Inspiring creatives - 12 Nov 2012

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