Suspect behavior in Zim!!!

No surprising news out of Harare today.

From CNN:

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, Susan, was killed Friday in a car wreck that also left him injured, according to senior officials with his party.

President Robert Mugabe visited Tsvangirai -- his long-time political rival -- at a Harare hospital, according to a reporter at the scene.

Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, took office last month under a power-sharing deal with Mugabe following a contentious election.

Tsvangirai's aide and driver also were injured in the head-on collision with a large truck, according to Tsvangirai's spokesman, James Maridadi.

All four were taken to the hospital but the conditions of the driver and aide were not immediately known.

State media reported Tsvangirai suffered head and neck injuries but his Movement for Democratic Change party has not confirmed that.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told CNN he spoke to Tsvangirai at the hospital and he was in a "relatively stable" condition...

..."She stood by her husband for over 30 years," Cooke said. "She's watched him be beaten and imprisoned. Now at this somewhat hopeful moment where her husband has been sworn in as prime minister, it's unfortunate she doesn't ultimately get to see an end to the crisis."

Tsvangirai and Susan, who were married in 1978, have six children, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Last month, she told a BBC affiliate that the past decade had been an "endurance test" for her husband and his MDC colleagues.

"People went through hell, but they stuck to their ideals to seek change through democratic means," she said. "This was a struggle that we endured with MDC cadres, activists, supporters and peace-loving Zimbabweans.

"To them I say thank you so much for the support they gave the MDC to reach this momentous period."

The Mugabe Chronicles continue...

Free Jestina Mukoko!

It has become commonplace in Zimbabwe for anyone to be tortured, jailed and sometimes murdered for disagreeing with the policies of President Robert Mugabe. Jestina Mukoko, journalist and director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), was abducted and jailed in December for attempting to “overthrow the Mugabe government." However, her supporters believe that she was taken from her home in an unmarked car because she bravely speaks out about the abuses under ZANU-PF. Since her abduction, the Zimbabwean government has refused to back down on Mukoko, despite pressure from the international community for her release, claiming that they don’t know her whereabouts. Mukoko’s supporters are still hopeful that she will be released in a timely manner, and are making efforts to expedite the efforts.

Internet users can join a Facebook group, which was created by supporters to raise awareness about Mukoko’s plight, including photos of Mukoko being taken into custody. On the page, supporters can also read updates on Mukoko as well as other prisoners being held in Zimbabwe for their political beliefs.

Some sanity comes back to Zim...I guess

Change has come to Zimbabwe?

Not so fast...

From The Guardian:

Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Zimbabwe's new prime minister today, but was prevented from addressing the nation on television in a sign of the power struggles likely to come in the powersharing government with the president, Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe administered the oath of office to his bitter rival just a few months after saying he would never talk to the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, let alone share power with him.

Tsvangirai stepped up to the podium and shook Mugabe's hand. The new prime minister raised his right hand and promised to be faithful to Zimbabwe, observe its laws and serve it well. The rival leaders signed papers and shook hands again. There were no smiles...

Oh, no he didn't. Just to think that there is probably as much drama going on in Harare as there is in Atlanta.

But wait until you hear about Mugabe's upcoming birthday party.

From Times of London:

...In recent days [ZANU-PF has] been out soliciting “donations” from corporate Zimbabwe and have drawn up a wish list that is scarcely credible in a land where seven million citizens survive on international food aid, 94 per cent are jobless and cholera rampages through a population debilitated by hunger.

The list includes 2,000 bottles of champagne (Moët & Chandon or ’61 Bollinger preferred); 8,000 lobsters; 100kg of prawns; 4,000 portions of caviar; 8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates; 3,000 ducks; and much else besides. A postscript adds: “No mealie meal” — the ground corn staple on which the vast majority of Zimbabweans survived until the country’s collapse rendered even that a luxury.

Those who prefer to give in cash, not kind, are invited to send “donations” of between $45,000 and $55,000 to a US dollar bank account in the name of the 21st February Movement, a youth organisation controlled by Zanu (PF) and named after the date of the President’s birthday...

WTF...the more things change, the more things remain the same.

Facebook aids Zim children

Children are usually the victims of conflicts conducted by adults around the world. Of the 12 million people in Zimbabwe suffering from the humanitarian crisis and violent political corruption, the country’s youngest citizens are being harmed the most. Now one American man is trying to make a difference, one child at a time.

