After Africa

Women of Egypt. Powerful photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm totally in love with the series of photos I found of women in action here. (Do note the photo album disclaimer).

(And that the Serbian resistance movement's clenched, white fist on black, is back.)

Could Egypt happen in Tanzania? Debating on Twitter

Rubenndege #egypt pres. MUBARAK cabinet has reportedly resigned en mass?! Hint hint #tzbarazalamawaziri cc @JMakamba @zittokabwe could it happen here?

@tzshafiq Nkosi Sikelel Afrika @Rubenndege The Egypt and Tunisia thing won't happen in tz soon.. Bado mishipa ya hasira haijakatika

 

Evidently, no clear answers to this question, but mind you that Sub-Saharan Africa is following what happens in Egypt and the Arab world at the moment. Not just via social media, but also via the newspapers. And note, that Sub-Saharan countries have the exact same reasons to go to the streets and the Tunesians and the Egyptians have.

Did you hear what happened in Tunesia...?

On change, activism and revolutions and social media. How do I manage my fascination?

Jillian C. York writes about free expression, politics, and the Internet, with particular focus on the Arab world.  She works at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and writes for Global Voices Online. In a blog post here she asks the question 'How are protestors in Egypt using social media?'´ Her blog post made me think about my own fascination of social media and Africa.

Jillian C. York namely questions the West's enthusiasm for social media - and the common idea that the present demonstrations and revolutions in the Arab world might be facilitated, so to speak, by social media:

'To suggest that this type of organizing is limited to right now would be to ignore the existing use of digital tools in the region for social and political organizing.  To be honest, so much of the rhetoric around the use of social media in Egypt and Tunisia makes me want to scream — folks act like these American tools just dropped from the sky like humanitarian food rations, set to save the people from their (American-supported, natch) dictators.'

and:

'Egyptians are not out in the streets because of Facebook, nor Twitter.  They are not angry because an American diplomat who spent a few years in their country revealed something that a nation of Egyptians already knew.  Egyptians are angry, and rightfully so, at a dictatorship that has been around for longer than I’ve been alive, a dictatorship that has been supported by the United States for almost as many years (see Alaa Abd El Fattah’s thoughts on that here).  And if their will is to bring that dictator down, then so be it'

Photo>>: Writing on the wall in Belgrade in 2000, making a reference from Serbia's dictator, Slobodan Milosevic (Slobo) to the Romanian dictator, Caucesku, who was shut in 1990.

The only revolution I ever had a personal relationship with was when the Serbian resistance movement and civil society protested back in 2000. E-mails and mobile phones were available then, but no social media. Serbs are outstanding networkers by nature, and I believe their sense of connectivity played a role when they organised demonstrations back then. 

For an outsider this was evidently a challenge to follow due to language and culture. As an outsider, I experienced that I had to grow strong personal relations in order to follow what went on inside the country when I left Serbia in September 2000. I remember how I tried to reach people in early October 2000 via mobile phone, landlines and e-mails, and only got sporadic reports back, because the network was instable, but also because people were - off-line - in the streets.

Today I wonder if a reason for the West's (myself included) fascination with social media in relation to change, activism and revolutions is that news no longer are limited to mainstream media, and because it provides us all with an option for following people closely and for communicating with those involved?

I'll be the first to admit, that I'm truly fascinated by the recent use of social media in African context, probably because I was living in Uganda and Tanzania while it took off. I know that it is a relatively simple task for me to hashtag, retweet and share, and through social media indicate my interest and solidarity with people who have gone to the streets in a country I may only know too few details of (had it not been for the social media).

However, social media also has its limits.

Back on September 19 2010, I blogged about the Tanzanian MP, Zitto Kabwe, running for office while combining kanga and ngoma with social media. And again on January 19 2011 I summed up in a blog post here: 'A new breed of techno-savvy politicians in Africa?' In Tanzania, a recent survey, however, showed that 83% of the population get their news from the radio and that government still is the most trusted source. 

The African politician - or a civil society organisation - might be operating social media smoothly from urban centres, but their biggest challenge still remains to connect with the far corners of the rural areas where social media doesn't make much of a difference.

- Similar case in Zimbabwe, where activists have to work on alternatives like Ezra Sibanda's 'tin-can version of Twitter'.

Can our fascination be explained by the fact, as Jillian C. York points out, that we (maybe subconsciously) need to believe that the West has a vital part in it all, because most social media tools are invented in the West: 'folks act like these American tools just dropped from the sky like humanitarian food rations, set to save the people from their (American-supported, natch) dictators.'?

Which, in a rather sad way is underlined by this tweet: 'RT @AfriNomad: Video - Why @StateDept @PJCrowley concerned when twitter blocked not when Egyptians are tortured http://j.mp/hibocrt #jan25'

One problem is when journalists (and others) draw hasty conclusions, i.e. by defining a trend before it is a trend: 'Go one way, and you risk overstating the influence, go the other and you’re dismissed as assuming individuals in the Arab world incapable of leveraging social media tools for organizing.', another when we fail to aknowledge that change, activism and revolutions are hard work fought in real life, not in cyberspace and due to real problems like unemployment, repressive governments and food prices:

'To do so is to take credit from the very brave individuals who’ve spent the past few days in the streets of Cairo and Suez, the individuals who’ve been shot at, some killed.  To do so is to ignore the brutality, the tear gas, and the killings.' 

I'm not sure of the answers to my doubt, but Jillian C. York's blog post made me think of two reasons for thinking twice when it comes to my fascination of the impact of social media:

In Serbia 2000, where I experienced being in and out out the country, I learnt that personal relations - no matter what - are the key to understand what's really going on. In my experience from Africa I've tried to make the same effort, and I must conclude, that interacting via social media makes much more sense if you also occasionally engage with social media actors in real life.

