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Travellers
Shortlisted for the 2020 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Modern Europe is a melting pot of migrating souls: among them a Nigerian American couple on a prestigious arts fellowship, a transgender film student seeking the freedom of authenticity, a Libyan doctor who lost his wife and child in the waters of the Mediterranean, and a Somalian shopkeeper trying to save his young daughter from forced marriage. And, though the divide between the self-chosen exiles and those who are forced to leave home may feel solid, in reality such boundaries are endlessly shifting and frighteningly soluble.
Moving from a Berlin nightclub to a Sicilian refugee camp to the London apartment of a Malawian poet, Helon Habila evokes a rich mosaic of migrant experiences. And through his characters’ interconnecting fates, he traces the extraordinary pilgrimages we all might make in pursuit of home.
₵135.00Travellers
₵135.00 -
The Villager: How Africans Consume Brands
When Feyi Olubodun, CEO of one of West Africa’s leading creative agencies, witnessed one too many cases of brands failing in the African marketplace he began to ask himself questions: Why did brands, both global and local, so often fail to connect with the African consumer? And, what was it about the African market that brand owners were not seeing?
He began to reflect on his own marketing experiences and out of this emerged the framework for The Villager. In Feyi’s view, the African consumer begins his life’s journey by moving from the village, his rural dwelling, to the city, carrying with him not only his own dreams but also the dreams of his community. He is a highly aspirational consumer, motivated to succeed, and he becomes the economic portal for the rest of his community back home. But although he may be exposed to global influences and technology, his essential identity remains largely intact. This is why Feyi calls the African consumer a Villager. The Village is no longer a physical space; it is a psychological construct that defines him and the filter through which he engages with and consumes brands.
In developing his construct, Feyi posits that if you wish to engage successfully in a market you may not understand, you must have the right lenses to view a people. He believes the secret lies in applying these lenses at the confluence of commerce, culture and consumer. Data is not enough to understand the vagaries of a particular market. Drawing on his wide experience and wealth of astute observations, he provides a highly readable and indispensable guide to the mindset of the African consumer today, yet it is true to say that his insights apply, albeit in a more nuanced way, to consumer behaviour across the globe.
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Mafoya and the Finish Line
Age Range: 8+ years
Mafoya is an accomplished sprinter but she is tired of being second-best. She hatches a wicked plan and succeeds in beating Amina in the 100-metre dash. Elated by her victory, Mafoya decides to employ the same trick in the athletics championships but things take an unexpected turn.
In the middle of the race, a strange whirlwind sweeps Mafoya away to Musanga kingdom- the land of talking animals and birds. Mafoya face both hostility and friendship as she travels an impossible journey back to the world she knows.
₵50.00Mafoya and the Finish Line
₵50.00