Fall07 by ariztos

ariztos www.ariztos.com

Spring 2007

An African Entertainment Magazine

“We are looking for something different; we want something new.” — B arack Obama 2008 US Presidential Candidate

God’s Own Country

Introducing Nollywood, USA

The Movie: “Blood Diamond”

Ariztos Africa’s Next Top Model Francophonie 2007 Cultural Festival Featuring Les Nubians and much, much more...

$5.99 US

Contents

ariztos contents spring 2007 Features

Movie Reviews

Africa’s Next Top Model......................4

To Catch A Fire.................................... 30

Chef Anthony Dawodu..........................8

Phat Girlz............................................... 32

God’s Own Country............................. 14

God Grew Tired Of Us....................... 32

Manuel Wandji...................................... 20

Blood Diamond Review....................... 33

Succeeding At Business The African Way.................................. 25 Suffering From Financial Paralysis ... 28 Obama Country.................................... 36 Events Fashion For World Peace.................... 16

Music Dobet Gnahoré..................................... 44 Vieux Farka Touré................................ 47 Travel Painting Navua...................................... 42

Les Nubians In Concert....................... 18 Frostburg State University’s African Student Association Event................... 21 Miss East Africa UK.............................. 22 Fashion Estella Ogbonna.................................... 23

ariztos spring 2007 ©Ariztos, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No unauthorized duplication, transmission or republication permitted without prior consent from the publisher. Publisher: Ariztos, Inc. Editor-In-Chief: Wale Akingbade Managing Editor: Leticia Williams

Contributing Photographer: Maxim Vakovski

Please send your comments to: editor@ariztos.com.

Art Illustration: Tim Burns

To joint the ariztos team, email walea@ariztos.com or call 1.301.442.7923

Design Director: Daniel Tomasch

Print Buyer: Afis Lawal

Contributing Writing Staff: Ade Akingbade, Nnenna Agwu, Rita Cheng, Daniel Catternicchia, Iquo Essien, Janie Franz, Christopher Hobson, Leticia Williams

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Printed in the U.S.A.

Feature

Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;'s

Next Top Model

Model Profile: Alexandra Dorvil Originally from Milot, Haiti, Alexandra is a pre-med student currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a novice model, but there is nothing novice about her. With much passion for life and culture, she exemplifies humble grace of soul as well as natural beauty of dark skin and intelligence, creating admirers wherever she goes.

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Photographer Profile: Maxim Vakovski Photography for me is an eloquence of psychological states, a visual and conceptual curiosityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; invoked, perhaps, by immensity of the universe as disclosed by what is seen and as seduced by what is not. The ecstasy of an idea and aesthetic has eternally charmed me in ways nothing ever has. It can be a product of days of visual and intellectual marination or an immediate unforeseen epiphany, born of a short-circuit between life and thought. Maxim Vakovski was born in Eastern Europe, but currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is an independent photographer focusing on representation of black beauty, also working as a designer for MODE. A Visual Agency.

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Feature

by Janie Franz

Chef Anthony Dawodu

Feature

A touch of sweetness and an explosion of spice deftly describes both the cuisine at Boston’s 33 Restaurant and the man behind it, Executive Chef Anthony Dawodu. Though he was born in New York, his early exposure to a mix of flavors comes from the African and Trinidadian heritage of his parents and his experiences growing up in Nigeria. “Everything was just different,” says Dawodu of spending his school age years in Africa. Though his parents had prepared him, the reality of living in a different culture was a shock. It took time to absorb the new tastes and routines of everyday life. “Eventually, I adapted to the food and the culture,” he says. It was in Nigeria that Dawodu began his journey with food. “I started cooking at the age of 8,” he says. “I always used to cook for my sister and I.” Just as most children play at cooking, serving up a dinner for their parents with toy food or Cheese Curls

representing shrimp, Dawodu played a cook, except he used real food that ended up preparing the family’s dinner. “It was more of a playtime at first,” he says. But not for long. He experimented with West African food and tried putting elements together to make a meal. Soon, he received raves from friends and family, but still he never thought of pursuing the culinary arts as a profession. When he moved to England that changed. “Someone posed the idea of me training as a chef,” Dawodu says. “I was very reluctant because chefs don’t get paid very well. I looked at the hours that chefs were putting in at the time, and I wasn’t really interested.” He continued to cook meals for friends and the idea of working as a chef came up again. “A year later, someone else proposed the same notion and I said, ‘You know what? It can’t hurt to give it a go,’” he says. It was then he became an

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Through their help, in 1994, Dawodu graduated from Westminster College (now Westminster Kingsway College) in London, the same college celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Ainsley Harriott and Anthony Worral Thompson graduated from. Eventually Dawodu moved on to the high-end restaurant at the Hilton in London’s Park Lane., where he worked with celebrity Chef David Chambers and Michelin Star Chef Jaques Rolancy.

the month I’m off,” he says, “I probably just learned a few things, but it was something that I could add on to my little knowledge.

Dawodu returned to the U.S. in 1996 and took the position of Lead Cook at Aujourd’hui in the five-star Four Seasons Hotel apprentice at the Marriott Hotel with palm oil and not olive oil, in Boston. He thrived under in London. with its heavier flavor. When the leadership of Chef Edward Gannon, rising to Head Chef of Success was not easy or Caribbean cuisine is added into the hotel’s Bristol Lounge, and immediate. Dawodu soon the culinary mix with its variety in 2002 became Chef de Cuisine understood there would be some of spices and strong use of Scotch of Aujourd’hui. It was a meteoric major hurdles to overcome, bonnet peppers (what are also rise for a young chef. including working with a very known as Habanero peppers), However, Dawodu didn’t achieve different and unfamiliar cultural trying to appreciate, much less palette. “The food is different execute, a subtle carrot souffle is it simply by working his station in the hotel. “I also compared compared to Caribbean food and a challenge. African food,” he says. “It took me years to actually myself to other apprentices and cooks that were working with In England, he was preparing convince myself that I could do me,” he says. “The one thing that French and Italian cuisines it,” he adds. Dawodu benefited they always told me was, ‘Tony, that had more subtle spices and from understanding and patient go work at another restaurant. different approaches to flavors mentors. “I think the most On your vacation, instead of and presentation. In contrast, in important part was they were going and enjoying yourself, go Nigeria, he was enjoying more willing to invest the time to make work in another hotel or another tropical fruits and meats such me a better cook,” he says. “They restaurant and pick up some more as goat. Even a simple apple is a also volunteered to send me to knowledge.’” He took their advice different in Nigeria. It is smaller college. So, when we put all that to heart. When he had time off, he and more pink or even whitish in stuff together that was more of an searched out a reputable chef and color, and the flavor is different. incentive for me to learn.” asked to work under him. “For He also was used to working

There’s so many ways to peel an asparagus, for instance. [These vary from chef to chef, whether to use a knife or a vegetable peeler; whether to stand on its end, to lay it flat on the counter, to hold against your arm; and whether to peel just the ends or all the way to the tip or a specific number of inches on each] If you learn those little, little things from each different chef, you can eventually have your own style. I knew I needed to know the food I was dealing with. The other way of approaching it was to keep working, asking questions, and keep striving for excellence.”

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an innovative contemporary, there. A lot of French and Indian modern American cuisine that influences as well.” had hints of his Caribbean roots A sample of his dinner menu and some other flavors from features seafood items such as around the world. “There’s curry

“ It took me years to actually convince myself

that

I could do it”

And it paid off when he took the challenging position as Executive Chef at 33 Restaurant in Boston in the summer of 2004. Though this fine-dining establishment formerly served classic French and Italian cuisine, Dawodu decided to create

here,” Dawodu says. “There might be a little bit of calaloo, which is like a spinach sauce. These are the things I’m trying to bring in.” The response to his menu has been enormously positive, receiving rave reviews for its versatility and flavorful options. Under Dawodu’s watchful eye, the kitchen uses locally grown produce, fresh seafood, and

makes all their pastas in house. He also has included a number of vegetarian dishes. “So far it’s worked,” he says. “But I’m not going to put in the heavy, heavy African food like I’m used to because I don’t think that people will really understand it. It’s going to be a whole different project to try to do that. So far, there’s a lot of Caribbean influences in

Organic Seared Salmon with Forbidden Rice Pilaf, Capsicum Relish and a Coconut Foam with a Curry Essence or Mediterranean Bass with Basil-cured tomatoes, Leek-Artichoke Confit with a Saffron Mussel and Balsamic Blanc Broth. Meat and poultry choices are equally indulgent,

such as 5 Spice Long Island Duck with Duck Confit with Beluga Lentil Pilaf, Pepper Crusted Peaches, and a Sherry Aigre Doux Jus or Beef Tenderloin served with a Mushroom Ravioli, Parsnip Potato Gratin, and Truffle Maderia Jus. There’s also baked Vermont Chicken and Pan Roasted Halibut.

