Props to Africa but why an American ? aint think of this

2stepz_ahead
2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited April 2014 in R & R (Religion and Race)
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/30/tech/african-startup-trumped-apple-black-emoticons/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

As in most aspects of life, timing in business is essential.

About one month ago, following complaints by celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Tahj Mowry over a lack a racial diversity in Apple's emojis (the cartoon-like icons used to spruce up text messages), a company executive told MTV that the tech giant was working to update its set of characters.

The news quickly had Twitter buzzing as people joined the #EmojiEthnicityUpdate discussions -- but that wasn't the end of the story.

Without wasting any time, a Mauritius-based app company called Oju Africa announced a few hours later that it had already tackled the lack of racial diversity by introducing its own set of Afro emoticons on Google Play Store.

The company said it had been working on the icons since late 2012 and was planning to officially launch them on April 10. Yet, the social media hype after Apple's response prompted them to speed up their release date -- trumping market-leading companies in the process.
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"Within a couple of hours of seeing that, we put our press release out and we already claimed ownership -- that we have actually developed this already," chief executive Alpesh Patel told CNN. "It's very important for us, as a small African company, to make it known to the world that we were the first to do it."

The emoticons are designed to work on all Android platforms, and will shortly be available on iOS. The company, a division of mobile devices brand Mi-Fone, says that so far there've been more than 16,000 downloads, the majority of which have come from the United States.

CNN's African Start-Up caught up with Ugandan-born Patel to find out what's been the response to the Afro emoticons, his plans for the future and why he wants to see Oju on the packet of cereal boxes.

CNN: Why did you decide to launch the Afro emoticons?

Alpesh Patel: it's something that we thought about since late 2012. We decided to do it because of our core business, Mi-Fone. We had a look at the offerings in the market and said what can we do to make our phones more African; what can we do with the software, because all of the phones are kind of looking the same now.

We actually looked at it and said "you know what, there's actually a lack of black smilies" -- every phone that we looked at had yellow smilies so we said "why can't we have some smilies, or some emoticons, that are more relevant to the people that we supply to?"

The reason we launched it three weeks ago is because of this petition from Miley Cyrus and MTV -- petition to Apple CEO complaining about the lack of racially diverse emoticons and Apple said "yes, we're going to look into it." But within a couple of hours of seeing that, we put our press release out and already claimed ownership -- that we have actually developed this already. We're the first ones in the world to do it and people should work with us and use our emoticons because they represent people of color in a very nice way, they're not derogatory at all.
Alpesh Patel, CEO Oju Africa
Pierre Bosch

CNN: How do you feel about beating tech giants?

AP: I don't think really it's about beating anyone to it -- I just think that it's very important for us as, a small African company, to make it known to the world that we were the first to do it. Big companies work with small companies all the time. We would like the big companies to work with us.

We've developed something very unique, very innovative. It's been a big hit over the last three weeks and we feel that it will really help lift African innovation into the global audience because really not much things come out of Africa which you can sell overseas, most of the stuff will start from overseas and into Africa.
We feel that it will really help lift African innovation into the global audience.
Alpesh Patel, Oju Africa

CNN: Are you afraid your emoticons might fall out of favor when bigger companies release their own icons?

AP: No, the big companies have the muscle anyway, they'll do whatever they want to do. At the end of the day, we will just continue with what we're doing, we don't have those budgets and resources like they do so really today it is about who makes the loudest noise, but at least we were the ones to make the noise first.

We're just going to keep on saying to people, "why do you want to actually go and develop and waste money when you can go right now to the Google Play Store in Android and download the Oju Africa app for free?" There's no need to go and reinvent the wheel -- it's already available and it's out of Africa where it's even better than someone in London or New York doing this. We've actually done this in Africa.

CNN: How many downloads have you had so far?

AP: We've had 16,000 downloads and most of them are from the U.S. -- we've had downloads from very seasoned markets and they've looked at it and said "hang on a minute, wow, this is a really cool innovation but it's coming from Africa." You know innovation is not something that belongs to the West, so we're very happy with what's happened but obviously we've got a long way to go.

CNN: Do you think that there should be more cartoon characters from Africa?
Mobile is basically what makes Africa go round today, what makes Africa work today.
Alpesh Patel, Oju Africa

AP: Oju is an iconic African character -- if you look at the main logo with the tongue sticking out, he's a cheeky, very friendly, cool African character that also works in digital by the smilie, but also works in non-digital by a traditional character licensing.

Today Africa does not have its own Mickey Mouse, does not have its own Hello Kitty, there is no African character brand, and we said "hang on minute, we're sitting on something that has huge potential worldwide. I mean if you can imagine an Oju cereal packet like Coco Pops with Oju collectibles, if you can imagine Oju nappies for babies, an Oju chocolate bar, an Oju toy -- the possibilities are endless and this is what I believe really will help lift Africa.

CNN: What is the role of mobile in helping in the development of African countries?

AP: Mobile is basically what makes Africa go round today, what makes Africa work today. We never had any fixed infrastructure so Africa has come from nothing to wireless and in that process we've been able to develop some superior networks in Africa compared to the ones in the western world.

The mobile phone has become central to everyone's life -- contrary to popular belief the world is not round anymore, it's actually a four-inch screen for most mass market African consumers because this is where they're going to do all their business.

Comments

  • 2stepz_ahead
    2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
    summary

    an african made black emoticons
  • Darth Sidious
    Darth Sidious Members Posts: 2,507 ✭✭✭✭✭
    pralims wrote: »
    summary

    an african made black emoticons

    mind-blown.gif

  • DNB1
    DNB1 Members Posts: 19,704 ✭✭✭✭✭
    140429175158-oju-emojis-horizontal-gallery.jpeg

    I wanted to help yo thread,
  • 2stepz_ahead
    2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
    whats mind blowing is ? to bust making beats to think outside the box
  • 2stepz_ahead
    2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
    DNB1 wrote: »
    140429175158-oju-emojis-horizontal-gallery.jpeg

    I wanted to help yo thread,

    i thought it was up....

    ok...i fukked up
  • DNB1
    DNB1 Members Posts: 19,704 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Soooo....was the original emotions supposed to be white/China man or Drake type ? ?...cause dem ? was high yella...
  • Alkinduz
    Alkinduz Members Posts: 2,070 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Superb idea, more power to Oju. Let me see if I can download that ? .
  • lighthearted26
    lighthearted26 Members Posts: 1,362 ✭✭✭✭✭
    One of those ideas you're mad you didn't come up with yourself. Congrats to him though.
  • Chi Snow
    Chi Snow Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 28,111 ✭✭✭✭✭
    DNB1 wrote: »
    140429175158-oju-emojis-horizontal-gallery.jpeg

    I wanted to help yo thread,
    Oh look, more stereotypical ? ....
  • jetlifebih
    jetlifebih Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 4,655 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Chicity wrote: »
    DNB1 wrote: »
    140429175158-oju-emojis-horizontal-gallery.jpeg

    I wanted to help yo thread,
    Oh look, more stereotypical ? ....

    I was about to say....? them Africans stereotyping black emoljis....how the ? you got a thugged out smiley face with a skully and a grill
  • 2stepz_ahead
    2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
    wow....you ? criticize any and everything.

    how abut you concentrate on the fact a african did it an not a whiteman.

    you rather point out the flaws and the negatives.

    i hope this man drives past you in his bentley while you cold in the snowstorm waiting on the bus
  • Chi Snow
    Chi Snow Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 28,111 ✭✭✭✭✭
    pralims wrote: »
    wow....you ? criticize any and everything.

    how abut you concentrate on the fact a african did it an not a whiteman.

    you rather point out the flaws and the negatives.

    i hope this man drives past you in his bentley while you cold in the snowstorm waiting on the bus
    So b/c it's an African mocking you, your culture, your ppl, it's fine?

    B/c he putting money in his pocket by exploiting an exaggerated American character of blacks it's somehow better than a white man doing it?

    I too hope this man drives past me in his bentley while I'm cold in the snowstorm waiting on the bus

    I also hope those characters that gave him the chance to buy that car rob him and leave him slumped in the street

  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's a pretty good idea. Honestly I never would have thought of doing something like this. I rarely use emojis for one thing. And two, all emojis I've seen are yellow or green, so I've never really associated them with a particular race.
  • indyman87
    indyman87 Members Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭
    There are a number of African Americans making apps. A co-owner of an app endorsed by Migos just passed the billion dollar mark.
  • CracceR
    CracceR Members Posts: 4,346 ✭✭✭✭✭
    pralims wrote: »
    wow....you ? criticize any and everything.

    how abut you concentrate on the fact a african did it an not a whiteman.

    you rather point out the flaws and the negatives.

    i hope this man drives past you in his bentley while you cold in the snowstorm waiting on the bus

    emoticons have been invented for ages and they are yellow
    so this dude is now a genius because he took an invention and made it blacc?
    ionno maybe he is, more power to him
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    pralims wrote: »
    wow....you ? criticize any and everything.

    how abut you concentrate on the fact a african did it an not a whiteman.

    you rather point out the flaws and the negatives.

    i hope this man drives past you in his bentley while you cold in the snowstorm waiting on the bus

    These dumb ? don't consider themselves african in the first place but they better be get ready to keep feeling salty because african economies will keep growing