Issue 4/ 2009
December
JOINT M
A
G
Editorial
Welcome
to
the
JointMAG.
This
dedicated
to
society.
And
new
issue
issue
has
culture,
there
been
arts
is
plenty
discover. A brief article on
documetary
an
Kinshasa
in-depth
of
and
frica
to
the
Symphony,
interview
with
the
ermany
Egyptian-French director Jihan ElTahri about her new documentary
on
South
article
on
Africa's
ANC
and
development
an
and
culture.
We hope you enjoy this year's last
issue and wish you all the best for
2010!
Beethoven in
Kinshasa
Best,
by Linda Poppe, Germany
Call for Contributions to the March
Issue of JointMAG
Knowledge Production
About "the Other":
European Studies in Africa
- African Studies in Europe
Breathtaking sunsets and a moving love story or conflict and corruption.
More often than not, this is what Africa is like in German film productions.
Now for a change, there is Kinshasa Symphony. Still evolving in the cutter's
room, this 90 min documentary will tell the story a symphony orchestra in
Kinshasa - in fact the only one in Central Africa.
Articles and other contributions to
this theme are welcome. If you have
Originating
a suggestion or would like to
Kimbanguiste is composed of amateurs and mostly self-made instruments.
contribute, please contact one of the
In the last 15 years it has grown from roughly a dozen to more than 200
editors personally or via
members. And among its musical repertoire are pieces of the German
go_africa_go_germany(at)yahoogrou
classical composer Beethoven, who's triple time, according to some
ps.de. We welcome any suggestions
members of the orchestra, was clearly inspired by African music.
from
a
church
initiative,
the
Orchestre
Symphonique
until February 15, 2010.
The documentary Kinshasa Symphony tries to capture the orchestra's story
and characters and show just how such a complex organism can persist in
Content
Beethoven in Kinshasa // 1
Call for Contributions // 1
An Interview with Jihan El-Tahri // 2
Effects of Development on Culture in
Africa and Germany // 4
Imprint // 4
Scholarship Holder Profile // 5
the context of its city. However, Kinshasa Symphony does not only give a
stage (or screen) to this extraordinary musical project. It has already given
rise to a truly harmonic partnership. The Radio Symphonic Orchestra Berlin
has send a package with musical instruments and sheet music to Kinshasa;
the German division of UNESCO has agreed to become a patron to the film
project. We look forward to it's start in movie theaters next year – most
likely in Germany and across Africa.
An Interview with Jihan El-Tahri
Dennis: Your focus has so far been mostly on Middle Eastern and North African issues. What brought about this shift to
sub-Saharan Africa?
Jihan El-Tahri (born in Beirut, Lebanon) is a writer,
Jihan: I guess one of my main areas of interests in my
director and producer of documentary films. In 1984, she
work
received her BA in Political Science, and in 1986 her MA
understand the origins and the roots of a conflict and
in Political Science from the American University in Cairo.
manage to see both sides of the story then it becomes
She worked as a news correspondent with U.S. News and
more difficult to hate “the other”. It also becomes
World Report and Reuters, TV researcher, and associate
clearer where solutions to start resolving this conflict
producer in Tunisia, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and
can be found or at least searched for. I guess this is
Egypt between 1984 to 1990. As a correspondent, El-
why I did the “The House of Saoud” (BBC/Arte/ WGBH),
Tahri covered politics in the Middle East.
I needed to get to a deeper understanding and not
is:
conflict.
I
simply
believe
that
if
people
simply dismiss 9/11 as a bunch of fanatic moslems
In
1990,
El-Tahri
started
directing
and
producing
going on the rampage.
documentaries for French television, and for the BBC
I guess I can say the same for the six hour series I
since 1995. In 1992 she filmed Osama bin Laden's
worked on called “Israel and the Arabs: the 50 years
training camps in Sudan. Her documentary on the House
war”
of Saud, appeared on the BBC in 2004 and on PBS in
accompanying book (Penguin), I just felt drained and
2005. Jihan's most recent documentary, 'Behind the
that any input regarding this conflict will simply never
Rainbow', in which she documents the post-Apartheid
change
developments within South Africa's ANC, was screened
positions of people on this specific topic. So, I moved
during the 53rd BFI London Film Festival in 2009.
on to an area that is also of personal interest to me:
(BBC/ARTE/WGBH)
or
add
and
understanding
after
to
the
writing
the
preconceived
Africa. I am an African and the destiny of my continent
is of utmost importance to me. African conflicts are often dismissed as “tribal” or misunderstood at best. This really
angers me. Besides, I truly believe that Africa – abused and misused as it is – is at the heart of the World Order. It was
a terrain of Cold War conflict (over influence and resources) and it remains so today. So, understanding the dynamics at
work in Africa seems vital to me.
