Newsletter Anno 3, n. 9 - 10 maggio 2005

["Circolo Culturale Africa" <segreteria at circoloafrica.org>]

NEWSLETTER DEL CENTRO DI DOCUMENTAZIONE E RICERCA PER LA CITTADINANZA ATTIVA
Anno 3, n. 9 - 10 maggio 2005

A cura di Gabriele Sospiro
Con la collaborazione di:
Piotr Alichniewicz
Olivier Gbezera
Mehmet Gokay Ozerim

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INDICE
1.  PARTENZA CORSO ONLINE SU IMMIGRAZIONE
2.  ATTIVITÀ DEL CENTRO
3.  CONCERTO E CUCINA ARGENTINA
4.  NEWS FROM BELGIUM
5.  NEWS FROM POLAND
6.  OPPORTUNITÀ EVS IN SCADENZA
7.  ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES AU TOGO (2)
8.  CONVEGNO A UDINE: QUANDO LO STRANIERO FA NOTIZIA
9.  LINGUISTIC BATTLES TO SAVE ERITREAN LANGUAGE
10. VIAGGIO IN POLONIA

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1. PARTENZA CORSO ONLINE SU IMMIGRAZIONE
*****************************************
Tutto pronto per la partenza del primo corso online sulle tematiche relative
all'immigrazione straniera. Venerdì 13 maggio dalle ore 18 alle 20 ci sarà
la prima lezione che sarà tenuta dal Prof. Maurizio Ambrosini
dell'Università di Genova. C'è ancora tempo fino a domani per iscriversi al
corso la cui quota di iscrizione è di 250 euro. Sono previste delle borse di
studio che consentono la partecipazione gratuita al corso. Per informazioni:
segreteria at circoloafrica.org oppure visitate www.immigrazioneonline.com per
prendere visione del programma integrale del nostro corso. Vi segnaliamo
inoltre che è online anche il paper del professor Ambrosini.


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2. ATTIVITÀ DEL CENTRO
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Il Centro di Documentazione e Ricerca per la Cittadinanza Attiva è aperto il
Martedì e Giovedì dalle 10 alle 13.00 e dalle 15.00 alle 18.00. È attivo il
servizio di consultazione libri e riviste e di prestito libri. Se avete
libri da proporre per l'acquisto fatevi sentire! Presso il Centro potrete
inoltre avvalervi (su prenotazione telefonica) di consulenza su tesi di
laurea e ricerche riguardanti immigrazione ed economia politica, su
tematiche inerenti il terzo settore e il volontariato, assistenza per
specifiche ricerche internet, anche di natura bibliografica, consulenza
sulla letteratura post-coloniale di lingua inglese e letteratura migrante.
Per contatti ed eventuali prenotazioni 071/2072585

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3. CONCERTO E CUCINA ARGENTINA
*******************************
Sempre venerdì 13 maggio dopo le ore 20 presso i locali del Circolo Africa
in via San Spiridione ad Ancona ci sarà una cena argentina. L'occasione
nasce dalla presenza nella città dorica del gruppo argentino Escaramujo che
si esibirà a partire dalle ore 22. Costo della cena: 18 euro.
Info: 071-2072585

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4. NEWS FROM BELGIUM
*********************
L'ouverture lundi à Bruxelles du procès de deux commerçants rwandais accusés
d'avoir participé au génocide de 1994 qui a couté la vie à environ 800.000
personnes, selon l'ONU. Ce procès remet au premier plan la loi de compétence
universelle, qui permet aux tribunaux belges de juger les auteurs présumés
de crime de guerre, contre l'humanité et de génocide, quelque soit leur
nationalités le pays de leurs exactions. Toutefois, dans ce cas précis,  la
différence notable est que les deux accusés ont été arretés sur le
territoire belge.
L'autre difference avec l'autre « procès rwandais » tenu en juin 2001 est
que cette fois-ci les accusés n'ont pas de stature politique ou symbolique
importante, n'etant pas particulierement proches du pouvoir comme deux des
quatre condamnés en 2001, les deux autres etant des religieuses. Au
contraire, ils semblent etre des hommes d'affaires localement importants,
qui auraient apporté leur soutien aux milices Interhamwe (extremistes
hutus). Opérant dans la région de Kibungo, où on estime à 50.000 le nombre
de morts, ils auraient eu à leur disposition leur véhicules des accusés.
Ce procès, où l'on attend 170 témoins rwandais, devrait prendre fin le 24
juin prochain.

