1. Curt

September 9th, 2006 at 5:16 pm

I’d like to see a Winnebago full of African bloggers tour the continent and (figuratively-speaking) collectively create a State of Africa Report.

2. Chippla Vandu

September 9th, 2006 at 5:20 pm

I spent some time a couple of weeks back scouting out for South African blogs. I discovered that most South African blogs are authored by whites. I wasn’t able to find that many blogs authored by black South Africans. I also came across a few Indian South African blogs. In most cases, I relied on the names of bloggers and their blog content in determining who was white or black.

With regard to the conference, I pay very little attention to such things. It appears that in order to make anything look “serious” on the African continent, a bunch of outsiders must be invited. So much for giving room to homegrown talent!

3. Mwenye Nchi

September 9th, 2006 at 5:41 pm

The white man’s burden…

4. imnakoya

September 9th, 2006 at 8:29 pm

I think I can spot Emeka Okafor, Ory Okolloh, and Zim Pundit as speakers, and probably more Afrikans than I can recognize. I see nothing wrong with these conferences, nobody is losing anything and besides, is all about sharing ideas. There is no monopoly of ideas. If ‘original Africans’ feel ignored, then they should organize one! Right? I wished the conference has more publicity though…I heard of it 2 days ago. But does that really matter?

5. Sokari

September 10th, 2006 at 9:59 am

This is one more example of the appropriation and commericalisation of all things African….. As Alexcia puts it “Invite the whole planet but dont call it African”.

6. heidi

September 11th, 2006 at 12:40 am

do you really think it’s necessary to put a pig to illustrate your point?

7. Sokari

September 11th, 2006 at 8:37 am

Heidi - is it a pig! I thought it was a Bull Dog - Do you have a complex about pigs? Either way it is unfortuante that your level of concern is the use of the illustration to depict the great white chiefs. Animals are used as mascots by sports teams and countries eg the bulldog in Britian. Whats wrong with pigs anyway - they are delicious roasted with hot chilli sauce or made into spicy sausages! And despite the myths they are one of the cleanest farm animals and greats as pets - I guess Animal Farm didnt do them any favours though - maybe thats why people freak out over pigs, who knows.

And just in case anyone else starts moaning about pigs dogs or whatever other animal - forget it. If I had used a doves to depict peace or a fluffy pussy cat dressed in pink feathers and love hearts all over the place no one would be complaining.

.

8. Mwenye Nchi

September 11th, 2006 at 5:39 pm

@Heidi; I think having a pig is actually spot on. Weren’t pigs “more equal than others” in George Orwell’s “The Animal Farm”?

9. …My heart’s in Accra » Advance critique of the Indaba

September 11th, 2006 at 6:26 pm

[…] Sokari at Black Looks writes, “more like the gathering of the Big White Chiefs oOOPS but wait I forget “we are all africans now. Maybe there will be a hall full of eager black faces looking intently at the white chiefs for guidance and hope for the future of this great land.” MMK at African Bullets and Honey wonders, “Will it be a roomful of white folks working for the betterment of the African? Please, I beg you, do not tell massa that I asked cause I know how much he is trying to help me speak and develop into a full, happy human being.” […]

10. A.J. Venter

September 12th, 2006 at 11:40 am

To my dismay I must say that as much as I understand your feelings - I completely and utterly dissagree with your response to those feelings.

I was born in Africa. I have never lived anywhere except in Africa. My culture and language are both - uniquely African.
It does have some European influence - but it is definitely NOT European. It’s equal exists nowhere else and for every piece of European herritage in it, there are five pieces of herritage from other African cultures.
I am also a white male, and a blogger.

But I will fight to the death if I have to for my African herritage. I will defend this continent, which is in my very bones, with my life if that’s the price I have to pay. I will continue to spend my life working to make life better for my fellow Africans - regardless of their colour.

And I will continue to believe, as I always have, that black pride is no less racist than white pride was, and must be fought with the same vigour.
The only path to prosperity and peace in the world is to finally grow up enough as a HUMAN race to realize that there is no other race EXCEPT human.
Any geneticist can confirm instantly that every single human being in the world is descended from black Africans. What we perceive as ‘race’ is nothing but VERY minor adaptations to local conditions which occurred as we spread around the world.

Scicence says - there are no races. There are only people, and we are all the children of Africa.

