February 5, 2012

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A Taste of African Bloggers

February 3, 2012 By 4 Comments
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Recently, one of our readers indicated that he’d like to see more blogs by Africans in Africa about their daily lives in their own countries–something different from what is already in the news media. I immediately got to thinking about some bloggers that I personally follow and I also scoured the web to find some more for this list.

1. Bankele:
A blogger who lives in Kenya and writes mostly about banking, finance, technology and investments in the country. From time to time he has guest posts, mostly on travel around the continent, as well as personal posts about life in Kenya, mostly in the city of Nairobi.

2. Bikozulu
Another Kenyan writer who has a way with words and tells riveting stories. “About people” and “things that define people.” You will love it.

3. Wamathai
A multi-author blog in Kenya dedicated to original poems, short stories and all things art in Kenya. As a bonus, there is a list of blogs Wamathai likes.

James Wamathai

4. The Days of a Lifer
A blog by a Zambian in Lusaka, who seeks to document recent history in his country by writing about his own life experiences, or stories he has heard first-hand.

5. Other Things Amanzi
A South African surgeon “working in the notorious… province of Mpumalanga” blogs here. I suppose you’ll have to read his blog to find out why Mpumalanga is notorious. Like all doctors I know who are also storytellers, Bongi is a fine griot.

6. Ndagha
He comes to us from Malawi, with tales of his everyday life as a “the boss of an institution.” Change to the Timeslide view if you want to read his stories in chronological order.

7. Ghana Rising
Exists to celebrate “all the yummy goodness of Ghana: its people, its culture and its [far reaching] influences.” Enjoy!

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Filed Under: African Authors, African Nations, African People, Latest, Minda Magero, Out of Africa Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

It’s Time African Union Turned its Attention to Something Worthwhile

February 1, 2012 By 1 Comment
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African Union have been meeting for the first time since the death of its former leader and financial backer in chief, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi last October. The issue of future funding for the organisation may yet be on the agenda even though the proceedings have been dominated by leadership elections.

Emblem of the African Union

Image via Wikipedia

Whatever is on the agenda, it is unlikely many Africans, let alone the international community really expect much from an organisation that has always shown its weakness at crucial moments, the Libyan case being the most recent example.

Yet 2012 could prove to be one of the most crucial and challenging year for the continental body. 25 of the continent’s 54 (UN figure) nations will be holding elections of some sort, from presidential, parliamentary to local and provincial. 5 of these elections will be crucial presidential contests in Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

Trouble has been reported in Senegal ahead of February’s presidential elections. People are opposing the decision by the country’s courts to allow the 85 years old incumbent President, Abdoulaye Wade to stand for a third term, which is against the constitution that Wade himself apparently amended in the early 2000s to restrict presidents to only two terms in office. Things could get worse before the elections, and AU may have to intervene at some point.

Madagascar is already a troubled spot; José Eduardo dos Santos in Angola has been facing protests from the country’s youth frustrated by lack of opportunities and unfair distribution of oil wealth. Previous elections in Zimbabwe and Kenya that produced “no winners” and ended up “governments of national unity”, suggest fragile and nervy electoral period ahead.

“Governments of national unity” may have somewhat steadied Zimbabwe and Kenya but the truth remains that these governments are a fiasco. Why give up when you can negotiate for “government of national unity”? It is these governments that gave former Cote d’Ivoire’s President, Lauren Gbagbo an incentive to cling on to power after a lost election in November of 2010. After AU’s envoy and “government of national unity” broker in chief Thobo Mbeki failed to negotiate for one in Cote d’Ivoire, unrest broke and hundreds of innocent people lost their lives and property. Some are displaced, yet to return to their homes.

Of course AU has no mandate to decide winning candidates anywhere but these events suggests that the organisation need a strict code of ethics that will force presidents to respect their constitutions; no third terms where a constitution restricts a president to two terms; presidents must relinquish power once they have lost elections.

