If you’re a long time follower of my blog, you’d know that one of my best friends is Marie Ojiambo, a fab Kenyan who I admire immensely and love. We first met in 2011 during the summer and since then, we’ve been literally unseperable (well, till I moved to Lusaka). I attended lots of events with her, and we even did a photo shoot together shot by Shako Oteka.
Marie is running for Miss Africa USA 2013 and would love your vote for ‘People’s Princess’. Why Should you vote for her? Cuz her bio is sick! Read below
Marie Ojiambo is a Doctor of Pharmacy who graduated with a bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Nairobi, School of Pharmacy, Kenya and subsequently relocated to the United States of America for further studies. She is currently pursuing a MSc in Industrial Pharmacy, thesis program, at St. Johns University, Queens, NY. Her career focus lies in the area of Drug Research and Development (R & D). This encompasses research on aspects such as drug discovery, development and production, as well as the evaluation of drugs and pharmaceutical products.
Growing up in a family of 5, a single mother and 4 siblings, Marie’s strongest influence in terms of her academic and career course has been her mother who is a medical doctor by training with a master?s in public health. Her mother has always emphasized the importance of education in a young lady?s life. She encouraged Marie to stand and be heard, saying , “it is not always important to win, what is more important is that you stood up to be counted and you were a part of the process or the competition”.Marie was born and has been raised with Sickle cell disease which is what her platform focuses on. On moving to the United States of America, the young Doctor fell sick and realized how little people knew about the disease, medical personnel included. This marked a turning point in her life. She decided to dedicate all her free time to raising awareness around the disease and finding ways by which she could assist other patients suffering the condition. Her primary target is individuals afflicted with the condition who stem from needy backgrounds and who are in need of a strong support system of which she has been fortunate to have.
Read More via her page and VOTE VOTE VOTE please. I really think she deserves to win. And not just cuz she’s my bff.
Sometimes I get my inspiration for a post from a television show or twitter conversations, and this time it was for both, plus a bit of it was from my experiences being back in Zambia, where the attitudes towards marriage are drastically different than the ones in New York. Maybe it’s me, but I feel like in African countries (Zambia included), so many young people are obsessed with the idea of being married and being a wife.
Since being back in Zambia, I’ve been hooked on three shows; Love Games Zambia, Intersexions which is a South African production and ‘Ready for Marriage’ which is a Zambian production. These three shows have more in common, than they have apart in my opinion.
LOVE GAMES ZAMBIA
If you follow me on twitter, you’d know that every Wednesday night, I tune in and livetweet the action on Love Games Zambia, which if you haven’t checked out, you should. In a bite-sized version, it revolves around the love lives of a group of middle aged and upper middle class friends. It has the message of ‘Safe Love’ and prevention of HIV embedded in a non preachy way. Think the Zambian version of Shuga with an older cast. The episode I’d like to focus on is ‘Traditional Teachings’. One of the ladies is having her kitchen party, so she’s being taught how to be a ‘good wife’ by advisers. At one point, they bring up the ‘c’ word: Conjugal Rights. One of them says a woman should never deny her husband ‘conjugal rights’ even if she’s annoyed with him or else he may get it somewhere else. ‘It’ being sex ofcourse. WHAT?! Are they crazy? I sure as hell would not be giving it up to my lover/husband/bf if I was mad at him or if there was a problem that needed to be addressed in the marriage first. As for him going to get it somewhere else? Please. He can be getting it in from me every day five times a day and still get it somewhere else. If someone in the marriage/relationship isn’t in the mood that night/day/moment, why should they be forced to give it up just because he may get it somewhere else?
CHIMAMANDA
Again, if you follow me on twitter, you’d know I’m advocating for Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche to build a church so I can worship at he altar. I’d eat her words for breakfast, lunch and dinner because she is that awesome. She recently gave a talk at Tex X Euston called ‘Everyone Should be A Feminist’ where she mentioned that we need to change how we raise our daughters, sisters, nieces and our sons, brothers and nephews. We teach our women to aspire to marriage to gain respect from others, we teach our men to be macho and take care of a woman to the point that without him, she can’t support ourselves. “We teach our women to cater to men’s fragile egos’. This ties into the episode on Traditional Teachings as if we taught our almost wedded sisters a little differently, they wouldn’t live in fear of being cheated on because a ‘ a man is a man’. They would be more empowered and feel like the equals they are.
