This week on Upfront we explored the issue of patriarchy in Africa.Even though this is not an issue confined to Africa, it is more visible and prevalent in less developed nations. Understanding patriarchy is coming to terms with the thousands of years in which women have been delegated as second class citizens in their homes and in the larger context their societies. We tried to explain the reasons for the treatment of women through the ages and the generational differences in women of our mother's era and our sisters who in most cases have taken a stand. Patriarchy not only explains how our society functions but how it controls women.

A simple explanation for patriarchy is the control by men of the social economic and political instruments of power. The basic functions of our society are traditionally helmed by men and women are 'helpers'. In many African homes, the man is the person who financially supports the family while the woman stays home and cares for the children. While there certainly is no harm in this arrangement for most families, it should not necessarily be a given and one women are expected to live by.

In this week's episode of Upfront, we looked at the issue of dating violence against the larger backdrop of gender based violence. Relationship violence is prevalent among college students and sometimes in high school. Many students who appeared on the show say that they were more susceptible to emotional violence that physical. In general, girls report more incidents of victimization than men, however that we often overlook male victimization. It is true that boys perpetrated more physical violence than girls. However because men usually shy away from reporting incidents of abuse at the hands of women,their stories often go untold.
Most research shows physical violence and emotional violence were most often committed by partners. These are people that we often trust and care about. This means that when the violence occurs,there is less likelihood for it to be reported.It also means that the victim will not get help.

According to prevention fund, one out of every three women worldwide will be physically, sexually or otherwise abused during her lifetime with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries. This type of violence and abuse ranges from rape to domestic violence and acid burnings to dowry deaths and so-called honor killings. Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, a public health epidemic and a barrier to solving global challenges such as extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and conflict. It devastates the lives of millions of women and girls--- in peacetime and in conflict --- and knows no national or cultural barriers. Most importantly, it must end.

Part II: looking at ethical conflicts between western intellectual property ideas and information access in the African context.


Because information owners expect that education is a paid service, access to education information is often expensive. There is thus increasing pressure from information owners to limit fair use to the reproduction of single copies by students. This pressure affects African college students who, because of their limited financial resources, still depend on sharing information. They can hardly afford tuition, much less the constant barrage of expensive information required to complete their education. To be able to afford a single textbook, most African students usually have to pool resources, and share one textbook among a whole class. Access to information technology is also heavily shared among students, with just a couple of computers often serving a faculty of over a hundred students. Since Education is understood to be fundamental to all aspects of human development, subjecting it to stringent regulations of intellectual property could have adverse negative effects on human development in poor countries. So there should be considerable legislation in such countries-- regardless of western intellectual property limitations, that makes for provision of free access to information in educational contexts.
The central concepts of Western philosophy are; religion, science and politics. Religion provides the backbone on which social norms; morals, ethics and laws are hinged. The irony here is that Christianity teaches compassion, and the spirit of doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Basically to treat other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show toward you. If information is the basis of development and livelihood, isn't the refusal by western corporations, to grant free access of information to poor African students breaking the golden rule mentioned above?
The sharing of meager resources by African students speaks to the whole notion that property belongs to a community- and not to a single person. It is known as Ubuntu-a philosophy, which encourages societal needs over personal wealth. (http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct).
In my own community, ubuntu means, among other things, sharing and providing free access of otherwise personal property to benefit the community. Another associated element of Ubuntu communalism is collective solidarity, meaning that individuals will focus their interests, with social welfare (Mokgoro 1997). Mokongoro says that in Ubuntu, every individual knows that he is part of a group, and that the group depends on his skills, inputs, labor, and loyalty in order to survive.

This week on Upfront,we celebrated the 51st anniversary of one of Africa's literature classics 'Things Fall Apart' a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. At just 28 years,Achebe penned what is arguably one of the most influential works of African literature.'Things Fall Apart' vividly portrays the clash between Nigeria's white colonial government and the traditional culture of his indigenous Igbo people. The novel shatters the stereotypical European portraits of native Africans as backward,ignorant and 'uncultured'. He also explores the complex social institutions and traditions of Igbo culture prior to their contact with Europeans. Even though the story fictional, it has real roots in the perspective and history of African societies and the advent of colonialism.

The ensuing drama rotates around one character Obi Okwonkwo,an interesting character, fully aware of his role as an African man. Okonkwo is a tragic hero with many character flaws. This combined with his failure to accept the changing society brings about his own demise. Okonkwo is an angry man and like many African men is unable to express his feelings (the author uses the word “inwardly” to describe Okonkwo's emotions). But his emotions are indeed quite complex, as his “manly” values conflict with his “unmanly” ones, such as fondness for his daughter and stepson.

On Upfront,we explored the larger debate on African literature. Are we past the hey days of African literature? Is there a new generation of contemporary African authors ready to take the mantle from the likes of Chinua Achebe,Ngugi Wa Thiongo and many other old-school literary giants?

A new report expected to be released today describes the joint military operation of Congo and Rwanda to flush out Rwandan Hutu rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a failure. The report says the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels are still attacking ordinary Congolese despite the offensive against them.


Jimi Ndakaza at 11:40am April 29
It was a failure right from the outset, from the inception of the idea itself of a joint operation against such a scatter-militia with open access to the jungles of DRC. Both the govts of Rwanda & DRC knew it was a wild chase but a fantastic PR stunt.Which explains why both govts didn't give due attention to the underlying long term consequences of such a military strategy like bloody reprisals by FDLR as is currenty the case.I call that celebrity politics which is about image rather than ingenuity on resolving real political issues.The joint military contingent cameback on a heroes' welcome, in the face of international cameras,commanders & men alike striking for photos yet deep inside they knew little had been achieved.Real heroes slip away in silence,their actions resonate far beyond their presence imprinting their achievements in all memories living.FDLR is live & kicking or is it killing, en masse. Back on my scorecard:it's 9 to 5,in favour of FDLR,the JO is severly bruised!

Bosco Hitimana at 12:09pm April 29
You are true. I support Rwanda's action now now now against the FDLR. Congo and Monuc should admit failure and accept long lasting military operations with Rwanda to end existence of FDLR.

Mugisha Davidson at 1:59pm April 29
Jackson: I wonder how much knowledge we might have to determine whether the joint military was a failure or not..! Or on whose part was it a failure? it's hard to fully claim success of JO in such a disorganized country like Congo with huge forests, abandunt food etc facilitating the survival of the FDLR...but i would say, FDLR was greatly shattered during the operation and the few who are back behave like any other hungry thugs with no objective but to steal and kill. The next JO should be aimed at uprooting everything in their possession and create sustainable peace for the congolese p'ple & entire region.
Question: Is it possible to fully eliminate them when they still get support from some negationist and revisionist in Europe etc? Worried if they still appear on scorecards!!!???

Mukiza Edwin at 2:15pm April 29
I would like to know the author of the report,if it is the U.N, then they are most shameless organisation on earth.

If it is the F.D.L.R, then it is understandable,they continue to kiill un abated so it was a failure.

But lest we forget,over two thousand former F.D.L.R were repatriated back,most voluntarily, so if it was a Success then those 2000 souls also count.

As the President said,the gesture of the two once enemy forces coming together for a joint operation was in it self a 50% solution to the problem as infact the Nkundabatware forces were neutralised thanks to the joint operation.

What remains is a matter of time and the F.D.L.R will finally come to their inevitable end.
Those reprisals against the Congolese Civilians are the kicks of a dying horse,they will only succeed in showing the duplicity of the west as the F.D.L.R leaders are all holed up in Germany and some are official guests of France.

