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FEATURES 32

Nigerian Billionaire Aliko Dangote Eyes the World Aliko Dangote has built Africa’s largest cement company. Hardly satisfied, he now has his sights set on the rest of the world. By Mfonobong Nsehe

Young Entrepreneurs Making the Leap to Millionaire Young entrepreneurs are changing the way we do business. By Juliana D. Norwood

Investing Lessons From a Billionaire Mega-investor Michael Lee-Chin Canadian Billionaire, Michael Lee-Chin espouses a unique philosophy. By Alan Hughes

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AKILO DAGNOTE: WORLD’S RICHEST BLACK MAN

YOUNG ENTREPRENUERS

Business Unusual: “Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery” - Bob Marley Black-owned businesses are on the auction block, where the highest bidder bids- and wins. By Adrian Worrell

DEPARTMENTS 7

WELCOME

WORDS OF INSPIRATION

INVESTING TIPS

LETTERS TO MEEMAH AFRIKA

AFRISCENE

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION One on One with Leon of Leon & The Peoples

STYLE All The World’s A Stage For Stylist Edward Enninful

AFRICA EATS Following the Pursuit of Passion…And How It Came Down To Cakes

REVIEWS

SPORTS Athletes For Africa Rock the Pitch For A Good Cause…

POWER OF ONE Kay Morris: Queen Nana Sika

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY My Story in Black and White: Shelley Jarrett

NEWS & POLITICS The Black Vote: Conversations with Rad Dockery

PERSPECTIVE The Cash Industry of Skin Bleaching & the Fairness Fetish

SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITY The Canadian Dream or the Great Canadian Façade?

SPOTLIGHT: AFRICA Africa’s Top Ten Wealthiest People

TECH TALK Tablet Craze

GUESS WHERE

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS 7 Signs the Person You’re Dating is a Bad Investment

I AM AFRICULTURE

HEALTH & FITNESS Too Busy to Go to the Gym, Too Broke To Afford One

NAETO-C LOVES TORONTO ISSUE 2

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WELCOME

FORMULA FOR

SUCCESS PUBLISHER’S ADDRESS It is a Blessing to publish the second issue of Africulture Magazine, I am grateful to the readers and subscribers for making this issue of Africulture Magazine a success. I am extremely thankful to my dedicated team for continuously striving towards excellence. We are maintaining our stand to bring forth the richness of our heritage, by showcasing the untold, unseen beauty of our culture. In this issue, we will take you through an amazing and in-depth journey on how successful we can be as a people if only we are committed to our dreams and aspirations. Among others, we tend to believe that we might not or nor will never be as successful as other ethnicities; however, based on research and statistics, we are the most educated, influential, and some of the world’s most richest. We are not at the bottom of the food chain as we are made to believe. Individuals such as Aliko Dangote, Michael Lee Chin, Oprah Winfrey, Farrah Gray and Tina Wells are of some of the worlds most successful business people both young and old(er), that are doing things besides acting, rap-ing or singing, which are also great industries. But we should use some of these other individuals as the archetype to aim for the sky or to attain our goals. As a nation, we should take advantage of the opportunities available to us, let us indulge our time in education, trades and profitable ventures that can improve our quality of life, after-all, life is to be lived, not analyzed, and time is to be used, not wasted. Remember, there is no failure in life other than not trying. If you want something badly enough, make an attempt....A lot of people get scared. “They’re afraid to fail. Take the word out of your vocabulary. You didn’t ‘fail’. You tried your best.” -Jane Seymour Until next time, keep living in an atmosphere of miracles and GOD’s Blessings.

EDITOR’S MESSAGE My editor’s message needs to be changed to this; Welcome to another edition of Africulture Magazine. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Africulture Magazine launch. It was a remarkable and memorable evening filled with poetry, music and special guest honorees. You can read more about it on page 12. In this issue we focus on business and entrepreneurship looking at various individuals within the African Diaspora here and abroad who have excelled in their industry as an entrepreneur. We talk one-on-one with actor and singer Leon of Leon and the Peoples. Stylist extraordinaire Edward Enninful talks about re-defining style and we ‘Rock the Pitch’ for a cause at the Athletes for Africa sports charity event. However, it doesn’t stop there! We look into an issue that many people and cultures face, looking into the multi-billion dollar skin bleaching industry and the role it plays in the struggle for self-identity. We get valuable investing advice from investment guru and icon Michael Lee Chin and take a look at the world’s richest black man, an African man named Aliko Dangote. Join us on this journey of entrepreneurship; we hope you enjoy reading our second issue. And remember…success is measured not only by a person’s status in life but also, I believe, by the character of the person and how successful he or she is in helping others. The highs, the lows, and the in-betweens, they will all come! It’s a part of the life that we live. Whether time, money or energy, haters, naysayers or pessimists, whether pain, suffering or sorrow. Whether sickness or disease, poor credit or even bankruptcy - it’s okay! You have got this!! Grow in love, knowledge, passion and success Evelyn Oteng-Pabi

Blessing Irabor

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= SUCCESS! Africulture Magazine’s various print and online advertising packages will give your brand full unparalleled access to a diverse culture of unique individuals that engage and embrace our content, and see it as the source of where to go for products/services to better themselves.

WORDS OF INSPIRATION

MAGAZINE TEAM ISSUE 2 | FALL 2011

VICE-PRESIDENT/EDITOR IN CHIEF Evelyn Oteng-Pabi

A VERY WISE MAN, a Pan- Africanist American writer, historian, professor, GRAPHIC DESIGN/ PRODUCTION ARTIST Ellen Nyarko

and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s, Dr. Henry Clark once said: “What will we tell our children? At what point do we sit down and not argue about TV? At what time do we sit down and tell simple stories about our revolutionary heritage and get it across to our children, we have the longest revolutionary heritage of any people on the face of the earth? We have fought longer and harder, and against great odds than any people on the face of earth, why do our children not know this? Because if they knew this and they loved themselves, none of them would put poison in their veins, if they knew this they would know that a code of conduct is expected of them. They cannot afford to live selfishly, their conduct must reflect the best and a whole people and when someone tries to lead them in ways not of their liking, they should have enough sense of their own selves on this earth to say ‘we are not a people that engage in things of that nature. We are not a people who demean ourselves in that way’, but for them to know this – they have to know what kind of society produced them.” Know that you come from greatness and are capable. Every individual that you read about in this magazine had a vision, a plan and a goal that they followed through with. Chart your course, write out your plan and achieve your goals. You CAN do it! Your success is determined by you and how hard and how far you are willing to go. Let us also remember that we come from a great race of people, that without their inventions we would not be able to do the things we appreciate being able to do, see, touch, taste or use daily, such as Otis Boykon who invented the electrical resistor we use in computers, radios, television sets and a variety of electrical devises, Lyda D. Newman who invented the hair brush, and last but definitely not least, George Washington Carver who invented peanut butter, adhesives, bleach, chili sauce, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, talcum powder and more.

BEAUTY & STYLE EDITOR Nnenna Amaechi FOOD & RELATIONSHIP EDITOR Amaka Nnawuchi MONEY, FINANCE & BUSINESS EDITOR Gideon Arthur MUSIC, NEWS & POLITICS EDITOR Adrian Worrell SPORTS EDITOR Jordan Messam CURRENT AFFAIRS & ISSUES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY EDITOR Somuso Udome ADVICE COLUMNIST, DEAR MEEMAHAFRIKA Marian E. Stephenson SPECIAL FEATURES WRITER Gina Collymore SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT/MANAGER Zakkiya Aisha Toby

…Now how’s that for REVOLUTIONARY & INSPIRING! My hope is that after reading this you will hold your head a little bit higher, and walk a little bit stronger because YOU come from greatness.

PROOF READER Nicole Georges CONTENT EDITOR Nicole Levy

As long as you are WILLING you are MORE than CAPABLE and ABLE! So Cheers to your future Success!

CONTRIBUTORS: Evelyn Oteng-Pabi, Ellen Nyarko, Somuso Udome, Simone Da Costa, Nnenna Amaechi, Adrian Worrell, Jordan Messam, Juliana D. Norwood(OurWeekly), Souleo (BlackEnterprise), Steven Olema, TheRichest.Org, Mfonobong Nsehe (Forbes) Shelley Jarrett, Adiela Aviram, Michelle Hughes, Nicole Georges, Gideon Arthur, Alan Hughes (BlackEnterprise), Felicia Joy, Bernard Laryea, Gabriel W. Odartei, Abena Dinsbi

- Abena Dinsbi

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For more information on our introductory advertising rates for both print and online, contact us: afriads@africulturemagazine.com

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Blessing Irabor

John Henrik Clarke (January 1, 1915 — July 16, 1998), born John Henry Clark, was a Pan-Africanist American writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.

ADVERTISING OFFICE Head Office: Africulture Magazine, 1726 Weston Road., Toronto, ON M9N 1V6

CONNECTING AFRICAN-CANADIANS

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MEEMAH AFRIKA

ear Regretful Rage,

LETTERS TO

MEEMAH AFRIKA

“ ”

Advice from our advice columnist, Marian Stephenson

I start arguments over nothing and go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds.

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Dear Meemah Afrika, I am located in the Toronto area and need help with anger management issues. My sign is a Pisces. My boyfriend will eventually leave me because I start arguments over nothing and go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. I know he loves me and is very patient, but wonder how long he will be able to put up with my temper. I know I have this problem but I don’t have the ability to stop myself and have no money to pay for the anger management classes’. Do you know of any free classes or groups that I can go to get the desperate help I need? Signed, Regretful Rage

I must first share with you the fact that I am so very proud of you already, you are in the onset of your recovery/ discovery process. Together you and I may be able to tap into a few things that may offer you some insight into what is going on in your life to make you go from 0 to 100. Anger is a valid emotion, when used positively; great things can be accomplished and not destroyed. The City of Toronto is a vast place and has many different social service agencies, community organizations and resources from which to choose from such as CAMH, Elizabeth Fry, etc that offer a variety of assistance. If you are willing to put in the legwork, I am certain there will be great and positive results. Pisces adapt well to their circumstances both good and bad. They are generous, amiable, positive natured people with a deep sense of kindness and compassion. Pisces are highly tuned into everything around them including the feelings of others. Since you are not sounding very much like your star sign, if you know someone that works in the social services or community development sector you can ask them where you can go to get information, advice and counseling on anger management. I would suggest that you delve deeper into the root causes of your anger. Could it be a taught behavior from your childhood? Or are you having difficulty with your health or is your anger more pronounced during a particular time of the month (rent, bills, etc.)? Anger issues usually have a root cause. Look deeper into yours, talk to your family and friends, and ask them if they notice any behaviors. Now, with regards to your boyfriend leaving you, he hasn’t left you yet because you said it

yourself, he loves you. He has been patient with the process thus far and has stuck by you through the difficult times already. I am pretty sure he will still be sticking around once the more pleasant, confident you returns. In every relationship there is the good, bad, bitter and sweet...somewhat like a box of chocolates. If neither of the above seems helpful, try keeping a journal of anger and overcoming. Label it exactly that. Grab yourself a notebook. Jot down all the things you love about yourself and all the things you would like to change. Ask your boyfriend, family, and friends for their input as well. You will probably find that most of the items you didn’t even think to write down about yourself, others have said. It is said that it takes 30 days to form a habit. Day one begins with you starting to love yourself and overcoming your anger or at least identifying what makes you angry. Day 30 should be the same list as day one and see how far you were able to go in your journey. I have a feeling you will be prouder still. Hope to hear from you in 29 days. Remember you are loved. Blessings, Love, and Joy to you as you enter your journey.

Disclaimer: Advice and recommendations are based on limited information provided and should be used as a guideline only. Neither the author nor Africulture Magazine or AfricultureMagazine. com make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in whole or in part within this article and/or any advice given.

TIPS TO TAME YOUR TEMPER

Keeping your temper in check can be challenging. Use simple anger management tips — from taking a timeout to using “I” statements — to stay in control. 1. Take a time out 2. Once you’re calm, express your anger 3. Get some exercise 4. Think before you speak 5. Identify possible solutions 6. Stick with ‘I’ statements 7. Don’t hold a grudge 8. Use humor to release tension 9. Practice relaxation skills 10. Know when to seek help Anger management classes and counseling can be done individually, with your partner or other family members, or in a group. Request a referral from your doctor to a counselor specializing in anger management, or ask family members, friends or other contacts for recommendations. Your health insurer, employee assistance program (EAP), clergy, or state or local agencies also might offer recommendations. ©1998-2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).

READ MORE ABOUT 10 TIPS TO TAME YOUR TEMPER It’s easy: Go to http://gettag.mobi to get the free app. Then snap or scan the colour bar codes and read. Your carrier’s standard rates may apply.

