Hi, Quartz Africa readers!
Poleni sana
Nairobi has been an important home for Quartz Africa right from our inception. We’ve held two of our biggest Quartz events there and have always felt incredibly welcome and engaged by the energy and vibrancy of the city—particularly by its startup and innovator community.
That’s why for many of us it felt very personal to hear of, and eventually see, images of the terrible events unfold at Dusit Hotel, Riverside Complex on Jan.15 which ended with 21 lives taken. As journalists we go into “breaking news” mode and focus on the confirmed facts and details of such major news. When in this mode, Nairobi is no different from Paris, London or any other of the increasing number of these incidents we unfortunately keep learning of around the world. In this mode, the press strives to understand and explain why these things happen even when some the sensitivity around the reporting isn’t perfect.
But as the dust settles, you start to see how much more this is than a news story and no longer about unnamed victims and body counts and instead about real people. You remember to WhatsApp friends and partners to check in on them.
Our Nairobi reporter, Abdi Latif Dahir, a native of the city, writes movingly here about the funeral of two friends, Feisal Ahmed and Abdalla Mohamed Dahir, who were inseparable and died together in the attacks. Njoki Ngumi also told him about Bernadette Akinyi Konjalo who worked at Dusit and selflessly helped people to safety.
I met Jason Spindler at Quartz‘s Africa Innovators event in 2016 in Nairobi. The company he founded, I-Dev had been working as an investment and advisory firm in this space. I’ve since learned we have several friends in common.
Cellulant, which has just begun to get global recognition for its pioneering work in fintech innovation, was stunned by the loss of six colleagues: Ashford Kuria, Wilfred Kareithi, Kelvin Gitonga, Denis Mwaniki, Jeremiah Mbaria, John Ndiritu.
It wasn’t just people in the tech industry, of course, there were hotel workers and members of the security forces who lost their lives as well.
We send sincere condolences to the loved ones of all affected. But we also know Nairobi will not be deterred and will remain strong. We’ll be there with this remarkable city.
— Yinka Adegoke, Quartz Africa editor
Stories from this week
Nigeria’s tech startups have become a political talking point ahead of a tight election. With Nigeria’s general elections barely a month away, candidates are name-dropping tech companies. As Yomi Kazeem writes, it’s a recent tactic for aspirants looking to sway young voters—a majority of the electorate—by appearing progressive and supportive of the local tech ecosystem.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is leading the rise of an African literature wave in China. The translation of African authors’ works in China previously favored Nobel laureates and those already translated into English. But the translation of the Nigerian author’s works shows the growing interest among publishers and readers in younger and new writers.
Cape Town delayed its Day Zero but South Africa’s water woes are far from over. This time a year ago Cape Town’s residents were in panic over tightening water restrictions as it looked to become the world’s first major city to run out of water. But, reporting from Durban, Brian Browdie finds climate change’s arid reach extends to other South African cities and towns.
E-commerce pioneers in Nigeria are struggling to prove the market’s viability. The early years of optimism around e-commerce in Nigeria has been replaced by serious doubts over its viability. Several pioneers in the industry are scaling back operations, pivoting to other business models or shutting down altogether amid questions over the size and readiness of the addressable market in Africa’s largest economy, Yomi Kazeem explains.
Zimbabwe’s fuel protests meant even a billionaire couldn’t keep the internet on. The protests against the increase of fuel prices in Zimbabwe are some of the most vociferous the country has seen in recent years. The government made mobile operators shut down internet and Econet chairman/billionaire Strive Masiyiwa claimed there was little his company could do but follow the rules. So Zimbabweans have been signing up to VPN services in record numbers.
What would a Coming to America sequel look like in the age of the internet? Prince Akeem is set to return to New York with a remake of Coming to America. In 2019, the story of a pampered African prince hiding out in Queens is not as simple as it was in 1988. The remake will have to contend with changed attitudes on gender, identity and globalization in the age of gentrification and social media, writes Lynsey Chutel.
Chart of the Week
Global tourism grew to record levels, driven by visits to Africa. With over 1.3 billion travelers on the move in 2017, global tourism saw the highest growth in international tourist arrivals since 2010. Much of the rebound was created by the 63 million visitors to Africa.
Other Things We Liked
Investigating the killing of Rwanda’s exiled spy chief. Patrick Karegeya had been part of the rebels that took over Rwanda after the 1994 genocide and was appointed to lead external intelligence by president Paul Kagame. In The Guardian, Michela Wrong traces how he fell out with the Rwandan government and searches for who might have killed him in South Africa.
How the US and China collaborated to get nuclear material out of Nigeria and away from Boko Haram. Late last year the United States defense department was quietly working on a sensitive project to remove highly enriched uranium from a research reactor in the northern city of Kaduna. For Defense News, Aaron Mehta tells how the multinational program played out in a bid to prevent Nigeria becoming a target for terrorists hoping to get their hands on nuclear material.
ICYMI
African Master’s in Machine Intelligence (AMMI). The fully funded one-year intensive graduate program backed by Facebook and Google gives African applicants the opportunity to delve into machine learning by applying here. (Feb. 28)
Women in climate change science. The fellowship grants African female scientists the chance to map past, current, and future climate patterns and provide solutions to adapt and increase our resilience to climate change. (Feb. 28)
Keep an eye on
African Union visits DR Congo which has a “two presidents” problem (Jan. 21). After casting “serious doubts” over the conduct of the polls, the AU will send its head Moussa Faki and presidents including Rwanda’s Paul Kagame to devise a way out of the political crisis. Felix Tshisekedi was declared winner by the country’s top court late on Saturday (Jan. 19) and Martin Fayulu, who believes he rightfully won the majority vote, described the outcome as a “constitutional coup”. He advised the Congolese to recognize him instead as the rightful president-elect.
World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland (Jan. 22-25). African and global leaders will arrive in Davos, Switzerland to discuss the major challenges facing the world. Sign up to receive Quartz‘s Davos Daily Brief written from and focused on the annual event.
Afrobytes New York and San Francisco (Jan. 22 & 24).
Afrobytes’
series of city events kicks off
at
Quartz
HQ in New York on Jan. 22 and in San Francisco at Holberton School on Jan. 24. The sessions with industry leaders will focus on how everything from artificial intelligence and blockchain to crypto and other advances are bridging the gap between African tech ecosystems and the US technology community.
*This brief was produced while listening to Longo Nolam Estha by Jacky Doumbé (Cameroon).
Our best wishes for a productive and thought-filled week ahead. Please send any news, comments, suggestions,Mandarin translations of Chimamanda and a Zamunda passport to africa@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day.
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