African Beauty

You know when Ludacris says in the song 'pimping all over the world 'that the best women reside in Africa?Well thats so true.So check out how beautiful we are....

African Peace

So like everyone else,I have been following the sad events that are happening in Kenya and I hope things get better.This is Heal the world by Micheal J and I think it says everything.I was not able to get the original video so this one will have to do..

Best African movies .

Remember watching Shaka Zulu as a kid? Sarafina was our version of a musical back then.More movies about Africa have been made recently,from the oscar winning TSOTSI to the touching story of 'Yesterday' to the depiction of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 in 'Hotel Rwanda' .These movies have made us laugh and cry,formed questions in our minds and have above all,shown us things about our African culture.Here are some clips from some of the best african movies made.

SARAFINA.

Sarafina depicts the life of a teenage girl (played by Leleti Khumalo)in Apartheid south africa,which was a time when blacks,colored's (biracial people) where seperated and the whites were made to be superior.When her teacher (Whoopi Goldberg) is arrested for teaching students that they are not inferior to the whites,chaos ensues and Sarafina and her freind's lives are in mortal danger.Throughout the movie,Sarafina uses song to convey her feelings and dreams.For more info,go to google.



SHAKA ZULU.

Shaka Zulu's estimated year of birth is 1785 and he was born to Nandi and his father was the king of the Zulu tribe.Shaka is best known for the training methods he taught his Impis (warriors) such as The bullhorn method.For more info go to http://msms.essortment.com/whoisshakazul_rrgj.htm



HOTEL RWANDA.
Don Cheadle takes on the role as Paul Rusebagina,a real-life hotel manager who sheltered Tustsi's who were escaping from the Hutu's who carried out a massive genocide in 1994 that left many dead and led to ethnic tension in Rwanda.For more info,go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/


BLOOD DIAMOND.
Blood Diamond is the story of an a man who finds a pink diamond that transforms his and his the life of an ex-zimbabwean merceny .For more info go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450259/plotsummary



CATCH A FIRE.
This movie takes place in the Apartheid-era in South Africa and involves two young men who carry out attacks against the regime.For more info go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437232/

AFRICA CUP.

These are some highlights of the Africa Cup games 2008.Go chipolopolo!

A Song for Peace

I'm sure you are all aware of what is taking place in Kenya and I will not comment on that because I feel that everyone has different opinions and all I hope is that peace prevails .I found this video on you tube and I think it illustrates what all our prayers and hopes do.

Mama Africa!

Found this a few minutes ago.Enjoy...

African Resolutions.

So ,how many pipo make New Year's resolutions to lose weight or get a new haircut or whatever?And how many actually work?Almost none of them.So I was thinking of a new set of resolutions that we could do together and exchange experiences on them.So it's never to late to start and you could choose one or all or some of the ones that work 4 u.

1.Learn or Practice the lingo!How many times have you thought that someone was talking about you but you were not really sure because you didn't know what they were saying because they were speaking in your language that you don't get?Maybe it's time to learn it.Get someone to teach you.For those who already know some Xhosa,Bemba,Swahili or whatever your language is,practice it and don't be afraid to speak it at the mall with ur mum instead of whispering that she speak in a less embarrassing language.Trust me,I'm a hypocrite but I'll have 2 learn some time!

2.Wear something African once in a while.It doesn't have to be a whole boubou ,but it could be a scarf in your national colors,earrings made from beads,any thing at all that identifies you.

3.Be more patient with ignorant people.That means the next time someone asks u if you speak African,calmly smile and say that African is not a language.Educate them !

4.Eat African food!Instead of McDonalds,why not indulge in some delicious home cooked Pap,Injera,cassava,Fufu or whatever your national food is.

5.Go back home!If you don't live in your country or haven't visited in a while,try to go home,at least for a few days.I know it's expensive to get there,but it will be worth it in the end.You should also visit other African countries you've never been to and discover new cultures,languages and people.Our continent is beautiful people!

