Month: February 2007

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Summer reading list

Chinua Achebe Things Fall ApartThe great (for winter anyway) weather in New York has gotten me thinking about spring and summer. I know it might be a little early for some of you but here’s a great list to help you prepare for your summer reading. The list of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century was put together by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. While the list is a bit old (published in 2002) it’s a good place to start to become familiar with Africa’s literary geniuses. Here’s their list thanks to The Funky Ghetto Hijabi. Can you recommend any newer books?

Creative Writing

  1. Abnudi, Abd al-Rahman (Egypt) al-Mawtala al-asfalt (Death on the Asphalt)

  2. Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria) Arrow of God

  3. Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria) Things Fall Apart

  4. Aidoo, Ama Ata (Ghana) Anowa

  5. Almeida, Germano (Cape Verde) O testamento do Sr. Napumoceno da Silva Araújo

  6. Armah, Ayi Kwei (Ghana) The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

  7. Bâ, Amadou Hampâté (Mali ) L’étrange destin de Wangrin

  8. Bâ, Mariama (Senegal) Une si longue lettre

  9. Ben Jelloun, Tahar (Morocco) La nuit sacrée

  10. Beti, Mongo (Cameroon) Le pauvre Christ de Bomba

  11. Brink, André (South Africa) A Dry White Season

  12. Bugul, Ken (Senegal) Riwan, ou le chemin de sable

  13. Cheney-Choker, Syl (Sierra Leone) The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar

  14. Chraibi, Driss (Morocco) Le passé simple

  15. Coetzee, J.M. (South Africa) Life and Times ofMichael K

  16. Couto, Mia (Mozambique) Terra sonâmbula

  17. Craveirinha, José (Mozambique) Karingana ua Karingana

  18. Dadié, Bernard (Côte d’Ivoire) Climbié

  19. Dangarembga, Tsitsi (Zimbabwe) Nervous Conditions

  20. Dib, Mohammed (Algeria) La grande maison, L’incendie, Le métier à tisser

  21. Diop, Birago (Senegal) Les contes d’Amadou Koumba

  22. Diop, Boubacar Boris (Senegal) Murambi ou le livre des ossements

  23. Djebar, Assia (Algeria) L’amour, la fantasia

  24. Emecheta, Buchi (Nigeria) The Joys of Motherhood

  25. Fagunwa, Daniel O. (Nigeria) Ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale

  26. Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) Maps

  27. Fugard, Athol (South Africa) The Blood Knot

  28. Ghitani, Jamal al- (Egypt) Zayni Barakat

  29. Gordimer, Nadine (South Africa) Burgher’s Daughter

  30. Head, Bessie (South Africa) A Question of Power

  31. Honwana, Bernardo (Mozambique) Nos matamos o cão tinhoso

  32. Hove, Chenjerai (Zimbabwe) Bones

  33. Isegawa, Moses (Uganda) Abessijnse Kronieken

  34. Jordan, Archibald Campbell (South Africa) Ingqumbo yeminyanya

  35. Joubert, Elsa (South Africa) Die Swerdjare van Poppie Nongena

  36. Kane, Cheikh Hamidou (Senegal) L’aventure ambiguë

  37. Khosa, Ungulani Ba Ka (Mozambique) Ualalapi

  38. Kourouma, Ahmadou (Côte d’Ivoire) Les soleils des indépendances

  39. Laye, Camara (Guinea) L’enfant noir

  40. Magona, Sindiwe (South Africa) Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night

  41. Mahfouz, Naguib (Egypt) The Cairo Trilogy

  42. Marechera, Dambudzo (Zimbabwe) House of Hunger

  43. Mofolo, Thomas (Lesotho) Chaka

  44. Monenembo, Tierno (Guinea) Un attieké pour Elgass

  45. Mutwa, Vusamazulu Credo (South Africa) Indaba, My Children

