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Comissiong cops Presidents’ Award St Martin Book Fair

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:50:01 +0000

Comissiong cops Presidents’ Award St Martin Book Fair

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 14:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Barbados Today

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Comissiong cops Presidents’ Award St Martin Book Fair

MARIGOT, St. Martin — His Excellency David Comissiong, Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, recently received The Presidents’ Award from the St. Martin Book Fair. The annual Award is the final highlight of the three-day St. Martin Literary Festival, said book fair coordinator Shujah Reiph.

“The Presidents’ Award is presented to individuals and institutions whose work is noted for its excellence and for combining literary, cultural, and liberation components in the service of progress, of their people or nation, and of humanity,” said Lasana M. Sekou, House of Nehesi Publishers’ consultant to the festival.

“This is an unexpected gift,” said Comissiong while accepting the ebony statute award before the 120 plus guests that filled the literary big tent.

The festival’s main book launch and closing ceremony — dedicated to noted Bajan novelist and political thinker George Lamming (8 June 1927 – 4 June 2022) — was held at the Port of Galis Bay, overlooking Marigot Harbour with the night lights of Anguilla in view across the channel.

The theme of book fair 2022, “The Rebirth” had already been elaborated on by Comissiong in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the festival in the garden of the Government administration building in Philipsburg.

Over the three book fest days, some 38 guest authors from Canada to Australia, the St. Martin public, and visitors to the island at book fair activities, had come to know David Comissiong as Barbados’ Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and to the Association of Caribbean States.

“Few knew that he was a former senator in the government of Barbados and that he was born in St. Vincent,” said Reiph. Comissiong is also a founder-member of the Caribbean Pan-African Network; the Clement Payne Movement of Barbados; the Caribbean Chapter of the International Network in Defence of Humanity; and the Global Afrikan Congress.

Comissiong was an architect and the first director of the Barbados Government’s Commission for Pan-African Affairs. He also represented the Caribbean region at the 7th Pan-African Congress in Uganda (1994).

Comissiong played a key role in the United Nations’ World Conference Against Racism in South Africa (2001) and has represented the Diaspora on the African Union’s Economic Social and Cultural Council.

Since 2012, the alumnus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) has served as a member of Barbados’ National Task Force on Reparations.

An attorney-at-Law since 1984, Comissiong is the author of The Wide Streets of Tomorrow: Essays and Speeches, It’s the Healing of the Nation: The Case for Reparations, The Pan-African Love Story of Arnold and Mignon Ford; and The Year 1953 and The Shaping of the Soul of Guyana (pamphlet, 2022).

Among past recipients of the St. Martin Book Fair Presidents Award are Edwidge Danticat (USA/Haiti), Computech (St. Martin), Benny Wenda (West Papua), Norman Girvan (Jamaica), Casa de las Americas (Cuba), George Lamming (Barbados), Quince Duncan (Costa Rica), Nicole Cage (Martinique), Kamau Brathwaite (Barbados), Will Johnson (Saba), Drisana Deborah Jack (St. Martin), and Derek Walcott (St. Lucia).

The Presidents’ Award is named after the presidents of Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF), House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), and the University of St. Martin (USM), said Reiph. (PR)

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A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:20:01 +0000

A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 19:20

Friday, June 17, 2022

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A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

The long delayed (on account of COVID-19) Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), 2022 takes place 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda. According to the Commonwealth Secretariat, its leaders will travel to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens.

For some, the Commonwealth represents a colonial past and is a reflection of what the world used to be when the United Kingdom (UK) was a superpower, not what the world is now. The unresolved mystery presented by the Commonwealth is why a group of nations that struggled to win their independence from the UK, reconstituted themselves in an organisation that is closely patterned after its former colonial master. Critics have also called the Commonwealth institutions outmoded and ineffective.

