Simple Pleasures...

.
Today,

I'm feeling really inspired by these images...
.

Ghana, West Africa

Small, Satisfying Things
About Today...
.
~ hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment...

.~ completing my travel arrangements for my upcoming
trip to West Africa...

.~ the aroma of freshly brewed coffee...

.. ~ finding a photo album of my African childhood
in the most unlikely place...

. ~ Making Someone Smile...

.~ Spring may, at long last, be just around
the corner...

. ~ daydreaming when I should be working...
..

Why oh Why...

.

"...do I love Africa?

.

photo credits

.
Because we are all related.

All Africans are brothers and sisters

Biologically,

wherever you are from in Africa, we are related.

In Africa if you are from the same house

- you are related,

from the same village

.

- you are related;

from the same country

- you are related.

Even from the same regional grouping like west,

.

east, north and southern Africa

- we are related

- as long as you are an African,

we are all related.

We refer to each other as brother and sister in Africa.

We do not have cousin or nieces

- all we have are brothers and sisters.

That is why I love Africa..."

Jonathan Tommy,

Sierra Leone

The Art of African Headwraps...

.

Dressing is an important part of every culture and often a way of
portraying ones culture visually -

.

.African women, especially those from sub-saharan Africa are very

well known for their extravagant head ties and

no wedding or party would be complete

without what is popularlly known as gele in Nigeria.

Head ties always perfectly match the outfit making the African woman

outstanding in any gathering.
With the head tie, the African woman portrays her culture with

dignity and integrity... .

"It is art because it transforms the functional into the elegant and mysterious.

A covering for the head becomes something much more,

a skyward looking arabesque of folds and patterns,where cloth undergoes

a metamorphosis into a salute to the head as metaphysical centre of the self,

as the matrix of direction for the body "

Babatunde Lawal

.

.

African women are the only women in the world who wear head ties.

Caucasian women wear hats or veils (or rather, used to..!),

Muslim women and women from many Eastern cultures wear a headscarf,

while other women allow the full beauty of their long hair to show

by wearing it loose.

A big, colourful head-tie

(preferably in a colour different from the rest of the outfit!)

is an entirely African affair..!
..

See lots more gele on these photo galleries
here and here

I'd love to dress like this, so chic..!
What do you think..?

Dreams are made of this...

.

*Poupées clonettes,

sacs plastiques recyclés, OrphanAid Africa,

jus d'Hibiscus, jus de Gingembre, le Gimbriscus de Delphine,

Lisa, le Ghana, le Burkina Faso, le 'trotro', le kente,

le commerce équitable, le métissage,

le respect de l'environnement, le respect des métiers de créations anciens,

les échanges nord-sud, le respect des ainés...

