The Weekly Sneak: Bare Naked Lady, Almost.

Using the benefit of experience, cashing in on our cultural practice of revering mother-figures and employing the Tanzanian gift of the gab, Ananilea Nkya managed to tongue-tie some big tough policemen by threatening to bare her breasts at them. Well, she didn't put it quite like that but she did say that if they were going to search her she would strip down and get nekkid right there in public to make their job easier. Since this was a good-cop-bad-cop routine, her colleague Helen Kijo-Bisimba "cajoled" her out of it, telling her to be reasonable. Listening to the recording of the encounter on radio, I couldn't stop laughing.

Weapons of the weak can be so terribly effective. The Righteous African Boob-Flash is one of the most feared weapons in a Bantu woman's arsenal, one against which there is no known defense. To be the cause of a mother-figure baring herself at you is to implicitly insult your own mother and all mothers by gazing upon her nakedness and despair. It calls into question your manhood, your Utu, your ability to function in polite society. Basically, it makes you a creep of the creepiest order. The policemen could hardly contain the panic in their voices as Ms. Nyka verbally routed them, escalating to drive home the humiliation of their actions in trying to arrest her. I wasn't the only one who found this amusing, clearly, seeing as the radio stations have been playing the recorded arguments over, and over, and over again... :)

And so ended the doctors' strike and the mini-protest that could. Yes, activists were arrested. They knew what they were doing. They were released on bail. We're all happy that Mizengo Pinda did his Pinda thing and talked the doctors off the ledge. With all these developments, perhaps the article coming to an East African near you is no longer as fresh as it was on the day I sent it. I am glad.

"Anyone watching that evening's news could pick up on the complicity of the policemen and women who were supposedly breaking up what was clearly an illegal gathering. It took all of one hour and involved handwritten signs, a few chants and the obligatory screaming into journalists' microphones, and that was it. Those watching that night's news broadcasts would also have picked up the strong whiff of desperation with which Prime Minister Pinda was “inviting” all doctors and medical staff for a meeting at Muhimbili National Hospital for a sit-down at 9:00 am sharp the following morning."

While we celebrate this small victory, I want to keep in mind those who lost loved ones and those who suffered untold pain due to the doctor's strike. Someone always pays the price.

Social Media School: Empowerment And Politics

So during this little hiatus I have been thinking about the teaching of Social Media for professional purposes- which was my last job and might become a thing I do from time to time. Social Media is a funny thing. As a new phenomenon it has people scrambling to come up with definitions and to describe how it functions and predict its impact. But this is a real game-changer, a paradigm shift if you will, and I don't think we can accurately predict yet what social media will do to humanity any more than medieval serfs could tell you what the long-term impact of mass literacy would be once the printing press was invented. We're all still groping along in the dark.

Philosophical musing aside, the core question that is always asked about social media when you teach it is a simple one: effectiveness. People and organizations want to know how to harness the powers of social media for their own uses. Usually that use is to tell people what to do, no matter how sweet and socially-conscious your intentions. This is politics at play. It all sounds very feasible until you embrace the fact that social media is driven by the social aspect of it more than the technology. That's when we have to admit things complex.

Traditional communications thinking is quite linear: you develop content or messaging, usually from an assumption that you are expert at what it is you want to say and that you are saying it to passive tabula raza recipients. You broadcast to your "target audience" (tabula raza, passive recipients) and sit back and monitor your impact. You then analyze what data you have, fix the problems, make new and improved content, broadcast, monitor your empty-headed little consumers, rinse, repeat. Very imperious in its approach. Social media? You can do that- in a sense that's what blogging does even if it allows for comments. However, mobilizing people through social media is a dastardly game for one simple reason: everyone is a politician. By virtue of the fact that fellow social media users are just as free as you to act upon you, the near-equal footing demands a whole new approach to politics. It demands... egalitarianism. This is revolutionary stuff.

We call it social because what a nice word 'social' is, you know, friendly. It masks the inherent power plays. When people are starting out a campaign and they ask how to get Likes on a Facebook page, what they are really asking is: how can I make lots of complete strangers come to my page and think I am cool enough to Like so that I can increase my social capital/influence by appearing to be a popular choice (and therefore a valid/authoritative one)? Same with hits on a blog, retweets and Followers. Playing the numbers game in social media gives the illusion of security and power: if lots of people are around me, I must be doing things right. Maybe you are, but then again maybe you are just the flavor of the month. That happens more often than we like to admit. And if almost no one reads your stuff, then it must be terrible right and nobody loves you? That might be the case, but then again you might be a wonderfully valuable niche commodity that is adored by true believers, connoisseurs and those with esoteric tastes.

