Part conceptual magazine, part apparel company, AFRICA IS THE FUTURE, or AITF, is more of an ever-evolving creative project in time travel than anything else.

Photo credit: http://www.africaisthefuture.com/

And that’s exactly what its co-founder and creative director, Nicolas Premiere, had in mind. Nicolas was born in France to a French mother and a Congolese father. He and his business partner Patrick Ayamam launched AITF with an important vision in mind: to change the way you think and talk about Africa.

We think he’s done just that.

Check out our interview with Nicolas here and make sure to visit AFRICA IS THE FUTURE.

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think!

Mike: Tell me about how you came to found AITF and the team behind it?
Nicholas: The first t-shirt with the slogan ‘AFRICA IS THE FUTURE’ was printed in 2002. At this time, I was also exhibiting a series of painted portraits featuring Congolese people I had met a year earlier in Brazzaville. Almost all the models looked at the viewer straight in the eye. It was important for me to show proud Africans who are aware of themselves. Alongside these series of paintings, I worked on different slogans that were inspired by the civil rights movement with updated content. Among all of these slogans, there was AFRICA IS THE FUTURE.

A cultural center organizing one of my exhibitions offered to print my t-shirts for the opening. I chose to print [AFRICA IS THE FUTURE] on 30 t-shirts. But it was two years later when AITF was born. There was another exhibition, another opening, where at least ten friends came with the famous t-shirt which led to the audience talking about the slogan, its meaning and Africa.

The classic t-shirts, as made famous by AITF. Photo credit:http://www.africaisthefuture.com/

My friend Patrick and I were pretty surprised by all the discussions that the t-shirts generated.There were new angles, perspectives and ways to talk about Africa. We wanted this to happen again more widely and more often, so we reprinted more t-shirts! In recent years we’ve generated discussion in ways other than the t-shirts-AITF Magazine is the most recent example of this.

Let’s talk about your homepage. I’m intrigued by the teaser: everything you want to know about AITF but never dared to ask. Then, clicking through, it says: now you know. What was your reasoning behind this?

When we printed the first t-shirts with the slogan AFRICA IS THE FUTURE, we did not want people to be able to clearly identify who was behind this and what for. We did this because we wanted people to use their critical mind to elaborate their own meaning for the slogan.We did not want to interfere with this process. Our only goal was to bring Africa, from an unusual and stimulating perspective, as a main subject of everyday discussions.

Now you know means there is no hidden truth or magical secret behind AITF-it’s a creative work that is crucial but surely not sufficient-we are not the solution. We do not pretend to change the world or Africa.

You also mention on your homepage how AITF questions how the world is told to us and renews the way Africa is represented. In your view, how is that world told to us and what’s the image of Africa you’re renewing?

Until the lions have their own historians, history will always glorify the hunter. My goal is not to compare Africa to lions but to highlight the fact that there is a predominant point of view in media and cultural industry. It has nothing to do with objectivity-it’s global power relations reflected in images.

AITF Magazine, with its fictional content, requires the reader to ask himself questions because everything that normally seems self-evident is reversed. Particularly the traditional image of Africa in the media: poor, sick, plagued by war. By giving Africa the leading role, AITF Magazine places the continent in a position that is nearly the same as the US today.

Your conceptual magazine is published 20 years from now in 2033. Why did you pick 2033?

The main reason the magazine is dated in the year 2033 is to signify that it is not the real world. AITF’s world has its own temporality, its own logic…It’s not a perfect reflection of the real world. Our goal is not to predict the future but if possible, to create tools for thinking about the world differently by swapping/changing preconceived ideas.

Publishing for the future-in the present. Photo credit: http://www.africaisthefuture.com/

What about the Addis Abeba Panthers?

The Adis Abeba Panthers are the greatest soccer team of the world in 2033. For your information, ever since they recruited Etuna Ndakolo, they have won victory after victory. Moreover, Ndakolo has dethroned the old Messi in many records!

Dethroning Messi is on the horizon. Photo credit: http://www.africaisthefuture.com/

Your brand utilizes some timeless images and design work. Tell us your creative vision behind the look and feel of AITF.

