First we had South Africa's "Digg," Muti. Now we have South Africa's "Craigslist," YouPost.
Read more!1/26/2007
1/08/2007
South African Marketing Podcast
Amplitude is a new South African marketing podcast by Mike Stopforth and Dave Duarte. Check it out.
Read more!1/07/2007
African Path: African Blog and News Aggregator
African Path is an interesting project by Joshua Wanyama and his team (Spectrum Media). It is an interactive community blog and news aggregator focusing on Africa.
Read more!1/03/2007
The Five Things Meme!
There is a meme going on on about "five things people don't know about me." My friend Ethan tagged me last year (well, December 29th, 2006...that was last year, right?). I tried to appeal so that he would drop my name. It is not easy to think of five things that people don't know about me (if they are not known, then they were not meant to be known). But since my appeal failed, I have to reveal five, and only five, things about me.
Here we go:
1. When I was in primary school (what American would call elementary school), my brother took me to the town library in Moshi, Tanzania and had me registered. Before that day, I did not know that there are "buildings full of books" for people to read for free. I loved reading. After discovering the joy of being inside a library as opposed to being in a classroom (where the learning structure was very rigid, centralized, and there was canning, too), I stopped going to school. In other words, I dropped out of school. I would put on my school uniform every morning as if I was going to school and, without my mother's knowledge, I would go to the library, stay there until kids get out of school. I would then go home. And do the same the next day. And the next day. It continued for a while until one of my relatives told his mother, who told my mother. She took me to school the next day and guess what happened...I was canned really good in front of the whole class!
2. The second website I ever visited was a porn site...at a Tanzanian government Minister's house! The first was one was Hotmail (to set up my first email address). I guess this (what I saw on the porn site that day and later on) is what made me a neo-luddite for a while before becoming a semi neo-luddite. I left the camp completely after I met Dr. Rubbin Patterson and Dr. Abdul Alkalimat (ended up being the editorial assistant for the journal, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, wrote a thesis on political use of ICTs in Tanzania and got addicted to blogging).
3. I have a first-hand experience of soccer and juju in Africa. Our neighborhood soccer team had a critical match with a team that we all feared. We decided to consult a famous traditional healer for help. He promised to help us win with his muti (at a fee, of course). Since I was the goalkeeper, most of the rituals were done on me! The results of the match? Do you really want to know? We got beaten badly! Until this day, whenever I meet him (the “healer”), we look at each other and smile! By the way, this was long, long time ago.
4. When I was going to college at the University of Dar Es Salaam, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, I had a sticker on my door, which said: the future president. It was not a joke. I plan on becoming the first dreadlocked president in the world. Gilberto Gil has beaten me already as the first dreadlocked minister in the world (as far as I know). And Gwisai Munyaradzi, probably the first dreadlocked Member of Parliament. So, I am heading for the presidency. And, excuse me while I "flash" my dreads at the Dis-United United Nations. The day I become the president might be the beginning of a new concept, open-source presidency! But the dreadlock part is not the main/primary motivation for my presidential ambition. I am saving this part until I officially launch my campaign. So, if you want to know or meet me, you better do it now before it is too late.
5. I am a disciple of Harry Houdini. The last time I pulled a trick was two days ago. I did to my son for the first time since he is now old enough to get it. I can make myself disappear in front of your eyes just like that!
I would like to know five things nobody knows from Jill, Preetam Rai, Sean Coon, Daudi, and Kameelah.
1/01/2007
International Conference: eLearning Africa 2007
eLearning Africa 2007, the second International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, will take place from May 28 to 30, 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya under the Patronage of the Kenyan Minister for Education, the Hon. Prof. George Saitoti.
Read more!12/26/2006
South African Online Industry Summit 2007
The South African Online Industry Summit is next February, 2007: The Online Industry Summit is a platform for industry leaders across Southern Africa to exchange views about the state of online and its developments. Different sectors have now realised the power of doing business online. With more of all media consumption shifting to one it is vital that you engage your customers through the web channel. While search and e-mail have often led the way brands are beginning to recognise the importance of on-line advertising in the digital mix and its effect on buying behaviour, online and off.
Read more!Kenyans United: Online Videos
Kenyans United "enables Kenyans to watch videos, look at pictures, op-in to a SMS service which allows other Kenyans and businesses to deliver their news more quickly and easily. However, the main goal of the website is to bring Kenyans from all over the world closer and allow them to communicate with ease."
Read more!12/24/2006
Lusaka Sunrise: A Documentary
Lusaka Sunrise is a documentary by Smooth Feather Productions about the power of soccer in the fight against HIV-AIDS.
Read more!12/23/2006
Fair-Trade Handicrafts From Tanzania
The Amias Project specializes in hand-made, fair-trade accessories inspired by traditional Barabaig fashions.
Read more!12/02/2006
Speakers at TEDGlobal in Tanzania next year
The names of amazing speakers for the conference, TEDGLOBAL "Africa: the next chapter", have been released (including a Kenyan blogger, Kenyan Pundit). Take a look....
The conference is taking place in Arusha, Tanzania, June 4-7, 2007.
11/24/2006
Political Online Games From South Africa
Play these games to Extradite Mugabe, Save the World with "Peace of Shit," Help Thabo Mbeki Save the African Renaissance, etc.
Read more!Tech4Africa 07: A web and technology conference
Do you think there is a need for a web and technology conference in Southern Africa? Your suggestions are welcome for Tech4Africa 07.
Read more!11/23/2006
11/05/2006
Swahili computer game
UNICEF has released a Swahili computer game, Ungefanyaje?, to fight HIV/Aids in Africa.
Read more!10/27/2006
Umeme Jua and solar energy in Tanzania
Umeme Jua aims to make solar power affordable to customers in Tanzania, especially to the rural households and businesses.
*Umeme is Swahili word for electricity
*Jua is the Sun in Swahili
9/19/2006
Nobody should have nucleur weapons
Ted Turner, speaking at this event: The only solution for the threat of nucleur weapons in the world is:
nobody should have them!
Has the UN got the muscle to make this happen? That's the question.
Dis-United United Nations
Whenever I hear discussions about UN reform, I immediately start singing Fela Kuti’s song, Beasts of No Nation. Beasts of No Nation is the first song Fela wrote after he was released from prison in Nigeria in 1986. This song speaks to me about what this organization really is. In his own words, a Dis-United United Nations.
Will they listen? Perhaps as they did in Rwanda! And now in Darfur. And many more other places. You know what I mean.
After Fela came out of prison, many people wanted him to sing about life in prison. He decided, instead, to sing about the outside world where there are “animals who talk like human beings” (at UN conferences)! The outside world, he sings; while accompanied by hypnotic drums, guitars, horns, etc, is a crazy world.
This is what he says (the original song is in Nigerian Pidgin) about the United Nations and our world leaders “who hold meeting in de place dem call United Nations”:
Many leaders as you see them are in disguise
Animals in human skin
Animal puts on a tie
Animal wears agbada
Animal puts on a suit
These leaders in disguise
They hold meetings everywhere, they reach America
They call the place the United Nations
Hear oh another animal talk
What is united inside United Nations?
Who and who is united for United Nations?
There is no unity between Thatcher and Argentina
There is no unity between Reagan and Libya
Israel versus Lebanon
Iran versus Iraq
East West block versus West block East
Dis-United United Nations
One veto vote isequal to 92 (Or more)
What kind of sense is that, it is animal sense!
---
Meditate on Fela's words. And follow the conversation.
9/18/2006
UN/Reuters/Global Voices: Will They Listen?
On Tuesday, September 19, 2006, Reuters political news editor, Paul Holmes, will discuss with U.N.’s largest private donor, Ted Turner, among other things, UN reform and the media world. This is part of Newsmakers, a series of Reuters events. About 10 years ago, Turner donated $ 1 billion for United Nations programs. Global Voices will participate in the event by sharing your views with Ted Turner. More information about the event, which will be webcast live online, can be found here and here.
Read more!
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