The United Kingdom, with its monarchy as the titular Head of the Commonwealth, is navigating its own place in the world since its exit, (Brexit) from the European Union (EU). Post-Brexit, London has pushed for a vision of a more outward-looking foreign policy, known as “Global Britain.” Key to this goal of revitalizing the UK on the world stage is the Commonwealth.

Brexit supporters, skeptical of deeper integration with the EU have for a long time, seen the Commonwealth as a more natural forum for the UK, due to historical ties, a common language, and similar legal traditions. Therefore, some policymakers in the UK advocate that the UK’s post-EU future should lie in deepening trade and immigration with the Commonwealth.

It is certainly not lost on these policy makers that amongst the Commonwealth’s members are India, the world’s second most populated country and fifth largest economy; Canada and Australia,advanced economies; Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and an emerging economy; South Africa, the most dynamic economy in Africa; as well as several emerging economies in Asia. These are economies with which the UK can grow vital trade, economic and investment relations.

As far as the UK is concerned, it must also contend with a small, but not insignificant number of countries increasingly decoupling themselves from the British monarchy. This leaves in doubt the future leadership of the body when Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is a misnomer to reduce the Commonwealth to a body which primarily caters to the needs of the UK. It is an organisation comprising 54 members with a combined population of 2.5 billion people. It is also instructive that 32 Commonwealth members are small states. Therefore, the Commonwealth has to be seen through the lens of how it can deliver benefits for all its Members.

Is the Commonwealth relevant? This question has to be answered in the context of prevailing global realities. The threat of climate change and natural disasters, the demands of the digital age, democratic backsliding and global exogenous shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic all suggest that bodies which encourage cooperation between and amongst countries remain vitally important.

There is also much scope for the Commonwealth to take concrete actions to pursue trade and economic development initiatives which can deliver real benefits to its peoples. In a context of fractured multilateralism, it might be a useful exercise to Commonwealth Members to create a Commonwealth-wide trade and economic partnership agreement. This might be seen as too far-fetched and difficult a task. However, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Steps can also be taken to pursue concrete actions on climate change, particularly as it relates to supporting the many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Commonwealth to build resilience to the threat of climate change and natural disasters.

Other important discussions taking place outside of the Commonwealth can also be tested within the Commonwealth. For example, issues such as debt forgiveness and alternative financing mechanisms for SIDS can be usefully pursued by Commonwealth members.

The Commonwealth is not irrelevant. It still has an important role to play as a norm shaper in international affairs and in delivering real benefits to its Members. However, maybe there is scopeto reimagine how to make it more meaningful and effective.

Joel K Richards is a Vincentian national living and working in Europe in the field of international trade and development.
Email: joelkmrichards@gmail.com

Caribbean

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Pain as cost of ugali on the rise

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 08:50:01 +0000

Pain as cost of ugali on the rise

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 08:50

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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Politics

Original Article

Pain as cost of ugali on the rise

The cost of ugali is likely to shoot up after millers hiked flour prices due to a biting shortage of maize in the local and regional markets.

Coming at a time more than three million Kenyans are staring at starvation due to drought and declined crop and livestock production across the country, the looming increase in the cost of putting ugali on the table is likely to hit households hard.

Maize flour prices have more than doubled in the North Rift region, the country’s food basket, with a two-kilogram packet going for Sh200, up from Sh85 barely two months ago.

Read: Families hit hard by price rise of basics

The millers fear the price of maize flour may continue its upward trend as the supply of the stable deteriorates.

“Consumers should brace themselves for higher prices of unga as we face more difficulties sourcing maize to sustain our milling operations,” said Grain Belt Millers Association (GBMA) chairperson Kipngetich Mutai.

A 90kg bag of maize is now going for Sh5,200, up from Sh4,500 two weeks ago.

The millers said they were facing challenges importing the grains from Tanzania due to tough conditions set by the East Africa Community (EAC) member state.

Also read: Reject new taxes on flour, MPs told

“Although there is some maize in Tanzania, the stringent conditions for obtaining an export licence – popularly known as Kibali – are making it hard for our members to import the grains into the country,” added Mr Mutai.