Matthew Jacobs of Kansas City, MO volunteered his time with Save the Children - Zimbabwe to start up a Facebook group page to raise money and awareness about the plight of suffering Zimbabwean children. On the page he updates it with the latest information relating to the food shortage and Morgan Tsvangirai, president of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Group members can also donate money to Save the Children through the page.

Zim Journalist Abducted

I have grown wary of Robert Mugabe; so much so that I really just can't talk about him anymore. At this point, what can you say about someone who denies that a cholera epidemic is killing the population?

But I still feel obligated to speak out about lacking press freedom in Zimbabwe. The International Women's Media Foundation is also doing their part on this pressing issue.

From IWMF:

The IWMF sent a letter to President Robert Mugabe concerning the Dec. 3 abduction of a former journalist in Zimbabwe. Jestina Mukoko, a former broadcaster at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation who now heads the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was taken from her home by a group of men, some of whom were armed. The reason for the kidnapping is still unknown, and police have refused to comment. The IWMF advocates for a free press and asks that Mukoko be released.

Read the full letter and sign a petition here.

Zimbabwe after Mbeki

Thabo Mbeki resigned as South Africa’s president this week, and many wonder if the week-old Zimbabwean power-sharing deal between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai is in jeopardy.

From Mail & Guardian:

"Considering that Mbeki was the sole mediator in the Zimbabwe agreement,
Zimbabweans are now asking what the future of the country holds," the coalition
said in a statement."Zimbabweans from all walks of life were banking on the
settlement to rescue the country from the socioeconomic and political abyss it
is entrenched in."MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa insisted that Mbeki's
departure, effective on Thursday, would not spell disaster for the Zimbabwe
deal."There is no danger posed to the agreement by President Mbeki's departure,"
said Chamisa…

…John Makumbe, a political scientist at the
University of Zimbabwe, said power-sharing might collapse without Mbeki."He was
able to apply pressure here and there and get them to sign the agreement.
Without him I think each group is going to stick to its guns and that would be
unhealthy ... the whole agreement could remain strictly on paper, he said.

As much as I don’t like Mbeki (as he has been too much of a cheerleader for Mugabe), this could be a step backwards for all Zimbabweans.

S. African authors speak out on Africa's woes, triumphs

By Talia Whyte

Originally published in The Bay State Banner

South African activists and writers Elinor Sisulu and Sindiwe Magona came to Boston last week to participate in a series of seminars to celebrate the children’s literature of their home country. The seminars were part of the 10th anniversary festivities for South Africa Partners, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that supports relations between the U.S. and South Africa through education and health initiatives.

In one of those initiatives, according to Sisulu, for every book donated to South Africa Partners, the organization will purchase an additional book written by a South African author, which will then be distributed to children throughout South Africa. Sisulu said she supports the effort because it aims both to support the South African economy and enable children in her country to read more books written by native authors.

“Many well-meaning people send books to Africa, but most of them are not culturally appropriate for our children,” Sisulu said. “Children should read about their own culture and see themselves.”

Sisulu is the author of “The Day Gogo Went to Vote,” a children’s book about a grandmother who is determined to go to her local polling place in the first election allowing black South Africans to vote. Magona is the author of 18 children’s books, including “The Best Meal Ever!” and “Life is a Hard but Beautiful Thing.”

Magona said that South Africa’s education system is suffering because the government doesn’t provide equal support for students at all age levels or those learning in different languages. She also said she finds it discouraging that today’s youth use the Internet, instead of traditional storytelling from their elders, to gain information about their culture.

“During apartheid, we had our languages and storytelling,” she said. “Now that we are free, South Africa is like America during slavery. Our children are being prevented from an education and their history.”

Education in South Africa garnered international attention last year when the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened outside of Johannesburg. The boarding school was established to increase opportunity for South African girls who had shown academic talent and leadership skills, but came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school has received praise from some, including former South African President Nelson Mandela, but has also been criticized by many who say they are displeased that it only caters to the needs of a small number of children.

“Oprah’s school is great, but doesn’t make a dent,” Sisulu said. “It doesn’t begin to address the problems in South Africa. No one can really say that education in South Africa will be improved by Oprah.”

The educational and social problems in South Africa have been compounded recently by woes throughout the continent, especially in neighboring Zimbabwe.

