The Nairobi International Book Fair has come a long way covering various milestones in the ten years of its existence.

As the book fair celebrated its tenth anniversary in September, Nancy Karimi, the current Chairperson of Kenya Publishers Association, said that the event had increasingly grown in stature.

Last year the fair attracted over 8,000 visitors. At the closing of this year’s event, it was estimated that the previous years’ count had been surpassed.

A record one hundred stands had been booked by both foreign and local publishers. Clearly the Sarit Centre’s management where the fair is held annually will need to expand in the future to accommodate the growing numbers of fans.

The fair is a forum for publishers to market their firms and for upcoming authors to shop for publishers. It has also become a meeting point for stakeholders in the industry.

Various events were held to make the fair a resounding success.

Kwani Trust, a Kenyan literary organization, lined up captivating book readings, signings by authors and forums on writing. These included, a poetry forum, a debate on writing books in Swahili: “Uandishi wa Vitabu Katika Lugha ya Kiswahili”, “Telling Kenyan History” and “Kenyans Writing, Kenyans Reading.”

There was also a book signing by Gambian-born Kenyan-based author Dayo Forster, who recently launched her debut novel in Kenya, “Reading The Ceiling” based on the story of a teenage girl Ayodele who goes about planning how to lose her virginity and has three men to choose from.

Another anti-climax of the prestigious fair was the launch held by Kenway Publications a subsidiary of East African Educational Publishers (EAEP) of veteran cartoonist’s Frank Odoi’s comic book “Akokhan” (It is certainly more than comic!)

The Ghanaian-born veteran cartoonist calls himself a Ghanaian citizen adopted by Kenyans as he has been in Kenya for 25 years. He said he was overwhelmed by the support of Kenyans who had recognized his talent years back and that the peaceful and conducive atmosphere had helped him to sit down and write. His fellow cartoonists Maddo (Paul Kelemba), Gado (Khamawira) and several others graced the occasion in a show of solidarity.

UCHUUZI.BIZ, an online store that sells books among other things was launched.

Clearly the eagerly awaited climax of the fair was the awarding of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (JKPL). The bi-annual award was dogged by controversy in 2005 when the judging panel led by Professor Emilia Illieva of Egerton University ruled that no entry merited first position.  They thus awarded second position to Muroki Ndung’u for “A friend of the Court” published by Focus Publishers.

In 1999 it had also indeed proved (to parphrase Taban Lo Liyong) a literary desert, when the judging panel led by Dr. Egara Kabaji declared that the entries lacked creativity and thus the JKPL was not awarded!

Last Saturday, it was with bated breath we awaited the chairperson of the judging panel to stand up and address us. The auditorium was packed to capacity on the evening of Sep. 29.

We were in for a surprise! Women blazed the trail with veteran author and grandmother (who was present) popularly known as MOM, Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye, bagging the first prize in the Adult English Fiction Category with her latest offering to the Literati “A Farm called Kishinev” published by EAEP, it is a sensitive tale on the Jewish experience which has clearly put Kenyan literature once more on the world map of writing.

Though having penned groundbreaking texts like “Chira,” “Homing in,” and “Coming to Birth” this is the first major literary prize Oludhe Macgoye has won in Kenya. 

Macgoye’s book beat Dr. Margaret Ogola’s “Place of Destiny” published by Pauline Publications-Africa to second position.
Ogola is best known for her book, “The River and the Source,” by Focus Publishers, once a set book for secondary schools and which won both the JPKL and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Africa in 1995.

Business Daily writer, Wanjiru Waithaka, took third position with her book “The Unbroken Spirit” by EAEP. 

Also touted as well-written by pundits was Valerie Cuthbert’s “Wings of Winds” also by EAEP actually a tour dè force in the writing of faction is a historical novel based on the East African Coast.

Clearly women were on the rampage this year round!

Writers from EAEP took home five of the prizes up for grabs.

Female author and recently new-comer, Kingwa Kamencu’s “To Grasp at a Star” published by EAEP was voted the best in the English Youth Category. Second was former NTV newscaster Ken Walibora’s book, “Innocence Long Lost” published by Sasa Sema Publications. The third position went to seasoned writer Meja Mwangi’s book “The Boy Gift” by EAEP. In the Children’s English Category, “The Wonderful Boat” by Kabaru Ndegwa, won the overall prize, while Wamitila won another prize when his book “The Mysterious Box in the Magic Spoon” by Vide-Muwa took the second position. Nyambura Mpesha’s (who with Ezekiel Alembi is turning out to be one of the more consistent writers for children apart from) took third prize with “Far, Far Away” by Phoenix Publishers. 

