The future of Africa will be the theme of a special Conference taking place on 7th May at the University of Rome – La Sapienza.

The Conference has been organised by two NGOs namely ICU (Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria) and APURIMAC. Both organizations implement development projects in developing countries in collaboration with the Development Cooperation Department of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speakers at the Conference will include Prof. Antonello Biagini, Pro Rector for the Cooperation and International Relations - University of Rome – La Sapienza; Prof. Gianluigi Rossi, Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Rome – La Sapienza; Prof. Roberto Pasca di Magliano, Rector’s Delegate for International Relations – University of Rome – La Sapienza; Prof. Elena Sciso, LUISS Guido Carli University – Rome; Dr. Stephen Ogongo, Editor of Africa News; Dr. Andrea Vigevano, Secretary General of ICU; Dr. Andrea Billi, Researcher at the University of Rome – La Sapienza; and Dr. Leonello Fani, the Project Supervisor APURIMAC in Nigeria.

The Conference will be held at the Sala degli Organi Collegiali, in Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Ground floor, from 10:00am. It is open to all.

It will focus on conditions & opportunities for investors and business in the region

A special event titled “Empowering Entrepreneurship in Southern Africa” will be held in London on 7th May.

Southern Africa has seen a remarkable rise in the focus of business on the region. This has largely been driven by the FIFA 2010 World Cup which will take place in South Africa in June this year.

The return to economic stability in Zimbabwe as well as the continuing strength shown by Southern African markets during one of the worst recessions of our lifetime has also contributed to this.  As a result there has been a significant groundswell of tentative optimism and the region has come under serious scrutiny by Southern Africans abroad as well as potential investors as an investment destination.

“At this event we will seek to take a close look at the conditions and opportunities for investors and business in the region. We will be paying particular attention to the post FIFA 2010 opportunities and the impact of policy decisions such as the Indigenisation Laws currently being debated in Zimbabwe,” says WEZIMBABWE Foundation, the organisers of the event.

Delegates from various industries have been invited to present on and discuss developments in the following areas: Assessing Business and employment in South Africa after the World Cup; Entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe and the entire region; Developing a market entry strategy; and the new indigenisation laws.

Speakers will come from Munroe James, Brand South Africa, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority , and many other organisations.
The event will take place at The Distillers (Smithfield), 64-66 West Smithfield, Barbican, London, EC1A 9DY, from 6p.m to 10p.m. Late bar and music afterwards .

This is a free event. Organisers, however, welcome donations to support the activities of the  WEZIMBABWE Foundation.

IRR: 83 were from BME communities, 94% of perpetrators were White British people

On average, five people per year are being killed in racial attacks in the UK since the death of Stephen Lawrence, research from the Institute of Race Relations reveals.

The Institute of Race Relations, the only research body in the UK to monitor racial violence, has found that a total of 89 people have lost their lives in racial violence attacks in the UK since the murder of Stephen Lawrence on 22nd April 1993.

Of these, 83 were from BME communities and just six were White (four were White British and two were Polish migrant workers). Forty-six per cent of all victims were Asian and 26 per cent were Black. The vast majority of perpetrators, 94 per cent, were White British people.

People working alone and at night as taxi drivers, workers in takeaways or small shops are at particular risk of attack, representing 16 per cent of all deaths.

Those who do not have settled immigration status, home or community such as asylum seekers, migrant workers and overseas students are also at risk, representing 20 per cent of all deaths.

And Muslims represented a massive 44 per cent of all those who died (partly explained by the fact that they work in the particularly risky trades).

A spokesperson at IRR commented: “Seventeen years ago, the country was transfixed by the information that emerged, because of the sustained campaign by the Lawrence family, about the random nature of the attack and the way the police failed to find the killers. The Macpherson report into the death, with its finding of institutional racism in the police force and 70 recommendations as to how to deal with the problem and with that of racial violence, was supposed to ensure that such murders never happened again. But they have happened again and again and again. The sad thing is that such deaths hardly make news. The names of the victims will barely be known to anyone but their immediate families. For politicians, the issue of racial violence is dead and buried.”

The IRR will be publishing a full briefing paper on racial violence, “Racial violence: the buried issue” - which includes an analysis of attacks in 2009.

It is rich of quotations by people of African descent

How many Africans can you readily quote? If not that many, yet you find it easy to quote the likes of Shakespeare and Churchill, then you should obtain a copy of ‘African Voices: Quotations By People of African Descent’, which has been compiled by Ms. Serwah & Mr. Kwaku of Brent-based Pan-London voluntary organisation BTWSC.

The book recently had a very successful launch at the House of Commons, where the host was Brent South MP and Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement Dawn Butler, with support from Harrow East MP Tony McNulty.

The launch was attended by several contributors, including Supt Leroy Logan, scientist Dr. Mark Richards, journalist and political activist Marc Wadsworth, educationalist Dr. Morgan Dalphinis, Cllr Nana Asante, broadcaster Henry Bonsu, and charity worker Dame Betty Asafu-Adjaye, many of whom signed copies for eager buyers.

BTWSC youth leader Ahmed Ahmed, aged 16, who launched the book and is the youngest person to be quoted in it said: “The book is educational and I am very proud to be in it... I am grateful to Dawn Butler MP for giving me the opportunity to launch ‘African Voices’ at the House of Commons.”

The book is an accessible document, which covers several themes, including role models, history, character, culture, discipline, racism, and success, and more importantly, it doesn’t just cover the famous, or international personalities, but also the less well known, and British people.

Commenting on the book, Ms. Butler said: “I think it is the book of this generation. It is the book of now. Often when you’re looking for a speech to write or you’re looking for some inspiration, you buy a book and flick through it and you think about what people have said and why they’ve said it, and this book encompasses all of that.”

BTWSC took the opportunity to raise funds for United Haitians in the UK (UHUK) during the launch.
The book costs £8, and is available from BTWSC or a few London independent bookshops. A family-friendly event is planned around the book this summer. For more information, please visit: www.btwsc.com/AfricanVoices.