February 26 marked five years of continuing genocide in Darfur. As part of our ongoing campaign on this issue, Africa Action, in conjunction with the Howard University African Studies Department Graduate Students Association invites you to the Witnessing Genocide forum to discuss the ongoing crisis and explore the most effective ways for U.S. activists to act to end the genocide.

This forum seeks to reframe the Darfur crisis by taking a comprehensive approach that looks at Darfur within the broader context of Sudan and regional politics with reference to Chad and Libya and explores the beauty of Darfur's culture being lost in the conflict. The forum will lift up the too often ignored voices of local Sudanese and highlight their heroic efforts to achieve enduring solutions to Sudan's problems. In order to strengthen solidarity with firm knowledge of those we seek to support, the forum will reintroduce the people of Sudan, whom are often only portrayed victims, by way of an exhibit that highlights their complex but beautiful culture, geography, landscape and way of life and demonstrates the power and accomplishments of the Sudanese people.

We are inviting poets, performers and visual artists to showcase inspiring work related to Darfur, peace and social justice. If you would like to perform or contribute artistic input to the event please contact us at the details provided below. The forum will also feature the Children of Darfur: Picturing Genocide, an exhibit of drawings by children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps as well as other images exploring the cultural, social and historical diversity of Darfur and other regions of Sudan.

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Darfur Exhibit & Cultural Performances Open @ 5:00 PM.

Additional co-sponsors include: Amnesty International, USA, Darfur Peace and Development, Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Foreign Policy in Focus, ONE Campaign AU, Pan Afrikan Youth Empowerment Network STAND AU, Washington Office on Africa. For more details about the event, or if you would like to get involved, please click here. Directions to the Blackburn Student Center here.

Join Africa Action and other activists to highlight the two year anniversary of the U.S. declaration that the situation in Darfur constitutes genocide. The rally will feature a number of speakers, and some activists will participate in an organized act of civil disobedience.

Speakers will include:

• Fatima Haroun, Darfuri Advocate, Representative of the Darfur Rehabilitation Project and Darfur Alert Coalition
  
• Members of the Congressional Black Caucus
  
• Bishop Charles E. Blake, Senior Pastor, West Angeles Church of God in Christ and Founder, Save Africa’s Children (invited)
  
• John Prendergast, International Crisis Group (invited)
  
• Rev. Dr. Gloria White Hammond, My Sister’s Keeper
  
• Crispian Kirk, Director of International Affairs, NAACP
  
• Phil Portlock, Covenant Baptist Church
  
• Lonzen Rugira, Steering Committee, Africa Action Student Network
  
• Marie Clarke Brill – Moderator, Acting Co-Executive Director, Africa Action

Event time: 12 noon

More details are available here.

Join Africa Action, activists from around the country, religious leaders, students, and members of the Darfuri and Sudanese community at a gathering to mark the second anniversary of the Bush Administration's declaration that genocide is occurring in Darfur, Sudan.

Event time: 1pm

This event is co-sponsored by: Co-Sponsored by: ACT UP Austin, American Friend Service Committee, Results-Austin, White Rose Society, Global Justice-Texas A&M University Chapter, American Jewish World Service, Code Pink Austin

Join Africa Action and allies for a rally featuring speakers from around the world and right here in Washington, DC and an optional die-in at the white house gates. We can keep people alive — we need to hold our leaders accountable.

Tell President Bush and Congress:
No More Empty Promises on AIDS

• We Won’t reach Universal Access to treatment by 2010 if we don’t train and pay enough doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers in Africa (we need $8 billion from the US).
• We Won’t cut the out-of-control HIV infections in Washington, DC if congress keeps blocking DC from funding needle exchange programs using our own money.
• We Won’t get treatment to the 10 million people in need by 2010 if trade rules are set by drug companies instead of the people.
• We Won’t meet any of our targets unless we fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria and really Drop the Debt for all impoverished countries.
• We Must develop a plan, fund the programs, and let DC and the World get down to the work of ENDING AIDS.

This event is cosponsored by Student Global AIDS Campaign, DC Fights Back!, Africa Action, Jubilee USA, Universities Coalition for Global Health, and the Global AIDS Alliance.

Doors 8:00 PM. Show begins 9:00 PM

Africa Action and TransAfrica Forum sent a small delegation to Zimbabwe to interview elements of Zimbabwean civil society and to observe the elections. We hope you will join us for a reception where Briggs Bomba, Imani Countess and Roxanne Lawson will share their analysis of the situation in Zimbabwe and an account of their experiences.

4:30 - 6:30 PM

After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia was a nation ready for change. In January 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated president, immediately earning a place in history as the first woman ever elected president of an African nation. Since her victory, President Johnson-Sirleaf has appointed women to key positions throughout the government. This diverse group, along with other women across the country, has adopted their popular president’s nickname: They are the “Iron Ladies of Liberia.” The film follows the president and the extraordinary women surrounding her as they develop and implement policies to rebuild their ravaged country and prevent a descent back into civil war.

Panelists include: Dr. Greg Carr, Dr. Lorenzo Morris and Emira Woods. Presented by WHUT Howard University, ITVS, TransAfrica Forum, and Africa Action.

6:00 PM. Free to attend, but please RSVP by email or phone.

Briggs Bomba, Program Associate for Public Education and Mobilization at Africa Action, will talk about his experience in Zimbabwe, where he went recently to witness the elections and explore the attitudes of ordinary people on the health and future of their democracy and find out what it really means to live with inflation rates above 100,000 %.

5:30 - 7:00 PM. Co-hosted by Africa Action and OneWorld.net. Click here to RSVP.

Don't forget to bring information to share about your organization - brochures, business cards, upcoming events announcements, etc.! You can also bring items for the free raffle - books, bags, etc.

WHAT: A rally at the U.S. Mission at the United Nations to deliver thousands of handprints and messages from all over the country demanding decisive U.S. action to end genocide in Darfur.

Speakers will include:
• Gerald LeMelle, Executive Director, Africa Action
• Eric Gioia, New York City Council Member
• Yahya Mohammad Osman, Vice President, Darfur Rehabilitation Project
• Motasim Adam, President, Darfur People's Association of New York
• Rev. Father Mesrob Lakissian, Pastor, St. Illuminator's Armenian Apostolic Cathedral
• Mohamed Yahya, Executive Director, Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
• Judie Manross, Singer-songwrite, providing an inspirational performance

WHEN: May 22, 2008; Noon - 2:00 PM.

WHERE: U.S Mission to the United Nations in New York, 140 East 45th St, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues. Map here.

WHY NOW: The U.S. takes over the presidency of the U.N. Security Council on June 1, 2008. This is our opportunity to demand decisive action. With this public event, we can push the U.S. government to use its influence in the UN to achieve the complete and fully equipped deployment of a UN-led peacekeeping force to Darfur.

WHO: Co-sponsors include: African Services Committee, American Jewish World Service, Armenian National Committee of America, Chadian Association of North America, Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, DarfurMetro, Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Darfur People's Association of New York, Darfur Vigil Group, ENOUGH, Genocide Intervention Network, Making a Difference, NY City Coalition for Darfur, Rock to Save Darfur, Shine a Ray of Hope, STAND and TransAfrica Forum.

LAST CALL: We call on all those yet to submit their handprint banners to our office to send them in now! Find the address below.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Briggs: briggs[at]africaaction[dot]org. For a downloadable flyer click here.

RSVP HERE.
United States Mission to the United Nations, 140 East 45th Street, New York, NY
Contact: Briggs Bomba Briggs[at]africaaction[dot]org 202.546.7961
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=titNo_2fF5CICdZWgbPoldIA_3d_3d

Rock to Save Darfur presents Talib Kweli and special guests Stephanie McKay and Rejectionist Front, performing at a benefit event to raise money for groups promoting peace and security for the people of Darfur, including Africa Action.

In addition to the performers. speakers participating in the event include:
• Africa Action's Briggs Bomba
• Ron Haviv, three-time world press award winning photojournalist
• Eric Gioia, New York Legislator, sponsor of New York City Divestment Bill
• Rahama Deffallah, a survivor of the genocide
• A representative from a relief organization.

All proceeds go to organizations dedicated to ending the genocide and slavery in the Sudan, including Africa Action, Save The Children, American Anti-Slavery Group, Save Darfur, Amnesty International and American Jewish World Service.

Doors open 6:00 PM. Event starts 8:00 PM. Puchase your tickets here.

July 26, 4:00 - 7:00 PM.

"Join us at Sankofa Cafe as we seek to understand the pressing issues facing the nation of Sudan through an afternoon filled with personal testimonies, poetry, music and enlightening conversation. See Darfur in the eyes of the youngest witnesses to genocide as we relaunch our “Children of Darfur: Picturing Genocide” exhibition – a collection of vivid drawings by Darfuri children living in internally displaced persons camps. We all have the power to protect!

Co-sponsors include: Sudanese American Young Adult Professionals (SAYAP), Sudan Hope Initiative, Rescue Nubia, PanAfrican Youth Empowerment Network, and African United DJs.

"No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW" close the gap between promises and reality: Call on United Nations member states to honor their commitment to protect the people of Darfur.

For over a year, United Nations member states have promised peacekeepers, equipment, and funding for aid for Darfur, but they have failed to live up to their promises – putting millions of lives at further risk. Every day that governments delay, more people wait and more people die in widespread and unspeakable violence.

On Thursday, September 25, join us at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations as we demand "No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW."
Amnesty will be providing placards, free tee-shirts and Instant Karma CDs to the first 200 people!

Co-sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, ENOUGH, Africa Action, Human Rights First, Darfur Human Rights Association of New York, Darfur Alert Coalition, and Darfur Rehabilitation Project

5-6:30pm

Join Jubilee USA Network, Africa Action, & TransAfrica Forum in welcoming Dennis Brutus, renowned South African poet, educator, and activist, to discuss the legal struggle for apartheid-era reparations from multinational corporations in South Africa. This lunch comes the day after court hearings in the New York Southern District Court where he is a leading plaintiff among thousands of South Africans fighting for economic justice. Dennis' long history and current work will provide a thought-provoking lunch as we discuss opportunities for further solidarity. Also invited is MP Giyose, Chair of Jubilee South Africa.

The Case
In 2002, the Khulumani Support Group, representing South African victims of human rights abuses, filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against two dozen banks and corporations that had conducted business in apartheid-era South Africa. The plaintiffs contend that the corporations' dealings in the country furthered the apartheid system, making these businesses complicit in the human rights abuses of the regime. The legal precedent in the case refers the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act, which was designed to limit piracy by allowing foreigners to sue in U.S. courts for international law violations. The case's history is framed by a number of challenges; both the US and South African administrations oppose it, stating that it would hurt investment and South Africa's policy goals. The legal process has been long and difficult. A hearing will take place on September 25th in the New York Southern District Court.

Dennis Brutus (1924 - ) was born in what is now Zimbabwe to South African parents and was educated in South Africa. His outspoken activism against racism and apartheid during the 1950s and 1960s resulted in the banning of South Africa from the Olympics and his subsequent arrest. He was sentenced to prison on Robben Island, serving time with Nelson Mandela, and then banned from his studies, his politics, and his teachings. Dennis left South Africa in 1966 for England, followed by the United States where he taught around the country. His poetry was banned in SA for years, though he himself was allowed to revisit the country beginning in 1990. In 1987, he was the first non-African American to receive the Langston Hughes Award. He has long been involved in the Jubilee movement and speaks around the world on the current injustices of the international financial institutions and their policies in the Global South.

1:30 PM. Please bring your own lunch to this free brownbag event. RSVP by email or phone to Hayley Hathaway. Click here for a printable event flyer.

Five years after genocide began in Darfur, peace for the region remains elusive, and the stability of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's devastating North-South civil war is in question. Yet there is reason to hope. Next week, a new U.S. president will be elected, and both candidates have pledged "unstinting resolve" to promote peace and security for Darfur. Africa Action's Just L.E.A.D. campaign asks them to keep this promise by making the pursuit of peace and justice for Darfur and all Sudan a top foreign policy priority.

Come enjoy the music and learn more about Africa Action's work and how you can get involved.

Featuring some of the best socially conscious poets, spoken word and hip-hop artists in the area. Performers include Mic Crenshaw, L.I.B Jackal, Lieutenant Traxx, Hadi, Raheem, Bash Brothers, Phryme, Buc City, Griot Vargas, Bomb & Mib, Son, Salone J.R, Uduak, Boy Major, and more.

In between sets, learn more about Sudan and how you can make a difference from representatives of groups like Darfur Peace and Development Organization, the Enough Project, Genocide Intervention Network, Rescue Nubia, Save Darfur Coalition and Tents of Hope.

Free event. Refreshments will be provided.

7:00 - 10:00 PM.

On November 15th, President Bush will host a summit for the G20 leaders to address the global financial crisis, but we know that this crisis cannot be fixed by those who created it.

Global Justice Action is hosting two days of actions and events to protest the G20 summit and show real alternatives to capitalism.

Schedule of Events

Friday, November 14th

Rally for Accessible Education - 4:00 - 5:00 PM.
DC Students for a Democratic Society will be at the Department of Education for the Student Power for Accessible Education Day of Demands. They’ll be rallying outside it with hopscotch and jump rope and showing the world how student debt is connected to the credit crunch, as well as delivering a letter to the Department of Education with representatives from DC area high schools and universities.

