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...
Franco Sacchi at TED leads us through the Nigerian film industry with his documentary "This is......
"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,...
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...
Sarnissa's fish farming links.
The breadth of cottage industry innovation in Kenya.
Ladybrille sponsors the "Through the Glass" movie.
Empretec profiles food processing company Mon Petit, founded by Dédé Léa Edith...
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...
In
Technology,
Finance,
ict,
Broadband,
services,
hardware,
SME's,
entrepreneurship,
Media,
culture,
entertainment
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...
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...
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...
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...
"...The Grassroots Reporting Project is a plan to find, equip and train more AfriGadget reporters in the field throughout Africa...AfriGadget’s goal is to leverage the power of current and emerging technology such as video cameras, digital cameras, laptops and phones to bring quality content online and eventually on...
"...Aissa Dione Tissus has been in business for fifteen years, creating contemporary interpretations of traditional Mandjaque handweaving for her two stores in Dakar, Atiss Galerie (furniture and home furnishings)and Atiss Boutique (fashion), as well as for the high-end export market in New York, Paris, Italy and South Africa...There are over fifty full time employees and a number of village...
Cultural capital can be of inestimable value if harnessed and nurtured. The acclaim and success of Andre Heller's Afrika! Afrika! described as an African Cirque du Soleil is further testament to the potency of the continents less tangible and undervalued human resources .Charles Spencer of the Telegraph writes:
The show's Viennese-born creator André Heller and his team scoured the length and...
I found traces of inadvertant humour in the African city guide in BSpirit, the inflight magazine of Brussels Airlines. Here are some exerpts:
Abidjan: Hotel Ivoire is a local landmark and a real treat if you like late-1960s architecture… The ice-skating rink was closed many years ago, but the bowling alley is still open every day until 10pm.
Banjul: Traditional wrestling is the Gambia’s national sport, and a fascinating way to spend a Sunday.
Bujumbura: If you’re interested in Burundian cuisine (predominantly beef or fish brochette, chips or fried plantain), try Le Layor …
Conakry: The many markets of Conakry offer the chance to take home African hardwood sculpture (some incredible pieces of ebony)…
Douala: Las Vegas Refuge will leave a lasting impression...
Made of Stone: a lion in Oxfordshire
There always seems to be a degree of unseemly disorder and crush around the boarding gate for the flight to Kinshasa, whether in Brussels, Paris or Nairobi. Perhaps it’s a hangover from the not too distant days of lax hand luggage rules, which led to urgent competition for space to stow all those TVs, fridges and bags of vegetables. Or it could be an expression of distrust in the reliability of airlines such as Brussels Airlines (formerly known as SN Brussels, and before that Sabena) and Kenya Airways, not to mention the Congolese domestic airlines, most of which have been banned from international routes. Otherwise, I don’t know what the rush is about. In our case, we were delayed by an hour (once everyone was onboard) so some vital part...
TrendTV, founded by Uzo Udemba, is a pioneer indigenous West African Direct-to-Home Television (DTH) operator.The company "offers on one DTH platform, 2 service offerings of TrendTV and TrendNET as well as a Bundled Service (DTH and broad band internet...
Food Concepts "...pioneered the “food court” concept (multiple brands within a location) in West Africa. Today we are operating both multiple food courts and standalone stores..."Their vision is "...to be the preferred, multi-brand food and entertainment franchise with commanding presence...
Izogn Movies is a provider of Nigerian, Nollywood & African online movie streaming services. The company provides post and pre-paid services. Committed to a pro-intellectual property stance the company states that it:
will become the biggest defender against piracy and copyright infringements by partnering with the Nollywood movie...
From the TED Blog
Chris Anderson and Emeka Okafor write: We're delighted to tell you that there will be another TED conference in Africa next year, and that we hope to make it an annual event on the continent! TEDAfrica will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, September 29-October 1, 2008 (save the date!), and will follow the format of this year's TEDGlobal conference in Arusha, Tanzania....
Founded by Eva Naaborkor Forson African Palava a catering company, specializes in the cuisines of Africa.Their "...primary goal is to showcase the cuisines of Africa at every event in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area that calls for authenticity in African...
Founded by Bode Lawal Sakoba a dance theatre "...strives to produce innovative and original choreography that combine the many dance styles and influences from around the world that its director has encountered, while remaining true to his rich African cultural traditions...Bode Lawal's Dance Technique is also intended to emphasise the higher aspect of African dance beyond cultural tourism and...
"...Dudu Radio broadcasts a selection of pre-recorded programs which provides listeners all over the globe with the opportunity to listen to a variety of music genres, including traditional and modern Nigerian and Africa music. We also provide a news services that keeps Nigerians living home and abroad and those with an interest in Nigerian affairs, updated with all the current political events...
Nick Wadhams reports on the 3D game development work of Wesley Kirinya:
By Western computer game standards, Kirinya's effort is awkward and slow; there is no music, no storyline and no character development.
But the game is unique because Kirinya created the engine that powers the software's code, rather than downloading one of the many serviceable engines available on the Internet. The only...
Founded by Julius Amedume, Amedume films "...aims to make short and feature films, documentaries,music videos and creative material...it uses a talented team of producers,directors,actors,technicians and marketers to produce innovative shorts and feature films..."
via...
I am developing an obsession with signs. A year from now, I will roll my eyes at photos I have taken of bright panels indicating what to do, what not to do, which pedestrian demographic to watch out for, which way to flee the city, etc, etc....
Koffi Olomide (in blue) exhorts his dancers to shake a leg
Rhumba star Koffi Olomide, locally known as Mopao, is playing a series of Sunday night gigs at Chez Bibi, his local bar. If not quite in the league of Fela at The Shrine, this is nonetheless not to be missed. In defiance of predictable consequences for Monday morning, three of us went along last night to pay our respects.
Olomide started out as a songwriter, joining Papa Wemba’s band in the 70’s before going solo in the 80’s. With his band, Quartier Latin, he had huge international success reviving and updated Franco’s languid, soulful approach to Congolese rhumba. He calls his style Tcha Tcho, which he explains is essentially about singing from the heart.
(Extending the lineage, a fellow by the name of...