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Development Timing Page
ECONOMICS
Wanted: Good Economic Policy, Not Aid 1min. 53secs. 5 Grant-seeking
developing countries may find it more
difficult to raise international funds for development.
Is Government Spending a Good Thing? 2mins. 8secs. 3 Government
spending in developing economies
spells bad news for economic growth.
The East Got More Aid than the South in the 1990s 2mins. 26secs 4
The dominant aid debate this decade is finally resolved.
WOMEN
Five Years After Beijing 1min. 38secs. 13 Women put last minute pressure
on governments
to show commitment to ending gender discrimination.
The Rape Capital of the World. 1min. 31secs. 14 South Africa earns
the ignoble epithet of
world rape capital.
Violence Against Women Around the World 1min. 26secs. 14 Shocking
reports of abuse of women in other nations of the world.
LABOUR
Workers in Mali Win Wage Increase 3mins. 30secs. 8 Malian workers
come out of a strike season
with good deals from government.
SOCIETY
NGOs Fight for Survival in Sri Lanka 2mins. 17secs. 13 Non-governmental
organizations challenge government's
attempt to emasculate them under the guise of checking fraud.
Environment
CONSERVATION
Conservation Quotation 15secs. 13
Ignorance and apathy threaten the natural world.
Madagascar Launches New National Park 3mins. 11secs. 9 Andringitra
in south-east Madagascar is ready for tourists.
Outstanding Nature Pictures at the Click of a Mouse 1min. 30secs. 3 Now
you can view one of the world's most impressive collection of
nature photographs on the Internet.
Illegal Logging Threatens Tanzanian Forests 2mins. 19secs. 6 Tanzania's
33 million hectares of pristine forest is under increasing threat. 1
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POLLUTION/ WASTE
The Philippines Looks for New Waste Disposal Methods 2mins. 13secs. 5 Manila
desperately looks for new methods of handling waste as
traditional dumpsites fill up.
WILDLIFE
Rapid Decline of Fisheries Hits Ghana 4mins. 7 Growing competition
and improvement of fishing
techniques are rapidly depleting Ghana's fish stocks.
Tough Weeds Threaten East Africa's Grasslands 2mins. 12secs. 7 An
insidious weed has gained a choke hold on East African grasslands.
Children's Section The Days of the Hunting Buffalo 5mins. 10secs. 10
Greed causes Buffalo to cede his crown
of King of Beasts to Lion.
Eagle's Razor 2mins. 7secs. 12 Cockerel and Eagle were once very
good friends,
but a lost razor split them up
Why and how Do Woodpeckers Make Holes in Dry Trees? 1min. 2secs. 11 Meet
the bird that bores a hole in dead tree trunks for nesting.
How Does a Rhino Protect itself from Enemies? 1min. 11secs. 12 The
rhino's worst enemy is man. 2
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News
Is Government Spending a Good Thing? 2mins. 8secs.
It may surprise most Africans to learn that government spending is bad for
economic growth. Research funded by U. K. – based Development Studies Association
(DSA) has shown that public spending for non-productive
or consumption purposes "has a detrimental effect on economic growth." This
is especially so in a country like Nigeria where business activities depend
on contracts from government. Contracts stimulate importation of
goods, equipment and expertise to execute them. And the economies have very
little or no productive base.
The research into the effect of public spending was done in Tanzania, a model
developing nation struggling against great odds such as rising public expectations
in the face of scarce and dwindling resources. Among the
findings was that "public spending in developing countries is often associated
with budget deficit and slower growth rates." The study also found that reduction
of public spending will lead to higher economic growth.
The study found that there were three major types of public expenditure in
a developing country, namely, productive or investment spending, non-productive
or consumption spending and human capital expenditure.
Investment spending was found to have a consistently negative effect on developing
economies. This was a
surprise because this type of spending is expected to lead to economic growth.
Consumption spending further depressed economic growth. However, human capital
expenditure, including spending on health and education,
led to economic growth.
