AFRICAN WOMEN MARCH ON - EQUALITY Meet Botswana's youthful minister Bogolo Kenewendo - the United Nations
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Department of Global Communications
April - July 2019 www.un.org/africarenewal
EQUALITY
AFRICAN WOMEN
MARCH ON
Meet Botswana’s
youthful minister
Bogolo Kenewendo
Preparing
graduates for
today’s jobs
Paying a high
price for skin
bleaching
CONTENTS April - July 2019 | Vol. 33 No. 1
4 SPECIAL FEATURE
COVER STORY
African Women in politics:
Miles to go before parity
6 Economic empowerment of women is good for all
8 Bostwana’s youthful minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, opening doors for
women and girls
A female worker performs on-site monitoring of
9 Good education is the foundation for effective female leadership cargo in Seychelles. UN Women/Ryan Brown
12 Technology is a liberating force for African women
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Acting Editor-in-Chief
3 Innovative messaging app tailor-made for Malians gains popularity Zipporah Musau
14 Preparing Africa’s graduates for today’s jobs
Acting Managing Editor
16 Interview: Aya Chebbi, African Union Youth Envoy
Kingsley Ighobor
18 African music on a round trip—from Cotonou to Cuba and back
20 Countries propose a treaty to end corporate impunity Staff Writers
22 Interview: Ahunna Eziakonwa, Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Franck Kuwonu
Sharon Birch-Jeffrey
24 Megacities are magnets for investors
26 Mechanizing agriculture is key to food security Research & Media Liaison
28 Zimbabwe’s beef industry stampedes back to life Pavithra Rao
30 Paying a high price for skin bleaching Design, Production & Distribution
35 Book Review Paddy D. Ilos, II
35 UN Appointments
Administration
Dona Joseph
Interns
Cover photo: Bostwana’s youthful minister, Bogolo Kenewendo. Alamy Photo Ruth Waruhiu
Africa Renewal (ISSN 2517-9829) is published supporting organizations. Articles from this Caroline Dubois
in English and French by the Strategic magazine may be freely reprinted, with attribu-
Communications Division of the United Nations tion to the author and to “United Nations Africa
Department of Global Communications. Renewal,” and a copy of the reproduced article
Africa Renewal is published by the United
Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views would be appreciated. Copyrighted photos may
Nations, New York, on recycled paper.
of the United Nations or the publication’s not be reproduced.
©2019 Africa Renewal. All rights reserved. Subscribe to Africa Renewal
ISBN: 978-92-1-101411-2 Africa Renewal offers free subscriptions to
eISBN: 978-92-1-004101-0 individual readers. Please send your request to
Circulation at the address to the left or by e-mail to www.un.org/africarenewal
Address correspondence to:
The Editor, Africa Renewal africarenewal@un.org. Institutional subscriptions
are available for thirty-five US dollars, payable by facebook.com/africarenewal
Room S-1032
international money order or a cheque in US dollars
United Nations, NY 10017-2513, USA,
drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and
Tel: (212) 963-6857, Fax: (212) 963-4556
sent to Circulation at the address to the left. twitter.com/africarenewal
E-mail: africarenewal@un.org
2 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019
AFRICA WATCH QUOTABLES
UN Women/Kea Taylor
If not us, who? If not now,
when? We cannot fail the
women and girls in Africa.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive
Director of UN Women
Africa will produce scien-
Mamadou Gouro Sidibé displays the Lenali app. Lenali
tists, engineers, entrepre-
neurs whose names will be
one day famous in every
Innovative messaging app corner of the world. And
girls will be a huge part of
tailor-made for Malians this story.
Peter Tabichi of Kenya, on winning the
$1 million Varkey Foundation Global
By Caroline Dubois from personal updates to photos to news. Teacher Prize 2019
Mr. Sidibé even thinks people could use
M amadou Gouro Sidibé of Mali could
have continued his comfortable
life working for the French National
Lenali to boost their businesses.
A mango vendor could post a photo,
add audio that tells his or her location and
We are trying to build a
drone to dispense medi-
cines in the rural areas.
Center for Scientific Research, but in ask people who want more information to
Eno Ekanem, 15-year-old Nigerian
2017 he decided to return to his country comment by voice posts. “Everything is
to develop Lenali—a voice-based social done without the need for writing skills,”
network app. Mr. Sidibé says, though the app does Only 20 UN member states
Unlike Facebook, Instagram and accept written posts as well. have a female leader. Less
Viber, apps that rely on written posts, For the entrepreneur, the app is a than a quarter of parlia-
Lenali works with spoken language. tailor-made solution to a local problem. mentarians are female.
Already it boasts 60,000 users—and The literacy rate in Mali is less than And last year, just 24
counting. 50%, according to UNESCO, which may Fortune 500 companies
Lenali integrates local languages such be why the number of Facebook users in were led by
as Bambara, Soninke, Songhai, Mooré the country has stagnated at 9% despite women.
and Wolof, as well as French, making the the falling price of mobile phones and María Fernanda
app accessible to people without formal increasing internet access. Espinosa
Garcés,
education, including those in rural areas. Mr. Sidibé says his goal is to boost President of the
Anyone can download the application, digital inclusivity, first in Mali and later UN General
register online and use it. in other countries in Africa, “because Assembly
On Lenali, users can select their lan- the problems in Mali are the same in the
guage, type in or record their name, post majority of countries in Africa, the app
and comment vocally without having to
read anything. Posts could be anything see page 11
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 3
GENDER
Women’s empowerment advocates in Africa are making their voices heard, with the full
backing of international organisations such as the United Nations and the African Union.
In this edition, we identify the many obstacles in women’s way and highlight the benefits
countries are deriving from empowering women.