He said 400 lorries loaded with maize were stuck at the Namanga border due to slow clearance procedures.

“The importers are required to produce an export licence to facilitate entry of the grains to the country,” explained Mr Mutai.

The millers want the government to negotiate with Zambian and Tanzanian authorities to facilitate importation of six million bags of maize to plug the current shortage and lower flour prices, which have hit Sh165, up from an average of Sh130 per two-kilogram packet across the country.

“It is also critical for the government to support transport and logistics for the importation of maize from these countries. The high cost of transporting produce from neighbouring countries ultimately drives up the price of finished products,” added the millers in their petition.

The millers explained that it costs Sh185,000 to transport a tonne of the grains from Lusaka, Zambia, into Kenya, up from Sh120,000, adding that sea freight costs had worsened due to the aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Read: Here is the road to Kenya’s recovery

A 90-kilogram bag of maize from Tanzania is selling at Sh5,000 while that from Zambia and Malawi lands at Sh5,200, which the millers have termed too expensive.

“Consumers are already struggling due to the rising commodity prices. Implementation of these recommendations will be crucial in mitigating rising costs of wheat and maize-based commodities should the situation persist,” said the millers.

The petition has been endorsed by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Cereal Millers Association (CMA), Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (Akefema), Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), Agro-Processors Association of Kenya (APAK), Grain Belt Millers and Farmers Association (GBMFA), Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) and United Grain Millers Association (UGMA).

Maize production in Kenya is estimated at 3.2 million metric tons annually, against a consumption rate of 3.8 million metric tons.

The deficit is bridged through imports from EAC member states. Kenya produces approximately 100,000 metric tonnes of wheat, against an annual demand of 2.4 million metric tons. This means the country relies heavily on imported wheat, which is estimated at -96% of the produce.

“Kenya imports 60 per cent of the deficit mainly from Ukraine and Russia. The current situation in the two countries has disrupted the importation supply chain. As a result, players in the sector have turned to the expensive wheat from USA, Argentina, Australia and Canada. This has been aggravated by the total ban on imports from India by the Kenyan government,” explained the millers.

The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has exhausted its emergency maize stocks.

The agency sold the more than 300,000 bags it purchased last season on commercial basis to millers.

“We have sold out all our maize stocks and the acute shortage of the grains has to be handled at high government policy level,” said NCPB Managing Director Joseph Kimote.

The board sought Sh10.3 billion for emergency food stocks in the last financial year but faced stiff competition from millers and traders, who offered better prices and prompt payment.

The board was to purchase three million bags of maize at Sh7.56 billion and 50,000 bags of beans at Sh405 million to stock its National Food Reserve.

According to NCPB Chairman Mutea Iringo, the board was to buy 30,000 bags of green grams at Sh270 million and 20,000 bags of 25kg powdered milk at Sh340 million, but it failed to achieve the target due to stiff competition from millers and traders.

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Caribbean preps for monkeypox

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 04:20:02 +0000

Caribbean preps for monkeypox

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 04:20

Friday, June 3, 2022

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Local News - The BVI Beacon

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Caribbean preps for monkeypox

Monkeypox hasn’t yet been reported in the Caribbean, but with cases spreading to countries where it is typically not found, including the United States, regional health officials are taking precautions.

Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn said last Thursday in the House of Assembly that his ministry has been monitoring the spread of the virus abroad.

“Monkeypox is not a new virus, with the first case having been identified in 1970,” Mr. Penn noted. “It has been found regularly in several central and west African countries. This particular outbreak has gained international attention because cases have been confirmed in several different countries at the same time and in persons with no reported travel history to countries where the virus is usually found.”

The World Health Organization reported 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases in 12 member states where the virus is not endemic as of May 21. The United Kingdom Health Security Agency announced the first case in the outbreak in the UK on May 7, and Mr. Penn said the initial patient is thought to have contracted it during recent travel to Nigeria.

