Pilgrimage to Self (http://pilgrimagetoself.blogspot.com/2006/03/honouring-african-women.html) honours the “Unheard Voices” of women who “keep the wheels of society and their community and indeed Africa well oiled and turning but who never get any sort of recognition for it.”

“This is for the woman who watches as her country is ravaged by war…This is for the woman who has been sold into marriage for sake of family, faith or tradition...This is for the woman who suffers abuse because of her colour, lifestyle, faith, opinion, background, ethnic group…This is for the woman looked down on because she has chosen to stay at home and look after her kids…This is for all of us who in one way or another are forgotten and maligned because of who we are – Women.”

Mshairi (http://www.mshairi.com/blog/2006/03/08/celebrating-women-international-w...) chooses to honour Africa’s women musicians - Angelique Kidjo from Benin, Sibongile Khumalo from South Africa, queen of Taraab’ Zuhura Swaleh from Kenya, Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde and Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba from South Africa.

“These musicians have seen me through sad times and brought calmness, joy and contentment in my soul when these were lacking. Their powerful songs can bring tears to the eyes or a smile to my face, depending on the occasion.”

Weichegud! ET Politics - (http://weichegud.blogspot.com/2006/03/honoring-african-women.html) honours the mothers of Ethiopians whose children have been slaughtered.

“In the late 70s, during the bloody White Terror followed by even more bloodletting in the Red Terror, Ethiopian mothers buried their sons and daughters who were slaughtered in the name of a wanton revolution. They were forced to pay the government for the bullets that killed their children. And later, they dug up skulls and skeletons from mass graves and held belated funerals.”

Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2006/03/honouring_afric.html) chooses to honour the women of the Niger Delta, especially Mrs Odua of the Egi Women’s Council.

“Mrs Odua was an activist and human rights defender who fought determinedly and without respite against unrestricted corporate power, state sponsored terror and the institutionalised tools of gender repression. She paid a high price for her activism and beliefs. Ostracised from her community, abandoned by her husband, disinherited by her in-laws. We should not underestimate the honesty and courage of women like Mrs Odua who resist the everyday oppressions in their own local communities.”

Zimbabwean Pundit (http://zimpundit.blogspot.com/2006/03/international-womens-day-honoring....) honours the women of Zimbabwe and Africa through the story of Grandmother Ambuya vaSekai, who is taking care of 5 young children, the eldest of whom is 6 years old. What happened to the parents of the children?

“Mzukuru (grandson), ambuya intoned, her voice breaking up as the emotion welled up inside of her, upenyu hwakaoma (life is hard). Vaurikuona ava ndivo vatova vana vangu (the infants you're looking at now my children). Vangu vekuzvara vasopera kare, amai vaChipo kadikidiki aka karimumaoko angu takavaviga pasina kana negore rese (All my offspring have long since died, you see Chipo over here, we buried her mom less than a year ago).”

Sisiogeblogs (http://sisioge.blogspot.com/2006/03/international-womens-day.html) chooses to honour those women why either by choice or enforced by biology, do not have children of their own. A mother herself, she writes:

“However, I also admire and remain in awe of the many brave women who make the decision not to dance to nature’s tune or tow the populist view by choosing not to give birth. The amazing thing about these women is that they often make great aunties, social mothers and surrogate mother’s alike.”

Adefunke on Adefunke (http://adefunke.blogspot.com/2006/03/celebrating-african-woman_08.html) chooses to honour the many women that have touched her life and in particular her mother, Princess.

“Widowed twice, she has managed to do a good job of raising two children, me and my 20 year old sister who has cerebral palsy. I learned the meaning of forgiveness as I watched her struggle with the hand fate dealt her. I learned the meaning of beauty as I watched her touch people with her kindness. I learned the meaning of perseverance as I watched her lovingly not give up on my sister.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks,

* Please send comments to [email protected]

Ethioblog - http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=nigeria_to_send_671_university_le... - reports that Nigeria is to send 671 university lecturers to Ethiopia as part of an aid package – The Technical Aid Corps. They will also be sending experts on Cassava. President Obasanjo is quoted as saying:

“Like Nigeria, all other countries in the African continent need to do some soul-searching…Nigeria was passing through an interesting reformist period, which we believe we need. All of us in Africa need critical self-analysis if we are to get to where we should.”

Since when did Obasanjo do any soul searching – the Niger Delta is in flames and religious violence has taken over 100 lives with thousands injured, and then there is the state of education in the country. Yesterday Nigerian blogger Emmanuel Oluwatosin - http://www.yemma.com.ng/best-nigerian-university-ranked-6340-in-the-worl... - reported that no Nigerian university was ranked above 6000 in the world and only 2 were ranked in the top 100 in Africa: University of Ibadan (57 in Africa, 6304 in the world), Obafemi Awolowo University (69 in Africa, 6645 in the world).

Koranteng’s Toli - http://koranteng.blogspot.com/2006/02/comfort-food-and-rare-groove.html - publishes an extensive review of Food Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa by Fran Osseo-Asare.

“It covers the continent, dipping into all the regional flavours. There's lots of historical insight about the types of ingredients used, the crops, animals, fisheries etc. It's one of those books you can open at any page and find lots to chew on (pun intended, tongue in cheek etc). Most culinary books concentrate on recipes but this goes beyond that into the cultural and social significance of food (from who prepares it, traditions surrounding it, special meals etc).”

Koranteng is also a music reviewer and he takes the recipes and provides an appetising feast with a “musical menu of comfort food and rare groove”.

Kenyan blogger, ThinkersRoom -http://www.thinkersroom.com/blog/2006/02/get-real-poverty-eradication-101/ -
posts a piece titled Poverty Eradication 101 in which he writes that poverty will not be eradicated because there are just too many vested interests in maintaining it.

“Poverty has created a proliferation of global bodies, departments, companies, organizations, boards as well as a host of jobs that allows millions of people and dozens of governments to butter their bread…Poverty has allowed NGOs to proliferate all over the world, purporting to be working round the clock to deliver man from his poverty and deliver him to a world of manna, wine and cake here on earth…Poverty has allowed countries to earn still more money, for its coffers and for its people.”