After Zimbabwe, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire, why is there still no policy towards this goal? What would happen if Robert Mugabe loses election and refuse to go, again? Another “government of national unity”? Has the organisation learn any lessons? Or is it that our leaders are reluctant to bring strict rules in case they are trapped themselves? It is time AU turned its attention to something worthwhile and perhaps justifying its continued existence.

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Filed Under: African Development, African Nations, African Politics, Jimmy Kainja, Latest Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sisterhood Of The Travelling Kabudula: Malawian Women’s Pant Revolt

January 27, 2012 By 6 Comments
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Logo of the Sisterhood network

Image via Wikipedia

It seems like there have been lingering gusts of wind from the “Arab Spring” in sub Saharan Africa. When Malawian women recently took the streets to defend their right to wear pants, miniskirts and short dresses, they were exercising their rights to be liberated from the shackles of Malawian patriarchy. It seemed inconceivable that almost 18 years after being legally allowed to wear what they wanted; a small section of Malawian men (reportedly street vendors) wanted to take Malawian women back. Malawian women were not allowed to wear pants or miniskirts until 1994 after the late dictator Kamuzu Banda stepped down from the Presidency in part due to the resistance of brave Malawian women. In the recent attacks by a few male dissidents, the perpetrators argued, in an odd, misplaced and criminal display of nationalism, that the way in which Malawian women were dressing in contemporary times was contradictory to traditional Malawian culture. Due to this claim, it is important that one dissects what this Malawian culture is that exists in the mind of a few: should practicing “our culture” mean adhering to the whims, tastes, and preference of a former dictator? Perhaps, it means adherence to colonial culture? Or maybe it means adherence to a traditional culture? What is problematic about making claims about traditional culture is that like all culture, it too evolves over time.

What is problematic for me is this imagined idea of “Malawian culture” comes to play when it is convenient for a few. It is important to note that traditional Malawian attire is anything but conservative, and exposes much more then what many ordinary Malawian women are wearing in the street. It was also interesting to note that the photos that were attached to some of the reports about this story featured exaggerated photographs of women with thongs hanging out, women with their derrieres on display, and women in clothing that can be considered inflammatory. Such type of journalism needs to be addressed because it is not reflective of that was occurring on the streets. It is also a part of the problem. The women being attacked were wearing what one would consider ‘proper’ attire in Malawi – some heading to or from regular 9-5 office work. Even if this was not the case, this is where a chance to sensitize the public on democracy can be taken. It needs to be drummed in that no one has the right to infringe on another person’s rights – also that this was a clear cut act of violence not an act of “cultural preservation”. If by “culture” they meant traditional clothing it is a mute point. If by “culture” they meant oppressing women, then there is room for debate. Although important to note that in traditional African culture, the relationship between men and women was more egalitarian. One would need to debate over whether their response, undressing young girls and women in pants are part of what they are referring to as indigenous Malawian “culture”. It become necessary in cases like this to really ‘return’ to our roots and understand our own cultures before using culture as a weapon to oppress fellow citizens along gender lines.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (film)

Image via Wikipedia : Sisterhood of the travelling pants movie poster

It is important for me to note though that there seemed to be support from Malawian males over these issue that saw the attacks on their mother, sisters, and daughters as problematic. This is not the society that they want to live in. It is also not the society that Malawian women want to live in, which is why they protested. Malawian women decided not to sit down and take this violence quietly. They exercised their voice particularly when it was clear that the elected leadership in Malawi was slow to respond. One would expect such blatant displaced victimization of women to be addressed at its infant stages and not a few days later. It was very problematic that response was slow from the higher offices of the land after one too many women were attacked and after it was clear that both men and females denounced these acts. The significance of the women’s recent protests cannot be understated. The fact that Malawian women joined together in sisterhood to defend their rights, speaks volumes for what they are willing to live with. They continued to wear pants to work in protest! Others threatened to go nude! As one sympathizer that wore pants to work for the next few days noted on facebook, this was the ‘sisterhood of the travelling pants’. Malawian clearly realized their economic power, calling for a boycott of purchasing goods from vendors and demanding the government take action. After the women in Malawi spoke up, it was clear that the state was going to have to act, and that they were going to have to choose a side. The state chose to defend the rights that Malawian women fought for over 18 years ago, when they fought to rid themselves of the oppressive colonial government, an oppressive dictator, and most recently, an oppressive male street vendor.

