The LA Times has an insightful op-ed piece written by Joe Queenan a writer who has written for Barron’s, the New York Times Book Review and London’s the Guardian. The piece titled “Tarzan’s children: Why movies about Africa require white saviors” sheds some light on what Joe calls the “Just Let Bwana Do It!” series of Hollywood films which include “the Constant Gardner” and “The Interpreter”. Mr. Queenan echoes some recent criticism of the movie “Blood Diamond” about the movie’s focus on the Leonardo DiCaprio character instead of Djimon Hounsou’s character, who the story revolves around. Queenan also brings up some points about how some Africans see the West’s influence on their communities.
New (RED) sneakers in NYC and Hawaii
It was only a matter of time until the NY streetwear scene contributed to the African charity trend. SlamXHype points to Complex Magazine’s news that one of NYC’s popular streetwear boutiques, Dave’s Quality Meat, has teamed up with Converse for it’s contribution to the Product (RED) campaign. Dave’s Quality Meat (DQM) has designed a limited-edition (of course) custom Chuck Taylor which will be available at the DQM store in early February. The sneakers will retail for $100 with 10% of sales going directly to Product (Red)’s Global Fund. DQM’s owner, Dave Ortiz, adorned the re-designed Chuck Taylors with hieroglyphics and other esoteric symbols such as the ankh (to symbolize life) and the Egyptian Chnoubis serpent symbol (that represents protection from diseases and poison). Dave said, “Because Product (RED) is about ending AIDS in Africa, I wanted to tie-in symbols from Africa that would represent the fight.â€
This is the third effort from Converse for Product RED. The first was a mud cloth Chuck Taylor, and the second is a collaboration between Hawaaiian streetwear boutique KicksHI, Converse, and Hawaiian designer Sig Zane. The Sig Zane designed Converse will be available at KicksHI in early 2007. Soon you’ll be able to wear African culture from head to toe.
This week in African style, 1/6 – 1/12/07
• Will Smith plans to move to South Africa:
• Wesley Snipes wants more Africans making films
• Chris Rock vows to help Kenyans
• Yale puts African art on a pedastel
• DiCaprio adopts a South African girl. Thats one way to open the door to immigrants
• George Clooney advocates for Darfur with film
• Adoption groups criticize Angelina Jolie who criticized Madonna who thinks EVERYONE should adopt an African baby.
• Vh1 gets Bling’d for the United Nation on February 22
Starbucks spotlights child soldiers
Starbucks is making a second book selection this February. On Feb. 15, Starbucks will be selling “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,†by first-time writer and Sierra Leone native Ishmael Beah. Amazon says:
“In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now in his mid-twenties, tells how, at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels in his homeland of Sierra Leone and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.”
Beah, now 26, fled Sierra Leone in 1997 and a year later emigrated to the United States. He graduated from Oberlin College in 2004 and now lives in New York. “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,†will be published in mid-February by Farrar, Straus & Giroux and will be backed by an author tour at Starbucks stores in 10 cities. Starbucks will donate $2 to UNICEF from each sale of the $22 book, with a minimum donation of $100,000.
Starbucks selection and efforts should help to offset some of the criticism it’s been getting about it’s treatment of Ethiopian coffee bean farmers.
Apple’s iPhone meaningless to a Masai herdsman
Yesterday Apple debuted another revolutionary product, the iPhone. It has everything anyone would need in a phone. That is unless you’re one of Kenya’s Masai herdsmen. Psfk pointed me to a great article and short film by Paul Mason on how the mobile phone industry is having an enormous economic and social impact in Africa. Watching Paul Mason’s short film, I can’t help but draw a comparison between the US mobile phone market and the African one. One of the main issues that has come up in the analysis of the iPhone’s debut is that it’s exclusive to Cingular wireless – for now. Nussbaum at Business Week mentions that if Apple was really trying to revolutionize the US cellular market they would create an ecosystem by partnering with other carriers. The thing is though Apple has taken a stance by focusing on what mobile consumers have said they need, not what mobile carriers think users want. The mobile industry in the US is plagued by warring providers who each , in the name of differentiation, coninue to develop products that only satisfy the users’ wnats, not their needs. Apple “listens” to the people it develops products for and in doing so it has a track record of developing products that address the the users’ needs. If more African help efforts used Apple’s strategy, maybe their successes can mirror Apples.