One Arab World - http://onearabworld.blog.com/586323 - comments on the recent discovery of yet “another ancient Pharaohs temple the size of a small city in downtown Cairo”. His main focus however is not the discovery but the man who always takes credit for anything to do with Egypt’s antiquities, Zahi Hawass, Chief of Antiquities.

“What pisses me off usually about this guy is how he completely eclipses everyone that works with him, intentionally I believe. Whenever something noteworthy is discovered it’s Mr. Hawas and noone else gets mentioned. Its as if he's literally an Indiana Johns!”

“Zahi Hawass really fancies himself. Why on earth does he wear that stetson hat is a mystery to me. The guy might know about his subject but you never hear of anyone else in that supreme council of antiquities, do you? Everything that is discovered, and many are by sheer luck, has to involve him one way or another, I have not seen another Egyptian name alongside Zahi Hawasss ever to the extent I feel he is superman who works alone, a modern day real Indiana Jones that is only missing the whip.”

Jewels in the Jungle - http://jewelsnthejungle.blogspot.com/2006/02/ugandan-elections-2006-til-... - has an extensive review of media and blog posts and commentary on the Ugandan elections last Thursday.

“Museveni wins. The people of Uganda will have to wait ‘til the cows come home for real democracy and political freedom to take hold, yet again. Personally I find the fact that Museveni has won a third term as President of Uganda an affront on the struggles for true democracy all across Africa and around the world. That the Ugandan Parliament changed the country’s constitution to allow Museveni to remain in power speaks volumes about the real intentions of this leader and his political party, the National Resistance Movement.”

Confessions of the Mind - http://confessionsofnneka.blogspot.com/2006/02/africa-is-continent-and-n... - is sick and tired of people referring to Africa as a country and not a continent. Her criticism is not just of Europeans using this term but her fellow Nigerians who talk about going back to Africa rather than Nigeria. She gives as an example a conversation she has with a Nigerian who did not know she too was Nigerian.

“I was highly irritated in the way he was going on about going to Africa, how he speaks African like it was some country, I asked what part of Africa and he looked at me and repeated Africa again.”

Is it really 2006, the 21st Century? One wonders when explanations like these still have to be made.

“No I don’t live in a tree when I go back to my country Nigeria which is in West Africa, notice the way I wrote it. Yes we have malls, supermarkets, cars, roads, buildings. Yes we were taught English, from school, at home, everywhere; in fact we speak English quite well, better than the people who own the language. 99% of Africans are multilingual, meaning we can speak 2 or more languages. No, not all Africans have flies circling our bellies and mouths.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

Over the past year, the number of Africans blogging has grown. However, women bloggers are still a minority in most country blogospheres except for Kenya were there is almost a 50/50 split between men and women. To try and redress this, two Nigerian women bloggers (Oreoluwa Somolu of Ore’s Notes - http://orenotes.blogspot.com/) and Sokari Ekine of Black Looks - http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks) initiated a blog mentoring project to encourage more Nigerian women to blog. Initially the project there will be a pilot project in Lagos, Nigeria which will consist of 15 participants and 20-30 mentors and will run for 6 months. For more information and if you are interested in mentoring on the project contact sokari(at)fahamu.org

Rwandan Survivors - (http://rwandansurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/02/survivors-this-posting-was-...) publishes a moving statement by a 26 year old genocide “survivor” on her/his own suffering. S/he questions the use of the term “Survivor”.

“You are called genocide survivor but actually you are not! You just try to move along with others without any basis just like a shoot trying to grow up without roots.”

S/he goes on to urge the international community to stop debating on whether genocide is taking place or not in Darfur and Act:

“The policy of the international community is ‘No interest, no emergency’. They left people dying during the genocide then came back after to clean the bloody place with their nutritional and medical assistance to the injured survivors…Why should people waste time arguing on either if it is genocide or not in Darfur? Any second wasted results in a waste of lives.”

This is Zimbabwe (Sokwanele)- This is Zimbabwe (http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/352) considers whether the CIO (Central Intelligence Organisation) of Zimbabwe is involved with the infighting amongst the opposition party, MDC (Movement for Democratic Change). There are two main conspiracy theories. The first accuses the vice president of the MDC of conniving with South African President Mbeki to undermine MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The second theory is that Tsvangirai colluded with ZANU PF and betrayed the MDC by pulling out of the Senate elections in exchange for a “reward”.

Sokwanele however poses a third theory which they explain in detail:

“The view we put forward here is that both sides in the intense leadership struggle are thereby playing right into the hands of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) which not only benefits from the resulting division and confusion but actually planned it that way. And the meticulous planning began many years ago”

They conclude by calling on Zimbabweans to end the “personality cult” and stop following leaders who have proved themselves flawed.

Grandiose Parlor - Grandiose Parlor (http://grandioseparlor.blogspot.com/2006/02/bridge-in-60-days.html ) reports on a a bridge that was built in 60 days in Anambra State, Eastern Nigeria.

The bridge was built by a retired engineer and the men and women of the Ozubulu village and was financed by the Worldwide Organisation of Women. Discussing his experience, the engineer, Dr Strong writes:

“For many reasons this has been a very good project to show how the people themselves can get up and do for themselves when it is obvious the government will not or can not do what they wish for a better life. Here is a marvellous bridge birthed in a jungle across a muddy river and swamp. Just as easy it could have been a school, a clinic, a library, a community palm oil processing plant, a cassava starch extraction plant, a maze of fish raising ponds, a complex of chicken houses.”

Just imagine if this was replicated across the country and across the continent?

Rantings of a Sandmonkey - Rantings of a Sandmonkey (http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/02/5-sightings-2-realization...) reminds us that cartoons are still very much a part of the Middle Eastern blogosphere conversations. He publishes a list of things he saw in down town Cairo for example.