African Women in politics:
Miles to go before parity is achieved
BY ZIPPORAH MUSAU
I
n the fight for gender equality, women compared with the previous year. In 2018 The IPU, made up of more than 170
around the world have advanced in the number of women ministers world- national parliaments from around the
small and large ways. Yet for women in wide reached an all-time high at 20.7% world, tracks the number of women elected
Africa, progress is measured in micro (812 out of 3922). to parliaments globally every year and
steps, and the struggle has a long way to go. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of produces an analysis that helps to monitor
The good news is that women’s rep- women seated in parliament grew in 2018, progress, setbacks and trends.
resentation in political decision making with a regional average share at 23.7%, Djibouti, which in the year 2000 had
has been on the rise globally. The not- according to the just-released 2019 edition zero women in parliament, saw the most
so-good news is that the increase has of the biennial Inter-Parliamentary Union dramatic gains globally among lower and
been stubbornly slow, barely 1% in 2018 (IPU) Map of Women in Politics. single chambers. The share of women in
4 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019
parliament rose in 2018 from 10.8% to women in Africa are now in charge of Women discuss politics at a women’s conference
26.2% (a 15.4-point increase), a total of portfolios traditionally held by men than in Darfur, Sudan. Alamy Photo/Richard Baker
15 women, states the report, which was in 2017. There are 30% more women min-
launched during the Commission on the isters of defense, 52.9% more women min-
Status of Women (CSW) at the UN head- isters of finance, and 13.6% more women we see a rise in the number of countries
quarters in New York in March 2019. ministers of foreign affairs. with gender-balanced ministerial cabi-
Ethiopia saw the largest increase in The usual practice is to appoint women nets,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN
women’s political representation in the to “soft issue” portfolios, such as social Women Executive Director, at the launch
executive branch, from 10% women min- affairs, children and family. of the report. She urged countries to make
isters in 2017 to 47.6% in 2019. “We still have a steep road ahead, but bold moves to dramatically increase wom-
On ministerial positions, the report the growing proportion of women min- en’s representation in decision making.
highlights another striking gain—more isters is encouraging, especially where More women in politics leads to more
inclusive decisions and can change peo-
ple’s image of what a leader looks like,
Women in politics added Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, formerly a
Parliament Local Councils Traditional Rulers
minister and Deputy President in South
Africa.
Among the top African countries with
a high percentage of women in ministerial
positions are Rwanda (51.9%), South Africa
(48.6%), Ethiopia (47.6%), Seychelles
(45.5%), Uganda (36.7%) and Mali (34.4%).
The lowest percentage in Africa was in
Morocco (5.6%), which has only one female
minister in a cabinet of 18. Other coun-
tries with fewer than 10% women ministers
Source: Economic Commission for Africa
see page 33
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 5
GENDER
Economic empowerment Attendees at an FAO sub-regional training
workshop on gender and livestock in Harare,
of women good for all
Zimbabwe. FAO/Believe Nyakudjara
But Brandilyn Yadeta, a 32-year-old
Ethiopian, missed out on education. “I had
Countries make progress lifting endemic obstacles a baby at 19 and the father traveled abroad
without letting me know. Since then, I con-
BY KINGSLEY IGHOBOR tinue to struggle to take care of my child,
which is my priority, above my education.”
G
She is a small-scale trader.
overnment staffer Souhayata “In our culture, people believe educa- If the father refuses to pay child sup-
Haidara enjoys talking about tion is for boys and that the women must port for his child, what options does a
her life in a patriarchal soci- marry and stay at home,” she says. woman have? “What can I do?” Ms. Yadeta
ety. Her career is a triumph of Women’s economic empowerment is asks with frustration and regret.
patience and perseverance, she tells Africa anchored by education, maintains Ms. Haid- Ms. Yadeta and others like her in Africa
Renewal with a smile and a wink. ara, who earned a degree in environmental are unsung heroes—taking care of the family,
Ms. Haidara, currently the Special science in the US on a scholarship from a job mostly unrecognized by their society.
Adviser to Mali’s Minister of Environment the United States Agency for International Yet in monetary terms, women’s unpaid work
and Sustainable Development, says she was Development. “I couldn’t be where I am accounts for between 10% and 39% of GDP,
lucky not to be married off at age 14 like today without education. I earn an income. according to the UN Research Institute for
some of her peers. Her father resisted pres- I educated my three children—a boy and Social Development, which provides policy
sure from suitors and relatives and insisted two girls, now grown. I have a six-year-old analysis on development issues.
that the teenager be allowed to complete granddaughter who is getting the best grades The International Labour Organisation
high school before getting married. in class. That makes me very happy.” states that women are disproportionately
6 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019
laden with the responsibility for unpaid The World Bank’s report by no means Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zim-
care and domestic work. It highlights this suggests that all is well with women in babwe) do more than 50% of women own
issue to make the case for economic empow- these countries. The report merely high- bank accounts, according to the Global
erment of women, which is now a front- lights the positive incremental changes Financial Inclusion Database, which regu-
burner topic in development literature. that these countries are making. larly publishes country-level indicators of
The DRC, for example, may have imple- financial inclusion.
Countries making reforms mented some pro–women’s empower-
A World Bank report titled Women, Busi- ment reforms, but women in that country Not a zero-sum game
ness and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform still have no land or inheritance rights, Economically empowering women is not a
states that sub-Saharan Africa “had the according to the Global Fund for Women, zero-sum game in which women win and
most reforms promoting gender equality a nonprofit. men lose, notes Urban Institute, a policy
[of any region].” In fact, six of the top 10 Theodosia Muhulo Nshala, Executive think tank in Washington, D.C. Rather,
reforming countries are there—the Dem- Director of the Women’s Legal Aid Centre, a Mckinsey Global Institute, a US-based
ocratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, nonprofit in Tanzania, tells Africa Renewal management consulting firm, forecasts
Malawi, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, that, “A ‘best in region’ scenario in which
and Zambia. all countries match the rate of improve-
$95 billion
Despite a protracted political crisis, the ment of the fastest-improving country in
DRC made the most improvement based in their region could add as much as $12 tril-
part on “reforms allowing women to reg- lion, or 11 percent, in annual 2025 GDP.”
ister businesses, open bank accounts, sign
is the amount that And UN Women, an entity for gender
contracts, get jobs and choose where to live
sub-Saharan Africa equality and women’s empowerment,
in the same way as men,” states the report. loses yearly because of states: “Investing in women’s economic
Mauritius introduced civil remedies for the gender gap in the empowerment sets a direct path towards
sexual harassment at work and prohibited labour market gender equality, poverty eradication and
discrimination in access to credit based on inclusive economic growth,”
gender. Among the civil remedies, employ- On the flip side, since 2010 sub-Saha-
ers are prohibited from sexually harass- that “men and women [in Tanzania] have ran African economies have lost about
ing an employee or a job seeker while an equal rights to land ownership, thanks $95 billion yearly because of the gender
employee must not sexually harass a fellow to the Village Land Act of 1999; however, gap in the labour market, says Ahunna
employee. Mauritius also mandated equal customary laws exist that prevent women Eziakonwa, Director of UNDP’s Regional
pay between men and women for work of and girls from inheriting land from their Bureau for Africa (see interview on page
equal value. husbands and fathers.” 22). “So imagine if you unleash the power,
São Tomé and Príncipe equalized man- While women’s participation in the talent and resolve of women.”