.. Bottom left: Lisa Lovatt Smith, founder of OrphanAid Africa

OrphanAid Africa is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO)
Its aim is to support orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana through programs
in care reform, education, and development.
Their goal is to ensure that children grow up in safe and permanent family settings
with appropriate care and protection...
.
~~~
.
Créée en 2002 par Lisa Lovatt-Smith, Orphelinats d’Afrique (OA)
est une organisation non gouvernementale (ONG) à but non lucratif qui aide
les orphelins et les enfants défavorisés du Ghana à grandir
dans les meilleures conditions.
Cela en aidant les familles, les communautés, les organisations et administrations
à leur apporter soins, protection, éducation et alimentation de qualité...
.
~

.
*La couleur noire est celle du plastique RECYCLÉ
1 euro sera prélevé sur la vente de ces poupées
pour l'enfance défavorisée en Afrique...

voir

ICI

.

MERCI DELPHINE..!

My African Childhood...

.

“There is a garden in every childhood,
an enchanted place where colors are brighter,
the air softer,

and the morning more fragrant than ever again”
Elizabeth Lawrence

.

Wenchi, 1963
.

Some of my favorite memories of my childhood

are not my memories at all,

they are my mother’s...

The stories she tells are of a toddler who is strong willed

and determined.

A child who knows her mind and is not going to let anyone

make her change it.

A two year old who loathed the indoors and loved nothing more than

to spend entire days in the great outdoors.

A three year old who ate her dinner with her fingers

(or not at all)

because it was better that way.

A four year old who knew an entire neighborhood
by name and was considered very much part of each family
and the community.

A five year old who who spoke fluent Twi (the local dialect)

and loved nothing better than to help her
parents out when they couldn't quite make themselves

understood...

.

I love that girl. I’ve missed her.

Speaking of Beads...

.

I simply ADORE...

the beads, the stunning models, the fabrics,

and the general sunny, happy feeling that these photos

generate...

.

.

Africans have used beads for ritual and decorative purposes

for hundreds of years.

In ancient African graves, beads and beaded necklaces were found

buried with kings and chiefs.

The Ashanti people of of Ghana reasoned that powdered glass beads

were worth their weight in gold and that certain beads

held supernatural protective powers.

. .

The Yoruba people of Nigeria believed that buried beads

would grow in the ground and multiply.

The most popular trading items brought over by the Europeans

in the 16th century were beads

and thousands of pounds of beads were exchanged.
.
.

Until the 20th century, no other continent imported as many beads

or yielded as many different types of its own.

The abundance of the shear variety of shapes, colors

and materials used is overwhelming.

None though is as popular as the glass bead.

The traditional glass bead practice thrives in West Africa.

Today, the Krobo people of Ghana, noted bead makers,

melt powdered glass in small bead moulds to form their beads.

The beads have a semi-translucent quality

that highlights the painted motifs.

Nowadays beads are used as fashion accessories

by both men and women...

.

Read and see more here

photos: Bob pixel photography

On the Menu this Weekend...

.

there will be Plantains...

.

.

They are delicious simply dry roasted and sprinkled with

unrefined sea salt or, if you prefer, you can roast them, boil or

fry them...
.

My absolute favourite plantain dish is

.

.Kelewele:

.

Ghanaian-style spiced fried plantains;
ripe yellow plantains that are generously seasoned with ginger

and other warm spices like cayenne and cinnamon...

Although Kelewele originated in Ghana it is now found

in much of West and Central Africa and is gaining

popularity in America.
.

Ingredients:
6 just-ripe plantains,

peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp freshly-grated ginger

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

.Why not try these recipes too:

Plantain Chips

.Oven Roasted Plantains

Fried plantains

.Boiled Sweet Plantains

.Flickr photos : Bob pixel and nyamkitchen

Getting Crafty with Plastic Bags...

.

According to some estimates, between 500 billion and a trillion

plastic grocery bags are used globally each year..

There has been recently, in Europe, at least, a concerted effort by many individuals

and some foodstores to ban plastic bags.

Certainly an excellent move for the environment -

.

If, like me, you've well and truly kicked the plastic habit, chances are you may still

have a few floating around the place...

What better idea than to, either recycle these yourself, or, give them away

to help those a great deal less fortunate than ourselves,

particularly women with young children..?

My great friend, French fashion designer, Delphine Kohler

(see Mme Figaro press article)

runs a non-profit making association

les Filles du Facteur

(associated to NGOs in West Africa)

and one of their many, many activities is the recycling of plastic bags...

.

The income generated from the sale of products, both online and offline, is used

mainly for community educational projects both in the Paris

innercity suburbs and in * Burkina Faso...

.

Plastic bags can be deposited directly, or sent to:

(la Maison des Associations du 3ième arrondissement)

Filles du Facteur,

5 rue Perrée
75003 Paris

.

Clockwise from top: Bouquet of flowers in a vase, a penny purse,

floormats in black and multicoloured with flowered edging...

Portrait de Delphine Kohler,

à lire sur

lefigaro.fr madame

.

A djellabah crocheted from black plastic bags

.

Bathmat nearing completion

.

Balls of plastic bags cut into strips ready to crochet

.

Lady at work in Burkina Faso

.

Ladies at work in Paris

Pour tout savoir sur les Filles du Facteur, c'est
ici

Le premier Bidon

"Recycle le sac plastic"

est à la mairie du 3èm arrondissement de Paris (depuis le 9 février) pour

Les Filles du Facteur....

Les sacs récupérés sont découpés et crochetés par des femmes en difficulté

en banlieue parisienne et au Burkina Faso.

.

Elles fabriquent des objets en vente sur

ICI

.

envoyez ou déposez vos sacs plastique :
(la Maison des Associations du 3ième arrondissement)

Filles du Facteur,
5 rue Perrée

75003 Paris
.

merci de faire passer l'info
.

* Delphine is currently in West Africa, and, only last week, she visited the local orphanage

to donate money on behalf of the association to cover babyfood costs...

.

****Initiative génial au Niger :

Bâtir des routes avec des sacs plastiques: un autre exemple de recyclage

du "sachet" plastique au Niger, où Stéphane Blais

témoigne de la transformation au moindre cout du sac plastique

en pavé pour les routes..!

source de cette info.

Coup de Ceour...

.

These stunning photos stopped me in my tracks...

the beautiful models, fabric and design of the dresses,

the choice of accessories, hair styling...

I just had to share
.




In fact, I love these so much,

I'm going to keep the photos and have similar dresses made up

by the local dressmaker on my next trip to West Africa.

I always have clothes made for me by the local tailor or dressmaker

when I travel afar

- in fact I'm the proud owner of an entire wardrobe full of the most beautiful creations,

both locally inspired and "copies" of european designs...

If you've never tried doing this,

I'd highly reccommend trying on your next trip abroad - a good idea

is to first have a favourite dress "copied", then if you're

happy with that, be more adventurous and

try something more locally inspired...
.

Photographers of Distinction...

.

Paolo Roversi’s visual style is unmistakable:
paint-like colours, camera blur, timeless-looking subjects and clothing,
resulting in images that look more like 19th century painting
than 21st century photographs.
His breathtaking images and deep knowledge

of photography/art history
put him in the elite of elite fashion/editorial

photographers globally.
.Photos of Liya Kebede by Paolo Roversi (via AVM)

from the Afrocentric slideshow

featured last year in the NYT Style Magazine

.

In my opinion, Roversi's work is timeless
and stands apart from anything anyone else is doing

- I love, love, love his work..!

Contemporary African Folk Art..

.

“The productions of all arts are kinds of poetry

and their craftsmen are all poets”

Plato

Ancient Greek Philosopher

.

Did you know

in Africa a "barbershop" or "hair salon" quite often entails
nothing more elaborate than a barber or hair-braider with a chair
set up in the open and a signboard hanging from a tree
or market stall..?

The signs may be painted by the barbers or hairdressers themselves,
or by paid sign artists...


They are intended both to identify the businesses
and to advertise the services offered, depicting a catalogue
of intricate women's hairbraiding patterns

or the latest in men's hair styles...



Barbers' signs can often be dated by the hairstyles depicted
- today inspired as often as not by events, styles
and personalities in the USA...

You can find find "Mike Tyson", "Mr. Tee", "House Party",

and "Cocaine Cut" offered alongside such old favorites

as "Nelson Mandela", "Back Bush",

"Sportin' Waves"

and even "Boeing 707".

Brightly painted,
these signs are a colourful, humorous,
and sometimes outrageous *contemporary African folk art.
They reflect both the ancient African tradition of hairbraiding
and hair-cutting and the cultural clash of imported
(usually American) influences...
.
All the above signboards are from barber shops and hair-dressers in
Ghana, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso,
Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo.


*Several important museum shows have featured African Hair-dresser’s signs,
including, in the US
Crowning Achievements: African Arts of Dressing the Hair
at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at UCLA in 1995 and
Hair in African Art and Culture
at the Museum of African Art in New York in 2000.
African hair signs were also featured in a January 6, 2002 Style article in the
New York Times magazine.

Barber signs from the Indigo Arts Gallery were featured
in an article in Lucky magazine (January 2002).
One of their signs was included in Sharne Algotsson's book,
African Style: Down to the Details.


Photos of barber shops by:
Qaid, dede sahem, porkflamingo, danny.hammontree
Barber shop signs:
Indigo Arts Gallery

Africa on my mind...

.

The colder it gets here

(-7 as I write),

