KREYANN AT FASHION BUSINESS ANGOLA 2011

Colours, colours and more colours was the flashcard for the day at Kreyann's show on the 3rd day of Fashion Business Angola 2011.

The collection definitely had elements of the Kreyann personality but lacked some wow factor. DC is wondering whether the difficult task of creating 60 different looks for the upcoming K-Walk show in Douala has taken its toll on the designer's final output - we hope not!!

We wait to see what else she has in store for us in Douala.

Check out some of our fav of the Angola runway below.

Pictures by Simon Deiner

Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx

THE 2011 IBRAHIM INDEX OF AFRICAN GOVERNANCE

So there I was going through my usual lunch time routine of checking Bella Naija whilst having some food. I stumbled upon a post about the Ibrahim Index and thought to read it as it seemed quite interesting.

What did I find out from the post? That Nigeria came 43rd within this index while Ghana was 7th and South Africa 5th. No surprise for these 2 I thought.

The next thing that came to my mind was Cameroon! I instinctively knew that we would not even have made the list and I thought if Nigeria was 43rd then were would Cameroon be?

Okay before we get to that part, let me tell you a bit about the Ibrahim Index produced by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

About the Mo Ibrahim Foundation:
Established in 2006, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation supports good governance and great leadership in Africa. The Foundation works to:

• Provide a framework and tools by which citizens and governments can assess and measure progress in governance.
• Recognise excellence in African leadership and provide a practical way in which leaders can build positive legacies on the continent when they have left national office.
• Stimulate debate on the quality of governance and major governance issues in Africa.
• Develop leadership and governance capacity in Africa.

About the Ibrahim Index:
Established in 2007, the Ibrahim Index is the most comprehensive collection of quantitative data that provides an annual assessment of governance performance in every African country.
It:-

• is funded and led by an African institution.
• is Africa’s leading assessment of governance.
• provides a framework and tools for citizens, public authorities and partners to assess progress in governance.
• compiles 86 indicators grouped into 14 sub-categories and four overarching categories to measure the effective delivery of public goods and services to African citizens.
• uses indicators from 23 data providers.
• is made up of over 40,000 raw data points.

Data:
The Ibrahim Index is currently compiled using various international and African sources. Many crucial indicators of governance, such as poverty, could not be included as the data are not sufficiently comprehensive. The future provision of robust data, including poverty statistics, from African sources is a core priority for the Foundation.

So would you like to know if Cameroon features on the index and if so at what number?
Well, ok, ok! See below!!

I am shocked at how possible we came a whole 3 places above Nigeria, the leading force in West Africa?!!

With Mauritius topping the index and Cape Verde, Botswana, Seychelles and South Africa coming 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively, Cameroon has a long way to go.

Well done to the rest of the countries topping the index, well done to the President of Cape Verde, Pedro Pires, for wining the $5m good governance prize and as for the bottom ones, please do more!

For more info about the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, go here. For the index, go here.

Stay sweet

Dulce

xxx

IMAGINE...

Close your eyes and imagine.....imagine that within the hustle and bustle of the streets of Yaoundé or Douala that you checked yourself into a sumptuous cool retro chic hotel that looked like THIS...

Vibrant, eclectic, well coordinated interior.

This makes us think, why are all the hotels in Cameroon so plain and boring and lack creativity?
Even the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé which is meant to be the best and the most luxurious, the furnishings look dated and its presence lacks a great deal of the "umph" factor!

The so called prestige and executive rooms we are presented with look like the cheapest motel suites we have seen.

DC dares a new hotelier in Cameroon to be different! To create a luxurious setting that is chic, elegant, retro, vibrant and truly represents our "Africa in miniature" heritage.

Go on, you can do it! Give us something different!

Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx

(images from Charrington House, UK)

MORE OF POPOL? HAVE YOUR SAY!

78 year old President Paul Biya is likely to extend his 29 year rule and his tight grip on power in Cameroon after the elections yesterday are proving to give his party CPDM/RDPC an upperhand amidst claims of low turnout and early closure of some polling stations.

The President stood to contest his 6th year term in power against political rivals such as Ni John Fru Ndi and Kah Wall.

Read more of the story here.

What are your thoughts dear readers? Would you say Cameroonians are apathetic in the face of our political situation? Who is the best candidate to rule Cameroon? What would they do differently? What can Cameroonians do?
Have your say!!

(Pic: AFP)

Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx

GHYSLAINE TCHOUAGA FOR MISS AFRICA USA

Ladies and gentlemen, today on the blog DC would like to bring your attention to a very beautiful and gentle sister based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Her name is Ghyslaine Tchouaga but everyone calls her Gigi (how FAB!!) and she is 5'11 in height. She was born and raised in Yaoundé where she spent 17 years of her life before relocating to the US. Guess what too? She is a Miss Cameroon USA!

