C O N T E N T S
6
in this issue 20
45
4
editor's note
READER'S EXPERIENCE
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My Brother's Killer
FEATURES 10 I Am African 17 Lessons Africa Can Learn
From Africa
20 The African Dis-Union
tsotsi in the boardroom 26 From Robben Island
To Wall Street
RAGS TO RICHES 31
2
Q&A With Katleho Tsoku - The Bliss Lounge
26
31
52
35
56
Fashion
67
FULL ON LIFE
Lesego Malatsi - Mzansi Designers Emporium
In Conversation with… Loyiso Bala
59
35
40
beauty & Grooming Our Beautiful Land
42 UNDERCOVER
GEEK
Science And Technology In Africa
BUSINESS 45
Organised Markets - The Future For Africa
AFRO FOOD
51
Parc Fermé Sandton
travel 52
Travelling Ghana's Slave Coast
56
AFRO decor
Design Your Home From The Floor Up
COLUMN
63 #WhatILoveAboutAfrica
reviews
64 CD Review 65 DVD Reviews 65 Movie Reviews 66 Book Review 67 Afro Wheels 69 Gadgets 72 SOCIALS
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EDITOR'S NOTE
e d i to r ' s
4
note
the team
A
editor
frica Day has been a day on African calendars for many decades. The aim of the day was to commemorate the organisation of the African Union in 1963. This was supposed to be a day of celebration. A moment when people took the time to appreciate being African and all that it entails. A day of hope and optimism for a bright future for all on the continent under the leadership of what seemed like a band of young visionaries and nationalists. However forty nine years later the reality is vastly different. Many on the African continent have nothing to celebrate. Famine, poverty, corruption and lack of democracy are the order of the day in many countries, with citizens feeling hard done by at the hands of those they entrusted with their vote. In this issue of the Afropolitan we look at what went wrong with the African Union and the cause of the current disunity prevailing in the organisation on page 21, what does the future hold for it and is it still relevant as a body? Corporate banking giant Gaby Magomola speaks to us on page 26 and shares his thoughts about his book “From Robben Island to Wall Street” and the path that led him to where he is today. On page 10 the discussion of “What Makes You African” is looked at from a black and white African point of view. It is in understanding each other that we can appreciate one another and so on page 17 we have included some Lessons That Africa can Learn from Africans. This Africa Day take time to think about what makes you African and embrace it, but also take time to appreciate what makes others African!
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Brendah Nyakudya
contributors Alyn Adams Angus McEwan Chris Goromonzi Damian Murphy Elka Schaimberg Masechaba Moerane Sentletse Diakanyo Stacey Vee Tendai Maidza
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R E A D E R ' S
E X P E RI E N C E
BY TENDAI MAIDZA
MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
KILLER
I have lived in South Africa for 10 years and have come to love this country and the people I have met and gotten to know. I have fallen in love with the vibrancy and fast pace of Johannesburg, the beauty of the Western Cape and the serenity of the Eastern Cape. I have embraced the diversity and attempted to learn about the cultures of the various people I have had the privilege to interact with.
In Cape Town alone 20 000 people were displaced from their homes
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I
have loved most of the 10 years I have spent in this culturally rich and diverse country. However, my love has become tainted by fear. A feeling which was initially a vague and distant sensation, but it has become more dominant in the wake of the xenophobic attacks which erupted in May 2008. While I was always taken aback by the hostility I was often met with when, after exchanging greetings and a few pleasantries, I responded to questions in English, I did not take it personally. I would hurriedly explain that the reason why I could not continue the conversation in seSotho or isiZulu was because I was muShona from Zimbabwe and had not yet learned enough of the local vernacular to be fully fluent. Initially I assumed that this would be met with curiosity, but I soon learned that more often than not, this brought the conversation to a crashing halt. I never thought that this hostility could be the result of anything other than irritation at my limited vocabulary, but over time I began to realise
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R E A D E R ' S
E X P E RI E N C E
that it was about more than that. It was about an innate mistrust and dislike of foreigners and an attitude which says, if you are not from South Africa you do not belong in South Africa. The chilling events of 2008, which stunned Africa and the rest of the world were the ultimate expression of this attitude. As foreign nationals, resident in South Africa, we had learnt to tolerate being called names, like “makwerekwere”(foreigners), having the police, home affairs and opportunistic “immigration consultants” bully, prey on and extort money from us, but we were ill-prepared for what happened in May. Few people could have imagined that their neighbours and colleagues would collectively turn on them in the way that they did. I can only imagine the fear, anger, helplessness and desperation that my fellow foreign nationals living in these areas felt. The feeling that people who they regarded as umakhelwane, neighbours who they had seen every day for years, most likely walked to the taxi with, perhaps even shared a beer or a meal with could ill-treat them in this manner. That they could so callously attack them and burn down their homes along with the few possessions they had worked so hard to acquire, must have been horrific. Where was the spirit of ubuntu that South Africans speak so proudly of? Or did ubuntu only extend
Many foreigners are hardworking, semi-skilled or skilled individuals who seek to honestly ply their trade and make an honest living. to light skin South African neighbours? Where was the recollection of years of apartheid in which leaders and ordinary people were in exile in our home countries? Where was the empathy and realisation that one African’s suffering should be the collective’s suffering? In the weeks that followed the attacks, which started in parts of Gauteng and spread across townships and farming areas, the inevitable debate began. While some South Africans were sympathetic to the plight of foreigners, mainly Zimbabweans, a large number tried to justify the attacks and blame them on the victims. The lack of understanding or 8
empathy was shocking. South Africans as much as we can home to ensure spoke as though they had already their survival. forgotten that many of their leaders and I recently read a tweet written by @ other anti-apartheid activists had spent MziDlanga in which he told the story of Sydney, a teacher by qualification years in exile in our countries where they were welcomed, housed and treated living in South Africa. Sydney had just assembled a desk which Mzi bought like brothers and sisters. They seemed and in the process they began to chat. to have forgotten that African countries He told Mzi about how much he loves worked hard to put pressure on the his home country, Zimbabwe, and if he Apartheid government and ultimately had a choice he would not be in South brought an end to it. While no African Africa. He told of how tough life was in country extended hospitality or a Zimbabwe and the challenges that had helping hand with the expectation that the kindness must be repaid, for South Africa to repay Africa with xenophobia, violence and a superior attitude was a slap in the face. As distressing as it was to witness this terror, nothing broke our hearts more as foreigners than accusations that we had been attacked because we were criminals who were here to steal jobs, women and houses. Claims were also made that we were responsible for high crime rates and the violence in South African society. Of course any society or people-group has bad apples, but it is unfair to paint all the people within that group with the same brushstroke. Many foreigners are hardworking, semi-skilled or skilled individuals who seek to honestly ply their trade and make an honest living. Some of us are professionals who work in or even lead successful organizations which contribute to South Africa’s economy. Those of us who are not entrepreneurs or CEOs of large corporates, but are employed in the formal or informal sector, make a contribution to forced him to make the decision to move the economy by paying taxes and “down south”, but that life in South participating in the greater economy Africa was also hard for him and he had of the nation. The rare skills and not been able to visit home in two years. experience which we bring can benefit Mzi concluded his tweets by saying the South African economy if South “After meeting Sydney, I realised u Africans would change their perceptions have no business judging Zimbabweans of black African foreigners. in SA esp if u don’t know their Many of us are not in South personal circumstances”. Africa because it is our preference. I pray for the day when all South Circumstances such as extreme hunger, Africans come to this realization about political persecution and desperation honest foreigners who are trying to do drove us to cross borders and attempt the best they can in a bad situation, to make a life for ourselves here. Given the option, most of us would prefer to be made worse by attitudes of hostility with our families in our home countries. and mistrust. To come to a foreign country where your qualification as a Fact Box high school teacher is not recognised and you have to work as a • 62 people died as a result of xenophobic violence in 2008 among waiter or a domestic which was Mozambique national Ernesto Nhamuave who worker is not the life was burned beyond recognition in the informal settlement of any one of us would Ramaphosa in the East Rand have willingly chosen, • Hundreds were injured and more than 1400 people were arrested in but if the alternative connection with the violence. is watching our • In the aftermath thousands of refugees crammed into community loved ones starve to centres, police stations and churches to escape the horror. Others death, then we will opted for voluntary deportation. accept what we get, • In Cape Town alone 20 000 people were displaced from their homes. work hard and send
While no African country extended hospitality or a helping hand with the expectation that the kindness must be repaid, for South Africa to repay Africa with xenophobia, violence and a superior attitude was a slap in the face.
The Horror of 2008:
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M A I N
F E A T U R E
THE GREAT DEBATE:
AM I AFRICAN?
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Who is African and are some people more African than others? With the continent becoming more and more cosmopolitan these are questions that are being asked. While there are many that are of the belief that only those that are born on the continent can be classified as being African, a significant number stake claim to African citizenry for other reasons. Sentletse Diakanyo and Alyn Adams give us their views on what makes them African.
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M A I N
F E A T U R E
Who is African?
I
n 1906, an African intellectual Pixley ka Isaka Seme made this rather profound statement, “I am an African, and I set my pride in my race over and against a hostile public opinion,” and nine decades later on occasion of the adoption of the new Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the then deputy president Thabo Mbeki delivered a goosebumps-inducing and tear-jerking speech titled: “I am an African.” Mbeki’s speech imbued even white parliamentarians in their moment of patriotic euphoria to declare themselves “African”. We can easily conclude that with this address Mbeki was setting in motion his campaign for the rebirth of Africa, which ought to have been and remain a mission for all Africans concerned with the peace and prosperity of the Continent. Seme, when speaking nine decades earlier, also spoke of the regeneration of Africa which was the seminal aim of Pan-Africanists around the world during that era of colonial oppression and the immediate aftermath of slavery. In the many years preceding the Pan-Africanist age of Seme and others, when people everywhere spoke about "Africanness", they understood and were of a single mind regarding what and who is African. Through the years as historical guilt became more pronounced and etched in the souls of more and more people of European descent, they began to claim the African identity as their own purely on the sentimental basis of their geographical location, while ignoring the primary racial context associated with the term. There are those who may rightfully protest that the colonial conquests robbed Africans of their land possessions and stripped them of their dignity; and today there is an elaborate attempt to rob them of their racial identity. The proponents of the all-inclusive and meaningless definition of African, which revolve around geographical sentimentality, rest their argument on the often-misconstrued theory of the origins of humanity. The orthodox theory on the origins of humanity suggests that Africa is the cradle of humankind. Humankind within this context loosely translated to include hominids, ape-like creatures that had not fully evolved into modern humans and then presented as historical fact that these were modern humans. Some paleontological hypothesis, the “Out of Africa Theory”, suggests that humanity evolved from a single group of Homo sapiens who migrated out of Africa to various parts of the world about 60,000- to 100,000-years ago. There exists another hypothesis that suggests interbreeding
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among Homo sapiens that migrated from Africa with other hominids like the Homo erectus. Regardless of which hypothesis one embraces, human evolution would not have fully completed in Africa. It was not modern humans, Europeans, who migrated out of Africa to seek greener pastures in other parts of the world. It brings into question the commonly held or perhaps misconstrued idea that modern humans originate from Africa. It is therefore important to answer the question of who is African. It is also equally important to address the historical context of the use of the term African. The name Africa came into being around the second Century when the Romans conquered North Africa. The continent had been inhabited by black people. The racial identity of black people became synonymous with the term African, including their traditional practices, language and culture. Similarly, the term European was associated with the white race that existed in Europe, including those
An American photographer, Chester Higgins, Jr. said: “We are not Africans because we are born in Africa, we are African because Africa is born in us". who were spreading colonial thuggery elsewhere. It is for that historical reason that no ambiguous meaning ever existed regarding the use of terms such as, African slave, Pan-African, African Diaspora, African culture and even African language. Their use is well understood to refer to black people who are native inhabitants of Africa and those in the Diaspora. Often when debating the term “African”, a question arises regarding Arabs who live in North Africa. Do we, by their reason of geographical existence, equally arrogate the racial meaning of the term African to them as well? We simply cannot. Their racial identity has always been Arab and remains such. The reason of their existence in the Northern part of the continent was due to the Muslim conquests that began in
647 AD following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD. The Muslim army in their thousands invaded and conquered North Africa which had been under control of the already weakened Roman Empire. As with people of European extraction, Arabs have their own racial identity which is not African. Merchants of colonial thuggery and their descendants did not miraculously transform from their original race to another purely by reason of different geographical location. The loose and inclusive meaning of African that refers to everyone living in Africa is to all extent very meaningless. People of European descent with citizenship in African countries consequently have the respective national identities of the countries they were born and reside in; this affords those in desperate need of belonging and connection with the continent their psychological fulfilment. However, it is important to impress upon those people who use the term “African” in reference to one’s geographical location that it shall remain of no consequence or meaning. It becomes a mere description that carries no weight and is futile. It has often become a convenient narrative by some to distance themselves from the unflattering history of slavery, colonialism and apartheid repression. An irrational notion seems to exist, primarily among the vehement proponents of the Rainbow Nation, that unity can be forged through historical revisionism for social expediency and geographical sentimentality. An American photographer, Chester Higgins, Jr. said: “We are not Africans because we are born in Africa, we are African because Africa is born in us.” We are African because our race, which is not a consequence of our choice is born in us. We are African because our race which is not a consequence of our choice is born in us. The African is defined by his phenotypic traits as well as his cultural values and practices; all these being distinguishing characteristics between indigenous Africans and those who for political correctness and other reasons known only to themselves, claim to be African too. Surprisingly, there is never a debate on who is an Arab. Those of European extraction who were born in Arab countries hardly arrogate to themselves the racial description and identity of Arabs; yet in southern Africa this is becoming a common occurrence. We must resist the mindless need for historical revisionism and work to rather forge unity and harmonious co-existence among all races that live in Africa. www.afropolitan.co.za
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BY SENTLETSE DIAKANYO
M A I N
F E A T U R E
If I’m not African, what am I allowed to be?
