America's Leading Magazine on Africa July-August 1990 $4.50
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AMERICA'S LEADING MAGAZINE ON AFRICA JULY-AUGUST 1990 $4.50 MANDELA SOUTH AFRICA IS FREE. STILL ISN'T. \ He's come home. So have the TV anchors. The real story is just beginning. There's still apartheid. There's still censorship. There's still no equality. That's why the world still needs "South Africa Now—the non-profit weekly public television news magazine that battles the censors to report the news that isn't coming out of South Africa. "The little show that could—that's how one newspaper described "South Africa Now." TIME magazine says we are "filling a void" in coverage. But we can't do it without funding. We need your help to keep the news flowing and the story in our living rooms. Tax deductible donations can be sent to The Africa Fund—361 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013. Order your "Free at Last-The Mandela Special from South Africa Now at $14.95 1-800-922-3827 AMERICA'S .ULY-AUGUST 1990 LEADING MAGAZINE VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3 ON AFRICA A Publication of the RT African-American Institute \ Ipdate 5 The Editor: Daphne Topouzis African-American Institute South Africa Chairman The Politics of Persuasion 13 Maurice Tempelsman By Patrick Laurence President Interview Vivian Lowery Derryck The Reverend Smangaliso Mkliatshwa: A Theologian of the People 17 By Margaret A. Novicki Publisher South Africa Frank E Ferrari The Right's Show of Might 21 By Peter Tygesen Editor-in-Chief Frontline Margaret A. Novicki Paths to Peace 17 Apartheid's Ixmg Arm 25 Managing Editor By Andrew Meldrum Alana Lee Reporter's Notebook Associate Editor Constructing a New Nation 28 Joseph Margolis By Sean Kelly Namibia Assistant Editor Daphne Topouzis Women's New Equality 31 By Colleen Lowe Morna Editorial Assistant Russell Geekie Interview A Decade of Regional Cooperation: Contributing Editors Simba Makoiii and David Zausmer 34 Michael Maren By Margaret A. Novicki Andrew Meldrum Angola Art Director The Final Days? Ready for Peace? 39 Kenneth Jay Ross Page 47 By Colleen Lowe Morna Advertising Office Development 212 949-5666. ext. 728 Reform—or Else? 43 By Carol iMncaster Interns Nicole Diederichs Iiberia Michaet Freeman Doe's Lasl Stand 47 Justin Gunn By Mark Huband Lee Hunnewell Hannah Searing Nigeria 'Hie Babangida Blues 50 Africa Report {\SSN 0001-9836), a non-profit magazine of African affairs, By Tunji Lardner.Jr. is published bimonthly and is sched- uled to appear a! the beginning of Zimbabwe each date period at 833 United The One-Party Debate 53 Nations Plaza. New York. NY. 10017. Editorial correspondence and adver- Party Politics By Andrew Meldrum tising inquiries should be addressed Page 53 to Africa Report, at the above Human Rights address Subscription rates Individ- Tlie Dangers of Dissent 57 uals. USA $24. Canada $30. air rate overseas $48. Institutions. USA $31, By Richard Carver Canada $37, air rate overseas $55. Women Second-class postage paid at New York. NY and at additional mailing Tlie Feminization of Poverty 60 offices POSTMASTER: If this maga- zine is undehverable. please send By Daphne Topouzis address changes to Africa Report at Media 833 UN Plaza, NY, NY 10017. Tele- phone. (212) 949-5666. Copyright s: Why We Didn't See Wembley 64 1990 by The African-American Insti- tute. Inc By Daniel Schechter Culture Photo Credit: Margaret Courtney-Clarke: The Home as Canvas 67 The cover photographs of the By Daphne Topouzis Ibadan market and President Zimbabwe's Women Writers 70 Babangida were taken by Betty Poorest of the Poor Press. Page 60 By Nina Shapiro CEUTA MAURITANIA Nouakchott SENEGAL Bamako *S I Niamey BURKINA FASO ' GUINEAS • ^Ouagadougou GUINEA-BISSA Bissau BENIN ETHIOPIA Freetown Porto Novo SIERRA LEONE IVORY COAST Addis Ababa CENTRAL AFRICAN Monrovia "\, V Abidjan REPUBLIC LIBERIA EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA Malabo Kampala/ KENYA Brazzaville BURUNDI * Kinshasa Buiumbura TANZANIA >v Dar es Sal SEYCHELLES IS Viclonao MAURITIUS MADAGASCAR ^^ C^ Por1 Louii REUNION SWAZILAND Mbabane LESOTHO Maseru Copyright © 1984 by the African-American Institute, Inc. N THE NEWS The Balance Sheet on Africa's Human Development Africa has the lowest life expectan- its approach and recommendations that their quality of life, using a new set of cy, highest infant mortality, lowest lit- offer some long-overdue competition to criteria, namely life expectancy, litera- eracy, and highest population growth the maeroeconomic tables of the World cy, and average purchasing power, rates in the developing world. West and Bank and the IMF, which in recent rather than economic growth. The HDI Central Africa in particular are the years have dominated both the devel- indicators have been selected despite world's worst-off regions, with eight opment debate and policy-making of their limitations, which are acknowl- out of 10 countries ranking lowest in national governments and