Editor’s Notes Feature Story:
WANGECHI MUTU
Chew on this Fashion Sense Health Talk Ethiopian Skateboard
Park Project
April Food G-Spot No Evil Book Review Author Review Tech Buzz Amazing Hair Poetry Adverts
Editor : Wangechi Ruguaru
Editor : Linda Obel
Contributor : Gerald Montgomery
Contributor : Annie Kimotho
Contributor : Gradieh Wreh
Contributor: Kenne Gi
Contributor: IBĂŠ Kaba
Editor : Eva Githina
Contributor : Wambui Wamutongoria
Contributor : Kabura Wahome
Sam the Designer
Everything has a purpose. This purpose is uniquely suited to its characteristics. Just like we have different organs in our bodies that all fulfill different tasks. The same is said about the people in our lives. Your father serves a different purpose in your life from your mother, just as your best girlfriend serves a different purpose from your best boyfriend. The same goes for AIM Magazine which serves a different purpose from Newsweek or any other publication. The columns in this magazine are designed so that they enrich different aspects of your life. We fail when we expect our parents to fulfill the purpose of our friends, or when you expect your boyfriend to serve the same purpose as your girlfriend. Asking the kidney to serve the same purpose as your eyes, is as impossible as asking your friends to serve the same purpose as your parents. This is where I ask you to take time to think about the people in your life. Go on, make a list and next to their names, define their purpose in your life. From there you need to ask if they are fulfilling their purpose. Some of the people in our lives lack a purpose because we have yet to define what that is. The same goes for your skills and talents. Your abilities - be it to cook, garden, draw, sew or design buildings - each serve a
different purpose. Defining purpose is crucial in the success of our relationships. Each person in our life serves a different purpose for as long as they are part of it. Each skill serves a different purpose for as long as we sharpen it and use it. Each column in this issue informs you on different topics which in turn serves the different interests you have or the different areas in your life. Take a look at your life, your relationships, skills, talents, goals and dreams. Do they define your purpose? If not, you need to start again. If purpose is clear, maximize on it, if the purpose has been fulfilled and is no longer needed, let it go. “No man or woman is an island. To exist just for yourself is meaningless. You can achieve the most satisfaction when you feel related to some greater purpose in life, something greater than yourself.� ~Denis Waitely~
EvaGithina
The work of Kenyan born, New York-based artist Wangechi Mutu is a visceral response to her critiques of gender, culture and mass media imagery. Exploring the female body as a site of engagement and provocation, Mutu’s work is frequently populated by hybrid figures that possess an almost abject beauty. The artist samples imagery from disparate sources – medical diagrams, fashion magazines, anthropology and botany texts, pornography, and traditional African arts. The artist’s signature aesthetic utilizes tactile and fleshy surfaces to readily engage in her own unique form of myth making, bringing physical and conceptual depth while making social and personal commentary. A native of Nairobi, Kenya, Wangechi Mutu was the recipient of Deutsche Bank’s 2010 Artist of the Year award. She has exhibited at major institutions including recent oneperson shows at Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, Deutsche Guggenheim, Art Gallery of Ontario, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Miami Art Museum. Her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Whitney Museum of American Art; The Studio Museum in Harlem; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
By Eva Wangechi Mutu is an artist. More specifically, she is an artist that is fascinated by material and sculpture. If you are looking for a definition of her work, she will describe it as being “about repetition; repeating the same thing, repeating the same image by going at it from different angles. I also think it takes a while for some things to be understood. I feel that what happens is that I have to keep continuing the work in order for it to be understood” http://dailyserving.com/2010/04/interview-with-wangechimutu/ Wangechi’s resume is extensive and even after reviewing it carefully and then taking a look at her work, you get a clear understanding that the acclaim she receives from her fans and those that commission her work is based upon her unique voice as an artist. Wangechi is a true original in this day and age.
Her collages are very well composed and you can tell by looking at her pieces that working on any individual piece takes a lot of time, patience and creativity that needs to result in something that has her voice in it. Wangechi believes that her work needs to be understood, which I think explains why she uses images that are familiar to express a certain view, emotion or perspective. Wagechi’s meticulousness has served her well in her sculptures and collages and she takes great care in planning and executing her vision to make sure that her voice gets across and is understood by her audience. AIM posed some questions to Wangechi Mutu so that we could
get an idea of how this passion for self-expression and art came about... AIM: What is your full name and where are you from? WM: Wangechi Wathira Mutu. Born in Nairobi Kenya. AIM: When did you become interested in art? How did you discover that you had a talent for art and how did you develop that talent? WM: I don’t remember. I don’t remember because I was never really ‘interested’ as such. I’ve never had any distance from my creativity. I was born with a gift, a habit, a curse that I didn’t choose, and it came out of me like a tick. It became clearer as I grew up that art could be a way to create meaning out of things that were hard for me to understand. Even more surprising was that it could be valuable and appreciated by others. I drew a lot as a child, but I also sang and danced. When I was really young – three, four, five years old – I just went and drew directly onto the wall if I ran out of paper, and those were my first site-specific pieces...though, at that time, my audience was really tough and they didn’t quite ‘get’ it. As I learned to hone certain technical skills, such as drawing figures and still lives – the unfortunate ‘taming of the mind’ I call it – I began to question who else out there was an Artist, how one develops their practice, and what works of Contemporary and Historical Art I was drawn to. AIM: How did your family help or challenge you as a far as your artwork is concerned? WM: My siblings and I were enrolled in marvelous schools that encouraged the development of all facets of our
minds. Mine, in particular, was academically strong, had musicals every two years, as well as good athletic and debate teams, so every side of you could be tried and tested, and your own personal interests could develop out of your exposure to so many disciplines. In Africa, schools like this exist, but they’re certainly not the norm, and families work very hard to have their kids go to these types of places. On a more intimate level, I don’t think my family or my parents really knew how to help or challenge me as far as my Artistic life or my creative needs were concerned, and I’m not sure that the idea of developing a strong sense of individuality and uniqueness was at the top of their priority list. They weren’t that involved with the me that wanted to be a daydreaming, obsessive, progressive, maker of things. My parents wanted us all to grow up to be responsible, resourceful, church going, conventional citizens, which is maybe not a horrible thing! AIM: What is your educational background? WM: For kindergarten, I went to Riverside Park Nursery School. Primary and secondary school was spent at Loreto Convent Msongari – a girls only, uniform wearing, Catholic private school in Nairobi. I spent my high school years in Wales at the United World College of the Atlantic in South Glamorgan at an international, co-ed (phew!) school built into a castle on the top of a cliff that overlooked the Bristol Channel. I started university at the Parsons School for Design and the Eugene Lang College at the New School For Social Research in New York City and later graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art. Two years later, I entered Yale University’s School of Sculpture and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 2000.
I love the night and the sky at night. AIM: What have been your favorite projects to date and why? WM: Oh! I can’t say. It’s like admitting you prefer one child over another... I love all of my projects, even the little unresolved ones, the ignored ones, the ugly ones, and the ostensible failures. I believe in all of them; some get better with age; some look amazing on arrival; some were difficult pregnancies; some were horrible labors; some come back to me and I redevelop them. I hold all of my brainchildren precious. AIM: What advice would you give to young and upcoming artists? WM: Being an Artist is one of the most incredibly empowering, difficult, magical, dignified, absurd, beautiful things you can spend your life doing. If you think Art is weird, minor or unnecessary, don’t waste your time because that’s exactly what it will become for you. Work hard. Work harder than you can imagine to nurture your creative ideas and imaginings. Quiet your rational mind, your critical voices and your need for an audience when you’re actively creating. Look at children and how they play and invent and distort realities. Read a lot. Visit museums of all kinds, museums of science, of history, of genocides and of Art. Go see dance and performance. Think about sound and about music and about noise. Stare at things a lot. Look and listen so that you really see, so that you can conjure, so that you can create. Art is profound and transformative and at the height of our evolutionary process. We’re human because of Art. That is a glimpse of how Wangechi came about as an artist. Her work is available at www.wangechimutu.com and from there you can view her work that is currently being shown in New York at the Barbara Gladstone Gallery, in Los Angeles as part of the Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects and in London at the Victoria Miro Gallery.
AIM: What was the subject of your first art piece? So go take a look and let Wangechi’s work transform you. WM: I really don’t remember. I would have to do some serious hypnotherapy to unearth memories that far back. AIM: What issues, places or spaces inspire you? WM: I’m very moved by and passionate about issues relating to women’s bodies, their welfare, roles in society, contributions, and personal and collective stories. I am especially interested in the issues and narratives of African women. I obsess on, investigate, and challenge cultural ideas and the ways in which women are portrayed in the media. I’m infatuated with the idea of Beauty, although I am always questioning what it is. I’m interested in what humanity means and looks like, and how we affect things in our environment. I’m into style – personal signals of larger ideas, placed on the surface of the body. I find inspiration in the space that the imagination occupies and concocts. I gravitate towards places that encourage creativity and encompass large groups of thinkers and makers as opposed to consumers or takers.
· cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, dietary fiber, iron, calcium and essential oils
Cinnamon Tea Cinnamon is what I would like to describe as one of nature’s best. This is a plant without limits as the uses go far and beyond. It is a small tree that grows in India, Vietnam, Egypt , Brazil , Sri Lanka and Indonesia .The brown bark of the tree is used to make the cinnamon, which when dried, rolls into a tubular form known as a quill. Cinnamon is available in either its whole quill form (cinnamon sticks) or as ground powder. Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances. Although many people like to simply sprinkle cinnamon on oatmeal or apple slices, having cinnamon in tea is another option. You can find cinnamon in chai tea, or you can make your own cinnamon tea by putting several pieces of cinnamon bark in boiling water and boil for a few minutes before putting in the crock pot and letting it simmer all day. Sweeten to taste, using sugar or honey. BENEFITS OF CINNAMON · · · · · · · · · · ·
Reduces arthritis Pain Treats toothaches. Prevents growth of the Candida Bacteria. Cinnamon’s essential oils are able to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. Food Preservative. Cinnamon’s antimicrobial properties are so effective that recent research demonstrates this spice can be used as an alternative to traditional food preservatives. Reduces blood sugar levels and is useful in treating Type 2 Diabetes. Compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. Less than half a teaspoon per day of cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels in persons with type 2 diabetes. Lowers cholesterol. Cholesterol and triglycerides are lowered through regular consumption of cinnamon. Treats diarrhea. For sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, the fiber in cinnamon may also provide relief from constipation or diarrhea. Effective against the common cold. Cinnamon is valued in traditional Chinese Medicine, for its warming qualities and has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger. Boosts memory and cognitive function. Studies show that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants’ cognitive processing. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2 Acts as an anti-inflammatory. Cinnamon’s ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes makes it helpful in lessening inflammation.
SIDE EFFECTS OF CINNAMON Stomach Irritation: Those with any prior condition of the digestive system such as an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome should be careful when eating cinnamon. Large amounts (more than 1/2 a teaspoon) may cause the lining of the stomach to become irritated. Increased Heart Rate: Large amounts of cinnamon have been reported to increase heart rate which could be dangerous for those with a heart condition. Increased heart rate is also linked to cinnamon oil poisoning in children. Uterine Contraction: Some traditional medicine practitioners will give a mother cinnamon in order to induce or normalize contractions. Therefore, pregnant women may want to avoid cinnamon. As it may cause spontaneous abortions. Blood Thinning: Cinnamon may have anti-clotting properties and may cause over thinning of the blood if you are taking blood thinners. Large doses of cinnamon should also not be used before surgery, during heavy menstruation, or in any situation where a lot of bleeding may occur. Kidney and Liver Problems: There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that people with kidney or liver problems or people who are taking drugs that are processed in the liver may want to avoid taking high doses of cinnamon due to its coumarin content. Coumarin levels are higher in cassia than in true cinnamon, but cinnamon does contain compounds that are known to be toxic to the kidneys at high dose Blood Sugar: People taking medication to regulate blood sugar should be careful when taking cinnamon, as it also has a powerful effect on blood sugar and the two in combination may lower blood sugar too much. Antibiotics: Cinnamon is a powerful antibiotic, but check with your doctor before taking cinnamon if you are taking prescription antibiotics, because it may change the way prescription antibiotics act on the body.
The Day Fashion Came To The Swahili Coast Every Year Casino Malindi hosts a fashion show, to celebrate international woman’s day. This year they merged this theme with breast cancer awareness. Having done the fashion show before, I thought I knew what to expect from the show. Daniella Cellini the Marketing Manager for Casino Malindi {www.casinomalindi.com} , is a hands on host who makes sure designers, models and everyone else involved in the show brings their best to make it the best show possible. I arrived in Malindi, Kenya on Friday morning a little exhausted; after fitting the models on that Monday after which I found that major adjustments to my collection were needed. The beauty of the coastal town on arrival quickly put my mind to rest. If you’ve been on holiday at the coast of Kenya, one thing remains constant. From Lamu, Mombasa, Kilifi and Malindi, time tends to slow down. Cars drive a little slower, people stroll on by and the alley cats bask in the delicious sun. Preparations for the show continued through to Saturday where the dancers and models found the synchronicity they would need to allow the show to flow. Showing at the fashion show were accessories designers like Adele Dejak {http://adeledejak.com/}, Style Showroom, retailers like: The Man Shop, Khalida Wild and The Denn’s Secrets, as well as fashion houses like Kooroo and Utamaduni Wear (that’s me) The Malindi Casino Fashion Show was held on the 10th of March 2012, on a cool Saturday night. The guests arrived to an excellent meal and wine. After they had settled down, the chaos begun back stage as models and designers prepped for the show. The chaos was short lived as everyone fell into position and put to practice what had been rehearsed before the show. As the models came out we could hear cheers and content claps from the guests. This was a great fusion of fashion, luxury and the beauty of the Kenyan coast all in one. I highly recommend that you put this in your calendar for next year. Accessories By the Denn’s Secrets
Best Post Work Out Meals African Style We have written endlessly in this column about the various ways we can exercise, how we should exercise and even covered ways in which we can stretch in preparation for and after exercise. However, we have neglected to touch on what you should eat after your exercise regimen to maximize the benefits of exercise. Your post workout meal is crucial in determining the results you get from working out. When you exercise your body is fueled by amino acids (protein) and glycogen available and it is important to replenish these within an hour after your workout. It is also very, very, important to keep your portions small. Just because you worked out does not mean that you are entitled to eat a whole pot of food. In order to make it simple for you we have compiled a simple list of the 5 best african meals to replenish the nutrients burned during your workout! For Lunch or Supper 1. 2. 3.
Ugali* served with Kale and Tilapia Baked Sweet Potato, Spinach and Grilled Chicken Githeri** served with Grilled chicken and Steamed Cabbage
For Breakfast 4. 5.
Chapati Wrap filled with a mix of two boiled eggs, diced avocado and tomatoes Banana Yoghurt shake seasoned with cinnamon
Make sure to accompany your meal with lots of water to replenish what was lost through sweat. A good rule of thumb for me is to drink 2 more glasses of water on top of the recommended 6-8.
* *
Ugali is cornmeal cooked with water to a dough-like consistency. In the Southern Africa region it is called mealie pap/isitshwala/bogobe/sadza. In the Western or Central region it is referred to as fufu corn. *Githeri is a stew of maize and bean traditionally eaten by the Kikuyu of Kenya
Article By Eva AIM: What is the Ethiopian Skateboard Park Project and when was it founded? ESPP: The Ethiopian Skateboard Park project or (ESPP) is a children’s education development project group devoted to the development of co-educational learning facilities for street children in Ethiopia utilizing the motivational and unifying qualities of skateboarding. Our central project is the construction of a school for Ethiopian street children that bridges the gap between the street and organized education. The Ethiopian Skateboard Park Project will consist of a school built around a skateboard park that provides daily English, IT, General trade, Art, Music and Skateboarding facilities and classes for street children. The motivational aspect of skateboarding and having a place specifically designed for youth and by youth is in drastic need so as to give unity and connection for children and youth in a continent like Africa that is ever dividing. The more common ground we can create with youth, the stronger the foundation for one Ethiopia, laying a solid foundation for effecting change by children and youth rolling on common ground. “Skate brothers” instead of socially disconnected youth suffering through ethnic and economic barriers. Connecting beyond there differences with one powerful and simple tool, the skateboard. The little wooden bridge for children that builds the foundations for the growth of one Ethiopia and a safe, prosperous place to live. It is the combination of these skills that will help street children to gain employment, feel positive about them selves and give them the communication and goal setting skills to move forward into formal education and to earn a living as a functional part of Ethiopian society. There is no point constructing hospitals and food facilities only. You need a foundation of unified strength of which to build this on. A Meseret as they say in Amharic (Ethiopian), means foundation stone. creating unity, one purpose and one direction. Around this central Skateboard facility we are then able to attach language and educational facilities that motivate and give youth the tools to reach there goals and set even higher ones. No matter what ethnic background or what part of Ethiopia they come from we are all one body and need to be healthy and motivated to be the best we can be, with mutual respect and dignity. “Together we ride, divided we fall” We are raising money for: Skateworks Co-educational School for street children in Addis