6.Play some Afro beats on your way to work,at work or upload some House,Kwaito,Coupe De Cale onto your I-pod .I mean aren't u tired of Kanye West when we have our own artists ?There is only enough 50 cent to listen to.

7.Get involved in a cause.This could be anything from joining a group on Facebook like Save Darfur or donating old clothes back home.I'll have a list of some great causes to get involved in a few days.

8.Watch the arts.This could be watching a new or old African movie like Sarafina or reading one of Chinua Achebe's books .Go to google or Barnes and Noble to get more info.

9.Stop hating!Stop stereotyping people from different tribes or countries .We are all AFRICAN ,ok?

10.Lastly,make it through to 2010 beacuse u know whats going down in SA.The World Cup.Check on-line for hotels and stuff cuz it's getting closer and closer....


Hit me up with more resolutions and tell me if u like these ones ...

African News!

The 26 th Africa Cup of Nations kicked off yesterday in Ghana with the first game being played by the hosts ,Ghana vs Guniea.Ghana won by 3 goals to nil.


It's that time of year when bars and pubs,shebeens and clubs across Africa are filled to capacity with people from African countries,rooting for their national teams as they take on fellow African teams to be identified as the best team in Africa and hoist the coveted Africa cup .So it's about time to take out those soccer jerseys,scarves and other items of clothing and cheer for ur country.Send me the pics of u representing your country.My country is playing on the 22nd of January versus Sudan.Go Chipolopolo...Go!!!!

For more info regarding schedules,times or just more info on the Africa cup,go to http://www.boachannel.com/

Lastly,I just have to say this to Sudan."Sudan ya la la".(Sudan is sleeping).

Naija Boy.

I found this hilarious video on U tube a while ago and I guess this is the Naija boy version of the dance that swept the globe by Souija boy.So ,if u want2 stand out in the crowd when everyone is doing the dance the normal way,do the Naija boy!

WHAT MAKES U AFRICAN?

1.You unwrap all your gifts carefully so that you can reuse the wrapping.

2.You almost always carry overweight baggage when u travel!

3.U call people u have never met your uncle and auntie.

4.No one in your family informs you that they are coming over for a visit.(E.g uncle,sister-in-law,two nephews and the neighbor.

5.You keep changing your internet service provider because the first month of subscription is free!

6.You only make telephone calls at a cheaper rate at night and even those are missed calls.

7.Your parents idea of discipline was not Grounding' you.More like spanking you with the garden hose pipe.

8.All brands of washing powder are reduced to 'Surf' and cooking oil is 'salad'

9.You were sent to the neighbor's house at least twice a day to ask for various items such as salt,tomato or the newspaper.

10.You never have less than 20 people to meet you at the airport even though it's a domestic flight.


So can u think of any thing else that makes you African ?If u can,don't be afraid to comment and send ur opinion.

It's about African Pride and African Spirit.

African Pride

FIRST AFRICAN PRIDE FASHION SHOOT.

I am proud to say that the first African Pride fashion shoot turned out great,despite the fact that we had no professional make-up artists.Thanks a million to Priscilla Gurupira who shot most of the pics.

Don't you think that my little sis Kapembwa should be The Face of Africa ?She did the jumping in the air shot.
So send ur comments and ur own photos of u representing the motherland.

HOT VIDEO(I'm in it!)

I am a dancer is this video.Im wearing black in one scene(black top and skirt) and white top and skirt in another scene.I also wear a black top and white pants.My hair is in braids in the scenes with the white and the pants.You can see me at 2:03 ,2:14,2:54,,3:18 and if u look carefully you'll see more of me.

