How to check state of your application online

Transcription

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Fax +39 06 8741 0528
email: [email protected]
Editorial Office: via V. Maroso 50,
00142 Rome - Italy
Decreto Flussi
IMMIGRATION
NEWS
How to check state of
your application online
We are featuring a
detailed instruction on
how you can now check
online the state of your
application if you applied
for authorisation to work
under last year's Quota
Agreement (Decreto
Flussi). It is quite simple
to find out exactly where
application is and what
stages it still has to go
through. All you need to
have are your email
address and the password
you previously used to
download and submit the
forms.
One million still
waiting for
renewal of
Permit of Stay
P. 2
Suzanna Lubrano releases
irresistibly danceable LP “Saida”
No license to
drive taxi if you
are a foreigner
P. 4
THE GUIDE
Continued on Page 3
Decreto Flussi
Decreto Flussi
Answers to
the frequently
asked
questions after
submitting
application
P. 2
COMMUNITY
Ghanaians
breaking new
grounds in
P. 14
Italy
YEAR 6 N°2
FEBRUARY 2008 PRICE € 0,30
What to do after
submitting
application P. 6
The famous Cape Verdean songstress Suzanna Lubrano is back with a new
LP "Saida", an excellent, sweet and irresistibly danceable LP with
powerful and relevant messages.
P. 21
Ordinary
unemployment
benefit
P. 7
Beckham: Act to save children
from dying from preventable causes
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
David Beckham visited Sierra Leone in
January to draw attention to the issue of
child survival. "We can't turn a blind
eye to the tens of thousands of young
children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that
are preventable. In Sierra Leone, one in
four children dies before reaching their
fifth birthday - it's shocking and tragic
ENTERTAINMENT
DJ Dubwise:
“Politics is a game
that can either
build or destroy a
nation”
P. 19
especially when the solutions are simple
- things like vaccinations against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce
the chance of getting malaria,"
he said.
P. 11
FOCUS
South Africa's
Simphiwe
Dana to thrill
fans in Rome
P. 16
2
LIVING IN ITALY
Year 6 - n°2 February 2008
Decreto Flussi
Answers to the frequently asked
questions after submitting application
What can a person
who has lost the password do?
First of all, he/she can look
for it in the confirmation email
sent to each employer at the
time of registration to download the forms. The password is
written in that email. If one
can't find it, he/she can access
the website www.interno.it
and go to the section meant for
flussi, click on the link
"Recupera password" (recover
password) and it be will be
sent again to the applicant's
mailbox.
But can't I be assisted
by an operator?
Yes, on the website
www.interno.it, in the section
meant for flussi, you can click
on "Help desk", insert your
personal data and landline
phone number to be used in
contacting you. It is important
that this be done by the employer. It would be really embarrassing for the Ministry of
Home Affair's operators to call
and talk to the foreign worker
who is probably in the country
illegally.
What about those who
didn't receive the mail
confirming reception of
their application? What
can they do?
In this case, first of all, do
an online check by accessing
the website www.interno.it
and inserting the email and
password used to send the
application. But if the application is not available in the
system, it is advisable to contact the Help desk using the
procedure above.
Can a person who
sought help of associations or benevolent institutions in submitting the
application personally
check the state of his/her
application?
No, he/she must go to the
same office that submitted the
application. Only the associations and benevolent institutions have a user code to
access the area for
checking the state of
applications. The
user code is valid
for all applications
sent by the same
office so for the
sake of privacy of
all other applicants,
the code cannot be
given to individual
employers.
When will the
classification of
applications be
published?
In January, they
were still classifying the applications in terms of
time of reception,
nationality, breakdown of quotas, and
it wasn't clear when
and how the classifications will be
published.
Keep
checking on our
website www.stranieriinitalia.it
if
there is any news.
One million still waiting for
renewal of Permit of Stay
By Elvio Pasca
The data from Ministry of
Home Affairs shows that the
new system of applying for
Permits of Stay at the post office is not working. While it has
earned the Poste Italiane and
the government more than 90
million euros, it has not been
of any help to the foreigners
still waiting for their permits.
Fourteen months ago, the
application for renewal of
Permits of Stay was transferred
from the Provincial Police
Headquarters to the post offices.
The new system, it was said,
would eliminate the long queues
at the police stations and shorten
the time for renewing the permits.
Time has passed but so far the
new system has not started to
function as expected. If you are
also waiting for the renewal of
your Permit of Stay, don't worry
because you are not alone. The
latest information from the
Ministry of Home Affairs shows
there is a serious backlog. From
11th December 2006 (when the
new system was introduced) to
9th January 2008, about
1,300,000 applications were
back home and re-entering
Italy, to be hired, to take driving test, etc. The fact
remains that the renewal slip
is not equivalent to the Permit
of Stay. For instance, have
you ever used the renewal slip
to apply for a loan?
"The government must
find a solution to this serious
problem which has been on
for a very long time," says
Acli Benevolent Institution.
Acli holds that a new law
must be made to solve this
problem. "The Parliament must
approve fast the new immigration law and increase the validity period of the Permits of Stay
to reduce the work load for the
immigration staff at the police
stations."
As we wait for the reforms,
the police stations may be helped by other competent institutions to process the permits.
Observing that currently the
police stations are also processing the applications for authorisation to work under last year's
Quota Agreement, Acli is suggesting to the Ministry of Home
Affairs to sign agreements with
other institutions to help the
police stations clear the backlog.
"The government must find a
solution to this serious problem
which has been on for a very
long time. The Parliament must
approve fast the new immigration
law and increase the validity
period of the Permits of Stay to
reduce the work load for the
immigration staff at the police
stations."
Acli Benevolent Institution
submitted but only 372,000 permits have been issued.
In order to submit these
1,300,000 applications, each
applicant spent 70 euros. This
adds up to 90,000,000 euros paid
by the foreigners. Out this,
40,000,000 euros went to the
Poste Italiane while the rest went
to the government. Foreigners
paid heavily for the revenue
stamp, fees for the printing of
the electronic Permit of Stay,
only to receive such a poor quality service.
In the meantime, about one
million people who applied for
the permit only have the renewal
slip (cedolino) which is a piece
of paper allowing the holder to
many things including travelling
DIRETTORE RESPONSABILE: Sergio Talamo
DIRETTORE EDITORIALE: Stephen Ogongo
Tel: +390687410531 Fax: +390687410528
Email: [email protected]
PUBBLICITA': Tel.+390687410591
EDITORE: Stranieri in Italia,
Via Virgilio Maroso 50, Roma 00142 ITALY
Tel. +390687410531 Fax +390687410528
Social security benefit
increased to 5142,67 euros
By EP
This year, one would
have to earn more than
5,000 euros in order to
renew the Permit of Stay,
have family reunification
or benefit from other rights
recognised to those
who are self-reliant.
INPS has indicated
that 395,59 euros is the
monthly social security
benefit for the year
2008. This is a kind of
State support for the
elderly and poor people.
Italian citizens, EU
citizens and non-EU
citizens who are holders of EU long term
resident permit and
those aged at least 65
years with a total
annual income less than
5142,67 euros qualify for
the social security benefit
The social security
benefit is also a point of
reference used to determine the foreigner's financial
capacity, says Advocate
Mascia Salvatore, a legal
expert of Stranieri in Italia.
"In order to renew the
Permit of Stay, have family
reunification or apply for
EU long term resident permit, for instance, one the
main requirements is that
the applicant be earning at
least 5142,67 euros per
year".
Those applying for
family reunification with
two or three family members must prove their salary is double the social
security benefit.
And those want to
employ a domestic worker
must guarantee the worker
a salary that is equivalent
to the social security benefit.
DISTRIBUZIONE E ABBONAMENTI:
Tel.+390687410507 Fax +390687410528
COLLABORATORI: Reggie Tagoe, Michael Raphael,
TAYO, Lsk Marfoh, Elvio Pasca, Samuel K. Agyei Takyi
REGISTRAZIONE TRIBUNALE DI ROMA n. 22/2003 del 21-01-2003 TIPOGRAFIA: CENTRO STAMPA QUOTIDIANI spa Via
dell'Industria 52, Brescia 25030
LIVING IN ITALY
3
Decreto Flussi
Check state of your application online
By Elvio Pasca
If you submitted your application for authorisation to
work under last year's Quota
Agreement (Decreto Flussi),
you can now check online the
state of your application. It is a
very simple procedure. All
you need to have are your
email address and the password you previously used to
download and submit the
forms. The first thing to do is
to access the home page of the
Ministry of Home Affairs
www.interno.it then click on
the link "verifica domande on
line" (check state of applications online).
Stato della Pratica
(State of application)
Richiesta DPL
Richiesta Questura
your user code) and the password. Then click "accedi"
(access).
Information to be sent to the competent Employment Centre is
being printed
Attesa CPI
Waiting for response from the Employment Centre
search by inserting the code of
the specific application you
are interested in on the box
"Cerca una domanda specifica" (search a specific application).
The code is in the email you
received from the Ministry of
Home Affairs after submitting
the application.
Waiting for the employer's decision on the other workers suggested by the Employment Centre
Notifica di Rigetto Questura
(EX art. 10)
The Provincial Police Headquarters has given a negative response
to the application. The employer will receive an invitation to present additional documents
In attesa di chiusura dopo
Rigetto Questura
The Sportello Unico is waiting for additional documents from the
employer. If they don't arrive, the application will be rejected.
Notifica di Rigetto DPL
(ex art. 10)
The Provincial Labour Office has given a negative response to the
application. The employer will receive an invitation to present
additional documents.
The Sportello Unico is waiting for additional documents from the
employer. If they don't arrive, the application will be rejected.
Provvedimento di Rigetto
Questura
The Sportello Unico rejects the application after a negative response from the Provincial Police Headquarters
Provvedimento di Rigetto DPL
Integrazione dati DPL - inoltro
al richiedente
The Sportello Unico rejects the application after a negative response from the Provincial Labour Office
The Provincial Labour Office needs further information about the
applicant
Integrazione dati DPL - caricamento della risposta.
The Sportello Unico verifies and inserts the required additional
information to be examined by the Provincial Labour Office
Attesa Quote
Waiting for availability of the quotas from the Provincial Labour
Office
Richiesta Codice Fiscale
Provvisorio
Issuing of temporary Fiscal Code by the Income tax department
Pronta per stampa Nulla Osta
SUI
Authorisation to work is ready to be printed
Nulla Osta rilasciato e trasmesso
al MAE
The authorisation to work was printed and sent to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, waiting for the response before the employer is
summoned
Nulla Osta Rilasciato e
Consegnabile
The Sportello Unico sends a letter to the employer to come and collect the authorisation to work and to undersign the Residence
Contract (Contratto di soggiorno)
Nulla Osta Consegnato
Authorisation to work handed to the employer
Nulla Osta inviato all'Autorità
Consolare
Waiting for the foreigner to apply for the entry Visa at the
Embassy
Registrazione Chiusura MAE
The Embassy has declined to issue the Visa. The Sportello Unico
closes the application
Dati discrepanti MAE Inoltro al datore di lavoro
The Embassy has noticed mistakes in the worker's personal data
and asked for correction
Dati discrepanti MAE - Rettifica
dati
The Embassy corrects the worker's personal data and sends them
again to the Sportello Unico to be forwarded to the Provincial
Police Headquarters for their report
Richiesta Questura dopo rettifica dati MAE
Ricevimento del lavoratore straniero. Cambiare in "Visto rilasciato"
Conversione Codice Fiscale
Richiesta Rilascio PDS
Attesa occupazione
If you don't understand the
summary information provided,
The Employment Centre sends to the employer the possible names
of other workers available to be hired. If Employment Centre doesn't send any name within 20 days, the Sportello Unico proceeds
with the processing of the application
Decisione datore
In attesa di chiusura dopo
Rigetto DPL
At this stage a table will
appear with details showing
the stages through which the
application has been at the different offices examining it
(Provincial Police headquarters, Provincial Labour Office,
Employment centres, etc). If
you submitted more than one
application, you can limit the
The Provincial Labour Office is examining the application to see if
the contract requirements are met and if there is a quota available
The Provincial Police Headquarters is checking if there are reasons that may impede the foreigner's entry into Italy (for example,
expulsion in the past)
Stampa Richiesta CPI
Lista lavoratori
A new page will open
where you'll have to insert
your email address (or in case
you are an association, insert
Descrizione di dettaglio
(Description in detail)
you can find detailed informa- Invio richiesta PDS a Poste
tion in the table on the right.
Waiting for the response from the Provincial Police Headquarters
The foreigner has one year from the time the Visa is issued to come to
Italy & report to Sportello Unico within 8 days to undersign the
Residence contract & collect application forms for Permit of Stay
Issuing of the definite Fiscal code at the time the foreigner presents
him/herself to the Sportello Unico
The Sportello Unico has given to the foreigner the application
forms for the Permit of Stay
Printing the foreigner's declaration of job waiting status
Application for Permit of Stay to be submitted at post office which will in
turn forward it to Provincial Police headquarters
4
LIVING IN ITALY
Italy adopts EU Asylum
Procedures Directive
By Elvio Pasca
Italy has adopted the European
Union Asylum Procedures Directive.
If the application for asylum is rejected, the applicant can hope to receive
subsidiary protection status.
Italy has now adopted the EU
Directive on Refugees. From 19th
January, the Legislative Decree
251/2007 came into effect.
It defines minimum standards for
the qualification of foreigners as refugees and subsidiary protection status. It
also lists the minimum requirements
and rights of those who are awarded
the status.
According to the note issued by the
Ministry of Home Affairs, a refugee is
any person who is outside any country
of such person's nationality or, in the
case of a person having no nationality,
is outside any country in which such
person last habitually resided, and who
is unable or unwilling to return to, and
is unable or unwilling to avail himself
or herself of the protection of, that
country because of persecution or a
well-founded fear of persecution on
account of race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social
group, or political opinion.
The Directive also provides an alternative to refugee status which is called
'subsidiary protection'. This status is
granted on the basis of the existence of
a real risk of 'serious harm' if returned
to the country of origin. This is defined
as: '(a) death penalty or execution; or
(b) torture or inhuman or degrading tre-
A refugee is any person who
is outside any country of
such person's nationality or,
in the case of a person
having no nationality, is outside any country in which
such person last habitually
resided, and who is unable
or unwilling to return to,
and is unable or unwilling
to avail himself or herself of
the protection of, that country because of persecution
or a well-founded fear of
persecution on account of
race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular
social group, or political
opinion.
atment or punishment of an applicant
in the country of origin.'
Foreigners who are already receiving assistance from an institution or a
UN agency other than the United
Nations High Commission for
Refugees are excluded from protection.
