Culturepulse Magazine Issue 17 by david kalloo

Issue No 17

May 2013

Shoreditch the graffiti art capital of London Tribute to Tony the Trini The World on Regent Street

It seems the sun is no match for the long

Contents

winter drag. Like the econmic crisis, winter seems to be keeping a strangle-hold on Britain and stagnating the anticiaption of summer.

Shoreditch the graffiti capital Tribute to Tony the Trini

We’ve seen recently, France dip into recession and Germany’s economic growth take a tumble while the Eurozone is struggling to stave off crisis after crisis in its union and, with renewed call for Britain to leave to European Union altogether.

Taiye Salasi’s Ghana must Go World on Regent Street The Swagg Scoop Production and concept: D.T. Kalloo

In the Caribbean however, there are continuing cry for the region to work together, to promote and harness the regions resources and capabilities. The European Union, despite their current hardship have pledged €100m for Caribbean development while the World Bank is investing $20m as part of their Diaspora interest in a programme called Enterprise Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC). The programme by the World Bank iniative is geared towards promoting growth in early stages of Caribbean enterprise.

Culturepulse is designed and produced by cashewmedia and published by Securisit Ltd. Copyright 2012 Views and comments expressed by contributors are not necessary those of Culturepulse but of the author/s

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Needless to say, we are all optimistic for the future to be bright, whatever the forecast. We scrape the bottom of the barrel with hope of finding enough substance to rally us through ,but as calypsonian King Austin sang ‘if this is progress, how long will it last?’

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D.Kalloo

Cover photo by cashewmedia

Shoreditch, the graffiti art capital of London Is Shoreditch, the graffiti art, capital of London? Across the city, graffiti art is considered an eyesore to many. Councils spend thousands of pounds cleaning graffiti art from its wards that tend to give a delinquent aura to the environment and, let us not forget that it is a criminal offence. Shoreditch, however, seem to have taken a different approach to graffiti art. Many of the shops in the area have opted to have graffiti art signage as opposed to the regular method of acrylic style built up lettering, neon or light box facia to their facia. Graffiti art in Shoreditch is no longer, confined to derelict building walls or defacing shop fronts. The art is thriving on Hackney Road where colourful hues of aerosol paint adorn shop front grilles.

The area attracts graffiti artists from all over the world too. Red Market, a prime location and advertising hub at the corner of Old Street and .......have dedicated their internal walls to world renowned artists such as Roa from Ghent, Belgium, famous for his monotone images of rodents, rabbits and herons across the capital. Other artists include Italian Run, the South American Cranio, the UK’s own Jo Peel from Salford and Stik, famous for his black and white ‘Stikman’ images all over London. Stik recently had a series of his work showcased at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Despite the popularity of graffiti art most graffiti artists still conceal their identity because the art is still illegal, as Stik admits, ‘I still paint illegally.’

Externally, Red Market is teeming, with modern billboards and may well boast of having one of the biggest non-electronic advertising spaces in London. However, take a journey inside and an entire new world of graffiti art exists. It shows and provides a platform for graffiti artists far, and wide. Graffiti artists are also on hand to pass knowledge and skills to the younger generation who take inspiration from people such as Run, Roa, Deadly, Jo Peel and Stik. It would be interesting to see if other places across the UK adopt and embrace graffiti art and the promotion of the artists themselves as Shoreditch has done. The Southbank skateboard site, which is currently under threat of being relocated, also pays homage to graffiti art. What we must bear in mind however, graffiti art is still illegal and graffiti artists still face prosecution.

Tribute to Tony Martin significant contributions our Diaspora has made on the world sphere. Professor Martin was a true son of Trinidad and Tobago and I am happy for the opportunity to celebrate his memory here at the Mission. Tony Martin made the Caribbean region proud as an advocate of development through education at home and abroad. His contribution to the scholastic and personal development of countless students is profound. Indeed, this philosophy of service and passion for learning is one that we must inculcate in the young people of our region. As we strive to build a globally competitive nation, the development of independent and innovative thinkers is paramount. There are invaluable lessons, which can be

His Excellency Garvin Nicholas

The

Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London under the patronage of the High Commissioner, His Excellency Garvin Nicholas paid tribute to a celebrated son of Trinidad, Professor Tony Martin. Tony Martin died in Trinidad in January 2013; he was an exceptional academic intellectual and activist who was a foremost voice on African Studies. He collaborated and wrote 14 books which according to Cecil Gutzmore, in true Jamaican colloquialism said ‘dat is nuff books.’

