Afri-love

The Love Letter continues

As much as this blog has been a love letter to the continent I call home, it's also been an outlet for me to explore how to better (and better love) myself. 

Blogger Brigitte Lyons puts it so well when she says, "if you want to change the world, better yourself first." That was the thinking behind this whole Afri-love idea. In order for us to inspire, encourage, demand and create the changes we want to see in our continent, we have to first know, be proud of and love who we are and then, act from that position.

Overcoming the madness
Last year was the busiest year I've experienced. Getting a business off the ground is no joke and all the learning, administration, establishing of relationships, bidding for projects, servicing clients and actually doing the core work was a lot to handle. On top of all that, I attempted to blog every weekday and pursue other personal projects. At the end of the year I was exhausted and overwhelmed yet hopeful that the Christmas break would give me an opportunity to work on the things that usually get attention last.

I had a wonderful holiday with my family, who I don't get to see very often. Wonderful but, not productive in the way that I had planned. January rolled around and it wasn't exactly the fresh start I'd expected. I found this post from Miss Modish and I could relate, almost down to the word, with how she'd felt before she decided she needed to change things up, for her sanity and health.

What January has been for me: a time to reassess my routine; a time to really think about what I want this year and beyond; a time to enjoy taking care of myself again; a time to discover how to rest and relax without guilt; a time to put things in perspective in order to ease the pressure I put on myself; a time to remember and review what I want to achieve with Afri-love. That last point has taken silence (time and space) and that's why posts have been strikingly few and far between.

What happens now?
When I started this blog, it was intended to be the first step of a bigger vision. Towards the end of last year, those next steps were showing up in my mind again, though evolved from my original thinking as a result of experiences and ideas that had come to me in the year and a half since my first Afri-love post. It was encouraging but also daunting. And I haven't exactly figured it all out yet but, this I will share with you: I've always wanted this blog to be preparation for something more tangible. Inspiration for concrete action. It's all well and good talking about possibilities and opportunities but the real magic happens when you actually act on them. When you take advantage of the possibilities and make opportunities for yourself.

Along with continuing to share the amazing Africa-inspired or Africa-made things that I come across, I will be creating more resources and content that has practical use in the pursuit of what you want to materialise in your life. As with most of the posts, there will be a creative bias. After all, the arts are a central part of my original hypothesis.

I don't want to turn this blog into a magazine-style showcase– there are so many great Africa-centric blogs and websites filling that role. I want to continue to be open in sharing what inspires me but also my thoughts, my story and what has worked for me in the journey to living the life I want, and loving the person that I am. The blog will continue to draw from that personal place. However, I am one person in a much wider conversation and I want to integrate other voices and different experiences and perspectives. Thus, I will also be developing a virtual learning/discovery space in the interest of building a larger community of people who are pursuing their passions and changing the world by doing just that.

Sit back, talk back, subscribe and enjoy
I hope that you'll stay tuned and enjoy. As always, I'm really eager to hear from you with feedback and ideas of what you want to see here. Remember that you can read posts via RSS or via email and that you can also subscribe to the Afri-love mailing list for updates regarding the blog and the wider world of Afri-love (e.g. the plans I've hinted at). You'll only get occasional emails (2-4 each month) and of course, your details will never be passed on to anyone else.

One last (exciting) thing
I've started writing for Technorati! Check out my first post on making room for a more creative life.

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.

12. Interview with Lesley of Ododo Originals
Lesley's inspiring story of how a crafty hobby turned into a full-time blossoming enterprise.

11. Interview with Erika of Mikuti

The lady behind the ethical fashion enterprise shares what inspired her to start a business in Tanzania.

 

10. Interview with artist, Chief Nyamweya
The first interview in the series! A great interviewee to kick-off the idea of sharing what drives talented Afri-loving people to do what they love. 

 

9. Interview with AfriPOP! editor and music marketeer, Phiona Okumu
This lady embodies Afri-love in every way shape and form. It was great to have her share that indomitable energy with us. Hope it rubs off!

 

8. Natural hair journey: 4 months on and getting my protective styling on
I've discovered so many blogs and vlogs out there dedicated to caring for natural Afro hair. However, not many from people with my super-kinky hair type. So, I decided to share my journey. I've "been natural" for 10 years now and before July last year, 5 of those years were spent in locs. Since my second big chop, I've been occasionally documenting the process and my learning along the way. Yes, 10 years and there's still so much to learn!

