afronews 12 september 2011

8/4/2019 AfroNews 12 September 2011

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0784 606 [email protected]

No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011 I Tel. 020 7300 7320; 020 7300 7321; 07846062331 I Email: [email protected]

Deportee removal staffunprofessional and racist

www.foreignersinuk.co.uk

Get your latest immigration news on

Your news, your guides, your concerns, your beauty, your recipes, your people.

This one is all about you !

page 7

THE GUIDE

RedundancyHow to protectyourself againstunfair dismissal

page 13

New book celebrateseveryday blackheroes in Britain

Mets newcampaign

targets streetrobbery

page 4

Ann Akin is thegirl to watch

Ms. Frances Mensah Williams addresses need for positive rolemodels for young Black Britons in her Everyday Heroes:Learning from the Careers of Successful Black Professionals

pages 10 - 11

Congolese musiciansrecord an LP tobenefit Oxfam

page 17page 6

FREE PRESS

IPCC: Investigation intoSmiley Cultures deathnot yet finalized

Merlin: Family ready to take case to European courtspage 3

TheWESTERNUNIONname,logoand relatedtrademarksandservicemarks,ownedby WesternUnionHoldings,Inc.,are registeredand/orusedinthe U.S.andmanyforeign countriesandareused withpermission.

Send money around the world and across the UK.


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2 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu

AFRONEWS | My Own Media Ltd. The Old Fire Staton, 140 Tabernacle Street, London, EC2A 4SD, United Kingdom | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Stephen Ogongo Ongong'a | TEL: +44 (0)207300 7320 or +39 06 94354517 |Fax: 0207 253 23 06 | Email: [email protected] | CONTRIBUTORS: Chinwe Ojielo, Amanda Hall-Davis, Joseph Spencer, Pauline Long &Frances Mensah Williams | ADVERTISING: TEL: 020 7300 7320; 07846062331 | Email: [email protected] | DISTRIBUTION: Citpost Direct Distributon Ltd, London | Email:[email protected] | PRINTING PRESS: Newsfax Ltd, London. | Advertser and advertsing agency assume liability for all content (including text representaton, illustratons,and photographs) of advertsements printed or posted, and also assume responsibility for any claims arising there from made against the publisher | Supplement ofAfrica News,

Registered at the Tribunal of Rome. Registraton No. 22/2003 - 21-01-2003

Owusu-AnkomahsMicrocron Kusum exhibition at October Gallery

October Gallery willexhibit new works by the

renowned artist Owusu-Ankomah from 15thSeptember to 29th October2011.

Born in Sekondi, Ghana, in 1956,Owusu-Ankomah pursued studies inFine Arts at Ghanatta College inAccra before moving to Bremen,Germany where he now lives andworks.

His charged paintings on canvasdepict an alternate world whereinmonumental human figures hiscore motif are shown movingwithin an ocean of signs that sur-round, support and, in fact, definethem.

The way in which these figures

coexist and interact with varioussymbolic sets has developed throughdistinct phases over time, reflectingOwusu-Ankomahs own journey ofspiritual discovery.

His early work drew heavily onthe ancient traditions of African rock-painting and masquerade, before his fig-ures shed their masks and body paintingsto become unashamedly visible. Finally,naked and powerful, these eloquent actorsbecame covered in scripts of complexsymbols that, in a studied trompe loeileffect, camouflage their finely sculptedbodies against alternating backgrounds ofrelevant and significant signs.

Using a palette of new colours, Owusu-Ankomahs latest work further develops

these possibilities, adding further visualsigns of his own invention to the custom-ary lexicon of adinkra symbols, each rep-resenting a particular concept used by theAkan-speaking peoples of Ghana. In thesame Akan language kusum refers to sacredsites involved in the secret performancesof mystery rites. Owusu-Ankomah extendshis visual explorations in novel directionsby developing innovative symbols, such asthe Microcron the circle of shining orbssignifying universes inside universes.

This uniquesymbolic logic

yokes togetherancient tradi-tions of secretk n o w l e d g ewith currents p e c u l a t i o nabout the mys-terious natureof realityderived fromt h e o r e t i c a lphysics, whichpredicts theparallel coexis-tence of multi-d i m e n s i o n a luniverses with-in a single mul-tiverse. To

illustrate quitehow mysteri-ous such hid-den knowledgecan become,O w u s u -

Ankomah points to the existence of infor-mation amongst the Dogon people of Maliwhose traditional veneration of the dog-star Sirius (the brightest star in the sky atnight) includes awareness of its smalldense companion.

The actual existence of Sirus B, a hotand highly dense, dwarf, companion star,was only confirmed by modern astrono-mers using a large 18 telescope in 1862.Today, the question remains as to how theDogon people, unencumbered by advanced

technologies, could have known of theirsacred stars binary companion, since it

has always been, and still remains today,completely invisible to the naked, humaneye.

These and other mysteries are embed-ded in the symbolic web of messages both secret and exoteric which beguilethe inhabitants of these marvellously paint-ed worlds. The same iconic glyphs encap-sulate, for those who strive to deciphertheir concealed meanings further, Owusu-Ankomahs musings on the wonders ofthis mysterious world replete with secretsigns and alive with hidden meanings.

WHERE ACTION IS

Fashions Finest London FashionWeek Shows feature emergingand established designers

Fashions Finest LondonFashion Week off scheduleshow is coming up on 17thand 18th September at TheWestbury Hotel and JewelPiccadilly respectively.

The Fashions Finest LondonFashion Week shows are the mostpopular and sought after off schedule

shows for designers during LondonFashion Week.

They are renowned for discoveringnew talents and giving opportunities tothose who would not normally be ableto afford to participate at LondonFashion Week.

The shows attract press, buyers andfashionistahs from around the worldwho want to see the new trends beingdeveloped by the featured designers.

The shows are aimed at brand new

or emerging designers as well as estab-lished designers who want to use themas a platform to either launch them-selves or their brand new collections.

The Shows on 17th September willfeature new and emerging and interna-tional designers who have been estab-lished for more than nine months andhave already done at least one fashionshow.

On 18th September, the Shows willfeature new UK based designers whohave been existing for less than ninemonths and generally have never fea-tured in a major fashion show before.

Fashions Finest Shows are pro-duced and choreographed by MahoganyEvents. For further information andtickets, please log on to http://www.f a s h i o n s f i n e s t . c o m / i n d e x .php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=1

Thames Tunnel Millwill open its doors to acontemporary art exhibi-tion in a range of stylesand media; painting,drawing, sculpture, pho-tography sculpture andmore featuring inspiringart by new talented art-ists.

Thames Tunnel Mill is aGrade II listed building, 19th

century flour mill sitting on theRiver Thames in London.

The 5th Art At the Mills is acommunity event and there willalso be an open air market placeselling art and refreshments.There will also be art and poetryworkshops for children.

The exhibition takes placeduring Open House Weekend.Many local historic buildingswill be opening their doors dur-

ing the duration of the exhibi-tion including film studio andarchives, St Marys Church andBrunel Museum.

Artists exhibiting willinclude Zita Holbourne,Antonietta Torsiello Imaging,Angela Forbes, Andrew Harryand founder and director of ArtAt The Mills, RicardoMandarino.

Community art exhibition

at Thames Tunnel Mill

Owusu-Ankomah, Microcron - Kusum No.1, 2011. Acrylic oncanvas, 135 X 170 cm.

Photo Copyright Joachim Fliegner. Image Courtesy October Gallery London

Exhibition dates: 15th September

29th October 2011Venue: October Gallery, 24 OldGloucester Street, LondonWC1N 3ALTelephone: 020 7242 7367

Opening hours: Tuesday Saturday 12.30 - 5.30pmCourtyard caf: Tuesday

Friday 12.30 - 2.30pm Admission: Freewww.octobergallery.co.uk

Nearest tubes: Holborn/RussellSquare

Buses: 19, 25, 38, 55, 168 and188

OWUSU-ANKOMAH:MIRCROCRON KUSUM

17th September at 10:0018th September at 17:00Thames Tunnel Mill,113 Rotherhithe Street,

Rotherhithe, London2 minutes walk fromRotherhithe Tube Station,next door to the famousMayflower Pub

ART AT THE MILLS


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3No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euCOMMUNITY

IPCC: Investigation into SmileyCultures death not yet finalized

Merlin: Family ready to take case to European courtsThe recent article in The

Guardian regarding investigationinto the death of David Emmanuel,popularly known as SmileyCulture, was not based on thefull investigation report, which isnot yet finalized, IndependentPolice Complaints Commission(IPCC) has said.

The article was based on a private let-ter updating Merlin Emmanuel about theprogress of the IPCC investigation into hisuncles death, IPCC said.

The Guardian reported that Policeofficers who carried out the raid in which

the reggae star Smiley Culture allegedlystabbed himself to death are unlikely toface criminal charges, disciplinary actionor be officially questioned.

The newspaper quoted the confidentialletter to the singers family, in which MikeFranklin, commissioner of the IPCC, said:The [IPCC] investigation has identifiedaspects of the operation which were notsatisfactory, and criticisms have been madeof some of the officers actions. However,

these do not meet the threshold for miscon-duct under the police misconduct system.

