AFRICA ON LENS- MICHAEL POLIZA

Michael Poliza is a wildly successful German IT entrepreneur who sold his companies in 1997 and set off to capture the world on film.

MICHAEL POLIZA-THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA

As a teenager, he was as well known as any actor could possibly be in the Germany of that time, and appeared in well over 100 television shows and films. Poliza went on to make his fortune in the IT world, but in 1997, sold his companies with a view to buying a boat and setting sail for some exotic and relaxing locale. However this is not a man to do things by half measure, and in record time the Starship Millennium Voyage was underway. This three-year multimedia expedition around the world on a 75 ft expedition yacht was sponsored by SONY, Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Olympus and the WWF, and was broadcast daily on the Internet and followed by millions of people around the world.

Poliza’s first coffee table book was published in Germany and focused on the journeys and discoveries of the Starship Millennium Voyage. Quickly becoming a bestseller, it sold more than 50 000 copies. True to his IT roots and passions, Poliza was one of the pioneering photographers to embrace digital photography, and his Starship book was the very first coffee table book to carry more than 50% digital content.

That expedition over, Poliza returned to the continent that had stolen his heart: Africa. His book by that name was released to massive acclaim around the world in July 2006. Published by art photography specialists, teNeues (www.teneues.com), this is without a doubt the most talked-about photography title of recent years, showcasing Poliza’s keen eye for the beautiful simplicity of Nature’s graphics. The 10 000-copy first print run sold out in three months – quite an achievement for a title that costs in excess of ₤70. A more concise version was published in March 2007. The Essential AFRICA showcases the best of the bestselling AFRICA in a more portable format.

"No child is born a racist" Photo

Stunning Himba women

I was about 10-12ft away in a vehicle, flat on the ground. She is looking through the ribcage of a buffalo that her pride killed a few hours before. Shot near Duba Plains,Okavango Delta, Botswana one of the worlds best place to see lion/buffalo interactions...

Nature photography provides you with many moments that can easily be described with cute, sweet, lovely, wonderful etc. But it is also very very much, the survival of the fittest. Eat and be eaten. Life and death. Happens every day, every hour, every minute. It is part of life....

This young Impala Antelope lamb was actually killed by a young female leopard. She was just on the way to a tree to eat it when about 8 Hyena came out of the bush and chased her off. She lost her kill and just barely made it to the tree. If they would have gotten her, they most definitely would have killed her. Eliminate competition. All the cats do that as well. The leopard was lucky, the Impala was not.

Michael Poliza

Michael Poliza teamed up with his friend Stefan Breuer on an 8-week helicopter expedition across Africa. Their long-held dream of flying from Hamburg to Cape Town is taking them across both Europe and Africa at low-level so that they can capture the beauty of both continents and share these birds-eye-view images with the world. This expedition was covered extensively by media in Europe and Africa. The book on the expedition, Eyes on Africa, was published in 2007.

BOOKS

Eyes Over Africa

In 2006, to fulfill a long-held dream, widely acclaimed photographer Michael Poliza and friend Stefan Breuer undertook a helicopter journey across Africa. Skimming close to the ground, they flew over 19 countries. Poliza's alluring and often surprising photographs share this exceptional journey with the world. With a birds-eye view, we witness the astounding beauty, scale and diversity of this imposing continent. The accompanying texts give a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the photographs, and brief background to some of the most fascinating subject matters.

THE ESSENTIAL AFRICA

AFRICA

TEXT SOURCES AND MORE INFORMATION

Michael Poliza Official Website


Michael Poliza Photo Stream

ALI BEN BONGO ONDIMBA- A SUCCESSION STORY

Alain Bernard Bongo aka Ali-Ben Bongo Ondimba President of Gabon as of September 2009

Son of the late President Omar Bongo and Patience Dabany, Alain Bernard Bongo was born in Brazzaville February 9, 1959.

After obtaining a law degree in France, Ali Bongo made debut in the political circle by joining PDG in 1981. He was elected to PDG's Central Committee in 1983 and entered PDG's Political Bureauin 1984. Two years later, he was elected to the Political Bureau

Ali Bongo took the post of minister of foreign affairs and cooperation in the Gabonese government in 1989. He resigned from the post in 1991 when the country's new constitution stipulated that any minister serving in the government must be at least at the age of 35. In 1996, Ali Bongo made a comeback to the Gabonese government becoming the president of the Higher Council of Islamic Affairs of Gabon. In the parliamentary election in December 1996, he was again elected as a PDG candidate in Haut-Ogooue Province.

