Promise Okekwe|Author and Publisher

2004 Creative Economy finalist,Ogochukwu Promise Okekwe founder of the Lumina Foundation as she was highlighted in Online Nigeria:

Okekwe has set out to illuminate the literary world with her books. Already, she has written 16 published novels, seven collection of poems, two plays, and five literature books. Many literary icons who have assessed her works have acknowledged her prowess as a writer. Based on the quality of her writings, she had won several other awards before she emerged winner of the Pat Utomi book prize. In 1999, Okekwe won the ANA/Cadbury prize for poetry. The winning entry was her collection titled My Mother's Eyes Speak Volumes. Also in the same year, she won the ANA/Spectrum Prize for Prose with her novel, Surveyor of Dreams.

Fight poverty with wealth creation, not charity-John Kufuor

In CNN:

According to Kufuor, encouraging the private sector has been key to fighting poverty in Ghana. "We fight poverty with wealth creation, otherwise it's charity, and that's not what we came into government for," he said.

Music from Siji, Ijo

NaijaJams highlights the music of Siji:

His videos are visual feasts and Ijo is no different. Shot in Lagos, the video is staged as an open audition with dancers putting forth their best moves forward.

SIJI - 'Ijo'(Official Video) from SIJI on Vimeo.

Openwatch for Counter-Surveillance

OpenWatch is a global participatory counter-surveillance project which uses cellular phones as a way of monitoring authority figures...The surveillance state has arrived and it is here to stay. The benefit to society in terms of security and justice is too great for it to ever go away. There is a problem, however, and the problem is not the technology. The problem is the lopsided distribution of who is in control of that technology. Surveillance technology is currently only in the hands of those who are already in power, which means it cannot be used to combat the largest problem facing modern society: abuse of power.

About the OpenWatch Project from OpenWatch on Vimeo.

Africa 2.0?

Tolu Ogunlesi in 3QuarksDaily:

...in the emerging Africa it is harder for the government to carry on as though the people didn’t exist, or as though they existed to be deceived, because the citizens are losing the fear that once held them down. And then again, yes, people do get sick and tired of suffering, and less and less patient with lying, thieving, murderous tyrants.The term “Africa 2.0” has been used to describe this new face of Africa. In my mind I see Africa 2.0 as a giant construction site. So much is going on simultaneously: sketching, assembling, pulling down, and dredging; and arguments and debates, some threatening to turn violent. Architectural plans are emerging and disappearing and changing as construction is going on, and accidents happen every now and then.

More here

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The Music of Kele

The Creators Project presents Kele Okereke "best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party"-Wikipedia

Fred McBagonluri | Scientist and Novelist

Image Nations highlights the work of Fred McBagonluri:

...co-inventor for three issued US patents,a Sloan Fellow and a novelist. He has two published novels and a memoir to his credit, with a fourth one due in December, ceteris paribus.

More here

Fran Osseo-Asare on African Cuisine

Fran Osseo-Asare, founder of Betumi and the African Cookbook project, discusses the importance of food as a way to cultural barriers. Fran reminds us of the relationship between national power, racism and cuisine.

For Egypt, Investing not Spending

In Huffington Post, John Sullivan on investing in a democratic, market-oriented Egypt:

If Egyptians can think of this…as an investment and use this time to liberate the forces of entrepreneurship, bring in the informal sector, encourage the dynamism of Egypt’s small- and medium-sized companies, and most importantly, to immediately launch skills training programs and a reform of the education system, Egypt stands a very good chance of overcoming many of the issues and barriers that kept it from becoming one of the large, emerging markets along the lines of Brazil or India.

More here
via CIPE

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Koto Bolofo | Photographer

In Design Indaba:

courtesy of liquid lingo

Koto Bolofo has published three books: Racing Style  Sibusiso Mbhele and his Fish Helicopter and Venus Williams...Along with his short films, Koto Bolofo has shot for Vogue Italia, Vogue Nippon, L’Uomo Vogue, Russian Vogue, Italian Marieclaire, British GQ, Italian Vanity Fair, L’Officiel and many others. His advertising clients include Hermes, Banana Republic, Faconnable, Burberry, Levi’s, Alberta Ferretti, Dom Perignon, Keratese and Avon...[continue reading]

