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INSIDE AFRICA
INSIDE AFRICA
Aired March 10, 2004 - 12:30:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUMI MAKGABO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces on a training mission in the Sahara Desert helping Malian soldiers prepare for potential threats from al Qaeda.
On the front lines of the war on terror in Kenya, a country that's experienced two devastating attacks blamed on al Qaeda.
They come seeking divine guidance, but now one man is apparently being guided into turning water from this sacred stream into a booming business.
And, back in the business, South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo is in the U.S. to promote their first album in five years.
These stories and more all ahead on INSIDE AFRICA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Hello. I'm Tumi Makgabo. Thanks for joining us.
Much of the world's attention was on Spain this week, as the country mourned the loss of more than 200 people in a terrorist attack. Many analysts say the events in Spain sent a very clear message that the war on terror is far from over and almost nowhere is safe from the threat of terrorism.
So, this week, we take stock of how the war is being waged in Africa and how some governments on the continent are preparing to counter any potential threat.
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MAKGABO (voice-over): Malian forces battling suspected terrorists, but this is not the real thing. It's a training exercise in the Malian desert near the historic city of Timbuktu. Here, U.S. Special Forces are helping soldiers from the West African nation of Mali prepare for any threat from Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and other terrorist organizations. This is all part of the United States-led global war on terror, and the governments in this region welcome the U.S. presence.
Troops from Chad and Niger recently engaged suspected Islamic extremists along the border between the two countries. The extremists were believed to have infiltrated from Algeria, allegedly affiliated with one of two Muslim fundamentalist groups fighting the Algerian government.
STEPHEN MORRISON, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Pressure within the Mediterranean and North Africa upon al Qaeda and affiliated terrorist organizations is leading them to migrate southwards. And we see this most conspicuously in the actions by a group -- an Algerian group, the Salifist (ph) group, which has surfaced in Niger and Mali.
MAKGABO: Washington's Pan-Saheli (ph) initiative is intended to help armies of Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad deal with potential terrorist threats. But Morrison and other critics believe Washington has not provided adequate funding.
MORRISON: It's been funded at just over $6 million. That initiative, if it is to really be carried forward, will require something probably on the order of $100 million to $150 million to be effective.
MAKGABO: But the U.S. soldiers involved in the desert exercises counter that even a little training helps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any training fits into combating worldwide terrorism. If you're helping the country protect its borders and internal security, then it prevents against terrorism.
MAKGABO: Meanwhile, the U.S. received high marks from critics for the way it is dealing with the threat from terrorists in the east and the Horn of Africa. After all, it was here, in Kenya and Tanzania, that al Qaeda attacked the U.S. embassies in 1998. And just over a year ago, authorities say al Qaeda operatives were responsible for bombing a hotel in Mombassa.
They say al Qaeda has bases on Somalia, a nation that's been without a central government for more than a decade.
In the days following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. set up a base in the tiny Horn of African nation of Djibouti, where U.S. soldiers and French troops work side by side to hunt down terrorists.
But the battle against terrorism in Africa is an uphill one. Experts say the high level of poverty and weak security infrastructure further complicates things.
DR. GREG MILLS, SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: But given the fact that many Africans are living in conditions of extreme poverty, given the fact that many African militaries lack capacity, their intelligence agencies are fundamentally weak and focused internally rather than externally, there's an enormous mountain to climb in this regard.
MAKGABO: And Africa watchers say as the global war on terror intensifies, the U.S. and African governments will have to overcome this and other obstacles in order to minimize the influence of al Qaeda and other extremist groups on the continent.
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Well, as one can imagine, there are many facets to the battle against terrorism in Africa. In the north, Morocco is still dealing with the impact of several attacks in Casablanca last year, which killed 45 people. Then there is Algeria with its own problems with Islamic extremists who occasionally raid villages and towns.
And one country on the continent that's taking no chances is Kenya. After two devastating attacks blamed on al Qaeda, authorities there have tightened security.
And as Zain Verjee reports, the country has become a front line in the global war on terror.
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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sweeping search for potential terrorists hiding in the Savannah of Nairobi's National Park. Airplane flight paths patrolled by soldiers and dogs, watched by guards in towers, looking for terrorists who could easily hide there with missile launchers aimed at vulnerable airplanes.
