- Signs just outside of town welcome visitors with an encouraging message from the Makana Municipality: Grahamstown is striving to be the Eastern Cape's cleanest province. On my way back home from work I took some pictures. You judge for yourself. Click here for the pictures (you'll be directed to my FaceBook account). Anyway, is there any competition? Try and picture some other town in this province: Butterworth, Umtata, Peddie, King Williams Town, Paterson, Alice, PE, Idutywa...is there really a challenge Makana Municipality? Elvira

- It has been crazy these last couple of weeks. First of all there is the Digital Citizen Indaba that's taking place next week (so soon!) on the 8th and 9th of September. The tiny team has been trying to organise speakers, their flights and accomodation needs, hand out scholarships, buy t-shirts and lanyards, make a printed programme, organise catering and venues, invite delegates and what not. Not my usual cup of tea but organising has never been that difficult for me. Although this is different to what I've done before it is all working out nicely. It would have been impossible without e-mail, Facebook and the Internet in general but a la: we've got a good-looking pr…

- Hi there It's almost time for the 2nd annual Digital Citizen Indaba, which will be held in Grahamstown, South Africa, on Sunday September 9 2007. Bloggers, netactivists and other digital citizens will gather to explore issues around this year's theme of the Emergence of the Digital Citizen, with a special focus on Africa. We hope you will join us to make it a worthwhile, stimulating and interesting event. Attendance is free, but you will need to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements. Space is limited, so register now by visiting http://dci.ru.ac.za. (Please only register once you are sure you will be attending.) The Indaba will be officially opened at a w…

- Preparing a News Awareness Test for a group of Journalism students I decided that my new log should be about some of the headlines I read on news sites. These headlines say a lot about South Africa; a country with so much that is beautiful but that also has its sickening side. The latter unfortunately sticks in the minds of many and gives South Africa its image of a scary, backward country. How is it possible to change this image if this is what really happens? I find ‘bad news’ within a minute (I even had difficulty choosing, there was so much of it) but ‘good news’ is hard to find and stretches over a longer period of time. It is sad to feel as though I need to point out some of…

- 17 April 2007 There are those days that I just love Africa and I can now clearly see the beauty of the country and its African traditions. It’s not that easy with all the crime and disease that are both rampant here, but today…today all is different. I’m one of those considered lucky; I walked past Nelson Mandela this Saturday on my way to Rhodes University. Mandela was there to attend his grandson’s graduation ceremony. Walking past only lasted for a second or two, but it doesn’t take more than that to feel the absolute radiance, goodwill and power that surround this world famous figure. He didn’t mind being stared at and photographed, smiling to everyone. Yes, he did look at bit…

- 30 June 2007 AfricaNews - Elvira van Noort, Cape Town, South Africa “We are blurring the lines between different media newsrooms and pushing cross-media to the limit,” says Peter Verweij, professor of online journalism at the School of Journalism in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Verweij is in Grahamstown at Rhodes University’s Journalism and Media Studies department to run a National Arts Festival weblog that brings together different media onto one platform. Together with John Driedonk, cross-media professor at the School of Journalism in Utrecht, two fourth-year students from the same School, Sander Knura and Dennis de Vries, Elvira van Noort from Rhodes University, and a team of eigh…

- 17 July 2007 This past Saturday I was invited to a traditional Xhosa ritual in the Grahamstown township. It started at eight in the morning, at the big brick house of Vivie in extension nine. A thousand things went through my mind while driving up: ‘Am I wearing the correct clothes?’ ‘What if everyone looks at me funny?’ ‘Do I need to bring a present?’… The story begins weeks earlier, when Maloemps went to the bush. The bush in Grahamstown is on top of a small mountain that is forbidden terrain for women. Here he went through a secret manhood ritual that marks the transition from boy to man. Sitting by himself for almost four weeks, during winter, in a small hut with not much to ea…

- 25 July 2007 Facebook is becoming a problem for me. On a daily basis I spend about an hour throwing food at friends, eating chomps of zombie-friends, updating my status, and looking for old schoolmates. I spend another hour watching friend’s photo albums, controlling my groups, read and write on walls, and searching for other fun applications. Not ever has a social networking site kept me this busy in an enjoyable way. I’m also on Hyves (a Dutch social network) and MySpace (currently the biggest social networking site in the world). Hyves is just not good enough because it doesn’t really allow me to keep in touch with international friends but limits it to my Dutch friends. And a…

