Afriurban sound presents: Sean Kingston

Brooklyn-
Sean is a new talent arriving on the scene. Let's hope he stays on course and keeps producing thoughful( By HH standard) while entertaining work..

Travel Africa Magazine

You are young,have some spare change,are curious by nature or have never been beyond the borders of Abidjan,Nairobi,Durban,Dakar,Banjul,Libreville,Tunis,Freetown,Cotonou,Port Louis,Antananarivo,Khartoum or Addis Abeba. If it is the case , grab a copy of the Travel Africa Magazine and find out where to go ,and what to do in this very diverse and rich continent of ours.

Subcribe to the magazine

Afrifinance: ECP- Emerging Capital Partners

While the call for (more) individual investors as well African owned hedge funds is more relevant than ever, other individuals and entities clearly understand the opportunities available in the African financial markets.
ECP is one the many entities acquiring ownerships and sharing in the profits of the growing African economies.
Emerging Capital Partners CEOed by Thomas Gibian and Hurley Doddy is a " private equity group that raised more than $1 billion for investment in companies across the African continent. The firm's investment strategy is focused on delivering consistently above-market returns to investors that are uncorrelated to the U.S. and other global economies. "



The multi-lingual,multi-cultural team of directors and professionals allowed ECP to have a very successful track record on African equity markets.With team members from the USA,Ivory Coast,Benin,South Africa,Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana, the firm is sure to rely on a rich and insightful intellectual resource on Global and Sub-Saharan equity markets.

Their current portfolio includes shares in :
MTN Cote D'Ivoire a subsidiary of the MTN group a South African mobile telecommunication operating company also active in Benin,Botswana,Republic of Congo,Ghana,Guinea Bissau,Liberia,Nigeria,Rwanda,Sudan,Uganda,Swaziland and Zambia.

Bank of Africa, a financial entity that consists of ten commercial banks,three leasing companies,two life-insurance,two investment companies and one stockbroking division.

ARTUMAS GROUP, a energy company based in Mozambique

Continental reinsurance, A leading professional reinsurance company offering diverse products including,fire,engineering,bond,general accident,marine,motor and liability.

Speacon International,a civil engineering and construction company operating in East Africa.

Anvil mining, A base and precious metals mining and exploration company operating two copper mines,one cobalt mine in the DRC.

Veolia Water , a subsidiary of Veolia environment that operates,develops, and acquires companies in the water distribution,wastewater treatment and electricity distribution in Morocco.

Celtel Gabon, a subsidiary of the MTC group a telecommunication firm based in Kuwait. With over 200.000 subscribers in this nation of 1 million 300.000 inhabitants,Celtel is the leader in the mobile phone industry of Gabon.

Batim Africa,that emerged from Batim Cote d"ivoire seeks to reproduce the success of its operation in the Ivorian market in Mali,Angola,Cameroon and the Republic of Central Africa.

Agromed S.A. is a Moroccan groups that manufactures an extensive range diary products including,yogurts,desserts,cheeses and butters, for sale for supermarkets,wholesalers and retailers in the Moroccan market.

All Africa Airways, is a joint venture created by Air France(Euronext:AF,NYSE:AKH and Air Ivoire to manage and operate the Ivorian Airline.






See Video on Annansi Chronicles

Afritravel:Legacy Hotels and Resorts

Legacy Hotels & Resorts International which is, a privately owned company with a portfolio of superior four and five star hotels, bush lodges and resorts,operates in Africa and will certainly provide the most comfortable experience to the African vacationer.

They are firmly established in the corporate, conference and leisure markets and specifically targeted towards the luxury market.

For the Travel and tourism professional,investor,and entrepreneur,

they offer a wide range of hospitality services: management and operations, sales and marketing, design, development and refurbishment of new and existing hotels, as well as providing fully integrated purchasing and management accounting services.

Whether you're a hotel owner, developer or manager, they can consult for you on virtually every aspect of the hospitality industry.

Afriupdate: The business of modeling,how branding,profesionalism and the digital world spur the carreer of an African supermodel

Lumumbashi- Noella Coursaris is a alluring supermodel from the Republic Democratic of Congo. With eyes that draw you in , she has been successful at commanding a budding professional life as well as making her social marks to truly become one of the poster child of the Cheetah generation.

Standing at 5'8'', the petite woman along with her team are very skillfuly building a modeling portfolio,and a brand . One very interesting aspect(according to us) in her strategy is her constant use of what is known as Web 2.0 to communicate with other professionals,aspiring models,potential sponsors and partners, African fashion-focused magazines and the general public.
Thanks to the internet and the many platforms used, her fellow Congolese countrymen,other Africans,and the modeling industry can find out her work and progress.



Official site....> click here
Do you have an account on Myspace ? Add her as friend
On Hi5 ? Please add her as a friend
On Facebook? Please add her as a friend
On Blackplanet? Please add her as a friend
On Myafricasite ? Please add her as friend

Africonference: Real estate 2007

Johannesburg- As a viable and as profitable an investment vehicle immovable property is , in Africa Real estate is an affordable investment available to the indigenous as well as international intelligent investor.
The conference that takes place August the 20th through 22nd the will cover varied and insightful topics such as:
Opportunities in African markets geographically and segment wise
Geopolitical risks
Interest rates expectation per regions and their impact on the property sector
Which sector of real estate are doing well: residential,rental,industrial,commercial
What is the performance on the Stock markets of the listed real estate companies
The impact of infrastructural development
Which African cities have the fastest investors demand
Which African cities have the biggest ROIs
How to best identify property investments

Register....> please click here
How to best finance property investments
How to best evaluate properties

Afriurban Sound presents: Sean Paul in concert in Abidjan

Abidjan-Sean Paul , The Dancehall performer from Jewish-Portuguese and Chinese-Jamaican descent,would be in action in the city of Abidjan during the month of August of this year.
Sean Paul who is responsible for such musical hits such as " WE BE BURNING","TEMPERATURE","DEPORT THEM","IAM STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU","GET BUSY"and " LIKE GLUE"
Sean Paul is signed to VP Records a well established record label focusing on Reggae/Dancehall,Major acts signed to the label would be Buju Banton,Elephant Man,Bennie Man,Capleton,and Luciano. VP Records musical products are distributed through a patnership with Atlantic records, a Warner Music Group's(NYSE:WMG) subsidiery, home to artists such as T.I,Bjork,Charlotte Gainsbourg,Lupe Fiasco,Baby Cham and Trey Songz.




Discography includes:
Stage One ( 2000)
Dutty Rock(2002)
Trinity(2005)


Official site....> Click
Are you on Myspace ? Add him as a friend

Afriurban sound presents: Stronger par Kanye West

Kanye West latest single for the upcoming "graduation"album, is a pleasure for the eyes and the ears.Known for always pushing the envelop,this peculiar Rap performer( by current hip hop standard) offers his audience yet another mesmerising work of art.
His most memorable works include,"ALL FALLS DOWN","JESUS WALKS","DIAMOND FROM SIERRA LEONE","GOLD DIGGER","CAN"T TELL ME NOTHIN","GRAMMY FAMILY"feat John Legend,DJ Khaled and Consequence,"SELFISH"feat Slum Village and NUMBER ONE feat Pharrel.
Kanye West is signed to the music label Roc-A-Fella which has been purchased by Def Jam records whose parent company is Universal music group , a subsidiary of the Vivendi group (Euronext:VIV).
The rapper/producer is also the owner/founder of a record label,G.O.O.D Music is a Hip Hop and Rock label.

