Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The Association of Friends of Peul Culture Friday began a five-day celebration in Bamako marking the third international festival of arts and Peul culture. Full text...

Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) -- Music promoters in Abidjan have lodged a complaint against Malian singer Salif Keita for "failure to honour a contract" to perform in the Ivorian capital in December. Full text...

Niamey- Niger (PANA) -- Gabon will host the third International African Fashion Festival (FIMA) from 7-12 August 2002, the event's founder and organiser, Alphadi of Niger, has said. Full text...

Kinshasa- DR Congo (PANA) -- The proponent of Negritude, Leopold Sedar Senghor is "a model of an intellectual and committed writer whose works are ranked among the classics," Mathias Buabua wa Kayembe, chairman of DR Congo's writers Union (UECO) said in Kinshasa. Full text...

Ouagadougou- Burkina Faso (PANA) -- Fearing to step on landmines scattered in his own country, an Angolan film producer has taken the war between government forces and UNITA rebels to Ouagadougou. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- An international African arts and culture festival will open Friday in the city of Ouidah, a former slave trading post situated 40 km from Cotonou, organisers of the event said Thursday. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- The South African city of Cape Town came to a virtual standstill Wednesday when thousands of people lined along the streets to witness the Cape Minstrels "Tweede Nuwejaar" (second New Year) celebration. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Sun City, the glittering casino resort in South Africa's North West Province once hated for attracting internationally acclaimed artists during the apartheid era, this year hosted a number of events promoting African culture. Full text...

Dar es Salaam- Tanzania (PANA) -- The slaying in May of a six-year-old handicapped boy in northern Arusha by a distraught father acting to "cleanse a curse and rid his family of a burden" caused cultural trauma in Tanzania last year. Full text...

Windhoek- Namibia, (PANA) -- A number of African leaders and their people have condemned the act as against the norms, values and culture of the African people. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The West African festival of hunters which took place from 4 January to 26 February 2001, was unquestionably a big cultural event in Mali in 2001. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- The steam-powered train that snaked its way 1,000 km from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast to Port Florence was the only transport linking Uganda with the rest of the world, and took five years, from 1896 to 1901, to reach its destination. Full text...

Praia- Cape Verde (PANA) -- Music dominated Cape Verde's cultural landscape in 2001, particularly with the celebrated Cesaria Evora and musicians like Ildo Lobo. Full text...

Moroni- Comoros (PANA) -- The release in France of "Kweli", the first solo album of Nawal Mlanano, was unanimously praised by critics in the Comoros as a high-impact cultural event. Full text...

Nouakchott- Mauritania (PANA) -- Mauritania last year launched an award dubbed the Chinguitty Awards for Arts, Sciences and Culture, with the first winners announced 31 October. Full text...

Lisbon- Angola (PANA) -- Angolan writer Carvalho Neto (Yanguene) will launch his first book of proverbs in January 2002 in Lisbon (Portugal). Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- Benin's French cultural centre in Cotonou has organised a two-week exhibition of works and press cuttings to pay tribute to the late former president of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor, who died 20 December in France at the age of 95. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- Benin's French cultural centre in Cotonou has organised a two-week exhibition of works and press cuttings to pay tribute to the late former president of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor, who died 20 December in France at the age of 95. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Artists from Senegal's Daniel Sorano Theatre Thursday evening paid their respects to late former President Leopold Sedar Senghor who died 20 December in France at the age of 95. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- South African Tourism is well on track to placing South Africa firmly in pride of place around performances of Disney's Broadway musical, "Lion King", that had its much-acclaimed German premiere at the Hafentheater in Hamburg this month. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Mali's famous storyteller Baba Sissoko, better known as Djeli Baba Sissoko, 74, passed away Tuesday evening in Bamako, the Radio and Television of Mali (ORTM) has announced Wednesday. Full text...

Windhoek- Namibia (PANA) -- Like the famed Welwitschia plant one of Namibia's marginalised ethnic groups, the Topnaar people, know how to survive in the vast Namib Desert. Full text...

Bujumbura- Burundi (PANA) -- A senior Burundian lecturer has likened the former Senegalese poet President Leopold Senghor, who passed on Thursday in France at the age of 95, to the French poet, Victor Hugo. Full text...

Ziguinchor- Senegal (PANA) -- Organisers of Senagal's National Arts and Culture Festival (FESNAC) closed the event in the southern town of Ziguinchor Friday morning, a day after former President Leopold Sedar Senghor's death was announced. Full text...

