So the Digital Citizens Indaba came and the Digital Citizens Indaba went and just like in Asterix*, despite the wishes of the death mongers, the sky did not fall on our collective African blogging heads. If anything it has been the most entertaining week in the African blogosphere for a while. Albeit over what i feel is a big non issue, but that’s just me. There are some things i do wonder about, maybe someone can shed some light on these.
Why are people always surprised and shocked when certain bloggers defend themselves after they are attacked? I had someone musing loudly in my comments about whether our blogs had become bigger than us. For crying out loud if you attack people they will defend themselves.
Secondly, why are some people always surprised that the verbal knife can cut both ways. If you complain, rightly or wrongly, about non Africans organising, speaking and attending a blogging conference in Africa why would you be surprised when Africans tell you that a non Africa who lives, works, blogs in Africa has more right to write about Africa than an African in the diaspora. I would think that that would be the first counter point you would prepare yourself for.
Thirdly, why are we as a people constantly arguing and debating the same issues over and over again. I challenge anyone of you to point out a new idea, a new controversy that emerged in the verbal sparring of the past two weeks.
Fourthly, if you have been running to your computer or checking out the aggregator every day to find out, “the latest” i suggest you move to Nairobi. The hectic panic that is living in this city will wipe your brain of any energy you may have spare.
Fifthly, blogging is all about thinking for yourself. It is about sharing what you think. Your blog is your opinion. So why is that some bloggers take unreliable second hand information and preach it as gospel? I mean if you write a post claiming that there are “no natives” at the DCI then you really are guilty of “surf and click” laziness of the highest kind. Next time do not stop so soon, you are one click away from the truth.
But you know only a fool thinks he has all the answers and only a fool thinks there is nothing to be learnt from debate with those who disagree with you. A wise person once told me, the biggest honour anyone can give your argument/your position is to to criticise it intellectually because that means that they feel that your position is worth spending time upon. So we can and we should disagree. We just need to learn how to disagree constructively.
So this is what i suggest. Clearly we have many African bloggers who have an opinion on what an African blogging conference should or should not have, should or should not do. We have many African bloggers who have an opinion on how an African blogging conference should be run. Well then, let us hear it.
I have set up a google email discussion group called “African Bloggers”. This email group has a simple task but it is a massive one. This group is created with the intention of working towards organizing a conference for African bloggers in 2007. Our discussions within this group will centre around (but may not limited to) sponsorship, dates, venues, facilities, speakers, agenda. This group is open to ANYONE who has a blog.
Let us take all this passion and try to create something positive out of it. Let’s quit complaining, defending, attacking and start debating, thinking and creating.
I’m in, are you?
(*Ka boom chi! I managed to use Asterix in a serious blog post!)
Pamoja Tuangamize Ukimwi
Kaybees - Thanks for voting!
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September 22, 2006 at 7:56 pm
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September 22, 2006 at 10:37 am
bankelele
Even indaba’s are controversial in Asia (http://deaned.blogspot.com/2006/09/blogcamp-sri-lanka.html).
September 22, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Ostalgia
i am
September 22, 2006 at 8:35 pm
RealAfrican
I do agree that we as Africans should put our energy into setting up our own conferences instead of complaining when white folk pick up on our slack.
But I am very disappointed with your knee jerk vicious attack on bloggers who did not support you on your jaunt to S.A.
I for one believe that whether we are in Africa or not we still have a better understanding of the issues and problems in Africa as we have experienced them first hand and do not have a plane ticket or money to save us from them.I think you should know that because you have done a large amount of your blogging about Kenya when you were in the U.K.Does that render your contributions null and void in that case?
You talk like Kenyans abroad have nothing better to do that refresh the aggregator and comment when you know how hectic the pace of life abroad is for most Kenyans.Need I quote your post on why you went back to Kenya?
You must admit that your vitriolic response goes against your call for constructive disagreement later in the post. Make us proud by following this advice or simply give your nay sayers more ammo.
You have raised some good points and your discussion group is a step in the right direction for African bloggers and I will participate if you don’t lock me out by virtue of my comment.
