In 1903, after 20 years of colonization, 712 European women lived among 3,970 European men in German South-West Africa. What to do? Rape. Although rape by German men of Herero and Nama women was common, prior to 1904 not a single case of a white man raping an African woman came before a German court. This became particularly acute in the attempted rape, and then murder, of Louisa Kamana.

Louisa Kamana was married to the son of Chief Zacharias. The two gave a ride to a German settler, who, that night, “made sexual advances” on Louisa Kamana. She refused. He killed her. The Court acquitted him. The case was appealed, and the settler was given three years in prison. Rape and murder of Herero women were common occurrences. The case only went to trial because a Chief’s family was involved, and no one among the Herero thought three years made up for a Herero woman’s life and dignity.

That’s the story of the genocide as well. Women and children were targeted. When the Herero were ‘allowed’ to escape into the Kalahari Desert, it was assumed most would die. It was also assumed more women and children would die. That assumption was correct. The German authorities explained that Herero women and children had to die because they carried dangerous diseases. Meanwhile, the German press shrieked that Herero women were ‘black amazons swinging clubs and castrating their foes’.

And so good riddance.

— Excerpt from, German amnesia and Herero women, by Dan Moshenberg at AIAC (via dynamicafrica)

peopleofthesouth:

Grandmas Grow Gold in Swaziland  

Swazi Gold, a highly potent and valuable strain of marijuana that is sought after in the thriving drug market of next-door South Africa. In a field deep in the forest, atop a distant hill in this arid corner of tiny Swaziland, Khathazile grows Swazi Gold to keep her growing brood of grandchildren fed, clothed and in school.

“Without weed, we would be starving,” explained Khathazile, who asked that only her middle name be used.

Khathazile is one of thousands of peasants eking out a meager living in the rural areas of this kingdom at Africa’s southern tip by growing marijuana, according to relief workers, embracing it as a much-needed income boost that is relatively hardy and easy to grow.

She does not think of herself as part of a vast global chain of drug cultivation that includes poppy farmers in Afghanistan or coca growers in Latin America. She simply has her grandchildren to consider and says she started growing it when her attempts at other crops failed.

peopleofthesouth:

Umhlanga Reed Dance

28 Aug 2012 - 03 Sep 2012
Place: eLudzidzini 

The Umhlanga Reed Dance is a traditional dance and ceremony where up to 40 000 Swazi maidens gather and dance for the Queen Mother. This Swazi cultural event is performed as a  tribute to the Royal Family and dates back centuries in time. Taking place over a week, normally the last in August, it is largely private, however its final two public days (normally a Sunday and Monday) are a spectacle that is unrivalled in Africa today. Thousands upon thousands of maidens dress up in brightly coloured attire and sing, dance together as they deliver the reed or umlanga to the Royal Residence.  Their enjoyment of this ceremony is quite apparent as they use the opportunity of bonding with girls of similar ages from across the country.

lady-piink:

South African, Chad Le Clos wins gold in 200m butterfly

(Source: this--is-lovee, via dynamicafrica)

dynamicafrica:

OLYMPIC  FOCUS: Oscar Pistorius

Despite controversy about the speculated enhancement his running ‘blades’, record-breaking South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been given the go-ahead to take part in the 400 metres and the 4x400m relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

(read more)

Southern Africa: SADC Members Come Up With U.S.$ 42 Billion-Worth Projects →

peopleofthesouth:

Luanda — The member States of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) need U.S.D 42.3 billion to implement 54 projects in 15 years.

The fact was confirmed by the deputy executive secretary for Regional Integration, João Samuel Caholo.

Speaking to Angop on the sidelines of the meeting of senior officials of the Finance Ministers of SADC, the official said that the projects will be implemented within five years period.

According to the regional bloc secretary, the projects are linked to the fields of energy, transport, information technology, metrology, tourism and water resources.

Based on the protocol of finance and investment, the technicians will work for the achievement of tools and harmonised financial policies in terms of fiscal discipline.

