Dibussi Tande reviews the following blogs:

The Way I See It
Ethiopian Recycler
Mabi Fominyen
Epiphanies
Scribbles from the Den

The election of Barack Obama as US president is still one of the most discussed topics on the African blogosphere, although the giddy post-election euphoria is steadily giving way to more subdued analyses and observations.

argues that Obama’s victory is bittersweet for Nigeria and most of Africa:

“…while we rejoice that YES WE CAN, it is sad that apparently in Africa it seems that NO WE CANNOT, at least not yet. Not that we cannot, as such, but we won’t have the opportunity to, at least not likely in this generation. The seeds of today were planted years ago, probably in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Barack Obama was born in 1961… the modern period of the struggle for the political and social emancipation of the African-American, the anti-apartheid struggle and the political (not economic) independence of African nations. Clearly, Nigeria and much of Africa are NOT effectively planting seeds now for tomorrow…

As the ancient Chinese proverb says, ‘If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.’ Today, we must educate our people and leverage global tools such as Information Communication Technologies to foster the requisite education for all people at all levels regardless of background, age, sex, physical and mental characteristics, creed, tribe, religion, status, income or any other social divide. Today, our competition is no longer local but global, and our core limiting factors are ourselves, our education and the opportunities we create.”

Kamer Stories argues that the jubilation in Africa over Obama’s victory have been over the top and are out of sync with the realities on the continent:

“We have an ongoing war in Congo, I hardly see Africans saying anything about it, much less doing anything. Hunger and poverty is still a reality in many parts of our continent, and until that is greatly reduced, I do not see why we should be in such a celebratory mood. Let me come closer to home. In my country, we have a president who has been on the ‘throne’ since before I was born (and I am in my twenties) and all attempts till date to make him see the error of his ways have come to naught. How can we be celebrating in such a manner, when all this is happening in out own backyard? …

Many Cameroonians (my parents included) are over the moon even as I write; they are still in a state of limbo. I’m not sure when they’ll get out of it. When I asked them why they’ve taken this celebration to such a level (they’ve been celebrating for five days now to the exclusion of everything else, mind you), they retorted that ‘this should show Biya!’ Show Biya what? I asked. ‘He should follow America’s example and let him let a minority rule. It would show him that a minority can also rule in this country’. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Dr. Ethiopia praises the Bush Administration’s “tireless effort and initiatives in transforming Africa” and list’s President Bush’s achievements in Africa which he describes as the most impressive of any US administration:

“It is supremely hard to follow that. But most importantly you have delivered a great deal in Africa in your eight years as president of the U.S.
The challenges in Africa are clear, and president-elect Obama will have to meet this high expectation and deliver even further more. We all should be grateful for what Bush has done and accomplished in Africa, but we are also keenly aware that our better days are yet to come.
Obama’s time to walk-the-walk in, Darfur and all corners of Africa has arrived. The urgency of Africa’s pressing issues cannot wait another day, another hour or another minute.
Well done President Bush, and farewell sir. It is my hope that as a civilian you would carry on this vision of yours in Africa, and elsewhere.”

Angry African comments on the life and death of African music legend Miriam Makeba:

“Mama Africa never forgot about the fight for justice. Never. She didn’t die at home. She died in Castel Volturno in Italy, in the evening of 9 November 2008, of a heart attack, shortly after taking part in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a mafia-like organisation. Camorra finances itself through drug trafficking, extortion, protection and racketeering. It is the oldest organized criminal organization in Italy. Mama Africa… Mama World… Mama Ubuntu… No matter where you were, she was with you in your fight for justice, freedom, liberty and equality for all.
She died just after singing Pata Pata. She died on stage.
In the words of Mama Africa, “I will sing until the last day of my life.”
So she is gone. But live on. Always.
Viva Mama Africa! Viva! Long Live Miriam Makeba! Long Live!”