To promote economic growth governments of developing countries were, therefore,
urged to increase spending
on education and health improvement. Private sector investment and commercial
activity must also be encouraged. These new policy changes should be followed
up with a campaign for a favourable environment
to attract international aid and investments. ID21/ Obasi Ogbonnaya
Outstanding Nature Pictures at the Click of a Mouse 1min. 30secs.
More than 10,000 outstanding nature photographs -perhaps the largest and
most spectacular collection in the world -will soon be available to everyone
anywhere in the world just at the click of a button. This is courtesy
of WWF -the international conservation organization -and Canon, suppliers
of business machines and optical products.
In a special ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair on the 15 th October, both
organizations launched what was called a specialized online environmental photolibrary.
The collection would be accessible to the public via the
Internet by mid -2000. But the conservation organization's global network can
already use an in-house communications network called the Intranet to retrieve
images for education and campaign work.
The Photolibrary contains thousands of nature photographs shot since 1964
by some 500 photographers around the world. A press release about the photolibrary
said that this was just the proverbial tip of the
iceberg. Illustrated features on conservation campaigns and projects, ecoregions
and endangered species are currently being prepared.
WWF 3
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The Philippines Looks for New Waste Disposal Methods 2mins. 13secs. The
city of Manila, capital of the Philippines in south-east Asia, has promulgated
an edict for an environmentally
friendly way of disposing waste generated by the city's households.
The edict requires all waste generators to separate their garbage into four
colour-coded plastic bags. Green for organic waste; black for non-biodegradable
waste; red for toxic and hazardous waste; and yellow for bio-medical
infectious waste. Previously, these wastes were collected together and deposited
in the city's earth dumps.
This new development comes as Manila's waste disposal sites are becoming full
and about to be closed. Alternative dumpsites have not been found. Officials
of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority resorted
to legislation to regulate waste disposal and avoid the looming crisis of becoming
overwhelmed by waste.
Critics have dismissed the new legislation as belated, desperate and panicked.
They point out that methods of disposing of the sorted wastes have not been
disclosed. Manila deals with much of its wastes by incineration
and earth dumps. But the city plans to phase out its incinerators by the year
2003, and may create large composting plants for the organic waste.
Other problems envisaged include the cost to householders of the colour-coded
bags (about USD1.00 for 20 bags), the erratic collection of waste, and the stiff
penalty for bringing out the garbage bags before the arrival of
the waste truck. Fines range from USD25.00 to six months imprisonment and community
service.
These problems notwithstanding, most residents feel that the edict is long overdue.
They are hoping that it
would encourage the recovery, recycling and composting of much of the waste
in the earth dumps. Some African cities may watch this development in waste
management in Manila for new ideas.
UWEP
Wanted: Good Economic Policy, Not Aid 1min. 53secs.
Developing countries will have difficulty raising international aid to boost
both national and local development
programmes in the foreseeable future. They can expect less financial grants
and more lessons about sound
economic policies from creditor nations. This is due to a recent World Bank
publication that argues that aid
works only with sustained, sound economic policy in place. Most donor nations
and institutions look to the
World Bank for policy guidelines.
Recent research by the University of Nottingham, funded by the U. K. Department
for International Development (DFID) supports the World Bank's position. The
study found that instability in aid receipts was greater for
countries subject to economic uncertainties.
"Financial aid is often intended for investment but investors lose confidence
if donations are irregular," warned
Oliver Morrissey, co-author of the report. "The greater the uncertainty, the
greater the impact on economic performance." The research examined the relationship
between aid instability and economic growth in a sample
of 88 developing countries. 4
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According to the study, aid instability can affect economic performance in two
ways. First, it may indicate that the country is susceptible to economic uncertainty
such as famine, flood or drastic fluctuation in commodity
price. Secondly, instability can undermine policy and investment.
Additional findings of the research showed that instability reduces the effectiveness
of aid and of economic growth.
