Today is Tanzania's Independence Day and here's some bongo flava to celebrate the occasion. Happy Friday to my Tanzanian fam and to everybody!
Country-specific
December 9, 2011
September 1, 2011
The making of Merkato: pledge for beauty & people's livelihoods
A great Kickstarter project was brought to my attention by KateBomz. Merkato is a documentary film about one of the largest and oldest open-air markets in Africa – in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
"From the perspective of five personal stories a reflection emerges of a fascinating place that is a true microcosm of the human condition. The culture and way of life for many of Merkato's merchants is under threat by modern development. Merkato is the final portrait of the people who live, work and dream within this rapidly transforming reality." – from the Merkato Kickstarter page
If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it enables you to pledge to support worthy projects that need some help with funding. The woman behind Merkato, Sosena Solomon, needs our support to finish the film and share it with the world. There are 39 days left to go and Merkato will only be funded if at least $12,000 is pledged by Monday October 10th.
Check out this taster – the shots are beautiful!
Find out more and pledge here.
August 16, 2011
Run the Sahara 2012
I've tried but I'm just not a runner. Lesson learned. That didn't stop me from getting excited about Run the Sahara 2012!
Organised by UK charity Sandblast Arts (see Western Sahara in the spotlight) – an arts and human rights organisation working with indigenous Saharawi people, Run the Sahara is an opportunity to participate in the Saharamarathon as well as to experience the lives and culture of the Saharawi who will be your hosts. If you're like me and you're more intrigued by the cultural adventure rather than the physical challenge, you can choose to do as little as walk 5km. If you're into running and extreme sports (you will be in the desert after all), you can run a half or full marathon. Either way, it's set to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for a great cause.
Asilia had the honour of working with Sandblast Arts to create promotional materials for next week's run. See more of what we made here. Look out for the launch party in London this October – more details available on the Sandblast Arts website.
August 11, 2011
Part II of the Independence Day round-up: August
During this blog's first year, I endeavored to celebrate the independence days of African countries through creating a dedicated post (you can browse them via this link). Continuing on from the July round-up, and from the general celebratory nature of this week, here are highlights from the August celebrations.
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Benin – 1st August
A rich centuries-old artistic tradition and … Angelique Kidjo
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Niger – 3rd August
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Burkina Faso – 5th August
Burkina Faso is in many ways the home of African cinema – view clips of some classic African films
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Cote d'Ivoire – 7th August
The vivid creations of photographer Paul Sika and Coupé Décalé phenomenon, Aladji
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Chad – 11th August
More art in the natural landscape and Cannes award-winning film
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Central African Republic – 13th August
Pierre Gwa's guitar will brighten the cloudiest day!
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Republic of the Congo – 15th August
Not so urbanized members of one of our continents most urbanized countries do their thing
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Gabon – 17th August
Home to Oliver Ngoma and the continent's highest Human Development Index. Find out more and listen to Oliver croon, via the post. Don't forget to check out the virtual museum at GabonArt.com
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Top images via GabonArt and available as desktop wallpaper– more details here. Cote d'Ivoire photo by Paul Sika.
August 5, 2011
Part I of the Independence Day round-up: July
During this blog's first year, I endeavored to celebrate the independence days of African countries through creating a dedicated post (you can browse them via this link). I'm not doing that this year but, as several of those celebrations take place in July and August, I thought I'd do a round-up of highlights. I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned for part 2 – August celebrations – next week.
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Ghana – 1st July
Something for the pundits and technology geeks, something for the music-lovers and something for the fashionistas:
5 Reasons why Ghana is the next African App Powerhouse
Interview with lyrical genius M3NSA
Interview with Fashion Designer Naana B
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Rwanda – 1st July
Fashion, art and music in last year's Independence Day post.
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Burundi – 1st July
Listen to the beauuuutiful sounds of Kidum.
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Somalia – 1st July
Fashion, literature and music in last year's Independence Day post.
Don't forget to show support for those currently suffering from the food crisis in the region.
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Algeria – 5th July
Art, old and contemporary. Find out more in last year's Independence Day post.
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Cape Verde – 5th July
Home of the "barefoot diva," Cesaria Evora. Listen to the various sounds coming from the islands – from Morna to Coladeira, from Funaná to Batuque.
