Pictorial of Nigerian conventions in America... Stella Obasanjo, Atiku

Transcription

October
2004
|
Volume
1
|
Number
5
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www.transatlantictimes.com
Transatlantic
TIMES
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Pictorial of Nigerian conventions in America... Stella Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar among the dignitaries
Kenya S 225
Nigeria N 300
Ghana C 24,000 South Africa R19
African Edition
Transatlantic
TIMES
Cover Stories
3 • Africans in America:
Economic lifeline for countries back on
the continent
A look at the economic support obtained
by Africans working outside the Continent
and how it contributes to the economic
development of countries in Africa.
By Dan E. Austin
27 • Crisis in Darfur: Sudan’s Genocide?
With apparent goverment-santioned killings
escalating in Sudan, the international
cpmmunity is rushing to offer hope, our
Writer offers suggestions.
By Tam-Al Alalibo
Economic life line in form of dollar technological manpower from Africans in the
US to countries in the African continent
Pictorials of Nigerian Conventions in
America
34 • African Democracy Outreach Group event
featuring the Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku
Abubarkar.
36 • The First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs Stella
Obansanjo at a Health Awareness Symposium.
53 • The Edo National Convention.
28. Kufuor Vs. Mills: Ghanaian Presidential Elections
Our political scientist/writer compares
Leading candidates for December election
World News
8 • More Privatization Ahead for Italy
Prime Minister uses tax cuts, equity stakes in state owned
companies to overcome low growth equilibrium.
21. Liberia Economy After Taylor
Writer says no significant progress made nearly
a year after dictator’s departure
30. Nigerian Vice President Champions Democracy and Free
Economy
Atiku Abubakar addresses pro-democracy group
at special forum in Arlington, Virginia, USA
9 • US May Sell Some Strategic Crude Oil
He a l t h , S c i e n c e, Te c h n o l o g y
13 . Zimbabwe Opposition Threatens Boycott
39 • Artificial Sweeteners
By Adaeze Atuegwu
Our pharmacist/writer evaluates a few popular sugar substitutes
for safety and effectiveness and shares her findings
White house hints of possibility of sale of some strtegic
reserves to curb soaring prices.
MDC party claims past candidate intimidation, wants
transparency and fairness in future elections.
Le tters to t h e Ed i to r
15 • Mandela calls for urgent funding of
Global Fund
Compliments and Criticisms
A n a lysi s a n d Co m m e n t a r y
19 • The AIDS Battlefield: Where Politics and
Science Must Join Forces
By Louise Classon
Fifteenth international AIDS conference
featured complete leadership program to
complement scientific, community programs
E n te r t a i n m e n t
45 • Hollywood’s Hit Man
By Amy Draughn
With the release of Fahrenheit 9/11, filmmaker Michael Moore
took his best shot at President Bush; Will he hit the mark on 11/2?
47 • Essence celebrates ten years of music, motivation
By Emory White
Huge, festive African American musical/personal enrichment
event draws over 228,000 to New Orleans Superdome
6 • Former Soccer Star Regrets Drug Use
Retired legend Argentina Maradona in TV interview
condemns past cocaine use, seeks return to Cuba
Cover Story
Africans in America:
An Economic Life Line
For Countries on the Continent
By Dan E. Austin
In a recently held democracy development forum, the President of Transatlantic Times magazine and senior reporter
met with officers of the outreach development group of the PDP political party
of Nigeria in the United States. Heading the group is Mr. Tex Wariboko, an
American trained lawyer practicing in
Houston, Texas. With his group of colleagues surrounding him, we spoke with
them regarding their goals and the political party they support many miles away.
Flanking the leader of the group was Dr.
Stanley Onye the group’s secretary, Simon
Guobadia, Ali Abdul Kadiri, and Anne
Nzegwu. Not present but instrumental in
organizing the local symposium are Mr.
And Mrs. Abadon of the Washington,
DC area.
Mr. Wariboko noted that this group of
Nigerian political people has been organized among Nigerians in the Diaspora in
Britain, Italy, Ghana, Holland, South Africa, and even the Far East. Their goal is to
bring the socio-economic and technological resources to which they have elaborate
access in the developed nations they now
call home, back to their places of origin.
At the symposium and fund raiser organized by the group in a western style fund
raiser dinner of one hundred dollars per
person, normally well above the means of
the average citizen, the group was still able
to pull a crowd and feature the presence
of the Vice president of Nigeria Atiku
Abubarkar and his wife with an entourage of some State governors and Federal
ministers of Nigeria. The group affirmed
that their drive was the love of their native
October 2004
country and firm desire to be organized as
a people of sub-Saharan Africa even here
in the United States. Their main thrust
is economic and technological development for Africa and, to that end, they are
sponsoring an African economic summit, in Houston, Texas, USA, in spring
(April/May) 2005. The group cites the
success already achieved by the likes of
India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Brazil
credited mainly to its nationals in Diaspora assisting in accessing technological
and economic fits which otherwise would
not have been readily available to those
countries for development. The group
stressed the need to assist the Nigerian
government of Olusegun Obasanjo in
heeding his call to diversify the economy
from gas and oil sector into a strong base
of agriculture, manufacturing, IT/high
tech, and solid minerals exploration. Mr.
Wariboko affirmed the importance of
finding good candidates from the United
States to help run for government offices
in Nigeria. Most of these candidates bring
in fresh and often valuable ideas that can
thrust forward the growth of democracy
in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the PDP was asked
why should Nigerians who left the country because of the mal-administration of
corrupt officials and a crooked system
now consider giving up their improved
lives to return, possibly as second class
citizens to assist and perpetuate a corrupt
and ill system. In reply, the articulate and
enthusiastic Chairman of the PDP group
responded by emphasizing the love of our
people. His point was we must help the
system. The US once was run in vast areas
by cowboy justice and democracy and has
taken many years to establish the rule of
law with many sacrifices of great men. It
began with the founding fathers such as
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
and Abraham Lincoln to mention a few.
Today, as the country is striding onward,
we Africans especially Nigerians in the
United States send more than 3 billion
dollars per year to Nigeria alone through
Western Union. This is approaching
about 15 percent of the national budget.
That represents a considerable amount of
economic resources to which any government should pay serious attention. We in
the Diaspora have to be more involved in
determining the direction of the country.
The group mentioned the Women’s Summit health group meeting in Washington,
DC in September. It also mentioned the
many other Nigerian groups such as Cignet group, the many oil consortiums, the
different regional congress groups, the
Edo peoples world group, Ibo world congress, many local groups that are divesting from the Nigerian owned or directly
associated United States based groups,
UK groups that are moving vested technology and businesses into these African
countries.
However, some concerns still remain
in the areas of security, the lack of a middle class economy, police force, and poor
health care back in Africa. These are the
areas to which we need to divert our power
base here in the US, with the assistance of
those presently in power in this country.
We can best channel these functions into
Transatlantic Times • 3
Cover Story
Africans In America
fundamental success so that our next generation can be given the torch and continue to move forward. We must organize,
this group stressed, with the secretary Mr.
Stanley Onye and Simon Guobadia reinforcing the leaders’ view. Patriotism, fund
raising, passion for development to move
Nigeria forward, and of course our love of
PDP, because it is the party that will move
the country forward. Asked why PDP, the
chairman affirmed, “it’s the party of pow-
WESTERN UNION RECEPTION FOR NIGERIAN COMMUNITY, New York, June 2003
The Western Union Marketing manager for
Africa, Mrs. Aida Diarra addressed the audience, giving details of the dollar payout
program currently being held by Western
Union in Nigeria.
er and it’s the only one that would give
you access right now. We need access to
be able to help effectively. Our passion is
to help our people and the leaders are also
our people, the legally elected leaders are
our people, we must work with them and
through them and make changes from
the inside whenever possible. The party is
doing well under the leadership of Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice president Atiku
Abubarkar, PDP of the party and we must
work with them.”
Asked about the future of the party, the
Chairman said he believes the party will
win the next presidential election, and that
the party is on solid ground. When asked
what is the only shortcoming that can possibly derail the party progress, most in the
group answered none, however, after some
consideration the group leader remarked,
the possibility of collapse from the inside,
otherwise he believes the party will do
well. Their greatest concern on the election side of democracy is to strive for one
person one vote. Democracy is also about
due process, primaries, rule of law and the
growth of the process. They would like the
Chief Ayoola (Aspirant for House of
Representative, Abeokuta South Federal Constituency) makes a remark
Nigerian congress to pass the legislation
pending before the congress on the ability
of citizens outside the country to vote and
be counted, since they contribute so much
to the economic well being of the nations.
The contagious enthusiasm of this group is
quite encouraging.
We at Transatlantic Times are rooting
for democracy and technological development in Africa, though we know it is an
arduous process, but a good cause. It certainly is worth rolling up our sleeves and
working for until we see the coming to
age of these African economies.
Columbia International
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4 • Transatlantic Times
October 2004
Transatlantic
TIMES
From the Editor
Vote Anyway
Like many of our readers and fellow citizens, you may have become
disillusioned, angry, or even disgusted at the new level to which the bar
of partisan politics has been raised. Over the past several weeks, both
of the main stream political parties, Republican and Democrat have
been leveling a variety of charges and countercharges at each other
regarding the prior military war service records and recent homeland
security performance records of each other’s candidates. There have
even been statements made speculating that Democratic candidate,
John Kerry would have reacted in a superior manner had he been
faced with the same circumstances on 9/11 as incumbent George
Bush. In these circumstances, one can only make educated guesses.
Our personal preference for the weeks preceding the election
would have been for more of a concentrated discussion relating to
the prior public service records of both candidates along with a clearly
articulated plan on how they would deal with real current problems
such as the economy, health care, employment, education, housing,
and yes, homeland security. Generally speaking, these are the core issues affecting nearly all Americans.
But regardless of how angry or put off you may feel, we want to
re-emphasize to you something that you probably have heard before
but which still bears repeating. It is a valuable privilege to be able to
translate your feelings through the action of your vote. To that end,
we urge you not to stay home on election day but rather channel your
anger or enthusiasm in a constructive direction.
Even if you dislike both candidates or just can’t make up your mind,
there often is still the alternative of a marginal third party candidate.
Furthermore, you don’t have to depend on the cynical, often nasty
words of political ads to become an educated voter. Today, thanks to
the technological miracle of the Internet, a large majority of us have
access to much more of the information we need to make an informed
decision in this highly important presidential election. So, we recommend that if you haven’t done so already, go beyond the rhetoric of
political advertising, do a little research of your own, become a better informed voter, and then—Go out and vote. We at Transatlantic
Times don’t feel that it is our place to endorse any particular political
candidate, but we certainly feel that it is in the best interests of our
readers to urge them to exercise one of the most valuable rights that
we enjoy today in a democracy.
Vol. 1
October 2004
No. 5
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October 2004
Swing Vote 2004: Fewer than 11 %
of US electorate to determine leader
of free world
by Leonard Blasso
If you haven’t made up your mind
as for whom to vote, you’re not
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World News
A RG E N T I N A
Former Soccer Star Regrets
Drug Use
(Newscom)
Crying like a child
on
Argentine
television,
former soccer great
Argentina Maradona lamented
being kept in “a
pigsty” against his
will, while ruing
the day he first snorted cocaine and professing undying love for his daughters.
In his first televised interview since being committed three months ago to a clinic
on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Maradona
said Tuesday night that he longed to return
to Cuba. The retired soccer legend, who
has lived on the Caribbean island since
2000, said he found there the peace and
quiet denied him in Argentina.
