Summer is almost here officially, but for many parts of the US, the heat is already burning. Like, seriously, it was over 90 degrees a few days ago and ridiculously humid. Stay cool and look hot, here are some low budget tips that'll give anyone that high fashion look.
First, I'll start with this video I found on BattaBox, which is one of my favorite Nigerian websites co-directed by honorary Nigerian and former CNN report Christian Purefoy. It's how to make an Ankara fabric (Dutch wax) top. These girls are a bit silly and video is kind of long, but it delivers.
Many African fabric stores in the United States carry this fabric and it's pretty well priced. There are places online, but I think you might get a better deal in the store. This top could be paired with shorts over a bathing suit (can you say "pool party?"). Plus, you can be creative and discover many other ways to tie it.
For men, it can also be easy to get some African flair without digging deep in your wallet. This is a little tougher than for the girls, but it's doable, I promise. One place to look for inspiration is from South Africa designer, Stiaan Louw, who gives a modern approach to menswear by fusing several African cultures and modern trends to create a unique and sophisticated men's look. His prices might be out of this world for some, but a lot of similar pieces can be found at stores like H & M and Topman. Both of them also have a lot of men's jewelry from leather and beads that can give an African vibe when paired with a simple well fitted tee and a pair of shorts. Really, the trick is to be simple and clean with your clothing (mainly solid colors and bold patterns) and pair with interesting accessories. That keeps you modern, cool and Afro-centric.
You know what to wear and how to dress, so just do it!
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Ignorance and Kwanzaa
It's that time of year again when Christmas decor line commercial streets, menorahs light up various homes, and every black person in America is wished "Happy Kwanzaa."
Today, I was one the lucky black folk to receive this holiday greeting from a random white woman. Granted she was trying to be nice, but she started off with happy holidays and then remixed to happy Kwanzaa. This was one of those moments in life it was best to keep it simple. I politely told her: "I don't celebrate Kwanzaa." In fact, I am a part of a large group of black people in America that do not celebrate this "contrived" holiday, as my colleague (who's black) called it, and she's pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Kwanzaa was conceived in the 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University, Long Beach, as a way to bring African-Americans together as one in the wake of the Watts riots. It's a combination of several different African traditions (the word Kwanzaa is Swahili for "first fruit") from various African cultures.
Despite the holiday having it's African roots, the holiday is NOT African. My mother told me her first experience with this holiday when she arrived in the United States nearly thirty years ago and she said people would ask her how she celebrated Kwanzaa. She, being a feisty Nigerian, responded: "What nonsense is that?" People were shocked she didn't know and she was puzzled why people expected her to know. She later found out it was an African-American holiday that has various influences from many African cultures, which changed her response to, when she was later asked (and still asked to this day): "Do I sound African-American to you? Nonsense!"
Back to my colleague, who is African-American, told me she had never celebrated the holiday. In fact, it seems like the number of African-Americans that celebrate Kwanzaa is pretty small, even though there are no official stats.
Now, let's recap everything:
- Kwanzaa is a contrived holiday, meant for African-American unity.
- Kwanzaa is not an African holiday, even though it's influence comes from various African cultures.
- A large majority of African-Americans do not celebrate Kwanzaa.
- Do not ask a feisty Nigerian woman about Kwanzaa, because she'll treat you.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Nigeria Anti-Gay (Marriage) Bill
I've been thinking about some of the issues I have with the fight for gay rights in most of sub-Saharan Africa, mainly it's approach from the West (or should I say the former colonizers).
There's a condescending nature of the West when they tell African nations: "We'll pull aid from countries that pass anti-gay legislation." The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron said something of a similar vein not to long ago.
Before I go into it, I do believe every minority group in every country should be treated and respected as a human, regardless if you are a racial, ethnic or sexual minority. More so, whoever you sleep with is only your business, as long as you're not having sex with them in public.
The part that bothers me most about this is not even the recent legislation being passed in Nigeria or some that may be passed in other countries, but the passive aggression coming from the West. "They're all on a journey and we want to help them get there," said David Cameron. But did you ASK these nations what is their journey and WHERE they would like to be? You assume that these nations want to be like the West? Many of them want to be African. If you listen to some of the homophobic rhetoric of these leader, despite their bases for the argument, they want to make sure their country has a strong African identity. Do I believe anti-homosexuality laws define an African identity? Hell no. But I also do not believe that African nations should be told aspire to be "Westernized."When you begin to realize African cultures are not backward and they need to be TAUGHT how to think, then maybe change can happen. African countries, based on all the resources they have are more than capable of making their countries work for them. Plus, many of their economies are doing better than many Western nations at the moment. Didn't Angola just offer it's former colonizer Portugal aid?
Now that we are in a post colonial and increasingly global society, the approach of these Western nations to anti-gay policies in Africa should not be "we won't give you money" but instead understanding how to approach the issue that would be effective in an African nation and not basing it on how things are done in West.
To be quite honest, African cultures are very active cultures, especially when it comes to politics. When Africans are angry, we are angry. That's why protesting almost always turns into bloodshed and militant groups form. Do I support this violence? No, not at all because in the end the statement is made at the cost of innocent lives. However, I understand where it is coming from - the mind.
In the United States, when laws are created to protect the rights of minority groups, it doesn't change the minds of people by any means, but because the culture is passive, little is done to challenge the laws which in turn changes HOW people discriminate against minority groups (for example, "white flight" from Northern US cities from the mid 1960s onward).
In South Africa, considered the most liberal African country, who have had laws to protect the LGBT community for around a decade now, corrective rape toward lesbians is still rampant, if not worse than before, DESPITE the laws to protect women from rape combined with the laws created to protect lesbians. In many African countries, people don't passively obey a law simply because it's in place. Instead, the laws will be completely ignored unless the mindset is changed.
If the greater society of an African nations believes homosexuality is sinful, they are not going to support any legislation that protects gay rights. However, if there is dialogue between groups, a compromise can be reached and a change in the mind can begin. It will be a slow process, but in the end, Africans from both sides of the aisle can live peacefully. After that, there's a much higher possibility of this kind of legislation being supported by the majority. This does not mean the West needs to interfere, but instead support dialogue when asked.
Long story short, when the need is there, they'll ask. The West needs to stop assuming Africa needs them. What Africa needs right now are more leaders who are more interested in their populations than their bank accounts.
There's a condescending nature of the West when they tell African nations: "We'll pull aid from countries that pass anti-gay legislation." The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron said something of a similar vein not to long ago.
Before I go into it, I do believe every minority group in every country should be treated and respected as a human, regardless if you are a racial, ethnic or sexual minority. More so, whoever you sleep with is only your business, as long as you're not having sex with them in public.
The part that bothers me most about this is not even the recent legislation being passed in Nigeria or some that may be passed in other countries, but the passive aggression coming from the West. "They're all on a journey and we want to help them get there," said David Cameron. But did you ASK these nations what is their journey and WHERE they would like to be? You assume that these nations want to be like the West? Many of them want to be African. If you listen to some of the homophobic rhetoric of these leader, despite their bases for the argument, they want to make sure their country has a strong African identity. Do I believe anti-homosexuality laws define an African identity? Hell no. But I also do not believe that African nations should be told aspire to be "Westernized."When you begin to realize African cultures are not backward and they need to be TAUGHT how to think, then maybe change can happen. African countries, based on all the resources they have are more than capable of making their countries work for them. Plus, many of their economies are doing better than many Western nations at the moment. Didn't Angola just offer it's former colonizer Portugal aid?
Now that we are in a post colonial and increasingly global society, the approach of these Western nations to anti-gay policies in Africa should not be "we won't give you money" but instead understanding how to approach the issue that would be effective in an African nation and not basing it on how things are done in West.
To be quite honest, African cultures are very active cultures, especially when it comes to politics. When Africans are angry, we are angry. That's why protesting almost always turns into bloodshed and militant groups form. Do I support this violence? No, not at all because in the end the statement is made at the cost of innocent lives. However, I understand where it is coming from - the mind.
In the United States, when laws are created to protect the rights of minority groups, it doesn't change the minds of people by any means, but because the culture is passive, little is done to challenge the laws which in turn changes HOW people discriminate against minority groups (for example, "white flight" from Northern US cities from the mid 1960s onward).
In South Africa, considered the most liberal African country, who have had laws to protect the LGBT community for around a decade now, corrective rape toward lesbians is still rampant, if not worse than before, DESPITE the laws to protect women from rape combined with the laws created to protect lesbians. In many African countries, people don't passively obey a law simply because it's in place. Instead, the laws will be completely ignored unless the mindset is changed.
If the greater society of an African nations believes homosexuality is sinful, they are not going to support any legislation that protects gay rights. However, if there is dialogue between groups, a compromise can be reached and a change in the mind can begin. It will be a slow process, but in the end, Africans from both sides of the aisle can live peacefully. After that, there's a much higher possibility of this kind of legislation being supported by the majority. This does not mean the West needs to interfere, but instead support dialogue when asked.
Long story short, when the need is there, they'll ask. The West needs to stop assuming Africa needs them. What Africa needs right now are more leaders who are more interested in their populations than their bank accounts.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Training Africa's Future Leaders
I saw this and thought about the program I help run, but this is at a far greater scale and goes beyond international boundaries, but, at it's core, the same goal.
This grassroot effort to change Africa as it is already changing, for the most part, for good, might help solidify the change and continue to make necessary improvements to put the continent at it's full potential. We'll have to wait for another decade or so to see the results, but I think this is in the right direction.
This grassroot effort to change Africa as it is already changing, for the most part, for good, might help solidify the change and continue to make necessary improvements to put the continent at it's full potential. We'll have to wait for another decade or so to see the results, but I think this is in the right direction.
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