voices from the diaspora
Some links and stories from around the afrosphere
How I would love to be in South Africa this October. The Tech for Africa conference looks like it is going to be a real treat for those who are attending unfortunately for me my own speaking diary doesn’t allow for me to go. According to the official website
The Focus areas are:
* Emerging tech in Africa
* Web / web 2.0
* Mobile / wireless innovation and trends
* Startups / technology business opportunities in Africa
* Telecoms / infrastructure growth and trends
I am particulary keen in the whole startups and telecom possibilities on the continent and the minds that will be meeting there, some of them whom I know, am sure will produce some great results. It seems that the whole technology conference thing is kicking off on the continent as of late, even though most of it seems to be centered in east and south africa. That said have a look of some of the treats that White African has listed as coming up.
Vusi Mahlasela. “The Voice”. South African music at its best.
Fred Swaniker is definitely one of the most charismatic young leaders and social entrepreneurs on the continent. Establishing the African Leadership Academy(ALA) with business partner Chris Bradford.
The ALA is all about 16- to 18-year-olds from every country in Africa training in leadership, entrepreneurship, and African studies. The goal is to prepare future African leaders to tackle the challenges they will inherit, while providing them a long-term support system of mentors, partners, and other leaders. Admission is based on academic merit and leadership potential, with financial aid available for those who need it.
The Academy intends to launch in Sept 2008 and one of the incoming students is a young man I think we both met (well me anyway) this time last year at the TED Global conference in Tanzania. William Kwamkamba is a young man through textbooks and limited resources built a windmill to provide electricity for his family.
I hope to have the opportunity to visit the academy some time in the not too distant future and see the next generation of young african leaders learning and being the change they want to see in the world.
Botanist Corneille Ewango talks about his work at the Okapi Faunal Reserve in the Congo Basin — and his heroic work protecting it from poachers, miners and raging civil wars.
News, views and links from across the Afrosphere.
Enjoy them too.
Majority World provide a platform for indigenous photographers to show their cultures, their stories from a non western point of view. Taken from their site.
Our mission is to reveal, support, develop and promote indigenous photographers from the majority world* whilst making it easier for their work to be accessed by image buyers and the general public worldwide.
With majorityworld.com, majority world photographers will be in a better position to compete commercially and gain a fairer share of the global image market. With their images, we will also be able to offer an avenue for a more balanced and better-informed perception of the developing world.
We reported on the Image of Africa project previously and Majority World is a strong partner in this project. I personally am looking forward to the initiative to raise the profile of photographers especially of African descent.
Whilst in Tanzania last year I had the pleasure of meeting radio producer Sean Barlow. We shared a taxi from our hotel to the main conference where he gave me a short but life changing insight into how wide and far reaching afropop is.
Afropop is a radio program, a web site, a searchable database, an international musical archive, a team of researchers, and a travel series to Africa and Latin America . “Afropop” is also now used as a general term to describe popular African music.
The Afropop Worldwide site has a great searchable directory of artists, interviews, community site and covers a wide range of afro influenced music from the African continent itself to Latin america. There are a rich variety of sounds, samples and even volunteer opportunities with Afropop. Check them out.
A round up of some blogs that have caught our eye.
Startup Africa comments on the work being done at Afrigator and their flexibility. The article highlights the innovative work being done to connect those interested in Africa and the diaspora.
Ethan comments on the crazy situation in Zimbabwe and the government’s treatment of the opposition. This is Zimbabwe recently updated that the court’s overruled such nonsense and that the opposition can hold rallies.
African Scholar Student Lounge reports that an improvement in net access in universities could boost the continent.
Ethioblog notes that Obama’s Democratic win has sent ripples through not just America but in Africa too. Acknowledge his Kenyan roots many politicians are hopeful of what changes he could bring to the continent as well as North America.
Sociolingo reports on the success of keyhole garden’s in Lesotho
Tags: StartupAfrica, Ethan Zuckerman, African Scholar, Ethioblog, Sociolingo
Always keen to pick up on afro bloggers in the UK and Europe I stumbled upon Adventures in Negroshire. Peggy Brunache is a Haitan American, historical archaelogist blogging out of Perth in Scotland. Now how’s that for a great mixture.
Check her out.
Tags: blogwatch, negroshire, peggy brunache, haitan american
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