Day: July 5, 2023

Fourteen giraffes, from Namibia, arrived this week in Angola, as part of the re-stocking programme of the species in the Yona National Park, located in the municipality of Tombwa, south-western Namibe Province.

According to the Tombwa administrator, Abelardo Lemba, there are five males and nine females, which over the next few days will undergo a process of adaptation to the climate of the location.

Speaking exclusively to ANGOP on Tuesday, he informed that conditions are being created for the mating of giraffes, without giving a date for the first practical results.

To him, at the time it is difficult to know the number of giraffes in the park, but the data points to a large reduction, given the poaching activity.

“We hope that they can adapt to our environment and reproduce”, said the municipal administrator, adding that the park has been facing vandalisation from poachers, who have also caused a significant reduction of its fauna, including the giraffes.

The Yona Park, proclaimed as a reserve in 1937 and officially designated a national park in 1964, is the biggest in Angola and is located in the southwest of the country, in Namibe.

With a length of 15,000 kilometres, it has two mobile dunes, vast plains and rugged cliff mountains, and is home to various species such as oryx gazellas, ostriches, zebras and other reptiles.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Chief Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, has underscored the need for communities living along the borders to coexist peacefully. Speaking during the launch of the conference for border communities on peaceful co-existence and regional integration in Namanga, Kajiado County, Mudavadi said borders should not be barriers but rather bridges to facilitate development. He cited poorly defined and unmarked borders that continue to impeach the achievement of strong and sustainable regional integration. ‘Historically, borderlands have borne the burden of poverty, insecurity, displacement, climate change, inadequate food and water, and other problems,’ he said. Seamless cross-border mobility has also been affected by poor cohesion-building mechanisms, shared natural resources, and gender insensitivity, which predispose border communities to the threat of insecurity and strife. He said that external vigilance was essential for peaceful coexistence and integration. ‘Our aim is to transform borders into bridges of peace, cross-border trade, and regional integration,’ he said. He cited the establishment of joint survey and demarcation teams and MOU agreements on the management of borders, among others, as key strides made in resolving the challenges. He said borders should make significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product through investments. He cited underperforming economies, joblessness, acts of terrorism, poverty, cross-border conflicts, and electoral disputes, among others, as the challenges facing the East African region. He said it was against this backdrop that peace and security have become critical themes in the continued development discourse. The conference will provide new impetus to the collective realization of economic growth and prosperity as crucial inputs for a peaceful and prosperous region. It also provides an opportunity for us to take stock of what we have achieved in the integration process, tackle shared challenges, and explore innovative dialogues for mutual understanding and our collective benefit. Together, we should succeed.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The 57th edition of the Hammamet International Festival (FIH) will be held under the theme “Let’s Color the World,” on July 8-August 12 at the open-air theatre in Hammamet. The detailed programme for this edition was revealed on Tuesday at a press briefing held at festival’s seat, the Dar Sebastien – International Cultural Centre of Hammamet. The Tunisian participation accounts for 40% of the festival’s programme, which features a total of 31 shows. The Steering Committee announced a set of cultural and intellectual events due July 12-August 7. It will kick off with a Tunisian-Italian meeting under the theme: “Between the Mediterranean’s two shores.” In addition to foreign shows from countries such as Spain, Mali, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago, the festival will see the participation of artists from Canada, France, Belgium and the United States of America. North African countries will be largely present too with shows by artists from Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania, as well as other Arab shows from countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Tunisia will be present through authentic music shows and foreign co-production performances. Detailed programme: July 8 : PROMETHEUS | The blue kangaroo, Simone Mannino (Italy – Tunisia) July 9 : Eya Daghnouj, « Al Naghar » (Tunisia) July 10: Mohamed Jebali, « Ech Esser » (Tunisia) July 11 : Zaho (Algeri / Canada) July 13 : Nawel Skandrani – Black and White Circus (Tunisia) July 14 : JenJoon (Tunisie) / Kaso (Tunisia) July 15 : Massar Egbari (Egypt) July 16 : Ana Crisman – Arpa Jonda (Spain) July 18 : Mounir Argui – Blackout (Tunisia) July 19 : Mehdi Trabelsi and Abir Derbel – Le Serment des Chemins (Tunisia) – Wajdi Cherif Quintet (Tunisia) July 20 : Ibeyi (France / Cuba) July 21 : Kenny Garrett and Sounds From The Ancestors (USA) July 22 : Aziz Maraka (Jordan) July 23 : Marwan Khoury (Lebanon) July 24 : Slim Abida – Asymétrie (Tunisia) – Amine M’raihi feat Lynn Adib- NoMad Spirits (Tunisia) July25 : Adel Bondka – Vive l’artiste (Tunisia) July 27 : Hatem Derbal – Chawq (Tunisia) July 28 : Olivier Laurent – Brel (Belgium) July 29 : Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritania) and Nidhal Yahyaoui (Tunisia) – « Hattaya » July 30 : Saber Rebai (Tunisia) August 1 : Imed Jema – « Salam » (Tunisia) August 2 : Imed Alibi and Khalil EPI – « Frigya » (Tunisia) – Acid Arab feat Sofiane Saidi (France / Algeria) August 3 : Fatoumata Diawara (Mali) August 4 : Dali Chebil and Mohamed Ben Salha – ‘Denya’ (Tunisia) August 5 : Samer Mohamed Ismail – ‘Casting’ (Syria) August 6 : Walaa Jundi (Lebanon) August 8 : Fadhel Jaziri – Kaligula 2 (Tunisia) August 9 : Emel Mathlouthi (Tunisia) August 10 : Muslim (Egypt) August 11 : Queen Omega and The Royal Souls (Trinidad and Tobago) August 12 : « Voice of women » (Tunisia)

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Hotel units in Mahdia recorded during the period from January 01 to June 30, 2023, an increase of 43.24% in overnight stays, i.e. 324,409 overnight stays, according to statistics from the local tourism authority. The occupancy rate in the region’s 29 hotels rose by 22.4%, with the average length of stay reaching 4.7 days, up 37%. During the same period, the number of tourists grew by 4.51% compared with the previous year, to 69,558 visitors. French tourists topped the list with 5,276 visitors compared with 2,731 during the first half of 2022 (an increase of 93%), followed by Germans with 6,484 visitors compared with 2,896 last year (an increase of 9.1%), and Russians with 3,694 tourists compared with 1,316 last season (up 7.1%). In terms of the number of overnight stays, German tourists took the lion’s share with 18% of all overnight stays recorded in the region since the start of the year, followed by Tunisians (17%), Czechs (12.5%), French (9.6%), Russians (9%), Poles (6.2%) and British (3%). The tourism sector plays an important role in the development of Mahdia, providing around 4,000 direct jobs and helping create an economic dynamic for other activities related notably to transport, traditional industries and catering in the region.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Clashes continued on Tuesday afternoon between police and local residents in Sbeïtla (governorate of Kasserine) after a 24-year-old man was shot dead. The clashes broke out after the police raided an illegal gambling den, Ahmed Al-Hamdi, the first delegate of Sbeitla, told TAP. He added that the owner of the premises called his neighbours to the rescue and attacked the security units with shotguns, who had to respond by using tear gas. The young Ahmed Souli, who was nearby, was shot and died of his injuries, according to witnesses who accused the police of killing the 24-year-old in the El Maahed housing estate, where exchanges of gunfire were heard. The body was taken to Kasserine regional hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, said Abdelghani Chaabani, Regional Health Director. According to the Sbeitla delegate, several security units have been deployed in the region to restore calm and protect public and private establishments, especially as some young people ransacked the municipal depot after the incident and stole some motorbikes.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse