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INSIDE AFRICA
Tinariwen's Music; Soccer in Nigeria; Disputed Island
Aired May 16, 2009 - 12:30:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and welcome to INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Isha Sesay. On the program this week, building a more peaceful rivalry. Christians and Muslims come together on the pitch in a troubled Nigerian town. And the signature guitar sounds of Tinariwen, a band of Malian Tuaregs who roam the earth attracting crowds.
But we begin with a tiny island in a big lake that stands as a major bone of contention between Kenya and Uganda. At stake are a handful of shacks, five pubs, a couple of brothels, and some of the best fishing in the world. David McKenzie recently made the voyage to see what all the fuss is about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Start your engines. We're heading out onto Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. We hitched a ride on a floating ambulance, en route to a tiny island that is causing big trouble.
The one thing about Lake Victoria is that it's filled with tiny islands, all across the place, like this one over here, which is uninhabited. And these islands, in this section of the lake, it's interesting, because there are so many countries that are linked right in this sort of triangle.
We're in Kenya right now, but just on the other side of that island is Tanzania. Out to -- further into the lake, it's Uganda. So, these three countries join in this section, and that's why there are some disputes about the islands here, because of the fishing territories. I'm in Kenya right now, but I'm so close to Tanzania that literally I'm getting Tanzanian cell coverage on my phone.
It's a bumpy ride, but this trip has a purpose. Because Migingo Island is right on the border of Kenya and Uganda, and hotly disputed between the two countries. It's hard even to pick up the island in question by satellite -- it's the tiniest of the three. And it looks like something out of a science fiction film. Our first stop is to check in with Ugandan officials.
MCKENZIE (on camera): Yes, sure. Here you go.
(voice over): They came here in 2004 to protect the fishermen from pirates. But they never left.
(on camera): Thank you so much for your help.
MCKENZIE: So, here it is, Migingo Island. We've come here. It's taken us about two hours from the mainland. It's crammed, residents say, with over 1,000 people here. They come from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and even Somalia.
The multinational community has set up a small town, with five bars, satellite TV, a number of small hotels and around 10 prostitutes, the residents say. And it's all because of the fish. The island clears around two tons of nalpo (ph) today. Fishermen openly admit that almost all of the fish is taken in Ugandan waters, and most ends up being sold to the Kenyan mainland, and then exported.
And it's that cash cow that has got politicians hot under the color. In late March, Kenyan and Ugandan officials visited the island in a show of solidarity, saying they look to find a solution, but it ended in bickering.
JAMES ORENGO, KENYAN MINISTER OF LANDS (through translator): Once I put my mind on something I don't let it go. Do you hear what I am telling you? Do you hear what I am telling you? Do you hear me?
MCKENZIE: Kenyan scientists like Godfrey Ogondo says the issue has arisen because of pollution and overfishing on the Kenyan coast, leading fishermen to look elsewhere.
GODFREY OGONDO, FRIENDS OF LAKE VICTORIA: It's because they realize that certain areas of the beaches, or certain areas of the lake don't have enough fish. So they have to relocate to beaches or areas where there is enough catch for them to survive economically.
MCKENZIE (on camera): Like Migingo?
OGONDO: Like Migingo, for example.
MCKENZIE: Less then 10 percent of the lake is Kenyan territory, but that country has long been a leader in fishing for export. This dispute is not so much about the piece of land, but about the waters around it, rich with perch. But fishermen know that now that politicians are involved, it's out of their hands.
JOSEPH SUGA, UGANDAN FISHERMAN (through translator): Even if the government says it is Kenya, we will know what to do. We will stay with Kenyans, we are waiting for the verdict from the officials. But there are people who just want to fight. They just talk about fighting. But we don't want that.
PHILLIP JOEL, KENYAN FISHERMAN: It seems they started complaining about this island. We've been really nearly now, (inaudible), because of the -- they've been complaining very much about this island, that it is theirs. So very many fishermen have been living here with a good (ph) fear.
MCKENZIE: The colossal dispute over Migingo shows little sign of being resolved. Kenyan and Ugandan officials are pouring over colonial maps, constitutions and treaties to see where the line is drawn, and which side of the boundary this strange and wealthy rock will lie.
David McKenzie, CNN, Migingo Island, Lake Victoria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Religious leaders are trying to mend fences in the Nigerian town of Jos. We'll show you how Christians and Muslims are mixing on the pitch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. Tensions still run high in the town of Jos in Nigeria. Only six months have passed since a disputed election set off ethnic and religious violence that killed hundreds of people. Now, local leaders are using football to transcend religious differences. And as Christian Purefoy reports, they're proving that you don't have to pray together to play together.