Yet even this distinction is porous. Once you put something out there anyone can access it and use it. You might intend social media content for a particular group but it isn't exclusive*. Interested parties of any kind can join in the fun... or shut you down. Assuming you get it right and you manage to attract a community- for one must humbly beg for attention, no imperiousness allowed here- then how do you then convince them to do your bidding? In other words, how do you exercise the power of influence over them? Especially since your fellow citizens of the net not only consider themselves absolutely your equals if not your superiors, they are also your clients/consumers who can decide to abandon you at any moment.

Social media power is very fragile, everyone you are relating to is just as hip to the game as you are. You can't even speak on anyone's behalf: if they are online they will simply speak for their damn selves, thank you kindly. This precludes the comforts of traditional power: you can't always claim expertise, you must constantly beg for attention while staving off competition and challenges, and there is no such thing as a captive audience. To make things worse, it is time-bound: you can never work fast enough. Basically, it is survival of the fittest and wittiest, the most creative, and those who don't follow trends so much as make them.

None of which qualities matter if they are not supported by less tangible skills like some humility, longevity, acumen, craftsmanship and the willingness to remain a perpetual student. For all that it is democratic in nature, social media is ultimately as elitist as any other human endeavor. If you want to win, you have to learn to be good at it, exploit every advantage you have to the fullest and compensate for your weaknesses or just hide them. Basically, become a politician, and a damn good one at that.

If you got this far down the rant, high five and let me know your thoughts. Am going to end here for now but ultimately this is all supposed to be background thinking to support the eventual design of a social media for social change Master Class which I would love to co-run at least once in my life before becoming as obsolete as parchment :). Happy surfing.

*Target audiences don't exist, and I know it. Here's why: the internet was never designed to 'speak' to an African woman of indeterminate age (ahem) with feminist leanings and a fetish for Tanzanian politics, or any of the other million "minorities" it never considered during its design. And yet. So, don't sweat the audience thing. Ever.

Dar Es Salaam Bloggers' Circle November Meeting

I mean, it would be stupid not to announce the Dar es Salaam Bloggers Circle on the blog, right? Wednesday November 16th at Cine Club (Mikocheni, oye!) from 6:30 pm. Our convenor is the ever-patient Chick About Town and she keeps us informed and on time with a smile. The beers are cold, we don't bite very often and there is always some support, advice and networking to be had with this crew. Karibu.

Three Weeks in October

So I just spent three extremely intensive weeks co-facilitating a course on social media for social change. Yup, helping do-gooding meddlers improve their communications strategies so that they can reach your mind, your heart and your wallet through the internet as well as traditional media. Empowerment, behavior change and social justice driven by the interwebs- you're excited, neh?

Of course- and I should have known this- turning a passion into work was wonderful. It also meant that I burned off my fun faculties and have had to take a media fast for the week. I think yesterday was the first day I comfortably got online and bushwhacked my way through the gmail inbox (only 40 unread emails, down from 400!). I like to keep a clean inbox, it calms me down. But back to the issue at hand: facilitating the adoption of social media for professional usage.

The best thing about this is how wide open the field is. Total playtime: there are formulae and best practices, but because this is social media they have to be customized and localized. There is a strong element of selection, design and creativity in social media that can only be 'learned' through use and individual strategy. That was the point of the course actually: to help the participants become social media stewards* for their organizations and then draft up as comprehensive a strategy as they could using free socmed platforms to enhance their work. That part went better than expected, but several of the participants raised a very relevant question that is still bothering me. What's the point when hardly anyone has access to the internet in the first place? We're talking developing SSA countries here, hardly connected to themselves let alone the internet.

This chart was supposed to contain all forms of media that we could think of. I knew we'd hit the jackpot when people threw in talking drums next to iPhones. Media is indivisible from its technology.

