“We used to hunt and fish in there, and also we used to have honeybee hives in trees,” one tribal member, Mikael Yatola, said through a translator. “But now we can’t do that. When we were told to remove our beehives from there, we felt deep sorrow, deep sadness.” (via Organic Consumer)

Last year, I remember receiving an email that beckoned me; No, it “screamed” at me to fax, phone, petition and join an online protest against Starbucks, the giant coffee chain known for turning a cup of JOE into the Yuppie beverage of choice.

Surprised by the allegations, I began my research, becoming even more interested in the apparent coffee revolution brewing around the African coffee trade. As a descendent of people who had often discussed their coffee farms in the Voinjama Mountains of Liberia, West Africa, it felt like life had come full circle with that email – almost karma like.

So, in my continual exploration of how technology is affecting change in Africa, I again received an email (from partner) about an organization know as CROP TO CUP.
Crop to Cup describes itself as a “network of partners and farmer entrepreneurs working towards the improvement of livelihoods through the digitization of coffee farming.”

Interesting concept I thought, so I headed over to the website and sure enough – Coffee has gone 2.0! On the site (croptocup.com), one can order products, network with the Ugandan Farmers producing branded Bugisu AA and Citizen’s Espresso Blend. Through this online business concept, one can literally “track a cup of coffee from point of purchase back to the people who produce it. For those living in the United States, there is even a list of restaurants and places to buy. Through the use of technology and an interactive model, consumers and farmers form an intimate connection – ultimately creating brand loyalty.

After reviewing Crop To Cup, seems this group is out to prove that Java is not just a 2.0 application but a way of bringing dignity back to the African coffee trade.

The Nairobi office serves as the search company’s headquarters for all African operations, and the new senior managers to be brought into the Google-fold will join nine other senior level employees working presently in Africa. Google is also expanding into Ghana, Tanzania,
Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and Senegal.

While the vast majority of Africa remains unconnected (estimates place it at around 95%), this means that Google is serious about cementing its position as the number one search engine choice on the continent.

A Hedge Against Microhoo?

Within Kenya, there haven’t been many headline grabbing initiatives for Google. They’ve partnered with a number of educational institutions. They’ve agreed to be the primary email provider for Safaricom, as well as an upstream data provider for the ISP, bringing a greater level of access to a large number of Kenyans.

These moves are seen by analysts as an attempt to re-align their operation in response to the looming threat of a Microhoo alliance.

“Microsoft’s hostile bid for Yahoo! raises more troubling questions. This is about more than simply a financial transaction,” said Google Senior Vice President David Drummond. “It’s about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.”

That might be a bit high-minded talk regarding the merger talks, but the fact remains that Google is in a far more globally diversified position than most of the other Internet giants in what is a recession-resistant market; measurable advertising. Placing an emphasis in Africa won’t provide immediate shelter from what possible economic downturns may be coming in the near-term, but it creates a long term success path to ownership of a market that only has room to grow.

“The night vigil went off successfully. About 250 people attended, speeches made, songs sung.”
* Flower Power will take place on Wednesday 30th January at 10am with flowers being placed at Freedom Corner, Uhuru Park
* Received advice, information and expertise from religious leaders in Sierra Leone, Sudan and elsewhere on how to find a way out. Want faith based leaders to help find solutions
* Patients at Kenyatta Hospital are being discriminated against. A women’s delegation meeting today at Silver Springs Hotel at 3pm will discuss, fact find and report back
— Kenyan Pundit

The above statements are excerpts from three highly regarded Kenyan Bloggers who have kept the world in tune with the on-the-ground activities and experiences in their homeland. These previously mentioned bloggers were “broadcasting live” even before the current situation hit boiling point and the rest of the world began to make Kenya front-page news. The above group of bloggers and others has been a key connection for those in Africa and the Diaspora interested in getting to the root of the matter, connecting with loved ones on the ground, and those wanted to sift through images of a sometimes-removed newscaster. To many, these bloggers represent “the real story,” as well as the heart and soul of a Nation.

So, in this post we will explore the impact of bloggers during the recent Kenyan crisis and how they have helped to democratize the newsgathering and dissemination process.

Kobia Interactive, shut down the message board, on Mashada.com twice during the height of the Post Election violence because the discussions just seemed to be adding fuel to a very volatile and deadly situation. Mashada.com is arguably one of the most popular sites accessed by Kenyans in the Diaspora as well as Kenya itself.

The Kenyan Blog Webring, which gave out awards last year to their extensive network of bloggers that share, disseminate and focus in on a subject matter, is a great example of the crowd sourcing phenomenon, rapidly becoming a part of new media reporting.

Finally, as the violence continued to ensue in Kenya, this same network of “digital activists,” has given birth to the Ushahidi website. The group’s purpose is further described on related sites;

“One major concern in the aftermath of Kenya’s disputed elections has been the possibility that the media is undercounting the dead and injured in incidents of election violence. Ory Okolloh (Kenyan Pundit) suggested a project to document incidents of violence and place them on a web-based map. The idea was quickly picked up by Kenyans in the country and in the Diaspora, and over the weekend, Kenyan developer David Kobia put together the Ushahidi website, based on a design sketch from White African blogger Erik “Hash” Hersman and input from a wide range of Kenyan bloggers and activists.”

So, as we examine the blogging phenomenon facilitated through the use of technology and its effect on the current Kenyan Crisis, we see an evolution that unlike mainstream media, is more than just sound bites, sensationalism and ratings. There is a human component that allows groups of people to gather, disseminate information and then ultimately take action to inspire CHANGE. The network of Kenyan Bloggers is an illustration of how everyday people are coming together through technology and across continents, not to just report information but to take action and quite possibly play a role as global leaders meet to write and implement policy decisions.

