****************************************
Editor's Note:
The following introduction, by H-AFRICA
subscriber Peter Limb, first appeared
in the June 1995 *African Studies
Association of Australia and the Pacific
Review and Newsletter*. The editors
thank both Peter and the *Review and
Newsletter* for permission to post it
to H-AFRICA. (Althoug this is a long
message, it should of great interest to
many readers.
mep
****************************************
"An A-Z of African Studies on the Internet"
The year 1995 has seen vibrant changes in the electronic coverage of
African studies. Whilst researching a recent book, I joined a great
many Africa-related electronic groups to gather information and
ideas. Here are some of them. The Internet changes almost daily, so I
cannot guarantee that these addresses are all still accurate. But I
have tried most of these, and found many stimulating.
Abyssinia Cyberspace Gateway can be found at the following world
wide web (www) site:
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/hyplan/dmulholl/acg.html
Africa-L is an Africa-wide bitnet listserv. It is not particularly
active, but those items posted are usually important. Address:
listserv@brufmg
Africa Update is at:
http://neal.ctstateu.edu/history/africa_update.html
AfricaWorldPress is a major publisher. The address is:
AfricaWPress@nyo.com
African Agenda is a discussion group from Accra and Johannesburg:
AFAGENDA@iaccess.za
Afrikaans is an Afrikaans discussion group: send the message
"subscribe afrikaans" to:
listproc@oliver.sun.ac.za
or gopher to
lib.sun.ac.za/Afrikaans
Afrlabor, begun in 1995, is a penetrating discussion group on African
labour history, though at times the discussion also touches on industrial
relations, economics and related subjects. Areas discussed so far include:
Nigerian labour history; COSATU and the ANC; the IMF and African studies.
Address:
afrlabor@acuvax.acu.edu
and the editor is Carolyn Brown:
cbrown@zodiac.rutgers.edu
Afrique is a new French-language discussion list based at the
Universite de Lyon. It has already had a number of interesting
discussions, particularly on African politics and philosophy.
Address:
listserv@univ-lyon1.fr
Type: SUB afrique surname name
Afrlit is a new discussion group on African literatures. Areas discussed
so far include: magical-realism in African literatures; Sembene Ousmane.
Address:
afrlit-request@acuvax.acu.edu
Amazigh ["Berber"] Network is at:
amazigh-net@ensisun.imag.fr
ANC Gopher. Use the Webb to the excellent ANC Newswire, which includes not
only ANC documents and historical sources but daily news reports from news
agencies and government statements. Address:
http://minerva.cis.yale.edu:80/`~jadwat/anc/
or email to
info@anc.org.za or ancdip@wn.apc.org
or simply gopher
wn.apc.org
Bit.tech.africana is only for technical matters relating to communications
Burkina Faso** has a group:
aajn@catcc.bitnet
Clari.World.Africa is a commercial news service of African news
Egypt-Net is a sophisticated, well edited [in daily digest form]
discussion group with very heavy output. I found it very enjoyable
because of the contents page of every issue. Address:
egypt-net-request@cs.sunysb.edu
Equatorial-Guinea-Net or GUINEQ-L in Spanish at:
listserv@vm.cnuce.cnr.it
This is a most mysterious group: it has only 11 members and I have never
yet had a message! But I did make one contact. [STOP PRESS: correction- I
had my first message today, after several months]
Eritrea-L is a well-structured list. Email to:
lists@thames.stanford.edu
and then type: subscribe eritrea-l
Also DEHAI/EDIN: contact:
dehai-admin@thames.stanford.edu
Ethiopia Gateway:
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/hyplan/dmuholl/ab_base.html
EthioList has a number of vibrant groups, especially ethiopolitics.
Contact: Tadesse Tsegage:
txt4@netcom.com
Alternatively, contact:
Ethioculture@Netcom.com or ethiohistory@netcom.com
H-Africa is an academic discussion group on African history, edited by
Melvin Page and Harold Marcus. It is part of the excellent H-Net family of
history groups. Verbiage is edited out by the dutiful editors. Address:
listserv@msu.edu
or messages to
h-africa@msu.edu
or to the editor,
africa@etsuarts.east-tenn-st.edu
Horn of Africa Bulletin is at
enelson@nn.apc.org
Hornet is an eclectic selection of Addis Ababa bulletin boards:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African Studies/Hornet
Igbo-Net is another favourite. The people are very friendly and
encourage learning of the Igbo language and culture. Good on
literature. A bit hesitant to discuss politics, as this is left to
Nigeria-net. Address:
listproc@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
then add the words: subscribe igbo--net.
