Afri-love

Is there any use for the term "Afropolitan"?

There are moments where I feel totally at home. Living in the UK, with a Kenyan passport and a visa with an expiry date, that doesn't happen all that often. But it happened on Friday night, at the Victoria & Albert Museum no less. The Afropolitans Friday Late saw this world-renowned museum transformed into a celebration of contemporary African art and culture. The content, the ambience and the crowd made for the kind of beautiful, vibrant and uplifting experience that warms the soul as much as being or feeling at home.

As part of the festivities, I shared a panel with four great proponents of the Afri-love spirit: journalist, poet and writer, Tolu Ogunlesi; writer and blogger, Minna Salami, aka MsAfropolitan; journalist and author, Hannah Pool and; record label executive and founder of Afro-Pop Live, Yemi Alade-Lawal. Our topic of discussion – "what is an Afropolitan?" We explored this term, coined by Taiye Selasi in 2005, and all that it has come to embody ever since.

2 product design projects in Mozambique

Yesterday Mozambique celebrated Independence Day. In honour of the occasion, I'd like to share 2 design projects that were brought to my attention by Afri-love reader, Karen.

Studio dandoen

TGIF! Sounds from Africa Oyé

Sounds from some of the artists who performed at last weekend's Africa Oyé festival. Enjoy.

And if you're in London this evening, don't forget to check out the Afropolitans Friday Late at the V&A museum. It's going to be a great night! See you there …

 

Interview with fashion designer, Adèle Dejak

While in Kenya last April, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet fashion designer Adèle Dejak, who'd I'd posted about earlier in the year. I continue to be impressed by Adèle's productivity, perfectionism and professionalism. All of these attributes are evident in the high quality of her prolific collection of work. She gave me a tour of her workshop and showroom in Kiambu and sat down with me to talk about her story and her inspiration.

Afriapps post: Is your app getting noticed? Presentation is everything, part I

Check out my guest post over on Afriapps: "Is your app getting noticed? Presentation is everything, part I." Here's an excerpt:

"I judge books by their covers. It's the path I chose, as a visual communicator, and the unsettling realisation that years of experience and observation have brought me is that, presentation is often everything. I've seen mediocre ideas in shiny packaging be heralded as genius. I've seen excellent concepts not even given a second glance because, on the surface, they just weren't engaging enough … "

Read on at Afriapps.

Sights at Africa Oyé

The Polychromatic Afropolitan

Something bright for your weekend, even if it's grey outside (as it is here!). Picking up where we left off with the Afropolitan series.

Modern kuba cloth pattern tablemat by Aphro Chic; Crochet Maasai necklace by Etsy seller ZZAG; Eva Sonaike Faji notebook from the MsAfropolitan online boutique; Maslinda suede fringe necklace; Hand-stitched leather ball key rings from Mali; Woven kente bangles, handmade for Anthropologie by master weavers in Rwanda; Ghanaian Gambibgo pot; "Yoruba" bedding; Handwoven 100% silk scarf, made in Ethiopia, from Aiyda

Afropolitan style: ebony-inspired (in celebration of Afropolitans taking over the world's greatest museum of art & design)

Next Friday night, London's V&A Museum will be celebrating Afropolitans. You can expect a live performance by Spoek Mathambo; photo,video, fashion and interactive installations; a Malick Sidibé style portrait photo studio; a wax print workshop; textile presentations; a North African-style cocktails salon; film screenings; panel discussions and; an eclectic mix of African music from DJ Vamanos from the Ghetto Bassquake and Secousse Sound System. Contemporary Africa will be taking over the world's greatest museum of art and design.

Natural hair journey: length check & my current regimen, 10 months after the big chop

It's been a while since I've shared a hair update. Time flies and I'm so happy at how healthy my hair is growing. My current regimen goes like this:

• Wash once a week:
  • Finger comb previous twist-outs and gently address any tangles
  • Pre-poo by putting coconut oil through my hair and massage my scalp
  • Wash with a sulfate-free shampoo (I currently use Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat shampoo)
  • Apply a rich conditioner through hair (I currently use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner) and very gently detangle with a wide-tooth comb
  • Cover with a shower cap and wrap with a towel. Leave on for 1 - 8 hours. Basically depends on what I'm doing at the time!
  • Rinse out with cold water
  • Apply leave in conditioner (I use Kim Love's recipe - find it in the intro box of her KimmayTube YouTube channel)
  • Apply a shea butter mix I created (with Jojoba oil and a few drops of essential oil to make it creamy
  • Two-strand twist away! (It takes me 2-3 hours)
• Daily spritz with a water and oil mix (about 1 tbsp of Jojoba oil and/or vegetable glycerin in an approximately 150ml spray bottle)

I usually wash and twist on a Sunday or Monday and then take the twists out on Friday or Saturday. The twist-out can last 2-4 days. All I do in the mornings is spritz my hair with the water and oil mix, to bring life back to the sleep-matted tresses. Water works magic! Learning that I don't have to avoid it is probably the best thing I've done for my hair.

One thing I'm not so happy about is how much work this all takes! I'm going to be honest here: I thought locs were a lot of work but, taking good care of my "loose" natural hair is so much more intensive. I don't say this to discourage anyone considering going natural though because, after all is said and done, it's absolutely worth it! Well, I think so at least.

Natural hair wearers out there – why is it worth it for you?

12 months, 12 posts you loved

I know I have a penchant for lists and if ever I needed an excuse to create one, surely today is the day. Tomorrow marks one year of Afri-love and as I reflect on all the people that I've come across and had the opportunity to meet (if even just virtually), I want to share with you the most popular posts. It so happens that indeed, most of them are interviews with some of these people. I am honoured to be a part of this army of creatives and change-makers and I look forward to meeting and collaborating with more of you.