“A big banner that informs the Muslim population that Denmark - all of it apparently - are going to burn the Koran - yet again - this Wednesday, and in retaliation we all should fast on Friday and then pray to god against them when we break the fast. (Not kidding!)”

And so it goes on.

AfroHomo - AfroHomo (http://afrohomo.blogspot.com/2006/02/afrohomo-memories-004-fear.html) continues his memoirs of growing up gay in Nigeria:

“In my nightmare, I am walking down a Lagos street and street hoodlums attack me with sticks and blows. Finally, they put a tire around me, douse me with gasoline and set me on fire. My mum runs towards me in tears, too late to save me from the flames…
My nightmare is not a fantasy. About three years ago, I woke up in my dorm room (during the year I spent at a Nigerian university) to screams of pain. A guy was getting severely beat-up and dorm rooms were emptying out - everyone wanted to see the show. I stood watching the beating for a while, in that horror-fascination state of mind. I stood watching until I asked one of my friends: ‘What did he do?’"

He concludes that at least he is lucky as many of his friends are probably still “walking Lagos streets, conforming on the outside but bearing dangerous secrets”. Being gay in Africa is a living torture and as he explains:

“I can't be happy as long as gay Africans live under dangly swords. Increasingly, I see GLBT activism as my life's calling. Maybe that's why god has blessed me - to fight for gay Africans that may not be able to fight for themselves. It's a scary path to tread but…”

Chippla - Chippla (http://chippla.blogspot.com/2006/02/talibanization-of-northern-nigeria.html) writes on the Tablinisation of Northern Nigeria. Kano, once a bustling cosmopolitan city, is now regressing “thanks to in no small part to Islamic religious fundamentalism” and the introduction of Sharia law:

“The federal government of Nigeria is now accusing the Kano State government of ‘seeking foreign funding to train an Islamic militia’, according to reports from the Nigerian Guardian (not archived). The Nigerian Minister of Information is reported as saying that the Kano State government is trying to turn the Hisbah into a parallel police force.”

Chippla agrees that Islam, like other religions, has a role to play in the country, but points to ”the danger of politicians hijacking religious teachings and dogma for selfish use.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

Yebo Gogo - (http://americanafrican.blogspot.com/2006/02/mbeki-no-third-term.html) comments on Thabo Mbeki’s decision not to run for a third term.

“I think history will view Thabo Mbeki kindly. South Africa's president had had to fill seemingly unfillable shoes when he took over from Nelson Mandela, but he's turning out to be as good - and in many cases, better - as Mandela”

Unfortunately Mbeki stands alone amongst African leaders on this issue. Chippla - Chppla (http://chippla.blogspot.com/2006/02/mbeki-obasanjo-and-third-term.html) writes that unlike Mbeki, President Obasanjo has been conspicuous by his refusal to deny claims that he intends to run for a third term despite overwhelming public opposition.

“The option of a third term for the president has been dropped down as one of the key issues to be discussed over an amendment to the Nigerian constitution. This move was taken by the Parliamentary committee charged with overseeing the review of the constitution. Without a doubt, strong public opposition must have had a hand in this. Mr. Obasanjo, who is undoubtedly out of touch with the reality on the ground in Nigeria, must have been very surprised by the legions of people who strongly opposed an amendment to the Nigerian constitution to allow him to stay in office a day longer than that allowed for by the constitution.”

He concludes that Mbeki could do Nigerians a favour by teaching him how to answer questions.

Zimbabwean Pundit - Zimpundit (http://zimpundit.blogspot.com/2006/02/quiet-diplomacy-disquietly-unravel...) also has an Mbeki story. This time it concerns the bi-lateral relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe. In an interview Mbeki admitted “that he failed to normalise relations between Zimbabwe’s feuding political parties”. Zimpundit also questions the timing of the admission.

“The timing of Mbeki's admission of failure comes at a rather curious juncture given that rumors are rife that South Africa's government has ordered an immediate embargo on fuel and electricity exports to Zimbabwe.”

Africa Unchained - Africa Unchained (http://africaunchained.blogspot.com/2006/02/saga-of-failure-africa-union...) comments on an article by Wilf Mbanga “The African Union: Whats in a name?”

“Africans are angered by the continued unwillingness of African rulers to deal with human rights issues. The fact that they held the latest summit in Sudan in the first place shows their disdain for human rights," said Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Assembly. "The fact that they are passing the African Union chairmanship to a coup leader in Congo makes them laughable. Where do Africans turn now?”

The Moor Next Door - Moor Next Door (http://wahdah.blogspot.com/2006/02/lebanese-burn-danish-embassy.html) comments on the riots and destruction taking place in Lebanon over the Prophet Mohammed cartoons that has developed into anti-Christian violence.

“What is very troubling is that the protestors did not even stop at destroying the Danish embassy, they stoned the St. Maron Maronite church and destroyed property in a Christian neighborhood. It seems just to be mindless violence, overtaking any reasonable thought or condition. The violence against the Christian church and neighborhood likely stems from the longstanding inter-communal tension in Lebanon, and the "cartoon crisis" has probably not done much to alleviate these.”

Sub-ZeroBlue - Sub-Zero Blue (http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/2006/02/no_to_violent_respon.html) also comments on the violence which he writes is continuing despite calls by Imams and religious leaders to stop.

“I too would like to strongly condemn these attacks and say that they are totally unacceptable. Violence is never a solution to anything. It just complicates things more and adds fuel to the fire.
This is not the way Islam, our religion of peace, tells us to respond! These violent reactions harm our religion more than the cartoons or any disrespect the west could show! This has to stop!”

Black Looks - Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2006/02/cameroon_tabloi.html) reports on the campaign by Cameroon tabloids to out prominent people who they claim are homosexual. Already some 50 people have been named in the witchhunt.