Discography includes:
The college dropout(2004)
Late registration( 2005)
Graduation(2007)


Official site:click here
Have a myspace account? Add him as a friend

In the media:The way African customers use cellphones

The ever inspiring site PSFK posts about cellphone usage in three different markets.For region 3 ,which regroups South America,Africa and Asia not including Japan and South Korea,"mobile phones..... is the Internet"

Will we see an increase in the number of practical applications for customers in Africa ? It does not sound like many applications are churned out at rapid rate for the satisfaction of customers, or are they and we do not hear about .

What could be the pressing needs of the customers in Africa in terms of communication and access to health,financial,educative,legal,economic and political information ?
Will African governments seek to use cellphone as a possible tool to ease the experience of their constituencies with Administrative errands ? Only mavericks and (truly) intelligent entrepreneurs and public servants could tell.

Africinema: Rent A rasta

Negril- In search of the Big Bamboo and ....inclined to indulge their Island Fever with wanton abandon are apparently middle-aged and/or overweight spinsters. Ignored by white men, and afraid to date blacks openly due to the social taboo, they look for satisfaction at remote resorts amidst the anonymity offered by a virtual paradise
....Rent a Rasta is a clarion call which establishes that sex tourism is not merely the harmless indulgence of horny white women gone wild, but a burgeoning trend which continues to wreak havoc on a Caribbean culture and family structure already in crisis.

The movie which appears at first as an exposé of the sex-for-sale industry in Jamaica quickly devolves into an overview of the Rastafari religion. Inside are four or five really engaging stories—the history of slavery in the West Indies, the current reparations and repatriation movement, the story of Haile Selassie and his deification, the current socio- economic climate in the Caribbean, and the notion that fat, older, or otherwise unattractive females worldwide come to this area for the sole purpose of getting their whore on. We are intrigued by the notion of such scandalous claims.

RENT A RASTA

Africinema introduces: Suno Gonera

Durban- The Young South african Director whose latest project is the Liongate entertainement's( PUBLIC,NYSE:LGF) movie "Pride" starring Terrance Howard,Bernie Mac and Kimberly Elise among others,first directed the short "Riding with Sugar"

Synopsis:
Terrence is a South African teen who dreams of escaping the world of drugs to become a BMX champion rider. He stumbles into a precarious and unlikely relationship with Olivia, a beautiful girl who appreciates both his dream and drive

In The media: Masseur,male prostitution and Sex for visa in The Gambia

Banjul- Thanks to the combination of of poor and outdated government management, the myth of the White man(woman),absence of real opinion/dream/goal leaders,hopelessness,lack of cultural and economic/financial trade among African youths/markets ( that one will need to be explained in an upcoming post) and pure greed/low self-esteem/low standards, a large enough percentage of the youth of Gambia is actively involved in the commercialisation of sex.
The lure of sweaty money and sesame to the highly-sought after European visa,lead these young men to direct their psychic,physical and mental energies away from long-term,healthy and more productive activities to more sexually satisfying romp of efforts for the paying Sexual tourists.
The going rate goes from $50 to $200 depending on many factors such as age,attractiveness,genital endowment,sexual position,personality,skills in the art of sex making,
Sexual tourism which is believed to be a ....... industry provides these young men with steady,risky and energy deluding employment. The competition for these young men is located in Morocco,Nepal,Fiji,Ecuador,Costa Rica,Barbados,Dominican republic,Spain,Greece,Turkey,Jamaica,Italy,Former Yugoslavia and Thailand.


The phenomenon can be summarized in our own words,Financially able and sexually active older European women meet financially unstable and sexually active younger African men, on warm and beautifully African beaches, in mismanaged economic market,by out-paced and delusional hippos.
The experts think that there is a more complex and interlinked set of reasons that is fueling the situation:
-Sex wars in Europe between men and women that make Dating,marriage and romantic relationships arduous and stressing.
-Sexual connoisseurship, the natural desire to experiment different types of lovers and lovemaking can be satisfied without receiving the undesirable title of "slut" in foreign land away from the judging glare of friends and family members.
-The globalisation of Sex and affection industries.
-Interest in fulfilling sexual fantasies with the well endowed,ever going ,sex machine that is the black man.

Some facts on Gambia:
Pop-1.500.000
GDP- 3 Billion USD
Afriurban Center- Banjul,Serekunda

Africonference: Learning conference

Johannesburg- "the conference ...held at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 June 2007,..... will address a range of critically important themes relating to education today. Main speakers will include some of the world's leading thinkers in the field of education, as well as numerous paper, colloquium and workshop presentations by researchers and practitioners."



The topics that will be addresed at the conference are the following:
*Teaching,learning and democracy
*Learning and health
*learning and HIV/AIDS
*Learning,literacies and local/traditional knowledges
*Learning and teaching in Post-colonial Africa
*Learning and creativity
*Learning and the diaspora
*Distance learning

Full program details



Related links:
International Journal of learning

Find out more about Universities in South Africa

Africonference:Telecoms world 2007

Johannesburg- The South african city hosts, the 2007 Telecoms world conference from July 30th to August the 3rd.
The conference will give attendees ,the opportunity to have an overview of the African markets ,and what the future holds for customers,businesses,entrepreneurs and investors:
* Opportunities,challenges for each African markets
*Impacts of the liberalization and privatisation on the African telecom markets
*The convergence of African computing,communication and broadcasting industries
* Partnership and specialisation to improve customer experience,satisfaction.
* Making broadband available in rural areas
*The connecting of Africans through broadband technologies,the advantages and limits of Wimax,Wifi,UMTS, and VSAT.
*Financing of the telecom growth
* Content seeked after,needed and demanded by the African customers
*Different and diverse customers base,from the sophisticated to the late adopter.



Register here....> Click please

Find out more on Telecom in Africa
African Telecommunication union
African CDMA forum

Afrimage of the day

More so like the elephant, Africans have kept their composure in the face of delusional and psychotic verbal,physical and psychological attacks against their dignity,humanity and well-being. These attacks that came from external as well internal agents,conspirators,hippos and rats have been met with thick- skin and wisdom.
Today, young Africans realize and affirm that the horizon is the limit and they are determined to rely on empathy,altruism and higher socio-economic interactions to walk majestically towards their goals.

Africonference: Johanesburg welcomes the WI-world 2007

Johannesburg- From August 27Th to the 30Th, Business executives,entrepreneurs,Journalists,researchers and curious would be discussing :

*The unique needs of the African consumers and markets
*The major players in the African markets
* Which technologies meet better the needs and demands of the diverse African markets
*Appealing and appropriate commercial strategies
*The wifi revolution put in context
*Comparison of Wifi,Wimax,HSDPA,and CDMA
* Wimax and Remote rural areas
* Broadband access and office work
*Wireless, Subcribers,usage and infrastructure per markets
*Wimax and Wifi Business models
*Delivery of Wimax to residential,corporate and government customers
* Broadband wireless in major African cities and the potential use to improve citizen living in these economic centers: From security and traffic monitoring, to parking fine payments and tourist support, wireless devices in public spaces and government buildings can reduce costs while improving services for citizens and visitors.