“I’m losing by knock-out,” he said in
one of the several segments in which he
could not repress sobs. He was referring
either to his desperate attempts to be freed
from judicial commitment to the facility,
or to his efforts to overcome the drug addiction that has plagued him since the early
1980s, or both.
“The place where I’m living these days
is a pigsty,” Maradona said in an interview
with Channel 9 television. “Still, I’m grateful to authorities at the psychiatric hospital
for having taken me in when others refused.
But that place can’t help me any further.”
The former captain of the Argentine
national team, a superbly talented goalscorer and ball-handler considered by
many the best soccer player in history, criticized Judge Norberto Garcia Vedia. He is
the magistrate who, given the ruling that
Maradona is not mentally fit to make his
own decisions, would have to authorize his
departure from the country.
The judge said Wednesday that he is not
opposed to the idea of Maradona’s leaving
Argentina for treatment elsewhere. But he
said the doctors treating the former star
agree that he should be in a “closed community” facility under close supervision.
He said the institute in Cuba did not
appear to fit that description, adding that
he is willing to consider proposals from the
family regarding other treatment facilities.
“I’m fine, but not as I’d like to be,”
Maradona said. “I have to face so many
obstacles here in my homeland that I feel
like a foreigner. Here I am fighting against
a judge who refuses to rule, who throws my
family in my face as an excuse, then Maradona the soccer star as another.”
“I’m 43 years old and capable of deciding what to do with my own life,” the former striker said.
Maradona said he wants to return to
Cuba, where he can “walk freely wherever I please.” He noted that, while he has
not spoken to Fidel Castro lately, he has
received greetings from the Cuban leader
through Havana’s envoy in Buenos Aires,
Alejandro Gonzalez Galiano.
Maradona went to the communist island in early 2000 a few weeks after nearly
dying of a drug overdose in Uruguay. A
Mexican newspaper last week published a
story and photographs portraying the former star allegedly indulging in debauchery
and drug-use at the Cuban clinic where he
supposedly was being “treated.”
Rounding on the media, he said that “a
certain sector of journalism is merciless and
seeks to exploit” his ailment and show his
daughters that “their father is the worst.”
“I’m not the monster they want to make
me out to be,” he said. “I accept my illness,
and it’s up to them to respect it.”
Maradona, who squandered most of
the fortune he earned playing in the Spanish and Italian premier leagues, spoke of his
“need to work” and feel useful. He said he
was not well enough off to be able to live
without earning income.
“I can’t live without working,” he said,
charging that his former agent, Guillermo
Coppola, “stole” both his and his daughters’ money.
After admitting that he had grown addicted to drugs while playing for Spain’s
Barcelona in 1982, Maradona said it was
“the biggest mistake” of his life.
“It was a miserable start, and I don’t
recommend it to anyone,” he said. “When
you get into drugs, you can’t get out. That’s
why I tell kids never even to try them. Afterwards, it becomes an endless struggle,
a lifelong battle, because your body keeps
begging you for more.”
“I’d be the happiest man alive today if I
could just turn back the clock,” he said.
In the hour-long interview, Maradona
had occasion to talk about his former wife,
Claudia Villafañe, and the couple’s daughters, Dalma and Giannina.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Claudia,” he said, adding that he regards his ties
with her as ongoing. “She’s built a life for
herself and deserves all the good things that
have come her way.”
“She ended it, not I,” he said, confessing
that he believes Villafañe will turn out to
have been the “only love” of his life.
“My only loves right now are my daughters,” Maradona said.
October 2004
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World News
Italy
More privatization
ahead for Italy
(United Press International)
ROME: Italy’s new finance minister is
defending his boss’s call for cuts in marginal tax rates and other capitalistic measures for the nation.
Domenico Siniscalco said calls by
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for $14.5
billion in tax cuts by 2006 could be fully
funded by savings elsewhere in the budget,
the Financial Times reported Wednesday.
He also said Rome intends to speed
divestments with further sales of securitized loans and real estate as well as equity
stakes in state-owned companies, he said.
Italy’s government is absolutely determined to break out of a “low-growth
equilibrium” and claimed it was ahead of
France and Germany in implementing
structural reforms.
Siniscalco said Parliament passed a
landmark pension reform last month, and
unemployment is now lower in Italy than
in Germany.
Regarding Alitalia, Siniscalco warned
unions time was running out to agree on
a deal to rescue the cash-strapped national
airline.
Siniscalco vowed not to approve a
$483 million bridge loan for Alitalia unless unions agreed to concessions. He
said once Alitalia was restructured, Rome
would cut its stake to under 50 percent
and indicated other airlines and financial
investors had expressed interest in buying
those shares.
October 2004
World News
USA
WASHINGTON: The White House
is reportedly considering a sale of some of
the nation’s strategic petroleum reserves to
curb soaring crude oil prices.
The head of the International Energy
Agency said Tuesday after talks in Paris
with the head of the U.S. energy department that “the prospect of using (the U.S.
strategic crude oil) stocks is higher now
than it was a year ago.”
The IEA also controls petroleum reserves, though they are not nearly as large
as those of the United States, the Wall
Street Journal reported Wednesday.
October 2004
Whether to dip into these reserves in
an extraordinarily tight world oil market
is under intense debate, because the lack
of surplus crude oil production capacity
leaves the reserves as the only “cushion”
against future price and supply shocks,
the Journal said.
The Bush administration wants to increase its crude oil reserves from 667 million barrels to 700 million barrels, at a
rate of 100,000 barrels per day.
The nation uses about 20 million barrels per day of crude oil.
Crude oil prices have been greater than
$45 for several weeks.
VISIT US ONLINE www.transatlantictimes.com
U.S. may sell some
strategic crude oil
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October 2004
The Olympic Story in Pictures
October 2004
Comments from olympic Icon;
Carl Lewis
October 2004
Letters To The Editor
Reader Opinions
Mandela calls for urgent
funding of the global fund
Dear Sirs:
Four double six was the number meant to de-humanize Nelson Mandela in a South African prison for twenty seven years,
but Nelson Mandela has now risen to use the same number to
mount global campaigns against HIV/AIDS.
“We know what needs to be done-all that is missing is the will
to do it,” was the final plea the former president of South Africa
made at the closing ceremony of the 15th International AIDS
conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
Making a comparison of the suffering of his black people under
the apartheid system of the white minority rule in South Africa,
Mandela said “do not forget the millions of people suffering from
HIV and AIDS and do not reduce them to mere statistics.”
He repeated his appeal to the donors-governments, private
sector, and private foundations to substantially increase their
funding for the fight against AIDS.
He appealed to the world to rise to the occasion and with
urgency to donate to the global fund and enable it to continue
its fight against Malaria, TB, and AIDS- diseases he said “present
the greatest threats to humanity.”
He said the challenges now faced require comprehensive prevention and care programs. There is also immediate need for access to the
anti-retroviral treatment needed to save millions of lives in the developing world including Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
He called for global policy changes that would protect the
human rights of those that suffer from unfair discrimination due
to the disease.
Thank you.
Henry Neondo, Bangkok, Thailand
Compliments and Criticisms
for Transatlantic Times
Dear Editor,
Sorry, mine is not an advert booking but general comments
on your work.
The publication is a welcome innovation as its packaging well competes with international standards and of
course a good projection of the image of our country. No
doubt a veritable tool for rebranding Nigeria and project
Africa as a whole. I would however want you pay a little more
attention to the editing of subsequent reports. While I glossed
October 2004
through, the following were noticed:
Page 8: Gadhafi’s first response, Line 7: “ We can’t... forward”
- GO is missing.
Page 23: Paragraph 3, line 10 “have yet to abate” - the word
should be ARE not HAVE Once again, well done for this great
job. Better days lie ahead.
Rotimi
Our Editor replies
Dear Mr. Rotimi:
Thank you for your letter regarding the looks and content of
Transatlantic Times magazine, June issue. We were happy to hear
that you find our appearance appealing and professional looking.
Regarding your editorial comments, however, we respectfully submit that you are in error in both instances. First, we
will address Mr. Gadhafi’s response to an interviewer’s question (page 8, line 7). Mr. Gadhafi’s words are a direct quote
through a translator as dictated to the United Press International reporter who wrote the story. In the interest of maintaining
the integrity of Mr. Gadhafi’s translated words, it was necessary
to reiterate the sentence even though the translator’s English
was incorrect. This is a standard technique of journalism. In the
case of page 23, paragraph 3, line 10, I would direct you to any
basic grammar text that will indicate that the word “abate” is
a transitive verb whose tense may be changed through the use
of an auxiliary verb, in this case, the word “have,” to reflect an
event that will occur in the future. Thus, it is indeed correct to
say “have yet to abate.”
Furthermore, we should like to point out that among the
very text of your letter to us, you have inadvertently (no doubt)
omitted the word “to” in your third paragraph where you say, “I
would however want you pay a little more attention…” which
should read “I would however want you to pay a little more
attention…”.
Again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with
us and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future.
Leonard Blasso
Editor-in-Chief
October 2004
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October 2004
Analysis & Commentary
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe opposition
threatens boycott
HARARE, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s
main opposition party has demanded
democratic election reforms before next
March’s vote, or it will not participate, the
BBC said Wednesday.
Known as the MDC, the party has disputed the results from elections in 2000
and 2002, and claims its candidates were
subjected to intimidation tactics in the
past.” The MDC will not participate in
elections until the political space has been
opened up and a legal, institutional and
administrative framework for elections has
been established,” MDC spokesman Paul
Themba-Nyathi told reporters in Harare.
The party statement said in coming
months it wants to see a new legal framework for elections that provides “transparency and fairness.”
Two weeks ago, Southern African leaders approved a regional charter spelling
out guidelines for free and fair elections,
which the MDC insists be instituted
before next March’s parliamentary elections.
Harare - Zimbabwe opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai
President Thabo Mbeki
October 2004
Washington D.C. USA
The AIDS Battlefield:
Where Politics and Science
Must Join Forces
By Louise Classon
W
hen the first gathering of
scientists aimed at sharing information on HIV
was held in 1985, it was
predominantly a meeting of researchers
and scientists sharing data and techniques
about drug research and development,
and treatment protocols. The news coverage of the early conferences was important, but not that widespread.
News from the XV International AIDS
Conference this year revolved mainly
around politics. This is the first year in
which a complete Leadership Program
complemented the Scientific and Community Programs. One aspect of the Leadership Program consisted of interactive
sessions where leaders discussed difficult
challenges in the global response to HIV/
AIDS. Two of the challenges discussed
included lack of coordination among
international donors and the impact of
intellectual property rights on treatment
access. These topics proved controversial
and dominated headlines and television
sound bites in the global media.
Whether or not individuals agree or
disagree with various controversial topics, the one positive aspect that emerges
from the news coverage is publicizing
the enormity of the HIV/AIDS problem throughout the world. There are an
estimated 42 million people around the
globe with HIV/AIDS and almost 30 million of these are in Africa and 7.2 million
in Asia. AIDS hits another 14,000 people
per day.
The AIDS pandemic had already killed
20 million people and orphaned 15 million children worldwide by 2003. More
October 2004
than 3 million children in the world lost
one or both parents to AIDS between
2001 and 2003 according to U.N. and
U.S. officials. Orphans are defined as children under 18 who lost at least one parent. The disease has hit children hardest in
sub-Saharan Africa, which by 2010 could
have as many as 17 million orphaned children.
