In Their Own Voices: Conversations with African Emerging Leaders 9783838273372

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Kristina Bekenova presents a collection of interviews with fifteen emerging African leaders, musicians, poets, artists, doctors, environmentalists, defenders of animal rights, and tour operators, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe. These interviews are an important, effective, and efficient way to make Africa’s authentic voices heard. The interviewees explain what Africa needs most, what they are doing about it, what vision for Africa they have, and how they think their ideas can be implemented. They share genuine African bottom-up perspectives, voice their understanding of African natural and cultural issues, identify Africa’s true needs, and formulate recommendations from an original African perspective. This book presents a unique opportunity to hear their opinion, to learn from Africa, and to understand what the continent needs as it makes progress along its developmental path. KRISTINA BEKENOVA worked as a volunteer correspondent in African Politics and Policy from 2016 to 2018. The idea of this book was born during two years of fruitful collaboration and personal fascination with Africa. She was a Teaching Assistant and later a Research Assistant at Nazarbayev University (NU). She holds a Master‘s Degree in International Relations from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

ISBN: 978-3-8382-1337-8

ibidem

Conversations with Emerging African Leaders

Ronnie Rock-Moore, Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, Nazarbayev University

Kristina Bekenova (ed.)

"In Their Own Voices: Conversations with Emerging African Leaders by Kristina Bekenova represents an important contribution in its declared strategy to elicit the views and perceptions of young African artists and activists and in its stated objective to provide an emic contextualized discussion of the perceived issues important to people on the ground. The book offers a truly authentic African perspective. It is of interest to research scholars, professors, and students in the fields of anthropology, sociology, and political science as well as to policy makers within Africa, but, importantly, also outside agencies that have interests in Africa."

Kristina Bekenova (ed.)

In Their Own Voices

Conversations with Emerging African Leaders

ibidem

Kristina Bekenova

In Their Own Voices: Conversations with Emerging African Leaders

Kristina Bekenova

IN THEIR OWN VOICES: CONVERSATIONS WITH EMERGING AFRICAN LEADERS

Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Cover illustration: ID 11168719 © MinervaStudio | Dreamstime.com

ISBN-13: 978-3-8382-7337-2 © ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart 2019 Alle Rechte vorbehalten Das Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages unzulässig und strafbar. Dies gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und elektronische Speicherformen sowie die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ........................................................................... 7  Preface..................................................................................................... 9  Introduction ......................................................................................... 11  In Their Own Voices: Arts & Culture ............................................. 15  Gunjur Village Museum, The Gambia ...................................... 17  Lagos International Poetry Festival, Nigeria ........................... 23  Mukaera Art Village, Zimbabwe ............................................... 29  Nkombo Music, Rwanda ............................................................ 35  #AnaTaban Movement, South Sudan ....................................... 41  Foyer Culturel de Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo ..... 49  Love the Kids Foundation, Rwanda ......................................... 57  Light of the Youth Creative Organization, Malawi ................ 65  In Their Own Voices: Natural Heritage ........................................ 69  Birdwatching in Africa, The Gambia ........................................ 71  The Environmental Concerns Group/Gunjur, The Gambia ... 79  Somaliland Travel and Tour Agency, Somaliland .................. 83  Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching, South Africa .................................................................................. 87  In Their Own Voices: Disability and Health ............................... 97  Light for the World, Ethiopia ..................................................... 99  Light for the World, Ethiopia ................................................... 107  Light for the World, Belgium ................................................... 111

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List of Abbreviations APP CBR CITES CRPD DEA DPWM DRC ECDD GEF GEPADG ICAM IDDC ILO KNP LKF LYCO NASFEST OSCAP PRCM STTA TfD UN UNESCO WHO WWF

African Politics and Policy Community Based Rehabilitation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Department Environmental Affairs Department of Parks and Wildlife Management Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development Global Environment Fund Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity project International Disability and Development Consortium International Labour Organization Kruger National Park Love the Kids Foundation Light of Youth Creative Organization National Schools and Youth Arts Festival Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching West African Regional Marine and Coastal Conservation Partnership Somaliland Travel and Tourism Agency Theatre for Development United Nations United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Health Organization Worldwide Fund for Nature 7

Preface In March 2015, we launched a multi-media portal called African Politics and Policy because we were disappointed with the state of debates about African affairs that were generally dominated by the good governance discourse and other Western intellectual constructs. There is nothing wrong with the governance agenda, but we thought that African solutions could be more effective for African problems, rather than those prescribed on a “one-size-fits-all” basis. African Politics and Policy was created for emerging African leaders, young scholars and researchers to share African perspectives, to voice their understanding of African issues, to identify Africa’s true needs, and to formulate recommendations from authentic African experience. Whether and to what extent we have been able to become what we wanted to be is up for debate. However, the interviews designed and administered by Kristina Bekenova have been an extremely valuable, important, effective and efficient way to make Africa’s voices heard. Her interviews gave Africa’s young and emerging leaders an opportunity to explain what Africa needs most, what they are doing about it, what vision for Africa they have and how they think such vision can be implemented. The interviews revealed a plurality of voices. Kristina interviewed musicians, poets, artists, doctors, philanthropists, environmentalists, defenders of animal rights, tour operators and treasurers of traditional culture; these people came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. And while they all share, implicitly or not, a genuine commitment to making Africa grow and develop, they have a very different understanding of what should be done to ensure Africa’s success. Some believe that Africa needs better public health, while others believe that more should be done for children.

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Some believe that Africa’s development should go hand in hand with the preservation of traditional knowledge, while others believe that it should be coupled with the protection of the environment. But in spite of the different perspectives that emerge from the interviews that Kristina conducted, one can detect a common theme. They all, to a greater or lesser extent, believe that Africa’s rich and diverse culture is the single most important ingredient for ensuring Africa’s success in the years to come. A plurality of voices delivered this simple message. Kristina, with her interviews, gave us a chance to hear this message and to think more carefully about how we can help Africa along the developmental path.

Riccardo Pelizzo

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Introduction In 2015, by a strange quirk of fate I realized that I did not know anything about Africa. In order to fill this gap, I decided to start my collaboration with African Politics and Policy, an online journal that at that time covered political and economic news, and provided an analysis of political events in Africa. I am strongly convinced that culture matters for good governance, and maybe that is why all that had occurred so far in my life seemed to be taking me in the direction towards a deeper engagement with culture. So, it was very natural for me at this time to suggest African Politics and Policy to expand its focus, and I became the person in charge of the culture section. Discovering Africa from this perspective turned into a true revelation for me. In the first months of 2016, I learned that: arts and culture is “a pillar of the new Mauritian economy,”1 and the country is planning to become a cultural capital of the world; Ethiopia created an institution to support and promote arts as it is “a beneficial stimulus to economic growth and development,”2 and within their policy of inclusion, held an exhibition of the artworks of disadvantaged people; that there is an open air gallery in Zimbabwe named Tengenenge Art Community; and Malawi organized the “Imagine Africa 500” project focused on futuristic short story writing3; the list goes on. There was increasing attention being paid by governments as well as by local people in Africa to the preservation

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Government of Mauritius (2016). “Mauritius Aspires to Become World Cultural Capital, Says Minister Baboo.” Press release, 8th January 2016. Accessed on 16th February 2018. Available at http://www.govmu.org/English/News/Pages/Ma uritius-aspires-to-become-World-Cultural-Capital,-says-Minister-Baboo-.aspx Yohannes Jemaneh (2016). “Ethiopia: Ministry Set to Create Platform for Artistic Works Recognition.” The Ethiopian Herald, 5th January. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. Accessed on 16th February 2018. Available at https://allafri ca.com/stories/201601051006.html “Q&A with ‘Imagine Africa 500’ authors Muthi Nhlema and Tiseke Chilima,” Africa In Words, 25th January 2016. Accessed on 16th February 2018. Available at https://africainwords.com/2016/01/25/qa-with-imagine-africa-500-authorsmuthi-nhlema-and-tiseke-chilima/

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and promotion of their cultural and environmental heritage, as well as their values and traditions. This made me realize that it was the right move for African Politics and Policy to share with its readers the various events that were happening on the continent: festivals, exhibitions, performances, tourist destinations, environmental initiatives, etc. In order to summarize the constellation of events and give the monthly or quarterly picture of cultural life in Africa, since January 2016 I have been producing the cultural newsletter. One day, preparing the overview of the latest events in Africa, I found the website of the Gunjur Village Museum, The Gambia, whose epigraph astonished me when it stated that it was: “Where the history of The Gambia comes to life…” The museum is an initiative of one man, a man for whom cultural and natural heritage of his own community matters, a man who decided to preserve the culture of this place with his own efforts. This encounter was to some extent transformative for me as it evoked my burning desire to learn more about these people and inspired me to launch a new African Politics and Policy column devoted to those for whom “culture is too important” to ignore. Each of my experiences not only enriched my personal interest in the cultural life of Africa, but also gradually shaped my research interests in how culture in general, and artists in particular, can contribute to social change in contemporary Africa. As was mentioned earlier, African Politics and Policy is an ardent advocate of the concept that culture matters, that culture is an important factor for development, social cohesion, political stability and economic growth. To our delight, African officials, governments and leaders have slowly but confidently been acknowledging culture as an essential factor in overcoming poverty. To this end, the governments with the support of the international organizations are taking serious steps in designing their cultural policies to reflect ways of preserving, promoting and creating anew this unique tangible and intangible heritage. However, it is even more encouraging to discover the bottomup activities designed by emerging African leaders themselves to preserve their communities’ natural and cultural wealth. My jour-

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ney across the continent in search of inspiring people and their projects ended up being a fascinating experience that not only enriched my understanding of African culture; it also created a platform where African voices can be heard, can be listened to and, hopefully, can be amplified to greater effect. In this volume, we offer fifteen interviews with emerging African leaders from The Gambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somaliland, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, South Africa, Ethiopia and Malawi. Each of the interviews is not only a wonderful personal reflection on the various issues relating to arts, education, health, and the environment; the interviews also serve as examples of personal courage and power in advocating a community’s interests and values, and of a profound personal awareness that “you have a role to play.” The book is divided in three parts. The first part is devoted to the issues of arts and culture development, and includes eight interviews that demonstrate efforts in: preserving traditional culture (Gunjur Village Museum); promoting political stability through socially engaged art initiatives (#AnaTaban); expressing the indigenous beauty in sound (Nkombo music), in word (Lagos Poetry Festival) and in stone (Mukaera Art Village); and empowering the younger generation by providing them a right to education and arts (Goma Cultural Center, Love the Kids Foundation, and Light of Youth Creative Organization). The following part with four interviews covers issues of African environmental heritage: its beauty, uniqueness and, at the same time, its vulnerability. The Environmental Concern Group tells about its efforts in preserving nature for the future, fighting coastal erosion, and sensitizing the local community on the issues relating to climate change. From the interview with a birdwatching guide in The Gambia, we learn about the spectacular experience of observing Grebe bird’s diving. Speaking with Somaliland’s first Tourist Agency, we hear about how we can admire stunning ancient rock arts in Laas-Geel. The words of Outraged South African Citizens Against Poaching, one of the largest anti-rhino poaching groups in South Africa, explain why we should be concerned about

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the extinction of wild rhinos in our lifetime, and what we can do to help prevent this from happening. The concluding part is focused on the activities of the international non-governmental organization Light for the World; in addition to helping people literally to see the world, they do an immense amount of work to change people’s attitudes toward disability on the continent, and they work tirelessly for inclusive education. In order to hear authentic voices of emerging African leaders, I decided to keep the interviews as original as possible, so the language, i.e. its syntactic and stylistic structure, was changed as little as possible. I am truly happy that the interviews in the end also became a platform from which we can hear emerging African leaders themselves express what Africa really needs, how the problems it faces could be overcome, and what is the future they want to live in and create. Taking this opportunity, African Politics and Policy team would like to express its gratitude to all the people who participated and facilitated the interviews. We give our sincere thanks to those who, in spite of limited resources, put all their efforts into making systemic changes to improve the lives of others; we also want to thank those who, with their ideas and enthusiasm, are creating an environment where arts, culture, nature, education and human diversity are cherished, preserved and thrive. It is with these examples that we can grow and support a new and passionate next generation.

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In Their Own Voices: Arts & Culture  

Gunjur Village Museum, The Gambia: Interview with Lamin M. Bojang The first interview, with which the APP column was inaugurated, was held on 19th March 2016 with Lamin M. Bojang, founder and director of the Gunjur Village Museum—the museum “where the history of The Gambia comes to life…” Lamin M. Bojang is one of the “founding fathers” of Gunjur village environmental protection. He is a man for whom cultural and natural heritage of his own community matters highly, a man who decided to preserve the culture of this place with his own efforts. In this interview, Lamin speaks about the features of the Gunjur Village Museum, its mission, the challenges he faced, and he shares with us his vision of the future growth and development of the museum. APP: Is what you are doing now just the result of events and circumstances, or have you always wanted to do something like this in your life? Lamin: I always wanted to do something like this because of the affection I have for my community’s development. Since my childhood, I have been working on a voluntary basis with the Marlborough Brandt Group 4 in implementing their development projects in Gunjur village. I also belong to the five “founding fathers” of our community’s environmental protection group—the Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group

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The Marlborough Brandt Group is a community-based charity that supports the partnership link between Marlborough, Wiltshire and Gunjur, The Gambia. https://www.mbg.org/

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(GEPADG). It has the financial support from the Global Environment Fund through the World Bank as an implementing agency on the Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity project (ICAM), where I work as a senior community warden. Before, I concentrated my efforts only on our natural history preservation, but later I realized that our culture and traditional preservation and development was neglected by the local people, that the community had no authentic traditional data, and did not have a center or a museum where the younger generations could learn our own history. That is why I decided to build a museum in Gunjur village—to preserve our community’s natural and cultural history. APP: How did you come up with the idea of setting up your museum? Lamin: As I mentioned earlier, when I saw that our natural culture and history preservation was neglected by the local people and was declining at an alarming rate, I realized that somebody needs to do something about it; as no one else was willing, I decided to take on the task to build a museum. APP: Could you name the distinctive characteristics of your museum? Lamin: This museum is unique in The Gambia. It is the only museum established in the natural environment. Some of the significant endangered species that we have — for example the African scops owl, the Northern white-faced scops owl, different butterfly species, snakes of various kinds, beetles, and traditional herbs, medicinal tree species — these can attract many visitors, including tourists, children and students. All of them can tell a story about our indigenous heritage. APP: What is the mission of the museum, in your view? Lamin: The main mission of the museum is to establish a traditional and natural history center for the preservation and conservation of The Gambia’s traditions and culture, especially that of Gunjur village, for the benefit of the coming generations, visitors, students, researchers and tourists, and any other interested people.

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APP: Do you get governmental support? Lamin: We do not get financial support from our government, embassies, or philanthropists. The only support we get is from the Footsteps Eco-Lodge Gambia 5 , Holland’s JIKI Foundation and Norwegian Ethical Travels. However, I do get technical support from our government: I was invited to several training workshops and symposiums for capacity building. Governmental officials always visit my museum; they give me advice and are willing to mount the collection of artifacts in the museum. .

