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Kwame  is an animator and illustrator living in Nairobi, Kenya heading up animation studio Apes in Space. He has been involved in several animation training and production initiatives on the continent, including UNESCO’s ‘Africa Animated!’ Project, and Tiger Aspect’s ‘Tinga Tinga Tales‘children’s TV series. Kwame produces short films, commercials, and storyboard work for the budding film and animation industry in Kenya. Kwame also illustrates for book and editorial. His most notable success being writing and illustrating the children’s book ‘A Tasty Maandazi’  2006.

The short film ‘The Legend of Ngong Hills’, produced in 2010, marks Kwame’s endeavor to showcase the possibilities that lie in using animation to tell African folklore and fantasy.

…read on…

TED Talks provide an amazing avenue for people around the world to listen to some of the world’s brightest, most inspirational and most accomplished individuals the world over. Several African speakers have featured and shared their ideas over time and we thought we would share our top 5 all time favorites. 

(via cp-africa)

(CNN) — Seeing the deprivations faced by children in her neighborhood, one Ethiopian school teacher decided to make it her mission to provide them with a safe place to learn and play.

 Muday Mitiku decided to open a school 11 years ago, when she realized that most of the children in her suburb were spending their days on the streets, unwashed, unfed and unschooled.

But the little school in Keteme, a poor neighborhood on the eastern edge of Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa, aims to do a lot more than just provide children from impoverished backgrounds with an education.

“Fresh and Green is the only school of its type in the area,” explained Mitiku. “It is unique in that it provides three daily meals year round to the children and assists the families in becoming more self sufficient.”

more here.

Words Chukwunwike Obi   Photography Dana Lixenberg

Gaia Repossi, the artistic director of luxury jeweller House of Repossi; Belgian supermodel Anouck Lepère; and non-profit organisation Kageno have come together as creative/designer, muse and cause. The cause being the children of Rwanda and Kenya for whom the collective will be erecting hospitals, orphanages and schools.

The new collection combines the highly skilled embroidery work of the Rwandan villagers with Repossi’s refined, luxurious and minimal pieces. This partnership has resulted in some beautiful and delicate cuffs, bracelets and necklaces in silver, gold and nude-coloured woven raffia.

Photography Abdelwaheb Didi

The collection will be sold exclusively in Paris concept store Colette from June, with prices ranging from €190 to €350.

More on repossi.com and kageno.org

Perspective: Rwanda showcases three powerful short films from Rwandan filmmakers Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo (Lyiza), Kayambi Musafiri (Shema) and Jean Luc Fils Habyarimana (Saa-ipo). These films touch on the Rwandan genocide in 1994, where estimates of nearly a million people were killed. This massacre continues to make international headlines today as Augustin Bizmungu, a former Rwandan army chief, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the genocide. Instead of focusing solely on the devastation, each of these films look to the future for hope and inspiration.