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Malawi – 6th July
I WILL one day make it to the Lake of Stars Festival. Until then, I will live vicariously …
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Comoros – 6th July
The women run things on these islands, and here's how they sound.
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South Sudan – 9th July
Last year, South Sudan did not exist as an independent nation-state. We experienced history last month as it became official.
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Egypt (National Day) – 23rd July
A particularly historically significant year it's been for Egypt too! The Tahrir Square effect lives on.
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Liberia – 26th July
The beautiful results of cross-Atlantic traditions.
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Cesaria Evora image via Syntorama
June 26, 2011
2 product design projects in Mozambique
Yesterday Mozambique celebrated Independence Day. In honour of the occasion, I'd like to share 2 design projects that were brought to my attention by Afri-love reader, Karen.
Studio dandoen believes that design should focus on Local materials + Techniques = High quality products in partnership with local workforce. Practising what they preach, they create quality furniture, clothes and bags using innovative, sustainable, recycled materials. Check out the studio's website for more of their funky quirky designs.
Combining traditional sarong textiles (capulanas) with a new knotting technique, the Mescla Collection creates unique pieces handmade by Mozambican women. Purchases help give the women a livelihood and empower communities suffering from disease and social deprivation. The Mescla website is under construction but you can find out a little more about them through the following brochure: Download MESCLA_FOLDER_Clients_.
Thanks for the great tips Karen!
Also check out last year's multidisciplinary Mozambican celebration.
June 3, 2011
5 reasons why Ghana is the next African app powerhouse
Today, an exciting first in a series of guest posts from Andrew Mugoya, Asilia Founder and the brain behind Afriapps. Enjoy …
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At Asilia, Lulu and I have made it a principle to religiously devote time to pursue internal and personal projects. So Lulu has her Afri-love (a personal project) and I started and manage Afriapps (a platform showcasing apps from and for Africa), under the Asilia umbrella.
Afriapps has been live since November last year and in that time we have profiled over 60 African applications. In the process, I've noticed a trend that has me really excited – the emergence of Ghana as a promising place to watch for creative and exciting app development.
Five reasons why Ghana has got me buzzing:
1.Built to be sold
Economic development in sub-Saharan Africa has often been about aid and grants and sadly, in app development in some parts, this is still the case. It is reflected in the type of apps developed, how they are marketed and how they are funded. Ghanian developers seem to be bucking the trend by producing a stream of apps that are not to be sustained by aid but by paying clients or paid downloads. Cool apps that we have profiled and that I've actually bought include:
- Basic Swahili - Learn Swahili on your iPhone or iPad
- iWarrior - Defend your village from wild animals
- My Twi Name - Find out your Twi name
- Nkyea Twi Phrasebook - Learn Twi on your iPhone or iPad
2. Quality finishing
Often on Afriapps we see apps based on very good ideas and built well but, let down by unrefined finishing and design. Like everywhere else in the world, Ghana has its fair share of these but, where Ghanian apps stand out is in the high number of apps with quality finishing and design. One of the things that makes African apps globally uncompetitive is design and finishing and many Ghanian apps seem to be getting these aspects right.
3. Diversity of ideas and talent
Tied in with the concept of building them to sell them is the development of a variety of types of apps. Games, business apps, learning apps, eCommerce apps, etc. This diversity would be hard to achieve if the industry was mainly dependent on aid as donors often have a narrow band of sectors they see as worth funding.
4. Building an eco-system
One area that really excites me about Ghana is the various genuine efforts to develop a sustainable tech eco-system. One such effort is that of The Meltwater Group, an established software company from the US. It has setup the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) through its Meltwater Foundation to offer training and mentoring to software entrepreneurs in Ghana. The program has led to the successful launch of a string of startups, each very promising. Some examples include:
- Retail Tower - helps independent online shops have their products listed on comparison engines
- Gripeline - Enables businesses to manage their customer support and feedback
- Tutamee - a place to ask and find out what or who is best
5. Not loud but should be proud
Frankly speaking, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria seem to get most of the press when it comes to African tech. However, amidst all the noise, Ghana is steadily laying solid foundations that will enable them to compete internationally. And from articles such as these, it is obvious others are starting to notice.