 

7. Interview with Ihsani Culture
My long term comrade in the pursuit of Afri-love, in her reincarnation as a fashion design director, shares her passion and her beautiful designs.

 

6. My natural hair journey, part 3
My third new beginning: wearing my hair loose and natural. Funny, "loose" is a very ironic term for these more-compact-than-steelwool curls!

 

5. Celebrating our crowning glory: Le Coil
Beautiful people, regal in their natural hair. Sharing the work of photographer Jamala Johns and her fabulous blog, Le Coil.

 

4. Interview with artist and photographer, Mutua Matheka
This man's lens is relentless! He captures Kenya in a way that it has never been captured before. Personalities, architecture, moods, energy. His portfolio is a must-peruse.

 

3. Five reasons why Ghana is the next African app powerhouse
The first guest post from the man behind Afriapps. This went up just last week and has been creating a buzz across the interweb. Look out for more insightful pieces from Andrew Mugoya, every month. 

 

2. Inspired by Dimitra Tzanos: for the love of Africa
A designer with a passion for all things Africa. She shared some of her colourful and exciting work with us. 

 

1. Interview with fashion stylist and blogger, Nancie Mwai
Fashion reigned supreme. The interview with Nancie Mwai was the most popular Afri-love post in the blog's inaugural year. Personally, there was something about this interview that truly reminded me of why I started the interview series in the first place. Hearing about somebody successfully doing something that, as a child growing up in Kenya, I didn't even knew somebody could professionally do – now that's inspiring.

I look forward to bringing you even more encouraging stories, makers, dream-chasers, action-takers and shakers. Shaking the continent and keeping it alive with the spirit that inspires the world!

 

All image details available in the respective posts

One year doing nothing but working on myself (plus giving away a film!)

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you're as charged for this new week as I am. This Saturday, Afri-love celebrates its one year anniversary! I can't believe it's arrived so quickly. I am so happy that I've maintained the momentum for this long – though there have been some busy times where I've posted less than I've wanted. I'm so grateful to all of you who read, take the time to comment, interact via Facebook or Twitter and sign up to the mailing list. 

I came across this poignant quote last night:

"I can do nothing for you but work on myself …
You can do nothing for me but work on yourself."
— Be Here Now by Ram Dass

That's been one of the guiding ideas behind this blog from day one. The thought that, it all starts with the self. That we cannot expect satisfying change before we are satisfied that we are creating it for ourselves first. Minna, aka MsAfropolitan said it best when she described Afri-love as "exploring Africa's modernity on Africa's own terms." On celebrating the fifth anniversary of her blog, Fly blogger, Andrea Pippins, shared that she started it as a place to create what she wanted to see. It was born out of her desire to do something about what she didn't see elsewhere and to offer a different narrative to what she didn't like in the media. Similarly, Afri-love has been an opportunity for me to share a slice of what I love about my continent and all it has inspired around the world. An opportunity to question, to challenge, to theorize, to create, to learn and to grow. To come from the angle of my individual experience (indeed, to work on myself) and share that journey with you.

Giveaway love
The first ever mailing goes out this weekend so, if you haven't already signed up, you can do so here. Mailing list subscribers will have the chance to win some artsy goodies which I will be announcing later in the week (please note that this mailing list is different to signing up to receive posts via email).

There's something for you to win too, even if you don't sign up to the mailing list: a copy of the film, Formula X, produced by Sagwa Chabeda (who shared his passion and inspiration with Afri-love a few months ago). The DVD includes special features such as behind-the-scenes footage, the making of Formula X, producing the music of Formula X and more.

To enter, leave a comment to this post with the name of your favourite African film or TV programme. I have 2 copies to give and the draw will be next Monday so, please leave your answers before then. In the meantime, enjoy this trailer below:

 

Live Unchained interviews me about art and Afri-love

 

Live Unchained have published an interview with me, discussing art, vision and life unchained. I'm so honoured to be part of such a wonderful project. Check out their blog for the interview which, also includes a video (excuse the state of my studio! Um, and, um, gosh, my goofy expressions :).

Enjoy.

