Links on Friday - 2
January 12th, 2007 | Published in Africa, Botswana, China, Education, Environment, Governance, Hibiscus Project, Somalia | 2 Comments
- Idland: The better critique of the Oprah critique
Another excellent post on Oprah’s Academy. The question raised by Financial Times - I have also asked on this site, and it’s one I have yet to find a good answer to, not even from Inland. One thing that I have noticed is why some sensible questions always seem to provoke off-the-point and often negative responses?
- Video Journalist Africa: Report from Jamame in Southern Somalia
Ruud Elmendorp video-blogs the flood in Southern Somalia.
- IRIN: Botswana’s displaced San finally look set to return home
Botswana’s displaced San finally look set to return home this week after winning a long-fought court battle to be allowed back to their ancestral land in the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve (CKGR), in the Kalahari Desert.
See also: EthnicLoft: Botswana: Kalahari Bushmen + Diamonds = Eviction
- TEDBlog: Photographer Phil Borges on TEDTalks
Photographer Phil Borges displays his remarkable portraits, documenting the world’s disappearing cultures…
- Business in Africa: Africa Must Look East
“China is not (morally) different to the West, from an African perspective,†he says. “It’s not better or worse. They all want our resources. The real issue is how can we, as Africans, take advantage of the opportunity.â€
January 12th, 2007 at 2:53 pm (#)
You write: “[W]hy some sensible questions always seem to provoke off-the-point and often negative responses?”
Engagement is key, and I appreciate that you encourage that in your writing.
When the rich and notable get engaged in African issues it doesn’t necessarily lead to productive engagement by regular folks, but sometimes it does.
For folks like me who have to think hard about $40 not $40 million dollars the pros and cons of Oprah’s investment seems pretty abstract. Could that money be better spent? Maybe, but I’ve got to had it to her that she is engaged. From what I understand she’s setting this up with the intention that she’s going to live there at least part of the time; it’s a long-term commitment.
I think regular folks can be engaged. Oprah and Bono get savaged for being so different–”the rich are different from us.” But I’ve got to hand it to Bono at least for showing ways for how regular can be engaged.
The great thing about blogs is mostly their the product of regular people. I think we bloggers just have to step up to the plate and encourage engagement as we can. Sure, our engagement will be different from the rich, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be significant.
January 13th, 2007 at 5:32 pm (#)
Thanks for the comment John.