wfn.org | All Africa News Agency Nov 24 2003 News

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

ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY
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AANA Bulletin		Bulletin APTA
  Editor -Elly Wamari	Editor - Silvie Alemba

AANA BULLETIN No. 46/03 November 24, 2003 News

NEWS SECTION

Reformed Churches In Africa Launch Own Association

YAOUNDE (AANA) November 24 - An alliance of Reformed churches has been 
launched in Africa.

This was announced here by Rev Dr Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the 
World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), at the All Africa Conference of 
Churches (AACC) women and youth pre-assembly opening ceremony on November 19.

He said the launching of Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa (ARCA) was 
chosen to coincide with the women and youth pre-assembly, in recognition 
that women are the givers of life as they give birth to babies, while the 
youth are the hope of Africa.

ARCA, he elaborated, will not be in competition with the AACC as an 
ecumenical movement for the church in Africa, but rather, will seek to work 
together to strengthen AACC in a manner that will boost theological ways to 
tackle challenges facing the continent.

He said there was commitment on the part of members of ARCA, in the 
"mission that God has called us to work together".

Rev Nyomi said it was time the continent shouldered its own responsibility, 
and not to look unto the West. In the past, he said, people talked of "we 
want to be, we want to be, but now we say, we are".

ARCA was the brainchild of renowned ecumenist, Rev Dr John Gatu of Kenya.

The president of the new born ecumenical body is Rev Dr Masi Gams of 
Cameroon.  He is supported by four representatives, covering southern, 
western, eastern and central Africa regions.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

AACC President Lays Church Weaknesses On The Table

YAOUNDE (AANA) November 24 - The Church in Africa has been slow in speaking 
against ills like corruption and bad governance in the continent, the Most 
Rev Prof Kwesi Dickson, President of the All Africa Conference of Churches 
(AACC) has said.

Prof Dickson was speaking during an interview with a team of journalists 
covering the ongoing 8th General Assembly of the AACC in Yaounde, Cameroon, 
when he stated: "It has taken the Church too long to realise that it should 
speak out on corruption and bad governance for the sake of its integrity."

The AACC president went on to observe that churches were often reactive and 
not proactive on issues of concern.

He accordingly advised churches to engage teams of people to monitor things 
on the ground for them, before discussing steps to be taken.

He regretted that the Church had become hypocritical in many cases by going 
against what it preached, thus watering down the credibility of the message.

Turning to women's ministry, Prof Dickson expressed concern that there was 
still resistance by many churches, on the issue of allowing women to hold 
decision-making positions.

According to him, women issues face problems in Africa simply because, "We 
do not take women seriously, and neither do they take themselves seriously".

He elaborated that cultural background, which made women to understand that 
they were forbidden from certain areas, was responsible for this attitude, 
just as much as lack of education among majority of women, which made them 
lack confidence in themselves.

He suggested that every organisation should insist that women be given 
platforms to articulate their problems.

On culture and the Christian faith, Prof Dickson, who is also a bishop of 
the Methodist Church in Ghana, said there should be a distinction between 
the Gospel and people's culture.

He said that not every aspect of Africans' culture was in conflict with the 
Christian faith, and therefore, should not be condemned wholesale.

He advised that salvation should no be taken to mean that one ceases to be 
African and discard his/her identity.

Answering a question on AACC's achievements since its inception 40 years 
ago, an eloquent Prof Dickson talked of seminars for the youth and women, 
sensitising the Church to bring the faith to bear over their members, 
laying fertile ground for the Gospel, and brokering peace in conflict 
areas, as some of the organisation's achievements.

But, he could not hide his disappointment on the issue of churches' low 
response to the needs of the AACC, which he attributed to lack of a sense 
of ownership of the ecumenical body by the people of Africa.

He revealed that this constituted his most single challenge during his 
tenure as the president of AACC.

"Churches seem not to have a feeling that they own AACC. Many of them do 
not pay their membershipforcing AACC to look for money elsewhere to run 
its projects," said Prof Dickson.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

Zimbabwean Clergy Hold Talks With Muluzi Over Crisis

LILONGWE (AANA) November 24 - A delegation of Zimbabwean Bishops last week 
met Malawi's President, Bakili Muluzi, to pursue efforts aimed at bringing 
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and the main opposition party, Movement 
for Democratic Change (MDC), to a roundtable discussion.

Muluzi is among three African Heads of State entrusted by the regional 
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to close the widening rift 
between MDC's leader, Morgan Tsvangirayi, and Mugabe.

Tsvangirai is contesting Mugabe's re-election in March 2002, claiming the 
vote was rigged and plagued with irregularities.  He has refused to 
recognise Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe.

Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa are 
the other mediators in the Zimbabwe affair.