For those of us who call this continent home - it’s the only home we ever had, or ever want to have and it saddens me greatly to think that there are still people who believe that the colour of our skins must somehow be a herritage - instead of the absolutely inconsequential nothingness it is.

Is Johnny Cleg to white to be an African ?

I do not believe in race and since this is a matter of both faith and science, nothing will convince my otherwize. I am African because this is where I was born, this is where my family has lived for generations and the soil of Africa runs in my blood.
I am engaged to marry a girl who isn’t white. It has never had the slightest impact on our feelings for one another - though the stares from idiots enrage me - I will never let that influence the fact that to me she is and always will be - the woman I love. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Is it fair then to say that my pale skin makes my blog somehow un-African ?

11. Sokari

September 12th, 2006 at 1:19 pm

You have misunderstood - the argument is regarding white non-Africans attending the conference. As for Black pride being racist that is utter nonsense and not worthy of any additional response.

12. blackadept

September 12th, 2006 at 1:31 pm

Firstly I’d like to give the viewpoint of a Brit of African descent (via the Caribbean).

I think that everyone living in or connected with the continent should take part and be allowed to make a contribution. The best way forward for Africa and mankind as a whole is through increased contact and collaboration. It’s the only way to improve things, slowly but surely.

However it amused me when Mr A. J Venter, who I’m sure is a nice and well meaning man regurgitated some of the situationally redundant facts so often thrown up by ‘head in the clouds’, ‘one love’, utopians, especially white ones.

Yes “What we perceive as ‘race’ is nothing but VERY minor adaptations to local conditions”. Most people of African descent are painfully aware of this. Probably more so than most white people. Strangely enough it has proven to have a VERY BIG impact on those same local conditions if you happen to be a member of what is determined to be the WRONG race.

Yes race is a social construct and has no real basis in science, but as such it is still a powerful force in the lives of white and black people everywhere, particularly in the country of Mr Venter immediate origin. I know this as a person who was born in the UK of immigrant parents from the Caribbean. White people still constantly ask me “where I’m from”, although they know from my name and age that I’m much more than likely born in the UK. What they really mean is which country your ancestors come from. I am ‘other’, not indigenous. They make this subtle distinction whenever they meet a person of non-european origin. Funnily enough this also happens to me frequently in Belgium where I now live and work. Incidentally Belgium is the neighbour of the country Mr Venter “comes from”. Perhaps he should come to the birth place of his forefathers and give them his lecture. You see it’s easy to discount/dismiss the practical effects of race when you are a member of the group who has and still too often does call the shots.

Anyhow, I’ll wind up by saying, yes we should be welcoming of the A. J Venter’s of this world, but equally when the A. J. Venter’s experience some resentment or hear opinions such as those expressed earlier it should give them pause for thought. Considering the recent past are they expecting too much, are they overlooking quite reasonable misgivings amongst their fellow Africans? In short get used to occasional rejection that others have to face as a part of life until we achieve that utopian dream.

13. A.J. Venter

September 12th, 2006 at 10:21 pm

Okay. So I am an idealist. I’m proud of that. There is absolutely no point in being anything else. But it’s wrong to think an idealist is somebody who lives with his head in the clouds.

On the contrary, a true idealist determines the ideal - then compares it to the reality - and then does everything in his power for the rest of his life to try and reduce the discrepency between the two.

During just the past five years of my career my work have put more computers in schools than the governments of Africa combined. And the software that runs them are specifically licensed to allow anybody to copy and share them.

At no point did I have fortunes at my disposal - we did it with blood, sweat tears and working 18 hour days.

I do not own a car.
I don’t own my own house.
My debts are quite a bit bigger than my assets.
And yet there are countries where 85% of the people’s total access to the digital world we live in was achieved, in part, thanks to the work I put my life into - and then gave away to the world.

A true idealist - I spend my life trying to reduce the discrepancy between reality and the ideal - and I have no delusions that I can do it. I cannot save the world. But I CAN make a difference - and there are enough people who can, and with the right motivation WILL - that the future for our children need not be as bad as the present.

If you don’t believe this anymore - What is the POINT of being alive ?