The 9 most popular Afri-love posts in 2010

I started this blog in June this year as an outlet for my passion for Africa and for the arts, culture and self-investigation. I've thoroughly enjoyed the many hours I've put into creating the content and I'm ever grateful for all the time you've put into reading, commenting, appreciating and sharing.

I posted a similar round-up a little while ago, on the blog's 5 month anniversary (yes, arbitrary I know). It does make a bit more sense to do so at the end of the year so, particularly for the benefit of all the new readers (welcome!), here are the 9 posts that were most visited in 2010. Common themes: art, hair and fashion…

1. 
Inspired by Dimitra Tzanos whose Greek and South African experiences were brought together in her design project "For the Love of Africa" (image above)

2.
Le Coil: photography celebrating the beauty of afro hair 

3.
The debut post in the Afri-love interview series: a spotlight on Chief Nyamweya, the artist behind Emergency Web Comic

4.
The bold and beautiful Africa-inspired accessories designed by Rachel Stewart

5.
An interview with enterprising designer, Mkuki Bgoya of Kina Klothing

6.
Pilgrimages: illustration inspired by the ambitious literary project; writing interrogating the limits of our self-knowledge

7.
The first post chronicling the third round of my natural hair journey 

8.
An interview with Lesley of Ododo Originals whose passion is in full bloom

9.
Female Relations: a peek at a painting series I recently exhibited

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Images from top: design by Dimitra Tzanos; photo by Jamala Johns; illustration by Chief Nyamweya; photo courtesy Rachel Stewart; photo courtesy Mkuki Bgoya; illustrations by Lulu Kitololo; photo by Lulu Kitololo; photo courtesy of Lesley/Ododo Originals; painting by Lulu Kitololo.

The role of art

 “Art is not a mirror of reality
but the hammer which shapes it.”

—Bertholt Brecht

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Since the known beginnings of humanity, people have been making art. The arts have been central in our societies, visible in our rituals and celebrations and even in our day-to-day, for example through how we dress and the objects we use. The arts have given us confidence and identity. They have created community. They have enabled us to have our voices heard and championed revolution. They have reminded us of the beauty of life. They have allowed us to express our sorrow as well as a joy. They have facilitated problem-solving, both within and outwardly. The arts are a proven powerful form of expression, communication and mobilisation.

With such potential, people everywhere are consciously recognising that the power of the arts can be harnessed to foster positive change. This week in Mali, the Bamako Art Symposium, is taking place, organised in part by the Nka Foundation, an organisation that promotes human capital development through a focus on the arts. There are several other examples that will be profiled on the blog over time as the discussion on art driving change continues.

Our continent is full of rich cultural diversity and art is an integral part of this. It only makes sense then that we should continue this heritage of creativity and apply it to improving ourselves, our communities and our environment.

Image: protest art from South Africa's Apartheid Museum.

Anything we love can be saved

Emotion is often relegated to the realm of "fluffy", soft or irrational things. Away from the arenas of success and progress. When we talk about change we often concentrate on statistics or intellectualise the issue to the point of distancing ourselves from the human element behind the endeavour. Rarely do we connect our individual selves to the place, people, or living things at the heart of the change. It is as if we are external actors who are in no way connected except for the intervention we are wishing or planning. 

But when we engage our emotions, when we allow our passion to move us, we can empathise. We can truly affect change. If you believe in such, it is as if we finally align with the universal spirit and our actions become more powerful and effective.

Napoleon Hill, author of the classic bestselling book, Think and Grow Rich, asserts that emotion is necessary in order to engage the subconcious and, once engaged the subconscious helps create opportunities for success. He states:

"Thoughts, mixed with emotions, amplify and grow until they become a dominating and motivating force."

The force of passion

I observe that most people who excel in their careers, are people who follow their passion. When you look at artists, athletes and other people who pursued "alternative" careers, they did so because of love, because of passion. No one decides to become a singer in order to pay the bills. Such careers do not guarantee a comfortable life. That's why so many parents discourage their children from following such and instead encourage law, medicine, business and so forth. 

The irony is that, when you look at it, anyone who is a truly great success, whether they are artists, athletes, doctors, lawyers or businesswomen and -men, they truly love what they do and that passion drives them. So if your passion is painting and instead you choose a "sensible" engineering path – you might have a comfortable life but, had you painted, you might have had an exceptional life where you are more than comfortable and most importantly, you are fulfilled inside – true success!