Commissioner Franklin added that theIPCC has not found any evidence whichwould suggest any criminal acts werecommitted by any of the officers in thehouse.

Smiley Cultures family has stronglycriticized the officers involved in the fatalarrest of the reggae star. On the Campaignfor Justice for Smiley Culture Facebook

page, Merlin wrotethat first, Smileywas handcuffed afterfatal injury, second,there were no finger-prints on knife andthird, the officerscant explain howSmiley got into kitch-en yet it is still beingsaid that there wereno grounds to assumethe officers wereinvolved in anythingcriminal! Looks likeunless you have

CCTV, its impossibleto discipline an officer here in the UK. Weare ready to take this case to the Europeancourts if we need to.

Reacting to The Guardians report,IPCC said: Only when the Commissionerhas fully considered and agreed the inves-tigation report, will it be final and it is atthat point that he will make the decisionabout whether or not it should be referredto the CPS.

All the evidence gathered during theinvestigation will be heard by a jury at theinquest into Smiley Cultures death, IPCCsaid. At the inquest, the police officerswill give evidence in public and Mr.Emmanuels familys representatives willhave the opportunity to cross examinethem. We will not risk prejudicing thatprocess, IPCC said.

By Stephen Ogongo Ongonga

Only when the Commissioner hasfully considered and agreed the

investigation report, will it be finaland it is at that point that he willmake the decision about whetheror not it should be referred to the

CPS

Independent Police ComplaintsCommission


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4 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu COMMUNITY

Mets new campaigntargets street robbery

A new campaign by theMetropolitan PoliceService (MPS) is urgingLondoners to take care oftheir valuables when outand about.

The awareness campaignlaunched on 5th September isaimed at helping reduce streetcrime. To support the campaign1,000 officers and communitysupport officers (PCSOs) willengage with school children

across London as they start theirnew school year.

While overall crime in Londoncontinues to fall, there has been arecent rise in street robbery. Themain factors for this yearsincrease are a rise in the theft ofhigh-value smart phones and dig-ital media players and gold jewel-lery robberies, where stolenchains and necklaces are beingsold for cash through the second-hand market - largely driven bythe high value of gold.

To coin-cide with thenew academ-

ic year the

MPS will bes u p p o r t i n gc h i l d r e n ,e s p e c i a l l yyear sevenpupils juststarting sec-ondary schoolto advise themon how tokeep safe. As11-year oldsstart their newschools theyare often mak-ing longer

journeys orhave newphones. At

this time ofyear Met saidthey have pre-viously seen

an increase in the numberof young people (11-16)whose mobile phones arestolen after leaving school.

Until half-term (Friday21st October) some 1,000police officers and PCSOswill be deployed each dayspecifically to protectyoung people as they maketheir way home from schoolor college. They will pro-vide a visible presence out-side schools, in and aroundtransport hubs and on busesto reassure young people,give them tips on how tokeep safe, and letting them

know about SAFE: theMPSs youth website.We take street crime

very seriously, saidAssistant CommissionerIan McPherson, head ofMPS Territorial Policing. Beingrobbed can be a traumatic experi-ence and so tackling it is a keypriority for us and we are doingeverything we can throughenforcement, education and pre-vention to address it.

The Met is asking the public totake basic precautions to helpminimise the chance of streetrobbery happening. When youare out, where possible try tokeep any valuables hidden. Smart

phones and media players arebecoming must-have items formany people - that includes crim-inals too. They simply see these

items as cash, AC McPhersonsaid. Many robberies happenwhen people check their phones

just after leaving a train or under-ground station, or when they aregoing about their business andmay be distracted. Young peopletoo, especially secondary school-aged children are also targeted -usually after school by otheryoung people.

Londoners are advised to keepa record of their phones IMEInumber: its unique referencenumber. To find out the IMEInumber type in *#06# and it willdisplay the 15-digit number,which can then be registered at

www.immobilise.comAC McPherson added: As

well as taking care where youtake out your valuables, we urgeowners of smart phones, MP3players and tablets to record theIMEI number and register it atimmobilise.com. We also adviseowners to lock their devices, andutilise existing and freely avail-able GPS tracking and locationapps. These actions can help usfind the phone if stolen as well asarresting the person who stoleit.

For more information or adviceon how to keep safe visit www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention

Conference on Africancontribution to scienceand inventions

Most people dont knowmuch about the contribu-tions Africans have madeto science and inventions.Most scientific books men-tion nothing or very littleat best about the Africaneffort in this area.

You are invited to a special

event in London where speakerswill explode the myth that Africaand Africans contributed no realvalue to human development.

Leading scientists, engineers,inventors and historians willshow in detail via presentation,debate and audio visual demon-strations, the Africancontribution pre trans-atlantic slave trade andcolonization of Africa,during slavery, thepresent contributionsby Africans andAfricas role in the21st Century.

It is advisable tobook early. Speakers atthe event include: Dr.Mark Richards, DJ andLecturer in theDepartment of Physics,

Imperial College

London; Leeroy Brown, winnerof the Inventor Consumer Awardat the BBCs Tomorrows WorldAwards; and Michael Williams,engineer, publisher and author ofthe best-selling book seriesBlack Scientists and Inventors.

As well as taking care where you

take out your valuables, we urgeowners of smart phones, MP3

players and tablets to record theIMEI number and register it atimmobilise.com. We also advise

owners to lock their devices, andutilise existing and freely avail-

able GPS tracking and locationapps. These actions can help us

find the phone if stolen as well asarresting the person who stole it

Assistant Commissioner IanMcPherson,

Head of MPS TerritorialPolicing

The Science Museums DanaCentre165 Queens GateSouth Kensington

London, SW7 5HDThursday 22nd September 2011Time: 6:30pm to 9pmCost: 4.99To book: call 020 7942 4040 ore-mail [email protected]

www.bispublications1.blogspot.com

AFRICAN CONTRIBUTION TOSCIENCE AND INVENTIONS

You are advised to make it harder for thieves by taking somebasic measures like not having your jewellery on show

The Mens Room ishosting two workshopson What your man isnttelling you in Londonand Birmingham.David Murrow, authorof Why Men HateGoing to Church, willbe presenting on thishot topic.

They are for women whowould like to enhance theirunderstanding of communi-cation with men. The eventsare suitable for women whoare single, married, widowedor divorced. The minimumage entry is 16. FreeAdmission.

For more information

please contact Sylburn McLeanabout London workshop on

07956 982659 or Matthew Ebofor Birmingham workshop on07762 171916.

What your man isnt telling you

The Mens Roomhosts workshops forwomen about men

Workshop in London15th September 20117:45 pm to 9:30 pmVenue: Tubbs Road, Harlesden,

London.

Workshop in Birmingham18th September 20116:30 pm to 8:15 pmVenue: Mansfield Road,

Birmingham, B6 6DB.

WHAT YOUR MAN ISNTTELLING YOU


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5No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu

IPCC rejects report that officercleared of shooting Mark Duggan

A report by The Times indicat-ing that an officer has beencleared of shooting Mark Dugganis wrong, misleading and irre-sponsible, Deborah Glass,Deputy Chair, Independent PoliceComplaints Commission (IPCC)has said.

Duggan, 29,

was shot dead bypolice inTottenham on4th August. Alocal protestover his deathtriggered fournights of rioting,which spreadacross England.His funeral tookplace on 9thSeptember.

The circum-stances of thedeath of MarkDuggan are sub-

ject to an ongo-ing investigation

that is far from reaching any conclusions.We have a team of dedicated investigatorsworking on the enquiry, who are followingnumerous leads including examiningCCTV, and we are still appealing for fur-ther witnesses. Forensics tests are continu-ing and we have commissioned scientificexperts to inform our investigation,

Commissioner Glass said.

Contrary to the report byThe Times, Commissioner Glasssaid that IPCC is in regularcontact with Mr. Duggans fam-ily, adding that there was con-siderable contact between theIPCC and the family in the daysfollowing the shooting.

Commissioner Glass said thepublic will not get answers frompartial and inaccurate reporting,but through the evidence fromour investigation being tested -and challenged - in a publicforum before a jury in a criminalor coroners court - which willhappen in this case. I understandthe frustration that this is alengthy process, but I wouldurge people not to rush to judg-ment until they see and hear theevidence for themselves.

Shaun Hall, the late Duggansbrother has said he is not confi-dent at all that the IPCC willestablish what had happened,BBC reported.

OBV

COMMUNITY

Asylumseeker jailed

for fraudAn asylum seeker fromRwanda who earned over100,000 while workingillegally, has been jailedfor 11 months.

Betty Mugambi was jailed atBirmingham Crown Court on30th August 2011 following aninvestigation by the UK BorderAgency. Mugambi, 32, of SabellRoad, Smethwick also pocketedover 16,000 in benefits by pre-tending to be a penniless asylumseeker.

She entered the UK in 2002and claimed asylum but her claimwas refused and she was barredfrom employment. Mugambiclaimed to be destitute andreceived 10,199.16 in asylumsupport benefits from February2003 until November 2003. Thissupport was stopped when herasylum claim was refused.

After her asylum claim wasturned down, Mugambi abscond-ed and stayed in the country as anillegal immigrant. She used afalse identity and false NationalInsurance number to gain illegalemployment with SaltsHealthcare, Richard Street, Aston,Birmingham. She worked for thecompany as a stores assistant and

a team leader from June 2003

until November 2010earning 96,258.54.