Kabudula in Chichewa means ‘shorts’, ‘short pants’, or ‘underwear’

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Filed Under: African Culture, Latest, Out of Africa, Sitinga Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The African vs critical thinking

January 25, 2012 By 5 Comments
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What is critical thinking? From Wikipedia its the process of thinking that questions assumptions.

Growing up in a tradition African setting most of the time you were never allowed to question from beliefs to traditions to culture.However when i joined university ,i was given the opportunity to question and share my opinion that i was afraid to do in my childhood.This gave the guts to not give into blind faith that tends to surround me when i’m at home.

Recently an aunt of mine purchased something known as the ‘bio disc’ in hopes to improve her health and “earn cash” .Apparently this ‘bio disc’  is a natural energy generating device,all you need to do is rinse all the water you drinking through it and also wear it 24/7,and the best part is you only need to purchase only one for the rest of your life.This ‘bio disc’ costs about 500 dollars.My aunt tried to convince me to purchase one to better my health. However this ‘bio disc’  sounded dodgy to me so i turned down the offer but my aunt was insistent and convinced me to attend one of their training or meetings(still not sure what it is).

Salesman

Image via Wikipedia

The meetings are held in a fancy hotel where a very convincing salesman/woman gives a demo of how the ‘bio disc’ works and shows a cheesy video of how to secure your finical future through the “bio disc’.The salesman starts by telling you his own personal life story of how this opportunity came to them when he/she had a mid life crisis and the miraculous made a tonne of money by joining the program .The salesman goes ahead to show a binary tree of how your investment of 500 dollars will miraculous multiply if you get all your family members and friends to buy this ‘bio disc’.Besides ‘bio disc’, on sale was ‘holiday packages “worth 15000 dollars and also precious stones worth 10,000 dollars or more.At the end of the meeting the salesman asked who not like to be part of this dream,I raised up my hand.The salesman went ahead to say I was a fool looking at gold.

On the drive back home with my aunt,I explained why i couldnt be part of scheme like that.One,the demo was ridiculous,placing the disc made you apparently stronger in a second or less. Two the bio disc costs 500 dollars!! Three,this binary tree turns to be a pyramid scheme which is illegal and a form of a ponzi scheme .Four ,the creator of the bio disc has no scientific research published and the scientific community hasn’t embraced it at all!! I could sense my aunt getting very uncomfortable as a 20 something was speaking to an elder of over 50 .She asked where i got all my information from and the answer was “google”.

Overall this scheme pissed me off as the people being taken advantage of were very poor people who used their savings and think they are making an investment,This is an example of blind faith that most times associated with Africans.

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Filed Under: African Culture, Latest, LYNN ASIIMWE, Out of Africa Tagged With: , , ,

Space has been conquered, what about child hunger?

January 23, 2012 By 3 Comments
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A picture of a starving child being stalked by a vulture made headline news all over the world in the early 90s. I couldn’t have been old enough to know how to cross a busy street let alone solve simple maths problems like 5 minus 8, probably responding “it can’t,” along with a puzzled facial expression. The picture showed a starving Sudanese girl who had just collapsed on her way to a United Nations feeding station. she could hardly move or make a sound. She was that hungry. She had lost control of the use of her limbs and voice, her brain most likely shutting down and her spirit completely broken. She could have been just as old as I was then, and yet, she wasn’t grappling with simple childish things like math and street crossing problems. Rather, life and death at the hands of starvation.

