Baada ya Digital Indaba na Highway Africa, na kabla ya kuandika kwa kina juu ya mikutano hiyo, nahitaji mapumziko. Mapumziko ya kutazama kombe la dunia la mchezo wa kusukumana (rugby), kuangalia sinema, kusafisha macho, na kulala sana. Kusafisha macho huku kutanifikisha hadi kile kijiji cha Nata, nchini Botswana. Kijiji hiki pamoja na mambo mengine kina blogu, Nata Village Blog. Blogu hiyo imepata tuzo ya Peace Corps ICT Contest kwa kazi yao nzuri. Naweza nisiandike kwa siku kadhaa na labda barua pepe zako zisisomwe pia kwa muda. Vuta subira. Lakini nitakuacha na na mambo machache ya kufuatilia.
(more…)

Jana usiku ilikuwa furaha kuona Vincent Maher wa Amatomu akipokea tuzo ya Highway Africa. Furaha, ambaye ameingia kwenye blogu kwa nguvu zake zote, ametoa picha za kundi la Mafikizolo ambalo lilitutumbuiza na pia habari nyingine. Msome hapa. Bob Sankofa naye kama kawaida anatuleta picha za matukio mbalimbali. Ansbert Ngurumo naye yupo hapa. Lakini ameshikwa zaidi na kazi za kuhariri jarida la Open Source la Highway Africa. Jarida hili kwa mara ya kwanza limeanza kutoa habari zake kwa Kiswahili! Bonyeza hapa usome habari niliandika wakati fulani kuhusu Amatomu.
(more…)

Daudi Were wa Mental Acrobatics aliongea kwenye Digital Citizen Indaba na kuangalia suala la umiliki wa blogu za Afrika: Who Owns the African Blogosphere? Katika kuangalia suala hili alitoa mfano mmoja unaoonyesha jinsi suala la umiliki linavyotofautiana kati ya tamaduni za Kiafrika na za kigeni.Anasema kuwa wakoloni walipokuja Afrika, waliuliza nani anamiliki ardhi yetu, wakaambia hakuna anayeimiliki. Wao wakadhani kuwa haina mwenyewe, kumbe sisi tulimaanisha kuwa hakuna anayemiliki maana ni ya kila mtu:

Colonialists would often turn up at an African community and ask, “Who does that land belong to?” pointing to the vast fields around the village. Many times the reply from the villagers would be, “It does not belong to anyone.” The colonialists would then promptly set about fencing and craving up the land amongst themselves, which would enrage the Africans, which, in turn, would confuse the colonialists as, after all, they had been told that this land did not belong to anyone.

These exchanges highlight the differences in the cultures involved and the different understandings of what initially looks like a very simple situation. When the Africans tell the colonialists that this land does not belong to anybody, the colonialists would take that to mean that the land is unoccupied. “It does not belong to anyone” is taken to mean it is ownerless.

Bonyeza hapa umsome mwenyewe akijadili suala hili la umiliki.

Mwandishi wa habari na mwanablogu wa Kiswahili, Ansbert Ngurumo alinguruma juzi wakati wa mkutano wa Digital Citizen Indaba hapa Afrika Kusini. Mwandishi na mwanablogu toka Kenya, Rebecca Wanjiku ameandika vizuri sana hoja alizotoa Ansbert. Kilichonigusa ni swali alilouliza ambalo ndio kichwa cha habari hii: Why would I want to blog in English yet 100 million Africans communicate in Swahili?”:

Speaking about lack of a critical mass of African languages on the internet, Ngurumo said he chose to blog in Swahili because that is the language he knows best and is spoken by about 100 million people in east, central and parts of southern Africa.

“Why would I want to blog in English yet 100 million Africans communicate in Swahili?” asked

.
Bonyeza hapa usome habari nzima ambapo ametoa changamoto kuwa tunahitaji kufanya kitu alichokiita “villagize the internet”.

