Foreign Policy Magazine has named their top 100 global thinkers of 2010. The list, which I’ve outlined below, is a mix of policy makers, advocates, and media professionals among other global influencers. A special congratulations goes out to Rosa Whitaker (#53), Ory Okolloh (#59), and Ethan Zuckerman (#81), all of whom  I’ve had the pleasure of connecting and sharing ideas with. View the full list below, and read the full story on the Foreign Policy website:

Beginning with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates (1), who teamed up to prove that even in tough times great new ideas can emerge, to forecasting economist Nouriel Roubini (12) to political leaders Barack Obama (3) and Angela Merkel (10), FP presents more than just their big ideas. Once again we took a unique survey of this very smart crowd. Nearly two-thirds participated to give you insight into their thinking on everything from how Obama’s doing to their preference in new-age reading device (iPad, by a lot). But don’t take our word for it — take the same questionnaire we sent to our FP 100 and see how your answers match up against theirs. – Foreign Policy Mag.

Top 100 global thinkers of 2010 is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• “Africa:The Next Chapter” videos premiere
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Changing “Brand Africa”, an International Trade Forum magazine feature
• New magazine changing image of African women
• Africa’s Inconvenient Truth
• Trailer: When China met Africa (documentary)
• Celebrity colonization of Africa (infographic)
• Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum

On April 27, 2010 the popular website Mashable ran a post titled 1MillionShirts Leverages Social Media to Help Clothe Africa. The post was about a new charitable campaign launched by a pair of US-based social media marketing professionals whose goal was to get everyday consumers to “Help us send one million t-shirts to the people of Africa”. As the Mashable author wrote

The 1MillionShirts project, launched this month, is asking for used (but decent) T-shirts to be sent in with a one dollar bill to help with container costs. The shirts will then be shipped to Africa to help clothe folks in need.

The mis-guided campaign team set out to use social media tools to spread the word,  encouraging supporters to use the #1millionshirts tag in comments about the campaign on Twitter. Within hours of the #1millionshirts tag appearing on Twitter a heated debate ensued between the marketers and the African development and aid professionals with both sides writing online, talking on Twitter, and even getting on an international conference call. In 24 hours what started out as a typical American-lead Africa aid charity campaign had fueled a full blown debate on the merits of such efforts, and how campaigns such as these negatively affect African communities and the aid industry.

To further the open discussion, and educate other would-be Africa aid campaigners, I have tapped the wisdom of the crowd to produce a case-study document titled “No Tees Please: Why Africa aid campaigns #FAIL”. The contributors to the eBook have shared their perspectives on this and other Africa aid campaigns and the hard lessons which can be learned when they miss their mark.

Feel free to download and distribute the eBook embedded below freely to anyone you feel can learn from the diverse perspectives on smart aid and foreign-lead African development initiatives. A special thanks to the numerous contributors and my co-editor Raquel Wilson for helping get this project out the door in a short period. Leave your comment below or follow me on Twitter (@GKofiAnnan) to join the ongoing conversation.

No Tees Please: Why Africa aid campaigns #FAIL

If you can’t see the embed above go here to view or download

Why Africa aid campaigns FAIL (free ebook) is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• Top African-American talent plan trip to African Union Summit, Ghana
• This week in African Style 4/7 – 4/13/07
• Jay-Z’s Rocawear South Africa ads
• African diamond facts according to Russell Simmons
• Russell Simmons returns from African trip
• FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews
• Microsoft, GE look to emerging markets for reverse innovation and profits

Recently, Paris-based Cameroonian photographer, Mauro Epanya, created a layout of what a possible African version of the trend-setting fashion glossy, Vogue Magazine would/could look like. The images, though creatively done, have sparked a debate about the merits of an African version of Vogue. In a well thought out analysis, Uduak at Labybrille Magazine, outlines the reasons why an African Vogue is not a good idea:

• VOGUE Does Not Need to Validate Africa Before Africa Becomes Fashionable
• The Internet has Created an African Fashion Media Revolution, So Why the Continued Need for Validation with a VOGUE Africa?
• VOGUE Africa is Bad Business For Africa
• VOGUE Africa Will Not Eliminate Racism in VOGUE’s Fashion Pages

For her part in the debate, Vanessa Raphaely, editor of Cosmopolitan South Africa and editorial director of Associated Magazines (Marie Claire, O, the Oprah Magazine, etc.) also writes an insightful commentary on her blog.

Then there’s the nuts and bolts of the business: Magazines generally follow where the cosmetic and fashion industry lead. On this continent, there are only two Vuitton stores. They are in Jozi and Cape Town, not in Gaberones, Brazzaville, Dar es Salaam or Libreville.

There is no High Street to speak of in Africa (not even in South Africa,) there is not a proliferation of shopping malls and high end international clothing giants littering the Sahara, North, Central, Western or East Africa,  ergo, little demand for advertising pages.

In South Africa, the powerhouse of the region, local manufacturing is floundering due to a failure to compete with Asia and The Far East with regard to price.

That is why there is, to date, not even a South African Vogue. While fashion magazines like Marie Claire and ELLE are both well-established in the country, neither has the advertising riches to thrive that their sisters in the more developed parts of the world enjoy.

Both, it can be argued, require less very high-end advertising than Vogue to achieve the expectations of their European principals.

It’s not rich pickings here on the wild frontier.

So, even though it irks me to be so pedestrian, I have to ask: who would advertise in this Pan-African Vogue?

In the short term, a Vogue Africa would get many people excited and even generate a bit of revenue. Soon enough though, the novelty will wear off and the realities of organizing, producing, and shipping an African glossy in a global economy which has not been kind to print media will take hold. From platform (print vs. digital) to talent (African writers vs. Western writers) to business strategy (South Africa headquarters or not), there are different factors to think of when planning Vogue-type content for Africa; and corporate accounts will not ease the pain. That’s not to say an African fashion and style magazine cannot exist, but rather the strategy to launch and maintain one would need to take into account certain factors which aren’t an issue in the West.

One of the side-effects of the marketing and advertising activity around the upcoming World Cup is that in an effort to  cash in on the African renaissance multinational corporations are again attempting to transplant their business models to a continent that lacks the same context that made those strategies successful in the West. They are looking to what their western experiences dictate and overlooking the unique opportunities that Africa has to offer – mobile  proliferation being one of them.

If major publishers like Vogue/Conde Nast want to enter African markets they should look to partner with “local” businesses who have already dealt with the challenges and figured out what African audiences want and need. As I said in the comments section of the Ladybille Magazine blog, there are many many African media and content creators whose efforts are still being overlooked because their success is judged by Western perspectives. It’ll do Africans and global partners well to recognize and capitalize on what makes African stories, contexts, and perspectives unique.

Read more on the debate:

VOGUE Africa? No. Thank you Very Much I’ll Pass!

Is the World Ready for an African Vogue?

Fashion Enthusiasts Ponder Vogue Africa

Vogue Africa Creator Mario Epanya Responds to Critics

Do we need an African version of Vogue Magazine? is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• The Independent names 50 best African artists
• African Design Competition: Design a Uniform, Shape a School
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• New magazine changing image of African women
• Design Made in Africa exhibit opens in NYC
• Designer Ozwald Boateng on dressing President Obama and his Made in Africa wealth initiative
• Video: Ozwald Boateng Fashion Show at African Union Summit, Ghana
• Live modeling Adidas’ Materials of the World
• Vogue, Keira Knightley donate food & Louis Vuitton to African elephant’s rehab

One of  the most dynamic, engaging young creative talents coming out of the African continent recently is Ivorian photographer/creative director Paul Sika. After being introduced about a year ago by a mutual friend, I was impressed by his creative vision and passion. Paul’s use of color and juxtaposition of characters in his photo and video creations expose a new way of looking at contemporary African life, culture, and style. A true entrepreneur, Paul has put together an upcoming book titled “At The Heart Of Me …” featuring his intricate work and concepts. As I mentioned in my earlier post “Top 6 African business and culture trends to watch in 2010“, Paul Sika is one of the African creative class making an impact this year. For more about Paul Sika and his upcoming book, visit PaulSika.com

Trailer for the book “At The Heart Of Me …” by Paul Sika

CNN Inside Africa’s Isha Sesay talks to Ivorian photographer Paul Sika about his vibrant images, filled with eye-catching colors.

If you can’t see the videos above, go here to view

Africa in vibrant technicolor, Paul Sika talks to CNN is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• NY African Film Festival opens, celebrates World Cup and independent Africa
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• The Independent names 50 best African artists
• Trailer: When China met Africa (documentary)
• Microsoft chairman plots Africa’s tech revolution (video)
• Africa’s wealth and consumerism draws big brands
• Do we need an African version of Vogue Magazine?
• ‘Fela!’ musical lands 11 Tony Noms; Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela in biopic
• 42 country, 100 exhibit Africa Pavilion unveiled for 2010 Shanghai World Expo
• Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum

CNN’s Inside Africa recently aired a series of features on the growing global demand for contemporary art. View the 3 parts of the feature below.

Part 1

Johannesburg Contemporary Art Fair
The Johannesburg Art Fair recently showcased the works of 400 African contemporary artists, attracting more than 10,000 visitors. – CNN Inside Africa

PART 2

First US-based commercial art auction dedicated solely to contemporary African art
Auction house Bonhams’ recent ‘Africa Now’ auction in New York was first commercial auction dedicated solely to contemporary African art in the United States

Part 3

Ghana’s ancient beads back in vogue
A new generation of Ghanaians are rediscovering their heritage — and rediscovering the appeal of traditional beads – CNN Inside Africa

If you can’t view the videos above go here to watch

African contemporary art having a global renaissance (videos) is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• “Africa:The Next Chapter” videos premiere
• Designer Ozwald Boateng on dressing President Obama and his Made in Africa wealth initiative
• Growing middle class and Africa’s demographic opportunity
• Annansi Notes: Fall Out Boy, Mandela, Clint Eastwood, African babies, Facebook in Kenya
• Video: Ozwald Boateng Fashion Show at African Union Summit, Ghana
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• Top African-American talent plan trip to African Union Summit, Ghana
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Five tactics for selling Africa-based products to non-Africans

Much has been said of celebrities taking an interest in Africa. Celebrities like Oprah, Madonna, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Danny Glover and, of course, Bono,  have pusued a wide range of Africa-related causes and initiatives to mixed response here and elsewhere in the media. For their March/April issue Mother Jones magazine has put together a fun interactive map outlining which American celebrities have been most involved in which African countries. The Mother Jones feature also contains a mini timeline of celebrity involvement in Africa. Click on the infographic below to access the full interactive map.

