With June’s Social Media World Forum Africa 2011 show just around the corner, we’re turning our attention to some of the very specific issues that face the region and how social media fits around these.

We came across Afrographique, a blog, by  Ivan Colic,  art director for Ogilvy Cape Town. He describes it as “a small contribution to assist the changing perception of Africa and its people”; we describe it as a really interesting insight into a rapidly developing market.

Mobile technology has taken off in the region over the last couple of years in a way the few were able to predict. In hindsight it seems obvious.

In a huge region with very little telecommunications infrastructure, the availability of mobile has presented people with unprecedented levels of connectivity. The potential for this trend to completely change peoples’ lives is still something that, even now, is only beginning to become clear.

Social Media World Forum Africa 2011 takes place in Cape Town on 1-2 June, and will examine how marketers and consumers stand to benefit from the huge increase in social media interacton afross the region, and the myriad of opportunities this presents.