Tag: African identity

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Chosan performs Blood Diamond from Bling is Dead

A few months ago some New York-based artists and arts organizations organized a concert to benefit Nah We Yone, a grassroots nonprofit organization that helps rebuild the shattered lives of refugees, asylees and asylum seekers from the African diaspora who have fled to the New York Metropolitan area due to ongoing political instability throughout the African continent. The title of the concert, “Bling & Blood”, set the tone for various African artists to voice their opinions about the effects of the blood diamond trade on the African continent. Here’s a video of Sierra Leonean hip-hop artist Chosan performing his song “Blood Diamond”, a song he penned as part of the Bling is Dead project. Thanks to director Dante Kaba for the footage.

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Maasai herdsman/model talks Gisele Bundchen, American Express, and maintaining maasai culture

<img id=”image289″ src=”http://annansi.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/amex_red_ad.jpg” alt=”Amex RED ad” align=center”/>
In the news this week were features on the previously unknown Maasai herdsman who appeared with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen in this ad for American Express’ new card for the much-criticized RED campaign. Having seen the ad quite a few times in fashion magazines such as Vogue, I often wondered what the effect on the Maasai man had been. Here now, the Maasai herdsman is making news in multiple media outlets telling his story about his experience. What makes the story worth noting is that the herdsman, though having been paid $5000 for his efforts – an amount five times the annual wages in Kenya – has chosen to return to his life in his Maasai village. “To be honest all I was thinking about when I was with this woman was my cattle and goats,” Keseme Ole Parsapaet told The Associated Press, confessing to sleepless nights worrying about who was looking after his herd. Now that’s love for life and culture. How many of us would have taken the money and abandoned our simple lives.

“It is a good experience to work and make some money, but I believe people should be proud of their country… one should always return,”
– Keseme Ole Parsapaet

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Selling African culture Bollywood-style

Bunty Aur Babli movie posterReading this article about Bollywood and the brand new Kenyan film commission has me thinking about the African film industry and how it can grow. As some of you might already know, for the past year I’ve been consulting with the African Film Commission in developing and promoting the African film industry. This article about the Kenyan Film Commission’s growing relationship with both Hollywood and Bollywood has got me thinking about what impact Indian film and culture has been on my own African experience and how African countries can learn from Bollywood in marketing themselves. Growing up in Liberia I cannot remember a time when Indian film and culture were not a part of our daily experience. At that time (before cable and satellite) television was scheduled for a short time daily and the second main source of programming content, besides American films, was Indian dramas. Similar to Saturday Karate flicks in the US, Bollywood movies were a much anticipated indulgence of my daily childhood TV viewing. While I never always understood the context of the movies (same as with the American imports), the general themes of love, deceit, and camaraderie were familiar to all us Africans. We even adopted some of the sayings and mannerisms we saw in the films. Now with the Bollywood industry growing exponentially and reaching into Africa for inspiration, the relationship we Africans have with one of India’s greatest exports deserves some analysis.

Similar to Hollywood, as Bollywood has grown it has come to depend on Africa for production resources and content inspiration. What makes the Bollywood-Africa relationship interesting is that the Bollywood audience couldn’t be farther removed from Africans. For the most part Bollywood films are targeted to South Asian audiences though it continues to widen. Beyond the exoticism of the films, it is hard for someone who is unfamiliar with the culture to understand certain concepts without knowing the cultural reference. And though the films have adopted a global appeal, they are innately cultural. The fact that Bollywood movies can maintain their cultural perspectives and still appeal to different culture is a perfect example of how African cultures can export content that promotes their culture. I think Kenya is getting it right in organizing and creating a structure to nurture this relationship with foreign film companies to create a brand image, promote tourism, and inject foreign money into their economy. The lesson in this article for other African governments is that there are rules and procedures which, when implemented, will allow us to re-brand ourselves and promote our cultures to the world. And without certain structures such as a government created film commission, it becomes a free-for-all and stands to be ineffective in promoting tourism. Part of what makes India one of the hottest business destinations is the country’s ability to learn the rules of global business, create/maintain structures that encourage foreign investment, and – through their film industry – promote the uniqueness of their culture. I hope other countries look at the benefits of the business model Kenya is trying to implement and realize that they too can reap the benefits of such a relationship. They just need to understand how the game is played.

