29.5.09
Jamila
A colleague of mine just came back from a trip to Sudan and Kenya and while I was looking at his pictures, I realized that my musical representation of the East has been pretty skimpy and I plan to correct that right now! I had to check my memory vault for exactly what I was listening to while I was in East Africa and one mega star jumped out: Chameleon. Whether I was hanging out at a bar in Nairobi or in a taxi in Kampala at some point during the time I would hear at least one song by this Ugandan artist. I love songs, even if they are high on the cheese factor, that take you back to a time and place and Lord knows Chameleon does that and particularly this song.
Anyway...I hope you all have a great weekend and don't forget that Monday is the last day to comment for the GIVEAWAY!
28.5.09
Art Gallery: Iba N'Diaye
As the father of Senegalese modernism, Senegalese painter Iba N'Diaye is truly an amazing painter. N'Diaye was born in Senegal but didn't really begin to flex his artist wings until after he had moved to Paris where the incredible jazz scene of the 50s and modernism swept him away. Throughout his work, he was quite steadfast about not being boxed in by ideas of "African" art. He once said: "Certain Europeans, seeking exotic thrills, expect me to serve them folklore, I refuse to do it — otherwise I would exist only as a function of their segregationist ideas of the African artist.” Yet he was continuously inspired by his homeland and spent most of his life traveling between France and Senegal trying to feed both parts of himself...
Anyway...these are two of my favorite pieces by N'Diaye, especially this one below which would also go beautifully in my apartment!
So what's your take?
{Photos from African Success and Art Speak Africa}
27.5.09
Magazine Rack
I have been reading so many great magazines recently, I figured it was high time I shared my great finds.
First and foremost on my list is ARISE. I cannot tell you how much I have been looking forward to this magazine. I heard about it a few months ago during all the flutter that is New York Fashion week. While I was excited, I was also a little sad as I didn't think I would have access to such a foreign-based magazine in my little village (cosmopolitian as one may think of D.C., it is still very much a village in comparison with the New York and Londons of the world). When Ms. Shoo over at SheBreathes mentioned that it was available at Barnes and Nobles, nothing shy of hell freezing over could keep me away and let me just tell you, this new magazine certainly does not disappoint. For each giant page to the next, this magazine is stuff to the brim with all kinds of goodness coming out of Africa and such a well edited and stylized format that it makes all $12 per issue worth it!
I discovered Sunset a few months ago over at {frolic!} and I was literally hooked at first browse! This magazine is all about west coast living and it serious fuel to all my "wide open spaces" "working with hands" "be in nature" fire! Not only is there garden section amazing (and my favorite) but honestly, the whole magazine just oozes shining, happy people having fun. What's not to love about that?!? I finally bit the bullet the other day and bought the actual magazine while in the grocery store and boy oh boy, even just glancing at the cover sitting on my ottoman is enough to make me want to delay this post just for one more glimpse!
Since arriving back in the land of too many distractions, I have barely had the attention span to actually read an entire novel. I have come to rely very heavily on short story podscasts to help push me along. Not too long ago, I remembered this magazine, The Sun. I had seen it in a house while hanging out with a friend last summer and thought it was awesome. Page after page of great writing with NO ads?!? What's not to love? When the magazine appeared at my doorstep, I was over the moon. Now when it's time to wind down for bed, this is definitely a good place for me to start.
Have you ever been at a book store and kept going back to the same magazine? Well that was me and Yoga Journal for a long time. On a sucky winter day, I would go into the bookstore at my train station and just stand there going through every page, wondering how I could achieve the incredible poses of the models and browsing though the articles. I finally brought one home with me and having been loving the magazine ever since! Yoga is top on the list of things I want to stick-to and this magazine definitely helps. Now if only I could find a yoga studio that doesn't price as if yoga is only for the rich and famous.....
Bicycle has been the last to join my magazine rack (ok, it's mostly a pile near my bed), but feeds the same side of me as Yoga Journal. When I bought my bike, the shop threw in two free issues and it is soooo good. It showcases the hottest bikes, training for races, plus foodie guides, and interviews with the best and fastest in the sport. I am hardly the athlete, but riding my bike is the best thing I do for myself and this magazine makes me want to do so more and more!
Now as a lover of all things interior design, I'm sure you are shocked that no such magazine is on my little rotation. To be honest, between all the design blogs, I get more than a days worth of interior design news. Plus there are SO many design magazines, I am not sure where to even start to select.
Anyway...that's what I am reading right now....what's in your magazine pile?
Knowledge Through Hands
Recently, I have found myself in completely awe of the construction workers and hotel gardeners I pass each day on my walk to work. I do not know where this new fascination comes from, but when I walk by and see these workers outside in the warm sun, working as a team to complete a given task, using equipment I would not even begin to comprehend...I have to admit a slight wave of envy.
In light of this, a recent article in the New York Times “A Case for Working with Your Hands,” really resonated with me. The author, after years of working his way through the education system to achieve a PhD, decided to give it up and work as a motorcycle mechanic. The article discusses how manual labor is looked-down upon in U.S. society with a huge assumption that these workers are not as “smart” as the " knowledge workers" who have sat through high school, college and graduate school, and now spend their days sitting in a cubicle and consider themselves as having “achieved” what society encourages every young adult to achieve: “a good, solid office job.” The author shows the extensive knowledge of their skill that manual workers have to have and the joy and sense of accomplishment that they can feel at the end of a day or task.
This article really touched home for me as I have had a serious feeling of just being out of touch with the “real world;” and just exhausted of the “moral maze” of middle management that I sometimes feel trapped-in. Over the last few months, I have been dreaming more and more of a life in which my hands are of more use than typing emails or reports. In my first attempt at gardening, I have been learning, through so much trial and error, about plants. While I could have read a thousand books about how to keep a plant alive, nothing has compared to the lessons learned of actually having to take care of several real live plants. By watching its leaves turn brown and overall sad looking, I learned that my plant needed a new pot. When it turned brown and sad looking again, I learned that I had used the wrong soil when re-potting and the poor plant wasn’t getting enough drainage. In between all of this, I have completed at least two rounds of genocide on several trays of seedlings that, in my over-eagerness, I failed to realize I didn’t have half the amount of pots or patio space to keep them all alive. I have felt so many different types of soil, unearthed worms big enough to eat me, and gone through several rounds of cutting the ivy that seems to be under the impression that it can just invade my space without me fighting back!
In addition to my tiny attempt at gardening, I’ve also had a major learning curve when it comes to my home. Before this year, I had never reupholstered or stained anything. My painting skills had been limited to walls, but now include chairs and frames. I have learned the coolness of spray painting and the importance of actually waiting for the item to actually dry before touching it.
I find such a strange joy in my slow accumulation of all this knowledge; in my new found ability to take two steps out of my door, gather dill or mint or rosemary and throw it in a dish while making dinner (the mint has been especially great in ice tea); and the pleasure in seating on a chair that I have completely transformed. There is so much more that want to learn and do. I want to be able to spend at least half of a working day breathing fresh air (as opposed to shivering in an air-conditioned office while looking at an 80 degree day pass me by, hour by long hour). I want to grow more plants and be one of those people that can look at a plant and tell you exactly what it needs to stay alive and happy. I want to actually focus on learning new information through my senses.
Maybe all of this is just a symptom of not being fully adjusted to office life in the land of the free and missing the freedom and flexibility of field life...in any case, this is where my head has been recently....
In light of this, a recent article in the New York Times “A Case for Working with Your Hands,” really resonated with me. The author, after years of working his way through the education system to achieve a PhD, decided to give it up and work as a motorcycle mechanic. The article discusses how manual labor is looked-down upon in U.S. society with a huge assumption that these workers are not as “smart” as the " knowledge workers" who have sat through high school, college and graduate school, and now spend their days sitting in a cubicle and consider themselves as having “achieved” what society encourages every young adult to achieve: “a good, solid office job.” The author shows the extensive knowledge of their skill that manual workers have to have and the joy and sense of accomplishment that they can feel at the end of a day or task.
This article really touched home for me as I have had a serious feeling of just being out of touch with the “real world;” and just exhausted of the “moral maze” of middle management that I sometimes feel trapped-in. Over the last few months, I have been dreaming more and more of a life in which my hands are of more use than typing emails or reports. In my first attempt at gardening, I have been learning, through so much trial and error, about plants. While I could have read a thousand books about how to keep a plant alive, nothing has compared to the lessons learned of actually having to take care of several real live plants. By watching its leaves turn brown and overall sad looking, I learned that my plant needed a new pot. When it turned brown and sad looking again, I learned that I had used the wrong soil when re-potting and the poor plant wasn’t getting enough drainage. In between all of this, I have completed at least two rounds of genocide on several trays of seedlings that, in my over-eagerness, I failed to realize I didn’t have half the amount of pots or patio space to keep them all alive. I have felt so many different types of soil, unearthed worms big enough to eat me, and gone through several rounds of cutting the ivy that seems to be under the impression that it can just invade my space without me fighting back!
In addition to my tiny attempt at gardening, I’ve also had a major learning curve when it comes to my home. Before this year, I had never reupholstered or stained anything. My painting skills had been limited to walls, but now include chairs and frames. I have learned the coolness of spray painting and the importance of actually waiting for the item to actually dry before touching it.
I find such a strange joy in my slow accumulation of all this knowledge; in my new found ability to take two steps out of my door, gather dill or mint or rosemary and throw it in a dish while making dinner (the mint has been especially great in ice tea); and the pleasure in seating on a chair that I have completely transformed. There is so much more that want to learn and do. I want to be able to spend at least half of a working day breathing fresh air (as opposed to shivering in an air-conditioned office while looking at an 80 degree day pass me by, hour by long hour). I want to grow more plants and be one of those people that can look at a plant and tell you exactly what it needs to stay alive and happy. I want to actually focus on learning new information through my senses.
Maybe all of this is just a symptom of not being fully adjusted to office life in the land of the free and missing the freedom and flexibility of field life...in any case, this is where my head has been recently....
26.5.09
GIVEAWAY: African Style
As today is all about interior design coming from or inspired by Africa, I thought it only fitting that my first ever giveaway will be about design. A while ago, I wrote about how much I wanted to check out this book, African Style: Down to the Details, so needless to say I was over the moon when it arrived at my office! I had to literally contain myself and of course, work really really hard to wait until lunch time to seriously absorb each and every page. Now I get to share that joy with you!
All you have to do is enter a comment below by Monday, June 1st at 23:59 EDT. The winner will be selected randomly and will be announced next Tuesday!
Good Luck!
Tuesday's Design: Cruising the Nile
I actually remember my first trip on the Nile River (White Nile in this case). It was early September 2004 and I was excited that all my first days of orientation for my new job were over and that I was finally making my way to Sudan. We drove to the first Nile River crossing and waited and waited and waited. The ferry finally came to our side of the river and the cars began to load up. The river was calm and beautiful but had to compete with a million other "firsts" for my attention.
The second crossing was slightly different. It was the last stop in Uganda and we loaded all the goods we had purchased unto a tiny motor boat that sank deeper and deeper into the water with every bigger box of supply (food, stationary for schools, books, etc). A few strong pulls at the engine and we were flying away to the town of Nimule. Everything around me was a lush green and I remember feeling like I was on a crazy adventure!
Throughout the rest of my first year in Sudan, I would cross the river at every 4-6 weeks, sometimes more. When the elephants were around, the boat driver would drift as close the edge as possible for me to get a glimpse (the male elephants were not always appreciative of my sightseeing). When the same driver got a little too excited, I would arrive on the other side half drenched with water. At times the boat was so full with all the usual African carry-ons (chickens, goats, luggages, food, babies, etc), that there was barely room for all of us and everyone would breath a collective sigh of relief when we made it safely across.
While I would certainly love to do that trip one more time, I think my next trip on the Nile should be a little more like this! Dahabiyyas are like mini-cruises (think no more 10 of your deep pocketed friends) that are super exclusive with private chefs, stops along local villages and islands, and relaxing on deck without having to fight a 100 (0r even 50) other cruise goers for the best view!
These boats started back in the day was the rich and famous of the 19th century wanted to check out the sites of Egypt without the hoopla of other tourists. Clearly they were on to something! Like then, you can cruise the Nile at a leisurely pace and just sit back and enjoy the ride.
I have viewed many other dahabiyyas out and about the Nile since I found out about this one over at coco+kelley, but this one, the Assouan, continues to be my favorite for it's great chilled-out style. The blue and white outdoor cushions look great against the giant sails. Between the sling chairs, hammock and lounge seating you have plenty of opportunity to cozy up and get a little nap in the breeze.
So whose on board with me?!?!
Stay tuned later today for my very first ever giveaway!!!!
{Photos from Assouan}
22.5.09
Kuduro via Bukaka Som Sistema
Wow! I'm so excited about this beat that you are about to listen to! I seriously hope you have you clubbing shoes on because this is about to transport you straight to the dance floor.
All the forces that be have been bringing Bukaka Som Sistema to me. I first heard of them a while ago through my iPod. An episode of one of my favorite podcasts (Morning Becomes Eclectic) had just downloaded to my iPod, but I didn't pay much attention because I have one too many podcasts going on so I end up going through rather long periods where I don't listen to any of them (I know, really sad).
Then not too long ago, I was making my first round through one of the magazines in my home and spotted an article about them and their long journey to the above-ground music scene. Honestly, when you hear their beat, it makes me wonder why they haven't been blasted through every radio station. They bring to you a great mix between kuduro, house and techno beats.
What is kuduro you wanna know? Well, it's straight out of Angola and originally came about in the late-80s as a mix betwen Calypso, Soca, and African percussions. Two decades later, it's the current hottest beat to be listening to (the rest of the world has just been a little slow to catch up with the Angolan dance music scene)!
So...let me know your thoughts? Are your dancing feet loving this?
On a side note, Monday is a holiday here and I will be holiday-ing it up with my family, but I'll see you all back here bright and early on Tuesday! Have a great weekend!
21.5.09
Art Gallery: Nkosikhona Ngcobo
While cruisin' the internet yesterday, I came across South African artist Nkosikhona Ngcobo and I literally just fell in love with this beautiful drawing. I have seriously been thinking about this painting since yesterday. I love the charcoal with just the soft hints of color in the face. The mega headphones also remind me of an old picture of my sister with headphones twice the size of her head. I also have the picture place in my apartment for such a painting right in my living room on a wall awaiting such a great piece of art.
What do you think? Are you loving this like me or is it not your style? Any other artists that you are loving at the moment?
20.5.09
Made in Africa
{Bantu}
While most of the clothing world may still be dancing to the "Made in China" beat, there is a slow and steady growth in the recognition of all the beautiful fashion Made in Africa! For decades, major western designers have taken inspiration from the continent, but now there is a growing recognition that despite how crazy as it may seem, Africans can actually produce a beautiful finished product worthy of a hefty price tag at Barneys and the pages of Vogue or Elle!
Even though designers in South Africa have been producing beautiful works for years, these days, tailors in Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia are gaining a little global recognition for the work they are contributing to the global fashion industry.
Some of my favorites designers highlighting the "Made in Africa" movement include:
{Bantu}
{Sika}
{Suno}
{LaLesso}
19.5.09
Tuesday's Design: Senufo Tools
I have always loved the juxtaposition of modern with traditional elements in home design and these Senufo tools do it so elegantly. Coming straight out of Ivory Coast, these beautiful and simple stools by Senufo craftsmen look great especially when placed against neutral furnishings as in these pictures.
Whether used as a mini-side table...
or as part of the sitting arrangement, these stools add a unique element to any modern interior.
Now all I need to do is get me a plane ticket to Ivory Coast and a large empty suitcase! :)
{Pics via Automatism, Metropolitan Home, Apartment Therapy, Domino via here}
Tuesday's Design: Modern Lodge
Ohhh what am I NOT loving about this modern yet still cozy lounge at the Vumbura Plains Camp in Botswana?!?! It has all the right elements:
- Cozy nooks to chillax in
- Indoor/outdoor feel as you overlook the plains
- Plus hanging versions of the Jacobsen egg chair that you can gently rock in
Stay tuned for one more Tuesday's Design post today!
18.5.09
Instant Image
Last February was a sad time for all those who love the Polaroid camera. Not only was the company no longer making the instant camera that had brought it fame and fortune - and eventually, bankruptcy -, it also announced that this year is the last year that it will be manufacturing the film.
Since the announcement, all those undercover lovers of the Polaroid have gained tons of new exposure and those that had long ago turned to the digital side are suddenly pulling out their old Polaroid cameras while they still can. Blogs like My Polaroid Blog are bigger and badder than every, odes to the Polaroid are hitting bookshelves, and suddenly that expired box of film can make you hit the biggest paper in the land*.
