dunia duara (the world is round)

How I love the spontaneous greeting from Africa...!

It happens occasionally that someone in Africa tweets or tags me, or send a photo or email a - more old-fashioned - greeting that they've just been thinking of me coming by this sign, that kanga, speaking to that person.

A greeting like this it to me one of the most important indicators for my relationship with Africa. 

It makes me really happy when it happens. 

'Don’t tell me what I can and can't do, I can change the world'.

'Don’t tell me what I can and cant do, I can change the world'.

Listen to @JustABand's self-empowering song '#Usinibore' (should be) #Sheng for 'don't bore me!') Next time I'm in #Kenya I need to spend a bit more time with these guys - getting a proper interview done. They are so remarkably talented and different!

#Photo from #OccupyParliament Yesterday in #Nairobi #Kenya.

Protesters walked from Freedom Corner to Parliament. I left around 13:00 before the police decided to break it off, so there's more to the truth than my peaceful photos: phttp://youtu.be/SHrcrFNQEJ8.

Big respect to the the Kenyan activists who keep going - so please share photos and send encouragement back to Kenya!

More photos here (Facebook) and here (Flickr).

NB. Activists used live pigs and blood yesterday. During the confusion it caused I - and others - believed a pig had been slaughtered. The blood was presumably from a cow and bought in a slaughterhouse in Dagoretti. 

Circling #Nairobi #Kenya

Kenyan Punk? #Photography from #Nairobi #Kenya

I walked about 10 km yesterday in down town Nairobi. In the good company of a friend. And part of the walk also in the company of Stanley, a friend of a friend - for 'protection'.

This photo, a young Kenyan woman on her way, sprinting across the road - possibly from the National Teatre to catch a matatu - says it all:

Nairobi down town is wild, energising, self-made, special, full of secrets - and has little time to stop to stand still.

But this woman did.

This is Nairobi 2013. In between tradition and modernity. 

If you want music with the pictures, try 'Kenchik' by The Villagers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWtDgg_g_kQ

The Mobile Phone OR the Brown Envelope? #Nairobi #Kenya

The world is insanely fascinated by Kenya's use (obsession with) of mobile phones. It is a sign of development and change. Of a 'different' Africa than the one we were brought up with (in my case in Denmark).

I get occasional requests for this kind of photos. It made me wonder today when I walked round down town Nairobi if the mobile phone really is it?! - And there actually seems to be one other thing, which we shouldn't forget: THE BROWN ENVELOPE.

We stopped during our walk and looked around to spot people carrying brown envelopes. Not as many as mobile phones, but still, it is there. But why? A friend suggested: 'CVs or tenders'. I concluded all which has to be printed, in spite it could've been emailed.

Yes. So, Kenya is changing fast. But not that fast.

Photography from down town #Nairobi #Kenya

 

#Flashmob, # magnetictheatre' or 'ni kama ndrama ni kama vindeo'?

'Important clarification went on the past week during a media and communication training session I facilitated for a youth group from Dagoretti Division in Nairobi.

'Why do people use the word 'flashmob'?' I was asked, when I tried to explain the phenomenon from both a British and a Kenyan example.

The guys explained that to them it's either 'magnetic theatre' or 'ni kama ndrama ni kama vindeo' - like dram and moving pictures.

And that the concept originates from Kasarani where a person supposedly gave this explaining to the police when he had to explain what went on....

Social Media Trend: From X to #Boston with Love - “I wish there was something I could do.”

I have followed the Palestine Loves Israel and Israel Loves Palestine initiatives on Facebook for a while. There are plenty more - i.e. Turkey Loves Israel and America Loves Iraq. Look them up on Facebook. 

After the explosions in Boston the Facebook pages started sharing some of the images above.

Others come from the blog Principle Pictures which here explains the background for posting these images. I guess these may be the main source of inspiration for others to do similarly - but I am not totally sure of the swing of things. 

Back at the blog Principle Pictures the author, Beth Murphy, explains how it all started with a: “I wish there was something I could do.” I love that. No matter how hopeless things are, and how unjust the media coverage is depending on where in the world the bombs are exploding, there is something you can do. 

However, I had to add the graphic illustration which is shared on primarily Kenyan social media (below) - (some) Kenyans seem to follow a much more cynical track here. 

And on Twitter the infamous (Kenyan) @RobertAlai tweets: 'After the explosion in Texas we should have a #ViolenceInUSA tag just to get to CNN.'

It is not all love out there. 

 Please note that you may click each image for source of origin, 

Bi. Kidude. I hope your party continues! RIP.

And a million thanks for setting wild and inspiring limits to what a woman can do. Leading a life not always matching the context, or the expectations. And NOT just in Tanzania. I didn't know you, but had the pleasure and priviledge to see you perform more than once. Photo from Sauti za Busara 2012. (After this concert I felt like wearing purple for a long time!) 

#Tanzania #MobilePhones: 'Schyssss, I'm texting one from the other half of the nation'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandmothers. Young kids. Women. Men.

Kanga sellers. Mkokoteni drivers. Farmers. Mandazi bakers. 

Of Asian, African - or European origin.

Across religions. Partisan politics. Age. Gender.*

Across the nation. 

Texting is a must.

Maybe the KATIBA should include a chapter on the ONE thing which seems to unite WATANZANIA?

More here about the mobile phone epidemic in Tanzania. More black and white photos here.

*) Of course, not all TANZANIANS have access to mobile phones, in fact the gap between the ones who have and the ones who haven't is probably more interesting to focus on?!

Tanzanian mobile phone users to hit 36m by 2015 the Tanzanian daily The Citizen wrote on July 26 2011. If correct this means about 75% of the 42 million population will have access to a mobile phone within the next four years. The Citizen is focused on the growth perspective and the competition between the telecom companies I am curious about the impact of the access of the mobile phone has if we are talking rural Tanzania, women and people with little or no education.

These articles 'Is the ‘mobile phone revolution’ in Africa really for everybody?' and'Mobile phones and the new ‘digital divide’' are coupling the positive development with concerns.

#Tanzania. Black & White. (Things look totally different in black and white).

 

I am all for colour, but a request for some of my photos from Tanzania in black and white, made me look at them differently.

Lack of colours make you see other things clearer. It is more about structure, light and shade. Contrast.

Not the last time. 

Article about African fashion in 'Udvikling' (Danish Foreign Ministry's Magazine)

SUPER HAPPY. My article (in Danish) has taken the front page on the Danish Foreign Ministry's Magasinet Udvikling.

Read it here, or download it here (page 8-12).

Thanks a million to Helen Jennings from ARISE magazine, Nathan Chiume and Chichia London. Doreen Mashika - listed in the fact box together with MaXhosa by Laduma, Babatunde Styles andOzwald Boateng. 

My PERSONAL main message is that AFRICA is alive and kicking. Go out there and buy some African design!

More African fashion photos here.

#Kissinger and #Nyerere in the #Wikileakscables via @mtega

I do appreciate Ben Taylor's blog posts at Mtega, spotting peculiat, new (or old) material:

'The folks at Wikileaks have just released another huge batch of US diplomatic cables, this time dating from 1972-1976. They’re calling them the Kissinger Cables, after the controversial US Secretary of State at that time.'

During this period of time more than 4,000 cables were sent from Tanzania, while 11,000 cables were sent to the country.

I wondered back to Ben about the difference - if half of the 11,000 cables were follow-up cables asking: 'Did you receive our previous cable?' Ben explains that is unlikely as Tanzania were 'CCed' on cables reaching other countries.

Check it out here with Ben's introduction. 

#Danish Politician #MarieKrarup mocks Maori welcome in #NewZealand #PrimitiveEnergy (!)

A right-wing Danish politician has mocked a Maori welcome to New Zealand, dubbing the powhiri an "uncivilised" ritual, and marae a "grotesque" mark of multicultural worship.

Marie Krarup, in an opinion piece in Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende, was shocked to be welcomed by a dancing, barely-clothed man, instead of a handshake or salute.

Marie Krarup believes in mono-culture. I personally think she is afraid of the world in general, and of all the things she cannot control. I wonder if I can call her an idiot in public, maybe not, but it seems hard to find a better excuse for her attitude.

It reminds me of the Korean Airline marketing Kenya with Primitive Energy. That didn't go down well. (See blog post in Danish here).

It makes me - most of all - feel like making a long list of all the things I have done with people from a culture different from my own. Enlarging my world. This photo of the late Princess Diana visiting New Zealand is now circulating Danish social media, and I hope it makes Danes smile.

This is style. Not to be afraid of what is different. Of what is important to other people. Of what may make you learn new things. About yourself or others. 

The New Zealand Herald is covering the case with amongst others this illustration, and several people are commenting via Twitter. Take this Twitter handle, asking 'And Marie Krarup wonders why we adopt Maori culture to represent us?' and follow the link to the choir singing Pokarekare Ana. 

Photo source: Daily Mail. 

The Ugandan Paper Beads. Once again.

Here, I was so close to suggest a ban on the neverending Ugandan paper beads, and now someone has turned them into new, surprising, stunning designs.

Amazed.

I thought they were dead and over. But no.

I have to admit that I was wrong.

Have a look here and here.

 

 

Check out THE EAST AFRICA TODAY PODCASTS

I have finally gotten around to listen to Elsie Eyakuze from the Mikocheni Report being interviewed by Ahmed Salim from Society for International Development amongst others about 'Re-rebranding Africa: Challenges to the African Renaissance'.

Perfect input for my presentation on REFRAMING the MESSAGE (about Africa) on Tuesday. More here (in Danish). 

I think these interviews really deserve attention, but am also wondering why it took me so long to get the time to listen to it?

Mind you, there are plenty others on the list - good ones to listen to - TMS Ruge is next on my list - about 'certain international media outlets always have a negative tilt to their reporting when covering African stories. Were the headlines of Western media already written before Kenya’s election? How should journalists write about Africa?' 

Spoek Mathambo in Copenhagen

Copenhagen friends, you know Spoek Mathambo is performing in Copenhagen on May 10....!

NOT to be missed if you wanna explore some of the most innovative and crazy music coming out of Africa RIGHT NOW. Listen to one of my favorites here:

 

 

AND buy tickets there.

