Memeburn reported:

The Virgin Active franchise of gyms has reopened an investigation into a racist incident which allegedly occurred during a class at one of its clubs, following pressure on social media.
The incident in question reportedly occurred late last year. During a spinning class one member allegedly took offence to another’s enthusiasm calling her a “bloody k*****, a cockroach and a selfish bitch”.

The woman had reportedly been shouting “Yebo” (meaning “yes” in a number of South Africa’s indigenous languages) as the instructor put them through the various exercises.The two parties were then supposed to meet up, with the man being ordered to apologise to the woman. He then reportedly said that he would not be able to make the arranged meeting.

According to the woman, however, the man saw her at the club on the day in question but refused to speak to her.
Speaking to national newspaper The Star, the woman said that Virgin Active’s disciplinary committee had repeatedly questioned her account as her alleged attacker was a lawyer and that if she was found to be lying her gym contract would be terminated.
Virgin Active’s Karen Gordon, meanwhile, told The Star that “the member that allegedly misbehaved also received formal correspondence…which included a final warning”.

That, it seems, is where Virgin Active would have left the matter had it not received national media attention.

@ComicalTshepo at a Virgin Active Gym in South Africa Virgin Active waiting for the moment to shout 'YEBO' (a Zulu word meaing Yes). Photo courtesy of @ComicalTshepo.

Media reports resulted in an outcry on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, Virgin Active backtracked and decided to re-open the issue. This also resulted in other people coming forward about similar incidents.

Even Virgin Head, Richard Branson decided to respond:

We do not condone any form of discrimination at Virgin - especially racism. We are taking this incident extremely seriously and intend to look at all the facts to reach the right outcome for all parties concerned. Ross Faragher-Thomas, Virgin Active South Africa’s Managing Director, is investigating the whole incident personally and is meeting the two members next week to make sure we look at the facts and are fair to everyone who is involved. A meeting was also conducted with both members on Saturday, and the member apologised to the other.

However, we do not condone members or anybody else abusing each other in any way and intend to reinvestigate this incident fully.

I have been to South Africa on many occasions and been inspired by the many wonderful people I have met there. As Jonathan Jansen said: “My South Africa is…often unseen, yet powered by the remarkable lives of ordinary people. It is the citizens who keep the country together through millions of acts of daily kindness.”

We intend to get to the bottom of this incident and I want to repeat that we will not tolerate any form of prejudice.

Facebook users commented on Virgin Active Facebook page following Richard Branson statement. Anne Barker responded:

I don't think your response is strong enough Mr Branson. Your MD here should have spoken up straight away, suspended the manager of the Sunninghill and blocked the membership of the person who spoke so shockingly to a woman. The millions of acts of kindness become nullified by one racist bigot.

Khanyisa Vuyokazi Mbassa felt that:

Apartheid still lives in this country, all the that the democracy did was to give Black south africans freedom to retaliate without fear of being incarcerated.

The South African blogosphere was not behind. Kaloo5 note that:

So Virgin Active were rather inactive in their response and handling of the matter, possibly hoping that it would simply go away. Kudos to Liz Hleza for insisting her story be told, and not taking the abuse lying down.

Tarryn observed that the incident was not about race:

The fact remains. This was about inappropriate behaviour, not about race. It’s sad how easy it is to start a racial war in this country. More tolerance, people. It’s the only way we’ll survive.

Pierre De Vos looked at the incident from a legal and constitutional perspective:

However, regardless of whether one follows the stricter definition of discrimination provided in the definitions section of PEPUDA or whether one follows the provisions of section 7, the Virgin Active gym might well be found guilty of unfair discrimination.

Meanwhile we await word from Virgin Active to see whether the publicity might have shamed it into taking this reported incident as seriously as it deserves. If it does not, Hleza might well want to take both the abuser and Virgin Active to the Equality Court.

On Twitter @PabiMoloi said:

@PabiMoloi: I'm proud that the Mama spoke up about the racist attack at Virgin Active. There is still deep racism in South Africa. Don't be fooled.

@Eusebius felt that:

@Eusebius: The acid test of whether you TRULY ‘get race' is whether you got angry as you read that article about the racism incident at Virgin Active

@KimSchulze urged virgin active members to protest:

@KimSchulze: I would like to urge every virgin active class-taker tonight, to yell out “YEBO!” in protest against the forty other Spinners who failed to

Some users such as @ComicalTshepo took up the challenge and decided to yell “Yebo” in protest:

At a spin class at Virgin Active waiting for my big moment to shout ‘YEBO'. Wish me luck

@anele wanted to know the culprit's name:

@anele: Dear Virgin Active, as a kaffir I would like to know this guys name just so us kaffirs know to not make the mistake of dealing with him

Written by Ismail Dhorat · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

The poster has caused a huge stir on Facebook, Twitter and blogs and even generated viral spoof posters. Here are some of online reactions on this.