*

Afriurban sound presents: Fabolous- Return of the Hustle

Brooklyn- Def Jam's Hip Hop agent ,F-a-b-o-l-o-us is supplying the musical market with yet another quality product by rap music standard. Producer extraordinaire Swizz Beats provides the sound backdrop to the lazy flow of this city of Brooklyn's brethren.

Afriurban sound presents: Coupe Decale performer

Abidjan- The social phenomenom that is the "Wolosso" young woman has been well described in this song by DJ Jorde.

Afriurban sound presents: DJ lewis featuring Bonano

Abidjan-

Dj Lewis and Bonano team up to cook and serve this tasty musical dish.If you are a novice to the sound of Coupe Decale, this video-clip is the best sample to get introduced to the genre.

Afrimage: Mokobe

Afriurban sound presents: DMX

Yonkers-

Afriurban sound presents: Jadakiss festuring Jaheim

Yonkers-

Afriurban sound presents: Mokobe featuring Oumou Sangare - La voie du Mali

Bamako- could not resist , here is an old tune by Mokobe.

Afrimage of the day: Don't have to be a movie star

image courtesy of Annansiblog

In the media : Made in Morocco

Casablanca- The Docia Logan, which is the end result of the buyout of manufacturer Dacia by the French Automaker Renault(EURONEXT: RNO), have been produced in the past few years in Morocco as European Automakers seek to relocate their plants to region that offer both lower wages and skilled labor.
The additional advantage to such a move for European Automaker would be getting closer to the emerging markets that are Morocco,Algeria,Tunisia and eventually move away from export-oriented productions to supplying the local demand.


Some facts about Morocco:
Pop-33 million
GDP-125 billion USD
Afriurban Centers:Agadir, Casablanca,Rabat,Fes,Marrakesh,
Afriurban music:Rai
Visit Morocco

Some facts about Renault:
Founded in 1899
Revenue ( 2006): 41 billion Euros
Employees: 125.ooo


Renault Official website

In the media: Media revolution

African Business leaders forum

Accra- The 5Th edition of the African Business leaders forum would be held from October 17 to the 19Th of that month.
The program goes as follow;
- Keynote address: “Transitional Leadership, Stability & Growth", H.E. Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda
-Keynote address: “Future African Leadership & Growth: The Case of the Great Lakes”, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda
-DEBATE ON POLITICAL RISK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
BREAKAWAY SESSIONS: Business & Poverty Alleviation; Good Governance, Sustainable Partnerships; Infrastructure Development, Road To Sustainability




ENTREPRENEURSHIP -
-Talent Management in Africa: Who’s Who?
Who can do what and where?
Service Delivery, Citizen Frontline Leadership
Scenarios for African Future Growth: What’s Next?







Plenary: Youth Leadership "Growing Future Leaders"
BREAKAWAY SESSIONS: Sun Tzu in Africa; Africa’s Media: Rewriting about the “Hopeful” Continent; Skill Development & Mentorship



-Women for Growth
- Energy for Growth


How would it compare to the TED experience, that we may never know since there is probably not going to be any sort of serious and introspective (citizen) media coverage. Or they might prove us wrong,only time will tell.


Official website

in the media: Dramatic increase of internet usage in Africa

Durban-"Internet usage in South Africa is skyrocketing. The number of active South African browsers on the web has grown by 121% from 1,8-million in May 2005 to 3,9-million in May this year. In the same period, the number of page impressions grew by 129% from 91-million to 207-million." So says the South African Newspaper the Gardian.
Read more

Afriurban sound presents: Mokobe's new Album - Mon Afrique

Bamako- Mafia k'1fry 's member Mokobe has a new solo production on the market.The album untitled " Mon Afrique " is a musical representation of the guidelines,rules and ideals inhabiting the set of young African leaders.
Our life like a movie need a soundtrack, a set of lyrics and a tempo that alternate our psyche, our collective consciousness, and feed the ambition the first stakeholders of African market have.
The psychological boost that this well constructed album gives, is something that has not been experienced in a long time.
We have only a few artist that understand the true nature of this mystical art that is music, we can name a few: Bob Marley,Fela Kuti,Lauryn Hill,Jay-z,Lupe Fiasco,Kanye West,James Brown,Mos Def,Jill Scott,Ray Charles,Youssouf N'dour,Miriam Makeba,Nina Simone,Apha Blondy and Salif Keita .



Some facts about Mali:
Pop- 14 millions
GDP-14 billions
Afriurban center(s)- Djenne, Bamako,Sikasso,Tombouctou




Mokobe's official website
Mafia Africaine
African Armure (clothing line)
Add him as a friend on Myspace

Office Malien du tourisme

Africonference:Agroalimentaria- Food Beverages and Tobacco interational trade fair

Santo Domingo-From seasonings and spices to the coffee and cocoa most demanded in the international organic market going through the ost delicious pineapples,bananas and mangoes and the freshest vegetables ,till the most famous cigars and the best beer of the Dominican Republic extends the world and invitation to participate in the trade show Agrolimentaria.

Go there and get create the opportunity to :
See,smell and taste the best fresh and processed products of the Caraibbean
strenghten alliances with local/international manufacturers,suppliers and producers
familiazrize yourself with new products,trends,business models.

The event occurs from June 27th to the 30th

Some facts about the Dominican republic:
Pop-9 million
GDP-67 billion USD
Afriurban Center-Santo Domingo
Visit the Dominican Republic

In the media:(only) White men need apply

Yaounde- Post colonial Cameroon is experiencing a "jungle fever" like no other. There are thousands of women 18-40 ,seeking salvage from a life of struggle and frustration in Cameroon in the arms of the white male.

Young African orphans have team Madonna-Angelina, and young sexually active Cameroonians have White french men to help them find their solace.
" Young Cameroonians that are submissive,know how to cook and make love" can meet financially stable white French male between 30 to 90 years of age.Where do they meet ,one would ask, the internet of course.The world wide web gives access to a unlimited pool of potential mate,however for some women in Cameroon the white mate is the (only)right mate.
The quest for the savior last on average two to three years at a cost of 200 US dollars a month ( the avge pay of a worker in Cameroon), and only 2 out of 10 women hit the jackpot.

The other risks associated with this trend for the women , are the possibility for the women to find themselves part of a prostitution ring. Find out more by watching the video.

Video courtesy of piankhy.com

Afriurban sound presents:Wyclef Jean feat TIP- U know what it is

Port au Prince-
Wyclef Jean and Clifford Harris aka T.I.P team up on this bouncy soundtrack. The King of Atlanta together with the most renowned producer out of Haiti.






Some facts about Haiti:
Pop- 8.500.000
GDP-12 billion USD
Afriurban centers-Port-au-Prince
Afriurban language-Haitian creole
Afriurban sound(s)- Kompa,Zouk,Meringue

Afrieros: Pedophilia and sexual tourism in Cameroon.

Kribi-
Sexual tourism that is afflicting this region of Cameroon is investigated by a French TV network. Rich European tourists, that do not fear to be prosecuted in the law less environment nurtured by the Hippo-governed republic of Cameroon,go about their business sometimes ( more often than not ) gladly assisted by the local police/families/workers. Prostitution of their teenage daughters/boys seems to be the only way out of the financial distress they are experiencing.
There are some self-managed groups that try to curb the problem by advising and monitoring the children that might be tempted or already involved in the trade.

Tourisme sexuel-pédophilie au Cameroun
envoyé par www-Piankhy-com

In the media: African diaspora in France

Paris-
The TV network Tele3Asud scheduled on the air this interesting documentary on the African diaspora experience in France.
All facets of the diaspora are represented;
The French Caraibbean
The French African ( Africans born in France 1st and 2nd generation)
The legal African immigrant
The illegal African immigrant
The Assimilated , the revolutionnary and the frustrated ( not assimilated but not ready for a revolution)are clearly describe through the main characters of the documentary.

Africaincorp: Asian investment in African markets

Having read and ponder over some official report on the trend regarding Asian investment in Africa in the past 10 years, we would like to share some of the highlights of say report.
Asian investment in African markets provide local entrepreneur and businessmen with
external source finance other than the expatriates remittances.
Direct investment through the trade of African securities, purchase of Real estate or joint-venture funnel in needed capital.

The issue of small market size is made irrelevant , whomever is trying to find true solutions, that is serious Businessman trying to build the infrastructures of the future Africa need apply. Intelligent organisations would know how to turn a profit along the way or generate enough revenues as to justify the short-term debt financing.

Africa political instability is a weak excuse as investors,entrepreneurs and businessmen should focus on stable oasis while extending steadily their influence to the least stable markets.
The reports try to highlights strengths and weaknesses to be respectively maintained and reduced to make the economic interests of Asian investors and African countries converge more closely.

Asia markets present and future issues can be identified as labour shortage in manufacturing industries and rising operating costs as well as appreciating currencies( which increases price in dollar of labor for outsourcing companies)

As the economies of the Asian nation grow and create new job opportunities outside of the traditional manufacturing sector, the reason being that the labour force gets more educated and sophisticated and the needs and wants of the industry owners/workers shift.

While Asia would certainly remain an important manufacturing hub for the next decade, Africa can slowly replace Asia at certain stage of the chain production.
Interestingly enough Asia can bring the capital,know-how and technology to make that shift happen, It is all in their interests the same way it has been in the interest of the US and Europe to outsource some aspect of chain of production.

Some relevant Asian economies are Hong Kong,the republic of Korea,Singapore, Taiwan.
Sectors of interest for Asian investors are:Hotel development,air and sea transportation,and banking and finance.
Agriculture,resource extraction,manufacturing(machinery,home appliances,light industry,Textiles)

A challenge to the Asian investor is the ease of finding reasonable partners ( thus the use of accredited lawyers)

Advantage of of Africans markets is obviously a cost-effective and well educated work force as the one found in Ghana,Senegal,Botswana,Namibia,Kenya,Mauritius,Tunisia,Madagascar,Morocco,Rwanda,Uganda and Tanzania.
For example the average trained construction worker in Ghana earns $1 to $ 2 per day.

The door is open,who will come in?

Africaincorp: Sheetah VS Hippos

The TED Global 07 came,stimulated and is gone, but the discussions and inspiration started there must go on.On its stage we have been exposed to some individuals and organisation, already being active stakeholder of the socio-economic future of many African markets.
Their behavior,approach to the obstacles,level of awareness and ambition for themselves and the society around them granted them the moniker "Sheetah". What can observed with them is the total opposite of what the Hippos would show.

Poverty is caused by more than lack of money – it is also the poverty of ideas. Poor Africans live in poor countries where their Political-Industrial_Intellectual_ Artistic-Spiritual_Financial_ leaders betray them and steal all the opportunities and resources. Kenya, which produces no mosquito nets, has a 200% excise duty on imported mosquito nets which makes them unaffordable. The cheapest protection from malaria is out of reach of the majority of Kenyans for no good reason at all.
Natural talent,skills,abilities going unrewarded,underdeveloped and unrecognized. Poverty kills whatever amount of nobility and dignity you may have inside of you, Poverty is the manifestation of the horrible thoughts/emotions running wild in the mind of the poor soul, poverty is the result and the cause of selfish,cruel and severe mental anguish.

Where does wealth come from ? Definition of wealth:riches,means,assets,resources,reserves,holdings,property,capital. So where does wealth come from and how does a society become resourceful because let's be clear , charity to Africa is not the way out of the hole some markets are in ,charity kills the self-esteem of the recipient and annihilate ambition.

To create something out of nothing is an ability to restore in our culture, to know that humans are capable of co-creating their reality ,co-managing the animal kingdom which they can have dominion over based on the set of universal principles and natural laws. This is the first asset to possesses for any society. such society sees the individuals takes on themselves to create a good or service that add plus-value to the everyday process of business/social/cultural life.

Any African nations that are still poor are so because a great percentage of the society seek not to give as much as they seek to take from people's time,wealth,life,ideas,energy or dreams.
Europeans,Americans,Indians,Chinese are not getting rich( certainly not De facto) from Theft,Gossip,Western donations/aid, Madonna/Angelica/ Oprah's generosity. They follow the rules of wealth creation.

At the end of the day nations like England, the USA,Japan,Botswana,Rwanda,Panama, the Dominican Republic,Brazil,Poland,Ireland,Mozambique,Ghana,Sweden,Norway,Namibia,Iceland,Costa rica,Barbados are doing things that nations like Zimbabwe,ivory Coast,Mali,Thad,Cameroon,,Guinea are not doing.

Poverty:indigence,neediness,absence,inferiority,mediocrity,sterility are other words used to describe this sad of affairs.
the average poor person in poor nations usually live in a state of moral and physical indigence, the quality and nature of communication exchanged among individuals point out to issues of self-esteem,trust and absence of belief in a brighter future.
The collective consciousness is crippled by the presence of the biggest Bogeyman of them all, the white-man,the foreigner and themselves.
The truth of the matter is that as long as the forward-thinking , the creative and constructively ambitious individuals do not push with eagerness their agenda, the war-mongers,the tribalists,the witch-craft practitioners are going to impose their morals,values,code of ethic to the societies they live in.
All societies around the world are the battlefield however obvious or hidden it might be of these two groups, and whoever wins the battle drive the nations towards prosperity or death.

In the media: Africa sees a big drop in HIV rates

The HIV-AIDS epidemic shows great signs of slowing in many African Countries, Uganda,Kenya,Zimbabwe,and in Ethiopia,Rwanda,Burundi,Malawi and Zambia.
These nations would join the pool of countries with low HIV-AIDS rate such as Egypt,Senegal,Mali,Tunisia,Morocco,Eritrea,Chad and Niger for a total of 16 countries with rates in the single digit.

Africonference: Madintech June 19-21 2007

"MadinTech is an international industry forum for communication and information technologies (ICT) plus a trade fair to demonstrate company know-how.
By registering to attend this important event, participants will acquire key competitive advantages to win new markets, in particular by:
• Differentiating their products from the competition through a selective and qualitative approach that will establish them at the heart of the global market
• Anticipating demand on their new target markets and having access to qualified business opportunities (niche markets, promising segments, networks of reliable entrepreneurs, viable projects, etc.) NovaTech is not just a forum but also the culmination of a process bringing stakeholders together in which companies and investors get to know each other to create genuine business opportunities"




The conference is taking place in Martinique and should extend the knowledge of the attendees on the needs of the Caribbean market.


Some facts about the industry in Martinique:
450 km of Fiber-optic network
Three land line telephone operator- France telecom( NYSE:FTE,EPA:FTE) Outremer telecom, XTS telecom
Four cellphone operator-Orange,digicel,Only,Mediaserv
80% of population has High-speed internet

Going to Martinique

Some relevant Information:
Chambre de commerce et D'Industrie de martinique
Air France ( NYSE: AKH)
Housing and Lodging
Rent a car

Afriurban sound presents: Magic System featuring Youssoupha

Abidjan-Magic system from Cote d'Ivoire and with Youssopha from Congo-Senegal collaborates on the song " T'endords pas ".

Some facts on Ivory Coast,RDC and Senegal:
Pop-18 million,64 million,12 million
GDP-28 billion,46 billion,20 billion
Afriurban Centers-Yamoussokro,Bouake,San pedro,Abengourou,Bouafle,Gd-bassam,Abidjan,Kinshasa,Lumumbashi,Kisangani,Bukavu,Dakar


Bourse regionale des valeurs mobilieres
Bourse des valeurs mobilieres d'Afrique Centrale
Magic system official webpage
Youssoupha official webpage

Afriurban sound presents: Fally Ipupa feat Krys

Kinshasa-Fally Ipupa teams up with Krys from Martinique to do the remix to the song "Droit Chemin".French Caraibbean meets Congo-Kinshasa.


Some facts on Martinique
Pop-400.000
GDP-7million
Afriurban centers-Fort de France
Afriurban language- Antillean Creole

Visit Martinique

Afriurban sounds presents:Kenyan artist Longombas

Some facts about kenya:
Pop-35 million
GDP-48 billion
Afriurban Centers: Mombasa,Nairobi,Kisumu( Birth place of Barak Obama Sr)
Stock Exchange

Afriurban sound presents: Yizo Yizo's soundtrack

Johanesburg-This song originates from the Soundtrack of the South African TV Series Yizo Yizo that "Contextualize issues face by young contemporary Africans,rape,murder,HIV/AIDS,tribalism, hunger,drugs,prostitution,psychological abuse"
The acknowledgement and use of Afriurban language ,as created and use by youth the continent over, is another interesting aspect of this television masterpiece.

Some facts about South Africa:
Pop- 48 million
GDP-570 billion
Afriurban centers-Pretoria,Cape Town,Durban,Johanesburg,
Afriurban music-Kwaito
Stock market- JSE
Official 2010 World cup site

Afrimedia: Undeground Hip Hop in Dakar Senegal

Afriero presents: Contemporary art

The piece of art is courtesy of

"The brothers Guebehi and Damas who were born in a family that came from Nikede in Krou country in the western part of the Ivory Coast

Emile Guebehi was involved in various manual labor jobs until 1966, before dedicating himself to wood carving, on the advice of a healer in his village. Impressed with his first sculptures, the Ebrie community who populated the lagoon, offered to settle him in the village of Songbo Dagbe, on the road to Abidjan.

Emile Guebehi, then his young brother Nicolas Damas, went to work for the Ebrie community who ordered whole batches of sculptures from them "

See more

This picture is another support to the rhetoric developed about the African understanding of sexuality,erotism and the nude.
Previously...

Afrieros presents: Contemporary art

Kinshasa-
"Moke adopted the conventions of commercial art, boldly outlining his robust figures without concern for likeness or perspective. Instead, he celebrated the painterly aspects of his art, using a rich palette and vividly animated compositions. Unlike Chéri Samba or Cheik Ledy, who were to follow in his footsteps, Moke rarely depicted social conflict. Rather, his sympathetic and vivaciously humorous paintings were grounded in his observation of daily life in Kinshasa: street scenes, bars, the local dandies known as sapeurs, the powerful Miziki (associations of financially independent women), all-night parties, neighborhood disputes, and public ceremonies all found their way into his canvases"
see more

Afriurban sounds presents: Mos Def

Videoclip by US artist Mos Def, who is also a member of the rap duo Blackstar.Mos def also tries his hand at movies among others:Brown Sugar,Bamboozled,The italian job,The Woodsman,16 blocks,and the upcoming Brazilian job .

 Visit his official website

Add him as a friend on Myspace.

Afriurban sound presents:Botswana artist_

Some facts about Botswana :
Pop-1.700.000
GDP-18 billion
Afriurban center-Gaborone
Botswana Stock Exchange

Afriurban sound presents: Past Urban -Ali Farka Toure

Bamako-Great composer with a rich and deep sound, to use his music in today's urban sound will bring that rich soulful sound some of them lack. After all like in all things our richness ca nbe found in our ancient culture.
Collaboration between the new generation and the old guard that is still alive must be encouraged. Youssouph N'dour,Papa Wemba,Koffi Olomide,Manu Dibamgo,Oumou Sangare to name a few must pass on the traditions and allow the new school to see how it fits in their own ways.

Afrimedia: Africa's most valuable asset- Its young leaders

Civ_Maga Telefoot 10-06-07
Uploaded by Gouto

Bouake-The following footage show us that people recognize and aknowledge leadership , we can witness the impact Didier Drogba has on his community.
Young Africans want to identify with the greatness,determination and creativity that characterizes Didier professional life.

Afrimedia: Cote D'Ivoire telecome TV spot

Cote d'ivoire Telecom is the lone Land lines provider of telecommunication in the Ivory Coast.

Afrieros presents: Sensuality and Erotism in the Afriurban context

This post is a continuation of the discourse on Sensuality and Eroticism in a Afriurban context.There is this sense that among some Africans, sexual deviancy or multiple and diverse sexual lifestyles do not exist in our society, at least not before the amoral Europeans came and defiled us.
Other argue and complaint against the overtly sexual nature of our culture notably the choreography of our dances that they say speak for the lustful state of our mind.
This led us to interrogate ourselves about the authentic point of view of the diverse communities of Africa on the issue of human sexuality and their cultural,moral,psychological,social,economical,spiritual,legal construct.

Down below are some excerpts taken from a fellow African blogger discussing the issue:



"Gikuyu man has been taught from childhood to develop the technique of self-control in the matter of sex […] During early childhood parents talk freely to their children explaining all matters connected with sexual taboos”. Pre-initiation masturbation is considered “right and proper”; afterwards, it is said to be abandoned and referred to as a babyish habit. Girls are told it is wrong. Formalised sex instruction is offered to girls in an initiation ceremony including circumcision


"During the irua ceremony, relatives and friends of the novice sing about sexual knowledge and the rules governing social relationships between men and woment..the songs at the mugumo tree impart knowledge about sexuality and how to comport oneself in sexual relationships."

