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Connect the World
U.N. Report on the Congo; Pervez Musharraf's Bid for A New Role in Pakistan; The Links Between Canada and the Ivory Coast; The Fight for Equal Pay for Women
Aired October 01, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: The U.N. says civilian deaths during the 1990s in Congo may constitute crimes of genocide. Crucially, it's pointing the finger at a neighbor who's experienced the same horror -- Rwanda. Tonight, why Kigali is accusing the U.N. of undermining peace and stability in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Going beyond the borders on the stories that matter, on CNN, this is the hour we connect the world.
Well, by far and away, genocide is the most heinous crime in the world, implying the willful targeting and killing of a race. Well, now, the United Nations suggested it happened in Congo, along with other atrocities in a report that draws in a half a dozen countries.
I'm Becky Anderson in London for you with the story and its ramifications.
Also tonight, Pakistan's former president is going back home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, FORMER PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: There is a need of an introduction of a new political dynamic, a new political culture which shuns dynasty politics.
ANDERSON: One-on-one with General Pervez Musharraf about why he's returning and what he'll do to mend fences between Islamabad, Kabul and Washington.
What icy Canada has in common with the hot and sunny Ivory Coast -- that's the part of the show we call global connections, where you get involved. You've been respond on CNN.com/globalconnections. This hour, we'll have your responses. All of that in the next 60 minutes here on CNN.
Up first this evening, the U.N. says no report can adequately describe the horrors that it has cataloged -- a decade of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing armed groups there as well as some of the country's neighbors, of taking part in killings, mutilation, rape, even genocide.
Well, we begin tonight with Richard Roth at the United Nations -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Becky, shocking crimes yet again in Congo and a shocking lack of justice. The report describes what it says is one of the most tragic chapters in recent history of the Congo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): The U.N. human rights report is the latest to show that staying alive in the Democratic Republic of Congo can be based on where you are and what tribe you belong to. The survey, called a mapping exercise, concludes people in Congo suffered atrocities at the hands of eight armies and 21 armed groups.
NAVI PILLAY, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: (INAUDIBLE) report we count almost 600 very serious violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law that occurred over a 10 year period.
ROTH: Among those accused, Rwanda, now led by President Paul Kagame, who, in 1994, drove out Hutu armies which committed a genocide against Tutsis. This report says in 1996, the Rwandan Army and Congolese allies committed mass killing against Hutu refugees. The report says: "Thus, the apparent systemic and widespread attacks described in this report reveal a number of inculpatory elements that, if proven before a competent court, could be characterized as crimes of genocide.
IVAN SIMONOVIC, U.N. ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: It also involved the killing of woman and children and the atrocities are unimaginable.
ROTH: The report says the majority of the victims were children, women, elderly people and the sick, who were often malnourished and posed no threat to the attacking forces. Numerous serious attacks on the physical or mental integrity and members of the group were also committed, with a very high number of Hutus shot, raped, burned or beaten.
The U.N. insists this wasn't a criminal prosecution, but an attempt to uncover crimes and change behavior.
MARTIN NESIRKY, U.N. SPOKESMAN: There has been a cycle of -- of impunity. The while point it to try to break that and -- and to assist and -- the Democratic Republic of Congo is -- is keen to -- to do that itself.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ROTH: The report adds that 30,000 children were forced to become child soldiers and others, including them, were subject to, quote, "indescribable violence" -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Richard Roth reporting from United Nations headquarters there.
We'll, Congo's U.N. ambassador calls the report, quote, "detailed, credible and heartbreaking." He's demanding justice for the victims, saying far too many people have died.
Well, to this day, actually, ethnic conflict still ravages the DRC. Some call it the war the world forgot.
Lindsey Hilsum is there, joining us now on the line from
Goma.
Lindsey, what is the response to this report on the ground?
LINDSEY HILSUM, JOURNALIST: Well, many people, I think, here do welcome this report, because I think that many Congolese feel that it's sort of an acknowledgement of their suffering, of all that they've been through in the last 15 years. Because many feel that the war which ravaged this country, which killed up to five million people, was really a spillover from the genocide in Rwanda.
But I was talking to a human rights lawyer today, here in Soma, one of the places that suffered the most. And he said he felt dividend about this. On the one hand, he believes that it was true. He thought the report was good and he wanted justice. He said that there should be a follow-up, that people should be brought to court and, also, there should be reparations.
But then he said, on the other hand, politically, it made him worried, because treatment, there is a rapprochement between the D.R. Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, that the countries are getting along much better together than they were before.
And he is very worried that because the Rwandans are so angry about this report and the Ugandans, as well, that this could stir things up all over again. And atrocities are still being committed in this country by rebel groups. And many people here feel that's what most important is peace.
So it's the old question, justice or peace -- can do they go together or does one preclude the other?
ANDERSON: Lindsey, we thank you for that on the ground there in Congo.
Well, Congo's neighbors implicated in the U.N. report are furious, as Lindsey suggested. Some of their reactions for you at this point.
Burundi says the report is, quote, "clearly aimed at destabilizing the region." And its forces are accused of taking part in the massacre of hundreds of civilians.
