africaworld newspaper 16 - 31 december 2013 (christmas edition)

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DEC 16 - 31 2013 VOL 001 Nº48 FREE

UHURU KENYATTAI S O U R MANOF THE YEAR

PRIDE OF AFRICA

EXPLOSION IN NAIROBI

A powerful explosion tore through Nairobi late on Satur-day night killing at least four people and hospitalising 25. The bomb Exploded inside a mini-bus travelling on the Juja Road, towards the city centre...

MANDELA DISAPPOINTED NIGERIANS

I grew up as a child praying for the release of late Nelson Mandela. As a Nigerian and like most Nigerian kids of my time, we prayed for, loved and even fought for Mandela.Funny enough, whom we were fighting, we never saw nor know. But as we entered into primary schools, the word apartheid became clearer to me. Then I knew why we were asked to pray and fight for Mandela and even love him...

“The chamber joins the people of South Africa in their grief at the passing away of one of the most iconic figures in world history, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.”

Read on Page 7Read on Page 8

Read X-Ray on Page 2Read on 8

Read on Page 6

I have settled down to read and to reflect on the multiplicity of eulogies, sermons and encomiums that have been pouring out in honour of the greatest African or if I may say, world hero of our time, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Madiba Dalib-hunga Mandela since the announcement of his death by Presi-dent Jacob Zuma of South Africa on Thursday, December 5.

Uhurua Kenyatta is the son of Kenya’s first post-independence leader Jomo Kenyatta (1964-78). His father remains a national hero and did much to validate self-rule following independence from Britain. Jomo’s fight for an independent, self-governing Kenya gained attention worldwide and saw him mix with contemporaries such as Mahatma Gandhi during his lifetime. He is held in positive esteem and ranked alongside Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah as one of the continent’s great leaders. Uhuru became the fourth President of Kenya in April 2013. It was his second attempt after being defeated by Mwai Kibaki in 2002.

Read more on Page 4.

By Nigel Ryan

AFRICAWORLD2 DEC 16 - 31 2013

www.africaworldnewspaper.com

NEWS

EDITORIAL

AFRICAWORLD & MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The Editorial team at AfricaWorld would like to point out that it is aware of the Millennium Development Goals and seeks to

synergise its work in accordance with those aims wherever possible. Those goals are to improve issues of Education,

Health, HIV/AIDS, Gender Equal ity, Environmental Sustainability and Global Partnerships.

EditorUkachukwu Okorie

Deputy EditorMartin Ekeocha

Chief ReporterPaul Kelly

Graphic DesignMirco MascarinLeandro Tonetto OliveiraJana Veverkova PhotographyAlex Cavalcante da Silva

Published by Uyokanjo Media Services Ltd.46 Parnel Square West 3rd Floor +353 87 637 3210Dublin 1, Dublin City +353 1 873 0123 Republic of Ireland E-mail: [email protected]


SEASON’S GREETINGS

THE MANDELA SPIRIT AND CHALLENGES OF FAMILYHOOD IN AFRICA

By Fr. Vincent Arisukwu

I have settled down to read and to reflect on the multiplicity of eulogies, sermons and encomiums that have been pouring out in honour of the greatest African or if I may say, world hero of our time, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Madiba Dalibhunga Mandela since the announcement of his death by President Jacob Zuma of South Africa on Thursday, December 5. There is nothing else that could be said of a legend that has not been said or written about Mandela. And like Funke Egbemode wrote in her column of Sunday Sun, titled, “Madiba’s living lessons”, “I have … seen the death of world leaders reported but none like this”.

Nelson Mandela actually wrote his name on the granite of history not only as South African leader, not only as African leader but as first class world leader. Come to think of it; between 1952 when Mandela led the ANC to launch her non violent Campaign for the defiance of Unjust Laws and 1994 when he was inaugurated as the first post apartheid president of South Africa, he virtually affected posi-tively all human life in South Africa.

Mandela really did his duty for his country and his people. He played his card well and will never be for-gotten by posterity. So it is no longer about Nelson Mandela as every other thing about him belongs to the realm of history and “ism”. He will surely be read on the pages of books and newspapers. He will be studied in African anthropology, African philosophy and Afri-can theology. He will be seen as a quintessence of Af-rican humanism. Everything about him will now enter the realm of “MANDELAISM”. It is no longer “him”. It is now “us”. So what is important now is not neces-sarily to continue to sing the Mandela song but to nu-ance into the pedagogies of his life and like the biblical Elisha, say, “Give Africa someone with a double share of the spirit of Mandela”.

What actually gave Mandela promi-nence is not his financial or material wealth. What gave him global recognition is not his political ingenuity or administrative ssagacity. It was not his smartness. Rather it was his struggle for the defence of human dignity, his appreciation and pursuit of justice, development and peace which are the fundamental human rights for all irrespective of colour, race and gender.

Mandela marched his words with his actions. Hear what he said at the 90th Walter Sisulu on May 18, 2002, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that determines the significance of the life we lead”. And tracing his history in the South African struggle until his passing on now, we notice a strong testimony of his statement in 1999 when he echoed, “On my last day I want to know that those who remain behind will say: ‘The man who lies here has done his duty for his country and his people”. birthday of one of his fellow activists,

Having also looked at Mandela’s struggle, taking cognizance of the entire gamut of the road that culminated in his victory, I decided not to talk about living African leaders and politicians as much has been said of them. I hesitate to discuss politi-cians also since it will be an insult to the spirit of Mandela to associate him with our modern day politics. I rather feel the need to draw the attention of couples and leaders in the various homes to the spirit of Mandela that eventually made him today’s celebrated hero, a victor despite all socio-political and economic pressures. Given the contemporary chal-lenges which marriages face in our time, it is pertinent for couples to take a clue from the different components of Madiba’s spirit. These can be a tonic towards conquering the challenges of modern day marriages. Hence we look at:

Mandela’s commitment to the course of liberating the black race in South Af-rica was unequalled. He had to go through crucibles to actualize his noble inten-tions but remained undaunted. When the Mandela led ANC was outlawed in 1960 following the Sharpeville massacre, he went underground to form a new military wing of the organization. On his return from his European and African tour what awaited him was imprisonment. Mandela was initially charged with illegal exit from the country and incitement to strike and sentenced to five years imprison-ment. Two years later he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life impris-onment. All these tortures never deterred the Madiba spirit in him. Mandela was committed to the challenges of his anti apartheid struggle. His is a lesson for couples regarding the various challenges that confront family life. Madiba’s spirit of commitment tells married couples that the road to greatness is never an easy one. When hardships, failures, setbacks, etc, try to imprison the marital bliss, Madiba’s spirit says, carry on and be committed to the course of fidelity and love. Commitment pays off a great deal with a long term marital profit.

Mandela’s commitment:

To gain freedom for South African people Mandela had to sacrifice his own freedom. Not only that, Mandela had to sacrifice his love for his family. While in prison between 1968 – 1969 Mandela lost his mother and his first son. He was not allowed to attend any of the funerals of these two persons most dear in his life. Yet he didn’t give up. Mandela was like the proverbial grain of wheat that died in order to bear the fruit of justice and freedom for South Africans. He was resilient in his course. Many couples in the modern society today are afraid to make sacrifices for their families. Some men are afraid to take risks for their wives and children, yet want to be worshipped in the home. Mandela loved South Africa and took great risks for her. That is the challenge of leadership. When the times are rough, when training of children become cum-bersome, when sickness challenges family members, the leader must step out to make sacrifice. Mandela was poor at some point for his course. Family heads must also deny themselves of pleasure in order to liberate their families. Continue on Page 3.

Mandela’s sacrifice:

I wish you the best this Christmas season. As this yuletide bring forth the joy and merriment therein, we wish you well from our humble place.

So far, we have been flowing with the progress of the Irish economic tide. We have been busy mobilizing and publicizing our community as well as serving as a corridor to the global news.Our dream is unquenchable. We hope to expand our online network structures for effective service. The Africaworld TV is now online to run your errands. There is variety for our online community, from cartoon, folk tale and others.

However 2013 may have fared, it brought one man out as a distin-guished international leader. Presi-dent Uhuru Kenyatta of the Re-public of Kenya is the leader and AFRICAWORLD MAN OF THE YEAR. See article and reviews in Africaworld TV and other online networks.

Mandela was buried yesterday in Qunu, South Africa. We will miss him but we must be inspired by his achievements. ‘‘Mandela who was once a terrorist, died a saint”, the irony of life.

As you celebrate, give us a call if you are in Ireland, and we will run your media errands in coverage and photos. We wish you merry christ-mas and a prosperous new year.

Come inside.