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5. NEWS FROM POLAND
********************
Polish foreign minister to address UN General Assembly

Poland's foreign minister Adam Rotfeld is to address the UN General Assembly
session in tribute to the victims of World War Two.
He told Polish Radio that he will speak about the need for Russia to condemn
the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
and about the role of Poland in the allied victory, which is frequently
underestimated. Mr Rotfeld added he wants to remind the international
community that the end of the Second World War meant a significant loss of
sovereignty for Poland. He stressed Poland wants good relations with all its
neighbours.

Poland's Katyn Committee describes Moscow celebrations as "a spectacle of
lies"

Families of the victims of the Katyn massacre have protested in front of the
Russian Embassy in Warsaw. The head of the Katyn Committee described today's
celebrations in Moscow as a "spectacle of lies". The protesters say
Polish-Russian relations should be based on truth. They urged Russia to
acknowledge the Katyn massacre of Polish officers as a crime against
humanity.

Polish president pays tribute to victims of Stalinism.

President Kwasniewski has opened a visit to Moscow.
A day ahead of the main ceremonies to mark the 60th anniversary of the
defeat of Nazi Germany, he has visited a cemetary where victims of Soviet
political repression between 1945 and 53 are buried. The cemetary also
contains the symbolic tombs of the leaders of Poland's non-communist wartime
resistance who were later jailed in Moscow. The Polish president also laid a
wreath at a monument to the victims of Stalinism sited outside the
headquarters of the former KGB.
In a speech in the Polish city of Wroclaw yesterday, president Kwasniewski
recalled that the day of victory did not have in Poland the same clear
colours as in London or Paris. The end of the war did not bring a return to
sovereignty. He said that the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact between Nazi
Germany and the Soviet Union led to "the fourth partition of Poland". He
included the massacre of thousands of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest
among a long list of Stalinist crimes and called it 'an unhealed wound' in
Polish Russian relations.



No justification for Soviet annexation of Baltic states

President Kwasniewski said, he considers Russia's stand on the annexation of
the Baltic states in 1940 to be of crucial importance for the shape of
future relations between Moscow and Brussels. The Polish president stated he
was stunned by opinions of Russian officials that the inclusion of
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia into the Soviet Union had been in accordance
with international law.
President Kwasniewski said, he considers Russia's stand on the annexation of
the Baltic states in 1940 to be of crucial importance for the shape of
future relations between Moscow and Brussels. The Polish president stated he
was stunned by opinions of Russian officials that the inclusion of
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia into the Soviet Union at that time had been in
accordance with international law. Aleksander Kwasniewski recalled well
known facts relating to the illegality of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact and
petitions of the Baltic countries parliaments requesting accession to Stalin
's Russia. He compared the move to be as deceitful as the request for Soviet
intervention by the Czechoslovak communist authorities in 1968. President
Kwasniewski further stated he could not imagine president Putin making
similar remarks at the May 9th celebrations in Moscow, jeopardizing Russia's
prospective cooperation with the EU or the United States.


Memory of Holocaust victims honoured at march of the living

Some 20 thousand people from about 50 countries gathered at Oswiecim,
southern Poland, for a march of the living - held in memory of Holocaust
victims at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Addressing the youth present in Auschwitz,
Poland's prime minister Marek Belka called for a deeper dialogue between
Poles and Jews...
Some 20 thousand people from about 50 countries gathered at Oswiecim,
southern Poland, for a march of the living - held in memory of Holocaust
victims at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Addressing the youth present in Auschwitz,
Poland's prime minister Marek Belka called for a deeper dialogue between
Poles and Jews. 'May this day and this ceremony help young people to learn
one another in the spirit of tolerance, partnership and mutual respect',
said Belka.
In his speech Israel's prime minister Ariel Szaron also focused on young
people as they will have to take over the responsibility to preserve the
truth about those times after there are no survivors alive.
The participants of the ceremonies walked the same 3 kilometer death route
from Auschwitz to Birkenau as did the victims of the holocaust. At least 1.1
million men, women and children, most of them Jews, perished at
Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the key extermination sites for Nazi Germany's
"final solution", which aimed to wipe out Europe's 11 million Jews.