While workingfor Salts Healthcare,Mugambi was also employed as acare assistant by Leonard CheshireDisability between April 2007and October 2009. She used afalse French passport and a falseNational Insurance number toobtain this employment whereshe earned 8,342.79.

In March 2010, whilst work-ing for Salts Healthcare, Mugambitold the UK Border Agency thatshe was destitute and received a

further 6,102.65 in asylum sup-port. She could not be removedfrom the country at that pointbecause she made further repre-sentations about her asylum claimwhich the UK Border Agency hadto consider.

Mugambi was arrested byWest Midlands Police inNovember 2010 after attemptingto cash a cheque for 1,868.12from HM Revenue and Customs.This was a tax rebate followingher employment with Salts. Sheused a forged driving licencewhen trying to cash the cheque.

After her arrest UK BorderAgency officers launched aninvestigation along with West

Midlands Police.

On 27th April 2011 Mugambiwas charged with five fraud andidentity offences and on 2ndAugust 2011 she pleaded guilty atBirmingham Crown Court to allfive charges.

On 30th August she was sen-tenced at Birmingham CrownCourt to eight months imprison-ment for obtaining a pecuniaryadvantage by deception andobtaining property by deception;two months imprisonment fortwo counts of fraud by false rep-resentation and one month impris-onment for possession of falseidentity documents.

The judge ruled that Mugambishould serve half of the total sen-tence of 11 months in custodyand half on licence.

Carol Mills, asylum fraudinvestigator, UK Border Agency,said: As this case shows, we willnot hesitate to prosecute foreignnationals that break our lawsstealing thousands of poundsfrom the public purse.

We will track down, prose-cute and seek to deport thosewho, like Ms Mugambi, abusetheir right to be here.

HIV and sexual healthcharity Terrence HigginsTrust (THT) is launch-ing a free course inBirmingham to helplocal people living withHIV take control of theirhealth. The course beginson Thursday 22ndSeptember at 11:00am atthe ABplus drop-in cen-tre on Lower EssexStreet, and runs eachThursday for sevenweeks.

The Positive Self

Management Programme(PSMP) will be delivered bytrained tutors, with each ses-sion lasting two and a halfhours. Over the seven weekcourse, participants will meetothers with HIV from theircommunity, build supportmechanisms, and develop selfconfidence to help them feelmore in control.

Course topics include theimportance of taking HIV med-ication, relaxation techniques,healthy eating, managingfatigue, and planning for thefuture.

HIV remains the UKs fast-est growing serious health con-

dition. The most recent figuresfrom the Health ProtectionAgency show that, in 2009, 477people were newly diagnosedwith HIV in the West Midlandsarea, and 4,141 people neededHIV care in the region, an 11%increase on the previous year.

Mick Mason, RegionalManager for THT in theMidlands, said: Getting diag-nosed with HIV is a life-chang-ing event, and we know manypeople struggle to cope. ThePositive Self ManagementProgramme aims to give peoplethe tools and techniques to

manage their condition better,by providing information andadvice but also simply by put-ting participants in touch withother people living with HIV.We are really pleased we cannow offer this programme inBirmingham, and wed encour-age anyone who is affected byHIV to sign up.

The course will take placeat the ABplus drop-in centre,29-31 Lower Essex St,Birmingham B5 6SN. For fur-ther information, or to book aplace, please call THT inBirmingham on (0121) 6946440, or email [email protected].

THT launches course tosupport HIV-positivepeople in Birmingham

HomeOffice

The circumstances of the deathof Mark Duggan are subject to anongoing investigation that is farfrom reaching any conclusions.

We have a team of dedicatedinvestigators working on theenquiry, who are following

numerous leads including exam-ining CCTV, and we are still

appealing for further witnesses.Forensics tests are continuing

and we have commissioned scien-tific experts to inform our investi-

gation

Deborah Glass,Deputy Chair, Independent

Police Complaints Commission

The late Mark Duggan


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6 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu COMMUNITY

Ann Akin is the girl to watchPlaywright, actress, director

and producer Ann Akin is the oneto watch. With a sold out playConversations With Love writ-ten, choreographed and directed

by this young star, she is defi-nitely going places. Pauline Longcaught up with her to find outabout her journey to success.

You started off as an actress from the age of 13, appearing in several popularproductions including Eastenders andThe Butterfly at the Royal Albert Hall.Tell us more about your journey.

I started training when I was 13 yearsold. I had a friend at school who attendedSaturday classes at Sylvia Young and shetold me to go along with her. Thats themoment when I actually remember makingthe decision that I wanted to be a perform-

er but I feel as though from that moment,thats what Ive always been and alwayspursued. I had an unwavering view from avery young age that I was going to be noth-ing but a performing artist but not with an

aggressive approach, it was a matter of factapproach. I just didnt think that I would orcould be anything else. So after I attendedSylvia Young, I did dance GCSE and wenton to do Musical Theatre at the BRIT

School. After BRIT I no longer wanted tostudy so I took two years out and gotinvolved in as many projects as I could. Itwas during these two years that I set up mydance company, Divine Teknique with myyounger brother. I then went on to do adegree in Media Performance and also apost graduate in Acting. But I would workprofessionally as well as study whenever Icould in a variety of projects. The thingabout acting is its at times mystifyinglydifficult and it was and still is important tome to learn my craft.

You and other talented personalities formed the Vintage Star Productionscompany. Why did you decide to go downthis route at such a young age?

I formed Vintage Star with my veryclose friend Catherine Ashton mainlybecause we were slightly frustrated withwaiting. The joy andpain of this industry that Ilove so much is its allvery dependent on timingand Catherine and I justdecided that the time wasnow to take our career

into our ownhands and try tonavigate it our-selves. But in allhonesty we

never imaginedthat things wouldhave taken offthe way that theyhave in such ashort space oftime.

Your latestp r o d u c t i o nConversationsWith Love sold out at Soho Theatre

three nights in a row. How did it feel anddid you expect that?

To say that I feel over-whelmed is an immenseunderstatement. Im justso surprised! But equally

so happy and just soproud. Ive never been awriter or maybe the bestway to describe it is Ivenever pursued a writingcareer or tapped into thatside of my mindset.Everything that I havewritten before now hasbeen in private. Ivealways and still do seemyself as an actress/danc-er/choreographer so tohave such a great responseto something that I wrotereally does blow my mind.I completely did notexpect people to receive

the piece in the way thatthey have. I guess itsbecause its so honest.Whenever I have writtenthings in the past, itsalways been my unre-served feelings about acertain situation and Iapplied the same approachwhen writing this play.

What reviews did itreceive?

We received a 5 starreview written by KejiDalemo for afridiziak.com theatre news afterseeing the show at Soho.

She described the piece asthe best piece of art everand this left me tearfuland stunned. She

described my writing as simply divineand for someone who reluctantly receivesthe title playwright this made me so proud.Its honestly the most overwhelminglyamazing ride that I have been on. JeremyKingston from The Times also referred tothe piece as A fascinating all-women per-formance of dance and voice after seeing

it at The Lost Theatre. Jeremy wrote: AnnAkins expert choreography and directionof her cast of seven brought variations inthe tone, mood and movement.

When is it back in the theatre?

At this very moment I am unsure whenConversations With Love will be back inthe theatre but I doubt it will be a longwait. So watch this space!

You have this amazing talent and youare taking other people with you by pro-viding opportunities through your com-

pany Vintage Stars, but what about thefunding?

In all honesty we have somehow man-aged to get this far without any funding.Catherine and I have funded it ourselveswhich has been difficult but we have alsocalled in a lot of favours and managed toget stuff for free, like our rehearsal spacefor example. Id say that funding is themain thing that is holding us back as acompany. At times the demand for time

and effort put in the company and the playhas far outweighed the ability for me towork a day job. This is a sacrifice that Ihave willingly made but it does at timeshave an affect on my living. Catherine andI have so many goals for where we wantthis company and play to go but as youknow it does cost money. Wed love to beable to start paying our in-house companyactors and also production team of musi-cians, etc. Now that there is a slight calmin the Vintage Star storm, funding is thenext thing that we are going to work hardto obtain.

What are you planning next afterConversations With Love?

I really would love for Conversations

With Love to have a longer run and this iswhat I am now going to work towards. I doalso have so many ideas for the piece thatI have not been able to develop due to thepace at which everything has happened soId love to work on all of these ideas. Thenext step is to develop the piece and also toget it on again for a longer run. Seeingwhat we, as a company, have achieved sofar I know that this is attainable.

By Pauline Long

Pauline Longs Celebrity CornerTHE AFRONEWS

To be featured here, please drop anemail to: [email protected] or

[email protected].

