Latest posts by Steve Sharra
Malawi: First Web Awards & Presidential Facebookers
The popularity of social media in Malawi is on the rise, as shown by the first Malawian web awards taking place this month, and by both the current President of Malawi and the previous one having Facebook profiles and fan pages.
Malawi: Discussing development and the Olympics
"Development" has been exercising the minds of Malawian bloggers lately. The approach has taken the form of highlighting efforts of Malawians abroad, Malawi's much touted fertilizer subsidy program, Malawi's presence at the Olympics and Chinese presence in Malawi, and a philosophical discourse on the problems that accompany the adoption of westernization as a development paradigm at the expense of tested and effective African ways.
Malawi: Radio Host seeks Help in Blog
An 18 month-old radio program that attracted a faithful following in Malawi is in danger of ceasing, thanks to expensive phone rates and limited bandwidth. The program's host, Malawian blogger Victor Kaonga, has made an appeal for the program to find sponsorship and be saved.
Malawi: To believe or not to believe rumors of a coup plot
Following Victor Kaonga's Monday May 12th breaking news post of the unusual arrests in Malawi of high ranking former and current military and police officers, as well as opposition figures, amid government accusations of a coup plot, Malawian bloggers and netizens have been reacting to the news with shock, skepticism, bewilderment, and ambivalence.
Malawian Bloggers Discuss The Zimbabwe Crisis
As bloggers from across Africa write about the elections crisis in Zimbabwe, Malawian bloggers join in the condemnation of the delay in releasing the election results, with at least one blogger pointing to the one-sided nature of the discussions on the causes of Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems.
Malawi: Innovation, the digital divide, and politicians who shun the Internet
Although we are not quite there yet, the beginning of the year 2008 will mark one year when the two Global Voices authors for Malawi, Victor Kaonga and myself, will have been writing roundups on the Malawi blogosphere. Victor and I live half a world apart, and are always in contact via email and phone. But we had never met before, until this past weekend.
Malawi: Fairer cyberwaves, female journalist bloggers
A recent phenomenon in the Malawi blogosphere has been the growing presence of women journalists setting up blogs. Not too long ago a search on Blogger.com for Malawian blogs turned up virtually no women bloggers from Malawi. That has since changed. In this write-up we follow four Malawian women journalists...
Malawi: Moving on Despite the Politics of Section 65
The phenomenal story of 19 year-old Malawian blogger William Kamkwamba continues to attract attention from around the globe. William began making headlines after his appearance at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Tanzania, in June, where he talked about how he built a windmill using locally available resources in a remote part of Malawi where the easiest means of energy is fuel, wood, kerosene and candlelight.
Malawi: Windmill genius, burying the first lady, and other things Malawian
The most exciting phenomenon in the Malawian blogosphere as I am writing is the 19-year-old William Kamkwamba. Five years ago, William dropped out of secondary school just after two terms due to lack of money for school fees. Visiting a nearby school library supplied by the Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA), a USAID project, he one day found a book on how to make electricity using home-made materials, and today he has not only built a windmill that is attracting attention around the world, he was also given a standing ovation at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference, held June 4-7 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Malawians on the world stage: academic honors, music, science and technology
There is one discernible theme running through the Malawian blogosphere in the month of May. This round-up focuses mostly on what these bloggers have written in this month, now approaching its end. One Malawian has received international honors for his contributions to world scholarship, while two female Malawian musicians have launched their latest music albums outside Malawi. One Malawian scientist calls for the Malawi government to put in place mechanisms to prepare for the looming disaster that might possibly be triggered by global warming, and two Malawians have made their mark in the world of technology. It has been a month of Malawians showcasing their mettle on the world stage, and here with it all.
Malawi: feel-good factor, bumper harvest, and vampire stories
Having just returned from a short visit to Malawi, it is almost impossible not to write about the general sense of optimism the country is awash in especially in the cities, among the middle class. The one thing that no one fails to mention is the strength of the economy,...
Twits and wits: Malawian bloggers on new technologies, nature, myths, Zimbabwe, and a hard work ethic
Since the last Malawi roundup, the Malawian blogosphere has continued to be abuzz with posts announcing new technologies, news on Internet-based radios, existing radio stations going online, stories about farming initiatives, as well as reflections on nature and Malawian places of mythical, if not mysterious, interest. There have also been...
Malawian Musings: Diaspora, Internet-based Radio, Nigerian Movies, Stray Dogs, Silicon Valley dreams, and Muluzi’s comeback
The Malawian blogosphere has been abuzz with news of Malawian initiatives involving radio broadcasting and the Internet; Malawians in the diaspora; personal narratives about dislikes, trips and city issues; and the political comeback of former President Muluzi who is said to be planning a return to contest for another term...
Malawian bloggers on nature, health, technology, politics and corruption
The newest Malawian kid on the blog is journalist Kondwani Kamiyala, of The Nation newspaper, one of Malawi’s two daily papers. Since launching his blog on January 17, Kondwani has posted 11 entries in a space of four weeks, making him one of the most active bloggers in the Malawi...
Malawi: Malawian Blogger Passes Away
January 18th, 2007 the Malawi blogosphere was robbed of one of its prominent bloggers, Mangaliso Jere (27), whose blog, Mangaliso’s World, covered different topics of interest including information technology in Malawi. The news was broken by a Malawian blogger Austin Madinga on his blog Austin Madinga’s Big Mouth, where he...
