Barack Obama travels to East Africa: Letter for Support to African Civil Society

From the Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Human Rights:

Letter to President Obama Calls for Support to African Civil Society during Upcoming visit to the Region

(July 14, 2015) Today, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, together with Front Line Defenders, Open Society Foundations, and the World Movement for Democracy, delivered a letter to President Barack Obama, welcoming his decision to once again visit the sub-Saharan Africa region. The letter highlighted particular human rights concerns in both Kenya and Ethiopia -- the two stops on the official visit -- and called on President Obama to meet publicly with pro-democracy and human rights activists from both countries. The letter received the full endorsement of more than 50 civil society organizations from around the world, as well as local human rights groups from across the African continent. 

“It is imperative for President Obama to show solidarity with the brave human rights activists, those who have literally put their lives on the line for the benefit of their countries, during his upcoming visit,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “At a time when the human rights situations in both Kenya and Ethiopia are worsening, the United States government must demonstrate that it stands on the side of the good and the just, signaling that respect for basic human dignity remains at the core of its foreign policy with all nations.” 

Several supporting organizations will co-host a human rights forum later this month in Nairobi that will coincide with President Obama’s visit to Kenya, including participation from prominent human rights defenders from the East and Horn of Africa region. The two-day event will seek to raise attention about the evident crackdown on civil society groups in the region, including issues related to shrinking civic space, repressive anti-NGO laws, and the declining respect for basic civil liberties.

“The United States has a vital role to play in helping to protect civic activists in Africa and across the world,” said Santiago A. Canton, Executive Director of RFK Partners for Human Rights. “Universally recognized human rights standards, which includes respecting the legitimacy of civil society actors, should inherently guide U.S. relations with Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as with the international community writ large.”

Bristol hosts next weekend: the Upfest Festival 2015

Bedminster, here I come!

UPFEST2015 25 - 27 JulyUpfest 2015, Europe’s largest, free, street art & graffiti festival, attracting over 250 artists painting 28 venues throughout Bedminster & Southville, Bristol from 25th – 27th July. Talented artists travel from 25 countries and across the UK to paint live on 30,000sqft of surfaces in front of 25,000 visitors. The affordable art sale, music stages and art workshops round off a visually spectacular weekend! The original and largest Upfest venue, Tobacco Factory, will feature multiple music and painting areas plus art sales, urban clothing & food market. Travelling to Bristol? Meet your friends here, the perfect base to explore the festival from. -- http://www.upfest.co.uk/#promoted Welcome to your festival! Upfest 2015, Europe’s largest, free, street art & graffiti festival, attracting over 250 artists painting 28 venues throughout Bedminster & Southville, Bristol from 25th – 27th July. Talented artists travel from 25 countries and across the UK to paint live on 30,000sqft of surfaces in front of 25,000 visitors. The affordable art sale, music stages and art workshops round off a visually spectacular weekend! Festival Venues Upfest is a as a multi-venue urban festival with the 1.3km stretch of North Street in Bedminster at it's centre, connecting venues and painting locations. The multi-venue urban setting has given the festival it's transient feel, with visitors encouraged to explore and find whats around the next corner. Tobacco Factory Click here for full information on this venue The original and largest Upfest venue, featuring multiple music and painting areas plus art sales, urban clothing & food market. The multi use building houses the Cafe Bar, Thali Cafe, creative industry work space, live/work loft apartments, animation and performing arts schools and one of the most exciting theatre venues in the country. The Upfest Gallery Click here for full information on this venue Upfest's year round permanent head quarters & gallery space, offering Bristol's largest range of spray paint and a customer framing service. Visit for festival information, festival exhibition and festival merchadise! Upfest Gallery Visit the gallery: ​Address 198 North Street Bristol BS3 1JF Opening Hours Monday Closed ​Tuesday - Saturday 9.30am - 5.30pm Sunday 10am-3pm

'Morning Theft'

Jeff Buckley - 'Morning Theft'. 

From the album Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk

 (1998)

Time takes care of the wound 
So I can believe 
You had so much to give 
You thought I couldn't see 

Gifts for boot heels to crush 
Promises deceived 
I had to send it away 
To bring us back again 

Your eyes and body brighten 
Silent waters, deep 
Your precious daughter in the
Other room, asleep 

A kiss "Goodnight" from every 
Stranger that I meet 
I had to send it away 
To bring us back again 

Morning theft 
Unpretender left 
Ungraceful 

True self is what 
Brought you here, to me 
A place where we can 
Accept this love 

Friendship battered down by 
Useless history 
Unexamined failure 

But what am I still to you 
Some thief who stole from you? 
Or, some fool drama queen 
Whose chances were few? 

