Confessions of the mind - ( http://confessionsofnneka.blogspot.com/)
has an interesting piece on Christianity and Africans with particular reference to Nigeria, which criticises the trend of commercialising religion and the growth of churches on the continent and “the hypocrites who come to church to see and be seen”, though I cannot agree with her comment about women “luring catholic priests into committing sin”.

"Then a couple of months later you see they have built a roof to ward off merciless sun, then a year later, they have an actual building, the pastor is looking fatter, the congregation more presentable. But the pastor is still preaching give to the lord for he is good. Next thing the pastor is driving a hummer or Mercedes truck fully Air Conditioned, Suits by Armani, shoes by Prada, monogrammed hanky, house in Lekki and still telling people, who have come with their whole families on a bike to give unto to the lord and still collecting church funds from these people and using himself as an example of how the lord blessed his life because he was “giving to the church”".

African Bullets & Honey - African Bullets & Honey (http://bulletsandhoney.blogspot.com/2005/09/why-western-visions-of-utop…) believes that “fighting the aid industry in its many forms is one of the great moral crusades of our time” and I have to agree with him on this. He draws on an article by William Easterly writing in “Foreign Policy” magazine which discusses the utopianism of “economists, politicians, and rock stars in rich countries have pleaded for debt relief and aid for the world’s poorest countries“.

Congo Watch - Congo Watch (http://congowatch.blogspot.com/) reports on the recently discovered remains believed to be those of Congolese and Rwandan Hutus killed by Rwandan soldiers in 1996.

Kenyan Democracy Project - Kenyan Democracy Project (http://demokrasia-kenya.blogspot.com) has a message to the Kenyan “Postponent Proponents” - “Postpone your Duplicity”.

“This essay is going to suggest that the “Tuhairishe Kura ya Maoni” aficionados are nothing more than closeted Yes supporters who have developed running stomachs in the face of the Hapana avalanche that threatens to bury many of the parliamentary turncoats in humiliating defeating in 2007- if not sooner“.

Black Star Journal - (http://popeyeafrica.blogspot.com/2005/09/amnestyisia.html) reports on the recent referendum held in Algeria for a “Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation”.

Allegedly 97% of voters approved the project with a reported 79% turnout... though the opposition and journalists dispute the latter figure ...The opposition called for a boycott of the plan.

The charter is controversial as it absolves the Algerian military from any role in the disappearance of thousands of Algerians during the civil war.

As Nigeria celebrates its 45th year of independence, Black Looks - Black Looks (http://okra soup.typepad.com/black_looks) reports on the recent arrest of the Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in London for money laundering.

The whole sordid shameful saga has undermined the ongoing call for 50% derivation of oil monies to the Niger Delta states of which Bayelsa is one and the calls of self-determination and autonomy.

Ethan Zuckerman’s ‘My Hearts in Accra’ (http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=178) questions the ‘politics’ behind the prosecution of Belgian priest, Father Guy Theunis in the ongoing Gacaca genocide tribunals taking place in Rwanda.

“Father Guy Theunis ran a magazine called Dialogue which republished translated excerpts of articles from a pro-Hutu extremist magazine Kangura. His defense is that his “republications were part of his human rights work”. What is most interesting here is that Zuckerman takes Theunis’s defense and applies it to blogging and the ‘redistribution of content’. Speaking about the Global Voices project (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/) he states:

"Obviously we haven’t reblogged any posts where someone has advocated the extermination of other people. But I can understand the need Father Theunis felt to bring to light the extreme views being expressed in magazines like “Kangura”. What’s the responsibility of a site like ours in reporting on extreme views? Is it to give an accurate picture of the views being expressed in a country? Or is the responsibility not to amplify hateful voices?"

Nigerian blogger Chippla (http://chippla.blogspot.com/2005/09/its-abuja-bus-stop.html) takes a cynical view of the latest move towards ‘modernisation’ in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

"…if you live in Abuja, unlike in the other cities mentioned above, the concept scheduled intra-city bus services must be strange to you. In other words, though you see bus stops, you do not wait by them to board a bus."

Apparently ‘bus stops are springing up all over the city’. It will be interesting to watch how people respond to the schedules and how well the bus’s themselves can actually keep to the schedules.

Friend of the US, President Mubarak who was recently “re-elected” in Egypt, has an appalling human rights record. Egyptian blogger “Egyptian Person” (http://egyptianperson.blogspot.com/) highlights the use of Egypt’s “Emergency Laws” which are used to imprison people indefinitely without trial.

A police officer summed up the situation very clearly to political detainee Abdel Moneim Mohammed, who has spent 13 years in the custody of the Egyptian interior ministry: "We can't release you [regardless of whether you are innocent or guilty]. After spending years in prison, you hate us - and setting you free will be a great risk."

Nigerian blogger Grandiose Parlour (http://grandioseparlor.blogspot.com/) seems to have been “captured” by Katrina. He has at least 7 extended posts on the hurricane including what appears to be a daily update of US Army Corp of Engineers called “Daily Key Messages and General Mission Talking Points”.

Finally this week some good news. Kenyan Pundit now back in Nairobi has moved her blog over to (http://www.kenyanpundit.com/) and is back in full force. Check out her “Random observations of the day” category for a “day by day” account of life in Nairobi and Kenya.

Ndesanjo Macha Duniani of Digital Africa - (http://digitalafrica.blogspot.com/) has been reporting from the Helsinki Conference 2005 for Global Voices (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/).

The conference is a joint initiative between the governments of Tanzania and Finland addressing issues of democracy and globalization. Some of the topics under discussion have been “Why are Africans so Poor?” The chairperson of the Tanzania Association of NGOs asked: "If we are so poor why are western multinationals so busy investing on the continent? If we are so poor that we cannot even pay back our debt, why do western nations and banking institutions keep on lending us?" An excellent question. She went on to ask participants to redefine the term “poverty”.

Tanzanian Blogger Ndesanjo Macha Duniani also gives us a brief insight into Finnish history and society and two fellow Tanzanians blogging. The Tanzanian blogosphere is quite an interesting one as it is one of the few African countries blogging in an African language as well as English.

For those readers that speak Swahili, Tanzania photographer Muhiddin Issa Michuzi, Michuzi (http://issamichuzi.blogspot.com/) is one of those blogging in Swahili and you can find some photos taken from the conference on his blog.

Ethiopian Paradox - Ethiopian Paradox (http://hahuhi.blogspot.com/) has a poem “The People United Will Never Be Defeated” which is dedicated to “terror prime misery, Meles Zenawi”.

“Meles, man of power, is he really human? He wants to rule this age and hour,
until we stand together, and stop his horror, so that we may end the innocents plight, so, we, united will never be defeated, once again we ask, whose Ethiopia is it anyway? for judgment day, only truth will give way”.

Nigerian Blogger, Emeka Okafor of Timbuktu Chronicles - Timbuktu Chronicles (http://timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com/) has a short piece on EPOPA (Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa) aims to aid development through organic trade. EPOPA “ aims to give African smallholder farmers a better livelihood through developing local and international organic markets. The increase in agricultural production benefits rural communities, thus the farmers.”

Finally this week Egyptian blogger -
The Big Pharaoh (http://bigpharaoh.blogspot.com/ ) The Big Pharaoh gives us his take on the recent (no surprise) re-election of President Mubarak in which turn out was an appallingly low 23%!!

Fraud, forgery, and dirty political maneuvers are an integral part of Egyptian politics. Yesterday's elections were not different. I believe that even if Ayman Noor came in second, the state will still put him third. The government cannot accept a young mischievous member of parliament to be right under Mubarak in the second seat. They can accept Nomaan Gomaa, the leader of a well known party, but definitely not Ayman Noor, definitely not this "kid" so to speak. Some say that Gomaa decided to run for president only to "break" Ayman Noor who was once a member of Gomaa's party.

Despite the predictable according to TBP there are two surprises:

First, Mubarak's share of the votes. Second, the rise of Ayman Noor who came in second, beating the leader of a well established party.

The African blogging scene is as diverse in its content as it is in its representations of culture and politics. One of the great things about blogs and blogging is that anyone of us can become a writer, poet, political or sports commentator, book or film reviewer or just write and publish our daily lives online.

is a Kenyan blogger who has taken up the mantle of poetry and journal writing on her blog. I visit Mshairi regularly as it is a haven of tranquillity to read her poems and posts and I would like to invite Pambazuka readers to join me there.
A year ago today this blog was begun. Out came the pad and the purple (ink) pen. In total I have posted more than 50 poems. Of the poems, I have a growing group of anonymous people who trust me enough to send me theirs. 150 posts on life and love and on women, on Africa and on people. In between are the posts on music, books, Star Trek, science fiction...Inspired by people already in my life and those I met through blogging, I have written about the little things that make sense and big things that did not.

