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]