Document Body Page Navigation Panel
are to spend 1 million US dollars towards rebuilding
theTrade Union movement in Nigeria
Money, Money, Money 3min. 8secs. 6 A non-governmental organization
is making a bold attempt to
link Nigeria's poorest of the poor with the country's most
successful blue-chip companies through the bridge of micro – finance
New treaty of agreement to be signed by ACP/ EU countries 2min. 26secs.
11 A new treaty between the European Union and the 71 countries
of the ACP will be signed in June, bringing an end
to the popular Lome treaty
HEALTH
Kenya to introduce courses on AIDS in Educational curriculum 1min. 11secs.
4 Kenya's Director of Education announces the introduction
of the syllabus on AIDS for all learning institutions in the East African
country
Caffeine may protect the brain from Parkinson's 1min. 24secs. 7 New
research indicates suggests that drinking coffee may help
prevent Parkinson's disease
Viagra fails big test to help women 1min. 1min. 8 Research is
revealing that the anti impotency drug
is not going to help women
New drug that targets genes may stop cancer 1min. 9 By focusing
on precise genetic mutations of tumors,
a new drug might offer hope for cancer patients
Good health goes global 1min. 59secs. 10 The issue of good health
across the globe is the main focus
at the 53 rd World Health Assembly in Geneva 1
1 Page 2 3
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
2
TECHNOLOGY
E -mail virus poses a threat to the US 1min. 32secs. 10 A new and
dangerous computer software is spreading through
e-mails that use the Microsoft software
Environment CONSERVATION
National Seminar On Land Tenure and Policy Ecology in Nigeria 2min. 15secs.
5
A national workshop focuses on Nigeria's land use
act of 1978, which many considered to have been unfavorable towards the environment
and the entire ecosystems
Conservationists mourn the demise of the Amazon 1min. 2secs. 7 Brazilian
environmentalists stage a mock funeral for the
Amazon rainforest to warn against unbridled agricultural expansion
Governments sound biodiversity alarm in Nairobi 1min. 30secs. 7 With
an estimated over 31 plant and animal species on
the endangered list, governments are poised to address threats to biological
diversity at a global convention
WILDLIFE
Scents and science help to put cheetahs in the mood 2min. 16secs. 5
The earth's fastest land animals are once again in the brink of extinction,
however a breeding program is going to great
lengths to reverse this alarming trend
138 of the world's primate species are endangered 2min. 21secs. 8
Conservation International is calling for protected areas to ensure the
survival of the rapidly diminishing
population of primates
WWF calls for concrete action to save rainforest diversity 1min. 54secs.
9
The World Wide Fund for Nature has urged the Convention for Biological
Diversity to concrete steps towards
the protection of the world's forest biodiversity
Dateline Events arising around the world
Kyoto Protocol on the agenda 48secs. 11 The Conference of Parties
will be discussing the adoption
of this major document on the earth's carbon emissions 2
2 Page 3 4
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
3
Noted… Editorials and news in brief
Environment prize to CODEFF Chile project 35secs. 12
Yobe to legislate on fauna, flora depletion 59secs. 12
Hope for the hopeless 1min. 42secs. 12
Children's section
Nigeria hosts regional summit on media for children 1min. 40secs.
13
Delegates meet in Nigeria in preparation for the Third World Summit on
Media for Children to be held in Greece
How the waterbuck got its white circle 1min. 31secs. 14 A bushman's
angry gesture made the waterbuck
appreciate thee use of the white circle on its behind
Lisenga and the eggs 1min. 56secs. 14 A young man learns the wisdom
of not counting his
eggs before they are hatched
Parting shots
Unforgettable quotes on conservation and development 14 3
3 Page 4 5
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
4
News
Flood hits Southern Somalia 1min. 37secs. The long awaited rains
have arrived in Southern Somalia. Unfortunately, the rains are causing flooding
in many
towns and villages, thus adding to the sufferings of the drought-hit people.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Jubba river which is the largest
in Somalia and the Shabella river have been causing havoc on the neighbouring
settlements. The floods from the Jubba river have caused
heavy damages to the southern port town of Kismato, by cutting the road linking
the town to Mogadishu, the capital.