+44(0)7704193590

I really would love forConversations With Loveto have a longer run and

this is what I am now goingto work towards. I do alsohave so many ideas for thepiece that I have not beenable to develop due to thepace at which everything

has happened so Id love towork on all of these ideas.The next step is to developthe piece and also to get it

on again for a longer run.Seeing what we, as a com-pany, have achieved so far Iknow that this is attainable

Ms. Ann Akin,Playwright, actress, dancer

and choreographer

http://www.theafronews.eu/black-community/blog

Get latest new sabout and from

the Black Communityin the UK on

www.facebook.com/VintageStarProductions

VINTAGE STAR PRODUCTIONSLINK


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7No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euCURRENT AFFAIRS

Deportee removal staffunprofessional and racist

A new report by theChief Inspector of Prisonshas revealed that force orrestraint was used unnec-essarily during removalof immigration detaineesto Nigeria and Jamaica.The report also showedthat some staff demon-strated an unacceptablyunprofessional attitude.

Most escorts dealt sensitively

with detainees, but some wereunacceptably unprofessional, saidNick Hardwick, Chief Inspectorof Prisons.

Inspectors accompanied aremoval by the UK of 35 detain-

ees to Jamaica and 53 detaineesto Nigeria, as well as reviewingrecords of three previous removalflights to both countries.

The aircraft were chartered bythe UK Border Agency (UKBA)and G4S were contracted to carryout the removals.

Collecting detainees fromimmigration removal centres andtransporting them to the airportwas generally well organized andthe escorts generally dealt sensi-

tively with the inevitable stressesand complications that arose.Where there was full use of

control and restraint, inspectorssaw generally good managementand escorts generally performed

their duties in a calm and profes-sional manner.

The inspectors were howeverconcerned to find that in somecases, staff were not properlycoordinated during potential andactual incidents, which raisedtensions. Force and restraintswere sometimes used for longerthan was necessary.

The report also revealed lackof accredited training to guideand support staff who have to useforce in confined spaces, such ason an aircraft.

During removal, some staffused highly offensive and some-times racist language between

themselves, the report showed.Staff numbers seemed excessiveat times and in some cases, proce-dures were too risk-averse.

It also emerged that therewere no arrangements to provideany advice or support to detain-ees who did not have family orother contacts in Lagos.

In the introduction to thereport, Mr. Hardwick said: Staffnumbers seemed excessive attimes but for the most part theywere well organised, calm andwent out of their way to assistdetainees. However, it was par-ticularly concerning that somestaff used unprofessional lan-guage, swearing freely, telling

offensive jokes and indulging insweeping generalisations aboutnational characteristics. The vul-nerability of detainees during theprocess of removal is not to be

taken so lightly, and the behav-iour of all staff representing UKauthorities should reflect bettertraining and higher standards. Insome cases, procedures were alsotoo uniformly risk-averse, failingto recognise the individuality ofeach detainee.

Reacting to the report,Jonathan Ellis, Director ofAdvocacy at the Refugee Councilsaid: It is unacceptable that peo-ple being returned to their owncountries are not only still beingf o r c i b l yr e s t r a i n e dunnecessarily,but also have to

put up withderogatory andoffensive behav-iour from theirescorts. Theseare humanbeings we aretalking about.

He pointedout that some ofthe people beingremoved mayhave been letdown by theasylum systemand have a gen-uine fear ofbeing returnedto their country,

and so willu n d o u b t e d l yfind this anextremely dis-tressing experi-

ence.If people have to be returned

in this way, it must be done in themost dignified, respectful andsafe way possible. The ChiefInspector of Prisons report makesa clear case for a review of theremovals process, including theuse of restraint techniques, andarrangements for people whenthey arrive back in their countriesto ensure their ongoing safety andwellbeing, Mr. Ellis added.

TUC: Its harder to find job inEastern half of London than West

Finding a job in the Easternhalf of London is harder than theWest, new TUC analysis of offi-

cial statistics has revealed.The TUC research ranks the City ofLondon and each of the 32 London bor-oughs by the ratio of Jobseekers Allowance(JSA) claimants to every Jobcentre Plus

job vacancy.In July 2011, across the capital the

average ratio was nine job seekers forevery available job, compared to a GB-widefigure of six per vacancy. Boroughs in theEastern half of the capital, includingWaltham Forest (25 job seekers for everyvacancy), Hackney (22), Lewisham (21)and Redbridge (15), had some of the high-est ratio of JSA claimants to job vacan-cies.

As the UK moves towards a newNorth-South divide, London seems to bewitnessing an East-West divide, says the

TUC. The City and West London are cur-

rently faring much better than theEast, with Kingston upon Thames(three), Westminster (three),Richmond upon Thames (four) andHillingdon (four), the best Londonboroughs in which to secureemployment as they have the low-est ratios of job seekers per avail-able job.

The TUC has analysed howthese figures have changed sincelast year (July 2010). Over the pastyear, around 50 per cent (16 out of33) of London boroughs haveexperienced an increase in thenumber of job seekers per vacancy.The Eastern half of London hasborne the brunt of this increasewith some of the highest rises seenin Waltham Forest (14.5 per cent)and Barking and Dagenham (4.6per cent).

Since July 2010 the unemployment rate

has also increased in 25 out the 33 Londonboroughs, five are unchanged and only

three London boroughs have seen their

unemployment rate drop, showing thateconomic recovery in London is still someway off.

While bankers are back poppingchampagne corks and picking up megabonuses in the City, many ordinaryLondoners are struggling to find work,TUC General Secretary Brendan Barbersaid. Ministers claim there are plenty of

jobs out there, but with more than 20 jobseekers chasing each vacancy in parts ofthe capital, there are terrible employmentblackspots that cause huge economic andsocial damage to local areas.

Mr. Barber called for strong and sus-tainable economic growth saying that it isthe only way to tackle jobs crisis. But thegovernments deep and rapid spendingcuts are jeopardising our chances of recov-ery. The Chancellor urgently needs to putforward a plan B before our economyheads back towards recession and even

more people lose their jobs.

HomeOffice

However, it was particularly con-

cerning that some staff usedunprofessional language, swearingfreely, telling offensive jokes andindulging in sweeping generalisa-tions about national characteris-

tics. The vulnerability of detaineesduring the process of removal isnot to be taken so lightly, and thebehaviour of all staff representingUK authorities should reflect bet-

ter training and higher standards.In some cases, procedures werealso too uniformly risk-averse,

failing to recognise the individual-ity of each detainee

Mr. Nick Hardwick,HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

TUC

TUC General Secretary BrendanBarber calls for strong and sustain-

able economic growth


8/20

8 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu CURRENT AFFAIRS

New Oyster system to helpcustomers pay correct fareGood news for passengers who occasionally forget to touch out

Transport for London (TfL)has introduced a new facility forOyster pay as you go customerswho are occasionally overchargedwhen they forget to touch out atthe end of their Tube, DLR,Overground or National Rail

journey.

Under Oyster terms and conditions,customers who do not touch out to com-plete their journey are charged the maxi-mum Zone 1-6 fare.

But the new system will record thejourney a passenger usually takes so that ifa passenger occasionally fails to touch inand out, it will calculate their likely jour-ney and charge the appropriate fare.

A refund of the difference will then beprovided and can be picked up when thecustomer next uses their regular station.

Refunds will only be provided where itis possible for the system to make an accu-rate assumption of where the journey waslikely to have begun and ended.

Registered Oyster customers who havesupplied their details will receive an emailto let them know that the refund has beenmade. TfL said this also acts as a furtherreminder of the importance of alwaystouching in and out to validate journeys.

Around 1,500 customers a day arealready benefitting from the new system.

Only journeys that have been startedand are missing the touchout at the end ofthe journey are eligible for completion bythe new system. It is intended to helppeople who occasionally forget to touchout and therefore the system only operatesonce a month for each Oyster card.

Station ticket offices and the Oysterhelpline will continue to offer passengersan alternative means of resolving incom-plete journeys that are not addressed bythis system.

Shashi Verma, TfLs Director of Fares& Ticketing, said: Oyster is the transportticket of choice for most Londoners, andthe vast majority of customers use it cor-

rectly and are charged the right fare fortheir journeys.

A small minority of rail journeys how-ever are still not being touched in and outcorrectly and are being charged maximumfares. We dont want to penalise customerswho normally touch in and out for occa-sionally forgetting, so, for such customers,we are looking at ways of correcting jour-neys that have been left open without afinal touch at the destination.

TransportforLondon2005

MAC proposes further curbson non-EU migrant workers

The Shortage OccupationList should be revised torestrict migrants from out-side the European EconomicArea to a smaller proportionof occupations within the UKlabour market, the MigrationAdvisory Committee (MAC)has advised the Government.

The MAC recommends the list be

reduced to cover 190,000 employees[not migrants] or well under one percent of the UK workforce. In 2008,before the MAC recommendedchanges to it, that list covered overone million employees.

The occupations in the list are theonly positions open to migrants fromoutside the European Economic Areaunder the shortage occupation routeof Tier 2 of the Points Based Systemand Tier 2 is subject to an annuallimit of 20,700.

The latest MAC recommended list pro-vides a more detailed breakdown of thesectors of the labour market affected byshortage. This has enabled the MAC toidentify individual job titles rather thanbroader occupations.

A total of 29 job titles are recommend-ed for removal from the list. They include:secondary school biology teachers; con-sultants in obstetrics and gynaecology;paediatric surgery; nuclear medicine andpaediatric dentistry; veterinary surgeons;and tutti orchestral musicians.