T
here is a scene in An Officer and A Gentleman where all seems lost; Richard Gere and Debra Winger have had a massive bust-up, and it looks like he’s going to flunk out of naval aviator training to boot. It’s going to take one amazing montage to take us to an epiphany, an uplifting tune and a happily-ever-after. Richard is doing push-ups in the mud, all snot, spit and rain, and Louis Gossett Jr is exercising that particularly military form of tough love; yelling, “Why don’t you quit?” And Richard looks up and Methods, “Cos I got no place else to go!” with all the desperate neediness of a howler monkey and almost as much articulation. I know how he feels. Okay, let’s ignore the fact that my “European” ancestors originally migrated out of Africa a hundred thousand years ago, as did the ancestors of every other so-called “non-African”. And my mom is probably not relevant; her mother was born in Ireland and her father in England, so she was only a first-generation South African. My father’s mother, however, was from an Afrikaans Ladysmith family. As far as I know, her forebears came over the Drakensberg with the Voortrekkers. (Barefoot and stoned, I like to believe. It’s the only way to enter KZN!) So at least eight to 12 generations of my family haven’t thought of Europe as “home”. My father’s father was “Natal English”; I have no idea how many generations were born in Africa. I do know that on both sides of Dad’s family, there were cousins and in-laws who quietly disappeared from the family records in the ‘50s and ’60s, when the whole apartheid thing got fashionable. Even a few who ended up classified as “white” were suspiciously “Mauritian creole” in appearance. In the days when kids spent summer outside, we were brown, man... Still; I can’t definitely claim so-called coloured status, but it’s unlikely that there are no indigenous Africans somewhere in that heritage (especially with the Cape Dutch in Granny’s Voortrekker background...) I don’t know how much my exact genetic mix matters; culturally, I was raised “English settler” all the way.
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Yes, my view of those ancestors is fatally coloured; I can never experience them through the psyches of those they damaged. I can empathise with their victims and abhor the violent self-righteous hubris with which they invaded, but they’re still my ancestors. They are not me; I do not have to think or act like them – but they led to me, so they got something right. The Freedom Charter says that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. I don’t want more than my fair share, but can I at least be some kind of African? No better or worse than a Zulu or an Ibo or a Berber or a Tswana; just another descendant of all the peoples who have rubbed up against each other on this continent, but are nowadays determined to get along better than their ancestors did? I’ll agree that Pieter Mulder is an obtuse quasi-Israelite who needs to update his history books. When the Dutch arrived in the 17th Century, the land west of the Fish River was not “empty”; it was well populated by Khoi pastoralist nomads and San huntergatherers. Just because war, genocide and the creation of the so-called coloured underclass through slavery and miscegenation has obscured their history, is no reason to pretend they don’t exist. But while we debunk Mulder’s chosenpeople-in-an-empty-Canaan myth, let us not ignore the facts. The reason we have anthropological distinctions between Khoi and San is because they weren’t one nation. Herders and huntergatherers don’t always get along, for the same reason that crop farmers dislike herders. One man’s harvestable resource is another man’s property. And while I’m on the topic, let’s not pretend that the Khoi-San stuck to the west because they thought grazing their cattle or hunting their prey in the wetter, more fertile eastern half of the country would be cheating. The first peoples once roamed the whole land; they were forced west by the migrants that Piet Mulder thinks of as “bantoe-speaking”. The San didn’t become experts in desert survival because they admired the scenery; it was a snot-flying Richard Gere response to other invaders. They
had no place else to go. Yet however much any neighbouring tribes may not have got along historically, it doesn’t mean that today we’d allow one to describe the other as “un-African”... Me, I got no place else to go either. There’s this myth that white South Africans are all capable of emigrating “to their homelands” at the drop of a hat – and it’s just as erroneous when applied to me as it was when Piet Mulder’s ilk applied it to “bantoe-speakers” 40-years ago. Records have been lost, so it would take major battles with bureaucracy on my part to acquire the British or Irish passports to which I’m entitled through my mother’s parents – but more importantly, why would I want to? I’ve been to Britain – and each miserable, drizzly night I was there, I was out on the patio, lighting a wood fire in a tiny “barbecue”, desperate to alleviate the homesickness. But the stars were all wrong and the moon was upside down. I’m not English or Irish; I was born and raised in Africa – this land is in my blood, too. How many generations of my ancestors need to be buried here before my tribe and our cultures and our traditions are considered just another facet of Africa’s brilliant diversity, rather than an alien infection that needs to be expelled? All decent people can (and should) denounce Mugabe’s attempted genocide of the Matabele – who were, after all, “invaders” and “settlers” in Zimbabwe 200 years ago; that still doesn’t excuse ethnic cleansing. But if those decent people turn around and, in the same breath, declare that my pigmentation makes me forever a “settler” who should go “home”, is there not a double standard being practised? Unlike a “black” African, must I be judged on the colour of my skin, not the content of my character? If the Yanks can create “AfricanAmerican” as a conscious effort to admit that people with an African ancestry can still be Americans; could we not, at the very least, afford the same courtesy to European-Africans? To put that another way; is there room in a continent this big for yet another kind of African, or does tribal diversity only apply if you have the right complexion?
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LESSONS AFRICA CAN LEARN
FROM AFRICA
Many stereotypes are thrown around when we talk about each other as Africans. Most, if not all, are negative and touch on the worst that each nation has to offer. In an effort to change this perception and eradicate afro-pessimism we have asked Afropolitans from across the continent to share what they believe Africa could learn from Africans.
Kenya’s Queen of the Internet, Amolo Ng’weno, the face on the cover of the Forbes February issue, reminded us that Kenyan women are fully capable of dominating the technology sector and keeping up with trends. Martha Karua quit as the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs citing corruption and lack of reforms in the sector. She had proposed some Learning from Kenyans… reforms that she felt the Government by Soni Methu undermined. Her resignation brought the right attention, causing some reforms in the system. Charity Ngilu was Kenya’s first female Presidential Candidate, she set a precedent “African women in general need to know for other women like Martha Karua, who is that it’s okay for them to be the way they running in this election. are - to see the way they are as a strength, Shakila Abdalla was the first Muslim and to be liberated from fear and from woman to contest for a seat in Kenyan silence.” Late Professor Wangari Maathai. Parliament, motivated by poverty in her area. Though she lost, she was nominated When I was 13 my parents announced as a Member of Parliament on a political their plans to get a divorce. I raised my ticket. Since then Muslim Women have voice at the dinner table and said I was been active in politics, with representation against it. My brothers sat in silence. in Parliament. Although they divorced anyway, I One of the biggest movements sweeping remember thinking, I stated my case, I the nation is titled ‘Chama’ a saving raised my voice. In Kenya women are scheme where women contribute amounts powerhouses and have been suitably regularly (weekly or monthly). Originally empowered to be women with a voice. called ‘Chama Cha Wamama’ (a gathering One woman raised her voice when noof women), the trend has grown so big that one else was willing to declare his or her money contributed is invested in financial HIV status. Asunta Wagura spoke of her institutions (most of which have now status without fear of rejection. She has created Chama accounts) and contributes since given life to so many and heads the hugely to real estate, horticulture and Kenya Women Network for HIV and AIDS. entrepreneurship. Women can access huge Most inspiring Nobel Laureate Wangari loans, which they couldn’t before due to Maathai especially took it upon herself the Kenyan culture on property ownership, to save the environment, as a symbol of (women had to go to their husbands or refusing to be silenced. Her efforts saved fathers to get security for loans). the largest single forest block in Kenya Kenyan women rise above situations and from hungry politicians, and earned her a place among the Forbes List of the most hold the power to change their society. The powerful women in Africa. pride of Kenya; women with a voice!
KENYA
THE AGE OF THE EMPOWERED WOMAN
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NIGERIA Learning from Nigerians... by Moky Makura
TAKE A RISK AND LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT FEAR! Nigerians are arguably some of the most enterprising people in the world. Amongst our better-known home grown exports are our movies, our churches, our oil, three very specific digits from our penal code and of course, ourselves - there are millions of Nigerians dotted across the world and we make up the largest group of African diasporans. Nigerians are inherent risk takers, who naturally spot opportunities and are incredibly driven. This makes us ideal entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs, as is becoming clear, are the future, not just for Africa but also for the rest of the world. If there is something Africans can learn from Nigerians, it is about adopting an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s about learning to be fearless, confident, adaptive and above all optimistic. It’s no wonder that Nigerians have been voted, on more than one occasion, the happiest people in the world. We may not have the most organised or consistently lit cities in the world (who needs electricity 24/7 anyway?) but what we do have, are a set of enviable national characteristics which together, consistently turn problems into opportunities.
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imageS courtesy oF SHUTTERSTOCK
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
FEATURE
FEATURE
SOUTH AFRICA
TANZANIA ZIMBABWE Learning from Tanzanians… BY Mutsa Mkondo
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
George Moore is quoted as having said “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it”, I believe this an apt definition of the Afropolitan and also one of the key aspects that I believe Africa can learn from the Tanzanians. In my stay in Tanzania I have been exposed to young professional Tanzanians who have studied and excelled in colleges, universities and internships abroad, returning to their country to plough back. These individuals are actively pursuing careers, business and family ventures and are seeking to replicate or improve on their experience outside of the country. They recognize that Tanzania needs much development, but they are also aware of the wealth that lies in the natural resources and business opportunities within and with their focused energies, development is inevitable. Another unique characteristic of the Tanzanians is the tribal and religious harmony that exists among the people. Marry this mutual social respect and the continuous inflow of returning professionals and you have the recipe for a nation that will truly be a leading example of qualities that can be emulated elsewhere.
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Learning from Zimbabweans… BY Danai Savanhu
THE POWER OF EDUCATION
Many things have been said with regards to Zimbabwe and the state that the country is in but some valuable lessons can be taken from this embattled country. Many will talk about the friendliness of the Zimbabwean people and commend their pacifist attitude towards what is a hostile government but if there is one lesson we would do well to take on, it’s the focus and importance they give to education. Zimbabwe has empowered their citizens with a strong education. Since gaining independence the government put in measures to ensure that each and every child across the class and colour lines got an excellent schooling. No expense was spared and this yielded incredible results with a high level of literacy. To complement this education, a strong work ethic with international outlook was instilled in every Zimbabwean making them the country’s greatest export and most times the preferred skilled labour. This has been a blessing for a people that have had to eke out a living far from home and oftentimes in hostile environments.
Learning from South Africans… BY Charles Ash
TO FORGIVE... AND TO DREAM BIG
South Africa has a decidedly “different” past to most African countries. For starters, the country’s unique geographical positioning made it a hotly contested piece of strategically located land for feuding colonial powers (British, Dutch, Portuguese) who sought to own and control it. Each colonial power had their own agenda and left their own indelible mark on the land and its people, which is evident today. Today, South Africa stands as an exceptionally diverse African country with significant populations, which straddle various ethnic, racial, linguistic and religious communities. Our recent past shows we emerged from a brutal system of legislated racial oppression (apartheid) and instead of violent revolution and retribution, we opted for negotiated settlement and reconciliation. This stands as our proudest accomplishment. South Africans have a unique ability to rise to the challenge, confound our critics and exceed our own potential...this is possibly our greatest national asset. South Africans are able to innovate, implement and accomplish big dreams, from our hosting of the FIFA world cup, to the building of Africa’s first highspeed rail system (Gautrain). We’re also not a nation of pushovers, our nation is characterised by a strong civil society and institutions, which imbue our people with a sense of justified defiance as we protest against oppression and injustice wherever it may rear its ugly head.