Undoubtedly there are other promising pockets in the region. However, from my Afriapps perspective, Ghana has definitely got me impressed and excited about what's happening there. If you are aware of other remarkable regions worth shouting about, we'd love to hear about them and see how they compare to what's happening in Ghana.
You can find out more about Afriapps at www.afriapps.com, www.facebook.com/afriapps and www.twitter.com/afriapps
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Illustrations by Lulu Kitololo
May 24, 2011
Eritrea Independence Day with Elem magazine, Eat Alicha and eyo
Today, Eritrea celebrates independence. A triple dose of inspiration lies below with Elem magazine, culinary treats from Eat Alicha and the musical stylings of eYo. I have to ask: are all these "E"s coincidental?
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ELEM Magazine
ELEM exists as a platform for Eritreans to paint their own picture. The ELEM mission states:
"Too often, as Eritreans and Africans, we have been spoken about by others. Through ELEM, we want to celebrate the true us. We will write our own narrative and tell the story ourselves.
We want to drop the spotlight on young and aspiring artists, scientists, writers, movie makers, inventors and more. We will also highlight the achievement of Eritreans in whatever field they may be engaged in. We want our people and their friends to know and hear of these guys who will be role models to young and aspiring Eritreans.
ELEM wants to liberate our future by celebrating Eritreans as proud Africans in all our diversity."
Want more? View the current issue online.
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Eat Alicha
My friend Elelta, who is of Eritrean and Ethiopian origin, left that part of the world when she was very young. She decided to start a website sharing "recipes for food that your mum (or your friend's mum) used to cook for you." The research involved has been a way for her to learn more about her culture and has also opened up a different and rich channel of communication with her mum. Get cooking at Eat Alicha and keep watching that space for more.
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eYo
Elelta also put me on to eYo … and I've been rocking his tracks all morning! You can find out more about him via Facebook or his Tumblr site, Soul Aint Dead. Download his All About Timing album here but, before you go, here are a couple of sneak peeks:
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Thanks El for all the insider info!
May 10, 2011
Western Sahara in the spotlight: arts, culture (and a special 2 for 1 concert offer)
It's not often that I hear about Western Sahara or come across Saharawi people or culture. And then, twice in one week, I come across things that I'd like to share about this little known territory in the west of our continent.
Sandblast
The first is Sandblast, an organisation that is and arts and human rights charity working with the Saharawis whose identity and culture is threatened by the impact of exile and Morocco's occupation. Sandblast works to empower the Saharawis to tell their own story, promote their own culture and earn a living through the arts. Along with information about their projects, the Sandblast website has a lot of interesting information on the history of and issues faced by Saharawi people and, introductions to the different arts disciplines (film, literature, fine art, theatre etc.) as practised in or representing the Saharawi context. A lot to explore …
Group Doueh
The second is the hypnotic sound of Group Doueh. Summed up:
"It’s evident this band is hell bent on redefining the sound of its influences and in turn, shape the future sound of its surroundings. It’s musical alchemy in its purest, most remarkable form, pushing at the boundaries of geographical divergence while simultaneously speaking to the shared resonances between Western rock rhythms and the pulse of the Saharan trance tradition."
For the Londoners: this Friday at the Barbican, Group Doueh will be playing their musical alchemy. There are limited 2 for 1 tickets available, using promo code 13051 here.
I'm particularly enjoying this exclusive preview of a track from their new album, Zayna Jumma, click here.
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Top image of Group Doueh from Altered Zones
April 27, 2011
Celebrating South Africa's Freedom Day with fashion house Stoned Cherrie
It's a busy day for national celebrations on the continent today. While not an Independence Day, I wanted to commemorate South Africa's Freedom Day. The celebration marks the day of the first post-apartheid elections; the day from which EVERYBODY over 18 could vote, regardless of race.
Fittingly, I've chosen to share with you the beautiful designs of fashion house, Stoned Cherrie, "a lovingly non-conformist revolutionary expression of freedom" (their own words!). Their eclectic colours, textures and wonderful quirkiness indeed express this spirit and energy. Enjoy …
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Top row of images from the Stoned Cherrie website. 2nd row: left – from fashionjunkii, right – from ifashion. 3rd row from Bella Naija. Bottom row from Maque DeGorgeous. Check out all these links for loads more (and larger) pics.