Nyambura Mpesha again won in the Kiswahili Children’s Category with “Hanna na Wanyama,” also published by Phoenix Publishers. 

In the Kiswahili Youth Category, the ghosts of the JKPL of 1999 and 2005 reared its ugly head for the Kiswahili youth category as the judges could not find a winner. Second position was thus awarded to Mwenda Mbatia’s novel, “Migogoro.”
Wamitila, the renowned Kiswahili scholar at the University of Nairobi, won the top prize in the Kiswahili Adult Fiction Category for his novel, “Musimu wa Vipepeo,” published by Vide-Muwa Publishers which he owns. He is no novice to the JKPL as he won in 2003 for “Nguvu ya Sala” and in 1999 for “Musaleo.”

The Kwani Trust once again proved that it was no passing cloud to the chagrin of some skeptics as “Kizuizini,” written by 79-year-old Joseph Muthee took the second prize in the Kiswahili Adult Category. “Sudana,” penned by veteran professors, Kimani Njogu and Ali Mazrui, was third. 

The Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, awarded every two years, is the biggest and most prestigious literary award in the country.

During the event, the main sponsor of the award, Text Book Centre, donated KSh100, 000 to boost the award kitty.
Speaking on behalf of the judges panel, Illieva said the quality of writing was very high this year compared to previous years and an example was the Adult English Fiction Category, where she said the judges had a difficult time choosing the winner and they could still have gotten numbers one, two and three from the entries submitted which did not win.

It was a surprising mix of the veterans and newcomers this time round.

The bone of contention though over the years still remains that some quarters disagree with the judges when there is a number two and no number one! It discourages writers they state. Some observers argue that even in a mediocre race or class, there will always be the best and so number one should always be awarded in all categories. The judges on the other hand, stand firm that they set their standards and if they feel that they have not been met then they don’t award prizes for mediocrity.

As a two-day summit on improving Africa’s information technology infrastructure wrapped up today in Rwanda, the head of the United Nations telecommunications agency reminded investors that Africa is “open for business and looking for partnerships.”

The Connect Africa Summit, held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, brought together some 1,000 participants, including political leaders, executives of information and communication technology (ICT) companies and heads of development banks.

Hamadoun Touré, the Secretary General of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said that African leaders had committed themselves to creating the right regulatory environment, and private sector leaders had pledged to invest in the continent’s ICT sector. “Companies are ready to invest and they know they can make money here.”

Highlighting the impact of technology such as mobile phones, Mr. Touré said telecom companies were making profits, farmers were getting the information they need, and teachers were receiving educational aid. “Mobile phones even have an impact on democracy. During elections, people have used mobile phones to get election results fast and in a transparent manner.”

The technologies to connect the whole of Africa are available, said Craig Barrett, the Chair of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development and the Chairman of Intel Corporation. “What we are dealing with here is not a technology problem. The technology is ready to be delivered. It is a question of policies, of creating the right environment.”

“This is not a technology issue but an implementation issue,” Mr. Barrett said. “It is a question of taking existing technologies, existing models, and implementing them in Africa, as they have been implemented in other parts of the world.”

“Africa needs cost-effective connectivity,” he said, as it was currently saddled with the highest connectivity costs in the world. “All the universities of sub-Saharan Africa taken together pay $3 million per month in connectivity. This money could be used more effectively elsewhere.”

Providing technology, connectivity and content was not a problem one company or one government alone could solve, Mr. Barrett said. “We need to work together ­governments and the private sector,” capitalizing on the fact that the cost of access and hardware continued to decrease.

“The technology is there, even the financial resources are there,” said Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, who hosted the meeting. “We have to be decisive and make a political choice about how to tap into these possibilities. The right policies and choices have to be made…. for these technologies to become a part of the solution.”

“The challenges are still significant, but let’s not underestimate what has been accomplished, especially by the telecom industry,” said Mohsen Khalil of the World Bank Group. Africa had jumped from 1 per cent to 20 per cent of telephone density within a few years. “We must now take this to the next level, and replicate the model of mobile telephony.”

The challenges ahead included extending ICT access to the poor, assisting governments in utilizing ICT for services to the public and to business, and harmonizing the legal and regulatory environment in the continent, Mr. Khalil said.

