Leaving Addis

 Here I am, back in Europe. Despite the fact that Addis Ababa Bole airport is one of the most painful travel locationS I've ever been to, Ethiopian Airlines remain very confortable and efficient, and I now find myself in Paris, my hometown for a couple of days.

The last day of the African Union's workshop on Peace, Security and Journalism proved itself way more efficient than the two previous ones. Journalists were way more involved in the reflexion!

I found myself bouding with highly interesting fellow reporters from Djibouti, Libya, Muaritania, Kenya, and beyond!

I was also elected as a representative of the Diaspora inside NetPeace, the new African Union's network on Peace and Security, though I can't explain how that happened!

Here are more details if you're interested.

AFRICAN UNION
DIRECTORATE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

PRESSE RELEASE Nº142 /2011

LAUNCH OF THE NETWORK OF JOURNALISTS FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA (NETPEACE)

Addis Ababa, November 4^th, 2011 –The Journalists’ Network for Peace and Security (NetPeace) was officially launched on 4^th November during the High Level Media workshop on the African Peace and Security Architecture(APSA), organized by the Directorate of Information and Communication (DIC) and the Peace and Security Department (DPS) of the African Union in partnership with the Francophone Research Network on Peace Operations (ROP) of the University of Montreal, at the AU headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,  from November 2^nd to November 4^th, under the theme “Promoting a Culture of Peace through the Media”.

The workshop ended with the adoption of a declaration (see below). The sixty participants who came from the 15 Member states of the African Union Peace and Security Council, communication experts and representatives of the AU organs and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) reiterated through this declaration their “collective commitment to work for the entrenchment of a culture of peace in Africa and urge all media to contribute thereto”. While welcoming the creation of NetPeace, they committed to promote the flow of information between the African Union and the media, particularly in the area of peace and security” and to “promote the network’s activities as well as synergies with existing media network for peace and security on the continent”.

This network is composed of journalists specialized on peace and security issues and aims at promoting and entrenching a culture of peace through the daily work of journalists. Through an electoral process, twelve coordinators including a Chair, a Deputy Chair and a Secretary coming from the 5 regions of the continent and the diaspora were elected. Ms Uduak Amimo, media expert from the Eastern region was elected President. Mr Vincent Nkeshimana, Director of Radio Isanganiro in Burundi, and Mr Nicolas Abena, editor-in-chief of I-Magazine, were respectively elected vice-president and secretary of NetPeace.

The following journalists were elected as regional coordinators: Mr Jedna Deida (Mauritania) and Mr Ahmed Khalifa (Lybia) for the Northern region, M. El Hadj M. Hameye Cissé (Mali) and Mr Malcom Joseph (Liberia) for the Western region, Mr Kadar Ali Diraneh (Djibouti) and Ms Uduak Amino (Kenya) for the Eastern region, Mr Vincent Nkeshimana (Burundi) and Mr Bernardino Ndze Biyoa (Equatorial Guinea) for the Central region, Mr Wisdom Mdzungairi (Zimbabwe) and Mr Lungi Daweti (South Africa) for the Southern region. Representatives of the diaspora, which account for the sixth region of Africa, are Nicolas Abena from I-Magazine and Melissa Chemam from Vox Africa TV.

Talking about Peace in Africa...

Libya, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sudan and South Sudan, Somalia...

Conflicts have been rising strongly during the past 12 months on the continent and the African Union is trying to learn a lesson from its own mistakes and weaknesses dealing with those situations.

This is the reason why the AU has invited around 50 journalists for this workshop about Peace, Security and the media.

So far, many guests have mainly explained how and why the AU's Peace and Security Committee and all its other bodies dedicated to diplomacy have been successful in the past five years.

A journalist from Libya disagrees... But there's not so much time for discussion.

Is the task to big? Ensuring the respect of peace when you're a young, fragile and weak organisation?

We'll have to bring a conclusion tomorrow...

Back to Ethiopia: First visit at the African Union Headquarter in Addis Ababa

 I didn't have time to write it here, but I was invited to participate at an African Union's Workshop, as a representative for Vox Africa, on Peace, Security and the media.

Arriving in Addis Ababa with a video camera was not easy but after hours of waiting and a written authorisation, we managed.

I am not a big fan of official meetings organised by huge international bodies, but as usual it is a good occasion to meet interesting journalists from all over the continent and actors of the African diplomacy.

First day is summarised in this press release if you're interested...

PRESS RELEASE   Nº141/2011

THE STORY OF AFRICA SHOULD FIND THE SPACE THAT IT DESERVES IN THE MEDIA – AUC CHAIRPERSON

Addis Ababa, 2 November 2011 –    A high level media workshop on the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) started at the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, with the aim of improving communication on the issue of peace and security in Africa and to see the creation of a journalists’ network for peace.

“I wish to see the story of African events finding the space that it deserves in the international media. Stories that give hope and esteem to African citizens”, said the Chairperson of the AU Commission Dr Jean Ping, in an address delivered on his behalf by the Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture Mrs Rhoda Peace Tumusiime at the official opening ceremony of the workshop today.