Watch related video here

The other half of the Sudan story

Tendai Marima witing in Al Jazeera:

Between 19 and 21 May, the northern Sudanese Armed Forces annexed the southern border town of Abyei. Next in Omar al-Bashir's violent re-mapping of Sudan's savannah belt of the 1956 borders, is the Blue Nile and South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains.According to the boundaries drawn up in 1956, shortly before Sudan gained independence from the British, these three areas "belong" to the north. However, these borders have always been contested, and the most recent territorial resolution, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005, states that Abyei, Blue Nile and South Kordofan can choose via referendum or popular consultation whether they want to be part of north or south Sudan.Effectively dishonouring the agreement, al-Bashir appears determined to repossess the unresolved territories in a bid to preserve the political power, economy and national pride of north Sudan. In resource terms the gains would mean more water, fertile land and oil - it's been dubbed "oil-rich Abyei" despite the facts - contrary to sloppy media claims, the town is not "oil-rich", but the outlying areas and South Kordofan are...[continue reading]

Related articles

• Sudan: Border fighting could unravel the peace process| Peter Moszynski (guardian.co.uk)
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African problems best solved by Africa

In Business Live, Alison Evans of Overseas Development Institute:

"The most transformative and sustainable developments have occurred when the commitment to change has come from African countries and communities...This has happened in a number of ways, from the quality of political and technical leadership, to the quality and quantity of financing to specific innovations in delivery,"

More here

Stories of Timbuktu-'Abdallahi'

In Bombastic Elements:

Skip through preview pages of part 1 and 2 of Abdallahi, Jean-Denis Pendanx and Christophe Dabitch 2006-7 graphic novels (Futuropolis). They pull from the diaries of René Caillé, claimed to be the first European to enter "mythical city" of Timbuktu (which was off limits to whites) and to come out alive. He then made the 4500 miles journey on foot from Senegal to Tangier...[continue reading]

DIY U: The Future Of Learning

In Fast Company Anya Kamenetz contends that "The future of learning is open--and it's in your hands":

Remaking Lagos

Time reports on efforts to turn around the bustling metropolis of Lagos:

Image of Lagos via Wikipedia

For Babatunde Fashola (Governor of Lagos state), the law is key. The changes he is overseeing improve infrastructure, create jobs, make money, even build him a soaring political career. But ultimately, the aim is to end the anarchy, he says. A city that does not function "creates desperate conditions for people and reduces their ability to resist temptation." Lapses can be minor, like driving on sidewalks or into oncoming traffic, or major, like violent crime. Fashola sees both as symptoms of Lagos' dysfunction, and he is tackling them by, in one approach, setting up a series of driver-improvement schools as well as, in another tack, employing area boys as cleaners and gardeners to beautify their neighborhoods. It's working. Orderly lanes are becoming the norm on the roads. And crime is down. From 2007 to 2008, armed robberies in Lagos fell 89%. From 2008 to 2009, car theft fell 54%. And murder more than halved, from 221 cases in 2007 to 94 in 2010. This rising sense of citizenship is revealing itself in another surprising way. Astonished then delighted by the transformation their new governor was effecting, Lagosians were happy to pay for it. By 2010 the governor was raising 70% of the state's income locally from taxes. By diminishing the importance of oil money handed out by the federal government and raising the role of local tax, Fashola has reconnected the state to its people. He takes that as a stamp of approval for his efforts to reverse lawlessness in government as well as across the city. "The capacity of a government to attract taxes is a very strong measure of its legitimacy,"

More here

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Reviving Crafts in Cairo's Al-Darb-al-Ahmar

Cairo's Makers, in Bombastic Elements:

Oliver Wilkins documentary looks at Al-Darb-al-Ahmar, a district in Cairo where in the past highly skilled artisans plied their trade creating some of the world's most beautiful Islamic architecture...[continue reading]

A Need for Entrepreneurship Education Centers?

