March Issue 2016 by Afroelle Magazine

MARCH Issue 2016

Celebrating Women of African Heritage

AFROELLE www.afroellemagazine.com

Siedah Garrett The Woman Behind „Man in The Mirror‟

Years of Celebrating women of African Heritage CLICK HERE

To read our past issues

Afroelle Magazine is a monthly digital publication celebrating and empowering women of African heritage in Africa and the Diaspora. FOUNDER & EDITOR

Patricia Miswa PUBLISHER

Afroelle Media FOR SUBMISSIONS & GENERAL ENQUIRIES Afroelle@gmail.com

COVER CREDITS

Photographer & Writer: Amina Touray Makeup Artist: Crystal Watana Mock up Graphics: Makhfou Ndiaye

Contributors

AMINA T.

Patricia M.

Photographer

Editor

Los Angeles

Kenya

aminatouray.com

afroellemagazine.com

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CONTENTS

MARCH ISSUE 11 Monthly Gift Guide 14 In Her Good Books â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kehryse 18 Bahati Books 20 Spotlight On: Brooklyn-based singer/ songwriter OWO 22 In Conversation with Siedah Garrett 34 Focus on Mother Health International 43 Women Behind Beauty Brands

INSIDE

Women Behind Beauty Brands Pg. 43

20 46

appy Women‘s Day! Every day is Women‘s Day for us because at the heart of our magazine is celebrating women of African heritage.

On the cover of this issue is Grammy award winner and two-time Oscar nominated singer & songwriter, Siedah Garrett who co-wrote the song "Man In The Mirror" sung by Michael Jackson. She talks to our writer and photographer Amina Touray about her touring memories, how she stays balanced and what she does to make the world a better place. We touch base with Bahati Books founders, who have created a platform that aims to bring to global readers captivating and well-written African literature by African authors. Our featured cause we focus on Mother Health International, an NGO that supports high volume midwifery model of care centers in areas of extreme need. In our Special Feature, ‟Women Behind Beauty Brands‟ we profile four women entrepreneurs who saw a gap in their markets and created beauty and hair brands changing the beauty industry in various African countries. We hope you enjoy this issue and share it with the women (and men) in your life! Till next time, I leave you with the words of Phylicia Rashad “Any time women come together with a collective intention, it's a powerful thing. Whether it's sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal, in a club reading the same book, or around the table playing cards, or planning a birthday party, when women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.”

Have a great month! Book of the Month The Flowering Woman: Becoming & Being is a debut

Founder and EIC

collection of poetry and prose written for the woman who has longed to find healing and solace in her journey. The collection unveils through the eyes of the writer some hurt, truth and ultimate healing on the journey to becoming a woman. Each section will encourage women to grow, feel, tend to their battles and recognize that every woman is also fighting a soft battle of her own.

Bahati Books

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x;s a digital revolution taking place in Africa, many readers have embraced digital magazines and e-books and Bahati Books is part of that revolution. We touch base with the founders whose platform aims to bring to global readers captivating and wellwritten African literature by African authors.

Interview by PATRICIA MISWA | Photo Credit: IC-Free / IC3 Magazine

Founded by Kenyan born Barbara Njau and Kudakwashe Kamupira from Zimbabwe, Bahati Books is an e-book publishing company publishes African literature written by talented authors of African origin. Bahati Books aims to develop as the leading marketplace for contemporary and classic African literature, and its e-books are published for readers interested in discovering Africa - beyond the negative portrayals in the mainstream. It currently represents 18 authors and it has published five e-books. Barbara and Kudakwashe met at secondary school in the UK in 2000, they not only shared experiences of living in the Diaspora, but also a love for African literature. It‘s this shared passion and love for reading and discovering new African writers that led Barbara and Kudakwashe to start Bahati Books. Prior to starting Bahati Books in 2015, Barbara worked in the news publishing industry for four years. She worked as a Senior Reporter and eventually Editor at ‗The Financial Times‘ (FT), working as for a specialist business-to-business

magazine called ‗Foreign Direct Investment‘ (fDi) magazine. Kudakwashe worked in the legal sector, having studied Law and Sociology at University. She started as a Legal Assistant in a boutique law firm in South West London where she predominantly dealt with Residential Conveyancing transactions as well as Private Client matters. Since its inception in October 2015, Bahati Books was voted ‗Best Start-Up‘ concept at IDEA London in November; and in February 2016 the company joined the newest cohort of start-up businesses operating under King‘s College London‘s ‗Incubate‘ Programme. Barbara and Kudakwashe speak to us about the reception of their company, current reading trends and their thoughts on African literature.

What was the „aha‟ moment that inspired you two to start your epublishing company? Barbara: The ―aha‖ moment was some

time in the making. For me (Barbara) the idea came to me about three years ago. I worked as a journalist and I was travelling a lot – I was away from the country at least twice a month, travelling to places as far flung as Burma, China, UAE, Rwanda and Botswana (I covered Africa, Middle East and Africa). My boyfriend bought me a Kindle as a present as he knew that I couldn‘t sleep on long-haul flights, however I didn‘t have enough concentration to do much work – so reading literature on long flights kept me sane. I really got into African literature but I noticed that beyond the large names of African writers – there wasn‘t much else to download or read. After downloading amazing novels like ―Half of a Yellow Sun‖ and ―Things Fall Apart‖ – it was tough to find suggested similar reads by contemporary or classic African writers. Amazon would usually suggest books on AIDS, Famine, War or Disease if I searched ―African literature‖. Thus I wondered – why isn‘t there a publisher which specializes in creating an online marketplace which brings together the best that contemporary African writers have to offer, for readers like me who want to explore what is beyond the mainstream? I sat on the idea for a few years before Kudakwashe and I decided to launch Bahati Books.

Kudakwashe: For me the "aha"

moment came when I was reading "On Black Sisters' Street" by Chika

Unigwe. I found the book so gripping and I was bursting to talk to someone about it so as usual I called Barbara as she was the person that I always spoke to when it came to any conversations about any interesting African literature books. It was in the midst of this conversation about "On Black Sisters' Street" that we also stated to talk about our frustration for the lack of African literature books beyond those that are in the mainstream. It was then that Barbara told me about the idea that she had thinking about for a few years and in that moment we both just decided; "Yes! let's do it!"

Last year Bahati Books was named winner of the second Africa Tech Pitch LDN event, so far what has been the reception of your publishing company from Africans in Africa and the Diaspora? The reception has been amazing. We have signed on 18 authors and we have

so many authors reaching out to us daily. We actually cannot keep up and it‘s amazing, but also poignant, because we feel sad that there do not exist other publishers who are interested or proactive in creating a space for African literature to be developed and be showcased. We have also had a lot of success with readers from Africa and in the diaspora – we get hundreds of visits to our website a week, our social media – particularly twitter, has amassed a fantastic following and our readers are constantly engaged. One reader wrote to us on Facebook, expressing that this idea has been a long time coming, and they are pleased that someone has finally stepped up and created this platform! Yet the interest has not been restricted to Africans in Africa and the diaspora – we have received amazing feedback from nonAfricans, from around the world. English people based in the UK, Americans and even people based in non-English speaking countries like France and Portugal have reached out to us (despite our work being available only in English) stating our initiative is unique and much needed. We are doing much to reverse a lot of perceptions many non-Africans had of Africa – through our authors‘ stories and even the news and information we share about African culture and African arts on our social media. One of our newest supporters is King‘s College London – we‘re really proud to be part of their Incubate Programme, and despite KCL

being an English educational institution, the organisers expressed enthusiasm to the rich cultural and literary works that we are showcasing, via Bahati Books.