Ego Trips: What can Africa do for you? (via Mother Jones)

“My life changed, really, there.” —Bono

“Totally changed my life.” —Alicia Keys

“It’s changed my life.” —Country singer Michelle Wright

“This trip has changed my life.” —NFL player Reggie Bush

“One of those things which will sort of change your life.” —American Idol‘s Simon Cowell

“It truly was a life-changing experience.” —The OC‘s Mischa Barton

“It was truly a life-changing adventure!” —Disney teen star Selena Gomez

* h/t @kenyanpundit *

Celebrity colonization of Africa (infographic) is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• The REALLY simple celebrity life
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Top 100 global thinkers of 2010
• ‘Fela!’ musical lands 11 Tony Noms; Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela in biopic
• Top 6 African business and culture trends to watch in 2010
• FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews
• Morocco’s desert region a widescreen backdrop for Hollywood films
• Prada space captures rural Congo experience
• “Africa Rising” festival brings JAY-Z, Rihanna, Alek Wek to Nigeria & Washington DC
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards

Last week I attended Columbia University’s annual African Economic Forum (AEF). The two-day conference was a diverse and insightful one with discussions ranging from Branding Africa to the growing, sometimes controversial China-Africa relationship. The organizers put together a great program with much discussion during and in-between panels. While I couldn’t attend the full program, I was able to participate in some great discussions with attendees and panelists in the Africa Arena. I’ve provided my notes from the discussions I was able to attend below. My notes cover a mixture of discussion topics and perspectives from the esteemed panelists and attendees. Please keep in mind that the notes below are portions of the hour plus long discussions from my perspective as an attendee. If you have any insight into any of the topics in my notes please feel free to comment. For clarification on any of the points in my notes please shoot me an email.

ATTENDANCE NOTES:
Panel: African Fashion Going Global
Moderator: ZANDILE BLAY, Market Editor, Paper Magazine
Panelists: OLUCHI, Supermodel and the Original Face of Africa; BUSIE MATSIKO, CEO and Co-Founder, Fashion Indie Media; AISHA OBUOBI, Designer & Founder, Christie Brown; MIMI PLANGE, Designer and Founder, Boudoir D’huîtres

• Should Africans sell primarily to Africans?
• African designers are more torn about designing Africa-inspired clothes vs. other western designers designing Africa-inspired clothes
• Western designers are not limited or stigmatized when using African influences in designs
• Should there be an African fashion capital? Some panelists say no
• Is there a viable African consumer enough to support African fashion industry?
• Designers don’t want to get pigeonholed as an ethnic designer; need room for growth
• There is very limited support (i.e. factories, retail outlets) for African designers on the continent
• Some panelists say African designers should focus on African consumers rather than targeting global consumers first
• There is lack of business expertise among designers on the continent
• Designers need to partner up with business professionals on the continent
• Pricing African designs is tricky
• Not too many Africans will pay high prices to support African designers
• There are two types of African consumers: 1) those that travel and buy high-end western clothes 2) the locals who can’t afford couture and buy mass
• It’s hard to produce on the continent particularly if you’re not doing mass production
• Many African designers aspire to go to South Africa fashion week because it’s the top African continent fashion industry
• Just like you don’t only have New Yorkers in New York Fashion week, South Africa’s Fashion Week has Africans from all over continent
• African designers get inspiration from everywhere just like other designers
• Some African designers are more drawn to cultural design than others

Panel: Brand Africa – Defining a Continent
Moderator: LOLA OGUNNAIKE, Entertainment Correspondent, CNN American Morning
Panelists: FEMI AGBAYEWA, Director of Production, Real Livin Films; HELEN JENNINGS, Editor, ARISE Magazine; ROSALIND McLYMONT, Editor-in-Chief, The Network Journal; MARK WALTON, Executive Vice President of Sponsorship and Corporate Development, The Africa Channel

• Mostly lazy journalists who cover Africa
• Mainstream media is invested in negative African images so corporations can go ahead and extract resources without contest
• Many NGO’s benefit from the negative images of Africa
• “Born again Africans” in the USA were slow to embrace the Africa Channel
• Peace Corp. types were 1st to embrace The Africa Channel
• Focus on African stories helps cross-over appeal
• Do channels have responsibility for positive Africa images?
• We should be focused on Africa telling African stories
• African storytellers should also create opportunity to cross-over to other audiences to get money to continue telling African stories
• Bollywood didn’t cross-over initially, so African film industry shouldn’t focus on that; should rather nurture African audiences first for revenue
• Make films true to the African communities and sell locally, to diaspora, and other interested communities
• There was a forum discussion between Bollywood, Nollywood, Nigerian government and other interested parties in Nigeria recently on how to get images out globally
• Nollywood movies are not shown on The Africa Channel because of lack of adherence to legal and copyright laws
• There doesn’t need to be a single Africa brand leader
• Obama is the ultimate African brand
• World Cup is a big opportunity for brand Africa to push forward
• South Africa has the world’s biggest non-unionized film crew
• Do the best within your sphere of influence to further the African brand
• Agitate! Africans don’t make themselves known for good or bad
• African diaspora don’t usually exercise its influence
• Consumers have to own the responsibility to change programming
• Africans should video and upload their life stories to show world another view
• There needs to be an Ad Council-type entity for African media
• The Africa Travel Association and The Corporate Council of Africa have been doing a good job of furthering brand Africa
• World Cup is “The Super Bowl” for Africa and should be treated as such
• Industries can coordinate branding efforts once it’s solidified
• African diaspora media should take leadership responsibility for re-branding Africa
• There is need for good local African journalists because big media won’t invest in sending journalists to continent
• When business and financial news is positive, big media will always take interest and cover
• The Africa Channel is invested in original African produced content
• Only four African countries currently spend money with the The Africa Channel
• African countries would rather spend money on CNN who will only plop ads into mixed programming without effort

