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UK-based Banksy, one of my favorite street artists turned art world hero, has recently taken his brand of political commentary to the streets of Africa, Mali to be exact. It seems Banksy’s work has been spotted on the walls in Mali. As with his usual style, Banksy makes good use of the natural state of the wall and the surrounding environment to add to the emotion piece of his piece. View pictures below.
(via gradient & unurth)
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But as the example of Ghana makes clear, that’s only one chord. Amid poverty and disease are opportunities for investment and growth — investment and growth that won’t eliminate overnight the need for assistance, much as we and Africans yearn for it to end, but that in time can build roads, schools and power grids and propel commerce to the point where aid is replaced by trade pacts, business deals and home-grown income.
President Obama can hasten that day. He knows change won’t come easily. Corruption stalks Africa’s reformers. “If you fight corruption, it fights you back,” a former Nigerian anti-corruption official has said.
<div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/opinion/10bono.html?_r=4&ref=opinion&pagewanted=all">nytimes.com</a></div>
Is Africa's version of capitalism failing? That is the question many African's in and outside of the business world continue to ask as many countries on the continent continue to move rather slowly to compete with other economies. While individual countries can be championed for their business successes, many argue that the continent as a whole must be aligned in order to see real change. A new book called Architects of Poverty by Moeletsi Mbeki attempts to explain much of the reasons for Africa's struggle to embrace modern capitalism. Moeletsi Mbeki is joined by a panel of experts including author Aly Khan Satchu in a discussion of the topic in this CNBC video. Do you think African capitalism is failing? Comments?
This week President Obama will make his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president of the United States. The visit is greatly anticipated by Africa as a whole and Ghana specifically. In the videos below he talks to allafrica.com about Africa now and to the future.
Part 1
Part 2
Baird, the management consulting firm, recently asked senior officers of 30 American Fortune 100 corporations about their current attitudes on investing in Africa. While some of the results showed that not much had changed, the study also revealed that corporate America was increasingly optimistic about Africa’s role in their future business strategies. Three of the key points of the study, “Inside the Boardroom: How Corporate America Really Views Africa” are:
• USA Inc. is more interested in Africa than before, because the African market appears increasingly attractive, but Africa has tough competition and high hurdles for US investment. Education is at the top of the US corporate wish list for Africa; “educate your people so that we can employ them”
• The African countries that hold most interest are South Africa and some countries in the North, like Egypt; there are also some pockets of interest in West Africa, most notably Ghana, Nigeria and to some extent Angola; while some in the South (Botswana and Mozambique) and East (Uganda and Kenya), are also being watched
•To make itself more attractive for US investment, Africa should:
- Invest in education , health and infrastructure
- Ensure the rule of law and a business-friendly climate for all investing companies
- Show it is serious about attracting foreign investment
- Market itself as aggressively as other regions of the world
- Demonstrate opportunity cost of not investing
A recent CNBC broadcast from Lagos, Nigeria (video below) also expounded on what Africa has to offer corporate America.
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.
There’s no shortage of criticism of the fashion and beauty industry for not recognizing the diversity of what is considered beautiful. Cosmetics giants in particular have had it hard, trying to accommodate skin tones. In their effort to generate more revenue and gain market share globally, L’Oreal has announced plans to expand their product line and – most notably – make an effort to cater to African women’s beauty needs. Not being a cosmetics industry veteran myself it’s hard to tell if L’Oreal is trully addressing some of the issues it’s diversity critics have.
..the company, which has 26 international cosmetics brands and a presence in more than 130 countries, already has a presence on the continent upon which it aims to build. A key market is the African woman, and L’Oréal is seeking growth and expansion into this market, that will require balancing technological innovation with the need for prudent spending. – L’Oréal South Africa MD Philippe Raffray, more
What do you think?
photo by epicharmus
Influx Insights points us to an interesting marriage of Congolese and Western culture in the form of an art and entertainment experience space. The Double Club, a 6 month project collaboration between Fondazione Prada (Prada’s art foundation), and German artist Carsten Höller opened in London. The space, which is literally spit in two – is a “bar, restaurant and dance club where the Congo meets the west; A bar,
restaurant and dance club where the west meets the Congo.” The project is meant to spark dialogue between Congolese and Western contemporary culture and will feature. All profits are slated to go to The City of Joy charity, which provides
shelter and services to women who have been targets of violence during
Congo’s long running civil warIf you’re in London before May 2009, check out this culture mashup.
EXHIBIT
Kehinde Wiley, The World Stage: Africa Lagos~Dakar
July 17—October 26, 2008
PLACE
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, New York 10027
tel 212.864.4500
The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar is Kehinde Wiley’s first solo exhibition at The Studio Museum in Harlem and features ten new paintings from his multinational “The World Stage” series. Wiley is known for his stylized paintings of young, urban African-American men in poses borrowed from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European figurative paintings, a practice he started in the early 2000s while an artist in residence at the Studio Museum. Over the last two years, Wiley has expanded his project by living and working abroad; he temporarily relocates to different countries and opens satellite studios to become familiar with local culture, history and art. His “The World Stage” series is the result of these travels.
Tony Award winning director Bill T. Jones directs and choreographs this new musical about the life of African Pop Icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Play runs August 5 Through September 21 only at the 37 ARTS located at 450 W. 37th Street between 9th and 10 avenues, NY, NY. Visit the website and get tickets.
More clips