What can you say about the current reading trends of African literature in the continent as compared to the Diaspora? Africans – both on the continent and in the diaspora are huge readers. It is worth noting that Nigerians based in the UK are actually the most qualified ethnic group, in terms of educational attainment (many hold Masters and PhD degrees) – and this stems from a deeply rooted African phenomenon of reading, which is prevalent across Africa. Although academic reading is slightly different to leisure literature reading – the first thing that‘s important to remember is Africans, both on the

continent and in the diaspora have been avid readers therefore literature consumption trends are nothing new. However the major change that is particularly worth noting with respect to Africans on the continent is reading patterns in the last decade have shifted significantly. Internet uptake across Africa has grown in excess of 3,000% and with this – literature reading trends are changing. More people on the continent are reading literature on their phones and mobile devices. The success of e-book apps like Okadabooks, which emerged in Nigeria about three years ago is testament to this growing appetite on the continent for literature which is easily accessible and readable on mobile devices. I think the diaspora is also consuming more literature on e-devices like the Kindle – and it is interesting to note that while Africans both in the diaspora and on the continent are reading more on mobile and e-readers, trends are skewed much more towards e-readers with Africans in the diaspora (more people in the diaspora own Kindles, Kobos and conventional ereaders, which they download books on), while Africans in the continent consume literature much more on their phones, via apps like Okadabooks.

Who are some of the authors you are currently working with? We have published ―….on about the same things‖ – a poetry anthology by Katlego Kol-Kes who is from Botswana. She is an award-winning poet whose work is informed by her experiences growing up and working as a transgender woman in Botswana. She is an outspoken advocate who works to represent Queer communities across Southern Africa and we are huge fans of her work. Also our first ever novelist, called Mirette Bahgat, is a fantastic addition to Bahati Books – she published our first ever novel called ―A Coffin Of Roses‖. She is from Egypt and her writing is inspired by her activism as a feminist, as well as her experiences seeing Egypt through the lens of the ‗Arab Spring‘ political uprisings. Her work is rooted in Egyptian mythology, blending her experiences with older historical Egyptian symbols and stories.

What challenges have you encountered since launching? The major challenge is achieving and running a company which covers so many elements of the publishing industry as a two-woman team! It‘s exciting and fun, but also exhausting and there really aren‘t

enough hours in the day – cliché as that may sound. The second main challenge is we do not wish to keep African literature as a niche genre – African literature represents a continent of over one billion people. Africans‘ stories matter just as much as European literature and European genres, as well as Asian, Latin American and North American literature. Therefore another challenge we have faced is educating readers – both Africans and nonAfricans that African literature has much to offer. If you enjoy romance, you can read African romance books, as well as European romance literature. Likewise if you enjoy action literature, or sci-fi literature – there is African action and sci-fi literature which is just as entertaining as American or Asian sci-fi or action books. Africa is not this oneissue continent – it is diverse, complex and we can all learn more and enjoy ourselves while doing it, through its literature.

I read a recent article titled “I‟m Done With African Immigrant Literature” by Siyanda Mohutsiwa and in the article she points out that most African literature is set outside of African and this does not move African literature forward, what‟s your take on this? We read this and we can understand her frustration at the seeming overrepresentation of diaspora Africans, when it comes to bestselling literature written by Africans. The most popular writer of our current generation, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, spent a significant part of her life studying in the US and her novel ―Americanah‖ is based around the immigrant experience in the US and the UK.

However while we understand Siyanda‘s frustrations, which she articulates beautifully, we also disagree with her view. What she inadvertently is still saying is African literature belongs in a narrow box: written by Africans, living in Africa, familiar with folklore, etc. This still means that a narrow view of what ―Africa‖ is – is still recognized as being authentic, and this is simply not true, and it is diminutive of Africans in the diaspora who also have valid stories and opinions that are equally interesting and worth listening to. If we extend Siyanda‘s view to European literature – to state that literature is only ―European‖ if the writer is from mainland Europe and has never travelled or ventured beyond Europe, then classic European literature would have to exclude writers like Ernest Hemingway – an American writer who‘s work has greatly influenced European literature. Africans living in the diaspora only add to the richness and diversity of African literature, just as much as Africans living on the continent. As Shadreck Chikoti so eloquently put it: ―I get afraid, very afraid, when somebody, anybody, prescribes to me which books to read and not to read. When somebody gives me a template of what African literature ought to look like.‖ African literature doesn‘t fit one mould or stereotype. It‘s diverse, multifaceted and that is why we take issue with Siyanda‘s feature.

For more information about Bahati Books Visit: bahatibooks.com

In Her Good Books

Kehryse is a 33-year old writer of Jamaican descent from London. She is the Head of Content at @Bar London - which is the first ever Black-owned multibrand natural beauty boutique for Women of Colour . She also contributes to other publications such as Glam Africa and Zuvaa magazine on the subject of Blackness. In 2013 she founded Code Ebene, a black women‟s networking and empowerment group based in London and in Paris. She shares her good reads. You can connect with her @CodeEbene

The first series that made me fall in love with reading is without doubt Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal which is a children‘s fiction series about the adventures of a pair of Californian twin girls Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. I would absolutely devour these books at my local library! At the time I hated my picky head and my too black ‗black‘ skin, so there was something about these blond-haired, blue-eyed twins and being privy to their perfect lives that made me feel better. I liked being able to escape into Whiteness. At the time I didn‘t know that that was what I was doing, of course. Now I see how important it is for little Black girls to have easy access to stories about characters that resemble ourselves.

I‟m reading The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers. Not my usual sort of thing but a very pretty French artist recommended it to me and because he‘s knows his stuff, I thought I‘d give it a whirl. So far so great. My favourite author is without doubt Toni Morrison. I have read every single one of her novels and no exaggeration, for me she is the savior of Black Womanhood. I love that she so unapologetically writes for Black people! The White Gaze is simply not present in her work. I wish more Black writers would consciously make that decision too. Yes, it‘s easy to get distracted by what you‘re told will or won‘t ‗sell‘ but I think it is a mistake to dwell on it too much and let it dictate the artistic result. I used to work in libraries and it was the ultimate sadness for me; thinking about all those books there that I‘d never get to

read. But I digress. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s books are on my list. I‘ve only read Americanah so far. I enjoyed it very much but people tell me it‘s not her best which means I have some treats in store with Half A Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus and the rest. The book that has had the biggest impact on my life is Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr Joy DeGruy. What an important book. Before reading it I couldn‘t make sense of the Black Condition and nor was I really aware that I needed to. It has vastly improved my consciousness about what I‘m really experiencing and why, as well as propelled me into the fantastic projects that I‘m working on now. I think that every Black person should read this book because what we need now more than ever is empathy for one another. I love the feel of a real book so I don‘t own a Kindle or any other reading gadget like that. It just doesn‘t feel the same. I prefer to buy my books especially if it‘s self-help because I can highlight useful passages and come back easily later if I need to. Fiction from the library is fine too but I have foodbits phobia. You know when you‘re reading a library book in bed and someone else‘s crumbs fall out?

get everything all mixed up in my head if I tried that. It‘s sort of like learning two languages at once or something! Why make life harder for yourself? I have read and reread a book called Conditions of Love by John Armstrong. I have a small dog-eared copy that I found in a secondhand bookshop in Tokyo a few years back and I absolutely adore it! This book details the philosophy of intimacy and I return to it again and again (particularly with each new stage in my relationships) to refresh my more mature approach to love and to broaden my perspective. Without this book I reckon I would be perpetually single.