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AFRISCENE

07.14.2011

06.04.2011

3RD ANNUAL KAMSHUKA GALLERY SHOW

AFRICULTURE MAGAZINE LAUNCH A

THE DATE WAS JULY 14, 2011 and I went home feeling good! I had just come back from an event in which Award Winning Photographer, Belinda Barrocks exhibited her works in support of the Canadian Cancer Society at Mirage Grill & Lounge. her “The predominately Exotic Art captures various images of landscapes, foreign lands and emotional expressions of people, this year being the beautiful South Africa. “(Belinda Is Kamshuka, event media release. It was a pleasure for me to be a part of Belinda’ Kamshuka’s ‘My Exotic Eye’ event. Surrounded by beautiful photography and beautiful people, it was an event I had only wished more of my friends had known about. I walked in to observe an elegant and classy place with sophisticated accents of white furniture. The event staff were all friendly and welcoming and servers were walking around with trays of delicious appetizers. A gallery full of beautiful photos and beautiful people filled the venue and in attendance were writer and

friculture Magazine, hosted our Magazine launch on June 4, 2011 at the elegant Luna Ballroom. The event showcased poets, drummers, dancers and fashion designers of all walks of life. We also awarded the Africulture Magazine Invisible Heroes and Africulture Magazine Award of Excellence to both Mr. Abdifatah Warsame and Queen Nana Sika Kay Morris, respectively. There were many in attendance and we were honored to have Kay Morris Queen Nana Sika, Pascal Atuma, several chiefs of both the Nigerian and Ghanaian community in Toronto, as well as many more notable and distinguished guests in our midst. For those of you who missed it, here are some of our event photos of that night.

songstress Kim Davis & Canadian R&B singer Ray Rob to name a few. Poet and Motivational educator Al St. Louis was also in the building and graced us with a poem. African drumming helped set the scene and African dance took us back home. …This was Belinda’s exotic eye – in the performances and her dance, in the supportive friends and family she had attending, and in the portraits that she takes. Her photography was of photos of her trip to South Africa. I almost felt, as if I was there through her exotic eye. - Belinda is Owner & CEO of “Kamshuka” An Award winning International Photographer & Artist who has taken her Art to Dubai, the Island of Bahrain, the Bahamas, & recently to South Africa for 14 amazing days. Covering Fashion Week locally to overseas in Bahrain. Belinda continues to express her thoughts and interpret her heart through her creative Images. (www.kamshuka.com)

07.22.2011

ADAMS APPLE PREMIERE IN CANADA 1

ON JULY 22ND, 2011, Ghollywood met Canada with the first African movie premiere in the country. This historical event was organized and presented by Ghanalinx Media Group and Barksdale Agency in association with Sparrows Productions (Ghana) Some of the casts from the film were welcomed with open arms to Canada for the screening of chapters one and two of this 10 movie series ‘Adams Apples’. Starring Joselyn Dumas, John Dumelo and many more. Directed by Shirley Frimpong Manso and produced by Ken Attoh. This prestigious event took place at the Living Arts Center (Mississauga, Ontario) and was attended by many dignitaries and special guests in the Ghanaian-Canadian community. Be on the look for the red carpet screening of Chapter 3, for more information visit www.ghanalinx.com - Gabriel W. Odartei

3 (1) Cast with the red carpet hosts for the night (2) The organizers (Ghanalinx Media) and (Barksdale Entertainment) with the cast from Sparrows Productions (3) Actress, Joselyn Dumas and Director, Shirley Frimpong with attendee.

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AFRISCENE

07.31.2011

NAETO C 10/10 CARIBANA PARTY ►

Sunday July 31st. The African/Nigerian community gathered for the much-anticipated Naeto C concert/ party. I first heard about it on Canada day (July 1st) and since then, there had been a lot of buzz surrounding the event. As much as I shy away from large crowds of familiar faces, I was definitely curious about what the experience would be like. If you are Nigerian and do not live underneath a rock, you are at least slightly familiar with no less than one of his songs and his very popular catch phrase “Yes Boss” which I have to admit – I love the way it rolls off his tongue.

Naeto C (left) with fans at Toronto concert

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Naeto C (pictured) performs in Toronto, Ontario for Caribana Weekend

Naetochukwu Chikwe (28) is an American-born Nigerian rapper signed to Storm Records. He burst onto the scene in 2008 with the release of his debut album U Know My “P”. The album featured popular Nigerian acts like Wande Coal. Saro Wiwa and Ikechukwu. The breakthrough single of the album Kini Big Deal dominated the radio waves and Put Naeto C on the map as a contender in the Nigerian Hip-hop industry. His second album Super C Season was released early this year and spawns a whole slew of club anthems like “Duro” – featuring Y. Q, 5 and 6 and the insanely popular Ten over Ten – which lends its name to his current multi-country tour. I arrived at the Venue - On The Rox Nightclub in North York – just before midnight. Turns out I was very under-dressed for the event in my blue jeans, black tank top, boyfriend blazer and flat shoes. I spent a few minutes admiring the fascinating variety of short dresses and sexy stilettos that all the girls had on if I was a man, I would probably have been a bit overwhelmed with all the attractive choices of females. I grabbed a Heineken from the bar and did a walkthrough of the venue. It’s a large club with upscale décor, several seating sections, two bars, an outdoor patio and a large dance floor in front of which the stage was mounted. Suya Spot also had a section set up, serving suya and other finger foods. People were mostly engrossed in their small groups conversing. The crowd was predominantly African - late teens to mid thirties. People from all over the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor were in Toronto for Caribana weekend and the night’s event was a big part of it. Event DJ’s: Neptune (Naeto C tour jockey), Chiggzy and Spinalong were playing an upbeat mix of Nigerian, African and Top 40 tracks. As soon as the

MC came on and said “Naeto C is in the building”, people started to converge on the dance floor to reserve spots closest to the stage in anticipation of his arrival. We danced for about an hour as the MC tried to “warm up” the crowd and then the 2 opening acts were introduced one after the other. First K-jay and then Rufino – both rappers of African descent. It was at 2:18am that Naeto C hit the stage to resounding applause and screaming from literally throngs of female fans. He was dressed in a white tee, a pair of jeans and a “Toronto” hat. His intro was Lagos City Husler - from his first album, followed by a Bedrock remix and then Ako Mi Ti Poju - from his latest album. He expressed how much love he was feeling from the Toronto crowd. It was very evident from the continuous screaming that the fans loved him. He performed a set of my favorites next: Duro followed by Share My Blessings – which features worldrenowned Nigerian singer Asa. It’s my favorite song of his. While club anthems are great, I tend to prefer songs that have a bit more depth. This one is about a girl who he loved dearly but was stuck in the friend zone with. She passed away and he never got to tell her how he felt. Combine the thought provoking message of the song and Asa’s soulful voice and you have one very moving track. Naeto alluded to dedicating the song to family and friends who we’ve lost after this performance. The next song was 5 and 6, which got the crowd dancing again, and then he performed Kini Big Deal. As soon as the song started, the fans went completely wild. The entire audience was screaming “Walahi Talai give me lighter; shebi shebi we’re on fire; KINI BIG DEAL!!... KINI BIG DEAL!!... ”. All hands went up in the air. It was extremely electrifying. After that song was Carry Your Shoulder – from the current album. He announced again that he was overwhelmed with the love from the audience and that the next song would be the last song for the night. He performed Ten over Ten. At this point, everyone who had not been seriously dancing during the entire set got up to dance and sing along to Naeto C’s most popular song to date. It concluded with another resounding roar of applause as Naeto ended his performance with “10 over 10! Yes Boss!” He expressed his gratitude to the fans and exited the stage with a bow and wave. In all, it was a great night. Even though I was completely out of my comfort zone, it was a great social experiment for me. The fans thoroughly enjoyed the performance and as Naeto C tweeted the day after the event: “Toronto loves me and I love Toronto back!” - Adiela Aviram

MP3 PLAYER WORTHY

Naeto C dropped his sophomore album Super C Season this February. The album cleverly fusestraditional African rhythm with modernday hip-hop.

FAV TRACKS: Carry Your Shoulder, 5 & 6, 10 over 10,

SUPER C SEASON is now available on iTunes!

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

he “Young Lions,” the first musical group Leon performed with, opened the door to his live musical performances, but once he started singing original tunes, he knew where he wanted to go, which led to the formation of “Leon & The Peoples.” Leon made his film-singing debut playing a doorman turned reggae singer in The Price of Kissing, which he produced and starred in and also sang a memorable rendition of “Daddy’s Home.” He proceeded to further his musical roles in the dramas of Robert Townsend’s Five Heartbeats, The Temptations, as David Ruffin and the authorized biography of Little Richard as Little Richard himself. Leon continued attracting fans when he hosted and produced BET’s “L-Bow Room.” His extensive filmography includes the movies, Cool Runnings, Capers, Cover, Above the Rim, Cliffhanger, Waiting to Exhale, Side Streets, Buffalo Soldiers, HBO’s Oz, Crossing Jordan and Ali. Leon’s stage credits include the lead role in 3 Ways to Get A Husband, and Friends and Lovers in which he sang the feature cut from the CD Road Less Traveled, “Will You Be My Wife?”. Our exclusive one on one with Leon! AFRICULTURE: Thanks for chatting with us Leon. How did your love for reggae music develop? LEON:

ITH W E N O

y ’s earl n o e L writer, d with g e n l l o fi s e & r ng NY we singer , n Nat Ki o n r g Actor, e n i V g . n n Mt er si chord years i c of his fath ut a special ard si ,b he the mu otown songs hen he first a M w ng from f i m Cole or k inside him o c ay o read” ruc was st ey’s “Natty D lances his arr ent d rl ba it is evi e, Bob Ma indow. Leon t u b , s w ium gga friend’s ween all med was with re ms n et for talent b rst connectio hen he per w s fi ays “I s d e t n s o e e f that hi i L that is man e Peoples.” h t h i c i w h h w le T eon & re comfortab f the style L “ h t i w ys mo e sultriness o dance… a w l a l, th was use of l, rock, gospe e want a c e b m style ing sou e… it made t a r o p r -- inco g which I lov in everyth .” to sing

F O N O E L & THE LEOPNEOPLES N ONE O

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When I was about 12 or 13 I heard Bob Marley’s Natty Dread album coming out of my neighbor’s window. I just sat there in his driveway in a trance. I just loved it!! I then sought out every Reggae artist I could find, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Junior Byles, Leroy Sibbles & The Heptones, Denroy Morgan, etc. AFRICULTURE: How did you come up with the group name “Leon and The Peoples”?

AFRICULTURE: Do you feel more passionate about singing or acting? LEON: I am equally passionate about both, ‘cause

I am an entertainer and it’s all entertainment. AFRICULTURE: Are you working on any new music, or on an album at present? (2011)

When I act, I’m not me. I am someone else saying lines that other people have written. When I am on stage singing, that is me!

LEON: Yes!!! More Reggae Soul music coming

out this year including songs co-written & produced by Beres Hammond. AFRICULTURE: Do you find your film fans are accepting or skeptical of your music career? LEON: I’d say when I first started my band years ago, skeptical! They were viewing me as an actor trying to sing, I think. What many people don’t realize is a well rounded theater training includes musical training and I sang before I ever acted. As time went on, fans have been very accepting and are now pleasantly surprised & happy. I must say that women have been our band’s biggest supporters from day one and we would not have flourished without them.

produce into a movie called “An Oral History, Sly & The Family Stone.” I have several other film & TV projects in various stages of development as well as the third season of Robert Townsend’s award winning web series, Diary of A Single Mom on www.PIC.TV. AFRICULTURE: Thanks for rapping with us, where can your fans find out more about you and your music? LEON: My pleasure & thanks!!

Website: www.LeonandthePeoples.net. AFRICULTURE: Who are your reggae role models? LEON:

Beres Hammond is the best singer/ songwriter, soulful reggae singer alive to me. I have so many singers that I love like Maxi, Freddie, etc., but I’ve always been partial to bands, Steel Pulse, Third World, Morgan Heritage, Michael Franti & Spearhead just to name a few. Remember, I’m not a solo artist, I’m a lead sing & songwriter of a band.

LEON: Actually, the name of the band was

“The Peoples” and is still the name I like, but I quickly discovered that a new band that no one has heard of has a hard time getting gigs. When I switched it to “Leon & The Peoples” things started happening a lot faster, because suddenly we weren’t that unknown. We started getting good offers and appeared on BET’s 106 & Park.

“ ”

When I am on stage singing, that is me! To have a crowd in your hand, singing your song back to you is as an addicting thing as anything you could imagine.

AFRICULTURE: Where do you see yourself in ten years time? LEON: Happy!!!

Myspace: www.myspace.com/ LeonThePeoples. Reverb Nation: www.Reverbnation.com/ LeonThePeoples and soon www.justLeon.com. Leon & The Peoples band members: Percussionist Gary “Reuben” Steele, bass guitarist Rupert McKenzie, Antonio Alejandro a.k.a. Alex, Curtis Bailey plays Electric Saxophone, Leslie Rochelle sings lead and background vocals, Patrice Anthony, Cathy “Alexis” Layne. - Nicole Georges

AFRICULTURE: Are there any artists that you would like to work with? LEON: Too many to name, because I’m a lover of

AFRICULTURE: What do you enjoy most about being a singer?

all music & the arts. I like to work with creative talented people and make memorable work.

LEON: I’m not just a singer, I’m also a songwriter,

which is a huge part of my pleasure being a singer. When I act, I’m not me. I am someone else saying lines that other people have written.

AFRICULTURE: Do you have any film projects in the works? (2011) LEON: Yes!! I’m working on a book I optioned to

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STYLE

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE FOR STYLIST EDWARD ENNINFUL

Business Financing Commercial Financing Construction Loans

Make no mistake about it, somewhere in London an aspiring designer is sitting at home reading about Edward Enninful’s story thinking: this will be me one day! A fresh take to fashion- kind of like a revolution, with British street style and African influences, Enninful’s ideas and pieces are unique.

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idely known as a prolific stylist and editor, Enninful got his start as the youngest person ever appointed as a fashion director at i-D Magazine at age 18. The Ghanaian-born fashion guru was recently named fashion and style director at W Magazine. Before his big appointment, Enninful was most recently a contributing fashion editor to U.S. Vogue and Vogue Italia. Born in Ghana, raised in Ladbroke Grove, London with his parents and six siblings he began a degree at Goldsmiths’ College in London which he left to become Fashion Editor at i-D Magazine. His journey to fame was destined from the start. His mother, a seamstress, was the driving force that inspired his passion for art which he showcases through style. To be bestowed the title of the youngest ever fashion director of an international magazine definitely allowed him to make a grand entrance into the fashion world. Looking back at his trailblazing career thus far through the evolution of some of the last decade’s fashion milestones; from the rise of grunge, to the supermodel wave and fashion’s current curve fixation, Enninful has played a part in each phase. He has collaborated with some of the most famous names in the industry to name a few, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean and top models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. He was one of the key stylists in the now iconic “All Black Models” issue for July 2008 Italian Vogue; sending a loud message to fashion insiders about African woman and men in fashion, print, and on the runway signifying how important and necessary it is to give our look, and our face a voice. In 2011 he became the fashion and style director of W Magazine. Enninful has blazed a unique and influential path. He is London-based and works internationally frequently travelling to his birth country Ghana, as well as South Africa, two of the key fashion havens in Africa. Edward contributes to numerous international fashion magazines, and is Contributing Fashion Editor at Large of Japanese Vogue and Fashion Editor at Large of i-D just to name a few. We can’t wait to see what direction he is going to take W Magazine in as he now has free reign to continue with his platform. What Enninful wants to do is simple: mastermind fashion that makes people feel things. It’s not about trends or celebrity rather Edward Enninful’s quest is to make eye-catching art with clothing.

Edward Enninful (pictured above) is known for his beautiful, innovate editorial work -and for working with others fashion greats.

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The ‘Sept 08’ cover of i-D magazine -featuring Jourdan Dunn was created by Photographer Emma Summerton, styled by Edward Enninful -with hairstylist Sam McKnight and makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury

- Nnenna Amaechi

CHECK OUT EDWARD ENNINGUL, HIS WORK AND ALL HIS ACCOLADES. It’s easy: Go to http://gettag.mobi to get the free app. Then snap or scan the colour bar codes and read. Your carrier’s standard rates may apply.

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REVIEWS

AFRICULTURE GIVES IT AN “A”

THEATRE

LITERATURE

DA KINK IN MY HAIR

MUSIC

DETOX

PIECES OF ME

Vidal Chavannes

Ledisi

AAAAA

Trey Anthony

AAAAA If you were not yet ready to embrace your ‘kink’, after seeing “Da Kink In My Hair” you will be ready! Trey Anthony’s production of “Da Kink In My Hair” is a theatrical musical that is a definite MUST see. Trey’s refreshing and contagious humor shines through in this funny musical production. Though slightly predictable, think of it as a black version of the ‘Vagina Monologues’ with a whole lot of music, color and ‘kink’. The musical touches topics that range from child molestation, to homosexual rejection and others centered around 12 women who each have different issues that they are dealing with that many women can relate to; all while at a beauty salon working on their hair. The cast of brilliant, beautiful, vibrant and extremely musically talented females who grace the stage play their parts so well that you forget that you know what’s coming next as it pertains to two of the characters. All in all, just like a visit to the hair salon makes you feel good every time, so will a visit to see “Da Kink In My Hair”. - Abenwaa Dinsbi

There are few books that I consider a must read, therefore, I do not take these two words lightly. Detox, by Vidal Chavannes, is a must read! So much so, that I bought several books for friends that I felt would use the book as a call to action. The author does not mince words; he does not hide his frustration, anger, concern, compassion or passion for the Black community. Detox is not a book full of intellectual mumbo jumbo that takes one chapter to say what can be said in a page or two. It is to the point and full of real life, personal examples. Detox may say things that you already know or feel, the real question becomes, now that your thoughts are in print what will YOU do? How will you Detox? And once you have cleared your mind and psychology how will you help others to Detox! - Michelle Hughes

Should an artist six albums and 4 Grammy nominations deep be described as “flying under the radar”? Or even as “a relative unknown”? It would seem that such a fate has befallen the ultratalented songstress Ledisi Anibade Young, though perhaps not for much longer. Her latest release, “Pieces of Me” showcases a seasoned vocalist sliding nimbly between moods and intensities. And, a credit to her love of music, Ledisi delicately interweaves the influences of soul greats, as smoothly as she skips between genres. In a single offering, one might detect a hint of blues, a touch of Aretha, a sprinkle of Jazz and a splash of Etta blended together in a way that is distinctly “Soul”. The story of her voice helps convey the album’s theme of self-realisation. “Pieces of Me” at times plays it safe. Ledisi and her producers sometimes lapse into clichéd subjects and rhythm patterns. Yet, tracks like “So Into You” and “Shine” stand out. The album deserves the buzz it’s been getting and more: it should find its way on to any avid soul music listener’s playlist. - Adrian Worrell

africulture magazine

is proud to congratulate

MISS ANGOLA

LEILA LOPES

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SPORTS

while The Stephen Lewis Foundation helps to shed light on the ongoing HIV epidemic in Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan and Eastern Congo. A4A is always accepting new volunteers, sponsors and participants. Whether you’re interested in one of next years Charity Sports Series events, or you’re an avid extremist looking to conquer Mount Everest, your charitable work is always welcome. To get involved check out their website - www.athletesforafrica. com; ‘like’ them on Facebook (Athletes for Africa) or follow them on twitter @Athletes4Africa. As long as sports remains a universal language, projects like Athletes for Africa will continue to bridge gaps across all language and cultural barriers. Their efforts are a direct testament to the impact that ordinary individuals can have on others around the world. Get out, get fit, and get involved! - Jordan Messam

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HERE AT AFRICULTURE MAGAZINE we strive to encourage the creative initiatives of our community. When it comes to hands-on charitable participation, Athletes for Africa is no exception. Adrian Bradbury, a University of Ottawa graduate with a sports minded background, and a desire to help those abroad, from right here in Toronto, established Athletes for Africa (A4A) in 2004. He saw the need to get athletes more engaged within their global community, by using the energy of sport to raise awareness locally to affect change in Africa. By getting the community involved with charitable work, A4A hopes to inspire our younger generation in more creative ways. What better way, than through the power of sports. This past summer A4A held their third annual Rock the Pitch charity soccer tournament as a part of their Charity Sports Series (including Rock the Court & GuluWalk). Each year, this one-day fundraiser aims to raise awareness about the various social issues faced in parts of Africa. It took place on Saturday, August 20th at Toronto’s Lamport Stadium, in front a crowd of supporters and local media alike. The tournament consisted of 20 teams with 12 players a side. The skill level ranged from grass roots boys and girls, to seasoned vets and ex-pros. This year’s event saw the likes of recently retired Kara Lang, Canada’s youngest female soccer player when she made her debut at the age of 15, and legendary Canadian Soccer Hall of Famer Paul James. The crew from The Score’s The Footy Show, and members of Toronto’s Bedouin Soundclash are also regular participants. A4A raised $32,000 at this years event, bringing their threeyear total to over $100,000. The competition was intense, but after a fun-filled day, there could only be one winner. And in true dramatic soccer fashion, it was decided by every soccer fan’s worst nightmare: a penalty shoot out. In the end the Toronto Carranza Cougars won 1-0 over the A4A Rockers. The funds raised at these events goes towards the onthe-ground initiatives of AMREF and The Stephen Lewis Foundation. AMREF focuses on support for young mothers,

Kara Lang (pictured) is Canada’s youngest ever female soccer player -she made her debut at the age of 15

TALKING POINTS

Athletes for Africa Founded in 2004, Athletes for Africa is a nonprofit organization that uses the power and profile of sport to promote global citizenship and empower the next generation of youth in Africa. By raising funds and increasing awareness, Athletes for Africa supports local programs that strengthen communities, provide education and foster skills development. The organization works with athletes at all levels — from the professional to the playground — providing them with the tools to get engaged, inspire others and make a difference. Like music and art, sport has a transcendent quality. It energizes us and unites us. Athletes for Africa harness that spirit to create change both at home and abroad. Our message is simple: Be an Athlete for Africa today.

DONATE to Athletes for Africa and support education and rehabilitation programs for youth in Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Visit: www.athletesforafrica.com

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NEWS & POLITICS

CONVERSATIONS WITH RAD DOCKERY On October 6th, Ontarians returned to the polls. Africulture Magazine sat down with Rad Dockery of the CanadaSouthern Africa Chamber of Business to make sense of Canada’s conservative shift and the issues most pertinent to black communities. AFRICULTURE: Are you surprised by the run the Tories made? RD: Not exactly. A problem with the Liberals is not that they’ve done

anything bad or wrong, but when you’ve been in power for eight years, people get sick of you. AFRICULTURE: True enough. But I don’t recall a time in which all three levels of government went right or went left. RD: Good point. That’s where I think the Liberals still have a shot

to win, because if you look at the history of the federal or provincial elections, normally we have opposites in power. When Chretien was in power we had Harris. When it was Mulroney, we had Rae. Harper and Hudak would be something of a precedent. AFRICULTURE: What issues do you see as important for Black people in the province? RD: Whatever government we get, we should be hammering them on

education. I’m not talking about the Africentric school, that is part of the equation, but how do we make sure that our young people are truly getting the skills they need when they come out school? How prepared are they to compete in this global economy? Whether it be skilled labour, accounting, the law, whatever, they have to be ready. For all kids I’m worried about it, but particularly for us. I don’t think we are involved enough in what’s going on in our school system. It means pressuring the system for reforms that makes education more relevant to our young people.

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AFRICULTURE: What issues do you see as important for Black people in the province? RD: Whatever government we get, we should be hammering them on education.

I’m not talking about the Africentric school, that is part of the equation, but how do we make sure that our young people are truly getting the skills they need when they come out school? How prepared are they to compete in this global economy? Whether it be skilled labour, accounting, the law, whatever, they have to be ready. For all kids I’m worried about it, but particularly for us. I don’t think we are involved enough in what’s going on in our school system. It means pressuring the system for reforms that makes education more relevant to our young people. That’s where our kids spend most of their time. AFRICULTURE: And what else? RD: The second part of that is the skills themselves. There are a number of black

girls in particular that don’t like math, and we’ve got to get good at math. We’ve got a lot young black men who are not going to college and university. That’s a problem. If you don’ have that you’re doomed. AFRICULTURE: Unless you have a trade? RD: Right, but you have to go to trade school and get certified to become that

electrician, or to become that plumber. So as black people, we should be zooming in on education and asking when our kids turn 17 or 18 what kinds of skills are they going to have? AFRICULTURE: So, how should black people vote? RD: Strategically. The community is more diverse these days and that means that

different issues matter. The family that migrated from Jane-Finch to Brampton is going to look at things like taxes and crime differently. We have to be aware of those differences. And we have to be more politically savvy. A lot of black people throw their support behind the Liberals because they believe that it was that party that let them into the country. They don’t know that it was a conservative, Bill Davis, who expanded public education or, recently, that Harper supported CARN 98.7. One-party loyalty is crippling because not only does that party take your support for granted, but you aren’t able to establish a relationship or gain leverage with whoever is in power, and those are the people who can get things done. We have to work the political system to get what we want from it. That means being involved, but not getting over- sentimental or having ideological hang-ups. - Adrian Worrell

GET INFORMED! Elections Ontario makes voting easy with services and information available in both English and French: www.elections. on.ca

Credits: Model, Brandi Guthrie; Photography: Kaneo Designs www.kaneodesigns.com

THE BLACK VOTE

PERSPECTIVE

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Young lady at drug store purchasing skin bleaching cremes and soaps

kin bleaching or skin lightening involves using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten skin tone, or to provide an even skin complexion by lessening the concentration of melanin, (www.wikipedia.com). Using such chemical substances like soaps, creams, lotions, pills or lazers in an attempt to treat acne scars, dark spots, and specific zones of abnormally high pigmentation such as moles and birthmarks, is usually seen as an innocent way to treat skin discoloration. Conversely, in cases where skin bleaching is used in an attempt to lighten the entire complexion for social reasons, it’s viewed as relating to identity, self imagery issues, racial alteration, racism and colonial mentality. The history of skin bleaching in Africa, Asia, India and the Middle East will be explored and later tied into today’s skin bleaching endemic that has become a household trend, and rapid worldwide phenomenon in recent years amongst people of different ethnic cultures. Skin bleaching was historically practiced predominately in Africa and can be seen in AfricanAmerican history which dates back to slavery. In 1948, South Africa’s Apartheid government enforced laws to segregate the different races. With the passing of the apartheid laws, racial discrimination was institutionalized giving birth to a colonial

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Skin bleaching is a billion dollar industry worldwide with exponential sales in Africa, Jamaica, Asia ($ 7 billion) and in India that is worth $432 million dollars. In these countries both men and women can’t get enough of buying skin bleaching agents.

and bred inter-race racism amongst them, giving birth to skin color that equated class status, social rank and lateron, beauty. In Asia, the Geisha of medieval Japan were, and remain recognized Advertisement for their painted white for Skin Light products in Accra, complexion, which symbolizes Ghana. attractiveness, elegance, and elevated societal importance, (www. the lightenup.com). In India, each Varna (caste system) was associated with a traditional color and is used to describe different classes of people in the society. The higher caste people would have lighter skin than people of a lower caste (dark skin). In the Middle East during the Achaemenid Empire (Old Persian) (550-330 BCE), farmers and civil workers used hydroquinone to keep their skin clear and soft after being in the sun for long periods of time. (www.thelightenup.com). Skin bleaching is a billion dollar industry worldwide with exponential sales in Africa, Jamaica, Asia ($ 7 billion) and in India that is worth $432 million dollars. In these countries both men and women can’t get enough of buying skin bleaching agents. The belief is that lightening your skin will improve social rank, class status, nobility, beauty, and access to more job opportunities. In Accra, Ghana, 26.6 percent of the population practices skin bleaching. A survey showed that people bleached for different reasons– to find boyfriends/girlfriends, husbands, better job opportunities, class status or because they are influenced by their friends. In Senegal Africa, bleaching your skin is seen as a way to get ahead in life. Some Senegalese women bleach

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THE CASH INDUSTRY OF SKIN BLEACHING AND THE FAIRNESS FETISH

We’ve heard about the practice of skin bleaching, skin whitening or skin lightening, as a trend in one way or another that has become a common practice by people of color; triggering controversial topics such as identity, self image, racial alteration, and racism. Skin bleaching has become a fast growing, popular phenomenon that has rapidly reached momentum within recent years. People of color, from Africa to Jamaica, and from Asia to India, men and women alike, are obsessed with the quest for a fairer or lighter skin by overindulging in harmful skin bleaching agents. With detrimental effects on health it has reached dangerous proportions in Africa, Jamaica, Asia and India sparking public debate and health concerns. This bleaching craze has become a widespread epidemic for people of color. Men and women search for a “whiter” complexion with great optimism for improving their social status/ class, beauty and job opportunities.

mentality, thus introducing skin alteration (skin lightening), (wwwSouthafrica-travel.net). Also, in Africa: Cleopatra, the Macedonian Queen of Ancient Egypt, regularly bathed in asses’ milk to maintain the attractiveness and young-looking quality of her skin, in addition to its natural skin lightening effect,(www. fairbeauty.co.uk). From the 16th to 18th century, during the slavery timeline, the act of giving preferential treatment to light skin slaves over dark skin slaves served as a tool which the slave owners used to keep an element of discord among slaves. The light skin slaves (home slaves) would have certain privileges over the dark skin slaves (field slaves) such as, working inside the slave owner’s home, better clothing and fed better. In contrast, the dark skin slaves would work in the field in the hot sun picking cotton all day. This distinction gave way for color prejudice amongst AfricanAmerican slaves, producing separation which caused inferiority amongst the dark skin slaves who started to believe that they were indeed inferior to light skin slaves. Consequently, the differential treatment of light and dark skin had a tremendous psychological effect on AfricanAmericans years after slavery was abolished. The status given to light skin slaves made them feel superior to their darker brethren

as a way to “look like the white girls they see on T.V.” Others believe: “It’s more beautiful to have lighter skin.” Skin bleaching ads are plastered just about everywhere in the continent, on high way billboards, news paper stands, market stands in stores etc. In 2001, it was confirmed that two women died from cancer as a result of prolonged skin bleaching. (Egypt Search Forum). And, in 2002, it was recorded that the first case of mercury poisoning from the use of skin lightening cream was a 34 year old Chinese woman, (http:// www.skin-whitening-product.com/bleachingskin.html). Doctors from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra Ghana say that many years of continuous skin bleaching will strip away the melanin in the skin which makes it more susceptible to cancer. Most creams sold in Ghana had a 4%-6% concentration of hydroquinone which is dangerous and cancerous. Despite the negative health effects and health campaigns about the dangers of skin bleaching products, people ignore the warnings from health officials and continue to use bleaching agents. In current years, the Kenyan cosmetic and pharmaceutical market was flooded with products containing mercury, hydroquinone, corticosteroids, hydrogen peroxide which are all harmful ingredients that can cause cancer, thinning and weakening of the skin, severe scarring, scabies, acne and other skin problems. After years of campaigning, on May 11, 2011 the Kenyan government banned all skin bleaching agents (www.thebnet.com). Similarly, Ghana has banned the use of hydroquinone with a concentration greater than 2% in creams,(www. ghanaweb.com). Hydroquinone has been banned in France because of fears of a cancer risk. In Japan, the European Union and Australia, hydroquinone has been removed from over-

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Photos of international Dancehall artist, Vybz Kartel before and after skin alteration

the-counter skin products and substituted with other chemicals due to concerns about health risks,(www.wikipedia.com). In Jamaica, a place 2.8 million people call home, this skin bleaching craze has gotten a lot worse within recent years. Men, as well as women are fanatical about using skin bleaching/skin whitening products in hopes of being accepted in society. Christopher A.D. Charles, an assistant professor at Monroe College in New York who has studied the psychology of bleaching, said many young Jamaicans perceive it “as a modern thing, like Botox, to fashion their own body in a unique way.” In T.V. commercials, images of light skinned people are portrayed. In newspapers and cosmetic advertisements, ads with fair skin people are just about everywhere. The Jamaican Public Health Officials have been campaigning anti-bleaching products by promoting educational programs, running warnings on local radio stations, holding public information sessions and handing out literature about the dangers of using harmful skin bleaching agents that contain more than 2% hydroquinone (many skin whiteners contain toxic mercury such as mercury 2 chloride or ammoniated mercury as the active ingredient) but all the campaigning did nothing to slow down the craze and sales continue to climb. We cannot talk about skin bleaching without first talking about the most recent public proponent of bleaching, Reggae Dancehall D.J Vybz

TALKING POINTS

- Simone Da Costa

SKIN LIGHTENING INGREDIENTS TO AVOID

HYDROQUINONE Hydroquinone is known to produce serious side effects when used over a long period of time. The Story of Cosmetics highlights this ingredient as one of the most toxic ingredients on the market. It is reported to increase the risk of developing leukemia, liver cancer, skin irritation, irreversible hyperpigmentation (exogenous ochronosis) * and reproductive damage. Hydroquinone photosensitizes the skin, making it susceptible to skin cancer. It is completely banned for use in cosmetics in Europe and Japan, and the FDA is considering its ban in the US. CORTICOSTEROIDS This ingredient used to suppress inflammation associated with skin conditions

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Kartel, whose complexion has lightened considerably in recent years. The lyrics from his ‘Look Pon Me’ contain the lines: “Di girls dem love off mi brown cute face, di girls dem love off mi bleach out face.” With this drastic unhealthy change to Vybz Kartel’s skin complexion, many wonder why he and others like him would go to such extremes to bleach their skin. Is it that they believe their Negroid phenotype (skin complexion) is unattractive? Although when asked, Vybz Kartel insists that skin bleaching is simply a personal choice like tattooing. However, it seems that to improve his esthetic element and make himself more physically gratifying by drastically bleaching out his skin complexion goes deeper than just a personal choice. There may be a greater underlying issue at hand for Kartel. Now that we are in the 21st Century, we are more exposed to cultural diversity and different ethnicities. With the increase of race mixing, interracial dating and marriages giving birth to multi-ethnic children, analogous the popular trend of skin tanning for white westerners. In today’s modern society, you would think that the belief to want a fair skin complexion would be a thing of the past. Sadly, this psychological belief still persists amongst people of color and it’s still associated with class status, social rank and beauty. Regrettably, this act of colonial mentality has placed a monumental mortgage on modern society’s thought process, and has produced an epidemic of color prejudice amongst Africans, Jamaicans, Asians and Indians that we are still trying to fathom even today. In this decade, the psychological effects of racial separation and racial superiority have not gone away. It has indeed left its mark in the minds of the different ethnic groups mentioned as well as within society. The notion to have light (pure) skin has been viewed as more beneficial to achieve a better life. Thus, the misinterpretation of class status, social rank, noble status, better employment opportunities, and beauty has been used as justification to brainwash the masses into believing that to attain the above one’s skin complexion should be just that; a lighter skin color. Moving forward, we hope that in today’s society the masses will be more open-minded about the different skin tones and complexions that God intended for us to have and therefore, learn to accept and appreciate the diversity of multiculturalism. If we hope to stop the epidemic of skin bleaching, we must admit that there is an epidemic of color prejudice and preferential treatment of one skin color over another in society.

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like eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis, steroid creams contain powerful ingredients like Clobetasol Propionate, Fluocinolone Acetonide or Betamethasone Dipropionate. One of steroid’s side effects is skin lightening, but prolonged use can lead to skin problems such as steroid rosacea and thinning of the epidermis. TRETINOIN The Vitamin A derivative found in Retin A, Avita and Renova, tretinoin increases cellular turnover rate, thus eliminating pigment already pooled in the epidermis. Overuse can result in dry, thinner skin. Sensitive skin types can also experience redness, scaling, itching and burning. Thinner skin can increase susceptibility to deleterious effects of UV exposure.

Retinol has similar exfoliant properties to tretinoin. A very recent study indicates that retinol and retinyl may accelerate the growth of skin cancer when used in sunscreen. GLYCOLIC ACID The Alpha hydroxy acid expedites cellular exfoliation, and serves the same purpose as tretinoin and retinol described above. Again, the long term side effect of greater UV susceptibility obviates the short term skin lightening effect. ALCOHOL If your skin has a tendency to develop hyperpigmentation it is also a good idea to shun products containing alcohol, which can accelerate the problem.

Credits: Jewelry Designer, Fatima Samad; Model, Timolin Jeffers; Photography: Kaneo Designs www.kaneodesigns.com

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PERSPECTIVE

TECH TALK

TABLET CRAZE The introduction of Apple’s iPad kickstarted a multi-billion dollar tablet computer industry. As a result, we’ve seen a swarm of new entrants into the market. But with dozens of tablets to choose from, the choices can be overwhelming - so here are our top tablet picks.

TABLETS, TABLETS & MORE TABLETS!

$499

$519

Black Berry Playbook

Apple iPad 2

TOP PICK

iPad 2 is the successor of iPad, but it is equipped with lot of upgraded features like it is much thinner and lighter than its previous model. Tablet is powered with dual core A5 chipset and it runs on i0S5 the latest OS for the Apple devices. From its dual camera you can do video chatting and you can capture the HD pictures as well.

$499

Motorola XOOM

The Motorola Xoom is a 10inch tab with 1GHz dual core processor. It runs on Android 3.1 honeycomb OS. With dual cameras 2-megapixel on the front for video calling and 5-megapixel on the back makes it a worth buying handset.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE TABLET EVER! You may be surprised when you learn that it exists. Its reality would rather arouse your anger or confusion, but it definitely will not leave you indifferent. This is the most expensive tablet iPad 2 in the world. Its price is … $8 million. This device is very simple tablet by Apple but “slightly” elaborated by British designer Stuart Hughes. It features 2kg of 24-carat gold, diamonds tens and frame decorated with ancient amolit stones and bones of tyrannosaur that lived 65 million years ago.

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CANADA’S FAVOURITE!

$499

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a 10-inch lightweight and thinner tablet that runs on Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS. The good part about this tab is it supports flash applications that even iPad doesn&rsquo;t support. The support of flash apps improves your productivity. As flash apps is very common on the web. Besides, it supports HD videos and multi-tasking because it has powerful dual core 1GHz processor, which makes it really fast.

BlackBerry PlayBook is a 7-inch tablet with 1024 x 600 screen resolution. It has capacitive touch screen with multi touch and gesture support. The tablet is packed with 1GHz processor and 1GB RAM. You can connect your PlayBook with BlackBerry Smartphone for direct access to the e-mail via BBM service.

5 1. HTC Flyer $500.99 HTC Sense and HTC Watch are two good features of this 7-inch tablet. The display and hardware are a high quality build. With HTC Sense you can experience a new feeling of working on a much smoother touch pad. Flyer is packed with two cameras 1.3-megapixel on the front and 5-magepixel on the back.

2. Sony S1 9.4” $499.99 The Sony S tablet delivers a great computing experience. The S runs on Android 3.1, and is equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor that lets you run demanding graphics applications. It also includes access to PlayStation games and a wide range of connectivity options.

3. Acer 10.1 Iconia Tablet $399.99 Powered by the Android “Honeycomb” OS and NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile dual core CPU, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is a tablet computer to be reckoned with. This tablet boasts a slick interface, amazing preloaded apps, a solid state hard drive, and a solid attractive appearance.

4. ASUS Eee Pad Transformer 10.1” $399.99 The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet computer packs great specs into a super thin and light design. It’s home to an NVIDIA Tegra 2 1.0GHz dualcore CPU, Android 3.1 Honeycomb O.S. and up to 9.5 hours of battery life. The 10.1-inch LED screen easily display video, flash, the web and apps and built-in dual cameras make picture taking and video recording easy.

3. Lenovo Ideapad 10” $349.99 Powered by Android 3.0, the Lenovo Ideapad tablet computer keeps you connected and engaged. You’ll enjoy all your content with total clarity on the sharp, vibrant 10 inch LCD screen. Other great features include front and rear cameras, a NVIDIA Tegra T20 dual core processor.

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COVER

Nigerian Billionaire Aliko Dangote Eyes The WorlD bY Mfonobong Nsehe PHOTO BY Ekpei Pius

Aliko Dangote has built Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest cement company. Hardly satisfied, he now has his sights set on the rest of the world.

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COVER

Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Nigeria, during the African Fellowship Programe with Young Global Leaders announcement at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2011 held in Cape Town, South Africa, 4-6 May 2011. © World Economic Forum (Photo Matthew Jordaan matthew.jordaan@inl.co.za)

When billionaire Aliko Dangote sneezes, the Nigerian Stock Exchange catches a cold. Machiavellian Business

And it is understandable. Last October he listed his company, Dangote Cement, on the stock exchange and the company has a market value in excess of $13 billion- accounting for a quarter of the Nigeria Stock Exchange’s total market capitalization. His net worth soared to $13.8 billion on Forbes’ 2011 list of the World’s billionaires, up from $2.1 billion in 2010. He ranks as the 51st richest person in the world, and the second richest man in the Middle East and Africa (behind Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Alsaud, who is worth $19.6 billion).

Lessons From

Billionaire Aliko Dangote

1 LESSON 1

Ever since my first encounter several years ago with Robert Greene’s international bestseller, The 48 Laws of Power and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, I’ve become an ardent student of power, obsessed with studying and predicting the behavioral patterns of people in power-both in the political and corporate realms. I’m particularly awestruck by Machiavellian business leaders – CEOs and corporate executives who are incredibly intelligent and intuitive, motivated and manipulative, diplomatic yet devious, congenial yet cunning. In African business circles, very few businessmen embody more Machiavellian traits than Africa’s richest man, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote (worth $13.8 billion in the Forbes 2011 World Billionaire’s list). To the general public, he is the unassuming, refined and civil businessman. In business circles he is viewed as cynical, eccentric, tactical, and manipulative. Having studied him from a distance over time, I’ve learned so many Machiavellian lessons from him. Here are my favorite five. Quotes from The Prince and The 48 Laws of Power are highlighted in Italics.

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Business is war. Crush the competition, completely. “A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war.” Forget the small talk: The sky might be big enough for all the birds to fly, but when it’s overcrowded, the journey becomes less pleasurable. It’s usually better to enjoy the airspace all alone. Dangote knows this. Over the years, he has skillfully devised creative and unorthodox means of thwarting his competitors. A favorite tactic: Price crashing. Dangote has thrived sufficiently through dropping prices of major commodities like sugar, cement, salt and flour, leaving competitors struggling to keep up. By and large, he has created a near monopoly in several key commodities in Nigeria. Learn from Dangote: By whatever means necessary, crush the competition.

Dangote consolidated all his publicly-traded and private cement holdings in several African countries to form Dangote Cement. The company is Africa’s largest cement manufacturer and one of the biggest in the world. Dangote, the man who has made it all happen, dreams big. He believes that one day he’ll oust the French cement giant Lafarge to claim the world’s top spot. “It’s just a matter of time,” he says, with a wide smile. “One day, Dangote Cement will be the world’s number one.” But Dangote doesn’t just dream – he builds out his dreams and makes them real. Dangote has proved skeptics wrong, and has gone on to become the undisputed lord of Africa’s cement industry. When he ventured into cement manufacturing following a hugely successful career in commodities trading, very few Nigerians gave him any chance of success. In 2000, the Nigerian government decided to privatize the state-owned Benue Cement Company (BCC) to enhance efficiency. BCC was a comatose, floundering cement manufacturer when Dangote took over, and the government depended on him to revive the company’s fortunes. Dangote did not disappoint. He invested heavily in the company, appointed new management and engineered a massive restructuring. Subsequently, the installed

2 LESSON 2

Fortresses are dangerous. Don’t isolate yourself Isolation is deadly. According to Robert Greene, “Isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from-it cuts you off from valuable information…” Never isolate yourself in business; mingle with the crowd. Make acquaintances. A good businessman is always in touch with people. Dangote is a regular at social gatherings in Lagos and elsewhere. He is a member of Nigeria’s most exclusive country clubs where he enjoys the acquaintance of, and hobnobs with many of Nigeria’s most successful people (even competitors), subtly learning their secrets and strategies, their intentions and their weaknesses. And like a seasoned chess grandmaster, plans his subsequent moves.

capacity of the company’s plant was increased from 900,000 tons per annum to 3 million metric tons per annum. From his humble beginnings with BCC, Dangote has expanded his cement empire in monumental proportions over the last 11 years. Dangote Cement now owns about six cement import terminals in Nigeria and Ghana, through which it imports and bags cement. His terminals in Nigeria alone have a combined capacity of 9 million metric tons per annum. His company also owns Obajana Cement, which is the largest cement plant in sub-Saharan Africa, boasting a capacity of over 5 million metric tons per annum. Other factories in Ibese and Shagamu add an additional 10 million metric tons per annum. Dangote recently acquired a controlling stake in Sephaku Cement, a South African company. He has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars towards new cement plants in Zambia and Senegal. Dangote has come a long way from 1977 when he started a small commodities trading operation with a loan from his wealthy uncle. From that small trading outfit he began while in his twenties, he has built one of Africa’s largest conglomerates with interests in sugar, oil & gas, cement, transportation, banking and textiles. Cement still remains his most prized jewel.

Dangote cement has global aspirations. “We already have operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Zambia and South Africa. We are looking for opportunities in emerging markets like the Middle East and Asia. I think the time has come for us to go global,” he says. “I have built the biggest cement company in Africa. Now I’m setting out to build the biggest cement company in the world,” he says. When it’s Dangote speaking, you better believe. Original article was published in Forbes. It can be found at www.forbes.com

LESSON 3

LESSON 4

Make friends with powerful people

Do Good, Sometimes.

Work With Intelligent People

“As princes cannot help being hated by someone… they ought to endeavor with the utmost diligence to avoid the hatred of the most powerful.”

“Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to … appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite.”

“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”

When you’re successful in business, you’ll develop new enemies. Think of them as trophies. But never incur the enmity of powerful people. Dangote has skillfully courted Nigerian political leaders, donating colossal sums to their election campaigns and funding several political parties. Dangote donated millions of dollars to the campaign of Nigeria’s incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, in the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections. Today, he has friends at the topmost echelon of political society and unfettered access to the President. You can never go wrong when you’ve won the friendship of the powerful.

Dangote might be cunning and ruthless in business, but he knows just when and how to do good, and how to publicize it enough to win pubic affection. He has given away millions of dollars to charitable causes in everything from education to health, the arts and small scale enterprises. When you succeed in business, always give back. You win public affection with your grand messianic gestures, and build emotional capital for yourself and your brand.

LESSON 5

Mediocrity is infectious. A smart business leader surrounds himself with the smartest and brightest brains. During a recent interview with a local Nigerian newspaper, Dangote said of himself: “I always make sure I hire people smarter than me.” Only hire the very best, for a general is only as good as his lieutenants. - Mfonobong Nsehe

Original article was published in Forbes. It can be found at www.forbes.com

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FEATURE

Ephren Taylor II Former CEO of City Capital Ephren Taylor II, 27, is the youngest CEO of any publicly traded company in the history of the United States. He began his first business venture as a videogame developer at the age of 12 and built a multimillion dollar technology company, GoFerretGo.com, by the age of 17. So far he’s successfully developed other multimilliondollar initiatives, ranging from affordable housing for workingclass families to the production of biofuels. One of his companies was on the “Top 100 Socially Conscious Corporations in the United States” list produced by the Wall Street Journal. Taylor is now a nationally recognized authority on personal wealth and entrepreneurial development, an author, inspirational speaker and business mentor.

MAKING THE LEAP TO MILLIONAIRE JULIANA D. NORWOOD

CHANGING THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS The current generation is leading the nation in a number of areas, namely technology. In the past 30 years we have changed the way that the world communicates and plays games, and now it seems that Generation Y is getting into the business side of life at a much earlier age. More than at any other time in history we have produced a large crop of under-30 businesspeople, entrepreneurs and millionaires. From Mark Zuckerberg, the inventor of Facebook, to Sean Parker, who gave the world Napster, we have introduced newer and cooler millionaires, and a younger, more attainable level of

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success to which we can aspire. But a problem has been that few of these wunderkinds making it big looked like us or came from our neighborhoods, and a common misconception arose that the only way to get paid like Parker was to lay some clever wordplay over a hot beat or develop a wicked jump shot. But now, it seems that more and more African American youth are shattering the under-30 barrier and realizing that there is more than one way to win at Who Wants to be a Millionaire? And they are taking their ideas straight to the bank.

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FEATURE

Amos Winbush III

Dr. Farrah Gray

CEO of Cybersynchs

CEO of Farrah Gray PublishingCapital

Amos Winbush III came up with the idea for CyberSynchs after his iPhone broke and he lost all his contacts. That night he decided to figure out a way to synchronize data between his phone and his computer so that if he ever lost his phone contacts again all his information would still be accessible through his PC. That summer Winbush found a software engineer through Craigslist, and by the fall, he met with two executives from Sun Microsystems. The two companies eventually partnered to make CyberSynchs’s software compatible with Sun’s JavaFX platform, which is used for more than one billion devices. CyberSynchs launched its service in November 2008, and within two weeks, 13,000 subscribers had signed up. Now the company has approximately 500,000 users. Winbush also has his eye on overseas expansion. CyberSynchs already partners with telecom company Vonify in the Philippines, and the company plans to enter the United Kingdom this fall.

Dr. Farrah Gray is a businessman, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, best-selling author, syndicated columnist, and motivational speaker. He is also the CEO of Farrah Gray Publishing. Gray began his entrepreneurial career at age 6, selling home-made body lotion and his own hand-painted rocks as bookends door to door. By 8, Gray had become co-founder of Urban Neighborhood Enterprise Economic Club (U.N.E.E.C.) on Chicago’s South Side and New Early Entrepreneur Wonders (NE2W), the organization he opened on Wall Street. Gray is the youngest person to have an office on Wall Street. Gray’s first big business venture Farr-Out Foods, “WayOut Food with a Twist,” earned him more than $1.5 million in revenue. The Farrah Gray Foundation focuses on entrepreneurship education and provides scholarship and grant assistance for students from at-risk backgrounds to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

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FEATURE

Tina Wells

Jermaine Griggs

CEO of Buzz Marketing Group

CEO of Hear and Play Music

Tina Wells is the CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, an agency that specializes in youth needs, desires and trends, and reports these trends to the Fortune 500 companies targeting them. Wells began her career at 16, writing product reviews for The New Girl Times, a national newspaper based in New York City. Soon companies were hiring her to review the products and offer feedback through the eyes of a teenager. So many companies began sending her products that she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t review them all on her own. To remedy this, Wells hired ten of her friends to help out. Today, the company is valued at more than $12 million. Through innovative marketing strategies, research initiatives and youth marketing, Buzz has acquired clients in the fashion, beauty, entertainment, business and lifestyle sectors. At 24-years-old, Wells is the now the author of the tween series Mackenzie Blue, and the youth marketing handbook Chasing Youth Culture and Getting It Right, which will be published this spring. Wells is also a celebrated blogger on The Huffington Post, and she serves on the board of directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, The Franklin Institute, and The South Jersey Food Bank.

Jermaine Griggs is the CEO of Hear and Play Music, an online guide to learning how to play musical instruments by ear, that he started when he was 16. Griggs has made more than $4 million since he began Hear and Play Music. More than 2 million upcoming music stars go through his lessons and read his newsletters. Griggs, like most of the aforementioned entrepreneurs, is no one-trick pony. Aside from Hear and Play Music, Griggs owns GospelKeys Productions, founded Nitty Gritty Marketing, and plans to soon break into real-estate. It is estimated that Griggs brings in about $3 million annually.

These young African Americans are paving the way for other youth to follow in their footsteps. Some, but not all, are college educated, yet they have found what worked for them and capitalized on it. At a young age they were business-minded and that carried them into a successful adulthood. They are true inspirations and are proving to everyone that the only color that truly matters is America is green.

* Please note: Original article was published online at www. OurWeekly.com

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FEATURE

INVESTING

FEATURE

LESSONS

FROM A BILLIONAIRE T

aking a distinctly contrarian approach to investing, the founder and chairman of Portland Holdings Inc., a privately held investment company in Burlington, Ontario, argues that when looking at stocks, focusing on specific companies and industries trumps diversification any day. Lee-Chin also doesn’t try to read the tea leaves of economic indicators. “I didn’t create wealth by being a prognosticator,” he says. “I created wealth by finding businesses that are fundamentally sound and that have great business models that I understand and can buy inexpensively.” According to the Jamaican-born entrepreneur, there are five principles to successful investing:

Buy only a few high quality businesses

Make sure you understand these businesses

Make sure these businesses are located in strong, long-term growth industries

MEGA-INVESTOR MICHAEL LEE-CHIN ESPOUSES A UNIQUE PHILOSOPHY Alan Hughes

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Be sure these businesses use debt prudently

Hold these few businesses for the long run.

Lee-Chin practices what he preaches. At the age of 32, he borrowed $500,000 to purchase shares in a single company: Mackenzie Financial, an investment management firm that’s now a subsidiary of IGM Financial Inc. (TSE: IGM). In four years, the stock grew seven-fold. Lee-Chin used the profits to make his first acquisition—Ontario-based investment firm AIC Limited. Under Lee-Chin’s leadership, AIC grew from $1 million in managed assets to more than $15 billion. In the process, Lee-Chin became one of only a handful of black billionaires in North America. Lee-Chin’s investing strategy is radical—to say the least. Most mutual fund managers “buy hundreds of companies. It’s not possible for the manager to understand them all. And they cannot all be in strong, long-term growth industries,” he contends. The 59-year-old, who graced the cover of the

It’s one of the most basic ideas in investing: Diversify and spread risk along various asset classes or, in the case of equities, among different industries. But self-made billionaire investor and entrepreneur Michael Lee-Chin begs to differ. August 2002 issue of black enterprise, also points out that managed mutual funds turn over virtually all their holdings each year. So what exactly does Lee-Chin like? Believe it or not, financial services. More specifically, asset management firms. “Most people [investing in] financial services will gravitate to banks and insurance companies. What this economic recession has shown is that banks and insurance companies are fraught with a lot of risks that even their management did not realize, and it’s mainly a function of their balance sheet assets,” he points out. “Suppose you have a bank with $60 billion in assets and the assets shrank by 10%, that’s $6 billion coming right off the bank’s net worth. Poof, there goes AIG. Poof, there goes Freddie Mac. Poof, there goes Washington Mutual. Poof, there goes more than 130 U.S. banks in 2009.” By comparison, the asset management business model does not have balance sheet assets, he contends. They derive a stream of income from the assets of investors—people who buy mutual funds, for example. So while they’re generating income from the associated fees, the principal of the investors’ funds is not on the asset management firm’s accounting books, and therefore the firms have no assets to shrink. “If you’re an asset manager that manages $60 billion, you derive a fee income from that $60 billion. And if those assets shrank by the same 10%, the asset manager’s net worth is unaffected,” he says. “Revenues will go down by 10%, but the net worth is unaffected, so wealth management companies really have a tremendously different business risk profile than a bank or insurance company.” Lee-Chin points out that when Lehman Bros. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008, its asset management business, Neuberger Berman Inc., was still viable. Among the players he favors are Eaton Vance Corp. (EV), Franklin Resources (BEN) and Invesco Ltd. (IVZ). Lee-Chin, who also manages the AIC Advantage Fund, doesn’t just talk the talk; 62% of the fund’s holdings are in money management firms. From the market lows of March 9, 2009, Lee-Chin steered AIC Advantage to an 85% gain, compared with the S&P 500’s 65% increase over the same period. Please note: Original article can be found at www.BlackEnterprise.com and since the date article was written Mr. Lee-Chin’s net worth and funds percentage may have increased since then.

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FEATURE

{

BUSINESS UNUSUAL:

EMANCIPATE YOURSELF FROM MENTAL SLAVERY Adrian Worrell

“Going once…Going twice…Sold to the highest bidder. Prized possessions disposed at the sight of some O’s at the end of the figure. The tyrant investor acquires the efforts of those who desired much bigger. Besides the wealth of this drive is too high to be owned and controlled by a -----” – The Real G … Say what?!?! Caribana, BET, Essence Magazine… just to name a few. They were sold like slaves on an auction block, where the highest bidder bid- and won. (To be fair let’s note that Scotiabank did not buy out Caribana but sponsored it giving it trademark rights until 2012 allowing them to call it Scotiabank Caribana?! Same old, same old and more deets to follow). There are two things that you can say at almost any time to get a forward from the conscious crowd. One is: `We are like crabs in a bucket’ and the other, a photofinish second, is in the title of this article.

`Emancipate yourself ’ is better, I say. It isn’t – literally – dehumanizing and doesn’t normalize ornery individualism. Also, uttering it at the right time it can prove mental slavery’s stubborn resilience. Say it on the rare occasion the black and proud contingent is `reasoning’ about business and community. Try it. Invariably, the same angry, old questions crop up: `What color is business: black or green?’, `Why go out of my way just to have a `brother’ gank me?’ or `Isn’t wrong to fight racism with racism?’ Mental slavery is survivalism’s first born. It is a psychological legacy that piggy-backs on our chameleon-like ability to adapt to `power’ and the absurd `realities’ it foists upon

us. It begets supremist perceptual scheme which turns its captives into an annuity: their lives are a sometimes noble paying of tribute to `social superiors’. Colours shift. `Dignity’ takes on undertones of `inferiority is refuge’. `Value’ develops cool shades of `being wanted by those who’d exploit you’. `Pride’ is a shimmering denial of those truths. Naturally, black economic autonomy is a prickly subject. Dropping `emancipate yourself ’ when talking business turns the convo into a briar patch. Besides sparking a sabotaging envy, `business as usual’ summons auction block nightmares. They’re the ones where you wake up screaming after seeing yourself pelting waist to a banker’s beat or

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In 2003, BET was no longer a black owned business when owner, Robert Johnson sold the network for $3 billion to Viacom. Johnson’s 63% stake made him worth over a billion dollars after taxes, making him the richest black person in the United States.

