MAALI

Inspiration......Sports and Arabs...

2012-11-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

What comes to your mind when you think of Sports and Arabs....? What comes to your mind first, when you hear the word POLO...probably Ralph Lauren and the polo shirts and maybe Lacoste (if you are into fashion and the arts), and if you are into sports, the sport of Polo itself and possibly Tennis....

With all that said, very few people know that Polo (the sport) originated in Persia and that it was a very popular sport in Iran. In time polo became an Iranian national sport played normally by the nobility. Women as well as men played the game. I find this very interesting as the involvement of Muslim women in sports had previously been and still is an issue in certain parts of the Arab world. Most Arab women have a certain image and are hardly regarded in the area of sports, in fact they are often discriminated against and envisioned as covered up powerless creatures subjected to and restricted by culture and religion. It gave me great joy to see that Arab/Muslim women are now major participants in all sorts of sports.

xx.A

So We Are Finally Back From Summer...

2012-10-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

....and the lack of posting does not mean we have not been engaged in a lot of activities. Contrary to that thought we have been quite busy. Maali in collaboration with our friend Bariats Brushstrokez Makeover had the annual sales party at the Maali store in Abuja about two months ago (pictures will be posted below).

I (Alheri) resumed school and have a pretty intense semester as it shall be my last. I am taking a couple of hard courses, as well as my project which deals with Dimensionality Reduction (yea, I know... the link is for those who are interested in finding out what it is). Linda on the other hand has been busy with other major projects which cannot be disclosed now. By the way my birthday is this Sunday so watch this space for posts on that. View pictures from the Maali sales event below. Be Blessed! xx.A

Get A Life: A Vivienne Westwood Campaign

2012-08-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

SHELL MUST USE ITS PROFITS TO CLEAN UP THE NIGER DELTA

"Shell has been extracting oil in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria for over 50 years. They are the major operator there and have made billions and billions of dollars out of the country. And what have the people of the Niger Delta received in return? For the vast majority, they have been subjected to grinding poverty, little access to clean water, a polluted environment and ongoing violence and conflict." Vivienne Westwood Blog

Watch Amnesty International Film on the issue below -Shell: Own up, Pay up, Clean up the Niger Delta!

*Sign Amnesty’s global petition to Shell’s Chief Executive Peter Vosser at www.amnesty.org.uk/ownup.

Day 3.. New World Nigeria Showcase

2012-07-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

We did not get to stay to the end of the third day but this last day was the most musically fulfilling. It included performances by Bez Idakula, Keziah Jones and King Sunny Ade. We came a little bit late (dragging our feet at Portobello Road market) so we missed part of Bez's performance. We managed to watch him perform 'That Stupid Song' (Linda posted the video some time ago, watch Here) and 'Super Sun' (watch live performance Here) both off his Album Super Sun.

Next up was Keziah Jones. It took about an hour (exaggerating a little bit) to set up the stage for his performance. We all started to get impatient but in the end it was the best performance of all. It was well planned, executed and very different. Linda was already familiar with some of his music but I was not, so I did not know what to expect. All in all we were blown away. Keziah Jones....where do I begin (He's the type of artiste you Google to find out more after a live performance)...His music which he calls 'Blue Funk' is a fusion between raw blues elements and hard, edgy funk rhythms was so unexpected. I was in awe of both his style of music and performance. All of the lights moved with the music and then he took off his shirt....(**swoon**, Randomly, he is a 44 year old, hot man) and started to move along with the music. He was an amazing way to end the 3 days. Sadly, we did not get to take pictures with him.We had to leave early and also missed the King Sunny Ade performance.

Bez

Keziah Jones Back drop (a little blurry)

Keziah Jones

He had this cool funky way of playing the guitar

and the shirt went off....

Linda, Bez and Alheri

Zel, Linda and Alheri

xx A.

Only Love

2012-07-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Bluesy folksy song...Ben Howard...Only Love

Day 2.. New World Nigeria Showcase

2012-07-28T04:07:00.002-07:00

The second day of the show included performances by Wiz Boy, Waje, Tiwa Savage, M.I and King Sunny Ade. Before that night, I had little knowledge of Wiz Boy and Linda had none whatsoever, but he managed to get us on his fan team. Linda is now officially a major Wiz Boy fan. We sat with Zel ( Mrs. Chocolate City) and it was so funny and amazing how she knew the lyrics to all the Wiz Boy songs (which were Ibo and highlife-ish).

Linda and I loved every bit of it...watch this space for a post on him soon. Next was the talented Waje. I knew she could sing but I did not know that she could SING (live performances always prove if an artist can truly sing). She sang and we all got goosebumps...waiting for her album and her signing to an awesome record label (wink). Tiwa Savage joined Waje on stage as they sang a song to those they lost in the plane crash. Then Waje left and Tiwa performed her hits while dancing to 'The Azonto' (Slow Motion).

M.I was up next with an entertaining performance...(at this point me and most of the crowd got up). Highlight of the night was when he brought a fan on stage and he and Waje performed One naira to her..after which he gave her his watch. Finally, King Sunny Ade and his entire band came on stage and put out an entertaining performance. I was in awe of the back up singers/dancers..(I had to take a pic with my favorite whom reminds me of my Uncle Lawi..) Also, Wizboy and Weird Mc performed with the band and then KSA came back on stage to end the night.

Waje

Waje and Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage

Whether na one naira...whether na one Million..

The KSA Band

King Sunny Ade

Wiz Boy

Weird MC

Change of Clothes

Sexy twins...(they were amazing)

Waje and Alheri

Linda, Waje, Alheri

Me and him (I found him after the show..lol)

The Band

Abuchi a.k.a Don Boos Boos

Weird MC

Wiz Boy

Legendary King Sunny Ade

xx.A

Day 1... New World Nigeria Showcase

2012-07-26T17:48:00.001-07:00

In the last post we talked about attending a few shows at the New World Nigeria Showcase at Stratford in London. Well we did and we had a swell time. This trip to London was amazing...Stratford was so full of the Olympic spirit..there were lots of people around and everyone seemed to be happy. Linda and I decided we were gonna get the best of this trip and we did. The first day of the show was Wande Coal and the CHOC BOIZ. It was hosted by our very own Segun Arinze. We have few pics of the actual show due to confused prohibition by security (then they let us take pics the next day...smh).

Wande Coal came on first performing both old and new hits...then Brymo came up next....performing Shawty, Good Morning and Ara. Next was Jesse Jagz...He performed and I (Alheri) performed along with him in the crowd (lol ..as I knew every song word for word). Jagz has not been on stage in a while so I was very excited and ecstatic and his performance was mind blowing. Highlight was when he took of his hoody revealing a red mohawk...(*sigh*). Next up was Ice Prince performing selected songs from his album. Lastly, M.I joined the rest of the CHOC BOIZ on stage to perform Nobody Test Me, Represent, Thank You and finally Oleku with Jagz on the drums and M.I on the piano. All in all....was an awesome performance.

W..Ceezzyy...U know its Mo heeezzy..

Vikki!!!!

Zel, (Mrs. CC), Vikki and Alheri

Brymo and Alheri

The kiss...lol

Linda and Brymo

M.I.

Mr and Mrs. Jesse Abaga

Choc Boss Snr

Zel, Audu, Linda, Vikki

Linda....(*wink*)

Vikki, Linda, Alheri

Urban Outfitters...

Guess who we stumbled on...

Linda and Ice Prince

xx.A

New World Nigeria Showcase at London Stratford

2012-07-21T08:27:00.003-07:00

It is on....and we are gonna be attending.....!!!! Its the showcasing of various forms of Nigerian talent at Nigeria House, Theatre Royal in Stratford from 20 July to 12 August. Linda and I will be heading to London tomorrow to attend the Sunday show which features CHOC BOIZ and Wande Coal and the Monday show which features M.I, Tiwa Savage Naeto C and River of Music. Depending on the awesomeness of it, we will decide whether to stay for the Tuesday show or not (which Linda really wants to be a part of). This is how the schedule goes for the concerts:

Choc Boiz & Wande Coal
Sun 22 Jul 2012

Tiwa Savage, Naeto C, M.I and River of Music
Mon 23 Jul 2012

Bez, Keziah Jones and King Sunny Ade
Tues 24 Jul 2012

Diasporama All Star Band and Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Band
Wed 25 Jul 2012

To view the schedule for other Nigerian creative arts such as Nollywood films, arts and crafts, and fashion exhibitions and to book tickets Click Here. Watch this space for pictures....