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Akon, Vibe and the new urban standard

Akon Vibe cover April 2007With two singles in the #2 and #3 spots (Akon “Don’t Matter” and Gwen Stefani Featuring Akon “The Sweet Escape”), a new album, Konvicted, holding the #3 spot on the Billboard charts, and a starring role in a new Verizon commercial, Akon is hot right now. Now Senegal’s son graces the cover of the new Vibe Magazine which just hit my neighborhood newsstand. I’m not sure if this is the first time an African has made the cover of Vibe, but Akon’s cover is particularly significant to me because as an artist he continues to have appeal beyond genres and walk the fine line that Vibe has been so successful walking. Akon’s continued rise further convinces me of the growth of a new urban culture without the restrictions of race and origin. Not to say that the genre is color blind but where urban culture was primarily associated only with Black American culture before, the new urban culture seems to fall more in a gray area where race and origin aren’t the only determinant. A few weeks ago John Pasmore wrote on his Fast Company blog about the origins of the urban. The way things are going these days soon there might be a new definition of urban with new originators as reference points. Whether this new genre is a good or bad thing for black/African culture depends on your perspective, but one thing’s for sure, Akon and Vibe are attempting to shape that new definition right now.

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Whitaker wins one for African film industry

Foreest Whitaker wins OscarBy now you’ve all heard that Forest Whitaker won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. While this is another big boost for Black actors in general, it is more of a validation of African film. Before the awards I was speaking to my partner at the film commission about what the implications of a win like this will be. One thing he emphasized was how more African films will mean more roles for black actors. I think one thing that many people, especially Africans, overlook is the relationship between African-American progress and African progress. While we rarely expound on the connection, Whitaker’s win shows how African stories can provide unlimited opportunities for African-American actors and producers to create award-winning films. While many producers have looked primarily to South Africa and apartheid for strong African stories in the past, Whitaker’s win shows that there are more than enough stories to develop on the continent. That’s why Dreamgirls’ Danny Glover skipped the Oscars to attend the Pan African Film and Television Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Now that the word is out, the goal must be to encourage more African screenplays (preferably from Africans themselves) and get African stories told by African people. While I’m glad Warner Bros. made the effort to make Blood Diamond, I think the studios can now see the benefit of telling African stories from an African’s perspective using African/African-American talent. And while “The Last King of Scotland” wasn’t a blockbuster at the theaters, at this point we see there is a large enough audience interested in seeing a African film that is given the budget both independent and blockbuster Western movies enjoy.
Update: The BBC reports about African reactions to the Oscars at the Fespaco film festival in Burkina Faso.

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Malian director puts globalization on trial

Bamako movie premiereI made note earlier of the movie Bamako, but it certainly deserves more than a side-note. Co-produced by Danny Glover, the movie Bamako has been taking the film critics by storm. Directed by Mauritanian-Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako Bamako is a fictional story of a trial where ordinary Malians hold international financial institutions (World Bank, IMF) to account for what they see as the damage caused by neoliberal policies. I must admit I haven’t seen the movie but from what I’ve heard and a look at the trailer below, it’s a must see.

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Summer reading list

Chinua Achebe Things Fall ApartThe great (for winter anyway) weather in New York has gotten me thinking about spring and summer. I know it might be a little early for some of you but here’s a great list to help you prepare for your summer reading. The list of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century was put together by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. While the list is a bit old (published in 2002) it’s a good place to start to become familiar with Africa’s literary geniuses. Here’s their list thanks to The Funky Ghetto Hijabi. Can you recommend any newer books?