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In addition, Dawodu also prepares a Prix Fixe Menu, three courses with wine for a given price that change monthly. An example is Shrimp Tempura with crab salad, guacamole and miso vinaigrette, Pan Seared Native Bass with sugar beets, mango and a curry coulis, and Warm Bread Pudding with sliced bananas, chocolate ice cream with Calvados caramel. And, for those with special occasions, Dawodu can create a special four-course meal, tailored to the dinner guest’s tastes, right there in the restaurant, along with appropriate wine suggestions, dessert and an aperitif.

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Despite his success at 33 Restaurant, Dawodu isn’t resting. “The future is definitely to continue to cook,” he says. “I also want to be a mentor to young cooks who want to advance in the culinary world. For me, that is very, very important, and it definitely pushed in me in that direction. I think that’s one thing that I have said I will always do is invest time with those who want to enter the culinary field.” Dawodu also supports various community projects, including participating in three Anthony Spinazzola Gala Festivals of

Food and Wine. These events are sponsored by the Anthony Spinazzola Foundation, named for the famous food and wine writer for the Boston Globe. They raise money for grants to relieve hunger and homelessness, and they also fund culinary scholarships. There is no better way for Chef Anthony Dawodu to say thank you to those chefs who supported his interest in cooking for others.

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they reconciled their expectations of life in North America against the reality of their life in North America. I wanted God’s Own Country to open up discussions and to reflect the story of the universal immigrant in search of a better life. What inspired you?

luwafemi Agbayewa is a movie director originally from Nigeria. He recently finished his short film debut, “God’s Own Country.” We sat down to talk about life and the film he wrote, directed, produced and starred in. Where is home right now? Right now I reside in the Bronx, NY.

What is your background in school, work related, etc.?

I have a Master’s in Communication from Concordia University, but How long have you live there? in terms of the movies, I am selfIn the Bronx I moved out here taught via the Internet, books, onaround 6 months ago before that set, trial and error, sprinkled with I was staying in Brooklyn with my a whole lot of determination. brother. What other directors, producers and/or actors Where did you grow up? inspire you? I get asked that question a lot and I always have to chuckle to myself, In terms of directors I often draw you know as a Nigerian/African inspiration from Spike Lee, I love you travel a lot and the same could his style of filmmaking. be said about me. My brother As for actors I have to go with the and I came up with a phrase to actors that I worked with on God’s describe all the places we’ve lived Own Country, in particular Dauda otherwise we would be here all Momodu, Funmi Olumade, Neil day. We call it PPT, Permanently Whitely, Jason Tannis and Sylvia Passing Through. In other words, Osei, I learned so much from them we can be anywhere at anytime, in terms of what it takes to be an we look at it like the world is our actor. The hours, the dedication, home with Nigeria as our base.

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discipline and self-sacrifice it takes to become a whole other person. I think the most overlooked part of acting is the deconstructing of the character after the role is finished, you’ve taken x amount of time out of your life to embody that role and after the film wraps your expected to erase all the baggage you have accumulated, that’s daunting, but somehow they find a way to do it. I tip my hat to all the actors that participated in God’s Own Country. What first attracted you to do “God’s Own Country?” God’s Own Country is rooted in my reality, I was born in Nigeria and came to North America at a young age, because I was so young I was able to adapt to the culture quicker, but I saw the struggles that my parents went through as

ensure my presence in our I followed a simple formula when communities across the country making God’s Own Country; no matter the venue. Control the media, you control your image; Control your image I make movies for the people then you can control the message. because at the end of the day I’m Now you talk about what you want just an individual who makes to talk about instead of what is movie. dictated to you. I’m about smashing Where was the movie filmed? the conventional wisdom and introducing a necessary wisdom The film was set in New York and Lagos but for Logistic purposes it that benefits us. was filmed in Lagos, Nigeria and I feel that as a filmmaker I have Toronto. a responsibility to hold myself accountable and available to the What approach did you use for community, I’m not hard to find. this movie? In fact a 10 city special screening I try to use a minimalist approach tour is being set up and that will in my movies, and let the camera tell the story. I like to include the natural energy from the actors as opposed to spending time and resources in trying to find ways to trick the audience. I figure that the audience will attach itself to the raw emotions and humanity conveyed in the story.

What are your interests outside of films? I love music, so if I’m not making films you can usually find me at my brother Franchize’s studio, watching him record. Listening to the music coming out of his studio just opens up my perspective and provides me with a much-needed breath of fresh air. Any great achievements you would like to share with our readers?

When Chief Martin Agbaso who attended the August 24, private screening of the movie in Manhattan crowned me the future of Nigerian filmmaking in front of the media. It was a huge achievement because it acknowledged the hard work and dedication I have placed in making this movie a success, but it also let me know that people are expecting big things from me. And yes I’m ready to meet and exceed all expectations.

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Event

FASHION FOR WORLD PEACE

The 1st Annual Fashion for World Peace Event took place during the winter at The Arbor Ballroom at The Washington Times Building in Washington DC.

to aid in the development of children, in support of efforts to bring peace to the continent. Proceeds raised from the event went directly to a middle and high school in Beira, Mozambique.

Through the shared vision of the WFWP, DC Metro chapter and REDgemini PR, Fashion for World Peace was created to raise funds to support WFWPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Benefit for the Schools of Africa project. Events are held annually to provide financial assistance for schools established by WFWP volunteers and student scholarships

The 1st Annual Fashion for World Peace event included a silent auction, Ambassador for Peace awards recognizing individuals who contributed to peace building, international music, and a high-fashion-runway show featuring local, national and international designers.

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Event — Francophonie 2007 Cultural Festival

les Nubians

in Concert

Les Nubians, young FrancoCameroonian stars who have conquered the world with their smooth soul vocals. The sisters launched their career performing at a music festival in Bordeaux, winning local audiences over with their superb gospel performance. Following their success in the local press, Les Nubians were then invited to support a friend’s group. And the rest is showbiz history—Virgin spotted the Nubians’ talent and instantly snapped them up, signing a contract for their first album. The sisterly duo, seen as the ambassadors of the new wave of “nu soul” in Europe, performed at the Francophonie 2007 Festival in March. Fans were enthusiastic to see them in the long awaited concert. Les Nubians sensual soul vocals transported the audience to the landscapes of Africa. It was obvious that no one wanted to see the concert end.

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Event

Manuel Wandji

Event

Francophonie 2007 Cultural Festival

Frostburg State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s African Student Association Event The African Student Association of Frostburg State University, held their annual event in March to celebrate Africa. The ASA, made up of several students from various countries in Africa, had a fun filled event including various African dances, comedy and drama, fashion show, African food and a dance party at the end of the night. Manuel Wandji, a fantastic musician (percussionist, drummer, and singer) from Cameroon, performed in Washington DC this spring as part of a month long series of the Francophonie Festival. Hundreds of people came to the show to be awed, and he lived up to the expectation!

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Proceeds from the event went to a charity aiding the progress of Africa.

Event

Miss East UK Miss EastAfrica Africa

Estella Ogbonna

by Nnenna Agwu

erhaps Aba is capable of producing more than sharp leather shoes or hot purses. What about dreams? Fashion designer Estella Ogbonna may have picked up more than just sights and sounds on her visits to the proclaimed “Japan of Nigeria”. “I grew up on the northern part of Nigeria,” Estella recalls, “but I have that craze for Aba. It represents everything fashion,” she says, a certain awe booming in her voice. “They can fabricate anything in the world!”