Impendingboom says:

If you take the time to read through the Facebook comments, the way South Africans respond differently to the same image is quite interesting.
We can roughly divide the response into four categories:
1. It’s cheesy and belongs in the 90s
2. Its simplistic portrayal of race relations is offensive
3. It’s beautiful, we need more of this
4. It’s repulsive, you’ve lost my vote

Jacques Rousseau at synapses says:

That’s what this poster does. It simply highlights the fact that some people would look twice at an inter-racial couple, and reminds viewers of the poster that in the ideal DASO future, this wouldn’t happen.

Baas De Beer notes:

Such a campaign will never be without criticism. The majority being that it’s immoral, overtly sexual and sends out conflicting messages to the youth. To this I just have to say: Wake up, welcome to the year 2012. There are more risqué ads that promote tampons, chocolates and cameras. It does not in any way promote sexual promiscuity (who said these two aren’t married (The CDP complained about this)). The only message this one conflicts with, is the message of hate and separation that white and black adults who are still stuck in the stone-age preach to their kids.

Regarding the statement it made, I personally respect it and think it’s about time that someone said it. Wouldn’t this world be a better place to live in if people stopped finding fault in others’ lives simply because they are too scared to face their own demons? Wouldn’t this planet be more enjoyable if society didn’t exclude, but include? If race, culture, sex and religion were not used as weapons? You are allowed to have your own opinion, but that’s just it: YOUR opinion. If you don’t like interracial relationships, THEN DON’T BE IN ONE. Easy, neh?

Slicktiger takes a tongue in cheek approach:

Anyway, the DASO okes are on a whole OTHER LEVEL for putting this charna on their political poster and addressing a CRUCIAL ISSUE in South African society of NOT ENOUGH OKES WHO LIKE TO KLAP IT IN POLITICS.

Jaqamba takes a critical look at DASO:

In my opinion, the posters are an embarrassment to DASO and its membership. They are neither controversial, nor can they serve as a proper yardstick to judge SA’s racial relations. In any society, however integrated it may claim to be, there will be conservatives and fundamentalists. In a similar fashion, there are South Africans (black and white) who strongly hold on to their pre-democratic or apartheid-era views about race and racial morality. However, since there are no laws preventing racial integration or promoting racial purity, the issue is moot and debating it will serve no meaningful purpose to the South African society. For an allegedly progressive lot, DASO seems to be chewing on dry bubble-gum.

Rosealix at 10and5 says:

While some are staunchly for the idea, others are sure the DA is accusing today’s South Africans of being racist and while some conservatives are appalled at the nudity, others have been asking if there’ll be any gay loving in the next of the series. Some are calling it a stereotype and some are calling it irrelevant to the times and for all those aghast at the standard of creative work, others are wondering what all the fuss is about.

Mafedi Selepe observes:

With the sentiments of DASO probably been of Nobel intentions, we can’t see past the misconception from incorrect reasoning that is the poster. To me as I sat and disgruntled the poster and used the same method that I was taught at the bourgeois school, I safely came to the conclusion that DASO was trying to tell us that we can cohabit only if we are prepared to say the white man is superior than the black, thus perpetuating but carefully tweaking the architect of Hendrick Verwoerd of a neighborly society that knows and embraces its indifferences to allow the half baked rainbow nation that was only but a dream for the Mandelas, the Sisulus and the heroes and heroines et al.

AKanyangaafrica identifies what the controversial poster has achieved:

The Ads would, unfortunately, make you want to love South Africans even more, if you never did. Even social networks were buzzing, with many accusing the party of claiming to be non-racist when it in fact is. Although the views were diverse across racial line – but one could get a sense that many black people were angrier than whites as, to them, DA was far from being the non-racial opposition party it claimed to be.”
“DA may not have achieved one of the objectives it intended to (of portraying itself as a non-racial party) but it managed to get South Africans debating the thorny and controversial race issue, and at the same time exposing our racist tendencies. To Sarah Britten the posters meant we would find them unusual or offensive, thereby implying we are “excessively aware of race” which would then require our re-education “in the principles of non-racialism by the DA” (my emphasis).