People’s Banquet in Lafayette Park - 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
While Bush is hosting a gala dinner for the G20 delegates at the White House, we will be holding a People’s Banquet, a feast for those left hungry and out in the cold by US economic policies. We’re also planning a Really Really Free Market and a rally to show how mutual aid can overcome local neoliberalism. Co-Sponsored by Global Justice Action, Casa de Maryland, the Washington Peace Center, Jobs with Justice, and Students for a Democratic Society.

Saturday November 15th

Rally & Carnival - 10:00 AM
Gather at the Judiciary Square Metro, 4th & F St NW

March!- 12:00 PM
leaving from Judiciary Square

Shadow Summit 2:00 - 8:00 PM
Luther Place Church, 1226 Vermont Ave NW. While the G20 has their summit, we’ll be holding our own to learn how the financial crisis happened, discuss alternatives to capitalism, and come together as a movement to figure out how to get from where we are to where we want to be.

The U.S. government has failed to strategically and comprehensively address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. President Barack Obama must keep his promise to change the way we fight AIDS at home and abroad by beginning to develop a crucial, lifesaving National AIDS Strategy within his first 100 days of office.

Join Africa Action and hundreds of activists in DC on Thursday, Nov. 20th 2008 at 12:30 PM as we meet at McPherson Square (15th and I St. NW) and march to the White House to inaugurate Obama as the President committed to taking bold new action to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Free buses from Philadelphia and NYC. Contact jeremy@nycahn.org for NYC buses or actupphilly@gmail.com for Philly buses.

We need your help to make this march a reality. Help us organize, publicize and sponsor the march! Visit www.100daystofightaids.org to learn more, or download and print this flyer.

Organized by ACT UP Philadelphia, Advocates for Youth, Africa Action, African Services Committee, American Medical Students Association, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), Health GAP, NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), Proyecto Sol Filadelphia, Student Global AIDS Campaign and VOCAL-NY Users Union.

It is a critical moment in the movement for impoverished country debt cancellation.

We need you to CALL the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday, September 1 to ask that the administration announce its support for 100% multilateral debt cancellation for all impoverished nations when the G-7 Finance Ministers meet in Washington on October 1.

To call the White House, dial: 202-456-1414

To call the US Treasury Department, dial: 202-622-0656 (This is the office of Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor -- please ask to leave a message with the receptionist for Mr. Taylor, not to transfer to voicemail)

See more information on the Countdown to Freedom from debt at www.jubileeusa.org
Washington, DC
Contact: Neil Watkins neil@jubileeusa.org

• Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Actioin
• Stefanie Frease, Director of Programs Coalition for International Justice
• Gayle Smith, Senior Fellow Center for American Progress
• Brian Steidle, former Marine captain

The 2005 conference will salute as Honorary Guest, H.E. Pedro Verona Pires, President of the Republic of Cape Verde.

As an integral part of the Conference, the Taste of Capeverdean Music promises to be a unique opportunity to sample the rich and diverse music of Cape Verde. The music concert features some of the most promising stars of Cape Verdean music, including:

• Suzanna Lubrano
• Maria de Barros
• Mayra
• Lura
• Nancy Vieira
• Arlinda Santos
• Celina Pereira
• Zeca di Nha Reinalda
• Cesar Lima
• Ferro Gaita

For reservations and information please visit Friends of the Republic of Capo Verde's website.

• Salih Booker, Africa Action
• Emira Woods, Institute for Policy Studies
• David Rubenstein, Save Darfur Coalition
• Greg Elders, Catholic Relief Services
• Lisa Rogoff, US Holocaust Museum (invited)
• Jerry Fowler, Committee on Conscience at US Holocaust Museum (invited)
• Adotei Akwei, Amnesty International
• Alita Black, GW History Professor

The performance is in honor of the 1994 Freedom Day in South Africa. This concert is part of the Urban Philharmonic Society’s Recital Series and of TransAfrica Forum’s Arthur R. Ashe, Jr. Foreign Policy Library’s African World Day Series. The African World Day Series presentations include vocal and instrumental music, art, craft exhibits, food samples and discussions about the cultures of the featured country or group. This event is open to the public. Suggested donation: $5.00.

“Robben Island prison in South Africa held thousands of black political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who opposed apartheid. This book reconstructs the inmates’ resistance strategies to show how these men created a political and social order behind bars. Survival was their first goal; challenging apartheid was their true aim. So although Robben Island was designed to repress, it was continually transformed by its political inmates into a site of resistance.” (From Cambridge University Press.)

The Writers’ Corner provides a forum for prominent authors to debut their most current works on issues pertaining to Africa and the Diaspora.

Come Ready to Speak Your Mind Remind President Bush: While He Remains Silent About Genocide in Darfur, YOU Will Not!

Other events:

• Monday: “What is Genocide? Visit the Stations of Injustice” all day in the Paccar Atrium at Seattle University.
• Wednesday: Soup with Substance - Free lunch and discussion. "What it is like to be a refugee?": Sudanese immigrants living in Seattle 12:15-1:15
• Thursday: 7 pm Wyckoff Autidorium, Seattle University. Viewing of "Hotel Rwanda" and facilitated discussion: “Hotel Rwanda” and the Genocide in Darfur.
• Friday: Dance fundraiser at the Vineyard.

Burundi's most recent civil war, which started in 1993, has claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people. Since the signing of peace and ceasefire agreements in the early 2000s, Burundi has been on a slow but steady road to peace and democracy. This has launched the country into preparations for their first general election in more than a decade. The current electoral process has provided the opportunity to shape critical rights, protective laws and policies in Burundi.

Panelists:

• Bobby Vaughn, Notre Dame de Namur University
• Sagrario Cruz-Carretero, Universidad Veracruzana
• Florentino Virgen Castro, Community Leader from Veracruz
• Comments by Jonathan Fox, Woodrow Wilson Center Fellow

The discussion will be held in Spanish and English. The event is co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, the Inter-American Foundation, and the Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin America

World leaders claim that if their constituents had spoken out against the genocide in Rwanda, they would have acted and could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. An estimated 400,000 people have already died in Darfur, and 2.5 million people have been displaced. The genocide continues, claiming 500 lives a day. Join us to mourn the dead and call for the intervention needed to protect the people of Darfur.

Sojourners' Director of Campaigns and Outreach, Minister Adam Taylor, will be speaking alongside other religious leaders in a rally in front of the White House this Wednesday. The rally, co-sponsored by Sojourners (www.sojo.net), Africa Action, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism(www.rac.org), will take place at Lafayette Park in front of the White House at Pennsylvania Avenue, 16th, and H Streets NW at 5:30 PM. Please join us to call for action now to stop the genocide in Darfur! Remind President Bush That While He Remains Silent About Genocide In Darfur, YOU Will Not!

9:00 am: Africa Action co-hosts the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. Together with the Women’s Edge Coalition, Africa Action invites you to attend Prof. Wangari Maathai's presentation entitled: “Women, Development and the Future.”

The indomitable Prof. Maathai is world renowned for waging a relentless struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She is especially well known as the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement, which since 1977 has inspired ordinary Kenyan women to plant more than 30 million trees on their farms and in school and church compounds across Kenya to improve the quality of their life and environment. Their success spawned a Pan-African Green Belt Network, which has empowered communities in Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Prof. Maathai is the first African woman to receive the Nobel peace prize.

This event is a fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support the Green Belt Movement. Tickets will be available at the door at $20 per person.

UN reports show that Africa is the furthest behind in the quest to meet UN Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by the 2015 deadline. President Nelson Mandela will address this in his talk: "Africa's Time Has Come: The Role of the United States in Aid and Development Efforts."

While visiting the United States, Mr. Mandela will be supporting the establishment of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust (USA), a United States-based charitable structure designed to support his Africa-based bodies.

Panelists:

• Sarah Anderson, Director of IPS’s Global Economy Project and co-author (with John Cavanagh and Thea Lee) of Field Guide to the Global Economy, now available in its 2 nd edition.
• Jerry Mander, Founder, International Forum on Globalization, and co-author, Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible (Berrett-Koehler, September 2004).
• Moderator: John Cavanagh, IPS Director.

This year marks the 8th Annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day to discuss the latest research advances and recognize the volunteers who have participated in HIV vaccine clinical trials. Please join the Global Health Council in a discussioin of how today's science may produce the ultimate weapon in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

• Mitchell Warren, Executive Director, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC)
• Dr. Patricia Fast, Director of Medical Affairs, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
• Dr. Peter Manyike, Acting Co-Director, South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI)

5:30 pm: Africa Action and people of conscience will take part in a special commemoration and action on Wednesday, May 18th, beginning at the White House at 5:30pm and proceeding to the National Press Club (5:45pm) to draw media attention to the genocide. At this event, we will release 500 balloons into the air to commemorate the 500 people who are dying every day in Darfur, Sudan as a result of the ongoing genocide. We will demand that President Bush end his silence on the genocide in Darfur and take action now.

Since March 8, Africa Action has been holding weekly “speak-out vigils” at the White House, calling on the President to do everything necessary to secure a UN Security Council Resolution authorizing a multinational intervention force to support the African Union and to protect the people of Darfur.

World leaders claim that if their constituents had spoken out against the genocide in Rwanda, they would have acted, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. 400,000 lives have been lost and 2 million people displaced.

Act Now to Stop Genocide in Darfur!

WHAT: Briefing for the White House Press Corps & other Media by the Authors of the Open Letter to the President, calling for urgent U.S. action to protect the people of Darfur

• Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Action
• Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service
• Prof. Eric Reeves, Independent Sudan Analyst
• Emira Woods, Co-Director, Foreign Policy in Focus
• Elnour Adam, Director, Darfur Rehabilitation Project (invited)
• David Rubenstein, Coordinator, Save Darfur Coalition
• Nina Bang-Jensen, Executive Director, Coalition for International Justice (invited)
• Bill Fletcher, Jr., President, TransAfrica Forum
• Leonard Rubenstein, Executive Director, Physicians for Human Rights (invited)
• The Hon. Donald M. Payne, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations (D-NJ) (invited)

WHEN:9:30am - 11:00am, Tuesday, May 24, 2005

WHERE: The John Hay Room, The Hay Adams Hotel 16th & H Streets, NW, Washington, DC

As genocide continues in Darfur, Sudan, scores of prominent national organizations and leadership figures, representing millions of Americans, have signed on to an Open Letter to the President, calling for U.S. action in support of an urgent multinational intervention to protect the people of Darfur. The letter notes that the U.S. is the only country to have rightfully recognized that genocide is taking place in Darfur, but that the Bush Administration has failed to respond to this crisis with the urgency that is required.

This one-page letter captures the most important immediate steps that leading advocacy groups and leadership figures believe the Bush Administration must take to stop the genocide in Darfur. At the briefing, the leaders of the organizations which were the original authors of the letter will speak about the urgency of the situation in Darfur & the necessary U.S. and international response.

The text of the Open Letter to the President on Darfur and the full list of signatories will be available at the briefing.

5:30 - 6:30pm every Wednesday: The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is hosting with Africa Action, the May 25th vigil as a special effort by Armenian Americans to press for decisive U.S. and international action to end the Darfur Genocide.

Background:

Darfur: 400,000 Dead. 2 Million Displaced. 11 years after Rwanda, 60 years after the Holocaust, and 90 years after the Armenian Genocide.

Action:

Help end the cycle of genocide. Take part in the special one-hour Armenian American-sponsored vigil on Wednesday, May 25th vigil (5:30 - 6:30 pm) in Lafayette Park, across from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

"As descendents of the first genocide of the 20th century, Armenian Americans must do everything in our power to end the first genocide of the 21st century - the systematic massacres, mass starvation, and ethnic cleansing taking place TODAY in the Darfur region of Sudan."

Need directions? Have questions, concerns, or ideas? Contact ANCA at (202) 775-1918 or anca@anca.org. The series of weekly vigils is organized by Africa Action. For more information about the vigils contact Akenji Ndumu at andumu@africaaction.org or 202-546 7961.

• The River Nile Band
• Balafon West African Dance Ensemble
• Documentary Film on Darfur and Art Presentation
• Dance from Eastern Sudan
• Ancient Abundance Belly Dance Group
• Sudanese Rap Music
• Metropolitcan Area Sudanese Singers
• Poetry
• Ethiopian Dance Group
• Information About the Crisis in Darfur

Come Ready to Speak Your Mind Remind President Bush: While He Remains Silent About Genocide in Darfur, YOU Will Not!

This briefing will explore why debt cancellation is critical for poverty reduction and development in impoverished countries.

Debt cancellation for impoverished countries is expected to be a critical item on the agenda of the United States and other countries participating in the upcoming G-8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, July 6-8, 2005. Speakers at the briefing will discuss various proposals for debt cancellation, methods of financing debt cancellation, and the potential for a negotiated agreement to cancel poor countries’ debts at the G-8 Summit.