datory retirement ages and the ages at labour force (mostly in the informal sector) Experts believe that women’s eco-
which men and women can receive full is high in many sub-Saharan Africa coun- nomic empowerment is the key to achiev-
pension benefits—a move that increased tries—86% in Rwanda, 77% in Ethio- ing the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a
the country’s female labour force partici- pia and 70% in Tanzania—only in eight
pation by 1.75%. countries (Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, see page 11
Gender Equality: Top reforming countries
Change in score between WBL 2009 and WBL 2018
Democratic Bolivia Maldives Guinea São Tomé and Mauritius Samoa Malawi Zambia
Republic of Príncipe
the Congo Source: World Bank
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 7
YOUTH PROFILE
Youthful minister
opening doors for
women and girls
Bogolo Kenewendo of Botswana is also
adviser to the UN Secretary-General on
digital cooperation
BY BABOKI KAYAWE
B
ogolo Kenewendo describes herself as having been “an
ordinary Botswana child with an ordinary upbringing.”
Ms. Kenewendo, poised and focused beyond her years,
is being modest. At 32 she is Botswana’s youngest minis-
ter, in charge of investment, trade and industry.
She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, special-
izing in macroeconomic policy, public debt management, export
development and other trade-related fields.
As a child in Motopi, a small village in central Botswana, Ms.
Kenewendo envisioned playing a role in Botswana’s development.
In 2011 she met former First Lady Michelle Obama in Wash-
ington D.C. as a participant in the Young African Leaders Initi-
ative, a fellowship begun in 2010 by the US State Department.
Her forays into politics began in 2017 when Botswana’s
former President Ian Khama appointed her to a High-level
Consultative Council charged with helping to address the
challenges facing the private sector in Botswana.
Later that same year, President Khama appointed her
to parliament in line with a constitutional provision
allowing the president to make such an appointment
to the country’s legislative body.
After completing her studies in the United King-
dom and obtaining a master’s degree in interna-
tional economics from the University of Sussex,
Ms. Kenewendo qualified to be an economist in the
Ministry of Trade and Industry in Ghana. Prior to
that position she had been an economic consult-
ant at Econsult Botswana, a policy research
organisation.
“I am a pan-Africanist; I enjoyed working
in Ghana, where the history of pan-African-
ism is rich,” she told Africa Renewal in an
interview.
When Mr. Khama handed the presidency
over to Mokgweetsi Masisi in April 2018, the
new president appointed Ms. Kenewendo to
GENDER
see page 10
8 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019
Good education is the foundation
for effective female leadership
—Togolese politician and former presidential candidate Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson
BY FRANCK KUWONU
A
frican women’s restricted
access to quality education,
knowledge and resources is
preventing them from gaining
leadership positions on the continent, says
Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson, a veteran West
African women’s rights activist. Another
problem is that women—especially rural
women—are allowed only limited control
over finances, means of production and
land.
Consequently the pace of wom-
en’s empowerment remains slow, Ms.
Adjamagbo-Johnson says.
In an interview with Africa Renewal,
Ms. Adjamagbo-Johnson reflected on
decades of women’s political leadership,
gender activism and professional engage-
ment in Togo, her home country, and West
Africa in general.
Ms. Adjamagbo-Johnson works with
Women in Law and Development in Africa
(WiLDAF), a pan-African women’s rights
advocacy group with headquarters in
Harare, Zimbabwe. The group operates in
27 countries across the continent.
In addition to her work with WiLDAF,
she leads the largest coalition of political GENDER
parties in her home country. Four years
ago she vied for the presidency of Togo, but
failed to achieve the post. steps remain to be climbed on the way up Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson.
WiLDAF’s mission is to empower to the top.”
women by promoting their rights and She believes that despite political
increasing their participation and influ- advances such as women acting as heads The United Nations Educational,
ence at the community, national and inter- of state or participating in government in Scientific and Cultural Organization
national levels through initiating, promot- a few countries on the continent, women’s (UNESCO) estimates that sub-Saharan
ing and strengthening strategies that link rights are still not fully recognized, and Africa accounts for half of the 130 million
law and development. Ms. Adjamagbo- their leadership is not promoted enough. girls aged 6 to 17 who are out of school glob-
Johnson has over two decades’ experi- There is currently no female head of state ally and half of another 15 million school-
ence working with national networks of in Africa. age girls who may never enroll.
women’s rights organizations on advocacy “There cannot be an alternative to “Getting girls into a classroom is not
and empowerment. access to education or knowledge,” she enough in itself; girls have to be able to stay
On the current state of women’s rights says, adding, “It is a very good thing that in school and get proper education once
and leadership in Africa, she says, “I like parents have recognized that both boys enrolled,” Ms. Adjamagbo-Johnson says.
to think of stairs, if I may. Stairs because and girls deserve the same chance at UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta
we have climbed a few steps, but a lot more formal education.” Fore echoed those same concerns: “When
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 9
[a] girl reaches school age, will her family be left out of these opportunities because experience in politics, she cites entrenched
be able to afford to send her to school—and of her gender?” patriarchy. “None of my political col-
keep her there? Or will they keep her home Having made it closer to the top of leagues thought of me as not being quali-
to do chores, while her brothers learn?” political leadership in her country, Ms. fied enough to be a political leader,” she
Ms. Fore continued, “If says. “They accepted me as an
lucky enough to go to school, equal partner,” yet “they were
will she have access to sepa- oblivious to the fact that as a
rate toilet facilities and the Getting girls into a classroom is woman, I have specific needs that
information and facilities she needed accommodation.”
needs to manage her men- not enough in itself; girls have to Political and social participa-
strual cycle? be able to stay in school and get tion in society require women
“And when the now young proper education once enrolled. to balance family and work life,
lady is thinking of entering the she says. Together with the need
workforce, will she have access for education, “That could be the
to skills training—including single most challenging aspect of
digital skills? Or science, technology, engi- Adjamagbo-Johnson considers herself one effective political leadership for women in
neering and math-based skills? Or will she of the luckiest of her generation. On her Africa.”