"Sibling marriage play in huts is met with prohibitions referring to the incest taboo . Night time sex instruction (menstruation, interfemoral intercourse, contraception) for girls occurs in the initiation period . Although girls are told to “watch their bodies” and not to lie with their boyfriends, they are actually encouraged to “laugh, be happy, make yourself pleasant! If you withdraw into yourself, you will not get a husband!” Extensive education in sexual mores was given at pubertal rites"

"Thus from an early age both boys and girls are conditioned into their future roles as husbands and wives with their sexual activity taken for granted with the only restriction that it should be carried on discreetly so that the older generation should not notice and of course that unmarried girls should not bear children".

The maji is established in the house of an old married couple of the village and entered after menarche, or even before, no formal sex education takes place. However:

The inhabitants of a maji are free to leave it at night, and not only the young men of the village, but married men also call at the house and frequently invite the young girls to dances (mbina). It is not good form for a man to enter the maji at night, but the evenings are spent in conversation and flirting The maji time, especially during the first few years, is a very happy phase, but sexual intercourse is in no way its sole purpose. In many cases the state of semi-virginity is retained for a long time. The behavior of the girls is not criticized by the community as long as they observe the conventions of their position which demand not chastity but discretion The ideal behavior for a girl while living in the maji is to have a few lovers, so as to gain sufficient experience for a good wife, and to marry at the age of about 18 to 20 years”.

"Before age eleven, restrictions of exogamy are suggested to the girls. The girls learn from the coquetry and customs of more mature girls with whom they sleep. Sexual instruction for girls took place within the swindhe, a form of communal living".

As taken from Myafricasite


As you can see from these excerpts ,there is a clear understanding of sexuality and its force/presence in human life.
Now for the most part a lot of the Dances being commercialized now by Afriurban singers are traditional choreagraphies being taken out of their context ( some wil say ) but none the less very much African in their nature.

Africa is the Future- Theme clothing line

Paris-
Africa is the Future is a theme based clothing line out of France. Nicolas Premier, who came up with the concept while on a flight Kinshasa- Paris, strongly believe in this motto. Much more like the Vote or Die campaign or Product Red campaign, ignited by Sean Combs and Bono to raise awareness on some relevant contemporary issues.He hopes to achieve the same with this theme-clothing line.
The idea is to be able to launch another line called " I told you so"

Afrimedia presents: Future Architect

Afritravel: The Ngurtodo Mountain lodge

Arusha-The Ngurtodo mountain lodge is a Tanzanian establishement that provides paid lodging in the city of Arusha.


The hotel has 139 rooms including: 30 chalets with 60 rooms, 72 rooms in the main building, 7 presidential suites.

Accommodations are :
Spacious and en suite bathrooms
Telephones
Jacuzzis
Mini bar
Satelitte TV
Safe deposit lockers


Culinary taste is satisfied by four restaurants:
Kilimanjaro restaurant
Cane restaurant
BBQ ranch
Rafiki corner


Activities for the guest are:
Health club
2 Tennis court
Swimming pool
Excursions to Arusha national park


Would like to make a reservation ? click here





This establishement was used to host, the wonderfully organized and thought provoking TED Global Africa the next chapter.
relevant sites:
Tanzania tourist board
Air Tanzania

Afriurban sound presents: Lura

Praia-Lura is an artist from Cape Verde. She is the poster child for the type of sound ,churned out of Africa multiple Afriurban centers. Young,energetic,urban,lively and futuristic.


Some facts about Cape Verde and her music:
Pop- 430.000
GDP- 3 billion
Afriurban language- Cape verde Creole

Relevant site:
Official Government of Cape verde

Afrimage of the day: African edition of Vanity Fair

Play pumps International

Keep a Child Alive

are the two sites to visit, if you want to learn more about the iniatives, Jay-z and Alicia keys ,have chosen to promote.

in the media: Global media and entertainment outlook

The company Pricewaterhousecoopers reports on the trend shifting the global media and entertainment industry. What does mean for African consumers,gamers,game developers,entrepreneurs ? What would the rising Internet penetration, declining price of PC's and laptops,more affordable and faster Internet connectivity, expanding middle-class in the booming African markets and large number of African youth more familiar with technology and its advantages than the previous generations ( some still do not know how to work properly a Cassette player)

The global entertainment and media (E&M) industry is now into a solid growth phase and will increase at a 6.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $1.8 trillion in 2010.
Some relevant content distributors in the African E&M sphere are:
Tele3Sud
MTV Africa
Channel O
Trace TV
Africa N*1( radio)
Radio France internationale(radio)
BBC Africa (radio)
Canal Plus Horizon
Afrihit.com
Abidjanshow.com

As you can see the above list does not include movie theater companies,Live performance venue companies or Outdoor activity companies,Video gaming companies, recorded music and sports companies.

The other urgent and important concern is to identify content creators and content providers. Who are the essential production companies and the companies that seek,sort and act as middlemen between the creators and the distributors of content?

in the media :Money flows

BusinessinAfrica a South African online newspaper reads:"

More than two decades after a high-powered coterie of white-collared stock market wizards declared Wall Street the only money market in town, buyouts, takeovers, and activist investing are all the rage again.

It’s the new name of the investment game — an intrepid class of private equity bargain hunters who have grown cash flush in the great American property bubble. Now it’s flowing to a place it has never been before. Africa."

"Analysis of leading blue-chip companies can be just as positive. Take cash flow, for instance. The Nigerian division of MTN is projected this year to pay to the cellphone operator dividends in the region of $800mn."

"When cellular operator Celtel was launched, Kingdom Zephyr ploughed $15mn in pure equity into the budding entity and then pumped an additional $5mn six months before Celtel was sold to the Kuwaitis and Zephyr pulled out. The return on the initial investment was over 2 500 percent"

Afriliterature: The wealth of networks

"Yale law professor Benkler offers a comprehensive catalog of flashpoints in the conflict between old and new information creators. In Benkler's view, the new "networked information economy" allows individuals and groups to be more productive than profit-seeking ventures. New types of collaboration, such as Wikipedia or SETI@Home, "offer defined improvements in autonomy, democratic discourse, cultural creation, and justice"-as long as government regulation aimed at protecting old-school information monoliths (such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act) doesn't succeed. Non-market innovation is a good thing in itself and doesn't even have to threaten entrenched interests, Benkler argues; rather, "social production" can use resources that the industrial information economy leaves behind. Where Benkler excels is in bringing together disparate strands of the new information economy, from the democratization of the newsmedia via blogs to the online effort publicizing weaknesses in Diebold voting machines. Though Benkler doesn't really present any new ideas here, and sometimes draws simplistic distinctions, his defense of the Internet's power to enrich people's lives is often stirring."
By Publisher weekly

Could a focus and well articulated networking ,give leverage to the African online information community ? What is certain is ,that there has been a need for a better approach by the multiple and diverse players. Afrikblog,AfricanPath, Afriville,Africanloft among others are some of the information- aggregating platforms that have emerged on the world wide web. They have mandated themselves to sort,package and disseminate news to the many stakeholders in the future of Africa. They and the cohort of African bloggers are part of the Sheetah generation recreating the manner we discuss,talk and reflect on Africa.