No protection is also to be given to
those who committed crime against
peace, war crimes or crimes against
humanity, or other serious crimes and
cruel acts. The Permit of Stay for refugees issued is valid for five years and is
renewable while that for social protection is valid for three years and can
only be renewed if the reasons that
made it be issued are still valid. It is,
however, convertible into other types
of permits. Those granted protection in
Italy can reunite with their families
They also have right to work under
the same conditions as Italians (subordinate and self-employment), to professional training and internship, to
register with professional associations.
Holders of Permit of Stay for refugees
and subsidiary protection can be
employed in the civil service like citizens of EU.
They also have a right receive social
and medical assistance just as Italians.
The same is valid for minor children
when it comes to access to education,
but adults will be considered equivalent to foreign citizens living in Italy
legally.
In order to have their diplomas, certificates and other foreign titles be
recognised, the same rules applicable
to Italians are applied to them.
Subsidiary protection status
is granted on the basis of the
existence of a real risk of
'serious harm' if returned to
the country of origin. This is
defined as: '(a) death penalty
or execution; or (b) torture
or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of an
applicant in the country of
origin.
No license to drive taxi if you are a foreigner
Tunisian denied taxi driver's license in Florence & Lucca: “This is discrimination”
By Elvio Pasca
In Italy it is almost impossible for
a foreigner to become a taxi driver.
Abdelhamid Ben el Ouja from
Tunisia tried but had a terrible experience.
Abdelhamid has a Permanent
Resident Card, is a father of a baby
who goes to school, owns a house and
has managed to save some money.
Last year Abdelhamid thought of
leaving his job at a factory to become
self-employed as a taxi driver.
For the first time in 20 years, the
City Council of Florence made a public
notice inviting those interested in becoming taxi drivers to submit their applications. There were 60 licenses to be
issued. "I knew there would be many
applicants but I decided to try all the
same," Abdelhamid says. But he was
not even admitted for the competition.
The Commission evaluating applications excluded Abdelhamid from the
competition because he is neither an
Italian citizen nor a citizen of European
Union, as stated by the rules of City
Council of Florence.
Abdelhamid never gave up. "Since I
never succeeded in Florence, I decided
to go and try my luck in Lucca. There
were no new licenses to be issued so I
went around looking for a taxi driver
who wanted to sell his license," he
says.
Abdelhamid paid 500 euros to the
person who helped him look for a taxi
driver selling his license. He soon
found a taxi driver who was preparing
to go on pension and wanted to sell his
license at 70,000 euros.
But even this time the City Council
blocked everything. Abdelhamid received a letter from the City Council
saying that before the license could be
transferred to Abdelhamid, he had to
present a letter from competent authorities in Tunisia or Tunisia's Embassy
in Italy declaring that Tunisian authori-
ties grant to Italian citizens the right to
be taxi drivers.
At this stage Abdelhamid decided to
call the Tunisian Embassy to ask for
the letter. "They told me they don't
know how to give me the letter because seemingly there are no bilateral
agreements between Italy and Tunisia
on this issue. I therefore don't know
what to do next," says Abdelhamid.
Florence and Lucca are not the only
cities denying foreigners the right to
become taxi drivers. Turin, Milan,
Palermo, Modena and many others also
do the same. Foreigners are
not allowed to become taxi
drivers unless they come
from countries that have bilateral agreements with Italy,
allowing Italians to become
taxi drivers there.
Yet the national law serving as point of reference for
the rules of the City Councils
doesn't say anything about
the citizenship of taxi drivers. The City Councils have therefore
decided to introduce this restriction, the
same way they've done with the restrictions on employing foreigners in the
civil service.
Abdelhamid, however, is not interested in finding out who is to blame. "In
my view, this is discrimination. I'm an
honest person, I pay taxes and would
like to start a business. I'm asking to be
allowed to become a taxi driver, not to
become a police officer. Do you think it
is right to deny me the chance?"
www.stranieriinitalia.it
the immigration website
news, investigations, and useful information for all foreigners in Italy every day
Stranieri in Italia
6
THE GUIDE
Decreto Flussi
What to do after submitting application
By Teresa Olivadese
Applications for authorisation to
work under the Quota Agreement
(Decreto flussi) 2007 were submitted online to the Immigrations
Office at the Prefecture (Sportello
Unico per l'immigrazione) using the
new procedure introduced by the
Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Immigrations Law (DLgs.
286/98) states the procedures to be
followed by the competent offices in
handling the application in order to
issue foreigners the authorisation to
work.
The Immigrations Office receiving
the application must first of all check
if all it is in order and if all the required documents have been attached. It
then has to forward it to the local provincial Employment centre where the
employer resides or in the case of
company, where it has its legal headquarters.
The provincial Employment centre
will then transmit this job offer being
given to a foreigner, to other local
employment centres to check if there
is an Italian or European Union citizen
interested in the same job.
If after 20 days no Italian or EU
citizen comes forward to apply for the
job, the Employment centre gives
green light to the hiring of a non-EU
foreign citizen.
But if an Italian or EU citizen
applies for the job, the application for
authorisation to work for a non-EU
citizen is suspended until the employer confirms to the Employment centre that he/she is only interested in
hiring the non-EU foreign citizen he
applied for.
Once this is done, the Immigrations
Office at the Prefecture forwards the
application to the Provincial Police
headquarters (Questura) and to the
Provincial Labour Office.
The application is forwarded to the
Provincial Police headquarters telematically so that it can check if there
are reasons that can impede
either the worker or the
employer from being issued
the authorisation. The
authorisation to work will
not be issued if either the
employer or the worker has
been accused of crimes
covered by Articles 380 and
381 of the Criminal Code.
The same application is
also sent to the Provincial
Labour Office telematically
so that it can verify if the
contract is in order and
there are quotas available.
In case of a negative report
from the Provincial Police
headquarters
or
the
Provincial Labour Office,
the Immigrations Office at
the Prefecture rejects the
application and notifies the
employer so that if the
employer wants, he/she can
appeal against the rejection
within 60 days at the
Regional Administrative
Tribunal (TAR).
But in case of a positive
report from both the Provincial police
headquarters and Provincial Labour
Office, the Immigrations Office at the
Prefecture asks the Income Tax department to issue the foreigner a temporary Fiscal code and gives the employer
the authorisation to work to be forwarded to the foreigner.
All the documents will also be sent
telematically
to
the
Italian
Embassy/Consulate in the foreigner
worker's home country.
Checking status of
application online
The Ministry of Home Affairs has
introduced a special link to be used in
verifying the state of applications for
authorisation to work submitted under
last year's Quota Agreement.
It is therefore possible to find out at
what stage the application is, if for
instance, it has been rejected by the
Provincial Police headquarters or by
the Provincial Labour office, or if it is
yet to be processed.
How to access the service
The first thing to do is to access the
website of the Ministry of Home
Affairs (ww.interno.it) and on the
homepage, click on the link "verifica
domande on line" (check status of
applications online).
It is necessary to insert the email
address and the password used previously to download the forms. If the
application was submitted by an association, then it is necessary to insert
the user code.
Having verified if the user is registered, the system will open the page
with a list of all applications submitted
by the same user and show the state of
each application.
If on the section "Attività in corso"
(activity in progress) appears any of
the following writings: richiesta della
DPL, della Questura, stampa richiesta CPI, Attesa CPI, it means that
means that the application was at the
same time forwarded to the Provincial
Labour Office, the Provincial Police
headquarters and to the competent
Employment centres still waiting for
their response.
In case none of the above activities
appears, it means that the application
for the authorisation to work has been
examined by the competent authorities and at this stage one can see if they've approved or rejected it.
After checking the status of application, one can exit the page by clicking on the box "esci" (exit).
What happens if I lose my job?
By Rosanna Caggiano
A foreigner who loses his/her job
retains the right to live in Italy
legally for a given period set by the
law. The law doesn't provide for
withdrawal of the permit if the holder loses a job.
The immigration law in fact gives
the foreigner the possibility of searching for another job.
The worker in this case must
within 40 days of losing the job and
before the expiry of the Permit of
Stay, report to the Employment
Centre the previous work activity carried out and declare his/her readiness
to work.
Only after doing this will the foreigner's name be added to the list of
those searching for jobs throughout
the validity period of his/her Permit of
Stay, and in any case for a period not
lower than six months.
In case the Permit of Stay expires
before the foreigner finds another job,
he/she can apply for its renewal at the
post office by sending to the
Provincial police headquarters, the
proof of enrolment with the employment listings.
The police station will have to
issue the Permit of Stay for Job expires, then he/she will have to retain all the rights to social security
Searching (permesso di soggiorno per return to his/her home country but benefits he/she is entitled to.
attesa occupazione)
valid
for
six
months.
SEND YOUR CONTAINER
If the foreigner
finds an employer
WITH US
willing to hire
him/her, the emploSpedizioni Srl
yer has to prepare a
new Residence con«Somebody looked for a support to lift the World ... all we needs is a Container»
tract (contratto di
soggiorno-modello INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS
Q) to be sent to the
Immigrations
Via Firenze 144/3/a - 57122 Livorno - Italy
Office
at
the
• Ph.:+ 39 0586 444084 Fax:+ 39 0586 444085
Prefecture within 5
days of hiring and
Filiale: Via Cesare Battisti, 166 - Lonigo (VI)
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THE GUIDE
7
Ordinary unemployment benefit
have not made 52 weekly contributions in the last two years, but have
worked for at least 78 days in the previous year including public holidays
and paid leave of absence.
By Rosanna Caggiano
A foreign citizen who is unemployed can qualify to obtain the ordinary unemployment benefit if
he/she meets the conditions set by
the Law.
Ordinary unemployment benefit is
meant to help the worker get financial
assistance in place of income from
work.
Requirements
In order to qualify for reduced
unemployment benefit, one must meet
the following conditions:
- have made at least two years' contributions for involuntary unemployment benefit
- have been a subordinate worker
for at least 78 days in the period being
referred to
Who qualifies for
ordinary unemployment
benefit?
The benefit is meant for subordinate workers who have not chosen to be
unemployed, and therefore don't have
an income due to any of the following
reasons: firing, suspension due to lack
of job, expiry of a work contract.
Those who have willingly decided
to resign from work, except those on
maternity leave and those who have
resigned due to a justified cause (lack
of payment, sexual harassment, mobbing, etc) don't have a right to ordinary unemployment benefit.
From 17th March 2005, even workers who have been suspended from
work because the company has been
hit by a temporary crisis that has not
been caused by either the workers or
employer (scarcity in work, market
crisis, etc) also have a right to ordinary unemployment benefit.
Foreigners with Permit of Stay for
seasonal work don't qualify for ordinary unemployment benefit since they
are excluded from obligatory unemployment social security.
Requirements
In order to qualify for ordinary
benefit, one must meet the following
conditions:
- be unemployed. The certificate
showing employment status is obtained by reporting to the competent
employment office (Centro per l'impiego) and undersigning a declaration
in which the worker states the work
done previously and availability to
work
- must have made at least two years'
contributions for involuntary unemployment benefit before the date of
unemployment
- must have made at least a year's
contributions (equivalent to 52 weeks
in the last two years before date of
unemployment)
- have capacity to work
Application
Duration
An application for unemployment
benefit must be made at the local
INPS office (or the employment office
or through the Benevolent institutions-Patronati) with 68 days of ceasing work using Modello DS21.
The following documents must be
attached to the application:
- declaration from the last employer
(mod. DS22) or a self-certificate showing information regarding the last
work done
- certificate of enrolment with the
unemployment listings
- application for Irpef tax relief
The unemployment benefit is given
for 180 days, but can be extended to 9
months if the unemployed person is
over 50 years old.
In 2007, it was extended to 7
months for workers who are under 50
years old and to ten months for those
aged from 50 and above.
Forms DS 21 and DS 22 and the
form for applying for Irpef tax relief
are available at the offices of INPS
and on the website of INPS
www.Inps.it, on section "moduli"
(forms).
Amount
The benefit is calculated at 40 per
cent of the worker's average earnings
during the previous three months, but
it cannot exceed a maximum amount
set by Law. This amount is usually
increased every year depending on
inflation rate computed by ISTAT.
For the ordinary unemployment
benefit being paid from 1st April
2005, the percentage is increased to
50% for the first 6 months, then from
the 7th month it is fixed at 40%.
For workers aged 50 years and
above, it is increased to 50% for the
first 6 months, then to 40% for the
next three months and then to 30% for
the tenth month.
Suspended workers are paid unemployment benefit equivalent to 50 per
cent of their salary.
Loss of unemployment
benefit
One loses the right to unemployment benefit if he/she:
- has received the benefit for the
whole period foreseen by the law
- gets another job for five consecutive days
- becomes holder of direct pension
(old age pension, seniority, etc)
- is removed from the unemployment listings
Appeal
In case one's application for unemployment benefit is rejected, an appeal can be made on simple paper to the
Provincial Committee of INPS within
90 days of receiving the notification.
The appeal can be submitted directly to the office of INPS that rejected
the application, sent by post through
registered mail with return slip, or
submitted through the authorised
Benevolent institutions.
Reduced unemployment
benefit
This is unemployment benefit
meant for subordinate workers who've
worked for a limited period of time,
Application
An application for reduced unemployment benefit must be made at the
local INPS office using Modello DS21
within 31st March of the year after
cessation of work.
The following documents must be
attached to the application:
- declaration from the last employer
(modulo DL 86/88bis)
- application for Irpef tax relief
Forms Modulo DL 86/88bis and the
form for applying for Irpef tax relief
are available at the offices of INPS
and on the website of INPS
www.Inps.it, on section "moduli"
(forms). The reduced unemployment
benefit is calculated at 30 per cent of
the worker's average daily earnings,
but it cannot exceed a maximum
amount set by Law. The reduced
unemployment benefit is given for a
maximum of 156 days.
INPS introduces new
rates this year
This year, INPS has increased the
amount and duration of ordinary and
reduced unemployment benefits.
From 1st January 2008, the ordinary unemployment benefit is given for
8 months and not 7 as before. It has
also been increased to 12 months from
10 for those who are over 50 years
old. The amount now given is equivalent to 60% of the salary for the first 6
months, then 50% for the seventh and
eighth months, then it is decreased to
40% for the next months.
When it comes to reduced unemployment benefit, the amount has been
increased from 30% to 50% of the
salary for the first 120 days, and then
40% for the next days until 180 days.
8
THE GUIDE
Obligatory notifications to be made about work
By Teresa Olivadese
On 11th January 2008, a new
Decree came into effect governing
the administrative procedures to be
followed by employers (public and
private)
in
notifying
the
Employment centres, INPS, INAIL
and Ministry of Labour of hiring,
prolonging, transformation and termination of work relationship.
The Decree which is dated 30th
October 2007, states that each Region
and Autonomous Province must guarantee to the registered users, the possibility of using telematic services to
submit the forms.
Thanks to this new telematic services, it is possible to make only one
notification
to
the
Region
(Employment Centre). The Region
will issue a receipt showing the date
and hour the notification was submitted. It will then be upon the Region to
forward the same notification to the
Ministry of Labour who in turn will
forward it to INPS, INAIL, other
social security institutions and
Prefecture.
