This past week the cast has been working on developing some new dances which we hope to incorporate into a new version of our show. We have also been doing a lot of catch-up since our return as well as house hunting. I’m pleased to say we are moving to a house tomorrow. We have been living out of a suitcase since we went to Canada last November and again for the past two weeks at Tjisse’s lodge.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take many pictures this past week but I thought it might be interesting to describe some of the media headlines from Zambia and other parts of Africa. In Zambia there are three newspapers. The Post is privately owned and seriously anti-government while the other two are government owned and obviously have a pro-government slant.I usually buy a paper each day and mix them up to get a more balance coverage of issues although there really isn’t such a thing.
Most of the news is political in nature with members of parliament slinging personal attacks which would be quite unacceptable in Canada. For example, the opposition leader (also called President of the Patriotic Front) recently accused the President of Zambia of scaring away tourists because his face is so ugly.
President Rupiah Banda of the MMD party also regularly attacks the private newspaper and there is considerable influence by the President’s office in the judiciary. During a recent doctor’s and nurse’s strike, a Post news reporter took pictures of a woman having her baby on the grounds of the hospital to highlight the extent of the crisis. These photos were not published but merely sent to the President, the Minister of Health, and the leader of the opposition. The President had the police lay a charge against the Post editor and the reporter for obscenity. Eventually the reporter and editor were found not guilty.
There is a lot of talk about corruption in government and it is the favourite theme of the opposition. Recently the former President of the country Mr. Chiluba was acquitted of corruption charges and the several other bureaucrats and heads of state are also before the courts. Sometimes the news seems to be the same day after day. There is an election in Zambia scheduled for 2011 and campaigning has begun in earnest.
Zambia is also in the process of developing a new Constitution and the clause receiving the most debate is a proposal to require a University Degree to be President. Everyone is wading into the discussion including churches, opposition members, civic society organizations, etc.
In other news 113,241 make it to Grade 10 – this refers to the students who recently were required to write the grade 9 government exams. Only students who pass can advance to Grade 10. Those who fail must leave the school system. Given that 247,247 students sat for the examination, the success rate is not all that impressive although better than 2008. Students in Grade 10 must pay higher school fees so even some of those who passed will be unable to report for classes on Feb 8th.
The cost of fuel in Zambia has recently risen by 15%. It is now the equivalent of $1.52CND.
One of my favourite magazines in Zambia is the BBC’s “Focus on Africa”. There were two articles in particular which I found interesting. The first was about malaria. Apparently, malaria is the world’s biggest killer with an estimated 1 million deaths per year. There are 250 million cases per year and a child dies from it every 30 seconds. Since the 1960′s the disease has been on the increase. Back then only 10% of the world’s population was at risk, whereas today almost 50% are at risk.
Insecticide treated nets are now considered the most effective means of reducing the incidents of malaria. It is estimated that these nets, when properly used, can cut malaria transmission by 50%, child deaths by 20%, and the mosquito population by as much as 90%. The article also warns that the fight against malaria may be impeded by the promise of a vaccine in 5 to 10 years or genetically modified mosquitoes instead of attacking the problem with today’s potential weapons, including insecticide spraying. One serious problem identified by malaria experts is the fact that many people, especially in rural sub-Saharan Africa still don’t know what causes malaria.
Finally, may I suggest you keep your eye on Kwame-Nkrumah Acheampong at the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics. The ‘snow leopard’ as he is called, hails from Ghana and has qualified for the downhill skiing event. He is not the first African to participate in a winter sport but there have only been a few. Although the Winter Olympics began in France in 1924, it was not until 1960 when a South African figure skater became the first participant from the continent. Since then only a handful of others have met the IOC,s qualifying conditions.
