wfn.org | All Africa News Agency Mar 31 03 (b)

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

AANA BULLETIN No. 12/03 March 31, 2003 (b)

ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY

P. O Box, 66878, 00800 Westlands, NAIROBI, Kenya.  Tel: 254-2-4442215,
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Fax: 254-2-4445847, 4443241; Email: aanaapta@insightkenya.com , 
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AANA Bulletin	- Acting  Editor -Elly Wamari				     
  
Bulletin APTA - Acting Editor - Silvie Alemba

FEATURES

Debate On Remedial Measures For Africa's Woes

With most of Africa's leadership still under the illusion that economic 
help for the continent will come from the West, a wake-up call has been 
sounded to Africans to be alert and chart out their own destiny, and not to 
rely on foreign designed mechanisms for its economic well being, Joseph 
K'Amolo reports.

I
nterestingly, Africa, which is well endowed with good brains, some of which 
have contributed to modern discoveries, continues to find itself in 
economic misfortune, and lags behind in development matters.

According to Mitch Odero, head of Information Desk of the All Africa 
Conference of Churches, an estimated 20,000 talents leave the continent 
every year for the developed world. Their intellect, therefore, become 
useful elsewhere.

It is against this backdrop that critical thinkers are now sounding alarm 
to Africans to wake up to reality. The question now being asked is: How 
much longer should Africa wait to come out of its present economic quagmire?

A warning by Prof. Yashpal Tandon to Africans to be weary of ideologies of 
the developed world should not be ignored. Prof. Tandon is a Ugandan-born 
scholar, now residing in Zimbabwe, where he heads the International 
Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiation Initiative 
(SEATINI).

Sharing the same school of thought with Prof. Tandon, include chairman of 
Council of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in Kenya, Mr. Oduor 
Ongwen, and a renowned political scientist and gender activist, Prof. Maria 
Nzomo of the University of Nairobi.

They blame the West for using dishonesty to perpetuate their domination 
over Third World countries, through agents such as the International 
Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the 
Cotonou Agreement.

Prof. Tandon points out, for example, that Africa has been systematically 
marginalised in decision-making processes at the WTO.  Here, he says, 
decisions that ought to be taken by consensus, are often manipulated 
through use of leveraged compulsion on weak members.

Resolutions at WTO are made in so-called "green rooms". In many instances, 
they are designed by big powers without participation of much of Africa, 
yet, according to Prof. Tandon, these decisions are binding, even on those 
who were not present in meetings.

Prof. Tandon sees Africa as being at crossroads, where it is to decide 
whether to fully integrate into the global economy, or to selectively but 
carefully disengage from it and renegotiate terms of partnership on the 
basis of African unity.

He says that as long as Africa continues to export low-value commodities, 
it will forever suffer from the "so-called free trade". The present 
configuration of power and the division of labour at the global level will 
not allow Africa to get into high-value production systems, warns Prof. 
Tandon.

For Africa to realise this, it must get united to be able to negotiate 
better deals for things like technology transfer. China and India are able 
to negotiate because they are strong.

Prof. Tandon further warns African leaders not to expect free market 
economy to do the work for them, since doing so would be like living in a 
"fool's paradise".

Martin Khor, director of Third World Network based in Malaysia, shares 
Prof. Tandon's sentiments.  To him, WTO is the most dangerous threat to 
sustainable development.

He says new agreements being pushed by the developed world on investment, 
competition and government procurement, if they were to materialise, would 
further frustrate development prospects of developing countries. The old 
and the new agreements would spell the end of sustainable development.

The general mood among the informed civil society on influence of Western 
ideologies smacks revolt against African leadership.

Many question why the West should be the ones planning things for Africa. 
Why did the developed world, for example, have to hijack a home-grown New 
African Initiative, to form the New Partnerships for Africa's Development 
(NEPAD)?

Was it perhaps out of fear for a new African unity forged under the African 
Union (AU), hoped to become a more cohesive continent-wide institution?

Involving the West in the affairs of NEPAD has since raised questions. 
Sceptics like Prof. Maria Nzomo have ruled out NEPAD as a possible model 
for Africa's recovery. All she can see is that it is to enhance global 
profitability of corporate capital.