{

“In the spring of 2011, Canada’s second oldest bank dragged Caribana Cultural Committee (CCC) member Donna McCurvin before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As a sponsor, Scotiabank claimed rights to the `Caribana’ name”.

Caribanna boasts over 20,000 people in the parade route and more than one million viewers. In 2009, the festival generated over $22.5 billion; littlle to none of the profit was retained by festival organisers.

blubbering after convincing yourself that Bieber getting more spins than Wenge Musica on Toronto’s once black radio station is racial `progress`. Even though Afro-Caribbeans all but took over college radio in the late 80s, the popular perception was that the community wasn’t properly served by the media. We needed a commercial radio station. In our most vivid uplift dream sequences, the station would be a community development hub. It’d help artists, politicians, educators and entrepreneurs get in the game. It’d be where we could listen to `our` music whenever we wanted; how we’d represent ourselves to the

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mainstream. With it, we could really leave our mark on this place. Milestone Inc., led by Denham Jolly, first applied for a broadcast license in 1990. The application was denied because the CRTC in their wisdom figured that without a country station city life was incomplete. A few years later, another spot materialised. CBC wanted it. So CBC got it. In 1998, the `last’ slot became available. Milestone, with a whipped-up black community behind it, made a valiant charge. And at last, eleven years, over 12 000 signatures and $400 000 deep, the CRTC granted Milestone an FM frequency. FLOW 93.5 was to cater to 25

to 44 year olds and play “the modern-day reflections of Black musical traditions of Black musicians and Black-influenced music over at least the past century.” Chests were high. The community had galvanized, fought hard, and finally won something. A voice. On March 1, 2001, FLOW christened the frequency with Bob Marley’s “Roots Rock Reggae”: a song that blends rebel fire and inclusion-angst. Soon after, the-little-stationthat-could peppered the city with obligatory `in-your-face’ ads; the most memorable of which was a five-band EQ with the middle `band` provocatively raised. Rebel poses and fighter spirit aside, from the outset FLOW

took pains to avoid anything that would limit its mainstream appeal, even the terms of its license. By the summer, the community that had screamed and signed FLOW into being threatened a boycott. And some wondered just who that middle finger was for. Four years after taking to the airwaves, Milestone had partnered with Standard Radio and switched from an `urban’ to a top 40 format. Twenty-five to 44 demographic and `black musical traditions’ be damned: things were dire. FLOW’s survival now depended on its ability to attract a `diverse’, young audience. Despite the face transplant – and the raging discontent – Milestone,

claiming it was admirably serving the black community, intervened in the Caribbean African Radio Network’s license application. In August 2010, FLOW was sold to CTV for $27 million. Once officially handed over, `Riddim Track’, `Soca Therapy’ and `OTA Live’, shows most reflective of Milestone’s original mission, were axed. As with each of its other `evolutions’, Jolly cited financial and competitive realities for this latest move. Community responses ranged from ego-defensive apathy to accusations of race-betrayal to that ever-present canned positivity. The responses were however unified in obscuring what a mega-fail

FLOW was both community and businesswise. Born in the fire of political debate and activism, the station’s spirit disappeared in a cloud of executive indifference and blasé oversight. After Royson James talked to Jolly about the viability of a subscription model, the Milestone CEO replied, `That would work with proper management. But nobody proposed that to me.` Canned or no, let’s not discount the positive. During FLOW’s tenure ùrban’ stations popped up all over the country and despite, Torontonians being all but surgically attached to American scrotums, FLOW helped break Canadian artists like Kardinall Offishall, Melanie Fiona and Drake. It set up scholarships. It donated to the JCA. It did good. Yet, appreciating the positive shouldn’t mean closing our minds to what could’ve been had not for the administrative `crises of imagination’ that allowed FLOW to be acquired by those who’s racial politics necessitated an ùrban’ station in the first place. And, for all the good it did, what would a vibrant and independent FLOW say about black possibilities in the world’s most multicultural city? Milestone’s $27 million `success’ not only perpetuated, but helped make real the myth of black economic deficiency. Its èvolution’ fed us the lie that `profitability’ means re-packaging and selling the fruits black culture to `diverse audience’ until you can sell them tree. In the spring of 2011, Canada’s second oldest bank dragged Caribana Cultural Committee (CCC) member Donna McCurvin before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As a sponsor, Scotiabank claimed rights to the `Caribana’ name. They lost. But the bank still òwned’ the festival. So `Caribana’ became the Toronto Caribbean Scotiabank Carnival...or some obtuse configuration of words not worth remembering. I just call it `Scotiabana’. Canada’s most international bank doesn’t yet service charge revellers per wine, but profits from its image as multicultural and community-focused. That image wasn’t enough to sway the WIPO, but maybe history would‘ve. Scotiabank - and similar institutions – is why we have any business jumping up to celebrate `freedom’ at all. The bank opened a branch in Kingston Jamaica eleven years before it opened one in Toronto. It made its first money, as the company website boasts, “facilitat[ing] the thriving trans-Atlantic trade between Britain, North America and the West Indies.” In other words, they got paid off the descendents of enslaved Africans producing the sugar,

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{ { “In 2009, Deputy Minister of Tourism Drew Fagan reported that since its inception, Caribana generated over $22.5 billion. Little to none of that money was retained by festival organisers”.

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molasses and rum that made the triangular trade so lucrative for just about everybody but them. In the exchange, Newfies got the not so secret ingredient for Screech, and sent to the Antilles the cheap protein that kept plantation workers from dropping dead before harvest time. The freshly `freed’ workers lived in a world ruled by a business machine that banks greased, and lived a socio-economic bondage that gave meaning to carnival traditions’ emanicipatory thrust. `Playing Mas’ comes from `masquerade`; the parties, and social critiques, that the French brought to Trinidad in the late 1700’s. Enslaved people weren’t allowed to attend, so they got ìndependent’. They held their own celebrations, sometimes ridiculing their masters. After `manumission’, the planter elite would attend the Creole masquerades. The festivities grew into a containment device. An assurance of submission. Yes, the workers could misbehave, dress up, assume fake titles, flout social manners and what not, but when the drums fell silent it was back to business as usual: making the planters - and their multi-national financiers - filthy rich. From the perspective of the ruling classes, Carnival is a political catharsis that makes a show of `liberation’ and `rebellion’; a dazzling, noisy ritual that ultimately made the poor more pliant. `Freedom cries’ would themselves become `cash crops’, one very much rooted in and nurtured by the mindset that Bob sang of. Forty-four years ago, a proud band of upstarts fresh from newly ìndependent’ colonies offered Canada a gift. Caribana’s inception was gesture rich with colonial and emanicipatory symbolism. In ‘67, Canada was still very much holding Mama Elizabeth’s skirt. And, here were its newest citizens, commonwealth cousins, reminding the great white north what new freedom felt like. But, it couldn’t have been Caribbean without a biting double entendre. Caribana coincided with Simcoe Day and highlighted Ontario’s history of slavery and èarly’ emancipation. Even though in dialogue with the past, Caribana’s founders were flush with visions of legacy: the festival was to signify our presence and establish an AfroCaribbean community centre. In a few

short decades, the parade swelled to a million party goers, attracting people from all walks of life. And it made cash. In 2009, Deputy Minister of Tourism Drew Fagan reported that since its inception, Caribana generated over $22.5 billion. Little to none of that money was retained by festival organisers. Somehow, neither the provincial nor municipal governments thought to implement a revenue sharing scheme. And unsurprisingly, Caribana was underfunded, which meant that, among other things, the now massive event had to be run by temporary staff. There was financial drama nearly every year. But, threats of cancelling the jump-up soon became part of the ritual. We all knew that no one would dare `misbehave’ that way. Instead, in 2006, the CCC refused to open its books. Allegations of financial impropriety flared and the City took the parade over. Two years later, $250k of $3.14 billion the bank made that year turned `Caribana’ into `Scotiabank Caribana’. Fast forward three years and Scotiabank owned the festival outright. Despite some individual heroics, the CCC, like Jolly, `failed’ to come up with a business model that’d keep the institution in the control of its originators. And though the party continues, opportunity costs make us all the poorer for it. Given Carnival traditions’ history, overlooking the political significance of Caribana’s co-option would be culturally insensitive. A community’s statement of freedom and coming-ofage was starved and mismanaged into submission; its acquisition represents the quiet Canadian conquest of a noisy immigrant class. Failure, like success, doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The lack of a robust community business infrastructure was a factor in Caribana `evolution’. Its fate should’ve been of no surprise. From the time Carter G. Woodson was wearing short pants, we’ve known that economic underdevelopment is the first act of a sad little political minstrelsy; one which typically concludes with black people relinquishing community defining institutions. Regardless of their oppositional politics, Caribana and FLOW were destined to be `gifts’: not just cash cows milked hard for

contemptuous landlords, but cash-crops ultimately delivered to those very `authorities’. The stories of those two institutions communicate the terms of our `belonging’: subjugation. But, depending where your mind’s at, it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to see both as immigrant success stories: they proved worthy of mainstream ownership. I like `emancipate yourself ’ over `crab-bucket’ because it gets us to acknowledge something we’d really rather not. We obsess over slavery’s horrors to remind ourselves how fortunate we are and to exaggerate social `progress’. Yet, in those success stories, we ignore the trans-national economic manipulations that helped make the selling of human beings `good business’. So good in fact that former Trinidadian prime-minister, Eric Williams argued that without the slave trade economics as we know it couldn’t exist: slavery isn’t just business, but its template. One can get many things from the plausible but neurotic reluctance to black community business development. Perhaps, the most poignant is that in the making of freedoms, relying solely on available models is like to trying to drink yourself sober. Every February someone will go on about all we’ve contributed to (Western) Civilisation. An abridged list includes: Science. Rock ‘n Roll. Peanut butter. The Dougie. Fractal geometry. The Traffic light. Bill Clinton. Sun, moon and stars. Sure. But, what better gift to give to the world than economic systems that prioritize emancipation? And who better to do so than us? This is not due to any natural predisposition or divine providence, but because the work of such inventions would free us from the most frightening aspects of supremacy: the quiet, stubborn attitudes that have made us party to our own bondage. The need to be owned. This invention would necessitate financial literacy: we’d have to create new dialects of exchange. It’d demand a dedication to excellence not for personal glory but for each others’ benefit. And it’d mean building a community defined not by dreams powered by perceived deficiencies and recuperative tyranny, but the cultivation of freedom. The crabby `race to the top` model still trips us up. Disqualifying it brings us steps closer to freeing our minds. You are priceless, as are your hopes and dreams that you make to come alive. So hold on tight. Close the auction and refuse to stand on the block, do not sell to the highest, capitalist bidder.

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LOVELOVe & RELATIONSHIPS & reLatIONshIPs

SIGNS THE PERSON YOU’RE DATING IS A 7 SIGNS THE PERSON BAD INVESTMENT yOU’RE DATING IS A bAD INvESTMENT

Relationships are a lot in that theyinrequire a considerable amount of RELATIONSHIPS ARE A like LOTdoing LIKE business DOING BUSINESS that they require a considerable time,ofcommitment andand good credit Nowadays individual deteramount time, commitment good creditto tosucceed. succeed. Nowadays individual creditcredit scoresscores determine mineeverything, virtually everything, includingstatus, employment status, car insurance and to if get a pervirtually including employment car insurance rates and if a personrates is eligible a bank to start atohome. you’re business or inWhether love, youryou’re partnerin has to be ableortoinpull sonloan is eligible get aWhether bank loan to in start a home. business love, his or her weight if you plan on having an emotionally and financially secure partnership—platonically your partner has to be able to pull his or her weight if you plan on having an emotionally or romantically. So before you make your next relationship official, be sure you look out for these andwarning financially or romantically. So before you make your seven signssecure that thepartnership—platonically person you’re dating is potentially a bad investment. —Souleo next relationship official, be sure you look out for these seven warning signs that the person you’re dating is potentially a bad investment. —Souleo

creDIT-carDopHoBIa

Bank BanDIT resIDes In “skeTcHvILLe” Your partner lives on the wrong side of the tracks: Location, location, location… Many consider that to be the most important indicator of a business’ success. That rule is also transferable to the realm of dating where you may want to investigate why a partner lives in a less than desirable part of town. “Many nicer areas of housing are more strict about credit verses their ‘sketchy’ counterparts,” says Aliche. “So why would someone choose to live someplace where it didn’t seem safe unless they have poor credit or bad financial management?” Of course in this economy there other variables to consider, but how and where someone lives can be indicative of where they are financially.

1 creDIT-carDopHoBIa PHONE TAG Your partner’s cell phone provider gives it up too easily: In the contemporary digital world virtually everyone has a cell phone but not all cell phone providers are created equal. “It’s a little know secret that certain cell phone companies require a huge deposit if you have poor credit,” says financial expert, Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche. “As a result, those with bad credit are often forced to sign-up with providers that have lower standards because they make allowances for customers with a poor credit score.” According to Aliche, such red flag providers include Sprint, AT&T, Metro PCS and prepaid services. While just having an account with any of these companies doesn’t automatically mean someone has bad credit, it’s worth consideration before adding anyone to your friends and family plan.

3 HIGH Insurance raTes Your partner complains about their car insurance rates: While your date may try to impress you with the brand name of his/her car, it’s their insurance rates that will give you a better sense of their financial standing. “The majority of auto insurance companies use your credit score when determining your rates,” says Aliche. “So if your date is complaining of extra high car insurance, that may be a red flag of a poor credit score.” In that case you may want to think twice about riding shotgun before your partner takes you down a path of financial ruin.

Your partner has a fear of credit cards: According to a 2010 circulation report from major credit card companies, there are approximately 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the United States. If your partner is one of those without a credit card and/ or who prefers to use their debit card as credit then you may want to seriously investigate why. “In these days and times pulling from a checking account with all of the identity theft issues is not a smart thing to do,” says Lockard. “Plus, so many credit cards offer rewards, benefits and they help you establish credit to move forward in life. It makes no sense not to have a credit card.” While some may just be wary of falling into the credit card trap, there are those that have no choice in the matter because they have a low credit rating and his or her applications are rejected.