Panel: African Hospitality – The Power Within
Moderator: SCOTT SHUSTER
Panelists: RUMIT MEHTA, CEO, Immersion Journeys; ANDREW MURPHY, CEO, Eco-Ghana; STHU ZUNGU, President, South Africa Tourism

• South Africa Tourism did a lot of research to come up with brand ideals
• Tourism is as significant to South Africa as gold industry
• Bed and Breakfasts are mushrooming ahead of World Cup
• Domestic and inter-regional tourism is important for any tourism in Africa
• Travel is an investment in local culture
• Eco-Ghana trained locals on how to structure tourism
• Eco-Ghana is looking for Ghanaian investors
• Eco-Ghana is focused on Ghanaian and Nigerian tourists
• Company is looking to create first Ghanaian hospitality group
• There needs to be infrastructure to enable diverse tourism destinations within African countries
• With local travel comes promotion and dispelling myths
• Wealthy Africans traveling within Africa can experience and communicate good brand images of continent to others
• Infrastructure in domestic tourism needs to be established
• Need education among Africans to bolster pride and ownership
• Branding Africa tourism comes down to which countries have the most money to do so on behalf of particular regions/areas

Summit: China – Africa Trade and Investment
Moderator: DR. HARRY BROADMAN, Senior Vice President, Albright Stonebridge Group LLC & Chief Economist, Albright Capital Management LLC
Panelists: JIAN-YE WANG, Chief Economist, China Export-Import Bank; REMI BELLO, Founder & Head of Research, B&M Consulting; ABIODUN (ABI) ADISA, Founder, Oridun Capital; DR. TOM DORSEY, Chief of the Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary Fund

• South-South trade and investment is a global trend not just between Africa and China
• How can Africa exploit Chinese investment?
• Panelist Bello forecasted higher growth potential of African commodities in 2010 due to BRIC interest
• In the past, Africa was affected by world economy decline, but today Africa continues to grow despite of it
• South-South trade will take up more of world trade in next couple of years
• Africa’s problem is investing too low; African governments invest too conservatively in infrastructure
• Africa should look at China as a market; China is still growing
• China needs local African partners to invest
• Chinese provide finance and have influence with African governments
• Chinese best practices are driven by local standards; they have a range of competencies
• Poverty data is expensive and lacking in Africa
• Better macroeconomic and other policies is helping sustainable growth
• Many Africa deals are not documented widely
• IMF published book “Building Bridges”
• Many drawbacks of Chinese aid to Africa
• Chinese aid is in form of loans not grants
• Aid is below market rates
• Aid is tied to procurement of Chinese goods
• Countries should keep an eye on debt sustainability: ability for project to pay for itself
• 90% of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa is still USA and EU based
• Africa governments should make sure production is done in country to take advantage
• Chinese are looking to set up local factories in Africa to alleviate manufacturing cost to China
• Management of public finances are Chinese strong point
• If Africa doesn’t invest in Africa then don’t expect others to
• Africa can learn from China’s growth
• China started from agriculture and so should African countries
• Chinese invested in infrastructure, human capital, and primary education to spur domestic growth
• Africa should invest in government processes and cutting red tape; less bureaucracy
• African countries should trade with other emerging countries and within the continent
• If African countries are going to borrow Chinese money, they should pay attention to how the money is spent
• Africa needs independent cost/benefit analysis to make sure project loans are viable
• Cleaning up bureaucracy will move projects forward faster
• Africa governments should set up laws to make sure Chinese projects are using locals and track reporting of such practices
• African Union should create Chinese production standard with reporting and tracking guidelines
• African Union should monitor and regulate standards and quality
• African governments need to strengthen regulations and consumer protection laws
• African governments should pay attention to environmental effects; learn from China’s mistakes
• African governments are still too closed to open investment and transparency; maybe because they are scared of past mishandling of public monies

For more about the conference please visit the 7th Annual African Economic Forum (AEF) at Columbia University website.

Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Urban explosion and African youth’s global influence
• Trailer: When China met Africa (documentary)
• Designer Ozwald Boateng on dressing President Obama and his Made in Africa wealth initiative
• “Africa:The Next Chapter” videos premiere
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• The rise of Kenya’s equity generation
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Five tactics for selling Africa-based products to non-Africans
• Microsoft chairman plots Africa’s tech revolution (video)

Forbes Magazine has compiled and published it’s annual list of the world’s billionaires. The 2010 World’s Billionaires list represents “billionaires with publicly traded fortunes, net worths…calculated using share prices and exchange rates from February 12, 2010″. Of the 937 people named to the list, there are 8 African country citizens who made the list. Of the 8 Africans, the individual net worths range from $1.5 to $5.9  billion. with Egyptian nationals maintaining the biggest presence with 4 individuals from same family  listed. Here are the Africans on the 2010 Forbes World’s Billionaires list according to rank:

Africans on Forbes 2010 World’s Billionaires list is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• “Africa:The Next Chapter” videos premiere
• African contemporary art having a global renaissance (videos)
• Growing middle class and Africa’s demographic opportunity
• Corporate America’s Changing Views on Africa
• “Africa Rising” festival brings JAY-Z, Rihanna, Alek Wek to Nigeria & Washington DC
• African Design Competition: Design a Uniform, Shape a School
• Forget aid and money, Africa needs IDEAS!
• Africa Enterprising articles part 3
• African countries on 2007 list of 50 most desirable outsourcing destinations
• Global Hip-hop in your city