Botswana minister opening doors ...
from page 8
Botswana’s cabinet to take charge of invest-
ment, trade and industry—a move gender
activists in the country considered a well-
deserved promotion.
As a parliamentarian, Ms. Kenewendo
advocated on behalf of children and women,
paying particular attention to women’s
representation in all sectors. One of her
accomplishments was to sponsor a motion
to increase the age of sexual consent in her
country from 16 to 18 years.
Under her leadership, Botswana’s Min-
istry of Investment, Trade and Industry will
in May this year finalize the digitization of
business registration, enabling companies
and small businesses to register online. The
goal is to improve the ease of doing business a nonprofit, honoring her as one of “Ten Ms. Kenewendo signs a joint statement with Mr.
in the country. Outstanding Young Persons” in Botswana. George Hollingberry, Minister of State for Trade
She says her mother is her role model, In 2016 she received the Botswana Change Policy of the UK. Twitter/DIRCO South Africa
as “she taught me to be tough in the face of Makers Award and the Formidable Woman
adversity.” award for her contributions to business and
On her future, Ms. Kenewendo says she leadership. In 2009 she was a youth delegate repre-
plans to establish a virtual community where Internationally, Ms. Kenewendo is a senting her country at the 64th Session of
African youth can interact and share their member of the High-Level Panel on Digital the UN General Assembly. She was nomi-
experiences. The project will complement Cooperation, established by UN Secretary- nated to present a statement at one of the
Molaya Kgosi Trust—her current women’s General António Guterres to propose ways events on behalf of African youth to the
leadership and youth empowerment pro- for governments, the private sector, civil Secretary-General.
gramme in Botswana schools. society and others to collaborate in the digi- Her advice to young people? “Step up
For her efforts in various endeavours, tal space. The panel is chaired by Melinda your game. If you look at history closely, you
Ms. Kenewendo has received several Gates, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Founda- will realize that youth leadership in Africa
awards, including one given in 2012 by tion, and Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of is not new. Most revolutionaries were young
Junior Chamber International Botswana, Alibaba Group Holding. people,” quips Ms. Kenewendo..
10 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019Economic empowerment of women ... The World Bank recommends, among is the time for preferential treatment of
from page 7 other actions, the passage of laws that foster women,” such as quotas on jobs and access
financial inclusion. Ms. Eziakonwa believes to credit.
that countries must expunge laws that are UN Women supported a review of
continental framework for socioeconomic obstacles in women’s way, including those Kenyan public procurement in 2013, and
transformation of the continent, and sev- that prohibit them from owning land. South Kenya now reserves a minimum of 30% of
eral goals in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sus- African journalist Lebo Matshego is urging annual government spending for women.
tainable Development. That includes Goal women’s rights activists to use social media In 2017, through its Women’s Economic
1, ending poverty; Goal 2, achieving food to lobby against those customs and traditions Empowerment programme, UN Women
security; Goal 3, ensuring good health; that infringe on the rights of women. reported successfully training 1,500 women
Goal 5, achieving gender equality; Goal Vera Songwe, head of the Economic Com- vendors in Nairobi to participate and benefit
8, promoting full and productive employ-
ment and decent work for all; and Goal 10,
reducing inequalities.
Aspiration 6 of Agenda 2063 envisages
an “Africa whose development is people
Empowerment is limited when women enter the
driven, relying on the potential offered by labour market on unfavourable terms.
people, especially its women and youth,
and caring for children.”
Taking action mission for Africa, the first woman to lead from the government supply chain. This is
What can countries do to empower women the organization, says women, especially in one example of an action in line with Ms.
economically? rural areas, need access to the internet to be Sirleaf’s suggestion.
In a blog for the World Bank, Cape able to take advantage of new technologies. The quality of jobs that women do also
Verde’s Minister of Finance, Planning and The UN Secretary-General’s 2018 CSW matters, writes Abigail Hunt, a researcher
Public Administration Cristina Duarte and report titled Challenges and Opportunities with the Overseas Development Institute, a
the World Bank’s Vice President for Infra- in Achieving Gender Equality and the Empow- UK-based think tank. “Empowerment is lim-
structure Makhtar Diop recently encour- erment of Rural Women and girls advises ited when women enter the labour market on
aged “support [for] young women during countries to “design and implement fiscal unfavourable terms. This includes women’s
adolescence—a critical juncture in their policies that promote gender equality and engagement in exploitative, dangerous or
lives.” The Empowerment and Livelihood the empowerment of rural women and girls stigmatized work, with low pay and job inse-
for Adolescents programme in Uganda, by investing in essential infrastructure (ICT, curity.” In other words, women need access
which “uses girl-only clubs to deliver voca- sustainable energy, sustainable transport to high-paying, safe and secure jobs.
tional and ‘life skills’ training,” is a good and safely managed water and sanitation).” “The road to women’s economic empow-
example, according to Ms. Duarte and Mr. According to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a erment is irreversible,” maintains Ms. Sirleaf.
Diop. former president of Liberia, affirmative “It’s taking a while to get it, but it’s coming;
action is the way to go. She says that “now no one can stop it.”
Innovative messaging app tailor... Network for the Development of Young Starting up Lenali was not without its
from page 3 Girls and Women of Mali, are using difficulties, Mr. Sidibé recalls. “When I
Lenali for social mobilization. was creating my first two businesses in
“An essential part of the information 2014, there were no incubators in Mali.
could work anywhere, and in the future, we publicize is about reproductive health, Perhaps my projects would have been
we can add many languages.” gender-based violence and literacy,” say more successful with the support of an
Lenali was improbably conceived in a Hawa Niakate and Aminata Camara, who incubator.” Incubators are companies
supermarket, the 44-year-old Mr. Sidibé work for the organization. “We use Lenali that support start-ups with office space,
recalls, when someone asked for his help social network to reach everyone.” management training, funding and other
to use the online messaging app Viber. Two Lenali users, Ada and Ladji, say help.
