Afrca 2000

SWAPOLAND

Namibia is one of the youngest members of the African family. It is a vast land, although smaller than Ethiopia but has only a little over 2 million people.
For all its immense size however, Namibia has not one but two distinct deserts – the Namib bordering the Atlantic and the great Kalahari, spreading out from Botswana.
Very little has been written about the early history of the area before it became a German protectorate in 1890 – a possession granted by treaty to Germany in Versailles, France after Bismark’s victory over Nepoleon. It was called German Southwest Africa and formed part of Germany’s short-lived colonies in Africa which once included Tanganyika (Today’s Tanzania), Cameroon, Togo, and Rwanda-Burundi.
Soon after the First World War broke out in 1914 apartheid South Africa seized control of southwest Africa. In 1920, the moribund League of Nations bequethed the territory to be administrated as a South African protectorate, ‘legitmizing’ that country’s claim on Namibia.
The Southwest Africa peoples Organization (SWAPO) founded in the early 50’s, embarked on a guerilla war for independence in 1966. In de-facto recognition of its right to self-determination, the territory was officially named Namibia by the United Nations in 1968.
The war for dependence, led by Sam Njoma went on for two decades until a U.S. brokered peace agreement involving Angola and South Africa led to eventual independence in 1990. The agreement stipulated that Cuban troops then in Angola would conduct a phased withdrawal. A constitution was adopted and liberation hero and father of the nation, Sam Njoma became its first president.

Facts and Figures

Mozambique – Emerging powerhouse

Location-Southwest corner of Africa, Angola on north, Botswana on East, S.Africa on South.
Area-825,418 sq km
Topography-Namib desert on Atlantic coast, mountainous central plateau with forested savanna, Kalahari Desert on East
Population-2,044,175
Distribution - 33 % urban
Ethnic Make-up-Ovambo, Kavango, Herero, Damara, White mixed
Languages –English (official), Afrikaans, German, Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Religions –Lutheran, other Christian, Indigenous beliefs
Capital City – Windhoek, pop 289,000
Government Type – Republic
Head of State – President Hifikepunye Pohamba, since 2005
Head of Government – Prime Minister Nahas Angula, since 2005
Currency – Namibia Dollar (NAD) 7.62 = $ 1 US
Gross Domestic Product - $ 14.2 bln
Per Capita GDP -$ 7,000
Economy – Meatpacking, fisheries, dairy products, millet, diamonds, uranium, copper
Electricity Production – 1.4 bln kwh
Literacy – 85%
Life Expectancy – 44.5 male, 42.3 female
AIDS Rate – 19.6 %
Ports – Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Airports – 21
Railroads – 2,382 kms
Vehicles – 130,000 units
Telephones – 128,000 lines
Radios – 143 per 1000 people
TV sets – 38 per 1000.
Daily Newspaper Circulation – 17.2 per 1000 people
Internet – 75,000 users

Facts and figures are the latest available at time of publication and may not necessarily be the most accurate.

Exodus

By Kirubel Tadesse

Written by: Demere Tseige
Directed by: Demere
Type: Suspense
Duration: 120 min

When fifteen years of research and hard work finally pays off, Professor Markos (played by Aberar Abedo) celebrates and starts dreaming of saving millions of Sub Saharan children from death, but that's all about to change. The owner of the research center and hospital, Zewdeneh (played by Tesfaye Gesesse), tries to sell it to some foreign NGO that absurdly tries to make profit out of it, making it hard for Sub Sahara African children to access it as they simply can not afford it. It was the professor's nightmare come true but that was not the only unpleasant fact he has to face. Zewdeneh, Mr. Everything of Sedet (Exodus), as wrongly translated by the director in English, also demands to marry 'Mahelet', professor Markos' daughter. To make things worst, 'Mahelet' was soon to be engaged to 'Yonas', her love and a dear friend of her father's.
Sedet, which should have been titled 'Exile', if ever needed an English translation at all, comes with a new idea and wonderful collaboration of young and aged talents. Too bad it doesn't seem to be edited at all. The dialogue which seems to fit a stage play more than a film, forced the artists to look like amateurs. The love and care seen between 'Yonas' and his father in law to be, Professor Markos, seemed too unrealistic and their dialogue didn't help at all, forcing the audience to laugh even in sad situations. Sedet extends to two hours with needless scenes which, if really necessary, could be put in the deleted scenes part of the DVD or VCD, as like Hollywood films.
Since the film revolves around the medical world, some terminologies and equipments used by the characters should have been checked by medical professionals. The main character, Professor Markos, says that he did his first degree in Micro Biology, a subject not given at undergraduate level. He also was once seen working as a medical director while the position couldn't be claimed with out studying medicine.
The different places and various cars used in the film display that there was a big budget behind the film. As once done on Kezekaza Wolafen, it is not yet too late to delete some scenes and let professionals and critics do total editing. It would not really be too late. Otherwise Sedet is destined for a long exile in some forgotten cabinet.

Oil Paintings Exhibited

Dawd Abrar is a young entrepreneur who has many successful businesses around Merkato. Despite his usual busy days, he always takes time to admire and collect paintings, mainly by Ethiopian artists. After a few years of collecting paintings, he has decided to share his collection with the world. He had a website 'ethiopaintings.com', designed to promote his collections and has offered some of them for sale.
Starting From Wednesday October 31 to November 2, 2007, he has displayed two hundred fifty of his collections at an exhibition at Hilton Addis. In this first exhibition which was named 'Hand Made Oil Paintings Exhibition', he presented some of his collections obtained from foreign artists. The exhibition has attracted many visitors and most of the paintings were sold on the opening day with the rest still available for buyers through the website.
Ethiopainting.com offers abstract, African, nude, flower, landscape and many more categories of oil paintings on its website.

D’BANJ WINS BEST AFRICAN ACT AT THE 2007 MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS

Nigerian hip hop star D’Banj has won the Best African Act award at the 2007 MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS that was screened live from Munich, Germany on November 1 on DStv. 
D’banj received his Best African Award at a glittering ceremony held at the OlympiaHalle, Munich. Despite intense competition from fellow contenders Samini, Jua Cali, Chameleone & HHP, D’banj was named Best African Act, receiving his trophy from MTV base VJ Sizwe Dhlomo.
The Best African Act nominees rubbed shoulders on the red carpet with the biggest and best in the contemporary music industry including Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean, Avril Lavigne, Foo Fighters, Mika, My Chemical Romance, Nicole Scherzinger and will.i.am – all flying into Munich for the prestigious annual awards ceremony, which is now in its 14th year. 
The MTV Europe Music Awards was hosted by Snoop Dogg and was aired live on MTV and MTV Base to DStv audiences across Africa. The Best African Act Award was initially created in 2005 to mark the addition of MTV base, MTV’s pan-African TV channel, to the MTV global television family. The inaugural award went to Nigeria’s 2-FACE Idibia, with South Africa’s freshly ground taking home the gong in 2006.
DStv audiences can tune in for the re-broadcast of the MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS 2007 on MTV Base (DStv channel 322) on Sunday November 4 at 13:00 CAT, Friday November 9 at 21:00 CAT and on MTV (DStv channel 321) on Sunday November 4 at 12:00 CAT, Sunday November 11 at 01:00 CAT.