Category: Film/Television

Posted on

The Independent names 50 best African artists

K'NaanThis is an excellent article from today’s Independent newspaper. As part of the World AIDS day Product (RED) issue, the article emphasizes the importance of African cultural expression.

“African leaders need to be more conscious of the role that culture can play, particularly economically. Many Western economies – such as Britain – have benefited hugely from the showbusiness and music sector. It generates huge amounts of money and provides significant opportunities to work. Everyone in Africa – whether a politician, musician or businessman or woman – needs to appreciate the role that culture can play in our development.”

The full list is below and the full article is here

The 50 greatest cultural figures shaping a continent
• Oga Steve Abah, Playwright (Nigeria)
• Chinua Achebe, Author (Nigeria)
• David Adjaye, Architect (Tanzania)
• Newton Aduaka, Film Director (Nigeria)
• Mahmoud Ahmed, Musician (Ethiopia)
• Ama Ata Aidoo, Playwright (Ghana)
• Amadou And Mariam, Musicians (Mali)
• Ayi Kwei Armah, Author (Ghana)
• Les Ballets Africains, Dancers And Musicians (Guinea)
• Biyi Bandele, Author (Nigeria)
• Sokari Douglas Camp, Artist (Nigeria)
• Boyzie Cekwana, Choreographer And Dancer (South Africa)
• Souleymane Cisse, Film Director (Mali)
• Lueen Conning, Playwright (South Africa)
• Tsitsi Dangarembga, Author (Zimbabwe)
• Toumani Diabate, Musician (Mali)
• Dilomprizulike, Artist (Nigeria)
• Cesaria Evora, Singer (Cape Verde)
• Samuel Fosso, Photographer (Cameroon)
• Flora Gomes, Film Director (Guinea-Bissau)
• Pierre Atepa Goudiaby, Architect (Senegal)
• Mahamat Saleh Haroun, Film Director (Chad)
• Delia Jarrett-Macauley, Author (Sierra Leone)
• Salif Keita, Musician (Mali)
• Khaled, Musician (Algeria)
• Abdoulaye Konate, Artist (Mali)
• Konono No 1, Musicians (Congo)
• Femi Kuti, Musician (Nigeria)
• Faustin Linyekula, Choreographer And Dancer (Congo)
• Vincent Mantsoe, Choreographer And Dancer (South Africa)
• Zola Maseko, Film Director (South Africa)
• Souad Massi, Singer (Algeria)
• Youssou N’dour, Musician (Senegal)
• Kettly Noel, Choreographer And Dancer (Haiti/Mali)
• Idrissa Ouedraogo, Film-Maker (Upper Volta/Burkina Faso
• Tracey Rose, Artist (South Africa)
• Ibrahim El Salahi, Artist (Sudan)
• Ousmane Sembene, Film-Maker (Senegal)
• Abderrahmane Sissako, Film Director (Mauritania/Mali)
• Wole Soyinka, Dramatist, Novelist, Poet (Nigeria)
• Rachid Taha, Musician (Algeria)
• Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Author (Kenya)
• Tinariwen, Musicians (Mali)
• Rokia Traore, Musician (Mali)
• Binyavanga Wainana, Author (Kenya)
• Zola, Musician (South Africa)
• Athol Fugard, Playwright (South Africa)
• K’naan, Rapper (Somalia)
• Oumou Sy, Fashion Designer (Senegal)

Posted on

Blood Diamond NY premiere

Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connoley, Leonardo DiCaprio at Blood Diamond NY screeningLast night (November 30th) the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a screening of the new movie “Blood Diamond” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, And Jennifer Connelly. Despite the serious nature of the movie and the controversy surrounding it, the screening was reported to be a very festive one. I wonder if Sorious Samura, the Award-winning Sierra Leonean filmographer and who was the primary consultant for the movie was in attendance. Mr. Samura’s movie “Cry Freetown” was a major inspiration for director Ed Zwick’s (“Glory”, The Last Samurai”) “Blood Diamond” movie. The movie will be released on December 8th.
More pictures

Posted on

Oprah talks Blood Diamonds December 4th

Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Oprah, Blood DiamondsA few weeks a go, I got word that Oprah was going to tape a show on the Blood Diamond controversy. She had already done a show where she reunited a Sierra Leonean girl who, after suffering limb amputation at the hands of rebels, had not seen her family in years. Catching on to the growing controversy, director Ed Zwick and Leonardo DiCaprio, were invited to tape a Blood Diamond episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. Originally scheduled for December 6th, the day of the movie premiere and two days before the release, now the the Oprah special will air on Monday December 4th , the same day Russell Simmons is expected to conclude his fact-finding trip to Africa. Set your Tivos boys and girls.

Posted on

Making charity count in Africa

Iman & Alicia Keys at Keep a Child Alive's Black BallTo give or not to give. That’s the question on everyone’s mind this holiday season. With the rise of media and celebrity interest in Africa this is the perfect time to answer that question. There are endless ways to put your money where your mouth (and hopefully your heart) is. From the RED campaign to the Bling is Dead project, and Keep a Child Alive’s “I am African” campaign there are endless ways to lend your support to organizations who are working to help African people. Whatever you think Africa’s major problem is there’s an organization that can point you to a place your holiday dollars can go to help.

With its multitude of problems there are more that enough issues to make African charity work a full time job. But as Jonathan at Cherryflava indicates the focus should be on wealth and opportunity, not just charity. One thing I give Bono credit for is finding creative ways to create a process where the money given makes it’s way to concrete empowerment projects. The way out of poverty is through opportunity not charity. For years and years the missing link in the “Help Africa” campaign has been in the regulation of where the money is going and how it is used. Finally the mentality is changing and consumers are not content to just give blindly anymore.

One thing I’ve learned from the blood diamonds controversy is the need to regulate how much African resources are exported. Implementing a production process which allows more of the profits to stay within the individual countries is a certain first step. There needs to be just as many organizations regulating the different industries as there are in making sure money is funneled to the continent. At this point even Africans have said that aid is not the answer. As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever.”
Leonardo DiCaprio in Africa

Posted on

Russell Simmons: Blood diamonds and responsibility

Russell SimmonsThe past year has been a roller-coaster ride for the African diamonds industry. Ever since word got out that Warner Bros was putting major star power behind its “Blood Diamonds” movie Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly) the topic has developed into something similar to a circus. It’s interesting to see what different groups of people have had to say about the issue which continues to overflow into seemingly unrelated industries.

The Daily News just published further information about hip-hop guru/mogul/phenomenon Russel Simmons’ pending DeBeers-funded fact-finding mission to Africa. His hope is to “teach Africans how to cut and polish diamonds on the continent, instead of taking the diamonds out….The diamond industry should be the leader of African empowerment”. As a business person myself, I have always been inspired by Mr. Simmons’ business sense and ability to stay grounded despite the entertainment industry he’s so deeply immersed in. But as I told the reporter from the Daily News yesterday, though I support Russell’s intent, I find it hard to believe he could be too successfull on a trip chaperoned by DeBeers. I have been wrong before though. When I read a preliminary script for the “Blood Diamonds” movies and joined a few others (you know who you are) to voice our concerns to Time Warner back in March, I was quite skeptical that a “hollywood” movie which is so rooted in one of the most horrific periods in African history could do the topic justice. Call me pessimistic, but I have Tears of the Sun as a reference. Since then I’ve worked with many individuals who have toiled tirelessly to double check and make sure Warner Bros. gets it right. But even I could not imagine the war that was soon to ensue. With Africa caught in the middle, the past 2-3 months has been a tug of war between those of us who support the movie and the big bad diamond dealers. After attending a private screening of the movie back in October and speaking to the director Ed Zwick, my concerns are gone and I am all for supporting the movie and lending my voice and hand in it’s success. Though I have a couple of issues with the movie, I think it does the topic justice and can be a good tool to mobilize the public.