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CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What you see are men who were once enemies, divided by religion. But now they take their rivalry to the football pitch, while working for the same goal off the field. Each team is made up of Muslims and Christians from communities where thousands have died in religious-related violence since 2001. Here, in northern Nigeria city of Jos, religious leaders are using sports to engage the youth in a more peaceful rivalry.
ADAMU ALI, MUSLIM FOOTBALLER: Football has nothing to do with the religion. Whether you are a Christian or Muslim, when it comes to football, it's football.
JOSEPH AZI, CHRISTIAN FOOTBALLER (through translator): This football, it can unite us together -- the Muslims and Christians.
PUREFOY: Jos lies on a religious fault line running across Africa between a Muslim Northern African and a Christian sub-Saharan Africa. Christians and Muslims live side by side here, but sometimes religious differences turn violent.
Human Rights Watch estimates over 1,000 people were killed in riots in 2001, and over 400 died in violence last year. Tens of thousands have been displaced. Mistrustful of each other, Muslims and Christians now live in separate areas of town. Some religious leaders are concerned that since the violence last year, there has been a breakdown in communication between the two faiths, but they're working to heal the rift.
PUREFOY: Inside, the top Muslim and Christian leaders of Jos are meeting for the first time since the crisis last year. They've got some delicate issues to discuss, so we're not able to film, but they agreed to talk to us once the meeting is finished.
Chaired by the regional Muslim and Catholic leaders, they finished the meeting shaking hands.
HARUNA ABDULLAHI, EMIR OF WASE: I'm (inaudible). We can go for that. And there was great understanding, and there is hope.
IGNATIUS KAIGAMA, ARCHBISHOP OF JOS: To see us eating together, praying together and interacting in a very healthy and attentive manner, I think it's worked (ph) more than many, many sermons.
PUREFOY: But as the Catholic Church invites local Christian and Muslim community groups together, they say it will take more than just talk to keep the violence from breaking out again.
MURTALA HASHIM: If I know, would be doctrines in this religion, and of course he was .
MAJI PETERX: And we respect .
HASHIM: Respected each other.
PETERX: It is very important.
HASHIM: Then, of course .
PETERX: Yeah, most of the time, it's not just understanding, but respect. You should be able to respect what I believe in, and I should accord you the same respect. If we're able to do that, it will go a long way.
PUREFOY: But today, the two religions have one goal. They're trying to score one for peace.
Christian Purefoy, CNN, Jos, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Peace through sports, what a concept.
Now, let's take a quick look at some African stories in the news. South African President Jacob Zuma took office and promptly named his cabinet. Fourteen of 34 posts went to women, but that number still falls short of a pledged 50/50 gender ratio by the African National Congress.
A white Kenyan aristocrat has been sentenced to eight months for manslaughter. Thomas Cholmondeley was convicted in the 2006 shooting death of an alleged poacher on his estate. He'd been charged with murder, but the judge reduced the charge saying he'd not shown malice of forethought.
In Ivory Coast, prime minister has announced the presidential election will take place in November. The election has been repeatedly postponed. Most recently it was supposed to have taken place last December.
What happens when a band of Tuareg warriors trade their guns for guitars? The music of Tinariwen. We'll go backstage, meet the band and sample their unique sound.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: You're watching INSIDE AFRICA. Welcome back. The crisis in Darfur had killed tens of thousand of people, left millions displaced, and stirred international outrage. Yet, it grinds on year after year. Actress Mia Farrow recently went on a hunger strike to put pressure on the Sudanese government and show solidarity with the people of Darfur, many of whom face starvation. She was forced to abandon her fast after 12 days due to health concerns, but Virgin Group founder Richard Branson grabbed the baton. He spoke to CNN in the midst of his hunger strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BRANSON, VIRGIN GROUP FOUNDER: I went to Darfur, and I've stopped -- met -- met some Darfurians. I went there (inaudible) with Archbishop Tutu and (inaudible), and they were trying to see (inaudible). And it's a horrible situation, and Sudan, not just Darfur, the old conflict between north and south Sudan needs addressing, and attention needs to be brought to that (inaudible) flare up again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Our Jim Clancy had a chance to ask Branson about his fast and his hopes for Darfur.
BRANSON: We have heard one word back from a senior minister in Sudan saying that they are willing to let some agencies in. They're not -- they're not going to be willing to let those agencies like OXFAM and the Red Cross that they've expelled back in, but they're willing to let some back in.
Now, we'll have to wait and see whether they deliver on that. And in the meantime, other people like -- I mean Peter Gabriel is just starting -- they're continuing the fast, the artists, and other people will continue until we've actually got some substantive news from Sudan.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cynical as it may be, some critics point to you and Mia Farrow, as they will to Peter Gabriel and others, and say, look, these guys just need the P.R., this doesn't have any value, true value. How do you answer that? And what do you think celebrities do bring to this table?