My first film on Sub-Saharan Africa was The Tragedy of the Great Lakes (Canal+). It was a film about the regional
alliances that ousted President Mobutu and brought Kabila to power. It looked at that moment of hope (1996 to 1998)
and unity that promised to end conflict in that region. But, that hope
was rapidly thwarted. I try to highlight the reasons why this region
was once more plunged into war. The Congo (DRC) has a special
place in my heart and I agree with Frantz Fanon when he wrote that:
“Africa is shaped like a gun, and Congo is the trigger. If that
explosive trigger bursts, it’s the whole Africa that will explode.”
Ironically, I had left the Arabs and the Israeli’s behind feeling that
they will kill each other until the end of time because the bitterness
just simply runs too deep. I ended up with the Hutu’s and the Tutsis
and the basics felt all too familiar, if not almost identical to the Arab
and Israeli bitterness.
I would also like to add that another main area of interest in my
work
is:
Decolonisation
and
Liberation
Movements.
I
find
it
fascinating (and distressing) how these amazing visionaries of the 1950’s /60’s Liberation leaders (Lumumba, Cabral,
Neto, Tambo even Arafat etc…) struggled against the mammoth Colonial Empires and once in power, things just seemed
to fall apart. This is something I personally need to understand. That is partly why I did : “ Cuba: An African Odyssey”
(Arte/ BBC/ ITVS) and I guess in some way “Behind the Rainbow” (Arte/ ITVS/SABC) is the extension of this reflection.
Dennis: In your interviews with these resistance fighters-turned -statesmen, what did you feel has influenced their
characters more: the time of armed resistance or the two decades of politics? Were these personalities really able to
make this step from the one realm to the other?
continued on page 3
Jihan: Its difficult to separate or rather disentangle which aspect of their characters was more marked by the years of
resistance or the two decades of politics. But in general, the years of resistance has left a deep imprint on most of those
I met. I believe it is difficult to just shift gears as far as attitudes are concerned. For example, secrecy and distrust are
almost a trademark when people spend their adult life working in an underground organization, accordingly, it takes a
lot of time to build trust. Luckily, I have been going to South Africa for years and a few of the participants I had met
socially. But still, once I stated that I was making a film, the rapport changed again and I had to build a relationship
almost from scratch. That is why time is of crucial importance to this kind of work.
But, on the other hand, the two decades in power has also altered the character of most ANC cadres. Power and money
have a particular effect that I will not venture here to analyze. I will add though, that many Liberation movements and
the ANC in particular paid attention, early on, to send some of their star recruits to universities all over the world.
Thabo Mbeki studied in England before he returned to ANC headquarters in Zambia. But once back, he like everyone
else had to work with the secrecy that is an important factor for survival. That is what helped them in the phase of
secret negotiations with the Apartheid government (which Mbeki led). The art of negotiation and alliance building is also
very present in most of the characters, but I’m not sure if that is a throw back from the years of struggle or a skill
aquired in the lead up to taking power.
However, I would add on to your question a reflection that started haunting me during the course of this film: Does
leadership within a liberation movement equip those leaders to lead a institutions/governments/ countries? I am not
certain…. And here I am not talking just about the ANC, I am talking about all these liberation movements that won
independence and thus found themselves propelled to government top jobs. Nothing in their past experience builds a
foundation for such a transition, decades in the underground or as “revolutionaries” provides a different set of skills.
Mobilizing the people and oratory skills are quite developed with most leaders of former liberation movements but
transparency does not come naturally. This is not a critique it is simply an assessment.
In the case of South Africa, I think they were more aware of this impediment than other countries on the continent. As
a result there was quite a drive to recruit technocrats into the government. But, the technocrats do not have the
political vision that the old time political leaders wanted to implement. That created a sort of divide especially where
economic policies are concerned. I guess, time and the advent of a second generation will show how this fracture will
develop.