Most cars entering Nairobi's main airport are searched, but not always this thoroughly.
Barriers keep cars away from terminals, bags are x-rayed, passenger movements monitored by 116 cameras.
Authorities are concerned terrorists can sneak into Kenya, easily blending into the country's Arab and Muslim coastal culture.
CHRIS MURUNGARU, KENYAN INTERNAL SECRETARY MINISTER: What we have here is infiltration by a small group of al Qaeda operatives. And the level of involvement of our own local population in al Qaeda activities is very, very low. As I said, we are dealing with a small group of people who have been recruited into this activity.
VERJEE: Chief among recruiters, according to authorities: Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, alleged to be al Qaeda's ringleader in East Africa. Kenyan officials believe the suspected mastermind of terror attacks in 1998 and 2002 fled across the border to Somalia, a frontier, they say, is too vast and riddled with too many militias to patrol effectively.
These men, now on trial in Kenya, are accused of helping him plan attacks.
Kenya is getting help from the United States in fighting terrorists.
MARK BELLAMY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO KENYA: We've assisted Kenya's military forces, immigration authorities, airport authorities, prosecutors, investigators, and I think that's the emphasis. Those are the areas that we're going to continue to emphasize in the future.
VERJEE: The U.S. expects to spend up to $20 million in the next three years helping Kenyan counterterrorism, planning to train a new antiterrorism police unit and promising to support Africa's first counterterrorism center in Kenya.
MURUNGARU: The counterterrorism center is a clearinghouse for information and intelligence that would be helpful to both the intelligence establishment as well as the counterterrorism police unit to be able to identify and interrogate, apprehend and prosecute those who would be involved in terrorism.
VERJEE: The new counterterrorism efforts are already paying off. A massive weapons cache was uncovered, and a recent terror plot to attack the new U.S. embassy in Nairobi foiled.
DR. MACHARJA MUNENE, PROFESSOR, U.S. INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: I think there is better coordination than there used to be, but it can be improved. And clearly, there is a shortage of manpower.
VERJEE (on camera): Kenyan security officials say that their efforts to fight terror have not been adequately rewarded by the United States. The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory that remains in place, causing the tourism industry here to lose more than $30 million. The U.S. says it has to issue the advisory for the safety of its citizens.
Zain Verjee, CNN, Nairobi.
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MAKGABO: And if you have access to the Internet and would like to go online for more on Africa's war on terror, log on to our Web site at CNN.com/InsideAfrica. While you're there, do take part in our quick vote on the subject. That address for you once again: CNN.com/InsideAfrica.
And still ahead, roses from Nairobi. Why flower production is big business in Kenya. And turning sacred water into money in Nigeria. We'll have both of those stories ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAKGABO: Welcome back.
Let's take a look now at how your money fared this week. Brenda Bernard has those details for us -- Brenda.
BRENDA BERNARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Tumi.
We begin in Nigeria, now a preferred destination for many foreign investors. And one area that's been boosted by this renewed interest is the mobile phone industry, now the fastest-growing market in Africa. Telephone lines in the country increased by more than 500 percent in 2002 and 125 percent in 2003.
But an industry insider says that growth rate is expected to drop to 50 percent this year. He blames the drop on poor infrastructure and the difficulty in getting capital.
Still some big names in the business are flocking to the country. South Africa's Vodacon (ph) is the latest, signing a new management agreement with Nigeria's Econet Wireless. Other companies already in the country include MTN, Zimbabwe's Econet and Intel.
Next to Zimbabwe, where the long lines have returned at several small banks in the capital, Harare. Panic depositors are queuing up to withdraw their money; this, after the Reserve Bank took the local Barbican Bank under curatorship on Monday and closed the company's asset management arm. The Central Bank says Barbican was targeted because it lacked sound investment management. Fearing that other small banks may face a similar fate, depositors are withdrawing their money and turning to larger financial institutions.
In our business spotlight: the flower industry in Kenya. An international exhibition took place in Nairobi this week, where over 100 industry experts showcased some of the country's best roses. Irrigation equipment, fertilizers and agri-chemicals were also on display.
Kenya is the world's leading producer of flowers. It also leads in the export of cut flowers to Holland, which supplies other markets in Europe.
