Recently we carried an article by John Bond, which pointed out that Europe – and Britain in particular – has helped create the tragic situations in Africa and the Middle East from which refugees are fleeing to Europe, and Europeans thereby have a responsibility to care for the refugees. One response came from Kenyan constitutional lawyer, Dr Ekuru Aukot.

Fifty years is not a negligible duration when one is contemplating how long something that should be changed, has gone on for. This tends to be especially true when the change in question should be made by the other person.

Sam Pono from South Africa writes a farewell to Nelson Mandela, whose quality of life makes us believe that 'yes we can'.

At his treason trial 50 years ago Nelson Mandela told the court, ‘During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an idea which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’

The recent terrorist attack in Nairobi poses the same riddle as 9/11: what did the terrorists want to achieve? No positive answer comes to mind. Antoine Jaulmes writes about the futility of violence and challenges policy makers to look at better ways of investing in security.

Mark Boobbyer, head of South Africa's historic Tiger Kloof school, writes about the school's work to produce leaders for the future who are grounded in the ethics of service and integrity.

In the last week a video campaign called Kony 2012 has gone viral. At the time of posting this article, over 27 million around the world have viewed it on YouTube and many more on Vimeo and other video hosting sites. The campaign, by US-based 'Invisible Children' calls for the arrest of Joseph Kony, head of the Lord's Resistance Army, who is indicted by the International Criminal Court. Jean Brown from Australia, who is in touch with peacemakers in the areas impacted by Kony, writes.

Thanks to the international farmers’ meeting organised by the Rwandan Initiatives of Change team, in November 2011, I was able to make a third trip to Rwanda and meet with people who are warm-hearted, generous, hard-working and forward-thinking despite the ever-present traces of the past.

Zahra A Hassan, Director of Women of the Horn and Project Co-ordinator of the Somali Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy (SIDD), has found a passion in working for change at many levels in her community - including initiatives to end the practice of female genital mutilation.

Kenyans are being duped into letting those responsible for the 2007/2008 post-election violence escape justice, writes Ann Njeri Ndiangui.