Wikipedia and Africa

Wikipedia is expanding in Africa. The founder Jimmy Wales has big ambitions for the developing world according to this BBC article Article. And why is that? Well a continent that has with 53 countries, more than 2000 estimated Languages spoken needs to be considered and given attention on Wikipedia. I think its very wise that Jimmy has announced this move. Not only this expansion will bring an enormous value on content management and archive for Africa but it will help African people to move from an oral tradition to online written tradition. Africa is content, African people can take this opportunity to write world class stories about their continent, re -brand it and make contents more credible and accurate. They are no many African leaders biographies, stories on Wikipedia, the one you read is not written by African people or has a little African input. Real stories needs to start emerging, and I think Wikipedia can collaborate with Africans to make this happen. African People are today using the clouds to make themselves heard. This Wiki addition is just awesome.

This is an excellent move!
Thank you Jimmy and Wikipedia!

From @mjamme!

Africa is Content

Africa, the continent everyone is talking about even the biggest PR company in the world such as Google. Is 2010 the year to PR and Market the African continent better?
Africa will not be the Africa we knew 20 years ago, as its own people have taken the PR role via the social media web Twitter, Facebook and many others.
The Real stories of Africa will be told by Africans. Its time that good stories from starts Africa emerging from the continent itself- African leaders, professionals and businesses needs to start communicating with the rest of the world by writing, blogging, collecting and archiving for the next generation to come.  We need to create credible contents. Through my travel to Africa recently, I came across wonderful individuals and stories that has never been written or told. Friends of Africa should encourage and empower the locals to write their stories and share the journey in order to keep it authentic.  I invite you to listen to this wonderful video.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

Thank you for reading my blog!

Africa in 140 characters

Africans are talking! Yes in 140 characters. Many have noticed the rise of Africans bloggers and interesting tweets about Africa recently. I love it! Why this is happening, asked Top Bloggers from the Twitter community… Well African has stories to tell I replied. For decades Africa story has interested millions of individuals. The real stories have not been told or 30% of them were reported inaccurately. For the African people, the oral tradition they are used to is linked to their way of life. Most African societies place great worth in oral tradition because it is a primary means of conveying culture. It is also a mode of transmitting feelings, and attitudes. For centuries, African people depended upon oral tradition to teach the listener’s important traditional values and morals pertaining to how to live. Oral tradition delivers explanations to the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life on earth. In African religion, it is the guiding principle in which to make sense of the world. Oral tradition is non-written history, its spoken word only. Historically, most African societies did not have an invented alphabet. Before the invention of written language, and before the advent of widespread literacy, oral tradition was much more of a daily presence in people’s lives than it is in our world today. Nowadays, popular forms of storytelling in Western culture include movies, television and Social Media (Twitter, Facebook etc…)

West African storytelling, the Griots are the keepers of the culture, as their amazing memories and storytelling abilities allow them to keep alive the culture, history, and genealogies of their people.

We know that in Africa a voice was the vehicle in which knowledge was passed on from one generation to another. A single Voice unified a family, clan, or community. Enforcement of customs depended on voice. When a person died…his or her voice was no longer to be heard, it was as if a whole library had been destroyed. Voice is important in Africa. …Most African people did not invent an alphabet for the art of reading and writing. Therefore they could not keep written records of their history. Instead they passed on information form one generation to another, by word of mouth.

Not only Social media is encouraging African people to write, tell and share more stories that can be archived for the next generation it is also one of the vehicles of the Rebranding of Africa™.

I have seen the rise of excellent news site like AllFrica and Africa news.

Some of the African bloggers I have noticed in recent days are: @tmsruge @Ethnicsupplies, @directassist, @ajmunn @KengeGunya @HillsofAfrica @planyoursafari @thebestofzambia @schoelink @AcaciaAfrica @PinkSafaris @ontdeksafaris @InkosiAfrica @Mnashy, @mjamme

Keep blogging… @mjamme