READY FOR MARRIAGE
Speaking about aspiring towards marriage, there’s a popular show which airs in Zambia on Muvi tv channel called ‘Ready For Marriage’. It’s a reality show now in it’s fourth season and brings engaged couples on the show who are interviewed by a host about their relationship. The public votes for their favorite couples to stay on, till eventually one couple wins and has I believe their wedding or honeymoon paid for by the show. This is my first time watching the show and there have been some ‘interesting couples’. I’ve watched two different episodes featuring two different couples. When asked the secret to why her relationship was working, one of the women said “I pray for me to be a good wife who takes care of my husband”. What about her praying for him to be a good man and also take care of her? She mentioned how she feels like she’s also married to his family, so she should be humble. Throughout the entire interview, he made no mention of her family.
The other couple I watched had a couple with a seven year age difference. The guy kept emphasizing that he’s the man of the house, so he’s the only one allowed to work night shifts, because apparently the bible says something about how women can’t work at night. She spoke about obeying and SUBMITTING to her husband. Lawd Jesus. *Hit replay on Chimanda’s talk please.
INTERSEXIONS
There’s an episode in this South African show which like Love Games and Shuga has messages of ‘safe sex’ which revolves around an upper middle class family and their maid. The maid is engaged to be married to a guy she loves and who loves her, but is so focused on making extra money that she feels lonely. Her bosses are a couple who live in the suburbs white picket fence style with the two kids. The wife is a gorgeous woman who runs her own company, while the husband is a successful business man. The wife has to leave for a business trip for a few days and while she’s away, the maid and the husband begin an affair.
MAID FACTOR: Which brings me to the ‘MAID’ factor. One of my friends, Entertainment reporter, radio correspondent and blogger Makho Ndhlovu (Global Grind) recently tweeted a question asking how many women would be cool if they had an attractive female maid in their households if they were married. Lots of us chimed in saying “HELL NO!!”. I went as far as saying I’d rather have an older woman or man cleaning my house. But why? Because we’ve all seen/heard the ‘man of the house sleeps with the maid stories’ as shown in Intersexions and even Love Games Zambia.
GENERATIONS
Generations is a South African soap. There’s a couple who live together but aren’t married called Akhona and Nick. They have a maid called Zodwa who is in love with Nick, and seems to have underlying mental issues. Zodwa puts the moves on Nick, but he resists, but Akhona goes on a business trip, and Zodwa plants condoms in her cosmetics bag, which falls and reveals the contents. Nick gets angry, thinks Akhona is cheating and falls into the arms of their maid.
In all both shows, the wives and girlfriend were beautiful successful women who loved their families and boyfriend and even though they had maids, they tried to take care of the house as well. It’s not even about the attractiveness of the maid, because lets go back and remember Arnold Schwazznegger and his scandal. Is this about men and power and how they think they can get away with this behavior? Is this about how we raise our women? Were the men cheating because their wives were too busy to attend to their men’s ‘conjugal rights?’ In the shows, the men were clearly getting that good good from their wives, so that’s a non-issue.
So there’s a lot to think about here, and I welcome you to share their thoughts about any of the topics mentioned above.
*Picture is of Vimbai an ex contestant from Zimbabwe.
When the first Big Brother Africa aired in 2003, I was obsessed with the show and vowed that one day, I’d be in that house competing for the money. You have to be 21 to enter, and when I was of age, I was ineligible because I was in the States. So BBA is casting for the 10th season which starts in May, and it would be a perfect time to go on right? Especially because I’m always talking about how I want to be a VJ or host on MTV. BBA has proven to be a huge platform for people who plan to pursue entertainment reporting ie Vimbai who just hosted the Africa Magic Awards in Nigeria, Weza who was already a tv host but is now much more popular, Abby from season 1 who is now a successful radio presenter in Tanzania and more.
I checked out the application form online and could walk into the auditions being held in Lusaka this weekend, but I have not. Why?
1. I DON’T WANT TO BE DISOWNED
There are some things that get you disowned by African parents, and this would be one of them. The whole of Africa seeing me in my bday suit on tv? Negative!
2. I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
With internet not being top notch in Zambia, I already have days when I don’t have proper internet or its too slow and it GETS ON MY NERVES. A few days without twitter or fb makes me go into sm withdrawal, so 3 months (If I made it that far) would not work.