He added that the WHO recognises “that further spread is likely, and countries should take precautions.”

Though no cases have been confirmed in the Caribbean, they have been reported in England, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the US, Mr. Penn said.

Caribbean response

“There is risk of spread to the Caribbean region due to travel,” he said. “Therefore, awareness is being raised among health care workers and port health authorities across the region to ensure that adequate prevention and control measures are in place.”

Symptoms can last two to four weeks and include exhaustion, fever, headaches, backache, muscle ache, chills and swollen lymph glands. Within the first three days of fever, rashes can develop on the face, hands, feet and other parts of the body.

“Testing for monkeypox is currently not available in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency is reportedly in discussion with the [Pan American Health Organisation] and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to assess its capacity to develop this testing capability,” Mr. Penn said.

He added that the Ministry of Health and Social Development will coordinate with health care workers and agencies working on port health and animal quarantine moving forward.

“Many of the specific recommended actions from CARPHA are in place in the BVI, and strengthened in response to Covid-19,” he said. “Although the likelihood of monkeypox spread in our community is currently low, the chief medical officer and other officials will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that the territory is prepared to detect and respond to any cases as needed, and will keep the community informed of any change in the situation.”

How it spreads

Mr. Penn said initial information about the outbreak has identified the virus within sexual networks, but he noted it is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease.

The WHO says on its website that the virus is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or animal, typically through lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated material such as bedding.

Vaccines against smallpox have provided some protection against monkeypox, and a newer vaccine has been specifically approved for prevention, according to WHO.

Though severe cases can occur, especially among children, WHO stated that the case fatality ratio has been about three to six percent.

The post Caribbean preps for monkeypox first appeared on The BVI Beacon.

The post Caribbean preps for monkeypox appeared first on The BVI Beacon.

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Australian Labour topples conservatives, PM faces early tests

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 23:40:01 +0000

Australian Labour topples conservatives, PM faces early tests

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 23:40

Saturday, May 21, 2022

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Politics Archives - Barbados Today

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Australian Labour topples conservatives, PM faces early tests

SOURCE: AP — Australia’s center-left opposition party toppled the conservative government after almost a decade in power, and Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese in his Saturday election victory speech promised sharper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while he faces an early foreign policy test.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he quickly conceded defeat despite millions of votes yet to be counted because an Australian leader must attended a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Albanese, who has described himself as the only candidate with a “non-Anglo Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the 121 years that the office has existed, referred to his own humble upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown.

Labour Party leader Anthony Albanese, center, shakes hands with a voter he and his partner Jodie Haydon, left, arrive a polling place to cast their ballots in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, May 21, 2022. Australians go to the polls following a six-week election campaign that has focused on pandemic-fueled inflation, climate change and fears of a Chinese military outpost being established less than 1,200 miles off Australia’s shore. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

“It says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mom who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown can stand before you tonight as Australia’s prime minister,” Albanese said.

“Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars,” he added.

Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labour party clenched its first electoral win since 2007.

Labour has promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices.

The party also plans to increase minimal wages, and on the foreign policy front, it proposed to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China’s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep.

It also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Morrison’s Liberal party-led coalition was seeking a fourth three-year term. It held the narrowest of majorities — 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government. In early counting on Saturday, the coalition was on track to win 51 seats, Labour 72, 10 were unaligned lawmakers and 18 were too close to call.

The major parties bled votes to fringe parties and independents, which increases the likelihood of a hung parliament and a minority government.

Australia most recent hung parliaments were from 2010-13, and during World War II.

The minor Australian Greens party appeared to have increased its representation from a single seat to three.

The Greens supported a Labour minority government in 2010, and will likely support a Labour administration again if the party falls shott of a 76-seat majority.

As well as campaigning against Labour, Morrison’s conservative Liberals fought off a new challenge from so-called teal independent candidates to key government lawmakers’ reelection in party strongholds.