Pulitzer prize winning photo by Kevin Carter showing a starving Sudanese child being stalked by a patient vulture.

I have only recently come across this picture through the Bang Bang club a partial dramatisation of this event and the life of the photographer Kevin carter who took the picture. What a sad sight. And yet despite almost 2 decades having gone by since the picture was taken, UNICEF reports that 17000 children die daily from hunger and related illnesses (1 child every 5 seconds!), this picture still holds meaning to this day.

 

While it is hard to look at the picture without trying to moralise, that debate has since run its course but the timeless message in the picture remains. To me the message is simply, something isn’t right. If we can allow little kids to starve to death or even go through life without enough to eat, something just isn’t right. In this age of amazing developments, where we have come from smoke signals to video chatting, hunting and gathering to genetically modified food, how can we still be unable to feed everyone on the planet? Let alone helpless children. ” We” were able to put a man on the moon over 4 decades ago but to this day “we” cant put 3 meals a day in every child’s plate. That can’t be right.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6a09JvH4Vc

Is it not the role of every member of society and the whole world to ensure that children are protected and assisted to reach their greatest potential? Well, it should be. Clearly we are not doing what we should be. Could this be because we simply do not care? Have we gotten so carried away in our own luxuries to appreciate the suffering of other people? Yes, challenges exit in the world and particularly Africa which make efforts to feed all people very difficult. Amid all the wars, civil unrest, and political instabilities the starvation of children and young people is still inexcusable. We shouldn’t expect to overcome most social ills on this continent if the young members of our society are hungry. A hungry child cannot learn or do anything productive and is prone to violence. What more, their master becomes whoever offers them food. Imagine what other social ills can come from that.

 

By saying “feed the hungry”, the world does not ask for a man to be landed on another planet, far from it. Simply that the world cares enough to take the necessary steps to make food available to all people on earth especially the vulnerable and helpless children. It is not easy, thats a given. But genuine concerted efforts to that end are a good start.

 

If we think always with our minds and never with our hearts, we will lose our humanity.

 

 

 

I came across this anti-hunger campaigns which i think is quite catchy. The I billion hungry movement: I am MAD as hell! Sounds very convincing when you listen to Jeremy Irons say it on this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l57fmIup9Q

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: African Development, Latest, NkulumoZ Tagged With: , , , , , ,

moWoza-Mobile running for migrants

January 21, 2012 By
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“moWoza”, a startup founded by South African Suzana Moreira, draws inspiration from Ceuta, North Africa, where one can witness the hardships of the ladies who carry goods from Ceuta to Morocco. They are referred to as the ‘Ceuta Mules’ because they carry up to 80kg of goods on their back. They can’t stand upright from the weight; some manage a few journeys but risk permanent damage to their frames.

While the problem of women hauling such large loads may be less common across other African regions, the issue of accessing products, especially staple food and hygienic products remains. Most commerce in Africa happens on the secondary market and customers are subject to many exploitative practices that now are present in the entire value chain.

Generally, transport providers’ primary customers are migrant workers who struggle to get goods to their families many countries away. However, the actual delivery of goods is not guaranteed because of the conditions of the roads, crime and corruption at border crossings. And sending Western Union or other remittance is of no use as these are expensive and lots of Africans in rural areas do not have the relevant documentation.

moWoza has recently asked for our support to have them selected to a program for entrepreneurs called the Unreasonable Institute Marketplace. The Institute requires people around the world to vote with their blogs and their wallets for the social startup they want funded. No matter how crazy this process is, you should check out moWoza if you are as interested in how technology can tackle development issues.

The company delivers goods with an end-to-end tracked service that alerts both sender and beneficiary of where the parcels are (via SMS alerts) and when they can be picked up from the closest designated location, usually a village shop. If the teams succeed in raising $10,000 in a week, they are called Unreasonable Fellows; and that might be well deserved. The Fellows will have access to leading business advice and further financing.

