By Ray Maota -International Nelson Mandela Day 2011 was recently launched in Johannesburg, with a panel of tertiary students at the event expressing their views on what the celebration means to them. The UN-recognised day was launched at the premises of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg, on 23 May. Mandela Day was first introduced on 18 July 2009, the former president’s birthday, to encourage people to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to make the world a better place. The date was internationally recognised by the UN in November of the same year. The slogan for this... Continue Reading
By Correspondent Chinyere Ogbonna – Suspected members of radical islamist sect, Boko Haram on Friday 27 May, attacked a Police station in Borno state, Northeast Nigeria with explosives and assault rifles killing at least 13 people including civilians. According to the Police Command in the state, the attackers detonated explosives and opened fire on the Divisional Police Headquarters in Damboa, South of Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria. They also attacked a nearby bank and Police Barracks in the neighbourhood.The State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar blamed Boko Haram, a radical sect whose members have been responsible for almost daily killings in... Continue Reading
By Mike van Graan – On the subject of the cultural boycott of Swaziland, our position is informed by our work across the African continent as a network of creative practitioners, cultural workers, activists, creative enterprises and NGOs active in the creative sector and its contribution to development, democracy and human rights on the continent. With 22 national chapters and a further 8 nascent chapters in all five African regions, Arterial Network operates as an independent, civil society movement precisely because of the experience of arts practitioners across the continent of governments that are notoriously unsympathetic to freedom of creative... Continue Reading
Remember this name: Carl Joshua Ncube! He is Zimbabwe’s most exciting new find in stand up comedy will begun his first ever world tour “Carl Joshua Ncube’s BIG ANNOUNCEMENT on May 12 2011. Hot on the heels of a sold out National tour, this ground-breaking, hugely anticipated first-of-its-kind journey, will see the Bulawayo born son take Brand Zimbabwe through to 37 different cities around the world. Kick-starting in the city of his birth on May 12, he returns to Harare with a final show on August 26. In between, a host of special events are scheduled for Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria,... Continue Reading
Judge Khalida Rachid Khan (Pakistan) has been elected President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda effective from 27 May 2011 for a period of two years. Judge Khan, who is presiding Judge of Trial Chamber III, has been Vice-President of the Tribunal since 21 May 2007. She replaces Judge Dennis Byron (St. Kitts and Nevis), former President of the Tribunal since 21 May 2007, whose tour of duty expires on 26 May 2011. Judge Byron has been elected Vice-President. Judge Khan has been a judge at the Tribunal since August 2003. Prior to joining the Tribunal, she... Continue Reading