Among the partnerships announced today at the Summit, the ITU and the African Development Bank (ADB) agreed to work together on interconnecting all African capitals and major cities with ICT broadband infrastructure and on strengthening connectivity to the rest of the world by 2012.

ADB President Donald Kaberuka announced that the Bank had approved a $150 million loan for a pan-African cable, the East African Submarine Cable System, which would bring speedy and cheap bandwidth to at least 23 African countries. The system would run between South Africa and Sudan, with six landing points along the way, he said.

The Connect Africa Summit was attended by the Presidents of Burkina Faso, Burundi, Djibouti, Malawi and Senegal, together with 53 ICT ministers and 19 ICT companies, including Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and Ericsson.

The event was organized by ITU, the African Union, the World Bank Group and the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, in partnership with the ADB, the African Telecommunication Union, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the Global Digital Solidarity Fund.

Media reports from South Africa indicate that reggae icon, Lucky Dube, who less than two months ago performed at Afrifest in Minneapolis, was gunned down in a carjacking in Johannesburg. He was 43.

The reports say Dube was killed immediately after dropping off his son in Rosettenville, a suburb of Johannesburg. His daughter was also present at the time of the attack.

Police Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht told journalists the incident took place at around 8:20p.m local time.

“His son was already out of the car. When he saw what was happening, he ran to ask for help,” Engelbrecht said.

Born Philip Dube on August 3, 1964 on a small farm outside Ermelo, nearly 100 miles west of Johannesburg, his mother later named him Lucky for surviving poor health during his early childhood.

In 1982, Dube traveled to Johannesburg to begin working on his first album called “Lucky Dube and the Supersoul,” a blend of traditional Zulu rhythms with social commentary.

He did not record his first reggae album, “Rasta Never Die,” until1984, after five albums. The apartheid government banned “Rasta Never Die” the following year. By then the album had sold 4,000 copies, exceptional for a black artist in apartheid South Africa. His previous non-reggae records had sold around 30,000 copies.

By the time of his death, Dube had recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans. His most successful album by far was “Victims,” which sold more than a million copies in 1993.

His latest album was “Respect”. Speaking about the challenge of making a living during the Internet piracy era, Dube told a standing-room-only crowd in Minneapolis on Aug. 20, “One does the work, the other reaps the profits.”

His killers did worse than prey on the fruits of his sweat; they took the life of a musical genius revered by millions around the globe.

To have your tribute to Lucky Dube published below please click here.
                                         
                                                  R.I.P LUCKY DUBE

I got the worst news on the site I always visit to just read about my best musician, Lucky Dube. His songs rock in Southern Sudan in mornings and evenings, simply because they give hope to the people of Southern Sudan. Now our hope is gone.
 
I love raggae because of two people i.e Bob Marley and Lucky Dube. They are all gone the same way. I am with all the African community who are mourning him. May his soul rest in peace. God bless his Family, relatives and friends.
Edna, Southern Sudan.
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It is really shocking to hear of the tragic death of the reggae star. Here is in the Solomon Islands, Lucky Dube is very famous and there are heaps of his fans here. I am also a big fan of Lucky Dube and I’m very sorry to hear of his death.
Fred, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
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What is  South Africa turning into? killing our own?   IT’S SO SAD LUCKY DUBE IS GONE. WHAT A SAD ENDING! LUCKY DUBE, MAY YOUR  SOUL REST PEACE. I WILL NEVER STOP LISTNEING TO HIS MUSIC. Melinda.

MINNEAPOLIS – Muslims in the Twin Cities joined their 1.5 billion brethren across the globe Saturday to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadhan with congregational prayers and gift exchanging.

Addressing a multitude of Muslim believers at the Masjid An-Nur mosque located along Lyndale Avenue in North Minneapolis during the Eid-el-Fitr prayers, Imam Makram El-Amin told his congregation that Muslims had emerged from the month of fasting with “renewed hope and expectations for great rewards from God.”

 “You have every reason to smile, celebrate, exchange gifts, give to charity in the belief that Allah will return to us our good deeds in manifold measure,” the Imam told worshippers dressed in colorful attire.

The Imam said fasting was a period of exercising self-restraint, learning self-discipline, reconnecting with the Creator, building strong bonds in communities, and “a time of substituting the wrong with the good.”

He said that through fasting Muslims “restrained themselves from their strongest human urges because of Allah, and have repossessed the Garden (of Eden).”

“We have positioned ourselves in a point of strength and Allah has given us peace of mind and heart as ours is a religion of love, mercy and good neighborliness,” he said.