Made me toss and turn, that. Inappropriate technology? Was this course just jumping on yet another NGO world trend (socmed is SO HOT right now)? It's not like Tweeting will guarantee safe childbirth, or better pastoralist-agriculturalist relations. However, isn't that a bit like asking television to solve world hunger? A little perspective here: social media are just a communications tool like any other, enhanced by the fact that "target audiences" are not passive consumers of your grand ideas, they are active partners in a conversation and potential allies in action.

Here's the thing though: social media is riding in nicely on the wave of technology. Due to technology leapfrogging and our increasing prosperity in the next five to ten years there's going to be a lot more 3G phones, WiFi spots and assorted accoutrements in the hands of Africans than the poverty-obsessed would like to admit. It is politic, I think, to start creating the foundations for this form of literacy and world citizenship now lest we create a class of left-behinds out of a questionable desire to be 'relevant'. Local realities are always in flux, and when an NGO worker starts talking 'relevance' it too often means that someone is about to be heavily patronized. I don't happen to see any problem with discussing equitable access to technology as well as clean water, and reasonable food prices. Simultaneously.

So yes indeed: what's the point of being a social media pusher in SSA when there's Al Shabaab and drought and run-away petroleum prices to contend with? Ask me again in ten years, hey. But I'll give you a hint: Nokia gets it. Google's found a clue. M-Pesa, Ushahidi, the list grows on. Social media is a wonderfully capacious bandwagon, it's probably not a bad idea to get as many people on there as possible. Yes, even Africans.

A Note to Binyavanga: It Can Be Done.

Score. Two great pieces going around that combine personal observation with Bigger Picture reflections on the soul of Tanzania. Nothing wrong with the impersonal reportage style of writing that dominates much of the blogosphere. Facts here, cross-references there- all very solid, and admirable, and useful in terms of pushing whatever development or intellectual agenda there is. But sometimes, it is nice to hear from... people. Which is what makes Binyavanga Wainaina is so eminently readable.

M.G. Vassanji asks: "In Tanzania, is it that they complain too much or they expect too much?" You know, the magic of that first line that gets the core question exactly right? Years of practice, man. Years of practice. Frigging beautiful when it is done right.

Pernille has come up with a different set of observations and personal experiences which lead to a similarly conflicted opening statement:

"'What I love about Tanzania is the deep complexity and the massive contrasts'. I can hear myself formulate this pretentious sentence at a presentation somewhere in Denmark where I have to pass on the idea that I know exactly what's going on between me and Tanzania. Being honest - I am not perfect - this is also the kind of relationship which on occasion makes me so kali that I long for the Danes' obsession with organising things and sticking to plans; their telling the plain truth and not fearing consequences; and with their 'we're all equal and all entitled'."

Heh.

What I like most about these is that they are outsider/insider perspectives of Tanzania that manage to expose something about the core of our society. This place isn't just complex- it is complicated too. The minute you convince yourself that you know exactly what is going on, and you have mastered the country, Tanzania is likely to buck you like spastic ostrich. Even if you are the President. She's wonderfully egalitarian that way. Its nice to read folks who get that about her.

"Watch This Space"

I wanted to write a post on the democratic phenomenon happening on Twitter and the segue into a musing on social media and politics. There is a group of tech-savvy politicians on Twitter who regularly engage in very candid conversation with civilian tweeps on a variety of topics... but then Rakesh got there first, and says it better :) Especially the part about technology serving people and not the other way around. This an obvious point, and I am always amazed by how it can get lost in the noise of techlove around social media.

I would probably raise one or two other issues, such as the fact that the political dialogue in question is an actual dialogue: ie. not too much PR/managed prepackaged messaging going on here. This fosters an environment of fragile trust in which any question can be asked and any topic raised within the limits of propriety. It makes for a special relationship with leaders and provides an excellent platform for extremely vigorous discussion. I would seriously encourage other TZ politicians to explore that method of connecting with their peeps.

Between us: it is the worst time- politically speaking- to say anything nice about Jay Kay. I just watched a fellow blogger get slaughtered on Jamii Forums and Michuzi for doing exactly that. And Lord knows I give the man grief on a regular basis. But I do it only because Jay Kay has encouraged, through his personal style of presidency, an unprecedented level of free expression. Is it a perfect situation? Not by a long shot. Will it survive his presidency? Who knows? Whatever failures of leadership he might suffer from, Jay Kay isn't a fake populist. The man genuinely appears to have some love for all 45+ million of his unpredictable, occasionally bad-tempered people. It is inexplicable, but admirable. As admirable as his taste in ankle boots.