It’s about the aesthetic of the fifties which corresponds to the post-war economic growth of the US and the worldwide promotion of the American way of life. This time period is a perfect playground because its representational codes are strongly rooted in the collective unconscious and the impact is all the more great when diverted.

How about U.R. Doctors for America – an American child vaccinated in our backyard of Virginia?

Worldwide petroleum resources have been exhausted but the African Energy Group discovered new shale gas fields in America which is good news for Africa. We can not say the same for America because the continent stirs lust. Like deja vu, various civil wars break out in places where a deposit is discovered. Utilities, especially health care and education, are most affected by these troubles.Endemic diseases like meningitis resurface. Touched by the plight of kids and civilians, an association of African volunteer doctors travels to America to rescue them.

Vaccinations for American children. Photo credit: http://www.africaisthefuture.com/

What’s your creative process like?

Like every creative project, it’s complex. I can’t tell you exactly, because I do not have a magical formula. I work all the time. I use many notebooks. I read, I listen, I look, I walk, I inhale, I exhale. I try to stay connected with the flow because everything comes from it.

One of the statistics I find most exciting about Africa is that 65 percent of Africans are under the age of 35. I couldn’t help but think that AITF is trying to connect with this up-and-coming, change-making generation. Why?

We connect to the coming generation of the world because they are, by definition, the future.The way we see the world determines what we do in it. This is too important to let only media and cultural industry open the eyes of the youth!

Finally, if you could share a message with ONE members young and old, what would it be?

Think for yourself.

We are so thankful for the time Nicolas spent with us-he left us feeling tremendously inspired and eagerly anticipating Africa’s future.

Check out the website here-start challenging the norm and thinking for yourself.

At each stop along their 32-city tour, ONE members and staff will be tabling inside the venue, located right next to Maroon 5′s official merchandise kiosk. Swing by the ONE table to take action against global poverty, meet other ONE volunteers and pick up some free swag. We’ve even partnered with Foursquare so you can check into our ONE Table at the show and share your support for the world’s poorest.

Going to a show? Awesome – here’s how you can get involved …

CHECK INTO FOURSQUARE

Check into “ONE Table at Maroon 5” on Foursquare to earn a coupon for a free ONE wristband. Just flash your coupon at the ONE table and we’ll hand you the wristband. Not a Foursquare enthusiast? No problem. Check out https://foursquare.com/ to download their app, or just sign-up to join ONE at our table to get a wristband.

POST A PHOTO ON INSTAGRAM

So, you know that new wristband you’re wearing? Take a photo of you and your friends rocking out in your ONE gear and post it up on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag it with #maroon5 and @ONECampaign. We’ll keep an eye on our feed and repost our favorite photos with our members. Go to http://instagram.com/ to download the app and for more details.

TEXT MAROON 5

Last but not least, simply text “PAYPHONE” to 877877 on your mobile phone or come by our table to sign-up to join ONE. It’s that easy.

Finally, a big and special thanks to Maroon 5 for making this happen – we couldn’t be more thrilled to join them on tour again and can’t wait to see you perform. Happy touring and enjoy the show!

For more information on tour dates and tickets, check out http://maroon5.com/. Here are the tour dates for your convenience:

February 13: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

February 14: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI

February 16: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

February 17: Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH

February 19: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ONT

February 20: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

February 22: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

February 23: Izod Arena, E. Rutherford, NJ

February 25: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI

February 27: Sprint Center, Kansas Ciy, MO

March 01: I Wireless Arena, Moline, IL

March 03: Century Link Center, Omaha, NE

March 04: Excel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

March 07: Saddledome, Calgary, AB

March 09: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

March 11: Key Arena, Seattle, WA

March 13: HP Pavillion, San Jose, CA

March 15: Staples Arena, Los Angeles, CA

March 16, Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV

March 19: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

March 21: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

March 22: BOK Center, Tulas, OK

March 24: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

March 26: BJCC Arena, Birmingham, AL

March 27: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA

March 29: BB&T Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

March 30: Amway Center, Orlando, FL

April 01: Veteran Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL.

