Congratulations to Kenyan women bloggers who have won Kenya Unlimited Kaybee awards 2006. Mshairi for best poetry blog; Gussaurus for best new blog and most interactive blog; Mama's Junkyard for best design; Au Lait for blogger one would most like to meet; and Kenyan Pundit for best political blog.

Nigerian blogger, Adefunke on adefunke discusses her love of food from the east of the country,

My love for eastern dishes has made me learn to cook them, so far I can make ogbonna and egusi. I am told my cooking would not be mistaken for an easterners though, too much pepper. This is a family problem originating from my paternal grand-father. I have also secured the recipe for banga which i must cook before going to school. Also fish pepper soup.

and her temporary inability to enjoy the food ” the food is smelling to you”. We've all been there!

Weichegud!ET Politics celebrates Easter in Ethiopia.

Pilgrimage to Self has a great idea for a book meme:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal/blog along with these instructions.
DON'T search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you

What an African Woman Wants travels outside Africa to the Middle East and reads “Noor Al Hussein’s memoirs” which sets off thoughts around the Middle East as portrayed by the news media.

Often when I’m reading, listening to or watching news from the Middle East, I have an uneasy sense that I’m not looking at the real thing but having to peer into someone else’s eyes to see what they see, that is, what they choose to look at. As a Kenyan, an African who has been on the receiving of such scrutiny, it’s hard to shake off the feeling that what I see is not all there is to see…..I considered the opportunity to look through Noor al Hussein’s eyes into the Middle East a significant step forward.

Afro Blog posts on Somalia “ Somalia's Drought: ‘Children Are Dying, Everything is Dying

Nubian Soul writes on various scenarios involving with Naija men (Nigerian) and their respective outcomes.

scenario 3
You are introduced to the guy by a mutual friend. He barely looks at you, says hey but is completely dismissive of you, if you ask a question he either snaps at you or acts as if it's the simplest thing in the world and you are an idiot for not knowing the answer.
outcome
a) 2 weeks later you get a call, the guy has tracked your number down and is calling you at 1 in the am, on a week night for no good reason.

b) You bump into him again at another place, turns out you are really good friends with one of his friends, you hug and kiss his friend and then bounce. the next week your friend calls you and says the guy asked for your number.

Afromusing blogs on Earth Day 2006. Solar energy, beyond the cell phone and why Tanzania is serious about the environment.

My Thots voices her fury at a recent advert supporting a third term for Obasanjo in Nigeria daily newspaper “This Day”

I am getting more and more infuriated with Obasanjo (click here to see what he looks like) and his unrepentant sycophants who refuse to open their eyes, ears and minds, but are only interested in their bellies (May God do unto them as they do to the common Nigerian!).

Afrofeminista writes on the proposed Sexual Assult Bill that will be debated in Kenya this week. She raises a number of issues around the lobbbying of the bill such as why is it necessary to lobby for a bill that protects women from sexual violence.

So that, for me any MP who does not support this Bill is themselves either a rapist or potential rapist! And i think campaigns in support of this Bill, should put this out there! No more pussyfooting! These men and women (some) who are simply incapable of seeing beyond their orange and yellow political colors to vote correctly on matters of national importance, which is what this Bill is all about, should be shamed and put out to dry

She is also outraged that some have used the fact that the bill will cover the rape of boys and men as a way of trying to persuding male citizens to support the bill.

Everytime this statement is made, I want to gag! Yes gag! Not because I condone the rape of boys and men, but because the underlying message in this statement is, ‘please support the Bill because it also protects our most valued citizens – you, our boys and men’ . Yes that is the message supporters of this Bill, unwittingly are sending out! We are saying that, society has little or no obligation to protect women and girls who by virtue of the status accorded to them in their communities because of their gender, are easy targets of sexual violence. We are saying that, the agenda to protect women and girls from sexual violence can only be considered if we are willing to once again show how it affects those members of society who seem to be valued more that others?

See also her post “Still Slogging” for more on this.