Parliament honours 60th anniversary of the end of WW II

The parliament has adopted a resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary
of the end of WW II. The deputies paid tribute to the victims and to all
those who contributed to the fall of Nazi aggressors and their allies.
The parliament has adopted a resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary
of the end of WW II. The deputies paid tribute to the victims and to all
those who contributed to the fall of Nazi aggressors and their allies. The
also speaks of the need to present historic truth, to underline that the
victory over Nazi Germany has not brought freedom to Poland which fell under
the long occupation of the Soviet Russia. The deputies appeal to Russia to
acknowledge the shameful cooperation of the two totalitarian rules of Nazism
and communism and thus be free of the disgraceful legacy. The resolution
also pays tribute to the millions of Red Army soldiers among them those who
perished on Polish soil in the years 1944 and 1945 during the victorious
march on Berlin. "Without their fight and sacrifice the defeat of the Third
Reich would not be possible" reads the resolution.


Constitution Day

Poland celebrates 3 May as Constitution Day. This national holiday was
established to commemorate the anniversary of the Constitution of 3 May
1791. It was the first democratic constitution in Europe and the second in
the world after the United States of America. Poland celebrates the 3rd of
May as the Constitution Day.
This national holiday was established to commemorate the anniversary of the
Constitution of the 3rd of May 1791. It was the first democratic
constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the United States
of America.
The constitution introduced such basic concepts of state as triple division
of power, it abolished elective monarchy and introduced strong executive
power.
The constitution remained in force for only a year when a Russian invasion
forced Poland to withdraw the reforms. After another three years the country
was partitioned by its neighbours - Russia, Prussia and Austria - loosing
independence for 123 years.
The 3rd of May was first established as a national holiday on May the 5
1791. It has been celebrated again since 1990.

Poles against May Day parades

Poles want to change the character of May day celebrations and the name
itself. According to a survey conducted by the PENTOR group for Polish
Radio, 46 percent of Poles want May Day to be celebrated as the anniversary
of Poland's entry into the European Union rather than Labour Day. One in
three of the polled do not want any changes. Almost 20 percent have no
opinion. PENTOR's Jerzy Gluszynski said that the percentage of those who
want to change the character of May Day is the highest among manual workers
and farmers, that is groups most strongly associated with it. In his
opinion, Poles regard May Day parades as a relic of communist past, when
participation in the celebrations was a must. Perhaps they will be replaced
by Schuman Parades.


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6. OPPORTUNITÀ EVS IN SCADENZA
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YOUTH EXCHANGE OF 'ARETE' POLAND
Association "ARETE" is preparing youth exchange for Action 1.  The name of
it: The Poles in the picture" which will take place in Poland in 2005
(probably 1-8 October)

 This Exchange is especially addressed to people really interested in
photography, The main aims of our exchange are:
  - intercultural learning
  - to learn more about youth work in other countries
  - to share and learn from different experience within photography
  - taking photos

We are going to invite about 30-35 people to participate in it ( 5-6
countries)

 All costs of food and accommodation are covered by organizers, we repay
also 70% of your travel costs.  If you decide to participate in our project
please fill in the Part III and send us by post and by fax (remember - we
need also original form).