The 33 recommended addi-tions to the list include: consul-tants in emergency medicine;actuaries; specific roles withinthe visual effects and 2D/3Dcomputer animation for film;television and the video gamessectors; high integrity pipewelders; environmental scien-tists; and operations managersin the decommissioning areas

of the nuclear industry andgeochemists. The MAC saidthese will help to ensure theUK remains a leading globalplayer in these fields.

Although the proportionof the labour market coveredby our new recommended listis lower than before, our rec-ommendation will have only alimited impact on migrationvolumes because overall migra-

tion through Tier 2 is limited, Chairmanof the MAC, Professor David MetcalfCBE, said. However, the list is moreselective than before: it is targeted specifi-cally on those job titles where there is cur-rently a clear evidence of shortage. We

think it is vital that the government,

employers and the training sector take con-certed action to raise the skill levels of theUK workforce, especially in long-standingshortage occupation areas. This will reducethe UKs reliance on migrant workers inthe long term and provide real benefits forthe economy as a whole.

The government will consider theMACs recommendations and respond indue course.

We dont want to penalisecustomers who normally

touch in and out for occa-sionally forgetting, so, for

such customers, we arelooking at ways of correct-ing journeys that have been

left open without a finaltouch at the destination

Mr. Shashi Verma,TfLs Director of Fares &Ticketing

http://www.theafronews.eu/news/blog

Check outlatest immigration

and other news affect ingthe Black Community on:


9/20


10/20

10 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.eu COVER

The social unrest seen in theUK during the summer of 2011has brought to the fore the needfor positive role models for youngpeople from ethnic minorities.There is an urgent need to show-

case Black heroes that todaysyoung people can identify withand to highlight careers that arerealistic and achievable, saysMs. Frances Mensah Williams, awriter and careers coach with asuccessful track record of guidingBlack professionals in the UK toachieve their career aspirations.

Speaking ahead of the October launchof her new book Everyday Heroes: Learn-ing from the Careers of Successful BlackProfessionals, Ms. Mensah Williams, whois the CEO of HR and Training consultancyInterims for Development Ltd. and Editorof the leading online careers publication,ReConnect Africa.com, says: While thearguments rage on about the causes of the

summer riots, some things are self-evident.We have to reach out to those young peoplewho see no future for themselves. Insteadof just telling them what they are doing

wrong, we need to also be showing themwhat they can do right.

Everyday Heroes, she says, cameabout because young people are often un-aware of the kind of careers they can aspireto while Black youngsters, in particular,can feel intimidated about joining profes-

sions and, as a result, can end up settingtheir sights very low. Yet the truth is thatwe have so many successful Black profes-sionals in Britain who are a great resourcefrom which young people can learn.

Famous names are often cited when thequestion of Black role models arises and,according to Ms. Mensah Williams, thisis part of the problem. When it comes toblack role models, there seems to be a lim-ited range of names and occupations thatcrop up, she says. But the fact is thatrelatively few young Black people are go-ing to end up as premier league footballers,famous singers or successful athletes.

Focusing on famous Black people asrole models can prove counter-effective,agrees Henry Bonsu, a former BBC jour-nalist and now a presenter and broadcast-er with Colourful Radio and Vox Africa.This is not the first book aimed at raisingthe aspirations of African/Caribbean chil-dren, but where it differs from most is that

it takes success away from therealms of celebrity, and groundsit in the reality of those unsung

heroes all around you. So lets stop ex-pecting Trevor Macdonald, Diane Abbottor Rio Ferdinand or Lewis Hamilton toinspire our children, and point out someeveryday heroes closer to home; becausein my experience, they usually bring moresustainable results.

Everyday Heroes: Learning from theCareers of Successful Black Professionalsis a collection of interviews with 16 pro-fessionals from different careers includinglaw, accountancy, music, publishing, medi-cine, banking and architecture. In a prac-tical, easy-to-read format, the everydayheroes talk about what it takes to succeedin their careers, their own influences andthe life lessons they have learned along theway. The book also includes a number ofprojects and exercises to help readers as-sess their own skills and identify potentialcareer routes.

By shining the spotlight on what shecalls the quietly successful profession-als, Ms. Mensah Williams aims to redefinethe meaning of success for todays youthwho are bombarded with messages thatfocus on money and fame. I think it isimportant to stress that achieving successis not necessarily about being famous, butinvolves working hard and being commit-ted to doing something you really like andthat suits your skills and personality.

She adds: Young people, whatever

New book celebrateseveryday blackheroes in BritainEveryday Heroes: Learning from the Careers of Successful

Black Professionals by Frances Mensah Williams addressesneed for positive role models for young Black Britons

This is not the first book aimed at rais-ing the aspirations of African/Caribbean

children, but where it differs from most isthat it takes success away from the

realms of celebrity, and grounds it in the

reality of those unsung heroes all aroundyou. So lets stop expecting TrevorMacdonald, Diane Abbott or Rio

Ferdinand or Lewis Hamilton to inspireour children, and point out some everyday

heroes closer to home; because in myexperience, they usually bring more sus-

tainable results

Mr. Henry Bonsu,A presenter and broadcaster withColourful Radio and Vox Africa


11/20


their background or ethnic ori-gin, really need guidance to un-derstand that they can be suc-

cessful simply by understandingtheir own skills and talents andapplying them with integrityto whatever career they chooseto undertake. By reading aboutpeople in the book who look justlike them and who are workingin careers they may have felt in-timidated about considering forthemselves, my aim is for todaysgeneration of Black youngsters tonot only feel inspired but to as-pire to professions that will givethem better and more sustainableopportunities in life.

Everyday Heroes: Learningfrom the Careers of Success-ful Black Professionals (ISBN:978-0-9569175-0-8) is availablethrough www.everyday-heroes.co.uk and Amazon.

COVER

Everyday Heroes came about because youngpeople are often unaware of the kind of careersthey can aspire to while Black youngsters, inparticular, can feel intimidated about joining

professions and, as a result, can end up settingtheir sights very low. Yet the truth is that we have

so many successful Black professionals inBritain who are a great resource from which

young people can learn

Ms. Frances Mensah Williams,Author of Everyday Heroes: Learning from

the Careers of Successful Black Professionals


12/20


13/20

13No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euTHE GUIDE

Sunday 10th July saw theend of a British institution asthe News of the World, oncethe biggest selling newspa-per in the English-speakingworld, printed its last ever is-sue in a 168 year history andthen closed.

More than 200 journalists are nowout of work after being told they wo-uld receive a 90-day payment in lieuof a consultation. The National

Union of Journalists condemned thepayment, saying This outrageousmanipulation of the legal right to beconsulted on redundancies shows the

contempt that the Murdoch empire

has for its loyal staff. True to form, hebelieves he can buy his way out of hisobligations.

Although to the best of our know-ledge, this has yet to be followed upwith legal action, the National Unionof Journalists do have a very valid po-int. If more than 20 redundancies arebeing made within a 90 day period,this is known as a collective redun-dancy, in which case employmentlaw obliges companies to first consultwith representatives of the affectedstaff. This consultation must takeplace 30 days before (if more than 20redundancies are planned) or 90 daysbefore (if more than 100 redundan-cies are planned).

The consultation will normally

involve: speaking to staff directly about

why they have been selected looking at any alternatives to re-

dundancy

If this doesnt happen, the redun-dancy may be considered as unfairdismissal. Affected staff could ma-ke a complaint to an EmploymentTribunal for compensation known asa protective award. In this situ-ation, the employer is required to pay

employees their normal weeks payfor each week of a specified period,known as the protected period, re-gardless of whether or not they are

still working. To be covered by anaward, you must:

belong to a group specified inthe award

be someone your employerplans to dismiss or has already di-smissed as redundant

be someone for whom youremployer has failed to comply withthe information and consultation re-quirements

Whilst the News of the World si-tuation is quite unique, it illustrates

just how complex regulations canbe, at a time when unfortunately re-dundancies are a real risk for almostevery sector in the economy. If thisshould happen to you then we re-commend you seek specialist legaladvice at the earliest opportunity.In the meantime, here are some gu-idance notes:

What is redundancy?

Redundancy is a form of di-smissal from your job, caused byyour employer needing to reducethe workforce. Reasons could inc-lude:

new technology or a new systemhas made your job unnecessary

the job you were hired for nolonger exists

the need to cut costs means staffnumbers must be reduced

the business is closing down ormoving

Redundancy selectionsand notice periods

Your employer should use a fairand objective way of selecting peopleto make redundant. This means that itshould be evidence based rather thanyour employer just deciding who theywant to make redundant.

Normally your job must have di-sappeared for your employer to make

you redundant. However, it can stillbe a genuine redundancy if someonemoves into your job after their job di-sappears, making you redundant (cal-led bumping). This can be difficultfor your employer to justify as fair.

If your employer bases your re-dundancy selection on an unfair re-ason your redundancy will automati-cally be unfair and you may be ableto make a claim to an EmploymentTribunal for unfair dismissal.

