Brandhill Africa

VOLUME 6, MARCH 2021 TM Benefits for the AfCFTA for African MSMEs 48-57 featured in our Verbatim series: 28-35 Dr Wynton Marsalis Celebrating 14-23 international Women’s day 1 AFRICA Jambo Africa Online - Vol.6, March 2021 Publisher’s Comment Jambo Hello Bonjour Ola To all our readers and stakeholders. The metaphor for the bull that bellows is adapted from an iconic South African jazz song, “Yakhal’ inkomo”, composed by Makunku Ngozi in 1968 which grew to this day to become the signature tune that has embedded this African expression in this universal genre – hence it became the most recognisable jazz tune in the country. The ingenuity of our legendary saxo- phonist was most eloquently captured by our poet laureate, Dr Mongane Serote, in his intro- duction to his poetry collection, “Yakhal’ inkomo”, which was obviously inspired by this timeless musical piece and was published in 1972, as he mused: “I once saw Mankunku “Ex Africa semper aliquid Ngozi blowing his saxophone. Yakhal’ inkomo. His face was inflated like a balloon, it was wet novi” (meaning “there is with sweat, his eyes huge and red. He grew always something new tall, shrank, coiled into himself, uncoiled and the cry came out of his horn. That is the mean- out of Africa”) — ing of Yakhal’ inkomo…” Pliny the Elder Although this iconic song evokes emotional re- sponses by its expression of human pain and endurance, remembrance and invocation which, one may add, is reminiscent of life in rural homesteads, the flip side to it is that a bull/cow 2 - Africa: Services. Products. Channels. Jambo Africa Online - Vol.6, March 2021 is the symbol of wealth according to our tra- assets, be they natural resources and human ditional wisdom. In Setswana, this iconic capital, will be mobilised to catapult our con- wonder of creation is accorded an almost di- tinent into a higher development trajectory. vine status: “modimo o nko e metsi” (which The idea of exploring the dialectical interde- literally translates into “a goddess with a pendence between continental integration moist nostrils”.) It is a symbol of opulence, and economic development isn’t just a mar- prosperity and abundance where the two keting gimmick. Africa is the next frontier. We sides of the coin of inhumanity – namely, observe foreign powers positioning them- poverty and squalor – are foreign. selves to be granted a seat at the dinner ta- Furthermore, Setswana’s traditional wisdom ble – think the US, China, France, Germany, wax lyrical about “mahube a naka tsa Russia and the desperate UK post Brexit (as kgomo” (that could be translated as the they hope to concentrate their energies into dawning of the dawn). This relates to the re- the Commonwealth Association). Let these flection of the cows’ horns seen through the powers be warned: they will be no repeat of rising sun’s rays perceived as if they con- the 1885 Berlin Conference’s “scramble for verge with the heavens. In our orature, dawn Africa”. This time: Africa defines rules of en- represents a new beginning pregnant with gagement! Indeed, as Zakes Mda mused, “we hope for a brighter day! These are the sun shall sing for the fatherland”! rays that the English bard, William Shake- Although our brand positioning programme, speare, referred to when he poeticised: “Yon projects and activities will be centred on grey lines/ That fret the clouds are messen- “Yakhal’ inkomo” as the central theme, we gers of day… The gray-eyed morn smiles on should be cognisant of the fact that the con- the frowning night/ Checkering the eastern ceptualisation of the AfCFTA is multisectoral clouds with streaks of light…” and crosssectoral as it talks to human devel- The sun symbolises renewal. And it’s because opment in its totality. It cuts across all socio- of sheer appreciation of this metaphor that to economic sectors. In this age of globalisation, hope for continuous renewal and blessings, innovation – within the context of the fourth that traditional wisdom makes a clarion call industrial revolution (4IR) – has become one to us: “ulibambe lingashoni ilanga” (which of the primary drivers of opening market ac- means “hold up the sun”). This demands of cess opportunities beyond geographic borders us “to make hay while the sun shines”, as the – thus it’s a strategic vehicle for economic English dirge reinforces this symbolism. It development. Scholarly literature posits inno- isn’t only us who are saddened by sun set, vation is a strategic source for competitive but even the sun too assumes a melancholic advantage, a multiplier of economic activity, look as iZintombi Zesi Manje Manje muse in employment and development in the face of their Setswana traditional epic song, “Ga le globalisation. dikela”. Brandhill Africa (Pty) Ltd builds nation brand This hope ushered by a new dawn should be equities through developing and designing eloquently captured in the new image of strategic nation brand architecture for cities, brand Africa. The new dawn of the AfCFTA provinces and countries. This helps places to, ushers us into an epoch in which all Africa’s within a globally competitive context, assert 3 Jambo Africa Online - Vol.6, March 2021 their brand identity and manage their reputa- Lewin. Beyond this, how do we manage the nation; attract foreign direct investment (FDI); tion brands of Africa’s 54 member states within and to reposition themselves as tourism desti- the context of Africa striving to accelerate the nations of choice. reintegration effort. To us, these complexities provide us with opportunities for presenting in- Since building and forging a nation brand is dividual nation brands which are at once dis- more complex and multidimensional than tinctive yet varied. branding a commercial product or corporate entity as a result of the multiple stakeholders We rely on the theoretical framework on com- with vested interests in a nation brand, Brand- petitive identity which we have developed as hill Africa (Pty) Ltd is an ideal vehicle to advise Brandhill Africa (Pty) Ltd and it is aptly titled governments and institutions in undertaking “the Zebra Paradigm”. This model ranks forty such brand image-building and reputation pro- variables that influence investor decision mak- grammes. ing regarding destinations of their investments. The framework, which I have developed in my Since nation brand concept has infinite range of dissertation in partial fulfillment for the require- touchpoints, the agency helps to unpack and ments of the MSc in Global Marketing degree, streamline them by developing holistic public is outlined in detail in my account on diplomacy strategic platforms. www.academia.edu. The non-state actors, such as the private sec- By the way, another ingenuous metaphor that tor and civil society, are defined by public diplo- could be borrowed from cattle is when they macy theoretical paradigm as vehicles for com- chew their cud. This speaks to the need for in- municating a country’s foreign policy objectives vesting for the future. During grazing time, cat- and yet they are often not given the opportu- tle will partake as much grass as possible and nity to engage with government’s conceptuali- in the late afternoon or early evening at their sation and development of implementation ini- leisure they will then return the partly digested tiatives of such strategies. Brandhill Africa food from the first stomach of ruminants to the (PTY) Ltd endeavours to close such a strategic mouth for further chewing. gap by guiding and mentoring such institutions on navigating the ambit of foreign policy envi- While other countries have depleted their natu- ronment. ral resources, Africa’s are hidden safely in its bowels. We are the next frontier! The question then is how do we manage the perception of Africa away from the images of a Before I conclude, let me focus a bit on house- dark continent as articulated by Joseph Conrad keeping. The Brandhill Africa group is now con- in his seminal work, “The Heart of Darkness”. stituted by five subsidiaries. Three previous di- How do we manage the reputation of Africa visions have evolved into fully-fledged autono- while we avoid “the danger of [communicating] mous companies – namely, Brandhill Africa Me- a single story”, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, dia Holdings (Pty) Ltd, which publishes Jambo a Nigerian contemporary novelist, has put it. Africa Online and books for the trade market; How do we communicate a message of the Brandhill Africa Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd “Africa rising” narrative while at the same time which mobilises investments for infrastructure asserting the sub-text that “Africa is not a development projects in South Africa and other country”, as eloquently articulated by Arthur African countries; and finally, Brandhill Africa 4 - Africa: Services. Products. Channels. Jambo Africa Online - Vol.6, March 2021 Institute (Pty) Ltd, which is our vehicle for public PUBLISHING STAFF diplomacy. This means Brandhill Africa (Pty) Ltd Editorial Advisory Board: Dr Thami Mazwai (Chairperson); Prof Tshimpaka Yanga (DRC); Angela Asante Akua (Ghana); Fatou Cisse (Senegal); Francois remains a strategic brand development and man- Fouche (RSA); Salline Handa (Kenya); Namatirai Zinyohwera (Zimbabwe); agement agency which will continue positioning Lebohang Ramotete (Lesotho); Mlungisi Mpofu (Namibia); Dr Bamidele Adeoye (Nigeria/USA); Saul Molobi (RSA); and Andile Msindwana (Secretariat) African brands and opening market access opportunities for them – with the Biashara Services and Editor: Andile Msindwana ([email protected]) Products Africa (BiSPA) Conference and Exhibition Deputy Editor: Dithako Nakedi ([email protected]) being one of its flagship projects. The group’s cor- Editorial Correspondents: Mandla Zibi; Francois Fouche; Namatirai Zinyohwera; and, Dithako Nakedi porate social investment programmes are driven Editorial Contributors: Dr Wynton Marsalis; Masingita Masunga; Amb Ruby by the Brandhill Africa Foundation NPC.

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