Ababa Ethiopia ESPP is currently running educational and skate clinics in the streets of Addis Ababa Ethiopia from rented premises and doing outreach clinics with our van and portable skate ramps and donated skateboards from Recycledfun (our International used skateboard collection network in Australia and USA). Our mobile skate school will continue along side SKATEWORKS school programs to allow the school to go to the kids where they are and bridge the gap even further with Urban street children and Rural street children in Ethiopia. SKATEWORKS CAFE Food Program The SKATEWORKS CAFE Is a food program addition to the SKATEWORKS co-educational school of which will supply light meals, cakes and refreshments to patrons of Addis Ababa. It will also house a retail outlet for skateboarding gear and equipment for the local population of Addis. The kitchen and profits from this Cafe allow SKATEWORKS to supply it’s students with one good meal a day and allow us to give the street children of Addis Ababa the chance to study, enjoy and be motivated without the pressure of having to find food. SKATEWORKS BROOKLYN STUDIOS Brooklyn Studios is the music component of the SKATEWORKS school education curriculum. A fully operational Music Production studio with mixing, recording and production hardware and software for the purposes of giving Ethiopian Street kids a voice and an outlet for their music and expression. This fully working production studio is under the control of Sirak Getachew, co-founder of Africology, an entertainment venture that focuses on music by peoples of African decent. Sirak Getachew cross pollinates between New York City and Addis Ababa Ethiopia producing and publishing as many young Ethiopian Street kid rappers, musicians and singers as he can possibly record. The SKATEWORKS BROOKLYN STUDIOS will allow musical artists in residence positions to be available for NY artists to come, produce music at the studios and give street Ethiopian kids a mentorship environment so their own voices can flourish and be heard. Recycledfun At ESPP we realized very early on that there would be a very strong need for skate gear for all our programs in Ethiopia over the coming years.The second part of ESPP is Recycledfun. A global program for the collection of secondhand skateboards, pads, helmets, skate shoes. By collecting and shipping this readily discarded pre-loved gear we keep those bright smiles shining all over Eastern Africa. Our collection bins are now situated in Bend Oregon, Venice Beach, and Atlanta Georgia
USA. We also have six separate sites in Sydney Australia which are growing fast. Our global supply chain for these items is handled by Dawit Legesse, Tom Noonan and Wosene Haile in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Jon Burns in Sydney Australia, Anthony Parise in Atlanta Georgia, Scott Mcintosh in Bend Oregon and Marty Pool for Venice Beach USA. In all these centers, gear is collected through collection bins in retail stores and skate-parks, stockpiled and then shipped to Addis Ababa, Bothithong South Africa and Aboriginal Northern Territory Australia. AIM: Who are the Founder’s of the Ethiopian Skateboard Park Project (ESPP) and what inspired them to start this project? ESPP: The Ethiopian Skateboard park project was founded by Jon Burns in Sydney Australia in February 2011. “Over the years of being involved with Ethiopia, I have found that the relationship was very one sided. Ethiopia had given me far more than I could have ever given back to her in return. I have many years of experience in advertising and marketing and could see that there was a dire need for structured programs for street youth within Ethiopia that would facilitate growth, stability and motivation rather than just band aids on symptomatic problems. One of the most striking issues for me was ethnic division. An unstable foundation for growth due to differing agendas from different ethnic and cultural groups within the Ethiopian Diaspora. An opportunity was there to use the motivational and connecting aspects of skateboarding combined with education and food programs to begin the journey towards dissolving some of these divisions and ethnic divides. Little wooden bridges crossing ethnic and cultural divides”. AIM: How has this organization evolved and grown? ESPP: The Ethiopian Skateboard Park Project and recycledfun has experience rapid growth over the past 12 months and as our founder says “ It’s like trying to hold back a bull with dental floss” The beginnings of the group like most was meager to say the least but in our short time we have established a global network of collection for used skateboard gear and the support of the top 50 skateboard pro’s around the world. We supply used skate gear to Ethiopian Skateboard Park Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Bothithong, South Africa Skateboard Project with Anthony Parise; and Aboriginal Children’s Projects in the Northern territory of Australia with Sharna Nolan. We have four permanent volunteers in Addis Ababa running continuous workshops and clinics with our very own van, two skate ramps and a growing arsenal or skate gear from overseas visitors and support. We were involved in the 2012 world championships, established the Ethiopian Skateboard Project Music Studios project in Brooklyn New York and earned the support of Mountain Dew Australia. The recent skate outreach clinics with visiting skate pro’s from the USA and so many more things in the pipeline signifying huge growth for the next 12 months of ESPP.Recycledfun. AIM: What networks/organizations does ESPP rely on to fulfill its mission? ESPP: . The Ethiopian Community Association of NSW. . The Oromo Youth Association of Ethiopia. . The Tigray Youth Association of Ethiopia. . World Federation of Democratic Youth. . Ethiopian Youth Council for Higher Opportunities. . Unicef, Ethiopia . Ethiopian Youth Educational support (E-YES) . National Skateboarding association of Australia . National Skateboarding association of South Africa . National Skateboarding association of America AIM: What challenges has ESPP encountered and how has it
overcome? ESPP: The tyranny of distance was the major obstacle for ESPP but through extensive networking and global support from the skateboarding community our major focus now is on fund raising programs in Australia and the USA. Many of the challenges that I perceived we would have, we have not. We enjoy huge support and very little negative feedback. Our volunteers have surpassed my expectations and have absolutely gone the extra mile to make things happen and to get ESPP where it is today. AIM: What does ESPP hope to have accomplished 5 years from now? ESPP: To have SKATEWORKS co-educational school for street children built and operational so to support street children of Ethiopia. To be an active member and venue for the global world championships PRO-AM skateboarding competition. Our event as a part of the PRO-AM tour showcasing Ethiopian culture, music, people and of course Ethiopian skateboarders to the world called “Bowl-A-Rama Africa”. To have Street children who we have taken from the streets to being full time employees of SKATEWORKS as Skateboarding coaches with teacher qualifications and a future of their very own to pass into other Ethiopian street children. We hope to educate and motivate 1100 street children a year through our school and many more in direct outreach programs in Urban and rural areas of Ethiopia. AIM: What can readers of AIM Magazine do to help your organization? ESPP: Raise awareness that ESPP.Recycledfun is here for the long haul and to let as many people know about our project and what we strive to achieve. We of course accept donations of funds and equipment. The Recycledfun component of ESPP has a business model with goals to provide used skate gear to foundation economies all through Africa and the modern and not so modern world. AIM Readers would help a great deal by connecting with us through facebook and our online magazine. You can subscribe to our online blog on http://ethiopianskateparkproject.blogspot.com/ or friend us Facebook on http://www.facebook.com/ethiopian.skateboard.park.project
spicy butternut soup My first taste of this soup was at my homecoming bash and recently my sister Wambui made a very delicious pot and I thought it would be something you too would enjoy. picture pulled from http://www.my-easycooking.com/2010/06/spicy-butternut-soupto-easy-off-cold.html Ingredients • • • • • • • •
1 large onion, chopped 1 piece ginger, chopped 1 medium clove of garlic, chopped 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 mild red or green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped 1 medium butternut squash - peeed, seeded, and cubed 1 (32 fluid ounce) container water or vegetable stock salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions 1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the vegetable stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. 2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt, cumin and pepper.
“Her Mind’s made up!” (Or is it?) Ladies, why do you say you want a man who can verbally express how he feels, show a little emotion to prove he’s vested in the relationship, then when doing so doesn’t suit you, tell him to “settle down” or “man up”? Any of you women out there able to convince me this whole thing isn’t about your projected insecurity, your need for sympathy, your leverage, your…? If it sounds like I’m venting, well... I am. But that doesn’t make what I’m about to say any less valid. (smile) I’ve been known to say “women want what they don’t have.” Now, “Dr. G” loves the ladies! Lord knows I do! (A brutha got it bad, y’all! I adore just about everything about women. So much so that it’s a burden. But it is this affliction which enables me to write the way I do. And being upfront about it is how I have chosen to keep it in check.) However, none truer statement have I made than this one. On the surface this proverb may appear simplistic, a no-brainer as they say. “Who doesn’t want what they don’t have, regardless of the gender,” and “how can you have a need to seek out what you already have,” are rebuttals that might come to mind. But this statement is about the negative side effects of “living in the now” or rather making decisions based on current emotions. Being so present-focused (even if for a moment) you no longer appreciate what it took to get to where you are or what you currently enjoy. It’s like foward-thinking, but to a critical fault – a “grass is greener...” approach in many ways. Men appear emotion-less primarily because (and this is an over simplification) we rationalize in the future. Women, being emotion-driven, typically rationalize in the present. Take a new purchase for example. I’ve seen women get in a long line at a department or convenient store, get all the way to the register, then, even after the cashier swipes the item, decide they no longer what a particular item. Some women have been guilty of bringing an item all the way home before deciding to return it. Sometimes after they’ve worn it once, or twice! (LOL) Men typically commit to what we bring to the register and only return items that are defective in some way, typically. Maybe it’s because we are too embarrassed to change our minds at the last minute. But I like to think it’s our way of reinforcing our decision making ability; to stick with the decision we’ve made. Like I said in the “I Second that Emotion” article (April 2010 issue), women exists as if they have a “do-over button,” men feel as though we do not. So, if today she’s in the mood for an emotional man she encourages her man to show more emotion. But not just encourage, she damn near requires it. Then next week, when she doesn’t want to deal with a non-compliant man, she tells him to “be a man and get over it!” (The easiest way for a woman to get a man to do anything is to say, “It’s what a real man does.” Saying so is like a double-dogdare to men!) Ladies, I realize the whole point is for us men to be so comfortable in our own skin that we don’t sway with every breeze you blow our way. In fact you’re counting on it to balance out your more passionate perspective. But ladies, you also need to realize that since men try to mean what we say, we assume you do as well. We take what you say to heart even if we don’t show it emotionally. So if you don’t think you’ll mean it next week, try not to impress upon your man as if it the most important concern you have going forward. And men, women have emotional outbursts, then they get over it. It’s what they do. So don’t be afraid to stand your ground on the topics you feel strongly about. It’s what women want to see us do, whether admit it or not! Iron sharpens iron, so lets be better because of it! Gerald Montgomery
See No Evil ... in practicing Parkour (pronounced parKOOR): You will be bouncing off walls, jumping over railings and benches, walking on fours all over the concrete of our cities and climbing the walls of sky scrapers. To be more specific, this is “the art of moving through your environment as swiftly and effectively as possible using only the human body. More broadly it might be defined as the discipline of developing the physical and mental capacity of the human being through training to overcome obstacles. To learn more, go to http://www.parkourtrain.net/ parkour-terminology
Hear No Evil .....in OMAWUMI’s music she came into the limelight when she auditioned for Idols West Africa in 2007. She came to my attention with her song (Bottom Belle) and her breakthrough hit (Na Who I Go Ask) that has been applauded on a gazillion blogs and whose video has made a spalsh on YouTube. Make sure you check OMAWUMI out at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=woOlERi7HkM
Speak No Evil ....about Dambisa Moyo, an international economist who comments on the macroeconomy and global affairs. She is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How there is a Better Way for Africa and How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly and the Stark Choices Ahead. In 2009 Ms. Moyo was named by Time Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”, and was nominated to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Forum. Her writing regularly appears in economic and financerelated publications such as the Financial Times, the Economist Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Learn more about Dambisa by going to http://www. dambisamoyo.com
Review: A long Way Gone- Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah All that Ishmael had heard were stories about what was going on in his country, Sierra Leone. The stories made it all sound unreal like it was happening in a faraway and distant land. Ishmael found the stories shared by the people who passed through their village exaggerated. The only wars that he knew of were from books or movies. All this changed January of 1993. Ishmael, who was 12, his brother and friend Talloi who were 13 decided to travel to a friend’s town to participate in a talent show. They were planning to be back the next day so they did not say goodbye to anyone or tell anyone where they were going. They did not know that they were leaving home never to return. While preparing for the talent show at their friend’s house, news reached them that their home town was being attacked by the rebels. They waited on the wharf to see if their family members would be among the people fleeing, they waited for more than three hours after which they agreed to go back to their home town to find their family members. While walking back home they came across people who had been able to get away and they did not have any good news for them. The scenes of blood and death that they came across finally discouraged them from trying to get to their village and instead they turned around and went back to their friend’s village. They were able to stay there for a while until the day the rebels arrived at the village at which point they