Unfair selection

Your employer must not use per-sonal reasons for selecting you forredundancy. If they use any of thefollowing reasons to base their de-cision to make you redundant, thenthe redundancy will be automaticallyunfair and you may be able to make aclaim to an Employment Tribunal forunfair dismissal:

any reason relating to maternityleave, birth or pregnancy or any otherfamily leave, paternity leave, parentalor dependants leave

you are disabled you have transferred employers

and are protected under Transfer of

Undertakings Regulations (TUPE) your membership or non-mem-bership of a trade union

you are exercising your statu-tory rights (for example, asking fora written statement of employmentparticulars)

whistleblowing (that is, makingdisclosures about the employerswrongdoing)

taking part in lawful industrialaction lasting 12 weeks or less

taking action on health and sa-fety grounds

doing jury service you are the trusteeship of a com-

pany pension scheme

It is up to your employer which

reasons they use to select employ-ees for redundancy, as long as theycan show that they are fair. The mostcommonly used reasons are:

last in, first out (where the em-ployees with the shortest length of se-rvice are selected first)

asking for volunteers (self-selection)

disciplinary records staff appraisal markings, skills,

qualifications and experience

Sometimes an employer may usea combination of criteria, perhapsusing some kind of points system toget an overall score.

Source: Direct Gov

SPECIALUKL

EGALG

UIDERedundancy

How to protect yourselfagainst unfair dismissal

Notice Periods

The statutory redundancy notice periodsare:

at least one weeks notice if you havebeen employed between one month and twoyears

one weeks notice for each year if em-ployed between two and 12 years

12 weeks notice if employed for 12 yearsor more

These are the minimum notice periods asspecified by law. However in practice manycompanies will offer longer as part of theiragreement with you so please check your con-tract of employment for what your companyspolicy is.

Payment in lieu of notice

In some cases your employer may haveincluded a payment in lieu of notice clause inyour employment contract. This means thatyour employer can end your employment con-tract with no notice; however they must giveyou payment for all of the pay you would havereceived during the notice period. This coversbasic pay and may include other matters suchas the equivalent amount of pension contribu-tion or private health care insurance.

Information required

Your employer must inform you in wri-ting

reasons for the proposed redundancies numbers and descriptions of employees

affected proposed method of selecting the em-

ployees who may be dismissed proposed method of carrying out the di-

smissals, taking account of any agreed proce-dure, including the period over which the di-smissals are to take effect

how redundancy payments, other than thelegal minimum, will be calculated

Redundancy pay

You have the right to a lump sum redun-dancy payment if you are dismissed becauseof redundancy. The amount is related to yourage, length of continuous service with the em-ployer, and weekly pay up to a maximum. Theemployer must also provide you with a writtenstatement showing how the payment has beencalculated, at or before the time it is paid.

Source: ACAS

Disclaimer: The above article is meantto be relied upon as an informative artic-le and in no way constitutes legal advice.

Information is offered for general informa-tion purposes only, based on the current law

when the information was published in thisnewspaper


14/20

14 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euAFRICAN NEWS

Dont squander chance to build abetter South Sudan, donors advised

A coalition of 38 aidagencies has called ondonors not to squanderthe opportunity to make adifference in the lives ofthe people of South Sudan,the worlds newest nation.The call came as new vio-lence in Jonglei stateincreased emergencyneeds.

Donors are due to meet withGovernment of South Sudan offi-cials over the next coming monthsto discuss development priorities.The country is one of the poorestin the world, with half the popu-lation living below the povertyline and, after decades of brutal

war, is being built up almost fromscratch.

In a joint report, the aid agen-cies, which include Oxfam, WorldVision and the South Sudan LawSociety, said it was vital thatdonors get their priorities fortackling poverty right from thestart. The report outlines keypriorities for donors working toimprove lives in South Sudan.

Mary Kudla, Acting CountryDirector from Oxfam in SouthSudan said: The war is over, andthe struggle for independenceachieved, but the struggle toensure peace and safety for alland win the battle against extremepoverty in South Sudan is only

just beginning. Today a 15 year

girl is morelikely to die inchildbirth than

finish schooland people arestill being dis-placed fromtheir homes dueto new violence.The excitementfollowing thebirth of a nationis hard to over-state, but thedisillusionmentfollowing a fail-ure to deliverchange for thepoorest would

be equallysevere. Donorsneed to get theirpolicies onSouth Sudanright from thestart.

The reportcalls on donors

to continue to provideemergency aid to the

volatile nation andimprove their under-standing of conflictdynamics. Already thisyear, some 2, 611 peoplehave been killed in vio-lent conflicts, with tribalclashes in Jonglei Statein mid-August resultingin the deaths of at least340 people and displace-ment of 26, 800. A fur-ther 275,000 people havealready been displacedby violence this yearwhich has hinderedmuch needed agricultureand crop cultivation.

Dong Samuel Luak,Secretary-General fromthe South Sudan LawSociety said: South Sudan has acomplex mix of emergency,recovery and development needs.The country remains vulnerableto natural disasters such as floodsand drought and is still suscepti-ble to conflicts. As the recentclashes in Jonglei show, peoplestill need emergency aid.Sustained humanitarian fundingis required, along with increasedsupport for basic services andsecurity and justice provision.

The report also calls on donorsto build up the capacity of theGovernment of South Sudan, so it

is able to provide more and betterservices for its people includingeffective security and rule of lawacross the country. Governmentstructures are extremely weakand being built up from almostnothing, especially outside themain towns. The agencies saythat it will take time for South

Sudan to assume full responsibil-ity for the delivery of services.

NGOs are currently responsi-ble for the majority of basic ser-vice delivery in South Sudan,such as health, education andwater and sanitation, and its vitalthat donors continue supportingthese services as they support thegovernment to build up its capac-ity to deliver these servicesitself.

The aid agencies also urgeddonors to support agriculture andincome generating opportunitiesfor the poorest communities.

Currently only an estimated fourper cent of arable land is culti-vated, the production of livestockand fish is just a fraction of thepotential and exports and tradebetween different regions ofSouth Sudan are minimal.

Edwin Asante, ProgrammeDirector from World Vision South

Sudan said: In Western Equatoriamangos lie rotting on the groundwhile traders import juice fromneighbouring Uganda. The localfarmers association wants to buya juicing machine, but they donthave the money. Across the coun-try, there is a complete absence ofequipment and technology thatwould help South Sudanese farm-ers add value to their products.Wheat flour, maize flour, sugarand palm oil all available in abun-dance in their raw forms, areimported from neighbouringcountries. Donors could change

this and tap into South Sudansuntapped potential.The agencies also called on

donors and the government tohelp build up social protectionschemes to help the most vulner-able in South Sudan, such as cashtransfers for those prone to foodinsecurity.

Jonathan: Nigerias import policies will be stableNigerian President

Goodluck Ebele Jonathanhas assured investors that

the new policies governingimports being preparedby the EconomicManagement Team willhave a five-year tenure, toenable long-term plan-ning.

Addressing a delegation ofdirectors of the Flour MillsNigeria Plc who visited him atState House, President Jonathansaid: The policies being pre-pared by the EconomicManagement Team will have atenure of five years, so that inves-tors can plan for the long term.

He added that the policies areaimed at encouraging those inter-

ested in doing business in

Nigeria.The dele-

gation was ledby the FlourMills Nigeriachairman, Mr.G e o r g eCoumantaros.

Pres identJonathan saidonly those whohave investedin specific sec-tors will beallowed toimport theshort-fall tomeet nationalneeds. Forinstance, only those who are inlarge-scale rice or sugar produc-tion will be allowed to import rice

or sugar, on a quota to be deter-

mined by appropriateauthorities, similar to thecurrent policy in thecement sector, the

President said.

He also spoke about hiscommitment to the revival ofagriculture. Agriculture isbeing taken very seriously, wewant to revolutionize agricul-ture, he said.

President Jonathan com-mended Mr. Coumantaros forthe confidence he has inNigeria, adding that theGovernment would continueto perform its regulatory func-tions with due considerationof the interests of all parties.

Mr. Coumantaros told thePresident that his companyhad invested over $1bn insugar, flour mills, rice, soya,vegetable oil, palm kernelsand cement production inNigeria. The Flour Mills alonehad over 65,000 shareholders,

he said.

South Sudan has a complexmix of emergency, recovery anddevelopment needs. The coun-try remains vulnerable to natu-ral disasters such as floods anddrought and is still susceptible

to conflicts. As the recentclashes in Jonglei show, people

still need emergency aid.Sustained humanitarian fund-

ing is required, along withincreased support for basic ser-

vices and security and justiceprovision

Mr. Dong Samuel Luak,Secretary-General from theSouth Sudan Law Society

UN

Only those who are in

large-scale rice or sugarproduction will be allowedto import rice or sugar, ona quota to be determined

by appropriate authorities,similar to the current poli-cy in the cement sector

Nigerian PresidentGoodluck Ebele Jonathan


15/20

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16 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euCARIBBEAN NEWS

Shaw urges Private Sector tomake use of economic stability

Now that economic stability

has been secured, the productivesector must increase efforts togrow the economy through invest-ment, enhanced productivity andinnovation, Jamaicas Minister ofFinance, Hon. Audley Shaw, hassaid.

In a recent speech to the 3rd FinancialServices Commission Expo, in NewKingston, Mr. Shaw said that with the real-ization of economic stability, the time wasripe for new investments in the real econo-my.

We must give thanks, because oureconomy is stable. We must give thanks,because inflation for the first six months ofthis calendar year was two and a half per-cent, he said.

