CosWeAfricanWomenAreDoin&DoinItWell

FABULAFRICANA!

2011-06-24T00:52:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I missed y'all:)

I'm moving my blog to:

www.fabulafricana.com

Hope to see you there:)

Yaye

SERENITY,DAY 3 FABULAFRICANA JOURNAL ENTRY!

2010-10-07T18:08:00.001-04:00

Hey guys,

Serenity, serenity people..hope you all are having a day with a sense of serenity:)

Apart from the daily power outages , today was buzy and quiet:)

On today's post discover the beautiful sense of fashion of Egyptian designer,Marie Bishara, the first fabulafricana to internationally showcase Egyptian fashion talent:)

'Till tomorrow & remenber that if today was not an easy day for you ,

it is what it is and tomorrow is another day:)

A demain Inch'Allah:)

Yaye

EGYPTIAN HAUTE COUTURE DESIGNER,MARIE BISHARA!

2010-10-07T18:08:00.000-04:00

Pic courtesy of Elle.com

As a little girl in Cairo , Marie found joy playing with fabric pieces, probably dreaming of following in the footsteps of her father a Textile King in Egypt. She pursued degrees in graphic ,fashion & textile design between Cairo and France.Marie had the chance to study under the Cacharel,Thierry Mugler and Balmain fashion houses before throwing herself in the game of haute couture. She's the first Egyptian designer to showcase her work internationally in some of the biggest fashion cities of the world.

What makes this Egyptian fabulafricana stand out is her appreciation and knowledge about textile, texture & volume.In the image of her mother who's always been sharp, Marie wants to convey a message of elegance, feminity and confidence through her designs. She speaks to the woman who's going to work, the woman who wants to get ready for a special evening, the woman who wants to wear a beautiful semi-modern caftan..bref you get it, she wants to dress all kinds of women:)

Here's her website:

www.mariebishara.com

You can also check her out at the Joburg Fashion Week 09, HERE

Djaa my Egyptian sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

C'EST LA DIFFERENCE QUI EST JOLIE, DAY 2 FABULAFRICANA JOURNAL!

2010-10-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys,

I hope all is good with everyone, hope you are all having a beautiful and productive day, that you've had the time 2 laugh with a friend (hey miss Amy), or chit chat with a special person in your life whoever that may be. Today's lesson is that I have to accept is that we are all very different in the way we handle hard situations, my perception will be different from yours and vice versa and that's what makes a beautiful world like this colorful palette of food garnish. I can be very stubborn in my thinking that people should think the same way as I do..but thanks to good friends and family I am learning that c’est la difference qui est jolie as Salif Keita says it best. On today's post you'll discover some cool organic and beautifully packaged products by the Budha Nose Line and a cool Nigerian electro pop singer, miss Nenna Yvonne..

Enjoy your day and if it's not a good one, remember that it is what it is and tomorrow is another day :)

A demain Inch'Allah:)

Yaye

BUDHA NOSE BODHI ORGANIC PRODUCTS FOR YOUR FABULAFRICANA MIND & SOUL!

2010-10-06T13:52:00.001-04:00

I'm a girly girl; I love cute and beautiful packaged beauty products such as the Buddha Nose Bodhi organic products. Amy Galper started her business to provide organic products that would encourage women to stay still and respect the well being of their bodies..(Speak the truth sista, speak lol)

The Buddha Nose Bodhi Line is popular for their collection of moisturizing balms For example, the calmness balm can be used on a adult or a child to relax him, some of the key ingredients are: organic lavender, rose geranium, organic jojoba oil...

Apart from the balms, you can also find salts, scrubs & body sprays. Once again it's the same exact concept, each salt, scrub & spray is given a name and the appropriate ingredients are used to evoke those sensations...

I really like this concept, haven't tried them yet but can't wait to :)

Here's their website:

http://buddhanose.com/

Yaye

SOME GIRL SHE IS...NENNA YVONNE!

2010-10-06T13:52:00.000-04:00

This Nigerian girl who conquers daily the concrete jungle of NY where she attended one of the most prestigious local art high school, has been making her way on American airwaves and on the internet with a bang. Her sound is poppish meets electro dance with a dash of soul, hip hop and even a bit of country...

The 21 years old singer/songwriter is proud of her Nigerian roots, even better even though she grew up in the states she has travelled to her home country a few times over the years. Nenna has appeared in some editorial and ads for urban fashion brands such as Akademics and Rocawear.

A star on myspace already, Nenna was selected as 1 of the 10 final finalists for the Toyota/Myspace contest.

With the help of her musical partner & bestie D-Tox Wisniewski, she was smart to reach out to her fans directly on the internet , it is obvious that the future of the music industry lays there. I myself discovered her on YouTube so upcoming singers out there, do not sleep on the power of the viral media:)

Her EP is def' full of club -bangers, word on the street was that one of her songs would be used on MTV show "The City". With her sexy and avant-gardiste sense of fashion, her fun and catchy lyrics of women empowerment and freedom, the productions by D Tox, her writing skills in French Italian & German I know that this is just the beginning for this fabulafricana. Dance and pop music will never die therefore she's welcome to bring something new to the musical scene. If you are still unsure about this pretty and talented young thang, know that she even graced the stages of Canargie Hall and the Julliard Institute, not bad hun:)

Here's her YouTube channel address:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NennaYvonneMusic

Here's her webbie:

http://www.nennayvonne.com

Djaa my Naija sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

FACING MY FEARS, DAY 1 FABULAFRICANA JOURNAL!

2010-10-05T05:44:00.004-04:00

Hi guys it's been a while, I hope wherever you are, you are L.I.V.I.N.G your lives the way you want to:)
So here I am back on my personal space on the web facing my fears, wondering if what I'm doing is relevant with the birth of so many blogs (which is a great thing by the way), wondering if I will still be able to write about you fabulafricanas...but I'm in love with y'all so I guess I can't stop:)
So I'm challenging myself to 365 days of straight discovery and sharing with you guys on this spot...nervous as hell but excited at the same , this shall be an interesting journey:)
Today I hope that you'll be inspired by the journeys of photographer Leila Ghandi, social activist Rokhaya Diallo, entrepreneurAnn Kihengu, writer Dinaw Mengestu, singers Coco Van M & Sade to challenge yourselves to great work ethics and a life of passion.
Ready set go!!..have an awesome day and if things are a bit difficult remenber that
It is What It Is & Tomorrow is another day:)

A demain Inch'Allah:)

PS: Special shout out to you reader Boy Pullo, thanks for the sweet & encouraging email brotha, diaramaaa a 1000***

Yaye!

DINAW MENGESTU...SURPRISE,SURPRISE!

2010-10-05T05:34:00.009-04:00

Strolling through one of our local bookstore of Dakar searching for the perfect Thursday afternoon read if there’s such a thing, but then again for a super- book- lover, everyday feels like the perfect day to chill on your bed and lose yourself through the interesting characters of a great literature piece.

I was first attracted to the colorful book cover of the “Les belles choses que porte le ciel” by Ethiopian American writer Mr Dinaw Mengestu. When I first entered the grocery store owned by the main character Sepha Stephanos, my own life was such a mess that I wasn’t focused enough and put it down forgetting about it somewhere in my dusty personal library which is bigger than it sounds lol.

