Mashada Blogs » December 2, 2008

Afromusing: Why I Blog About Africa

AfroMusing — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:02:17 -0500

On Globalvoices, Elia translated a meme that is going on in the African francophone blogosphere, a meme that i hope can spread in the English speaking blogs of Afrophiles and Kenyan bloggers.

So here is the question that Théophile Kouamouo came up with.

Why do you blog about Africa? Do we blog for the diaspora and for the world at large, cut off from our contemporary on the continent? Is blogging about Africa done in the same way as blogging about Europe or Asia? Does the African-oriented blogosphere have something specific to offer to the world version 2.0?

I blog about Africa because it is fascinating, fantastically diverse culturally, beautiful and cool. Like other Kenyans who grew up watching URTNA on the one TV channel (gosh I am old!), I am fascinated by the different types of music from Cameroon (Zangalewa!! eh eh eh - Kibe Zangalewa!), the chilled romantic grooves of Madagascar, Tabu Ley of the country then known as Zaire, Jolie Detta of Congo -even though I thought that was only music for my parents, to my current obsession with Kizomba music from Angola. I really could say more, but i will be brief Being an Afrophile is musically, intellectually and artistically very interesting. There is so much to learn! Not only from the past, but also from the present, how we are innovating and reshaping our continent positively. I touched on this awhile back in the post ‘Memes, Markets, Africa’. Without further ado, I tag:

So why do you blog about Africa?

Words Much Like Poetry: The Silent Castle of My Heart

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:55:00 -0500

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

i did not mean to be silent for so long.
nor did i mean to gather my self-pity
and lay it about me,
a moat to the castle of my heart.
i did not think of the betrayal my silence would be
to those who had dedicatedly constructed
majestic tower rooms, placed at loving heights,
distinctly for my solace,
if ever i had need of them.

but, know also,
that i did not wish to place a strain
upon the unstinting love that had been proffered me,
friendships nurtured through years
that exist only in memory,
by tendering the account of my trials
as they occurred.
i thought my tragedies best told in the sullen aftermath,
when the sound of their relation
would have come across as nothing more than muted noises
to ears that were ringing
with the livid memories of my misery.

it is only in retrospect that the damage
my eager silence might have caused—
distance as insurmountable as a great wall
unbroken by any form of gate or entrance—
becomes as radiant as a crystal palace
which stands luminous in the light of certain, unavoidable truths.
i cannot be sure that apology is enough.
nor can i be sure of the worth of that regret,
i am naught but a flawed animal,
fallible and comforted by the customs that define me.

Visual by www.PDImages.com

stranded in me: All at a go

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:06:00 -0500

Have you ever asked for something then gotten it only for the timing to suck?
Well i'm on course to bagging my second deal, the other party love my story n it's all good. I'm happy, tired but happy.
Oh n we're in pre production and i have a role.

Mentalacrobatics: Blogging Positively - Live chat Dec 3 on AIDS + citizen media

Mentalacrobatics — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:49:22 -0500

In commemoration of World AIDS Day Rising Voices will be hosting a live chat. This chat aims to build on the foundations laid by the first chat we had back in April which asked the following question: “How can citizen media be used to supplement and improve the mainstream media’s coverage of the AIDS epidemic?”

Date: Wednesday, December 3rd
Venue: [www.worknets.org]
Time: 15.00 Nairobi time:
07.00 (New York, EST) – 10.00 (Buenos Aires) – 12.00 (London, GMT) – 14.00 (Cape Town, Beirut) – 15.00 (Nairobi, Moscow) – 17.30 (New Delhi) – 18.00 (Beijing, Manila) – 21.00 (Tokyo) – 23.00 (Sydney)
Login instructions: Login using your name and then select the room you want to join by clicking enter. Once in the room, select a font colour on the left side of the screen, then join the chat.
Chat Facilitators: Serina and Daudi

This weeks chat will start out focusing on two Rising Voices grantee projects, REPACTED in Nakuru, Kenya and AIDS Rights Congo based in Brazzaville. We will learn how both organizations have implemented blogging and video outreach programs to spread awareness about their initiatives in AIDS prevention and advocating for the rights of HIV-positive individuals.

Other discussion topics include: What are the factors to weigh when HIV-positive bloggers go public about their status? How can blogging support networks form online? What about online forums? What are other new media tools, such as mapping mashups, that can be used effectively?

If there are other topics that you would like to discuss during the chat, please respond with your ideas. I hope that as many of you as possible can make it.

David Sasaki of Rising Voices writes:

As a primer to the conversation I encourage you all to take a look at a recent post written by Juliana Rincón on Global Voices about AIDS awareness through video. Especially fascinating is a video podcast produced by QAFBeijing, which interviews South African grand justice Edwin Cameron, the country’s only government official who has gone public about his HIV status.

I will be sending out a reminder email on Tuesday with a link to a video of a fascinating conversation among the members of the Breaking the Silence in Kwa Mashu project about the fear of discussing HIV status in their community.

Check out Global Voices’ World AIDS Day 2008 coverage.

Blogging Positively – see you there Wed 3rd December.

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Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under AIDS, Global Voices, Issues.

The Displaced African: Top 10 Things I Learned About Job Hunting in Melbourne, Australia

Mwangi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:02:17 -0500

Hi,

Recently I decided to expand my online adventures by not only creating a potential cash flow muse, My Podcasting Tutor but bringing on full time staff, namely a full time web developer.

Small problem. I don’t make enough to cover all these expenses and was quickly approaching a cash deficit.

What Is a Brother To Do

As much as I didn’t want to go back into the job market, stopping or moving backward are not options so I bit the bullet, got in my car (and my computer) and got tarmacking to get me a J-O-B.

Progress So Far

It is now 3 business days later and I:

* Got an old job back with a nursing agency.

* Got offered a new slightly-over-minimum-wage one position as a cleaner.

* Am in talks to become a virtual assistant to my former lecturer ( muuucchh better pay so wish me luck with this one).

Update: I got the job and its double my old pay with huge upside potential, so definitely a 3 days well spent

Most importantly:

* Got offered my old virtual assistant job at much higher pay (enough to cover my expenses).

So in short, it’s

Mission Accomplished

Lessons Learned

Here’s what I have learned through this process.

NB: I have a high school diploma, no college degree and experience in the aged care/community services and Internet marketing worlds.

1) If you have no proper qualifications for a job you are wasting your time searching on online job sites: I have applied for about 30 customer service positions, no call back…..considering I have never worked in customer service, no surprise.

2) If you don’t have a Linked In Account get one now: This is the social network for business professionals and definitely comes in handy when transitioning between jobs.

3) Ask your LinkedIn Network if they have any job openings for someone with your qualifications: If I do get the second VA job it would be all thanks to Linkedin.

4) Tell as many people as you can that you are looking for a job: Carry your resume everywhere and give it to all your friends, you never know who might help you get a job.

5) The easiest jobs to get: I wrote about this before. Hands down the easiest job to get is sales. Don’t dismiss this job immediately. If you are good looking (NB: to be considered good looking, people outside of yourself and your family have to tell you, without being paid, that you are) or charismatic or love the career this job has a lot of cash flow potential.

Other easy jobs to get:

* Cleaning jobs.

* Labourer: Mover, unloading trucks etc etc

* Working in a supermarket: The big chains have websites and relatively long hiring processes but if you can handle this job, go for it. I know people with all sorts of qualifications who’ve worked in supermarkets.

7) Face to Face is the Least Crowded Channel: A lot of people get 100s of emails a day and dozens of calls a day.

Going somewhere, looking someone in the eye and making your case for a job is probably the least crowded channel in this knowledge economy.

So get your resume, your best clothes, some transport and hit as many places as you can face to face.

In order, from the least crowded ( in my estimation) to the most crowded job channels:

* Endorsements and recommendations from third parties.

* Face to face and Registered letters/ Fedex packages

* Normal snail mail

* Phone

* Email

8 ) Your Local Paper is Awesome: This is how I got the slightly-over-minimum wage job. The key here is to apply for jobs that you are qualified for as soon as the paper comes out. Calling a week later many times is as good as not calling at all.

You want to be quick on it. Also get a copy of the local paper from surrounding areas if you can handle the commute.

9) If You Have Qualifications, the Number of Jobs on Seek is Insane: Yesterday alone, more than 30+ pages of jobs were posted up on Seek. This is probably about 300 new jobs in one day!!!

You don’t believe me, head on over to Seek and just search for all the new jobs posted up today.

10) Always ALWAYS ALWAYS keep authenticated copies of important documents separate from where you are: You can use online storage services like Amazon S3 and Cache Fly or keep them in a box at home or a bank or a trusted friend’s house or wherever you feel safe but always make sure you have a number of authenticated copies of important documents including:

* All education transcripts and certificates

* Anything to do with citizenship, travel documents etc

* Anything that might stand in the way of your getting a job.

Trust me, as someone who worked as an aged care nurse for 2+ years but can’t get a new job in the industry because I have no certificate to prove it, you don’t want this to happen to you so stay safe.

I hope these tips are of use to you and yours.

If you have any questions or anything to add, email me

Be blessed and bless others,

Mwangi

Kikuyumoja's realm: N97

jke — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:40:29 -0500

With all the iPhone hype back then, pls allow me to celebrate my Nokia fanboy moment for 2 minutes.

Honestly, I wasn’t counting on any innovation by Nokia these days and really hope that they improved the S60 browser on this upcoming device. I think the success of a phone these days depends to at least 40% on the mobile browser. The one on the iPhone is good. If Nokia understood this message and improves the S60 browser until the N97 is released in ~ 05/2009, it could become a good phone for bloggers. Else it will just be another SE X1, HTC touch and so on.

The swapable QWERTY keyboard (horizontally, not vertically - very important) is the only reason I would accept moving from a slider phone to another slider phone. Else I am all monoblock. Same reason why I switched from a Nokia 7110 to a 6210 in 2000.

Oh, and did I mention it has microUSB charging? To me, real innovations start with these not so obvious details which are more important to me than awesome multimedia options.

If this new phone is as easy to use as the iPhone, I will want to have it asap!

Black Looks: Photos from AWID conference

Zanele Muholi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:28:54 -0500

2,200 women from across the world gathered together in Cape Town last month for the AWID conference [Association for Women’s Rights in Development] South African feminists attending AWID strategised for several hours, facilitated by Pregs Govender, and resolved to build a stronger women’s rights movement in South Africa by reaching out to other feminists and [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Photos from AWID conference ", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/12/photos_from_awid_conference_.html" });

You Missed This: It Would Be Nice If Lucy Came Out And Said Jambo To Us

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:49:00 -0500

I miss Lucy.

No, I'm not crazy. It's just that when I look at Michelle Obama I sometimes wonder why Kenyans are okay with a situation where our first lady doesn't ever come out to say jambo to us. Wouldn't it be nice if she walked down the street every two or three months to tell us what's going on with her? I'd like to know that the nation's first lady is okay and that she's happy. Knowing that makes all of us feel good about the state of affairs in the State House, in Muthaiga and back in Nyeri.

Lucy, I hope to see you somewhere in Nairobi soon.

Having said that, I have to wonder why Kenyans, especially the press, never scrutinize the wives of the men who want to lead us. What, for instance, did we know about Mrs. Musyoka? And what did we know about Mrs. Ruto? Tell me what we knew about Mrs. Mudavadi? Granted we knew a lot about Lucy, but that was only because we'd come to fall in love with her dramatic ways in her husband's first term. By the time Kibaki was sworn in in that secretive ceremony at the lawns of the State House, we all knew exactly what we were getting. Another turbulent term. But Lucy has behaved herself. She's allowed the President and the Premier to grapple with the myriad problems facing this nation without distractions. So I think we need to clap for her.

In 2012, here is what I'll be looking for in a first lady. It's wise to throw this out there so we can start watching the wives of the men who want to lead us.

1. A photogenic woman. Once we elect a President, we are stuck with the man for years. At the very least, the woman he presents as the mother of the nation needs to be beautiful, and must look sweet in pictures. A tired, mean face is fodder for comedians and fireside prattles, but it eventually depresses the nation. So beauty is a critical factor.

2. A Godly Woman. I know somebody is getting ready to jump me for not placing this factor first. The reason is simple. When you meet somebody for the first time, what you instantly see is their looks. Matter of fact, most people judge us by their first impression of us. Given that state of affairs, a potential first lady must prove to us, after we've determined that she's cute, that she loves her God. If a first lady is prayerful, it's a good indicator that her husband is too.

3. A Simple Woman. Remember Imelda Marcos? Three hundred pairs of shoes! Remember Sarah Palin? U.S. $150,000 in stylish clothes and a hairdo. Talk of frugality. The point is...a woman who has the guts to dress like Cleopatra or Cindy Crawford at a time when most Kenyans are struggling is probably going to become a fashion statement in the State House. Is that what we want? The time to scrutinize their wardrobe is now.

4. A Single Wife. This is not something most women have control over, but as a nation we must insist that our presidents have one wife. I'm not saying this because of the Lucy-Mary wars. I'm just suggesting that as a Christian nation we need to be true to the biblical principle of one man one wife. In any case, there is no provision for a first and second lady in our constitution. A man with two wives must be disqualified. Period.

5. Well Educated. Having a ding dong as a first lady can be a traumatic experience. Whenever there are state visits, our Head of State is "required" to be accompanied by his wife. Now just imagine our ding dong first lady in Paris with Carla Bruni, or in the States with the stylish Michelle Obama, or in Uganda with the well traveled Janet Museveni. Get my point? We can't afford to embarrass Kenya, so let's avoid presidential candidates with wives who think South America is the bottom half of the United States.

I need not go on. Obviously there are other crucial factors to consider. Let's hear them from you.

In the mean time, I hope that when First Lady Lucy Kibaki steps out to greet the nation we will all accord her the respect and the adulation she deserves.

Rants, Raves & Reviews: Kenya - Voodoo Economics - Disaster

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:40:00 -0500

Kenya's economy is headed for a collapse unless the politicians get out of trying to run the economy!

Price Controls: These are always short-term and hardly work except under rare circumstances.

Food Prices: The farmers (producers) have little incentive to produce unless they get a fair price. Since the GoK restricts the purchase price of maize to KES 1,750 per bag, the farmers will stop producing.

Fuel Prices: In the case of remote locations, many firms will withdraw leaving the market open to black-market gouging. Since the GoK refuses to refund VAT among other duties/levies on time to the Oil Marketers, the costs will either be passed on to the consumers or the Oil Marketers will close up shop.

Subsidies: These are politically popular but ultimately hurt the consumers. How?

- Taxes will be raised (except for the MPs) to fund the extra spending
- Deficit will grow which means that GoK has to raise taxes or take on additional debt.
- Interest rates will rise to match the deficit (gov't borrowing) which crowds out the private sector.
- Corruption will increase as politically-connected firms/persons will "eat" the subsidies e.g. firm/person buys subsidized maize from NCPB & re-sells it back to NCPB at higher prices (a feedback loop).
- Subsidies create inefficiencies that are very difficult to root out.
- Kenya shilling will depreciate rapidly which will create imported inflation since Kenya is a net importer. Subsidies create an unfair playing field.
- Creating a larger gov't bureaucracy (bureaukrazy) will create additional avenues for corruption & inefficiencies.

Inflation: Folks will buy forex, gold and property (read: Why I don't invest in property in African countries) to hedge against inflation BUT this starves the REAL economy of investable funds e.g. investments in factories, farms, etc.

Remittances: The diasporan 'investing' cash will disappear as will any FDI if GoK can't guarantee a stable economic environment. There are always opportunities for a few rent-seekers but the economy as a whole will suffer.

Brain Drain: Kenya will experience a brain drain to other African countries, Middle East & of course... Europe & the USA even with the increasing level of unemployment there. Why? These economies still believe (for now) in keeping away from nationalization.

I have discussed in previous blog entries what measures need to be taken to right the economy. They may not be popular but need to be implemented. If Kenya loses its private sector, then Kenya is in huge trouble.
- When banks withdraw lending to businesses since its more profitable (& less risky) to invest in Treasury Bills & Bonds.
- When most Kenyan businesses become traders not manufacturers/producers.
- When Kenyan businesses compete against government subsidized businesses (e.g. Oil Marketers compete against a subsidized NOCK).
- When farmers decide its more lucrative NOT to farm since there are gov't handouts.
- Kenya has almost zero 'natural resources' that can produce income without much work e.g. oil. This means we need to work harder & smarter.

Kenya was unfortunate to have presidents like the jomo 'the land grabber' kenyatta (or as he is better known... crooked wa ngengi), dan 'steal all I see' moi and myriad other politicians whose sole interest was their own enrichment. Singapore had a brilliant benevolent dictator (Lee Kuan Yew) who transformed Singapore into a bastion of prosperity & stability in S.E. Asia.

Most of the current political class needs to be PURGED. They are thieves, idiots & greedy bastards. Most have been implicated in scams or have stolen fortunes. How do we expect them to lead us in these trying times?

Kenyans are also to blame. They vote for tribes NOT character. They have the world's highest population growth rate. They sway to the winds created as the politicians blow hot air. They want freebies without considering the after-effects.