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FEATURE
President Robert Mugabe has had 32 years in power
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much hope for the future. Having been given authority over a continent that was ladled with a myriad of problems but also blessed with so much potential and resources, they were up for the challenge. Sadly over the years the dream turned into a nightmare. Not for the leaders but for the unfortunate citizens who had entrusted them with their future and their well-being. Aside from the lack of direction, over the years the youthful and enthusiastic leaders turned into power-hungry old men who seemed to lack the ability to take decisive action, opting instead to hide behind
participation and good governance.” How can the people of Libya, Egypt, Angola and potentially Zimbabwe trust the intentions of the AU when it comes to dealing with one of their own when they’ve allowed him to hold onto power for so long? Apart from their lack of discretion when it comes to dealing with their members, the AU has also shown a desperate lack of action and success when it comes to dealing with the innumerable catastrophes that have affected the people. If anyone is in any doubt of the reluctance and inability
The African
Dis-Union
With every May 25 that comes around Africa celebrates Africa Day but over the years there has been very little to celebrate on the continent. Victories are there but too few to mention. As the leaders on the continent gear up for another session in July to vote in a new chairman we look at the history of the organisation, what went wrong and what can be done to bring it to its potential glory. apartheid, to being hailed as a power player on the world stage. The initial challenges were obvious. The forming of any union must be based on more than the pipe dreams of the privileged few. For the AU to successfully unify Africa it needed the buy in and momentum of ALL Africans. It needed every citizen to share in the common goal of a unified Africa. But the conversations to find out what Africans wanted for themselves were never had. Understandably as Africans we don’t possess common values beyond the basic principles shared by all humankind. If one was to go to the 54 states on the continent and asked each one what they thought a successful Africa looked like, there would be 54 different views. Another reality is many states on the continent have not yet figured out what success means to their own country let alone the continent. So, when African states individually do not have a clear path for their own destiny, how can they possibly hope for an African united (under any name) to be a success? But the team of young firebrand nationalistic and optimistic leaders had www.afropolitan.co.za
statements, dialogue and committees. It is a well-known and extremely sad fact that gradually a rotten and corrupt core plagued the AU. Increasingly distanced and disconnected from their subjects African leaders started showing an incredible penchant for violence and disregard for democracy. Sitting as member states of the AU one will find characters that have been called everything from mad-men to despots, and accused of crimes ranging from political intimidation, to election rigging and even genocide. It’s a slap in the face of all that it stood for at inception that the AU has, as its members, some of the longest serving dictators in the world. Leading the pack are the late President Omar Bongo of Gabon and Libyan “Brother Leader” Muammar al-Gaddafi who had both been in power in their respective countries for more than 40 years, President Eduardo dos Santos of Angola has ruled for 37 years, and the infamous President Robert Mugabe has had 32 years in power. This does not marry well with the objectives of a body purporting to “promote democratic principles and institutions, popular
of the AU to actually implement and achieve their objectives one just has to take a glance at their résumé. Africa is a mess! Darfur became an international crisis with AU peacekeepers unable to contain the situation until the United Nations arrived. The fact that Kenya
The reality is many states on the continent have not yet figured out what success means to their own country let alone the continent. did not descend into a civil war was no thanks to the efforts of the AU but rather the intervention of Kofi Annan. Zimbabwe has been a failed state for nearly 15 years and ZanuPF has a made 21
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BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
P
ropelled by what was perceived to be the success of the Organisation of African Union (OAU), 53 African member states convened in July 1999 and formed the African Union (AU/UA). The mission was to push for “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” Their objectives were filled with such optimism that if implemented correctly would drive the continent of Africa from being a failed state, ravaged by colonialism and
F E A T U R E some of the blame. The affairs of the continent are not the responsibility of the leaders alone. Each and every one of us is responsible for one another. As the up and coming generation, the responsibility is on every one to take back the future and demand change. The events in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya were clear indicators that the masses are no longer willing to let the status quo remain as is for the next 100 years. With this realisation there is a need for every one under the African sky to lobby the leaders of the AU and demand they shift their focus from lining their own pockets and back onto the welfare of all involved. But it’s nearly impossible to fix a problem in dialogue with the very people from whom you are trying to escape. Logic dictates you look elsewhere. Until the old guard is gone and has made way for younger legitimate rulers, rulers who can rally all Africans to the idea of a United Africa,
President Eduardo dos Santos of Angola has ruled for 37 years a mockery of democracy with the Government of National Unity. Libya, Egypt and the Ivory Coast have been turned into battlegrounds. Dare we mention the utter disgrace of allowing Somalia to descend to such levels of desperation and hunger? With the promotion of good health on the continent as one of the AU's objectives, it’s totally unacceptable that in 2011 preventable diseases, such as cholera, infant diarrhoea, measles and malnutrition are major causes of death in Africa. A large percentage of the continent’s population exists without proper sanitation or safe drinking water and millions of children are dying from malaria each year. With the money and resources that Africa has, it‘s clear that not enough has been done to prevent these epidemics.
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While civilians are being killed by government armed forces, the AU meets and discusses. As children die from cholera the AU forms committees and deliberates. As AU members loot their countries and line their coffers, their people go to bed hungry. It’s no surprise then that whenever there is a crisis in Africa, Africans look to the West for assistance. The AU's failure to act decisively has caused the majority of Africans to lose respect for them. The recent leadership debacle between South Africa’s Nkosazana Zuma and Gabon’s Jean Ping did nothing to repair the battered image of the organization as rifts and factions between the countries exposed an Africa dis-united. While it’s justified to sit and bemoan the utter debacle that is the AU, as African citizens we are not exempt from
rid it of corruption and not make a mockery of it, the AU will forever be ignored. Sometimes they’ll be humoured, sure, but on the whole they’ll be disregarded, not only by the international community but also by the people they were formed to serve. When a new chairman is appointed and takes the reins from July this year it’s with a sincere hope that they revisit the values and pledges made on July 1999 which is to: • Accelerate the political and socioeconomic integration of the continent. • Promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples. • Achieve peace and security in Africa • Promote democratic institutions, good governance and human rights. Only by respecting these values will Africa start to move towards the giant it can be.
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While civilians are being killed by government armed forces, they meet and discuss. As children die from cholera the AU forms committees and deliberates.
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Time is what you make it.
Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
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From Robben Island
To Wall
Street From Robben Island to Wall Street, Gabriel “Gaby” Magomola took the countless adversities life laid on his path and turned them into major successes. Undeterred by hardships and the prejudice that came with the oppressive apartheid era he has become an inspiration not only to his peers but to numerous young individuals aspiring to become more than what life said they could be. We spent time with the banking giant to find out more about him.
You grew up in Venterspost and then in Bekkersdal, what are your favourite memories from that time? Memories about Bekkersdal centre around my late mother who never had a chance to nurture me as she died when I was 15. My parents were lay preachers and faith healers so growing up we had lots of people coming in and crowding us out. At times I had to sleep in the kitchen under the table. But having said that I didn’t grow up in what would typically be seen as a poverty-stricken family. I had caring parents who may not have had enough time for us as they were serving in the community but did the best they could to ensure we had a well-woven family.
For our readers who haven’t read your book From Robben Island to Wall Street, what were the circumstances that led you to Robben Island?
Well, I became a member of the ANCYL when I was at school and we had become a bit more impatient about how long the struggle had taken with no results. We felt there was a need to accelerate it so we joined the more militant wing, the PAC (Pan African Congress). I was sent for training in Lesotho and Maseru and taught how to build explosives and handle weaponry. Unfortunately our names were made known to the Special Forces by spy elements, which led to our arrest.
Your experience in prison was a harrowing one filled with a lot of pain. What is the one thing that would surprise people who have never been to Robben Island about your experience there? One of the most outstanding things for me as a young man of 19 was experiencing exposure to all these educated people that I had only read about. I had never sat anywhere close
to a university professor or a lawyer, let alone an engineer and yet here we were sharing the same misery together. When men like Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu opened their mouths it was inspirational as they brought a new level of knowledge.
Who were the key individuals who inspired you as a young man? Bishop Tutu was one of my teachers in junior high school. He was instrumental in re-shaping my younger years through his teachings. There were a number of notable journalists like Stanley Motjuwadi, a revered journalist who later became the editor of Drum Magazine, Percy Qoboza and Doc Bikitsha, who wrote widely about a number of social issues and influenced people through their editorial pieces. Steve “Kalamazoo” Mokone, who became the first black soccer player to ply his trade overseas, opened up our minds in a great way because, for the first time,
Time is what you make it. Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.
After you were expelled for political activity in school you were forced to find work but had to pretend to be “coloured” in-order to do so. How did you manage to wrangle that? This has to be understood in the context of the time. The uninitiated would not understand the myriad laws of apartheid. Racial groups had designated living areas. Under the law if you were African you could only work in your magisterial district. As part of my survival kit I felt the need to re-classify myself and one way of doing it was to persuade one coloured lady (at a cost) to pretend to be my mother. After speaking a few Afrikaans words and going through a hair test I was re-classified and a whole lot of opportunities opened themselves to me.
How have young people received the book “From Robben Island to Wall Street”? Recently I went to speak to University of Johannesburg students who wanted to find out how they could overcome adversity in the manner I had. I was impressed by their willingness to equip themselves for their future careers. The book is meant to inspire leadership management. In the Bahamas the Minister of Education prescribed that the book be available in schools as it’s a tool to equip the youth, and not just an autobiography about Gaby Magomola. I hope from reading it young people will realise that being born disadvantaged does not condemn you to a life of mediocrity.
After Robben Island you made your mark as an international banker on Wall Street. How did you, as you say, “I stumbled into banking”?
When we were in prison and fighting for democracy we were not looking for any gratification. There was a willingness to die for a cause. Your CV is a very impressive read, from CitiBank to African Bank across South Africa, the Unites States, the Middle East and Europe. What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs and professionals still working their way up the ladder? I think it’s important for young people to realise that in order to get anywhere they need a road map. You have to plan your career even from a young age. Once you have planned your map you have to start equipping yourself by obtaining tertiary education. One must always be looking to better yourself through education. Young people must also learn the discipline of delaying gratification; it’s a huge challenge for young people.
In looking at the previous generation that went through Robben Island, and in some cases exile and death, what characteristics do they have that are missing in the youth of today?
Growing up we had an affinity to the African continent. When we were in prison and fighting for democracy we were not looking for any gratification. There was a willingness to die for a cause. Today’s youth are not driven by working for the betterment of the community or the country they are living in. The continent is still hugely under-developed and we need to be thinking of solutions. I am very passionate about Africa and I feel that European and American solutions on our continent are not particularly effective. We need to be looking for African solutions. We should not look for solutions from those that are not afflicted by the problems we have. For example Africa is the epicentre of Hiv/ Aids. Our scholars and researchers should be focussed on leading the search to a cure for this pandemic.
Then Barclays Bank CEO Chris Ball took a risk and hired a black man at the height of apartheid and even backed you when you took on the Group Areas Act. What can people learn from men of character, like Chris Ball? Chris Ball was one of the first white leaders to adventure to Lusaka to meet with ANC leaders. He was a special kind of person. People can learn that there is sometimes a need to take on what might seem to be an unpopular decision and deal with the backlash. Chris was able to sit down, reflect and realise that the economy of this country would not grow unless they tapped into the masses of the country. He saw the potential in me and knew he could help to develop it, and that takes an extraordinary person. Apart from being an amazing leader he was also an incredible banker.
You were one of the early recipients of BEE, do you think the concept has yielded the desired results for the masses of South Africa? The process has been slow but it’s undeniable that there is a rise of a new black middle class in the country, promoted by both the public and private sectors. There are black owned and managed companies and businesses that are showing promise
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Banking wasn’t my chosen profession. I wanted to become a chartered accountant after my release because it would allow me to sell my skills as I progressed in my degree and earn a living immediately. However I was denied that by legislation because in
order for you to become an accountant you needed to apprentice for two or three years at a firm. The companies that were willing to employ me had to deal with the issue of what ablution services I would use, as a black apprentice could not use the same toilet as whites. So I was turned away. Consequently I went to the States and finished my MBA. At that time CitiBank was recruiting Africans to work in their network that was expanding on the continent. So that’s how I stumbled upon it. It was not the path I was intending to take but it was where I ended up.
image COURTESY OF Victor Dlamini imageS courtesy of GABY MAGOMOLA
we realized that there were cross border opportunities available to us. The late Advocate Duma Nokwe inspired me to want to study law as a way to deal with the injustices of our time.
Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.
tsots i
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I hope yOUNG people will realise that being born disadvantaged does not condemn you to a life of mediocrity. and performing at a world-class level, though unfortunately not as many as we would have wanted by this time. One negative result of BEE however, has been the creation of a level of dependence on large white corporates where the practice is to buy shareholding in white companies as opposed to what I describe as the “ground zero effect” which is to start your own company from scratch. We need to examine this dependence as it is not sustainable in the long run.
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whether we are playing our role and not just waiting for someone to hand it over to us.
Do you currently have any mentorship programmes that the youth can plug into? I’m impressed with Cyril Ramaphosa’s Black Umbrella Initiative under Shanduka. He needs to be encouraged and we need to see more successful black people doing what Cyril is doing. Patrice Motsepe is also personally involved in black leadership issues and black businessmen need to emulate Patrice not only in business but also in the fact that he has not rested on his laurels but continues the development of a new black business leadership. Those of us who found the doors locked; need to keep them open for those that come after.
As we celebrate the ANC’s Centenary. WHat makes you proud and what worries you?
Unemployment is a major issue in our country especially amongst the youth. What more can be done to help alleviate this problem?
Proud:
We need to look at the developmental financial institutions and how they fund black businesses. We still need to relax some of the restrictions when sourcing funding so that black people can participate. There are many people walking around with great ideas that are unfunded and unsupported. I say the next point with hesitancy but, we also need to re-look at our labour laws. Not to say there is no place for labour unions but business is constantly complaining about being restricted by labour laws. That needs to be looked at without casting aside the rights of the worker. The Private Sector needs to find ways of lobbying government harder to bring down costs of doing business. There is a need to find ways of bringing in young interns so they can gain experience and become useful citizens. Coaching clinics and mentorship programmes are key. As individuals we need to equip ourselves and be honest about
Our constitution might not be the best in the world but it ensures that human rights are protected and encompass the spirit of Nelson Mandela where he said, ‘never again will one man treat the others as we did under apartheid’.