April 03: Washington, DC

April 04: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

April 06: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

April 26: Jazz Fest, New Orleans, LA

Amadou & Mariam, the husband-and-wife duo from Mali, is receiving a nod for their latest album Folila (2012).

Dougou Badia feat. Santigold

Wily Kataso feat. Tunde & Kyp of TV on the Radio

Legendary jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela is up for his album Jabulani.

Makoti (Bride)

Growing up in an enclave of Los Angeles, in a little suburb called Valley Village, I was surrounded by people working in the entertainment industry – a business I would eventually jump into. My worldview was shaped by seeing first-hand the art of storytelling from some of the writers, musicians and entertainers I admired most. In my mind, a grounded script, illuminating rhymes or a memorable performance were vehicles for amplifying their author’s voice and message. And, as we’ve seen at ONE, they’re powerful social and cultural unifiers, no matter where you live or what you believe. Stories are blind that way. So, I decided to leave my hometown for ONE, wanting to explore that medium for good.

Can creative storytelling impact activism? We think so.

To get things started, check out this exciting list of some of our favorite tracks from 2012 by artists all over Africa. We scoured sites like okayafrica.com, NPR, spin.com, and africaisacountry.com to find aspiring artists already making lots of noise. If you dig one of their songs, drop us a comment and give their Facebook pages some love.

Got an idea for the A-List? Let us know by emailing mdrachkovitch@one.org. I look forward to hearing from you.

Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang, “Somebody”
Janka Nabay, the self-proclaimed Bubu King from Sierra Leone, breathes new life into the traditional Muslim folk music, Bubu. https://www.facebook.com/BubuMusic

The Brother Moves On, “EPK”
From South Africa, Brother Moves On blends spoken word, jazz, rock and dance in an experimental fashion. https://www.facebook.com/thebrothermovesonband

The Very Best featuring K’NAAN, “We OK”
Founded by a Malawian Singer and a British DJ team, The Very Best is known for its electronic remixes and Afro-pop style. https://www.facebook.com/theverybest

Spoek Mathambo, “Let them Talk”
Inspired by Africa’s rich culture and progressivism, Spoek from South Africa turns to Afro-beats and electro-rap for some fun genre-bending music. https://www.facebook.com/spoekmathambo

Youssoupha, “Les Disques de Mon Père”
Big in the US underground scene, Youssoupha is a French rapper of Congolese origin. https://www.facebook.com/youssouphaofficiel

Which song did you like the most? Feel free to share it in the comments below. If you have an idea for the A-List, email mdrachkovitch@one.org.

Got a music rec? Tell us in a comment

It’s probably not what you’re expecting. In fact, there’s not a single Hollywood actor in it.

The chefs from Show Me the Curry discuss sweet potatoes in their latest cooking video.

Instead, our stars are amateur chefs who have become famous through their cooking channels on YouTube. We’ve asked them to help put the spotlight on our campaign to end global child malnutrition by creating a unique, healthy dish using the nutrient-rich sweet potato.

These chefs are everyday people like you and me who’ve built an incredible following of dedicated fans, foodies, and, as we’ve discovered, activists in the fight against extreme poverty.

Each chef put together a video tailored to their audience about the nutritional benefits of the sweet potato and its ability to build a future free of malnutrition and stunted growth.

So far, we’ve gotten a diverse set of homemade recipes from YouTube stars like the BBQ Pit Boys, Yessica, Titli’s Busy Kitchen, Maangchi, Betty’s Kitchen, The Sweetest Vegan and Show Me the Curry, and a ton of new allies in the fight against malnutrition. Whether you prefer sweet, salty, tangy, or savory, we’ve got you covered. Watch the videos in our YouTube playlist below:

Special thanks to our YouTube chef partners for lending their creative voices to the campaign – we’re thrilled to be partnering with them and can’t wait for what’s to come.

Watch the rest of our cooking videos here and keep an eye out for more in the near future!