That planted a seed for the computer that they advertise services and produce Perseverance, Mr. Sidibé explains, is
entrepreneur, giving him the idea to such as vegetables on the platform, as what drives his entrepreneurial spirit.
create a platform that caters to people well as use it to host their CVs. The pro- “Once you have a good project, you need
who cannot use text-based messaging cess is simple: they record their voices in to be motivated and give yourself the
apps, Mr. Sidibé tells Africa Renewal. a local language and post the messages means to succeed.” He urges all young
Currently some local nongovernmen- on the platform, hoping to reach tens of entrepreneurs in Africa to explore oppor-
tal organizations, such as the National thousands of users. tunities in the digital industry.
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 11GENDER
Technology is a liberating Yetunde Sanni co-founded Tech in Pink, an organ-
isation that teaches young girls how to code.
force for African women
Andela/ Mohini Ufeli
Innovative projects tackle entrenched gender inequality important needs of women—safety in this
case.
BY CHARLES ONYANGO-OBBO In Uganda, Brenda Katwesigye, a
graduate of Makerere University, founded
A
Wazi Vision, a company that provides eye-
s ride-hailing apps proliferate picking up your children after school,” the testing services and glasses. Ten percent
the globe, the year-old An Nisa company states on its website. of the money paid for each pair purchased
Taxi in Kenya is one of the In an article for Quartz, an online online or through direct sales channels
standouts in Africa. business publication, journalist Osman goes to helping a child in need acquire a
Developed by 33-year-old Mehnaz Mohamed Osman observes: “Unlike others pair of glasses. “To make this possible, we
Sarwar, An Nisa is run by women and in the market, which collect 25% of the go directly to our communities, perform
serves female passengers and children driver’s earnings, An Nisa charges just eye-testing exercises and give away eye-
exclusively. 10% of what the drivers earn from trips.” glasses to children whose parents cannot
Ms. Sarwar sought to overcome two Mr. Osman quotes Ms. Sarwar as saying afford them,” says Ms. Katwesigye.
obstacles: limited job opportunities for she wanted to empower women who need The glasses, made from recycled plas-
women in a male-dominated industry and “financial freedom.” tic, are designed in Uganda and manufac-
the reluctance of women to hail taxis, tured in Switzerland.
because physical abuse from drivers— New possibilities A virtual reality testing kit brings eye
including sexual abuse—is known to take An Nisa’s successful launch demonstrates testing to communities that do not have
place. the possibilities new technologies offer optometrists or access to affordable eye-
“An Nisa Taxi’s priority is to offer safe, African women in male-dominated indus- care services.
reliable, and trustworthy drivers, whether tries. It also conveys a new ethos regarding The company’s operations reflect the
it’s taking you home after a night out, how earnings are distributed and shows sensibilities of female innovators as well as
starting your day with a ride to work, or how services can be deployed to address their concern for the environment, children
12 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019delivery service. LifeBank uses mobile award-winning Egyptian fashion house
By the numbers and web technology and smart logistics
to deliver blood from labs to patients and
specializing in handmade evening and
bridal dresses. Farida Temraza, CEO and
doctors in hospitals across Nigeria. designer in chief, has successfully used
1.7 million Nigeria needs about 1.8 million pints of Facebook advertising to promote her com-
Members of Female IN, a private blood every year, but its Ministry of Health pany’s brand internationally.
Facebook group that acts as a support can only collect 500,000 pints. LifeBank’s Temraza Haute Couture’s video ads
network for women worldwide. intervention is timely, reports Nigeria’s The have gained thousands of views, enough to
Guardian newspaper. The company has 40 drive thousands of clients to her website.
blood banks and services 300 hospitals. Her sales increased by 55% in six months.
600,000 Blood boxes delivered by riders can only be Nigerian-American activist Lola Omo-
Members of Healing Naturally opened by recipients via a preset Bluetooth lola founded Female IN (FIN), a private
Together (HNT), a group of herbal connection. Facebook group that acts as a support net-
medicine enthusiasts who use natural “We’re like Amazon for blood banks,” work for women worldwide, shares stories
remedies for health conditions. Ms. Giwa-Tubosun says. “Once we have of domestic violence, sexual assault and
their order, we deploy it where it’s needed, other issues. Popular posts often get as
using motorbikes and trucks.” Since 2015, many as half a million views.
5,000 LifeBank has delivered 11,000 pints and
Children that Young at Heart Ghana saved at least 2,500 lives. Ms. Giwa-Tubo-
has engaged since 2013 through sun has already expanded into oxygen
learning hubs, digital learning clubs,
fairs and e-learning platforms
delivery and hopes to add vaccines and
antivenins.
1.8 million
In nearby Ghana, social entrepreneur pints of blood needed by
Josephine Marie Godwyll is on a mission Nigeria every year
500 to bring engaging learning experiences to
Vetted caregivers with Greymate children, especially those in rural com-
Care, an online platform that renders munities. Her company, Young at Heart
service to the elderly. Ghana, uses digital platforms to create such Ms. Omolola started FIN in 2014 when
experiences. nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a
The company has engaged over 5,000 boarding school in Chibok, northeastern
and women. Wazi Vision’s glasses cost 80% children since 2013 through information Nigeria, by the Boko Haram militant group,
less than similar competing products. and communication technology (ICT) out- triggering the global #BringBackOurGirls
Turning to Nigeria, Chika Madubuko reaches and learning hubs, digital learning campaign. The group currently has about
identified another vital service, that of clubs, fairs and e-learning platforms. 1.7 million members.
caring for the elderly—a stressful and time- Equally notable is what Christine Any-
consuming task that African women are Social media umel is doing with the Facebook group
traditionally expected to perform for their Finally, social media has become a Healing Naturally Together (HNT), which
family members. launchpad for successful initiatives led
Madubuko’s Greymate Care is an online by women. Temraza Haute Couture is an see page 33
platform with over 500 experienced and
vetted caregivers and 130 doctors and
nurses. Services for the elderly are easily
booked on the company’s website, freeing
up time for women to concentrate on their
work and earn an income. The company
uses GPS to monitor the movements of staff
in the field.