Tsholo describes what people see when looking at the poster:

Focusing on someone race can never stamp out racism, I think. At the end of the day, because the poster is ABOUT race, when you look at the poster you see a BLACK girl and a WHITE guy, not just a couple.

However, SihleMthembu believes the campaign was a success:

Personally, I think all of u are getting emo (emotional) about nothing, lol. Whether it was black guy and a white chick or not, it would have still sent the same message. I think this campaign is success in the sense that it has people talking. I think the idea is about crossing racial boundaries….and my guess is the ones finding it very hard to accept this campaign for what it is are individuals who are still not comfortable with inter-racial relationships.

Below are some of the responses on Twitter:

@wildebees: If a UK political party's youth wing got this amount of debate going on Twitter they'd be hailed as pure genius #DASO

@joshjordaan: I've just heard that yesterdays #DASO poster was on SkyNews this morning! International!

@ryguy_smith: How does one go about finding the man posing on the recent #DASO homosexual poster? Also, who has a wedding dress to lend me? :P

@simphiwedana: If you want to tackle race, address the issue of white privilege. Like the people of Duluth are doing #DASO

@thealexparker: Yawn. #DASO poster so very JCR. Does have the benefit of pissing off the right people, mind you.”

@OliverHermanus: As someone in an interracial relationship I don't look twice & folk don't look twice at me. Its relevant, but isn't the future bigger? #DASO

@scrookson: The DASO poster is obviously designed to be controversial. Attention seeking because the DA needs it?”

The poster also managed to generate viral spoof posters such as:

Written by Ismail Dhorat · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

First, let's cover the details of the event itself. SA People gives us a good breakdown:

The Centennial logo. Image source: anc.org.za

Thousands of people descended on the quiet Free State province to the city of Mangaung, also known as Bloemfontein, to celebrate the party’s existence since 8 January 1912.
The celebrations were attended by former heads of state, current leaders, the party’s political elite, and throngs of ordinary citizens.
Those in attendance included former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda; Ugandan president Yuweri Museveni; Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba; Mozambican president Armando Guebuza; and Rev Jesse Jackson from the US.

…

The motto for the celebrations is Unity in Diversity – also South Africa’s national motto – and the party truly displayed this sentiment after being plagued with faction fighting over the past year, especially with its youth wing.
But it showed a united front throughout the weekend of festivities.
Former ANC and South African president Thabo Mbeki was seen laughing heartily with the incumbent president Jacob Zuma and suspended ANC Youth League president Julius Malema.
Zuma said: “We continue to have different and differing perspectives on the processes unfolding in our country. Despite the progress we have made, there remain deep fault lines in our society that continue to undermine our vision of a united, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.”
Nobel Peace laureate and the country’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, was there in spirit although not in person.
Attendees were reminded of the elder statesman’s contribution to democracy by the many posters of him, and other former presidents of the party, hung throughout the usually quiet city.
Baleka Mbete, the ANC’s national chairperson, said: “He is in good spirits but very, very old.”
Nobody expected the centenary events to be anything else but pomp and ceremony with nearly R100-million (US$12.4-million) spent to commemorate this achievement.

The Daily Maverick gives us some perspective here by pointing out the main conflict that ran throughout the celebrations:

The weekend displayed the ANC’s prevailing attitude – it celebrated its past with abandon and views its future with some trepidation. It is very clear with which it is more comfortable.

The Gateway News lauds the ANC's great past and it's achievements and hopes the future holds something better:

Notwithstanding all its faults, I still cannot imagine where this country would be if we did not have the ANC. They have produced some of the finest leaders this world has ever seen. Can you imagine what might be if the ANC would go back to its founding principles and values? Let us pray for that then.

One highlights a worry amongst certain groups of the ANC becoming too exclusive:

Some observers of this weekend’s celebrations are concerned that the ANC is losing its inclusive, non-tribal and non-racial ethos, enriching the few, mostly politically connected, rather than the poor majority.

In the view of some critics, ANC leaders are increasingly chosen by a small group of people, selected for how best they can capture competing interests. Opposition parties are either poorly organized or racially homogeneous and have little chance to secure broad support, so the ANC will likely remain unchallenged for some time.

Without real opposition, change must come from within. ANC party conferences in June and December are an opportunity for the ANC to return to its roots and maintain South Africa as a global example for genuine democracy, equitable economic development and peaceful racial integration.