Lack of Coordination Among
International Donors
HIV/AIDS is a political issue because
what politicians, government ministers
and officials say or do on the issue impacts
society as a whole. Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni reminded the conference during his plenary remarks on July
12, that efforts to fight AIDS are most
effective when they are supported by political leaders who signal their willingness
to dispense with “business as usual” by
adopting extraordinary policies to support an effective response.
The United States was criticized at
this year’s HIV/AIDS conference for
the amount of its contribution to fund
HIV/AIDS worldwide and the manner
in which the funding was distributed. In
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, U.S. funding for
global HIV/AIDS is expected to total
$2.3 billion, and includes the first year
of funding for the President’s Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The
President’s FY 2005 budget proposal to
the U.S. Congress requests $2.7 billion
for global HIV/AIDS.
In defending the United States position with regard to funding HIV/AIDS,
U.S. Ambassador Randall Tobias, head
of the State Department Office of the
Global AIDS Coordinator, stated that the
United States prefers allocating some of
its AIDS funding through PEPFAR instead of totally through the U.N. Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and
Malaria. In the July 15, 2004 issue of
Guardian, Tobias said that the Global
Fund is “a very promising vehicle and
a critically important part” of the fight
against AIDS. He further said that it is “a
young venture and still maturing.” Tobias
added PEPFAR is an “effective mechanism to ensure that small and effective
organizations can improve their work and
get money fast to address urgent needs
within communities” (Apiradee, Bangkok
Post, 7/15/2004)
“As part of the President’s Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief, we are pursuing the
ambitious goal to reduce mother-to-child
transmission by 40 percent in these severely affected areas over five years. Training
14,700 maternal and child health workers,
and building capacity at over 900 health
care sites, are heartening indications that
we can meet that goal,” said Ambassador
Tobias.
In the fight against HIV/AIDS it is imperative that patients receive support from
a healthcare infrastructure, which can
provide drugs consistently and encourage
patients to adhere to their drug regimens.
One of the possible side effects of inconsistent care is the advent of drug-resistant
strains of HIV/AIDS.
The July 19 issue of Newsweek reports about the efforts of Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) and Treatment Action
Campaign (TAC) in sub-Saharan Africa
to “mobilize millions of people” to seek
HIV/AIDS treatment and create health
infrastructure capable of delivering care.
Although antiretroviral drug costs have
dropped by 98 percent in the past several years and several initiatives including
the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, the Global Fund and the World
Health Organization’s (WHO) 3 x 5 Initiative---have issued grants or helped design
programs to provide treatment, less than 2
percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s HIV-positive people are receiving treatment. Many
countries that have received grants, are not
ready to absorb the money, partly because
many health care workers are moving to
wealthier countries and those remaining
are ‘overwhelmed and exhausted.” Organizations such as TAC and MSF have set up
home-based care initiatives, where trained
community volunteers help patients adhere to drug regimens, establish voluntary
test sites and organize support groups that
“stand up” to the stigma attached to HIV/
AIDS. Such programs have proven that
‘grass-roots involvement is critical’ to the
fight against HIV/AIDS.
Impact of Intellectual
Property Rights on Treatment
Access
According to the WHO, 6 million people
in developing countries need antiretroviral drugs, and the latest statistics show
that only about 440,000 actually receive
them. The issue is access to generic antiretroviral drugs, which can cost as little as
$140 per patient a year in poor nations
against $470 for branded products, according to the charity, ActionAid.
WHO recommends generic drugs to
curb HIV in developing countries. The
United States does not fund AIDS drugs,
which have not been approved by its Food
and Drug Administration.
In May, the United States announced
a fast-track initiative for copycat drugs to
get the FDA seal of approval for safety
and quality, a move that would allow recipients of U.S. grants to use the cheaper
medicines rather than branded drugs in
developing countries. These generic drugs
would not be sold in the United States
because of patent protection. Richard
Feachem, executive director of the Global
Fund, said he hoped the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration would give a green
light to Indian-made three-in-one generic
drugs within two months. Generic drug
companies in India also supply Africans
with low-cost pills under an arrangement
with the Clinton Foundations. Brazil is
also a big producer of anti-AIDS drugs
and donates some pills to at least six African countries and plans to expand that to
14 nations this year.
Dr. Jack Chow, M.D., assistant director-general, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, WHO,
was interviewed by kaisernetwork.org at the
conference. Dr. Chow said, “We welcome
the new FDA fast-track approval process.
It could result in the procurement by the
United States of generic fixed-dose combinations to developing countries. We see this
as complimentary to WHO’s pre-qualification process. The WHO pre-qualification
mechanism encompasses a broader range
of medicines, not only ARVs but other
diagnostics and medicines for tuberculosis
and malaria as well.”
The BBC News on July 2, 2004 quotes
Lisa Power from the Terrence Higgins
Trust as saying, “It’s not surprising that
generic drugs made by companies with
high standards are comparable to branded
drugs. The issue has been whether pirated
drugs were a problem. If they are made
in un-inspected laboratories then they are
not going to be of the same quality.”
Much Work Yet to Be Done
Dr. Chow said, “We acknowledge much
more work needs to be done, particularly
in the realm of training of health professionals and community workers, of
building a public health infrastructure, of
developing a procurement and supply system so that the medicines can flow freely
from quality sources. So, much of that infrastructure work is being done through
the American Emergency Plan for AIDS
relief, through the work of the World
Bank and the Global Fund.”
Although the Global Fund has enough
money--$3.8 billion—to meet its needs
through the end of the year, it has received
pledges for a total of only $2 billion for
2005 through 2008, which is far below
the $3.6 billion the fund estimates it will
need in 2005 alone. Since it began funding projects in 2002, the Global Fund has
approved proposals for almost 300 grants
for projects in 128 countries.
October 2004
Monrovia Liberia
|
L I B E R I A
|
Liberia Economy after Taylor
By: Winston Monboe, Monrovia, Liberia
Since the departure of exiled former
Liberian dictator Charles McArthur
Ghankay Taylor, more than eight months
ago, the economy of Liberia has not made
any significant progress, to the disappointment of many Liberians, in and out
of the country as well as others following
events in the country.
There was a great deal of expectation
that following the exit of Mr. Taylor and
the arrival into the country of the biggest
ever United Nations Mission in the world,
the economy would have experienced
some speedy improvement. The economy
continues to be marred by recession; with
all the productive sectors of the economy
non-existent, corruption and the culture
of impunity, unemployment, poverty and
the lack of social services persist.
Transitional Government officials,
drawn from parties to the Liberian conflict are not different from their immediate predecessors in the Taylor administration. Extreme critics even say corruption
is more widespread now than the Taylor
era; but that is debatable, according to
one domestic economic analyst.
Prices of essential goods and services
remain astronomically high, despite pronouncements by the head of the Transitional Government, Gyude Bryant calling
for sweeping reductions in those prices.
The domestic currency, the Liberian Dollar becomes weaker and weaker
against foreign currencies, as a result of
ineffective monetary measures. The Central Bank of Liberia created by former
President Taylor is yet to institute the
appropriate measures to have a workable monetary system. The International
Monetary Fund, IMF in a report recentOctober 2004
ly said the Central Bank of Liberia failed
to account for some 1.8m dollars foreign
exchange reserve. This is attributed to the
lack of financial prudence in the operations of the bank. The IMF has recommended an audit of the Central Bank.
Unemployment is still high. Real investment is not visible. Owners of businesses affected during the recent rounds
of fighting in the capital, Monrovia have
begun re-habilitating their facilities. But
the lack of building materials, mainly cement is hampering reconstruction efforts.
According to the United Nations Development Progrmme, UNDP Human Development Report on Liberia, 76.2% of
the approximately 2.7 million population
of the country lives below poverty line.
This means that they live on less than one
United States dollar a day. The report says
poverty has become entrenched and pervasive in Liberia.
The market is not entirely free of
monopolistic tendencies, even though
attempts have been made in that direction by the transitional government. Demonopolizing the economy is one major
demand of the international community,
and transitional administration making
attempts to address the concerns.
The Chairman of the Department of
Economics at the University of Liberia,
Professor Geegbae A. Geegbae says good
governance is key to stimulating the economy. Emphasis, he says should be placed
on transparency and accountability in national government revenue collection and
expenditure.
Human rights and the rule of law, he
argued, would ultimately stimulate investors confidence.
Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya at a Crossroads
By J. F. Ng’ang’a, Nairobi-Kenya
F
or several decades, Kenya has
been an epicenter of many
social and economic activities
in East and Central Africa.
Furthermore, the country has been a
haven of peace that has hosted thousands
of refugees from all over the region for a
long time. In addition, peace and reconciliation efforts have also been conducted
on Kenyan soil for countries such as the
Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, and Burundi.
By East African Standards, Kenya is
the most industrialized and developed
country in the region and for a number
of years has been the entry port for the region. Many tourists, business people and
other travelers first reach Kenya’s capital,
Nairobi while they are en route to other
destinations. In the past, several different international bodies including the
United Nations affiliated societies have
underscored Kenya’s recognition in the region by choosing it as a location for their
headquarters. As early as the mid-1970s,
Kenya was hosting the defunct East African Community (EAC) headquarters.
Unfortunately the first EAC withered
away by 1977 owing to, among other
factors, rivalry and antagonism from the
then leaders of neighboring members of
the community who felt that Kenya was
benefiting tremendously at neighbors’ expense.
Today, Kenyan professionals and businesspeople are to be found throughout
the region and even as far away as South
Africa and Botswana where they are busy
serving either as employees or running
different businesses. This is thanks to
Kenya’s above-average literacy levels, a
sound education system, and her people’s
outstandingly enterprising nature.
Yet, the country has not been without
its own unique challenges and difficulties
since it emerged independent from British
rule in 1964. The nascent democratic rule
under the founding President, also fondly
remembered as the founding father, the
late H.E. Jomo Kenyatta was marked by
some very grey areas in the form of yet
to be explained political assassinations.
The first to fall victim was the illustrious
and eloquent trade unionist who was also
a former minister, the late Tom Mboya.
He was gunned down in 1969. The late
Tom Mboya was renowned even in the
developed West for his role in agitating
for Kenya’s independence and workers’
rights.
Others who lost their life during that
period included the late Kung’u Karumba, the late fiery Nyandarua North, and
Member of Parliament Joseph Mwangi
(JM) Kariuki whose remains were found
in Nairobi’s Ngong Forest.
Nevertheless, the stable leadership of
the late Kenyatta characterized by visionary macro-and micro-economic policies
led to tremendous growth of the economy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The
strong performance of the agricultural
sector marked by high and stable prices
of cash crops such as coffee, tea and pyrethrum and even the exceptional growth
of the dairy sector brought contentment
to farmers. Generally, the citizenry was
blessed with low inflation levels and enjoyable standards of living during that
period. There was little or no disenchantment with the political leadership and the
citizenry even tended to disregard some of
the leadership weaknesses.
Kenya’s contentment phase seemed to
abruptly end in the late 1970s. Upon the
demise of Kenya’s first president, Mzee
Jomo Kenyatta in 1978 and his succession
by Kenya’s second President, H.E. Daniel Moi, economic hardship started rearing its very ugly face. It started becoming
evident that the country’s population had
burgeoned by big margins yet the government had not developed the economy by
commensurate levels.
From 1978 to 2002 when the immediate former President ruled Kenya, the
country’s mood was marked by widespread discontent among the citizenry and
even in armed forces ranks where a military coup was attempted in August 1982.