#Yellow as #turmeric

Me & My #MobilePhone. (MAYBE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT) #Photography #Africa #Tanzania

 

I see this a lot - a Tanzanian holding her or his mobile TIGHTLY. Always attached. Always prioritised.

Call me and I WILL ANSWER, and forget EVERYONE else around me. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE PERSON CALLING. MAYBE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.

HOW CAN I RISK NOT ANSWERING MY MOBILE PHONE?

One thing is the statistics:

Africa now has more than 650 million mobile phone subscribers. That’s more than either the United States or the European Union. And it’s a market that has seen explosive growth. Since 2000, the mobile phone market has grown 40-fold, from 16.5 million, according to the World Bank.

The other thing is that I have the feeling that 'HALF OF THIS COUNTRY IS BUSY ON THE PHONE MAKING CALLS, WHICH THE OTHER HALF IS RESPONDING TO'.

WHAT DIFFERENCE does it make in every day life - those statistics?!

'Steal the show with your bike! BodaBoda.nl makes bicycle cushions for your bicycle rack'

'Steal the show with your bike! BodaBoda.nl makes bicycle cushions for your bicycle rack'

I had not seen this coming.

Brilliant idea for bicycling countries (only in Denmark, you're not allowed to sit on the rack, are you?!)

Check it out here: http://www.bodaboda.nl/en

African Fashion. @CHiCHiALondon on front page of the coming issue of 'Udvikling'

Udvikling is the Danish Foreign Ministry's magazine.

More next week when the magazine is published.

#Photography #NorthernUganda: Comfort. In a tough place.

I worked in northern Uganda from 2005 to 2007. 

I had a lot of time to improve my photography skills, a lot of motivation and motives. 

I owe northern Uganda quite a big deal on that account.

Below are some of the first photos I took in July 2005 (with a tiny digital camera). When I go through my photo archive I find a few photos which illustrate comfort, people showing affection for others.

Or maybe I just looked specifically for it? These were some of the first, I took. Also the ones I treasure the most.

 

 

#DaresSalaam balancing between new and old

I have photographed central Dar es Salaam's new construction and old buildings for a couple of years.

It is as if the whole country's challenge to balance between old and new is compressed in the city centre.

Daily balancing between tradition and so-called modernity. Between diversity and streamlined conformity. 

More photos here.

#DarBuildingCollapse: Please, contribute to News Update for @GlobalVoices

Dar es Salaam friends, I'm updating yesterday's sad news for Global Voices (in English) in regards of the collapse of the building in central Dar es Salaam. 

I've heard from friends who were there when the building collapsed and who helped getting people out of the rubble yesterday, and others who stayed on during the night.

I've heard reports of a community supporting across religion, race and nationality. Aunties, teachers and neighbours exchanging grievance and comfort. I have read the blame and the anger, bits and pieces of what people believe should be done to the owner of the building, and to prevent future catastrophies.

Do let me know if you think certain issues should be mentioned. (Suggestions preferably need to be backed by a link to a public online website - like Twitter, online newspapers, blogs etc. - not people's private Facebook)

Building on Indira Ghandi Street in central #DaresSalaam collapsed this morning #DarBuildingCollapse #Tanzania

 

Collapsed building and community searching for people trapped underneath. Photo by Kumeil

About an hour ago a friend in Dar es Salaam sent me a link to the photo above.

A building under construction on Indira Ghandi Street (next to India Street next to the KSIJ Mosque, Habib Bank and Ebrahim Haji Hospital) collapsed this morning around 8:00 (see map below).

Nearby is a football field used by children. Over 60 persona, including children, are reported missing according to ITV. No confirmations at this early stage.

Recent pictures of the building (centre) before it collapsed:

 

Recent photo of building before collapse. Photo by Khuzeimaz.

 

 

Recent photo of building (right) before collapse. Photo by Khuzeimaz.

 

Map of the area:

View Larger Map 

I have asked the question many times: Growth, but for whom? Read here and here.

I am in no position to place blame. But it is hard not to ask questions. Who allows these constructions which evidently aren't safe? Who controls the processes, the materials and the buildings? The daily The African asked similar questions on March 4 2013, a building collapsed in the Kijito Nyama area then.

How many buildings will have to collapse before? How many casualties? This is about greed. And lack of focus on what's important in life. It will take no one nowhere.

Thanks to Khuzeima Y. Zavery and Kumeil for tweets and photos, and answering questions for the specific details for this blog post. Check tweets in the sidebar or here.

Please take into consideration that the collapse has only just happened, and that certain pieces of information, i.e. in regards to casualties, have not yet been confirmed.

Sad day for Dar es Salaam and the people who have lost relatives, students and neighbours.

if you like orange (i can help you)

 

if you like yellow (i can help you)

 

lots of people smile (back)

 

 

Are the Danes too expensive with our smiles? I tend to believe so. It makes a huge difference being met by a smiling person. It changes everything.

 

Destinations. And Stops

  Destinations are important. To me however it isn't always about reaching them in time or by the road set out. Most of the time it is about the stops on the way.