Ouagadougou- Burkina Faso (PANA) -- Burkina Faso's second city, Bobo-Dioulaso will host the fifth Yeelen "Story-telling and Music" festival from 28-31 December, the organisers said. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Beauty queens from eleven countries will compete in the 8th edition of Miss ECOWAS pageant (Economic Community of West African States) scheduled Saturday in Bamako, the local press said Thursday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- In an unprecedented judgement since the Sharia law was introduced in Nigeria two years ago, a court in northern Sokoto state has ordered the amputation of the right hands and left legs of two men convicted of armed robbery. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- The national symphonic orchestra of Algeria, led by Amine Kouider who was recently appointed a UNESCO "artist for peace", Wednesday performed a concert of universal classical music at the national Algerian theatre in Algiers. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Several top musicians are on roll to perform at this weekend's annual Durban Jazz Festival organised by US-based Black Entertainment Television (BET). Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Sixteen contestants are to participate in the Miss South Africa Pageant 2001 to be held Saturday night at Sun City in the North West province. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The first West African Film Festival dubbed "Free Screens" will hold 15-22 December in Bamako, the organisers announced Thursday. Full text...

Saint Denis- Reunion (PANA) -- Ziskakan musical group's 11th album titled "Rimayer" has been released this week in Reunion, reports the sub-regional agency (MATERA). Full text...

Antananarivo- Madagascar (PANA) -- The Ambohimanga Royal Palace on the outskirts of Antananarivo will be registered this week on UNESCO's world heritage list, the regional news agency, MATERA, said. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- The 5th edition of the Lema rural and environmental broadcasting days (JAREL) will hold 10-20 December in Dassa, 200 km from Cotonou, the organisers announced Saturday. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- The recent appointment of a woman, Mosadi Seboko, as a paramount chief of the Balete tribe, goes down in the history of Botswana as a milestone in the dismantling of a traditional set up that discriminated against and subordinated women. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- Botswana's National Assembly has adopted a national policy on culture that seeks to re-awaken and make the population proud of their own culture. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Senegalese musicians are preparing a song to encourage their national football team during next year's African Cup of Nations in Mali early next year and the FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea in May-June 2002. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Internationally acclaimed South African singer Miriam Makeba was Thursday named winner of this year's Otto-Hahn golden peace medal for her efforts and commitment to human rights and overcoming of apartheid. Full text...

Saint Denis- the Reunion (PANA) -- The Reunion will celebrate its African heritage on 20 December to mark the end of slavery on the Indian Ocean island which is still under French rule. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- A funeral ceremony for one of Kenya's foremost musicians, Daudi Kabaka, will be held at his ancestral home in western Kenya next week (15 December), family members said Thursday in Nairobi. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- Benin's fifth edition of its National Crafts Show will be held in Cotonou from 7 to 17 December. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- The government of Benin has released 8,500,000 FCFA (about 11,378 US dollars) in cash prizes to its team which took part in the fourth games of French-speaking countries, held July in Ottawa, Canada. Full text...

Blantyre- Malawi (PANA) -- Malawi's reggae musician, Evison Matafale, 32, who died Tuesday in police custody was buried Wednesday at Chileka near Blantyre at a funeral attended by some 10,000 people from all walks of life. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- N'Java, a band from Madagascar, is expected to take part in the six-day 23rd modern dance and music festival of Rennes (western France) scheduled to start Tuesday, the organisers said. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Fans of American jazz legend Al Jarreau have snapped up tickets for his Johannesburg concert on Tuesday night, forcing organisers to add one more show at the same venue. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- A film by Algerian producer Yamina Benguigui, titled 'Dimanche s'il plait à Dieu' (Sunday, God willing) has been listed for the Oscar award by the Los Angeles Arts Academy. Full text...

London- UK (PANA) -- Twenty-one-year old Namondo Domanju, a student nurse in the University of Sheffield, has been crowned the first-ever Miss Cameroon, UK at a Cameroon cultural evening held Saturday in London. Full text...

Porto-Novo- Benin (PANA) -- More than 50,000 people visit museums in Benin each year, according to Alain Godonou, who heads the African Heritage School. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura has welcomed the proclamation of 2002 as United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- A Paris-based radio station, Beur FM, is organising a musical concert in the French capital Thursday as a sign of solidarity to Algerians affected by the recent floods. Full text...