Social media may make us feel a little bit closer and almost on the inside, though we are continents away - but maybe it is time to underline that social media may only represent part of the truth; that people will demonstrate and revolutionize no matter what; and that social media never can replace meeting/networking/sharing in real life?

Will (Sub-Saharan) Africa be next?

1stworldmusic asks a question on Twitter:

'Revolution in Tunisia now unrest in Egypt. The middle east is unstable. Will Africa be next?'

I see trends on Twitter, blogs and Facebook of Africans debating this question. Last week I put together this sum-up, but it hasn't seemed to stop at this.

Is it a trend spreading to Africa?

And have we got anything to base these assumptions on?

What do you think?

 

Music from Bongo. 2 music videos

 

 

 

I'm not daring to call it Bongo Flava, as I'm simply not up to date on the finer details of Dar es Salaam's music genres. In fact, I never was.

What I do know, is, that the second video is recorded on the Kigamboni Ferry, and entails some really fine details of unusually high quality. Especially, I like the backseat scenes.

Have a look for yourself!

STUNNING art work! The 2011 TED Prize Winner: JR

 

Africans redefine Africa (without my help)

While a selection of Denmark's largest development NGOs together with Denmark's Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and private companies enter a collective coma on Saturday (in Danish), nationally fundraising for what they dubbed 'The New Africa', Africa is redefining itself.

Every day, in all ways, by its own drive, creativity, history and energy.

If you want to know what's rocking Africa, circle Twitter, blogs and Facebook for inspiration and updates. Or, if in Africa, attend the events included on the list below, check out the products produced, or ask people out and discuss what's going on between reality and cyberspace.

Activism, intellect, ideas and creative skills are here combined via social media, which provides options for exchanging and learning. It is interesting because it is relatively new, it is inviting to engage and share, but it is also rather unfiltrated.

The list below isn't prioritised in any ways, but impulsively compiled based on my specific interest in art, culture, music, social media, photography, design, fashion, politics, activism - and East Africa. 

• This Is Africa… How Music and Social Media Are Re-defining A Continent
• Doreen Mashika
• Society hae - Change the World, Create Something!
• TedxDar
• A new breed of techno-savvy politicians in Africa?
• Afri-Love
• Swahili Fashion Week
• Kate Bomdiggity
• PEN & MIC 1
• Alfredmutua
• iHub, Nairobi
• Ladies' Mapping Party
• The Mikocheni Report
• Vijana FM
• Pecha Kucha, Dar es Salaam
• Sanaa Republic
• Kina Klothing
• Global Voices Tanzania
• Sauti za Busara
• MaKuYa Festival in Mtwara
• Swahili Street
• White African
• Mzungu Kichaa
• Pop Africana

And the list doesn't end here, please let me know what I've missed...

Where do Tanzanians get their news?

AudienceScapes has made a media survey on Tanzania, which I suggest to be studied by persons with an intention of communicating to - or campaigning - watanzania.

Here, some interesting points:

• Eighty three percent of Tanzanians get news and information from radio, making it the leader among both media and non-media sources.
• As incomes rise, Tanzanians’ range of information sources expands.
• SMS messages outrank newspapers as a source.
• Potential for increased information targeting via SMS to all those with mobile phone access.
• 66 percent of Tanzanians said they get information regularly from friends and family, but only a third of this group said they completely trust friends and family as a source.
• Government are the most highly trusted sources of information for Tanzanians.
• Close to 60 percent of Tanzanians discuss news and information with others in their community at least weekly, and 44 percent are asked for their opinion on major news stories weekly.

Find the survey here.

NB. I couldn't find any information as to how many people were part of the survey, also I think it could be interesting to know where it was carried out.

Non-violent Struggle Multi-Media Library. What did we learn from Serbia?

I lived in Belgrade in 2000. Most of the time in a rented room in a big house in Ulica Ivana Milutinovica, where a hopeful boyfriend of my landlord had painted 'I love Irina' on the opposite house in the street. 

A rather famous grafitti around Belgrade at that time, which every morning reminded my landlord - and me - that even though love might not last, original intentions can still be real.

The house was normally full of visitors of all sorts - and occasionally young men were sleeping on the couch while escaping the rough facts of life, like military service (or doing the dishes).

At one point I slept with over 10.000 USD under the mattress, while having a resistance movement poster in the window towards the street. This was my first experience of volunteering in a country where youth appeared to be living on a constant edge of emergency. Not just politically, but also emotionally. I quickly realised that I wasn't going to suggest that poster to be taken down, but to figure out a safer solution till someone did.

And I never really got over the addiction I gradually grew in Belgrade for:

Political activism combined with intellect, mad ideas and creative skills.

The feeling that it can all be over tomorrow, or next week.

Living in a pocket that the rest of the world is ignoring.

The pride that sets in with lack of money, but not ideas, and which makes you recycle your mother's vintage Chloé and Chanel from the 1970ties.

'Vreme je!' - the time is now - was one of the slogans of a campaign running at that time, amongst others from the concert tour with Darkwood Dub, Kanda, Kozda i Nebojsa etc., where the photo above is taken. I remember I was offered a seat on a bus going to Nis and back again the same day by a hard core photographer (who convinced me that I could take photos, too).

Another slogan was 'Life is what you make it' - advertising for the Exit festival in Novi Sad.

It pretty much said it all:

Like is exactly what you make it. (Add to that luck and hard work, and it cannot go totally wrong).

Belgrade 2000 was one of the best periods of my life.

So, obviously, I was happy to find the Canvasopedia, a non-violent multi-media library, yesterday, which is made by the people behind the Serbian resistance movement, Otpor.

They have also produced a fantastic handbook to non-violent struggle, which can be downloaded here: Download Nonviolent_Struggle-50CP.

Soundtracks: