SOUTH AFRICA

#DesignIndaba: contradictions in architecture

[Herman Manson: @marklives] As riots and revolution rocks the Arab world, the rulers of Abu Dhabi are building yet another offshore island villa complex for the super-rich. Designer Dror Benshetrit, speaking on day one of the annual Design Indaba conference, currently underway at CTICC in Cape Town, admits he spent several minutes laughing loudly over the phone during the call in which he was told he'd won the design contract that he'd designed in only five weeks. [view twitterfall] Read more >>

NORTH AFRICA

Journalists missing in Libya; one killed in Iraq bombing

NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists remains alarmed by the Libyan government's ongoing, threatening rhetoric against the press, as well as the continued violence against journalists - a number of whom have not been heard from since demonstrations began on 17 February 2011. Read more >>

UGANDA

Six journalists attacked in Uganda election violence

NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Ugandan police to conduct a thorough investigation and arrest all the perpetrators involved in the brutal attacks against six journalists on Wednesday, 23 February 2011, during local elections in the capital, Kampala. Read more >>

AFRICA

Keyword research: a comprehensive SEO guideline

[Yoray Narainpersad] If you really want your website to work for you then the first thing you need to know is: no keyword research means no SEO! Why? Because keywords are the cornerstones of SEO and, trying to promote a website without having the right keywords brings no results. Read more >>

AFRICA

Africa is the fastest growing Facebook continent

[Jeremy Daniel] Africa may not have the numbers of Facebook users that more developed continents do, but the continent is rising fast. According to Facebook-analysis site, Socialbakers.com, the number of users on the continent grew by over 27% in the last three months, and by over 50% in the last six months. Read more >>

AFRICA

Carat appointed Southern, East Africa Coca-Cola account

Media agency, Carat has been appointed the Coca-Cola account in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Kenya and Uganda. In the first four of these countries Carat Africa will be responsible for the Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite brands, while in Kenya and Uganda it will be responsible for Novida, a non-alcoholic malt-based drink. Read more >>

AFRICA

New appointment to Mobile Entertainment Forum Board, EMEA

MTN Group senior VP for commercial and innovation, Christian de Faria, has been appointed as a board member of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) for EMEA, a global trade body that represents companies in the mobile media and entertainment industry. Read more >>

AFRICA

Distribution seminar for African cinema at Fespaco

TARIFA: The African Film Festival of Tarifa (FCAT), together with its network partners, will be hosting a seminar on the 'New distribution initiatives for African cinema' at the Pan-African Film and TV Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) in Burkina Faso on 28 February 2011 at the Hotel Azalai Indépendance. Read more >>

AFRICA

Tarifa PhotoAfrica contest entry deadline extended

The African Film Festival of Tarifa has extended the period of submission for application forms. The new deadline is fixed on 15 March 2011. The photography contest is open to all African artists living in an African country. The best works will be part of an exhibition that will be inaugurated within the frame of the festival, where three prizes of €1500, €1000 and €500 will be awarded. This year's theme is "The city and the urban space". The contest's rules are available at www.fcat.es/FCAT_en/.

SOUTH AFRICA

Ivorian leader extends ban on cocoa exports

ABIDJAN, CÔTE D'IVOIRE: Alassane Ouattara, internationally recognised as the winner of Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election, on Tuesday, 22 February 2011, extended a ban on cocoa exports, a cornerstone of the economy, to 15 March. Read more >>

UNITED KINGDOM

Mobile operators should fear the threat from Facebook

[Published by Ovum] LONDON, UK: Facebook is shaping up to be a strong competitor to mobile operators that are in danger of underestimating the threat it poses, according to Ovum, one of the Datamonitor group of companies. Read more >>

GERMANY

The Bic prank

BERLIN, GERMANY: Unwitting celebrities fall foul of autograph stunt in Bic campaign to build awareness of the brand in Germany; the Bic prank on YouTube led to copycat pranks being posted on the medium. Read more >>

UNITED KINGDOM

comScore releases The 2010 Europe Digital Year in Review

LONDON, UK: comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, has released The comScore 2010 Europe Digital Year in Review. This inaugural report provides a comprehensive overview of key trends in the European digital media landscape, including market-level data on user demographics, social networking, online video, mobile, and search in 18 European countries. Read more >>

FRANCE

MIPTV launches brand of the year award

PARIS, FRANCE: MIPTV 2011 will present the first Brand of the Year Award (5 April), as part of its two-day Branded Entertainment Summit (5-6 April), which will see Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide CEO, Miles Young, deliver a keynote address. Read more >>

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Leo Burnett sponsors Dubai Lynx Student Academy

DUBAI, UAE: For the third year, the Dubai International Advertising Festival is joining forces with Leo Burnett to form a dedicated Academy for 20 students from across the Middle East and North Africa, offering a unique intensive three-day educational programme during the regional annual advertising and communications festival that will take place next month. Read more >>

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Sun International appoints Tourism Point LLC as ME marketing partner

DUBAI, UAE: One of Africa's most significant tourism and leisure groups, Sun International, has appointed Dubai-based Tourism Point LLC to manage its marketing and public relations communications in the Middle East region. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

aKING album launch: Blood but no Glitter

[Natalie Jardine] aKING launched their third studio album, The Red Blooded Years, on Tuesday, 23 February, at the Fugard Theatre and we were right in the front row, staring up at the array of lanterns on stage, awaiting the darlings of Bellville. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Final artists announced for Cape Town International Jazz Festival

The final list of artists for the 2011 Cape Town International Jazz Festival has been announced for the event that takes place on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 March, 2011, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Read more >>