Not quite sure that entrepreneurship can be taught,perhaps it can be better positioned as a viable alternative.Actually we need more hacker type spaces.But in the words of Elizabeth Dwomo-Fokuo of Kumasi Polytechnic:

"There is no regional centre of higher learning in entrepreneurship despite the wave of entrepreneurial revolution in the world, Mrs Fokuo-Dwomo said in a paper she presented on "Strengthening the Space of higher Education in Africa - Towards the Creation of Regional Centre of excellence in Entrepreneurship."Mrs Dwumo-Fokuo, therefore, recommended that African Institutions of Higher Education should pool resources to establish an African Entrepreneurship Centre mandated to raise experts in entrepreneurship education, raise successful entrepreneurs and increase innovation.She also called for a stimulated culture of entrepreneurship among the various faculties and students, the contribution to intellectual capital which covered research, patents, graduation of projects and technological inventions.

More here

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Mass Transit without Massive Government Spending.

G. Pascal Zachary writing in Reason:

Lagos Bus Transit System  courtesy of Wikipedia

Once overwhelmingly rural, Africa is urbanizing at a faster rate than any other region on the planet. With the world’s lowest rates of automobile ownership, urban Africans also have the world’s greatest demand for mass transit. And they are meeting their own needs with enterprise and creativity, largely fueled by private resources. The successes of the continent’s ad hoc urban transit systems are partly due to government neglect. Unable to keep pace with growth, governments are simply staying out of the way and letting private operators assemble inexpensive networks of buses and taxis that can adapt quickly to shifting consumer needs.

More here

Diaspora, faith, and science

In Africa Affairs a Ellen E. Foley and Cheikh Anta Babou paper on the Building of a Mouride hospital in Senegal:

courtesy of ajayiandellen

it examines a development initiative spearheaded by the members of a transnational diaspora – the creation of a medical hospital in the holy city of Touba in central Senegal. Although the construction of the hospital is decidedly a philanthropic project, Hôpital Matlaboul Fawzaini is better understood as part of the larger place-making project of the Muridiyya and the pursuit of symbolic capital by a particular Mouride dahira. The dahira's project illuminates important processes of forging global connections and transnational localities, and underscores the importance of understanding the complex motivations behind diaspora development.

Dangers of Commodity Dependency-Trouble in Botswana

Why didnt they diversify? Or did they? The Economist reports:

Botswana is facing change. Its diamond bonanza, which accounts for nearly half the government’s revenue and over a third of its GDP, will not last much longer. Production has peaked and deposits may be exhausted by 2030. Growth has been slowing from an average annual rate of 13% in the first five years after independence to 5% in 2000-05 and 3% since then, including a 5% contraction in 2009-10. Last year it bounced back to 7% and is expected to remain at about that level for the next two years. But the government may not be able to keep spending at its present level of 40% of GDP.
For the first time since independence, the budget is in deficit. The World Bank has urged the government to slash its bloated public workforce by a quarter. But Mr Khama is resisting. With an official jobless rate of 17% (and a real one probably closer to 30%), he says he is loth to turf more people out of jobs. But neither, he insists, can Botswana go on living beyond its means.

More here

Mustapha Abdul Dayem-Activist

Freedom to Create profile of Sahrawi activist Mustapha Abdul Dayem:

‘I Want a Dawn!’ is Mustapha's first published collection of short stories and writings, published during his three year imprisonment on charges of offending the Moroccan flag. A secondary school supervisor by profession, Mustapha's writing has been largely banned in Western Saharan territory since 2005, following his open support of the right of Saharawis to demonstrate and oppose the Moroccan occupation.
50,000 copies of ‘I Want a Dawn!’ were published by the Ministry of Culture of the Saharawi government-in-exile, and sold to refugees in various camps. Mustapha remains in prison and is a popular figure in civil society. His short stories are often read in public at cultural events.

FAIR - Forum for African Investigative Reporters

The mission of Forum for African Investigative Reporters:

...is to enhance, deepen and build investigative journalism as a profession throughout the continent. FAIR was established in May 2003 by 15 investigative journalists from six African countries on the basis of the awareness that, firstly, investigative journalists have a vital role to play to enhance the African public's right to information about all matters of social development and social justice; and, secondly, that African investigative journalists at present face many obstacles, ranging from lack of encouragement and low pay to life-threatening situations. FAIR was established to help investigative journalists help and support eachother in order to overcome these obstacles.

The Mire Sisters- A Doctor and Archeologist

CNN reports on:

Sada and Sohur Mire and how their past life in Somalia influenced their choices to become doctors and archaeologists.

