As we honor the messenger on the 31st anniversary of his transition from earth to home going- leaving the world to carry on the teachings of love and freedom, and the love in freedom- I thought I should pay tribute in profile to Nestor Robert Marley’s mother on Mother’s Day- since she gave the world an incomparable gift of life , music and teachings that continue from generation to generation.

There has been so much press hype on the so called mystery of Bob Marley having a White father with the release of the Marley family and even the long lost and seemingly continuos bad blood between Bunny Wailer, Chris Blackwell and & Rita Marley finally coming together full circle in a authorized documentary entitled Marley; but here we unlock the mystery, wisdom, vision and soul of the woman who gave birth to the one called Marley.

“Cedella Malcolm Marley Booker (July 23, 1926– April 8, 2008) was the mother of Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and a singer and writer…Booker was born Cedella Malcolm in Rhoden Hall, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, to Alberta Whilloughby and Omeriah Malcolm, a farmer, a “bush doctor”, and one of the most respected residents of Nine Mile (son of Robert “Uncle Day” Malcolm, who descended from the Cromanty slaves shipped to Jamaica from the African Gold Coast in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries). At 18, Cedella Malcolm married Norval Sinclair Marley, a white Jamaican of English ancestry, when she became pregnant with his son, Robert Nesta (which second given name “Nesta” means prophetically “wise messenger”). Norval Marley was a Marine officer and captain as well as the plantation overseer. His family applied constant pressure however, and although he provided financial support for them, the Captain seldom saw his wife and son. Bob was ten years old when Norval died of a heart attack in 1955 at age 70. Cedella and Bob then moved to Trenchtown, a slum neighborhood in Kingston. This was the only place Booker could afford to live at the time, being a young woman moving from the country to the big city on her own….While living in Trenchtown, Booker gave birth to a daughter, Pearl, with Taddeus Livingston, the father of Bunny Livingston – aka Bunny Wailer – who formed the original Wailers trio with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in 1963…Cedella then married Edward Booker, an American civil servant, and resided first in Delaware, where she gave birth to two more sons, Richard and Anthony, with Booker. Anthony was killed in a shootout with Miami police after walking through a shopping mall with a 12 ga. shotgun and opening fire on responding police; Richard Booker survives her. After Edward Booker’s death in 1976, Cedella moved to Miami, Florida, where she was present at the deathbed of her famous son who died from cancer in 1981. Booker lived in Miami for the remainder of her life…” Read More

Briefly researching who Cedella Marley Booker- the mother was was quite intriguing and told me so much more about who the boy  named ” Messenger” who became a legend  really was. I never knew that Bob hand delivered his mother to the one and only Lee Scratch Perry to produce and globally introduce her musical talents and sound to the world as he had done at studio one with Bob Marley and the Wailers. I never knewthat Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley shared a biological sister in common named Pearl, which made Bob and Bunny not only kin through music as founders of the original Wailers , but also sharing a mother and father via the birth of their sister. I also never knew that there was a love story that produced this legend via the love story of a dark skin Jamaican Christian girl from St. Ann who at the age of 17 started a romance with a White  50 year old Jamaican man whose father was English of Syrian Jewish descent and whose mother was said to be a non-white mixed race Jamaican -which I will interrupt as probably an Asian and African global fusion which is representative of many  ”mixed race” people in Jamaica.

The newly released Marley film set the stage for all the hoopla and headline making narrative of what most are calling a true Bob Marley story with the family actually being fully involved and pushing the project after some earlier attempts with big Hollywood names like Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme , who for one reason or another just  could not find the right fit with the family in being able to speak the language of the life of Nester Robert Marley on film. As Nelson Mandela said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. ” I would come to find out from Cedella Booker’s own words that this is a trait she past down to her son as a Marley legacy in never forgetting where you came from in language or otherwise.

When I read the quote by  Bob’s eldest son Ziggy Marley blasted all over the world saying “I think Bob always regretted that he wasn’t black.” I must admit I was irritated because there has been so much race baiting, religious baiting, tribal bating, political party baiting and any separation of ying and yang/black and white there is from all around the world on all sides, so I didn’t want what is being called the best insight into Bob’s life as a man, not just the artist put to film, to be the narrative of the tragic mulatto who lived this whole life of legendary greatness and global adoration as a Black man who brought the message to the world in a way that every one sang “Every man has the right to decide his own destiny ” while shouting out the African nation of Zimbabwe ;yet because of his father being a White Jamaican somehow made him less of a representation of a Black man. In a way maybe this is what drove Bob to be the embodiment physically and mentally saying “Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together – black, white, Chinese, everyone – that’s all..I don’t stand for the black man’s side, I don’ t stand for the white man’s side. I stand for God’s side…”. It shows us all how society divides and conquers with manufactured divisions of race, religion, tribe, gender , sexual orientation and every division we can find when all that really matters is what is in one’s heart and soul. I don’t want my memory of Bob to be yet another man of greatness never to have had their soul satisfied. His passion in fighting for the Black man to be free & African EmPowerment in being the ultimate representation of the soul of a great Black man with unmitigated power who is embraced by the world over; yet he saw his exterior as closer to White than Black and it couldn’t catch up to his soul that ran deep in the beauty of Blackness of Africa – forever waiting in vain to be satisfied and possibly thinking that it should have been Peter’s face to his words…..”

While there are so many articles in the blogosphere about Norval Marley’s philandering ways  embedded with racilicious verbiage leading to visuals that intentionally unintentionally depicts Bob Marley’s father as some plantation era overseer that was bedding down young Jamaican plantation workers or their daughters without barely mentioning -if at all that Bob Marley was born in wedlock and according to Cedella’s own words with her being baptized with Nester in her belly with a father and husband that was a kind man who did his best to take care of her and Bob until he died when Bob was a young boy, not this strange tale/narrative of a dead beat father who was never in Bob’s life and had him and his mother in abject poverty while he lived his White rich privileged life that had been going around for generations. I hope in the hoopla of introducing the so called “unknown White father” into the narrative of the one called Marley that we also listen to the narrative of Cedella Marley -the mother and wife -in telling her love story within a marriage that bore a son named by his father  as Nester -The Messenger”.

Cedella- Nesta Robert Marley’s mum was a great children’s book author and musician and an even greater gospel reggae singer who carried the message of generations of singers, griots, teachers and wordsmiths who set that DNA free in a young boy who was told by a non believer that his birth name sounded like a girl’s name, so his mother allowed a name reversal to suit society, but she never stopped calling him Nester. From that root, the young boy grew up to live up to his birth name  as “Messenger” . The greatest gift and sacrifice a mother can ever make to the world  is setting the seed and allowing it to grow freely to live up to its ultimate potential -this is the legacy of Mama Cedella and what every mother in the world leaves and hopes to leave with every generation- Triumphantly!  Every mother’s ultimate redemption song -after passing through the good, bad and ugly times in trying your best to figure out and understand the balance of allowing the seed to grow freely and giving it the right amount of water nourishment, love , care and tenderness it needs to live a fully fruitful life-with rich soil setting the seeds for the next generation to also bare life’s fruits. No one knows a child more than an engaged mother. No matter what it says on paper a mother never stops calling your birth name.

” I think Nester have seen some resemblance of me in Rita (Bob’s Only Wife)… A lot of people would think that Rita is my daughter more than Bob my son…  Jah never make a mistake, he knows everything he is doing and he do it right…”

Rita Marley is yet another mother of Marley that I would like to pay homage to because she continued the legacy  in standing firm as the mother of generation Bob -a global African generation living and thriving the world over in Bob’s name. Getting to know Mama Rita in the video below also allows a closer introspective to Bob Marley the man and his wife and back up singer. Everything we have a commitment to is using us to get through its manifestations. It’s all a matter of the commitment in levels of mutual inity in the way we  engage those levels of commitment. When it came to Bob- music was surely a weapon in the deepest passions of love and war in evolutionary revolution of freedom. Basically an ecstasy induced by happiness, triumph and freedom- this is how and who I remember the always on time  Messenger- Nestor Robert Marley AKA BOB Marley .

We judge people on who they choose to love or have sex with- man or woman- with no concern to what they want and have agreed to because we only desire to hear ourselves preach world wide of the idea of the manifest destiny we hate; while claiming it in love at every step -as the path forward in telling others who and how to live as if that is our destiny. Rita Marley in her own words said “I didn’t feel like I was a wife, I felt like I was Bob’s background vocal, So their little  things I would have to remind him… hey bob… be careful….watch those girls…watch those this- then I became the watch eye, the mother hen… type & he would call me sometimes to get girls out of his room. I didn’t complain cuzs I felt I was there for the job & so the relationship became, more like I have a commitment to this thing“…Rita Marley- Mother, I-Three

Rita the mother hen understood her power as the ultimate say in the sweetness of the songs she made in expression of the special kind of bond, fellowship and love she shared with Bob, which even his own mother acknowledged as a deeply special kind of love that her son expressed to her about how he felt about his wife-Rita Marley. A love that could truly only be understood between them, but was evident to the world. Rita Marley in her words to show Bob that she can be her own girl /herself  beyond the background singer , mother, wife, one draw hit –has had an exemplary solo career of her own with beautiful love ballads serving every bit of the passion of the love songs era Bob Marley -writing about his romance with another woman named Cindy Breakspeare -Junior Gong’s mommy. While he may have written “Turn your lights down low“ and “she used to call me dada” for Cindy Breakspeare; he surely wrote “Satisfy My Soul”  and ” No Woman No Cry” for Rita, along with every song for the building, emancipation and empowerment of Africa for global Africans because he clearly chose her and in turn she clearly chose him to build his global African Nation from root to fruit. Rita Marley continues the legacy from yard to yard across the world, with a home base at its roots and gateway in Ghana, West Africa.

Rita Marly was never waiting in vain- she was taking back her power in fighting in love for her man with beautiful love ballads like “I’m still Waiting” with the knowledge that her place in the life of the messenger was as it was written beyond words, man and even beyond herself as a wife , mother an artist. In watching the videos of Rita and Cindy talk about their relationships with Bob, I get the sense that Rita was the syrupy sweet shy dark skin root Jamaican christian girl open to be shown the world , who fell in love with a “bad man pon de town” -relative to interpretation because she was captured and fell in love with the deepness of the love and passion in his soul, much like his mother Cedella and Bob Marley’s father Norval. Rita Marley has set her own path in a rich legacy of music and true essence of the blessing of motherhood and how we should hold it up to the most high. I end this tribute to Mama Cedella and Mama Rita …..  by saying Good Morning Jah!

Happy Mamas Day to all the lil mamas, big mamas, birth mamas, round the way mamas, village mamas, earth mamas…global mamas…U are all our Ye Yo’s! We love you and we thank you for all you have done, continue to do and will do in the name of the ultimate blessing of motherhood! Heres to building a greater future in reflections of our Sweet Mothers!

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#AllOfTheMothers #AllOfTheFathersWhoStandByThoseMothers #AllOfThoseFathersWhoWilBestandingByThoseMothersAfter Today

I was brought to think about my life as an African in the Diaspora a few weeks ago after I had an unvited engagement of words and looks with a Black American woman in a store, much like the restaurant incident scene in the African Booty Scratcher film which reminded me just how much of a Restless City I truly live in- depicted beautifully without the awful pain of the angst in the grittiness of it as poetically told by Nigerian photographer/filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu.

Here I was minding my own business waiting on the line to pay for my tank top; there was a heavy set Black American woman and her friend behind me already going on between themselves about why the man in the store kept looking at them like they were going to steal something. The heavy set woman coughs without covering her mouth and I feel the sprinkle of unwanted sickness in the air behind me. I turn around and gave her the look of  ”really-so you couldn’t just cover your mouth”. She was not pleased with this look and proceeded to loudly tell her friend “Did you see that, did you see what she just did to me” as she went ahead and mimicked my gesture. I turned back to her, looked at her and just shook my head like here we go. She didn’t take well to that either & proceeded to threaten me by saying “keep it up and catch yourself getting a beat down”. I proceeded to shake my head and laugh because she had no clue that she had the wrong woman today and that that big mouth- be the loudest voice in the room -threaten with physical violence- Basketball Wives ratchet style intimidation behavior was in no way going to work with me because as Star Jones’s twitter hashtag to put an end to this type of madness goes #EnoughisEnough. There was no way this woman was going to see that she did anything wrong  and possibly take any personal responsibility for her actions which induced my reaction, and there was no way I was going to allow her to intimidate me into submission even if she is three times my size with a whole lot of mouth.

