In 2003, PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Since then, it has turned into a celebration of ideas, with events happening in hundreds of cities across the world - inspiring creatives worldwide.

Drawing the name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

Last week I attended my very first PechaKucha Night in Cape Town, and did I have an incredible time! The nine presentations touched on topics from the solar system to food jamming, from dance to cheetahs, and even hula hooping. I would definitely recommend anybody to attend a night if it was in your city.

I headed over to pecha-kucha.org to find out if there were any events like this on the rest of the continent. I found that the following cities; Lagos, Kampala, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Blantyre appeared to be on the map, but none of the cities had recent presentations. If you're reading this, I suggest you make a plan to host one as these events as they are fun, interactive and informative and a great opportunity for networking. You can view some presentations online.

In news this week: Nation Publications Limited is set to transform the newspaper industry in Malawi as it recently acquired a new printing machine in line with global standards; the PRAU Excellence Awards, which recognises public relations and communications excellence in Uganda, is set to take place on 23 November 2012; Victor Odada has been appointed as the new country manager of Mi-Fone in Kenya; a short film competition offers African filmmakers US$100 000; and Nonye Mpho Omotola gives some insight into Expanding your brand across Africa.

Have a great week!

Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985

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