The first ever Miss East Africa UK took place in London this past winter. The countries represented were Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Djibouti and Eritrea. Ms. Uganda, Brenda Akot, was the winner of this monumental occasion showcasing East African beauty, cultural dresses, music and talent. The queen of Miss East Africa UK will embark on a long journey throughout East Africa aiding needy children.

Fashion

How about a mini skirt from a cloth calendar? Estella remembers unraveling the strings from the calendar that hung in her mother’s kitchen, at just six years of age, but admits: “I never followed [fashion design] up afterwards.” Yet, the designer who ardors the chic look of Chanel and once collected magazine clippings of Naomi Campbell is a testimony to the innate nature of dreams. Her designs for Estella Couture are intercontinental and freshly exotic. “Lace mixed with western fabric like velvet or leather”

create contrast of cultural looks, an important aspect of her work. Seemingly the Caucasian celebrities who raised eyebrows stating, “I am African” in a recent AIDS campaign would be an unlikely threat to her. “Seeing [someone] blonde hair, blueeyed wearing African print looks good. It shows they appreciate the culture,” she says recounting the days of Woodstock full of tiedie, which is originally known to Yoruba’s as adire. But it would be two diplomas and two bachelor degrees before putting needle to thread for her own company. Despite her work organizing fashion parades in high school, she focused on her education. “African parents want you to obtain the highest level of education,” she says. “Fashion school was not always seen as something serious.” She earned a psychology degree from University of Jos, Nigeria, and two diplomas. She later earned an Info Tech degree from DeVry University after moving to the States. She has worked as an I.T. Executive Manager, Web Designer, and

Banker, attesting to the fact that she is a Jack—or “Jane” of trades. But… she was always changing her clothes. “I would tear up my clothes and change the styles. The compliments I got told me I was creating unique stuff.” As promising as the signs were, like her love for “Style with Elsa Klensch” broadcasts which pioneered fashion television, she attests that her talent for fashion design remained latent— designing her first skirt almost forgotten. “Thank God I am a Christian,”

The event was held to raise awareness and help children orphaned through HIV/AIDS and genocide. The money raised will go to various charities for these causes. 22

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Fashion

In 2006 Estella received the Nigerian Entertainment Award for Fashion Designer of the Year, her fashion styles garnering recognition from the African community. As the daughter of What started a hobby soon grew His Royal Highness, Eze J.A. into a business for the designer Ogbonna, Estella no doubt lends who is in her early thirties. Her royal flair to her designs, but her company Estella Couture is based personal aspiration can be felt in in Maryland and features designs its most prominent pieces. that are custom made to fit the “I have always been an advocate customers body and preferred of Woman’s Health Rights style. The collection offers Issues. I am very passionate designs in casual and formal wear, about speaking out for women.” sporting styles and home décor. As a Fellow of International Her formal and casual designs Reproductive Freedom at the have ripped runways for Towson, Gloria Steinem Leadership George Washington and Maryland Institute in Washington, D.C. she College Park Universities to name says, “I believe dressing up gives [a a few. “I enjoy the campus shows. woman] confidence. She can stand It takes me back to the days when tall and be powerful, without I used to do the same. I know the saying a word. Who can now come organizers work hard,” she admits. and challenge her? Say she is just “I am yet to see any campus group a woman? Fashion is power.” She come to me that is not sharp states, “a woman that has a dream and smart. They remind me of a climbs the latter to it. The thing younger me. I love their passion to that helps her is confidence.” In showcase Africa.” her work she has not forgotten the

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she declares, “in my church, Jesus House DC, [our] Pastor asked us to pray and ask God to talk to us. Sewing kept popping into my mind. After that day, I just had to get a sewing machine!”

Having grown accustomed to the predictable speeches by investment bankers, the characteristic swagger of business professionals, and the lavish banquet culminating the event, I was not thrilled about attending the 9th Annual Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School. Though the conference started off with a bang, the absence of organized caucusing among its elite participants guaranteed that the energy fizzled quickly. This years’ theme, Open for Business: Integrating Africa into the Global Economy, reflected the belief that “recent developments on the continent are part of a permanently changing paradigm…[in which] global human and electronic networks, transnational capital flows, and dedicated human activity are binding Africa to the rest of the global economy.” How that position was borne out is up for debate, but some new issues were raised that had not been explored in the three previous years I attended. A particularly high point was a panel discussing successful strategies used by leading businesswomen in male-dominated industries such as finance, banking, and telecommunications. Create A Support Network “I wondered how my colleagues would react to me bringing my whole self to work,” said Lauren Kramer-Dover, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives for PepsiCo’s Wal-Mart team. She preempted that fear by conducting herself differently at work than in her personal life, until an offhand comment by a manager helped her see the light. “He said that he didn’t see me as a woman of color,” said Kramer-Dover. Despite her café-au-lait complexion and Russian-Jewish/Jamaican-Danish ancestry, she fully identified as one, and realized that her manager was unaware because she had never talked about her life. His comment spurred a lengthy discussion that led to a fruitful mentorship, proving that male mentors can be just as supportive as female ones. “You have to create an environment that allows you to be yourself, welcoming, and inclusive,” she insisted, noting that strong relationships are a key element of success. As a member of PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance, Kramer-Dover helps increase support and opportunities for women’s advancement through initiatives addressing inauthentic relationships with supervisors. Another barrier to advancement includes networking, which, for men, naturally occurs over drinks after work. Women may miss out if they are uncomfortable socializing with male colleagues or would rather spend time at home with their families. As a solution, leading women suggest meeting with colleagues over lunch or breaking early for the day and hitting happy hour. They learned that finding alternatives to male strategies is key in building the support networks necessary for success. Know What You Stand For Chinelo Anohu, Secretary and Legal Adviser to the National Pension Commission of Nigeria –charged with reducing the N1.3 million pension deficit—knows a thing or two about breaking into an old boys’ network. The youngest and sole woman on the commission, located in a predominantly Muslim region where women wear headscarves, Anohu said, “I had to show that the fact that I was in high heels and a mini skirt didn’t make me an empty head.” Not a difficult task for a woman with a fastidious legal mind—she earned a Master’s in Telecommunication and Information Technology Law, from the London School of Economics, before working to privatize Nigerian Telecommunications Limited. But even Anohu’s brains and acerbic wit were tested by senior ministers who held outdated notions Iquo B. of women as belonging in the `kitchen or bedroom, perhaps the biggest obstacle faced by professional women. RomanticBy propositions fromEssien colleagues—one of whom praised her “child-bearing hips” in a crowded presentation room—taught her the importance of handling herself well. “You have to be able to walk away and he’s not your enemy—but he’s not your boyfriend either,” she said. “You have to know what you stand for,” added Julia Eziashi, in the sharp, clipped speech of a Briton. “That gets you the respect that will take you forward.” Work Hard A London native of Nigerian roots, Eziashi spent five years as a manager for

Succeeding at Business

the African Way: Harvard Africa Business

Conference Highlights Leading

African Businesswomen

men—her collection Manesté for Men features laces and traditional attire. “It was a tough choice to give up my bank job,” she says in hindsight, “[but] God was putting me where I belong. Fashion design.” She remembers walking up the stairs to take a bow at her first fashion show: “I was humbled. The thunderous and resounding standing ovation from everyone in that hall knocked the breath out of me.” With company headquarters in Nigeria, Estella aspires to branch out to Italy and continue creating designs for men and women, “taking exotic couture styles to all parts of the world.” In her work recreating a dream, bright like the textiles sold on the streets of Aba.

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new issues were raised that had not been explored in the three previous years I attended. A particularly high point was a panel discussing successful strategies used by leading businesswomen in male-dominated industries such as finance, banking, and telecommunications.

Kramer-Dover, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives for PepsiCo’s Wal-Mart team. She preempted that fear by conducting herself differently at work than in her personal life, until an offhand comment by a manager helped her see the light.