- 11 July 2007 Grahamstown is back to normal: I can find parking and sit at my favorite restaurant without making reservations. Ten days of the National Arts Festival passed quickly but I had lots of fun during the convergence project (see previous blog) at Rhodes University’s Journalism and Media Studies department. I want to mention that the Festival Blog I worked on together with eight Highway Africa News Agency reporters, two Dutch professors and two Dutch students, is still online. There are some good stories about HIV/ Aids at the Festival, security, Beaufort Street (where Festival seemed to pass unnoticed), the location and a mysterious concoction called homebrew. In between…

- 25 June 2007 It is still three days before the National Arts Festival kicks off in Grahamstown but already town feels different. Posters alerting us to plays, live music and art galleries are posted on every wall and tree. Stores stock up, restaurant menu’s change into short lists with easy-to-prepare food, and parking spaces are filled with cars like Bob’s Biltong Truck and the Live Snake Drive Show. But this year, instead of visiting shows, I’ll be doing something else. I’ll be dealing with convergence. Context You must understand the context though. From this Thursday normal day-to-day activities like grocery shopping and hanging at Madhatters coffee shop become impossible. Thou…

- 19 June 2007 After an amazing week of networking and fun in Johannesburg it is back to reality: Grahamstown, my thesis, crazy cat, deaf dog and tiny room. Returning by Greyhound in the early hours of Saturday morning I was welcomed by a pile of rubbish in our street; the trash has not been picked up because of the nationwide public service strike that’s been going on for three weeks now. Besides the trash problem, and far more important, is that schools all over South Africa have been without teachers for weeks and hospitals without nurses. The wage increase proposed by the government was too low according to the Unions, instead of 3% the Unions demand 10%. Today, it looks like both pa…

- 5 June 2007 I want to give an update about the World Newspaper Congress that I am at and that is currently under way in Cape Town. It has been amazing so far, the amount of useful information, interesting people, and the eclectic combination of social events is an experience to write home about with great enthusiasm. The Congress started of on Sunday with three different Round Table discussions. I attended the African Press Freedom Round Table and was shocked by the information South African publisher and editor Raymond Louw presented to us. He used the past five months to research harassment of journalists on the African continent and found 103 arrests of press workers in 26 count…

- 3 June 2007 HANA - Elvira van Noort, Cape Town, South Africa “A great many journalists in Africa work with a gun to their head or a threat of a gun to their head,” alerts South African editor and publisher Raymond Louw during the Annual Press Freedom Round Table at the World Newspaper Congress in Cape Town. Louw added that 48 out of 53 African countries have insult-laws but that the Declaration of Table Mountain, to be presented during the Congress, will aim at abolishing these laws in Africa. Insult-laws - or anti-press laws - are used to threaten, intimidate, detain or even imprison journalists who are thought of as critical of government leaders. Louw used the past five mont…

 18 May 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. The World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum will be held in Africa for the first time ever. The organisers, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), have been invited to stage their yearly event in Cape Town from the 3rd of June until the 6th. Both events attract a huge audience from all over the world and cover many interesting subjects on the media field. - Until last week I was unaware of the politics surrounding this event. Apparently the fees to attend the Congress and Forum are high and out of reach for many Africans. The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) in South Africa told me that…

14 May 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. For quite some time now I"ve wanted to buy a traditional Indian sari. I"ve always wondered how it would look on me. Would I look as beautiful as those Indian women in Bollywood movies? Some of my Indian friends in Johannesburg have the most stunning silk sari"s covered with carefully handcrafted embroidery. I"ve always stared at them in awe at gala"s and dinner parties. The graceful way of walking, their female figure showing those lovely curves. - I finally had the opportunity to buy a sari this past weekend, when I travelled to Durban for a wedding. Well, you are mistaken if you think that Africa is not the right place to …

 24 April 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. A group of eleven lions have mauled to death a game reserve owner in Krugersdorp. An investigation is on its way but up until now it seems that the man had an epileptic fit while watching the lions. Not being able to think clearly he got out of his car. The lions opted for this easy prey and attacked, leaving a pile of bones for the onlooking medical team. - The lions will be put to death. Research shows that lions will adopt humans as prey once they"ve had a taste of our flesh. However, I"m not sure if I agree with this method. It just doesn"t seem fair. A book by Robert Frump called The Man-E…

 17 April 2007, by Elvira van Noort. There are those days that I just love Africa and I can now clearly see the beauty of the country and its African traditions. It"s not that easy with all the crime and disease that are both rampant here, but today...today all is different.I"m one of those considered lucky; I walked past Nelson Mandela this Saturday on my way to Rhodes University. Mandela was there to attend his grandson"s graduation ceremony. Walking past only lasted for a second or two, but it doesn"t take more than that to feel the absolute radiance, goodwill and power that surround this world famous figure. He didn"t mind being stared at and photographed, smiling to everyone. Yes, …