Proposed corrective measures include improved economic policy in recipient
countries, stable donor-recipient
relationship and special attention given to countries that are vulnerable to
causes of economic uncertainty. ID21/ Obasi Ogbonnaya
Illegal Logging Threatens Tanzanian Forests 2mins. 19secs. Tanzania
loses about 500,000 hectares of its pristine forest every year due to illegal
timber trade. This is
according to a new publication entitled "Cut and Run: Illegal Logging and Timber
Trade in the Tropics." The
book claimed that government officials are involved in this illegal activity
which puts the country's 33.5 million hectares of forest increasingly at risk.
Illegal exploitation of forests and corruption in forestry administrations
and customs services were also identified in other African countries including:
Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.
The book suggested that Tanzania lacks the means to ensure effective forest
protection. Reacting to the report, Tanzania's Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye
has vowed to deal with illegal timber merchants.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Philemon
Luhanjo, has admitted
that some forestry staff are guilty of engaging in illegal timber trade. They
are also suspected of collusion in the decimation of endangered animal species.
But he denied reports that officials in the Wildlife Department may
be abetting poaching, as alleged by the Hunters Association of Tanzania. Other
suspects in the illegal timber trade are timber product dealers, private individuals,
saw-millers and logging companies.
Luhanjo says illegal exploitation continues almost all over the country both
in forest reserves and in unreserved forest areas. Suspects deal in unlicensed
harvesting of timber, wood fuel and charcoal.
As a means of halting the devastation, authorities have begun enlisting the
help of communities living near forests. The lack of affordable alternative
sources of energy causes these rural communities to resort to forests
as an immediate source. They are being educated to help with forest conservation
measures rather than exploiting the forests for short-term gain.
Police patrols have also been mounted on major roads in a bid to arrest suspects
and impound illegal forest produce.
Environmental News Network 5
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Tough Weeds Threaten East Africa's Grasslands 2mins. 12secs. The East
African rangelands, priceless for their capacity to support a wide range of
savanna wildlife, are
seriously threatened by a dangerous weed. The weed, Tarchonantus camphoratus
is the grassland's equivalent
of the water hyacinths which has plagued rivers, streams, lakes and lagoons
in several West African countries for several decades.
Tarchonantus camphoratus, also known by its Masai name -leleshwa, was first
noticed more than 30 years ago. Ecologists say that it has a remarkable ability
to adapt to the environment but has no valuable use. It
chokes off other plants of the grassland and is not consumed by domestic or
wild animals.
"The shrub is highly adaptive to range soils," said a recent report in the East
African, a Kenyan newspaper, "including hostile places like the rocky cliffs,
where it grows in multiple stems forming tough root networks that
render the soil poorer and unsuitable for other species, especially grasses
and herbs."
Ecologists say that the extent of the weed has increased four-fold over the
last 30 years, covering more than 130,000 hectares in Kenya alone, mainly in
the Rift Valley. In Laikipia in the north-central region of Kenya, the
spread of the shrub has forced wildlife to the edges of the protected areas,
heightening conflicts with livestock owners as the animals compete for food.
In the areas, where the leleshwa has virtually taken over the vegetation,
wildlife has totally disappeared.
Some ecologists have warned that if the leleshwa is not controlled, some of
East Africa's savannas could become barren deserts. However, it appears that
the weed has some oil in it, and scientists are researching into
its commercial value. This raises hope that the weed could be controlled through
harvesting in the future. AWF Wildlife News
Features Rapid Decline of Fisheries Hits Ghana 4mins.
Ghana's fishing industry is in deep trouble due to over-fishing by coastal
communities and the vastly improved fishing technology employed by deep sea
fishing trawlers. The first signs of trouble were evident at the traditional
fish based festivals during which riverine communities usually prepare several
fish dishes.
"Apart from the cold winds, there was not much evidence that the fishing season
has come and gone," reported
a Ghanaian correspondent. "All the fishing festivals have been celebrated without
much fish in the pots. Not even herrings." Not too long ago, herring harvest
was so plentiful fishermen dumped what they could not sell
back into the sea.
To explain the scarcity, the traditional African sense of humour has come to
play. The fishermen in villages near
Accra, the capital of Ghana, attribute their poor harvests to family planning
among the fishes. The villagers have always disliked the campaign for family
planning, and see this crisis as a means of getting back at it.
Meanwhile, jobs for about one in five Ghanaians are threatened. Most of them
are engaged in fishing, fish processing and marketing. Ghana's Deputy Director
of Fisheries, Mr. George Hutchful, painted a gloomy
future for them. 6
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"The number and weight of fish continue to decrease at an alarming rate as a
result of their not reaching maturity before being harvested. This has led to
a decline in fish stocks and financial losses to the fishing industry," he
said, blaming the crisis on improper management of marine fisheries that produce
nearly all of Ghana's fish
stocks.
Mr. Hutchful said that government's efforts to forestall the crisis by imposing
a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) policy, to limit fish catch, was thwarted by intense
competition and improvement in fishing technology. The total
allowable catch for all types of fishing in Ghana is 210,000 tons per year.
This ceiling has never been observed.
"For the past 10 years, annual domestic catches have been between 350,000 tons
and 400,000 tons," Hutchful said. Another 70,000 tons have been imported annually
to meet domestic demand.
Fish is the major source of animal protein consumption in Ghana, particularly
in the urban centers. The problem
is bound to get worse, given demographic trends in Ghana. In 20 years time,
more than half of Ghana's 18 million people would be resident in urban centers.
This, Hutchful said, means that fish consumption will certainly
rise.
Local fishing associations have taken the bull by the horn. They have caused
their members to swear to an oath
prohibiting the use of explosives for fishing. According to the chief fisherman
of Mumford community who administered the oath with bottles of local gin, violators
will incur the wrath of the sea god. There are more than
9,000 canoes, half of which are motorized, operating from 189 fishing villages
along Ghana's 550 kilometres coastline.
For its part, the government now inspects fishing nets used by trawlers. Korean
fishing companies reportedly own most of the trawlers. This monitoring technique
has yielded some results. Four out of every five trawlers
inspected at the Tema Fishing Harbour have had their fishing nets seized by
the Fisheries Department. Edward Ameyibor.
Workers in Mali Win Wage Increase 3mins. 30secs.
Workers in Mali have received a 7 percent pay rise, following a successful
strike by the National Workers
Union of Mali (UNTM), the country's main labour union, and negotiations with
government.
The strike achieved more than a wage increase that took effect from October.
The entire salary scale for public sector workers will also be revised and go
into effect in January. The revision will be worked out by a
team of economists, and government and union representatives who would be selected
by the country's minister
of Civil Service and Employment, Ousmane Oumarou Sidibe.
In addition the agreement reached with government addressed other areas of
workers welfare including price controls on staple foods, which have risen on
an average of up to 10 percent per year, and a reduction in the
kilowatt/ hour price of electricity sold to Malian workers. Most provisions
in the agreement went into effect
immediately, attracting favourable comments.
"This new system where contract provisions take effect immediately is very
reassuring," said a member of the labour group. 7
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Nevertheless, some workers fear that the costs of basic goods will go up as
soon as their salaries increase.
"We'll have to see how merchants respond to the salary increase because if they
do hike prices, we'll be back
to square one," warned one UNTM member who remained skeptical in spite of the
local press describing the contract as 'historic. ' He recalled how in 1994
a 10 percent rise in salaries after devaluation of the CFA franc
proved worthless after the price of basic goods went up even higher. So far,
prices have remained steady in the market.
Mamadou Bathily, a UNTM negotiator, assured that price control will be upheld
and that the government will be advised to take action if needed to hold them
down.
"The wage increases are intended to solely benefit the public sector workers,
who are presently under extreme pressure. It'll be entirely unacceptable if
the price of basic goods, such as rice, millet, milk, cooking oil, and
gasoline, skyrocket and wipe out everything we've achieved," said Bathily.
On his part, Sidibe has pledged to honour all contract provisions reached with
the union leaders.
