In his new book Ending Aid Dependence, Yash Tandon reviews the possibilities for change in the architecture of aid. The author explores the extent to which many developing countries reliant on aid wish to escape dependence, and yet are constrained from doing so. Proposing that moving away from dependence should be at the top of the political agenda of all developing countries, this timely book cautions countries of the global South from falling into the aid trap and endorsing the collective colonialism of the OECD.
Dorothy-Grace Guerrero and Firoze Manji (ed) (2008) China’s New Role in Africa and the South: A search for a new perspective. 
Blogging Africa
Africa Blogging Roundup
International Women’s Day, African billionaires, guerrilla entrepreneurs and racism in South Africa
Sokari Ekine (2008-03-12)http://pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/46609
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Kenyan Pundit reports on Kenyan Women’s March for piece as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations last Saturday.
“Kenyan women have endured tragedy in the past two months. Too many of us have lost family members and homes. Others of us have done what we can to help them. Regardless of how we have fared, none of us feel we have done enough to ease the anguish of our nation. It is time to stand up and be counted. No matter who we are or which part of Kenya we come from. Put your best foot forward to unite in solidarity and march for peace.”
London, Kenyan blogger, Mshairi is back blogging after a long sabbatical. She celebrates International Women of Colour Day, March 1st with a post on Magdalene Odundo, Professor of Ceramics at the University College for the Creative Arts. Ms Odundo’s ceramics are simple, female and exquisite. Mshairi remembers fondly one of Magdalene Odundo’s workshops she attended and writes
“Magdalene’s work has been exhibited in many places including the Crafts Council at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg and the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, New Hampshire. Her work is also found in museums worldwide including the Smithsonian, the Gardiner Museum and in private collections. Due to their uniqueness and excellence, the works are sold for quite large sums of money – in 2006, for example, a piece of art was sold for £28,405.”
Black Looks marks International Women’s Day by celebrating the lives of African lesbians through the works of South African photo activist, Zanele Mutholi exhibition titled, “Faces and Phases”.
“The essence of each of the women is captured through their faces which together with stance and clothing are expressions of their sexuality. The photos [both this exhibition and others by Zanele] give an insight into how we create meaning of ourselves and the world around us, the feelings from inside which drive us to being who we are. I can’t express where these feelings come from, I just know they are deep inside and the only relief is to let them out by expressing them physically and emotionally. When those meanings - attitudes, beliefs, expectations, dreams, everything that is YOU - challenge patriarchy and social mores they become stigmatised and hold painful consequences for those who dare to release their inner selves. In such hostile environments, coming out is an act of resistance and creating meaning through community is a further act of resistance and also one of survival.”
Clement Nyirenda celebrates South Africa’s first Black billionaire, Patrice Motsepe. His only lament is that the publishers of the billionaire list, Forbes Magazine have not published any information on Motsepe rise from well being a normal working man to being worth a billion! I have to say I don’t share Nyrienda’s excitement over this and would like to have some figures around jobs created and investment in local communities, charitable foundations and so on.
“am excited because we now have the first black South African Billionaire, Patrice Motsepe, on the list. He is on position 503 with a net wealth of $2.4 billion. As a person who used to stay in South Africa and really loves the Rainbow Nation, in spite of the crime wave, I would like to congratulate Mr Motsepe for a job well done.”
Nigerian talk show host and blogger, Funmi Iyanda publishes her interview with former US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. The interview is also on YouTube on the New Dawn site. Although the interview is never really challenging it does touché on a host of issues from the US elections, to 9/11, Muslims, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and “trade dealing in Africa” and you guessed right “poor people are not stupid” and even more interesting the markets in African cities are full of traders selling everything from spark plugs to tins of milk – what revelations! But then it’s possible that many Americans including Secretary’s of State, think we live in barren lands, surrounded by flies, living off food hand outs.
“As long as I live I will not forget this, we were in Nairobi and went to the slum there and to a place called the 'toy market', and it has nothing to do with toys, but it's just called that. It was filled with people selling in stalls, selling...with mud up to my hips, basically, but stores where people where selling spark plugs to each other, t-shirts to each other and they came and we had a semi formal meeting and I was so impressed - poor people are not stupid, poor people are entrepreneurial and that is the part that was so good. You know what happened? And I will describe it to you…it was so incredible. First of all they did a performance about HIV/AIDS, but mostly what they were explaining to me was that they had set up their own credit system. And they had trust enough to put one Kenyan dollar a night into a pot, which is about 10 cents American money. And they then had system whereby they lent money to each other. They created a credit bank and were able to lift themselves up as a result of that.”
YBlog ZA comments on the disgusting racist video produced by students of the University of the Free State in which Black workers were subjected to eating pissed on food and other horrible acts. Yblog responds to a statement by “among others, Nadine Gordimer, Andre Brink, John Perlman, Max du Preez, Arthur Chaskalson, Zapiro and Phillip Tobias.”that states this most never happen again. As Yblog writes, these kind of racist violations and worse happen every day all over the country. Nonetheless I don’t agree that with his submission that they and the media are dehumanizing the whole episode by blowing it out of all proportion. The fact that this kind of racism well any kind exists daily is no reason not to publish and be outraged at this particular incident.
“Quite frankly, people, I think you’re dehumanising the whole episode by blowing it out of all proportion. First, I'd like to hear from the workers involved. They've been conveniently airbrushed from the story. Have they no opinion (untutored)? Are they not able to speak for themselves?
I guess not. They are, after all, mindless peasants who just happen to be black. Not that we have anything against mindless peasants. Or black people, for that matter. Some of my best friends...
Secondly, I wish to God you'd put your names to documents worthy of such pious indignation. What of the rape and pillage of our country by all and sundry? Violence, corruption, gangsterism, racketeering, substance abuse, and income disparity all combine to form a lethal cocktail, the kick of which we have yet to feel. What of our kids — violated, butchered or disappeared at an increasingly alarming rate? What of our refugees — hounded as amakwerekwere countrywide and denied local citizenship unto succeeding generations?”
African Loft reports on Henry Okah - the “Guerrilla Entrepreneur” of Niger-Delta, not yet a billionaire but possibly making his way up the steps. My only hope is that if he does get there he will share his wealth with the people and put electricity in my home town and other towns and villages in the ND....... please, ah beg ohoooo!
“The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (“MEND”) is a militant indigenous people’s movement dedicated to armed struggle against the exploitation and oppression of the people of Niger Delta and the degradation of the natural environment by foreign multinational corporations involved in the extraction of oil in the Niger Delta and the Federal Government of Nigeria. MEND has been linked to attacks on foreign owned petroleum companies in Nigeria (source: Wikipedia).
Henry Okah is rumored to be the founder of MEND and the master strategist behind the militant operations that have cut Nigeria’s oil production by 25 percent. In February this year, Okah was arrested in Angola while on a business trip, he’s presently in government detention on treason charge”
* Sokari Ekine blogs at www.blacklooks.org
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/
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