And Kenyan flower producers seem determined to keep the country at the top of the trade. The European Union has instituted some tough new measures requiring that all cut flowers be whole, fresh and free of animal or vegetable parasites. Local producers say they are prepared to meet that challenge.
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TOM FRASER, VAN KLEEF ROSES KENYA: We also do large tests here in Kenya to make sure the criteria is there from the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), also for an environmentally-friendly rose with not too many thorns. We're looking to add scent into varieties as well.
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BERNARD: With the industry flourishing, more foreign businessmen are beginning to rush in to get a share of the market. And some local producers believe that the new arrivals may have an unfair advantage.
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MUTHONI NDUNGI, REDHILL FLOWERS: We have a lot of people coming from Holland and other parts of Europe, leasing and buying land in Kenya. They are able to borrow money overseas at 3 to 4 percent. And it's going to become very difficult for us to compete with them, because obviously they've got a lot of money and their money is cheap.
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BERNARD: Some industry experts say the infusion of new and cheap money may be good for Kenya, helping to boost a $250 million per annum flower trade.
Kenya's success has inspired the growth of the flower industry in neighboring countries, like Uganda and Tanzania. But their achievements have been limited, and experts say it will be a while before they can come anywhere near Kenya.
That's a wrap of business news. I'm Brenda Bernard.
Tumi -- back to you.
MAKGABO: All right, Brenda, thank you very much.
And we're going to stick with business, but turn to the story of a man in Nigeria, who apparently got a divine inspiration that could earn him a lot of money. He's begun bottling and selling water from a sacred river -- a stream of water in Southern Nigeria, whose source remains a mystery.
Details now from Jeff Koinange in Abraka.
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JEFF KOINANGE, CNN LAGOS BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): They come from places far and wide to worship their ancestors at the source of the Ethiope River in Southern Nigeria. They bear gifts to their gods -- everything from live chickens to food to money. And they burn candles and even bathe here, believing the spirits will cure them of nagging ailments.
In a country where about 10 percent of the population believe in the spirit world, in the soul, it's not surprise they feel a spiritual attachment to this place, for these cool, fresh waters spring from a mysterious source hidden somewhere beneath this giant cotton tree.
(on camera): For centuries, communities living along the banks of the Ethiope River have used its waters for both spiritual and physical upliftment, and now one man is literally bottling and selling the products of this sacred river.
(voice-over): A half-hour's boat ride away, the waters of the Ethiope meander onto Prince Albert Esiri's 300-acre property. Esiri's royal title stretches back centuries to a time when kings and queens ruled this land.
It was while paddling down the Ethiope and seeing how people revered the river gods, the prince says he had an epiphany.
PRINCE ALBERT ESIRI, ASHTON WELLS: What is interesting, the river that we have here, which is called the Ethiope, which is the English name for it, the native name, Fraba River (ph) is translated to "We'll never be dry." It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that river won't be dry for a long time.
KOINANGE: With this divine guarantee, he decided to invest the equivalent of about a million U.S. dollars of his own money to build this: the first water bottling plant of its kind in the region. He says he's making sure the product is of the highest quality.
ESIRI: We would like to see a plant that would run about 7,000 bottles an hour, and then that would sort of be the top end of what I would call a cottage industry. We're going to go beyond that.
KOINANGE: But he's already going beyond that, carbonating some bottles, and he plans some flavored water choices -- everything from pineapple to lemon and lime.
ESIRI: You know, this is something unique, yes. Yes, indeed. But more so it's something to create jobs for the people here, which we do need a lot of.
KOINANGE: The prince says as long as the Ethiope continues to spring eternal, he'll keep bottling and selling his holy water.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Abraka, in Southern Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MAKGABO: And after the break, we're off to the racetracks in Mozambique for some death and defying stunts. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAKGABO: Hello again.
If you live in the Mozambiquan capital, Maputo, you've apparently come across them: amateur competitors who use souped-up cars and motorbikes to race against each other, sometimes taking their duels to the main streets. And somehow, because of Mozambiquans' apparent fascination with speed, these races are becoming a major spectator sport.
Paul Tilsley has more on that.
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PAUL TILSLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gentlemen, start your engines. Sunday afternoon at Maputo's Costa de Sol down by the beach will never be the same. Heavily-modified street cars reduced to run dangerously through city streets have moved this month to the dilapidated Lapiste (ph) International Raceway.