I would love to go on a date with Aristotle. That man is a THIEF and a LIAR, Greek philosophy is actually stolen Egyptian philosophy, did you know that? Alexander the Great invaded Egypt, captured and plundered the Royal Library at Alexandria then Aristotle made a library of his own from said plundered. Read Stolen Legacy by George G. M. James, it‘s all there! I‘d like to sit down to dinner with Aristotle and catch him out. Then I‘d throw my I always have one fiction and one non wine over him and leave the table -fiction book on the go at the same without paying. time. The fiction is for fun and the nonfiction is for edutainment (education If you would like to be featured plus edutainment). I don‘t understand sharing your Good Reads, email how people can read more than one afroelle@gmail.com fictitious story at a time - it‘s crazy! I‘d

Spotlight On

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter

OWO

Photographer: @oye_diran | Designer: @nyor_agwe | Stylist : @nkemvibez | MUA: @_kylinn | Jewelry Designer: @asiagolden

She refers to herself as an “aggressive butterfly,” and cites revenge flick “Kill Bill” as her blueprint. Fierce and feminine, she sees no contradiction. Make no mistake- Tracee Atanda-Owo, a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter born to Nigerian-Brazilian parents, and known by her surname, OWO, aims to shape the world. At 5‟9, OWO certainly cuts an imposing figure onstage. Dominating but yielding. Strong but vulnerable. She telegraphs a mixed message that is visually compelling. She‟s the warrior that will lead the charge, and then invite you back for a cool glass of malta. The music is exotic and familiar at the same time. You expect the Fela Kuti and Tony Allen drum vibrations. But, true to her own eclectic self, OWO seems also to be channeling the spirits of Stevie Nicks and Donna Summer on stage. It‟s a mixture that shouldn‟t work, but does. With her growing live audience, as diverse as she, OWO seems to have taken those first giant steps towards the limelight. Beware the Aggressive Butterfly. My parents grew up in the 70s and 80s so in my house we listened to a lot of musicians from that era. Bob Marley, Fela, Michael Jackson and more. But we still listened to a lot of pop musicians from our youth. I remember my sister and I listening to Lisa Stransfield's "Been Around the World" and obsessing over that song. My music journey has been kind of unplanned I would say. I experimented a lot when I was a kid but was too shy to actually pursue anything until later on down the line. I will say my sound is what my dad likes to call "danceable". I like to call is AfroElectro R&B. It's usually high-energy though but I started out writing a lot of ballads so they still slip in there from time to time.

Like most writers, my songs are my twist on "love" and what it does to you but one of my signature things I do is put my sad love songs over up-tempo tracks, giving the listener a chance to dance and have an alternative release to the traditional down-tempo sad love song. There are always some challenges with pursuing anything in life but as a creative I think one of the most challenging things would be being able to trust yourself and trust your gift. There are a lot of moments that were amazing memories for me and one of them was independently placing a song I wrote and sang on internationally with a Malaysian producer. Shout out to all my business women out there! A count everything as a blessing, whether big or small.

In my journey I've learned that it's a marathon, not a race and you are your Alot of my sound has elements of my only competition. Pushing yourself to be Nigerian-Brazilian roots especially in the drums used in production but I also grew the best version of yourself is the best up in the U.S. so I use lot of R&B elements way to grow and progress. in the lyrics, harmonies, and vocals. LISTEN TO OWO‟s music at www.iamOWO.com

GARRETT Grammy award winner and two-time Oscar nominated singer & songwriter, Siedah Garrett has had people all over the world sing along to her co-written song "Man In The Mirror" sung by Michael Jackson. She is an artist in many fields - "the black Martha Stewart" Siedah Garrett was destined to change and impact people worldwide when she happened to be at the right place at the right time and joined a music session where she discovered the power of blending harmonies together with other well established background singers at the age of 15. She was later discovered by music icon Quincy Jones at a cattle call, which led to collaborations with the biggest names in the music industry. Perhaps all her moving around Los

Angeles in her youth was preparation for her world tours with the King of Pop himself - Michael Jackson, a few years later. It's intriguing to be in the same room as someone as charismatic as Siedah. Some people you come across in life give you an unforgettable experience just by being themselves as their strong soul embraces yours; Siedah is one of them! The Grammy award winner and two-time Oscar nominated singer & songwriter has had people all over the world sing along to her co-written song "Man In The Mirror" sung by Michael Jackson. She is an artist in many fields - "the black Martha Stewart", which she jokingly laughs about. Her artistic craft comes naturally.

Photographer & Writer: Amina Touray || Makeup Artist: Crystal Watana

"I just like being busy making beautiful things", says Garrett. In our conversation Garrett shares her touring memories, how she stays balanced and what she does to make the world a better place. Amina Touray: To begin, ever since you were a little girl did you know that you wanted to be a singer/songwriter? Siedah Garrett: As a young girl, I used to sing around the house and with my cousins at family functions. Eventually, my mother began to take me around to different churches to sing for their congregations. I really didn't consider becoming a professional singer until I realized that you could make money at it. That realization came after my very first recording session as a background vocalist. My mother had arranged an audition for me with R&B artist DJ Rogers, and he was so

impressed that when one of his regular singers didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t show up for a session, he gave me a shot. I was only 15 years old, but I sang with his group of well-established background singers. My first real session! AT: And that's when you realized that it was what you wanted to do? SG: It was so much fun, the actual recording process! So much fun! And then hearing our voices blend at harmony was just so amazing to me, I had the best time. And then three weeks later I got a check! I was like "OH YES!!" This is something I could definitely make happen more often. It was so much fun and I loved it! And I was smitten ever since. I've been bitten and smitten (laughs). However, I never expected to be a songwriter. I used to write poems, but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t until I signed an artist agreement with Quincy that songwriting became an issue. He insisted that the

agreement include songwriting and music publishing, so I set about learning the art of writing songs.

most?

AT: You've sung backup and/or written songs for the biggest names in the music industry; Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Madonna, just to mention a few...

AT: And talking about Michael. How did you find out that you were going to sing the duet "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with Michael Jackson?

SG: And Earth Wind & Fire, Sérgio Mendes, Donna Summers, The Commodores, Al B Sure, Al Jarreau, Miles Davis, Chaka Khan, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am… It's insane! I've been so so blessed!! AT: Yes, how has the experience been for you, like what has it taught you to work with all of those talents? SG: Oh God, you learn so much from each person because they bring with them their life experience. And you learn how to create in the studio, you learn how to put your ideas down on...well then tape, but now digitally. And I've learned techniques like recording techniques from them and how to make the sounds that you hear in your mind, and record them. I've learned so much from each person that I've worked with. AT: Could you name one of them that has inspired you the

And without thinking twice Siedah responds; - "Michael, Mr. Jackson..."

SG: It was insane!! I thought I was going to the studio to finish some recording on the song we had done a couple of days ago - "Man in The Mirror". When I arrived at the studio, there was a different song playing. So, I'm just sitting in the back of the studio, knitting, when Quincy sort of called over shoulder - "Sid, do you like this song that's playing?‖, and I was like, "Yeah I like it" and he said - "Can you sing it ?" and I'm like "Yes?", and he's all -"go on in there. Michael, go on in there with Siedah". And I start walking into the recording booth and Michael is following me. And I go to the mic stand. There are two music stands, two microphones and on each music stand there is a lyric sheet, and the lyric sheet says -"first verse Michael, second verse Siedah". And it was just that moment when I realized -"Oh my God, I'm duet-ting with the king of pop right now!" It was crazy!! Girl it was surreal! AT: Wow they set you up huh? SG: Completely! Now what if I would have said - "nah, I don't like this song". I would have topped myself out...(laughs)

“ I wanted to say something more meaningful and personal. It could be implemented by anyone who heard it or felt it, or wanted to emulate the words. I Just wanted it to have more meaning than just a regular pop song.