The speakers at the briefing will include:

• Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, which educates Americans and others to work towards positive US and international policies toward Africa.
• Debayani Kar, Communications and Advocacy Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, a national network of 70 faith-based, environmental, community, solidarity and labor rights organizations working towards debt cancellation for nations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• Adam Taylor, Political Director of Sojourners, a Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice.
• Marie Dennis, Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, a Catholic organization that serves as a resource for Maryknoll leadership and Maryknoll missioners to enable them to act when appropriate on behalf of peace, social justice and the integrity of creation.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience presents:

An estimated 300,000 civilians have died, with 2 million more driven from their homes. The Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience has declared a “genocide emergency.”

Join other students and interns at the Summer Conscience Series -- powerful programming at the Holocaust Memorial Museum that will focus on the atrocities in Darfur and other crimes against humanity.

Friday, June 3rd, 2:00 p.m. Smallest Witnesses: Darfur Through the Eyes of Children In cooperation with Human Rights Watch

Friday, June 10th, 12:00 p.m. Standing Shoulder to Shoulder: Holocaust Survivor Nesse Godin speaks out for the people of Darfur

Wednesday, June 15th, 3:30 p.m. Darfur Briefing: Current Situation and Policy. A panel discussion with John Heffernan, Physicians for Human Rights, and Jemera Rone, Human Rights Watch; moderated by Jerry Fowler, Committee on Conscience

Thursday, June 23rd, 12:00 p.m. Meet mtvU’s Correspondents: Swarthmore’s Stephanie Nyombayire and Georgetown’s Nate Wright interviewed Darfurian refugee children in Chad

Tuesday, June 28th, 3:30 p.m. Remembering Rwanda: Did We Learn Anything?

The Series will continue in July. All events are free and open to the public. They are held at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl., SW, Washington, DC , 20024. Metro: Smithsonian.

8:00PM: "The peformance highlights stepping, the high-energy percussive dance of African-American fraternities and sororities, and the poerful Zulu dance of South Africa. Featuring David Pleasant from teh hit production "Crowns" along with some of teh best stppers in teh world. Step Afrika! will premiere its latest dance creation in a production that thrills and delights all ages and cultures..."

Tickets: $50 for adults (premium seating), $30 (general)and $15 for students and children. Call 202-397-SEAT (7328) or www.ticketmaster.com. Proceeds to benefit Step Afrika! programs and performances for yougn people throughout the world.

For more information go to www.stepafrika.com.

Africa Meets Africa is a progressive hour long, weekly radio magazine that showcases the diversity and resources of the continent of Africa and its Diaspora.

For more information please visit: www.africameetsafrica.com

• Who: Néstor Avendaño and Jennifer Makoatsane
• When: Tuesday June 7 at 12:30pm
• Where: Capitol Hill offices of Public Citizen 215 Pennsylvania Avenue SE

Jennifer is the Secretary of the Phiri Concerned Residents. She will be discussing South Africa's transition from apartheid, the government's embrace of neoliberal economic reforms, the water privatisation process in South Africa (including negative effects, like the cholera epidemic), the role of the French water transnational Suez, the installation of prepaid meters, and resulting problems as described by Phiri residents.

Néstor previously worked for 25 years in the Nicaraguan government under a variety of administrations. He has written several studies about debt and the HIPC process, water and social security privatization in Nicaragua. He has traveled to Washington to present the studies and convey input from Nicaraguan civil society to the Financial Institutions. This work has contributed to the efforts that have helped to prevent water and social security privatizations moving forward in Nicaragua. He will be giving an update on issues related to the IFI's and the current Nicaraguan reality.

Tickets: $20.00. For further information visit www.birchmere.com

This conference, to be held in honor of Jack O’Dell, veteran organizer of the civil rights, peace, and labor movements in the U.S., seeks to bring together scholars, activists, and organizers from across North America not only to discuss the history of social movements around the world, but also how this history can help to broaden our understanding of the struggles for social justice taking place in the present context.

• Keynote address by Howard Dodson, Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture
• Refugee Cultural Orientation Entrepreneurship
• Alliances Between African-Americans and African Immigrants
• African Youth in the U.S.
• African Immigrants and Political Activism to Influence U.S. Policy towards Africa
• Civil Liberties and Human Rights

Panelists:

• John Prendergast, Special Advisor to the President, International Crisis Group
• Gilbert Khadiagala, Associate Professor of African Studies and Comparative Politics, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

9:00pm Sundays: "Tune in to 89.3 FM WPFW or listen on the Internet at www.wpfw.org. Africa Meets Africa is a progressive hour long, weekly radio magazine that showcases the diversity and resources of the continent of Africa and its Diaspora. We would love to air commentaries from African students and others. We welcome your show ideas..."

For more information please visit: www.africameetsafrica.com

• Akenji Ndumu, Africa Action
• Emira Woods, Foreign Policy in Focus
• Molaji Aluko, Nigerian Democratic Movement

June 17 - 23 This extraordinary account of one man's heroism during the Rwanda genocide will be opening Friday, June 17th at the E Street Cinema in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, over 800,000 men, women, and children were massacred in the small African country of Rwanda. Canadian General Roméo Dallaire was charged with an impossible task: to head the UN peacekeeping mission with a handful of soldiers ordered not to use force to protect Rwandans from the mass slaughter.

Based on Dallaire's best-selling book, the film follows the General's return to the region 10 years later, as he comes to grips with the events that have haunted him. The film, according to American Prospect, is about a man's journey "not to seek forgiveness but to mourn and to fight against forgetting. One man, one witness, to the world's indifference." Directed by Peter Raymont.

The Los Angeles Times calls it "compelling, overwhelming. Winner of a deserved audience award at Sundance."

Winner of the Audience Award - 2005 Sundance Film Festival

For more info, visit: www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/WashingtonDC/EStreetCinemaB.htm

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: A discussion sponsored by the Africa Program and the Center for Strategic and Interational Studies (CSIS) on Ethiopia's May 15 elections, and the crisis that has followed.

Terrence Lyons, Institute for Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University, was in Ethiopia for the elections and will open the meeting with a presentation of his observations and forecast.

Also joining the panel as discussants will be: Jane Gaffney, director for East Africa at the U.S. Department of State; Chris Albin-Lackey, Human Rights Watch;And a representative from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

J. Stephen Morrison from CSIS and Howard Wolpe from the Woodrow Wilson Center will moderate the session.

In 1994, over 800,000 men, women, and children were massacred in the small African country of Rwanda. Canadian General Roméo Dallaire was charged with an impossible task: to head the UN peacekeeping mission with a handful of soldiers ordered not to use force to protect Rwandans from the mass slaughter.

Based on Dallaire`s best-selling book, the film follows the General`s return to the region 10 years later, as he comes to grips with the events that have haunted him. Directed by Peter Raymont.

For more information go to California Newsreel: www.newsreel.org

Black Radical Congress Conference 2005, “Confronting Empire: The Fight for Global Justice”

"Plenaries, Workshops, Organizing Institutes, Press Conference to Support Assata Shakur and Atty Chokwe Lumumba Creative Performances, Iraqi Federation of Labor Unions and Much More..."

View complete schedule on BRC’s website www.blackradicalcongress.org

Conference Registration: Adults ($35), Student/Youth ($15), Unemployed ($5)

For further information contact the BRC National Office at: www.blackradicalcongress.org

Courtyard State:

• 12:15 p.m. Mary and Evelyne Kiganda, Ugandan music and dancing
• 1:15 p.m. Cheick Hamala-Diabate Group, West African (Mali) griot with song, dance and drumming
• 2:15 p.m. Cantare, Latin American music
• 3:15 p.m. Memory of African Culture, West African music and dance

Indoor Stage:

• 12:00 p.m. Theatre Lakay, Haitian music and dance
• 1:15 p.m. Silk Road Dance Company, Inc., dance of Central Asia
• 2:15 p.m. Cambodian Buddhist Society, traditional Cambodian music and dance
• 3:15 p.m. Havana Select, Cuban music and drumming

9:30 AM: "The overall goal of this forum is: 1) to present the research and information gathered regarding U.S. energy policy specific to West Africa; and 2) to allow noted leaders from the policy, academic, nonprofit, and business sectors to offer concrete solutions that promote a positive and productive energy relationship between the U.S. and Africa..."

For more information visit www.cbcfinc.org/pdf/breakintheoil.pdf

Tickets: $25 advance and $30 at the door

Themes:

• "Women and Conflict in Africa"
• "Women and Men and Violence: Differential Impacts"
• "Organizing Challenges: Africans and African Americans Organizing Together"
• "The Gendered Impact of Social and Economic Inequality"
• "Building Africa’s Constituencies in the U.S."
• "Working for Global Equality"
• "Organizing Challenges: Youth Leadership and Working with Young People"

• Agnes Dimandja, Former Minister, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Sara Longwe
• Mohammed Ibrahim, AFSC
• Sharon Pauling, USAID, Acting Mission Director, Liberia
• Don Cooney, Kalamazoo College
• Prexy Nesbitt, Solidarity Activist
• Tsitsi Dangarembga
• Imani Countess, AFSC, Philadelphia
• Migwe Kimemea, AFSC, Dayton
• Nunu Kidane, Priority Africa Network
• Dr. Horace Campbell, Syracuse University

Film: Everyone’s Child: A Film produced Zimbabwe Media for Development Trust Directed by Tsitsi Dangarembga followed by a discussion.

Registration fees: general public ($60), students ($40), organizations ($175), single day rate ($40).

For more information visit www.afsc.org/africa/new-africa/activism/sutherland.htm

Mission: To mobilize Christians and other people of faith for five Sundays of public worship and political witness in Washington, D.C., with the goal of ending the genocide in Darfur, and drawing attention to the needs of the African people in general.

Dates and Times: The services will take place on five consecutive Sundays, at 1:00 P.M.: 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, and 7/10.

• Sunday, June 12 Lincoln Memorial-kick-off for the month-Brian Mclaren Sunday, June 19 Capitol Reflecting Pool-Congress-open
• Sunday, June 26 Freedom Plaza-media/national press club-Rev. Wallace-Smith
• Sunday, July 3 Sherdian Circle, Sudanese Embassy-open
• Sunday, July 10 Lafayette Park, Bush administration –Jim Wallis and other religious leaders

Speakers: Will include Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Rev. Charles Wallace Smith among others (TBA).

Policy Goal: The U.S. has taken a merely incremental approach to the crisis in Darfur, and meanwhile, as many as four hundred thousand people have died. We need our leaders to be more assertive and outspoken on Darfur, and support the rapid deployment of a sufficiently strong African Union peacekeeping force with the mandate to protect the people of Darfur. As well, the United Nations must press for a lasting diplomatic solution so the people of Darfur may return to their homes in peace. We need to call the media, the government, and faith communities to remember those who suffer in Darfur and in all Africa.

These are the issues addressed by the book published by the International Jesuit Network for Development. Please join us for a lively debate on the book and the broader perspective on the connections between debt and trade for which we have invited the following experts:

• James Hug, Center of Concern / IJND (moderator)
• Sandra Polaski, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Carlos Braga, Senior Advisor, International Trade, World Bank, and contributor to Debt and Trade: Time to Make the Connections
• Kamal Malhotra, Senior Adviser on Inclusive Globalization, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP

The Spirit of Hope Campaign & Friends and Family of Damu Smith present A Fundraiser and Evening of Tribute for Damu Smith.

"One of the most principled and sacrificing among us has fallen gravely ill. The Spirit of Hope Campaign is a grass-roots, volunteer effort to help our brother/warrior/friend, Damu Smith wage the battle of his life against colon cancer. His treatments are estimated to cost more than $400,000. For over 30 years Damu has been a passionate and tireless human rights, environmental justice and peace activist, and prolific grassroots organizer..."

Tributes by:

• Danny Glover
• Dick Gregory
• Cong. Maxine Waters
• Rev. Al Sharpton
• Rev. Jesse Jackson and many others...

Entertainment by: The Last Poets, Bernice Reagon, Black Notes, Amiri Baraka, Sekou Sundiata, Heru, Ayanna Gregory and many others...

Your donations are tax-deductible. For more information see www.thepraxisproject.org/damu.html

12:30 pm - 2:00 pm: "At least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. When armed conflict breaks out, all forms of violence increase, especially sexual violence against women.

Ariela Blätter, Director of Crisis Preparedness for Amnesty International, will discuss specific case studies of Darfur, Yugoslavia, Iraq and N. Uganda, where crimes are perpetrated against women such as rape, forced impregnation, and kidnapping and enslavement as girl-child soldiers. She will also examine the tacit failures of the international legal system to criminalize rape as stand-alone crime..."

For further information, please visit http://savedarfur.org/go.php?q=weekendOfPrayer.html

Tickets: $25.00

1. To present the research and information gathered regarding U.S. energy policy specific to West Africa; and
2. To allow noted leaders from the policy, academic, nonprofit, and business sectors to offer concrete solutions that promote a positive and productive energy relationship between the U.S. and Africa."

• Charles Snyder, United States Department of State
• Victoria Holt, the Henry L. Stimson Center
• Mike Smith, independent analyst
• Lt. Col. Joseph Nzabamwita, Embassy of Rwanda.

The creation of laws mandating human rights is only a first step in achieving a just society. Such laws must then be respected, implemented and upheld. Morocco's 2003 announcement of landmark reforms to its personal status code ("Mudawana") came after years of advocacy for greater rights for women on matters covering marriage and divorce. Yet, despite improved legislation, procedural obstacles in legal proceedings in cases involving women's rights are often seemingly insurmountable. Come hear, firsthand, what is being done to improve women's rights in Morocco.