By using the newly created forms
to make a single notification, one will
have fulfilled all the obligations previously foreseen by the law.
Who must use telematic
service to make obligatory
notifications
- private employers (entrepreneurs)
- employers of domestic workers
- economic public institutions
- public administration
- work agencies
- associations
- foundations
- Trade unions
- job consultants
- advocates
- Professional accountants and
commercial consultants
In order to make the notification
through the telematic services the
above must register following the procedures set by each Region and
Autonomous Province where their
firm has its headquarters. Job agencies
have to register where their agency
operates.
Employers of domestic workers are
not obliged to make the notification
through telematics. They can as well
do it using other appropriate procedures which help certify the exact date
the notification was made (registered
mail with return slip, fax, personally,
etc). In such a case, the notification
will have to be done using the new
forms (Modulo Unificato Lav).
From the date the new Decree got
into effect, all the previous forms for
making notification were cancelled.
The Decree explicitly cancels
Modello C/ASS, previously used to
make notification of new work relationships, and Modello Unificato Temp previously used by work agencies.
work agencies to make the obligatory
notification
- "Unificato Urg" to be used to
make notification of urgent hiring due
to the company's production needs,
and in case of malfunction of the telematic service
- "Unificato VARDatori": to be
used to communicate the change in the
company's name, or the transfer of a
branch to a different place
The new forms are:
Transition period
- "Unificato Lav" to be used by private, economic public institutions and
public administration to make the
obligatory notification
- "Unificato Somm" to be used by
In order to allow for the update of
the systems, the obligation to make
notification exclusively using electronic forms and to submit them telematically will be effective from 1st
March 2008. Up to that date, if your
Region has established the telematic
service, the notifications will be sent
using the above procedures. In this
case only one submission made will
be valid for all the other competent
offices.
During this transition period, those
who fail to use the new telematic
system will have to make the notification through fax using the hard paper
forms and they'll have to send them to
INAIL, and other social security institutions in accordance with the law.
An employer who fails to make the
obligatory notification will be subject
to a fine ranging from 100 to 500
euros for each worker.
International pension for non-EU citizens
By Teresa Olivadese
A foreign citizen who has
worked in Italy and abroad
can add up periods of work
in the different countries in
order to qualify for pension.
One can add up the periods
worked in a European country
or in non-EU country with
which Italy has signed bilateral pension agreements.
Such conventions allow
the foreigner to add up the
periods worked in Italy and in
those other countries with
which Italy has signed a bilateral agreement in order to
have the right to pension.
The application for pen-
sion under international convention must be submitted
directly by the concerned person to the competent institution in the country one lives in
and must contain the following information: personal
data, details of jobs done in
different countries and all
other relevant information for
calculating pension.
Such application is also
valid for the other States
which are signatories to the
convention. It will be the duty
of the institution receiving the
application to inform the
other State or States in which
the applicant worked.
In case the worker is a resi-
dent in Italy, the application is
to be submitted to INPS using
the appropriate forms depending on the type of pension
one is applying for and attaching the following documents.
- self-certification in place
of a residency certificate and
citizenship
- application form for
applying for pension from a
foreign State
- documents regarding
work done in foreign countries that are signatories to the
convention
- forms for tax relief
Italy has signed bilateral
pension agreements with
these countries: Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Canada,
Cape Verde, Korea, Croatia,
Jersey, Channel Islands,
Former Yugoslavia, Israel,
Mexico,
Monaco,
San
Marino,
USA,
Tunisia,
Uruguay, Vatican, Venezuela.
Workers from countries with which Italy
hasn't signed bilateral
pension agreements
Workers from countries
that have not signed bilateral
pension agreements with Italy
cannot add the periods of
work in different counties in
order to have the right to pension. If such a foreigner worked for some years in his/her
home country then came to
Italy for work, the period
worked in the country of origin is not taken into consideration while applying for pension in Italy.
In the past, a worker from a
country that had not signed
bilateral pension agreements
with Italy on pension could
apply to be reimbursed the
contributions made to INPS.
But this possibility was eliminated by the Law 189/2002
(Bossi/Fini).
IN ZAMBIA THIS MONTH
9
Emergency preparedness pays
off as harvest hopes fade
Torrential rains have drowned
Zambia's hopes of a fourth consecutive bumper maize harvest and there
is still no sign that the rain will ease
off as the country comes to grips
with the extent of the damage.
"These rains have really brought
misery on us; we have been reduced to
beggars. All our fields are completely
washed away, while others are still submerged, and we have no other means of
earning a living apart from farming,"
Robson Taulu, from the flooded town
of Sinazongwe in Southern Province,
told IRIN.
Heavy downpours that began in the
last week of November 2007 have
swamped large areas along the banks
the swollen Magoye River, washing
away infrastructure and flooding many
hectares of agricultural land. Southern
Province was hardest hit with 6 people
killed and thousands fleeing from their
flooded homes.
The latest situation report on the floods in southern Africa, released in late
January by the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA), said national authorities in
the region estimated that more than
16,600 people have been affected since
October 2007.
Although
Zambia's
Disaster
Management and Mitigation Unit
[DMMU] is yet to put a figure on the
extent of the
damage,
people
in
flooded communities say
the losses are
massive.
Initial
assessments
in 6 districts
of Southern
Province by
the Zambia
Vulnerability
Assessment
Committee
( Z VA C ) ,
estimated
that the crop
losses
of
maize, millet
and sorghum
would range
between 40
percent and
50 percent.
Zambians preparing food ater flooding
The OCHA
r e p o r t
we have no information on where
noted, "Since this is the lean period, and
they
be just now. We don't know
many households have already started what could
will happen to us ... if the rains
to run out of food stock."
Chief Mwanachingwala, a traditio- continue."
A year ago Zambia experienced
nal leader in Mazabuka, a town in sou- widespread
flooding in many of the
thern Zambia, commented, "My people same areas but
still managed to produare only waiting helplessly for han- ce a surplus of 250,000
tonnes of maize
douts from the government and aid above its annual consumption
of 1.2
agencies. Many goats, chickens, pigs million tonnes. Much of that surplus
and other livestock have disappeared
© IRINN PHOTO
By IRIN
FFER!
AL O
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O
I
T
O
M
O
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FANTAS
USA
EUROPE &
LATINA
GLOBAL
AFRICA
ASIA
came from the productive central
region, which was not spared this year.
"Although at this stage it is too early
to assess the exact damage to crops, as
some areas are still flooded and inaccessible, there is no doubt that our crop
harvest will be affected. Some farmers,
including large-scale farmers, have had
their crops extensively damaged," Guy
Robinson, president of the Zambia
National Farmers Union, told IRIN.
"Our prayer is that the rains should
subside as soon as possible."
Concern is growing that flooding
could worsen in the coming weeks.
The authorities have indicated that
the necessary resources to respond to
the crisis are available. "I am assuring
the nation that we have currently got
450,000 metric tonnes of maize in
store, of which 150,000 tonnes belong
to strategic reserves, while 50,000 tonnes is for the DMMU to draw from
anytime, as they require. But after the
harvest, we may have a few problems
because the yields may most likely not
be as favourable as they were last
year," said Costain Chilala, chair of the
Food Reserve Agency board.
OCHA's report said, "It [government] has already provided 15,000
metric tones of white maize to be used
for relief activities in 2007/08, and will
release an additional US$3.5 million
for the procurement and supply of
relief items such as tents, blankets,
mosquito nets and chlorine."
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Egypt
85
Morocco
70
Ghana
130
Tunisia
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Senegal
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100
10
IN AFRICA THIS MONTH
Raila & Kibaki meeting
rekindles hope for peace
By Stephen Ogongo
The meeting and handshake between President Mwai Kibaki and
Orange Democratic Movement
(ODM) leader Amolo Raila Odinga
has rekindled hope for peace in
Kenya.
It was the first time the two met
since December's disputed presidential
election. On 27th December Kenyans
went to vote peacefully in parliamentary and presidential elections. In the parliamentary elections, 99 of the 210
seats were won by ODM while Mr.
Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU)
only got 43 seats.
The presidential vote count was
tampered with. The chairman of the
Electoral Commission of Kenya said
that he did "not know whether Mr.
Kibaki won the elections."
Mr. Odinga rejected the results. The
European Union Electoral Mission and
USA also expressed grave doubts about
the legitimacy of the presidential
results. The latest to cast doubt on the
results is the Commonwealth Observer
Group, stating that the polls did not
meet international standards. "The
Electoral Commission of Kenya has
not succeeded in establishing the integrity of the tallying process, thereby
bringing the validity of the election
results into question,” the report said.
Shortly after the results were
announced, Mr. Kibaki was swiftly
inaugurated for a second term. Shortly
after his inauguration the government
issued a circular banning all live broadcasts in the interests of public security
and good order, an order that is still on
as we go to press.
The announcement of Kibaki's win
provoked protests in many parts of the
country. All opinion polls showed that
Mr. Odinga was ahead of Mr. Kibaki.
Even the exit polls and local media
reports showed that Mr. Odinga was
leading with a big margin. But something that is yet to be explained happened. After suspending tallying of presidential results and taking unnecessarily
long to do so, it was finally announced
that Mr. Kibaki had won. It was so difficult to believe such a result that the
Kenyans who were ready to celebrate
the victory of their new president felt
that the least they could do was to protest against those incredible results.
They simply wanted to protest against
results they believed were manipulated
in favour of Mr. Kibaki.
But the police had been prepared
and strategically placed to deal with
rioters with overwhelming force. In
several cities the police used live
ammunition to disperse protesters and
disperse looters, killing and wounding
dozens. Some observers and even police have described the police response
as an unofficial "shoot to kill" policy.
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki, left, shakes hands with opposition leader Raila Odinga, right
The ban on live broadcasts could have
been made to stop TV stations covering
the way the police dealt with people
even though it is very clear that they and its presidential candidate in the last
have not agreed on anything. Mr. election. As we wait and hope for good
Annan will continue meeting officials news out of these talks, the only thing
from both parties to work on an
agreement.
Mr. Odinga holds that he is
“I remain committed to dialogue ready to dialogue with Mr. "Kenyans want justice. There will
as long as "truth and be no justice before we sit down
and reconciliation at all levels of Kibaki are
upheld". He wants
our society. The Government wel- justice
to talk. We are ready to talk to
Mr. Kibaki to admit that he
comes the eminent African state- (Kibaki) lost the elections. "I
achieve justice and truth.
smen and woman and we shall won the presidency and it was
Mheshimiwa Kibaki (Hon.
have dialogue within the constitu- stolen from me. Mr Kibaki must Kibaki) and I will talk until this
accept the people's verdict," Mr.
tional and legal framework.
matter is resolved. There is no
Odinga said, adding that "It is
We shall ensure we achieve hea- hard to negotiate with someone
need for bitterness."
ling, reconciliation and lasting you know very well has stolen a
cow from you." He said the Orange Democratic Movement
harmony.”
right way of handling the issue
(ODM) leader Amolo Raila
is: "The person who stole the
Mr. Mwai Kibaki
Odinga
cow must be told to return it
first and then negotiate."
demonstrating against election results.
But Mr. Kibaki has rejected such
About 1000 people are said to have calls. In fact after their first meeting, in they both seem to agree on is a commitdied in unrest which followed the poll, presence of Mr. Odinga, Mr. Kibaki ment to peace. Both Mr. Odinga and
while more than 250,000 have been said "As your duly elected and sworn Mr. Kibaki appealed to their supporters
displaced.
in President, I will lead our country to to maintain calm as they continued the
Early attempts to broker a peace promote unity, tolerance, peace and newly established dialogue.
deal between Mr. Odinga and Mr. harmony among Kenyans. I remain
Mr. Odinga said "I said that we
Kibaki failed. Ghanaian President John committed to dialogue and reconcilia- we're ready to walk the extra mile to
Kufuor, head of the African Union tion at all levels of our society."
give Kenyans peace. Today, we take
spent a few days in the
Mr. Kibaki's remarks that he was the the first step. My party and I are ready
country to try to bring the duly elected Head of State provoked for this long journey to restore peace in
subscription to
two together but left swift and strong criticism from ODM. our land."
without success.
In a statement issued by the secretaryHe thanked the mediation team for
Now the former UN boss general Prof Anyang' Nyong'o, the responding swiftly. "I pledge that my
Mr. Kofi Annan is in the ODM leaders said Mr. Kibaki's state- team and I will spare no effort to resolcountry to try to solve the ment negated "the whole rationale for ve this crisis. We urge our people to be
political crisis. He leads a international mediation."
patient as parties work day and night to
panel
of
"eminent
Africans"
ODM
said
"Mr.
Mwai
Kibaki
abuensure that negotiations do not last a
Yearly Subscription (11 issues): Euro 25.00
set up by the African Union, sed the occasion by attempting to legi- day longer than necessary."
Payment: Postal Current Account no. 50655786
which includes former timise his usurpation of the presidency.
Mr. Odinga renewed his call for
Addressed to: Stranieri in Italia srl
Tanzanian
President His demeaning and unacceptable beha- justice, saying "Kenyans want justice.
Please specify the name of the newspaper you are
Benjamin Mkapa and viour was meant to undermine the There will be no justice before we sit
subscribing to, your name, address, and phone
Nelson Mandela's wife mediation and prolong the suffering of down to talk. We are ready to talk to
number on the postal order receipt
Graca Machel.
people of Kenya."
achieve justice and truth. Mheshimiwa
It is not easy to predict
Prof Nyong'o said that as far as Kibaki (Hon. Kibaki) and I will talk
For further information:
how these talks will end. ODM was concerned, there was no until this matter is resolved. There is no
email: [email protected]
The fact that the two agreed government in Kenya. His party he need for bitterness."
Tel. 06/87410507 fax 06/87410528
to meet is a very good sign, said, was only having talks with PNU
IN AFRICA THIS MONTH
11
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham visits Sierra Leone
We can’t turn a blind eye to
thousands of children who die
every day from preventable causes
"We can't turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the
developing world mostly from causes that are
preventable. In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday it's shocking and tragic especially when the
solutions are simple - things like vaccinations
against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce the chance of getting malaria.”
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David
Beckham
dying. Evidence shows that real progress has been made by providing
ongoing health care for women throughout their pregnancy and ensuring
immunisation and health check-ups for
the baby from birth to early childhood.
Empowering communities to participate in health care has also proven to
be an effective way to save lives.
Beckham saw an example of this by
joining two health workers as they travelled into a local community to vaccinate children who are unable to access
the clinic. At the same time the health
workers teach the communities about
the importance of good hygiene to prevent diseases. This is an important part
of the clinic's work - helping them
reach hundreds more children who
would otherwise miss out on these vital
lifesaving measures.