The US consumer is spoiled by having access to too many options. Though there is are definite pluses to that (competition, innovation, entrepreneurship, choice), the down side is that we send mixed messages about what we want and we really need. Combine that with our self-serving opinion that the whole world shares our values, needs, and wants and you get a misplaced sense of priorities. Oprah said it best in her Newsweek interview, “If you ask the (American) kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.” This statement shines some light on the problem many US-based efforts to help Africa usually run into. Many individuals and organizations put a lot of effort in what they determine Africa needs which only reflects what they want themselves would want for those Africans. The BBC report shows how the mobile industry in Africa has grown because it focuses on what the people need. A Masai woman uses a mobile phone to check on her cattle and because there is little power in her village she uses solar-powered charger to recharge the phone. Both the phone and the solar recharger are beneficial because they start with the need of the user and work from there. The development of the “send money” function in the Kenyan mobile industry is another illustration of innovation according to the person’s needs. Maybe if more African assistance efforts focused on the needs of African people and worked in partnership with them, Africa could one day get to the point where there are opportunities to cater to the wants. The iPhone is revolutionary because it focuses on what people need at the moment; that is different from what the US mobile market has come to build it’s industry on. Nothing but fleeting wants.
Zimbabwe failing diamond test
On the conflict diamond front, it’s Zimbabwe who has now come under fire for it’s conflict diamond policies. Reports are surfacing that the African country is among a growing number who has not met the standards of the World Diamond Council’s Kimberley Process initiative. It’s funny to see how the council is suddenly cracking down on countries who aren’t complying with their rules. Some would say it’s following through with it’s 2006 statement of cleaning itself up, while others say it’s just a knee-jerk reaction to all the heat they’re getting. Whatever the reason, it’s a good sign I guess. Now we just need to get some independent parties in on the governing. Especially since diamond sales are gaining ground online.
Side note: Djimon Housou’s role as the fisherman in Blood Diamond is earning him some good recognition. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the Academy Awards.
Oprah leads African girls to success
Over the holidays the media was abuzz when Oprah Winfrey opened her school for girls in South Africa. No stranger to charitable endeavors, this one however struck a nerve with all kinds of people. While many saw the effort as a positive one, others questioned the racial mix of the school and why Oprah chose Africa instead of the USA. I’m on Oprah’s side for this one. Out of all the celebrity Africa efforts Oprah has been one of those who has properly used her celebrity status to focus on the true issues. From her support of Bono’s Product RED to her feature on blood diamonds, she’s used her talent to focus on the issue at hand though it’s been with mixed reviews. I think the school for girls is a good idea which is sure to be duplicated by other celebrities. For all the criticism she has received, I think this is one move that deserves some recognition. And it surely sets the pace for Africa initiatives in 2007.
Botswana Bushmen win land after DiCaprio appeal
Earlier this week the NY Daily News rang the bell on the newest blood diamond match this time between Russell Simmons and Blood Diamond director Ed Zwick. The director’s critisism comes as the latest part of the fallout from Simmons’ fact-finding African diamonds mission. Since last week’s press conference, Russell has been fending off all kinds of hits about what many perceive as his being a puppet for DeBeers. Everyone from the hip-hop press to Rush Limbaugh have an opinion on diamonds now. I think Russell hurt his business more than ever. As Zwick and Simmons continue their match, the winners of the week seem to be Botswana’s Kalahari Bushmen who just won their diamond filled land back from Botswana’s government. It seems they have Leonardo DiCaprio to thank.
The Independent names 50 best African artists
This 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)
Madonna getting African child?
A recent British newspaper, The People, announces that Madonna might be looking to adopt a child or twins from one of her favorite African countries, Malawi. First there were rumors of her adopting a whole village and now it’s back to a child or two. Whatever the “truth” is, it is certain that Madge -as the brits call her- has her sights set on the the small African country. But the question is is this yet another publicity stunt or are she and hubby Guy Ritchie serious about providing a child in need with the care necessary to build it’s future. Whatever we might say about them Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, they are turning into the poster parents for adoption and are making a good effort to provide what the each of their children needs. Even I was skeptical about the adoption of Ethiopian baby Zahara. But with Brad Pitt endorsing Carol’s daughter’s products as a good way to care for black hair in the October Esquire magazine, the couple seem sincere. If the Madonna adoption rumors are true maybe she’ll consult Brad and Angelina or maybe even an African couple.