” AT: That story gave me goose bumps. There is a lot of struggle going on in the world today. During these times you co-wrote "Man in The Mirror". What inspired you to write that song? And how did the words come to you? SG: I thought about Michael. He had the world, the world was his stage, and the whole world was watching, so I wanted to write something that he could say to the whole world. And I knew that "oh baby, baby, I love you" wasn't going to cut it. I wanted to say something more meaningful and personal. It could be implemented by anyone

who heard it or felt it, or wanted to emulate the words. I Just wanted it to have more meaning than just a regular pop song. And I knew that that would cut pass just a regular pop song if it had more meaning, it would cut closer to what I thought he wanted. The first hurdle was getting it past Quincy, because if Quincy didn't like it there was no way he was going to play it for Michael. It was great! I was just at the right place at the right time. AT: Do you remember where you were when the lyrics came to you? SG: Yes, the phrase ―the man in the mirror‖ caught my attention from a phone call that I overheard two years

before I wrote the song. I was at another musician's house, John Beasley, working on a new song. We were in the middle of writing, when his phone rang. Instead of letting the machine pick up, he got on the phone and began this very mundane, casual conversation. And I'm thinking -"No he didn't just pick up the phone and start talking!!...we're writing here!" I'm, like, seething, with all these thoughts that's going on in my head, and I'm

just flipping through my lyric book while thinking -"no he didn't, he's on the phone, the nerveâ&#x20AC;Ś" and as while talking on the phone he says; -"the man ? what man ? -Oh the man in the mirror!". So I wrote -"Man in the mirror" in my book of lyric ideas. Two years later, I had attended a meeting of the west coast songwriters signed to Quincy Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; publishing company, where Q gave us guidelines for a song he needed for MJâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s next album. I took my notes to my current songwriting partner, Glen Ballard (he was a songwriter/producer that discovered Alanis Morisette, and many others). So, as Glen and I began writing, I told him that Quincy wanted a song to finish the "Bad"-album for Michael. So he gets up! He goes to the piano and he turns on the keyboard, and he starts getting these sounds and he starts playing these cords -"dum

dum dum dum..." (Siedah hymns the melody to me to the intro of the song "Man in the mirror"). And when he started playing that I was flipping through the book, and the phrase "Man in the mirror" popped out at me, and I couldn't write it fast enough, I couldn't get the lyrics out. And I'm writing it in like pen and in 12 minutes we had the first verse and the chorus to "Man In The Mirror"!

different stanzas for him to choose from, and the phrase he chose was "you gotta get it right while you got the time cause when you close your heart then you close your mind". The rest is â&#x20AC;&#x2022;her-storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2013;, and that song changed my life. Truly. AT: It changed my life too... SG: Thank you! I'm going to write a book. There are so many people that have told me stories of how this song has moved them positively in so many ways in different areas of their lives. And they send me these messages and emails and letters. And I think I'm going to compile them in a book and just share.

Quincy played the song for AT: Yes! I grew up with Michael, his music, and that and then song I swear like put MJ I'm the black Martha every time I hear it, it on the brings tears to me and phone with Stewart, darling! I'm almost there me. The crying. It moves me so first thing much to make a difference. That's he said to me was -"I love the like the song of my life. song", and I was like -"thank you" the second thing he said to me was -"and I love your voice". And I said - SG: Aww, thank you "wow thanks". And so he told me he wanted two extra lines, and gave AT: What do you hope to achieve and contribute to the world me some direction on what he through your artistry? wanted. So, I came up with six

SG: I just like being busy making beautiful things. Whether it's a mask, or a sweater, or a lyric, or a painting... AT: Yes you're very crafty! Tell us more about that? SG: I'm the black Martha Stewart, darling! (laughs) AT: Yeah I've seen that! You have inspired a lot of people worldwide through your songs, how has the world, or the people of the world inspired you? SG: Well especially when people like you tell me what my music

has meant to them, has changed their lives and has affected them on such a positive level. It's hard not to feel proud of that you know. AT: You should! SG: I feel very happy that I can string words together that can change somebody's mind, somebody's attitude, someone's mood. It's a very powerful tool to use in life. AT: The arts industry in general is very competitive and it's very tough. What advice can you give to someone who wants to break through as an artist in any field? SG: Well I'm not saying anything that

â&#x20AC;&#x153; everyone has a ceiling for you. And sometimes when people see that you're growing past the ceiling that they have for you, then they get a little attitude, they get mad about that. So you have to learn to separate yourself from that and just continue to rise.

â&#x20AC;? an artist doesn't already know, but you're going to hear a lot of "no's", -"no you can't do this, no you're too old, no you're not tall enough, no you're not thin enough, no you're not light enough, no you're not dark enough, no your hair is not straight enough, no your hair is not curly enough". It's always -"no, no, no, no, no". You just really have to get a thick skin, and you have to be determined. And you really have to block out all the negative, all the things that aren't supporting your

vision, your dream, that don't move you forward, you have to cut it off. If it's a person, if it's a relative, if it's a situation, you have to exorcise yourself from it because you're going to get a lot of people that really don't want to see you rise, they're not interested in your success. And everyone has a ceiling for you. And sometimes when people see that you're growing past the ceiling that they have for you, then they get a little attitude, they get mad about

that. So you have to learn to separate yourself from that and just continue to rise. In fact; the more haters you have, that's when you know you're doing it right! (Siedah laughs) AT: When did you realize your fame? SG: I would have to say, the most poignant moment, and one of the scariest moments in my life; I was in Spain on the "Dangerous" tour with Michael. And there were some countries were the hotels were situated; "A" was Michael's hotel and his family and friends and security party, "B" was the band and the singers, "C" was the crew. And your hotel was according to the group you were in. So there were some countries where there was no "B" hotel, there was only "A" and "C". So Michael always stayed in the "A" hotels and some times when there was no "B", we would stay in the "A" hotel with him, which I hated. Hated it! - because all day, all night, the fans would be chanting -"we are the world, we are the children". It was just insane...-"Michael, Michael...". We could never ever get rest! So, we are at this hotel in Spain and we had a day off because the show was the next day. So my friend and I decided we were going to go to lunch and then go shopping, because it's Spain – hello, leather!

Shoes, coats! So we were going to go shopping and I went downstairs to the lobby to exchange some money. So we exchanged our coins to pesos and the hotel had the front entrance roped off, and on either side of the ropes was a sea of humans. They're all waiting to get a glimpse of Michael right. So my friend and I are walking, I put my money in my purse and then we're walking past this crowd and I hear -"Hey! That's Siedah Garrett!‖. I turn, and me and my friend took off running! Right?! They took off after us! At this point I‟m shocked... SG: Exactly! The look on your face, that's exactly how I felt. I'm running off going -"oh my God, what are we going to do if they catch us?!" It was crazy! So we ran for like two blocks and I guess they said -"Hey we might miss Michael", so they took off back to the hotel. But that was the scariest moment, I mean what would they have done?! AT: Where did you end up going? SG: We went away from the hotel! Until all that died down. It was crazy. It's the most frightened I've ever been of people. I don't really like crowds now because of that. Because once the mass starts doing whatever they're doing, what everyone is doing in mass, no one person can stop that. So very frightening. AT: I'm curious if spiritually you do any routine that helps you stay balanced and focused?

SG: Yes! I practice yoga and I'm a Buddhist. I'm a practicing Buddhist and I knit and crochet and that's my meditation. So much so that I crave it! I also encourage others to knit and crochet by posting my creations on my social media sites. I also giveaway yarn to non-profit community programs that teach inner-city kids how to knit, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;m launching a campaign to knit and collect beanies for children afflicted with HIV/AIDS. AT: Can you do that too when you're feeling stressed out or overwhelmed? SG: Absolutely. I can do it on the plane, when I'm on a bus or on tour AT: What are your other secret talents besides music? SG: Well you might ask my husband. I think I'm a pretty good cook. AT: And what else ? SG: I knit, I crochet, I sculpt masks from clay, I paint water colors acrylics. Oh and I took a weaving class the other day which I love!! AT: So that's a new discovery? SG: It is, I didn't know I would like it so much. It's just meditation back and forth AT: When you look back at your amazing career, what has been your biggest milestones and your

biggest lessons? SG: Biggest milestone had been seeing the world, touring with the king of pop. I mean it's like traveling with baby Jesus, a king, it was just...every place we went they just welcomed him with open arms, every concerts they cried, they passed out. Every concert was like a revival, it was insane. So I learned a lot from him and his view of the world and how the world looked at him. And also being discovered by Quincy Jones, to be then introduced to Michael. I think that had to be one of the biggest things that had ever happened to me in my life. And I met Quincy just on a cattle call. He was looking for the best singers to make into a group like The Manhattan Transfer or Take Six that hadn't been discovered yet. AT: That's how you were discovered? SG: Exactly, a cattle call, open call for singers and music groups AT: What can we expect from you this year 2016? SG: BIG THINGS! Writing a book of testimonials from fans wanting to tell me about how "Man in The Mirror" has changed their lives. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ve signed with a top agency for film and Broadway composers and songwriters, and my songwriting will be more focused on musicals than on records. I'm also working with a New York socialite on a

Broadway musical, and I have an album of duets that may be coming out this year. I've done a duet with Kathy Sledge entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2022;Cupid Is a DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2013; which is building support, I've done a duet with Vanessa Williams, and I've rerecorded the song "Secret Garden" with myself, Sheila E, Chante Moore, and Faith Evans. It is ridiculous!! So there is just a lot of things that will come into fruition this year, but we're setting it up in the early part of the year.

