http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com about the life of creatives in the overlooked 'pockets' of the planet Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:12:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.png http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/urban-rail-in-africa-whether-freedom-trains-will-solve-zimbabwes-traffic-jam-problems-more-attention-should-be-paid-to-what-happens-when-you-board-at-a-and-get-off-at-b-and-dont-forget-the/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/urban-rail-in-africa-whether-freedom-trains-will-solve-zimbabwes-traffic-jam-problems-more-attention-should-be-paid-to-what-happens-when-you-board-at-a-and-get-off-at-b-and-dont-forget-the/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:34:11 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1281 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/urban-rail-in-africa-whether-freedom-trains-will-solve-zimbabwes-traffic-jam-problems-more-attention-should-be-paid-to-what-happens-when-you-board-at-a-and-get-off-at-b-and-dont-forget-the/feed/ 0 steppesinsync An NRZ conductor Misheki Dhliwayo issues tickets to commuters on the City-Marimba Park commuter train (photo courtesy of The Sunday Mail) One of the 4-car Bombardier Electrostar trainset is seen racing away from the camera, past Kelvin Power Station towards Sandton, with an airport-bound train approaching on the right of the picture (photo Eugene Armer, courtesy of railpictures.net) Map of the N1 highway (South_Africa) Ben Schoeman Highway is the main freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria A Gautrain railcar built and shipped from the UK is being unloaded in Durban. From there it made its way to Midrand for quality and safety checks. There is a specially built track for test runs there Here Criticalmassmaputo is alluding to the woman bike fashion from Brazil http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/how-culture-contributes-to-development-an-unesco-indicator-suite/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/how-culture-contributes-to-development-an-unesco-indicator-suite/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:12:31 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1274 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/how-culture-contributes-to-development-an-unesco-indicator-suite/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Mahbub-ul-Haq, the HDI originator, gave 5 year plan to South Korea which helped South Korea to progress rapidly http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads-ii-from-boston-via-beira-to-harare/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads-ii-from-boston-via-beira-to-harare/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:32:29 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1269 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads-ii-from-boston-via-beira-to-harare/feed/ 2 steppesinsync Allen Chimombe of Restore helped bring the books and his organization will be using part of the shipment in their work with juvenile offenders Zimbabwe Reads-Sabre shipment of 58,000 books waiting to be unloaded in central Harare Zimbabwe reads' Andy Kozlov (far left) compared unloading this container to cutting the 'umbilical cord' of Zimbabwe's reading culture Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/for-chornobyl-with-love-strumming-ukrainian-pain-in-japan-and-relieving-the-one-in-japan/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/for-chornobyl-with-love-strumming-ukrainian-pain-in-japan-and-relieving-the-one-in-japan/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:59:07 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1265 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/for-chornobyl-with-love-strumming-ukrainian-pain-in-japan-and-relieving-the-one-in-japan/feed/ 0 steppesinsync A Prypiat-set ad by the International Red Cross Reaction of a Japanese student to the chapter in "Prominence English" featuring images of Nataliya Gudziy and her family Tokyo, June 10 2011 - Ryuichi Hirokawa walking on the street near "Days Japan" magazine's office, where he works as editor-in-chief. (Photo courtesy of Jeremie Souteyrat) Executive director of the CCFFJ Mari Sasaki holds the 2012 calendar by Ryuichi Hirokawa. (Photo courtesy of Hiroyuki Takei) http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/zimbabwe-tourism-trends-and-prospects-2/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/zimbabwe-tourism-trends-and-prospects-2/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:53:36 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1203 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/zimbabwe-tourism-trends-and-prospects-2/feed/ 0 steppesinsync The new logo of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe "Mexico the place you thought you knew" campaign aims to re-pitch the country to its regular visitors, the US tourists in particular, after the image has been tarnished by the international media as a result of the war on drugs http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/consequences-of-illegal-downloading-for-local-media-industries-international-media-investment-and-global-cultural-trade/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/consequences-of-illegal-downloading-for-local-media-industries-international-media-investment-and-global-cultural-trade/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:04:36 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1240 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/consequences-of-illegal-downloading-for-local-media-industries-international-media-investment-and-global-cultural-trade/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Global Pirates (image courtesy of The Economist) This chart is from August 2011 http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/destination-marketing-lessons-for-zimbabwe/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/destination-marketing-lessons-for-zimbabwe/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:47:01 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1234 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/destination-marketing-lessons-for-zimbabwe/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Simon Anholt, a nation branding guru http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/both-artisans-and-businesses-manifesto-of-free-radicals-by-behances-scott-belsky/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/both-artisans-and-businesses-manifesto-of-free-radicals-by-behances-scott-belsky/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:12:35 