Just read this ridiculous article from last Friday’s UK Guardian – " The Third Wave – at a computer near you". Apparently Natalie Bennett of Philobiblion blog who started Carnival of Feminists cannot find any African women bloggers.
"That was our fourth continent," says Bennett, "and I’m looking for an African blogger, so that we can reach our fifth."
That’s odd because I have been published on the carnival at least once; Black Looks is listed on Feministing.com and other blogs that go under the label of "feminist" – I am no longer sure what exactly that means and those who carry the label need to give it some reflection ; there is a comprehensive list of African women bloggers on my blog roll – not exactly hard to find; a simple technorati or google blog search will come up with African women’s blogs as will Global Voices – every week there is a roundup by either myself or Mshairi of African women’s blogs.
It is now over a year since I wrote the piece "Where are the African Women bloggers" in response to a piece by Pinko Feminist Hellcat (February 2005) and white feminists are still asking where we African women bloggers are?
You know what I think – this is just a whole heap of shite – white people are so busy blanking us psychologically than even when we are standing in your face we remain invisible! By the way DON’T CALL ME CAUSE I AIN’T ANSWERING
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought that was really strange and I was going to write Monday to let her know! I know I’ve written Natalie Bennett about hosting the carnival and it’s soemtimes taken her days to get back to me since she’s so busy.
*Bangs head against keyboard*
You know what drives me *%$#!&@ insane about this? It’s so much like that “where are the women bloggers” tripe.
Look on the blogrolls, people! Do some websearches! Technorati! Holy guacamole, this ain’t rocket science.
I mean jeez–I’m hardly perfect or on top of my game here, but there are these things called blogrolls. Anyone who’d like to know where the African women bloggers are should check them out.
Maybe she just didn’t remember your blog. It happens: I have come accross intelligent and nice Nigerians that don’t know that the Nairaland Forum exists. All I do is tell them about it. No indignation required!
Another possibility is that she considers you a Spanish blogger because of where you live.
Third possibility: She said she’s “looking for an African blogger”, which may have meant, she’s just about to really get serious with the process of searching for one that suits her purposes. She will probably have found you anyway.
Fourth possibility: Her statement was misinterpreted by the press. Happens a lot.
yeah, it happens a lot because white feminist bloggers don’t make it much of a habit to read blogs by folks that don’t look like them and have their same experiences. technorati tags anyone? one search got me enough results to keep me busy for quite a while…
Seun – Stick to commenting on those things you know about – you know nothing of this topic so why are you putting your mouth there? have you bothered to read the article, the links included in this post, the other bloggers comments and their blogs?
How will she think I am a Spanish blogger – she can read the “about me”, read the blog contents, read the blog roll – you know the one that says “African women blogging”. My name and blog are everywhere on the bloody internet and no where does it say I am spanish. Am I the only African blogger who lives in the Diaspora? IF you read the piece I wrote before you make comments maybe you would then be able to make some worthwhile contribution instead of talking out of your hat.
If you must make a comment then stick to a subject you know about OR read up on what has been happening before dropping words as if you are drinking water!
Exactly my point – Pinko, BFP – we have been here before and its so borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrringly repetative
I stand by my four points. From the article, which I read earlier:
That said, these blogs do redress the balance by highlighting global stories. And the Carnival of Feminists is trying to reach as many women as possible, with the most recent carnival held on the Indian blog, Indianwriting. “That was our fourth continent,” says Bennett, “and I’m looking for an African blogger, so that we can reach our fifth.”
The context of that quote is clearly not supplied in the article, therefore we should probably contact her before getting upset. Blogging is a color-blind medium; no one knows you are black unless you tell them. Please let’s stop seeing malice and discrimination where they do not exist.
oooh, aren’t we crazy women lucky to have somebody here to calm us down??
Your quote changes nothing context wise – just takes up more space.
You have a damn cheek to come here and talk of malice – when people were writing malice about me here and elsewhere did you open your mouth? when people were writing abuse about women I did not see you making any comment. When people were making threats here did you write anything? NO but now you want to talk of malice and discrimination? Go away Seun you are a fake just find some other blog to post your off the wall comments – you are not welcome here.