Film Releases

2012-07-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

Half of A Yellow Sun (Film By Biyi Bandele)

Can't wait for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of A Yellow Sun to hit the screens. Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose and Chiwetel Ejiofor were in Nigeria for the shooting of the adaptation of the Film which wrapped up in June. The Film is set to be on screens by 2013.

Meanwhile 'Winnie' the controversial biopic of the Life of Winnie Madikizela Mandela starring Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard has been revamped and set to hit the screens sometime this year (not sure of exact dates) Will Watch...

'Winnie'

Watch Trailer Below...

Femi Kuti Concert

2012-07-11T06:52:00.003-07:00

Femi Kuti and the Positive force Band were in Manchester as part of the 'We Face Forward Music from Africa' event and I was there to experience it.
It was a sold out show, which was held at the intimate, hole in a wall bar called Band on the wall hehe...
After a little bit of a wait at the lounge of the bar drinking cocktails, we all filed in. I was amongst the first few to go in so I had the opportunity to look for a good spot, and while I was tempted to go upstairs, I remembered the (Mos Def) concert I went to last year and my 'ringing ears' as a result of staying too close to the stage and speakers. I'm borderline ~~obsessive~~ so when I do things I go all out, and went against my better judgement (wanting to be as close to the action as possible) again and ended up with ringing ears. *Note to self wear ear plugs next time you go to a concert.

The concert started with a bang, the band came in first playing the trumpets,saxophone, clarinets and hornets don't really know the difference anyway, but the whole shebang. Then the dancers came in all energetic, and moved with such rhythm the grounds of the hall shook, it was so exhilarating.

The setting was Fela-like interspersed with little talks in between, about politics of Nigeria-The corruption, and about men/women relationships. He thanked his brothers and sisters in the 'diaspora' who came to support him also. It was a surprisingly mixed crowd, with so many die hard fans singing along, jumping and dancing. I have never seen such enthusiasts; they were as energetic as the dancers if not more. There was always an occasional look of wonderment between my new found friend Temi and I. It was just too funny.

In the course of the concert there was this guy who kept shouting 'were' which means crazy in Yoruba, wanting Femi to sing the song 'Shotan' from the African Shrine album, and Femi pretended not to hear him while making sarcastic remarks about pot bellied men and beer etc. After songs like 'If they want to hear' and 'Dem Bobo' from the Africa Shrine album to 'Scatta Head' from Shoki Shoki and other songs, he took a bow and left...
...While the show seemed to be over, the audience asked for more.
No one moved during the short interlude, and when it almost seemed like they were not coming out, the band came back in dancing.

This was when the madness started, Femi decided to sing the 'Were' Shotan song and the response of the crowd was something out of this world, I was too shocked. Those in front started spraying water, beer and any liquid they could find while jumping and literally acting crazy, almost to where a fight was going to ensue. It was purely insane!
Then, he sang the popular Beng Beng Beng which was once banned in Nigeria, then a little more dialogue and it was over. Overall it was a good concert. He connected with the audience with an occasional fist bump (chop knuckle) in Naija terms and all in all, It looked like everyone had a good time.

Pictures Below

Testing my camera (Had to turn off the flash)

Waiting for the show to start

Femi Kuti

Audience

The Band

Temi and I

Dancers

Femi, Temi and I

Moi

xx.L

Icons Of A Metropolis- Ade Adekola

2012-07-10T11:33:00.002-07:00

Ade Adekola is a Nigerian Photographer and Conceptual Artist who takes a really close look at the people of Lagos. The photos capture the streets of Lagos, a metropolis in Nigeria. He chose 20 character Icons to represent the Metropolis in a collection of Montages called The Icons of a Metropolis.

The Characters range from a Cart Pusher to the Challenger and Praise Crier. These are real, everyday people on the streets of Lagos that live daily lives trying to survive, we see them everyday, but have a complete disregard for them like the thirst quencher who sells 'Pure Water' packs of packeted water to people on the streets of Lagos, or the water peddler that carries gallons of water/goods for people from the market to their cars or houses, and also the 'Okada Man' also an easy means of transportation for the masses around Lagos. All these, come together to make up the true story of the streets of the Lagos Metropolis and Ade Adekoya has done a good job of conceptualising this in this Montage. Really captivating and inspiring piece of work.

The Opportunist

The Thirst Quencher

The Prayer Warriors

The Cart Pusher

The Praise Crier

Traffic Policeman

The Okada

The Challenger

To see more of his work go to his website here
www.iconsofametropolis.com

xx.L

If You Ask me

2012-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Listen to Omawumi If You Ask Me a nice soulful uptempo music that deals with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse!

Speak out against Sexual Child Abuse!

Have a lovely Weekend

We Face Forward Music From West Africa

2012-06-26T11:09:00.002-07:00

We Face Forward: Music from West Africa
Continuing from yesterday's post are the remaining Acts that are to perform as part of the We Face forward music programme in Manchester.

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
Emerging from the giant shadow that his father Fela Kuti cast, Femi is the true heir to the Afrobeat crown, his music reaching across the globe with a powerful and distinctive voice.
Wed 4th July 2012 – Doors open: 7.30pm

Femi Kuti and The Positive Force

Listen to Beng Beng Beng: Femi Kuti Below

Diabel Cissokho + Carlou D
Featuring the cream of West African artists, with this very special live Senegalese double bill. Featuring Diabel Cissokho, who mixes traditional rhythms with upbeat African dance, plus Carlou D and his 7 piece band - the outspoken voice from Senegal's hip hop generation.
Fri 3rd August 2012 – Doors open: 7pm

Carlou D

Jaliba Kuyateh and The Kumareh Band
Jaliba Kuyateh is widely regarded as Gambia's greatest modern master of the Kora - one of Africa's most beautiful and complex instruments
Fri 29th June 2012 – Doors open: 7pm

Jaliba Kuyateh and The Kumareh Band

Mamane Barka and Etran Finatawa
Featuring Mamane Barka, Oumarou Adamou, Alhousseini Anivolla and Bammo Agonla from Etran Finatawa, multi-media concert The Endless Journey brings together four musicians from two of Niger’s leading internationally known music groups, Mamane Barka and Etran Finatawa.

The Endless Journey is a live music show, a documentary film and a photographic exhibition. This is the story of these acclaimed musicians from Niger, West Africa, who travelled the world promoting their nomadic culture and desert blues music only to realise that whilst they were away their children were turning their back’s on their cultural heritage.
Tue 3rd July 2012 – Royal Northern College of Music - Doors open: 7pm

Mamane Barka + Etran Finatawa - The Endless Journey

To know more about events, prices and dates go to http://www.wefaceforward.org/music

*Culled from wefaceforward.org website.

xx.L

We Face Forward Art from West Africa

2012-06-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

We Face Forward: Art from West Africa 2 June-16 September. I mentioned this on a previous post, but only put pictures of Malick Sidibe's work. Planning to spend a full day in Manchester going to the Museum and then to the Ritz to see Femi Kuti and the Positive Force as part of the We face Forward events.

View some of the works from the series below:

Aboubakar Fofana: was born and raised in Mali and went on to study and train in France and Japan.
Obsession, 2012 is a new work made especially for We Face Forward. Suspended from the ceiling in Manchester Art Gallery’s airy glass atrium, numerous transparent linen panels hang, gently moving in the air.

Obsession 2012

Abdoulaye Konaté : was born in 1953 in DIré Mali. He now lives and works in Bamako, Mali. He studied painting in Bamako and then in Havana, Cuba for seven years.
His practices include painting and installations work.Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion) is a 7m long textile work which explores the position of Christianity and Islam within political and cultural life. The symbols of religion and government stand out graphically against the grey background which is covered with white spots.

Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion)

Amarachi Okafor: Was born in Nigeria in 1977 where she still lives and works. Her practice is sculptural.

She trained in Nigeria where she obtained a BA in Painting and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Nigeria in 2002 and 2007 respectively. She is currently doing an MA in Curating at the University College Falmouth, Cornwall, UK.