APP: Do you think the museum can affect the life in Gunjur village, in Gambia? If so, how? Lamin: Yes, I do think the museum can affect the life of the community. It can provide job opportunities for the local people in Gunjur and its surrounding villages; it can provide market outlets for their local products including food, handicraft works, and artworks. It can provide a visiting place for the national and international tour operators. It can also act as a learning center for our natural and cultural heritage like medicinal plants, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals. The children can learn their own indigenous history at the museum, which will help to inculcate in them the love of their own heritage at the early stages of their life, and it will encourage them to love their biodiversity and natural history. APP: You said that you see your museum not only as the center of preservation, but also as a research center and a platform for training programs. What research projects and training workshops do you want to get started in your museum? Lamin: This museum can act as a research center for schools and universities doing medicine and sociology. The museum is built in our own indigenous natural environment and, thus, it has many medicinal plants; there is vast knowledge that we have learned which can be shared. The students doing sociology can take the museum as their entry point to be sensitized about social structures

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Gambia Holidays at Footsteps Eco-Lodge. http://footstepsinthegambia.com/

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and to conduct their research into culture and traditions. In the future, the museum will organize annual sensitization workshops, and invite specialists from different institutions on the related fields of natural and cultural history to teach the significance of our heritage. We also plan to hold training programs about local musical instruments, and have other activities such as nature walks, which will teach about medicinal plants and natural history. APP: What experiences can a visitor expect during a day at the museum? Lamin: This place is not just for pleasure, but also a learning center. It is a place to gain new knowledge on natural and cultural heritage. The methodology we implement is called a nature walk: we first take a walk with our visitors outside and explain to them our natural history before entering into the museum building. In the museum, they will see our traditional artifacts on display, which will be explained to them as well. In the future, visitors will also be able to visit our village museum, which will be built as soon as we raise the funding. The visit will show to the visitors the social structure of our ancestors. The museum will attract many visitors to the area, as it will be the only natural and cultural history center in The Gambia. APP: How are you going to enrich your collection of artifacts? Lamin: I use a changing method by relying on our local radio station to sensitize the local people about the significance of the museum and its purpose, to enlighten them about the importance of our artifacts and the heritage we have lost. I also rely on some elders, such as our village head and other important people in the community, as well as the chairman of the village development committee, to assist me in this effort. APP: Do you have any special stories related to your experience of getting your first cultural artefacts? Lamin: The beginning of the collection was not difficult for me to bring together. However, when the locals saw visitors from Footsteps Eco-Lodge visiting my collection of artifacts at my home, 20

where I kept them for security purposes before transferring them to the museum project site, they started thinking that I had been given lots of money, and so they started asking me for compensation. Some of them even declined to hand over the artifacts because they started asking for more money, thinking that I was rich. Other people did not want to hand over their artifacts because they saw them as sacred as they belonged to their ancestors, used only for traditional ceremonial purposes. So they believed that if they gave them away, it could bring them bad luck. That was one of the main difficulties I encountered. However, at the moment, I am working hard to sensitize them that this museum is for the benefit of the whole community and The Gambia at large. APP: In order to cultivate in the younger generation an appreciation of their parents’ and grandparents’ treasures, you mentioned the concept of sensitization. Could you please tell us more details of this approach? Lamin: When I have raised the proper funding, I would like to organize an annual sensitization conference and invite youth clubs, schools, institutions and professionals from different departments to enlighten the younger generation about the significance of our treasures. Seminars will be conducted at the museum and announced through the local radio station. These activities will involve the traditional communicators and village elders who have lots of wisdom to share. Youth will be called to this meeting and a local chat session will take place in the museum, whereby the elders will teach how they used to live in the past, and how to protect our community’s valuable treasures. APP: During recent months, culture has become a part of many national policies of development in Africa. Why, in your opinion, has Africa started paying increasing attention to its culture, roots and traditions? Lamin: Because there are no people without culture. If any country does away with its culture, and fails to preserve and invest in it, then you have no identity. Culture plays a key role in the dignity of people. It also helps to unite people, nations and continents.

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APP is very happy to announce that, in the course of our relationship with the Gunjur Village Museum, the Museum won the 30th Business Initiative Directions World Quality Commitment in the GOLD category, and successfully held an official inauguration ceremony on 27th October 2017.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://gunjurmuseum.com/ Facebook: @GunjurVillageMuseum Telephone: 00220 6436637 Address: Gunjur, Kombo South, The Gambia.

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Lagos International Poetry Festival, Nigeria: Interview with Efe Paul Azino Our second interview was organized on 12th July 2016 with Efe Paul Azino, the director of the Lagos International Poetry Festival, during his preparation to hold the second edition of the event. In this conversation, APP is discussing with Efe the things and people that inspired him on his way to realize the dream to hold the festival, the role of poetry in Nigeria and how the subjects of poetry change over time. APP: How did the idea to organize Lagos International Poetry Festival come to be? Efe: It stemmed from the need to do a workshop series. My colleague Titilope Sonuga and I felt that some kind of workshop series was necessary at the time, given the growing interest in poetry across the country and the attending skills gap. We expanded the initial idea to include a panel discussion and an evening of readings and performances. Somewhere along the line we decided to go the whole hog and create a pan-African and global space in West Africa for the celebration of this hugely important art form. APP: It is a very big responsibility to hold the first international poetry festival in West Africa. What are the main challenges you faced to make your idea come true, and what inspired you to overcome the obstacles? Who are the people who helped you to organize such an amazing event? Efe: The primary challenge was funding. We had a problem curtailing our ambitions. To fit what we had conceived within the limits of our personal pockets was not an option for us, so we did the opposite: we designed a logo, purchased a domain name and put the word out there, staking our entire credibility on a dream that, at the time, we could not afford by ourselves. We pitched the idea to the good people at Nigerian Breweries,6 a forward-thinking company that has been at the forefront of promoting the arts in Nigeria, and they agreed to support it.

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“Nigerian Breweries Plc.” http://nbplc.com/

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The enthusiasm that greeted the festival from the city’s artistic community was also a huge support. Freedom Park, the old colonial prison, was reconfigured into a thriving space of art and culture, and became a vital partner. The urgency of the idea was the major inspiration, as we had to push it through despite the logistical challenges of holding a festival in a volatile city like Lagos. APP: How is the Festival organized? What will be part of the program? What surprises do you have in store for the people come to the Festival? Efe: The festival kicks off with a two-day workshop/masterclass and an opening ceremony interspersed with performances about Lagos and welcoming guests to the city. In 2016, we’re curating, directed by the Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, 50 poems from 50 poets on the subject of Lagos. The life-sized printed poems will be unveiled during the opening ceremony and will be spread around the venue. The project is part of the city’s 50th anniversary celebration. Then there are panels and debates on issues ranging from poetry to migration to technology, and a poetry and music concert. This year we are preparing off-script events and placing the burden of surprise on the city, allowing it peel back layers of itself that will prove intriguing to visitors and those supposedly familiar with its vagaries. APP: What is the ambition of the Poetry Festival: to change the status of poetry, to change poetry itself, to trigger the artistic creative impulse, or something else? Efe: For us it’s about bringing poetry into engagement and conversation with society and with itself. This is an ongoing conversation carried on, of course, outside the realm of a poetry festival, but one which a festival highlights nonetheless. We also hope to create a space that challenges and encourages younger poets, pushes the boundaries of creativity and generates ongoing conversations.

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APP: How can you characterize the state of poetry in Nigeria? Is poetry becoming a vital part of Nigerian cultural life? Efe: Poetry has always been an intricate part of Nigerian culture, embedded in its artistic and cultural traditions, manifesting in theater, film and literature. Currently there’s a hazy reconfiguration of the traditional structures that support poetry. There are fewer publishing firms willing to publish collections of poetry due to the perceived decline in readership. But there is also a growing audience for performance poetry and a growing number of spoken word poets rising to meet the demand. This has had the dual effect of bringing poetry to a broader audience on the one hand, and lowering the bar of entry and encouraging a lot of bad poetry, on the other. Then of course, there are blogs and social media outlets absent of gatekeepers that provide an outlet for poems and poets. Generally this is good. It’s a good time for poetry. The really relevant poets always float to the surface. APP: Why, in your view, are the last two decades characterized by “poetry resurgence across the African continent”? Efe: It is largely due to the renewed interest in poetry brought on by spoken word poetry and the ubiquity of social media platforms. This makes it relatively easy to organize poetry-centered events, collaborate, and consume poetry from any part of the world. Thrown into this mix the cultural entrepreneurs, enabled somewhat by technology as well, create the spaces, prizes and platforms that allow the art form to flourish. APP: What are the main topics of the poems today? How did the issues change over the time? Efe: In Nigeria, there has been a slight shift from the postcolonial themes of the first and second generations. There is a lot being said today about trans-border movement and identity, about dislocations occasioned by political and economic upheavals, about cultural assimilation and othering. By and large, poets everywhere are

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still preoccupied, inexhaustibly, with exploring the human condition in all its complexity. APP: We know that you were one of the participants of the Spier “Dancing in Other Words” International Poetry Festival, held earlier this year in South Africa.7 Could you please share with us your impressions? Efe: The Spier International Poetry Festival had a slight tilt towards poets of a certain generation, and travelling the cape in the company of Keoropatse Kgogitsile, James Matthews, and Breyten Breytenbach, amongst others, was an immersion in wisdom, not to mention the fantastic conversations and debates. And the wine. Oh yes, the wine. The Spier Poetry Festival has something special going for it; it is an experience I won’t be forgetting in a hurry. APP: Could you please share with us one of your favorite poems? Could you suggest to our readers any poet whose work depicts the essence of African culture? Efe: Names whose works depict the essence of African culture? J.P. Clark’s Ozidi Saga readily comes to mind. Wole Soyinka. Niyi Osundare. Okot p’ Bitek’s Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol. Kofi Awoonor. For a favorite poem, I have recently been mulling over Audre Lorde’s A Litany For Survival from The Black Unicorn.8

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“Here they are: SA & international guest poets at 2016 Dancing In Other Words.” Spier Wines. 29th March 2016. Accessed on 20th March 2019. Available at https://www.spier.co.za/blog/here-they-are-sa-international-guest-poetsat-2016-dancing-in-other-words Lorde, A. (2000, reprint edition). The collected Poems by Audre Lorde. W. W. Norton & Company. The poem can be also found at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147275/a-litany-for-survival

We are happy to note that the Lagos Poetry Festival was not only a triumphant success during its first and second events, but also successfully organized its third Festival on 1st-5th November 2017 under the theme “Bridges From Wall.” The 2018 edition took place in Lagos from 31st October to 4th November under the theme “Wide Awake.”

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://lagospoetryfestival.com/ Facebook: @LagosInternationalPoetryFestival

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Mukaera Art Village, Zimbabwe: Interview with Pularz Prumender Bangura APP is delighted to present the interview with the sculptor from Mukaera Art Village, Guruve district, Zimbabwe, that was conducted on 20th September 2016. Pularz Prumender Bangura discusses with APP the features of Zimbabwean sculpting traditions, challenges the traditional culture faces, and shares his dreams and hopes. APP: Have you always wanted to be an artist? How did art become such an important part of your life? Did you plan for it or was it an accident? Pularz: I was born on 7th January 1983 and attended school for 11 years, from primary level to secondary. I joined the sculpture field in 1997 during school holidays, when I used to visit my late father Cordias Bangura in Tengenenge Art Gallery. That was where there were a number of sculptors busy making sculptures and selling them. I have never planned to be an artist, but it is part of our tradition in the society where I come from. We have no fields or any livestock kept there; we live from handcraft jobs only, for example: pottery, sawing, making bamboo baskets and garden chairs and making stone sculptures. My father Cordias Bangura was a sculptor, who then inspired me to this artwork.

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APP: What are the main features of the various sculpture traditions in Zimbabwe? Why is sculpture as an art form becoming increasingly more popular in Zimbabwe? Pularz: The main features of the various art sculpture traditions are the creative art forms of the human face and figure, birds, animals and abstracts. Sculpture as an art form is becoming increasingly more popular in Zimbabwe because it is distinguished: you can find it only in Zimbabwe because of peculiar raw stone materials we use. APP: Could you describe your process of creating an artwork? What inspires you? What are the peculiarities of your works? What is the main idea you put in your artworks? Pularz: When I look at a raw stone, I sometimes see a finished sculpture, then start working, focusing on the sculpture with all the effort needed to create it. Sometimes, I just start working on a stone without any idea what to make, then start communicating with the voiceless object telling me what it wants to be at the end. I just follow the instructions from this kind of voiceless command. Other times, I work with a photograph or picture that has been given to me, to transfer the image onto a piece of stone. I specialize in making human faces and figures, birds, animals and abstracts. APP: How long does it take you to create a sculpture? How has your approach to sculpture and art changed over the years? Pularz: The process depends on how big or small the piece is, and the texture of that particular raw stone which determines the working method. It took me 19 years, since my decision to become a sculptor in 1997, to achieve the results I have today. My artwork changes yearly in terms of improvement. APP: Do you have any favorite sculptors or artists? Pularz: Yes, I do have some favorite sculptors or artists, namely Success Kagore, Stycot Zvabata and more young ones within our

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society; in the earlier generation there was Henry Munyaradzi who was my favorite. APP: How do you think your artwork may evolve? Do you think that you may have to change style to find new ways to express yourself? Pularz: My artwork mostly has the themes of love, care, togetherness and our way of life. I do not change my style in artwork, though it might seem to be changed, but there is a hidden learning process in art, known only to sculptors. The more often you work and create, the more professional skills you maintain. I have to express myself with what indicates my presence during my absence. The only necessary change is to have more and different sites of exhibition places, and different audiences in order to have a variety of people to view and enjoy my artwork. My heart is beating with the hope to organize a solo exhibition in America someday. APP: What are the main challenges sculptors face? Pularz: The challenges we sculptors face is a shortage of customers and promoters, therefore, we face a shortfall of income. We need to buy raw stones from the miners and good reliable tools for working. Most of us are busy creating sculptures, but there is little profit. Every sculptor wishes to express him or herself overseas, but this is impossible without a promoter. APP: During the last few months, culture has become an integral part of many national policies of development in Africa. Why, in your opinion, should Africa start paying increased attention to its culture, roots and traditions? Pularz: Yes, indeed, during the last months, culture has become an integral part of many national policies of development in Africa. Africa has started paying more attention to its culture, roots and traditions not only for the benefits of local people, but also because it creates something special for the foreign tourists. Thus, culture becomes a source of earning a living. However, the artists are

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yearning to express themselves further. Those who can promote artists internationally are asking too much money. APP: What are the main challenges the traditional cultures face in Africa now? Pularz: Due to lack of jobs, people use resources as a source of income in illegal ways, which could spoil the whole nation. Zimbabwe has a Great Dyke Range of mountains that stretches across the country from north to south, containing different types of minerals including raw stone materials. We should use it legally and keep it safe for future generations. APP: What are the most positive and negative factors that affect culture in your country? Pularz: The culture and arts are very much dependent on the tourism sector. We earn a living, thanks to tourists who are buying our art and promoting us. But now there are fewer tourists, and this really affects the culture. Also, one of the negative factors is the existence of the people who are trying to change our culture to mimic Western culture, thus, destroying a piece of our history and culture. APP: Do you have your own art studio? Or, do you work in an art center? Pularz: I do not have a studio for my artwork, but I’m working at the Art Center called Mukaera Art Village in Guruve district. This is the community where I was born and where I grew up. The kids and families living here are in need of our help to upgrade their standard of living with art and culture. So, anybody who wishes to help would be very welcome to visit this community. APP: Do you attend any exhibitions? What exhibitions would you like to attend to promote your art? Pularz: I attended some exhibitions annually in Germany for six years, with the support of my friend Anette Voelmy at Skulpturen

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Galerie Sylt 9 . I really want to try to visit some other areas like America or anywhere else.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Facebook: @prumender Phone: +263775180086, +263717856705, +4915759258302

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“Die Skulpturengalerie Sylt.” https://sgsylt.de/

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Nkombo Music, Rwanda: Interview with Marchal Ujeku African Politics and Policy is happy to introduce Marchal Ujeku to the readers. On 28th August 2016, APP had a great opportunity to talk with Marchal about the traditional roots of Nkombo style music, the state of music in Rwanda, the challenges a new singer faces, and how to change the music ecosystem. APP: What you are doing now— singing in Nkombo style—is it just a lucky coming together of events and circumstances, or have you always wanted to do something like that in your life? How did your life get to be intertwined with arts and music? Marchal: I have always wanted to do this ever since I was a small kid still in elementary school. There is no such thing as a circumstance. My life is inseparable from music and arts because I take this as a calling. APP: How did the idea of Nkombo music come about? Marchal: By nature, I am traditional, influenced by my grandparents who used to sing the traditional music of our home area that is called Nkombo. Then, professionally I wanted to grow this as a career and bring with me the story and legacy of my native place. Nkombo is actually an island.