The team of clergymen, who met Muluzi on November 17 during a one day visit 
in Lilongwe, the country's capital, comprised Bishop Sebastian Bakare of 
the Anglican Church, Patrick Mutume of the Roman Catholic Church, and 
Bishop Trevor Mahnanga of the Evangelical Church of Zimbabwe.

"We thank African leaders for participating in peace talks to bring lasting 
peace to Zimbabwe, but we feel it is important that they speed up 
resumption of negotiations so that tension is eased," said Bakare.

The Zimbabwean clergy said their mission was to brief Muluzi on the ongoing 
political and economic hardships in Zimbabwe, with the prime aim of 
restarting dialogue between the government and the opposition.

The latest move follows an earlier campaign by churches in Zimbabwe to 
combat what they termed as excesses of the Mugabe regime.

In September, about 109 pastors and laity from 59 Christian denominations, 
supported by representatives of the ecumenical fraternity in Southern 
Africa, issued a communiqui condemning persistent harassment of the media, 
intimidation of political opponents, and gross infringement on the rights 
of the citizens.

"While we acknowledge the historical imbalances in land distribution, we 
disapprove of the irresponsible, inhuman, violent, partisan, and 
non-transparent methods the government is using to re-distribute the land," 
stated part of the hard-hitting statement.

Reported by Hobbs Gama

Pope Appoints New Church Leaders For African Regions

VATICAN CITY (AANA) NOVEMBER 24 - Pope John Paul II has appointed new 
Catholic heads in a number of African countries.

For the Catholic Church of Cameroon, the Pontiff has appointed Bishop 
Simon-Victor Tonye Bakot as archbishop of Yaounde archdiocese.

Bishop Bakot was born in 1947, ordained into priesthood in 1973 and 
consecrated a bishop in 1987.

In Angola, the Pope has appointed Rev Filomeno dos Nascimento Viera Dias as 
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Luanda.

Until his new appointment, Rev Viera Dias was Vice-Rector of the Catholic 
University of Angola and Rector of the Archdiocesan Major Seminary of Luanda.

Born in 1958 in Luanda, the Angolan capital, Viera Dias was ordained into 
priesthood in 1983. He holds a degree in theology and a Licence in
Philosophy.

The Pope has also appointed Rev Fr Anthony Muheria, a priest of the Opus 
Dei Order, as bishop of the Diocese of Nyeri in Kenya's Central Province.

The Diocese of Nyeri has been without a bishop since May 2002, following 
the transfer of its first bishop, Most Rev. John Njue, to Nyeri Archdiocese 
as its Coadjutor.

Bishop Muheria holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of 
Nairobi, Kenya. He undertook his theological studies at the Pontifical 
University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Reported by Osman Njuguna

Malaria Epidemic In Sudan Province Soars  Despite Efforts

AKUEM (AANA) November 24 - A team of Midecins Sans Frontihres (MSF) in 
Akuem, a town in Aweil East in Bahr-el-Ghazal, southern Sudan, has reported 
a persistent influx of malaria patients.

The organisation says that they are still handling about 5,000 cases a week 
since June, and have so far treated more than 52,000 patients, including 
about 800 severe cases.

"Malaria is endemic in this region, but there has been a sustained increase 
in the number of cases this year, compared to previous years," noted Greg 
Elder, Medical Co-ordinator for MSF in Sudan.

"In July, the number of consultations and hospitalisation for malaria 
exploded in Akuem. We have treated nearly five times as many patients than 
this time last year," said Elder.

This year, the increase in the number of cases is said to have occurred 
earlier than usual.  The peak is usually registered in August.

In view of the circumstances, MSF has increased its treatment capacity and 
extended its activities to Aweil North.

The teams are treating patients in four fixed MSF facilities in Akuem, 
Mangar Angui, Madhol (Aweil East) and Gok Machar (Aweil North).

Mobile clinics have also been set up to treat patients in isolated 
areas.	The particularly heavy rains this year has transformed the entire 
region into marshland, preventing patients from reaching health facilities.

"These mobile teams are the only way to treat patients in regions that have 
been cut off by the floods," explained Elder, adding: "These clinics 
prevent the death of children and vulnerable adults who would otherwise 
remain stranded in their villages."

The increase in the number of malaria cases closely follows a serious food 
crisis that has affected the province since April.

"Already weakened by malnutrition, children under the age of five are even 
more vulnerable this year," says the MSF team.

The MSF teams anticipate a high number of malaria patients until the end of 
the year.

Reported by Henry Neondo

Minister Throws Freedom Of Expression Into Jeopardy

GABORONE (AANA) November 24 - Freedom of expression has been thrown into 
jeopardy in Botswana, following the removal from national radio, of a 
popular morning phone-in programme that allowed listeners to express their 
views on national issues.

