2008 was the year, the full circle year of transition played out in the fantastic realities of my life & the sports teams of the two nations of my birth &  foundation. After being “off the cuffly” told by one too many fashion clients that I had been working with -some for over a decade plus- that putting Black models in their advertising campaigns would somehow put them in the “Urban” AKA “Black/hip-hop fashion” category & devalue their contemporary, designer & luxury brand categories; I decided to walk away from being complicit in the devaluing of who & what I represented to the fashion industry, to the world &  to those clients who came to me for my global fusion approach in building their brands because it became very clear that they saw worth in the images who looked like me only when it was attached to celebrity.

This was the period when layoffs started & global recessions started being talked about around the world. This was a time when both Ghana & the U.S.A were about to go through major political transitions. In Ghana there was the NPP & the NDC; while in America there were the Republicans & Democrats pulling all stops to victory. In both Ghana & the USA -there was no incumbent president running for re-election in either of two parties- in our so called multi-party Democratic systems. The incumbent outgoing President Kufour, who had turned the Ghanaian economy around with a focus on foreign investments in Ghana, convinced by his western education that building wealth from the top would eventually trickle down to the majority at the bottom-AKA “the embodiment of Capitalistic Democracy “, hoped to pass the torch to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his former Minister of Foreign Affairs & Attorney General. Nana Akufo-Addo, who President Kufour was hoping would continue what he had started, lost the 2008 elections by a close margin because more Ghanaians than not saw him as the child of  a G.W. Bush like presidential legacy- fully wrapped in elitism, a sense of entitlement & serving the needs of the rich with very little vision or concern for the poor. In America, a little known senator from Illinois named Barack Hussein Obama joined the race for the Democratic nomination to take back the White House after the test run with the people proclaimed 1st Black president made the way for the first historically proclaimed first Black President of the United States of America who fought to the end to win the costliest election America had ever seen.

“The 2008 campaign was the costliest in history, with a record-shattering $5.3 billion in spending by candidates, political parties and interest groups on the congressional and presidential races…” Read More

Football & accomplishing dreams was all I could think about as I stepped foot back on Ghanaian soil in January 2008 after close to 8 years of absence. This was just a few months before those historical elections: one that showed an African nation could put on a democratic election & hand over power with little to no blood shed  in defying the stereotypes of African despots, fraudulent elections needing foreign overseers & nations constantly at the verge of civil war with every election, & another election across the Atlantic that ushered in a milestone historical moment where the world thought that America had somehow stepped into a post-racial era that had made amends with the shame & pain of the ties that bind us from the shores of Africa thru the middle passage & arrival into America, by electing Barack Hussein Obama -the seed, heir & embodiment of America’s most racially polarizing taboo -a White American woman having a child by an African man.  These two elections ushered in the promise of what was to be a great year of hope, change & many more milestones to be had for many including myself in physical form & metaphorically.

I embarked on a new business venture combining my skills from America- my birth nation, & my love for Ghana- the nation that raised me & set my foundation in life. I went to document what had become of the Black Star Nation of Ghana 50 years after independence during the first Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana after 8 years. The nation was a buzz with excitement brightly colored in red, gold & green with black stars shining. This was to be the year when Ghana would reign supreme again in taking back the Africa Cup after a stellar showing as the last Africans standing at the world cup  of 2006.  The Black Star team was fully loaded with heavy weight international players like captain Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Laryea Kingston, Richard Kingson, John Mensah, John Pantsil, André Ayew, Asmaoh Gyan & a return of a native son Junior Agogo -who became a fan favorite with superb goals & a beautiful adonis physique to match that of the warrior kings of the Black Star Nation.

The most anticipated game of the cup came on February 3rd as forever rivals Ghana & Nigeria went into battle with Ghana coming out victorious. That same night of jubilant raucous celebration got even crazier as my New York crew & I stepped into “The Office”- now known as “Rockstone’s Office”  after being bought by the grandpapa of hip-life Reggie Rockstone. In the midst of the Ghana victory celebration, we convinced them to put on the super bowl being played that same night as our New York Giants went up against forever rivals New England Patriots ringing in yet another victory for my New York Ghanaian ass to believe that this was truly going to be a year wrapped in victory for me on so many levels in everything I loved. Well those dreams began to fall apart as Ghana went on to take third place with the ultimate victory at the Africa Cup of Nations going to Egypt. I had never witnessed how powerful a football match could be to an African nation until I literally saw the raucous hustle & bustling nation of Ghana go into complete silence & darkness after the dreams of a Black Star victory on native land was shattered. Dreams of what was to come continued to fall apart after Plaxico Burress, the celebrated honrary MVP who clinched the Giants win in catching quarterback & game MVP, Payton Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining became the pariah of New York & Mayor Bloomberg’s personal vendetta in his no tolerance policy for illegal guns in New York after accidently shooting himself in a night club that  November which ended his career with the Giants & earned him a two year bid in jail.

Slowly but surely that year saw more highs with greater lows in victories & dreams of what could be fall apart after the much celebrated elections in Ghana & America proved to be lackluster & borderline abominable in truly moving the two nations forward  in hope & change economically & progressive peaceful relations between citizens of both nations; mirroring my own shattered dreams economically & many personal relationships which slowly also fell apart when I finally began to realize that many may want to ride with you during the highs of the victory, but are quick to find their way out during the lows of things falling apart.

Well 2012 has brought a new light in the awakening of dreams & reality, along with a new spring in my step in hope & recognizing the growth & bloom of those dreams that were planted in 2008 in my personal life, a new election year with most of the same players in Ghana & the USA & of course FOOTBALL- with my Black Stars being favored to take the Africa Cup of Nations after once again making history in being the last African team standing in the 2010 World Cup along with my New York Giants who are once again in a super bowl match up with our forever rivals the New England Patriots. To say that I am nervous in my superstition from the effects & affects of the occurrences in 2008 to the present is to put it mildly, but I am surely as excited today about the possibilities of new beginnings, victories  & dreams realized for myself & my two nations as I was back in 2008 when I took the ultimate leap of faith in determining my own destiny.

As the great Langston Hughes said ,” Hold fast to dreams,for if dreams die,life is a broke winged bird that cannot fly“!

February 1st will be the final group match for the Black Stars against Guinea in domination of their group play to get them closer to the ultimate victory in taking home the cup & Sunday marks Super Bowl 46 as New York, New York shows just why we are Giants & so fly that they had to name us twice! I will be in full beast mode supporting my Black Stars & Giants to victory because in someway their victories for the ultimate prize have become metaphors in mirroring the victories over my own dreams.

“There is a new buzz of life at the centre of the earth. The performance of the Black Stars in the 28^th Orange African Cup of nations has given the average Ghanaian something to be proud of. On Saturday night, the referee’s final whistle, bringing the Black Stars’ match with Mali to an end in Franceville, in oil-rich Gabon, was greeted by a spontaneous bout of joy in Accra and other cities, towns, and villages in Ghana, where the colonial flag was first lowered in Black Africa in the wee hours of March 6, 1957…The Black Stars, the famed national team of Ghana, named specifically to reflect the aspirations of the black race, had accounted for the tough customers in the Eagles of Mali, in one of the most uncompromising second round matches of the on-going African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea…For Ghanaians, who have had nothing to cheer about the economy worsened by price hikes in petroleum products, the 2-0 victory recorded with two of the most clinical finishing in association football, was celebrated wildly into the night...Football, it has long been established, is the passion of the nation. The Black Stars 2-0 victory over the audacious national team of Mali was milked in a manner that suggested that the team and their handlers would attain folklore status, should they succeed in their endeavour to bring the continental trophy home to register Ghana’s fifth win in the African championship.” READ MORE

The story of being caught between two nations with the heart always moving toward the foundation is also a story that is being told not only in my life, but also in the life of  New York Giant, Mathias Kiwanuka. Many may never understand the passion in a dream when the victory is not yours alone, but also for the people of two nations who have poured everything into your birth & foundation to make those dreams come to fruition. As we celebrate the first day of Black History Month, which is usually focused on African-American history, those of us like Mathias Kiwanuka & I can never forget that our Black history represents & pays homage to the ties that bind us from both sides of the Atlantic.

“Mathias Kiwanuka says he does not remember how old he was when he first found out his grandfather had been assassinated. He struggles to remember the point at which he realized the true meaning of his own last name. He is not certain when he became aware of his family’s importance in African history. But that is not important, Kiwanuka said recently, because he knows now. He read about his grandfather Benedicto Kiwanuka’s becoming the first prime minister of Uganda and heard about the plight forced upon a man trying to mold freedom out of a society stiffened by chaos. He learned about the pain and suffering Benedicto saw and felt. And so he knows, too, about Benedicto’s being killed by the despot Idi Amin, a death foretold by some, dreaded by many and seen by experts as a development that set back progress in East Africa for years. This week, as the Giants prepare to face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Mathias Kiwanuka will be the subject of countless articles and interviews. The reason is obvious: This is his return home. Kiwanuka, now a linebacker for the Giants, was born in Indianapolis. He went to Cathedral High School, a little more than 10 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played Sunday. He won two state championships. Everyone will want to tell his story, whether it is about his old high school days or how he ended up at Boston College. But Kiwanuka also knows that there is something greater than a birthplace, something more meaningful than the city where a boy learns to read and write and block and tackle. Indianapolis may be his hometown, Kiwanuka said, but Uganda will always be his homeland. That is why, one day last week after Kiwanuka had answered a barrage of questions about the old days in Indianapolis, he stopped for a moment by a doorway to the Giants’ training center and considered how much being Ugandan could possibly resonate with a kid who grew up in Indiana. “How much does Uganda mean to me?” he said, his eyes wide. “It means everything.” Read More

For the remaining players of the Black Star team of 2008, this victory also means everything for their nation & their teammates who missed the chance of victory with them in 2008 & have subsequently retired  from the national team voluntarily or due to injury. For many of the veteran players from the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations team, this victory may also be their last chance in realizing the dream that they promised their nation & themselves in leaving a new legacy for the future Black Stars to speak of years down the line as they speak of the greats like Tony Yeboah &  Abedi Pele -whose sons continue the family legacy as rising stars in Ghana’s current Black Star team.  Ghana had a brief dominance of the game in the 1960’s when in 1963 Ghana made its first appearance at the Cup along with being honored as the host nation of the cup with back to back championships.