Elie Smith, the France-based blogger, writes about his recent trip to Sudan which changed some of his long-held assumptions about that country and its people:

“I considered Sudan… as an Arab state. For, the Western media do present Sudan as an Arab state and the crises in Darfur as a racial war. They present Sudan to be at best, a sort of Saudi Arabia or at worst, a kind of Afghanistan that doesn’t want to accept its name. But the Sudan that I saw for the first time on the 1st of November 2008 is not an Arab country, but a purely and proudly black African country proud of her multiple black African heritages. It is true that, in Northern Sudan, where Khartoum is located, the lingua franca is Arabic, but that doesn’t in any way mean that the Sudanese, be they from north, east and west and south, are not proud of the black African ancestry...

The western media made me think that the Sudanese were Arabs, which to me, meant White Arab from Saudi Arabia or northern Egypt. I discovered that the Sudanese were black and also discovered on Saturday November 2nd during the away finals of the 12th edition of the MTN CAF Champions League that the Sudanese were truly proud of their black African ancestry, even though a majority of them are practicing Muslims.”

Scribbles from the Den republishes an article from the Guardian newspaper which explains how the Obama campaign harnessed the power of the internet to create the powerful grassroots movement that propelled the democratic candidate into the White House:

“Obama's masterful leveraging of web 2.0 platforms marks a major e-ruption in electoral politics – in America and elsewhere - as campaigning shifts from old-style political machines, focused on charming those at the top of organisations, towards the horizontal dynamics of online social networks. The web, a perfect medium for genuine grassroots political movements, is transforming the power dynamics of politics. There are no barriers to entry on sites like Facebook and YouTube. Power is diffused towards the edges because everybody can participate. It's being used not only for vote-getting but - as the Obama campaign demonstrated - for grassroots fundraising too totalling more than $160m (£80m) from people who gave comparatively tiny amounts - $200 or less.”

* Dibussi Tande, a writer and activist from Cameroon, produces the blog Scribbles from the Den

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

Dibussi Tande reviews the following from the African blogoshphere:

Grandiose Parlor
Ayobami Ojebode
Chris Blattman’s Blog
The Road to the Horizon
Aloysius Agenda

Dibussi Tande reviews the following from the African blogoshphere.

Nigerian Curiosity
Hii Dunia
Vultures Dreaming
My African Father
Scribbles from the Den

Dibussi Tande reviews this weeks blogs, including

Moses Paul Sserwanga
Thinking Aloud
Blackman Time
Abesha Bunna Bet
Scribbles from the Den

Naama Chronicle

The Vigilante Journalist
http://www.vigilantejournalist.com/blog/
Mzati Nkolokosa
http://mzatinkolokosa.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-goes-back-to-lilongwe.html
Neba Fuh
http://sofawarrior.blog.com/3456392/
Constitutionally Speaking

The reaction of the African blogosphere to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by President Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai outlining a framework for talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis has ranged from guarded optimism to outright condemnation.

Dibussi Tande reviews:

Thinking Aloud

Daniel Molokele

Scarlett Lion

Which Way Nigeria

comments on the resignation of Kenyan Finance Minister, Amos Kimunya, following allegations of financial impropriety in the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi:

“… it is important to understand that history was made yesterday. Never in the history of the nation has parliament on its own volition or initiative caused the resignation of a cabinet minister in defiance of the executive… In the often quoted case of former Vice President and now deceased, Dr Josephat Karanja, the plot to censure him was hatched in State House as crafty former President Moi wanted to get rid of his VP without risking a fallout amongst the powerful Kikuyus whom Moi greatly feared throughout his reign. So he got some MP to move the motion in parliament and gave the necessary instructions through the house which was then a mere rubber stamp of the executive.

This was not the case this time. In fact, if truth be told, the house was packed yesterday because members were expecting fireworks. Kimunya’s hurried resignation just before parliament’s first session of the week in the afternoon was no coincidence. The timing speaks volumes and tells me that State house is getting a little anxious. And the main reason has more to do with the naming of certain names that State House does not want to see named in connection to the Grand Regency.

But Kenyans need to be even more vigilant now. Will we get to the bottom of the Grand Regency saga? That should be the top priority that we must pursue now with all diligence.