“He said that he didn’t see me as a woman of color,” said Create A Support Network Kramer-Dover. Despite her café“I wondered how my colleagues au-lait complexion and Russianwould react to me bringing my Jewish/Jamaican-Danish ancestry, whole self to work,” said Lauren

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Feature

she fully identified as one, and realized that her manager was unaware because she had never talked about her life. His comment spurred a lengthy

Feature

socializing with male colleagues or would rather spend time at home with their families. As a solution, leading women suggest meeting with colleagues over lunch or

auditing firm KPMG before long hours and a tough schedule demanded she make a change. “You have to work harder just to prove yourself,” she said. “You’re black, you’re female, so you have to be twice as good.” To make her move, she went back to school—something career experts recommend—earning an MBA from Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, while picking up an extra language. Her new skills landed Eziashi a rewarding job as a Human Resources Account Manager with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in Kenya. In her new role, she was able to diversify her skills while giving back. “You have to ask yourself how you’re going to make your mark,” Eziashi stressed. Follow Your Passion Ayaan Adam, a fellow IFC colleague, raised the importance of finding your passion, following your instincts, and working with enthusiasm. As head of the IFC’s Private Equity and Investment Fund Portfolio, she manages roughly $1.6 billion invested around the globe, including the AIG African Infrastructure Fund, which, at nearly $500 million, is the largest equity fund ever established for investment in private sector African infrastructure. Adam calls her career a “building up” of skills in finance, consulting, and commercial banking that made her an attractive commodity to the IFC—where she was able to transfer seven years’ worth of experience in the U.S. domestic financial services industry to an emerging markets context. “You have to find a company that fills your mental, socio-cultural, and moral being,” she urged, invoking her East African heritage (Somaliland, at the border of Ethiopia and

“I had to show that the fact that I was in high heels

and a mini skirt

didn’t make me an empty head.”

discussion that led to a fruitful mentorship, proving that male mentors can be just as supportive as female ones. “You have to create an environment that allows you to be yourself, welcoming, and inclusive,” she insisted, noting that strong relationships are a key element of success. As a member of PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance, Kramer-Dover helps increase support and opportunities for women’s advancement through initiatives addressing inauthentic relationships with supervisors.

breaking early for the day and hitting happy hour. They learned that finding alternatives to male strategies is key in building the support networks necessary for success.

Know What You Stand For

the fact that I was in high heels and a mini skirt didn’t make me an empty head.” Not a difficult task for a woman with a fastidious legal mind—she earned a Master’s in Telecommunication and Information Technology Law, from the London School of Economics, before working to privatize Nigerian Telecommunications Limited. But even Anohu’s brains and acerbic wit were tested by senior ministers who held outdated notions of women as belonging in the kitchen or bedroom, perhaps the biggest obstacle faced by professional women. Romantic propositions from colleagues—one of whom praised her “child-bearing hips” in a crowded presentation room—taught her the importance of handling herself well.

“You have to be able to walk away and he’s not your enemy—but he’s Chinelo Anohu, Secretary and not your boyfriend either,” she Legal Adviser to the National said. Pension Commission of Nigeria “You have to know what you –charged with reducing the N1.3 stand for,” added Julia Eziashi, million pension deficit—knows in the sharp, clipped speech of a a thing or two about breaking Briton. “That gets you the respect into an old boys’ network. The that will take you forward.” Another barrier to advancement youngest and sole woman on Work Hard includes networking, which, for the commission, located in a A London native of Nigerian men, naturally occurs over drinks predominantly Muslim region where women wear headscarves, roots, Eziashi spent five years as a after work. Women may miss Anohu said, “I had to show that manager for auditing firm KPMG out if they are uncomfortable

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seven years’ worth of experience in the U.S. domestic financial services industry to an emerging markets context. “You have to find a company that fills your mental, socio-cultural, and moral being,” she urged, invoking her East her “child-bearing hips” in a crowded presentation room—taught her the importance of handling herself well. African heritage (Somaliland, “You have to be able to walk away and he’s not your enemy—but he’s not your boyfriend either,” she said. “You at the border of Ethiopia and have to know what you stand for,” added Julia Eziashi, in the sharp, clipped speech of a Briton. “That gets you the respect that will take you forward.” Work Hard A London native of Nigerian roots, Eziashi spent five years Somalia). She also added that as a manager for auditing firm KPMG before long hours and a tough schedule demanded she make a change. “You have to work harder just to prove yourself,” she said. “You’re black, you’re female, so you have to be twice it’s important for women to get as good.” To make her move, she went back to school—something career experts recommend—earning an MBA their investment and real estate from Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, while picking up an extra language. Her new skills landed Eziashi a rewarding job as a Human Resources Account Manager with the International Finance Corporation portfolios in check. before long hours and a tough “You have to ask yourself how schedule demanded she make a you’re going to make your mark,” change. “You have to work harder Eziashi stressed. just to prove yourself,” she said. “You’re black, you’re female, so Follow Your Passion you have to be twice as good.” Ayaan Adam, a fellow IFC

“You have to be able to walk

away and he’s not your

(IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in Kenya. In her new role, she was able to diversify her skills while giving back. “You have to ask yourself how you’re going to make your mark,” Eziashi stressed. Follow Your Passion Ayaan Adam, a fellow IFC colleague, raised the importance of finding your passion, following your instincts, and working with enthusiasm. As head of the IFC’s Private Equity and Investment Fund Portfolio, she manages roughly $1.6 billion invested around the globe, including the AIG African Infrastructure Fund, which, at nearly $500 million, is the largest equity fund ever established for investment in private sector African infrastructure. Adam calls her career a “building up” of skills in finance, consulting, and commercial banking that made her an attractive commodity to the IFC—where she was able to transfer seven years’ worth of experience in the U.S. domestic financial services industry to an emerging markets context. “You have to find a company that fills your mental, socio-cultural, and moral being,” she urged, invoking her East African heritage

enemy—but he’s not your

Though Adam found job fulfillment—joining her passion for finance with an interest in emerging markets—personal fulfillment has proven more elusive. She is married, but does not have any children, though she would still like to have colleague, raised the importance some. “Eighty percent of women of finding your passion, following making over $100,000 a year are your instincts, and working with childless,” she noted, not one to enthusiasm. As head of the IFC’s sugarcoat the issue. Private Equity and Investment Indeed, professional women Fund Portfolio, she manages face many obstacles—such as work roughly $1.6 billion invested constraints, time management, around the globe, including the and a biological clock—when it AIG African Infrastructure Fund, comes to starting families. which, at nearly $500 million, is the At the end of the day, it’s all largest equity fund ever established for investment in private sector about balancing personal and occupational responsibilities, African infrastructure. added Anohu. Adam calls her career a “building “I have a son,” she said. “You up” of skills in finance, consulting, and commercial banking that made can have it all.” her an attractive commodity to the IFC—where she was able to transfer

boyfriend, either”

To make her move, she went back to school—something career experts recommend—earning an MBA from Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, while picking up an extra language. Her new skills landed Eziashi a rewarding job as a Human Resources Account Manager with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in Kenya. In her new role, she was able to diversify her skills while giving back.

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Feature

according to American Express’ Personal Economy Survey, only 50 percent of consumers feel they will they be able to retire when they want to, 60 percent don’t even have a 401(k) and only 27 percent have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

new phenomenon called financial paralysis is affecting a growing number of American investors and may leave many unprepared for their retirement.

Another report from Guardian so instead they are choosing to Life Insurance in November not do anything. 2004, illustrates a bleak future for baby boomers as well. According How Much Do You to their report, 60 million baby Need To Save

Suffering from Financial Paralysis

Financial experts estimate that most of us will need about 60 to 80 percent of our annual preretirement income to live on each year after we retire. For According to a November 2003 boomers’ feel “paralyzed” about those nearing retirement, roughly report from American Express their retirement plans. The report 57 percent of this will come Financial Advisors called “The goes on to explain that baby from Social Security, according Personal Economy Index”, more boomers don’t know how much to American Express Financial than 50 percent of those polled feel to save, are not saving enough Advisors. The rest will need to stalled when it comes to managing and don’t understand some basic come from other investments their finances. Another one third financial planning principles, and savings. However, according stated they had no financial to the Guardian report (noted plan at all. Other surveys such above) only 27 percent of baby as Allstate’s “Retirement Reality boomers polled said they were Check” found that 80 percent of able to save 20 percent of their Americans are not saving enough income and 17 percent said for their retirement. they were unable to save anything. Furthermore,

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Luckily, there is help available to release you from financial paralysis. Consider following some of the tips outlined below.