Your partner is a “bank bandit”: If the person you’re dating prefers to cash their checks and/ or doesn’t utilize a bank account you may be dealing with what Aliche labels a “bank bandit.” “Some people are bank bandits and run from it ‘cause they owe overdraft fees or have judgments that will get deducted from their bank deposits,” she explains. “This may be a sign that someone is not very responsible with their finances.”

5 a Bank poLYGoMIsT

Your partner has more than one, two, three, four…bank accounts: ATM’s are a source of major convenience, but they can also be a telltale sign of financial ineptitude if your date is frequently using them to transfer money between accounts. According to love expert, Guy Lockard a person who can’t oversee his or her expenses from one account may be irresponsible, undisciplined or downright corrupt. “Someone who is posturing their money may not have it all together and are trying to hide or repurpose their money,” he says. “They may do it to control excessive spending habits.” Of course, the worst-case scenario is if the funds they are transferring don’t even belong to them. “They may even have access to someone else’s account or their job expense account and you don’t want to get caught up in that,” he adds.

7 creDIT FuGITIve Your partner is a credit fugitive…but there may be hope: The phone rings constantly throughout the day and early evening and your partner refuses to answer. Or worse, you’re constantly meeting your partner somewhere new because they frequently have a new residence. While financial expert, Harrine Freeman notes such warning signals, she says before rushing to judgment one should attempt to have an open and honest conversation about credit. “In 2010, FICO Inc. showed that 25.5% of consumers—about 43.4 million people—have a credit score of 599 or below,” she states. “Many people have bad credit so don’t jump to conclusions. Find out the whole story before making decision if you want to continue dating them.”

*Please note: Original article can be found at www.BlackEnterprise.com. Although facts/statistics refer to the U.S, Canadian statistics are similar and poor credit is a situation that affects millions of North American’s in general. HaveOriginal a honest article discussion, or not you choose to date an individualAlthough should be facts/statistics based on having all the to the U.S, Canadian statistics are similar and poor credit is a situation that affects can whether be found at www.BlackEnterprise.com. refer correct information for you to make a honest and informed decision, it’s your life! So be responsible about it.

millions of North American’s in general. Have a honest discussion, whether or not you choose to date an individual should be based on having all the correct information for you to make a honest and informed decision, it’s your life! So be responsible about it.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

PUSH-UPS

TOO BUSY TO GO TO THE GYM & TOO BROKE TO AFFORD ONE

DIPS

Just before lunch, you’re feeling stiff and want to loosen up, so here is what you do. Your first exercise of the day will be pushups, which are great for building upper body strength and muscle especially the chest and arms. If conventional push-ups are difficult for you, you can easily modify push-ups by using your desk, or doorframe, or even a wall to suit each persons individual fitness level. Positioning yourself on your hands and toes facedown, you lower your chest towards the ground as if to touch the floor with your chest, then raise up and repeat it again. Conversely in the event you find conventional push- ups to be too easy for you then by all means make it more challenging by modifying them. One way to do this is by performing the exercise with feet up either on a platform, chair, or far more challenging is when performed from a handstand position by resting your feet on a wall. Also with only one hand on the ground, one-hand push-ups are quite challenging for any fitness level.

SQUATS

If you’re like most people, you may think you need a whole bunch of equipment or a gym membership in order to stay in shape, when the reality is that one can stay relatively fit without those things. Here are some examples of things you can do everyday to stay healthy from the moment you waken, throughout the day at work, up to the time you go back to bed, without spending a penny on a workout.

STRETCHING First and foremost, I don’t advise jumping out of bed abruptly straight into any activity without a stretch as this can cause dizziness and other problems. Do your first stretch while still in bed after you wake up. Sit up right on your buttocks in your bed, reach up in the air with both hands and stretch your arms to the ceiling, all the while breathing in and out for a count of ten seconds. Lower your hands to your sides then repeat again three times for three sets and a count of 30 seconds altogether. Now slowly get out of bed, but before you run off to the shower after you get out of bed, stand, and again do the same stretches you’ve just done sitting on the bed. Repeat three times for three sets and a count of 30 seconds altogether. After your three sets of standing stretches, switch your attention to the floor. Stretch your hands to the floor bending from the hips in an effort to reach and touch your toes. If you can touch your toes, then all the better it means you’ve got good flexibility, if you can’t reach the floor then that too is ok, as the whole purpose behind these exercises is to warm up the body and get it ready to take on the day. Never underestimate the value of stretching and its ability to prevent injury. Now after you have done your standing stretches, you are now ready to head into the shower (hint; you can do stretching in the shower as this can be soothing to the muscles). Now you’re out of the shower and had breakfast, you’re ready to head to work. You leave your residence, and take the stairs instead of the elevator downstairs. Once you’re outside you realize the weather is

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great, so you decide to walk or bike to work. Right there by the time you get to work you have just done a lot of cardio, that when tallied at the end of the day can translate to a great deal of weight loss over a period of time. You have arrived at work now, so again all day, you take the stairs to and from your office instead of the elevator or escalator. By walking the stairs on your way up and down, you increase your strength and your balance. Just make sure to carry an extra shirt or a deodorant along with you to your work place. In fact, it’s a good idea to have extras at your desk at all times. Walking is great for all fitness levels, and can increase your ability to burn up to as many as 500 fat calories during an hour-long walk. By mid-morning you start to feel uneasy from both the constant walking around and sitting at your desk. You feel the need to ease some muscular and mental stress. There are a few exercises you can perform at your desk in your office or anywhere you are, to release tension and stress. I would not advise you to perform these all at once at work, as that would take up work time and I am almost sure the boss wouldn’t like that. You may want to perform one exercise or sets of the same exercise once every few hours, or whichever schedule you can manage. The idea is to spread out your sets or exercises throughout your stay at work.

FLOOR PLANK

It’s been two hours after lunch and it will be another two hours before it’s almost time to leave the office, and again that uneasiness will creep up on you again. You need to release stress again, but you want a whole body awakening. So you decide to squat it out. Squats are awesome for the buttocks, hamstrings, and quadriceps. In fact squats are a very good exercise for the entire body. As opposed to working a single set of muscles on the body, squats focus on multiple muscles and there’s no equipment necessary. Your own body weight is entirely good enough to give you a great workout. Simply hold on to a table or chair, straighten your arms, place feet shoulder width apart then gently get into a sitting position just as you would sit on a chair, except there is no chair of course. Repeat movement for at least ten repetitions, then repeat the exercise again after a thirty second break for a minimum of three to five sets in total.

It’s been a full day at work and now it’s time to head home, and as in the morning, you can either walk or ride home. From your early morning rides and walk to work, you already know that there are actually quite a lot of ways you can exercise without going to the gym. Now that you are home, instead of watching television, you head outside for a little gardening fun with the family. After that you can play a game of tag

After your push-ups, you perform dips. This exercise is performed from a sitting position holding on to a platform, chair or a table. You can also make the exercise harder by straightening your legs out in front of you from the sitting position, or you can make it easier by bringing your feet underneath your knees. Dips are also great for your upper body especially the arms, specifically the triceps, but they also indirectly target the shoulders and chest. Sitting down on the platform with your hands close to your sides and behind you, from the sitting position, placing your hands on the chair, table or platform you are sitting on, slowly lower your buttocks towards the floor about half a foot or more then raise back up. Repeat at least ten repetitions or more, then call that a set and repeat for a total of three to five sets.

The second exercise of the afternoon is the floor plank. This exercise works the core especially abdominals and back. The beauty of this exercise is that you don’t have to even move to benefit from performing planks. All you have to do is get on the floor face down in a push-up position except with your forearms resting on the ground. Support your weight with your elbows and your toes. Keeping the whole body aligned, from your shoulders down to your feet, hold this position for at least 30 seconds to one minute, then repeat the exercise for three to five sets.

with your children before you take them to their outdoor soccer game. You have now completed a full day full of activity and exercising that will keep you healthy and fit for a very long time. After the kids’ game, you come home, eat some nourishing food, and then head into the shower. You can stretch in the shower as you bathe then head to bed, ready for the next morning knowing that you have had a fruitful, healthy

day. As you can see, working out does not need to be complicated. It simply takes a little initiative and desire to better your health and a little know-how. Fortunately you can rely on Africulture Magazine to set you in motion and show you just how easy it is to stay fit and healthy. - Steven Olema

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AFRICA EATS

FOLLOWING THE PURSUIT OF PASSION… AND HOW IT CAME DOWN TO CAKES Extremely nice to look at, but even better to eat are ‘Cakes by Mavis’. Whatever the occasion whether birthday, anniversary, wedding or even a bar mitzvah, Mavis De Souza of ‘Cakes by Mavis’ has got just the cake for you! old birthday party of my friend/sister’s twins. Two of the smaller loves of my life, these well loved children Makayla and Jaden Avotri had a custom made Dora the Explorer and Diego cake. Bright, colorful, and well-detailed are words I would choose to describe the aesthetic value of the cake, while yummy, rich and filling…but wait! Did I mention really yummy? These are all words I would use to describe the taste of the cake that melted in my mouth and put a smile on my face. I could go on and on. Half of the cake was a white creamy vanilla while the other half was red-velvet and rapidly disappearing before my eyes. Of course I had to try both sides. Needless to say I spent the entire weekend over at my friend/sister Vivian Avotri’s house fighting over who would get the last piece, her kids or me…And of course I’m sure you think I let the kids have it…well, you’ll never know. And what makes the cake even sweeter? The person behind the cake. Her name is Mavis De Souza, a native of Ghana, West Africa born into a family of 13 siblings, Mavis immigrated to Canada in 1995 to begin a new life and enrolled in a skills training program to acquire some Canadian experience to facilitate her (easy) transition to the Canadian Job market. She recalls that one day she was in the company of other newly arrived women immigrants who were also enrolled in the skills training program and as they passed by a bakery on their way to the center, she had some kind of epiphany moment. She suddenly became interested in baking and coincidentally a few months into the skills training program, she got a job in the same bakery, working as a pastry cook. She worked in the bakery for 5 years and during the course of those years, developed more interest in the hospitality industry. After enrolling herself in school for Hotel and Restaurant Management, Mavis worked in different hotel chains as a night auditor and front desk staff. While working in these positions she came to discover that this was not where her passion lay. She had a desire to do something that would allow her to use her creativity, analytical and critical thinking skills. This motivated her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of Western Ontario. Upon completion of that milestone in her life, Mavis moved to South Africa where she worked as an Office Manager for a Telecommunications office in Johannesburg. After a year in this position she once again moved back to Canada to follow her heart and her mind, and

enrolled in the Certificate in Infant Mental Health program at York University. Upon completing this program, Mavis worked in the non-profit sector for a few years and then she decided to finally and wholeheartedly follow her true passion in baking and decorating. In 2005 she successfully launched ‘Cakes By Mavis’ and states “I have never looked back.” When asked to describe herself Mavis said, “I am a pleasantly humorous person who enjoys traveling, meeting new friends, building new relationships, and serving humanity.” And serving humanity she does very well, with her sunny disposition and her delightful cakes. For more information on Mavis and her cakes, visit her website at www.cakesbymavis.com.

CHECK OUT MORE OF MAVIS’ BEAUTIFUL CAKES. It’s easy: Go to http://gettag.mobi to get the free app. Then snap or scan the colour bar codes and read. Your carrier’s standard rates may apply.

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- Abenwaa Dinsbi

Credits: Jewelry Designer, Fatima Samad; Model, Hakim Samad; Photography: Kaneo Designs www.kaneodesigns.com

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF TASTING one of Mavis’s cakes for the first time at the 2 yr

WWW.DESIGNBYUJEWLERY.BLOGSPOT.COM

POWER OF ONE

KAY MORRIS QUEEN NANA SIKA UNMOVABLE, UNSHAKEABLE, UNSTOPPABLE. An unflinching faith with a fanatical calling to reach, deliver and to heal Nations by God’s grace.

Kay Morris: the incomparable, consummate visionary and purposeful achiever. This extraordinary artist first burst onto the scene with her fire blazing presence and into our consciousness 20 years ago. With that booming, authentic, powerful voice serenading the gospel world with her intoxicating vocals that leaves you spiritually drunk, Morris’s electrifying yet humble presence engages her audience; her radical anointing effortlessly draws you in hook, line and sinker, leaving you crying for more.

outreach and much more. This gospel-recording artist is diligent about her calling and ministry, seeking to spread joy, peace and love through her trek around the world. With many accomplishments and deserving accolades under her heavy weight belt, her 20 year resume cannot be summed up in the typical three page format. First, let me put things in perspective. Ms. Morris is an accomplished singer/song writer, gospel music Hall of Famer, fashion designer, humanitarian, and motivational speaker; versatile multi-award winning internationally acclaimed reggaegospel artiste. She has been featured in several magazines/books (including a feature in 2009-2010 Stanford Business Magazine “Who is Who”) and has done numerous TV interviews. She is recipient of the 2006 Ghanaian Canadian Achievement ‘special’ Award; 2007 prestigious Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award; 2008- received Special Appreciation Award from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in New York, NY; 2008 ACODEP Friends of Africa Awards (presented to her by Dr. Bobby Jones of BET). Morris is the founder and President of the Kay Morris Foundation (KMF) in Canada and Ghana respectively. Her impressive list of achievements goes on.

AN ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN OF GOD…

Morris has a deep untiring faith and sincere passion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a Minister, she consistently delivers the word of God through evangelism, gospel music, humanitarianism, advocacy, youth

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NATIVITY OF THE KAY MORRIS FOUNDATION (KMF)

It was her singing career that birthed her advocacy work as a humanitarian. In 2003, Kay traveled to Africa for her first musical concert in Ghana.

