january-2011

COVER IMAGE PHOTOLIBRARY.COM
ONTENTS
Issue 31 Jan-Feb 2011
Editor Alex Rayner
alex.rayner@ink-global.com
Art Director Marten Sealby
Designer Stephen Powell
Picture Editor Tim White
Production Manager Antonia Ferraro
Production Controller Karl Martins
Chief Sub Steve Handley
Sub Editors Susannah Parker (English),
Brigitte Ledune/edito3, (French & Dutch)
French Editor Antoine Lima
Publisher Stephanie Cregut
stephanie.cregut@ink-global.com
Advertising Account Manager
Claudia Heyl
claudia.heyl@ink-global.com
Executive Creative Director
Michael Keating
Deputy Editorial Director
Andrew Humphreys
Group Publishing Director Simon Leslie
Chief Executive Jeffrey O’Rourke
Chief Operating Officer Hugh Godsal
Design Director Jonny Clark
Publishing Account Manager
Yolanda Acuña Ocaña
Online Director Sal Lababidi
sal@ink-global.com
Reprographics Scott Reed
KFR Pre-Press Ltd
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* AFRICA TEA IN RWANDA
Tea and
sympathy
A new photography exhibition celebrates the ongoing
tea-growing relationship between Rwanda and the UK
Photography Tim Smith
6 AFRICA E F N
6 Heaven sent
Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso looks to the stars
for a future as a centre of astronomy
8 It’s a matter of opinion
Colin McElwee of Worldreader believes that the rise of
e-books has a vital role to play in Africans’ education
10 Tea and sympathy
A beautiful photography exhibition captures tea growers
in Rwanda and highlights the country’s trade with the UK
16 Fashion capital
Luanda is looking to take on Africa’s big-hitters in
design with its own burgeoning fashion industry
22 Chain reaction
Why isn’t the bicycle a more popular mode of transport on
the continent? The Tour du Faso could change attitudes
26 Sea change
Discover how Mercy Ships’ fl oating hospitals, staffed
by volunteers, work to transform lives in Africa
32 EUROPE E F N
32 Best in show
The Audi A1 debuts at this month’s Brussels Motor Show
34 My city
Event organiser Jennifer Robert, who recently put on
a charity Brussels fashion show, shows us her hangouts
89 AIRLINE
89 Airline news E F N
The latest on the launch of
Brussels Airlines’ carbon
offsetting programme
t’s hard to think of a more English scene than Bettys
photographer Tim Smith visited the Gisovu, Mata and Kitabi
tea room in Harrogate. Founded in 1919, Bettys (the name tea estates in the mountainous regions of the country, along the
is written without an apostrophe) has established itself borders with Burundi and Congo. Here he discovered tea growers
as the quintessential genteel tea-drinker’s restaurant. Yet for over and gatherers working alongside skilled agriculturalists, striving
three decades, the café has maintained a crucial link with East to overcome the country’s recent history and draw in precious
Africa. “We’ve been buying tea from Rwanda for over 35 years,” foreign trade.
says company representative Samantha Gibson.
In recognition of their ongoing relationship, Taylors and Bettys
Thirsty customers can order Rwanda Mille Collines tea, while are matching the funding provided by the British government’s
buyers of Harrogate’s Yorkshire Tea brand (produced by Taylors, Department For International Development (DFID) to help around
the tea room’s sister company) might be surprised to discover that 10,000 tea farmers improve their lot. The company also plans
the blend in their bags is partially made up of Rwandan leaves. to teach tea farmers and estate workers sustainable farming
Although tea cultivation only began in the 1960s, the Rwandan techniques, in an attempt to safeguard both their tea production
Tea Authority claims the crop is now the number-one overseas and the rainforests that surround their land. All of which might
Left: Plucking tea
earner, contributing up to 34% of the total national exports.
cause the tea drinkers at Bettys to pause for thought as they savour on a hillside on
To explore the roots of Rwandan tea production, British
their afternoon cuppa.
