Want to Work in Africa?

Zebrajobs.com a website that work towards making it easier to find jobs in Africa is having a virtual job fair that will run for 3 months from September 15- December 15. After looking at this site, I am looking forward to the job fair. The site has almost 4,000 jobs at all levels that are targeted to expats and locals. It is a great way for people interested in working in Africa to have a more synthesized avenue to search in.

A Sad Day for Democracy

This Friday Zimbabwe will hold its run-off election for the presidency. However, due to the overwhelming amount of violence, corruption, and repression that has marked the presidential run-off campaign, the results will be a complete sham. Yesterday, Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition party's leader and winner of the initial election, pulled out of the election, asserting that contesting Mugabe's rule was not worth the number of lives that had been and would continue to be lost as a result of challenge of his rule. Here are his comments, as well as responses to the decision he made.



Mugabe definitely wins the bully of the year award. Unfortunately, he has always been a bully. Upon taking power in the 80s, he stripped White Zimbabweans of their land and redistributed it to his supporters. Only, at that time, it was considered cool and payback for the centuries of oppression Blacks had suffered under Whites. Mugabe grew a large support base because of his radical and uncompromising stand. However, today, 28 years later he continues to use force and radical and uncompromisable approaches to control the country and his people.



It is time the international community stop ignoring grave acts of human rights abuse in Africa. For the sake of human lives, please put our selfish interests to the side and call and spade a spade. We all laughed when Mugabe chastised Bush for calling the kettle black:



But he has taken his authoritarianism too far and needs to be stopped!

I respect Tsvangirai for fighting until now and wish he could continue, considering at this point, if Mugabe is going to assassinate him, he will regardless of whether he wins or not. But it is definitely time for someone to put at end to dictatorships and complete disregards for democracy that are plaguing us.

Are Chinese People Black?

The High Court in South Africa thinks so. This week they ruled that Chinese South Africans be reclassified as Black so that they could also benefit from the Broad-Based Economic Empowerment and the Employment Equity Acts, designed to end White domination and give people classified as Blacks, Indians, and Coloureds more employment and economic benefits. Until now, Chinese people in South Africa had been considered White and though they are a minority in society, they did not benefit from the programs that other non-White ethnic groups did.
I wish I knew more about race relations and hierarchy in South Africa so that I could offer an informed opinion on the topic. But I will say that this is a clear example of the politics of race around the world. In the US, race is considered in the most literal way possible, whereas in many other societies Whiteness and Blackness is considered an expression of your social status. Therefore, one can be physically Black, but well educated and wealthy, thus making him or her "White" and vice versa.
I can remember a Professor of mine who is African American and dark skinned telling me of a time she visited Morocco and was constantly referred to as White because she was eloquent, well-dressed, and wore lipstick. I also sympathize for Chinese currently in South Africa who may move to the US one day and realize that they aren't Black...how shocking that will be!

Difficulties Returning Home

There are at least 40 million refugees and internally displaced people through out the world. And the goal of most is to be able to return home. However, because conflict and natural disaster are usually the source of their displacement, returning home is not as simple as many think. Once the war is over or the lands have dried, many people have nothing left to return to. This has been a huge challenge of the humanitarian community and unfortunately continues to compound.

Liberia has been heralded for resolving its conflict and soaring economically in the last year. However, the effects of displacement still linger. This week 12 farm workers and may be more were killed over land disputes and citizens in the DRC are facing the same issue.

I suggest that in addition to creating land distribution programs, governments need to encourage formal land ownership documentation and archives. Too often land ownership in rural settings has been relied on oral history and communal networks, which were severely fractioned and even destroyed during longstanding conflicts.

I Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

Let me preface this entry by saying "I support Barack Obama 100%" I voted for him during my primary election and will vote for him in November.
That being said, it really annoys me that everytime I speak to a friend or family member in Africa, conversation is CONSUMED with questions about Obama. I fully respect an individual's desire to follow news and politics abroad, because I clearly do the same. What I don't understand is this obsession with the elections in the US (as ground breaking as it is) when all is not at right at home!
I'll stop here and include an excerpt from Dorene Namanya's piece in The Monitor

"Obama- Let's Not Get Carried Away"
The morning after he won the democratic nomination, he was all everyone was talking about. From local TV and FM stations, the taxi driver chatting enthusiastically to his conductor, the leading dailies, to even talk among women who are normally far removed from the political surroundings (although to be fair they were discussing his looks). The Obama drug was taking effect. It was as if the prices of fuel, food and the northern war peace treaty (or lack thereof) no longer seemed to matter. Ugandans had embraced Obama.

This is worrying on so many fronts. One that we almost seem more enthusiastic about than our neighbours in Kenya and he is after all their cousin. Kind of like that woman who howls, wails and threatens to kill herself at the death of her stepchild when the child's mother is weeping quietly in a corner.