All commercial movements via Terra between Mogadishu and Kismato have halted
following increased threats by the floods. Eyewitnesses told VHF Radio, in Jilib,
that hundreds of farms stretching across the river have
been abandoned after the Jubba burst its banks. This was also the case three
years ago, during the major flood disaster in Southern Somalia. Over 600 families
who have fled their houses are currently scattered at the
Chentoh Kuindisheh area.
Hassan Abdulleh, the Governor of Hawlwadag region where the flood is posing
a major threat, said people who suffered from widespread malaria and cholera
could not withstand the extra burden of displacement. He
went on to appeal for quick intervention to help prevent his people from dying
in their dozens for lack of food,
shelter and medicine. The Guardian
EU votes N100m for Nigerian Trade unions 1min. 18secs. The European
Union is to spend 1 million US dollars towards the rebuilding of the trade union
movement in
Nigeria. The president of the Nigerian Labor Congress stated that out of this
fund, $90,000 will come from the European Union and $10,000 will be from the
Friedrich Ebert Stifung, FES, a Germany based foundation.
According to him, the project has seven areas of intervention, which include,
establishment of pro-democracy networks, promotion of research, analysis and
information capabilities, and trade union management. He
went on to describe the project as the first collaboration between the Nigerian
trade union and the EU, adding that it is a bold attempt to boost the vast potential
of the trade union as a key player in the democratic process.
Mr. Shwenzesky, the country representative of the FES, stated that trade unions
are entitled to some outside support " in order to be in a position to make
full benefit of all the options that the bureaucratic system of
governance provides to organised interest groups" The Guardian
Kenya to introduce courses on AIDS in Educational curriculum 1min. 11secs.
The syllabus on AIDS for learning institutions from primary schools to colleges
will be introduced soon according to Kenya's Director of Education, Sammy Kyungu.
The Director said the ministry has held some
courses for teachers to equip them with the necessary skills to tackle the
subject effectively.
The ministry has taken these steps to realise the government's goal to promote
AIDS awareness in schools
since last October. The Director went on to say that the ministry is compiling
a report on orphans of AIDS in order to facilitate efforts to finance their
education. 4
4 Page 5 6
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
5
"With current economic hardship, public schools should consider the situation
of children from poor families and avoid suspending their education due to non
payment of school fees" Kyungu noted.
More than 12 percent of people aged between 15 and 49 are HIV positive in the
East African country. About 100,000 children are among the estimated 2 million
Kenyans infected with the virus.
Daily Nation/ The Guardian
National Seminar On Land Tenure and
Policy Ecology in Nigeria 2min. 15secs. Community Conservation and Development
Initiatives (CCDI) 2000 recently organised a national workshop
on land tenure and policy ecology in Nigeria. The event, held at the Goethe
Institute in Lagos, attracted speakers and participants spanning across the
legal, journalistic, educational and NGO sectors. The focus fell
primarily on the Land Use Act of 1978 that effectively made the government the
owners of all Nigeria's land.
Those presenting spoke extensively on the history of land ownership prior to
this government decree and described the changes in the country's ecology since
it was introduced. The Act enabled the government to
evict anybody off their land at any given time, only providing them with compensation
and resettlement under certain conditions. Over the last 22 years the government
has sold vast areas of natural resources to industries
thrusting previous inhabitants into poverty and homelessness. Many landowners
have become insecure in their status as government tenants and now take a short-term
view of the land, leading to its exploitation and
consequent damage for immediate gain.
This attitude not only harms community life, but also ruins entire ecosystems.
And as the head of CCDI 2000,
Mr. Ako Amadi, pointed out, despite the fact that multinationals had been exporting
Nigerian resources for decades before the act was passed, the eradication of
the Nigerian rainforest only began to gather real
momentum after 1978. The negative effects of the Land Use Act on the state
of wetlands and water bodies were also discussed.
Participants agreed that the Land Use Act, which has not been reviewed since
its inception in 1978, needs to be abolished or at least radically altered.