Ms. Madubuko expects the company
to grow beyond her country and to provide
thousands of jobs on the continent in the
future.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun, also from Nige-
ria, founded LifeBank (initially called One
Percent Project), a blood sourcing and
Tech company Andela developers at work in
Nairobi. Andela.com
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 13LABOUR
Preparing Africa’s graduates for today
Experts call for modernising school curricula to match a rapidly changing labour market
BY RAPHAEL OBONYO
M
any Africans with advanced
qualifications are finding their
university degrees are just
not enough to land a job in the
current market.
Ruth Rono graduated from Chuka Uni-
versity, Kenya, in 2015 with first-class
honours. Without a job after many years of
trying, Ms. Rono was forced to take menial
jobs such as working on people’s farms.
Down south, Banji Robert bagged a
bachelor’s degree in economics and math-
ematics from the University of Zambia in
2016 and would have gladly accepted an
entry-level job in one of those fields. Two
years later, without success, a frustrated
Mr. Robert is now a cashier in a grocery
store.
“It is not easy to pay bills, let alone
start a family,” Mr. Robert, 25, told Africa
Renewal. “The pressure is too much when
you have education but no job.”
A graduate of development studies,
Robert Sunday Ayo, 26, finds himself in a
similar situation. “It is sad and very frus-
trating that it is not possible to find work,
even with my kind of résumé,” he says radicalisation, or the often-perilous migra- teaching today,” he says, implying that cur-
regretfully, adding that he now drives a taxi tion journey across the Mediterranean to rent education curricula for some subjects
in Abuja, Nigeria. Europe in search of greener pastures, says are outdated.
Africa Renewal interviewed dozens of Mr. Chatterjee. That view is shared by Ms. Agbor, who
young people across the continent who And because of increasing automation, says that, “It is generally true that in most
expressed dismay that their education is the situation for graduates could worsen in countries [in Africa], education systems
not propelling them toward their career the coming years. have been geared toward getting a quali-
aspirations. According to the Accra-based African fication rather than acquiring skills and
Center for Economic Transformation, a competences that will enhance successful
Basic skills policy think tank, almost 50% of current integration into the world of work.”
One of the reasons for graduate unemploy- university graduates in Africa do not get jobs.
ment is that “far too many youths across The root cause of the problem is a mis- Promising sectors
sub-Saharan Africa emerge from school match between the education they are get- While some complain of the difficulty in
without the basic skills to advance in their ting and labour market needs, maintains finding a job, sectors such as construction,
lives,” says Siddarth Chatterjee, the United Sarah Anyang Agbor, the African Union manufacturing, digital economy, trans-
Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya. (AU) Commissioner for Human Resources, port, banking, medical care and engineer-
“It means there is something not working Science and Technology. ing continue to need skilled candidates,
regarding investment in education.” Joseph Odunga, who has taught math- says Anne-Elvire Esmel, a strategic com-
In general, some 60% of Africa’s unem- ematics in Kenya and Botswana, agrees. munications officer with the AfroCham-
ployed are youth, according to the World “The lessons we used to teach in the pions Initiative, which promotes Africa’s
Bank, and many are resorting to crime, 1990s are the same course content we are homegrown companies.
14 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019and investing in STEM—sciences, technol- itself is not a function of the education
y’s jobs
ogy, engineering and mathematics—which systems and skills alone. There are many
is not sufficiently done at present.” other factors that lead to unemployment,
Her organization proposes an Africa- ranging from sociopolitical stability, eco-
focused infrastructure plan that uses local nomic structures, and global dynamics,
skills to implement projects. together with the general economic growth
“We have massive infrastructure of the countries.”
needs and ought to provide opportunities
to a huge young population over the next Africa needs job creators
decade,” Ms. Esmel says. She stresses the Ms. Mohammed suggests Africa mostly
need for competent artisans and techni- needs job creators—namely entrepreneurs.
cians in the building and construction “We need African Silicon Valleys sprout-
industry and in power and energy plants. ing across the continent. Economies that
The snag, however, is that “technical thrive around the world are built on the
vocational education and training [TVET] foundation of an enabling environment for
is stigmatized as a second-rate learning entrepreneurship to flourish.
track, despite its capacity to promote the “Global multinationals such as Face-
acquisition and development of entre- book, Twitter, LinkedIn and What-
preneurial and innovative skills for self- sApp employ hundreds of thousands of
employment,” laments Mr. Chatterjee. people, directly and indirectly,” adds Ms.
With adequate allocation of resources, Mohammed.
he says “modernizing teaching and learn- Many are looking forward to an Afri-
ing facilities in TVET institutions, as well can Continental Free Trade Area, a single
as training and continuous professional pan-African market for goods and services
development of TVET teachers” will be expected to go into force in the coming
possible. months, which will enable skilled young
Overall, sub-Saharan Africa spends Africans to move freely within markets in
5% of its GDP on education. In 2015, in search of jobs.
Incheon, South Korea, the World Education Still, Aya Chebbi, the AU’s youth envoy,
Forum adopted a declaration that requires says that without the right skills, the youth
countries to commit 4%–6% of their GDP may reap little from the continent’s eco-
or 15%–20% of their public expenditures to nomic integration. She echoes others call-
education. UNESCO organised the forum ing for the continent’s education curricula
with the support of other UN entities and to be updated to align with the current
the World Bank. labour market.
A recent report shows Zimbabwe, Ms. Chebbi says young people can hone
Students of the Africa Leadership University Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Sen- their entrepreneurial skills if they focus on
School of Business graduate in Kigali. egal have met or surpassed the 6%-of-GDP science, technology, engineering, entrepre-
Office of President Paul Kagame target, while South Sudan, the Democratic neurship and mathematics and have access
Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Uganda to on-the-job training.
and Madagascar, among others, spend less In December 2018, Morocco hosted the
The mismatch between labour market than 2.5% of their GDP on education. first African Forum on Vocational Train-
needs and the skills of many graduates A concern is that a high proportion of ing. The aim was to create a model of
in Africa is underscored by the Kenyan education spending (an average of 85%) partnership among African countries to
government’s recent launch of the “Com- is recurrent, including 56% expended on promote access to vocational training for
petency-Based Curriculum,” which inte- wages. youth. The forum signaled that African
grates digital technologies to teach stu- Kenya’s former Cabinet Secretary for countries are attaching increasing impor-
dents inclined toward information and Education and current Cabinet Secretary tance to vocational training.
communications technology the skills for Sports, Amina Mohammed, is less criti- The private sector must complement
they will need to enter the digital apps cal of Africa’s education systems, saying, governments’ efforts, advises Ms. Esmel.
industry that is expanding rapidly in the “Most education systems have inbuilt skill Ms. Agbor agrees: “The private sector
country. development curricula. That is why over needs to be strongly linked to the educa-
Ms. Esmel would like countries to the years most African countries have tion and training systems to meet labour
develop “more theoretical courses adapted developed human capital that is driving market needs.” He encourages companies
to problem solving with regards to eco- the development agenda.” to offer young people apprenticeships,
nomic challenges, providing graduates In an interview with Africa Renewal, internships, mentorships and even skills
with practical skills for the labour market Ms. Mohammed said, “Unemployment certification programs.
