BellaNaija reports on Pop’Africana:
Pop’Africana is a collaborative effort which aims to re-introduce
and re-define all aspects of “Art Africano” . Not only will the magazine
aim to re-educate the globe on African ideas of style and individualism it
also aims to serve as a robust, visual guide for understanding the
“Africano pshyce” from an all inclusive perspective...[continue...
"Acting local thinking globally. We believe that the medium of animation lends itself well to unlocking fresh and uniquely African creativity, allowing African stories to be told in a manner that appeals to a global audiences but is nuanced by the experiences of the continent." from the website of the animation house,...
Make Magazine's Tim Anderson takes us through the fabrication of a Swahili Bed:
In most houses you find only one type of furniture:the Swahili Bed,Its used as a couch,bed table an everything else.It's comfortable and perfect for the hot,humid climate.And it's quite similar to the Shaker bed once used in the United States...
Making the Bed:
It takes at least two people to weave a bed both to get...
Founded by Claude Grunitzky TRACE Magazine focuses on 'transcultural styles + ideas'.‘Transculturalism’ is a term which Claude uses to describe the increasing prevalence of individuals who “transcend their initial culture, in order to explore, examine and infiltrate foreign cultures”-Wikipedia
Claude Grunitzky photo courtesy of the...
Founded by Nkhensani Nkhosi, Stoned Cherrie's vision is to become a premier African brand pioneering cultural revolution in Africa. The brand was started in an effort to represent afro-urban culture by creating a platform for self expression-company...
The founder of Amosu Luxury-Alexander Amosu, talks about their jeweled mobile phone line:
“to have an exclusive phone that cost more than anyone else’s is like owning a Bentley as opposed to a Ford. The type of phone you own speaks volumes about your lifestyle and ambition. That’s why celebrities, footballers, actors and millionaires come to me for their phones”.
via Powerful...
In an interview with EgoDesign Serge Mouangue discusses his design philosophy and latest project - Nuvu:
NuVu is a concept car, designed for Nissan and showcased in (October) the 2008 Paris Motorshow. It’s an eco friendly vision for the future of urban transportation. Wafrica is a more personal experience, exploring issues of cultural identity, transforming timeless icons and values. I have...
Spectrum Women profiles Aschobi Designs:
"...Aschobi Designs is a dualistic fashion company in post independence Africa catering to the fashion identity of the global man and woman living in Freetown or Paris a l’ancienne colonie au metropole...Started by Adama Kargbo who is a 24yr old Sierra Leonean-American recent graduate of Parsons School of Design (Paris, France). She has recently returned...
Nyakio Kamoche Grieco founder of Nyakio covered earlier launches Safi her perfume line. In an interview with LadyBrille she states:
Safi carries base notes that represent Africa including bamboo, papyrus, and muhuhu wood. At the heart you find fresh cut freesia, stargazer lily, and neroli (orange blossom), and at the top rests fresh pineapple, black currant and fresh lychee, notes that I've...
Academy Press a printing pioneer, started "...with four-unit Web-offset presses..." the company has since grown to include subsidiaries such as West African book publishers, Lithotec,Academy Press Business Forms.Their product range includes:
-Periodicals
-Unit Set Forms
-Instructional...
Corine Hazoume is the founder of the porcelain and ceramic manufacturer Cera Afrique,
which is described as a "...A laboratory of creation and design which defines new lines of creativity, directs trends..."In an interview with 100% culture(Fr) she stated:
Only work generates wealth. The use of our materials and science can help us to free ourselves from dependency...foster boundless...
Fusion Capital offers SME focused financial solutions.
Derrick Ashong launches Ashong Ventures.
The Economist applauds Endeavor's success in spreading the gospel of entrepreneurship.
CopperNet leads in the provision of information technology services.
Founded by Baba Jibrin Adamu, Inetworks Canada believes strongly in the provision of low-cost communications and...
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That Dam, originally uploaded by c_p_lew. I rode my bicycle past That Dam, which is the downtown area. Before the war between Laos and Siam in 1828, local legend says that the stupa was covered with gold. They call it the "Black Stupa", well both because of the color and in memory of the pillaging of Vientiane. There's another legend in the Lonely Planet guide - the stupa houses a seven-headed naga which protected people during the sacking of Vientiane. It takes on a different appearance during the rainy season, more like the green stupa. Wat Pra Keo, originally uploaded by c_p_lew. This is once Wat Pra Keo, because it once housed the famous Emerald Buddha. The temple was originally built in 1565 under King Setthathirat when he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane....
Storm Media Group founded by Obi Asika is a multimedia,film production and broadcast facilitation company. The groups components include:
-StormInteractive
-IBST Media
-Storm Records
Read related LadyBrille interview with Obi Asika...
Marissa Fick Jordan discusses Wire Weavers at......
A few days ago, I wrote about people bathing and draping garments on water buffalo in the parking lot of a temple. So I asked my staff about this practice because I had never seen this in Lao. It's a unique Thai custom - these buffalo were saved from a truck taking them to a slaughterhouse. People donate money to buy the buffalo's freedom (well, reimburse the organization that's saving the buffalo so they can continue to do this). Many temples have vendors who have captured birds, and people can buy the freedom and make merit from this act, so this is kinda the same thing but the animal is larger.At the end of the time period, the buffalo are given to a local buffalo bank and distributed to poor farmers who don't have water buffalo (and probably have to rent a buffalo at high fees for...
Variety reports on Focus Features Africa First Program which:
Will award 5 African filmmakers $10,000 in financing for post or production work on a narrative short that makes use of local African film industry resources. Filmmakers selected for the grants will retain the copyrights to their projects as well as artistic, budgetary and editorial control with support from a team at Focus.
via...
Ft gives an overview on the"rapid growth of private equity" in Africa. via Africaincorp
Ladybrille covers Nollywood and more in their latest issue.
Nubian Cheetah takes a look at ExZeed a BPO provider
African Architecture & Design highlights the bamboo construction...
Rob Katz at Next Billion highlights a provocative take on how Appropriate Technology is derived :Sriram Thodla is a dual-degree student at the Institute of Design // Indian Institute of Technology. When not studying for his Masters in Design or MBA, he writes a great blog appropriately titled Musings About Innovation and Design. A recent post argues that design FOR the base of the pyramid is...
AfroCoffee "...started out as a café in downtown Cape Town,” said founder Grant Rushmere. “Our concept was to harness a Pan African view of contemporary urban Africa. The pop art nature of African design inspired us to create our own brand of coffee instead of the usual Italian coffee that most cafes use. Our goal was to refocus people to the origins of coffee – that it in fact originated in...
In an Afromusing interview Dan of Just A Band said that:
Kenyanimation isn’t actually a Just A Band project, but I work as an animator, and I put up my JAB animation projects there. That blog was set up to bring together animators and animation fans who are from/work in Kenya, just to show people that there actually is such a thing as Kenyan animation, and hopefully be a launching point for...
Business Daily reports on the appearance of video halls that cater largely to the Nollywood Film audience and asks the question, can they be monetized and formalized?
“Every African country has the equivalent of a pirate cinema audience that runs into the thousands....The challenge for film-makers, distributors and exhibitors is how to turn this grey market into one that functions at a price...
"...OnDBox founded by Leke Aderohunmu offers IP based broadcast services through digital decoder boxes, mobile devices and PCs...Subscribers have access to on-Demand TV and radio broadcast. OnDBox offers free to view TV channels and radio from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the USA. The content includes entertainment, news, financial information, TV shop...
The West African Fashion industry continues to broaden,"...Barcelagos Clothing Co. is a Nigerian t-shirt company whose aim is to bring identity to the millions of Nigerian youths living abroad. Through our culturally-specific t-shirts we connect young Nigerians to home and give them a sense of belonging by allowing them, wherever in the world they may be to express themselves with pride Our...
Founded by Youssou N'Dour, Birima "...helps the people of Senegal start their own businesses and develop small enterprises. It supports emerging artists and musicians, too. It is open to all, particularly women and young people, and it lends both to individuals and groups. Birima works with its clients, giving them the support they need to achieve business...
Emmanuel Magani and Debola Omololu are the founders of Debonair Publishing and online bookstore ,a first for Nigeria."...A fully integrated online bookstore.It became the first bookstore to enable online payments in Nigeria via the interswitch platform...its vision is to raise business leaders and stimulate the birth of business ideas across Africa via the books being sold...",Emmanuel...
This is just something cute I noticed today. The people who take care of this spirit house made a small ladder so the spirits can climb in and out of the shrine easily. I always assumed that spirits could float or fly - then again, maybe the people have been feeding them well enough that they've put on a few ghostly...
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Maisha Film Lab founded by Mira Nair:
Provides new screenwriters and film directors from East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) with access to the professional training and production resources necessary to articulate their visions. Maisha aims to preserve, cultivate and unleash local voices from these regions, and to become...
Andandoo's aim is to cover "creativity, culture and entrepreneurship over Africa...become an interface between the two african blogospheres (the east-african english-speaking and the west-african french-speaking ones) so that french-speaking-only readers may have access to the amazing content and debates coming from the other side of the continent."
via...