As the official mediator appointed to deal with Zimbabwe by the Southern African Development Community, South African President Thabo Mbeki has faced heavy criticism for taking what many believe to be a soft stance against the actions of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who was declared the winner of the nation’s runoff election last month. Many in the international community have questioned the legitimacy of Mugabe’s victory, calling the June 27 runoff neither free nor fair.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in the March presidential election, but not the majority required to avoid a runoff. He withdrew from the second contest after weeks of military-orchestrated violence left dozens of his supporters dead, thousands severely beaten and thousands more homeless as they were chased from villages, fled attacks or had their houses burned down.

Sisulu was in Zimbabwe last April and said she was disturbed by the poverty and political corruption that have taken over the country.

“As a human rights activist, I believe in speaking out against injustice,” Sisulu said. “Not speaking out against Mugabe goes against everything the anti-apartheid movement stood for.”
Magona said she is particularly concerned about the silence from many African leaders and African Americans on the problems in Zimbabwe. While she is happy that the African Union (AU) strongly opposed the establishment of the United States African Command (AFRICOM) military base, Magona is disappointed that the same anger has not also been directed toward Mugabe, saying that the AU has evolved into a “friendship club.”

“There are no standards in the AU anymore,” Magona said. “Mugabe gets support from them because he skillfully talks about himself as anti-Western and anti-imperialist. As an individual, do I want Mugabe as a leader? No, I do not. What does he stand for?”

As the political and economic problems worsen in Africa, Magona feels good that change is in the air in the White House, and hopes Africa can have a better relationship with the United States in the near future.

“We are excited about [Democratic presidential contender Barack] Obama, not because he is black, but there is a chance that he would want to have a better engagement with the world,” Magona said. “He is a good role model, and he makes us feel proud to be black.”
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Where's the black outrage over Mugabe?

There is a deafening silence from the African Diaspora about taking a stand against Robert Mugabe's deadly regime. African leaders attended the African Union summit in Egypt this week and reluctantly approved a resolution to have a government of national unity in Zimbabwe.

From BBC:

The summit's host, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, made a strong speech in which he said that Africa's conflicts were a major impediment to development.

"There can be no development without peace and no advancement without stability," he said.

And he went on to enumerate the continent's conflicts: between Djibouti and Eritrea, Chad and Sudan, and in Somalia.

But of Zimbabwe he had nothing to say.

Zimbabwe is an embarrassment, which some African leaders do not want to mention in public in the hope it might just go away.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, most African Americans seem to have nothing to say about Zimbabwe. While many A-List black celebrities made their way to London last week to attend Nelson Mandela's birthday bash and celebrate the former South African president's accomplishments of bringing multiracial democracy to his country, these same celebrities are mum about the country next door where henchmen harass and kill people for not voting for Mugabe.

How I long for the days of mass demonstrations led by African Americans in opposition to South Africa's apartheid system 20 years ago. Just like our silence over the killings in Darfur, thanks in part to China, blacks around the world have become oblivious to Zimbabwe.

Even the people you would think would know better, just don't.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young is among those who still manage to see more morality than malice in Mugabe's rule. "Americans cannot be rational about Mugabe," Young said. "We've always miscast Mugabe. He's a fundamentalist Roman Catholic. ... He doesn't steal."

Young traces Zimbabwe's troubles back more than 30 years, to the failure of the United States and Great Britain to fund land reform efforts as generously as promised.

Similarly, Nicole Lee, head of TransAfrica Forum, a Washington-based human rights group founded by black Americans, points to "a larger context" that includes the failure of Western nations to fund programs to grant farmland to poor black Zimbabweans. She, too, says that Americans shouldn't "demonize" Mugabe.

There's just one problem with that. Mugabe has become a demon.

Thank goodness for the elders for keeping it real.

Georgia Congressman John Lewis said he supports a more forceful response to Mugabe's tyranny. "Just because he's a black leader of an African nation doesn't mean that we can afford to be silent," he said.

Lessons from our African forefathers

Yesterday, two historical events happened involving two people from Africa's political history. The events show how much African leadership has moved forwards - and backwards - in recent years.

The Good
Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday in London with some of his best celebrity friends and 46,664 invited guests. (I can't help but mention how Naomi Campbell can be disinvited to the concert, but drug addicted, racist Amy Winehouse can not only be invited, but also be allowed to perform on stage. But I digress.) The concert was a celebration of Mandela's dedication to a free, colorbind South Africa and what a social activist can do to mobilize the world to think differently.

