EDIT I have now included a guide on how to vote at the end of this post
———————-
In my quest to learn more about how African bloggers are viewed in the blogsphere I went on a mass clicking spree. Jumping from blog to blog I found myself at RConversation reading this:
So how do we get more diverse voices into the blogosphere?
I’d like to hear more suggestions from non-white as well as non-American bloggers.
Maybe it is just me, but I was irritated by that question. This isn’t merely asking where are we. It is a question based on the assumption that:
- we don’t exist; and
- we need ‘help’ in being brought into the blogsphere.
I know I am constantly plugging the Kenyan Blog Webring but with good reason. There are currently 36 members blogging from all corners of the globe about a range of issues. Within our small but quickly growing ring we have diversity and more importantly we are already in the blogsphere.
As a black women I know all too well that in many arenas, both offline and online some will want to believe that if they can not see us, we do not exist. In the context of blogs, for as long as google is around nobody has any excuse to label us non-existent.
Having said all this, I also appreciate that we as “other” bloggers need to be proactive in our efforts to get our blogs noticed. With this in mind I continued the random clicking until I reached Pen-Elayne’s blog.
Pen-Elayne has termed March as ‘Estrogen Month‘ and she is giving her readers a “chance to vote on the female bloggers that you believe deserve a wider readership and more linkage.”
I emailed Elayne and used Mshairi’s blog as an example of the amazing contribution that Kenyan women bloggers are making to the blogsphere. Elayne not only responded she also mentioned that she has added the following sites to her Bloglines list under the title Gals in Wating;
…oh and Mama JunkYard
As you can see we all have ZERO votes. This our chance to change this situation so please get voting and if the blog of your choice is not there – get nominating.
I would love to see the following added to her list;
The above is just an example…there are so many more.
Thanks to Elayne I have learnt that “the next time some guy asks you where all the female bloggers are”, I should tell them What She Said.
————–
Voting
I am still learning but according to the latest post at Elayne’s she says:
- We should cast our votes in her comment section. (I just put mine under the latest post)
- When casting votes we need to say why we like a particular blog. ” People reading your comments are much likelier to take to a blog if you tell us a bit about it and what attracts you to it”
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Kenyan Pundit says
Rebecca Mackinnon has been quite involved in not just helping get people blogging (and I think help/or maybe more appropriately encouragement is sometimes necessary), but also in doing the “PR” & linkage bit. She actually did a radio piece on global blogging a few months and interviewed me on the then nascent Kenyan blogging community and is involved with Global Voices http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/ While I agree with you on the just Google it point, I also think that a funnel of some sort is sometimes necessary…for instance I didn’t really appreciate the value of the Kenyan blog ring, until a month or two ago and I think it has probably helped inspire a couple of the new bloggers to start blogging in a way that Google can’t. OK, I better stop rambling and get to class.
Mama JunkYard Says: I hear you about the need for a funnel, I am trying to see about an African Women blog ring type thing. Just somewhere that can act as a central location for us
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Ms K says
Kui, I learn so much from you. Thank you.
Mama JunkYard Says: Asante sana – I also learn a great deal from you and your blog.
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Mshairi says
You are doing excellent work, MJY. Well done
Mama JunkYard Says: Thengs – I hope you are on your way to piga kura.
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Guess says
Me too 3X, I learn loads. You have great links MJY. And hey, of the recommendation of me: Honoured.
Thanks.
PS: Anyone – do you find that when you visit a blog you love to read and they havent written anything for like two days or so, yu feel like contacting them personally and asking them to write something? -No? So its just me then. I am sad – no concessions there.
Well, MJY/Mshairi/Ms K – you better keep updating every day or…..
Mama JunkYard Say Thanks. Girl I have become a ka-regular at your place. I love the issues you write about and I love the fact that you write at length. I hear you on the wanting to call people. I have actually called a few bloggers and told them to harakisha the writing. Hata wewe…write everyday or
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Elayne Riggs says
Thanks for the lovely plug, Kui! Yes, I’ll be adding as many of those new names to Gals in Waiting today as my current flu bug and workload allow…
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nicholasgichu says
hey i’d love to route for u ladies..paraphrasing angie stone’s song all u black sistahs, fly sistahs…kenyan divas…
don’t forget the new bloggers esp who medusa(who called ya a veteran-lol)
…oh and dont forget us jamaas either ;-P
Mama JunkYard Says: Thanks for reminding me of Medusa. I shall amend the list to include her. Ati veteran…kweli Nick you do spread propaganda! As for the men…I have not forgotten you guys at all lakini Elayne’s Estrogen Month list is openly open to women…otherwise I would have listed all of you
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Wambui says
Ahhhh – group hug all MJY fanclubbbers 😉
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Nyakehu says
MamaJunkyard in the Kenyan section you have left out Mental Acrobatics??? Maybe this is not the place to mention it ama but l just wondered.