Technically, he said, the members are working on the operating of the SADC development fund, which was scheduled to hold a meeting of Finance ministers of the community on Wednesday, but it did not happen due to the lack of quorum.

João Samuel Caholo also said that the member countries pay with regularity the respective fees excepting for Madagascar, due to political ground, but it has already expressed its availability to make contributions.

The official also hailed Angola’s presidency at the organisation, due to its commitment to the regional development issue.

Mozambique will host on 13 August the next meeting of minister of Finances of SADC.

YOU ARE A COLONIALIST, SATA TELLS VISITING GEORGE BUSH →

peopleofthesouth:

Former  U.S. President George W. Bush was this week in Zambia to promote cervical cancer detection and treatment programmess for women, however an ugly scene developed at State House as  President of Zambia Michael Sata unexpectedly denounced the former American head of state as a “colonialist” who had stolen away Africa’s resources.

During a meeting which was open to the media, President Sata said Bush was in Zambia to pay back for what his ‘colonialist’ country had taken away from Africa.

“The most interesting thing, previously there used to be four great countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Russia and France. And you have all drifted away; you have abandoned Africa after taking all our raw commodities, our raw materials and build your cities,” President Sata said during his public attack against Bush at State House.  ”I mean, as far as you are concerned Africa doesn’t exist. And when we have a former colonialist like you coming back to pay back what you took out of this country we are grateful.”

The impromptu attack did not sit well with President Bush, who quickly interjected and told Sata that he was wrong to brand America as such when it actually also fought colonialism itself exactly 236 years ago, and furthermore has never held any colonial territory in Africa.  President Bush interrupted President Sata to say that America had never been a colonialist, but freed itself from colonialism just like Zambia.

“Mr. President, I don’t want to be argumentative, but America was never a colonial nation.  We broke free like you broke free from those who wanted to colonise us,” he said.  ”France might have been a colonial nation, Britain might have been a colonial nation, but not the United States of America,” Bush said, prompting laughter from the audience.

President Sata however insisted that America was a colonialist state because it had financial influence.

“The United States has money,” Sata said.  ”When they had money, the big colonisers depended on American money. The Americans did not physically colonise us, but at the same time, the Americans still have scars of slavery. And if you have the scars of slavery whether you colonised or you didn’t colonise us you still have those scars.”

“No question about it,” Bush agreed.

By the end of the uncomfortable press conference, President Sata thanked Bush for his support in the fight against cancer, but not before again attacking the United States for not paying attention to the right diseases in Africa.

Second Biggest Mall In Africa Planned For Zim →

peopleofthesouth:

Harare, July 06, 2012 - They traded where the angels feared and they seem to be reaping the rewards.

While many investors voted against Zimbabwe with their feet in 2008 leaving the country when its economy was on its knees, for them it was the right time to invest.
Now they dream of building the biggest shopping mall in Africa, outside South Africa, in Harare’s up market Borrowdale suburb. 

West property, Augur Investments and McCormick Property Development, are dreaming of building a $ 100 million Shopping Mall in Zimbabwe.

Although the controversial project is facing resistance from Borrowdale residents and environmentalists, Jason McCormick, Managing Director of McCormick Property Development, told Radio VOP that, “it’s a juggernaut that cannot be stopped.”

The project is set for a ground breaking ceremony later this year. 

Ken Sharpe of Augur Investments said the, “project is the largest commercial development ever in Zimbabwe.”

When complete the project will see the creation of a $100 million shopping centre made up of over 150 retail outlets occupying 68 000 square metres of space and catering for thousands of shoppers every day.

peopleofthesouth:

Workers sift through the Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe.(Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP)

peopleofthesouth:

 Ilha de Luanda

dynamicafrica:

Photo Story: Soweto Drift

Spinning gained popularity in the 80s with young black South Africans - now it’s on its way to becoming a commercial sport in Soweto.

(source)

Okavango/Zambezi deemed Africa's largest cross-border project  →

peopleofthesouth:

The regional Okavango/Zambezi project, launched in 1993, is considered the largest cross-border initiative of Africa, with 44,462 square kilometres, Angop has learnt. Presented on Tuesday on the fringes of the UN conference on sustainable development dubbed “Rio-20”, the project links 36 areas of maintenance in Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia in the southern region of Africa. Presented by the project’s executive co-ordinator, Amélia Cazalma, the region has the greatest elephant population in the world, with 250,000 animals. Other species of animals that need protection include the wild dog, black rhinoceros, cheetah, socket and griffons, among others. Victory falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, Okavango delta in Botswana, Bwabwat park in Zambia and Luengue-Luciana (Angola) are the main tourist sites in the region.

dynamicafrica:

MUST-WATCH DOCUMENTARY: The Namibian Genocide

Thirty years before Hitler came to power in Germany, and about forty years before Raphael Lemkin authored the word genocide, there had already been one at the hands of Germany. This genocide did not take place in Europe. This ‘forgotten’ genocide took place in Southwest Africa, or what is today, Nambia.

In the early 1900s, Germany invaded Namibia. This documentary from the BBC outlines the events that lead up to the deaths of at least three-quarters of the population of Herero people, and at least half of the population of Nama people.

This systematic form of ethnic-cleansing was done to create Lebensraum for German settlers, where space was running out in the over-crowded cities of urban Germany, and create a satellite state for Germany interests and prosperity.

“The dark racial theories that helped inspire the Nazis run much deeper into German and European history than most people want to acknowledge”

(part 2;3;4;5;6)

Malawi's Joyce Banda puts women's rights at centre of new presidency →

dynamicafrica:

For 48 turbulent hours she was the victim of a conspiracy that left the future of Malawi hanging in the balance. Then Joyce Banda made a critical phone call to the head of the army, asking if she could rely on his support. He said yes. And at that moment her place in history was assured.

“You ask how I feel to be the first female president in southern Africa?” she said in an interview. “It’s heavy for me. Heavy in the sense that I feel that I’m carrying this heavy load on behalf of all women. If I fail, I will have failed all the women of the region. But for me to succeed, they all must rally around.”

Banda’s dramatic rise came when President Bingu wa Mutharika’s increasingly autocratic rule was cut short by a fatal heart attack earlier this month. As vice-president, it was her constitutional right to replace him. After overcoming resistance from Mutharika’s powerful allies, she has now set about rebuilding the country’s shattered economy and pursuing a cause close to her heart: women’s rights.

The 61-year-old first rose to prominence as a champion of female empowerment, founding organisations including a microfinancing network for thousands of women in rural areas. She says her own experiences of marriage have driven her crusade.

“I got married at 22 and remained in an abusive marriage for 10 years,” she told the Guardian during a visit to Pretoria, South Africa. “I made up my mind that that was never going to happen to me again. I made a brave step to walk out in a society when you didn’t walk out of an abusive marriage.It was mental and physical abuse.

“Two years later I got married again to my husband who was a high court judge in Malawi. For the next two, three years I moved from zero to hero: I was running the largest business owned by a woman in Malawi, in industrial garment manufacturing. But when I looked back his fingerprint was all over: if I wanted training, he paid; if I wanted a loan, he came with me. Because of his status in society everything was easy for me, so I had succeeded but I had succeeded because I was privileged.

“And that’s when it began to worry me. I began to think about those that were in my situation that were not able to walk out of an abusive marriage, or maybe those that did not know where to go, that were in a single headed marriage, or widows. I was thinking what it was I could do to reach out to them.”

Pointing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Africa’s first elected female head of state, Banda added: “Africa is changing in that regard and I hope you know that we are doing better than most countries. America is still struggling to put a woman in the White House but we have two, so we’re doing fine. This is what people did not expect us to achieve but we have.”

(cont. reading)

dynamicafrica:

Rumours of Mugabe’s illness have been greatly exaggerated

According to Zimbabwean officials, the near-90 year old leader is not in ill health. Actually, he’s doing just fine enjoying his time away in Singapore, due to return to his country in later on this week.