Uganda's troops are also accused of massacring and torturing civilians, as well as destroyed infrastructure. But it's threatening to withdraw from regional peacekeeping operations, saying, quote, "Such sinister tactics undermine Uganda's resolve."
Angola's forces are accused of killing refugees from the Angolan enclave of Kibindina (ph), as well as killing and raping other civilians and looting homes and hospitals. Angola rejects the allegations as, quote, "slanderous, insulting and provocative."
Rwanda is at the very heart of the most serious allegations, that its Tutsi forces may have committed genocide when hunting down Hutu refugees. Its government says, quote, "The document is flawed and dangerous from start to finish."
Well, Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, was the leader of Tutsi rebel forces, as you may remember. He put a stop to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
I spoke with him recently on this program, asking about allegations that his forces later committed genocide, as well, as a form of retribution.
This is what he told me.
ANDERSON:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM SEPTEMBER 16)
PAUL KAGAME, RWANDAN PRESIDENT: The argument has been to try and create an equivalence. They have been trying to say now, after there is no, you know, the actual genocides, there is only genocide of Tutsis and there is another genocide of Hutus. This has been the issue underlying this whole argument about, you know, the RAPF or, you know, the Tutsis also having committed a genocide and so on. This is -- this is nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: "This is nonsense," says Paul Kagame.
Well, today, the Rwandan government continued its criticism, calling the U.N. allegations "an insult to history."
Well, let's get more reaction from Rwanda's high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Ernest Rwamucyo joining us here on the show.
The report calls for a judicial inquiry into possible war crimes by various armies, but singles out Rwanda, as we've been suggesting.
Am I to understand the Rwandan government would not cooperate with an international tribunal into the allegations in this report?
ERNEST RWAMUCYO, RWANDAN HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK: Well, this report is sinister and inherently a fraud. And we don't think that it could be a basis for any process -- any judicial process. It's fraud in that the methodology it's used. It ignores the total context where you had a force that committed genocide in Rwanda, an army and militia that ran into the Congo and held people hostage.
So it's a -- it's -- and they continued to kill people there. So it's -- it's -- it's not a basis for any --
ANDERSON: Well, those who listen to you tonight say, oh, I see, eye for an eye.
RWAMUCYO: No, no, no. This -- I'm telling -- I'm talking of the FDRL and other militias that were holding refugees hostage and -- and -- and the comu -- the ones that actually are -- continuing to commit atrocities in the Congo. And the -- the U.N. continues to ignore that.
ANDERSON: When I spoke to Kaul -- Paul Kagame just a couple of weeks ago in London, ahead of this report being released, he said that he was considering pulling Rwandan peacekeepers out of A.U. forces, particularly in Sudan. He said that's what he would do when this report were to be published or if it were to be published.
Can I confirm that Rwanda will still play a part in peacekeeping activities?
RWAMUCYO: Rwanda went into peacekeeping missions but in the Sudan and elsewhere because of its commitment that what happened in Rwanda should not happen elsewhere. We are still committed to that cause of peacekeeping and we -- we will continue to take (INAUDIBLE) --
ANDERSON: So Rwanda will not pull its troops from A.U. forces anywhere in Africa?
RWAMUCYO: We are committed to -- to keeping peace wherever we are. And we will continue to play our role.
ANDERSON: The Rwandan government also stands accused of sponsoring an earlier report, back in 1994, that its own troops were guilty of genocide, as this new report in 2010 suggests.
Is that true?
And if it were to be true, was the U.S. ever complicit in getting that report sponsored?
RWAMUCYO: That's not true at all. I think the case of Rwanda's role in the region has always been open and transparent. And Rwanda has never attempted to hide anything from anybody. And we will continue to do that. I will continue to -- to -- to gather all positive (INAUDIBLE) in the region and we are not hiding anything. Our record is straight and this could be recognized by anybody.
ANDERSON: You heard reports that Lindsey suggested were coming from aide workers in Rwanda which suggest that people are concerned that this may destabilize -- this report from the U.N. may destabilize what are fairly decent relations between Congo and Rwanda at present.
Does that concern you?
RWAMUCYO: It is recognizing -- reigniting instability in the region. This is a region that has been stabilizing and settling their -- all the countries are working peacefully together to resolve any differences that might have been there in the past. But this report attempts to rewrite the history and to rewrite what's happened in the region. And this is very dangerous and destabilizing.
ANDERSON: We're going to leave it there.
And we thank you very much, indeed, for coming in.
The high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Thank you.
RWAMUCYO: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, how a story in one part of the globe has resonance the world over -- coming up, it's your chance to join the dots and make our global connections this evening. At first glance, the Ivory Coast seems a world away from Canada.
So what do the two have in common?
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSHARRAF: Why don't you give the guns to the Pakistan Army or the Air Force?
This is what I am meaning infuse their resourcing and as they're resourcing, let them fight themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Find out why Pervez Musharraf believes he is the man to lead the fight against extremism. We'll have my full interview with Pakistan's former president, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, dozens of vehicles carrying fuel for NATO troops were set ablaze by militants in Southern Pakistan. No one was injured, but in a separate attack, two people were killed when a truck was attacked by gunmen.
