The N. 17 N.E. – MAY JUne 2010 The bimonthlyC magazine of Africa - Caribbeanurier - Pacific & European Union cooperation and relations REPORT Burundi Now at peace, moves forward DISCOVERING EUROPE From Normandy to Bastogne: Liberty Road DOSSIER Turbulence in ACP aviation EU Development Commissioner Piebalgs: Exclusive interview Good governance is my priority with Bafana Bafana captain www.acp-eucourier.info The C urier Table of Contents THE COURIER, N.17 NEW EDITION (N.E) Editorial Board Co-chairs Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Secretary General Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States www.acp.int Stefano Manservisi, Director General of DG Development European Commission ec.europa.eu/development/ Core staff Editor-in-chief DOSSIER CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE MOVE Hegel Goutier 12 22 Journalists Marie-Martine Buckens (Deputy Editor-in-chief) Debra Percival EDITORIAL 1 Editorial Assistant Okechukwu Umelo PROFILE Production Assistant Telm Borràs Anthony Hylton: Trade and aid are still in Europe’s Contributed in this issue interests 4 Colette Braeckman, Victoria Burbidge, Elisabetta Degli Esposti Merli, Sandra Federici, Catherine Haenlein, Elisabeth Lequeret, Souleymane Mâazou, Jacqueline Meido-Madiot, Romano Prodi. A Road Map to increase African Dev Nadkarni, Andrea Marchesini Reggiani Integration 5 Project Manager Gerda Van Biervliet TO THE POINT Artistic Coordination, Graphic Conception Gregorie Desmons Haiti: careful planning, not speedy reconstruction: Meeting with the Mayor of Port-au-Prince 6 Graphic Conception Loïc Gaume ROUND UP 8 Public Relations Andrea Marchesini Reggiani DOSSIER Distribution ACP Aeronautic Industry Viva Xpress Logistics - www.vxlnet.be Photo Agency ACP aviation: Time for turn around 12 Reporters - www.reporters.be A Single African sky? 13 Cover A regional centre of excellence for safety 14 Hill of Buga in Burundi. At sunrise, the farmers set off for the fields. Pacific: At the cusp of a mini-revolution? 16 © Andrea Frazzetta / LUZphoto Turbulent times for Caribbean airlines 18 EU grounds African airlines 20 EGNOS: EU satellite for African skies? 21 Contact CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE MOVE The Courier 45, Rue de Trèves A cultural understanding – Islamic Relief 22 1040 Brussels Belgium (EU) African Civil Society Organisations missing out [email protected] on dialogue with China 23 www.acp-eucourier.info Tel: +32 2 2345061 Fax: +32 2 2801406 Published every two months in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese For information on subscription, Go to our website www.acp-eucourier.info or contact [email protected] Publisher responsible Hegel Goutier Consortium Gopa-Cartermill - Grand Angle - Lai-momo The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the official view of the EC nor of the ACP countries. The consortium and the editorial staff decline all responsibility for the articles written by external contributors. ROUND UP 24 DISCOVERING EUROPE 26 INTERACTION 38 REPORT 46 ROUND UP ACP-EU elected representatives concerned at the situation in Madagascar 44 Rithy Panh discusses his collaboration with Burkinabé director Gaston Kaboré – Interview 24 Sudan: A step towards the 2011 referendum 45 Cannes 2010: the ACP group ensures the promotion of its cinema 45 DISCOVERING EUROPE Normandy & Bastogne (France and Belgium) REPORT Liberty Road 26 Burundi From Normandy to Bastogne 27 The Battle of Hastings in cartoon strip 29 Burundi moves forward, now at peace 46 St. Thérèse, ‘Patroness of the Missions 29 Economic development in Burundi: a quickening Farmers from developed and developing countries face of the pace 48 the same struggle 30 Multiple oppositions 51 A territorial approach to development 31 NGOs and Press: Brave enough to monitor abuses 52 Electricians without borders 32 Extensive aid for a land risen from the dead: A culture of literature and gastronomy 33 Interview with Alain Darthenucq, Head of the EU Delegation 54 Success of a well-planned project 56 ZOOM Vivace Bujumbura 57 Burundi: Places to visit 58 Aaron Mokoena: Bafana Bafana’s exemplary captain 34 CREATIVITY OUR PLANET Je danse donc je suis (I dance therefore I am) 59 Earthquakes: between fatality and lucidity 36 Dak’art 2010: retrospective and perspective 60 Rosenclaire: investing in the immaterial 61 Homage to a ‘Visionary Africa’ 62 INTERACTION Democratic Republic of the Congo: a demand for FOR YOUNG READERS 64 sovereignty 38 Africa’s re-birth in bronze 40 World Cup 2010 63 Food security remains at the heart of development strategies 42 Interview with Commissioner Piebalgs: ODA not sufficient to reach the MDGs 43 YOUR SAY/CALENDAR 64 The 2010 ACP Courier Photo Competition has been launched! ultural centre promoting artists from countries in Euro- Cpe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific and cultural For more information visit our website at www.acp-eucourier.info exchanges between communities through performance or contact [email protected] arts, music, cinema, to