<![CDATA[Mohammed A · Storify]]>http://storify.com/OPrideNodeJS RSS ModuleTue, 18 Jun 2013 22:31:08 GMT<![CDATA[Oromos in Egypt protest Nile dam backlash]]>

Oromo refugees in Egypt gathered in front of UNHCR on Sunday asking for protection amid increased xenophobic attacks from Egyptians angered by Ethiopia's decision to dam the Nile River (http://bit.ly/oromoegypt).

Storified by Mohammed A · Mon, Jun 10 2013 08:23:26

Opride
Oromo refugees, #Ethiopia, continue their sit-in at UNHCR premises, 6 October city, #Egypt, for the 2nd day today http://pic.twitter.com/I3b8kigtGb · Ahmed Aboughazala

Here's a quick explainer:

Oromo refugees attacked in Egypt as the Nile crisis deepensOromo refugees attacked in Egypt as the Nile crisis deepens
Oromo refugees attacked in Egypt as the Nile crisis deepens By Mohammed Ademo (OPride) - An Oromo interpreter for UNHCR in Cairo was beat...

Videos, photos, tweets, and reports of Sunday's protest:

Oromo Refugees in Egypt protesting infront of UNHCR Cairo · noorgumi2006
Oromo refugees Egypt protest 11 · noorgumi2006
Oromo refugees (Ethiopia) protest at UNHCR premises, 6 Octo · ZktCbQmsY7D13UJAxU8JTQ
Oromo refugees demonstrating at UNHCR premises calling not to be mistreated bec of Ethiopian Nile dam. #Egypt pic.twitter.com/R3cFV5iVad · Ahmed Aboughazala
Mulis Debelee, young man wearing red, leading the chants for Oromo refugees, Ethiopians, protests at UNHCR. #Egypt pic.twitter.com/L6j6yzien8 · Ahmed Aboughazala
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/oromos-in-egypt-protest-nile-dam-backlashhttp://storify.com/OPride/oromos-in-egypt-protest-nile-dam-backlashMon, 10 Jun 2013 15:23:26 GMT<![CDATA[Activists protest for freedom to assemble]]>

The Addis Ababa-based activist and blogger group, Zone9, concluded its third social media campaign asking the government of Ethiopia to uphold Article 30 of the constitution - which grants the right to freedom of assembly and demonstrations. This is a brief recap.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sat, May 11 2013 14:21:01

Here comes again, #Ethiopia is trending worldwide, #Demonstration4Every1 #assembly4every1 @AJStream @twitter pic.twitter.com/c7UWFxdWHm · Woubishet Mengistu
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/activists-protest-for-rights-to-assemblyhttp://storify.com/OPride/activists-protest-for-rights-to-assemblySat, 11 May 2013 21:21:01 GMT<![CDATA[Chinua Achebe, 1930-2013]]>

Chinua Achebe: the man, the story, and the lives he touched.

Storified by Mohammed A · Fri, May 31 2013 10:55:47

Harvardstreet

Achebe on the danger of not having your own stories:

There is that great proverb — that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. That did not come to me until much later. Once I realized that, I had to be a
writer. I had to be that historian. It’s not one mans job. It’s not one person’s job. But it is something we have to do, so that the story of the hunt will also reflect the agony, the travail — the bravery, even, of the lions.
Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 139, Chinua AchebeParis Review - The Art of Fiction No. 139, Chinua Achebe
The Paris Review is a literary magazine featuring original writing, art, and in-depth interviews with famous writers.

Achebe on creating a global balance of stories:

This is really what I personally wish this century to see—a balance of stories where every people will be able to contribute to a definition of themselves, where we are not victims of other people's accounts.
Chinua Achebe's Legacy, in His Own WordsChinua Achebe's Legacy, in His Own Words
In August 2000, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe spoke to The Atlantic's Katie Bacon about his then-forthcoming book, . Achebe, who died tod...

Achebe on agency, art, and action:

Oh, the most important thing about myself is that my life has been full of changes. Therefore, when I observe the world, I don’t expect to see it just like I was seeing the fellow who lives in the next room. There is this complexity which seems to me to be part of the meaning of existence and everything we value.
Africans in the Diaspora | In memory: our favorite Chinua Achebe quotesAfricans in the Diaspora | In memory: our favorite Chinua Achebe quotes
"Oh, the most important thing about myself is that my life has been full of changes. Therefore, when I observe the world, I don't expect ...
"If you don't like someone's story, write your own." -Chinua Achebe #youchoose http://t.co/lS3HBghj · ONE

Philip Gourevitch on Achebe:

In Boston, in 1999, at a celebration of the centennial of Ernest Hemingway’s birth, I had the honor of sitting on a panel with Achebe, on the subject of writing about Africa. He was as cogently withering about Hemingway’s Africa—a place he could not recognize because there were no speaking Africans there—as he was, in one of his most famous essays, about Joseph Conrad’s. At the end of the session, the floor was opened to questions. An evidently confused woman in the audience took the opportunity to ask “In what sense are you writers about Africa?” The other panelists—Nadine Gordimer and Kwame Anthony Appiah—were too baffled to respond. Not Achebe. He leaned into his microphone, and very slowly and melodically, with rolling “R”s and drawn out “O”s, roared: “Read. Our. Books.” The woman said, “But I’m asking you.” And Achebe said, “I’m telling you: Read. Our. Books.” What better epitaph for the man, and what better way to remember him today: read his books.
Postscript: Chinua Achebe, 1930-1913Postscript: Chinua Achebe, 1930-1913
Chinua Achebe, who died in Boston today at the age of eighty-two, was a few weeks shy of thirty years old when Nigeria was granted indepe...

From There Was A Country (2012):

The triumph of the written word is often attained when the writer achieves union and trust with the reader, who then becomes ready to be drawn into unfamiliar territory, walking in borrowed literary shoes so to speak, toward a deeper understanding of self or society, or of foreign peoples, cultures, and situations.
Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and poet - in picturesChinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and poet - in pictures
The Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe has died at the age of 82. Here we celebrate his life with portraits and quotations from his...

Achebe's immortal wisdom in but few quotes:

Chinua Achebe Quotes (Author of Things Fall Apart)
"Unfortunately, oppression does not automatically produce only meaningful struggle. It has the ability to call into being a wide range of...
Izquotes
Quotes by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, dead at age 82Quotes by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, dead at age 82
"Okonkwo's fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan. He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very s...
Izquotes

Mukoma Wa Ngugi on Achebe's legacy:

Last month, I was teaching Things Fall Apart alongside Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The question at hand was – how does Achebe counter and answer Conrad’s Africa? One word comes to mind – voice. To my ear Achebe’s voice is always measured even at its most defiant. It’s a voice strong enough to speak for a continent denied its voice by colonial racism. It’s the voice of a humble listener who is moved into action by what he sees and hears around him. There Was A Country is as much about Biafra as it is about how Achebe answered the question – what is the role of the African writer in a decolonizing Africa? Jump into your times with both your feet and pen.
Chinua Achebe The Writer Lives OnChinua Achebe The Writer Lives On
By Mukoma Wa Ngugi "Sir, I am very happy to finally meet you in person - I have read all your books," a man gushed to my father, Ngugi Wa...

Achebe on Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness:

The point of my observations should be quite clear by now, namely that Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist. That this simple truth is glossed over in criticisms of his work is due to the fact that white racism against Africa is such a normal way of thinking that its manifestations go completely unremarked. Students of Heart of Darkness will often tell you that Conrad is concerned not so much with Africa as with the deterioration of one European mind caused by solitude and sickness. They will point out to you that Conrad is, if anything, less charitable to the Europeans in the story than he is to the natives, that the point of the story is to ridicule Europe's civilizing mission in Africa. A Conrad student informed me in Scotland that Africa is merely a setting for the disintegration of the mind of Mr. Kurtz.


Which is partly the point. Africa as setting and backdrop which eliminates the African as human factor. Africa as a metaphysical battlefield devoid of all recognizable humanity, into which the wandering European enters at his peril. Can nobody see the preposterous and perverse arrogance in thus reducing Africa to the role of props for the break-up of one petty European mind? But that is not even the point. The real question is the dehumanization of Africa and Africans which this age-long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in the world. And the question is whether a novel which celebrates this dehumanization, which depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art. My answer is: No, it cannot. I do not doubt Conrad's great talents.
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/chinua-achebehttp://storify.com/OPride/chinua-achebeFri, 31 May 2013 17:55:47 GMT<![CDATA[2013 Social Media in Pictures]]>

It's the little moments...