NGOs present were encouraged to lobby for such a change. CCDI
2000 is currently trying to raise financial and participatory support for such
a scheme. CFC
Scents and science help to put cheetahs in the mood 2min. 16secs. Cheetahs,
the fastest land animals are once again on the endangered species list. They
are dying off in the wild
as well as in captivity, where they are having trouble breeding. However a breeding
program has gone to great lengths to improve the reproductive odds. The activities
include drugging and pampering females and using
scents to entice males.
Scientists have known for years that cheetahs are dying by the numbers in the
wild. Captive populations are on the decline as well. In 1998, at least 40 cheetahs
died in North American zoos alone, from old age and
from an AIDS -like disease. Only 250 remain on the continent. Four cheetah cubs
at the San Diego Wild Animal Park are a sign of hope for breeding programs.
"A number of facilities have found that their female cheetahs do not seem to
be cycling anymore, so we are looking for alternate ways to stimulate that to
happen", said Susan Millard – Davis, who works at the San 5
5 Page 6 7
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
6
Diego zoo. Hormone injections worked for a mother at the same zoo.
An effort is also being made to recreate the cheetah's living conditions in
the wild, including offering more privacy. For instance the San Diego cheetah
mom gave birth to her cubs at a special breeding centre, about a
mile from the zoo, and away from public eye. Since the female live alone in
the wild, another key to breeding success is keeping males and females separated
in captivity. Researchers must then bring them together once
a year during the ideal breeding period.
Cheetahs have been on the brink of extinction before and they came back. But
with so few remaining,
inbreeding has weakened their immune systems, making them vulnerable to disease.
Only 12,000 cheetahs are left in the world.
CNN. com nature
Money, Money, Money 3min. 8secs.
The Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF), one of Nigeria's newest non-governmental
organizations, held a conference on corporate social responsibility in May.
GBF aims at linking Nigeria's poorest of the poor
with the country's most successful blue chip companies through the bridge
of micro-finance. The conference was sponsored by the United Bank of Africa,
and was attended by the office of the Chief Economic Adviser
to the Presidency, international donor agencies, banks and insurance companies,
NGOs, as well as Micro
Finance Institutions (MFIs) such as the Development Exchange Centre, that provides
small loans to women farmers in northern Nigeria.
GBF's Executive Director, Mrs. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien, kicked off the event by
reading a philosophical passage about the "essence of money" – something that
everyone strives for – and yet is finite and cannot in itself,
improve livelihoods if it is not invested in people. United Bank of Africa's
Executive Director, Alhaji Abba Kyari, encouraged fellow banks to invest in
Nigeria's poor. UBA's has set aside 90million Naira as loan
capital to Nigeria's poor, through GBF. Union Bank Chairman, Elder Kalu Uke
Kalu supported UBA's visionary stance and gave an insight into present day banking
inequities between the rich and poor. He
explained how blue chip companies are able to negotiate bank interest rates
that hover around 15%-20%,
while small scale lenders who don't enjoy the same leverage, have to repay loans
at 20% to 40%. Elder Kalu called for "a more even playing field" in the banking
sector, in order for Nigeria's vast wealth to trickle down
to the grass roots – a direct pathway to peace and stability in the country.
Mrs. Edna James-Ishaiya, Executive Director of the Development Exchange Centre,
provided impressive
statistics of how the organizations' loans have been repaid at an impressive
rate of almost 99%, while it is common knowledge that the rich of Nigeria often
default in their loan repayments. She gave impressive
examples of how farmers who had received loans of N1000 to N2000, were able
to make sometimes 300% -400% profit – enough to significantly change the way
they did business, while making a significant impact on
their very meagre incomes. Mrs. James-Ishaiya concluded with the wish that MFIs
would no longer receive
all their funding from international agencies, but rather, become "outreach
units" for banks with a social consciousness.