“The campaign, by what can only be described as ‘gutter press’, amounts to a witch hunt, a violation of human rights and an invasion of privacy. The suffering of LGBT people is occurring all over Africa. Everyone who is a defender of human rights needs to join together with the LGBT community in a show of progressive African solidarity.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

The main conversation in the Egyptian blogosphere this past week has been the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.

responds to Hamas’ request for the international community not to cut aid. He writes scathingly that Hamas should “not get a penny from the international community” since without “mammon” they will not be able to maintain their social service network.

“If the international community is to respect the choice of the Palestinians, the choice of the international community should be respected as well
It's so funny that those who told countless Palestinian youth that blowing themselves up in an Israeli shopping center will earn them a place in heaven are now concerned lest the donors turn off the tap. I mean, I am so upset with Hamas, they should have more faith than this!! (sarcasm)”

Rantings of a Sandmonkey is equally disgusted with the Hamas win. In his post, ‘Hamas wins, Palestinians loose’ he writes:

"The Palestinians have truly shot themselves in the foot this time. Given how the US and the majority of the European countries view Hamas as a terrorist organization - as they should - it's not hard to imagine them cutting off all aid to the Palestinian government completely."

He calls those who believe Hamas will become moderate now that it is in power, “delusional and not listening to what Hamas are saying” which is “death to Israel” etcetera etcetera etcetera

One Arab World has a more considered response in his post ‘Hamas won, where from here?’ He compares the Hamas win to that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

“Both evoking the emotions of a people in dire straights, benefiting from the gravitation of people in those circumstance to ideologies, and representatives of the only viable alternative to a corrupt government. Hamas builds schools, clinics, and shelters. Hamas is intertwined in the people and amongst them. More importantly though, Hamas will not bend to others will; and that image is an opportunity. As only Sharon could have pulled off Gaza only Hamas can accept it
Whatever Hamas the bad ass, accepts in terms of negotiations, the majority of the Palestinians on the ground will accept.”

He goes on to say that the old methods (presumably suicide bombs in Tel Aviv) will no longer work. Hamas is now the government so the next attack on Israel will be a declaration of war and with the settlers out of Gaza Palestinian causalities will be much higher than in previous Israeli attacks. He also factors in the forthcoming Israeli elections and the possibility of victory for Netanyahu which could mean a reoccupation of Gaza and a third intafada. All very grim.

Elsewhere in the African blogosphere:

New South African blog, African Voices and Visions has a story on Togolese market women known as “Nana Benz”. The women began importing Dutch wax prints from Indonesia in the 1930s and then exporting them throughout Africa. They became so rich in the 1950s and were the only ones able to buy Mercedes Benz cars, thus the name “Nana Benz”.

I don’t know the history of the importation of Dutch wax prints but as long as I remember they have always been readily available in the markets of West Africa. And yes West African market women are probably amongst the wealthiest, most empowered and independent in the region.

Burkina Faso blog, Under the Acacias is concerned over the recent expansion of gold mining in the country. Until recently gold in Burkina Faso was mined by hand and was a source of income for local communities.

“When gold was found there, a small gold town grew up, with all the accompanying problems of sickness, crime, prostitution (and therefore AIDS of course) etc. Men would hand-dig tunnels many meters deep and long, working ridiculous hours, sustained often by amphetamines and kola nuts more than food. Sometimes the tunnels would collapse, killing the men inside.”

Now mining has been taken over by Orezone (a Canadian mining company – “the company’s mission is to create wealth by discovering and mining the earth’s resources in an efficient, responsible manner” – haven’t I heard that one before?). The local hand diggers have now been replaced by company workers. Although not sad to see the hand diggers leave and the associated problems the system caused, at least they had options.

“And yet, it was one option among very few for people in this region. I would be sorry if hope was once again snatched from them with nothing to replace it. Orezone of course has its business to run, but I hope that their investment into the development of the region is more than a nominal gift of a well or food aid now and again. People's lives have been affected by the company's arrival, and it should not be that the result is that a few benefit while the vast majority of the poorest and most vulnerable are left once more with no options”.

France Watcher writes that French “gunboat diplomacy is back”. S/he uses France’s involvement in the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo as evidence that French foreign policy in Africa is dictated by the President and the Ministry of Defence. For example despite the presence of UN troops in Ivory Coast, the French have “their own operation”.

“The Chief of Staff of the French armed forces impudently publicly makes thinly veiled threats against the elected President of an independent sovereign state, and this is considered normal. Africans keep quite. What a shame.”

S/he concludes that French diplomacy in Africa has shown us that:

“French actions in Africa are basic, crude, and effective. You take directions from them, they support you, get you legitimized through some kind of electoral process, and demonize your enemies. You disobey them, they bomb you, demonize you, impoverish you, draw sanctions against you, and ultimately arraign you before the International Criminal Court on charges they decide on. Africans beware!”

Afrikan Eye begins an excellent series on “Afrikan contributions to civilisation”. In this first part s/he looks at the continents contribution to astronomy and science and technology. S/he mentions, among others, the Namoratunga of Kenya:

“These Cushites have a calendar which uses the rising of seven stars or constellations to calculate a 12-month, 354-day year. The stone orientation in Namoratunga is such that it allows for accurate observation of these stars/constellations. It is assumed that these ancient Africans astronomers made their observations with the NAKED eye since no telescopes had yet been invented.”

And the Dogon of Mali:

“These West Africans people have not only plotted the orbits of stars circling Sirius but have revealed the extraordinary nature of one of its companions- Sirius B- which they claim to be one of the densest of stars in our galaxy. What is most astonishing about their revelations is that Sirius B is invisible to the unaided eye.

The Sirius B star is of deeply significant spiritual importance to the Dogon and they have thus gathered intricate and detailed knowledge of this star which is invisible to the naked eye. The Dogon say that the orbit of Sirius B around Sirius (the visible one) lasts 100 years.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, [email protected]

thinks about his love for anthropology and considers contemporary Nigeria a great subject for an anthropologist.

“How for instance do the same people who profess a rigid and unbending religious fundamentalism square it with their illicit sexual escapades, stealing government money, bending the rules, flamboyance and conspicuous consumption in the face of grinding poverty”.

