Overview
- Lesson Title: African Union Meeting on Zimbabwe; This report discusses the Africa Union's meeting regarding Zimbabwe.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Economics/Politics
- ILR Level: 1+/2
- ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LO
- Publication Year: 2008
- ObjectID: HAUS_12932
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
|
Taron Kolin Kasashen Afirka yayi Kiran Da A Kafa Gwamnatin Hadin Kan Kasa A Zimbabwe Kungiyar Tarayyar Kasashen Afirka ta amince da wani kuduri wanda yayi kiran da a kafa gwamnatin hadin kan kasa a Zimbabwe, a bayan zaben da aka yi ta tofin Allah tsine kansa na shugaba Robert Mugabe. Haka kuma shugabannin kungiyar dake ganawa cikin sirri a Masar, sun bukaci da a ci gaba da shiga tsakanin gwamnatin Zimbabwe da 'yan hamayyar kasar. Talata aka amince da wannan matakin a bayan da kasar Botswana ta gabatar ad wata sanarwa mai zafin lafazi wadda ta nemi da a kori Zimbabwe daga tarurrukan Kungiyar Tarayyar Kasashen Afirka da na Kungiyar Raya Kasashen Kudancin Afirka. Mataimakin shugaban Botswana, Mompati Merafhe, ya ce zaben fitar da gwani na makon jiya a kasar Zimbabwe bai tabbatar da halalcin gwamnatin shugaba Robert Mugabe ba. Jami'an diflomasiyya a taron da aka yi cikin sirri, sun ce su ma shugabannin kasashen Nijeriya da Liberiya da Saliyo sun yi magana da lafazi mai karfi kan rashin halalcin zaben na Zimbabwe. Wani kakakin gwamnatin Masar, Hossam Zaki, ya ce shugaba Mugabe yayi jawabi mai tsawo lokacin taron, inda ya fito da kakkausar harshe sukar kasashen Afirka da suka soki lamirinsa. Tun fari talatar nan, shugabannin jam'iyyar hamayya ta MDC da na jam'iyyar ANU-PF mai mulkin kasar sun nuna cewa ba su da sha'awar ci gaba da tattaunawar siyasa. A cikin wata sanarwar da aka bayar a Harare babban birnin kasar, sakatare janar na jam'iyyar MDC, Tendai Biti, ya ce zaben bogi da aka ce an gudanar ranar 27 ga watan Yuni ya kawar da duk wata damar zaunawa don warware rikicin siyasar Zimbabwe. Shi ma da yake magana a wurin taron kolin Kasashen Afirka a Masar, kakakin shugaban Zimbabwe, George Charamba, yayi watsi da kiraye-kirayen kafa gwamnatin hadin guiwa irin wadda aka yi a kasar Kenya, yana mai fadin cewa ai Zimbabwe ba Kenya ba ce. |
African Union calls for a National Unity Government in Zimbabwe The African Union has passed a resolution calling for the formation of a government of national unity in Zimbabwe, following the disputed election of President Robert Mugabe. Conferring behind closed doors in Egypt, the organization’s leaders also proposed moving forward with a dialogue between the government of Zimbabwe and the country’s opposition. The resolution was adopted on Tuesday after Botswana made a strong argument that Zimbabwe be suspended from the African Union and the Southern Africa Development Community. The vice-president of Botswana, Mompati Merafhe, said that last week’s run-off election in Zimbabwe did not confer legitimacy on the government of President Robert Mugabe. Diplomats at the closed-door summit said that the leaders of Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone also spoke strongly about the lack of legitimacy in the Zimbabwe election. A spokesman for the Egyptian government, Hossam Zaki, said that President Mugabe gave a long speech during the summit, in which he also used strong language against African countries that were criticizing his regime. Earlier on Tuesday, leaders of the opposition MDC party and the ruling ANU-PF party suggested that they have no interest in any political dialogue. In an announcement made in the capital city of Harare, MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti said the discredited June 27 election put an end to any prospects for settling Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Also speaking at the African Union summit in Egypt, Zimbabwe’s presidential spokesman George Charamba rejected calls for a Kenya-style power-sharing arrangement, saying that Zimbabwe is not Kenya. |
Glossary
| Hausa term | English meaning |
|---|---|
| watsi | "Throw away", "disregard", "ignore, reject." Jifa is also used to mean the same thing, depending on the region. |
| Tofin Allah tsine | Literally "a spit of may God put a curse on...". A strong disapproval or opposition. |
| Zafin lafazi | Describes the seriousness/intensity of a discussion, harsh comment, argument or speech |
| Zaben fitar da gwani | Literally, "an election that brings out the expert/pro." Presidential election, or simply an election. |
| Fito da kakkausar harshe | "Speak bitterly" or "defensively" |
| Sukar | "Attack", "condemn", "poke" or "pinch" |
| Zaben Bogi (bogus) | "Sham election", "fake" |
Notes
African Union Meeting on Zimbabwe
1. The African Union (AU) was formed in 2002 with the aim of protecting the security of Africa. The Organization was formed from the Organization of African Union founded in 1963 on the policy of state sovereignty and noninterference. The policy drew criticism throughout the 1990s for its lack of intervention as crises unfolded in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. Morocco remains the only African country that is not a member of the Organization and the headquarters is in Ethiopia. Recognized by International bodies, “The AU is the world’s only regional or international organization that explicitly recognizes the right to intervene in a member state on humanitarian and human rights grounds,” writes Roberta Cohen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and lawyer William G. O’Neill in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In its intervention, the Union urged the president of Zimbabwe to compromise with the opposition party which he resisted. Mugabe has falsified parliamentary elections in 2000 and 2005 in order to prevent a victory of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by the 56 year old trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai.
For more information please visit to the following website
http://www.usip.org/events/2002/es20020719.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/africa/2000/zimbabwe/default.stm
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/art...
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11616/african_union.html
CONTENT SOURCE: Ibrahim Alfa Ahmed (2008, February 7). African Union calls for a National Unity Government in Zimbabwe. Voice of America. Washington, D.C.: Voice of America. http://www.voanews.com/hausa/2008-07-02-voa1.cfm
XML
<activity>
<instr type="eng">Read each question and type your response in the box provided. Click CHECK at the bottom of the screen to view the model response.</instr>
<instr type="target" />
<bgnotes>
<bg>
<category>Vocabulary</category>
<note>1. Ad: this is usually written as "da" to mean with or and.
2. Makon jiya: Literary, "yesterday's week". Last week. Depending on the region, this could also be "satin da ya wuce/gabata."
3. Kawar da: means to do away with, or get rid of something. In some Hausa regions such as Niger, this is also said as "kau da."
4. guiwa: This is also spelt as gwiwa, depending on the region.</note>
</bg>
<bg>
<category>Background Information</category>
<note>1. MDC: The Movement for Democratic Change is one of the political parties in Zimbabwe. Mr Mutambara now heads the faction, previously led by secretary general Welshman Ncube, that favored participation. The public saw Mr Mutambara’s appointment as a move that will help quell the accusations that the party is driven by ethnicity. Although he was a noted student leader in the late 1980s, his involvement in politics ended long before the MDC was founded. He has an academic record that is admired by many including his political detractors. He holds a PhD from Oxford University in Robotics and Mechatronics, and held professorships in that field in several US institutions. He has published three books on engineering.
2. (Z)ANU-PF: an opposition group led by Mugabe that was believed to influence its members into setting up torture camps to systematically target, beat, and torture people suspected of having voted for the MDC during the presidential elections.
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/19/zimbab18604.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4756424.stm</note>
</bg>
</bgnotes>
<problemset>
<problem>
<stim>What is the occasion and purpose of the African Union's meeting?</stim>
<fdbk>The meeting was held in response to the election in Zimbabwe to intervene in the rigged election.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the focus of the meeting. Learn more about the African Union by referring to the Notes.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>How was the election in Zimbabwe perceived? How does it relate to the African Union's decisions?</stim>
<fdbk>The election was rejected by the African Union who decided to mediate between the Zimbabwe government and the opposition group.</fdbk>
<hint>Reread the paragraph which informs about the resolution of the African Union. Consider the meaning of the phrase "tofin Allah Tsine".</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>How did Botswana influence the countries' decision at the meeting?</stim>
<fdbk>Botswana's harsh comments influenced the creation of a body/representatives to promote peace and unity in Zimbabwe.</fdbk>
<hint>Note after what event the resolution was adopted. Reread what Mompati Merafhe said about the election in Zimbabwe.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>According to the text, how did the current leaders of Zimbabwe react to the decision?</stim>
<fdbk>President Mugabe in his long speech rejected all accusations and used strong language against African countries which criticized his regime. A Presidential spokesman in his speech at the African Union summit also rejected calls for a power-sharing arrangement.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the speeches of President Mugabe and the Presidential spokesman George Charamba.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>How does the text describe the prospect for settling Zimbabwe's political crisis?</stim>
<fdbk>According to the announcement made by the Secretary-General of the opposition party MDC, the latest election put an end to any prospects for settling Zimbabwe's political crisis. The ruling party ZANU-PF did not express any interest in a political dialog either.</fdbk>
<hint>Pay attention to the position of MDC and ZANU-PF parties. Please refer to the Learn More Notes for more information about these parties.</hint>
</problem>
</problemset>
</activity>