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More and more South Africans are realising that we have a great country that has physical attributes coveted by others. We have a democracy that works. It still has its weaknesses and is constantly being tested but we are the envy of many a nation.
Worries: Our economy is slack and continues to mitigate against efforts to bring up employment levels. A slack economy brings with it all kinds of social issues, which worries me greatly. The restless youth worries me. We need them to understand that they need to take responsibility, as they are the future leaders. I worry about appointments that are made particularly in the public sector. Sometimes we need to look beyond affirmative action to ensure that people that are appropriately qualified are made to occupy man certain key roles in order to get the economy right. Our hospitals and municipalities are in ruins and we have to take some bold action if this economy is to be sustained. I’m happy we are controlling inflation but I am concerned by the excessive executive pay-outs including bonuses. I think it fuels the anger from labour and increases the inequality between the have and have not’s. But at the end of the day I take solace in the fact that there is a will to govern properly and a will to ensure economic sustainability in South Africa.
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F E A T U R E
KATLEHO TSOKU THE BLISS LOUNGE From being desperately unemployed to owning a modish restaurant in the upmarket and trendy 44 Stanley in Johannesburg, Katleho Tsoku has fought hard to realise her dream against all odds.
Can you give us some background on where you grew up and what your childhood was like? I was born and grew up in Soweto (Meadowlands/Diepkloof) with my mom, dad and older brother. Unfortunately my older brother passed away in 1993 from Hunters Syndrome and my dad passed away in 1997 from an aneurysm. So for the last 15 years it has just been my mom and I. While tragic and life altering, these events allowed us to have a very close relationship.
Your mother was a diplomat and this resulted in a lot of travel for the family, how has exposure to other countries and cultures affected who you are and shaped you with regards to values, ideals and dreams? Exposure to other countries and cultures has made me appreciate my culture. I was often the only South African among other nationalities and I assumed the role of ambassador not only of my country but of the continent, especially in dealing with afro-pessimism. My values, taught by my parents from childhood, have sustained me wherever I’ve been over the years. My ideals and my dreams have largely been shaped by my travels and the many different people from the many different parts of the world I have had the privilege to meet. It is for this reason I call myself a “global citizen.”
What inspired the decision to come back to South Africa? I had lived abroad for more than a decade and I sometimes feared that the longer I stayed out of the country, the more difficult it would be for me to adjust and adapt to living back in South Africa and it being my country of birth, I didn’t see myself making a home or settling anywhere else. Secondly, a part of me felt that South Africa would give
image courtesy of KATLEHO TSOKU
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
Q&A
E N T R E P R E N E U R
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me a better platform for what I wanted to achieve with my life.
What excited you the most about coming home? Whilst coming back home was not much of a fairytale I was excited to be reconnecting with the extended family and the few friends I had managed to stay in touch with over the years, but I felt like a foreigner, like I didn’t belong in my country. It was very frustrating.
In your opinion what can South Africa learn from exposure to other cultures that they have yet to learn? Most of the developed countries like the United States and the United Kingdom are a melting pot of different cultures which to me means that diversity is something not to be feared but embraced. South Africa still needs to learn to embrace other cultures.
You struggled for months to get employed when you returned to South Africa, can you tell us more about that period in your life? I was miserable. It took me more than half a year to get a job! I wanted to experience working in local South African hotels but too often I got the “you are too international to work in South Africa” line which did not make the least bit of sense to me. I therefore decided to apply to international hotels in South Africa and managed to work for the Hyatt and later the Radisson. It took me less than a week from the day I emailed my CV to the Hyatt and eventually being presented with a job offer from them.
You are an educated and very competent, inspirational young lady, why do you think it was so hard for you (and many other educated young South Africans) to find a job? Is it a problem on a government level or a corporate issue? While our government has progressive policies on the issue of encouraging South African expats to come back and bring skills acquired abroad to South
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Africa, it does not filter down to the managers who are the decision makers. It might be a question of fear that their jobs or positions might be threatened by those coming in with what may be perceived as better qualifications from abroad.
How did Bliss Lounge come to be? I had always dreamed of being selfemployed one day. However, after realising that being employed did not quite fulfil me, I decided to take the plunge. I read the quote “The secret to life is to follow your bliss” and that somehow resonated with me. I wanted to find and live my fascination, my bliss! After compiling my business plan, I believed so much in my dream that I did not envisage any major challenges and most of all I am blessed with a mother who believed in the dream and me.
What challenges did you face in your attempt to start your own business? Getting funding proved to be the biggest challenge. I was 25 with no collateral and assets to my name, no bank wanted to risk funding with me. I applied to different establishments that offered to help young entrepreneurs and I was told that the restaurant business was risky and/or that they didn’t have funds. In order to realise the dream I have risked funding with my mom and different family member’s savings. It’s not like anyone had money just lying around, they believe in the dream. That pushes me to work even harder to make Bliss a success.
Stats show that in the past fiveyears more than 400 000 small businesses have shut down. Are small businesses not being given enough support? Numbers don’t lie; I am not surprised at all. Every day I open the doors at Bliss I am grateful that I am not part of the statistic. Small businesses are not being given enough support. Two years down the line I’m still looking for support, financially and otherwise!
Who has been your biggest inspiration and why?
My mom. My mom has had trials and tribulations that keep me in awe of how she remains such an optimist and a believer. To me, she personifies strength. Even as we continue this journey of Bliss, there are days where the Universe tests me and she will not allow me to entertain any pity parties but rather ask, “What is this here to teach me?” Nkhensani Nkosi is also another inspiration. I read her journey with Stoned Cherrie and there were some similarities with our journeys specifically on how supportive her parents were when doors were being closed on her.
What lessons have you learnt from this journey to becoming a business owner? There have been many, but the biggest life lesson is that when you have a dream and you go for it with all that you have, the Universe will conspire in your favour. Yes, there will be tests, lots and lots and lots of tests, but nothing worth having comes easy.
While it’s easy enough to place blame on government and the corporate sector for not assisting with employment, do you think some of the blame can be placed on the shoulders of the youth themselves? If so, why? Sometimes we as the youth are either naïve or maybe not patient enough to allow the process to evolve. We come into the process with immature ambitions of driving a luxury car and buying a mansion on the beach within the first year of operating a business. The curse of ‘instant gratification’!
What advice can you give young South Africans, especially women, who might be frustrated in their situation (be it unemployed or attempting to start a business)? As clichéd as it may sound; do not give up. Know what you want, equip yourself for what you want. Once you have done all you can with all the resources available to you allow the Universe to lead you to your heart’s desires.
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In every bottle of Boschendal there’s over 300 years of experience in stylish innovation. Which is why Boschendal always brings something special to the table.
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F A S HI O N
Lesego Malatsi
Mzansi
image couxrtesy of LESEGO MALATSI
Designers Emporium
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F A S HI O N
Q&A What was the motivation behind launching Mzansi Designers Emporium? Various reasons led me to establish Mzansi Designers Emporium. I have personally suffered greatly at the hands of people and companies who claim to be pro-designer development so I felt if I, with my exposure, continued to persevere in breaking new ground, I perhaps could be a glimmer of hope to those hoping to realise their dreams one day. I was also motivated by poverty in our country, which has reached such alarming proportions, and I feel fashion could be a solution as it’s a labour intensive sector. So, the establishment of Mzansi Designers Emporium was to try and bring about an economic and social solution to some of the challenges our country, was and is still facing.
What have you found to be the biggest hindrance for upcoming designers in Africa? This might sound clichéd, but lack of finances plays a major role in the development of the South African fashion industry and sourcing funding is always a challenge. However, the industry is also riddled with backstabbing and jealousy; this on its own is a destructive tool to any form of development.
How has your organisation empowered other Designers? Mzansi Designers Emporium collaborated with Lord’s Hats and Accessories – (owned by Folake Adejuyigbe) and Eclectic Element (owned by Frida Sebolai) during Fashions Finest London Fashion Week. We also stock their merchandise at our store and will continue doing so with every store that I establish. 36
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When and how did you get your lucky break? I believe in God’s blessings. God’s intervention became apparent in 2008 when I joined the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. Through this organisation Virgin Unite and the rest of the Virgin group of companies other companies’ doors have opened for me. Another lucky break came when an archaeology student from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom bought his and hers outfits from Mzansi Designers Emporium at Maponya Mall.
Describe your personal style? I design Afro-centric men’s and ladies outerwear based on the different cultures that are paraded daily on our country’s landscape.
Describe your London Fashion Week experience? I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to describe my experience at London Fashion Week. If I could sum it up, I would say it was "exhilarating", though at first I was overwhelmed by anxiety and nervousness as to what to expect. The most beautiful thing was the interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds, though their perception of our country is shocking because of our crime stats, but I loved every minute of it.
If there’s anyone that has ever had a cultural shock, it was at this point in my life that I had one. I’m still to meet a person who’s covered by humility like Richard. He’s a modest man with a heart inclined to meeting the needs of other people. I suppose it became easy for him to model his business, because it depicts who he is. He has completely changed my pre-conceived thoughts about his success. www.afropolitan.co.za
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image courtesy of LESEGO MALATSI
How was it meeting Richard Branson?
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As someone “with global ambitions” what are your future plans? My next step would be to complete my business model, finalise my retail store’s concept and start branching out.
You have a vision to create 850 jobs; can you tell us your plans for that and how that is progressing? The plan is envisaged to be realised within the next five years, even with the global challenges that are prevalent, but with stakeholders in the value chain of the Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather sector and their allied industries both locally and globally fully committed, we intend to accomplish it. The first part is complete in that the merchandise has been well accepted by most consumers who have been exposed to it, though there’s still lot’s of perceptions that need to be changed. I believe that this will be achieved as I get buy in from key leaders.
As the media how can we show our support for local designers?
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image courtesy of LESEGO MALATSI
There’s only one thing that the media can do and that is to encourage local designers to be authentic. South Africa is blessed with an abundance of talent, which often goes to waste due to the media being biased towards foreign brands/designers. As such, local designers become discouraged as it becomes cumbersome to sustain their businesses. I personally would like to call for the revision of the “Global Benchmarking Standards” in preference of “CREATIVITY”.
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In every bottle of Boschendal there’s over 300 years of experience in stylish innovation. Which is why Boschendal always brings something special to the table.
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B E A U T Y
&
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Environ Original Balancing Masque
R210
The botanicals and essential oils used in the Africology range are preserved without parabens and the products smell heavenly! Try adding a dab of this body balm to a hot bath.
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Environ was first developed in 1987 by Dr Fernandes, whose vitamin A creams became so popular that today the brand is a household name in South Africa, and worldwide.
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All products in the locally made Beaucience range contain a botanical called Proteasyl TP, which is extracted from peas. It helps slow down the effects of aging, giving you younger looking skin.
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While sailing in the Caribbean, Clive Roberts (who is married to former Miss South Africa Cindy Nell Roberts) was inspired to create a range of locally made sunless tanning products: Caribbean Tan.
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Fino Soothe for Man & Woman R75 each
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Organic baobab oil, produced by a 400-strong community of rural African women, is the active ingredient in the Baobody range; it’s a great moisturiser, with vitamin D and omegas 3, 6 and 9.
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R520
Made with rose petal extract and oils from wild rose seeds, this serum is particularly good for sensitive, prematurely aged or dry skins.
Hannon Brazilian Tan Blusher R160
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Olay Classic Beauty Fluid R55
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Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of shutterstock, manufacturers and distributors.
Charlotte Rhys
G E E K
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
U N D E R C O V E R
How did you get involved in Science? Growing up in Kwa-Mashu Durban, I was always interested in how things work. In my teens I used to assist my uncle who is a motor mechanic. He made me his spanner girl, which gave me an opportunity to learn and not to fear technical “stuff”. This fascination led me to take maths and science at school.
Please share some of your career background? I joined the private sector where I worked for 8 years in various positions not necessarily related to Science. I then joined the then Khayalani Metropolitan Municipality. Under new dispensation the Khayalani Metro was di-established to be part of Greater Eastrand Metro, which is now called Ekurhuleni. After being in the local government for a period of 12 years I joined Sci-Bono in 2009 as a Director Corporate Services. All the various skills and experience gathered have proven valuable in my new assignment. With regards to studies I have various qualifications in business studies and graduated with an MBA in 2008..
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The role of women in Science & Technology has been minimal, what steps can be taken to remedy this?
Africa has always lagged behind the rest of the world in matters of Science and Technology (S&T). As a result of governments making marginal investment in such industries and causes, the contribution made by Africans to the world of science has been minimal. However steps have been taken to remedy this. The Sci-Bono Discovery project, (abbreviation of ‘Science” and ‘Bono’, the TshiVenda word for ‘vision), was set up to stimulate interest in, enjoyment of and engagement with the wide world of science and technology.
I think we can promote the participation of girl learners in programmes such as The National Science Week Olympiad for one. We can also encourage mentoring by women who have succeeded in the field, which will then expose young girls to women role models. At Sci-Bono we offer programmes aimed at girl leaners. The young minds are given amazing opportunities to interact with women scientists.