10 April 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. Two hot cross buns, fresh orange juice, strawberry jam on crackers, green tea and a fruit salad. I had the perfect Easter breakfast, topped of with a chocolate Easter bunny. Although I was by myself with only my cat and dog as companions the beautiful weekend weather made me want to sing and dance. - On my way to work, in my new car Ernie de "74 Benz, I was stopped by Traffic police three times in a row! The first police officer asked me if I had just returned from some house party in Port Alfred...the second time two officers searched the car...and the third policeman wanted to see my drivers licence. Normally a 3-min…

2 April 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. "We are starving; we will eat your teargas" - Zimbabwe National Students Union. Got your attention? Listen up: this is your opportunity to let your voice be heard and tell all AfricaNews readers what you think about Mugabe and his way of governing Zimbabwe! - What do you think would be a better name for President Robert Gabriel Mugabe? Can you think of a plan of action to better the situation? If you had a minute with Mugabe, what would you say to him? Was the reaction from the international community good enough? If you could be President of Zimbabwe for a day what would be the first thing to change? Who are you voting for …

28 March 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. The day started of so nicely. A beam of sunlight slowly woke me up, my cat cuddled up next to me and my boyfriend was still asleep. I carefully stepped out of bed to make myself some green tea and do some Pilates stretches. Just as I started there was a knock on my front door. - 'Morning", says Domino cheerfully. He is currently staying next door to us and leads a group of about eight builders who all work on a new franchise in Grahamstown CBD. "Our TV doesn"t work; we don"t seem to have any electricity". This was a bit strange since I just used the kettle to make tea. But he was right; the blu…

- Welcome to the jungle that is called Zimbabwe. A civil war is about to break out, we can all feel it. After years Mugabe has now officially lost the plot and opposition is losing patience. Mugabe"s sympathy for the devil may be apparent to us; but possibly only becomes clear to him when he"s finally knockin" on heavens door to face his verdict. Pictures of Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson for the Zimbabwean Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), with his head covered in blood after being beaten up with iron bars, cover the TV screen. He was on his way to a meeting in Belgium when a group of men attacked him at the Airport. It was the second time he got assaulted by Mugabe&quo…

- The ANC's deputy president Zuma denies he is campaigning to take over Mbeki"s rule. He is lying. What else explains what he did last week? The 2007 version of Zuma takes a public HIV/AIDS test, and visits a white Afrikaner family that had fallen victim to crime. Yes, all of that in just one weekend. What motivated him? Was he bored sitting at home in the weekends? I would say, and many high profile sources say the same, he is campaigning to become the ANC"s president at the end of the year. The party meets in December to elect a new president. That gives Zuma a little less than ten months for a complete make-over. If his ten month 'campaign" works, we will n…

- It is 30 degrees outside and I am squashed in between two biggish women in the back of a metallic blue mini-bus taxi. We leave Bryanston, a quiet suburb close to Sandton, and hastily spurt to the Randburg Taxi Rank. But before we arrive the taxi stops another five times to let people in. Everyone is quiet. The taxi makes a rattling noise, fumes of diesel smoke settle inside, and the people bounce on their seats with every hump or bump we encounter. I am on my way to the Mail & Guardian for my second week of observations. It is the final week and the data gathering period for my thesis will be over and done with. This time I am not staying in the most terrible backpackers of South Af…

- As we all know by now, Mbeki"s State of the Nation distressed citizens all over South Africa. I watched the whole 'show" on SABC, South Africa"s corrupt self-censored public broadcaster. And low and behold: they took a closer look at the fashion statements some guests tried to make. The presenters were right: it was outrageous. Even the Cape Town rain couldn"t wash out the bright colours of the many modern but 'African inspired" dresses. There were even pink suits. It was good thinking from the SABC to focus on fashion. Typical also, since they are on the governments" side one would not expect from them to focus on corruption, crime, job crea…

- My research is finally getting interesting for outsiders. I understand that the concept of 'newsroom convergence" may sound difficult or even dull but I"ll try to show you otherwise. Without the academic mumble...I do want you to keep on reading. For the last five months I"ve been researching the phenomenon of newsroom convergence at the Mail & Guardian. This newspaper has a long history and remains one of the better independent weeklies that is filled with investigative stories. The Mail & Guardian I"ve chosen the M&G because of my familiarity with the online section that produces the M&G's website, the fifth busiest website in the cou…