At least four Liberal lawmakers appeared to have lost their seats to teal independents including Liberal Party deputy leader Josh Frydenberg, who had been considered Morrison’s most likely successor.

“What we have achieved here is extraordinary,” teal candidate and former foreign correspondent Zoe Daniels said in her victory speech. “Safe Liberal seat. Two-term incumbent. Independent,” she added.

The teal independents are marketed as a greener shade than the Liberal Party’s traditional blue color and want stronger government action on reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions than either the government or Labour are proposing.

The government’s Senate leader Simon Birmingham was concerned by big swings toward several teal candidates.

“It is a clear problem that we are losing seats that are heartland seats, that have defined the Liberal Party for generations,” Birmingham said.

“If we lose those seats — it is not certain that we will — but there is clearly a big movement against us and there is clearly a big message in it,” Birmingham added.

Due to the pandemic, around half of Australia’s 17 million electors have voted early or applied for postal votes, which will likely slow the count.

Early polling for reasons of travel or work began two weeks ago and the Australian Electoral Commission will continue collecting postal votes for another two weeks.

Caribbean

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A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 14:40:01 +0000

A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 14:40

Friday, June 17, 2022

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A Commonwealth for the 21st Century

Joel K Richards is a Vincentian national living and working in Europe in the field of international trade and development.
Email: joelkmrichards@gmail.com

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Alethea unleashes new EP ‘Ode to My Younger Self’

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 17:40:01 +0000

Alethea unleashes new EP ‘Ode to My Younger Self’

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admin Tue, 02/22/2022 - 17:40

Monday, January 3, 2022

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Entertainment – The Bajan Reporter

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Alethea unleashes new EP ‘Ode to My Younger Self’

Trinbagonian Pop/Rock artiste Alethea Beharry ( known simply as Alethea on the entertainment circuit) is fulfilling her creative destiny while simultaneously taking a major step on her journey of inspiring and connecting with others through her musical stories with the launch of her first EP, ‘Ode to My Younger Self’. Alethea, who is based in Trinidad (and spent some of her formative years in the...

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Zimbabweans Put Country On World Of Wine Map

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 22:20:01 +0000

Zimbabweans Put Country On World Of Wine Map

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:20

Thursday, January 20, 2022

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Diaspora Archives - NewZimbabwe.com

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Zimbabweans Put Country On World Of Wine Map

The Guardian

LIKE many young Zimbabweans before and since, Tinashe Nyamudoka left the economic chaos of his country to find work and a better life for himself in neighbouring South Africa.

When he left in 2008, Nyamudoka had never tasted wine. Now, he ranks among southern Africa’s top sommeliers and has his own wine label with international sales.

“We have a lot going against us as Zimbabweans, and you might think there is nothing good coming out of the country,” says the 36-year-old. “So, for me to be recognised as the [top] sommeliers in the world, being African and Zimbabwean, instils a sense of hope and pride.”

Nyamudoka began his career as a waiter in a Cape Town restaurant, where he learned about the different varieties and tastes of the wines his customers drank.

He moved on to become a hotel wine waiter, working alongside some of the city’s leading sommeliers.

After studying his trade, he won the best wine steward award in a competition for luxury hotels in the Western Cape in 2013.

His talents received international attention when, in 2017, he and three other Zimbabwean sommeliers were selected to take part in the World Blind Tasting Championship in France.

The team was the first from Zimbabwe to take part in the contest, in which competitors have to use just their palate to identify the variety of grape, country of origin, appellation, vintage and producer of the wines.

The Zimbabweans did not win – coming 23rd out of 24 teams – but their story became the subject of a documentary released last year, Blind Ambition, which Nyamudoka says brought him “a sense of pride”.

The team returned to the competition the next year and this time came 14th – beating the UK and the US teams.

His wine label, Kumusha – “home” or “roots” in Zimbabwe’s Shona language – has benefited from his celebrity, producing 200,000 bottles a year, up from 1,200 when it was launched four years ago. “People started embracing it,” he says.

