AMAGEP Promotes a Positive Image of Africa

Africa is often perceived across the world in a negative perspective: the world’s poorest continent; the global epicenter of civil wars, famine, corruption, mismanagement of resources, and autocratic regime; and the origin of terrible diseases such as AIDS and Ebola. In the meantime, the international public opinion is unaware of a lot of positive initiatives that are undertaken in there. African Marketing Global Empowerment and Projects (AMAGEP) has just undertaken to promote a positive image of the African continent. Behold an interview with Alain Matundu Vangu, its chairperson.

AFRIQU’ECHOS MAGAZINE (AEM): What is AMAGEP?

ALAIN MATUNDU VANGU (AMV): African Marketing Global Empowerment and Projects (AMAGEP) is a pan-African non-profit organization based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is acknowledged as a public benefit organization and therefore tax exempt. Amagep has a triple mission: inspire and raise awareness of policymakers as well as civil societies regarding pertaining to the sociopolitical and cultural future of Africa; provide as much as possible an objective look at diverse events that impact the future of the African continent, as well as to push African people to foster the spirit of creativity and innovation; and lastly promote Africa’s renaissance in the concert of continents. Our actions range from the promotion and preservation of arts, culture and customs to HIV/AIDS educative programmes.

AEM: What are the tools utilized by AMAGEP in the fulfillment of its mission?

AMV: To fulfill its mission, AMAGEP utilizes the very tools it has forged: the website www.amagep.co.za; EurekAfrika Magazine, which just took off; Scoop AMAGEP that organizes debates and realizes interviews; and collaboration with printing houses for the publication and commercialization of books written by Africans. Besides, AMAGEP envisages in a long medium term to the Steve Biko Leadership Academy, a framework within which are hatched transformative ideas and is incubated a new breed of African leadership. Last, AMAGEP harbors the plan to own a radio and television station. And, since it creation, our organization enjoys the privilege of being relayed to the rest of the francophone world by your prestigious press entity, Afriqu’Echos Magazine (AEM).

AEM: Your concluding remark?

AMV: Africa has the privilege to harbor several assets: the world’s youngest population; an immense natural potential; a consolidating regional and continental integration; a maturing process of democratization; an expanding private sector as a result of responsible investments and of a sustained domestic consumption…Aware of this potential, I urgently appeal to influential people and institutions in Africa and the world to back public benefit projects initiated by AMAGEP and other public benefit organizations towards the continent’s development from below.