All of this got me thinking about the important role Polaroid has played in Africa. While digital cameras are all the rage these days, nothing beats the Polaroid. With a Polaroid, you actually had something to give back to the villager who may have been giving you the first picture of her life! Unless you are walking around with a battery powered colored printer, the digital camera just doesn't have the same effect. And seriously, what can outdo the joy of watching an image develop right in front of your very eyes, all the while trying not to ruin it with impatient fingers?!?
I love that it is precisely the qualities of that we try to avoid in a digital shot that make the polaroid so beautiful: blurriness, "bad" lighting, and the graininess.
While the company will be release the rights to manufacturing the film to the mom and pop businesses that will sell to niche markets (I can already see the big sticker price on a box of film), it just won't be the same.
Anyway....I leave you with a few Polaroids of yours truly from back in the day.
{P.S. I'm the one in the head lock by my cousin}
* See more of Neil Krug's work right here. It is seriously beautiful!
Since the announcement, all those undercover lovers of the Polaroid have gained tons of new exposure and those that had long ago turned to the digital side are suddenly pulling out their old Polaroid cameras while they still can. Blogs like My Polaroid Blog are bigger and badder than every, odes to the Polaroid are hitting bookshelves, and suddenly that expired box of film can make you hit the biggest paper in the land*.
All of this got me thinking about the important role Polaroid has played in Africa. While digital cameras are all the rage these days, nothing beats the Polaroid. With a Polaroid, you actually had something to give back to the villager who may have been giving you the first picture of her life! Unless you are walking around with a battery powered colored printer, the digital camera just doesn't have the same effect. And seriously, what can outdo the joy of watching an image develop right in front of your very eyes, all the while trying not to ruin it with impatient fingers?!?
I love that it is precisely the qualities of that we try to avoid in a digital shot that make the polaroid so beautiful: blurriness, "bad" lighting, and the graininess.
While the company will be release the rights to manufacturing the film to the mom and pop businesses that will sell to niche markets (I can already see the big sticker price on a box of film), it just won't be the same.
Anyway....I leave you with a few Polaroids of yours truly from back in the day.
{P.S. I'm the one in the head lock by my cousin}15.5.09
Aïcha
To end this week long exploration of Algeria, I'll like to leave you with one of my favorite songs by the king of Raï music: Khaled. Raï music originated in the coastal city of Oran way bank in the 1930s and was basically the rock 'n roll to traditional Arabic songs. By singing about such risqué topics like women rights, you can only imagine this beat of the youth was not appreciated by the government and other traditional entities.
I first heard this song when I was lived in Spain ('99-'00) and it introduced me to a whole new genre of music. Until that time, music sung in Arabic hadn't hit my music stand in any way. While this song was written by French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, it was Khaled who mixed it up with Arabic and now has me singing "Aïcha, Aïcha écoute-moi...."
Have a great weekend!
14.5.09
Baya
As I continue doing my little exploration of Algeria this week, I am really excited to show you the work of Baya (aka Haddad Fatma Baya Mahieddine). Not only are her paintings extraordinary, but her tale as a Algerian female artist in the 40s (and again in the late 60s) coming from a poor family with no formal education makes her especially unique. While her work is often classified as "surrealist" (André Breton, leader of the Surrealism movement which began in the 1920s, and Picasso seemed to have agreed that she could join their club), it's very rooted in traditions, patterns, colors and patterns of her homeland.
Totally loving the animal farm that is her dress and the red-eyed donkey
One-eyed, butterfly-winged sea-horse that overate too many flowers you say?!
While I've often been hesitant about the "my future 5-year old will be able to paint that $3 million per piece" school of art, I must say that I loved Baya's work at first site. It's fun, light, yet full of little details and a heluva lot of imagination.
One-eyed, butterfly-winged sea-horse that overate too many flowers you say?!
I love these vixen ladies in their deep purples, the details in the dresses and the fish with the same vixen eyes
I love her work in this stamp!To read a great paper on this artist, check out this entry over at Contemporary Algeria.
So what do you think? Love it? Hate it?
{Pics from Universes in Universe, World's Women, L'Aracine, and Algeria888 on Flickr}
13.5.09
64 sq ft Kitchen
I can never get enough of a good story, one that transports you to a place you have never been before or makes you recall an experience in a whole new way. There are many ways to tell a story, through books, plays, poems and music but I especially love it when people tell stories through other mediums.
One exciting medium is through food! I love it when people share their personal stories through food. I recently came across a blog called 64 Sq Ft Kitchen by an Algerian woman called Warda. Honestly, her entries literally draw you into a whole new culinary world.
One of the exciting things about exploring a new culture is always the food. While nothing compares to the real deal (i.e. food actually in your mouth), Warda transports you to her kitchen and that of her mother and grandmother to bring you recipes from her homeland that just make your mouth water. For example this recipe by her grandmother for Yogurt Cake with oranges and dates which are abundant in Algeria literally swipes you away with the memory and how making this meal is a tiny connection she maintains with someone she clearly cares for. Her other entries in which she writes about Algerian food are just so touching and mouth watering!
Anywhere - I hope these pictures entice you to head over and see what I'm talking about. I wanted to test one of these recipes out for you all but I'm still hunting for some of these ingredients (my local farmer's market doesn't carry harissa for some silly reason) and let you know how something works out!
{All pics from 64 Sq Ft Kitchen}
12.5.09
Tuesday's Design: El Aurassi Bar
If you are anything like me, you think "North Africa = beautiful tiles and arches everywhere." That is precisely why I love this retro 70s bar at the El Aurassi bar in Algeria. It totally breaks away from the cliché and brings a modern-vintage design to a very traditional place. I absolutely love the combination of the blue and orange.
{Picture from Flickr}
11.5.09
Omar D.
Good Monday Morning!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Having Friday off was the best start ever and adding in my new bike, lots of much needed sleep, and plenty of time outside on my patio now blooming with petunias, dahlias, zinnias, spearmint and dill, I'll say it was a great weekend.
Anyway...let's kick off this week with some beautiful pictures by the talented Algerian photographer Omar D. His work "Devoir de mémoire/A Biography of Disappearance, Algeria 1992" a collection of photos on disappeared Algerians between 1992-2002 that brought him much deserved fame. Over 10,000 Algerians "disappeared" during this period at the hands of the state and Omar's work documents the life that they life behind, spaces where they disappeared from.
While this is the work most often spoken about in regards to this photographer, I particularly love these other images of his. They are beautiful while showing a simple side of Algerian life which he also continue to document.
What's your take on these pictures?{All photos from AfriPhoto}
8.5.09
I'm Going to Graceland....
Long before I knew what the Memphis Delta was, I knew about Graceland. A friend of my mom had brought the album back to Liberia from the U.S. as a present to my sister and I still remember us playing this album and dancing around our living room in Buchanan. After we moved to the U.S. this album would always be around at my Mom's house (or in her car) whenever my sister and I went to her place for a visit. As I have grown older, this album has become a favorite not only for sentimental reasons but because it's just so darn good! Pressing play on any song on this album is a direct route to happy dancing feet (or shoulders if you are in the car).
For those of you unfamiliar with this album here is the quick and dirty synopsis: Paul Simon - serious kingpin when it comes to American music + tons of black South African musicians who weren't getting as much play as they deserved under apartheid = Graceland, top album of the 1980s that people can't put done more than 20 years later! Paul Simon's fun and catching (but also deep and meaningful) lyrics get a injected with all the goodness that is isicathamiya and mbaqanga musical styles. The album not only propelled Ladysmith Black Mambazo into even greater stardom, but introduced the world to some of the great music coming from Africa. While the album was heavily focused on South African music, it should be noted that the famous Ghana drummer Okyerema Asante is on album as well as Senegalese legend Youssou N'Dour.
It has been ridiculously hard to select just one song from this album to feature today but "Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes" is the winner. Stick through to the end of the track to get a fabulous drumming breakdown. Click here and here to hear two other favorites from this album.
Last note: This video and the collection of videos from the Graceland tour with Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba is actually from the mega concert that took place in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1987. It's cool to see an image of Harare as a place where, for a moment, whites and blacks (many driving in from South Africa) could get together and just enjoy the power of music together.
Have a great weekend!
For those of you unfamiliar with this album here is the quick and dirty synopsis: Paul Simon - serious kingpin when it comes to American music + tons of black South African musicians who weren't getting as much play as they deserved under apartheid = Graceland, top album of the 1980s that people can't put done more than 20 years later! Paul Simon's fun and catching (but also deep and meaningful) lyrics get a injected with all the goodness that is isicathamiya and mbaqanga musical styles. The album not only propelled Ladysmith Black Mambazo into even greater stardom, but introduced the world to some of the great music coming from Africa. While the album was heavily focused on South African music, it should be noted that the famous Ghana drummer Okyerema Asante is on album as well as Senegalese legend Youssou N'Dour.