“I conceptualised it [the label] around 2014,” he adds.

“Xenophobia was hitting home [in South Africa] and we were all missing kumusha.”

The eight Kumusha wines – three reds, four whites and a rosé – are all produced in South Africa. They are sold in the US, the Netherlands, Kenya and Zimbabwe – “my exciting market”, he says.

This month, he is starting to export his wines to the UK.

“I started this brand from scratch with no aid or financial handouts. It has been pure grit, passion and dedication,” he says.

“I want people to understand that you can make it without prejudice.”

But Nyamudoka says he has encountered racism on his way to the top of a white-dominated industry.

“There are instances where you get to a tasting, and it is all white [people], you kind of feel out of place. At work, you cannot get the position you want because you are black. It comes in different forms. It is not obvious, it is much more subtle,” he says.

“When I was in my last days on the floor [in a restaurant], people would recognise your talent, but they would not give you your flowers [recognition] because you are not like them. It is like you must work twice as hard to prove yourself. It is always going to be there, I suppose.”

Nyamudoka, who sits on the board of the recently established Sommeliers Association of Zimbabwe, hopes that his achievements will encourage other Zimbabweans to enter the wine industry.

“There’s been an emergence of black sommeliers in the world as the industry becomes more diverse. We see the hospitality offering in Zimbabwe improving and there will be a need for sommeliers.”

A fellow sommelier, Takura Makadzange, agrees. Also from Harare, Makdazange, 38, trained in Australia, working his way up from hotel porter to restaurant owner. Now, he is back in Zimbabwe.

“I came back home because there are plenty of opportunities. There is plenty of space in hospitality. Recently there has been more of an explosion in the food and drink sector in Zimbabwe, especially speciality wines that are being made now.

“The industry has grown, the fish industry has grown and we can have access to wildlife and game meat. Promoting the local food and beverage industry is a no-brainer. We have something that no one else does. National pride is important, but also we have beautiful products,” he says.

Makadzange qualified for last month’s Ubuntu Sommelier Trophy in South Africa but had to withdraw when he caught Covid-19.

“There are instances where a less-qualified white person is trusted with looking after the wine list over any person of colour, but you have to keep moving,” he says.

“It is very unusual for a Zimbabwean to do well in this field. We want to continue that trajectory.

“I think it’s time we have more women sommeliers from Zimbabwe so, hopefully, I will train someone to get to the standard of competing.”

The post Zimbabweans Put Country On World Of Wine Map appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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Australia: Zim-born teacher helps prison inmates

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 22:10:01 +0000

Australia: Zim-born teacher helps prison inmates

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:10

Saturday, January 22, 2022

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Diaspora Archives - NewZimbabwe.com

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Australia: Zim-born teacher helps prison inmates

By abc.net.au

Zimbabwe-born teacher Allan Chidziva went from teaching with the Australian Defence Force to the South Coast Correction Centre in Nowra.

He said while his students changed dramatically, the principles of teaching remained the same.

“With the military, there is structure and everyone does what they’re told, but many behaviours change when people are incarcerated,” he said.

“Men and women in prison have the same desires as you and I to be better people and the learning behaviours are all the same.”

For many of the inmates, school was not a successful or enjoyable part of growing up.

Some were expelled, while others found themselves in the juvenile justice system and with no desire to learn.

“Managing that is difficult sometimes and jail is not a pleasant place,” Mr Chidziva said.

“To get them to a headspace where they’re willing to learn can be challenging because they’re dealing with a lot in their life.”

Drawing on experience of growing up in Zimbabwe

Mr Chidziva finished university in Zimbabwe in 2002 amid what he describes as “chaos and violence”.

With his wife, they fled to Australia in search of a stable environment to raise a family and secure careers.

He said his life experiences had helped shape the way he teaches his students.

