Phew!! An interesting few days, where all sorts have crawled out from the woods to flex and prove intellectual prowess and crass. I hope you don’t find that in any way offensive? Personally, I have had some time to think about it and take in other people’s point of view on the matter. While it [...]
SA Sabo was born in Nigeria in 1984 and has been living in London since 2005. In 2009 he was one of ten writers, who won a place on the Arts Council of England/The Literature Consultancy mentoring scheme. He has written two plays, This Earth We Seek and Everybody Knows and his short stories have been published Glasschord and The [...]
2011 has seen African fashion gain prominence like never before, from Lagos to London to New York, African designers refuse to make a quiet entrance and the world is waking up to their presence. Dolapo Shobanjo is the co-founder of My Asho, a leading online retail outlet for African designs and designers. In our interview, [...]
Described as one of the finest designers on the African fashion scene, Beatrice Arthur, of Ghanaian and Russian heritage, is the founder of B’EXOTIO. Known to many as Bee, she has been in the industry for over a decade and keeps pushing the boundaries because for her, fashion is about freedom and that freedom is [...]
In the final part of my interview with Fatoumata Diawara, the multi-talented singer-songwriter, whose voice reveals a rare vulnerability that should not be mistaken for weakness, talks about her influences, identity and what she wants people to take from her music. A non-conformist, Diawara defied tradition and escaped Mali as a teenager when under pressured from her [...]
Fatoumata Diawara is a multi-talented singer-songwriter, whose voice reveals a rare vulnerability, not to be mistaken for weakness. A non-conformist, she defied tradition and escaped Mali as a teenager when under pressured from her family to get married. Today, Diawara is using her music to expose the cultural prejudices faced by women across Africa and [...]
Lucian Msamati, originally from Tanzania and Zimbabwe, is a seasoned actor of stage and the small screen. In 2010, he became the artistic director of Tiata Fahodzi, described as the leading British-African theatre, which has made placing Africans at the heart of British theatre, its primary goal. Under his guidance, the company recently celebrated its [...]
VLISCO, a Dutch owned company is one of the world’s biggest players when it comes to the production of African prints and its relationship with the African continent goes as far back as the 1900s. Its dazzling textiles are a firm part of West and Central African culture. Just how did a fabric not owned [...]
In recent years, a fertile artistic landscape has been evoked on the Nigerian art scene. A shift, E. Okecukwu Odita, professor of the History of Arts, Ohio State University says is “fast becoming a topic of eager discussion in national and international circles.” A discourse that is certain to continue with the publication of A [...]
If there is a slight chance this post will offend you, I strongly suggest that you stop reading right about now. The cautionary note is because I know, however much one tries in life not to offend, someone will find something offensive. While I have now reached the point in my adult life, where I [...]
The recent International World AIDS Day, once again brought the issue of HIV/AIDS to our attention for 24 hours. However, we cannot afford to get complacent and relegate the discussion to a day’s event. I say that because people living with HIV/AIDS don’t live with it for a day. They eat, sleep and wake up [...]
FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) is an African diaspora women led NGO dedicated to the advancement and safeguarding of the sexual and reproductive health, and rights of African girls and women. Based in the UK, FORWARD works across Europe and Africa to help change practices and policies that affect the dignity and [...]
2011 has been momentous year for the Africa. From Egypt to Tunisia and Libya, a change of guard is reshaping the continent’s political landscape. In the diaspora, a different kind of change is also taking shape as Africans challenge each other about rebuilding the continent from the powers of corridor to economic growth and social [...]
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