Ansel Wong

gleaned from Martin’s legacy, and chief among them is the importance of not being afraid to go forth and speak our truths, and make our marks. We may hail from a small island, but like Tony Martin, we must never be afraid to make a difference.”

Many people may not have heard of Tony Martin, those who knew him however, showered praise for a man who was steadfast in his beliefs and never allowed it to waiver in his quest for truth. The High Commissioner in his welcome address said, “I am struck by Professor Martin’s legacy as it is representative of the

Cecil Gutzmore

Cecil Gutzmore paid a glowing tribute to Tony Martin. He praised Professor Martin for the role he took on in clarifying Carol Houghton truths about his hero Marcus Garvey. Paying tribute too, were members of Tony Martin’s family Carol Houghton and Femi Martin, while Alexander ‘D’Great paid tribute in song to the celebrated scholar. Ansel Wong, a close friend of Tony Martin gave a jovial recollection of their Hull university days, prompting a smile on the faces of those who knew and remembered Tony and, for those who did not, the convivial words of Mr Wong drew a warm conclusion in paying tribute to Tony the Trini.

Alexander ‘D’Great

Femi Martin

Debra Romain

His Excellency Garvin Nicholas & Renuka Koninger

6 Chris Boothman

TAIYE SELASI’S GHANA MUST GO: A READER’S RESPONSE By Juanita Cox The title of Taiye Selasi's book Ghana Must Go (2013) caught my attention for several reasons. Firstly, when economic crises in 1983 and 1985 resulted in the expulsion, at short notice, of approximately 2 million Ghanaian immigrants from Nigeria, the bags most readily used as ‘suitcases’ were christened ‘Ghana Must Go’. These large rectangular plastic bags – plaid in design (often white, blue and red) and made in China – were and still are available in most parts of the world. Generally associated with refugees or traders, they have as a result of being transnational acquired a wide variety of names. In Trinidad they are, for instance, known as Guyanese Samsonite and in Germany, “Tuekenkoffer” (i.e., Turkish suitcases). In 2006, the bags having been given the Louis Vuitton stamp of approval then morphed, somewhat unexpectedly, into desirable fashion accessories. As possible metaphors for migration, displacement, exile, social mobility and transnationalism the title of Selasi’s book appeared to be a stroke of genius.

and live in cities around the globe: ‘they belong to no single geography, but feel at home in many’; most are multilingual, speak an indigenous language, some sort of urban vernacular and find a sense of self in at least one place on the African continent (‘nation-state, city or ‘auntie’s kitchen’’). In their cultural hybridity, they are ‘Africans of the World’.

I was intrigued but wondered never having previously heard of Selasi, if I would enjoy her debut novel. I had listened to her reading a passage from Ghana Must Go on the popular American Diane Rehm NPR Show but was left slightly irritated by a description of her Ghanaian character Ama: she sleeps heavily, ‘like a cocoyam. A thing without senses’ and dreams about ‘sugar plums and Tchaikovsky.’ ‘Cocoyam’, lovely metaphor but ‘sugar plums and Tchaikovsky’? Really? The possible authenticity and timeliness of Selasi’s book only became clear to me after researching her background. The product of an increasingly transnational world, Selasi is a self-described Afropolitan. She explains in her 2005 article ‘Bye-Bye Barbar’ that this term applies to many African people who work

In a moment of self-reflection, I wondered if perhaps I was an Afropolitan. I speak Hausa and English, a smattering of Twi and French, was born and partiallyeducated in Nigeria, have a Ghanaian mother, an English father and Guyanese husband; am as comfortable in Guyana as I am in America, Nigeria, Ghana or Britain. I know London like the back of my hand and am constantly switching between provincial-English, London-English, Nigerian-pidgin, Ghanaian-pidgin and Guyanese-Creole (the latter in a very bad accent) and all depending on whom I’m talking to, or where I am. More tellingly, I am just as likely to dream about listening 7

the ‘authentic’ Ghanaian I later, and for complex reasons tried to be, before realizing I could not. Perhaps I was also so used to the boundaries of African literature and African people being set by ‘outsiders’ that I had not been able to consider the possibility of presenting my hybrid Afro-Anglo-Sometimes-WannabeCaribbean-Human identity as valid literary fodder and in some related way had not been able to accept the literary proposition of Ghanaian Ama dreaming sugar plums and Tchaikovsky. Adichie’s welcome and prescient warnings about the dangers of being limited to a single story and the need to change the broken record of starvation, war and corruption had seemed obvious to me. These narrow and warped images of Africa had long been the source of irritation. But what I had not understood was that the culturally-hybrid voice of transnationals with African roots (though perhaps born elsewhere) would be a welcomed addition to that mix.

to Fela Kuti, Florence and The Machines or Beethoven: to dream about eating Kenke and Fish, Gari and Okra Soup, Metegee, or a Sunday roast. Perhaps I had unwittingly internalized the notion that identity could only be authentic if bound to a single nation. When I first moved to Britain in 1980 – more specifically the Northern town of Wigton I found life as a person of dual heritage frustrating and alienating: most people insisted on knowing exactly where I really came from; the question of course implying somewhere other than Britain. Evidence of this otherness was reinforced by a variety of clichéd refrains: sambo, coloured, half-caste, golliwog, wog, fuzzywuzzy or nigger and comments like: “How do you cope with all those flies?” Back in Nigeria and Ghana my status of mulatto, half-caste, Bature, Jan Kunne, Oyinbo and Obroni Koko had similarly been reminders of my not-quite-being-ness. With the added mix of motifs - ‘You’ve got a chip on your shoulder’, my father’s instruction to be ‘stiff-upper lipped’, and the Shadists, ‘Is cos you is light-skinned, yuh tink you is better dan me?’ - whatever I felt (injustice, alienation and the negation of my blackwhite heritage) was silenced by the shame of self-pity. Shadism, predicated on one’s approximation to white people of course still exists in the black community and in different forms (e.g., the prevalence of skin-lightening and ‘not-Afro-hair’ hairstyles, straightening chemicals, weaves and wigs, that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie addresses in her new novel, Americanah). That said it might be as much to do with Western ideals of beauty and their continuing global dominance where means of production is concerned, particularly within the fashion industry. It certainly seems to me that the effects on ordinary white women are at least, to some extent, similar. But that is a whole other essay!

It was perhaps personal experience that led me to the spurious belief most people were still unwilling or unable to accept - in undiluted form - the complex nature of hybrid identities. Less than ten years ago it was not uncommon for people to ask me, which race – black or white – I identified with. The notion that I had embraced both and was unwilling to reject one or the other was constantly challenged with: ‘Yes, but that doesn’t make sense’. What Selasi’s ‘Bye Bye Barbar’ imparts, at least for me, is permission to partake in public expression of my own cultural ‘uniqueness’: that my cooking-pot of influences and experiences is a valid dish of its own. However, having lived outside a clearly identifiable category for so many decades the Johnny-come-lately adoption of the funky new label, Afropolitan, does not feel particularly appropriate for me. It may just be that while Nigeria, as the place of my birth, has a special, unbreakable claim on my heart, the equal love I have for both of my late parents, means that I

In hindsight I had become attached to notions of ‘authentic’ in terms of the ‘authentic’ Nigerian, ‘authentic’ Briton or 8

will always prefer to define myself as a person of dual heritage.

trousers, and flamboyant high-heeled fuchsia-pink shoes bore the mark of confidence, elegance, and a ‘joie-devivre’. As her conversation with Hannah Pool progressed I discovered that Selasi had a BA from Yale and an MPhil from Oxford; that she had been encouraged to write her highly-applauded short story ‘The Sex Lives of African Girls’ by Toni Morrison whom she’d met while still at Oxford and that, as though she were not talented enough, had launched in 2012 a multimedia project to photograph and film twenty-something-year-olds in all 54 African countries. Born in England, raised primarily in Massachusetts (hence the accent), Selasi - of Nigerian (Yoruba), Ghanaian (Ewe) and Scottish heritage - has for now, settled in Rome. Captivated by her charm I somewhat inevitably bought her book and proceeded to read it on the bus home.

