Can "Africa" get a make-over?

[Invisible]

Sep 15th 2010,
By J.L. | NAIROBI

IF AFRICA’S boosters and detractors agree on one thing, it is that the continent’s image is poor. No matter how hard the boosters try to sell the wares of this vast and diverse continent, they find it hard to shake off clichés about “heart of darkness” or television images of the emaciated fly-blown child. That is why the football World Cup, held successfully in South Africa, was so important. It was a rare month of good press coverage for the continent. Now a group called the Africa Leadership Retreat is trying to ride this wave of goodwill by bringing Africa’s marketing brains together to promote a brighter image for the continent with a so-called “Africa 2.0 initiative”.

Branding a country is hard enough, let alone a whole continent, says Julian Smallwood of Havas, a French advertising firm. If a country sells itself as business friendly, it needs to fulfil its promises. That makes branding a continent a lot harder. The swankiest advertising campaigns can be ruined by the antics of a dictator—Muammar Qaddafi, for example—or by the sudden outbreak of a new war or famine.

One plan is to give Africa its own internet domain. Many companies doing business in Africa will soon move their sites to a dot.africa domain, so Coca Cola in Africa may become cocacola.africa. “We think dot Africa is a more powerful brand than separate African country domains,” says Sophia Bekele, a Kenya-based Ethiopian, who is leading the project.

In any case, the images of the continent that Africans send each other is more important than what outsiders care to see, says Alex Okosi, a Nigerian who runs the African bit of MTV, a New York-based music channel. What Africa needs, he reckons, is a younger, more urban, more aspirational image. In fact, something closer to an MTV video than a UN film appealing for help after yet another disaster.

One conclusion of the Africa 2.0 initiative so far (and it remains to be seen whether the venture is more than talk) is that Africans is an easier word to market than Africa. So future efforts to present a sunnier image of the continent will likely concentrate on people, particularly women.

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[Gaijin]

mpango huu utafanikiwa ikiwa muafrika mmoja mmoja atachukua juhudi mahsusi za kufanikisha make-over hiyo.

Muonekano na tabia za waafrika wengi bado haziendani na mazingira anayotafuta mwekezaji au niseme zinatofautiana sana na mazingira alozowea mwekezaji.

 

[MkenyaMzalendo]

mpango huu utafanikiwa ikiwa muafrika mmoja mmoja atachukua juhudi mahsusi za kufanikisha make-over hiyo.

Muonekano na tabia za waafrika wengi bado haziendani na mazingira anayotafuta mwekezaji au niseme zinatofautiana sana na mazingira alozowea mwekezaji.

Maneno yako ni kama yanaashiria kuwa mwekezaji yeyote aliye na nia ya kuwekeza hawezi kuwa mwafrika mwenzako. Kuna wengi wana kasumba kama hii na ni lazima tuyafikirie upya mawazo iliyowaadhiri mababu zetu. Mwekezaji aweza kuwa yeyote aliye na cha kuwekeza, na tutakuwa tumepiga hatua kubwa tukifumbua macho na kuwapa heshima wawekezaji wa asili ya Afrika kama tunavowaenzi wawekezaji wa nchi za ulaya.

Wengine wetu husikitishwa sana na zile vikwazo vinavyowakumba wawekezaji wa asili ya kiafrika katika nchi za Afrika

 

[Ruge Opinion]

Hii make-over inaweza kufanikiwa tu kama inakuwa driven na Waafrika wenyewe. Siyo kupitia promotion za Coca cola, Pepsi, n.k. Tunahitaji mitandao ya vyombo vya habari (magazeti, radio, Tv) vinavyomilikiwa na Waafrika, vyenye ajenda ya Afrika na vinavyowafikia Waafrika katika sehemu kubwa kama siyo bara zima. Sitegemei CNN, BBC, Fox au hata Al-Jazeera itumike kubadili taswira ya Afrika na Waafrika. Kwa maoni yangu kama Umoja wa Afrika unaweza kuanzisha mradi wa maana utakuwa ni kama huo. Mimi naamini kuna Waafrika katika nchi mbali mbali wenye mitaji ya kuweza kuanzisha mradi huo. Ila hawana platform ya kuwaunganisha.

