When Senegal’s 85-year-old president Abdoulaye Wade came onto the continent’s political scene in 2000 he was so refreshing and progressive in his talk about Africa’s advancement. But, as recent events in his country are proving, underneath all the jabber about progress and development, a dictator was lurking.

Senegal's 85 year old president , Abdoulaye Wade

Like many other African leaders, Wade does not see the logic of handing over power. On Monday, the octogenarian leader submitted papers to seek his third term in office.

Surprisingly when Wade took office in 2000, a two-term limit was introduced into the Senegalsese constitution. But, according to news reports, Wade argues that the law is not retroactive, and since he took office when there were no term limits, he should be allowed to run for a third term.

What’s sad is that Wade who brought in a breath of fresh air into the continent’s political scene joins a long list of dictators who have betrayed the African dream.

In Senegal, Wade’s bid for a third term has been controversial to say the least. There is growing calls in the country for Wade to step aside. However, as we well know, Wade will use the state machinery and hooks and crooks in the book to get his way. It is sad that African leaders continue to give the continent a bad name.

Time took on wings – as it always does – between the birth of my son, Tadana, and when he turned three. What woke me up with a jolt to this truth was my son’s new-found sense for self-independence, particularly in the sartorial department.

At first, I thought it was some passing childhood fascination at being able to dress self but Tadana grew more insistent every passing day to have his way with clothes.

So I found myself capitulating to his every whim even if it meant that he picked on the same clothes that suited his taste for days in a row. Trying to convince him otherwise elicited readily packaged loud bowls, scowls, shrugs etc.

Truth be told, I was caught unawares most days and Tadana’s sartorial sensibility seemed to grow as fiery as his temper. I soon discovered that dressing a three-year old requires not only patience and skill but an understanding of cartoon characters.

Tadana was quite picky about what he wanted to wear. He even knew what he wanted his mum to buy for him. A cartoon character called Ben 10 made the headlines in our household thanks to Tadana. I swear it dominated half of our conversations for a season. I daresay, Ben 10, infiltrated every part of Tadana’s little imagination that he even imitated the character’s actions such as beating on an invisible watch on his wrist to invoke magic. Ben 10 is of course a 10 year old American boy cartoon character who acquires a watch-like alien device called the Omnitrix (later the Ultimatrix) attached to his wrist that allows him to turn into alien creatures.

As an African father, I felt ashamed somewhat at the lack of locally relevant, magical characters to fire up my child’s imagination. At first, I reacted to my son’s love for Ben 10 with disdain but, of course, I must admit Tadan’s fit of tantrums every time we encountered the character on a shopping errand won the day.

It didn’t help that his little friend at crèche was also a Ben 10 fanatic so my wife and I reluctantly began purchasing the Ben 10 articles much to Tadana’s glee.  While Tadana was happy to flaunt his Ben 10 wear and accessories, I could not help but feel the rankle which continued to rise inside me at the dearth of African based characters to excite my child’s imagination.

As my interest in Ben 10 suddenly grew without me even noticing it, I discovered that there was a whole world of clothes, toys and accessories stocked up in toy shops for this character. From satchels to t-shirts, rulers, pencils to bags – of course made in China – the world of Ben 10 was quite real. I could see why my son was so affected. Ben 10 was driven by a commercial machine but more than that he was a cool character doing all sorts of fancy things that excited a child’s imagination.

Not that I was aversive to Ben 10 – I do appreciate that Tadana is growing up in an connected, highly wired universe and will inevitably be influenced by many things from other parts of the world which are always in his face at literally the click of a button. What worries me though is that he will step onto the stage of the globe without anything that gives him a solid grip of his world.

He is growing up without characters that he can he can celebrate which are influenced by his day-to-day African Zeitgeist. My son’s fascination with Ben 10′s got me thinking that I seriously need to write some highly imaginative, creative children’s book or animated character that is so Africa it will enrapture his universe. What the storyline is I’m yet to find out though.

