Scripta Manet

This is the Latin for 'written things remain'. How does one strike the balance between the need to inscribe ones thoughts as though cast in stone, and the reality of it never going away? Enjoying the anonymity one has on the web can fool one into thinking that when possible, one can dissociate oneself for the writing. Not so. In today's technologically advanced world, if the need arises, your words on your blog can become as attached to you as liability on the negligent party in a tortuous proceeding.

You must cloak yourself with the awareness that this is George Orwell's fictional world in '1984', Big Brother 'watcheth' or can and will if need be!

But the phrase also bodes well for posterity. Civilisations, maybe hundreds of generations from now, have a wealth of documentary evidence to give them an insight into our world. More than we have of the past. Which is why, each one of us in our diverse ways, hold the key to how our time will be viewed. Slowly and surely, there is an awakening for one to leave an imprint, no matter the degree of indelibility. Africa is catching on. The import of the need, to have the tools of Communication in the hands of the masses, has never been stronger. Baby steps in terms of the number of bloggers from Africa but a giant leap in terms of its impact on the long run.

In America, the sitting president owes much of his success in the last election to bloggers. The buzz on the internet regarding the Nigerian President's bid for the third term enabled a strong wall to be erected against it. Much of the success of blogging as a tool for revolution depends on education. The degree of influence one has over another, in persuading them into your line of thought, rises or falls, more often than not, on the knowledge you have, in the particular field of reference. When we think of charitable ways of giving back to our societies, whether in the west or back in Africa, the importance of education should not be underestimated.