By Ademidun Adejobi The influential nature of fashion in our world is indisputable. It is one of the prominent artistic mediums in which the ordinary can be made extraordinary, the mundane shifted into fantasy. Fashion has a place in society where it can be used to celebrate and spotlight one’s heritage. For African nations… Read More African Designers Reclaim African Fashion
Have no doubt: African fashion brands are on the rise. If ‘ethnic chic’ in all the high streets or celebs like Beyonce going mad about Stella Jean’s creative use of color isn’t enough to convince you, just consider the success of “Constellation Africa,” the runway show at Pitti Uomo 88 promoted by the ITC… Read More Why African Fashion Rules
BY ATIM ANNETTE OTON The 5Ws: who, what, why, when, where in Experience Africa is a series that informs on events, exhibitions, cutting edge solutions, projects and initiatives about Africa. Atim Annette Oton in each edition selects the featured project for the 5Ws. Who: al-Qarawiyyin Library, the Oldest Library in Africa What: Founded in 859, the al-Qarawiyyin Library in… Read More THE WORLD’S OLDEST LIBRARY IS IN AFRICA: al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez
It is popular notion these days that the cure for the developing world’s ills is as simple as private sector investment, albeit with a responsible twist. “Impact investors” and private equity firms with specific focus on projects that will positively impact upon Africa are being dubbed the new heroes of sustainable development, in which we… Read More Can Africapitalism save the continent?
Imbolo Mbue Photo: Kiriko Sano Imbolo Mbue burst into the limelight late last year after signing a million dollar deal with Random House for her debut manuscript. The novel titled Behold the Dreamers follows the travails of a Cameroonian immigrant and a Lehman Brothers executive during the 2008 financial crisis. One million dollar advance? It’s a… Read More WALL STREET JOURNAL UNVEILS THE FACE BEHIND AFRICA’S MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEL
Unlike in the United States, where hip hop sub-genres are differentiated by their cities of origin and lyrical themes (i.e. hardcore hip hop – New York; trap – party rap), here in South Africa they are distinguished by the languages they represent. Each of the eleven official languages has its own specific hip hop… Read More Morumokwano and linguistic turf wars in South African hip hop
A residential area in Hargeisa, the capital of the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia | © Retlaw Snellac Photography/Flickr Somalis use the word muusiko to mean music. Although the word is borrowed from the languages of English, French and Italian colonialists, it has a slightly different meaning. In indigenous Somali tradition, music and poetry is considered… Read More Somali Music And Poetry: A Threatened Tradition
Oldonyo Lengai Mountain | Photo by Juma Mudimi Tanzania is amongst the most beautiful places in the world, with all the features necessary to attract both tourists and investors. The northern area of the country is characterized by world-renowned tourist attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro National Park, Tarangire National Park as well as Lake… Read More The Top 10 Films To Watch Before Your Trip To Tanzania
Leila Alaoui was a French-Moroccan photographer and video artist. For her series, The Moroccans, she traveled the country with her mobile photo studio to capture the ethnic and cultural diversity of Morocco. Leila was killed on assignment in Burkina Faso on 15 January. See the rest of the pictures here. See Leila Alaoui’s website here.
Zineb Sedira, still from Gardiennes d’images (Image Keepers), 2010 © Zineb Sedira / DACS, London © Photo André Morin. Courtesy the artist and kamel mennour, Paris What is holding back the agency of women? Can we name the forces erasing or hampering women’s full participation in public life. However complex or varied the issues at hand may… Read More Is there cooperation amongst women?