Unfortunately, the next generation of South African leaders seem to be going in a different direction.

The Bad
Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe virtually won his "sham" run-off election, thanks in part to Morgan Tvansgirai's abrupt withdrawal and unfair voting procedures.

From the BBC:

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, a monitoring group, reported that people had been forced to vote in most rural areas.

A Zimbabwean journalist said militias loyal to Mr Mugabe had gone door-to-door in townships outside the capital, Harare, to coerce people.

Despite the pressure, Marwick Khumalo, who heads of the Pan-African parliamentary observer mission, told the BBC that overall turnout had been low and the mood sombre.

"We saw one long queue, which we mistook for a polling station, only to find the people were queuing for bread," he said, adding that the ingredients for a free and fair election were missing.

There was a time Robert Mugabe also was a man seen to dedicate his life to the betterment of Africans. But something went terrible wrong a few years ago when he evolved into a dictator.

This is a lesson in democracy.

Zim opposition party used Google Maps

Description: The abrupt withdrawal of Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai from this Friday's runoff presidential election essentially handed President Robert Mugabe a victory and left Zimbabwe's future up in the air. However, given the uphill battle to have a fair election, Tsvangirai's party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) looked to cyberspace to get the word out about the possibility of a changing political landscape in Zimbabwe.

Tools Being Use: Google Maps

What Did They Do: Tsvangirai's party used the free software Google Maps to inform MDC supporters about campaign rallies around the country up until Tsvangirai withdrawal, as well as spots where alleged detentions, arrests and beatings have taken place at the hands of ZANU-PF.

"The courageous people of Zimbabwe, of this country, and the people of the MDC have done everything humanly and democratically possible to deliver a new Zimbabwe and new government," Morgan Tsvangirai said to CNN following his withdrawal.

No hope in Zim

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai dropped out of the runoff election Sunday, essentially handing a victory to dictator Robert Mugabe.

From CNN:

"The courageous people of Zimbabwe, of this country, and the people of the MDC have done everything humanly and democratically possible to deliver a new Zimbabwe and new government," candidate Morgan Tsvangirai said after a closed-door meeting of his Movement for Democratic Change.

A government official, however, said Tsvangirai dropped out only because he fears being handed a "humiliating defeat" in the runoff.

MDC is not afraid of a humiliating defeat; they fear Mugabe and friends raging WWIII at the expense of the rest of the country. Tsvangirai has pretty much been walking with a "fatwa" on his head since March.

According to reports from insiders, approximately 70 MDC members have been killed, and nearly half a million Zimbabweans have been displaced since the March elections.

Of course, my two friends are still missing.

Where's the outrage!

Zimbabwe's Bongo Love, out of Africa and into Boston

By Talia Whyte
Originally published in The Bay State Banner

Thanks to the instant, worldwide connections made possible by the new frontier of online social networking, more musicians than ever are finding audiences in far-flung places.

Case in point: the Zimbabwean quartet Bongo Love, who are now traveling the U.S. on a tour that has featured a number of Boston-area stops, including a date this coming Tuesday at the South End nightspot 28 Degrees. The tour is the result in part of a growing fanbase that used a combination of new technology and old-fashioned word of mouth to get them here.

After finishing high school in 2001, group members John Mambira, Themba Mawoko, Trymore Jombo and Mpho Mambira moved from the small Zimbabwean town of Bulawayo to capital city Harare. There, they began to perfect their style, a mix of African folk music and American R&B beats played on traditional African instruments that bandleader John Mambira said they taught themselves to use.

“We call our music ‘Afrocoustic,’” he told the Banner in a recent interview. “We are music-influenced. We based our music on listening to Africans like Salif Keita, Baaba Maal and Angélique Kidjo, but we also like Tracy Chapman, Bob Marley and Seal. Paul Simon, especially, has a African feel to his music.”

In 2005, the band entered and won a contest that allowed them to travel to Mozambique, Sweden and the Dominican Republic to perform and teach their music. The overseas audiences really took to Bongo Love’s sound and began heading online to tell their friends in America about it.

The electronic promotion opened the door for the band to launch its first U.S. tour last year, a trip that saw them not only play shows, but also offer private lessons to aspiring young musicians.