Mama JunkYard Says: I copied the links from his blog..therefore all errors are his fault:). On a serious note thanks for the comment…infact I am adding him to the family section…I think he has earned his place ama?
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Magaidi says
At the risk of sounding negative, I think rather than invite potential bloggers on the basis that ‘women can speak their minds fully on this and that forum’ or ‘women coming together on the net to address women’s problems’ shouldn’t the message be just for people as a society to come together and address women’s issues and problems they face in society? These closed room sessions in which people decide what is good for them and then come out and tell society what they want well, will end up like Beijing in 95. Begin with intense media interest and conclude with exaggerated zeal – at the end of the day, those whom the conference addressed remain to this day as they were before the conference started. That is truly my honest opinion..school me if you will.
Mama JunkYard Says: Hi there Magaidi, thank you for stopping by. There is no schooling here, just sharing. In light of your comments I feel we may have our lines crossed.
You made reference to an invitation to potential bloggers and the basis for these invitations, please do come back and let me know where in my post you read this or where it was implied. If it is in reference to Elayne’s Estrogen Month list;I understood it to be a chance to simply promote the blogs maintained by women, hence my nomination of as many KBW women as I could find. Not wanting to speak on her behalf, please do visit her blog and let her know your views.
As for closed room sessions – again not sure if you are referring to what I said in my post. I shall say this though women wanting to unite and share ideas as women is no different to say Kenyan Bloggers getting together and setting up a blog ring.
You raise some interesting views re Beijing – I hope you shall blog further on this? I am sure there will be many who would love to discuss Beijing and its success/failures.
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Magaidi says
My concern with splinter groups, and again eluding to African Bloggers, Kenyan Blog Rings (of which I am a proud member) etcetera is that although we are proud to be identified as such and such, it’s almost like we need to be labeled in order to interact. Think of it this way, I read Mshairi’s blogs and was quite impressed (and still continue to be) having not known that she was a lady. It’s the substance that matters/or I would like to think matters more than the persona. By all means I’m not saying we should not be proud of where we come from/who we are, my point rathey Kui is that we shouldn’t rely on it to identify with others. Sound logic and reason behind any idea I believe override any other aspects of it whether explained by a man/woman/gay dude/lesbian. I’ll be putting out a piece on my blog on this and we can further discuss it.
Mama JunkYard Says:In my view ideas and the persona are intertwined. My identity informs my ideas. All the various aspects of me e.g. my race, sex, sexuality etc influence how I think, write, speak and interact with others. Unless someone understands my identity I doubt they will be able to fully understand how I think etc.
As an example – you speak of sound logic. Logic is something I consider to be highly subjective and culturally relative.
I consider it logical to offer food and drink to anyone who visits me.
This is only logical to me, because it is something that stems from my Kenyan identity. I have often found that my Kenyan friends will also consider it logical unlike my English friends who always seem puzzled at my desire to fatten them. When I explain my Kenyan identity to my English friends they begin to appreciate the reason behind my actions.
Whenever I make reference to any aspect of my identity, I do so not because I want to be labeled but so as to provide others an understanding of where I am coming from. It is a request for others to acknowledge the various aspects of my identity.
The need to interact with those who share aspects of my identity stems primarily from the fact that there is a level of comfort and understanding that I enjoy when in the company of those who I can identify with.
Choosing to interact with those who are like me does not preclude my desire to interact with those who are unlike me.
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KymmBr says
…Nice job MJY, yu showing much love for our sistaz. That shud take em to anaa level coz 4 real some ladies just have the talent to write and am forever hooked to their blogs. wish ya’ll sm luck and my vote goes to…….
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Kaki says
Ditto-ing the fan posts.
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