Africa, the Dark Continent of the nineteenth century, is in many respects as dark today for we in North America as it was two hundred years ago. With the exception of reports of plague, disease, and warfare, very little news or context for the lives led by modern Africans reaches western shores, and so the continent begins to appear to foreign eyes as a chaotic write-off, doomed to perpetual poverty.

 

Jean Davison is a professor of anthropology, lecturer, and international development consultant whose work in Africa spans nearly three decades. Some of her numerous book titles include: 'Agriculture, Women and Land: The African Experience;' 'Voices from Mutira: Change in the Lives of Rural Gikuyu Women, 1910 to 1995;' and 'Gender, Lineage and Ethnicity in Southern Africa.' Her latest book is, 'The Ostrich Wakes: Struggles for Change in Highland Kenya.' Jean Davison in the first half.

 

And; last weekend was Earth Day, and I took the opportunity to catch up to a few of the local heroes trying to create change here. Can there be a free country without a free press? Today, Canada's media has become so concentrated, the bulk of it controlled by only a few corporate hands, that it threatens the survival of the country's democracy.

 

Jack Etkin is a Victoria-based media activist working to regain the "public airwaves" for the people. And, Ken Wu of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee joined the march and rally for the planet, and has a few suggestions to help the newly minted "Environmental Premier" Gordon Campbell can make his walk more closely resemble his talk. Jack Etkin, Ken Wu, and more in the second half.

 

And; Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of the good things you can get up to in and around Victoria in the coming week. But first, Jean Davison and highlighting Africa. 

 

 

 

G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media.

Some past guests include: M. Junaid Alam, M. Shahid Alam, Joel Bakan, Maude Barlow, David Barsamian, Rhoda Berenson, William Blum, Luciana Bohne, William Bowles, Vincent Bugliosi, Helen Caldicott, Noam Chomsky, Michel Chossudovsky, Diane Christian, Juan Cole, David Cromwell, Murray Dobbin, Jon Elmer, Reese Erlich, Anthony Fenton, Jim Fetzer, Laura Flanders, Chris Floyd, Connie Fogal, Glen Ford, Susan George, Stan Goff, Amy Goodman, Robert Greenwald, Denis Halliday, Chris Hedges, Sander Hicks, Julia Butterfly Hill, Robert Jensen, Dahr Jamail, Diana Johnstone, Kathy Kelly, Naomi Klein, Anthony Lappe, Frances Moore Lappe, Jason Leopold, Jeff Leys, Dave Lindorff, Jim Lobe, Jennifer Loewenstein, Wayne Madsen, Stephen Marshall, Linda McQuaig, George Monbiot, Loretta Napoleoni, John Nichols, Kurt Nimmo, David Orchard, Greg Palast, Mike Palecek, Michael Parenti, Robert Parry, Kevin Pina, William Rivers Pitt, Justin Podur, Jack Random, Sheldon Rampton, Paul Craig Roberts, Paul de Rooij, John Ross, Danny Schechter, Vandana Shiva, Norman Solomon, Starhawk, Grant Wakefield, Paul Watson, Bernard Weiner, Mickey Z., Dave Zirin, and many others.