President Moi’s Kenya African National
Union (KANU) party ruled with an iron
fist and ensured that the Constitution was
amended variously to outlaw opposition
politics for several years.
Yet, the characteristic peace-loving nature of a majority of Kenyans prevailed
and the country generally remained
peaceful. But ugly cases of tribal clashes,
also referred to as ‘tribal cleansing,’ were
reported in different parts of the Rift Valley Province such as Molo, Subukia and
Burnt Forest in Eldoret. Tribal clashes
often preceded the multiparty elections
of 1992 and 1997 while in early 2000,
clashes erupted in the Kenyan Coast area
of Likoni in Mombasa. Here, the tourism sector was adversely disrupted, leading to great loss of foreign exchange for
the country. In the other aforementioned
in-land clashes, thousands of farmers and
other Kenyans were displaced and relocated far from their legitimate properties-- a
situation that brought great hardship and
disrupted farming and other socio-economic activities.
October 2004
Meanwhile, globalization and a difficult global economic climate propelled
the cost of living and inflation in the
country leading to high poverty levels
and difficulties for a majority of Kenyans.
The Government neglected infrastructure
including roads, railways, electric power,
and even airports resulting in massive
wear and tear on those facilities. This disrupted transportation and communications, which in turn affected productivity
and everyday social and commercial activities.
Kenyans’ disenchantment with Government initiatives reached a crescendo
in early 2000 and everyone, everywhere
in the country was yearning for change
of government. And in December 2002,
hotly contested presidential and parliament elections ushered in a new National
Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Government
led by the incumbent President, H.E.
Mwai Kibaki. This ended a 24-year hold
on power by former President arap Moi
and KANU.
But a new NARC Government in Kenya came with a host of promises and
great expectations from the Kenyan electorate and even neighboring countries,
which had watched Kenya’s deterioration
with dismay. Top on the list of the new
government’s promises was the provision of free primary education; creation
of 500,000 plus jobs year; elimination of
corruption; review of Kenya’s Constitution in the first 100 days of government,
and improvement of prices of agricultural
products and the general welfare of citizens.
The Government has lived up to very
few of the many promises it made to Kenyans resulting in the current crossroads
to which the country is currently stumbling.
The Ministry of Education proclaimed
free primary school education yet huge
logistics problems were soon realized;
the number of pupils seeking education
greatly overwhelmed the schools’ text and
exercise books. The result was classes with
tens of scores of pupils furnished with insufficient books; few teachers; and limited
working spaces (classrooms). Up to this
October 2004
moment, teachers are greatly distressed
with excessive numbers of pupils and
their welfare union is lobbying to have
their workload reduced.
The Government has not been able to
create the jobs it promised Kenyans and
there are even bad reports that it intends
to reform the public sector by retrenching
over 20,000 workers. The retrenchment
issue is currently perhaps the most worrisome thorn in the Government’s flesh,
which already has several painful and
pathological thorns in place.
Another very contentious issue is the
fact that the Government has yet to provide a new Constitution over 12 months
later. Having spent over Kshs. 3 billion in
a Constitutional Conference, the Government is embroiled in political squabbles
within its own ranks. Some of the very
contentious issues in the draft constitution include whether or not Kenya should
have a premier (Prime Minister) who is
more powerful than the elected President;
devolution of power from the executive to
district and regional levels and inclusion
of Kadhis Courts in the Constitution.
The Government, approaching its own
crossroads, is divided within itself with
different cabinet members supporting and
taking different stands. Its efforts at consensus building seem to be bearing little
fruit while the politicking is taking a toll
on investments, economic growth, and
development. Spiraling costs of living are
a signal that inflation is rising and things
are not going very well. As a result of internal wrangles in the NARC coalition
setup, the multilateral donor community
has held billions of dollars in foreign assistance back.
Yet the Government seems committed
to effect changes and several times H.E.
President Kibaki has appealed to people
to bear with the pains that come with
change. “The government is committed
to unearthing all manner of corruption in
Government and its departments,” he has
been quoted saying. Therefore, the Goldenberg Commission, investigating massive corruption deals in the early 1990s,
is a step in the right direction. Yet some
senior incumbent NARC Government
members have been incriminated, and
have subsequently left office. The Government, meanwhile, claims to be totally
against corruption and finds itself in a
catch 22 situation where whom it should
prosecute or protect is a contentious and
troubling issue.
Nevertheless, Kenyans are waiting with
baited breath hoping that their many election promises will be fulfilled. The fight
against corruption is now in high gear
courtesy of the special Anti-Corruption
Police Unit that has full power to investigate, identify, and prosecute corruption
cases in all public and even private surroundings. Insecurity is another challenge
facing Government departments due to
theft of equipment and even proscribed
and confidential Government documents.
General insecurity in homes, hospitals,
banks, and shopping malls is another serious challenge.
In the recent past, the Government
has had to revamp and reform the police
force. The force is now led by Brigadier
Hussein Ali, the Commissioner of Police
who has been appointed from the military
ranks. It remains to be seen now effectively the Brigadier is going to tackle insecurity characterized by untold incidents of
thuggery, robbery with violence and even
defrauding of banks and financial institutions.
Yet hope lingers at the end of Kenya’s
long tunnel. The Government organized
an investment conference in March to
convince investors and business people
of the immense potential already within
Kenya. Recently, for instance, a business
delegation from the French Association of
Manufacturers and Employees (MEDEF)
visited Kenya in early May to assess for
themselves the potential in the country.
Moreover, Kenya is glad to be a part of
the refurbished the East African Customs
Union (EAC.) Kenya, undoubtedly is well
poised and positioned to cope and effectively proceed beyond this pivotal time in
its existence.
Analysis compiled by J.F. Ng’ang’a
Ndungu
National Press Club
529 14th St. NW Washington DC 20045
Date: November 27 2004
Time: 5pm till 10 pm
Host: Nigeria Democracy Project (NDP)
RSVP Mohammed Bagudu coordinator General NDP
301-792-1859
Dr. Raymond Nwadiuko Deputy Coordinator General NDP
Chairman Book Host Committee
(301) 552 4100 (301) 674 9879
A book launching
by
the Nigeria Democratic Project
October 2004
Cover Story
Africa - Darfur
Crisis in Darfur: Sudan’s Genocide?
By Tam-Al Alalibo
As the international community continues to discuss the harrowing experience
of the genocide in Rwanda, another seems
to be on course in the North African
country of Sudan which has been in the
limelight since the crisis in Darfur came
to light. This two-pronged crisis of religion and race underlies the perilous polarity and insidious animosity that exist in
the Sudanese polity. Since independence
in 1956, Sudan has known very little
peace and has been embroiled in deadly
civil strife that has decimated much of its
population in the largely Christian south.
The fundamentalist Islamic government
in Khartoum has orchestrated a systematic elimination of the Black Africans in
the south with its scorched-earth military
approach. With this backdrop, there is
little doubt that the crisis is but an extension of the sordid inclinations of the Arab
government of President Umar Hassan
Ahmed al-Bashir.
The crisis unfolding in
Darfur isn’t the sole
doing of the Janjaweed Arab militias
who have been variously blamed for indiscriminate
public
executions and an assortment of inhumane
treatment against the
Black Africans. They are
in harmony with the
Sudanese government which has provided
financial, material, and logistical support
to the militias and carried out its own
aerial bombardment. The militias are the
willing proxies doing the dirty work for
the callous government in Khartoum in
the name of ethnic cleansing. It’s puzzling
that to date, in spite of the government’s
claim of arresting the crisis, there has been
no evidence of arrest or prevention by its
army or police against the arbitrary actions of the militias. In some cases, these
crimes have occurred with the blessings
and under the auspices of the Sudanese
authority.
“The crisis unfolding in
Darfur isn’t the sole doing of the Janjaweed
Arab militias.... They are
in harmony with the Sudanese government”
There is a reason for this: the Arabs in
this bi-racial country feel threatened that
their culture and way of life would erode
with the infiltration of Christian values.
Since 1983, it has engaged the Sudanese
Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) in a
war that has sent two million to their
early grave, and left a wake of destroyed
villages, raped women, and a logjam
of human traffic fleeing for the relative
calm of Chad. This microcosm crisis that
paints a befitting portrait of the contradictory nature of the Sudanese polity is
one of conscience contrasted with the
acquisitive posture of the Arab government. The north, with its arid and barren
plains, is in dire straits and in need of
resources to fuel the embers of discord.
This makes pogrom an attractive alternative for gaining economic advantage over
the oil-rich south.
Historically, Sudan, like much of Africa, was a victim of haphazard border
sharing by the colonial powers. In its rush
to decimate Africa and claim its material wealth, the British assembled the
predominantly Arab Muslim north with
the Black Christian south to form an independent country. This has been Sudan’s
Waterloo and seems to have doomed it to
the vicious demons of war and civil strife.
With this unwholesome combination, the
government has been dominated by the
Arab-Muslim north with a few exceptions
where pockets of southern Christians were
Photo by: Jim Watson
A young refugee shys away from the camera
at the Abu Shouk refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan. Rebel negotiators at African Union-brokered peace talks in Nigeria on the conflict in
Sudan’s western Darfur region said they were
hopeful ongoing consultations will break a
deadlock on key issues.
October 2004
Cover Story
Africa - Darfur
included in a hypocritical demonstration
of tokenism. The need for political and
religious freedom has provided ample impetus for the south to seek independence
and self-governance.
Thus, the crisis in Darfur demonstrates
the age-long hatred amongst these groups
whose history has been anything but complimentary, but rather one of violence
and domination by the Arabs. The fact
that the Arab
League and the
Or g a n i z a t i o n
of Islamic Conference (OIC)
have not issued
strong condemnations of the
brutal killings
of more than
30,000 Black
Africans in the
Darfur region indicates, at best, an Arab
acquiescence and an egomaniacal policy of
self-preservation. The OIC‘s recent statement (on the issue) has done very little to
reassure the international community of
its resolve to persuade the Khartoum government to end the lawlessness in Darfur.
Its suggestion that Sudan needs more time
to arrest the militias gives further credence
to the question of Arab ascent. But more
time is not what the government in Khartoum needs, it needs to be sanctioned and
isolated to punish it for its genocidal and
racist policies.
The African Union (AU) on its part
must act quickly to put an end to the
massacre of Black Africans in Darfur.
All it could muster in the face of brazen
death and mounting human tragedy is a
October 2004
negligible force of three hundred to protect aid workers who have been refused
passage by the Arab government. The
situation cannot be controlled by such
half-hearted endeavors. Much like its
predecessor, the Organization of African
Unity, OAU, the AU, is a toothless dog
that makes much barking noise without
the corresponding ability to inflict the
much needed fatal blow. Seemingly, it
continues to hold vainly to a policy of
non-interference in the internal affairs of
a sovereign nation.
But the crisis in Darfur has ceased to
be an internal issue of a sovereign state.
It’s an international crisis that has commanded the attention of the world. The
US and the UN have taken notice, so has
the EU. Amnesty International has also
taken notice. It described the situation
as “a systematic policy designed to humiliate a group of people and tear apart
their social fabric.”
It will not be long
before the world is
utterly disinterested
in the bogus claim
of the Sudanese that
the conflict is an
internal one. A few
weeks ago, the US
Secretary of State,
Colin Powell and
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, visited the ravaged
region, mandating the government to
act quickly to alleviate the plight of the
Black Africans or face sanctions.