It’s unfortunate that in this day and age most Zimbabwean businesses are still relucntant to embrace the opportunities provided by the digital age. The reluctance to embrace change in the digital era only means that local businesses will continue to be relegated to the dustbin of history. According to a recent Ernst & Young report, Into the Cloud, Out of the Fog, 64 percent of surveyed business respondents in Zimbabwe have implemented limited or no access to social media sites as a control to mitigate risks related to the platforms. The global average is apparently 54 percent. While on the surface of it, it may appear that social media causes time wasting among employees it is unfortunate to have such a negative approach to its use within business.

Social media integration into business can indeed contribute to the bottomline if implemented properly – if anything, it can help business to stay in touch with their target audiences and customers. Executives must embrace new media in order to not only compete for the future, but for mind share, market share, and ultimately relevance.

Corporate entities in Zimbabwe need to recognise that social media is a goldmine that can facilitate the achievement of key business objectives. With over a billion people on social media it’s irresponsible for any brand not to have some sort of presence. Now is the time for brands to engage on a direct-to-many basis. Social media is changing everything about the way people relate socially, in commerce, and politics.

An effective social media strategy is more than just setting up a Twitter, YouTube and Facebook account – in other words, it’s more than just broadcasting advertising messages to accumulated fans. Social channels need to be treated as integral part of the communication process.

In particur, social media channels need to be used to humanize brands and/or businesses. Such channels – if used properly – can help to build stronger emotional connections with brands. The key for any successful social media campaign is to generate more and deeper involvement with the product or service. Social media can give voice, credibility, and connections to both companies an their customers.

For starters, Zimbabwean corporates need to identify great conversations about their brands, it all starts with conversation – the kind of conversations that engage, enthrall and enrapture audiences as well as influence the emotional connection and subsequently sales. Of course, social media is not a cure for bad products or services but it can sure help in eliciting rapid customer feedback.

Social media allows us to open up an invaluable dialogue with customers in a way that was simply not possible previously. It’s important to state that the execution of social media within the corporate set-up needs to prioritise substance over cheap thrills and style. While putting the brand in the middle of a conversation is key, it’s even more critical to be real and authentic.

For corporates, especially those involved in the publishing business, engaging audiences is an essential part of their continued success and relevance in an ever-connected universe. As people continue to turn to the Internet for information, businesses that continue to stick to the old ways of engagement will soon find themselves in the cold.

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Mathias “Matty” Julius is taking his musical career to a new level, collaborating with Zimbabwe’s pre-eminent musician, Oliver Mtukudzi on a song titled “Twenty Ten” which is on his latest album, “Don’t Look Back.” The song is already making waves and receiving airwaves in Zimbabwe and United Kingdom.

Mathias Matty Julius

According to Julius, e making of the song was a complete concidence which happened during the rehersals of Oliver Mtukudzi and his late son, Sam concert “Nzou neMhuru” in Norton.

Matty who has already been rocking the music scene in Harare with his band X-Vybz said that during the rehersals where he was supposed to feature as a dancer, Tuku asked him for a collaboration.

“After listening to my first album Tuku was quite chaffed so he asked me to collaborate of which I had intentions to ask him for a collaboration,” said Julius in an exclusive interview with iZimbabwe Lifestyle.

However, due to Tuku’s busy schedule the collaboration never happened as fast as Julius had imagined and in between time, Tuku lost his son in a car accident.

“It so so happened that when the time came to link with Tuku, I had a song that I had written it a while back about the year twenty ten and it was a love song at first. After listening to it again all the lines reflected on the death of his late son Sam then it became a new theme and a new song,” said Julius, adding that veteran music producer, Mono Mukundu, worked on the beat to the song while Vusa Moyo did the mixing and mastering of the sound.

“This song was a big coincidence in terms of the theme and what it ended up to be. But as for the collaboration Mukoma Tuku was keen on collaborating with me on my song or something new together­­.”

Julius said that while he was awed by Tuku’s humility during the collaboration, the recording itself has been a smooth, cool affair.