If, like me, you’ve been watching people and events surrounding Africa in mainstream and non-mainstream news, you’ll know that 2009 was a big year for Africa, From President Obama’s visit, to the new fiber-optic cable in Kenya, there was a lot of president-setting efforts going on in Africa. While there were the instances of political unrest, in all I think African countries had one of the better years. Looking forward to 2010, Africa seems in line to be put through some vigorous tests, From politics to agriculture and technology, in 2010 Africa will be challenged to show the world what is brewing under the hood for the next decade. Here are a few trends I think will greatly influence how Africans live and work in 2010:

1. Trickle-up innovation/reverse innovation

In 2007 C. K. Prahalad, author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits, highlighted five ways that developing nations are often ahead of the curve and how multinationals can adapt to the the changing product development lifecycle. In 2010, though some analysts say the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 is in recovery, we’ll continue to see an increase in businesses looking to developing nations, including Africa, as ground zero for new product and service innovation. Organizations will not neglect consumers in developed nations though. Rather, developing nations will take precedence in business development, with markets in the west getting re-targeted efforts already proven elsewhere. The big question is will African nations also turn their innovation sights into Africa to bolster African business and gain a home-field advantage against foreign businesses.

Watch: Google, GE, Microsoft, Nokia

2. Mobile and connectivity growth and standards
At this point, mobile technology is synonymous with connectivity in Africa. From government to industry, Africans are growing more reliant on the mobile phone for all aspects of life. 2010 will see a continuance of this trend within communities, and more importantly, governments will increasingly begin to use the mobile phone as a way of reaching African civilians. We are already seeing that in Kenya’s Obama-inspired mobile campaign to educate Kenyans on public policies. Beyond mobile technology, we’ll also see a surge in government-funded connectivity efforts and legislation around Africa. With the new fiber-optic cables launch in Kenya and other regions moving more services from analog to digital, Africa’s connectivity will be a priority for forward-thinking leaders. Case in point is the Kigali government’s recent launch of a $7 million wireless hot spot facility. We can expect to also see a lot of foreign investment in development and organization of the African mobile sector. I, for one, am looking forward to the growth of mobile innovations by African entrepreneurs. Hopefully African private and public sectors can engage the independent developers to accelerate the mobile industry in 2010

Watch: Government data centers,  2010 Fifa World Cup mobile marketing, Netbook market growth, M-pesa, Fiber-optic cables usage, MTN, KenyaAirways on Twitter, Zain, Safaricom

3. Rise of the African creative class
For the past several years, young Africans have been struggling to define a new identity for the themselves in the connected global community. As political stability has solidified in many African countries and African youth have begun to exert their influence at home and abroad, a community of independent creators have strengthened their voices and come to the forefront to re-define Africa for the 21st century. Fueled by connectivity, voluntary repatriation, international travel, and the growth of African cities, Africa’s creative class will be at the center of shaping Africa in 2010. In 2009 we saw African blogging reach it’s peak and a surge in African style and design multi-media channels. From Arise Magazine, to BHF Magazine, to Design Indaba, the exploration of what it means to be African in the 21st century continued to influence all areas. In 2010, with the debut of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, we will see Africa’s creative class flexing their influence on everything from technology, to government policy, to international business. With so many African and foreign private and public organizations hoping to capitalize on the event, Africa’s creative class will be at the center of it all. As the core drivers of Africa’s urban areas, the creative class are the ultimate influencers. 2010 will be the year when they will be thrust into the limelight internationally. Let’s hope they (we) are ready.

Watch: Arise Magazine, Fela on Broadway, Design Indaba, Maker Faire Africa 2010, The Blk Jks, FESPACO, African Gay & Lesbian groups, Paul Sika, African Avante Garde

4. The Africa brand and tourism
The 2010 Fifa World Cup will have a major impact on Africa whatever the end result is positively or negatively. Most importantly, the World Cup will challenge African tourism, marketing, infrastructure and related industries to develop and maintain a consistent African brand identity. With the advent of high-profile global events like this and a need to share resources, African governments will have to re-visit and form cross-border alliances. While we have already seen regional groups like the East African Community strengthen their intergovernmental ties, 2010 will be the year when all African countries will have to answer the cross-border alliance question at the behest of foreign political engagement.

Watch: 2010 Fifa World Cup, African government summits, Cross-country tourism packages,  ICT sector, “Made in Africa” labeling

5. Africa and African-Americans
Not much has been said about the growing relationship between Africans and African-Americans. By and large there is still a communication rift between the two groups. But slowly, the relationship between the two groups is becoming symbiotic. While I don’t see a major shift in opinion between the two groups happening in 2010, I do expect a continuation of the rapid growth of African-American wealth to playing a part in African development. Resourceful and wealthy African-Americans will continue to invest in African culture and politics both on the continent and abroad, while Africans borrow from African-American history for lessons on developing an international identity. Particularly, a growing number of African-American entertainers and business people will see Africa as an extension of their life in the United States. some will even maintain plans to buy and move to the continent seeking a more personally and financially fruitful life. Africans will also begin to formally recognize this trend and capitalize on the brain gain. As more African-Americans look to Africa, African will become more high profile in African-American press pushing Afropolitan culture further into American pop culture.

