After Africa

Africa. In brief

20 Kali Cigarettes

Missing Dar es Salaam (and life among wazungu who smoke kali cigarettes). Rest of (old) story here. 

Vote for my photo of Esther at KLM's Top 11 'Flying Blue Miles'. PLEASE!

This photo, of Esther from Kanaani Village in Njombe in Southern Tanzania, now made it to the best 11 photos in the competition '5000 Flying Blue Miles'.

The top 11 best rated pictures are now featured on Facebook here, and I REALLY wanna win the 5000 Flying Blue Miles, so PLEASE help me, and go vote by clicking on the ‘Like’-button of my picture. Note that it only works, if you 'like' the '5000 Flying Blue Miles' first.

(KLM will be giving away an additional 5000 Flying Blue Miles amongst the likes!)

The story of the photo comes here.

Thanx!

Africans redefine Africa (without my help)

While a selection of Denmark's largest development NGOs together with Denmark's Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and private companies enter a collective coma on Saturday (in Danish), nationally fundraising for what they dubbed 'The New Africa', Africa is redefining itself.

Every day, in all ways, by its own drive, creativity, history and energy.

If you want to know what's rocking Africa, circle Twitter, blogs and Facebook for inspiration and updates. Or, if in Africa, attend the events included on the list below, check out the products produced, or ask people out and discuss what's going on between reality and cyberspace.

Activism, intellect, ideas and creative skills are here combined via social media, which provides options for exchanging and learning. It is interesting because it is relatively new, it is inviting to engage and share, but it is also rather unfiltrated.

The list below isn't prioritised in any ways, but impulsively compiled based on my specific interest in art, culture, music, social media, photography, design, fashion, politics, activism - and East Africa. 

• This Is Africa… How Music and Social Media Are Re-defining A Continent
• Doreen Mashika
• Society hae - Change the World, Create Something!
• TedxDar
• A new breed of techno-savvy politicians in Africa?
• Afri-Love
• Swahili Fashion Week
• Kate Bomdiggity
• PEN & MIC 1
• Alfredmutua
• iHub, Nairobi
• Ladies' Mapping Party
• The Mikocheni Report
• Vijana FM
• Pecha Kucha, Dar es Salaam
• Sanaa Republic
• Kina Klothing
• Global Voices Tanzania
• Sauti za Busara
• MaKuYa Festival in Mtwara
• Swahili Street
• White African
• Mzungu Kichaa
• Pop Africana

And the list doesn't end here, please let me know what I've missed...

Day two of south Sudan referendum

Sudan, the biggest country in Africa, needs a week to run a referendum.

I noted one thing, and that is that a lot of the photos from people voting, are unusually characteristic - somehow different.

Maybe because it is many people's first experience with voting, and because a whole new nation might be the outcome? 

Find lots of interesting photos here.

Photo taken from here

Icepick. Icelandic Street Art

I just bought a street art book in Reykjavík, about which the Amazon.com says:

'Considering that the island nation of Iceland is home to just over a quarter of a million people, its street art scene is astoundingly robust, varied and inventive.

Multi-talented author Thordis Claessen spent several years documenting the scene photographically and then designed and illustrated this brilliant book about the art, music and politics of the capital Reykjavik and its surrounding environs.

The street art featured in Icepick covers a wide range of themes and subject matter from traditional Icelandic icons to sheep, Vikings, fantastic gothic creations dreamt up during long Icelandic nights and colorful graffiti pieces that evoke the New York street art scene.

The methods and processes behind this playful artwork are equally varied, and include traditional aerosol paint, wheat paste, stickers, grease pencils, paintbrushes, markers and chalk.

That such a rich and colorful street art presence exists in such a small nation, one can't help but think that a large proportion of the population must be involved.'

In particularly, I find the last sentence very powerful.

Street art is definitely an art form I missed more of while living in Uganda and Tanzania, though it did occur - alongside side with heavy visual communication of all sorts. See collection here. My Tanzanian favorite is this grafitti from Bagamoyo.

Iceland. On fire

 
 

Christmas in Iceland

Exactly three years ago I wrote from Iceland here about Christmas. My nephew is now 8, and Bjøssi, his cat, is still very much alive.

 

According to folklore the Yuletide Cat eats children that don't receive new clothes in time for Christmas. Hence, the Icelanders will get new clothes and various fabulous accessories for Christmas, making i.e. my brother-in-law look casual, yet very funky.

 

Another tradition is the Christmas Boot, which has to be placed in the window. Nice children get gifts, not so nice children get potatoes.

 

Though far off everything, on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, just counted Christmas decorations on the tree from Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

 

Icelanders love light. Especially the electrical, colourful and kitschy stuff, which you can decorate your house with. No wonder, the sun is a distant memory at this time of year, and in northern Iceland we only have day light from around 10:30 to 15:30 where dusk sets in. Intersteringly, there is a huge section in the local supermarket where you can buy all sorts of light bulbs.

Another important element is the Christmas card. Here on display in my sister's kitchen window, facing the mountain, which was covered in snow during Christmas.  
 

Now, the snow has melted, leaving a landscape in all nuances from blue to gray. Here with at view of Skagafjörður facing Drangey, reminding us that from now on the days are getting longer.

 

Iceland. Christmas Preparations in Style

  

Christmas in Reykjavik 101