Though, I continue to work hard to make sure that the controversy doesn’t overshadow the actual changes that continues to be made behind the scenes, I’m sometimes disheartened by the casualties of it all. For me a main casualty is the African societies, but another one might also be the global hip-hop community. As Clyde points out “the term bling generally refers to both flashy and high quality products separate from one’s class status, including jewelry bought for special occasions by folks that may have saved all year for their special gift for a loved one”. It’s hard to tell those who save their money to get expensive jewelryBling is Dead. Their lives are rooted in the bling culture which I and my partners are trying so desperately to derail. I’m of the belief that though hip-hop has spawned this bling culture, it has turned into something we don’t control but all the ills of it is still credited to us. Bling culture to me epitomizes ultimate consumerism without responsibility. Bling culture, at this point, is about ballin out of control”. It’s more that keeping up with the Joneses. It’s attaining the recognition without the work. When Cash Money Millionaires said “Bling! Bling!” it was a call to arms to many to indulge in excess without responsibility or purpose. What many who buy into the bling culture don’t realize is that the big cars and big jewels, they focus on is a figment of their imagination. The people they are trying to imitate are never impressed because they know the imbalance will always exist. So what if you can shop at Tiffany’s too, the real blingers send their assistants do that. The major missing link is that most people don’t realize that the money Puffy (sorry Diddy) throws around at parties is his company’s money, not his own. But it’s a well guarded secret, especially to those who are so far removed from the actual decision makers that they cannot grasp the concept of making sure you spend someone else’s money. So the bling culture continues with those who don’t have posing like they do. And us Africans are caught in the middle. Good luck Russell, I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Posted on

Djimon Hounsou finds Blood Diamond in December

Djimon HousouThe word is Warner Bros. has finally set a December 15 release date for the highly anticipated movie ” Blood Diamond”. This comes as a surprise for me considering the pressure they’ve been getting from the Diamond industry about how the movie will hurt holiday sales of diamonds. The movie has been talked about for at least the past year, with people on all sides jockeying for position on the issue conflict diamonds. Though the movie stars Djimon Housou, one of my favorite actors, I’m skeptical about the portrayal of Africans. Having read an early script myself, I am not sure if the movie will do justice to the topic of conflict diamonds nor will it help the image of Africans in the public eye. At first reading the movie seems to be another attempt at hollywood to dumb down an important topic, but I’m reminded by a movie industry expert that scripts can be changed during production. By sticking to their original plans to release the movie during the holidays and not pushing it to the diamond industry proposed release date of January 2007, Warner Bros. is obviously confident about the star power – Leonardo Dicaprio plays the lead character – , pr controversy, and possible academy award nominations to push box office sales. The diamond industry in hopes of saving face have also got some star power of their own, partnering with Nelson Mandela to lend credibility to their efforts to change their business tactics. Despite my pessimism about the movie itself, I’m interested to see how this will play out in the coming months. Check back here for updates.

DiCaprio Housou Blood Diamond

Posted on

Namibian Venantia Otto wins Face of Africa 2006

Vanentia- Winner, Face of Africa 2006Venantia Otto was announced as the winner of the the 2006 Nokia Face of Africa competition. The Namibian-born Venantia beat out the other 10 finalists from all over Africa and was announced as the winner of the US$150,000 prize modeling contract courtesy Elite Model Management – which has represented models such as Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, Iman, and Naomi Campbell. Venantia hopes to take New York by storm when she begins her tenure with one of the world’s biggest and boldest agencies. The Nokia Face of Africa 2006 Final was broadcast to over 40 African countries.