Watch: Fela On Broadway, African real estate development, Africa correspondents in urban media, African-American foreign invetment groups.

6. China..and India
In November 2009, China pledged a multibillion-dollar package of financial and technical assistance to African governments over the next couple of years.  This was among one of the many efforts by Chinese government and business to form a tight alliance with Africa. China’s relationship with Africa will continue to dominate Africa news in 2010, with support and objections from many diverse groups as we’ve seen in 2009. The new year will also see an increase in Indian alliance with countries within the continent though it will continue to pale in comparison to China’s efforts. India and Africa will strengthen their ICT development relationships as African countries continue to push themselves as outsourcing destinations.

Watch: India-Africa learning trips, Chinese import export from Africa, Sino-African cultural conflicts.

What do you think? What other trends will influence Africa’s growth and development in 2010? Please share your comments.

Top 6 African business and culture trends to watch in 2010 is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• Morocco’s desert region a widescreen backdrop for Hollywood films
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Growth and spending of African consumers (video)
• Top 100 global thinkers of 2010
• ‘Fela!’ musical lands 11 Tony Noms; Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela in biopic
• Celebrity colonization of Africa (infographic)
• Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum
• Trending Africa Nov. 18, 2009: Jay-Z, Will Smith produce Fela! musical, China’s $10bn for Africa, Dinosaurs in Africa
• Video: Ozwald Boateng on career, design and Ghanaian influences
• The REALLY simple celebrity life

If you haven’t already heard FELA! The Musical has opened on the Broadway in New York City. For many people, myself included, this marks a milestone in African culture’s rise to global recognition. Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been an major inspiration for many young Africans looking to re-define what it means to be African in the West. Ever the African icon, Fela’s music and ideas have been at the cornerstone of the growing Afropolitan culture in New York and other metropolitan areas around the world. He has inspired many creative expressions of African culture including my own early foray into Africa-influenced business. After many years as an Afropolitan lifestyle inspiration, now the essence of what Fela has defined for modern Africans has brilliantly been captured in this new musical.

In it’s glowing review of the new musical The New York Times writes:

There should be dancing in the streets. When you leave the Eugene O’Neill Theater after a performance of “Fela!,” it comes as a shock that the people on the sidewalks are merely walking. Why aren’t they gyrating, swaying, vibrating, in thrall to the force field that you have been living in so ecstatically for the past couple of hours?

The hot (and seriously cool) energy that comes from the musical gospel preached by the title character of “Fela!,” which opened on Monday night, feels as if it could stretch easily to the borders of Manhattan and then across a river or two. Anyone who worried that Bill T. Jones’s singular, sensational show might lose its mojo in transferring to Broadway can relax.

FELA! The Musical features the Afrobeat music of Fela Anikulapo–Kuti, a book by Jim Lewis and the direction and choreography of Tony® Award winner Bill T. Jones. The musical is co-produced by Jay-Z, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith among others.

Watch the opening night and behind the scenes videos below.

If you can’t see the videos above, click here

FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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• Top African-American talent plan trip to African Union Summit, Ghana
• Africans on TIME’s 100 most influential people list
• This week in African Style 4/7 – 4/13/07
• This week in African style, 1/6 – 1/12/07
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Speaking about the Ouarzazate region in Morocco, The Global Post reports:

Chances are you’ve unwittingly seen this region’s wild vistas in any number of movies. Among other locales, the desert was billed as Iraq in “Body of Lies,” dressed up as Jerusalem in “Kingdom of Heaven” and transformed into ancient Egypt in “The Mummy Returns.”

An array of ready-built sets, cheap labor and stunning landscapes has helped turn this sleepy provincial capital into a Third World Hollywood.

Production remnants abound, from concrete castles and plaster villages, to an American gas station falling to pieces beside a two-lane road. Featured in the horror film “The Hills Have Eyes,” its English sign offers non-existent beer to the Muslim drivers passing by.

But veterans of the country’s film trade say they wish more of their studios were in use this year. The global downturn has caused several big films to cancel or push back start dates, delaying cash upon which a growing population of technicians, actors and extras have come to depend.

The video below tells an interesting story of the North African desert’s draw for Hollywood.

If you can’t see the video above click here.

Morocco’s desert region a widescreen backdrop for Hollywood films is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Top 6 African business and culture trends to watch in 2010
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• Botswana Bushmen win land after DiCaprio appeal
• Growth and spending of African consumers (video)
• Top 100 global thinkers of 2010
• ‘Fela!’ musical lands 11 Tony Noms; Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela in biopic
• Celebrity colonization of Africa (infographic)
• NY African Film Festival opens, celebrates World Cup and independent Africa

Supermodel Waris Dirie’s book Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad, published in 1999, helped fuel the open discussion of female genital mutilation in her native Somalia. After spawning two follow-up books, Desert Dawn and Desert Children, the original book is now premiering as a feature film starring another supermodel, Ethiopian Liya Kebede. Watch the trailer for the new movie “Desert Flower (“Wüstenblume” )” below. More about the movie here.

If the video is not visible below click here.