  46. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) Caitaani Mutharaba-ini

  47. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) A Grain of Wheat

  48. Niane, Djibril Tamsir (Senegal) Soundjata ou l’épopée mandingue

  49. Nyembezi, Sibusiso (South Africa) Inkinnsela yaseMgungundlovu

  50. Okigbo, Christopher (Nigeria) Labyrinths

  51. Okri, Ben (Nigeria) The Famished Road

  52. Oyono, Ferdinand (Cameroon) Le vieux nègre et la médaille

  53. P’Bitek, Okot (Uganda) Song of Lawino

  54. Pepetela (Angola) A geração da utopia

  55. Saadawi, Nawal El (Egypt) Woman at Point Zero

  56. Salih El Tayyib (Sudan) Season of Migration to the North

  57. Sassine, Williams (Guinea) Le jeune homme de sable

  58. Sembene, Ousmane (Senegal) Les bouts de bois de Dieu

  59. Senghor, Léopold Sédar (Senegal) Ouevre poétique

  60. Serote, Mongane (South Africa) Third World Express

  61. Shabaan,Robert Bin (Tanzania) Utenzi wa vita vya uhuru

  62. Sony Labou Tansi (Congo) La vie et demie

  63. Sow Fall, Aminata (Senegal) La grève des battus

  64. Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria) Death and the King’s Horsemen

  65. Tchicaya U Tam’si (Congo) Le mauvais sang – feu de brousse – à trisse-coeur

  66. Tutuola, Amos (Nigeria) The Palm-wine Drinkard

  67. Vera, Yvonne (Zimbabwe) Butterfly Burning

  68. Vieira, José Luandino (Angola) Nós os do Makulusu

  69. Vilakazi, B.W. (South Africa) Amal’eZulu

  70. Yacine, Kateb (Algeria) Nedjma

Scholarship/non-fiction

  1. Amin, Samir (Egypt) Accumulation on a World Scale

  2. Amadiume, Ifi (Nigeria) Male Daughters, Female Husbands

  3. Andrade,Mario de (Angola) Os nacionalismos africanos

  4. Appiah, Anthony (Ghana) In My Father’s House

  5. Cabral, Amilcar (Guinea-Bissau) Unity and Struggle

  6. Chimera, Rocha (Kenya) Kiswahili, past, present and future horizons

  7. Diop, Cheikh Anta (Senegal) Antériorité des civilisations nègres

  8. Doorkenoo, Efua (Ghana) Cutting the Rose

  9. Hayford, J.E. Casely (Ghana) Ethiopia Unbound

  10. Hountondji, Paulin (Benin) Sur la philosophie africaine

  11. Johnson, Samuel (Nigeria) The History of the Yorubas

  12. Kenyatta, Jomo (Kenya) Facing Mount Kenya

  13. Ki-Zerbo, Joseph (Burkina Faso) Histoire de l’Afrique noire

  14. Krog, Antjie (South Africa) Country of My Skull

  15. Mama, Amina (Nigeria) Beyond the Mask, Race, Gender and Identity

  16. Mamdani, Mahmood (Uganda) Citizen and Subject

  17. Mandela, Nelson (South Africa) Long Walk to Freedom

  18. Marais, Eugene (South Africa) Die Siel van die Mier

  19. Memmi, Albert (Tunisia) Portrait du colonisé suivi de portrait du colonisateur

  20. Mondlane, Eduardo (Mozambique) The Struggle for Mozambique

  21. Mphahlele, Ezekiel (South Africa) Down Second Avenue

  22. Mudimbe, V.Y. (Dem. Rep. of Congo) The Invention of Africa

  23. Nkrumah, Kwame (Ghana) Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah

  24. Plaatje, Sol (South Africa) Native Life in South Africa

  25. Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria) Ake: The Years of Childhood

  26. Van Onselen, Charles (South Africa) The Seed is Mine

Literature for Children

  1. Asare, Meshack (Ghana) Sosu’s Call

  2. Al-Homi, Hayam Abbas (Egypt) Adventures of a Breath

  3. Mungoshi, Charles (Zimbabwe) Stories from a Shona Childhood

  4. Tadjo, Veronique (Côte d’Ivoire) Mamy Wata et le monstre

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Bling & Blood go primetime on Vh1