Now since the recent past of my country was brought up. Let me say it outright - it was my immediate ancestor who invented appartheid.
Ironically when they first did it … it was SUPPOSED to be a humanitarian ideal ! The ANC in the early days cheered it !
But it was built on a fundamentally flawed premise - the concept of race.
And the result was that no matter how nobel the ideal - the reality turned into a quagmire of cruelty and violence and exploitation. Indeed I am ashamed of that - even though I never had any part in it.
Appartheid ended long before I was of voting age. My first politicall activity was putting up posters urging South Africans to continue negotiating with the ANC !

It was ‘white pride’ that did it. I stand by my statement that black pride is racist - but I will qualify it more clearly. ALL racial pride is ipso facto racist.
The only verifiable definition of racism is to actually ACKNOWLEDGE the EXISTENCE of race as a CONCEPT.

The moment you look at me, and see a ‘white man’ instead of a ‘man’ - you have already committed racism.

It is NOT impossible to become colourblind - I am. I don’t SEE race - I see people, everyone unique and beautiful in their own way.
I know the concept of race only because other people vocally declare what they see - it’s like a blind man who hears that the sky is blue. He can later repeat ‘the sky is blue’ - but he will never understand what that MEANS.

So you call yourself black ? And people call me white. And they call my fiance asian. What does this stuff mean ?

Did you know that the majority of my culture (Afrikaans) is NOT white ? The so-called ‘coloured’ people of South Africa are Afrikaans - and they outnumber the ‘white’ Afrikaans by a HUGE factor. But they are MY people.
They speak my language, they share my customs. My ancestors through their racial pride tried to make them something else - I think they were stupid.

Saying “this person is black” and “that person is white” is like saying this “my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend”.

I believe very strongly that people have the right to their own opinions. I believe even MORE strongly that people do NOT have the right to their own FACTS.

In this regard - there are easy facts. Simple genetics proves all racial theories are outright wrong - the concept is entirely unfounded. End of discussion.
To pretend it does - is the act we call ‘racism’. Otherwize known as just another example of humanity’s completely unlimited supply of stupidity.

Just because people act as if race existed - does NOT mean they have the right to. I don’t think they do.

I DO understand why people who for hundreds of years heard ‘because we are white and you are black you are less than us’ will now want to try and reverse the situation - after all it’s an entirely human response. But being understandable does not make it acceptable behaviour.

History however recent is never an excuse for future mistakes.
As one author put it “remember the atrocity commited by their ancestors against our ancestors which will excuse the atrocity we are about to commit against them.”
That is what it all comes down to - using the mistakes others made in the past as an excuse to repeat the exact same mistakes today.

Well I won’t. And I won’t defend or even acknowledge anybody else’s right to think that way.

I don’t want to be argumenting here - I really don’t. My goal if anything is the opposite.

I will conclude with what I think will give a better sumarry than all the arguments I can try to make for my case. Me and my fiance want children. Since she’s not ‘white’ - they won’t be either. And worse, they’ll be ‘halfbreeds’ as the scorn term goes !
I want my children to grow up in a world where nobody will ever care about that. Where their dreams will never be destroyed because of that.
That cannot happen tomorrow - but it can happen. The thing is though - before it can happen - GOOD people, like Sokari, need to make that mindshift to realize that even acknowledging the concept of race is by itself a human rights violation.
It’s sad that our world has been for so long the victim of racism that truly good people, people who dedicate their lives in the service of others can fail to see that.
I am not trying to accuse Sokari of something, I have tremendous respect for her as a person, and for the work she does, but nobody is perfect, we all have flaws - me no less - and pointing them out to one another in a caring way, is an act of sibling-love.
Yes I do want that utopian dream. It will happen when we all live that way. How can that happen if we say ‘until’ ? It will happen when we do it - we can’t wait for everyone else. We have to LEAD the way - live that way NOW. And in time, others will follow, and then still more, and still more - and one day, we will be the majority, and then one day - there will be ONLY us - the people.

I repeat - if you don’t believe that… what would be the point of being alive at all ?

14. Curt

September 13th, 2006 at 5:24 am

Yikes. Well I’m out of my element here but I will say this. Sokari, it will shock you to hear I agree with a lot of what you say, disagree with some of it and don’t care about some. But here’s the thing: if you think the Indabadaba Doo is too ‘colonialist,’ then make your own. I’m not saying that as a tongue stuck out, I really mean it. Make your own African blogger con. And, as a straight, white, Anglo-Celtic American ‘cowboy’*, I’d be delighted to come and impart my wisdom!(I just have so damned MUCH of it.)

*A logger, actually.

15. Abdurahman

September 13th, 2006 at 7:40 am

Well, you raise an important question and there is a similar debate in the humanitarian community. I think it should be continued (with a softer tone perhaps) about the African blogsphere and sticky issues like black vs. white …etc

And how about north Africans (who aren’t black or white), I can imagine them raising such questions in the future.

16. Sokari

September 13th, 2006 at 8:35 am

~Abdurahman : Please try reading what is being said about black /white. A black identity is not simply about the shade of your skin colour and the last time I looked North Africa was in Africa! I think it would be perfect if there was a gathering of all Africans from all 4 corners of the continent. North Africans are part of the AU are they not? I dont go down this road of North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa. That division is a construct of colonialism.

Curt: As for holding our own - I have said it once already that is not the point. the point is have this conference but dont call it an “AFRICAN blogging conference”.A MMK states in his piece, why have a conference where blogging, which is by its very nature individual and free spirited, is codified, certain people get to make decisions and take ownership. The whole event becomes exclusive and goes against the grain of blogging. This becomes even more contentious when the majority of those speaking are not even Africans of any nationality or colour.

Another point is Africa is a huge continent - why should we have an African blogging conference when the distances are impossible. I havent heard of any other continent having a blogging gathering. We should be thinking local eg country or maybe region but continent is impossible. And there lies one of the problems for people - THINKING AFRICA AS A COUNTRY NOT AS A CONTINENT!

17. Sokari

September 13th, 2006 at 8:42 am

Venter: I know what you are trying to say here but we are not yet at this Utopia in fact we are so far away from it that frankly I cannot even see it and doubt that many can. We are still in the process of working towards ridding the world of racism and xenophobia. Of course race is a construct however the fact of the matter is whether we like it or not race as a concept is ingrained into the very bones, heart, soul of society - yours mine and most of the world if not all to some degree. . It impacts on every part of everyones life. Ignoring SAYING hey look we are all human beings , we are all equal. That is a truism. But society and the world does not work like that and right. Denying race is something white people can afford to do, Black people cannot. Racism exists, is alive and continuing to impact on peoples lives. When a time comes that racism is a thing of the past then we can all live in equallity and harmony in this Utopian world.

18. Jikomboe » Digital Indaba imeleta balaa kama Mesenja…

September 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pm

[…] Haya, kuendeleza mjadala yupo yule mwanablogu ambaye wanablogu wa Kenya hupenda kumuita “baba” wa blogu za Kenya, Mental Acrobatics. Ameingilia mjadala huu kwa staili ya aina yake. Yeye anasema mzozo mkubwa sio kuhusu waalikwa…bonyeza hapa usome. Halafu, Ethan Zuckerman naye ameamua kutoa ufafanuzi zaidi kuhusu mkutano huu. Bonyeza hapa. Pia Sokari Ekine hajabaki nyuma. Anasema: White Blogging Africa. Msome hapa. […]

19. brownfemipower

September 13th, 2006 at 6:45 pm

I havent heard of any other continent having a blogging gathering.

Exactly, sokari. I think the most extensive blogging conference I have ever heard of was the “Her” conference (or whatever that was called) and even that was for women/feminists, not for the whole damn continet!!!! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of ANY conference that was meant for the whole continet–except maybe one between government officials, like the G8 or something–so why are a few bloggers thinking that they are the same as governments and nation/states???

20. Curt

September 14th, 2006 at 1:38 am

Well, I’m not sure your point was clear, then, if your point was ‘having a blogging conference and calling it African is bad.’ Because someone IS having one, and they ARE calling it African.

I’m not sure I see the problem in doing so (generally speaking, I mean, regardless of the specifics of this one).

On the meet-and-greet side, blogging is everything you say, but it’s also a way to get together. Writing to, and blogging with/at/against Farid & Ammar is fine, but meeting them in D.C. was…human.

On the ‘we’re-too-big-to-fit-in-one-event’ side, the BlogHer conference brownfemipower referred to did in fact encompass (philisophically) one-half of humanity, a larger number than ‘all of Africa.’ And there’s even more variation in all women than in all Africa.

You know well I’m not a Professional Attendee. But I do enjoy getting together with people and exchanging stories. If it’s not reductive and rule-driven, if it’s not based on puffing yourself up and playing Expert, if it’s not an excuse to act as human billboards (but I don’t agree with EZ: you don’t always have to enlist the aid of corporations to get together), then I see little harm and a lot of good.

But it’s your continent. And your decision.

21. Jikomboe » Digital Indaba imeleta balaa - 2

September 14th, 2006 at 2:52 am

[…] Haya, kuendeleza mjadala yupo yule mwanablogu ambaye wanablogu wa Kenya hupenda kumuita “baba” wa blogu za Kenya, Mental Acrobatics. Ameingilia mjadala huu kwa staili ya aina yake. Yeye anasema mzozo mkubwa sio kuhusu waalikwa…bonyeza hapa usome. Halafu, Ethan Zuckerman naye ameamua kutoa ufafanuzi zaidi kuhusu mkutano huu. Bonyeza hapa. Pia Sokari Ekine hajabaki nyuma. Anasema: White Blogging Africa. Msome hapa.   […]

22. Sokari

September 14th, 2006 at 3:04 am

No that is not my point. my point is have a conference in africa about blogging but dont call it an African bloggers conference. How can you have a conference that represents 53 countries. - its not possible. to be honest this discussion is now beginning to go round and round in ever increasing circles.

yes i think its great to meet up with other bloggers but its pretty impossible to do so unless they are local to you. The her conference was as inclusive as you can get given that it was us based and as BFP states still left out a whole heap of people. Anything like that is doomed if one imagines it could possibly satisfy everyone and be all inclusive. All conferences are limited to those that attend. they input and they decide and those not attending either go along with the decisions or go about their business as usual. I am not a professional attendee either. For starters, I find being in large groups very stressful and I dont like it – I would rather meet small groups locally because I believe more can be achieved locally than through some huge continent wide event where representation is not equal and where people are more likely to act in the interest of their own needs. I would be happy if the African blogosphere were to organise locally with some sort of annual or bi annual gathering with representatives from each country or region attending. I do agree with you that you don’t always need to “enlist the aid of corporations” but only if you can organise locally - think local act global makes sense.

23. Abdurahman

September 14th, 2006 at 7:03 am

I agree with your first point that if a confrence or a gathering is for or about Africa, it should Africans talking (mostly). I would like to think of African blogsphere.

But some of your comments were little contradictory

You said: “think it would be perfect if there was a gathering of all Africans from all 4 corners of the continent. North Africans are part of the AU are they not? I dont go down this road of North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa. That division is a construct of colonialism”

Then you said: “We should be thinking local eg country or maybe region but continent is impossible”

I thought you meant we should think local, once we do that, then we think about Africa as whole - I would agree if that’s what you meant.

24. Abdurahman

September 14th, 2006 at 8:06 am

A.J. Venter:
I respect your views and the good work you’re engaged in, but please don’t confuse your good feelings and intentions with history and what’s actually happening.

First of all, I don’t think Africans - before colonialism - thought of themselves as particularly black - there were only blacks anyway (sub-Saharan Africa), so black pride is a product of colonialism and all the horrible things Europeans have done in Africa.

I completely disagree with how you put it, that apartheid was merely color-conscious and those who did it were “stupid”; it was a genuine feeling by the “Europeans” that black Africans were less worthy and at best subordinates to the white man, Africans were bought and sold and enslaved because they were black so please don’t oversimplify it. It was also a land grab, now white minority has over 90% of the country’s income in South Africa and in Zimbabwe the 2% white minority owns over 95% of the land - to put simply as a color and segregation isn’t the whole picture.

You might disagree but Africa is divided into natives (indigenous) and those who came later including Indians, whites and Arabs. If you go to Kenya, South Africa or Sri lion you will find these minorities - that came with colonialism - are far wealthier that the natives and control the welfare of the Africans. To deny this, I think is to deny the sun.

I’m also confused by your reference to science, no one is saying that people are biologically different, but it’s a culture and a necessity for people to survive. African Americans thought of themselves as black because of slavery, racism and KKK not because science told them otherwise!

