Responses to the brutal murder of Ugandan LGBTI activist David Kato and Egypt’s inspiring revolution are the key topics covered in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, compiled by Sokari Ekine.

This week’s roundup of the African blogosphere focuses on the departure of Tunisian dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali following popular uprising on the streets of Tunis, and exiled Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier’s mysterious return to Haiti.

Still reeling from the earthquake, hurricane and cholera outbreak, Haiti has had to face fraudulent elections followed by protests. There’s ‘no resolution in sight, other than possibly to cancel the elections altogether,’ reports Sokari Ekine, in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere.

"It’s been just over three weeks and I am finally getting a sense of the destruction to the people and the city. My original plan to meet with women organising in the community has fallen short of what I had hoped due to family crisis, cholera, election protests and now petrol shortages. Still I feel I have met sufficient community activists to get a sense of the truly amazing work they are doing and I will write of these in my final piece, but the story has changed and that in itself is a Haitian story and in this year, more so than usual. The earthquake is unavoidable and the intensity of the destruction is overwhelming. There is a randomness about the destruction. Whole streets destroyed except for one building and in others the whole street standing with one structure collapsed."

As she visits Haiti, Sokari Ekine writes of the history behind the community-run SOPUDEP school, the efforts of local organisations to organise in response to the devastation of the country’s earthquake, a micro-credit scheme and people’s broad lack of faith in the power of the current elections to promote change.

Sokari Ekine is in Haiti for the next four weeks and will be sending regular updates to Pambazuka. During her stay she will be meeting with women community organisers and members of youth groups with a view to documenting their work. Much has been written about the situation in the camps and neighbourhoods such as Cité Soleil and Bel Air, as well as those children and parents involved in SOPUDEP.

An uprising in a camp in occupied Western Sahara, freedom of speech in Morocco and Ethiopia, and ‘the need to change the sorry state of education in SA’ are among the topics covered in this week’s roundup of the African blogosphere, by Sokari Ekine.

The African Commission for People and Human Rights (ACPHR) has declined to give observer status to the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL). Outraged LGBTI activists have described the decision as a huge setback by the highest body supposed to promote and protect human rights on the continent. This week’s blog roundup focuses on LGBTI news and issues.

Nearly 11 months since Haiti was devastated by an earthquake, the country is still in ruins, with 1.5 million internally displaced people forced to live in crowded unsanitary conditions. Sokari Ekine reports from the Haitian blogosphere on the progress that hasn’t been made.

Sokari Ekine requests donations for the Society of Providence United for the Economic Development of Petion-Ville community school in Port-au-Prince.

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/500/zahrah-pic_1b.jpgInspired by the nomination of Ngugi Wa’Thiongo for this year’s Nobel Prize for literature, Sokari Ekine reviews a selection of Africa’s art, music and literary blogs.

A new addition to the African murder mystery genre, Ghanaian Yaba Badoe explores the mystery – literal and symbolic – of coming of age outside Africa.

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/500/10_500.gifSokari Ekine looks back on years of involvement in Pambazuka News.

With Nigeria marking 50 years of independence on October 1 and campaigning for the 2011 elections already kicking into action, Sokari Ekine presents posts on the country’s controversial political scene, in this week’s round up of the African blogosphere.

Writing as Nigeria marks 50 years of independence, Sokari Ekine stresses that as vivid as the photos within Ed Kashi’s work ‘Curse of the Black Gold’ are, the reality for Niger Deltans is even worse.

Although Nigerian authors no longer have to rely on European publishers to have their work disseminated, Nigerian publishing houses still control much of the access to readership for emerging authors, Emmanuel Iduma, publisher of the online literary journal ‘Saraba’, tells Sokari Ekine. Online journals like ‘Saraba’ can help young writers develop confidence and publish their work regardless of their experience level.

The recent furor over a Florida pastor’s plans to burn copies of the Qu’ran on the anniversary of 9/11 and protests against a proposed Islamic community centre near New York City’s Ground Zero feature in this week’s roundup of the African blogosphere, along with Monsanto, Haiti and a message for Mugabe.

Responses to the results of Kenya’s referendum, Haitian musician Wyclef Jean’s decision to run for president and the dangers of Bill Gates and his foundation dabbling in Africa’s development are among the topics discussed in this week’s roundup of the African blogosphere, brought to you by Sokari Ekine.

cc Bishop Desmond Tutu, a book about four African women taken to Belgium to become commercial sex workers, a chance encounter with a ‘white Yoruba aunty’ on a train in London and Kenya’s revolt against tacky ‘traditional’ dance displays for tourists are among the topics talked about in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, compiled by Sokari Ekine.

In her round-up of the African blogosphere this week, Sokari Ekine explores the unifying theme of challenging the 'single story' of Africa through discussing the AfroMusing, SACSIS, That African Girl, Gukira, Black Looks and Book Southern Africa blogs.