With the return of economic stabilityand enhanced investor confidence, theMinister urged investors to get back tobusiness fundamentals and re-focus onproduction and productivity and invest-ments in the real economy of the country.

He expressed gratitude that, despite thechallenges, the economy grew 1.4 percentby the end of the March quarter, and by 1.5percent at the end of June, noting that theserates were higher than the growth in the

United States over the same period.Mr. Shaw also pointed to the stability

of the exchange rate; record levels of grossinternational reserves; and the generationof new jobs, averaging up to 15,000 permonth for the period December March,2011.

He emphasized that the stable environ-ment now emerging, is critical to economicgrowth and development.

Interest rates are virtually at recordlows. The Central Bank is now recordingan interest rate of 6.5 percent, the lowestinterest rate recorded in the history of theBank of Jamaica, he said.

He observed that the downward trendin interest rates is also reflected in signifi-cant reduction in mortgage rates. We haveseen where mortgage rates are comingdown, and I took an initiative in Parliament

in April, where I virtually abolished thestamp duty on the transfer of loans, hepointed out.

Mr. Shaw said that this action hashelped to generate more competitionamong commercial banking and mortgageinstitutions.

We have seen average reduction inmortgages since that initiative of betweenfour and five percent.mortgage rates

c o m i n gfrom16 per-cent down to10 percent,he declared.

He admit-ted that chal-lenges remaini n c l u d i n gissues witht h eInternationalM o n e t a r yF u n d sS t a n d b yAgreement,with respectto the settle-ment of theseven percent

public sectorwage settle-ment, whichhas impacted negatively on the countrysMedium Term Economic Programme.

So we had to recast our projectionswithin that context, and we have to look athow we are going to accommodate it prop-erly going forward and, importantly, weare now sitting down with public sector

workers, Mr. Shaw said.We have to agree on a formula for

wage settlements, for it cannot be that youhave memoranda and memoranda over theyears and that you programme increases,but that those increases have no bearing onthe countrys capacity to pay, he said.

By JIS News

Community-based tourism can boost

employment in rural Jamaica - BartlettCommunity-based tourismhas the potential to significantlyboost employment for persons inrural Jamaica, Tourism Minister,Hon. Edmund Bartlett has said.

Addressing a recent NationalConsultation on Community-based tour-ism, in Kingston, Mr. Bartlett said thepolicy framework for the community-based tourism strategy will facilitate theprovision of a wide range of job opportu-nities in the sector.

The consultation aims to facilitatefurther dialogue among stakeholders onthe draft Community-based TourismPolicy and Strategy, which has been sub-

mitted to Cabinet for consideration.In January 2010, the Ministry ofTourism and the Jamaica SocialInvestment Fund (JSIF) signed an agree-ment for the development of a communi-ty-based tourism policy under the RuralEconomic Development Initiative (REDI)project. The project is being funded bythe Government of Jamaica and the WorldBank, through a US$15 million loan.

This will benefit and empower manyvulnerable groups, such as women, youngpeople, as well as under-skilled andunemployed individuals, the Ministernoted.

Mr. Bartlett said the policy will alsohelp to address numerous weaknesses atthe community level that have hamperedthe growth of community-based tourism

enterprises for years, such as the lack of

entrepreneurial capacity, and a limitedunderstanding of tourism markets and thesector in general.

The policy will target these short-

comings by providing appropriateapproaches to planning and managementfor such entities as well as institutionalarrangements, technical assistance andsupport, he explained.

Mr. Bartlett said that the policy andstrategy being developed under the guid-ance of the JSIF, is intended to facilitate

the development of a framework aimed at

enhancing the policy and institutionalcapacity needed to develop community-based tourism as a sustainable growth

sector locally.I must underscore that this is a vital

initiative, as despite the fact that the tour-ism sector remains the islands primaryforeign exchange earner and the drivingforce of the Jamaican economy, there isstill considerable potential for furthergrowth and development, he said.

He pointed out that trends in the

global travel market continue to indicatethat there is an increased focus amongvisitors on heritage, culture, nature andadventure-based experiences. Hence,community-based tourism should pro-vide the spring-board for further growthin the sector.

Mr. Bartlett said one of the maingoals of the policy is to ensure thatJamaicas distinctive and rich culturaland natural heritage is sought after by thediscerning traveller, which will certainlyaid in boosting tourism arrival and earn-ings.

Despite our successes to date, broad-ening our range of tourism offeringsremains an important pillar in our thrust

to diversify our product, and developingcommunity based tourism is key to thisinitiative, he remarked.

He pointed out that figures from theUSAID-REACTs International andDomestic Visitor Profile Report 2007indicate that European visitors have astrong interest in off-the-beaten pathtourism in Jamaica, which accounts for ahigh number of Europeans who visit theSouth Coast.

The vast majority of these visitors,that is 79 per cent, come to enjoy natureexperiences; 65 per cent for heritage andculture guided tours, while adventuretours account for 61 per cent, he said.

By Athaliah Reynolds,

JIS Reporter

JIS

JIS

Minister of Finance, Hon. Audley Shaw

I must underscore thatthis is a vital initiative, asdespite the fact that thetourism sector remains

the islands primary for-eign exchange earner

and the driving force ofthe Jamaican economy,

there is still considerablepotential for further

growth and development

Hon. Edmund Bartlett,Tourism Minister


17/20


Kinshasa One Two

Congolese musicians record

an LP to benefit OxfamMore than 50 Congolese musi-cians have come together torecord an album to be releaseddigitally by Warp Records on 3rdOctober 2011 with a CD/vinylrelease to follow on 7th November,to benefit Oxfam.

Kinshasa One Two, an album byDRC Music, was recorded in Kinshasa,Democratic Republic of Congo in July.DRC Music (a collective of producersgathered by Damon Albarn) set out tomake an album with contemporaryCongolese musicians and worked withmore than 50 local performers including

Jupiter and the Okwess International,Bokatola System and Nelly Liyemge.

DRC Music is comprised of producers:T-E-E-D (Totally Enormous ExtinctDinosaurs), Dan The Automator, JneiroJarel, Richard Russell, Actress, MarcAntoine, Alwest, Remi Kabaka, RodaidhMcDonald and Kwes, with album artworkby Aitor Throup and Hardy Blechman.

The Democratic Republic of Congohas long been wracked by conflict and is

home to one of the worlds worst humani-tarian crises. Proceeds from the album willbenefit the local performers and Oxfamswork in Congo.

Every day in DRC there are hundredsof thousands of people who need Oxfamssupport to access education, clean water,sanitation and basic hygiene. The situationhere has been out of the media spotlight fortoo long. Not only will DRC Music shine alight on the incredible musical talent com-ing out of the country, it will raise muchneeded funds for Oxfams invaluable workhere and focus the worlds attention onCongo once again, seeing it as a place ofinspiration, creativity and hope, saidOxfams DRC Country Director, PaulineBallaman.

Warp Records said they felt incrediblyfortunate to be involved in the journey thatculminated in Kinshasa One Two. Itscompletely, brilliantly, unlike anythingWarp has undertaken before, but nonethe-less feels like a very natural endeavour forus to be a part of. Were supremely gratefulto all the artists, musicians and producerswho joined together to create this amazing

record and shared a vision of contributingin some small way to benefit the people ofthe DRC.

Kinshasa One Two will be availableas a digital release; CD edition in digipack(includes unique code to access albumdownload plus 3 bonus tracks); and a

deluxe vinyl edition - double vinyl press-ing in gatefold sleeve, with 14 x300x300mm art cards (includes uniquecode to access album download plus 3bonus tracks). For further information andto buy the album, please log on to http://drcmusic.org

ENTERTAINMENT


18/20

18 No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euCOMMENTARY-OP-ED

Why are you

scapegoating us?I understand that, as country

after country plunged into eco-nomic crisis and austerity mea-sures loomed, politicians began tolink multiculturalism and immi-gration with social regression andall that was tearing not only UKapart, but also Europe.

I understand there have been numerousdebates and arguments about fairness,abuse of the British hospitality by foreign-ers and abuse of asylum. The question onwho should have access to benefits in this

country is leading to some public breakingpoint.I understand that the national mood has

changed; and that the vast majority ofBritish people, of all colours, believe thatimmigration is too high. I also understandthat the public is increasingly becomingangry because immigration is not beingreduced to a trickle.

I also understand that the blame has notonly been on the bankers and global finan-cial crisis, but also on immigration to jus-tify the biggest round of spending cutssince the 1920s, at the time of this currenteconomic crisis.

I understood when German ChancellorAngela Merkel, declared in a speech inPotsdam on 16th October 2010 that multi-cultural society had utterly failed, that

the multikulti concept - where people

would live side-by-side happily - did notwork.

I also understood when Belgian PrimeMinister Yves Leterme stated in a radiointerview on 2nd November 2010, thatthe policies of integration have not alwayshad the beneficial effects that were expect-ed of them.

I understood when the French PresidentNicolas Sarkozy, during a television inter-view using a characteristically impatienttone declared that: We do not want ... asociety where communities coexist side byside. If you come to France, you accept tomelt into a single community, which is thenational community, and if you do notwant to accept that, you cannot be wel-come in France.