Have a Plan According to American Express’ Personal Economy Index, only 10 percent of Americans have a formal written financial plan. Whether you have a written plan that you may not have looked at in a long time or if you are starting from scratch, begin taking action by calculating how much you will need in retirement and figuring out how much you will need to save on a regular basis to reach that goal.

30 you would build a nest egg of $216,000 at age 65, assuming an 8 percent annual return. If you delay and begin saving at age 40 instead, that nest egg would accumulate $125,000 less, or a total of only $91,000. No matter how late you are getting started do not let age paralyze you. If you are in your 50’s or 60’s and have not saved enough or anything at all, there is still time to make a difference. Remember that doing something, even in small amounts or later than you wanted, is always better then doing nothing at all.

Invest in 401(k)’s & Other Savings Plans

Almost eighteen percent of American workers eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan choose not to do so and many do not contribute the maximum eligible amount according to the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America’s Annual Survey of Profit Start Investing Early Sharing and 401(k) Plans (2003). Start saving as early as possible. Taking full advantage of the tax The sooner you begin saving for benefits and possible employer retirement the better. If you start matches in a 401(k) plan is key by saving $100 per month at age to a successful retirement plan. If

your employer does not offer you a 401(k) plan or similar savings option, take matters into your own hands and consider opening your own Individual Retirement Account (IRA). This will allow you to save for your retirement and still reap the tax benefits.

Monitor Your Progress Whether you are 34 or 64 and a half, your retirement plan is not something that you put on autopilot and forget about until you are ready to retire. You need to review your plan at least once a year, so you can reassess your investing strategies, rebalance your investments if needed and make necessary adjustments.

Seek Help The most important step in avoiding financial paralysis is to not be deterred if you feel you are behind in reaching your goals. Instead, take action by seeking the help of a qualified financial planner who can help you stay on track with a comprehensive financial plan.

This information is provided for informational purposes only. The information is intended to be generic in nature and should not be applied or relied upon in any particular situation without the advice of your tax, legal and/or your financial advisor. The views expressed may not be suitable for every situation. American Express Financial Advisors Inc. Member NASD. American Express Company is separate from American Express Financial Advisors Inc. and is not a broker-dealer.

Movies Movie Reviews

Ê / Ê , ,Ê " Ê 9"1,Ê t / iÊÓ `Ê Õ> Ê >ÀiiÀ >Ì Ê Ý« Ê«ÀiÃi Ìi`ÊLÞÊ Ã Ê ` }ÃÊ Ì`° L ÕÌÊ >ÀiiÀ >Ì Ê Ý« 1- \ • The largest diversity recruiting event for positions in Africa and the United States. • More than 1000 professionals and 50 employers attended the 1st annual CareerNation Expo in New York City. • Find thousands of bright African and African American job candidates authorized to work in United States. • Extensive media coverage by ethnic and mainstream media.

}ÊÌ Ê>Ê ÌÞÊ i>ÀÊ9 Õ New York City: April 20, 2007 11AM to 3PM Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street New York City, NY 10011 Atlanta:

June 7, 2007 11AM to 3PM Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway Atlanta, GA 30339

Houston:

July 27, 2007 11AM to 3PM Reliant Center, 1 Reliant Park Houston, TX 77054

Washington DC: August 10 2007 11AM to 3PM International Trade Center-Atrium Hall 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW DC 20004 Philadelphia:

August 28, 2007 11AM to 3PM Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

Boston:

October 19, 2007 11AM to 4PM Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02115

i ÌÃÊ V Õ`i\ corroborated. Vos, played by Tim This movie is based on a true Robbins, is the Colonel in the story. Set in South Africa during country’s Police Security Branch, the apartheid years, Catch a Fire and he stops at nothing to get to stars Derek Luke who portrays the bottom of the case including Patrick Chamusso, a loving torturing Patrick’s wife, Precious, husband to his wife, and is blessed and revealing to her Patrick’s with two daughters. Patrick works ongoing relationship with the in the renowned Secunda oil mother of his out of wed lock refinery as a foreman and life son. This movie is a real a thriller. couldn’t be better. That is not After being released from jail and until he falls under suspicion for being cleared of the charges of a sabotage that takes place at the trying to sabotage the oil refinery oil refinery. His whole world is Patrick feels he has to take a stance changed when his alibi can not be against the ongoing injustices To Catch a Fire

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in his home land, South Africa. He joins the African National Congress and becomes a political operative and a rebel fighter. He is ultimately involved in the follow up plan to blow up the very same Secunda oil refinery he was once employed as a foreman. Get your copy of the DVD today or rent one from the video store to see what ensues. Official movie web site www.catchafiremovie.com —Ade “Dey Dey” Akingbade

American Express, Con Edison, Peace Corps, Harris, International Rescue Committee, IBM, Central Parking System, Enterprise Rent-A Car, UPS, AED, NYPD, FBI, IRS, FedEx, New York University Medical Center, Washington Mutual, Madison Square Garden, The Rockefeller Foundation, Intrehealth International, Metro North Railroad, Shell Oil Co., Celtel, Eskom, Regent University, Evelyn Douglin Center.

> ÊÕÃÊ>ÌÊ Ý« ÕÃ>JV>ÀiiÀ >Ì °V Ê ÀÊÛ Ã ÌÊ ÕÀÊÜiLÃ ÌiÊ >ÌÊÜÜÜ°V>ÀiiÀ >Ì °V Candidate registration is free but required. There may not be African based employers in all of the Expos. Schedule subject to change. Visit www.careernation.com for updates

½ÌÊ ÃÃÊÌ iÊ >À}iÃÌÊ vÀ V> Ê> `Ê vÀ V> Ê iÀ V> Ê >ÀiiÀÊ > ÀÊ ÊÌ iÊ7 À `

Movie Reviews

Phat Girlz has quite a few laughs; some predictable, but overall the movie gives insights not only on the issue of dealing with self image, but also of the Nigerian culture, clothes, food and the perceived notion of the Naija man’s love for Phat Girlz.

camp. While at the mining field, Solomon stumbles across a large, uncut pink diamond. He realizes that the diamond could be his family’s ticket out of the country, so he hides it just before a battalion of government troops attack the camp.

save others that were left behind This is a documentary that and also to bring attention to the chronicles the journey of three ongoing circumstances in Sudan. of the “Lost Boys” from their Settling into life in America homeland Sudan to the United coming from a remote village in States. There were close to 25,000 Africa is daunting enough but “Lost Boys” that had to flee their these men persevered. Visit the villages because of the political movie’s official web site www. unrest in Sudan. This movie is godgrewtiredofus.com to get your touching. It shows the strength copy of the DVD or for screening of the human spirit. Against all details. odds these men survived and are —Ade “Dey Dey” Akingbade now partaking in initiatives to

Vandy is caught in the dragnet and sent to jail where he meets Danny Archer (DiCaprio) who has been arrested for diamond smuggling. Once the men are released, Archer strikes a deal with Vandy: split the profits from selling the diamond, and he will help Vandy find his family. With few options, Vandy agrees. From in Cape Town. It opens near this point onward, the film takes a hardscrabble Sierra Leonean off on a Eurocentric trajectory. village where Solomon Vandy, a If the first third of the film fisherman, and his young son Dia is a docu-drama about Sierra (Kagiso Kuypers) speak about the Leone’s civil war, the final twoimportance of education; Vandy thirds plays like an old-fashioned aspires for Dia to one day become Western. Archer resembles a a doctor. A band of Revolutionary morally conflicted John Wayne United Front (RUF) soldiers, the in such films as Stagecoach and rebel group opposing the ruling The Searchers, an initially selfish government, suddenly descends roughneck who transcends base on the father and son, sending human greed in the service of them running for their lives. The his fellow man. Archer’s story of rebels capture them, while Vandy’s transcendence would be noble if wife and younger children escape. it didn’t completely consume the The family members become movie. refugees in their own The duo of Archer and Vandy are country. Solomon is forced to aided by an American journalist mine diamonds—called “blood named Maddy Bowen, played by diamonds” because of their use as Jennifer Connelly. Bowen is the a source of funding for the rebels’ heavy-handed conscience of the war effort—at an RUF diamond film, interested in exposing the field. Dia is sent off to boot camp West’s role in the civil war. She to become a rebel soldier. The rest speaks obvious lines that anyone of the family ends up in a refugee

