The alleged arrest has been in discussed at Jamii Forum, a popular Tanzanian Online Forum, since yesterday. And today, Swahili Time has posted the news along with a picture of the arrested blogger, Malecela Peter Lusinde, 39, an IT consultant from Essex in the UK.

Swahili Time reports that Tanzania’s police in cooperation with their UK counterparts have collected enough evidence to conclude that Lusinde is the owner of Ze Utamu Blog which was blocked in February after publishing manipulated photographic images depicting Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete engaging in lewd sex acts.

Legal aspects of the arrest are not yet clear. Tanzania does not allow dual citizenship and since Mr Lusinde is a UK citizen of Tanzanian origin, it is not yet known under which law Lusinde will be charged. The post in the Swahili Times says:

Habari zilizothibitishwa zinadai kuwa Ndg Malecela amerudishwa Tanzania kwenda kujibu tuhuma mbalimbali za kuendesha mtandao uliokuwa unadhalilisha watu,kuna malalamiko 6850 yaliyoandikishwa kulaumu udhalilishwaji wa watu uliofanywa na mtandao huo […]

Haijaeleweka wazi Ndg Malecela atashitakiwa kwa sheria gani? Lakini ni wazi kwamba atashitakiwa Nchini Tanzania.Licha ya Ndg. Malecela Polisi wa Upelelezi wamezungumza na Watanzania wengine wawili katika miji ya Wichita na San Diego Nchini Marekani,ambao pia wanahusishwa na Mtandao huo wa Ze Utamu.

Besides legal aspects, members at Jamii Forum also commented on the perceived double standards. Semilong said:

Is utamu the biggest ever crime committed by a Tanzanian?

watu wa JF kwa double standards wanashabikia zeutamu kukamatwa na wakati watu wana loot nchi yetu wanatembea huru
wangeshirikiana na interpool kuhakikisha hela zilizokuwa duabi, jerzey na kwinginepo zinarudi TZ ingekuwa ni jambo la maana kulikoni zeutamu[…]

Also at Jamii Forum, BlueRay supporting the arrest adds:

Your argument is weak. Two wrongs do not make a right. We do not want British citizens (of Tanzanian origin or not) to fling unchecked rampant numerous unfounded character assassinations on Tanzanians.

Does the Tanzanian government project a sense of misguided priority in pursuing this rather than EPA , of course, yes. But it is also possible that this was a quick slam dunk because this guy left his tracks left right and centre, IT consultant indeed! … What saddens me is that it took gross and pornographic caricaturing of the president himself for this to happen.

My concern is our internet laws are practically non existent, and our jurisdiction may be limited because this presumably happened over British web servers (?) by a British subject. So if the guy gets a good attorney, and the government does not use extrajudicial means (if it does not Ghailani him under some autocratic anti-terrorism preventive-detention like draconian)

The guy may walk scot free.

* Global Voices Online has not verified the information published in the blogs covered on this post.

According to Habari Leo , a Tanzanian newspaper[sw] the country’s police are seeking help from Interpol in tracing the owners and publishers of the blog.

Ze utamu (www.zeutamu.com), probably Tanzania's most controversial blog, came to the limelight by publishing a mixture of Tanzanian Diaspora gossip, nude and sex photographs of well known people as well as name-and-shaming articles. While it attracted many readers, the blog has also attracted criticism.

Some bloggers are of the opinion that the authorities did not care when posts about ordinary citizens were posted at ze utamu. A comment from a blog post at Watanzania Oslo blog that posted the Habari Leo article about the police hunt for ze utamu blog owners says:

Mtandao huu wa ze utamu umkuwepo kwa muda mrefu sana na watu wengi wasio na hatia (raia wa kawaida) wamedhalilishwa sana kupitia mtandao huo kwa picha zao kuwekwa bila ridhaa yao. nyingi ya hizo picha ni za utupu na hata zile ambazo siyo za utupu ziliwekwa bila ridhaa ya wahusika. hivi kuwekwa picha ya rais Kikwete ndo kile chombo kinachojifanya cha usalama kinakurupuka kuwasaka wenye mtandao? […]unafiki mkubwa na ufisadi aina nyingine huu. kudhalilishwa ni kudhalilishwa, ama iwe ni raia tu, kiongozi wa kawaida na hata rais.

That point was also raised by Happy Katabazi :

… wiki hii katika mtandao wa www.zeutamu.com mtandao ambao umejipambanua kwa ajili ya kupachika picha za utupu za watu wa kada zote na wanaotembelea mtandao huo huchangia mawazo yanayohusu maisha binafsi ya faragha za watu…
Na wakati mtandao huo ukiendelea kujipambanua mamlaka husika zimekuwa zikiukenulia meno mtandao huu hadi wiki hii ulipotundika picha ya kumdhalilisha rais wetu, ndipo mtandao huo umedhibitiwa kwani hivi sasa hata ukiufungua haufunguki.

During the heyday of ze utamu some bloggers started campaigns to stop the blog, like the Anti-utamu [sw].

As the police search continues and despite having many readers before its disappearance, bloggers and readers who have openly come out to support Ze Utamu owners can hardly be found - at least at the time of writing this post.

We are learning from Zambia Watchdog that only four countries in the SADC region recognise Africa Day as a public holiday:

Looking back, it seems like the unity demonstrated by Africans as they fought against colonialism and imperialistic dominance is no longer there. In some parts of the continent, leaders are so self-centred that continental issues have been relegated to the very bottom.

Is it not a shame that to this day, few African countries recognise Africa Day? Is it not a shame that very few countries on the continent have set aside this day as a public holiday? And what lessons does this teach the future generation?

Looking at the calendars of the 14-members of SADC, only four countries - Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe recognise Africa Day as a public holiday. In the SADC region, it is only Namibia which has made the singing of the AU anthem a permanent feature at public gatherings and in schools.

Jason Von Berg blogs about Africa Day related events that took place in South Africa:

So in celebration of Africa Day, there’s a whole host of things happening in South Africa. The annual Africa Day concert took place at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg…

Now speaking of music videos, here is another Africa Day-focused one, in which Namibian artist Gazza has teamed up with SA star Zola on a song called “Hold On”. The song is sponsored by UNICEF and Standard Bank Namibia and it calls on all Africans to unite against the atrocities and conflicts that damages the African image…

The best way to celebrate Africa Day is through hard work, writes the Root Cause:

Being an African, and a part of a new generation of South Africans, I am forced to look north towards the rest of the continent, and wonder if it will ever rise out of the misery and sadness that keeps it from really being a part of the world community.

But at the same time I have this terrible problem of being an optimist by nature; I have this faith that this is Africa’s century. A time to be nurtured from within. Really making a go for it!

The Irish Aid supported Africa Day celebrations in Ireland. Culch.ie writes about events in Dublin:

On Sunday coming, 24th May, from 12pm til 8pm, Africa Day are having a FREE outdoor event in Iveagh Gardens in Dublin 2. There is a huge variety of entertainment on offer here for kids as well as adults

There is a Flickr stream of Africa Day 2009 photos in Ireland:

Bock posts “Africa Day Limerick”:

They’re crazy, these Africans. What a shame they have to put up with Irish weather.

What a shame that any of us have to put up with Irish weather where it rains all the time.

Never mind though.

Africans have failed to learn key lessons about taking care of themselves, argues Angela Kintu in her post about Africa Day:

Africa has had a few tough decades with interference from our not-so-neighbourly neighbouring continents. And while the neighbours appear to be trying to make up for the bad times, conspiracy theories abound on how they are now colonising our minds since they no longer have legal access to our bodies. Maybe, maybe not. What is clear is that we have failed to learn key lessons about taking care of ourselves. We can be like penguins in a hole, looking up with our mouths open, waiting for someone to throw us a free fish.