  Deadline: 15 May.

if You have any questions please write us:
arete-pl at o2.pl
Fax nr
+48 32 353 75 66
Address:
Organization Arete
Ul. Pi³sudskiego 58/9
43-609 Jaworzno
POLAND


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7. ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES AU TOGO (2)
*****************************************
L'annonce officielle de la victoire de Faure Gnassingbé aux élections
presidentielles togolaises du 26 Avril a précipité le pays dans une crise
dont l'issue reste encore imprévisible . Accrédité de 60,15 % des voix, le
fils du dictateur Gnassingbé Eyadéma, mort en exercice, sera ainsi proclamé
Président, alors que les accusations de fraudes s'accumulent et que la
répression contre l'opposition continue tambour battant.
Les violences ne se sont pas faites attendre longtemps, les rues de Lomé
etant le théatre d'affrontements entre partisans de l'opposition et forces
gouvernementales. Il y aurait une centaine de morts, la plupart par balles,
et on estime à 16000 le nombre de personnes déplacées, soit vers les pays
limitrophes (Bénin, Ghana), soit vers l'interieur des terres. L'opposition,
dont le candidat Emmanuel Bob Akitani s'etait auto-proclamé président à l'
annonce des résultats partiels favorables à Faure Gnassingbé, a tenté de
restreindre les ardeurs de ses partisans, en tentant d'épuiser les voies
légales de contestation. Toutefois, le recours déposé auprès de la Cour
Constitutionelle ne faisait guère illusion (« C'est elle qui a investi Faure
Gnassingbé, elle ne va pas se désister aujourd'hui », Jean-Pierre Homawoo,
chef de cabinet d'Emmanuel Bob Akitani).
Les craintes exprimées avant le scrutin se sont donc confirmées, le
pseudo-processus démocratique de transition laissant place à une répression
d'envergure. Celle-ci est aggravée par la censure, qui restreint les
communications. Les lignes téléphoniques ont été rétablies, mais Internet
reste coupé, ainsi que les radios locales, internationales (RFI, BBC), et
religieuses.
Si l'annonce des résultats n'a en somme été qu'une demi-surprise, les
fraudes massives etant craintes bien avant le scrutin, la réaction de la
communauté internationale a pour sa part terriblement déçu les Togolais.
Autant l'Union Africaine que la Cedeao (Communauté économique des états d'
Afrique de l'ouest), après avoir toutes deux vivement condamné la prise de
pouvoir par Faure Gnassingbé à la mort de son père et fait pression pour une
transition démocratique, ont fait volte-face et appelé l'opposition à
reconnaitre les résultats et à participer à un gouvernement d'union
nationale. Un représentant de la Cedeao affimera ainsi que « tout s'est bien
passé »...
L'Union Européenne et surtout la France ne sont pas en reste. Michel
Barnier, ministre des Affaires Etrangères français, qualifie le scrutin de
« succès », aux conditions « globalement satisfaisantes ». Le président
Jacques Chirac a envoyé ses félicitations officielles à Faure Gnassingbé.
Nombre de ressortissants ont été rapidement exfiltrés, et le sentiment
anti-français va croissant.


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8. CONVEGNO A UDINE: QUANDO LO STRANIERO FA NOTIZIA
****************************************************
Uno svizzero è un extracomunitario quanto un marocchino eppure il termine
viene adoperato solo per il secondo. E' una delle contraddizioni che
definiscono il rapporto tra i mezzi di informazione italiani e gli
immigrati. Capire in che modo i media trattano le notizie sull'immigrazione
ci aiuta a comprendere meglio l'idea che la nostra società ha degli
immigrati. Lo spazio che essi ricevono nei media è ridotto a poche e
limitate questioni (il più delle volte in cronaca), che difficilmente
riflettono la realtà vissuta dai due milioni e mezzo di cittadini stranieri
residenti oggi sul territorio nazionale.
Attraverso il convegno "Quando lo straniero fa notizia", promosso dalla
Provincia di Udine nelle giornate del 13 e 14 maggio nell'ambito del
Progetto Comunitario Equal "Maqram-Maqôr" e organizzato dalla Cooperativa di
Informazione Friulana presso il Teatro San Giorgio, si vuole analizzare, con
l'aiuto di autorevoli giornalisti e ricercatori italiani e stranieri, la
rappresentazione che i mezzi di informazione danno dell'immigrazione, nonché
presentare alcune delle più interessanti iniziative di partecipazione degli
immigrati al "fare informazione" oggi, in Italia.
A fare da cornice e suggello al convegno "Quando lo straniero fa notizia" si
svolgerà il "Festival delle Culture" curato dall'UCAI (Unione delle comunità
e delle associazioni di immigrati del Friuli Venezia Giulia), un momento di
festa, un viaggio nel mondo, attraverso colori, sapori, musica, balli e
racconti dai cinque continenti, ed assieme un'occasione di aggregazione e di
scambi sia tra le comunità di immigrati presenti sul territorio regionale,
sia tra queste e la popolazione locale. Nelle giornate del 13 e 14 maggio
saranno aperti, nell'area esterna al Teatro San Giorgio, stand con prodotti
etnici, mentre nelle serate si esibiranno gruppi folcloristici e musicali.
Nel pomeriggio di venerdì verranno organizzati giochi teatrali sul tema
della convivenza e proposti racconti della letteratura latinoamericana.
Nella giornata di sabato si terranno dei laboratori rivolti ai bambini
curati dai mediatori culturali dell'Ucai.
Info: equal at provincia.udine.it