At a feeding centre for severely malnourished children
Beckham visited babies who had survived on water because their mothers
were malnourished and unable to breastfeed. These children weigh less than
70 per cent of their recommended body
weight. One seven-month-old baby
weighed less than the recommended
weight for a one-month-old. With supplies from UNICEF, the clinic provides
the children with fortified milk and
high protein biscuits. UNICEF also
encourages women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six
months - globally this has had a tremendous impact on the health of children. The clinic has been successful in
curing over 90 per cent of the children
There has been a 60% fall in
child mortality rates since 1960
“All children have a
right to survival but
too many are dying
needlessly. But this
can be changed if
there is sufficient collective will to act with
determination and
urgency. Surely there
is no reward more precious than saving the
life of a child? Their
futures remain in our
hands."
UNICEF UK's
Executive Director
David Bull
can be changed if there is sufficient collective will to act
with determination and urgency. Surely there is no reward
more precious than saving the
life of a child? Their futures
remain in our hands."
UNICEF is calling on
governments for urgent political will, long-term funding
and improved health strategies
- on an unprecedented scale to reduce the number of children under the age of five that
die every day around the
admitted.
Mr. Beckham said: "We can't turn a
blind eye to the tens of thousands of
young children who die every day in
the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable. In Sierra
Leone, one in four children dies before
reaching their fifth birthday - it's shocking and tragic especially when the
solutions are simple - things like vaccinations against measles or using a
mosquito net to reduce the chance of
getting malaria. Saving these children's
lives is a top priority for UNICEF and
as an Ambassador I hope I can help to
draw attention to this issue across the
world."
Blair becomes advisor
to Govt of Rwanda
Former
UK
Prime
Minister
Tony Blair is to
become an advisor
to Rwanda, Dr
David Himbara, the
head of the Strategy
and Policy unit in
the Office of the
President revealed
to The New Times.
"It started with a
meeting he held with
the President (Paul
Kagame) where he
expressed his interest Former UK Prime Minister
in offering pro bono
Tony Blair
services as advisor to
Rwanda.
Shortly
after that, I met with him to played a significant role in
comprehensively brief him on Rwanda's reconstruction.
"For instance, it was during
the situation in our country,"
The Times quoted Mr. his tenure that the British
Government initiated the
Himbara to have said.
A team from Mr. Blair's direct budget support to
office reportedly recently visi- Rwanda and they were the
ted Rwanda for a week to first country to do so. He has
assess the challenges on the always believed in our goverground. Mr. Himbara said the nment's effort and ways to
former UK Prime Minister is identify what is best for our
expected to visit Rwanda this people.
"Now it is another chance
month. "His visit will mark the
kick-off of his involvement," for him to put his belief in
concrete practice. But it is a
said Mr. Himbara.
Mr. Blair's attachment to chance for our government as
Rwanda, according to Mr. well to work with a figure like
Himbara, dates back to the Blair whose influence is glotime when he was still head of bal and has good knowledge
the British government. At the about Rwanda," Mr. Himbara
time he and his government added.
© AP PHOTO
There has been a 60 per
cent drop in the rate of child
mortality
since
1960,
UNICEF's State of the
World's Children (SOWC)
2008 report shows.
The report outlines what
needs to be done to reduce
child deaths further. There
remains a long way to go to
achieve the Millennium
Development Goal on child
survival - which would mean
lowering the number of underfive deaths from 9.7 million to
less than five million by 2015.
Nowhere in the world is the
need for lifesaving measures
more apparent than in Sierra
Leone and the rest of subSaharan Africa.
UNICEF, however, maintains that attaining the goal is
still possible but the challenge
is formidable. UNICEF UK's
Executive Director David Bull
said UNICEF is grateful to
"Beckham for shining the spotlight on the unacceptable
number of young children
who are dying, often needlessly, in Sierra Leone and other
developing
countries.
Everyone can play a role in
changing this situation governments, donors and the
public. All children have a
right to survival but too many
are dying needlessly. But this
© AP PHOTO
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
David Beckham visited Sierra Leone
in January to draw attention to the
issue of child survival.
The "The State of the World's
Children 2008" published by UNICEF
reveals that every day more than
26,000 children under the age of five
die around the world mostly from preventable causes. Nearly all of them live
in the developing world.
The report also shows that in Sierra
Leone a staggering 27 per cent of children die before reaching their fifth birthday - the highest number in the
world. UNICEF is calling for child
survival to be placed at the heart of the
international development agenda and
to make it a top priority at the G8 summit. Mr. Beckham arrived in the capital Freetown on 18th January and travelled to Makeni, Bombali District in
the northern province of Sierra Leone,
which has the highest number of underfive child deaths in the country.
During his visit, Beckham spent
time at a health clinic learning about
the most common causes of these
deaths, like malaria which accounts for
33 per cent of child deaths. Diarrhoea,
malnutrition and vaccine preventable
diseases like measles and tuberculosis
are also major contributors.
UNICEF is working with health clinics in Sierra Leone, and across the
developing world, to reduce the number of children under the age of five
world. UNICEF is calling on
the public for urgent funds to
help prevent babies and young
children dying before the age
of five. A little can go a long
way. £1.50 could immunise 50
children. Just a few pence for
a vitamin A capsule would
prevent and treat vitamin A
deficiency, or pay for one
sachet of rehydration salts
which, when mixed with clean
water, helps children combat
dehydration and diarrhoea.
12
IN NIGERIA THIS MONTH
Govt: Poverty and poor
education behind child trafficking
Authorities in Nigeria have started identifying the parents of 105
children found packed on a lorry in
late January who they suspect were
trafficked to serve as beggars or servants after their parents allowed
them to go away with strangers who
promised to feed and educate them.
The children, all boys between four
and 18 years old, were coming from
Kano state in the north and had been
driven to a town close to Nigeria's political capital Abuja, when the police
stopped the lorry at a checkpoint on
17th January.
"The conditions in which the children were found made the policeman
suspect that these children were being
trafficked to serve as beggars or domestic workers," Orakwue Arinze, the
spokesperson for the National Agency
for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons
(NAPTIP), told IRIN.
"The children were packed like sardines in a lorry meant to carry goods
and that could contain a maximum of
15 persons," Arinze said. According to
"The fact is that once these
children are taken out of
their communities they will be
devoured by wicked people,
easily abused and molested"
Orakwue Arinze, the spokesperson for the National
Agency for the Prohibition
of Traffic in Persons
(NAPTIP)
NAPTIP, they were hungry, had
swollen legs and were traumatised.
Four men arrested by police said
they were taking the children to a
school in Suleja, 400 km away in
Niger state, to learn the Koran. If
found guilty of trafficking, they
could face up to 14 years in jail, the
NAPTIP said.
Globally, child trafficking is one
of the fastest growing organised crimes with an estimated 1.2 million
victims per year, of whom 32 percent are African, according to the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
NAPTIP said the children all
came from Kuru village, 80 km
south of Kano.
"The parents didn't realise they
were doing something bad. There is
no school in that area," the head of
NAPTIP in Kano, Ahmed Mohamed
Bello, told IRIN by telephone.
"They decided to send their children away to Suleja because they
heard it had been raining there, so
the children would be able to farm in
the morning to feed themselves and
go to Koranic school in the afternoon," he explained.
The lack of education and the
poverty of the area are behind the
decision to send the children away,
Bello said.
Ruth, 13, doing her homework. From the age of five to nine she
In view of the clandestine nature
of the crime it is difficult to determi- was denied the right to go to school and had to work selling water at
a market in Gabon, after having been trafficked from Nigeria
ne how many children are trafficked
in Nigeria, but with between 50 and
Six million Nigerian children are will be devoured by wicked people,
70 percent of the population living on
less than a dollar a day, human traffic- estimated to be at risk of trafficking for easily abused and molested," said
king is believed to be widespread in the domestic and forced labour, prostitu- NAPTIP's Arinze.
tion and pornography every year,
The government agency to fight
country.
Last October, Nigerian police inter- according to a national survey conduc- human trafficking was created in 2003
cepted 57 children trafficked from the ted by the International Labour to help implement a then newly-created
law prohibiting all forms of trafficking
southern Cross River state to Lagos, Organization in 2003.
"The fact is that once these children in persons.
the economic capital, according to
are taken out of their communities they
NAPTIP.
Yar'Adua confident immunity
clause will be removed
due process punishable
by law. "We now have a
situation in which people award contracts
without caring whether
they have enough
money to complete the
project and because of
this, there are lots of
abandoned projects all
over the country, in fact
some going into billions
of dollars. This is the
kind of disrespect for
established regulations
and procedures that
feeds corruption.
"Our decision to
fight corruption properly and have respect for
law, order and due process will now make
such acts of omission or
commission punishable
President Umaru Musa
by law, and that will
clean the system and
Yar'Adua
make sure that whatethat is the only condition I ver business dealings govergave, that everything they do nment enters into, we have the
must be within the law establi- ability to abide by the coveshing them and within the laws nant we signed. In fact, that is
of the Federation," he said.
the path of honour, not only
As part of the war against for any government but also
corruption, the president said for companies that are operathe Federal Government ting in Nigeria," President
would soon introduce a legi- Yar'Adua said.
slation that would make all
violations and disrespect for
© AP PHOTO
President Umaru Musa
Yar'Adua has said he is confident that the immunity
clause
in
the
1999
Constitution will be removed
in the imminent amendment
by the National Assembly.
The clause protects the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies from
criminal prosecution.
Speaking
in
Davos,
Switzerland,
President
Yar'Adua said "I have confidence that the next constitutional amendment will strip these
public officials of this immunity and I am personally in
support of that,"
In a statement signed by his
Special
Adviser
on
Communications,
Mr.
Olusegun
Adeniyi,
Mr.
Yar'Adua said he expected the
removal of the immunity clause from the constitution to
greatly facilitate the work of
Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies.
"One thing I have done is to
give them total and complete
independence of action. The
institutions are directly under
me in the Presidency, so when
I assumed office, I called their
chairmen and told them that
they have total independence
to go and act within the law:
© IRINN PHOTO
By IRIN
Peace in Niger Delta imminent - Minister
There will be peace in the
Niger Delta very soon, the
Minister of State for Energy,
(Gas) Odusina Olatunde
Emmanuel, has told the international community. He said
that
President
Umaru
Yar'Adua has intensified
efforts with the cooperation of
all stakeholders to amicably
resolve all issues in the Niger
Delta that have made some
youths to embark on violent
and lawless activities.
Mr. Odusina told the
Ambassador of Portugal, Dr.
Maria De Fatima Perestrello,
who paid him a courtesy visit
that the Government is determination to use gas as an
effective tool for economic
development. He observed
that Nigeria's gas is enough for
Government's export programme and for domestic utilization.
The Minister assured the
Envoy that the December
2008 gas flaring deadline is
realizable in spite of previous
postponements. He remarked
that all stakeholders are aware
of Government's position on
the flaring of gas and said that
he is optimistic that there will
be total compliance this time.
Minister: Ban on importation
of bagged cement still in place
The ban on importation
of bagged cement in Nigeria
is still in place. The Ministry
of Commerce and Industry
refuted a recent report in a
Nigerian newspaper suggesting that the Federal
Government had lifted the
embargo on imported bagged cement.
The Minister of Commerce
and Industry Charles Ugwuh,
condemned the story as inappropriate, misleading and
capable of creating the wrong
impression that the country
has returned to the era of
importation of bagged cement.
He
said
Federal
Government has only granted
provisional licenses to some
local cement manufacturers
and stakeholders for the
importation of bulk cement for
bagging in Nigeria.
The Minister stressed that
there was no policy reversal in
this regard, as Government
was consistent in its commitment to encourage and promote local production of cement
to meet local demand, which is
currently ahead of local capacity.
IN GHANA THIS MONTH
13
Rawlings appeals for
all inclusive governance
governance because of a selfish lust for power and money.
And so, we see emerging a
serious challenge to the meticulous adherence to constitu-
tionalism." He went to say that
such leaders are "busy attempting to prolong their stay in
power through fair or foul
means, to modify, sometimes
© GHP PHOTO
Ghana receives world
emerging economy award
Thomson
Financial's
International
Financing
Review (IFR) has given a
prestigious award to Ghana
as the most emerging economy in the world for the year
2007. Ghana emerged as the
winner following a year of
intense scrutiny and monitoring of the emerging global
economic
activities
by
Thomson IFR's independent, global team of expert
reporters and analysts.
The IFR award represents
the key industry benchmark of
global capital markets and
national economic excellence.
The Award was presented in
London at the 13th IFR
Annual Awards Gala Dinner
attended by over 1,500 senior
investment bankers, economists and representatives of
governments from around the
globe in mid January with Her
Royal Highness The Princess
Royal attending. Thomson
Financial's
International
Financing Review (IFR) is the
world's leading source of
international capital markets
and national economies intelligence
Published weekly through
International
Financing
Review, it is also in real-time
through ifrmarkets.com and on
Reuters, Bloomberg and
TradeWeb, IFR provides indepth coverage and analysis of
all international bond, syndicated loan, national economies, equity and convertible
issues, as well as developments in leveraged finance,
emerging markets interest-rate
and credit derivatives. It is
read by all major banks. IFR
which has its headquarters in
London with bureaus in New
York, Tokyo, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Sao Paulo, and
Sydney provides in-depth
coverage of developments in
global financing markets,
including analysis of all international bond, syndicated
loan, leveraged finance, highyield debt, emerging market,
equity and convertible issues,
as well as developments in the
derivatives market.
Other winners of the night
included, Bank of the Year Goldman Sachs; Bond House
of the Year - Deutsche Bank;
Equity House of the Year UBS Citi Group annexed the
Loan House of the Year, with
Securitisation House of the
Year award again going to
Deutsche Bank. The HSBC
bank was adjourned the best
bank in terms of loans granting
to the Asian economy.
Matthew Davies, Editor of
Thomson Financial's IFR,
commented: "Many economy
watchers - and many of its
rivals - had characterised
Ghana's economic strategy as
one suitable for a propelling
what he described as "bull and
The former president appealed for
respect of the electoral process saying
that it is the assurance of a peaceful and
constitutional transition from one government to another.
"As a leader
whose political party
has tasted defeats in
the polls before, I can
say that there should
be no need to tamper
with the rotational
principle in good
governance.
"However, evidence abound that the
Former President of Ghana overwhelming ambiJerry John Rawlings
tion of some political
leaders makes the
crudely, multiparty demo- acceptance of election results
cracy into a virtual one- rather difficult and has led
party state, to arrogantly some African leaders commitabuse the concept of the ting electoral crimes and the
separation of powers, to refusal to adhere to the peaceignore the rule of law, to ful and smooth change-over of
undermine judicial inde- government."
pendence, to interfere with
According to Mr Rawlings,
the fundamental human such deviant political beharights of political oppo- viour is usually prompted and
nents especially, and to capri- encouraged by certain outside
ciously use decentralization to powers for like certain African
promote parochial or sectarian leaders for their own selfish
interests."
national interest.