Inspired by everyday things which we often overlook like plastic bags, letters or rubbish bags, she carefully selects materials not only for their texture but also for their socio-economic context and connotations of use. Her work engages with diverse issues including human relationships, culture, religion, history, gender and sexuality. Okafor uses sewing to create her artworks not only due to an interest in fashion, and referencing women in her local community, but also as a cathartic process of mending broken material.

The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009, a curtain made from the discarded scraps of synthetic leather from a shoe factory Dale Sko, in Norway, is a work which speaks to both individuals and wider society.

The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009

El Anatsui :Trained as a sculptor at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, before starting to teach at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1975.
Anatsui’s hanging sculptures of exquisite colour and delicacy, such as In the World But Don’t Know the World, are made with aluminium wrappings and bottle-caps. Anatsui resists the description of his works in terms of ‘recycling’, he is instead interested in the metamorphosis that materials undergo; metal becoming a fluid and fragile textile, and discarded waste transformed into a beautiful and precious work of art.

In the World But Don’t Know the World 2009

To view more go to http://www.wefaceforward.org/venues/manchester-art-gallery

*Culled from the Manchester Art Gallery page.

xx.L

My TV Show Ramblings

2012-06-23T14:28:00.002-07:00

Summer is here, so all the shows have slowly come to an end- season finale that is... apart from the ones which have permanently ended like House, Desperate Housewives amongst others. Will miss the ladies of Wisteria lane. Moving on, Shonda Rymes why oh why *Spoiler alert did Lexie have to die on Greys Anatomy. I balled my eyes out, it was too sad. There was no shock value for the season finale of Private Practice, another great show by Shonda Rymes. Then Gossip girl I watch it just because... Blair and Dan's romance was too ewww to watch, yay for Blair and Chuck... and Bart Alive!! Okay moving on...

For comic relief Modern Family, can't even pick my favourite because they are all sooo funny. Then I started to watch Surburgatory, my favourite character is Ryan, he is just so clueless its unbelievable. I'm still trying to get my head round Jeremy Sisto as the dad because I keep picturing him as Billy, Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters) Brenda's weird brother on Six Feet Under- a show that no one I knew watched, but was such a brilliant, brilliant show just like the next brilliant show I'm going to dedicate this next section to.... Drum roll...

Mad Men!
*Phew* Mad Men was back for another season and it lived up to its expectations. This season was a whole lot more spectacular than previous seasons so I guess it was worth the wait. Only other thing though, was you had to keep trying to remember the previous episodes from former seasons, because a lot of it was tied in somehow with this season.

I was glad mad men came back to our screens again because it ticked all the boxes (for me) of what a great TV drama should be. Also just out of the box calculated drama that makes you really think and if you blink too much, stood the chance of missing details that were so neatly/intricately written into the whole fabric of the show.

So,Thank you Matthew Weiner and the rest of the writers for creating such a show as this. Can't wait for next season....

Can't write about mad Men without putting pictures of the fabulous 60's fashion *wink*wink
Pictures below

Psychedelic dress

Megan's "Zou Bisou Bisou" moment lol

Lovely Coral evening gown

Also I'm so glad I Just discovered Monarch of the Glen, slowly going through it, I'm sure it will tide me over till the summer ends....

xx.L

Marsha Ambrosius

2012-06-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

Remember Floetry! Marsha Ambrosius an English singer/songwriter is A former member of the English Soul/R&B duo Floetry...

Late Nights and Early Mornings- Marsha Ambrosius

Get protected!

Listen to Say Yes- Floetry

Have a lovely weekend!

......Photography....Denis Rouvre.......Ethnic Series...

2012-06-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

I am not very sure about how I feel about this photographer. His work is very intriguing... The particular shoot that really caught my attention was the "Ethnic" series which is a collaboration between Denis and the painter and sculptor David Nal-Vad (check out his work..seriously). It leans somewhat on the controversial and blasphemous side. I am still trying to decide if I consider this series ethically right or wrong. I am not sure if it would be right for me to like it or not. Either ways I am hooked. I keep looking at the pictures in awe because aside all probable controversial meanings and the ideas that are depicted, this work or art is definitely worthy of being called ART.

