As the team of Africanews.it searched around to get every detail from the African, Asian and Latin American film festival, which ends today in Milan, we came across Anthony Suze, a former detainee in Robben Island. He was glad to share with us the idea behind ‘more than just a game’, the South African film he came to talk about in the festival. As a detainee in Robben Island, he equally shared a bit of his personal experience with us.

‘More than just a game’, what does it mean?

“It means that soccer was not just a game in the political business in Robben Island. It meant far more than that. For the detainees at the time, soccer was a way of life. That is why we say it’s more than just a game.”

How would you describe your personal experience in Robben Island?

“There were many challenges in Robben Island. Personally, it was a very difficult moment. It was very intimidating except for the company of fellow inmates, which served as encouragements to one another. However, we knew why we were there. In a fight like ours, there are usually casualties. There are some people to die and there are some others to be imprisoned and we happened to be the imprisoned ones.”

Looking back to the days of apartheid when human right was overly abused in South Africa, would you say all is well today in the country?

“There have been tremendous changes in the country; in the fact that South Africa is now governed by the black people, the indigenous people. This was what we fought for. The fact that black people are now beginning to gain control over the economy and the means of production; that is an encouragement.”

As a person who has stayed in the famous Robben Island, what would you like the audience to know in the film, ‘more than just a game’?

“We want people to understand the victory of the human spirit over adversaries. We want people to understand that there can be hope even in some situations which seem to be hopeless and helpless. We want people to know that situations can be negotiated. In the film, you see many negotiations…

Changing attitude is not an easy thing, but people’s attitudes can really be changed. We have changed our attitude in South Africa. We have changed our attitudes towards our dignity and our humanity and we did not use only force to do that. We used negotiation, sharing of space and tolerance towards one another,” he said, his face filled with seriousness and confidence, as an experienced man who wants other people to learn from his painful struggle.

Talking about tolerance, the president of the Lombardy regional council, Roberto Formigoni stressed that as coexistence among different people is beginning to take centre stage in many parts of the world, film festival like the 20t edition of Africa, Asian and Latin American film festival should be seen as a viable tool for cultural integration and peaceful coexistence.

“To understand your neighbours, you need to know them,” he added.

In another development, a student jury comprising of young Italians and the children of foreign nationals living in Milan added, while announcing ‘Nègropolitain’ as their best film in the competition. “We are the ones to change our own situation, not our situation to change us”.

To get the spectators fully involving in the festival, the organisers carefully selected some terms two of which were more than just outstanding: ‘Forget Africa?’ and ‘Racism is a Nasty Story’, all to raise awareness about the two which usually place the less fortunate people at disadvantage.

Having witnessed several acts of xenophobia and negative opinion swaying against migrants in Italy and other European countries in the recent years, it is only natural that many individuals and organisations have been fighting to correct the trend. The festival was therefore another opportunity using ‘racism is a nasty story’ to reinforce their struggle for a society where every individuals, regardless of his racial background faith can be treated with respect and dignity.

‘Forget Africa?’ was another interesting term during the festival. Although it was not a straightforward question, it however was provocative to those who say they have a responsibility to help Africa, or rather to the Africans who really must help themselves.

Ewanfoh Obehi Peter

Other winning movies are Un conte des faits, directed by Hichem Ben Ammar, selected as “best documentary”.

Un transport en commun/Saint Louis Blues by Senegalese director Dyana Gaye has won the best ’short movie’ award.

Source: cinemafrica.org

During the first seconds of this audio interview which are not clear due to problems with Skype, Giacovazzi explains why he does not trust journalists. He says that on Friday the 5 of March 2010, a journalist phoned saying: “I am reporting about a scam”.

Giacovazzi then states that his business is not a scam and that he never did this in his career and will not do it for this coming big event in South Africa, his country, hosting the Fifa World Cup.”That report ended very delicate negotiations I was carrying with schools”, he added.

At the end of the interview, Giacovazzi explains why Hostival is different from other accomodation schemes.

Here you can listen to the interview

Our journalists interviewed Suez today. The video interview will be published in the following days.

For the trailer of the movie, click here

Nigeria’s acting presidente, Goodluck Jonathan, has dissolved the country’s cabinet yesterday. The news was on major websites all around the world.

“Mr Jonathan became acting president in February amid the continuing illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua. Mr Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia for treatment in November last year and, despite returning to Nigeria recently, has not been seen in public. One outgoing cabinet minister denied there was any power vacuum, saying civil servants would take over”, BBCnews.co.uk reports.

“The cabinet had been seen as divided between his and Yar’Adua’s supporters, and the dissolution also follows the electoral agency’s announcement Tuesday that presidential and general elections are to take place early next year”, reports NANGAYI GUYSON IN KAMPALA UGANDA for Africanews.com.

“By this action, he wants to consolidate his position in power and govern more effectively. The man really wants to assert himself in power,” Bayo Onanuga, an analyst and editor-in-chief of The News magazine, told AFP (as reported by NANGAYI GUYSON on Africanews.com).

“Jonathan took office as acting head of state on February 9 after Parliament voted to force ailing Yar’Adua to hand over. The following day, Jonathan carried out a minor Cabinet reshuffle, moving the outspoken and controversial Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa to the obscure Special Duties portfolio”, Ola Awoniyi reports on Southafrican website mg.co.za.

“How will IE9 browser look?”. This is the headline of a feature published today by ‘ITNewsAfrica.com – IT news, Telecom news and Mobile news from an African perspective’.

