EA film makers to form alliance to support regional integration agenda

Martin Mhando, the CEO and director of Zanzibar International Film Festival

East African film makers on Wednesday convened in Arusha in an effort to form an alliance of film festivals that will support the regional integration agenda.

 

The three-day first Preparatory Forum for Film Festivals and Film Makers was made possible by the East African Community (EAC) in collaboration with the German International Cooperation (GIZ).

 

The forum is meant to prepare ground work that will lead to the integration of all film festivals and film makers in the region into a regional body that will advocate for the film sector and also support the regional integration efforts through film in the overall context of culture and creative industries.

 

Addressing the forum, EAC head of the Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Owora Richard Othieno hailed East African Film Festival directors for coming up with such idea.

"The move is recommendable and will take the regional bloc into another stages, taking into account that the industry is very powerful, when it comes to taking message to the public," he said.

 

The official said the trading bloc's secretariat will fully support the initiative to further strengthen the already existing cooperation between the EAC, other state and non-state actors towards building a stronger East African Community through the arts and culture.

 

"Indeed this is a laudable initiative and is in line with Article 119 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, the Common Market Protocol and the Development Strategy (2010-2016), all of which provide for the fostering of public - private sector partnership towards the development of culture and creative industries in the EAC," Owora said.

 

"The Film industry is one of those culture and creative industries in the region with great potential to alleviate poverty and also to create employment for young people. The EAC is cognizant of the critical challenges facing the sectors such as the low capacity, infrastructure, financing and copyright among others. But these are not insurmountable," he said.

 

Martin Mhando, the CEO and director of Zanzibar International Film Festival, noted that culture has been used to shape and to govern identity and as festivals are perceived to be vehicles for "re-imaging" places, they also give communities a creative focus, helping to celebrate achievements, forge community identity, and of course in generating increased tourism.

 

He said the region was rich in talent but has no infrastructure to develop the talents and the formation of a festival network is a response to such a need.

 

The forum is being attended by film directors, cultural officers, and culture and creative industries stakeholders.

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Ugandan activists challenge anti-gay law in court

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 KAMPALA, Uganda — Rights activists on Tuesday petitioned Uganda’s Constitutional Court to challenge the validity of an anti-gay measure that allows severe penalties against homosexuality.
The activists — under a group called Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law — hope the court will agree the new law violates Uganda’s constitution by encouraging discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The group has asked the judges to issue an interim order “stopping the police from implementing” the anti-gay law, said Nicholas Opiyo, a Ugandan lawyer who helped to draft the petition.
It also seeks an order barring local tabloid newspapers from printing the names and pictures of known or suspected homosexuals, a key concern for activists in a country where homosexuals report severe discrimination.
Opiyo said it will likely take several months, even years, before judges reach a final decision in the case challenging the anti-gay law, because the court has many other cases before it.
Uganda’s president enacted the law last month, strengthening criminal penalties against homosexuality. Some European countries and the World Bank have since withheld or delayed development assistance to Uganda. The United States has suggested it is considering similar action if the law is not repealed.
The legislation allows life imprisonment for those convicted of engaging in gay sex. It also creates the offenses of “conspiracy to commit homosexuality” and “aiding and abetting homosexuality,” both of which are punishable by seven years behind bars. Those convicted of “promoting homosexuality” face similar punishment.
Despite Western opposition to legislation widely described as draconian, the law is popular among many in this conservative East African country.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he was enacting the law in order to deter Western homosexuals from promoting homosexuality in Africa. Evangelical Christian clerics who championed the law said it was necessary to protect Ugandan children from being “recruited” by wealthy homosexuals from the West.
But Ugandan gay activists insist they are the victims of a hate campaign orchestrated by U.S. evangelicals who wanted to spread their anti-gay agenda in Africa.
Activists say there have been some allegations of violence and retaliation against people known or suspected to be gay, including evictions by many landlords of their tenants, according to the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law. At least 10 suspected homosexuals have been arrested and more than five evicted by landlords since the law was passed, the group said.
Fox Odoi, a Ugandan lawyer who is one of the petitioners in the case and the only lawmaker who publicly opposed the anti-gay measure, said the legislation is harmful to the lives of Uganda’s homosexuals. “Because a person is homosexual he should go to jail and because you are heterosexual you should walk the streets: What kind of nonsense is that?” he said.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

credt: the washington

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Voting system still sticky for Assembly

Prof Costa Mahalu, Chairman of the technical committee

The technical and consensus committees of the Constituent Assembly (CA) have again failed to resolve the tricky sections of the standing orders regarding the voting system in passing contentious provisions of the constitution.