In the twittersphere, the Irish Aid created a special Africa Day page.

Below are tweets that one finds on twitter about Africa Day:

NeoAid: There's more Africa than what usually makes headlines (poverty/AIDS/war/famine) - See Africa Differently this #africaday http://ow.ly/94cS

tsepeaces: Happy Africa Day! #africaday

NeoAid: If you happen to be in Ireland for #africaday, check out Irish Aid's celebrations at http://ow.ly/94aT or follow them @AfricaDay

neoaidcom: If you happen to be in Ireland for #africaday, check out Irish Aid's celebrations at http://ow.ly/94ay or follow them @AfricaDay

paoladm: #africaday hello a f r i c a ,http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/africaday/

NeoAid: Happy Africa Day everybody! http://ow.ly/94ak #africaday

neoaidcom: Happy Africa Day everybody! http://ow.ly/949K #africaday

loopyginee: RT @Devcrossing: RT @mulumba Happy Africa Day ma peoples! #africaday- And to you too!!!

micknsk: RT @negrita How good and how pleasant it would be/Before God and man/To see the unification of all Africans. Africa Unite #africaday

More than half of the dead were children, many of whom drowned in a river in the panic following the blast.

The powerful blasts caused the collapse of several nearby buildings and ignited rockets and other weapons that showered shrapnel on bewildered residents. A total of 755 houses have been destroyed and 4,000 people rendered homeless.

Immediately after the explosions, Red Cross officials set up two camps to support the victims, including more than 1,192 children who were admitted by Wednesday night after getting lost while running for safety.

While Investigations are under way into the cause of the blast, the government has set up an inquiry to asses the damage caused by the blast and has pledged compensation to all those affected.

On the day the explosions occured several Tanzanian bloggers posted updates immediately after the blasts. Basil Msongo described the situation [sw]:

HALI ya usalama Mbagala bado si shwari, watu wengi wameumia na wengine wamezimia kwa hofu.
Taarifa kutoka kwenye kambi yalipolipuka mabomu hayo zimedai kuwa huenda itatokea milipuko mikubwa kuliko iliyotokea hadi sasa kwa kuwa kuna mabomu makubwa hayajalipuka.
… Baadhi ya mabomu yamelipuka kwenye makazi ya watu, moshi umetanda Mbagala na kwa ujumla shughuli za kijamii zimeathirika sana.

And Charahani wrote:

Mamia ya wakazi wa jiji hilo hasa Mbagala na vitongoji vyake walionekana kuchanganyikiwa walikuwa wakihangaika kukimbia nyumba zao kwa lengo la kujiokoa. Katika harakati za kujiokoa baadhi ya wananchi ho walitumbukia mtoni huku baadhi yao wakiwasahau watoto wao na vikongwe nyumba bila msaada wowote

The day after the blast the initial shock turned into sessions of anger and questions about those responsible for the ‘accident'. There were angry reactions in a post with photographs of Tanzania’s president Jakaya Kikwete, Vice President Dr. Shein and other leaders visiting the site of the blast and temporary camps in Michuzi's blog:

We need to see some one anakuwa fired kwa uzembe uliotokea roho ya mtu ina thamani kubwa sana sasa uzembe wenu mmesababisha watu kupoteza maisha wengine viungo alafu hao majeruhi mtawaangalia kwa miezi mitatu tu mtaendelea na shughuli zenu na hivi 2010 inakaribia dah…. Hapa tunataka kuona watu WANAKWISHNEY waziri wa wizara usika, Naibu wake, mkuu wa kikosi cha maafa yalipotokea Mwamunyange ooooops huyu jamaa smart kidogo aendelee kutumikia nchi yake lakini hao wengine niliowamention tunataka kuona uwajibikaji wenu sio pole sizizokuwa na manufaa kwa wahanga wa tukio husika.

