4 Attempts By African Countries To Make Cars

Apart from South Africa and Mauritius, no country in Sub-Saharan has an industrial sector that can compete on the world stage. There has been numerous attempts to catch-up with the rest of the world. The following are attempts by Africans to make cars mostly from scratch.

1. Nyayo cars-Kenya

In the 1980’s, former Kenya’s President, Daniel arap Moi asked the University of Nairobi to come up with a car, however slow or ugly. The engineers went to work, and the car was rolled out of the production lines a few years later. The cars produced were neither ugly nor slow. They could move at 120km/h.

With fanfare, five prototypes of the car christened Nyayo Pioneer were launched in 1990. It generated interest and catalysed the dream of a car that everyone would afford. According to the government, the objective of the car was to come up with a car that would be affordable, efficient and useful to the people of Kenya. However, things did not go as planned.

When the president started the car, it stalled and never showed signs of life. It would occur that nearly a billion shillings later, that the efforts of engineers, academics and experts from the University of Nairobi, Kenya Polytechnic, Kenya Railways and other institutions had come to nothing. Later, it would emerge that the haste with which the project was implemented and it’s mishandling had scrambled Moi’s dream.

The budget for the car’s mass production was too high- Ksh.7 billion. The car’s engine was too heavy, and the transmission system was faulty. The project had been carried out in top secret to avoid pissing off international donors who wanted all non-performing parastatals closed down.

2. Izuogu  Z-600 -Nigeria

The Izuogu Z-600 prototype was the first indigenous Nigerian car, and the first automobile of indigenous all-African technology. It was the brainchild of engineer Ezekiel Izuogu. Launched in 1997, the car caused a stir in the Nigerian media, and was touted by the then Nigerian chief of Staff General Oladipo Diya.

The prototype was equipped with a self made 1.8L four cylinder engine that got 18mpg and allowed the car to achieve a top speed of 140 km/h (86 mph). Front Wheel Drive (FWD) was chosen over Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) because a transmission tunnel, which RWD would require, would be more expensive to fabricate. 90% of the car's components were made locally.

The design of the car was very utilitarian resembling a Renault 4 with its upright stance and a front end that resembles the locally assembled Peugeot 504.

To be priced at $2000 it would have been the cheapest car in the world. Clever features like a door bell used in place of a horn ensure it achieves its low price target. Mass production was planned under Izuogu motors located in Naze, Imo state, but too many financial and political hurdles prevented the car from proceeding past the prototype stage.

In 2005 interest from other African countries arose about the Z-600 and Dr. Izuogu was invited to South Africa to give a speech on science and technology. The South African government showed keen interest in the car and wanted Izuogu to build it in South Africa.

Optimism surrounded the car until March 11, 2006, when armed robbers raided the factory of Izuogu Motors taking with them the moulds for the engine blocks and crank shaft, mudguards and other components. This was a big setback for the project. Since then not much is known on the status of the car.

3. Kiira EV-Uganda

Young engineers at Uganda's Makerere University have made an electric car. In 2011, the College of Engineering Design, Art and Technology at Makerere conducted a 4km test-drive on its Kiira EV, a two-seater vehicle that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries instead of petrol. Its makers say that in motorway conditions, the Kiira EV can attain a speed of 100km/h and cover 80km (50 miles) before it needs recharging.

Although the technology has been around for decades, it was the first time anyone in Uganda was able to part-assemble and part-manufacture a purely electric car, conspicuously green in colour to symbolise its environmental credentials.

However, despite this achievement emanating from one of the world's poorest countries questions have been raised about priorities, viability and the possibility of prestige projects that have little impact on the lives of the majority.

The deputy vice-chancellor of the university, said the idea for Kiira EV came out of Makerere's participation in the Vehicle Design Summit, an inter-university initiative to build the car of the future. Led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the summit culminated with the building, in 2008, of the prototype Vision 200, a hybrid fuel-electricity car, in Turin, Italy. The performance of the Ugandan students [at the summit] was good, so they announced that they would build their own car.

The deputy vice-chancellor admitted that "standard components" like the headlights, wheel, motor and batteries were imported, but, he explained, the chassis was designed and produced locally, as were other parts, such as the firmware, which controls the computerised vehicle's operations.

