Sir Nigel's Journey…

Venue: New Ambassador Hotel
Date: Thursday, 2 September 2010
Time: 17:30 to 20:00 Hours

Speakers
1. Hon Murisi Zwizwai: Deputy Minister of Media, Information and Publicity
2. Mr. Henry Muradzikwa: Commissioner, Zimbabwe Media Commission
3. Mr. Njabulo Ncube: Assistant Editor, The Financial Gazette
4. Mr. Chakanyuka Bosha: National Coordinator, Zimbabwe Union of Journalists

Chairperson: Mr. Herbert Ndoma

Admission: Free! All are welcome!

For further enquiries please contact Mass Public Opinion Institute: 771358/758700, Cell: 0912 100 409

Police clearance has been granted

‘Could it be that public opinion is “the missing link” in the democracy debate in Zimbabwe, and indeed, in Africa today?’

I came across this article almost 2 weeks ago now. I wanted to share it with others and also add my thoughts. The only reason for this was simply because I appreciate and value this way of thinking – to see the end and work towards it (one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Here is a story to illustrate this point. If you are currently following the African economy closely, you will no doubt have come across positive stats that illustrate economic growth on the continent and how it continues to reach new heights year on year. This in part is fuelled by the increasing investment from the Far East for example and what I personally like to call the increasing internal entrepreneurial spirit (IIES). This article epitomises the latter. Reading it I couldn’t help but smile. I vividly recall the day the news broke out about the new media licenses in Zimbabwe. I wondered how long it would take for all the newspapers that had been awarded these new media licenses to actually hit the streets. Not surprising NewsDay emerged first – a week after the announcement! I was already following NewsDay on Twitter prior to this announcement. Trevor Ncube himself was talking very openly about the paper itself and their general plans. I ask, how could a newspaper commence publishing as soon as NewsDay did? The simple and easy answer is: planning. As this interview below indicates they started planning on the 15^th of September last year. The management team saw that an opportunity almost a year ago and started planning way back then. Now NewsDay is available daily on the streets and online. Just recently, almost 2 weeks ago now – Alpha Media Holdings (the company that publishes NewsDay) announced that The Southern Edition of NewsDay is now available in Bulawayo. How was this all achieved? Once again I revert to that key word – planning. I have no idea what else lies in store for Trevor and his team but whatever it is, I’m sure that it’s being planned this very minute! There are many lessons to be learned from this case study.

Below is an excerpt of a Gill Moore interview with Trevor Ncube recently: -

‘Bizcommunity: The first South African media folk really knew about NewsDay was that the Zimbabwean Media Commission granted permission for new newspapers in the country and then a week later (on 7 June 2010), you launched NewsDay. I would imagine that you had been preparing for this for quite some time?

Trevor Ncube: Yes, which is why we have basically been able to hit the ground running. We have had over the past 12 months a core team to which we’ve been adding as we thought the prospects were improving for us to be registered [by the commission]. For me, the turning point was the inclusive government [with Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister]. When I saw it being put in place and in it there was a strong component about freeing up of the media, that was the window that I was looking for and I said: “This is our time; we’ve always wanted to do this.” So we started preparations then.

Biz: And this was about a year ago?

Ncube: Yes, on 15 September last year. That’s when we really started putting together a business plan in earnest and asking ourselves: “What do we need?” One of the first things I identified was that we needed was a printing press because we didn’t have one.’

Complete article here

I’ve been thinking about the continent much more than usual lately. Whilst sitting at my desk at my ‘day job’ on a late Friday afternoon I had an epiphany.  Why don’t we see the ‘real Africa’ on the usual and common media sources out there? I even turned to a friend and colleague and asked him what images he has of Africa. The answer was as I suspected the stereotypical ‘famine, war, poverty, genocide and corruption’ yet I know there is much more to Africa than this. So in my epiphany inspired moment I turned to my trusted personal Twitter account to pose the question to my ‘followers’. This is what I asked: –   

‘Question: Out of the 50 odd #African countries how many ACTUALLY have famine,war, poverty,and/or genocide? #Africa’

And: -

‘I ask this simply becoz that’s what the popular media sources chooses to cover on #Africa. Why is that?’

I received several responses from my friends agreeing and adding their own comments. We were all in agreement about the need to re-address the African brand.

As mentioned in previous blog entries I’m currently reading, amongst others, a book entitled ‘Africa’s Greatest Entrepreneurs’ by Moky Makura. I am finding this book very inspiring especially now at this stage of my own personal entrepreneurial journey.  I am learning many great and important lessons about the journey that some of these amazing people have and continue to take. Entrepreneurs like Mo Ibrahim and Strive Masiyiwa for example have stories that require whole books dedicated to their journey.

And yet, when people talk about Africa we hear very little about the success stories of people making a ‘real’ difference in communities. We tend to hear about various aid agencies doing great work for Africans. What about the Africans doing great work for Africans? What about the Africans with business operations in Western countries, for example Strive Masiyiwa of Econet? What about the Africans with small businesses helping to grow the local economy which in turn adds to the overall growth of that country or region? I am not writing this entry to lay blame at anyone for this situation, rather as an observation made by a patriotic African like me. I often wonder why the media (even the African media) in general continues to assist in portraying Africa as a place that constantly requires assistance or ‘Aid’. I almost feel like this very situation (I call it the ‘poor Africa syndrome’) is what perpetuates a feeling of helplessness within my own African people especially those in the Diaspora (I hate that word).I also know that my own non-Africans friends look and feel sorry for us. Why?  We as Africans watch the same CNN, BBC and Sky News channels and we seemingly forget to see and tell the stories of the ‘real Africa’ even after visiting home. We forget to tell the ‘whole African story’…the story of the entrepreneurs and other such success stories. More importantly we ignore the fact that Africa was never on a level playing field to begin with. We forget that our resources (human and otherwise) enabled the American and the European nations to be what they are today. Generally the economic indicators such as inflation and interest rates indicate that Africa is making great progress and has been in the last several years. Small examples of this include countries like Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa – and there is more. Investment in Africa is on the rise and multinational corporations are setting up offices across the African continent. Why aren’t these stories on CNN, BBC or SKY News on a regular basis?

I will finish this entry with the remaining few‘Tweets from my ‘epiphany inspired moment’ on Friday. I was writing to those who agreed with my original 2 tweets. This is what I wrote on Twitter regarding the steps we (as Africans) needed to take in our normal lives to help shift and ‘rebrand Africa’: -

It seems we are all in agreement then.I now challenge you to start shifting the way ‘you’ talk about ‘your’ Africa whilst taking ownership

It starts off with little things like the dinner party with friends.Next time someone tells you how lucky you must feel 2 be ‘here’ tell ‘em

Or in your own time research who the movers & shakers of Africa are so you can speak abt them with such conviction.

Thirdly our own African media sources need to tell the whole truth. Yes we have problems too but we have the personel to make the changes

We do need to stop blaming others,our past or situations.Let’s instead learn from the past.Great nations adapt 2 suit conditions so must we.

More discussion on ‘Brand: Africa’ will be required and expect more thoughts, analysis and blog entries on this issue.

Aluta continua…

Felt like poetry today – long week with work and a new project on the go. I started with this: -

“Thick Chicks” Tamara Blue (Def Poetry)

and then I moved onto this one: -

“Fuck What You Heard” Sharrif Simmons (Def Poetry)”

Be back later – got something serious to say…

We don’t need to watch CNN eerie day
Matter of fact we don’t need to look too far
Too far from my home
We don’t need to mention cliché type places
Chechnya, Sudan, Niger, Afghanistan and our favourite – Iraq
Cholera infected water
Refugees
In the world’s greatest democracy
We don’t need BBC
SABC
One
Two and three
What we need is subtle reality
That chick may have come and gone
But these chicks exist in different zones
Just different names
Never mind the blame game
Keep focused on the task at hand
The world map is larger than CNN will have you believe
Never mind the increase in petrol and diesel
What we need is a news channel that’s real
Katrina knocks eerie day on some doors
Ethic cleansing disguised as wars
Often financed by neighbours engaged in scores from Elizabethan days
Tired of Sky News
“Live” reporters not assisting homelessness
Instead assisting in helplessness
Toxic water surrounded for days
Unannounced fires accompanied by gas leaks
While that girl in Niger finds it hard to speak
“Where is the doctor?
Where is my next meal coming from”?
Middle east with its usual crisis
Smug tycoons demand for increases in fuel prices
You see
It shouldn’t have taken Katrina’s effect for us to rethink
Rethink what refugee literally means?
Rethink whether the reaction was based on racial bias
Rethink our motives in life
Damnit we shouldn’t even be analysing God’s intention!
Now we’re calling it a “city of sin”
As if all those people deserved to die
You see
I’m just saying Katrina eerie day
We might call her a different name
It’s probably in a different city
Slightly different country
But disaster and devastation occurs across the globe eerie day
We simply choose to switch channels instead

Written in September 2005