Of blogging, hypertexting, class, and aftermath

I don't know what I did yet I had to abandon the blog. I am worried. My report card! And for my pains, Habesh Continental for a Monday evening. Worth it. Ethiopian. I didn't. I slept in my bed.

Ginger in my eyes. I read that email and confirmed that luck had come my way. DiploFoundation chose to train us on the Internet governance process. Gratefully and nervousely, I enrolled into the IGCB 09 class and for close to three months, it has been an experience. Undisputeably, a thank you Steph is very much in order. I never heard my tutor speak, and to infer to an observation, I too never got the chance to see how other classmates  listen. We hypertexted, hypertexed, blogged, made forum entries, hypertexted and hypertexted, had a Friday online chat session, spied the Cantina and sought information and knowledge. And the day for the final examination came, two questions attempted and ... It has to be a new dawn. The networking resumes shortly. But then, what a beauty for a class. 

However, Arsene Wenger FC had not done me any favours, I had to nurse my daughters to health, felt the hurt in pockets, opportunities dwindled, and to see bullet proof V8s packed and no internet connectivity, the stress had boiled enough. Come the Monday evening, it had to be to the nearest Ethiopian hospitality. Habesh Continental at the banks of the Nile. Emerging and not disappointing, the atmosphere by Juba standards and starless ofcourse, was splendid. The rooms go for US $ 180 only per night. I had to remind my self. There is only a today, a tomorrow and a now. I need to get busier. Mukumu ducks, I am around.

First Southern Sudan ICT Policy Workshop

The first ever ICT Policy stakeholders' event is takes place in Juba, Southern Sudan, Home and Away Conference Hall. Follow the live tweets of the event by Henry Owera at the event at the URL: www.twitter.com/owerahbits

Government of Southern Sudan's Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services organised a three days envisioning workshop under the theme " Community Empowerment through ICT" to run from Wednesday 18th - Friday 20th March 2009. One the agenda were a) Government inter-linkages and roles of the ICT / telecom sector; b) presenting and elaborating on the policy and regulatory environment and c) preliminary consultations on "implementation plan " for the next 5-10years.

All the ten states ministers of Southern Sudan are invitees, and in attendance are the GoSS Ministers of Internal Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Telecommunications and Postal Services and Kenya's Minister of Information and Communications. The quest of honour was H.E Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir, the 1st Vice President of Sudan and President of GoSS who was represented by his Minister of Regional Cooperation. One member of the Legislative Assembly was in attendance!

Also in attendance are officials from Communications Commission Kenya (CCK), Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), and other consultants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Noteably is Dr. Shem Ochuodho, advisor to the GoSS Telecom Minister, Sub Saharan Africa Internet pioneer and first .ke ccTLD administrator; Dr. 'Tusu" Tusubira founding board of director of UCC, director of Directorate of ICT Makerere University and an international consultant consulting with Knowledge Consulting Ltd among others.

Notable absent were officials from the National Telecommunication Corporation and Sudan Internet Society all based in Khartoum, donor institutions, the academia, civil society, the media houses and you!

Good wrong diagnosis

Bed rest, plenty of fluids, healthy diet, and pain relief. Are those all? Great! I like these! I like this treatment! I have done self diagnosis of what has caused me the malaise and found its treatment to be too simple a great solution! Yes. I hope it is the right ailment I am dealing with.

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
-- Mark Twain

Did it then aged 13. The tools then were my unknown reality, a mindset, the pain I was in and a book written on Where there is no Doctor. I compared what was written in the book with Latin American biased to my own and I concluded I had Shingles. Went to the clinic and the medics called it Herpes Zoster. Was given treatment and mum worryingly sent me out. What I did not know was that in her mind, was a stereotype so common about the ailment in disease riddled Uganda. She came back triumphant. It wasn't it. The cause was not that one!

Seventeen years later and alledgingly information literate and using the internet and aware of its ills and potential, I replace my medics. I won't name the sickness. Come e-doctor give me the solutions:

• Plenty of rest: Plenty of rest I shall avail myself;
  
• Plenty of fluids: I wish I could get those organic ones and put a blender to good use! Otherwise, it is the bottled waters, tea, packaged one, ... ;
• Healthy diet: This is Juba, Southern Sudan where cooking is not an option for me. Ok! I hated the junk foods ages ago and detest meat already. Ok! Okay! I will add eating to my schedules;
• Pain relievers: in my case I don't even need pain killers! I will supplement by sleeping under the moon and the twinking stars more often. I will relax. Pheeeeww ...
  

Nsaba pornography at Salsa nights

As a bill outlawing pornography in Uganda is about to be tabled in parliament, one is of the view that pornography should not be outlawed. If the penalty of promoting and dealing in pornography will be ten years in jail, then a certain brand manager of pornography is making pornography business the more lucrative in Uganda. Talk about anything pornography in Uganda , the brand manager might be Hon. Nsaba Butoro. Doing more harm than good. The higher the risk the better the pay!

A Salsa night can complicate things. Imagine this: Nairobi, Kenya. Winter. Freezing. Studious. Telecomplications. Loneliness. An East African student approaches: Hi, Come. We have Salsa classes every other day. Lets go. It is fun! - Remember it was cold and lonely. I needed to exercise, make new friends with the city Nairobi, keep warm, break the monotony of the time and because it was Salsa and a Subaru who could resist this Salsa flirt and a Tinga Tinga ting? ... Come Salsa.

Hon. Butoro and his prominence with every thing pornographic in Uganda might want to come to the national theatre for Salsa nights. While at the show, perhaps the honourable Minister of Ethics and Integrity might want to define what pornography is! A horrible, seemingly obsessed with pornography, might read many Strictly Come Salsa and other art to be pornography and who knows, many could be innocently jailed.

In an act of e-citizenship, one may ask:

1. What is Hon. Nsaba Butoro's definition of pornography?
2. When should pornography become criminal?
3. And truly blogging, isn't the bill just a comical relief for the owls in the house?
4. Is pornography a major issue for a ministry of ethics and integrity?
5. Hasn't Hon. Nsaba Butoro marketed Uganda's profitability in pornography?
6. Would anybody want to guess which minister [Nsaba Butoro] will display a pornographic material to the parliament of Uganda?
   

New South Sudan

A lot has been happening in and around Sudan like it usually happens! However, when one comes across a ridiculous analog age decree so stupid it is laughable and the more, in a world where many lawless don Eden's suit and rags. A New South Sudan (NSS) could be in an offing and in style.

Anybody who has ever been to the New Sudan (NS) / South Sudan and seen it all, will agree that the decree orders 1, 2 and 3 of the Kapoeta County Decree No. 001/2009 is to an extent absurd and ironic to say the least.

Order 1 reads: No woman should be seen dressing (sic) [Read: Wearing] tight trousers and blouses with the navel exposed to the public.
Order 2 Reads: Skirts must below the knees.
Order 3 reads: Boys plaiting their hair to look like ladies is totally prohibited.

Needless and a hopeless decree indeed as long as it encroaches on some freedoms. So, Malesh Mr. Commissioner, your decree is also very laughable! Such decrees will weaken your leadership. And it is not a laughing matter. Some sections of the South Sudan are rewriting history.