Meanwhile, a key NATO supply region to Afghanistan remains blocked for a second day. It was shut down by Pakistan's government on Thursday, following the deaths of three of its soldiers. The military says they were killed when they were fired upon by NATO helicopters as they crossed over the border into Pakistan.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
The shutdown at the border crossing is the result of a growing rift between Pakistan and the West. With its relations soured, one of America's strongest allies in the war on terror is vowing to make a political comeback.
Earlier today, Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, announced the launch of a new political party.
I spoke to him to find out why he's set his sights on a return to power. You can hear my full interview in a moment.
First, though, Frederik Pleitgen reports from Islamabad on how his bid could play out in Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As large parts of Pakistan remain flooded, a familiar face is appearing on the scene, offering relief where many Pakistanis believe their own government can't -- Pervez Musharraf, the former president and military ruler.
(on camera): Flood response is a huge political issue here in Pakistan. The current government is perceived by many to be slow and indecisive in its response to this natural disaster.
But the group around Pervez Musharraf has already donated more than 6,000 of these aid packages to those affected by the flooding.
(voice-over): Aid from a man looking to make a comeback to politics and possibly to power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM SEPTEMBER 28)
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, FORMER PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: My vision for Pakistan is the development of Pakistan and the socio-economic uplift of its people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: His supporters are in the process of starting a new political party and social media sites like Facebook are their main weapons to spread their message. They believe Pakistan's current government is corrupt and incompetent, as the current chairman told me in an interview.
MOHAMMED ALI SAIF, ALL PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE: I think that Pervez Musharraf has a very good chance of attracting those disillusioned people who are absolutely disappointed with the present political system, which is based on a kind of hereditary inheritance of political leadership.
PLEITGEN: But political rivals say such claims sound odd, given that the retired general came to power in a military coup in 1999 and was often perceived by Pakistanis to be too close to the U.S. in the war on terror.
Musharraf stepped down and left the country in 2008, under the threat of impeachment and amidst widespread protests against him. Now, his supporters say many would like him to come back.
We heard mixed opinions from Pakistanis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He -- he -- he did a lot for women. He did good and too much for higher education, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would -- I would love to see him (INAUDIBLE) because I like him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are all the (INAUDIBLE) Musharraf (INAUDIBLE) we are facing a (INAUDIBLE) all over the country.
PLEITGEN: Musharraf's government was credited with economic reforms and steady growth rates. Still, analysts don't give him much of a chance.
MUSHARRAF ZAIDI, POLITICAL ANALYST: He might have a shot at -- at, you know, a substantial number of seats, through his allies, you know, in the traditional political mainstream. But his chances for running the country again seem pretty low.
PLEITGEN: Musharraf says he plans to stand in national elections set for 2013. His supporters say they plan to use the next few years to build political backing for the former president.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, ahead of the launch of his new political party, I sat down with Pervez Musharraf here in London, where he has been living in self-imposed exile for the president two years.
And I began by asking him why he believes that the time is right now for a return to the political stage.
This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUSHARRAF: I personally feel there's a need of an introduction of a new political dynamics, a new political culture, which shuns the dynasty politics.
ANDERSON: The reason you had to step down in 2008 was because the people wanted you to step down. They were fed up with the corrupt political culture under your stewardship.
So why do you think things might have changed now?
MUSHARRAF: My stepping down was, yes, I lost in popularity. There's no doubt. Not because of corruption at all. It was because of the -- the tussle with the judiciary, the imposition of the emergency, which had its own reasons. That was why the people generally, the civil society, so to say, got against me. And that is why -- and then the assassination part of Benazir worked toward the People's Party, a sympathy vote coming up toward them. That is how things changed, the political scenario changed.
So -- and now, because of what is happening to Pakistan, there is a bigger clamor for me to come back.
ANDERSON: Let's move on to ASPAC strategy here. In recent weeks, the CIA has dramatically increased its drone attacks in the mountains of Pakistan. American officials say they are frustrated that Pakistani -- the Pakistani military isn't doing enough to dislodge militants from their bases there.
Your response?
MUSHARRAF: Oh, I don't think so. This is the accusation and aspersions that have been cast right from the beginning.
Look at Pakistan's military. It is involved in terrorism and extremism here. It is involved in fighting al Qaeda. It is involved in containing the Taliban in the tribal agencies. It is involved when these Taliban spread Talibanization into certain districts of the frontier. It is involved with extremism in our society. It is now involved in the flood relief. It is also on the borders with India.
What do you expect this army -- there are -- there are some additions or something. They -- they are doing much more than their capacity. I would like to say that the second line forces in Pakistan -- and this is my belief -- need to be strengthened massively so that they take on terrorism and extremism and the army is in the backup.
ANDERSON: Why is there, then, a perception that the Pakistan military isn't doing enough?
MUSHARRAF: It's -- they -- they talk of not doing enough, ask them why?
Because there is Taliban support coming from Pakistan to Afghanistan. No. Yes, indeed, it -- it goes there. We need to stop at the border.