I also understood when the DutchDeputy Prime Minister Maxine Verhagen,stressed that the Dutch no longer felt athome in their own country, while immi-grants were not entirely happy either, andcalled on the Dutch to be prouder of theirnation.

I understood when the Danish LiberalParty Immigration Minister, Sren Pindsaid that multiculturalism should be set instone. Pind argued that Denmark onlyhas room for foreigners that adopt andrespect Danish values, norms and tradi-tions; if they dont, they shouldnt be hereat all.

I also understand that migrants contri-

bution to the UK economy is so vast andundeniable. Yet the British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron admitted that Britain hadbeen torn apart by the biggest influx ofimmigrants in history. He said that sig-nificant numbers of new people, not ableto speak the same language, not reallywanting to integrate, have created a kind ofdiscomfort and disjointedness in someneighbourhoods. He added: This hasbeen the experience for many people in ourcountry - and I believe it is untruthful andunfair not to speak about it and addressit.

Now, lets talk about fairness because Idont understand how this fairness is beingimplemented. What kind of fairness saysthat a quirk of fate - the location in whichyou happen to be born should determineyour life chances? And what kind of fair-ness says its a fair game to kill otherhuman beings through border controls, inorder to keep them out by forcing theminto a situation where they may face tor-ture and death by preventing them fromcoming into the country?

I always wonder why the governmentis not willing to take immigration from EUCountries seriously. They always talkabout reducing immigration from non-EUcountries. Theyve opened the door forsome EU citizens to come in freely at thetime they are seriously considering stop-

ping non-EU migrants from coming here.

No offence to the EU citizens as wereonly talking about fairness here.

What I cannot understand is the issueagainst non-EU migrants coming to theUK. Most economic migrants to the UKmake full and worthy contributions to thiscountrys economy and by restrictions onwork visas have no recourse to publicfunds. They must be in full time employ-ment to meet the conditions of their visas,pay tax, NI, council tax unfailingly andcannot claim benefit if they lose their jobs,nor claim for any benefits including child-care. They end up paying into the systemwithout taking anything out of it.

The EU citizens have everythingincluding access to benefits, as soon asthey step on British soil. But non-EUmigrants have to live here for nothing lessthan between five and 14 years dependingon their visas for that privilege. Is thisfair?

What I also cannot understand is whythe government cannot apply unbiasedpolicy in reducing the number of immi-grants allowed here. Clearly, this looksmore like scapegoating than anything elseI could think of.

I do understand that being an economicmigrant is a choice. But lets not forget thatno one likes to be a refugee, it is out ofchoice!

By Joseph Spencer

The Palaver Hut

Shame on Jacob ZumaSouth Africa is one of the most

developed countries in Africa. Infact, its natural and intellectualresources are far richer than someEuropean countries.

Since its inception as a new democraticcountry in 1991, the country has scored anumber of progresses in governance and inbuilding its democratic institutions. Manycountries, especially those in the Africancontinent hoped to learn from SouthAfrican experience and looked up on SouthAfrica to be the role model in building ademocratic society.

However, what happened in the pastfew months has shaded the light of hopethat many Africans aspired to get fromSouth Africa. The countrys president,

Jacob Zuma has been witnessed support-ing the Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafiover the oppressed Libyan people.

The world knows how merciless,Dictator Gaddafi was. Thousands ofLibyans have been killed and tortured byhim in the past 42 years. Even recently, atthe beginning of the Libyan revolution,many Libyans, including the Libyan mili-tary personnel who opposed the killing ofunarmed protestors were executed. South

African politicians, including Mr. Zumadidnt even condemn Gaddafi for thesecrimes.

Later in the revolution, after an enor-mous pressure by the AU and Gaddafihimself, Mr. Zuma entered in a negotiationmission to mediate the Libyan governmentand the National Transitional Council

(NTC). Even then Mr.Zuma failed to be a truediplomat. He flew toTripoli, met with Gaddafi,and flew back to SouthAfrica without talking tothe NTC. He provedhimself to be an incom-petent diplomat andstatesman by imprudent-ly ignoring the NTC who

are the representatives of the Libyan peo-ple.

In the course of the revolution, SouthAfrica, under Mr. Zuma, maintained itsanti-democracy, anti-freedom position bysupporting Gaddafi and his autocratic rule.Mr. Zuma appeared in public on manyoccasions and boldly defended Ghadafi asa Libyan leader.

Quite surprisingly, Mr. Zuma appearedin public again after Tripoli was controlled

by the NTC. He again, refused to recog-nize the NTC. This was an insult to theLibyan freedom fighters who sacrificedtheir lives to free Libya from its mercilessruler. Moreover, it is demeaning to thoseSouth Africans who fought against slaveryand suppression of the apartheid.

Mr. Zuma should be ashamed of hisdirty politics and the lack of moral he dis-played towards the Libyans struggle forfreedom.

Let it be clear that there is no nationlike South Africa that knows what freedomis. There are no people like South Africanswho determinedly fought for freedom.But, its current leaders have failed to liveup to the standards of free people. Theyendorsed repression over freedom by sup-porting African dictators. They preferred

to be friends with dictators rather than sav-ing millions of Africans who are treatedlike slaves on their own lands.

In the end, Gaddafi and all other Africandictators will vanish, but history will liveforever. Sadly, South Africa and its leaderMr. Zuma will be remembered for standingon the wrong side of history.

By Markose Yehune

We welcome letters on topical issues, your experi-ences, and or any article you have read in theAfroNews. Letters, not exceeding 600 words, mustinclude your full name (not necessarily for publica-tion), address and telephone numbers for verifica-tion. Letters may be edited for publication.

E-mail: [email protected]

SEND US YOUR LETTERS

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19/20

19No. 17. 13th - 19th September 2011www.theafronews.euLIFESTYLE & RELIGION

Call for targeted action to tackleTB among hard-to-reach groups

The National Institute for

Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE) has called for targetedaction to prevent the spread oftuberculosis (TB) and ensuretreatment success among patientswho have difficulty recognisingsymptoms, accessing health ser-vices and taking medication.

The patients who are hardest to reachthrough traditional hospital based TB ser-vices include people with drug or alcoholaddiction, homeless people, prisoners andsome migrant communities.

In new draft guidance, NICE recom-mends strengthening efforts to find patientsearly and providing intensive clinical andsocial support to help patients completeTB treatment.

TB is a serious infectious airborne dis-ease which is spread by simply breathing.Left untreated TB can be fatal. Howeverthe disease is curable in virtually all cases,provided patients are diagnosed early andtake a six month minimum course ofmedication. Delayed diagnosis and incom-plete TB treatment can cause it to spreadwithin the community and also result indrug resistant forms of the disease that areharder to treat.

Following infection, most peoplesimmune systems can control the infectionso that the bacteria do not cause them to

become ill. This is known as latent tuber-culosis. However, in around 10 percent ofthose who become infected, the bacteriamultiply and cause active tuberculosiswhich can make them ill. If this diseaseaffects the lungs, it can be spread to oth-ers.

Existing TB services provide excellentcare for the majority of TB cases who livein household settings, readily seek medicalhelp and take TB treatment. At least one inten of all TB cases nationally, however,have social risk factors which can lead todelayed diagnosis and incomplete treat-

ment with serious conse-

quences. These factorsinclude poor nutrition,poor access to healthcare,homelessness, problemdrug use and imprison-ment.

The new draft guid-ance recommends com-missioners of TB controlprogrammes adopt a moreproactive approach tofinding active TB amonghomeless groups by usingmobile X-ray teams inplaces where they congre-gate. For example, home-less day centres, rollingshelters, hostels and tem-porary shelters.

Prisons which havestatic digital X-ray facilities should alsoX-ray all new receptions (including trans-fers) for active TB, if they have notreceived a chest X-ray in the last sixmonths.

Further measures to improve detectionof TB include incorporating testing for TBamong hard-to-reach migrants within larg-er health programmes for new entrants.This should help detect and treat TB earli-er, preventing it from developing further,and spreading to other people.

In addition, all hard-to-reach TB

patients should receive community based

clinical and social support co-ordinated bytheir TB case worker. Support will includedirectly observing every dose of treatmentand providing practical help with housing,addiction and other unmet health and socialcare problems.

Although TB is much less commonsince antibiotics were introduced, itremains an important public health issue.In 2009, 9,040 cases of TB were reportedin the UK. Most of these occurred in urbancentres, with over one-third of cases inLondon. While most people with TB wereborn outside the UK, the highest risk ofdisease is among homeless people, prison-ers and problem drug users.

Professor Mike Kelly, Director ofPublic Health, said: TB is a serious publichealth issue. If left untreated, active TBcan be fatal. We also know that oneuntreated person with pulmonary TB caninfect around 10-15 people every year.

This draft guidance recommends newways in which we can help tackle TBamong hard-to-reach groups who are mostat risk. Evidence shows relying on thesegroups to present themselves to health ser-vices doesnt work, and we need to adopt amore proactive approach to identify andtreat this disease. TB is curable, so its vitalto identify it as quickly as possible andprovide effective treatment to stop it get-ting worse, or spreading to others.

ChrisSampson

Church leaders: Militaryreactions to 9/11 attacksmade world less secure

British Church leadershave asked theGovernment to examineits use of military force inr

afronews 12 september 2011

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