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APP: Could you please tell us more about the Nkombo people? And how did their traditional art, dance, and music affect your choices to develop your own style? Marchal: Nkombo people are a very culture-centered people, who depend on fishing or other aquatic businesses. Over 90 percent of the population depends on this kind of work. A small minority work in agriculture. For the past few years, the area has been prone to more modern developmental infrastructure. Generally, Nkombo people are hard-working and sympathetic in nature. Traditional art has affected me in the sense I grew up enjoying this lifestyle and it is in my veins and blood. I then took the initiative to elevate my culture and share it with the outside world. APP: How did the recent African cultural festival Umuganura 2016 help you to promote your music? Could you please share your impressions from the festival? Marchal: The recent cultural festival Umuganura was my debut on the professional level to launch my career to new heights. It was not the first stage for me, but it was among the most astounding places I have ever played since I started my Nkombo music style. The best feeling was to have a big audience of fans that already liked my music, and how I also came across new fans of my music. This is a feeling that every musician would like to have in any music career, of impressing and pleasing a wide audience. APP: What is the story you tell in your songs? Marchal: Normally I tell different stories in my songs depending on the inspiration I have or the message I want to deliver. Like in the song “Musisemisemi”10 which literally means “do not just talk or spread rumors.” The story reveals the importance and the value of women in our society. A woman who has grown up well both morally and culturally is always of value to society.

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Marchal Ujeku (2016, 1st June). Musisemisemi by Marchal Ujeku (Official Video) [Video File]. Accessed on 16th August 2016. Available at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=o36YQCARKMk

APP: How are modern and traditional tendencies combined in your music? Marchal: First of all, I have to come up with such a combination because the target audience of my music is both modern and a little bit old-school. But what happens is that though there is a mix of traditional and modern components, the main end goal is to preserve the originality of my culture. This has to be the focus, no matter how I can do it, and in whatever combination. APP: It is a very high responsibility to be a pioneer in promoting Nkombo music among an international audience, while singing in the language not common for everybody, even in Rwanda. What are the main challenges you faced to make your idea come true, and what inspires you to overcome these obstacles? Marchal: The main challenges while starting out were environmental. You can imagine this kid from deep down in the village trying to change the entire modern music ecosystem with no resources, no direct financial support, and no access to genuine music mentors. The language itself was also a challenge. I encountered various challenges that felt huge, but what is important is that music has no language, or I would say music itself is the language that we all can speak. This is part of the motivation. I was also inspired by the fact that here at home, we also like many songs even if we do not understand the meaning of the words. This always sounds in my head: if other people can do it, I can do it as well. With a language barrier challenge, I am learning different languages to make sure I can serve a variety of people. APP: How can you characterize the state of music in Rwanda? Is music becoming a vital part of Rwandan cultural life? Marchal: Music has been part of the Rwandan cultural life for centuries, but modern, popular music in Rwanda now is often not based on the culture of the nation itself. I would say the majority of today’s musicians are “copy-cats” of other music, mainly western

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music, and that makes me have a competitive advantage. The industry is not big; a visionary has to think beyond the Rwandan market to make the music successful. APP: Your video on “Musisemisemi” is fantastic! Could you please share with us the process of how you created the video, and about the people involved? Marchal: Indeed, the video is fantastic, and many people have told me they like it. The video came to be great because everyone in my home area, after listening to the music, fell in love with the song to the extent that lots of people on Nkombo island pledged to help. In the video, there are traditional people, mainly ladies from Nkombo who contributed a lot. You can see some kind of a portrait of the peasant’s traditional life. The whole video is based on the attempt to show the entire world that the Nkombo life and people are amazing. APP: During the last months, culture becomes a part of many national policies of development in Africa. Why, in your opinion, is Africa starting to pay increasing attention to its culture, roots and traditions? Marchal: I really appreciate initiatives aimed at enhancing the importance of culture. I see many countries realizing the potential of culture that can be a source of income to these nations and a source of country’s originality. Culture is also an identity of a particular group of people. However, some nations, in order to promote themselves, are copying others and replicating their models of success. APP: What are the main challenges that traditional cultures face in Africa now? What is the role of your music to preserve the traditions? Marchal: The challenges normally are about how the pop culture and the media industry are selling us other people’s culture. No wonder — they have the resources — but this is the main challenge. Other challenges are normal, but this media industry issue needs to be tackled. The role of my music is to preserve indigenous culture and to show people how we can come up with such cultural music 38

to keep up the momentum. The way to preserve tradition is to keep doing what I do. APP: Do you have anything else to add or to share with us we forgot to mention? Please feel free to speak your mind. Marchal: There is talent and potential in African music. For someone out there who believes in music, I urge him or her to invest in African music. We all are interdependent, and through collaboration we can reach the next level as musicians and promoters as well. Without a doubt, something has to be done to use the potentialities of the African music. Last but not least, I also thank you for the opportunity for this coverage.

It is very exciting to see that during 2017-2019 Marchal released several new songs, participated at several concerts of the national and international levels and set up a music-recording studio, Culture Empire.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: @CultureEmpire, @MarchalUjeku YouTube Channel ID: UCkLYN_Q4XSLGJD5vML3yxFg (Marchal Ujeku)

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#AnaTaban Movement, South Sudan: Interview with Manasseh Mathiang In the beginning of September 2016, in order to change the situation in South Sudan, a group of artists formed a collaboration, because they were, in their own words: tired of having a country with vast natural resources and yet a crashing economy, tired of having a starving population yet [having] a fertile land, tired of being used to kill [themselves] for the benefit of a few.

They launched the campaign #AnaTaban, or “I am tired.” The campaign was developed near the Lake Elementaita, Kenya, at a workshop facilitated by a Kenyan civil society organization called Pawa 254.11 Here a group of 20 South Sudanese creatives were invited by the facilitators to use their various artistic skills for social change. The group was comprised of musicians, actors, poets, fashion designers, graffiti artists and cartoonists. African Politics and Policy is happy to share with the readers this unique interview conducted on 20th October 2016 with Manasseh Mathiang, Campaign Leader, who tells us about the situation in South Sudan, and how #AnaTaban became a cultural platform that inspires people for social and political changes. APP: What emotions do you try to convey in your work? To what extent do you incorporate anxiety and unease in your work to address the horrific realities your country has been experiencing? Manasseh: We intend to inspire the youth of South Sudan to believe in their country, and to know their ideas count in the shaping of our country. We thus encourage citizenry and nationalism. The

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“PAWA 254 – Art Rising!” http://pawa254.org/

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citizens of South Sudan have endured a lot of pain and horror for a long time; we thus try to balance the use of horrific realities with the hope of a better tomorrow through our art. We let the people know that what we are going through now is not the end of the story. APP: Do you believe art can produce or instigate significant change in the world? What do you think it will take for South Sudan to reach peace, and how do you feel art can help make this a reality? Manasseh: We strongly believe that art is an essential tool to bring about positive change. The dissemination of positive information through art can easily influence individuals’ thinking. This has been evident in our work. We have encountered testimonies from different people who have been inspired, encouraged or challenged by our various artworks. For South Sudan to reach a lasting peace, we need to develop an inclusive dialogue process, which will allow the citizens to speak out on various issues that they find troubling. We have for so long developed a routine of burying wrongs instead of solving them, this has led to the various cases of conflict in different parts of the country. APP: Your activities within the #AnaTaban campaign get great support from the public. How successful are you in creating a dialogue with the decision makers and the politicians? Manasseh: The #Anataban’s primary objective is to be a platform for the youth to speak up on various subjects affecting the country. We thus engage the youth in various issues affecting the nation by getting their opinions, which we then share with the relevant authorities. We have divided our activities into seasons, where we get to cover a specific topic per season. This first season, which ends by the end of this month, focuses on the topic of reconciliation. So with this topic, we visit the politicians and decision makers supporting the positions of the youth of South Sudan.

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APP: What does the word “movement” and slogan “I am tired” mean to you and your artistic process? Manasseh: The statement “Ana taban” or “I am tired” is a general feeling that we, the citizens of South Sudan, are feeling that the war has basically snatched our joy away. We also see this statement as an action point to do something about it, by taking ownership of our country and knowing that we as youth have a great role to play in solving our own problems. The youth of South Sudan make up over 70 percent of the population. APP: Storytelling and narrative are at the heart of the street art you make. In your opinion, what are the most important components to make a thought-provoking visual narrative? Manasseh: To make a thought-provoking narrative you need, first, to understand the target audience and the local and national mood. You need to tell the story in a way that will both awaken the emotions of the target, as well as offer a direction to resolve the problem. APP: What do you ultimately hope will happen in South Sudan? What positive changes do you hope to bring in through your art movement? Manasseh: Peace is what we hope for; I am looking forward to enjoying living and building my country, hoping for a secure, prosperous South Sudan. We hope through our movement the people of South Sudan, including our leaders, will decide to change their attitudes towards seeking a lasting peace and freedom for all our people, as well as seeing each other as brothers and not as tribes. APP: How well or poorly do you feel the international community is handling the civil war in your home country? What do you want the international community to know about South Sudan, its people and culture that were lost since the civil war began? Manasseh: Since the inception of the conflict on December 15, 2013 up to now, the international community seems to show great intentions to end the war in South Sudan. They have invested millions of dollars in the Addis Ababa peace process, as well as millions of 43

dollars in humanitarian solutions. However, I feel that the international community did not make a lot of effort to really understand the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan. They impose foreign political solutions to solve our problems in the ARCISS agreement,12 which then led to a return of the conflict because both warring parties did not feel comfortable with the agreement. Secondly, the agreement has been broken many times, but the international community did not do enough to put pressure on the parties to follow the agreement or discuss ways of making it work. Finally, the youth of South Sudan, who make up over 70 percent of the population, participate widely in the conflict, and so they have a bigger role to play in developing a solution. The international community needs to invest in finding youth-targeted solutions. Reconciliation is key in achieving a long-term solution to bridging the divides between communities in South Sudan. APP: What are your feelings toward the current state of your country? And how are these feelings reflected in your activities? Manasseh: I am unhappy and ashamed of the destruction we have made in our own country, but I am still hopeful that we the people of South Sudan can rebuild our nation. In our activities, we try to portray all our feelings towards our situation as well as offer solutions and hope. APP: What projects and activities did you organize within your campaign? What is next for you? Manasseh: We engaged the communities on World Peace Day when we decided to go to busy streets, engaging in dialogue on reconciliation. We handed out white handkerchiefs branded with

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Intergovernmental Authority on Development (2015, 17th August). Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Accessed on 19th February 2018. Available at https://unmiss.unmissi ons.org/sites/default/files/final_proposed_compromise_agreement_for_sout h_sudan_conflict.pdf

reconciliatory messages. We have so far organized several community dialogues and roadshows where we covered reconciliation as our topic; these activities involved spoken word, drama, music and comedy as well as discussions on reconciliation. In each of these events, which happened around crowded neighborhoods around Juba, we had opportunities for questioning, which allowed the communities to contribute their ideas. We also passed our messages via street murals and graffiti all over the city of Juba with powerful messages. We are intending to hold more events in the universities around Juba, within the United Nations (UN) civilian protection sites, as well as in refugee camps and affected towns around the country by the end of the year APP: What is culture for you? To what extent should culture function as a mirror of reality? Manasseh: Culture to me is a way of life. Cultural practices should evolve with the current realities. For instance, the culture of cattle rustling has been practiced in South Sudan for centuries. It is still practiced to date, and thus creates a big divide between communities. South Sudan leaders should be serious in ending this practice. APP: Following the posts you share through your social media accounts, people want to know more about your movement. So, what is your role as an art movement to achieve peace and reconciliation of South Sudan? Manasseh: As an art-driven peace campaign we, first of all, seek to inspire the population and challenge their minds to be united for peace. We use our art to give hope to the helpless. We seek to be a platform for the youth and population at large to share ideas that will pave way to a long-lasting reconciliation in South Sudan. We are doing that through questionnaires, also available online, that enable the youth to share their thoughts on reconciliation.

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APP: Starting in September as a movement with very intense and diverse activities, how far do you succeed in engaging local community and raising public consciousness? What are your main achievements and disappointments for the moment? Manasseh: We have managed to have our activities in the most populated and affected areas in the city, in doing so we get the opportunity to engage the population. We use our questionnaire as a starting point for the conversations, which helps us revolve our conversations around the issue of reconciliation. On several occasions, members of the community, inspired by our street arts, have volunteered to help the painters in their work and that helps us with public engagement.

The team of APP sincerely hopes that the efforts of #AnaTaban movement will bring to South Sudan long-awaited peace and social reconciliation. We strongly hope that culture and art, the cornerstone of the campaign, will help to achieve mutual understanding, and will inspire people to bring positive changes to the country where they live. During 2017, #AnaTaban among other activities participated at the 5th edition of Zinduka Festival in Uganda. They also released several songs (Malesh, Soutna), and organized the Poetry Slam inter-schools debates in Juba. They continued their art exhibitions, and launched a new campaign dubbed #Bloodshedfree2017. The annual Hagana Festival attracted more than 13,000 people in 2018.

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Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: @AnaTaban Twitter: @AnaTabanSS YouTube Channel ID: UCGu6Rgt2WbiixoOoZu8wjEw (Anataban South Sudan)

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Foyer Culturel de Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo: Interview with Belamy Paluku13 African Politics and Policy is delighted to introduce to the readers Belamy Paluku, musician and volunteer manager at the Foyer Culturel de Goma (Goma Cultural Center), Congo-Kinshasa. In the interview dated 5th December 2016, Belamy tells us about the role of the cultural center in promoting and training young artists through the art dialogue, the state of art and culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his challenges and sources of inspiration. APP: Dear Belamy, could you please introduce yourself? Why do you volunteer at the Goma Cultural Center? Belamy: I am Belamy Paluku, a musician from the city of Goma. During the last five years, I have been a vocal trainer at the Foyer Culturel de Goma, or Maison des Jeunes, where for three years I have also been the director. I was originally interested in volunteering at the Goma Cultural Center because I believe in the power of culture to bring peace and development, and volunteering is a great opportunity for anyone to contribute to it.

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The interview is also available in French at http://www.africanpoliticsandpolicy.com/?p=4603

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APP: Where did the idea come from to organize the Goma Cultural Center? Do you get any governmental or international support? Belamy: The idea of creating the Cultural Centre in Goma came from a meeting between artists from Goma with Belgian educational artists visiting the region. After a show mounted together, we became aware of the need to have a framework for meeting, exchanging, training and promoting artists. The project is part of the bilateral cooperation between the DRC and Belgium. Thus, with the agreement of the government, the charges are covered by the Belgian association En Avant Les Enfants, financed by WalloniaBrussels International. APP: What projects or activities are organized by your center? How far do you succeed in engaging the local community? What are your main achievements and disappointments for the moment? What is next for you? Belamy: The main projects of the Foyer Culturel de Goma are the training of young people in the arts, the promotion of artists and their works, the supervision of children in extracurricular activities, and the introduction of scientific culture for the benefit of youth. The activities organized are: 

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Weekly lessons for six months in singing, guitar, piano, percussion, dance and theater with an average of 300 candidates each year. Organization of seven to eight shows with learners each year, open to the public with an average of 400 spectators. As part of the promotion of artists, every Saturday afternoon we hold Sanaa Weekend, a concert with a dozen groups of musicians, dancers and actors in front of an average audience 4,000 people with free access. Organization of recreational, sports, competitive, scientific and cultural activities with children. Each week 260 children take part. We set up a library and a reading room for the benefit of young people to facilitate scientific development. Fifty young people access it each week.

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Twice a week we organize Go-Dansport, a mix of fitness and dance activities. The session is run by young dancers of the city and hosts 30 people a week. Djembe Freestyle brings together 15 to 20 rappers a week. It is a freestyle session with the artists of the city for exchanges on themes based on the social realities of the region. Organization of an international music festival called the Amani Festival, which means peace. This three-day festival brings together 33 local, regional and international artists, 33,000 festival-visitors, local and international press, 60 NGOs and local associations, 600 volunteers from the city itself and beyond. There is also a mini-marathon and a competition for young entrepreneurs.

The community was able to take ownership of the Foyer Culturel de Goma. This is shown by the fact that the center is run by young volunteers from the city, each one in their respective areas of expertise, so they understand the real needs of the people. The activities are also open to as many people as possible, and we organize activities of exchange and evaluation with the public to move forward together in a collective vision of cultural development. Our main successes are:   

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The supervision of 150 young people in the arts training until gradually making a career. Support of more than 200 artists in the promotion of their professional careers. Loyalty of an audience of 4,000 people discovering artists and their works, and gaining new learning and exposure to ideas and messages at the Sanaa Weekend. Improving the image and reputation of the region across the country and around the world, by presenting a vibrant culture beyond war and natural disasters.

Our disappointments are: 

Lack of cultural policies at the national level. 51

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Lack of resources necessary for the development of activities in the long term. Difficulty in selling artists and their works at their true value. Political and security instability, which jeopardizes the activities from time to time.

APP: What is the idea behind the organizing of the Sanaa Weekend? What are the features of this event’s program? Belamy: The idea behind Sanaa Weekend is to bring together culture-lovers on a regular basis to promote artists and provide healthy entertainment for children, youth and adults. Ten groups of artists, including singers, dancers and comedians, get together every Saturday. The artists perform on stage between 3 pm and 6 pm. Each one thus gets at least 10-15 minutes of performance time. To be part of the program, artists come to the office at the beginning of the week and request a space. For those where it is their first time, auditions are held. Once confirmed, we organize with them two rehearsal sessions with a team of musicians who have volunteered for this program. Thus, artists have the opportunity to perform with a complete team of musicians, a good presenter, good material, a suitable sound system, and — importantly — in front of the public. This event is free for the audience, and the speakers are all volunteers. APP: The motto of the center is “we live and learn the art through dialogue, joy and peace.” How successful is the dialogue between the center and the community? Belamy: There is a dialogue between those who learn throughout the course. There is a dialogue between the learners and their trainers, and there is a dialogue through the exchange of ideas between the artists and the organizers of activities. Sometimes, through social networks and radio and TV broadcasts, there are wider exchanges with the public. We had a great success in the dialogue we

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saw during the first Amani Festival, which was organized in a period of strong tensions between the ethnic groups of the region, and between the countries of the Great Lakes region. A strong xenophobia was noticeable until the time of celebration with artists from different ethnic groups and regions. However, immediately afterwards, as if by a miracle, there was an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and appreciation throughout the city. APP: You mentioned, “because of the history of colonization and independence in DRC, we feel a sort of dependence on outsiders.” How does the center help to overcome this dependence? What are the new values you want to teach young Congolese? Belamy: The great struggle is to get young people to be masters of their destiny: making the first steps in change themselves, not waiting for others. There is also a spirit of entrepreneurship we would like to share, in order to produce and manage resources rationally, contrary to the spirit of mendacity and dependence that has been dominant for a long time. We also strive to create a sense of general interest of building together. APP: As was noted in Deutsche Welle, “activism is a very dangerous business in DRC.”14 What are the main challenges you face in your volunteering work, and what inspires you to overcome the obstacles? Who are the people who help you to mentor young artists? Belamy: Activism is at the forefront. But for everybody it is his or her own mission. For us, the priority is to get people to accept their strengths and weaknesses and to build society together. Among the challenges we have is working with activist artists, who sometimes get a negative reaction from the authorities. In that case, we play the role of mediators, inviting them to organize common activities, and emphasizing the sense of dialogue and not of attack.

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Kait Bolongaro (2016). “DR Congo: performing for change,” Deutsche Welle, 29th November. Accessed on 30th March 2019. Available at https://www.dw.com/ en/dr-congo-performing-for-change/a-36549981

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Young artists are supervised by a group of artists who have been trained in Belgium for five years. Every year, three to four out of the team of ten trainers go to Belgium for a three-month training. APP: Congo-Kinshasa is famous for its talented musicians and artists. Could you please tell us about the state of art and culture now in DRC? Belamy: Our country has a very rich culture and is full of talent. We note, however, a lack of cultural development in the country, both internally and internationally. Despite being an inspiration to many African countries, the DRC is incapable of keeping its place in the great race that is currently taking place on the African musical scene. I can say that this is due to the absence of a cultural policy, the paucity of competent authorities and state services, the dysfunction of music industry and the lack of formalization of the rights of artists on the one hand. On the other hand, one suffers from a kind of isolation. There is little circulation of Congolese artists around the world, and we receive fewer artists from the outside coming to perform. There are the problems of the abuse of copyright, a lack of investment and promotion in the field, and a lack of adequate infrastructure. At the same time, there are initiatives in the private sector, which, hopefully, will help to revive things, especially if we consider what could develop in the provinces beyond what is found in Kinshasa, the capital. APP: Do you believe art can produce or instigate significant change in the world? What do you think it will take for Congo to cease the conflict and violence, and how do you feel art can help make this a reality? Belamy: I’m sure we can make a difference with art. The world today needs hope, and sharing art is one of the best ways to achieve it. Art has the strength to gather, educate, influence, naturalize, touch the hardest hearts and give another color to the differences. The world needs it and can use it. To put an end to the violence, in my opinion, it is necessary to become aware of each person’s responsibilities regardless of his 54

or her rank. I say this because it is difficult to understand the mystery of the violence that continues to exist in the Congo. But without closing their eyes, the Congolese have a share of responsibility at all levels. There are too many betrayals and too much corruption, which makes one focus on the misery. In my humble opinion, developing entrepreneurship would be a good option. We all need employment and a means to earn a living. If everyone knew how to find or create a job, we could reduce more of the early violence. Art can bring a lot to this policy because it has an industry, which engages a great diversity of fields that unite around a common objective. For example, a festival that integrates financiers, administrators, artists, technicians, dressmakers, make-up artists, security agents, architects, managers, communication services, merchants, decorators, not to mention the services of hotels and bringing in tourists. In short, we can solve many problems with art. APP: What do you want the international community to know about DRC, its people and culture that gets lost throughout the continuous political tension? Belamy: I would like the international community to know that the people of the DRC are far from being a resigned people. As proof, we have all the cultural richness that shines from the inside, shown in these kinds of activities organized from every corner. These people just need more support for the positive work that is already being done. People should consider different sectors to support beyond just the political sector, even as we seek solutions in terms of dealing with the negative situation at the political and security levels.

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In the course of 2017, Foyer Culturel de Goma organized several Sanaa Weekend shows, dance, music and theatre performances, photo exhibitions, a forum for artists on democracy and civic education, conducted artistic trainings, and then proceeded to organize the 2018 Amani Festival (9-11 February). In 2018, Belamy Paluku moved from the Foyer Culturel de Goma and started his career as a director at the musical production company Belazik. Benoit Kikwaya is a new director of the Foyer Culturel de Goma.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Website: http://www.foyercultureldegoma.com/ Facebook: @FoyerCultureldeGoma YouTube Channel ID: UCQFGCeqSgk9MQWLW5I5mc8g (Foyer Culturel de Goma)

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Love the Kids Foundation, Rwanda: Interview with Jean Claude Muhire APP is proud to have the opportunity to publish an interview with Jean Claude Muhire, Rwandan Leader of the Year 2016 and the founder of Love the Kids Foundation (LKF), where we discussed his movie called Liza, the difficulties abandoned children face in the country, and how LKF helps in the rehabilitation processes. The interview was held on 4th June 2017. APP: Could you please introduce yourself and the organization you work with? Jean Claude: I am a Rwandan social enabler and I have a strong passion for children’s education, peace-building and advocacy. I am an awarded young leader best known for story-writing, filmmaking, peer education, and humanitarian assistance. I am a published author. I lead a team of young committed people serving at Love the Kids Foundation, a growing charity working for the improvement for the lives of the vulnerable, poor, marginalized, deserted, and abandoned children in the community. APP: One of your first steps to show the difficulties that abandoned children face was to make the movie Liza, with you serving as both the producer and scriptwriter. How was the movie received? And what effect did it have on society? Jean Claude: The movie served as a reminder to the world the reality that we are living today, and what could be done to reduce the stigma and violence that are happening in many communities. Abandonment and orphanhood are very tough issues that many young women and girls struggle with. Liza shares the story of a 57

young girl who was taken from an orphanage and raped by her uncle at home. This is shameful and meaningful. I wrote the script of Liza to spread a message to fight against sexual violence. I produced Liza to showcase the situation of some children who don’t have the luck to remain with their biological parents. My movie was quite motivational to many societies, and its effect has been marked by the positive and supportive feedback from various individuals, companies, and agencies and other groups, both private and governmental, that really appreciated Liza’s content. In addition, on social media there were a lot of comments on the positive impact that the community gained from the film. APP: How did the idea come about to set up Love the Kids Foundation (LKF)? Do you get any governmental/international support? Jean Claude: I was working at Kimisagara Orphanage as a devoted volunteer. I had spent a lot of time at that center, created in 1997 to support children who experienced the effects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. I was there assisting the founder to care for orphans, street children, and poor children. This was not an easy task. For every day that I met children in need, I had to learn more about their stories, as well as about the daily life of young people who did not have family support. All of this instilled in me a strong sense of volunteerism and humanitarianism. Afterwards, there was a law to close all orphanages for children’s reintegration in local families. All the children of Kimisagara were sent into foster care and later I lost touch with the founder. A few months later, because of my experience, I had the idea to run an NGO to continue to support children in need. I shared the idea with some of my friends and they were happy to help me. Then we all pledged to create Love the Kids Foundation (LKF). Then we passed through many steps and we established it properly. Currently, we work with local authorities from different levels, receiving their collaboration and guidance.

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APP: What projects or activities does LKF organize? How far do you succeed in supporting children in need? What are your main achievements and disappointments? What is next for you? Jean Claude: Love the Kids Foundation organizes activities on children’s education for development, as well as on women’s empowerment. LKF supports children, along with their parents and guardians, to help them to leave poor living conditions and improve their standard of living. By supporting children in need through educating them and empowering their families, we see ourselves succeed in helping them to access and enjoy their children’s rights, specifically the right to education, the right to a safe family, and the right to socio-cultural and economic development. We have some interesting achievements such as: rehabilitation and support of children we took from the streets; sending some children to school and covering the cost of their education; forming a peer group of the children’s parents and guardians; organizing various events for children; and so on. Our biggest challenge for the moment is the limited capacity for raising funds for the benefit of our beneficiaries. The next steps for us are to continue work on our planned activities, and to try to look for more partnerships and sponsorships. APP: Which dreams of the children LKF works with have already been realized? What was one of the most touching or remarkable experiences that you had during your work in the organization? Jean Claude: Access to quality education was a basic need, and now it is provided for many of the children we support. Typical examples of children we have touched are the changes for the sponsored children we managed to take off the streets. In addition, the formation of peer groups for parents and guardians of the children was a good step. These groups help them come together for discussions, creating relationships amongst themselves, making friendships and working in partnership with the staff and volunteer team members or supporters of LKF. All of this work has helped me personally to have a better understanding of the causes of abandonment, poverty and social inequality. 59

APP: How does the channel between the organization and the children work? Does a child come with a request, or does LKF do a special investigation? Jean Claude: We have a weekly schedule for visiting and meeting all supported children and their parents and guardians. Love the Kids Foundation has long experience selecting children to support, and this requires specific criteria. Then the next step is to work collaboratively with the selected children and their parents and guardians. We do not make special investigations. APP: You have many interesting programs for children, how does the foundation attract financial support? Do you get help from the government, various organizations or individual people? Jean Claude: Access to financial support is a challenging issue for many growing not-for-profit organizations like ours. LKF is a voluntary organization, now trying to increase its capacity by raising more funds to assist our beneficiaries. To achieve this, LKF staff team members and volunteers use their skills to design small and low-budget projects to attract donors or partners who can support us in the near future. LKF receives support from people with skills and commitment, from the authorities governing local municipalities and from a few partner organizations. APP: Do you have any special programs to tackle the psychological problems of children who have experienced or continue to experience hardships? Jean Claude: Yes. We provide medical and emotional support, and we have a special team of medical students that volunteer to support children who have psychological problems. We also have a project called Rehabilitate and Support Children in Need. This is where we pay visits to children scattered across the streets, listen to their life stories, rehabilitate them and pledge to support them. Sometimes we meet street children living with mental illnesses and we support them.