The Imam urged Muslims to spend time with their family members and friends, and to socialize with neighbors, for Eid-el-Fitr was a day of festivities. But he advised them not to make wasteful spending. He asked those with the means to give generously to the less privileged in society, and those who did not have material goods to give love.

“A smile, kind words and a hug is an act of charity,” he said.

The Muslim community venerates the Holy month of Ramadhan because it was during this month on the Night of Power that God revealed the Qur’an, the Islamic Book of guidance to Prophet Muhammad to deliver humanity from darkness into light.

Muslims take great delight in inviting friends and neighbors for tasty meals and soft drinks to mark the end of Ramadhan.

“My doors are open for great kuskus (spiced rice),” remarked Mahmoud, a businessman of Moroccan origin, as he hugged fellow worshippers outside the mosque.

Abdul Nasir, a taxi driver from Somalia, was overhead telling a couple who hired his cab to drop by at his Lake Street residence for special roast goat meat.

“We Somalis love a taste of tender goat meat during Eid, so please come join my family. On a day like this, we love to entertain guests,” he joyfully chuckled.

QUATRE-BORNES, Mauritius –The president of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, said at a convention in Mauritius that the Anglican Church in Africa had more serious problems to address than its stance on homosexuality.

The Anglican primate was speaking to journalists after the two-day closed-door CAPA meeting that began in the Indian Ocean island on Oct. 3. While responding to a question from the press, Archbishop Akinola said the church would focus on problems like the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the crises in Darfur and Zimbabwe, which he said threatened the wellbeing of Africa.
 
“Homosexuality is not our headache,” Archbishop Akinola said. “Everything that has to be said has been said. We are not going back to it.”

Affirming that unity in the communion was of course crucial, Archbishop Akinola pointed out that every organization has got its own problems.

“When we resolve our problem, we’ll let the world know through the media,” he said.
Homosexuality has been a contentious and divisive issue among Anglican believers. The crisis reached a climax in 2003 when the U.S. Diocese of New Hampshire elected V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as bishop. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church confirmed him and its presiding bishop participated at Robinson’s consecration. In February 2004, 13 Global South Primates, including eight from Africa, denounced the actions of the Episcopal Church as a “direct repudiation of the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures, historic faith and order of the church.” In April 2004, CAPA pledged to reject donations from the American dioceses that supported Robinson.

At the conference, Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana read CAPA’s statement that in part addressed the division in the church. The report acknowledged that the church had been unable to ignore the current crisis in its communion, but denied that CAPA was to blame.

“The current situation is a twofold crisis for the Anglican Communion: A crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the instruments of the Communion to exercise discipline had called into question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body under a common foundation of faith, as is supposed by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral,” Bishop Mwamba read from the report.

“Due to this breakdown of discipline, we are not sure that we can in good conscience continue to spend our time, our money and our prayers on behalf of a body that proclaims two Gospels: the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel of Sexuality,” he added.

Further in the statement Bishop Mwamba expressed CAPA’s distress concerning the oppression of Buddhist monks by Myanmar’s military junta, and the suffering and devastation that occurred in East, Central and West Africa as a result of recent drought and floods.

“We are also disturbed by accounts of military oppression in Myanmar, political oppression in Zimbabwe and by the conflict between Muslims and Christians in Darfur, Sudan,” Bishop Mwamba said.

The Council commended local churches and the wider world community for their response to the disaster.

“We are praying that all those affected will quickly receive the practical aid that is so sorely needed and the abiding comfort of God’s Holy Spirit,” Bishop Mwamba said. 

In the statement CAPA said the church was trying to see how the Zimbabwean issue could be resolved in peace.

Archbishop Akinola added that the problem was of concern to the Southern African Development Community and was no longer confined to Zimbabwe.

CAPA commended Mauritius for its multi-ethnic society, a stable democracy, regular free elections, and a positive human rights record – qualities that the clergymen said not all African nations were blessed with.

However, CAPA acknowledged that there were encouraging signs in Africa.

“After years of devastating war, there are glimmers of hope in Democratic Republic of Congo,” the report said. “And the now vibrant economies of Kenya and Ghana have recently drawn plaudits from the World Bank.”

This year the theme of the Council’s meeting was “Called to a Life of Faithfulness.”
In the statement CAPA said obedience and faithful living was important to make progress in the work toward the eradication of HIV/AIDS.