Creative Writing

  1. Abnudi, Abd al-Rahman (Egypt) al-Mawtala al-asfalt (Death on the Asphalt)

  2. Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria) Arrow of God

  3. Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria) Things Fall Apart

  4. Aidoo, Ama Ata (Ghana) Anowa

  5. Almeida, Germano (Cape Verde) O testamento do Sr. Napumoceno da Silva Araújo

  6. Armah, Ayi Kwei (Ghana) The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

  7. Bâ, Amadou Hampâté (Mali ) L’étrange destin de Wangrin

  8. Bâ, Mariama (Senegal) Une si longue lettre

  9. Ben Jelloun, Tahar (Morocco) La nuit sacrée

  10. Beti, Mongo (Cameroon) Le pauvre Christ de Bomba

  11. Brink, André (South Africa) A Dry White Season

  12. Bugul, Ken (Senegal) Riwan, ou le chemin de sable

  13. Cheney-Choker, Syl (Sierra Leone) The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar

  14. Chraibi, Driss (Morocco) Le passé simple

  15. Coetzee, J.M. (South Africa) Life and Times ofMichael K

  16. Couto, Mia (Mozambique) Terra sonâmbula

  17. Craveirinha, José (Mozambique) Karingana ua Karingana

  18. Dadié, Bernard (Côte d’Ivoire) Climbié

  19. Dangarembga, Tsitsi (Zimbabwe) Nervous Conditions

  20. Dib, Mohammed (Algeria) La grande maison, L’incendie, Le métier à tisser

  21. Diop, Birago (Senegal) Les contes d’Amadou Koumba

  22. Diop, Boubacar Boris (Senegal) Murambi ou le livre des ossements

  23. Djebar, Assia (Algeria) L’amour, la fantasia

  24. Emecheta, Buchi (Nigeria) The Joys of Motherhood

  25. Fagunwa, Daniel O. (Nigeria) Ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale

  26. Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) Maps

  27. Fugard, Athol (South Africa) The Blood Knot

  28. Ghitani, Jamal al- (Egypt) Zayni Barakat

  29. Gordimer, Nadine (South Africa) Burgher’s Daughter

  30. Head, Bessie (South Africa) A Question of Power

  31. Honwana, Bernardo (Mozambique) Nos matamos o cão tinhoso

  32. Hove, Chenjerai (Zimbabwe) Bones

  33. Isegawa, Moses (Uganda) Abessijnse Kronieken

  34. Jordan, Archibald Campbell (South Africa) Ingqumbo yeminyanya

  35. Joubert, Elsa (South Africa) Die Swerdjare van Poppie Nongena

  36. Kane, Cheikh Hamidou (Senegal) L’aventure ambiguë

  37. Khosa, Ungulani Ba Ka (Mozambique) Ualalapi

  38. Kourouma, Ahmadou (Côte d’Ivoire) Les soleils des indépendances

  39. Laye, Camara (Guinea) L’enfant noir

  40. Magona, Sindiwe (South Africa) Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night

  41. Mahfouz, Naguib (Egypt) The Cairo Trilogy

  42. Marechera, Dambudzo (Zimbabwe) House of Hunger

  43. Mofolo, Thomas (Lesotho) Chaka

  44. Monenembo, Tierno (Guinea) Un attieké pour Elgass

  45. Mutwa, Vusamazulu Credo (South Africa) Indaba, My Children

  46. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) Caitaani Mutharaba-ini

  47. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) A Grain of Wheat

  48. Niane, Djibril Tamsir (Senegal) Soundjata ou l’épopée mandingue

  49. Nyembezi, Sibusiso (South Africa) Inkinnsela yaseMgungundlovu

  50. Okigbo, Christopher (Nigeria) Labyrinths

  51. Okri, Ben (Nigeria) The Famished Road

  52. Oyono, Ferdinand (Cameroon) Le vieux nègre et la médaille

  53. P’Bitek, Okot (Uganda) Song of Lawino

  54. Pepetela (Angola) A geração da utopia

  55. Saadawi, Nawal El (Egypt) Woman at Point Zero

  56. Salih El Tayyib (Sudan) Season of Migration to the North

  57. Sassine, Williams (Guinea) Le jeune homme de sable

  58. Sembene, Ousmane (Senegal) Les bouts de bois de Dieu

  59. Senghor, Léopold Sédar (Senegal) Ouevre poétique

  60. Serote, Mongane (South Africa) Third World Express

  61. Shabaan,Robert Bin (Tanzania) Utenzi wa vita vya uhuru

  62. Sony Labou Tansi (Congo) La vie et demie

  63. Sow Fall, Aminata (Senegal) La grève des battus

  64. Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria) Death and the King’s Horsemen