Phat Girlz

Phat Girlz is a comedy starring Mo’Nique. The movie title suggests it all. Phat Girlz is based in part on the myth that Nigerian men love voluptuous women. There is some truth to this. How would I know? Well, I’m an original Naija (slang for Nigerian) man. When Official movie web site is I was growing up back home, www.phatgirlzmovie.com “healthy women” were referred —Ade “Dey Dey” Akingbade to as Cash Madams. Skinny ladies use to drink all kinds of concussions just to gain weight. Being Phat conferred some type of elite status; it was “evidence of good living”. However, I’m not so sure this generation of guys feels this way. Times change I guess. Jazmin Bitmore, played by Mo’Nique, is down on her luck but as fate would have it, she wins a vacation to sunny Palm Springs. While on vacation, a young successful Nigerian doctor named Tunde, played by Jimmy Jean-Louis, notices her and is completely smitten. God Grew Tired of Us

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Blood Diamond Review An interesting thing happens halfway through Blood Diamond, Edward Zwick’s film about the Sierra Leonean civil war: the film ceases to focus on Africans. Blood Diamond tracks the journey of a Zimbabwean diamond smuggler named Danny Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and a Sierra Leonean named Solomon Vandy, portrayed by Djimon Hounsou, to find a priceless pink diamond. Over the course of their travels, the film’s focus shifts from Vandy’s plight to Archer’s, and in so doing presents an African disaster from a Eurocentric point-of-view. Blood Diamond was beautifully filmed by cinematographer Eduardo Serra (Girl With A Pearl Earring, Beyond the Sea) on location in the Republic of Mozambique, South Africa’s East Coast, and

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Movie Reviews

paying attention would understand implicitly: “You might hear about this on the news,” she says at one point in regard to the civil war’s play in the American media, “somewhere between sports and weather.” She becomes a human playbill, recapitulating the film’s themes for those who can’t keep up. Her courtship with Archer further distracts from Vandy’s storyline, rendering his struggle to save his family to a subplot. For all of its moralizing about the West’s role in causing Sierra Leone’s despair, Blood Diamond is told through Danny Archer’s Eurocentric eyes. Sure, Archer is a former grunt soldier from Zimbabwe, but he comports himself like a colonialist. He even insists on calling his mother country “Rhodesia,” the 19thcentury name given to Zimbabwe in honor of the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. At one point Archer tells Vandy, “I know people—white people—who can help you find your family.” By repeatedly drawing attention to his race, it becomes

hard not to think of Archer as an elitist. Charles Leavitt’s screenplay makes Vandy’s journey integral to Archer’s self-actualization, and not the other way around. Edward Zwick has a history of grafting a Eurocentric viewpoint onto the past. He attempted a similar feat in his 2003 film The Last Samurai. In that paean to American grit, a disenchanted exUnited States Army captain named Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is hired by the Japanese emperor to put down a samurai rebellion. Algren is eventually captured by the rebels and, through a series of adventures, comes to respect the samurai’s ways. By the film’s end, he leads the samurai against the emperor’s army. According to Zwick, both the emperor and the samurai lacked legitimacy without the leadership of a European American. Zwick would have done better to balance his storylines as he did in his 1989 film Glory. In that film, blacks and whites fight in the same U.S. Civil War regiment.

Zwick gives equal dramatic weight to three subplots, that of a white regiment leader trying to prove himself an able leader, and those of two former slaves fighting for the country that enslaved them. In Blood Diamond, Zwick violates this approach, needlessly subsuming Solomon Vandy’s story under Archer’s. All of this, however, is not to take away from the performances. Djimon Hounsou is superb, balancing flashes of anguish with moments of seething stoicism. The scenes Vandy shares with his son humanize the war’s victims completely. Leonardo DiCaprio gives Danny Archer teeth, imbuing him with a visceral sense of gravity. Kagiso Kuypers is a genuine find as Dia. His transformation from an innocent school boy into a brainwashed soldier is chilling. Jennifer Connelly is misused, serving more as a plot device than a character. The film makers went to great lengths to re-create a war-torn Sierra Leone. Sadly, they did not invest the same moxie in telling the story from an African perspective. This is a shame, because, as Danny Archer often says in response to selfevident questions, “T.I.A.—This Is Africa.” Visit the official website, blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros. com/ —Christopher Hobson

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Feature

country by

Leticia Williams

In his own words, democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, of Illinois—who has been drawing large crowds to campaign rallies nationwide—says his growing popularity on the campaign trail is Americans saying: “We are looking for something different, we want something new.”

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Feature

seriously contemplate a black man as president.

nominates the candidate who will ultimately run for president.

But if popularity has anything to Since then, Obama has carefully been supplanting the country’s do with the final outcome of the perceived traditional sensibilities, primaries, and even the election, positing himself as the face of the Clinton’s campaign is right to fight

“I know I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.” tooth and nail for every political inch where Obama is concerned, Indeed, on Feb. 10, in his and to do so as early as possible. official announcement that he Though in every poll available to would run for president, he said: date, Obama has trailed Clinton, “I recognize there is a certain he has also been closing the gap presumptuousness—a certain and sparking unusual turnout audacity—to this announcement,” with every new poll result. “Watching those crowds the 45-year-old freshman senator told an estimated 15,000 people follow him around is almost like as he officially announced his watching Tiger Woods on the candidacy. “I know I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.” new religion—the embodiment of the American political zeitgeist.

But just how far are Americans willing to go to have what’s different and new? Far enough, say, to elect the first black president?

months ahead of the first primary. The fact that a black presidential candidate is drawing such rapacious interest is not only a Americans are flocking to the sign of the times—and Americans senator’s speaking engagements hunger for a new direction—but a on a campaign that has started sign of just how vastly they have earlier than normal—some 20- changed in a country built on

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slavery and whose 230-year history is enmeshed with yarns of bigoted hatred and racial divide. Obama’s campaign seems to have been fueled not only by his own political aspirations but by the frenzy brought on by his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic

Just as Obama is the strongest black contender to ever run for president, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is the National Convention. It was strongest woman to have thrown then that his popularity took off her hat in the ring, with both vying like a runaway locomotive that for the democratic nomination. has yet to slow down. Moreover, And the two began duking it out it was directly after that speech some 20-months ahead of the that America, whether it knew it democratic primaries, the stage or not, began for the first time to of the election when each party

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Feature

a Newsweek poll conducted last year, which pegged just 3% that would not vote for an AfricanAmerican. According to the study, Gallup has asked a version of this question since 1958. In 2003, 92% said they would vote for a black candidate for president while just 6% said they would not. But in 1958, a majority of 53% said they would not vote for a black candidate; even as recently as 1984, 16% told Gallup they would not do so. Stanley Crouch, syndicated New York Daily News columnist, who is black, had this to say of Obama’s popularity in a December column:

“Obama is being greeted with the same kind of public affection that Colin Powell had when he seemed ready to knock Bill Clinton out of the Oval Office.” The son of a Kenyan-born black father and a white mother from Kansas, Crouch also called into question the Chicago senator’s “blackness,” citing that Obama is black in a way to which some black Americans can not relate, nor he to them. “If he throws his hat in the ring, he will have to run as the son of a white woman and an African immigrant. If we then end up with him as our first black president, he will have come into

the White House through a side door—which might at this point, be the only one that’s open.” The 2008 presidential election already is shaping up to be an historical event. For the first time since 1928, the presidency is a wide-open field in both parties, as neither party has an incumbent president or vice-president seeking party nominations. Whether it will be an election of an historical first remains in the hands of the American people.

“Watching those crowds follow him around is almost like watching Tiger Woods on the golf course,” golf course,” former presidential adviser David Gergen said in an ABC news interview in March, after the senators squared-off in dueling speeches during civil rights commemoration events in Selma, Ala.

more Ivy League friendly kind of “black” that appeals more to Middle America than any black candidate before him, is a question not easily answered.

that unfolds in the election year itself.”