SPACE IS LIMITED: Please RSVP by Tuesday, July 19th at 12:00 noon. A light lunch will be available

Metro Stops: Farrargut North or Dupont Circle

Tentative Schedule:

• 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM: Senate Briefing, 216 Hart Senate Building
• 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM: House Briefing, 2226 Rayburn House Building

"Midway between reportage and narrative story-telling, this documentary tells the story of Moussa, a water-seller in the capital city of Burkina Faso, West Africa. The search for water is an exhausting and never-ending chore for many across Africa. The story unfolds as people crowd around wells waiting hours to fill a few buckets of water. Some in the community learn that the government, pressured by the World Bank, plans to sell their water services to a large foreign transnational corporation. Thus unfolds a new chapter of drama and struggle..."

This film is part of the "Summer Documentary Film Festival" - free films on topics of Peace, Justice and Sustainable Futures at Joes Movement Emporium. Each film will be followed by discussion with local community experts and activists, snacks and good conversation. Films will be screen on the last four (4) Saturdays in July 2005 (July 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th).

The film series is sponsored by Neighbors United for Justice and Peace, Gateway Community CDC and Mt. Rainier Hyattsville Greens.

A symposium featuring:

• Ambassador Jacques Paul Klein, former UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Liberia (2003-2005) (keynote speaker)
• Dr. J. Chris Toe, Strayer University President
• Ambassador Dane F. Smith Jr., U.S. Special Presidential Envoy to Liberia
• Musa Shannon
• Rev. Dr. Laurence Bropleh, World Council of Churches, Commission of Churches in International Affairs

The sympsium will be followed by a luncheon at 12 noon. Donation is $50.00.

• Special Guest: H.E. Leonard Ngaithe, Ambassador of Kenya to USA.
• Ambassador Bob Gribbin, The Peace Corps – Friends of Kenya board.

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m: The Wilson Center invites you to a Director’s Forum with H.E. Salim Salim, former Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)and currently the head of the African Union mediation team working on the Darfur peace talks. He will be discussing the changing and increasing role that the African Union is playing in the continent’s affairs, including its most recent intervention and mediation of the crisis in Darfur.

Salim A. Salim the longest serving head of the Organization of African Unity, having served for 12 years as its Secretary General. Today he serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation and as Chancellor of the Hubert Kairuki Memorial University. Over a long and distinguished international career, H.E. Salim A. Salim has served as President of the U.N. Security Council, Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Security Studies, Chairperson of the International Board of Trustees of Africa Humanitarian Action, and member of the U.N. High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change..."

• Mvemba Dizolele, Policy Analyst at the Center for Global Development
• Karana Olivier,Program Officer for Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy
• Sarah Martin, Advocate for Refugees International

We have the power to guarantee protection for the people of Darfur. In light of the ongoing crisis and the desperate need for action, Africa Action will host screenings of films about Darfur and the earlier genocide in Rwanda every Tuesday in August. We will follow each screening with a discussion and explore ways to take action to stop genocide in Darfur.

Eleven years ago, during the Rwandan genocide, over 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. The film Hotel Rwanda provides a shocking visual representation of the brutality of genocide and the heroism of those who resisted. Don Cheadle stars in the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. The film portrays the consequences of world's refusal to intervene as the massacre unfolded.

The program will begin with a taste of traditional delicacies from Mali and will close with a performance by a Malian traditional lute-harp player.

• H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, Ambassador of Mali to the U.S.
• Robert J. Berg, Senior Advisor at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
• Caroline Sergeant, Development Counsellor at the British Embassy (invited)
• Vivian Derryck, Senior Vice President, Academy for Educational Development (moderator)

Registration is limited. Please R.S.V.P. by Friday, September 2nd to kamissa@unanca.org or at 202-518 0471. The admission fee is $15. Make your check payable to UNA-NCA and mail it to: 1808 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 101, Washington D.C. 20009.

We have the power to guarantee protection for the people of Darfur. In light of the ongoing crisis and the desperate need for action, Africa Action will host screenings of films about Darfur and the earlier genocide in Rwanda every Tuesday in August. We will follow each screening with a discussion and explore ways to take action to stop genocide in Darfur.

After observing the woefully inadequate media coverage on the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, Aisha Bain and Adam Shapiro (students at American University's School of International Service) decided to do something about it. In 2004, the team (with colleague Jen Marlowe) traveled to Sudan and eastern Chad and returned with over 45 hours of footage, along with incredible stories and images. The resulting work in progress is the Darfur Film Project, a documentatary of the testimonies of survivors of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Come view excerpts from the film and stay for a post-film discussion with the filmmakers. For more information, visit www.darfurfilm.org.

• A day of educational programming at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Addresses by keynote speakers
• A benefit dinner
• A press demonstration and informative workshops.

Learn • Discuss • Conncect

We have the power to guarantee protection for the people of Darfur!. In light of the ongoing crisis and the desperate need for action, Africa Action will host screenings of films about Darfur and the earlier genocide in Rwanda every Tuesday in August. We will follow each screening with a discussion and explore ways to take action to stop genocide in Darfur.

Canadian General Roméo Dallaire was charged with an impossible task: to head the UN peacekeeping mission with a handful of soldiers ordered not to use force to protect Rwandans from the mass slaughter. Shake Hands with the Devil follows Dallaire’s return to the region 10 years later, as he comes to grips with the events that have haunted him — his struggles with top UN officials, expedient Belgian policy-makers and Clinton administration officials who ignored his pleas for reinforcements. The experience led to Dallaire’s own life tragedy as he dealt with the psychological fallout of witnessing a genocide he was powerless to stop. Judging from the current killings in Darfur, Sudan, the ethical dilemmas confronting the international community are as urgent now as a decade ago. Shake Hands with the Devil won the World Documentary Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. For more information, visit www.californianewsreel.com.

This event is sponsored by the Southern Region Chapter Council of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM).
National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Contact: Isaac Gang isaac@isaacgang.com

We have the power to guarantee protection for the people of Darfur! In light of the ongoing crisis and the desperate need for action, Africa Action will host screenings of films about Darfur and the earlier genocide in Rwanda every Tuesday in August. We will follow each screening with a discussion and explore ways to take action to stop genocide in Darfur.

Taking the situation in Darfur as its catalyst, All About Darfur is a contemplative journey of filmmaker Taghred Elsanhouri to the land of her birth at a time of crisis, as she examines the Afro/Arab race dynamic in Sudanese society through the prism of her own experience of race in Britain and Sudan. Darfur is on everyone’s mind from peddlers in the Souk to professors at the University. The film offers a unique opportunity to hear and see Sudanese people articulating in their own words how they feel about the Darfur crisis, about race and politics in their country and about the place and role of the international community in their affairs. All About Darfur won the Chairperson’s Prize at the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

Panelists will discuss various aspects of immigration law, specifically how changes in the law will impact current and future African immigrants. Other topics that will be covered include temporary protected status updates for African countries, how status issues impact on nationals from those countries and basic legal rights in the area of education, employment, visas and illegal immigration.

After the panel discussion, participants will be invited to share issues they are facing and services that are needed for African immigrants in the DC metro area.

Refreshments will be served.

The Darfur Film Shorts program comprises of brief videos on Darfur and related subjects including Darfur Destroyed, A Good Man in Hell, and a short film on Darfur produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Together we will call on President Bush to take every step necessary to stop the genocide in Darfur.

This event is sponsored by: Africa Action, American Jewish World Service, Armenian National Committee of America, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Faithful America, National Council of Churches, Save Darfur Coalition, Sojourners, STAND, Sudan Peace Advocates Network, and TransAfrica Forum.

You have the Power to Protect!

Take Action Today! Sign the petition at www.africaaction.org

This is a political and cultural event held on the eve of the United Nations Summit to assess the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). U.S. proposals threaten the Summit's commitments to end poverty, curb the flow of arms, protect the environment, advance women's rights and other human rights, end the scourge of war, and ultimately strengthen the very authority and legitimacy of the United Nations.

Participants:

• Reverend Jesse Jackson,
• Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate ,
• Mary Robinson,Former U.N. High Commissioner of Human Rights,
• Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies
• Celeste Zapala, Gold Star Families for Peace,
• Hany Khalil, United for Peace and Justice,
• Adrianne Marie Brown, Singer/Poet,
• Piper Anderson, Hip Hop Activist
• Leslie Cagan, United for Peace and Justice Coordinator (Moderator)
• Emira Woods, Foreign Policy in Focus, IPS
• Kumi Naidoo, Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

Schedule:

• 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon: Citizens' Report on Global Democracy
• 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.:Civil Society Forum
• 4:15 to 7:15 p.m.:Dialogue with Officials from the UN Summit
• 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.: Political and Cultural Event

For detailed schedule or to register visit www.openun.org

Sponsors:

Sens. Corzine, Brownback, Durbin, and DeWine will sponsor a congressional briefing on the interconnected nature of conflicts in Darfur, Southern Sudan, and Northern Uganda. The briefing will explore the links across the conflicts, related root causes, and ways to address the current crises through a more comprehensive approach to promoting peace in the region. Panelists will discuss current and prospective legislative initiatives on Darfur, broader Sudan, and Northern Uganda. Congressional staff, the media, and the public are invited to attend.

Speakers:

• John Prendergast, International Crisis Group,
• Rory Anderson, World Vision Bridget Moix, Friends Committee on National Legislation
  SC 4 (Omaha Chamber), U.S. Capitol, Senate side,
  Contact: laura@fcnl.org

Panel I - 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Policy Framework, Rosalind Boyd, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Developing-Area Studies (CDAS), McGill University

Iraq:Ala Noori Talabani, Member of the Iraqi Interim National Assembly, Baghdad, Iraq

Zimbabwe:Jenni Williams, Director, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Bulwayo, Zimbabwe

Afghanistan: Cheryl Benard, Senior Political Analyst and Director of the Initiative for Middle Eastern Youth, RAND Corporation

Burundi:Eulalie Nibizi, President, Burundi Trade Union, Bujumbura, Burundi

Rwanda:Sanam Anderlini, Independent Consultant on Gender, Peace, and Security Issues.

This event is part of the Global Justice Film Festival 2005, sponsored by Public Citizen, 50 Years in Enough Network, Mobilization for Global Justice, and School of the Americas Watch.

Day 1: Wednesday, September 14

• 11 a.m. – Noon: Beginning the Fast: First hour of prayer and fasting
• Noon – 1 p.m.: Memorial Service and press conference with former Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Voices of Prayer and Advocacy: Preaching on the MDGs
• 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Evening Vigil

• 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.: Morning Worship: “And the Children Shall Lead Them”
• 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Labyrinth Walk - Prayer and Meditation on the MDGs
• Noon – 1 p.m.: Noon hour of prayer and fasting
• 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Youth Speak Out!
• 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.: World Summit Briefing
• 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Evening Vigil

Day 3: Friday, September 16

• 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.: Morning Worship
• 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Labyrinth Walk: Prayer and Meditation on the MDGs
• 11 a.m. – Noon: Noon hour rally
• Noon – 2 p.m.: Walk to the U.S. Mission
• 2 – 4 p.m.: Breaking the Fast - Closing celebration with Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane and Jim Wallis.

Discussion after the film.

This event is part of the Global Justice Film Festival 2005, sponsored by Public Citizen, 50 Years in Enough Network, Mobilization for Global Justice, and School of the Americas Watch.

In New Orleans and in Sri Lanka: Poor people of color bear the brunt of natural disasters and subsequent governmental neglect.

In Iraq and in Haiti: Armed force is used to occupy countries brutally and promote the interests of foreign investors at gun-point.

In South Africa and in Washington D.C.: Poor people face the scourges of privatization, deregulation, and gentrification.

Free Childcare Provided

2:00 - 5:00 pm: This event is timed to come ahead of the weekend annual meetings of the IMF/World Bank, to provide the possibility of last-minute ideas for influencing the meetings'outcome. Primarily, the meeting is to allow for information sharing, as more detailed South-North strategizing will take place at the late September Jubilee South-organized South-North consultation.

• Share information about various organizations current media/campaign/advocacy/mobilization plans, including both in the South and North, and
• Share any latest intelligence on G-8 deal implementation and expansion.

On October 19, 2004, a team of three filmmakers (Aisha Bain, Jen Marlowe and Adam Shapiro) left for Darfur, Sudan and eastern Chad. It is their hope that the voices from Darfur, heard through this film, will fuel public, U.S. and international action to bring an end to this conflict.

• Daniel Kriener, Counsellor for Darfur in the German Embassy
• Aisha Bain, Asia Program Associate for Global Rights and Co-Creator, Darfur Diaries
• Jen Marlowe, Co-Creator, Darfur Diaries
• Vivian Lowery Derryck, Academy for Educational Development (Moderator)

For more information about “Darfur Diaries: Message from Home” please visit http://www.darfurfilm.org/

Confirmed speakers include:

• John Simon - Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development, National Security Council
• Michael Clemens - Research Fellow, CGD
• Andrew Rogerson - Research Fellow, Poverty and Public Policy Group, ODI

Speakers include:

• Salih Booker, Africa Action
• Emira Woods, Foreign Policy in Focus
• Bill Fletcher, TransAfrica Forum

Immediately after, please join the anti-war rally at the Ellipse, Washington Monument Grounds. The "Operation Ceasefire" Concert featuring Cindy Sheehan will start at 3:00pm.