Given the antecedent, the crisis in Darfur can only be resolved by the immediate imposition of international sanctions
against the Khartoum government, much
like those imposed on Libya in the aftermath of the Lockerbie Pan Am bombing.
The government, in spite of its promised
investigation and efforts to bring to book
the perpetrators of this mayhem, should
be isolated and made to account for its
role in the killings. Nothing short of this
will deter it from its destructive path. To
search for a temporary solution may not
augur well in a country so polarized on
religion and race, two elements likely to
elicit the worst of human instincts. The
UN must utilize this crisis to deter other
like-minded nations such as Mauritania
which also has its Arab-Black African
conflict. It must send a strong message in
no uncertain terms that genocide and pogrom will be punished.
A realistic and lasting solution to this
horrendous crisis is a political one and invariably lies in the creation of a sovereign
southern Sudan where the polity is akin
to its environment and people, free from
Arab-Muslim domination. Much of the
wars and civil strife in Africa have been
anchored on the fault-lines of race, religion, and ethnicity as in Rwanda where
ethnicity served as the basis for the hacking to death of more than one million Africans. In the case of Sudan, as in Africa’s
most populous country, Nigeria, a conscious and deliberate effort ought to be
expended to revisit the issue of the imperial cartography of hurriedly demarcated
international borders for the singular purpose of material aggrandizement. An independent southern Sudan may avert an
impending genocide in a country known
for its internal conflicts that often lead to
unmanageable human tragedies.
Ghana
Kufuor vs. Mills, Ghanaian
Presidential Elections
By
Tam-Al Alalibo
A
s December approaches, the
battle for the presidency is
raging in Ghana which is
gearing for its fourth general
election since democracy was restored
in the gold rich West African nation in
1992. The incumbent, Oxford trained
lawyer and one time minister for local
government in the administration of Jerry
John Rawlings, President John Agyekum
Kufuor of the ruling National Patriotic
Party (NPP,) is expected to face-off with
another lawyer and former vice president
in the last democratic dispensation, Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
The stakes are high for both men given
that Ghanaians can’t afford to revisit the
excruciating past where the government
of Rawlings became the catalyst of oppression, economic deprivation, and neglect,
using the apparatus of government to the
detriment of the Ghanaian people. From
all indications, Kufuor’s administration
is well on its way to revising these trends
and this may bode well for the president
with voters in December.
Since assuming office on January 7,
2001, Kufuor, who based his campaign
on the platform of economic and social
reforms, has canvassed his revisionist policies, assuring Ghanaians that a new era
has dawned. He began his presidency by
enjoining the Ghanaian Parliament to
abolish June 4th, as a national holiday, the
anniversary of Rawlings’ revolution. He
has taken bold steps to fight rampant corruption by putting in place a mechanism
to streamline the operation of government
to achieve maximum efficiency.
The new “Whistle Blower” department established under the presidency is
yet the most obvious indication of Kufuor’s commitment to curb corruption in
government. The department’s primary
responsibility is to advise government on
members of the administration who are
engaged in corrupt practices or ministries
that are not living up to expectation.
The president has fulfilled campaign
promises by revamping and restructuring
many sectors of the economy including
the education sector with primary and
secondary schools receiving a significant
The stakes are high for
both men given that
Ghanaians can’t afford
to revisit the excruciating past where the government of Rawlings
became the catalyst of
oppression, economic
deprivation, and neglect
facelift with the purchase of furniture and
books and the receipt of computers donated by NGOs. The same spirit of rejuvenation has been extended to the health
sector with the introduction of insurance
programs to make healthcare more affordable to the average Ghanaian.
Incumbent President John Agyekum Kufuor
The reconstruction of roads and infrastructure as the mainstay of the economy
has been made a priority by the administration as efforts have been expended to
actualize these projects. The Ghana Police
Service (GPS) has also received a significant facelift. In four years, the working
and living conditions of men and women
of the GPS have improved drastically with
reconstruction of their living quarters and
the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles with a soft loan of $13
million from the Nigerian government.
In recognition of the need for reconciliation among the various stakeholders and constituencies in the country
which endured varying degrees of social
injustices orchestrated by the previous
administration, Kufuor has instituted the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
much like those in neighboring Nigeria
October 2004
and South Africa. The administration
believes that true reconciliation can only
be achieved with the initiation of genuine
dialogue culminating in a deliberate effort
to forgive the past in the interest of unity
and nationhood.
In spite of his wealth of
experience in government, it will be difficult
for the former commissioner Internal Revenue
Service, Professor Mills
of the National Democratic Congress (NDC,)
to defeat Kufuor at the
polls in the forthcoming
presidential elections.
Ghanaians welcome this effort as they view
the Commission as a medium to redress
the misgivings of the past. The Commission has heard testimonies from Ghanaians
from all walks of life including relatives of
those who lost their lives at the hands of
Rawlings operatives. To assure the country that the era of the rule of law has arrived, the Commission subpoenaed Rawlings to appear before it to offer explanations
on some events that occurred during his
military and civilian administrations.
To show his resolve to make the economy a priority, inflation decreased by 4%,
from 40% to 36% in the first six months
of assuming power through deliberate fiscal policies of less government spending
and more allocation for the private sector.
The private sector, scarred by gross neglect
under Rawlings, was marked by the administration for growth from the onset.
In three and half years, the sector is enjoying an unprecedented windfall as a result
of the administration’s economic policies.
October 2004
in the last nineteen years have all but foreclosed any goodwill Mills might have enjoyed in the polity. To gain credibility in
the eyes of the electorate which rejected
him in the 2000 presidential elections, he
has to extricate himself from the shadows
of Rawlings and prove his political, ideological and philosophical independence.
The National Democratic congress challenger Prof. Atta Mills
Non-traditional exports such as pineapples, processed cocoa, timber, vegetables
and handicrafts increased by $12.2 million in just a few months from $36.2 million in 2000, to $48.4 million in 2001. In
sub-sector exports, shea nut/shea butter
rose by 41%, and pineapple went up by
12% over 2000 figures. Pineapple exports
via sea freight have also increased by 44%
in 2001 and 20% in 2002. In four years,
the economic has grown steadily from 3.7
percent GDP to the current level of 5.2
percent GDP as a result of a disciplined
fiscal approach to spending and resource
management.
In spite of his wealth of experience in
government, it will be an almost impossible feat for the former commissioner for
Internal Revenue Service, Professor Mills
of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC,) to defeat Kufuor at the polls in
the forthcoming presidential elections.
The president has to his advantage the
perks of an incumbent with its attendant
exposure to the media, a growing economy, the restoration of the rule of law and
a pluralist society awash in freedom of
speech among others. It’s noteworthy that
these important factors were glaringly absent under the previous administration
where Mills served as Vice President.
The Ghanaian polity is apathetic to
the NDC and its candidate as it seeks to
break with the past. Confessions of atrocities and tales of inhuman treatment coming from former operatives of Rawlings
governments, both military and civilian,
This might be a daunting task as the
former vice president is perceived as being
a Rawlings stooge. The statement credited to him in the Ghanaian media that
he would consult Rawlings “twenty hours
a day” does not do much to assuage the
angst of Ghanaians. All credible indices
indicate that President Kufuor will win a
second term of four years riding on his economic and social policies which have won
the hearts and minds of Ghanaians. His
administration has rejuvenated the will of
a nation once edged in the abyss of neglect,
denigration, and a culture of lawlessness.
For the first time since representative government was introduced in the West African nation, Ghanaians can truly appreciate
the enduring ethos of democracy.
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available
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sales @transatlantictimes.com
Washington,DC USA
Nigerian Vice President Champions
Democracy and Free Economy
By Dan Austin
August, 7 2004
“In a free market
economy
enlightened
crowd the vice
president made
quite remarkable strides
In a recently held African Forum for Democracy organized by political elements
related to the PDP political party of
Nigeria and sponsored by Cignet Corp.
USA, in Washington, DC, United States
of America, at the beautiful Hyatt hotel,
in Arlington, the Vice President of Nigeria was invited as the Guest of Honor to
this innovative group of pro-democracy
group. Present in the group was the organizing leader of the democracy group Mr.
Tex Wariboko, an American trained attorney, presently in practice in Texas, USA,
Dr. Stanley Onye, Simon Guobadia, Ali
Atiku Abubukar vice president of Nigeria
Abdul Kadiri, Anne Nzegwu, Mr and
Mrs Abadom and representatives from
the Cignet Group Mr. Godwin Odunze,
the Vice President for Clinical Affairs
at Cignet health Corporation USA, Mr
Okey the Commissioner for Housing in
prince Georges county in Maryland, USA.
Mr. Atiku Abubakar spoke with a convincing passion about the developmental
gains of the Olusegun Obasanjo’s goverment since they came into power about
five years ago, as resounding acheivement
which highlighted the sucessful re-election victory that earn the ticket a second
term in 2003. Atiku spoke articulately on
the issue of democracy in Nigeria and the
rest of Africa, stressing the need for Africans and people of African origin in the
United States and around the world to
organise themselves and help educate and
inform relatives back in Nigeria and Africa to support grass roots democracy and
stamp out the ills of lack of involvement.
The Vice president moved the crowd
when he began to spell out in specifics his
knowledge of grassroot organization of
political parties mechanism, stressing his
many years of dedication to organizing
multi-level of party politics. In a free market economy enlightened crowd the vice
president made quite remarkable strides
in lecturing on the need for the developOctober 2004
ment of free market economic system to
help development for Nigeria and many
subsaharan African countries . His views
on the matter was so clear and sound in
doctrine, that the Vice president went as
far as stating categorically that the main
function of the goverment was to regulate and allow free market forces mainly
arising from the private economic sector
to drive development and the commerce
of any country. Citing the success of free
market economies of the United States
in the world and many western powers,
the Vice president stressed the urgent
need of develoing such maturity in the
psychological mind set of most people
in Nigeria. He emphasized that the Nigerians in the dispora especially those in
the United States with the vast economics and technological resources available
to them should strive to turn these into
Atiku Abubukar vice president of Nigeria and wife at a recent democracy development
opportunities to assist in bring such exsymposium in Washington D.C.
pertise to their places of origin in subsahara Africa and spun a new generation of
socio-political and economic awareness geria. Mr. wariboko affirmed that democ- corruption and denied access to free ponot otherwise easily attainable on its own. racy was alive among the Africans in the litical processes that is quite common in
The Vice President got the groups atten- dispora, especially among the Nigerians. many of the young democracies in Africa.
tion when he challenged them to also He mentioned about such group he works The Vice president concluded his remarks
participates in efforts within the United with in the |United Kingdom, Italy, Gha- by encouraging the delegates to continue
States as many participants where United na, Netherlands, South Africa, and even to raise resources and support legislations
States Citizens, noting
on going in Nigeria esdemocracy is alive here
pecially the bill pendin the US, and charing that would give
ity must begin at home,
Nigerians outside the
and home is also where
country the ability to
you are now. He called
vote absentee ballot and
on the participants to
be counted in Nigerian
exercise their rights as
local election. The Vice
citizens of any nation to
President is making
advance democracy and
his mark as the man
bring the unique conwho cares about Nigetribution of subsaharan
rian and African causes
African to the world
around the world and
and the development
scoring points for the
of democracy. At hand
present administration
to continue the cause of
of Olusegun Obasanthis group push was the
jo, which is credited
Chairman of the group Mr. Tex Wariboko chairman PDP USA and Mr. Stanley Onye general secretary addressfor bring some stabiles the convention. Behind the Benue state governor Mr. and Mrs. Akume looks on
in the United States,
ity to the otherwise
Mr. Tex Wariboko, who
tumoltous goverments
spoke as the head of the foreign liason the far east. Mostly Nigerians are invest- of the potential world powerful nation,
arm of PDP, a political party in Nigeria, ing in the development of democracy and which remains a regional power house in
the party of the present administration of attempting to assure the sucess of sound the African region.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the president of Ni- electoral process and help stamp out the
October 2004
W
Edo National Convention 2004 opens in prayer, President Felix Iyoha addresses (top right), representative of Oba of Benin chief Isekhure (center), Oredo congressman Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula (lower left), Dr.
Peter Agho (lower left center), Austin Agho convention moderator and Dr. Dan Edokpolo Austin Keynote
speaker (bottom right)
e at Transatlantic Times magazine African Edition would like to congratulate the Edo heritage Association of Michigan and the entire
participants of the Edo national Convention,
Michigan 2004 for vey successful convention.
The serenity and organised atmosphere of the Michigan Edo
Association was remarkable.
We enjoin all the Edo State people of the United States and
the diaspora to keep the spirit of your once Governor Osiagbovo
ogbemudia, to believe you are the best of Africa. Continue to
take lead in accountability, industry, hardwork and creativity, yet
with all humility.
Thus the mark of those set aside for progress would be evident in you. God bless, long live the Benin Delta people, long
live Edo State, lets keep working we have many more brothers to
bring along.
Excerpts from Speech of the key note speech, Edo National
Convention USA, in Detroit, Michigan 2004. by Dan E. Austin
M.D, President Cignet Corp. Int.
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Nigerian
Democracy
Convention
Madam Harriett Nwokuku Mr Julian Nwokuku listens as the vice president Atiku Abubakar addresses the convention (top center)
Vice President Atiku Abubakar and wife (right), ambassador George Obiozor and Mr. and Mrs. Abadon of PDP USA
Washington D.C., U.S.A.
At the high table Vice President Atiku Abubakar and wife seen with other dignitaries
(center) and (top right) other PDP USA officers posses for Transatlantic Times magazine
Mr. Tex Wariboko chairman PDP USA, general secretary Stanley Onye and other PDP officers
(bottom center) Vice President Atiku and wife looks on (bottom right)
Cover Story
Maryland, USA
The first lady of Nigeria Mrs. Stella Olusegun
Obasanjo launches a health awareness drive
among Africans in the United States
Stella Obasanjo first lady of Nigeria (top left, right and
middle) is seen here with the Nigerian ambassador to the
United States Prof. George Obiozor (top right and bottom
right picture) with the president of Cignet Health Corp.
International Dr. Dan Edokpolo Austin and wife Dr. (Mrs.)
Cynthia Austin (bottom left picture) with Mrs. Ify Anne Nwabukwu President AWCAA USA
The first lady encouraged all people of African
origin to work diligently at
improving health consciousness and strive to
improve health awareness
among African groups in
the United States and in the
continent of Africa.
October 2004
October 2004
Start protecting yourself from yourself.
Call 1-866-399-6789 or visit us at everydaychoices.org.
October 2004
Health
Health - Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial Sweeteners...
How do they compare?
Adaeze Atuegwu
With the evolving shift towards a low-carbohydrate diet for weight
loss, many consumers have begun to depend on artificial sweeteners
as a promising source of reduced carbohydrate intake.
Artificial Sweeteners...
Tracing history
Y
ou’ve probably heard or read
somewhere that artificial
sweeteners are unnatural and
have been linked to one form
of cancer or another. In 1970, the US
Food and Drug Administration banned
the use of cyclamate - the first commercial
artificial sweetener discovered in 1937after animal studies linked the sweetener
October 2004
to development of cancer. Saccharin, another artificial sweetener, was also linked
to bladder cancer causing Congress to
require all foods containing saccharin to
carry an FDA warning label – “Use of this
product may be hazardous to your health.
The product contains saccharin which has
been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals”. However, in 1984, FDA’s
Cancer Assessment Committee (CAC)
based on various clinical studies “indicates that cyclamate is not carcinogenic”.
The results of combined FDA- National
Institute of Cancer research on saccharin
showed no link to any cancer and in 2000,
congress removed the warning label.
Why not sugar? The new
theory ...
With the evolving shift towards a lowcarbohydrate diet for weight loss, many
consumers have begun to depend on artificial sweeteners as a promising source
Health, Science, & Tech.
Sugar is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables. A
teaspoonful of sugar contains fifteen calories. These calories are released quickly
into the body to cause a rise in blood glucose, but not any faster than complex carbohydrates such as rice. The new glucose
is then utilized as energy by the body. A
typical American diet in 2004 will contain about twenty-four teaspoons of table
sugar, also known as sucrose. Of course,
if the scoops were apparent, many people
would not ingest as much sugar, at least
not consciously. However most commercially produced sucrose is cleverly but legibly hidden in any food that is labeled as
having a sugar content, no matter how
minimal. Just check the required “Nutrition Facts” labeling of any prepackaged
food product to determine sugar content.
Artificial sweeteners, on the other
hand, sweeten food without adding calories to our diet. They have no significant
caloric content and do not contribute a
lot of energy to the body. Some of the
current products can be up to six hundred
times sweeter than sucrose and so are used
in smaller amounts for similar sweetness.
Some tend to have a bitter aftertaste when
overused. These sweeteners are being
popularly incorporated in drinks such as
diet sodas and foods labeled as ‘sugar free,’
especially diabetic foods and diet foods.
Most often, careful inspection of the food
or drink label will reveal the type of sweetener used by the manufacturer to achieve
a sweet but ‘sugar-free’ taste.
Sweeteners all vary in taste, potency of
sweetness, stability in heat and cold environments, FDA approval, and of course
price. Only four sweeteners are currently
approved in the USA – Acesulfame, Aspartame, Saccharine, and Sucralose.
human consumption. To date, none of
the countless rigorous studies have shown
any link between any approved sweeteners and any cancer or disease.
Adaeze Atuegwu is a Registered
Pharmacist and a Contributing
Writer for Transatlantic Times
Sweeteners in development
Various products are currently waiting for
USA FDA approval for marketing. Alitame, currently under review since 1986,
is about 2000 times sweeter than sucrose
and is stable in cooking and baking. It is
currently approved in Europe, Asia, and
Austria. Cyclamate even though already in
use in Europe, South America, Africa and
Asia, is still waiting for FDA re-approval
in the USA since 1982. Another product,
Neotame, a derivative of aspartame to be
marketed as Sweetener 2000® if approved, is
shockingly 5000 times sweeter than sugar.
Sugar or Non-Sugars?
Based on the current controversy over the
safety of approved sweeteners, use should
be limited to personal research and judgment. People have successfully switched
from sugar to artificial sweeteners due to
medical reasons (like diabetes or obesity),
or just simply substituted sugars in their
diets. The idea would be to limit use of
any type of sweetening agent, including
sugars and non-sugars to a need-only
basis. Used sparingly, sugar and artificial
sweeteners are unlikely to cause any serious ailments. Pregnant women, unless
directed by their doctors, should consider
limiting their use of artificial sweeteners.
Use of these products should also be limited in children. As an assurance, prior
to every FDA approval of any product,
numerous lengthy and controlled studies are conducted in different phases to
determine safety and effectiveness. However, some products may be found to have
undesirable effects after long use and may
be withdrawn subsequently by the FDA.
At present, all FDA approved artificial
sweeteners have been shown to be safe for
Email [email protected]
Sugars vs. Artificial
Sweeteners
Artificial Sweeteners: How they compare
Advertise with Transatlantic Times
of reduced carbohydrate intake. Sugars
are the essential building units of carbohydrates and are released into the bloodstream after consumption. Once available
in the blood, the body produces insulin to
metabolize and store the energy generated
by the sugar. Some of the stored energy
subsequently gets noticed as increased
body weight. Alternatively, substitutes do
not affect insulin functioning since they
do not release sugar into the blood. Many
diabetics, in attempt to limit their sugar
intake to control their insulin, depend on
these substitutes for sweetening.
October 2004
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Health: Artificial Sweeteners
Table of Artificial Sweeteners and their comparative characteristics
Artificial
Sweeteners
Discovery
Brand Name
Acesulfame
Potassium
1967
Sunette®,
Sweet One®,
Sweet& Safe®
Aspartame
Cyclamate
Saccharine
Stevioside
Sucralose
1965
Equal®,
NutraSweet®
1937
Sucaryl®
1878
Sweet-n-low®
1500’s
Commonly
known
as Stevia.
May have
different
manufacturers
150 to 400: 1
1976
Splenda®
Not approved
as sweetener.
Currently
sold in the
USA as
dietary
supplement.
Generally not
accepted for
use Europe
and Canada.
Approved in
China, Japan.
Does not
loose when
baked Can be
used in hot
and cold
Alterations in
cancer
Current
approval
since 1998
as safe
sweetener
00
Sweetness
compared
to sugar
USA FDA
approval
status
200:1
180: 1
30: 1
300 to 500:1
Current
approval
since 1998 as
safe sweetener
Current
approval
since 1981 as
safe sweetener
Banned in
USA but
approved
in Europe
and many
countries
Current
approval as
safe
sweetener.
European
and
International
Approval
Current
approval in
Europe and
many countries
Current
approval in
Europe and
many countries
Current
approval in
Europe and
many countries
Current
approval in
Europe and
many countries
Stability in
Hot and Cold
use
Stable in
hot or cold
use. Good
for baking.
Loses
Sweetness
when baked.
Stable in
cooking.
Stable in hot
and cold
Controversial
Medical
Hazard Links
Headaches.
Blabber
Cancer
Brain cancer.
Cancer
Bladder
Scientific
Status
New to
market. No
current link
to cancer
No current
link to any
cancer
No
current
link to any
cancer
No current
link to any
cancer. Not
recommended
in pregnant
women
More studies
needed.
600:1
Current
approval in
Europe and
other
countries
Retains all
sugar
properties
in hot and
cold use
Liver and
genes Kidney
toxicity;
birth defects
New to
market. No
current
link to any
undesirable
effects
Visit us at: www.transatlantictimes.net
Email: [email protected]
October 2004
Health
GLOBAL VILLAGE MEDIC
“Today, after more than a century of
electronic technology, we have extended
our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and
time as far as our planet is concerned.”
-Marshall McLuhan, “Understanding
Media”, 1964
Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Media
Professor and Futurist, envisioned this
power of connectedness; let’s use it to ensure “Health for ALL”.
As the dust settles from the XV International AIDS Conference held in Thailand HYPERLINK "http://www.unaids.
org/bangkok2004/report.html"
www.
unaids.org/bangkok2004/report.html,
our commitment is to support the World
Health Organization’s 3 by 5 Initiative. “
3 By 5” is the global TARGET to get three
million people living with HIV/ADIS in
developing and middle income countries
on antiretroviral treatment by 2005. It is
a step towards the GOAL of providing
universal access to treatment for all who
need it as a human right. WHO’s Director-General LEE Jong-Wook suggests that
we must change the way we think and the
way we act to accomplish the goal. Perhaps Gandhi said it best with his “We
must be the change we wish to see in the
world”.
Laurie Garrett, the insightful journalist
and author of THE COMING PLAGUE,
tweaks us to control the amplifiers of disOctober 2004
ease. Customs, habits, education, politics,
patterns of life, even Maslow’s Hierachy
of Needs affect individual and community as critical drivers of public health and
public safety. Public Health is everyone’s
business. Empower it with education, information dialogue and surveillance. Ensuring public health requires the power of
communicating people and their available
resources. Building strategic partnerships
in community starts with an informed
individual committed to engage kids,
educators, religious institutions and local business in the worthy effort. Subject
and verb need not agree; poetry needn’t
rhyme; What matters is doing what we
“CAN DO”.
Get the facts, Get understanding, Ask
questions. Internet resources are numerous and varied HYPERLINK "http://
www.aidsconsortium.org.uk/" www.aidsconsortium.org.uk/ to such as Ashenafi
Waktola, MD, a humanitarian pioneering physician, husband, & father at HYPERLINK "http://www.gap-a.org" www.
gap-a.org
Chat with us; we’re listening.
Columnist Linda Whitby, is a
community physician who builds
technology bridges for a world that
benefits all.
Passion for life science and technology
drives her commitment for population
health initiatives.
Email [email protected]
Engaging
global health
conversation at
the Transatlantic
Times
Advertise with Transatlantic Times
lindawhitby@transatlantic times.com
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October 2004
Entertainment
|
F I L M
|
M U S I C
|
P I R A C Y
|
HOLLYWOOD’S
HIT MAN
With the release of Fahrenheit 9/11, filmmaker Michael Moore takes his best shot at President Bush. Will the upcoming
election tell us whether he’s hit his mark?
N
early 6 months before the
2004 presidential election,
Fahrenheit 9/11 was released
in theaters instantly becoming the highest grossing documentary of
all time. On the weekend prior to the
Democratic National Convention it hit
the $100 million mark surpassing such
films as The Stepford Wives and Steven
Spielberg’s The Terminal. Now with the
DVD release scheduled just weeks before
the November presidential decision, one
thing becomes clear. Filmmaker Michael
Moore has much more on his hit list than
just getting people into the theaters to
see his film, or taking a few pot shots at
George W. Bush. Instead, he’s executing a
plan to get people into the voting booths
and eliminate his presidential target completely. Fahrenheit 9/11 may intrigue
people enough to buy a ticket, but can it
influence them enough to cast a vote?
If Fahrenheit 9/11’s goal is to portray
the President in an unfavorable light, it
succeeds tremendously. If its goal is to
get people to vote the President out of
office, it also stands a chance of success.
Set to a backdrop of hillbilly banjo playing, perfectly placed pop music, and even
a Bush style Bonanza parody, Fahrenheit
9/11 creates a humorous and satirical tone
over a pressingly serious subject. Moore
uses a creative collage of unexposed facts,
unspoken assumptions, narrative questioning, and almost caricature - like video
footage to present Bush as an unqualified
cowboy elected to office by happenstance.
Starting with an insinuated conspiracy of
the 2000 election, he seamlessly strings
together a laundry list of unreported inOctober 2004
cidents by the man who, according to
many, curiously stole the presidency. For
instance, Moore cites Bush’s long standing
connection to the Royal Saudis and the
Bin Laden family; his lengthy vacation
trips during a terrorist threat period; his
delayed reaction to the 9/11 attacks; and
an implied ulterior motive which misled the country into an unnecessary war.
Moore, however, is actually kind enough
to offer up a defender of the President in
the film. Luckily for the GOP, they have
pop queen Britney Spears on their side
adding in a dose of humorously inarticulate, and naïvely construed statements.
Certainly this may all be entertaining to
watch and it might even be true, but can
it have the political impact on voters that
Michael Moore is so strenuously searching for?
According to a recent Harris Poll, 89%
of Democrats who saw the film gave it
a positive rating and almost all (85%)
thought it treated the President fairly.
President Bill Clinton praised the film
saying he thought every American should
see it. He also stated that, “the evidence
in the movie is accurate.” Politically active celebrities like Tim Robbins, Richard
Gere, and Al Franken also came out to
support Michael Moore and his efforts.
Even Leonardo DiCaprio who attended
the film’s screening told Moore he hadn’t
attended a film premiere that wasn’t his
own in almost 10 years. He continued by
saying, “I think a lot more people who are
on the fence about who to vote for, after
they see the film, they’ll be solidified in
their vote.”
Of course the opposite can be said for
Republican audiences since 56% gave the
film a negative rating and more than that
(58%) thought it treated the President
unfairly. President George Bush Sr. denounced the film calling it, “a vicious personal attack on our son,” and then continued to call Moore a “slime ball.” The
film also carries it’s fair share of big name
opposing Republicans, like Rush Limbaugh, stating that Michael Moore, “has
created falsehoods and lies in the minds of
gullible people who believe it.” A partisan
Entertainment
FILM
Micheal Moores website features his Fahrenheit 9/11 movie, a controversial full screen play movie that has taken a lot of raps from the political
right and a welcomed ovation among most political left circles
audience reaction to the film, however,
is probably not a big shock to Michael
Moore or anyone else for that matter.
Most committed Democrat and Republican voters will have already planned on
casting a vote alongside their party come
November. However, where Fahrenheit
9/11 may actually have some political impact is with the Independent voters and,
yes, the politically uninformed audiences
of America.
Independent voters weigh heavily in
any election, allowing candidates (and
apparently filmmakers) a chance to express their views in the hope of swaying
them in their direction. Fahrenheit 9/11
offers this segment of voters the opportunity to align against the re-election of
President Bush, even if they are not in
favor of electing John Kerry. It presents
the classic scenario of “the lesser of two
evils,” and since there’s no documentary
being released on the evil-doings of John
Kerry before November, it could work in
both his and Moore’s favor. Even Moore
himself, has not officially aligned himself
with Kerry. Instead, he has focused his
efforts on campaigning against a candidate, rather than actually for one. In this
case, Moore’s filmmaking aspirations to
capture the President and his administration as an assembly of clueless and reckless
conspirators may indeed be swaying Independent audiences. Most who saw the
film came out on the side of Democrats
giving it a 70% favorable rating, 56% of
whom thought it was quite fair in regard
to President Bush.
For the politically uniformed audiences of America, those who rarely watch the
news and will venture off their couches
only because it’s television re-run season
and they want a big bucket of popcorn,
may actually find more significance to
Moore’s film than just its entertainment
value. They may find themselves feeling
suddenly educated on an expose of unknown facts and subtle suggestions. And
if Michael Moore has aimed in the right
direction, they may also find themselves
casting a vote against George W. Bush
come November.
It’s been over a year since the 2003
Oscars when Michael Moore accepted an
academy award by shaming the President
and claiming his “Time is up.” This year
at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts
during the Democratic National Convention in front of over 2,000 people
Moore stated, “this is the American majority that’s going to show up on November 2 and remove George W. Bush from
the White House,” confidently adding,
“and that’s what we are all going to do.”
Whether Michael Moore will succeed in
taking out his target using the American
voters as accomplices is yet to be determined. If not, it looks like he’ll have to
reload for another round next term.
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October 2004
Entertainment
Music: Essence Celebrates Ten Years
Essence Celebrates Ten Years
Of Music and Motivation
By Emory White
The Essence Music Festival has, once
again, made its summer impact in New
Orleans. In its tenth year, this AfricanAmerican event has proven many things
about the culture and support level of
Black Americans. In particular, the significant contribution these people make
to the economy of New Orleans, during
what has traditionally been the slowest
time of the year for this predominantly
African-American metropolis, speaks to
the unspoken economic power of this nation’s Black community. This is the largest African-American assembly
of musical talent in the nation
each year, with music lovers and
fans converging on the Big Easy
this year in record numbers totaling more than 228,000 enthusiasts over the Fourth of July
weekend.
Essence, for those of you who have
never attended, is more than three nights
of entertainment in the Louisiana Superdome. During the daylight hours another principal component of the event,
the Empowerment Seminars, held at the
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, offers free access to all and addresses spiritual and financial issues, giving festival
participants a chance to enrich their lives
with lectures, books and other materials
meant to provide lifestyle alternatives and
positive human affirmations. These activities feature renowned speakers, authors
and national leaders such as motivational
speaker, Andriette Earl-Bozeman, giving the opening address, Iyanla Vanzant,
CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin and
Randall Robinson, founder of TransAfrica, giving the keynote address.
Complementing the Empowerment
Seminars in the Convention Center is
the Essence Marketplace, featuring artists
from throughout the country, offering an
array of quality arts and crafts, including
fine art, sculpture, jewelry, cloth and multimedia objects that reflect Black culture.
There will also be an offering of the city’s
cuisine, along with sponsor activities, festival souvenirs and a book fair with author
signings. This is truly a well-conceived and
organized event that is a positive reflection on what Black America is capable of.
What brought record crowds to this
year’s celebration was the appearance of
somewhat inaccessible or unfriendly. But
when he is on stage he charges up his musical artistry and turns on the warmth of
his personality that makes a connection
with his audience as well as any performer
I have seen. It was like seeing a different
person on stage. He looked like he was really happy to be there, was having a great
time and wanted to share it with everyone
in the audience.
Dressed in a white tunic and a rich
red morning coat, Prince began the set
with his latest hit Musicology, and proceeded to go through
his broad repertoire
of tunes as though all
the songs were brand
new. The best segment
for me came when he
put down his electric
guitar, picked up his
acoustic instrument and invited Chaka
Khan to join him on stage. She came out
looking as fabulous as ever, with that sexy
body and big beautiful smile. The stage
darkened and the spotlight came up on
just the two of them sitting on stools,
singing duets to the sounds of the guitar.
It was twenty of the rarest moments in
musical history, with Chaka and Prince
sounding like they had been singing together all their lives.
Needless to say, that is all I needed.
Chaka exited and Prince continued in
solo, with the band coming in later ending his set with Purple Rain. It was a special night of music, with the largest turnout of the entire weekend. On Saturday
Mary J. Blige, The O’Jays, LL Cool J and
Tyrese rocked the main stage, with Common, Lalah Hathaway, Little Milton, The
Ohio Players and Ledisi performing in
the Super lounges. Friday night’s Super
EW: What is the future of the Festival after your ten-year anniversary?
Wright: It can only get bigger and better.
October 2004
the artist presently known as Prince on
Friday night. The first night was more or
less a Prince Evening on the Main Stage,
with Morris Day and The Time getting
the crowd ready for special guests Larry
Graham doing ten minutes, followed by
Sheila E, who came out and electrified
the crowd with her formidable percussion
virtuosity on the timbales. Throughout
the guest performances Prince was in costume, on roller blades, interacting with
the guests and conducting the band from
downstage left.
At the conclusion of Sheila E’s appearance, Prince rolled off and the stage
was set for the power of Prince. He has
a dual persona to the public. He seems a
bit standoffish and quite guarded when
seen doing interviews or appearing on
talk shows. The reserve in his public demeanor gives the impression to some that
he is arrogant, making him appear to be
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lounge line up of Anthony Hamilton,
Millie Jackson, Freddie Jackson and Dionne Farris was vastly overshadowed by
the awesome presence of Prince.
We had a little drama with Solomon
Burke in the Blues Super lounge on Sunday, but Kem, Kenny Lattimore & Chanta Moore, The Dazz Band and Goapele
partied down in the other Super lounges,
with Maze featuring Frankie Beverly closing the Main Stage out, as they always
do, preceded by Gladys Knight, New
Edition, Sinbad and Donnie McClurkin.
