Int’l Religious Freedom Report 2008

Earlier on this month, the U.S. Department of State released the 2008 International Religious Freedom Report.  Published on the 19th of September, this is a significant document giving a country-by-country assessment of our religious liberties. Of interest to me is the report’s ability to provide updated reviews pertaining to specific African countries.  The erosion of religious freedom tends to happen with great subtlety.  An awareness of any potential threats to this basic human right is essential.

The 2008 report can be accessed by clicking here.

No Excuse

Nigerians living in Manchester would really have to make an effort to forget their Independence Day this year. Posters (pictured below) advertising Independence Day celebrations have popped up across the city this past week.   On the 1st of October, Nigeria will be two years shy of celebrating fifty years of independence from British rule. Given the turbulent post-independence legacies of many African countries, I wonder what note this year’s celebrations will strike in the Nigerian national psyche.  As the countdown continues, allow me to wish Africa’s most populous nation a bright and prosperous future.

“How To Write About Africa”

Africa has had a long history of being patronised in various forms of the media and literature.  Most of us have come to expect it all. Cringeworthy distortions of the continent in movies, newspaper articles, novels, and even documentaries.  Ironically, non-Africans are often at the forefront when it comes to dictating how Africa and her people are portrayed.  Make no mistake – one reason why the African agenda has been hijacked is down to our failure as Africans to accurately tell our own story.

It is with this backdrop that I consider Binyavanga Wainaina’s essay, How to Write About Africa, as being right on target. It is a wry piece of satire challenging the hypocrisy, subjectivity, and catalogue of inaccuracies about Africa prevalent in today’s literature.  I personally believe this essay has wider applications.  Published in Granta, Wainaina’s article appears to go as far as taking a swipe at liberals portraying themselves as having Africa’s best interests at heart.  Absolutely essential reading!

Wainaina’s essay can be read in full here.

Africa Can

The good gentlemen at the African CEO blog have pointed out a new addition to the blogosphere: Africa Can. This is Shanta Devarajan’s new blog in his capacity as the Chief Economist of the Africa region at the World Bank.  After giving it a quick read, I would say it certainly seems to be a platform for all the right conversations about Africa.  Definitely one to bookmark: http://africacan.worldbank.org.

It’s The Little Things…

In my more introspective moments, I often wonder what I will miss about the UK when my wife and I head on to our next destination.  I have concluded it is the little, almost insignificant things that would be potentially most memorable.  A quick shortlist would have to include:

• Walks by the canal running through my neighbourhood on a reasonably balmy evening (not many in this part of the world).
• Boscaiola olives and granary bread from my favourite deli – the Barbakan Delicatessan in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
• Match of the Day, a round-up of the weekend’s English Premiership football action on BBC1 and BBC2. (No one breaks it down quite like Gary Lineker, Adrian Chiles, Alan Shearer & co!)
• And so on and so on…

Africa and the Credit Crunch

UPDATE: A comprehensive discussion on this topic has been subsequently facilitated by the World Bank’s Chief Economist for the Africa Region.  Strongly recommended – click here to access it.

The week so far has definitely been diary material.  In view of the current global financial crisis, these are certainly unprecedented times.  Images of former Lehman Brothers employees weeping in public brought it all home for me.  Soaring UK unemployment figures have also put things into perspective.  Meanwhile AIG, HBOS, and other financial institutions have been teetering dangerously close to implosion.  Increasingly, I have been left wondering what this means for Africa even though the implications appear elusive.

There have been voices suggesting that some parts of Africa may be less exposed to the perils of the global credit crunch. For example, yesterday’s edition of Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper made references to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which caught my attention:

…The CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Mr. Ignatius Imala… said the collapse of the American banks would not have effect on Nigerian banks but that the CBN was taking full measures as it did not want to leave anything to chance.

His words: “I naturally feel that you would be interested in not only learning that the collapse of Lehman Brothers and a few others will not affect Nigerian banks because of their trading relationships.”

Earlier on in the year, Nigerian tycoon Aliko Dangote spoke to the Mail & Guardian newspaper voicing his own opinions on the credit crunch.  He went as far as saying the global phenomenon could actually be a good thing for Africa.  I quote:

“The credit crunch works better rather than worse for Africa in terms of investment,” Dangote said while on a visit to Sierra Leone late on Sunday.

“It means there is a lot of money that needs to be invested somewhere and the best place is … developing countries like Africa,” he said, pointing to growth rates in some African nations more than double those of their Western counterparts.

Call me a pessimist, but that seems like a somewhat simplistic view of the current situation.  Given the decreasing liquidity of potential investors in the EU and the United States, I question where this foreign investment will come from.  China perhaps?  If anything I am more inclined to go along with Seeraj Mohamed’s view in an article written for the Polity.org.za website. He outlines the dangers of the global credit crunch in a South African context, highlighting the possible effects on domestic share prices.

