Programme Number: 028
Week of: Sunday, 26th December, 2004
Recording Date: Thursday, 30th December, 2004
Topical Issue(s): HIGHLIGHTS / REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Issues:

" TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF RWANDAN GENOCIDE
" SG EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
" SUDAN: THE DARFUR CRISIS
" WORLD AIDS DAY:
" COTE D'IVOIRE:
" NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: Wangari Maathai

NARRATOR:
Hello! This is United Nations Radio from New York.
Welcome to, UN and Africa's Highlights of the Year 2004. I'm Ben Dotsei Malor.

*** SIG TUNE ***: (Bring Sig Tune up briefly, dip and hold under)

UN AND AFRICA PILOT: 10TH ANNIVERSARY, RWANDA GENOCIDE

NARRATOR:
Before the official launch of UN and Africa on the 24th of June, we produced a rather sombre trial or pilot programme on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide.

CUT-1: RWANDAN GENOCIDE
*** SONG OF THE ORPHAN ***
JACQUELINE-3:
"The same neighbours had one day taken my mother and father and brothers and sisters, my uncles and aunts to the nearby river and they had proceeded to butcher them with machetes, clubs and other similar instruments."
ROMEO-4:
"Are all humans human, or some more human than others? … That one nation even made a computation of how many dead Rwandans would worth one dead soldier from a developed world's military."
SG-1:
"The genocide in Rwanda should never, ever have happened."
CHARLES-3:
"Our never again should be exactly that: Never again."
NARRATOR:
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, spoke about his own bitter regret and abiding sorrow.
SG-2: Mr Annan's personal sorrow …
"I myself, as head of the UN's peacekeeping department at the time, pressed dozens of countries for troops. I believed at that time that I was doing my best. But I realised after the genocide that there was more that I could and should have done to sound the alarm and rally support."
NARRATOR:
In trying to identify where things went wrong and looking for the way forward, Professor Ramesh Thakur of the United Nations University, first acknowledged the failure of the international community, but he advised that some fingers of blame and responsibility should be pointing inwards.
THAKUR: Professor Thakur on personal responsibility.
"As you might guess … much more for acts of omission. "
NARRATOR:
But what everyone would love to see done was nicely expressed by Genocide survivor Jacqueline Murekatete.
JACQUELINE-1: Jacqueline on a world without genocide
"A world without genocide is not a dream but a reality that can be brought about provided of course that each of us can work for it and each of us must be willing to work for it for the sake of ourselves and the sake of our children."
STING/STAB/JINGLE: SOMBRE TONE

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN

NARRATOR:
For the launch of UN and Africa we were privileged to have an exclusive TV and Radio interview with the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He discussed several issues including the fight against HIV/AIDS, increased UN peacekeeping work in Africa, Africa's poor or rather retrogressive economic performance and other matters.
But one key issue I put to Mr Annan was the perception in some quarters that he, as a UN Secretary-General, and also as an African was not doing enough for Africa?
Mr. Annan:
"First of all, let me say that the development of any country is first and foremost the responsibility of the leaders and the people. It would be wrong for any country to sit back and wait for an outside institution or outside body to come and develop the country for them. They can assist, they can help and the UN can help, can assist, can offer advice."
UN Radio's Ben Malor:
Does it bother you the perception that the UN is doing nothing for Africa or too little for Africa?
Mr. Annan:
Well, I'm not sure that it's entirely correct that almost every African country says UN is not doing enough for them. And if they do then I think they may be in the minority. When you look at the situation - first look at the famine situation in Southern Africa, who was there to feed the people and to help? The peacekeeping operations you've referred to, isn't it the UN? And the health issues, the vaccinations, the fight against polio, it is the UN. What more would they want the UN to do? To develop each and every African country? What would the leaders do then?
NARRATOR:
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.
NARRATOR:
That exclusive interview was done just days before he travelled to Sudan and neighbouring Chad to see for himself what was being described then as the world's worst humanitarian disaster: The crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where at least 50,000 people - mainly black Africans - have been killed by pro-government Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed. More than one million others have been dispersed as refugees and displaced people.
I travelled with the Secretary-General … .
ACTUALITY-1: HELICOPTER SOUNDS
(Register actuality, dip upon wave and hold under narration)
NARRATOR:
ACTUALITY-1: HELICOPTER SOUNDS
ACTUALITY-2: BEN'S ON LOCATION NARRATION
"We've just arrived after the one hour helicopter flight from the town of Abeche. "
(*** ACTUALITY OF SINGING ***)
"We are now at the Iridimi refugee camp in eastern Chad 70 km away from the Darfur Sudan border. And there are hundreds of people, refugees clad in white gowns, the women in very colorful attire.. And there are banners, the people are carrying banners: NO NO TO WAR, YES YES TO PEACE. Some are saying: SECURITY FIRST, THEN VOLUNTARY RETURN.
These are some of the banners I can see, some are saying: STOP THE ETHNIC CLEANSING AND THE GENOCIDE."
NARRATOR:
I heard directly from some of the refugees, including this woman 35-year-old woman, Dabaiye Omar Saleh:
ACTUALITY - REFUGEE WOMAN: DABAIYE OMAR SALEH
The government and the Janjaweed attacked our place, I lost my husband and in the panic I was separated from some of my children. Some are here with me but I don't know where the rest of my children are. I don't know It is true that the Janjaweed attacked the women. They are raping the women.
NARRATOR:
Mr Annan sought and got a strong commitment of the Sudanese government about ending the crisis.
SG KOFI ANNAN:
The government of Sudan has given an engagement that is going to disarm the Janjaweed and to contain them and provide security for the population. And it is, of course, the sacred duty of every government and of the Sudanese government to protect its population.
NARRATOR:
Despite the best efforts of the Secretary-General, the United Nations and the international community, things have become worse, especially on the security front. Recently, the UK charity, Save the Children, has left Darfur after a number of their workers were killed by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army. And UN agencies like the World Food Programme have had their work severely curtailed
WORLD AIDS DAY

