INSPIRED IDEAS
Gèlè Tea launches Gèlèstoire, the first collection of hand painted gèlès in the UK. It is based on the concept of oral stories that reflect the joy, colour and kinship associated with this stunning headwear. Models: Nelo (left) and Estelle Make-up: Onyeka Beauty and Miss Phaz Photos: Tobi Shonibare Jewellery: J Khoo Dresses: Clariscia Gill Stylist: Lara Extravaganza
THE VOICE THE VOICE NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 20142014 THE
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% S N O S A E R 5 %TO GIVE A BOOK
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They will grace your loved ones bookcase or coffee table for years to come
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 3 They can be read and shared over%
Some gifts fade but knowledge is infinite
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1. FASHION AFRICA: Jacqueline Shaw (Jacaranda Books, £29.99)
5. MR LOVERMAN: Bernardine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin UK, £8.99)
9. HUEY’S TIGER: Ann Cameron (Tamarind Books, £5.52)
2. ANOTHER CROSSING: Khadijan Ibrahiim (Peepal Tree Press, £8.99)
6. DARK GIRLS: Bill Duke and Sheila Moses (Amistad, £16.59)
10. AMERICA’S MISTRESS - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EARTHA KITT: John L Williams (Quercus, £20)
14. SEDUCE: Desiree Reynolds (Peepal Tree Press, £8)
3. CARNIVAL: A photographic and testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival by Ishmahil Blagrove Jr (Rice n Peas Publishing, £25)
7. PEPPER SEED: Malika Booker (Peepal Tree Press, £8.79)
11. DARCUS HOWE - A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY: Robin Bunce and Paul Field (Bloomsbury, £14.99)
15. SOL CAMPBELL - THE AUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY: Simon Astaire (Spellbinding Media, £12.99)
12. RICHARD BLACKMAN: KP Malor (Amazon, £12.97)
16. VINTAGE BLACK GLAMOUR: Nichelle Gainer (Rocket 88, £48.75)
4. LETTERS TO A YOUNG GENERATION: Edited by Amanda Wilson 9:10 Publishing, £5.68
8. GIRL WONDER AND THE TERRIFIC TWINS: Malorie Blackman (Random House Children’s, £3.98)
13. SEPARATE CINEMA - THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF BLACK POSTER ART: (Reel Art Press, £32.75)
HOW GREAT THOU ART - FIFTY YEARS OF AFRICAN CARIBBEAN FUNERALS: Charlie Philips (King/Otchere Productions, £25) THE NIGHT MALCOLM X SPOKE AT THE OXFORD UNION: Stephen Tuck (University of California Press, £14.95) A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS BY Marlon James (Oneworld, £18.99) #TWO SIDES - MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY Rio Ferdinand (Blink Publishing, £9)
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CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
IT’S THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY 1. CHRISTMAS COOKING
Nothing says Christmas like festive flavours. Why not try baking these Christmas gingerbread cookies? Ingredients 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 125g/4½oz butter 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar 1 free-range egg 4 tbsp golden syrup Preparation method Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them. For decorations, use a skewer to make a small hole in the top of each biscuit.
5 WAYS TO FEEL FESTIVE 4. PERFECT FAMILY MOVIE Once the madness of Christmas Day is over, escape the Boxing Day sales and head to the cinema for the remake of heartwarming classic Annie starring Quvenzhané Wallis as the lovable title character, Jamie Foxx as Daddy Warbucks and Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan.
5. DO A GOOD DEED
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.
2. CHRISTMAS PANTO
Christmas is not just about over-indulgence, it’s also a time of charity. Do your bit for the less fortunate by donating to organisations such as Brixton Soup Kitchen who are fundraising to buy a van to help them expand their work feeding the needy. You could also help give the gift of life by registering organ donor with the African Caribbean Leukeamia Trust or donate £3 by simply texting ‘ACLT’ to 70300.
No Christmas is complete without a pantomime - a rich British tradition. Hackney Empire is staging Mother Goose (right) starring Grande dame of pantomime Clive Rowe and Olivieraward winning actress Sharon D Clarke, while at Stratford East rising star Helen Aluko plays Belle in Beauty & the Beast.
3. SHOP AFRICAN Online platform Styled by Africa will be hosting an African-inspired gift shop on Saturday, November 29 between 10am and 6pm at Hassan Hajjaj Store, 30-32 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch E2 7JP offering high-quality fashion gifts sourced from designers across the continent.
An original gift idea they’ll love all year long… Give someone special a MrSite Website in a Box that includes their own dot com name e.g. www.yourname.com Anyone can create a beautiful, mobile-ready site with its own online shop, Create a blog, launch a business or transform a hobby into a money-making scheme, anything’s possible with MrSite! Get the nice and simple Starter (RRP £59.99) or the fully-featured, state-of-the-art Pro (RRP £119.99).
Available at: www.mrsite.com THE VOICE DECEMBER, 2014
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GIFTS AT A ✴ ✴
STYLISH CHOICES
WRITE STUFF
The Black Pepper notebook is manufactured with high quality Ghanaian fabric to add a fashionable flair to your stationary collection (www.lovelynotebooks.co.uk, £7)
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
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✴ STACKED UP
SING ALONG
Cast members Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx and Rose Byrne all feature on the upbeat Annie (2014) soundtrack
These Inya rings (£25, www.made. uk.com) are trendy but also ethical by providing work to support artisans in Kenya
DOC’S ORDERS
MAYBE BABY
Naima is a lovely soft doll suitable for children aged 18 months and older from Corolle’s luxury doll collection (RRP £33)
C’EST CHIC
For children aged 4+, there is Cecile – the trendiest doll around (RRP £46/Available from Amazon, Hamleys, Harrods)
Aspiring surgeons will love this Doc McStuffins Doctor Bag Set (£16, www.very.co.uk)
MISSING LINK
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CG Couture’s woven Kente cuff link is fit for a king (www.clarisciagill. com, £32)
ART’S SAKE
A customised Tonderai print or painting will make an unforgettable gift for your nearest and dearest. (From £30, www.tonderaiarts.co.uk)
PRETTY IN PINK
Disney’s Doc McStuffins Tri-scooter (£19.99, www.argos.co.uk)
HOLD ME TIGHT
AFRICAN ICON
Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his social and political importance (£11, Amazon)
ROAR TALENT
‘Set’ is one of 10 A1-sized limited edition prints from British artist FunnyTummy and signed too! (funnytummyart.bigcartel.com, £175)
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These stunning ceramic mugs from Joli Create can be made to order and add will spice up your morning coffee (From £15, call: 07939 851 988)
KWANZAA TIME
A beautiful set of greeting cards celebrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Beautiful as greeting cards or to frame at home. (£10, www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheDuafeGalleria)
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SO SPECIAL
These stunning sequinned ‘Africa Chic’ earrings (£20) are made to order from Ziindya. A gift that is truly yours (Contact: ziindya@gmail.com)
BROLLY GOOD
Help cheer up a loved one’s rainy day with one of these umbrellas using traditional waxed fabric (£45, www.lalibella.co.uk)
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
A GLANCE
THE STYLE LIST
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MANDELA
Hollywood actor Idris Elba presents Mi Mandela, a celebration of music inspired by the late South African leader Nelson Mandela (7wallace/Parlophone Records Limited, £8.99)
SUPER SIZE ME
Ziindya’s Afro Superman Men’s T-shirt with Kente handcrafted applique (www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ Ziindya, £25)
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A TIME FOR GIVING
For a Christmas present with a real feel-good factor, why not send a cow, rabbit or hen to someone in need? (Hens £7, Donkey ( £9 and taps £10 via www.sendacowgifts.org.uk)
SWEET SOAP
Scented handmade soaps from award-winning Toulou Organics. (www.toulouorganics.com, £4.50)
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SITTING PRETTY
Yinka Ilori is a young and extremely talented NigerianBritish designer who is making waves in the design world. The Eyin chair is just one of a collection of stunning signature pieces that will make your Ikea furniture cry weep with envy (£900, www.yinkailori.com)
BLACK & GOLD
This Versace Vanitas watch is a decadent timepiece for a real diva. (Watchshop.com, £1030)
BOW DOWN
CG Couture’s best-selling men’s bow tie adds a pop of colour to a basic suit (www.clarisciagill.com, £35)
HAIR CARE
Lush’s R&B hair mosituriser (£11.50/100g) is one of the beauty store’s most popular products for a reason. It is made with an extremely rich blend of oils and butters to restore your hair to its natural beauty.
RING IT UP
These Dainty stacking rings from Made have us drooling. Brighten up the hand of someone stylish in your life (£25, www.made.uk.com)
MATHS WHIZZ
Ayo or Oware - the game of kings tests the mathematical skills of the whole family (www.oware.org)
HAIL MARY
WRIST BLING
Made’s jewellery is handmade with love, and any you give this stunning Shikali cuff to will love wearing it. (www.made.uk.com, £28)
Mary J Blige’s new album The London Sessions features groundbreaking collaborations with the cream of the UK Music scene such as Sam Smith, Disclosure, Emeli Sande and Naughty Boy. Perfect prezzie for music lovers (£8.99, Universal/ Island Records)
EYE ME UP
Sleek’s Dancing Til Dusk includes velvety browns and shimmery pinks with a sophisticated finish. A perfect stocking filler (£9.99, Boots/ Superdrug)
RED CARPET LUXURY HAIR
WWW.RCLHAIR.COM THE ONLY HAIR YOU WILL EVER WANT
Unit 11 Entreprise Centre Bernie Grant Arts Centre Town Hall Approach Road Tottenham Green, London N15 4RX Tel: 020 8801 0252 Tel: 07876683172 Tel: 07826854807
THE VOICE DECEMBER, 2014
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CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
FASHION
‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE STUNNING
DARK ROMANCE
DISCO DIVA
FAIRYTALE
Clockwise: Gold purse (£14.99, H&M), Sequinned dress (£39.99 New Look) and jewelled heels (£200, Virgos Lounge.com) Clockwise: Necklace (£24.99, H&M), dress (£60, River Island), dress (£150, TopShop), lace throw (£25, River Island) and gold shoes (£49.99, Zara)
Spring might be the go-to season for pastel shades, but the candy hues work just as well in winter too. Go for feminine shapes in luxurious fabrics for a girlie, but still chic, look. Pink skater dress (£165, Topshop) and embroidered prom dress (£69.99, ChiChiClothing.com)
Sizzle on the dancefloor with this bold and alluring look. The autumn/winter catwalks were agog with all things dark, moody and fantastical, proving that a bit of mystery can work for any style.
Party all night and stand out in a sea of black with shimmering bright hues this party season. From jumpsuits to crop tops, here’s some sparkling outfits that will have you looking like a drop-dead-gorgeous disco diva!
Nena Nena Boateng Boateng Mobile: 07828 315 127127315 127 Mobile: 07828 Mobile: 07828 315 07939 059059 149149 07939 07939 059 149 Email:Email: nenabb@hotmail.co.uk nenabb@hotmail.co.uk
Email: nenabb@hotmail.co.uk
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Bernie Grant Enterprise Centre Bernie Grant Enterprise Centre Bernie Grant Enterprise Centre Town Hall Approach Town Hall Approach RoadRoad Town Hall Approach Road London London N15 N15 4RX 4RX London N15 4RX