Left Foot Forward is positive about the ANC's impact but also highlights the challenges facing them in next century:

South Africa is a different and far better place than in 1912 or 1989. It is a country for all South Africans. Formerly a pariah state it is now a leading player in Africa and globally.
The challenges of achieving political and civil rights for all, and of ending apartheid, were great and many many people suffered and sacrificed to achieve these.
The challenges of building on this great achievement, overcoming the economic legacy of colonialism, imperialism and apartheid, dealing with the globalised economy of which South Africa is now part in ways which benefit most South Africans, providing good quality services to all of its citizens are just as great, perhaps greater, and will be the test for the ANC in its second century.

Muddy roads and dusty trails evokes a sense of nostalgia:

Today 100 years ago the African National Congress saw the light. Today the festivities take place for 100 years of selfless struggle. As an interpreter I have been once or twice the voice of Nelson Mandela after he was released from Robben Island. When South Africa was freed from Apartheid, it became member of the ACP and had at their first attendance the meeting in Cape Town and were given a most moving and enlightening tour of Robben Island by a former prisoner who became a minister in the first Mandela government. It was non-violence which won freedom. was one of his messages and that the embargo gave support to the resistance because even when suffering they knew it was because people supported their struggle.

People's World is positive about the future of ANC:

A potrait of Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0) by Flickr user Abode of Chaos.

Its centenary is surely a cause for celebration and hope for all who cherish freedom, civil rights and democracy.

Founded three years after the NAACP in the U.S., the ANC is one of the African continent's oldest and most enduring liberation movements.

Its leaders worked alongside W.E.B Du Bois in shaping the 20th century struggle against the color line.

Born in the struggle against white settler colonialism, the ANC's history is deeply rooted the struggle for human dignity and national independence.

…

Like any modern political party in a capitalist country, the ANC is also challenged within and without by big business designs to buy influence and peddle prestige and power.

By keeping its eye on unity and its feet firmly planted in the roots of its century-long experience, the ANC and its Tripartite Alliance partners will continue their steady march down the road to freedom and equality. They will meet obstacles and detours on the way but as Nelson Mandela once famously said, “There is no easy walk to freedom.”

Mick Hartley posted an interesting post questioning ANC's statement on the passing away of Kim Jong-il:

Avi at AfriCartoons posts ANC celebration cartoon with a sarcastic caption:

100 years of ANC through a cartoonist's eyes. Cartoon by Avi Ramjan at africartoons.com.

“SHOCKING!!!! SA editorial cartoonist does a POSITIVE cartoon!
Actually, it's quite refreshing. Perhaps South African cartoonists should do a positive ANC cartoon every 100 years (until Jesus comes, that is).”

Speaking of political cartoons, Tia Mysoa shares Zapiro's take on the ANC's past and future.

If you want details of what exactly the ANC has done in the last 100 years, the Global Black History Blog has a detailed blog post of ANC history right up until 1994 when Nelson Mandela became South Africa's president.

Marcus's Space does a similar post, but a bit more politically motivated:

Economically, the party has drawn praise for steering Africa’s biggest economy into safe waters, rolling out new electricity and water supplies, as well as houses and inspiring a new black middle class, but when I see documentaries of that beautiful country I also still see a lot of shams and misery.

Finally, for a more irreverent take on things, Naked Chiefs post their thoughts covering everything from the conflict of South Africa's “Africanness”:

However, WHY South Africa is conflicted about its Africanness, is a matter for all Africans. It is a conflict that seems to stem from three sources.

First, ignorance about the rest of Africa.

Secondly, the apartheid trauma that seems to have left South African unable to give back full-heartedly to those who supported its liberation.

Thirdly, a bizarre and complex need for international acceptance, especially from the west, born out of the peculiarities of apartheid oppression, and the global stardom that was conferred upon Mandela by the world.

… and after a very long detailed discussion, they describe ANC's main failure in its 100 years:

The ANC failure has been its inability to make South Africa that is comfortable and confident about its Africanness. I don’t see that changing for another 30 years, at least.

As with all things large and complicated in life, ANC has had its ups and downs in its 100 years history.

Written by Muhammad Karim · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

In order to better appreciate the progress made, one needs to think back to the 19th century and consider the image of black women in Europe then. For the purpose of this article, we will only address the story of women from the African diaspora who have been elected to positions of leadership in countries other than the colonial powers that previously ruled their home countries.