The important point however is that the reception of Taiye Selasi’s Afropolitan novel has been, by and large, extremely positive. This would appear to be one of several markers that times are changing; that publishers are now more open to, and interested in, complex cultural/ethnic identities. The same applies to the Caribbean where the canon of literature (as prescribed by academics) has until recently given precedence to the folk culture stories of working-class Afro-Caribbeans at the expense of, for instance, those previously classed as ‘Coloured middle-class’ or middle brow (ref Belinda Edmonson’s Caribbean Middle-Brow). This was in many ways a valid response to the history of enslavement, the colonial demonization of African culture, the need to develop a Caribbean identity and to redress the hegemonic imbalance of the ‘races’. But the truth is arguably that the Caribbean community was and remains, one of the most transnational in the world; and that they have much in common with ‘Afropolitans’, particularly in terms of the diverse cultural resources at their disposal. In the context of globalization, real or virtual transnational migration is on the increase and there is no doubt that we are likely to see more writers like Selasi, asserting their right to embrace the cultural cookie-jars of their various ‘homes’, while remaining deeply attached in some way to their ancestral roots. That said, it is important to remember that only 3% of the world’s population lives in a place other than the country of their birth.

So what did I think? As the vast majority of the reviews have attested Selasi has every reason to be proud of her debut novel. The story focuses on the interior lives of Kweku Sai and his family. Kweku, an accomplished Ghanaian surgeon is the husband of Folasade Savage, a Nigerian of Yoruba and Igbo heritage with some Scottish ancestry, whom he had met in the United States. Together they sired four children: Olu, the eldest son; Taiwo and Kehinde, twins; and Sadie, their last born daughter. In the opening sentence of part one (entitled ‘Gone’) the narrator explains that: “Kweku dies barefoot on a Sunday before sunrise” and proceeds to replay over and over again the moments before his death in the manner of a musical refrain. I should clarify that each ‘refrain’ offers incremental insights into the years building up to his death by shifting to-and-fro between different periods of his life. In many respects this technique - used by other author’s like the pioneering Guyanese novelist, Edgar Mittelholzer

When I heard that Selasi would be in conversation with Hannah Pool at London’s Southbank Centre on 7th April 2013 I seized the opportunity to meet her. Selasi – the epitome of Afropolitan pizzazz – did not disappoint. Her smooth Bostonaccent, rich infectious laughter, her fabulously coiffured raven-black Afrohair, lithe-figure, clean-lined black top and 9

(1909-1965) is analogous to a sonata, in that the harmonic possibility of the exposition is explored, revisited and developed. The desire to understand Kweku’s life compels the reader through to the end of the novel. The second part (‘Going’) focuses on the family members: the impact of their father leaving home without explanation or prior warning 16-years earlier, and their response to news of his death. The final part (‘Go’) focuses on the arrival of his children in Ghana and the role that this plays in healing the wounds that had been precipitated and/or exacerbated by his first sudden departure.

Selasi’s choice of often-repeated words appear to be carefully selected for their relationship to the keynote theme of ‘Death’ that runs throughout the novel (e.g., life, ground, gone, leaving, left) in its various forms. The ‘death’ of Kweku and Fola’s marriage reminds us how quickly a relationship, which takes years to build, can disintegrate in seconds, and indeed echoes many of the novel’s references to the fragility or passing of life. But what I like the most about Selasi’s novel is the way in which she subtly highlights the damage created by ‘silences’; the fractures that are wrought by her characters’ inability to communicate openly with each other. So that while we are told: “So often one knows, without seeing, the truth” (ibid: pg 117), and while ‘knowing’ is presented in some ways as one of the esoteric wonders of human life (e.g., Fola instinctively knows when her children are in pain, as their pain manifests itself in different parts of her body), we soon learn that the divisions in the family have been created by misunderstandings and the lack of open, frank discussion. Kweku’s son, Olu, provides a classic example of this. He implicitly interprets his father’s, and grandfather’s, abandonment of their respective families in terms of the