3. DOUBLE STANDARDS
BBA has double standards. Like the guy who usually ends up winning is loud, has a big personality, ruffles a few feathers along the show and more often than not has sex with someone or more than one person in the house. If a girl does that, she’s labelled a whore or ‘Un African’ , ‘has no morals’ ie. I don’t mean I’d have sex with anyone in the house, but I just feel like it takes a certain type of person to win and I’ m not sure I could.
4. BACK TO COLLEGE
BBA is like being in a college. Being put in an environment with different people from different cultures and backgrounds. And worse than college, in BBA you’re stuck in a house with them for 3 months. So you have a roomate(s) again and u know how that went down in Uni right? Arguing over who ate your food, chores etc. On the flipside, you make friends and learn about yourself I guess. But I just graduated less than a year ago and I’m not ready to go back.
5. THE WHOLE THERAPIST ISH
Big Brother is basically a therapist that you pour your heart out to while you’re in the house and he’s supposed to keep you sane and all. And you’re talking to him in the Diary room while the rest of Africa is listening? No thank you. Sorry Biggie!
6. POLITICS
When you get down to it, BBA is a ‘reality show’ and we all know most reality shows are scripted somehow and I don’t think BBA is any exception. Plus, with the whole ‘Head of the House’ thing and nominations, you basically have to play a political game of making ‘the right friends’ and be strategic in order to win votes for Africa. And what happens if you don’t really click with anyone? What if that season everyone is annoying?
7. GOING CRAZY
Being in a confined space for 3 months (assuming you make it that far) is bound to make you loose your marbles and make you do dumb ish. I’m pretty sure most housemates drink the way they do out of boredom and then they provide the viewers with entertainment, but what happens when you leave the house and have to deal with the consequences of your actions? Better hope you have money for a PR team.
8. NOT WINNING
Going into BBA is about the experience and meeting new people, living rent free for 3 months and possibly leveraging it once you enter the real world again. But let’s be honest: The money is great too. I’d buy a house and do a whole bunch of shopping with that cash. Imagine going all the way to the end not to win? Well, at least its better than survivor right?
9. REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY
BBA plays off the whole ‘country’ thing a lot.You apply as an individual, but since they only pick one or two contestants from a specific country, you become an Ambassador of your country whether you like it or not. And that’s where the ‘She’s not acting Zambian’ starts to happen. You cant win imo. If you go in with a non-Zambian accent, they say ‘you’re faking’, if you say something that the majority of Zambians have issues with (ie talk about supporting gay rights), you get crucified. I dont put it past a country to vote out their own contestant. Then you have to face your countrymen at a press conference in your country once you’re voted out. So how do u remain yourself while still representing your country?
So those are my reasons for not entering the competition, despite some people advising me to enter. At the end of the day, I believe there are other ways for me to get where I need to be without BBA. Hardwork, Shamelessly Plugging myself, timing and fate will get me noticed.
With that said, I don’t mean to take away from anyone who wants to take part in the competition. Not everything is for everyone is my point. Good luck to whoever has the task of representing Zambia this year!
“We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It’s just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn’t have expected.” – Ben Okri (Nigerian writer)
The quote I used above is the best way to explain the next phase of my life. After 5 amazing years in NYC, its time to leave the city I love so much and make the move back home (Zambia) + hopefully Capetown for Uni next year, with lots of travelling to many African countries in between. I don’t care if I have to get on 24 hour bus rides but I am travelling. As I quoted on fb recently,”I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world” -Unknown. Maybe I’ll do 5 Trips to Plan for in 2012. Am I excited? Yes. And I’m scared shitless as well because I haven’t lived in Zambia for 9 years. will have starbucks, H and M and Forever 21 withdrawals and ish, but I’ll be fine. Home is home.
TRIBUTE TO NYC
“ In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York”
“One hand in the air for the big city, Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty. No place in the world that can compare. Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”- Empire State of Mind (Jay Z ft Alicia Keys)
“I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque. I love it to see everybody in short skirts, shorts and shades. I like it in the city when two worlds collide” – Hometown Glory (Adele)
TRIBUTE TO ZAMBIA
“Round my hometown, memories are fresh. Round my hometown, ooh, the people I’ve met. I’m coming home, I’m coming home. Tell the world, I’m coming home. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Hometown Glory (Adele) + Coming Home (Dirty Money ft Skylar Grey) + John F Kennedy. (*The JFK quote is about making a change in your country, which is what I plan to do in the PR, Fashion, Social Media and Tourism aspects)
“Everybody always saying “you’ changed”, like you worked so hard just to stay the same” – Jay-Z (* You know how you leave home for a while and everyone thinks you’ve changed and act different? Well, duh).