One of Zimbabwe’s legendary arts and culture hangout, the Book Cafe and Mannenberg, located at the Five Avenues Mall in Harare’s Avenues suburb is scheduled to close its doors to the public at the end of the year due to lack of lease renewal by Old Mutual Property, owners of the property.

The two venues which are managed by the Pamberi Trust, have played a central role in the cultural life of the capital city. In fact, they have been the soul of the creative industry hosting artists of all guise from around Zimbabwe and the globe.

The Book Cafe was recently awarded the 2011 Prince Claus Awards worth €25 000 for its role in “culture and development”, built and focussed on a platform of freedom of expression across music, poetry and theatre with public discussion, film and multi-disciplinary arts.

According to a statement from Pamberi Trust Trust, OK Zimbabwe Pension Fund and its agents Old Mutual Property who own the Five Avenue Shopping Mall served notice to all tenants in the building that they intend to occupy the premise in 2012. Representations to the owners and the agents have proved to no availa, read the statement.

“After 7500 concerts and functions, 650 public discussions, over 70 book launches, 35 theatre productions, staging of 150 international touring acts and countless new local acts and collaborations that emerged within, Harare’s iconic music and performing arts centre, Book Cafe and Mannenberg, will close its doors to the public in Fife Avenue Shopping Mall,” said By Paul Brickhill, Pamberi Trust’s Creative Director .

“About 600,000 have entered the twin venues since opening, as Book Cafe in 1997 with Luck Street Blues, and Mannenberg in 2000 with historic performances by Africa’s great jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. The two venues gave rise to the urban mbira phenomena, a Friday night institution in Harare’s nightlife, pioneered stand-up comedy, championed freedom of expression, laid the foundation for slam poetry, and created major youth and female arts development programmes. The venues were closely associated with many great jazz and blues acts in the early years, and latterly with the reggae renaissance sweeping Zimbabwe.”

Brickhill beamoned the little regard that is paid to civic cultural and intellectual life in Zimbabwe.

“One has to wonder what kind of Zimbabwean spirit and legacy we will create for future generations when the needs of civic cultural and intellectual life are so easily supplanted by those of commerce and profit, even while they can co-exist happily. Book Cafe, for those who truly know its heart, has been a place of beauty, joy and togetherness; and so it never failed to uplift the spirit. 350 artists earn a dignified livelihood at the venues, as well as 45 staff. Never in its history did it offend. All have been welcome, and so all came to visit at one time or other. As Edgar Langeveld once said, if you care to sit at Book Cafe long enough, a week or so, every kind of Zimbabwe will wander through,” said Brickhill.

“The pantheon of music, poetry, comedy, theatre and other artists that emerged through the Book Cafe and Mannenberg is simply the stuff of legend, their number runs not in dozens but hundreds. They know who they are, and in most cases so do the audiences. Some are here, some scattered, some have passed away and some retired. We pay tribute to them all”.

“There are not too many in political, social and media spheres that did not at some time engage in public debate in Book Cafe, and that includes many leaders of yesterday and today. We have been a place of free expression, a platform for exchange of public dialogue”.

“What will happen now is that we will bid farewell to Fife Avenue. The artists, audiences and friends who came to know and appreciate this space may also say their goodbyes, since each had their own way of being part of us and each other at Book Cafe and Mannenberg. This festive season is our last in this venue, and this New Year’s Eve is the last we shall enjoy together at this place, with a hug and a wish for the coming year at midnight”.

“Does the show go on? We will make our announcements in due course. For now, what I can say is that as one door closes in life, so another opens. After 30 years, we have not given up, despite some desperate hardships along the way. We have history. Honestly, it is for us just another bend in the path. To quote my old friend David Ndoro, with whom we invented much of the early years, ‘It is a journey, not a destination’. And so, yes, it will continue”.

“I would like, on behalf of some 1200 artists and our team here, to sincerely and humbly say thank you to every person who has supported, attended or performed at shows and events, who enjoyed themselves, engaged with others in the world of ideas and laughed together. To our many partners in the arts and civil society, as we always said, ‘we are building the kind of Zimbabwe we want to live in’. And so we did. And so we will continue”.

