Metro

Zimbabwean author, Tsitsi Dangarembga, gets suspended six months jail term, fine, for organising protest

Published

2 years ago

September 30, 2022

Award winning Zimbabwean novelist, filmmaker and activist, Tsitsi Dangarembga, has been given a six-month suspended jail term and a 70,000 Zimbabwean dollars ($193) fine by after a court in Harare found her guilty of “inciting public violence” during an anti-government protest in 2020.

Dangarembga, a staunch critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, who was handed the verdict on Thursday, has been fighting against corruption for years while demanding sweeping reforms in the country which has often pitted her against the Zimbabwe government.

The suspended sentence however, means, that the 1989 African section of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner will remain free provided she do not commit a similar offence in the next five years.

While reacting to verdict outside the
court, the 63-year-old Dangarembga said she was not surprised by the ruling.

“Our role as citizens is being changed into a role that is not an active citizen, but a subject, and we are not a monarchy.

“Zimbabwean citizens are expected to keep silent and docilely accept whatever the authorities decide to do, or face arrest for peacefully expressed differences of opinion,”
she said, adding that she would appeal the conviction.

Dangarembga won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for her first novel, “Nervous Conditions”, which was the first book to be published in English by a Black woman from Zimbabwe.

She was also nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2020 for her book “This Mournable Body” a trilogy that charted Zimbabwean politics through the eyes of the protagonist, Tambudzai Sigauke, known as Tambu, as she grew up.

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Metro

EU launches initiative to reintegrate over 417,661 out-of-school children in Nigeria

Published

8 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The European Union (EU) has launched an initiative to reintegrate over 417,661 out-of-school children in Nigeria, particularly in the northwestern parts of the country.

Mrs. Tobi Ransomed, who is the consortium lead, disclosed this during the launching of the “Accelerating Basic Education and Livelihood Opportunities for Children and Youth in North West Nigeria Program” (ABEP), held in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, on Thursday.

While declaring the event open, Ransomed noted that the high rate of out-of-school children in the region required a holistic approach from all relevant stakeholders to ensure these children reached their potential.

Speaking further, she said the ABEP three-year pilot program would be implemented through Save the Children International, PLAN, and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAG) across twelve local government areas in Kano, Jigawa, and Sokoto States.

“Data from Save the Children International (SCI), has shown that 10% of the world’s out-of-school children are in Nigeria, with over 10 million primary school-age children not in school. Approximately 25% of girls and 10% of boys in the country have been victims of sexual violence,” she stated.

“The program aims to increase access to safe, quality, and inclusive alternative and accelerated education programs for 324,000 young girls and boys, as well as 32,400 persons with disabilities, supporting their transition into formal or non-formal education.

“This project plans to increase access to livelihood opportunities, vocational education, and green job opportunities for 60,000 youths and 6,000 persons with disabilities, with 20,000 beneficiaries in each participating state.

“The overall objective is to contribute to the empowerment of the poorest, underserved, and most marginalized population groups, including women, girls, and youth, by providing access to quality, inclusive, gender-sensitive, and conflict-sensitive education in northwestern Nigeria with a special focus on Kano, Jigawa, and Sokoto States,” she stated.

Metro

World Bank pledges $3b to support Zambia’s development goals

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The World Bank Group has pledged to avail Zambia with approximately $3 billion to support the country’s development goals under the new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2025-2029, with nearly half of the funds already disbursed.

World Bank Country Manager, Achim Fock, who made this known at the CPF launch at the Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka on Wednesday, outlined the global lender’s focus areas, which included enhancing jobs, human capital, and climate resilience.

Fock highlighted that $200 million had been approved to strengthen Zambia’s social protection programs, including the Refugee and Host Community Project.

He also expressed optimism for upcoming approvals, including the Climate and Economic Resilience Financing and the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector.

Zambia’s Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, who also spoke at the event, noted that 2.3 million Zambian households have so far benefited from social protection interventions such as the Cash for Work Programme, emphasizing the government’s commitment to safeguarding lives amid crises like the recent drought.

Musokotwane further reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting lives during times of crises such as the recent drought.

“More than two thirds of the Zambian population was affected by the drought. It was the government’s view that the first priority was to save lives,” Musokotwane stated.