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APP: As the Founder of LKF, what are the policies implemented by the Rwandan government toward vulnerable children that you think are the right policies, and which ones do you think are not the right policies? Jean Claude: The government of Rwanda initiated so many programs dedicated to promoting the well-being of all children and surely, there are strategies, which have been planned for further implementation. For example, there is an ongoing program called Tubarere mu Miryango, which is designed to encourage all citizens to raise children in local families. I think that this program has been planned because the policy is to assist children to find safe families to care for them. I am not against any government policy. I only see myself as a decision-maker behind the works of Love the Kids Foundation, now working to support a limited and identified number of children from various families who really need extra help for them to live safe and healthy lives. APP: What message would your organization like to spread across Rwanda? What positive changes do you hope to bring in through your organization? Jean Claude: Love the Kids Foundation would like to promote a message of volunteering and advocating for social positive change. For me, positive change is all about an improvement in people’s lives for good. Therefore, as Love the Kids Foundation, we hope to transform lives by providing humanitarian assistance to Rwandan children and adults in need. APP: What is the greatest lesson you have learned so far as an activist? Jean Claude: I learned not to be selfish. As an activist, I learned that sharing my skills helps to promote positive change. I have seen in myself some potential, which I hope, can be helpful to others. I moved from volunteerism to storytelling and filmmaking. I founded a charity organization. I received significant awards and honors, but I started with nothing but motivation and inspiration. I learned to be creative and work for the social good.

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APP: How can our readers get involved in the various programs you offer? And how can we (African Politics and Policy) be helpful to you? Jean Claude: Your readers can be in touch with us, and we can share communications, further information and guidance. I have hopes that APP readers who become interested in our programs will contact us. The support from APP would be to assist Love the Kids Foundation on its journey. Spreading the word on social media platforms could be a wonderful way to promote our work. APP: Do you have anything else to add or to share with us? Please feel free to speak your mind. Jean Claude: I would like to thank African Politics and Policy for this great opportunity for me to talk about myself and my work. Also, I would like to encourage other youth leaders who are struggling to realize their dreams. The late Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” I agree with this quote. Nobody has the right to stop your dreams, and no one will plan for your life to progress. Think big and plan well for a better future. Live to achieve.

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We are happy to note that in December 2017 Jean Claude Muhire participated in the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders conference in Morocco, where he gave a talk on the importance of education for African sustainable development. He also organized a training seminar “Empowering the next generation of young Rwandan innovators with business skills,” for the members and beneficiaries of Impanuro Girls Initiative. He was selected as one of the delegates at the Global Youth Connect Forum 2017. In March 2019, Jean Claude was one of the speakers at the TEDxNyarugenge conference “Imagine the Future.”

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lovethekidsfoundation.org/ Facebook: @LKidsFoundation, @muhire.jeanclaude Twitter: @jcmuhire1

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Light of the Youth Creative Organization, Malawi: Interview with James W.A. Kitchen African Politics and Policy is delighted to present to its readers the interview organized with James W.A. Kitchen, Executive Director of Light of Youth Creative Organization (LYCO). LYCO is a Lilongwe-based youth theatre institution that currently is running a National Schools and Youth Arts Festival (NASFEST). In this interview, held on 14th November 2017, we talk about the role of culture and arts in the creative and artistic transformation of the youth, discuss the transformation of the theatre itself from a classic style western concept to one with a contemporary understanding of theatre-for-development, and how theatre can be used as “a weapon of mass destruction for change in all angles.” We also discuss the various challenges for a Malawian artist caused by the lack of the cultural policy in the country. APP: Dear James, let us start with the art project you are currently organizing—a National Schools and Youth Arts Festival (NASFEST). Could you please tell more about this art competition and how did it begin? James: National Schools Youth Arts Festival is an initiative which is being implemented by LYCO. The main purpose is to lay a great platform for youth arts practitioners. NASFEST is an annual high school theatre competition on a basis of a festival. It was first launched on 4th May 2009. Despite drama dominating the whole festival, LYCO introduced poetry, music, cultural and contemporary dance, visual arts and short story writing as part of NASFEST activities. This was in order to strengthen and uphold the national cultural identity through all the arts in an inter-disciplinary way, as a program by the youth and for the youth. APP: Why was it necessary to launch Light of Youth Creative Organization (LYCO) in 2009? What were your first steps and who supported you? James: LYCO was established in order to transform and educate youth through arts and culture, thereby realizing the talents of the students and youth as the way of disseminating information and 65

promoting them and energizing their future careers. From the beginning, LYCO introduced the Youth Arts Festival as key to open and drive forward its main objectives. Since its inception in 2009, LYCO has initiated a number of activities and created a platform for young people to nurture and showcase their talents, and indeed to keep alive their dreams and ambitions. All events were selffunded from membership contributions and, later, partners started to assist us. APP: “You Have a Role to Play”: We think that this is a great slogan for your activities and for the people you want to get involved. According to the vision of the organization, LYCO is playing an important role in developing youth to be educated, creative, empowered and working towards preserving their cultural heritage now and into the future. What specifically do you do to transform and educate youth? What is the role of art and culture in this transformation? James: Every year LYCO organizes a number of cultural and arts trainings throughout the country, so that youth are well informed and transformed. The role of art and culture in this transformation is that it changes the mindset of youth and community in a positive way. APP: Thinking about the range of stories, ideas, and cultural practices that theatre performs, what is the meaning of theatre for you? What do you prioritize in your definition? James: Theatre is a key to gradually transform society in a strong and effective way. Using it is like having a weapon of mass destruction for change in all angles. APP: What are the plays that the LYCO Arts Theatre platform offers to audiences? How do you choose which plays to put on stage? What are the plays you want to perform in the future? James: LYCO Arts Theatre usually uses contemporary theatre productions and the form of theatre for development (TfD). The plays are selected based on the information or messages we want to disseminate to the target audience. Most of the plays are contemporary. 66

APP: What are the challenges for a theatre involved in engaging audiences in the debates about different social issues? For example, your recent engagement looking at the issues of HIV and early pregnancy? James: The main challenge arose from how theatre was introduced to Malawi. At first in the early 1970s, theatre was introduced to Malawi in a classical style from western countries. That style was so difficult to use for theatre for development (TfD). As the contemporary theatre was developed in the late 1990s, this helped a lot, up until 2010. Despite the use of contemporary theatre style in disseminating information, there were challenges in terms of communication. The literature and people working on issues of HIV and early marriage were using technical language, which can prove difficult for communicating with local communities. APP: Nowadays many theatres are producing works that emphasize the socio-political issues, and this is very good. At the same time, we wonder whether this kind of art has an impact on what is going on in the country? And, if yes, how do you think the plays you put on stage affect society? James: Professional theatre productions have long been in the forefront of producing political plays, in the interest of political movements. But when such plays are being staged by youth from our platform, they can be more powerful in emphasizing the socio-political realities, but they are less interested in attacks. The society quickly responds to such messages delivered from these kinds of political plays. APP: Your organization is focused on promoting reading culture, stage acting, music visual arts, and traditional dances among Malawian youth. What is the current state of Malawian culture? What are the challenges and opportunities for being an artist in Malawi? James: Currently Malawian culture is being affected by globalization, which can remove aspects of tradition and impose elements of western culture. Being a multicultural society with more than 15 tribes and thousands of clans, Malawi has always been a country which speedily adapts to other cultures. 67

Many artists in Malawi earn only a part-time living as an artist, just because arts and cultural policies have not been implemented by the government. With the current economy, it is very difficult to work and earn as a full-time artist. APP: Do you have anything else to add or to share with us that we forgot to mention? Please feel free to speak your mind. James: LYCO has its vision of creating a youth intercultural exchange platform for the benefit of exposing and connecting youth across the world. The challenge with the arts sector, especially in Malawi, is that government doesn’t invest in it. Little is being done by the government to promote or support arts and culture. Malawi and Africa as a whole have great and vibrant cultures. Not all cultural practices are negative or bad. It is the same as western culture. And our culture needs to be respected.

At the time of writing, LYCO was preparing for the NASFEST 2018, which took place on 2nd–4th February 2018 under the theme “Youth in Action to Eliminate Harmful Cultural Practices.” Some 5,000 youth (15 to 35 years old) and at least 2,000 older people (aged between 35 to 45 years) were involved. We also want to direct your attention to the fact that LYCO is now planning to create a Youth Arts Resource and Conference Center, which will have a library, internet café, hostels, classrooms, cafeteria and auditorium. In order to complete these two projects LYCO needs financial help and book donations.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Phone: +265 881 083 871 Facebook: @nasfest.lyco

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In Their Own Voices: Natural Heritage

Birdwatching in Africa, The Gambia: Interview with Lamin M. Bojang Once again we would like to introduce Lamin Bojang who this time shares with us his love and passion for birdwatching. In this interview conducted on 17th September 2016 we talk about various birds abundant in The Gambia, and the country’s natural beauty and features. Lamin also gives some advice on what you need to do to best enjoy any birdwatching experience. APP: When and how did you learn to differentiate the birds? How did your passion with birding start? And what has kept you interested? Lamin: I started to have the love for nature in my childhood. When I was going to secondary school, I always chose to study biology because of the enthusiasm and passion I have for biology and ecology. After finishing my secondary school examinations, I was unable to continue my education in biology and ecology due to financial constraints because of my poor family background. I applied for a job at an insurance company, Gamstar Insurance Co., in the capital city Banjul, where I worked as a messenger for ten years. At the same time as I was working at the Insurance company, I worked with colleagues at the community level to organize what we later established as an NGO called Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group (GEPADG). Being one of the five founding members, I worked for the development of this organization on a voluntary basis for ten years. Then we received funding from the Global Environment Fund (GEF), through the World Bank as im-

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plementing agency for their fund on a project called Integrated Costal and Marine Biodiversity Management (ICAM). At the national level, the implementing agency was the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management (DPWM), and at the community level— GEPADG. Because of the love and passion I have for nature, after we received donor support from GEF through World Bank I quit the insurance job to join GEPADG at the community level to start the implementation of the project activities. On this project I worked as a senior community park warden, responsible for the ranger’s patrol, monitoring, evaluating, collecting data, writing reports, handling information, and managing protected areas. I also monitored various species such as the marine turtle and birds at our community protected area—Bolong Fenyo community wild life reserve, a lagoon. It was the place where I learned to differentiate species of birds, dolphins, butterflies, reptiles, mammals and other species. I also learned about trees and their traditional and medicinal values. Every day I see and realize my special interest in animals, especially birds, which are very enjoyable and entertaining. After we realized that we would be unable to sustain the project activity at the community level due to poor leadership, I decided to leave the organization to stand by myself. I started a business for the love I have for nature, because I cannot compromise that for anything. I contacted Footstep Eco-Lodge The Gambia where I am now working as a bird and nature guide. This is where I am establishing my own natural and cultural history museum, which I started in 2008 hoping to be open in 2016.15 APP: What is the innate appeal of the birds? Do you think that birding is just a pastime or entertainment, or is there something more to birding? Lamin: Birding is not just about going into the wild looking for birds. Some of the local people in the community also ask: “Lamin, why do you go with the tourists in the nature looking for birds?” I

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The museum was officially opened on 27th October 2017.

explain to them the reason why I do it. Birding is about enjoyment, entertainment, and learning. It is a spiritual experience that I have not found in anything except birding. If you hear the different calls of the hornbills, or the mating display of red bishops, or if you see the courtship dance of the cranes and partridges, you might think that you are in an entertainment hall. Talking about the different plumages of birds, they look so colorful in the sun. It is amazing to see how they make up their feathers during the mating season, how they call to one another when danger comes, how they love and care for one another, how they travel from continent to continent without a map, how they make their nest, how the weavers construct their nest, and so on. You wouldn’t believe how these creatures do what they do. Owls fly in the night seeing and hearing their prey; bats fly in the night using echolocation. It is incredible what these animals can do. They do things that are quite beyond what humans can do. There are lots of interesting things that one can discuss about birds that I cannot possibly go into all the detail here. One example is looking at their breeding system, from egg to juvenile and adult. One interesting fact is how a cuckoo bird lays their eggs to other birds’ nest as a parasite bird. You can learn many interesting things about birds and the anatomy of birds. They are built with hollow bones and with different feather formations and bill formation for their various tasks. Even their talons are shaped to suit the different flying and hunting skills for different species. APP: What is more enjoyable for you—birding by ear or birding by sight? Lamin: I enjoy birding by sight but also by listening to their melodies. As a trained professional I can recognize birds by both hearing and by sight. I love bird songs so much, and I always love to see them with my own eyes. APP: Do you have a special interest in any particular species, or are you more interested in the whole system? What is your favorite bird, and why? Lamin: I love all the birds, but my special bird is little Grebe. What makes it so special to me is its behavior of diving in and out of water 73

and how it’s built. I can spend the whole day at a wetland admiring the bird’s activity. It is such a lovely bird. APP: What is your most memorable birdwatching experience? Lamin: My most memorable birding experience was the first day when I guided tourists from Footstep Eco-Lodge to Bejoil island at Tanji bird reserve, a governmental bird reserve in the sea. This is a fantastic island and it is a birdwatching heaven. It attracts many waders such as gulls, garnets and relatives, terns, oystercatchers, plovers, pelicans, dunlins, turnstones, cormorants, shearwaters and many more birds. They fly over your head and pretend to bite, while making different melodies. The boat trip to the island provided by the government was lovely and enjoyable; I will never forget about that day. APP: What was your impetus in developing birdwatching tourism in The Gambia? Lamin: I try to promote birding in The Gambia through my Facebook page, sharing the posts of The Gambia Government Tourism Board. Also, I set up my natural history museum, with a bird hide for the tourists, and I train youth from our community on birding. I am also a professional bird guide. APP: Could you please tell us about The Gambia’s birds? Why is The Gambia such a special spot for bird-watchers? Lamin: Birding in The Gambia is unique. The birds in The Gambia are not shy, because we do not eat bird meat; therefore birds are not scared of people like birds in other countries in Africa. You can be very close to them and see them clearly with your own eyes. Any photographer can get close to them to take amazing photos. There are many fantastic places in the country with eco camps, river camps and Eco-Lodges nearby where you can have delicious indigenous Gambian food like domoda, or chicken yasa (which is nicer than English Nandos or KFC). You can also have fish yasa with bena kins which looks like Chinese fried rice. You can have a trip 74

to visit wetlands, dry lands, lagoons, rivers, islands, coast line, wood lands, and sea. The Gambia is a very peaceful country with friendly people. If you go to any part of The Gambia, elders will greet you and children will hold your hands like their own relatives. You will feel very comfortable and relax with peace of mind. That is why we call The Gambia “the smiling coast” of West Africa. APP: What is the best time to come to The Gambia for the most memorable birdwatching experience? Lamin: The best time for birding in The Gambia is from the end of October, which is the beginning of winter when it is cool in this part of Africa. This is when waders start coming, and all the waters in the streets dry up and there are fewer mosquitoes, with a nice climate up to April when the raining season fast approaches. Birding is always good in The Gambia; in the summer time it is very hot and some birds migrate away, but still you can come. APP: What is the first advice you give to new bird-watchers? Lamin: They should have to go with a guide and be prepared, because birding requires walking for long distances, which is good for our health. They should have to come with strong shoes, mosquito repellent, binoculars, a telescope, and if they have any bird books, that can be helpful. Although I have my own bird book, and most of the birders in The Gambia have their own books and binoculars that they are happy to let tourists use. APP: Where do the tourists stay? Please tell us about the facilities you can offer. Do you offer the equipment? Lamin: The tourists can stay at hotels, motels, lodges and guest houses, which provide all the needed facilities for them. Travel is provided by the guide.