Indian Ocean Newsletter is sometimes available on AFRICA-N [see above].
Contact:
arm@utoronto.bitnet
InterAfrica Group NGO Networking Service is a bi-monthly round-up on
regional issues: contact:
IAG@padis.gn.apc.org
Malawi-Net or should I say Nyasanet is a really nice group. I must
re-subscribe! Contact:
nyasanet-request@unh.edu
MISA-Net is produced by the Media Institute of Southern Africa. Contact
Bruce Cohen at
wmail@is.co.za
The Free Press Newsletter is at
wmail.misanet.org
and the following web site has hyperlinks to all the
MISA articles for 1995:
http://history.cc.ukans.ed u/carrie/news_main.html
then go to news by region and to sub-Saharan Africa
Mozambique Peace Process Bulletin at:
misa-info@misanet.org
Nigeria has Naijanet: contact:
naijanet@mit
Namnet is a discussion group on Namibia. Tim Dauth, a postgraduate student
in the History Dept. University of Western Australia, is a frequent
contributor [when he is not researching in Namibia]:
namnet-request@lisse.na
Nuafrica is perhaps the most lively discussion group on African affairs.
Members, who include many famous academics, have passionately debated such
issues as ebola; the IMF and African studies; changes in South Africa;
etc. Because it is not regulated or censored there is a very free exchange
of ideas, but there is very little flaming. Address:
nuafrica@listserv.acns.nwu.edu
Oromo-net**, I think, is at:
makobili@netcom.com
African Imprint Library Services:
afrcarimp@delphi.com
Hogarth Representation [West African books]:
100265.51@compuserve.com
Zimbabwe International Book Fair:
margaret.ling@geo2.poptel.org.uk
Rhodes University gopher is at:
gopher.ru.ac.za
Rwanda info can be found at:
http://www.intac.com/Pubservice/rwanda/
Scottish Churches Sudan Group Newsletter is a useful publication for
recent news. Contact:
mam@festival.edinburgh.ac.uk
soc.culture.african was one of the earlier African news groups, and is
still worth watching:
soc-culture-african@cs.utexas.edu
soc.culture.berber
soc.culture.egypt is a new "nn" group, with interesting book notices.
soc.culture.nigeria
soc.culture.somalia is another interest news group.
soc.culture.south africa is a news group which, like za.politics has
declined in interest for this reviewer, and now consists mainly of petty
arguments and very basic questions about South Africa.
Somalia News Update is at:
bernhard.helander@antro.uu.se
Somalia Association for Peace & Democracy contact:
majordomo@igc.apc.org
then type: subscribe sapd-somalia
Southern Africa Review of Books email version [by subscription fee].
Contact the editor, Rob Turrell at:
robert.turrell@humboldt.uni-ulm.de
Sudan is at
http://www.african.upenn.edu or gopher.upenn.edu or ftp.upenn.edu
The editor of Sudan Newsletter is
mayodavi@student.msu.edu
Sudan-l is at:
listserv@emuvm1.cc.emory.edu
Sudan News and Views Contact:
yasin@gn.apc.org
Sudanese is lots of fun; find it at
sudanese@crsa.bu.edu
Sudanic Africa is an academic electronic journal with useful book
references. Address:
http://www.hf-fak.uib.no/institutter/smi/sa/sahome.html
A Swahili language list can be found at
Swahili-l@macc.wisc.edu or kuntz@macc.wisc.edu
Tunisia-Net** is at:
listserv@psuvm.psu.edu
University of Pennsylvania African Studies Web has many sections;
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html
Weekly Mail can be located at
http://www.is.co.za/services/wmail/wmail.html
and you can subscribe electronically:
wmail-info@wmail.misanet.org
Wisconsin African Studies is at:
gopher.doit.wisc.edu
then follow the path to African Studies; courses: 1. African Studies
or:
http://www.wisc.edu/afr/
Yoruba** has oduduwa-net.
za.politics is a new group that started off as a lively group but
apparently has lately been taken over by yuppies. Address:
za-politics@quagga.ru.ac.za
Zaire-l is mainly Zaireans in the US. Address:
listserv@ilstu.edu
GUIDES: see Karen Fung's Africa South of the Sahara: Selected Internet
Resources at:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/ASA/karen_Guide.html
and Arthur McGee's list:
amcgee@netcom.com
notes:
* membership restricted, e.g. to language speakers or nationals
** not tried by this reviewer
Notification about new lists can be sent (electronically) to:
plimb@library.uwa.edu.au
or by snailmail to:
Peter Limb, Reid Library
University of Western Australia
Nedlands 6009
W.A.
Australia