That day I was going to be David to her Goliath, but with no physical violence in standing my ground in being able to walk into a store and make a purchase without having to be coughed on, intimidated and threatened by another human being just because she felt like it, was having a bad day or hated her life and therefore felt the need to take out her anger and frustration of her situation on me. I proceeded to just ignore her but she had already worked herself up about how I so called disrespected her by not being pleased with her coughing on me, so she went on to be the loudest mouth in the shop saying “these people come into this country from other places and they don’t know how to act”. I wanted to roll on the floor and bust out laughing at the idiocy of her statement under the circumstances, but I looked too damn good and was on my way to meet a friend for dinner so I just turned around laughed coyly and said ” So this is your country?” in a thick Ghanaian accent, which I totally don’t have on a regular basis particularly since I was born in New York but raised in Ghana as a baby; however at the times when these moments call for it, I bring it out proudly in full force since she had already ignorantly put me in the immigrant box without knowing anything about me- I guess based on my “exotic looks” clutching my fierce leather and raffia bag made in Burkina Faso, West Africa- even though technically I was just as American as she thinks she is. This is why I called her a Black American in describing her and not an African-American because obviously she wanted nothing to do with Africa nor did she respect Africa in anyway because to her I was just another immigrant in “her country”. She all of a sudden had nothing to say about my statement on whether this was her country that I was in, but now her friend in an effort to protect her in her foolishness instead of urging her to just squash it as a friend who knows better and is looking out for the best interests of a friend would do- decided she was going to have something to say as well. She looks at me and proceeds to say “oh she thinks she is better than you because you are poor”. Once again I wanted to roll on the floor in laughter of hearing such idiocy that made no sense to me whatsoever since I don’t know how I would know she is poor unless I just chose to stereotype her by her behavior and looks, nor how I would think I am better than her when we were both on the same line waiting to make purchases from the same store. I went on to purchase by item and walked past her as she went out of her way to try to bump me – which I just laughed , shook my head and told her that I hope that made her day because if she took it any further I would have had her immediately arrested.

When you act like an animal, you deserve to be caged no matter your race, gender, socio-economic class, sexual preference etc. because as human beings the one empowering trait we have above animals is our cognitive skills to know right from wrong and to not just act out without thinking about the consequences of our actions-which seems to be lost to many particularly in this day and age of glorified violence/bullying on reality TV- particularly amongst women where there never seems to be any consequences- which is far from reality.

This took me back to many years of my own and many other Africans’ experience in the Diaspora, particularly when it relates to Black Americans and other Blacks in the Diaspora who have this unmitigated low self esteem, lack of self love and respect factor that automatically somehow makes them think Africans and others feel as if we are better than them just because we choose to carry ourselves differently with a type of dignity and self respect that is so called “foreign” to many. The struggle to make it outside of Africa for Africans is often even harder than to make it in Africa, but for most Africans failure is not an option because none of our lives are our own because we build ourselves up to build up our families, villages and nations- As the saying goes “it takes a village to raise a child” and each one of us willingly or unwillingly carries that pride or burden with every move in achievement that we make, so the least of our life problems are thinking that we are better than other Blacks in the Diaspora, but we definitely strive to be better Africans in representing our continent and nations while in the Diaspora as to not be lumped into any negative stereotypes -which we do feel we are better than!

These African filmmakers and actors beautifully and simply tell the stories of everyday life of everyday Africans in the Diaspora caught between the very fine balance of our two worlds that are often as much different as they are the same in many aspects of life, struggle and the constant pursuit of attaining happiness in our  African Dreams.  Please checkout these films and support the Global African film industry that is burgeoning from Africa to the Diaspora.

Directed by Andrew Dosunmu, RESTLESS CITY tells the story of a young man surviving on the fringes of New York City, where music is his passion, life is a hustle, and falling in love is his greatest risk. African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement will release the 2011 Official Sundance Selection in theaters, beginning April 27, 2012.

AFRICAN BOOTY SCRATCHER the short film by Nikyatu Jusu.
Prom nears and things seem to be spiralling out of control for the typically composed ISATU. In this coming of age story,West African tradition conflicts with American idealism and Isatu is forced to reassess her alliances.

Bronx Princess By Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed
Rocky Otoo is the Bronx-bred teenage daughter of Ghanaian parents, and she’s no pushover. She is a sassy high-achiever bound for college. With freedom in sight, Rocky rebels against her mother’s rules. When their relationship reaches a breaking point, Rocky flees to her father, a chief in Ghana. What follows is captured in Bronx Princess, a tumultuous coming-of-age story set in a homeland both familiar and strange. Her precocious — and very American — ideas of a successful, independent life conflict with her father’s traditional African values. Reconciling her dual legacies becomes an unexpected chapter in this unforgettable young woman’s education.

Prince of Broadway is the story of Lucky and Levon, two men whose lives converge in the underbelly of New York’s wholesale fashion district. Lucky, an illegal immigrant from Ghana, makes ends meet by soliciting shoppers on the street with knock-off brand merchandise. Levon, an Armenian-Lebanese immigrant, operates an illegal storefront with a concealed back room where counterfeit goods are showcased to interested shoppers. Lucky’s world is suddenly turned upside down when a child is thrust into his life by a woman who insists the toddler is his son. While Lucky copes with his new domestic dilemma, Levon struggles to save a marriage that is falling apart. The seedy side of the wholesale district is revealed through a journey that continually confronts the interplay between what is fake and what is real.
Set in the shadow of the Flatiron building and soaked in the colorful bustle of Broadway, the film is as much a brutal drama as it is a tender comedy. Shot in a fast-paced guerilla style that is akin to the hustler lifestyle, the film reveals the lives of immigrants in America seeking ideals of family and love, while creating their own knock-off of the American Dream.

SideBar
Interesting discussion of the Uncomfortable Truths

In honor of Ghana’s 55th year of Independence and women’s history month we honor and celebrate the daughters of Yaa Asentwaa- the image makers and global African powerhouses representing the future of the Black Star Nation of Ghana thru their powerfully creative endeavorers. March 6, 1967 Ghana was declared an independent African nation with the first globally recognized Black president who forever changed the global lexicon on what “Black Star Power” and “African Personality” was, is and will be.  Before Dr. Kwame Nkrumah stood at Black Star Square AKA Independence Square – there was Yaa Asantewaa who would forever epitomize why we call the continent with the most natural resources Mama Africa. Yaa Asantewaa showed why many African nations  are built on matriarchy and how the power of the women from village to city has always been there and will forever be there for the birth, nurturing , growth and progression of its future.  America may have Rosie the Riveter as their icon of unstoppable women who refuse to sit back  and be denied or have their freedom be deferred to their men to do right by them in a time of war; the women who gleefully say to their men anything you can do I can do better; however Rosie ain’t got nothing on Yaa.  Women of global Africa and in particular the women of the the Black Star Nation of Ghana will forever have the legacy and battle cry of Yaa Asantewaa empowering them in their sense of spirit and responsibility to building the future of Ghana as they consume & embody these words.

“Now I see that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our king. If it [was] in the brave days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokje, and Opoku Ware, chiefs would not sit down to see their king to be taken away without firing a shot. No European could have dared speak to chiefs of Asante in the way the governor spoke to you this morning. Is it true that the bravery of Asante is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this: if you, the men of Asante, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight! We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields.” Yaa Asantewaa-Queen King Of Kings…

Today we have great young women of global Africa continuing to build on this legacy, while remembering that Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah said “Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.”

Get to know some of the many women who I call  ”Daughters of Yaa Asantewaa” hailing from the Black Star Nation…The work of Independence Continues……

Politics & Governance

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….READ MORE HERE

By now most people have become familiar with the ICC (International Criminal Court ) in its bias to bring only African heads of states and criminals to justice as representative of the criminality of governance in the world. While the ICC maybe criticized particularly amongst Africans for its apparent bias, today I celebrate one of our own Daughters of Yaa Asantewaa showing that in order to have a say at the table of power , one must first have a seat at the table. Get to Know Judge Akua Kuenyehia….

“Akua Kuenyehia’s office, on the top floor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, is filled with Africa. There are maps of the continent, African art on the walls and a shelf of beautiful African carvings…Judge Kuenyehia, one of three female African judges at the ICC, is first vice-president of the court. And because all the cases currently at the ICC are African, the Ghanaian judge feels that her knowledge of her home continent serves her well…For example, she and her colleagues had to approve the forms that victims of war crimes fill in if they want to take advantage of the court’s unprecedented move to allow them to have a greater involvement in proceedings….”When people run away from conflict they often take nothing with them, so we cannot ask them to produce passports, email addresses or paperwork,” explained Judge Kuenyehia…As well as being first vice president, Judge Kuenyehia is also one of the judges in the pre-trial division, which deals with preliminary issues, including admissibility of cases and the confirmation of charges against an accused. This means she assesses all the evidence that Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo brings against a war crimes suspect, and decides with the other pre-trial judges whether a case should come to trial…A former lecturer in criminal law, gender law and international human rights law at the University of Ghana, Judge Kuenyehia has co-authored several books and influential papers on how law is interpreted and implemented throughout her continent. She told IWPR she has spent many hours arguing over cases with her husband, who is still a practising lawyer in Ghana…She has sought to encourage African women to gain a better understanding of the law, setting up networks of female professionals who go out into communities to promote awareness of legal rights and issues…She represented Ghana on the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, committee in 2003 and worked hard to contribute to its reputation and influence….READ MORE

Filmmakers

Filmmaking has grasped young Ghanaian women like wildfire in excellence amongst this new generation. There are a plethora of Ghanaian women filmmakers that are making their mark on the global film industry, while being in the forefront of building the African and in particular Ghanaian film industry, so many that I just can’t name them all, but be prepared to know their names because the takeover is coming to a theater/TV screen near you. We can not celebrate the future until we celebrate the past and in filmmaking there is no other woman representative of the Black Star Nation better than Auntie Efua AKA Efua Theodora Sutherland, whose own legacy continues through her charitable organization  Mmofra Foundation- where children and culture connect.

Efua Theodora Sutherland (1924-1996) renowned playwright from Ghana, affectionately called Auntie Efua, entered in the annals of African cinema history in 1967, in association with the production of Araba: The Village Story. The film was produced for the U.S. television network ABC to document the successful Atwia Experimental Community Theatre Project. The initiative is recognized worldwide as a pioneering model for the now popular Theatre for Development. She is well known and admired as dramatist and writer, continuing in her chosen field of drama having never produced another film. Her role as foremother in African cinema, documenting African culture and experiences, is indicative of the practices of many African women. Some women have entered filmmaking as a primary career, while others have used the moving image as a medium of expression in their work. And thus, Efua Sutherland was a devoted and passionate cultural producer whose vision and influence continue to reach far and wide. At the funeral of “Auntie Efua”, Kofi Anyidoho reflected on her life in this way:

“Dr. Efua Theodora Sutherland. ‘Auntie Efua’ is best known for her pioneering work as a cultural visionary and activist, her impact on society at once comprehensive and enduring. Teacher, research scholar, poet, dramatist, and social worker, she devoted her life to the building of models of excellence in culture and education, and to the training of young people who would carry her vision into the far future…” It was also in the final phase of her work that she gave to Ghana and the African world probably her grandest artistic vision for uplifting and reuniting African peoples through the arts—an original proposal for the Pan African Historical Theatre Festival, the Panafest Movement. This final gift underscores the significance she attached to connections between Africa and the Diaspora. She played a very critical role in the establishment of the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture. She belonged to an extensive global network of friends, many of them eminent creative minds….READ MORE

HERE…NOW… THE FUTURE ……

Amma Asante (born 1969) is a British Ghanaian writer/director/producer who has recently garnered the coveted big budget film project that many filmmakers dream of.  Amma’s first feature film A Way of Life was partly written to honor the Welsh identity of her niece and nephew. It won her a BAFTA (British Academy Film Award) for special achievement by a writer/director in a debut film. According to Amma “I found myself wanting to challenge the stereotypes, and show that people who seem different can be incredibly similar. I wanted to find the humanity that links us all, really. That’s what a good film is all about….” Amma’s second feature film of her career will be “Belle“ based on a true story of Dido Belle ( a mixed raced woman raised as an aristocrat in 18th-century England) projected at a budget of  over 10 million dollars.  Amma Asante is showing herself as a force to be reckoned with not only in the responsibility in educating the world on people like Dido Belle, but also being the manifestation of global filmmakers telling our global African stories all over the world.