A history of racism

Postcard depicting Sarah Baartman, Wikipedia (public domain)

Au début du XIXème siècle, cette servante est emmenée en Europe et devient un objet de foire en raison de ses attributs physiques proéminents. Certains “scientifiques” utilisent sa présence pour théoriser l'infériorité de la “race noire”. Lorsqu'elle meurt à seulement 25 ans, ses organes génitaux et son cerveau sont placés dans des bocaux de formol, et son squelette et le moulage de son corps sont exposés au musée de l'Homme à Paris. C'est seulement en 2002 que la France accepte de rendre la dépouille de Saartjie Baartman à l'Afrique du Sud, concluant ainsi un long imbroglio juridique et diplomatique

Sarah Baartman died in Paris on 29th September 1815. More than 100 years later, the Khoïkhoï people in South Africa called on Nelson Mandela to demand the restitution of Sarah's remains. The demand was met with the refusal of the French authorities and the scientific community citing the inalienable heritage of science and the state, but France eventually repatriated the body to South Africa where, in accordance with the rites of her people, it was purified and placed on a bed of dried herbs which were set alight.

Norway

Two centuries later, the position of black women in Europe has drastically changed. Amongst others, many have now been elected to political office.

Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen on Wikipedia (Norway) (CC-BY 3.0)

Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen in Norway is one of these women, and one of the most interesting because she shows the contradictions that still exist within some countries. She had to step down from a ministerial post in the Norwegian government just four months into her job. An article on Grioo.com sets out her career [fr]:

Originaire de l’Ile de la Martinique, à 44 ans, Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen a obtenu son poste de ministre de l’Enfance et de la Parité au sein du gouvernement de centre-gauche norvégien le 18 octobre 2007[…] Elle est mariée avec Terje Osmundsen, un homme politique membre du parti conservateur norvégien. Après son mariage, elle a pris la nationalité norvégienne et renoncé à celle de la France. Le pays n’autorisant pas la double nationalité.

In an interview with Patrick Karam from the website fxgpariscaraibe.com in 2008 she explains [fr] some of the things that played in her favour in being appointed and why she stepped down following a controversy over an alleged conflict of interest in the hiring of a political appointee:

En Norvège, il y a obligation de représentation des deux sexes dans les conseils d’administration, 40 % de femmes au minimum. Nous menons aussi une politique pour inciter les hommes à prendre plus de responsabilité dans le foyer pour laisser les femmes entreprendre professionnellement. J’ai travaillé aussi sur l’enfance en danger, les violences, les maltraitances… J’ai travaillé quatre mois sans être critiquée, c’était une expérience réussie. Les critiques sont venues avec la nomination d’une médiatrice. Avec du recul, tout le monde voit que c’est une bagatelle. J’ai cédé au pouvoir de la presse.

Sweden

Nyamko Sabuni, Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA)

En 1981, à l’âge de 12 ans, elle est arrivée en Suède avec sa mère et trois de ses cinq frères et sœurs. Là, elle a retrouvé son père, un opposant politique plusieurs fois emprisonné au Congo (actuellement République démocratique du Congo), venu dans le pays nordique grâce à Amnesty International.

The Netherlands

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wikipedia (public domain)

Née en Somalie en 1969, excisée à l’âge de 5 ans, Ayaan Hirsi Ali est scolarisée dans un lycée musulman pour filles. Soumise à ses parents, à son clan et à sa religion jusqu’à l’âge de vingt-trois ans, elle profite d’un passage dans sa famille en Allemagne, pour s’enfuir et échapper à un mariage forcé. Réfugiée aux Pays-Bas, elle adopte les valeurs libérales occidentales au point de devenir une jeune députée à La Haye et de s’affirmer athée. Pour avoir travaillé dans les services sociaux du royaume, elle connaît, de l’intérieur, les horreurs tolérées à l’encontre des femmes au nom du multiculturalisme.

A fierce apponent of some of the aspects of Islam and African traditions that go against basic human rights, she founded an NGO whose aims are set out, on her website Ayaan Hirsiali in the following terms:

In response to ongoing abuses of women’s rights, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her supporters established the AHA Foundation in 2007 to help protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.

Italy

The first black person to be elected to the Italian parliament is Mercedes Lourdes Frias from the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. This is how she is described [en] on the blogging site Black Women in Europe:

Mercedes Lourdes Frias was born in the Dominican Republic. She was the first black person elected to the Italian Parliament in 2006 where she served through April 2008. She was a member of the Commission on Constitutional Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on the Implementation of the Control of Schengen Agreement, and the Control and Surveillance on Immigration. She works on anti-racist activities and welcoming immigrants. From 1994 1997 she was a member of the Council of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. In the town of Empoli Ms Frias served a councilor for the environment, rights of citizenship, equal opportunities.

The blog stranieriinitalia.it (foreigners in Italy) gives a brief outline of her career [it]:

Il primo sindaco di colore in Italia ha la camicia verde. Sandra Maria (Sandy) Cane si è aggiudicata con appena 38 voti di scarto la fascia tricolore a Viggiù, cinquemila anime in Valceresio, tra Varesotto e Canton Ticino. Alle sue spalle, una lunga storia di migrazioni. Di Viggiù era originaria la famiglia materna del neosindaco, scalpellini emigrati in Francia, dove durante la seconda guerra mondiale arrivò il padre, un soldato statunitense afroamericano. Il neo sindaco è nata a Springfield, nel Massachussets, nel 1961, ma a dieci anni, dopo la separazione dei genitori, ha seguito la madre nel paesino d’origine.

This, according to the blog associazioneumoja.wordpress.com, is how she found herself [it] in politics, with a rather unlikely ideological platform:

Della Lega sono sempre stata sostenitrice, anche se mai vera militante. Quando ero ragazza morivo dal ridere a vedere i loro manifesti, curiosi e di forte impatto. Poi quindici anni fa, più o meno, mi sono avvicinata di più. […] Vedo come «molto americana» anche la Lega, per la richiesta di rispettare rigorosamente la legge, anche per i clandestini. Anche se a Viggiù, precisa, non ci sono problemi di integrazione, nè tantomeno di sicurezza. Tra le priorità, guarda al rilancio turistico del paese, con manifestazioni e attenzione alla cultura.

Despite the marked progress in the inclusion of African women in European politics, they represent isolated cases as, beyond the difficulties they face due to racism or culture and religion, even within their own families and their own societies, they also have to face up to the challenges that all women across the world face [fr]: domestic violence, the challenge of bearing children, marginalisation and under-representation.

Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Vivienne Griffiths · View original post [fr] · comments (4)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Abdoulaye Bah · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Last year, Malema led students in singing an old anti-Apartheid struggle song called ‘Kill the Boer' and a South African judge found him guilty of hate speech because of comments he made about a woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape.

In May 2010, Malema was forced into making an apology to the nation and attend anger management classes. He then changed the song ‘Kill the Boer' to ‘Kiss the Boer‘.

Malema is regarded by his supporters as the genuine voice of the poor in South Africa particularly with his call for nationalisation of South African mines.

Fr Stephen's Blog writes about his suspension:

Former President of the ANC Youth League. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Gary van der Merwe.

Julius Malema is to be removed as leader of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) after being suspended from the organisation for five years.

Malema is barred from involving himself in any activities of the ANCYL and the ANC for the duration of his suspension, which came into immediate effect today after Derek Hanekom,the ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) chairman, announced the findings of a disciplinary process against Malema and the league’s top brass in Joburg today.

Malema was not present at the announcement at Luthuli House for the announcement. He was reported to be in Limpopo writing an exam.

The committee found Malema guilty on two main charges. One related to a statement he made on July 31 – that the ANC was no longer dealing with issues affecting the interests of Africa.

….

Malema was also ordered to vacate his position as league president with immediate effect.

He has 14 days to appeal…

Hardspear's post on Malema [af] is a simple expression of fear for the future:

Julius Malema… Ek sidder om te dink watse kak gaan hy nou aanjaag…

Looking at events leading up to this point, we have to take a look at the recent “Economic Freedom March” led by Malema. Leaboy's Domain gives us a fitting introduction to this by highlighting Zapiro's cartoon on the event in his post titled, “Zapiro has a dig at Malema's ‘Economic Freedom March”.

The biggest argument in the South African blogosphere about this march was the inherent hypocrisy of Julius Malema who highlights the plight of South Africa's poor while he lives in luxury. One Long Minute gives us his point of view in his post titled, “What are you walking for?”:

First the March for Economic Freedom, well that was lead by Julius Malema, when he wasn't too tired and taking a break in his chauffeur driven beamer [BMW car]. There is just so much irony in that I'm headed for sensory overload. Lazy bastard still letting the masses do all the work for him but taking all the limelight for himself.

Vuilblog takes a satirical approach against Malema's followers with a picture of Malema, which has the following text:

You don't have running water, you live in a shack, you ride in a taxi. I buy expensive cars, I buy expensive houses, I only drink Johnnie Walker. You still like me.
Thank you for being a $%^&ing idiot

Other posts discuss the image and character which Julius Malema portrays. Covering what Malema thinks of himself with a hint of sarcasm is 2OceansVibe:

In his recent address at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha, Malema said it was the job of the youth to introduce radical ideas, but bemoaned the fact that these days, one is hauled before a disciplinary committee for “telling the truth”.