Mr Ping’s message highlighted the crucial importance of the media in “preaching the virtues of peace and warning on the dangers of war”. “Indeed the media occupy a key position in the transmission of information to Africans and to the outside world”, he said.

The media and the AU Commission, he added, despite their different scopes, have the same mission i.e. to bring the voice of Africa to the fore and to express African positions. “African media are the voice of Africa”.

The Chairperson also took the opportunity to reiterate the AU Commission’s commitment to freedom of expression and the right to information. These rights are guaranteed in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which states that: “everyone has the right to information” and that “everyone has the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law”. The Chairperson’s statements in this regard are complementary to the work being done by the Commission’s Directorate of Information and Communication, which is working hand in hand with communication and media specialists across the continent to ensure freedom of expression and the right to information as guided by the AU instruments. The Directorate also promotes interaction between the AU and the media fraternity.

The workshop will enable participants to discuss with the relevant authorities on how the African Peace and Security Architecture functions. Presentations will be made on the various activities and interventions in the area of peace and security. It will allow the AU Commission to improve its understanding of the media, which it views as partners in the promotion of peace and security.

The workshop is also expected to lead to the creation of a network of journalists for peace and security in Africa (NetPeace). In this regard it will elect an executive board and reach agreement on a calendar of meetings. The network will be closely linked to existing networks.

Dr Ping also announced the imminent establishment of a program of learning and information (AID) on APSA, with the aim to allow all African citizens to have easy access to knowledge of the continental instruments for the promotion and maintenance of peace.

The workshop’s opening ceremony was also addressed by the Director of Information and Communication at the AU Commission Mrs Habiba Mejri Cheikh who highlighted that, in its constant search for better information flow, the Directorate has organised a number of meetings for journalists from the five regions of the continent. She said the workshop is opportune, coming as it is in the immediate aftermath of significant events on the continent, such as the Arab Spring, the events in Cote D’Ivoire and the drought in Horn of Africa. Acknowledging that the AU position and intervention was not clearly portrayed to the world in all cases, she said “we have realised this and we are re doubling our efforts with the media so that we can understand the reasons why. We want to see how we can redress the situation”.

Also speaking at the workshop’s opening ceremony was Mr Christopher Hall, Counsellor and Advisor at the Embassy of Canada, which is supporting the DIC and the Department of Peace and Security to improve continental awareness and understanding of the AU’s involvement in peace and security issues. Mr Hall is also the representative of the Francophone Research Network on Peace Operations (ROP).  

The workshop is being attended by high level personalities in the African media. The Chief of Staff in the Burequ of the Chairperson of the AUC also attended the opening ceremony. It was organised by the Directorate of Information and Communication and the Department of Peace and Security in partnership with the Francophone Research Network on Peace Operations (ROP).

WZM/

In and out in London Town

Autumn in London Town can be busy. 

When rioters or protesters are not taking the streets, art fairs lead the way and shopping malls open in the new trendy Olympic areas. But what Londoners are really about in the autumn is looking for a date.It’s not going to get warmer anytime soon, right? In the city of millions of singles, any pretext is good to go out, have fun and meet new faces. 

But most of my single lady friends complain: ‘It’s impossible to meet men in this city!’ Coming from Paris, where flirting is pretty much in everyone’s DNA, and where most under-40 types live in a confetti-like flat spending most of their time outdoors, this assertion does not scare me. How could this be that in the city of most prominent people you could not meet people?

Well, after a few weeks of research, I have to admit that Britons are pretty good at hiding their trendy sexy selves. While tones of single Londoners are out on hot dates from Thursday to Saturday nights and even sometimes from Wednesday nights, they seem to all be complaining about the inaccessibility of their pairs. Londoners mostly socialise indeed when drunk and it might explain why guys forget to write down your phone number… 

I therefore decided to bring my single ladies to art fairs, exhibition openings and special arty events, where it’s always been said you can meet the best folk. But it turns out Londoners really do fancy art and go out to fairs and art events only to talk artists and contemporary designs. 

Ok, if pubs and museums are out, my new people have got to be eating somewhere on quieter Saturday nights. Turns out pushing a restaurant door can be helpful. Study your cookbook, work on your food taste and talk to strangers! 

In the latest episodes of that quest, I met the cutest gastropub’s waiters, and in my very own neighbourhood. The food was delicious; I need to go again. To be continued…

Before winter: Remembering my favourite season... about to end

 I realise we are now deeply entered in the Autumn.

It used to be my favourite season, but over the past 4 years, and especially because I lived in America and in Africa, Spring has taken my heart.

Being in London now, my so-loved city, I have found a new ideal, that I already experienced as a bliss in the mid-1990 in Paris, as a teenager, it is the Indian Summer.

Before we completely get out of it, here is an ode to my very special time-of -year. It comes from a column I started in a magazine called Metropolitan and distributed in the Eurostar trains between Britain and the continent. 

--

London’s September is the new summer

I remember that from childhood, in Paris, September has always been the month when everything starts again. C’est la “Rentrée”. After a summer of holidays, closed shops, and the end of the season for most opera houses, theatres and museums, September brings a strange but intense renewal and everything starts again like most people are waking up from a long sleep.