 

Prof Costa Mahalu, Chairman of the technical committee and George Simbachawene yesterday told CA members that they had decided to add a sub-section on clause 38 of the rules which states that decisions on some contentious provisions will be passed by voting without specifying whether it will be open voting system or the ballot.

 

For almost three weeks now the CA has been working on section 37 and 38 of the regulations whereas on Friday last week the interim Chair, Ameir Pandu Kificho decided to form a consensus committee to work on the tricky sections that provide guidance on making decisions in passing the draft document and on the mode of voting.

 

“We have incorporated all the amendments...we will later on bring the document for approval but with slight changes on clause 38,” said Prof Mahalu.

 

Simbachawene insisted that amended rules must be endorsed today to pave way for other procedures to take place so that it doesn’t look like members are being paid allowances for merely staying in Dodoma.

 

Immediately after the announcements, a big number of CA members stood up to oppose the committee's decision to pass the rules without deciding on the voting system. 

 

David Kafulila, Kigoma North legislator (NCCR-Mageuzi) requested the interim Chair to postpone CA meetings until the two committees come up with a decision on the voting mode, adding that the delegates have been receiving daily allowances without doing any job. 

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“May be we should go back home and wait for the committees to reach a consensus,” suggested Kafulila. 

 

Responding to Kafulila, the interim Chair said it is impossible to postpone CA meetings because the President was the one who convened the assembly hence he is the only one with powers to dissolve it.

 

Ezekiah Olouch from Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) advised that the matter itself should be resolved through votes to fasten the approval of the rules because advisory committees have failed to reach a common ground.

 

In his intervention, Minister of State (Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs) William Lukuvi insisted that the standing orders should have been passed by yesterday evening.

 

He said since 95 percent of the job has been completed, there was nothing to wait for because the issue of section 37 and 38 will continue to be taken care of by CA's standing committee on regulations. He however said that members will still be allowed to submit their private motions to amend the two sections.

 

“We have passed 85 sections of the standing orders...I don't see the reason of wasting time on the two sections because this is not the end of approving CA rules. Doors will still be open for any member to submit private motions for amendments,” said Lukuvi.

 

He reminded members that the two clauses are of no importance at this stage as they will be needed later on when passing provisions. He said the 85 rules should be approved to end the seminar so that the CA can continue with its business.

 

In an interview outside the parliament, Civic United Front (CUF) national chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba and Chadema national chairman, Freeman Mbowe claimed that CCM leaders are interfering in the discussions of the advisory committee hence affecting its decisions. They claimed that committee members from the ruling party cannot make decisions before consulting their leaders. 

 

Ismail Jussa Ladhu who is also a member of the technical committee said members should endorse the rules because the tricky clauses have been partly handled. He said when time comes, members will decide on the specific voting system.

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Gender equality merits special consideration

Women celebrate their day

It is opportune to take stock of the situation with respect to women’s status and gender equality in the world of work.

 

According to a Statement by the International Labour Organization Director General Guy Ryder (ILO), delivered on the occasion of International Women’s Day, there has been notable progress in the area of national legislation with most countries having incorporated the principles of equality and non-discrimination. 

 

Many governments have adopted active labour market policies to tackle discrimination against women and a growing number of employers’ and workers’ organizations are implementing initiatives on equal opportunity and treatment. 

 

A number of individual women have managed to advance and to break through the glass ceiling. 

 

At the same time, stubborn and often profound gaps persist. Progress in increasing women’s labour market participation has been uneven according to our 2014 Global Employment Trends Report. 

 

In developed economies, women are expected to benefit less from the timid recovery projected in the medium-term – their unemployment rates will only gradually decline to 8.2 per cent in 2018, whereas for men it is projected to drop to 7.6 per cent. 

In North Africa women’s labour market participation rates in 2013 were barely 25 per cent, and in the Middle East not even 20 per cent. 

 

Occupational sex-segregation and gender pay gaps persist. Women are over-represented in the informal economy, precarious work, and in low-paid jobs. 

 

For example in South-East Asia and the Pacific, vulnerable employment in 2013 affected women most (63.1 per cent as compared to 56 per cent for men). In the formal economy women’s share of decision-making posts remains low notwithstanding a pool of talent. 

 

Services to assist women and men in balancing work and family responsibilities – particularly state-funded and quality childcare – are unavailable or inaccessible for many. Such care still largely falls on the shoulders of girls and women.

 

Moreover, a large majority of women lack access to quality maternal and infant health care and other maternity protection measures – effectively penalizing them for their reproductive role.

 

Risks and opportunities for women often vary depending on their colour, religion, social origin or skill levels. Women do not constitute a homogenous group. 

 

Consequently it is also important to look both at how different groups fare in the labour market and how they and women generally fare relative to their male peers.  

 

The rights of girls and women are often subordinated; their economic and social contribution often undervalued and their perceived inequality compared to men sometimes regarded as immutable. 

 

Not surprisingly, their work is also simply invisible – physically as in the case of domestic workers for example working behind closed doors. Or they may simply be absent from the data – which perpetuates their inequality. 

 

It is time to do better

Keeping on top of such issues is especially important in the context of an increasingly interconnected global economy, rapidly-changing labour markets, the impact of migration and challenges to the universality of rights and standards. 

 

The ILO is renewing its own efforts to establish a solid information base that will be a shared resource to inform future action. With sound knowledge to back up evidence-based arguments, declarations and policies on gender equality will have far better prospects of translating into change for the better in the lives of many more working women. And this, we know, also means stronger families and communities and ultimately businesses and economies. 

 

Today we recognize the valuable and indispensable contribution of women in the world of work. We join our efforts with all who are striving for gender equality: it is also our common challenge to ensure mutually reinforcing action to secure steady progress to this goal. 

What is the International Women’s Day?

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

 

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. 

 

In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women's full and equal participation. 

 

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

 

1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

 

The United Nations and Gender Equality

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

 

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.

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TFDA closes 34 illegal meat shops in Dar

TFDA Public Relations Officer,Gaudensia Simwanza.

Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) this week ordered 34 meat shops in Dar es Salaam to stop business for operating contrary to rules and regulations.

Last month the authority conducted a survey and realised that most meat shops in the city were operated in poor environment, being a threat to the health of the public.

Gaudensia Simwanza, TFDA Public Relations Officer, said mid this week that in the operation 207 meat shops were inspected, adding  that 100 butcheries were in Kinondoni Municipality. Twenty-eight and 79 butcheries were in Temeke and Ilala municipalities.

Speaking in a telephone interview Sinwanza said: “Meat should be sold in safe, quality and effective environments. But some of meat shops use pieces of timber on which to cut meat, which is not hyperemic enough.”

“We are still educating stakeholders in the eastern zone to abide by rules and regulations of distributing and selling meat to consumers. The inspection was aimed to improve the standards, though some owners are still cutting meat on timber.”

 “I encourage the public to purchase meat from shops that cut meat using machines… they will be on the safe side compared to those using pieces of timber,” Simwanza added.

For their part, owners who did not reveal their names said they used timber because they lacked enough capital to purchase modern machines. “It is because we don’t have enough capital that’s why… in case we get such capital we will buy modern machines for cutting meat.”

Meanwhile, on February 20 this year TFDA also closed major market in Moshi after discovering that it operated below the required standards; mainly because it was dirty.

On March 1, the authority also closed 50 butcheries in Kilimanjaro Region for operating illegally; giving them 16 conditions, one of them  being they should be use air conditioners in their premises.

“We are still planning to evaluate all meat shops in the eastern zone regions of Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and Coast since we want to strive for quality in the pursuit of protecting public health and environment, ” she said,

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