Boyce Sebetela, the Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, 
whose ministry regulates national radio and television, announced last 
Monday that Masa-a-sele (Setswana for sunrise) had been suspended from the 
airwaves.

He said he came to this decision after noticing that the callers to the 
programme used "bad language", while the moderator of the programme failed 
to control the discussions.

"I used my powers as the minister to stop this programme because bad 
language was flowing from callers," Sebetela said.

With Botswana preparing for general elections next year, and with the polls 
having been a hot topic in the programme, opposition parties feel Sebetela 
suspended the programme after realising that it was not favouring the 
ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

"Sebetela is treating both national radio and television as the property of 
BDP," said James Mathokgwane, the Executive Secretary of the main 
opposition party, Botswana National Front (BNF).

Press freedom watchdog, Media Institute of South Africa (MISA), Botswana 
chapter, also condemned Sebetela's decision. In a statement on Tuesday, it 
called on the government to re-instate the programme.

MISA appealed to the government to facilitate a review of the state media, 
to ensure that the national broadcaster "becomes a true public service 
broadcaster, as spelt out in the African Charter on Broadcasting".

"MISA-Botswana supports a model for public service media that is built 
around the principles that ensure public accountability, independence from 
partisan manipulation, and a level playing field for all political actors," 
said Modise Maphanyane, MISA's Director, in the statement.

Reported by Rodrick Mukumbira

Cautious Optimism As Donors Re-Open Aid Taps For Malawi

BLANTYRE (AANA) November 24 - Major Western donors have announced the 
re-opening of budgetary support taps for Malawi, but warned that the 
support was coming with strict conditions.

The donors, who comprise Britain, Norway, Sweden and the European Union, 
announced the resumption of the budgetary support under the Common Approach 
to Budget Support (CABS).

This follows a decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to release 
part of a US$ 47 billion budgetary support, which it suspended in 2001 
after accusing the government of having an appetite to overspend.

Accordingly, the four donors have said that the new pledge will require a 
strong and sustainable political commitment to fiscal discipline on the 
part of the Malawi government.

This comes barely seven months before general elections, which are 
scheduled for May next year.

Meanwhile, top officials of the Ministry of Finance have stressed that the 
resumption of financial aid by the IMF did not mean extra budget 
allocations to ministries, and cautioned Malawians not to get excited that 
their purchasing power will suddenly rise.

Briefing the press at the Central Office of Information (COI) in Blantyre, 
finance minister, Friday Jumbe, said the resumption of the IMF economic 
programme to the country simply means enough resources for specific sectors.

Jumbe said he had been receiving reports from other stakeholders in the 
country that the IMF programme meant extra money to spend on certain 
ministries.

He pointed out that this would be a crucial time for the country to 
maintain fiscal discipline and not to borrow more money on the domestic 
market, to insure that the IMF does not withdraw the economic programme.

The resumption of the IMF's budgetary support comes after agricultural 
experts in the country warned that the country was likely to have low 
yields of tobacco next year.  Tobacco is the country's major foreign 
exchange earner.

Already, the crop has been reeling under the impact of international 
anti-smoking campaigns.

Reported by Hamilton Vokhiwa

Think-Tank Sows Seeds Of Economic Freedom In Africa

MOMBASA (AANA) November 24 - Leaders of civil society, business, and 
government from across Africa, met here last week to promote homegrown 
solutions to the continent's economic problems.

Over 100 delegates from more than 18 African nations took part in an Africa 
Resource Bank Meeting "to sow the seeds of economic freedom" in Africa, and 
kick-start a campaign for market reform and free trade as a means to 
sustainable development.

The conference, held from November 20 to 22, was organised by Inter-Region 
Economic Network (IREN-Kenya), an independent, non-partisan think-tank 
based in Nairobi.

The meeting brought together individuals and organisations from across 
Africa to create a new network (Africa Resource Network), whose mission 
will be to promote trade within the continent and with the rest of the 
world, to identify businesses or agents to facilitate import/export trade 
in Africa, and to promote intra-Africa investment.

Said James Shikwati, director of IREN-Kenya: "Since independence Africa has 
invested too heavily in seeking donor aid, which has compromised African 
productivity. Our aim is to find home-grown solutions to the major problems 
afflicting Africa - disease, war, illiteracy and desperate poverty."

The Africa Resource Network will create linkages to promote trade in 
Africa. Through networking and dialogue, it hopes to become an effective 
exponent of market reform, and encourage individual countries to open 
themselves to trade.

Reported by Henry Neondo

CWS Introduces Programme To Facilitate Safe Schooling

NAIROBI (AANA) November 24 - Insecurity due to persisting civil conflicts 
in Africa has been cited as one of the major reasons behind a new 
initiative started by the US-based Church World Service (CWS), to help 
African countries to institute a programme called School Safe Zones (SSZ).

