Facebook Vs Freedom of Speach!

From facebook...

"...Facebook appears to be upping the ante against Twitter with the launch of Facebook Lite, a simplified version of the site, which provides a stream of user updates and looks similar to the microblogging service.

The social network has invited a select group of its users to test the new stripped-down version of the site while it is in beta phase. Some industry pundits believe Facebook is rolling out 'Lite' to compete more closely with Twitter's real-time news and search capabilities.
However, according to technology blog TechCrunch, the development is more focussed at this stage on providing a simpler version of the site so it will work better in countries where bandwidth is limited and on mobile phones, where downloads are slower than broadband...."

As Africans, the advent of so many sites has created some confusion amongst us. The proliferation of these sites has also seen rogue governments cracking down of those who wish to freely express their opinions. Clearly the advent of internet in Africa has meant that banning newspapers and radio stations perceived to be anti satus quo is progressively becoming less and less relevant.

I have noticed amongst my friends of facebook, the overwhelming urge to vent their anger or express an opinion over some issues dominating our lives.

Question: How long will it take the internet to enhance freedom of speech in Africa?

Debunking the Somali Pirates

The Somali pirates have been in overdrive this week. 6 ships in less than 5 days, that is an average of 1.2 ships being taken per day. Yesterday, they nearly met their match, a courageous crew of 20 Americans carrying a cargo of vegetable oil and corn laced with soya destined for Mombasa fought back and regained control of the ship. The pirates however managed to escape with the captain, who we are told is still being held captive as the bargaining chip. By the time I went to bed, news was that an American War ship was heading towards the spot. What an action packed flurry of activity on the high seas, someone please make a movie of all this.

But the news reports are as usual playing games with us. Why isnt somebody telling us why this is happening. Why are these Somali seamen hijacking ships day in day out? Are they insane? The reason is simple, its pay back time! The Somalis claim that these powerful nations have been trawling their shores for a long time that there is no more fish in their part of the sea. And Somalis used to earn their living from fishing. Also, the fact that these big boys ships use their territorial waters has resulted in so much pollution that you can now hardly catch anything off the coast of Somalia. To top it all, the meddling in the internal affairs of Somalia has ensured Somalia has been in a state of destabilization for the last 20 years.

This is not a case of lawlessness, this is as political as it gets. The Somalis are only making a political point, in a manner that is available to them. I am a bit afraid though, now that big bully America has had her children scathed, she may decide to launch an all out offensive against these poor pirates. This could well mean long drawn battles deep into Somalia. Such a move would not only be catastrophic and bizzare, but suicidal as well. Remember big boy America does not have a macho record in Africa, and non other than Somalia dehorned them. Sad developments, but with interesting connotations! Let the games continue.