To answer that question, there is an ominous sign to look out for. That sign is who gets appointed to replace Kimunya... If the new Finance Minister is from the ODM arm of the Grand coalition government then Kenyans will need to head to the hills because that will be a ‘grand bribe’ to ‘maliza hio maneno ya Grand Regency’. We can breathe a wee bit easier if Kimunya’s replacement is from PNU.”

Expose Uganda Genocide
Reacting to praise heaped on Uganda’s national policy on the displaced by Mukirya Nyanduga, Commissioner for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa, Expose Uganda Genocide argues that the camps for IDPs in Uganda have caused more deaths than the LRA, and describes the Commissioner’s statement as “Aiding and Abetting Genocide” and “Distorting History of IDPs”:

“In a stunning pronouncement this week, a visiting diplomat has hailed the IDP policy created by government officials.

In reality, an extreme lack of water, sanitation and health care has cultivated disease epidemics, caused thousands of preventable deaths and produced thousands of highly malnourished children unable to enjoy their right to protection, health and education.

Conditions in these camps have caused the most deaths in the long-running civil war been the Ugandan Government and the Lord's Resistance Army.”

Palapala Magazine a recent addition to the African blogosphere, interviews Abidemi Olowonira, a Houston-based Nigerian visual artist, about the role of artists in reviving and preserving collective memory in Africa. According to Olowonira,

“Remembrance has always been a binding factor in African societies. A lot of Africans are named after their ancestors and events that occurred around the time the child was born. So, as the child grows, he or she becomes a walking reminder of a particular incident or a particular ancestor. In contrast to the West where everything is fast, Africa retains its past.

When you consider the trauma of slavery and colonialism on Africa it is very difficult for the African artist not to make remembrance an aspect of their work. Personally, even though I address 'in-the-moment' experiences, I still pull a lot of inspiration from my childhood experiences and my parents experiences, retained through stories. In fact, I also get inspiration from my grandmother's experiences. For instance, I use the 'bush lamp' in my paintings as a symbol from a parable my grandmother shared with me: ‘The person who turns on the light is a hero but the one who turns it off is the villain.’ At night in African markets, people use the 'bush lamp' to sell their wares. I think it is a way for us to retain our humanity in spite of our circumstances. Light becomes a significant symbol in our experience. When you see a bush lamp at night it symbolizes life, security and hope. So, if those lights are extinguished, they'll be chaos because that is the only way people can identify a path on which they can walk. I use light in my paintings to illustrate its importance in the African experience.”

[email protected] or comment online at www.pambazuka.org/

the blog of the Zimbabwe civic action support group publishes the complete text of the African National Congress’ statement on Zimbabwe which is radically different in content and tone from the official position of the South African government:

“While the ANC was sceptical of the feasibility of a run-off, we deferred to the judgement of the SADC leadership and that of the political parties in Zimbabwe and lent our support to the process. However, compelling evidence of violence, intimidation and outright terror; the studied harassment of the leadership of the MDC, including its Presidential candidate, by the security organs of the Zimbabwean government; the arrest and detention of the Secretary-General of the MDC; the banning of MDC public meetings; and denial of access to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, all have convinced us that free and fair elections are not possible in the political environment prevalent in Zimbabwe today
…
The ugly incidents and scenes that have been visited on the people of Zimbabwe persuade us that a run-off Presidential election offers no solution to Zimbabwe’s crisis. In a society that is already highly polarised, a run-off election will only serve to widen the divisions. The very legitimacy of the run-off has already been severely compromised by the actions of both ZANU (PF) militants and those of state officials who do not even conceal their partiality in favour of the governing party.
…
We wish the MDC, ZANU (PF) and all the other parties in Zimbabwe the moral courage, strength and determination to urgently seek a viable solution to the profound problems facing their country.

GEF’s Outlook reports on a recent incident off the coast of Cameroon where local fishermen attacked a Chinese fishing trawler, rough-handled its Chinese occupants, and then made away with about five tons of fish:

“…this event may once again raise questions about Chinese motivation to be friendly with the continent. Analysts say that the new giant Chinese economy needs oil to tick; about 25-30 percent of China’s oil imports are from Africa.

Others also say the Chinese influx is also due to its willingness to trade without asking about people’s democratic and human rights conditions. In addition to that, they are ready to act quickly in areas of direct human interest. Instead of withholding help on the pretext of waiting for governments to come up with Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers while thousands of women are dying during childbirth, China is direct. They build the hospitals for 10 times less, if not for free. Cameroon has tasted of such Chinese largesse.

However, some questions have been troubling Cameroonian if not African thoughts: Is it in exchange of such largesse that Chinese citizens are flooding African countries en masse? Do these acts of goodwill explain why Chinese businessmen are left to do as they please in African countries? The fishermen in the [Cameroon] story seem to think that there is some connivance between authorities and the Chinese industrial fishing companies that are practically sending them out of business.”

Icheoku profiles some of the most notable political murders in Nigeria that have either not been solved or whose perpetrators are walking around free:

“Take it or leave it, until these most heinous political assassinations and murders of the century which took place in Nigeria are finally brought to a conclusive end, there will never be a real peace in that country. All the Truth and Reconciliation Commission notwithstanding! …

Over the years, several personalities have been killed by the powers that be in Nigeria and all the world is told is that their death is a mystery or that armed bandits struck. Among these notable personalities that fell victim to these political assassinations and state-sponsored murders were Dele Giwa, Pa Rewane, Ken Saro Wiwa, Bola Ige, Barnabas Igwe, Harry Marshall, Dikkibo and Funsho Williams to just name a few. To date no one directly responsible or implicated in these criminalities has been brought to book. The reason is not for lack of suspects but that these prospective suspects are deemed untouchables because they are part of the powers that be that have run Nigeria aground and for so long. Nigerians have been silent for so long! Enough is enough and let the shouting begin!”

Clive Simpkins
Reflecting on recent events in Africa such as the attack on African immigrants in South Africa or the state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe, South African blogger Clive Simpkins argues that the much-vaunted African community spirit might be more of a myth than reality:

“I'm not going to suggest Eurocentric perspectives or solutions to these various scenarios. Rather, I observe with mounting dread, that they're symptomatic of the final death-throes of the once much-vaunted African Humanism, or Ubuntu. Many of the born frees (born post 1994) don't even know what Ubuntu means. Recent surveys indicate they don’t tolerate well, people outside of their own social or other ‘groups’. They're thoroughly entrenched in the conspicuous consumption trap of I, Me and Mine (IMM as I call it). It's all about their latest bling and baubles. They can perhaps be excused, or forgiven for their cultural disenfranchisement.

But for older black South African people, I'm beginning to think that what really prevailed was the dictum of 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'. People were superficially united in their resistance to the common foe of Apartheid. With that tenuous thread gone, what we're seeing is actuality. A complete abandonment of any pretense at being our brother's keeper. Instead we persecute the brother (and sister) and cast him or her out.”

Ghana Blogs
Writing on Ghana Blogs, Michael Akenoo bemoans the unfulfilled potential of the Kente textile industry in Ghana:

“It is unfortunate however, to note that Ghana has never taken into consideration the great economic potential that the Kente industry has for Ghana. The Kente industry has been neglected and not given the necessary attention and development as it deserves to the detriment of the country. Thus, Ghana is losing heavily in terms of her economic potential in the textile industry on the world market today.

It is also unfortunate to note that many Ghanaians have developed a strong taste for wearing European clothes at work places, offices, churches, social gatherings, state functions etc. at the expense of Ghanaian clothing such as the Kente cloth, smock etc.

Opinion leaders and influential Ghanaians, who are in positions to advance the cause of the Kente industry, have failed to do so because they are somehow affected by the European cultural influence by the way they eat, dress and project themselves generally. For instance, one can often see Ghanaian lawyers, doctors, academicians etc. dressed in suit and tie to work, church, parties etc and occasionally putting on the Kente cloth, smock etc. as a way of projecting the Ghanaian culture.”

[email protected] or comment online at www.pambazuka.org/