Africa Is a Country

sean-jacobs

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Sean Jacobs

Sean Jacobs, Founder-Editor of Africa is a Country, is on the faculty of The New School.

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Senegalese Sushi

I still mourn the day I walked around to Le Grand Dakar, one of my favorite restaurants in Clinton Hill, and found it was closed. The restaurant, run and owned by Chef Pierre Thiam (check out his interesting family backstory) was a fixture in the block around Grand Ave and Lafayatte.

Inbox

It has come to this. Don't focus too much on the 'your scholarship' line. An email from an American lawyer in my inbox:

I am writing to request your help in a matter based on your scholarship on South Africa. My immigration law firm is currently representing a family of white Afrikaner farmers who are seeking asylum and withholding of removal based on allegations that they are the victims of discrimination based on their race and political affiliation. We are seeking an expert witness who could testify to the current situation in South Africa and confirm that this family would indeed suffer similar persecution if they were to return ... If you or anyone you know would be able to give us an expert opinion, please let me know. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.

‘Very African and Very Modern’

It may be tempting to read Congolese-Belgian rapper Baloji's music as a relatively straightforward exercise in “indigenizing” or localizing hip-hop, but the story of his transnational musical moorings — especially his ambivalence toward Congolese pop — complicates such an interpretation.

Guinness for the people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W33FwUlmICI Beer company Guinness's new commercial "The Ticket," made for its huge Nigerian market and first unveiled in early January this year, used local actors and crew, has Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba versions (the first time Guinness made ads in local languages), and contains a realistic storyline: A loyal brother who makes sure he doesn't forget his small town and his mum, despite his new found city ways. And a moral lesson: "A boy dreams, but a man does." Familiar tropes about work, beer and masculinity. Locals are praising the ad for its high production values, multi-lingualism and boost to Nigeria's ad industry. But the ad also achieves something else the marketers probably did not set out to do with its part aspirational story highlighting Nigeria's "can do spirit" (that's the producers' words): it dramatizes the transport struggles of Nigerians that are now at the heart of the #OccupyNigeria movement. Guinness for the people. * Of course brands have always been quick to jump all over the aspirations of political movements--Star Beer in Nigeria of course, as Sophia has illustrated for Egypt, and I know very well for South Africa. BTW, no more Michael Power?

The African Cup of Nations preview

The 28th edition of the African Cup of Nations kicks off in Gabon and Equitorial Guinea tomorrow. 16 teams--including the joint hosts who did not have to qualify--will play for 2 places in the final match scheduled on February 12. The big question is, of course, who will take the trophy. Well, based on the objective measure of FIFA's latest World Rankings, the top two African countries are: Cote D'Ivoire (ranked 18th in the world) and Ghana (ranked 26th). Either of these two should be favorites to win the tournament. The next two African teams on the rankings, Algeria (32th) and Egypt (36th), did not qualify for the tournament. Senegal, the fifth highest ranked African team in the world at number 43, did qualify and is the favorite of most fans, some English football writers (who like Newcastle) and a bit (for sentimental reasons) on this blog. We predict that the player of the tournament could be Ivorian Yaya Toure. (Our predictions come with a health warning though.) I'm still trying to figure out how to watch it. American sports channels have never showed the finals live. I'll probably buy some package online, like I've done with the last tournament played in Angola. Not everyone is looking forward to the tournament of course. Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian asked whether African football is progressing. He concludes no, though he never really tells us why. (Read it for yourself.) Anyway, back to festivities. VOA's Sonny Young writes on his blog that a few artists have made tournament specific songs and music videos to go with it. Including Jon Loo K of Gabon's "Africa Shootez Ballon" and Togolese duo Toofan's "Africa Hooyee," which we agree could be the musical hit of the tournament: http://youtu.be/08BgEyQ4Azw Of course The Elephants will have the last word. Tom pointed me to this song in honor of les Eléphants by Le Magnific.

A cappella colonial mentality

http://youtu.be/wnGy2Dtr3MQ Blitz the Ambassador, a staple on AIAC, has been releasing these videos (titled "Koshka Sessions") where he eschews his big band and accompanied by only a percussion instrument delivers raps like this one "Colonial Mentality." This is number 3, the latest, in the series. Here are links to sessions one and two.

Music Break. Alabama Shakes

Remember the Alabama Shakes--the best band of 2011. At the heart of the Alabama Shakes--the best band of 2011--is guitarist and singer Brittany Howard, described by my wife as "a cross between Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse."

The ‘Shit Nigerians Say’ video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrhRRCEUwsA EDITED: I promised myself we won't post any of the "Shit People Say" videos--the best ones I've seen: Shit Girls Say; Shit Sri Lankan Mothers Say and Shit White Girls Say ... To Black Girls. Others are too stupid, too clever or outlandish; there's even a "Shit Birds Say." The best takedown of the trend is here.  Anyway, yesterday I went looking to see if there any done by Africans. There's of course a few online, but not much to like, though I found the "Shit Nigerians Say" video posted on Youtube, embedded above, quite funny.

Busted Rhymes

Gebaste Rhymes sent us a link to his single 'Kaap issie Bom' [translated: Cape is the Bomb], the first single off One Day Vol. 1. The full album (or audio hip-hopumentary) will be out later in 2012 and "forms part of a larger alternative education initiative." Gebaste Rhymes describes himself as "a Cape born artist whose audacious style matches his name" and explains that "the song captures a distinctly Cape sense of humour while producer Hybrit Pettens and DJ e-20 laces it with that classic boombap sound." We have a suspicion who Gebaste Rhymes is. Take a listen. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/31371130" params="show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff7700" width="100%" height="81" ] * Still image from the new documentary film "Manenberg"