BRANSON: Well, if you -- if you're trying to deal with conflicts in the world, and you're not going to use armed force, which I think most of us believe does not work -- and Iraq, I think, you know, is the biggest example of where armed force has just created, you know, 600,000 people either killed, maimed or wounded, and hasn't actually left the country that much better than where it was before.
Then, your arsenal of things you can do are limited. Gandhi in India used hunger strikes in order to get the British out of India, and it worked. Nelson Mandela in South Africa used peaceful ways to get apartheid overthrown.
Peter Gabriel and myself have been involved with a wonderful group of people called the Elders, headed up by Nelson Mandela and Gracia Machel and Archbishop Tutu. And the Elders go to conflict regions and try to negotiate using their moral authority ways of resolving conflict. That's one way. The United Nations is another way. Fasting is another way.
I just think it's important that people try whatever -- whatever method might work for a particular situation and not be worried or embarrassed about cynics being cynical, which there will always be cynics out there.
CLANCY: So, Richard Branson is not giving up?
BRANSON: Of course not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Richard Branson has written a special commentary on Darfur for cnn.com. To read it, just go to cnn.com/commentary, and click on his photo.
When the Obama administration rode into Washington back in January, it was accompanied by many high hopes. Yes, it was clear that the economy was tanking, and there were also monumental decisions to be made on the issues of Iraq and Afghanistan. But for all of this, there was still a great confidence that Obama and company would still find a way to fully engage with the unfolding crisis in Darfur.
More than three months on, that confidence is giving way to despair in some quarters. With the likes of Mia Farrow and Richard Branson going to drastic lengths to draw attention to the plight of millions, the issue is still making headlines, but nothing has changed for those trapped in the squalor of refugee camps in western Sudan.
In fact, by many accounts, life has only become harder, especially since President Omar al-Bashir expelled 13 NGOs from the country following his indictment by the International Criminal Court back in March.
Now, there are reports Sudan's government is willing to accept applications from new international organizations, but those previously expelled remain unwelcome.
It remains to be seen how that will play out. Where are the unequivocal statements of condemnation for what is playing out in Darfur from the Obama administration? Some Darfur activists are exasperated with the slow pace of action by the administration's Sudan envoy Scott Gration. He's traveled to Sudan at least twice in the last two months, but it still remains unclear what his strategy is. At this point in time, it doesn't appear that he advocates tightening the screws on the Khartoum government with further sanctions.
On the campaign trail, there was lots of rousing rhetoric and vocal commitment to tackling the world's intractable conflicts. That was then, this is now. And those were fine words, but Mr. President, the world is still waiting for some real action.
That's just my two cents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. Tinariwen means desert in the Tuareg language, but this group is known for its lush tapestry of bluesy guitar sounds. In the early `90s, they fought a rebellion against the Malian government, but once a peace deal was signed, they traded in their guns for guitars and they'd been traveling the world together ever since. Tim Lister takes us backstage at a recent gig in New York.
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TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a precious patch of shade, Tinariwen sing about history, the history of the Tuareg and rebellion. The group's founder, Ibrahim Aq Alhabib, lost his father in the 1960s uprising against the government of Mali.
IBRAHIM AQ ALHABIB, TINARIWEN FOUNDER (through translator): The Italian authorities at that time came down hard on the civilian population. They massacred children, old folk and cattle.
LISTER: Ibrahim himself fought in the revolt in the `90s, but then a peace deal allowed him to set down his gun and pick up his guitar.
Tinariwen have since won audiences and critical acclaim around the world for their rough-hewn, almost mystic blues rock. Robert Plant and Carlos Santana are avid fans.
ALHOUSSEINI ABDOULAHI, TINARIWEN (through translator): Many people see similarities between Tinariwen and the blues, and it's true that Tinariwen came from the same background as the American blues. We both speak of pain and suffering, and were created far from home.
LISTER: Many Tuaregs spent years in exile in Algeria and Libya, and it was there that the founders of Tinariwen discovered the instrument that would change their lives.
ABDOULAHI: We wanted to create a new Tuareg musical identity, with acoustic or electric guitar, but not using traditional instruments. So we're adding to Tuareg traditions, but not denying them. When we come to New York, we're playing traditional dress (ph) like this.
LISTER: The band's long-time manager says Tinariwen have fused ancient and modern in a way that's revolutionized Tuareg culture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because people heard music that no longer spoke about a distant warrior past, but about a reality that was current and very tough.
LISTER: The Tuareg war may be over. That harsh reality is very much present in the searing heat of northern Mali. But that's also Tinariwen's inspiration and a place they record.
ABDOULAHI: Our culture goes back through our ancestors. When we leave the desert, we feel strange, out of place. So it's more natural for us to record in the desert.
LISTER: Before bringing their music to the world.
Tim Lister, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Blues from the Sahara, what a haunting sound. I think we'll let Tinariwen play us out. Thanks for watching.
END