This past week ,I remembered that I didn’t give enough a chance to my friend Sepha and entered once again his DC’s shop and this time I don’t know what happened maybe it was his mal- etre that was familiar to me, or his great description of the lovely DC area, the melancholia of his two African friends Joseph and Kenneth or perhaps the sweet sadness or confusion felt by his crush Judith or even the big eyes and the boldness of her daughter Naomi..I don’t know probably a combination of all these interesting facts but this time I wanted to stay in his store and even buy something from his dusty and dirty shelves to give some type of hope to Sepha.

As a former immigrant, it’s hard for me not to see a little bit of my own struggle or the ones that I love in his rift between America the Grand and a proud Ethiopia that he knows he will never return to. The author, a very intelligent well spoken young Ethiopian man who attended Columbia, a former recipient award winner in 2006 for a fictional piece did an awesome job making you feel empathetic towards Sepha. At some point I wanted to tell Sepha “get up live… live… live , you are here now in America this is your life stop asking yourself so many questions and run with this life , you’ve been here for 17 +years it’s time for you to simply live”. Sepha immigrated to America following the Ethiopian conflict which resulted in the arrest and killing of his father by the authorities, he moved in with his Uncle in an impersonal America.

In America he lives like a paralyzed man confronted to an impersonal America while living at first in a building crowded with Ethiopian habitants who chose to live the Ethiopian way. He later on finds the usual and necessary: a job, friendship but mostly companionship working at the hotel.

There he also finds the encouragements from his two companions of misery to pursue his dream of opening a grocery store in a predominantly African American neighborhood where he feels important and invisible at the same time until the arrival in the neighborhood of a Caucasian American woman Judith and her intelligent and rebellious 11 years Old Naomi.

Through these 2 generations of woman, rivers of uncomfortable sense affection and tenderness, feelings that had been missing from his life start flowing through him. The reverse side of this emotional knife reveals that he also has to deal the reality of what he became as a result of his financial poverty, his loneliness, gloominess and his emotional paralysis.

I loved this book because Dinaw described well the various difficulties immigrants deal with embarking on this journey, the economic precariousness some encounter, the loss of our illusions regarding Uncle Sam the Big the Beautiful, but also the gap between Africans and African Americans.

With all these challenges I didn’t know if I would be comfortable with the ending as I was getting near to it but … :)

Now that I finished reading this book I can’t wait to get my hands on his second novel: “HOW TO READ THE AIR”...as soon as I do, I’ll def’ offer my personal book review .

In the meantime if you have some free time on your hand I would suggest reading online an essay he wrote for the New Yorker called "AN HONEST EXIT”, by the way he was titled one the best authors under 40 by the New Yorker.(click on the title)

You can also check him out reading an excerpt of his first novel, HERE

Djaa my Ethiopian brothas sont dedans aussi: )

Eyee Wayee: )

YOU SAID COCO VAN M RIGHT?

2010-10-05T05:09:00.008-04:00

Coco Van M is a 25 years old Togolese fabulafricana with a passion for music, a young woman who despite living in the maritime climate of Netherlands hasn’t forgotten the warmth of Terre Africa.
I listened and watched her video for her first single “Blewu” and was impressed by the Togolese cultural touch in her video through the styling, the scenery, accessories ect. It’s clear with her choice of African rhythm and language that Togo is heavy on her mind. If you are more of an up-tempo type of music- lover her second single: Bye Bye with Ek Ayo might just do it for you.
Def’ give it a try, I’m sure that we’ll hear more from and about this ambitious young lady
Here are the various places where you can keep in touch with our Togolese sis:

www.myspace.com/cocovanm

https://twitter.com/Coco_Van_M

Djaa my Togolese sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayeee:)

ANN KIHENGU,2010 AFRICAN LAUREATE OF THE CARTIER WOMEN’S INTIATIVE

2010-10-05T04:58:00.004-04:00

Each year, the Cartier Women’s Initiative salutes the courage of worldwide sistas, offering them the chance to 20 000 $, great mentorship program by seasoned business veterans, media exposure.

This year, Ann Kihengu representing Tanzania is one of the 3 African Laureates nominees, the winner representing each continent will be announced on October 15^th.

This young woman had the brilliant idea of starting a business providing solar powered lamps and mobile phone chargers in Tanzanian. Living in Senegal I realize how crucial the problem of electricity is throughout Africa and Tanzania is unfortunately no exception to this problem.

PRIAN, her company was started in order to provide alternatives to kerosene lamps to Tanzanian people living in urban but particularly rural areas of Tanzania.

With PRIAN she travels to rural areas in order to train young unemployed people as well as high school students for them to become distributors of the D.Light products she sells through PRIAN.

This 27 years business owner is set to train and encourage young people to become entrepreneurs as well.

Here’s the CWI website:

http://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com
Check out part of the Award ceremony 2009,HERE

Good program, great idea, go Ann Kihengu:)

MALI INSPIRED GIFT IDEA :TIMBIKTU PERFUME BY L’ARTISAN PARFUMEUR!

2010-10-05T04:53:00.004-04:00

This could be the perfect trip to Timbiktu without physically travelling there. It’s inspired by a trip to Timbuktu by the perfumer in chef Mr.B.Duchaufour.

Honoring the traditional method of African encess that Malians are famous for, this perfume is made up of a mix of woodsy ,spicy and fruity scents. Some of the elements are mangoes scents,

Karoe Karounde flower scent, pink pepper scent, vetivier, patchouli balsam scent.

Don’t know about y’all, haven’t tried it but just the name of this pefume and some of these dreamy ingredients make me wanna get Timbuktu crazy.

www.artisanparfumeur.com

Enjoy: )

LEILA GHANDI AND HER PHOTOGRAPHIC LOVE FOR HUMANITY!

2010-10-05T04:42:00.009-04:00

Long curly hair, curious and warm eyes, petite frame running around with grace & intelligence trough the planet to discover and share with the world through the use of images, videos and words what humanity is all about.

30 years old, Ben Battouta (her Moroccan name) could have been sitting at a fancy desk with her degrees from Sciences Po & the University of Portsmouth but she chose to answer to her calling. Even though she had plenty of more traditional opportunities available (she worked at the Chamber of Commerce of Lot-et-Garonne), at 26 years old she got up, packed her bag and met the world. It wasn’t an easy choice at first, her relatives were worried at the beginning but today in retrospect she has no regrets.

Among some of the places Leila has seen, she’s been to China, Tibet, Peru, India, Irak and just has been picked by Gilles Kepel to travel with him to the Middle East.

Her courage and great passion haven’t gone unnoticed by the world; she’s received plenty of awards one of them in particular was given to her by the Association of the Young Mediterranean Leaders.

Her work has been exposed at the French Parliament, in Spain, one of her documentary on Moroccan children has been broadcasted on local Moroccan TV.

Leila has published a book called “Chroniques de Chine”, and is currently working on a novel.

I am definitely encouraged in my own artistic quest by the determination that this fabulafricana is showing.

Here's her website: www.leilaghandi.com

I also enjoyed this little interview, HERE

Djaa my Moroccan sistas sont dedans aussi:)

Eyee Wayee:)

BLOG STAR OF THE DAY: THE TWENTY TEN CLUB BY OCTAVIA GOREDEMA!

2010-10-05T04:32:00.005-04:00

The beautiful Octavia Goredema

Man, there are truly some fabulous web resources for fabulafricanas out there; one of them that seriously caught my attention is this amazing blog by Zimbabwean fabulafricana Octavia Goredema.