The pay rise has been welcomed by other labour groups such as the Confederation
of Malian Workers'
Unions (CSTM), which had declined to participate in the general strike. Amadoun
Amion Guindo, the CSTM president, said: "although the salary increase is the
first step, it's not enough, and the workers must continue to
fight."
The CSTM is preparing their own general strike to demand an end to the power
shortages which regularly plague the country in the dry season. The private
sector workers are also planning their own strike for higher
wages, which they have failed to obtain through negotiations. IPS
Madagascar Launches New National Park 3mins. 11secs. Madagascar's Andringitra
National Park is ready for tourists. The park was launched in October and promises
to be a success, according to various partners that have been canvassing for
the creation of the park, including the National Association for the Management
of Protected Areas (ANGAP), the Madagascar Government,
the German Aid Agency KfW, and WWF.
Andringitra is 31,160 hectares and lies between two older protected areas -Ranomafana
and Isalo National Parks. Among its attractions are a high diversity of plant
and animal life, three types of vegetation namely;
tropical moist forests, dense montane forests and high mountain prairies crowned
by massive granite boulders. An additional attraction is the Boby Peak which,
at 2658 meters above sea level is the country's second
highest mountain and highly accessible.
The area's great tourism potential resides specifically in the possibility it
offers for research, environmental education and sports like rock climbing and
hiking." About 40 km of hiking paths and four different camping
sites have been prepared within the park. 8
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The activities undertaken in Andringitra since 1993 have aimed at encouraging
participatory approach to the conservation of protected areas. Local communities
participated in the decision-making process required for
conserving and developing this area in a sustainable manner.
The management plan for the National Park is to develop a type of tourism that
will protect the natural wealth of the area and help the social and economic
interests of the local people, while promoting their traditional
interests.
"With the sole exception of the spiny dry forests of the south and south-west
of the island, Andrigintra is like a concentrated sample of all the natural
wealth Madagascar has to offer," explained Lantosoa Ramarojaona,
Coordinator of Integrated Conservation Development Projects at the WWF Madagascar
Programme Office.
More Than 15,000 people in 196 villages live around the national park, and they
are fully included in the
project.
"Perhaps the greatest strength of the project is the support it has received
from the local Betsileo, Bara and Tanala communities," says Joseph Ralaiarivony,
National Director of the project. "They have been a receptive
audience and have allowed us to work within their rich social and cultural traditions
to address conservation
issues such as the need to prevent forest fires. Because of their great sense
of community, their commitment is very strong."
WWF
The East Got More Aid than the South in the 1990s 2mins. 26secs
Fears that aid resources shifted away from Africa and other developing countries
to Eastern Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, have been confirmed.
This confirmation comes almost 10 years after African
countries raised the alarm, which was denied by the industrialized nations
of the West.
The confirmation came in a research paper presented at the 1999 annual meeting
of the United Kingdom Development Studies Association (DSA). The paper analyzed
major shifts in development aid disbursed by
member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) in the 1990s. It
concluded that there was a decline in official development aid (ODA) to the
South as attention shifted to the East during the period, and that the OECD
was unaware of it because of changes in OECD 's definition of
official development aid.
(The developing countries of the world are generally referred to as the South
because many of them are located south of the equator.)
"Official record from the OECD for 1990 – 94 support the view that there was
no resource shift towards East
Europe, but that aid to the East was additional. Closer examination, however,
suggests that changes in reporting
and recording disbursements artificially boosted aid figures, and hid the indications
that there was a shift of aid
disbursements from Africa to East Europe, and a decline in the volume of aid
given to Africa." 9
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The Development Studies Association also discovered that changes were made in
OECD definition of aid to
include expenditures directed at solving 'common global problems. ' This was
a deviation from the traditional
disbursement of aid strictly for meeting national developmental objectives.
This change, in addition to the
emergence of a new post-Cold War ideology among donors could be used to justify
giving less aid to the
South.
The Development Studies Association recommended a number of solutions to the
problem, including:
? A separation of aid monies spent for solving 'common global problems' from
those spent on national
development goals;
? Alternatively, the OECD could change its definition of development aid to
include money given to solve
common global problems; and
? Allowing independent auditors, to audit the accounts of both donor and recipient
countries rather than the
donors doing it themselves.