the Mata tea estate
10 Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011 Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011 11
BS010-014 Photo Feature SP_AL.indd Sec1:10-Sec1:11 21/12/2010 11:35
I
94 Miles & More E F N
Our frequent fl yer
programme
96 Route maps E
Where we fl y to
100 Airport Info E
10
Language choice: E nglish F rançais N ederlands
* EUROPE IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
I
Brussels
Forget Paris – the Belgian capital is brimming with romantic wintry wonders to
discover this Valentine’s Day. From comfort cuisine to cool parks and neighbourhoods,
Renée Cordes seeks out the best opportunities to spoil your other half
Hot hideaways
Get the romance off to a good start at the elegant Le Dixseptième
(25 Rue de la Madeleine, tel. +32 (0)2 517 1717, ledixseptieme.be,
doubles from €200), the 17th-century former home of the Spanish
ambassador, restored in 2009. The classic suites boast sitting
rooms and fireplaces for cosying up, while the location is perfect,
just steps from the Sablon antiques district and the Grand’Place.
If you’d rather be ensconced near grand shopping street Avenue
Louise, Hotel Manos Premier (100-106 Chaussée de Charleroi,
tel. +32 (0)2 537 9682, manospremier.com, doubles from €345) is an
oasis of calm. From the lavish furnishings to the private garden,
this place treats guests like royalty. The pièce de résistance for
indulgence is the Spa Centre, and you can also rent a Smart Car.
Travellers on a budget won’t have to sacrifice comfort at the
Hotel Bloom (250 Rue Royale, tel. +32 (0)2 220 6611, hotelbloom.
com, doubles from €75), a cheery, modern place next to the
botanical gardens. Each room is decorated with a wall fresco
by a young European contemporary artist, and feels more like
a private apartment. In the lounge bar, ‘Smoods’, you can choose
a themed nook that matches your mood – the all-red ‘passion’
corner may the one for your romantic break.
Great outdoors
For a city of just a million people, Brussels has a lot of green space,
no less perfect for strolling during the winter. The little sloped park
on the Place du Petit Sablon oozes atmosphere, with its fountain
and statues depicting Brussels’ Medieval crafts guilds. It’s just
across the way from the Notre Dame du Sablon, a gothic church
that’s at its best after dark, with illuminated stained-glass. Within
walking distance, the Royal Conservatory of Music (30 Rue
Royale, kcb.be) is a great place to see a classical concert in an
intimate setting. And on the edge of Brussels, the Bois de la
Cambre is the city’s green playground; it even boasts a romantic
island getaway just a five-minute boat ride away.
The compact city itself is also ideal for walking. Opt for an
authentic Bruxellois experience with a tour of the bustling St-Gilles
district, starting at the 14th-century tower, Porte de Hal (now
a museum). There are charming art nouveau-style houses and
36 Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011
Opposite page,
clockwise from
top left: Sleep beneath
art at the Bloom Hotel;
Chez Léon will sate
your hunger for
Belgian mussels and
atmosphere; Chill
out together in the
‘relaxation room’ at
the Zeïn Oriental
Spa; Or get steamy
in the ‘hot room’
With sluggish growth in developed markets, Africa’s burgeoning
stock exchanges are increasingly looking like a smart investment.
Victoria Averill weighs up her options
Illustrations Carlo Giambarresi
Bruxelles en
amoureux
Oubliez Paris : la capitale belge déborde de
magie romantique hivernale à découvrir pour
la Saint-Valentin. De la cuisine qui réchauffe
aux parcs et quartiers tendance, Renée
Cordes découvre des tas d’opportunités de
dorloter votre moitié…
Nids douillets
Pour une romance sans nuages, commencez par Le Dixseptième
(25 rue de la Madeleine, tél. +32 (0)2 517 1717, ledixseptieme.be,
chambres doubles à partir de 200€). Ancienne résidence de
l’ambassadeur d’Espagne, cette maison du XVII ème siècle a été
restaurée en 2009, et les chambres marient avec bonheur décor
traditionnel et équipement moderne – avec espace salon et
cheminée pour les suites classiques. Sa situation est idéale, à
deux pas des antiquaires du Sablon et de la Grand-Place.
Pour être au plus près des commerces de l’avenue Louise,
l’Hôtel Manos Premier (100-106 chaussée de Charleroi, tél. +32
(0)2 537 9682, manospremier.com, chambres doubles à partir de
354€) est une oasis de calme. Des meubles Louis XV et Le must
pour se faire plaisir, c’est le spa avec sauna et hammam. Vous pouvez
aussi y louer une Smart deux places pour vous balader en ville.
Pour les budgets réduits, on ne transige pas sur le confort à
l’Hôtel Bloom! (250 rue Royale, tél. +32 (0)2 220 6611,
hotelbloom.com, chambres doubles à partir de 75€), un
établissement charmant et moderne tout près du centre culturel
le Botanique et de ses jardins. Chaque chambre y est décorée
d’une fresque murale signée par un jeune artiste européen
contemporain et ressemble à un appartement privé que vous
W
hen Kenyan-born Aly-Khan Satchu left his job as
a London City trader and landed back home in
2006, the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) was in
the midst of a bull run as a worldwide economic boom fuelled
investors’ appetite for risk in ‘frontier’ markets. “Back then the
exchange was in a gallery where you watched the trades go up
and down on a board,” says Satchu from his slick office in the
Kenyan capital. “I met people who had sold cows to come and
trade at the NSE. It was a classic bull market.”
Four years, one bull run (that ran its course) and a political
and global economic crisis later, the NSE has 57 listed companies.
Its benchmark 20-Share Index was up more than 40% towards the
end of 2010, making it the second-best performing stock market in
Africa after neighbouring Uganda, up an impressive 63%. Compare
this with the sluggish growth rates of developed markets. The US
Dow Jones benchmark index grew by just over 7%, while the FTSE
100 crawled up by only 4.5% between January and November last
year. Satchu has written a book, Anyone can be Rich, based on the
rise of the NSE and East Africa’s largest economy, and has now
founded his own investment company, RICH Management. Clearly
he believes his continent’s time has come.
Eastern promise
Sub-Saharan Africa now has 29 bourses, ranging from the
Nigerian Stock Exchange with 223 listed companies to Rwanda’s
fledgling Over-The-Counter (OTC) exchange with just two stocks
(both cross-listed Kenyan firms). The continent’s newest bourse
is likely to be in oil-rich Angola. But the five member states of the
East African Community (EAC) economic bloc – Kenya, Tanzania,
Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – are looking to go one step further
and launch an integrated trading platform, perhaps by as early
as 2015. The thinking is that joining forces would boost liquidity,
increase competitiveness and achieve faster growth across the
region, making East Africa a more attractive geographical bloc
for equity investors.
It’s straightforward in principle, but as the NSE’s chief executive
officer Peter Mwangi told an African Securities Exchanges
Association (ASEA) conference in November, the region’s younger
exchanges are still grappling with the ever-increasing demands on
corporate governance and leaps in technology: “Some exchanges
have manual trading and settlement infrastructure that limit the
instant trading ability that modern markets demand.” Then there’s
the task of overhauling capital market regulations. In Tanzania,
for example, foreigners are barred from holding a majority stake
in a listed company – a deliberate measure to prevent outside
investors gaining control of the strongest companies. But for
an integrated platform to work, all national bourses need to be
working from the same script.
Risky business
If the majority of investors still find the terms ‘Africa’ and
‘profitable’ difficult to reconcile, it’s because of the continent’s
reputation as a place grappling with war, famine and corruption.
The rewards may be high, but risks remain. This was made
startlingly clear when Kenya’s bourse took a beating after the
post-election crisis in 2007/2008, as investors fled to more stable
destinations. They have come back, as the numbers illustrate,
but the crisis highlights that Africa is still a frontier market
and, in some cases, politically unpredictable.
Passer à l’action
Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011 37
Face à la médiocre performance des marchés des pays
développés, les places financières africaines émergentes
apparaissent de plus en plus comme un investissement avisé.
Victoria Averill fait le point sur les options actuelles
orsqu’en 2006, le kényan Aly-Khan Satchu quitta son job de
trader à la City de Londres pour rentrer dans son pays natal,
la bourse de Nairobi (Nairobi Stock Exchange/NSE) était en
plein essor (bull-run) : le boom économique avait aiguisé l’appétit
des investisseurs internationaux, qui n’avaient pas hésité à
prendre des risques pour investir sur ces « marchés frontières ».
« La bourse se trouvait alors dans une galerie, où l’on pouvait suivre
la hausse ou la baisse des transactions sur un tableau, » explique
Satchu, depuis son agréable bureau de la capitale kényane.
« J’ai rencontré des gens qui avaient vendu des vaches pour pouvoir
spéculer sur le NSE, alors un fantastique marché porteur. »
Quatre ans plus tard, où en est-on ? Après un cycle continu de
hausse boursière, une crise politique et une crise économique
mondiale, le NSE recense 57 sociétés cotées. Vers la fin 2010,
il a vu la moyenne de son Index 20 augmenter de plus de 40 %, le
plaçant en seconde position en Afrique. C’est juste après l’Ouganda,
qui a enregistré pour sa part une progression fulgurante de 63 %.
Comparez ces performances avec les rendements médiocres des
marchés développés ! Le Dow Jones n’a lui augmenté que d’un peu
plus de 7 %, tandis que le FTSE 100 a à peine frôlé les 4,5 % entre
janvier et novembre de l’année dernière. Satchu a publié un livre,
Anyone can be Rich, fondé sur l’émergence du NSE et de la plus
grande économie d’Afrique de l’Est. Il a lancé aujourd’hui sa propre
société d’investissements, RICH Management, persuadé que le
moment est venu pour son continent.
Promesse venue de l’Est
L’Afrique sub-saharienne compte actuellement 29 bourses ; elles
vont de la bourse du Nigéria avec 223 compagnies cotées
jusqu’au jeune marché « hors cote » du Rwanda, avec seulement
deux sociétés, également listées au Kenya. La prochaine place sur
le continent devrait être l’Angola, une nation réputée pour sa
richesse pétrolière. Les États membres du bloc économique
de la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est (CAE – Kenya, Tanzanie,
Ouganda, Rwanda et Burundi) comptent toutefois aller un pas plus
loin et lancer au plus tôt d’ici 2015, une plateforme boursière
intégrée. Ces cinq nations envisagent de renforcer leurs liens
commerciaux en vue de stimuler les liquidités, de renforcer leur
compétitivité et de booster la croissance de la région, faisant de
l’Afrique de l’Est une zone plus attractive pour les investisseurs
sur les marchés des capitaux.
En principe, cela sonne bien. Mais comme l’a souligné en
novembre le directeur général de la NSE, Peter Mwangi, lors d’une
conférence de l’Association des bourses africaines (ASEA), ces
jeunes bourses régionales sont de plus en plus interpellées sur les
questions de bonne gouvernance et de modernisation : « Certaines
places boursières réalisent toujours leurs opérations manuellement
et les infrastructures limitées empêchent les échanges instantanés
tels que les marchés actuels l’exigent. » S’ajoute à cela la tâche
Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011 53
Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Jan-Feb 2011 5
L
AFRICA’S STOCK MARKETS BUSINESS *
36 I love Brussels
The most romantic places in the capital for Valentine’s Day
42 A walk in the woods
Join us on a wonderful winter ramble across Europe
to celebrate the UN’s International Year of Forests
47 BUSINESS E F N
48 Art of the possible
How Méridien is using art to promote AIDS education
50 60 seconds with...
Naa Amanua Williams of Ghanaian fashion label Da Viva
52 Taking stock
From Kenya to Nigeria, Africa’s bourses are showing
growth while Europe stumbles. Is it time to invest?
59 GUIDES E F N
Quick guides to Brussels and the cities we fl y to in Africa
101 Safety E F N
102 Fleet E
104 Video E F
Films to watch on your fl ight
110 Audio E F
Music to listen to on board
115 SHOP E
Your chance to make
great savings on perfume,
watches, jewellery, gifts
and confectionery
36
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