“As a child, Asante attended the Barbara Speake stage school in Acton, London, where she trained as a student in dance and drama. She began her film and television career as a child actress, appearing as a regular in the British school drama Grange Hill. She fronted the “Just Say No” campaign of the 1980s and was one of nine Grange Hill children to take it to the Reagan White House. She went on to gain credits in other British television series including Desmond’s (Channel 4) and Birds Of A Feather (BBC1), and was a Children’s Channel presenter for a year. In her late teens, Asante left the world of acting behind and eventually made the move to screenwriting with a development deal from Chrysalis. Two series of the urban drama Brothers and Sisters followed, which Amma wrote and produced for her production company and BBC2. Asante’s 2004 feature film, A Way of Life, was her directorial debut. In November 2004 The London Film Festival awarded Asante the inaugural Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award, created to recognise the achievements of a new or emerging British writer/director who has shown great skill and imagination in bringing originality and verve to film-making. February 2005 saw Amma collect the award for The Times Breakthrough Artist of the Year at The South Bank Show Awards and nominations for Best Newcomer at both the Evening Standard and London Film Critics Awards. At the BAFTA Film Awards in February 2005 Asante received the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a Writer/Director in a debut film…Read More

I recently got to know filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu and found out she was part of  the petite spifires of the Black Star nation much like myself. I was happy to be introduced to her by our ever growing daughters of Yaa Asantewaa sisterhood slowly and steadily erecting globally, after first being introduced to her work “Me Broni Ba” AKA My White Baby-the bane of our colonial lexicon of affection in mental slavery . Akosua tackles a deeply seeded root from Africa to the Diaspora that have told generation after generation of global Africans that somehow being compared to White or Whiteness equates to being beautifully right. Akosua was 1 of 23 filmmakers selected to receive a Creative Capital 2012 grant for her upcoming project Black Sunshine which tackles yet another deeply seeded subject that is often untouchable not only in conversation let alone on full theatrical blast for the world to get in on the conversation of Albinism and the African perspective. As our global creatives continue our legacy, I look forward to having more and more of our stories told in our own voices.

“Akosua Adoma  Owusu is an award-winning filmmaker and artist of Ghanaian descent. A protege of prolific filmmaker, Kevin Jerome Everson, she received her MFA in the Schools of Film & Video and Fine Art at the California Institute of the Arts, and her BA at the University of Virginia. Owusu`s short film “ME BRONI BA” (“My White Baby”) garnered critical acclaim with screenings at over 60 international film festivals including Rotterdam, London Film Festival, Visions du Reel, Silverdocs, and the Cannes Film Festival at Short Film Corner. It was ranked Top 10 in the October Issue of ArtForum Magazine in 2010 and earned several Best Documentary awards, including a Golden Gate Award nomination in New Visions at the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival….Following the success of “ME BRONI BA,” Owusu`s next short work, “DREXCIYA”, was inspired by a myth of the Detroit-based techno band. It was praised at the 2011 Tarifa African Film Festival ‘for its radical nature’ and ‘poetic insight’ and went on to win Best Experimental Film at the Expresion en Corto Film Festival in Guanajuato, Mexico. Shortly after graduating from CalArts, she was the youngest of 42 black conceptual artists included in the group exhibition, 30 Seconds Off an Inch, at the famed Studio Museum in Harlem, where she also exhibited solo video projects. Her videos have shown at art venues including the Museum of Modern Art, Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid, the National Gallery of Art, Transformer Gallery, BOZAR, LA Freewaves, Vox Populi, Spaces Gallery, and The Luggage Store Gallery. She was also a featured artist at the 56th Robert Flaherty Film Seminar and a Directing Talent at the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Durban Talent Campus in South Africa….Owusu`s professional experiences include Development and Production internships at Echo Lake Productions and HBO Films. For the latter, she received an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences grant to provide post-production assistance on Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair. She participated on the screening committee and jury of AFI Silverdocs and Festival Des Trois Continents. One of five recipients and the first Ghanaian to receive the award, Owusu will be funded by Focus Features` Africa First Program to direct a short film entitled “KWAKU ANANSE”, an adaptation of a traditional Ghanaian folktale mixed with live action and animation. She is currently developing her first feature, “BLACK SUNSHINE”, about a young albino girl. The film participated in the “Produire au Sud” workshop in 2010 and the Amiens Script and Screenplay Development Fund in 2011. The feature is an international co-production with Owusu’s company, Obibini Pictures, musician Salif Keita, his Salif Keita Foundation, and Arizona Films based in France…. READ MORE

California based Leila Djansi is a rising star amongst Ghanaian filmmakers. With her  often controversial love/ hate relationship with Ghanaian media, it seems Ghanaian audiences just can’t seem to get enough of how beautifully she captures their nation and tells their stories, while bringing an international audience to Ghanaian films by making great choices in casting and telling stories that are relatable to the world. Leila’s films continue to win awards in Ghana and abroad. Sinking Sands was no different winning 3 out of the 9 nominations and her newest release “Ties That Bind” seems to be accumulating the same praises of fine filmmaking starring great global African actors like Kimberly Elise, Ama K. Abebrese and Omotola Ekeinde.

You are among a growing number of African women who have studied filmmaking in the United States. You began your career in Ghana before traversing the Atlantic. What was your experience with cinema growing up in Ghana?

It wasn’t an elaborate experience really because not much was going on then. But, what was ongoing was fun. From where I am now it seems very amateurish but its how I got here. I learned the basics and got myself fortified for where I am now.

What are some of the differences and similarities in working in Ghana and the United States? Do you bring both an US aesthetic and Ghanaian perspective to your work?

Apart from the US working environment being more conducive, really not that much difference. I do try to bring both aesthetics to bear. If you are going to make an appealing film, you must make it within an acceptable standard.

Among your film credits are, I Sing of a Well, Sinking Sands and the soon to be released Ties That Bind. What have been some highlights during the production of the films? How have they been received?

Highlights, they were all fun to make. Tears and Laughter. Money and No money. I Sing of a Well was not well received. Ghana is a very tricky and delicate place. The people’s minds get conditioned and it takes time to add more to what they already know. So from the get with I Sing of a Well, we made mistakes. Casting, budgets and logistics wise, we made grave mistakes. But all that was a learning process which made Sinking Sands a success and more acceptable….READ MORE

Shirley Frimpong-Manso seems to be the go to writer/director/producer amongst established and up and coming Ghanaian actors who want quality work locally that sets the bar higher than your average Nollywood or Ghallywood films. Shirley seems to bring the challenege that many Ghanaian actors need in pulling out academy award nominated and winning roles for some of Ghana’s top actors like Lydia Forson and Jackie Appiah. She is one of the few women filmmakers from Ghana who is making great strides and gaining international recognition while being based solely in Ghana.
“Frimpong-Manso is a founder and CEO of the film, television, and advertising production company Sparrow Productions. Frimpong-Manso “seeks to raise the standard of film production in Ghana and Africa by telling progressive African stories as seen through the eyes of Africans.”She won ‘Best Director’ at the African Movie Academy Awards 2010…. Read More

Sam Kessie, a London born,Ghana raised & now Atlanta residing writer/director/producer/set designer and all around film creator, who has done it all from the bottom up into an award winning filmmaker taking on the daunting & epic task of telling the story of one of Africa’s sports heroes,Azumah Nelson AKA The Professor, can now add 2012 Ghana Music Awards nomination to her accolades for her beautifully crafted video  “No One Knows” by M3NSA featuring Asa. Sam has made it her goal to follow in the footsteps of great women of Ghana like Auntie Efua by also setting up her own charitable foundation The TKAFoundation or (Tomorrow’s Kaleidoscope of Artists) which raises funding in support of the arts along with teaching the freedom in filmmaking to Ghana’s disadvantaged youth.   ….Read More

FASHION

All you have to do is step off the plane at Kotoko airport to know that Ghana is where it’s at for fashion on the continent. I maybe biased but if you don’t believe me ask Franca Sozzani of Italian Vogue. It seems the world is delightfully enthralled with everything African these days and nowhere is the demand and elation of endless satiation more felt than what is being called the new renaissance of African fashion. For decades the grand dame of New York fashion week’s front rows, Zelda Kaplan had been wearing and telling everyone about her insatiable love and passion for African fashion, or as she tells it  ”Primitive Cultures”. This year in the most dramatic fashion forward of ways Zelda died sitting in her front row seat adorned in her beautiful primitive fashion without the show even stopping. Well Ms. Zelda,may the notion of “Africa as primitive culture” get laid to rest with you in fashion’s past because today’s African fashion innovators are far from primitive and have been steadily challenging the many preconceived and adopted notions about what African fashion is all about. There are countless male and female fashion designers doing the damn thing globally while raising the Black Star flag, but here a just a few of Yaa Asantewaa’s daughters of fashion that you should get to know.

Mimi Plange to me is the budding female version of Oswald Boateng, representing Ghana on a global high end level without utilizing the expected fabrications and stylings of what is traditionally seen as Ghanaian or African, yet making everyone proud from Ghana to the Diaspora in knowing that their brands represent the best in quality globally . Mimi is slowly and steadily becoming the new young talent that is the toast of the town amongst fashion elites like Andre Leon Talley, whom she counts as a mentor along with collaborating with the Sex and the City’s fashion god of sexy to die for footwear (until the red bottom takeover), Manolo Blahnik.

“With a mother who modeled for Ghanaian magazine Drum, Accra-born Mimi Plange has loved fashion from an early age, sketching under the guidance of an architect uncle. She learned the trade as a freelance contractor, first as a women’s designer at Rachel Roy. For her fall/winter collection under the label Boudoir d’Huitres, the designer presented 28 looks inspired by her homeland in a loft-like space with a sense of professionalism and a keen eye for editing…Her fourth collection shows just how adept she is at finessing her ideas into shapes geared to an upscale consumer who wants to dress in a variety of ways—she’s no Jane One-Note. She took the idea of African scarification to come up with the zigzag concepts on simple white sheaths, as well as for her cool biker trousers in luxe leather teamed up with a camel-hair T-shirt. She has a refined sense of fabric and mixes the rich copper tones of the African plains in wonderful little dry wool slip-like dinner dresses, some falling from jeweled halters, and others draped origami-style in bustiers that are flattering, not just a design conceit…READ MORE

Christie Brown is the go to designer at home in Ghana where she too brings Haute Couture to the home grown fashion in crowd by utilizing traditional fabrications with untraditional structuring of beautiful fashion creations. With a newly opened boutique in the hot shopping district of Osu,where foreign currency is king- Christie Brown will be sure to draw in her fair share of locals and visitors looking for top quality high fashion with dollars, pounds, euros and cedis to spare.

“Aisha Obuobi – creative director and founding partner of Christie Brown Ltd – began her love affair with fashion at an early age. Her grandmother, who the brand is named after, was a seamstress so she grew up watching Ms. Christie Brown, stooped over a sewing machine, creating beautiful clothes…like pieces of art – out of rich, vibrant materials. As a little girl, she reveled in playing with shreds of African print material and designed mini collections for her favourite dolls…Aisha started this label whilst in her final year at the University of Ghana, Legon, where she majored in Psychology and she is driven by the desire to create beautiful pieces that will enhance the natural beauty in Christie Brown’s clients. In 2009, Aisha won the highly coveted “Emerging Designer of the Year” award at the inaugural Arise Fashion Week, in South Africa. She was invited to sit on a panel at the African Economic Forum, which took place at Columbia University, New York, and Marie Claire (international) featured Aisha as one of twenty-one “Daring Women of 2010″, noting the “the energy, the courage, the creativity,” and “the drive” behind her work.…” Read More

As far as fashion journalism goes there is no other than Ghana’s own Zandile Blay. I first met Zandile during the time when she used to curate networking events for fashionistas while complaining about having to travel to London again for a lengthy period for work and study- poor thing-LOL! Those days have come and gone with stints at Paper Magazine and Huffington Post, but Zandile has continued to establish herself in the cutthroat world of global fashion journalists while still steadily letting the world know about all things beautiful that Africa has to offer thru her labor of love Africa Style Daily. Zandile while writing about the world of global fashion has also been the subject of many writers who also celebrate her “it girl” fashion sensibilities. Zandile recently penned a New York fashion week story letting Huffington Post readers know about the African fashion invasion that is slowly creeping up in the fashion world, ready for its close up!