Posted on

Trend Alert: Celebrities “help” Africans

Lindsey Lohan at One.org event with African childrenA couple of posts ago I commented on Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent ad for the Keep a Child Alive organization. Though there was a lot of talk going around about the sincereity of the ad and even some good parodies, it seems the New York Times, in true hype fashion, has taken the ball and run with it. This weekend the Times ran an article titled “Into Africa” speculating on the trendy-ness of Americans’ – celebrity and otherwise – interest in Africa. The article was a dis-jointed analysis of why “saving” Africa is suddenly a new trend. While I feel the interest in the continent can be a good thing, I know that this particular type of interest can only hurt efforts to change the continent’s problems. Yet again, those who have a warped sense of self and belonging, have turned to the poor Africans to validate their existence. Lindsey Lohan? Madonna? Alyssa Milano? Give me a break!!! When issues relating to Africa are sensationalized without follow-up or perspective, the result can cause more harm than good. Africa has a lot of problems but none of these “celebrities” are able to put it in the perspective it needs. What’s the sense in installing an irrigation system in Ethiopia on your summer break if there’s no one to maintain it when you leave for your freshman year at Harvard? I’m not against celebrities lending their voice where needed, but anyone who will develop an interest in “helping” Africa because Lindsey Lohan says so is only going to make things worse. Africa may need a lot of things, but random acts of blindness is not one of them.

Posted on

Gwyneth Paltrow declares “I am African like David Bowie”.

Gwyneth Paltrow As I was perusing the new Fashion Rocks Magazine during my lunch the other day. I stumbled upon this ad of Gwyneth Paltrow, actress/wife of Bono’s humanitarian heir Chris Martin. I must say I was quite shocked. I still haven’t decided if it was a good or bad shock but a shock nevertheless. As someone who actually is African, I am excited to see Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive organization doing whatever it takes to push the envelope and make people realize the seriousness of the African AIDS epidemic. On the other hand I get the feeling there is the usual subconscious pandering which comes from many “humanitarians” who see themselves as saviors of poor helpless Africans. On the previous page of the magazine is a similar ad with David Bowie which seems to be less offensive on sight. The mixed feelings which the Gwyneth Paltrow ad is sure to get will no doubt come because she has been quite private causing the media to create an image of her as an All-American girl to satisfy the public’s need for more information. Paired with her marriage to Chris Martin of Cold Play, her public image becomes even more confusing. While Ms Paltrow might genuinely have a humanitarian streak the ad ends up getting the wrong reactions by the confused American public. We all know David Bowie to be a cause conscious celebrity and the fact that he is married to another humanitarian , supermodel Iman, solidifies his African-ness in our eyes. This should be a lesson to Gwyneth Paltrow and all other celebrities who want to keep their private lives private. You can’t rely on your celebrity to validate your cause if we don’t know who you really are. Thanks for trying though.

Posted on

Virtual game teaches African history to MTV generation

Africa MMO by Africast and Rapid RealityThough it is part of our history many young Africans (myself included) cringe at being characterized by drums, spears, and war paint. But one innovative company is hoping to change the implications of those descriptions. With their creation of a virtual Africa circa 1200 AD, Rapid Reality is hoping their game Africa MMO, a multiplayer online video game, sheds light on the misunderstood continent. The brains behind the Africa MMO game are John Sarpong, grandson of Ashanti king Prampeh of Ghana who runs Africast Global Media, Inc., a company that acquires and distributes a variety of Africa-focused media content, Adam Ghetti, a 19-year-old creative director at Rapid Reality, and Tracy Spaight, a 35-year-old lead designer who studied history at the PhD program at Cornell University and taught world history for five years, to include African cultures. Due to be released in December 2006, the game has already received the Most Innovative Concept Award at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo). To add to the draw of the game the developers are making the game accessible to Africans on the continent as well. “Africa,” which will be distributed via the Internet, will be designed to run well even on the less powerful computers frequented by Africans in their countries’ cybercafes. While I’m not familiar with online gaming (I stopped playing video games at Super Mario Bros.) I am quite optimistic about the game.

Here are some quotes from the game’s developers:
“We’ll take African mythology, folklore and legend and take all the bits that are somewhat familiar – we want it to be new so that people experience something they’ve never encountered before any MMO before and it’s rich and deep and fun.”

“We felt very strongly that video games can help increase understanding and education about Africa and get the unmotivated public fired up about what is going on with Africa”

“The African mythology back from 1200 to 1400 A.D. is thousands of times richer than the J.R.R. Tolkien series of novels. Don’t get me wrong, he was an amazing individual with brilliant ideas. But that’s been milked for 80 years now.”