non-govern- edged in the report, particularly the fact the United Nations Development Pro- mental organizations. The UNDP that they are averages that conceal dis- gramme's just-released 1990 Human report steers clear of the World Bank in parities. Other useful indicators include Development Report. Directed by the this instance and establishes a new access to basic goods and services, former planning and finance minister focus for development strategies of the including safe water and food, as well of Pakistan and World Bank official, 1990s, based on the human develop- as rates of maternal mortality, urban Mahbub ul Haq, the report quantifies ment index. crowding, soldier/teacher ratio, and the and analyzes human development in male-female literacy gap. New Human Development Index 130 countries over the last 30 years, The report's underlying thesis is that including 43 African countries with Up until now, economic and social "income alone is not the answer to populations over 1 million. development was measured in terms of human development." that economic The report's findings on Africa hold per capita wealth—a crude and mis- growth and social well-being are not few surprises: Some 33 African coun- leading indicator, which partly explains automatically linked, and that human tries were listed in the low human ill-conceived and ineffective develop- development progress is possible even development category: another ten ment strategies and projects. Per capita at low levels of income. Tanzania, for (Egypt. Gabon, Zimbabwe, Lesotho. gross national product, says the report, instance, ranks higher on the human Algeria. Botswana. Tunisia. Libya. fails to show how wealth is managed development scale than on its income, South Africa, and Mauritius) fall under and distributed to promote the well- which means that the government has the medium human development index. being of the majority of the population. effectively directed economic resources Ethiopia and Sierra Leone have the The human development index toward improving the quality of life of lowest life expectancy in the world at (HDI) ranks countries according to its people. Nigeria, which witnessed 42 years, along with Afghanistan; Somalia has the lowest adult literacy rate at 12 percent; Zaire has the lowest GNP PER CAPITA AND THE HDI purchasing power at $220; and Niger (SELECTED COUNTRIES) ranks last in the human development index with a life expectancy of 45 Chad years, literacy at 14 percent, and an Laos average income at $452. Tanzania Myanmar These figures are not quite the Viet Nam Zambia worst: One of the back pages of the China report, profiling human development in Sri Lanka Mauritania countries with less than a million peo- Angola ple, reveals even starker figures. In Coted'lvoire El Salvador Guinea-Bissau, for instance, average Jamaica life expectancy is still an astonishing Chile Peru 39 years; Djibouti's literacy rivals Costa Rica Somalia's at 12 percent of the adult Algeria Gabon population; only 9 percent of Equatori- Oman al Guineans have access to health ser- Saudi Arabia Kuwait vices and 21 percent of Bissau- United Arab Emirates Guineans have access to safe water; 10000 1000 100 0.2 0.4 0.6 Guinea-Bissau also ranks lowest in terms of per capita GNP, at $ 160. Hi GNP PER CAPITA I HDI What is valuable about this report is AFHICA REPORT • July-August 1990 rapid economic growth in the 1960s, whole over the last 30 years. Poverty in to the report, access to it has declined did not improve the quality of life of its Africa increased by two-thirds in the in one-third of the countries for which citizens accordingly, largely because of first half of the 1980s, so that more current data is available; in eight unequal income distribution and low than half the continent's population is African countries, only 20 percent of social expenditures. The report cites it now living in absolute poverty. !n the the population drink potable water. as a case of "missed human opportuni- rest of the developing world, the num- •Progress in adult literacy has been ties for human development." ber of poor rose by one-fifth during the considerable in Africa, with an average Botswana, which achieved consider- same period. rate of 48 percent, but compared to the able growth, though initially unequally In the 1980s, expenditures on rest of the developing world, it is still distributed, succeeded in significantly health, education, and other social pro- lagging by 12 percent. Kenya wit- improving living conditions for its peo- grams were drastically reduced in nessed the fastest progress with a 60 ple, largely as a result of sound "meso" many sub-Saharan countries, with far- percent adult literacy rate in 1985, or intermediate social policies and ade- reaching consequences. Infant mortali- compared to 32 percent in 1970. quate social expenditures, and is classi- ty rates rose, nutrition levels deteriorat- •Incomes in sub-Saharan Africa have fied under the heading "sustained ed, employment and incomes declined.