fled, running into the bushes. Ishmael tells a captivating story of how he tried to evade the rebel troops and their eventual capture. He says that after being captured, they were taken to a village where at first things appeared safe. They were fed and even got to watch movies. Rebel soldiers would leave and less would return, wounded and all. He became a soldier after the lieutenant made a speech, where he touched on how in the forest there were men waiting to destroy everyone. They had fought them as hard as they could but now they was too many of them. They would not give up until they captured the village and took their food and ammunition. He stressed on how most of the people in the village were there because those men in the forest had killed their families. The lieutenant made it sound like there was a choice, to join them in the fighting or not but really there was none. If you do not fight, you would not be fed and you would not stay in the village. To top of his speech, the bodies of a man and a boy was shown as evidence of what would happen to those who did want to join in the fighting. All the women and girls were sent to the kitchen and men and boys to the ammunition depot. Before leaving for their first battle they were instructed to swallow some kind of tablets, they were plain white. They were told it would boost their energy. Ishmael had been experiencing migraines on and off but as he got into more soldierly things they stopped. He was now smoking marijuana, sniffing brown brown which is cocaine mixed with gunpowder and of course the white capsules. In the last weeks of January 1996, Ishmael turned 15 and everything changed. Ishmael and his squad returned to their base village after a raid. He was looking forward to spending time with the lieutenant that he had come to admire, listening to his war stories. A truck came to the village, four men dressed in clean blue jeans and white T shirts that said UNICEF jumped out and they were shown to the lieutenant’s house. The boys were asked to line up and and fifteen of them were selected, Ishmael was among them. They were disarmed and the lieutenant made a speech letting them know that he was proud of them for serving their country well, he informed them that their work there was done and he was sending them off. From there, Ishmael narrates the struggles of rehabilitation that eventually led to him being selected to be the spokesperson of the center and that provided opportunities to speak on his experiences as a soldier and how child soldiers can be rehabilitated. A staff member was able to locate an Uncle to Ishmael and Ishmael was repatriated- term used to describe the process of reuniting exchild soldiers with the former communities. While leaving with his Uncle he was able to travel to New York to talk about the lives of children in Sierra Leone and what could be done about it. In his memoir Ishmael does an awesome job haring his story with the readers. I appreciate how he avoids overloading the reader with the weight of the story by going back and forth sharing tidbits of his life before and after he was recruited as a child soldier. Ishmael does not blame in the memoir, something that l really admire about him. He looks at it all as a consequence of the war, the same way am sure the lieutenant looked at recruiting children to be soldiers as a consequence of the war. The language used in the memoir is easy which makes it an easy and awesome read considering the weight of the story. Ishmael does share that now in the present he lives in three worlds, his dreams and the experience of his new life, which tend to trigger memories of his past. You can tell that he is on the path of healing because he acknowledges that he knows his past has something to do with who and where he is now. He has accepted his past and he is now focused on his future. There is more to Ishmael Beah than being a ex child soldier.
Interview: AIM MAGAZINE with Sharon Dodua Otoo, Series Editor of “Witnessed” & Author Berlin, 16th March 2012 I greatly admire the work of Sharon Otoo because it seeks to gives blacks outside of Africa, and more especially in Europe a platform from which they are able to voice their experiences and tell their stories. Self expression is a great tool for empowerment and I believe that this allows us to even get better connected. Sharon Otoo is an accomplished author too and so AIM took this opportunity to learn about Sharon, get a glimpse of the motivation for getting “Witnessed” off the ground and publishing her latest book, “the things i am thinking while smiling politely” According to her biography, Sharon Otoo is a Black British author living in Berlin. She is active in the Black German community, is on the management board of the Initiative of Black People in Germany and has gained considerable experience in organising events, project managing conferences, creative empowerment, moderation, networking and mobilisation. Sharon was born and raised in East London, the oldest of three children. Her parents, both from Ghana, strongly encouraged her to work hard academically and in 1997 she became the first person in the extended family to graduate. Her degree, German and Management Studies, had by then already taken her to Berlin once, during her year abroad in 1995. She was to return there two more times, in 1998 for a year, and again in 2006, this time permanently. She has also lived and worked in London and Brighton, for organisations including the REU (Race Equality Unit), the University of Sussex, and the Racial Harassment Forum, Brighton and Hove City Council. Throughout her career, the main focus of her work was social science research and policy-making, particularly in the field of Anti-Discrimination and Race Equality. Creative writing has always been a part of Sharon’s life. She has written numerous plays, poems and short stories. In Germany, she co-authored “Homestory Deutschland” (2008) with Black German writer ManuEla Ritz, a theatre play based on the biographies of five Black Germans which collectively span 300 years of German history. Her short story “The Circle and Square Story” was published in German translation in an anthology last year. “the things i am thinking while smiling politely” is her first novella. Sharon lives with her partner, has three sons and is expecting her fourth child in June. Websites www.sharonotoo.com www.witnessed-series.blogspot.com www.limitedtoyou.com Contact information mail@sharonotoo.com witnessed@limitedtoyou.com AIM also asked Sharon a few questions and this is what we learned... AIM: Please tell us your full name and where you come from? SO: My full name is Sharon Dodua Otoo. It is a name that tells a lot about me actually. “Otoo” is a West African name, specifically from the Ga people of Accra. My mother and father were both raised in Accra and met in England during the 1960s. They married and had three children, I am the oldest. “Dodua” is the name my father gave me, from his mother’s side of the family. “Sharon” is the name my mother gave me – a name which is, I
