GEF's Outlook

Sheep Everywhere in Dakar: C'est la Tabaski!

The sheep are everywhere. Tethered near homes or in a flock at sheep markets that have sprouted here and there -even on sidewalks. They are everywhere. That's the picture of Dakar in the days leading to the Tabaski - the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice - known in North Africa as the 'Aïd El Kebir'.

Here in Senegal, as is the case in most predominantly Muslim West African countries, it is the biggest and most popular religious feast.  

"Have you bought your ram?" a former colleague asked when we met on Friday.

"You need to get a healthy ram; they are cheap around your neighbourhood at FCFA 50,000," a cab driver advised as I headed home that evening.

"But since you look like be a big man (rich man) you can even buy a ram for FCFA 300,000 or more," he teased. 

Although, in my home country Cameroon, celebrations are taking place this Sunday, here in Senegal 'D-Day' is Monday 7 November.

People who have not yet bought their sheep (ram) are frantically negotiating to purchase one this Sunday. Here are some pictures from the sheep market near where I stay. The first picture (below) shows shepherds looking after their flock. 

Egypt and Tunisia on the minds of activists at Dakar Forum

Recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are a sign that normal people can shape the destiny of their nations towards more justice and fairness, activists at the World Social Forum in Dakar said on Sunday.

"What Egyptians, Tunisians, Ivorians, Guineans and all the peoples of the world are saying is that we should fight for justice," said Tawfik Ben Abdallah, a member of the African Social Forum.

"We do not have to allow anyone blcakmail us or allow anyone to take our lives and destiny," he added, as thousands of anti-capitalist activist gathered at the University of Dakar.

The attendees had marched through the streets of Dakar carrying banners and placards urging governments worldwide to support the rights of children and women and to allow freedom of speech.

 

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony. He encouraged actors of social movements, including trade unions, to see how they could organise to move from unions and movements to capture political power in the way he did in Bolivia.

Egypt and Tunisia on the minds of activists at Dakar Forum

Recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are a sign that normal people can shape the destiny of their nations towards more justice and fairness, activists at the World Social Forum in Dakar said on Sunday.

"What Egyptians, Tunisians, Ivorians, Guineans and all the peoples of the world are saying is that we should fight for justice," said Tawfik Ben Abdallah, a member of the African Social Forum.

"We do not have to allow anyone blcakmail us or allow anyone to take our lives and destiny," he added, as thousands of anti-capitalist activist gathered at the University of Dakar.

The attendees had marched through the streets of Dakar carrying banners and placards urging governments worldwide to support the rights of children and women and to allow freedom of speech.

 

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony. He encouraged actors of social movements, including trade unions, to see how they could organise to move from unions and movements to capture political power in the way he did in Bolivia.

World Social Forum 2011 opens in Dakar

This Sunday afternoon hundreds of social activists (essentially leftist groups) will march through some streets of the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to launch the World Social Forum (WSF).

It is the biennial gathering in which these groups proclaim and explain that there is another world order apart from capitalism and globalization, piloted (in their view) by the world leaders and business executives who meet at approximately the same time in Davos for the World Economic Forum.

Africa is playing host for the second time (Nairobi 2005 was the first) and the organizers would want the fundamental questions about the continent’s economic and social development, its security and its relations with the rest of the world to be central to the Forum’s debates.  

Incidentally, this is happening at a time when the north of the continent is boiling. A popular uprising which was sustained through the use of social networking tools toppled a more than two decades old regime in Tunisia while protesters are defying Hosni Mubarak’s 30 year old rule in Egypt.

Would the Forum provide techniques, ideas and tools to further such “revolutions” across the continent given that many of those who partake in it don’t tend to have a soft spot for leaders like Tunisia’s Ben Ali and Egypt’s Mubarak?

 

Why corruption is Cameroon's worst-kept secret

Culled from Trustlaw blog

Not a day goes by in Cameroon without a newspaper article on fraud, embezzlement or other corrupt practices, while conversations with locals are peppered with anecdotes about civil servants and private-sector workers demanding bribes.

But it's rare to find people who've taken graft complaints to court - even when they have enough proof - except for activists from groups like the Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests (ACDIC).

"One of the difficulties in this country is that people make a lot of noise about corruption but they end there," one diplomat who advises the Cameroon government on anti-graft strategies told me on my recent trip to the country.

My experiences chime with this view.

Many people are willing to tell stories of how corruption has affected their families and businesses, but none are prepared to go on the record or take legal action.