Have you made the big move from the Diaspora back home? How did it work out for you? How did you transition? How did you prepare? Let me know in the comments if you have any advice for me.
* That’s a picture of my sister an dad dancing. Unfortunately, all my pics of me and my dad are with my parents in Zambia
” You must be Mr Kapambwe’s daughter. You look so much like him!” I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard people say this to me at various diplomatic events I’ve attended over the course of my life. Usually those comments would be followed with statements like “you’re so lucky, you have a great father. Do you know what a great man your father is? We all look up to him”. I’d always nod yes. If the conversation continued, they would add “So are you going to follow in his footsteps and be an Ambassador or Africa’s first female secretary general?”. Much to their dissapointment, I would say that the only time I came close to following his footsteps was my stint as an active member of my high school’s Model United Nations team. However, it seems that in addition to being the female doppelganger of him, I’ve inherited his speech making abilities as in my post high school life, I’ve been invited to speak at a ‘third culture kid’s conference’ in conjunction with the Christian Embassy and the United Nations, as well as a recent trip to Dallas Texas to speak at ‘Empower Zambia’s’ event.
My father may be a great man who is the only African to receive the keys to Orange County, New Jersey, but to me he is an ordinary dad with an amazing musical ear. I credit my life long obsession with Congolese music to my dad playing Tshala Mwana, Kanda Bongo Man, Pepe Kale and Koffi Olomide when we were growing up. He had hundreds of CD’s which introduced my sisters and I to Boyz II men and Whitney Houston (there’s a home video of my older sister and I singing ‘I wiill Always Love you’ somewhere).
The greatest gift my father ever gave me was the love of literature. I decided I wanted to be an author probably when i was seven or eight and reading Encylopedias and Britannica’s. I wrote my first story about a princess, which my dad edited. From then on, I had to write new stories almost every day which he would read and provide feedback. He supplemented the Brothers Grimm bed time stories with stories about Kalulu the rabbit and other African tales which I actually still remember and hope to pass onto my future children. When I was older, he tried getting me to read autobiographies on Steve Biko and other African writers that I had never heard of or cared to hear about because it wasn’t cool to not be into Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and Harry Potter at that time. Now at twenty three, I figured that if I had listened to him, I probably would have been the cool kid who’d read ‘Things Fall Apart’ way before it was assigned by my British african obsessed teacher in high school.
If most people had the choice to pick what career their parents should have, most would probably celebrities so that they could get to travel the world and meet famous people. I guess you can say I grew up with a ‘celebrity’ of a different sort, although I didn’t know it at the time. My sisters and I spent after school days at airports in flowery dresses giving flowers to arriving African presidents and their wives. My first lesson in French was when I was told to say ‘Bienvenue en Zambie’ to the former president of Rwanda (Bizimungu) and his wife.We spent our nights entertaining visiting presidents like Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia’s first president), the Zambian National soccer team or hosting and attending our fellow diplomat friends independence parties. To be honest, I grew up thinking everyone’s dad was covered on the news regularly. I probably only acknowledged who my dad was when we arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to be whisked to the hotel in a motorcade of luxury cars and police on motorcyles. Or when my dad called Ban Ki Moon (UN secretary general) to find out when next they would be playing soccer together.
If there’s one thing my father ‘s life in diplomacy has taught me, it is to be humble. There’s a perception that diplomats are ‘high and mighty’, but that cannot be further from the story in the case of my father at least. My dad is one of the most down to earth people ever. He dances with everyone at parties. He’s actually pretty good and hopefully he catches on to Azonto pretty quickly. The greatest example of his humility is when he mistakenly dialled a high school students number attempting to reach one of his friends. The student answered the phone in class an asked who my father was. My dad itendified himself as the Ambassador of Zambia to the UN, which the kid did not believe. He then gave the phone to his teacher, who said that if my dad was really the Ambassador, he should come and speak at the kid’s high school in New Jersey, to which my dad agreed. Most people I know would have said they had no time to speak to a bunch of high school kids who probably would not be able to place Zambia on a map, but he did anyway. And they named the day ‘Zambia Day’ and sang the Zambian national anthem. I also tell this story as testimony that you can be who you want to be regardless of your past. My dad was raised by a single mother. His dad died before he was born and he had to walk many miles to get to school, which i probably why he still beats me when we race. English was not his first language and he just wanted to be a lecturer when he grew up. Not bad for a man who started from there.
