After Africa

Oh, I suddenly miss the way to spend a Sunday in northern Uganda....

20 Kali Cigarettes

Missing Dar es Salaam (and life among wazungu who smoke kali cigarettes). Rest of (old) story here. 

@kiwanja: 'There should be a "finding Africa gave my life meaning" tax'

 

 

Credit to kiwanja and Twitter.

As I said: 'I have no illusions' when it comes to my role on making change in Africa

Two weeks ago I won KLM's Club Flying Blue photo competition, where I in return had to give an interview here.

The Facebook page Jadili Africa (Discuss Africa) picked up a quote from my interview (and later invited me to become one of the administrators) of a Facebook page with over 7000 members aiming at discussing issues related to Africa. Here is how people commented:

My point is, KLM's Club Flying Blue communicates to one target group, Jadili Africa to another. Both communicate to people who relate to Africa, but in very different ways.

Obviously, it is an honour to win KLM's competition for the principle of winning and for the 5000 air miles, and to be given the change of expressing my viewpoints for a large target group. It is also encouraging when my friends voted for my photo, and click like on the article. (In fact, I've been amazed by the stable response here.)

However, that was the easy part, so to speak.

The interesting part, and the real challenge to me, the mzungu, is to be invited into the forum of Jadili Africa, and to face comments which fit my own personal kali view so much better on whatever I could be up to in Africa 

This is also one of the reasons why I have digged deep into the African pool of social media, because it offers me alternative views which are much more challenging than passing on a stereotype phrase targeting a European reader group where many seem to think that making change in Africa is something you just do.

You don't - and alternative views are hereby brought on.

(I'm obviously not Kenyan), but curious to see what happens at #Kenya28Feb

We are extremely proud to be Kenyan!
We are proud of our beautiful country!
We are proud of our diversity cultures and traditions!
We are proud of our heroes!
We are proud of our high achievers!
We are proud of being hustlers!
We are proud of our hoods!
We are proud of our tribes and twengs!
We are proud of our kanges and our mats!
We are proud of our artists and musicians!
We are proud of our industries and farms!
We are proud of our sports teams!

On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm EAT, wherever you are, at work, in the supermarket, in traffic, in school, on campus, in hospitals, in churches, in mosques, in temples, in synagogues, on sports pitches, in court, on your farm, at police stations, at armed forces barracks, in matatus, in buses, on the beach, in the game parks, at the airport, in parliament, in State House, in your homes …
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we stand
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we unite
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we shall speak in one voice.
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, let’s sing our beautiful and powerful National Anthem, all three verses.
On the 28th February 2011 the world will watch as Kenyans stand UNITED;
1pm, 1 nation, 1 people, 1 anthem, united in 1 prayer for 1 Kenya
We are Kenya!

Website: 28Feb.co.ke
Email: unite@28feb.co.ke
Twitter: @Kenya28Feb
Facebook Page: 28FebKenya
Bloggers: We need your help!

Vote for my photo of Esther at KLM's Top 11 'Flying Blue Miles'. PLEASE!

This photo, of Esther from Kanaani Village in Njombe in Southern Tanzania, now made it to the best 11 photos in the competition '5000 Flying Blue Miles'.

The top 11 best rated pictures are now featured on Facebook here, and I REALLY wanna win the 5000 Flying Blue Miles, so PLEASE help me, and go vote by clicking on the ‘Like’-button of my picture. Note that it only works, if you 'like' the '5000 Flying Blue Miles' first.

(KLM will be giving away an additional 5000 Flying Blue Miles amongst the likes!)

The story of the photo comes here.

Thanx!

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...

Download Twawesa's Calendar (and test your reading skills)

Download Download Twaweza's Calendar here.

As mentioned yesterday here - happy to see my photos from Tanzania utilised in contexts which actually match the way I felt when taking them.

And, well, this is also my first time to have a front page photo published on 250,000 copies...

Are our children Learning?

Back in November 2009 I visited two schools in two villages in Longido in northern Tanzania (while I also sort of made peace with leaving a job I really loved). I took a million photos, and did also write this blog post afterwards - feeling rather emotional:

'Working with development, we all have our favourites, something which is closer to our hearts than other areas. In my case it is education - but as in human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation. So far, I have only found the word 'education' enlisted among the buzz words in the development support bible. However, it all boils down to utilised and appreciated human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation, which will be the only forces change is made of.'

Now, one of my photos (with my consent) made its way onto a Twaweza publication titled: 'Are our children Learning?' - a small pamphlet aiming to challenge people to think about what it means when their children are not reading at the right levels, and therefore to think about quality of learning. The pamphlet gives you the opportunity to test yourself, your children or relatives, and encourages you to talk about learning and about quality in our schools (in Kiswahili). Download it here.

On a personal note, I am really happy to see my photos from Tanzania utilised in contexts which actually match the way I felt when taking them.

Day two of south Sudan referendum

Sudan, the biggest country in Africa, needs a week to run a referendum.

I noted one thing, and that is that a lot of the photos from people voting, are unusually characteristic - somehow different.

Maybe because it is many people's first experience with voting, and because a whole new nation might be the outcome? 

Find lots of interesting photos here.

Photo taken from here