Here’s to Willing My Giants to Repeat The Glory of 2008’s Victory!

As we prepare for the elections that will once again be a defining moment for my two nations -here’s a look at what was.

No Matter Where We Maybe In The World …Home Is Never Too Far Away

Black Star Rising from globalfusion on Vimeo.

With all things Africa being the “new black” in global fashion, once again Vogue Italia’s Editor in Cheif, Franca Sozzani dared to do what her counterparts Black, White or other alike do not do. Franca Sozzani recently took an explorational mentoring tour of Africa to see for herself what the buzz about the so called “New African Fashion” was all about, so she can hopefully represent it properly &  in its authentic full spectrum outside of European & American embellishment & aesthetic. As much as many Black publications in America & Europe give lip service to the lack of  Black inclusion in publications like Vogue, where are they in seeking out & mentoring global African design talents who would love the opportunity to learn from & be showcased in their publications just as much as Vogue. For 2012 I hope we look deeper into the goings on & dealings of our own houses & try to do better by ourselves as much as we complain about what others don’t do. Say what you will, but know when to give credit where it is due & in this case Franca Sozzani has come to resurrect an economically forward moving ideal of Pan-Africanism, where it is less about shared pigmentation & more about a shared mindset toward Africa’s global fusion.  Grazie a voi vi applaudire Franca for once again doing what others only talk about!

“When Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, visited the Huffington Post offices last month she revealed that her proudest professional moment was publishing the “Black Issue,” which helped promote diversity in the fashion industry. Well, she continued that campaign with a trip to the African country of Ghana to mentor a group of designers from the WEB-Young Designers Hub. “You have lots of potential in this country. During my stay in Africa, I visited Togo and Nigeria but it was only here in Ghana I noted an authentic sense of fashion. In designing your creations, make sure that they feature not only references to Ghanaian culture but also have an international appeal so that your garments can also be successful also abroad.” READ MORE

“In Accra Franca Sozzani met both with Kofi Ansah, a young designer from Ghana and the young talents of The WEB-Young Designers Hub, an association of local young fashion designers who hosted a runway show of their collections in her honour…” READ MORE

For many fashionistas the name Kofi Ansah maybe unfamiliar, but for those of us who are true connoisseurs of progressive avant-garde haute couture style African fashion, Kofi Ansah represents the creme de la creme of modern day icons in traditionally inspired global fashion. His global resume is long- from working with Guy Laroche in Paris & Cecil Gee in London, he has had well over 20 years building his signature aesthetic in Europe before returning to Ghana to rejuvenate & rebuild its fashion industry to become a global contender.

Kofi Ansah is by far the go to designer in Ghana who has been lauded with accolades of honor to represent the fashion of Ghana at major national celebrations. He was the winner of the prestigious Millennium 2000 African Fashion Awards along with being the chosen designer to design the highly coveted Ghana at 50 anniversary cloth fabric for the Ghana at 50 Golden Jubilee Celebration. Kofi Ansah also designed the costumes for the opening & closing ceremony of the CAN 2008 African Cup of Nations that was staged in Ghana to international acclaim. I am sure it was a great learning & giving experience for both the Vogue Italia team & Kofi Ansah along with the members of WEB because fashion is so cyclical  & global that we all have something to bring to the table to share & learn. Ghana is coming into its own in creative vibrancy in celebrating past greats such as iconic fashion Photographer James Barnor & building a future for its creatives with a strong foundation that is becoming more & more undeniable by the world. The Black Star Nation is truly shining & the world just can’t seem to get enough. As we like to say Akwaaba- Welcome to Our World!

From the Motherland to the world -WE ARE AFRICAN & WE REPRESENT: Ghana @50 Fabric By Kofi Ansah, Dress design by Onyx Noize for PGF (Product of Global Fusion)

By now most know that Samia Nkrumah has become one of Africa’s new darlings for the future of women in politics. With the polarizing Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the former first lady & founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement out of the running for the 2012 Ghana elections, many have their eyes on Samia Nkrumah to possibly be the first woman elected to Ghana’s presidency, following in the footsteps of her father & Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf & other women presidents around the world in also solidifying her place in the world record books as 1st. With the rise of Samia Nkrumah being elected as MP (member of parliament ) in her father’s hometown & then being named the chairperson for the CPP ( her father’s party ) along with the subsequent departure of Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, who was the CPP’s 2008 presidential candidate as well as the foreseen flag-bearer for 2012, there is now an opening for Samia Nkrumah to surge forward toward her presidential dreams & to follow in her father’s footsteps.

“A leading member of the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) John Ndebugre has stated that the Convention People’s Party (CPP) will be destroyed if it goes ahead with plans to expel 2008 flag bearer Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom. According to him, the party will poll less than 1 per cent if recent happenings between Dr. Nduom and some executives of the party are not resolved. The Chairperson of the CPP, Samia Nkrumah on Monday fired salvos at Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, for allegedly orchestrating activities to disintegrate the party. Samia stated that Dr Nduom is behind “all negative happenings” taking place in the party. “We’ll not tolerate this nonsense, enough is enough, we are fed up with this nonsense” Samia said. Samia also threatened that Dr. Nduom could face expulsion from the CPP if he is found guilty of all the accusations leveled against him. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom has been accused by party officials including General Secretary Ivor Greenstreet of being behind calls for an early congress….” READ MORE

Dr. Nduom has put in the hard work to bring visibility & viability back to the fledgling party of Ghana’s first president, but with public infighting & outbursts from Samia Nkrumah threatening to dismiss Dr. Nduom from the party if he does not fall in line to the mandates of the party with her as the chairperson determining the movements of the party, it was inevitable that in a nation that holds respect for our elders at the top of all things in our culture, that Dr. Nduom would not take kindly to public disrespect by a young female novice to the political arena in a resurrected CPP, which he was a catalyst in returning as a player in what has become a two party system in Ghana, rendering all other parties irrelevant.

“The Chairperson of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Samia Yaba Nkrumah, has told Citi News that the party has no intentions of bringing Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom back into its fold. The Member of Parliament for Jomoro said the party wishes Dr Nduom well, adding that his resignation presents the CPP with a “golden opportunity” to surge forward in unity without “ambiguity” and hurdles. ‘We wish Dr. Nduom well but we knew that it was a possibility he would leave the party. It does not affect us in anyway. It rather presents us with a great opportunity to do away with the ambiguity that had been attached to this party for some time now. There is no disunity within the party,” she stated. However, Samia, daughter of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, denied allegations that she is the main reason for Dr. Nduom’s decision to quit the party after her public outburst and threat to expel the party’s 2008 flag-bearer.…” READ MORE

On December 28th, Dr. Nduom held a press conference to officially announce his resignation from the CPP, electing to start his own independent party that will carry through on the vision he had set forth as the presidential candidate for the CPP.

“The decision by Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom to abandon the CPP ship to form his own party could at best be described as the most risky political gamble of the century. The move does not come as a surprise to most political watchers because it had been on the radar for quite sometime now. Nobody begrudges Dr. Nduom for the decision, coming at a time when the entire CPP leadership were turned on him. Over the past years, Dr. Nduom had had some brushes with the leadership of the CPP and in one of such instances under the Professor Edmund Delle administration, Dr. Nduom together with Freddie Blay and Kojo Armah, then Members of Parliament for the CPP were suspended from the party following some disagreements. The current executives find Dr. Nduom a tough nut to crack. He disagrees with them on policy direction, whilst the current executive thinks the party should hasten slowly by building its structures first, Dr. Nduom sees it differently. History our elders say, keeps repeating itself. The CPP was born in 1947 when its founder, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, then General Secretary broke away from his colleagues in the UGCC over whether to accelerate agitations for self government or go it slow. It is unimaginable how Dr. Nduom thinks he can win the Presidential election with an entirely new party when he had performed abysmally in 2008, garnering one-point-three percent of total votes cast….”READ MORE

2012 seems to be building up to be a very exciting & unpredictable election year for Ghana with many more surprises in store. There is no secret being made about the disunity between the current NDC administration & former President Rawlings & his controversial first lady, who have made it their job to cause all sorts of havoc, strife & drama in the life of current President Mills & his administration, with accusations of bad leadership, corruption & just an all around lack of confidence in what they see as his weak ineffective term as president after he had been under the tuteledge of former president J.J. Rawlings as his vice president. It seems there is no loyalty, love & frienship left amongst many of the leading parties in Ghana -which will inevitably lead the way for the NPP & Nana Akufo- Addo to easily sweep in over the dark cloud of disunity, choas & confusion of the challenging parties to win the 2012 election, if the NPP can avoid these types of public battles in showcasing any disunity that may or may not arise in their own party. It seems with speculators speaking of what led to the defeat of Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008, the once inappropriately boastful flag-bearer of the NPP who spoke of his sure fire victory, his almost entitled presidential legacy & his un-presidential verbiage on his bedroom/sexual capabilities employing a political agitator to go ask his wife about  how he is in bed -has been silently watching his competitors implode on themselves, much like the Democrats in the United States are watching the Republicans do the same in America.

Anyone in politics knows that any party that is not unified ends up splitting the vote  in favor of  electing its opposition. This public strife and disunity amongst the NDC & CPP alike maybe the best Christmas present the NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo got this year in looking forward to a guaranteed victory in 2012, unless his message somehow completely does not resonate with the majority of Ghanaians, his party falls into the same chaos or some other unforeseen surprises come up to tilt the scale away from an NPP victory.

Ghana in 2011 has been filled with political surprises in a never ending topsy turvy cycle of turncoats , judases & plain old disgruntle party members who have taken the position of my way or no way toward their own parties. First Lady Nana Kondau’s unprecedented battle to unseat a sitting president of her own party by contesting his seat for his second term along with her constant barrage of insults & challenges against President Mills, juxtaposed with her husband’s cosigns with his own barrage of no confidence rhetoric against his former VP has all but put the nail in the coffin of a guaranteed unified NDC voting pool for 2012.