Director of Corporate Services at Sci-Bono Fikile Mapela shared her insights with us on the advancement of Science and Technology in Africa.
The reason for the slow uptake has
Why has Africa been so slow to get involved in S&T?
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image courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA
What was the motivation behind the launch of Sci-Bono? The primary motivation was to aid the promotion of maths, science and technology through interactive exhibits. Sci-Bono has since expanded its offering and we now offer school support that focuses on providing extra tuition and resources to learners, as well as teacher development which offers programmes such as IT skills, career counselling and guidance. The Science Centre has been well received by government and the private sector as is shown through the funding and support we are receiving from both sectors.
Are you starting to see the benefits? Although it is too early to quantify benefits scientifically, we can definitely see the interest shown by the learners. We acknowledge that there is still more work that needs to be done but I do believe that the benefits will be realised with an increase in the matric pass rate. When it comes to the general public, there is a rise in awareness and the growing number of visitors coming through our doors attests to this.
What needs to be done to retain both for connecting antenna elements to the central array processor and budding scientists and prevent distributing data products to the rest a brain drain? As a community we need to invest more on research in order to support innovation and create globally competitive industries as well as viable businesses, which can generate jobs in Africa. There is also a need for engineers in South Africa and the continent at large as we desperately need skilled people to grow our economy. Encouraging young scientists to participate in legacy projects such as the MeerKAT Array (MeerKAT) and Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s most powerful radio telescope, and then urging industries to employ the youth as interns and give them opportunities to be mentored, will lead to patriotism.
How far has the MeerKAT project advanced? The first seven dishes, KAT-7, are complete and have already produced its first pictures. MeerKAT is attracting great interest internationally – more than 558 international astronomers, of which 58 are from Africa, submitted proposals to work with MeerKAT once it is complete. The technology being developed for MeerKAT is cutting-edge
Encouraging young scientists to participate in legacy projects such as MeerKAT & SKA and then urging industries to employ the youth as interns and give them opportunities to be mentored, will lead to patriotism. South Africa is currently bidding to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). What do you believe Africa has to offer the project?
The SKA antenna configuration requires the placement of antennas over a wide range of spatial scales, spanning tens of metres to thousands of kilometres. How has the project impacted The shape of the African mainland South Africa? and the Indian Ocean islands provides There has been steady growth in the a platform for the nominal SKA number of science centres in Southern configuration with “baselines” extending Africa, through the Southern African out to 3 000 kilometres. Africa’s location Association of Science and Technology in relation to the other continents Centres (SAASTEC). Together with the allows existing observatories in Europe, Association of Science and Technology the United States, South America and (ASTC) we have an international Australasia to be used in conjunction community of science centres. ASTC with the SKA to achieve extreme spatial is committed to a Communities of Practice approach to growing the field of resolutions and astrometric positions. In informal science education, with the goal addition, the communications systems in Africa are currently undergoing a of supporting sustained and impactful professional development that has field- massive increase in capacity, and high bandwidth optical fibre networks are wide impact. These collaborations are being installed. This will satisfy the data meant to share expertise and grow the industry of science centres. connectivity requirements of the SKA,
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of the world. South Africa has already demonstrated its excellent science and engineering skills by designing and starting to build the MeerKAT telescope – as a pathfinder to the SKA.
and the project is creating a large group of young scientists and engineers with world-class expertise in technology, such as very fast computing, very fast data transport, large networks of sensors, software radios and imaging algorithms, which will be crucial in the next 10 to 20 years.
Has Sci-Bono launched any initiatives aimed at citizens in rural or township communities? We have a variety of programmes at rural community level in and around Gauteng. We have in-reach programmes where school learners are subsidised by the Gauteng Department of Education (GED) to visit Sci-Bono and participate in our centre-based programmes, such as focus weeks and exhibits. We also have an out-reach team in Gauteng which delivers science and maths lessons to schools in need of such programmes. With all that is going on we are optimistic that we will successfully steer Africa into the age of Science and Technology.
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image courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK
been a lack of funding for research and science programmes. Given our history these understandably take a back seat compared to basic needs such as housing, sanitation and running water. Poor teaching resources (such as laboratory and educational kits) and a lack of proper career guidance at public schools exacerbates the situation. It is also still a challenge for most communities to visit science centres such as Sci-Bono as part of a family outing, this will change the culture of thinking science and technology is only reserved for a few.
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quick glance at the March 2011 UNCTAD report – Commodities at a Glance – highlights the importance of Africa as a significant contributor to world production in a number of commodities. Africa produces a lot for domestic consumption with the rest of the commodities find themselves in regional as well as global markets. In a world characterized by volatile commodity prices – a few questions beg for answers. Are African markets currently properly organized to enable Africa to extract full reward from its abundant resources? What institutional capacity exists to organise the markets to allow for accessible and transparent price discovery for Africa’s commodities? How much say does Africa have in the pricing of its commodities? The answer to the last question, disappointingly, is very little. A look at the global map of organised markets, commodity exchanges in various forms show that Africa has not invested much in institutions that serve the purpose of organising trade – be it domestic, regional or global. Despite the commendable efforts of largely donor funded commodity exchanges in Africa, with the exception of SAFEX the Agricultural Products Division of the JSE, the current stock of exchanges on the continent remain largely underdeveloped and lag behind exchanges in the developed world. This explains why, despite Africa contributing most of the cocoa traded in international markets, the price benchmark for cocoa is determined on LIFFE and ICE, UK and USA based exchanges respectively. Commodity exchanges have proven to be an effective catalyst in organising markets, bringing transparency and many other benefits to the participants along the value chain. The Chicago Board of Trade – established in 1848 by a group of Chicago merchants, has evolved over the years to set the global benchmark price for many agricultural commodities like corn and soybean. The 134-year-old London Metals Exchange sets the price benchmark for several metals including nickel, copper and aluminium. The absence of similar institutions in Africa means that Africa’s commodity production is trading globally based on price benchmarks
orGAnised
mArKets the Future For AFriCA
determined on offshore exchanges, with contracts based on prices reflecting the dynamics in those remote markets. It’s important to question if the existing exchanges and market structures adequately serve all market participants. Africa’s diverse and huge commodity base dictates that Africa must invest to organise its markets and take control of the marketing of its commodities. Collectively Africa has the power to create a strong voice in the commodity markets given its
significant contribution. This can be achieved by organising African markets around local Pan-African commodity exchanges listing indigenous contracts with commodities delivered on African ports. A commodity exchange is a market in which multiple buyers and sellers trade commodity-linked contracts on the basis of rules and procedures laid down by the exchange. The exchange acts as a platform for spot trades (involving physical delivery)
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or futures trade (largely for hedging, arbitrage and speculation). Commodity exchanges promote more efficient production, storage and marketing of commodities and significantly reduce the costs associated with identifying a suitable buyer or seller in commodity trade. The strong physical commodity base that Africa possesses calls for the development of vibrant spot exchanges as well as futures exchanges on the continent. It could be argued that certain price benchmarks set on established international exchanges are a fair reflection of the price for Africa’s commodities, as the price benchmarks are set closer to the bigger markets– a closer look at the entire supply chain and the value allocation across different parts of the chain shows that the lack of indigenous price benchmarks for Africa’s commodities significantly prejudices Africa. Simply put, how does a peasant cocoa farmer, who risks her meagre resources producing cocoa, influence the global price of cocoa? Does she have a say in the pricing game? If not, do current trading patterns protect her from possible abuse by the long chain of intermediaries? This issue is relevant in all sectors such as metals, minerals, energy, agriculture, as well as others, affecting domestic trade, regional trade, as well as global trade. The lack of transparency in the pricing of commodities exposes the vulnerable and weaker parties to possible
marginalisation. Urgently required, therefore, are exchanges that are accessible to the broad base of African participants in the supply chain across all commodity sectors. In order to improve the plight of African producers Africa has to invest in an institutional capacity to organise its markets so that, collectively, Africa has a stronger say in global commodity trade. Transparency in the pricing of Africa’s commodities is key and the challenge that Africa faces is one of creating the institutions that will enable Africa to trade with its key markets, on terms more favourable than what exists now. The foundation of this journey lies in the creation of new price benchmarks for Africa’s commodities
AFriCA’s diVerse And huGe Commodity bAse diCtAtes thAt AFriCA must inVest to orGAniZe its mArKets And tAKe Control oF the mArKetinG oF its Commodities.
made possible through the introduction of Pan-African internationally traded contracts, deliverable on Africa ports. This new family of contracts, whilst complimenting the existing contracts listed on offshore exchanges, will be more accessible to Africans and hence can serve their interests better. A number of new exchanges have been launched over the past few years as most economies have liberalised their markets and some of the older exchanges have restructured to serve and organise their target markets better. These are useful learning points for Africa. Interesting case studies are the Bolsa de Mercadorias e Futures (BM & F) in Brazil, The Dalian Commodity Exchange in China, The Multi Commodity Exchange of India and the Bursa Malaysia Berhad of Malaysia. In all these exchanges, the learning points for Africa are very clear. The one that stands out so prominently is that economies of scale are key to the establishment of successful exchanges. This brings into question the choice that Africa has to make – whether it is sustainable for every African country to establish its own stand alone exchange or develop Pan-African exchanges in an effort to create a strong African voice in the commodity markets. The development of the exchanges industry in Africa will have to focus on the needs of Africa from organising trade based on the existing patterns of domestic, regional and global trade. This will be an interesting challenge for entrepreneurs in the sector, as they tackle the many challenges, in an effort to create visible African institutions that transform the way Africa trades. Africa is characterised by fragmented markets, deficient infrastructure, skills/expertise shortages, insufficient financing of commodities, pervasive underdevelopment and political instability. This may sound discouraging but all hope is not lost. Africa shares this profile with India but over the past 10-years, the Indian exchanges sector has successfully matured under similar difficult conditions and the benefits of this growing sector to the Indian economy have been immense. What has been exciting to observe has been the different approach adopted by the Indian exchanges, with notable innovations behind the development of
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b U S i N E S S
b U S i N E S S finance through the provision of secure collateral for banks – hence enabling banks to extend low cost facilities. Of significant importance has been the elimination of pricing anomalies across global markets. Creativity and innovation between banks and warehouse operators has made it easier for rural farmers to access bank loans with minimum hassles. India has been very successful in capacity building across all levels. An interesting case study involves the biggest Indian warehouse operator, National Bulk Handling Company, which works in partnership with 33 national banks and has over 3 500 warehouses across India. The Warehouse Operator works as an agent for the banks. Upon delivering bags of produce to the warehouse operator, the warehouse operator issues a warehouse receipt confirming that the producer has met the minimum quality grades and the commodity has been stored safely for use as collateral. The warehouse operator processes the loan application on behalf of the producer and submits it to the bank, using the warehouse receipt as security. Within 24-hours the bank is able to release the cash into the farmer’s account. This is possible largely because of the
allow for international capital to safely cross borders onto Africa’s doorsteps in pursuit of Africa’s commodities. That interface should take place closer to the producers in order to allow for a democratic process that allows producers to also have a say in the determining of commodity prices. The private sector should identify its role in the ecosystem by developing the Pan-African community of brokers, banks developing capacity to match the international standards of clearing and settlement, Private Public partnerships to focus on the development of various forms of infrastructure including warehousing facilities. Every possible dollar has to be mobilised to invest in capacity building to ensure that once these organised markets are developed, market participants across the value chain will know how to use the exchanges. Commodities are what Africa has in abundance and Africa has to know how to market and trade the commodities to best advantage. Organising the African markets cannot be postponed any further and the market needs to take note and support the various initiatives going on right now. The benefits for Africa are easy to see and appreciate.
in order to imProVe the PliGht oF AFriCAn ProduCers – AFriCA hAs to inVest in An institutionAl CAPACity to orGAniZe its mArKets so thAt, ColleCtiVely, AFriCA hAs A stronGer sAy in GlobAl Commodity trAde co-operation of the various eco-system participants around the exchange and this approach in organising markets can yield big results in Africa. Africa’s producers need better-packaged financial support to expand and grow, especially in the field of agriculture. The responsibility to organise African markets has to be shared by many. Exchanges thrive when there is regulatory certainty and a sound legal environment. In this respect African governments must move with other stakeholders to create sound internationally benchmarked regulatory frameworks in order to
FACTS • Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are amongst the top five cocoa producing countries in the world. • Ethiopia is amongst the top five leading coffee producing countries. • Kenya features amongst the top five tea producing countries. • South Africa is amongst the top five leading gold producing countries. • Zimbabwe and South Africa feature in the top five leading platinum and palladium producing countries. • DRC, South Africa and Botswana feature prominently in Diamond mine production.
image courtesy of sHutterstocK
liquid contracts as well as services that have benefitted even the rural peasants. Many stakeholders have to engage to organize African markets around exchanges. The challenges facing the commodity sector in Africa are many, especially in agriculture. Most of which will be solved by adopting an eco-system development approach which brings together a number of parties playing complimentary roles and these will include warehouse operators, collateral managers, banks, brokers as well as capacity building institutions. The exchanges thus serve as the core of the development, with technology playing a key role in bringing the parties together, whilst distinctly playing separate roles. A big advantage for Africa is the emergence of better exchange technologies that have, in some cases, created advantages for newer exchanges over the older exchanges. Exchange technology is now cheaper, better and more friendly as it can now be adapted to access even the previously marginalised market participants. Recent developments in the telecommunications sector have added an even more exciting dimension to the prospects of linking up African markets on a real time basis to facilitate regional and global trade. The benefits of an organised African market can easily be appreciated by tracking some of the positive developments that are taking place in countries like India and Malaysia. In India, exchanges like the MCX India have become so successful, emerging in eight years to become the sixth largest derivatives exchange in world, trading over 70 commodities and registering over 100 million contracts per year. The main benefit, which has cascaded down to the ordinary farmer/producer, has been better price transparency in commodity trade. Producers now have better negotiating power with intermediaries and global markets, making more informed production and marketing decisions. The market participants now enjoy better and more accessible risk management tools and can now manage key risks that would otherwise undermine their sustainability and profitability. The exchange has proved very useful in creating different options for raising
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PARC FERMÉ SANDTON
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he combination of location, decor, service and fare all collaborate toward delivering a “come back for more” experience. Parc Fermé, situated in the very heart of Sandton’s metropolis within the Legacy Hotels building, certainly scores big when it comes to location. With its corner position we were presented with the option of sitting in a lounge-like environment within a conservatorystyled outer section. Glass doors opening to the street, allow us to watch the regular stream of luxury cars and well heeled pedestrians. Alternatively, we opted to sit within the restaurant, where seating is spacious and comfortable. Mauritian born Head Chef Atmaran Mahadea brings an eclectic touch to both the food and cocktail menus. Certainly with the latter they hope to establish their reputation as the place to go for a memorable sun-downer cocktail; with stiff competition in Sandton they have ensured that their cocktails menu is enticing and my strawberry Daiquiri was excellent, so even if you don’t have time for a meal, stopping in for a cocktail before your next meeting is worth it. When asked what their signature specialty is, we were told it is their shellfish dishes. I had prawns for a www.afropolitan.co.za
starter and if shellfish is your thing, then add Parc Fermé to your GPS point of interest. I ordered Prawn Tempura. A simple and delicious opener. Small prawns are lightly battered and served with a wasabi mayonnaise and julienne vegetables. I like to eat with my hands whenever possible and this is high class finger food, the mayonnaise combined delightfully with the slight sweetness of the batter and the succulence of the prawns. Right after the starter and as a pleasant surprise, a ‘glass’ of butternut soup was delivered, offering a rich and slightly tangy flavour accompanied by a small canapé. Though greatly tempted to order the Parc Fermé shell fish platter, or a Mauritian styled curry, or even the Parc Fermé fillet, I chose a seemingly more modest main course: the chicken breast. However, this turned out to be an inspired choice and consensus amongst my dining partners was that this dish out shone all on the night! The chicken breast is roasted, butterflied and filled with apricot, spinach and goat’s cheese. This is served with a honey mustard sauce and vegetable couscous. The couscous was delicious and the perfect partner for the chicken, which arrived with
modest appearance against the exotic langoustines, platters and steaks. Nevertheless, it was mouth-watering from first bite to last. The apricot, spinach and goat cheese filling provided abundant flavour whilst being light on my digestion and the dish is made complete with the honey mustard sauce. Describing my dessert choice allows me to rave a little more. The chocolate fondant is good with a capital “G” but order the chocolate samoosa; do not pass go, collect R200 or any other distraction until you’ve tried this. Banana, nuts and chocolate are delicately wrapped in pastry, deep-fried and served with ice-cream. I appreciate this may not be your ‘thing’, but if it is, then you’ll have a fresh definition for desire. Sandton spoils us for choice with highend dining choices. Parc Fermé delivers this with both formal and less formal options; it’s accessible; off-street parking is available around the corner and if you want to just sit and watch the world go by, pull up a seat, order a cocktail and relax. 51
IMAGES COURTESY OF PARC FERMÉ
By Angus McEwan
A F R O
BY Masechaba Moerane
t r avel
Travelling
Ghana’s Slave Coast Ghana’s coastline is one of the most beautiful in West Africa, with vibrant fishing villages, a sound track of primal drum beats and windswept castles that would be a marvel were it not for their history as slave castles. Traipsing through the Cape Coast, Elmina and Dixcove, Masechaba Moerane finds resilient people, laughter and natural beauty that surpass the imposing monuments of Africa’s most painful experience.
A history forgiven but not forgotten
Africa. Sadness hits us. We follow Kwame to the Door of No Return. It’s a narrow opening that lets us out one person at a time. But unlike our People come to Ghana’s slave forts “heartbroken ancestors who would never for one reason: to shed tears while again see their beloved motherland” we decrying the monstrosity of slavery. The can return. Westerners are here to cry for the sins of The imposing ships that must have their forefathers. The African Americans waited for them have been replaced and Africans are here to cry about the by colourful pirogues and fishermen inhumanity of it all. mending their green nets. We hang “To imagine the grave horror that our out with them. Laughter rings and ancestors went through caged in small reverberates around us. cells as they waited for ships that would The castles history may be sad, but take them away from the motherland, it is impossible to be in Ghana and feel never to return,” Kwame the tour guide depressed for longer than a minute. booms throughout our walk around This is a country of people known for the Cape Coast castle; just like every laughing until their bodies rattle. tour guide booms at slave forts around Soon, the tears we cried at the room West Africa from Goree in Senegal to St of remembrance - where there’s an Georges in Elmina and Fort Metal Cross altar with wreaths, fresh flowers and in Dixcove, a small obscure village in calabashes - are gone. Ghana. The dramatised delivery of the Sitting on a pirogue with the history of slavery makes it feel theatrical. fishermen fielding questions about With down cast eyes, we follow Kwame Bafana Bafana’s fall and why “South around as he takes us to the slave Africa killed Lucky Dube,” we’re struck quarters. They are small crammed cells by how peaceful and organic the Slave with little ventilation and no sanitation. Coast is. People live simply, but they His voice rises and falls for dramatic experience life wholeheartedly. effect as he tells us about the history of And when we want to talk fire and slavery, the women who were raped and brimstone about slavery we’re told, “It the men who were beaten until their happened, it’s sad but move on already.” spirits were broken beyond repair. We all pack up laughing. When we walk back to the castle, we’ve Some people cry, others mutter and lost a heavy heart. a few breakdown. We feel anger rising We have instantly forgiven. We see first; slavery, then colonialism and apartheid and now the new scramble for the castles melancholic beauty. In Cape 52
The castles history may be sad, but it is impossible to be in Ghana and feel depressed for longer than a minute. This is a country of people known for laughing until their ‘bodies rattle’. www.afropolitan.co.za
Courtyard and whitewashed buildings in Elmina castle
Ghana is not the place that inspires a tourist to hide out and relax. You want to go out, explore and soak in the thrill of the people and every event that makes life here magical. Fact Box
When in Ghana: • Catch the Accra Jazz festival held in October in conjunction with Alliance Francais
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• Explore the weekly bead market that has been held every Thursday sine 1928 in a village called Koforudia, when bead sellers from around the region ply their trade. • Over the weekend the hedonist’s haven Kokrobitey, just outside of Accra is a must. Big Milly’s is the place to stay.
imageS COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
Coast, there is a triangular window that has view of a town rising from shacks and homes until we see a lone temple on a hill. In Elmina, an empty field has been turned into a sea of pirogues, making it a postcard moment. Fort Metal Cross in Dixcove has less human traffic, but the town outside the Fort is a series of quirky moments like the dolphin, crab, lobster and other fish sprawled on a pavement, turning it into a fish market.
• Ghana has over 100 traditional festivals held throughout the year. The best of the many includes the Asafotu Fiam festival held by the people of Ada in the greater Accra region on the last Thursday of July until the first weekend of August. At this festival warriors re-enact historic victories from battles past. • For the daring, there is the eco tourism Kakum Canopy in Kakum National park. The walk way leads visitors through the treetops of the park, offering a spectacular view of the rainforest. • Also take time to visit The Bob Marley foundation in Aburi, which has a collection of private pictures provided by Rita Marley, who lives in Aburi.
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t r avel
Taking in the local vibe The history of the coast may be incredibly sad, but we’re not in Ghana to carry baggage. Even if we wanted to be sad and angry, Ghana is just not that angry place. Looking down from the castles in Elmina, Cape Coast and Dixcove, we see villages and towns full of life: there’s a beach soccer game on, school kids are running around the streets en masse on their way home. Houses look like they are stacked next to each other, giving the impression of there not being too much space to spare. Yet it’s all packed in - countless fabric shops, bookshops, general dealers, restaurants, homes, school and people of all sorts - some are merely strolling,
The Labadi Beach Hotel in Ghana
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bob to American hip hop and absolutely everyone gets down and wild when Nigerian hits by D’Banj and P Square (Falling in Love and Do Me) are played. Unlike Accra’s local bars, where there’s everything from scruffy to bling at its brightest, the bars and clubs here are basic - there’s local gin, whiskey, malt based drink, juice, beer, soda but none of the drink names mentioned in hip hop songs.
Tropical destinations are always romantic The vegetation from Accra down the coast is lush with swaying palm trees. Once in beach communities, white washed pink and lime homes look like they are in competition to see which is more colourful between houses and the boats that are painted in red, black, white, and the green, gold, red and black of the Ghanaian flag. The beach boys here don’t pester us to buy souvenirs we’ll never use, like djembe drums. They pester tourists for friendship. We spend our time going from town to town, village to village, feeling like the happiest people on earth. Cape Coast is arts central. There are scores of young men offering drumming lessons or “company to go to clubs.” The nightlife is wild. Hips roll to local hip life, heads
Tunnel leading to the ships in Elmina Castle, used by slaves between Africa and the Americas
Cape Coast and Elmina have their share of luxurious accommodation; but people are never here to relax. We come here to connect with history, let go of its baggage and take it easy. There are hotels with a coastal resort vibe, but Ghana is not the place that inspires a tourist to hide out and relax. You want to go out, explore and soak in the thrill of the people and every event that makes life here magical. But every coastal getaway needs an ultimate treat. The small village of Busua is it for us. The beachfront has accommodation options that range from cheap to five star chain hotels. A surfer’s paradise, Busua is sedate in the mornings, a hive of activity in the afternoons and downright skanky at night, at Sankofa bar where reggae makes people dance like they are auditioning to be in a soft porn video. Thus reads our itinerary in Busua: wake up, stroll, eat breakfast at Dan the Pancake Man, go to the beach, lie there, drink, swim, read, flirt with hot beach boys, eat lobster at a give-away price, continue being beach bums and wait for sunset when Sankofa opens to dance until the sun rises and then repeat. We went to the Slave Coast expecting tears and anger; we found one of the best travel experiences Africa has to offer.
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imageS COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
In Everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors. May those who died rest in peace. May those who return find their roots. May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity. We, the living vow this.
others walk around with slices of watermelon they sell per piece on their heads. There’s also papaya, pineapple and groundnut. Yes, African destinations tend to look as old as time, but they make up for this with the gracious spirit of the people. Laughter always fills the air. The smell of fish that’s been freshly caught and now loaded out of boats mixes with the smell of food from chop bars. Chop bars are local eateries that are barely furnished but sell the best of local dishes, like jollof rice and a rice and bean dish called waatchi served with a piece of fried fish and tomato stew. The unspoken rule is that food has to be washed down with local star beer. The spoken rule is that you can’t be in Ghana and unhappy.
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
F U L L
O N
L I F E
In Conversation with…
Loyiso Bala
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Music was our life when we were growing up. We, as a family, always sang at weddings, funerals and any other special occasions that took place within our community. My grandfather was also a composer and he had about five choirs coming to our house every week to practice. That’s where I learnt the skill to read and write music.
You have managed to totally hold your own as an artist next to your brother Zwai Bala. Was not wanting to be under his shadow part of your motivation to succeed? Not at all; he played a big role in launching my career. It wouldn’t have taken off as speedily if it weren’t for his success in the industry. For a long time he was my mentor and with his help I quickly got over some stumbling blocks that took him years to figure out. Now I’m in a position where we advise each other through most things.
I’ve always tried to bring my audience closer and closer to who I am, hence my albums have gotten more intimate over the years. This time around I’m taking them to the very essence of what I am about and the very secret to my existence, which is a loving God, who has been guiding my steps from the very beginning.
Is this gospel music path something you would like to pursue further if the interest is strong? It’s not so much up to the people as it is up to God. To tell you the truth, it would probably be easier for me to do another R’nB album at the moment. Fortunately, this is what I have been called to do now. Who knows where the spirit will lead me next.
I’ve been at it for 13 years now and where God leads me, I follow. This career was never mine to begin with. I believe that I was born for such a time as this, to be an inspiration and to motivate a lot of people out there. That’s what I hope to spend most of my time doing for the next 13 years of my career. People have been so good to me; it’s time that I give back. So watch this space.
My outlook on life hasn’t changed, but it has been enhanced. I’ve found a greater purpose to succeed in life and Jen has made it much easier for me to find that success.
In your opinion do reality shows like Idols have any positive impact in promoting local talent or is it just a show that has potential to do more but hasn’t quite fulfilled the mandate? You have performed locally as well as internationally – what differences have you noted with the two audiences (negative and positive)? South African audiences have known my music for years, so doing a show for them is always more of a sing-a-long performance. I feel the love before I have even sung my first note. Overseas audiences (and not talking about South Africans who live overseas) are much more attentive. I love seeing the surprise in their faces once they hear us singing. They always make me feel proud to be a South African.
You are currently working on a live gospel DVD. What prompted you to share this part of yourself Can you tell us a bit more about and your personal beliefs with Afrika Tikkun. Where does the the world? name originate from and what is your involvement with it? With every album that I’ve ever done www.afropolitan.co.za
Working with international artists and producers really played a big role in shaping my work ethic in general. The amount of money that is spent on those international projects requires extreme professionalism from everyone involved. The phrase “Time is Money” plays a big role and one is forced to always be on the ball. In terms of skill, they have more people but we are just as good (if not better).
Looking at an artist like Zahara and AKA, I think the media is doing a pretty good job supporting upcoming talent. The only potential risk is that people can turn on you as quickly as they accepted you.
When you dream where do you see yourself?
Congratulations on your marriage to your beautiful wife. Has being married changed your outlook on life and the meaning of success?
You have performed and worked alongside big names in the music industry including Robin Thicke and Alicia Keys. How has this shaped you as an artist?
As a nation (looking at the media in particular) do you feel we are giving upcoming talent the support they need?
In what direction are you hoping to take your career?
I see myself still living in South Africa (maybe in Cape Town) and travelling the world, doing packed out concerts and being a well-known philanthropist like Bono.
Afrika Tikkun is one of a few charities that I support. It is an NGO that delivers health and social services to children and their families in South African townships. I got the opportunity to ride the 94.7 Cycle Challenge to raise money for the NGO after having only learnt how to ride bicycle in less than three months.
When an artist gets a big break, in any situation, it will always be up to them to create a successful career out of it, or not. I got my big break with the TKZee Family and spent my entire royalty building my solo career. An artist never wins a career, but an opportunity. It’s up to you what you do with it.
In this issue of the Afropolitan we are focusing on Africa. What does Africa Day mean to you personally?
Images courtesy of LOYISO BALA
How was it growing up in a musical family?
Africa Day symbolises the unity of independent African states and is a reminder for the countries in Africa that they are not alone in dealing with problems. So for me it means that, as a people, we need to celebrate our individual uniqueness in a diverse continent. It is also about us being accepting of one another. 57
Copenhagen is a true investment and is so much more than just a carpet. This contemporary interpretation in 100% pure wool simply has it all a modern, natural look in the most desirable quality carpet fibre available. Copenhagen, through inspired innovation and unparalleled craftsmanship, offers a superfine Nouwens yarn and durable weave that make it ideal for high traffic areas. Not only is it serviceable and hard wearing, but with the luxury of wool, this carpet of distinction can be placed in a living or dining room, office, boardroom or hallway to ensure an elegant and long lasting finish. Available in two modern weave designs and 5 colour options. For more information or to find your nearest Nouwens Platinum Partner or Nouwens appointed dealer: National: 0860 00 0058, www.nouwens.co.za, enquiries@nouwens.co.za
Copenhagen
AFRO DECOR
Design your HomE
From the Floor Up! If there is one element in every home that deserves more attention, it’s the floors. While walls, furniture and accessories are essential in decorating a room, without the right flooring you might as well not bother! Your flooring choices can set the tone and mood for an entire room. With so many options available, the flooring choice you make will depend on your budget, your lifestyle, and your personality. Here are some ideas to inspire you to achieve the look you want.
Add a Rug Rugs have the ability to define a space in an open-plan living area. They are also great in pulling together the cohesive design elements of a room. Add a rug to a plain setting for a splash of colour and texture. A well chosen rug allows you to be creative. For something totally unique, Persepolis Carpets is a specialist importer, retailer and
wholesaler of handmade classic, modern and contemporary rugs from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nepal. Persepolis, besides offering the widest selection of rugs, will assist you with finding the rug best suited for your requirements. In-house repair and cleaning service also offered. www.persepolis.co.za
The Wonder of Wood Wood floors are currently a hot home trend, popular in most modern houses for their elegance, charm and durability. The style of hardwood flooring you choose should be a decision based on your lifestyle, the construction of your house, and your budget. Factors such as price, maintenance and installation can put some people off, but if this is the case, there
are other types of flooring that will create the same wood effect at a cheaper price. Laminate flooring is a good option if you are on a smaller budget — it’s also easier to install and maintain. But if you can afford real wood floors, they do add a wonderful visual dimension to any interior space and will also increase the value of your home just by being there.
Tiles to Tickle your Fancy When you think about it, every home has a tiled area somewhere! This is because tiles are practical and offer a low maintenance, easy to clean, hygienic flooring option that can also be added as a cooling solution to areas of your home. One of the most successful tile collections at Italtile is the Misingi collection. Inspired from African woods, the tiles are replicated in porcelain and
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can be used both indoors and outdoors. The glazed colour body has the uncanny resemblance to wood and is maintenance free as opposed to natural wood. These tiles are also accredited with the EU Ecolabel Certification as they are manufactured in a way which is sensitive to the environment. The right tiles can have incredible visual impact – so have fun with whatever you choose.
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Images courtesy of MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS
BY ELKA SCHAIMBERG
D E C O R
D E C O R
There is no limit to the design possibilities in style, texture and colouring when it comes to carpeting. Aside from giving the room a warm atmosphere, carpets also offer a sense of comfort making the floor softer to stand, walk, sit or lie on. The ultimate in luxury is 100% wool carpets. The natural texture, plush indulgence and durable nature of the wool will continue to deliver for years to come. Nouwens Carpets offer a wonderfully wide range of options that will add value to any home. Solution Dyed Nylon is extremely durable and Nouwens offer it in a great range of modern colours. Polyester Carpets have a luxurious and plush appearance that is ideal in a bedroom or lounge. For those on a limited budget, the Nouwens Easi-Carpets range offers affordable, modern and stylish options too. The newly launched Icon range from Nouwens is a colour-fast, dense pile that reduces the penetration of accidental spills. Your choice in carpeting is only limited by your imagination!
Images courtesy of MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS
The Magic of Carpets
BLUE FLAME ADV/80425
The Joburg Market. Open to the man on the street. And woman. TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THE MARKET
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
C O L U M N
#WhatILoveAboutAfrica Any person you encounter in Africa can produce a litany of all that has gone wrong. But every now and again positivity steps in and recently the twitterverse was abuzz with people the world over, sharing what they loved about this continent. No matter how far you have travelled, you are always welcomed like you are coming home. Ghana’s highlife. Congo’s soukous. Maninka from Mali. Kwaito from South Africa. Nigerian jùjú US Embassy Pretoria @USEmbPretoria Johannesburg, South Africa
The warmth of its people, their focus on real human values, its music and beats, its fruits, its smell, its pride. ewenlb @ewenlb Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Youssour Ndour, Salif Keita, Lucky Dube, Mirriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Oliver Mtukudzi, Winston Mankunku Ngozi. Ruth @Tshinangwe Johannesburg, South Africa Koforudua bead market. Every Thursday since 1928. Bead dealers from all over West Africa. Lerato Mogoatlhe @leratomogoatlhe Johannesburg, South Africa What’s not to love? It’s culturally diverse. It will be the new powerhouse of the world and we have the most beautiful sunsets. Mac-Jordan @MacJordaN Ghana
Her women. Their beauty, intelligence The generosity of people who don’t and value often doubted, they remain have much in material terms. That’s resilient, strong and silent innovators. mother Africa. Zama @JoziGoddess Nkunda Rwanda @Rwandankunda: Johannesburg, South Africa Kigali, Rwanda Writers like Tsitsi Dangaremba & The sense of community - societies Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Oh and the share.... the strong family structure the great nightlife in Nairobi & Harare. continent has. Nikiwe Bikitsha @NBikitsha Mwongela Kamencu @Monajamonj Johannesburg, South Africa Nairobi Kenya Words like half/step brother or sister, The privileged come thinking we are cousin, nephew, niece or uncle do not hopeless - they end up learning and apply. It is brother, son and father. leaving full of hope. Alan Kasujja @kasujja Khaya Dlanga @khayadlanga Johannesburg, South Africa Kampala, Uganda It’s the cradle of human life. Once held The moonrise over the mountains in the most advanced civilization, still to Lesotho and the sounds of the village this day and still full of culture. at sunrise. Famous b @CityOfLA Tyler Paziuk @tylerpaziuk Los Angeles, South Africa Ontario, Canada The earth’s best sunsets. Dance & The fact that we have more than 3000 rhythm. Smiles. Outspokenness on languages in one continent. MalkiaBee @MalkiaBee issues that matter. Landscapes. Promise. Nairobi Jenn Watson @jenKwatson
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R E V I E W S
BEAT BOX
CELEBRATING KHADJA NIN
W
ith a voice so sultry it evokes emotions you never knew you had - Khadja Nin is an artist who with every offering manages to completely blow listeners away. Born and raised in Burundi, Africa in a family of eight children, Khadja, by the age of seven had already discovered her voice and love of singing; she was a lead vocalist of a choir in her town of Bujumbura. When she turned 16 she left home for Zaire and was married at 17. Though music was in her heart she had no aspirations to pursue a musical career and settled down to a life of managing lodges for tourists. A move to Europe with her new family turned her life upside down but also gave her the musical break she needed. After settling there her husband passed away and Khadja was left with a young child to raise, in a foreign country, on minimum wage. Her fortune changed when she met Nicolas Fiszman a man she says is “The Nin of Khadja Nin”. Together they started making music but it was only in 1991 that she got her first recording contract and released her first album self entitled “Khadja Nin”. But it was her second album “Sambolera”, a musical offering that is both alluring and charmingly mysterious, that brought her welldeserved fame. With a troubled and difficult past to draw from she used her experience to make emotionally charged music, fusing seductive African and European sounds to capture listener’s emotions and souls with tracks such as “Sambolera” and “Leo Leya”. Mixing up her lyrics in French, Swahili and Kirundi resulted in vocals so powerful and spellbinding Khadja quickly became a firm favourite on the music scene. This was kept up in her later albums “Ya Pili” and “Ya”, establishing her as a credible artist worth the risk. Sina Mali, Sina Deni, a translated cover version of Stevie Wonder’s song Free is one of her most popular songs and worth a listen. In celebrating her career we pay homage to a true yet humble artist who is passionate to her craft and her roots, using both to make truly remarkable music. We can only hope and pray for another album from Khadja Nin.
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Images are courtesy of Khadja Nin
BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA
C D
r E V i E W S
COUCh POTATO DIRECTOR: GUS VAN SANT
restless
STARRING: MIA WASIKOWSKA, HENRY HOPPER AND RYO KASE
Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper) is an angry and depressed young man after the death of his parents and feeds his morbid fascination by gate-crashing people’s funerals. It’s at a funeral that he meets Annabel Cotton (Mia Wasikowska) - a beautiful terminally ill young woman. The two outsiders soon find unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world. Enoch’s best friend
is the ghost of a Kamikaze fighter pilot who died in World War II. Annabel is wise and childlike, determined to fill her remaining days with beauty and happiness. The two explore their off-beat love affair as Enoch offers to help Annabel face her last days with free abandon. They bravely face what life has in store for them, fighting pain, anger and loss with playfulness and originality.
tAKe shelter
DIRECTOR: JEFF NICHOLS STARRING: MICHAEL SHANNON, JESSICA CHASTAIN AND SHEA WHIGHAM
Take Shelter unfolds in the quiet Ohio countryside. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) an all-around good guy is suddenly plagued by apocalyptic visions of a storm set to destroy everything he has, including his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and six-year old deaf daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart). As he questions whether the dreams and hallucinations are premonitions or if he is losing the plot, Curtis begins to investigate his family history of mental illness. He also distracts himself
by equipping a storm shelter in the likely event of the storm hitting. He obsessively refashions the shelter in a drive to guard those he loves, although he is still well adjusted enough to question why he’s been led to these extremes. His crazy behaviour puts his job, marriage and daughter’s well being in jeopardy. The sheer intensity of his terror and destructive behaviour makes this movie all the more disturbing.
MOViES FrOM ThE PAN-AFriCAN FiLM FESTiVAL 2012 The Pan-African Film Festival believe film can lead to a better understanding and communication between people of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while also serving as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times. Each year The Pan-African Film Festival (PAFF) presents more than 150 quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada - all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
luCKy
DIRECTOR: AVIE LUTHRA STARRING: SIHLE DLAMINI, JAYASHREE BASAVARAJ, JAMES NGCOBO AND VUSI KUNENE
The story is woven around a 10-year old boy who loses his mother to Aids. Lucky (Sihle Dlamini) makes a promise over his mother’s grave to make something of himself and leaves the security of his remote Zulu village for the big city of Durban. He arrives at the doorstep of an uncle (James Ngcobo) who is unloving and untrustworthy. After stealing the money meant for Lucky’s schooling, he kicks the orphan out of his house.