But is this our responsibility alone?
This goes -- it's to and fro through -- across the border.
Why is the coalition forces and Afghan forces not responsible for movement across the border?
Why is it only Pakistan responsible?
That is what they talk about.
ANDERSON: Do you support the use of drone attacks?
MUSHARRAF: No, I don't.
ANDERSON: Why not, if the Pakistan military is so stretched.
MUSHARRAF: Why foreign forces into Pakistan?
It will be done by our own forces. The sensitivity of the people of Pakistan that we don't want any foreign troops to come and do anything in our country.
ANDERSON: I understand. But your troops, the military is stretched.
MUSHARRAF: And -- and the other is, the other point is of collateral damage. We have to think of targeting very conscious of -- of -- of protecting from collateral damage.
Now, when you say why over stretched, why don't you give the drones to the Pakistan Army or the air force?
This is what I'm meaning, increase their resources. And as the resources, let them fight themselves.
ANDERSON: Are you in touch with the American administration at present?
MUSHARRAF: No, I am not.
ANDERSON: As you launch your new party and bid for leadership once again in Pakistan, do you need the U.S. administration's support?
MUSHARRAF: I think it's a double-edged weapon. U.S. support is seen very negatively in Pakistan in the public of Pakistan.
ANDERSON: Are you worried that Washington will effectively turn up -- off the aid tap to Pakistan if it can't show results in Afghanistan?
MUSHARRAF: I mean the -- again, why Pakistan is not responsible for what happens in Afghanistan?
Even the going of Taliban or the movement of Taliban across the border, everything of Taliban by Taliban elements in Pakistan, I would give Pakistan 50 percent of responsibility and the other 50 percent is coalition-Afghan responsibility. So, that 50 percent is ours. The remaining in Afghanistan to fight them is entirely Afghan and coalition responsibility.
Why is Pakistan to be punished for that?
You perform well in Afghanistan, you arm Pakistan more so that we perform better in Pakistan.
The other thing is, I think, on the Pakistan side, the Pakistani Army is performing much better than the coalition forces are performing in Afghanistan.
ANDERSON: And there are the problems, of course, there and the Obama administration at least would like to draw down its forces in Afghanistan by the middle of next year.
Is that the right thing to do?
MUSHARRAF: No. Absolutely the wrong thing to do. I personally feel if you see the entire gamut of terrorism and extremism, in Afghanistan, al Qaeda, Taliban, in Pakistan, al Qaeda, Taliban, Talibanization and extremism in society, the center of gravity is Afghanistan and the tribal agencies of Pakistan.
As a military man, I know when you are fighting an enemy, destroy him at the center of gravity. Now, if you lose at the center of gravity and leave, you will lose everywhere.
So, therefore, quitting is not an option. But one thing is sure. We are not losing. We cannot lose. We will not lose if we are there, if we stick it out and we fight.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Pervez Musharraf talking to me ahead of the launch of his new party in London earlier today.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Still to come, linking Canada and the Ivory Coast -- what do these two vastly different countries have in common?
Well, you might be surprised by some of the links that have been made. Stay with us to find out what they are.
And what's good for the goose is good for the gander -- we're going to take a look at the some cases that beg the question, is gender equity going just a little bit too far?
That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, though pressure may have washed out the Ryder Cup, but for the golfers, the rain could actually amount to higher pressure. Europe took an early lead in the contest before a torrential downpour sent the teams from the court. The lost time on day one means the players need to be peaking early, just in case the Cup ends up having to be decided a few holes short. And that could still happen if there's no result by, some said, Monday at the very latest.
Well, I imagine residents of North Carolina aren't feeling that much sympathy for the golfers, given their waterlogged situation. This guy hasn't even bothered with the car, opting to navigate the streets of Carolina Beach in his kayak.
It's been the story right across the eastern coast of the U.S., which has been swamped over recent days, with many areas recording record rainfall.
In Maryland, homes and roads have been flooded.
In Washington, DC, the driver of this car was possibly a little ambitious.
And -- oh, dear, they're not really having much luck with the trolleys in New York, are they?
The weather there caused widespread public transport suspensions and delays, giving commuters little choice but to battle the wind and rain.
But back here in London, we're a little more accustomed to the rain, of course. And a heavy shower certainly wasn't dampening the spirits of the city's judged, who marked the start of the legal year with a traditional religious service and procession. Clearly, they also have a better handle on their browleys (ph).
I'm Becky Anderson.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Stay with us.
There's lots more ahead on the show.
We'll be right back, first of all, with your world news headlines, right after this short break.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, welcome back.
It's just after half past 9:00 in London.
You're with CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Coming up, a day of celebration turns deadly in Nigeria. Twin blasts have killed at least eight people at events marking 50 years of independence. We're going to bring you the very latest on what is a developing story.
Then we reveal the biggest link between two countries that, at first glance, seem worlds apart -- Canada and the Ivory Coast -- the viewers help us make some fairly unlikely connections.
And it just got easier for British women to demand the same pay as men.
But will the new laws really make a difference?
We've got a -- a guest coming up who will help us answer that very question for you.