NARRATOR:
On the occasion of World AIDS Day on the 1st of December, we dedicated our entire programme [of that week] to events marking the day and efforts to deal with the terrible disease that's wreaking havoc across Africa.
MUSIC, CD SINIKITHEMBA CHOIR: "This Little Light of Mine"
(Please, play briefly, dip upon hand wave, and hold under narration.)
NARRATOR:
The singers in this South African Choir are all H I V POSITIVE. Some even have the full-blown disease, AIDS. But they have refused to give in or give up and they're singing about hope and faith.
MUSIC, CD SINIKITHEMBA CHOIR:
(Please, bring up briefly, then dip upon hand wave, and hold under narration.)
CLIP-MIMI
"My name is Mimi Madumuti. I'm one of those women who are infected with HIV and AIDS."
CLIP: ZINHLE … FEMALE HIV-POSITIVE SINGER
"Being HIV-positive is a challenge everyday and every minute since you don't know what the future holds for you."
CLIP-SG1
"Why are women more vulnerable to infection? Why is that so, even where they are not the ones with the most sexual partners outside marriage?"
CLIP-SG2
"Dear Friends, empowering women in the fight against AIDS must be our strategy of the future."
(Please, bring music up briefly, dip upon hand wave, and hold under narration.)
NARRATOR:
Across the world, nearly 40 million people are living with HIV. More than half this number is living in Africa - and the majority are women and girls.
I caught up with two members of the South African choir SINIKITHEMBA, the leader PHUMLANI KUNENE and one of the female lead singers, ZINHLE THABETHE.
INTERVIEW WITH MEMBERS OF SINIKITHEMBA
IN: "For me and for the members of this choir …
OUT: …. Never give up!"
NARRATOR:
ZINHLE THABETHE and PHUMLANI KUNENE, from the all-HIV-positive South African choir SINIKITHEMBA - meaning Givers of Hope.

COTE D'IVOIRE

Another area of lingering serious concern for the UN is Cote D'Ivoire.
In early August hopes were raised after the UN Secretary-General, together with a host of African leaders, met with all the parties involved in the Ivorian conflict and secured a promising agreement, The Accra Three Deal, during marathon talks in the Ghanaian capital Accra.

When he got back to the UN Secretariat, I asked the Secretary-General why people should be optimistic?
SG COTE D'IVOIRE CUT 1:
"Well, I think the agreement was signed willingly by the Ivorian leaders, in the presence of a whole set of leaders from the region and the public. I appealed to them to put aside their own individual desires and work for the nation and the people. I saw the spirit in the room when they signed the agreement, how relieved they all seemed to be.
NARRATOR:
Since then the situation in the Cote D'Ivoire has become worse. In the meantime the UN envoy in Cote D'Ivoire Albert Tevoedjre announced his resignation from the job. I asked him why?
SRSG TEVOEDJRE:
After 2 years in that country I think I've done my share. I am 75 . 75 is a respectable age and I have some priorities … I have to think seriously of having other priorities, to fulfill my own duties towards my family and towards myself. But we have done all that we could to calm down the situation. Now we know very clearly what we need to do. Gbagbo has now been able to understand that he can't fool everybody here and there. Sanctions are needed.
BEN MALOR:
Sanctions on who?
SRSG TEVOEDJRE:
On whoever is opposing the peace process. … Fooling the people of Africa, heads of State, the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council, it is too much. Sanctions are needed.

NARRATOR:
The outgoing United Nations envoy to Cote D'Ivoire, Albert Tevoedjre of Benin Republic.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: Wangari Maathai

It wasn't all doom and gloom for Africa … Africa had some good news in October when it was announced that Professor Wangari Maathai, of Kenya had won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.
She told us about her pride and joy.
Everybody in this country both adults, youth, and children, are feeling like this was their prize. The other constituency of course is Africa because quite often, only bad news come from Africa. And here is one time when an idea was born in African, was brewed in Africa, and it was recognized and it inspired people outside Africa. So all Africans, both men and women, but especially women, feel very elated and very happy and feel that they too have been recognized. And of course, the other aspect that was very important was the fact that we made the connection for the first time, the Nobel peace committee saw the connection between good environmental management, good governance, respect for human rights, and peace, that indeed you cannot have peace if you have a degraded environment or if you have a form of governance that is dictatorial and does not respect human rights.."
NARRATOR:
The winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Wangari Maathai of Kenya.

CLOSING PAGE

NARRATION:
And on that positive note we end this special edition of UN and Africa, featuring the highlights of some our major stories, events and interviews of the year.

One behalf of Production Assistant Nyi Nyi Teza, Studio engineer Carlos Marcias and everyone of us here at United Nations Radio, this is Ben Dotsei Malor, wishing you a safe, happy and prosperous new year.

We leave you with the SINIKITHEMBA choir of South Africa.

Happy new year to you.
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(Please bring music up and play till the end.)

Please, give us your feedback as we continue to examine what the United Nations is doing for Africa, in Africa and about Africa.  Send an e-mail to unradio@un.org.