Why I Blog About Africa

On Globalvoices, Elia translated a meme that is going on in the African francophone blogosphere, a meme that i hope can spread in the English speaking blogs of Afrophiles and Kenyan bloggers.

afrimeme_positive.jpg

So here is the question that Théophile Kouamouo came up with.

Why do you blog about Africa? Do we blog for the diaspora and for the world at large, cut off from our contemporary on the continent? Is blogging about Africa done in the same way as blogging about Europe or Asia? Does the African-oriented blogosphere have something specific to offer to the world version 2.0?

I blog about Africa because it is fascinating, fantastically diverse culturally, beautiful and cool. Like other Kenyans who grew up watching URTNA on the one TV channel (gosh I am old!), I am fascinated by the different types of music from Cameroon (Zangalewa!! eh eh eh – Kibe Zangalewa!), the chilled romantic grooves of Madagascar, Tabu Ley of the country then known as Zaire, Jolie Detta of Congo -even though I thought that was only music for my parents, to my current obsession with Kizomba music from Angola. I really could say more, but i will be brief :-) Being an Afrophile is musically, intellectually and artistically very interesting. There is so much to learn! Not only from the past, but also from the present, how we are innovating and reshaping our continent positively. I touched on this awhile back in the post ‘Memes, Markets, Africa’. Without further ado, I tag:

Forota

Sci-Culturist

Mweshi

Rafiq

So why do you blog about Africa?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Africa, Art, Diaspora. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

7 Responses to “Why I Blog About Africa”

joan December 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 pm

hey happy to read your blog. Theo is an amazing blogger , we enjoyed taking part in this in the Malagasy blogosphere , hope you guyz will love it too!

kamau December 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm

ooh! i’ve been tagged. will ruminate on it for a minute (so many reasons!) and post on my blog. interesting meme.

Herman and Yvonne December 4th, 2008 at 10:47 am

We are so priviliged to live in Africa!
It’s the vibrant continent whare things can happen and are happening.

hash December 5th, 2008 at 4:19 am

Great stuff Juliana, I like the meme too, so good job on bringing it over from the francophone side of the continent.

Sean December 12th, 2008 at 10:49 pm

Blogging for music is a good enough reason. Love your blog btw.

sokari December 16th, 2008 at 5:50 am

Hi Juliana

See this weeks Blog roundup on Pambazuka News

http://bookaholicblog.blogspot.com/ April 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am

If I no blog Africa, shey na America I go blog? It is really about staying true to who I am…however, I find myself blogging more about African literature, why? Because I love books!

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