Paul Wall in Sierra Leone for Vh1 bling documentaryI mentioned before that Vh1 in conjunction with the United Nations was producing a documentary on the bling and blood diamonds relationship. The documentary, “Bling’d: Blood, Diamonds, and Hip Hop”, “takes a look at the illegal diamond trade in Sierra Leone, West Africa and its connection with the hip hop culture, particularly how ‘bling’ played a role in the nation’s 11-year civil war.” While we’ve seen quite a few film projects about blood diamonds and Sierra Leone, it’s a wonder that the hip-hop angle has never really been explored in depth by a major film/television company; or did I just miss it? Either way the documentary features interviews with Paul Wall, Raekwon, Tego Caldron, Jadakiss, Big Daddy Kane, and Kanye West among others. Hopefully the documentary will expand beyond the war in Sierra Leone and show how the diamond trade exploits both the Africans who mine the diamonds and the African-Americans who aspire to own one. As Sierra Leonean rapper Chosan said “Don’t give up and keep shining, your heart’s worth more than a diamond”. The documentary premieres Thursday, Feb. 22. at 8pm on Vh1.

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This week in African Style 2/10 – 2/16/07

• Cell phones fight AIDS in Africa

• Sophis Okonedo plays in Skin

• Africans challenge global corruption in ‘Bamako’ courtroom

• Africa: 48 African countries expected in Cannes

• Warner Music announces strategic initiatives in North Africa

• Global Film Community invited to Oscars

• Africa/America—a beauty that could be

• Joburg Fashion Week’s Disco Masais and African City Girls

• Are mud floors cool?

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Africa’s Inconvenient Truth

Africa wasteWhen I heard Al Gore’s announcement that he will be producing Live Earth, a 24-hour concert held simultaneously across all 7 continents, I got to thinking about what part if any Africa(ns) play in the enormous eco-conscious global trend. With “An Inconvenient Truh” nominated for an Oscar, eco-trend features in both business and fashion magazines, and eco news and blog sites popping up everywhere, surely the trend seems to be here to stay. But as we Africans go about trying to deal with our societal issues, I can’t help but think that maybe we need to think about this issue as well.

I spent a good deal of my senior year in high-school in the Environmental Society (yeah, yeah, I’ve had many lives and some a bit nerdy), where myself and a group of students learned and taught about the necessity of caring for your environment. I remember some programs we ran seeming boring and redundant to me but I couldn’t pin-point why. While others became passionate about the whole “save mother earth” movement I started to wonder why I wasn’t so gung-ho about it. I certainly agreed with the efforts but i just didn’t understand why some people seem to take it soooo seriously. Later in life I came to understand that growing up in an African household we never saw the earth as something or someone separate from ourselves. It was part of our culture to respect your surroundings and live within the parameters of the environment you were in. You somewhat understood the need and uses of certain natural resources and you respected their place in your life. But I think we’ve gotten comfortable as time has gone by, and are now part of Africa’s environmental problem.

When my father visited Ghana recently after many years, he was shocked about how rampant littering was. He described how easily people threw plastic products on the ground, even when there was a trash receptacle available. In discussions we often chalked it up to lawlessness, but there might be a deeper concern. As Africans we’ve begun to assume that we innately subscribe to old cultural norms when our actions prove otherwise. Try to talk to an African about environmentalism and many times you’ll get a blank stare or a “whatever” response. But one thing that Silas Siakor proved is that our actions are causing our situation to get worse. Yes, we have big problems like corruption, famine, and drought, but those problems are also tied to how we treat our environment. It’s true we’re not any worse than any other communities, but the effects on our “problems” are worse. When we allow large corporations to drill for oil without any concern about environmental hazards we make things worse for ourselves, What’s the revenue from exports worth when it leaves us with more problems to spend the money on.

The Africa portion of the Live Earth concert will be held in…..wait for it……South Africa. Surprised? Anyway, here’s more information about the event:

LIVE EARTH
Live Earth – The Concert for a Climate in Crisis
July 7, 2007
“The global audience gathered for Live Earth, its ongoing actions, and the proceeds from the concerts, will form the foundation for a new, multi-year international initiative to combat the climate crisis led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and its Chair, Al Gore.

Concerts on all 7 continents:
• Shanghai
• Sydney
• Johannesburg
• London
• Brazil – TBD
• Japan – TBD
• United States – TBD
• Antarctica – TBD

100+ artists: Current and legendary artists across all genres performing multiple hits.

Confirmed performers:
• Pharrell
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Foo Fighters
• Snoop Dogg
• Lenny Kravitz
• Bon Jovi
• Paolo Nutini
• Sheryl Crow
• AFI
• Melissa Etheridge
• John Mayer
• Damien Rice
• Corinne Bailey Rae
• Duran Duran
• Snow Patrol
• John Legend
• Black Eyed Peas
• Akon
• Enrique Iglesias
• Fall Out Boy
• Maná
• Keane
• Kelly Clarkson
• Korn
• Faith Hill w/ Tim McGraw
• Bloc Party

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Refugee entrepreneurs

Somali Bantu Women entrepreneursFortune Magazine has a great feature on African refugees who have fled their homeland and have started businesses in America. This feature highlights one of the undeniable strengths of the USA. While the country has enough problems to put it on many people’s hate lists, I doubt anyone can deny that this country is at the top of the list for business opportunity. While there is no level playing field for people of color, there are more than enough opportunities to make a living and chase your dreams. America is one of the few places that determination is rewarded, however strange the reward may be (queue “Star Spangled Banner”). Especially in todays world adopting a long tail mentality is the way to go.

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Making a model living

Ajuma Alexander McQueen backstage 2007Back in my fashion week round-up post, I mentioned the lack of black/african models on the runways this season. While it was a passing comment the topic holds great weight with many Africans trying to build a career in the modeling industry. While many of us take them for granted and often trivialize the idea of someone making money on their looks, the fact remains that models are an important part of selling a product in any industry. Many years ago, I went with a friend to a casting call. Let me tell you, you have to have serious determination, passion, and focus to go to those “cattle calls”. As I sat in a room of about 100 people vying for only one spot for a simple shoot, I realized that putting yourself out there to be judged by your looks alone is a harrowing experience. You are often at the whim of whomever is in charge and whatever their hang-up is that day or even that minute; and not taking it personally is easier said than done. My friend didn’t get the gig but she continued to pursue modeling until she finally gave up. Working on the “other side of the camera”, I’ve been witness to quite a few instances where models have had to tolerate everything from physical to verbal abuse just to get ahead; and if you feel that they get paid well enough to bear it you’re wrong. Just this past fashion week, I had to literally choke a model to get her shirt buttoned to complete the look the designer wanted; and my model just stood there and took it. Each season African models compete in a world where even when the product is being sold to people who look like them, they can easily be replaced by someone who doesn’t. Particularly in the fashion world there is a growing cap on how many African or black models can work each season or even per show. And I mean worldwide. Many designers make the excuse that African models don’t fit the look they’re going for, but the fact is it’s just an excuse not to make the effort. There are tons of qualified models like Noella, Honorine, Ajuma, Oluchi, and Atong working their way through the industry with varied enough looks for any shoot or runway. And they all represent the varied consumers who spend money on the fashion. If fashion week is all about creating excitement, then what is more captivating than an African model putting some flavor in an otherwise vanilla fashion show. So the next time you open a magazine, watch a video, or buy a product think about all those models who are putting themselves out there so that your image is represented and give them some credit. (photo: Style.com)

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Is identity holding Africans back?

I got into a debate about African identity last night. The debate brought about two specific issues. Do individual African nations have to create their own identity first before subscribing to an African identity? also what part does identity play in resolving Africa’s issues? What are your thoughts?

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African designers gamble at Magic Las Vegas

African Pavilion Sourcing at Magic Las VegasLast August while in Las Vegas for a mini vacation with the family, being the workaholic I am, I squeezed in a visit to to Magic and it’s satellite tradeshows, Project and Pool. For those who have never attended the Magic event, basically it’s a few days of high octane buying and selling of apparel of all levels. The tradeshow is possibly the biggest and most known in the world and attracts everyone involved in the apparel industry. Though Magic is primarily organized as a meeting place for apparel companies and buyers, it has become a place for everyone to flex their brand muscle and get attention by outdoing each other. Magic is the main show held at the Las Vegas Convention center while the two smaller more specialized shows, Project and Pool take place at different venues in the surrounding area. I can’t describe the hustling that takes place at Magic. Because Magic attracts EVERYONE from celebrities, who are usually endorsing a clothing line, to magazine publishers and editors, for that week Las Vegas becomes a hustler’s heaven. And African companies are getting hip to the opportunities at Magic. In the short time I had to see all the exhibitors, I made sure to go over to the DESIGN South Africa area, a first-time collection of 10 South African fashion houses who, sponsored by the South African government, had been chosen to make the trip to exhibit their offerings to the international buyers. I got into a good conversation with Themba Mngomezulu of the Darkie label about design, African identity and breaking into the US market. Darkie is a popular label in South Africa and Themba has been doing his thing on the fashion scene for a while. I was happy to talk to him and see that African designers are making an organized effort to compete outside of their borders.

Design South Africa at Magic Las VegasThe Fall 2007 season of Magic started yesterday in Las Vegas and this season there’s an African Pavilion organized by Eastern and Central Africa Trade Hub and West Africa Trade Hubs. The area will be featuring various African companies “with the relevant strategies and insights” who have been chosen to get assistance in penetrating the American market. Unfortunately I will not be on the scene to report about their efforts for two reasons. The first reason is Las Vegas will be overrun with posers and groupies this week with Magic and NBA All Star Week taking place at the same time; I can’t take it! The second reason is, while the few days can gain a clothing line like mine unparalleled exposure, Magic is a budget buster which doesn’t fit my current business strategy. With costs ranging from $2500+ just to rent a booth space, it can be a costly lesson to learn if your company is not structured to capitalize on the exposure. Magic brings buyers from all over the world who are always eager to stock new brands. The reason for going to Magic from a designers perspective is to get orders and you are almost guaranteed to get some good ones. But I learned from attending a smaller tradeshow in Miami last year that getting sizable orders can actually kill your business. As a good friend of mine said “if you are building a house and you want it to last, you need to start with a solid foundation and use the right materials” (translation: longevity is based on patience and strategy). The apparel industry is an especially difficult one to succeed in. People go out of business everyday, and one of the main reasons is they grow too fast. Many people get into business for the fame and notoriety and fail to pay attention to the business part. Yes, the fashion business has some nice perks, but if you get caught up in the hype it’ll die just as fast as it lived. Lack of proper financing, partner disagreements, and absence of adequate apparel business knowledge constantly cause apparel companies to go out of business; and many times it can be avoided. When a company like Cloak has to close down, then you know there’s more to fashion than champagne and models. With that being said, I hope the African companies taking part in this season’s Magic tradeshow have the structure in place to deal with the possible instant success. While we must start competing at some point we should also try to set our own pace for growth. The American market has eluded numerous foreign brands. I’m lucky to have started here, but I think I’ll take my time and grow.

More about the African Pavilion and African Sourcing at Magic:

Discover the Magic of Africa
Following from a Hub sponsored workshop to provide Kenyan apparel firms with the relevant strategies and insights for exhibiting their wares at the Sourcing at MAGIC apparel trade show and that will assist them in penetrating the lucrative $180 Billion U.S apparel market, it was highlighted that for maximum impact at MAGIC, it would be important for participants from the region work together. In view of this, the ECA and West Africa Trade Hubs are working together to set up an ‘African Pavilion’ at the show. The Pavilion will showcase over 30 companies from 10 countries in Africa. The ECA Hub is sponsoring 9 companies from Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar and Ethiopia to the show which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 2007.

SEMINAR
Africa Sourcing Opportunities and Challenges
Date: Thursday February 15, 2007
Start Time: 4:00 PM
End Time: 5:00 PM
Location: South Hall, First Level, Room MS116
Panelist
Julie Hughes , Sr. Vice-President of International Trade, USA-ITA
Steve Jesseph , President/CEO, Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production
Belinda Edmonds , Cool Ideas, EDUN
Florie Liser , Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa
Info: Africa represents new opportunities for sourcing directors in light of the various free trade agreements currently in place and allowing for duty and quota free access. The continent also represents challenges to those who source in the region. Join our panel of experts and discover the possibilities.

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African Hip-Hop in LA

For all those in LA this week make sure you check out the Pan African Film Festival which opened on February 8th and will run unil February 19th. In it’s 15th year, the festival is the largest international black film festival in the United States. While you’re getting in all your African films make sure to check out two of my partners Saba Saba aka Krazy Native (Uganda), and Wanlov the Kubolor (Ghana) as they bring their versions of African hip-hop to the event. Check out the flyer:

Saba Saba and Wanlov at Pan African Film Festival