Julia Opoti – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Julia Opoti

Julia Opoti is the co-founder and publisher of KenyaImagine, a website founded to address shortcomings in the standards and content of the Kenyan media, especially its newspapers and magazines. Originally intended as a political, economics, science and business magazine, KenyaImagine expanded itself outside of these major spheres and provide a platform for creative writing, poetry and cultural reviews.

KenyaImagine has grown to 1000 writers strong and is already making a great impact in media. She served as the editor and writer of the TRIO Tribune, the newsletter for the TRIO/Student Support Services (SSS) organization at Metropolitan State University, and volunteered for Books for Africa.  As a student she won awards for her efforts on issues such as textbook pricing, tuition affordability, and diversity on campus.

She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Mshale, and is passionate about making a difference in media and empowering others to do so.  She is a Fellow at the Knight Digital Media Center.

Double Entendres and Zain Verjee

It’s inevitable that you end up doing something on live tv that could me considered a major gaffe, but Zain Verjee’s mistake has people coming up with all kinds of titles to sum up the problem.

She slipped up three times, calling peanuts penis….Zain, what do you have on your mind?? Oh well, I guess you can’t be perfect all the time, and, to your credit, you have given writers lots of fodder for creative titles. My favorite one– “Sane Virgin [a play on her name] Sees Nuts”,

Kenyans make the Top Ten Sexiest Africans on Jamati.com

Sidney S. Sladen, Bollywood Designer

Kenyans made it to the long awaited Top 10 Sexiest African Women and Men for 2008.  Jason Dunford made the men’s list and Zain Verjee made the women’s lists.  Both lists feature the diversity that is Africa.  To see the lists  in their entirerity, visit the Jamati.com website.

There is also a powerful and influential list which features Pauline Jelimo, Sidney S. Sladen, and Barack Obama, among others. View the entire post here.

For the sexiest African women go here, and go here for the sexiest African men.

Zain Verjee asks Condeleeza Rice if Palin Can Handle Foreign Policy

Zain Verjee

Condeleeza Rice gave a measured answer to the question about whether Sarah Palin could handle a foreign policy situation. Although she didn’t come right out and say no, she did say that , “There are different kinds of experiences in life that help one to deal with matters of foreign policy.” (crickets chrirping)……….hmmmm, doesn’t that sound positively glowing? I have warm fuzzy feelings myself.

If Condeleeza Rice is not sure that Palin can lead then why are we just glowing about how great she is and how great she will be for the country? I would rather see Barack Obama and Biden in office knowing that there is one, yet untainted by government, and one, seasoned in government, who can work together to get things done using two different perspectives.

I think that we need to learn more about who the folks are who want to run our country! I still feel comfortable with Barack Obama! Go Barack! Give Us Free!!!!

Solomon Mugera, London, United Kingdom

Solomon Mugera

Solomon Mugera is head of the BBC Swahili language service. He is responsible for all BBC Swahili managerial and editorial direction, for its staff located in London, Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and for the service’s website, bbcswahili.com

Solomon previously worked as a senior producer with BBC African Productions, which broadcasts programmes in English to Africa. He also presented its flagship interactive, radio and online programme Africa, Have Your Say He first joined the BBC with the Swahili service in 1998 as a producer and presenter of its news and current affairs programmes.  He helped create a youth programme called Vijana Leo (Today’s Youth) which had a mix of youth-related discussion and music.

Solomon also spent some time working with BBC News Online and BBC English for Africa programmes Focus on Africa and Network Africa. Solomon helped pioneer the launch of live, interactive debate across the continent with the programme Africa, Have Your Say which began life as Africa Live! in 2002. It gives listeners across the continent and the world the opportunity to put across their views on a range of issues on BBC radio and online and is broadcast three times a week.

Before joining the BBC, Solomon worked for three years as a television journalist with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and for four years with the Kenya Television Network.

Source: BBC

Tony Njanja – Australia

When Tony Chomba Mwangi Njanja landed in Australia in 2002, he was immediately shipped off to an unknown boarding school far away from the cities of Australia.

What followed was 6 years of Mwangi stumbling in the dark, spending close to $10,000 and trying everything from joining the pick up artist community to being an award winning stage and television actor to fit into a society that he felt rejected him.

He took all the lessons he learned from his various mishaps and started the blog he wishes he found when he first immigrated, the Displaced African (tDA). tDA has become a successful web based community where he shares his insights with the African immigrant community.