Uka

3 DEC 16 - 31 2013 AFRICAWORLD


NEWSBy Martin Ekeocha

Between 1962 and 1990 Mandela revolved between Prison on Robben Island and Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison. Undoubtedly he would have had of-fers and attractions from those he opposed to drop his revolution and be settled. He would have been lured in many ways since he had become a threat to the apartheid practice. Who knows what would have happened if Nelson Mandela had dropped his ambition. Who knows what South Africa would have become today. Who knows what Mandela’s funeral would have been like. This helps to educate families on the virtue of faithfulness. Faithfulness to a chosen career begins with faithfulness to oneself. Faithfulness to one’s partner derives from faithfulness to one’s chosen course. It begins with refusal to succumb to material and economic allurements. That is what leadership means. Heads of families have to learn from Mandela and avoid selling themselves cheap for the sake of material demands and acquisition. Many have betrayed their families with lame excuses of seeking ways and means that are completely unacceptable and incompatible with marital vows.

Mandela’s fidelity:

One quality that carried Nelson Mandela through his struggle was his optimism. He always looked to the future with hope. He never despaired in his struggle. The challenges, failures and even incarcerations never gave him reasons to give up. Even when his marriage to Winnie became a sour point in his life, Madiba kept up the struggle. He was always hopeful. He believed that liberation was an end point of the battle to freedom. Mandela never believed in failure. He trusted in himself and also trusted in God. We were told that of the twenty seven years he spent in prison, Nelson Mandela only missed going to church once.

This challenges families on the need to be optimistic about life. Life does not end when things become rough. It is not always rosy in family. The cross must have its place in the homes. Though heavy, the optimist looks up while carrying his cross. Like Madiba, men and women should always see the half cup of water as half full and not half empty. They should always look unto God while marching on in their marriage struggle.

Mandela’s optimism:

It takes a humble man like Mandela to relinquish power after having secured it in the hardest way ever conceived. It takes a humble man like Mandela not to go the African way of holding tenaciously to power. It takes a Mandela to calmly surrender power and not to fall out with his successor Thabo Mbeki with the bid to take over. It takes a Mandela to realize that presidency is service. It takes a Mandela step aside only after a four year term after spending twenty seven years for the people in prison. It takes a Mandela to actually say no to pressures from political supporters and sycophants who would surely sing his praises and goad him back to power for their selfish interests. Mandela defied all these to teach men and women in the homes the value of hu-mility. He was not only a politician but a good sportsman. He exhibited true spirit of sportsmanship that is lacking in today’s society. If husbands become humble, if wives learn humility, there would be reduced tension and cases of broken homes in contemporary society.


Mandela could not have been a saint while he lived. He must have had his flaws as a human being. In fact, Mandela had to confess openly to Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he finally married Graca Machel officially as his wife, “Now you won’t shout at me and say I am setting a bad example”. Madiba real-ized what it meant not to set a bad example. He was a man of integrity. He was a man of justice, sincerity, transparency and firmness. He avoided scandal. He avoided inflicting harm on others.

That was why when the US President Barack Obama, among other world leaders was paying his tribute to the late African legend said, “He (Mandela) makes me want to be a better man”.

Men and women should learn to be men of integrity. They should set good examples for their children. They should leave legacies of truth, equity and jus-tice for posterity to judge them. They should aim to be emulated after their exit.


Mandela could be described as one of the most patient men that lived in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. He was a sober and contemplative persona-lity. Mandela was patient in his political struggle, patient in his marriage, patient as a leader and waited for the will of God to be done. To spend twenty seven years in prison and come out to continue the course of his life ambition- the liberation of his people- speaks volume of his patience. He had his disappointments and perhaps his regrets. But these did not overwhelm him.This is a serious lesson for African families. Most problems that arise in familiesnowadays can be attributed to lack of patience. The men and women of this era must imbibe the virtue of patience and learn to ponder over events to allow fruit-ful results come after. Joy, the scripture says, always comes in the morning.

Mandela’s patience:

The great Madiba towered over his mates because of his spirit of forgiveness. A rare quality for someone to suffer in the hands of his executioners, lose mother and son in the process, then regain opportunity for revenge and not use it adequately. Mandela replicated the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his ac-tions he echoed the words of Christ, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.

He forgave all and accepted all. Mandela brought in both black and white. He restored human dignity battered in South Africa by ra-cial discrimination and power. From Madiba, married couples must learn to forgive each other the wrongs they have com-mitted.

Mandela’s forgiveness:

Nelson Mandela actually traveled a long journey to herald his victory. His vic-tory however, did not consist in his becoming the president of South Africa but in the total emancipation of the South African people, the restoration of the fundamental dignity due to man. And you know what, that victory came in 2009 when the United Nations declared July 18 (Man-dela’s birthday), to be Nelson Mandela Inter-national Day. The purpose of the day was to bring awareness to community service. Mandela humbled himself but the people’s liberation exalted him. He became victorious in justice and equity.

These are strong pedagogies to be drawn by African families from the great Madiba. The victory of selflessness is a collective victory. When couples become selfish they enjoy short term and momentary glory. Nelson Mandela was victorious because he exhibited the vir-tues that promote love and peace. He is cel-ebrated because of his commitment to the rights and dignity of others. African families should emulate his heroism. Leadership does not only consist in holding political offices and positions, it begins from the home. Parents are the real leaders of the society since they set the example for others to follow.

Mandela’s victory:

Long live Madiba! Long live Africa!

The victory of the family is the victory of the society. Long live Madiba! Long live Africa!

Chaos in Libya has prompted Algerian authorities to step up

ALGERIA

security presence along the border between the two countries and strive for better co-operation against terrorist threats. A high-ranking official of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is the latest terrorist to be taken out by Algerian troops. Khalil Ould Addah (aka Abou Bassen) was the 39-year-old leader of the Ennour brigade.

The national senior males team of football in crutches qualified, for the

ANGOLA

second time, for the world cup of this category, after ending on Wednesday in the second position of the African championship, which took place in Kenya. In the final Angola lost to Liberia by 1-2, but secured the presence in the 2014 world cup, to happen in Mexico.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Abu-Bakr Al-Siddiq, has

BURKINA FASO

described opening a Sudanese Embassy in Burkina Faso as step complying with the policy of openness to the African states.

A French appeal court has ruled against the extradition of Beninese businessman

BENIN

Patrice Talon, who is accused of plottting to kill President Thomas Boni Yaya.

Life expectancy at birth has increased from 56 to 68 years between 2001

BOTSWANA

and 2011, says the Secretary for Economic and Financial policy, Dr Taufila Nyamadzabo, who was speaking at the 2011 Population and housing census dissemination conference.

Afro-jazz giant Manu Dibango celebrated his 80th birthday with RFI on Thursday, appearing

CAMEROON

throughout the day on our French-language broadcasts. The French-based Cameroon-born musician, whose Soul Makossa was a global hit in the 1970s, has recorded a new album, Manu Dibango: balade en saxo.

The situation in Bossangoa is tense as reports of heavy fighting continues in the capital, Bangui, between the mostly Muslim ex-

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Seleka forces that now rule the country, and the Christian anti-balaka militias backed by defecting soldiers still loyal to the president ousted in March, Francois Bozizé.

East Africans voted Burundi’s Hope Irakoze as the next best talent on the scene. He reached

BURUNDI

the finals with Uganda’s Daisy Ejang, Tanzania’s Hisia and the Kenyan duo, Amos and Josh. After Hisia was announced fourth, tension was high among guests who had turned up to watch the show live in the Tusker Project Fame dome.

The presidents of Cabo Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, and of Niger,

CAPE VERDE

Issifou Mahamadou, stopped over in Luanda this Monday, en route to South Africa




By Nigel Ryan

Uhurua Kenyatta is the son of Kenya’s first post-independence leader Jomo Kenyatta (1964-78). His father remains a national hero and did much to validate self-rule following independence from Britain. Jomo’s fight for an independent, self-governing Kenya gained attention worldwide and saw him mix with contemporaries such as Mahatma Gandhi during his lifetime. He is held in positive esteem and ranked alongside Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah as one of the continent’s great leaders. Uhuru became the fourth President of Kenya in April 2013. It was his second attempt after being defeated by Mwai Kibaki in 2002.

His heritage as the son of the ‘founding father’ and allegiance to the majority Kikuyu appears to have fast tracked his rise to power. However, prior to his Presidency, Uhuru had a relatively impressive senior experience having held public positions of Minister of Local Government and Finance Minister in the past. Indeed Uhuru was said to only consider returning to politics after former President and previous KANU (Kenyan African National Union) party leader Daniel arap Moi convinced him that early set backs were only temporary obstacles and a great career beckoned.

February 2014’s International Crimi-nal Court (ICC) trial of Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta will be one of the big-gest news stories of the coming year for Africans and the wider world. One of the mostreforming and progressive leaders, in the past often praised at home and by the West, faces the toughest chal-lenge of a relatively short but drama filled political life in the legal surroundings of a court room in The Hague. Whatever the outcome, an East African region facing the threat of Islamist extremism recently high-lighted in the Westgate shopping centre at-tack, will feel the consequences while the wider implications may also impact on the rest of the world.

The main ICC charges involve allega-tions of vote rigging and more seriously the related instigation of politically in-spired ethnic violence resulting in thou-sands of deaths, rapes and displacements. The Kenyan political elite will allege rac-ism is a crucial factor in the singling out of their leader while pointing to double stan-dards that have seen Western leaders es-cape trials over war atrocities,manipulation of voting outcomes and special exemption deals for favoured leaders and nations with more influence over the ICC than poorer black African nations like Kenya.

Aims and achievements in officeIt was in his role as Finance Minister that Kenyatta perhaps showed his most consid-erable reformingzeal. By bringing forward new laws of significance he won praise domestically and caught the attention of the wider African and international media attention.Here was an African politician of talent with a commitment to breakthroughs that would open up the Kenyan economy to international investors and safeguard the resulting gains from corruption through the main objectives of transparency and fairness. An investor protection fund was established for this purpose and the Inte-grated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) was set up to ensure do-mestic Government spending was subject to rigorous monitoring and economising.

Kenya would benefit and the country’s problems with poverty would be overcome through better education and healthcare spending and a surge in employment op-portunities. Corruption and graft were to be challenged and indigenous business plans promoted through easier access to finance for start-up firms. Meanwhile, an Economic Stimulus Pro-gram would see regional development initiatives, environmental protection and investment in communications and digital infrastructure programs as priorities.A further notable aim was to maximize the usage of social media and encourage other cabinet colleagues and the wider political sector to enhance the ability of citizens to interact with their elected representatives through emails, Twitter and Facebook.

Why is he on trial?The aftermath of the 2007 National elec-tions saw widespread violence and the deaths of an estimated 1,200 people. In April 2011 Kenyatta, then Deputy Prime Minister, was charged with orchestrat-ing ethnically based pogroms that saw crimes against humanity committed. The International Criminal Court acted as it believed too little had been done in Ke-nya to investigate the atrocities or to hold anyone to account.

President Kenyatta, William Ruto (Unit-ed Republican Party) and the other ac-cused persons strenuously deny the charg-es and have consistently challenged the ICC over the allegations. However, attempts to have the case dis-continued have so far failed with Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji dismissing Kenyatta’s team claims that too little evidence to pro-ceed exists. Chief Prosecutor Louis More-no Ocampo is also determined to see the case through and believes Kenyatta, Ruto and others conspired with Radio presenter Joshua Sang to instigate violence against supporters of rival political groups un-happy with the 2007 election result which was won by Mwai Kibaki. Uhuru Kenyat-ta had withdrawn from the election race but was subsequently appointed Minister for Local Government in the new admin-istration.

Rival party leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto launched the The National Alliance (TNA) in 2012 and went on to defeat Raila Odinga of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) in the 2013 Presidential elec-tion. Again the result was disputed, but Kenyatta was confirmed as President after a Supreme Court judgment.The two men’s success prior to the ICC trial proceeding has led to fresh at-tempts to have the charges dropped or an alteration to the rules. The President and his defence team have appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to intervene on the grounds that their Head of State position makes a special case and should lead to some leeway due to domestic and regional pressures. An international triumvirate of the heavyweights of the United States, Britain and France have opposed a suspension of the ICC trial and their political influence has been a major factor in it going ahead.

Aditionally, the Prosecution team and victims’ rights groups have told the Court of their concerns that too many delays have already taken place and that several key witnesses have disappeared or been found murdered. The ICC were so concerned as to warn President Kenyatta’s legal team not to name any more people in this regard due to concerns it could expose them to a similar fate.Furthermore, attempts by President Kenyatta to have the Court agree to him only appearing through video link have also been dismissed with the ICC demanding their appearance in The Hague with only a concession to consider a ‘case by case’ basis for allowing them to remain in Kenya to conduct Government business if it is deemed strictly necessary.

Who is President Uhuru Kenyatta?

Recent developmentsKenya has most recently made in-ternational headlines due to the West-gate shopping centre massacre carried out by Al Shaabab this September in revenge for Kenyan troop deploy-ment in the Somali conflict. President Kenyatta was personally affected by the events as his nephew Mbugua Mwangi was amongst seventy-two confirmed fatalities.Most recently and despite differences over the ICC trial, President Obama shook hands with President Kenyatta while attending the funeral of Nelson Mandela in South Africa this month.

Whether 2014 will see a repeat of this kind of gesture and more time in office for President Kenyatta remains to be seen and strongly depends on the outcome of the trial at The Hague due to occur and capture much media attention in February 2014.

Crucial Decision Looms for Ivorian Government’s

COTE D’IVOIRE

Justice Promises

Egypt’s rights record was reviewed by the UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights

EGYPT

last month, where the official delegation’s responses were characterized by the use of outdated information and statistics, and the citing of Mubarak-era policies and programs as the state’s effort to advance economic and social rights, in disregard to the millions who rose up against the Mubarak era, with its widespread impoverishment and inequality.

Veteran fighter Mihretab Tesfagiorgis, one of the founders of Dimtsi Hafash radio program during the

ERITREA

Eritrean armed struggle for independence, has passed away at the age of 71.

A Djiboutian soldier in Beletweyne has lost his life as he and his fellow soldiers carried out a

morning sweep operation to collect and disarm undetonated ammunition.

DJIBOUTI

Chad hugely counts on the support of the Economic Commission for Africa on its road to

CHAD

development. This message came straight from the country’s Minister of the Economy, planning and International Cooperation, Ms Mariam Mahamat Nour, during a discussion she had with the Director for the Sub Regional Office for Central Africa of the ECA, Mr Emile Ahohe, on the sidelines of a forum on Governance in post-conflict countries in Central Africa co-organised in N’Djamena from 9 to 10 December 2013 by the Commission and the Government of Chad.

DRC Establishing Order in Former Rebel Strongholds

CONGO-KINSHASA

Libolo Defeats Malabo At Africa Basketball League

EQUATORIAL NEW GUINEA

Attacks by Joseph Kony’s feared rebel group have dwindled significantly in

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE

the past two years as deserters tell of low morale among his fighters.

IMF Executive Board Concludes IMF Executive Board Concludes the Sixth

COMOROS

and Final Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement With the Union of the Comoros the Sixth and Final Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement With the Union of the Comoros




Hosts Gabon crushed Cameroon 3-0 in the opening match of the 2013

GABON

edition of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) Cup on Monday (December 9) in Franceville.

As Ethiopians removed from Saudi Arabia continue filing back into the country, Israel

ETHIOPIA

is also planning to deport 500 Ethiopians, possibly as early as January 2014.

The MTN Ghana Foundation has handed over a 50-seater ICT

GHANA

Centre, to the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso in the Eastern Region.

Aicha Conneh, the former wife of LURD rebel leader Sekou Damate Conneh

GUINEA

and a close aide to former Guinean President Lansana Conté, says she would never undermine the peace Liberia now enjoys or do anything sinister to recruit rebels for assault in neighboring Guinea.

Addressing the situation in Guinea-Bissau today, the Security Council strongly

GUINEA BISSAU

deplored the repeated military interferences in civilian affairs and called for respect of the constitutional order, including the electoral process.

Gambian lawmakers Wednesday ratified with unanimous vote two Conventions on Stateless

Person during the third meeting of the National Assembly in the 2013 Legislative Sessions. They are the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Person - a person who lacks any nationality - and 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

GAMBIA

The Turkish Football Federation does not sympathize with tributes to Nelson Mandela. Didier

IVORY COAST

Drogba and Emmanuel Eboué have come to notice it. Both Ivorian internationals of Galatasaray (Istanbul), are threatened with sanctions for paying tribute at the end of a match to “ Madiba “ who died on Thursday, according reports by the Turkish press on Sunday.

Dublin’s magnificent St. Patrick’s Ca-thedral was host to Memorial Service for the late Nelson Mandela on an un-seasonably mild evening of Thursday, 12 December.The event was attended by South Af-rican Ambassador His Excellency Azwindini Jeremiah Dingaan Ndou, Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Minister Joan Bruton and other distinguished guests from the fields of politics, the arts and different faith groups.Dean of St. Patrick’s, the Very Rever-end Victor Stacey, welcomed the con-gregation to the Dublin 8 location as the ceremony began at 7.30pm with an opening prayer in front of an audience of close to one thousand. Few seats remained in the nave as many from the South African Diaspora in Ireland together with a mix of Dubliners and others who travelled from around the country paid their last respects to Pres-

ident Mandela.