Those stories ahead in the next 30 minutes.
First, a quick check of the headlines this hour here on CNN.
Well, a U.N. report details human rights violations committed in the Congo between 1993 and 2003. The report accuses Rwandan forces of slaughtering tens of thousands of Hutus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and citizens several UNBAT nations.
Well, more than two dozen fuel trucks are damaged or destroyed in Pakistan in separate attacks on convoys carrying fuel and supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan. No one was hurt in this attack, but two people were killed in another one.
Ecuador's national police chief has made his resignation official after rioting policemen pushed the country toward the edge of collapse. The government today in control after the violence on Thursday. And it appears that the tensions are now easing.
Well, back to what is a developing story here on CNN. Two attacks raising new concerns tonight about the stability of Africa's top oil producing country. Nigeria's biggest militant group is claiming responsibility for bombings today that ripped through crowds celebrating the country's independence.
Isha Sesay is following developments from Lagos and she joins us now with more -- Isha.
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Becky.
Yes, these blasts occurring mid-morning on this Friday, as Nigerians were celebrating the anniversary of 50 years of independence. They went off just outside the federal high court in Abuja. And according to the International Red Cross, at least eight people lost their lives and at least 21 people are injured, some of them critically, and they're spread out among four hospitals there in Abuja.
Earlier on today, the International Red Cross telling us that hospitals were making a plea for blood donations.
Now, I should tell you that the federal high court in Abuja is less than a kilometer away from Eagle Square, where President Goodluck Jonathan was attending an anniversary day parade, along with a host of VIPs and former cut -- former and current heads of state. That parade continued uninterrupted, but without a doubt, the events of this day come as this country gears up for elections in 2011 -- elections that are surely to be hotly contested and could well be a bad omen for the future direction of Nigeria -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Isha there in Lagos -- and Isha's been in Nigeria all week -- thanks, Isha -- and had a chance to sit down with President Goodluck Jonathan before these attacked happened. It's a CNN exclusive.
She asked him about the country's achievements since independence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOODLUCK JONATHAN, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: We have our own challenges our government is confronting. But still, we play a significant role globally. Whenever they talk about Africa, we want Nigeria's voice. So you can still see Nigeria is still playing a unique role globally. We are still united. We are confronting our challenges. That alone is enough to celebrate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Isha Sesay is to be there with the Nigerian president.
Well, up next on CONNECT THE WORLD, you made the link for us between two very different countries.
What could a vast and rather icy nation like Canada possibly have in common with the Ivory Coast, where the lowest average temperature is a very pleasant 22 degrees?
Find out next in the part of the show we call Global Connections.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, it is time to link two countries that, at first glance, appear worlds apart.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD and this is the part of the show that we call Global Connections, where you help us join the dots between two nations and two very different cultures.
Well this week, we chose two countries that produce the goods when it comes to a decadent breakfast served up.
Canada, the world's leading supplier of maple syrup and the second stop is the Ivory Coast -- the third biggest producer of coffee.
Now, finding ties between the two countries was quite a challenge, but you still managed to come up with some fascinating links.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Your connections come in hard and fast. Let's take a look at some that wowed us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AILISH COBLENTZ, CANADIAN: Hi. My name is Ailish and I'm a Canadian living in Toronto. Both our populations live near the periphery of our country. I think I heard once that 95 percent of the Canadian population lives within four hours of the U.S. border. And likewise, the citizens of the Ivory Coast are on the edges.
ANDERSON: Kevin points out that both countries provide a bit of bling.
KEVIN DERRY, CANADIAN: Canada produces many, many, many diamonds in the Northwest Territories using massive mines. And I believe in the Ivory Coast, diamond production is done through significant manual labor in hand dug, small strip mines and in rivers.
ANDERSON: Very different cultures maybe, but according to Marcel, they both appreciate a good beat.
MARCEL AKWE: The Ivory Coast is also very popular music and they have one of the best reggae music channels in -- on the African continent. And it's a well known music channel by the name of Apple Blondie and in Canada, they have (INAUDIBLE) music and music is supposed to be a very popular music in Canada -- in Canada, likewise, in the Ivory Coast.
ANDERSON: From song to prayer, the links keep coming.
ZIEBONO NAGBE, IVONAN: The Catholic religion does a large amount of Canadian shares with the Ivorians (ph). In Canada, we have a lot of Catholic Churches and -- and also practitioners. And in the Ivory Coast, about half of the population do practice that religion.
ANDERSON: Everyone knows that Canada loves its winter sports, but according to Adam, Ivory Coast shares the appreciation.
ADAM DATHI, BRITISH: The big connection I can see between Canada and the Ivory Coast is that Canada is one of the places with the most ice skating rinks, I think, in the world. And the Ivory Coast is the first -- one of the first places in Western Africa to actually have an ice skating rink.
ANDERSON: Ice skating isn't the only winter tradition that these two countries share.
BOB NELMES, CANADIAN: The connection with Ivory Coast and Canada is cocoa. I think raw cocoa, we love hot chocolate, especially in the wintertime, you know, it keeps us warm. Chocolate goes straight to the pleasure center of the brain and it puts a smile on his face -- on our faces. So whenever I drink a cup of hot chocolate now, I can say, thank you, Ivory Coast.
