is Radio Isanganiro, which was set up in 2002 during the civil war and coura- geously supported reconciliation and fraternity. It was Radio Isanganiro which brought up the dossier on the presiden- tial aircraft, and it continues its work today, providing information and work- ing for reconciliation. Even the music programme presented by Excellent Nimubona, held in great esteem among the young, is a voice for raising aware- ness. Tl Renaissance, has been attacked by the youth militia of the party in power, which assaulted the vehicle of one of its production teams. And yet all those in charge of these media organizations and NGOs rec- ognise that the situation has improved a great deal, as repression is no longer an everyday occurrence. Perhaps this is a sign of moderation and a spirit of responsibility? Hegel Gouter Verbatim Innocent Muhozi, director of Radio-TV Renaissance "First of ail, this job is our choice. If we do it, it's not to earn money, but to defend ideas and values. The coun- try has been the victim of idiocies of a pseudo-ethnic nature where peo- ple were massacred without anyone really knowing why, just because they were manipulated. I have lost friends who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or had the wrong colour skin. We have to tell ourselves we can make a use- ful contribution in the fight against fratricidal hatred and the like. I let my co-workers do their work; what I ask ofthem is that they respect everyone, with benevolence but also with inde- pendence. We are part of a society that is extremely bloodied and very poor, which means unhappiness in the everyday lives of families without hope who cannot feed themselves. This kind of drama plays no part in the political debate here, however. I set up this station to say 'We are ail citizens of the same country, and we should have the same rights and the same obligations'. That is our edito- rial line in a nutshell." N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Repor The European Union and Burundi Extensive aid for a land risen from the dead Interview with Alain Darthenucq, Head of the EU Delegation The European Union (EU) is the largest contributor to Burundi, both of aid in general and one of its most important elements, budgetary aid. A number of EU countries also make additional contributions, such as Burundi's historical partners, Belgium and Germany, and its other key donors, France, Holland and the UK. The general level of support from the EU and its member states is on the increase, states Alain Darthenucq, Head of the EU Delegation in Bujumbura. SHegel Gouter As regards the overall situation in Burundi, the European dip- lomat considers that in many ways "the situation is bad but the overall trend is good. An observ- er might think nothing is going well, human rights, justice, infrastructure, governance, the economy, or entrepre- neurial spirit. But if we consider the chaotic state the country has core out of, the progress made since the Arusha Accords is remarkable." As an example of this, he cites the return of peace after 13 years of civil war, the democratic legitimacy of the govern- ment, the impressive freedom of the press, the number of political parties recognized (more than 40), the work of the National Audit Office and the State Police Complaints Authority, the aboli- tion of the death penalty, the new Penal Code punishing sexual violence, and the fulfilling of the quota for 30 per cent of women in public institutions. "There are still problems, of course, but in the last few years Burundi has provided itself with a set of tools which have not yet been used either perfectly or in their entirety." HG- What are the central themes for European cooperation in Burundi? AD -The most visible aspect of our co-operation is in infrastructure. For example, we have just completed 31 km of streets in Bujumbura, and have recently built two roads in the east of the country. Just as important is our work to help ensure good governance, like the census of the population for the elections, for which we have covered up to 80 per cent of the costs. In the same field, the EU has provided support for the creation or improvement of impor- tant mechanisms such as the State Police Complaints Authority and the National Audit Office, the establishment of 44 'residential courts' in small villages, and Courier Report Ijenda Tea factory. "ln 2009, tea produced the highestrevenue everrecorded in Burundi'. 0 Hegel Goutier the planning of a new Land Code -even now conflicts over land are still the prime cause of violent death. Decentralisation is also a key area, and here training and skills development are vital. The second phase will involve the strengthening of village institutions so that they have enough resources, and support for the decentralisation of services provided by the State. The third sector is health, where there has been a significant increase in financ- ing in the five-year period from 2008. Pilots are being carried out with the new national health programme, which focuses on results-based decentralisa- tion. Can you tell us more about this new national health programme? The government has decided to try a large-scale pilot programme, in five ofthe country's 17 provinces. We are involved in this, along with other partners. Some people have criticised the fact that the government has decided to impose policies of education for all and free prenatal medical care, but without providing sufficient means to do this. It is true that the money is not yet on the table, but we believe that budget- ary aid will allow this to happen. More than half of the State budget comes from external sources, and the EU, the Commission and member states provide more than half of this aid. As regards the Commission, the budgetary aid paid in 2009 was more than f40M, that is, about 40 per cent of the total aid paid out to Burundi in that year. On top ofthe budg- etary aid from the 2008-13 period, there have been contributions from two other sources, the EU food programme and the Vulnerability FLEX programme, with a view to countering the effects of the food crisis and the economic downturn on the country. The fourth area of EU intervention is rural development, financed through the five-year plan and the food programme. Eighty-five per cent of the population lives in rural areas. Major operations have been performed to allow Burundi to produce basic foodstuffs and at the same time sustain export crops, in par- ticular tea, coffee and palm oil, as these are Burundi's only sources of export revenue. We have also provided aid to relaunch the horticultural sector. In 2009, tea produced the highest revenue ever recorded in Burundi; although the price was stable, improvements in qual- ity allowed Burundian tea to be sold at a price 50 per cent higher than the previ- ous average. The last sector we are involved in is providing support for a civil society that is already highly dynamic. We are work- ing with associations like ITEKA, OAG, COSOME, FORSC, OLUCOME, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and we also support the media, especially via the House ofthe Press. As so much still needs to be done in Burundi, the EU plays a role in many fields. Its public image is very good there, and it is highly visible, which makes Burundi a kind of laboratory for European aid. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Repor Good governance: everyone's business Success of a well-planned project 'Gutwara Neza' (Good Governance) is an integrated, wide-ranging project financed by the European Union to the tune of 20M, and also supported by the World Bank. It involves the training of judges, construction of village courts, informing the population about their legal rights, conciliation mechanisms for land conflicts, etc. Vronique Parque, the project coordinator, is full of enthusiasm, and knows ail her co-workers on the ground. Itaba, Meeting of the village on human rights and good governance. a Hegel Goutier to 'Gutwara Neza': the rule of law, transparency in pub- lic affairs, and public par- ticipation. From another point ofview it might be said that the project combines economic, political and administrative management. As regards political gov- ernance, the key factors are the rule of law and the strengthening of the decen- tralisation process. The project lead- ers began by informing the population about their rights and the way the jus- tice system works. Three groups of 900 households were interviewed, and the results were very simple, with the popu- lation believing the legal system to be corrupt and that to receive a favourable verdict, one had to pay. Besides, crimes committed against humanity had not been brought to justice. From this starting point, an action plan was devised. The first step was the organisation of an awareness-rais- ing campaign about access to justice. Brochures and noticeboards with draw- ings and photos were prepared, and a number of meetings were arranged so that villages could discuss the topic. The second aim was to train magistrates locally, the third to construct or rehabil- itate buildings for use as courts, and the final one to establish controls over mag- istrates. The project has hence helped to sustain institutions like the National Audit Office and the Anti-Corruption Squad, and also assisted the State in training the magistrates of the adminis- trative court. NGOs have been provided with training on the legal maze that must be navigated to take action against the State ifneed be. One of the best-known successes of the programme has been the village courts and the management of often bloody land conflicts, which up to now the courts only dealt with as a last resort. Villagers' associations elect 'hill com- missions', with volunteer members who conduct surveys of properties in cases of conflict (for example, between neigh- bours), and