“Former President Jerry John Rawlings and founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday invoked the spirit of the infamous 31st December 1981 Revolution when he stressed the urgent need for what he called a ‘house cleaning exercise’ to rid the party of corrupt officials. He said it was not too late for leadership of the party to go back to the grassroots- to the foot soldiers- and listen to them because ‘the level of despondency amongst our support base is largely due to the detachment of our leadership from the people.’ Addressing a large crowd of mainly NDC foot-soldiers at the National Theatre in Accra yesterday as part of the events to mark the 30th anniversary of the 31st December Revolution, the NDC founder decried the manner in which President Mills and members of his administration were running the country with corruption at its highest peak.’Many in the NDC leadership now believe they do not owe any explanation to the populace,’ he said. On allegations of abuse of office, corruption, malfeasance, incompetence and a host of other vices characterising the current administration, Mr Rawlings said, ‘they respond in good measure by accusing the opposition of having done worse things……’ Read More

These days it seems like Former President J.J. Rawlings & his first lady have all but signed the papers as supporters of the NPP to win the presidency in 2012. They seem to be playing a school yard game of the flamboyant popular kids bullying the nerdy sickly weak kid that once followed their every wish & command, who is now met with constant insults & public taunts because that sickly weak kid all of a sudden grew up & found strength in his own voice & became his own man & leader, much to the chagrin & angst of those who once led him. Will President Mills be able to pull his own “revenge of the nerds” style victory by silencing the raucous banter of the Rawlings family & their supporters against him? This is the question that many of President Mills‘ supporters are eagerly looking forward to be answered as the 2012 election approaches.

Will Samia Nkrumah be the Barack Obama of Ghana- a one term MP of mixed heritage, who finds herself at the right place at the right time in a fledgling party who needs the hope & change that she represents in a beautifully well cultivated package that will be pleasing to the eyes, ears & tastes of Ghanaians begging for change & newly found freedom in hope, much like her father represented as he stepped out of the shadows of the big six & became the superstar who led Ghana to victorious independence from colonial rule & gave the Convention People’s Party (CPP) global recognition? The rift in the CPP  that forced Dr. Nduom’s resignation has clearly made many wonder if either Dr. Nduom or Samia’s political ambitions have not superseded the needs of Nkrumahist loyalists. It has even gone as far as causing not only a divide in the CPP, but also in Samia’s immediate family with her younger brother Sekou. Samia’s immediate family is coming more & more into question as she becomes more of a public figure in Ghana. With Ghana’s growing population of Italians & general globalization, are Ghanaians ready for the first man of their first female president to be Italian? You rarely hear about or see Samia’s Italian/Danish husband Michele Melega & son Kwame. I have scoured the internet looking for photos of them together & I can’t seem to find any, which makes we wonder would the visual be too much for some Ghanaians to digest & stand behind when many of them can’t even see themselves voting for their fellow full blown Ghanaians just because they are from another tribe or from the North?

Perhaps the new generation of Ghanaians who have been making noise to be rid of the old brigade in order to build their future are looking for the second coming of Dr. Nkrumah , so they could write the wrongs of their fathers & mothers who many of the younger generation believe were complicit in bringing the coup against him that eventually stifled the future of not only Ghana, but of Africa as a whole to a dream deferred instead of a dream realized. Many first & second generation American & European born children of Ghanaians along with the new expats who are flooding into Ghana seeking their African dream, maybe the voting block & constituency that may change the game toward one candidate or another in the upcoming 2012 elections. There is a rapidly growing number of dual citizenship card carrying Ghanaians & their children who are becoming more & more politically involved, have learned the power of their vote from abroad & are ready to utilize that power in 2012 in Ghana. Samia Nkrumah on the surface is the face of this constituency in Ghana & abroad, but does she have the platform, know how & fire to cause a political explosion in new beginnings for Ghana like her father did?

In historical reality, Dr. Nduom’s departure from the CPP in dissatisfaction with their efforts to rebuild the party gradually instead of surging forward in full force as a true contender to take Ghana’s presidency in 2012 is more reminiscent of Dr. Nkrumah’s unflappable fortitude in breaking from the reigns of Ghana’s Big Six to surge forward in his own path to declare “forward then to Independence Now“! Dr. Nduom can easily go back to his former NPP party & bring his supporters to guarantee the type of split allegiances that will benefit a NPP victory, but he has chosen to go on his own, declare an independent new party in Ghana where he is founder & leader, much like Dr. Nkrumah did with the CPP. Dr. Nduom’s presidential packaging is also as appealing to the people of Ghana who are looking for their own Ghanaian version of President Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama. Dr. Nduom is a social media savvy,  intelligent, highly educated, well spoken statesmen with an equally intelligent, highly educated, well spoken & elegant would be first lady by his side, whose platform much like Michelle Obama is also to inform & educate Ghanaian people about healthy living, healthy eating & growing your own food. While in the vision of Dr. Nkrumah, Dr. Nduom has declared a New Independence Movement in Ghana with young men & women at the forefront, many pundits have already declared  Dr. Nduom’s decision to surge forward independently as a big mistake in a decision that is said to be self serving, much like they said about Dr. Nkrumah’s decision to do the same.

Ghana’s politicos do not belive Dr. Nduom can possibly pull in more than even a meager 1% of votes, let alone pull an upset. As Ghanaians young & old become more & more frustrated with what seems to be a two party system that just continues to give more of the same year after year without any major big leaps in progress economically or otherwise to show for it, Dr. Nduom may just be able to build an audience amongst those who want a completely diffrent alternative than the two parties of the NPP & the NDC can offer them.  Dr. Nduom much like  then senator Barack Obama has been building his constiuency amongst the youth who want to play more of an active role in politics in order to have a say in determining their future. If Dr. Nduom along with his wife continue to be the source of inspiration for the dreams & hopes of the youth for a better Ghana, then just like then Senator Barack Obama & then independent founding father of the CPP, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah- the new wind of change will be in the air with a new unprecedented precedented presidential upset!

I look forward to following & covering the 2012 Ghana elections much more than I look forward to the 2012 American elections. Where America has become a nation filled with political tomfoolery with the majority of the nation rapidly losing hope in politics/politicians, which may end up in the reverse effect of 2008 where a record number of enthusiastic Americans, particularly youth voters came out to vote, turning into a record number of dissasitied & disaffected Americans not turning out to vote in 2012; Ghanaian youth are bursting with enthusiasm of what can be & must be for the future with more & more formidable choices to choose from.

Mark my words, any presidential candidate in Ghana who goes after & attains the youth vote will more than likely win because there is a new surge of politically in the know & involved younger generation of Ghanaians from Africa to her Diaspora that are ready, willing & able to make their voices heard & their votes count by any means necessary in creating a new Ghana wrapped in the cloth of the Forward Ever , Backward Never dreams of Nkrumah that has been a dream deferred for much too long for far too many generations of Ghanaians. Future Africa & particularly Future Ghana is ready for its Close Up & Take Over, so may the best candidate who speaks to & represents Ghana’s future be the victor! As the saying goes Many Are Called but Few are Chosen!

Photo Credit: Peter Dicampo Photography (Samia & Crowd)

Learn about Christmas Traditions Worldwide Here

Afrikaans: Gesëende Kersfees…Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees….African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats…Albanian: Gezur Krislinjden…Arabic: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah…Argentine: Feliz Navidad….Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand…Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun…Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal…Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!…..Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha-Subo Nababarsha….Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce…. Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo….Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat …Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo….Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!..Chile: Feliz Navidad…Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun…Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan…(Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun…Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito...Colombia*: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo…..Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth….Corsian: Pace e salute….Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo…Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi….Croatian: Sretan Bozic…Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok….Danish: Glædelig Jul…Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak…Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar or Zalig Kerstfeast…English: Merry Christmas…Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!…Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon…Estonian: Ruumsaid juulup|hi…Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!…Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad…Finnish: Hyvaa joulua…Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar…French: Joyeux Noel…Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!...Galician: Bo Nada…Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr! German: Froehliche Weihnachten…Greek: Kala Christouyenna!….Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!….Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka…Hebrew: Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova….Hindi: Shub Naya Baras…Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!…Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!…Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket…Icelandic: Gledileg Jol…Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal…Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah…Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat…Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay…Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie…Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto….Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags….Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha…Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!…Latvian: Prieci’gus Ziemsve’tkus un Laimi’gu Jauno Gadu!…Lausitzian: Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto…Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus…Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu…Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un ‘n moi Nijaar…Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik…Maltese: LL Milied Lt-tajjeb…Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa…Maori: Meri Kirihimete…Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh…Navajo: Merry Keshmish…Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul…Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado…Papiamento: Bon Pasco…Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu…Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!…Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo…Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!…Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie…Portuguese: Feliz Natal…Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha…Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua…Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn…Romanche (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!…Romanian: Craciun Fericit**…Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom…Sami: Buorrit Juovllat…Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou…Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou…Serbian: Hristos se rodi…Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce…Sami: Buorrit Juovllat…Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou…Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh…Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina…Serbian: Hristos se rodi… Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa…Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok…Slovene: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto…Spanish: Feliz Navidad…Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År…Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon…Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal…Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!…Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai…Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun…Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym…Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho…Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh…Welsh: Nadolig Llawen…Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic…Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye’dun!…Akan:AFIHYIA PA …Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah,

Source: Neloo.com

Learn about Celebrating our Global Diversity with the Diversity Calendar

Beres Hammond’s song “It’s not over until it’s done” is a song that we should all keep in our hearts this holiday season & hold with us throughout the new year….

“Last night I learned my lesson well…It couldn’t be clearer…See I thought I was number one…As a true burden bearer…It’s customary we meet in the square…Discussing how hard life is to bear…Another brother couldn’t wait for us to leave…To spread his bed right there…Last night I learned my lesson well…So I have to tell you…Sometimes the thing we cherish most…Has no real value…So I give thanks for life (yeah, yeah)…Even when there seems to be no one way to the problem, yeah…I still give thanks for life…Ever wishing and hoping that the table will turn…Now I know that once you have life…There’s a chance you’ll be able to overcome…Where there’s a will, there’s a way…It’s not over until it’s done…If you believe, you will achieve…Everything can just turn around..” READ MORE

I attended the panel discussion on Helen Jennings’s book “New African Fashion” at the New York Public library the other night. As a great fan of Ghanaian designer Mimi Plange , Somali designers Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, the website Heritage 1960 & Arise magazine, I figured this would be a great lesson on what this so called “New African Fashion” is because these are some of the top young new faces representing this concept to the world at large. At a time when there is new found glory for African fashion with many African designers trying to navigate their way through international exposure amongst the plethora of non-African designers creating or copying African designs & aesthetics in fabrics & silhouettes, I wanted to finally understand what exactly is so new.

I realized that this idea of “New African Fashion” is only really new to those who have never known nor just chose to ignore African fashion through the centuries until the western world dubbed  our global African flyness worthy of being celebrated once again. I just came back from a trip to Ghana, where I was schooled on the fact that I like many have fallen into the trap of the semantics  of calling things “new” as if we are somehow reinventing the wheel that had already been sprung generations before many of us were even born. I had on a top that I created for my PGF (Product of Global Fusion) capsule collection, which my aunt quickly recognized & informed me that the fabric I was wearing was not just “African Print” but actually had its own individual name & was an old fabric from when she was a child. I was happy to have been taken out of my own ignorance to be educated on the fact that every fabric design, although generalized to the world as “African print” actually had a name , history & story behind it- which I like most in the western world who have embraced what is now the ubiquity of African prints in fashion have been completely oblivious to. I was further made to feel like the ignorant westerner when my mom & my aunt went in to tell me that the pencil skirt & jacket that I wanted made was boring & old & that now they had some hot new styles & silhouettes that I should consider. I nearly gagged in my laughter because here I was thinking that I was so fashion forward as my elders told me to have a seat & schooled me on what was really haute! As I looked through old family photos of my mom, aunt, uncles, grandmother & grandfather,  it became apparent that this whole idea of “New African Fashion” was just the latest buzz term for the regurgitation of what was only new to a new generation without a firm grasp of our history. As Geydu Blay Ambolley,  the father of hip-hop music in Ghana, said in my documentary Black Star Rising “Everything derived from Africa, they just take it, redefine it & sell it back to us“! Truer words have never been spoken as I thumbed through Ms. Jennings’s book to find the same images that those of us in fashion have seen over & over again as representative of African fashion & attempting to educate us on what many of us already know & live as Africans.

“African wax prints are generally known to have patterns that tell stories of relevance to the wearer. These include proverbs, poems and traditional African fables. The colours also hold significance as they can represent social standing, age, tribal orientation and marital status. The term ‘African print’ was generally used by the European textile firms in Africa to identify fabrics that were machine-printed and had wax resins and dyes on both sides of the cloth to achieve batik effect. The history of African prints dates back to when batik wax-resist textiles were first imported into Africa from Indonesia in the 1800s, through West African soldiers that served in Indonesia from early 1800s to just beyond the mid 1800s. These batik wax-resist fabrics were also brought into Africa by European traders, mainly the Dutch. The fabrics were then customized and designed to reflect local African tradition, culture and symbolisms. Many of the designs found on fabrics depict events, proverbs, persons of importance or local flora and fauna. African prints are mostly found in Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria. They can also be found in many Central and Eastern African countries. The use of African wax prints outside of Africa is now also on the increase. Many Westerners are accepting the beautiful and natural blend the fabrics portray in every design. Felix Anaman of Felix Anaman Clothing says his fashion house has excelled over the years because it believes in playing and promoting the African fabric, together with the design concepts that go with it. He stated, “It has been predicted by fashion experts that African prints are what will make fashion fashionable in some few years to come, which is why we, as designers, ought to promote it.” READ MORE

“IN the years since Yves Saint Laurent showed his iconic 1967 “African” collection, fashion designers have repeatedly tapped the heritage of Africa in search of inspiration. Just last season Burberry and Michael Kors were among several labels that mined the continent as a source of ideas. Yet in the popular imagination, especially in the Western hemisphere, African fashion more often than not means animal prints, mud cloth and cowrie shells. In her new work, “New African Fashion” (Prestel; $35), Helen Jennings, a fashion journalist, hopes to broaden that view. Part coffee-table book, part glossary, it highlights designers — some established, some fledgling — whose work is African made or inspired.While there is no single way to describe African style, the fashion industry tends to favor characterizations that to many people smack of condescension. “Fashion is full of meaningless terms like ‘tribal’ and ‘urban,’ ” said Ms. Jennings, who is also the editor of Arise, a two-year-old monthly African fashion and culture glossy. “Like the word ‘exotic’ — it makes me cringe.”“African fashion hasn’t been documented very well,” the author told the audience. She and the panelists were emphatic that African fashion did not have to fit a preconceived notion of what is “African.”Ms. Plange studied architecture and rarely uses traditional prints or textiles in her garments.“I want to prove to people that African fashion can’t be pigeonholed,” she said. “I can compete globally.” Her craftsmanship got the attention of André Leon Talley, who helped edit her fall 2011 collection. She also collaborated with Manolo Blahnik…” READ MORE

It seems that generation after generation we are all complicit in consuming the same ol’ same ol‘ in convincing ourselves that we have invented something new. From global African music, fashion & overall culture it seems we always have to wait & praise westerners for telling our stories & teaching us about our history. This is nothing new, all you have to do is watch films like Cadillac Records or even know the simple history of hip-hop fashion that became the soup dujour to the fashion world after Tommy Hilfiger took it  down the runway, while global Africans like Karl Kani , Willi Smith & so many others had already popularized it on global concrete runways long before Tommy Hilfiger made it so called “acceptable” outside of our global African tribes. At some point we have to take real responsibility in protecting & preserving our culture globally by not repeating the same mistakes of the past. I was told that Helen Jennings, Editor of Arise, gave a great presentation of African fashion before I got there, which I missed because I was caught up in yet another Ocuppy Wall Street protest, which this time directly targeted President Obama in yet another multi-million dollar fundraising event in New York with protest signs saying “Obama is owned by Wall Street”, which isn’t too far from the truth when we see how much wall street corporate money goes into financing all political campaigns eventhough politicians swear up & down  that they are somehow different from the rest who serve the interest of lobbyists more than the interests of the people who elect them & who they make tons of campaign promises to every year- to serve them differently than those who came before them. All around the world same song- same fuckery. By the time I was finally able to enter the library through the crowd of protestors outside, the panel was already in full discussion mode with Ms. Jennings seemingly quiet & somehow distracted or disconnected from the discussion as if she didn’t really want to be there anymore as a European selling the history of African fashion to a standing room only crowd of global Africans. I guess it was a good thing that the presentation went on for too long to allow time for a Q & A for someone like me & some others to keep it all the way real-LOL!

“We’ve basically been exporting our culture…the west has taken/borrowed a lot from Africa; whereas Africans have just sat down & let their own culture be taken away from them, but now it’s a renaissance- we are claiming back what is ours & we’re adding value to what is ours to make it globally acceptable & globally appealing!” READ MORE

I was able to catch the part of the discussion that interests me the most when it comes to African fashion, which is the actual business of selling & attaining financial gain from the creations of African designers & a general workforce in the African fashion industry. There was a general consensus amongst the panel with Mimi Plange keeping it all the way real in exclaiming that she is in the business of fashion to make money & not just for the hype of the plethora of African fashion week shows sprouting up all over the world, focused more on hype & publicity rather than getting these designers into retail stores & educating them on the actual business of fashion that is a multi-billion dollar industry, where the financial gain amongst African designers is extremely disproportionate to their western counterparts who are defining this so called “New African Fashion”, much like it has always been for everything invented & created by global Africans throughout the years. I heard the usual & almost insulting excuse of “it takes time” because somehow Africans need to be educated on the basics of just putting together a quality fashion show production as if African owned production houses like ASHA , who I have worked with for many years along with so many others, have never done shows for New York Fashion week & other fashion weeks all over the world before Arise Magazine & others came with their new platforms to showcase African designers. This is all BS to me because I have been working in the industry for over 14 years & I am not the only African who has been doing so on many levels from publicity, to show production, to retail buying & management, to design & everything else that comes with the business of fashion. The main issue here is that African experts in these fields are never sought after by many companies- African or otherwise because we somehow continue to believe that non-Africans know best  & fall in line to always look outside of our communities to get ahead & progress in many & sometimes all of our business ventures, without ever acknowledging that we have excellent resources within our global community.

Why should it take time to bring in buyers to a fashion show when anyone who handles publicity & show production knows that the focus of any fashion show is to sell & make money for the designer; therefore retail buyer outreach is more important than having random celebrities, fashionistas & socialites in your front row, who often will never buy 1 piece from any designer that doesn’t give them something for free. Many of the people who attend these African Fashion Week shows around the world are there mostly to be seen & for the party atmosphere, most of them will never go out of their way to seek out the designers showing to actually patronize them with the money that they freely give to the Guccis  & Vuittons of the world. I have said there was an issue with the fact that I saw very few to no buyers from the beginning, as I applauded the first Arise Magazine New York Fashion Week show that gave new life to showcasing African designers that had been done, sponsored & stopped by Anglogold Ashanti years before Arise Magazine came on the scene. My sentiments have been taken by some as “hating” & being overly critical to those who are trying to do something great for the African fashion industry, but all I can say to that is that we can never grow if we can not accept constructive criticism & it takes resources & money to create an industry because while press hype is great, it doesn’t pay the bills or give anyone but press & those who put out these kinds of books any concrete jobs to support an industry. What Africa needs more than anything in all sectors is real jobs & to build on structures that are already in place to create more jobs, not more applause, pats on the back, more it takes time talk & meager handouts to show that we are trying to build an industry that has already been in place outside of  the structure that is deemed acceptable to the western world.