Like father like son
Ali Bongo Ondimba with his father the late President Omar Bongo Ondimba

Ali Bongo was named as minister of national defense on Jan. 25,1999. He was promoted to the rank of minister of state in January 2006 while still keeping the job of defense chief. In September 2008, Ali Bongo was reelected as a vice president of PDG. On July 19, 2009, the ruling PDG chief Faustin Boukoubi officially nominated Ali Bongo the party's presidential candidate. Ali Bongo was dismissed as minister of national defense by interim president Rose Francine Rogombe so as to contest in the presidential election on an equal footing with other candidates. He focused the campaign on his platform of peace, development and equality.

Ali Bongo Ondimba, the son of late president Omar Bongo Ondimba and the former defense minister of Gabon, garnered 141,952 votes, accounting for 41.93 percent of the total votes in August 2009 presidential election, followed by independent candidate Andre Mba Obame with 25.88 percent of the votes. The opposition candidate Pierre Mamboundou was placed as the third with 25.22 percent of the votes.

ALI BEN BONGO ONDIMBA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN

"If the Gabonese place the trust in me and elect me to the head of state, I certainly will not stay 40 years, rest assured." Ali Ben quoted by local media saying he would not seek to remain in power forever.

"We are going to jealously guard the peace which was left behind by the late president Omar Bongo Ondimba while stressing on durable development and the equitable distribution of resources toall the people," he said to the local population in the western province of Estuaire during his campaign.

Ali Bongo also announced to reform the education system and improve the professional training while taking into account the state potential and the market needs if he is elected.

"Our duty will be to create jobs all over," he said while promising to never interfere with the work of the two parliamentary chambers, the senate and the national assembly, in which his party has the majority representation.

ALI BONGO ONDIMBA HOBBIES

Ali Bongo Ondimba rapping and dancing (I must admit he is pretty good;-)

While he owes his political career to his father, who he says he has to thank for "giving him the genes of responsibility, dignity and honour", his mother gave him his passion for music. She is the Gabonese singer and musician Patience Dabany, who unofficially oversees his relations with the media. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, Ali Bongo's career looked likely to take a musical bent until he joined the cabinet in 1989 and shed his image as a party-goer. He says he plays the piano and drums - has composed jazz, some Brazilian bossa novas and did the soundtrack for a Gabonese film released 10 years ago.Source BBC
In February 1992, he organized a visit by American pop singer Michael Jackson to Gabon.

A FOOTBALL FAN AT HEART

Ali Bongo is football fan and a passionate fan of the Spanish club Real Madrid. Ali Bongo practices almost every Sunday at his home with his military security guards and family. Ali longs to see the Gabon national football team win the Africa Cup of Nations.

ALI BEN'S FAMILY

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, Gabons new First Lady was born in 1963 in Paris, France and spent most of her childhood growing up in Africa.

Ali Bongo is married to Sylvia Ajma Valentin, his second wife. They have four children: a daughter, Malika Bongo Ondimba and three sons Noureddin Bongo Ondimba, Jalil Bongo Ondimba and Bilal Bongo Ondimba who was adopted by the couple in 2002.

INGE BONGO, ALI BEN BONGO'S FIRST WIFE

Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba and Inge Bongo wedding day

Ali Bongo first wife Inge Bongo a native of the United States of America currently resides in California. Inge is still legally married to Ali Bongo.
Source:bvblackspin.com

MEET THE PARENTS

FATHER, THE LATE PRESIDENT OMAR BONGO ODIMBA

Omar Bongo Ondimba was President of Gabon for 42 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009. For more see previous post Gabon's Omar Bongo- President for Life

MOTHER DEAREST

Patience Dabany aka Marie Joséphine Kama

Patience Dabany (born 22 January 1944, Brazzaville, Congo) is a Gabonese singer and musician. She was previously married to Omar Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon, from 1959 to 1986.

In 1958, she met Albert-Bernard Bongo, a young Gabonese student. At just 15 years of age, she married Albert on 31 October 1959. They had two children: a son Alain Bernard Bongo (9 February 1959) and a daughter, the late Albertine Amissa Bongo (1964–1993). Marie Josephine Kama, later known as Josephine Bongo, was the first lady of Gabon. She and her then-husband founded the Gabonese Democratic Party. She became involved in many social projects, including the promotion of women's rights, charities for children, etc. Working with culture he created the musical group dedicated to the Gabonese Democratic Party, Kounabeli (Superstars), where she performed as lead singer.

In 1986 Joséphine and Albert Bongo divorced. Marie embarked on a career as a professional artist, under her new name, Patience Dabany. Her first album, Levekisha, was a great success in Gabon and in many African countries. Source:wikipedia

Good luck in the new job!

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TEXT SOURCES
http://www.ali9.org
bvblackspin.com