West Africa

SCHMIDTSDRIFT, South Africa - Every morning the Bushmen living in this dreary outpost of thorn trees, tents and howling wind faithfully tune their radios to 99.4 FM. They wake up to the weather report. Not that the forecast is surprising in the desert. It's hot and sunny in the summer. It's cold and sunny in the winter. During the women's hour they get advice on raising children, taking stains out of clothing and avoiding cholera. The DJs spin a mix of ancient tribal chants, rock and South African hip-hop interrupted by town gossip, crime reports and death notices.

UNITED NATIONS - Striving to avoid a repeat of massacres under the United Nations' watch in Rwanda and Bosnia, the Security Council authorized yesterday a new multinational peacekeeping force for the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo. The French-led force of about 1,200 troops will start to arrive next week in the northeastern town of Bunia to back up U.N. peacekeepers who have been unable to prevent waves of killing by rival tribal militias. Unlike the current peacekeepers, the new troops are authorized to use force to protect civilians and will stay in Bunia to provide security until a fresh U.N. task force arrives from Bangladesh in mid-August.

Few novelists compare with Marianne Wiggins for narrative depth, insight and sheer (sometimes literal) magic. Evidence of Things Unseen (Simon & Schuster, 400 pages, $25) does for edgy science what her award-winning John Dollar did with nature on the edge. Between the two world wars, as America catapults toward the Atomic Era, Ray "Fos" Foster fixates on all things radiant. His most intense relationships include those with his wife, Opal; his best friend, Flash; his son, Lightfoot; and any gadgetry or phenomenon that lights up. He and Flash have a photography studio until Flash's affair with a 14-year-old girl gets them all in trouble.

As the Howard County Economic Development Authority has focused on drawing international businesses, it has often looked to Europe. But a conference to be held next week at the International Trade Center is designed to give local entrepreneurs and business developers a look at another area of the world they may not have considered - west Africa. The conference on trade opportunities with Ghana - a west African country slightly smaller than Oregon - will give local businesses with an interest in international trade basic information on state and federal aid that may be available to them and specifics on Ghana's resources and business opportunities.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Lured by easy riches, the Dutch took up the slave trade in the 17th century and left a legacy of brutality. From the start of European settlements in the North America, the Dutch had their hands in slaving. The first 20 Africans to arrive in the British colony at Jamestown were brought from the West Indies in 1619 by a Dutch trader who had robbed them from a Spanish ship. He exchanged his human cargo for food. Almost from its beginning in 1621, the Dutch West India Company found a place for slaves in its financial schemes.

Clifton Park neighbors and golfers expressed alarm yesterday over a series of killings there during the past week, the latest incident claiming the life of a 15-year-old boy near the edge of the park late Tuesday. City police said they saw no connection between the shooting of the teen-ager about 11:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of Belair Road and two fatal shootings in the park since Aug. 23. Although police said the earlier victims appeared to have been shot where their bodies were found, those expressing alarm raised the possibility that Clifton Park is becoming a "dumping ground" for the bodies of homicide victims.

Fruity drink for fall Fall ... cool nights, piles of leaves and - pomegranates. California growers expect to harvest 800,000 boxes of the ancient fruit this season. Here's a serving suggestion from the California Pomegranate Council: Mix 1/3 cup pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup sparkling water and an optional 3 tablespoons of vodka in a large glass and add ice cubes. Yams vs. potatoes Are those orange vegetables sharing plates with the turkey this Thanksgiving sweet potatoes or yams?

Two Anne Arundel County representatives on a coming Maryland trade mission to Ghana say the trip occurs at a time when the county is poised to boost trade, tourism and cultural ties with the nation and the rest of West Africa. Local telecommunications firms want to help wire Ghana for telephone and Internet - and reap profits in the process, said Robert McGlotten Jr., senior vice president of the quasi-public Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. And with Ghana Airways' recent launch of regular nonstop service between Ghana's capital, Accra, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, tourism should grow in both directions, he said.

When Bill Clinton arrives in Nigeria on Friday, it will mark the first presidential visit to Africa's most populous nation since Jimmy Carter journeyed there in 1977. Using much the same logic that prompted the Nixon administration to initiate a serious dialogue with China, Clinton's advisers have concluded that Nigeria is simply too big to ignore. Nigeria has a population of 120 million to 130 million people and a wealth of national resources, including huge oil reserves. When Americans pull into a gas station and fill up their tanks, especially on the East Coast, the chances are that many of those gallons originated in Nigeria.

FOR SIX weeks, Keisha Reynolds followed in author Alex Haley's footsteps, touring West Africa in an effort to connect with her roots. In May, Reynolds, 25, joined students and graduates from St. Mary's College for a trip to Gambia and Senegal. "I've always wanted to go to Africa. I wanted to learn more about my roots," she said. "I also wanted some international exposure, and I thought this was a good opportunity. I knew that going with a group, I'd get to learn a lot and see a lot." While in Africa, Reynolds, a resident of Wilde Lake, studied the Mandinka language for four hours a day with Peace Corps trainer Ebrima Colley.