For more information please visit www.unitedforpeace.org

9:00 am - 6:00 pm:

Morning Session: Spending Constraints under the Current Macroeconomic Policies

Panel 1: Overview of Concerns about What is Needed vs. What is Currently Being Spent

• Mr. Francisco Cabrera, Education Reform and Education Councils, Guatemala
• Mr. Gorik Ooms, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Belgium
• Mr. Eric Friedman, Physicians for Human Rights, USA
• Mr. Robert Greener, Economics Advisor, UNAIDS Secretariat
• Mr. David Bryden, Global AIDS Alliance, USA

15 minute break

Panel 2: Recent Studies and Findings on Macroeconomic Constraints

• Mr. Sony Kapoor, ChristianAid, UK
• Ms. Sarah Hague, Save the Children, UK
• Ms. Mariska Meurs, WEMOS, Netherlands
• Mr. David Archer, ActionAid International Education Team
• Mr. Bishop Akaglo, ISODEC, Ghana

Open Discussion with Audience: moderated by Ms. Emira Woods, Foreign Policy In Focus and Institute for Policy Studies

Lunch Break 12:30 – 1:30pm

Welcome and Introduction: by Prof. Fernando Cardim de Carvalho, Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Prof. Maria Floro, Economics Dept., American University, on Gendered Macroeconomic Policies
• Dr. Thomas Palley, Economist, on the Need for Domestic Investment
• Prof. Gerald Epstein, PERI and Economics Dept., Univ. of Mass., Amherst on “Real Targeting”
• Prof. Colin Bradford, Economics Dept., American Univ. on Broader Set of Tools for More Policy Space
• Prof. Alfredo Saad-Filho, SOAS, Univ. of London, on Alternative Monetary Policies

15 minute break

Response: US Treasury Representative invited

Open Discussion with Audience: moderated by Ms. Emira Woods, Foreign Policy In Focus and Institute for Policy Studies

For more information: http://www.actionaidusa.org/pdf/IFIconferenceInvite2.pdf
The National Museum for Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue, NW 5th Floor Auditorium, Washington, DC
Contact: Ilana Solomon Ilana.Solomon@actionaid.org

This event is part of a three part series on the different layers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The three parts will examine the global AIDS epidemic, the gender perspective of AIDS, and the impact of AIDS in America, particularly within the African American community. HIV/AIDS infection rates have not waned but in many sectors such as the African American community it has risen. This is at a time when political and religious motivations are increasingly impeding or halting local and global AIDS prevention programs. Education and understanding of the political and gendered nature of AIDS is needed more than ever to revive activism around this pressing issue. For more information please visit wwww.hotsalsa.org.
Institute for Policy Studies, 733 15th Street NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC
Contact: 202-234 9382 x229

Noon to 1 pm: "This Friday, activists around the world will stand in solidarity with Jubilee South Africa and the victims of apartheid who are still suffering due to the profiteering of multinational corporations. International Banks, including US-based Citibank, were central in maintaining the Apartheid regime that repressed millions of Black South Africans while enriching corporate stockholders abroad. The SA Truth & Reconciliation Commission asked these corporations to come forward to address their role, but to date nothing has been done.

We stand with the people of South Africa in saying, reparations now! Banks must pay back what they profited from funding repression! Activists in South Africa will be marching through Sandton, the South African Wall Street, to demand reparations from each of the eight international banks that benefited from the regime. In this US we will go to Citibank, the financial giant. Our demands are simple. The banks must:

• Admit and apologize for their actions.
• Make reparations to those harmed by their support of Apartheid.
• Settle the Kulamani lawsuit filed in US court by 87 individual South African victims of Apartheid against 23 multinational corporations that propped up Apartheid.

• The Chairman of the U.N. Special Committee against apartheid claimed in 1979 that “Citigroup has loaned nearly 1/5 of the $5 Billion plus which has gone to bolster apartheid.” This included $1.6 Billion in credit bonds to South Africa, most of which went to the government and government-owned companies.
• In 1976, for example, Citibank, along with three other U.S banks and Barclays, provided $200 million credit for ESKOM (government-owned electricity company). This was a few weeks after the Soweto Revolt in October 1976.
• August 1980, Citibank joined Dresdner Bank to negotiate a $250 million loan to South African government which was used to finance segregated housing. A significant portion of the loan was used to finance housing for thousands of 'coloreds' who were removed from their previous homes in integrated residential areas in Cape Town, allowing the Government to move whites in.
• When the Apartheid government was teetering due to internal uprising and international sanctions in 1985, Citibank helped keep it on its feet. Through a system of financial chicanery, they and other banks helped the South African Government to roll over its US$14 billion debts — thus avoiding a possible financial collapse and the end of Apartheid—and freed up the money needed for the military to continue violently repressing the Black population.

For more information contact Matthew Kavanagh, matthew@riseup.net, 202.486.2488 or visit www.jubileesa.org.za

TransAfrica Forum established the Ashe Library in 1993 as the only library of its kind dedicated to educating Americans on issues related to Africa and the Diaspora. It is named for legendary tennis star Arthur R. Ashe, Jr., who was a member of the founding Board of Directors of TransAfrica. A vocal human rights advocate, Mr. Ashe fought for the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, spoke out on the crisis in Somalia, urged more U.S. foreign assistance for AIDS prevention programs in Africa, and protested the unfair treatment of Haitian refugees. He also worked tirelessly to help establish TransAfrica Forum’s foreign policy library.

The Ashe Library is an important resource for policy analysts, congressional staffers, researchers, students, journalists, and the general public. Emphasis is placed on acquiring the works of scholars and other authors of African descent from around the world. Titles in the collection are often unavailable at other local institutions, keeping the library’s materials in demand.

Mistress of Ceremonies: Diane Weathers: Editor At Large, Essence Magazine

Special Guest: Marita Golden: Author, Don't Play in the Sun: One Woman's Journey Through the Color Complex

Featured Guest: Maryse Condé: Author of the celebrated book Segu will share her considerable insight into contemporary social issues—reading from the heart and engaging us in a provocative and lively discussion.

AGENDA

5:30 pm to 6:30 pm: Benefactor Reception

Part of the proceeds will go to Hurricane Katrina relief

• $50 Supporter
• $100 Donor
• $500 Benefactor

You can mail your RSVP card to 1426 21st Street, NW , Second Floor, Washington, DC 20036. Or fax the RSVP card with your credit card information to 202.223.1966. You can also call Ms. Karen Wilson at 202.223.1960 x.142 to RSVP with credit card information.

Event sponsors: Mimi’s American Bistro, BET Jazz, 21 P

• Walter Mosley: Honorary Co-Chair. Writer/TransAfrica Forum Board Member
• Salih Booker: Executive Director, Africa Action
• Maureen Bunyan: ABC 7, News Anchor Dr. James Davis: Physician
• James Early: Director Cultural Heritage Policy. Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. TransAfrica Forum Scholars’ Council
• Dr. Sylvia Hill: Professor of Criminal Justice and Co-Director. Institute for Public Safety and Justice. University of the District of Columbia
• Dr. Julianne Malveaux: President, Last Word Productions
• Professor Haki R. Madhubuti: Publisher, Third World Press
• Satia Orange: Director, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. American Library Association
• Dr. Maya Rockeymoore: Founder & President, Global Policy Solutions, LLC
• Dr. Ronald Walters: Director, African American Leadership Institute. University of Maryland

Please help us celebrate the 12th Anniversary with a donation of $50.00, $100.00 or $500.00.

Please RSVP (acceptances only) to whitneyl@ned.org

Featured Speaker: Akenji Ndumu, Coordinator of the Africa Action Student Network

Organized by Kappa Phi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Learn how to render prominent economists speechless with a single statistic!

Instructor: Mark Weisbrot

This session is part of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Seminar Series. Seminars are free and will be held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) office. All are welcome. To attend simply RSVP with your name, organization (if applicable), and the title of the seminar(s) you wish to attend to seminars@cepr.net. Admittance to the seminars will be on a first-come, first-serve basis; limited seating available.

Non-Washington DC Residents: Audio files (in mp3 format) and outlines of the seminars will be available for free at www.cepr.net the day after the seminars are held. The audio files will also be made available as podcasts. We welcome questions submitted in advance of the seminars. Please send all questions to seminars@cepr.net

• Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service
• Carlon
• DC Guerilla Poets
• No Second Troy
• And more...

A reception will take place in the National Geographic Dining Hall before the screening from 6:00 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. A panel discussion will follow the screening.

For more information please visit www.darfurfast.org.

The purpose of this colloquium is reflect on the "mind and body" in Africa from a wide range of intellectual perspectives. This colloquium will provide a forum for scholars and practitioners to share their research in a day-long, intensive interdisciplinary setting.

The event will assemble health care providers along with Africanists from the humanities and social sciences to explore, broadly and comparatively, the "mind and body" in Africa.

PROGRAM

9:00-9:30 Breakfast

Introduction: Welcoming Remarks by Lydie Moudileno, Director, African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania

9:30-10:30 Session I: Agency and/in the Body

• Chair: Claire Ignatowski, University of Pennsylvania - "The White Shadow, or How to Write European Agency Into the African Subject Without Apologetics".
• Tim Burke, Swarthmore College - "Multiple Citizenship and its Implications for Women".
• Susanna Wing, Haverford College

10:30-10:45 Coffee Break

• Chair : Kalala Ngalamulume, Bryn Mawr College - "Displacing Images and People in Contemporary West African Film".
• Carina Yervasi,Swarthmore College - "Colonial Afterlives: The Specter of Hispanism in the Literature of Equatorial Guinea".
• Lazaro Lima, Bryn Mawr College - "African Horror and Noble French Love in Aida Madi Diallo's 'Kouty, mémoire de sang'".
• Pim Higginson, Bryn Mawr College

1:15-2:15 Keynote Address

• Introductory comments by Donald Silberberg, University of Pennsylvania - "HIV Control in Uganda: Behind the Success Story"
• Elly Katabira, Makerere University Medical School

• Chair: Donald Silberberg, University of Pennsylvania - "AIDS/HIV Risk, Marriage and Sexual Relations in Malawi".
• Hans-Peter Kohler, University of Pennsylvania - "Narrating the Embodied Experience of HIV/AIDS".
• Tonya Taylor, University of Pennsylvania

3:15-3:30 Coffee Break

• Chair: Ali Dinar, University of Pennsylvania - "From Cairo to Dakar: The Human Rights Approach to Reproductive Health Care and the Micropolitics of Fertility in Senegal".
• Ellen Foley, University of Pennsylvania - "HIV Drugs as a Human Right: International Debates and Health Development Models".
• Elise Carpenter, University of Pennsylvania - "'Risky' Culture: Media Representations and Local Interpretations of HIV/AIDS Risk in Rural Kenya and Malawi".
• Crystal Biruk, University of Pennsylvania

The conference creates a forum in which all interested DC students can meet, learn, share, and discuss the issues and how their work can better support achieving the MDGs. The conference is crafted to foster informed intercampus mobilization, coordination and collaboration.

Africa Action will be featured in:

Workshop session III: 4:00-5:15pm: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB and other Diseases (Millennium Development Goal #6)

• Moderator: Swati Shroff, GW senior, Student Global AIDS Campaign and Advocates for Youth
• Kaytee Riek, Campaign to End Aids
• Mark Hiew, UMD senior, Advocates for Youth
• Akenji Ndumu, Africa Action

This conference is organized by 25 graduate and undergraduate students from seven DC area campuses, each as individuals, and all together as a team. These students share no common membership in an organization, but instead are collaborating in the inter-campus style that they hope to inspire and foster at this conference.

For more information, visit www.ourmoment.org.

Cost: $25 per person ($15 for students and people with limited income. Proceeds will benefit participating organizations

Please click here if you are not available but would like to contribute.

• Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network
• Dr. Maulana Karenga, Chair, The Organization Us
• Baba Hannibal Afrik, National Director, America Must Atone/Black Reparations Now! Campaign
• Ms. Gilda Sherrod Ali, Esq., Co-Chair Nationall Council of Black Lawyers
• Mr. Cranston Alkebulan, Youth Leader & Co Chair, Dallas

Admission is free. For more information: N'COBRA--National Coalition Of Blacks for Reparations in America, P.O. Box 90604, Washington, DC 20090

Learn how to render prominent economists speechless with a single statistic!

Instructor: Mark Weisbrot

• The high cost of protectionism - in professional services, intellectual property and other areas where government interventions that redistribute income upward; and
• The trade deficit and the overvalued dollar.

This session is part of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Seminar Series. Seminars are free and will be held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) office. All are welcome. To attend simply RSVP with your name, organization (if applicable), and the title of the seminar(s) you wish to attend to seminars@cepr.net. Admittance to the seminars will be on a first-come, first-serve basis; limited seating available.

Non-Washington DC Residents: Audio files (in mp3 format) and outlines of the seminars will be available for free at www.cepr.net the day after the seminars are held. The audio files will also be made available as podcasts. We welcome questions submitted in advance of the seminars. Please send all questions to seminars@cepr.net

Agenda:

12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch

1:30pm – 5pm: Afternoon Session: The impact of the conflict in East Africa Peacekeeping efforts
Ralph Bunche Center, 2218 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC

1. To enlist membership.
2. To get the people well involve in this new action for peace and democracy.
3. To create the North America Regional office and leadership.