Of course, London never sleeps, and especially not in the summer. On the contrary, in July and August, I find that the main cultural institutions rival to bring the best exhibits, concerts and attractions to the British audience as well as to the growing number of tourists coming from all over the world. Most Londoners remain in town during this time, working no less than in June or in January. The streets of the City are not emptier because it’s getting hot, on the contrary.

So when September comes, there’s not much to start again! There’s no “rentrée” in the UK. But there is this very special feeling of the late summer, the Indian summer, where the sun shines for sure and the air is soft and yellow. And then, finally, despite all its business and New-York-like activity, London allows itself to slow down a little. Dwellers take time to have late dinners on the newly arrived outdoor terraces, museums have a break between their summer hit exhibitions and their big plans for the fall. And the travellers book online a cheap last minute holiday package… 

In London, September fells to me like a last minute French summer. In France, September was my favourite time of year for its energy and feeling of renewal. In London, this feeling is there all year, September is just a rare time to escape… and feel the heat.

Ce soir dans Vox News...

Notre journal de la soirée passe à 30 min :


http://www.voxafrica.com/vod/videos/&v=0_jmvaz9fx&p=0_q3b9ys18


A la Une : 

1- La Tunisie libère l’ancien Premier ministre libyen 

La Tunisie a décidé de libérer l’ancien Premier ministre libyen, détenu depuis la fin de l’été. C’est une cour tunisienne qui a décidé jeudi de libérer Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, malgré une demande d'extradition des autorités libyennes. 




2 - Pollution : Des Nigérians poursuivent Shell aux USA

Une communauté du Delta du Niger a engagé des poursuites aux Etats-Unis contre la compagnie pétrolière Shell. Ces Nigérians espèrent obtenir une compensation d'un milliard de dollars pour les décennies de pollution dans leur région.



3 - RDC : Jour des longs métrages au Festival du Film du Kivu

En République Démocratique du Congo, le festival international du Film du Kivu se poursuit dans l'est du pays. La journée de mercredi a  éte consacrée aux longs métrages de fictions et aux documentaires. Notre correspondant était sur place.


http://www.voxafrica.com/vod/videos/&v=0_jmvaz9fx&p=0_q3b9ys18




Egalement en reportage:
Le système de transport au Nigeria, la lutte contre la sécheresse au Kenya, et bien plus.

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 24/10/2011

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 24/10/2011

Here at 14 min 24'' in our English news bulletin, watch my interview with the Danish film director Frank Poulsen on his documentary film 'Blood in the Mobile'.

The film has been released in the UK last Friday and shows how international mobile phones producers still use 'blood minerals', extracted from illegal mines in Eastern DR Congo, in manifacturing mobile phones and other electronic devices.

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 24/10/2011

Frank Poulsen went to DRC, the US, Finland (where Nokia is based) and beyong to investigate.
--

And go and watch to film or see here:
http://bloodinthemobile.org/

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 26/10/2011

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 26/10/2011

Nos journaux se rallongent de 5 min, passant à 15 min en mi-journée et 28 min en soirée.

A revoir, celui de ce mercredi après-midi sur ce lien.

A bientôt sur Vox Africa.

M.

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 18h - 25/10/2011

VOXAFRICA Video - Voxnews: 18h - 25/10/2011

Les titres de notre edition du 25 octobre 2011 sur Vox Africa :

1 – L’Afrique de l’Est s’inquiète de la situation sécuritaire
En Afrique de l’Est, la multiplication des attaques des miliciens islamistes Al Shebab inquiètent. Les membres de la Communauté d'Afrique de l'Est se sont réunis et ont appelé à de nouveaux efforts de coordinations en matière de sécurité régionale.

2 – Libye : Enterrement de Kadhafi en lieu secret

En Libye, le corps de l’ancien dirigeant Mouammar Kadhafi a finalement été enterré cette nuit en plein désert. Selon le CNT, le lieu même de l’enterrement restera secret.

3 –RDC : Le Festival international du Film du Kivu se poursuit

En RDC, la 6e édition du Festival international du Film du Kivu se poursuit dans l'est du pays. Notre correspondant Alex Kathy Katayi couvre l’événement toute cette semaine pour Vox Africa.

Egalement en fin de JT:

Bilan de la semaine de la mode en Afrique du Sud

La semaine de la mode de Johannesburg vient de s’achever en Afrique du Sud, et la mode du continent semble plus que jamais présente sur le devant de la scène mondiale.

Olafemi Bela, styliste et spécialiste de mode, analyse l'importance de l'événement pour la mode africaine...

VOXAFRICA Video - Bilan de la semaine de la mode en Afrique du Sud

VOXAFRICA Video - Bilan de la semaine de la mode en Afrique du Sud

La semaine de la mode de Johannesburg vient de s’achever en Afrique du Sud, et la mode du continent semble plus que jamais présente sur le devant de la scène mondiale.
Olafemi Bela, styliste et spécialiste de mode, analyse l'importance de l'événement pour la mode africaine.
Interview sur le plateau de Vox New ce mardi soir!