Storified by Mohammed A · Sun, Feb 17 2013 09:48:07

. @newyorkbob THX for sharing your vintage #mobile collection. Look at that old #radioshack mobile computer #Smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/H9CBUqxU · Candice Acosta
Old school tech from @newyorkbob #SMWKND http://pic.twitter.com/5bLSBjTj · Linda Bernstein
Final keynote of #smwknd. RT @wordwhacker: Getting ready to speak @steverubel #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/RAfsJsae · Chip Mahaney
Look @sree is a camera man #SMWKND http://pic.twitter.com/qWxSnvKT · Linda Bernstein
RT @RBakerNY: I'm in the back (tan scarf): @araoameny: Cool group photo with @sree at #smwknd What a nice looking bunch! http://pic.twitter.com/4nvGDmbw” · Arao Ameny
@newyorkbob showing us the "firsts" in mobile tech #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/OYiUDNzy · Angelo Greco
Columbia University's campus is beautiful! #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/7kCcpqYQ · Natalie P. McNeal
Photog @DeidreSchoo shoots volunteer social photog Rafiq, @brownpundit at #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/JqUx5gaR · Lauren Traub Teton
#selfie of @LadyLuckIndeed getting a #socmedia check-up at #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/Yo2cVCuV · Isabel Lara
Very cool! @manolo playing @bbc audio from #gaza when air strikes began #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/GUoO7rGs · Eman Hassaballa Aly
"Trash 80," a Radio Shack portable word processor that "mobile journalists" used in the 1980s. / #smwknd / Photo: http://pic.twitter.com/Bw0lzBjv · Ken Carpenter
RT @dbenk: Here's @sree Sree photographing the photographer @#smwknd after #smroi panel http://pic.twitter.com/RL3zautW · Francisco
RT @patriciakitchen: Wow. Thanks! @emilymiethner: @Patriciakitchen killing it at #smwknd, telling us all about LinkedIn! http://pic.twitter.com/QVPtuPmf · Davia Temin
RT @sree: [photo] Some great tips on how to live-tweet by my @ColumbiaJourn students (and my mess writing) #cujsoc #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/ooro4Wm7 · Cole Williford
90% of #mobile users have their devices no more than 3 feet away during a 24 hour period. @jinner #Flurry #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/37CTAR8l · Jay Corcoran
.@sree, such #smwknd love this weekend it's great. http://pic.twitter.com/2HM1FcXA · Sana Bég
. @adamostrow isn't lying when he says @mashable gets to the point on mobile. #Smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/Hq71TXoR · Candice Acosta
RT @pulitzertweets: RT @wordwhacker: Hanging out with Mr Pulitzer #SMWKND http://pic.twitter.com/ZBnEzlgW · Carlos Macias
Woot! @mzayfert talking about Staten Island Digital City #sandy #allwentquiet c @jeffpulver #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/waw3mscZ · Joanna Belbey
Social photoshoot magic! @deidreschoo #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/2PF2YT1U · Julia Heitner
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/shttp://storify.com/OPride/sSun, 17 Feb 2013 17:48:07 GMT<![CDATA[2013 Social Media Weekend: Sunday Recap]]>

Tips on personal branding, social web, and virality from 2013 Social Media Weekend hosted by @Sree Sreenivasan and @ColumbiaJourn department of Continuing Ed.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sun, Feb 17 2013 10:30:31

Personal branding tip 2 from @frugalista at #smwknd Think of yourself as a business! http://pic.twitter.com/XH7hj1FI · Nitesh Arora

Social Media: the bottom line with BuzzFeed's @JPerelman, et al

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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/smwkndsundayhttp://storify.com/OPride/smwkndsundaySun, 17 Feb 2013 18:30:31 GMT<![CDATA[Best of 2013 Social Media Weekend ]]>

Best tweets, quotes, and tidbits from the 3rd Annual Social Media Weekend hosted by @Sree Sreenivasan and @ColumbiaJourn from Feb. 15 - 17, 2013. The sold out conference was attended by over 500 social journalists and media professionals from around the world.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sun, Feb 17 2013 10:51:00

Social Media Weekend #SMWKNDSocial Media Weekend #SMWKND
THIS YEAR, our In 2011, more than 250 people from around the country attended various parts of the weekend; i n 2012, more than 500 peopl...
'Hindu Priest' of #SocialMedia @sree sermonizing #SocialMedia #success #formula - Altruism based #SMWKND http://pic.twitter.com/6DshmjoO · Qanta Ahmed
.@sree, such #smwknd love this weekend it's great. http://pic.twitter.com/2HM1FcXA · Sana Bég
Five hundred attendees at Social Media Weekend (Feb 16th-18th) and we are trending this weekend nationally. #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/1JrJt9VI · Roshni Karwal
#smwknd audience taking pix in sync... 3,2,1... http://pic.twitter.com/9mlrGVno · Sarah J. Glover
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/best-of-2013-social-media-weekendhttp://storify.com/OPride/best-of-2013-social-media-weekendSun, 17 Feb 2013 18:51:00 GMT<![CDATA[2013 Social Media Weekend: Saturday]]>

Here are some highlights from Saturday's 2013 Social Media Weekend panels and keynotes hosted by @Sree Sreenivasan of @ColumbiaJourn School.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sat, Feb 16 2013 15:15:02

Social Media Weekend #SMWKNDSocial Media Weekend #SMWKND
THIS YEAR, our In 2011, more than 250 people from around the country attended various parts of the weekend; i n 2012, more than 500 peopl...
Excited to talk about social media and social good at #smwknd @aolimpact @columbia http://pic.twitter.com/7b9SRiCA · Blair Cobb
The Social Media Doctors @ColumbiaJourn #smwknd Individual help for your social media questions. Learning a ton! http://pic.twitter.com/YXBPad1h · Rob Drake
Headshot time, thanks to photographer @kwbarraclough at #smwknd ! http://pic.twitter.com/ydGVOdr7 · Chip Mahaney

Gmail Tips from @JeremyCaplan:

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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/2013-social-media-weekend-saturdayhttp://storify.com/OPride/2013-social-media-weekend-saturdaySat, 16 Feb 2013 23:15:02 GMT<![CDATA[2013 Social Media Weekend: Friday]]>

This is a recap of 2013 Social Media Weekend hosted by @ColumbiaJourn School's @Sree Sreenivasan. The sold-out opening panel covered breaking news, sourcing, and vetting stories in real-time.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sat, Feb 16 2013 09:37:48

Great kickoff to the #sreeknd #smwknd! Thanks @Sree! http://pic.twitter.com/zL311K9p · Capture.Share.Repeat
#smwknd sold out, livestreamed & off to a fabulous start. We are trending in New York this evening! Follow us #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/nJNbgKX4 · Roshni Karwal
Even labradors are at this year's #smwknd. Yet another good reason I am going to enjoy this woof-derful weekend! http://pic.twitter.com/yDJBu0fu · Roshni Karwal

Tools:

Panel discussion: Keeping up with social media's speed while still getting it right in journalism #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/dM0qRFQf · Marina Maher Comm.

Social Media Tips:

"We need to get better at being faster" ~ @DavidClinchNews the reality of the speed of news #smwknd http://twitpic.com/c43pdw · Joyce Sullivan
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/smwkndfridayhttp://storify.com/OPride/smwkndfridaySat, 16 Feb 2013 17:37:48 GMT<![CDATA[Build up for Social Media Weekend 2013]]>

Anticipation builds for the third annual social media weekend hosted by @Sree Sreenivasan and @ColumbiaJourn department of Continuing Education. The gathering runs from February 15-16-17 (Friday eve, Sat, and Sun.) More here: http://socmediaweekend.wordpress.com

Storified by Mohammed A · Fri, Feb 15 2013 08:34:29

A beautiful Manhattan morning at the start of Social Media Weekend (shot w/ iPhone panorama) #smwknd http://pic.twitter.com/nhOYZIiV · Sree Sreenivasan
Wanna find me @ #smwknd tomorrow? Look 4 the guy with the big "Q" on his chest :) #oneQube cc @wordwhacker @AmyVernon http://pic.twitter.com/bCxnaMac · Robert Moore
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/socmwknd13http://storify.com/OPride/socmwknd13Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:34:29 GMT<![CDATA[What is #RespectTheConstitution?]]>

A group of bloggers called Zone 9 launched a three day social media campaign earlier this week. The campaign asked EPRDF, Ethiopia's ruling party, to respect the Horn of Africa country's constitution. It has sort gone viral. Were you a little lost? Don't worry, here's all you need to know.

Storified by Mohammed A · Sat, Dec 08 2012 13:37:26

But what is it?

According to the group's press release, it's a social media campaign started by Addis Ababa based bloggers seeking to "create an alternative and independent narration of the sociopolitical conditions in Ethiopia thereby fostering public discourse...for the betterment of the nation." 
#RespectTheConstitution http://pic.twitter.com/aSpa91yp #Ethiopia · Emmanuel Amberber
De Birhan: Press Release: Respect the ConstitutionDe Birhan: Press Release: Respect the Constitution
"Respect the Constitution" Web Campaign! Zone9 is an informal group of young Ethiopian bloggers and activists working to create an altern...

What are its goals? 

The EPRDF ruled Ethiopia for two decades pretending to be the guardian of the constitution while openly violating all the rights enshrined in the document. The campaign, according to one of the organizers, seeks to inform the public about their constitutional rights while also calling on the government to abide by it.
There is... | FacebookThere is... | Facebook
ሕገ-መንግሥቱ ይከበር wrote: There is irreconcilable difference... Join Facebook to connect with ሕገ-መንግሥቱ ይከበር and others you may know.

Why now?

EPRDF is celebrating the 18th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia sometime next week. The Ethiopian constitution of 1994, the fourth in the modern history of the country, in theory, respects individual and group rights - but rarely applied. Zone-Niners are using the occasion to remind the government of its basic task: to uphold the constitution.

Highlights from campaign:

Article 11... | FacebookArticle 11... | Facebook
ሕገ-መንግሥቱ ይከበር wrote: Article 11 Separation of State and... Join Facebook to connect with ሕገ-መንግሥቱ ይከበር and others you may know.
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]]>http://storify.com/OPride/respecttheconstitution-faqshttp://storify.com/OPride/respecttheconstitution-faqsSat, 08 Dec 2012 21:37:26 GMT