Sylvain Eloi Dessy

Professor, Department of Economics, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada

Email: sylvain.dessy@ecn.ulaval.ca

Judd Devermont

Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Africa Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, US

Contact: x.com/jdevermont

Diakonoff, Serge. L’âme de l’Afrique: masques et sculptures [Africa’s Soul: Masks and Sculptures].Paris: les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2008.

This book sheds light on the incredible paradox that characterizes African art as it is both diverse and consistent. It shows, through the study of statuettes and masks, what is specific to the African intellectual nature and its contribution to mankind’s cultural and intellectual history.

[Source: Decitre.fr].

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Diamond Platnumz

Musician

Tanzania

twitter.com/diamondplatnumz

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Diawara Manthia

Professor, Cultural theory and film, New York University

manthia.diawara@nyu.edu

+1 212 992 7506

tisch.nyu.edu/cinema-studies/faculty/manthia-diawara

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Diawara, Manthia. African Cinema: Politics & Culture. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992.

Manthia Diawara provides an insider’s account of the history and current status of African cinema. African Cinema: Politics and Culture is the first extended study in English of Sub-Saharan cinema. Employing an interdisciplinary approach which draws on history, political science, economics, and cultural studies, Diawara discusses such issues as film production and distribution, and film aesthetics from the colonial period to the present. The book traces the growth of African cinema through the efforts of pioneer filmmakers such as Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, Oumarou Ganda, Jean-René Débrix, Jean Rouch, and Ousmane Sembène, the Pan-African Filmmakers’ Organization(FEPACI), and the Ougadougou Pan-African Film Festival (FESPACO). Diwara focuses on the production and distribution histories of key films such as Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl and Mandabi (1968) and Souleymane Cissé’s Fine(1982). He also examines the role of missionary films in Africa, Débrix’s ideas concerning ‘magic, ‘the links between Yoruba theater and Nigerian cinema, and the parallels between Hindu mythologicals in India and the Yoruba-theater -inflected films in Nigeria. Diawara also looks at film and nationalism, film and popular culture, and the importance of FESPACO. African Cinema: Politics and Culture makes a major contribution to the expanding discussion of Eurocentrism, the canon, and multi-culturalism.

[Source: Google Books].

DiCaprio, Alisa., James A. Robinson, and Alice H. (Alice Hoffenberg) Amsden. The Role of Elites in Economic Development. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Elites have a disproportionate impact on development outcomes. While a country's endowments constitute the deep determinates of growth, the trajectory they follow is shaped by the actions of elites. But what factors affect whether elites use their influence for individual gain or national welfare? To what extent do they see poverty as a problem? And are their actions today constrained by institutions and norms established in the past? This volume looks at case studies from South Africa to China to seek a better understanding of the dynamics behind how elites decide to engage with economic development. Approaches include economic modelling, social surveys, theoretical analysis, and program evaluation. These different methods explore the relationship between elites and development outcomes from five angles: the participation and reaction of elites to institutional creation and change, how economic changes affect elite formation and circulation, elite perceptions of national welfare, the extent to which state capacity is part of elite self-identity, and how elites interact with non-elites.

Source: Book description by publisher

Diderich, Joelle. “Thebe Magugu Wins the 2019 LVMH Prize.” WWD, September 4, 2019. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/thebe-magugu-wins-2019-lvmh-prize-1203252173/

“Thebe Magugu on Wednesday became the first African designer to win the LVMH Prize for Young Designers, underscoring the continent’s potent appeal as a source of both creative talent and future luxury consumers. “Tomb Raider” star Alicia Vikander, speaking in French, revealed the winner at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the presence of jury members including Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière, Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy, Loewe artistic director Jonathan Anderson and Berluti’s Kris Van Assche.”

[Source: Excerpt from the article].