Troubled by the quandary of the destitute persons she saw there, she came back to Canada determined to make a difference by being “The voice of the voiceless” for orphans, people living with HIV/ AIDS, maternal mortality, and malaria within the African nations and the rest of the world. In that same year, Kay quickly began her journey and duty as a humanitarian. C o n s e q u e n t l y, the Kay Morris Foundation (KMF) was birthed and registered as a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in Ghana in 2003. In 2006, it was federally incorporated in Canada. The Kay Morris Foundation motto “The Voice of the Voiceless” embodies the overall goal of Kay Morris Foundation’s programs: to encourage and assist locally defined community development by fostering creative partnerships, knowledge, communication and resources needed for communities to combat poverty. Kay Morris Foundation, Ghana shares the same mandate as KMF Canada, however, it is a separate entity. KMF Ghana organizes the annual medical mission, visits to schools; orphanages; medical facilities, sets up media coverage, speaking engagements, and oversees and monitors the distribution of medicines in Ghana. TIRELESS HUMANITARIAN

Her reverence for the Lord has kept her resilient, strong, determined, and a fierce advocate of world peace and love through her deliverance ministry. Her message for global spirituality has taken root in the heart and lives she has been anointed to bless. As a humanitarian, Kay’s work is never done and she is definitely a woman on a mission to fulfill a vision against poverty, and sickness as well as maternal mortality. In April of 2004, Kay Morris partnered with Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC), and has been carrying out annual missions to Africa, supporting the Ghana AIDS Commission, UNHCR (United Nations High Commission

Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) “One Heart Beat” Award Later in the same year, she was a delegate and speaker at the AYG Conference in Ghana where she played a major role when the Government launched the National Youth Policy on World Youth Day. After the AYG Conference activities, Kay hosted a fundraising gala on Dec 4, 2010, to raise funds to build the “Women, Shed No More Tears” Maternal Mortality Health Centre in Ghana. For her commendable works and passion, Kay was recognized by Canadian Prime Minister, Honorable Stephen Harper, who congratulated her for her work in combating maternal mortality in Africa, (this is a topic which was heavily discussed at the G8/G20 Summit by World Leaders).

►

for Refugees), Liberian Refugee Camp, Korle Bu Hospital - HIV Fever’s Unit; donating medicines and medical supplies to over 42,000 refugees and people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, Kay launched the “Make a difference campaign” and has been hosting annual fundraising events/ galas in support of her global humanitarian initiatives in Africa, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world. Also, in August 2006, Kay Morris impacted Africa, after brokering a $1.5 million donation of ARVs (anti-retroviral HIV/ AIDS drugs) on behalf of the Ghana Ministry of Health, for people living with HIV/AIDS in West Africa; for her humanitarian efforts, they crowned her “Queen Nana Sika”. Moving boldly forward to expand her revelation, Kay received a major opportunity to share her vision in 2008, when as “Queen Nana Sika” she was invited by the United Nations to attend the Millennium Development Goal Awards (MDG) “Flag Signing” ceremony, held at the Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, Canada. She received special acknowledgement for her humanitarian work in the community and in Africa. Kay was also invited by the Aburi King in November 2008 to celebrate his 20-year reign on the stool; at which time, “Queen Nana Sika” was carried high in a palanquin during a parade of great Kings and Queens in Africa. As God continues to use this trailblazer to aid the African nations, Chinese artist and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Mr. William Ho, in 2009 invited Kay to be a special guest of honor at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts, where she received the world renowned United

Kay Morris with children on her trip to Ghana

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE QUEEN YOU ASK?

Well, she has positively responded to the UN MDG Goal #5; KMF is currently working on the “Women Shed No More Tears” Maternal Health Centre in Ghana, and will be conducting the groundbreaking ceremony in August 2011. The Kay Morris Foundation also participated in the “Change Africa Summit” in Nairobi, Kenya in July 2011; as well as, the African Youth and Governance Conference in Accra, Ghana August 2011. Last but definitely not finally, Kay Morris Foundation (KMF) was recently appointed by Mr. William Ho to be the Goodwill Ambassador for Africa for the UN One Heart Beat (OHB) Movement. Bravo!! Kay Morris a.k.a. “Queen Nana Sika” for all your hard work and dedication. May God continue to see you through your assiduous labor. For more information and to get in contact with The Kay Morris Foundation (KMF). Please, visit www.kaymorrisfoundation.com - Simone Da Costa

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VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY

MY BACKGROUND

One of my first recollections as a child was when I was 3 1/2 years old. It was in my home land of Guyana, South America. I was in my parents’ home, was it at the supper table? At play? At a family gathering? I can’t recall. But I do remember what I said. I said these words “Business Administration” How did I come up with that phase? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I said it, and I do know that I have spent a great deal of my adult life in ‘Business’ and ‘Administration’. This little story marks the beginning of a journey that took me to three continents, from Guyana (South America) then to the British Isles (England) and finally to Canada (North America) It is part of a larger story of this little girl who later became a post-secondary graduate, then a young entrepreneur and homeowner, then a wife and mother of twin boys, and finally a widow and a mature executive. MY STRUGGLE AND ADVERSITY FACE

MY STORY IN BLACK AND WHITE: SHELLEY JARRETT

Until well after I arrived in Canada, I really did not have a life defining struggle or adversity. Life became a struggle after my spouse passed away of a brain aneurysm in September 2004. The twins were only 14 years old, what was I to do now? The boys in the middle of adolescence, and me left to raise them alone. Having to tell the children their father had passed away was one of the hardest things for me to do. My sons went through the usual high school peer pressure, anger etc. On top of that, one son is physically challenged from birth. Despite a lack of support from family, friends or community groups, I rallied and persevered. My struggles were hard enough, but nothing had prepared me for the year 2008. The economy had worsened. I had spent over ten mostly successful years in the financial field, but investments had slowed. My business plummeted. My lifestyle had changed; I could no longer afford anything. By the end of the year it affected something that was very dear to me: the home that I had worked so hard for. By the spring of 2009, I found myself having to walk away from it. Since then I have not gotten close to purchasing another home. My struggles continued with responsibilities of putting

my sons through high school and postsecondary school. I could not have gone through these situations without a strong faith in God, who is my anchor, my rock. My family support was limited and sometimes nonexistent. This situation has brought me closer to my God, my creator. This has been a journey that has been a voyage of discovery of “Who I am” as a person and as “A woman”. AMAZING GRACE…

This brings me to what God has done in my life now. He has created some new opportunities for me. He brought someone into my life that would rock my world and have me dreaming again; someone who had promised me a future in the Arts and has since done so. Because of this individual, a whole new world has opened up for me. The beauty of our relationship is both business and personal. It is also inter-racial. God has shown me that love and beauty radiates inside a person regardless of color. I have been exposed to possibilities I never knew existed before and I am utilizing my opportunities and potential. I am now a founding member of a professional performing arts company in Mississauga Ontario, and am an integral part of the executive team. From that exposure, opportunities in the media, T.V. and global, has catapulted me to hosting my own show called “Women of Influence International” to be launched globally this September. MY ADVICE TO OTHERS WHO MAY BE GOING THROUGH A TRYING TIME

My advice to others is to never give up on yourself or your dreams. Life can take you around the world, literally speaking. You can have up and downs but eventually better days are ahead. If you give up you will never see those days. My life has been an external journey between three continents. However, I have also had an internal journey: One that has been proven in the long run to be more exciting and promising. “Believe and you will Achieve”

AFRICULTURE

MAGAZINE.COM

- Shelley Jarrett

CONNECTING AFRICAN-CANADIANS

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THE CANADIAN DREAM OR THE GREAT CANADIAN FAÇADE? We’ve seen this story played out in the movies: ambitious men and women whose only mistake in life was being born in a Third World country. They don’t feel sorry for themselves though. They dream of a better life for themselves and their families, a brighter future, a different kind of living. And everyone knows there’s only one place to live that kind of life and that’s the West. So they leave Africa in search of greener pastures. They are the envy of those left behind. They are the pride of their families, who will join them soon, surely. THEY COME TO CANADA, degrees and years of working experience in

hand…and the only job they can find is as a cab driver. The names of the three individuals mentioned in this article have been changed but they are very real and they are living examples of how the Canadian dream and the Canadian reality can be two very different things. Sixty–four year old Ahmed is a Lebanese immigrant I encountered three years ago in Windsor, Canada. He was one of those fatherly cab drivers who had picked up a lot of students from the University of Windsor and was always ready to dispense some advice. “It is good that you study here”, he said to me after I had told him what my course was. “It will be an easier life for you. In Lebanon, I am an

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engineer. But when I came to Canada, I could not get a job as an engineer so I drive a cab.” He explained that at first, his pride would not let him take a job that earned him less than what he made at home. But as the years went by and their savings depleted, he finally decided to drive a cab. “I promised myself that I would only do it for, at most, two years,” he said. “How long have you been driving a cab now?” I asked. “Twenty years.” He laughed at my shocked expression. “What you gonna do?” he asked with a shrug. The second cab driver I encountered was Mike, a Somali immigrant residing in Toronto. Mike arrived in Canada as a refugee from the war torn East African country in 1995. Mike was a well -established young doctor from the Darod clan. Despite the war, life held a lot of promise. But when he fell in love with and married a young beautiful woman, life took a turn for the worse. See, Mike’s wife is from the “lesser” Jaji clan and their union did not sit well with either of their families. The war in Somalia caused great tension between the different clans of the country and mixed marriages were not just frowned upon, they were potentially life threatening. “The clans were at war. Marrying from a different clan was like an abomination. You were an outcast and you slept with one eye open because some people were after your life,” Mike explained. For the safety of his family, Mike decided to leave Somalia. “Canada was taking in refugees,” Mike said to me, “So we decided to go there, start afresh.” Mike had big dreams of his move to Canada. He was going somewhere where his union with his wife was not a taboo, where he could raise his children without prejudice and where he could go to work without fear of getting killed. “I thought it would be refreshing. I was especially excited about being able to practice medicine in Canada because, you know, doctors are the rich people here. Everyone said it would be hard but I knew that within a year, I would be working in a hospital.” But that was not the case. Yes, Mike’s family was safe from racial tensions but they were confronted with a whole new set of problems. As a refugee, Mike’s family was given a place to stay, in a low-income neighborhood. “It was a poor neighborhood. It was a scary place to live. It was almost like being home, still. There were lots of young boys, from Somalia and from other places and they were getting into lots of trouble. My wife was pregnant. I didn’t want to raise my children in that place.” Mike set out to look for a job that would help him move out somewhere safer. But he was

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SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITY

Look, your African degree means nothing here. As far as people are concerned, your certificate is the same as a high school diploma. In fact, it is worse than a high school diploma.

turned down everywhere he went. “No one would hire me. I even started looking for positions as a nurse, for anything in health care but I found nothing.” Finally, Mike got a bitter dose of reality. “Someone just called me aside and said to me, ‘Look, your African degree means nothing here. As far as people are concerned, your certificate is the same as a high school diploma. In fact, it is worse than a high school diploma.’” “That sounds harsh,” I said. But Mike shook his head. “They were telling me because they had been in my situation. And it’s what I needed to hear.” That’s when Mike decided to look at other options. “And here I am,” he said, sitting behind the wheel of his Beck Toronto cab. “I was able to save money for a better place to live and I’ve been driving a cab ever since.” That conversation brings me to my third encounter. Marie is the custodian that works at the bank with me. Her family moved to Canada from Ethiopia about two and half years ago. Her husband is a PhD holding lecturer in a university. Their original plan was for her husband to find a job teaching a university or college while she stayed home with their young children. When that did not work out, he found a job as (what else?) a cab driver and she got a job at the bank. “I was lucky,” she says about finding her job.“Nobody wants to be the cleaning lady but I don’t mind. Nobody wanted the job so it was free for me to take.” I asked her how the change has affected her husband. “It is hard,” she said. “You have to understand, in Dessie, people called him Professor. People called him ‘Sir’. Now he does not teach. He drives around in a taxi.” Dessie is one of the campuses of Dandii Boruu University College, where Marie’s husband taught. I asked her how the change has affected her. She admits that the money cab driving brings in is not bad. “It covers the basics. In this place, everyone works for the basics. There is nothing left over for fun or luxuries. No one has the money. No one has the time. So honestly, it is good. The only thing is, I miss my family.” I asked her if she ever contemplated

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going back home. She seemed surprised by the question. “Of course not,” she said. “So you are happier here?” I asked. She shook her head, “Sometimes, it’s too cold. It’s true, I miss my family. But this is Canada.” It is as a simple as that. At the end of the day, this is Canada. Ahmed shares Marie’s sentiment. “In the end, it was a good call, moving to Canada. My children grew up here. We all have blue passports. They are Canadians. Life will be good for them.” For people like Marie and Ahmed, they don’t regret the hardship and disappointment of coming to Canada because it means a better future even if that future is not their own. Mike also believes he made the right decision for the safety of his family. The civil unrest in Somalia has been going on for twenty years now, and he does not know if they would have made it thus far if they had stayed back home. But Mike does miss his profession. “It’s embarrassing. I’m a doctor yet I’m driving a cab, giving rides to other doctors. That was the hardest part for me, going from being a rich man to a poor man. Just like that.” I asked Mike if and when he thought things would change for him. He thought about it for a long moment. “I don’t know,” he answered. They are countless stories about people who come here hoping to live the Canadian dream, yet the only thing they have to show for it are the stories they share with the people they give rides to. However, judging from the reactions I got from these three individuals, as unsatisfied as they are with their present situations, they do not wholly regret their move and remain optimistic about the future. Their dreams of a better life are still very attainable and it is better than whatever future was waiting for them at home. It has to be. After all, this is Canada. - Sumoso Udome

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GUESS WHERE

SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITY

AFRICA’S TOP 10 WEALTHIEST PEOPLE The 2011 Forbes Rich list broke records in size (1,210 billionaires) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion). China which had 50 billionaires on the list in 2010 doubled its number this year. Mexico’s Carlos Slim remained at No. 1. Africa’s total billionaires climbed from 11 (2010) to 14 and was made up of two Nigerians, 4 South Africans and 8 Egyptians. Here are the top 10:

CITY LIGHTS

Who said Africa was all trees and brush?

Since most of the world thinks all sub-saharan Africa outside of South Africa live in mud huts; here are 3 cities from across the continent that go against popular belief. Guess these metropolitan cities?

3 ANSWERS: 1. Sandton, South Africa 2. Falomo Round-About, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria 3. Gabarone, Botswana

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I AM

AFRI CULT URE I am AFRICULTURE BERNARD LARYEA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Ghana COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE: Canada PROFESSION: Medical Lab Technician WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING AFRICAN: The fact that I can proudly say I am an African anywhere and everywhere. WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR AFRICA 10 YEARS FROM NOW: We, as Africans, can fully understand the meaning of unity. We need to look out for one another and stop with all this hatred and corruption and Â understand that through the blood and toil of our forefathers we are able to face any obstacles through unity to fight a common goal and it is our duty to uphold, defend and improve our continent.

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