• Support our action for democracy in Africa.
• Develop a new generation of leadership in Africa.
• Empower our people politically.

Speakers:

• Bishop Kevin Dowling, South African Bishops Conference
• Marie Clarke Brill, Director of Public Education and Mobilization, Africa Action

Further conference details are available on the website of the Africa Faith and Justice Network

"Please join Dr. Anthony Nyong of the University of Jos, Nigeria, to discuss the relationship between drought, conflict generation, and resolution in the West African Sahel, a region characterized by irregular rainfall and recurring drought. Despite water scarcity, agriculture is integral to the area as a source of livelihood. Yet climate change could lead to increased dryness, further exacerbating existing conflicts over resource allocation.

In his presentation, Dr. Nyong will identify the human security threats and development drawbacks that can result from drought-related conflicts. To further understand the Sahel’s vulnerability, he will also explore how climate and environmental factors interact with social, economic, and political stressors. In conclusion, Dr. Nyong will recommend drought-related conflict management strategies, and emphasize how these strategies must function as a part of indigenous institutions and be incorporated into national and regional development policies. He will further discuss how conflict management can operate within the framework of sustainable development."

The Conference will cover:

• Trade and Economic Justice
• Global AIDS
• Environmental Justice
• World Peace
• Human Rights (Population, Women's rights)
• World Hunger
• GMO's and Biodiversity
• Climate Change
• Peak Oil

"In northern Uganda, 40,000 children walk up to 10 miles nightly from their homes in camps for the displaced to the relative safety of towns, where they sleep on sidewalks, in parks, and in tents to avoid nighttime attacks by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. If these "night commuters" stayed in their homes, they would risk abduction by the LRA. The rebel group has abducted more than 30,000 children and forced them to become child soldiers over the last two decades of this war.

On October 22nd, tens of thousands of people will march in more than 40 cities around the globe--from Seattle to Ottawa to London to Beijing to Uganda itself--to participate in this Global GuluWalk to call for an end to this tragic war.

The many speakers at the event will include members of Congress, human rights advocates who have just returned from northern Uganda, and children who will read testimonies from their peers in northern Uganda. Participants will also be able to learn more about how to contribute to peacebuilding and relief for the children in Uganda.

If you drive, feel free to use Carter Barron pavilion in Rock Creek Park at the 5400 block of 16th Street to park.

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.

Breakfast refreshments will be served. You are invited to attend!
The Riverside Church, Room 9T, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027

Making the Links – Africans and the Diaspora: Working Together to Reframe U.S. Africa Relations will be held at the offices of the African Services Commitee at 2pm on October 30, 2005. The focus is on critical issues facing Africa with African speakers who can address the international debt crisis, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

The main speaker is Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.
• Marie Clarke Brill is the Director of Africa Action's Department of Public Education and Mobilization. Prior to this, Marie was the National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, the US arm of the international Jubilee movement calling for complete debt cancellation for impoverished countries. Marie became involved with economic justice work on Africa during that time and in relationship with scores of debt and development organizations throughout Africa. Marie is the author of “Enslaved by Debt” which was published in Let Haiti Live: Unjust U.S. Policies Towards Its Oldest Neighbor. She lived in developing countries for 12 years.

Sponsored By: Rutgers Presbyterian Church and West End Synagogue

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.

Breakfast refreshments will be served. You are invited to attend!

This event is part of Africa Action’s tour. Africa Action is taking four leading African civil society representatives on tour of four U.S. cities (Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington D.C.) Two of our guests will be in Atlanta (October 30 to November 1) and in Washington D.C. (November 1 to November 3). The other two will be in New York (October 30 to November 1) and Boston (November 1 and November 2). Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.
• Marie Clarke Brill is the Director of Africa Action's Department of Public Education and Mobilization. Prior to this, Marie was the National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, the US arm of the international Jubilee movement calling for complete debt cancellation for impoverished countries. Marie became involved with economic justice work on Africa during that time and in relationship with scores of debt and development organizations throughout Africa. Marie is the author of “Enslaved by Debt” which was published in Let Haiti Live: Unjust U.S. Policies Towards Its Oldest Neighbor. She lived in developing countries for 12 years.

The focus is on critical issues facing Africa with two African speakers who can address the international debt crisis, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Speakers:

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

The focus of this event is on critical issues facing Africa. Our African guests will address the international debt crisis, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Speakers:

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.
• Marie Clarke Brill is the Director of Africa Action's Department of Public Education and Mobilization. Prior to this, Marie was the National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, the US arm of the international Jubilee movement calling for complete debt cancellation for impoverished countries. Marie became involved with economic justice work on Africa during that time and in relationship with scores of debt and development organizations throughout Africa. Marie is the author of “Enslaved by Debt” which was published in Let Haiti Live: Unjust U.S. Policies Towards Its Oldest Neighbor. She lived in developing countries for 12 years.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is the General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, based in Kampala, Uganda. He is also a Director of Justice Africa based in London which works with a network of organizations based in different countries in Africa, initiating and supporting civil society activities for human rights, democracy, and peace in the continent. Tajudeen is one of the most widely read and respected analysts and commentators in Africa.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.
• Marie Clarke Brill is the Director of Africa Action's Department of Public Education and Mobilization. Prior to this, Marie was the National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, the US arm of the international Jubilee movement calling for complete debt cancellation for impoverished countries. Marie became involved with economic justice work on Africa during that time and in relationship with scores of debt and development organizations throughout Africa. Marie is the author of “Enslaved by Debt” which was published in Let Haiti Live: Unjust U.S. Policies Towards Its Oldest Neighbor. She lived in developing countries for 12 years.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Ezra Mbogori is Executive Director of MWENGO, a reflection and development centre for NGOs in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Zimbabwe that works to nurture a community of values by strengthening and mobilizing African human resources in support of organizations fighting for social justice. MWENGO is inspired by the vision of a strong and vibrant society in which a culture of accountability is firmly entrenched and the rights of every citizen are respected and protected.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Speakers:

• Morolake Nwagwu is the Project Director for Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) Nigeria, is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment. PATA envisions a nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.
• Wahu Kaara is Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals at the All Africa Conference of Churches & the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. She is a prominent debt campaigner, a renowned Kenyan educationist, and a Global Social Justice Activist of international repute. Before the All Africa Conference of Churches position, Wahu served as the Director of the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), which works for debt cancellation for Kenya and helps to mobilize Kenyans towards that end. KENDREN facilitates public education on the impact of international debt and other economic issues on the lives of Kenyan citizens.

Each event will include a panel presentation on critical issues facing Africa including international debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Africans on the panel will address what is happening on the ground and a representative from Africa Action will lead a discussion of how Americans can engage in effective action to produce positive change in Africa. Please consider joining us at one of these events.

Contemporary works by Peter Sibeko, David Mbele, Duke Keyte, Grand Maghandlela, Basil Baqwa, Prince Matsika, and others

Program:

• 1:00pm: Welcome - Fr. George Bithos, Executive Director, Texas Conference of Churches
• 1:05pm: Greetings - Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Associate General Secretary for International Affairs and Peace, National Council of Churches USA
• 1:10pm: Millennium Development Goals: An Overview - Lallie Lloyd, Independent Consultant
• 1:40pm: Debt Relief for the Least Developed Countries - Ann-Louise Colgan, Director for Policy Analysis and Communications, Africa Action
• 2:10pm: Debt Relief in Latin America - Mr. George Thale, Program Director and Senior Associate for Cuba and Central America, Washington Office on Latin America
• 2:40pm: Debt Relief and its Link to Latin American Trade Issues - Ms. Josefina Castillo, Program Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee - Austin Chapter
• 3:10pm: Break
• 3:30pm: Discussion
• 4:15pm: Network, Advocacy, and Outreach
• 4:25pm: Closing

• Matthew Kavanagh, National Coordinator for Global Justice, spent the summer working with community organizers in Soweto, South Africa.
• Irwin Robson, Humphrey Fellow at Washington College of Law, is the Manager of Legal Services for the City of Cape Town, South Africa.

Learn how to render prominent economists speechless with a single statistic!

Instructor: Dean Baker

This session is part of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Seminar Series. Seminars are free and will be held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) office. All are welcome. To attend simply RSVP with your name, organization (if applicable), and the title of the seminar(s) you wish to attend to seminars@cepr.net. Admittance to the seminars will be on a first-come, first-serve basis; limited seating available.

Non-Washington DC Residents: Audio files (in mp3 format) and outlines of the seminars will be available for free at www.cepr.net the day after the seminars are held. The audio files will also be made available as podcasts. We welcome questions submitted in advance of the seminars. Please send all questions to seminars@cepr.net.

Please RSVP by Friday, November 11, 2005. Donation: $10.00

A Discussion With Patrick Bond

Patrick Bond, director of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society, is a political economist who has pursued longstanding research interests and NGO work in urban communities and with global justice movements in several countries. He worked at the Institute for Policy Studies in 1988-89. Since 2000, Patrick has authored/edited these books: Trouble in the Air: Global Warming and the Privatised Atmosphere (with Rehana Dada); Elite Transition: From Apartheid to Neoliberalism in South Africa; Fanons Warning: A Civil Society Reader on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development; Talk Left, Walk Right: South Africa’s Frustrated Global Reforms; Against Global Apartheid: South Africa meets the World Bank, IMF and International Finance; Zimbabwe’s Plunge: Exhausted Nationalism, Neoliberalism and the Search for Social Justice (with Masimba Manyanya); Unsustainable South Africa: Environment, Development and Social Protest; and Cities of Gold, Townships of Coal: South Africa’s New Urban Crisis.

Cost: $30 Opening night; $15 All other nights. All tickets can be purchased at the door. Limited space. First-come, first-served. For more information please visit TransAfrica Forum's website.

• Reception - 6:00pm to 7:30pm
• Zulu Love Letter - winner of the Best Actress Award at FESPACO 2005.

Friday, November 18. 7:30pm - 9:30pm: Moolaade - winner of the Special Prize for Health at FESPACO 2005.

Saturday, November 19. 7:30pm - 9:30pm: O Herói (The Hero) - winner of La Meilleure Image at FESPACO 2005.

Saturday, November 19 - Special Poetry Presentation 5:30pm - 7:30pm:

Featuring:

The launch readings for Ken Saro-Wiwa organized by African Writers Abroad have been made possible with the support of Arts Council England.

Sunday, November 20 - 5:00pm - 7:00pm: Tasuma le Feu - winner of Third Prize at FESPACO 2005

Tasuma le Feu (Burkina Faso, 2003, 90 minutes) is about a World War II veteran who has been waiting to receive his well-earned military pension. Sogo has been anticipating the payment for more than 50 years, though he remains hopeful. He buys the village a mill using credit, but the money fails to arrive. When Sogo is taken to jail because he is unable to repay his loan, the women of the village organize to set him free. Directed by Daniel Kollo Sanou. In French, Djula with English subtitles

This year's theme is Health, Knowledge, and the Body/Politic in Africa and the African Diaspora. The full program brochure is available on the ASA website.

The African Studies Association was founded in 1957 as a non-profit organization open to all individuals and institutions interested in African affairs. Its mission is to bring together people with a scholarly and professional interest in Africa. The ASA also provides information and support services to the Africanist community. Four periodicals are currently produced annually: African Issues (Formerly Issue: A Journal of Opinion), ASA News, African Studies Review, and History in Africa. With nearly 3,000 individual and institutional members, the ASA is the leading North American organization that promotes African studies. The ASA is hosted by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

• "Challenges affecting ESL African Students in the Public School system”
• “Impact of Advocacy and Support for African Students”

Cost: $50.00 per person

Co-Sponsor: The Embassy of South Africa, Washington, DC.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, HIV/AIDS AND U.S. POLICY

The AIDS pandemic has brought to light the inextricable connection between the right to health and other fundamental human rights, such as those to be free from discrimination, to receive and impartial information, and to be free from violence and abuse.

Panelists Salih Booker and Jodi Jacobson will discuss the impact of U.S. AIDS policy globally, particularly in Africa where HIV prevalence is highest.

Please join us on December 1st, 2005 -- World AIDS Day -- to learn more about the relationship between violence against women and HIV/AIDS, and the impact of US global AIDS policy.

Featured Panelists:

• Salih Booker is the Executive Director of Africa Action. Before coming to Africa Action, Mr. Booker was the director the Council on Foreign Relations Africa Studies Program, an Associate Director for the Catholic Relief Services' Southern Africa Office, and a Legislative Assistant for TransAfrica. Mr. Booker has worked in Africa and the United States as a consultant for numerous international donor institutions and African NGOs, including the United Nations Development Program, the Ford Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation. During the past twenty-two years, Mr. Booker has worked in 26 of Africa's 54 countries.
• Abigail Erikson is a specialist in the areas of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and gender issues, both in the US and Southeast Asia. Ms Erikson has worked with various health and development organizations, including: Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand, and Health and Development Networks based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Last year, Ms Erikson co-founded a global HIV/AIDS care and treatment campaign- AIDS-Care-Watch-which is currently represented by over 350 civil society partners worldwide.
• Jodi Jacobson is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE). Recently, she has been quoted in Lancet, BMJ and The Economist, The New York Times and The Washington Post, and has written numerous articles and contributed to several books. Ms. Jacobson was a Senior Policy Analyst at the National Governor's Association, and a Senior Researcher at the Worldwatch Institute. She was active in both the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, and in U.S. preparations leading up to the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women.
• Lisa Schechtman is the Policy and Grassroots Associate at Global AIDS Alliance, where she advocates for fair US contribution to global health efforts, including to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and for US programming that honors women’s rights and recognizes the need for comprehensive HIV/AIDS interventions. She is former Colorado State Coordinator Amnesty International USA’s Campaign to Stop Violence against Women.
  