Needham resident Bette Hoffman first learned about Bongo Love when they were invited to teach at Plugged In, a nonprofit youth-oriented music program that her son, Aaron, participates in after school. After seeing them perform, Hoffman wrote a post about the band on her blog to promote their music to her friends.

“I just got hooked on their music immediately,” she said. “I think they are wonderful, and I want to help them be even more successful.”

Hoffman invited Bongo Love back a few months later to surprise Aaron at his bar mitzvah. As luck would have it, on the day that they performed at Aaron’s party, the band was invited to perform at another concert in Acton a couple of weeks later.

Chad Urmston, formerly of the popular folk act Dispatch, who disbanded in 2002, also performed at the Acton show. A social activist committed to improving the quality of life in Zimbabwe, Urmston was entranced by Bongo Love’s sound, and invited them to perform with his band’s reunion concert — at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Originally slated to be a one-night-only reunion to raise funds for charities benefitting Zimbabweans worldwide, an additional two nights were added after the “Dispatch: Zimbabwe” concert sold out during the first half-hour of an exclusive presale available only to fans on the band’s MySpace page.

Two extra nights meant thousands more listeners exposed to Bongo Love’s music, and the exposure has translated into a swell of fan support. Viewer reception to Bongo Love’s Madison Square Garden performances and their live videos available on YouTube helped increase the demand that led to their current return engagement in the States.

“People really get into our music,” said Mpho Mambira. “People are amazed because they have never heard African music like ours before. Everyone has a good time when we perform.”

Bette Hoffman knows Boston public relations specialist Colette Philips through a mutual friend, who introduced Philips to Bongo Love. Also entranced by the band’s sound, Philips invited them to perform at the next “Get Konnected” networking cocktail reception she is hosting for Boston’s professionals of color.

“They represent … bringing multicultural people together,” said Philips.

As their American fanbase expands and their profile continues to rise, the band’s members said they are enjoying the ride.

“Our American fans have been really good to us,” said Jombo. “I get to perform, and so I am happy.”

Bongo Love will perform at the Get Konnected reception on June 24 at 28 Degrees, 1 Appleton Street, Boston. The band is scheduled to play at at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.bongolovemusic.com, www.myspace.com/bongolovemusic, or www.28degrees-boston.com.

Zim activists take on run-off elections

Description: In March Zimbabweans went to the polls and, for the first time in their country's post-independence history, Robert Mugabe lost the presidency while his party, ZANU-PF, lost most seats in parliament. The results, however, are being contested, and a run-off election will be held on June 27. Violence has ensued since the March elections, claiming the lives of over 50 people and forcing nearly 30,000 others to flee their homes. On the Internet activists are organizing to make sure Mugabe will not return to office.

Tools Being Used: E-cards

What Are They Doing:Anti-Mugabe activist outfit Sokwanele has launched an e-card campaign to get Zimbabweans out to vote next month. Supporters around the world can go to its website, and simply send an e-card of their choice to a potential voter to remind them that democracy and change is a real thing - even in Zimbabwe.

From Sokwanele's website: "These ecards are designed to help keep the spirit of hope alive in Zimbabwe as we head towards the run-off election. Please use them to send positive message to Zimbabweans and to reassure them everyday that we stand in this together, and people around the world are watching over them. We are not alone."

African bloggers speak out on Zim xenophobia in SA

Life in Jo'burg has been chaotic in recent days because of a sudden outbreak of xenophobic violence against Zimbabwean refugees.

From the Associated Press:

Angry residents accused foreigners — many of them Zimbabweans who had fled their own country's economic collapse — of taking scarce jobs and housing.

President Thabo Mbeki said Sunday that he would set up a panel of experts to investigate. African National Congress President Jacob Zuma, who is likely to succeed Mbeki next year, condemned the attacks.

The African blogosphere has been buzzing about the riots and the plight of Zim refugees. Many compare the riots to the recent election violence in Kenya, as one Kenyan blogger does.

...It is therefore with much shock and disbelief that I watched unfolding events on the news last night about the recent wave of xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and neighbouring towns within the province of Gauteng. The hate crimes, similar to what we experienced in Kenya not long ago is reportedly spreading like bushfire and as at the moment, slightly less than 100 foreigners have been killed, hundreds more injured in the fracas and many more displaced. What triggered the attacks is alleged wealth and business success of foreign nationals, which is all a product of hard work and determination by the way...

Then there are others who worry about how it will affect the 2010 World Cup.