Oduor Ongwen, further reiterates that developed nations are never 
transparent in their dealings with developing countries.

He also singles out WTO, where he says, all that are spelt out in its 
memorandum are "myths". Such myths include claims that prosperity can be 
realised through globalisation and free trade. But the actual arrangement 
is that globalisation is a small group of people controlling and deciding 
on how much "you can sell, and what profit you gain".

Western prescribed governance for Africa has not worked either for the 
continent. Their democracy is based on various models like the Anglo-Saxon, 
the Canadian, French etc. Africa cannot therefore emulate democracy in the 
developed world, since the context and situations under which they operate 
are different.

Prof. Ouma Muga, a former cabinet minister in Kenya, is today asking: 
"Where did Africa go wrong?"

He remembers that in the late 50s and early 60s during the struggle for 
independence for most of African countries, there was enthusiasm to create 
a united Africa by leaders like the late Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who 
championed pan-Africanism. Their dream was to have a continent devoid of 
outside influence.

Today, Prof. Muga observes that though Africa has been liberated from the 
colonial rule and became independent, Africans have lost their 
sovereignty.   He says, governance and democracy are in crisis and that is 
why "we know of the civil wars that have taken place in Africa".

The advice for Africans today is to be able to challenge the imperial 
factor in the events of our continent.	"We must be able to question what 
they do with power, with wealth, the general space and how do they relate 
to IMF, World Bank and others," says Prof. Tandon.

It is Africa, which has been the recipient of the Morgan Thou Plan that was 
initially prescribed for Germany after the two World Wars.

The plan, which derived its name from its designer, Mr. Morgan Thou, a one 
time United States president, was meant to de-industrialise Germany in 
order to disable it from waging war again.

Analysts say that the way out is for Africa to extricate itself from the 
malaise of underdevelopment. In doing so, the challenge is for the people 
and governments to understand that development is a process of empowerment 
and self-reliance.

Re-emerging Popularity Of Herbal Medication

The world, which has for long been used to western medicine, has now to 
conform with re-emerging popularity of the once condemned traditional 
medical therapy. Experts cite its unique healing characteristics as a 
factor that has re-generated its acceptance, as reported by Joyce Mulama.

U
ntil recently, herbal approach to treatment of disease was considered a 
backward and primitive African affair. Even genuine traditional healers, 
who had protected lives in Africa from time immemorial, had for a long time 
to withstand being referred to as "witches, wizards and magicians".

The perception is now changing, and the world is beginning to make 
desperate attempts to catch up with natural medication. Complimentary 
therapy, as it is also referred to, is steadily taking centre-stage
worldwide.

Its popularity started to re-emerge in the late 1980s to early 90s. Studies 
show that many people are turning to complimentary treatment, with 
increased faith in its efficacy.

According to Dr Richard Saning'o, a renowned specialist in herbal medicine 
in Kenya, use of natural treatment is a key practise today than it was 20 
years ago. "It is a force to reckon with now. However, it is not 
mainstream, but it is getting there," he observes.

Complementary and conventional medicine, adopt different approaches towards 
treatment of disease. Conventional therapy is diagnosis-led, where doctors 
use symptoms and medical tests to assess the illness, and prescribe 
relevant drugs accordingly.

Complementary practitioners on the other hand aim in dealing with the 
patient as a whole. According to them, illness signifies a disruption of 
physical and mental well-being. The treatment they administer attempts to 
stimulate the body's natural self-healing and self regulating abilities.

Experts in this field maintain that natural remedies are more likely to 
make one feel better and more alert. They have fewer side-effects. Since 
they work actively to prevent illness, they may be the answer to the 
healthcare crisis that is spiralling out of control, they contend.

Herbal medicine practitioners underline that theirs is focussed on healing, 
not on disease. It is based on provision of relief and not on
experimentation.

"In this case, the duty of the healer is to make wise decisions and 
accurate observations so that the treatment is commensurate with the 
precise needs of the patient," once noted Dr Li Chuan, a Chinese herbal 
doctor, in 1994.