After the film, there will be an informed dialogue about the root causes of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, the current state of treatment access on the continent and the role of pharmaceutical companies in limiting access to essential HIV/AIDS medicines.

About the Film:

This documentary examines critical junctures in the battle for access to HIV treatment, as the poorest and most marginalized individuals confront larger powers, including governments, corporate bodies and a multinational drug industry that is motivated by profit. The fight for AIDS drugs is taking place in tandem with a growing anti-globalization movement; the latter provides a backdrop for examining AIDS through a lens of poverty, socioeconomic injustice and human rights. 60 minutes. For more on the film, click here.

Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to mobilize@africaaction.org or call 202-546-7961.

Started in 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, education and fighting prejudice. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

Past World AIDS Day themes have been:

• 2004 - Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS
• 2003 - Stigma & Discrimination
• 2002 - Stigma & Discrimination
• 2001 - I care. Do you?
• 2000 - AIDS : Men make a difference
• 1999 - Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People
• 1998 - Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People
• 1997 - Children Living in a World with AIDS
• 1996 - One World, One Hope
• 1995 - Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities
• 1994 - AIDS & the Family
• 1993 - Act
• 1992 - Community Commitment
• 1991 - Sharing the Challenge
• 1990 - Women & AIDS
• 1989 - Youth
• 1988 - Communication
  

Dr. John Kakonge, “Challenges of Attaining the UN Millennium Development Goals in Africa.” Dr. Kakonge is currently an Associate Research Scholar at Yale University and former UN Ambassador to The Gambia. He is a graduate of the Department of African Studies.

This event is funded by a grant from the Graduate School and co-sponsored by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center and The Department of Radio, TV, Film
Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University, Washington, DC
Contact: Sheba Aisha Kane (202)238 2354

04:00 –5:30pm: In the U.S., drug addiction causes tremendous devastation by contributing to HIV and hepatitis infection, overdose death, crime, disproportionate rates of incarceration of people of color, family dysfunction and unemployment. The best kept secret in the war on drugs for the past 30 years is that even though drug addiction treatment is highly effective in reducing drug use, crime and the spread of disease, it remains in short supply.

The panel discussion and Q&A session highlighting international and domestic programs features:

• Daniel Wolfe, deputy director of the International Harm Reduction Development Program of the Open Society Institute. IHRD has funded more than 200 harm reduction projects in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Wolfe is the author of numerous analyses of HIV and drug policy, including a 2004 working paper commissioned by the HIV/AIDS Task Force of the UN Millennium Project to examine the effects of UN and national illicit drug policies on the spread of HIV.
• Robert Schwartz, M.D, director of the Open Society Institute-Baltimore’s Drug Addiction Treatment Program. OSI Baltimore is working to strengthen and expand Baltimore’s drug addiction treatment system. Schwartz is a psychiatrist and the former Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. He conducts drug addiction treatment research through the Friends Research Institute and has numerous peer reviewed publications on addictions.
• Stephen Rickard, Director of the Open Society Institute’s Washington office. Rickard, a longtime Washington advocate for human rights, also served as the Director of the Nuremberg Legacy Project, Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Patrick Moynihan, and the Washington Director for Amnesty International USA.

The event will feature:

• Dr. Dorina A. Bekoe, United States Institute of Peace
• Dr. Abdulahi A. Osman, Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia
• Mr. Welile Nhlapho, Director of Africa I Division at the UN Department of Political Affairs

12:00 noon–1:30 pm: Kenneth Leonard, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland-College Park will present Getting Clinicians to Do Their Best: Ability, Altruism, and Incentives in Tanzanian Health Care.

Abstract: The quality of health care services is an important factor in health outcomes. To what degree is the quality of care provided by a clinician in consultation limited by ability (capacity) as opposed to motivation? By measuring the ability and actual practice of a sample of clinicians in Tanzania and examining the terms of employment for these clinicians, we show that both ability and motivation are important to quality. Even after controlling for their ability, clinicians who work for organizations that use high–powered incentives are much more likely to properly diagnose and treat patients.

A light lunch will be served.

Synopsis: Through eyewitness accounts and gripping footage, acclaimed director Eric Kabera takes the viewer on an emotional journey into the 1994 Rwandan genocide, its survivors, and the memorials created in the victims‚ honor. The film focuses on the personal accounts of men and women who watch over the sacred burial sites keeping the memories alive for future generations.

Admission - $10.00 Student Discount available. Q&A Discussion to follow.

"Yesterday" is the first feature-length movie on AIDS in Africa. It tells the story of the impact of HIV/AIDS on a rural KwaZulu-Natal community by focusing on one woman's experience. The film was commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to help better inform the broader world about the impact of HIV/AIDS in worst-affected countries. Please RSVP by January 9th to felichias@kff.org.
Barbara Jordan Conference Center at Kaiser Family Foundation, 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC
Contact: felichias@kff.org

The forum of Bamako is one among the three polycentric events planned for January 2006; the two other events should take place simultaneously from January 24th to 29th respectively in Caracas (Venezuela) and Karachi (Pakistan).
Bamako, Mali
http://www.fsmmali.org/?lang=en

Africa Action is calling on the U.S. to use the opportunity of its presidency of the Security Council in February to introduce a new resolution on Darfur, which would "re-hat" the African Union mission in Darfur as a UN operation with a mandate to protect civilians, and which would authorize a larger UN force to be deployed as soon as possible to provide protection to the people of Darfur.

For more information, see www.africaaction.org/darfur
United Nations, New York, NY

PAFF is the largest Black History Month event in the United States. The Artist Market will showcase only fine art, sculpture and photography, unique handmade crafts, home furnishings, designer jewelry, designer fashions and accessories that highlight the artistry and beauty of the African aesthetic.

In addition to the Artist Market, the Pan African Film Festival is the largest and most prestigious Black Film Festival in North America. Over one hundred fifty (150) new black films from around the world will be exhibited. PAFF also features musical performers, poets and performance artists. Past Art Market have attracted over 150,000 people over the 12-day event.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days will be a conference attended by 1,000 people of faith. There are several tracks that follow different issues and reasons. Africa Action invites you to engage in the Africa Track.

Make reservations under the name "Advocacy Days" in order to receive the special conference room rate of $99 (plus tax) per night. You are responsible for your own housing arrangements. Roomshare information is available on the website. The hotel provides free shuttle service to Reagan National Airport and Pentagon City Metro Station. Lobby Day will be based at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill.

Registration:
Registration Fee: $140*
Student scholarships are available
Register online with a credit card or by mail with a personal check. Please consider giving an extra donation to help students and seminarians attend Advocacy Days.
*includes lunches and Sunday banquet
An optional pre-conference buffet dinner can be purchased for $24 with registration. Food will be served Friday between 5-6pm.

Schedule:
Sessions start at 6:30 pm Friday night. An optional dinner buffet can be purchased with registration. Friday - Sunday the schedule will be comprised of various Tracks during which participants attend comprehensive issue briefings and advocacy training workshops in preparation for Lobby Day, and common times for ecumenical worship and denominational networking, challenging keynote addresses, and a banquet dinner. Monday is Lobby Day. Turn your vision into voice! Participants will schedule visits with House Representatives, Senators or key policy staff and join an interfaith rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Africa Track
Millions of Africans continue to live and die in grinding poverty despite their continent's rich resources and the enormous wealth it produces for giant corporations and powerful countries in the industrialized world. Working in solidarity with men and women now struggling to overcome barriers which force them to live on less than $2 a day, we will address ways to transform U.S. policy towards Africa, challenging current rules of the game designed so that trade, loans and investment impoverish rather than encouraging human development and sharing the plenty. Using the lens of HIV/AIDS , which has already killed 25 million Africans and today infects at least 8,700 Africans every minute, while only a tiny fraction of the people for whom anti-retroviral drugs now mean life or death have access to such treatment, we will expose the myths about the reasons for hunger and poverty. We will assert Africa's right to health, and explore debt cancellation, fair trade and intellectual property rights, food security, peace, access to safe water and other critical elements that can fuel the fight against the pandemic, and move toward achieving a sustainable livelihood for everyone created in God's image.

The panelists at this event will comment on the international debate surrounding peacekeeping in Darfur. Topics for discussion will include: How can the peacekeeping operation there be made more effective in order to provide genuine security for the Darfur population? Can the African Union forces be strengthened? Should the AU effort be transformed into a UN peacekeeping operation? Might NATO provide interim support until the UN can take over? How do the Government of Sudan and the AU view these proposed changes? What role should the U.S. play?

Speakers include Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action and Ambassador Khirir Ahmed, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sudan. A State Department presenter has also been invited, and the discussion will be moderated by David Smock of the United States Institute of Peace.

To RSVP, please send your name, affiliation, daytime phone number, and name of the event to Peter Rockwood
U.S. Institute of Peace, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1200 17th St, NW, Washington, DC 20036 United States
Contact: Peter Rockwood prockwood@usip.org
http://www.usip.org/events/2006/0315_darfur.html

This date also marks the 5th anniversary of the creation of Africa Action in 2001 from the merger of our three predecessor organizations, The American Committee on Africa, The Africa Fund and the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). The oldest of these organizations dates back to 1953.

The International Film and Television Exchange Inc., in conjuction with the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, will hold its 4th Annual Documentary Screening & Seminar from 8:30am to 12:30pm. The event is entitled, "The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS: The Impact of Gender Disparities on the Growth and Spread of HIV/AIDS."

For more information, contact Maryamu Aminu (Rep. Tom Lantos) at 202-225-3531, or to register for the event, contact Claus Mueller at 212-772-5647 or cmueller@hunter.cuny.edu.

* April 3: Torgeson Museum
* April 4: Williamsburg Room, Squires Student Center
* April 5: Math Emporium
* April 6: Williamsburg Room, Squires Student Center
* April 7: Math Emporium

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 United States
Contact: Lindsay Locraft lilocraft@vtech.edu 571-643-4696

This panel discussion will gather local experts about Washington, DC's HIV/AIDS crisis to comment on the different programs and initiatives that are addressing the need. They will also provide information on how you can get involved in the efforts to further bring this crucial topic to the attention of city officials. The panel will include representatives from DC Appleseed, Metro Teen AIDS, DC's HIV/AIDS Administration, DC Primary Care Association, and the Whitman Walker Clinic.

This program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Please RSVP to the contact listed below.

This fundraising event for Women in Progress is hosted by past WIP volunteer Emilie Kimball and family and His Excellency Fritz Poku, the Ambassador of Ghana to the United States. Entertainment will be provided by "Anansegromma of Ghana" dance group and Ghanaian food catered by Ghana Cafe. A cash bar will also be available.

The event is open to the public. $100 per person or family.

As part of the Amram Scholar Series, the Washington Hebrew Congregation presents a talk by Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service, from 10:30am to 12pm. The AJWS is an international development agency providing support to more than 200 grassroots social change projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas. She will give a first-hand account of her experiences on the ground in Darfur, Sudan and talk about what must be done to stop the ongoing genocide that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

The event will be followed by a Darfur Action Hour, from 12pm to 1pm. Have a bagel and coffee and stay to learn more from Ruth Messinger and others. View a video, get literature on the crisis and sign a postcard for the Million Voices for Darfur campaign to send a million postcards to President Bush by April 30, 2006. RSVP for the Action Hour to Layne Weiss (lweiss@whctemple.org) or (202) 362-7100. This program is free and open to the public.

The Washington DC Jewish Community Center (DCJCC) and the Global Youth Partnership for Africa will hold an evening of performance-based storytelling focusing on the struggle for human rights in Africa. Artists from six African countries will tell their personal and communal freedom stories through music, dance, drumming, film, and spoken word. Tickets are $15, discounted DCJCC member price $10, students $5.

Magid Performers include:
Daniel Ssuuna (Uganda) - Percussionist, poet, singer, reggae artist
Kuku (Nigeria) - Singer, song-writer, guitarist
Guy Djoken (Cameroon) - Storyteller
Anna Mwalago (Kenya) - Actress, dancer, poet, singer

Please contact Sarah Gershman at the DCJCC at 202-777-3237 by Wednesday, April 5 to purchase tickets.

Activists from the Student Global AIDS Campaign chapters at Clark University and St. Michael's College will protest at the Abbott Bioresearch Center in Worcester, MA. Students will deliver signed letters and 40 large black Easter eggs symbolizing the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide.

The focus of this protest is the HIV medication Kaletra and the demand for Abbott to make the drug affordable, register it for distribution, allow the manufacture of generic versions, and increase research on pediatric formulations.