generally manage to reach an amicable agreement, which will then be registered in the courts. On the day the Courier visited the village of Itaba, near the town of Gitega, the local courts were in session, with three judges dispensing justice with patience and an educational spirit, and a case involving the 'mountain commissions' also in progress. But best of all was the fervour with which the whole vil- lage discussed for hours topics on the big educational boards explaining their legal rights. Courier Report Culture Vivace Bujumbura city, Bujumbura, Burundi's capital of 400,000 citizens is bubbling over with cultural activity. The Drummers of Burundi have paraded through the major audito- riums of the world, but in their wake is a whole host of stars who stoke the fires of a pulsating cultural life. Inspite of the lack of resources and venues, the city has a huge variety of arts associations and production companies. One of the most dynamic cultural asso- ciations is Menya Media (see the Courier No. 12 'NGO Menya Media has the wind in its sails'). It has just co-produced with Belgium's French-speaking state televi- sion and other associated media groups a short film, 'Na Wewe' ('You too'), which denounces violence between different ethnic groups by sometimes straying into comedy. The film was first presented in a special preview in Burundi at the begin- ning of April, and then premiered at the Centre Culturel d'Uccle in Brussels. Menya Media has also just released the musical composition 'Haiti Camp', Burundi's gift to Haiti in the aftermath ofthe earthquake, and, organised for the first time in Burundi the regional festival 'Pearl of Africa Music Awards', under the name 'Pamwade Burundi'. The top prizes were awarded to artists with very promising futures: Steven Sogo in the male singer category, Risiki in the female one, and Lions Story among the groups. The Drummers of Burundi or Khadja Nin apart, more and more artists from the country are being discov- ered. Jrmie Hakeshimana and Sybille Cushahayo*, were hugely successful as a support act for the Congolese star Baloji in Leuven, Belgium last April. Hakeshimana is a composer, arranger and musician, while Cushahayo's*, love songs show her off as a sensual diva. She is also committed to peace, to the fight against AIDS and shares the struggles of women in Africa. The music of Alida Baranyizigiye, another female singer to watch, encom- passes both dream and rhythm. She started out at the age of twelve in a gospel choir, and since then has flirted with the zouk of the West Indies, salsa, R&B and jazz. She has fused zouk with the soft and gentle intonation of the Kirundi tongue, and, in her own words, her zouk is sung with love and sensual- ity, with an injection of soul to express her strong feelings and R&B just for rhythm, all melded together to create a music made for the body. You need time to stroll around Bujumbura with Serge Nkurunziza** since he gets stopped by everyone he meets. He is a musician, arranger and above all a singer with a wild sense of rhythm. He is also a talented designer who has designed and decorated the interior of a number of the most beauti- ful villas and hotels in the city, from the wall coverings to the furniture. There's a relatively dynamic theatre scene too, strongly supported by the Centre Culturel Franais (French Cultural Centre). A wide variety of art exhibitions take place both in the Centre itself and elsewhere. Some examples are the works ofthe Maoni collective, made up of three women artists (one Belgian, Alida Baranyizigiye, singer and fashion designer. 0 Hegel Goutier one Colombian and the Burundian Fidlit Bivugire) whose half figurative, half abstract paintings stand out. Another to watch is film-maker, Lonce Ngabo who has kept up his musical interests whilst studying chemistry. He wrote the screenplay for a short film and a fairy tale. A top Swiss film-maker who came to Burundi to film on location came across Lonce. In just one day a contract was signed between them for the production of a full-length feature film, involving a large advance. The film, 'Gito the Ungrateful', had enjoyed great success in Europe's cinemas. In his own country Ngabo has set up the FESTICAP (International Festival of Cinema and Broadcasting of Burundi) festival, now in its second edition. * aka Kazuba DVD 'Indoto & Akazuba' (2009) and promotional DVD (2009), Ed Menya Media. www.menya-media.org. ** Most recent release, 'Africa' (2010, Ed. Sodetra). N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Jean-Jacques Nyenimigabo: a much-loved Minister of Culture Culture is an important part of the Millennium Development Goals, and ail the more so in Burundi, where for example "good values" are promoted through "peace songs", and culture has played a major role after all the horrors. This is what the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Jean-Jacques Nyenimigabo, declared in his interview with the