Its after I have been active in the social media for sometimes when I realized how long my comments have always been. In fact, a very simple comment on a friends’ status would trigger sentences and sentences from me (No wonder I am lazy with twitter).  The truth is, my Facebook posts have been rather long and wordy… and even my son once warned me that people don’t like reading long stuff in Facebook!..

Nevertheless, I kept on writing long ‘stuff’ until I accepted the fact that I needed a bigger space. Apparently, I am not a journalist nor have I been trained to write or report for the media. But I am a person who loves to ‘think and wonder aloud’. Moreover, the coming of social media has encouraged all of us to express ideas, moods, feelings and worries in writing, hasn’t it? So I have encouraged myself to be a blogger, and I invite you to join me.  So please do not be offended if you find my writing ‘journalist-ically insufficient’…

Because I will be here speaking my mind freely and I want you to do the same… with dignity and honesty. Essentially, my posts will cover a range of issues but specifically focusing on interrogating the ‘African consciousness’ as expressed in these modern times. To an extent this may mean sounding more critical than praising as I seek to provoke a honest search on things taken for granted. Basically, I will challenge us to focus on the ‘uncovered mileage’ as the exact area where our energy should be invested in. And when I question Africa, I also question myself. A word of caution; English is neither my first language, nor is it my second, so I admit not to be good at it… But I will use it anyway because I want to engage with all Africans and those who care about Africa. Then I also regret to miss my Portuguese and French speaking brothers and sisters, whom I pray they find ways to join me. However, I will also have posts in Swahili. Finally, I welcome you all to join me weekly in interrogating our consciousness as Africans, because we owe it to ourselves and to the future generations. My question is , “Are we happy with what makes the African collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities considered the characteristic of us?”… is poverty, war, corruption, illiteracy, powerlessness, misery… etc., part of our identity? Vera MUGITTU