Dennis: “Behind the Rainbow” mostly portrays the old guard of South Africa’s politicians who are legitimized through
their active, risk-taking role under the apartheid regime. How does the upcoming new political elite - which is simply
too young to have taken an active part in these processes - establish its popularity and claims to leadership today?
Jihan: I must say that for the moment, every political tendency taps its “legitimacy” somehow from the struggle days.
Even the opposition leader Helen Zille, who is the Mayor of Cape Town and the leader of the predominately white
Democratic Party, constantly reminds the public of her role as a social worker and journalist who resisted Apartheid.
There are approximately 136 political parties in South Africa today and none, that I know of, avoid references to their
role in the struggle in one form or the other.
Indeed, at the launch of COPE, the party lead by Mosiua (Terror) Lekota and Sam Shilowa which split from the ANC last
year all the speeches were about the role of the founders in the struggle against Apartheid. Ironically, South Africa
during the Apartheid days had a huge number of politicized civil organizations (350) that could have played a role
today. But, these civil organizations have faded away. Most young activists who do not have struggle credentials tend to
join the Labour Unions like COSATU which is a very powerful political force, but not a political party as such…at least not
yet. The dissatisfaction over service delivery of basic needs is a growing rallying point, but again those militants join
COSATU rather than create their own formation, which is obviously a costly endeavor. The only other possible access
point to politics without struggle credentials for the young today is through Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). The
role of young wealthy and successful entrepreneurs is becoming more prominent and maybe with time they will start
wanting to marry their financial affluence with political power and thus propose a new alternative…but that is not yet on
Jihan has kindly answered a larger number of questions on her film, South Africa, and
her future projects. The full interview can be found here
Effects of Development on Culture in Africa and Germany
by Eugene Okello, Uganda
Amongst the western aid organisations nowadays, there is deliberate move not to change the indigenous culture or values of
the people they are trying to help; that development should take place within the context of the local cultures. This move
came about as a result of a couple of disastrous decades of trying to introduce western technology and methods into
developing countries, and not understanding why it did not work. Looking at most rural Ugandans, Kenyans, Tanzanians etc,
the contrast between their physical poverty and social richness, one wonders about them and about the philosophies of third
world development. What is it that defines a culture? It is likely that most people would answer with a list of physical
characteristics, for instance African music, dance or German food. This is not surprising as most
people's experience of other cultures comes from short-stay tourism which emphasizes the
Miscellaneous
physical and restricts contact with the local people to commercial transactions. Travellers with
more intimate experiences will probably have different answer such as people’s values, attitudes,
Africa Avenir
approaches to life and to other people, in short, their personal beliefs and social behaviour.
New Forums, New
Dialogues - Emergent
Of course, both sets of answers are correct in themselves, although incomplete without each
Voices & New
other. The dictionary definition of culture would talk of those aspects of a society that are passed
Frontiers in
down the generations by non-hereditary means. This includes physical things such as food and
Contemporary Art in
buildings, intangible matters such as knowledge and values. However, the interesting point,
East Africa -
especially from the view of development, is how the material and immaterial sides affect each
Discussion Forum in
other. It is a common practice in Africa to watch the villagers thatching the roofs of a couple of
Berlin, 14 December
their mud huts, harvest sorghum, simsim among others. This is one of the activities they
2009. More
undertake during the dry season, thatching roofs is an exclusively male operation. It takes about
ten men a day to thatch a roof and the male children get into the act too, carrying bales of straw
Le Jeune Afrique
back and forth. The men involved are not only from that compound, but are helped by relatives
A newssite on
and friends from neighbouring compounds.
Francophone Africa.
More
This is a relaxed, jovial and very interactive type of work. While the shared labour provides a
community bonding experience, the act of thatching is performed by neighbours helping each
New Journal of African
other out, building not only roofs but also community spirit. Most African cultures value this
Cinemas
choice of association highly. Yet, maybe it is lack of choice that builds community. For those in
launched at the
Africa but having received a reasonable education, associations are based on pleasure, rather
University of
than need. Literate usually jump into their cars to drive miles to hang out with friends, yet
Westminster. More
interaction with their neighbours is limited to a nod of acknowledgment if we happen to pass
them in the street. They return from work to the insularity of their homes and feel invaded if a
neighbour appears at the door with the obvious intent of making more than a brief visit. We feel it is polite to phone our
neighbours first to see if it's ok to drop in. We value privacy over community. We value choice of association over societal
bonding. We value personal independence over group obligation.