"Some of those very politicians who gained leadership
positions as a result of the
strict adherence to the norms
of democracy are now, and
at the end of their tenures,
the very people trying to corrupt the democratic system of
governance because of a selfish lust for power and
money. And so, we see emerging a serious challenge to
the meticulous adherence to
constitutionalism."
© AP PHOTO
The former President of
Ghana Jerry John Rawlings
has condemned the 'winner
takes all mentality' within
governments and called for
an all inclusiveness in government.
"The winner takes all mentality that we have inherited
from the Westminster and
other systems of western
democracy has led to the overt
rejection of the concept of
power sharing or the involvement of other party members
in a government of inclusion,
even when it is clearly in the
national interest so to do," The
Enquirer quoted Mr. Rawlings
to have said.
In a public lecture in
Nigeria in mid January, Mr.
Rawlings condemned the
manipulation of election
results saying democracy is
not only the observance of certain norms and traditions, but
the upholding of the integrity
of the electoral process itself.
"Some of those very politicians who gained leadership
positions as a result of the
strict adherence to the norms
of democracy are now, and at
the end of their tenures, the
very people trying to corrupt
the democratic system of
boomed economy".
He
noted
that
Ghana's economic
performance
in
2007 was remarkable. "Against a
background
of
unprecedented difficulties in world
trade and political
instability in certain
parts of the world especially
on the African continent,
which saw enormous write
downs across the many economies ousted, Ghana's economy
was able to grow." He added.
He said the lessons on
Ghana's economic progress
were very relevant to other
countries especially those in
Africa and third world countries. Ghana's Finance and
Economic Planning Minister,
Mr. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu,
who received the award on
behalf of Ghana, expressed the
delight that the Ghana's economic upturn has impressed the
world.
He said the vision of the
government of Ghana is to
help provide and maintain a
buoyant and robust economy
for her citizens. According to
him, Ghana has extended it's
arms to the world's investment
community to participate in
her economy and "I stand here
to say that the response has
been tremendous. This is
mainly due to the economic
and political stability we have
exhibited as a nation".
By Nana Sifa Twum &
Isaac Amo-Kyereme
WHO: Meningitis outbreak has
begun in West African region
There is an outbreak of
the deadly meningitis bacterium in three West African
countries, the World Health
Organization (WHO) has
said. Experts have warned
that this might be the worst
meningitis epidemic to hit
Africa in a decade.
"One district is on alert in
Burkina Faso, an epidemic
has been reported in a region
of Nigeria and there are two
cases in Niger, as well as
cases in the Democratic
Republic
of
Congo,"
Professor Kader Kondé,
director
of
WHO's
Ouagadougou-based MultiDisease Surveillance Centre
(MDSC) told IRIN.
Last October the WHO
warned that 80 million people
out of roughly 350 million
who live in 21 African countries stretching from Ethiopia
in the east to Mauritania in the
west might need to be vaccinated against the bacterium
this year.
The meningitis bacterium,
which usually reaches epidemic levels in the region often
referred to as Africa's "meningitis belt" between December
and May, could be especially
severe this year as the region
is heading toward the peak of
a 10- to 12-year cycle of
meningitis crises, health forecasters say.
Kondé said that the situation could be worse this year
because of high dust levels in
the region and the low level of
immunity among populations.
He said new research by
WHO and national research
centres also appears to have
shown a new strain of the bacterium.
"If you take into account
all these factors we find ourselves in a situation where the
risk [of epidemics] is high,"
Kondé said.
IRIN reported that preparedness for meningitis epidemics is notoriously difficult
because vaccines cannot be
administered until it is known
which of the many different
forms of the bacterium are
spreading.
Hans Ebbing, regional
health coordinator of the
International Federation of
the Red Cross, told IRIN the
Federation has already started
training 25,000 volunteers
across the region, and is educating people about how to
recognise meningitis and the
dangers.
"We know this is not really
going to prevent a major outbreak. But we're hoping that
early activity can prevent
some spread of the disease
and we do know that training
and preparedness can make
the response faster," he said.
Meningitis is an infection
of the thin lining around the
brain and spinal cord. Even
when meningitis is diagnosed
early and adequate therapy is
available, between 5 and 10
percent of patients die, typically within 24 and 48 hours
of experiencing the first symptoms. Many thousands of
survivors are left with brain
damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.
14
AFRICANS IN ITALY
Ghanaians breaking
new grounds in Italy
By Reggie Tagoe
The year 2007 has fizzled out into
thin air but if activities and developments within the Ghanaian community in Italy is anything to go by then
their prospects look good.
This is a community of Ghanaians
abroad that some few years ago were
relatively in the shade in the midst of
their compatriots elsewhere in Europe
and the US. You hardly read something
significant about them, but all that is
changing now.
Italian immigrations laws don't give
much room to the foreign nationals to
make progress but Ghanaians in Italy
are now coming from their shells,
despite the constraints, and breaking
new grounds. In the year 2007, Ghana's
image was projected in splendid
fashion through the celebration of its
50th year of Independence anniversary.
More Ghanaians became entrepreneurs, the doors were opened wider for
the Ghana entertainment industry to
come to Italy, Miss Ghana in Italy was
a success, the impasse over passport
fee increment between the Ghana
Embassy in Rome and the Ghanaian
community in Italy, led by their leaders
- COGNAI - was resolved. You can go
down the list a little further.
The Ghana@50 in Italy projected a
good image of Ghana in the eyes of
many Italians and other foreign nationals in Italy. What really put the shine
on the celebration is the manner
Ghana's culture under its traditional
drumming; dancing costumes among
others was displayed in various events
across the country. They were the finest
events ever held within the Ghanaian
community here as Ghanaians showed
themselves in their numbers and being
proud of their country.
A representative of the City Council
of Vicenza, Gianfranco Morselleto,
who was at one of the events said:
"There has never been anything like
this within the immigrants' communi-
ties in Italy." It couldn't have been said
better.
Ghana's Ambassador to Italy, His
Excellency Charles Agyei-Amoama,
and his able men and women at the
Ghana Embassy put the icing on the
cake in a grand finale to the celebration
hosting a Charity Ball in Rome and
honouring 15 deserving Ghanaians and
Italians in Italy who have contributed
immensely to the good course of the
Ghanaian community.
It was the first of its kind for the
community and that is going to spur
people on to greater heights. Here special mention must be made of Dr.
Kodwo Andah who received an Award
in recognition of his academic excellence. He is the only African water
expert having been invited to contribute to the UNESCO and encyclopaedia
on life support systems. He is also the
author and co-author of 80 scientific
papers published on a number of topics
by UNESCO. How many people would
have known the man and his achievements without the Charity Ball Night?
I doff my hat off again for the Ghana
Ambassador to Italy for resolving the
issue over the passport fees increment
which broke down cordial relation between the Ghana Embassy and leaders
of the Ghanaian community in Italy.
For years this community has not
had the person of his calibre. Though
he is still under 'road-test' in the eyes of
Ghanaians in Italy, indications are he'll
pass the test.
It could be stated that he has performed creditably within his one year in
office and his idea of setting up a welfare fund for destitute Ghanaians in
Italy and other projects for the community must also be commended.
Having been through the rank and
file of Ghanaian communities abroad
he interacts, understands and responds
better and if you have a boss who is
approachable, reasons with you and
takes a decision that's a plus. It's interesting seeing how Ghanaians in Italy are
becoming entrepreneurs, establishing
their own businesses and
also luring Italians to
invest in Ghana.
Come to think of it
that even driving a taxicab or public transport in
Italy calls for you to be a
citizen of the country.
This tells you some of the
difficulties that confronts
the immigrant trying to
make progress and that's
why these Ghanaians
need to be commended
for coming so far. I salute
the efforts of some
Ghanaian Associations
and groups who have
taken it upon themselves to help local
communities back home in Ghana with
financial support, sending hospital
equipments and doing projects in some
rural areas of Ghana. Mention must be
made of Ghanacoop, a Ghanaian entity
born out of the Ghana Association in
the city of Modena, which has been turned into a big business organisation
now importing large quantities of
Ghana pineapples and other food crops,
supplying supermarkets and shipping
back to Ghana Italian pasta and wine.
This is providing jobs for both
Ghanaians in Italy and Ghana. Not only
that, Ghanacoop is putting up projects
in some Ghanaian villages providing
pipe boreholes, electricity and helping
in infrastructure works for the rural
folks. I admire the hardworking attitude of its President, Thomas McCarthy,
whose efforts is bringing the right
results. He said in one of his statements: "I don't like begging, I present
to you a project, tell you what I can
provide and together with what you
have we can form a partnership so we
work together." Some food for thought
for those who prefer to walk the corridors of government offices and international organisations always looking for
assistance.
A business seminar involving
Ghanaian and Italian entrepreneurs
Baby Jessica Adams to be
dedicated in Conegliano
By LSK Marfoh
Mr. and Mrs. Adams from
Ghana will dedicate their lovely baby girl Jessica Adams, to
the Living God on 16th
February 2008. The ceremony
which will take place at the
Christian
Faith
Center
Assembly in Conegliano (TV),
will be attended by a large
number of people from different parts of Europe including
close relations, friends and
loved ones of Mr. and Mrs.
Adams
Sir Roberto Addai Boateng,
the Organiser-in-chief for the
programme, said there are
plans to make the occasion one
of the greatest and most
memorable. Sir Roberto said
he has specially reserved 200
places of accommodation for
guests who are to arrive from
various parts of the country
and beyond. The Organiser-inchief added that a special
selection of 100 people will be
entertained at a holiday resort
It will be officiated by Pastor Osei
Boateng and Pastor
Owusu Ansah, of
Treviso
and
Conegliano
Assemblies respectively.
More information can be obtained by dialing any
of the following
n u m b e r s :
3384837562,
3339758253,
3494260412,
202352743,
Mr and Mrs Adams with the baby 33292528765.
Jessica posing for D-day
Jessica was born
on 7th June 2007 at
on Sunday evening after the the Conegliano
Hospital and is
programme.
the
junior
sister
to Master
Baby Jessica's uncle, Alan
Adams.
Kankam Cash, will specially Micky
and Mrs. Adams would
fly in from Ghana to chair the likeMr.
to invite all friends and
occasion.
colleagues
The service will take place relations, including
at the Electrolux
from 18.00 to 21.00 hours, at working
Products in Sussegana.
VIA MONTEGRAPPA, 5, Home
great surprise awaits those
SUSSEGANA (TV), near A
who will attend the event, the
Electrolux Home Products.
organizers said.
resident in Italy together with Italians
having investments in Ghana held at
the end of last year was a laudable
beginning to form a Ghana/Italy
Chamber of Commerce. The meeting
brought to the fore problems and solutions of all involved in investing in
Ghana.
Miss Ghana in Italy 2007 was a success and an improvement over the previous year but I have some worries.
Most of the young ladies that paraded
in the contest could not express themselves well in English and knew little
about Ghana's history. One competitor
even found it more comfortable to
answer questions in Italian.
Are Ghanaians in Italy losing their
identity? I think parents and guardians
of Ghanaian children in Italy have a lot
of homework to do and they must start
now.
I did mention that Ghana's entertainment industry is finding its way to Italy
and in the year 2007 celebrated
Ghanaian artistes, Kojo Antwi, Daddy
Lumba, Ofori Amponsah among others
found themselves here. They are breaking new grounds and the big entertainment shows are coming to Italy.
The year provided the tonic for
Ghanaians in Italy to excel in whatever
field they choose and with that there
must be no looking back.
Johnson & O'Fidelis wed in Genova
By Michael Raphael
Ruth Johnson from Benin
City, Nigeria and Mr. John
O'Fidelis from Monrovia,
Liberia have wedded in
Genova. The reception that
followed took place at the Red
Cross hall in piazza Manzini.
In his brief speech, the
chairman of the wedding
reception and former president
of the Nigerian Association in
Genova, Dr. Sunny Obi said
the wedding of Africans under
the Italian family laws is part
of integration in the Italian
society. He urged the couple to
continue to love themselves as
love is the bedrock of successful marriages.
The opening prayer was
said
by
Dr.
Raphael
Osaigbovo who asked God to
grant the new couple a peaceful marriage and to shut their
door against marriage breakers.
Notably amongst the people present were officials of
the Esan community of Edo
State, Nigeria; Mr. Austin
Ehime, Mr. Timothy Okojie,
Mr. Luis Otukpe, Mr. Godday
Okojie, Mr. Austin Osigbe,
Florence Folunsho, Esther
Usifoh and Ofure Emweonyon
.The master of ceremony Mr.
Okojie made the guests almost
laugh out their lungs with his
jokes. The guests were later
treated to African and Italian
dishes.
A big thank you from Pastor Asare
By LSK Marfoh
Pastor Asare Yeboah, the
founder and president of
Christ In You Ministry would
like to thank his colleagues,
friends and church congregants who made his 50th birthday such a memorable feat.
He said that he cannot visit
each person who came to the
event in order to express his
heartfelt thanks, but hoped
that, through the pages of
Africa News, he could reach
the many people who were
present to grace his occasion.
AFRICANS IN ITALY
15
Kenyans in Rome pray for peace
By John Mwangi
Kenyans and friends of Kenya
held an inter-denominational prayer
meeting in Rome to ask God to restore peace in Kenya.
Unlike other Kenyans in the
Diaspora, Kenyans in Italy showed
solidarity at this trying moment when
their country is undergoing difficult
times by uniting in prayers as opposed
to demonstrations that have been witnessed in other countries.
Aware of the grave danger surrounding Kenya at this moment, Fr. Bernard
who was the main speaker urged all
Kenyans to forget their tribal differences, and burry the hatchet. He also said
that it is only through dialogue and forgiveness that peace can prevail.
The prayer meeting held at the
Augustinian Generalate House, in Via
Paolo VI, 25, was also attended by
Kenya's Ambassador to Italy, H.E Ann
Belinda Nyikuli and staff of the Kenya
Embassy in Rome.
Mrs. Nyikuli appealed to all ordinary Kenyans and politicians to do every-
thing possible to restore peace in the
country.
"Peace and unity have always been
Kenya's strength. Kenya has stood as
an island of peace in the region and the
pedestal of stability and economic prosperity. We must not allow our current
political differences to be expressed in
"Peace and unity have
always been Kenya's strength.
Kenya has stood as an island
of peace in the region and the
pedestal of stability and economic prosperity. We must
not allow our current political
differences to be expressed in
a manner that will destroy
what has taken so long to
mould"
Kenya's Ambassador to
Italy, H.E Ann Belinda
Nyikuli
a manner that will
destroy what has SOS KENYA TURIN CHAPTER
taken so long to A Conference about Socio-economic
mould,"
the
and Political Reality of Kenya
Ambassador said.
