Last 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
Oprah talks Blood Diamonds December 4th
A 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.
Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson in the motherland
EURweb.com reports that Bill Clinton will join Michael Jackson in Rwanda in June 2007. If you haven’t heard Michael Jackson is looking to tour hospitals and the country’s television station to research ways in which he could best help the African nation.
Bill Clinton continues to be quite the friend of Africa. His Bill Clinton Foundation has reportedly helped Madonna’s Kabbalah effort in Malawi, and he was recently honored by my friends at Africare for his other Africa-based efforts. Can a concert with Michael on vocals and Bill on sax be far behind. It’ll certainly be more interesting than the “We are the World” performance in London.
Making charity count in Africa
To 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.”
Russell Simmons: Blood diamonds and responsibility
The 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.
Armani’s RED makes Kate Moss black for your green
Last thursday, Giorgio Armani edited the british newspaper The Independent as part of his involvement with Project RED. As the second issue in the RED series – the first was edited by Bono- the newspaper took a look at issues which are of concern to those seeking to help Africa. While the newspaper had some good articles about “Africa’s gifts to the world” from art to science, celebrity weigh-ins on Africa’s problems, and African Women’s rights, those were all overshadowed by the cover picture of a black-faced Kate Moss. Major backlash ensued at yet another attempt to connect Africans to white celebrities and in this case the fashion world. You would think that after the backlash over the Gwyneth Paltrow “I am African” ad Mr. Armani would have paid special care to provide a better context for the image and not just rely on the resurrected supermodel’s notoriety.
A major part of the failure of such campaigns is the media not realizing that today’s consumer has become smarter and is exposed to a lot more global messages than before. It’s true that we’re still enamored with celebrity and for the most part are still sleep when it comes to politics, but with advertising, even the sheep think of themselves as wolves. The images and associations don’t carry the same weight they used to because they have not been defined in the new society. With reality TV and the internet we are more independent in our information gathering. Today’s consumer is exposed to a lot more, and has new points of references. As Julie of Coutorture proved in her attempts at covering New York Fashion Week, the old media is out of touch with the rise and needs of the new breed of consumers and they prove this constantly with images such as the one on The Independent. While many charities are seeking to involve the public in their causes they are still employing the old media communicate with a new consumer who rebels against it. Some would say that the controversy from both the Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow images helped to bring attention to the causes, but I would argue that most people could not tell you what issues those images were trying to bring to light. The old media has not done it’s homework on what Africa means to the new consumers. And like a parent, the old media’s message gets lost in it’s arrogance.
The Gap gets RED for the holidays
This winter The Gap will join American Express, Motorolla, Converse and others in support of PRODUCT (RED) and expand its RED product line. 50% of all profits from the sales of (RED) items will be given to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. PRODUCT (RED) is one of my favorite initiatives from Bono.
Gap’s PRODUCT (RED) for Holiday 2006 includes tees, hoodies in cotton and in cashmere, jackets, jeans, bags, belts, caps, scarves, a bracelet, candle and Individuals, a book of celebrity portraits taken over the years by Gap (100% of sales from the book will be donated to the Global Fund). Prices will range from $10 to $350. Some PRODUCT (RED) tees are currently available in the U.K. The full line will be carried in flagship/key stores in the U.S. and U.K. starting in October (limited items in other stores), and will also be available online.”
— Cool Hunting
Trend Alert: Celebrities “help” Africans
A 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.
Gwyneth Paltrow declares “I am African like David Bowie”.
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.