I wrote a post before about the depreciation of talent in the Arts area. To view Click Here. Denis Rouvre and David Nal-Vad are living proof of the existence of real talent in the world today and the Ethnics Series has inspired me to try to get back to my drawing board (It is a good thing my blackberry is acting up....so I can be more productive).

Denis Rouvre, 1967, France, is a portrait photographer with a large and impressive portfolio. He has photographed an extensive amount of internationally known celebrities throughout the years, but works on many other series, personal and editorial. These numerous series have been exhibited extensively throughout the world. He has also released several books and monographs. The series Senegalese Wrestling won the second prize in the Sports features stories at World Press Photo in 2010. View some pictures from the Ethnic Series, the Senegalese Wrestling and some of David Nal-Vads work. To view more of Denis Rouvre's work Click Here.

Ethnic Series

David Nal-Vad

he definitely has a thing for the cross...

Senegalese Wrestling

xx.A

Life Musings... and quotable quotes...

2012-06-11T08:58:00.004-07:00

“The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.” Shakespeare

and another viewpoint of the same quote

“It is sins of omission, not commission, that are most fruitful of harm; not the evil that men do, but the good they did not do, that lives after them.”

In lieu of recent happenings in Nigeria, I began to ponder about life.. about humanity...

... and here goes my little musings!

“Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.” is a quote I heard from a rerun of an episode of Law and Order and it got me thinking. When do we start to become cynics in life, when do we decide that "being good" is not just good enough.We want to help but we are scared. We want to love but we hold back. We want to give but we just can not, because good intentions are often misconstrued.

Life as we know it today, is about every man for himself and to each his own, fend for yourself, toughen up or die. Are we our brothers keepers? Why are we so scared of helping, of giving, of humanity itself. The Hate... Do we help at the expense of getting hurt. When do we choose to be heroes and ~~damn~~ the consequences. Does it always end in tragedy or do we survive???

One of my favorite movies is, Amelie a Parisian film set in Montmartre, a magical whimsical romantic comedy directed by Jeun-Pier Jeunet in which Amelie played by Audrey Tautou, is a shy waitress, who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better, while struggling with her own isolation. Amelie's accidental find of a lost box inspires her to do good. She invents little cutesy ways to help others, through matchmaking, encouragement and in an event walked a blind man to the train station while describing all the little details on the street. At the end Amelie discovers love...

The moral of this... do good anyway, for it does not always end in tragedy.

I like this quote below

The Final Analysis (Author Unknown)
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It is never between you and those people anyway.

xx.L

Afrodance!

2012-06-08T15:36:00.001-07:00

Les Nubians, remember them! Makeda anyone? Where have they been? Anyway enjoy the Afrodance, video directed by Andrew Dosunmu. Have a lovely weekend...

Les Nubians- Afrodance

We Heart Tribal Print...

2012-06-07T09:40:00.006-07:00

We are planning a holiday, so I've been lusting over some Tribal/Aztec print wears on-line and these are a few I Heart....

Tribal Prints on the Highstreet

Warehouse

Colour Block tribal print silk maxi

Silk Colour block dress

Warehouse

Blocked tribal print Bandeau

Desert Trek trouser

Tribal printed Jeans and shorts

Top Shop

Tribal print Bodycon dress

Tribal Maxi dress by Oh My Love

Tribal print Dress by Yuki

H and M

Paper straw bag

Fashion Against Aids Bustier

Fashion against Aids Jersey Skirt

Zara

Zara printed Sandal

Zara Printed Trousers

Men's printed Shirt

River Island

Light Orange Tribal Print Men's shirt

Oasis

Tribal Print Maxi Dress

Tribal Trilby Hat

xx.L

Plastic Dreams-Vivienne Westwood/Melissa

2012-06-06T08:19:00.005-07:00

Brazilian shoe label Melissa has been collaborating with, Vivienne Westwood, for 3 years now, to create a collection of plastic shoes which include wedges, booties, flats or high heels, and comes with a signature bubblegum scent.

I have owned a similar one (old design) for a while now, and have worn it almost everyday, to where the cost per wear is virtually non existent. They are so comfortable and when you wash them the bubblegum scent still lingers on.