Afriliterature: The African game

The African Game is" a unique vision of the continent as documented by Nigerian photographer and filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu. Punctuated with vivid essays by journalist Knox Robinson, The African Game looks to soccer as a way to explore modern African life, culture, and identity. A compelling, on-the-ground depiction of Africa’s passion for soccer, this book is the first look at the rich sporting culture that has produced some of professional soccer’s biggest and highest-paid stars... the continent’s players emerging as some of the game’s best—as we look to South Africa as the host of the 2010 World Cup. As these pioneers change the way the game is played—and the way we think about the sport itself—The African Game provides crucial back-story and documents the soccer mania that has gripped the entire continent.

Like a film artfully moving through its plot, The African Game follows a narrative of the sport in Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, Angola, Ghana, Tunisia, and Egypt by exploring its resonance at all levels of the culture, from national team sponsorship to the unmistakable street style that Africa’s soccer mania inspires. The African Game mixes classic portraiture and gripping reportage-style photography to frame Africa, its sporting heritage, and its everyday vibrancy in a way that is rarely seen—Africa as it actually exists, not as we imagine it to be. With imagistic essays framed by vital facts and stats about each team, The African Game will not only be an indispensable resource in the months leading up to the 2010 World Cup—it will be an unprecedented document of the sport and its place at the center of African popular culture.

As copied from Amazon


Purchase the book


Relevant sites:
2010 World cup official website
African Football Confederation
African Champions league

Afrimage of the day:African Edition of Vanity Fair

Angel Network

Not on our watch

Are the two sites to visit if you want to learn more about the iniatives managed by Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney.

In the media: Africa Entreprising Google group

The Africa Enterprising group has published some interesting articles via the platform provided by the online media company Africanpath.

The African Entrepring group seeks to publicise African bloggers who focus on Business or Entrepreneurship in the African space.
The Blog Carnival put in place by the group permits the submission of what you feel is an valuable piece of thoughts on Business and Entrepreneurship in Africa.

Another voice,another mind joining the push for better coverage of the happenings in the economic space of Africa.

Africinema presents: This is Nollywood

Lagos-This is Nollywood " tells the story of the Nigerian film industry—a revolution enabling Africans with few resources to tell African stories to African audiences. Despite all odds, Nigerian directors produce between 500 and 1,000 movies a year. The disks sell wildly all over the continent—Nollywood actors have become stars from Ghana to Zambia."

"In Nigeria’s teeming capital of Lagos, we attend an audition where hundreds of hopeful actors vie for their chance in the limelight. We meet some of the industry’s founding fathers who tell us of their responsibility to educate their massive audiences: many of the films deal with AIDS, corruption, women’s rights, and other topics of concern to ordinary Africans. The impetus behind Nollywood is not purely commercial; the traditional role of storytelling is still alive and well — just different"



Some facts about Nigeria and Movie industry:
Pop-134 million
GDP-188 billion
Afriurban centers- Port-Harcourt, Abuja,Lagos ,Jos,Kano,Benin city,Ibadan,
Afriurban language- Nigerian pidgin English
250 million dollar industry
Avg cost of production is 15000
About 300 producers
30 new titles/week to the market
Avg sale is 50.000 copies at a price of $2
Suspected to employ over 200.ooo full-time workers

in the media: Cuisine Africaine

Marcus Samuelson( originally from Ethiopia) is an Restaurateur operating in the United States.
One of his retaurant-venture is located in New York City, The Riingo is a must-go-to for the wandering a traveler that happens to be in New York City.

The Food&service industry ,which is estimated to be a 400 billion dollar industry in the states, should look to be further structured and funded in the African markets.
We already see some development with
-Food technology




relevant links:
Meals by Genet
Aquavit
Ethiopian Cuisine
Ethiopian restaurant listing ( would be interesting to know their combined economic weight)

African clothing brands attempt to penetrate the US market

Annansiblog:
"Though Magic is primarily organized as a meeting place for apparel companies and buyers, it has become a place for everyone to flex their brand muscle and get attention by outdoing each other. "
The idea that African brands whether based on the continent or abroad would not hesitate to come prepared to compete for accounts with the best of them is a refreshing one.

Read more

Afriurban sound presents: Ritchie and habib

Some facts regarding Kenya
Pop- 35 million
GDP-48 billion
Main Urban Centers-Mombasa,Nairobi,Kisumu
Afriurban language-Sheng

Going to Tanzania

Some Quick facts:
Population-38 millions
GDP-27 billions
One stock Exchange
Host to the first TED Global event hosted in Africa.

Relevant sites:
Dar Es Salaam Stock Exchange

In the media: Elephant Man,Shaggy and Mr Vegas in Ghana

The site Africahit reports that three Jamaican performers,Elephant Man,Shaggy and Mr Vegas will be performing in Ghana two months from now.
This is can turn out to be great news for the fans,the local producers,musicians,journalists,choreographers,composers and song writers.The only concern would be how well prepared are our local industry players to network with these international staffs coming from the United States,the U.K,France,Jamaica,Martinique to perform in our markets.The Entertainement marketers,lawyers,journalists as well as the record label owners and the copyright bureau ,must all participate in the dialogue with this international players so that the industry as a whole benefits.
The most active markets in the past three years , have been Angola,South Africa,Nigeria,Ghana,and Ivory Coast.
The heavyweights of Afriurban music such as Jay-z,Missy Elliot,Sean Paul,Beyonce,Ashanti,Ja Rule,K'naan,Singuila,Fat Joe,Snoop Dog,Kassav,Youssouf N'dour,Kaysha,113 clan,Booba,Diam's have all graced the stage and earned revenues in markets in Abidjan,Nairobi Abuja,Kampala,Durban,Maputo,Luanda and Lagos.
Many things have to be drawn from this trend in the African music industry:
One- the African public is eager to see more international stars
Two- the African public is willing to pay to have chance to experience great live performances
Three- The African public deserves a even more robust& active concert scene,Afriurban artists from all horizon have to be promoted and booked on all major routes.


It is about time for the promoters or a promotion company to put the board up and map out a strategy that would permit not only the coming on a regular basis of international European &US based Afriurban acts,but also the correct promotion and touring of all major Afriurban acts throughout the African markets.
While Hip Hop,Reggae, and Zouk all benefit from international platforms to be heard and promoted as a lifestyle to the consumers, continental Afriurban sounds such as Kwaito,Kuduru,Coupe Decale,Hip-life, Bongo flava do not get to have a powerful (in) formal network of critics,disseminators and taste-makers that cover the totality of markets.
A lot of the New sounds are regional sounds tat cater to a specific regional taste. There are no collaboration or mix that allow to break the musical taste barrier between region.
The example of the hip-hop scene in the US is a good marketing example to follow, while the sound are region-specific, artists are allowed to cross-over on the national level through the right promotion,collaboration and creativity.
the artists are able to retain their originality( which is their leverage) but adapt enough to appeal to the broader market.


