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I just wanted to say thanks to the good folks at Jamati.com for deciding to interview/feature me on their African entertainment portal. If you haven’t already visited the site, make sure you do. The global staff continues to produce an exciting online news magazine. Talking to the editors was definitely one of the most thought provoking interviews I’ve ever had.
As I mentioned in my previous post it’s been a hectic couple of weeks. I’ve been dealing with both personal and professional changes but alas, I have sorted everything out to allow for a bit of normalcy. Here’s a recap of some of the events which have made the past couple of weeks so crazy.
New schedule, New projects, New website: A announcement is that I am no longer at my day job and am currently working independently. While I have never really talked about my day job here, those of you who I have had the pleasure of interacting with behind the scenes are familiar with my former position. While I never mentioned my 9 to 5 here, I feel it’s necessary to do so now to express how excited I am that I will be able to focus on the subjects I have been following and reporting about here on Annansi Chronicles. In the time it will take me to secure another full time position, I will be pushing full steam ahead with some of the projects which have been delayed due to my other responsibilities. Some initial projects include organizing a mini conference/roundtable, completing a proposal for my next book, and implementing a sales schedule for my clothing line. With my new working schedule, I am excited to be able to better contribute to the growth of African blogging/marketing/fashion/business community. If anyone wants to find out more about the projects I’m working on or would like to work together or just network check out my NEW website GKofiAnnan.com and feel free to contact me.
$10, 000 in book sales: While I was away from blogging, my current book project, “The Age of Conversation”, past $10, 000 in sales. Amazing!!! When I decided to contribute to the authoring of “The Age of Conversation, I never imagined the impact it would have. In the months since it’s release I have had a chance to meet and befriend some inspiring individuals. As the book sales move quickly past $10K, the effect continues to be felt within the marketing community. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you purchase a copy of The Age of Conversation.
Thanks to all for reading, commenting, and linking to the Annansi Chronicles.
Sorry for the lack of updates folks. I have been sidetracked by a ton of events and changes. Among them is moving to a new town, getting my businesses in order for the fall/winter, settling into a new working schedule, and getting caught up in the action at NY Fashion Week. The good news is I’m almost settled in for the fall/winter. I will be back up in a couple of days. You can join me on Facebook to interact, or just shoot me an email to connect.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve come to love writing about African style and business issues and interacting with the many inspiring people and ideas which I’ve come across through this blog. In my experience, today’s technology has provided us with the most effective vehicles to communicate and has caused an acceleration of African ideas AND actions across borders and even hemispheres. In my first attempt at taking our online conversations offline, I’ve proposed a panel idea for the upcoming South by SouthWest (SXSW) Interactive Festival being held in Austin, Texas March 7-11 2008. The proposed panel, Africa 2.0: Affecting Change Using Technology, will discuss how blogs, social networks, digital media and mobile technology are being used by businesses and citizens — both African and foreign — to affect change in Africa. The group of panelists will discuss adoption of mobile technology, community activism online and offline, and digital media’s effect on African entertainment industry growth. The process of developing the final schedule for the festival relies on a public vote to decide which panels actually get added. Please take a moment to VOTE to add the Africa 2.0 panel to SXSW Interactive schedule. My panel seems to be the ONLY Africa-related panel idea for the interactive festival.
In related news, I am hoping to put together a panel/roundtable to be held in New York City sometime this fall. I’m looking to bring many of you together to discuss opportunities and experiences in African business. If anyone has any ideas or would like to suggest any sponsors please contact me. I’ll have soe more specific information soon. Now go VOTE for panel!!
Other panels which deserve your vote:
The 3rd edition of the The Carnival of African Enterprising has launched at the White African blog. As with the previous installments, this edition highlights some of the best posts from the African business/entrepreneurship blogosphere. Head over to White African to check out top posts from 5 of Africa’s top blogging/business talent, with a bonus addition from Annansi Chronicles (Big Thanks to Hash).To find out more about the ongoing carnival go here. Special thanks to Benin Mwangi for organizing everything.
This is just a note to announce that Annansi Chronicles has joined a group of authors in launching a new social entrepreneurship section of “the world’s #1 site for small business motivation and strategies”, www.evancarmichael.com. Titled, Sustainable Development Through Entrepreneurship: African Accounts, the new section will focus on the African perspective in business and entrepreneurship. Among the authors who already write for the site are Donald Trump, Michael Gerber, Zig Ziglar, Seth Godin, Jay Conrad Levinson, Guy Kawasaki, and more.
With nearly half of its population living in conditions of extreme poverty, the economic realities of Africa are harsh.
And yet, the promise of sustainable development remains bright.
By creating economic growth, African entrepreneurs are proving to be at the heart of that promise, and a key weapon in the fight against poverty.
These are their stories.
Trained as a visual communicator, I have always held communication in the highest regard. Communication, to me, is at the center of everything we do, especially in today’s world. Whether you are an individual or an organization, it is most important to be able to communicate your ideas and be a part of conversations which, through the growth of technology are already shaping the world we live in. No-one is immune from the power of the conversations today. Through the advances in technology the playing field is being leveled in all industries, and it is most important for Africa to understand and take advantage of the change. For years we’ve struggled to be heard both at home and abroad and participate in the conversations which determine the development of our communities. But today, we are faced with the opportunities to broadcast our own conversations and chime in on others. Never before have we been given the opportunity to directly affect others a world away. And never before have the major players been so focused on the every-day person’s opinion for direction. As individuals we wield a great power, and how we communicate and build on conversations is more important than it ever was. The new book “The Age of Conversation” taps some of the most brilliant thinkers in today’s conversation-driven world. I have authored a chapter titled From Aid to Opportunity: Afri-Activism transitions into a new consumer market. You can read more about the book “The Age of Conversation” in the new Books & Products area of this site or at AgeOfConversation.com. Buy the book as an e-book, a paperback, or a hardcover at Lulu.com/ageofconversation. 100% of the profits from the book will go to a children’s charity.
The second edition of the Africa Enterprising blog carnival has been published on African Loft. The carnival features some very engaging content from many of the African blogging community The posts touch on topics such as trade vs aid in Africa, entrepreneurship in Africa, business and investment in Africa, and universal business tenets. Head over to Imnakoya’s African Loft for links to an inspiring collection of ideas.
As you all might remember I recently co-authored a dynamic book called The Age of Conversation. Based on the concept of how new communication tools facilitate conversations and shape communities, the book features multiple authors’ insights. I’ve gotten word that the book will be available for purchase a week from today with a special cover design by David Armano. Here are the particulars with more info to come real soon:
Launch date: Monday, July 16th
Formats/Prices:
Hardbacks $29.99
Paperbacks $16.95
E-book $9.99
Authors:
Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Mack Collier, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G.Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiels, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Andy Nulman, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett, Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg
One of the points many of us Africans raise when arguing about the need for a re-branding of Africa is the inaccuracy of the image which represent us. While I can go on and on about the problems with the image the global community has tagged the continent and it’s people with, I often choose to spend my energy emphasizing an alternative definition of Africa(ns). My question though is, I know many of us agree on the need to change the image of Africa, but what would describe that image as? Certainly I’m not talking about how we go about promoting the successes of Africa’s business and people, but rather what we would describe those alternative images as. It can be regional, national, or continental. I know it’s a loaded question, but I’m putting together a post on the African demographic (if you could call it that) and would like some input. I’m sure everyone has their opinions about whether we should classify all Africans, but what I am looking to pinpoint is the similarities AND differences between the various regions and cultures. Call it an impromptu survey if you will. You can comment below, use my contact form, or email me at blog(at)annansi.com. Your help will be greatly appreciated.