FASHION FRIDAY: OHEMA OHENE

I am proud to be an African, and what better way to express that than by wearing our clothing? Don't get me wrong, traditional clothing is great and all, but being the young fashionable man that I am, I'm going to need something a bit more modern. Thank goodness for Ohema Ohene. 

WAYBACK WEDNESDAY: INDEPENDENCE CHA CHA

June 30th marks the 53rd Independence Day of the Congo! In honor of this special occasion, I thought I'd share the song,"Indépendance Cha Cha", from Joseph Kabasele a.k.a. Le Grand Kallé. This song was written, prior to the actual Independence, as a plea for unity and became the anthem for the nationalist movement.

-DIVA

MUSIC MONDAY: LULU

A few months ago, I introduced you all to the lovely and talented singer-songwriter Lulwama Mulalu. This video of her is the sweetest and most endearing thing I've watched in awhile. Her friend secretly recorded her talking about her love for Ellen DeGeneres and it would mean the world for her to be on her show. It's then followed by her beautiful original song, "Machine Heart." 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: JANET JACKSON

Janet Jackson is known for having such great music videos and the visual for "Got Til It's Gone" is no different. The video takes place during the South African apartheid and features Sudanese model Alek Wek. Everything about this video is amazing. Enjoy! 

FARIDA'S COOKING CORNER: BOTSWANA BBQ

Nothing says Summer like warm weather, beach days, and BBQ. I recently stumbled upon a fun and easy African take on traditional American BBQ, inspired by the lovely people of Botswana.

MUSIC MONDAY: FATHER'S DAY

Yesterday was Father's Day and as a gift to my dad, I told him he can contribute to this week's Music Monday post. My dad rarely gets excited over anything, but he was ecstatic when I told him. I even let him choose his fave pic of us to post.  

FASHION FRIDAY: YSL & IMAN

Yves Saint Laurent is the definition of a trailblazer. He was innovative, daring, experimental, and at the forefront of the latest fashion trends, which he was usually setting. Nothing embodies his genius more, in my opinion, than his 1967African Queen collection.

This collection definitely shook up the fashion industry and many designers there after began to look at Africa for fashion inspiration. You can still see the influence of this collection int the world of fashion: caftans and safari jackets can still be seen on the runway as well as in glossy fashion mags.

Fun fact, this collection was actually inspired by Monsieur Laurent's muse, super model Iman.

-DIVA

DID YOU KNOW...

I always thought samurai were one of the coolest warriors on the planet; the mythos around them, their code of honor, the beautiful armor sets, but I thought that all samurai were Japanese until today: enter Yasuke.

MUSIC MONDAY: PETITE NOIR

I have a confession to make. I've been listening to Yannick Ilunga, aka Petite Noir, for nearly a year and didn't plan on sharing him with you. Horrible right? He was suppose to be my little secret, but he just won't stay hidden! Earlier in the year, he was tapped to be a part of the Studio Africa campaign.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: MEAN GIRLS

Ah, what can I say about  Mean Girls?  Great cast. Great story. Great movie. I don't know any girl in high school that didn't absolutely LOVE this movie and tried to constantly make "fetch happen".

SPOTLIGHT: ONAFUJIRI "FUJI" REMET

With a fan base growing by the minute, an upcoming exhibition in Lagos this Summer, and a feature on CNN's Inside Africa, budding photographer Fuji Remet is sure to set the art world a blaze. Oh, and did I mention he's only THREE years old?!!?!

MUSIC MONDAY: BEYONCÉ

   

Photo Credit: Afripop! 

Over the weekend, in London, Beyoncé performed at the Chime for Change benefit concert. The global campaign, founded by Gucci, aims to raise money and social awareness for both girls' and women's empowerment. I love that Beyoncé  is a part of such a great cause, but what I love even more is her great performance.