She went on to
say that "Our 42 tri- On the 16th February 08
bes, multiplicity of TIME: (15.00 - 17.30) Hrs
languages and the Via Cialdini 4 Torino
rich cultural diversi- Consolata Missionaries Animation Centre
ty have served as a
reservoir of talent Main Speakers:
that has catapulted
us to enviable
achievements in all - Dr. Barettini Cristina, an economist and a lecturer
spheres of political at Turin University-Faculty of Business and
and socio-economic Commerce.
d e v e l o p m e n t . - Fr. Bartholomeo Michubu, a Kenyan priest from
During this trying the Diocese of Meru.
period in the history - Mr. John Mwangi, Secretary of Kenyan
of our country, let Association in Rome.
us draw strength - Mr. Stephen Ogongo, Editor in chief of Africa
from the words of News, monthly for Africans in Europe
our
National
Anthem, and not
allow this diversity Moderator: Sadia K'Odundo Martin
to now become a
source of division Followed by refreshments
nor one to fuel it. Let us
act responsibly and All Kenyans, friends of Kenya, religious groups
stand up to be counted working in Kenya, political leaders, associations
amongst the voices of and volunteer groups are most welcome.
reason. Let us rally
together and show solidarity by spreading a Please do confirm your participation by 10th
message of peace, tole- February for logistics.
rance and understanding. Let us be vigilant Info.
and resist any attempts 3387728260 email, [email protected]
from within or without 3925484457 email, [email protected]
that may want to use our 3391771724 email, [email protected]
diversity to divide us." 3206162624 email, [email protected]
Kenyans across the
political divide are praying for peace while aid
Protesters furious at alleged electoworkers try to bring relief to an estima- ral fraud have been going on the ramted 250,000 refugees from post-elec- page, killing scores of people and tortion violence that has also killed hun- ching businesses and homes. In several
dreds.
cities the police used live ammunition
The officially-declared results of the to disperse protesters and disperse loo27th December presidential poll - ters, killing and wounding dozens.
giving victory to incumbent President
A mediation team led by former
Mwai Kibaki over opposition rival United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Amolo Raila Odinga - plunged the Annan is in Kenya to look for a lasting
country into a post-election violence of solution to the country's political crisis.
a scale never witnessed before.
Nigerian gang smashed, accused of
trafficking women for prostitution in Europe
Italy's anti-Mafia unit has arrested dozens of Nigerians who are
alleged members of a gang accused
of smuggling their compatriots into
Europe to work as prostitutes and
drug traffickers, police said.
The "Operation Viola" led to 51
arrests in Italy and 15 in other
European countries, mostly in The
Netherlands.
The police said that most of the victims of trafficking by the gang were
women and children, some of whom
had been kidnapped from Nigerian
orphanages.
The operation also led to the unearthing of serious adoption irregularities
involving Nigerian women living in
Italy. They were reportedly taking
infants from orphanages in Nigeria and
selling them abroad.
The initial part of the operation concluded in October last year led to the
arrest of 23 people in The Netherlands,
Britain, France, Germany, Spain,
Belgium, the US and Nigeria.
The latest suspects held by Italian
police face charges relating to slavery,
kidnapping and trafficking people and
drugs.
According to the police, the gang
earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from its activities.
Mr. Giovanni Conzo, the anti-mafia
prosecutor in Naples, the city where the
gang carried out much of its work said
many of the arrested suspects were prostitution madams who pay heavily for
the girls to be smuggled into Italy. The
victims were usually subjugated with
voodoo rites in order to be forced into
slavery.
The police said some of the victims
were paid 3000 euros in order to be
used as drug mules, swallowing cocaine or heroin in condoms to transport it
around Europe.
Mr. Grasso said the Nigerian gang
centred around the Nigerian city of
Lagos represent an enormous danger.
Home Affairs Minister Giuliano
Amato said the arrests proved that a
new slave trade was growing in
Europe, taking advantage of poor
young Nigerians. He asked the law
enforcement to be tough with such criminals.
Chriscent holds charity concert in Pescara
The famous Nigerian rapper
Chriscent will stage a concert on
17th February in Pescara to raise
money for a Nigerian orphan who
lost her mother on 11th January this
year in the same town.
The concert will be held at Via
Andrea Doria 33, from 17:00. "Let's
all join hands to help this baby who is
now left without anyone to take care
of her," Chriscent said. He added that
those who may not be able to make it
to the concert can send their donations.
Meanwhile Chriscent's record company, Jimmy Records, is looking for
four female dancers to feature in his
new video. Those interested should
send
their
pictures
to
[email protected] before 30th
March.
Chriscent's latest video "Free at
last" was nominated in Nigeria Video
Music Awards held in Lagos on 2nd
December 2007. It was nominated as
the Most Popular Video played in
Europe. The video is still dominating
the airwaves in several European
countries. It is amongst the top 10 on
Ben TV. Chriscent's LP "Who are d'
enemiz" can be ordered online from
his
official
website
www.chriscent.com
16
AFRICANS IN ITALY
South Africa’s Simphiwe
Dana to thrill fans in Rome
The famous South African musician Simphiwe Dana will be staging a
concert in Rome on 12th February at
the Auditorium Parco della Musica,
Sala Sinopoli from 21:00.
Simphiwe's music is a unique combination of African Roots, Pop, Soul,
Gospel and Hip Hop. She is a great
stage performer, having staged very
successful concerts in several
European cities including the Berlin,
Barcelona, London, Rome, Madrid and
Hamburg.
What makes her music is more relevant is that she talks about the main
problems facing South Africa with a
clear message of hope. She sings about
family problems, love and politics.
Writing about Simphiwe, the UK's
music magazine "Songlines" said "A
talent to rival Lauryn Hill, India Arie,
Erykah Badu? Without a doubt. Get
used to the name. Simphiwe Dana has
a voice that pulls you up short."
She has also been praised as "The
best thing to happen to Afro-Soul
music since Miriam Makeba" by the
internet magazine from MWEB.
South Africa's Jean Barker of
24.com Music said "Simphiwe Dana's
gorgeous voice sways center stage
against sophisticated jazz piano chords,
and modern dance rhythms, shivering
with Sophiatown style delicate vibrato,
drenched in blues."
Born and Raised in the Eastern
Cape, Simphiwe's name means 'gift'
and many of her fans would agree that
she is just that, a gift to the SA music
scene. In a short period of time this
Soul Sistah has become one of South
Africa's favourite daughters. Her music
has a fresh sound and her unique voice
complements it perfectly. Her debut
album "Zandisile" took a lot of music
lovers by surprise. It is modern South
African music with a timeless revolutionary message.
Simphiwe says that her music is
mostly influenced by what is going on
in people's daily lives. She talks about
the struggle that black people are going
through, despite South Africa's supposed freedom and status as a democracy.
Tracks like "Thwelubunzima" and
"Vukani" call for people of colour to
wake up and see the light, but then she
also has tracks like "Zandisile" which
is a song of hope, and "Ndiredi", the hit
single for which she won a couple of
South African Music Awards.
"I am a very cultured person", she
says, "as an African person we were
made to feel inferior and a lot of
African people stopped practicing their
culture because it was seen as witchcraft or uncivilized. My music is
inspired by African people and the love
they have for song. I grew up in a rural
area and every time there was some
kind of gathering, such as a wedding or
circumcision, we sang to celebrate the
event. Music has always been my first
love, but because of financial problems
I was forced to study IT after matric in
order to survive and I have worked in
the IT industry until reality caught up
with me and I couldn't ignore my cal-
ling to become a musician anymore. I started
off performing at poetry sessions in Yeoville
and Newtown and one
day after a performance a talent scout from
Gallo records approached me and asked me
to give her a demo
tape, which I did, and
weeks later they asked
me to sign up with
them. The rest, as they
say, is history'."
Simphiwe has two
lovely children.
"I want my children
to grow up the way I
did, knowing where
they come from," she
says, adding that that is
why she speaks to her
children in Xhosa.
"This is for the same
reason I sing in Xhosa.
It is very important to South African musician Simphiwe Dana to perpreserve our languages form in Rome on 12th February at the Auditorium
Parco della Musica
and pass them on to our
children."
Some of Simphiwe's favourite If you have the love for something and
artists are Dorothy Masuka, Miriam you are passionate about it, then you
Makeba and Bob Marley just to name a will stop at nothing to do it. And no
few. She says: "I like the fact that I matter what you do in life always
have a unique sound and I don't purpo- remember where your roots lie."
For further information about
sefully follow trends. I would advise
other people who want to become a Simphiwe's concert in Rome, please
musician to be creative about what they dial 199.109.783, or check the website
do rather than trying to imitate others. www.auditorium.com
Victim
of
racism?
WHO WE ARE
Ufficio Nazionale Antidiscriminazioni Razziali- U.N.A.R. (The National Office Against Racial Discrimination) has the objective
of checking and guaranteeing just treatment for anyone who has been a victim of any form of discrimination or harassment
due to his/her ethnic origin or race.
TOLL FREE NUMBER AGAINST RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION: 800.90.10.10
U.N.A.R. has set up a toll free number 800.90.10.10, accessible from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 20:00. There are operators answering calls in Italian, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Romanian, and Mandarin Chinese. They provide
information, offer orientation and support to victims of racial discrimination. By calling the toll free number, you can report or
tell of incidents, events, and discriminatory actions based on race or ethnic. The Contact center, where possible, helps in the
resolution of the case through the office>s expertise, and supports the victim in protecting his/her rights.
UNAR’S COMMITMENT
In case we get notified of acts or discriminatory behaviours, UNAR offers assistance and support in legal or administrative
procedures and can carry out autonomous investigations to verify the existence of discriminatory phenomenon. The office
can also carry out informal reconciliations in order to avoid taking legal action. The aim of such a move is to rapidly get rid of
the discriminatory behaviour.
UNAR is also committed in the following areas:
PREVENTION - UNAR targets the public opinion through awareness raising campaigns, education in schools and formation
at workplace. This aims at preventing the development of discriminatory behaviours and ensuring that equal treatment of all
becomes and cultural baggage, education and cultural baggage of each individual.
PROMOTION - UNAR promotes projects and actions aimed at eliminating at the root disadvantages due to ethnic or racial
background. The office promotes studies, research, courses and exchange of experience so as to remove the obstacles to
having access to all public and private services, as well as full awareness of civil and social rights.
MONITORING AND VERIFICATION - Every year, UNAR prepares a report to the Parliament on the real application of the
principle of equal treatment of all and on the efficacy of the mechanisms for preventing racial discrimination. It also prepares a
report to the Prime Minister on the activities carried, so as to make political organs and public opinion aware of the progresses
and the problems encountered in fighting racial discrimination.
Call toll FREE NUMBER
COMMENTARY/OP-ED
17
South Africa
ANC -Winnie Mandela
to the Rescue?
Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela,
ex-wife of former President Nelson
Mandela, has vowed to repair the split
that has haunted the ANC in the
period leading to their 52nd National
Conference in Polokwane from 16-20
December 2007. She made a sensational political comeback after an absence of five years. The delegates placed
her to occupy position number 1 in the
80-member National Executive
Committee. "In am going to return
the ANC to its former glory by 2009.
Watch me" she promised in an interview. Our correspondent Eric Singh
was in Polokwane and sent this report
the delegates began gathering in the
City of Polokwane, Province of
Limpopo, in the north of the country on
15th December when registration got
under way. It was obvious that there
were two distinct camps. The one camp
showing three fingers, meaning third
term. The other showed the sign of the
change used in football matches. The
situation was not helped by the heavy
deluge that greeted delegates at the
registration office. Except for the opening day of conference, it rained the
whole time making for very heavy
underfoot conditions on the lovely
lawn of the University of Limpopo.
The mood of the conference was
clearly going Zuma's way. In fact on
the second day Mbeki's advisers plea-
The 52nd National Conference of
the African National Congress (ANC)
is now history. The 4000 voting delegates placed the running of the organisation into the hands of Mr. Jacob Zuma,
the new president, and his National
Executive Committee (NEC), which
was enlarged from 66 to 86, and has
been charged with the task of renewing
the ANC and to successfully lead it into
the parliamentary general elections of
2009.
Speculation is rife. Media and other
political analysts are having a field day
following the humiliating defeat suffered by President Thabo Mbeki and his
supporters. Mr. Zuma made a clean
sweep of the top six positions. Never in
the history of the ANC have the delegates been confronted with such a situation. Normally presidents have stepped
down voluntarily and the new one elected almost by acclaim. Mr. Mbeki,
whose term as President of South
Africa ends in 2009, decided to retain
his place in the ANC where no such
rules apply. This split the organisation
from top to bottom. Canvassing began
months before the conference started.
This is a new phenomena in the ANC.
The situation was rather tense when
ded with him to drop out with grace.
He refused. He was very stubborn. He
failed to read the writing on the wall
and put the organisation in a very
embarrassing position.
Why did the delegates refuse to
endorse Mbeki for a third term? There
are many theories floating around. It
might be interesting to quote from a
reader's letter to the local press a few
days before the conference kicked off.
This reader, probably a Boer, judging
from his name, takes the press to task
for their vilification of Zuma. He said:
By Eric Singh
"Although Mbeki was lambasted by the
media despite his successes, no sooner
it was clear that Zuma was making
ground at the grassroots, this very same
media has suddenly found a champion
in Mbeki and are tripping over each
other in their praise of the man.
"Africans are not stupid. And are
aware of the Eurocentric agenda. The
truth is that the rank and file who make
up the strength of the ANC electoral
blocs, will support a presidential candidate who they feel will champion their
aspirations to go forward, and not a
stooge of the advantaged elite". The
results of the elections in Limpopo
confirmed that this reader understood
the situation more than the media who
received a well earned slap in the face.
The position of the ANC
President is a very powerful
one. That person can pull
the strings, with the help of
the NEC, as to who will
occupy which position in
government. Including the
national president. This is
precisely what the delegates
at Polokwane saw through
and voted against Mbeki.
They did not want a president for life.
A fellow scribe sees it
like this "In the end, I suppose, it was Thabo Mbeki's
obduracy that sunk him; he
was the architect of his own downfall".
Dr Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and
Culture in the second Mbeki cabinet
(he was kept out of the first cabinet
from 1999-2004. He also held cabinet
position under Nelson Mandela) is a
very outspoken person. He does not
belong to Mbeki's inner circle.
Jordan was of the opinion: "It would
have been preferable if Mbeki had
responded to the demand for change in
a different way: if he had not put himself forward for the ANC leadership
and, instead, left office gracefully like
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We welcome letters on topical issues,
your experiences, and or comments on
any article you have read in the Africa
News. We will only consider letters sent
to us for publication if they carry the
writer's name and address, not necessarily for publication, but as a sign of
good faith. Address your letters to:
The Editor, Africa News,
Via Maroso, 50, CAP 00142 Rome,
Italy, or e-mail: [email protected] or fax +39-06-87410528.
Nelson Mandela. Thabo has effectively
been head of government since 1994.
The government's successes have been
his successes and it is sad that it should
end on this note".
Jacob Zuma, in a very passionate,
and wide-ranging speech to the delegates, made an appeal to work together.