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APP: Please tell us about the projects you are working on now. Lamin: Currently, I am building a natural and cultural history museum in our community called Gunjur Village Museum to preserve The Gambia’s natural and cultural history for the benefit of the younger generations. 16 We hope to attract national and international students, tourists, the communities and researchers. I sponsor these project activities through the money generated from my birdwatching activities and the support I get from the guests from Footstep Eco-Lodge. I also work with guests brought by Ethical Travel Portal of Norway through Footstep Eco-Lodge, and JIKI Foundation of Holland. However, I am looking for more support around the world to engage in future projects for the museum and the nature preserve. APP: Do you think the world’s consciousness is changing about nature preservation and species preservation? Lamin: Conservationists are trying very hard for the preservation and conservation of the remaining species around the world, for example, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), West African Regional Marine and Coastal Conservation Partnership (PRCM), World Bank, GEF and other international environmental agencies. But still more sensitization needs to be done, especially in the developing world. Some people lack the understanding of the importance of nature preservation, therefore they cut down the habitats of the animals for a short-term economic gain, causing the disappearance of some of our species. In our community we lost one of our monkey species called red colobus monkey due to the cutting down of their habitat, because they are arboreal monkeys. More needs to be done to change the minds of the people; in my view, 60 percent of the world population needs environmental sensitization and species conservation awareness. Unfortunately, many people

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To read more about the Gunjur Village Museum, please see the chapter “Gunjur Village Museum, The Gambia: Interview with Lamin M. Bojang” (p. 17).

are looking more for financial gains from our natural resources, rather than thinking about the benefits of conservation.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://gunjurmuseum.com/ Facebook: @lamin.bojang.792; @EcoTravelGambia

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The Environmental Concerns Group of Gunjur, The Gambia: Interview with Lamin Jammeh In the interview dated 12th October 2016, we are pleased to introduce Lamin Jammeh, who represents a group of environmental activists from the Gunjur community. The interview is devoted to the environmental problems The Gambia faces in the time of climate change, and the initiatives conducting by the Concern Group. APP: Could you please introduce yourself and the organization you work with? Lamin: We are young and energetic environmental activists from the Gunjur community, The Gambia. Previously, we were acting as individuals, but when we recognized that we had the same mission, we came together as an organization to accomplish our mission collectively. We are the Environmental Concerns Group of Gunjur, established in 2014. The group has 30 active members, of which 17 are men and 13 are women, and about 10 are students. APP: What is the mission of your organization? Lamin: Our mission is to preserve nature and combat the impact of climate change. APP: Can you please outline more specifically what are the major areas of environmental protection of concern to your organization? Lamin: Our main priorities are: planting more and more trees within the community; embarking on clean-up work in nature; and sensitizing our community on the impact of climate change.

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APP: What are the initiatives your organization has implemented or are planning to implement in The Gambia? What are the main environmental problems The Gambia faces? Lamin: Initially we implemented tree planting by reforesting one of the community forests, which was on the verge of dying. We relocated dumping sites, which were at almost at the center of the community, to a better location. We also sensitized the community about preserving our natural environment through radio talk shows, drama, workshops and poetry. The Gambia is now facing deforestation and sand-mining as the main environmental problems. APP: You have mentioned that one of the problems your organization is combatting is climate change. How does climate change affect Gunjur? Lamin: Yes, our organization has observed an ongoing low rate of rainfall. There are also certain insects that increasingly attack our garden fruits and vegetables and we are experiencing more extreme weather and heat. These are the results of the climate change. APP: What has been your greatest success so far? Lamin: The reforestation of the forest, turning it from one that was nearly dead back to a living forest, was a major achievement. We also planted trees in other areas of Gunjur, such as mangroves. We relocated the biggest dumping site away from the center of our community to a better location, and we continue to raise awareness within the community about the impact of climate change. These are some of our greatest successes so far. APP: What challenges does your organization encounter through your environmental work? Lamin: The biggest challenge our organization has encountered or continues to encounter through our environmental activism is how to change the attitudes of the community towards the forest, plants and also towards sand-mining. The authorities are not listening to our complaints about the environmental degradation made by the 80

sand-mining, and they are responsible for the ensuing environmental destruction. APP: What provides the motivation to implement environmental projects, in spite of the challenges? Lamin: It is a divine job with meaning. We want to create a legacy for environmental work, and also provide employment. APP: In your view, are people’s perceptions on environmental protection changing? Lamin: Yes, people’s perceptions indeed are changing on environmental protection, definitely. APP: Does your organization engage with the Ministerial level? If yes, how? Lamin: Yes, we do engage. Normally we inform the Ministry of Forestry about our activities before we carry them out. For example, before we go to carry out field inspections and bush patrolling, to hunt for the illegal tree fellers, we seek permission or authorization from the relevant authorities. The organization is registered under the Attorney General’s chambers. APP: As a member of the Environmental Concern Group, what are the policies implemented by the government that you think are the right policies, and which ones do you think are not the right policies? Lamin: We very much favor the policy of protecting the forests of The Gambia, but we are strongly critical of the decision to permit the mining of the sand in the coastal zone of the country. APP: What environmental message would your organization like to spread across The Gambia? What values do you would like to promote? Lamin: Our environmental message to the people of The Gambia is nature preservation is life preservation. We need and we want to protect a healthy environment. Preserving nature means preserving our future, our well-being and our way of life. 81

The Environmental Concern Group Gunjur keeps performing a wide range of activities to protect the environment and combat climate change in The Gambia. On 29th July 2017, the Group organized the tree planting exercise supported by the whole community of Gunjur. On that historic day 10,000 trees were planted. In October 2017, the Group shared with APP their news of a three-day workshop on climate change they organized.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: @EnvironmentalConcernGroupGunjur

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Somaliland Travel and Tour Agency, Somaliland: Interview with Abdinasir A. Ibrahim With this interview conducted on 23rd January 2017 African Politics and Policy has realized one of its dreams, although virtually: to satisfy its curiosity about beautiful country Abdinasir Ibrahim is representing, Somaliland. It could be one of the world’s great tourist destinations, with pristine beaches, beautiful coral reefs, rock art paintings, rare birds and mammals, and fabulous mountain ranges.

APP: Could you please introduce yourself and the company you are working with? Abdinasir: I am the Director of Somaliland Travel & Tours Agency. Together with my best friend and university classmate Khalid M. Osman, we founded this company in early 2008 with the vision to be the country’s first tourist services provider. It was hard for the tourists and foreigners to come to Somaliland unless they work with the government or with the local and international NGOs. We filled that gap and we are proud of what we have achieved so far.

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APP: Which tourist tours do you offer? What, in your opinion, is Somaliland’s most attractive feature for tourists? Abdinasir: We provide an extensive selection of tours and excursions that are cultural, classical and/or historical. We give our customers a wide variety of options that allow everyone to experience Somaliland in ways that are unique and personal. I would say the most popular place is Laas-Geel. That is because it has attractive ancient cave paintings. They are some of the oldest pieces of rock art in Africa, from between 7,000—10,000 years ago. APP: What are the main achievements of your agency in tourism sector, and what are the main problems you face? Abdinasir: We are the first tourist company in Somaliland, and we started from the bottom. Next year we will celebrate 10 years since we opened the doors for our company, and it has been a great experience. Having said that, establishing a new company for an industry which wasn’t already established, it was very challenging. APP: Who are your tourists? Which countries do they come from? What areas are they interested in? Abdinasir: Our tourists are mostly from the UK, USA, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Germany and Russia. We have something to offer for all kind of tourists. Somaliland has an 850 km coastline, with lots of pristine beaches, beautiful coral reefs, unique archaeological sites, rare birds and mammals, fabulous mountain ranges, and a year-round sunny, warm climate. We can offer a wide variety of tour opportunities that allows anyone to experience Somaliland in a way that is unique. APP: How secure is Somaliland to come visit? Abdinasir: Somaliland has a zero percent foreigners/tourists crime rate for the last 11 years, and the safety and security of our clients is always our number one priority.

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APP: Please tell us how to plan a visit to Somaliland. Abdinasir: To visit Somaliland you only need to plan ahead. Visas can be obtained on arrival only by prior arrangement with a recognized operator like Somaliland Travel and Tourism Agency (STTA). Otherwise you can get them from Somaliland Missions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and London, UK. Tourists can fly to the capital Hargeisa through the following routes: daily from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia with Ethiopian Airlines; twice weekly from Dubai with Daallo Airlines and Jubba Airways; and on Flydubai, who offers four weekly flights from Dubai. By road, you can enter through Ethiopia and Djibouti, although it’s cheaper to fly than drive. A tax of US $60 is charged on entry. APP: How can you describe the tourism situation in Somaliland? Are there increasing numbers of tourist arrivals? How far does the government support tourism sector in Somaliland? Abdinasir: Tourism is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. According to the data we have when we started, the foreign tourist growth in Somaliland is moving forward slowly, and the number is increasing but there is a long way to go. The government recently established a new Ministry for Tourism and Culture. This shows the government’s interest to promote and support the formation of a successful tourism sector, and as a tour operator we welcome that. APP: How far does tourism impact on the development of Somaliland cities and regions? Does tourism contribute a lot to the national economy? Abdinasir: Yes, there is successful tourism by the diaspora. This contributes the economy in many ways, and regardless of the purpose of their travels, they are the largest investors in the country. APP: How does tourism affect Somaliland’s international recognition? How successful is Somaliland in promoting national tourism? Abdinasir: Somaliland’s lack of international recognition is the biggest factor that holding back our tourism industry. We believe that 85

when we get the recognition, everything will change and our beautiful country will be open for international investment that can create world-class infrastructure. APP: What do you want the international community to know about Somaliland? Abdinasir: I would like your readers to know that Somaliland was colonized by the British and got independence on 26 June 1960. On 1 July 1960, Somaliland voluntarily united with Somalia to form the Somali Republic. After many years of injustice and brutal dictatorship, Somaliland broke away from Somalia 26 years ago. But to date, no country recognizes it as an independent nation. Now Somaliland has everything a country would require: peace, an elected government, an army, its own currency, and a flag. 

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://somalilandtour.com/ Facebook: @somalilandtours

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Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching, South Africa: Interview with Kim Da Ribeira African Politics and Policy, concerned with the rhino situation in South Africa, was delighted to talk on 18th April 2017 to Kim Da Ribeira, spokesperson of Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching (OSCAP). The organization is now one of the largest anti-rhino poaching groups in South Africa with more than 20,000 members worldwide. APP: How was the idea started to establish OSCAP, and how did it transform or evolve into the organization fighting today against rhino poaching? Kim: In August 2011, three rhinos were poached from a reserve in the Western Cape in South Africa. The poaching was well publicized, especially on social media. The media coverage of this poaching highlighted the horror and brutality of rhino poaching. Allison Thomson started the OSCAP Facebook group after this poaching incident, as she felt that there was a need for more action to create worldwide awareness of the poaching crisis in South Africa. OSCAP organized a mail campaign to raise awareness of the extent of rhino poaching in South Africa. Members and friends of OSCAP sent personalized, pre-drafted call-to-action letters to domestic and international government officials, wildlife organizations, newspapers and media outlets. OSCAP was instrumental in organizing onthe-ground protests at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria, as well as arranging peaceful awareness campaigns in various city centers across South Africa. Due to the rapid growth of OSCAP over a very short period, Allison registered it as a non-profit organization; this has enabled the organization to perform their work more efficiently and effectively. OSCAP is now one of the largest anti-rhino poaching groups in South Africa, with more than 20,000 members worldwide. The non-profit has been a pioneer in manufacturing the world’s first

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rhino ambulances and now has four out in the field throughout South Africa. The ambulances are used in the rescue, stabilization, treatment and transport of rhino calves to rhino orphanages. Rhino calves often stay close to the corpse of their mothers after a poaching incident, and many die from dehydration or injuries. Their rescue can be problematic and there is a risk of further injury or of the calf succumbing to shock. The ambulances ensure that orphaned rhino calves receive the best treatment and care available. OSCAP also assists private rhino owners, orphanages and anti-poaching units with anti-poaching equipment. OSCAP works closely with other rhino groups, NGOs, local and international wildlife agencies, as well as local and provincial government departments in order to assist wherever possible. We are also strong advocates against the trade in rhino horn, both domestically and internationally. APP: Why did rhinos become the focus of your attention? What makes rhinos particularly at risk? Kim: South Africa is home to many species of wildlife, many of whom are threatened by illegal trade. Rhinos are an iconic species who deserve our protection. Rhinos are an umbrella species—protect the rhino, and you protect all the other species that share their habitat. Rhinos are mega-herbivores and impact greatly on their environment by shaping the landscape. They force their way through thick shrub and forest, opening up access for other species. By continuously browsing shrubs and small trees, rhinos shape the way these plants grow and keep them short and accessible to a whole range of smaller leaf eaters. It is important that we conserve this mega herbivore for the welfare of the ecosystems they inhabit, as well as for the well-being of humankind. According to Will Travers, president of the Born Free Foundation, The industrial-scale, commercial exploitation of wildlife under the “it pays, it stays” paradigm is a relatively recent concept. It doesn’t really take into account the human condition based on greed and avarice or the massive growth in human population. There are simply too many of us and too few

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of them for us to continue to try and create an economic model that allows us to treat wildlife as a commodity.