The Lady Dragon is a popular design

These are new: The Aqua Cowboy Ankle Boots

Putty/Gold Buckle Ultragirl shoes

These also are lovely, hoping to acquire new ones soon, you can't go wrong with these shoes. Love, Love, Love...

xx.L

This post is dedicated to the Seniors....who just graduated...

2012-06-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

A whole bunch of seniors graduated from AUN some weeks ago. Before their graduation day, they went for a dinner which meant they all had to dress up which was very exciting for me. View pictures below.

The men...lol

Decor

Noni

Theresa, Minty and Lucy

Terry and Adnan (Two on the right)

Fred and Sarem

Deola

Minty, Eunice and Aijay

Ezee-E = Eze!!

Eze

Patience

Adanna and Dooyum

Michi, Fred

Paul, Chioma, Chisom, Ope, Dami, Emma and Merre Leen

Yvonne

Emma

Chinwe

Ibiso and Brother

Ada

Gwasen

Photo credits: Oluwasun Famuyiwa

Once again congrats to all 2012 graduating seniors. Will Miss you all. Love you!!

*Celebrate life, celebrate your friends, family and loved ones, my heart is so heavy right now, may the victims of the Dana plane crash in Lagos Nigeria, RIP and may God give their families the fortitude to bear the loss.

xx.A

The Lijadu Sisters

2012-06-04T06:26:00.002-07:00

I must confess, I've never heard of these sisters even though I am a lover of all things (Music) Afro. Afrobeat, Afrofunk, Afrojazz, Afrorock you name it, I Love them all. Came across their story while reading an African music blog. So decided to look them up and check their music on You tube. I'm glad I did, now I'm hooked.

A bit about them

The Lijadu Sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu, are identical twin sisters from Nigeria who were an important music duet from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. They achieved success in Nigeria and had modest influence in the United States and Europe. They were notable for being a West African version of the Pointer Sisters who mixed Afrobeat sounds with jazz and disco. Since the late 1980s, they retired from the music scene.

Listen to 'Life's gone down low below' Lijadu Sisters

*Our prayers go out to those who lost their loved one's in the ill-fated Dana Air crash in Nigeria Yesterday.

xx.L

My Favourite Things...

2012-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Its Summer.... and these are a few of my favourite things...

Summer Wedding guest hair

Everyday look Hair

My Coffee Table Books

Neon Aqua Blue Nail Polish

Summer Yums

Blooming Tulips

Easy Summer feel good song.

Esperanza Spalding-Black Gold

Have a lovely summer!

xx.L

Malick Sidibe and Others Revisited

2012-05-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

Malick Sidibe for the New York Times

An Exhibit Titled West Africa, We Face Forward will run from 1 June to 16 September 2012 in Manchester as part of the London 2012 Festival. 170,000 people are expected to attend the free exhibition.

Curated by a team led by Dr Maria Balshaw, Director of Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester City Galleries and taking place across Whitworth Art Gallery and Park, Manchester Art Gallery and Platt Hall (Gallery of Costume), the exhibition will feature painting, drawing, photography, textiles, sculpture, video and sound work – from a wide range of practitioners whose work is internationally acclaimed, but rarely seen in the UK.

Confirmed artists include: Hélène Amazou, Mohamed Camara, Aboubakar Fofana, Meschac Gaba, Romuald Hazoumè, Abdoulaye Konaté, Nii Obodai, Nnenna Okore, Emeka Ogboh, Abraham Oghobase, Amadou Sanogo, Malick Sidibé, Pascale Marthine Tayou and Barthélémy Toguo.

Visit the London 2012 festival page for more details http://festival.london2012.com/index.php

Malick Sidibe's Photographs- Prints and Revolution

Photoshoot for New York Times

Models are wearing Junya Watanabi, Dsquared2, Missoni and Gucci

Oscar De laRenta Blouse and a Miu Miu Skirt

Etro Shirt and John Galliano Pants

Models are wearing Prada, Comme des Garcons, Betsey Johnson and 3.1 Phillip Lim

Viktor and Rolf Suit, Bottega Veneta shirt, Dries Von Noten and Paul Smith Shoes

Marni Top, Marc Jacobs Dress