  65. Tchicaya U Tam’si (Congo) Le mauvais sang – feu de brousse – à trisse-coeur

  66. Tutuola, Amos (Nigeria) The Palm-wine Drinkard

  67. Vera, Yvonne (Zimbabwe) Butterfly Burning

  68. Vieira, José Luandino (Angola) Nós os do Makulusu

  69. Vilakazi, B.W. (South Africa) Amal’eZulu

  70. Yacine, Kateb (Algeria) Nedjma

Scholarship/non-fiction

  1. Amin, Samir (Egypt) Accumulation on a World Scale

  2. Amadiume, Ifi (Nigeria) Male Daughters, Female Husbands

  3. Andrade,Mario de (Angola) Os nacionalismos africanos

  4. Appiah, Anthony (Ghana) In My Father’s House

  5. Cabral, Amilcar (Guinea-Bissau) Unity and Struggle

  6. Chimera, Rocha (Kenya) Kiswahili, past, present and future horizons

  7. Diop, Cheikh Anta (Senegal) Antériorité des civilisations nègres

  8. Doorkenoo, Efua (Ghana) Cutting the Rose

  9. Hayford, J.E. Casely (Ghana) Ethiopia Unbound

  10. Hountondji, Paulin (Benin) Sur la philosophie africaine

  11. Johnson, Samuel (Nigeria) The History of the Yorubas

  12. Kenyatta, Jomo (Kenya) Facing Mount Kenya

  13. Ki-Zerbo, Joseph (Burkina Faso) Histoire de l’Afrique noire

  14. Krog, Antjie (South Africa) Country of My Skull

  15. Mama, Amina (Nigeria) Beyond the Mask, Race, Gender and Identity

  16. Mamdani, Mahmood (Uganda) Citizen and Subject

  17. Mandela, Nelson (South Africa) Long Walk to Freedom

  18. Marais, Eugene (South Africa) Die Siel van die Mier

  19. Memmi, Albert (Tunisia) Portrait du colonisé suivi de portrait du colonisateur

  20. Mondlane, Eduardo (Mozambique) The Struggle for Mozambique

  21. Mphahlele, Ezekiel (South Africa) Down Second Avenue

  22. Mudimbe, V.Y. (Dem. Rep. of Congo) The Invention of Africa

  23. Nkrumah, Kwame (Ghana) Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah

  24. Plaatje, Sol (South Africa) Native Life in South Africa

  25. Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria) Ake: The Years of Childhood

  26. Van Onselen, Charles (South Africa) The Seed is Mine

Literature for Children

  1. Asare, Meshack (Ghana) Sosu’s Call

  2. Al-Homi, Hayam Abbas (Egypt) Adventures of a Breath

  3. Mungoshi, Charles (Zimbabwe) Stories from a Shona Childhood

  4. Tadjo, Veronique (Côte d’Ivoire) Mamy Wata et le monstre

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Making a model living

Ajuma Alexander McQueen backstage 2007Back in my fashion week round-up post, I mentioned the lack of black/african models on the runways this season. While it was a passing comment the topic holds great weight with many Africans trying to build a career in the modeling industry. While many of us take them for granted and often trivialize the idea of someone making money on their looks, the fact remains that models are an important part of selling a product in any industry. Many years ago, I went with a friend to a casting call. Let me tell you, you have to have serious determination, passion, and focus to go to those “cattle calls”. As I sat in a room of about 100 people vying for only one spot for a simple shoot, I realized that putting yourself out there to be judged by your looks alone is a harrowing experience. You are often at the whim of whomever is in charge and whatever their hang-up is that day or even that minute; and not taking it personally is easier said than done. My friend didn’t get the gig but she continued to pursue modeling until she finally gave up. Working on the “other side of the camera”, I’ve been witness to quite a few instances where models have had to tolerate everything from physical to verbal abuse just to get ahead; and if you feel that they get paid well enough to bear it you’re wrong. Just this past fashion week, I had to literally choke a model to get her shirt buttoned to complete the look the designer wanted; and my model just stood there and took it. Each season African models compete in a world where even when the product is being sold to people who look like them, they can easily be replaced by someone who doesn’t. Particularly in the fashion world there is a growing cap on how many African or black models can work each season or even per show. And I mean worldwide. Many designers make the excuse that African models don’t fit the look they’re going for, but the fact is it’s just an excuse not to make the effort. There are tons of qualified models like Noella, Honorine, Ajuma, Oluchi, and Atong working their way through the industry with varied enough looks for any shoot or runway. And they all represent the varied consumers who spend money on the fashion. If fashion week is all about creating excitement, then what is more captivating than an African model putting some flavor in an otherwise vanilla fashion show. So the next time you open a magazine, watch a video, or buy a product think about all those models who are putting themselves out there so that your image is represented and give them some credit. (photo: Style.com)

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Is identity holding Africans back?

I got into a debate about African identity last night. The debate brought about two specific issues. Do individual African nations have to create their own identity first before subscribing to an African identity? also what part does identity play in resolving Africa’s issues? What are your thoughts?