GBF's mission is to harness the potential of the corporate sector in investing
in the poor —and it is poised to become a real example of how Nigerians are
the solution to their own development needs. The organization
currently supports a waste management project and community lending project
in Ikenne, as well as a black soap linkage project in Awe. Other initiatives
include a micro-insurance project established with Aiico Insurance 6
6 Page 7 8
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
7
Plc. to establish insurance policies and products that meet the needs of small-scale
businesses and rural entrepreneurs. GBE is currently supported by UBA, PriceWaterhouseCoopers,
Mobil, Chevron and Aiico
as well as other corporate bodies. CFC
Caffeine may protect the brain from Parkinson's 1min. 24secs. New research
recorded in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests drinking
coffee may
help prevent Parkinson's disease.
The research team studied more than 8,000 Japanese Americans over a period of
30 years and found that those who drank more than three cups of coffee a day
had five times less chance of developing the disease.
Parkinson's is a degenerative disorder that destroys the cells that make the
chemical dopamine in the brain. The disorder leads to damage in the nervous
system, causing tremors and erratic body movements. Some
patients also develop dementia.
Although not scientifically proven the conclusion of the study is that the caffeine
in the coffee may have a protective effect on the brain.
Although the research took into account other factors that could explain the
different incidence of Parkinson's – like cigarette smoking – it is too early
to recommend caffeine as a treatment. The researchers hope the study
will lead to more basic research on caffeine and its effect on the areas of
the brain affected by the disease. This could lead to better treatments or even
prevention.
CNN/ AP
Conservationists mourn the demise of the Amazon 1min. 2secs. Brazilian
environmentalists staged a mock funeral for the Amazon rain forest to warn that
unbridled agricultural
expansion is suffocating the so called lungs of the world.
Hundreds of mourners followed a casket through Sao Paolo's Ibirapuera park,
clutching seedlings of the native Ikpe tree to protest the devastation of the
world's largest tropical forest. This is in the wake of the
victory environmentalists scored in the preceeding week when the US congress
shelved a draft bill that would cut the legally protected Amazon reserve area
to 50 percent from the 80 percent of the total in May.
The Amazon, twice the size of France, is home to 50 percent of the world's
plant and animal species. Last year it lost a chunk larger than the US state
of Hawaii to logging and farming.
Reuters
Governments sound biodiversity alarm in Nairobi 1min. 30secs.
The numbers alone are alarming. According to the United Nations Environment
Program, species extinction since the year 1600 has occurred at a pace 50 to
100 times the natural rate. That pace is expected to
accelerate between 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural pace.
Today, more than 31,000 plant and animal species are threatened with extinction.
With this global alarm ringing in their heads, the 177 member governments represented
at the Convention on 7
7 Page 8 9
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
8
Biological Diversity are gathering in Nairobi Kenya to heal the relationship
between humanity and Earth's dwindling biodiversity.
The executive director of the UN Environment Program, Klaus Toepfer, said that
the extraordinary rise in
both human populations and consumption levels "leaves us no choice but to take
innovative and ambitious actions to reverse the widespread destruction of species
and ecosystems."
Launched at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Conference of
the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity last convened in 1998.
This year's meeting will examine the progress made by countries in addressing
threats to biological diversity. The ultimate aim is to come up with solutions
that can be implemented across the board – at international and
regional levels. ENN
Viagra fails big test to help women 1min. 38secs. While there is still
a lot of controversy as to the relevance of Viagra, the anti impotence drug,
to development,
research is still ongoing concerning its efficacy. Many have claimed that impotence
is an important health issue that must not be taken lightly in view of the implication
of the condition to the procreation of the human race.
As the debate goes on, the drug itself is not faring so well as it failed its
first big test on women. This is according to a study sponsored by Pfizer Inc,
the makers of the anti impotence drug.
The findings of the study were presented at the American College of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology in San Francisco. It also confirmed smaller studies that have
already shown that the little blue pill did not help women
with sexual dysfunctions.
Viagra, the first ever pill to treat impotence, was an instant splash in 1998
when it was approved in the US. The pill made more than $1 billion in sales
last year and Pfizer had hoped to increase profits by getting doctors
to prescribe it to women.