Naona tumewaangusha wasomaji wetu ambao wangependa kufuatilia yanayoendelea kwenye mkutano wa Digital Citizen Indaba na Highway Africa. Mtandao wao, kama ilivyokuwa mwaka jana, umekuwa ukisumbua. Nikafika mahali nikasema, “Potelea mbali. Isiwe tabu.” Hata tarakilishi nikairudisha na leo wala sikuja nayo. Unajua uzee tena, basi nikasema ngoja niwaachie vijana wablogu moja kwa moja. Nikasema kijana Bob Sankofa yuko atakuwa anaandika maana kila saa nilikuwa namuona na tarakilishi yake. Kumbe wapi, naye anakuja kuniambia kuwa alidhani kuwa nilikuwa ninablogu maana kapata tabu kuingia mtandaoni.
(more…)

Hodi Afrika. Naondoka kwenye Afrika Kusini. Mkutano wa wanablogu wa Afrika niliouzungumzia huko nyuma, Digital Citizen Indaba, ni jumapili hii. Huu utakuwa ni mkutano wa pili, wa kwanza ulifanyika mwaka jana. Mwaka huu wanachama wa Jumuwata wanawakilisha. Nitatoa hotuba ya ufunguzi, mwanablogu Ansbert Ngurumo atakuwa kwenye jopo litakalojadili “Fractured Identities — the African Blogosphere,” na Bob Sankofa atajadili, “Why I Blog (and Things that Happen Because I Do).” Bonyeza hapa ratiba nzima na hapa orodha ya wazungumzaji. Baada ya Digital Indaba utafuata mkutano wa Highway Africa.
(more…)

Mwanablogu mwenzetu na Mweka Hazina wa Jumuwata, Da Mija (mwanamke wa shoka), ameolewa. Harusi yake ambayo imefanywa kwa kuzingatia mila za Kiafrika, imenikumbusha harusi ya msanii Mrisho Mpoto. Mwaka 2005 niliandika kuhusu harusi hiyo ya Mrisho, bonyeza hapa usome. Kisha, bonyeza hapa uone picha na maelezo kuhusu harusi hiyo katika blogu ya Mjengwa. Hongera Mija. Na Mjengwa kwa kutuletea picha.

Eti Tanzania kumezuka ugonjwa mpya. Au pengine ulikuwepo toka zamani ila sasa ndio umepatiwa jina na mwanablogu, Araway Kikaho. Anasema ugonjwa huo unaitwa: Uumbuajiasis Viongozitanzanialitis Hadharanium. Anaeleze gonjwa hilo hivi:

Ugonjwa huu unatokana na kufuatilia mambo ya serikali na viongozi kwa karibu kiasi cha kutaka kuweka ubovu wao hadharani.

Dalili kuu za ugonjwa huu ni hizi:

1.Kupenda nchi zaidi kuliko chama
2.Kuwa tayari kutetea mali ya Taifa na kuilinda mali hiyo
3.Kutoogopa yatakayokukuta
4.Kuanza kuweka hadharani ubovu na siri za viongozi hasa kwa jamaa yako wa karibu

Bonyeza hapa umalizie kusoma kuhusu gonjwa hili hatari sana sana.

Sasa unapoona walimu wetu wa uandishi wa jadi wakijiunga nasi kwenye teknolojia mpya ya blogu, unajua kuwa jogoo ndio kwanza kabisa anawika. Ndimara Tegambwage ni kati ya walimu wangu wa uandishi. Uandishi wa kuhoji na kufikirisha. Alinifundisha wakati nikiwa mwandishi wa gazeti la Wakati Ni Huu. Ukiona kasoro katika uandishi wangu, kati ya watu wa kuwalaumu ni yeye:) Yeye naye sasa ni mwanablogu. Blogu yake inasema maneno mazito sana: Uhuru Hauna Kikomo: Kikomo Kinawekwa na Maadui wa Uhuru. Haya ndio maoni yangu niliyoweka kwenye blogu yake kumkaribisha kwa furaha kubwa:

Ndimara,
Fikra zangu bila wewe hazingekuwa zimekamilika. Wewe nakuita mwalimu wangu. Pale Wakati Ni Huu, nakumbuka. Ulikuwa mkali. Ulikuwa na jicho kali. Ulitaka tuandike kama waandishi na sio wapita njia. Nakumbuka. Na tena nashukuru.

Ila furaha zaidi ni kuona umeingia humu. Umejiunga nasi. Vita dijitali. Tutapigania haki ya kujieleza hadi huku kwenye Intaneti. Sijui watakimbilia wapi walaghai hawa na suti zao na magari yanayolindwa na polisi, ving’ora, yanayopita mitaani mbio kama vile mwizi anakimbia toka eneo la wizi!
Karibu!

Niliandika juu yake mwaka 2004 hapa Jikomboe.

(more…)