Away from Africa

The store at Kloof Street, Cape Town One of the benefits of social media is that it showcases small businesses at a lesser cost to them than mainstream advertising. From realtors to children's clothing to handicrafts from all over the world, you can find so many wonderful small businesses. In the United States, small businesses create the majority of jobs. Ashanti Design's joyful multicolored striped bean bags and ottomans stand out easily. And the items are made from recycled fabric remnants to boot! Not only does Ashanti have great designs, but it is also a business based on sustainability on many levels, and on helping people in different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa make a living. Away from Africa held an interview with Rob Walker, the founder of Ashanti Design, in Cape Town, South Africa. - How did the business get started? We used to work with an American NGO funded by USAid and other foundations, Aid to Artisans  (ATA). We did a lot of work with them in Mozambique. Thi...

Razia Said is currently on a US tour, "Wake Up Madagascar". Information can be found on her Facebook page. Next stop is Toronto on Tuesday, July 17, at  Lula Lounge   Toronto, C anada. The concert will be at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on Saturday, July 21. As always, the main goal is to raise awareness of illegal logging in Madagascar.  More information can be found at  http://www.wakeupmadagascar.com/ .

Follow-up on the October 2011  blog post about Razia Said : Ranomafana rainforest (photo from Razia's Facebook album)  Since the concert   in Madagascar this past summer, Razia Said has continued her efforts to end the plundering of natural resources in Madagascar. The truth is that natural resources are being stripped in many parts of the world. Deforestation has already happened in the United States . However, the effects in an island such as Madagascar are devastating.  A wonderful video is available on YouTube:  Something is Moving in the Forest , including scenes from the  Mifohaza Masoala  concert .  The next scheduled concert is in October 2012. Razia Said singing in New York City (photo by Diane Chehab) Razia Said's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/raziasaid.official Website: www.raziasaid.com

Razia Said Razia Said's CD,  Zebu Nation  was created to raise awareness and benefit the preservation of the rainforest in her native Madagascar, specifically the region to the northeast known as MaMaBay (area comprised of the Masaola and Makira forests, and the Antogil Bay). This region is protected through a WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) initiative, and several WCS team members were at the launch, including Lisa Gaylord, Country Director for WCS/Madagascar, who oversees WCS’s program activities in MaMaBay.  New Yorkers and visitors to New York may know the incredible  Madagascar!  exhibit at the Bronx Zoo , inaugurated in 2008, in the former Lion House. The exhibit features an incredible mix of Madagascar endemic flora and fauna such as the ring-tailed lemur, radiated tortoise, giant crocodile and a unique mammal, the fossa. Madagascar is one of the most ecologically diverse places on earth, and some animals can only be found there. Lemu...