Africa NOW #114

Issued on 30th September, 2020 by Africa Japan Forum (AJF)«Contents»

pp. 2-19
Special Topic: ‘Facing COVID-19 in Africa’
The global COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 is still ongoing. While African societies have been severely affectedby the pandemic, it is notable that Africa has taken progressive responses, including the early development of large-scale PCR
testing systems and community actions to prevent infection and to help each other. The experiences of African people, whohave faced many different infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and Ebola, have been utilized in theCOVID-19 crisis. Against this backdrop, this issue of “Africa NOW” has a special feature titled ‘Facing COVID-19 in Africa’.
pp .3-7‘How can we create solidarity with Africa and the world in the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis ?’by Inaba Masakii

Inaba Masaki, AJF’s Program Director for Global Health, analyzes how sub-Saharan Africa has been responding to theCOVID-19 pandemic. He highlights the fact that the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Africa andaround the world has laid the foundation for solidarity of global civil society. On this foundation for global solidarity,
new frameworks for international cooperation such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator have been created. He stresses the importance of global solidarity in overcoming the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.

pp .8-10 ‘Hospitalized in the ward of COVID-19 in Guinea’ by Inoue Yasuko
Inoue Yasuko, who was a staff member at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Guinea until June
2020, reports on her experience of being hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 ward in a hospital in Conakry, Guinea.
She took a PCR test for the new coronavirus in April 2020 in Guinea and the result was ‘slightly positive’. Later, when her
temperature exceeded 38.6 degrees Celsius, she requested to be hospitalized and was admitted to the dedicated COVID-19
ward from 11 April to 18 April. Reflecting on her conversations with her boss at work over her hospitalization, she notesthat she had no choice but to protect herself, as everyone got defensive in critical situations like COVID-19.
pp .11-13 ‘The present situation about COVID-19 in Cameroon’ by Dote Kanae
Dote Kanae, who works at the Institut Panafricain pour le Développement (IPD), an NGO in Cameroon, explains how
the government and people of Cameroon have been responding to the COVID-19. People’s lives have changed dramatically since the government announced regulatory measures in March and April 2020, including the closure of all educational
institutions, restrictions on movement and the mandatory wearing of masks in public places. However, from July onwards,
the number of people wearing masks decreased as if the new coronavirus had gone. She also reports the results of a survey
conducted by the IPD that asked informal sector workers about their perceptions and economic impacts of COVID-19.
pp .14-15 ‘IFAD’s support for the rural poor in Nigeria against COVID-19’ by Sakata Yumi
Sakata Yumi from IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) Nigeria office describes IFAD’s activities ingeneral as well as its specific programs to mitigate the agricultural damage caused by COVID-19 in Nigeria. She argues
that support for agricultural sector in Africa is necessary, pointing out the risks that the agricultural value chain would get
dysfunctional and thus lead to a decline in agricultural production due to COVID-19 related restriction of movement.
pp .16-17 ‘Community based child protection and intervention for prevention of COVID-19 in Kenya’by Hashiba Mina

Hashiba Mina is the founder of the NGO Mirai Future of Kenya, which supports and cares for juvenile delinquents andchildren in need of protection in Kenya. She explains how she got involved in this project and what she has been doing
through her NGO. She also describes how residents of informal settlements on the outskirts of Nairobi are taking various
measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus by themselves.
pp .18-19 ‘Reports from residents in South Africa on COVID-19. What’s the fact there ?’by Yoshimura Mineko, Kodate Kiyoshi, Kimura Kyoko, Aoki Miyuki

The article is based on the AJF’s Zoom seminar on the issue of Japanese media misreporting of COVID-19 in South Africa, which was held on May 6, 2020. In this seminar, four speakers who live and work in South Africa talked about popularsupport for the South African government’s response to the new coronavirus and the local communities’ voluntary actions
to help each other. They pointed out that in the light of South African reality, NHK’s coverage of COVID-19 in South
Africa was problematic.
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Africa NOW 114

Attachmentpp. 20-21‘World seen through observing food situation. AJF’s online magazine from FAO’s “CropProspects and Food Situation” by Kato Tamahi

Kato Tamahi is a regular participant in the AJF’ study group for reading FAO reports. She has translated FAO’s quarterly
report “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” into Japanese in this study group. The translated texts are available on the AJF
website, Food and Agriculture in Africa (https://ajf.gr.jp/foodagriculture/). Based on FAO’s current situation analysis
through ‘Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC)’ and ‘Cadre Harmonise’, she reports that 20,000 people in Jonglei State,
South Sudan are facing IPC Phase 5 ‘Famine’ levels due to the impact of heavy rains in Eastern Africa in 2019.
p. 21‘About the AJF’s study group for reading FAO reports’ by Saito Ryoichiroi

pp. 22-23‘Messages from AJF’s new co-board chairs and executive director’by Tamai Takashi, Tuyama Naoko, Hirouchi Kaorii

The AJF has two new Co-chairs of the Board and an Executive Director under the new structure that started this year. Thearticle includes the messages for the AJF members from the new Co-chairs of the Board, Tamai Takashi and Tsuyama Naoko,
and the new Executive Director, Hirouchi Kaori.
pp. 24-27‘Our Voices, Our Stories - Message from Black/Black mixed-race youth’
by Evbade-dan Irene, Babaguchi Kano, Miura Ark

This is the 7th installment in a series of “Essay Relay - African Kids Club”. The three authors of this essay are involved in running the African Youth Meetup and African Kids Club. Black Lives Matter (BLM) has become a global movement in thewake of the killings of African Americans by police officers in the United States. In response to the current situation, AfricanYouth Meetup organized two online sessions to listen to the voices of Black/Black mixed-race youth in Japan. The authors
introduce the comments of the four speakers at these sessions and discuss the need for awareness of racism and the need tocreate a place where people can be themselves.
Back cover2

Afterword (‘Hitotsu no musubime to shite’ in Japanese) and a record of AJF’s activities

Africa NOW 114

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