Is HTML5 alive in Africa? Empirical knowledge on the subject is hard to come by, but such is the case with many web developments in Africa. A lack of easily searchable HTML5 web presence in Africa does not necessarily mean a lack of web design skill. Perhaps African web designers simply do not have personal portfolio sites. Or, maybe the lack of bandwidth or browser support is hindering public HTML5 development. After all, a primary feature of HTML5 is advanced media support: <video> and <audio> tags are new and maybe not yet necessary in parts of Africa where connection speeds are slow. Still, anyone with a computer can experiment, and hopefully is doing so (especially in places like iHub).

HTML5 still is undergoing some changes, and who knows if its video properties will make Flash obsolete, but in the coming months be on the lookout for some nifty African HTML5 sites. If HTML5 doesn’t catch on, then at least expect a prevalence of CSS3 features to enhance the web browsing experience.

Regardless of how prevalent the latest web design trends are in Africa, HTML5 examples have started to appear. Web design companies in Ghana and South Africa already showcase their design prowess:

Ghana:

Kava Media

Click to enlarge. {Kava Media}

South Africa:

Ogilvy

Click to enlarge. {Ogilvy}

Zoopy Puzzle Challenge (entry into a 10kb-or-less of code HTML5 contest)

Click to enlarge. {10K Apart}

Please share African-designed sites that utilize either HTML5 or CSS3 properties in the comments!