Early in 2014, the Kiira team had decided to produce the car in three versions: EV (full Electric Vehicle) for enthusiasts, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE or normal fuel engine), as well as hybrid (combining both fuel and electric systems). The final product will be a four-door vehicle with a two-door version as an option. Factoring in all possible delays, the first cars will roll off the plant in 2018, and the factory will have the capacity to produce all variants of the Kiira EV.

The plan is to produce the ICE in three engine size versions, ranging from 1,500cc to 1,800cc. The ICE will be sold at approximately $20,000 (UShs 50m), while the EV is to cost $30,000 and the Hybrid $40,000. These prices are based on the average cost of a brand new Toyota Corolla imported from Japan.

4. Saroukh el-Jamahiriya- Libya

The late Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi ‘invented’ a sleek James Bond-style car, which Libya said was the safest vehicle on earth. The car was unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the revolution which propelled the Libyan leader to power. The “Libyan Rocket”, as the prototype was called, was described as an “elegant sedan” 17 feet long, more than six feet wide, with a 3-liter, V-6 gasoline engine. It’s a five-passenger saloon in a metallic Libyan revolutionary green with tinted windows.

It also had airbags, an unspecified ‘electronic defense system’, and a collapsible bumper. The car could go hundreds of miles on a flat tire, a feature that could come in handy while driving in the vast Libyan Desert. Other safety features included a device to cut off the fuel supply to avoid a fire in case of accident.

10 years after the first prototype was announced, the car was unveiled in Tripoli at the end of an African Union summit in 2009. Construction of the car was supposed to have started in October 2009, in Tripoli.

Crazy Modern African Prophets

1. Alice Auma- Uganda

Claims that she was a prostitute would have naturally disqualified Alice Auma from being a leader of men. But, she claimed that God spoke through her, and they followed her into a war waged supposedly to purify Uganda and restore Acholi glory.

On May 25, 1985, she reportedly lost hearing and speaking ability. Several failed traditional interventions later, she disappeared into Paraa National Park and emerged 40 days later as the spirit-medium of a dead Italian soldier whose name, Lakwena, means “messenger” in the Acholi language. On August 6, 1986, Lakwena allegedly ordered Auma to form a Holy Spirit Movement (HSM) that would fight evil and end bloodshed. But the HSM’s songs and magic were no match for the National Resistance Army’s bullets and organizational superiority.

Alice escaped with her life to Kenya. In 2006 she claimed to have found a cure for the HIV/AIDS she is alleged to have died from. Alice’s Holy Spirit Safety Precautions included, among others, “all men having neither less nor more than two testicles”. She allegedly fled to Kenya on a bicycle. Ironically, Kony’s eleventh commandment became “thou shalt not ride a bicycle.” Lakwena the Italian spirit allegedly drowned in the river Nile in the First World War, and reputedly spoke 74 languages. Other spirits that inhabited Alice included America’s Wrong Element, Zaire’s Franko, and Nyaker, an Acholi nurse. She promised her fighters that use of her "Holy Oil" would protect them from bullets, turning them to water. Her 7,000 hymn-singing fighters reached to within 130km of the capital, Kampala, before they were defeated by the government army in 1988.

After the HSM’s defeat in November 1987, Kony, her alleged cousin regrouped the force under a new name, the United Holy Salvation Army, which he re branded to the Uganda Christian Army, before settling for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in 1992.

2. Prophet Mboro - South Africa

His nick-name Mboro means penis in many Bantu languages. He is of the Incredible Happenings ministry.He has tens of thousands of followers, most of them young people. He must have an equally high number of enemies, if his security is anything to go by. His convoy of Benz-es and a Chrysler is always well guarded by burly men wielding machine-guns. His church sells a lot of blessed stuff; blessed water, blessed petroleum jelly, blessed sanitary towels etc. The followers claim that when having menstrual pain, the anointed sanitary pads ease the pain.

A few years ago, the prophet held an exorcism- one of many controversial ones. Sitting on the lap of a female congregant, Mboro placed his hand on the head of the 17-year old.He told the congregation that her stomach had swelled up because some sorcerers had cast an evil spell on her. As he was praying for her, she collapsed. Mboro then told the teenager, who was lying on her back, to open her legs, which she did. He then plunged his fingers into her private parts,ans started moving his fingers inside her vagina. As he was busy with the "healing process", he ordered her to call him by his bnickname; Mboro.