Lord Mayor Oisin Quinn recalled Mr. Mandela’s humour and patience dem-onstrated by his delayed visit to Dub-lin to accept the honour of Freeman of the City. The title had been awarded to him by the capital’s local author-ity while he was still incarcerated on Robben Island. The coincidence of the Irish football team’s return from the World Cup in Italy on the same day did not phase Mandela according to the Lord Mayor, who said the renowned statesman was determined to come to

Dublin in recognition of it being the first capital to award him this par-ticular award.South African Ambassador Ndou highlighted Mr. Mandela’s fight for the birth of democracy in his home-land and his fidelity to the objectives

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela

B A R E I T A L L : The new talk show onA f r i c a W o r l d T V

of equality, opportunity and freedom for all.Minister Joan Burton detailed her encounters with exiled African Na-tional Congress (ANC) members while living in Tanzania in the early to mid-1980s. Ms. Burton told the gathering she was inspired by the ANC’s total commitment to ending the apartheid regime and the efforts of Mr. Mandela and Walther Sissoulu in particular. In common with others in attendance Ms. Burton was one of the leading members of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement (IAAM) and acted as Honorary Secretary of the organisation for some years. Later in the proceedings, founding member of the IAAM Mr.

Gary Kilagallen emphasised the team effort involved in overcom-ing apartheid and was particularly praiseworthy of Kader Asmal and his wife Louise who were resident in Ireland for many years and in-strumental in bringing attention to the cruel inhumanity of the pre-Rainbow Nation era South Africa to many Irish people. Mr Kilgallen urged current world leaders and lo-

cal politicians to take up the cause of peace-making as a fitting legacy to the life of a great leader. The Memorial Service was inter-spersed with music from Christy Moore, the Dexi Gospel Choir, Acoustic Soul. Irish poets Theo Dor-gan and Dolores Walshe also read from work inspired or dedicated to Mr. Mandela.

South Africa Ambassador His Excellency Azwindini Jeremiah Dingaan Ndou

Miss Kenya Ireland, Catherine Wambui and Miss Ethnic Ireland, Mafu Phokuhle

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn



NEWS/COLUMNBy Martin Ekeocha

French troops are locked in a major offensive against Al Qaida in northern Mali, military sources have told

MALI

RFI. Nineteen jihadi fighters were killed in a clash north of Timbuktu.

MAURITANIARenowned African writers, critics and artists are taking part in Mauritania’s

3rd international “Literary Encounters”, which closes on Friday (December 13th) in Nouakchott.

Delays in finalising Malawi’s climate change policy, which has been in the making for the last

three years, are affecting millions of families living in disaster-prone areas across this southern African nation, says the country’s minister of environment and climate change management Halima Daudi.

MALAWI

Efforts to reduce violence against women in Madagascar are coming up against the economic

MADAGASCAR

realities and social norms lived by the majority of women in the country.

Boots on the ground, drones in the skies, and government surveillance of electronic

MOROCCO

communications have become standard American tools for warding off extremist violence. The Kingdom of Morocco has armed itself with a dramatically different weapon: using the soft power of religious women to quell violence before it happens. They call it “spiritual security.”

Kenyans marked half a century of independence from Britain on Thursday, celebrating progress of

KENYA

the regional economic powerhouse but also struggling to shake off a legacy of corruption, inequality and ethnic violence. They had their independence on December 12, 1963.

A two-day peace conference has ended between Bong County and the Guinean

LIBERIA

Region of Youmou. The meeting, held in the Guinean town of Larkpara, discussed the contribution of ordinary citizens to improved security on the Liberia-Guinea borders, highlighting some of the problems between Guineans Liberians with respect to security issues.

The Maghreb marked International Anti-Corruption Day on

LIBYA

Monday (December 9th) with grim news on the fight against bribery. In Libya, the situation got worse. The country was ranked as one of the most corrupt on the planet, coming in at 172 out of 177 nation-states surveyed; behind Mali, Iraq and Syria.

EXPLOSION RIPS THROUGH NAIROBI, 4 PEOPLE KILLEDA powerful explosion tore through Nairobi late on Saturday night killing at least four people andhospitalising 25. The bomb Exploded inside a ini-bus travelling on the Juja Road, towards the city centre.

The explosion also caused a six car pile-up further down the road. Witnesses report hearing a load explo-sion, followed by the sounds of metal pieces skidding across the ground: “I was passing, waiting for the traffic to clear so I can cross, then I heard a loud explosion and metals

By Paul Kelly

Nairobi head of police, Benson Kibue, has said the death toll may rise still further as hospitals fail to save those injured in the blast. At least ten are in a critical condition. The explosion occurred just outside a girls-only secondary school and it is possible that its young pupils were the target of the attack. Pangani police sta-tion was also just a few meters away. and other pieces from the vehicle

were flying all over this place, and people shouting,” one witness re-ported, according to CapitalFM.

An Al Shabaab suicide bomber is thought to be behind the atrocity, but no one has yet claimed respon-

sibility. The blast occurred in a Somali-dominated neighbour-hood in the capital’s east and is the second such attack in the last 24 hours. There are unconfirmed reports that a grenade was used.

The beautiful Ezi Emela made the whole world pay attention to her single ‘ Catch My Heart’. Her sultry voice and style of delivery has set her aside as one to watch.I had the opportunity to catch up with her for a quick one.

D. Where are you originally from?E. I was born in the United Kingdom but my parents are from Nigeria.I was raised up in Manchester and I can proudly say that I am British-Nigerian

D. As a female in the indus-try, what challenges have you faced?E. This is a very tough indus-try. Especially as a woman you go through challenges such as being seen as an object. If you are not surrounded by the right people you might give up on your dreams because there is way too much going on, es-pecially when you are looking for genuine success.D. What are you currently working on? E. We are currently working on some collaborations with some artists and also on my EP. I featured on Moelogo’s track and the viral video has been released last week.We have couple of projects lined up for 2014 but we can’t reveal them yet. Surprise Surprise :)

D. When did you start doing music?E. I started doing Music pro-fessionally one and half years ago.After which I released my single ‘Catch My Heart’

D. Who are your major influ-ences?E. Firstly, I am influenced by the Lord Almighty. Musically speaking Shaka Khan, the late Whitney Houston and Be-yonce.

Connect with Ezi Emela:@mseziemelaFacebook: Ezi Emela



COLUMN/NEWS

Chamber pays tribute to Nelson Mandela

“He will be sorely missed not only by all South Africans, but by theworld; may his soul rest in peace,”

Cameron said

The Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce on Friday described the void created by Nelson Mandela’s death as irreplaceable.

Toyin Cameron, Executive Secretary of the chamber said that Mandela’s incredible message of peace and reconciliation revitalised the “rainbow nation”. NAN reports that Mandela, the first democratically-elected President of the Republic of South Africa and an anti-apartheid icon better known for dismantling the obnox-ious policy, died on Thursday, aged 95.“The chamber joins the people of South Africa in their grief at the passing away of one of the most iconic fig-ures in world history, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.”

“Madiba, as he was fondly called, was a pivotal leader of history not just for the South Africans, but for all the down-trodden and under-privileged world-wide.

“He has shown us the path for reconciliation amongst races. At various times in history, we get a leader who not only changes the course of history, but also lays a road map for the future.” Cameron said.

She added that Mandela would be remembered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest leader devoted to the cause of freedom for all men.

We will particularly like to express our sorrow to the Mandela family and to thank them for all the sacrificesand hardships they endured in sharing Madiba with the world.

By Mordi Ifeanyi Michael

The Ministries of Energy and Power, Education, Science and Technology

SIERRA LEONE

and Mines and Mineral Resources have been cautioned by lawmakers to efficiently utilize their respective budgetary allocations as many have been profligate in spending on unsatisfactory jobs.

Armed groups have assassinated and killed two senior Rask amboni

SOMALIA

commanders in the town of Kismayo as security deteriorates following clan-based conflict. According to local sources, a close aide of Kismayo security chief and a security officer were both gunned down in the town on Tuesday night.

16 West African and international scientists called on Senegalese

SENEGAL

President Macky Sall to proactively push for better governance of fisheries in West Africa.

The Nigerian Medical Associat ion (NMA) yesterday said there is

NIGERIA

“imminent collapse of services” across the nation’s health sector due to Government’s refusal to improve the working conditions of doctors. A statement issued by the association’s president Dr Osahon Enabulele, said that the minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu should be held responsible for any crisis that erupts in the health sector.

There is need for collective efforts to fight Gender Based Violence (GBV) in

RWANDA

the country, an official has said. Oda Gasinzigwa, the Minister for Gender and Family promotion particularly urged religious leaders to promote family dialogue as a strategy to end Gender Based Violence in families.

The Mozambique electoral commission has announced official results of the

MOZAMBIQUE

municipal elections held in November, showing significant gains by a new opposition party.

TWO purported fly-by-night businessmen appeared in court on Monday on allegations

NAMIBIA

of defrauding the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sports and Culture more than N$800 000. The two - Adolf Ortman and Edward Hadekemana - were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission after an investigation into the scam that allegedly involves fictitious invoices.

World Bank Approves Funds to Boost Niger’s Resilience to Natural

NIGER

Hazards and Climate Change

J’o REPREZENTERBy Lihle

Whatever you are doing do it well, Ta”Whatever you are doing, do it well, talent plus hard work and perseverance equals to success but never leave out EDUCATION!!” Says Nigerian born musician and CEO of Strong Entertainment, J’o Reprezenter

How did you get into music?When i started my music career, i was

doing gospel music and that’s way back when i was 14 years old. We had a gospel group in Carlow and we use to go around singing in churches I still do it. Then i moved to Dublin and started a group here called BIC.

Tell us about your love of musicI love music, i love to entertain. If i

wasn’t into music i don’t think i will be balanced, i sing every minute of my life. I have committed myself into the entertainment industry, besides singing i also have an entertainment outfit. i always have shows and i try not to disappoint my fans.

How do you find a balance between your music career and life in general?

I also have a 9-5 job, graduated with Honors in Accounting and Finance. I try and keep both relevant to each other, because in Ireland the Afro scene hasn’t fully kicked in yet enough for artists to make a complete living out of it. I need one to sustain the other, basically my whole life revolves around every part of me especially music.

EducationThe most important thing in one’s

young life, it shapes you and disciplines you as well. It is important for all the young hustlers out there to know that Education must be their base. It saves

as a back up plan as well. I am a graduate and an entertainer and like i said before these two things need each other like every other task you take on. Stay in school you will not regret it. THAT’S A PROMISE!

What don’t we know about you?(Chuckles) Nothing really i am just a

regular guy with irregular dreams and i plan on staying on the course till the end.

Should the ladies be disappointed? (Funny) But no i am still searching

haven’t gotten there yet just trying to stay focus.

As an artist based in Ireland, does the African music scene influence you at all?

Without a doubt, i draw my inspiration from it. I am influenced by the likes of 2face ‘baba’, D’banj, Flavor just to mention a few out of too many. I don’t think i will be doing my self any justice if i ignored the power of the African music scene. I have work with a lot of artists not just Nigerians but South A f r i c a n s , Z i m b a b w e a n s , Malawians,Ghanaians most of Africa. I have been Fortunate to have shared a stage with some of the big names on the African scene.

Your highlight so far.Opening for 2face, Banky W, Olumide

and many more. Sharing the stage with them was by far one for my history books moment. I am looking forward to those moments and greater ones to come.

What genre do you play?Afro beat with a twist of European

influence to appeal both sides of the

Oceans. Although i am authentically African i also want my music to be relevant in the European market, not just to be popular with them but to also educate them about the other side, and the fact that Ireland is my home and i would like to make a great impact.

What have you been busy with lately?

A lot has been going on, I have a new single called ‘You and Me’ that’s been released. I am promoting that at the moment, it’s available on amazon 0.99 to download it. I have recently joined partnership with BlackBerry Ireland as their Brand Ambassador, i have shows lined up. I feel blessed.

BlackBerry Ireland Ambassador?Yes exciting times right?, i have a

contract with BlackBerry to promote their products. It is a partnership that is turning out well, to me it represents a lot of progress and it proves that hard work pays off. I have worked so hard in proving my credibility and commitment, and i am glad that it is paying off. As an African artist in Ireland, it is very encouraging.

How do you deal with your female fans?

We have a rather very interesting understanding with my female fans, we love each other and yet know how to keep the distance. All my fans are important to me especially the ladies (so ladies lets keep the love)

What keeps you grounded?GOD. I start and end with God, i try

en keep my spiritual life in check that is very important to me.

AfricaWe as Africans have a responsibility

to the continent to be good Ambassadors, my contribution to that is my Music. Every little helps.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, That’s the most beautiful thing you can do for yourself!!!!!!!



PEOPLE/NEWS

Pride of Africa

Anita

Nwabueze

Anita is a talented student born in Nigeria. A student looking for break-through in the acting career, pretty Anita loves long walks, dancing, singing and reading plays.

SERVICE OF SONGS HELD FOR LATE MRS COMFORT AZIE

I N T E R N A T I O N A L CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE

Family, friends and well-wishers gathered to pray with Dr. Prosper & Blessing Obioha over the death of their mother-in-law, mother and grandmother, late mrs. Comfort Obielue Azie

The Most Rev Dr. Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin (Anglican) led an International Christmas Carol Service at St. George and St. Thomas’ Parish (Discovery), with St George Brass Band. See photos and watch the service including Christmas messages from the Archbishop and Rector,’ The Revd. Obinna Ulogwara’

on AfricaWorld TV.



COLUMN/ NEWS

By

Abdul Yu

suf

By

Abdul Yusuf

Money Is Your Love for Sale?We should appreciate love as a gift from God to humanity. While you handle the steering in your hands, feel free to pilot it to where it suits you, but be sure you’re doing the right thing. You don’t have to drive anyone to insanity if you don’t want to travel on the road of insanity as well. Love and money can make one and can as well destroy life, don’t be a destroyer of life. .

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of mar-riage. They were a Lov-ing couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes.

When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medi-cine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot about the open medicine bottle.

Money and love are two great empires that are entangled like a web, yet can be separated with the tinniest line. They play a major role in life, being it in black, white, whatever race or colour, love and money can be said to be the strength of life.Money and love are two great empires that are en-tangled like a web, yet can be separated with the tinniest line. They play a major role in life, being it in black, white, whatever race or colour, love and money can be said to be the strength of life.

From creation, God commanded us to love, and in-deed love covers all things. Love and money are two great pillars that can make or destroy a man. Love is to cherish, a deep minded feeling, affec-tion that cannot be explained, but it can be felt,

smelt and the wind of love brings calmness and peace, while money is just a paper, a medium of exchange. Money actually originated from the Temple of Hera, located on one of Rome’s seven hills in the ancient world. Although money has its multi-faceted characteristics, the big question is can money buy love?

People have confused or mistaken physical appearance, style, affluence, beauty, career, profession and other quali-ties to be love and in the middle of a relationship, they find themselves trapped and coming out becomes a big problem, part of why, I think, love is deep-rooted issue. This may ex-plain why in today’s world where percentage of divorce or separation are basically not granted for lack of money, but for lack of love or affection, which gives love a rooted ground. Research has shown that people that value money high-ly are less happy than those who care more about love. I can rightly say that the love for money has diverted men from their true destiny. The love for money is a real plague.For those who are yet to fall in love let it be an eye opener;

South Sudan ‘Attempted Coup’ Fails, Says President

SOUTH SUDAN

Swaziland’s Attorney-General Majahenkhaba Dlamini has said there is no need to annul a 1973

SWAZILAND

Royal Decree that bans all political parties and puts all legislative, executive and judicial power in the hands of the King.

Government will continue to pursue the Uganda government to settle over

UGANDA

8.8m US dollars still outstanding as war reparations, which is part of 18.4m US dollars agreed by the two governments following the 1979 war.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday

TANZANIAN

and was received by First Lady Mama Salma Kikwete at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA).

Members of the public began filing past the body of former president Nelson Mandela as it lay in state

SOUTH AFRICA

at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday morning.

The Quartet sponsoring national dialogue started on Wednesday a meeting

TUNISIA

with representatives of seven political parties to consult about the new methodology decided by the quartet to carry on dialogue.

US president Barack Obama has been urged to provide better protection for Sudanese women and

SUDAN

children in the conflict-affected South Kordofan and Blue Nile states as part of his “legacy on Sudan.”

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors recently approved a US$14 million International

TOGO

Development Association (IDA)* credit to boost the Government of Togo’s efforts to enhance public finance management, and strengthen economic governance and growth in a variety of sectors central to Togo’s economy, such as agriculture, mining, banking and telecommunications.

BLAMING THE OTHER

don’t be deceived or carried away with physical things, at least for the sake of your sanity, and peace of mind. Love that is bought with money doesn’t really have deep trails. There is a parable which says the tongue and teeth clash most times, and if they do, imagine people from differ-ent background and orientation they will definitely clash as well, but what matters is how they resolve these issues.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its colour and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine Meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband.

When the distraught fa-ther came to the hospital and saw the dead c hild, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.

The husband just said “I am with you Dar-ling.” The husband’s to-tally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior.

The Child is dead. He can never be brought back to life.

There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened.

No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was con-solation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer prob-lems in the world. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgive-ness, selfishness and fears. And you will find things are actu-ally not as difficult as you think.

Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.

Moral of the Story:



PHOTO NEWS

RIDWANULLAHI MUSLIM SISTERS END SEMINAR

Speakers including Ifrah Ahmed graced the Ridwanullahi Muslim Sister’s ‘Challenges in Marriage’ seminarAddress: Unit 2A Station Road, Station Business Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland.



NEWSPHOTO NEWS

L I M P O P O YO U T H ORCHESTRA WOW IRELAND

NELSON MANDELA MEMORIAL

SERVICE HELD IN IRELAND.

IN ST. PATRICK’SCATHEDRAL

The South African Embassy in Dublin are hosting the Limpopo Youth Orchestra (LYO), a group of young musicians from the rainbow country. They arrived in Ireland yesterday, the 4th of December and will be departing on the 8th of December 2013

AFRICA CENTRE XMAS PARTY HELDThe Africa Centre in Dublin held a Christmas meet for

its supporters on Saturday 14th December



NEWS

MANDELA’S LEGACY: PEACE, BUT POVERTY FOR MANY BLACKS

By Ed Cropley

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - In the 10 years after he withdrew from public life, Nelson Mandela divided his time between a mansion in one of Johannesburg’s wealthiest suburbs and his ancestral home in Qunu, a village in South Africa’s impoverished eastern Cape. The contrast could not have been starker.

In one, his neighbors were cast in the image of the white “Rand Lords”, the mining magnates and bankers who built the sprawling city - and Africa’s biggest economy - from the vast gold reserves in the rock beneath their feet.

In the other, they were black peasant farmers living in thatched “rondavel” huts and eking out a living on windswept hillsides in scenes that have hardly changed in centuries, let alone the two decades since the end of apartheid.

While few query Mandela’s achievement in dragging South Africa back from the brink of civil war in the early 1990s and broke-ring a peaceful end to three centuries of white domi-nance, tougher questions are being asked of the country he leaves behind.Despite more than 10 years of affirmative ac-tion to redress the balance under the banner of “black economic empowerment”, South Africa remains one of the world’s most unequal soci-eties and whites still control huge swathes of the economy.In the words of leading trade unionist Zwelinz-ima Vavi, its structure is akin to an Irish coffee - black at the bottom, with some white froth and a sprinkling of chocolate on the top.On average, a white household earns six times more than a black one, and nearly one in three blacks is unemployed, compared with one in 20 whites.

Such ratios are fodder for critics of the 1994 settlement that brought the curtain down on nearly half a century of institutiona-lized white-minority rule and saw Mandela anointed South Africa’s first black president.The numbers also support the anecdotal evi-dence from wealthy urban neighborhoods - in-cluding Mandela’s Houghton - where, 19 years after the birth of his “Rainbow Nation”, most of the black people to be seenare housemaids, security guards or garde-ners.

“Mandela has gone a bit too far in doing good to the non-black communities, really in some cases at the expense of (blacks),”Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said in a documentary aired on South African televi-sion in May 2013.

“That’s being too saintly, too good.”

The defenders of Mandela’s settlement note that Mugabe’s vio-lent seizure of white-owned farms in neighboring Zimbabwe from 2000 triggered an eight-year economic collapse and confirmed his fall in the eyes of outsiders from respected liberation hero to inter-national pariah.Yet his criticism of Mandela finds echoes in some corners of the African National Congress (ANC), the 101-year-old liberation movement that joined forces with the unions and the Communist Party to topple apartheid.In a 2010 interview with the wife of Brit-ish author V.S. Naipaul, the anti-apartheid firebrand and “Mother of the Nation” Winnie Madikizela-Mandela accused her former husband of selling out after being broken by his 27 years in apart-heid prisons.“Mandela did go to prison and he went in there as a burning young revolutionary. But look what came out,” she was quoted as saying. “Mandela let us down. He agreed to a bad deal for the blacks. Eco-nomically, we are still on the outside. The economy is very much ‘white’. It has a few token blacks, but so many who gave their life in the struggle have died unrewarded.”

POLITICAL OR ECONOMIC POWER?

Even among academics, there is broad acceptance that in its spar-ring with then-president FW de Klerk in the early 1990s, the ANC under Mandela, a self-confessed economic novice, focused too much on thequest for political rather than economic power.In less polite terms, the ANC’s stance translated into a quip popular at the dinner parties of wealthy whites: “We’ll give them the vote but keep the banks.”William Gumede, a professor at Wits Business School in Johannes-burg, said it was wrong to argue that Mandela sold out.“However, the economic negotiations were not as robust as the po-litical ones,” he said.

“There was a glib acceptance among most in the ANC that all they needed to do was capture political power, and then they couldtransform the economy. It was a simplistic argument, and it was also the Mandela argument.”

South Africa and the world watched in awe when, on February 11, 1990, Mandela left Cape Town’s Victor Verster prison and raised his fist in salute to the crowds as he stepped out on his and the nation’s “Long Walk to Freedom” - the title of his subsequent au-tobiography.

The start of a momentous political transition, it was also a key mo-ment in the evolution of a cult of Mandela both at home and abroad.

In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with de Klerk, and in 1995 he won over all but the most diehard right-wingers as he saluted the overwhelmingly white Springbok side that won the Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg.

He is immortalized in a stained glass window in Soweto’s giant Regina Mundi church; statues of him dancing, boxing or raising his fist are dotted across the country; and in 2012 the central bank issued a set of bank notes bearing his face.The announcement about the notes came on February 11, the 22nd anniversary of his release from prison.In such an atmosphere, it was perhaps inevitable that some episodes of his single five-year term as president are glossed over. His close personal friendship with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi drew criticism - and a fierce rebuttal from Mandela, who said:“Those who feel irritated by our friendship with President Gaddafi can go jump in the pool.”The 2010 “blood diamonds” testimony of British supermodel Naomi Campbell at a Hague war crimes tribunal also shone an uncomfortable light on a dinner Mandela hosted in 1997 for Libe-rian warlord Charles Taylor, whose presence at the table called into question South Africa’s ‘ethical’ foreign policy.

Then there is the infamous ‘Arms Deal’, a $5 billion defense equip-ment contract that erupted into a massive scandal for Mandela’s successor, Thabo Mbeki, and remains the defining episode in the ANC’s slide from post-apartheid grace.Amid fierce criticism of Mbeki and the current president, Jacob Zuma, also embroiled in the furor, many South Africans have cho-sen to forget that the deal was first announced in 1998, when Man-dela was still in office.

On the streets of the sprawling black township of Soweto, where police and disgruntled unemployed youngsters still face off in spo-radic, violent protests over poor housing and public services, there are plenty who do not buy the Mandela myth.

“Mandela kept on saying: ‘I am here for the people, I am the ser-vant of the nation.’ What did he do? He signed papers that allowed white people to keep the mines and the farms,” said 49-year-old Majozi Pilane, who runs a roadside stall selling sweets and cigarettes.

“He did absolutely nothing for all the poor people of this country.”

MAN AND MYTHBy Mordi Micheal

IRELAND’S DIVERSE YOUTH SUPPORT LAURALYN

CHILDREN HOSPICE

ACTION OPPOSING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

United Friends of Ireland in conjunction with the Integration Centre presented a cheque to the LAURALYN CHILDREN

HOSPICE DUBLIN

Akidwa, the migrant women network in Ireland organised a seminar on Information guide for Healthcare Professionals on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on Friday December 6th

2013.



NEWS

KENYA IS 50

Rosemary Kargbo is the New Miss Africa Netherlands

Kenya marked a historic, momentous and glorious day as it clocked 50. “It is with joy and pride that we celebrate 50 years of independence. Fifty years ago, on December 12, 1963 a new and hopeful nation, Kenya, was born with unlimited potential”, President Uhuru said.

Rosemary Kargbo, Sierra Leonean, is the New Miss Africa Netherlands.The M iss Afr ica Netherlands team is

pleased to make public, the winners of the Miss Africa Netherlands 2013-2014 Pageant which took place on the 7th

December at the Radisson Blu Hotel Amsterdam airport. Miss Africa Netherlands 2013-2014 Queen is: Miss Rosemar y K argbo. Rosemary is from Sierra Leone.Miss Africa Netherlands 2013-2014 1st Princess is: Miss Takudzwa Mutezo.

Ta k u d z w a i s f r o m Zimbabwe and she happened to be the winner of the best talent. Miss Africa Netherlands 2013-2014 2nd Princess is: Miss Muna Seed. Muna is from SomaliaMiss Africa Netherlands 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4 M i s s Congeniality is: Miss

Vudesa Peya Elia. Elia is from DR. Congo For interviews and or any information, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected] Stay tuned for Miss Africa Netherlands 2014-2015 which would be announced from January.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his vice William Ruto take to the dance floor with ther wives at the Banquet in Uhuru Gardens.

Miss Kenya Ireland Catherine Wambui



NEWS

With Makhtar Diop, the World Bank’s Vice President for the African region when he paid me a courtesy call in State House.

AFRICAWORLD MAN OF THE YEAR 2013. MAKING STRIDE

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mahinda Rajapaksa watch as Kenya and Sri Lanka cement bilateral ties.

President Uhuru with Mr Wan Exiang, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping and vice Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China at State House Nairobi.

President Uhuru, Goodluck Jonathan (Nigeria) and Ali Bongo (Gabon) at Kenya @ 50

President Uhuru and vice William Ruto in Tour of North Rift

Malawi President and Chairperson of Southern African Development Community (SADC), Her Excellency Joyce Banda and Uganda President and Chairman of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Yoweri Museveni sign as guarantors to a Landmark peace deal between M23 Rebels and Democratic Republic of Congo Government at State House, Nairobi Presidents Obama and Raul Castro of Cuba

at Mandela Memorial



NEWS/IT

Think twice when creating your password:Stolen Facebook and Yahoo passwords dumped online

It has been discovered that some software developed by “cyber” criminals have collected passwords from major social network websites like Yahoo and Facebook. About two million stolen passwords were recently published online. Security experts gathered that the act was perpetuated by a criminal gang using malicious software that logged key presses. They are not sure if the passwords are abused already, but certain that 30 to 40% of people use the same passwords on different websites and that is a good conclusion on a particular user.

A dedicated blog website (http://blog.spiderlabs.com) has followed the same case closely and made conclusions that the breakdown of the stolen password are as follows:

1,580,000 website login creden-tials stolen 320,000 email ac-count credentials stolen 41,000 FTP account credentials stolen3,000 Remote Desktop creden-tials stolen 3,000 Secure Shell account credentials stolen

From the publication above , it is evident that the target website

By Uchenna Onyenagubo

IT/NEWS

TRENDING PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD

is usually the popular social net-work sites and service websites which include Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

You can also spot the notable presence of vk.com and odnok-lassniki.ru, two social network websites aimed at Russian-speaking audiences, which prob-ably indicates that a decent por-tion of the victims comprised were Russian speakers. Another

interesting item on the list is the payroll service provider adp.com. It is only natural to have such do-mains in the mix, but it is surpris-ing to see it ranked number 9 on the top domains list. Facebook accounts are a nice catch for cy-ber criminals, but payroll servic-es accounts could actually have direct financial repercussions.

HOW IT WAS DISCOVEREDThe site containing the passwords was discovered by researchers working for security firm Trust-wave. The passwords had been harvested by a large botnet - dubbed Pony - that had scooped up information from thousands of infected computers worldwide.A botnet is a network of machines controlled by criminals thanks to malicious software being in-stalled on to computers without the owner’s knowledge. Often, criminal gangs will use botnets to steal large amounts of personal data, which can then be sold on to others or held to ransom.In this instance, it was log-in information for popular social networks that featured most heavily. The site - written in Rus-

sian - claimed to offer 318,121 username and password combi-nations for Facebook. Other ser-vices, including Google, Yahoo, Twitter and LinkedIn, all had entries in the database. Russian-language sites VKontakte and Odnoklassniki also featured.

Most of the domains affected are illustrated in the image attached:From research, it was gathered that the most scooped passwords are the porous ones. There are

different categories of passwords ranging from one character type to four character types. The One Character is the type with just one type of character (e.g. “1234”), two types refers to a password with two different types (e.g. “abc123”) and so on. The more character combined the stronger and secured the password.n the analysis, passwords that use all four character types and are longer than 8 characters are considered “Excellent”, where-as passwords with four or less characters of only one type are considered “Terrible”. Unfor-tunately, there were more ter-rible passwords than excellent ones, more bad passwords than good, and the majority, as usual,

is somewhere in between in the Medium category.Users should not ignore the im-portance of passwords. The web providers introduce tight secu-rity policies to protect their users

but people still choose comfort over security on many occasions. The longer your passwords with cases that are unusual, the better secured.

President of South SudanSalva Kiir Mayardit

Announce foiling an attempted overthrow of his government

President Zuma at Mandela Memorial

Presidents Obama and Raul Castro of Cubaat Mandela Memorial

AfricaWorld Editor (middle) and ANC stalwarts at

Madiba vigil

Candlelight Vigil for Nelson Mandela in Dublin

Members of all Nations Church feed the homelessFrederik de Klerk and Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela coffin make way to Qunu for interment



NEWS/RECIPE

“European Union (EU) must be part of the solution, rather than be

WESTERN SAHARA

a part of the conflict of Western Sahara,” said Mr. Mohamed Ali Zerouali, Polisario Front’s Representative in Brussels.

THE MMD has described the nullification of its S o l w e z i C e n t r a l parliamentary seat by the

ZAMBIA

Supreme Court as a shock to the party. Deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu said in Lusaka yesterday that it was unbelievable that the party had continued to lose seats through nullifications.

Ultraconservative Sunni Muslim militants and rebels belonging to a

YEMEN

branch of Shiite Islam battled each other in northern Yemen with artillery and machine guns Thursday in clashes that killed more than 40 people, security officials said.

President Mugabe has said Cde Nelson Mandela was a “great friend” and there

ZIMBABWE

was no feud between them as has been insinuated by some media houses. Since Cde Mandela’s death in Johannesburg on December 5 after a lung infection, some media outlets have tried to create the impression that President Mugabe and South Africa’s first black leader did not get along.

COOKINGPour the oil into a sizeable pot, Pour the water from the Potash mixture, stir very well & u see the oil turn into Yellow paste, add the ground pepper, ehu, crafish, sliced onions & ugba. Then stir very well. Please note tht we are doing everything off the stove.Add the Ogiri/iru, kanda/pomo & stir very well.Then add the soaked & drained Abacha & stir very well.Then add sliced Atazi, salt to taste.If u like it warm u transfer it to stove & heat it a little.Then add diced Garden egg leaves.Serve with chilled Palm wine for the full effect.

RECIPE COLUMN

AFRICAN SALAD (ABACHA WITH

UGBA)

by Genevieve Agorua

Ingredient-Abacha-3 handful of Ugba-1 cups of Palm Oil-a pinch of powdered Potash (Akanwu)-2 Table

spoonful of crayfish-stockfish-1 large Onion-Salt-dry pepper-1 or 2 cube of maggi-teaspoon grounded Ehu seed

(calabash nutmeg)-1 teaspoon of ogiri-3 fresh Utazi leaves-Pomo/kanda (cow skin)-about 10 or 15 diced of Garden egg

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AfricaWorld TV

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FAMILY CORNER/NEWS

BY: NANDI JOLAPoemsNever again shall I be called a “Kaffir”Never again will my children be segregated in the land of their Ancestors Never again will I speak the AfrikaansIsixhosa is my languageIn my land South Africa I shall walk free carrying no “Dom Pass”

Vilakazi Street In 1976 June 16 you were covered in blood, yet At no.1185 Vilakazi Street Noble is the manEverlasting hero Lion of Peace Son of Africa Obedient National treasureRholihlahla Mandela is his name

May 1994 Union building PretoriaPeace and reconciliation were your words Ubuntu you proclaimed Forgiveness you pleaded A rainbow nation you gave birth toAnd in your words...never, never and never again

Never, never and never again

by Max Chijioke Okafor

South Sudan Teeters on the BrinkObservers say ethnic tensions at the heart of ongoing fighting that may determine fate of the country.

Swapping his signature cowboy hat and sharp suit for military fatigues, South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s choice of wardrobe when he went on television to accuse his rival of a coup at-tempt and denounce former Vice-President Riek Machar as a “prophet of doom” spoke louder about the state of politics in the world’s newest nation than his damning speech.

The fact that the capital Juba was on lockdown after a night of heavy gunfire that started as a few shots among men in his own presidential guard - internation-ally trained and once considered a success story for its diversity - also showed just how divided people are after almost five de-cades of civil war that ended in 2005.

And the people’s response to continuing gun battles in Juba showed their faith in a rebel-movement turned government that is riven by infighting be-tween former warlords vying for a piece of this oil-rich new na-tion that won its freedom from Sudan in 2011, but now appears to be aping its oppressors.

Promising that South Sudan’s ruling party, the SPLM, would “never allow political power to be transferred through vio-lence”, Kiir branded Machar “a criminal” and one determined to “persistently pursue his actions of the past”, a reference to a 1991 split that led to a massacre between factions of the presi-

From the ground dust rises to the skiesFrom the crowd, chants rising through the earthIn the courtroom, the jury shakes with fear and hatredIn your heart grows the realisation of freedom and fair-nessAmidst the chants ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’ In confinement having ‘white walls’ for companionsIn the day having stones as occupationIn the night buried in the dictates of the lawIn your mind blossoms the need for knowledge and equalityPeople quietly hum ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’ Courageous people do not fear forgiving for the sake of peaceWise people do not hold back love for the sake of lifeThere is something best in everyoneWhether black, white or coloured, the constant is humanity

NKOSI SIKELEL MADIBABy Ekeocha Martin You hold your head high and pray ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’

You took a very long walk to freedomSurviving the glare of the sun and the mockery of confinementThe spirit stood an invictus amidst rebellious manipulationsFrom Pretoria to Robben to Pollsmoor then to Victor VersterYou emerged a Victor singing ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’ The Madiba pulled out the branch of a treePulling out apartheid from its rootsThe Father convened the dialogueOpening up pathways for peace, fairness and equalityAll joyfully sing ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’ What are you afraid of? The struggle is your lifeWhere do you belong? The world is your homeCome home to kindness, freedom and loveFree at last, it will be alright in heavenWe rise in salutation, ‘Nkosi Sikelel Madiba’

dent’s majority Dinka ethnic group and his rival’s Nuer minority.

But hours later, state forces were rounding people up and surround-ing the homes of Kiir’s critics, while 13,000 people were sheltering at two United Nations bases in Juba, and others were flee-ing the city in their hundreds, perhaps a further sign of how much faith there is in real peace and proper governance in the volatile state.

“Given the disturb-ing reports of ethni-cally targeted kill-ings, even if there is a political deal, it will be very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.”- [Casie Copeland, International Crisis Group]

A security expert close to the army - who asked not to be named because his access to the military depends on his anonym-ity - brushed off any ideas that the initial fighting was a coup at-tempt. He said it was sparked by rumours of arrests following a series of public statements criti-cizing Kiir’s increasingly dicta-torial style, saying it was “an ac-cident centred around paranoia and rumour”.

But he said the factional fight-ing within an army that is “a reflection of politics” - in a na-tion where many complain of the major tribe’s influence as a “Dinkocracy” - had the potential to ignite serious ethnic fighting

nationwide.

“It’s the real lack of control that anyone has that’s the dangerous thing, and especially if fighting spreads to the peripheries,” he said.

Discontent

US Ambassador to South Su-dan Susan Page said people were not necessarily lining up behind Machar to create an or-ganised, fighting force, but the general discontent over the eco-nomic and political future and the crackdown on personal free-doms had spurred disunity in a country that’s identity was only forged in war.

Page said there were a number of people “aligned behind being unhappy about the way things are going”, and reports of arrests of senior figures and uncon-

firmed “reports of people being targeted because of their ethnic-ity” could spark mass unrest.

“There are concerning reports from beyond Juba including that fighting broke out between Dinka and the Nuer in Pibor in Jonglei and given the disturb-ing reports of ethnically targeted killings, even if there is a politi-cal deal, it will be very difficult to put the genie back in the bot-tle,” said Copeland.

She added her concern that the UN Peacekeeping Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS) had “not begun patrolling in Juba and has not reached areas where civilians are concentrated.”

UNMISS chief Hilde Johnson said that she could not speak as she was in a meeting.

Seven former ministers are con-

firmed as having been arrested, as fighting fanned out across the city in a country full of heavily traumatised, highly armed and seriously disappointed people.

“We received reports that the majority of the senior political figures that were opposed to Kiir’s leadership of the SPLM have been arrested,” said Casie Copeland, South Sudan analyst for the Brussels-based think-tank the International Crisis Group.

Machar’s house had been bom-barded and “surrounded, includ-ing with tanks”, Copeland added while “parts of Juba have been reduced to rubble”, and fighting between Nuer and Dinka had broken out at military barracks in restive Jonglei state.

Cont. next EditionSource: Al Jazeera



COLUMN

By Dunstan Ukaga

MANDELA DISAPPOINTED NIGERIANS

I grew up as a child praying for the release of late Nelson Mandela. As a Nigerian and

like most Nigerian kids of my time, we prayed for, loved and even fought for Mandela.Funny enough, whom we were fighting, we never saw nor know. But as we entered into primary schools, the worth apartheid became clearer to me. Then I knew why we were asked to pray for, fight for Mandela and even love him.Most Nigerian kids then saw new found strength, courage and boldness learned from Mandela to ask for and fight for their rights either in the right way or the wrong way.Among my classmates in the primary school then, anyone who was very bold and fearless was named Nelson Mandela. We were asked to contribute money for Mandela and for the struggles. We did.Most Nigerian musicians of the early seventies and eighties sang for the release of Nelson Mandela. They sang against the apartheid. Nigerians from the top, to the lowest, from the government to the ordinary citizen, loved Mandela, wanted a free South Africa and committed their time, energies and raised financial and material vibrations for the death of apartheid, the release of Mandela and the freedom of all Africa.In this quest for African freedom, in the struggles to set Mandela free and to right the wrongs done by the apartheid government Nigeria was number one. Nigerians saw and took South Africans especially Nelson Mandela like their very own.As Mandela walked out of the Victor Verster prison at 4.14 pm on February 11, 1990, after spending 27 years in detention under the apartheid regime in South Africa we that loved him, fought for and even contributed thought it would be a stepping stone to a life of gratitude from the man we had almost given our lives to.Would I be wrong to say that most

Nigerians also died for Nelson Mandela?Mandela walked out of Victor Verster prison and bite the fingers that fed him too. Yes, Nigerians fed him. He came out from prison without repaying the Nigerian peoples with kindness. Even if the actions of the Nigerian government affected his reactions towards

Nigerians, would the stupidity of a few be used against the general?I have always heard it said that “one cannot bite the fingers that fed oneself’’.Yes, the Nigerians before us and the Nigerians of my time feel Madiba did not recognize our efforts nor repaid us in the right kindness we deserve.The present governor of Lagos state, Mr. Fashola was way back before me. A statement attributed to him that echoes my points states:”...Nigeria deserved respect for the leading role it played in ending the apartheid regime in South Africa.Addressing newsmen on the death of Nelson Mandela in Ikeja, Fashola said the country made huge sacrifices to free South Africa from the pangs of apartheid.

He said it was ironical that Nigerians faced daily harassment in South Africa, while those who enthroned apartheid got more respect in that country.Fashola also wondered why those who promoted the suppression of black South Africans through the policy were the same people now celebrating Mandela the more.

“Tribute to Mandela, either during his life or after his death, cannot really be too much.“We are privileged to share this planet with him. But then, there are more questions than answers.“When you look at the part of the world where ovation is now the loudest, it was the part the pain was the most vicious. In a very cruel irony, history is being reversed.“The people, who collaborated with the government that enthroned apartheid at that time, are the people that are paying the biggest tribute now.“But I ask myself: Is this not the time for deep reflection? I doubt if any African country expended as much time, as much money and as much commitment as the Nigerian government.

I remembered visi t ing Johannesburg a few years ago with nostalgia, even with all the security apparatuses around me, I did not feel welcomed in that country as a Nigerian. My brother was not so lucky, South Africans beat him up and took all his belongings because he told them he is a Nigerian.Even though we Nigerians feel Mandela failed us, South African loved him until death.As reported by the New York Times of December 12, 2013,”The sheer number of South Africans hoping to catch a glimpse of the body appeared to have overwhelmed the authorities, with thousands lined up at screening sites around the city to board buses to the Union Buildings. At the University of Pretoria sports facilities, a single white tent the

size of a cottage was intended to serve a line that wound for hundreds of yards around the campus.Kyle Garth, 39, from Cincinnati, said he held out little hope that the people at the back of the line would be able to see Mr. Mandela. He, his South African wife and their two children had already been waiting for over five hours and still had not made it into the tent. But his spirits remained high.“The wait is definitely worth it to me,” Mr. Garth said. Without Mr. Mandela and the end of apartheid restrictions, he said, his wife never could have left South Africa and they never would have met. While the day’s transportation might be disorganized, he added, inching forward as the line shuffled on a bit, “this is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity.” For most Nigerians, Madiba let us down. Governor Fashola concludes it thus:”“I remember we did not go to the Commonwealth Games because of South Africa. I remember we took drastic measures against the foreign collaborators of the apartheid regime and nationalized their assets. There is no home that the anti-apartheid campaign was not then. Our university halls were named after Mozambique and all of these places. We funded all of these organisations in Angola and Zimbabwe among others.

Apart from scholarship to South Africans, I remember when South Africans used to come for exchange programme then. We are now the ones being driven out of South Africa. The British can enter South Africa visa free. We have to take a visa. These are deep questions because they hurt me. People like Fela nearly lost their voices, singing about freedom. I hope that as our president is going for Mandela’s burial, I hope that it would be to go and take the leadership roles that we deserve or we should ask ourselves if we have really lost it, what is the way back.

As I said, history has been revised and our voices are not heard on the international stage. This is our glory because we contributed so much to this course, and perhaps we ask ourselves what the investment payoff has been”How much could I vent my anger on Madiba? He is dead. May he rest in peace. But Nigerians must rise up now to lead Africa to a glorious end. Unfortunately the things going on in my Nigeria show we are not ready to grow.Rest in peace Madiba, even though I feel like seeing you and asking you why you failed Nigerians, I still know you are the greatest African if not the greatest man that gave your life for the good of the whole.

Madiba, as you walk to the land of the dead, if you meet late Nigerian leaders like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Belewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Odumegwu Ojukwu, could you slap and beat them up for us? Slap them very hard and tell them the child they bore which is called Nigeria is still crawling. If you also meet Lord Lugard and Flaura Shaw, beat them up and ask them why they as British nationals foisted Boko Haram on Nigerians



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