...I wonder how many foreigners around the world, looking at this display of violence, are looking forward to travelling to South Africa to watch world cup football there?

Text-messaging from Zimbabwe

Two of my journalist friends from Zimbabwe, "John" and "Beatrice" (real names witheld for security) were arrested two weeks ago by Mugabe's thugs for no other reason than for being outspoken reporters. Violence in Zim has heightened even more with news of a planned assasination of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and new elections set for June 27.

They both sent me text messages from their cell phones before I believe the phones were taken away by the authorities. I have not heard from them since.

From John:
"going to jail, i am outside of hararre, peace and blessings from the creator."

From Beatrice:
"Zanu men are beating and raping women here. I do not know where they have taken us."

Now A Run-off Election in Zim

From CNN:

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said today that President Robert Mugabe's opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, led in the March 29 election with 47.9 percent of the vote. Mugabe received 43.2 percent. Since neither man received 50 percent plus one vote, a runoff election is required by law.

More to follow

HIV/AIDS Update: Jamaica and Zimbabwe

I present to you two recent examples of progress – or lack thereof – in the fight against HIV/AIDS around the world that we should take note of.

Jamaica

2,731,832: population of Jamaica
25,000: Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS
1.5%:Estimated percentage of adults (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS
28%: Estimated percentage of HIV cases that occured among women (ages 15-49)
Less than 500: Estimated number of children (ages 0-15) living with HIV/AIDS
1,300: Estimated number of deaths due to AIDS

(Source: UNAIDS)

From The Jamaica Gleaner

In empowering women to have more control over protecting themselves, the FC2 will be unveiled by the National Family Planning Board in the next few weeks.

It the second generation of the female condom, some changes have been made to the original to be both pleasurable while being highly protective against HIV/AIDS, other STIs and unwanted pregnancy. The FC2 is made from polyurethane and the FC2 is made from nitrile polymer, which is thin, odourless and stronger than latex from which male condoms are made.

In the coming month, the National Family Planning Board will be conducting a workshop on the new cost-effective female condom. It is intended for both genders to get involved in the use of the female condom to help rid the product of some of the negative stigma which became attached to the female condom in its inception years, for example, its association with prostitution and a 'bad girl' image.

It is hoped that with the coming on of the second generation of the female condom FC2, this newer product will help to demystify these myths and promote widespread use.

Also, unlike the male condom, the female condom helps in the protection against human papilloma virus (HPV) because it provides a barrier between the penis and vagina, cervix and external genitalia.

Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the female condom has provided another avenue of protection and prevention of unwanted pregnancy.

Benefits of FC2

Is stronger than latex from which male condoms are manufactured.
In studies so far conducted, it is reported that the FC2 is less noisy.
Is hypoallergenic so there is no risk of allergic reaction.
Unlike latex condom the FC2 can be used with oil and water based lubricants.
Can be inserted for up to eight hours before sexual intercourse.
Is not tight or constricting.
Does not deteriorate in high temperatures or humidity, so it does not require special storage conditions.
Has a shelf life of up to five years.

Zimbabwe

12,236,805: population
1,700,000: Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS
20.1%:Estimated percentage of adults (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS
59%: Estimated percentage of HIV cases that occured among women (ages 15-49)
160,000: Estimated number of children (ages 0-15) living with HIV/AIDS
180,000: Estimated number of deaths due to AIDS
1,100,000: Estimated number of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS and who were alive and under the age of 17

(Source: Global Health Reporting)

From The Herald (Harare)

The Zimbabwe HIV and Aids Activists' Union has urged organisations in the fight against the pandemic to desist from testing people when they cannot offer post-testing services.

Speaking at the launch of the Treatment Campaign Programme in Bulawayo last week, ZHAAU president Mr Bernard Nyathi said organisations like the New Start Centre should desist from testing people when they cannot provide adequate services like CD-4 count tests.

"When a person tests positive, the next thing needed is treatment, so testing organisations should see to it that the people they have tested receive enough treatment.

"Testing without treatment is a death sentence," he said.

Many people in Bulawayo expressed concern over lack of treatment services.
All the CD-4 count machines in Bulawayo's Government hospitals are currently down yet many people are getting tested everyday, and need to undergo these tests.

Mr Nyathi said that these organisations should not expose the people when they cannot offer treatment to them because they will burden the Government since many people will have to depend upon Government hospitals as private hospitals are expensive.