The new Microsoft’s browser Internet Explorer 9 should support “HTML5, DOM and CSS3 standards” according to the African technology website.

“So far, the IE9 platform gives an insight in the new browser’s JavaScript capabilities, with no beta release in sight or the common features usually found in the browser interface”, ITnewsAfrica.com reports.

IE9 will not be available on WindowsXP operating system but only on Windows 7 and Vista.

Source: Itnewsafrica.com

“The sanctions consist of a refusal to grant visas, the freezing of assets, including their financial assets in foreign banks, and diplomatic isolation,” said Ramtane Lamamra, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security.

“We wil be requesting all interational organisations to refuse the accreditation of representatives of the regime in place,” he told reporters

Source: Reuters Africa

Jacob Zuma’s private life, his wives, concubines and 20 children, have been the subject of wide media coverage in the last few weeks.

In spite of promising to behave, at the Polokwane conference, at which he ousted Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa, his weddings, daliances and offspring have drawn the leader of the opposition to tell him to keep his zip closed and stimulated wide debate about ‘traditional’ mores, the benefits of polygamy and Zulu culture.

Even his fellow Zulus, many of whom are Christian, are looking askance at his ‘outdated’ behaviour and wondering if he is trying to found a new clan or outdo King Shaka, the great king of the Zulu while bringing the Zulu nation into disrepute.
 
He was admired as a clever populist politician, the opposite of cool and detached Mbeki. He had a huge following among ANC voters. On platforms he sang and danced and said all the right things. But there are signs of a tide turning. This week we have seen more demonstrations against lack of promised improvement in services such as water, sewage and power supply, as well as reduction of the huge backlog in provision of houses. All things that have been promised since 1994.

The administration of Jacob Zuma came into power in May 2009, following the victory of the ANC in the fourth democratic elections in South Africa. The political victory of Zuma raised the hope of a period of transition, change and promise, especially among the masses of the poor, after 15 years of disappointed popular expectations. At the heart of this victory lies the hope of improved service delivery, the hope to have the voices of the poor heard in more meaningful ways, and the hope for pro-poor economic policy. Added to this is the hope of getting the wheels of government to move faster, coherently and effectively. The gap between policy talk and policy action is a key factor.

In the recently published book entitled The Zuma Administration: Critical Challenges (HSRC Press), six authors explore the nature and scope of the challenges and prospects for the new administration. The six essays that comprise the publication seek to stir up debate, as much as to provide positive and practical considerations for moving forward.

The book will be launched in Cape Town at 12.30pm on Friday 12 February 2010 at the Townhouse Hotel & Conference Centre located at 60 Corporation Street in the Cape Town city centre. Contributors to the book will reflect on President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address as well as the critical challenges that they have identified in the book.

The book focuses on selected issues that are key to the ANC’s agenda as stated in its 2009 election manifesto, and in the 2009 State of the Nation address by President Zuma. The chapters cover critically important topics such as the developmental state; land, agrarian reform and rural development; service delivery; governmental relations; and socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

Setting the scene, Kwandiwe Kondlo’s Introduction broadly sketches the political and governance challenges faced by `young’ democracies in today’s world, and shows how these challenges touch on perennial questions running through the veins of South Africa’s democracy.

In Chapter Two, Mashupye H Maserumule identifies the need to consolidate a developmental state agenda as a critical governance challenge. On the one hand, the left of the Tripartite Alliance is propagating a more redistributive socio-economic approach, while on the other hand, there are those are inclined to ensure a continuation of Thabo Mbeki’s neo-liberal economic orthodoxy. The successful navigation of the two economic extremes – and the formation of a cohesive agenda – is necessary.

In Chapter Three, Gilingwe Mayende presents a systematic analysis of the ANC’s shift on rural development and agrarian transformation, asking to what extent the new policy perspective will raise the living conditions of the rural masses, and integrate them into the national economy. The chapter also challenges some of the assumptions made concerning subsistence and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, versus commercial production.

In Chapter Four, Modimowabarwa H Kanyane examines service delivery, proposing that the challenge to the administration is to focus on both the physical and the intangible aspects of service delivery, arguing for a more humanising public service that aims at the empowerment and consciousness-raising of the communities it serves.

Questions of governmental and intergovernmental relations are explored by David M Mello in Chapter Five, which focuses on the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act (No.13 of 2005) and makes suggestions for possible improvements. Mello also advises the Zuma administration to take seriously the challenges from the previous administration in working towards an integrated system of governance.

Polly Mashigo concludes the publication in Chapter Six, proposing that poverty reduction is the mainspring of economic development, and that it is crucial to put greater emphasis on it. With reference to both the first and second economies, the author looks at priority areas such as the creation of decent work, education and promoting health, while the global financial crisis and its effect on sustainable poverty reduction strategies is an additional focus.

Rather than concentrating on building consensus, The Zuma Administration: Critical Challenges (HSRC Press) is concerned with stimulating thinking, challenging entrenched views and perceptions, and breaking new ground. As such, it makes a valuable contribution to contemporary discourse on the new administration.

The Zuma Administration: Critical Challenges (HSRC Press) is edited by Dr Kwandiwe Kondlo and Mashupye H Maserumule.

Dr Kwandiwe Kondlo is Executive Director of the Democracy and Governance Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and a visiting adjunct professor at the School for Public and Development Management at University of Witwatersrand.
 
Mashupye Herbet Maserumule is a senior lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). He is chairperson of the Gauteng chapter of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM-Gauteng) and a member of the Audit Committee of Kungwini Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa.