Global Information Network U.N. Science Prize Ignites Fury Among Rights AdvocatesJul. 17 (GIN)The naming of a scientific research prize after the President of Equatorial Guinea is casting a pall over the U.N.s cultural body, as citizen activists condemned UNESCOs selection of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, an autocrat with a record of wasteful spending, rigged elections, rights abuses and corruption.First announced in 2008, the prize, bankrolled by Pres. Obiang Nguema, was roundly denounced by prominent African and Latin American writers, journalists, Nobel Prize Laureates, scientists and others who criticized the president's poor human rights record and alleged involvement in money laundering. UNESCO dropped the award. Four months later, they slipped it back on the agenda during summer doldrums.Human rights organizations regrouped and issued the following: UNESCOs decision to issue a controversial prize sponsored by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea is disappointing and irresponsible U.S. Ambassador David Killion said bluntly: We condemn UNESCOs decision to award this prize. His critique was echoed by France and Mexico, among others.Pres. Obiang Nguema has put up some $3 million for the prize carrying his name. Activists say the money would be better spent for the education and welfare of the people of Equatorial Guinea, rather than the glorification of their president.The countrys vast earnings from oil and gas should give its population of 600,000 people a theoretical income of $37,000 a year each, but most Equatorial Guineans live in poverty.Meanwhile, the first UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences will be awarded this week to Egyptian scientist Maged Al-Sherbiny who researches vaccine development and diagnostics; South African Felix Dapare Dakora studying food scarcity in Africa and Mexican Rossana Arroyo researching parasitic diseases. Each is to receive $100,000.Also, Pres. Obiang Nguema will be host and guest speaker at the Leon H Sullivan Summit IX 2012, to take place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from Aug. 20-24, with a theme Africa Rising.A discussion of human rights is on the agenda.'Urban Renewal' Strikes River Dwellers In Lagos, Dozens Of Homes DemolishedJul. 17 (GIN)City officials in Lagos, Nigeria, have begun the destruction of the Makoko settlement, historic home to some 30,000 residents living in wooden shacks on stilts in the lagoon of Lagos. In a letter from the Waterfront Ministry, Makoko residents were told that their unwholesome structures on the waterfront amounted to an environmental nuisance, security risk and an impediment to the economic and gainful utilization of the waterfront" and undermined the "megacity status" of Lagos, in a letter seen by the press. They were given 72 hours to vacate the premises.Makoko, an 18th century coastal settlement situated off the mainland in Lagos, is believed to have been formerly inhabited by the indigenous people of Lagos island who fled the arrival of the slave traders and colonial masters. Makoko was featured in the 2010 BBC film Welcome to Lagos, which angered the Nigerian government. It accused the film-makers of showing Nigeria in a negative light.Those living in Makoko navigate their Venice-like village on long canoes, or on narrow crossings made of wooden planks. The micro-economy here survives mostly on fishing and trade, without much interference from federal or local governments.City officials have repeatedly tried to remove the vast Makoko communitypart of the governments anti-slum dweller efforts detailed in an extensive report by Amnesty International.Writing In the blog MakokoSlum, blogger Jennifer Obado-Joel expressed her frustration. Makoko is much bigger than the decrepit houses you see from the mainland, she wrote. It is a flourishing community. All of these actions are excused with the toga of urban renewal programIn 2006, Makoko was one of 9 slums tapped for infrastructure development with a $450 million World Bank grant. Exactly how much was allocated for Makoko is unknown. w/pix of Makoko homesMau Mau Fight Their Way To UK High CourtBy Njeri MbureJul. 17 (GIN) - Three elderly Kenyan veterans are back in court seeking compensation and an apology for extreme torture by the British during colonial rule in Kenya.The case, now in its crucial stage, aims to see the UK government take responsibility for what happened to the elders when they were in detention camps. The veterans claim physical mistreatment of the most serious kind, including rape, castration and severe beating, amounting to torture.Last year, the elderly Kenyans won a ruling that they had "arguable cases in law", but they are now facing the British government's claim that the actions were brought outside the legal time limit. The case continues for ten days with the court making a decision on whether or not a full trial can take place.The three allege torture between 1952 and 1960 during the Mau Mau uprising against the British colonial rulers. One of the elders, Paulo Nzili, 85 suffered castration and was burned by a police officer, and also says that he saw others at the detention center being beaten daily.Wambugu wa Nyingi, 84, was in detention for 10 years and claims he was continually beaten and tortured. Jane Muthoni Mara, 73 claims she was beaten and suffered sexual abuse while at a screening centre and prison as alleged by court documents. The fourth claimant died last year.Nyingi said: "I have brought this case because I want the world to know about the years I have lost and what was taken from a generation of Kenyans. The settlers took our land, they killed our people and they burnt down our houses." In addition to the apology, the trio want a Mau Mau welfare fund to ensure they and other victims can live with an element of dignity in their final days.w/pix of W. wa NyingiSouth African Wins African Union Top Post After Close Raceby Fungai MaborekeJul. 17 (GIN)South Africas Minister of Home Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has been named Chair of the African Union Commission, beating the incumbent, Jean Ping of Gabon, after four voting rounds.Her appointment has been viewed as a victory not just for Africa, but for women as well.Dlamini-Zuma won the 60 percent that was required to defeat the incumbent. Accepting the post in Addis Ababa, she said, I plan to work with all regions for the benefit of our continent and to achieve that goal."Voting was split along linguistic lines. Ms Dlamini-Zuma's victory was seen as a win for the English-speaking nations (Mr. Ping is French-speaking). But the win was marred by charges of bullying by South Africa, which critics accused of twisting arms to win the vote.She addressed the critics: "South Africa is not going to come to Addis Ababa to run the AU... It is Dlamini-Zuma who is going to come to make a contribution."The ex-wife of President Jacob Zuma, Dlamini-Zuma won plaudits for her own governmental work. She's a capable and hard-working minister," said Catherine Grant from the South African Institute of International Affairs. "She's not in her position because of her relationship to Zuma." w/pix of N. Dlamini Zumaread more
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