In Uganda today, there are government programmes that emphasize development through education. The question is,
however, how will our culture change once development has improved our physical situation? Education is extolled as the
way out of poverty for future generations. However, there should be no doubt that it will result in enormous changes in
culture and tradition. When the village poor children reach maturity with a decent education behind them, it's unlikely that
they will want to be subsistence farmers like their forefathers. Instead they will look for a job behind a desk in a bank in
Kampala, Nairobi, or Dar es Salaam. Education comes along with mobility and a weakening of the sense of community.
Inevitably, we will move to the cities. Cultures based on closely knit rural societies, like in most of the third world, will
become diluted, fading into being the preserve of a few hobbyist traditionalists, like maypole dancers, who have no first hand
Editors: Dennis Kumetat and Linda Poppe // Editorial Team: Julian Bergmann, Mwenda Gatobu, Lerato Tsebe and Benjamin Zasche
Available online: www.bpb.de // Contact: go_africa_go_germany(at)yahoogroups.de
Scholarship Holder Profiles
Interview with Dambe Baboki, Botswana
by Julian Bergmann, Germany
Julian: Dear Dambe, please give us a brief presentation about yourself – who is
Dambe Baboki?
Dambe: Hi Julian. I am a 24 year old male citizen of Botswana. I am an attorney by
profession. I graduated from the University of Botswana with a Bachelor of Laws.
After completing my undergraduate studies I attended winter law school at the
University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, focusing primarily on International Law
and Constitutional Law. I then worked as a candidate attorney at Chadwick,
Anderson & Partners in Botswana until September 2009. I am currently pursuing a
Masters in International Law and my main areas of focus are International Criminal Law, International Commercial
Arbitration and WTO Law. Personally I would say I am laid back individual with a passion for life and loads of ambition.
Julian: Let’s talk about Botswana’s 10th parliamentary and local government elections which took place on October 16th.
What were the dominant topics in the election campaign?
Dambe: The dominant area was economic stability. The elections came at a time when the global economic recession had
not entirely subsided and its impact is still widely felt. Another hot spot was the BDP having to assure the people that the
factions in the party were not to an extent that they would destroy its capability to continue ruling the country while the
opposition on the other hand sought to capitalise on this and contend otherwise.
Julian: The BDP (Botswana Democratic Party), which has governed the country since the Botswana’s independence in
1966, won 47 out of a total of 57 seats in the parliament. In your opinion, how will the election results affect the political
process in Botswana in the next years?
Dambe: As the results indicate, the BDP remain the obvious favourite. On that basis the opposition still has a lot to do if
they are to pose any noticeable challenge and one would expect that in the coming years they will change and intensify
their strategies and campaigns because clearly the present approach has achieved very little. I do not expect to see any
drastic changes in government’s policies. The nation has a vision that extends to 2016 and the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals and I anticipate that the policies will remain geared towards attaining those visions.
Julian: Politicians and scholars worldwide, especially from Western donor countries, often call Botswana a role model for
democracy and economic development in Africa. What is your opinion about this wide-spread perception?
Dambe: The perception is a justifiable one. When Botswana gained independence in 1966 it was a poor country. However,
the country has made tremendous developments since the discovery of diamonds and today boasts of a stable economy
and possibly the strongest currency in Africa. Moreover, the country has seen uneventful and democratic changes of
government and continues to respect the rule of law. The lesson to be learnt here is that natural resources can be and in
fact should be utilised towards the development of the country and its people and not as a source of turmoil. A further
lesson to be learnt is that presidents should serve their designated terms and peacefully step aside when their tenure
comes to an end. Naturally, even role models have their shortcomings and one can hope and expect that Botswana will
improve on its inadequacies and continue to bear the exalted status.
Julian: What are your future plans?
Dambe: The focus at present is to complete my LLM and seeing that I am already on the academic route a PhD is
amongst future plans. In terms of aspirations, a job at the International Criminal Court or the International Court of
Justice would be most welcome. My ultimate ambition is to become a reputable scholar, publish articles and positively
contribute to jurisprudence.