A trader at a market in the capital Yaounde told me that when he bought a shop from the council, officials asked him to pay FCFA 700,000 ($1,400), yet gave him a receipt for only FCFA 150,000 ($300). He signed the contract, took possession of the store, and said nothing. But he would like this kind of corruption to end.

"They are all a clique. If I report (what happened), I would be out of business and with the way the courts and police are corrupt, you would end up in prison instead," said the trader, who did not want to be named.

A lawyer whose child died due to what he suspected was negligence on the part of a doctor and nurses who asked for a tip before treating the patient said he could provide evidence for me to write an article, but was reluctant to take the matter to court.

The lack of formal complaints and law suits in the west-central African country has led to a silence in which rampant corruption thrives, experts say.

"It doesn't suffice to know there is corruption. What is important is having the courage to stand up to it and that is the problem we have here in Cameroon. People don't know how to fight corruption," lamented the diplomat.

Continue reading Why corruption is Cameroon's worst-kept secret

Hysacam in Niamey: Exporting Savoir Faire?

Cameroon is commerating 50 years of sovereignty this year. In that time there are many individual Cameroonians who have become leading lights in their areas of work and interest in Africa and internationally but not as many businesses from the country have gained ground out of its frontiers.

It was therefore surprising to see garbage vans in Niamey the capital of Niger bearing the: HYSACAM which is the french acronym for "Hygiene et Slubrité du Cameroun" (Cameroon Hygiene and sanitation company).

The garbage disposal outfit has, however, been present in Niger since 2006, according to the company website.

To say the least, HYSACAM is not the most popular company in Cameroon.  Its services do not cover the national territory and are often decried. Could they really do a commendable job elsewhere in the world?

As the Mighty Fall - Is it Still Appealing to be Appointed?

By George Esunge Fominyen

I gather Paul Ngamo Hamani, the last provisional administrator of the now dead Cameroon Airlines company, has been arrested on allegations of corruption.

Hmmmmm!!!!

Slowly and steadily, there is a full football team (complete with reserves) of former ministers and top managers of state corporations in Cameroon that is rising in the Yaounde and Douala Central prisons. It makes me wonder if there is a need to splash and celebrate when a friend, "brother from the village or region" is appointed to a top position. Who knows, it may be time for Donny Elwood to revisit his song "en haut". And Cameroon is not the only place where some mighty people are falling after supposedly milking dry the national cow!

A journey into Ivorian Culture via a Costumes Museum

By George Esunge Fominyen

 

To the east of Abidjan (the commercial capital of Côte d'Ivoire) there is a seaside resort barely 45 minutes fron the international  airport. It is Grand-Bassam. It was the first capital of Côte d'Ivoire under French colonial administration between 1893 and 1900. The sandy beaches of grand Bassam are always filled with tourist - local and international - particularly during the weekends. 

 

However, while Bassam, my preferred touristic site was an interesting museum constructed in 1893. It is a costumes museum and and art centre. It is easier to learn about the mix of cultures that make the current Cote d'Ivoire and even understand the roots of the intestine conflicts rocking this beautiful country through the lens of this museum.  Learn about the Akan of Cote d'Ivoire through their traditional costumes in this episode.

 

 

Lessons in Ivorian Culture Part 1 - George Esunge Fominyen

Riding the Waters in Salone (Sierra Leone)

By George Esunge Fominyen

Sierra Leone is a beautiful country. The beaches are scenic, the forests are lush and the mountains (that gave the name to this country) are great. The people are charming, which makes it a potential tourist haven. To ensure that tourism leaps above mining as the main income generator, Sierra Leonean authorities may need to improve the transfer system from the airport to the capital city…

Up Mount Kupe with British Sailors

By George Esunge Fominyen (Originally published on the website of the British High Commission in Cameroon)

The crew of the HMS Enterprise, one of the UK's most modern hydrographic and oceanographic vessels is used to stopping over at ports on the West African coastline and visiting places around. During a visit (in 2007) of the HMS Enterprise to Cameroon, some of the ship’s company took time off to discover the beautiful natural landscape of the country. While some attempted to reach the top of the 2400 m high mount Kupe, others toured villages around Mount Cameroon in Buea. George Esunge Fominyen accompanied the seven of them who went up Mount Kupe, in the South West Province of Cameroon. It was a breath-taking experience that also demonstrated the lack touristic infrastructure in Cameroon.