Two, that Obama's election will not change the situation here. Honest, those potholes will remain. Three, that Zimbabwe is still being led by a tyrant, Ugandans are being harassed in South Africa, there is a crisis in Darfur and yet we channel our energies in the Obama campaign. Four that he is still only just a candidate.

This is probably the one topic where people are taking advantage to show off their knowledge of international politics, but all that enthusiasm is not going to pay off in the end. I hate to disappoint all of you enthusiasts, but your opinion as Ugandans matters only so much.

Reminds me of the last US presidential elections, how a certain tabloid here ran an editorial on Election Day that read, "Here at (insert tabloid name) we support John Kerry." I bet John Kerry wrote them a letter later thanking them for their support. I bet he didn't.

It's Getting Worse

First CARE, now all aid groups have been suspended from operating in Zimbabwe. I think I've already made it clear how I feel about this whole situation. Now it's just getting downright sad...
Food distribution has been banned, in the middle of a food crisis.
The publicized rationale behind the ban is to prohibit aid groups from politicizing their operations and influencing the vote of citizens. But if Mugabe has been leading his country in a fair and just way, what is he so afraid of?
Since Tsvangirai's return to Zimbabwe, he's been detained twice. American and British diplomats have also been harrassed and detained. Now the government is using its power to turn on it's citizens. This situation is completely out of control and I can only imagine what June 27 holds in store.

Let's Go Lions!

I don't follow soccer, but I always jump on the cheering bandwagon when Cameroon is doing well.
FIFA has ranked Cameroon the top team in Africa and I am proud of my lions!

Yes, Mugabe, You've Officially Lost Your Mind!

CARE provides assistance to 500,000 of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people, including orphans, the sick and the elderly. This month, it would have fed more than 110,000 people in schools, orphanages, old age homes and through other programs.

And last week, President Mugabe suspended CARE from operating in Zimbabwe. He asserts that CARE has been financially supporting opposition parties in Zimbabwe and encouraging people to vote against the ZANU-PF, the current ruling party, which has been in power for almost 30 years.
CARE, like most humanitarian aid organizations are nonpartisan and deny the accusations levied against them. Of course, I do not know whether or not CARE staff was speaking against the government in the name of CARE, but what I do know is that President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF have been institutionally silencing all citizens and organizations that have criticized their regime. I have spoken out about this in previous posts, especially when their abuse extended to US Ambassadors and diplomats, but if I thought they crossed the line before, now they've completely erased it.
To suspend the operations of a leading and reputable humanitarian organization is blasphemous, especially on the brink of a mass repatriation of tens of thousands of citizens who have been run out of South Africa and seek support at all levels.
When will our leaders embrace a true democracy that involves a critique of our leaders and support of opposition groups?!?!? Why is it a crime to have a differing of opinions? For centuries we've sought to be viewed as a diverse people and not one monolithic group, yet we persecute those who challenge our perspective. But to continually risk the livelihoods and development of your people is sick. And all I am left to believe is: Yes, Mugabe, You've Officially Lost Your Mind!

Reigniting the Harvards of Africa

In a previous post, I discussed my disillusion with African Universities which had once been the pinnacle of esteem. In recent decades, however, African Universities have taken a drastic decline due to lack of funding and resources at the expense of the student body, faculty, and infrastructure. Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, which onces boasted a rich history and scholarship is now plagued with logistical and technical issues inherently linked to a lack of funding and government support.
I have always advocated partnerships with more lucrative bodies, whether or not they may be Western organizations or donors. However, I have always asserted that these partnerships should not weaken or erase the true spirit and relevance of African education, which is deep rooted in the culture and way of life of its people. For this reason, I have been a critic of Abti-American University of Nigeria's structure.
But alas, Harvard University alumni have formed an organization they call Harvard Alumni for Social Action, which dedicates its efforts to supporting African universities. The beauty in this partnership is that these group of alumni realize the potential reached and that still lies in African Universities, as well as the abundance of resources available within their network and have made it their goal to raise African Universities to a standard that they themselves once upheld. Currently, their funding is focused on the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and based on the information provided in their fact sheet, I would say that their impact is beneficial and sustainable

African Literature and Art

One of my favorite pastimes besides writing is reading, especially books by African authors. It is a goal of mine to incorporate into this blog, not only news from Africa, but reviews on my favorite books as well. Until I get there, however I have found links to a few blogs that highlight African writing and thought I'd share them.

Cameroon Literature in English is a site that focuses on English writing by Cameroonians. I can see the necessity of this site, considering many people I meet, including Africans, do not realize that Cameroon is also an English speaking country. I have also had difficulty finding novels by Cameroonian writers, so I'm excited that a site showcases their work.

Discovery of Gambian Literature & Writing showcases just that in the form of author profiles.

Wordsbody touches on every aspect of African art, including the beauty of African languages. As does Kenyanpoet, which focuses specifically on Kenya.