FASHION FRIDAY: AZZEDINE ALAÏA

AZZEDINE ALAÏA 

As one of my favorite film heroines said on the subject of Azzedine Alaïa,"It's like a totally important designer." , and I couldn't agree more!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: AFRIK MOTO

We are literally days away from the MUSIC FOR PEACE IN THE CONGO event. In honor of this occasion, here's a look back at one of the videos from the headline act of Saturday's festivities, Afrk Moto.

FARIDA'S COOKING CORNER

I have been having quite the sweet tooth these past few weeks, so it's only fitting that my next African dish would be the popular Angolan dessert Cocada Amarela.

SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER MBABAZI

Esther Mbabazi made history this year, as she became the first female pilot to fly for Rwandair. She trained in the Soroti flight school of Uganda and was so good that she had the rest of her training sponsored by Rwandair.

MUSIC MONDAY: SADE

For my final post dedicated to Women's History Month, I decided to write about one of my African icons...SADE! Growing up in America, there were few, if any, artists on the radio that were African. I was young when I first heard some of her hits such as "Smooth Operator" and "No Ordinary Love", and had no real idea what she was singing about; however, I was so captivated by her soothing voice that it didn't matter. Now that I can fully comprehend what she is singing about, I love her music even more. 

TDB GOES DARK...

Hi Guys!

Normally, we'd have a Fashion Friday post for you, however, today marks the one year anniversary of our beloved cousin's passing. In honor of his memory, there will be no posts today. 

We appreciate your understanding during this time. 

-TEAM TDB

THROWBACK THURSDAY: NAMIBIA INDEPENDENCE

Check out this video featuring some of Namibia's top rap artists: The Dogg, Sunny Boy, and Brickz Mabrigado. Happy Independence Day Namibia! 

- TEAM TDB 

SPOTLIGHT: THE LEGEND OF NGONG HILLS

Never in my life did I think an animated film could leave such an impression on me, but that's exactly what the short film, The Legend of Ngong Hills did.

AFRICAN ART:IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI

Ibrahim El-Salahi is an acclaimed Sudanese painter, who has been painting since the 1950's. Considered to be a pioneer of Sudanese art, he has developed a very interesting and unique art style, combining Arabic calligraphy and lines to produce striking pieces.

MUSIC MONDAY: AFROPOP/SOUL

Continuing with my month long female posts for Women's History Month, (read the previous weeks here and here ), I thought this week I would share my favorite Afropop/soul artists, and what I believe is their best song. . It was difficult to come up with this list because there are so many great artists, but I was able to shrink it down to a top 10. Enjoy!

FASHION FRIDAY: DURO OLOWU

I recently had the pleasure of  checking out Duro Olowu's Spring collection, for JC Penney. You can see with every piece that his Nigerian heritage was definitely an inspiration. This collection has everything I love: fun prints, bold colors, statement pieces, and a gorgeous gold trench that I fell in love with. He also incorporated dresses, cardigans, slacks and blouses in the collection. I can definitely see a lot of these pieces being added to my wardrobe. The best part was that nothing was over $100, so you can find a great piece at any price point.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: AFRICAN BEYONCE

A couple of years ago, there was a tag on Youtube called the Worst Makeup Look Tag, and  one of my favorite YouTubers, Patricia, took part in it...and added a bit of an African twist.

This is truly a funny parody of the crazy makeup that some African women are guilty of. This was all in good fun, so I hope no one takes offense.

GET FAMILIAR: UZOAMAKA MADUKA

Literary critics have proclaimed this era as, "the death of literary publications"; guess someone didn't tell that to The American Reader editor, Uzoamaka Maduka.

AFRICAN MARTIAL ARTS

When people think of Africa, the last thing that comes to mind is martial arts. However, Africa is actually home to many different martial art styles,and the one that I found to be most  interesting is Dambe. Dambe is a Nigerian martial art that resembles boxing, but with one caveat: the fighters wrap one hand with rope, and just box using that hand. What is really interesting is that the arm of the hand that isn't wrapped, is used to keep your opponent in reach.

MUSIC MONDAY: WOMEN WHO ROCK

Being that March is Women's History Month, I've decided to dedicate all of my posts this month to female African artists, (sorry boys). In the past, I discussed a few of my female music loves like Asa, Denitia Odigie, and various others, but none of them rock like the ladies below. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the ladies I've shared with you all so far, but Shingai Shoniwa, Inge Beckmann, Ebony Bones and Karen Zoid are full-blown rock stars. 

FASHION FRIDAY: CYNTHIA CHISOM

London-based fashion model Cynthia Chisom took the time out of her busy schedule  to answer a few TDB questions. Her responses were so insightful, they really blew me away; not only is she a true beauty, but she also has the brains to match!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: BARBRA STREISAND

I have a confession to make. I'm slightly obsessed with Barbra Streisand. You can imagine how excited I was when I found pics of her in full African attire from her movie Up the Sandbox. In the movie she plays a bored housewife that has outrageous fantasies: her mother breaking into her place, helping people plant explosives, and taking part in an explorer's demonstration of tribal fertility music in Kenya. How amazing does she look?

ON THIS DAY...

Today is a very good day for Africans; not only is today the birthday of the most awesomest person ever aka ME, it's also Ghana's Independence Day.

TUMBLR TUESDAY: ZORDFILES

I was looking through Tumblr and I stumbled upon a very interesting blog, ZORDFILES, which is operated by Kyansimre, who is  from Nairobi. Kyansimre has some pretty cool photos on his blog.

I like this photo simply because of the juxtaposition of colors. The brightness of his jacket clearly defines him as different from the monochromatic background, as if he is not what is expected from the typical

MUSIC MONDAY: LULWAMA MULALU

Lulwama Mulalu is exactly what is missing in today's music scene: simplicity. This young singer from Botswana plays the guitar in her room and sings her heart out. Her voice is so raw and pure, it reminds me of one of my favorite artists growing up, Tracy Chapman. In a world full of dubstep, auto tune and all the other extras, Lulwama is a breath of fresh air.

What I also enjoy about her is her taste in music. She covers everything from Rihanna's "Diamonds", to Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." My personal favorite is her cover of Daughter's "Landfill." It's so good!   

Check out her original song "Missing." Enjoy!



-ASHA

SPORTS SUNDAY: BASKETBALL

Asha and DJ discuss the basketball season so far, including trades, the All Star Game, playoffs and finals predictions. Enjoy!

FASHION FRIDAY: A MAN'S STORY

One of my guilty pleasures is watching fashion documentaries, i.e. The September Issue, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Lagerfeld Confidential, etc. I just love the behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall aspect of them. Most recently, I came across Ozwald Boateng's documentary A Man's Story, and it quickly has become one of my all-time fashion docs.