That brings us to who we need 
A place where we can save 
A heart that beats as 
Both siphon and reservoir 

You're a woman, I'm a calf 
You're a window, I'm a knife 
We come together 
Making chance in the starlight 

Meet me tomorrow night 
Or any day you want 
I have no right to wonder 
Just how, or when 

You know the meaning fits 
There's no relief in this 
I miss my beautiful friend 

I have to send it away 
To bring her back again.

"Love Is Ours"

love is ours

 by sinéad o'connor

written by o'connor, del naja, davidge

vocals by sinéad o'connor

(co-arranged and produced by del naja, davidge)

love is ours (demo) [4:45]

available on/ sinéad o'connor: 'she who dwells...'

your gentle love

is everything I dreamed of

since I  first heard of love

so long ago

so long ago

when there was only fear

and it still lives inside me here

like a bad friend I don't want near

who wears the scars

of the war between me and the stars

the mother and father of wars

look in my heart

my raging heart

the one that's still smashed all apart

my raging heart

is just like yours

but if the truth be told

it's time for all those things to get old

and time to let go

of pain, fear

and anything that don't keep happiness near

for love is ours

god knows we are in it with our hearts

will you love my heart

the one that's still smashed all apart

my raging heart

will you love my heart

like I love your heart

your tender gentle heart

your heart that's still so soft

let love be ours, ours, ours

let love be ours

my aching heart

my aching heart

On Burundi's political turmoil

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is in Burundi today for crisis talks, as current President Pierre Nkurunziza is running for a contested third term bid in Presidential election. The poll has been postponed to next week following months of violence.
Yoweri Museveni was appointed mediator last week by the five-nation East African Community (EAC). He is expected to organise talks between Pierre Nkurunziza's ruling CNDD-FDD party and opposition groups. 

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Melissa Chemam for Rfi Englsih

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Ugandan president declared on Tuesday morning in a statement that he would "establish a dialogue among rival political factions." He left for neighbouring Burundi, where the presidential election is now scheduled for July 21. So Yoweri Museveni only has very little time to succeed in this tough mission. Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term has been forced despite the constitutional two-term limit. And it did spark months of civil unrest before and after an attempted coup mid-May.

Opposition groups consider that a potential third term violates the principles set in the last peace deal signed in Arusha to end a dozen years of civil war, from 1993 to 2006. There current crisis could plunge the impoverished, landlocked country back into a new civil war, many think. While both sides have made clear that their positions will not change.

For the ruling party, CNDD-FDD, the role of the Ugandan President could be crucial to convince the opposition not to boycott the election.

Willy Nyamitwe, the campaign manager for the Burundian President, says the "President Museveni knows the region, he knows Burundi and he is wise. So we hope that he will be able to show Burundians that the country has to respect its own laws and guarantee its sovereignty".

"Burundi is in an electoral period", he adds, "and the institutions elected in 2010 have to be renewed democratically. Burundi needs to end the current electoral process in order to move forwards on other issues. "The authorities expect from this visit that Museveni will convince the hardcore opposition that to reach power they have to go through the polls," he concludes.

President Museveni is only in the country for 24 hours. He is generally considered an ally to Pierre Nkurunziza and a representative of the African Union's trend to respect leaders in power. But the Arusha agreement signed in 2000 is supposed to reinforced the Burundian constitution, therefore to prevent the president for running for a third term. And the deal was signed under Yoweri Museveni's supervision.


So the opposition is expecting Museveni to convince Pierre Nkurunziza to give up on his presidential candidacy.

Léonce Ngendakumana, from the opposition says "the opposition expects Museveni to be not so much of a mediator but to protect the Arusha agreement, as he was presiding the discussions which enabled the its signature".

So the opposition clearly expects Museveni to convince the Burundian president not to run.

But Oxford University expert Jean-Benoit Falisse "cannot imagine that Museveni's visit would be enough to convince Pierre Nkurunziza to give up on his plan to run again".

The East African Community recommends for its part to postpone the polls to the end of July. Meanwhile, on the ground, more violence have been witnessed, especially at the Rwandan border. International bodies have again called for calm.

On Libya's deal

The United Nations and European Union are welcoming a UN peace deal initialled by some Libyan factions as a step towards restoring stability in the North African country, despite the opposition boycott.  The deal was reached on Friday in Morocco. But the situation still leaves questions upon the strength of the Moroccan deal, experts claim.
--

Melissa Chemam for Rfi English


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Libya has until now two rival Parliaments due fierce fightings and contested elections.

The elected parliament is based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

It's the one which initialled the agreement in Morocco, along with some members of political parties, civil society, local officials, and representative of the international community. But the rival opposition from the Tripoli Parliament, led by islamists, did not take part in the deal, despite long negotiation brockered by UN envoy Bernardino Leon.