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 15INTERVIEW
Young people can capably
lead Africa into the future
— Aya Chebbi, African Union Youth Envoy
A ya Chebbi of Tunisia is the first-ever youth envoy of the African Union. Her appoint-
ment in November 2018 boosts the AU’s efforts to include the talents and skills of
the continent’s bulging youth population in achieving its Agenda 2063, a framework for
Africa’s socioeconomic transformation. Ms. Chebbi is expected to promote, among other
issues, youth leadership and participation in governance, gender equality, safe migration,
employment and climate change action. Raphael Obonyo, a youth activist, interviewed
Ms. Chebbi for Africa Renewal on a range of issues affecting Africa’s young people. These
are excerpts.
What do you hope to achieve during your for young women). As well, I will focus
tenure? on issues affecting refugees, returnees
and internally displaced people. As you
I have a mandate to advocate for the imple- know, the AU theme for 2019 is “Refugees,
mentation of the African Youth Charter, Returnees and Internationally Displaced
the Demographic Dividend Roadmap and Persons.”
Agenda 2063. I see my role as a bridge
builder, building trust by closing the infor- The youth constitute about 60% of Afri-
mation gap between the AU and the Afri- ca’s unemployed. How can we tackle youth
can youth, which can be achieved with a unemployment?
strong and bold communication strategy We need to start a discussion soon with
and by establishing accessible and inclu- member states on the future of work in
sive spaces for conversations that matter Africa. As much as there is an effort to
to youth at the African Union Commis- address job creation, we seem to be creat-
sion (AUC). In addition, I aim to foster ing jobs that will disappear in a few years.
intergenerational dialogue, starting from There is a need for these conversations,
the community level, to address the gap in parallel with urgent action for creating
between the elders and African youth. I livelihoods for youth. I would like to see the
also plan to help mobilize young people AUC activate the AU Youth Development
around pan-Africanism, bringing them Fund to support youth-led entrepreneurial
closer to our pan-African vision, which is initiatives. Youth development funds set up
to lead in efforts at achieving the aspira- at subregional and national levels can also
tions of Agenda 2063. support youth employment. In addition,
supporting the youth with internships, pro-
We can achieve these through partner- fessional programs, trainings and positive
ship, support, participation and coordina- experiences is vital.
tion with young people themselves. This is
a “working together” process—listening, The 2006 African Youth Charter is a
sharing and acting to amplify youth voices. framework for consolidating efforts to
empower young people in driving develop-
What are your top priorities? ment on the continent. How is its imple-
I will say, first, the four pillars of the Demo- mentation going?
graphic Dividend Roadmap: economy, edu- First, we still must make sure that all coun-
cation, health and governance (especially tries sign and ratify the Charter. Regarding
16 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019implementation, we have a lot of work to do in many areas, includ-
ing providing employment, sustainable livelihood, education,
health, youth participation and so on.
How can the youth participate effectively and benefit from the
African Continental Free Trade Area?
As part of the economic integration project, the AfCFTA is a step
forward. Creating jobs through intra-African trade may discour-
age the youth from migrating out of Africa in search of better
opportunities. The AfCFTA requires African states to add value
to their primary commodities and boost their services sector. For
young people to benefit from a huge pan-African market, countries
must revisit their education curricula to ensure that acquired
knowledge and skills are adapted to market needs. Young people
must develop the capacity for entrepreneurship. There is a need
to promote science, technology, engineering, maths and entrepre-
neurship in schools. The youth are better placed to participate in
the digital economy.
How do you plan to promote the AU and its Commission to young
people?
The AU is an institution that was formed on the values of pan-
Africanism, and we should not give up on it. The union holds the
legacy of our collective liberation and collective future. Besides, it
is important to understand how the AU is organised so that we can
manage expectations of what it can achieve. The AU as a regional
body does not have the power to implement or enforce policies in
individual countries. This remains a key challenge in the imple-
mentation of policy frameworks and themes adopted by the AU
Assembly. We should strengthen and reform the AUC to be more
effective. Young people should be encouraged to lead some of its
organs. I accepted the appointment because of a strong conviction
that the AU will always remain relevant to Africa’s unity.
How did you get to be appointed the AU’s youth envoy?
I was appointed through a transparent process. There was an open
call online for youth to submit their applications for the position.
I applied and was among the 706 applicants, of which a shortlist
of 17 was made and then four of us were invited for interviews. A
panel of 14 members interviewed me. It was the biggest panel I
have ever faced. Every member of the panel had to score the can-
didates according to the set criteria. I scored the first.
What is your final message to African youth?
My message is, you can be whatever you want to be. There are only
two things you need to do: find your identity and live your mission.
You need to know who you are and what you stand for. Once you
know your identity, know why you wake up every day and why
you do what you do, that’s your mission. I want my appointment
to be an inspiration to other African youths to pursue leadership
positions wherever they are and in whatever they do. I would like
to add that young people should aspire to be pan-Africanists. We
have been talking a lot about the ’60s and the liberation movements
that inspired us. Now we need to be the pan-Africanists of the 21st
century, to lead this continent to where it deserves to be. The future
of Africa is certainly bright if we unite around this collective pan-
African vision that my liberation is your liberation.