Anywho, there might be an article lurking in there somewhere. ePolitics. Watch This Space ;)

An Integral Part of Your Life

I wrote a post a little while back about the internet, social media and security. After all, Africa and especially East Africa seems to be riding the crest of an ICT wave that's going to be affecting us all for decades to come. Exciting times, right? I guess this is as good a time as any to confess that I am now formally in the business of peddling social media to civil society organizations. Which means also having to consider the Bigger Picture issues that come with the job, such as the very real concern with social media's use as a surveillance tool.

If you are still thinking that social media and ICT is "pretty harmless stuff," check out this fascinating experiment carried out by Malte Spitz, a German politician, that my colleague passed on to me today. When George Orwell wrote 1984, who could possibly have known how prophetic his work would turn out to be? Science fiction wins again.

Social Media School: Bar Camp Dar Es Salaam

I'm attending: Google's Bar Camp Dar es Salaam. What is this beast, you ask? I am told that it is an "unconference": an organic collection of people with similar interest who present to each other, discuss presentations and move between simultaneous events as needs dictate. At least, that's what it says on paper.

The good thing is that this is an event organized for and by techies to bring the Dar es Salaam community together. The not-so-good thing is that as a non-techie I am having a little trouble understanding which way is up. So far topics of interest that have come up address various organizations plans to develop software and services for African markets, with a very heavy emphasis on the business side of things: everybody is looking for customers. Fair enough. Most interesting so far in this area was a presentation from PAYU Computing, who are working on a way to make computers accessible to people very affordably by bypassing the hardware cost. It is a fantastic idea.

What else I have learned: Africa is a big, fat, untapped market for ICT. Google is working on establishing its Africa presence. Which is a massive industrial and employment opportunity. Lots of for-profit interest in that, naturally, but also a human welfare angle in the concern with how ICT can materially improve the quality of life of its users. Ultimately the common goal is faster, cheaper, seriously accessible internet and ICT services/products for as many people as possible that will (hopefully) do good. What's not to love?

Okay, now let's talk about actually being one of the lucky millions who are on this cutting edge of ICT receptivity. As a semi-techliterate user and independent content producer, I have a couple of questions. Such as: in Tanzania, a country with a functional literacy rate that is in serious trouble, how does the tech community cope (or not)? Follow up: what do techies project in terms of user interfaces, content type etc in the next ten years, considering that we don't read too good and it's not going to get better for a little while? Finally, a question about security: what about the effect of ICT and specifically social media on citizens' privacy, especially as we bank online and have phones that give geodata and so on and so forth...

And then, an even bigger question: as we millions get online, whose content will we be consuming, and to what ends? Intellectual products, arts and culture, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship? Having worked through the tech-heavy presentations I think I might have finally found the niche that Bar Camp Dar has offered as an opportunity: content producers unite. There are platforms out there looking for your work. Gotta race the clock: trying to wrap up here and have a content producers/platform owners meet-n-greet over lunch. Wish us luck.

Social Media as a Tool for Social Change Brought Me Here

Yes indeed, what am I doing so far away from home? It came out of the blue, really, I was parachuted into a seminar about socmed and social change in Nairobi at the eleventh hour. It was a meet organized by the MEDIaE research project. Also: Kenya. Like I said, I wanted to take a peek at what's cooking in the region's communications power center, maybe make some friends.

Based on what I learned, I think that the occasional pilgrimage to Nairobi as well as a regional tour whenever money and time allows is probably de rigueur for the serious EA socmedian. The seminar was very interesting- there is no way that I can capture the breadth of information that was presented. Here are some things that stood out, in no particular order:

- February 28th was a watershed moment. The "my country first" attitude is the default position in Tanzania so I didn't pay much attention at the time. Hearing about it from a Kenyan opened my eyes... I got my first hint of an idea that's going to show up in the next post.

- I can now confirm my suspicion that Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are on different planets when it comes to social media. Content, reach, quality, approach, politics, preferred forms of media- you name it, we are each walking our own paths. What unites us most is the mobile phone, I guess. We've got a lot to teach each other, but make no mistake: two very dissimilar markets.

- Speaking of mobile phones and marketing... the Nokia presentation was very interesting. Let me put it this way: if you live in EA and have a limited budget for a handset, they might just be the friend you're looking for. And no, I am not getting paid to say that, I just like EA-centric merchandize.

