Just Africa

Voices from Darfur: July 26 Africa Action Event

Songs, poetry, photographs, speeches and discussion are all ways to express sentiments, solidarity, and to educate. At the end of July, Africa Action hosted an event called Voices from Darfur, where we showcased local and Sudanese talents, provided a forum for discussion of the conflict in Sudan, and brought together great minds to come up with solutions. Performances and speakers from the event are now available for viewing on youtube as are photos on our Flickr page.

South Sudanese poet Apuk Ayuel connects the struggles of everyone in Sudan through her moving and creative rhymes.

Despite being forced into the Sudanese military, tortured in jail, and witnessing his friends' and family's murders, Angelos Agok is still able to motivate others to support democratic transition of power in order to unite Sudan peacefully.

Nuraddin Abdulmannan of the Rescue Nubia Committee draws attention to the plight of the Nubian people, which often goes overlooked when examining conflicts in Sudan.

The event was successful in educating others about the holistic lens necessary to look through when examining the conflicts in Sudan. Through this forum, Africa Action encouraged passionate people to further the struggle for peace in Sudan.

Profile: Kenyan Pundit

Lawyer and political analyst Ory Okolloh’s blog, Kenyan Pundit, serves as place for the Kenya native to offer passionate and critical observations of news and politics in her homeland.

Ory , who is currently working in Johannesburg, South Africa, started the blog when she was attending Harvard Law School in 2003. She is the co-founder of both Mzalendo, a website that watches the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament, and Ushahidi, a website that formed during the political crisis in Kenya. On top of blogging, Ory works as a legal consultant for NGOs and participates in activist efforts. She often speaks on issues concerning citizen journalism, the usage of technology in Africa and the role of young people reshaping the future of the continent, according to her blog. She graduated with a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Kenyan Pundit is an “outlet for opinions, commentary, and “isn’t this cool” links.” Kenyan Pundit’s categories range from HIV/AIDS, to development and corruption – the most recent post discusses violence in Kenya’s high schools.

By offering thoughtful and honest opinion from her experience in the country, Ory’s blog gives a much-needed look into the day-to-day issues surrounding Kenya’s social and political struggles. Check out Kenyan Pundit here.

African Digital Voices: Part 2

Kwani? Trust,  an East African based organization, is “dedicated to nurturing and developing Kenya’s and Africa’s intellectual, creative and imagination resources through strategic literary interventions.” They produce an annual journal, Kwani?, featuring writing from Kenya and have published over 30 new writers since its creation in 2003. The website also displays authors across the continent in the Kwani? Series section. In addition to print materials, Kwani? hosts Poetry Open Mic monthly performances, monthly prose reading series, writing forums, open debate forums, and a literary festival every August in Kenya.

The writers at Kwani? differ in their creative talent, ranging from award-wining short story writers such as the founder, Binyavanga Wainaina, to journalists to scholarly experts in post colonial theory to filmmakers and poets. With such a diverse gathering of minds, Kwani? generates commentary on identity and violence in Kenya, the recent elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and the state of the media in Africa. They frequently feature writings by their staff on their website and are currently promoting two projects, 24 Nairobi, a program to showcase images and narratives from Nairobi, and Generation Kenya, a celebration of those who have contributed to a better Kenya since independence.

Whether you are an aspiring Kenyan poet looking for a venue to express your gift or an African literature enthusiast, Kwani?’s blog provides readers with insight into the creative talent and potential of East African writers.

African Digital Voices

Each week, Just Africa will profile one of the organizations or individual bloggers listed in the African Voices section of our blogroll. Arbitrarily, we'll do so in reverse alphabetical order. Are we missing a key blog - yours, that of a friend or colleague, or one you  read - that covers social justice and/or human rights issues from an African perspective? Let us know! This list is just a start...

First off is Pambazuka News, unquestionably one of the best Africa-related sites on the web. A project of the multifaceted African NGO Fahamu, the award-winning Pambazuka provides an indispensable source of news, analysis and discussion from a diverse array of academics, policymakers, social activists, women’s organisations, civil society organisations, writers, artists, poets, bloggers, and citizen commentators.

Pambazuka staff (primarily activist-bloggers Sokari Ekine and Dibussi Tande) compile a weekly African Blog Review that summarizes and links to some of most important and unique online insights coming from the continent. The two biggest drawing points for this roundup are its accessibility and the wide array of perspectives it brings to the table.  Pambazuka's brief synopses and excerpts are easy to digest in minutes and reflect the organization's overall high standards for editorial quality. Recent topics highlighted include controversial elections, the future of pan-Africanism, food sovereignty and Africa-China relations.