On a heavier note I thought I would do a short roundup of what African bloggers are saying about Hurricane Katrina.
Mental acrobatics points out that Halliburton of Dick Cheney fame (remember them?) have been given the first of many contracts for rebuilding after Katrina.

The Sand Monkey gives us an excellent web roundup of Katrina and the fallout….

And for what has to be an act of extreme stupidity, Kanye West blasts Bush in the Middle of a live-televised Benefit for the Red Cross, claiming that he doesn’t care about black people and that the government is delaying the aid because the victims are black, which cause the Phone lines to be filled with complaints instead of donations. But then again, what do you expect from the son of a former Black Panther who believes the CIA gives people AIDS?

Too bad that I like his music.

Meskel Square blogging from Ethiopia reminds us...

Just in case anyone needs one after New Orleans, here is another reminder that nature can be a very scary thing…..At least thirteen people were killed after being hit by hail stones and washed away by floods in Alaba Special Woreda in SNNPR on Saturday, August 27.

Soul South asks the question What is racism?

One of my favourite blogs, Language Log, points to some racism in Louisiana by means of an animated image. This is, after all, Language Log, so it begins with a comparison of the two words Finding and Looting. Watch, read and decide whether its racism or not. Click on the "juxtaposition of photos and captions" link. People have responded to this and Language Log duly posts their reactions. My reaction? That's Racism!

Despelchin's article is an excellent analysis on the correlation between capitalism and genocide - not just genocides that happened on "individual" scales such as the holocaust and Rwandan genocide, but the systematic genocide that is an ongoing dehumanization of the planet.

“There is a tendency, even among the most critical voices not to see the connections between what could be described as the inaugural homelessness of the Amerindians and the African’s Hitler’s lebensraum, today's homelessness in the richest countries of the Planet and the same phenomenon in the streets of Fallujah, Palestine and South Africa".

This statement reminded me of a comment on my blog Black Looks, in response to the now famous speech by Mrs. Anthony Fatayi Williams whose son had been murdered by the London bombers of 7th July. A few days later my son's uncle was murdered having been shot 4 times by armed robbers in front of his two very young children and his wife in Abuja, Nigeria. Most of the comments I received condemned Islam and Muslims rather than the individuals who actually committed the act, the usual Islamophobic diatribe. My son came in on the discussion and attempted quite eloquently to make a connection between the London bombers and the robbers who had killed his uncle and the system that underpinned these kind of acts whether in London, Fallujah or Lagos.

Unfortunately, everyone missed the point in their blind dash to only see the superficial which feeds their prejudices and naivety. The AIDS pandemic that is killing millions of Africans today is one example of the genocidal nature of capitalism. The refusal to allow cheap generic drugs over expensive brand name drugs, lack of access to medical care, poorly equipped hospitals and clinics, poverty and unfit housing are all part of the system that feeds off and destroys humanity. Another more recent example is the racial drama played out in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where we were presented with the most disgraceful treatment of poor African Americans reminding us that the mind of white America is still cast in that of the slave master, albeit recast and modernized.

Thank you for this excellent piece of writing.

African Bullets and Honey (http://bulletsandhoney.blogspot.com/) reports on a Times of London article on “The Love Affair Between the Maasai and the English!”.
The language of the article is blatantly racist and mimics something out of a 19thCentury travel journal through “darkest Africa” to serve the tables of Victorian Britain in the construction of race and racism!

“The Masai embodied everything the English yearned to believe about primeval Africa; they were tall and slender and handsome, noble savages who looked the part, brave to the point of foolishness, peerless hunters and trackers...The only mammalian bipeds allowed to walk through the vigorously wardened spot are the Masai, who follow their bony cattle to waterholes and salt licks, lean ruminatively on their lion-killing lotus-bladed spears, and generally pretty up the place in their red togas, muddy punk hairdos and elaborate jewellery.”

Ghanaian blogger Life of David (http://davidmends.blogspot.com/) exposes corruption and misdeeds by the British government’s Department of International Development (DFID) in which some £18million in aid to Ghana was “blown” away.