It has been ridiculously hard to select just one song from this album to feature today but "Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes" is the winner. Stick through to the end of the track to get a fabulous drumming breakdown. Click here and here to hear two other favorites from this album.
Last note: This video and the collection of videos from the Graceland tour with Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba is actually from the mega concert that took place in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1987. It's cool to see an image of Harare as a place where, for a moment, whites and blacks (many driving in from South Africa) could get together and just enjoy the power of music together.
Have a great weekend!
6.5.09
Doreen Mashika
With summer just around the corner (as soon as this wet week is over) I am excited about the fact that I get to burst out my summer "shoes" (aka flip flops). Since this is the best I can do (shy of walking around barefoot which I do more and more regardless of where I am) I like to keep them as stylish as possible and I think these designs by Tanzanian designer Doreen Mashika are just what I need: 
These with some light-weight jeans and a white tank top...
Maybe paired up with these simple and gorgeous bracelets...
Mashika also makes lovely handbags combining Italian leather with African textiles! You know I'm loving this designer....
{Photos from here}
These with some light-weight jeans and a white tank top...
Maybe paired up with these simple and gorgeous bracelets...
Mashika also makes lovely handbags combining Italian leather with African textiles! You know I'm loving this designer....
{Photos from here}
5.5.09
Saving Souls in Liberia
One topic I am constantly fascinated by is history. I love how history feels like a 1000 piece puzzle set with all various pieces needing to be joined together to form a complete picture.
In the picture that is formed in looking at any African country (not to mention most of Latin America), I am certain that at least 250 pieces (if not more) of that puzzle would be taken up by missionary pieces. I would honestly be curious to know if they left a single stone on the entire continent unturned in their search for souls.
On one hand I'm fascinated by what it must have been like to be an African chillin in your village and looking up one day to see some white dude holding up a bible telling you this book is your "the light and the way." On the other hand, I can't imagine, packing up your whole world (family and all) and moving to some far away place with little to guide and anchor you except faith that you were doing the "right" thing by converting as many people as you could.
I can across this amazing collection of pictures from the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) who worked in Liberia. They first landed in Liberia in 1860 and have there ever since. This collection include images from so many years include several from the 1930s through 1950s. It's so interesting to get a glimmer of the country at that time (while keeping in mind who was behind the camera). I wonder what images an African would have taken (...before conversion)? What scenes from their lives would they have choosen to snap?
I also wonder how much actual "salvation" (versus "I'm just going to let this dude sprinkle some water on me so he can just get off my back!") took place - especially in light of the havoc related to/caused by missionaries....
Anyway all very fascinating stuff! To read a great short story related to missionaries in Nigeria, click here. You can also pick up one of my all-time favorite books The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver in which she tells the tale of missionary Nathan Price and his family in Belgian Congo in the late 1950s.
{All photos from ELCA here on Flickr}.
In the picture that is formed in looking at any African country (not to mention most of Latin America), I am certain that at least 250 pieces (if not more) of that puzzle would be taken up by missionary pieces. I would honestly be curious to know if they left a single stone on the entire continent unturned in their search for souls.
On one hand I'm fascinated by what it must have been like to be an African chillin in your village and looking up one day to see some white dude holding up a bible telling you this book is your "the light and the way." On the other hand, I can't imagine, packing up your whole world (family and all) and moving to some far away place with little to guide and anchor you except faith that you were doing the "right" thing by converting as many people as you could.
I can across this amazing collection of pictures from the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) who worked in Liberia. They first landed in Liberia in 1860 and have there ever since. This collection include images from so many years include several from the 1930s through 1950s. It's so interesting to get a glimmer of the country at that time (while keeping in mind who was behind the camera). I wonder what images an African would have taken (...before conversion)? What scenes from their lives would they have choosen to snap?
I also wonder how much actual "salvation" (versus "I'm just going to let this dude sprinkle some water on me so he can just get off my back!") took place - especially in light of the havoc related to/caused by missionaries....Anyway all very fascinating stuff! To read a great short story related to missionaries in Nigeria, click here. You can also pick up one of my all-time favorite books The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver in which she tells the tale of missionary Nathan Price and his family in Belgian Congo in the late 1950s.
{All photos from ELCA here on Flickr}.
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