Tag: awards

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Starchitect David Adjaye brings his building art to America

David AdjayeAdjaye studio museumYG points to a new exhibit by UK-based Ghanaian star architect David Adjaye opening today at the Studio Museum of Harlem in New York City. The exhibit, Making Public Buildings, introduces Adjaye’s architecture to American audiences by carrying viewers through his working process-from inspiration to completion-through ten projects, both built and uncompleted. Having been awarded an Order of the British Empire by the queen for services to architecture, following several public works including his Idea Stores, which have shaken up the notion of the library, and his Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Mr. Adjaye is set to take on America. With both a New York office for his company Adjaye/Associates and his Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver opening this fall the star architect has his American debut all lined up. About his current work Mr. Adjaye tells New York Magazine:

We are building a house for an amazing art collector [Adam Lindemann and his wife, gallerist Amalia Dayan] on the Upper East Side. It is quite hermetic. In ten years, 50 percent of the world will live in cities; they are becoming massive. The home is something that becomes an emotional incubator and resuscitator. It is not about tricks but about the way in which you reorient a person’s perceptions by focusing on water or on a tree or on a texture of a wall, making the home a meditative space. For this house, the thing the house reflects on will also be art.

David Adjaye’s Making Public Buildings opens today, July 18, 2007, with a 7pm reception at the Studio Museum of Harlem. The exhibition continues through Sunday, October 28, 2007 (Wed-Fri: 12-6pm / Sat: 10am-6pm / Sun: 12-6pm).

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Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards

Beverly Fab5 and Kofi at H20Last Saturday I attended the 5th Annual Hip-Hop Odyssey (H2O) Awards, held at BB Kings in New York City. Organized by the Hip-Hop Association, the awards ceremony recognized today’s hottest Hip-Hop filmmakers, industry professionals and pioneers. The event always features appearances and performances by Hip-Hop heavyweights. This year’s event, as usual, was packed with many of the individuals who have played a major part in shaping the hip-hop landscape including, artist/entrepreneur/hip-hop personality Fab 5 Freddy (that’s him in the picture standing in front of me as we listen to DJ Beverly Bond speak about YO! MTV Raps’ late producer Ted Demme), Ice-T (who gave an excellent acceptance speech about staying true to oneself), Dana Dane, Grand Wizard Theodore, (Dr.) Roxanne Shante, Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box), The Cold Crush Brothers, Chubb Rock and much more.

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about the awards and the preceding H2O International Film Festival, is how the organizers (Martha Diaz, Rolando Brown etc) make a conscious effort to show the influence of African (and international) cultures on the growth of America’s hip-hop/urban culture. A few years back, besides the performance by the Nomadic Wax Global Hip-hop All-stars’ Chosan (Sierra Leone) , Eli Efi (Brazil) , and El Gambina (Korea), the festival grand prize went to Hip-Hop Colony, a film about the African hip-hop explosion – now on DVD. This year Hip-Hop Colony’s Kenyan director, Michael Wanguhu, was on hand to present an award. To further encourage the hip-hop generation to connect with Africa, this year’s awards was sponsored by and involved a presentation by popular DNA lineage identification company African Ancestry Inc. Some of you might remember that African Ancestry Inc. was the company behind VH1’s Spike Lee-directed February (Black History month) spot which promoted a stronger connection between African-Americans and the African continent through DNA swab testing. African Ancestry’s President, Gina Paige, was on hand at this year’s H2O Awards ceremony to present the evening’s host, Paul Mooney, with his personal DNA test results. Upon revealing that Paul Mooney’s lineage goes back to Guinea-Bissau (I don’t remember which specific ethnic group was cited), Gina Paige presented Mr. Mooney with a folder containing the details of the tests as well as a t-shirt with a Guinea-Bissau logo. A very nice touch.

African Ancestry offers a great solution for African-Americans looking to re-connect with their African heritage. With the DNA procedure gaining popularity and support from African-American celebrities like Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, LeVar Burton, Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, and Isaiah Washington – who also holds a seat on African Ancestry’s Board of Directors -, and media outlets from ABC’s Good Morning America to PBS championing the efforts, African Ancestry has already begun to solidify the link between African-American and African cultures.

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The rise of Kenya’s equity generation

Binyavanga WainainaIf you haven’t already picked up Vanity Fair’s Africa issue, make sure you do so. To my and others’ surprise, the issue covers pretty well rounded views on Africa despite the magazine’s commercialism. Included in the issue is a story about Kenya’s “equity generation”. Written by Kenyan author/journalist Binyavanga Wainaina – who is also profiled in another Vanity Fair feature on Africa’s literati – the article focuses on young people who have survived the hard last years of President Daniel arap Moi’s Kenya that ended in 2002 and are now driving Kenya’s economy. The Wall Street Journal’s Informed Reader summarizes Mr. Wainaina’s article further, and points to a complementing Economist magazine article on the subject.

“Where the country has done well, it is often despite rather than because of the government. When Kenyans have been able to do things off their own bat, they have invariably done better than when they have been locked into state-controlled schemes.” — Robin Moroney (The Economist)

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Africans on TIME’s 100 most influential people list

Youssou Ndour TIME influentials 2007TIME magazine has released it’s annual picks of the 100 most influential men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world. The list is broken up into groups of Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Heroes & Pioneers. Here are the Africans who made TIME 100 most influential people list. The African country represented and the categories they appear in are in parentheses.

