THIS IS
TRUE
AFRICA
Kojo Baffoe takes a look at Africa as
a place of innovation, inspiration and
creativity, sans age-old stereotypes.
et’s be honest. When people talk of Africa, it
is often cloaked beneath the pretty, yet slightly
grimy, mantle of standard stereotypes, starting
with ‘Africa as a country’. This is wildly ironic
considering that there are about 3 000 distinct
ethnic groups, more than 2 000 languages and
dialects spoken, and 54 countries in Africa. And
while we are now the ‘new frontier’ or are ‘rising’, as has
been proclaimed and documented far and wide, the focus
seems to be primarily on what nature gave the continent,
as opposed to what we are actually doing.
This is evident in the fact that if you talk to anyone
looking to come to visit any part of the continent, ‘safaris’
or ‘going to the bush’ tend to be high up on the list of things
to do. Do not doubt that we have beautiful landscapes, a
plethora of wildlife, flora and fauna, and an abundance of
minerals, but that cannot be all that Africa is. The continent
continues to have its challenges, its pain, its tragedy, but
the one thing that stands above everything else is the
resilience of its people, regardless of where they are and
regardless of their circumstances.
TRUE GREENFIELDS
Unlikely Allies I BY BEVAN DE WET
128 | African Travel Market
The reality is that Africa has lagged behind, for a range of
reasons and depending on whom you are talking to, for
some time now. What this means is that there is still much
work to be done and, as a result, the limitations in terms of
what can be done are the boundaries
of the imagination. There are potholes
in the road to Africa taking its rightful
place, but it is these obstacles that
create innovative thinking.
Initiatives like the Innovation Prize
for Africa, which has been celebrating
and recognising innovation in various
industries, including manufacturing,
health, agriculture and energy, since
2011, highlight how Africans are
using technology to create sustainable
products. The overall winner for 2014
was an Osteogenic Bone Matrix
innovation, invented by Dr Nicolaas
Duneas and Nuno Pires, which
injects bone growth proteins into
the bone to bring about quick and
complete healing. The Special Prize
for Innovation went to Dr Melesse
Temesgen of Ethiopia for his Aybar
Broad Based Furrow Maker, which is
effective for draining water from fields
by creating furrows.
African companies have altered the
trajectory of industries. For example,
M-PESA, out of Kenya, has changed
how we look at mobile money and
it has been launched, with varying
success, in countries like India, South
Africa and Afghanistan (as M-Paisa).
Malawian
William
Kamkwamba
captured the world’s imagination with
his story, which he documented in the
book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
(William Morrow, 2009), of how he was
able to bring power to his home by
creating a windmill using scraps. And
he is one of many who quietly go about
bringing real change to all corners of
the continent.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
There is a trend towards doing business
yet also making a positive impact.
Social entrepreneurship is a concept
that is bandied around extensively
these days and it is most evident when
you peel back the standard image of
Africa. Forgood (www.forgood.co.za),
started by digital and management
consultant, strategist, startup junkie
and investor Andy Hadfield, is a
Unlikely Allies II BY BEVAN DE WET
African Travel Market | 129
CHOREOGRAPHER AND DANCER, PAUL MODJADJI
STREET BARBER 2 BY BAMBO SIBIYA
130 | African Travel Market
THE ARTS
Africa is seen as a ‘mobile first’ continent, with the impact of
mobile technology reaching far across our lands. Africans
are using the strides in technology to alter all aspects of
society. Despite the rich art and culture that has existed
for centuries, this is one area that has received limited
attention. With Guns and Rain (www.gunsandrain.com),
Julie Taylor seeks to address this by amplifying the reach
of artists, primarily in Southern Africa to begin with. The
platform is a space where contemporary African art can be
purchased from anywhere in the world. Taylor scouts for
artists extensively, as well as interacting with artist collectives
like Artist Proof Studio, Assemblage and Bag Factory.
At present, artists are from Botswana, Namibia, South
Africa and Zimbabwe, and are primarily young and
emerging, although there are those who are established
locally but not internationally. They present the true face of
African art and the intention is to build a substantial gallery
to truly help the artists break down borders and change
perceptions about using technology.
Another space that is committed to the arts in Africa
is African Digital Art (africandigitalart.com), started by
Kenyan digital artist, designer and curator, Jepchumba.
They define digital art quite broadly, incorporating art,
video, audio, animation and design (such as web and
graphic). They have been systematically curating digital
art from across the continent and currently have content
representation from about 45 countries.
FUTURE AFRICAN
ARTIST PROOF STUDIO, JOHANNESBURG
IMAGES: FORGOOD.CO.ZA, GUNSANDRAIN.COM, PAUL MODJADJI, RYAN JAMES ©BEVAN DE WET, ©BAMBO SIBIYA.
social enterprise that seeks to address the needs of the
nongovernmental organisation sector by facilitating the
donation of goods and services.
Or, as he more aptly puts it, “We connect people
to causes. There are 85 000 non-profit organisations
(NPOs) in South Africa (possibly more) that have
become really good at solving individual problems in
particular areas. What if we could build a platform that
didn’t solve individual problems – but simply made the
whole process of solving those problems easier? Think
intellectual, resources and technology infrastructure for
the NPO sector. We start by keeping it simple. Allow
people to respond to the current needs and campaigns
of our approved causes. Allow people to create offers
which are matched to our approved causes.”
You can donate time, from helping to bake cakes, coaching
and mentoring to financial, public relations and event-planning
services, or goods, such as furniture, clothes, music equipment
and even old newspapers. The power of the platform is that
it takes business principles and creative thinking and applies
them to a social problem. How many of us have stuff lying
around that is not being used to its full capacity?
Nize Nisikhonzele phela
bandla bo 2 , BY BAMBO SIBIYA.
Someone who has been involved
in this initiative is Kenyan digital
strategist, Mark Kaigwa, who has
positioned himself as a leading
thinker, not just in East Africa,
but continentally. His ‘strategy
and storytelling for digital Africa’
consultancy, Nendo, looks to
represent the true African consumer
through the monitoring of trends
and the development of strategies
that speak directly to them.
Kaigwa says, “Looking at African
businesses that have become leaders
today, the recipe for success in, for
example, five years from now will
be different. In my opinion, this is
due to the devices in people’s hands
and the information they access.
Also, in my opinion, the people who
will continue to transform business
aren’t necessarily sitting in London,
Tokyo or New York but here on the
continent. So, with Nendo, it’s about
creating a vehicle for exceptional
Generation Y, millennials and
African digital natives to bring a
fresh mind-set to business as allies
and collaborators. It is a vehicle to
produce thought-provoking ideas on
the internet and media in Africa.”
One of Nendo’s main projects
recently has been the A-Z of Kenyan
Twitter, giving insight into understanding
both language, people, and interesting
titbits about the Kenyan twittersphere,
often in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
The plan is to expand this beyond
Kenya into the rest of the continent, a
further indication of the importance of
social media in providing Africans with
a platform to represent themselves.
The next time someone asks
you what is cool about Africa, tell
them it is the people and what they
are doing. Every one of us has
a story and life experiences that
can add value to our lives as well
as the lives of others. The reason
Africa, as a continent, is seen to be
‘rising’ is because of the people.
The landscapes are pretty and the
animals fascinating, but the people
are phenomenal.
KOJO BAFFOE
Kojo Baffoe is a content architect,
writer, speaker, blogger,
entrepreneur, connector of people
and ideas, sometime poet, former
magazine editor and co-founder
of the content design and insights
company, Project Fable. Follow his
blog on www.kojobaffoe.com or
find him at:
@kojobaffoe
facebook.com/kojobaffoe
Andy Hadfield AND Garth Japhet FROM FORGOOD.CO.ZA
African Travel Market | 131