The titles of the three distinct sections: ‘Gone’, ‘Going’, ‘Go’ offers a new spin on the clichéd phrase, ‘Going, going, gone’ and alerts the reader to Selasi’s love of wordplay (including metaphor, alliteration, assonance, consonance and repetition) e.g., “Dewdrops on grass. Dewdrops on grass blades like diamonds flung freely […]” (Selasi: 2013, pg 8). Her technique of playing with lexical tenses adds to the musical-cum-poetic nature of her novel. For instance, when Taiye suspects that her estranged artist brother Kehinde has been living without her knowledge in a street near her home, the narrator asks: “But how could he tell her […] that he doesn’t, doesn’t “live” here, or lives without “living”, […]; that it is […] a way out of the hurting, for her, who is life-full, who lives and has always lived fully on earth, in the world, in and of it, not grounded nor grounding but ground, in her person, the canvas itself? (p 165)

nuanced nature of Sadie’s inner desires – i.e., to be part of her best friend’s family not because of their race but rather because of the security and stability they offer. Similarly, when Kehinde offers a hawker in Ghana 5 US dollars from the window of a taxi, the driver attempts to discourage him by stating that they are Mauritanian thieves who steal from tourists. The driver laughs when Kehinde makes the assertion: “We’re not tourists” (p 209). The irony however is that the driver would “rather be ferrying some tense blond-haired couple in his taxi than them” (p 210). The theme of authenticity is clearly directed (but as relevant to other ethnic communities) at Selasi’s black/African readership. Though never explicitly stated she is surely asking that we attempt to transcend narrow, divisive judgements about the identity of individuals based on the often-times misleading signifiers of ‘shade’, phenotype, accent and class. I, of course, could not agree more. Will I be eagerly awaiting another novel by Selasi? Most emphatically yes!

prevalent stereotype: the adulterous, irresponsible black man. This adds to the shame he feels about Africa and leads him to promise his Asian wife, Ling, that he will be better than them. What he does not recognize is that his father and his grandfather before him had strived to do their best as providers for their families but had been emasculated by their ultimate lack of power within the context of a racist world. Kweku had been unfairly sacked for the inevitable death of a patient because the hospital needed to quell the patient’s racist family’s call for ‘justice’. Olu’s grandfather had similarly been jailed for attempting to protect his grandmother from the sexual abuse of a white officer. Their crime, if it can be considered that, was an inability to transcend their sense of shame for the greater good of the family. These episodes are a reminder about the importance of knowing and of talking about our history. They also operate as an indictment of those who bemoan the ‘state of African families’ without acknowledging the role that institutional racism has played in destabilizing them. Selasi’s novel as importantly – and I had not anticipated this – begins a discussion on the issue of authenticity. Olu is for instance, mocked by Taiwo because he travels with a backpack: she sees it as ‘further proof of the “white boy” who lived inside’ him (p 249). Taiwo is herself subjected to the question of authenticity when a Ghanaian cab driver in the US asks: “W-where are y-you from? […] What are you? […] What are your eyes?” It is her accent, appearance and ‘strange’ eyes that confuse him: the latter being “an inheritance, the colour, from the Scottish great-grandmother” (p 137). The narrator provides further examples of how easy it is to jump to the wrong conclusion about an individual’s identity and belonging. For example Taiwo accuses her sister of wanting to be white just because of the company she keeps and the way she speaks, without ever understanding the 11

Swedish bumblebee to help repopulate declining numbers in the UK

Heavy snowfall kills 24,000 Pashmina goats If you are a lover of cashmere products, then expect prices for this luxury items in the near future. Unsually heavy snowfall in Northern India saw more than 24,000 Pashmina goats killed during February and March in the region of Changthang. Hypothermia and starvation due to the heavy snowfall covering feeding grounds led to the deaths of the goats.

The declining bumblebee population in the UK have been given a boost in a joint venture between Sweden and Braitain. Swedish entomologist Bjorn Cederberg and British scientist Nikki Gamman have introduced the Swedish short-haired bumblebee into the wild in Dungeness, Kent.