Although this event is ten years old,
for the past several years the Essence Music Festival has settled into a fairly predictable line-up of public speakers and
musical entertainers. Some who have
followed the festival since its inception,
say that a little of the awe and fascination
of the event has dulled just a bit, causing
pundits to muse as to whether more creative programming could be introduced.
However it may be too soon to broaden the market to include the demographic that also thrives on World and Latin
Music on the level of Salif Keita, Egberto
Gismonte, Zapp Mama, Richard Bona,
Eddie Palmieri, Angelique Kidjo, Tania
Maria, Cesaria Evora, Djavan, Hugh Ma-
Mary J. Blige, one of the more notable artists who dazzled the main stage at Essence’s saturday night performance
sakela, Oumou Sangare or Caetano Veloso.
With 2004 being the tenth year anniversary of the Essence Music Festival, I
wanted to obtain a retrospective look at
this very successful gathering of AfricanAmerican men and women. As in previous years, they had all come together at
one time in one place to enjoy and enrich
themselves as one community of global
travelers; they had also come
to learn new and progressive
techniques of self-improvement and personal empowerment.
Last year a school principal
from Los Angeles told me she
had been to Essence for the
last four years. She looks forward to this event annually
Lalah
Hathaway
thrilled the audience
as “the biggest treat I can give
with her saturdaymyself once a year.” Another
night performance in
woman from Detroit comes
the super lounge
every year especially for the
daytime seminars at the convention center. For me, it’s a
pilgrimage of renewal, new
friends and fun. We also
wanted to get a glimpse of
any possible future changes or
modifications to the festival.
Before the festival I was also able to catch
up with Nicole Wright, who is the Director of live events for Essence Entertainment and coordinating producer of the
event. Ms. Wright was kind enough to take
time out of her extremely busy schedule
to answer a few questions and share some
insights about the Essence Music Festival.
EW: How did the Essence Music
Festival
first
come
about?
Wright: We were looking for some way
to celebrate the magazine’s 25th anniversary and wanted to make it a really special
celebration. George Wein, co-founder of
the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival suggested to Edward Lewis, who is
the chairman, CEO and co-founder of
Essence magazine, that the publication
have a musical festival here in New Orleans. Ed liked the idea and worked with
then mayor Mark Morial and Quint Davis, bringing in production teams that
would make an event of this size possible. The event was such a huge success
the first year we decided to do it again.
EW: What was it about New Orleans that appealed to you? Was New
Orleans the only place considered?
Wright: We thought of other cities, but
New Orleans has such a rich history, especially when it comes to music; and you
October 2004
Entertainment
Wright: If you look at the format of the
magazine you will see that our pages are
filled with topics that speak to the very
real needs of our readers, such as beauty
and health care, interpersonal relation-
Gladys Knight was one of the headliners at the Tenth Annual Essence
Music Festival in New Orleans
have a strong African-American heritage
here, that it only seemed natural. New
Orleans also has an amazing event production infrastructure, what with Mardi
Gras, Jazzfest and all the other public
events you have throughout the year. No
other event used the Superdome they way
Essence intended up until that time and
the convention center and hotels are convenient to the Superdome. We were able
to generate a strong relationship between
Festival Productions, the mayor and
Lt. Governor Kathleen Blanco, which
helped to make the festival a success. It
is such a fertile place for festivals in the
way the people saw to everything we
needed and made New Orleans the number one place to come and do a festival.
EW: Who was on the original line-up?
Wright: Luther Vandross, Anita Baker,
Gladys Knight, Mary J. Blige, Aliyah,
Aretha Franklin, Frankie Beverly and
Maze, Pattie Labelle, Boys II Men, B.B.
King, Barry White, the OJays with Gerald
Levertt, Earth Wind & Fire, Gerald Albright, in the Super Lounges, Main Ingredient, Dianne Reeves, the Ohio Players,
Denise LaSalle, the Jimmy Smith Quartet,
Bobby Blue Bland, Angela Bofill, Bahama
Jeune Canoe. We had Queen Latifah, Sinbad and Bill Cosby as hosts for that year.
EW: What was the idea of having daytime
empowerment seminars to go along with
the night concerts? Did the idea of the
seminars come after the night concert idea
or did all come together at the same time?
October 2004
ship issues etc. Well. we wanted the festival to reflect the content of the magazine and in that way the format of the
magazine became the blueprint for the
festival concept. The first year we did not
use the convention center, so we have
been at the Superdome for nine years and
the convention center for 8. We wanted
to get our audience more familiar with
leaders in the fields of politics, health,
law, economics and religion etc. so we
brought in public speakers like Iyanla
Vanzant, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Cornell West, Bishop Morton, Les Brown,
Johnny Cochran, Dr. Brenda Wade,
Kwesi Mfume, Al Sharpton, Maxine
Waters and Reverend Dr. Barbara King.
EW: How have you been treated here,
in terms of the business relationship
with the city? Does the festival attempt
to reach out to local Black vendors via
something like the Essence marketplace?
Wright: The business relationship Essence
has here is mutually beneficial. All parties
involved have always tried to work together to make this event a success for both Essence magazine and New Orleans. We try
to use vendors and event production professionals from the local market here. The
craft vendors are nationwide. The crafts
component is a juried event, with an application process. Vendors have to submit
slides of their work along with the application, which will be juried by members
of a committee of crafts artists, which rotates yearly to represent a variety of artistic
perspectives. Both Ray Nagin and former
mayor Mark Morial support the event.
Our sponsorship is growing, and we retain our multi-year partnerships with
our sponsors quite well. As an indication of our growth, 2003 was the first
year the city of New Orleans has become
a major sponsor of the Essence Music
Festival. It is pretty good when the city
goes from being the host to one of the
sponsors. After all ii does take a large
team and this one is built on teamwork.
EW: How did the hotels treat Essence?
Wright: We worked out terms with them
and developed a relationship that was mutually beneficial to the city and Essence.
Everyone goes through growing pains
and I believe New Orleans wants Essence to be here and that’s why we’re here.
EW:
How
long
will
Essence remain in New Orleans?
Wright: We are committed to New
Orleans until the end of 2004.
EW: It’s obvious that Essence makes
money
for
everyone
involved.
What conditions have made it feasible for you to stay here considering
your lease commitment until 2004?
Wright: The economy that’s here. Concert tickets have been so affordable, the
seminars and Essence markets have always
been free, so everyone can celebrate their
essence at the Essence Music Festival.
EW: What is the future of the Festival after your ten-year anniversary?
Wright: It can only get bigger and better.
Each year we have shown our commitment
to bringing a high quality event to New
Orleans and making sure that for each
year it is something special for all of us.
EW: Will Essence take on a different character in any way in terms of programming?
Wright: I don’t see the format changing
any time soon, but we try to stay in tune
with the needs of our audience and see
where the marketplace goes. Our 10th
anniversary celebration of the Coca-Cola
Presents the Essence Music Festival is
gearing up to be one of our very best. We
are thrilled to continue with our tradition
of offering an exciting and diverse line-up
for the entire family to enjoy.”
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Michigan, USA 2004
Edo National Convention,
Michigan U.S.A. 2004
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
Detroit ENA convention will go down
in history as the start of a new beginning
in attitude, achievements, brotherliness,
organisational capabilities and a grand
design for the future. Thanks to all those
who worked throughout last year tirelessly behind the scene for the good results
achieved and displayed in Detroit. If you
have a critical eye and attention for details you will easily see where I am coming
from. This is not not the place for details.
Starting from the choice of venue which
was centrally placed with easy reach to
adjoining areas for relaxation or a change
of scene and variety of cuisine, the hospitality of the organising committee to the
general peaceful and family atmosphere
created, they scored excellently.
The choice of the theme for the convention ‘Health Promotion and Disease prevention’ was timely, apt and succinct. It
caught the moment.
The children’s programme was well organised and conducted that even a day prior
to the event Mr Igbineweka and his team
were ready and there is no wonder it came
out so successfully as it did. Kudos to our
children from Canada who did very well
in the quiz programme and I hope the
USA lads and lasses will turn the table
next year.
The presentation of papers, the talk and
advice given were timely and hopefully
well received. Going by the numerous
‘well done’ and thank you it must have
gone down well. We hope Edos will take
up the offer from Dr Austin and his wife
as it will reduce the morbidity and even
mortality of our loved ones in Edoland
especially as it will create a reliable source
of medical help at a moments’ notice. We
October 2004
should give thanks to Mr Kingsley Asemota for a job well done in navigating appropriately the heights and depth of the
occasion without any accidents.
It was also a good occasion to see some
of our parents as I was pleased to meet
Mr and Mrs Omoigui (Nowa’s parents)
and Madam Okosun (Oseme’s mum) and
many well articulated professionals and
politicians.
The COP meeting will be adjudged the
best I have ever been lucky to observe.
Even better than the April COP meeting in Dallas in 2003 which I felt then
was very successful. Mr Felix Iyoha as
chairman conducted the meeting in a
very friendly but firm manner hence the
speed with which decisions were taken.
Mr Uwumarogie as Secretary General did
well considering his performance from a
weakened position. We shall expect a lot
from our brother Mr Osagie Odeh as his
position as Secretary General have been
enhanced and we hope all members of
the COP will support him so that ENA
can move forward to take its rightful place
as a force to beat in the scheme of things
in Edo State. For those hammering ENA
from the outside, my suggestion to them
is that they should come into ENA and
help effect changes within like Mr Hilary
Evbayirho have done rather than screaming from the periphery which is of no effect.
We hope Osagie Odeh’s tenure will usher
in a more formidable, precise and swift
ENA of our dream. With the kind of
steps taken in Detroit, I am sure we shall
get there. It is only a matter of time.
Edo College Old Boys in Diaspora were
able to hold a meeting thanks to the tireless effort of Mr Felix Omorodion and Mr
Osunde. It was a good place to meet our
older Old Boys (Evbavba) (Mr Agbonkpolor class of 1960 was representative)
and the younger Old Boys who are very
keen to bring back the glorious days of
ECBC. As always Akenzuans were in the
majority followed by Ewekans, Esigians
and Nannans. Speerians came close to being last. Surprise! Surprise, there was no
Ozoluan present. May be I am wrong or
did not notice. We hope those present will
inform those who were absent that Edo
College Old Boys’ train is about to move
to the new site on third East Circular road
to turn things around for the better for
our Alma Mater.
I cannot conclude this positive piece without mentioning Mr & Mrs Osa & Bose
Oviasu for their hard work as Secretary
& member of the host committee and for
their hospitality.
Was there a flip side to Detroit ENA convention? Yes, Edos are still poor in time
keeping but this may not be unconnected
with the short time of the convention for
meeting childhood friends and attendance
at the Friday evening welcome party which
unfortunately cannot be eliminated.
All told, this was a successful ENA convention and a big Thank you to Edo Heritage Foundation of Michigan for a job
well done and above all we give Osanoghodua the glory for travelling Blessings.
SEO OGBONMWAN
If we are only for ourselves, what are our
lives for? Make a difference, make the
world a better place.
Edo National Convention 2004
Edo National Association U.S.A. State Leaders gather at National conference in Detroit Michigan 2004
Transatlantic Times staff, Caryl Mathew
(left) and Theresa Wright (right) smiles at a
light moment in the convention
Convention wives posses for
Transatlantic Times magazine at the Edo National
convention 2004.
Dr. Cynthia Austin adressses womens
health issues at Edo convention 2004
October 2004
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Pictorial of Nigerian conventions in America... Stella Obasanjo, Atiku

Transcription

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