Octavia started her blog once she moved to London and was starting her own business while expecting her baby at the same time .For inspiration and encouragement, she created this place to learn and share from young black entrepreneurs.

Using her little black book and the connections she made through her work in PR, she started monthly meetings in London with other fabulafricanas.

I love her blog because it displays a great variety of focused and inspiringwomen working in the food ,health ,beauty ,fashion ,new media industries .

Here’s her website: http://twentytenclub.com/

Djaa my Zimbabwean sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

CHOCOLATE SOUFLE AT THE TERROU BI TERRACE RESTAURANT/DAKAR , SENEGAL!

2010-10-05T04:19:00.009-04:00

One of my fav’ weekend hangout spot in Dakar is the Terrace Restaurant at the Terrou Bi Hotel.

Far from the trendiness of some beautiful spots in Dakar, the Terrace is a relaxing yet lush spot where you can sit on beautiful and comfortable rattan seats and face the water. The wait staff is accommodating and professional.

Moha, my little brother from another mother and I enjoy sitting there on Sundays sharing life stories around warm chocolate cakes and huge local fruit cocktails. If you ever are in town and may find yourself craving some chocolate cake among other things, the Terrou Bi Terrace Restaurant may just do it for you. Oh and one more thing they also make delicious thin crust pizzas, see you there: )

Here’s their website:

www.terroubi.com

Enjoy:)

SADE ADU PERFORMING AT THE KEEP A CHILD ALIVE BLACK BALL!

2010-10-04T23:46:00.011-04:00

Veteran Singer Sade & Young'un A.Keys

Groovin'A moment of complicity at it's sweetest taboo:)

The Keep A Child Alive foundation’s CEO none other than the very talented Alicia Keys hosted her annual black ball gala in NY on September 30^tth2010.Her famous and generous guests got in exchange for large donations, a beautiful show with artists such as Jay Z and our fabulafricana untouchable singing queen Sade Adu. Mrs Sweet Beatz even got on the mic to sing along with Sade on her single “Love is stronger than pride”

Check it out ,HERE

Here’s the Keep A Child Alive website:

www.keepachildalive.com

I'M FRENCH NO COMMENTS , SAYS ROKHAYA DIALLO!

2010-10-04T23:23:00.011-04:00

This girl most certainly has guuuuuuuts!

She’s most remembered for her heated debate with the very but I insist on the veryyyyy annoying French cultural critique Zemmour. In his opinion, based on the statistics,most crimes are carried out by Blacks and Arabs therefore it makes sense that these two important minority groups are forced to show their ID’s to the police on queue whether or not they are French born citizens.

The message of Rokhaya Diallo is simple and should answer that question, French Caucasian people should accept minorities that were born and are living in France as regular French citizens with the same rights as the white ones. She considers herself to be as French as any Caucasian urban or rural woman. Being that she’s lived there all her life, attended the same schools as any white French kid she doesn’t consider herself any different.

Racism doesn’t limit itself to Black & White relationships in her opinion; it could be gender based or discrimination against Muslim women who chose to wear the burka in France for example.

This 32 years old woman founded her association called Les Indivisibles which goal is to educate and fight against racism as a whole through humor and education.

This TV and Radio personality created trough her association the annual award show “Y’A BONS” which points the finger at and makes fun of the most famous racists people in France . Some of the black celebrities who are present and support during the awards are Aissa Maiga, Lilian Thuram,Audrey Pulvar among others.

Rokhaya was handpicked to participate in a diversity program which took place in the USA. On her personal blog, Rokhaya shares her thoughts regarding diversity in America and her various ideas on racism and ways to fight against it.

Catch if you speak French an interesting interview with Rokhaya Diallo, HERE

Here's her blog address: ww.rokhaya.blog.canalplus.fr

Her association's site is :www.lesindivisibles.fr

A very interesting fabulafricana:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

*Pics displayed on this article are not my properties

GOING TO THE MOSK FILLS MY HEART WITH JOY!

2010-08-30T17:37:00.003-04:00

Going to the mosk to praise Allah during this Holly month of ramadan is one of the best decisions I've taken in a while. Being lost in this sea of struggling believers as myself is truly humbling, while at the mosk under the beautiful layer of colorful veils we women all wear, underneath the vibrant colors of our loincloths: we are all the same.
We are all women struggling to make it on earth and hoping for that sweet life after death. There, there's no blogger, fashionista, lawyer, maid, rich girl, poor woman we are all the same. It's def' an ego check,there as I look at these women entering the room bare- foot , with no nail polish I am reminded that the material world is not all that there is to life, I am reminded that I'm just like any woman out there with maybe and I insist on the " maybe" some more financial freedom than some.
As I was looking into the room, I realize honestly that there were not many women that I know from my neighberhood not many young doing pretty good for themselves young professionals and I asked myself why? I asked myself if by trying to be protective did some of our parents make a mistake by not teaching us through attending the mosk more often that we are all equal, having a social and financial advatange doesn't mean that we can't mix with others at the mosk. The lady I've been praying next to the last few days has a beautiful aura abt her, always smiling always trying to help me put my rug together,even though hadn't I seen her in this healthy surrounding I probably would have been quick to judge her because of her bleached skin ect..if I'm honest with myself and you guys..real talk!
You get my point, going to the mosk is teaching me to be more humble and join the community.Today 2 little girls caught my attention, they were serious about reciting the Quarinic verses, they were just serious:) I saw another young mother and her little girl wearing the head wrap and praying next to her mum, and I thought to myself I hope when I have children that I remenber to take them even if it's just once per semester to the mosk for them to feel that sense of humility that I'm learning.
Everyday, the preacher has a different message for us, today it was about the meaning of being a good person. As he explains it doesn't mean just bowing down and praying, it doesn't mean for example getting rid of old cloth , it could mean giving away with heart a beautiful piece of clothing for example that we would ourselves wear...
What I'm trying to say that besides my daily sins, going to the mosk fills my heart with great joy:)
Yaye

MOVE OVER DORA, HERE COME BINO & FINO !

2010-08-25T09:27:00.005-04:00

Attention Fabulafricana mamas and papas, new African cartoon characters for your little ones, twin brother and sister Bino & Fino are sure to keep your little ones laughing and entertained the African way:)
The smart people at the creative design studio in Lagos EVLC had the brilliant idea to start this new adventure, they were tired of not seeing us, our children, cartoons by us for us and the rest of the world..so they took they courage in their hands and are heavy at work , working hard to produce a cartoon of educational and entertainment merit. This short story was written by Sola and Kunle Dada and Adamu Waziri.
I love the idea of using Wole Sonyinka as inspiration for the grandpa character , a full figured woman as the grandma character, twin brotha and sister with their natural and kinky hair.
They would love to hear from you so do not hesitate to visit their various sites:)
Here's their blog:
http://binoandfino.wordpress.com/
Here's their youtube chanel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BinoandFino

Djaa my Nigerian people sont dedans:)
Eyeee Wayeee:)

THE DREAMY LUXURY BAOBAP CANDLE COLLECTION!