You might perhaps have approached me to find out what I actually said, since as I’m sure you know media articles don’t always present a full picture. I have always done my best to make the carnival as inclusive as possible – indeed that is a point made clearly in the article. Many African bloggers have been featured, and indeed I came here today looking for a post to nominate for Wednesday’s carnival. (But I would urge people to nominate themselves – I, like other people who regularly nominate – can’t get everywhere every fortnight.)
This quote has been truncated. What I actually said was “looking for an African blogger to host the carnival”. All of my hosts thus far have been volunteers, and I’ve been hoping that an African feminist blogger would come forward to volunteer to host. It is a great chance to get publicity for your blog, to make contact with a wide variety of other bloggers, and to get more traffic.
I did think about approaching people directly, but I would prefer volunteers, because there is a few hours of work involved. So is anyone interested?
You misrepresented yourself by using the phrase “looking for” as when you look for something one assumes you havent found it and are not sure where to find it. Anyone reading the piece and not familiar with the African blogosphere would assume either we do not exist or are so few that finding us is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Since you say you know where we are then you should have explained clearly the carnival process ie that you wait for volunteers to approach you (rather than invite which is the word used in the article) and are hoping “that some of the many African women bloggers” will come forward or alternatively “we will be approaching a number of African women bloggers to ask if they will host the carnival”.
In other words this was your opportunity to let readers know that there are many African women bloggers out there.
I believe we are all aware of what happens when you speak with the media. I speak as someone with, albeit a little experience with the media, that the lesson here is be as precise and clear as possible when dealing with them. It is not for each and everyone of us to contact you before making a comment about an article published in the UK media. There are two remedies here – one to clarify your position on your blog and secondly to write to the Guardian for misrepresenting your words and or to clarify the situation.
The fact that I am asking for volunteers is clearly stated on the Carnival of Feminists home page; and thus far 22 feminist bloggers have come forward in the six months that the carnival has been running, so it must be fairly clear.
The Guardian is writing a general story about feminist blogging and it didn’t quote everything I said (which is fair enough, since the journalist and I chatted for half an hour) and I have absolutely no problem with the job she – and the editors after her – did with the story.
Anyone who looks at the Carnivals will find African feminist bloggers – indeed I’d reckon at least 20 have been featured, most of them several times. So I think through the carnival I’ve done my bit to promote African feminist blogs.
You’ve focused on two words and chosen to put them in front of all of that. And quite frankly that pisses me off.
Anyway, I don’t intend to get into a slanging match. That is how I feel about it.
You should have made all this clear in your half hour chat. I read the whole article and chose to comment on the section that refers to African bloggers which is what interests me. If you have all these African bloggers participating then like I said you could have presented your story to the Guardian in a different way. I am certainly not going to take responsbility for the way you approached this whole matter – and if that pisses you off that is your problem.
And of course we are all most grateful to you for doing your “bit to promote African Feminist Blogs”.
I finally had a chance to read the original Guardian piece, and it makes me want holler. Why is it so astonishing that there are progressive women of color, and why is it so amazing that they use the internet? People seem to have no problem w/ brown beige yellow and red faces *making* computers in dangerous work conditions, or using them for data entry jobs or as secretaries etc etc., Somehow the idea that these same women can use computers and the internet for political and social discussion *amongst themselves* seems to just inflict shock and awe.
This irritates me to no end.
The blogosphere is full of African bloggers.. and African Feminist bloggers.
But as usual White female bloggers act as if we don’t exist.
I abhor the patronising that’s going on here, the wording was the ‘same ole, same ole’ and here comes natalie… indignant and pissed off that she got caught out at dodgy penmanship…
oh for crying out loud, get a grip and get over it.
Personally, I’m just sick and tired of the ohhhh where are those black folk we don’t see em.
And then the condescending belief that it’s a lack of technology, or access that’s ‘preventing’ these African bloggers…
Jeez can ignorance be spewed any louder?.
Seems the more things change the more they stay the same.