He also recommends reading the Granta Africa edition with “stories and articles by Chimamanda Adichie (an excerpt from her forthcoming novel, Half of A Yellow Sun), Helon Habila, BinyavangaWainaina with his searing, witty How to Write About Africa”.

AfroHomo comments on the proposed Nigerian law which will ban same sex marriage and also criminalise campaigning around the issue. He decides to “air some dirty laundry”.

“In a country whose agricultural and petroleum treasures have birthed horrendous poverty and inequality; where babies sleep under rat-infested bridges with gigantic garbage dumps serving as their chief protection from the elements; where an entire ecosystem of lush mangrove in the Delta region have turned into dark wells of liquid poison because of unchecked environmental pollution; where roads are so bad, people install metal cages beneath their cars to prevent accelerated damage; where the tax-collection system is so broken, only corporations pay taxes and when they do, they only pay a fraction of what's required by law; where it's normal to have electricity for just 2 hours a day; where 1% of neighbourhoods have running water for a couple of hours each month and others don't know what running water is; in this country, a ban on gay marriage reflects more than just misplaced priorities - it reflects the government's appalling disconnection with reality and basic common sense.”

He goes on to criticise Archbishop Akinola, the head of the Nigerian Anglican church, who thinks: “homosexuality is ‘Unnatural and Unafrican’”.

“How would he know? Christianity only became a mainstream religion a few decades ago. Does he find universities, electricity, monogamy and his fancy Archbishop costume "Unafrican" too? What about its sister religion, Islam? African or Unafrican? I'll let the history books judge. Be assured that he'll hate the verdict too.”

Black Looks also covers the banning of same sex marriages. The post provokes considerable discussion on the subject with comments like:

“I totally support the new law banning same sex marriage. We must uphold our traditions and culture and not continue to take up every decadent new fad from the morally bankrupt west.”

“I would refer the last commentator (Ben) to the book Boy Wives and Female Husbands to explore whether it is really true that no African society tolerated homosexuality
If we want to proscribe certain things we should be clear about why we are doing it, and not hide under the convenient triteness that it is against our culture.”

“Never! Never!! Never!!! I support, like the majority of Nigerians do, the recent ban on Sodomy, Gay or whatever you call it. It is against our culture. It is against our God. It is against nature. It is despicable. It is an abomination. Homophobic or no homophobic, it will never be permitted in Nigeria, at least not in my life time.”

“So sad
Both the law and its idiotic bible-quoting supporters. Should the very concept that other people might have private rights be so foreign to our society? No mistake about it: this is a symptom of Nigeria's intellectual and social stagnation.”

A number of Nigerian bloggers comment on the recent hostage taking in the Niger Delta.

Chippla’s Weblog believes that the “growth of militant groups in the Niger Delta directly correlates with endemic poverty in the oil producing region”. However the long-term solution is not a military one but one that engages in a discussion with the militants.

Nigerian Times echoes Chippla when he states:

“The ignorance of these facts and mercantile conspiracy by the multinational oil companies and corrupt governments in underdeveloped oil producing countries have only aggravated the critical conflicts of interests over the years and the abuse and misuse of power and control of natural resources have been most pronounced in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.”

He goes on to hold the Nigerian government responsible for the hostage taking by their detention of Asara Dokubu. The government has underestimated both Dokubu and his supporters. Nigerian Times quotes an article by Ike Okonta on Asara Dokubu titled “Dokubu and the December Amnesty” published on Black Looks.

“But it is an exercise in foolhardiness to expect Asari Dokubo to give up his guns when Nigerian soldiers and riot police are still firmly in place in the delta, working with the oil companies to enforce the regime of depredation that has reduced the Ijo, Ikwerre, Itsekiri, and all the other oil-bearing communities to a state of near-animal existence. No self-respecting patriot will stand by while aggressors are delivering the death-blow on his people.”

Ethiopundit publishes a letter from Ms Bertukan Mideksa, vice-chairperson of the Coalition for Unity & Democracy Party who is presently in jail. The letter is a powerful act of defiance and courage by the writer which will give hope to those on the outside who are struggling for an Ethiopia of liberty and peace.

“Reports are seeping through the prison walls into my cell that cities and towns all over the country are exploding, furiously burning with the quest for freedom. In schools and colleges people of tender ages are articulating and demanding their liberties with an extraordinary air of confidence and dedication. Priests are dumbstruck when young men approach and ask them to tell and live the truth as God requires. The tormentors couldn't muster up enough courage to face and address these heroic men.”

The Big Pharaoh comments on the release of Ayman Noor, Independent MP in opposition to President Hosni Mubarak. Big Pharaoh attributes his release to two factors.

“First, the Egyptian elite who are not connected to the government were clearly sympathetic towards Noor. They just didn't understand why the government would arrest Noor in particular. They know why Islamists get arrested, but they just cannot comprehend the jailing of someone like Noor. It is worth mentioning that independent newspapers who are not tied to the government or have something against Noor were sympathetic towards him as well.”

“The second factor is the US factor. Imagine if President Mubarak made his annual trip to Washington while Noor was still in jail. It would have been a huge embarrassment to President Bush. In addition, Mubarak would have probably faced an angry US media that reserved considerable space to Noor when he was arrested.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, [email protected]

Sokari Ekine points out that moving to open source requires not just a change in software solutions but a change in the culture of NGOs to more cooperative and sharing organisations. Ekine believes that issues of expertise and support will be overcome as take up of FLOSS increases and concludes by reviewing some innovative open source projects on the African continent.

Back in June 2005 KnowProse picked up on a paper by Gabriella Coleman, "The Politics of Open Source Adoption, NGOs in the Developing World". Briefly the paper discusses the initial take up of FLOSS (Free and Open Source Software) and some of the problems NGOs have encountered and continue to have with the transition from proprietary software to FLOSS.

The paper states that: “These challenges are usually magnified in the developing world, where institutional resources and society-wide IT infrastructures are inconsistently available or scarce. Adoption is further are hampered in countries (including nearly all developing countries) where the private sector in open source technologies is underdeveloped.”