Close partnership between the patient and practitioner encourages active 
participation of the patient in the healing process. This, according to Dr 
Saning'o, is the reason for the soaring popularity of traditional therapy.

Cynics point out that this old form of treatment is cheaper to administer, 
others detect strengths that go hand in hand with conventional medicine.

Many learning institutions are now offering degrees in complimentary 
therapies that incorporate conventional medicine science, affirming that 
the two can go hand-in-hand.

South Africa leads among African countries, having incorporated western 
medicine with traditional healthcare into national health delivery systems.

In Kenya, however, a similar suggestion turned sour when a controversy 
arose between herbal medicine practitioners and conventional doctors.

Specialists in herbal treatment had suggested that their medicine be 
recognised in Kenya's health delivery system and made available to 
patients.  Conventional medical practitioners launched a strong opposition, 
questioning efficacy of herbal medication.

As a result, a number of Kenyan traditional healers receive consultancy 
assignments in South Africa, while botanists, biochemists, among others, 
have left for jobs in the same country.

Dr Saning'o upholds that these two therapies should complement one another. 
"We do not necessarily need to fight one another since there are certain 
values which are possessed by natural remedies, and which are missing in 
conventional drugs, and vice versa," he says.

Rev. Arnold Temple, head of Theology and Interfaith desk at All Africa 
Conference of Churches (AACC) concurs. "The two treatments should go 
side-by-side. It is not a matter of one replacing the other," he says.

He dismisses those who associate traditional form of medication with 
witchcraft saying, "Traditional medicine is not witchcraft. It comes from 
knowledge and knowledge comes from God."

Historians say early missionaries condemned the practice, which was purely 
African. They succeeded, introduced western drugs, causing the Africans to 
shy away from use of herbs.

"It is ironical how the same people are coming back to where Africans were 
two centuries ago," says Temple, adding, "this shows how they were wrong in 
condemning what our forefathers were doing".

Traditional way of health delivery was high-level knowledge that led to 
discovering curative characteristics in plants such as Aloe (Aloe 
barbadensis) and Asparagus (sparrow grass) roots as some of the finest herbs.

However, scientist say that just because a product is 'natural' does not 
mean it is safe. A point of concern is that natural medicine providers may 
not be able to determine precise dosage requirement of herbal concoctions.

They may also need to come up with safer preservation methods.	To this, 
Rev Temple underscores the need for continuous research in herbal medicine.

Indeed, herbalist associations are emerging, and are involved in training 
upcoming practitioners on  clinical diagnosis and quality patient handling 
and care.  Some are generating information through documentation and 
research about herbal medicine.

Experts envisage full acceptance of natural therapy after mass screening of 
herbal remedies, toxicological testing, formulations for preserving herbal 
medicine and standardisation of products.

And with this comes the need for preservation of knowledge on indigenous 
remedies so as to prevent pirating of information.

Prof. Jesse Mugambi, head of the Department of Religious Studies at the 
University of Nairobi, recently (March 13-14) called for packaging of 
African knowledge for patenting.

Stanley Atsali of Kenya Industrial Property Institute, which handles 
intellectual property rights , says it is important to create awareness 
among discoverers of products about value of their knowledge.

"They should not talk loosely about what they have come up with before 
putting it down. If people are not protected, they can be exploited," he
notes.

A Continent That Is In Dire Need Of Water Solutions

It is ironical that a continent such as Africa, endowed with plenty of 
water resources -rivers, lakes and oceans, should face water crisis. But 
this, unfortunately, is the reality. Concerns are being raised that if the 
crisis persists, water wars may soon become visible in violent conflicts, 
reports AANA Correspondent Osman Njuguna.

I
n a February 18 interview with AANA, the Executive Director of the United 
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Toepfer,  brought  to the fore, 
water problems Africa is experiencing.

He remarked: "None of the African countries is currently able to meet 50 
percent of its water needs. I am yet to know of a country in Africa that 
has no water problem."

His strong recommendation is that African countries should institute 
national policies to guide them on water management, allocation of 
sufficient budgets for water and respect for environment, and more so, the 
ecology.

Toepfer cited failure to co-ordinate water management, with fragmented 
planning within water using sectors, and lack of economic incentives for 
sustainable water-use as some of the aspects of poor water policy.

But one disturbing phenomenon is that the water crisis in Africa is equally 
affecting countries endowed with water resources as those without.

A study carried out on the Nile Waters established that a great deal of 
water needed for drinking is being polluted through salinisation, 
fertilizer drainage, industrial pollution, human and animal waste, and 
other discharges.

Nile Delta, Africa's most productive farmland is gradually being eroded, 
says the study document.

"Sediments are trapped behind the Aswan High Dam. The people farming on the 
lands downstream along the delta are being deprived of the fertile silt 
that would be deposited by the river," states a section of the report 
titled Some Contending Issues In Managing the Nile Basin.

A research paper by Kenya's top scientist, Prof. Thomas Odhiambo says that 
out of Africa's estimated 75,000 dams, 200 have already been dismantled.

A few thousand more are being considered for dismantling now that they are 
inoperative because of sediment filling.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also established in a recent 
survey that 14 African countries are currently experiencing water scarcity, 
while another 11 are likely to face the same fate by the year 2025.

According to UNEP, the continuing decline in the availability of usable 
water in the face of rising demand, poses possibility of disputes and 
conflicts both within and between African countries.

UNEP is concerned that an estimated 300 million people have no access to 
safe water in Africa, stressing, "the situation is worsening".

In sub-Saharan Africa, only 51 percent of the population has access to safe 
water. In general, urban residents have better access to safe water and 
sanitation than rural populations.

But while the water situation remains precarious on the African continent, 
some positive developments are taking place.

Last February, for example, the UN Foundation availed a grant of more than 
US$ 2 million for water management in \African cities.

Speaking at a working luncheon hosted by the UN Foundation in Washington, 
USA, Senator Tim Wirth, who is President of the Foundation, disclosed that 
the programme had attracted significant parallel funding from other donors, 
among them the World Bank, and governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, 
Finland and Germany.

The UN-HABITAT on March 20 launched a comprehensive global document on 
Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities: Local Action for Global Goals, 
which among other things highlights the water situation mainly in Africa, 
Asia and Latin America.

The 274-page-document, has for example, looked at the negative aspect of 
lack of water among the people, especially its effects on health.

"Water-washed disease are associated with lack of water supplies for 
washing, and include various skin and eye infections such as scabies and 
trachoma (from which millions become blind)," says the UN document.

Its launching coincided with the marking of the World Water Day (March 22) 
and the 3rd World Water Forum, in Kyoto, Japan (March 16-23).

It states that at any one time, close to half of the urban populations in 
Africa, Asia and Latin America are suffering from one or more of diseases 
associated with inadequate water and sanitation provision.

"Some are associated primarily with poor water quality while others are 
more associated with inadequate quality, of water available to households," 
the report explains.

A Recently published book: Scarcity And Surfeit: The Ecology of Africa's 
Conflicts, has in it an article sub-titled Spilling Blood Over Water? The 
case of Ethiopia, which predicts that the main conflict in Africa during 
the next 25 years could be over the most precious of commodities - water.

"The Nile River, with part of its resource in Ethiopia is considered to be 
likely flash-point for such conflicts," says the article, jointly authored 
by Fiona Flintan and Imeru Tamrat.

Though international wars over water have not occurred, there is evidence 
to suggest that the lack of water in certain contexts has led to localised 
political instability and violence, says the book, stressing "some analysts 
suggest that conflict between herders and farmers is increasing".

Indeed, farmer-herder conflict over water is documented in Mali, the Ivory 
Coast, and Burkina Faso.

But when all is said and done, one good fact remains.  Africa is not at 
zero point when it comes to thinking  and working on the issue of water.

UNEP recognies some of these developments. It has for example, cited the 
Protocol on Shared Water Course Systems, signed in 1995 by the majority of 
member states of SADC (Southern Africa Development Corporation).

The UN agency also recalls the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), launched in1999 
by the ten member states sharing waters of Nile River.