DSA
Children's Section
The Days of the Hunting Buffalo 5mins. 10secs.
(In the folklore of the ancient Bushmen of southern Africa, the buffalo
was once a meat eater and a feared hunter)
There was once a particular Buffalo, a huge and fierce bull who lived near
the great swamps. He was a hunter
of great strength and skill, and had a huge appetite which all animals feared.
So fierce was he that only the great elephant and Rhino were safe from his deadly
attacks.
One day, Buffalo caught Lion unawares while he was drinking at a pan. Buffalo
was about to kill Lion with one sweep of his mighty horns, when Lion begged
for mercy. Buffalo agreed to spare his life on one condition: that
Lion would become his slave, and hunt food for Buffalo. Of course, Lion agreed.
What choice did he have?
So Buffalo commanded Lion to catch a fat springbok which was grazing on the
other side of the pan. Lion obeyed, and dragged the prize back to Buffalo, who
enjoyed a nice, easy meal. Buffalo thought to himself,
"Well! This is a most excellent arrangement! I will now have time to enjoy my
afternoon wallow, and sleep in
the shade whenever I want!"
The next day, Buffalo called Lion again and ordered him to catch a tender
youg zebra, as he was hungry for his breakfast. Lion soon returned with the
catch and Buffalo greedily devoured the whole zebra. He didn't leave
a scrap for Lion, not even a bone reward for his work.
After that, Buffalo found Lion every day and ordered him to kill more and more
animals in order to satisfy his greed. Not once was there a morsel for Lion.
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Meanwhile, because their pride leader was spending all his time hunting for
Buffalo, Lion's wives and cubs were beginning to find it difficult to hunt,
and some of the cubs were starving. As the pride grew thinner and
weaker, Buffalo grew fatter and greedier. After a while, he was eating five
times a day. Poor Lion wore himself
out supplying food for dreadful Buffalo.
One day Buffalo found Lion lying wearily beneath a shady thorn tree. He ordered
him to get up and prepare for a great hunt. Because of his easy life, Buffalo
was now so huge and fat he could hardly walk. He had also
developed a most astounding appetite.
"Today, Lion," said Buffalo, "you will go out and kill me one of every kind
of animal in the bush!" Immediately, Lion knew that this was too much – an impossible
task, especially as he was almost worn out. He protested:
"O mighty one! Be reasonable! Even I could not manage such a thing." And he
shook his great black mane in anger. "Do you not see my family? They are starving
because I never have time to help them with the hunt. I beg
you, Great Buffalo, release me from my promise."
But Buffalo's greed was enormous, and he had no pity. "I spared your life!"
he roared, "Now you must do my bidding if you value your honour!" And he pounded
the ground with his enormous front hoof, raising a cloud of
dust.
Lion drew himself wearily to his feet. He knew there was no longer any honour
in the situation, and had decided to act.
"O Buffalo," he said, "regrettably, I am indeed honour bound to agree to your
request. As you command me,
through sheer greed, to kill one of every beast in the bush, I shall obey. And
I will begin with you!"
So saying, Lion sprang onto Buffalo's enormous back and sank his great teeth
into his neck, killing him immediately.
At last, Lion and his family had a huge feast, and after that they took a
liking to buffalo meat, and continued to hunt for it whenever possible. The
other buffalo learned the lesson that Lion had taught them, and started to eat
grass again. They also decided that it would be safer to live in herds, in order
to protect themselves from the King of Beasts.
When Hippo Was Hairy
Why and how Do Woodpeckers Make Holes in Dry Trees? 1min. 2secs.
Woodpeckers are birds that have hard beaks attached to the very strong bones
of their skull. This is God's way of making woodpeckers able to live better
in a woodland habitat. While most birds make their nests with
grass and twigs, woodpeckers make their nest holes in old tree trunks that
are easier to peck at than living trees. They also use their beaks to break
bark away to find insects and larvae to eat.
Several species of woodpeckers are found in Africa, including the Bearded
Woodpecker and the Cardinal Woodpecker. The Bearded Woodpecker is known to do
other things with its beak too. Each day it drums
loudly by banging its beak on dry wood in its territory. The message it sends
in this way is: "This is my home. I live here."
Chongololo 11
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How Does a Rhino Protect Itself from Enemies? 1min. 11secs.
Rhinos have very small eyes and poor eyesight. So, how do they protect themselves?
They have good hearing and sense of smell, however, which make up for their
poor eyesight. They are also able to use their horns to
protect their babies from predators such as lions.
As they grow, rhinos get too big to have natural enemies in the wild. Unfortunately,
no animal can protect itself against a hunter with a gun or spear or a trap.
In this manner, the two types of rhinos known in Africa have
almost been hunted into extinction. They are the Black Rhino and the White Rhino.
Poachers have hunted Black Rhinos for many years and sold their horns to traders
overseas mostly in Arabia where they are used for
traditional medicine, aphrodisiacs and for dagger heads. Unless we are very
careful and look after the few that are left, Black rhinos will soon become
extinct.
Chongololo.
Eagle's Razor 2mins. 7secs.
Once upon a time, there was a village where Eagle and his friend Cockerel
both lived. One day, Cockerel went to Eagle's hut and called out, "Good day,
Eagle. Would you please lend me your razor so I can cut my
children's hair?"
Eagle obligingly handed Cockerel his razor and Cockerel returned home to cut
his children's hair. When he had finished he put the razor down in a safe place,
intending to return it later. However, it so happened that his
youngest child found the razor, took it outside to play with it and lost it.
A few days later, when Eagle wanted to cut his own children's hair, he asked
Cockerel, "Where's that razor I lent you? Can I have it back now?" Cockerel
went and looked but it was not where he had left it. His wife
called their children together and asked, "Where is Eagle's razor?" but the
chicks did not know, and the smallest one who lost it had forgotten.
Eagle said, "Cockerel, I want my razor. If you don't give it back to me, there'll
be trouble." All the chickens went out and searched and searched, but there
was no sign of the razor. Then Eagle said, "Cockerel, if you
have lost my razor I will eat your children."
And that is why today there is no longer friendship between Eagle and Cockerel.
And that is why when Eagle is around Cockerel is so nervous and his wife shelters
her children under her wings. Then, when Eagle has gone
the chickens will rush about searching here, there and everywhere for the lost
razor, which has still not been found.
Shangani Folktales
Special Section
Conservation Quotation 15secs.
"Nothing is more important than teaching the next generation about the value
to people of the natural world around us – a world that is so gravely threatened
by human ignorance and apathy."
Sir Peter Scott (Artist/ Environmentalist) 12
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NGOs Fight for Survival in Sri Lanka 2mins. 17secs. Sri Lanka's Non-Governmental
Organizations are up in arms to stop government from violating their right to
freedom of association. The government of the country recently appointed an
Interim Management Committee
to oversee the affairs of the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC). That was the second
such committee appointed by the Ministry of Social Services to administer the
Red Cross since March, following a series of allegations
regarding fraud and mismanagement within the organization.
The new committee was appointed following government's amendment in May to the
Voluntary Social Service
Organizations (Registration and Regulation) Act of 1980, otherwise known as
the NGO Act.
A petition calling for the rescinding of the amendment has been signed by
more than 500 NGOs. The amendment of the Act, and appointment of an Interim
Management Committee for the SLRC were condemned by NGOs
for being retroactive.
"They constitute blatant interference in the internal affairs of non-governmental
organizations," the NGO activists said, pointing out that existing laws are
sufficient to investigate allegations of mismanagement and embezzlement
within the NGO sector and to punish those responsible for such actions.
"Displacing persons holding authority within a voluntary social service organisation
on the basis of allegations, and replacing them with persons picked by the Minister
in charge of social services in the way that has been
done with the SLRC creates a space for a wide range of abuses of power to take
place," stated a press release by MIRJE, a Sri Lankan NGO.