This music video is by Ethiopian artist Samvod whose real name is Sammy Kasa.He starred in the Ethiopian movie 'Love and Dance' which I will not comment on because I haven't seen it.I'm pretty sure that he is well known among ethiopians .It is reported that he performed on Dec 8 th for the NEXTAID foundation at BB Kings.I worked with Samvod in late 2005 to early 2006 when the video which is called 'Tey' came out .My friends and I used to perform at various locations in Addis Ababa and our dance group was called United Girls .We met Samvod through one of our informers or you could say ' 'Agents' and we first performed for him in Meskel Square which is where major events take place in Addis Ababa.We even went with him to Nazareth which is a city about 2 hours drive from Addis.I'll put up the tape in a few days of that trip but this is the video that I featured in with my friends .We did it in a popular club called 'Illusion' and let me just say that we did so many takes and making a video isn't as easy as it looks.

Scarlet Song (HOT BOOK)

So ,I've been reading since I was like 4 and before I could read,my dad would put me on his laps and read stories about princesses and princes.However, the stories that have been imprinted on my mind till this day are the ones he would recite to me about 'Kalulu' which is a rabbit in my language and about Hyenas ,lions and the other animals that are resident to the African safaris .Even though I loved those stories ,I could never find any African written book that held my attention longer than a few seconds as I grew older and grew tired of the 'Kalulu' stories.So I basically avoided the African writer's section at the bookshops back home and would instead read books about Sabrina the Teenage Witch..

My choice of books would result in arguments with my father who would ask me why I enjoyed Harry Potter type books when there were similar books about witch doctors flying on bottle tops written by africans .My dad has nothing against Harry Potter but he just wanted me to find out more about my culture .He felt that it was one of the only ways I would remain connected to my heritage beacuse due to the fact that I was born abroad ,had my first real visit to my country in 1991 and was off to Germany when I was 4 ,only lived in Zambia for 7 years ,Ethiopia for 4 and now the US,I couldn't really say I was 'Zambian'.After all,to this day ,I must say quite shamefully that I still can only utter a few words in my parents different language,which doesn't count because I speak it in a weird accent that no-one back home understands.


So when last year ,in my IB 1 English class,my caucasian teacher said that we were going to read books by African writer's and asked if I knew any ,I thankfully managed to delve into my memory and remember Mariam Ma Ba from one of those conversations with my dad that I mentioned above.

I must say that I fell in love with the book' Scarlet Song' by Mariam Ma ba .By 'Falling in Love' I mean the feeling that I call 'Unputtable down' which simply means it's so good that you can't put it down .The kind of book that makes you want to sneak a peek at the last chapter but use all your will power not to because you know that you'll get there in due course.

'Scarlet Song ' is about a west african boy called Ousmane who falls in love with a white french diplomats daughter called Mireille.The two begin a whirl-wind and passionate romance that is sadly not without it's problems.Ousmane finds it hard to tell his traditional and conservative family and so does Mireille .However ,Their relationship is exposed and Mireiile is sent away to her country where her and Ousmane continue a long-distance relationship.A few years later,the lovers are reunited and disowned by her parents,Mireille is brought back to Senegal.Ousamne's mother causes problems for the couple as well as his friends and matters are complicated further when Ousamne is tempted by an old flame who manages to seduce him enough to have his baby ,while his wife also has a child.Ultimately,Ousmane must decide between his wife and mistress and this leads into a surprising ending .I won't spill the beans on what happens beacuse if my review interested you enough,you can go to your local Barnes and Noble and pick it up or go to the website and type in the title of the book .Im looking forward to comments and opinions on the book that illustrates the clashing of two cultures.

Love at first bite...Injera

Living in Addis Ababa ,Ethiopia, eating Injera was part of the 'Ethiopian Experience'.Injera is the staple food in Ethiopia and it is made out of Teff which is a wheat-like grain.