One of the best summaries I have read on the effect of Bloggers on the Kenyan situation comes from the blog Mental Acrobatics, where in we found this statement “I would argue that it is stories like this that rather than showing the danger of blogs, HIGHLIGHT the importance of blogs and other citizen media. While the MSM was stuck in its procedures, bloggers wrote about what they had heard, seen or were told. There is nothing wrong with quoting primary sources. The historians amongst us can confirm the importance with which primary sources are regarded on any historical event. The eyewitness account, the man on the street as it were. If you wanted to know what Kenyans were thinking and feeling at the time the blogs were a very good place to start.”

Crowdsourcing Kenyan News …..what an interesting concept and challenge to mainstream media!

Africa 2.0 Project , Affecting Change Through Technology

As Africa becomes the next emerging market, Africa 2.0 is positioned to be the global key to bridging the gap between Africa and the world in our respective industries.

According to internetworldstats.com, the African market segment has shown phenomenal growth within a 7 year period and the most recent statistics from November 2007 are presented here:

AFRICA — 14.2% of the world population
941,241,130 - Internet Usage
Growth from 2000-2007 ——- 879.8% vs. 241.6% for the rest of the world.

Through Africa 2.0 we will centralize and bring information on the growing impact of Africa and the African Diaspora as this group affects change through technology. We will co-author a variety of articles and bring to the fore-front the main players in the Africa 2.0 movement. We will identify and showcase those power players who are positioned to help the world better understand and ultimately - guide them into the business of doing business with Africa.

[Disclosures] As a Writer, Promotional/Marketing Professional, African-born/Diaspora raised individual as well as Partner at Diaspora Interactive Media, Inc, Africa’s newest and most dynamic media corporation, I have the opportunity of interacting daily with Africa’s best and brightest.

These individuals, due to hardship in some parts of Africa, have become the fastest group of immigrants to Western Countries in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. The African immigrant market in the Diaspora consists of over 20,000,000 people. These individuals although uprooted from their native lands are seeking ways in which to connect with relatives, family and ultimately their heritage on the continent. In the United States alone, there are thousands of people that lack information pertaining to their situations, and therefore are seeking sources to help fill that void. We seek to inform our clients of issues, information and opportunities in a fresh, interesting and regular basis. Also, in an effort to cater to all the special cultural needs of our market we will provide products that are hard to find and are of cultural or popular value such as music, books etc.

Our research has shown that there is a lack of information out there for this growing group and whatever exists, is fragmented and in most cases incomplete. Through our individual projects and this Africa 2.0 opportunity with new assignment.net, we plan to facilitate this lacking by identifying the movers and shakers while creating a platform for off-line events that will provide access to hard to reach yet pertinent information required by our mass market. We will seek to answer questions that are asked often and even those that will be asked. We seek to inform our clients of issues, information and opportunities that are fresh and interesting.

We also seek to provide a platform for interactivity among this growing consumer/ customer base as well as the rest of the world that is seeking and needs to identify key players and influencers both on the continent and abroad. In essence with this project, we aim to create and present a “Thinktank” of experts that will facilitate dialog and bridge gaps cross continents. In an effort to cater to all the special cultural needs of our market we will also provide products that are hard to find and are of cultural or popular value to this growing segment.

As an example, of this, Diaspora Interactive Media (DIM CORP) first product launched is Jamati.com, “Africa’s Premiere Entertainment Portal.” Jamati, spelled Jaamati in kiswahili and means meeting place. Through JAMATIONLINE we seek to provide an interactive platform and quality editorial content for a demanding pan-African audience on 5 continents.

Nearly 25% of the growth of the black population between 1990 and 2000 was because of newcomers from Africa and the Caribbean, according to a published report. Their populations are growing at a faster rate than that of traditional African-Americans.

The number of African-Americans increased 10% to 31 million in the 1990s. But the number of blacks from Africa more than doubled to 537,000 in the same period. The number of blacks from the Caribbean increased 63% to more than 1.5 million.
Source: John Logan, sociologist, University at Albany, analysis of 2000 Census data.

This shift is beginning to reshape black politics in some cities and the focus of some black advocacy groups. An example of this would be the 2007 election of Nigerian native Nigerian-born Rotimi Adebari. The 43 year old won in a six to three vote by a nine-member council to become Mayor of Portlaoise (pronounced Port-leash-a), a town in Ireland with a population of approximately 15,000.

“In some major metropolitan regions, these new black groups amount to 20% or more of the black population,” says sociologist John Logan, co-author of the report on black diversity. “Local wards are very aware that this is potentially an important voting bloc.”
Blacks from Africa and the Caribbean tend to be better educated, have higher income and live in more prosperous neighborhoods than African-Americans, says Logan, director of the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research at the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York. It is also noted that black immigrants, like immigrants of any color, tend to cling to national identities at first. This is precisely why information sharing through technology has become so critical to this growing segment. They are eager to connect with groups that are similar to themselves and share their experiences. In essence, they demand that their stories be told in a way that they understand and be packaged in a way that they can digest it.
Market Segmentation Africans overseas typically form sub cultures among national lines. We will therefore focus on bringing in the larger national communities: Namely

1. Nigerians, Ghanians, Somalis, Ethiopians, Kenyans
2. We are also targeting medium sized populations. These include groups like
3. Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Liberians
4. Overall however, we will work in concert and strategically to target national
5. populations that don’t have a lot of representation in our markets.

So, welcome to Africa 2.0 and the new assignment.net project. Our first group article will be co-authored with Mr. G. Kofi Annan, of the Annansi, LLC (gkofiannan.com) , an Entrepreneur, Strategist, and Author.
To Your Success!