They should introduce CD-4 count machines at their organisations so that they test and treat people.

Chinese Attempts to Smuggle Swag into Zimbabwe, Angola

In case you needed another reason to despise the Chinese government and its cronies in ZANU-PF...

From BBC News:

China may recall Zimbabwe weapons

The ship carrying weapons to Zimbabwe may return to China after being prevented from unloading in South Africa, a Chinese official has said.

Zambia's president has called on other African countries not to let the ship enter their waters, in case the arms escalate post-election tensions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the weapons were ordered last year and were "perfectly normal".

But she said the ship's owners were considering bringing the ship back.

Ms Jiang said this was because it was proving impossible for Zimbabwe to receive the arms but this has not been confirmed by the Chinese shipping company.

The Chinese vessel was said to be bound for Angola but the US is reported to be pressuring port authorities there and in Namibia not to allow them to dock.

Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa said: "I hope this will be the case with all the countries because we don't want a situation which will escalate the [tension] in Zimbabwe more than what it is."

The International Transport Workers Federation says it has asked its members across Africa not to help unload the An Yue Jiang, which is reportedly carrying three million rounds of ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and 2,500 mortar rounds.

The opposition says the weapons could be used to "wage war" on its supporters ahead of a possible run-off in the presidential vote.

This is strongly denied by the government, which has accused the opposition of exaggerating claims of recent political violence.

'Not authorised'

The ship, which had been anchored off the port of Durban for four days, was forced to move on Friday after a South African court refused to allow the weapons on board to be transported across the country to landlocked Zimbabwe.


Despite reports the ship was heading for Angola, an ally of Zimbabwe's government, the director of the Institute of Angolan Ports said the vessel had not asked for permission to dock in Angola.

"This ship has not sought request to enter Angolan territorial waters and it's not authorised to enter Angolan ports," Filomeno Mendonca told local radio.

But the agent handling the ship said its next port of call would be the Angolan capital, Luanda, AFP news agency reports.

A South African military spokesman said the ship was no longer in South African waters.

Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said it was their right to defend themselves and buy weapons from any legitimate source.

"I don't understand all this hullabaloo about a lone ship," he told reporters.

The country has yet to publish the results of its 29 March presidential election, which the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says was won outright by its candidate Morgan Tsvangirai.

'Torture camps'

Meanwhile, the southern African regional body, SADC, rejected Mr Tsvangirai's calls for South Africa's Thabo Mbeki to be replaced as the chief mediator for Zimbabwe.

"We have complete faith in President [Thabo] Mbeki," AFP quoted Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam as saying.

Mr Tsvangirai wants President Mwanawasa to take over, with some opposition supporters saying Mr Mbeki was close to Mr Mugabe.


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A Chinese arms ship heads for the African coast on its mission to deliver weapons to Zimbabwe

A recount in 23 out of 210 parliamentary seats, which had been due to end on Monday, has been delayed for an unknown period.

The MDC rejected the recount as illegal and insisted it beat President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party outright in presidential and parliamentary polls.

The leader of the governing African National Congress in South Africa - Jacob Zuma - has again criticised the delays in publishing the election results - further distancing himself from Mr Mbeki.

"It's not acceptable. It's not helping the Zimbabwean people who have gone out to ... elect the kind of party and presidential candidate they want, exercising their constitutional right," he told Reuters news agency.

He called on African leaders to take action to solve the political deadlock that has set in since last month's disputed election.

Violence

Post-election violence has displaced 3,000 people, injured 500 and left 10 dead, according to MDC secretary general Tendai Biti.

Human rights groups say they have found camps where people are being tortured for having voted "the wrong way".

But Mr Chinamasa denied that anyone had died in political violence.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said that of the 10 people reported dead, only four names had been supplied and "of these three no basis whatsoever while the fourth is still under investigation and will be concluded soon", he was reported as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.

Zimbabwe's church leaders are also calling for intervention to prevent the violence reaching genocidal proportions.

"If nothing is done to help the people of Zimbabwe from their predicament, we shall soon be witnessing genocide similar to that experienced in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and other hot spots in Africa and elsewhere," leaders of the main denominations said in a joint statement.

"We appeal to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union and the United Nations to work towards arresting the deteriorating political and security situation in Zimbabwe," a statement said.