My first experiences with Injera were not pleasant and I remember my tongue being assaulted by the sour food .It took me about a year to gain enough courage to taste Injera again and this time..It was love at first bite .
From then on I ate Injera every week day at school and sometimes on the weekends if I could convince my parents to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant or if our cook made it.
I still dream of the Shiro,Quanta Fir Fir,Tibs and Dorowot from Addis and unfortuantely,I still have not yet had the chance to eat it since I arrived here in the US.
My parents still don't get why I would eat Injera over our zambian staple food nshima which I avoid like the plague .
Until I venture onto the Ethiopian restaurants I googled ,I will reminisce over my love at first bite.
For pictures of Injera and a video of how it's made ,I'll keep you posted as I'm still trying to figure out this whole blog thing and technology is not really my thing so be patient but if you have any 411 on that ,holla at me.

Channel O

Cool African Website


Channel O is a South African Channel that has been around for a while :I remember watching music videos as early as 1996.It is mostly dedicated to music and plays music videos from mainly South African artists such as Kabelo and Brikz but also plays music from Nigeria ,kenya and other countries in The East,West and South of Africa .
Channel O features shows such as Oboma "Where Africa meets " which is an interactive show that allows viewers to give their opinions on the topics of the day and vote for music videos,as well as see their favorite celebrities.Check out Channel O at www.channelo.co.za for more info shows,hot celebrity gossip ,etc

YES I'M AFRICAN AND NO...

YES I'M AFRICAN AND NO.....

1). We do not live in trees -we have houses made out of brick.Sure there are shacks and metal houses and mud huts in the poor areas but not everywhere..

2).Africa is not one country .It's a continent.Like South-America or Asia and it is made up of 52 independent countries...

3)We don't all have five mother's because our fathers are polygamists.Sure some tribes still practice that but its not like everyone does it.

4)We don't have lions as pets .We have zoos and national parks .

5)It's not called the "click "language.It's called Xhosa and is spoken in South Africa.Google that.

6).We do not speak "African".We have a lot of different tribes.Zambia has about 72 languages alone.

7)Our lives are not all like Nigerian movies !

8)We don't walk around "Naked".We have clothes!

9)The Ethiopian famine is not still on .It ended in 1984 .

10)"Black Hawk Down "is over.Way over !



So there you go .I've set the record straight .Go get educated with google.com before you open your mouth and diss us about our continent.

And please feel free to add to this list.Im looking forward to watching the list reach a 100.Im sure you can think of some more .I heard that there's a group on Facebook about the dumbest things that you've ever been asked about Africa.Im not sure what it's called but I'll keep you posted and if u've already heard about it ,be informed that this is a chance to holla back and educate the ignorant .
I have to end this by remembering having a similar conversation with one of my closest friend's Lawrence (Who will definitely appear on this blog regularly ).He once told me that someone at our College asked him where he was from in terms of continent and they said that he" looked cute for an African ".He didn't take that as an insult because he's the sweetest guy ever but let's just hope that someone reads this .


PS:He's good looking for any race...lol

Everything African

"Oh ,you're African ?So do you like speak African ?"

"Do you have cars or do you live in trees ?"

How many of you have been bombarded by questions of that sort ,if not word for word by people when you tell them u are African? Well ,I was sick of people stereotyping Africans ,out of ignorance or disinterest.
I guess u cant blame them for these comments,no matter how offending or ridiculous they sound, because when you think about it,how many times have you seen an African magazine in your local Barnes and Noble ?Have you ever seen an African star being mentioned as much as other stars ?I mean apart from the reports about how Akon behaved "inappropriately" with a minor while on tour ?Have you noticed that usually the negative things about Africa is all that people known about it ?
Well,this blog is meant to educate people and expose people to what Africa is really about..minus the poverty and starvation.The aim is for you to send anything you want that you think embodies Africa.This could be a poem,an article or photos of you in African attire or whatever of that sort.You could send in receipes,myths ,or you could tell us what your favorite African movies are ,your fav African celebrities ,programmes ,role models,comment on African events you know about ,discuss news,send in quotes ,tell us how to get involved in making Africa a better place etc.Anything you like .
Remember that this is about you and sharing your African spirit ...
Looking forward to hearing from you .Chcek out the stuff that my friends and I have come up with and send in your opinions,critiques(Constructive please!),comments and suggestions...