Consuming African culture

The recent emphasis upon Africa at the G8 Summit has made me think about the different ways in which I consume African culture. Africa as a producer of agricultural products and raw materials, trading with the other continents of the world, will go some way towards providing gross national income for participating countries that will (eventually) trickle down to village communities and family clans. However, this tertiary sector (food, bulk raw materials, diamonds etc) is made up of generic products that are unlikely to command premium prices.

It is as a producer of intellectual products (which are as good as any in the rest of the world) that Africa has the best opportunity to achieve significant levels of income, providing surplus cash that will, through the accelerator effect (by which money circulates and re-circulates, providing investment and employment at every phase) regenerate societies without dependence upon the volatility of commodity markets.

African costumes, African music, African literature all have a unique identity that deserves to be more widely known. It is by consuming African culture that we can, on a basis of true equality, trade with the African continent. There are also many good African weblogs, including www.unganisha.org - a Kenyan-based weblog which I have been reading for over a year (the writing is very fine, some of the best I have come across).


African costume design - costumes of the Morenada dancers on display at the British Museum.

The British Museum caption reads: The dancers in the Morenada troupe represent the black Africans who were brought to work as slaves on farms and in mines during the colonial period. The dancers are burdened by heavy costumes weighing 100 lb or more. The costumes represent the wealth of the mine owners. They take months of devoted and skilful ingenuity to prepare. Led by the Rey Moreno (Black King) the troupe advances slowly shaking hand-held rattles in unison to imitate the sound of the iron chains that once bound them...