Check out some Videos by the three Jamaican artists :

Africonference: Dar-es Salaaam international trade fair

Dar es Salaam-The city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania is hosting an international trafe fair from the 28th of June to July 8th.

Agricultural products - Food and beverages
Textiles,garment and Yarns
Manufactured products
Information and communication technology
Construction materials
Automobiles
Electrical goods and aplliances
Farm implements
Chemicals and cosmetics
Timber and furniture
Computer software
Machinery
Engineering products
Gift articles and handicrafts
Agricultural products - Food and Beverages.

Visitors to the fair tend to be :
Wholesalers
Importers
Traders
Agents
Business executives
Entrepreneurs
General public
Last year attendance by the the public was close to 500.000


Relevant sites:
TED Global 07, Africa The Next Chapter
World Trade Organization
UN statistics division
Southern African Development Community

Fair Trade Labeling Organization
Board of external Trade

Tourism in Tanzania

Afrimage:Andrew Dosunmu-Photographer

(Picture from his book African Game)

Andrew Dosunmu currently lives and works in New York. Raised and educated in Nigeria, Dosunmu began his career as a design assistant at the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent. He has subsequently worked as a creative director and fashion photographer whose images have appeared in a variety of international magazines. Besides a flourishing career in photography, Dosunmu is also active in film and television. His award-winning documentary Hot Irons (1999) showcases the artistry of some of Detriots finest African-American hairstylists as they prepare for the annual “Hair Wars” competition.In South Africa, Dosunmu has directed episodes of the widely acclaimed television series “Yizo, Yizo” which dramatizes the policy debates around education in post- apartheid South Africa through a frank presentation of the social crises and conflicts at a Johannesburg high school. Dosunmu has also served as creative director for album covers (for such artists as Erykah Badu and Public Enemy), and directed music videos, including his first for Issac Hayes in 1996 and others for Angie Stone, Common, Wyclef Jean, Kelis, Aaron Neville, Maxwell and Tracy Chapman. Dosunmu has recently been selected to participate in the photography exhibition “Snap Judgements: New Positions in Contemporary Photography” at the International Center of Photography.






Relevant sites:
international center of photography

Afrimedia: Africa's most valuable asset

Africa's youth is the most valuable resource our economic markets have.The youth becomes even more valuable once their ideas,creativity and vision for themselves and nation are let loose.
To allow them to manifest their charm,charisma,wit and love for their country and fellow countrymen is the key for a continent looking to exert strength,determination,stamina and the right to dream.
The ongoing Ted Global conference in Arusha Tanzania that is parallel to the G8 summit in Germany,ought to apply African solutions worth spreading to the African problems.
Let's hope than the cluster of Entrepreneurs,Bloggers,Business people,Influencers,Communicators,Investors would open wide the doors of possibilities , where all that is asked from the young & bright is to dare to dream and perseveringly apply themselves.

Relevant sites:
Ted Africa the next Chapter
Ted Organisation on Youtube

in the media : Charles Taylor trial

The following site" will provide news and expert analysis—updated daily—throughout the trial of Charles Taylor. It is intended as a knowledge resource for all those interested in the trial, with a particular emphasis on reaching West African audiences. The site is a joint project of the Open Society Institute, Open Society Justice Initiative and International Senior Lawyers Project (for more about these organizations, please go to the Who We Are page). Our correspondents are international justice experts who will file daily blog reports directly from the courtroom. Their blog entries will be supplemented by weekly reports, analysis and essays on topics central to the trial."


As identification and fulfilment of business opportunities would greatly helped African market , more over Law and Order are the other components to ensure the proper environment for faster growth.

Our opinion is that while a great action, we hope the author of this blog create( or inspire) spin-offs that would cover the war criminals in Sudan,Rwanda,Congo,Sierra-Leone,Ivory Coast. To generate documentation such as Videos,Podcasts,texts,analysis is very important not only for improved public awareness on the issues of war crimes and their impact on the socio-economic wellbeing and potential of Africa.
Our collective memory must be filled with the causes,reactions,consequences of our contemporary leaders so that we learned from our past wrong/right doings and move on forward.

Afribusiness: Fashion brand-Sandstorm

Nairobi-Quality handbags from Kenya:
"the finest materials are used to make Sandstorm bags and accessories: from the specially tanned camel and cowhide, to the safari-grade 100% cotton canvas and solid brass fittings. The Sandstorm collection brings these materials together to deliver a striking combination of luxury, style and durability"

With locations in The United States,the United Kingdom, Czech Republic,Germany,Ireland and the Netherlands,we can surely say that this company is positioning itself to become a relevant global player. For the shopper in Abidjan,Abuja,Kampala,Nairobi,Kigali,Casablanca or Windhoek, they would to have to wait for the fashion house to decide on the profitability of a Pan-African expansion
Would such expansion be done by means of franchising,licensing or retailing would likely affect the experience of the customers in these markets.
Another question that comes to mind is to know the goals of the company , would they remain a handbag maker or are they going to venture in productions closely related to the businessman/traveler lifestyle ?
Are they also considering moving down or up the chain of production and acquire other fashion labels or retailers/distributors in the African market and thus open the door to becoming an influencer/decider of the fashion and retail business in key African markets ?

Africinema presents: Ezra

The movie won Best African movie of the year at the Fespaco festival.The director ,Newtown Aduaka, happens also to be one of the panelists at the TED GlOBAl Africa the next chapter, taking place in Arusha Tanzania.

As soon as we have a date for an international DVD Release we'll let you know.

Economic anthropology

Human economic behaviors are a very fascinating to observe, since they tremendously affect the course any given society might take. African sociologist,policy-makers,journalists,investors,business owners,bankers,techies,public sector managers and the likes ought to do some more data mining and vocalize the patterns ,both positive and negative, that are to be drawn from those data.
A closer look at the paradoxical duality of non-sense and efficiency,corruption and innovation that can be observed in the African market, one can only wonder at what and who is driving such anarchy and chaos.
Is the path taken the wisest, the less costly in terms of time,labour,capital and people ? Who cares about that and why or why not ?
Are we as individuals or a collectivity aware of the costs and benefits associated to each and every socio-economic decisions we make on a daily basis ? Do we see the immediate and long -term effects our decisions may have ? Do we understand the domino effect that culture,policies, the economic environment have on one another?

These questions and much more are given to the reader who is the only one with an answer. The goals of true academia should be to force cognition and reflexion and not pure absorption.
Read the book ,go look at African markets with new eyes and make up your own mind.


Get the book:
@ Amazon
@ Barnes and Nobles

Synopsis as read on the Barnes and Nobles
Economic anthropology is defined as the description and analysis of economic life using an anthropological perspective. Anthropologists from the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia offer guidance to working in the field for readers who have not encountered it before, or who indeed may know little about anthropology itself. Within sections on orientations, elements, circulation, integrations, issues, and region, they consider such topics as anthropology, political economy, and the world-system theory; one anthropologist's view of money; one-way economic transfers; economies of ethnicity; households and their markets in the Andes; the uneasy relationship between anthropology and development; and post-socialist societies.