For the International community, the deal is STILL one of the first encouraging step forward in months of crisis, as explains the spokesperson for European Union Foreign Affairsn, Catherine Ray:

"An important step towards restoring peace and stability in Libya has been taken today.  With the initialing of the political agreement, the House of Representatives, the independents and representatives of Misrata proved their determination to find a peaceful solution to the crisis that, for almost one year, has divided, impoverished, and inflicted suffering on the Libyan people.  They have taken the future of Libya in their hands, in a responsible and courageous way."

But the opposition is not part of the deal. The General National Congress (GNC) - the opposition - is set up by a militia alliance, and ruling the Parliament based in Tripoli, and indeed boycotted the negotiations. They include Islamists known as Fajr al Libya, who seized the capital last August.

Therefore, according to expert Hasni Abidi, the agreement is mainly symbolic and only pave the way for further negotiations:

"The deal that has been signed states that there should be a national unity government with independent personalities. On the ground we are very far from it: there are still two parliaments and two governments. According to the UN, the Tripoli Parliament has to dissolve itself and let the Tobruk Parliament, elected and recognised, rule the country, but the Tripoli Parliament refuse to step down".

The situation on the ground remains violent, adds Hasni Abidi:

"Remains also a great danger: the militias, the once from General Haftar, Al karama, as well as islamists from Fajr Libya, which also reject the deal and pressure the Tripoli Parliament for them to boycott the Morocco negotiations and any agreement.
This can explain why UN's special Envoy, Bernardino LEON, was in such a hurry to sign a deal.
But what was needed was to wait until the negotiators could convince at least a part of the opposition in Tripoli. Then we would have reached a political agreement that would have represented both Parliaments and not some lame weak deal with no real implication on the ground".

For experts, if the deal is a step forward, it's in no way an end to the Libyan crisis.

Enemy parties never met and their representives in Morocco have been contested.

The Libyan parties now have an historic responsibility, according to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. And Most European partners agree.

The Tobruk government is the one recognised internationally.

It has welcomed what it called a "huge breakthrough", urging all Libyan parties to overcome their differences and finalise the deal.

However, more talks will very probably be necessary to bring about a more sustainable situation in Libya.


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Art by 3D: "Splitting the Atom", 2013

3D

Splitting the Atom 2013

Artwork details

Artist	3D
Title	Splitting the Atom
Year	2013
Dimensions	88 cm x 88 cm
Medium	Screenprint, aerosol and acrylic on paper
Comments	Signed and stamped, framed

Ask about this piece

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link: http://www.lazinc.com/artist/3d/original-art/7469,splitting-the-atom

Art by 3D: "Aviation Flu", 2013

Aviation Flu 2013

Artwork details

Artist	3D
Title	Aviation Flu
Year	2013
Dimensions	113 cm x 86 cm
Medium	Screenprint, acrylic and aerosol on paper
Comments	Signed and stamped

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link : http://www.lazinc.com/artist/3d/original-art/7531,aviation-flu

3D and the art of Massive Attack by Robert Del Naja aka 3D

The book is finally out:

           
The Vinyl Factory is proud to present 3D and the art of Massive Attack by Robert Del Naja aka 3D. Spread across 300 pages, the 12" x 12" hardback book takes a look at the visual identity of the band that have sold over 11 million records worldwide.

3D, whose artwork has come to define the iconic style of the band, has compiled and designed the book himself using original artifacts and images from a personal archive. Featuring 280 illustrations and images and an in-depth interview with the artist, this is the definitive visual history of Massive Attack.

3D and the art of Massive Attack is available to order from the VF online shop, and from all good book shops.

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My WOMAD selection

Friday, 16.00, Molly's Bar:

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Lady Nade

Lady Nade comes to WOMAD on the back of recent sell out performances at the Bristol Folk House, Bath Chapel Arts and Green Note London. Her voice speaks of long-lost jazz clubs and has a poise that belies her age. Drum and bass legend Roni Size has praised Lady Nade as “another hidden treasure from Bristol” and Ian Matthews of Kasabian has described her as “unique, wonderful, deep and soulful with a voice which has the power to move you.”

19.00 - World Rhythm:

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Orange Blossom France

Electric whirlpools, electronic storms, Oriental arabesques: insolent mixing which is not satisfied with half measures.

The music of Orange Blossom suggests a free world of doubts where East and West fraternize with ease. It’s an idea dreamed up by Carlos Robles Arenas (drummer, percussionist and composer) and Pierre Jean Chabot violinist, both of them passionate of world music. During a residence in Cairo, both were caught up in the spells cast by the songs they heard. And thus was born the frame of a richly coloured musical world that culminates in their first album from 2005, which was succeeded in 2014, after a long maturation, Under TheShade of Violets. Valuable, innovative, undoubtedly one of the treasures of world music.