2010-08-25T08:44:00.008-04:00

Lovely color

Mmm Orange River

Sobre and elegant packaging

How lovely is it to come home after a long day at work, turn around , kick off our shoes, light up a beautiful candle which subtle scent and color reminding us of our Africa.
Well Valerie Bietlot a Belgian woman dreamed of that dream during her stay in Tanzania and made it happen.
The Baobap candle collection has been in existence since 2004 but I'm just discovering it..this goes to show you that we discover new things everyday:)
Of course it's a luxury line offering candles, diffusers, incense,wick trimmers so expect prices to start of from 24$ to 150 and up depending on your budget and what you are looking for.
They offer different sizes of candles from the mini to the maxi max. It seems like this candle brand is a fav' of interior designers looking to add a splash of sobriety and class to the homes of their clients.
I haven't had the chance to smell them yet but if the fragrances names are any indication:
Pierre de Lune,Zanzibar spices,Orange River,Masaai spirit,white rino....
we are def' in for a scented treat.
Here's their webbie:
www.baobapcollection.com

Djaa we can decorate our homes with lovely scented candles inspired by our Africa:)
Eyeee Wayeee:)

SWEET SALONE TIME IN DAKAR WITH A GREAT WOMAN, VICKIE REMOE!

2010-08-15T10:51:00.012-04:00

When 2 bloggers meet:)

Taste of Senegalese cuisine at Loutcha

Don't mess w/Vickie she def' knows how to handle hers in a Senegalese market

Salone money

In one of my fav' shop in Dakar

She found the time to work...independent woman in the house!

Def' one of the highlights of my summer was spending time some time with Miss Vickie Remoe.
You may have read the piece I wrote regarding this fabulous blogger, radio and tv presenter but if you haven't , check under Sierra Leone on the right side of the bloggie..
Meeting her and spending some time with her meant for me being inspired again:
Vickie is full of life a strong and spicy Fabulafricana sista.
After a long stay in the States she returned back to her Swit Salone with the sole objective to give back in some shape and form...
The Vickie Remoe tv show and her blog uplifting the Salone youth were just a few outlets she found to do that for now:)

Over some great taste of Senegalese cuisine and a short trip to the Kermel Market of Dakar we took the time to get to know each other and I discovered a courageous and determined sista .
It's refreshing to see an African sista so full of energy with a great zest of passion in her life..yes it's difficult as African women to leave our marks in fairly new industries(blog, internet shows)...but women like her make me want to push some more and more.

By the way fellas Vickie is gorgeous, beautiful lips & eyes , great and contagious smile, funky and African roots sense of fashion..def' reppin haut la main her country.
While at Kermel Market, we bumped into a Senegalese man who lived in Sierra Leone most of his life but left during the war. While conducting an interview with this man, I discovered another side of this sis.In front of the mic, she transformed into this sweet yet assertive amazone who would make any criminal confess his crime,she has great comand and has the it-capacity to make the people she interviews feel comfortable in front of the mic...def'a fan:)
Inch'Allah God willing I'll find my way in sweet Salone in the near future.
Here's her blog:
www.switsalone.blogspot.com

Djaa my Swit Salone sistas sont dedans:)
Eyee Wayee:)

DISCOVER THE DA YOVO JEWELRY LINE BY ESTHER NASCIMENTO!

2010-08-14T13:10:00.008-04:00

Love that ring

Cute as a flower

Oh yummy

Cute headband

Let's celebrate this creative sister, Esther Nascimento is a Benenise decorator and window dresser by training who's in love with the girly and enchanting world of fashion.

She takes her inspiration from color, from life in general, her african background and her life in the Western world.

She creates rings, bracelets, handbands, bags with african inspired fabric , perls, shells among other things...

If you're looking to be unique, the Da Yovo line is perfect for you, her pieces are sold in limited collection...you know how we women like to stand apart:)

Here's her webbie:

www.dayovo.fr

Djaa my sisters from Benin sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayeee:)

TUNISIAN ARCHITECT, I'M CALLING MISS TANIA BEN MAHMOUD!

2010-08-14T10:15:00.013-04:00

The talented Tania Ben Mahmoud

Love me a sharp , funky & serious woman about her career like Tania Ben Mahmoud.

This 30 years old young woman is an architect for Christian Dior , yep! so when you visit some CD stores and you find the place lavish , well know that a North African sista may be the woman behind the beautiful store decor.

Tania has also worked as an architect for some of Marc Jacobs' stores in Madrid, London and Paris. This proud Tunisian woman has also lended her talent to Air France for whom she created a beautiful business lounge for their Paris location, among other things she's worked with the restaurant Lustre Baccarat in Monaco and many other luxurious locations.

This phenomenal woman has a project that is dear to her in her home-country of Tunisa. In the south of Tunisia there's a beautiful palm grove in the region of Tozeur which shelter over a million of palm tress, her dream would be to create a beautiful hotel resort there using and honoring the nomadic lifestyle tools, with recycling and solar systems among other things.

Not only is she busy with her urban career in the biggest metropoles of the world but she's already thinking about ways to give back and inovate in her country..got 2 respect a woman with plans:)

Djaa my Tunisian women sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayeee:)

SAINT LOUIS, THE DIALLO WAY!

2010-08-01T01:04:00.020-04:00

Once upon a time , there were a Senegalese Toukouleur Princess in love
with the historical town of Saint Louis in Senegal

This was her very special weekend and she wanted to show me
the town of her ancestors, here I was on my way to Saint Louis la Belle

Woke up early saturday morning and we did what 2 women do best in front of a mirror:
talk and beautify ourselves

Madame Diallo..in charge:)

Beautiful gifts of nature

Of course there wouldn't be a great trip without great food..

And the gain of those damn calories ..

Barque, pirogue a symbol of St Louis

Beautiful weekend...
Madame Brouette..Saint Louisiens

Maimouna

Come on girl u can do it...

Paisible...

Them...

Have you ever seen the tango btw a crab and a dead fish?

Hey guys..I know I disappeared again...
sorry about that guys, had a lot of work, and we've been experiencing in Dakar several blackouts on a daily basis..It's hot as hell and most nights we don't have power..so it's been quite challenging...
But anywhoo wanted to share pics I took while in Saint Louis during the wedding celebration of my friend Maimouna...

Itwas great,simple,relaxing,meaningful,and classy.
Will be back to update the blog tomorrow, I hope you all are having a wonderful summer:)
Yaye

A PRVILEGED MOMENT AT L'ECOLE DES SABLES-JANT BI DE GERMAINE ACOGNY!

2010-07-08T21:31:00.022-04:00

Jant Bi

Beautiful & blissful place vraiment

On my way with my bats

Car rapide

My Senegalese people will get it

La grace Africaine & de la Diaspora

Miss Teclaire @ work
www.lepagne.blogspot.com

It was beautiful

Kids playing on our way to Toubab Diallow

Senegalese tradional move

@ L'ecole des Sables

My friend beautiful dancer Fatou Samb was part of the show

Germaine Acogny embraced, loved by her students

Finally got the chance to meet Tata Fatime Faye, un amour de femme vraiment:)
Thank you for the sweet welcome

Go down.....

Germaine Acogny's formidable hubby w/her son Patrick

Miss Teclaire in love with the moment

Miss Ange Aoussou in the front w/the other beautiful performers

It felt like a privileged moment for us spectators, just for a moment our lives were put on pause and we were existing in the moment, being transported by the sensual and melodic way these African bodies were moving.
1,2,3,4,5....there were 43 free spirits sharing with us and that whether we were here or not the gifts of live they were given by the Allmighty. They were young women ,young men, young mothers, young fathers living in that one moment celebrating what took 3 months in the village of Toubab Diallow to learn the secrets and the philosophy of Germaine Acogny at her dance school or sanctuary if I may say the prestigious "L'ecole des sables".

Et pourtant, yes and yet, most of us in attendance were novice at lyrical dancing mixed with traditional dancing , we won't have the pretense to say that we understood exactly what each of their beautiful strong, delicate, sweet and not so sweet body movements meant BUT it meant something to me, it meant that we can all be what we want to be.

When I saw dancers like Ivoirian Ange Aoussou or british dancer Alessandra Seuti I was reminded of the gift that is the body , the gift that is to feel what we need to feel in the moment, the cadeau that is to dance in the moment.

I wasn't really surprised at the end of the show to see people crying, being moved by these dancers, their energy, no I understood that in just that one afternoon we were all one with these brave dancers. I say brave because I'm sure for dancers like Rachelle Goualy, Fatou Samb,Franck Bakekolo it wasn't necessarly easy to be accepted as an artist within the society, to say yes I want to move for a living , I want to move as a life purpose. The fight for this freedom wasn't clear as summer sky I presume. No! but here they are showing through this atelier lead by Germaine Acogny, Patrick Acogny, Nora Chaupemire, Mr Fo that yes they can.

My friend writer and blogger Teclaire who kindly invited me on this journey (I'm forever thankful sista vraiment)& I couldn't stop talking about our emotions on our way back to Dakar.We fell in love with the school, the peace and beautiful sense of serenity and spirituality that we were breathing as we were tincturing ourselves of this experience.

That afternoon, dance ,peace,friendship , spirituality were complimenting each other. We could tell that even though these performers worked their hard butts off (cos you know their bodies are solid as rocks..ouhhhhI envy them lol) they became friends, they learned about each other .
At the end of the showcase each student was to introduce him or herself and the country that they represented and it was pure joy hearing them shout out "BURKINA FASSO", "KENYA", "TCHAD", "BRAZIL", or "GUINEA EQUATORIAL" with so much pride, there were 20 nations represented..and just as they were basking themselselves in that one moment of pride it dawned me that they were world ambassadors, YES wherever these beautiful dancers will get the chance to perform they will represent and really stand for their people..so don't let anyone tell you that arts don't mean anything..it means EVERYTHING.

Don't believe me pray Allah to be given the chance to spend an afternoon at l'ecole des Sables de Germain Acogny:)
Praying to be invited again.....

Fabulafricainement yours,

PS: Teclaire you rock sista...thank u, thank u ,diarama soulsista:)
Check her out @ www.lepagne.blogspot.com

www.jantbi.org
You can watch some students from UCLA learning @ L'Ecole des sables, HERE

Yaye

TALATA WEDDING COUTURE PAPETERIE BY GHANAIAN ENTREPRENEUR TALATA MALDIMAL PROVENCAL!

2010-07-01T20:18:00.015-04:00

Nice Simple & pretty

I really like this yellow/grey contrast

Not Bad

Mandarine & apple

Elegant

I'm in love with pretty papeterie,beautiful stationary work ..yes I'm girly like that:)
I guess I'm not the only one because Talata made it her business to escort you during your wedding preparations w/beautiful invitation cards to send out to your guests.
Talata pays attention to each detail regarding your "perfect day" from your color theme, to the specifics abt your location..bref she wants you to feel special.
Some of the products you can order via her webbie are: wedding favors,hardcore photo books, wedding webbies,and of course handmade invitation cards.
It's a pretty thing a Fabulafricana with a beautiful project..so support our Ghanaian sista:)

www.talatacouture.com

Djaa my Ghanaian sistas sont dedans:)
Eyeee Wayeee:)

INTERVIEW WITH MODEL & ACTRESS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE VEIL, HALIMATA IXA GRAILLE!

2010-07-01T10:39:00.019-04:00

Let's travel along the Niger river shall we:) In the past,on this blog we haven't travel much to that part of the world but I hope that through the eyes of the very beautiful & elegant Halimata Ixa Graille we'll get to do just that. I saw this fabulafricana of the tribe of "the people of the veil"(Touareg) while watching the FIMA Festival last year and I was struck by her facial bone structure, the mystery behind her eyes, & that brin of je- ne sais quoi that emanates from her. Xalimata was born to the Touareg tribe (nomadic berber tribe) in Niger which has the highest population of Twareg people in the world.(will do a post about Twaregs in the future) So there it is through this interview I hope you'll get to know a little bit of who she is, her love for her daughter, her pride to be a world representant of the Touareg people through her modelling and acting career:)
*Design by the fabulous Paul Herve Elisabeth
Let's goo:)
1/Qui es tu? Who is Halimata Ixa Graille?
Je suis Halimata, femme du monde. J’entends née dans une culture et ayant grandi dans une autre, et qui enfin a voyagé à travers le mode en 3 mots : Nomade dans l’âme
I am Halimata a woman of the word born in a culture ,raised in another one, a nomade to the core.

2/Tu es touareg, peux tu nous parler un peu de cette culture?
As a woman of Touareg tribe, could you describe some of your traditions?
Oui je suis Touareg. Mon père est Ifforas et ma mère était Kélouli.
La place de la femme, dans la société touaregue me plaît beaucoup.
C’est une société matriacale, je souhaite juste que la religion ne change pas les choses à ce sujet. Le divorce est autorisé et madame prend tout:) lol
Yes I am Touareg, my father is Ifforas and my mother was Kelouli. Women's place within my culture is quite important,it's a matriarchal society & for example in case of a divorce,the woman can pretty much have all right to all material possessions.

3/Comment perçois tu ton ethnie et le reste du monde?
How do you perceive your tribe and how do you see the rest of the world?
Le monde est riche…Je le perçois comme des contrées que je n’ai pas encore exploiter; je pense à l’Inde, l’Amérique du Sud. Mais il me semble que les sociétés occidentales se « sont perdues » dans leur système consommation de masse, internet… Les gens sont seuls, ne communiquent plus, la solidarité et l’humanité disparaissent.
Quant à mon ethnie dans tout ça… Et bien je suis fière de constater, qu’elle reste solidaire et chaleureusement humaine et qu’elle tente tant bien que mal de garder son identité, ses coutumes…mais jusqu’à quand ?
The world is vaste..for me the world represents countries I have yet to visit. I think of India, South America but at the same time the Western society has lost itself within the consumption system (internet,mass media ect) people tend to be lonely,they don't communicate enough, there's no sense of solidarity or humanity.
I'm proud of my culture, I'm proud to see that my tribe managed to stay united "warm",and that we try as much as we can to keep our identity...but for how long?:)

3/Comment es tu tomber ds le mannequinat?
How did you fall in the world of modelling?
A la base c’était un rêve de petite fille.
Enfant, je faisais des défilés à la maison.
Ensuite à 18 ans je travaillais comme serveuse, et la directrice de NOVA mag , qui déjeunait souvent dans le restau, m’a demander de faire une couverture.
It used be a little girl dream, I used to play model at home. At 18 years old, I was waitressing and the director of the magazine NOVA who used to lunch there asked me to do a cover..and the rest is history.

4/Qu'est ce que cela t'a apporter? How did your career affect your life?
Tant de choses ! Je suis devenue polyglote, j’ai visité 22 pays environ, j’ai rencontrer plein plein de gens interressant et autant moins . Ca m’a ouverte encore plus l’esprit…
It brought me so many things, I've been able to visit around 22 countries, I've met tones and tones of interesting people , it has def' broaden my horizons.