"Success follows doing what you want to do. There's is no other way to be successful."
— Malcolm S. Forbes

Emotion and change

In conclusion, emotion can influence change and passion can be channeled into progress and success. True love creates the necessary conditions for it to endure and even thrive. If we harness our love for Africa – if we let it shine and allow it to influence our actions – we can contribute to the advancement of the continent. 

Title inspired by Alice Walker's book of the same name.

The selfish African

For a large part of my employed life, I worked for a progressive sustainability communications agency. A key belief of the company, and of many successful people all over the world and over centuries, is that you have to have a vision of what success looks like, before you can achieve it. 

I worked with different kinds of clients, all of whom were professing some level of commitment to sustainable development. From previously unusual suspects such as multinational corporations, to the more expected non-profit organizations; from national government departments to local authorities and; everything in-between. Perhaps because it was my bread and butter, and something at the front of mind every day, I often started to feel the frustration of hammering the same messages, doubting that they were really getting through. Or whether those that commissioned them in the first place were merely ticking boxes. 

The self is at the centre

The most important conclusion that I came to was that everything starts from the self. If I do not respect, admire and love my self enough, it is unlikely that I will have much respect, admiration and true love for other people, let alone the planet! Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead made an impression on me that has lasted years and contributed to this conclusion. She challenges common interpretations of selfishness, redefining it as focusing on your self with a view to self-actualisation, rather than detracting from this noble mission and letting other people’s identities, thoughts and deeds retard your actualisation.

I have been known to get into the situation of considering other people's feelings to the point of sacrificing my own. The result has often compromised my own journey. I’m not advocating disregard for others, I’m only insisting that you need to take care of your self first.

When you are content, fulfilled and peaceful, your empathy for others is acute. You are in tune with the natural state of things: harmony. You understand that to maintain that balance, you need to recreate that sense of contentment, satisfaction and peacefulness in everyone and every thing that is around you. 

If I value my self, I value the planet that sustains me and I value the contribution, and necessarily the well-being, of others.

The realm of vision

As a result of this line of thinking, I have found it effective to use visioning in the context of my immediate experience. By picturing my ideal typical day – the activities I undertake, my surroundings and my social interactions – I inevitably create a vision with economic, social and environmental aspects considered. By imagining how I want to live, I draw a picture of the world that I want to inhabit.

When I hear stories about prodigal African politicians, shamelessly displaying wealth of dubious origins in front of people who are struggling to eat, I always have to ask: how can they be so myopic? Do they think of the world that they are creating for their children? A world where the hungry are so insulted and strained by lack of opportunity that they resort to taking with force? Taking from those very children?

The prodigal sons and daughters are not thinking of themselves, they are thinking of the joneses that they need to keep up with or prove something to. Self-reflection is the last thing on their warped agenda. Were they to take a moment and truly think of their own well-being, would their behaviour alter?

Imagine if all Africans regularly dedicated time to envision how they want to live? Imagine if they described these pictures in detail, considering all aspects of life from their vocation, to their working and living (social and physical) environments; from recreational pursuits to time invested in personal growth. Imagine if Africans were this selfish?

Self-perception first

The Afri-love hypothesis puts the self very much at the centre of any possible progress. A friend was recently talking to me about how she wanted to spend her days helping and empowering women but realised that, in order to do that effectively, she would first have to help and empower herself. My first thought was that's a very brave thing to voice and then, I asked myself, why shouldn't it be the norm? That level of self-reflection and self-awareness is what this Afri-love idea is all about. 

Positive action comes from knowledge of the situation you desire to change and from an understanding of your self so that you may appropriately contextualise yourself, your actions and their consequences, in the bigger picture of things. So whether you're an African trying to create change in your community, or a non-African who has an affinity for the continent, effective change will come from the sincerity of your interventions and how informed they are. Sincerity comes from empathy and resonance. My friend cannot approach the women she wants to help and be taken seriously if they perceive that she herself has not experienced the result she is preaching. Equally, she will not be taken seriously if the measures she suggests are not versant on and sensitive to the social and cultural norms of the worlds that her beneficiaries inhabit. 