Courier. Peace. Burundi is placing emphasis on culture in the national reconciliation process. At the end of the year, a festival of culture is held in which all the prov- inces are represented through dances, songs and other cultural manifestations, which helps them to get to know each other better. The culture of the Batwa tribe, for example, is quite different from the others, and the festival allows them to show themselves to best advan- tage and to feel part of the nation. The economy In the last few years, the Minister stresses, Burundi has made great pro- gress in the field of cinema, and he cites the quality of the film "Gito the Ungrateful", by Lonce Ngabo, as evi- dence of this. Other projects are being filmed at the moment, and a film festi- val has been set up: Festicab, the cinema and audiovisual festival of Burundi. The government is making major efforts to provide support for these projects, which also enjoy the backing of other sponsors, such as the French, German, Belgian and American embassies. The music industry is also developing in parallel, and to avoid the spread ofpirat- ing, the Minister of Culture has decided to work with professionals in the field to set up an artists' copyright office to protect this and other rights. A law has already been passed to this effect. The Ministry of Culture has worked together with the Artists' Forum and with producers, and also in conjunc- tion with the Ministries of Justice and Security. Checks are carried out regu- larly in stores and studios, and the coop- eration between Nyenimigabo and the artists has been very successful. Even those artists who criticize the govern- ment insist that the minister is on their side, because he shows his concern for their successes, interests and well-being. He is truly a well-loved minister, but of course one swallow does not make a summer. Sybille Cisahayo. Performance in Leuven, Belgium. SHegel Gouter Serge Nkurunziza Burundi: Places to visit * Saga beach, near Bujumbura www.sagaplage.com * Saga Nyanza, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, on the border with Tanzania * Resha, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika (60 km from Bujumbura) * The Rutana waterfalls * The thermal waters at Rumonge, which is not developed for tourism, but a beautiful place, with a very hot pool for men and a lower, cooler one for women (unwritten rule) * The waterfalls on the outskirts of Mwaro (considered sacred, where ail the queens of Burundi were buried) * The private park adjacent to the new luxury Iteka hotel at Mwaro. Don't fail to talk to the master of the house, Etienne Barigume, an endless source of information on the region's ecological riches * The Lake of the Birds (Kirundo) * National parks : Ruvubu, Kibira and Rusizi * The magnificent Fault of the Germans at Nyakazu * Stanley and Livingstone * The source of the Nile * The market at Masekeza * The waterfalls at Agasamo * Lake Rwihinda (bird lake) e'por Courier Il, - I : i- "Je danse donc je suis" ("I dance therefore I am") Forty young people between the ages of 12 and 18, two dance centres, two African countries, one non-profit organisation and the European Union have come together in the programme, 'Je danse donc je suis' ('I dance therefore I am'). Elisabetta Degli Esposti Merli disadvantaged young peo- T e aim is to offer socially ple in Africa an artistic training course which fuses tradition and modernity and promotes social and socio-cultural integration. Social, economic and health-related problems can lead to young people becoming dras- tically distanced from the socie- ties in which they live. ANERSER (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) and RIOEV (Bamako, Mali) aim to less- en this. The former is a non-profit association which works to reinte- grate children, while the latter is a network whose members include 40 associations and 1000 street chil- dren. After the project's launch seminar (18- 22 January 2010), 40 young people were selected to attend courses with the CDC* La Termitire (http://cdc-later- mitiere.net/) and Donko Seko (http:// www.donkoseko.org/) -organisations run by internationally renowned danc- ers Salia Sanou, Seydou Boro and Ketty Noel. The programme now car- ries out artistic training, through work- shops, choreography and theoretical lessons on the history of dance and theatre and puts on local and regional dance performances to "give back" to society. It is a triennial project financed by the European Commission as part of the 'Investing in People' programme, and is carried out by the Belgian cul- tural organisation Africalia, in partner- ship with the aforementioned African associations. We put a few questions to Africalia: Why did you decide to use dance to reintegrate the young people? Africalia -Dance is a very effective means of communication which allows young people to express themselves using their bodies. The expression of feelings through the spoken word is often difficult and complicated. As a type of body language, dance has a therapeutic effect, as it encourages listening to others. [...] In the long term, the programme encourages par- ticipants to reach professional level which can lead to real economic oppor- tunities. How do you think the local popu- lation will respond to this pro- gramme? The first public activities organised to "give back" to society were received very enthusiastically by the popula- tions of the two cities, who also wel- comed the change in perspective and mindset [...] These activities also pro- mote "universal access to culture" [...] We believe that the local popula- tions of Ouagadougou and Bamako will react positively. Firstly, because the programme offers young people in difficulty the possibility of find- ing employment through a three- year professional training course. As Descartes famously said, "cogito ergo sum" (I think therefore I am). "I dance therefore I am", puts over the idea that dance is a synonym of life, an expression of being, an expres- sion of hope and a confirmation of one's self and one's existence. As the famous dancer Alphonse Tierou said, "if its music moves, Africa will also move". * 'Centre de Developpement Choregraphique'. N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 '~' ' ~ " " Dak'art 2010: retrospective and perspective Dak'Art, the Biennial of African Art, entitled RETROSPECTIVE AND PERSPECTIVE, was held in the Senegalese capital from 7 May to 7 June. The first edition of the Biennial took place in 1990 (in the form of the Biennial of Art and Literature), and was later dedicated to plastic artists from Africa. Sandra Federici As usual, the first week saw critics, curators and artists running between interviews, openings and performances which made up both the official pro- gramme, and the interesting 'off' events. The 5 curators of Dak'Art 2010 were in charge of the selection of artists from the 400 applications received from art- ists who had never before exhibited at Dak'Art. They proposed an internation- al exhibition which represented above ail an opportunity to discover young artists such as the winner of the Great Prize Lopold Sdar Senghor, Moridja Kitenge Banza (DRC). This exhibi- tion was held at IFAN Museum, along with a retrospective which presented the new artwork ofthe 9 artists who had won awards in previous editions of the Biennial. The Galerie National des Arts exhibited the work of five Haitian artists, includ- ing Mario Benjamin and Maksaens Denis, displaying two installations which dealt with the earthquake that destroyed Port-au-Prince. Some ofthe 'off' events included: the duo of Barthlemy Toguo and Soly Ciss at the Mange Gallery, the Afropixel pro- ject at Ker Thiossane, and 'La Cour de Joe Ouakam', a highly respected writer and artist from Senegal. Of particular interest was a project by the Dakar and Rouen Academies of Fine Arts, which led to the production of a tabloid paper, suggesting ideas, images and glimpses of the lives of young people in Senegal. Although this edition attracted less attention from the international world of art, general secretary Ousseynou Wade made a positive assessment of the event, above ail from the point of view of the organisation. "Ail of the works of art arrived, except for one, which was supposed to be mounted in situ by the Barthlmy TOGUO, Road for Exile, mixed techniques, 700 x 400 cm, 2008-2010, Exposition Toguo/ Ciss, Galerie Le Mange, Dak'art Off, Dak'art 2010 Burundian artist Serge Nitegeka who lives in South Africa, who was not able to travel because of his refugee status." His sad email, in which he announced that it would be impossible for him to attend the event and thanked the organ- isers for the opportunity, was exhibited in the space reserved for him in the international exhibition. The Dak'Art 2010 catalogue presents a critical account of the last 20 years, through interesting contributions from the people who created the history of the event. As an institution, the Biennial has been strengthened after years of uncertainty, and has outlived many events which were better financed but which nonetheless failed. Moreover, the Biennial has built up an irreplaceable heritage of African visual art. In addi- tion to funding from various European donors, it has always received signifi- cant contributions from the Senegalese state. But this positive assessment must not rest on its laurels, and the organizers must work to make the event more than just a classic and regular appointment, transforming it into something which surprises the viewer through innovation and depth of thought. How can this be done? Maybe a suggestion could be the artwork-appeal of the South African duo Rosenclaire, which greets visitors at the entrance of the IFAN Museum, and invites them to 'Investissez dans l'immateriel' ('invest in the immaterial'; see next article). Courier Cretiit Rosenclaire: investing in the immaterial