the holding of conferences. It is a meeting place for Belgians, immigrants of diverse origins and European officials. Espace Senghor Centre culturel d’Etterbeek Brussels, Belgium [email protected] www.senghor.be N. 17 N.E. – MAY JUNE 2010 1 Ogoni boy, Niger Delta, Nigeria. © George Osodi Courtesy of the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels (BOZAR). The 2 C urier Editorial On the problem of neutral evaluation, especially in Africa's case s the headlines read, Africa Europe in their evaluations of the road celebrates 50 years of inde- travelled since independence by the pendence this year. It is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), object of attention in both the for example. This is not true, however, AfricanA and European press, though of Colette Braeckman in her article for it is mostly French-speaking African The Courier, which shows that despite countries that are celebrating their all the travails, threats and handicaps anniversaries, and the column inches which still exist, the DRC seems to be are therefore largely in the French- witnessing a new dawn. speaking press. In Belgium, the commemoration of The celebrations taking place on a large the anniversary of the independence of and official scale in the 17 African the DRC and of Africa has taken on a countries in question have provoked special importance, with a vast number caustic criticism from opponents. This of cultural activities centred on the is particularly true of Senegal, where major festival ‘Visionary Africa’, at the the highlight has been the inaugura- renowned Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar) tion of the colossal African Renaissance and the Brussels Film Festival. But Monument, apparently the largest in even culture is not immune to contro- the world. It has provoked an outcry versy. At the eleventh hour the festival among groups opposing the country’s removed from its programme the film President Wade, as well as in Europe. ‘Lumumba’, by the respected Haitian film-maker Raoul Peck, as it questions The Courier has visited the monument the role of the Belgian State or officials and reports in this issue on the history thereof in the assassination of the hero and artistic conception of the work, of Congolese independence, Patrice which has a theatrical quality which is Lumumba, a politician considered to perhaps pompous but no more or less so be upright even by his detractors. And than is the norm for this kind of symbol this at the same time as Raoul Peck is all over the world. The Courier provides a guest of honour at ‘Visionary Africa’. an account of comments by officials and citizens in Senegal, some of whom In any evaluation of the DRC since inde- consider that Senegal and the black race pendence, the currency flowing into the in general are indeed deserving of such country for its mineral resources and great symbols. In the French press, the squandering of these plays a major much space has been devoted to the role. It is hard to provide a verdict. At opposition’s charges regarding the cost the time of independence, the DRC had and poor taste of the celebration and to either one or two university-educated the personality of the president of the citizens, depending on which source is republic, and above all to a somewhat believed. Some have wondered whether negative assessment of the 50 years of any country could have managed with African independence. The monument only one or two citizens educated to has, however, cost the Senegalese treas- this level, when deals had to be struck ury nothing; it was a deal made with with a throng of experts from extremely North Korea, as President Wade points wealthy nations. And how and why did out, using his official speech to remind it come about that such a vast country us that Senegal’s independence fol- had only one or two citizens educated lowed five centuries of foreign presence at university? This question is in itself there, including the period of slavery an assessment. and colonisation. So as we can see, the evaluation can be So it is 550 years that need to be no more than a partial and biased one, assessed, and not 50. But it remains perhaps like any such assessment. the case that just before independence the country was a great deal richer than it is now, and this has been brought Hegel Goutier up by a number of commentators in Editor in chief N. 17 N.E. – MAY JUNE 2010 3 Profile Anthony Hylton. "Trade and aid are still in Europe's interests" Debra Percival genuine understanding of amounts of state aid into the Caribbean insisted on the needs of the Caribbean their own economies and this, other ACP countries, region”, says Hylton. created public deficits; in particularly given the amaican politician, trade terms amounting institutional arrangements Anthony Hylton, is a Is the EPA benefitting to a subsidy. At the same in the ACP itself, have not former Foreign and Jamaica? time, Caribbean countries, wanted to move beyond Trade Minister and including my own, are the confines of the ACP- J Energy Minister.