Could not agree more.....everything is foreign....what irritate me is foreign reality shows....give us our own..sell our overseas and let's harvest our own success. Let's make heros of our own people and products and forget this ever star chasing overseas!!!!!

Our trash may not live in trailer parks, but I bet there's enough locally to make a rivetting show, full of local flavour.

We have a huge problem. We have absolutely no pride in what and who are as a people born and bred on this continent. Our souls continue to baptise themselves in the muddy waters of VH1, MTV and the all the fibreless diets that the West feeds us. We find it cool to get lost in our own self inflicted shortsightedness. Truth is, the African future is as strong as tall as MiniMe to Austin Powers' mojo influenced stupidity. We need to rise and keep on rising until we are as tall as the spirits of Shaka, Sekhukhune, etc!

Has Africa ever had an idea? Many wives, bad circumcision, unsanitary living conditions, no writing system, no wheel... most people on this site still can't spell even with a built-in dictionary...

Where does this notion come from that Africa has a rich history of fantastic ideas that have been lost? Maybe before Noah's flood but find me the proof?

We can't even run a democracy properly... and the African Renaissance? European in origin perhaps?

This is meant to upset a few of you because the jist of my idea is that we live in a small world and should embrace all of it. US and THEM mentality causes many social problems that contribute nil to the world.

Sure Europe and America force feed the rest of the world, but then do something constructive instead of sitting on your ass.

Stop blaming and just DO something.

You know what my brother,This country can be very prosperous without people like you who are so naive.If you want to leave it just do it, don't just talk nonsense here!
Please be a grown-up dude!

What are your African Ideas... are you looking? Or are you just a Sprite ad... please this is a Forum... (Discussions) ... lets not take things personally... what’s Ur input. Any ideas in that head of Urs... hello what I said was facts... Can you elaborate on the "growing up Dude" what does that mean? Are you a grown up... No 1 spoke about leaving the country, maybe they meant global experience, Africa promotions ... the world is yours... Perhaps u should look around... African ideas can be exported to the other countries…

Stick to the Forum, not your feelings

Proud to be young...

'Cause it's the same everywhere! It also puts into perspective how many original and world class ideas we have. Top of mind: Zola 7, Yizo Yizo, Kwaito and the Samas were pretty much African.

Was in London, and the only reason I knew I was there was because of the crowds, dirt, bad weather and Big Ben.

George Bush? MTV is ruling the world man!

Lucky,

What a fantastic mascot you'd make for the Head Up Our Arse Xenophobic Advertisers Society.

How do you quantify the origins of an idea in socioeconomic or geopolitical terms? How do you determine what is African, European, American or plain vanilla 'foreign' - the person that thinks of that idea? The place its thought of? The market it's aimed at? Does being South African-born mean everyone's attracted to the same ideals, concepts and, thus, 'African' advertising messages? And would a concept that sold millions of units of product here be a shoddy, forced import if its originator were non-African born?

I don't see our industry being ashamed of its origins or its work - we have great advertising here and great creative teams. I don't see people clamouring unashamedly for all things foreign - there's nothing wrong with choosing an international product (hence the reason the Proudly South African campaign is emotionally well-intentioned but economically doomed). And I certainly don't see how eschewing global moves, trends and influences in favour of creating an industry that looks purely within its country's borders helps anyone.

However, if you want to create an African industry purely for us people of Africa, go ahead. Good luck getting talent, spend, clients, media vehicles and end user customers that have zero interest in anything made, designed, produced, thought of or marketed by a non-African company. The USSR did so well with the same model, remember?

(Oh, by the way, as to your assumption that well-dressed people drinking scotch know nothing about African culture, been to Katzy's lately? Or Kilimanjaro? Or any other club, bar or restaurant where today's rising stars hang out?)

Its amazing how we see some African creativity as creative once its from overseas. Now there are so many African ideas that are on the front pages of oveseas magazines that has always been there its only now that they are being recognised as glamourous.

there creativity in Africa.

Hapla,

Wanna put that mail of yours into English? Even written as it is, you still raise the most pertinent question ... what is an 'African' idea? What are you talking about when you say there are so many African ideas on magazines overseas?

So many people seem hell-bent on defining a 'new' South Africa, yet no-one is saying how. And so many people seem hell-bent on proving that we have an incredible sense of international inferiority. Saying that "our" ideas are out there in "their" markets and that "we" should be doing it for "ourselves" rather than for "foreigners", we entrench that inferiority (and xenophobia) even more severely.

Our industry should stop creating drama where there is none ... and it should certainly stop promoting what amounts to laager-inspired, blinkered, navel-gazing solutions.

