African Records World Expedition
Deadline: 31 December 2013

The Book of African Records (BAR) is a proudly African, innovative and growing organisation. We collect records about Africa and Africans and use these as a positive change agent against stereotypical coverage of Africa in the global media.

In 2015 and 2016, and in collaboration with tourism boards across Africa, BAR is organizing a promotional and world-wide road show to be known as the African Records World Expedition. This cultural diplomacy shall take participants across 41 countries over a distance of 52 000km by road, using expedition vehicles. If successful, this journey will be the first circumnavigation of the Earth’s surface by Africans.

The African Records World Expedition will be collaborating with an African satellite television that shall be documenting and broadcasting this historic journey as a reality show for popular consumption across Africa.

This is a call for interested individuals who would like to join the expedition as a participant. There are no specific personal qualifications as the final 12 participants shall be chosen through a 3-tier elimination process that shall test candidates’ fitness for travel, general health status, ability to mentally endure extreme conditions, command of foreign languages, Class 1/4 driving skills, among other things. Whilst the organization and sponsors shall meet costs of travel for the entire 14 months, successful candidates are required to contribute 15% towards own total cost of participation.

Successful candidates will also be expected to play an active role in the preparations for 11 months prior to departure day. There are no immediate material benefits to participation.

Positions available: 12 (this includes, among other things, photographers, videographers, rapporteurs, drivers, mechanics). Individuals with a multiplicity of skills will be given preference.

Duration of expedition: 14 months (Departure day is 1 January 2015)

Countries to be covered: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, India, Australia, Japan, Canada, USA, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica,  Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, South Africa.

An introductory meeting for potential participants shall be held in Harare in the 1st week of January 2014.

For further details, interested individuals are kindly requested to email: expedition [at] bookofafricanrecords [dot] org

At the Environment Africa Recycling centre by Avondale Stream
a group of men make a whimsical array of things
out of aluminium cans
everything from sheets of brightly coloured flatted cans for roofing,
to lampshades, baobabs, geckos, giraffes, spiders and Christmas trees

Zimbabweans are never short of a plan

This year Robert has been making a range of imaginative Christmas tree decorations

There is something touchingly beautiful
about his recycled angels
the curse of our consumerism
reappearing as the messengers, warriors, guardians
a re-visitation of the wise ones
kitted out in the latest colours

Robert asked me to invite you to drop by
if any of you in Harare are on a hunt for Christmas tree decorations…

Source: Poetfire

We’ve got 8 great books* from Weaver Press that we would like to donate to a community library, an orphanage, an old age home, a hospital or a reading group . . . so if you’d like a shot at scoring the set of books (all Zimbabwean titles) please answer a few questions:

1. Who are you?

2. Tell us about the initiative you want the books donated to.

3. Where is it?

4. If you were going to write a novel, short story or memoir, tell us what your first sentence would be

Please email: info [at] kubatana [dot] net

* An Elegy for Easterly, Petina Gappah; Running with Mother, Christopher Mlalazi; Not another day, Julius Chingono; The Stone Virgins, Yvonne Vera; Stained Earth, Derek Huggins; We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo; Laughing Now, New Stories from Zimbabwe; Writing Lives edited by Irene Staunton