Africa 2000

Uganda-the pearl of Africa

The Republic of Uganda is one of the most stunningly beautiful countries on a continent of many splendors. The nation is located virtually in the center of the continent- Africa’s symbolic beating heart. Uganda is in the Great Lakes region and enjoys a balmy tropical climate with never a shortage of rain. No less than three large fresh water lakes: - Victoria, Edward and Albert, form a large part of Uganda’s natural borders.
The early history of the area (before colonialism) has not been well documented and what little has been written is difficult to obtain and also verify. It is with regret that we confine ourselves to the historical record from the late 1800s and onwards.
The power of indigenous kingdoms such as the Buganda and others began to decline in the 19th century and eventually the area became a British protectorate in 1894. Independence came on October 9, 1962 and the new republic joined the community of sovereign African states. The remnants of traditional, chieftain based tribal kingdoms were officially abolished in 1967.
Milton Obote, the first president, had a controversial rule in which serious human rights abuse and endemic corruption were perpetrated. Obote’s regime was toppled by General Idi Amin Dada in 1971. Idi Amin proved to be much worse than Obote ever could have been and during an eight year dictatorship, it is estimated Amin had killed or caused the death of up to 300,000 Ugandans. It was only with the intervention of Tanzanian forces that Amin’s despotic rule was ended in 1979. In a strange twist, Obote returned to power in 1980 but apparently, had not reformed from former mistakes. His abusive and corrupt second regime provoked a guerrilla war led by Yoweri Museveni and in 1985, Obote was ousted by force again.
Yoweri Museveni presents a departure from the past mold of leaders and his administration has been applauded by Ugandans and foreign observers. Uganda’s economy has improved tremendously and social harmony is relatively better in Uganda than in most countries in its region.

Facts and Figures

Location- East central Africa, Sudan on north, DRC on west, Rwanda and Tanzania on south, Kenya on east
Area- 236,040 sq km
Topography- Mostly high plateau, mountain ranges in west, volcanic areas and tropical wetlands in Southwest, Northeast is arid
Population- 30,262,610
Distribution –12.6% urban
Ethnic Make-up- Baganda, Banyakole, Basoya, Bakiga, Tieso, Langi and Numerous others
Languages – English (official), Swahili, Ganda, Bantu, Nilotic languages, Arabic
Religions –Protestant, Muslim, Roman Catholic
Capital City – Kampala, pop- 1,319,000
Other cities- Jinja,Entebbe
Government Type – Republic
Head of State–President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, since 1986
Head of Government- P.M. Apolo Nsibambi, since 1999
Currency- Shilling (UGX) 1,754= $1 US
Gross Domestic Product - $ 52.9 bln
Per Capita GDP -$ 1900
Economy –Coffee, tea, cotton, sugar, brewing, tobacco, textiles, cement
Electricity Production – 2 bln kwh
Life Expectancy – 50.8 male, 57.7 female
AIDS Rate – 6.7 %
Airports – 5
Literacy rate- 66.8 %
Ports- Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Rail Roads – 1,244 kms
Vehicles –160,000 units
Telephones –108,100 lines
Radios – 130 per 1000 people
TV sets – 28 per 1000 people
Daily newspaper circulation – 2.7 per 1000 people
Internet – 750,000 users

St,Valentine Da & Ethiopian flowers

Saint Valentine’s Day is named after two of the numerous early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages.
Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on the 14th of February mostly in North America and Europe but in the last few years, the holiday is becoming rather popular in Asian and African countries like Ethiopia. Last Thursday, a number of Addis Ababan residents were seen busy buying flowers, cards, silver and other gifts to mark the day.
As it is in most countries, this traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards or presenting flowers was greatly appreciated and warmly celebrated by young Ethiopians.
Most flower shops in Addis Ababa were forced to close early last Thursday since they sold out at noon. The price of a single rose, rose from Birr 2.50 to Birr 10 and more on that day. Most restaurants, even the small ones were fully booked. In previous years, some restaurants used to publicize the day and organize special dinners for couples to enjoy, but were hardly attended. This year presented another story; couples had actually had to reserve earlier, to ensure a table.
This year’s Valentine’s Day didn’t only pass benefiting a few Addis Ababa gift shops but rather it drew more markets for Ethiopian flower exporters. According to press reports Ethiopia exported six planeloads, more than 2 million stems of cut flowers daily to the international market in the week before the Valentine’s Day.
Tsegaye Abebe, owner of ET Highland Flora said to Reuters that they were paying more attention to red roses for export since it is what lovers give each other at this time of the year. According to the report Ethiopia exports more than 80 million stems a month to 40 countries. And it is estimated that flowers could account for 10 percent of Ethiopia’s exports in the coming year.
As one blogger puts it, saying “I love you” with gifts like roses, chocolates or diamonds can sometimes have damaging effects on the people involved in producing them.
“Take cocoa production, for example. In Cote D’Ivoire, which grows 40 percent of the world’s cocoa, child labour and hazardous working conditions are big problems.”
The case of Ethiopian flowers though, a market that witnessed more than 50% growth in February due to Valentine’s, shouldn’t really worry any flower buyer who is afraid of putting his money in the wrong pocket. So enjoy Saint Valentine’s Day with Ethiopian flowers.

‘Heart of Fire’ covets Golden Bear Award

By Groum Abate

German-based Italian director Luigi Falorni’s controversial film about child soldiers received a muted reception when it was shown at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday. One of 21 films in the running for the coveted Golden Bear award, Heart of Fire relates an Eritrean girl’s hair-raising experiences during Eritrea’s war of independence against Ethiopia in the 1980s.
It is based on the best-selling autobiography by singer Senait Mehari, who has been accused by fellow child-soldiers of making up many of the claims in her book.
“I did not want to make a film of the book,” Falorni, 36, said after a press screening Thursday. “I saw Senait Mehari’s experiences as an inspiration to tell a universal story about girls in war.”
Mehari, whose book has sold nearly half-a-million copies, said last year after the controversy erupted that the description of her as a child soldier was a media invention.
The film is about how a girl’s courageous Heart of Fire helps her ultimately survive hunger, loneliness, fanaticism the confrontation with death.
Falorni, who was co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary of The Story of the Weeping Camel, shot the film with lay actors in the Eritrean language, Tigrinya.
“When the Ethiopian government refused to give us permission to film, we prepared to shoot in Nairobi, because Kenya is home to the largest community of Eritrean émigrés outside Eritrea,” he said.
“One of the most important criteria during the casting was that those in the film should have a knowledge of Tigrinya and an enduring bond to Eritrean traditions and way of life.”
The leading role is played by 10-year-old Letekidan Michael, whose family fled from Eritrea to Kenya.
Heart of Fire is one of several films portraying the plight of child soldiers that captured audiences at the Berlinale that ended on Saturday February 16.
Among them is War Child, the story of hip-hop singer Emmanuel Jal’s experiences as a rifle-toting child soldier in Sudan.