This latest study has however dashed this hope. In the study of 583 women with
various sexual disorders, prescribing Viagra proved to be about as effective
as… well, a placebo.
Deseretnews. com/ CFC
138 of the world's primate species are endangered 2min. 21secs. More
than 130 of the world's 600 primate species are endangered. These range from
mountain gorillas of
war torn Central Africa which are killed for their mythical powers to orphaned
orangutans from Sumatra sold into the pet trade. But the habitat loss caused
by logging, mining and encroachment by man may ultimately
prove more devastating to the threatened species of apes, monkeys and other
primates than outright slaughter.
"You've got to have protected areas to ensure the survival of these animals"
said Russell Mittermeier, a biologist with specialty in primates and the head
of Conservation International. He was among 400 primate
experts that met at the Brookefield zoo near Chigago to discuss primates and
their survival. Among the threatened primates are the bonobos or pygmy chimpanzees,
which live only in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, (DRC). Currently, bonobos are caught in the middle of the
fighting that has engulfed that part of the African continent. Some are killed
and eaten by hungry refugees driven into the forest by the war. 8
8 Page 9 10
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
9
The many sided conflict in the DRC, a country ranked fourth in the world in
terms of biodiversity, also threatens populations of mountain and lowland gorillas
and other species such as the okapi( forest giraffe).
Researchers say that primate populations can be very slow to recover as ape
species have only three to four
offspring over a lifetime.
Likewise, the illegal pet trade along with devastating fires two years ago,
has been deadly to many orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. Sumatra
is losing 1,000 orangutans a year and has an estimated 6,000
left. Borneo was devastated by fires in 1997-98, leaving between 10,000 to 15,000
orangutans compared to
60,000 in 1980.
Other endangered primate species include the gold lion tamarin on the Atlantic
coast of Brazil, the woolly spider monkey of Peru, and the lemurs of Madagascar.
CNN/ Reuters
New drug that targets genes may stop cancer 1min A new drug that focuses
on the precise genetic mutations that make cancer tumours different from healthy
tissue has shown promise in early tests on humans. The medicine helps to halt
the growth of tumours and makes them more vulnerable to chemotherapy.
Although studies are still in early stages, the drug, codenamed IMC-C225,
shows potential in victims of colon cancer and head and neck cancer who have
failed standard treatments. By itself the drug appears to
make tumours stop growing making them more open to the killing powers of standard
chemotherapy. So far all the new studies seem to be toeing the line of going
after the genetic disruptions that cause cancer to grow
out of control. The hope is to characterize each tumour with DNA analysis to
target the therapy directly. AP
WWF calls for concrete action to save rainforest diversity 1min. 54secs.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has urged the Convention for Biological
Diversity (CBD) to take
more concrete steps towards the protection and preservation of the world's forest
biodiversity.
Forest biodiversity is one of the important issues on the table at the fifth
Conference of Parties holding in Nairobi. This is the follow-up to the meeting
of the technical body of the CBD which had held in Montreal in
January. The technical body had earlier submitted that the programme of work
on forests was weak and must
be strengthened. The Secretariat's report noted that the situation was already
critical and pinpointed the need to focus on active work to stop the loss of
forest biodiversity, rather than continuing to concentrate on
methodologies for assessing its status.
WWF said that while the Convention has promoted many assessments and created
good plans on paper, the
assessments have not actually been carried out. It called for the measures necessary
to maintain forest quality to be implemented. It also went on to encourage the
parties to find a way to implement or enhance effective
management of forests.
In addition, WWF wants countries to ratify the Biosafety Protocol as a step
towards protecting forests rich in
plants and animal wildlife from threats. 9
9 Page 10 11
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
10
" It is not talk and analysis that will halt the alarming rate of forest degradation
and loss of biodiversity," said the head of WWF's Forest Programme, Jean-Paul
Jeanrenaud. "it's action – and there is no time like the
present for getting things underway" WWF
E -mail virus poses a threat to the US 1min. 32secs. The United States
is waking up to a new and dangerous computer virus which is spreading though
e-mails that
use Microsoft software. A number of corporate systems are already reported to
have been hit and some have
been shut down. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has warned that many
more systems could become infected in the near future.
Earlier this month, millions of computers around the world were closed down
by the so called "Love bug" virus which originated in the Phillipines and has
caused damage estimated at up to $10billion.
The new virus is carried in a file attached to an e mail entitled "Resume –
Janet Simons", the name of an apparent job seeker. It invites employers to click
on an attachment to check the phony applicant's references.
While only outlook users can spread the virus, any person with a computer running
the Windows operating system that opens the infected Word document can have
their files erased.
In the meantime, the FBI has advised computer users not to open emails with
suspicious resume headlines and to deactivate the executive summary feature
in the Microsoft outlook. In the meantime, efforts to stop the
virus and its destructive effects continue. BBCNews
Good health goes global 1min. 59secs. The issue of good health for
everyone is the main focus of 191 countries as they gather at the 53 rd World
Health Assembly in Geneva.
Among the most pressing in this issue is HIV/ AIDS which has been nagging health
specialists and governments around the world. From 95 percent of the cases around
the world, Africa is the hardest hit with an estimated
23million people infected with the virus. Malaria was not left out since it
accounts for millions of deaths annually on the continent. The spotlight of
the World Health Assembly was also thrown on the elimination of
leprosy, polio and tuberculosis.
Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO Director General, in her statement to the Assembly
singled out four strategic areas for the WHO: reduction of mortality and disability,
reduction of risks to human health, human systems
development and putting health at the centre of economic and development policy.
Indeed, international health is no longer the exclusive domain of health professionals.
"As Heads of States, including the G8 leaders debate the major political issues
facing our world, health issues are prominent on the
agenda" explained Dr Brundtland. "health is on the mind of finance ministers
attending the IMF and the World Bank as they discuss debt relief."
For the first time in its history, a health issue – HIV/ AIDS has been discussed
by the Security Council of the
United Nations. Health is the major theme in the Millennium Report by the United
Nations Secretary General, where the HIV/ AIDS pandemic has been referred to
as a "drama and tragedy of historic proportions." 10
10 Page 11 12
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
11
Newslink Africa
New treaty of agreement to be signed by ACP EU countries 2min. 26secs.
The new agreement of partnership of the ACP/ EU will be solemnly signed
at Suva, in the Fiji Islands on June
6, 2000. The agreement intends to renew the treaty of cooperation among the
15 member states of the European Union and the 71 countries from Africa, the
Carribean and the Pacific, better known as the ACP
countries.
The agreement known as the Suva treaty will be replacing the glorious Lome Convention
treaty, which until
recently represented the most complex and advanced instrument of North/ South
cooperation.
It was especially due to the gains attained by the ACP countries in the fields
of finance and trade that made the Lome treaty such an advanced instrument able
– in a way – to provide the necessary solidarity with the
poorest countries. For example, Europe has up to now acknowledged for the 71
ACP countries the right to
preferential access to the European market. The Lome agreement also made provisions
for the EU to make good financial losses suffered by the ACP in the case of
a collapse of prices in agricultural or general raw
materials.
However all these will be history with the signing of the Suva treaty. The new
treaty will no longer recognise,
from 2008 onwards, the preferential trade treatment. In fact by that time, the
creation of the Regional Economic Partnership Agreements (RIPA) will be in motion
as laid down by the rules of the World Trade Organisation.
This makes it illegal for any agreement like the Lome Treaty to exist.
While the agreement is ready for signing, the venue is not quite a given. On
May 19, there was a coup attempt
in Fiji. Observers believe this could jeopardise the signing ceremony. Whatever
the outcome, there is no doubt that the Suva treaty has been devised as a springboard
for launching Africa, the Caribbean and the
Pacific into world trade. The implication of this is yet to be seen. NewslinkAfrica/
CFC
Dateline Coming up…
Kyoto Protocol on the agenda 48secs. Now that over 80 countries have
ratified the Kyoto protocol on carbon emissions in the environment, the
European Union is pressing for it to enter into force in 2002, the tenth anniversary
of the Rio Summit. A great deal remains to be cleared up at the next meeting
of the Conference of the Parties, in The Hague on 13-14
November, 2000. The previous session of the Conference took place in Buenos
Aires and it concentrated on finalising all the technical details and guidelines
destined for adoption at the Hague. This has also prepared the
grounds for the expectations of the upcoming Conference of parties. The Courier
Pan African Symposium on the sustainable use of Natural resources 44secs.