September 22, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Magaidi
This whole debate/discussion around the DCI - what it means, who was there, its impact and such has been very informative for me if I may look at it from a selfish perspective. As for the responses, I wasn’t surprised that they were coming, rather the surprise was how rude and insult-ridden they were from some presenters/participants at conference and their audience - but still MMK did raise a good point. MadKenyanwoman once said we should be able to rise beyond the trivial name calling and raise the standard of discussion. While I won’t indulge in the controversy that was (or never was - however you look at it), the way forward, and I agree with you to a certain extent is -can we then do it ourselves rather than wait for someone to do it for us - and the email group is a great way to start. Mimi ndani.
September 23, 2006 at 2:43 am
Mentalacrobatics
@anon a.k.a “real” African
You highlight one of the problems i point out perfectly. Instead of READING what I actually wrote in the post and commenting on that you created a scenario in your head and ran with it. I was not the one who said the comment about African bloggers in the diaspora. For crying out loud, read what i wrote. This intellectual laziness is becoming a joke. I have defended the right of the diaspora to speak many many many times in this blog. So calm down and then come back when you have something positive to add. Or at the very least something remotely accurate to what i wrote.
And there really is no point commenting anonymously when your university IP address is all over your comment, unless of course you choose not to stand by your words publicly. As for your irrational fear that you will get “locked out” because of a comment, sorry you do not have an excuse not to participate in something positive for a change. No one is getting locked out of anything. Let us see your true colours.
September 23, 2006 at 12:24 pm
sokari
MA - it is good that you have started this list.. One point is that this whole disucssion has been mostly limited to the Kenyan bloggers. Other large communities such as Nigeria and Ethiopia and other countries in both those regions have on the whole not joined in this discussion. When organising as a continent we need to think about that.
As for non-whites in Africa having the right to blog on Africa - people have a right to blog on what they want, where they want whoever they are - anyone who thinks otherwise then I believe they missed the point.
KP: “another white male for those who are keeping score” (EZ) do you honestly think that is what this is all about?
September 25, 2006 at 4:38 pm
Mitzy
Last week, Bill Clinton held a meeting in Harlem in New York, with several prominent lefty bloggers. Culturekitchen.com protested that none of the invitees were black or Latino. This has been dubbed the “Harlem Meeting Debacle”.
Read more on this at
http://www.culturekitchen.com/node/9417
and
http://www.culturekitchen.com/liza/blog/peter_daou_explains_why_there_are_no_black_or_lati
September 25, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Shiroh
Did you read Gerry Sunday Nation , he was of the opinion that many Kenyans blogging are whites. I was tempted to write back
September 25, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Emmanuel.K.Bensah
I’m most definitely IN with your idea!
September 25, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Emmanuel.K.Bensah
how do we go about subscribing? cheers.
September 25, 2006 at 11:19 pm
uaridi
Welcome back. I hope you have settled down now, and will start blogging.
Someone I love dearly pointed out to a friend who had been whinning about her life (middle-class) and her problems (can be handled) that while they had spent two hours talking about her problems about 10 children (I AM NOT SURE OF THE NUMBERS) had died.
Sometimes we spend too much time discussion, arguing, making points, making plans etc while the necessary work goes undone.
September 26, 2006 at 9:22 am
Gish
Happy Birthday Mate! Many happy returns.
September 26, 2006 at 11:44 am
Nakeel
Happy Birthday Papa. May all the blessings fall on you in this year. What candle no is it?
September 26, 2006 at 3:55 pm
african
I may have spoken out of turn, my sincerest apologies.Happy Birthday….
September 28, 2006 at 9:54 am
ndesanjo
I support the idea and believe that we can make this happen.
I have set up a wiki, which we can use for planning in addition to google group (if we find it useful).
http://conferences.wikia.com/wiki/African_bloggers%27_conference_2007
January 6, 2007 at 10:01 am
UGANDAN-COMMUNITY IN VANCOUVER WESTERN CANADA
Happy Eid Mubarak & prosperous new year. 2007. to all. our home page. http://www.wananchionline.com/ Add to Favourite. From Ugandans-Community in Vancouver Western Canada. peace,love,unity. is our motto. Bravo.