“When I first landed here in 2002, I really had no one to show me the way at all,” remembers Mwangi , “ and so far my journey has been a roller-coaster to say the least! I tried every crazy thing you can imagine from working out 3-4 times a day, putting myself thousands of dollars in credit card debt attending pick up workshops and buying online courses, starvation diets and living in a car, all to try and find my place in this country.”

“Eventually around December of 2007, I made the decision that I would try one more crazy thing!”

Leaving the secure job of nursing and opting to forever bear the taboo label of “college dropout” he decided to start up a blog without a proven audience or successful model to follow.

“Some people definitely thought I was wasting my time writing for Africans. I thought it was a risk worth taking to do something meaningful,” remarks Mwangi.

The multimedia site has a quickly growing community with more than 12,000 visitors to date and has resulted in things the author could only previously have dreamed of.

According to one reader, ” (The DisplacedAfrican.com) is a testament of why Web 2.0 couldn’t have come at a better time for us Africans.”

To see what the buzz is all about, visit his website.

Angela Wanyandeh Ogbolu, Pennsylvania

Angela Ogbolu is the founder of Kitu Kizuri, an elegant magazine that focuses on the voices of African women in the diaspora and around the world. This magazine addresses and highlights the struggles and triumphs that make us African women who we are today.

In an age where many African magazines tend to lack that polished finish that we find in other magazines, it is refreshing to receive the Kitu Kizuri magazine. The articles are very well written and researched, and the layout is truly a joy to behold.

Angela was recently featured on the Brian Lehrer show debating with Alex Kabba of African Abroad, debating about the merits of going back home to get a spouse. You are welcome to listen to ithere.

Ali Velshi, New York, New York

Ali Velshi is CNN’s senior business correspondent and host of Your $$$$$, CNN’s weekend business roundtable program. Velshi’s “Minding Your Business” segment can be seen each morning on American Morning on CNN/U.S. Online users can listen to two weekly audio podcasts – “The Ali V Podcast” and “Minding Your Business” – and one weekly video podcast – “Show and Tell” – about technology and innovative gadgets.

Based in New York, Velshi covered the Enron story at every step since it hit the national spotlight in 2001, including the recent guilty verdicts of Enron Corp.’s founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on conspiracy and fraud charges. He reported live from Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., as the company announced the layoff of 30,000 workers. He was reporting live from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico amid evacuation calls for Hurricane Katrina.

A veteran of financial news, Velshi recently hosted The Turnaround, CNN’s small business improvement show. The Turnaround traveled across America, introducing troubled small business owners to high-profile mentors and then helped them develop a plan for success.

Before The Turnaround, Velshi was an anchor with CNNfn, where he hosted various interactive shows, including Your Money, Business Unusual, Insights, Street Sweep and The Money Gang. Before joining CNNfn in 2001, he hosted The Business News, Canada’s first and only prime-time business news hour, airing nightly on Report on Business Television.

Earlier in his career, Velshi worked as a business anchor for Cable Pulse 24 and sister station, CITY TV, and as a reporter for CFTO-TV, Canada’s most watched local television station.

In 1996, Velshi was awarded a fellowship to the U.S. Congress by the American Political Sciences Association, and worked with now-retired U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, (D-Ind.)

Born in Kenya and raised in Toronto, Velshi graduated from Queens University in Canada with a degree in religion. Velshi is currently writing a book, It’s Never Too Late To Start: Practical Lessons for Creating Wealth from Middle Age Onward, due for publication later this year.

Source: CNN

Loyce Kareri, Columbus, Ohio

 

Just when you think you can’t get prouder of Kenyans, another one pops up to prove you wrong. Loyce Kareri was on BBC America on March 26, 2008 to talk about winning the Helium Pulitzer Center Citizen Journalist Award. She was articulate, passionate, and very impressive. I was proud to call her a Kenyan. Her article was well thought out and well written so it is not a surprise that it won an award that prestigous. Congratulations Loyce. Keep doing us proud!!

Tom Gitaa, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tom Gitaa is a man with a mission. He is determined to keep immigrants in the loop with what is going on in their communities, and help people understand the positive contributions immigrants make to their community. To that end, he is the Founding President and Publisher of Mshale, a free paper that is held in high esteem by many readers. He is also the host and presenter of Talking Drum, a current affairs talk show on the Africa Broadcasting Network – America (ABN-America). ABN-America airs on Channel 749 on the Dish Network.

His dedication to providing current and relevant information to the masses has been realized and Mshale is considered an authority on immigrant affairs in the Minneapolis metro area.  The non-profit organization, Books for Africa, appointed him to their governing board of directors so as to utilize his expertise and experience.  They are sure not to be disappointed.  Congratulations on making a difference!