I have tried, just once in my life, to be an Angry Black Man. I planned a picket in New York City against a man I love to hate — Ryszard Kapuscinski. He was going to speak at a conference organised by American PEN. Nobody seemed to want to join me. There were better things to do in New York, like drinking — I do not lie — a hibiscus juice and chili margarita. So I got drunk.

"I don’t drive a Toyota. I’ve actually never owned a car. I can’t comment about its dominance of the world market. I do not read <i>Car</i> magazine, unless it is the only thing in the toilet at the time. So I was surprised to find myself reading a rather long piece about Toyota’s corporate culture recently in the <i>New York Times</i> magazine," writes Binyavanga Wainaina.

I am not a practising Christian or a right-winger. But I’m not an ostrich either, and that is the subject of this column. As the hordes of the World Social Forum gathered in Nairobi to "end poverty" and build "another world", two well-known televangelists announced their plans to run for president, prompting much screaming in the local media, writes Binyavanga Wainaina.

The continent-watchers among you may have heard of Christoph Blocher, a historian who specialises in making the Swiss look hard at their World War II past and see roses. He doubles as the Swiss justice minister. Recently he said, "How one should deal with Africa, I do not know. Leaving it to itself is one possibility. Nobody knows how Africa can be industrialised. Perhaps they will manage on their own one day."