Most up and coming Africans wear Italian shoes , drink scotch and eat pastry yet no one asks what they know of European culture

First of all, the forum question was: What happened to African Ideas... the answer is its all around us... search for it and u will find it. Marketers on finding it have done not much investigation.

Now to be more realistic, they say money makes the world go round, and in terms of global economy, the US, Europe, Tokyo and etc, is where u will find it. Africa has no money that’s the perception. Or perhaps, Africa does not have the guts and balls to invest in Africa... We export so much gold to the rest of the country, but we can’t even manufacture the goods... come on people... think for once...

Look at our music industry, there is no support system for our artist, ok maybe a little, Countries such as Sweden, look after their artist, if we want to Bring African ideas to the world, we have to have a strong foundation. If u know what I mean... here’s another idea, as a creative... would you rather work in Jhb or in London/New York...

Well, he should be... you people talk nonsense. Listen to the Account Executive... the person makes sense.

Africa, is part of the world, let the world be your canvas.

What exactly do you mean by "African" when you talk about ideas? Ethno-bongo design, another upside-down tree, adverts for sidewalk hair salons, bad drawing and perspective, Mark Shuttleworth, Madiba, Craig Native, Pratley's Putty? It's all too confusing for me to get exactly what you mean by "African" ideas.

Write a brief for an "African" creative solution and list all the necessary elements and then we can begin on the road to this dreamscape you envision.

What are the criteria for "African". Black people, using ochre instead of a Mac, traditional fabric, beads, a new look on water purification, an improved Kreepy Krauly, Condoms in the colours of our flag, something done by a person from Africa, a person in Africa, a person born and living in Africa. What if it is devised on an international flight, what nationality would you put to it then?

This whole thread is a bit of a joke, and it seems that Africa can do one thing very very well - talk nonsense and do nothing - ask our politicians - but they must have learnt that from Europeans - that is where 'government' in the democratic sense began is it not?

maybe we should explore UNafrican first...

that stoopid ad about Ace maize...

where some white/unafrikan creative director actually thought an ad depicting African elders accepting a bag of maize as "lobola" for their daughter would appeal to an AFRIKAN audience..

and the ad bombed.. big time too..

how's that for UN-Afrikan...

Everything, absolutely everything about advertising is foreign to Africa. Not even the most basic products have their roots locally (Omo for instance is German, Sunlight is turn-of-the-century English and pap, Italians have been eating it for as long as Africans; they just call it Polenta).

But more to the point Lucky, what brands are you wearing right now?___________________________ What will you be drinking at 21h30 on Friday evening? ________ What car do you drive? ________ Sorry, what car would you like to drive? _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________.


We know you're smart enough to fill in the spaces, you're reading this email after all. Enough said.

Africa cannot grow and bench-mark itself against the rest of the world if we keep putting on our "oog-klaps" every second of the day, saying we will only buy and support anything "African".

We need to wake up to the fact that we are part of the global economy now. This means "getting with the programme", so to speak. We need to know what is going down worldwide to be able to move forward and be produce what will excite and sell to the rest of the world. Yes, we are African, and yes, we need to reflect all that is unique about the continent in all that we do.

"Putting our heads in the sand" however, is not going to get us anywhere. So fellow Africans-Black, White, Purple, Green or Maroon-wake up and remove those "oog-klaps". Enough already!

Ja, what are oogklaps. We know snot-klaps. They're not one and the same are they?

All very nice to say "local is lekker" and "what about some African ideas for a change". Montecasino, that fake Italian villa in the northern suburbs of a very African city, is an example of why not. Imagine investing millions of rands in a concept like Montecasino? Why did they do it? Cos it would be profitable ...

Reason: we don't want African ideas, we want to wander down the imitation streets of an imitation European city, with fake Italian sun shining down on fake Italian buildings, with fake washing hanging over our heads on fake washing lines, with fake Fiats double-parked and fake-fined.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it!?

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE WITH lUCKY, THIS IS QUITE SIMILAR TO WHITE MARKETERS TRYING TO MARKET TO THE BLACK MARKET OF WHICH THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. IT STEMS FROM WHITE MARKETERS THINKING THEY KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE AND THEIR UNWILLINGNESS TO LEARN. WE HAVE SO MUCH HISTORY AND DIVERSITY AT OUR DISPOSAL BUT WE CAN'T EVEN DIFFERNTIATE OURSELVES, OUR LACK OF ORIGINALITY IS ASTOUNDING.

I don't think its about whether we have original ideas as such, its about whether we spend our lives pursuing escapist fantasies, or in authentically engaging with our world (not buying into having to be like either your ancestors or foreigners) - I believe if we really do that, originality, creativity and success are just some of the results - I'm betting my career on it... but i couldn't care less for any of it being African or not.

Yes designer,i do agree with you.Because we are not providing such a good ideas.But we have to do that.
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siva