She is one of 5 children and is very close to all the members of her family. Her first love is God and to keep busy in her spare time she does ceramics, as well as cook, sing, learn about different cultures and do a spat of modelling whenever she can.

She is humble, gorgeous, intelligent, confident, God fearing and likes to treat people exactly how she would like to be treated.

This year, she is representing Cameroon at the Miss Africa USA beauty pageant and DC caught up with her for a quick chat!

DC: Thanks Ghyslaine for talking to DC. Is this your first pageant or have you done something like this before?
Gigi: No, 2011 marks my first year ever entering into a pageant show.

DC: Okay, so why did you decide to join the Miss Africa USA pageant?
Gigi: Beside from the fact that a Miss Cameroon has never won the Miss Africa USA crown, I aim this year to be Miss Africa USA not for the spotlight but to use the spotlight to both raise awareness and funds for my campaign "Fight Against Hunger" in the Horn of Africa. In addition to that, I would promote the Miss Africa USA pageant. I believe that the future of the Miss Africa USA pageant relies extensively on the message the next queen will deliver to the general public. Furthermore, I will do all I can to  preserve the pageant's core message which is that young African women can be and do whatever they want to to make a positive difference.

DC: Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you hope to do or be in future?
Gigi: I will describe myself as an achiever, ambitious, confident, focused, open-minded, positive, pro-active, results oriented, and an African leader. My past is molding my future and my experiences are used as blessings and lessons. I love to challenge myself and a few months ago I decided to challenge myself by running as a contestant for the Miss Africa USA 2011 pageant. I was blessed to be representing the Republic of Cameroon this year. Through this challenge, I am hoping to inspire all the young girls and women that as long as we keep breathing, “The sky is the limit.”

I am currently working on my Bachelor degree in Nursing and later on, I will specialise in Anesthesia. Over the year, my interests have grown. The most important of all is my commitment to God. In addition, giving back in every way, shape and form has also been a priority in my life. My love for fashion has grown also and I model whenever I have the time. I would love to use my skills later on to help my beautiful country Cameroon and Africa in general.

DC: Why did you choose to campaign for "Fight Against Hunger"?
Gigi: I chose to join the International Rescue Committee and fight the cause in East Africa because:-

• Famine is an emergency and according to the Washington Post, it has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly children.
• Images coming from the Horn of Africa are sad and depressing. While in the U.S we are fighting against obesity, in Somalia, there are 3.7 million people suffering from drought crisis.
• I usually go where the need is and I am working hard to raise awareness and funds to fight against this disaster.

DC: How can the public get involved in this campaign? How can they vote for you?
Gigi: I am begging the public to help me out this year by giving monetary donation to my campaign for the urging Fight Against Hunger. Donations can be received online by clicking the link http://diy.rescue.org/misscameroon. Any donation amount is always welcomed.

DC: When is the Miss Africa USA show and in what city/state?
Gigi: This year, the Miss Africa USA 2011 coronation has been scheduled for Sunday, November 13, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, 8727Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD. If you are in the area PLEASE come and support me. Voting started on October 1st and anyone can vote daily by clicking http://missafricaunitedstates.com/vote-finalist.php?cont=87.

So dear readers, there you have it! A fabulously intelligent sister who also strives to fight for something she believes in. There is no doubt that Cameroon has some beautiful girls and for DC, Gigi could become a top model representing Cameroon the world over!

Are we kidding? Just check some of the pictures below and make up your own mind.

What do you say now?

Gigi for top model?

Please vote for her, she needs to become the first Miss Cameroon to win this Miss Africa USA crown.

Let's go: http://missafricaunitedstates.com/vote-finalist.php?cont=87

Stay sweet

Dulce

xxx

MTN APP DEVELOPMENT COMPETITION

MTN has launched an app development competition where it is challenging the developping community around the world to come up with apps inspired by Africa and the Midlle East.

Your creations can deal with any facet of life in Africa and the Middle East, from solving some of the regions' most pressing challenges to lifestyle, entertainment and even social networking.

All apps must be built using Android operating system and must be functional in the English language.

The big winner in this competition is a chance to win a trip to Barcelona next year from 27th February 2012 to 1st March 2012.

The competition started 1st August 2011 and is runnin up till 31st December 2011.

Click on link below to register and get yourself in it to win it!
http://mtnappshop.imimobile.net/webshop/registration.aspx

Goodluck y'all!
Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx