Why attempt to organise a Twestival in Cape Town after seeing that neither AFRICA, nor CAPE TOWN is on the listed Twestival cities? And only in nine days from contacting the venue?

Because
(1) the issue of access to water is very much an African issue with 19 of the 25 nations in the world (with the greatest problems in terms of access to water) all in Africa!,
(2) Africa is a big part of the world map and needs to be represented in initiatives attempting to solve its problems,
(3) social networks are inherent to communities in Africa even if the technology do not support them,
(4) there is an opportunity to promote social media and Twitter to Cape Town residents and Africans,
(5) we can! and all great things start with a first step.

Another related reason for getting involved as local volunteers, is because we had this great opportunity as a local nonprofit Uthango Social Investments to show solidarity with another nonprofit thousands of miles away: a global version of our South African ‘stokvel‘ maybe??

Twestivals in the World - Courtesy of liveearth.org

The exposure of the event and ripples felt went way! beyond the actual evening, with local radio stations Bush Radio and Cape Talk covering the Twestival and Charity : Water local news agency 24.com picking up the story as well. The New York Times and The Guardian also reported on the Twestival and mentioned Cape Town specifically! With South African celebrities such as Verity embracing the cause on her blog, and Cape Town lovers such as the popular “communications evangelist and blogger” @wisequeen promoting our initiative with international followers, we rallied support far beyond the Doppio Zero glass windows!

Years ago, Ted Turner launched Captain Planet in a bold attempt to address environmental issues such as global warming through media and education and it became a Foundation in own right with substantial influence. Last year, a group of inspired social media users launched an idea to raise funds for charity : water that grew into a global campaign within a few months. Development in Technology and Connectedness of ordinary people that care beyond themselves made it possible for one superhero to become many!

Thank you to everyone…
We did it!

@metaMeerkat from @uthango

It is the day after our festival and we are reflecting on a wonderful evening that had (in the words of Eric Edelstein of spingleap.com) a “feel of a private party”. It was the end of a very hot 30 degree Celsius Cape Town day and guests arrived with a sense of curiosity - and treated themselves to sponsored wine from Doppio Zero.

The heroes of the event on the support side was without a doubt a local recording studio that was introduced to us via D7 Live (a wonderful acapella group) - whose number we got in the first instance from a twitter follower @CapeTown. Another great example of how Twitter connects people and solves problems via networks. Dylan of Rooftop Recording Studio went out of his way and set up a great set for Verity and Sylvestre Kabassidi who entertained us the evening.

Rooftop also offers classes in their art of managing sound and the evening stood in testimony of why they are experts in what they do. The Studio agreed on short notice to become part of our event and then proceeded to deliver the most incredible service. Due to expenses on their side as a small company, they charged us at a really! good price and Uthango Social Investments picked up the tab through a private sponsor in the USA, GRR Consulting, LLC. Thank you!

More About our Twestival here in the Mother of Cities… later…

It is one thing to say you are a magician, and another all together to BE one!

Marcel, the “Professional Close-Up Magician, Infotainer & Corporate Entertainer” will be joining us in Cape Town on the 12th of February for an evening of good friends and fun. Marcel bought his ticket and rallied to the cause even before we could approach him to be at our Cape Town Twestival. Like the other artists, he also donated an evening of entertainment at no cost because they believe in people and believe in social media for social good. Marcel Oudejans is a magician in more than one way…

Marcel - Corporate Magician

Marcel defines a successful event as “one where your guests leave in a great mood, with wonderful memories of how much they enjoyed themselves AND they still talk about your & your event for months & years afterward”. This is what we want at the Twestival - people talking about charity :water and remembering this event where they got together with the rest of the world to raise awareness and funds for those people living without clean water every day. We believe Marcel will bring it to the party! And so does others:

“I can testify to a tangible sense of professionalism rare in our industry, a desire for excellence, sheer talent for ‘infotainment’ and a generous heart, says Mike Stopforth, the Co-Founder of Afrigator Internet (Pty) Ltd and 27dinners.com, and adds, “I would strongly recommend him to light up any event or get your message across in an innovative, entertaining manner.”

WATCH Marcel in Action if you cannot be there:

(more…)

Katharina Scholtz associated with Quirk e-Marketing interviewed Eran Eyal, co-founder of springleap.com here, and he mentioned how their company is “trying to get away from a situation where you don’t really know the designer of the t-shirt you’re wearing, like with a Levi’s or Guess shirt. When you choose what you wear and what the design is, we’re trying to personalise the process…” Well, we have the priviledge to get to know one of the people behind the vision of this growing company when he is the main short-talk speaker at our Twestival.

In Eran’s own words if you cannot be there: “I am going to be talking about my experience…how we have seen tangible results at Springleap when using Twitter campaigns”.

More about this fascinating company - combining fashion, social media and exposure to artists in one of the most innovative ways you will ever see, in our opinion:

Springleap.com is a crowdsourcing website of thousands of artists and design enthusiasts. Every two weeks Springleap.com hosts a t-shirt design competition where the public gets to vote to choose the winner and comment and discuss the submissions. At the end of every two weeks the winner with the highest public voting score wins R7482.18 in cash and t-shirts, about R50 000 of marketing and exposure online and offline, as well as recurring revenue on the sales of their design – no matter what we print it on – for the rest of their lives. This will soon branch out to new products currently under development ranging from hoodies, laptop covers, bags, posters and more.

Every product also bears the name of the artist as well as that of the design – it’s like a gallery without walls, making art affordable and accessible to the common man.

Springleap.com has also hosted themed competitions for such powerhouses as Markham, AMD (overseas), Louise Carver and more. No matter what type of design a client seeks, Springleap.com can bring the creative power of thousands of artists to bear simultaneously while exposing the target market to the brand and really allowing them to get involved.

Tomorrow evening our hostess Verity, brought to us by the FaceLook and FoodCook group in (of course) FACEBOOK, will introduce Sylvestre samba Kabassidi, loved African musician to guests:

Sylvestre was born in Pointe-Noire, on the coast of the Congo republic. He represents a “new generation” of African artists, using his acoustic guitar, dynamic lyrics and melodies, and rich baritone vocals and percussion to produce a unique sound rich in emotion and sentiment. His contemporaries include Salif Keita, Youssou Ndour, Papa Wemba and Zao.

Cape Town is his “adoptive home”, and he recently played at the 2008 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Ivory Room in Cape Town (Bottle Unplugged sessions); “Acoustic Shape” at the Zula bar, among others. His most recent gig was at the Knorhoek Wine Estate, and it was a Twitter Follower of @CapeTown that told other Capetwonians about her experience that led us to this unbelievable musician with his rich baritone voice.

Sources for this article: Kabassidi’s Website and Music Industry Online

LISTEN TO HIM HERE in Congolese and Afrikaans version of LEAVES.

We are delighted to share with you that VERITY agreed to be our MC and yes, of course! she will also sing a song or three!

Verity KNOWS about social networks and used them in a ground-breaking way to live her dreams. We could not ask for a better MC to make this event happen. She shares on her website: “It took me a long time, some great teachers and lots of incredible support from family and friends before I finally took to the stage. Like jumping into cold water, the idea is far terrifying than the actual doing of it. I have found it to be challenging but also exhilarating”! Here is her story on a local TV Show Carte Blance in South Africa:

Thank you to Verity for understanding social media and how life-changing it can be - for your spirit of generosity and for your voice that you share freely.

We approached Danny Diliberto on short notice after calling on Cape Town Twitter users to tell us about their favourite restaurants - it was an unrelated question to this Twestival, but we connected the dots after speaking to Danny, the owner of Doppio Zero in the City Centre:

Pamela Tosh, another volunteer for Twestival, works with several restaurant owners in Town due to the nature of her business as event management, and says, “Danny’s passion extends far beyond the walls of his restaurant”. What these words mean, are best said by Danny: “Since a while I had the idea to establish Doppio Zero as the company with a purpose. With the support of Joerg Nawrocki and the creation of Facelook and Foodcook evenings promoting a social networking community and showcasing charity efforts especially those that wouldn’t normally get this sort of platform or exposure I’m certain ‘The Facelook & Foodcook’ initiative will do just that.” Join the initiative and confirm your attendance to the event, but remember to still buy your ticket for access to the CapeTwestival at this great venue!

Joerg Nawrocki, living in Cape Town and enjoying a cappa and a chat at Doppio Zero on most days is using international business networks for his own business and misses the personal relationships with his contacts around the globe. Upon meeting Danny he had the idea to combine both worlds. Communitalk: Come, unite and talk. “I feel it’s time to connect faces. Many have gathered 100’s or even as much as 1000 so called FB (Facebook) friends and have never seen more than a few. So what about meeting them? Having live.fun right here in the Mother City!”

Doppio Zero Cape City Centre

Doppio Zero – restaurant, bakery, gelateria, café – is being ‘The Company with a Purpose’ by connecting people around the globe and invites you to join www.facebook.com – Doppio Zero City Bowl (Cape Town).

Doppio Zero Mandela Rhodes Place, Cape Town is situated on the cnr of St. Georges Mall and Church Street. Safe secure parking is available in the evening and on weekends in Mandela Rhodes Place for just R 12.00 per day – parking entrance located on the cnr of Wale and Burg Streets.

Thank you from Cape Twestival to our co-hosts Doppio Zero Cape City Centre and FaceLook and CookBook for seeing the purpose of this global event and jumping in with us! Kudos (Koedoes, African-style?) to @mtrax for suggesting the venue at Twitter!

Buy your TICKET to the event here, by clicking on the button top right and printing the electronic ticket via your received email! It is your entry to the event on the 12th of December, and the proceeds (donation) go directly to charity : water.

Welcome to Twestival in Cape Town on 12 February 2009. We discovered this initiative only this month (!!) but we are excited about it and think it is wonderful to be part of a mash-up between social media and public good! Please read more about the charity we will assist with awareness and fundraising: charity : water

Watch this space to find out more about the event next Thursday in Cape Town. It will be in typical Cape Town style - an informal getogether at Doppio Zero City Bowl with good wine and company! All ticket sales will go directly to the charity : water and the Cape Twestival is done in association with a local organisation, Uthango Social Investments, based in Cape Town, that oversees and coordinates the campaign and fund-raising voluntarily.

The event is organised by volunteer Twitterers living in Cape Town. Contact @CapeTown if you can assist in any way with publicity, sponsorship or just continue spreading the word!

• Follow @capetwestival for updates.
• Contact @capetown for any enquiries.
• Approach @metaMeerkat for any sponsorships opportunities or raffles related to the event.