5/Tu me sembles très engagée "Afrique" pourquoi?U seem to be quite socially engaged with everything Africa why?
Parce que j’ai eu 2 la chance, de sortir du continent, de voir le monde.
Et sans être une militante forcenée, ça me déchire le cœur de voir que le continent ne tient toujours pas tout seul debout. On continue à être dépendant de l’occident….malgré 50 ans d’indépendance. J’aimerais beaucoup que les africains soient plus unis.
Simply because I've been lucky to travel outside of the continent that is still trying to stand. We are still dependent on the western world...and that 50 years after we celebrated our "independence". I would love for us Africans to be united.

6/Il me semble que tu as participer a un film qui s'appelle Le Dernier Vol, peux tu nous en dire plus? Can you tell us some more in your acting work in the movie"Le Dernier Envol"?
C’est un long métrage de Karim Dridi, avec Guillaume Cannet et Marion Cotillard. Je suis la fille du chef touareg qui a une histoire avec Guillaume Cannet. C’était belle expérience et c’est mon second long métrage.
It's directed by Karim Dridi, with Guillaume Canner ,Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. I play the role of the daughter of the touareg chef who shares a love story with the personage of Guillaume Cannet.This is my second movie role.

7/Aimeras-tu continuer a faire du cinéma?Would you like to pursue an acting career ?
J’aurai bien aimé, mais pas simple d’avoir un agent à Niamey ;)
I would love to even though it's not easy finding an agent in Niamey:)

8/Quels sont tes designers africain préfères? Who are some of your fav' African designers?
Il ya du monde : Alphadi, Mickael Kra, XULY BET, Eric Raisina, Mariko Kadi, Salah Barka, Mariam Diop…

9/Comment s'est passer l'édition 2009 du festival d'alphadi?How was your participation to the 2009 FIMA Festival?
Elle était bien ! It was great!

10/À quoi ressemble une journée dans ta vie? What's a day in your life?
Ah Ah…je vais casser le mythe là J’emmène ma fille à l’école, je fais mon marché, je travaille sur mes projets, ensuite je récupère mon enfant… en suite les après midi, je visite la famille, ou activité avec ma puce.
Ah Ah ..people will be surprised to hear that I take my daughter to school, I go to the market, I work on my personal projects then I go back to get her from school..during my afternoons I visit my family or do stuff with my baby.

11/Le Niger est connu comme étant une société traditionnelle comment le vis tu? Being that tradition is such a big thing to your country, how do you deal with that?
C’est vraiment pas simple… surtout concernant les femmes , surtout les jeunes femmes.
Alors je prends la patience…ce qui n’est pas trop mon fort j’avoue, mais je progresse
It's not easy, not easy at all mostly regarding the young girls but I try to remain patient ..even though patience is not my forte..

12/Si je devais venir à Niamey ou m'emmènerais tu pour que je passe un bon moment?
If I was to visit you in Niamey where would you take me?
Alors je te demanderai tes envies , et tes gout surtout : mais je pense que nous passerions l’après midi à boire du thé sous la tente, dans la famille.
Puis pour l’apéro je t’emmène manger des brochettes en bord de fleuve au grand hotel, pour le restau, je t’emmèneai à l’Alizé et nous resterions après pour dansé ;)
I would first of all ask you about your likes and dislikes , but I think that we would spend the afternoon drinking thea under the tent with my family.
Then for cocktail hour we would go eat some brochettes under the fleuve au Grand Hotel, for a great restaurant outing I would take you to l'Alize where we would finish off the night dancing.

13/Quel est ton tempérament?What's your personality like?
Je suis une passionnée, avec une grande sensibilité. J’aime beaucoup rire, c’est mon médicament face à l’adversité.I am a passionate person with a great sense of sensibility, I love laughing it's my remedy against difficulties.

14/Il ya t'il des gens de ton pays que tu aimerais que le monde connaisse plus?Are there some great talents in your country you would like people to find out more about?
Oui mon oncle Rissa Ixa, peintre et fervent défenseur de la culture touareg, Nadia Paris, une jeune artiste peintre bourré de talent !!!
Mariko Kadi une styliste qui gagne a être connu, et des artistes comme Mali Yaro, Idi Sarki…
Yes people like my uncle Rissa Ixa, a painter and a defender of the touareg culture, Nadia Paris a talented artist ,Mariko Kadi a great designer and artists like Mali Yaro, Idi Sarki

*Painting by Nadia Paris

15/ Pratiques tu la religion, qu'est ce que ca t'apporte?
What religion do you practice and what does it bring to your life?
Je suis née musulmane, j’ai été un court temps à l’école corannique, puis en France j’ai demander à aller au cathéchisme, par curiosité.
Mais je pratique aucune religion, pour le moment je me cherche encore à ce niveau.
I was born Muslim and went for a short time at the Coranic school , while I lived in France I chose to study catechism by curiosity.At the moment I do not practice any religion I'm still trying to find my way.

16/Comment te vois-tu dans 5 ans?Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Je ne sais pas de quoi est fait demain, et j’ai appris que rien n’est acquis dans la vie.*
I don't know what my life will be like tomorrow and I've learned that there are no guarantees in life

17/Quelle est ta devise dans la vie?What's your motto in life?
Demain est un autre jour !!Tomorrow is another day

18/Qu’est ce que la beauté t'inspire?What does beauty inspire in you?
Je suis très sensible à la beauté des gens, des choses, mais pour les êtres si la beauté de l’âme n’est pas au RDV, la beauté physique n’a pas d’éclat.
I'm very sensitive to physical beauty but if we're not pretty on the inside then the physical beauty in u doesn't shine.

19/De quoi es tu certaine dans la vie?What do you know for sure in life.?
A part de l’amour des miens, de rien !!!
Apart from the love of my loved ones, of nothing:)

Thank you Halimata, thank you for sharing your zen and sweet personality as well as your Touareg heritage with us.
We Fabulafricanas of the world are wishing you the very best in all your future projects and hope to see you in some great beauty and ad editorials as well on the small & big screen, Inch'Allah:)

By the way you can see the trailer for "Le Dernier Vol", HERE

Djaa les gos du Niger sont fierceee dee:)
Eyeee Wayee:)

CULINARY CHEF, RESTAURANT & AFRICAN SPICES LINE OWNER, MR MOROU OUATTARA!

2010-06-29T19:33:00.009-04:00

Mais c'est qu'il est pas mal le Chef aussi:)Duck & Pamplemousse ,pic by Steve Legato
Farrah Olivia Restaurant, pic by Chris Gunn

I'm impressed with this Ivoirian brotha, just when I was giving up on finding about great culinary chefs, I find out about Chef Morou Ouattara. He grew up in a large family of 10 children in Cote D'Ivoire, moved to the States to pursue computer studies and just like many immigrants found a job at a restaurant, Francesco Ricchi.

There, he felt right at home learning about cooking technics, guided by his love for cooking that his mother passed on to him. While working for Red Sage restaurant he got nominated to executive chef. Chef Morou's cooking flair didn't go unoticed in the DC area and he received nominations for the Washington Chef of the Year in 2005.

In 2006, he co-opened with his wife Heather, a modern African restaurant called Farrah Olivia. The restaurant became very popular and received several nominations as one DC's finest restaurant. Today, he put that successful project on stand- by and focuses on another venture, an Italian restaurant "Kora" which he opened with his wife and brother Amadou Ouattara.On top of it he also focuses on an african spice line called Unikeat (dried okra powder,cassava couscou, kora mix ect ..) and catering services (intimate to cocktail parties )...This husband, father, food lover and business entrepreneur hasn't forgotten African, he would love to find the right ONG & cause to help out..hopefully that will be soon:)
I would love to try his cooking and if you are in the area ..do support an African brotha!!

Here are his webbies:

www.morou.com
www.korarestaurant.com

The address is:
2250 B Crystal Drive
Arlington VA 22202
P: 571-431-7090
You can view an interview, HERE

Djaa mes freres de Cote d'Ivoire sont dedans:)
Eyeee Wayeee:)

TUNISIAN VISUAL GRIOT, MOUFIDA FEDHILA!

2010-06-26T11:11:00.011-04:00

My World

@Moufida Fedhila

I won't even attempt to put Moufida in a category, she's unique. I was viewing her visual work, some of her poetry, photography , video installations and I still don't know how to define her...

She's" gangsta,a flower lyricist and a visual griot of our world".... that's how I see her.

In her most memorable piece to this day
"My world" she explores the notion of frontiere,how we human beings put walls (architectural walls, map frontieres, our need for privacy ect..) that separate us from each other.

Moufida did a photographic piece about Sub Saharian refugees and how they are separated from the rest of the world by a gigantic wall.
Apart from her photography and video installations work, Moufida is an avid poet, an, actress, a dancer, and a screenplay writer..bref we're not done hearing abt this sista.
http://moufida.fedhila.over-blog.com/
You can view part of her work, HERE

Djaaa my Tunisian sistas sont dedans:)
Eyeee Wayee:)

NIGERIAN FASHION EDITOR & STYLIST,PEJU FAMOJURE!

2010-06-26T09:45:00.008-04:00

J'adore

Nice work

The shoes are def luxois:)

Interesting

Fashion editorial

See you may not have know that it was an african sista behind this cover

It's nice to know that behind some great fashion editorial work in some of the best fashion publications out there, there are fabulafricanas. Peju is a stylist, a fashion editor, a contributing market editor. She's worked for magazines such a L'Officiel Maroc,W Mag,Vogue Italia,Vogue Paris, WWD,Vogue Germany, Glamour/France...bref she's def putting her marks within the industry:)

I wanted to celebrate Peju because a lot of times we don't know the girls behind these great fashion and editorial pages & ads..so Miss Famojure chapeau to you:)

Here's her webbie:

http://pejufamojure.com

Djaa my nigerian sistas sont dedans:)

Eyee Wayeee:)

*Pic courtesy of www.essence.com

CONCHA BUIKA AT THE 29TH FETE DE LA MUSIQUE /FRANCE!

2010-06-26T09:01:00.005-04:00

Concha @ the 29th Fete de la Musique

This post would make my friend Fafa really happy, she l.o.v.e.s her :)

On June 21st 2010, all over France you could hear music and some more music as they were celebrating you guessed it rite..MUSIC:)

This time they made it a point to celebrate women & music, and invited people like Inna Modja (who's doing amazing I have to say) & Concha Buika (the african sista w/flamenco in her soul)

I hope that you all by now know and love this sista, she's brilliant ,she's possessed when she's on stage and makes you feel every inch of the emotions that she's evoking through her music.

Djaa my sistas from Guinea Equatorial are doing the damn thing:)

Eyee Wayeee:)

BUT WHERE HAS MISS FATOU N'DIAYE BEEN?

2010-06-26T07:44:00.004-04:00

Swaggar, whether you have it or you don't:)

But Where has Fatou N'diaye been? The beautiful Senegalese actress who stole our hearts in the movies "Fatou La Malienne"& "Na Fhala".But ok I'm over exagerating she's been working steady since her begs', she's been acting almost yearly in tv shows,making movies here & there .She currently plays in the French TV show "Victor Sauvage"the role of Farah a sweet but no-nonsense sort of manager of a animal park which started on TFI sometimes in April 2010.

Good good news, it's good to see that she's probably making stabe money but I would love to see her on the big screen..so Fatou keep working sis:)

Here's the webbie:

http://www.tf1.fr/victor-sauvage/

Djaa my Senegalese sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayeee:)

SHE'S GOT IT! GIVE IT UP FOR ZIMBABWEAN SINGER , SHARON ROSE!

2010-06-24T11:21:00.007-04:00

Work it Sista!

Sharon comes from a musically inclined family,her dad was a choir director back in Zimbabwea while her mother was and still is a singer. She's always been encouraged to pursue music but never to let go of her studies. So as a child and teen she sing-sing in church and at events but it was until a few years ago that she decided to take it to another leve..

And after listening to her song "Shine" I'm like hell yeahhh you can sing that would have been a waste of talent. She worked on her first album "Self Titled"with her brother and they came out with hits like L.O.V.E..

She's influenced by great songwriters like Jill Scott,her mama, Lauryn Hill, Coldplay ect..

Her sound is fresh, fun, jazzy, R&Bish, pop, 80's..I'm really impressed with her performances, she controlls the crowd w/her confidence, her strong powerful voice, def' a performer.

I'm feeling her , and of course I'm adding her to the playlist...:)

Here's her webbie:(check it out for tour dates ect)www

www.sharonrosemusic.com

Check out some of her performances on her youtube channel, HERE

Djaa my Zimbabwean sistas sont dedans:)

Eyee Wayee:)

COOL ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT IN ATLANTA, DESTA ETHIOPIAN KITCHEN!

2010-06-24T07:40:00.007-04:00

Yummy, yummy
Ouhhh looks good

All pics courtesy of

www.kibru.com

I've tried Ethiopian cuisine a couple of times while living in the States, once it was at an Ethiopian restaurant and the second time a good Ethiopian friend of mine invited me over for dinner..At the time I was not "open" , (let's just put it that away) to other types of African cuisines..I'll admit it !I was more of a rice & fish type of girl(typical senegalese cuisine)..but seeing these lovely and yummy plates by Chef Titi and the rest of her team at Desta Kitchen makes me want 2 go right into an Ethiopian restaurant and try it again.

I've never been to Desta Kitchen and I bumped by accident into their website but I wanted to share it with you guys, you never know u may live in the area or may go visit sometimes in the near future.

What attracted me at first were the yummy colors of the food, the way the food is displayed on the plates (as Oprah says it best love is in the details), great presentation is already a great part of the appeal of a restaurant. You want to go to resto to embark on a culinary voyage, where people treat you with a smile and great manners am I rite?

Anywhoo the restaurant offers take-out, catering services. They open at 9AM & close at 12 AM most days except fro friday through sunday where they close at 1AM.

They serve tradional ethiopian dishes with a modern twist, dishes like talapia fish marinated in ethiopian spices,ethiopian steak tartar,sandwiches made with ethiopian butter,vegetarian food spiced up ethiopian stylo, ethiopian wine .ect...

I was reading a few reviews here and there on the net and some were saying that even though the restaurant is not quite big they really enjoyed themselves there , great atmosphere and great wait staff...so ethiopian cuisine it is next time for me.

Here's their address:

3086 Briarcliff Rd (inside the Williamsburg Shopping Center)

NE Atlanta GA 30329

404-929-0011

Here's the webbie:

http://www.destaethiopiankitchen.com/

Djaa we need to try all types of African cuisines:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

LEBO MASHILE ONE OF THE DOPEST URBAN FEMALE POET OF MADIBA'S LAND!

2010-06-23T11:28:00.008-04:00

Pic courtesy of www.victordlamini.book.co.za

She reminds me of Queen Latifah in her atitude , her swagger, her social engagement, her fight for gender justice ..but not to be twisted..she's HER!!

