Playpump Merry Go Rounds Provide Water Access & Fun- Eases Burden on Women and Girls
Women and girls in remote communities in South Africa are traditionally responsible for the daily gathering and transporting of water for their families. The PlayPump, an innovative product created by the South African firm Outdoor Fabrication and Steelworks, offers a solution that has already begun to ease the burden on these women and girls while simultaneously offering many children their first exposure to playground equipment. Training on the installation and use of the US$14,000 product is offered by another firm, Roundabout Outdoor.
This innovative product offers a merry go round that is attached to a pump that gathers water below the ground into a large above ground tank. Playing children provide the energy to activate the water pump, and in turn benefit from the enjoyment of a playful game. Most importantly, these structures can be set up closer to villages, nullifying the need for hours of walking to water sources.
In a perfect combination of sustainability and fun, PlayPumps offers a solution to an important problem in developing countries, and is definitely a product to watch.
Read more about PlayPumps by visiting: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/playpumps/
World Bank Urges Countries Use Aid to Prevent Conflict
Rather than use their funds to alleviate the aftermath of war, countries supported by the World Bank have received a new directive. The Washington, DC based development bank is urging countries to use aid in order to prevent violent conflicts in donor countries in the first place.
A recent World Bank report declares that, “there should be far more focus on building stable government, and on justice and police, than on health and education.”
Read more about it here in a recent BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13032938
Read the World Bank report entitled, “The World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development,” here: http://wdr2011.worldbank.org/fulltext
MSNBC: Laughter is the Best Medicine in Bangalore
The technology capital of India, of one the fastest growing economies in the world, is home to hundreds that meet everyday to laugh their stresses away. Watch this MSNBC News clip about laughter clubs in Bangalore, India. What a novel concept!
MSNBC News: Haiti’s Children Film Their Future
Check out this fascinating MSNBC News report entitled “Haiti’s Children Film Their Future” that shares the story of Haitian children working with Britain’s ITV News Network in order to chronicle the current situation in Haiti using small flip cams. Creating a new generation of video journalists, this initiative follows the young reporters as they explain the effects of cholera, child prostitution, lack of infrastructure on the younger population along with an ever renewing hope for the future.
Shakara.be: Revolutionizing The Digital Future of African Music
Accessibility to the great contemporary and sometimes underground music coming out of Africa right now has been on my mind lately. So you can imagine my pleasure after I came across a new website called Shakara (www.shakara.be) that is turning the future of African music on its head. An “online platform that supports the increasing presence of African music and artists globally through a range of services including digital promotion, retail and marketing,” Shakara promises to change the face of African music promotion, which is welcome news to musicians and fans alike.
Hot artists being followed on the site right now include Simphiwe Dana (South Africa), Asa (Nigeria/France) and the Asmara All Stars (Eritrea) are shattering the scene with their newly released albums. You can watch sleek videos and read interviews with artists throughout the highly organized and comprehensive site, and s visitors will be able to buy digital music online.
I recently caught up
with digital music pioneer and London based creator of Shakara, Zak Akhimien, to talk about the future of African music on a digital scale:
RS:What has inspired you to create this online platform and what do you hope to achieve?
ZA: I was becoming frustrated with the lack of information on African music, either from the continent or diaspora, and decided to create a global platform that presented the best of what Africa has to offer in a style and setting that reflected its rich legacy and continuing vibrancy. As an African, I want to have a more positive and effective influence in how the world views our culture.
RS:What are the biggest misconceptions about modern African music?
ZA: That it is one homogeneous sound and style. Even award ceremonies like the recent MTV Africa Music Awards don’t come close to reflecting the diversity of music on and from the continent. It’s much more regional in reach and contained to an extent by official languages, for example, English is beginning to dominate over French for a lot of the younger artists, while North Africa positions itself closer to the Middle East than Sub-Shaharan Africa due to the Arabic cultural connection. There are also increasing collaboration across countries, regions and languages but the inherent differences are large and not always appreciated for the beautiful diversity they offer.
RS: How would you describe an ideal user experience on your site?
ZA: Whether you’re new to the music or a longtime fan, Shakara has been designed to give a balanced view on Africa and its musical legacy. Traditional classics sit alongside the latest club hits, as they are all connected and still very much cherished in their communities, both local and global.
RS:Tell us more about your global reach.
ZA: The networks and partnerships are key. No single platform can cover all the music and in today’s inter-connected society, there’s no need to over-extend resources in pursuit of this. Shakara has an expansive network of contacts in various music markets across the globe that all feed into its content pool. We frequently collaborate with other African music portals, labels and artists to highlight what we feel is relevant.
RS: Who are three most popular artists on Shakara right now?
ZA: Right now I would say Simphiwe Dana, Asa and the Asmara All Stars are getting the most attention on the site due to the new albums they all recently released. The quality of the albums, alongside genuine public interest and good marketing from their labels is reflected in the site traffic and user interaction.
RS: Traditional business models in the music industry are changing dramatically every day. How is Shakara seeking to support artists during this time?
ZA: In early 2011 we’ll be launching a digital music store that will offer content from all the artists, genres and countries currently on the site and much more. By the end of the year the service will have rolled out into Africa, giving the continent its first dedicated digital music retail destination with international and domestic content tailored to each region. We’ll also be looking to provide more opportunities for African artists to perform live across our European network of partner venues and promoters.
RS: What is in store for the future for Shakara?
ZA: We hope to continue to develop in size and reach, offering more information and access to a greater variety of music. Our growth in 2010 far exceeded all our expectations and further underscored the hunger there exists for African music. We invite you all to share in the unique experience.
VISIT SHAKARA AT www.shakara.be
UN’s MediaGlobal Project Sheds Light on the Needs of Developing Countries
I am currently taking a fascinating Global Media class as a part of my MBA program at Fordham University and in doing so have been pushed to examine the workings of international media firms, which just happens to be right up my alley!
In my research I came across an independent media organization within the United Nations called MediaGlobal, whose main purpose is to create awareness about the “suffering of the world’s poorest countries in Africa and Asia on issues of economic development, global health, food security and the impact of climate change on developing countries.” They do this through reaching out to over 30,000 journalists, NGO’s, and plolicymakers in order to ensure coverage of what is happening on the ground in developing countries. They believe that using the media appropriately can have a major impact on the economic and political development of emerging nations.
Check out this fascinating interview with Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg, Chief of the Creative Economy and Industries Programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), about building the creative industries in developing countries in order to boost their economies: http://mediaglobal.org/face-to-face/493/developing-creative-economies-for-least-developed-countries
Being a part of the building the creative economies in emerging countries in Africa and Asia seems like a fascinating and rewarding task that I look forward to learning more about.
Top Five Music Documentaries Ever Made
What’s better than a documentary? Well for music obsessives like me, nothing beats a documentary about music. Here are my top five all time favorite music documentaries that you must check out:
Buena Vista Social Club (www.buenavistasocialclub.com)
The film documents how Ry Cooder, long-time friend of film director Wenders, brought together legendary Cuban musicians to record an album and to perform a concert in the United States. Although they are geographically close, travel between Cuba and the United States is restricted due to the political tension between the two countries, so many of the artists were traveling there for the first time. The film shows their reactions to this experience, as well as including footage of the resultant sell-out concert. It also includes interviews with each of the main performers. It made the musicians, some of them already in their nineties, known to a worldwide audience, and some went on to release popular solo albums; these included Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Rubén González and Elíades Ochoa.
Santo Domingo Blues (www.santodomingoblues.com)
Santo Domingo Blues is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of the guitar-playing, singer songwriter Luis Vargas and Bachata, the guitar blues of Santo Domingo. Born in the bars and brothels of the Dominican Republic, Bachata is now eclipsing rap as the music of choice for Latino youth on the streets of New York and has become an emblem of national pride for Dominican immigrants. This movie documents why Bachata, known originally as the “Song Of Bitterness”, was, and still is, so important to the waves of impoverished immigrants that pour into American cities from the Dominican Republic.
RiseUp (www.riseupmovie.com)
On an island where reggae is considered the voice of the people and an outlet for survival, RiseUp follows three aspiring artists who seek to “rise up” from obscurity for their chance at success. This documentary is unlike any documentary about Jamaica as it takes the viewer off the beaten path far from any tourist attractions and sandy beaches yet still able to capture the beauty and magic that the Irie has to offer. From the deep countryside to the whirlwind ghettos of Kingston, no matter where you are, the film makes it evident that reggae music is the heartbeat of the culture.
Beyond Ipanema (www.beyondipanema.com)
BEYOND IPANEMA is a mash-up of thoughts and ideas about the repeating cycle of discovery of Brazilian music in the world. Through interviews with David Byrne, Devendra Banhart, M.I.A., Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Seu Jorge, Thievery Corporation, Bebel Gilberto, CSS, Creed Taylor and many others, BEYOND IPANEMA surveys the Brazilian music experience outside of Brazil. Artists, producers, DJs and critics analyze how the crosspollination of music styles, as well as sampling and globalization; have helped Brazil to secure a unique position in global culture.
Youssou N’Dour’s I Bring What I Love (www.ibringwhatilove.com)
Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love is a music-driven film that reveals one man’s power to inspire global change. The film unfolds at a pivotal moment in the life of Youssou N’Dour—the best-selling African pop artist of all time. N’Dour has long been renown for bringing people of diverse nations and backgrounds together through his collaborations with such musical superstars as Bono, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel. But when he releases his most personal and spiritual album yet, he instead alienates his Muslim fans in Africa. Although he garners accolades in the West, N’Dour must brave controversy and rejection at home as he sets out to win his audience back.
And soon to be added to this list will, of course, be the music documentary I am currently working on with Jenny Montasir entitled “ZOUK LOVE THE MOVIE“. Stay tuned!
Zouk Love the Movie: Grace Evora Spotlight
So as many of you may know, I am so proud to be co-directing and producing the first documentary film ever made about Zouk music called Zouk Love The Movie. My obsession with the genre has certainly reached new heights!
Check out a clip of our Fall 2010 interview with Grace Evora, a pioneer in Cape Verdean Zouk music during his DVD release party in Newark, NJ hosted by the wonderful Marcy De Pina. Evora, former drummer singer from the band Livity, has had amazing successes in Europe and abroad in spreading his addictive zouk music. Watch to learn more about his thoughts on the music genre and why he thinks it has taken off around the globe.
Film Synopsis
From the Antilles to France, to Cape Verde and beyond, an international community has connected despite differences in race, customs, and language. They are driven by a shared passion: a love for zouk.
© Film by Rayme Samuels and Jenny Montasir
www.zouklovethemovie.wordpress.com
Welcome to Nollywood: The Nigerian Film Industry
At a recent community service event for the National Association of Multi Ethnicity in Communications(NAMIC), I met a Bollywood producer who is in New York pursuing an MBA in media Management. We had plenty to talk about and I had many questions. We spoke about Hollywood, India’s super complex film industry, and what is going on now in Nigeria.
Yesterday I came across Jaime Meltzer’s feature length documentary on the fascinating Black Public Media website. Entitled “Welcome to Nollywood” the film provides insider access to the $400 million dollar film industry that began in the early 90’s in the West African country of Nigeria where every week at least 30 films hit the market (and are released straight to video). As is the case in India, Nigerian local audiences prefer local films to American fare.
These films are riveting, and themes are directly related to the issues that are floating in the national consciousness at the time. We get a glimpse into what happens at the Action Film Academy, a training school for action movie hopefuls. We hear from the energetic Chico Ejiro, owner of one of the largest studios in Lagos, who prides himself on being a guerilla filmmaker that has produced over 80 films with subjects that range from cults to period pieces on slavery to the supernatural.
The most poignant storyline follows self taught filmmaker and award winning director Izu Ojukwu, who is determined to make the quintessential Nollywood film about Nigerian peacekeepers who were sent to Liberia with the ECOMOG in order to stabilize the country in the 1990’s before Charles Taylor was brought to power.The production of the historical film, entitled Laviva, involved actual militants who trained the actors as well as Liberian rebels who also helped to train the cast. It’s an emotional journey for Ojukwu as the film runs over budget and overtime, but it is inspiring to witness that everyone involved with the production realized the importance of such a film for the nation.
This movie comes highly recommended, check it out here: http://blackpublicmedia.org/engage/channel/feature-documentary/?page=2
Indego Africa and Nicole Miller Join Forces for Women in Rwanda
I recently heard Conor French, the CFO of Indego Africa, speak at the Human Affect Youth Rally during the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit in September. He shared the mission of his organization to empower African women to lift their families out of poverty through fair trade partnerships, international export market access, and long-term skills.
Tomorrow Thursday, October 28th Indego Africa will partner with Nicole Miller to host a fundraiser event to support female artisans in Rwanda at the Nicole Miller store in Soho featuring a live performance by fabulous Cape Verdian singer Fantcha. Check out the flyer for more information:
You can RSVP by emailing your name to info@nicolemiller.com
For more information about Indego Africa visit www.indegoafrica.org
Visit Fantcha’s website at www.fantcha.com/news/news.asp