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1230 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/both-artisans-and-businesses-manifesto-of-free-radicals-by-behances-scott-belsky/feed/ 0 steppesinsync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:58:52 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1213 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/making-sure-that-zimbabwe-reads/feed/ 0 steppesinsync A Shona children's reader. Shona is a native language of a major ethnic group in Zimbabwe. Magazines to donate to schoolchildren in rural Zimbabwe (photo courtesy of Zimbabwe Reads Trust) Zimbabwe Reads Trust is working to encourage the culture of reading among the youth of the Southern African nation. The major focus of the trust is promotion of literature in the indigenous languages of Zimbabwe like Shona, Ndebele and Kalanga http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/the-popular-narrative-of-gaborone-in-africas-switzerland-and-beyond/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/the-popular-narrative-of-gaborone-in-africas-switzerland-and-beyond/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:31:19 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1207 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/the-popular-narrative-of-gaborone-in-africas-switzerland-and-beyond/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Gaborone buildings speak to a new and confident Botswana—prosperous, aware of where it’s going (courtesy of mmegi.bw) Gaborone may not be as lively a town as Nairobi or Johannesburg, but it is a place where one can stand and look up at a sky so wide and empty that it makes the heart soar (courtesy of mmegi.bw) A preference for curves, for feminine forms, and for shade—all worked into buildings that draw you from the heat and glare outside into a cool interior. As a result, there seems to be a direct connection between many of the new buildings of Gaborone and the lovely human effect of traditional Botswana village architecture. http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/on-two-african-innovation-challenges-in-news-and-architecture/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/on-two-african-innovation-challenges-in-news-and-architecture/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:20:02 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=767 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/on-two-african-innovation-challenges-in-news-and-architecture/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Justin Arenstein Francis Kéré's Regional Holcim award-winning project - Secondary school with passive ventilation system, Gando, Burkina Faso. The inauguration of the school in the OPERNDORF AFRIKA. Like the secondary school in Gando, it has a double roof with a vaulted ceiling and airy windows, which brings down the external temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius in the shade to about 25 degrees inside the school in a natural way – and this without the aid of electricity. The school aims to take on 50 local children each year, offering classes in film, art and music. http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/global-tourism-prospects-and-trends/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/global-tourism-prospects-and-trends/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:18:26 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=903 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/global-tourism-prospects-and-trends/feed/ 2 steppesinsync Tourism is an important force to reduce poverty and foster global solidarity (photo courtesy of Bikyamasr.com). The World Tourism Organization Building in Madrid Egypt uses the Arab Spring events to attract more tourists and lure the ones that were scared of at the 2011 ITB Berlin in Germany (photo courtesy of Invisiblepr.com). China travel boom helps global tourism income generated by inbound visits near US$3 billion a day mark (photo courtesy of Chinatraveltrends.com). http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/adasia-untapping-media-markets-in-central-asia/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/adasia-untapping-media-markets-in-central-asia/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:40:21 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1181 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/adasia-untapping-media-markets-in-central-asia/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Juan Pablo Valencia (photo courtesy of Brandnews.kz) http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/a-socially-conscious-business-in-china/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/a-socially-conscious-business-in-china/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:21:43 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1175 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/a-socially-conscious-business-in-china/feed/ 0 steppesinsync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-perks-of-traveling-by-rail-in-zimbabwe-if-any/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-perks-of-traveling-by-rail-in-zimbabwe-if-any/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:02:55 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=241 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-perks-of-traveling-by-rail-in-zimbabwe-if-any/feed/ 0 steppesinsync A Pathfinder bus parked at the Golden Mile Hotel in Kadoma (photo by Andy Kozlov) A vintage ticket for a train from Bulawayo to Mbalabala that I got as a present from the museum guide A vintage ticket to the Railway Museum in Bulawayo that I got as a present from the museum guide AIr Zimbabwe hangar at the Harare international airport (photo by Andy Kozlov) Bernard, the Railway Museum guide Figtree Mooka steam train in Japan Newspaper ad of the Bulawayo-Figtree tour NRZ headquarters - the tallest building in Bulawayo (photo by Andy Kozlov) NRZ rep posing for me in front of a vintage carriage One of the carriages that we traveled in on the steam train tour to Figtree Railway map of Zimbabwe in a book on steam trains Railway Museum in Bulawayo 1 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 2 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 3 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 4 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 5 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 6 (photo by Andy Kozlov) Railway Museum in Bulawayo 7 (photo by Andy Kozlov) The steam train that I took on the Father's day tour from Bulawayo to Figtree AIr Zimbabwe hangar at the Harare international airport (photo by Andy Kozlov) Mooka steam train in Japan A Pathfinder bus parked at the Golden Mile Hotel in Kadoma (photo by Andy Kozlov) http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/youssou-ndour-a-creative-in-politics/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/youssou-ndour-a-creative-in-politics/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:46:58 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1160 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/youssou-ndour-a-creative-in-politics/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Youssou N'Dour (Photo by Diena/Brengola/WireImage) Women walk past rubbish heaps and unfinished homes in a neighborhood at the base of the nearly-completed 50-meter-high (328-foot-high) bronze statue dubbed the Monument of the African Renaissance in Dakar, Senegal. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-the-winding-roads-of-african-film-distribution/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-the-winding-roads-of-african-film-distribution/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:17:03 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1156 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-the-winding-roads-of-african-film-distribution/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Po di Sangui (Tree of Blood) poster in the Production Services of Zimbabwe building in Harare. One the most elaborate, high-tech films of the African film genre, Po di Sangui is a joint collaboration between several European and African countries http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-branding-products-and-places/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-branding-products-and-places/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:56:35 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1147 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/on-branding-products-and-places/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Spain under Joan Miro's sun http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/bittersweet-taste-of-soft-power-north-koreas-flirting-with-tourism/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/bittersweet-taste-of-soft-power-north-koreas-flirting-with-tourism/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:36:25 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1134 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/bittersweet-taste-of-soft-power-north-koreas-flirting-with-tourism/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Koryo Tours, this British-led, Beijing-based tour operator has an unprecedented access to destinations in North Korean Brand new Air Koryo Tu-204-100B pictured in 2010 Bonner with Hong Yong-hui, the star of the film "Flower Girl," at the Pyongyang International Film Festival 2008. (Courtesy of Nick Bonner) How are the Christians doing in North Korea by the way? http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/kim-jong-il-the-creative-film-fan/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/kim-jong-il-the-creative-film-fan/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:53:47 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=727 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/kim-jong-il-the-creative-film-fan/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Kim Jong-il wanted to have his own Godzilla film made in North Korea Kim Jong-il, as portrayed in "Team America: World Police" / Courtesy imdb / © 2004 Paramount Pictures Benetton UNHATE, Kim Jong Il and Lee Myung Bak http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/from-zimbabwe-to-australia-stephen-chigorimbo-on-the-international-public-television-event/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/from-zimbabwe-to-australia-stephen-chigorimbo-on-the-international-public-television-event/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:54:54 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1126 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/from-zimbabwe-to-australia-stephen-chigorimbo-on-the-international-public-television-event/feed/ 0 steppesinsync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-festival-in-the-desert-by-intagrist-el-ansari/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-festival-in-the-desert-by-intagrist-el-ansari/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:18:57 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1115 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-festival-in-the-desert-by-intagrist-el-ansari/feed/ 0 steppesinsync La trompette et le méhari (photo by Intagrist El Ansari) Le site du festival, à Essakane, au crépuscule de la première soirée (photo by Intagrist El Ansari) Performance surréaliste en off du groupe inuit (photo by Intagrist El Ansari) Un spot dans le désert (photo by Intagrist El Ansari) http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/ad-agencies-for-humanity/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/ad-agencies-for-humanity/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:49:22 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1106 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/ad-agencies-for-humanity/feed/ 0 steppesinsync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/top-10-global-media-giants-its-not-that-easy/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/top-10-global-media-giants-its-not-that-easy/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:50:57 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1100 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/top-10-global-media-giants-its-not-that-easy/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Frugaldad's creative blunders: coming up with updated stats is not that easy ..but one should keep trying: something is better than nothing http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/fast-readers-of-ethiopia-or-addis-avid-culture-of-newspaper-reading/ http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/fast-readers-of-ethiopia-or-addis-avid-culture-of-newspaper-reading/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:09:59 +0000 Steppes in Sync http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/?p=1090 ]]> http://steppesinsync.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/fast-readers-of-ethiopia-or-addis-avid-culture-of-newspaper-reading/feed/ 0 steppesinsync Montage of Addis Ababa sights Merkato in Addis Ababa (Photo by Jessica Lee). Addis' avid readers can get their news fix by renting a paper for half an hour. On Saturdays, it can be tough to find an empty 'news seat (photo by Mohammed Selman). Merkato (Courtesy ethiopianreview.com)