:

My Haven expresses his disappointment at a statement by Rev Desmond Tutu, condoning voter abstention as a way of protest the political climate in South Africa. For Matuba, not voting is not an option and an insult to those who died for freedom in South Africa.

“Archbishop Tutu says the rifts in the ANC left citizens insecure. I have said it before and I am going to shout once more; YOU DON'T LIKE THE ANC? THEN GO TO THE POLLS NEXT YEAR AND EXPRESS IT BY VOTING FOR ANOTHER PARTY. It is that simple.”

Somali blog, Harowo:

Harowo comments on the recent seajacking of an arms ship by Somali pirates stating they could not have known the ship was full of tankers nor that it was probably part of an illegal arms deal sending tanks to the Sudan from the Ukraine. Harowo describes the Somali pirates as the equivalent of pickpockets stealing a mafia suitcase.

“Ali’s small-time gangsters, in their sneakers, have climbed up onto a world stage normally reserved for bigger players. In the ensuing drama, the boundaries between the good guys and the villains have become difficult to discern, primarily because there may not in fact be any good guys. In this production, the pirates are the equivalent of pickpockets who had the bad luck of stealing a mafia godfather’s briefcase. In reality, the incident is about much more than a hijacking and Ali’s demand for $20 million (€13.8 million) in ransom money. It is also about anarchy in a failed state like Somalia, and about the interests of the United States, Russia and the European Union, as it gradually takes on a new role on the world stage.”

Who are the other criminals in this saga – the Ukraine government, Sudan, possibly China who may have if only indirectly provided the funding for the tanks and the international community who are failing to challenge all of the above.

Ethiopia Watch:

Ethiopia Watch wonders if the Ethiopian famine has really been averted. He refers to an article by Rob Crilly on his blog “from the frontline” who suggests the original story was more of a “fabrication” based on the desire of some journalists “putting their critical faculties to one side in favour of reporting a worst-case scenario peddled by NGOs with an interest in collecting cash? Did we jump when they cried wolf?”

White African:

White African calls for a reframing of “Brand Africa” , that is the way we Africans think about technology in Africa. What White African is saying is that as Africans need to have the confidence to export our technology explaining it’s uniqueness and advantage in the global context.

“Most people outside of Africa don’t align any type of technological edge to what we do here on the continent. In fact, most are surprised when a developer from Africa pops up on the international stage at all. Though there are fewer software developers in Africa per capita relative to their Western counterparts, what most don’t realize is that those few are really quite talented.

This means the South Africans as well as their counter parts in Ghana, Uganda and Senegal. We’re all in this together, whether we like it or not. Remember, to outsiders we’re one homogeneous landmass. What we each do reflects on everyone, whether we’re creating for local or global markets.”

Stories from Malawi:

Stories from Malawi publishes some good news from Malawi where this year’s tobacco crop has earned the country “US$461 million” an annual increase of $196million. The even better news is that the income of local farmers has also increased. The bad or rather sad news is all this money being made from something which kills!

BlackLooks:

Blacklooks is critical of the Ugandan government over its continued harassment of LGBTI activists, along with the threats to publish names of sexworkers and to punish women for wearing mini skirts :

“Instead of focusing on violence against women, child labour and sexual abuse the government’s latest assault is a misogynist attack on women which blames them for causing car accidents. All of these attacks, against the LGBTI community, sexworkers and women show a government and religious leadership in a state of crisis and fear of loosing control over women’s bodies and in particular a fear of sexuality. All of this is underpinned by this thing they call “our culture”. Culture is not viewed as a construct, in constant change or for that matter static. It is not even historical but rather something constructed on a subjective set of myths from the past which bear little meaning in the present except to oppress women and anyone who dares express difference in terms of their sexuality, dress and ideas.”

* Sokari Ekine blogs at www.blacklooks.org

* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/