Stem on the blue nile river but some say the project will cost them their livelihood. Hello im christine one the welcome to news africa its good to have you along the west african nation of guinea the south is due to hold a president ial election this sunday may be hoped the voters will be a step toward stabilizing the country in esol has experienced frequent and sometimes violent upheaval since winning independence from portugal in 1974 yet there is still much uncertainty surrounding the pope would have warned that in the moment theyd have used lisa in the swim to the capital basalt to find out what life is like for ordinary people in one of the poorest nations on. Schools out for another day in the capital of guinea b. Sound west africa. Its fun and games for now. But many of these children will face a difficult future they live in one of the poorest and most volatile countries on the planet. As youth activists sacred to watch in yog explains there are few jobs and virtually no industry now and theres been no stable government for decades only what you. Saw the country is still under construction. There have been cyclical crises since the 1980 s. People have little hope. Life here in Guinea Bissau out is about survival. Every person here is just trying to survive on what ive read of. Some of your friends here. But many live from hand to mouth selling things on the street to make ends meet existing on less than a dollar a day. As civil war ended he and more than 2 decades ago. But since then Guinea Bissau now has lurched from crisis to crisis as a small political elite compete for power and limited resources. One person desperate for change is tailor. He accuses politicians of lining their own pockets rather than trying to improve the lives of ordinary people. All support Small Businesses such as his tailor shop he says the government often fails to pay peoples wages for months on end. Meaning his customers are not always able to buy new clothes. The government collects fees and taxes but do absolutely nothing they do nothing to help as there should be support for Small Businesses and more commerce. For the barely 2000000 people who live in guinea the south the lack of Economic Opportunity has led to widespread poverty most people are frustrated with the simple inability to move forward with their lives the road to a better country may be bumpy but activists nuada believes there is a way for weight. We young people are trying to contribute toward securing a different future. But im going to work hard every single day to help my family and to help young people in guineabissau and my country to help it achieve the prosperity that each and every one of us wants to achieve. With nearly 2 thirds of the population under the age of 25. 00. Hope could lie with the next generation now for more insight into guineabissau upcoming election im joined by this all good economist he is currently professor at south africas university of cape cod welcome to africa professor how is sundays election expected to go. They will certainly go peacefully and so far as the voting is because the integrity of the process is very well established normally this elections in going to be somewhat affronted by International Partners they have been audited several times by different the situations of specialize in the area and i think that these supposed to go well and peacefully the problem is going to be after the elections normally we have post electoral conflicts lots of tensions not acceptance of results and we have also in this case a number of politicization the characteristics that are going to announce a very difficult post electoral atmosphere we have and it is very much linked with the. Interests in the summer region but also the interests of the drug traffickers illicit activities and we have a hope going president that has been very controversial has actually not respected the constitution and has dismissed 7 prime ministers in 5 years so this is going to be a cocktail of difficulty is that are going to make the postelection of period extremely tense just picking up on the drug trade at the un has in the positive that drug traffickers are so powerful in guineabissau out that they control the government is this something that Still Holding the country back. If we see from the perspective of the larger government there are many parts of the administration of the state that are influenced by their of trafficking and that includes the army that includes the police and the judiciary so this is a concern and its something that has not been addressed completely otoh you now have a new government that is trying to do the best to solve the situation theres just not out of time before the elections for this to be corrected and lastly what does guineabissau need to do to build its economy to improve the life of ordinary people. Well it is a country that is quite reach in terms of potential not only in the fisheries but also interesting because most people dont know he is the african country with most islands about 87 and i think this is blessing because it allows good it is to take advantage of a number of characteristics that are in existence not only in the region but also in the continent and i think if it is properly managed it is possible to address the issues of poverty about 85 percent of the book relation lives under the