“I’ve been lucky to grow up in different environments and in an African village, so coming to Victoria and along the way I’ve been able to gain communication skills so I can communicate with people of different backgrounds,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate to have the experiences I’ve had.”

Changing people who are resigned to failure

Having worked in a variety of classroom settings, Mr Chidziva said teaching in a prison was the most satisfying job of all.

“You’re taking someone in a position where they’re resigned to not be able to achieve the things other people of their age have.

“You are seeing someone progress from not being able to read to being able to read, write letters and communicate and that gives me a lot of satisfaction.”

He said those basic skills had become even more important during times of lockdown and home learning.

“When they get out of prison, they can then help their kids with their homework or they can go to their child’s school teacher and communicate and maybe make better choices about their child’s health and nutrition, which is very satisfying,” Mr Chidziva said.

Bringing the bongos to jail

Music is central to Mr Chidziva’s African culture, and his instrument of choice is the bongo drums.

He said they can be a valuable teaching tool, as well as a source of entertainment for the inmates.

“Obviously the jail situation is hard to get things in, but we’ve been able to incorporate some music and the jail is a very multicultural community,” he said.

“I’m happy I’ve got my African heritage and I can bring my music and fuse it with other things from other places.

“Music is a universal language, so whether you’re learning maths or reading and writing, some people are keen to sing and you can put music in some of those subjects and make it into a song.”

The post Australia: Zim-born teacher helps prison inmates appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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Invictus Energy Signs Up US Firm For Zimbabwe Gas Drilling Campaign

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 03:40:01 +0000

Invictus Energy Signs Up US Firm For Zimbabwe Gas Drilling Campaign

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 03:40

Friday, February 11, 2022

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Business Archives - NewZimbabwe.com

Original Article

Invictus Energy Signs Up US Firm For Zimbabwe Gas Drilling Campaign

By Agencies

Invictus Energy (IVZ) awards an integrated well services contract to Baker Hughes as drilling nears at the Caborra Bassa project in Zimbabwe
The global oilfield service provider has been contracted to undertake a number of processes including the installation of wellhead equipment and project management
ERC Equipoise has also been appointed to conduct an independent prospective resource update for the project
The first well is reportedly on track to spud in the first half of this year

US services company Baker Hughes has landed work on an upcoming drilling campaign in Zimbabwe targeting a potential “elephant field” discovery.

Australia-listed Invictus Energy revealed Friday it had awarded Baker Hughes an integrated well services contract at its Cabora Bassa project in Zimbabwe.

A letter of intent between the two companies was signed following the completion of a tender and evaluation process, with the contract expected to be finalised “within weeks”

The award covers cementing, mudlogging, drilling fluids, tubular running, directional drilling and logging, installation of wellhead equipment and project management for Invictus’ upcoming drilling programme at Cabora Bassa.

Invictus is set to kick off a two-well programme in May this year using the drilling rig Exalo Rig 202, with the campaign to target the Muzarabani prospect, which Invictus claims is the largest undrilled conventional oil and gas prospect onshore Africa.

The company estimates the prospect to hold 8.2 trillion cubic feet of gas and 247 million barrels of condensate, or roughly 1.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent. If correct, this could result in the discovery of what is known as an “elephant field”, which are conventional oil or gas fields with a recoverable reserve of 1 billion boe or more, as defined by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Invictus also revealed Friday that it had appointed ERC Equipoise to carry out an independent prospective resource update for the Cabora Bassa project that will incorporate newly acquired and processed high resolution 2D seismic data and reprocessed 1990 vintage Mobil 2D seismic survey.

The Cabora Bassa project lies in SG 4571, which covers 250,000 acres in the most prospective portion of the Cabora Bassa basin in northern Zimbabwe. Invictus holds an 80% operated interest in the licence.

The post Invictus Energy Signs Up US Firm For Zimbabwe Gas Drilling Campaign appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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Invictus Energy Signs Up US Firm For Zimbabwe Gas Drilling Campaign