- Check out these numbers. Statistics are always good, and yes they can be used by people other than marketers who are trying to embed their product in your cerebral cortex. Arm yourself with knowledge.

- There was a lot of concern about policing social media content for "quality." This made me worry, actually. It's one thing to hear from your government that they support the idea of censorship, but to hear if from socmedians? Unexpected.

- Erm. I spotted a generational difference in approaches to/thinking about socmed and media in general. But age ain't nothing but a number, as one of the participants- I'll call him Mzee Poa- reminded me. It's in the attitude.

- Content producers were thin on the ground. It was interesting to hear from organizations that use social media with clear transformative agendas, but it did make me wonder. What, if any, is the value attached to free-range social media content producers? The bloggers especially, who are working in a longer form and not necessarily trying to sell you on mosquito nets, or local government meetings, or anything in particular really. Is there space for... dare I say it... simply expressing? That's a real question by the way, if you have an opinion I would love to know in the comments section.

Post-meeting networking and here I am today enjoying the iHub's fast internet connection thanks to my new buddy Daudi Were. Who has promised to send me a list of Kenyan blogs I should be reading, si ndiyo? It is a comfortable space in the way that only Web-obsessed people can create: couches, coffee, a million power outlets, suits and ties are probably banned. I am out of my depth- there's techies around doing that stuff that they do so that tech-challenged people like me can sort-of use the web. But I'm getting a bit of a notion that Bongo could use something like this...

Nairobi: it's been tight. Keep fresh, I'll be back soon I hope. Peace. TMR out.

Shiver.

I am in Nairobi in the hopes of learning a little something about social media from the Kenyan scene. It's pretty exciting actually- in regional terms the social media scene doesn't get any bigger than this and hearing from Kenyans about how they go about it is an opportunity I could not pass up. Might tweet or blog interesting tidbits if I get the green light. Oh, in case you ever despair of being a broke and ignored blogger in Bongo, listen: there's folks out there looking for people to throw money at. It's a good time to be a social median, know what I mean?

In case you're wondering about the title, I have been shivering since I set foot on KQ and don't expect to warm up again until I am back in Bongo. No doubt about it, I have the physical temperament of a swamp rat. I have to say though, the city is impressive. Bright lights, paved roads... public parks with green manicured lawns. Hey Nairobians, what say we exchange city council members for about five years, eh? You can have all of our mayors for free, however many we're afflicted with, and you don't have to give them back either. In fact, just go ahead and keep them- they make wonderful living sculptures for public spaces but we have a surplus of that going on in our government offices.

Oh, I have noticed that almost everybody speaks Kiswahili these days. Cool.*

For a bit of fun, I tested the Tanzanian Charm Offensive on a couple of folks today. Immigration guy fell for it, he even welcomed me to the country with an "enjoy your stay" - after silent treatmenting the two Kenyans ahead of me in the line. The taxi rank guys practically gave me celebrity VIP treatment. The taxi driver, however, was thoroughly immune. I have to say, Nairobians are a little susceptible to the TCO. Johannesburg was much, much tougher- especially those angry people who insisted on speaking to us in Zulu even after we told them we weren't Safrican. Dude. A lot of latent anger going on down there. But then again, I am not sure they knew exactly where Tanzania is. **

I have got to get to Kampala, Bujumbura and Kigali soon...

*Cool because that means that on average Nairobians are bi or trilingual at the basic minimum. Which is always better than only operating in one language of business.

** It's that huge landmass that you fly over on your way to your holiday in Zanzibar on the non-stop SAA flight. :) Sorry, but that's what you get for saying that you're going to "Efrika" every time you contemplate travelling north of the Limpopo. Aw hell, there goes my SA visa eligibility...

Media and Accountability: On to Social Media

Alright! We're now onto social media - the Big Three (FB, Twitter, blogs). Zitto Kabwe has just walked in and is on the mike about the role of social media in the North African revolts/revolutions. And moving right along to using social media: "I blog. I tweet. I would encourage other politicians to do the same."

Aaaaah, hapo amenikuna patamu as Makwaia wa Kuhenga would say. It has been very (veeeeeery) interesting watching the emergence of youth politics in the past five years concurrently with the rise of social media. It's a natural attraction: the young politicians are media savvy in a way that the old guard can't even begin to understand let alone compete with. But what are they doing with the awesome powers of social media?

Well- just like the old guard was able to manufacture and manipulate their contemporary media tools to suit them, so does the youth. One or two have been able to create social media mini-empires of their own that revolve around their political persona. Their public avatars, if you will. Great. Does this mean that these politicians are trustworthy and accountable in their use of this media? I don't think so. Non-professional socialmedia is the primordial soup of news- you gotta be very careful what you fish out of that pot. The same demons that haunt traditional media are there in socmed, and they move faster.

Does having a blog or a twitter account or a forum and "breaking news" or leaking documents or expressing your opinion make you a journalist? Should you be held to the same level of accountability as a professional? Or should that kick in when you Get Paid To Use Social Media? Or when you sell advertizing space? Is it okay if you are a politician, on the government payroll and using social media? Is it okay to claim to break news when you do it using Anonymous and refuse to reveal identity, sources or interests driving you?

Weigh in. I would love to hear from you about how you view social media and accountability. I'm afraid that the debate ended rather abruptly in the last five minutes as I was composing the blogpost but you can catch the stream of conversation on twitter at hashtag mediaforum.

Hamstrung.

This isn't working out quite as hoped. Blogging about Bunge sessions is amazingly difficult to do when Tanesco refuses to provide power. Perverse company. So, this week has been a complete washout though The World's Best Housekeeper tries to keep me informed... apparently her corner of Mikocheni doesn't experience as many "technical difficulties" of an unspecified nature as our streets. I know for a fact that there are parts of Dar that don't get rationed at all. It helps to have a current minister/former or current President/retired military officer living on your street, if you know what I mean.

Protesters: 1, Mubarak: 0. Nice to see that the Egyptian youth who started the revolution won the Face/Off. Am interested in what this transition will look like in about two years' time in the hopes that perhaps something of democratic non-violent regime change might be learned from our northern sistren that can be reproduced in other countries. Like Zimbabwe. In the meantime, basking in the global glow. Everyone loves a successful revolution :) Now, on to Algeria. Bonne Chance! The revolution will be tweeted.

Dude. How do You Mean It?!?!

Teasing politicians is fun. Comedians have always known that politicians are the gift that just keeps on giving. The Fountain of Eternal Material. Besides, it is it's own form of public service because sometimes leaders need a little ego management to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground. Someone has to be the court jester, the griot, the little boy who asked his mother why the Emperor is walking around with his wobbly bits hanging out. We all need that friend who lets the air out of our pomp and circumstance.

But, sometimes, the problem is a little bit bigger. Tanzanians have been spoiled rotten by our Presidents: they have been so far rather accessible people. Mwalimu established a Presidential culture that is wonderfully healthy and very democratic, so we are used to demanding our President's personal time and attention. It gets a little cloying at times, and Jay Kay occasionally forgets himself when kidding around with his adoring public. Still, it is far better than the alternative: being subjected to rulers so closed off, so protected, so far outside our reach that there is little commonality to bond us in the mutual endeavours of nation-building. Since we are a presidential political culture, our other politicians and public servants tend to align their behaviors to the president's. The public performance of humility and accessibility is an important part of our social contract with our leaders.

Joji asked in a previous discussion what intelligence has to do with anything. Well, here's my real opinion: we are all gifted and cursed with a talent. Some of us enter the world through our brains, others do it through music, some through movement, others through their sight. Some do it through their spirituality, some through their infinite curiosity. Some have a lot of talents, some have just the one. But you have to understand the gift to understand the curse that comes with it. Most successful politicians are highly intelligent people. Some of them need help managing their egos. If we don't help them, they can run amok on us and next thing we know we'll have our own version of Jean Bedel Bokassa trying to coronate himself at the National Imperial Stadium of the United Empire of Tanzania and All Her Surrounding Territories.

So, for the most part, our leaders have been pretty well-behaved. However, occasionally we are faced with a real threat. I will never forget the sheer force of Edward Ngoyai Lowassa's resignation speech. Towering rage, bitter humiliation... and the latent threat of resurgence. And now, we have Andrew John Chenge asking for his peers' votes so that he can become Speaker of the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania. Andrew Chenge, Mr. Vijisenti, Mr. Viji-tendencies, is asking his peers to let him head the most important and democratic branch of government? Yeah, I don't think so.

I think someone is having a little trouble recalling the terms of the Tanzanian social contract between the citizenry and the leadership. It looks like that old joke is quite appropriate in your case, Mr. Chenge. Old lawyers never die, they just lose their judgement... It's going to be an interesting session.

*I totally stole the expression in the title from my joyously irrepressible mischief-making grrrl. Name-check. What, what. Sorry, you know it is too good not to appear on the blog ;)

Tools on the Right, and a Party

Okay, I've put up links to the two social media online election monitoring sites on the right hand side of the blog at the top. Let's see if this social media test run can set us up for the big 2015. If any other good interactive election monitoring tools are up and running let me know and I'll put up the link.

And in other news, the Punch Hunger campaign team are having an event today. From the press release:

To make food a right and first priority in Tanzania, the FOOD right FIGHTERS from the international Activista network are inviting all Tanzanians to join the Punch Hunger campaign and call attention to this

very important message to the government:

Stop allocating land for biofuel production without a policy that ensures food security and that is implimented.

Venue/ Mahali: Tanzania Scouts Association

Time/ Muda: 2-6 pm/ 8-12pm

Major Events:

• Performances by artists like Hardmad, Malfred, Eriakim, Rage etc.
• Competitions in games, dance and music
• Exhibitions from different NGO’s
• The FOOD right FIGHTERS launch their new song “Punch Hunger” produced together with FIDQ

It's your country. Vote like you own it. Happy Furahi Day.

Not Like Sheikh Yahya

Our resident celebrity "master" of the predictive arts, Sheikh Yahya Hussein, has a habit of forseeing political performance long after the election results have been announced. He also likes to plays it safe by stating the obvious.

Why let him have all the fun? Since we have a month to go, this is a good time to read some tea leaves of my own:

1. Jakaya Kikwete is going to be re-elected as President. Tanzania always re-elects the incumbent. Besides, there is no viable candidate for the Union Presidency outside of the CCM yet. This won't be the case in 2015 and 2020 if our opposition keeps maturing (which is hardly guaranteed by the looks of it).

2. Jay Kay is going to win with maybe 60-65% of the vote. Of course CCM knows it can't reproduce it's ridiculous 80% win from 2005 even though it has plastered Jay Kay all over anything that sits still long enough. There is nothing like staring at an incumbent's feet of clay for five years straight to kill off any romance.

3. Which means that Dr. Slaa (Chadema) will come second with maybe 10-15% of the vote, and the other stragglers will split whatever is left over.

4. Maalim Seif (CUF) is the next President of Zanzibar, unless something dramatic happens between now and October 31st.

5. Opposition is going to increase its presence in parliament significantly- it may even work it's way up to 25-30% of the Bunge if voters wield that pen right.

6. These elections and the next five years will really test CCM's powers of cohesion. CCJ might have been an aborted exercise, but I predict that the first real splinter group is likely to appear before 2015.

7. Without a doubt there will be, um, 'discrepancies' in the poll numbers as they come in. But thanks to our friends in the IT industry and the nascent movement of independent citizen oversight and reporting, rigging this vote is going to be tougher than usual. This is good: some jobs are just too important to leave to a state organ like the National Electoral Commission. No chads will be left hanging...

Overall, October 31st is going to be about consolidating the inroads made by the opposition, considering policy and ideology along with political personalities, and opening up Tanzania's democratic spaces: local government, parliament, media- especially social media.

Speaking of social media, Uchaguzi2010 is working as an online aggregator of online election coverage. The blog lacks an 'about us' section, which I find problematic, but the content is all referenced. The best part is the GoogleDocs candidate list, which should become very interesting as of October 31st 6:00 pm onwards. The Revolution is being broadcast: tune in, think, connect, vote, report.

The Twitter...

Some people, like My Lady of the Youthful Smiles, adapt to new communications technologies and formats with the ease of a fish taking to water. I am not one of those people. I can just about get around the interwebs unassisted, but some forms of social media/tech are not in the least bit intuitive for me. Like The Twitter and Smartphones.

I was recently asked about The Twitter phenomenon by a non-user and found myself in the bizarre position of trying to explain/sell it when I myself am at best a lukewarm convert and remedial user.

