A Review of African Blogs – January 15, 2009

HIV in Kenya does a comparative analysis of the AIDS epidemic in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and concludes that the solution to the crisis lies in devising long-term strategies:

“The people of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania may well need HIV education, but they are in far greater need of teachers and affordable, accessible schools. HIV health programmes are great, but only where there is an affordable, accessible health service. There is little point in educating people about sexual health and behaviour while ignoring reproductive health, sanitation, nutrition and other aspects of health.

As long as HIV is seen as a short term (or even medium term) crisis that will be resolved by crisis measures, it will continue to spread. Small gains may be made here and there, but without ensuring a healthy, well educated, secure population, HIV will never be conquered.

The conditions that allowed HIV to take hold and reach high levels in so many countries have been around for a long time and the HIV community seems to have allowed itself to be distracted by crises and crisis measures. It is the long term issues that need to be resolved, the same problems of poverty, exploitation and underdevelopment that have been around for as long as anyone can remember.”

Kenyan Poet announces that the Boys choir from Kenya will perform at the Obama inaugural:

“The choir, which has travelled to the USA for performances three times this year, will hold Kenya’s flag high during the event. The Boys have been invited by the US government through the Government of Kenya to perform during the auspicious event. It will be the only African choral singing team to perform in the historical event where the first African American will be named President of the United States of America.

According to the group’s founder and artistic director Joseph Muyale, the group leaves for Washington on January 15. They have prepared a special repertoire of African choral music to remind Mr. Obama of his African roots. The group’s performance will accord Kenya a special mention by reminding the world that Mr. Obama’s roots are in Kenya.”

What An African Woman Thinks writes about privacy concerns in a world where new technologies constantly encroach on personal space.

“Somebody went onto Google Maps and unveiled a satellite image of their compound for the Parents.

The Father was way blown way. Awesomeness, in his book. The Mother was spooked that you could see the roof of her compound and the canopy of her beloved trees. She wanted to know who would go to such lengths and why, and what was the point, exactly? She declared that it was a little too much information about her and hers to put out there—definitely an invasion of her privacy. She wondered what’s next, really?

… who’s making the rules and who’s enforcing them and, if she cares to, where does the little woman go to fight against the big corporate giant who’s sticking his nose into her canopy of trees?”

Omoluwabi Okebadan laments about the absence of visionary leaders in his native Nigeria, and presents the profile of the type of leader that Africa and Nigeria nees in the 21st century:

“In Nigeria where I live we have had many leaders who are in the mainstream of the Neo-colonial awakening that has had us in thrall since independence… I remember that in 2004 while jogging to Barack Obama's DNC speech my heart told me that this was the future President of the United States. How I wish I have the same view of any Nigerian in Public life. To be fair Governor Fashola represents a bridge to this role but I suspect we will not know fully till his second term. He has been bold and resolute, disciplined and focused which is a rarity amongst our public office holders. He deserves quite a lot of support but we need more than one person and we need a movement. The median age of Nigerians is 17 we need a generation of leaders imbued by the spirit and competencies of this time. They need not be saints but must be obsessed by the need to transform our society in a sustainable way. Nothing less will do.”

Sierra Eye announces that former Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has become an official citizen of Sierra Leone, making him the first African-American man to gain citizenship in the African continent based solely on DNA:

“The Texas-born actor has spent several months working with Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma for his nationwide initiative that seeks to raise $250,000 to help improve the lives of one million children in Sierra Leone. The Reach One Million campaign was created by Washington after he discovered through DNA that his roots sprang from the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone. The mission of the campaign strives to "engage and educate everyday Americans on the plight of the children of Sierra Leone, where 47% of the country's children under the age of 5 are afflicted with malaria and 28% percent (sic) of the population are unable to meet basic food requirements.

Taking interest in spending more time in Sierra Leone to learn in the land of his heritage, Washington fought to secure dual-nationality and celebrate his family's links to the African country.”

Naija Pikin, comments on the military coup in the Republic of Guinea:

“Let’s not be deceived. Guineans are happy with the junta because they were frustrated with Lansana Conte's government which for 24 years suffocated them down with poverty and oppression. They yearned for fresh air. In stepped Camara.

Lansana came into power in 1984 via a military coup. Camara is only threading a familiar path. Seize power, the whole world will condemn you. You promise to conduct elections in the soonest possible time. The world relaxes its pressure. Two years time you conduct a 'democratic' election with you as the main or only candidate. You win a landslide. We know this song too well.

My fear now is that any group of ambitious military officers might just borrow a leaf from the Guinean coup plotters and with ease truncate existing democratic structures. The already misruled, disenchanted, frustrated and hopeless citizenry will definitely support such an intrusion.”

* 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/