Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from March, 2006
Ethiopia: World water Day
Concoction reminds us it is World Water Day. She focuses on the act of “fetching water” which is largely ignored….fetching water is not something men do unless they are alone.” At which point the man has daily incentives to pay a lobola to purchase his daughter as his lover, wife,...
Diaspora: Football wins
Ayaan Hirsi Ali blogs reports on a football match between gay men and muslims that took place in Amsterdam to mark the International Day Against Racism. The Muslim team won 4-0
Nigeria: Vagina Monologues
Ore's Notes writes about her visit to see the Vagina Monlogues in Lagos last Thursday… Ore is not so sure about the call to reclaim words like “the C-Word” as a means of removing power from the speaker of the word.
Kenya: Home again
Kenyan poet, Mshairi expresses her homesickness through a poem “Home (Again)” It is that time of the year for Africans in the Diaspora to begin to pine about warmer climates.
DRC: Saving UDPS
UDPS Liege publishes a reader's plea (FR) that Etienne Tshisekedi-led opposition party UDPS learn the art of political negotiation and to make concessions rather than maintain a purist principled stance on key issues.
DRC: “I Have a Dream”
Blogger Tony Katombe of Le Blog du Congolais publishes (FR) an eloquent email received from a Belgian reader who thanks him for shedding light on Belgium's past and present entanglements with the DRC. Katombe then embarks on his version of “I Have a Dream” in which through his blog he...
Ethiopia's bloggers remember their poet laureate
Memories of one man dominated the Ethiopian blogosphere over the past few weeks – the father of Ethiopian theatre and Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin. His death in late February went unnoticed by much of the international and African press outside Ethiopia. So it was largely down to the country's bloggers,...
DRC at a Boiling Point
Over at UDPS Liege, blogger J. Kayembe Tshipamba lists (FR) all the reasons why he believes the DRC is headed towards an era reminiscent of the Mobutu years: free speech issues as evidenced by the repressed March 10 opposition protest; the presence of Rwandan mercenaries; the parcelling of the DRC...
DRC: Street kids
Adventures of a Retired Armchair Traveller reports on street kids in Kinshasa and points to an article which writes that the children are…”being beaten, abused, starved, thrown out of their homes which brings all the hardships and dangers of living on the street, at least in part because fear of...
South Africa: Music
Rethabile writing on Mzansi Afrika discusses music and what it means for Africa and Africans. “Music, then, is serious matter in Africa. By extension, it is also serious matter to African-Americans, whose fore-parents brought it over as slaves, and maintained enough of it for future generations to “have it in...
Nigeria: Census
Nigeria's is presently in the midst of carrying out a census. Oro reports that by the end we should know “exactly how many Nigerians live in Nigeria — 120 million? 150 million? Less? More? And as soon as that census exercise is over, another census (that will seek to consider...
Nigeria: Splashing out
Naijablog has a couple of nights out and about in Nigeria at an Owambe party .…”(‘come and show’) party. A big society woman was ‘washing’ her new upscale housing estate in Maitama. The yearly rent is reputedly 90,000US per year (N13.5million). “
African women bloggers
AfroMusing posts on a radio interview by two African women bloggers – via Kenya Unlimited.
Kenya: African women
Afrikan Eye writes on the role of African women in civilisation….”I always cringe when people talk about African women's ‘traditional role in Africa’ when in actuality they are referring to a fairly recent period in time (namely the 1800s) when African women's roles had already been distorted. So…just to set...
Somaliland: Woman MP visits US
The Voice of Somaliland-Diaspora Ottawa reports on a visit to the US by the first elected woman MP in Somaliland, Honorable Ikran Haji Daud Warsame
Ethiopia: Fear grips the capital
Nazret.com writes that Ethiopians are grippped with fear – fear to speak and meet with each other…”A climate bordering on fear has taken hold of the Ethiopian capital as journalists, lawyers and politicians carefully measure their public remarks and contacts in the face of widespread arrests and prosecutions”
Kenya: Homosexuality is UnAfrican
Gukira writes a brilliant short piece entitled “Homosexuality is Un-African”………”Homosexuality, it is claimed, was introduced to Africa by the West. Others argue that homophobia, not homosexuality, was introduced to Africa. This dog-chase-tail debate privileges cultural origin as the primary source of legal authority: “as it was so it should be.”...
African women blogging this week
As usual, African women have been blogging about a variety issues. Black Looks has recorded a moving audio post honouring the brilliant African-American science fiction writer who recently passed away, Octavia E. Butler. Black Looks has also posted information regarding the The Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship which is aimed...
Voices from Zimbabwe and the Great Lakes
Zimbabwe: This is Zimbabwe celebrated their first annivesary Sunday. Ironically, the blog's birthday is clouded by the government's omnous intentions to fast track a bill will allow them to monitor people's online expression and activities. Are laws like these a threat to the writing of a blog like ours? Well,...
Nigeria: Oduduwa – Yoruba
In Odu to da Iwa, Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories introduces readers to Oduduwa..”Oduduwa is regarded as the progrenitor of the Yoruba race. In one of the stories of creation, Oduduwa is said to have descended from the heavens via a chain let down to Ile Ife, Odùduwà brought with him a chicken,...
Nigeria: Commonwealth Games
African Shirts posts on the progress of Nigeria's atheletes particiapating in the Commonwealth Games.…”I nominate Segun Moses Toriola for president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He's at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, representing Nigeria in table tennis, where he's defending the singles title he won in 2002″
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