‎”If you want to address poverty, you have to bring work-it’s value creation. We’re not here to make charity t-shirts , We are here to make a product & why not come here? There’s a skill base that is being developed. We’re doing good. They are capable of doing great things. It’s quite incredible to think we might save the world thru fashion” . Vivienne Westwood & the Westwood Team on manufacturing in Kenya

I thought it was a great step in the right direction when Mimi Plange spoke about looking to manufacture & build factories in Ghana to produce her collection, which will build the industry by creating concrete jobs while building the “Made in Africa” label, just as Made in America, Made in France, Made in Italy, Made in China & other “Made In” labels have built brands that are globally recognized & esteemed with a specific focus in tailoring & manufacturing that is uniquely symbolic of those nations. Africa needs people who are formidable partners in their true growth financially, not just those who want to continue the usual exploitation & telling Africans it takes time to develop while others are profiting without waiting for the so called time it takes to actually see the financial gains. The Somali twins who design Maatano expressed their desire to have the opportunity to be the ones at the forefront to bring Africans designs created by Africans with them specifically in mind before the Zara’s & H&M’s of the world flood Africa, which I also thought was an excellent idea that must come to fruition with Africans supporting them because African Fashion is not based on one specific aesthetic of prints, it cuts across all varieties of cultures & styles from casual to formal, to traditional & all points in between. The designers of Maatano also made it a point to point out that while in their predominantly Muslim mother country of Somalia, there are only really two silhouettes which most of the women wear & add their individuality to it through color palate  & the beautiful jewelry which they adorn themselves with; their personal aesthetic with Maatano is much more than just two silhouettes influenced by their Somali heritage.

This brings me to the fact that we also have to be aware of consuming the idea that there is somehow one set idea of what African Fashion is supposed to represent in a continent that is now broken up into 56 countries. I was actually shocked & taken aback the other day as I walked into my local Jamaican resturant when the gentlemen who was serving me looked at me & said “Are you from Africa?”, I ofcourse happily replied “Yes”, then he went on to tell me that the woman that had just left was from my country. I looked at him with a side eye since I had not mentioned which country I was from  & I could clearly decipher that the woman that just left was from a francophone African country & not from Ghana, so I said “How do you know she’s from my country”, he then went on & replied “you’re from Africa right, she’s from Africa too”.  I replied, “Is Jamaica the same as Trinidad , Haiti, Dominican Republic or St. Lucia even though they are all in the Caribbean?” He looked at me in shamefully realizing his mistake & ignorance & said “Miss that’s not nice”.  I shook my head & thought wow, here we go again with me having to explain to someone that Africa is a continent with many countries, who speak thousands of different languages. I was disheartened especially because I had to explain this to someone who I would have thought would know better coming from the nation of Bob Marley & the Maroons , who have always spoken of their African heritage as Jamaicans, while sighting specific countries of origin. This man who was well into his 40’s was shocked when I told him that we all speak different languages & that there were thousands of languages in Africa. I guess this is the burden & calling we have to take on as global Africans, making sure we are there for these teaching moments with our own firm grasp of our languages & our history, so we can set the record right in our representation.

The generalization that there is one African aesthetic in fashion, outside of the idea that Africa really represents a true global aesthetic in its African authenticity because it is the root of humanity needs to be better addressed & defined in building the African Fashion industry. We have only ourselves to blame in our acceptance of the mixed messages that we often send. We have African designers saying that they just want to be seen as designers & not African designers, while talking about building the African fashion industry & complaining about how non-Africans are copying & defining what the African fashion industry should be or look like. We can’t have it both ways. You don’t hear Dontaella Versace complaining about being called an Italian designer or the house of Chloe & Louise Vuitton being upset by the fact that they are considered the epitome & embodiment of French design & aesthetic. Vivienne Westwood manufacturing her collection in Kenya does not make her any less an English designer or anymore an African designer than her counterparts like Burberry & others who have taken African prints & made them their own, nor does Marc Jacobs designing for Louis Vuitton make him a French designer or make the Louise Vuitton aesthetic considered American instead of authentically French.  African designers do not have to do collections with solely or any wax or mud prints at all to make them authentically part of African fashion.  What differentiates these African designers from the rest is that they are African from their roots; therefore their design influence will always be African inspired with an African personality, whether they are utilizing African prints or not because the history is carried along with them season after season, much like their European & American counterparts. It is up to us as publicist, writers, fashion editors,stylists, buyers,designers, manufacturers, show production entities etc. to speak to the African consumer & to let them know that we have done the research as to what they want, who they are & what suits their African personality in order to bring them in to support African designers just as much or more so than they support European, American & Chinese made goods , which have been flooding the African continent to the peril of the African Fashion Industry.

We need to speak to the African consumer in our advertising & educate them that building the African Fashion Industry means supporting, buying & wearing the products created by African designers not just jumping on the bandwagon & consuming the European, Chinese & American made goods & designers who are selling them their idea of what new African fashion is. We need to come to a point in our industry where each one of us takes personal responsibility in telling our own stories & building our own industry with a true African personality in mind, void of the cliche terms of “new African fashion” & kowtowing to global appeal by westernizing what is & has always been authentically African from the fruit to the root. If we truly believe that Africa is where humanity began & that there is a specific African identity that comes & evolves in newness of creativity from nation to nation, then we have to be more diligent in putting that message out there in a concise & consistent manner instead of just falling in line with the status quo of having our story redefined, pigeonholed & told to us by non-Africans, no matter how much they tell us that they love us & want to help us build by following their way & structure.

As most of you who have read my writings know, I am far from a PC(Politically Correct) African. My concept of Global Fusion is less about some sort of gumbo inspired “kumbaya” melting pot, where Africa with all its rich history & contributions to the world blends in or metamorphosizes into an acceptable western aesthetic, as opposed to shining a light on the fact that Africa is where humanity began with great influence throughout global culture that has now been watered down,devoid of its spices or redefined to appease or appeal to different segments of the world. I prefer my jollof rice authentically flavor filled with the hotness of spices that makes you feel it within your bones & soul without any Asian or Italian noodles added to it- as it is being done now in Ghana- because an Italian or Asian will not kowtow to appeasing me my serving me their national taste with shito & African flavors added to it.

I thumbed through the book “New African Fashion”, but I must admit that I didn’t purchase it because I refuse to continue the same ol’ story of having my history be told to me by those who have never truly been immersed in the culture & history until they saw profit to be made. I am not saying that this is not a great well put together book, but it does not show or tell me anything that I have not already seen & known before, so in that case I would rather give my hard earned money to global Africans who are also telling our stories from an authentically African perspective like Jacqueline Shaw with her new book Fashion Africa. It always seems like for global Africans to share their passion, vision & expertise with the world on the global Africa that they were born into, & live & breath daily -they always have to do it with their own money  to the point of going bankrupt in their labors of love to make their dreams come true. For Instance look at the amazing work done by Nigerian born Oroma Elewa with Pop’ Africana, which gives Vogue such a run for its money that they have had to acknowledge her & her work many times in their own publication. If one woman with a vision & a dream to be & showcase the new face of Africa can create such greatness with her own money & limited resources, imagine what she could do with the right financial backing & the same access  given to the Helen Jennings of the world, who are always sought after to be the face, vision & expert on all things African brought to the world’s attention?  I am not implying that non-global Africans shouldn’t be allowed to write books about Africa; however I am questioning the expert title given to these writers who are telling stories of people & places that they are often no more than passerby’s  & visitors of, while those who actually have been immersed in & live the culture are often passed over for equal opportunities to tell their own stories. This is my real issue in all of this, which goes beyond just one woman’s book. How often, if ever, are non-Europeans given the opportunity to be entitled to the title of “expert” in writing about or presenting European culture to the world? I can hear the loud sounds of crickets in many not being able to find any examples of this.

I am not afraid to be called racist, nationalist or pro-African because I would rather support my fellow global Africans who are truly the ones who have had to live the culture, put in the work, build our industry, give us accolades in support,  & are the true keepers & storytellers of our history, much like Andrew Dosunmu , Yinka Shonibare, James Barnor , Constance C.R. White & so many more past & present who have been telling & showcasing the beauty of global African fashion, culture & aesthetics long before Ms. Jennings thought to teach us about what she considers “New African Fashion”.

“When Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, visited the Huffington Post offices last month she revealed that her proudest professional moment was publishing the “Black Issue,” which helped promote diversity in the fashion industry. Well, she continued that campaign with a trip to the African country of Ghana to mentor a group of designers from the WEB-Young Designers Hub. You have lots of potential in this country. During my stay in Africa, I visited Togo and Nigeria but it was only here in Ghana I noted an authentic sense of fashion. In designing your creations, make sure that they feature not only references to Ghanaian culture but also have an international appeal so that your garments can also be successful also abroad.” READ MORE

It always amazes me how we justify our own lack of consistency in rhetoric of what we support & give acclamation to. The same fashionistas who raged all hell about Essence Magazine losing touch with their readership & consumer base by hiring a White Fashion Director as the face of a magazine dedicated to African-American women are the same ones who praise Arise & tout it as the new era representation of global Africa, without acknowledging the fact that the main vision in charge of this so called new global African aesthetic is also a European with a magazine created in Europe with African financial backing. These are the same people who are in charge of Black publications that never think to expand globally into Africa, the Caribbean & Latin America in service of the billion plus global Africans there, who would be more than appreciative to see their own likeness as well, while they consistently hire White photographers to capture our aesthetic in some ill-conceived idea of diversity, as qualified Black photographers sit around waiting to be called upon & to get a fair check by being given the same opportunity & access that is denied to them by non-global African focused publications. These are the same fashionistas who applaud any time Vogue gives a cover to a person of color or a European or American designer puts more than one model of color in an Ad. campaign or on their runway, while failing to challenge global African publications & designers to be the change they want to see by putting more African faces & creatives in their own publications, Ad. campaigns & runways. Why is it so taboo or somehow not representing diversity if Tracy Reese or Oswald Boateng sends all Black models down the runway, or Essence, Arise or Ebony doing special issues with solely global African representation as Vogue Italia & Lanvin did with us all applauding them for doing so as some sort of evolvement in new era progress as an industry since the days of Versailles. It is never considered taboo or shocking for non-Black American & European designers & publications to steadily only utilize European & American White models & designers, as we continue to complain then praise them for giving us special issues in diversity statements by sending all or some global African models down their runways once in awhile, in an attempt to appease us for the mean time.