Each year on Good Friday, Christian communities gather in public places to recreate the story of Jesus' passion, and the Economic Way of the Cross relates Jesus' suffering on the cross to economic injustice. Each station in the Economic Way of the Cross focuses on an oppressive economic reality, naming one or more institutions complicit in injustice and invoking a commitment on our part to work for change.

See the flyer posted on the website for more information about the schedule and route.

On April 24, a day that officially commemorates the Armenian genocide of 1915, Paul Rusesabagina will share his experience and wisdom at the University of Southern Maine. Paul Rusesabagina's story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster "Hotel Rwanda." His discussion will highlight not only his experience but also the impact of genocide in Africa today.

This event features the Children of Darfur: Picturing Genocide exhibit. Children are the youngest survivors of this genocide, and their drawings depict the atrocities that they face. Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, a pediatrician from New Jersey, collected drawings from children in Darfur while he was working in one of the camps for internally displaced people. Africa Action has converted these drawings into an exhibit to help remind people of the on-going genocide in Darfur.

Three Darfuri speakers - Salih Mahmoud Osman, Samia Osman Ishag, and Ms. Tragi Mustafa - will speak at a lunch briefing (12:30pm - 2pm) sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the Initiative for Inclusive Security, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). The panelists will speak about justice and accountability, civilian protection, and the situation of women in civilian camps.

Please RSVP to Laura Weis at FCNL by 12:00pm on Thursday, April 27, 2006.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in conjunction with the Save Darfur Coalition's Rally to Stop Genocide will screen a series of films at 10am.

Films include:
Darfur Eyewitness, Former U.S. Marine Brian Steidle describes what he witnessed while in Darfur with the African Union Monitoring Force.
Staring Genocide in the Face, Jerry Fowler, director of the Museum’s Committee on Conscience, relates stories told to him by Darfurian refugees in Chad.
Darfur: Lives Destroyed, John Heffernan discusses his research on the destruction of livelihoods for Physicians for Human Rights.
What Will It Take to Stop Genocide in Darfur?, A taped panel discussion at the Museum with Samantha Power, Michael Ranneberger, Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, and Jon Sawyer.
Darfur: A 21st Century Genocide, A production of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Our Choice, Too: On the Edge in Darfur,Jon Sawyer reports on his trip to Darfur traveling with African Union troops.

Join us every Tuesday in May from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. The U.S. Mission at the UN has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with the African Union which has troops on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United States to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

Join us every Tuesday in May from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. The U.S. Mission at the UN has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with the African Union which has troops on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United States to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

This program examines the role of documentary film in raising awareness of rebuilding processes after catastrophic ethnic conflicts, specifically the effects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Filmmakers Anne Aghion and Kimberlee Acquaro will be joined in a post-screening discussion by Alison Des Forges, a senior advisor at Human Rights Watch and expert witness in numerous trials at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

The schedule is as follows:
5:30pm Pre-Event Screening: “Gacaca, Living Together Again in Rwanda?” (2002, 55 mins.)
6:45pm Screening: “In Rwanda, We Say...The Family That Does Not Speak Dies,” (2005, 55 mins.)
7:45pm Screening: God Sleeps in Rwanda (2006, 28 mins,)

Admission is free.

The latest deadline for the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is approaching, and questions have been raised concerning the viability of these elections and the future government. The United States Institute of Peace has invited William Lacy Swing, United Nations Special Representative for the DRC, to discuss international preparations for the elections, predictions on the capacity of the new Congolese government, and the UN role in supporting the government, among other topics. He will be joined by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, of the World Security Network, and the discussion will be moderated by Chester Crocker of Georgetown University.

The event is scheduled for 10am-12pm. To RSVP, please send your name, affiliation, daytime phone number, and name of the event to the Office of Public Affairs and Communications at 202-429-3832 x3 or by email at rsvp@usip.org.

Join us every Tuesday in May from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. The U.S. Mission at the UN has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with the African Union which has troops on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United States to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen of International Crisis Group, who have both monitored the peace processes relating to both Darfur and Northern Uganda, will share their latest observations and recommendations. The event is scheduled from 3:30pm-5pm.

To RSVP, please send your name, affiliation, daytime phone number, and name of the event to Renata Stuebner at rstuebner@usip.org.

This conference, hosted by the Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity of the Woodrow Wilson International Center and The Peacebuilding and Development Institute of American University, will examine the role of youth participation in the context of achieving sustainable peace. The first panel will focus on effective youth engagement in peacebuilding activities in Bangladesh, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The second panel will examine strategies to more effectively promote and enhance the role of youth in conflict transformation.

Panel I: Effective Youth Engagement in Peacebuilding
Chair: Saji Prelis, Program Director, Peacebuilding and Development Institute, American University; Executive Director, Center for Peace Building International
Moonmoon Gulshan, Practitioner, ActionAid, Bangladesh
Thomas Katta, National Coordinator, Center for the Coordination of Youth Activities, Sierra Leone
Philip Kollie, Youth Supervisor, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Liberia
Michael Wessells, Senior Child Protection Specialist, Christian Children’s Fund; Clinical Professor of Population and Family Health, Columbia University

Panel II: Looking Ahead: Policy and Action
Chair: Howard Wolpe, Director, Africa Program and Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity, Woodrow Wilson Center
Geoffrey Oryema, Executive Director, Acholi Youth Peace and Reconciliation Initiative (AYPARI), Uganda
Paul Sully, Project Director, EQUIP3 / Youth Trust, Education Development Center
Eric Tagne, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Yaounde, Cameroon
John Williamson, Senior Technical Advisor, Displaced Children and Orphans Fund, USAID

The event is schedule for 2pm-5pm. To RSVP, please click here.

Amnesty International USA Local Group 48 and the Coalition for Genocide Awareness will host two events, featuring Marie Clarke Brill, Director for Public Education and Mobilization at Africa Action.

The events are scheduled as follows:
5:30pm - Training on How to Work with the Media (Room 323) Attendance is limited to 25. To reserve space in the workshop call AIUSA Group 48 at 503-227-1878 or email Marty Fromer.
7:45pm - A Discussion on the Crisis in Darfur

Both events are free.

Jen Marlowe, producer/director of the documentary Darfur Diaries will attend this free screening of the film at Northwestern University. She will also be launching a fundraising drive in Chicago, with proceeds going to Darfur Peace and Development. The screening begins at 7:30pm.

For information on additional screenings, please click here.

Each year on the third Sunday of May, the Global Health Council collaborates with activists around the world in organizing AIDS Candlelight Memorials. These events remember those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. At this year's DC event, bicyclists from Partners in Health will arrive, having biked from San Fransisco, and Ryan White's mother will speak, along with local activists.

The Memorial Program will take place at Frank Reeves Municipal Center from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. The Candlelight Memorial Ceremony will take place from 8:00pm to 9:00pm at the US African American Civil War Memorial (1200 U St. NW).

Join us every Tuesday in May from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. The U.S. Mission at the UN has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with the African Union which has troops on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United States to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

Of the estimated over 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS, roughly 95% of them live in developing countries. Africa is home to more than 25 million people living with HIV/AIDS. As infection rates continue to increase worldwide, this policy forum will address some of the trends and challenges involved in the globalization of HIV/AIDS.

Panel:
Dr. Susan Hunter, Renowned Expert on HIV/AIDS and Author of "Black Death: AIDS in Africa"; "AIDS in Asia: A Continent on Peril"; and the soon-to-be-released "AIDS in America"
Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director, Global AIDS Alliance
Dr. Judith Auerbach, Vice President, Public Policy and Program Development, American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. Congress

A question and answer session and a book signing will follow presentations.

Please RSVP by E-mail (kim.osborne@uncfsp.org) or by telephone at 703-205-8143

Light breakfast will be served. The event time is 8:00am to 10:00am.

A panel of speakers will address the upcoming Congolese elections, particularly from the point of view of politics, human rights, security and women. The event will be held from 10am to 1pm, and photo ID is required for entry.

This event is sponsored by the Congolese Congress of America, with the support of the Friends of the Congo and the Africa Faith and Justice Network.

Join us every Tuesday in May from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. The U.S. Mission at the UN has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with the African Union which has troops on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United States to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

Following the downfall of Charles Taylor, the United Nations removed sanctions on Liberian timber, creating a new opportunity for reform and reconstruction. Forests in Liberia generate up to 60 percent of its foreign exchange earnings and employ roughly 7,000. A panel discussion on these issues will feature:

Scott Bode, Natural Resources Adviser, USAID
Peter O’Donohue, Forest Programs Officer, U.S. Department of State
Glenn T. Prickett, Senior Vice President, Conservation International
K.W. James Rochow, World Bank Legal Adviser for Forestry Concession Review
Robert Simpson, Liberia Program Coordinator, USDA, Forest Service

Event time: 3:00pm-5:00pm

To RSVP, click here.

Join us every Tuesday in June from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. (140 E. 45th Street, between 3rd and Lexington in New York City) Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. There is a peace deal between two of the four parties and the UN has an assessment mission on the ground. Unfortunately, the Sudanese government has already violated the agreement and attacks on civilians continue. The U.S. Mission at the United Nations (UN) has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians. Without a peacekeeping mission on the ground there will not be enough security to foster a lasting peace agreement.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with all the stakeholders on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United states to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

In response to a decree mandating that all black students in South Africa must learn the Afrikaans language, the students of the township of Soweto organized a peaceful march on June 16, 1976. The South African police responded by opening fire on the crowd, killing over 600 people and wounding over 1,000. This incident was crucial in sparking the global anti-apartheid movement.

This TransAfrica Forum event will honor the student movement with a reception and discussion. Participants are invited to share their stories of the anti-apartheid movement. Event time: 5-7pm.

Please RSVP via email or telephone at vmosley@transafricaforum.org or 202-223-1960 ext 101

This panel discussion will address the continuing violence on the ground in Darfur, even in the wake of the May 5th Darfur Peace Agreement. While this agreement was co-signed by one rebel group and the Sudanese government, it has had little effect on the deteriorating security situation.

Panelists will include:

Moderated by Roberta Cohen: Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Kenneth Bacon: President, Refugees International
Nuraddin Mannan: Retired Sudanese Diplomat
Ann-Louise Colgan: Acting Co-Executive Director, Africa Action

Event time: 12:30-2pm

To register, click here.

Join Africa Action and friends in a rally and die-in in front of the White House. On World Refugee Day, June 20th, activists underscore that the Abuja peace agreement and ceasefire have been broken, and that genocide continues in Darfur. This event will highlight the urgent need for an immediate UN peacekeeping mission.
Participants in this event are asked to wear black.

Event time: 12pm (noon).
Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, 16th & H Streets, NW, Washington, DC United States
Contact: mobilize@africaaction.org 202-546-7961
http://www.africaaction.org/docs/06-20DieinFlyer.pdf

Join us every Tuesday in June from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm for a vigil on Darfur at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. (140 E. 45th Street, between 3rd and Lexington in New York City) Come when you can, stay as long as you want.

There are signs that public pressure is having an effect in our fight to stop the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have lost their homes and livelihoods. There is a peace deal between two of the four parties and the UN has an assessment mission on the ground. Unfortunately, the Sudanese government has already violated the agreement and attacks on civilians continue. The U.S. Mission at the United Nations (UN) has indicated support for a resolution that would authorize a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur with a mandate to protect civilians. Without a peacekeeping mission on the ground there will not be enough security to foster a lasting peace agreement.

We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that the Security Council authorizes such a mission. It is becoming only more important that the U.S. negotiate with all the stakeholders on the ground in Darfur and with the other members of the UN Security Council to achieve a solution that can best protect the people in Darfur. Please join us as we continue to be a witness to the genocide in Darfur and call for the United states to use its power to protect. Be the public representative of the growing national chorus that will not accept genocide in Darfur.

This brown bag lunch will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the continuing situation in Darfur, the recent peace agreement, and the deteriorating security conditions. This event will explore the effect insecurity continues to have on the lives of displaced people.

This event will feature Jacob Feinspan (Senior Policy Associate, American Jewish World Service) and Stefanie Ostfeld (Program Associate, American Jewish World Service).

To RSVP, please email tfoster@globalhealth.org. If you are unable to attend in person a call-in number can be provided.

This event to launch the 3rd Annual Bill Sutherland Institute for Africa Advocates will feature an opening reception and film screening. It is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Environmental Defense, International Rivers Network, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the U.S. Committee to Ban Landmines. Details are as follows:

5-6:30pm Reception and Dinner
6:30-9pm Welcome by Clinton Pettus, Regional Director, AFSC, Middle Atlantic Region, and screening of "O Heroi" (The Hero), A Story of Angola.

This training event provides the opportunity for Africa advocates to come together and lobby the US Congress on 100% debt cancellation. Activists will send the message that the G8 deal proposed last year is insufficient. Many countries were left out, and the IMF & World Bank's imposition of harmful economic conditions and the odious and illegitimate nature of the debt were not addressed.

Event Schedule:
8:30-11:30 am - Lobby Training at Friends Committee on National Legislation (245 Second Street NE)
11:30-5:30 pm - Lunch and Lobby Visits in Rayburn, Longworth, Cannon House Office Buildings

This lobby day, including breakfast and training, is free, however attendees are responsible for the cost of their own lunch.

Click here for the full Life Over Debt National Lobby Day Agenda. (PDF 108 KB)