In another post with an aerial photograph showing bewildered residents confused along a freeway and another with some residents inspecting missile remains in a residential area prompted readers to blame not only the army and the government but citizens as well:

Hii inaonesha hatari kubwa ya kuhifadhi makombora (missiles) karibu na makazi ya watu wengi.
Haya siyo mabomu, bali nia surface-to- air missiles za kutungulia ndege, pia sitashangaa kama kuan surface-to-surface missiles ambazo zaweza kufyatuliwa na mzinga wenye midomo 20, hiyo kuruka kwa mpigo ktk uwanja wa vita.

Another reader said:

… muhimu ni kufuata sheria za usalama na utunzaji wa silaha mbalimbali,ila ajali huweza kutokea.
Mazingira ama makambi ya jeshi ni mazuri sana, salama, kuna utaratibu safi na utunzaji wa mazingira ni namba moja! ndiyo sababu popote kambi ilipo,raia watasogea na watajenga tuu, ukiangalia maeneo yote hayo yalikuwa misitu minene wakati jeshi lilipo establish makambi lakini with time wananchi wamesogea na wengine wamevamia kabisa! Wakiambiwa waondoke hawataki na wanaenda hadi mahakamani!
makambi kuwepo mjini siyo tatizo, maana hata nchi za wenzetu hilo hilo lipo tena wana mambo ya hatari zaidi ya maghala ya silaha!,
Ila nadhani kuna umuhimu wa kuwafundisha watanzania “raia” mbinu za awali za medani na jinsi ya kusaidia na kujisaidia panapotokea balaa lolote.kwa sasa watz wengi bado “bongo lala” -penye hatari sisi tunakimbilia,utayari na kutambua hatari ni karibu na sifuri -JKT irudishwe upya kuondoa uzembe unaojionyesha na kuweka watu fiti kwa mujibu(kupiga msasa).
Tusipojali haya,it will cost us more than we can imagine!

The government, the military and the police are responding to the situation. Lukwangule has posted a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office promising compensation to all those affected by the blast:

Serikali imeshaanza kugharimia gharama za mazishi kwa watu waliokufa katika ajali hii, na itaangalia jinsi ya kuwapa pole wale waliofiwa ili kupunguza makali ya maisha na kuwasaidia waliopata ulemavu kwa matibabu na vifaa…

And regarding the issue of having military arms depots close to residential areas, Basil Msongo has short post where the Tanzania’s president explains why ammunitions depot is located near residential areas:

Rais Jakaya Kikwete amesema, ghala hilo halikujengwa katika makazi ya watu, kwa kuwa lilijengwa mwaka 1976 nje ya makazi hayo.

On the DoGooder Site, they explain a bit about this year's theme:

The DoGooderTV Nonprofit Video Awards highlight organizations that are using video to inspire and ignite social change. This year's theme, “Everyone's Doing It”, is meant to include submissions of all shapes and sizes, from organizational vlogs, to staff-produced web clips, to high-end, professionally produced videos. If your organization made a video—any video—in 2008, we want to see it!

Water:Charity is participating with a video about the need for clean drinkable water in the Central African Republic and how their charity provides funding as well as training for locals so they can learn how to build and maintain wells. They are participating in the “Short Form” category:

In the “Staff Long Form” category, Elephants on the Edge follows an activist and documentary maker while he investigates about the illegal live elephant trade in Thailand and Burma, and manages to buy back a trafficked pregnant elephant to send her to a sanctuary:

In that same category, “Sharing Hope”, shows a charity dedicated to creating after school reading clubs for girls in Tanzania and giving them books and school supplies, in the belief that educating girls benefits the community far more than educating boys.

And this next video, “Ask Umbra's video advice on greening your office”, is competing in the Staff Short Form category is about making office spaces greener. Quite relevant information you might want to check out, particularly considering that today is Earth Day, and the whole world could use a little tender loving care with its finite resources:

This is just a sample of the videos that are competing, so head over to DoGooderTV to view the rest of them and vote for your favorite one.

