ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE |
WHAT WE DO |
WHERE WE WORK |
ISSUES WE FACE
Two Years of Amazing Opportunities
Promote Africa was founded in
August 2006 I returned to the United States from a position with the Namibian
Ministry of Education. My placement region in northern Namibia is well known for its artwork, which
represents authentic
Namibian culture and a significant source of income for the region. After returning to the states, I began to brainstorm with family and friends on ways to intertwine the region's artwork with ongoing community development efforts.
Then, between May and August
2007, I returned to Namibia with two other volunteers to build partnerships within the Namibian art community and complete
export arrangements. The
accomplishments of our Namibian partners have made our work very easy, as we
have simply supplemented their efforts by providing access to international markets.
As the initial concept grew, we have sought to diversify
our offerings by expanding into
other forms of cultural expression. By placing art, music, and
literature under the same domain, we hope to intimately link cultural expression with social empowerment and economic development.
Our forthcoming music directory speaks to the hard work and dedication
of our staff, who hopes to release the world's largest online catalogue
of African music within the next twelve months. We're working with
popular and unknown musicians across the continent to offer a global
listening forum to promote African music.
Finally, we hope to promote cultural understanding and tap into the
wealth of public consciousness regarding African development by
providing a platform to distribute African literature. While our public
bookstore is already open, we are currently working to expand our
relationships to the realm of academia, where we are actively seeking
the support of African Studies Departments across the globe.
Most importantly, our
work with our international development partners provides enriching
opportunities for disadvantaged African communities. Our work is grounded
in a philosophy of feedback, where the needs of the communities we work
with are determined by the communities themselves.
The accomplishments we have made in the past two years are due largely to our partners' work over the past ten years. I feel privileged to be able to work with each and every one of them, as these relationships have made my brief work with Promote Africa the fastest and most enjoyable two years of my life. We hope that you will take the opportunity to browse our site and better
understand our services. With your help, we can promote African music,
art and literature to foster sustainable economic development,
improve global education, and increase cultural appreciation. Thank
you for your support.
Cheers,
Benjamin Cobb (July 2008)
{TAG:SiteContent}