This from the man who was in the media again this morning for a using a racial slur against Indians. Poor Juju. He really just feels misunderstood and unsupported.

Bibliopolit compares Malema to Lady Gaga:

Of course, here in South Africa, we have the equivalent of Lady Gaga in Julius Malema! Just in the political scene. Should we call him Julius Gaga, or Lady Malema? If it were not for Malema’s outrageous statements and claims, he would not have had a fraction of the attention that he is getting currently. For Malema, if it isn’t going to be controversial, it is not worth saying anything about it, according to how Lady Malema thinks.

Malema thrives on attention, and in my opinion, he falls in the same category as Lady Gaga. Although he is physically an adult, he has not matured mentally or sociologically to becoming an adult, and continues to crave attention like a 10-year old girl. And, the only way he can get the attention he so desperately desires, he acts and says things that are controversial.

The Fire in My Eyes gets straight to the point:

Julius Malema has the makings of a dictator.
He encourages the black population of South Africa to procreate and seems to dream of a country where white people are erased.
The way he speaks makes on think of reverse Apartheid and he constantly speaks of white people as the enemy.
He has a huge youth following in South Africa even though he is facing allegations of corruption.
The bad press he has received seems to fuel the fire of his followers and he's become something of a 'saviour' figure for many.

The Property Mag summarises the current state of South African politics in light of recent events:

“The dismissal of two cabinet ministers, the firing of the police chief, the enquiry into the arms deal and the fact that whatever the outcome, Julius Malema has had to go on trial, have all sent out a positive message that South Africa will not be allowed to drift into a chaotic Third World state. These moves by the President along with the financial minister's new mini-budget, have very definitely restored confidence in a leadership which appeared to be losing control.

So we know where we are now, we still have yet to see what the future holds for Malema and South Africa.

Written by Muhammad Karim · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Just a few months earlier in May, the journal Health & Place published, “Malaria, environmental change, and a historical epidemiology of childhood ‘cold fevers’: Popular interpretations from southwestern Burkina Faso.”

Two similar topics, published just months apart. But they come with a big difference. The first article was published in an Open Access Journal, free and available to anyone willing to click on it and read it. The second article hails from a scientific journal published by a large conglomerate. Unless you have institutional access, which costs hundreds of dollars, you most likely must pay the publisher $31 (€22) to read the piece.

Disseminating ideas

The internet opened up new methods to disseminate information and, for users, to access it. It also reduced distribution costs. But if research about diseases like Malaria continues to remain behind pay walls, Open Access proponents ask, what good is it? All over Africa, financial models from the world of print keep scientists, students and policy makers separated from new ideas and research.

David Apinga, a blogger from Ghana points out:

Currently, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least developed region of the world in the area of research. This is partly attributed to inability of research centres in developing countries to pay for the high cost of online journal access as well as subscriptions to print versions.

Open Access scholarship also offers scientists and researchers a chance for greater collaboration. From the Open Access Central blog:

Open access offers many opportunities for scientists in the developing world – not only improved access to international scientific literature, but also the opportunity to develop (or re-develop) their own national and regional journals. Such journals have a pivotal role to play in creating the environment and infrastructure needed for research to flourish.

Open Access Week (in Africa)

Information professionals, scholars and publishers around the world are currently celebrating the fifth annual Open Access Week. Events across Africa are taking place to help solidify those gains across the continent.

The group Duraspace.org – makers of two Open Source repositories – highlight a few Open Access programs from around Africa:

• UBRISA, the University of Botswana Research, Innovation and Scholarship Archive, allowing faculty and students from the institution to place their research in a central repository where it can be stored and accessed.
• Ethiopia is home to three repositories: The Economic Commission of Africa, the International Livestock Research Institute and Addis Ababa University Library Dspace.
• KNUSTSpace, the institutional repository for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
• From a European-based repository, a list of South African Open Access projects.

Benefits for Africa

In this video by Leslie Chan, Dr. Paul Nampala, Science Editor of African Crop Science Journal (ACSJ), argues that greater open access will actually increase journal readership, even if it does decrease the overall number of paid subscriptions.

Charles J. Greenberg, a Medical Librarian at Yale University in the United States, blogs at OpenBioMed.Info. He recently interviewed Raoul Kamadjeu, a physician and co-founder of the Pan African Medical Journal.

