African women blogging this week

As usual, African women have been blogging about a variety issues.

Black Looks has recorded a moving audio post honouring the brilliant African-American science fiction writer who recently passed away, Octavia E. Butler. Black Looks has also posted information regarding the The Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship which is aimed at enabling writers of colour to attend a Clarion writing workshop where Octavia got her start.

Kenyan Pundit writes about Kenyans’ political amnesia which shows how Kenyans easily forget the crimes and misdemeanours of government. She also highlights how easy it is to complain and yet do nothing and says ‘we’ll spend another five years complaining about how nothing has changed’.

Discarding the argument that is often used to attempt to show that Africans do not need computers as their needs are more focused on bread and butter issues which she says is a fallacy, Afromusing has written and posted an image of the solar powered solo computer and states that solar power offers a reliable power solution.

Rombo has written what appears to be a tongue-in-cheek on the surface but what in fact is an absolutely vital and necessary guide to people who she says want their ‘wealth to make the world a better place for folk less fortunate (term used loosely) than yourself’. She begins by asking these people to do things such as ’let the ‘less fortunate’ speak’, ‘listen’, ‘really listen’ and other nuggets of information.

Pilgrimage to Self’s latest post carries a list of ’25 things a sista should never apologise for’. My personal favourite is number 25: ‘Never apologise for being you’.

The Mad Kenyan Woman writes a heartfelt post on Kenyans and homosexuality and how gay men and women are unable to talk openly their sexuality because of the stigma. ‘Your sisters, your brothers, your friends, your colleagues, your cousins, your nephews, your nieces, even your parents, are trapped in a prison more violent and restrictive than any physical restraint’, she writes.

Ore writes about BAWo (Blogs for African Women), a project for African women whose objectives include encouraging African women who want to start blogging and support those who recently started blogging and to encourage African women to report their own stories as an alternative to mainstream media. The project is currently seeking mentors and Ore has provided contact information for people wishing to get involved.

‘I've just listened to truly the best speech since Barrack Oboma's keynote speech at the Democratic Convention’, Strawberries writes after listening to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s recent speech to the American Congress which was interrupted several times by standing ovations. ’I have goose bums and am so proud’, Strawberries says and concludes ‘to all the doubting Thomases, yes a woman can. A woman will’.

There are two Nigerian writers on the long list of Million Writers Award of the best online stories of 2005, writesMolara Wood. The list will be cut down to 10 stories on April 1 and then the public vote for the top places will begin.

Adefunke writes amusingly about an all too familiar situation in Africa where one does not know whether they will have electricity from one day to the next. ‘Lord let the power situation on my street be sorted’ she prays and this time, her prayer is answered although her wallet is just that little lighter.

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