2. Social intelligence. The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions

3. Novel and adaptive thinking. Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based

4. Cross-cultural competency. The ability to operate in different cultural settings

5. Computational thinking. The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning

6. New-media literacy. The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms and to leverage these media for persuasive communication

7. Transdisciplinarity. Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines

8. Design mind-set. Ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes

9. Cognitive load management. The ability to discriminate and filter information for importance and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety of tools and techniques

10. Virtual collaboration. The ability to work productively, drive engagement and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team

“Kirk Franklin will bring the full live experience of 12 albums and huge hits for one night only for the very first time ever in Zimbabwe. The worlds biggest selling urban gospel artist is sure to fill HICC in Harare with annointed praise and worship. Kirk gives his everything at each event. It will be entertaining but very refreshing only the way gospel music can be,” said Brenda Mcloughlin, one of the show’s promoters.

Since 1992 Kirk Franklin has helped bring Gospel music into the mainstream winning seven Grammies, 9 Dove Awards, 4 Stellar Awards, 2 BET Awards and 1 American Music Award.

The gospel recording giant’s music has been an inspiration to a new generation of performers across the globe. His success reflects the growth in interest and participation in Gospel music, through the explosion of Gospel choirs across Ireland, many of whom perform his work. As a mainstream artist, Kirk is well known outside of the Gospel heartland, with hits like ‘Lovely Day’ – his hip hop take on the Bill Withers classic – and ‘You Can Lean on Me’, with Mary J. Blige, Bono and Crystal Lewis.

“On the one hand, Kirk Franklin’s Concert in The Harare International Conference Centre is a long overdue visit from one of America’s biggest contemporary hip hop artists, on the other hand it’s the most talked about Gospel Event ever to take place in Harare, bringing together people from all walks of life, from every corner of the country,” read a statement from the show organizers.

“The guy is walking revival. Like everywhere he has been for the  first time people talk about it for a longtime. If you there you will never ever forget the experience. Jesus will be glorified. For those involved testimonies will flow. It’s not easy doing a Kirk event for the first time but when you do it’s ground breaking.”

Harare, Zimbabwe – The digital divide is something that  has been talked about extensively since the early days of the internet, and as Zimbabwe undergoes a technology boom it is an important issue that we seriously need to revisit. It begs the question whether the Net is not increasingly a tool of the elite that is leaving behind a whole population in the knowledge economy.

While ICT has long been acknowledge as an enormous engine of development, many people in Zimbabwe are simply excluded from this space not by choice but by circumstances.

The death of distance which is supposed to be influenced by ICTs is still a figment of the imagination in rural areas even though the mobile phone is slowly encroaching. Access to basic telecommunications infrastructures is fundamental to begin untangling the digital divide as well as the problem of the information underclass.

In essence, the digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communications technologies (ICT’s) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities. Simply put, the “digital divide” refers to the fact that certain parts of the population have substantially better opportunities to benefit from the new economy than other parts of the population.

In Zimbabwe, the phenomenon of the Net is largely urban based. This excludes 70 percent of the population which resides in the country’s rural areas. Morever, approximately 80 percent of Zimbabwean are unemployed and cannot afford internet services even within urban settings.

Many of these people make up the information underclass. The non-connected households face a variety of problems including little education, poverty, lack of access to safe water, poor access to opportunities and diseases among others. Far worse than the economic divide is the fact that technology remains so complicated that many people couldn’t use a computer even if they got one for free.

The technology gap in Zimbabwe, as in many African countries, is simply a reflection of a lack of infrastructure investments by both government and private players. Many rural areas lack the nessary infrastructure available in urban and more populated areas.  The reality of under-wired communities is resulting in disparities within the country where one part of the population is highly enlightened and the other highly ignorant of technological developments and the potential impact that they have on lives and livelihoods.

To complicate matters, many online platforms, including the ones that are being built by Zimbabwe tend to be in the English language only. It is rare to encounter online website in local languages which effectively excludes a huge chunk of the population from finding the Internet useful to their daily lives and livelihoods. In fact, this scenario raises a critical issue – much attention is given to issue of hardware and interconnectivity which is clearly lacking in some parts of the country. But, equally important to the discussion of issue on the digital divide is the issue of use of indigenous languages, literacy, and people trained and capable of utilising ICT and developing appropriate software.

Having said that, any programme to reduce the digital divide, must start include a component of poverty alleviation since poverty is by far the greatest impediment to connections with and utilization of ICTS. In addition, political stability, macroeconomic governance, transparency and accountability of national and local administrations, physical infrastructure, and basic literacy are required to close the digital divide.

According to experts, the “digital divide” is based on insufficient infrastructure, high cost of access, inappropriate or weak policy regimes, inefficiencies in the provision of telecommunication networks and services, lack of locally created content, and uneven ability to derive economic and social benefits from information-intensive activities.

To reduce the digital divide requires a “systems” approach broadly addressing all of these issues without, of course, sacrificing the need to effectively respond to poverty-related issues.  The importance of policy and regulatory reform cannot be overemphasized. In shaping policy, government needs to be aware of the economic activity that may result from eelctronic commerce which can help to address some of the underlying poverty issues.

In rural areas, there is a need to improve connectivity, increase access and lower costs, through use of multiple competing technologies, public and community access points. The development of locally relevant content is also a critical factor in getting more people to get online.

Harare, Zimbabwe - Africa is the fastest growing mobile market, according to a new report released by the industry group GSMA, or Groupe Speciale Mobile Association. 

The report titled, Africa Mobile Observatory 2011, states that for each of the past five years, the number of subscribers across Africa has grown by almost 20 percent and is expected to reach 738 million by the end of next year. It further stated that voice service is predominant but the use of data service is increasing steadily.

Nigeria now has the most mobile subscribers in Africa, with 93m connections. This represents 16% of the continent’s total. SA, with its more developed infrastructure, leads the way in terms of broadband penetration, at 6%, followed by Morocco at 2,8%.

The mobile ecosystem in Africa generates about US$56bn or 3,5% of total GDP, with mobile operators alone contributing US$49bn. The report says the mobile industry contributes $15bn in government revenues

“In releasing its report, GSMA called on African governments to allocate more mobile broadband spectrum and cut taxes on mobile operators to further spur expansion. Citing studies by the World Bank and others, GSMA says that in developing countries, for every 10 percent increase in mobile penetration there is a 0.81 percent increase in GDP,” reported the Associated Press.

“The mobile industry in Africa is booming and a catalyst for immense growth, but there is scope for far greater development,” said Peter Lyons, a GSMA policy expert.

According to the Associated Press, Africa has been described as the Silicon Valley of cell phones because of the innovative ways they are used on the continent.

“Cell phone networks have been set up to help health care workers in remote villages consult with doctors in cities. Researchers have used cell phone technology to track animals for wildlife studies. Africans use cell phones to make payments across borders,” it reported.

The benefits that mobile services have already brought to hundreds of millions of Africans can be extended to those who have yet to connect. By so doing, the African continent can continue to bring not only communication services, but also improved financial services, healthcare and education to its people and drive an increase in the economic wealth and development.

Harare, Zimbabwe - The subject of abortion awakens a kaleidoscope of emotions in people and generates much controversy in the public health discourse, underlined with significant cultural and moral considerations.  An estimated 46 million women throughout the world, 11% of whom are in Africa, have induced abortion each year. In Zimbabwe abortion is illegal, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment or preservation of the mother’s health.

Women who are brought before the courts for abortion are charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. Most of them are sentenced to community service while in exceptional cases, based on the magistrate’s discretion, they can be jailed.

Abortion is associated with stigma and shame and carries connotations of sexual relationships outside of marriage.

“I see it in a spiritual light. Babies that are aborted never really die, and they can come back to haunt a woman especially if she does not repent,” said one man who refused to be named. “In Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:15-16, the Bible alludes that even before a child is formed in the mother’s womb, God is aware of that child and already has a plan for that child’s life.”