AT: Do you have any live shows coming up soon? SG: Tonight! (laughs) I'm doing a show tonight for members of the Academy of Motion Pictures. Outside of that, I'm doing a lot of corporate gigs and galas for charities. AT: And where can we find live performance dates? SG: At my website; www.Siedah.com

Mother Health International

“Every minute, somewhere in the world, a woman dies in childbirth. That is approximately 536,000 women a year. 99% of these deaths occur in the Global South and most of them are preventable. It‟s one of the most shocking and devastating realities that most of us never think about, because most of us never have to.” says Rachel Zaslow, a midwife, mother and Executive Director of Mother Health International, an NGO that supports high volume midwifery model of care centers in areas of extreme need. Rachel co-founded Earth Birth: International Women‟s Health Collective to promote local practice, the sharing of skills across culture and protect the role of the traditional midwife. With a PhD in Women‟s and Gender Studies, she teaches courses in Women‟s Health and International Development, War and Trauma, as well as the intersections between Narrative and Medicine. INTERVIEW BY PATRICIA MISWA | Photos Credit: motherhealth.org

Patricia Miswa: What inspired you to be a midwife? Rachel Zaslow: Often people say to me ―Oh

you are a midwife, you must love babies!‖ and while that is true, I became a midwife because I love women. I became a midwife because while women know how to give birth, we need to fight for our rights to do so safely and I wanted to be part of that fight.

PM: As a mother, how has that impacted your work as a midwife? RZ: Well, both being a mother and being a

the WHO estimated to be over 10 times its capacity. Formerly abducted women were turned away in labor or sent to walk home minutes after giving birth, with a great likelihood of bleeding to death on the road home. Because the hospital was so busy, women who were admitted to the labor ward were often treated violently by the staff midwives for not pushing fast enough or failing to bring their own piece of plastic to give birth on. These conditions made for a traumatic and dangerous place to give birth in an area that has been ravaged by war. I realized very quickly, that this was not unique to this hospital or Northern Uganda at all, but that rather a systemic set of issues that women all over Sub Saharan Africa and other areas of the Global South face.

midwife are jobs where one gets pooped on and vomited on regularly, so they really sync up nicely. In all seriousness though before I had a child, on a technical level I may have been a better midwife. I had more free time to devote to each client, I As I began to understand the layers of spent lots of time reading research and I could complication that women face when giving stay up all night at a birth without worrying about birth in really hard conditions, I also began to if I would get to sleep when I got home. At the truly understand that the same time, becoming a solution to any problem has to mother made me a better come from its own community. ―Becoming a mother midwife and emboldened NGO‘s that bring in solutions made me a better me as a fierce advocate for to the maternal health crisis midwife and women. tend to be focused on one I am in awe of the incredible emboldened me as a aspect, but fail to understand ―heart work‖ that mothering fierce advocate for the bigger, complex picture. asks of us, and I think that Because how could they? The women.‖ practice urges me into a answers have to be local and different kind of presence as such, have to come from when I am with a laboring local sources. mama. I listen more. Mothering kind of wipes out your ego and with that humility comes an ability So Mother Health International is a response to to stand ―with women.‖ women in a community coming together and talking about what they needed to give birth PM: What experience/s led you to safely. Our crew was initially 30 traditional birth Northern Uganda and can you share attendants who all lived in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Atiak, Uganda. Atiak is with us your journey starting Mother in the extreme North, almost bordering South Health International, what was the Sudan and as a result was right on the pathway driving force behind starting it? of the rebels and one of the hardest hit areas by the LRA. Most of the mums in this region are RZ: I began working in Northern Uganda 9 years survivors of the 23 year long war. At the time, ago at a government funded hospital where most were living in the IDP camps and access to women survivors of the LRA would come to give transport, money for hospital fees and even the birth, often dying in childbirth. What I witnessed necessary piece of plastic and razor blades that there was beyond what I could have imagined or hospitals require mums to bring with them prepared for. The hospital was functioning at what made getting maternal healthcare impossible.

This group of 30 women became a collective that worked to address barriers to receiving good care. For example, when women cannot control when or with whom they have sex, they cannot avoid multiple pregnancies in a short amount of time, or the transmission of STI‘s, or avoid violent sexual experiences. When women live 20 miles from the nearest health facility with no vehicles, they end up delivering alone at home or along the side of the road while trying to get help. When women do not trust their health providers, they do not share vital information with them, or even get to them in time for help. Together our collective (which is now over 60 midwives) envisioned a space where women could come to give birth and be treated with respect, with one on one attention, with access to emergency transport and medicine. We envisioned a place where traditional midwifery would be honored alongside the biomedical model of care, and where each would be used when appropriate. We envisioned a locally sustained clinic where women didn‘t have to pay to receive services but could work in collectives on projects like gardening or sewing with the proceeds of the projects going back to sustain the clinic. We envisioned a transport arrangement that would pick women up in labor to avoid them birthing alone on the side of the road while walking miles to seek help, and we envisioned the same transport driving them home post partum to avoid hemorrhage. When we opened the doors of our birth house, after years of planning and building, the midwives named it ‗Ot Nywal Me Kuc' , which means ‗House of Birth and Peace‘ in Acholi, because after 23 years of

war the ability to give birth safely is in and of itself an act of restoring peace to the community. We train midwives, equip them to work safely in the community, and have a network of support in place. What we do is really simple, but it works. The proof is in our outcomes which are outstanding. In Northern Uganda the infant mortality is 64/1000. At our clinic it is 11/1000, which matches many areas of the United States. In over 4,000 deliveries we have never lost a mother. Every single mother who has walked through our doors has also walked out. The impact of this is immeasurable. Children have mothers to care for them, feed them, send them to school, advocate for them and

love them. Perhaps more subtle, but no less important, is that women in our community donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t fear dying when they become pregnant because they know they have a safe place to come. They come for prenatal appointments with smiles and leave with vegetables, fruits and herbs from our gardens, they labor with midwives who they know and trust, who attend to their needs. Mothers know that if anything happens, they will be cared for. They are mothered.

PM: What are your current challenges? RZ: We are at an interesting phase in

our growth. We know that what we do works- it saves lives and improves overall health of mothers and babies - but we are still a small, grassroots organization so finding funding to push us to the next level is hard. We would like to help other communities in rural Africa implement our model. We would also like to open the center to train African midwives in specific skills that will support them in saving lives no matter where they work. Many funders are focused on reaching large numbers of people through one specific strategy, whereas we believe in highly localized specific projects that have big impact on individual lives. One community at a time, we think we can make child birth safer for families around Sub Saharan Africa.

PM: Is there any case that stands out for you as one that was not only the most complex but posed as a turning point for your organization? RZ: There are so many of these

stories its hard to choose just one, but here is one example. A few years

ago our ambulance broke and we did not have money to repair it anymore. We were sinking thousands of dollars into it every few months just to keep it going. Once the ambulance broke women had to walk or arrange their own transport to get to the clinic and that meant many women simply did not make it. During this time we got a call on the labor line that someone was in early labor and needed a ride. We explained that the ambulance was broken and that if it was active labor she needed to stay at home, but if it was truly early she should try to get to us while we tried to find someone to go and meet her on the road. We called everyone in our network but nobody was available. The mother ended up delivering alone by the side of the road in the darkest hours of the night where there were surely no cars passing by or anyone to help. The baby did not survive and in the morning she had to walk back to her home with a baby to bury. Now I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t know exactly why the baby died - but for me it activated a real sense of urgency towards raising the funds necessary to keep our ambulance going. Our ambulance saves lives and its tangible. Here is one example of that: Thanks to the Segal Family Foundation, we now have a working ambulance and a little while back we got a call that a mother was in labor at the border between South Sudan and Uganda. She was trying to cross the border to reach our birth clinic and her labor got very strong. We have relationships with all of the border guards so they called our labor line and we were able to go and pick her up and bring her back to the clinic. She delivered the baby about 20 minutes after arriving at the clinic, and the baby was breech- which means he was coming bottom first. This can be a very dangerous position for a baby to come out in. Our skilled midwives were able to make sure his shoulders and head did not get stuck and that there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t too much fluid in his lungs.

The next day, the mother began bleeding excessively and we were able to manage it and keep her and the baby at the clinic until they were all stable. Imagine if any of the interventions from our clinic were not in place. Without our labor line, the mother never would have made it to our clinic in time for delivery and would have delivered a breech baby by the side of the road. In all likelihood he would not have survived and the mother would have died while trying to walk back to the border.

One community at a time, we think we can make child birth safer for families around Sub Saharan Africa.

These stories are not exceptional. They happen often. And that is why I am motivated to get up and do this work every single day.

PM: How many deliveries have you made since starting the clinic? RZ: Over 4,000 and more every day!

PM: Women who come to your birth centers do not pay for the services, how do you ensure sustainability?

services at the birth centers, but they are asked to involve themselves in a project that sustains it. Pregnant mamas sign up for projects that interest them and volunteer their time in exchange for care. The slings, skirts, purses, necklaces, and teas you will find on our online ―market‖ are products made in our sewing, beading, and gardening collectives. The money then goes back to pay for supplies and salaries at the clinic. While some things, like our ambulance, will never be sustained this way, it‘s a great model because in addition to raising money, it really knits our pregnant mamas together in community as they all work on a project

RZ: Many humanitarian organizations

do more harm than good by relying almost entirely on outside funding, and when that funding dries up the organizations disappear, which leaves huge gaps in services that communities struggle to fill. Our work is guided by the principals of local leadership, renewable resources, and clinics that sustain themselves financially. So we work together in collectives. Women don‘t need to pay to receive

PM: Please tell us more about your Mobile Midwives. RZ: Mobile Midwives is a project that has 3 components. The first is Midwives on Bikes, which sends midwives out into rural areas to offer prenatal services in women‘s homes. Since most of the families we serve are subsistence farmers, we found they really could not leave their gardens for the day it would take them to walk 10 miles to the clinic, get prenatal care, and then walk home. Most of them would only come if something was wrong,

and then it was too late. So by bringing the midwife to the mother, we ensure screening of risk factors and eliminate a lot of problems before they occur. This makes everyone healthier and also birth safer. The second is our Village Ambulance, which is basically a bed inside of a side car, attached to the back of a Boda Boda. In rural Africa many women give birth alongside the road while walking from remote villages to seek help. They risk their own lives and the lives of their babies when this happens. Additionally, many women must walk miles home after their child is born, risking hemorrhaging to death on the way. So we have a â&#x20AC;&#x2014;Labor Lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;- a phone that is always on and families can call as soon as a mum goes into labor or needs help. We then come and pick the mum and her family up and bring them to the clinic for a safe delivery. We also drive

them home at 24 hour post partum, or whenever both mum and baby are stable enough. This is one of the most important tools we can use to ensure good outcomes. It is also integral to fistula prevention as no mother in our area must wait for days on end without help in the case of true obstructed labor. The third component is our ambulance. The ambulance is always standing by to bring women to the hospital should they need emergency surgery or to transport a baby who needs more help than we can provide. At our clinic in Uganda, the nearest hospital is 75km away on a very bumpy road. Without a vehicle, if a true emergency occurs, there is no help. These three interventions- Midwives on Bikes, Village Ambulance and our Ambulance, work together to provide a network of safety that I believe is a large part of why our outcomes are so good.

PM: Where do you hope to see Mother Health International in the next 5 years?

In my biggest dreams, local ministries of health throughout Africa will want to invest in turning perinatal mortalities around and bring the Mother Health model of care into rural clinics and even urban settings where women experience barriers to care. We are in discussion with Madame Conde Djene Kaba, the first lady of Guinea, about working with her foundation. I also hope that the birth center in Atiak can be a training site for midwives around the world to come and get specific skill sets in addressing some of the barriers that women face while still offering compassionate, holistic care.

PM: Looking back from when Mother Health International started, what milestones have you reached in pursuing your goals?

RZ: We have turned mortality around in one community. We went from only 30% of women having prenatal care, to almost 96%. We went from infant mortality of 64/1000, to one that is as good as the West. We follow each family closely and are responsive and reflexive to their needs. There is no one answer to the crisis that faces women around the world, but one thing I know for sure is that one on one care and support is not only achievable, it is imperative to good outcomes. I think this is milestone one. Now we need to be able to leverage this success to work with more groups of midwives and women. African women have the answers. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t need tons of money or fancy equipment. We need good old-fashioned, â&#x20AC;&#x2014;hands onâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; care. The kind that women give to other women. The kind that mothers give to their babies. The kind

that nurtures and sustains. And we need to do it together.

PM: How can the public get involved with the work you are doing? RZ: There are lots of ways one can get involved. The easiest way is to put your dollars to work. Even a small donation of $10 gets a mother a ride on a village ambulance. $100 funds her entire prenatal care and birth. Groups of women who feel called to may host a fundraising dinner or cocktail hour and easily raise $1000 in one night alone- this is a fun way to give and really make a difference. Also, buy our products! If you are a jewelry designer, we can make you beads! If you are a fashion designer, let us sew some creations for you! If you can think of something, we can probably make it! Or shop our online store where the products are always changing. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t have cash, we need donations of cloth nappies and baby clothes. We like to send every mum home with a package of nice things for her baby and gently used items are always gratefully received. Get all your friends to donate when their babies grow out of items! Lastly, because we are small, we need people power and collaboration! If you are a graphic designer or grant writer or have connections to a foundation or group that might be interested in our work, reach out! We also need people to talk about the work we are doing and share about it on social media. I often

wonder why are not SHOUTING about maternal and infant mortality. Its an issue that disproportionately effects African women, and yet most of the noise about it comes from the West. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s make some noise! To find out more on how you can get involved with Mother Health International, visit www.motherhealth.org Check out their Etsy store here: etsy.com/shop/ MotherHealthMarket

WOMEN

Behind the Beauty Brands COMPILED BY Patricia Miswa

MBIRI

Natural skincare supporting African communities Tamarind Nottâ&#x20AC;&#x;s passion for the Namibian desert, its plants and its people shaped her business Mbiri Natural Skincare.

As a young girl, Namibian Tamarind Nott spent most of her holidays in Kaokaland, a remote desert in north western Namibia. In 2004, her mother through the NGO she works for, started a community project where it was discovered that the Himba women had been using Namibian Myrrh as an ingredient in their traditional perfume. Tamarind witnessed the beginning of it all; she did trial harvests, attended community meetings and witnessed the first production of the oil at the community factory. Her passion for this area and its people shaped her business Mbiri Natural Skincare. Launched in April 2015, Mbiri focuses on using natural Namibian plant ingredients predominantly sourced from community enterprises. The core ingredient and true inspiration of the brand is Namibian Myrrh which is traditionally known as Omumbiri, hence the name Mbiri. Omumbiri is a naturally exuded resin that comes from the Commiphora wildii plant. This plant is endemic to Namibia and grows nowhere else in the

world. Himba women have used this unique resin for centuries. Through their traditional knowledge it was discovered that this ingredient could be sustainably harvested. Through research it was also discovered that an essential oil could be extracted from the resin. A factory was built in Opuwo where the resin is now being steam distilled and the essential oil extracted. The 5 conservancies in the area own this factory and all proceeds are channeled back into the communities. Mbiri buys this oil from the community factory and uses it in every product; this means that the more products that are sold the more oil needs to be bought. Tammy says she does not worry about a shortage of Namibian Myrrh in Namibia. ―Because of the sustainable harvesting practices it means that women can harvest Omumbiri for centuries to come. Through this practice the tradition will be kept alive in an ever changing world. ― she explains. All Mbiri products are 100% natural and Mbiri is registered with The Vegan Society as well as Beauty Without Cruelty. Mbiri is also an accredited partner of Phytotrade Africa, a fair-trade initiative. ―The Himba people are truly