“From the exuberant sexiness of HVS to the sumptuous elegance of David Tlale to the architectural austerity of Telfar, their labels show an African aesthetic that goes beyond ‘Tribal Prints.’ Yet, that we are even exposed to their aesthetic at all speaks of their greatest triumph: an ability to break into the West despite scarce resources, scant mentorship and few mainstream fashion contacts. In fact with the exception of Plange, who counts Duro Olowu and Andre Leon Talley as mentors, almost none of the designers above can boast of similar connections. In addition, they seem far from being on the radar of career-changing program’s like the CFDA Fund, Ecco Domani Fashion Fund or W Hotels’ recently launched Fashion Next…To solve this, these enterprising African designers are leveraging alternate methods like Twitter and Facebook to gain support and exposure…” READ MORE

Belinda Baidoo is a model, new mom and entrepreneur leading the way with others who are looking to change the face of Ghana’s fashion with upscale styled boutiques sprouting up along the busy international area of Osu in the capital city of Accra. As they say home is where the heart is and Belinda’s love for fashion is being developed at home in Ghana where she began her career as a model. Belinda opened the b2 models agency to give aspiring Ghanaian models the mentorship and opportunity  to blaze their own trails right along her own. Belinda first came on the scene after winning Top Model of Afrique in 1998 & then went on to sign with a Q model management , one of the top agencies in New York-known to many as the global fashion capital of the world. Belinda has been seen on billboards, advertisements in New York’s infamous Times Square along with international fashion magazine spreads and major Ad. Campaigns for international companies such as: Guinness, L’Oreal, Nike, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Motorola. Belinda has also been featured in international publications such as Vogue, Essence and Cosmopolitan, just to name a few. Belinda thru her modeling agency  b2Models continues to mentor & develop Ghana’s international models of the future.

Cultural Curators

The great writing daughters of Yaa Asantewaa like Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and Ayesha Harruna Attah are telling the beautiful stories of the Ghanaian experience in literary form with their books Powder Necklace and Harmattan Rain, while what I call cultural curators of our generation are utilizing multimedia platforms to continue the oral, written and visual history of our global African experience.  There are so many cultural curators amongst the daugthers of Yaa Asantewaa who are finally coming into their own and getting their just due proudly preserving the culture of Ghana/Africa while maintaining the balance of sharing the culture through a global creative lens.

I recently had the pleasure of finally meeting Nana Oforiatta-Ayim on her travel to New York to showcase her work as part of The New Museum’s Triennial entitled “The Ungovernables” – showing until April 22, 2012. Nana was first introduced to me by iconic living legend of photography, James Barnor because of our collective dedication to see the wonderful artistic cultural history of Ghana preserved and well showcased for generations to come. We are now on course to build our global Black Star Collective in honor of Yaa Asantewaa and Dr. Nkrumah by putting Africa first because we know that Africa was the beginning and is the future.

“Nana Oforiatta Ayim is a cultural historian, writer and filmmaker based in Accra and London. She is currently working on a research publication and exhibition for the EU/AU on cultural heritage and contemporary arts institutions in Africa with architect David Adjaye (2011, Bozar, Brussels) and a book on Ghanaian photographer James Barnor (2010, Trolley Books, London). Her writing has appeared in publications such as The National Geographic, The Statesman, The Dubliner and Time Out. She has lectured and presented her scholarship at Universities, including Cambridge, Kumasi, London and Oxford. She has curated exhibitions and events for institutions such as The British Council, The British Museum, The Liverpool Biennial, The Royal Festival Hall and The Victoria and Albert Museum. In her fiction and short films she deals with the themes of translation and the gaps within language. Her first fiction book ‘The Tightrope Walker’ will be published in May 2010. Her films have been nominated for awards at various festivals, such as The Milan African Film Festival, The RAI Ethnographic Film Festival and The Real Life Documentary Film Festival. They have also been shown at venues such as The Museum of African Diaspora and used in university curricula. She is a founding director of ANO, a non-profit organization dedicated to the interface of culture and development in Africa and its Diaspora. She has an MA in African Art History and is completing a PhD in African Languages and Cultures at the University of London...” [Credit:This is My Africa]

I was introduced to Yaba Blay’s documentary (1)ne Drop dealing with the never ending issue of identity politics and colorism amongst Blacks in America before I ever knew it was done by a Ghanaian, then I learned that this Ghanaian professor was young, in touch and will organize the daughters in a quick New York City minute if  and when ever she sees our young girls and boys being disrespected  and led astray by the likes of those in and outside of our community.  Yaba Blay and other non-Ghanaian daughters of Yaa Asantewaa created  ”We Are the 44% ” coalition to bring much needed awareness to violence against young Black and Latina girls.  Blay does not only act from the heart of a mother at these times but also from the power of the legacy of Yaa Asantewaa fully locked & loaded to defend and protect the culture.

“Yaba Amgborale Blay is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Lafayette College where she also teaches courses in Women’s & Gender Studies. She received a BA in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Salisbury State University, an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of New Orleans, an M.A. and Ph.D. in African American Studies and Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Temple University. Prior to her tenure at Lafayette College, she taught African American Studies at Temple University, African and African Diasporan Studies at Florida International University, and Africana Studies at Lehigh University. Professor Blay has developed and taught such courses as Engendering Black Popular Culture, the Politics of Hip Hop Culture, Black Images in the Media, Dimensions of Racism, and Black Feminisms….”Yaba’s research interests are related to Africana cultural aesthetics and aesthetic practices, the politics of embodiment and African/Black identities, issues of gender in Africa and the Diaspora, Black popular culture, and critical media literacy. Her dissertation, Yellow Fever: Skin Bleaching and the Politics of Skin Color in Ghana, relies upon African-centered and African feminist methodologies to investigate the social practice of skin bleaching in Ghana….” READ MORE

As a a long time fan of WBAI, it’s always great to hear a Ghanaian voice even if it comes in a British accent-LOL! Esther Armah is not only a sweet in the morning radio voice but also a writer whose first book “Can I Be Me” -a collection of essays about her travels as a journalist navigating her Black British identity across Africa & America- hit the top 10 list for best selling books for January and February on the website African American Literature Book Club dedicated to books by and about global Africans/Black people.

“Esther Armah is a radio & tv host, playwright and award-winning international journalist. In New York, she hosts Wake Up Call, WBAI 99.5FM’s morning show and is a regular commentator and guest host on GRITtv with Laura Flanders  and MNN’s Ancestor House with Camille Yarbrough. Esther has written extensively on African Diaspora issues for The Guardian in London, Essencemagazine in the US and West Africa magazine in Africa and Europe. The themes of her written work are reflected in the issues portrayed  in Armah’s four New York stage plays,  Can I Be Me? Forgive Me? Entitled! and SAVIOUR? Esther is the creator and moderator of ‘Afrolicious: an Emotional Justice Arts and Conversation’ series in New York. A global citizen, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York…(Source Here)

PHILANTHROPISTS

To say June Sarpong is a trailblazer is to say the least about her many accomplishments. This young icon of British television has become one of the best known Ghanaian philanthropist with honours from Buckingham Palace as an ambassador of  the Prince’s Trust along with being a Co-Founder with her fellow Bristish Ghanaian and former Hollywood executive Dee Poku of W.I.E (Women: Inspiration and Enterprise) – an organization that empowers and inspires women through its websites, symposiums and community.

“This month’s profile is a TV/radio personality who was at the forefront of urban youth TV programmes during my teenage years.  In era where “dark skin” women were not shown much love on TV she was a pioneer of the “young black female presenter”, here’s her story; Sarpong was born in London to Ghanaian parents. She was educated at Connaught Girls School in Leytonstone and Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow. She began her media career with Kiss 100 and later became an MTV UK & Ireland presenter (MTV Dance Floor Chart and MTV Select show). As the one of the female faces of Channel 4’s Sunday morning strand T4 for the last nine years, she interviewed Tony Blair for a T4 special, When Tony Met June which aired in January 2005. She also runs her own production company, Lipgloss Productions. Projects in development include a sitcom and a programme on climate change…In recent years, Sarpong has presented other series including Your Face Or Mine?, a game show co-hosted with Jimmy Carr for E4; Dirty Laundry, an urban talk-show which was an original idea of Sarpong’s; Playing It Straight, a dating game-show filmed in Mexico for Channel 4, and Sarpong has presented the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party and the Party In The Park. Sarpong is a regular at the MOBO Awards and has presented them for three years in a row. She has also appeared on BBC Television’s Question Time, 8 out of 10 Cats, and Have I got news for you. She also has appeared on the programme, Never mind the buzzcocks and introduced reports on youth culture for This Week. In 2006 she hosted ITV2′s WAGs Boutique. Sarpong has also appeared on the third series of Bo Selecta…)…Sarpong is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and also campaigns for the Make Poverty History movement. In April 2005 she visited Ghana to make a film for Make Poverty History. She also hosted the major Make Poverty History event in London’s Trafalgar Square in summer 2005 on behalf of Nelson Mandela and Bob Geldof. Also On 7 July 2007 Sarpong presented at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London…Probably her most significant honour to date came at the age of twenty nine and after six years as a broadcaster, she was awarded an MBE in the 2007 New Year Honours List for “services to broadcasting and charity”…. READ MORE

Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo while building her career in editorial positions at globally known publications like Seventeen and Essence, established her charitable organization African Health Now to make sure that global Africans without money and insurance would be able to have basic healthcare after the personal experience of her father suffering a heart attack in Ghana catapulted her to seek to make a difference for others who are less fortunate financially but just as deserving of proper healthcare. Nana’s annual healthcare drives in Ghana where she comes as mother Christmas, fundraising and organizing Ghanaians to come together to take care of the basic healthcare needs of our communities has now been expanded to include the diaspora with an ever growing number of global Africans unable to receive basic healthcare because of lack of insurance and money.

“In 2006 my father suffered a heart attack in a taxi cab after leaving the hospital and being treated for numbness in the leg. Considering that at my father’s age at the time he was 68, any US hospital would have automatically checked his heart and other vitals especially if he came in for numbness in the leg or any lack of mobility of the leg or arms. However that is not the case in Ghana, at most hospitals you could barely get to see a doctor let alone have someone run your vitals. And though we were fortunate enough to have the means to get him better care, it made me wonder what happens to people who don’t have the means. And who speaks for them? ” READ MORE

Rebekah Frimpong -Filmmaker/Poet/Mentor/Activist and Philanthropist has manifested her words “Revolution over loot! Africa must be free in our hearts, Africa is our home only we can change the landscape of tomorrow”, as she works tirelessly to keep her dreams of being a great filmmaker alive while helping others manifest their dreams through her philanthropic work  with her Mama Africa charitable program. Rebekah is constantly on the move in creativity with all her heart and soul poured into project after project regardless of the obstacles and challenges put in her way as a filmmaker and philanthropist.