Bosco Hitimana at 4:03am April 30
@ Mugisha. i can propose an answer to your question: Yes the FDLR can be eliminated completely from Congo bushes and forests despite huge support from Europe. This can happen if Rwanda and DRC agree on a joint mission and keep away the UN backed military from intervening. The Monuc basically serves the interests of their bosses not the interests of Congolese and the entire Great Lakes Region. They pretend to be advocating for Congolese civilians and yet it has been found out that they are up to minerals. Then the damn Monuc needs to be uprooted from the region and leave the matter in the safe hands of Rwanda and DRC. If not this way, then Eastern Congo will always be a threat to Rwanda and the entire GLR.

The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.
12:45pm · Comment · Like

Unknown at 12:53pm May 1
what!?! thats nonsense

Jackson Mvunganyi at 12:55pm May 1
lol..would you rather call it 'enhanced interrogation'

Neema J.R at 12:55pm May 1
Imagine that! Makes so much sense!

Yẹmí Abíóyè at 12:57pm May 1
Wow, quite interesting!!! It's always hard to address these inconsistencies of message and practice because of the intense emotions they provoke. But at what point does a message of "turn the other cheek" turn into, "it's ok to torture?"

Neema J.R at 1:02pm May 1
@ Yemi; But at what point does a message of "turn the other cheek" turn into, "it's ok to torture?" = at the point where they ignore turn the other cheek, and embrace "an eye for an eye". Buffet Christianity at its best!

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:05pm May 1
Survey results show that the religious group most likely to say torture is never justified was Protestant denominations -- such as Episcopalians, Lutherans and Presbyterians -- categorized as "mainline" Protestants, in contrast to evangelicals. Just over three in 10 of them said torture is never justified. A quarter of the religiously unaffiliated said the same, compared with two in 10 white non-Hispanic Catholics and one in eight evangelicals.

Josh Abe at 1:21pm May 1 via Facebook Mobile Texts
Guess depends which church. Same could b said of mosques in d Swat valley.

Louise Musonera at 1:24pm May 1
Religion has been twisted and turned by man into a danger to humankind... the number of times I've heard it being used to rationalize acts which hurt, harm, or debase other human beings.... its just sad.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:37pm May 1
Louise, you are so on point. Religious debates that seek to justify/rationalize or denounce such actions like torture in the name of the the church or mosque are often hijacked by the extreme elements of either religions.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:41pm May 1
Josh,have you watched the debates on Fox news on this particular issue?. There is that sense of 'we' against 'them'--

Josh Abe at 2:55pm May 1
Haha, i haven't but i wouldn't be suprised if they did. I think people just don't get it how religion can be so detrimental! It happened with the role of the catholic church in the genocide, still happens in radical islam and yet people don't notice this. I personally support the 'personal walk with God' approach. Care should be taken by religious leaders not to mix emotion and sentiment in sermons otherwise the dangers of 'polarised messages' are real! Nonetheless i think the best 'political system' in the world has checks and balances that notice this before it's really bad unlike other places!

Jnknown at 4:08pm May 1
Jackson, to speak on behalf of my self and my Church we do not fall into CNN's category. Torture is never justified.

Sheba Kell at 5:55pm May 1
REALLY???? I so disagree.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 8:38pm May 1
...and indeed it shouldn't be condoned by any religious or political institution. I believe you when you say that your church doesn't condone torture...however, we haven't seen much condemnation from churches about the revelation that 'we' tortured terrorist suspects. Those that have spoken out against torture have been labeled as 'crazy lefties'. And we know that many of those tend to be less inclined to attend church on sunday :)

Josh Abe at 1:04am May 2
What more can i say Jack? Preach it bro! hehehe....!

For the past four years i have taken a keen interest in the study of information access and ethics in this fluid information era. From Youtube taking down your video because you did a cover of a popular song,the China/Google saga to Facebook users complaining that it had no right to change its layout. Is it ethical for Facebook to determine for us how we interface with each other on a platform they created? Should your government determine how much time you spend online or what you look at? I explore further into the issue of access to information in the public domain,who is the custodian to the information collected? How much of it belongs to you and what is your responsibility of contributing to this pool? In this series we will get into some issues of intellectual property and fair use. For example when a Pharmaceutical company comes to your community,takes herbs and knowledge related to it, repackages them into modern medicine and sells them at higher prices. Is it violating your intellectual property rights? Is it ethical to steal knowledge passed down for hundreds of years and making it yours? I will be looking at those and more in a series of articles on Information access and ethics...enjoy!

The ethics of information access

Access to information is the most important ethical question of the information age “and normative ethical guidelines can and must be formulated to deal with these issues” (Britz, 1996). Scholars define ethics in many ways; however the general consensus is that ethics is a moral philosophy, which involves concepts of right and wrong. It is "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." (Dodds, 2000).† Information is power and, increasingly, a source of wealth for those with access to it. Consequently, developments in information systems also involve social and political relationships-- and so for those that control this important pool of knowledge,there is a need to make ethical considerations with regard to access,security,privacy,control etc. (Lynch 2000) says that new ethical and legal decisions are necessary to balance the needs and rights of everyone involved in the information process.

Different ethical theories attempt to provide an appropriate framework or guidelines for those that control information, in making ethical decisions that affect those that use information. There is no question as to information being property; however the continuing debate on its value, access and control is divisive. It has been a source of endless debate as new technologies emerge,new challenges are borne. They relate to the role information plays in our societies and the necessary access levels that are granted by those that have control of it. Different theories exist on whether a value should be placed on ownership of information or on the right to access it. Does anyone, corporation, government etc, have any authority or responsibility for the protection of the right to own and access information. Does a government or corporation automatically own information it has collected from people, if so then how does such ownership affect people’s access to such information? How about information that belongs to marginalized societies that is constantly taken without their consent? Is it fair that large western corporations claim ownership over indigenous information and protect it as intellectual property?


There is no doubt that the right to access information is often at odds with the interests of those that control the information. History has taught us that for those that profit for information as a source of income or power, the desire to control information, has led to such limitations of access espoused in regulations,threats of legal recourse etc. This not only violates the way people have historically accessed and used information, but most importantly the creative process that is the basis of this ‘protected information’.

Explaining the murky concept of fair use

Fair use is defined as a copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism. The fair use doctrine was created to balance copyright's competing goals (Marques 2006). However, even though copyright laws are supposed to encourage the creation of artistic works, by granting a monopoly to its creators –to ensure that creators profit from their labor. Unfortunately, the same laws are used to discourage the production of new information that usually builds from these existing copyrighted works.
Fair use is not predictable, and so no one is guaranteed an easy claim to it. The bottom line is that if the copyright owner (for the sake of this paper; a corporation) disagrees with a person’s use of their material, they will have to resolve the dispute in a courtroom. The many cases that have gone to court have ended up with the corporation prevailing; this is simply because they have the resources to pay for expensive lawyers that ordinary people don't have. In the end “the expense and time involved in litigation may well outweigh any benefit of using the material in the first place.” ( Aufderheide& Jaszi 2004)
Fair use is guided by a set of factors outlined in copyright law. These include; the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; the nature of the copyrighted work amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

They are weighed in each case brought before a judge to determine whether a use qualifies as a fair use. Unfortunately, as many scholars on this issue have concluded, weighing the fair use factors is often quite subjective. Thus as the Stanford document on fair use says "the road map is often tricky to navigate." The law is vague and this ambiguity is often the source of legal action (Pecora & Mozzarella 2005).
So is there a root to this problem? Some say that the problem lies in the judicial interpretation of the law. The delicate balance to appease both that control information and those that need access to it. Many of the cases that i looked at show that judges don't use a uniform scale to decide issues of information access and fair use. Thus, different rulings on similar issues leave people wondering, "What constitutes fair use?" or even worse, "Will I be lucky enough to get away with a fair use defense?" (Marques 2006).

Look out for more on this series.