Tag: Events

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Apple’s iPhone meaningless to a Masai herdsman

Masai on cellphoneYesterday 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.

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Oprah leads African girls to success

Oprah's African girls schoolOver 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.

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Akon nominated for 2007 Grammy Award

AkonSo word’s in on the 2007 Grammy Awards nominees and my boy Akon is front and center. These are the categories and which he and other African artists have been nominated in. The awards ceremony will be begin at 8pm EST on February 11, 2007 and will be shown live on CBS
* African artists are in red.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Smack That
<ahref=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akon”>Akon Featuring Eminem
[SRC/Universal Records] 

•      Deja Vu

Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia] 

•      Shake That

Eminem Featuring Nate Dogg
Track from: Curtain Call — The Hits
[Aftermath/Shady/Interscope Records] 

•      Unpredictable

Jamie Foxx Featuring Ludacris
Track from: Unpredictable
[J Records] 

•      My Love

Justin Timberlake Featuring T.I.
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Music Of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face Of The Beloved: Classical Music Of The Tajiks And Uzbeks
The Academy Of Maqâm
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings] 

•      Endless Vision

Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan
[World Village] 

•      Hambo In The Snow

Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley & Charlie Pilzer
[Azalea City Recordings] 

•      Golden Strings Of The Sarode

Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain
[Moment Records] 

•      Blessed

Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie]

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Tiki
Richard Bona
[Decca] 

•      M'Bemba

Salif Keita
[Decca] 

•      Wonder Wheel

The Klezmatics
[Jewish Music Group] 

•      Long Walk To Freedom

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International] 

•      Savane

Ali Farka Toure
[World Circuit/Nonesuch]

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African diamond facts according to Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons at his African diamonds press conference in New YorkAs I mentioned, yesterday I attended Russell Simmons’ press conference to reveal the results of his fact-finding Africa mission. In attendance was Russell Simmons, Dr. Ben Chavis, Kimora Lee Simmons (Russell insisted she’s still his wife), Rev. Run(Run DMC), the Dipset’s “capo” Jim Jones (again I say, WTF does he have to do with diamonds beside speaking ignorantly about it? update: Jim Jones quote below), actor Jeffrey Wright (said to be doing work in Sierra Leone), Scott Rauch (president of Simmons Jewelry Company), and a bunch of DeBeers and World Diamond Council people. I must admit I was still skeptical about the purpose of the trip and what I felt the results would be. From the video released last thursday, I began to have some hopes about the degree to which Russell was going to find the facts and re-enforce my image of him as the godfather/guru extraordinare of our hip hop generation. I went into the conference with an open mind, and looking to hear from Simmons himself that the mission was a successful one. Ultimately I was disappointed by the whole event.

While news sources report about Simmons’ Green Initiative, and (get this) Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) , which will “raise money for the development and empowerment of people and communities in Africa where diamonds ar a natural resource”, one key point resounding throughout the press conference was, why didn’t Russell’s entourage visit the countries which are at the heart of the blood diamond debate. As a representative of Global Witness and another reporter (I think she was from AOL Black voices) mentioned, the controversy surrounding diamonds relates more directly to countries like Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, none of which were visited by Simmons delegation. Instead the focus of the conference and the trip was on Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique, three countries which, despite reports of displacement of Native Bushmen in Botswana, have very little to do with the conflict diamonds controversy. It’s like saying there’s no racism in America and pointing to Condoleza Rice as an example. Now, some people would say that these three countries are part of the discussion since their diamond production process is a “role-model” for other diamond producing African countries, but there are still many faults even with that. During his short speech a representative from the Debswana Diamond Company, was reminded by Simmons to disclose to the press that the company at the heart of the “successful” diamond mining in Botswana was a 50/50 ownership with DeBeers, the primary company accused of profiting from the blood diamond trade. Simmons had mentioned earlier in the conference that 85% of Botswana’s profits go back to the people of Botswana for education, AIDS treatment, general health insurance and a good portion of the profits from his Simmons Jewelry Company would be re-directed to “help Africans”. But the question kept coming up; why didn’t the delegation leave the confines of the structured Botswana tour and venture into even the smaller towns within the country where reports of exploitation and human rights abuse were coming from. Couple that with the fact that the Simmons’ DEF fund contribution will go to the same Botswana that they claim is so successful in providing for it’s people and you can see why I’m not convinced.

While I think Simmons, and Chavis can do a great deal of good in Africa, my main concern is with the timing of the whole thing. With all the stories going around and reports of the diamond industry spending $15 million on preemptive measures in regards to the effect of the Blood Diamond movie, I can’t believe that Simmons got himself in the middle of this. True, he has a business to run, AND Amnesty International approached him first, but at least he could have attempted to make the “fact-finding” mission look impartial. Everything about the whole mission pointed to a spin campaign on the part of the diamond industry, to the point where a representative from the World Diamond council got up to make a speech about how they are “appreciative of the attention” the movie has brought on their efforts with the Kimberley Process. Even Russell mentioned that he was happy that Leonardo DiCaprio was talking of not boycotting diamonds. As I exited the press conference I ran into the President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, who had reportedly just taped an interview for the Charlie Rose Show which will air tonight on PBS. Russell, I still have faith in you. Do something to make it right.

Quotes from the conference:
• Russell Simmons:
“My (only) agenda is to uplift African people … and all people”
“(I want to ) help strengthen the Kimberley Process”
“Diamonds empower Africans”

• Dr. Ben Chavis:
“The diamond industry promotes good in Africa”
“(I encourage the media to) get the opinion of people who live and work in Africa”
“…most disturbing thing to me (from the trip) was seeing that the reality (of the African diamond situation) was not being covered (by the media)”

• Scott Rauch
“This continent needs help”

• Sheila Khama (De Beers Botswana Chief Executive)
“Please cut us some slack. A lot of good has happened in Botswana because of diamonds.”

update
• Jim Jones
“As rappers we spend tens of millions of dollars a year on jewelry alone. Not just me myself, I’m talking about as a general effort. It’s a service that goes back to the African people that’s been mining all the diamonds that we wear. We should learn about purchasing from them, as opposed to just giving everybody our money because we like what we see.” source

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Blood Diamond NY premiere

Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connoley, Leonardo DiCaprio at Blood Diamond NY screeningLast 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

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Making charity count in Africa

Iman & Alicia Keys at Keep a Child Alive's Black BallTo 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.”
Leonardo DiCaprio in Africa

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Armani’s RED makes Kate Moss black for your green

Kate Moss - The Independent RED cover by Giorgio ArmaniLast 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.

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Djimon Hounsou finds Blood Diamond in December

Djimon HousouThe word is Warner Bros. has finally set a December 15 release date for the highly anticipated movie ” Blood Diamond”. This comes as a surprise for me considering the pressure they’ve been getting from the Diamond industry about how the movie will hurt holiday sales of diamonds. The movie has been talked about for at least the past year, with people on all sides jockeying for position on the issue conflict diamonds. Though the movie stars Djimon Housou, one of my favorite actors, I’m skeptical about the portrayal of Africans. Having read an early script myself, I am not sure if the movie will do justice to the topic of conflict diamonds nor will it help the image of Africans in the public eye. At first reading the movie seems to be another attempt at hollywood to dumb down an important topic, but I’m reminded by a movie industry expert that scripts can be changed during production. By sticking to their original plans to release the movie during the holidays and not pushing it to the diamond industry proposed release date of January 2007, Warner Bros. is obviously confident about the star power – Leonardo Dicaprio plays the lead character – , pr controversy, and possible academy award nominations to push box office sales. The diamond industry in hopes of saving face have also got some star power of their own, partnering with Nelson Mandela to lend credibility to their efforts to change their business tactics. Despite my pessimism about the movie itself, I’m interested to see how this will play out in the coming months. Check back here for updates.

DiCaprio Housou Blood Diamond