The second Pan African Symposium on the use of natural resources in Africa
will be held in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso between 24 –28 July, 2000. This is a joint event run by the World
Conservation Union, IUCN
and the African Resources Trust (ART) a southern African NGO headquartered in
Zimbabwe and South 11
11 Page 12 13
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
12
Africa.
The Environment Minister of the host country will open the Symposium. The programme
is intended for people who work in wildlife, natural conservation and biodiversity.
Participating individuals or corporate
bodies can be government agencies, Non Governmental Organizations, donor communities
and local development organizations
The Courier
Noted…
Environment prize to CODEFF Chile project 35secs. The 1999 UNEP
Environment prize "Saving the drylands" has been awarded to an EU subsidized
project in
Chile. The project is being managed by the Comité Nacional pro Defensa de la
Fauna y Flora (CODEFF) and has been going on since 1968 with 4,000 members.
It has programs on biodiversity, forestry, environment
and social affairs.
The project was one of 25 selected from more than 100 candidates as a model
to initiate the management of dry lands.
The Courier
Yobe to legislate on fauna, flora depletion 59secs. Yobe state, in
Northern Nigeria is to enact an edict that will make the felling of trees, poaching
and hunting of
animals, including the endangered species illegal in the second half of the
year.
When the edict is passed into law, an offender may be liable to a fine of 120,000
naira or a jail term of six
months or both. In making the law, the state noted that massive felling of trees
for firewood in the state has resulted in serious environmental degradation
and abject poverty.
The action of this Nigerian state is applauded. While environmentalists look
forward to the actual implementation of the law, the creation of sustainable
energy to replace firewood would be a welcome addition that will help
make the law more realistic. The Guardian/ CFC
Hope for the hopeless 1min. 42secs. The respectability of The Economist
has rarely been in doubt. However the zeal at which this much read
magazine has currently taken to report on happenings on the African continent
took a new turn in the May 21 st to 25 th edition. On the front cover of this
edition of The Economist is a heavily armed soldier superimposed on
the map of Africa. As if this was not enough, The Economist read boldly on its
cover, "The hopeless continent". Rather than belabor the point, it might seem
appropriate to quote a letter written to the editor of The economist
in the subsequent edition by Chi Chi Okonjo from Lagos, Nigeria: "… Africa has
many problems and they
may be self inflicted but the gun you showed on your cover is not made in Africa"
The notion that a continent of 54 countries can be so sweepingly judged and
discarded is distasteful. While we
acknowledge the power of the press to bring about awareness of the situation
in Africa, we urge a certain level of sensitivity, balance and restraint. After
all, if we give in to The Economist's diagnosis of the continent,
the question will be…" what is the point in going on?"
Referring to Africa as "a hopeless continent" is hardly the type of attitude
that can lead to the change we all 12
12 Page 13 14
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
13
earnestly seek. CFC
Children's section
Nigeria hosts regional summit on media for children 1min. 40secs.
Nigeria hosted the West African Regional Summit on Media for Children from
May 24 to May 27, 2000 at
the nation's capital, Abuja. The summit was in preparation for the Third World
summit on Media for Children to be held in Greece in March 2001.
The Summit hosted delegates from Nigeria, Togo, Republic of Benin and Poland.
The delegates included journalists, producers and presenters of children's programmes,
media executives, Non Governmental
Organizations, Government Organizations and of course, children.
Issues ranging from violence in the media, lack of quality programming in the
region, the dearth of indigenous African programming for children and the influence
of the Internet technology on the African child were
discussed.
A group of children invited to the Summit also aired their views at the summit.
They roundly condemned violence against children especially in war torn countries
on the continent. They also spoke against child
trafficking, female circumcision, child labour, child prostitution and gender
discrimination. They called for the creation of children's television and radio
channels in the region and asked for opportunities to participate fully
in the production of children's programming.
The summit ended with a communiqué calling for foras where governments, media
executives, parents and children can meet to discuss how their roles can influence
and improve the other, especially in the media.
CFC
How the waterbuck got its White Circle 1 i n .31secs. Onedark igh t,
when t herewasnomoon , awaterbuckmotherandheryoungonesgrazedveryc losetoatribesman'shut.
Thismanhadbeenbusywh itewash ing t hewa llsofh ishu t foravisitbyarelat ive
, andhehad leftthepotsofwh itewashouts ide . On e o f t h e w a t e r b u c
k a c c id e n t a lly k n o c k e d o v e r t h e p o t s in t h e d a r k
, m a k in g s u c h a n o is e t h a t t h e tr ib e s m a n w o AfricanProverbs
and MoreAfricanProverbs C r u e lt y t o a n im a ls is a s if m
a n d id n o t lo v e G o d CardinalJohnHenryNe log ianandwr iter, 1801-1890
We c a n n o t c o m m a n d n a t u r e e x c e p t b y o b e y in g h e r
Francis istandPh ilosopher ,1561-1626 Ma n is e n d o w e d w ith t h
e g if t o f s p e e c h a n d t h e a b ilit y t o c r e a t e …b u t s o f
a r h e h a s o n ly d e s t r o y e d …t h e r e a r e f e w e r a n d f e
w e r f o r e s t s , t h e r iv e r s a r e d r y in g u p , w ild a n im a
ls a r e a s g o o d a s e x t in c t, t h e c lim a te h a s b e e n t h r
o w n o u t o f b a la n c e a n d AntonCh ianDramat istandWr iter1860–
1904 U n c le V a n y a ( 1 9 0 0 ) 13
13 Page 14 15
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
14
If he was paid ten naira, he would use the money to buy a hen. If the hen hatched
chicks, he would sell them all and buy a goat. And if the goat multiplied, he
would put some to graze on his sister's pasture and some he
would sell. With this money he would buy a cow. When he had the cow, he would
wait until the horns were as long as his forearms, and…
The dream of riches was so real in his mind that Lisenga became excited. His
feet kicked underneath him and he jumped up. He danced about with happiness.
He leapt up for joy and as he leapt he kicked a stump and -all
those eggs broke.
"Oh! Oh!" cried Lisenga. " Wealth stay behind me. Forget those thoughts you
had " he told himself "they are bad thoughts".
Then Lisenga turned towards home and as he walked, he decided that he did
not need wealth anyway. In fact, his friends would surely mock him if he was
the only one with riches and he would rather have their friendship
rather than cold money. Yes, he was better off without wealth. Shangani folk
tales
Parting shots
Unforgettable quotes on conservation and development
Celebrate the wisdom of the African experience with these quotes:
On conservation Not all the trees in the forest make good firewood.
Sudanese proverb
If you want to know about the soil, ask the squirrel Cameroonian proverb
On Unity
The strength of the soldier ants lie in their number Nigerian proverb
On Justice and peace Peace is costly but it is well worth its price
Kenyan Proverb
To get rid of anger, first weed out the bitter roots Zambian proverb
Source: African Proverbs
and More African Proverbs
Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God Cardinal John Henry Newman,
Theologian and writer, 1801-1890 14
14 Page 15
Vol. II No. 18 CHANGE Radio July, 2000
15
We cannot command nature except by obeying her Francis Bacon
Essayist and Philosopher, 1561-1626
Man is endowed with the gift of speech and the ability to create… but so far
he has only destroyed… there are fewer and fewer forests,
the rivers are drying up, wild animals are as good as extinct, the climate has
been thrown out of balance and the world is growing poorer and uglier
by the minute.
Anton Chekhov Russian Dramatist and Writer 1860 –1904
Uncle Vanya( 1900) 15
© 2002 Communicating for Change. All Rights Reserved
Developed by George Mbuagbaw