 

[Gaijin]

Maneno yako ni kama yanaashiria kuwa mwekezaji yeyote aliye na nia ya kuwekeza hawezi kuwa mwafrika mwenzako. Kuna wengi wana kasumba kama hii na ni lazima tuyafikirie upya mawazo iliyowaadhiri mababu zetu. Mwekezaji aweza kuwa yeyote aliye na cha kuwekeza, na tutakuwa tumepiga hatua kubwa tukifumbua macho na kuwapa heshima wawekezaji wa asili ya Afrika kama tunavowaenzi wawekezaji wa nchi za ulaya.

Wengine wetu husikitishwa sana na zile vikwazo vinavyowakumba wawekezaji wa asili ya kiafrika katika nchi za Afrika

kwani mwekezaji Muafrika na mwekezaji asiye muafrika wanataka mazingira tofauti ya uwekezaji?

 

[MkenyaMzalendo]

mpango huu utafanikiwa ikiwa muafrika mmoja mmoja atachukua juhudi mahsusi za kufanikisha make-over hiyo.

Muonekano na tabia za waafrika wengi bado haziendani na mazingira anayotafuta mwekezaji au niseme zinatofautiana sana na mazingira alozowea mwekezaji.

Mwekezaji mwafrika tayari anafahamu na amezoea mazingira iliomo humu Afrika. Sikufahamu kwa nini mwekezaji wa hapa Afrika anahitaji waafrika wawe na tabia fulani kabla ya kuwekeza, maanake yeye ni mwafrika.

Tena sentensi yako imeandikwa kwa ujumla, na sidhani mtindo huu unafaa maana Afrika ina watu takriban bilioni moja, na hawa watu wana tabia tofauti. Wazungu wana tabia ya kuwajumuisha waafrika wote kila mara wanapozungumzia jambo fulani linaloadhiri sehemu moja ya bara-- jambo linalowashangaza na kukera wengi--, na mimi sikutarajia tabia kama hio kutoka kwa mwafrika.

 

[Gaijin]

Mwekezaji mwafrika tayari anafahamu na amezoea mazingira iliomo humu Afrika. Sikufahamu kwa nini mwekezaji wa hapa Afrika anahitaji waafrika wawe na tabia fulani kabla ya kuwekeza, maanake yeye ni mwafrika.
QUOTE]


sio kwa sababu mimi ni mwafrika na nazijua tabia za waafrika ndio niridhike na tabia hizo japo haziweki mazingira mazuri ya uwekezaji.

Kuna matatizo mengi ambayo wanakumbana nayo wawekezaji Waafrika ambao wangependelea tabia hizi zibadilike ili kazi zifanyike kwa ufanisi zaidi. Kuna tabia zilizokubuhu hasa kwa wafanyakazi vibarua (wenye elimu ya chini ambao hawafanyi kazi za maofisini)

Uchelewaji kazini: Hili suala kwa wafanyakazi wasio wa ofisini ni la kawaida sana, na japo limezoeleka, mwekezaji wa aina yoyote yule angependa mabadiliko.

Utoro kazini: Wafanyakazi hususan vibarua wanatabia ya kutoonekana kazini huku wakitoa sababu za mfano wa ‘safari ya ghafla kijijini', ‘kuna harusi ya mtoto wa shangazi', ‘niliamka tumbo linaniuma'

Kukosa umakini kazini: unaona kabisa mtu anafanya kazi ili imalize tu lakini sio kuhakikisha kuwa ameingiza juhudi zake zote kufanya kazi hiyo kuwa perfect.

na sababu nyengine nyingi ambazo ni kero kwa mwekezaji yoyote yule, haijalishi kama ni Mwafrika au mwekezaji mgeni.

kutokubali mapungufu yetu na kufanyia kazi kurekebisha ni moja ya sababu ambazo zimelazimisha Afrika ihitaji 'make-over'

btw ikiwa mwekezaji wa afrika tayari anajua tabia za waafrika na ana mazowea na ameridhika nazo kwa nini kuhitajike 'make-over'? kwa ajili ya nani?

ujumbe unaopatikana ni kuwa ama 'make-over' inatakiwa kufanyika ili kuridhisha muwekezaji wa kigeni, au wawekezaji wa afrika nao hawaridhi na hali iliyopo vile vile,