(via Africa_Visual_Media)

Liya Kebede stars in Somali supermodel Waris Dirie’s biopic is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• Ethiopia adds luxury coffee to brand identity
• African fashion features on Fashion Television
• K’Naan launches Coca-Cola World Cup campaign
• FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews
• The long-lasting impact of 2010 World Cup on S. Africa
• Djimon Hounsou narrates How Not to Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina (video)
• Bono on Obama’s 1st Africa visit as President and rebranding the continent
• President Obama on Africa and upcoming visit (video)
• Prada space captures rural Congo experience
• “Africa Rising” festival brings JAY-Z, Rihanna, Alek Wek to Nigeria & Washington DC

Djimon Hounsou narrates How Not to Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina (video) is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews
• “Africa Rising” festival brings JAY-Z, Rihanna, Alek Wek to Nigeria & Washington DC
• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards
• Top African-American talent plan trip to African Union Summit, Ghana
• Africa’s next chapter convenes at TEDGlobal 2007
• Africans on TIME’s 100 most influential people list
• New magazine changing image of African women
• This week in African Style 4/7 – 4/13/07
• Maasai herdsman/model talks Gisele Bundchen, American Express, and maintaining maasai culture

• Big news of East Africa finally getting high-speed internet with the launch of SEACOM's fibre optic cables; and some reactions

• The Gates Foundation and Peace Corps open up Africa Rural Connect, encouraging everyone to send Ideas on how to help rural Africa

• Investors are seeing growing fields of opportunity across Africa

• As the new high speed cable is launched, experts speculate that internet use in Asia, Africa, and Mid-East is set to soar

• Google is extending services in Africa

• If you're not one of the lucky ones attending TEDGlobal 2009 this week, head over to the official blog for exciting updates and videos

• While we're on the topic of TEDGlobal 2009, make sure to listen to Jon Gosier's presentation about his mobile phone search service for Uganda

Trending Africa July 23, ’09: E. Africa gets hi-speed internet, TEDGlobal, etc. is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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A recent article in African Business magazine looks at the recent boom of modern African designers on the continent and internationally. From February’s ThisDay Arise Magazine African fashion event at NY Fashion Week to architect David Adjaye being appointed to design the new African-American National Museum in Washindton DC, the influence of modern African design in global culture continues to solidify. But while there are more and more role models for budding African designers, there’s still a long way to go before Africa itself recognizes and taps into it’s strong creative capital.

To become truly competitive though, the continent must do things in
its own way, with its own brand of excellence and innovation. Africans
can grasp the best of design worldwide, as well as the best the
continent has to offer and transform it into something new, compelling,
beautiful and sustainable. Small pockets of success show that African
design development has reached the point at which it can play a very
real role in addressing poverty and unemployment throughout the
continent. From craft initiatives in rural villages to
multi-disciplinary industrial projects that boast global collaboration,
design can boost a nation’s GDP. (more)

CNN also reports on a new contemporary African design aesthetic in the video below shot at the 2009 Design Indaba in S. Africa.

Birth and boom of a new African design industry is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• 42 country, 100 exhibit Africa Pavilion unveiled for 2010 Shanghai World Expo
• NY African Film Festival opens, celebrates World Cup and independent Africa
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• Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum
• Designer Ozwald Boateng on dressing President Obama and his Made in Africa wealth initiative
• Growing middle class and Africa’s demographic opportunity

Throughout my years as an entrepreneur, I have had to conduct endless market research and have found a serious lack of information about the African market. Drawing on my experience as a marketer myself, I am developing a new website called AfriMonitor to aggregate important research and information about the growing African market. While I understand that the African market is still very young, I feel that to help it grow and to encourage more entrepreneurs to develop products to help it grow, a product like AfriMonitor is necessary. While I still write about African business and culture trends at Annans Chronicles, much of the in depth analysis of trends will be posted there on AfriMonitor. To read more about direction AfriMonitor will be developing towards in the next few months visit the About us page.

AfriMonitor.com serves as a market research portal for the Africa-focused global business audience. The website aggregates pertinent information about African business, consumers, economy, companies, and products, as well as information on African marketing and advertising trends. AfriMonitor provides an overview of African consumer and product markets so individuals, agencies, and corporations can discover new opportunities and make the right business decisions.

As part of the beta launch of AfriMonitor.com, we have put together a trend brief focusing on the growing China-Africa relationship. The brief,”Exploring ChinAfrica: Trends in China’s 21st century push into Africa” , touches on many of the key issues surrounding the topic. It is intended to serve as resource for anyone who is curious about China’s 21st century push into Africa. The brief is available as a free download and you can distribute it to whomever you feel could benefit from the information included. I’ve also put together an interactive timeline with key dates for those who want more information.

I am launching AfriMonitor as a beta for now to get some feedback and begin getting some information to those who can make use of it. We will be working hard in the next couple of months to get you much of the information which will make the site most useful, so check back often or better yet, subscribe to AfriMonitor’s rss feed or sign up for automatic email updates. For now the News tabs currently contain aggregated content from all the major news engines and is updated many times a day. The news is broken up into three categories, All News, China-Africa news, and India-Africa news.

In the next few months we’ll be adding more insights and reports from various sources including African marketing agencies and featuring interviews with newsmakers. Please let any advertisers or marketers with information about the African market know to contact me to get their reports featured on the website. While some of the reports and briefs will be free, others will be available for a fee. We’ll also be updating our Resources and Events sections soon. Please feel free to submit a resource or event for inclusion in our directory or just contact us with any comments/suggestions. AfriMonitor is a work in progress so your input is always welcome. I hope the website gets you the information you need to make the proper business decisions.

