Proudly brought to you by NATIVE VML

September 2016

THE TRENDS REPORT

A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF TRENDS IN MARKETING, STORYTELLING AND DIGITAL

CULTURE FOR AFRICA.

“Africa is more and more perceived as the new frontier for investors and global economic growth. This new shift is fuelled by a steadily growing economy, uptake of technology, and untapped markets with ready consumers.”

- Estelle Verdier-Watine, Managing Director of Jovago.com, the leading hotel booking website in Africa.

CREATIVITY AND A NEW

REALITY

Storytelling has long been an oral tradition, reliant on the mind’s eye to immerse oneself in the narrator’s world.

Virtual reality presents an entirely new dimension for African storytellers to transport their audience into brave new worlds.

Leapfrogging reality

New Dimensions of Storytelling

The combination of augmented reality, virtual reality, and noise-cancelling headphones has the ability to transport an audience into new imaginings of Africa, as is done in the Elsewhen project for the Dakar Biennale.

Source:afrocyberpunk.com

READ MORE

“Millions of people in Africa already have one half of a VR device in their hands, and that number will only keep rising. I really look forward to the day when African kids casually boot up virtual environments and use their imaginations to shape the architecture of the metaverse.”

- Jonathan Dotse, AfroCyberPunk.com

INNOVATION AND DISRUPTION

Africa is not a continent that always easily accepts copy-paste models of Western infrastructure. Our world has different needs that require specialised and unique solutions.

We can see this phenomenon clearly in our transport systems, and in the variety of ingenious solutions that have developed as a result.

Transport re-imagined

Everything Uber in Africa

In Africa, Uber has moved to not only disrupt the local taxi industry, but to take on the greater transportation system as a whole. This will have a significant effect on e-commerce on the continent, making delivery services more efficient and comprehensive with UberEverything.

Source:qz.com

READ MORE

The World’s First Flatpack Truck

The OX is the result of a very unique combination — a philanthropist, a Formula 1 designer, and IKEA flatpack furniture.

Sixty pieces, twelve hours and three skilled people can produce one assembled OX truck. Let’s hope the instructions come with more than just pictures.

Source: psfk.com

READ MORE

MEDIA JUJITSU

A fresh look at gaming as a medium not only for entertainment, but of real-world outcomes that have the potential to greatly impact people’s lives.

The game of life

Diagnosis: Gamification

Miguel Luengo Oroz took the laborious process of diagnosing malaria and translated it into a ‘malaria hunter’ game. The objective: identify the malaria parasite in blood samples.

Source: itnewsafrica.com

READ MORE

CONNECTING THE

UNCONNECTED

Light has been integral to human existence from time immemorial, but that doesn’t mean it’s reached the limit of its potential usefulness. Light has been used in each of the following examples to connect people in new and extraordinary ways.

Shed light on the situation

Satellite Imagery + Machine Learning

Researchers at Stanford University are using day and night satellite imagery in combination with machine learning to determine where aid is most needed in Africa. This could prove key to lighting up the lives of people who need it most.

Source: digitaltrends.com

READ MORE

Solar-Powered Digital Television

Kenyans who do not have access to electricity are now able to connect to thirty free television channels through M-KOPA — a solar digital television kit. While this may seem frivolous, we must bear in mind how crucial television can be for education and the dissemination of information, especially about current events.

Source: damngeeky.com

READ MORE

WE ARE NATIVE VML