So while Afri-love plans to eventually be an advocate of tangible action to create positive change, I believe that there are some key steps before that can be effective. These include: generating the will to take action – what motivates people? What barriers exist?; investigating what action currently exists, successful and not, understanding the reasons for these different outcomes and; throughout all of this, constant self-reflection – why am I doing this? What do I hope to gain? 

The most important barrier to action that I can perceive is a mental one. There is so much pessimism out there, often guised as being realistic or wise. The great project to colonise African minds and to delude these minds, and others, has been exceptionally successful. How could you ever make a positive difference if you don't believe in the value of making one? How do you make things better if you are resolved to just making do with the situation you are in now?

Beyond those rhetorical questions, are the questions that Afri-love actually wants to explore and find answers to. How do you get somebody to look at their life and environment and see the beauty intrinsic there, hidden as it may be by circumstance? How do you encourage somebody to draw upon their unique knowledge, experience and outlook in order to improve their lives, rather than trying to hide these assets?  How do you get somebody to imagine that their life can always be made better and that it is within their power to actualise this? How do you get somebody to take responsibility for change in their own lives? How do you breed the necessary optimism, faith and confidence?

Over the past year, I've been reading a lot of self-improvement and success literature and drawing out common tools that have been proven successful by many (I've been trying them out myself too!). In a chapter of The Success Principles, titled “Acknowledging your Positive Past,” author Jack Canfield makes a significant point about people actually having more successes than failures but being hard on themselves in terms of what they see as success. 

We could go on and on about the shortcomings of African leaders and let the numerous tragedies experienced continent-wide to bolster pessimistic outlooks and destructive arguments. That's too easy and encouraged far too often and widely so. On the other hand, we could focus on success. African nations are only 3 to 6 decades old, in comparison with Western ones that have been established over centuries. Africa must not succumb to models created from the outside. We Africans must instead focus on defining what works for our unique experience and determine success by our own standards. Africans must be proud and inspired and express the richness of our continent for all to be inspired. The mission here is to change self-perception and then external perception, creating a firm foundation for positive action to take place.

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Further reading:
Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument by Patrick Chabal and Jean-Pascal Daloz
Africa: The Politics of Suffering and Smiling by Patrick Chabal
Grasping Africa: A Tale of Tragedy and Achievement by Stephen Chan

The Afri-love hypothesis

 

Every Friday, we'll be posting a piece on the growing Afri-love idea. Here's the first installment. Happy weekends all! 

I believe that when people look into themselves and accept, love and respect what they find there, they will unlock the abundant energy that creates opportunities for success. In all areas of their lives. When I look inside myself, I know that my passion – the thing that inspires and motivates me most – is Africa. It defines who I am. I embrace and express this appreciation at every opportunity. Doing so has taught me more about myself and made me acknowledge the power of my potential.

Indeed there is such great potential in Africa yet, through many centuries, it appears as if everybody realizes this except Africans themselves. This obliviousness contributing to war, hunger, mismanagement, exploitation… the list is as long as you have the time to make it. Yet still, Africans are accomplishing amazing feats, innovating and finding happiness and purpose. I believe that this demonstrated resilience is not something to be sympathetically applauded but rather to be cultivated and transformed to the point where it is no longer reactive but proactive.

This has to begin with a true understanding of our selves, and of our natural qualities of peace, love, wisdom, bliss, purity and power. Knowledge of these allows us to harness their power through our thoughts and deeds, creating the positive change we want to see. With a vision of what success is, faith, determination and the appropriate work ethic can help us align our present reality to this dream.

Although touching on several subjects, a large focus of this Afri-love exploration will be on the arts. As long as human beings have existed, art has been used to capture the collective imagination and make tangible our dreams. Art has reflected our identity, detailed our experience and imagined our possibilities. These are the exact qualities that can help us to know and understand who we are, highlight our strengths and weaknesses and create a positive vision of the future that can be ours. Because art is open to interpretation and can interact with people through multiple senses, art not only records but can reshape. Past and present reality can be used to model new realities.

In the production of this art there is again an example of why the self must be central. In my observation and experience: only when the work is made for the self, will it be meaningful to others. Only when the artist is honest with her- or himself will she or he be able to project truth. 

He who fears the sun will not become chief
— Ugandan proverb

Somewhat related reading: an interesting blog post by Paulo Coelho on the artist's mission with particular reference to writing.

Photograph taken in Essaouira, Morocco.