Related link: https://marketplace.unreasonableinstitute.org/project/mowoza/

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Filed Under: African Development, Latest, Out of Africa Tagged With: , , , , , ,

My wish for 2012

January 11, 2012 By
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My year has been off to a flying start. I got the biggest surprise on Monday morning when Ida pointed out that I, along with my wonderful colleagues made it onto the Birds on the Blog list of 101 wonderful women of 2012. This was the biggest surprise ever and I would once again like to thank the Birds for this honour. And it was a big big deal too. The list contains the likes of Forbes number 1 most influential woman in social media.

I have high hopes for so many things. I wish to see Africa On The B

English: A USSR stamp, 70th Birth Anniversary ...

Image via Wikipedia

log grow and thrive and perhaps make it onto the list Eliza shared. I hope to take my first step towards making an impact in my local community in Ghana. In fact I would like to reach out to young children to aspire to be great and aim to do well in their education. Knowledge is power. I hope to raise money for charity amongst other things.

The list goes on and on but there are only 2 resolutions I have made for myself this year. The first is that I want to be present for the loves of my life. I want to really be all there and watch my 2 year old grow, play with her and not be too preoccupied by what I am making for dinner, my next blog post, my work or my studies. What a handful!

The second is simple: finish off what I have started. I need to complete one personal project before moving on to the next one.

Start setting your hopes in motion today dear friends! You know, when I first started blogging, I thought, “yeah right! Who am I that I should scribe out my thoughts?” Confidence boosting experiences like the birds publication reminds me of the following quote by Marianne Williamson, often credited to Nelson Mandela.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Who are we not to shine dear friends? I now get friends asking me for recipes and they in turn create even more wonderful dishes than I could have imagined. I also have friends tell me that I have inspired them to be healthy.

What would you like to do this year? I wish you all the best for your 2012 aspirations no matter what they be.

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Filed Under: African People, Emang, Latest, Out of Africa Tagged With: , , , ,

Mami Wata

January 9, 2012 By
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“Go to sleep or Mami Wata will come get you”! They’d say. “Whatever”! I would respond still shutting my eyes really tight in bed and praying silently for God not to let her take me away. To me Mami Wata was always this evil spirit who would come and snatch me up if I did something wrong or stayed by the water past dark. At least this was what adults and even other children said to scare me. And I can’t lie, it worked! I was mostly afraid of the mystery surrounding this figure, the fear of the unknown I guess. In the past I was too afraid to find out what Mami Wata actually was. Now I figured it was time to put my fears aside (don’t judge me) and delve into the story of this mysterious supernatural character once and for all. This could result in one of 2 things: either it would alleviate my fears by shedding light into what this thing really is OR I could continue switching off the lights in a hurry before bedtime, sprinting to my bed and curling my feet under the covers leaving nothing for any unwelcome monster to desire…here it goes…

photo from crazysecondlife.blogspot.com

It was interesting to learn that this spirit is not only known in Africa but in other countries in the Caribbean and in South America as well. Just as her name and story changes in each county, so does her image. For some she has straight long hair, and for others it is kinky. Either way, most would agree that she is an African beauty. For some she resembles a mermaid and to others, she simply appears as a beautiful woman. In some instances she may even appear as a man! (Now that is something I did not know!). One article states that:  “Mami Wata is described as having long dark hair, very fair skin and compelling eyes. Although she may appear to her devotees (in dreams and visions) as a beautiful mermaid, complete with tail, she is also said to walk the streets of modern African cities in the guise of a gorgeous but elusive woman. Nonetheless, the spirit appears to be related to other water spirits (known in Igbo, a language of southeastern Nigeria, as ndi mmili) who have a much longer history on the continent.”

“Beautiful and seductive, protective yet dangerous, Mami Wata is celebrated throughout much of Africa and the African Atlantic world. Often portrayed as a mermaid, a snake charmer, or a combination of both, she and a “school” of related African water spirits all honor the essential, sacred nature of water” (more here).

An article shares the story of some of the tales pertaining to this spirit. The first tale has it that Mami Wata would abduct people while they were on their boats or having a swim. She’d then take them to her world under the sea or to the spirit world. If she chose to let them return to the real world, they would come back with more wealth, look more attractive and have a better understanding of the world they live in.

Another story told is that when travelers would come by the river, Mami Wata would be staring at herself in the mirror, doing her hair and making herself look pretty. When the traveler noticed her, she would flee and return to the water leaving her possessions behind. Now if the traveler took her belongings she would come to him in a dream and ask for them back. If he agreed, she would make him promise to be faithful to her. If he agreed to that as well, he was granted luck. In the opposite case, ill fortune was brought down upon him.

Another article I found states that: “Mami Wata’s colors are red and white. Those she afflicts with visions and temptations, and who experience her as an obsession or an illness, may wear the red of sickness and dangerous heat. Others who have a more positive orientation towards the spirit may show their blessings by wearing white. Most devotees wear a combination of red and white clothing. Mami Wata is also said to have a number of avatars on earth–mortal women who have the same look as the deity and who act as her “daughters.” Mami Wata may give wealth to her devotees, her “daughters” or to her (male) spouses, but she is never known to give fertility. Some Igbo stories suggest that the fish under the waters are her children, and that she uses them as firewood”.

Followers normally worship this spirit with dancing and music as they go into a trance. Mami Wata then enters their body and speaks to them. It’s interesting to see how in some cultures she is seen as a positive figure and in others like for the Cameroonians, she is blamed for misfortunes such as her causing the strong undertow that kills many swimmers each year along the coast. In Nigeria, for example, she takes the blame for everything from headaches to sterility. In other countries like In Trinidad and Tobago, “Maman Dlo” plays the role of guardian of nature, punishing hunters or woodcutters.

As for her origins, some scholars state that her persona developed between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries, the era of growing trade between Africa and the rest of the world. Her name in pidgin English translates to “Mother Water” . The mermaid image may have come into being after contact with Europeans. The ships of traders and slavers often had carvings of mermaid figures on their prows, for example, and tales of mermaids were popular among sailors of the time.

Today, Mami Wata is a popular subject in not only the arts world, we’ve also heard songs about her, read books and poems about her, and a number of Africanist art historians have written about her as well. Here is one of the songs about Mami Wata that I used to hear around when I was growing up.

So now that I have learned more about this spirit, I can safely say that I WILL be sleeping with the lights on tonight ;) . What is Mami Wata like in your culture? Is there anything similar to her?

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Filed Under: African Poetry, Latest, Out of Africa, Saran Kaba Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Happy New Year- from all of us

January 7, 2012 By
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Happy New Year to you our dear readers!

 

What a great start to the year! some of our African female bloggers made it onto  the Birds on th

Rhino wading through yellow flowers

e Blog wonderful women bloggers list - http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/women-bloggers-for-2012/

We would like to develop this idea right here on Africa on the Blog. Would you like to see something like that on Africa on the blog? A post where we list the best 100 African centric blogs?  If so let me know as we can raise everyone’s profile with something like this.

We would love to share some community posts with our readers.

Can you send us 300 words about what you love about Africa?

Africa in 2011 – did we make progress? come and leave a comment here

http://www.africaontheblog.com/a-look-back-at-africa-in-2011/

We’d also like to build a resource of African recipes, so if you have some of those please send them in. The recipes on the site get a huge amount of traffic so you would get a lot of exposure by sharing a great recipe.

And finally… have a great new year.

From all us at  Africa on the Blog

 

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Filed Under: AFRICAN DIASPORA, Latest, Out of Africa Tagged With: , ,

The Social Media Threat: Myth or Revolution

January 5, 2012 By
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Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front

Image via Wikipedia

Zimbabwe has a poor record for press freedom and transparency. The suppression of the private press by the former ruling party is well chronicled, yet freedom of expression is so fundamental to the constitution. Somehow the more open and technologically advanced media, such as the internet, or more specifically social media, has evaded the thinking of crinkly, party political, old salts (or the ‘chefs’ as we know them) who seem to call the shots. That is, until now.

If the former ruling party had its way, social media subscription and usage would be purged. It is a case of ‘if it’s not for the party, it is forbidden’. The people would not be able to express themselves, as the constitution allows, freely and without fear or prejudice. This would be a grand strike against mythical neo-colonialism and century old imperialism, which still pump up the political vocabulary! The people should, of course, be free to uphold their opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Well not quite.

You see, there is a little caveat in the constitution which provides for legitimate suppression of this freedom where free speech may interfere with the interests of say defence, public safety, public order, the economic interests of the State, public morality or public health. That just about covers everything any would be activist might wish to touch upon. It is a broad enough caveat, with all those old imperialists hiding behind the chivuru (ant hills), for any would-be law-enforcer to stifle the thoughts and expressions of any activist!

Despite this, and at its recently held party congress in Bulawayo, ZANU(PF), which still assumes to be the absolute ruling party and sole legislator, resolved to ‘crack down’ on social media. For such a ‘crack down’ to happen this would mean the purging of to the entire internet or at very least a few of its activist users, perhaps by mean of incarceration. People would be prevented from blogging, tweeting or sharing their thoughts on social media platforms. It certainly seems like the ‘liberation party’ is fearful of democracy being liberated.

Contrary to this archaic, autocratic thinking, the party’s own, more youthful perhaps, science and technology department are proposing the increase usage of social media for canvassing Zimbabwe’s youth. The party’s existing methods of communication are no longer vogue and in line with modern trends, so they argue. Clearly the old school and the Young Turks have different ideas and the former are certainly not being courted by anything which smacks of any popular freedoms, especially those of expression.

Zimbabwe’s youth is well educated. They must surely see through such resolute, antiquated thinking coming from the party’s senior citizens. One wonders, in fact, how this archosauric party manages to pull the wool over the eyes of its apparently sharp party youth. Surely they must realise how their freedoms have been eroded during past decades, how the economy has declined to their prejudice, not to mention that tiny circle to which party patronage is solely devoted, again to their detriment. What is in it for these clearly gullible youths? Take away their social media and the party can kiss goodbye to the social media savvy vote.

Social media in Zimbabwe has exploded. Government has facilitated this before lamely realising its potential as a weapon of democracy. The mobile networks are advancing their technology from the simple ‘speak and messaging’ era. Now, the ‘browse and social network’ epoch, the technology of tomorrow, is being released and utilised from mobile phones. Per capita usage of mobile phones has reached a staggering 15-20% – (53 per 1000 in 2005) and, as well can be imagined, a huge portion of this is in the hands of the youth.

The septuagenarian leadership is, apparently, ever fearful of a revolution on its doors steps being generated by social media, much like that which happened in North Africa. One has to question why they should be so troubled, especially when social media generates fodder for intelligence eaves dropping. It is a valuable resource. By all their accounts, the ‘liberation’ party is so manifestly popular with the people and, given the chance, ‘the’ party would sweep the polls and resume its absolute power and control… so they say and yet still may.

So why would a happy and content, party partisan, population ever consider fomenting violent insurrection on the platform of social media? Surely that eventuality is as ludicrous as the proposed ‘crack down’, or is there something these awful politicians have to fear; may perchance lose; or are perhaps hiding from their incredibly, so it would seem, loyal subjects? Are there grounds for people to agitate and revolt and is the undercurrent so thick and strong now that this has our leaders trembling in their boots before the first stones are thrown?

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Filed Under: African Politics, Andrew Field, Latest, Out of Africa Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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