Do It Yourselfness

Hi. So I have been sitting on this post forever because I couldn't figure out how to dump a whole bunch of links in one place and make them thematically consistent. But now I really have to close the tabs on my browser, so I have settled on Do It Yourselfness. It's my favorite attitude in the world: the intentional grasping of whatever you got in hand in order to create (or try) something that you want to see done.

So my top hit do-it-yourselfer is here. I asked a question about Tanzanian hip-hop, politics, gender issues and poverty and got such an awesome answer that I was partly sold on the whole hip hop thing. There's nothing like getting the low-down from an inside man. In the same vein,here is some free content addressing the Arab Spring and stuff. Look for the music breaks.

This event is another gem from some of my favorite do-it-yourselfers: Pen&Mic is back at Saffron, second edition. I missed the first one and have been virtually excommunicated. So I will be at the second one (that'll be me in the corner downing brandy and stroking egos). But on a serious note: this stuff is the good stuff. Don't miss. 7:30 until late, Saffron Restaurant, bring your art if you can.

Ah, Ariana. Miz Huffington did indeed build her online newspaper from a do-it-yourself perspective. Pity about her morals and ethics. So the lesson here is: don't give your content for free unless it's your blog. Otherwise you'll get Huffingtoned.

Every so often I get a call to go out and spend a pleasant hour or two "helping" baby activists get their blogging skills on point. I'll say this much: it is surprisingly hard to actually set up a blog and write one consistently, especially if there's a group involved. These guys might be rough around the edges, but I think they are getting the hang of doing it themselves. Content and design. Go team go!

And then there's this little scuffle in Bunge, which delighted me. They do say watch out for the quiet ones. Trevor Noah is by no means a quiet one, my goodness that guy makes political incorrectness irresistible. Watch out for the little inappropriate moment at the end.

To cap it off with a bang: I read a lot of stuff about Africa trying to puzzle out the blanket "governance problem". I tend not to agree with most of it, and I really have a hard time finding whose thinking rings true. But David Booth? He's definitely onto something. And it's not the same-old-same-old either.

And because not to mention it would be a shame: William Easterly recently accepted Feminism as his personal savior. I'm going to take a flying leap over all the things that I could say in response to a powerful white man in the development sector coming to Jesus at such a late stage in his life, because someone else is sure to do it far better. Instead I want to point out one thing: one key difference between a male feminist and a man who thinks he's a feminist but isn't is the temerity to defend this political stance against "your own." Easterly has a long way to go in his induction to the -ism, but I'll celebrate his breaking this glass ceiling.

Content sourcing: hat tip to Shurufu and Swahili Street twitterfeeds and a few others (sorry! I forget! tabs open too long!). Raspberries to La Dee for finding that awesomely terrible Trevor Noah clip. If I never get another visa to the States it's your fault.