“The disturbing growth in the numbers of new infections reminds us that the battle is far from over. This is especially true for many women in Africa who find themselves increasingly vulnerable to sexual oppression and abuse,” the report said.

 CAPA also called upon the United Nations and the governments of the G8 nations “to fulfill their commitments so that the suffering of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers can be alleviated.”

When asked about the role of women in the communion in fighting back the problem of HIV/AIDS, the program coordinator of the council, Emmanuel Olatunji, said CAPA had a plan.

“The church in Africa has already developed a strategy which includes the involvement of women,” Olatunji said.

Concerning the financial support of CAPA, there had been unanimous conviction that all provinces presently in arrears will fulfill their commitments by the end of 2007, according to the report.

“We were also reminded that the number of people living in abject poverty within our provinces continues to grow and is a devastating indictment of poor governance in a continent that has been blessed by God with remarkable resources,” Bishop Mwamba said.

CAPA also urged churches to reach out to the youth of the provinces so that “they are empowered to stand against the false promises of materialism that bombard their minds.”

Provinces represented in the meeting included Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and West Africa.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Nigerian-born Minnesotan scholar called on Nigeria’s newly elected President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to step down and call for fresh elections to save face and clear the mystery surrounding his nomination.

Addressing fellow compatriots in Minneapolis on a Saturday Oct. 6 celebration to mark the West African country’s 47th year of independence, Anthony Okubue, a professor of Environmental Science at St Cloud State University, asked Yar’Adua "to do the honorable thing" and resign from office to prepare for a fresh free and fair general elections for the benefit of all Nigerians and the African continent at large.

"I personally admire the Yar’Adua family,” Okubue said. “They are good people and have played a pivotal [role] in the country’s political history, but what I am simply saying is that why remain in office when you confess publicly that the elections were fraudulent?"

Yar’Adua of the ruling People’s Democratic Party won the presidency following the April elections, which were condemned by local and foreign observers, who alleged widespread vote rigging. Before assuming office Yar’Adua served as governor of the remote northern Katsina state since May 1999 and was little known in national politics.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo surprised many Nigerians when he chose Yar’Adua as his successor.

Yar’Adua comes from a prominent political family. His father was a minister in the first government after independence and his late elder brother was an army general who served as deputy to Obasanjo during his military rule in the 1970s.

Okubue emphasized the need for politicians to preach the gospel of unity among Nigerians. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced consistent ethnic and religious chaos that threaten to tear the country apart. In 2000, more than 1,000 people were reportedly killed in Kaduna Province in violence related to the introduction of Sharia laws in the state.

Okubue also decried the rising levels of corruption in the country, calling it an "incurable ailment." Commenting on the recent media highlights exposing growing number Americans falling prey to Nigerian conmen, the don said all the parties engaged in the fake dealings were greedy individuals who would stop at nothing to enrich themselves. While he said he sympathized with anyone who might have been duped in the scandal, Okubue equally blamed successive Nigerian Federal Governments for not doing enough to revamp the country’s economy to counter the surging levels of unemployment, which he said led to the rising numbers in crime. He was, however, quick to add that not all Nigerians were tricksters.

"In every society there are bad apples and Nigeria is surely no exception," Okubue said.

The Independence Day ceremony was organized by Minnesota Institute for Nigerian Development (MIND). It gave an opportunity for Nigerian nationals residing in the Twin Cities metro area to intermingle freely and chat with personnel from the New York-based consulate, who offered passport renewal and other services onsite.

The provisions contained in a document distributed to the audience unveiled plans by the Nigerian government to issue ID cards to its citizens living in the United States. The government claimed the objectives were to enable the consulate to come to the aid of its citizens in the event of natural or man-made emergencies, and to unite Nigerians and their businesses to enhance their unity and cooperation, rather than competition. The document also cited efforts to consider approving absentee voting using the New York office as a pilot centre, as one of the potential benefits of the ID card system.

But a spot check by Mshale revealed that many Nigerians were skeptical about plans by the embassy to conduct a headcount on them, saying that their businesses and associations were already registered in the United States.

Gladys Igbo, the vice president of MIND, termed the move unnecessary and wondered what its motive was.

"I have been living in the United States for many years legally and see no reason why I should carry around a Nigerian identification card now,” Igbo said. “It’s simply not important."

Okubue also expressed his reservations of the move, saying he didn’t quite understand its goal.

"Everybody knows I am a Nigerian and living legally in the United States,” He said. “So what’s the need of giving me a number? Am I a cow?”