25. Abdurahman

September 14th, 2006 at 8:10 am

i meant Sierra Leone

26. wonderchops

September 14th, 2006 at 5:11 pm

don’t see why you should give a toss about the colour of anyone’s skin.

27. Mwenye Nchi

September 14th, 2006 at 11:58 pm

@A.J Venter: Black pride has always been about self empowerment. Never about claiming superiority over others like white pride is (was, I hope). True there are white people who are African in word and deed but unfortunately they are few and far between. Being ‘African’ to many white people has always been about the romanticism that comes with it.
The perfect example of white people trying to have it both ways i.e playing the politically correct card (”I have many black friends”) while also holding on to some notions of innate superioty is probably best shown by http://midnightfrisco.blogspot.com/2006/08/i-should-have-stayed-home.html“>Archer’s experience at a ‘white’ club in South Africa.
The poor chap was assaulted and kicked out of the place while people in his own class at uni watched and did absolutely nothing. His ‘friends’ from uni weren’t black.

28. Sokari

September 15th, 2006 at 12:21 am

Oh no not another example of that tiresome race stuff we Blacks are always talking about!

29. Mwenye Nchi

September 15th, 2006 at 1:02 am

Thank God for technology, one could just delete/block a comment they don’t like

30. alexcia

September 15th, 2006 at 2:58 am

@ A.J. Venter
Congrats for the good work yu do for africa!
May i suggest you take up and African name? I consider that a first step to really belonging. To feel where the shoe pinches for blacks you should try on the shoes.

You can find my thoughts on the above, as mentioned Sokari, on my blog on “Digital “Indaba” Controversy” and “The So Called “Digital Divide” aka I make crap and you buy the crap”

31. alexcia

September 15th, 2006 at 3:00 am

Once again i am saddened that Jikomboe was not invited, with scholarshio to this.
An African should speak african

32. Fair cop | Check Out Ethiopia.Com

September 15th, 2006 at 3:02 am

[…] If you believe Sokari, I will be just another "big white chief" addressing an audience "full of eager black faces looking intently at the white chiefs for guidance". […]

33. Sokari

September 15th, 2006 at 3:38 am

Mwenye Nchi - dont know what happened to your comment which came through in my mail but didnt appear here. Here it is now and my response.

“@Sokari; That’s besides the point. Point is preaching water but drinking wine.
My opinion has always been for equality, never for affirmative action. There’s no place for entitlement in today’s world, not for black people or white or whatever else they are.”

and my response is:

“Was the sarcasam lost? Equality and not affirmative action is great when the starting blocks are placed equally side by side on the same line - i think we need to deal with realities which of course differ according various factors such as where you live, income, etc etc. When they change then we can talk about equality and forget affirmative action. As for Entitlement it works both ways - no/yes?”

34. Irena

September 15th, 2006 at 4:32 am

Maybe out of ignorance since I left the blogging world to reality world, I can see Africans and “friends” of Africans have enough money and talent to have a whole week of discussing “blogging” It is amazing this is the “only continent that has blogger’s week or conference. I’m just thinking if we spend a quarter of that Yvonne chaka chaka honorarium and channel it to some of the topics that the Africans are blogging about to the ‘real issues” on the ground level rather than sit down and amid cavier, chardonnay and entertainment talk about how important blogging is to Africa… I’m sorry and this is my opinion , I do not see how this is helping Africa or the African issue that the famous bloggers talk about . To me , this is another case of “lets talk and hold dialogue with no actual result. So how does this conference help Africa again. Please enlighten my ignorance , those in attendance!!!!