He told them: "Irrespective of whom
you voted for, there is no place for a
Zuma camp or an Mbeki camp. There
is only one ANC," and promised to
work closely with the grassroots in
order to implement some of the resolutions which need urgent attention.
These include expanding the no fee
schools; HIV/AIDS programmes, and
support for victims and families; 30%
land redistribution by 2014; fighting
poverty and crime; to fight the patriarchal oppression of women thereby
making the gender question a high
priority; economy and foreign investments; consolidating the Tripartite
Alliance (ANC, COSATU- trade
unions, & South African Communist
Party) which has been dented under the
Mbeki leadership.
This is where Ms MadikizelaMandela's experience, talent and persuasive powers will be a great help to
Zuma. He would be well advised to
heed the lady's offer. He will need it.
The Polokwane gathering demonstrated to South Africa that the people
will make their presence felt. One cannot ignore them in the belief that they
will follow blindly. It is also hoped that
the lessons of Limpopo will be felt
throughout the continent of Africa.
This was democracy in action.
At the time of writing, it has been reported that Jacob Zuma has been indicted on
corruption charges and will appear in court
in August 2008. Further details are not yet
available.
Ghanaians, make Ghana a developed nation
By Mercy Bolus Adede
Ghana was already a nation even
in the times of the Gold Coast. We
had graduates. There was also a man
called Kwame Nkrumah and the Big
team of six bringing freedom to the
rest of Africa while black Americans
were denied a vote in their own country. These selfless people from
Ghana saw the future of Africa from
the keyhole.
A new nation was created to be a
symbol of Africa and the rest of the
world. Let's us keep that torch shining
wherever we are! Nationality of people
does not really matter, as we love unity
to rule our nation. Who is calling the
shots here? Is it not Ghanaians? This is
what makes Ghana so unique as compared to the rest of Africa and America.
We should try to emulate best practices
that improve lives and bring stability,
growth and technological development
to our nation.
We certainly have what it takes to
make a difference for our nation.
However, we need to value and respect
each other's capability no matter how
small those contributions could be.
Each and every one of us has something to share to make that difference in
Ghana. Those of us living in the current
developed world must not rest until our
nation matches the developments we
see and enjoy in these developed
nations. The slums we see in our country were here in Europe in 1800's until
1970.
Why then do we as a nation go for
loans and aid? Let us maximise our
own resources with new initiatives. As
a middle age country and still rising
from the Phoenix of colonialism we
should be at the height of our developments and even achieving greater
things by now. Why are we still struggling as a nation not performing to
make that difference like our brothers
in Malaysia? What is stopping us from
reaching the top level of our development since we started over five decades
ago? Ghana is an open-door country
and as such has Embassies throughout
the world. However, do we capitalise
on the advantages these opportunities
give us? Does it stretch us to strategically network Ghana with key stakeholders in areas that would be of interest to our country? For example, the
Ghana railways system could work in
partnership with the German, British or
the Spanish railway system in order to
provide an effective and efficient
system. Are our Ambassadors grasping
the knowledge of economic growth and
developmental know-how from their
host countries?
Such intelligence is badly needed
for our own development. Do we lack
the ability to ask vital questions necessary for our developments? Why are
we still struggling when we are over 50
years old and still cannot stand on our
own two feet? Surely, 50 years is quite
enough for Ghanaian citizens to be
seeing concrete outcomes, better educational system, health system, improvement of our cultural heritage, significant increase in our literacy rate and
growth and development with adequate
welfare system at least.
Why don't we then eradicate all the
slums springing up around strategic
spots in Ghana? These are not acceptable if we are aiming to be a tourist
destination in the near future. Let's
improve our sanitation around all our
towns, villages and cities.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea for
Assembly men and women to push for
basic amenities in all their communities to promote our tourism? One
would welcome the new initiative to
train local chiefs on management.
Marketing skills perhaps would encou-
rage all chiefs to promote their areas
and maximise the profits they would
get from natural resources.
How about inviting celebrities from
Europe to spend a week to eat local just
foof at the Kakum grounds hence
giving Kakum Parks etc the PR it needs
to boost our tourism. Why are our community leaders not doing their bit in
transforming all local beaches into a
pleasant surrounding to attract tourists?
Let's us keep this momentum going
and to get that Ghanaian feeling to
achieve against the odds. Let us value
each other as one body. Once we get
this right we would achieve greater
results in all angles. No one is an
Island, we need each other like a building project. Let's try and contribute
towards community developments in
our little way. Ghanaians in Diaspora,
let's continue to promote Ghana. Let's
help the children we bring up in
Diaspora to think of Ghana and invest
in business ventures to promote our
country. Everyone should walk tall and
be proud of being part of Ghana and
help in whatever ways they can.
Let's shame those who ridicule
Ghana by and kicking off this year with
key strategic objectives to make that
difference. We have a job to do!
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for free with all Wind cellular phones for 200 minutes per month.
Activation is free for new clients until 8th June 2008
Call Your Country costs 4 euros per semester.
Connection fee is 15 cents, and it charges every 60 seconds. For further information, consult www.wind.it
ENTERTAINMENT
19
Kenyan DJ's rise to popularity entertaining Africans in the UK
DJ Dubwise: “Politics is a game that
can either build or destroy a nation”
By Pauline Long
Africans in the UK are
embracing one of the most
talented Disc Jockeys who
has gradually became very
popular over the years in
the music and entertainment scene from hosting
gigs, playing at exclusive
clubs and parties to fronting
The Look East Show on
Voice of Africa Radio. His
love for music has been
there since he was a little
boy, growing up in the
eighties, listening to the hit
songs played at home by his
elder sibling. These would
either be soul classics from
the likes of Bee Gees, Kool
& the Gang or Michael
Jackson's music, Lingala
music or simply some
Reggae by Jimmy Cliff,
Alpha Blondy, UB40, Lucky
Dube and Bob Marley. In an
exclusive interview, Pauline
Long caught up with the
man in question, DJ
Dubwise who revealed how
it all started and his passion
for entertaining the African
community in the UK.
The chance came when I met a
good friend; DJ Collo at a
party in London, he allowed
me to try out the decks, of
course with a few errors but
eventually I got to learn the
game. I started collecting compilation CD's and going to
Clubs hoping to get a try out
and it eventually paid off. I
had to practice a lot in order to
keep up with the demands and
as they say the rest is history!
So, is this what you planned as a
career or what is just a hobby that
developed into a career?
This was just a hobby that
went on to become bigger than
main pointers and told me the
truth about being a DJ, I took it
on board and I'm still trying to
learn through what he does!
You have in the past been nominated for the best Kenyan DJ
Award in the UK by the Kenyan
Society UK, how did it feel to be
recognised even though you were
still relatively new in the industry?
Yes, I was nominated alongside other big Kenyan DJ's in
the UK in 2004, when I was
just getting better in the game.
Amongst them was DJ Edu,
who was the eventual winner.
It was a great honour to be
named alongside them and to
Everyone knows you as DJ
Dubwise, what are your real
names?
Haha! It's true everyone
knows the name Dubwise, a
name I was given by a friend
of mine years back due to my
knowledge of Reggae music. I
guess people liked the sound
of it and suddenly they started
calling me Dubwise and it
stuck. However, those who've
known me from before would
always call me by my real
name Frankie!
When did it all start for you and
how did you get into spinning?
Well, I'd say music has been
a part of me from way back,
when I was growing up, listening to the likes of Lucky
Dube, Bob Marley,UB40,
Them Mushrooms, Michael
Jackson etc. Hence it developed into a hobby of collecting
music and exchanging with
friends for what I didn't have
and just enjoying the music.
But the first time I went to a
club, I was amazed at how the
DJ's juggled the songs and
moved the crowds and I'd
always think to myself if I
could do the same just for fun.
NEW RELEASES
Kenyan. Being a resident DJ at
Club Afrique in Canning
Town, where different communities from around the
world come and chill out, I've
met people who would be looking for a DJ to entertain them
during wedding parties, birthday parties or even office
parties. I've played at a
Nigerian party, a Zambian
party, I've played at a wedding
with a majority of Polish
nationals. This has enabled me
to learn more about the different cultures out there!
You also own DJ Dubwise promotions, tell me more about it?
Dubwise
Promotions is
simply a name I
came up with to
use when I plan
my own gigs. I
felt that I needed
something
to
identify myself
with, together
with the team
that I work with
when planning
events. These
events could be
talent shows to
promote upcoming musicians
or
planning
events that promote the rich
African culture,
as well as simply
promoting the
music I love!
What are you currently listening to
on your ipod?
Oh! Am listeKenyan DJ Dubwise doing what he loves most: to make people ning
to a track
happy
'Know Yourself'
expected, because I've been
able to learn quite a lot and
made some good friends along
the way and I suppose it is now
turning into a career.
Who do you look up to and consider as your role model in the
industry?
Wow! The list could be long
but someone that encouraged
me when I was just beginning
to learn the game and the
tricks of the trade, and subsequently went on to do bigger
things himself is DJ Edu of
BBC 1Xtra. He gave me the
be a possible winner to walk
away with the coveted title. I
took it as an encouragement
and that people were actually
recognizing my input in the DJ
scene and this made me work
harder at it.
Being a DJ from Kenya in the UK
one would think that you only
spin for the Kenyan community
but I know that this is an assumption that doesn't apply to you, is
that right?
Yes, you are absolutely
right; I play for a wider
audience even though I am
by Levysill a
very talented young Kenyan
artist here in the UK, also listening to 'Kwaheri' by Jua Cali,
actually it's quit a long list!
Currently, you are the main man
behind the only radio programme
for East Africans in the UK - The
Look East Show on Voice Of
Africa Radio, tell me more about
this show?
Yes, I front The Look East
show on Voice of Africa Radio
and it's an interactive show
that mainly focuses on East
African music, covering
Kenya, Uganda , Tanzania and
newcomers to East African
Community Rwanda and
Burundi . The show strives to
promote East African culture
through music and also updated news concerning the day to
day lives of East Africans,
both here in the UK and back
in Africa. It goes live every
Wednesday night from 10PM
till 12 Midnight on 94.3FM or
online on www.voiceofafricaradio.com.
I listen to your show religiously
every Wednesday night and most
of the time you preach about
peace in Africa . What message do
you have for your fellow Kenyans
who are now experiencing postelection violence and tension?
As we all know the media is
a powerful tool in relaying
information, hence at Voice of
Africa Radio, we all try to put
across a message of peace and
love especially at this moment
when Kenya is going through
trying times. My message to
all Kenyans is to exercise
restraint in showing hatred
towards fellow Kenyans.
Politics is a game that can
either build or destroy a nation
as we've seen from many
examples out there, hence we
really need to learn from that
and maintain the peace and
togetherness that we've lived
by for so long.
Any gigs we should put on our
2008 Calendar?
There's quite a number
coming up, I will be featuring
at a show by London based
group Kasai Masai in early
February, as well as the annual
Valentine's party on 15th
February at Club Afrique,
which this time round is focusing on bringing together all
Kenyans and friends of Kenya
and promote peace and love.
For more details on these
events and more one can
always log onto my website,
www.djdubwise.com
or
www.myspace.com/djdubwise.
What does the future hold for DJ
Dubwise?
With God's grace, the sky
and beyond is the limit for me,
as I will strive to be the best I
can be, rip all the benefits and
hopefully use my skills to
make a difference in society.
Are you looking for personal loan that speaks your language?
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ENTERTAINMENT
21
Suzanna Lubrano releases
irresistibly danceable LP
"Saida" is a delicate, successful fusion of Zouk, R&B and traditional Cape Verdean music styles
By Stephen Ogongo
The famous Cape Verdean songstress Suzanna Lubrano is celebrating the release of her new album
"Saida".
This passionate song writer and
beauty queen has done what she terms
a "crossover LP" by venturing into a
new musical territory, bringing together the Sexy Cape Verdean Zouk
Love, the more traditional Cape
Verdean Batuku and the delicate R&B
ballads in English.
Suzanna is right to term this LP a
"crossover" because it is an intelligent,
successful fusion of Zouk, R&B and
more traditional Cape Verdean music
styles. The product is an excellent,
sweet and irresistibly danceable LP
with powerful and relevant messages.
For instance in the first track that gives
the album its name "Saida" which
means exit, Suzanna sings about the
courage to begin a new life after a past
terrible experience. Here she shows the
importance of being available and
ready to help the suffering. "I was locked up in my pain without feelings,
You gave me your hand and you saved
me, I was locked up in my sorrow
without consolation, You gave me your
hand and saved me, I never thought I'd
love again after all I've been through in
the past, I never thought I'd trust
someone to accompany me in my life,"
Suzanna says.
In the track "Sumara", Suzanna cautions against letting friends and
rumours interfere with your relationship. She warns against making decisions based on rumours and ill advice
from friends. Such
friends, Suzanna
says, only have the
aim of breaking
your love and after
succeeding, they
start to laugh
behind your back.
Before talking in a
bad way or hurting
the person you
love,
Suzanna
advises that you
give the partner a
chance to tell
his/her side of the
story. "Don't let
rumours break you
apart, your love is
stronger than bad
intent, let love and
trust be the foundation of your
relationship, from
there you can continue to build,"
Suzanna sings.
In this diverse
pop album containing 19 tracks
released by Mass
A p p e a l
Entertainment,
Suzanna is backed by a wide array of
producers, composers, musicians, and
rappers.
Suzanna is a musician who has continuously re-invented herself throu-
ghout her career. She won two prestigious awards (the Best Female African
Artist and Best Female Artist - West
Africa) at the Kora All African Music
Awards in 2003 in South Africa. Asked
how she feels about her success, she
says "I'm someone who is always with
both feet on the ground. I'm just a
mutual person. I don't see myself as an
artiste, I just see myself like any other
person."
The Cape Verdean pop diva who is
deeply saddened by the suffering of
many desperate children all over the
world, has a dream of building an
orphanage. She feels happy when she
receives a letter saying that her songs
made someone feel good. "That's what
excites me," she says.
Suzanna officially launched the new
LP on 31st January at the Cabo Verde
meets Brasil Party at Holland Casino,
Rotterdam, Netherlands. She plans to
stage many other shows in different
parts of the world to launch the LP.
You can order a copy of "Saida" and
obtain more information about
Suzanna's tour schedule from: René
Romer and Mical Ghebreab, TransCity,
The Netherlands, Tel + 31 10 414 04
64, Tel + 31 65 368-06-75: Email:
[email protected], or [email protected]
Snippets of the album tracks can
be heard on
http://www.myspace.com/suzannalubrano and on http://www.suzannaonline.nl
Interview with Suzanna Lubrano
“Saida” is inspired by my personal experience
By Stephen Ogongo
Please share with us something about your new album.
The first track that gives the
album its name is "Saida".
Why have you named it
"Saida" and what does this
mean?