ANDERSON: And for Pia, the Ivory Coast provided her with the connection of a lifetime.
PIA KRISTIN LANDE, NORWEGIAN: I was working for the U.N. and was sent to Abuja, Ivory Coast, on a five week assignment. On my first day, I was introduced to a Canadian peacekeeper. And it was love at first sight for the both of us. However, the surrounding circumstances were not ideal. So after five weeks, I left Ivory Coast thinking I was also leaving my heart there.
Fortunately, that is now a year-and-a-half ago and we are now planning our future and life together.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Hmmm.
Well, the links that you guys highlighted, above all, was the French connection. The Ivory Coast and parts of Canada were former colonies of France and French remains, of course, an official language in both nations.
Well, earlier, we linked up Roger Loue, who is part of a policy think tank for Codi Goi (ph) with Dan Boileau, who is a French teacher in Canada.
They told me about how their countries continue to trade cultures.
And Dan began by explaining the role he thinks Canada has played in this exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN BOILEAU, FRENCH TEACHER, RIDLEY COLLEGE: And in Montreal -- and maybe I'm a little biased, because I'm -- I'm from there, but it -- it's got to be considered the most multicultural city in the world. You have people range -- it is -- Canada has a huge immigration numbers. And from there, especially the French speaking, go to Montreal. And then you also have -- it has a huge European feel, too.
So you just -- you have all kinds of different nations and especially there is especially Montreal North, there is a -- a just -- it's -- it's a huge African population of people that have come from Africa, Ivory Coast and have settled in there to make that their new home.
ANDERSON: French culture, I think, is -- is -- is the binding thing here, isn't it?
It's like you -- you've -- as you say, Roger, you've taken a culture to Canada and Canada has provided a culture for Ivorian students and those who live there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: But it's that French culture that links the two.
ROGER LOUE, EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT, GRAPA PDCI: That -- that is a really important thing. That's why we are together in the -- the Francophone. And I think Quebec is one of a living country of -- of the organization.
And, you know, frankly, the majority of the culture, for me, it's a new adventure, a new adventure of -- I mean, music. You know, now, what we call the (INAUDIBLE) Blondie with, I mean, one of the big reggae styles. We are exporting our music to Canada. And as I said, we are exporting our food. The way to talk, the way to speak French, we have our own, you know, I mean, intonation of speaking French -- Canadian, too, because when the Canadians are speaking, they're speaking from their nose.
(LAUGHTER)
LOUE: You know, so --
ANDERSON: You make it (INAUDIBLE).
LOUE: From the same place. So we -- there's something we share here.
ANDERSON: Yes.
LOUE: Because when you don't see -- if Dan starts speaking French now and I don't see him on the screen, I would think like Dan, this is someone who's from the north of Ivory Coast. Because from the north, they've got the same accent I bet, you know, so --
ANDERSON: Let me try this out, then.
Dan, I want you to say hello, CNN viewers, I've been connected on CNN today.
Say that in French and I want you to say the same thing.
(SPEAKING IN FRENCH)
ANDERSON: Roger?
(SPEAKING IN FRENCH)
ANDERSON: Who's the more nasal?
I didn't hear it.
BOILEAU: He's the more nasal.
(LAUGHTER)
LOUE: Hey. Hey. Turn it down.
ANDERSON: Now, listen, lastly --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Lastly, I know that both countries have a real passion for sports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: As the French do, of course, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: The French passion, I know, is for rugby and -- and football.
LOUE: We are not very keen on other sports. We are very keen on football. We've --
(SPEAKING IN FRENCH)
(CROSSTALK)
LOUE: You know the deal, Robert, yes?
BOILEAU: Of course.
LOUE: Of course.
BOILEAU: We were cheering for you in Canada.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Well, that's interesting. Really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
ANDERSON: The Canadians were cheering for the Ivory Coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) --
ANDERSON: They needed more than the Canadian support though, didn't they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). That's our star. We -- we -- the Ivory Coast has the love and support of the Canadians.
LOUE: All right, you see?
Because of the (INAUDIBLE) Robert now, right?
BOILEAU: Exactly. Well, we --
LOUE: All right. Great.
BOILEAU: -- Canadians don't have much of a football so we -- we -- we recognize a star, we -- we cheer for that team instantly.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Roger and Dan speaking to us earlier.
Today we have Canada and the Ivory Coast connected in more ways than perhaps you first thought.
Well, you made the links and many of them stem from your own personal experiences. And they're -- they're the ones that we really like to hear about. Next week, we've got another challenge for you. And for a sneak preview of the two countries that we've chosen, head to CNN.com/globalconnections. You'll also see how you can take part in the discussion. And do remember, we're looking for historical ties, cultural links and, of course, your own personal stories. The address again, CNN.com/globalconnections.
It's a Friday night and a quarter to 10 in London.
We'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back.
You're with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
I'm Becky Anderson in London.