Waxal (pronounced WA-HAL), which means “speak” in Wolof, captures the essence of the evolution of the worlwide web as a platform for conversation and for raising marginalized voices. The first edition of the award recognizes the use of new media by professional journalists in Africa and by African media organizations working to promote the production of alternative information and citizen expression.

After reviewing the submitted blogs, members of the jury awarded four prizes corresponding to the three categories announced at the beginning of the contest and an additional special award of encouragement. The jury looked at blogs that illustrate good editorial line, quality of expression, interaction with users, originality, regular posts and a variety of format for content. 10 blogs have also attracted the attention of jury members.

The jury was made up of Dr. Lilian Ndangam, Cameroonian Media Professor based in Canada, Joel Phiri, Filmmaker and Multi-media expert from Zimbabwe and Fatou Jagne, Freedom of Expression and media expert. She is the Coordinator of Article 19 Africa. All jury members are bilingual.

And the winners are…

1. Best Journalist Blog (Francophone):
Cedric Kalonji from the Democratic Republic of Congo (he used to blog at www.congoblog.net blog). Cedric has been working for five years as a journalist for Radio Okapi:

I have been working for five years as a journalist for Radio Okapi (http://www.radiookapi.net) in Kinshasa. In 2005, I created a Blog on which I posted pictures and personal thoughts on ordinary daily life in Congo. More precisely, it all started in September 2005. At the time I was using a small digital camera that my mother had given me as a present. I posted my pictures and wrote captions to explain the content of the photos in more detail. (…) Very quickly I received comments and points of views from visitors, mainly from Congolese living abroad. At that time, there were very few pictures of Kinshasa on the Internet; this was a result of the 32 year-long dictatorship under Mobutu (…)I come from a country where most of the journalists are praising those in power, in order to receive protection and rewards. It is difficult, in that context, to be an independent journalist. You have to withstand strong criticisms and sometimes even threats. Thanks to the Internet, I can publish my articles without fearing the censorship that the ordinary newspapers are subject to. (…) My desire to share experiences of my daily life was driven by a deep need to express myself freely. Thanks to my Blog, I had the opportunity to develop a media of my own, and to talk freely on subjects that matter to me, without being censored. Nevertheless, I was and am very careful with my editorial line, and always take into account my own security.

He receives I million CFA Francs (about US$2,000).

2 - Best Journalist Blog (Anglophone):
Rosebell Kagumire, a journalist from Uganda. Rosebell works for the Independent newspaper. She blogs mostly about her job as a journalist:

I write mainly about my job as a journalist and also I comment on socio-political issues in Uganda and Africa mostly. I also write about opportunities that my colleagues can benefit from especially media related training. I write about conflict and the work I write in other media is always brought to feature on my blog. (…)Though very new my blog gives people my views about my life, my country and life generally (…)My interest in blogging is to express myself in sometimes ways that cannot be accepted in the media. I believe also it’s important for people and friend s to know my thought, principle and values which are all reflected in the different posts on my blog. I also think I can trigger discussion about many issues some of which I write about and others that are featured in the media for positive change. I get discussions going especially by posting my blog posts on facebook to share them with my colleagues. Through such discussion i get to know how the society views certain issues.

Rosebell receives 1 million CFA Francs (about US$ 2, 000).

3 – Best African Civil Society Organization’s Blog:
Lusaka Times, a news and discussion blog run by Zambians from around the world.