“Rebekah A. Ofori-Frimpong was a Miss Ghana Africa USA 2010/11 finalist in the Miss Africa USA 2010/11 Pageant , she is also a mentor, teacher, filmmaker, and activist.  As a Miss Ghana USA 2010/11 finalist, she pushed for a platform of Global Health for Africa and for Africans living in the United States.  She believes that a new face of African health is possible by encouraging African people to empower themselves through healthy lifestyles.  Her approach to Global Health and presenting a new face of African health is to connect communities in the United States and Africa through a three tier approach that will encompass social, environmental, and preventative measures in relation to improving health conditions worldwide.  She attributes her success to her mother and the many strong women in her life.  She has studied Public Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and has a pre-med degree in psychology and life science from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has had many years of experience in clinical research, education, women’s health, and environmental studies.  She developed MaMa Africa concept four years ago after working with teenage mothers in Virginia.  The MaMa Africa program, Rebekah hopes will be something that can be implemented around the world and she aims to reach at least 1, 000 mothers by 2012…” READ  MORE

Menaye Donkor Muntari- former Miss Universe Ghana 2003, Model, Actress, Philanthropist prides herself in being an image role model for young girls, particularly young global African girls, by promoting a healthy body image that comes with self love and confidence. Menaye’s modeling career and editorial credits span from Africa to Europe and America including being the only African woman featured in Fox Sports sexiest World Cup WAGs (Football wives & girlfriends) in 2010 along with a feature in Maxim Magazine’s Italian edition ,just to name a few. Menaye has an ongoing health & fitness blog with OK! Magazine’s Famously Fit and will be a guest judge on the African based Project Runway styled show entitled “Fashion Power” shooting in Ghana & Nigeria. Menaye is not only a beautiful model, but also a great philanthropist who recently commissioned an ICT center at her namesake charity school for boys and girls in Ghana. Menaye has been a great role model for young girls in Ghana with her push for education, AIDS awareness and her upcoming new fashion based shows making the dreams of young fashion designers and fashionistas from Ghana come true with an opportunity for mentorship and to promote their designs internationally. The Menaye International School in the central region of Ghana offers free education to over 150 underprivileged children and she continues to build a brighter future for Ghana one child at a time.

MUSIC IS A WEAPON

The daughters of Yaa Asantewaa have taken over the music world in the craziest of ways from opera, to rap, to R& B, to dance, to hip-hop, to pop and all sorts of mixtures and inflections brought together thru their global African experiences. These women know the power of music and they use it as a weapon to tell our global African stories while debunking the myth of a singular African sound. There are so many greats musically coming out of this generation but here are  a few of the ones to watch.

Born in Battersea to Ghanaian parents, Tawiah’s soulful rock melodies with gospel inflections compliment her quirky rainbow child punk rock fashion stylethat is very much her own. One can clearly hear & see the culmination in adaption of her personal influences which she touts as Kim Burrell, Björk, Radiohead, Erykah Badu & Ella Fitzgerald as her musical favorites & Vivenne Westwood as her fashion favorite. Tawiah comes to us from the Brit School peforming academy in London,which boasts recent success stories like Amy Winehouse, Adele & Leona Lewis. Tawiah’s short resume in music is impressive as she has rocked the stage singing backup for Corinne Bailey Rae & touring with uber producer Mark Ronson’s band. Taiwah recently inked a deal with Warner Music Group & is ready to take the world by storm as yet another child of the Black Star nation who will meet a meteoric rise to fame!

Vienna-born and raised, with parents from Ghana, Anbuley is a vocalist with presence and a style that sticks in the mind. She’s also got an unerring sensibility when it comes to drawing on those roots of hers to make inspired dance music…’The singer started out adding her resonant voice to some deep, Africa-inspired bass tracks with producers like Bert on Beats and Ku Bo. If you heard those, you remember them. Last year, she put out her equally memorable Tsakemo EP, followed by the Kemo’ Yoo Keke EP on Austria’s Seayou Records.The cuts mix the stunning efficiency of Euro dance with the organic power of the traditional music Anbuley grew up with. A lot of that power is channeled through her voice. And it sounds even more heavy when you know “Kemo’ Yoo Keke” is about not letting people push you around….” READ MORE

While American Hip-Hop connoisseurs debate over whether the Australian import and newly signed artist on T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, Iggy Azalea, or the toast of European fashion couture houses and Harlem stunner Azealia Banks are the two to watch in the new renaissance of female MC’s to give the reigning queen Nicki Minaj a run for her money and talent; the other side of the atlantic is toasting Ghana’s own dominating female MC and Queen of Azonto, Tiffany, who will be making her US debut at Ghana’s 55th Independence Concert on March 17th, 2012 at the Armenia Hall Ballroom produced by Boogie Down Nima Productions.

Rhian Benson Born in Accra, and raised in Wales, Ghana and India, Rhian grew up in a very musical environment. Her Welsh mother was an accomplished singer, and her father, an Ashanti naval officer, is a gifted guitarist. Rhian started playing piano at the age of nine and picked up guitar soon after and before long, a budding singer songwriter. Behind the warm honeyed voice is a sharp mind, Rhian gained an economics degree at the London School of Economics and worked in banking in the City for a time, a somewhat stark contrast to her own desires for a life in music. Her studies continued at Harvard in America, until her mother fell ill and Rhian returned home to care for her ailing mother. With time to think she found healing and release in music and decided to chase her singing dreams, feeling as though it was a risk worth taking in order to dance her heart’s dreams into life. With the help of Danish rising star production duo, Daniel Fridell and Jonas Rendbo, Rhian has diligently and lovingly cooked up the ingredients for her new album title ‘Hands Clean’ to be released in early 2011. HANDS CLEAN is a refreshing departure from Rhian’s previous work. Rhian’s well known sultry vibes are teamed with a collection of pulsating electronic grooves to introduce her fans to a hidden ground where Sade meets DJ Shadow. This is a bold album that dares to redefine modern soul music. Rhian has been nurturing her expressive style and is looking forward to showing the world more of her exquisite soulful sound. Everything about this album has been organic and refreshing, and Rhian is quoted as saying: “I met Jonas and Daniel for a brief writing session in Copenhagen a while ago and we just hit it off immediately, the guys were so passionate about creating truthful music that speaks from the soul to the soul. They instantly understood the sound and feel I was looking for… so I asked them to produce the entire album with me and I thank God they said yes!’ Rhian’s sophomore album -‘Hands Clean’- represents a strong evolution of her unique style and ventures into fresh and bold sonic terrain for the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter. These confessional tales of love and life represent a new direction for this singular artist as she journeys beyond the ‘Gold Coast’. “I experienced great change in my life since writing my first album so when I began writing ‘Hands Clean’ all I wanted to do was create a sound that in some way captured that state of flux”. READ MORE

As far as an authetic soul sound of Ghana goes there is no other than the reigning queen Rebecca Acheampong, AKA Becca, who has taken Ghana and Africa at large by storm with powerful music celebrating positivity, womanhood and sisterhood.  The glowing beauty of Becca shines as bright as a black star on a clear moonlit night when she calls us to Push and bring the Fire of  an African woman.

“Becca, the latest sensation in Ghana Music. The beautiful, simple and young looking 22 year old lady, an old student of Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast and Croydon College in London where she attained her certificate in Child Care and Education is back to her motherland Ghana to prove what she is made of…”. READ MORE

And Then there’s the incomparable Ghanaian Hungarian who goes by the name Sena. Sena is amongst the many European daughters of Yaa who are taking over the world of truly global music with versatility and their pulse firmly placed in their African foundation, such as  German Ghanaian songstress Y’akoto . To say the world needs a bit of Sena Dagadu in their life is truly an understatement because Sena’s effortlessly powerful voice resonates within the soul with that sort of soothing satiation that makes one remember why music is as essential to life as water and should be cherished in pure love. Yes I am a big fan of Sena, whether she is lending her voice to the reggae rhythms of her band Irie Maffia, taking us through the journey of global Jazz’s soul with Forward Ever or Barabas Lorinc Eklektric, FOKN’ around with the Bois in Ghana and Budapest or blowing our minds with another unexpected solo project that introduces us to a new sound in how we hear Shakespeare’s sonnets. Sena is the truth, fully representing for Hungary and the Black Star Nation of Ghana as a musical daughter who would make Yaa Asantewaa proud as she takes over the world with her electrifying sound. Now sit back and enjoy a truly independent global Black Star experience!

“The Future of Ghana is Bright …provided our leaders will make good use of financial resources…I believe that Ghana can do much better by investing in its people. I think that if you don’t provide education and training at all levels, we will miss that boat because Paradise is right here in Ghana. I believe it…I think we have a great Ghana but we have more to go but we have all the pieces in place to polish up into a wonderful place…God put us at the center of the universe for a reason. We are the shining bright start of Africa and I think Ghana is coming into its own…I also believe that Ghanians this year have taken a whole new appreciation for Ghana, but at the bottom of it is we need to work out our economics because at the end of the day it boils down to our economic strength apart from our spiritual strength. We’re thru with poverty, we’re thru with being highly indebted anything, we’re thru… I think we are going to a new place, completely new and it will have nothing to do with the spirit of poverty because there’s a spiritual awakening also happening right now in Ghana and that awakening is also identifying what that spirit of poverty looks like and we will have nothing to do with it. I think 10 years from now if we should have this interview again , we’ll be telling a different story…”

“I want to see a time when the children of Africa will not have a need to go overseas to make it..” Princess Asie Ocansey- CEO Neko Tech Centre -Daughters of Yaa Asantewaa

Photo Credit HERE

It seems every single year since I have been old enough to be interested in watching the Oscars, I have heard the same narrative from Black America talking about lack of inclusion and how Hollywood has no respect for Black stories  and  Black actors, and how they choose to tell the same single story about Blackness and reward the same types of roles when it comes to Black actors. Well this year on the 84th year of the Oscars, the narrative is sadly no different. I have had to watch a Black woman defend herself to her own people & literally strip herself down to her bare essence of Blackness to take her power in claiming that her voice too is relevant in the bigger picture; and I must say Ms. Viola Davis has done it beautifully in making me a believer and pumping my fist in solidarity with her and the many others who have had to bare this cross & burden voluntarily or involuntarily in being the voice & hope of  the much too often silenced people through the usual loud voices of our intellectuals in shaming, dooming & glooming future Blackness.

We fail to see the danger in our telling of our own single story of pain, slavery, colonization, disenfranchisement and blaming of Hollywood and everyone within earshot of our wrath for exclusion and lack of opportunity in being given the chance to tell our own stories and to claim our own freedom and destiny in progress and achievement. We continue this same narrative generation after generation wondering why we can’t seem to move forward in living up to and claiming our full destiny, while often forgetting the narrative of self determination that brought us out of slavery, colonization and having to beg for the crumbs off the table of those who once owned us and saw us as lesser than themselves.

Today, as I watch the people of Senegal & many other global Africans continue to fight for their freedom from within the confines of leaders who look just like them without a care in the world from Black media outlets consumed with the fight against Hollywood , The Help and Chris Brown and Rihanna- all I could think of is whatever happened to the days of Pan-Africanism , when we saw and believed that we as global Africans had one struggle and that our liberation depended upon the unity in the collective of our priorities in fighting against that struggle. As Dr. Kwame Nkrumah said “Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift.Thy claim it as their own and none can keep it from them. We face neither East nor West: We Face Forward. ”

We as a community take every opportunity to tighten the noose of Black Liberation around Tyler Perry’s neck in continuing to only see and to tell the narrative of the darkness of black without looking beyond our self righteous noses and personal disdain in seeing and telling the story of liberation brought on by a Black man who never gave up on his dream in order to get to the point where many had hoped our chosen one Spike Lee would have gotten by the same will and spending power of our people. Every time we choose to voice our disdain for Tyler Perry , we must remember that we are voicing our disdain for our own people in our own community because they willed him into existence, just in the same vain that every time we cheer on Spike Lee’s expletive driven tirades of disdain for Hollywood and Tyler Perry , we should remember that it is in calling and begging to be given  some crumbs off of the table of the same master which we are told  time and time again has to give us the green light to be able to tell our own stories and to do right by ourselves in freeing ourselves. As the saying goes “don’t bite the hand that feeds you“. If we want to be consumed with gaining acceptance and accolades from Hollywood instead of looking to our global billion plus selves, who have built industries in Africa and continue to get accolades throughout the world for their own self determination in building toward our global rise and recognition, then we must learn to fall back as the servants of those who we beg to feed us financially, spiritually , creatively and literally in attaining our daily bread- while dismissing the idea of what can be if we changed our mindset and invested in ourselves globally.

“Any leadership that teaches you to depend on another race, is a leadership that will enslave you” Marcus Garvey Jr.

Why did it take “The Help” to be written and put on an international screen by White people for Black America to all of a sudden realize that there had to be responsibility taken in telling the story of our domestic workers when we have had many platforms for many years to tell their stories locally and globally? Why did we have to wait for George Lucas to take 23 years to give us “Red Tails”, when we have had these stories and have been making films far better with lesser budgets than Red Tails? We fail to take ourselves to task in only utilizing our platforms as writers, journalists, filmmakers, investors, commentators, bloggers, pundits and town criers only when the time of outrage calls for it because we seem to be stuck in the narrative of our pain and struggle, which we are complicit in constantly selling to the world.  Did these stories not exist before and will they not continue to exist long after “The Help” is nothing but Oscar’s past?