Sticking with the theme of “corruption”, Nigerian blogger Grandiose Parlour (http://grandioseparlor.blogspot.com/) reminds us that corruption in Nigeria is still alive and kicking this time in the form of Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

"…Nigeria Vice President Atiku Abubakar broke the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on December 1, 2000. This is one and a half years after becoming the Vice President of Nigeria. On that day, he and his wife, Jennifer, bought a mansion in Maryland for $ 1,750,000. The house, a two storey building was constructed in 1988. The land area is about 2.3 acres. Today, that house is valued at over two million dollars.”

The VP has since had his home in the US searched by FBI agents but of course he is already denying any wrong doing saying:

"You see, I went to the US when I was in exile, when Abacha hunted us out, when we asked him to handover to a civilian government, then I have been having a home in that place and of course my wife has been having a home in that place since 1994. So what are you talking about?”

Nothing much has changed then has it?

A refreshing story from Inside Somaliland (http://insidesomaliland.blogtales.com/) on Somali music and instruments in which she focuses on “Dararamle, a very well known Somali singer/composer in the country”. Some great pictures here as well.

Exactly one year ago 10 people died in an explosion at a Sasol petrochemical plant in Secunda, South Africa. Mzansi Afrika (http://mzansiafrika.typepad.com/mzansi_afrika/2005/08/sasol_watch.html) reminds us the multinational Sasol, has done everything in its power to hamper the enquiry into the murderous blast.

“For one thing, the petro giant has refused to make their own internal inquiry into the accident public, for another they have paid minimal compensation to the families of those killed or injured. Many of those affected by the incident were contract workers, and because they were not directly employed by Sasol, the corporation was able to avoid paying any compensation other than covering hospital bills and funeral costs.”

Egyptian blog, "" (www.mindbleed.com) has resurfaced in a new blog called "In mourning". He reports (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4723339.stm) on the predictable backlash against British Muslims following the July 7th bombings in London. He asks whether the failure by the mainstream media to report the "faith related attacks" is "deliberately downplayed to stop anger fomenting in the ranks of British Muslims with violent tendencies of their own?" I am not sure which mainstream media he is referring to as the report he mentions was taken from the BBC which is about as mainstream as you can get. Also the London Guardian has a special report on attacks against Asians. Maybe he is referring to the tabloid press and surely one can only expect less than nothing from them.

Staying with the "Muslim" issue, SubZeroBlue (www.subzeroblue.com/archives/2005/07/us_muslim_scholars_i.html) from Tunisia reports that Muslim scholars in the US have issued a fatwa (religious edict) condemning terrorism and religious extremism.

In the edict, the 18-member FCNA said people who committed terrorism are "criminals," not "martyrs." It would be even more helpful if Muslim scholars in Britain and the Middle and Far East also issued a similar fatwa.

Kenyan blogger Bankelele (http://bankelele.blogspot.com) attends an AIDS conference in Kenya and provides an excellent breakdown of some very scary facts and figures on HIV/AIDS. Under "Bad Traditions" he writes:

- "We were circumcised on the same day, with the same knife" is a call to brotherhood that men often use. But such practices need to be updated, so that, perhaps, one knife per boy is used on that special day.
- While the Luo are chastised for their wife inheritance customs, in other communities (all over the country) young widows (whose husbands may have died from AIDS, and don't know their own HIV status) have silent affairs, cohabit, or even re-marry.
- The Church is still very negative towards potentially useful practices such as contraceptives and is also not very supportive of HIV+ people.
- Many family members still show very little sympathy or support to their HIV+ relatives
- Many employers still show very little sympathy or support to HIV+ workers.

Ethan Zuckerman's excellent blog "My Heart's in Accra" (www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=111) has a report on the blogger "Sleepless in Sudan" (http://sleeplessinsudan.blogspot.com) an aid worker who provides readers with daily reports from Darfur refugee camps.

"Sleepless recent posts have been about the Kalma camp, which houses about 150,000 IDPs. The Sudanese government is interested in breaking up the camp, either for the legitimate reason that it's in danger of flooding (a recent post describes Khartoum as a "veritable African Venice", with cabs and tuk-tuks stuck in an underwater traffic jam) or out of fear that rebels are training and regrouping within the camps."

What is worse is that Sleepless is reporting on rapes of women in the camps and the possibility that the attackers are anti-Janjaweed and anti-Khartoum rebels who want to make sure aid money continues to flow. Obviously this is her opinion based on her own observations on the ground but if true it is an extremely worrying development.

Sleepless blogs anonymously which is not unusual in countries where it is dangerous to speak out, to speak the truth. Bloggers have been subjected to harassment and police detention in countries such as China and Iran. In the case of Sleepless it is understandable as the Sudanese government have a record of arresting and detaining aid workers and human rights activists.

Akinyio (http://akinyio.blogspot.com) is a young Kenyan woman blogging from South Africa. Her blog is a "diary" blog basically covering the day to day happenings in her life. Here she provides us with an insight into Durban which she says is a beautiful city. However she makes the observation that beyond the beauty the legacy of apartheid remains.

"Durban is also a bit stuck in pre-1994 SA. There are places where you can actually count the black faces if any and there are times when you feel the tension. For me this was completely new and I hated having to second guess myself whenever I wanted to walk into a store or restaurant in a Mall because there were only white faces or only Indian faces in there."

Finally Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2005/08/victor_julie_mu.html) has a number of reports on Ugandan lesbian human rights activist, Victor Julie Mukosa (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2005/07/ugandan_governl.html) who has been repeatedly violated by the Ugandan police. Since being detained and then released she has been in constant hiding and in fear for her life.

Introducing Blogs

Blogs, short for Weblogs, are the people's media. A blog is a website that enables anyone to write their story, express their opinions on other people's stories, articles and reports, provide commentary, alternative views and additional facts and create lists of just about anything.

Blogs are an important development both in internet technology and in the production of media. Each entry is date and time stamped and posts appear in chronological order and in categories. The posts are interactive as they allow for readers to leave comments and enter into discussions.

Blogs can cover any topic ranging from politics, culture, music, media, personal journals, technology, the list is endless. They can be written by one person or a group of people or even a small community. People who write blogs are called bloggers and the community of bloggers is known as the blogosphere. It is estimated that there are some 60 million blogs worldwide.

In the African Blog Roundup I will be presenting a weekly digest of some of the stories and commentary in the African blogosphere. Unfortunately this time of the year blogging is at its lowest due to people taking their vacations but things should return to normal by September. I will start with some of my favourite African blogs one of which is the Kenyan Democracy Project (http://demokrasia-kenya.blogspot.com/ ) who report from Nairobi on the ongoing demonstrations called by opposition groups opposing Mwai Kibaki’s handling of the Bomas draft constitution and the violent response by the police. The question being asked is

"Why are the police on the streets? Why are innocent people being arrested merely for wishing to stage their right of expression? I want the Minister to tell us what police are doing roaming our streets. When did he declare Kenya a police state? Couldn’t they be better used in other insecurity-prone areas like Marsabit?"

Indeed we should all ask the “why”?

African Bullets and Honey (another Kenyan blog) http://bulletsandhoney.blogspot.com/ poses the question “are the formerly colonised set to colonise their colonisers?”

Apparently due to a decline in the numbers of British men entering priesthood, churches in Britain are having to import African priests to take over rural parishes.

“We are entering an era when the welfare of the European soul shall be in the hands of the African. Europe has always had a peculiar need for Africa as a guiding light to its self awareness. The two, African and European, in the latter's mind at least, have occupied opposed sides of a binary divide for the last couple of hundred years: black vs. white; stupid as opposed to intelligent; savage vs. civilised; backward vs. forward; lazy vs. industrious.”

This is ironic considering the early days of colonialism when racism was being constructed by the Empire, and the story was us Africans had no souls. The tables have now been turned and it is Europe that needs re-envangelising!

The Zimbabwean Pundit (http://zimpundit.blogspot.com/2005/07/farmers-urged-not-return.html) has an interesting piece on the Zimbabwean government secretly asking for white commercial farmers to return to their land. However a right wing lobby group for the farmers has asked them not to heed the call until there is “rule of law, an independent judiciary and firm guarantees property rights will be respected” .

Ethiopundit (http://ethiopundit.blogspot.com/2005/07/rule-britannia.html) declares that World War IV is still being fought today on British soil.

“Through experience, historical memory, and without a doubt a healthy dose of cultural programming on two continents, we have acquired a profound affection and respect for the people of the UK. It is certainly a well-deserved regard in every aspect from humanity's lessons in the Magna Carta onto the Royal Navy ending the Atlantic slave trade and the lonely years of fighting Nazi Germany alone onto the road to Basra just two years ago. Certainly from the Boston Massacre to the bloody suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion there are stains on that record... but at this point other, at times painful, truths emerge.”

Britain's existence has to an astonishing degree been a boon for mankind.

Ethiopundit then goes on to publish the complete “Rule Britannia”. I think they call this re-writing history!

* Compiled by Sokari Ekine, who runs her own blog that you can visit at http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks

* Please send comments to [email protected]

Thank you for articulating so clearly what many of us have been saying for years. That there were serious compromises made at the time of South Africa's independence; that the urban and rural poor in SA have nothing to celebrate after 11 years of so called freedom. The freedom in SA has been a freedom for the elite non-white population, for the business sector who have continued to make money off the lives of the poor and of course the white elite have continued in their prosperity and probably have gained most out of independence as they are now able to conduct their business operations freely with the rest of the world.

You ask the question "why are (Africa's) incessantly in poverty?" Because as you say the primary essence of democracy is absent from the continent and the World Bank/IMF and the NEPAD agenda have choked the continent into submission and poverty. The West and particularly the United States are not interested in a true democratic Africa but one that serves it's need in resources and security. (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks,

Joel Bisina has written an informative article on the Niger Delta (Pambazuka News 167). However there are a few points I would like to add.

Apart from a very brief mention of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Odi, Bisina fails to mention the state sponsored violence that has been taking place for the past 14 years. Nor does he mention the issue of demands for autonomy and resource control made by all the ethnic nationalities (please let us throw the word tribe into the dustbin of colonialism) of the Niger Delta.

When he does mention violence it is in the context of "inter tribal and inter communal conflicts". This implies the conflicts are nothing to do with oil. On the contrary the Federal Government has used divide and rule tactics to fuel conflicts between the different ethnic minorities by favouring one community over another at different times, by redrawing boundaries between communities and by arming one community and instigating murder.

Bisina also fails to include any gender dimension to his article. He mentions the "ethnic militias" and illegal bunkering that takes place by a minority of people but fails to mention the many activist groups and organisations that are fighting to expose the crimes and human rights abuses of the multinationals and their partner, the Nigerian government.

JOEL BISINA REPLIES: Thank you Sokari Ekine, I fully and wholly agree with you that some of the issues you raised are fundamental and are worthy of mention, but I want you to appreciate the fact that the Niger Delta question is as old as the Nigeria Federation and so are the issues and the facets to the issues. Any attempt in a singular write-up in trying to address all will amount to writing an encyclopaedia. So you would excuse my brevity.

I need to state here that I am very conversant and actively involved in the entire Niger Delta struggle at various levels in my professional capacity and as someone from the Region who lives and works there. Just trying to look at state sponsored violence alone will produce volumes. From the days of King Koko of Nembe Brass to the most recent military invasion in Egbema communities of Ogbudugbudu, Idebagbene and Itsekiri communities of Orugbo etc.

>>>>> Click on the link below for the rest of Joel Bisina's response.

The discovery of oil in Nigeria’s Niger Delta in 1956 has brought nothing but increased poverty, underdevelopment and violence to the people of the region. Demands for social and environmental justice have been met on the one hand, with brutal repression and the militarisation of the region, by successive governments and on the other, hostility and disdain by the multinationals such as Shell, Chevron and Elf, whose collective operations in the Niger Delta are one of the worst environmental records in the world: Pollution of the air and drinking water; damage to forest areas; oil fires that have left people dead and maimed occur on a regular basis; damage to fish and other sea creatures; oil spillage is also a regular occurrence; dumping of oil into rivers and creeks, and for the past 40 years uninterrupted gas flaring that produces noxious gases and soot close to villages and farms. Some of these flares spew balls of fire up to 300 feet in the sky. The people of the Niger Delta now find themselves “trapped between two evils – the oil companies on the one hand and the tyrannical Nigerian government on the other”. As a result of the above the people have been left pauperised and marginalized.

Women in the Niger Delta, particularly in rural areas are the breadwinners in their households and communities. They are the farmers, fisherwomen and they are responsible for the cooking, cleaning and raising of children and as such it is often women that are most directly affected by destruction of the environment. Nevertheless despite the many hours of daily labour, women have been active at village and community level in the struggle against the multinationals and state aggression. They have paid a high price for their activism. The military and armed police have systematically gone about terrorising whole communities, assaulting and beating indiscriminately. The aim of these attacks is to damage, humiliate or destroy. In addition women are subjected to repressive cultural traditions ranging from the prevention of women in the decision making processes of their communities, to forced female genital mutilation, widowhood rites and domestic violence. Women in the Niger Delta live in fear, fear of walking, fear of trading, fear of sexual abuse, rape, beatings, fear of violence.