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8. LINGUISTIC BATTLES TO SAVE ERITREAN LANGUAGE
************************************************
ASMARA, May 10 (AFP) -- Nearly a decade after accidentally discovering a
previously unknown language on an Indian Ocean archipelago off the Eritrean
coast, a French linguist is fighting to save the unwritten, untaught tongue.

"Dahaalik is part of humanity's heritage and must be preserved," said
Marie-Claude Simeone-Senelle, who with colleague Martine Vanhove, found
Dahlak island fishermen conversing in the unusual vernacular nine years ago.

Puzzled by words and usage that did not correspond to the two main languages
of the region -- Afar and Arabic -- the pair at first thought it was a
dialect of Tigray, but later ascertained it was a distinct entity, she said.

Although close to Arabic and Tigre, Dahaalik was determined to be a language
in itself due to its markedly different phonetics, morphology and syntax,
but had languished in obscurity on the isles off the port of Massawa.

"Before 1996, no one had heard of Dahaalik," said Simeone-Senelle, a
Afro-Asiatic language specialist at the French National Centre for
Scientific Research (CNRS).

"We have to find out how it appeared," she said. "For the moment, we don't
know when it emerged."

Now spoken by only about 3 000 people on the three islands and not currently
taught in schools, Dahaalik, whose origins remain a mystery, is in danger of
dying out, she said.

"The understanding of this language, which has an oral but no written
tradition, will provide us with a better knowledge of Eritrean history and
its human components," said Simeone-Senelle who recently returned from
another research trip to the islands to study the language.

In her bid to preserve Dahaalik with the help of Eritrean authorities,
Simeone-Senelle has been collecting "tales, poems, riddles, stories of
traditions and vocabulary concerning daily life, animals, boats and fishing
techniques."

With these snippets, she has begun to compile a Dahaalik dictionary and
grammar book, creating a written version of the language in the Roman
alphabet by mimicking its sounds.

"It's a long job," Simeone-Senelle said. "I have already listed 1 500 words,
but in all it will take several years."

The nascent dictionary is currently limited to Dahaalik into French, but she
hopes the as-yet unfinished lexicon will become more multilingual, from
Dahaalik into English, Arabic and Tigre.

Because it was not discovered until 1996, after Eritrea outlined its policy
of linguistic pluralism, Dahaalik is not now taught in Dahlak schools, but
Eritrean officials say they intend to introduce it into the curriculum,
adding it to Arabic.

"The plan is that one day Dahaalik will also be taught in schools," said
Zemehret Yohannes, head of Research and Documentation at Eritrea's sole
political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice.

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9. ELECTION IN ETHIOPIA
*************************

ADDIS ABABA, 10 May (IRIN) - Political dissent in Ethiopia's most populous
region is being quashed by the government, thereby compromising the
integrity of the 15 May elections, a human rights group said on Monday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said systematic repression in Oromiya region, where
one-third of the country's 71-million population lives, makes next week's
elections a "hollow exercise".

"The political freedoms required for elections to be a meaningful exercise
of citizens' fundamental right to participate in the selection of their
government do not exist for many Ethiopians," the New York-based
organisation said.