BTW, lets not forget that the US government used to provide weapons and "freedom fighters" (CIA) to help out Cold War "friends" on the continent back in the day.

This only begs the question: Is America jealous that China is becoming the new imperialist pimps in the world?

A Lesson in Democracy and Leadership

Be nice to America…
Or we will have to bring democracy to your country!

-on a bumper sticker I saw the other day

As the election wrangling continues in Zimbabwe, many are thinking out loud about what Robert Mugabe will do when (and if) he finally steps down from the presidency.

The folks at Foreign Policy in Focus have already thought about the road most journeyed by most former African dictators:

In 2002, Boston University established the lyrical-sounding Presidents in Residence program for former African leaders. The idea was to lure the dictatorially inclined away from their countries so that a new generation of democratic leaders could take their place. As a spokesperson for the program put it more tactfully, "The vision is that having a very respectable position, which honors the individual and his achievements, will be seen as an enticement to those in power, or perhaps newly out of power but contemplating a return, that there is an appropriate civil course for them to pursue." Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia was the first recipient of the fellowship.

What better way out of the current fracas in Zimbabwe than to bring Robert Mugabe to Boston for a little academic R and R. Mugabe was part of the great generation of African leaders who guided their countries to independence. But now he has become an obstacle. At 84, he presides over a country that has fallen into economic ruin. As the world awaits the outcome of the recent elections - the opposition claims to have won a parliamentary majority while the ruling party demands a recount and a presidential runoff - it would be the perfect time for the West to reach out to Mugabe. After all, as Heidi Holland has argued in The New York Times, isolation has certainly not worked.

But, I also loved their suggestion that this so-called “academic R & R” shouldn’t just be for African leaders. There should also be a reverse invitation for “Northern politicians of dubious democratic credentials for a year of exposure to what colonialism and neo-liberalism have wrought.”

And George W. Bush should be on the top of the list.

As Patrick Quirk points out in a recent article, 'Bush and the United States need some serious brushing up on the democracy front. For all its talk of promoting democracy abroad, and particularly in Zimbabwe, the Bush administration has done a poor job of it at home: permitting only selective access to outside election observers, cutting funds for civic education, and keeping the United States at the bottom of the list of democracies in terms of voter turnout. "U.S. citizens deserve the same attention to democratic process as the U.S. government claims to offer the world's dispossessed," Quirk concludes.'

New York Times columnist Nick Kristoff said today in his article that he should use the occasion of this week being the 14th anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide to take a stand on the Darfur question as a way to save his legacy. While Kristoff made really good suggestion, his third point was the most feasible:

3. Right before or after this summer’s G-8 summit, President Bush should convene an international conference on Sudan, inviting among others Mr. Sarkozy, Gordon Brown of Britain, Hu Jintao of China, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese leaders themselves. The conference should be convened in Kigali, Rwanda, so that participants can reflect on the historical resonance of genocide.

One aim would be to pressure China to suspend arms transfers to Sudan until it seriously pursues peace in Darfur (we’ll get further by treating China as important rather than as evil). Such an arms suspension would be the single best way to induce Sudan to make concessions needed to achieve peace. The conference would also focus on supporting the U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur with helicopters, training and equipment.

I suggest the President go even further than this, but taking a real stand on the Beijing Olympics. And, no, I don't mean being a no-show at the opening ceremonies, even though it wouldn't be the worst idea. What President Bush should really do is put pressure on business that are sponsoring this year's Olympics.

Hurt China where she will really feel it, and shame big business for supporting a regime that is financing human rights abuses in Tibet, Burma and Sudan.

In today's LA Times, there is a report that Olympic sponsors are starting to feel the heat from the recent pro-Tibet protests in San Francisco, London and Paris.

Mr Bush, if you want to have a better legacy and not end up like Mugabe, maybe this is the footprint you need to leave behind.

Eyes on Zimbabwe

While the wrangling between Zanu-PF and the opposition groups continues over who won the elections in Zimbabwe last weekend, some enterprising folks over at the anti-Mugabe website, Sokwanele, take the elections to a whole new level.

The above map charts how free and fair the election really was, mapping problems that may have had an effect on how much democracy there really is in the country. Some of the problems mapped include state propaganda, homicides, gerrymandering, vote buying and looting. The map also shows how articles listed in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections have been breached by the Zimbabwean government.

To better understand what is being breached and how to read it, click on the above map.