Angola is a country with insufficient marine data, no environmental conservation awareness and lack of policies regarding conservation and fisheries.
The idea of promoting women´s leadership in fisheries caught my attention for the first time. I started thinking on ways to increase the economic returns in fishing for women, improve training and information transmission to women fishermen, apply quota system for women, finance women´s leadership in fisheries and farmer´s organizations.
Furthermore, there is a need to direct more financial resources than ever before toward female fishermen, since their economic independence and empowerment are linked to many issues, particularly issues of access to water and land, production resources, credit, alternativeenergy sources, technology, information and markets.
Today, our main challenge is to seek all kinds of solutions to address the prevailing question: ‘’How can we make fishing more profitable and sustainable for future generation of fishermen’’?
In this article we will reflect on the story of Claudia, an amateur angler from Angola.
Claudia is a vulnerable single mother who depends on fishing to survive and support her children. Claudia claims that she faces many barriers in the world of fishing. Every day she is persecuted by the agents of the state, the so-called police and fiscal who do not allow her to fish in peace. She says that she often hides her fishing gear in the public trash can so as not to be discovered by the tax authorities, who every time they see her fishing, they forbid her to fish and receive the fish she caught to eat with her children. Usually when this happens she is forced to ask for alms in the streets to get something to eat.
Claudia is a vulnerable single mother who depends on fishing to survive and support her children. Claudia claims that she faces many barriers in the world of fishing. Every day she and persecuted by the agents of the state, the so-called police and fiscal who do not allow her to fish in peace. She says that she often hides her fishing gear in the public trash can so as not to be discovered by the tax authorities, who every time they see her fishing, they forbid her to fish and receive the fish she caught to eat with her children. Usually when this happens she is forced to ask for alms in the streets to get something to eat.
Interview with Claudia
Good afternoon ma'am. How are you?
Good afternoon, I'm fine, thank you.
What is your name?
My name is Claudia.
Claudia, what are you doing here?
I fish here.
Are you a fisherman?
Yes, I'm a fisherwoman in this area, and I'm also a beggar here begging from people who come here to relax.
Tell me a little bit about fishing. Did you catch anything today?
I haven't fished yet, but I am about to fish, you can observe me doing it.
Did you bring your fishing gear?
Yes, I'm ready.
How has the fishing been? Is there a lot of fish?
Well, we have lots of fish, but the biggest challenge is the cops. We are suffering, they should stop doing this. Every time I come to fish, they tell me to take the line out of the water and order me to get out of here and go home.
When I go home with nothing, who will feed my children? I am a mother and father at the same time (single mother), my husband is already deceased. The father of this baby that I got involved with after my husband's death, beat my children a lot. I have not admitted this and separated from him. Thank God some people of good faith rented a house where I am living with my children now.
Do you depend on fishing for a living?
Well, I depend on fishing to survive and to support my children.
What is the material that you use for fishing?
Here is my gear, I use, line, bucket, hook, bait to lure the fish, and a drum.
Why do you keep your material in the garbage bin?
We keep our stuff here so the cops don't throw it away.
How do you use it?
I take the canister, wrap the wire around the hook, and on the end of the hook I put bait (food to attract fish) and then I throw it into the sea.
When the tide is low, the fish don't come out. They may bite but they don't stick to the hook. We have to wait until the tide is up, and if there are fish, we catch them and put them in the bucket.
If someone offered you a sponsorship what would you like to have to make your fishing easier?
To make my fishing easier, I would like to have a net. With the net I can fish very well. I leave the baby with my son and then I dive into the sea. Since the cops forbid us to put the net here at the shore, so I go more to the bottom of the sea to fish better. That little boy swimming there is my son.
Wouldn't you like to have a canoe?
I don't know how to drive a canoe.
But you can hire someone to do it for you.
OK, OK.
Is the fishnet expensive?
Yes, the net is very expensive. The one I would like to have is too expensive, I can't afford it.
How much does it cost?
There are some for 30,000 and for 25,000 kwanzas.
Conclusions
As shown in the article, we did a brief reportage with fishermen in the city of Luanda, Angola. We collected stories from people of different ages, adolescents, youth and adults. They reported that there is a lot of fish in the sea but they face financial problems and lack of fishing material that is very expensive.
Furthermore,fish in the informal market is very expensive because the fishermen who sell fish to the informal traders cannot fish in large quantities due to lack of financial resources, fishing gear, and constant harassment from the police. Thus making life difficult for the most vulnerable people who depend on fishing to survive.
We also noticed a low level of women leading the fishing world, they usually play the role of fishmongers in the streets.
Local women taking part on the artisanal fishery scene by transporting, transforming and selling landing products.
At least 26 people were killed after several homes collapsed in Mumbai following landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains, officials said Sunday.
The rain-related accidents occurred in two suburbs of Chembur and Vikhroli after torrential downpours pounded the metropolis from Saturday evening. Residents were advised not to venture out in the open.
Nineteen people were killed when six shanty homes collapsed in Chembur, local police officials said. Nine of those injured, who were rescued from the debris, were taken to hospital.
Separately, seven people were killed and two injured when several huts collapsed in Vikhroli, domestic media reported citing municipal officials.
Rescue operations were continuing in both areas as a few more people were feared to be trapped.
Rescue work were hampered owing to heavy rains and difficulties in access to congested localities where heavy equipment had to be taken in. Local television showed rescuers using hands to clear the rubble and retrieve bodies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences and announced financial compensation for the injured and families of those who died.
Several areas in the city were inundated after the heavy rains and train services were disrupted, paralyzing daily life in India’s financial capital.
Mumbai will continue to receive heavy rainfall over the next five days, the regional weather office said.
Landslides and floods are common during India’s monsoon season, which occurs between June and October.
The rains are vital for agriculture, but often cause immense destruction of property and crops, and lead to the loss of hundreds of lives. GNA
Luanda – The Angolan health authorities announced the registration in the last 24 hours of 98 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths and the recuperation of twenty-three patients.
According to the daily bulletin provided by the health authorities, among the new infections 35 were diagnosed in the Moxico Province, 21 in Huila, 18 in Luanda, 18 in Cunene, 2 in Benguela, 2 in Zaire, 1 in Lunda Sul and 1 in Namibe.
With ages ranging from 5 months to 93 years, the list of the new cases includes 49 males and 49 females.
The deaths were recorded in the provinces of Huila (2) and Cunene (1).
As regards the recuperation cases 9 reside in Cunene, 7 in Namibe, 3 in Benguela, 3 in Huila and 1 in Luanda.
The labs processed 2,781 samples.
The authorities control 106 people in institutional quarantine centres. There are also 2,333 citizens under epidemiological surveillance and 81 patients in treatment centres.
Overall, Angola has now 40,805 positive cases, 957 deaths, 34,755 recoveries and 5,093 active cases.
The informative bulletin also states that of the active cases 8 are in critical condition, 7 serious, 56 moderate, 10 mildly serious, and 5,012 asymptomatic.
An agreement has also been reached with the Boundary Commission of Burkina Faso to engage further in resolving all identified boundary disputes at Paga and Sapeliga in the Kassena West and Bawku West districts respectively.
In 2020, Togo was reported to have trespassed its boundary at the Kolpelig river, a tributary to the White Volta claiming ownership of parts of Gareke, a suburb of Pulmakom.
The country also prevented the Volta River Authority from extending electricity to the Beelintange community also within the Pulmakom claiming jurisdiction of the area.
The situation also affected Ghana’s security officials patrolling the general boundary area.
But after an evaluation of the disputed boundary areas between the land boundary commissions of Ghana and Togo, the Togo Boundary Commission agreed to work with pre-existing demarcations.
Speaking to Citi News at Beelintange, National Coordinator of Ghana Boundary Commission, Major Gen. Emmanuel Kotia, said, the dispute has been resolved and the population of both countries shall be educated to respect the 1962 boundary demarcation legacy agreement.
“The Boundary Commissions of Ghana and Togo have agreed that the 1962 boundary demarcation (Legacy Agreement) using river Pulmakom as the boundary line be respected.”
“The Ghana security agencies are allowed to extend their activities to the banks of river Pulmakom. The Ghana Immigration Service and Customs should open appropriate posts to cover entry points of the boundary”.
“The Ghana and Togo boundary commissions will jointly carry out sensitization programmes both in Ghana (Pulmakom) and Togo (Cinkasse) to educate the population on the decisions taken and the need to respect the demarcated boundaries by September 2021. The technical committees of the two commissions will undertake a technical installation of all missing boundary pillars as soon as possible”.
The GBC also engaged the boundary commission of Burkina-Faso to resolve issues about activities of Youga mining company limited around Sapeliga in the Bawku West District and evaluate and install all missing pillars along the Paga boundary line.
Major Gen. Kotia, said, both countries have agreed to discuss further the issues for an amicable resolution.
Permanent Secretary of the Burkina-Faso boundary commission Zagre Leontine commended the effort of the Ghana boundary commission and was optimistic both countries can resolve the issues and strengthen the ties between them.
Humanity faces unprecedented challenges. But nowhere else are we more resolved to solving those challenges, than right here in Africa. Stellenbosch University LaunchLab believes that the sciences hold the keys to a brighter future for Africa which is why it is hosting a science-themed startup and idea showcase in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch Science Faculty and Alphawave.
The Science Showcase will spotlight 8 – 10 of the best commercialisable ideas and existing businesses from across the continent focused on providing science-based solutions for African challenges. The winning teams will gain access to valuable prize money, mentoring sessions, focused workshops, and a spot in the February 2022 cohort of Countdown, SU LaunchLab’s flagship incubation program.
Requirements
LaunchLab is looking for entrepreneurs with commercialisable ideas or existing businesses that provide science-based solutions to African challenges in the following fields:
Physical sciences – physics, chemistry, earth, and space Life sciences – biochemistry, microbiology, zoology, botany, ecology Applied sciences – engineering, medicine Computer sciences Mathematics
Benefits
Chance to win a share of almost $ 7 000 in prize money, a spot in one of SU LaunchLab’s incubation programs, and more!
The AKU GSMC Media Innovation Centre, together with its partners DW Akademie and Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) are looking for the brightest media minds from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to join the 2021-2022 Innovators-in-Residence program, a 12-month incubation and accelerator program that provides mentorship, training and coaching to media innovators in East Africa. want to ensure innovators from both rural and urban areas get access to this program and for this reason, this year’s cohort will include a special track for rural innovators.
Requirements
Media innovators from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Journalists and innovators based in rural areas are especially encouraged to apply. • Innovators working in pre-formed teams or those applying as individuals but are willing to team up for this programme. Innovators can only apply in teams of 2-5 members.
• Projects producing content in any East African language are welcome to apply. Applications must be submitted in English. • Projects that address journalism and media challenges other than storytelling are welcome. Apps and projects that support journalists and existing media houses in their work are invited to apply. • Participants must be above the age of 18 years
FameLab Climate Change Communicators is a global online competition and training event to build trust in climate science.
British Council invite aspiring climate change communicators to submit a video giving a three-minute talk in English related to the theme of ‘Trust in Climate Science’. Whether you’re an early career researcher, working on climate change projects - or simply passionate about explaining climate science to new audiences - we would love to hear from you.
Ten finalists will be selected to go head-to-head in the FameLab Climate Challenge Communicators Online Final in September 2021 to battle it out for first place – who will wow judges and global audiences and be crowned winner?
Requirements
Aged 21 years of age or above; Based in one of the following participating countries for the purposes of study, research or long-term paid/voluntary employment: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Turkey, Uganda or Vietnam; Studying or working in roles that relate to science, engineering, technology, medicine or mathematics. Individuals working in climate change related work in organisations such as non-government organisations (NGO) and charities are welcome to apply.