YOUSSEF RAYAD, DRIVER, "BMW WILLIAMS TEAM": We moved because lately it was getting too risky and it was dangerous. And I found it not good, so I spoke to our guys that let's do this Sunday afternoons here at the track. This will be much better. Much safer.
TILSLEY: Maputo has two fiercely competitive main teams: the Survivor Team and the Williams Team, named completely unofficially after the Formula One racing team of the same name, which also uses BMW cars.
These are not rich men's hot rods, but normal folks' street cars. However, I said normal folks, not normal cars. Drivers and their mechanics spend up to three days preparing their machines for the one-kilometer drag race.
The appeal seems to be that anyone can do this with mixed results. And as the sun goes down, things get real fast and furious -- cars spinning, doing donuts, making figure-of-eight shapes -- all watched by thousands of discerning fans.
Motorbikes and ATVs, or quads, join in, too, making wheelies and side- ups.
(on camera): There is a passion verging on obsession here with everything to do with cars, motorcycles and, frankly, the pure adrenalin of speed.
(voice-over): The biggest applause is reserved for drivers who spin their cars so violently that their tires explode.
The chairman of ATCM, Mozambique's Motor Sport Body, puts the success of Sundays at Lapiste (ph) not down to the low single U.S. dollar entry fee, but to the lack of racism in the country.
ANTONIO MARQUES, CHAIRMAN, ATCM: In Mozambique, the people love very, very, very much (UNINTELLIGIBLE), particularly -- I don't know what is the reason. But I think the reason is because we never -- we never discriminate. The people -- everybody comes, have money, pay their ticket, come inside.
TILSLEY: At Costa de Sol, they catch them young. Already when you talk about spinning, this kid knows people here are not referring to a top that twirls, but a car that roll till its tires have had enough.
Paul Tilsley, INSIDE AFRICA, Costa de Sol, Maputo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MAKGABO: And finally, members of the legendary South African group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, are touring the United States to promote their latest release. This is their first CD in many years, and fans across the U.S. are turning out en masse to see them perform.
As Stacy Tisdale tells us, many are still attracted to the group's universal message of love and unity.
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STACY TISDALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The name of the album: "Raise Your Spirit Higher." It is Ladysmith Black Mambazo's first release in five years, and the uplifting messages that have made this band an international phenomenon are still there.
SIBOUGESENI SHABALALA, LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO: The message that Mambazo is spreading is the concha (ph) -- to love another, to encourage other people to be true to their self.
TISDALE: For some, it would be hard to remain so positive, given the challenges of the past few years. In 2002, band leader Joseph Shabalala's wife, Nelly (ph) -- also mother and grandmother to many members in the group -- was murdered by a masked gunman outside their church in South Africa. The couple had been married for 30 years.
JOSEPH SHABALALA, BAND LEADER: If there's something heavy, just go higher than that heavy thing. When my wife passed away, there were many people come to my house and encourage me, but my grandson they say something -- it's in that record. They say, "Grandpa, don't worry. Grandma is still in your heart."
TISDALE: Shabalala's music has been in his heart for more than 40 years. He founded Ladysmith in the early 1960s in South Africa. His unique marriage of African music and Christian gospel has prompted legendary artists, like Paul Simon, to record with the group.
They also have performed by special invitation for the queen of England and Nelson Mandela.
(on camera): The band borrows from a tradition of music called isicathamiya (ph). It was developed in the mines of South Africa, where black workers were taken to work by rail far from their homes and family.
J. SHABALALA: I started to think back, because (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in South Africa. So music was the great inspiration to get people to fight for their freedom.
TISDALE (voice-over): As South Africa celebrates the 10th anniversary of freedom from apartheid, Ladysmith Black Mambazo hopes its new album and U.S. tour brings people and awareness to a nation trying to heal many years of wounds.
J. SHABALALA: Selibuwe (ph) labu (ph), which means, now we are working together. Nothing oppress one another. Therefore, we need many people to come and help us.
TISDALE: And the fans are heeding the call.
Stacy Tisdale for INSIDE AFRICA, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MAKGABO: And that's our look INSIDE AFRICA for this week. I'm Tumi Makgabo.
END
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