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 17ARTS & CULLTURE
African music on a round trip
—from Cotonou to Cuba and back
Caribbean influence leaves its mark as popular Afro rhythms develop
BY FRANCK KUWONU
I
t’s Sunday night at Aba House, an food and wash it down with beer, whiskey Angélique Kidjo performs in a concert.
open-air bar in Lomé, Togo’s capital, and soft drinks. North Caroline Museum of Art
and stylish young men and women in A few minutes earlier, the band had
modern African dress fill the dance played an up-tempo reggae tune and a high-
floor as the bass guitarist pumps up the life rendition of a Christian hymn, but it was Salsa music has remained popular in
tempo. Powerful! Soulful! the sound of the Afro-Cuban rumba that got West Africa since it was introduced in the
The lyrics are in Mina, a local language people spinning, shimmying and swinging region in the 1950s, reportedly by sailors.
in southern Togo and parts of neighboring their hips on the now-crowded dance floor. From Lomé to Bamako in Mali, Conakry
Benin, but the music is unmistakably Afro- “This is my father’s bar and we play here in Guinea, Cotonou in Benin and Dakar in
Cuban, a genre with global acclaim. every Sunday evening,” George Lassey, the Senegal, live bands have gained interna-
The weather is cool, the air filled with a bandleader, told Africa Renewal. “We play tional fame playing catchy Cuban dance
misty marine breeze coming from the roar- all kinds of music: reggae, gospel, salsa and tunes.
ing Atlantic Ocean. others.” Among the well-known bands incor-
Across the street, onlookers marvel at However, Mr. Lassey says, salsa is “by porating the Cuban groove are Orches-
the colorful dresses and practiced dance far the most requested during our live tra Baobab and Le Super Etoile de
moves and watch as patrons nibble on finger performances.” Dakar, the latter famed for mbalax and
18 AfricaRenewal April - July 2019Latin-influenced dance music, in which Hispanic components are the vocal style Somethin’” includes the refrain, “Mama-
Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour, who and lyrical poetry of the songs. Its call-and- say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah.” Music
is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, response pattern comes from African Bantu experts believe Mr. Jackson sampled the
shot to fame. Others include the Rail Band tradition. refrain from Mr. Dibango’s album.
in Bamako and Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo “Indépendance Cha Cha,” performed Over the years Congolese rumba, Nige-
de Cotonou. by Joseph Kabasele (known by his stage rian Afrobeat, Ghanaian highlife, Carib-
name Le Grand Kallé), was composed bean calypso, Antilles zouk, Trinidadian
African-flavored salsa and performed for the first time in 1960 soca and dancehall music gained currency
In early 2010, some of Africa’s renowned to celebrate the imminent independence in Africa and in the diaspora, while becom-
salsa vocalists joined forces with New of the former Belgian Congo (present- ing telling signs of the popularity of African
York–based musicians to form Africando, day Democratic Republic of Congo). The rhythms and their influences around the
a group that successfully brought African- song quickly gained continentwide appeal world.
flavored salsa to the global music market. during a period when several other African
Growing up in Benin, Angélique Kidjo, countries were in the process of gaining Afrosoca genre
now an internationally acclaimed artist independence from colonial rule. The song In the Caribbean, AfroSoca—a blend of
and another UNICEF Goodwill Ambassa- is still performed today, and it has inspired Afrobeat, traditional soca and dancehall—
dor, felt a strong connection to salsa. other pan-African genres such as soukous, emerged in 2014. The genre, introduced by
“As I was listening to Celia, I could hear makossa and coupé décalé. Trinidadian Olatunji Yearwood, has been
Africa,” Ms. Kidjo remembers, referring In turn, makossa, a Cameroonian genre growing in popularity on both sides of the
to Celia Cruz, often called the “Queen of popularized internationally by saxophon- Atlantic, and as far away as South Africa.
Salsa.” ist Manu Dibango, contributed to the In West Africa, popular Nigerian artist
In July 2016, Angélique Kidjo teamed emergence of disco in the US through his Flavour N’abania scored a major hit in
up with several New York–based Cuban song “Soul Makossa.” 2011 with a catchy remix of his 2005 song
musicians to perform a tribute to the late In the album Thriller, released in 1982, “Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix).” The song
Celia Cruz before taking the show on the Michael Jackson’s song “Wanna Be Startin’ was a cover of “Sawale,” a popular highlife
road across the US, Europe and Asia. hit from the 1960s. The original “Sawale”
The enduring popularity of salsa and and its 2005 cover had a slow beat typical
the recent emergence of genres such as of Ghanaian and Nigerian highlife music.
AfroSoca in the Caribbean signal the resil- Yet “Sawale” appears to borrow its
ience of African and Africa-inspired arts rhythmic and melodic base from “El Man-
and culture throughout centuries, some- isero,” also known as “The Peanut Vendor,”
times amid challenging circumstances. a popular Cuban piece. Fast forward to
“It is well known that salsa and Carib- 2011, and the original rhythm and tempo
bean rhythms have African roots. But it is have been transformed into a major hit
also true that a lot of modern African music straight out of Nigeria.
owes a lot of its influences to salsa and Were it not for the lyrics in pidgin
el son cubano,” says Angel Romero Ruiz, English and the nationality of the artist,
founder and senior editor of World Music people in the Caribbean would have
Central, a US-based online magazine dedi- mistaken the hit for theirs because of
cated to world music. El son cubano is a the heavy influence of soca and dancehall.
quintessential Afro-Cuban song style (the
term can refer to a dancing style as well). Ghanaian Azonto
It is a surprise that the 2017 carnival hit
A round-trip phenomenon “Bouncing” from Shemmy J & Imran
Music experts have coined the phrase Nerdy, both artists from Saint Lucia,
“round-trip phenomenon” to refer to unmistakably reminds listeners of Fla-
rhythms and sounds that travel before vor’s “Ashawo” Remix.
returning to their source. Another Nigerian Afrobeat artist,
The Congolese rumba is an exam- Iyanya, succeeded in blending elements
ple of the round-trip phenomenon. It is of Cameroonian makossa, Ivorian coupé
derived from el son cubano. Son originally décalé and Ghanaian azonto into his song
played the function of telling the news of “Kukere.”
the countryside. Among its fundamental “Kukere” sounds like a soca song, so
much so that while rehearsing for a carni-
Youssou N’dour performing in Montreux Jazz val in Port of Spain in Trinidad, dancers
Festival in Montreux, Switzerland.
Christophe Losberger see page 34
AfricaRenewal April - July 2019 19You can also read
