part and send us your story you are trying to already understand this new culture. and i think. you want to become a citizen. migrants your platform for reliable information. this is state of the news africa coming up in the next 15 minutes to kill or not to kill one has lifted a ban on elephants hunting but not everyone agrees we'll hear the arguments for and against the controversial move. and we'll also hear from the kenyans hoping the country's high court will strike down rules that herm's make homosexuality of pride if they wish kenya will be the 1st east african country to decriminalize gay 6.

i'm christine wonderwall comes to the news africa i'm glad to chew did what's one has an if to a ban on elephant hunting the government says they are too many elephants and farm will struggle to keep them out of their fields with a each crops and can kill people now and then want to has the largest elephant population in africa conservationists say it's home 213-0000 elephants but the government says that number is much higher the ban on innocent hunting was introduced in the southern african country and 2014 by then president and comma a keen environmentalist but many of which one is in offense roam across borders into the mid be a zambia and zimbabwe all 4 countries have called for a global ban on elephant ivory trade to be rid. my 1st guest today has written on elephant poaching and the ivory trade in africa teeth some of

ill from the university of canton england joins me now welcome to the africa professor do you think his government has made the right call here i think it has for a number of reasons the 1st is that had he not decided to lift the ban on hunting i think he would have faced a really serious problem with the people who live in areas adjacent to large numbers of wildlife the ticky elephants but also lions hyenas wild dogs and other predators because the problem rose when the hunting ban was instituted was that local people lost a huge amount of income from selling hunting quotas to safari hunting companies this could be as much as $600000.00 for a small village and that would be directing money for health clinics schools water pumps and that sort of thing and rape were very angry when they lost that ok so who

are the people who are opposed to the lifting off the ban and what case are they making. well the former president in karma who is the one who instituted the ban in 2014 he argues that killing elephants is bad for botswana's image will damage the tourist industry and one must say that he personally has large investments in the tourist industry so he definitely has an axe to grind there he's very influenced to buy some western n.g.o.s animal rights groups who say the hunting is wrong and shouldn't happen under any circumstances and also the well known filmmaker derek your bear who is based in botswana who is strongly against hunting who argues that hunting doesn't do any economic good for local communities and damages elephants but all the people who argue against it don't seem to grapple

with the basic problem that in some areas if you don't have hunting then the wildlife would disappear because there is no other way of gaining income a lot of these areas are not suitable for eco tourism tourists won't go there because there are the facilities and so it will go to poor farming and wildlife would just disappear completely ok so how can this be done in a way. that is allowing this idea how can it be done in a way that ensures that the elephants are not going to be killed to extinction. well when you look at the history of thoughts one has conservation policies from independence in 1966 to the hunting down in 2014 the elephant population went up from under 50000 elephants to somewhere in the region of 132160000 elephants and that was while hunting was taking place so hunting far from damaging

the elephant population created conditions in which local people tolerate other terms there was less there was still human elephant conflict but less local people were opposed to poaching because if they were selling the hunting quotas they didn't want poachers coming in killing their wildlife and so the system worked and this is a return to a system where local people benefit from the presence of animals through the money they'll get from selling hunting quotas then you might actually get an improvement in the situation. all right professor keith some of them from the university of kent thank you for that but it's to kenya where the high court is due to issue a ruling that could strike down colonial era laws that criminalize homosexuality in 2016 gay rights organizations filed petitions asking the court to declare sections

of the penal code and constitutional the organizations argue the laws violate rights including the right to human dignity and the right to freedom from discrimination as it stands anyone convicted of gay sex in kenya can spend years behind bars. the rainbow flag is a symbol of gay pride across the world but in kenya it's rarely seen flying. the national gay and lesbian human rights commission is one of the few places that displeases proudly and it's here that the fight to repeal an anti homosexuals law in kenya is being fought the law it is somewhat vague given that it was taken from very very old laws which were previously formed from canon law so the law is very vague in its wording however what it into me it's that carnal knowledge against the order of nature that is same sex activities specifically between males is criminal and shall be punished with up to 14 years in prison. the

kind of high court was expected to give a ruling on decriminalizing homosexuality in february but the judgment was pushed back. it's very tense as one would expect it to be we've been waiting for this for a long time and with the postponement in february where obviously really hope that the courts will read the judgment and of course it will be in our view. the l g b t community is actually waiting the ruling and the public's reaction to it the latter is a big unknown they can public opinion on this issue is really anyone's guess and that's because here in this country conversations about homosexuality were the community don't happen openly and one person is saying that violence is part of the problem. that person is telling what she wrote he hopes the upcoming court's ruling will encourage constructive dialogue if you set a precedent for other countries that are trying to go to go down the diplomacy should. and i strongly believe it's the right thing to do and the right thing for

kenya i asked him what it would mean to him personally if the courts ruled to repeal the law. what does he mean it would mean that. we'll be free to be ourselves. and i hope we'll be able as a community in kenya as a community in kenya to be free to carry. the minorities in with us who are still fighting to be recognized. at the national gay and lesbian human rights commission they're preparing for any outcome and they promise to keep fighting if this friday doesn't end in celebration. in zimbabwe a 5 human rights campaign is have appeared in court on accusation off crossing to overthrow the government the men deny their charges and their lawyers accuse authorities of targeting human rights campaigners after protests in january

triggered by a few i can feel prices holding 100 percent president innocent on the war and settle forty's would target rights groups deemed to be anti government. privilege and he has been following the case he joins me now from zimbabwe's capital harare high privilege good to see you tell us more about the charges these men are facing. there 5 activists facing charges of plotting suffrage petition the elected government of zimbabwe the allegations are that there are 5. motives on the 13th of may and that tended which will reach the s.a.t. have been. being taught how to. put it back to see who will be going to the government and all saw they were trained in the use of small arms according to the state charge sheet this is what they fight for the child and you

notice that this. crime it's one of the serious crimes according to this about when or if to be. found to be given a sentence of between 20 is all a life sentence ok talk to us about the timing of all of this it comes as there are heightened tensions in the country. the wrist is coming at a time when yes they are tensions in the country because of their continued melting down of the of the economy people are going through. you know difficult challenges and difficult times in terms of the economy. the cost of living keeps on going high particularly this week when government increased the price of fuel. this is the 2nd time after. the increase that happened in january of this year when.

violent demonstrations erupted throughout the country saw the timing is that you know you see that there is this wanted list being pretty good. with suspicion that the government is just picturing that they may be uprising because of the disgruntlement that is within the vocalisation the price what is going with the economy ok privilege very quickly how as in bobby and reacting to their wrists alfie's human rights activists. the wages being taken is that due to being taken as just one of those cases that used to have been like what we're witnessing during the former president robert mugabe you know with activists and rights. defenders with being arrested one trumped up charges for protein are going to stay in this state so you've you speak to some rights of the activists the actually saying that it is this data that is afraid of the people this shows that the state

is afraid of the people therefore that's why this is happening and they're also saying that you know it shows also the coverage of the government that nothing much has changed from the era that was there in the past ok did obvious provisional shine you did reporting for us in how to thank you. and that is it for now from day deputies africa as always you can catch allows stories on our website and facebook page on the news of lifting a ban on elephant typing will leave you with some pictures of africa's great gyre see you next time i back.

coach of british. joining us from africa the world store link to exception stories and discussions from the news and easy town while wimps a deputy comes much coffee cup join us on facebook g w africa. climate change. sustainability. environmental projects.

globalization. biodiversity species unsufficient exploitation quality. human rights displacement. the global impact of local action. 3000. yes it's time for some arts and cultural hello welcome i'm coming up on today's show. fantastical images from multimedia office meo who will join me here in the studio. and the whole italian town as a backdrop for a festival of lights and wartime. bots we begin with a look back at the life of british writer and illustrator of children's books

judith who's died aged 95 she was actually born here in berlin but fled the nazis with her parents in the early 1930 s. a most famous book remains the tiger who came to tea but there were many witty and lovingly illustrated books like the whole series on the cat was always getting into difficult situations is most. judith kerr's career as an award winning author started with a bedtime story she invented for her daughter she didn't wrote down and illustrated the tiger who came to teen which was published in 1968 and has since sold millions of copies worldwide but it was a less whimsical book for young adults that really launched her career when hitler still pink rabbit is a semi autobiographical book based on her own childhood experiences.