remarkable and through Mbiri I can support this incredible community and tell their stories.‖ Tammy says. ―What I enjoy most is telling people, through my products, about Namibia, its people and its plants – and of course spending time with the harvesters in the desert!‖ Before Mbiri, Tammy had another venture, Rare Scent—a cosmetic product line. “Rare Scent taught me so much about every aspect of running a business; with Rare Scent I did absolutely

everything so I learnt so much from that. It is so important to know about every aspect of your business; however it is also important to focus on what you are good at and to get others to do what you don‟t do well. This is what I did with Mbiri and the growth of business compared to Rare Scent is great.” she says of the lessons she carried forward from her first venture. If she was to start Mbiri again, Tammy believes she would not do anything differently. “Every journey is worth taking and my path would be no different. You make decisions and you live with them. The trick is to learn, accept and do better next time. My journey has been an incredible one and there is no moment I wouldn‟t want to relive.” On the most important lesson she has learnt since starting her business, she says to remember why she started the business in the first place. “There are so many days where I ask myself “why am doing this? It is so stressful!” and then I think about the desert and the community and it keeps me grounded and reminds me of where my passion lies. Your passion is what will keep you going every day, but be sure to make smart decisions. The second thing is to trust my gut, so many times I questioned my intuition when I shouldn‟t have, more than often your gut is right, and by following your gut you stay true to yourself.” Her advice to anyone wanting to start a business is to ‗Just go for it!‖ which also happens to be one the best business advice she‘s received. “Great ideas mean nothing without any execution. I always say “What‟s the worst that can happen?”. So you might loose some money and fail but rather that then to not

have tried at all. Have the courage to follow your ambitions and feed your soul with your passion! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your vision come to life. When I saw my first batch of Mbiri sitting on the shelf in a shop there was no better feeling!” she says. “Focus on what you are good at. Don‟t be shy, your business is great so be confident! Most people‟s opinions do not matter. Always remember why you started in the first place, remembering this will keep you going on those tough days!” Since its launch, Mbiri has been received well in Namibia and the local market has been extremely supportive. It is available in several stores in South Africa. And the future looks even brighter because this year Mbiri will be launching two new products as well expanding further into the USA. ―The goal is to take this ethical and natural brand to the rest of the world and to tell a unique story about Africa. We have so much to offer and such great stories to tell and I am hoping that I can make an even bigger impact on the world and more specifically on the communities Mbiri supports. The more products I can sell the bigger impact I can have.‖ says Tammy. ―People are yearning to buy natural and ethical products that offer something unique and Mbiri does just that.‖

Find our more about MBIRI on www.mbiri-skincare.com

a great new business venture, Oamobu Naturals. Oamobu Naturals is a skin and hair care product range which aspires to be an industry leader in the natural cosmetic sector in South Africa. She shares her entrepreneurial journey. ……………………………………………...

Getty

and OAMOBU NATURALS

Though I‟ve always had a keen interest in entrepreneurship, my background has been predominantly in mechanical engineering. I must say, both my background in mechanical engineering and networking with other young entrepreneurs has significantly contributed towards founding Oamobu. I became actively involved in various student organizations which focused on entrepreneurship. And as a mechanical engineer, I learned to solve all sorts of problems, to be well researched and to know a lot about manufacturing consumer products. These skills, and the inspiration, support, and knowledge I got from my network have been valuable in starting Oamobu.

Growing up in a small village in Limpopo, South Africa, Getty was always been a top achiever. She graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Cape Town and has work has worked for multinational companies in the mining and construction sectors of South Africa.

Oamobu was born from a collective frustration of not being able to easily find allnatural high quality reputable ingredients and products that are non-chemically enhanced. Hence, I decided to name the company "Oa mobu‖. ―Oa mobu‖ is a Sepedi phrase which translates to ―Of the soil‖. As a company, ―Oamobu‖ perfectly encapsulates our identity and inspiration.

Getty harnessed her entrepreneurial drive and the skills she learned throughout her career to solve a key challenge of not being able to find great allnatural hair and skincare products, and turned it into

The business started out as a hobby and I initially only traded through direct sales to colleagues, friends, and family. In

Getty Choenyana is an engineer by profession and a budding entrepreneur who runs Oamobu Naturals.

order to make the products easily accessible, I appointed a team of highly competent cofounders and we moved the business to an e-commerce platform. When we started trading through our online store, sales didn‘t immediately pick up and that‘s when fear started to set in. I overcame it by strategizing with the team on how to adapt the company into an online model that is user friendly and feasible for trading on an e-commerce platform. Our flagship product is a range of whipped unrefined body and hair butters produced with high quality unrefined Shea butter sourced from fair-trade certified suppliers. Our butters are decadently whipped with cold pressed natural oils and aromatherapy grade essential oils which essential for healthy skin and hair. To supplement the use of shea butter, we have also included authentic black soap to our initial offering. We pride ourselves with handcrafting high quality all-natural products which are jam packed with essential vitamins and minerals. On top of that, they do not (and will never) contain synthetic dangerous chemicals, mineral oils, or artificial fragrances and colorants. I am fulfilled every time we get a positive review from a customer. It keeps me motivated to work hard to ensure that they stay happy with our products and services. I attribute most of my success to my team of highly talented and supportive co-founders. We are two women and one man. Myself. Mel Madiba who is currently a design student and serves as Oamobu‘s Creative Director. Mark Saunders is a management consultant and serves as Oamobu‘s strategist. Our long term vision is to become an industry leader in the natural cosmetic sector in South Africa. Our short term vision is to gain market share, introduce a few more products and hire a few talented people. My advice to anyone wanting to break into the beauty industry is to learn from their customers and to be adaptable. This will allow them provide their customers with products which constantly meet needs. The best advice I ever received was to start small, keep the business, and test my business idea and model before scaling it. This has helped me get the company off ground with minimal resources.

Find out more about Oamobu Naturals at www.oamobu.co.za

After going to several salons and an endless search of locally produced products that would help with maintaining natural hair, it was clear to Thokozile Mangwiro that there was a huge gap in the market for professionally formulated products for natural hair. An Information Technology Masters graduate from the University of South Africa, with over 8 years‘ experience in the database administration, analysis and intelligence industry , Thokozile struggled for a long time, like many other women, with extremely dry hair. The frustration of unmanageable hair and a lack of knowledge led to an intense research of the structure of natural ingredients such as Shea butter, marula oil and avocado oil. After several years of research, formulations and product testing, Nilotiqa and Nyla Naturals was launched with great feedback. They are proudly made with organic, natural and naturally formed ingredients to deeply moisturise and nourish hair and skin.

Filling the Gap It is in nurturing and growing her own natural hair for the past 15 years that inspired Thokozile Mangwiro , to create Nyla & Nilotiqa, a natural hair care product line and a skin oil range.

