Arcadia Foundation

The following was originally published in Zambia Reports, penned by Nse Udoh is a Contributing Journalist at the online magazine:

Wherever top Nigerian actor Nkem Owoh maybe at the moment, he should not be shocked when he hears that he has a replica that is giving him serious competition in Zambia.

Owoh’s stage name of Ukwa is perhaps the most trending in Zambian bars and Internet blogs. Why, you may ask? In most Nigerian films that he has starred in, Ukwa is this no-nonsense and highly unpredictable character who rants and moans at everything and anything. He possesses a character that combines humour, a clear lack of understanding of what’s going on around him, and regularly displays of volatility, sarcasm and illiteracy to get his way around things.

Watching him when he is at his best—which he usually is—is simply hilarious. But Ukwa can also be excruciating to watch, as he fails to draw a line between serious issues and all the joking around to make the audience laugh. Zambians have their own version of Ukwa—President Michael Sata, a nickname which was originally bestowed upon him by now his best friends in the media at The Post, Zambia’s highest selling newspaper.

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Historically, development was a promise all too often given in the nation with the fourth largest oil reserves in the world. From the federal level on down to the state to state, electricity was and in many cases is lacking throughout Nigeria and infrastructural progression is often subtly put on the political backburner.

Then there is the case of Akwa Ibom State.

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Sir Richard Branson last night denied a report in a leaked US embassy cable that he bankrolled a diplomatic effort to sweeten the exit of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, writes Alex Duval Smith in the Independent.

A confidential memo released by Wikileaks says that in July 2007, Branson was due to hold a secret meeting with South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela and other senior African statesmen to discuss persuading President Mugabe, now 87, to step down.

The initiative is said in the cable to have been brokered by Zimbabwean politician Jonathan Moyo, but never came to fruition. Last night Sir Richard Branson’s office acknowledged that he had been approached by Mr Moyo to discuss ”ways to broker a peaceful reconciliation in Zimbabwe” but no further action was taken.

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CNN reports that Zambia’s incumbent president has bowed out with “grace and honor” today after election results showed his main challenger had won, his party said in a statement.

“The people of Zambia have spoken and we must listen,” outgoing President Rupiah Banda said on the website of his Movement for Multiparty Democracy. “The time now is for maturity, for composure and for compassion.”

Zambians voted Tuesday in the presidential election.

The incoming president, Michael Sata, will be sworn in Friday, party officials said.

Sata is the leader of the opposition Patriotic Front and a major critic of China’s investment in the nation.

Ten candidates took part in the presidential race .

The Tehran Times reports that HRW issued a statement on Monday saying the Kuwaiti government has denied the Bidun “essential documentation, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, as well as access to free government schools and legal employment opportunities.”

Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Leah Whitson said, “Like the rest of the Arab world, the Bidun have had enough and are demanding reforms the government should have made years ago.”

According to HRW, the Bidun in Kuwait live under “vulnerable” conditions and “without protection,” and the government considers them “illegal residents.”
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The World Federation of Diamond Bourses has called on members of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to resolve internal disagreements as to whether Zimbabwe should be allowed to export stones from Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond field, saying a continued deadlock is causing irreparable damage to the global industry.

In a statement, Federation President Avi Paz said Kimberley members must “take the essential and courageous decision to allow Zimbabwe to export rough diamonds from all diamond mining areas in the country, including Marange.”

Voice of America reports that Paz said the Kimberley Process has failed to end a longstanding impasse over diamonds from Marange and therefore bears responsibility for reputational damage to the diamond industry and indeed for much of the economic hardship facing Zimbabweans today.

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UN officials made a special visit to Tunisia to determine the progress of it’s recommendations involving human rights and counter-terrorism in the country. According to a report from the UN News Centre, Martin Scheinin visited the country for the first time since last January to see what human rights efforts still needs to be accomplished in the country.

An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged Tunisia’s transitional Government to carry out the necessary reforms to ensure that its counter-terrorism measures comply with international human rights law.

“I call for measures against impunity to secure accountability for crimes and human rights violations committed in the name of counter-terrorism,” said Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, at the end of his five-day visit to Tunisia. Read Full Paper

Ugandan Parliament was a beehive of activity yesterday as new MPs, including Arcadia Foundation Co-Founder Betty Bigombe, began taking their oath of office, ahead of the official opening of the second multiparty Parliament on Thursday.

At least 123 ‘fresh’ MPs were sworn-in including Lubaga North MP Singh Katongole Marwaha whose election was shrouded in controversies. While Mr Marwaha was supposed to be sworn-in today, authorities in Parliament said Mr Singh had requested to take his oath ahead of time.

While Mr Singh said he was going to travel, there was speculation that he could have been favoured for fear of an impending court injunction to block his swearing- in because of the tumult surrounding the vote-recount that gave him the ‘victory’.

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As AllAfrica reports, to run a democratic government in Nigeria is very expensive but the people that run the government determine the political system. In the recent past, the Federal Government has been bedeviled with high- profile corruption which emanated from the military interregnum but has continued under the civilian government. Yet, corruption undermines everything the law enforcement community works toward. It impoverishes whole communities and threatens the safety and security of the many for the benefit of a very few.

Corruption is a multifaceted phenomenon supported by different historical and socio-economic conditions in each country. It exists at all levels of society. Although in the past it could have been considered a largely domestic issue, corruption now often transcends national boundaries. Its consequences are global; its hidden costs immense.

The private sector has responded by implementing ethics and compliance standards and regulations, while the public sector benefits from the ratification of recent laws and international conventions. Oversight bodies and mechanisms have been created to ensure the smooth running of efforts in both sectors. Corruption remains rampant in many countries, continuing to siphon off valuable resources and economic gains. Read Full Paper

Zimbabwean journalists marking World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday in Harare told Information Minister Webster Shamu the country must open up its airwaves and repeal repressive laws under which Zimbabwe remains a difficult working environment.

VOA reports that journalists attending the event organized by the new Zimbabwe Media Commission said that while there has been some improvement on the print side with the licensing of independent dailies, they still feel targeted by authorities for reporting the truth.

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