Meanwhile, allegations were made against members of the first Interim Management
Council appointed to the SLRC. They were alleged to have paid themselves large
allowance, used official vehicles for personal travel
and that family members of that council traveled abroad on scholarships that
should have gone to longstanding members of the SLRC.
Baobab
Five Years After Beijing 1min. 38secs. Representatives of governments
will meet for a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in June
2000 to review implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth
World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. However, NGOs dealing with
women's issues have started calling on governments to
go to that meeting with evidence that they have repealed laws that discriminate
against women. Two of such
NGOs is Equality Now, based in Washington D. C., U. S. A., and CEDAW -the Campaign
to End Discrimination Against Women.
The call comes as women's liberation groups are convinced that such laws remain
in force. "Our campaign will call upon governments to repeal or amend these
laws over the course of the upcoming year
prior to the Beijing + 5 Special Session. At the Special Session these reforms
can then be highlighted as a show of genuine commitment to (rather than disregard
for) the words and spirit of the platform of action" which
calls for the elimination of such laws, Equality Now said. 13
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November 1999 CHANGE Radio
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Brooke Ackerly, a woman activist and visiting Professor of Political Science
at the University of California, U. S. A. believes that women's rights issues
should look beyond laws that discriminate, and focus on the causes
and contexts of discrimination and violence against women. www. equalitynow.
org
Violence Against Women Around the World 1min. 26secs. ? India:
A 10 year old girl was rescued by a flight attendant who noticed that
she was crying. The flight
attendant later learnt that she was crying because her father had sold her to
the 60 year old Saudi Arabian man sitting next to her for the equivalent of
USD240
? Kenya: At a boarding school, 300 boys attacked the girls' dormitory.
Seventy-one girls were raped. Nineteen were trampled to death in the stampede
to escape. The schools vice principal later remarked that
"The boys never meant any harm against the girls. They just wanted to rape.
? Brazil: A man who confessed to stabbing his wife and her lover
to death was acquitted of murder for the
second time by an all male jury. The acquittal was based on the argument that
he acted in legitimate defense
of his wronged honour. ? United States: A 51 year old woman was
stabbed 19 times and killed by her former boyfriend as she
waited inside a courthouse to extend an order of protection. Twice before
he had been charged with harassment. Both times the charges were dropped.
Equality Now
The Rape Capital of the World. 1min. 31secs. South Africa has just
been declared the rape capital of the world. This is based on recent statistics
from that
country which shows that more than 50,000 rapes were committed last year. Police
sources said that the number is not a reflection of the incidence of rape in
the country. More than 93 percent of the cases are not
reported, police said, because of fear or shame of the victim.
According to news report on the American radio channel Voice of America (VOA),
the rape cases are accompanied with brutality by the rapists. The case that
has caught the most attention is of a woman who was
blindfolded and gang-raped for two days and later abandoned in an alley where
neighbours found her. Her nose had been burned off, as were her lips. She also
had several fractures and bruises all over her body.
Medical sources said that she was in a critical condition and would need many
sessions of corrective plastic surgery.
South Africa's Vice President, Dr. Jacob Zuma, appears to be the most concerned
public officer about the incident. But government critics attribute his concern
to the fact that his wife was recently raped at their home
in Kwazulu Natal. VOA 14
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November 1999 CHANGE Radio
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Acronyms
ANGAP National Association for the Management of Protected Areas
CEDAW Campaign to End Discrimination Against Women.
CFA African Financial Community
CSTM Confederation of Malian Workers' Unions
D. C. District of Columbia
DFID Department for International Development
DSA Development Studies Association
GNP Gross National Product
KfW German Aid Agency
NCRC Nature Conservation Research Center
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
ODA Official Development Aid
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
TAC Total Allowable Catch
UNTM National Workers Union of Mali
U. K. United Kingdom
USD United States Dollar
UWEP Urban Waste Expertise Programme
WWF World Wide Fund for Nature 15
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