The News Review:

- Female circumcision down in Senegal
- Spain fights illigal migration with ads
- Aid group stresses link between human rights and development
- Africa awakening
- Written By:Hallygan Agade Posted: Thu Sep 27 2007

Female circumcision down in Senegal
Independent nline – Sep 27, 2007
Burkina Faso banned the practice in 1996 and the following year it was estimated that its prevalence was roughly 80 percent. Currently it is believed around 45 percent of girls are subjected to the procedure in the country overall Social Action Minister Pascaline Tamini said with the practice nearly rooted out in the country’s south but still widespread in the north. She spoke after officials said four women had been arrested for subjecting a seven-year-old girl and a baby to the procedure.

Spain fights illigal migration with ads
Independent nline – Sep 27, 2007
The scene cuts to a young man laying face down on a rocky shore as Senegal’s most famous troubadour says “You know how this story ends. “Don’t risk your life for nothing. You are the future of Africa” singer Youssou N’Dour tells the camera sitting alone at night on a beached boat in one of a series of ads funded by the government of Spain whose prosperity has lured Senegalese and other Africans desperate to escape grinding poverty at home… Dario tero charge d’affaires at the Spanish Embassy in Dakar said the ads were part of a broader effort to crack down on migrants that has included coastal patrols diplomacy and deportation. ‘Why are they trying to stop us?’The publicity campaign was developed in conjunction with Senegalese authorities and the International rganization for Migration. A local advertising agency gilvy Senegal produced the radio and TV commercials in Senegal’s main language Wolof. First broadcast last week the ads are running daily for a month and a half. Also part of the campaign: full-page newspaper ads showing a boat overloaded with migrants and below it a wrecked empty vessel half-buried on a beach. “We all agreed it was important to let people know what’s happening so they understand the consequences of illegal migration” tero said. “Many young people get on these boats not realising the dangers they face.

Aid group stresses link between human rights and development
Christian Science Monitor – Sep 27, 2007
“What made Tostan stand out as unique is its incredible ability to help people make decisions for themselves” says Judy Miller vice president of the Hilton Foundation which created the prize “to prepare them with all the information the skills and the knowledge and then train them so that they can actually set their goals and work together and move forward to help everybody in village life. Ker Simbara villagers Dousso Konaté and Demba Diawara are examples of where that success can lead. The two have been to more than 170 villages across Senegal to spread the vision of human rights they learned from Tostan. Konaté says she never intended to be a human rights activist. Like many she was drawn in by the promise of education. “They taught me to write my name and to read it” she says.

Africa awakening
International Herald Tribune – Sep 27, 2007
But today African-Americans have unprecedented opportunities to buy African products and services visit the national treasures cities beaches and mountains of their lands of origin cultivate foreign investment agencies and tap Africa's boundless potential to produce green energy and abundant food supplies. Throughout the continent governments and companies are building ports with state-of-the-art container facilities tracing road and rail beds for highways and faster trains constructing airports extending fiber-optic networks closing the digital gap by providing millions of secondhand computers to first-time users and investing heavily in education. Senegal alone spends 40 percent of its national budget for education – the highest per capita rate of spending on education in the world. As a child I grew up hearing about “American ingenuity” and had reverence for any product with the label “Made in America. ” ne day in the not-so-distant future American children will hear about African ingenuity and “Made in Africa” labels. As African-Americans look to deepen their ties to the African continent they can learn from their own struggle to attain freedom and equality in the United States. Just as African-Americans learned that the scars of slavery and racism can take decades to overcome so too are Africans battling to extinguish from their mind-set the last traces of colonial dependence… Africa has not entirely thrown off the shackles of the past. But in the words of the old Sam Cooke civil rights song “A Change is Gonna Come. ” Abdoulaye Wade is president of Senegal. This article appeared first in The Boston Globe.

Written By:Hallygan Agade Posted: Thu Sep 27 2007
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation – Sep 27, 2007
Kenya narrowly lost by 73-60 baskets to record their 4th defeat in five matches despite efforts from top scorers Caroline Achieng with 18 points Brenda dula with 13 points Joyce Makungu who scored 12 points and Miriam Awuor with 10 points. The national team coached by Ben luoch won only one match a 57-47 baskets victory over Cape Verde. In other group B matches Cameroon beat Cape Verde 65-40 while Democratic republic of Congo beat Angola 52-42. Mozambique beat Tunisia 69-56 Mali lost 37-48 to Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire beat Madagascar 51-43 baskets. The quarterfinal matches will be played on Friday.