So yes, I do know what a great man my father is and despite his success and the pressure that comes with being his daughter, I will not be following in his footsteps by becoming a diplomat. We do bond over things like African politics and we often email each other book titles or interesting articles we think the other should read though. I’ll let it skip a generation and force my kids to do that.lol. Either way, he’s proud of me, and that’s all I ever wanted.
Happy Fathers Day to Papa Kapambwe and all the fathers. Feel free to share the lessons your father has taught you.
In one of my first posts on the blog titled ‘Fashion Resolutions’, I mentioned a few style changes I’m working on this year, including changing up my hair more often. I’m proud to say that I’ll be revealing a new hairstyle soon and will update when I do.
Speaking of hair, there’s so much talk about the ‘natural hair movement‘ which was documented in the NY Times. Celebrities like Solange are providing hairinspiration by documenting their journeys.
Let’s put an African inspired spin on things. J D Okhai Ojeikere is a Nigerian photographer whose most famous work was the ‘Hairstyles‘, which featured about a 1000 different Nigerian women and their creative hairstyles.
I found the pics below in a post titled ‘Vintage Coiffure’ via Kiffe Coco and they were taken in Nigeria and Senegal.
JOANNE PIEF
The first time I saw Haitian Joanne Pief’s work was at an event called ‘The Reawakening series’ at a gallery in NYC last summer where my friend Iyadede performed. A few days ago, she was featured on Vogue Black in an article titled ‘Redressing the Crown‘. There were a couple of other people who displayed their art that day, but noone stood out to me more than Pief’s pictures. By the way, did you know Haiti is the newest member of the African Union?
I didn’t’ forget about the gents this time. One of my favorite menswear sitesStreet Etiquetterecently posted a series called ‘Crowned’. According to the site, the ”There is no question that the inspiration runs parallel to many of the hair styles that came from individuals like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, ASWAD, BDK. the Native Tongues collective ( A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Jungle Brothers) and a little bit of everything in between.”Fun Fact: Joshua and Travis went to my old college WCC and Travis was actually in my Marketing Management class where we worked on a Starbucks project.
Township Barbershop series.
I remember when I lived in Lusaka, Zambia and at the local Olympia market, I would be fascinated by the wall paintings advertising men’s haircuts. It seems like in South Africa and other African nations, similar paintings are posted. I found this series via Another Africa.
Here’s an interesting story; In the capital city of my country Lusaka, Zambia Masai men from Kenya and Tanzania are apparently the best hair braiders. My sisters had their hair done with them in 2010 and they are super quick.
SHAMELESS PLUG: My friend Elton whose an upcoming photographer recently spent a day at a local baber shop in Albany, NY and took some pretty cool pictures which you can check out here .
PS: The title of the post was inspired by this India Arie song ‘I am Not My Hair’.
So that’s it folks. Would you try any of the styles shown above?
This post was meant to come out a day before valentines day, but I figured that February is still the month of love so it’s not too late. So this is an African inspired vday post.
The title “Chikondi’ actually means “love” in Nyanja which is a language mostly spoken in the capital of Zambia (Lusaka). Speaking of languages, I stumbled on a post by Africa.com on how to say ‘I love You’ in 54 different African languages. They also did a post on different ways to show your love in different african countries. Here are my faves. (African men, pay attention!!!)
Cameroon: Make a ceramic heart-shaped dish, with the clay found in the highlands in Cameroon
Kenya: Try purple tea sourced from Kenya, a country considered by connoisseurs to be among the best tea producers in the world.
Mali: Plan a romantic dinner with a desert view in Timbuktu.
Zambia: Wrap your gift in a tonga basket, which are woven by Tonga women, renowned for their weaving abilities.
CHOCOLATE AND FOOD
*Pic is via Marcus Samuelson site.
Every one knows valentines day and chocolate go together, but how many people know that Ivory Coast is one of the biggest exporters of chocolate? Find out how Ivorians celebrate valentines day.
Ethiopian chef Marcus Samuelson shared his vegan chocolate truffles recipe.