Coleman goes on to say that the private sector in FLOSS technologies is essential to providing the necessary local tech support that would put FLOSS solutions on a level terrain with commercial players such as Microsoft. KnowProse adds that:

“There is still a culture within NGOs where they are simply used to buying things with project money. Some open source support costs money through maintenance, but this is a different culture for many - whereas, Microsoft and other proprietary software entities advertise and lobby actively, while offering discounts. The open source advocates have not displayed this ability, and it's unlikely that we will in the future simply because we don't have the budget of a small country.”

I would add to this that NGOs and individuals are often wary when offered something for "free" or when asked to change from traditional software solutions to FLOSS. Moving to FLOSS requires not just a change in software solutions but a change in the culture of NGOs to more cooperative and sharing organisations.

One advantage proprietary software has over FLOSS in Africa is the availability of pirated proprietary software which at the moment still has the advantage of local knowledge and expertise. As Coleman points out:

“The existence of a thriving black market in pirated (proprietary) software, for example, often supports local IT expertise trained in that software - typically in industry standards such as Microsoft software. Some NGOs keep their operating costs down by using pirated software and drawing on these support networks. FLOSS technologies and secondary support networks have generally not overcome this illicit network and its lock-in effects in many countries.”

This brings me to a recent statement reported in Timbuktu Chronicles in which a Nigerian representative for Microsoft said: "Africa has no need for Free Open Source Software." Gerald Ilukwe, the general manager of Microsoft Nigeria, said that cost is not important, even though he admitted that the average annual salary in the West African country is only $160 (£91). "It's easy to focus on cost and say how much is a product, but at the end of the day it's the total impact that's important. You can give people free software or computers, but they won't have the expertise to use it."

Microsoft do have a point here but I believe that the issue of expertise and support will be overcome as take up of FLOSS increases. In other words it is not a given fact that FLOSS will continue to lack support. As the blog Timbuktu Chronicles points out this opens up Microsoft's intentions in Africa which as I see it is to prevent as much as possible the development and use of FLOSS on the continent. One could even ask whether Bill Gates' altruism towards Africa in the form of some £200 million dollars for R&D into Malaria has any link to their ambitions in the African market, which is worth a lot more than $200 million.

So what is the present state of FLOSS in Africa?

WazobiaSoft (Timbuktu Chronicles) is a Nigerian open source software translation project which aims to make software available in Nigeria's three main languages - Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo. They choose to use Open Source:

"because it is free and probably the only way people will be able to use software legally at little or no cost".

Wazobia - which is derived from the words for 'come' in the three languages, wa, zo and bia - believe that:

“Wazobia.org is helping in the modernization of core languages in Nigeria. Although, English is the official language in Nigeria, however, we believe that by having local language translation in computing, we will encourage and stimulate growth in Computer literacy. Also, it will be easier for people to become computer literate when the barrier of having to learn English is removed particularly for the people whose primary form of communication is not English.”

OpenCafe (Digital Africa) is a community based computer center that uses and promotes the use of open source with an internet cafe, training, art online project and the Software Freedom Day, both part of their Pan African project which aims to:

"…keep in touch via the Net with bloggers, artists, and Linux users from all over Africa (we also work with people outside the continent.) So we thought it's time for creating an online section dedicated to African FLOSS users, artists and bloggers and everyone else interested in our projects."

Shuttleworth Foundation is a South African based organisation who have identified "improved education" as the major challenge for South Africa and:

“…endeavours to support projects that seek to pilot more effective ways of using existing resources more efficiently in education.”

The Foundation also has an Open Source project which aims to unite the SA open source community and again promote the tak eup of Open Source Software by facilitating, supporting and funding "initiatives on a corporate, private and government level that lead to the awareness, uptake and growth of open source in South Africa."

Their projects include the Freedom Toaster - which enables users to freely burn open source software as they require. Go Open Source aims to encourage the use of open source software amongst non-specialist IT users. Tuxlab Programme for schools, establishes open source computer centers in schools. Translate.org, is a translation project to produce multilingual software for South Africa.

LinuxChix Africa is a project established by a group of African women to promote and highlight the use of FLOSS. They have joined with Kasi Open Source Software (KFLOSS):

“…to develop GNU/Linux and Open Source Software development and technical skills in South African townships. The long term strategy is to replicate this model to rural areas and villages. And of course, Linuxchix Africa will then develop similar parallel programmes throughout Africa.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks,

* Please send comments to [email protected]

The inauguration of Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been the focus of a number of African bloggers this week.

writes that he was deeply moved by the inauguration ceremony. He makes a link between the inauguration and the celebration in the US of Martin Luther King, which took place on the same day.

“It was also not lost on me that January 15th is our (USA) national holiday for remembrance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. According to the Reverend Samuel Sumo Payne, a Liberian immigrant to the United States who will be participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration activities this year in Ohio, Dr. King’s impact on social justice and civil rights reverberated far beyond the shores of the United States.”
.
Jewels comments that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is determined, like Dr King, “to heal a nation and move forward and build bridges between former combatants and victims of the brutal conflict”. Although I appreciate what Jewels is saying here, I do think the linkage with Martin Luther King is somewhat tenuous. The Liberian President, for all her qualities which I sincerely admire, has not been involved in a protracted civil rights or liberation struggle. We are all very excited about having a woman leader in Africa and have high expectations. Nonetheless I believe we should wait and see how she proceeds and deals with these issues before likening her to Dr King or other liberationist struggles.

Fire Angel writes on how excited she was:

“When I first heard about it, I jumped up and down like a little school-girl…At the same time I'm trying not to turn my excitement into wishful thinking, because Sister Ellen has one heck of a job in front of her. Besides having the enormous task of bringing Liberia ‘back to life’, she ultimately represents the African woman and her role in today’s African society.”