With all the Black millionaires and billionaires that we celebrate in the frivolousness of their expenditures, why do we not take them and ourselves to task for the fact that after so many years of slavery and Civi Rights- we are still begging for Hollywood and White people at large to give us the opportunity to tell our own stories? We refuse to take the Oprah’s of the world to task for having the power and platforms to do just that by saying they have done enough for Black people and that they can spend their money however they want and don’t owe Black people anything, yet we somehow feel justified in saying Hollywood and White people at large somehow should spend their money on us in giving us the opportunities to tell our own stories because of the free labor given by our ancestors and those who came before us- without ever seeing the fact that those who came before us also gave the Oprah’s, BET’s,  Edmond’s Entertainment’s, RLJ Development’s and so many other Black owned platforms the same opportunity with their free labor and hard work toward change, freedom and progress to exist and to continue the work that they started in lifting our communities locally and globally by telling our own stories.

To somehow have greater expectations of those outside of ourselves than those within ourselves is by far the epitome of the dangerous depths of mental enslavement. Continuing to make the narrative about how racist Hollywood is and in the same breath begging them for inclusion to me is pretty much the same as talking about how racist the KKK is & then trying to change their mindset by begging them for Black inclusion. Would having Black membership change the fundamental business model, practices and foundation of the KKK? Business is about competition and in business you are only as good as your lack of competition in alternative choice in whatever you are selling to potential customers, so let’s focus on getting in the race for what we feel we deserve and truly competing instead of hoping for our competitors to somehow go out of business or change their business model in order for us to be able to survive and to have an opportunity to reach the top. Team Work Makes the Dream Work. Why should it ever be OK for someone like Oprah to create a whole network and have Black people as an after thought when ratings are down, and somehow have her partners blatantly say that they will not be “selling out” by totally investing all efforts in targeting the Black community; yet it is not OK or somehow racist when Hollywood and White people at large say and do the same?

“We’re not going to sell out and just chase one demographic or segment,” he said. “We’re going to nurture the success we had with “Sweetie Pies.” The Oprah brand is very broad. How we translate that to the screen is the challenge we have.” READ MORE

This is not by any means an indictment on Oprah personally because we all know that she has and continues to do her part for the advancement of our community; Rather this is a wake up call for us to realize that Hollywood and White people at large have always been consistent in their narrative toward us just as much as we have been consistent in our narrative toward ourselves and them. We are the ones that have become disconnected, confused  and inconsistent in being the change we want to see not Hollywood or White people at large because they are just fine with seeing us where we are because it is often beneficial to them. We somehow find it OK to be disrespectful of our elders like Bill Cosby who gave the entire world a different narrative of the Black family and Blackness that was foreign to many, without realizing that we are the ones who dropped the ball from what he and many others like him started in putting in the work and according to conspiracy theorists going even as far as having his only son inadvertently as the sacrificial lamb in silencing him to make sure his dream of wanting to see us reach higher heights by buying NBC to make sure we had a seat at the global networks table was never realized.

As we come to the close of Black History Month in America, I hope Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer both win the Oscars for “The Help” and that it continues to eat up the souls of all those who are completely against this Oscar narrative to take personal responsibility in doing better by knowing better because more often than not in our history our leaders who we now admire, celebrate and quote had their dreams and missions of empowerment and advancement of us as a people taken down by their own in being the perfect pawns for those who continue to benefit from the danger of our own single story. I hope before all of you watch the Oscars today that you listen to the words of Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis to Tavis Smiley and look at the bigger picture by looking at the man and woman in the mirror, whether you agree with them or not and make that change that you want to see because if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed…“Being black is not a matter of pigmentation – being black is a reflection of a mental attitude. Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time. The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Black man, you are on your own…” Stephen Bantu Biko

“Emancipate Yourself from Mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds” Bob Marley

“Show a people as 1 thing, as only 1 thing over & over again & that is what they become. Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story”

“And that’s what people want to see when they go to the theater. I believe at the end of the day, they want to see themselves – parts of their lives they can recognize. And I feel if I can achieve that, it’s pretty spectacular.…And this is what was fascinating to me about ‘The Help’; they were ordinary people who did extraordinary things.…Can I just tell you, I think it’s the most beautiful thing about young people today, it gives me so much hope for the future, that they don’t really recognize race the way my generation does…” Viola Davis

“We don’t have to wait for someone to greenlight our projects we can create our own intersections..we don’t just have to act in the sitcom, we can own the show & the network..we don’t have to be at the end of the line waiting for a hand out, we can be at the front giving a hand up..we don’t have to wait for somebody to give us 40 acres & a mule we can buy our own.. U can b born into a whole lot of a nightmare but God can usher u into a dream” Tyler Perry

“We will never survive as a group until we get into communities & not neighborhoods…We’ve been so busy dealing with the hurt & pain & the misery & glamorizing a hand few that have made it, that we have never really looked at like the say your role model ..if u haven’t got a role model in ur house then u should fall on ur knees & pray to God because something is wrong” #ItTakesAVillage….

As Bob Marley said “I don’t come to Bow, I came to Conquer “. After so many changes in direction, directors & dates in order for the Marley family to feel comfortable & proud with a documentary worthy of the one called Marley’s conquering spirit,  the much awaited & lovingly anticipated Marley documentary has finally been released for all to see, well those who received the invite to the 62nd Berlin Film Festival AKA Berlinale. The rest of us will have to wait until it hits theaters in April.

“The Bob Marley documentary Marley will stream on Facebook simultaneously during its theatrical opening, a signal that social media may also play a role in shifting movie release windows.” READ MORE

“This is my identity…My life is only important if mi can help plenty people, if me, my life is for me, my own security, then me don’t want it, my life is for people… possession mek u rich? I don’t have that type of richness, my richness is life” Bob Marley

“BERLIN (Reuters) – Oscar-winning documentary maker Kevin Macdonald has made what critics are calling the definitive biography of reggae legend Bob Marley, aided by the singer’s family and record label who have given the project their blessing.”I just felt like there weren’t any good films about him and a lot of misinformation,” Macdonald told Reuters this week…”I wanted to make a very simple film. It’s the most conventional film I think I ever made, very straight forward, just trying to be a detective and uncover the truth about his life and the truth about his character.”…”Marley,” too long for some reviewers at 144 minutes, features interviews with Marley’s children, his wife Rita, friends and a former bandmate, as well as concert footage. And with his record label Island also on board, the soundtrack speaks for itself. The first authorized film of his life had its premiere at the Berlin film festival, and while questions about Marley remain, it goes some way to revealing the man behind the myth…” READ MORE

The most interesting things that director  Kevin Macdonald found out about Bob Marley was that  ”he was a vegetarian & that his father was a White man from England” -hmmm…SMH …it becomes more & more evident & crucial of the importance of us telling our own stories & how we need to be actively involved in the documentation of our history to prevent the danger of the single story.

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, non but ourselves can free our mind..” Bob Marley

“Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Marley, the first documentary about iconic musician Bob Marley made with the support of the Marley family. The film will open in theaters and on VOD and digital platforms April 20, after its world premiere at the Berlin film festival. VH1 also has partnered to license the first TV window of the film as part of its Rock Doc franchise.” READ MORE

Sometimes in life what makes my day is to hear of other people’s accomplishments. Today is one of those days. As Ghanaians & people all over the world who respect freedom & the greatness of man to bring about a global mindset toward change & freedom celebrate Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s 102nd birthday &  Founder’s Day In Ghana; I am delighted to hear that the young people of my Black Star Nation are Honoring the Past By Building The Future!

Ghana taking the lead from the Gaddafi led AU’s 13th Ordinary Summit in the Libyan town of Sirte, where African leaders adopted the centenary birthday celebration of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a continental event by stating, “We unanimously agreed to celebrate Dr Nkrumah’s centenary birthday & put it on the AU’s calendar of Special Events“, went on to  finally  take action in 2009 to make Dr. Nkrumah’s birthday a national holiday, celebrating the man, his achievements & his strong vision for a united & independent Africa. Dr Nkrumah became one  of Africa’s most prolific leaders who is celeberated all over the world from a memorial in New Delhi, India to a commemorative stamp in Russia & a New York State Senate resolution celebrating his contribution as 1 of the founders of Pan-Africanism. As diginitaries from around the world visit & send well wishes to Ghana in honor of Dr. Nkrumah’s 102nd birthday today, I can’t help but to acknowledge the elephant  not in the room,Muammar al-Gaddafi- the modern day African leader who thru Dr. Nkrumah’s influence spoke publicly in a push to carry out the vision of a United States of Africa. Today, Gaddafi has basically been deposed in the same style of people’s revolution cloaked in a western backed coup d’état that met Dr. Nkrumah. We are now left once again to look toward the future, hoping a new leader will emerge to carry the torch of a United States of Africa.

“It is time to give life to the dream of a united Africa. If we could even make the regional and economic committees at the sub regional levels work, we will see a much faster progress than we are seeing today. Let Africa not deceive herself, nobody is going to move out of the front of the world queue and create space for us to take a place… We have to work together to move up the front of that queue…it was time the continent rewarded Nkrumah’s commitment to see among other things, a united Africa liberated from poverty, noting that African leaders must back their words with action to ensure the realization of Nkrumah’s dreams for Africa.” READ MORE

While politics in Africa continues to disappoint most Africans, the future is bright among the young people who refuse to have the actions  & lack of progress in African politics defer the dreams of the Africa they want to see & build. One of these young people is Ghana’s own Mantse Aryeequaye. I remember meeting & interviewing Mantse for my labor of love documentary entitled Black Star Rising. I met Mantse in Osu, Ghana in 2008 as a young writer, visionary & man about town who spoke about creating pirate radio in Ghana, growing up as a hip-hop head in Ghana & being a part of the MOP (movement of people) in Ghana who were showcasing the vibrancy of the talents & Arts in Ghana…Now fast Forward to July 16, 2011 & the dream of what the future of Ghanaian arts celebration will hold, has not only been mobilized but realized & celebrated as a movement & festival started in a small historic fishing town that will sooner than later find its global fusion in local & worldwide recognition like the plethora of established & emerging global street arts festivals that have sprouted up in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Paris etc.

The name of the festival- Chale Wote geniusly exemplifies the spirit & style of Ghanaians in every way, bringing us back by taking us forward to our essence in nostalgic future! Chale Wote is the Ga word for flip-flops that all Ghanaians rock & it also translates to man/homie let’s go! The Chale Wote festival juxtaposed the best of Ghanaian fashion, music, art, culture and the new generation of sports in Ghana that is more BMX bike extreme sports than football. The beautifully raw rugged streets of  the small fishing town of (Jamestown) James Town in the capital city of Accra holds so much of Ghana’s history of greatness for producing some of the greatest boxers like the legendary Azumah Nelson-the first African Boxer to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame & rising stars like Joshua Clottey, along with Ghana’s Greatest Photographer James Barnor & his Ever Young photography studio. James Town is also home to Ghana’s oldest prison, James Fort,  which held Dr. Kwame Nkrumah & many of Ghana’s freedom fighters as the nation woke up, fought & regained its power against their former colonizers to elect Dr. Nkrumah as our very first president while still being held in prison.

Jamestown is located right on the Atlantic Ocean & is a lively  colorfully boisterous town with many open spaces & beautiful architecture juxtaposed with the dense poverty of economics but not of spirit ,which served to be the perfect location for the Chale Wote  Street Arts Festival!  Big Ups to Mantse & all those who dare to dream, dare to take the chance in lighting a spark that may set the fire of greatness, all those who have no fear of failure because they are too consumed with the desire of creating success, and those collectively brought together their passion to make this beautiful expression of Ghana come to fruition. There maybe some who may call you failures because they are void of the unwavering love in black star souls & are hollow without ability to soak up the idea & manifestation of potential in dreams & actions. I can’t wait to hopefully be there to bare witness to the experience in the flesh & to hopefully be able to contribute on the next go around in April 2012! CHALE WOTE!!!

“The premiere edition of the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival, held on July 16th, was a success because many people believed in a simple idea. Teamwork and artistic talent make a powerful combination. With only three months to plan and a limited budget, more than a dozen young creative professionals rolled up their sleeves and got to work on the largest free street festival to ever hit Accra. The result: a 12-hour fantastic street maze of live action art stretching from the Mantse Agbonaa to the old Kings Way building—graffiti + street painting, bike/skateboard/rollerblade street stuntin’ parties, art installations, experimental theater, a fashion circus, drumfunkbass music, spoken word, and a live music concert—never before seen on this scale in James Town. The idea began at a Talk Party in Osu back in March. The monthly discussion series is hosted by ACCRA [dot] ALT. “We were tired of talking about change. It was time to take action and generate a viable economy for art in this city. CHALE WOTE is well on its way to making Accra a cultural hotbed and international destination,” says filmmaker and ACCRA [dot] ALT producer, Mantse Aryeequaye….” READ MORE

Photo Credit: Nana Kofi Acquah

Follow The Organizers: Accra[dot]Alt

Photo Credit: KwesiBlack.com

For other photo credits go to : Face2FaceAfrica.com

I have been watching the Al Jeezera documentary series “Surprising Europe” for awhile now & unfortunately I am far from surprised at most of the stories. What I am mostly surprised at is the comments by everyday people & their lack of  humanity, compassion & understanding of history  & how we are all connected good & bad by our history whether we like it or not.

“The Time is always right to do what is right…Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation and this means we must develop a world perspective”Martin Luther King Jr.

Europe has not & can never repay Africa for the damage & rape of its people & resources from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade to colonization. It is sickening to me how people think colonization that is just 50 + years removed is still not effecting/affecting Africa/Africans. If Africans were to receive reparations for the free labor & stolen jewels, minerals & resources taken from Africa by Europeans & Americans maybe Africans could have a fighting chance & not have to go to Europe/America to replenish what was taken from them, but that never seems to be the conversation that Europeans/Americans want to have when it comes to debating issues of immigration & xenophobia.

Europe/America still benefit from the free labor & stolen spoils of Africans, yet no one wants to see that part of history that is not only part of our recent past, but also a present day occurrence because disrespecting Africa/Africans has somehow become an acceptable part of the global world order. If Africa were to take back all of its contributions to the world we live in, most of our lives would change drastically & dramatically from the basic cellular phone we use, to the basic cotton in the clothes we wear & so much more. The world at large likes to show Africa/Africans as bottom feeders who just beg & take without ever acknowledging its centuries of continual contributions to every aspect of our daily lives all over the world. Africans must demand reparations from the vultures who have fed on it for centuries & continue to do so even today, if Africa is ever going to build up the continent as a whole. Africans must also hold their own leaders accountable for utilizing their resources to help the people of their nation toward self sufficiency & opportunity to not only build up themselves, but also their nations as a whole.

Africans complain about their home countries being bad & lacking opportunities, yet they go abroad & often suffer worse fates than they could ever imagine in their own countries as they are treated as lesser than, common criminals & unwanted pests, yet somehow they find justification in believing that this is a better life than what they can have at home if they put in the same work, sacrifice & self determination to make it with dignity. I am always reminded about how a White European man making millions in my homeland tried to convince me that I should not return home because there was no opportunity there & that I was too much of a New Yorker to deal with Africa. How laughable I thought coming from a White man who is the minority with very little to no connection to Africa other than his exploits in business, telling me  as a native that he can survive & live well in my native land but I could not. I was basically being told by a White man that Africa was opened for business for him in attaining his African dream in the re-newed frontier market, yet somehow that same dream of wealth & opportunity was far fetched for me in my own homeland-SMH!

We are all responsible & complicit in this sick cycle of mental slavery that continues to have a strong hold on the African mind puppeteered with full advantage by decendents of those who once colonized & enslaved. A mind that has told the African that he/she can not make it on their own without outside aid. Africa/Africans seems to stay in an endless cycle of waiting for someone outside our selves to save us from our plight & ourselves. Slavery never ended with the emancipation proclamation or any other piece of paper or legislation in Europe or America because it continues today all over the world right under our noses, but we have somehow convinced ourselves that it has ended or that modern day slavery is somehow different. I look at my fellow brothers & sisters in Africa & abroad & the pain, humiliation & helplessness endured in our collective inner city blues that makes me want to holler & throw up both my hands as Marvin Gaye said because I can’t see how human beings can endure so much without ever finding the will & strength for an uprising to change their fate at home & abroad. When will we come to the point of finding African solutions to African problems?

“CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK & THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME” Denzel Washington as Steve Biko in Cry Freedom

We must get to the point in our world when we truly change the way we think in order to change the way others think of us. If Africa is so horrible why do so many Europeans go there constantly for business, investments, pleasure & so much more & why aren’t those Europeans/Americans living in Africa for years without citizenship labeled as illegal immigrants? When Mugabe seeks to  reclaim African land for Africans & oust Europeans from Africa in order to take back the land to give back to Africans, he is seen as a tyrannical crazed dictator, but when Sarkozy, Berlusconi, Cameron, Obama etc. seek to oust Africans & so called illegal immigrants from their nations they are seen as great leaders who are upholding the laws of their lands. If Africans can not dictate the laws of Europe & American land, then who gives Europeans & Americans the audacity to dictate the laws of Africa’s lands. We seem to forget that we are all human beings at the end of the day with the same basic common needs.  As Martin Luther King Jr. Said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere“. The brother & sister that you shun & look down on may one day be the brother & sister that you will need to help you up in your time of need.

“The Obama administration had deported about 1.06 million as of Sept. 12, against 1.57 million in Bush’s two full presidential terms.This seeming contradiction between rhetoric and reality is a key element of debate over U.S. immigration policy, and stakes are high for 2012’s presidential election as Obama faces criticism from both conservatives and liberals.…” READ MORE

While Africans scramble to get out of Africa the rest of the the world scrambles to get  a piece of Africa. The wind of change has come again in our world & in a time of global economic crisis , it seems that the whole world is once again looking to Africa for resources without any real interest in helping to build up the continent & its people because  a fully developed Africa will never again be Europe & America’s dumping ground nor will it stand still with little fight to be raped of its resources over & over again by Europe, America nor Asia. Wake Up World , Wake Up Africa & change the design!

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” Stephen Bantu Biko

“It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world. Although most Africans are poor, our continent is potentially extremely rich. Our mineral resources, which are being exploited with foreign capital only to enrich foreign investors, range from gold and diamonds to uranium and petroleum. Our forests contain some of the finest woods to be grown anywhere. Our cash crops include cocoa, coffee, rubber, tobacco and cotton. As for power, which is an important factor in any economic development, Africa contains over 40% of the potential water power of the world, as compared with about 10% in Europe and 13% in North America. Yet so far, less than 1% has been developed. This is one of the reasons why we have in Africa the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty, and scarcity in the midst of abundance. Never before have a people had within their grasp so great an opportunity for developing a continent endowed with so much wealth. Individually, the independent states of Africa, some of them potentially rich, others poor, can do little for their people. Together, by mutual help, they can achieve much. But the economic development of the continent must be planned and pursued as a whole. A loose confederation designed only for economic co-operation would not provide the necessary unity of purpose. Only a strong political union can bring about full and effective development of our natural resources for the benefit of our people..” Kwame Nkrumah, I Speak of Freedom: A Statement of African Ideology

Yes Ya’ll  Forbes’s Magazine has named Tyler Perry the “Highest Paid Man in Entertainment” not just Black Man. Kudos to Tyler Perry! I saw a post of this with a comment that said “It says a lot about what we pay to see” & all I could do is SMH because people always find the need to complain about what someone else is doing, while they sit around & do nothing or wait for opportunity to knock at their door. Well guess what? If Tyler Perry was one of those people just sitting around complaining & waiting for opportunity to knock on his door or Hollywood to green light his projects, he would probably still be homeless & very bitter like many of his critics who somehow have not put in the work he has, yet they somehow feel entitled to the wealth & opportunities bestowed upon him.

“Actor/director/screenwriter/producer/author Tyler Perry, whose films have grossed more than $500 million worldwide, sits alone atop a new Forbes list of the highest-paid men in entertainment, beating out such contenders as Simon Cowell, Jerry Bruckheimer and Leonardo DiCaprio. From May 2010 to May 2011, Perry raked in $130 million from a number of ventures, including his TV shows, “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne,” as well as his variety of Madea films and DVDs and his upcoming feature film role as the detective in “I, Alex Cross.” Just behind Perry is producer Bruckheimer at $113 million, which comes from his take for the $1 billion-grossing fourth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, as well as his hand in producing a number of hit TV shows, including “The Amazing Race” and the “CSI” franchise…” READ MORE

Tyler Perry being the highest paid man in entertainment says a lot more about hard work & believing in yourself even when you have hit rock bottom. At the end of the day Tyler Perry is a self-made man & media mogul & no one can deny him that even if you are not a fan of his work. Those who complain about him should at the very least develop his work ethic & model to tap the many untapped niche audiences who they say want & deserve more than what Tyler Perry offers & give them what they want-That’s all! Kudos Tyler Perry & I hope you keep winning because it touched my heart to see a childhood friend after many years invite me to his own written & directed play, tell me that he hopes to be the next Tyler Perry. No matter what critics say, that to me says a lot more about who we are as a people that we can be an inspiration for the creativity of the next generation.

It took me a while to come around to being interested in Tyler Perry’s work because I was caught up in the media hype of complainers, critics & naysayers without seeing his work for myself, but when I finally gave it a chance, by chance of a girls night out to see “Why Did I Get Married“, I was pleasantly shocked that I enjoyed it & finally gave Mr. Perry’s bread & butter Madea a chance just to realized that there was a lot of substance behind the comedy, which some take as buffoonery even though these characters exist in our global African world. As much as we say we are tired of the one dimensional images of us , many of us want to keep us one dimensional in the image of us that we personally want to see. I say let’s show all of our multidimensional sides & have a balance in indulging in what we choose without having to put someone else down for choosing another side. The fight is in the challenge for more opportunities not limiting Tyler Perry or any other person’s opportunity. I say before you overtly criticize another, check your own record & do the right thing!  As the late great 2Pac said “I Ain’t Mad At Cha” Tyler Perry!

“We don’t have to wait for someone to greenlight our projects we can create our own intersections..we don’t just have to act in the sitcom, we can own the show & the network..we don’t have to be at the end of the line waiting for a hand out, we can be at the front giving a hand up..we don’t have to wait for somebody to give us 40 acres & a mule we can buy our own.. You can be born into a whole lot of a nightmare but God can usher you into a dream” Tyler Perry -

92Y put on an excellent panel with pioneer women in television. In this day & age when we are once again debating the images of our nations globally, the words of Nichelle Nichols brought it all full circle as she described how the iconic character Uhura was devloped & how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the original trekky who kept Uhura alive  in orchestrating his dream in the image of our nation. I was mesmerized by the beauty of Nichelle Nichols, who like fine wine has grown old gracefully & beautifully. I was beyond impressed with this panel of pioneering women of television & their behind the scenes stories that add so much more  to the history & legacy that we know.

“They are the legendary women of television who strolled, sprinted, fought, laughed, cried and loved through worlds that took viewers to places past, present and future. They broke through barriers and glass ceilings to become much beloved and powerful television stars. Join 92Y as they share their compelling behind-the-scenes stories from their illustrious careers that are featured in PBS’s Pioneers of Television. Alison Stewart moderates the discussion“. via Fora.tv

Nichelle Nichols, Stephanie Powers, Linda Evans, Angie Dickinson, reminded me of  Maya Angelou’s phenomenal woman within Nina Simone’s Four women, representing the images of a nation beyond color, beyond sex & beyond fictional characters. They gave us hope, fantasy & vision in the possibilities in the freedom of powerful imagery.  As I watched these women, I wondered who are & will be the pioneers of television speaking on this panel decades from now. Will our progress be seen as going backwards or forward? These woman set forth that to whom much is given much is expected & why waste freedom in putting forth the lowest common denominators of our humanity. Each woman spoke about how they stood up for the integrity of their iconic characters- Linda Evans & Stephanie Powers fought for the image in the sanctity of solid loving marriages by refusing to be part of their characters if infidelity was scripted in &  Nichelle Nichols & Angie Dickinson stood up against doing things that were out of character for Uhura & Pepper.  I loved the joy & sisterly pride that exuded out of Angie Dickinson as she spoke of Regina’s King’s role in Southland being kin to iconic Pepper. She let out an “aww man they are great” as she spoke of the new generation of strong women characters who kick ass  as well thought out powerful characters instead of the focus just being on their beauty.

As we debate about the negative images of women & Black women in particular plaguing reality TV and the lack of substance in lead roles in films & television, these women remind us that we had & still have a voice to stand up for integrity  & to seek to be part of collaborations that showcase positive images of integrity instead of just being puppets for money. We all have a responsibility in creating the image of our nation.

I recently saw the cover of Nelson George’s upcoming film Brooklyn Boheme & just thought about the many stories of history, legacies & progress that lie behind the associations of these three men continuing the formulation of Dr. King’s dream in orchestrating the image of our nation. I thought about how through the hip-hop nation, our global connections & experiences with like minded people who may or may not look like us, but are of us as human beings who share the ideal that love is a verb in putting in the work collaboratively, as we formulate the image of the United of States of Africa, which we all as humans have interests & roots within.

There has been much talk & mediarized rhetoric led my leaders of American & European Nations who say China’s investments in Africa will lead to recolonizing Africa & how Dr. King’s statue was crafted by Chinese artist Lei Yixin, instead of an African-American one, taking away from the fact that there was a collaborative dream team of global people who brought this dream to fruition & that the face of Africa is changing in love & marriage . As our earth continues to shake us up with revolutions & quakes, Dr. King’s very image at this time reminds us all that global & local collaboration was part of the formula of Dr. King’s dream & his image for his nation.

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

Today Mississippi & many nations all around the world seems to be going backward , but it is never too late to change course. Having a reminder in the symbol  & press around the monument of Dr. King being errected couldn’t have come at a better time. We need all of our Gene Roddenberrys, Lei Yixins & others all around the world collaborating with us to help see & build the image of our nation for the future.

I couldn’t help but recollected a conversation had with a friend about image, President Obama & Watch The Throne. His words rang prolifically as he mentioned how he can not see why Kanye West would ever want to be bragadocious in the friviality of the same Hollywood style materialism  & warped sense of of value in self that took his most precious gift -his mother- instead of just shunning it completely. He reminded me that Jay Z had always been about the floss & swag life & that someone who can sell crack to his people, look himself in the mirror & brag about it, lacks the conscience to care about the image of his nation, so as an OG instead of teaching his mentee to do  & be better he just teaches him to follow in his footsteps. At first I though his evaluation was a bit too harsh,  but all I could think of was “Ain’t no love in the heart of the city” & how much we do need to practice, give & receive more love in the hearts of our cities because sometimes the sensitive thugs do need hugs too. Too many cities, villages, towns & nations have lost their love for their people & humanity in general & it seems that all around the world is the same song.

My friend went on to wax poetic that as an African he had seen many Black presidents, so seeing President Obama’s rise to the presidency didn’t have the same all encompassing dream realized effect on him as others based solely on his Blackness, and that rather his actions spoke volumes to him as an African because he watched the first Black president of the United States make his first order as commander in chief  be the murder of Africans in Somalia when other nations in the same predicament refused to call for their murder & he watched as the same president led the way with NATO in moving to topple the Gaddafi presidency & perhaps the only modern day African president who has been putting his money & voice toward an independent United States of Africa- free of foreign aid & intervention, by orchestrating the same types of western backed coup d’états cloaked in the sham of aiding a people’s revolution that fell on past revolutionaries like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah – the man who gave voice to the words “United States of Africa“ with a Pan-African dream & image in mind.  The hypocrisy of the foreign policy of President Obama, NATO & the UN is clear when comparing Syria VS. Libya . Neither NATO nor the UN has moved to aid the citizens of Syria who are being massacred daily with visuals to show for it ,while we only had hearsay of imminent danger of Libyans to justify going all out in spending billions to bomb the hell out Libya in a push for regime change.

A pundent on American news spoke of how there seems to be little interest amongst Americans in the so called “Libyan Revolution” which was a much diffrent sentiment for Egypt , Tunisia & even the London riots because deep down inside perhaps whether we hate or love Honorable Louis Farrakhan, we are pressed to find any lies in his speech in Harlem denouncing NATO’s intervention & regime change tactics in Libya as the story unfolds as false mission accomplished media propaganda comes to light & Donald Trump  showcasing the core of American corporate policy & values in calling for all of Libya’s oil to be taken as compensation before the so called people’s revolution comes to a resolution.

As Black people debate amongst themselves on whether to criticize the president & to hold him accountable as he asked to be during his campaign for the presidency, he goes on a presidential pre-campaign bus tour to listen to & bring jobs to the rural mid-west while bypassing the needs of urban Blacks, who are disproportionately suffering from the loss of jobs & spiral into deeper poverty; yet somehow we are to blindly support, wait & believe that he has a master plan that is inclusive of bettering the health, wealth & image of our global African nation instead of just being yet another politician who would sell out his people in order to accomplish his personal agenda, as we have seen from many Black & White presidents world wide.

It seems many of us all over the world are waking up to the need to watch & be accountable for the image of our nations & the love for our nation & its image shown through concrete actions. I watch organizations like ImageNation, Society Hae , Young African Visionaries ,  Face 2 Face Africa & so many others  doing their part to make the image of our global African nation their mission in fulfilling the dream of the United States of Africa &  being the children of Uhura’s light. We should be giving these people, places & organizations  as much attention in their progress as we give those who set us backward. I was called to a meeting where a long time friend invited me on to his production team producing a show at Beijing Fashion Week in order to collaboratively put our global flavor into a bourgeoning global fashion industry  & possibly becoming future trail blazers. The same day I randomly bumped into Hype Williams a global African trail blazer in his own right, who will be directing new film entitled “Lust” , so many years after being the lauded creator who produced some of hip-hop’s ground breaking music videos & the cult classic Belly.  I  stand elated to see my cousin Coptic, an award winning music producer going back to his roots in bringing his global African expertise to formulating the new faces, sounds & images of the Black Star Line. The sense of duty & pride in the richness & greatness of our global African image is being reformulated, revised & reinvigorated today in the light, life & legacy of Uhura’s United States of Africa.  The stories and times behind our historical legacy  should always be recorded & passed down in the oral traditions of modern day griots, in order to give us all a bit of a reminder, particularly at times like today when we seem to have lost our direction in formulating the image of the dream.

There are great global fusions in collaborations that will be seen as groundbreaking legacy that future generations will also look to for inspiration decades from now. We have a choice in whether we will accept the call of Dr. King to stick it out , stand up , mold, create & revolutionize the image of our people & our nation. As we celebrate & honor Dr. King as the first person of color & non-president to be memorialized on the famous Washington National Mall, steps away from where he first told the world about his dream, how are we collectively & individually answering the call for creating & putting forth the image of our nations?

“The Time is always right to do what is right…Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation and this means we must develop a world perspective”Martin Luther King Jr.

Nichelle Nichols continues to play her role as the communications officer as the symbol & legacy for future Uhuras representing the United Sates of Africa 45 years after she introduced Uhura to the world. #AfricanGirls #RareGems @RealNichelle

Hearing the horror of the rape statistics of young girls & women in the Congo & the deafening cries of how high unemployment & deplorable school systems are affecting the mental state of young Black children in America , I couldn’t help but be overjoyed & want to shout it out for the world to hear that even in our doom & gloom there is a silver lining of hope for the future of young Black children globally.  Allow me to introduce you to 12 year old China Anne McClain & 15 year old Saheela Ibraheem, who are repping the future of  how Smart Black Girls will continue to rock globally from the USA to Africa.

“China Anne McClain, 12, was taping a scene for her new Disney Channel comedy here recently, when fiction and fact collided. As the cameras rolled, her character — heading off to start big, bad high school — got some parental advice…“Just be prepared, Sweetie,” her television mom warned. “There’s going to be a lot of temptations here.” ..The same counsel applies to Ms. McClain in real life, as she prepares to make a full-tilt, Disney-backed charge for the title of Next Tween Queen. Pretty and talented yet nonthreatening, Ms. McClain, as an actress and singer, clearly has the potential to commandeer prepubescent culture. “A.N.T. Farm,” the series Disney tailor-made for her, will have a preview on May 22; the premiere is in June. She also has a record deal…Children’s television is at a transitional moment when it comes to female stars. At Disney, the Big Three — Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato — have all moved on. Miranda Cosgrove, the star of “iCarly” on Nickelodeon, turns 18 this month. Both companies are feverishly trying to mint new headliners capable of drawing the attention of tweens, roughly defined as viewers 9 to 14.” READ MORE

China Ann McClain maybe known to many as the adorable sassy little daughter from Tyler Perry’s TBS television show  ”House of Payne”  &  acclaimed film “Daddy’s Little Girls“- which she starred in with her sisters Lauryn & Sierra on a road to the McClain dynasty of triple threat actors that may come to rival the Wayans & the Smiths. China Ann has been crowned as Disney’s new princess with a show created specifically for her on the Disney Network  called A.N.T Farm. For child actors having your own Disney show is just as much the crème de la crème in making it as getting that acceptance letter to Harvard is to academic scholars, which a 15 year old daughter of Nigerian immigrants living in New Jersey has achieved.

“Many parents dream of their children going to Harvard one day. But one local resident has actualized the goal of getting into the prestigious university — at 15 years old! Saheela Ibraheem, of Edison, was also accepted to MIT and 13 other schools,including Princeton and Columbia before settling on Harvard after falling in love with the campus. Ibraheem skipped two grades and said the key to success is figuring out what you love to learn as early as possible — something she did at age 5. If you are passionate about what you do, and I am passionate about most of these things, especially with math and science, it will work out well,” Ibraheem told CBS 2′s Cindy Hsu. Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said Saheela has been way ahead of the academic game since kindergarten — never cutting corners and trying to do everything on her own…“She’s like always independent,” the teen’s mother said. “I never get to help with her homework because she’d say ‘it’s my work mommy, not yours.’”..The Harvard-bound teen speaks Arabic, Spanish and Latin. She said she hopes to become a research scientist and study the brain.  Ibraheem’s teachers at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School said their student was an old soul…“I believe that she’s 15 years old, because I’m told that. But other than that I have a hard time,” Jim O’Halloran said…In addition to academics, Ibraheem plays the trombone, softball and soccer. Despite her activities, Ibraheem said her number one priority was her family. Her 7-year-old brother Saleem was her biggest cheerleader when it came to picking a college.” READ MORE

Behind the great achievements of these two young beautiful Black girls is the support of loving parents & family who understand that it takes a village to raise a child in an exemplary manner. At a time when young people in general & Black youth in particular are desperately searching for role models, two of their peers have become the everyday tangible role models that are leading by example. These two young ladies are  showing that not only do Black Girls Rock but also that Smart Girls Rock!

When I conceived  & implemented the Smart Girls Rock Ad. Campaign for my former client Vanilla Star, these were the types of  young girls I had in mind, who I felt corporate industries that target tweens & teens should be endorsing with their advertising campaigns, if they really wanted to see a world filled with positive role models for young women instead of the ubiquitous TMZ train wrecks vying for constant attention through negative behavior. Young people have enough ups & downs to deal with in just getting through growth spurts, finding & defining who they are  & the basic growing pains of life without the constant bombardment of all things that add on that extra pressure toward self loathing negative behavior  instead of celebrating them for who they are.

Saheela Ibraheem represents just the type of role model we need globally because she shatters so many stereotypes & the possibilities in what many have deemed impossible just by being who she is: a Muslim, a Nigerian, an American, a  girl and a child prodigy who at the age of 15 will be attending Harvard to study neuroscience or neurobiology. Nigerians today stand in unity to celebrate a native daughter abroad who will represent the might of a super eagle to fly without religious & tribal boundaries, heralding a new face of  the future of Nigeria to the world. She has opened the door for so many more young girls who check off the many boxes that society uses to describe them by going beyond those boxes, to dream big & to live their dreams as big as they want to live it!  As Disney makes its way into Africa & more Africans make their way into elite American Universities, no one may know what tomorrow will bring, but with these two young ladies representing the future, I am more than hopeful that the future will be bright! We salute China Anne McClain & Saheela Ibraheem- two of many Smart Black Girls Who Rock!!!