35. Tom

September 15th, 2006 at 11:59 am

Dear AJ
Here’s the liberal speak..
Your focus on science misses a point about race, it is a reality for many people because that’s what they experience. People should get together to share their experiences and reason about them. Black people in most places tend to get very different experiences to ours. (For a current and mild example, try standing in a queue for a bus in many parts of Africa if you want to find out about “magic skin”, people offer to let you pass. Less mild, journalists often experience during unrest, the black one gets beaten by police, the white gets the story). And if your culture, thought processes, ideas and identity (whether some variety of “black” or Afrikaans) is being put down, you are free to get together to assert that they are really fine. Black pride is a positive affirmation, not a threat to whites and (mostly) is not presented that way. If it is sometimes (for instance, I find the illustration at the top of the page offensive), then realize its generally only a pretty minor inconvenience of history compared to what history has done to many people, including personal experience of nearly every black person I know.
In the 1980s, “Black” was even a word which politically correct persons defined in terms of the oppression people received because otherwise, there is a huge variety, just in Africa let alone the world. Oppression was the main thing in common (although I don’t know if the Irish agreed they were “Black” as some people styled them).
Which disagreement is not to undermine your idealism or good work. I don’t think that you do it because you are white or black and I hope you are justly proud of achievements without it being a race issue. As the reality of people’s experience of racism fades (in the world we’d proactively work for, particularly by always challenging racist oppression or slurs), so we hope will the importance of race except as a cultural affirmation. But never underestimate that it is still a real experience for many fellow humans.
By the way, I wish you fun with your children and their eventual views and experiences - as a light example my son, no doubt a future lawyer, claims at table that vegetables are only for white people. Neither my wife or me are (mostly - there have been times for me) ashamed of our colour or culture, and my hope is that the kids are learning to take the best of both.

36. bilata

September 17th, 2006 at 6:49 am

Obviously, you cannot go beyond the colour of one’s skin. Shame!

37. Sokari

September 17th, 2006 at 8:29 am

Bilata: Beyond colour of skin to where? You think colour of skin is a non issue in this world we live in? If so then sure dream on!

38. Mike Stopforth » The 2006 Digital Citizens Indaba on Blogging - My Take

September 17th, 2006 at 1:02 pm

[…] This was the only pretext I had to the event. You see, I was pretty self-absorbed. When I thought of blogging on the African content, I had a very South African-centric, business and or marketing-related view and to be quite honest had never really allowed my narrow mind to wander beyond SA borders. […]

39. Sokari

September 17th, 2006 at 7:14 pm

Mwenye Nchi - you have clearly misunderstood my response to the story of the guy being thrown out of the white club. I was being sarcastic - an attempt at emulating the response of a white person to hearing that story thus the “on not not another ……racist story” etc etc.

The one good thing that has come of this is the DEBATE THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE - there are no winners and loosers - its a debate.

40. Phil

September 20th, 2006 at 5:10 pm

Your point is quite valid. Whites should not be attending conferences about African blogging. Should I ensure blacks do not attend any conferences about European blogging?

41. Sokari

September 20th, 2006 at 9:12 pm

You must be Betty’s mate? Goodbye!

42. Phil

September 27th, 2006 at 4:34 pm

You must be devoid of a cogent reply.

So what do you think? Should blacks blogging in Europe be allowed to attend a conference about blogging in Europe?

43. Sokari

September 27th, 2006 at 5:30 pm

No just sick of pea brains coming on my blog and asking ridiculously stupid questions. This is the last time- you are ZAPPED. If you want to continue this nonsense do so in your own space not here.

44. Angela

October 27th, 2006 at 6:53 am

I just have a simple question. If I were to leave America and live in Africa for the rest of my days, would that make me African? Would other Africans agree if I were to call myself African? I have always wondered that. I am a Black person living in America by the way. I also have no knowledge of where my ancestors came from. I can’t trace my roots back to Africa because it is really impossible. My own family doesn’t even know all of their family history. Please don’t be offended by my question, but I keep hearing all the time how Africans are very unaccepting of Black Americans. So I thought I would ask to get some insight. Thank you.

45. Webgirl

October 27th, 2006 at 9:55 am

I will read more on this later and I dont want to comment much at the moment but I cant agree more to A.J. Venter and I love your way of thinking, and I know that you’re African and proud to be one regardless of your skin.

46. Sokari

October 30th, 2006 at 5:53 pm

Angela: these are difficult questions. Much of this discussion has been misinterpreted. The original comment made in my post has long been lost and now we are simply discussing who can and cannot claim to be an African which was not the point of the original post. If people would just take the time to read that then there would be no need for these comments on who is or who isnt an African. the point is who organised this conference in SA - who were the speakers (majority where white) how many were bloggers and how many mainstream media and finally no recognition of the fact that in a country where the 90% of the population are Black is represented at a conference from 10% of the white population. Why only that 10% have access to technology and knowledge. I am sick of certain sections of the South African population refusing to acknowledge that inequalities remain and that acess to education, employment, technology, health are all racially determined. This is what I was trying to address not have an never ending discussion on who is or isnt African.