"In Oromiya, systematic political repression and pervasive human rights
violations have denied citizens the freedom to associate and to freely form
and express their political ideas," it added. "As a result, on election day,
most voters there are unlikely to be presented with real choices."

The government dismissed the claims made in the 44-page report entitled,
"Suppressing Dissent: Human Rights Abuses and Political Repression in
Ethiopia's Oromiya Region".

"Human Rights Watch is blind to all the democratic processes taking place in
Ethiopia," Bereket Simon, the information minister, told IRIN. "This
organisation is bent, as usual, and politically motivated. It ignores the
facts on the ground. This report is a pack of lies."

The minister said a mass opposition rally attended by more than 250,000
people on Sunday was testament to the democratic reforms taking place in the
country.

"The Ethiopian people have taken the elections into their own hands and have
displayed a very responsible and clear commitment to the democratic
process," Bereket added.

Ethiopia has more than 77 different ethnic groups, many with their own
languages.

"The Ethiopian government claims that the elections demonstrate its
commitment to democratic principles," Peter Takirambudde, executive director
of HRW's Africa division, said. "But in the run-up to the elections, the
authorities have intensified the repression they have used to keep
themselves in power for 13 years."

HRW said government and security forces had used exaggerated concerns about
armed insurgency and "terrorism" to justify the torture, imprisonment and
sustained harassment of their critics and even ordinary citizens in the
central region of Oromiya.

The ethnic-based party that controls the region, the Oromo Peoples'
Democratic Organisation, holds the largest share of parliamentary seats
within the four-party coalition that has ruled Ethiopia since 1991.

"For more than a decade, the region's ruling Oromo Peoples' Democratic
Organisation has sought to solidify its grip on power by punishing
dissenters and intimidating others into silence," the report added. "So far,
these abuses have been largely ignored by the international community."

The report was based on a three-week HRW mission in March 2005 to the
capital Addis Ababa and towns in Oromia's East Shewa, West Shewa, East
Wollega, West Wollega and Jimma zones. HRW interviewed about 115 people;
just over half were farmers from rural districts in Oromiya.

Source: IRIN

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10. VIAGGIO IN POLONIA
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Vi abbiamo raccontato in una newsletter del viaggio di Olivier a Tel Aviv
(Israele) per la partecipazione ad un contact making seminar finanziato dall
'Unione Europea sul tema attinente al Mediterraneo mentre questa settimana
Gokay e Doriana, la nuova volontaria, sono in Austria ad un altro contact
making seminar. Dato che questo genere di incontri sono importanti per
conoscere realtà diverse dalle nostre, conoscere persone di altri paesi e
soprattutto le diverse opportunità che mette in atto l'Unione Europea
abbiamo pensato di aprire ai nostri lettori la possibilità di partecipare ad
essi. Infatti, dal 20 al 29 maggio il Circolo Culturale Africa partecipa ad
un progetto europeo di incontro in Polonia tra giovani e non, di diversi
paesi europei dove il vitto, l'alloggio ed il volo sono gratuiti. Se
qualcuno è interessato basta che ci scriva una mail con oggetto POLONIA.
Inoltre, il Circolo Culturale Africa ha avviato da qualche mese un secondo
sito (www.evsmarche.org) con il quale promuovere tutte le novità e le
opportunità a favore dei giovani offerte dall'Unione Europea e dalla
partecipazione del Circolo Culturale Africa stesso a progetti europei. Il 24
maggio partirà la prima newsletter circa il tema dei giovani con le relative
offerte su borse di studio e viaggi con finanziamenti europei. Quindi coloro
che sono interessati a ricevere la nuova newsletter, sempre, quindicinale, è
necessario che ci invii una mail con oggetto GIOVENTU'.

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Il numero 9 di questa newsletter è stato spedito a 9.702 indirizzi, per
segnalazioni e suggerimenti scrivete a segreteria at circoloafrica.org.

Il prossimo numero uscirà:
24 maggio 2005.

Circolo Culturale Africa
via San Spiridione, 5/a
60100 Ancona
Tel. 0712072585
sito web: www.circoloafrica.org

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