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This week in African Style 4/7 – 4/13/07

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Simmons, DiCaprio and Africa empowerment

Russell Simmons poses with Beyonce with Green braceletThe publicity bout over the image of diamonds continued throughout both Oscar and All-Star weekends with both Russell Simmons and Leonardo DiCaprio doing their part to promote awareness of their initiatives addressing blood diamonds. Simmons recently launched his Green Initiative jewelry line in Beverly Hills, California with celebrities such as Sanaa Lathan, Eva Pigford, Serena Williams, Paris Hilton, and Rosario Dawson. If you remember the Green Initiative is set up to raise money for “the development and empowerment of the people and communities in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.” The initiative is part of the Diamond Empowerment Fund “a non-profit international organization” which Simmons announced at his press conference a few months ago. While Simmons has been busy courting celebrities such as Beyonce with the Green Bracelet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Ryan Gosling and others promoted the Amnesty International and Global Witness campaign against gem mining in troubled areas of the world by wearing a red teardrop pin to the Oscars. The pins were later auctioned off to benefit the campaign.

I’ve been following the developments of the blood diamonds campaigns closely and have been seeing a convergence of thoughts from both sides of the debate. Initially there were two separate camps that were bent on proving the other wrong in the public eye. But as the months – and the initial hype – have passed, I’ve seen both sides resolve to push strategies which though different on the surface, can have similar results: Giving Africans more control over their resources. DiCaprio, Hounsou, Amnesty International, and Global Witness are working outside of the current system to bring about the change in business practices, while Simmons is trying to work within the system to reach a fairly similar goal. While I see working within the current system as a dangerous strategy, I’m eager to see how Simmons walks the tightrope of getting an industry that is bent on maintaining it’s stronghold to purge itself of a practice that has worked so well. Maybe as Amnesty International’s campaign continues to put pressure on the diamond manufacturers, Simmons’ job will become easier. Time will tell which strategy is most effective.

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Djimon Housou to model Calvin Klein underwear

Djimon Hounsou in Beauty ShopI usually don’t blog on weekends (gotta spend time with the family) but it’s Oscar weekend and I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t report this breaking news. In the lead up to tomorrow’s Academy Awards, Calvin Klein Inc. has announced that it will feature Oscar-nominated Djimon Hounsou in its Fall 2007 Calvin Klein Underwear advertising campaign. While modeling is not new territory for Hounsou, becoming the face of Calvin Klein underwear at this point in his stellar career is worth noting. Seen as a true American brand, Calvin Klein’s underwear campaigns have often been seen as risqué and trendsetting. As many of you will remember Hounsou was discovered by fashion designer/photographer Thierry Mugler and spent several years modeling before he burst onto the international scene in Janet Jackson’s video “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”. The Fall 2007 Calvin Klein Underwear campaign, which will be shot in late March or early April and will appear internationally in more than 20 countries in global print and outdoor advertising in the fall. The campaign involving Hounsou will coincide with the 25th anniversary of Calvin Klein Underwear and the launch of a new product Calvin Klein Steel. Whether or not Hounsou wins the Best Supporting Actor Oscar tomorrow night in his Ozwald Boateng suit, we’re guaranteed to be seeing a lot more of him this year.

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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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This week in African Style 1/20 – 1/26/07

• Oprah Winfrey defends her South African school in open letter.

• Dakar Rally takes drivers through Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and ends in Dakar, Senegal.

• Bill Gates and Africa’s green revolution.

• Fashion Television reports fromCape Town Fashion Week Spring 2007

• The World Economic Forum is under way in Davos, Switzerlad and the World Social Forum gets under way in Nairobi Kenya.

• China’s President on tour to teach Africa how to fish.

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Akon nominated for 2007 Grammy Award

AkonSo word’s in on the 2007 Grammy Awards nominees and my boy Akon is front and center. These are the categories and which he and other African artists have been nominated in. The awards ceremony will be begin at 8pm EST on February 11, 2007 and will be shown live on CBS
* African artists are in red.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Smack That
<ahref=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akon”>Akon Featuring Eminem
[SRC/Universal Records] 

•      Deja Vu

Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia] 

•      Shake That

Eminem Featuring Nate Dogg
Track from: Curtain Call — The Hits
[Aftermath/Shady/Interscope Records] 

•      Unpredictable

Jamie Foxx Featuring Ludacris
Track from: Unpredictable
[J Records] 

•      My Love

Justin Timberlake Featuring T.I.
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Music Of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face Of The Beloved: Classical Music Of The Tajiks And Uzbeks
The Academy Of Maqâm
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings] 

•      Endless Vision

Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan
[World Village] 

•      Hambo In The Snow

Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley & Charlie Pilzer
[Azalea City Recordings] 

•      Golden Strings Of The Sarode

Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain
[Moment Records] 

•      Blessed

Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie]

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Tiki
Richard Bona
[Decca] 

•      M'Bemba

Salif Keita
[Decca] 

•      Wonder Wheel

The Klezmatics
[Jewish Music Group] 

•      Long Walk To Freedom

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International] 

•      Savane

Ali Farka Toure
[World Circuit/Nonesuch]