But political experts believe America is as ready as it’s ever been to elect an African-American According to national polling president. group the Gallup Organization, The vast majority of Americans Whether it is the confluence with less than a year before the first tell pollsters that they are willing of eight years under the opaque primaries and even longer before to vote for a qualified African leadership of President Bush, the 2008 elections, poll results at American candidate for president, whose public opinion rating is this phase “do not necessarily bear according to a recent report near the lowest it’s ever been, or a strong relationship to the reality by Washington think-tank Pew that Obama represents a broader, Research Center. The group cited

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Travel

Painting Navua by Lola Akinmade

anderlust is a huge part of my life and drawing inspiration from my surroundings is what I do as an artist. Sharing different perspectives of places we’ve all been or yet to explore through art is a passion and style of mine. Whether it is looking up at a lamp on Quay St in Auckland or looking down at Marienplatz from St. Peters in Muenchen, I look for unique angles that shed new light on the subject. My rendition of the untouched Navua River deep in the heart of Fiji is one of my favorite pieces because it attests to a time in my life when I realized a dream; if only for a moment. Arriving with my volunteer team at Checkpoint Five—Beqa (Mbengga), it still had not dawned on me why I was truly here and how I got here. Separating us from our destination —the remote village

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of Beqa —was a river. Shallow yet so full of life, this river split the gorgeous hunter green scenery; providing a beautiful blue contrast to the surrounding colors.

and team number patches all over, they came face to face with the Navua river and had to cross it to get to our side.

Then it finally hit me why I was All I knew at that point was that there waiting for those amazing I had to wait… athletes. Volunteering with the Soon enough, competitors Eco-Challenge in its final year emerged on their mountain before hiatus was the experience bikes across the river as villagers of a lifetime. Being within a race stood watching in awe. Helmets, of that magnitude and seeing backpacks, worn out feet, country how all the cogs work together made me appreciate expedition

racing all the more. As part of the web team, I was a field reporter/ photojournalist and got up close to the competitors. To get our daily stories for the website, we had to be in the middle of it all with them —whether it is canoeing down a river, trekking alongside them, or driving alongside them on their bikes. Team after team picked up their bikes and gear and crossed that river to the other side. The amazing contrast of Western advancement against the untouched, natural backdrop was captured in picture after picture by event photographers as well as

me. Once I got my story for the More on Lola’s travels in Fiji can day, I finally decided to cross that be found at www.lemurworks. river myself. Still in disbelief that com/lola/html/ecofiji2002.htm we were actually in this part of the world, a couple volunteers and I waded across the river; giggling like school kids at an experience we would never soon forget. Halfway through, I stopped and looked all around me in awe. At that moment, the halfway point was ingrained in my mind and I knew I had to capture it. If it was impossible to fully communicate the feeling of actually being there to others, I could at least try.

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Music

singer and actor, was a founding member of Village Ki-Yi M’Bock, one of Africa’s most unique artist enclaves. The influence of this exceptional community and the creative environment in which she was raised can be heard on Dobet’s new recording, Na Afriki (To Afrika), which will be released by Cumbancha on June 26, 2007. Located in a pastoral neighborhood of the otherwise bustling capital city of Abidjan, the artistic cooperative of Ki-Yi M’Bock was founded in 1985 by Cameroonian Werewere Liking as a place to inspire creativity and collaboration. The village is home to over fifty resident artists of diverse traditions, ages, and origins, including dancers, actors, puppeteers, sculptors, painters, costume designers, and musicians, and has played an important role in the African arts scene. There African artists with a multitude of ethnic backgrounds collaborate freely, united in their commitment to creating uniquely African artistic expressions. Dobet was trained in a multi-faceted approach to music From an Artist Enclave to the World announced to her father that she and performance where dance, Stage: Ivory Coast’s Dobet Gnahoré wasn’t going to return to school. “I percussion, song, poetry, and Crosses Disciplines and Cultures on want to stay in the village like you!” theater are intertwined. Na Afriki she asserted so forcefully that her Dobet’s life changed when a When she was a young girl in father knew there was no talking young French guitarist named the Ivory Coast, Dobet Gnahoré her out of it. However, this was no Colin Laroche de Féline arrived knew she wanted to devote her ordinary “village.” Dobet’s father, one morning in 1996 with a life to the arts. At age 12, Dobet a respected master drummer, backpack over one shoulder

Dobet Gnahoré

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and a guitar over the other. His expected three day visit stretched to three years, having fallen in love both with the village’s artistic lifestyle and with Dobet. Colin mastered a range of African guitar techniques and he and Dobet

Soon, the group was performing at European music festivals, and Dobet’s unique talent began grabbing people’s attention. formed a musical and romantic bond that made them inseparable collaborators. While the artistic colony was a utopian hideaway, the city of Abidjan became embroiled in social and political turmoil. Seeking a more stable and less dangerous environment in which to raise their child, Dobet and Colin moved to France in 1999, where they formed a band made up of a diverse line-up of musicians.

Afropop Worldwide raved: “Wow! Dobet Gnahoré is one helluva talented artist. Powerful singing combined with a charismatic stage presence, original choreography, and a theatricality that reminds me of Marie Daulne of Zap Mama.” Major European press has also compared Dobet to some of the great women of African music, such as Angelique Kidjo and Miriam Makeba.

The songs on Na Afriki (To Africa) address social and political issues in Africa: the struggles of women in African society, the exploitation of children, and the impact of greed and violence on the family. Dobet calls upon Africa to seek solutions from within and draw upon its own vast resources to create a better future. She sings of love and loss, as well as joy and celebration, using a wide variety Last fall, Dobet joined Malian of rhythms and styles that reflect guitarist Habib Koité and South her pan-African approach. African troubadour Vusi Mahlasela A young mother herself, Dobet’s on Putumayo’s Acoustic Africa songs refer frequently to children. tour, which was presented across On “Télodé” she provides advice Europe and the United States. from one mother to another, Sharing the stage with these two encouraging a parent to let a son established African icons, many go forth into the world and express Western audiences got their first himself. On “Khabone-n’Daw” taste of Dobet’s exceptional and she speaks out with a fearless, dynamic stage presence. In a fierce tongue against incest. On review of the performance, The “Djiguene (Woman),” she pays Los Angeles Times raved, “She’s a homage to the “Woman of Africa, dynamic singer, the airy sound of woman of Asia, woman of Europe, her high notes recalling the focused woman of the world,” who fight timbre of Salif Keita. Gnahoré for freedom and heal sickness, displayed powerful star potential.” who cultivate the earth, feed the

Soon, the group was performing at European music festivals, and Dobet’s unique talent began grabbing people’s attention. She earned a Newcomer of the Year nomination by the BBC World Music Awards in 2006, and her debut album, the 2004 release Ano Neko, received wide accolades. Radio Producer Sean Barlow of

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artists in Ki-Yi is “to convince them that their duty is to become genuine cultural entrepreneurs, fanning out across the globe and yet starting from Africa.” In Dobet, she has undoubtedly succeeded in doing so. The little girl who begged her father to allow her to drop out of school has grown up and come into her own; taking her will and talent and life experiences that started in an uncommon village in Africa and expanded them into a global vision that aims to educate other young people and inspire them to action. Dobet Gnahoré’s Na Afriki is the fourth release by Cumbancha, a record label that was founded in 2006 by Jacob Edgar, the longtime head of music research for Putumayo World Music. For more information on this and other Cumbancha releases visit www. cumbancha.com. children, and become mothers. Many of her songs offer personal reflections on her life growing up in an artistic community, and praise for Liking and the others that helped guide her down the path she chose for herself.

“defiantly diverse, musically and linguistically.” She sings in the indigenous Ivorian languages of Dida and Malinké, and in Wolof (Senegal), Fon (Benin), Lingala (Congo), and Xhosa (South Africa). “This mixture is a way Dobet composes in a number to bring me back home, to the of languages and incorporates diversity that I held close there” a variety of rhythms and styles Dobet told Le Monde earlier this into her music. BBC Radio 3’s year. Jon Lusk says that Dobet’s songs Wérewére Liking once said that in seven African languages are her challenge in working with

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(Courtesy

Rock Paper Scissors)

path,” explains Vieux in his austere yet grounded way. “Our lives here in Mali are like that. Much of what I sing on the album was his wisdom, teachings that he passed down to me. As he neared the end of his life, I knew that the wisdom he imparted on me was important to spread.”

Vieux Farka Touré Ali Farka Touré’s Unexpected Succes- made famous on such albums as sor Renews Desert Blues: Vieux Farka the Grammy-winning Ry Cooder Touré Releases Debut collaboration Talking Timbuktu Mali’s bluesman Ali Farka Touré (World Circuit). Vieux’s debut has passed the torch onto his son pays musical homage to his father’s Vieux Farka Touré, whose self- roots with familiar trancey guitartitled first album (World Village work while incorporating new Music), features the final studio musical influences from reggae to recordings of the older Touré rock. He will be singing many of before his death in March 2006. these songs on his debut North The album, which also features American tour throughout the kora-player Toumani Diabaté, Northeast and Canada in early draws heavily on the same blues- February. inflected North African desert “Here in Africa, he who teaches traditions that Ali Farka Touré you in life, you will follow his

Vieux was not always the obvious successor to Ali’s musical legacy. It wasn’t until Ali had lost much of his movement to bone cancer, when Vieux’s recording was being made, that Ali realized just how musically adept Vieux had become. Growing up, Vieux played calabash (a uniquesounding dried gourd drum used in Mali) and other percussion, but his father didn’t want Vieux to face the same struggles he had as a musician, and discouraged him from following the same path. The Touré family comes from a noble lineage, in a land where musicians usually come from a musical caste. Ali went against his own family’s societal role to become a musician and suffered as a result; first toiling to make a living at home in Mali, and then getting cheated by a French producer early in his career. The BBC reported that when he won his first Grammy award, Ali chose not to travel to the United States to collect his prize, saying: “I don’t know what a Grammy means but

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if someone has something for me, they can come and give it to me here in Niafunké, where I was singing when nobody knew me.”

“Toumani looked shocked,” recalls Herman. “Vieux turned to me and said ‘See, nobody knows I can play music like this.’ I knew… and it

Ali wanted his son to become a soldier. But Vieux secretly took up the guitar behind closed doors. He enrolled in the Arts Institute in Bamako, the same institution where Habib Koite and many other Malian musicians of note studied. When Ali realized Vieux was not going to give up on playing guitar, he enlisted his good friend Toumani Diabaté as Vieux’s advisor. When young North American producer Eric Herman of Modiba Productions expressed interest in recording Vieux he had to seek permission from Diabaté, the senior Touré, and other community elders. Once Diabaté and Touré heard Vieux’s initial recordings, they realized they had underestimated the younger Touré’s virtuosity.

“Though my father initially resisted my playing music, once he saw that it was truly my ambition and my calling, he was at my side.” didn’t seem to be a secret that he is a really dynamic guitarist. But among the elders who he needed to be respectful of, he was humble and hiding it.” “Though my father initially resisted my playing music,” explains Vieux, “once he saw that it was truly my ambition and my calling, he was at my side…and he stayed there until the end.” It’s not surprising that Vieux’s debut album is full of homages to his father, to other elders in his community, and to the people of Mali. That spirit is consistent with the musical tradition and the album strikes a gentle balance between tradition and innovation. On “Sangaré,” Vieux honors Diadie Sangaré, a longtime friend and confidante of Ali Farka Touré. “My uncle Diadie Sangaré called me in the studio to let me know of a favor he had done for me,” Vieux explains. “Meanwhile, someone next to me bad-mouthed him, and that really angered me… and inspired me to

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write a song in his honor. I went outside with another guitarist and started working out a line and the song grew from there. We started

horn section create an entry-point for pop music fans. Meanwhile, “Courage” has a distinctly rock sound and gave producer Eric Herman, who wrote the song, the chance to pay his own homage back to the people of Mali. While the song may turn some heads, Vieux is convinced that it is an extension of the tradition from which he comes.

recording it that same day.” Another tradition that appears on many of the songs is the teaching of morals. “Africa is not like the West,” says Vieux. “People tell stories, seek their interests behind your back while smiling to your face. I wanted to discuss the hypocrisy in Africa and how people should beware of the results of their actions.” While the lyrics of “Diallo” honor another “uncle” figure— Barrou Diallo, who played bass with Ali for many years—musically, the track captures the hand off between father and son, with call-and-response guitar solos between the two. “Tabara,” the other track featuring father and son, was written by Toumani Diabaté’s father, another nod of respect. “That was the first track Ali and Vieux recorded together,” remembers Herman, the record’s producer. “That was a completely historic and sublime moment for this musical tradition. Everyone in the studio felt the gravity of it. Ali is almost bleeding through

his guitar. He’s one of those musicians that is very linguistic with his instrument. You could feel his pain and suffering.” The album never strays from Vieux’s essential sound, but gives the listener a diversity of compelling yet accessible timbres. On the two instrumental duets with Toumani Diabaté, the virtuosity of his harp-like kora shows him at the peak of his playing to date. Both tracks were recorded in a single take. After their stunning performance on “Diabaté” (during which neither player could see each other), Toumani says, “Hey Vieux.” “Yeah, father?” responds Vieux from the other recording room. “That was pretty good,” Toumani replies. The two laugh together on this warm dialogue captured on the album.

singer and guitarist in his own rite, Vieux expertly plays calabash throughout the album. Mamadou Fofana, from Toumani Diabaté’s band, plays the Guinea flute, an instrument which creates a unique sound when the player literally screams into the flute, and which has rarely been heard in the repertoire of Saharan guitar music. Hassey Sarré, known for his work with Afel Boucoum, plays the njarka, a traditional spike fiddle, on two songs. Tama (talking drum), ngoni (the banjo’s predecessor), and kourignan (scraper) keep the album rooted in tradition as well.

Two songs on the album especially push tradition in new directions. When Toumani Diabaté first listened to “Ana,” he heard the reggae element and Songs are peppered with encouraged Vieux to develop it Malian sounds. When he is not further in that direction. The demonstrating his strength as a unique combination of Sonrai lyrics and the reggae up beat and

“Music is personal expression,” says Vieux. “Everyone has their own ideas and their way of doing things. No one can replicate what someone else has done. I am working to follow my father’s path, but that path continues into new areas. I am of a new generation, so there are things that inspire me in today’s world that I put in my music, just as he did in his time.” Vieux Farka Touré is the only recording of father and son playing together. The recording sessions, which took place in the storied Studio Bogolan in Bamako, Mali, had an especially urgent feel to them as Ali was about to make his final trip to Paris for medical attention. Ali Farka Touré’s entourage literally carried him into the studio and placed a guitar in his lap. After forty-five minutes of playing, he was carried back out to his car and headed to the airport. Ali Farka Touré died a few months later back in Bamako. From his hospital bed, he played his son’s new recording for all his visitors, proudly telling them, “That’s my son! That’s me!” His

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son’s debut album truly represents the embodiment of a legend continued.

to Bee Sago, a UNICEF-affiliated organization, as part of Modiba’s “Fight Malaria” campaign. With Vieux’s help, they hope to reach Fight Malaria their goal of providing every Vieux Farka Touré was produced pregnant woman and child in the by Modiba Productions (www. Touré’s home region of Niafunké modiba.net), a young production with a treated mosquito net— team dedicated to Africa’s the most effective preventative empowerment through its music. measure in the fight against They are the creators of “ASAP— malaria, Africa’s leading cause of The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project,” infant mortality. “Helping those which has raised over $135,000 in Niafunké is something very dollars for the refugees in Darfur, important to me,” says Vieux. “I Sudan. 10% of proceeds from want to be able to give back to Vieux Farka Toure will be donated my village. My father was always

vigilant for Niafunké, and I feel it is my duty to continue his work. There are those in Niafunké that don’t have enough to eat, others don’t have medicine, and many children don’t get the chance to grow up because of malaria. If I can do something—if through my music and my album I can help others—that is a gift for us all. It is my privilege to help my people.” (Courtesy

Rock Paper Scissors)

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