The prophet is obsessed with lady's private parts,l which he fondly calls "biscuits". On previous occasions, he has stepped on the "biscuits"; and on one occasion, claimed that there was something breathing in the biscuit. He ordered the lady with the breathing to remove her undies, which he went ahead to stitch with "holy-water" i.e.rubbing his wet fingers on the vagina.

3. Joseph Kibwetere and Credonia Mwerinde - Uganda

The pair had predicted that the world would end on 31st December 1999, and then Joseph changed that to the following year's New Year's Eve, and then to St. Patrick's Day. Joseph, a Ugandan cult leader duped scores of Ugandans into surrendering their possessions to him and joining his sect, Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.

In March 2000, as many as 1000 people died, some in a fire and others allegedly poisoned. At first, it was assumed taht the massacre was a mass suicide by members of the cult who were convinced about going to heaven through fire, but later  it was established that it was planned and executed by the cult leadership. Some members had been killed earlier and secretly buried in other camps.

Joseph Kibwetere was professionally a primary school teacher. He had 16 children. He was recruited into the cult by Credonia, who was a former prostitute. Credonia started the movement in the late 80's, when she reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary. She failed to convince the Vatican, and her cult was born. Joseph was ordained the bishop of the movement.

The cult revolved around a belief that some people were talking with god through visions, and they received warnings from the Virgin Mary about the apocalypse. The followers would not go to hell if they strictly followed the cult's teachings.

They preached as far back as 1992, about snakes as big as tractor wheels and blocks of cement which would fall from heaven during the apocalypse. They talked of three days of consecutive darkness, that would engulf the whole world. It is said that they sealed the church doors and windows with nails, to prelude the apocalypse. The church was then set on fire.

10 Cases of Homosexuality in Pre-colonial Africa

African history is replete with examples of both erotic and non-erotic same-sex relationships. Same-sex relationships in Africa were far more complex than what the champions of the “un-African” myth would have us believe. Apart from erotic same-sex desire, in precolonial Africa, several other activities were involved in same-sex (or what the colonialists branded “unnatural”) sexuality. It is ironic that an African dictator wearing a three-piece suit, caressing an iPhone, speaking in English and liberally quoting the Bible can dare indict anything for being un-African.

1. Angola/Namibia  

In many African societies, same-sex sexuality was also believed to be a source of magical powers to guarantee bountiful crop yields and abundant hunting, good health and to ward off evil spirits. In Angola and Namibia, for instance, a caste of male diviners — known as “zvibanda,” “chibados,” “quimbanda,” gangas” and “kibambaa” — were believed to carry powerful female spirits that they would pass on to fellow men through anal sex.

2. Congo/Angola

 The Portuguese were among the first Europeans to explore the continent. They noted the range of gender relations in African societies and referred to the "unnatural damnation" of male-to-male sex in Congo. Andrew Battell, an English traveler in the 1590s, wrote this of the Imbangala of Angola: "They are beastly in their living, for they have men in women's apparel, whom they keep among their wives."

3.  The Amhara of Ethiopia

Among the Amhara peasants, male transvestites, who they viewed as god’s mistakes have been reported. Among the Maale of southern Ethiopia, a small minority of men crossed over to feminine roles. Called ashtime, these biological males dressed like women, performed female tasks, cared for their own houses and apparently had sexual relations with men.

4.  The Siwa of Egypt

Homosexuality is also recorded among the Siwa of Egypt. Siwa had historical accepted male homosexuality and even had rituals of same-sex marriage—traditions that Egyptian authorities have sought to repress, with increasing success, since the early twentieth century.

The German egyptologist Georg Steindorff explored the Siwan Oasis in 1900 and reported that homosexual relations were common and often extended to a form of marriage: "The feast of marrying a boy was celebrated with great pomp, and the money paid for a boy sometimes amounted to fifteen pounds, while the money paid for a woman was a little over one pound."  In 1937 the anthropologist Walter Cline wrote the first detailed ethnography of the Siwans in which he noted: ""All normal Siwan men and boys practice sodomy...among themselves the natives are not ashamed of this; they talk about it as openly as they talk about love of women, and many if not most of their fights arise from homosexual competition....Prominent men lend their sons to each other. All Siwans know the matings which have taken place among their sheiks and their sheiks' sons....Most of the boys used in sodomy are between twelve and eighteen years of age."

5. The Ancient Egyptians

How far back can homosexuality be traced in Africa? You cannot argue with rock paintings. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians depicted anal homosexuality. The truth is that, like everywhere else, African people have expressed a wide range of sexualities.

6.  The Mossi of Burkina Faso

Among the Mossi in what is now Burkina Faso, pages chosen from among the most beautiful boys aged seven to fifteen, were dressed and had the other attributes of women in relation to chiefs, for whom sexual intercourse with women was denied on Fridays.

7. The Nubians of Sudan

 
In Sudan among the Moro, Tira and the Nubian Nyima, there was gender differentiated homosexuality. Non-masculine males could marry men, and such marriages required a bride price of one goat. The generally young husband could also have female wives. The marriage however rarely lasted long.

8.  King Mwanga of Uganda

In Uganda, age-structured and gender-based homosexuality also existed in various royal courts. According to John Faupel, the Ugandan king Mwanga’s persecution of Christian pages in 1886 was largely motivated by their rejection of sexual advances. He found it increasingly difficult to staff his harem of pages and supposedly was especially enraged when Mwafu, his favorite, refused any longer to submit to anal penetration.

9. The Ashanti of West Africa 

The Ashanti of West Africa, who reside in present day Ivory Coast had male slaves who they used as concubines, treating them like female lovers. Male concubines wore pearl necklaces with gold pendants. When their masters died, they were also killed. At the time, men who dressed as women and engaged in homosexual relations with other men were not stigmatized, but accepted. The status of women was however particularly high before arrival of the missionaries.

10. The Khoikhoi of Southern Africa  

As early as 1719, there are recorded cases of Khoikhoi males called koetsire, who engaged in receptive sex with other males. The usual homosexual practice for both men and women was mutual masturbation. Anal intercourse and the use of an artificial penis between women also occurred, but more rarely. Among the Herero, it was noted that special friendships included anal sex, as well as mutual masturbation.

10 Incredible African Fashion Designers

1. Taibo Bacar - Mozambique

Taibo Bacar was born in Mozambique in 1985 and originally studied Information Technologies. The son of a seamstress, Bacar grew up around the sounds of sewing machines, fabrics and the design sketches that he drew for some of his mother’s clients. One day he decided to take a chance and follow his childhood passion, leaving the world of IT and heading to Spain to take a course in design and pattern cutting at Instituto Marangoni. At that time there was no fashion industry training available in Mozambique.

In 2007, Taibo created the brand TAIBO BACAR. It was Milan Fashion Week in 2011 that catapulted Bacar into fashion’s limelight.

2. Sindiso Khumalo - South Africa

Sindiso Khumalo is a women's' wear textile designer who lives and works in Hackney, East London. She studied Architecture at University of Cape Town before moving to London to work for award winning architect David Adjaye. Following that she went on to study an MA Design for Textile Futures at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, graduating with a distinction for her final project. In October 2012 she was shortlisted for the Elle Magazine Rising Star Competition and showcased her debut SS13 collection at the Awards. In February 2013, her Aretha Dress was was nominated for “ Most Beautiful Object in South Africa” by the Design Indaba Cape Town. She works with NGO's in various parts of the world in developing new textiles for her collections. Recently her AW13 collection was showcased in Paris at Laboethnik Fashion Weekend.

3. Aisha Obuobi - Ghana

 Aisha Obuobi began her love affair with fashion at an early age. However, the real motivation came from watching her grandmother Christie Brown, a seamstress, create rich and vibrant garments. Today, she is the Creative Director of Christie Brown, a Ghanian Based luxury women's fashion brand. This is a luxury women’s wear label she founded in 2008 in her final year of psychology at the University of Ghana. Its not just her eloquent use of kente  and ankara that makes her a voice of now and the future in fashion , but it is how seamlessly she is able to infuse her culture in the fabric of the modern woman. Her work has been featured in Harper’s bazaar (UK), Italian Vogue and she was the only Ghanaian designer that was selected to showcase at the Arise L’Afrique- a- Porter, in Paris as part of Paris Fashion Week (2010).

4. Duro Olowu - Nigeria

Since arriving on the London fashion scene in 2004, Nigerian-born Duro Olowu has impressed the right people with his vibrant mix of African prints, seventies tailoring, and unlikely color combos. A high-waited patchwork boho dress—known as the “Duro”—put the brand on the fashion map, and became a cult item in 2005 after being discovered by American Vogue editor Sally Singer and Julie Gilhart of Barneys.

 5. Gavin Rajah - South Africa

Gavin Rajah is a South African born designer. He works out of his atelier based in Cape Town and regularly shows at Paris Fashion Week (Couture). Gavin Rajah was voted as one of 150 designers to watch around the world by Franca Sozzani in the January 2013 issue of Italian Vogue, and was winner of the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa Award at Design Indaba Expo, and the SATOURISM Designer of the Year in 2013.
He uses his visibility and fashion events to bring awareness to various child related issues. Gavin Rajah has been appointed by the United Nations as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

6. Patricia Mbela - Kenya

Patricia Mbela is a fashion and jewelry designer, and the first Kenyan to participate at the Nigerian  Fashion week back in the year 2011. Currently, the designer behind the POISA label. In 2012, she was at the Swahili Fashion week, where she was nominated East Africa's Designer of the Year.

Patricia has loved fashion and garment construction since childhood. At age 14, she decided to be a fashion designer. Her dream came true, when she went to study fashion design at London's Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design and then on to Kent Institute of Art & Design, Rochester campus.

7. Josephyn Akioyamen (Fenix Couture) - Nigeria

Josephyn is a Nigerian-Canadian designer whose designs are perfect for the subtle dresser waiting to branch out a little. She started her journey into fashion while living in Lagos, Nigeria. She was constantly surrounded by intricate colors and prints and, of course, African culture.She makes flattering silhouttes that are playful and sexy, and she mixes up her fabrics for eye-catching textures.

She created Fenix Couture, a Nigerian-Canadian design label. Its well-tailored designs and understanding for the female form are both professional and appealing. Fenix Couture is a combination of timeless elegance and modern luxury brought to life by stimulating textiles and precision tailoring. With its 2013 Ihotu Collection, the label introduced itself to the world as one not just to watch, but a label that is so transformational that it would last for years to come.

8. Lisa Folawiyo - Nigeria

Nigeria's fashion designer Lisa Folawiyo's shiny clothes have captivated people from Lagos to Cape Town, London, Paris, New York and Hollywood. She is the founder and creative director of Jewel by Lisa, a brand that specializes in Ankara textiles, the vibrant wax-resist dyed fabrics characteristic of West Africa and widely used across the continent. But, as though they were not already bright enough, she decided to embellish them with beads, sequins and crystals, all sewn by hand, and the chic combination became an instant success.

9. Gabriella and Kelly Davids (Milq & Honey) - South Africa

They’re often described as the “Kardashian sisters” of Cape Town, but Kelly and Gabriella are proudly Davids. The stunning siblings are the brains behind the fashion label MilQ and Honey, which turned heads at the Mercedes-Benz Cape Town Fashion Week. Compliments streamed in after their Morocco-inspired catwalk show, which featured colourful, wispy creations with animal print and over-sized hats. The MilQ and Honey brand consists of a fashion line run by Kelly and a luxurious spa run from their father’s Rondebosch home by Gabriella.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10. Marianne Fassler - South Africa

Marianne Fassler has spent two decades in the fashion business. She operates from Leopard Frock, her creative workshop in Saxonwold, Johannesburg. She sells garments and separates off the peg and also consults with individual clients by appointment. Her work is diverse and includes garments to suit a busy lifestyle as well as custom made special occasion wear and stunning, highly crafted Wedding dresses.

Her designs are whimsically creative and exude a sense of Africa that is unique and inspiring. Using her knowledge of design and her understanding of South African cultures, each piece she designs is definably Marianne Fassler, and a similar design would be difficult to find.