Naspers’ Koos Bekker said it best during the South African lunch today: "Everyone seems so flat this year……" So he grabbed the mike and tried to instil some life. It worked. Briefly. But even in our camp, even among the team known for their broad smiles and ready laughter, the sombre mood of Davos 2012 was soon back.
And that’s been the overwhelming feeling at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this year. Sombre. Subdued. Stemming not just from well-telegraphed European problems. But perhaps an even bigger source. This year corridor and lunchtime talk centres around the future of Capitalism itself. An unlikely subject for a gathering which in many ways serves as its shrine.
It hasn’t helped that the new champion of the free enterprise system, China, has a radically downscaled delegation because of the meeting’s clash with the start of the Year of The Dragon. Hopefully there will be some lift at tomorrow’s early morning breakfast hosted by Caixin Media. But like Koos’s joke, it might well be no more than a brief ray of sunshine in the overall cloudy atmosphere.
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You’ve got to be in awe of President Jacob Zuma’s work ethic. Chatting to a couple of his close aides revealed that he is in Davos only for today having jetted in from Qatar and is off tomorrow for an important meeting of the African Union. Zuma did well in the Plenary session this afternoon where five African leaders were interviewed by former UK PM Gordon Brown. But the star of the show was Guinea’s first democratically elected President, Alpha Conde.
His sound bites were priceless. How about: "In the EU when they call a meeting for nine o clock, they start at nine o clock. In Africa we arrive at 10 and start the meeting at 12." Or "African leaders have to change their attitude. They must work for their people, not to fill their foreign bank accounts." Plus: "A major issue on our continent is corruption. That’s why we have a new Mining Charter. Transparency is the best deterrent to corruption. All mining transactions will now be on the internet so everyone can see exactly what’s going on." If Conde is a true reflection of the new kind of leader for the new Africa, the continent is ready to rock n roll. Surpassing the already highly optimistic predictions we’ve been hearing here this week. Or at least Guinea will.
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We got a close look at the UK Labour Party leader Ed Miliband this evening, sharing a small dinner table with him. I noticed he uses an old iPhone and has a penchant for writing and passing notes to the two young Labour Party aides who accompanied him. Mind you, he picked up the note passing from new media mogulette Ariana Huffington who sent the possible future UK PM her own little missive. Quaint.
It reminded me of the first time his rival David Cameron came to Davos. A small group of us interviewed the then leader of the opposition and left thoroughly underwhelmed. The David Cameron who took the Plenary stage today was a different kettle. Commanding, confident, forthright, it was easy to see how he enjoys high popularity ratings at home despite the tough economic decisions he’s had to take. Right now Cameron looks to be on a different political planet to Miliband. It’s amazing what power can do.
And for those wanting a punt on the US Election. The pundits here agree that Obama is a shoo-in. Not because he’s been such a great President. Rather, that the opposition is so poor that American voters will plump for him as the lesser of two evils.
Steuart has done some 500 talks on South Africa's progress since 1994 and SA's prospects for the future' 