He suggests a more benign approach: In the same way that we value the great human works of art and are willing to put state, corporate and private funding into their preservation, why don’t we do the same for wildlife by thinking of it as a natural work of art in which we invest for our own sanity as much as for protection and conservation.17

It is OSCAP’s vision to protect endangered species in Southern Africa and end the illegal wildlife trade of endangered and threatened species. Currently, rhinos are being poached at a rate where it is predicted that we will see a negative population growth rate in the Kruger National Park. The number of rhinos poached in South Africa has grown at an alarming rate. In 2009, there were 122 rhinos poached, and in 2010, 333 rhinos were poached. The official poaching statistics for rhinos in 2016 are 1054. Because of the demand for rhino horn, and the fact that rhino horn commands such a high price, they are at increased risk from poachers. As the price of horn has escalated to the point that horn now fetches a price higher than gold, rhinos have increasingly become a target for poachers. We could see the extinction of wild rhino in our life time … APP: How does South African legislation treat rhinos? Could you please comment on the South African recent legalization of the domestic rhino horn trade? How will this affect the rhinos? Kim: The South African Department of Environmental Affairs and our national legislation promote the use of our wildlife in a sustainable manner. We support sustainable-use policies, but it is yet to be determined beyond any reasonable doubt that the rhino horn trade

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Andreas Wilson-Späth (2015). “The commodification of South Africa’s wildlife,” News 21, 7th December. Accessed on 18th April 2017. Available at http://www.news24.com/Columnists/AndreasSpath/the-commodificationof-south-africas-wildlife-20151207

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is sustainable and will not increase the risk to the current rhino population (wild and private) in South Africa, as well as rhino populations in other range states. Without proper knowledge of what the demand for horn is, or will be, under a trade environment, decisions are being made without the relevant information needed to make an informed decision. The authorities run the risk of making the wrong decisions. We question the ability of our Department Environmental Affairs (DEA) to monitor and regulate trade. In the Appeal that went before the Constitutional Court, the DEA said they would need a minimum of 12 months to have systems in place to regulate and manage trade. It is not clear if the DEA still envisages that it will take those 12 months to have systems in place to monitor and regulate trade. The other question they have not addressed is what they propose doing with permits to trade that are submitted to the DEA in the interim. OSCAP would also question the statement that regulatory loopholes have been identified and addressed; if the DEA do not have regulations in place, how will they know where the loopholes are? We have regularly expressed doubt about the pro-trade assertion that lifting the trade ban would stem poaching and create “self-sustaining funds” for rhino conservation. OSCAP believes that opening legal trade would only facilitate trade in illegal or poached horn, by creating a parallel market. There is insufficient data available on the size and scope of any existing or potential market to support a legal trade argument. Trade could lead to increased demand and ultimately the extinction of the rhinoceros in the wild. There is also no evidence that legalizing trade will prevent poaching. On the contrary, legalizing trade has the potential of increasing poaching. Legalizing the trade in rhino horn was proposed as a “solution” to the rhino poaching crisis, however the same agenda was proposed at the

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Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES18 in 1997 — during a year when four rhinos were killed in South Africa. APP: According to your report, “there are roughly 25,000 rhinos left in Africa and South Africa is the largest range state, with numbers coming below 20,000; we are losing three rhinos per day due to the criminal activities of unscrupulous men causing havoc especially in Kruger National Park.”19 Why doesn’t the status of being in a National Park, where wildlife is supposed to be protected by rangers, provide guaranteed security for rhinos? What are the ways to improve the situation? Kim: The Kruger National Park (KNP) covers a vast area; policing this area is a difficult task. Mr. Nicholas Funda, head of the KNP anti-poaching team, said the size of the park necessitates 2,000 rangers to keep it safe, but that the Park can only employ 500 rangers. Recently the KNP introduced a surveillance system called Postcode Meerkat.20 This technology is basically a new set of “eyes in the sky” that identifies poachers and their movements and has proven to be very effective. If we can make use of technology like this in conjunction with anti-poaching patrols and on-the-ground intelligence, we could see a reduction in poaching. With the price that rhino horn attracts, rangers are often approached by the poaching syndicates and offered money to provide information to poachers, which sadly some of them do. Some rangers have even gone so far as to being directly involved in rhino poaching themselves. Corruption is endemic in the rhino poaching

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CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. https://www.cites.org/eng International Rhino Coalition (2014). “Assessing the risks of rhino horn trade.” A Journal of arguments presented at the conference Risk Assessment of Rhino Horn Trade, 10th April, Pretoria, South Africa. Accessed on 15th March 2019. Available at https://conservationaction.co.za/resources/reports/assessingthe-risks-of-rhino-horn-trade/ Postcode Meerkat, or Wide Area Surveillance System (WASS), comprises a suite of radar and electro-optic sensors that detect, classify, monitor and track humans moving in the park over a wide area.

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arena with vets, pilots, rangers, policemen, members of the organized crime units, conservation officers etc. all being involved in poaching and poaching syndicates. We need to tackle corruption, as it is probably our biggest threat. APP: What are the organization’s main achievements to stop the poaching? What are the problems you face? Kim: OSCAP constantly lobbies the South African government and relevant organizations to ensure that rhino poaching is addressed with the necessary urgency and commitment. The non-profit has been a pioneer in manufacturing the world’s first rhino ambulances and now has four out in the field throughout South Africa. The ambulances are used in the rescue, stabilization, treatment and transport of rhino calves to rhino orphanages. Rhino calves often stay close to the corpse of their mothers after a poaching incident, and many die from dehydration or injuries. Their rescue can be problematic and there is a risk of further injury or of the calf succumbing to shock. The ambulances ensure that orphaned rhino calves receive the best treatment and care available. OSCAP also assists private rhino owners, orphanages and anti-poaching units with anti-poaching equipment. OSCAP works closely with other rhino groups, NGOs, local and international wildlife agencies, as well as local and provincial government departments, in order to assist where ever possible. Corruption and the lack of political will on the part of our government to address the poaching crisis are the two biggest challenges we face. The moratorium was instituted in 2009 to put in place a database and means of regulating domestic trade and now, eight years later, our DEA are still asking for more time to put their house in order. This doesn’t show us that they are taking the matter seriously. Criminal organizations and individuals often rely on weak legal frameworks and bureaucratic procedures, lack of coordina-

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tion between oversight agencies, lack of capacity of customs officials, and lack of enforcement in order to poach and illegally trade wild animals. Addressing such challenges could help reduce the corruption linked to wildlife crimes. All of these are relevant in South Africa; we need to address these issues and affect change in order to start to win this war against the criminal syndicates. APP: How do you assess the recent initiative to ship 100 white rhinos from South Africa to Botswana to save them from poachers?21 Kim: We support this initiative. APP: What are the measures that should be taken in the short-term to save the rhino population? In your view, currently what is the biggest change that needs to happen to protect the rhinos in South Africa? Kim: We believe that there is no single solution to this problem and that all the tools that are available to us should be used to stop the poaching. These tools include but are not limited to:     

Top notch security; De-horning—only where absolutely necessary when no other alternatives are available; Education and awareness; Increased sentences for people found guilty of wildlife offences; No bail for suspects.

We need to:  

Improve the capacity and skills of enforcement, conservation agencies and rangers; Use appropriate technologies on the ground to aid patrolling and wildlife protection;

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“White rhinos flown to Botswana to help save species,” Deutsche Welle, 2nd April 2017. Accessed on 16th March 2019. Available at https://www.dw.com/en/wh ite-rhinos-flown-to-botswana-to-help-save-species/a-38255070

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

  



Engage communities and work in partnerships (there are well documented cases of successful community partnerships as well as documented cases of unsuccessful partnerships—it is of vital importance that South Africa ensures that we do not enter into any more unsuccessful partnerships such as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park community projects); Strengthen prosecution for wildlife offences; Co-operate with other countries to control and respond to illegal wildlife trade; Increase targeted demand-reduction campaigns as well as education and awareness campaigns in demand-side countries and supply-side; Increase minimum sentencing and, in particular, special sentencing structures for those in the enforcement and conservation environment who are found to be complicit in rhino poaching.

APP: Do you think it is possible to create world-wide shelters for rhinos, where they can enjoy a safe life? What is the role of the international community in protecting rhinos? Kim: We support any move that will ensure that our wild rhino populations can flourish. It’s important that the measures we take ensure that wild rhino populations are the ones protected, and that African rhinos are conserved on the continent of Africa. APP: How can our readers get involved in the various initiatives to protect rhinos against poachers? And how can we (African Politics and Policy) be helpful to you? Kim: There are a number of ways readers can get involved. The main aim is to continue to raise awareness. Despite all of the information available, many still don’t appreciate how much of a problem this is for the African rhino. You can raise awareness by participating in Rhino Fridays, wear a “Save The Rhino” type T-shirt, and talking to others about it. Share and forward any e-mails or newspaper articles that you

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come across on this subject with everyone you know. The more people who are talking about the problem, and the more people who are doing something about it, the more chances there are that the powers that be will do more than they are currently doing to save our rhino. Whenever readers or their family or friends participate in a sporting event, for examples fun runs/walks, cycling events, triathlons etc., you could call yourselves “Team Rhino,” wear rhino T-shirts, or even have a rhino mascot! If you are in schooling, then get your class or school to make Friday’s Rhino Fridays, and get all your classmates to send a postcard to the President. Encourage your school and or social group, art group or any kind of group to start a project, like making a life-sized rhino out of papier-mâché. This could be done in conjunction with a prominent business or your local radio station for example. Have the rhino on display outside your school, or out front of a highly visible shopping center. (Note: please ensure you have the relevant person’s authority or permission) Talk about it—Share about it—Write about it—Do something about it.

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.oscap.co.za/ Facebook: @OSCAP

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In Their Own Voices: Disability and Health

Light for the World, Ethiopia: Interview with Yetnebersh Nigussie Our first interview on health situation in Africa is with Yetnebersh Nigussie, one of the world’s most influential disability rights activists from the Global South. Since 2015, Yetnebersh has represented the international disability rights movement at the UN. In January 2016, Yetnebersh joined the international disability and development organization Light for the World, where she strives for inclusive education and empowers and inspires by her own example people with disabilities. APP spoke with her on 10th February 2017. APP: Could you please tell us what are the challenges that people with disabilities face in Africa? Yetnebersh: I believe the problems faced by persons with disabilities are similar around the globe. The difference is the magnitude and the level of attention it receives. In the developing world, such as in Africa, there are so many competing priorities, and persons with disabilities may not get the proper coverage in policies, programs and strategies. For instance, people with disabilities are discriminated against in the developed world. But they are often provided with comparatively better support services to facilitate their independent living. In many African countries, persons with disabilities are still prevented from rights such as being allowed to marry, opening a bank account, voting, working, having legal capacity, getting an ed-

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ucation, etc. Women with disabilities face significantly more difficulties — in both public and private spheres — in obtaining access to adequate housing, health, education, vocational training and employment, and are more likely to be institutionalized. They are at higher risk of gender-based violence, sexual abuse, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation. We have learned through our community-based rehabilitation interventions in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Mozambique that there is lack of support mechanisms and this leads to family poverty. If a child acquires a disability, or is born with one, fathers can leave the family due to fear of stigma and discrimination, leaving many single mothers to struggle to earn a livelihood for the family. Our work in South Sudan has taught us that in conflict areas, persons with disabilities are left behind when people flee; they have difficulty accessing food and shelter and their numbers increase as a result of injuries from bombs, landmines, small arms, and rape. To sum up, persons with disabilities in Africa experience: extreme levels of poverty; continued human rights violations; systemic discrimination; social exclusion and prejudice within political, social and economic spheres, all to a much greater extent than those in the developed world. APP: Are there any cultural prejudices against people with disabilities in Africa that are difficult to overcome? Yetnebersh: Yes, Africa is rich in culture. Simultaneously, these cultures also contain various harmful practices that can threaten the life and dignity of persons with disabilities. For instance, there is the maiming or killing of persons with albinism in many parts of the continent. In Tanzania, these body parts can fetch from $600 US right up to $75,000 for an entire body.22 This creates lucrative opportunities, however sinister, for some who make their living and

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Murders and attacks on people with albinism in Africa are based on the belief that certain body parts of people with albinism possess magical powers and, thus, are used as ingredients in rituals.

gain status from being witch doctors. This is just one example to show that it is not easy to bring both policy-level change and programmatic inclusion for persons with disabilities in many places. The prevailing social, cultural and religious contexts present barriers to the full participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Africa. APP: The report “Disability and Data: from Marginalisation to Empowerment”23 discusses the problem of bad or wrong data for people with disabilities. Why, in your opinion, is the quality of the data poor, and what needs to be done to improve the data and its use? Yetnebersh: Persons with disabilities do not make up a small, insignificant group. As many as one out of seven (15 percent), or more than one billion women, men and children live with a disability, according to the World Report on Disability 2011. Most of them live in developing countries. It is estimated that 82 percent of persons with disabilities live below the poverty line. One in five of the world’s poorest is a person with a disability. Other World Bank statistics show that 30 percent of school children are children with disabilities. Only three percent of persons with disabilities are literate, one per cent when it comes to women. Researchers note that inadequate definitions of disability, confusion of terms, omission of certain types of disabilities, unwillingness of parents to disclose that they have a child or family member with a disability, as well as the exclusion of some regions in surveys due to security reasons, are some of the major drawbacks to the data. As a result, these factors could account for the failure of the National Census and other surveys to capture accurate and reliable statistical information on persons with disabilities.

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Light for the World (2017). “Disability and Data: from Marginalisation to Empowerment.” News from the UN Data Forum in South Africa, 15th-18th January 2017. Accessed on 16th February 2018. Available at https://www.light-for-theworld.org/disability-and-data-marginalisation-empowerment

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APP: What were the biggest obstacles that Ethiopia was confronted with as the country moved toward the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? Yetnebersh: Despite the absence of reliable data, poverty is the main characteristic of persons with disabilities and their families in Ethiopia, as the majority of the causes of disability are directly or indirectly related to poverty. Poverty is both a cause and consequence of disability. An estimated 95 percent of all persons with disabilities in the country are living in poverty. With 84 percent of the population living in rural areas of Ethiopia, it can be assumed that a majority of persons with disabilities also live in rural areas, where basic services are limited and often inaccessible. In addition, the available rehabilitation services in the country are concentrated in urban centers. As a result, the great majority of persons with disabilities do not have access to the basic health, education and social services that could help reduce their dependency and facilitate their independence, their chance to earn a sustainable livelihood, or escape from poverty. APP: Could you please tell us more about your school, Yetnebersh Academy? Do you get any government or non-governmental support to bring education to underprivileged children? Does the Academy offer an opportunity for volunteers to work? Yetnebersh: The school is a lab that was established to demonstrate the impact of inclusive education for both children with and without disabilities. It started nine years ago as a family-run, private limited company, and now has both kindergarten and primary classes up to grade eight. We educate more than 300 students, and it is purely a business with no external funding involved. The Academy has created job opportunities for more than 35 employees and has its own management. Children with disabilities are welcome and we have more than ten children with different types of disabilities. We used to have international volunteers in the first five years of operation. Gradually, we had to give up due to the change in the immigration rules of the country and we rely on local volunteers. 102

Annually, we get two or three volunteers, which helps our school to grow. APP: As a founder of Yetnebersh Academy, how do you promote the interaction between children with disabilities and children without disabilities? Yetnebersh: I imagine that this could be better answered by the parents. The assumption before was that parents of non-disabled children would refuse to send their kids to learn with those with disabilities. I, the owner of the school, have a disability; once people are persuaded that I can deliver on a good education, they will trust to bring their kids to our Academy. It doesn’t mean that there are no problems, but I don’t think they are significant. I believe and have witnessed in my business that a generation which has grown up playing and learning together won’t have a problem working together, marrying each other and helping each other. How can we expect children with disabilities to opt for inclusion if they grow up in isolation? How can we expect children without disabilities to include their disabled peers if their experience is only that of segregation? This and other strong reasons testify that schools are the right place to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities. APP: In 2005, you were a co-founder of Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD). When was the idea to build the Center first introduced to the government, and how it was received? Yetnebersh: At that time, I was a university student studying my first degree in law at Addis Ababa University and beginning to get into the labor market. That was also my first days of disability activism. I met with an American guy who was about to retire from the International Labour Organization (ILO) after long successful years of service around the world working on disability and vocational rehabilitation. His name is Bob Ransom and we had known each other for a couple of years before, due to my volunteering with a project intended to promote entrepreneurship among women