Nyla is their re-branded luxury brand that offers 100% natural, deeply moisturizing skin oils and products. Hand crafted from Johannesburg, South Africa, with their star indigenous ingredient, The Marula oil. While Nilotiqa is a natural hair care product line that is specially formulated for dry, damaged natural afro hair with a tendency to be brittle and prone to breakage. Both brands focus on ingredients that nourish and deeply moisturise the skin and hair. A lot of products on the markets claim to deeply moisturise hair, or nourish skin. ―I can tell you that I have tried so many of those products that never work because of the tiny amounts of oils they use or the lack of natural ingredients they use. The products are also laden with skin and hair damaging chemicals, which we stay away from.‖ she says. ―My two brands stand out because Nyla is a 100% Natural Marula Oil Collection, meaning you get the best of nutrients and vitamins from oils that are rich in fatty acids and anti-oxidents. Nilotiqa contains high volumes of organic and natural ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil and

skin and some in their hair. The experience and feedback from the day was certainly something I will remember! The moment has motivated me to fiercely get my products into as many hands (and hair strands) as possible.‖

avocado oil. You will see that on our ingredients lists, these ingredients form the biggest quantities.‖ Going against huge companies that have been in the market was for a very long time Thokozile ‗s biggest fear. ―I got over the fear when people sampled the products and gave me amazing feedback and explaining how they had never felt products like the ones we were offering. This makes me more certain and more determined to get these products into as many hands as possible.‖ Despite that fear, Thokozile says she enjoys her work, ― especially the operations process of product manufacturing. There is nothing more pleasing than seeing each product bottle being formulated, filled up and coming to life. The products that are handmade have the best creative process and I usually work on them for hours at a time. The quality of each bottle is so important to us.‖ To Thokozile, two of her satisfying moments in business was the sale of the very first body oil at a market; and the Nilotiqa product launch. ―To have someone react so positively and buy a product at the market gave me huge motivation to continue selling.‖ she explains ―At the launch guests came to only see the products, but also to feel it on their

As a wife and a mother of two very energetic boys, Tholozile attributes her success to family support and ―unbelievable levels of hard work‘ ― I am very blessed to have a very supportive family. Starting your own business is very time consuming and at times you have to sacrifices a bit of family time to get work done. In such cases, my mother, my husband or our nanny will step in to spend time with my boys. Family time is extremely precious for me and I try by all means to make as much time as I can with my husband and kids.‖ To those aspiring to start a business she advices that patience and perseverance is key. ―It is very easy to give up when you get the first ―no‖, however one needs to understand that selling and getting products to the market is a process and that the journey will be a long but satisfying one.‖ Tholozile is driven by a passion to empower and inspire other women to feel naturally beautiful through products that are made in South Africa, are of the highest quality, are beautiful and luxurious, to showcase to the world. Her goal for her business is to get the products into retail spaces so that they are easily accessible to consumers. Creating awareness of our products being at the top of the lists. ―We want to create true African brands that offer products of the highest quality to the world. We want to dominate the skin care and natural hair care markets with products that are formulated with natural ingredients and truly work.‖ VISIT www.nylanaturals.com for more information on Nyla & Nilotiqa products

Korkor

Kugblenu On The Body Butter Company & Promoting Self - Love How She Started ―It was January 2010, had quit my job the month before and I was lazing about at home, enjoying a stress free life and pretending to map out a road to my future. A friend of mine called and suggested I help him market his Shea butter based bath & body

products. He had massage oils, body creams, Mint cake soaps and hand cream. It was close to Valentine‘s Day so I decided I‘d get a nice woven cane basket, add some bath salts that I made myself and sell them as Valentine‘s Day gifts. I targeted my married male friends and convinced them that flowers and chocolates weren‘t going to cut it with the wives that year. Included in the gift basket was a How-To not detailing how the husbands were to use each product for the sole pleasure of their wives. They loved it! One of these friends said to me, that if I wanted to do this full time he‘d gladly give me some seed capital. I started with GhC3000 which he gave me and a lot of big ideas. ―

The Body Butter Company

―The Body Butter

Company products have the singular young African girls characteristic of being who grew up on ‗the truly, absolutely, creamy crack‘ know without-a-doubt 100% very little about the natural. No artificial nature and behavior of preservatives, no our unique hair type; artificial fragrances or through our daily any other potentially “I don‟t deal with fears when I get interaction with clients harmful additives. This and Loving Me! School an idea that is strong enough. ensures the full Tour, we help educate They just don‟t cross my path. benefit of the I am a closet optimist and I see them about it. ingredients in the only blue skies when it suits me.” My favourite part of shortest possible time building The Body with no side effects. Butter Company is They are so natural experimenting with our longest lasting new ingredients and coming up with new product has a shelf life of 8 months. products that solve specific hair and skin Our company ethos is to promote problems. I believe that nature has all the self-love and their actively do this answers and when I find one answer it through our Loving Me! School fills me with immense joy. Tours that aims to teach young women the proper care for their I attribute my success to my natural hair, skin and instilling in stubbornness, I believe. My family tried them a sense of pride in how they naturally look like. We think imagery to get me back into corporate work and even though I had no source of income, I is very important and seeing a was headstrong in my pursuit. I intend to representation of oneself in the go back to school and learn so more media is a powerful way of gaining about my business. We‘ll be going on confidence in one‘s unique break for a few months but will be back attributes. with better, more effective products for the Sub Saharan African woman. We have a brand ambassador, a young, break out Ghanaian singer For more information on The Body Butter called Adomaa who is dark and Company, visit natural and emits a sense of confidence in her looks. Sadly most www.thebodybutterco.com

MARCH

Gift Guide

Treat yourself to some amazing African inspired products.

Afroelle Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x;s monthly gift guide features gift ideas for everyone, every budget and every season. If you own a small business, Etsy store or are a blogger and youâ&#x20AC;&#x;d like to advertise your brand, products or services to our global audience in our upcoming Gift Guide Email Afroelle@gmail.com for more details.

Bespoke baby blankets, accessories & toys from Ankara & Kente prints

Kente baby blanket set

Small Cushion Set

Large Toddler Cushion

Baby â&#x20AC;&#x2014;bellâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; ball

Bespoke Toddler Blanket Set

Handmade Purses and Accessories for Modern Chic Girls! www.2chicdesigns.etsy.com

ELIZABETH In Pearls http://etsy.com/shop/ElizabethInPearls

"Ablaze" vinyl on wood, gold leaf and cowrie shell earrings

"Audacious" African print on wood necklace, with painted, gold detail, wood beads and faceted beads

"Dauntless" African print on wood earrings, with painted, gold detail, chain and dangles

"Connect" Chain, disk bead and brass bracelets with a pop of color

afrochiccouture.com

Aphrodisiac Grain Leather bag with Ankara Dutch wax printed fabric

Madelyn Savanna Beaded Fringe Earrings

Elmina Genuine Nappa leather wristlet with Kente wax print design fabric

Anga Glass Tri-Bead Bracelet

www.etsy.com/shop/imerulo

NORASH

EDIMARA Make them "green" with envy . PVC and Ankara never looked so good. These are finely detailed and feet friendly .

Get the feeling of sophistication you truly deserve in this Ankara infused heels. Turn heads with this piece. .

Mo Sama BCN African Wax Prints.Fashion & Home Decor www.etsy.com/shop/MoSamaBCN

www.kuvaah.etsy.com

Handmade Kuvaah earrings crafted with a variety of colorful Ankara fabric.

Antique bronze Kuvaah adjustable rings; in Ankara and druzies. Perfect for formal and informal ocassions.

www.nopoku.com

Ankara Wallet An upbeat and totally functional wallet makes it easy to organize your personal items without sacrificing style. Details:- Size:-8"W x 4.8"H , Metallic snap, Card slots, Zippered pockets & Faceted crystals

Tianna Statement Necklace Cowrie shells, colorful fabric buttons and exotic stones set the foundation for this signature, party ready, statement necklace reflective of KisuaG's statement necklaces. Details:- Cowries, Glass beads, Fabric buttons

Thrifty Upenyu www.triftyupenyu.etsy.com

African bead earrings

African zipper pouch Don't want to carry a handbag? This giraffe zipper pouch can hold all your small items.

Dangle batik bone earrings perfect for every day use.

Rock Paper Chic www.rockpaperchic.com

„Royal‟ This unique, head turning piece features hardwood overlain with African mud cloth paired with a hand painted hardwood stud.

„Chasing Waterfalls‟ Cascading painted discs & cowrie shells pair flawlessly with colorful bird

African City Bags Urban Cultural Savvy

www.africancitybags.com

Headwraps, Jewelry, and More

Be Eclectic, Be Authentic

www.shopfeline.bigcartel.com

NINA Headwrap

FEMI Headwrap

www.theubuntuproj.com

SELF-LOVE

Gift Guide

Treat yourself to some amazing African inspired products.