LT is an electronic news platform that allows all types of users to have an open discussion on the day to day current issues in Zambia. The idea that is powering Lusakatimes today was birthed in 1998 as a casual conversation between friends. In 1999, the idea was made manifest with the launch of Lusaka Information Dispatch. The project was funded by the Dutch IICD who provided seed capital for the equipment and operational costs for a limited duration. However, the operational model for Information Dispatch proved too difficult to sustain at the time. In 2002 Information Dispatch suspended its operation after key members quit the group. In January 2007, the site was re-launched under the new URL address called lusakatimes.com and a new operational model. Today Lusakatimes is run by a number of people distributed around the world, working in an open source type of structure, purely driven by hobby and ambition to provide Zambians around the world with current news content based on facts and not speculation. Our day to day news content comes from known Zambian sources like Zambia Daily-Mail, Times of Zambia, ZNBC and ZANIS. These are the giants whose shoulders we stand on. Our added value to the commodity called news is the speed with which we deliver it to our readers and the community, feeling and experience we have created around the news content on our website. Additionally, Lusakatimes also provides a platform for any Zambian who wants their article published, provided they take full ownership and responsibility of the content. The ability of our users to be able to read news and anonymously provide immediate feedback is something we have always highly valued from the Information Dispatch days. Lusakatimes.com was ranked as the most visited website in Zambia under traffic listing on Alex.

Lusaka Times receives 2 millions CFA Francs (about US$ 4, 000).

4. Special Panos Institute West Africa Prize for West Africa:
Israel Yoroba Guebo from Côte d’Ivoire. Israel receives 500 000 CFA Francs (about US$ 1, 000).

Below are blogs that received congratulations from the jury:

Category 1: Best French-speaking journalist’s blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Edouard Tamba from Cameroun
Ramata Sore from Burkina Faso
Basile Niane from Senegal

Category 2 - Best English-speaking journalist’s blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Emmanuel Onyango from Tanzania
Conrad Dube from Zimbabwe
Khaya Dlanga from South Africa.

Category 3 – Best African Civil Society Organization’s Blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Penplusbytes' blog that covered 2008 elections in Ghana
REgul-Telco-Afrik from Senegal
20mai.net from Cameroon
Remastp News

Other blogs captured the attention of jury members individually, but were not unanimously selected for different reasons:

Remmy Nweke from Nigeria,
Martin Aihonnou from Benin
Nadine Kouamouo-Tchaptchet from Côte d’Ivoire
Vusi Gumede from South Africa
Khaya Dlanga from South Africa
Shashank Bengali from Kenya

The winners will receive their prizes at a special event in Dakar, Senegal on March 9th 2009.

Here is a list of 10 top ranked blogs:

1. Thought Leader: This is an editorial group blog of quality commentary and analysis, edited by the M&G Online

2. iMod: This blog ranks 2 in Africa and 2 in South Africa. It is a blog written by Chris M, a blogger based in Cape Town, South Africa. Chris is a freelance php developer.

3. Times Multimedia: A showcase of the best videos, audio, photos and movie trailers that The Times have to offer.

4. Web AddiCT(s): This is a blog run by three South Africans. Web AddiCT is an acronym for Web “2.0″, Applications, Developments,Designs & Innovation in Cape Town.

5. My Heart's in Accra: This is blog written by Ethan Zuckerman about Africa, media and international development. Ethan is the co-founder of Global Voices Online. His blog ranks 5 in Africa and 1 in Ghana.

6. Blat: To utter without thinking.

7. Adii: A blog about freelance design, Web 2.0, entrepeneurs & strategy by Adii Rockstar from South Africa.

8. Urban Sprout: This a South African blog featuring green news and opinion, and an organic eco-directory that focuses on organic and eco-friendly products.

9. So Close: This is a blog by the South African popular blogger, Tertia. Her blog description reads: After being So Close for so long, I have finally arrived. Life after infertility. Her blog, So Close, started as off as a chronicle of her journey through infertility.

10. Wonkie Cartoons: A cartoon blog of recent news, celebrity gossip, bollywood antics and political commentary.

You will note that apart from My Heart's in Accra, the rest of the top 10 ranked blogs are South African. Other non-South African blogs on the list are Black Looks (ranks 14) by the Nigerian blogger Sokari Ekine, Bankelele (ranks 18) from Kenya who writes about baking, finance and investment in Kenya and Bongo Celebrity (ranks 20), a Swahili blog about Tanzanian celebrities. It is interesting to see a non-English blog making the top 20 blogs on the continent.