The specific types of violence committed against women are: Sexual violence such as rape and prostitution; physical violence such as beatings, maiming and murder; violence against property and violence in the home or by men in the community.

With regard to prostitution and rape, the latter has become a ritual amongst the occupying military and armed police forces as well as security personnel employed by the oil companies. Starting as far back as 1993 at the beginning of the Ogoni campaign, rape has become part of the campaign to destroy and undermine the communities of the Niger Delta. In many cases the rape takes place in the presence of husbands, children, siblings and other members of the community. Women are often dragged from their homes at night, they and their husbands threatened with violence if they do not comply. Women in villages, farms or fishing grounds that are located close to oil facilities are at most risk of sexual abuse, - daily harassment, prostitution and rape - by oil workers both foreign and Nigerian including security guards.

In terms of physical violence, Women are beaten, maimed and abused by the military and police. In every instance the military and police turn peaceful demonstrations and protests into carnage. For women the result is rape, beatings, amputations or worse.

In the case of violence against property, women are subject to having their farms ransacked or their produce stolen. Again these actions are not random but rather systematic acts aimed at destroying property and thereby further undermining Niger Delta communities. Market women have had their stalls and wares destroyed. Often the soldiers, security personnel or oil workers (who know security guards will come to their defence) refuse to pay for their purchases and the women face verbal abuse and possibly physical violence if they protest.

Women are also subjected to mental and emotional abuse. Violence does not actually need to take place, once it has been established as the norm. It is enough to know that violence is a possibility. Women walk in fear as they try to go about their daily work. Fear of being raped, of being beaten or maimed. In addition many husbands, fathers and sons have been killed or maimed leaving women to assume even greater responsibilities. This has meant enduring serious hardship, in finding ways and means to support their families.

This is the abuse and oppression women face in the Niger Delta from the Nigerian government forces and the multinationals. This is in addition to the farmlands, fishing waters and livelihoods destroyed through environmental damage, to say nothing of the impact on the health of women and children, such as skin conditions, bronchial problems, and miscarriages.

Women are very often empowered by the very same events and experiences that seek to destroy them. This may include, becoming politically active, taking on new roles in defence of their property and maintenance of their households. This is also one way in which women can begin to at least attempt to heal the physical and psychological wounds they have suffered.

The women of the Niger Delta have a history of revolt and resistance towards the Multinationals dating back to the mid 1980s when two revolts took place. The first was the Ogharefe women's uprising which took place in the Ethiope LGA in 1984 and the second was the Ekpan women's uprising, in the Okpe LGA in 1986.

More recently there has been the EGI women's revolt which started in September 1998 and the Ijaw women who demonstrated in Port Harcourt in January 1999. The demands of the former were and are similar to the two previous revolts. On 23rd Nov some 7,000 EGI women gathered in the streets and began marching towards ELF's gas plant site. But Elf blocked the road with the help of some 100 mobile police so the most the women could do was to sing and dance as a means of making their message heard.

Since then the women have been accused of trespassing on their own land. Local police and oil personnel have continued to harass them. The present situation is that the women have aligned themselves with the EGI youth council and the struggle continues.

The Port Harcourt demonstration was organised by the Niger Delta Women for Justice (NDWJ) The women took to the streets of Port Harcourt, to demonstrate peacefully against the raping and molesting of women and young girls as well as the beating and killing of young men in Yenagoa, Kaiama and other Ijaw villages. The soldiers fired shots into the air and then arrested at least 34 of the women. Those arrested were stripped, flogged and verbally abused. Others sustained injuries whilst fleeing from the rampaging soldiers.

Grassroots women’s organisations have become steadily more politically active since 1999 as the violence in the Niger Delta has become more widespread. Organisations such as FOWA (Federation of Ogoni Women’s Associations) NDWJ, Egi Women’s Council, Agape is a Birthright and Warri Ladies Vanguard, have become active in the daily struggle against environmental and social injustice. Working together with local youth organisations and human and environmental rights groups, these organisations are involved in monitoring oil spills, and other environmental and human rights abuses, documentation of grievances and compensation claims, advocacy, human rights training.

It is the women together with the Youths that are taking the initiative in the Niger Delta struggling against both the multinationals, federal and state governments alliance and the 'old guard who have failed the people and would like to maintain the status quo at the peoples expense.