She's unique and her name is Lebo Mashile.

She's one of the fiercest and most notable pioneer of the urban poetic scene of South Africa. This beautiful curvy woman doesn't make exuses for who she is, and her opinions. Au contraire she states them loud and clear through her poems, her tv show L'Altitude where she tackles issues like polygamy , women self empowerement.

This 31 years old fabulafricana has accomplished a whole lot professionally, she wears the titles of tv presenter, tv show producer, poet, events MC..bref you get it , she works it out:)

She founded with a few poet sistas a female collective called "Feel A Sistah"

Lebo has published 2 poetry anthologies and has created a theatrical meets dance & poesie piece called "Threads" with french choreographer Sylvia Glasser.

You may also have seen her in "Hotel Rwanda" next to Don Cheadle..chick doesn't play:)

She's def' part of the new generation of South African women who are aware of the opportunities they've been given but also willing to put the work in order to pave the way for future generations of outstanding South African women.

On her blog she reflects on ways to do just that, ways to empower women to better their situations.

In 2008 she played the lead role in the theatrical piece "The Quiet Violence of Dreams".

I could sit here and tell you all about the various accolades she received such as the award in 2006 for Publishing in Africa ect..but I think what we should take away from this sister is that whatever we women want to do , we should do it with passion, determination and a bit of crazyness.

I've really enjoyed reading her blog, reading about other South African women, their realities ect..

She seems so centered and seems to have found herself maybe part of it is in the meditation that she practices
Today she's also the presenter of a TV show called "Drawing the Line" on top of creating and creating some more work for herself..way to go soul sista:)

Here's her webbie:

http://www.lebomashile.com/

Check her out on this video, HERE

Djaa my South African sistas sont dedans:)

Eyee Wayee:)

SOMALIAN ITALIAN WRITER & SOCIAL ACTIVIST CHRISTINA ALI FARAH!

2010-06-22T15:17:00.010-04:00

Christina Ali Farah Ubax

It's good to "know" and talk about us African sisters trying to bring a change in the world wherever we reside.

"Interesting young lady" is what I felt like saying after reading more about social activist , writer & poet Christina Ali Farrah. The 37 years old fabulafricana was born to an Italian mama and a Somali father. As most biracial people she faces the question of dual identities, the question of who she is as an Italian African woman. Her story is even more complex as she's lived in Somalia (left before the civil war) Hungary & Italy of course.

Reading about her life, I realize that the questions of immigration, the perpetual conflict btw black and white are still very relevant in Italy. She wrote novels recounting the stories of women she encoutered while working for an immigration agency. This former brazilian literature student is quite respected and known in Italy for her message of union among people. She's written a few novels , her first book published in 2007 is called Madre Picola. There's one book she co wrote with a photographer Marco Barbon called Asmara Dream that I would love to put my hands on, (I'm in love with that city and how it was affected till this day by Italian colonisation).

In my opinion people like Christina Ali Farah are important to our society because even though they can't give us definite answers on social issues such as immigration, they make us think, they make us re-think about our positions and social responsabilities. A few Italiano-Africanos intellectuals and her founded a magazine called El Ghibli where they keep searching for answers and sharing their thoughts. I like that she recognizes that she's a mixture of different cultures, different journeys she went on as she lived in Italy and Africa..that nothing is all white or all black..

http://www.migranews.it/

And if you do speak Italian, discover her on this video, HERE

Djaa my Somali sistas sont dedans:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

DAKAR ELLES 5K MARATHON, I DID IT!

2010-06-22T13:05:00.019-04:00

Fun time with strangers , even though we didn't know each other on a personal level, running for the same cause def' created a feeling of solidarity

It was hooooot..therefore please exuse mes grimaces lol

These women were clearly ready to take on this 5K Marathon

Before the race, we were warming up getting ready to take on this friendly challenge

The crowd was quite diverse, expats, locals, high school students, marathon virgins, athletes..

I ran at my own pace as you can see:)

Getting closer to the finish line...yeahhhhh:)

Let's go new friend.we are almost there..let's keep pushing:)

Enfin...I can't believe I made it...thank God:)

Yess'ooo!

I met this young girl while running, we kept each other going..:)

At the end of the race I celebrated with my bestie and cousin by doing the Senegalese new dance called "Goana"

Decided to treat myself to dinner to an African restaurant

...................

Athieke sauce

Alocos, plantains, plantanos if you prefer

A dish called sauce feuilles, one of my fav' African sauce

Hey guys happy first day of summer, hope that wherever you are you are planning of having an eventful and fun summer:)

I ran a 5K Marathon about a few weeks ago and it was one the best physical and mental challenge I put myself through.

I used to hate running..fast forward to hoy, I run pretty much every day.

A local marketting and communication company (Shout to EXP in particular Katharinaaaa) organized a bi-anual 5K marathion called Dakar Elles (Dakar is the name of my hometown,Elles refer to women)

Through our participation they were able to raise money for 2 local ONG's which help women and children living with financial difficulties.

I started training a month before by running about 30-1 hour/day..friends and family were starting 2 worry a bit abt me and eventual burn outs.

On the the day of the race, my bestie and cousins came with me to support me. I was pleasantly surprised by the great number of Dakar Elles I saw at the Place du Souvenir.We were greeted with red tee shirts, water bottles, music, the Olympique Club trainers (my gym) , good vibes, soft drinks stand. I was surprised to see such a diverse crowd of women, expats, local women , young girls, bref we the Dakar women were in full effect and ready to get our 5K on..

As I saw some really toned women I started feeling the pressure oh boyyyyy and I was wondering seriously if I could do it..It wasn't about finishing first for me rather it was about finishing the race without giving up and reaching my goal. The distance from the place du Souvenir to the Restaurant Terrou Bi was quite impressive..so I was wondering and wondering..lol

When we were given the ok to go, we yelled , clapped our hands as passengers on the other side of the road were wondering what the hell we were doing and why was that side of the street blocked. It must have been a sight in an African country to see females dressed in red tees running and walking.. I was feeling excited, happy, anxious, tired...but I told myself Yaye if you've ran for an entire hour on a treadmill without stopping "ain't nobody gonna stop u but yourself! let's just pray and keep it going"

When I finish the first 2,5 K , I felt some great relief, I as passing by groups of girls in good spirit walking , taking a break or running..

If I could cheer them on I did, I felt love for these strangers. I wanted them to finish the race and I wanted us collectively to push beyond our boundaries.

As I was getting close to the finish line (hip hip hooray) this young girl and I started chatting and encouraging each other to finish. She had the most amazing smile and a beautiful energy about her, it's amazing how you can get attached in a minute to a total stranger..

5.. 4...3..2..1 Yesssss we made it, we made it..I was so happy and proud of myself and the young lady I was running with. I felt proud of us women who took this opportunity to challenge ourselves, show Dakar how it's done, show Dakar that having a female marathon is not weird and is not just for athletes or Caucasian people (yes that's how some of us think)

I was glad that through participating to this, I encourage others to do the same, have some clean healthy fun while support good causes at the same time.

At night I treated my cousin,bestie and I to some good African cuisine, and a night of fun at a locan dance club..where I felt like a Dakar Elle:)

I was interviewed by http://www.caaseworld.com/

You can check the video, HERE

Djaa Galsene Women are Dakar Elles:)

Eyee Wayee:)