The Changthangi goats are a rare breed and native to the Tibet area of Ladakh and the high altitudes of Pakistan and Nepal. The goats grow a thick woolen coat under the extreme conditions which is used to make the world famous Pashmina shawls.

There is a worldwide decline in bumblebees and bees and as a result farmers have resorted to manual pollination. Insects and bees are responsible for 80 per cent of pollination worldwide, which is critical for food production globally.

The wool is said to be six times finer than human hair. A Pashmina shawl can cost anything from ÂŁ59 to ÂŁ1,188. According to data, there is an avaerage of 200,000 Pashmina goats in Ladakh.

A recent ban on a number of pesticides by the European Commission that is alleaged to be resposible for the decline in bumblebees and bees came into effect in April. However, it has been proven that pesticides are not the sole cause for the declining population of bees. Cederberg has identified that the harvesting of red clover before they bloom in Sweden, has had a disasterous effect on the bumblebee population there. He suggested that farmers leave strips of red clover to ensure the the future of the bees survival. How effective the introduction to the UK of the Swedish bees are still unclear as the prolonged rainfall meant the bees have been underground.

Trinidad & Tobago ruled the ‘World on Regent Street’ Performances from Trinidad and Tobago nationals, both resident in London and those who came from T&T especially for the occasion, such a 3 Canal, produced a most spectacular showcase of the twin island nation. Soca beauty, Nikiesha Reyes-Pile thrilled the crowd with her smooth vocals and, even taught the ‘World on Regent Street’ the art on wining. London Tassa Drummers and Chandani Persad flavoured things with the East Indian influence of T&T. CSI steel band mesmerised the crowd with superb performances as Bacchanalia masqueraders made Regent Street look like Notting Hill Carnival come early. The traditional aspect of carnival characters such as, Midnight Robber, Pierrot Grenade, Dame Lorraine and Moko Jumbies generated that nostalgic carnival aura in London.

Billed as ‘The World on Regent Street’ featuring twelve countries from around the world, Regent Street, truly belonged to Trinidad and Tobago on May 12. From as early as 11am as the crowds started to trickle in, miniature Trinidad and Tobago flags were already fluttering across Regent St, held in the air by kids and adults alike. Turkey, Argentina, France, the USA, India and the other nations proved no match for the splendour and diverse offering that Trinidad and Tobago unleashed on Regent Street, London. The sun came out, resplendent to create that Caribbean atmosphere and drive away the winter blues that keeps lingering over London. From the moment, Attillah raised her flag, and summoned the engines of Trinidad and Tobago, the rhythm roared through Regent Street. The repertoire of cultural performances brought Regent Street to life and, became the magnet that drew the crowds towards what was for the day, the sovereign ground of Trinidad and Tobago.

The world queued patiently to sample the cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago as the swayed to Soca 101 Tropical Storm and if Bunji Garlin only knew, Regent Street was ‘Ready for the Road’ when Tropical Storm belted out the number one soca tune for 2013. As far, the eye could see and the vibes from the speakers could travel, a sea of red, white and black flags reached for the sky as the pulsating rhythms became the heartbeat of the street. As the day progressed and the crowds swelled around Trinidad and Tobago, the anticipation of 3 Canal’s performance grew, there was a reminder that, this is London as rain began to sprinkle, but not dampen the atmosphere. As London drizzled, 3 Canal rained lyrics and gave London something to talk about. Regent Street rocked, swayed and wined to the unleashing of a genre of Soca and Rapso rhythms from 3 Canal that moved every single person in the crowd, young and old, from around the world. 3 Canal’s Jouvert rhythms were the perfect precursor to the culmination of events with the day’s presentation ending with a Jouvert jam session. Powder flew; Atillah’s flag went up and brought to a close, a successful presentation to the world, the diversity and cultures of Trinidad and Tobago that went far beyond Reagent Street.

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Exploring the Diasporaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The Guys Got it Right By Nichola McDonald From the streets of London, New York and Paris to just about any fashion state in the world, you cannot fail to notice the current state of trendiness that is being cultivated by the male gender. The “Worldrobe” I now refer to as the new age name for wardrobe, as we keep looking at the horizon, continuously embarking on new journeys. Searching for new fresh style, that unique look to call our own, upon that travel we may capture a fashion piece, which may inspire us - a mixture of colours, nature, music or even discovering ethnicity styles from another land.