I am actually a fan of Arise magazine & applaud them for their efforts in bringing about the much needed dialogue of who we are as Africans & our place & progress in the world of fashion &  global culture in general, but I am not going to pretend that it is anything new from the status quo of Africa being sold to us from a European vision. If we want to have an honest conversation about building Africa then let’s start by being honest with ourselves & start supporting global Africans who are doing everything possible to tell our stories without the international & national support, hype & access that has always been afforded to their western counterparts. Let’s start by having a vision & a stance that truly represents a new Africa that does not remain conditioned by its conditioning in being the definition of insanity by doing the same things the same way, over & over again & expecting new results. As Nina Simone said – “We’re in the middle of a revolution & I see the face of things to come” -That face will be an African face telling & teaching the history of African culture from fashion, to film, to art & all points of global African business defined by & for the African personality & sold to the world as is -without any kind of need to water down or appease some new idea of a global market that we have contributed to & enriched for centuries without ever getting our fair share in recognition or financial gain. Let’s stop talking about how things take time when the time is NOW!

“I made it quite clear that from now on -today – we must change our attitudes, our minds, we must realise that from now on, we are no more a colonial but a free and independent people. But also, as I pointed out, that also entails hard work.That new African is ready to fight his own battles and show that after all, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs. We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our own foundation.Our own African identity. As I said in the assembly just minutes ago, I made a point that we are going to create our own African personality and identity. It’s the only way that we can show the world that we are ready for own own battles.I am depending upon the millions of the country, and the chiefs and people, to help me to reshape the destiny of this country.We are prepared to pick it up and make it a nation that will be respected by every nation in the world.We know we are going to have difficult beginnings, but again, I’m relying upon your support, I’m relying upon your hard work.Seeing you in this… it doesn’t matter how far my eye goes, I can see that you are here in your millions and my last warning to you is that you are to stand firm behind us so that we can prove to the world that when the African is given a chance he can show the world that he is somebody! We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the world!” Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

When Will This Cease To Be The Picture ? When Will We Start Leading Ourselves Without Having to Be Part of An Entourage Flanking The Same Faces? When Will We See That We Are Just Repeating History Instead of Doing Anything New! When Will Our Global Fusion Include An Equal Gain? When Will We Be Paid For The Work We’ve Done?

“Something in the nature of an economic revolution is required. Our development has been held back for too long by the colonial-type economy. We need to reorganize entirely, so that each country can specialize in producing the goods and crops for which it is best suited.” Neocolonialism- The Last Stage of Imperialism. It is said, of course that we have no capital, no industrial skill, no communications, no internal markets, and that we cannot even agree among ourselves how best to utilize our resources for our own social needs. Yet all the stock exchanges in the world are pre-occupied with Africa’s gold, diamonds, uranium, platinum, copper and iron ores. Our CAPITAL flows out in streams to irrigate the whole system of Western economy. Fifty-two percent of the gold in Fort Knox at this moment, where the USA stores its bullion, is believed to have originated from OUR shores. Africa provides more than 60 per cent of the world’s gold. A great deal of the uranium for nuclear power, of copper for electronics, of titanium for supersonic projectiles, of iron and steel for heavy industries, of other minerals and raw materials for lighter industries – the basic economic might of the foreign Powers – comes from OUR continent…Experts have estimated that the Congo Basin alone can produce enough food crops to satisfy the requirements of nearly HALF the population of the whole world and here we sit talking about regionalism, talking about gradualism, talking about step by step. Are you afraid to tackle the bull by the horn?”  Address to the Conference of African Heads of State and Government, May 24, 1963″ DR. Kwame Nkrumah

If there is a time more than ever when our little girls need a supershero from Africa to her Diaspora..it surely is Now. Issues from colorism, racism, sexism & all of our many global isms, skisms  etc. & overcoming them has lead to what I call the movement of the global African daughters of  the great warrior, Yaa Asentewaa, who have come to realize their place in finding resloution to our many revolutions. From the ones who once existed in flesh to those who are our current living legends keeping the revolution of  the African woman going forward- like Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Winne Mandela, Margaret Ekpo, Queen Nzinga, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , Wangari Waathai & many more, to the new generation of writers, musicians, filmmakers, architects, economists, designers, activists leaders & all around cultural curators & creatives finding their creative freedom in honoring the past by building on it with a push forward to the future . A new movement of the people who understand that Mama Africa is our individual & collective responsibility because if Africa burns then we burn with it.  Our supershero, Wunmigirl is amongst the global Africans ushering in a cycle that understands that it has no end because culture should always be in a state of evolving as it revolves around its preservation of history & legacy from past to present, in preparation for the future-The  type of love language spoken by a global village of Wow Wow’s, preparing to take over the world, 1 Global African Nation at a time. Wunmigirl invites everyone to cross over to her side, while asking the listener to exercise his/her individual & collective right to define what is crossing over.

Wunmi Oliaya is the England born girl, who grew up in Nigeria, currently living in Brooklyn, New York- who by the sound of the drum crosses the Atlantic, worlds over & metamorphosing into Wunmigirl -a Global African Supershero saving global Africa from mental enslavement, self doubt, self hate, and injustice with truth & reconciliation raw & unfiltered powered by her gari!  Wunmigirl is the supershero “bobo slayer” at a time when African nations like Queen Nzinga’s Angola have finally decided to make domestic violence a national priority & Winnie Mandela’s South Africa has gone as far as creating female condoms with teeth to fight against the overwhelming rape statistics in the nation.  Wunmigirl bluntly speaks on this taboo topic at a time when global Africans understand that any violence against women & domestic violence  is a cycle that needs to stop by finding a sense of freedom in order to take the first step to change. Our “bobo slayer” & supershero, Wunmigirl opens the global dialogue with her music while other global Wow Wow’s like Carla Selby utilize their creativity in teaching domestic violence victims how to become survivors by giving them freedom to attain skills to pour their creativity into as they step toward freedom.

Freedom is often attained in sacrifice, consequences & rewards without guarantees other than our own level of faith & push to attain the change that we say want to be. This is what our supershero represents as she comes around to save the day by leading her Wow Wow’s to freedom land,where the language of love is the national language of her tribe. We need our global voices who bring our global connection back to its basics.  Our supershero, Wummigirl  with her nation of Wow Wow’s declare “Are you hearing Me Bobo, when I say I No Go, I No Go,Are You Hearing Me Bobo, when I say I No Do, I No Do ”!

From one side of the Atlantic to the other, the language of the soul of a house’s foundation is never lost in its people. From scavengers to aristocrats,  from paupers to kings, from the roots of mama Africa to the fruits of her global African children who protect her land as environmentalist, there has always been a local & global code of ethics & self governance that we never had to make a government or church matter, but rather just a human matter that directly effects forward movement as a people . Much like the sons of Lagos- Seun & Femi Kuti , Wunmigirl comes with the roots of Africa with fury that is determined to rise with a vision of an Africa for Africans. Our Supershero is here to showcase the future of her motherland-Future Africa…from Londontown to Lagos roots…our supershero be for Nija Inside!

Wunmigirl comes with her global tribe, a nation of Wow Wow’s- Global African fashionistas who adorn our supershero’s capsule fashion collections- paying homage to the African roots of our supershero while staying true to her futuristic evolution, which gives offerings of beauty in its natural progression from the root to the fruit! The nation of Wow Wow’s come in all shapes, shades & sizes also representing the natural progression which is uniquely & beautifully Africa-Cutting across the evolution & revolution of the Wow Wow sound & style of Wunmigirl – A journey of an African Supershero whose Wow Wow’s run the world as she keeps it rockin’ globally!

Supershero-Wunmigirl comes with her own language in her vocal drum…she commands global spirits, who invest their souls in a dance of joy cheering for her to win a battle contained in a global love language deeply rooted in the soul of house. Every Supershero must come with a soundtrack. Wunmigirl comes with a Global African soundtrack telling the story of an ALA to the future- contuning the natural progression from the root to the fruit in taking & continuing the rights of passage to superhershero staus! Wunmi, from ALA (African Living Abroad) to the Future of the Global African Supershero is the story we can not wait to to be told, seen, progress & embraced globally manifested in our global African image-representing the new sound of Global Africa – Tortured, Cultured, Seasoned , Styled & Ready for It’s Close Up to Shine!

Wunmigirl is a musician, a designer, an artist, a sister, a daughter, an aunty, a woman & a Grand Daughter of  Africa -a new era much needed & gladly welcomed Global African Supershero commanding & introducing a global love language that allows audiences to embrace an experience that makes them say  ”Wow Wow- that was incredible”!

Wunmigirl is the supershero that gives voice to the voiceless & let’s it be known that there is too much talk talk talk with no one listening!

Wunmigirl came calling for a kick start  for Future Africa & everyone started listening. The pledges came in & the people got behind the journey to the experience. We now join Wunmigirl in her journey from ALA to hearing the sound of our African Supershero after receiving her rights of recording passage in Ghana, West Africa. Refreshed, Rejuvenated, Reinvented& Reformed- the 4 R’s in the spirit of a true Supershero ready for the performance of her well earned right of passage! Wunmigirl is taking us on the journey as she tells our Global African stories in the truth of a new generation dubbed “Future Africa”! From the continent to her Diaspora, Future Africans are looking to Africa as the Future. While many with earned & self imposed titles as historians, intellectuals, experts, elders, leaders, Pan-Africanists & some entitled title seekers lose touch with the forward movements of Future Africa because they are too immersed in the beautiful struggle sound of their own voices, waxing poetic in verbal masturbation about the failures of what was, without much care & solution to what is & what will be! Wunmigirl lets the “Bottom-Line” know that it is full of shit…& that the little girl from London, to Nigeria, to New York, to Ghana & all points in between her ALA journey has attained & accepted her Global African Wunmigirl Wings! A roots honor never lost to be found, but rather awaiting her rightful time of preparation & passage! We are the Future ..This is Africa, Enter The New World…Wunmigirl-Africa’s new Supershero birthed from the queen of Afro-Fusion Wunmi Olaiya!

PHOTO CREDITS: Regine Gigi Romain , TKAFoundation, WUNMI.COM , Delphine Diallo

On November 12, 2011 while visiting Ghana, I was delighted to attend a free tribute concert at Citizen Kofi in Osu dedicated to the memory of Hi-Life Music Legend Mac Tontoh- formerly of globally recognized mega Hi-Life bands Uhuru & Osibisa. Legends such as Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Jewel Ackah, Ben Brako, Gyedu Blay Ambolley along with future legends such as the daughter of Pat Thomas, Nana Yaa played their hits  backed by the talented  band & musical direction of Kwame Yeboah & his band Ohia Be Ye Ya (direct translation:Poverty will be painful) to remember, honor & celebrate the life of Mac Tontoh & his great contribution to world music & putting the music of Ghana on the global map.

