From an Italian Magazine (Dweb)

I have recently received an email from an Italian publication to answer some questions about Africa. These were my quick answers but i know i left out many other things:

I will try to answer your questions now:

- What does pan-africanism mean nowadays? Does it still have any meaning for young african bloggers, the so-called "Cheetah Generation"? If right, are there any new issues and targets? What's about new media and strategies on it?

Pan- Africanism is a very old term used by our founding fathers during the fight for emancipation in the 1960s. I have not heard this term being used today by young people and even young bloggers. There is however a lot of interaction among Africans in Africa at various levels.

- How is the cheetah generation is changing way of doing information in africa?

What you call the cheetah generation are basically not focused on only Africa as the sphere of influence. Young people in Africa realize that they are citizens of the world and are going out to make a mark in every sphere of life. The blogshere has helped in bringing people closer together and getting to know what goes on in various parts of the world

- What don't we (western) know about africa?
May be we should ask whether you in the west know anything at all about africa?
1. Africa is a continent just like Europe or South America and the rest. Its not one country
2. Africa is home to very many races of people with a very varied cultural heritage as well as traditions. We have nilotes, cushites, Bantus and even Caucasians.
3. The societal groupings in Africa popularly referred to as tribes by the west are actually nations with very elaborate political and leadership structures albeit at an non-official level. They also have varied value systems, history and heritage
4. Africa is much more developed than you guys think
5. Africans are hard working and smart

- what should we know about your country?
1. The current President or USA traces his routes to my country (smiles)
2. Our athletes are the best in the World in the long distance races
3. Our country has 42 nations (wrongly called tribes)
4.We have managed to unite all these nations under one president, one Prime Minister, one government
5. The first African Woman to win nobel peace prize is from my country
6. Our M-PESA mobile money transfer service, available in our country is the first and only one of its kind it the true sense in the World.
7.Many other things

- What do you think about african coverage on western media? Which newspaper and magazine do you prefer and why? What should be changed about it?
I dont have a preference when it comes to western media but they show us that they are very ignorant about what happens up here in Africa. Most of the time when I see their coverages even of my own country, I wonder whether they are talking about the same place I know. Western media focus so much on the negative things. pain, disease, hunger and despair. That is hardly representative of Africa. While I acknowledge that we have challenges like any other nation in the world, its not true that we are all about pain and despair


- How the internet connection does work in small villages? How do the african blogosphere get through to people?

internet in the villages is done via mobile phone service. Safaricom and Zain which are the leading mobile phone service providers have availed EDGE and 3G technologies to enable people use internet in the villages

If you want, you could send me an e-mail to answer these question otherwise I can call you.

You can call me if you need any more information