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African Refugees - (http://africanrefugees.blogspot.com/2005/10/taste-of-west-africa.html) reports that West African and Sudanese refugees are making their presence felt in the southern Australian city of Prospect. People from Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo took part in a “Taste of Africa” festival of music, an exhibition of arts and crafts and a fashion show and of course food. Sounds much like London in the early 1980s at the height of “multiculturalism”!

Egyptian Person - Egyptian Person (http://egyptianperson.blogspot.com/2005/10/my-opinion-regarding-moharam-...) discusses the aftermath of a play in Alexandria that caused rioting amongst the Muslim population. Some people were killed and many injured outside the church where the play took place as people demanded that the church be burnt down. EP describes the mentality of the people calling for the church to be burned down as the same as those that demand the killing of someone who chooses to convert to another religion. She goes on to say:

“(It is) the same mentality that sentenced Salman Rushdy to death because of his book "Satanic Verses", and the same mentality that moves a terrorist. A complex of long-term brainwashing, ignorance, hate, suppression, and an inability to accept the "other". Religion in the Middle East is indeed a perfect tool to control the masses.”

Tunisian blogger – jrayda diaries - jrayda diaries (http://jrayda.blogspot.com/2005/10/ce-nest-pas-de-la-politique.html) has an excellent post entitled “Its Not Politics” (in French) where he questions the debate on Muslim women wearing the veil in so called democracies that claim to uphold freedom of speech and human rights. He raises a number of important questions such as “are there two different freedoms, one the choice to wear jeans and another the choice to wear the veil”? What about the freedom to exercise your religion or freedom to choose what you wear? Why shouldn’t Muslim women wear the veil? Catholic nuns do! What is it that enrages people so much about Muslim women wearing the veil? He describes the reaction of the West to the veil as “a nuclear reaction that risks to explode the planet”. Following on from Muslim women and the veil, he asks why is it that Muslim men are expected to shave their beards whilst orthodox Jews are able to keep theirs? The same applies to Muslim dress – why does it cause such a negative reaction yet people do not react to Jewish attire or Buddhists or any other religious attire? He concludes sarcastically that no it is not politics!

Digital Africa – Digital Africa (http://digitalafrica.blogspot.com/2005/11/congratulations-anna-and-all-o...) ask us to join in the one year birthday celebrations of Open Café – who have spent one year of building open source communities in Africa.

Kenyan Pundit - Kenyan Pundit (http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=57)
posts Part V of the “Constitutional Referendum” – Devolution in which she shares her notes from a workshop on the constitution. From what I have read in the Kenyan blogosphere, the constitution makes for difficult reading. Her summary on devolution:

“There will be devolved government with one level of devolution (districts). There is no Senate, but a National Forum for District Government whose utility is questionable. Government can suspend district government.”

As the price of oil rises there is a need to find viable energy alternatives. Timbuktu Chronicles - Timbuktu Chronicles (http://timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com/2005/10/palm-oil-biofuel.html) reports on new research which “suggests that Biofuels derived from locally available Palm Oil are a viable option. Vegetable oil is one of the alternatives which can be used as fuel in automotive engines either in the form of straight vegetable oil, or in the form of ethyl or methyl ester...".

Friends of Ethiopia - Friends of Ethiopia (http://friendsofethiopia.blogspot.com/2005/11/eight-die-in-clashes-with-...) reports on Tuesdays clashes between riot police and opposition supporters in Addis Ababa which resulted in the death of at least 5 people and injured many others. The riots followed the arrest of 30 taxi drivers who participated in demonstrations against the government and claimed the elections were rigged.

Black Looks – Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2005/11/in_1975_freedom.html) returns to Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence by looking at the variety of literature on the contribution of women to that struggle. The poems and writings of Freedom Nyamubaya alongside testimonies of mothers and short stories by Zimbabwean writers.

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