poverty line and with economies extreme is all right now all right mr called a slow pace thank you. Now this dam in ethiopia is causing concent in several countries its damming up the waters off the blue nile which has egyptians worried about they what a surprise trying up this has led to a diplomatic dispute between egypt and ethiopia at riverside fondas in sadat a dam will change bad lives for the better. For People Living along the blue nile in sudan the river is both a blessing and a curse during the rainy season the rivers unpredictable flow causes flash floods those have already killed 60 people this year but this may end when neighboring ethiopia completes construction on the grander nascence dam which promises to regulate the rivers flow. Sudanese farmers downstream welcomed the grand plan. When you know there was a blue nile is very unpredictable tonight the level of water will be low tomorrow it will swallow houses and sometimes it floods this plantation before we have time to stop it or will the flooding allows for just one harvest per year and that also limits the types of crops that can be planted but once the river flow is under control more intensive agriculture can be practiced its a different story for sudanese brick makers they depend on silt washed down from the ethiopian highlands to make bricks which have been baked in riverside kilns with the new dam in place there will be fewer silt deposits and less income for the brick makers. There are only this silt comes to us from the estuary there from the ethiopian plateau. With the dam the sill dont come any more but in the middle of the ago one of the. The Hydroelectric Project is set for completion in 2022 with the main aim being to boost ethiopias electricity output and saddam stands to benefit from that development you know lin has a said. This dam provides sudan with electricity that benefits manufacturing Economic Growth and a Sustainable Development in all sectors. As farmers along the blue nile deal with the rivers unpredictability the future of traditional livelihoods on its banks seems destined to change forever. Now this is the new must have condiments for some most of africas biggest shifts its a sold found only in a remote place in the middle of the country top chef say its like nothing youve tasted before but its not just its flavor thats supposed to be special the souls also has an unusual backstory. Collecting sand in the remote riverbed in south africas far north women have been doing this for more than 2000 years their have a sting soul they say is sacred and has healing powers. And people who are suffering from high Blood Pressure are like myself. I used to have high Blood Pressure but im stronger now since i started losing the salt. Now i have got. But high in magnesium and other minerals it has now also been discovered by top and restaurants for fine dining the salt is harvested exclusively by elderly women of that song or community they extract their special salt according to the ancestors customs and rules a concoction of river sand salty soil and water as filtered several times until the color of the waters almost clear the liquid is left to boil over a small fire for hours when the foam hardens it crystallizes forming the precious salt. Were very happy to be here because with this salt we make money this is a. One with the money that we make we raise our children and grandchildren. To buy them clothes we do everything thanks to the money from the so. The lord will. Learn that santa why would our lord. The grannies can harvest dozens of kilograms in a few days and sell for more than 8. 00 per kilogram top shaved prize the socalled balloon is sold for exclude stills that are tiny and evenly sized with a unique taste. Im sure its tasty that is it for now from days of the news africa you can catch on our stories on our website and Facebook Page well even alcoholism all pictures off the living sad and harvesting that special sultans of africa till next time i like. What secrets line behind. Discover new adventures in 360 degrees. And explore the World Heritage sites. World heritage 360. 00 the maps now. Welcome to the foot is the game here on deep cuts to talk about. Covering. More cool. Hole we have. Lets have a look at some of the other much surrounding still shaking in that the green a sigh of relief so you dont want to miss that. T. W. The news from the world of arts and culture are merrill and coming up in the next quarter and now British OfficeBrenda Murray and his wit of wonderful wearable sculptures that can take up to 2. And a very skilled workmen ship involved in making maps which illustrate landscapes in a more optimistic way. But fust the city of birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the u. K. Seems to have a bit of a knack of finding talented conduct as the current music director is the lithuanian conduct a mega grows in need. Appointed to the post while still in her twentys rather like one of a pretty discusses simon rattle now just 33. 00 shes the 1st female conducted to have an exclusive contract with a leading classical Record Company gramophone and is in much to mom as a guest conductor as here with the door. To teela is one of the most exciting conductors working today here and they call her my strength. The 33 year old lithuanian to be a regular exclusive guest artist there