THROWBACK THURSDAY: HANSON

Back in 2007, Hanson traveled to Mozambique and South Africa to help bring more awareness to the poverty and AIDS epidemic in Africa. The trip made such an impact on them, that came back the following year. On this second trip the group partnered with  TOMS Shoes, whom was just starting out at the time, to donate a pair of shoes to children in an orphanage. 

Check out the video for the song "Great Divide", which the band recorded with a local children's choir. The proceeds from the online sales of the song benefited the Perinatal HIV Research Unit in Soweto. 

GET FAMILIAR: ELIAICHI KIMARO

Filmmaker Eliaichi Kimaro has built a career being behind the lens, but now, her turn in front of the camera has cultivated one of her most thought-provoking and honest works to date.

AFRICASH: TOP 10 RICHEST PEOPLE IN AFRICA

Last week, Isabel Dos Santos, from Angola, became Africa's first-ever female billionaire. I became interested to see if Africa had any other rich people living there, after all, money isn't something that only exists in America.

MUSIC MONDAY: KHAYA MTHETHWA

Khaya Mthethwa's is the recent winner of South Africa';s Idols show, which is their version of American Idol. From his first audition, it was clear that he would take the whole competition, and  become the first black winner of the show. 

As a member of the gospel choir, Joyous Celebration, he opened for amazing gospel acts such as Israel Houghton and Kirk Franklin. Now, as a solo artist, he'll share the stage this March with R&B crooner, Miguel. With soulful songs like "Move" from his debut album, For You, I'm positive he'll easily win over Miguel's audience.  

Check out his rendition of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" below. Dare I say it's better than the original? Enjoy!

-ASHA

FASHION FRIDAY: ARISE MAGAZINE

Arise Magazine is probably the most influential magazine that caters to the African community. It covers everything that has to do with African style and culture, from fashion, to beauty,  to the arts, to entertainment, to politics, to sports; if it has anything to do with Africa, then Arise  will surely be talking about it. 

THROWBACK THURSDAY: GRACELAND

One of the most influential and memorable albums to date, Paul Simon's Graceland, topped the charts in  1987 and debuted at the number one spot in seven countries.

GET FAMILIAR: JOSEPH BENJAMIN

Actor/model/musician Joseph Benjamin is the man to look out for in 2013. Having starred in a string of successful films, including Dark Side, Tango With Me, Mr. & Mrs., and Contract, Joseph is set to take the West African film world by storm.

GUESS... WHO'S AFRICAN?

Farrokh Bulsara, a.k.a Freddie Mercury,was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar...which is in Tanzania...which is in  Africa.

MUSIC MONDAY: MUSEBA

Museba is a self-proclaimed "wonderful cocktail of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo." The Afro-pop singer has been singing since the tender age of eight, but only recently decided to fully pursue her music career after graduating from college. 

FASHION FRIDAY: AFRICA FASHION DAY BERLIN

This past Tuesday marked the first-ever Africa Fashion Day in Berlin, as part of Berlin Fashion Week.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: THE DOSHA BRAND

In honor of our 100th post, we felt it was only appropriate for yours truly to be the Throwback  of the day. Enjoy this vid from Christmas 2006...and lookout for a special cameo from DAD!

- TEAM TDB

SPOTLIGHT : THE AFRICAN CHEF

It seems like everyone I know has resolved to step-up their game in one way or another. In the spirit of the New Year, I resolve to step-up my cooking game, and I have The African Chef to thank for that.

SPOTLIGHT: SERGE IBAKA

Serge Ibaka is a terrific player. I know, I know I'm late on this. 

Serge plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is averaging 14.3 ppg, 8.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. The stats don't do him justice; he plays with such energy and passion that it always makes watching the Thunder play exciting. Did I mention that he's Congolese? Add that to the long list of reasons why I like Serge. 

Now, all he needs to do is ditch Oklahoma and put on the purple and gold...then he'd be a real star.

-DJ

MUSIC MONDAY: DENITIA ODIGIE

While reading the latest issue of Essence magazine, I came across Nigerian-Creole singer Denitia Odigie. 

FASHION FRIDAY: YOUTUBE FAVES

OK, confession time. A few months ago, I became obsessed with a few beauty gurus on Youtube. I legitimately wouldn't leave my house and would spend hours on end watching the girls; whether it was a haul video showing  off their recent beauty or clothing purchases;  a makeup tutorial; reviews on different beauty products.; or even just the girls talking about their day; I was hooked. So much so, that I was even inspired to launch my own channel!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: SARAFINA

Sarafina stars Leleti Khumalo and Academy Award Winner Whoopi Goldberg. It's the story of a young woman, Sarafina, during the Soweto Riots, in apartheid South Africa. The film was released in 1992 and was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival of the same year.

Whoopi Goldberg was so determined to be a part of this project that she told Disney executives that if they agreed to make this film, she would reprise her Sister Act role of Dolores Van Cartier, which she did in 1993's Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

This is one of the best scenes in the movie...it brings back so many memories. Enjoy!

SPOTLIGHT : YVONNE NELSON

Known as Ghana's "It" Girl, actress Yvonne Nelson has become one of the most sought after actress in African cinema.

GET FAMILIAR: SAM KODO

Growing up, I always had a fascination with robotics, maybe because I used to play Mega Man for hours as a kid. I never did anything with my interest, though; if I had, I might have ended up like Sam Kodo. Sam is a native of Togo and builds robots out of spare television parts. 

 What I find interesting is that he uses his old robots to make new ones; he's literally building upon what he has already done. Sam's ultimate goal is to, "make a completely independent robot, capable of interacting with his environment", and from what I've seen he is well on his way to making his dream a reality. 

Here is a video of Sam being interviewed for Reuters.

 

-DJ

MUSIC MONDAY: CHILDREN OF AFRICA

Check out this video for the African Child Foundation. Enjoy!

Artist: Shimzie & Lil Opy

Mixtape: Children of Africa

Best Track: Ambitious Children 

-ASHA

FUN FRIDAY: DOSHA GIVEAWAY!

Congrats to our giveaway winner, August! You've won some fun TDB faves, which includes:

• A TDB mug
• Delicious Godiva Chocolates
• Some of our favorite Holiday DVDs: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Jingle All the Way
• One of our favorite movies of ALL time Coming to America!

Thanks to all who entered, and make sure you stay tuned for the next giveaway!

-TEAM TDB

THROWBACK THURSDAY: MC SOLAAR

MC Solaar

MC Solaar, (nee Claude M'Barali) is a French rapper who was born in Dakar, Senegal, to parents of Chadian descent. He is one of the most successful and influential  French rappers in the world, which is proven in the fact that one of his songs, La Belle et Le Bad Boy (The Beauty and The Bad Boy), was used in the finale in one of the most successful and influential television shows of all time, Sex and the City.

Enjoy this clip from the 2004 finale of SATC.

SPOTLIGHT: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Seven filmmakers.Seven films. Seven cities.  One goal: to have their films debut at this year's Durban International Film Festival.

GET FAMILIAR: FALKO STARR

Falko Starr is a street artist that has been heralded as "The Banksy of South Africa". His art carries the history and politics of South Africa, but in a fresh and imaginative way, that grabs your attention... whether you want it to or not. Falko's style is so colorful and bold that they belong in a museum, though I'm betting he wouldn't be too keen on that. Here is a video of his earlier pieces; truly an amazingly talented individual.