Ultimately, I doubt anyone REALLY knows how the full impact of this fallout will accrue to African economies.  One universally acknowledged fact is that we are in uncharted territory.  Given the interlocking connections holding the global community together, I would be surprised if Africa is left unscathed.

The Moody Blues

This past Sunday I was compelled to stop my car and capture a moody looking City of Manchester Stadium on camera (pictured below).  It is the home of Manchester City FC – a football club in the spotlight lately following its acquisition by the Abu Dhabi United Group.  After years of being eluded by success, the gloom hovering over the blue half of Manchester may be about to dissipate.  The deep pockets of the club’s new Arab owners appear poised to guarantee this.  Spare a thought for Benjani Mwaruwari, Kelvin Etuhu, and Nedum Onuoha – all of whom are Manchester City FC players of African origin.  One wonders if they feature prominently in the ambitious plans of the club’s new owners…

Zimbabwe

In view of the latest developments in Zim’, I have just three words to say:
“Time will tell…”

Essential Viewing!

I urge anyone with an interest in Africa to stop and watch this presentation by Ory Okolloh.  It was delivered last year at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Arusha, Tanzania. This is essential viewing for Africans and non-Africans alike. To listen to Ory’s fascinating talk, click the image on the right or click here.

Ory is a Kenyan lawyer, political activist, and blogger. She is the co-founder of Mzalendo, a website tracking the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament. She is also a co-founder of Ushahidi, a website initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election crisis earlier on this year.  Her personal blog goes under the name Kenyan Pundit.

Q&A – Dave Duarte

Dave Duarte is a South African marketing geek – an entrepreneur, educator, internet and mobile marketing consultant all-in-one.  He runs his multiple ventures from his Cape Town base and blogs regularly at daveduarte.co.za. I caught up with Dave late last week and he kindly shared some thoughts in response to my questions…

Q>> You’re a self-confessed “Marketing Geek” – what does this entail exactly?

DAVE>> A Marketing Geek is interested in the intersection between marketing and technology. Personally, my interest is less in digital promotion, than how technology can be used to develop valuable relationships between customers and companies.

Q>> Can you tell us a little more about any ventures or projects you’re currently involved in.

DAVE>> Huddlemind, my startup, is what is keeping me busiest right now. We’ve got a little online network for educators going at Huddlemind.net, and we’re running workshops and gatherings to bring these people together to share ideas and inspiration.

I direct two executive education programmes for the University of Cape Town – Mobile Marketing and Nomadic Marketing. These deal with marketing with cellphones, and how to integrate marketing across traditional and new media channels to reach busy customers.
These are run publicly twice a year, and in-house for companies several times throughout the year.

I’ve taken on the role of Public Lead for Creative Commons in South Africa. Creative Commons offers free legal licenses that allow people to share their creative works, while reserving certain rights – such as the right to sell the work commercially. It’s exciting and important work, and I get to meet fascinating people through it all the time. We’re looking for collaborators throughout Africa for this.

The other exciting startup I’m involved with is Muti.co.za. It’s a popular social-bookmarking website – we’ve got over 50 000 monthly visitors, and around 4000 registered users. We’re about to make an interesting leap into another African country with a new Muti site.

Q>> You’re clearly part of a new breed of young South Africans exploring new ways of doing business. Do you feel Africa has what it takes to compete in the global arena?

DAVE>> Yes, African people have the ingeniuty to innovate with limited resources. A significant part of Huddlemind’s business over the last year, and a significant part of what most of the universities do, has been hosting foreign delegations who are simply here to learn about how to do business in emerging economies. Multinational companies see the need for their people to learn to share and collaborate more effectively in fast-changing, hyper-competitive global markets, and much of what Africans do well – from uBuntu to Innovating on a Shoestring – is admired.

Q>> A lot has been said about the exodus of skilled South Africans leaving the country to more lucrative (and safer) overseas destinations. What do you see as a solution to this trend?

DAVE>> I think we need leaders that we can believe in. Inspirational leaders who can restore hope and give us strong values-based direction. I think Barack Obama has stepped into this role in the US. Madiba did it for us when we needed it.

Q>> There’s a lot of talk about Web 2.0 being on its way out.  In your mind, what’s the next big thing and how do you think it will affect Africa?

DAVE>> I don’t think web2.0 is out, its focus is just shifting from geeks to the early majority of users. I think the next big thing will emerge as more people get cellphones that can access the internet, and then start using mobile devices as platforms for richer interaction. I think this will enhance access to knowledge, information, peer-support networks, and important services such as banking.

Q>> Out of pure curiosity – are you related to Fernando Duarte one of the co-founders of Nando’s?

DAVE>> Lol. Not that I know of.

Q>> Your insight and time is greatly appreciated Dave!

DAVE>> Thanks. I appreciate the space to express .

(Photo: Courtesy of Dave Duarte)