Yeah, yeah, I know. How can a social media user/blogger/whatever be so useless at this stuff? I don't mean to be, it's just that 140 characters of 'space' feels like being offered a small shot glass of lukewarm water when I have a raging thirst. Also, I have a low connectivity threshold. Still, it is one of the Big Three for social media practitioners (Blog, FB, Twitter) and cannot be avoided entirely.

Which is why I was delighted to see this. No matter what your problem is in life, someone else is going through it :) Anywho, was doing some research to help me navigate the hashtag-riddled world of twitterese and found this resource. Strange neologism and ridiculously indecipherable acronym I fear thee no longer, for I have The Google and The Wikiverse on my side. Mwahahahahahahaaaaa!

What the Face!

I've been debating the whole Facebook since about six months ago when I realized that FB had sold our collective souls to the commercial vampires by violating the notion of privacy. Having abdicated responsibility for the protection of our data, FB invented something called 'privacy settings' to make the individual user feel as though maybe, just maybe, fond memories of adventures past- which were diligently recorded by friends and oh-so-generously shared on Facebook- did not become a collection of double-edged visual mementos.

One strong impulse is to just scrap the whole project- which is actually very appealing. My inner hippie does believe in living the Great Unplugged Life if one can stomach it. But Facebook death is a major liability when one thinks of its potential- and that of other like social media- to enrich one's cyberlife... and for a blogger, FB death is perhaps a form of electronic self-amputation?

Anyways, if you are facing similar FB ambivalence and need some help cleaning up your page, my technical consultant* gave me this wonderful link. Too good not to share.

* I'm so embarrassed to need one, and it doesn't help that he responds to every request for help with a long and evil laugh before taking pity on me. I used to be the kid who took apart electronics in the house and then put them together again better than before... and now I am fossilizing long before my time. I blame technology- it's moving too fast for me to catch up.

Quick Look Around the Blogosphere

I don't know if Uruguay cheated, but I do find it intriguing that William Easterly used the incident as a metaphor for the interplay between rules and norms. Of course I don't agree with the implicit Afropessimism (economists are not my favorite social scientists) but it is a nice examination of utilitarian approaches to 'winning' which must from time to time clash with norms.

Give a big hand to some new friends on the TZ blogging scene: Slim Shady has crossed over from 'quiet guy who only comments under duress' to curating a blog of his own. Got a good eye too for the pictures, no poverty porn here. Some of us see the beauty first...

I am always on the lookout for the holy grail of the Tanzania blogosphere: Original Content. Which is where the Tanzania Media Fund's 2010 Fellows come in. About a month ago, four print journalists put on their big girl panties and waded into the scurrilous world of blogging. Here are the results of their efforts, with more to come soon.

Some days I can barely refrain from telling you what I had for breakfast which is why Twitter could be dangerous... and other Kitchen Sink Drama

I was recently lucky to get some essential tips on blogging from Pernille, the talent behind Louder than Swahili a couple of days ago. As she took us on a whirlwind tour of the powers of social media I couldn't help but focus on questions of style and substance. While there are many tricks, widgets and thingamabobs out there that can help a blog along and increase readership, it is ultimately the blog's content that will sell it. At least, that's what I chose to take from the lesson.

Naturally this made me think about the performance of Tanzanian fem bloggers, voice and representation. While my blog roll is shamefully empty of sistren, there are several out there. However, a quick blitz through the internet will show that most people blogging in Tanzania are menfolk. And as a rule we Tanzanian bloggers tend either towards political reportage/commentary, or social noticeboards masquerading as blogs. Original Content is a little harder to come by although some online political commentators certainly write reams of the stuff.

I am beginning to think about how blogging is subject to gender, how this affects the selection of content and overall style. This blog is inspired by a particular movement in food blogging that blends introspection with the love of a particular subject, the best of which has writers who should really be published. There was decidedly more passion than commercial sense in this introspective style, which is still dominated by women. If you have the right project at the right time you can make money off this sort of thing, and some have hit the big time, but ultimately this kind of blog is offering kitchen sink drama, which is some of the best kind.

So, my covenant with readers is that everything you find here is Original Content- the words, the pictures, the mistakes, the TMI, the snark, the aesthetic, the opinions and politics. As some bloggers know, in this market that could mean crazy phonecalls from rabid jingoists, or theft of intellectual property. But that's part of the fun, and an indicator of success besides, right? Right? Right.