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with disabilities; ILO provided the funding and other technical assistance for the project. Bob has a special place in his heart both for disability inclusion and for making Ethiopia a place successful in including disabled people. His trust in me as a young woman with disability, and the fact that he chose Ethiopia, a very poor country, to undertake this new idea made me think that I should be part of this and press for more challenges, even though I was offered various other job opportunities at the time. We came together with four other Ethiopian people to establish an organization that challenged the practice of disability-specific service provision, and called for an inclusive approach to disability and development. The government welcomed our initiative and in the months after our registration, joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Our call for inclusion was adopted at a formal level, and our call for inclusive development found legal grounding. ECDD now has more than 40 employees, of which nearly half have some kind of disability. The organization has an annual budget of more than 20 million Ethiopian Birr, working in five regions and two city administrations. APP: What is the greatest lesson you have learned so far as an activist? Yetnebersh: The greatest lessons I have learned from fifteen years of activism on tackling inequality are the needs to work together, and provide clear leadership. I have realized through the process that deconstructing what the society has established as a norm requires a very long time, strong allies and committed leadership. For instance, disability-based discrimination is deeply-rooted in society and we cannot tackle it overnight. Meanwhile, we need to have short-term wins which will enable us to measure whether we are gradually approaching the change we want or not. It is impossible to achieve such changes alone, as it requires contributions from a range of sources. So, one should identify pertinent and relevant allies on this long journey. Having the time and the allies in place are necessary steps, but they are not sufficient to lead us to the goals

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we want. We need committed leadership that can mobilize the required resources and can leverage what’s needed to make the change happen. It is unrealistic to expect others to lead the change we want. See what Mandela and Gandhi did in terms of demonstrating their exemplary leadership by championing the change they wanted to bring. There is a motto for persons with disabilities: “nothing about us, without us!” Persons with disabilities themselves should lead this process of change and create the inclusive future we want. APP: What is the best way to deliver your messages to the world: “Focus on the person, not the disability?” and “We have one disability, but 99 abilities to build on!” Yetnebersh: The world should no longer perceive persons with disabilities as marginalized or disadvantaged. In the past decade, the UNCRPD has changed the language and ways of thinking. It has brought about a paradigm shift for disability to be viewed as a core human rights issue, not just something invoking charity. An average estimate of persons with disabilities has been provided by the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), ascertaining persons with disabilities represent the single largest minority of the population in the world. The Sustainable Development Goals are crucial benchmarks that the world committed to in 2015, in order to make sure that no one is left behind; the aim is to bring those furthest behind forward in development. Governments and civil society organizations now have the opportunity to identify and meaningfully engage persons with disabilities and their organizations in ongoing development discourse and programs. In an inclusive society, people with disabilities are accepted, have a voice and participate actively in the life and development of their communities.

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APP: And finally, do you think that there is anything that we (African Politics and Policy) can do to help you, your Academy and Africa’s disabled people? Yetnebersh: I believe that everyone can do something to change the situation of persons with disabilities globally. As discussed earlier, the situation becomes worse for persons with disabilities in Africa due to their extreme poverty. African politicians should work towards removing attitudinal, physical and institutional barriers to realize the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms by Africans with disabilities. Forty-six out of fifty-four African countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and five out of the eighteen committee members to monitor the implementation of this Convention come from Africa. I think this is a great opportunity. Yet, we need to have proper institutional and financial resources in place in each country to realize the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their community. Above all, we need to invest in initiatives which can result in systemic changes that are sustainable, inclusive and able to accommodate the needs and aspirations of different citizens including those with disabilities. Investing in people is the way out of poverty for a continent having its largest resource being human capital. We need to make sure such investments take into consideration the special needs and abilities of persons with different types of disabilities. Inclusive education is the process through which such diversities are understood, and human capabilities are appreciated. We want Africans to support and join our journey of inclusive education so that we can meaningfully build a generation that can accommodate differences and value human capabilities. I believe everyone is a candidate for inclusion regardless of the type of disability, geographical location, gender or any other status. What it takes is genuine political will and uninterrupted commitment from each of us!

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Light for the World, Ethiopia: Interview with Dr. Amir Bedri Continuing our series of interviews about the health situation in Africa, African Politics and Policy is delighted to share with the readers the interview with the eye care expert and ophthalmologist Dr. Amir Bedri, who works with the Light for the World organization. The interview was organized on 11th February 2017. APP: Light for the World has 28 years of experience in eye care provision. What has changed in your approach, and what has remained unchanged, in this period? Dr. Bedri: Light for the World has been supporting eye care in its priority countries for nearly three decades now. It has always supported countries in their implementation of eye health programs and projects. This is based on the respective national priorities in line with the global initiative VISION 2020—The Right to Sight, and now its successor the Global Action Plan—Universal Eye Health 2014–2019. These plans support infrastructure development, disease control and human resource development for eye health. APP: You have said that 80 percent of blindness is preventable and can be easily treated. How does your organization contribute to preventing blindness? Dr. Bedri: It is estimated that 80 percent of the causes of blindness and visual impairment are avoidable, meaning that they are either preventable or treatable. Blindness and visual impairment have significant socio-economic costs to the affected individuals and the society at large. Light for the World supports starting from primary eye care activities and mass drug administration. This is particularly important for the antibiotic Zithromax in trachoma endemic areas to prevent blindness from trachoma. In secondary eye care units and tertiary training institutions, it is also crucially important to

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build human resources for eye health capacity. Our partners provide surgery to treat patients with cataracts, a major cause of blindness in the world. APP: Given your years of experience, what are the main eye problems people face in Africa? Why do the problems occur? And how could they be prevented, avoided and possibly eliminated? Dr. Bedri: The major causes of blindness and visual impairment in sub-Saharan Africa are cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors, and in some endemic countries, trachoma. The main reason for these conditions leading to blindness and visual impairment is the inadequate eye health services prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa. The most critical factor is the shortage and maldistribution of human resources for eye health. Efforts are underway to control the leading infectious cause of blindness, trachoma, through the implementation of the WHOrecommended SAFE Strategy. 24 In many endemic countries, the Strategy aims to eliminate blinding trachoma as a public health problem by the year 2020. Cataracts are mainly age-related and cannot be prevented, but they can be easily be treated by surgical means, provided countries have the necessary skilled human resources and infrastructure for eye health.

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WHO (2017). “Prevention of Blindness and Visual Impairment.” Accessed on 13th February 2017. Available at http://www.who.int/blindness/causes/trach oma/en. The acronym "SAFE" stands for surgery for trichiasis (inturned eyelashes), antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement.

APP: You’ve clearly shown that eye diseases and related disabilities have huge social costs, and they represent a serious obstacle for the socio-economic development of African countries. Yet, it seems that in spite of how serious and costly eye diseases are, they do not receive as much media coverage as other diseases. Do you agree with our assessment, and what do you think we could do to raise awareness? Dr. Bedri: I do agree with your assessment of the current lack of coverage in the media regarding blindness and visual impairment. We need sustained advocacy to raise awareness about eye diseases in communities through the media. As I already mentioned, the major cause of blindness globally is cataracts; and yet it can easily be treated by a surgical procedure, which is considered as one of the most cost-effective interventions there is. Eye diseases such as trachoma and vitamin A deficiency are entirely preventable through primary health care activities. The media can get the word out and raise awareness about eye diseases to gain the attention of policy makers within the Ministry of Health to give eye health the focus it deserves.

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Light for the World, Belgium: Interview with Sabine Rehbichler African Politics and Policy is delighted to share with our readers the interview with Sabine Rehbichler, International Programs and Advocacy and Strategic Partners Director for Light for the World organization. In our interview on 12th February 2017, we discussed the differences in working with various cultures, their achievements in 2016, why Light for the World is called a “convener,” and how you personally can help to the organization. APP: As an international organization with European members working in 15 countries, do you feel that different countries face different challenges in their efforts to build inclusive societies? Sabine: In general, inclusion and exclusion are universal issues. However, depending on the cultural basis in any given country, there are differences. Just to give one example: people in the Global North are often surprised when we report about existing practices and success stories about the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools in the Global South. In our inclusive education projects in Africa, children with and without disabilities learn side-by-side. In many European countries — despite the means and technologies for inclusive education being more widely available, mainstream education is sometimes more exclusive of children with disabilities than in many African countries.

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APP: Could you please outline the main findings of the recent Light for the World’s Activity Report?25 Sabine: With the support of our partners and donors around the globe, we were able to help more people than ever before in 2015. In 181 projects, we reached over 1.3 million people experiencing eye diseases and persons with disabilities in under-served regions of the world. In addition, we supplied 7.7 million people with medication against neglected tropical diseases. In Ethiopia and Mozambique, we scaled up our work on eliminating trachoma. In Burkina Faso, persons with disabilities took part in the country’s first free elections. In South Sudan and Lebanon, we helped refugees with disabilities. Our disability and inclusion lab offers expertise on mainstreaming disability and inclusion. We have also made progress at the international level: the United Nations has explicitly included the issues faced by persons with disabilities in their new Sustainable Development Goals. APP: To create changes it is important to work side by side with local government, public and private sectors. How successful have been your collaborations with local government and private sector organizations to address the health and education issues in the countries where your organization operates? Sabine: Light for the World works in close collaboration with local partners all over the world and focuses on interlinking partnerships. In recent country evaluations, Light for the World has been given the name “convener” by many partners. Since the challenges of inclusion cannot be addressed or solved by one organization or one party alone, we champion the work in regional and international networks. Our area of work demands the collaboration and the joining hands of everybody involved. We encourage partners to see

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Light for the World (April 2017). Activity Report 2016 – 2017. Accessed on 17th February 2017. Available at https://www.light-for-the-world.org/activity-report-accessible

each other’s similarities rather than the differences, and we like to support multi-stakeholder partnerships. Our local support is based on the local needs and existing structures. While working closely with local stakeholders and governments, Light for the World creates awareness of health issues in the area of eye care, disability inclusion and inclusive education. One example of our work would be that after only seven years of awareness-raising through Light for the World and local partners, the government of Mozambique has decided to include Community Based Rehabilitation into their Social Welfare Policy; in addition, the government receives advice on implementation from disability organizations and NGOs like Light for the World. Also, just recently Light for the World launched a network of NGOs working in disability and development in Ethiopia to jointly address common questions and partner with other sectors. APP: Does the organization provide opportunities to do joint research? If so, what are some of the most urgent research needs that you have? Sabine: We support local initiatives of partners to implement programs striving towards eye health as well as wider health and education, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities. We base our work on evidence, and thus research is an integral part of our strategy, though it is not the sole aim. We focus on linking concrete services for beneficiaries with systemic questions. This is done through broad networking, partnering with stakeholders, policy work as well as monitoring and evaluation, including research. Just recently, we have partnered with the International Disability and Development Consortium to conduct research on disability-responsive education financing that was supported by the Open Society Foundation. The report that was produced, called Costing Equity, found that millions of children with disabilities are being left out of school because little to no money is being budgeted for their needs.

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APP: What was one of the most touching or remarkable experiences that you had during your work in the organization? Sabine: In my work, I have experienced many of those kinds of moments. To personally witness that people in South Sudan could access eye health after so many years of conflict, in which they were deprived of any basic services including the simplest medical interventions… this still moves me deeply and is beyond words. And such experiences lead me to appreciate life and all the abundance we have even more. APP: Your Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program that takes place directly in the villages is very interesting and helpful, and seems to be a much better approach than segregating children in specialized centers. Could you please tell more about how you came up with this idea, and what have been so far the effects of this program? Sabine: The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach was initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO). CBR is a multisectoral approach working to improve the equalization of opportunities and social inclusion of people with disabilities while combating the perpetual cycle of poverty and disability. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of people with disabilities, their families and communities, and relevant government and nongovernment health, education, vocational, social services and other services. CBR was officially defined in 2004 by the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and WHO as “a strategy within general community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of all people with disabilities.”26

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ILO, UNESCO, & WHO (2004). “CBR: a strategy for rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities: joint position paper,” p. 2. Accessed on 24th May 2019. Available at https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000137716

Thus, CBR is not only a Light for the World strategy, but developed more widely for resource-poor settings. It proves to be an effective strategy for inclusion of persons with disabilities in rural communities within the work of Light for the World; however, the involvement and ownership by the countries themselves, without losing quality, is yet to be seen. CBR is the backbone of much of our support. While linking communities to education and health, it is often the CBR strategy which enables inclusion in other areas of life. Light for the World has been involved in the development of the CBR guidelines, including validation in countries, and is also active in the global and the African CBR network. APP: How can our readers get involved in the various programs you offer? And how can we (African Politics and Policy) be helpful to you? Sabine: For our work, we are dependent on donations. Therefore, we would encourage everyone who would like to support the inclusion of persons with disabilities in developing countries to donate to Light for the World via our website: https://www.light-forthe-world.org/donate-now. We encourage everyone who wants to support inclusion to tell others about the situation of persons with disabilities, about the potential of inclusion and about the work of organizations like Light for the World. For everyone looking for jobs in our organization please have a look at our website’s “work with us” section: https://www.light-for-the-world.org/work-with-us. APP: What are your future plans? Sabine: We want to continue our work for and with persons with disabilities in under-served regions of the world. There is much inequality in the world when it comes to the availability of opportunities and resources, in particular for persons with disabilities. We are committed to redressing this inequality. The strategic objectives of Light for the World shall evolve into effective and meaningful implementation by us, together with our partners. Our vision is an 115

inclusive society for all, where no one is left behind, and all persons participate equally in the cultural, social, political and economic environment where they live. We will continue to engage in empowering persons with disabilities to take development into their own hands. We will further strive to overcome all barriers in society and create access for people with disabilities. We are committed to improving eye health and promoting inclusive education, community-based rehabilitation, disability rights, livelihood and disability inclusion. We want to pay specific attention to women with disabilities, children with disabilities, and the many excluded impairment groups within the disability community.

Yetnebersh Nigussie has been awarded the Right Livelihood Award 2017, which is widely referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize, “for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities allowing them to realize their full potential and changing mind-sets in our societies.”27 Light for the World together with the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) has launched a Call to Action to fund Disability-Inclusive Education. So far, the call has been signed up by more than 200 organizations worldwide.28

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The Right Livelihood Award (2017). “2017 Right Livelihood Award Laureates Create Real Change for Millions of People,” 1st December, press release. Accessed on 24th May 2019. Available at https://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/ media/2017-right-livelihood-award-laureates-create-real-change-for-millionsof-people/ International Disability and Development Consortium (2018). “Call to invest in disability-inclusive education.” Accessed on 20th March 2019. Available at https://www.light-for-the-world.org/call-invest-disability-inclusive-education

I would like to thank Marianne Fobel, Light for the World’s Communications Manager, for the organization of interviews with Yetnebersh Nigussie, Dr Amir Bedri and Sabine Rehbichler. Contact Information: Website: https://www.light-for-the-world.org/ E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: @LFTWInternational Tel: +4318101300

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