As a young girl who grew up with the sounds of these legends of Hi-Life music blasting from speakers from Ghana to New York, I never imagined that I would see all these legends on one stage, in Ghana & for free on my mother’s birthday -the person who single handily introduced me to all these great historical musical legends- whose original vinyl  records I inherited when she moved  back to Ghana. All I could say was Wow! What a great treat of beautiful music from Hi-Life living legends honoring/remembering their brother & fellow legend, Mac Tontoh, who will never be forgotten! I was even more delighted that as I went to take a picture with Pat Thomas, he did a double take & told me how much I look like his daughter & that she was about to perform on stage so I should check out my sister. Well, I am not sure how much we really look alike; however she was just as beautiful as the soulful voice that came through her, so the compliment from her father was well received. I was still on a natural high the day after this concert because I danced my butt off & felt that extra special Osibi fire in my sa, which Mac Tontoh spoke of in my 2008 documentary “Black Star Rising” ! After a couple of seemingly rough unproductive weeks in Ghana, I was energized & in good spirits wanting more. This was truly a beautiful welcome home reminding me why I love my nation & why this black queen will always be empowered by the black star mogya (blood) that runs through me.

The production was a job well done by the organizers, but we need a lot more of this in Ghana in accessibility for all to celebrate, teach & learn about our cultural history through our past & living legends. Thank goodness for social media outlets like Facebook  because otherwise I would have completely missed this once in a lifetime experience since there was little talk about it amongst Ghanaians in general & in Ghanaian media. That same night there was a Daddy Lumba concert  honoring his global contribution to Ghanaian musical culture with all the extra dignitary VIP status along with the heavy price tag that the average Ghanaian couldn’t afford, yet to my surprise somehow a large portion of the audience at the FREE tribute concert to Mac Tontoh were White people & non-Ghanaian tourists, students & business people- Things that make you go HMMM!

As much as I & many Ghanaians globally love Daddy Lumba, his global contribution to the spread & preservation of Hi-Life music does not surpass or even come close to that of Mac Tontoh & Osibisa to be any more worthy of warranting the recognition & attendance of two former presidents or any more worthy than Mac Tontoh of  commanding a large amount of local media coverage recognizing a night dedicated in his honor .  It just makes me think how much we really care about our historical global legacy & why is it that we only seem to respect & see its worth after it is taken away from us, celebrated & deemed worthy globally by others outside of us?  It had to take Disney to retell & bastardize the story of the Ashanti Empire in “The Sword In The Stone“ in order for Ghanaian media outlets, animators & creatives to think to promote, educate, share & pass down the story of Okomfo Anokye to our children so that our legacy will never be forgotten in its pure form by us for us.

I can’t bypass the irony of completely overlooking the man & band who were hands down the reason why the world truly took to Hi-Life music & the power of fashionable Ghanaian musical culture in celebration of the ultimate bleached faced do-rag wearing borga,Daddy Lumba, by the pay to play Ghanaian media & two former presidents who seem to be in some sort of odd love triangle just to agitate & disrespect the sitting president whom they all seem to collectively want to see be a one term president for their own separate interests. The day after both the Mac Tontoh & Daddy Lumba tribute concerts, all you heard about in Ghanaian media was the Daddy Lumba concert & the shenanigans of Ex-President Jerry Rawlings approvingly overseeing his controversial wife Nana Konadu dance with former nemesis & Ex-President John Kufuor.  It seems everything in Ghana has political motivations even the honoring of our legends. It seems like Ghanaian media is more in the business of adverts., sponsorships & playing politics than actually holding up the integrity of true journalism in seeking out stories that are meaningful & worthwhile for Ghana as a nation instead of just who pays them to cover their stories.

Daddy Lumba is definitely a worthwhile story & worthy recipient of the accolades bestowed upon him, but just imagine if there was a tribute concert in honor of  John Lennon of the Beatles the same night as a tribute concert to Coldplay & former Prime Minsters Blair  & Gordon where all over the press about cutting a rug together at the Coldplay concert with no acknowledgement of John Lennon’s tribute the same night. The Beatles told the world “Here Comes the Sun” as they entered the world scene in a globally celebrated  British Invasion the same way Osibisa brought the world a “Sunshine Day” as they entered the world scene with their globally celebrated authentic Ghanaian musical invasion. Cold Play like Lumba are the new generation & new faces of their national culture of music globally, yet we can never overlook the fact that without The Beatles & Osibisa there may not be a Coldplay & Lumba attaining vast global audiences & their contributions are no where near to walking in the shoes or overlooking the legacies of The Beatles & Osibisa even to be able to say that the baton has been passed on to them to run with so to me to have little recognition of Mac Tontoh’s tribute by his nation seemed disrespectful to me particularly on the part of the media.

I was happy to be at the politics free tribute to Mac Tontoh, a night that I will never forget & will one day tell my children about because the legacy of Mac Tontoh & Osibisa is forever. It never seems to fail, just when I am over the unique madness of Ghana/Africa & ready to get out of dodge, I am surprised with the goodness & greatness that always makes me want to stay longer! My ♥ /hate relationship with my Black Star Nation continues as I remain thankful & grateful for all its roses along with its thorns! Forward Ever , Backward Never!

“Come with me on this happy trip back to the promise land ,all will be happy & gay…You’ve been kept down for much too long…Stand Up Please, Say I am free… Don’t Forget You Are Always Welcomed home…WELCOME HOME!!!”

“We must perform like Ghanaian, and for that matter Africans. My advise is that whatever we do, should be African /Ghanaian oriented and that is what will win the trophy for us in the industry,” Mac Tontoh -REST IN POWER!

Many of us fashion folks have been caught up in the battle by Italians for their sovereignty & to have more of a say in the fashion week calender decision making. Get the popcorn out & let the Italain leather & lace fly because Italy is ready for a catwalk fight.

“After a summer of peace, hostilities have resumed between the rival cities of Paris, Milan, New York and London for supremacy in the fashion industry. The latest flashpoint is the catwalk calendar for next September. Milan fashion week has announced dates which clash with those of London. The organisers of London’s shows have been joined by those of New York’s in claiming that this directly contravenes an agreement in 2008, when this problem last flared. Mario Boselli, head of the Italian catwalks’ governing body, claims that the deal was only valid for three years…” READ MORE

“Mario Boselli head of the Camera Nazionale della Moda, however, seems unfazed by the decision. He told WWD, “Italian designers unanimously agreed on the schedule. They showed great solidarity and Italian pride.” And what about the fact that these cities will now all be competing against each other for industry attention? Says Boselli, “Let the best one win.” READ MORE

Let’s be honest, the fashion calendar has been decided by New York for awhile, with everyone else having to fall in line with changes to accommodate Jewish Holidays, Labor Day & other American holidays & needs. The global world of fashion can not be expected to be NY & Anna Wintour’s “Bitch” & it seems Italy has put itself on the line to declare just that. There needs to be changes all around & true genuine respect amongst all parties in their local & global contribution to creating a multibillion dollar industry collectively. Just like America should not be deciding the fate of sovereign nations of the world, the CFDA & Conde Nast editors can not determine the fate of global fashion designers without their full input & consent.

“Anna Wintour and the rest of the Vogue editors at Conde Nast are pissed about Italy’s decision to have Milan Fashion Week start during New York Fashion Week and continue through London Fashion Week. In fact the International chairman of Conde Nast fired off a letter to the Italian Chamber of Fashion that if they don’t change it back to the original schedule, none of his editors will be attending. “They will not under any circumstances abandon the London or New York shows if the Milan shows are moved earlier…The best way to avoid having a problem is to maintain the schedule as it is now.“

Mario Boselli, the head of the Italian Chamber of Fashion told WWD:

“We wouldn’t have reconsidered the show dates, but since the equilibrium has been ruptured, we are reflecting and rethinking the situation. Already we thought we were compromising and since New York has decided to set its schedule without consulting us, we are thinking in terms of what is best for us.” READ MORE

This fashion world war has been festering for years with ceasefires that have been declared null & void with aggressors on all sides pushing the boundaries of hems, fashion diva behavior & respect. Italy, one of the greatest producers of fashion with probably the largest number of globally recognizable luxury brands seems to be fighting to reclaim its revered place in the hierarchy of the fashion world’s elite by refusing to kowtow to the demands & desires of  the CFDA, Anna Wintour & Conde Nast. With brands like  Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Versace,  Dolce & Gabbana , Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Missoni, Bulgari, Ferragamo  & others being part of the Italian collective, can Conde Nast & the rest of the fashion world really afford to boycott Milan’s fashion week shows in this misguided power move & still stay relevant?