Black Looks looks at the impact on African women of Mrs Sirleaf-Johnson’s Presidency. She writes:

“We should not underestimate the significance of this Presidency to all African women. The only event that comes close was the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Wangari Maathai. Just as the Nobel Prize was for Kenya and for Africa, so too is the election of Johnson-Sirleaf for Liberia and Africa. It is not just Liberia's future at stake. The stability of the whole region very much depends on the success of Liberia.”

Continuing with the subject of women in government, Mental Acrobatics writes on the appointment of two women by the newly elected Tanzanian President to two of the most important ministries -

Zakia Meghji, the Minister of Finance, and Asha-Rose Migiro, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

However it is not all good.

“Of the 29 ministers and 31 deputies in his new Government, only five women were appointed cabinet ministers while 10 others were made assistant ministers. That is better than Kenya. Kibaki’s government has 34 ministers and 49 assistants. Only two women are ministers, Martha Karua of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and Charity Ngilu of Health and five women are assistant ministers. This is a drop from pre-referendum levels.”

On a completely different note, Africa Unchained points to an article by Stella Orakwue, “Not in Black or White” who calls on Africans to return home.

"What are Africans doing in Europe? Can someone tell me, please? I was brought here as a four-year-old child. If you are reading this and you are an African in Europe, I ask you this: Why are you here? Why did you come? Why did you stay? What are you doing?”

With considerable bitterness she goes on to say:

“I know everything I need to know about Europe: everything that 40 years of hard-won knowledge can bestow about European cultures, English people, British attitudes. And I know this: Europeans do not deserve Africans. We’re too good for them. But hear this, get this: Without us they would be unable, incapable, of running their own countries! How’s that for you. We work, they play. But they treat us like we are nothing, nobodies, dirt. And now they want to destroy our minds so that we can continue to ‘work’ for them like 21st century plantation slaves. Were we ever supposed to live among them?”

Chippla's Weblog also focuses on Europe, this time the myth of Egalité France. He refers to an article in the Washington Post:

“…that calls into question the fabulous concept of egalité in modern France. Yes, egalité does exist but to enjoy its fruits you must be lily white. A golden, brown or dark brown skin is enough to shut you off from certain jobs especially in the service industry. Having the requisite skills is simply not sufficient, one must also have the right skin colour.”

He concludes that racism in Europe is no less than the US and may in fact be worse.

Finally AFrican Bullets and Honey comments on the latest “save an African from poverty” scheme. This one is advertised at Lastminute.com under their “Feel Good Gifts” section called Farm Africa. Here you can “Buy a sheep, a goat or some chickens”.

“So you’re not Gordon Brown and you can’t cancel the debt of the Third World. But with lastminute.com and Farm Friends you have the chance to do something amazing, just by buying a gift for a friend (or even for yourself). You can choose a sheep, a goat or a brood of chickens. Of course, they won't be delivered to you or the person you're buying the gift for. Instead, they'll get a really cute model of the chosen animal, while Farm Africa will give the real animal to a poor African farmer, who is struggling to feed his family. Just a few pounds buys the greatest gift of all - a happier, healthier future. A goat, for example, provides milk to fight-off malnutrition and any excess can be sold to pay for medicine or schoolbooks.”

Bullets & Honey comments: “Imagine how good you will feel when you add a good deed to your vacation. Not only will you be helping a worthy cause like poor African farmers or abandoned kitties, but your lucky recipient will receive a gift pack with information about the charity and a unique gift to open on their special day.”

You could of course change the name from “Farm Africa” to “Do good and be guilt free”!

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, [email protected]

African Shirts - (http://africanshirts.blogspot.com/2006/01/prison-works.html) is surprised that Nigeria’s prison population is nearly 4 times less that of the UK. The Nigerian Government is set to release more than half of its 40,000 inmates, which again he finds surprising.

“Call me biased against Nigeria, but I'd never have expected this to be the case. I still think of Nigeria as a country where people get arrested and subsequently disappear forever, like Houdini gone wrong. “

He also questions the suggestion implied by the prison numbers that Nigerians are more law abiding than in the UK.

“This is rubbish. Lagos is probably the most crime-ridden and unsafe place in the world, except for Baghdad (which is in a war zone, so it doesn't count). Given the amount of crime in Lagos, its prison population alone should be 40,000. I suspect that Nigeria ranks lower than the UK because the Nigerian justice system grinds slowly, if at all.”

And here lies the crunch. Nigerian prisons are less populated probably because the justice system is slow and people can bribe their way out of jail! None the less he is impressed by:

“…the move as most of the inmates appear to have been held in violation of the number one right of the imprisoned - habeas corpus. This shows that the Nigerian government is, shock horror, interested in the rights of its citizens.”

Darfur blog, The Passion of the Present - Passion of the Present (http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2006/01/a_movement_by_w.html) reports on a movement by women in the DRC to fight the stigma associated with rape.

“These women are part of a growing movement of female community leaders who, with support from international donors, are fighting the stigma long associated with rape in northeast Congo, where a violent, ethnically driven conflict has raged for much of the past decade.”

The women are beginning to form local vigilante committees to protect and support women who have been raped and to provide them with counselling.

Ethiopian Politics - Ethiopian Politics (http://ethiopianpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/01/dictator-of-month.html) reports that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been chosen as “Dictator of the Month Dot Com” which
is an online magazine that features infamous works of “dictators, autocrats and monarchs of the world”. Dictators that have been featured on this website include: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Kim Jong Il and Mengistu Halilemariam. This blogger along with other concerned Ethiopian citizens has been in contact with “dictator of the month” website informing them of the atrocities committed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. After reviewing all the evidence from all the major news sources they are finally convinced that Meles does indeed deserve this title.

Black Star Journal - Black Star Journal (http://blackstarjournal.blogspot.com/2006/01/38000-die-each-month-in-dr-...) comments on the astounding figure of 34,000 people dying each month in the DRC and the lack of response from the global community.

He contrasts the response to the Asian Tsunami where 283,000 people lost their lives with a million displaced, and 9/11 when 3,000 people died.

“But if I told you there was a conflict that has cost almost 15 times as many lives as the tsunami, could you name that crisis? If I told you there was a crisis that, in mortality terms, was the equivalent of three 9/11s every week for the last 7 years, would you know which one I'm talking about?”

He rightly concludes that it is all about location, location, location!

Tunisian blogger Subzeroblue - Sub Zero Blue (http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/2006/01/biodiesel_in_tunisia.html) writes about the rising cost of fuel throughout the world. The consumer is loosing whilst the big oil companies continue to bank their profits. Although Tunisians are lucky because their oil is subsidised by the Government, this will not last forever and like the rest of the world an alternative fuel needs to be found. One suggestion is BioDiesel,
“An option that I find really accessible for a country like Tunisia, that can't afford to invest a lot of money in hydrogen-powered fuel cells for example, is BioDiesel. Biodiesel is fuel made from renewable materials such as vegetable oils or animal fats, or even recycled fryer oil. It is biodegradable and non-toxic, and has significantly fewer emissions than petroleum-based diesel when burned. It also functions in current diesel engines and reduces engine wear by as much as one half.” Bio Diesel is already available in the UK and the US and there is a website which explains how you can make it yourself. Bio Diesel (http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html)

Black Looks - Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2006/01/a_56_year_old_e.html) comments on the sentencing to five years of a British paedophile for sexually abusing young children in Ghana.

“Obviously the arrest of this despicable individual is a relief but the reality is that in Africa alone there are millions of children being abused in this way whilst the number of prosecutions is relatively small. “

African countries are full of sex tourists, Gambia, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa to name a few. Using Gambia as an example she explains how sex tourism operates. South Africa is a major destination and distributor of children from across the world.

“Child trafficking, child prostitution and child pornography have become major money making operations for individuals, gangs and syndicates in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and other parts of the country; and around the world. Molo Songololo’s research revealed that children are trafficked across South Africa’s borders; both into and from South Africa, as well as within its border.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

What better way to start the New Year than a story of the millions of US $ lost by greedy people through Nigerian internet scams! Nigerian blog, Nigerian Times - (http://nigeriantimes.blogspot.com/2006/01/yahoo-yahoo-internet-scammers-...) writes a rejoinder to an article in the Miami Herald on Nigerian scammers. He admits that greediness and gullibility are largely responsible but adds that the CIA, FBI and Interpol have the technology to trace and arrest the scammers via their hotmail and yahoo accounts. In fact in Nigeria, scammers are called “Yahoo-Yahoo boys” because 99% of them use Yahoo accounts. It is impossible to have any sympathy for people that fall for these scams – everyone knows that gluttony is bad for the health and the pocket!

“These Internet Scams can be stopped once and for all if the Americans and Europeans and other foreigners stop being GREEDY, IGNORANT and GULLIBLE and if the CIA, FBI and INTERPOL can do their work accordingly.”

Ethan Zuckerman’s My Heart is in Accra - My Hearts in Accra (http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=312) points to an article in the New York Times that updates an old story - attempts to re-brand Ghana as a homeland for Africans enslaved and brought across the Atlantic to return home to. The issue of “homeland” for many old Diasporans is a highly problematic one. As Ethan points out, being labelled as “white” (“obruni”) when you are a white man is one thing but for Africans from the Diaspora it is confusing and disappointing.

“But it’s obviously very different to hear yourself called ‘obruni’ when you’re an African-American in Ghana. And it’s even harder to hear the message many of my African-American friends heard while visiting Ghana - that they were ‘lucky’ because they ‘got to live in America’. While this may be an astonishingly insensitive thing to say to people looking for their ancestry after being uprooted by one of the greatest crimes in history, it makes some sense when seen from the perspective of a young Ghanaian. Many Ghanaians are desperate to emigrate to the US or the UK - it’s hard to understand, from that perspective, why people ‘lucky’ enough to live in America would be looking back towards Africa.”

British/Ghanaian Artistic director of Institute of Contemporary Arts Ekow Eshun’s “Black Gold of the Sun” is an excellent example of “the tribulations” of “going back home”.

Rantings of a Sandmonkey - Rantings of a Sandmonkey (http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/01/egypt-to-deport-sudanese-...) presents a visual commentary on the killing and removal of Sudanese refugees from Cairo which mocks the reason given by the Egyptian government for their actions – the refugees were evicted, beaten and killed for “being too violent”.

Passion of the Present - Passion of the Present (http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2006/01/egypt_celebrate.html) also writes on the eviction and killings of Sudanese refugees noting that it is the 50th anniversary of Sudan’s independence from “Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule (January 1, 1956)”

“There is no reliable casualty report, in part because Egyptian security forces are not returning the dead to their families. But the Cairo representative of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has reported, on behalf of the SPLM Committee in Cairo, the results of a canvassing of area hospitals: 180 dead at Giza Hospital, 27 dead at Zeinhom Hospital, 35 dead at Manshiet Bakry Hospital, 23 dead at Kasr El Ein Hospital.”

Kenyan blogger, Gukira - Gukira (http://gukira.blogspot.com/2006/01/tribes-and-democracy.html) writes on “tribes, language and culture” and myths of the West, stating:

“I've never bought the myth that tribes should be renamed nations to satisfy some western acknowledgement that our traditional organizations were complex. And I've also never bought the idea that cultural and linguistic complexity should be sacrificed in the name of national unity, as though English and Swahili lack specific histories.”

The African Cup of Nations starts next month in Egypt. Black Looks - Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2006/01/happy_new_year_.html) looks at how the Africa cup impacts on European football as team managers look for creative ways to avoid allowing their African players to participate in the tournament.

“English and European football are happy to benefit from the talent of African footballers but are not prepared to pay the price - one month every two years. Admittedly the African Nations Cup comes at an awkward time for European football but this is something FIFA and CAF (Confédération Africaine de Football) need to address. Like the European and World Cup maybe the African Cup of Nations could be played over the summer but even then I predict there would be complaints from teams and players because neither accord African football with the same respect and consideration as European football.”

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]