"Saida" is a good one. It is
not really something that happened to me, but might one
day. The song "Saida" is about
a girl who had a difficult relationship. Because of all the
pains, the sorrows, she got
stuck, got locked up in her
emotions. She couldn't see a
way out. Then someone come
along and showed her the exit,
because "Saida" means exit.
So it is not something that
really happened to me. "Saida"
can mean a lot of things also. It
can mean, for example, living
somewhere then choosing to
move to live somewhere else.
TOP CHARTS
It's like changing of moments
or things you are going
through so it's wider than what
I'm talking about in the song.
What inspired you to compose
this LP?
I think this one, except for
"Saida" is a more personal
album. You know a lot of
things are inspired from things
I went through, or things I
knew someone who went
through them, so it is a more
personal album.
Mass Appeal Entertainment,
so we had a chance to work
with some people who are professionals in doing some R&B
songs. We decided to make it a
crossover, that's why there is a
lot of R&B songs and English
songs on it.
What's the secret of being a
successful musician?
I think just being yourself.
And always trying to do better
than what you did before, and
trying to go with the time.
Is there a difference in sound
between your new album and
the previous ones?
What's your advice to young
Africans aspiring to become
musicians?
We've worked with different kinds of people this time.
This CD is like a crossover. I
always wanted to do a crossover CD but I had to wait for the
right time and this was the
right time to do it because we
have this label in America, the
I must say they have to continue building up. I would gladly do something for them to
help them record because they
need someone serious to
record with and to invest in
them. I would say keep the
faith and keep on doing what
you are doing. One day I'm
sure something will happen.
Apart from music, what else
do you do?
I do a lot of things. I'm a
mother so I do my best to be a
good mother, and that's very
important next to the music
business because it could be
very busy sometimes. I ensure
that I have plenty of time for
my little ones. That's very
important. I think being a good
mother is even more important
than being a musician. And
next to that, I love children and
one day I would love to do
something for the children all
over the world. This year I
hope we will do something on
that line to help children in
need.
What's your advice to African
women forced to make a choice between a family and a
career?
I would love to say that
nothing is impossible. I believe you can do both, that is
what I'm doing, of course you
need someone to help, but it's
not impossible. You should
never leave your family just to
go for a professional career,
I've never done that, I know it
is possible to do both because
I'm doing it.
22
SPORTS
Blatter: Timing of Africa Cup
of Nations must be changed
Caf: There are no plans to change timing of Africa Cup of Nations
tion will continue to
kick off in January.
FRICA UP OF ATIONS
It said there are
no
immediate
FIXTURES
to change
"This is a tradition, but plans
timing of the
one should have now the the
Sunday, 03 February
tournament.
courage to go into the
"It is impossi- 2008
international calendar ble to move the Winner Group A v Runnerand see if it's not possible competition to up Gp B, Quarter Final,
because it is
to deal with it. We put a June
the rainy season Winner Group B v Runnertarget for 2016 that by
in most African up Gp A, Quarter Final,
that time the internatio- countries and it
will also be too Monday, 04 February
nal calendar must be
Caf general
definitely in accordance hot,"
secretary Mustafa 2008
with the interests of eve- Fahmy said.
Winner Gp C v Runner-up
rybody."
"We know our Gp D, Quarter Final,
continent better, Winner Gp D v Runner-up
can Europe orga- Gp C, Quarter Final,
Fifa president Sepp
nize the European
Blatter
Championship in
Russia
in Thursday, 07 February 2008
"It's normal that the clubs January?"
Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 4, Semi-Final,
Fahmy also said Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 3, Semi-Final,
don't want us to leave and go
and play in the African that despite suggeNations Cup, because they stions from some
European officials, Saturday, 09 February 2008
pay us every week.
"You can't leave the club and your Caf will not reduce Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, 3rd and 4th Place
team-mates like that, because the the frequency of the Play-Offs,
Premiership is very difficult. A team tournament, BBC
like Bolton may lose three or four pla- reported.
"I can confirm Sunday, 10 February 2008
yers.”
Around 40 African players in the that the Nations Cup Winner SF1 v Winner SF2, Final
English Premier League are in Ghana will continue to be
held every two years
for the Nations Cup.
we need to fulfil and marketing conBut the Confederation of African at least till 2014," he said.
tracts that we must respect.
"We already have commitments that
Football (Caf) insists that the competi"I am surprised that they say we are
the only confederation that organizes their Nations Cup every
two years"
"It is impossible to move
"The fact is, Europe and Asia
the competition to June
are exceptions, other confederabecause it is the rainy
tions like Oceania and North
and Central America apply the
season in most African
same duration system we have
countries and it will also
in our competition."
be too hot. We know our
Meanwhile Caf has confircontinent better, can
med that the 2010 Africa Cup of
Europe organize the
Nations will start 10 days earlier
than this year's edition in Ghana
European Championship
as a concession to Europeanin Russia in January?"
based clubs.
Caf said the tournament in
Confederation of
Angola would be held from
January 10-31, unlike this year's
African Football
which started on Sunday 20th
General secretary
January and run until 10th
Mustafa Fahmy
February.
© AP PHOTO
for us and easier for the clubs
as well.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter wants
the timing of the Africa Cup of
Nations changed.
He told the BBC that by 2016, the
biennial tournament must be held in
June and July like other major tournaments.
"This is a tradition, but one should
have now the courage to go into the
international calendar and see if it's not
possible to deal with it," said Blatter.
"We put a target for 2016 that by that
time the international calendar must be
definitely in accordance with the interests of everybody."
Many African players and European
clubs who lose key players to the tournament have made frequent calls to
change its timing. El Hadji Diouf,
Senegal's former African player of the
year has in the past suggested that Cup
of Nations should not be held in
January and February, at the height of
the European season.
"We are not playing the African
Nations Cup at the right time. We need
to look at it again," Diouf said. "Why
can't we play when the Premiership is
finished? We can play the African
Nations Cup in a month at the end of
the season. This would make it easier
A
C
N
Ghana is a bridge to South Africa as
it does everything possible to host a
fantastic African Cup of Nations. "For
us it is an African World Cup of
Nations in reference to 2010. People
are coming to Ghana not only to see
how Ghana is organised, but how
Africa is organised. And we are inviting all South Africans to come to
Ghana and we will do our best to host
them to the best of our ability. God
bless Ghana, God bless South Africa
and God bless Africa," said the former
Ghana international Anthony Baffoe,
who is the Ghana 2008 Director for
International Relations.
Baffoe played for Ghana's Black
Stars national team 16 times and made
his name in the German Bundesliga
with clubs such as FC Koln, Stuttgart
Kickers and Fortuna Dusseldorf.
"We all are looking forward to a
© AP PHOTO
Ghana 2008 a bridge to SA 2010
“(African Cup of Nations) is
a trophy and a tournament
that needs to be entrenched
in the hearts and minds of
all African people"
2010 LOC's Chief Executive
Officer Dr Danny Jordaan
wonderful experience in Ghana. The
expectation that this will be the best
ever African Nations Cup is huge.
Certainly from a playing point of view,
featuring players like Kolo Toure,
Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, Michael
Essien and John Obi Mikel we're
expecting that it will deliver high-qua-
lity football. We have African players
who are now not only in the starting
line-ups, but who are stars at some of
the biggest clubs in the world".
The 2010 OC's Chief Executive
Officer Dr Danny Jordaan said "The
Ghana 2008 African Nations Cup will
further strengthen the character of the
game on the continent and we want to
wish you as the organisers of the tournament the very best. You will help us.
Because if you do a good job - and we
know you will - people will see that not
only are Africans good on the playing
field, they're good organisers as well."
Dr. Jordaan praised the Ghana 2008
LOC for their decision to take the
AFCON trophy to all the competing
countries in the Nations Cup.
"The trophy tour gives a connection
to the tournament to those people in the
competing countries. It gives those
countries the chance to experience the
symbols of the tournament and also
helps to market the African Nations
Cup. It is a trophy and a tournament
that needs to be entrenched in the
hearts and minds of all African people," said Dr. Jordaan.
SPORTS
23
2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Abedi: Africa’s doing it in style
By LOC
South Africa 2010 FIFA World
Cup™ Ambassador Abedi "Pele"
Ayew is one of the greatest and most
celebrated African footballers of all
time.
One of the first African players to
make a major impact on European club
football, he was the African Player of
the Year a record three-times in 1991,
1992 and 1993.
For all his outstanding personal
achievements, however, one honor eluded him in his illustrious career - winning the African Nations Cup on home
soil in his native Ghana.
He's 43 now and long retired, but he
is an omnipresent star in his own right
as Ghana hosts the 2008 MTN African
Nations Cup from January 20-February
10.
And while he won't physically take
part in the action on the pitch, he will
be well represented on the playing
front by his 17-year-old son Andre
Ayew.
Like his famous father, Andre is a
prolific striker who banged in the goals
at junior level and has only just embarked on what promises to be an exciting
international career with Ghana's Black
Stars.
And also like his father, Andre is
making his mark at France's
Olympique Marseille, a club where
Abedi won four Ligue 1 French titles
and made two European Champions
League final appearances, including
Marseille's famous Champions League
win in 1993.
With Ghana excelling at the Black
Stars' first FIFA World Cup appearance
at Germany 2006 and containing stars
such as Michael Essien and Sulley
Muntari, as well as exciting youngsters
like Andre, he is confident his countrymen will emerge victorious on home
soil in African football's showpiece.
"The Nations Cup in Ghana will be
contested by great players, great teams Preliminary Draw in
and it will be a great occasion. It is the Durban late last year furperfect platform for Ghana to show its ther showcased the contipersonality and its football. We've got a nent's many abilities.
great chance to win the trophy at
home, but the pressure is going
to be huge after Ghana's good
"We are hosting the
performance in Germany," said
World Cup on the
Pele in an interview with
FIFA.com.
African continent and we
With players like Essien, have to keep the African
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, Ivory
vibe and prove to the
Coast's Didier Drogba, Kolo
world that vibe is going
Toure and Salomon Kalou setting world football alight in
to be great. Everything
recent years at some of the wor- we do will be inclusive of
ld's biggest clubs, African foot- Africa and will be distinball is at an all-time high and
ctive, like nothing the
buoyant as the continent readies
world has seen before”
itself to host the first FIFA World
Cup on African soil in 2010.
And Abedi has been one of a South Africa 2010 FIFA
resurgent Africa's most respected
World Cup™
and important ambassadors, even
Ambassador Abedi
appearing at the G8 summit to
further the continent's case.
"Pele" Ayew
He was a member of the South
African delegation in Zurich on
"I think it's unbelieva14 May 2004 which presented a powerful and successful bid to FIFA to host ble that today all those
the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Abedi who didn't have the confimaking an emotive speech to the FIFA dence in us are all very
executive that day which strengthened happy. That's why the say
this is the power of footSouth Africa's case.
"Africa has come a long way in a ball, football brings people together.
short time. Africa 20 years ago was There were a lot of people who didn't
populated by people who did not own believe in us, but today we have the
their own destiny, people didn't have a FIFA World Cup on our continent. We
means to make money, to own their have proved to the world that not only
own small companies. So democracy in can we play the game, but we can host
Africa is young but we are working it as well. As an African, you always
very, very fast to really achieve a long- have to prove things. But the strides
term sustainable democracy within our we've made in recent times shows that
continent," Pele said with great convic- we're on the right track," said Pele.
And he is confident his Ghanaian
tion.
And with Africa's first FIFA World countrymen will continue to send the
Cup now hurtling quickly towards the right signals to the footballing world by
continent in less than 900 days, Abedi hosting one of the best African Nations
was delighted that the extremely suc- Cups ever during the 2008 edition.
"Africa is blessed from 2008
cessful 2010 FIFA World Cup
(African Cup of Nations in Ghana) to
2010 Angola (African Cup of Nations)
and 2010 (World Cup) South Africa.
We can't ask for more than this. We
have proved to the world that we are
not going to do things the same way as
Germany 2006, we are not doing the
same as Korea Japan, and we will not
be the same as France or America."
"We are hosting the World Cup on
the African continent and we have to
keep the African vibe and prove to the
world that vibe is going to be great.
Everything we do will be inclusive of
Africa and will be distinctive, like
nothing the world has seen before,"
said Pele.
China opposed to politicizing Olympic Games
China strongly opposes using the
Olympic Games to hype political issues
- such as Darfur - which only serve to
disturb preparation works.
"It is of apparent political intention and
purpose to link the Darfur issue with the
Olympics," Xinhua news agency quoted
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu
to have said.
"Such practice violates the Olympic
spirit and principle, and will never succeed."
China is firmly opposed to those persons or organizations that hype particular
issues in the name of the
Olympics, said Ms Jiang in response to a question asking whether
China would put more pressure on
Sudan.
Some foreign media believe
China's continued support for the
regime in Sudan could tarnish the
Olympics.
"I don't know whether those
organizations know China's role on
the issue and the current situation
in the Darfur region," she said.
Liu Guijin, Chinese special
envoy for African affairs, rejected
Western media accusations as
groundless, saying it was ridiculous to politicize the Olympic
Games.
"It is just some portion of
Western media and organizations
that stick to observing China
through coloured glasses," Mr Liu
said.
"The 2008 Games is not only
China's but also the whole world's.
The international community has
already achieved a consensus that
the Games should not be linked to
politics," Liu told China Daily.
"It is of apparent political
intention and purpose to
link the Darfur issue with
the Olympics. Such practice violates the Olympic spirit and principle, and will
never succeed."
Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Jiang Yu
China has been the first country to promise and then to dispatch soldiers to take
part in peacekeeping missions in Darfur,
Ms Jiang said.
A 140-strong advance troop of a
Chinese engineering unit has arrived in
Darfur, and the unit is gradually being
deployed.
The political process and peacekeeping deployment in Darfur has achieved
progress under joint efforts of all concerned parties, Ms Jiang said.
China says six nations have reached
consensus on the major elements of a
draft UN resolution on the Iran nuclear
issue, which says all sides will continue
diplomatic efforts and resolve the issue
through negotiations.
Puma renews
sponsorship deal
with GFA
Sports goods manufacturer
Puma has extended its sponsorship agreement with the
Ghana Football Association
(GFA) until 2012. According
to BBC reports, the deal is
estimated to be worth as much
as $25 million (£12.7 million).
Puma will give the GFA an
annual retainer, sales royalties
and performance bonuses, as
well as sports footwear and
clothing. The German company will also supply all national
team kits and construct a new
training pitch for the GFA in
Accra. GFA and Puma had a
deal which was due to expire
in January 2009. Puma opted
to extend the contract because
of the Black Stars' impressive
showing at the 2006 World
Cup finals.
"This commitment is convincing proof of the recent
progress we have made and
this will enhance football in
Ghana," said GFA boss Kwasi
Nyantakyi.
Puma has deals with nine
of the 16 teams at the Nations
Cup.
Egypt,
Angola,
Cameroon, Ivory Coast,
Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia
and Namibia all wear Puma
kit.
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