‘Cure’ by Kuku

In Afrolicious:

Meet KUKU a Nigerian musician on a mission of peace. His appropriately titled album ‘Soldier of Peace‘ comes out soon, but until then, his single ‘Cure‘ will keep us longing for more.

DRC and the Rhetoric of Despair

In Think Africa Sarah Collier writes:

The image of the Democratic Republic of Congo dominating the media is that of “the heart of darkness and the ultimate failed state”. The DRC conjures up images of strife, corruption, rape, ethnic hatred, meaningless war, an absence of justice, rule of law, and authority. Academics have also perpetuated this picture of the Congo as the paradigm of a “failed state”. Jeffrey Herbst, a major academic writer on Africa argued that “there is no Congo,” while Richard Dowden of the Royal African Society described the state as “a Congo-shaped hole in the map”. Within the label of a “failed” state, a frequently unexamined assumption is that selfishness and anarchy will reign. The DRC has attracted many other labels including “shadow state”, “pariah state”, “parastate”, “collapsed state”, “stateless state” and even “vampire state”...[continue reading]

How France Lost Africa to the U.S.

G. Pascal Zachary in the Atlantic:

In the scandalous case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the French IMF chief currently held in New York facing attempted rape charges, the powerful issues of race and gender easily overwhelm one curious geopolitical detail: what's a woman from a French-speaking, former French colony in West Africa doing in the U.S. in the first place? In this case, she is from Guinea, but she could just as likely be from Senegal, Cameroon, Rwanda, Gabon, or Benin -- all Francophone countries that once sent their most ambitious immigrants almost exclusively to France. Now these and other French-speaking African countries experience a steady outflow people to the U.S.The presence of a growing number of French-speaking Africans reflects a monumental shift in the relationship of sub-Saharan Africa to France and to the U.S. The shift has been years in the making, and its still-unfolding consequences are dimly appreciated.

More here

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Why Can't We by ASA

Asa's Why Can't We:

Cozying up to the Dictator of Equatorial Guinea

In the NYTimes:

While the United States has turned its back on some authoritarian rulers in North Africa and the Middle East, its attitude toward strategically placed autocrats in less restive corners of Africa is more ambiguous, and perhaps nowhere more so than in this oil-rich speck of a nation in the Gulf of Guinea...Officially and unofficially, Americans do business with one of the undisputed human rights global bad boys, Equatorial Guinea, Africa’s fourth biggest oil exporter. Its widely criticized record on basic freedoms has offered little barrier to broad engagement by the United States, commercially or diplomatically.

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Nigeria's challenge-Is there anything to celebrate?

The Economist on what awaits Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the re-elected president:

The problem is not simply one of embezzlement and bribery. The entire state machinery exists to siphon off cash. Many functions of government have been adapted for personal gain. It starts at the frontier. Access to the fast-track channel at Lagos airport can be bought from touts for $10. Border guards in cahoots with them work extra slowly to make this option more attractive.A universe of red tape engulfs the economy. In a survey by the International Finance Corporation, Nigeria ranks 178th out of 183 countries when it comes to transferring property. In some Nigerian states, governors must personally sign off on every property sale; many demand a fee.Senseless restrictions and arcane procedures abound. Procter & Gamble had to shelve a $120m investment in a factory to make bathroom products because it could not import certain types of specialist paper. An American airline waited a year for officials to sign off on an already agreed route from Atlanta to Lagos.

More here

The Other Africa

Image of Marie Georgina courtesy of The Other Africa

"...The Other Africa is a photographic project started in 2005. It is a visual document studying the emergence of a middle class on the continent. The exhibition set of images is made up of portraits of African professionals, images of African cities at night and portraits of radio DJs..."

Street Life in Lagos

From Aljazeera:

Courtesy of Al Jazeera watch video here

Lagos, Nigeria's financial capital, is one of the fastest growing megacities on earth. Every day thousands of people arrive in the biggest city in Africa to start a new life and forge a new, better future. Many come from outside Nigeria.Jean and Christian, both teachers, are from Benin. They came to Lagos to seek their fortunes and live and work in one of the most famous slums in Africa, Makoko. Here they take us on a journey of their adopted city, showing us the spirit of enterprise and survival that its residents need to make a living...