Through the programme CWS intends to encourage education stakeholders to 
develop workable mechanisms of ensuring safe learning environments in 
schools in Africa, by way of offering technical and financial support to 
already existing systems.

In an exclusive interview with AANA here on November 19, few days after CWS 
held a one-day consultative forum on education for Kenya, Mr Ephraim 
Kiragu, CWS Consultant on Emergency Response and Development for Eastern 
Africa and Indian Ocean, observed:

"Apart from other factors, such as poverty, hunger, lack of facilities, 
drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and Child Labour, irresponsible media, poor parenting 
and retrogressive culture, management problems and lack of sensitivity to 
children with disability, matters pertaining to insecurity due to 
persisting civil conflicts have rated high".

Kiragu explained that initially, SSZ was supposed to care for countries 
that are constantly affected by civil conflicts, but the programme 
initiators noted the importance of considering other factors that threaten 
general safety of African children in the school.

And according to him, CWS has picked Kenya as its launching pad for the 
proposed pilot project.

"The reasons behind this are the country's commitment to children's 
education, enabling political environment, commitment to children's rights, 
and the historical role of the Church in educational development in the 
country," explained Mr Kiragu, while quoting a new report titled Schools 
Safe Implementation Process and Baseline and Legal Survey, launched on 
November 14.

"The move (SSZ) has good intentions for the African child of school-going 
age, hence the need for all stakeholders in education - churches, 
government and civil society - to support it," observed Dr Agnes Abuom, 
chairperson of SSZ taskforce, during the launching of the report at the 
consultative forum on education.

Reported by Osman Njuguna

First Zimbabwean President Gets A Simple Burial In Village

HARARE (AANA) November 24 - Zimbabwe's first black president, Rev Dr Canaan 
Banana, has been denied hero status because of his homosexual activities, 
which resulted in one-year jail sentence for sodomy.

The Methodist minister, who died in London on November 10 from illness, was 
only accorded a state-aided funeral.

President Robert Mugabe, well known for his virulent anti-homosexual stand, 
could not give hero status fit for a head of state, who played an 
instrumental role to liberate Zimbabwe from British rule.

Banana was buried last Wednesday in his home village of Esigodini in 
Southern Zimbabwe.

He had been widely isolated after his conviction and separation from his 
wife, with whom he sired four children.

He was denied national hero status for fear that it would embarrass 
President Mugabe, and create controversy within the ruling Zimbabwe African 
National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).

His wife and three children resident in London, where he died, did not 
attend the funeral.  Only his brother, Amos, and Zimbabwe's Ambassador to 
Britain, Mr Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, accompanied the body of the former 
University of Zimbabwe theology lecturer.

Rev Banana, who was instrumental in bringing unity between the country's 
major parties, ZANU-PF and Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU-PF), led 
by the late vice-president Dr Joshua Nkomo, had become a social outcast due 
to his sexual orientation, and alleged involvement in sexual harassment 
cases around State House.

Although Mugabe described Rev Banana as a rare gift to Zimbabwe when he 
announced his death, he could not as a matter of principle, accord him a 
hero status.

The move has already divided Zimbabwean religious, civic and political 
groupings.

Church organisations urged the president to grant the former head of state 
total pardon, and declare him a national hero.

They argued that after the presidential pardon, the nation would be able to 
contend with the good things he did for Zimbabweans.
						
Rev Banana's political colleagues in the ruling party described him as a 
national luminary who deserved the respect that had been given to other 
national leaders in the country.

Indeed, the late former president had rear political qualities.  After the 
unity accord between Mugabe and Nkomo in 1987, he averted a potentially 
volatile situation when he even agreed to step down as head of state, to 
pave way for Mugabe, who later appointed Nkomo as his deputy.

Reported by Tim Chigodo

Police Give Up Hope Of Finding Missing Woman Alive

BLANTYRE (AANA) November 24 - Malawi Police has declared that Linda Plonk, 
a Dutch woman who went mysteriously missing on Mount Mulanje's Sapitwa Peak 
in October this year, is dead.

Plonk had climbed the mountain in the company of at least nine friends when 
she insisted on inching ahead to reach the forbidden Sapitwa Peak.  She 
never returned after that.

Police public relations office said Plonk has been declared dead after 
efforts of finding her proved futile.

The Dutch government sent out a search team that comprised expert mountain 
climbers, to join the police, forestry officials and the army, in the 
search for Plonk but in vain.

However, according to the Director of Public Prosecution, Fahad Assan, 
Plonk could only be declared dead after seven years of her disappearance.

Reported by Hamilton Vokhiwa