Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore's debut London solo show Exhibition takes place at the October Gallery. A former student of El Anatsui, whose magnificent bottle-top cloths were the highlight of the 52nd Venice Biennale, Nnenna also transforms discarded materials into cultural objects, forms, and spaces.

Her work often employs ordinary media like magazine and newspaper, which are disposed of in her current home the United States, but are considered usable commodities in her native Nigeria. By reimagining everyday waste, as well as natural materials, Nnenna’s works consistently challenge environmental neglect, consumerism and globalisation. This revitalisation, rehabilitation, and transformation of materials, makes Nnenna one of her generation’s most exciting and innovative artists working within the genre of urban recyclia. http://www.barbican.org.uk/

Africa at the Pictures exists to strengthen the exhibition of African cinema to the general public and to promote the same with a view to its reaching a wider audience. The London African Film Festival introduces new talent emerging from the continent and its Diaspora, and celebrates classics by some of Africa's most renowned filmmakers. The festival's highlights include a rich selection of the continent's newest films retrospectives of Africa's leading filmmakers such as Abderrahmane Sissako, (Bamako / Waiting for Happiness), Classics by directors such as Mahamat-Saleh Haroun & (Abouna/Darrat). The festival is a showcase of South African cinema from the 1900s to the present day, Discussions with some of the continent's most exciting filmmakers and writers including Lewis Nkosi from South Africa and the latest from Nollywood, Nigeria's booming home video industry.

The London African Film Festival 2008 is a partnership between Africa at the Pictures and the Royal African Society in association with the School of Oriental and African Studies. http://www.africaatthepictures.co.uk

This contemporary, existential and historically-linked, Black art exhibition is a tangible reminder of the importance of understanding our history in terms of our past, present and future.

The exhibition features three pieces, entitled One World One Love plc, Empathy, and The Sankofa has Landed. The art work has been produced over a period of six years and the themes generated by Ogunsiji’s work will inspire you to continue to reach back and gather the best of what your past has to teach you and that whatever has been lost, forgotten, forgone, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.

An intensive three hour course aimed at business owners and managers in the micro and SME sector, wanting to learn practical cost-effective marketing strategies for beating the Credit Crunch. Marketing is often the first to suffer cut backs when times are hard, but is this the only way to survive the credit crunch? And should companies really cut back on such essential components of the business as marketing? This half-day course reveals and explains key, cost-effective, business growth strategies, to ensure participants feel positive and understand the techniques and tools needed to market and survive, during the Credit Crunch. Enfield Business Centre. http://www.nlcc.co.uk/events/viewevent.cfm?id=564

Lack of access to commercial energy means the widespread use of traditional energy sources -human and animal traction- and especially biomass which represents 75% of the continent's total energy consumption.

The Energy and Sustainable Development Summit has shown over the past five years that the major actors of the sector feel directly concerned by the challenge of achieving sustainable development.
http://www.mbendi.co.za/adea/events/e55x.htm

The Association for Black Engineers, UK (AFBE-UK) is proud to announce her End of Year Reception after a very successful 2008 and we would like to cordially invite you to join us at our End of Year Reception and Dinner on Wednesday 3rd December 2008. The Reception will commence at 6.30pm and dinner will follow at 7.30pm. The event will end at 9.45pm.

There will be a speech by Mr. Nelson Ogunshakin on Skills Shortage in Engineering; Nelson Ogunshakin is the Chief Executive of Association for Consultancy and Engineering. ACE represents the business interests of the consultancy and engineering industry in the UK. We represent over 800 firms, from well-known multinationals such as Atkins, Buro Happold, Capita Symonds, Halcrow, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald, Scott Wilson, URS Corporation and WSP, to sole practitioners.  www.afbe.org.uk

"Making Travelers' Philanthropy Work for Development, Business, and Conservation” The 2008 Travelers' Philanthropy Conference will feature an exclusive half-day Short Course on how to establish and manage a travelers' philanthropy program and the premier of a new documentary film. The newly released conference program includes 27 workshops on a wide range of current topics as well as plenary sessions. The workshops feature three main streams including: Travelers' Philanthropy: Contribution to Conservation; Travelers' Philanthropy: Investing in Communities and Development; and Travelers' Philanthropy: Trends and Cross Cutting Issues.

This conference marks the most comprehensive examination to-date of travelers' philanthropy - the growing global initiative by which tourism businesses and travelers are helping to support local schools, clinics, micro-enterprises, job training, conservation, and other types of projects in tourism destinations around the world. Organized by the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD) which is organizing the conference, the keynote address will be given by Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, founder and leader of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement.

The South African economy dominates business in Southern Africa and also acts as the hub for business throughout the region. Growth has been robust since 2004 with the economy growing at approximately 4%, inflation is dropping and a strengthening currency makes British goods increasingly competitive. South Africa presents a unique and compelling package offering UK companies an abundant supply of natural resources, a well developed legal and financial sector and well developed communications.

This seminar will explore 3 of the 5 key priority areas as identified by UK Trade and Investment for UK businesses and will provide high level networking with experts in the field. http://www.londonchamber.co.uk

The Africa Asia Centre presents ‘Old friends, new game? History and emerging trends in India's changing engagement with sub-Saharan Africa'.

Gerard McCann (University of Cambridge). 5-7pm Upper Meeting Room, 36 Gordon Square.

The International Leadership Summit, Leaders in London 2008, takes place in London.

Discover the strategies & practices of outstanding leadership in the business world of today. Speakers include Daniel Goleman, Jack Welch, Gary Hamel and Rudy Giuliani.
Email: info@icbi.co.uk

http://www.leadersinlondon.com/iln

Careers with a Conscience Fair is unlike any other careers fair run throughout the academic year. Careers showcased at this fair will enable you to achieve your graduate career and also incorporate high job satisfaction as well as a personal sense of fulfillment.

The vast array of exhibitors offer you the opportunity to put your degree to use helping the elderly, homeless, seriously ill, improving and safeguarding the environment, teaching in deprived areas..... and working with disadvantaged children.

If you are ready to take on the challenge and rewards of one of the careers on offer at the Careers with a Conscience Fair, you can register online and reserve your place in advance of the event.

ECONOMIC CRISIS: HOW CAN AFRICA HELP? To coincide with the French Presidency of the European Union, EMRC International will host the Africa Finance & Investment Forum 2008 in Paris. It will focus on the latest investment and financing opportunities on the African continent. The target audience is all who look for viable business opportunities in Africa and those from the continent who wish to collaborate on such projects.

The event will gather a global spread of participants with over 50% from Africa. To help spur growth and develop entrepreneurial skills the forum will feature the Project Incubator Award – a joint EMRC-Rabobank initiative to encourage more professional and bankable project proposals from Africa. Expert speakers include Jacques Attali (keynote speaker) economist, Chair of President Sarkozy’s Economic Modernisation Commission, France; Mawuli Ababio, MD African Venture Capital Association, South Africa; Loïc Sadoulet, Director of the Africa Initiative, INSEAD Business School, France; John Mullins, London Business School; Bart Jan Krouwel, MD CSR Rabobank Netherlands; Jon Maguire, CEO Africa Invest, UK & Malawi; Pierre Van Hedel, MD Rabobank Foundation and Michel Clavé, Head of Agriculture & Agrifood, Crédit Agricole, France. Full programme details are available on our website: www.emrc.be

The demand for technical skills is increasingly exceeding supply. Africa faces the ongoing challenge of growing and training its workforce to be globally competitive.

The Technical Skills Africa Conference will assist stakeholders involved in the power, mining, ICT and infrastructure industries to develop skills strategies, analyse causes of skills shortages and show how best technical skills can be enhanced in order to meet the demand and supply that is being encountered by these industries.
Visit: http://www.spintelligent-events.com/tsa2008/en/index.php

As developed markets become increasingly saturated, many organizations are turning to emerging markets to bolster sales. The Growth Prospects in Emerging Markets seminar will expose senior executives to exciting opportunities in four main markets: Africa, China, India and Russia. Organized by IESE and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the seminar analyzes the cornerstones of emerging economies and examines growth prospects in these markets.

The seminar will also feature business leaders who will share their strategies for success, as well as business panels of IESE faculty and EUI experts with vast experience in these regions. Growth Prospects in Emerging Markets is a crucial first step for any organization interested in establishing and optimizing operations in Africa, China, India or Russia.
http://www.iese.edu/en/ExecutiveEducation/SFP/GPEM/
GrowthProspectsinEmergingMarkets.asp

Denzil Nurse is the young African Caribbean male who walked into a committee meeting and shot 6 people. He pleads guilty to the charges and is immediately sent for psychiatric assessment to see whether or not he is fit to be sentenced. This brings him face to face with Jules Wright, the African psychiatrist. What then emerges is what The Guardian describes as "an explosive example of theatre’s social role."
http://www.richmix.org.uk/visitor.htm

This event is open to female penultimate-year students registered at universities in the UK and Ireland. Students should have a demonstrable high level of academic achievement and be studying a degree from the following areas: Computer science, Maths, Engineering, Physics, Business/IT. Number of places available: 30. We accept applications up to a week before the event, but as many of our events are over subscribed, we encourage students to apply as soon as possible.

TARGETchances technology in association with Bank of America is a new event that gives a unique opportunity to see how cutting-edge technology solutions impact business in the City and explore the range of intellectually challenging and stimulating IT careers open to you. The event is hosted by Bank of America and at the event you'll see the important role technology has in the industry. During the day you will take part in business games & case studies and have the chance to meet successful professionals to find out first hand what a career in this sector can offer.
http://www.targetchances.co.uk/upcoming-events/
event-information.aspx?ArticleID=115

Come and celebrate Christmas with us. If you have not yet planned your Christmas Party for your friends, colleagues or social club, or want to treat your clients to an enjoyable night at an affordable price of £12 per ticket, come and join our celebrations on the 13th December. At each of our Dance Nights you can expect a great evening, food, friendly bar service and superb entertainment where you can dance all your worries away and just concentrate on having a good night out. We aim to do everything we can to help you enjoy your evening and relax with your friends. You will have a choice of sitting and chatting with your friends all night at the bar or if you enjoy dancing you can get on the dance floor and dance to your favourite 60s. 70s and Motown hits performed live by Patti Boulaye, the Boulettes and her fantastic rock band. Browse our website www.dancenights.org to reserve your tickets or call St Joseph’s office 01753 882962/01753 885652 or email chris_ofcourse@yahoo.co.uk

This special event will provide the opportunity to explore ways in which UK guidance specialists can learn from policies and practices from overseas. There will be two parts to the event: a keynote presentation from Professor Ronald Sultana from the University of Malta, and an audience with a panel of international guidance experts including Professor Sultana and Professor Tony Watts. Professor Sultana will draw on his considerable experience of education and guidance systems in Palestine, Lebanon and other countries to explore how international guidance agendas are developed and set. Professor Sultana will explore ways in which guidance practices and policies work in fragmented communities.
http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs/career-guidance-week

The mission of MEFSEC is to facilitate knowledge transfer and business opportunity in key sectors of the fire fighting, safety and security market. The aim of this event is to build networks by bringing together experts, industry leaders and distributors. MEFSEC is held yearly at the Cairo International Convention Center in Egypt. In 2007, the event hosted 4100 visitors from 34 countries with a growth expectation for 2008 as safety awareness and investment continues to expand in the Middle East and Africa.
http://www.mefsec-middleeast.com

'African Inspired Art'

Grand Hall, BAC Enterprises, Battersea Arts Centre
Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN

Email:  info@africapresents.org.uk   http://africapresents.org.uk/index.html