The artistic duo Rose Shakinowsky and Claire Gavronsky were born in South Africa and live and work between Florence, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Twenty-five years ago, they left South Africa for Italy, where they established a prestigious artists' residency programme in Tuscany. Rosenclaire share their ideas through collaborative projects which have recently received important recognition. We spoke to them at the Dak'art Biennial. You have been acknowledged rnany times in the last few years: The Soapboxes outside the South African National Gallery, the recent exhibi- tion at the Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, 'Domestic Departures' exhibi- tion at California State University and now the Dakar Biennial. Why is this your first time at this event? We feel that Dak'art is essentially an opportunity for emerging artists from the African continent who have inde- pendently submitted work. However this year the curator Marilyn Martin requested that we translate our sign 'Invest in the immaterial' into French especially for the entrance to the Bienniale Pavillion. The sign calls on artists, critics, curators and collectors to invest in the intangible and the phil- osophical. An urgent refocusing and reassessing the meaning and value of art production in the 21st century. It is a sign, a writing on the wall against the trafficking of art we have seen over the past decade. Your work often has a political aspect, through which the present and the past are linked together. What are the most important topics addressed? Racism, difference and identity (both in South Africa and in Europe), mem- ory and colonialism, violence against women and children and economic injustice. The key to our artwork is that it is always in dialogue with art history and current critical discourses while engag- ing in social and political issues. We employ both traditional and contem- porary media in order to challenge pre- conceived notions of art production. In the feminist exhibition 'Domestic Departures', for example, with the works 'Gesture -erased WK drawing' and 'Vacuum I' and 'Vacuum II' we invited Kentridge to collaborate with us, as a guest artist where we vacuumed up one of his large charcoal drawings, with a vacuum cleaner. Rosenclaire are here quoting Rauschenberg's 'Erased de Kooning'* of 1953 and his 'Factum I' and 'Factum II' of 1957. The Rosenclaire artistic entity is a result of the union of two very differ- ent art styles. How do you manage to bring these two aspects together? We join forces in order to creatively facilitate a dialogue on a specific theme, place or situation. You could say our work is a cross-pollination between the flea-market, the studio, art history and personal experience articulated through painting, drawing, sculpture, installa- tion and video. Why have you chosen to live in Italy, as well as in South Africa? We love Italy for its way of life and what it continually offers us in our artistic work; its lineage and history continue to inspire both us and the artists with whom we work. We are deeply rooted in South Africa, where we continue to actively participate in art education and in the dialogues of contemporary African art practice. * As an act of artistic expression, Rauschenberg literally erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning. Rosenclaire, Punctuation, 2010, Oil on linen, French curve and ludo dot, 30 x 39 cm (painting). 0 Rosenclaire Rosenclaire, Seismograph, 2010, Oil on board and antique stethoscope, 18 x 12.5 cm (painting). e Rosenclaire N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 Creaivit Belgian Presidency of the European Union Homage to a 'Visionary Africa' This is the title under which the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR), in association with the Royal Museum for Central Africa at Tervuren, is presenting a major homage to the dynamism and modernity of African art, including that of the African Diaspora. It also celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence of 17 African countries. Supported by the Belgian government, the European Commission and the Secretariat of the ACP Group, the festival takes place from 30 May to 26 September 2010. One of its most original aspects is that the programme was largely planned by Africans themselves. architect of Ghanaian ori- gin, is the artistic director, and Nana Oforiatta Ayim, also from Ghana, the research direc- tor. Another novel aspect of 'Visionary Africa' is its marriage of artistic and sci- entific research. As 2010 is not only the anniversary of independence of many African countries but also the year of a symbolic event, the first football World Cup to be held in Africa, the festival has reserved a space for the live screening of games. At the heart of 'Visionary Africa' is the mission to organise a major cultural event to mark Belgium's presidency of the European Union (1 July to 31 December 2010), and the government has entrusted this to the Centre for Fine Arts. The director-general of this institution, Paul Dujardin, proposed "an exchange project with Africa, firmly centred on the future". The European Commission hopes that it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen relations between the museums and cultural cen- tres of Europe and Africa. A number of Belgian cultural organizations focusing on Africa, such as Africalia, as well as African Diaspora groups like Matonge* En Couleurs and the Brussels embas- sies of 53 African countries have been involved in the event's planning. Among its highlights will be the exhi- bition 'GEO-graphics: A Map of Art Practices in Africa Past and Present', which brings the masterpieces of ancient African art face to face with contempo- rary works. David Adjaye and Nana Oforiatta Ayim have played a key role in curating the exhibition, and eight African museums have been invited to send their works of modern art. Among the well-known artists from Africa and the Diaspora who are to take part are Anglique Kidjo, Rokia Traor, Papa Wemba, Germaine Acogny and Raoul Peck. In Belgium, the festival will also encom- pass a 'museum of 21st century Africa', based on a museographic review of the riches of the collections of the Tervuren museum and set up by the museum and BOZAR, in association with African artists and cultural associations. When the curtain falls on the festival in Brussels, some African venues will be able to get a taste of its flavour includ- ing the Africa-EU Summit in Tripoli, Libya, 29-30 November 2010. * Matonge is a Congolese quarter in Brussels named after a suburb of Kinshasa, Democratic Repubic of the Congo. David Adjaye. Ed Reeve Courtesy Palais des Beaux Arts Bruxelles Nana Oforiatta Ayim. SSam Pelly Courtesy Palais des Beaux Arts Bruxelles Courier Creativity i Fo pon readers N. 17 N.E. MAY JUNE 2010 International Conference on Africa's Development in Yaound At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, H.E Paul Biya, a two-day International Confer- ence "Africa 21", has taken place in Yaound, Cameroon on 18-19 May 2010, under the theme "Africa, an Opportunity for the World: Realities and Challenges". Modelled after the 1979 Monrovia Symposium, the Yaound International Conference came against the backdrop of the golden jubilee celebrations of the in- dependence of 17 African countries in 2010, which will provide the right opportunity to examine the chal- lenges and perspectives ofthe conti- nent's development. The Conference addressed issues related to resource management, good governance, se- curity, the role of the private sector, economic integration, and Africa's role in the international order. Development Youtnh rize winners and Ghanaian students interact. 0 European Commission ADDRESS: THE COURIER- 45, RUE DE TRVES 1040 BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) EMAIL: INFO@ACP-EUCOURIER.INFO WEBSITE: WWW.ACP-EUCOURIER.INFO Agenda JULY-NOVEMBER 2010 July 2010 18-23/7 AIDS 2010 Conference Vienna, Austria For more information: 25-27/7 African Union Summit: Assembly of Heads of State and Government Kampala, Uganda September 2010 20 22/09 UN MDG Review High Level Event New York City, USA 27 -30/09 3rd meeting of ACP Ministers in charge of Asylum, Migration and Mobility Brussels, Belgium 27 -30/09 21st Session of the ACP Parliamentary Assembly and 21st Session of the JPA Brussels, Belgium November 2010 29- 30/11 Africa-EU Summit Tripoli, Libya More information: http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/ focus/items/article 10010 en.htm Courier Development Youth Prize: Winners travel to Ghana From 3 to 8 May, the 27 pupils who won the European competition 'Development Youth Prize 2008 2009'travelled to Ghana with their teachers to learn more about Africa and to watch development cooperation as it happened. The 'Development Youth Prize' was open to pupils between 16 and 18 from any European country. The 2008/2009 contest was the third edition of the event, which asks pupils to produce videos or posters that relate to Africa's challenges and its future. The goal is to raise awareness of Africa and to boost knowledge of Euro- pean aid and activities in Africa. Each edition of the prize has a special theme; for 2008/2009 it was 'Human Development in Africa'. The group followed an intense programme, which also gave them the unique op- portunity of meeting African pupils to chat about their habits, cultures and experi- ences. The trip ended in Brussels, where the pupils stayed from 7 to 8 May, visiting the EU institutions in the run-up to Europe Day. 0 0 =o -9 E LP co E o >n n E " "t N G E z cz M, c ) a, c , < a o N o N0 a) , . 0 t cl 11 O E N 0 - a, LU c n a, CE8 gz LU o- Cz c:o - CD o O )LU cz "^S 4 mo n c c E 2 o E z M m< Cf t. z l' v o oZ _- aEiE n3= Z< OQ 2. = > > S -'f"T> = = N -, oo ,,a.,,, wDzm QC- I~Z oeoe oeoo>0- I do WOOM& %"WA Woman from Itaba, Bui undi. e Hegel Goutier |