The trend is also prevalent with floral, Hawaiian prints and graphic prints, whether on tees, blazers or shorts. Let’s face it, the GQ look is not for everyone and a large majority just feels much more comfortable and confident in casual wear. The ‘Urban Safari’ and ‘Camo’ are my picks for the guys this season, with many earthly tones of olive green and khaki to work with you can easily complement the wear with an assortment of colours that are current or retro.

Spring summer 2013 also show a wide variety of fashion trends for men, although, a starburst of vivid colours, such as lemon zest, poppy red, orange, pink and dusk blue are proving to be the popular choice. One of the key male fashion trends this season must be the prints. The artistic usage of camouflage and colourful interaction within the designs, along with a taste of the playful urban safari influence of Leopard spots and Tiger stripes gives a more neutral styling to the man who prefers his tones more subtle.

“Be the man you want to be, self-image is enormous but worthiness is priceless”

Photo Credits: Sisley Men SS2013, Hip-hop-dance.net, Attireinfo.blogspot.com Stylebistro.com

Water, water everywhere

Why are foreign investors targeting UK companies? According to analyst, the British utilities sector is classed as the most expensive in Europe. However, the weak sterling has meant forecast upgrades with the lowest equitity debt ratio, thereby boosting high returns on equity which is good news for foreign investors.

Water, water everywhere. Yes, if you are contemplating an investment in shares, it seems water is the safe way to go if you want to wade your way to good returns. Global water shortgage is what is being predicted for the future, so much so that Thames Water recently recently surveyed Londoners to ask whethr they objected to drinking recycled sewarage water in the future. A scheme that was rejected by the Australians when it was put to them. Shares in wter companies across the UK rose by 19 per cent on the FTSE 100 giving the market a much needed boost and renewed confidence, at a time when economic growth is relatiely stagnant. Foreign investors are eyeing the UK’s water companies with the latest take over bid of Severn Trent sending trading to an all time high. Gradually, it appears UK water companies are selling up for hefty profits to foreign investors. Of the 10 UK water companies, four have been sold in the past sx years and now owned by private foreign investors.

Cultuepulse is not a financial expert. Source: cityam

The two UK water companies that was sold recently include Veolia Environment for £1.2bn and Cheung Kong took over Northumbrian Water for £2.4bn last June. Severn Trent was recently valued at £7bn making it a sound investment .

Samsung tops Smartphone global sales Samsung has extended its lead on the

In an unprecedented move, BlackBerry

smatphone sales war with Apple. No other

have decided to have their BBM service

company has come close as Samsung in

available on Apple and Android devices, a

challenging Apple’s dominance in the

service that attracted customers to

market.

BlackBerry.

Recent fugures published by Gartner says

Mobile phones global sales peaked at 426

Samsung has a 31 per cent of global sales,

million with China seeing an increase of

racing ahead of Apple with a staggering

7.5 percent in the mobile phone market

64.7 million smartphones in the first

there, while smartphone sales grew to 43

quarter of 2013 compared to Apple’s 38.1

per cent totalling 210 million devices.

million sales in iphones.

Samsung is expected to extend their lead

Samsung increased its smartphone sales of

in the market with the new Galaxy S4 as

40.6 million a year ago when they were

there is no new product on the market to challenge its dominance

still ahead of their rival Apple, carving a

presently.

substatial share of the market. The picture however is not so rosy for companies such as, Nokia and BlackBerry whose sales slumped by almost 37 per cent. Software issues continue to blight BlackBerry as they struggle to make any significant dent into the smartphone market. BlackBerry’s new Z10 failed to take off and Nokia is banking on its new sleek Lumia to drive its sales.

Award Winners

Trinidad & Tobagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High Commissioner, His Excellency Garvin Nicholas awarded diplomat of the Americas

24 Henry Swanzy Award in Trinidad. Sarah White receiving the 2013 Bocas

Postcards from Berlin Carnival 2013 Photos courtesy: www.socavision.com www.dw.de/image www.uksocascene.com