the further afield my thoughts wander,

to much, much hotter climes...

.

Not bad for a first attempt at Polyvore, n'est-ce pas..?

This post is inspired by the BBC series

(on their website way back in 2005)

.

"why I love Africa"

.

Here are a few of the many, many things

I love about Africa:

.

I love the beauty of the vast starry sky and the stillness

of the night;

And I love the noise and colour of vibrant local markets,

where meeting friends and sharing in the life of the community

are more important than simply making profit.

I love sleeping outside, gazing up at God's handiwork

as I drop off to sleep;

And I love sitting inside with the door open when the rains

finally come,

watching silently with friends the pounding of water on the earth.

I love the sense of awe when a sandstorm

blows up;

And I love the joy and relief when the harvest is safely in.

I love that there is always time to talk, that people are more important

than the day's programme;

I love the generosity, that when you arrive at meal time,

you are invited to sit round the bowl and share whatever food there is;

And I love the hospitality, that when you arrive in the evening

you are invited to stay the night,

and a mat is laid out for you.

I love the sense of community - that when you go into a neighbour's yard,

you have no idea how many of the dozens of laughing children

there actually belong to that set of parents;

And I love it that family is important, and that the elderly are respected

and taken care of.

I love it that when you arrive somewhere, you don't do anything

until you have properly greeted everyone;

And I love it that when you leave, you are always sent on your way

with the blessing of God.

.

What about you,

have you ever been to Africa..?

And what did you love

about it..?

All I Want for Christmas...

.; ~Let’s Help Africa~
.
.
Don’t offer me,
Luxury suites with
Queenly beds to lay my head,
‘Else I will show you mud huts
In Africa with bamboo beds.

Don’t tell me,

‘Bout the latest fashion,

You think are pretty sweet,

I care more, for children in Africa,

With no shoes on their little feet.

Don’t show me Breaking news on Television,

And make me cry,

Just give your hand,

Let’s help Africa,

Then you can watch me smile..

Sita Madu Wynn

Mon Copain d'Enfance : Anansi the Spider...

.

Pendant des siècles, dans le monde entier,

les contes ont été une des meilleures

façons de rassembler les gens.

.
Ils sont un excellent moyen d'apprendre davantage

sur les coutumes,

et les croyances des autres cultures...

Illustration: R. Hübner

Je me revois enfant, au Ghana, en afrique occidentale,

assise par terre, entourée d'amies,

de couleurs et origine diverses,

écoutant avec plaisir

les "Contes d'Anansi" racontés par notre tante à tous:

.

* aunty Peggy

ses histoires de

* Kweku Anansi

. *Kweku est le "nom du jour" d'anansi l'arraignée..!

Le "nom du jour" ghanéen (Ghanaian day name) est le nom attribué

à tous les enfants, filles et garçons,

nés le même jour de la semaine

L'enfant garde ce nom tout au long de sa vie...

(il peut rajouter ou non plusieurs autres prénoms...)

.(les noms de garçons sont sur la gauche et ceux des filles sur la droite)
.
Lundi Kwodwo Adwoa

Mardi Kobena Abena

Mercredi Kweku Ekua

Jeudi Yaw Yaa

Vendredi Kofi Efua

Samedi Kwame Ama

Dimanche Kwesi Esi
.

Moi, je m'appelle EKUA...

et vous..?
.
*Peggy Appiah est celle qui a inspiré le film "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner"
(1967)

.
Read This post in English

Beyond Beauty...

.
Beads
play a very important role
in the social and culture lifestyle of Ghanaians,
when beads are used,
attention is paid to their shape, size, designs, colour and material....

.

.

Beads are not considered as mere decorative accessories.
The different shapes and colors
have specific meanings...
Some are worn for special occasions, others on a daily basis.
Beads convey social and cultural messages,
indicate status and symbolize the important milestones of a life.
.Photo :Google
.

all shapes and sizes
thick, thin, large, small
no matter...
any which way,
I simply ADORE them !
.
.
As children, my sisters, friends and I
would wear them around our waist,
necks, wrists and ankles
alone or in layers,
single or multicoloured...

..

In everyday life women, men and children wear beads;
they are visibly displayed
around the neck, wrist, *waist, ankles, arms, and on clothing...
..
How you can contribute to Fair Trade in Ghana
.

**Bead seller at the Koforidua Bead Market
.
Au Ghana les perles ne sont pas considérées comme de simples
accessoires d'ornement...
Les différentes formes et couleurs ont des significations spécifiques.
Certaines sont portées pour des occasions spéciales, d'autres quotidiennement.
Elles peuvent transmettre des messages, indiquer le statut,
ou symboliser les étapes importantes d'une vie....

Comment contribuer au développement durable au Ghana

~~~
.
*The wearing of beads by women around their waist is
a measure of beauty in most of West Africa.
Beads are worn from early infancy and all through adulthood.
They serve many purposes among which, it is believed,
the wearing of beads helps in the proper development of a woman’s figure..!
**Held on Thursdays, Africa’s largest wholesale bead market

is in the Ghanaian town of Koforidua..