Now, starting today, new laws may help reduce pay discrimination in Britain. The Equality Act eliminates pay secrecy clauses and makes it easier for women to demand the same salaries as men. And it coincides with the release of a new film, reminding us how things have changed and how they haven't in the last 40 years.
CNN's Ayesha Durgahee reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MADE IN DAGENHAM," PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This strike is about one thing and one thing only -- fairness. Everybody up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AYESHA DURGAHEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They walked out and marched all the way to parliament to fight for equal pay -- 187 sewing machinists stopped making car seat covers that threatened to shut down the Ford assembly plant in Dagenham.
The result -- it helped lay the groundwork for the Equal Pay Act of 1970.
NIGEL COLE, DIRECTOR, "MADE IN DAGENHAM": I think the battle for equality between men and women is a vital and important thing. For many, it's been a long, long ride and finally we're getting around to it. And I think that it's -- it needs to be celebrated. And -- and we need to be constantly reminded that that war is still going on and there's still a long way to go.
DURGAHEE: Forty years later, the battle lines are still drawn. The British government says the pay gap last year stood at just over 12 percent, a slight improvement over the year before. However, according to one industry survey, female managers will have to wait more than 50 years to achieve pay parity at the current rate of progress.
RUTH SPELLMAN, CEO, CHARTERED MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE: Frankly, it's just not good enough. And I think that's the -- the whole message and purpose of this report, to say progress is being made, but not enough. We need U.K. PRC, we need businesses in general to get this agenda. From our survey, 7.7 percent of women have quit during a recession. And one of the facts in their decision-making is the way they are rewarded.
DURGAHEE: In other words, the survey found women won't get equal pay until 2067.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2067?
Oh, you're joking. It's ridiculous.
DURGAHEE: The workers' whose are told and made in Dagenham aren't surprised that pay parity has not yet come. They remember comments from the British prime minister during their push for equity.
GLENN DAVIS, FORD, 1962-1989: Harold Wilson said we weren't entitled to it, didn't he?
When they went to parliament and --
SHEILA DOUGLASS, FORD, 1967-1990: Yes, but he couldn't afford it.
DAVIS: No, he said they couldn't afford to make women equal with men.
I mean, what a poor excuse is that?
He said, we're not ready for it yet. And that's true. You've just said what date they want to bring it in. No, go, he was not alone then.
DOUGLASS: He was unfair. He wasn't wrong.
DURGAHEE: But maybe he was. The U.K. government says it's taking more steps to close the gender pay gap with the new Equality Act. Among other things, from the first of October, companies cannot stop employees disclosing their salaries, which would make it easier for women to compare their salaries to men. The goal, they say, is to move faster to put men and women on an equal footing.
For the women who marched in the '60s and for the steps being taken today, hopefully, it won't take 50 years before women strive toward true pay parity.
Ayesha Durgahee, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, women may not get equal pay everywhere in the world, but gender equity still makes headlines in other unusual ways. Listen to this. We're going to start in Spain for you. Just yesterday, the European Court of Justice ruled that fathers have the right to leave work to breast feed, just like mothers do. The ruling grants fathers the right to leave work twice a day or to shorten their work day slightly for the first nine months of a child's life.
Well, in the U.S., August 22nd this year was Go Topless Day, when women in cities all over the country marched topless to protest laws that allow men -- not women -- to go topless at the beach.
And in Pennsylvania, a high school girls' a field hockey team was short of a few members this year, so a group of boys has joined up. They even wear the uniform, which are skirts, of course. And the coed team is now undefeated for the season.
And even when we find anecdotal evidence of equal rights between sexes, the fact remains that virtually everywhere in the world, workmen earn less money than men do.
Well, my next guest has a theory about why this is.
Ann Leslie is a journalist and special correspondent with "The Daily Mail" newspaper here in London and is joining me this evening on the show.
And we thank you, Ann, for joining us.
ANN LESLIE, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "DAILY MAIL": Thank you, as well.
ANDERSON: What's this story that you have?
LESLIE: Becky, I know that you asked me just before we went -- are you a feminist?
ANDERSON: Yes.
LESLIE: And I said it depends on what you mean by feminism. I never thought that it was a man's right automatically to earn more than me. Actually, they never did because I --
(LAUGHTER)
LESLIE: I fought my corner well.
(LAUGHTER)
LESLIE: But I do remember when I was a very highly paid feature writer at a national newspaper, in 1968, I could afford to buy a house.
Could I get a mortgage?
No. Every mortgage company I went to see said, why don't you find a nice man to, you know, look after you and this sort of thing. And they wouldn't give single women -- unless -- there were three categories -- spinsters over the age of 60 in professions like teaching --
ANDERSON: Right.
LESLIE: -- might be able to. I was a young woman. And it was quite extraordinary. And the only reason I got a mortgage is because the head of that particular mortgage company, at my -- my work. And I rang him up and complained.
ANDERSON: You were working at (INAUDIBLE).
LESLIE: Yes. And he -- he told all the frightfully young men who had put me off, oh, give her a mortgage as a favor for this nice young woman. And I thought, you know --
ANDERSON: Yes, whatever you thought they said.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Listen, I mean the people --
LESLIE: (INAUDIBLE), I thought.
ANDERSON: There will be a lot of women -- there will be a lot of people watching this show tonight who watched Isha's report and say, you know, to all intents and purposes, that happened back in '68 and -- and women still don't have equal pay.
Is that right?
LESLIE: Well, there are very good reasons. Men can't have babies, women can.
ANDERSON: But they can have time off to breast feed in Spain.
LESLIE: That's ridiculous.
(LAUGHTER)
LESLIE: I mean, you know, I'm not very pro-the EU, I must -- and this is sort of -- this is where feminism has gone bonkers. It's not going to happen. No, I think the thing is that a woman has to decide. Nowadays you can -- of course you couldn't before the pill -- do I want a career, to succeed in a career, or do I want a family?
You cannot have it all. I was able to because I chose -- or had chosen for me -- a career that made it easy for me, partly because I was well paid, to hire a nanny and go off foreign corresponding.
But, you know, most women have to make a choice. And I think it's no use passing endless things saying you must have equal pay because you can't --
(CROSSTALK)
LESLIE: You can have equal pay if you're doing the same thing but you cannot rise to the top of the (INAUDIBLE) --
ANDERSON: Are you saying there's a glass ceiling there?
LESLIE: There is glass ceiling.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: But you're not going to be making --
LESLIE: But it's a (INAUDIBLE) --
ANDERSON: -- many friends with our women viewers tonight.
(CROSSTALK)
LESLIE: You're right, of course --
(CROSSTALK)
LESLIE: In the U.K., rightly --
(CROSSTALK)
LESLIE: No, glass ceiling exists, but partly because women want it to exist, because they -- they don't want to give up having families. And, you know, let's face it, women do want to have families -- not very large ones nowadays. And they're not ever going to be likely to say on their deathbed, I spent -- I wish I'd spent more time in the office. They wish they'd spent more time with their children.
ANDERSON: I asked you before the show whether you were a feminist. You -- well, you told our viewers what you told me in no uncertain terms.
What you're saying is you don't believe that women can have it all.
Will women continue to go on wanting it all?
LESLIE: Yes. Well, you know what is very interesting, because I have -- I have a lot of friends who've said, yes, I can have it all. And unless they have the perfect job, which I had, they -- they find they can't. And they do have to, in the end, make a -- make a choice. Certainly I would assume she shouldn't be paid less. But this business of, you know, smashing the glass -- glass ceiling, it's actually women who put that in. And, frankly, I hate all this business of making sure the quotas of women in E.U. shadow cabinet and all that. You know, I would never dream of voting for a woman simply because I share the same genital arrangements as her. You know, for heaven's sake. I voted for Mrs. Thatcher not because we shared genitals, because we (INAUDIBLE) fascists.
No --
(LAUGHTER)
LESLIE: No. And, of course she --
(CROSSTALK)
LESLIE: She was --
ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE).
LESLIE: -- she was accused of not doing enough for women. She was prime minister of the whole country, not just the women. So there we are.
ANDERSON: All right, we'll have to leave it there.
Thank you very much.
I'm sure you've made no friends tonight, but it's been a joy having you on.
Ann Leslie, viewers, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Stay with us.
We're going to be right back with tonight's Parting Shot for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It's time for our Parting Shots this evening. And tonight, we couldn't resisting another look at the golf tournament that never was -- the golf tournament where very few shots were actually taken. I'm talking about the Ryder Cup, which this year is being held in Wales in October. Well, the result -- a downpour which turned fairways into rivers and caused play to be suspended. Golfers were forced to take cover. Luckily, Europe's Lee Westwood had an umbrella to shield himself during the opening four ball round.
His rivals, though, weren't so happy with the USA team demanding a new set of waterproofs after their original gear "failed to repel the water to the players' liking." And that was a quote.
As spectators were forced to brave the elements, this guy must have regretted not sticking to the path. Others made the best of the wet weather and with little play to watch, some decided to make up their own games. And for those desperate to see some action, the USA's Bubba Watson was on hand, throwing out golf balls to the waiting fans.
Play finally resumed at 5:00 p.m. With the U.S. finishing the day in the lead.
Damn.
And we've been sending -- looking at your thoughts on the rain-soaked tournament.
Sooright writes and says: "Oh, no, not rain. Maybe this will make room for a real sportswear on TV. I'm sorry, but a game that can be played by 8 year olds to 110 year olds really isn't a sport."
Well somebody who got -- who goes by the name of Terry51025 has a problem with the venue rather than the game and writes: "Wow! This is very good planning. Rainy, cloud and ground crews with squeegees." And he adds a bit of advice for the American heroes, saying, "give them the cup and come home."
And ATrollsTroll writes: "Oh, well, I guess I will have to play Tiger Woods 11 on my 360."
Yes, we love to hear your thoughts, adding your parting shots to ours. So please get your voice heard on CNN. Head to CNN's Web site or the show's Web site, at least, CNN.com/connect.
I'm Becky Anderson.
And it's your world connected this Friday night.
"BACK STORY" is up next here on CNN right after a very quick check of the headlines for you. END