“Italy, home of fashion powerhouses Gucci, Prada and Giorgio Armani, thinks it has been snubbed by one of the fashion world’s most powerful players: Anna Wintour.Designers in Milan face a chaotic crunch as they scramble to fit 88 runway shows into about 70 hours over six days to accommodate the Vogue editor-in-chief’s plans to stay just four days in Milan instead of a full week. Organizers have reshuffled the schedule three times in the past two months as word of Ms. Wintour’s expected travel plans spread through the historic fashion capital. Designers will do whatever it takes to get Ms. Wintour to attend their shows. Her endorsement of a collection not only can lead to a place in Vogue photo shoots, but also tilts the odds that clothing will be worn by celebrities and picked up by retailers. Often, shows don’t start until she slides into her front-row seat…” READ MORE

“The stiletto has put its foot down. In a move that’s angered fashion powerhouses on both sides of the Atlantic, Milan Fashion Week will overlap with fashion weeks in New York and London in September 2012.  New York Fashion Week is set to start on Sept. 13, with London beginning on Sept. 21. Milan’s start date? Smack in the middle—on the 19^th. As a result, department store buyers and fashion editors will have to choose between attending shows and buying appointments in each of the cities. Fashion editors from Condè Nast, including Vogue’s Anna Wintour, have said they will boycott Milan Fashion Week. The Italian reaction? A shrug: Mario Boselli, head of Italy’s Chamber of Fashion, told Heard on the Runway: “We are not changing our calendar,” he said. “If Vogue editors plan not to come, well, then that’s their loss. I think the Italian fashion shows are unmissible, both in absolute terms and also because of the advertising revenues that the industry generates.” Read More

With bloggers becoming the “soup du jour” in a dying world of print  & taking over many coveted front row spots at fashion week, can the usual fashion editors & insiders really claim to be the holy grail of making it or breaking it in fashion anymore? In this digital age- inclusion is more of the direction of the future than the usual fashion industry’s practice of exclusion on many levels. Frankly I missed the days of Full Frontal Fashion & Fashion TV, giving the option & freedom to watch all the fashion week shows in the comfort of my living room or wherever I choose to be in the world, instead of having to worry about if I was going to be  amongst the “in-crowd” bestowed with the most coveted fashion week show invites & having to run around in stiletto heels amongst fashion wannabes, elitist editors & socialites, paid celebrity front row guests & many regular folk/local celebrities who are living beyond their means in breaking their piggy banks to get the perfect designer outfits for weeks of their own individual fashion coming out celebrations on concrete runways. I was glad that Youtube filled that void this year, but we need more of that with real fashion commentary instead of just the fake air kisses, celebrity spotting & praises from fashion “stans” who often forget that fashion can be bought by many, but style is exclusively innate. Remember the days when being trendy was not considered chic? Surely Kanye West was not the only designer that showed this year who needed to be put on blast for their lackluster presentation, but I won’t name any names until I have my own show that pays me to do just that-AKA Global Fusion Productions Inc. Presents “Behind The Hype” LOL!

“There has been a complete change this year,” said Kelly Cutrone, who has been organizing fashion shows since 1987. “Do I think, as a publicist, that I now have to have my eye on some kid who’s writing a blog in Oklahoma as much as I do on an editor from Vogue? Absolutely. Because once they write something on the Internet, it’s never coming down. And it’s the first thing a designer is going to see.” Perhaps it was to be expected that the communications revolution would affect the makeup of the fashion news media in much the same way it has changed the broader news media landscape. At a time when magazines like Vogue, W, Glamour and Bazaar have pared their staffs and undergone deep cutbacks because of the impact of the recession on their advertising sales, blogs have made remarkable strides in gaining both readership and higher profiles…” READ MORE

Fashion, much like our global political system has turned into an era of school yard bullies & too big to fail elitists- all trying to flex their cowardly muscles on one another to show who has the biggest sausage in the battle for king of the world status. In the full spectrum of what the world is suffering through, I can’t say that I am not delighted  & amused by these elitist crybabies turning on themselves & eventually imploding to set a path for the global fashion industry to start anew in a more inclusive manner where fashion returns to its roots of creativity, innovation, craftmanship & freshness in building its future through young new designers globally- while preserving the history of fashion, rather than the celebrity idol worship of few who maintain & remain[BOXED-IN]. This maybe the best thing that ever happened to the perfectly imperfect world of fashion that can use a wake up call to the reality of the world & finally have a moment of self-reflection & evaluation as they  Check their [IN-BOX]!

CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg’s Open Letter To The Fashion Industry AKA Italy-LOL!

Today Archishop  Desmond Tutu of South Africa turns 80 without missing a beat in his deep love for humanity & betterment of man & in his feisty fire to challenge the wrongs of our humanity.  As two African women & an Arab woman join the ranks of those who have been bestowed the honor of the Nobel Peace Prize, Archbishop Tutu stands up for what the meaning of true peace &  what those who fight & want that kind of altruistic peace to exist are all about in his defense of the right of the Dali Lama to move freely outside of the Chinese Apartheid system set up in Tibet , which was seemingly being protected & enabled by the same people of his nation who less than two decades ago  fought to end their own oppression under Apartheid.  Archbishop Tutu was the 1984 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize & has continued the work & service that that honor bestows more than many who have received it symbolically instead of dutifully.

“During a service to honour his birthday on Friday Tutu relied on humorous understatement to remind Kgalema Motlanthe, the deputy president, that he had not forgotten the controversy…”Thank you for coming, despite some of the hiccups we have had,” Tutu said to laughter and applause at St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town. Earlier, the Nobel peace laureate had stepped down from the pulpit to embrace Motlanthe, who smiled and bowed his head. A week ago, Motlanthe was sharing toasts in Beijing with Chinese leaders who have called the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, and won pledges for $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in investment in South Africa…” READ MORE

“Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).Tutu has been active in the defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberclosis, homophobia, transphobia, poverty and racism. Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987, the Sydney Peace Prize (1999) the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005,and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Tutu has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings…” READMORE

There’s just something about the jovial, contagious smile of a man whose spirit, faith, sense of peace & love exudes effortlessly through his very being. We honor & salute Archbishop Desmond Tutu today on his 80th birth year, for being the living example of what faith, honor, love & peace in Africa & the world should look, feel & be like.

“when you stand out in a crowd it is because you are being carried on the shoulder of others.” Archibishop Desmond Tutu.

“My phone has conked out. Can you please come and fix it for me?” This brief request one Saturday morning in St Faith’s chapel at Westminster Abbey saw me heading across Dean’s Yard to the home we’d prepared for the Nobel peace laureate – and archbishop emeritus – Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah, while he was on sabbatical in London a few years ago…To save them trekking from floor to floor, we’d installed phones on each. Immediately, I saw the cause of the problem: the phone on the ground floor was off the hook. But I didn’t want to make the archbishop seem foolish. So I picked up the phone, fiddled with it a bit, held it to my ear, blamed the infamous intermittent fault and assured him that there was now a good dialling tone…But he wasn’t fooled. “I’ve been shown up by the white man again,” he shouted up the stairs to his wife. “I always knew that these British phones were racist, only responding to white people!” As I laughed my way back home through the abbey’s cloister I couldn’t help but marvel at the way in which, after all he’s suffered, the archbishop could still turn racism into a joke. But I really shouldn’t have been surprised because, for this perhaps best-known of all clerics the world over, who celebrated his 80th birthday in Cape Town yesterday, his whole life is a reminder of the healing and transforming role that laughter plays in human living…” READ MORE

The “tofo tofo” dance was probably saved for the private after party where Liberia’s own President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf & Leymah Gbowee will surely lead the way in bringing Tawakul Karman, the first Arab woman Nobel Peace Prize recipient, into the  fold of the body shaking celebration of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded  equally to all three phenomenal woman. When Beyonce chanted “who run the world…Girls” -surely the nations of these women shouted out their names in response because they have truly become game changers in the footsteps of their great sister & champion of women & humanity – Wangari Waathai. These are the types of women who have shown as living proof that women rock while taking over presidential spots. Today we have 20 women presidents leading the world, with many parts of the world coming to a place of peace & respect enough to see & welcome their first women leaders.

“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” the prize committee said…”READ MORE

“The Africa Progress Panel says it welcomes the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni rights activist Tawakkul Karman…“I am so happy today to see this – the world’s most prestigious prize – go to three women, two of them from sub-saharan Africa,” said Panel member Graça Machel, a lifelong campaigner for women’s rights in Africa. ..“It is through collaboration and compassion, instead of competition and conflict, that these extraordinary women have achieved their life’s work. Today we see not only Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – a pioneer as Africa’s first elected female head of state – recognised, but also Leymah Gbowee, who has never held political office but whose activism brought peace to a country torn apart, by mobilising the power of women. Women who prayed together across religious divides, who held non-violent demonstrations and who weren’t afraid to use all the powers at their disposal – including going on sex strike – to force men to put down their weapons and start talking peace. That’s what I call women’s empowerment…”READ MORE

It seems fitting that the legacy of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to be given the Nobel Peace Prize would be carried on by three revolutianary women who worked their way up from the grass roots up to mobolize, educate  & empower women to not only see their worth & power, but to also teach by example in an emblematic nurturing role of humanizing humanity with a taste of/for freedom.  There is a new wind of change in the world where the leadership of women & the empowerment of young girls have once again regained its fire & position in the world to allow its wings to fly  like a phoenix from the ashes of “isms” & systems that have denied & held back women, the poor & those who have not found their voice for far too long. These women are revolutionary visionaries, who like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi & other great leaders & activists for peace, justice & freedom, knew their work was to spark & set off the path to the kind of liberation that will continue building & progressing long after they are gone because it has been embedded in the hearts , minds & souls of a future that knows & wants better. Women are living proof today in the change we can believe in when we own our power- mind, body & soul.

“The president of Liberia? Woooooooo hoooooo,” was Tutu’s reaction at the news after leaving a public church service to celebrate his 80th birthday…”She deserves it many times over. She’s brought stability to a place that was going to hell…” READ MORE

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf & Leymah Gbowee are considered two of the iron ladies of of Liberia, but all over the world their are iron ladies who stand up in love & strength in their foundation while building a more secure & solid foundation for the future of their children, nations and the world at large. Iron ladies like Tawakul Karman will leave her legacy as a catalyst in the bloom of the beautiful flowers that are sure to come from the Arab Spring.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the three women “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”…”I am very very happy about this prize,” said Karman, a 32-year-old mother of three who heads the human rights group Women Journalists without Chains. She has been a leading figure in organizing protests President Ali Abdullah Saleh that kicked off in late January as part of a wave of anti-authoritarian revolts that have convulsed the Arab world…”I give the prize to the youth of revolution in Yemen and the Yemeni people,” Karman told The Associated Press…” READ MORE

“I learned about anti-violent struggle from reading and I owe my passion for peace to Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.These three are the pioneers of peaceful struggle and for them I am eternally grateful.
What have you learned from other Arab revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Syria? We have learned a lot from them, and I am sure they have learned from us too. It is one struggle and one revolution, it’s an ongoing struggle where we learn how to stand in the way of oppression. This is the Arab awakening and the Arab revolution. Now, we have to learn from one another how to become productive, it is not enough to get rid of the regimes and the leaders. We need to think about what we should do next. The youth all across the Arab world need to organise themselves and regroup. The real struggle for democracy, equality, justice, human rights and freedom has just begun and the fight will continue to protect our revolution from being hijacked…”READ MORE

“These are some the things that we don’t capture on camera, but communities remember that they stepped out & did the unimaginable ”