MUSIC
The best part about interning for Heritage 1960 and being a co-host for Radio Afro Australia? Bringing them together for a smashing mixtape via DJ Iz. Check it out here. It features some of my favorites like “Ringtone” by Naeto C and more.Speaking of Heritage, we have a giveaway where you can win great prizes here.
Since I am from Zambia, I have to rep by sharing this mix of Zambian love songs via Zed beats. My favorite Zambian love song is below by Tio.
Afripop mag hit up Ghanaian MC and producer M3nsa “(also one half of FOKN Bois) to put a list of 10 of his favorite love songs. Check out what he came up with via the site.
AFRICAN RELATIONSHIPS
Bandeka is an online dating site that has been receiving press everywhere from Arise mag to How we made it in Africa, Forbes Africa and one of my favorite sites Diasporan Darlings. Check out their article on the ‘elite african dating site’ here.
Other interested articles on love in an african context are below.
Why don’t we like our own men? My friend Paula wrote that article for Clutch Magazine and boy, did it get some people heated. Personally, I can relate to the story, but read and let me know what you think.
2012 seems to be the year African artists are finding love. From Naeto Cgetting ready to wife up his boo Nicole, to rumors of Stephanie Okere (Nollywood actress) getting married to Tu Faceproposing to his baby mama (one of the how many? ) on vday. I will say congrats to Naeto. Not with the whole Tu face thing though. I mean the man just knocked up another baby mama recently? wth?
In other news, want to date the gorgeous Leila Lopes (Miss Universe) ? My friend Makho sat down with her to talk about how to impress her.
TELEVISION
Love, Sex and Money
Last but not least, my favorite Kenyan tv show in collaboration with MTV Base Africa, SHUGA is back with a bang! It tells the story of the loves and lives of a group of friends. I watched the first season last year and put my sisters on to it, then some friends and i cant wait to watch the new season. Wizkid and Banky W did the theme song and made appearances. Must get an interview with some of the cast. #staytuned. Just for you, The new episode is below.
*DISCLAIMER: This post isn’t about Jersey Shore,although I do watch it on Thursdays. They(the cast) are just a train wreck but so interesting. lol
How do you get from point A to point B? Ie from school to work/internship, home and other places you frequent? If you live in New York City, you would most likely use the subway, metro north, beeline bus,drive or cab it up,depending on your finances,where you live, the time of your appointment etc. This article is about the modes of transport used in different African countries. Because we don’t actually ride elephants to work you know.
Late last year, I came across a follow request from @tweetacabHRE which is a taxi company based in Harare,Zimbabwe which allows people to book cabs via the social media network. I thought it was an interesting idea as it reminded me of the cab company Diddy started to shuttle celebrities across NYC after they had too many drinks (anyone know if that company is still in business?). I reached out to the founder of Tweet a Cab Tawanda Nyagwaya for an exclusive interview you can read below.
How did the idea of starting tweet a cab come about? Who are the founders/ cofounders?
Tweetacab was founded by me,Tawanda Nyagwaya.When I started using Twitter in 2009, I immediately saw its potential as a business tool. In 2011 I decided to invest in the taxicab business and the idea of using Twitter as way of differentiating the service struck me.
Why use twitter as opposed to facebook or another social media site?
Taxicab booking is done real time and you need to respond to bookings promptly. Twitter suits this more than any social media service currently available. It’s an easier and faster way to get customer feedback.
Please explain the process of reserving a cab using your services.
To use the service, all one needs to do is follow our @tweetacabHRE account on Twitter and send us a Direct Message to make a booking. Send us your travel request and we will reply you immediately with a booking confirmation. Alternatively, if you wish to make an enquiry or obtain a quote for a future booking, just send us the details and we will respond promptly. One also needs to include a contact telephone number, as you probably know “Zimbanet” (Zimbabwean internet) isn’t always behaving and this may be the only way we can contact you.Besides booking via Twitter, you can also Whatsapp us on 0772833183.
What advantage does your brand have over other cab companies in Harare? ie shorter waiting times
Tweetacab is a cheap and efficient way of booking a cab because customers don’t incur the cost of phone calls. It’s an easier and faster way to get customer feedback. The business environment is becoming more competitive and is changing very fast. Social media fits more naturally for this type of business.
Do you think allowing the “youth” to tweet a cab will reduce drunk driving incidents?
“Don’t drink and drive, #Tweetacab” is our way of contributing to the Arrive Alive – Don’t Drink & Drive campaign. Drunk driving is the major cause of fatalities on our roads. We encourage everyone to take public transport/ use a taxicab/ call a friend if they are drinking.
I would assume your target audience is mostly young people as you use twitter. Is that a correct assumption?
That’s correct. 47% of Twitter users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
Where do you see the brand in the next few years? Do you have plans of expanding to other towns/countries?
We are in this business for the long haul and plan to expand our brand beyond Harare. As for the now, the aim is to increase our presence in Harare.
What are some of the challenges of relying on social media for conducting business in Zimbabwe?
Most people still don’t know what Twitter is or don’t really understand how it works but this is changing. Twitter is becoming with popular as the number of people using the internet on mobile devices increases.
*Pics are courtesy of Tawanda and Tweet A Cab.
Follow Tweet A Cab on twitter @tweetacabHRE
OKADA (NIGERIA)
According to an article called “BN Photo Stories” I read via Bella Naija, “The name ‘Okada’ was derived from ‘Okada Air’, the now defunct local Nigerian airline which was unpopular for its comfort, yet remained the most patronized local airline in the country. The riders could manoeuvre between the heavy Lagos traffic and take passengers to their destination promptly, just as Okada Airline did.”
Here are some pictures via the same article.
Speaking of Okada’s, Nigerian designer Ituen Basi had her models walk down the Arise Magazine Fashion Week runway last year in ankara helmets as part of a campaign to promote road safety for “The Love” series. I reviewed the collection for Africa Style Daily here. Love the merging of fashion and road safety.
MATATU (KENYA)
If you happen to be in Nairobi, Kenya, you may experience a trip on the Matatus. A Matatu is a mini bus. According to this blogger, Matatu” comes from the swahili word (or Kikuyu, depending on who you listen to) for “three.It used to cost 3 shillings to ride in a matatu”.
Mini buses are very common in many parts of Africa,including my country Zambia,but what ,makes the ‘Matatu’ different is the the creativity displayed on the buses. Some of them are painted on and personalized.It’s like “moving art”.I hope to visit Kenya with Marie sometime this year,so if she makes me get on one,i’ll share my experience.
UPDATE :Someone who did share his experience by devoting a whole project to Matatu’s is Kenyan Muraguri whose exhibition is still showing at Le Rustique Restaurant. He states,
So there you have it. What do you think are the most used modes of transport in your African country? Which do you prefer? Any tips on how to book one of these modes? Would you ever tweet a cab? Share your thoughts
Once upon a time, I used to write poetry.I wrote about what every teenager writes about: Love and relationships. Then after I moved to the states, I wrote more African focused poems. Then I stopped. I guess I was never meant to be a poet. I was destined to be a different kind of writer. Anyway, after I realized I was kind of a whack poet,I started seeking out actual good poets. So I thought I would share my favorite poems about Africa by Africans.
TO DO LIST FOR AFRICA (by Lebogang Masango)
I first heard this poem via Zanele’s blog is this Africa last year and since then,I’ve re-watched it probably a dozen times or more and shared it with friends. She performed “To Do List for Africa” at the Word and Sun Bassline Series in South Africa.
Words that stood out to me: Africa
My love for you is a broken mirror
Sits heavy in the cavity of my chest
Among dusty boxes full of Fela Kuti songs
And a history bloodied by regret
When I think of you
My heart knows no rest
It skips off track
But once a mirror is shattered there’s no way to put back
The pieces
And pieces of turmoil, disasters and diseases
A whole continent of people
Who have been overlooked by the mercy of Jesus
I’m going to need us to love ourselves
A whole lot louder
Even if the ‘first’ world can’t see us”
HOMEWARD BOUND (Bassey Ikpi)
I think I found Bassey’s poems through someone posting on their facebook. She performed a couple of times for Def Jam that was funded by Russel Simmons. I also follow her on twitter and she definitely causes controversy through her tweets. This poem is a favorite because I can relate to some of it in terms of feeling stuck between dual cultures.
Words that Stand out to me:” What will I teach my children. What will I tell them of where I’ve been…What will they call home, and will they hear it If and when it calls them..I can’t stomach the reality of my dual culture. Africa/ Zambia( she says Nigeria) is quietly begging me to remember while America slowly urges me to forget.”
I AM AN AFRICAN (Thabo Mbeki)
When the former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki became the chairman of the African Union (it rotates among African presidents), he gave this heartfelt speech called “I am an African” which was very fitting. My dad was actually at that meeting and says it was an extraordinary moment.
Words that stand out:”I am an African. I am born of the peoples of Africa. Whatever the set backs of the moment,nothing can stop us now! Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace! However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!”
HOW TO WRITE ABOUT AFRICA (Binyavanga Waina)
I first heard about this poem through the Granta which originally was a student newspaper founded by Cambridge students in 1889. It now features short stories and essays from amazing writers and is produced several times a year. ” How Not to Write About Africa” was featured in 2005 in Granta issue 92 which can still be purchased. It’s true to Binyavanga’s signature sarcastic style. I had the pleasure of seeing him speak at the African Economic Forum at Colombia last year and he was funny but he made sense. He has a new book out called “One Day I will write about this Place” which received lots of praise and which I MUST BUY NOW! Djimon Hounsou recited the poem on youtube and the fact that hes so handsome makes it sound better.lol
Words that Sound out:
“Your African characters may include naked warriors, loyal servants, diviners and seers, ancient wise men living in hermitic splendour. Or corrupt politicians, inept polygamous travel-guides, and prostitutes you have slept with. The Loyal Servant always behaves like a seven-year-old and needs a firm hand; he is scared of snakes, good with children, and always involving you in his complex domestic dramas.”
TIA (This is Africa by K’naan)
This may or may not qualify as a poem, but K’naan is a rapper and one of my favorite African artists. And my future hubby. I saw him live in October 2010 at Webster Hall and he was amazing. And so is this song.
My fave words: Around here we only bumping Fela Kuti, Tupac and Bob Marley, Lucky Dube. We dont really give a fuck about your groupies. This is AFRICA hooray!(T.I.A!)
ALSO CHECK OUT..
The Youtube Poet
Chiedu Ifeozo is a Nigerian poet that uses the power of technology to share his poems. He’s actually been my facebook friend for a few years and i dont even remember who added who, but I respect his work. He was on CNN Inside Africa recently.Short snippet i below.
Poetry Africa
This is an International Poetry festival that takes place every October in Durban, South Africa. There’s an open mic session,workshop etc. If you ever happen to be in Durban,check it out. And speaking of South Africa, Black Book Magazine did a post on places to see if you visit. I plan on going to SA to visit my little sis KK when she moves there for uni in the summer (Capetown to be exact) so will do my best to cross things off that list. CNN did a post on the changing face of African poetry that’s also worth checking out. The video below is a trailer based on Poets in South Africa.
Did any of the poems “speak to you”? Do you have any to share? Please comment and let me know. Have a great weekend!
One of the things I love about every new year (wait..its already like the 13 of Jan?) apart from creating fashion resolutions is creating a vision board. It’s so easy to make and cheap!(use old magazines) and is a great way to SEE your goals,dreams and hopes.
I went to an after work event with Enyinne which was held in the lounge at the office space we work out of. It’s a nice and spacious area that we cant wait to book to do H1960 events.The event was a “vision board” making party and a “mix and mingle” over sushi and white wine. You just have to say sushi and wine and I’m in.It was organized by the owner of We Work Nathan and Janell who owns Urban Suite Entertainment PR.We met some nice people from various creative fields ( one helps brands “tell stories” which is fascinating to me)and I made my vision board. Here are some pics from the event. They gave prizes to people that tweeted about the event which I did of course,but didn’t get a prize .Of course I complained and got a bottle of red wine instead
My vision board was broken into three parts essentially. I did the left side as a dedication to H1960. I found some great words that described the company like Inspired Global Design, Culture, Shop, Discoveries etc. The second part was my personal goals which are to travel more, “Arrive a Tourist, Prepared to be amazed”, paid homage to NYC of course as the “city that never sleeps”. I also added words like “future and love” and added extra words in red pen like “I need to find my African Prince o!”. Had to bring the hilarity as usual.
What do guys think of my vision board? Do you make your own? Do they help you achieve your goals?
Wishing you all a Happy Friday the 13th. Will you be watching any scary movies? There’s a Harpers Island marathon that started at 6am so maybe I’ll catch that. Doing anything exciting this weekend? I’ll be saying bye to my parents who leave for Zambia for good and celebrating Washington’s bday with drinks at a hotel lounge in Manhattan with Marie. Share your exciting plans
.Of course I complained and got a bottle of red wine instead 