AfriMonitor launches with ‘Exploring ChinAfrica’ trends brief is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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I recently started reading a new book Beyond Translation; The Marketer’s Field Guide to Understanding Today’s Transcultural Consumer and so far am impressed by the perspective of the author Valerie Romley. Having only “met” the author online, I was interested to find out what marketers are beginning to think about diversity and multicultural marketing. What’s interesting so far about the book is the fact that the author calls for marketers to go beyond the usual census-based demographics data and focus more on doing their own research to understand the cultural norms of their target market. Though I haven’t quite gotten to the core of the book’s message yet, I am hopeful that the beyond translation message is something that more companies and marketers adopt in 2008. As someone who continues to follow the growing African market, I can see so many benefits for companies changing the way they develop products and market them. Gone are the days when a company need only market to the dominant culture and all others followed suit. Particularly in areas like the USA and Europe, the browning of the dominant culture is now the norm and new segments continue to emerge. Economists can point to many reasons for the rapid development for these new markets, but the bottom line is consumers now have many more choices, and the product/company they choose will be the one which genuinely speaks their language and is invested in their community’s growth.

Beyond translation to an African target market is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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In the December 2007 issue of Ebony Magazine actor Don Cheadle says:

One thing (African people) need is better p.r. If people in (the USA) think of Africa as a place with kids and flies swarming around their heads, then they won’t understand that these people are you and you are them

Quote: Don Cheadle on Africa’s brand image is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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Entrepreneur Magazine has chosen to feature me and my company in the December 2007 issue. The article in the Doing Good section covers my outlook on Africa’s brand dilemma and how I am using my expertise to help solve the problem and encourage business. You can read the article in the issue on newsstands or online at Entrepreneur.com. Thanks to JJ Ramberg for the good conversation.

Annansi in Entrepreneur Magazine’s December issue is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

• Africa’s wealth and consumerism draws big brands
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• African youth and the African brand (presentation)
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• Celebrity colonization of Africa (infographic)
• NY African Film Festival opens, celebrates World Cup and independent Africa
• Notes from Columbia U’s 2010 Africa Economic Forum
• Top 6 African business and culture trends to watch in 2010

Recently, MTVU, the university station of MTV, organized a visit by best selling author Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) and Ethiopian-born American musician Kenna to a University of Pennsylvania sociology class. The class was in the process of studying the chapter “Kenna’s Dilemma” from Gladwell’s book Blink and the two men made an appearance to discuss the dilemma Kenna faces as an artist who, though heralded by many in the music industry as the next big thing, has yet to connect with a large enough fan base.

If you haven’t heard Kenna’s music yet, I encourage you to get familiar. Kenna, born Kenna Zemedkun, makes some of the most inspiring left of center music today. As a member of the Neptunes production duo’s (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) extended StarTrak family, Kenna’s sound is not what you’d expect pop music to be. Though his previous album New Sacred Cow, the subject of Gladwell’s chapter, had a creative video for the single “Freetime” and gained a 3 star review from Rolling Stone Magazine, it has not made Kenna the superstar he needs to be. Not one to be deterred, Kenna returns this time around with a new marketing strategy for his new cd Make Sure They See My Face. As with similar African-born western-raised artists such as K’Naan, Akon, Somi, and Chosan, Kenna’s comfort with balancing his African and western identities make his music uncategorizable for many. This time around though the combination of re-newed interest in ’80s-style music and fashion, the growth of the popular black nerd trend (Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West) as an alternative to the blinged out hip-hop stereotype, and Kenna’s own growth as an artist and business man, position’s Kenna and his music for better commercial success. Kenna’s image and music adds another dynamic to the growing Afropolitan demographic. As Kenna and the Afropolitan demographic grows more confident in his/her own identity they are exerting incresing influence on popular culture through their art. Hopefully the only dilemma Kenna will face this time around will be how to live with his celebrity. I’ll be watching his rise, and so should you.
NPR on Kenna’s career

Upcoming in-store appearances
CLEVELAND, OH
Tuesday Oct. 16th @ 4 PM-
Instore performance and signing
Borders Books & Music
3466 Mayfield Rd.
Cleveland Heights
216.291.8605

ANN ARBOR, MI
Thursday Oct. 18th @ 4 PM
Instore performance and signing
Borders Books & Music
612 E. Liberty Ann Arbor
734.668.7652

NEW YORK, NY
Monday Oct. 22nd @ 12 PM
Instore performance and signing
Borders Books & Music (Wall Street)
100 Broadway
212.964.1988

BOSTON, MA
Tuesday Oct. 23rd @ 4 PM
Instore performance and signing
Borders Books & Music (Downtown Crossing)
10-24 School Street
617.557.7188

PHILADELPHIA, PA
Thursday Oct. 25th @ 1 PM
Instore performance and signing
FYE
100 S. Broad Street
215.496.8338

ATLANTA, GA
Monday Oct. 29th @ Time TBC
Instore performance and signing
Criminal Records
466 Mooreland Avenue, NE
404.215.9511

ORLANDO, FL
Tuesday Oct. 30th @ 3 PM
Instore performance and signing
Park Ave CDs
2916 Corrine Drive
407.447.PARK

After Gladwell’s Blink, Kenna’s new dilemma is a post from Annansi Chronicles - African business and culture trends

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• The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
• Top African-American talent plan trip to African Union Summit, Ghana
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• Cultures collide: Souja Boy African Remix
• Annansi Notes: Fall Out Boy, Mandela, Clint Eastwood, African babies, Facebook in Kenya
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• The Independent names 50 best African artists
• Tanzania launches first ever US television campaign on CNN