would say, now fully British and yet has its roots elsewhere – just like me! AIM: What inspired you to become a writer? SO: I have no memory of anyone thing or person inspiring me to write. I just did it and found it healing. I started writing at an early age – usually I wrote songs, poems, short stories – but I have also been known to write short films and theatre plays. I know I enjoyed reading very much – but yet was not completely satisfied with what was on offer for a young woman like me. Much of what was available in the mainstream media and cultural arts just did not speak to my lived experience. Maybe I started writing to fill a gap. AIM: How does your family feel about your work? SO: My family? Well, my sister is very proud of me. I think she has read pretty much everything I have ever written and always gives me positive feedback! My mother knows that I have lots of dreams and ambitions and perhaps does not always have the clearest idea about how I am going to achieve them – for example, she worries about the sensible things (like how am I going to pay my rent) – but she backs me up anyway. My children think its great that I am writing – finally doing what I want to do, after years of doing what I should be doing. All this is only possible because I have such excellent back-up and unfailing support from my partner. AIM: What is your most unforgettable career milestone? SO: Well I stopped working for a small business consultancy firm in Berlin at the end of 2010. This was a turning point for me, as I had to take a set of clear decisions about what I was going to do next. I decided to dedicate the next five years to literature. This was a big leap of faith – at the time I was still a lone parent and had absolutely no financial security. But I felt certain that this was the right step to be taking. I believe making that decision, led to many other things falling into place leading pretty much straight to the publication of my first novella “the things i am thinking while smiling politely” this year. AIM: What motivated you to write Witnessed and how has that project evolved? SO: Witnessed is an English language book series which will be published in Germany from October this year. My role in Witnessed is as Series Editor. I conceived of it, have found authors, a graphic designer, a publisher, and together with two book editors, Asoka Esuruoso and Philipp Khabo Köpsell, I am working on the first publication, an anthology of poetry, short stories, essays and artistic images called “Arriving in the Future. Voices of Home and Exile.” The idea for Witnessed came from my wish to share stories of how life in Germany really is as a Black person living here. I specifically want this series to be in English, so that internationally based readers can access, be informed and perhaps even be inspired by them. The authors are all of the African Diaspora, write in English, and either currently live in Germany or have lived there in the past. AIM: How do you want us to help you or want us to do as the Witnessed project/ book evolves? SO: I am looking for support to publicise Witnessed. Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to find funding for the project. But we will keep going regardless! So, any help we can have to publicise the project, to bring it to the attention of potential supporters as well as the target audiences is very much appreciated. AIM: What other books have you written and what was the inspiration and goal behind each one of them? SO: The only other work so far has been the novella “the things i am thinking while smiling politely.” I challenged myself to write this during 2011, as 2010 had been a terrible year and as
it drew to an end I seemed to be surrounded only by chaos and debris! Writing helped me to deal with many of the traumas I had experienced and I had a happy end: my very first published book. It was great to be able to hold it in my hand this year and realise I had achieved my goal. AIM: What other projects are you currently working on? SO: Apart from Witnessed and the promotion of my book “the things i am thinking while smiling politely”, I am dreaming of writing a second book. I have fragments of what it is about and how I will write it, but - so far - nothing has been committed to paper. AIM: If you had to pick 3 African Authors who would you chose? Three favourite African Authors? Or three authors whose work I admire? Sadly, I was not introduced to African writers at a young age. I learnt only in my late teens, that such a thing existed at all! And then discovered there were so many! Well if I really have to pick three, I would pick: Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana), because I am grateful for her range of work, although I don’t claim to like all of it. I like the way she uses different techniques, genres, styles. I like that she is so prolific. Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) – The first sentence of her first novel “Nervous Conditions” is unforgettable: “I was not sorry when my brother died”. From there the reader is drawn in. A great piece of work. Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria), because I enjoyed (if that is the right word) Buchi’s passionate examination of the Biafran war in “Destination Biafra” and her highlighting the experience of Black women in Britain in books like “Second Class Citizen”. I think her writing is pivotal for African Literature, although – yet again - I cannot claim to actually like it all. And though, I do not include her in the three, (because I am interpreting the question to mean Black African authors) I feel I should mention Doris Lessing here – I was very impressed and moved by “The Grass is Singing”. This is one of my desert island novels. But there are many more, so many more, truly great African authors. AIM: What is your favourite quote? SO: “Those who cannot hear the music, think the dancer is mad” Anonymous. AIM: What causes or issues are you passionate about? SO: I am committed to fighting discrimination in all its forms. That is what drives me personally, professionally and politically. This does not mean that I do not discriminate myself against others. On the contrary – I am aware of my collection of privileges in many areas of my life. My wish is that I recognise these and use my position responsibly to disrupt those hierarchies that benefit the few at the cost of the many. AIM: What advice would you give to young upcoming writers? SO: Do not take “no” for an answer! Keep writing. Just keep writing. Sharon is a great example of Africans In Motion she is creating opportunity for herself and empowering others in turn to find their voice. Go to Sharon’s websites and support her work and if you have a story to tell or have ideas for providing funding for Witnessed, please get in touch with her. After all, many hands make light work.
The Africans on top of the Cloud
As is simply put by the CEO Wilson Kageni, “ionacloud is the free to use Personal Cloud Computer available to everyone at ionacloud.com. It also happens to be the world’s first free mainstream Universal Personal Cloud Computing Service (UPCCS). Cloud computing is where users access applications via a browser while the applications and data are themselves installed and stored on a server. “
The website ionacloud.com went live on 12th December 2011. We are still in the product development phase and the version currently online is the beta version. We have not advertised or marketed the service and yet it has managed to spread by itself with the website having received over a quarter of a million hits.
After only 11 weeks in existence, it is already being used by hundreds of beta testers in 51 different countries on 5 continents which we think shows promise once the marketing phase actually begins. ionacloud’s core functionality is already available for use in 41 different languages and we are getting very positive feedback from our testers. ionacloud focuses only on personal cloud computing i.e. harnessing the power of the cloud for individual PC users. “Get with the movement. Help us further develop ionacloud.com by getting yourself a universal cloud PC, for FREE! At ionacloud.com.”
Prevention is better than cure Does your hair always feel dry and brittle? Is it always falling in the sink after combing and styling? Chances are, you need a DEEP CONDITIONING TREATMENT. Deep conditioning treatments are often mistaken for a “conditioner”, so let me break it down for you. A conditioner is used after you wash your and it does not penetrate the hair shaft. It coats and provides a short term protection for your hair by providing a thin layer over the hair that makes it silky smooth and allows the hair to battle everyday wear and tear. It is also used to balance the ph. in the hair and to close and seal the cuticles on the hair shaft. Deep Conditioning Treatment Moisturizing- is the most requested treatment. It is used to increase the amount of moisture within the hair. It’s great for hair that has been dried out from heat and chemical damage (curling iron, relaxers, perms, color).Doing frequent moisturizing treatment on dry and frizzy hair can give it luster and bounce. Reconstructor- is protein based treatment that makes the hair stronger. I find them to be more effective on chemically damaged hair that is fragile and breaking. Reconstructors are often a balance of moisture and protein and are best used immediately after a chemical service. There is usually a noticeable difference in the hair after the first two reconstructive treatments. The hair feels stronger and there is less hair falling into the sink after combing. When do I treat my hair? Always treat your hair after a chemical service. Chemical services opens the hair cuticle and causes damage. Performing a treatment immediately after allows the treatment to penetrate the hair shaft easier because cuticles are already lift. It also helps to seal the cuticle better. I also advice my clients to treat their hair every 2-3 weeks depending on the condition of their hair. For me, “prevention is better than cure’, it’s better to treat your hair to avoid breakage. Severe breakage- treats twice a week. Alternate between protein and moisture. After two weeks, treat once a week. After three weeks, treat once every two weeks. Remember to alternate the treatment because too much of one type can cause an overload. Remember, “Prevention is better than cure”
Killing Fairies IBé We are Africans We come from kings We come from queens Not all of us carry crowns But we wear the throne in our hair follicles
Light over darkness Strength through the storm Against the cold gray of the world We cast a colorful spell in the garments we wear Open our mouth Angels flutter their wings It is the movement of our hips Music tries to imitate
We are Africans We are Africans We come from Ghana We come from Mali Egypt and Zimbabwe Names too big for any atlas to contain
My grandmother had three fingers On the biggest hand known to this man Raised 7 children, three sets of twins Many more not from her womb
We are Africans After the moon We wrapped ourselves in stars And wished sun upon the world Our memory runs deep Like creation stories from people with no written word We don’t forget easily But we love Like mothers and forsaken children We are black gold and white Running wild in deep blue and green I’m not talking money But if that is what you need You can have your weight In silver and gold Still have plenty to change the color of seas Ever since the Europeans came We should have been dead But instead we prosper Like seeds flung across the banks of the Nile You can tap us but you can never run us dry
My father supported two extended families In two countries before dying too soon Left us as inheritance The names of the people he’d known My siblings and I Are flung all over the globe But few-where else in the world You’d find a family closely knit as ours My children Have funny sounding names They pronounce With no strain in their diction We are Africans The pallbearers have arrived The gravediggers have their shovels On the double six feet deep The thieves are out in numbers Hold the plug! We are Africans
New meaning to having the latest information
at your fingertips! The nail business is booming, don’t believe me? Go to a store to buy nail polish, they have a whole wall, and tons of selections ranging from $5 to $15 or even more. Did you know that the nail business is now worth more than $6million a year....even Wal-Mart has jumped on this wagon; they opened a nail salon in Tyler, Texas. Why am I talking about nails…..I have become more interested in the do it yourself options they have now, the economy in my world is still bad, and as much as I miss those relaxing mani – pedi’s, I realized to save money I have to learn to do it myself, and treat myself once a month to the real deal. Thanks to YouTube and new do it yourself products, I am now getting better at painting my nails and adding designs. Below is one design I enjoyed doing myself…go ahead try it and thank me later.
How to Make Newspaper Nails Assemble all the items needed for preparing your nails. These are listed below under “Things You’ll Need.” • Apply a solid basecoat to protect your nails. Make sure to let it dry thoroughly. • Paint your nails in a light grey, nude, or light pink nail polish color. Let it dry thoroughly before doing the next step. • Take the rubbing alcohol. • Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol into the cap or into a small jar. • Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol into the cap or into a small jar. • Take a small piece of newspaper. Press it firmly on your nail for a few seconds. • Peel it off carefully. You’ll find that the ink from the newspaper will be left behind • Get a cotton bud and some nail polish remover to clean up your nails. • Apply a topcoat to your nails. This is needed because without it, the newspaper will rub off. It also gives your nail some extra shine.