Category: Film/Television

BET’s Bob Johnson adds to the African luxury hotel surge

In the past few years there’s been a bit of news coming out of new hotel projects taking place on the African continent. From the Hilton Hotels Group to the Rezidor Hotel Group it seems there’s a lot of interest in Africa as a luxury travel destination. Some will say that the shift is part…
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Video: Thinking big in Ghana

“What makes a country great is not that people stay there, but that other people want to come there” (via YG)

African nominees for 2008 Grammy awards

The nominations for the 50th Grammy awards were announced recently. Below are the categories where talented Africans excelled and continued to influence popular culture. The awards will be presented in February 2008. Congratulations to all the nominees. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Everything – Michael Bublé Belief – John Mayer Dance Tonight – Paul McCartney…
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Video trailer: Darfur Now

Official trailer for Don Cheadale’s documentary Darfur Now.

Annansi notes: Brangelina buys Ethiopia, Africom, MTV Africa awards begins, (RED)washing at Gap

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought Ethiopia. (Not the African country itself, but the island which represents Ethiopia in Dubai’s island phenomenon The World) American general seeks to play down fears over new Africa command. (Uhhh… sure. No worries.) Africa’s nuclear hopes. (Could this be the solution to the electricity shortages?) MTV begins Africa Music…
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Cultures collide: Souja Boy African Remix

So far I’ve been very successful at avoiding Soulja Boy‘s “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” song and video. While I always do my best to stay up to date on what is hot and not in pop culture, I find it hard to digest too much throwaway content. Call me judgmental but there’s only so much…
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The REALLY simple celebrity life

As much as we hate to believe it, Africa is still the charity case of choice for celebrities looking to get public sympathy. Time and time again the African brand gives instant credibility and humanizes the privileged and their brand image. With every case in the news I am reminded of how much work we…
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After Gladwell’s Blink, Kenna’s new dilemma

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…
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Tanzania launches first ever US television campaign on CNN

Two weeks ago I attended the African Travel Association‘s Second Annual Presidential Forum on Tourism at New York University. The forum, organized by the ATA – a global travel trade association promoting tourism to Africa – and hosted by NYU’s Africa House, was put together to provide African leaders from Tanzania, Ghana, Cape Verde, Lesotho,…
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