AFriCA united
The young boy strays into the home of Padma (Jayashree Basavaraj) – a racist elderly Indian who takes pity on him and agrees to take him in and send him to school. Unable to speak each other’s language, they develop an unlikely bond in a heart warming tale that reveals how a child’s spirit ultimately brings out decency, humility and even love in adults who are struggling to survive in the new South Africa.
DIRECTOR: DEBS GARDNER-PATERSON STARRING: ERIYA NDAYAMBAJE, ROGER NSENGIYUMVA AND SANYU JOANITA KINTU
This family-friendly adventure tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan kids who walk 3 000 miles in pursuit of an unlikely dream - to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in Johannesburg. Along their journey Dudu and Fabrice pick up a ‘dream team’ of displaced kids. These fellow travellers include a boy running away from his life as a child soldier (Yves Dusenge)
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and a young girl who had been forced into prostitution (Sherrie Silver). These broken and brilliant characters join the mission through a series of glorious, dangerous, hilarious and often bizarre situations. As they walk across seven countries, viewers encounter an Africa few people ever get to see and experience the joy, laughter and hope that comes from making an incredible journey together.
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images courtesy of ster-KiNeKor & Numetro
By elKa scHaimBerg
d V d & M O V i E
r E V i E W
WOrd ON WOrdS HEIDI HOLLAND
100 YEARS OF STRUGGLE - MANDELA’S ANC
I
n her latest book “100 years of Struggle - Mandela’s ANC” renowned author and journalist Heidi Holland delivers an honest insight into the organisation that is currently celebrating its Centenary, in an incredibly enlightening and easy to read manuscript. Readers will appreciate the historical background on well- known and much respected struggle icons and her uncomfortably honest take on how far the organisation has come. The comparison between the ANC of old and the ANC of today offers much food for thought.
What was your motivation to write the book? 100 Years of Struggle - Mandela’s ANC was originally researched during the
’80s, when the ANC was banned in South Africa. As is the case with most of my books, my motive in writing it was to inform my own tribe – white southern Africans – about a subject that would affect their lives profoundly. In the book’s latest form, it offers readable, indeed entertaining, insights into our past. All of us with opinions about the ANC should be well-informed about the organisation’s ideas and development over the last Century.
purpose and retain its integrity in a political landscape in which its warring alliance lacks the common; and uniting; enemy of apartheid. The country will be in increasing trouble if it fails to properly educate and create employment for South Africa’s young people. We will lose our international reputation for fair play if President Zuma persists in his attacks on the media and the judiciary. But overall, the present remains better than the past.
What challenges did you face in writing your book?
You also wrote the critically acclaimed “Dinner with Mugabe”, what is the one thing that surprised you about robert Mugabe that most people don’t know?
Researching a banned organization was very difficult at times. I was questioned by the apartheid security police on more than one occasion about the ANC members I’d interviewed in Lusaka and other places.
how has the book been received with the readers and with the ANC? I don’t know what the ANC thinks of the latest version of a book that the organization liked a lot in 1990, when it first came out during the same week Nelson Mandela was released from prison. The new one contains a critical chapter called The ANC in Power, which is not a flattering analysis of the state’s performance over the past 17-years. According to the publisher, Penguin, it’s selling well countrywide and attracting international attention. The book is easy to promote because it’s a fast-paced account of the struggle for equality in this country. It’s about mainly heroic people and exciting events, not dusty legislation and history lessons.
Robert Mugabe is a shy, quiet man when he’s not on the campaign trail. His apparent hatred of the British masks a great love for the colonial Motherland: he is, to all intents and purposes, a Brit in his own heart. The British should have talked to him after the disastrous land grab of 2000 rather than humiliating a man with a patently fragile ego.
What does the future look like for the ANC and the country?
images courtesy of PeNguiN BooKs
By BreNDaH NyaKuDya
b O O K
I think the ANC is struggling to focus, find moral
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BY DAMIAN MURPHY
A F R O
W H E E L S
VW Jetta
Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.
The force is strong with this one!
T
he latest version of the Volkswagen Jetta shot into global superstardom with a very clever Super Bowl halftime advert that became an online sensation. When we got to put the new Jetta through its paces, we quickly realised why Volkswagen (VW) is one of the leading brands globally, as well as one of the most popular brands on South African shores. The Jetta is a slick looking and compact sedan that is VW pedigreed through and through. The front end is identical to that of the Polo, but the side profile is distinctly different. With smooth lines, which flow from back to front, the car has a business sedan appearance. It has a low profile, which means that even though it has that distinguished business look to it; it has plenty of sportiness too. It’s not a massive car, so we had no trouble getting it in and out of tight parking spaces around town, but there is plenty of space for a family or a group of
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adults inside. The boot space is big enough for shopping bags and golf clubs, and the fine leather seats make for a very comfortable driving environment. We were disappointed that there was no USB port and no standard iPod jack, but with a multi–function computer, ambient temperature display, illuminated driver and front passenger vanity mirrors, two front and rear reading lights, a height and reach adjustable steering column, a three-spoke leather covered multifunction sports steering wheel and chrome air vents, who needs USB? The sound system is uber impressive and speed sensitive; this meant that when we slowed down to drive through the shopping centre we weren’t the centre of attention. We heard via the grapevine that the new Jetta was a boring drive, but in all honesty, that couldn’t be further off base. It may have been the 1.6 TDI engine in the model we had that gave
us that grunt, but putting foot in the Jetta made our hair stand on end. The turbocharged 77 kilowatts meant the car was a bullet off-the-line reaching the 100 kilometres/hour mark in a little under 12 seconds. It could also power its way up to 190 kilometres/hour with a fuel consumption of roughly five litres per 100 kilometres. VW claim that it is 4,5 litres per 100 kilometres, but we found that with our mixture of urban and open road driving it was nearer to 5.5. But pedantics aside, it is an impressive consumption level for a car delivering 250 Newton metres of torque. As with most diesels, the Jetta really only finds its home above 2 000 revs per minute. The new Jetta is playing in a club above its pay grade, starting at a R259,500 base price and going up to R286,517 for the model we had, The new Jetta could happily go to war with all the other stars in this segment. 67
CREATE A SCIENCE VISION FOR AFRICA
WITH THE BHP BILLITON CAREER CENTRE @SCI-BONO Help youth engineer their future! Support Sci-Bono’s career focus weeks. Highlighting critical areas in the South African economy the week long career expos provide organisations with an opportunity to showcase career opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, finance, transport and information communication technology. Reaching up to 2,000 high school learners per day the focus weeks aim to inspire youth to pursue studies in these scarce skills industries.
If you or your company are able to provide dynamic presentations and/or interactive exhibitions, please contact Phelelia Sekele at 011 639 8400. A strategic partner of the Gauteng Department of Education, Sci-Bono spearheads the mathematics, science and technology strategy for the province.
General Switchboard: 011 639 8400. Address: Miriam Makeba between Jeppe and President St, Newtown, Johannesburg. 260 12’ 16‘’S; 280 01‘ 59‘’E’ 1734m above sea level www.sci-bono.co.za @SciBono / scibono01 Winners of the 2011 JDA Halala Awards for Jozi’s top recreation destination and the 2009/2010 National Science and Technology Forum award for innovative science communication to a mass audience.
HI-TEC RURAL
Enjoy all your tech and gadget comforts, even when staying in areas that are remote.
Canon Powershot S100 R4300 The S100 is the ultimate in pocket sized pointand-shoot cameras. Packed to the rafters with features like a 12.1 MP CMOS sensor, full 1080p24 movie recording, RAW shooting and a 24 to 120 millimetre lens; this tiny handheld is everything from a one-button wonder to a full manual device. There is a multifunctional ring around the lens, a top mounted mode dial like those found on professional SLR cameras and a popup flash to add to the functionality and ergonomic appeal of the S100. This camera smart with almost unlimited options for taking photos on the go, it’s also tough to beat despite the hefty price tag. For more info: www.canon.co.za
Huawei R201 R249 p/m on MyGig 1 contract Take the internet with you thanks to a compact router that turns cellular internet into a Wi-Fi network. Insert a SIM card, turn on the R201 and connect your devices to the Wi-Fi network it generates – no configuration required. It has an LCD that displays signal and battery strength as well as SMS notifications such as data balances. The R201 is the easiest way to lay down connectivity anywhere there is cellular data and it’s capable of speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. The R201 charges via USB and uses strong encryption to keep your network private and secure. For more info: www.vodacom.co.za
Netsurfer Touch R2000 Designed in South Africa and running Android 2.2, the Netsurfer Touch takes computing and internet to the masses. A full featured tablet, the Touch has a SIM slot, supports USSD codes for airtime and even takes voice calls, making it functional wherever there is cellular signal. It also has a card slot for expandable storage, HDMI out, USB and Bluetooth making it ideal for a multimedia hub. The multi-touch tab is powered by an ARM Cortex A9 with 512MB of RAM and 8GBs of storage which makes the R2000 price tag even more impressive. This is more than a tablet. For more info: www.netsurfer.co.za
Looftlighter
R549
Dispense with the firelighters and matches. If you have access to electricity, you can get a fire blazing in a minute flat with the Looftlighter. All you do is touch the Looftlighter to the coals or wood, and then watch as superheated air gets them burning. It’s practical, works in strong winds and is environmentally friendly as you don’t use chemicals such as firelighters or lighter fluid to get that blaze going. You can also use it to start an indoor fire, an easy way to warm up your home quickly during the coming winter months. For more info: www.looftlighter.co.za
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Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.
BY STACEY VEE
G A D G E T S
G A d G E T S
KiNGSTON dATATrAVELEr r500 R511 (32GB)
The DT R500 is encased in durable rubber so it can easily withstand the bumps and knocks of travel. You can safely transport your music, videos, photographs and more on this large capacity data drive. It’s available in capacities from 16GB to 128GB. Your USB stick is not only well protected and shockresistant, it is also offers high-performance, with lightning fast transfer and retrieval speeds (30MB/s read, 20MB/s write). Kingston’s DataTraveler range is compatible with majority of operating systems, including Windows, Mac and Linux. For more info: www.sybaritic.co.za
TOMTOM GO LiVE 1005 WOrLd POWErMONKEY EXTrEME
TomTom’s newest device ensures that you get where you’re going, no matter where your travels take you. It includes maps for 66 countries and regions on the globe, including Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It comes with a free 12-month subscription for live services; giving you access to traffic info and a new function includes the alternate route viewer. HD Traffic gives you an overview of the traffic on both routes. The device includes points of interest, helping you find places to stay, eat and explore in the area. TomTom’s mapping of off-the-beaten-track areas in South Africa is extensive. For more info: www.tomtom.com
Smartphones and tablets are the future but while they continue to improve, their battery life does not. Powertraveller’s Powermonkey eXtreme is a solar panel and a 9000mAh battery combined into an attractive and very functional solution. The battery can be charged via USB, mains or the solar panel and it’s capable of recharging an iPhone up to six times. It has two USB connectors, one for normal USB charging which includes most mobile devices, and one that goes up to 2.1 Amps so it can charge an iPad or Samsung Galaxy tab. Devices can even be charged directly from the solar panel. For more info: www.mobilegadgets.co.za
CAPdASE SCrEENGUArd iMAG
R600
FROM R35
If you find that you’re often using your phone in the great outdoors or travelling across rough terrain, it’s worth investing in a screen protector for your smartphone so that it doesn’t get damaged. Capdase has screen protectors for almost every phone and tablet make and model. They protect against scratching, scraping and abrasion, as well as keeping oily fingerprints off your screen. They are self-adhesive and re-usable so you can remove them easily without leaving residual marks. For more info: www.knrflatrock.co.za
70
JObY GOriLLATOrCh bLAdE
Joby’s Gorilla devices are the standard in smart, mini tripods that function on hostile surfaces or wrap around objects such as branches or bicycle handlebars. The threelegged GorillaTorch Blade is a 130 lumens, super bright LED torch built along the same lines, but thanks to its light weight and magnetic feet, it can do even more. Perfect for roadside emergencies or mechanical tasks, late-night reading and working in the ceiling, the GorillaTorch is the ultimate companion for those DIY moments. It’s tough, USB rechargeable and has an adjustable beam that can be aimed precisely where it’s needed. For more info: www.mobilegadgets.co.za
www.afropolitan.co.za
Prices may Vary. images are courtesy of maNufacturers aND DistriButors.
R1399
R3 799
IT COMES NATURALLY As children we learn to listen even before we are born. We grow safe in the sanctuary of our mother’s womb assured by the constant beat of our mother’s heart. And from the first breath we take, whilst our eyes are still asleep, it is our ears which welcome in the world. From that day forth we learn the lessons of life. Because we listen.
S O C i A L S
AFROPOLITAN NIGHTS It was with a bang that we launched our Afropolitan Nights for 2012 on the 14th of March together with our partners Oude Moelen, Katzy’s, Volvo and Grolsch. The sensational Loyiso Bala completely mesmerised the crowd and had them dancing the night away. Such an awesome start to the year can only mean bigger and better things to come!
grolsch Prize winners
wonder & lungi
megan & thembi sandra makhatini
mlandzeni & mvuzo
lizel, tracey-lee & samantha
matshidiso mlaba (wearing a cape argus cycle tour medal)
Drink Responsibly. Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18 72
www.afropolitan.co.za
images are courtesy of giNa araujo
rudy goosen & joseph fallie