But Wadzanai Chiuri, who described herself a Christian, said rape should be enough justification to warrant pregnancy termination.

“As a Christian, I think it’s wrong to abort, but in instances where a woman is raped, she should abort because she will have no love for the baby,” she said.

Despite the stigma around abortion, backyard abortions are rife in Zimbabwe and put the lives of women at risk. Unicef estimates that 80 000 illegal abortions take place in the country every year.

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare also estimates that approximately 273 abortions are performed daily in the country, most of them clandestinely.

According to Slyvia Chirawu, national coordinator of Women and Law in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, abortion in Zimbabwe is legal but limited.

She said it can be performed in terms of the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 if it constitutes a threat to the life of the mother, if there is a serious threat of permanent impairment of the mother’s physical health, if there is a serious risk that the child will be born with a physical or mental defect and where there is a possibility that a pregnancy resulted from unlawful intercourse such as incest or rape.

She added that marital rape is however an exception. The idea that a woman might voluntarily choose to end a pregnancy makes many people uncomfortable and, in some instances, provokes outright hostility.

Those opposed to abortion often fear legal abortion will negatively change community values or cultural norms and invoke divine punishment.

“It is a sensitive subject which has to be tackled in a sensitive manner. The fact of the matter is that women should have access to safe abortion and they should be able to go through counselling so they can make an informed choice about whether to abort or not to abort,” said Edinah Masiyiwa, executive director of Women’s Action Group.

While most people regard pregnancy as a desirable thing, the fact of the matter is that pregnancy is not always trouble-free. Young women in particular, left with little choice, face immense pressure to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

Traditional and cultural norms in Zimbabwe highly stigmatise and discriminate against children born out of wedlock, further putting pressure on young women who fall pregnant before marriage to opt for abortion, either conducted by untrained persons or self-inflicted.

Abortions are usually conducted in unregulated and unsanitary conditions and with methods that can kill the mother or render them infertile for the rest of their lives. Arguments against abortion tend to focus on the foetus, often equating abortion to murder.

“Abortion is a crime because you’ll be killing an innocent soul. Besides, the use of condoms is a sign that shows that the world can live without unwanted pregnancies,” said Linda Tiriri.

“With rape, I think there should be immediate measures to avoid a pregnancy like taking a tablet just after the incident because I don’t think anyone is willing to take care of an unwanted baby,” she said.

It is also believed that a law that permits abortion can lead to reckless behaviour and increased incidence of abortion, but Chirawu thinks otherwise.

“Actually a restrictive abortion framework makes women seek unsafe abortions in unsafe places, for example, traditional healers, backyard abortionists or take concoctions that are unsafe to use,” she said, adding that there was need to examine why women opt for abortion.

According to Unicef’s Children and Women’s Rights in Zimbabwe, Theory and Practice, illegal, self-inflicted abortion methods are thought to include the consumption of detergents, strong tea, traditional herbs, alcohol mixes and malaria tablets. Other methods include the use of knitting needles, sharpened reeds and hangers.

Given the high rates of maternal mortality attributed to unsafe abortions in the country, there is need for treating abortion as an issue of health and welfare as opposed to one of crime and punishment in order to save women’s lives.

According to analysts, abortion laws traceable to colonial regimes in sub-Saharan Africa need to be reformed in order to safeguard the rights of women. The fact is that even though abortion is criminalised, young women affected by high levels of poverty and the social undesirability of children born out of wedlock, resort to abortion as a way to manage their lives and livelihoods.

However, removing women’s criminal liability for abortion is only but one part of the solution. There is need for widespread educational campaigns on sexual reproductive health as well as the contraceptive methods that are available to women.

“We’re educating women and young girls about their sexual reproductive health rights. We take it for granted that women know about these issues. We’re also looking at the law; the law does not really favour women, even the ones that have been abused,” said Masiyiwa.

Access to pregnancy control methods must be made as easy as possible for women who may face social condemnation for using contraceptives within their communities.