Friday, 20.30, BBC Radio 3 stage:

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Ibeyi France/Cuba

Call it sororal intuition, but there’s definitely an extra dimension to the music made by sisters. Whether it’s the McGarrigles, the Unthanks or First Aid Kit, there’s a shared understanding that lifts their art a notch or two above the rest. And so it is with Ibeyi, the fascinating duo formed by the Díaz twins, Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé, and signed to the super-cool XL Recordings label. Their musical sixth sense informs every inch of their mimimalist sound – low-tempo songs delivered through the medium of piano, electronics, percussion and twin barrels of spiritually charged vocals. Despite their French-Cuban parentage, they actually sing in English and Yoruba, the latter reflecting the Nigerian heritage of their ancestors. And when they sing, the emotion is stripped to the bone, no more so than on Mama Says, the lump-in-the-throat song about the passing of their father, Buena Vista Social Club conga player Miguel ‘Anga’ Díaz

Friday, 20.15, Siam Tent:

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Tinariwen Mali

The desert is a place of hardship and subtle beauty, a stark world that reveals its secrets slowly and carefully. Life in the desert is resilient and strong, and the people are gentle giants among the sand, storms, and sun. For Saharan blues band Tinariwen, the desert is their home, and their hypnotic and electrifying guitar rock reflects complex realities of their homebase in north west Africa.

They are Tuareg, descended from nomadic people who have wandered the dunes for millennia, but the music of Tinariwen travels too, reverberating far from dusty plains of Mali. Their 2011 album Tassili, recorded in the Algerian desert - in a tent and under the stars with a esteemed cadre of musicians including Nels Cline and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone - won a grammy award for best world music. Now their new record Emmaar returns to their roots, delivering stripped-down dirges, effervescent anthems, and above all, a return to simplicity and honesty.

Saturday, 19.00, Open Air Stage

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Tiken Jah Fakoly Cote d’Ivoire

If individuals are conditioned by their environment, then Tiken Jah Fakoly is very much the son of Denguélé, a northern region of Côte d’Ivoire whose capital is Odienné. Moussa Doumbia was born there on June 23, 1968, and it was in that densely forested land that he grew up, went to school, gave his initial concerts and fell in love for the first time. A few kilometers to the west of Odienné lies the border with Guinea. A little further to the north is Mali. And if you travel east, you quickly reach Burkina Faso and Ghana. Tiken, a child of that cultural crossroads, stands at its center today, as Dernier Appel (Last Call) makes clear. His most pan-African album to date, it is also his most universal, given that the issues it explores inspire ideas that concern us all, and given that the genre he reigns over unchallenged, reggae, results from an inspired fusion, has a unique ability to unite us and increases awareness as it packs dance floors everywhere.


Saturday, 18.00, Siam Tent

Mbongwana Star Congo

Once upon a time, we thought we had a handle on Congolese music. It was either the classic, trembling sound of rhumba or its super-charged younger sibling, soukous. Over the last decade, though, the country’s music has gone through a period of constant redefinition, thanks to the likes of super-innovative visionaries like Konono No 1 and Staff Benda Bilili. And now there’s Mbongwana Star, a seven-piece who warp preconceptions further still. Featuring a couple of Staff Benda Bilili alumni, the Mbongwana Star sound is many things: fascinating, absorbing, unsettling, enthralling. There are trademark Congolese guitars at the heart of it, but they’re cocooned in echo, distortion and electronics. Their debut album for the World Circuit label has received unanimous praise from the press, won over by this hauntingly futuristic record. As the man from Mojo had it: “the jungle is still rumbling”.

Film Screening of We Are Many - Amir Amirani

Day Three - Saturday, 18:30-21:00

Iranian born film-maker Amir Amirani will be bringing his highly acclaimed documentary about the 2003 Iraq war demonstrations, We Are Many for an exclusive festival screening, talk, and question and answer session.

‘Anyone doubting the value of protest should watch this film, for proof that the ripples of political pebbles can spread wide, and far beyond any immediate effects.’
★★★★★
Huffington Post UK

Saturday, 21.30, Big Rent Tent:

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Daddy G & MC Deemas J UK

The tall frame of Daddy G has always looked good behind a pair of decks. From the days of marshalling the turntables as part of the Wild Bunch at Bristol’s legendary Dug Out club in the early ’80s, the man who would go on to achieve worldwide acclaim as one-third of Massive Attack has always loved sharing his favourite tunes. His vast collection – and encyclopaedic knowledge – of classic Reggae, Dancehall,Dub Step and Drum and Bass will surely come to bear when he’s joined by MC Deemas J, the fast-tongued toaster whose machine-gun delivery never fails to thrill. 

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And so much more!

Link: http://womad.co.uk/timetable/