Celebrating Africa: An audacious project of monumental proportions

Define Shiru

I am a citizen of Africa and self appointed ambassador of this continent.  I am an eternal optimist and junkie for challengers.

Where were you born?

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya & immigrated to South Africa 15 years ago

How did you get into your career?

Which one? (laughs) I am schizophrenic in that department. I trained as an attorney for seven years, I have been in the properly business, but my career of choice was the arts.

My more recent project is Celebrating Africa which fulfills my childlike obsession with Africa and the arts

What is the Celebrating Africa project all about?

Celebrating Africa is a World Cup Legacy project which presents a different face of Africa by highlighting the success and ingenuity of the continent.  By exposing Africa’s greatness, we are contributing positively to the way Brand Africa is presented to the world.

The Brand elements of the Celebrating Africa are:

• A show-stopping mother of all festivals taking place from 13 to 17 July 2010, immediately after the closing ceremony of the World Cup.
• Africa in dialogue: A radio show comprising a series of conversations with Africa’s greatest thought leaders in culture, history and wealth.
• Outreach projects aimed at reconciling communities that were ravaged by xenophobia and raising money to make education accessible to the children of Africa and
• Friends of Africa Network: A global online community of Africa’s cheerleaders.

Where did it all begin?

Being the founder of Celebrating Africa is the result of a series of experiences that have shaped my life for many years, I have watched, in despair, Africa’s bad news being promoted with such skill, dedication and great articulation – the sustained message is one of unprecedented catastrophe.

Each time another Hollywood star makes a plea to “help Africa” in front of billions of television viewers, the message that Africa is a continent of death, destruction, deprivation & despair is reinforced.

But is this not done in the spirit of getting donors to commit to helping Africa?

Oh, absolutely! These are noble and laudable intentions, but the results is that Africa is always presented as a monumental basket case! We have internalized these messages and stereotypes to the point where we are unable to break free of these negative associations.

This has vicious and far reaching consequences, doing very little for the self-esteem of a people who once stood tall, and is evidently destructive to our collective psychology.

In fact, as an African, it is difficult to inspire anything more useful than pity & suspicion.  I can write volumes on how these unchecked negative perceptions compromise our potential and ability to go beyond some limitations.

This is perhaps what the brand gurus talk about.

Correct. If you don’t manage your own brand, someone else will. Brand Affairs is inaccurately presented by people who have no stakes in the continent. As African’s, whatever your colour, creed or race, we are all responsible and can contribute positively to Brand Africa’s PR.  After all, we are the ones who stand to lose when our brand is contaminated.

And how do you see your project contributing to the transformation of Africa?

Firstly, I accept the fact that the consequences of Africa traumatic history will remain relevant for many years to come.

I further concede the many of our citizens are objectively unable to exercise choices because of the many problems that plague our continent.  That said, multitudes of people have the potential and opportunity to alter the course of Africa, Ordinary people and companies doing booming business in Africa can play a key role in this endeavor.

Celebrating Africa is doing just that – with a constant reminder that we are a great people with great potential, a new behalf system will emerge.  I may not live to see the day, but I have no doubt that Africa will one day take her right-full place in the continents of our universe.

How much do you realistically think you can do on your own and in this lifetime?

Thank God we are not alone! Firstly, there are many past and present heroes who have dedicated themselves and lost their lives in the name of Africa’s regeneration.  We have surrounded ourselves with people who are championing this project and contributing their expertise and resources forward its success.

The flapping wings of one butterfly represent a small change in the initial conditions of a system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alteration of events.  It is the little things that we do which will eventually alter Africa’s course towards the path of prosperity and opportunity for all.

Do you have a World Cup agenda?

Absolutely, South Africa made a commitment to make this an African World Cup and we are contributing to making good this promise by engaging the continent in a meaningful way.

We are reconnecting the people of Africa, Highlighting our shared cultural kinship and inspiring the Africa Diaspora to establish emotional and psychological hands with the continent of their ancestry.

The World Cup is the ideal platform to present this project to a global audience.  Having been endorsed by the LOG as a World Cup legacy project allows us to market the event to the audience that will converge in South Africa to witness Africa’s first–ever  World Cup. After the final whistles is blown, the Celebrating Africa Festival will keep the momentum of the celebrations alive!

How do you hope to address the elusive legacy question of the World Cup?

The World Cup will be successful because the whole continent is rooting for South Africa.  The excitement around Africa about this World Cup is palpable – you have no idea!

We will prove to the world that when Africa stands united behind a cause, anything and everything is possible.  This unifying effect of football must therefore be sustained beyond 2010.  Celebrating Africa presents an opportunity to sustain the camaraderie and sense of common purpose after the final whistle is blown.  The new sense of common purpose is Africa’s economic & cultural revival.

How do you raise money to fund this project?

Apart from the R9 million seed capital we invested in the project, funding and sponsorship from the private and public sector are the lifeline of the project. It has been a tough year, but the government has thrown its weight behind the project.  Doors that were tightly shut are now beginning to open.

We have also presented this opportunity to members of US President Barack Obama’s administration in Washington.  We are very excited about the potential of this new partnership.

What can ordinary people do to support the project?

We are recruiting the public to join the friends of Africa Network.  This group is currently on Facebook, but we are busy developing an application that can accommodate this network on our site.

Members of this network are the DNA of the project because they contribute content for our radio show and participate in forums.  We are working towards a record one million members by December 2010.

Go to our website: www.celebrationgafrica.net to register on the Friends of Africa Link. 

Any final Words?

People who see the glass half empty allege that Celebrating Africa is a mission impossible.  Look, some wise guys also said that America would only see a Black President when pigs fly. Indeed, 100 days into Obama’s presidency, the world caught swine flu!

For enquiries, email shiru@humanelementinc.co.za or visit the Celebrating Africa website.