Greenberg: You are a founding editor of the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ). To promote the online publication of original studies from the African medical and public health communities, PAMJ will not charge article-processing fee for any accepted article submitted from African researchers or institutions or from any researcher and institution around the world. How can you afford to support this generous business model?

Kamadjeu: Yes, we do not currently charge authors fees. Our 2011 author’s survey (http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/pamjnews/NewsArticle.php?NewsId=news4dffa0d8f2713) showed this as one of the main reasons why authors submit to us. We are able to afford this business model because we currently benefit from the generous support of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) with which we have a memorandum of understanding; but we are not naïve, reaching financial independence is key if we want to sustain our current growth and remain a journal of continental scope. Your question brings the wider issue of the financial viability of African journals? They rely heavily on support from donors, some journals charge authors fees; it will be interesting to know how these models work for them. We are looking into traditional and innovative ideas to reach financial sustainability; article processing fees is part of the plan in the medium term; however, establishing a reputable journal remains our main priority; this will help ensure financial sustainability. I just want to add that support to African journals is important if we want to ensure that some level of medical publishing survives on the continent, particularly nowadays, with the explosion of medical journal franchises.

Written by John Liebhardt · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Thanks Steve Jobs for making creative life much easier:

Thank you Sir, for making my creative life that much easier through the vision you created in Apple Products.

And for making a dent in the universe:

Thank you Steve, for making a dent in the universe.

Collins says Steve was a gift to the IT world:

Steve Jobs was truly a gift to the IT World.

Our sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends from this blog .

Steve Jobs holding a MacBook Air at MacWorld Conference & Expo 2008. Photo courtesy of Matthew Yohe, released into the public domain (CC-BY-3.0).

Swahili blogger Simon Kitururu writes:

. kuwa MTU mmoja anaweza kuwa changamoto kwa WENGI,…
…weye STEVE ulikuwa bonge la CHANGAMOTO na ni bonge la CHANGAMOTO bado

Moses says, “R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed”:

Steve Jobs was without a doubt one of the Fathers of modern technology as we know it – a true Titan of all things digital. He defined and redefined everything from personal computers to mobile phones as well as movies and more recently tablets. He drove the vision of products and services that were quite simply “magical” – we would never have appreciated the art of technology that he brought to life through his well-known and unrelenting drive for perfection in all he did. The world would not be what it is today we’re it not for Steve Jobs.

One of Steve Jobs’ famous “closing” statements when recruiting new team members to Apple was to ask them if they wanted to “put a dent on the universe” by working for him. Indeed, Steve Jobs made many many dents in the technology universe, as we know it. R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed.

EK13 Photography desktop screen shots of the London Regent Street Flagship Store. Image courtesy of EK13 Photography.

Kanyana's chooses best Steve Jobs quote:

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Open Mic writes a “cheesy tribute”:

So, Apple Inc. have just announced Steve Jobs' demise after and amazing career that brought us iPods and every i-Thing we can think of. Wangari Maathai, our very own Nobel Laureate, activist, environmental champion and perhaps our best prototype of positive feminism is set to be cremated soon. Here goes a cheesy tribute:

Its an adage: An apple a day, or so they say
But what becomes of the apple trees on that day
The gardener's away and won't ever return again
Another adage: Where there's trees, there's rain
An apple a day, but not today, not today
A torrent of rain, but never again, never again

The day the designer died:

No one embodies the three things we strive for at Appfrica than the man the world lost today. Design. Leadership. Vision. We salute you, Mr. Steve Jobs. Best wishes from me, Jon, and our colleagues and friends in Uganda.

Mr Cape Town looks forward to paying respect to Steve Jobs by getting his hands on Tweetdeck for iPhone:

Running social media accounts for brands is something which requires having access to these accounts on-the-move. The best thing for this is @Tweetdeck for iPhone and I am looking forward to paying respect to Steve by finally getting my hands on when when my upgrade is due in a few months!

Finally, a poem for Steve Jobs from Nana Acquah:

Here, when The Empty dies
We cry a little. Just a little.
And then we drink, drum, dance
And recount their great deeds
So the living will not forget.

The common die with all or most
Of their dreams still in them.
They die full. Losers. Cowards.
Procrastinators. Full of excuses.
We don’t even notice when they go.
But you, you died empty: The way
The great do.

And may your soul rest in peace.
(For Steve Jobs, because he truly lived).

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (1)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper