Away from Africa

Africa Pop at the Musée International d'Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky

2026-06-21T15:58:00.000-04:00

Nice, in southern France, is not a hotbed of African culture. So it was a surprise to see a poster for the exhibition Africa Pop, showcasing African textiles in an original way, at a museum I had never heard of, the Musée International d'Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky.

The museum in itself was a nice surprise. Anatole Jakovsky was an art critic, collector, and writer, of Moldovan origin, who was very interested in 20th Century "naive" art, art from self-taught artists. He donated his extensive collection to the city of Nice. The museum was opened in 1982, in the historical Château Sainte-Hélène, which used to belong to the perfumer François Coty.

The ground floor houses the permanent collection, that includes well-known artists such as the postman Rousseau and Grandma Moses. Africa Pop (running through October 18, 2026) is on the upper floor.

There were many wall hangings made of superimposed African cotton fabrics ("pagne" in French), each wall hanging combining fabrics with a similar motif. I had never seen the fabrics with space ship motifs... neither known that there had been a 2025 movie about African spacefarers, Le Grand Déplacement, about "an African space mission to find a habitable planet in case Earth becomes uninhabitable and Africans are left behind" (IMDB). Not a ridiculous idea: with some of our current politicians and their hangers-on, Africans could really be left behind!

In a room with displays of adornments from all over the continent, a silent movie (Stylé-e-s) played, portraying a group of people modeling both traditional and contemporary garb and fabrics from Africa. There are so many beautiful styles! It took me back to the days when I lived in Cameroon, and we would be excited to have a fashion show by a designer from another African country, or find something new in a local shop. Alphadi came once and held a show; I regret giving my beautiful linen suit away to a younger cousin, as it had become too snug on me.

There were a few more disparate items: music listened to in Africa (not just African music); political statements, old phone cards (from before smartphones existed)...

Separately from the rest of the exhibition, there is an "apartment," possibly similar to one a young urban African might live in nowadays, with some whimsical decor such as a curtain made of discarded Nespresso cartridges; and a mosquito net, as so many countries have mosquitoes, and malaria is a big public health issue.

The show was curated by Anne Grosfilley, an anthropologist, author of the beautiful book African Print Wax Textiles (2018), originally published in French under the title Wax & co. (2017); and Claude Boli , historian and sociologist.

What is a "clean war"?

Music

Ottomans made of large reused cans

Trent Tomengo: Art and educating the students of Florida

2026-06-13T09:07:32.782-04:00

This year, I am spending time in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., with Winsome Edwards, who created an art gallery, first in New York City, which she then moved to Orlando in 2003: the International Portfolio Gallery represents artists from all corners of the African diaspora: African-American, and Caribbean, as well as African artists from the continent.

Through her, I met Trent Tomengo, who prefers to be identified as Black American rather than African-American, as he hails from the United States for many generations. He is a Florida native and moved to Orlando when he was five years old.

Trent has always wanted to be an artist. As a child, he loved art; his mother owned a Bible illustrated with old Master paintings, which fascinated him. Drawing came easily to him. His first painting was of a pig, much beloved by his first grade teacher!

Above: Prelude to Joe, oil on canvas, 2015, 28" x 36"

In college, he majored in fine arts, earning degrees from Stetson University in Painting, and Seminole Community College. He started his career in graphic design, then he went on to painting, curatorship, and teaching. During this time, he continued growing as an artist.

He has been a Professor (now Distinguished Professor) of Humanities at Seminole State College, in Central Florida, for twenty years. His students are varied: students who just started college, to professionals aiming to further or switch their career, and everybody in between.

Currently, his classes (African-American Humanities and African-American History) have been cancelled due to new legislation in Florida, where limitations are set on the teaching of African-American Humanities in state colleges. Other classes he taught, Renaissance and Baroque Humanities, and Medieval Humanities, were removed from core requirements and made electives. He now teaches Ancient Times through the Renaissance, and Art Appreciation. In the face of this censorship, in order to continue his mission as an educator, he created a podcast: We Who Are Dark, where he can continue speaking about Black art and culture. The podcast is done in collaboration with Neil Vaz, Ph.D., one of his former students, a historian who is now himself a Professor of African history, history of the African diaspora, and African diaspora history, also at Seminole State College (his current classes are: U. S. History 1877 to Present). In the podcast, they are not hampered by state laws. They discuss a variety of themes, but especially Black creativity: in the words of Professor Tomengo, “The theoretical framework for this podcast is going to be based on this book by Richard J. Powell called Black Art. It's the best treatment of black creativity that I've seen.”*

Of course Trent Tomengo's art is fascinating, we'll follow up in another post! Here are some images.

Joe Clarke, oil on canvas, 2016, 36" x 36". Joe Clarke is the founder of Eatonville, FL.

When Divinity Meets Itself, oil on canvas, 2019, 28" x 36"

Cindy, oil on canvas, 2019, 84" x 42"

Alligator Man, mixed media (oil and glitter), 2013, 22" x 50"

Additional links:

Faculty Spotlight: Humanities professor’s art know-how elevates courses

On Amazon

*From We Who Are Dark: Introduction, Jan 17, 2026

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introduction/id1870377325?i=1000745808030&r=653

This material may be protected by copyright.

Vilcek Prize: "Jacques Agbobly’s Journey from Lomé to American Fashion’s Future"

2026-04-13T13:15:00.004-04:00

Jacques Agbobly’s Journey from Lomé to American Fashion’s Future

Picket Chabwedzeka trains African rangers in anti-poaching techniques: help needed!

2025-09-06T10:49:00.005-04:00

Picket with a black rhino on a dehorning exercise*

A few years ago, in 2021, we had the pleasure of meeting Picket Chabwedzeka at the Hwange game count. Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, he studied Geography and Environmental Management in South Africa. After working for several years in a South African game reserve, he returned to Zimbabwe and enrolled in a Master’s degree program, graduating with an MS in ecological resources management. He went on to receive a Post Graduate Certificate in Ecological Survey techniques at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

He currently serves as a Game Reserve Manager in a private reserve near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where he lives on the premises with his young family, surrounded by a variety of wildlife, including many birds.

His passion and area of expertise is rhinoceros conservation, both black and white rhinos. Aside from humans, rhinos have no natural predators, yet they remain under constant threat due to poaching driven by demand for their horns in Asian markets.

GRTTS ranger team
in Ivory Concession near
Hwange National Park

Picket has trained many rangers in anti-poaching techniques; I personally met several of them in different locations. His reputation even reaches beyond Zimbabwe; one Mozambican guide in Gorongosa National Park recognized his name. Despite this, anti-poaching training remains a low priority in many re
serve budgets, and his community company, GRTTS (Game Ranger and Tracker Training Specialist), is struggling.

GRTTS provides ranger training, deploys private rangers, and manages anti-poaching programs. Its two main training bases are located in Victoria Falls and Gweru.

The company is in need of support—particularly in the form of uniforms, rations, and vehicles—which they are willing to repay through branding opportunities and equipment provision. GRTTS trains both men and women.

This is Picket's description of his company, along with his needs to expand operations:

GRTTS is a self-funded community-based anti-poaching Ranger training and deployment company, protecting over 45000 ha of land across the Zimbabwean landscape. With a Ranger training base in Gweru, and a satellite ranger project centre outside Victoria falls, GRTTS is focused on wildlife and wildlands conservation.

Apart from community ranger training, GRTTS offers wildlife protection services in different game reserves of Zimbabwe. We offer our services for a reward, so we are able to pay for our rangers. We currently have rangers in the Amalinda ivory concession near Hwange, with an all-female unit in that area. Male rangers are also present to complement the female team. We have rangers deployed in Gwayi farms, a collection of wildlife game ranchers operating without fences in the bigger Hwange block. Our men and women are responsible for the day to day patrolling of the area, removing snares, and making the wilderness safe for wildlife.

We have rangers deployed in the Victoria Falls area around the developing city. The continous development around the area reduces open space for wildlife and closes wildlife corridors. This leads to an increase in human wildlife conflict and poaching. GRTTS' presence in such a landscape is critical and of great importance.

We have rangers in Devuli ranch, Save Valley Conservancy where we are protecting 14000 ha of land. South Shangani Ranch just outside Gweru, where 7000 ha are under our protection, showcases our commitment to wildlife protection.

Community rangers on a GRTTS basic training course in Gwayi Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe

The current economic challenges facing Zimbabwe today impact our operations heavily, as we struggle to pay salaries for our staff, purchase uniforms and maintain a fleet of reliable anti-poaching vehicles. With a team of 50 employees, this article is a cry for help to well wishers and funders who can support our authentic wildlife protection work in Zimbabwe. To those willing to assist with funds, uniform donations, office equipment (laptops, printers, hard drives, powerbanks, cellphones, watches etc), project funding, motorbikes and tricycles for community education outreach programmes and field operations may reach us at the below contact.

WhatsApp no. +263 788661234 or by email: grttsrangers@gmail.com.

The page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071225229252

White rhino

Black rhino

I hope this post will reach the people who can assist!

*Dehorning is a move to reduce poaching of one of the world's currently critically endangered species. Note: This photo is not from GRTTS.

Meeting the Herero of Ombu Village: History, Memory, and Tradition

2025-07-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

Ms. Ngurungunda pounding aromatic herbs

Ever since I saw a video about Herero women and their distinctive way of dressing years ago, I had hoped to one day see them in real life.

When I finally did, they were every bit as captivating as I imagined—but what struck me even more was how much I learned about the Herero people, their history, and the broader Bantu cultural heritage across Sub-Saharan Africa.

One of the facts I learned was that the first genocide of the 20th century was committed against the Herero people. Germany had colonized Namibia in 1884, often using deceptive agreements. The Herero and Nama were pastoralist communities, but as more German settlers arrived, their land was systematically confiscated. In response, the Herero rebelled—and the consequences were devastating. Between 1904 and 1908, an estimated 80% of the Herero population was killed.*

Ombu Village, Namibia

In May of this year, I visited the Ombu Herero Cultural Village in northern Namibia, located off a dirt road branching from the B1 highway between Otjiwarongo and Sukses. The visit included an overnight stay at one of the village’s campsites and a guided tour led by a knowledgeable local guide named Patrick.

During the tour, Patrick provided valuable insights into the cultural and historical connections between the Herero and Himba peoples. Contrary to the common perception that the Himba constitute a separate ethnic group, he explained that they are in fact part of the broader Herero community. Both groups speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language, and share the same ancestral roots.

Ms. Ngurungunda in her traditional dress

The divergence in appearance and cultural expression between the Herero and Himba can be largely attributed to their differing interactions with German colonial forces. The Herero, who lived in closer proximity to the German settlers, adopted aspects of European dress, particularly the Victorian-style garments worn by Herero women—likely due to colonial influence and pressure. In contrast, the Himba, who remained geographically and socially more isolated, were able to preserve their traditional customs and attire, many of which continue to this day.

Ms. Ngurungunda preparing the herbs

Another closely related ethnic group is the Ovahimba of southwestern Angola. Like the Himba, Ovahimba women wear traditional attire and maintain similar customs, reflecting their shared origins with the Herero. Historically, the Ovahimba migrated from what is now Namibia, and their cultural practices continue to bear strong similarities to those of the Himba, particularly in dress and lifestyle.

As part of the visit, Patrick guided us through traditional Herero homesteads, illustrating how construction methods have evolved over time. One woman, dressed in an elegant Herero gown made from African-print fabric, demonstrated a traditional hygiene practice once used by Herero women. In times of water scarcity, rather than washing with water, women would pound aromatic herbs, heat them, and place them beneath their skirts. The resulting steam served to cleanse and perfume the body—a method that reflects both ingenuity and adaptation to environmental constraints.

Patrick with the village Chief and his family

Following a visit to the cattle kraal, we were invited to sit with the village chief and his family, where we shared a traditional drink of fermented milk. The village also features a small but informative museum, which guides visitors through the history of the Herero people's arrival in the region—part of the broader Bantu migration from west-central Africa to the southern parts of the continent.

One particularly striking aspect of the exhibition was the linguistic connection between the Herero of Namibia and the Duala people of Cameroon. Despite the geographical distance, both groups trace their origins to the Bantu expansion and retain notable linguistic parallels. For example, the term for the Creator in Duala is Nyambé, while in Otjiherero it is Ndjambi—a compelling reminder of their shared ancestral roots.

Image at the Museum

The museum also includes panels commemorating the Herero resistance against German colonial rule, including depictions of the rebellion's leader and photographic documentation of the genocide. A small souvenir area adjacent to the museum sells handcrafted items such as dolls and other locally made goods.

Visitors are charged a per-person fee for the guided tour, while campsite accommodation is billed separately. Those interested in visiting the Ombu Herero Cultural Village can contact Patrick Jeomba for further information (see contact details in the notes below).

* For further information on the Herero genocide, see the Montreal Holocaust Museum’s dedicated page: Herero Genocide in Namibia. The genocide, which occurred between 1904 and 1908, resulted in the deaths of approximately 80% of the Herero population and 40% of the Nama people.

It took the German government many decades to begin acknowledging the atrocities committed during its colonial rule—not only in Namibia but also in other African territories under its control. Following Germany’s defeat in World War I, its colonies were seized, and Namibia (then known as German South West Africa) was placed under South African administration.

I had the opportunity to engage with this history through exhibitions in Germany that confront the nation’s colonial past. Notably, I visited exhibitions at the Freiburg Augustinermuseum and the Hamburg Ethnological Museum, both of which I reflected on in an article titled Germany Faces Its Colonial History.

For those interested in visiting the Ombu Herero Cultural Village, guided tours and accommodations can be arranged by contacting Patrick Jeomba via WhatsApp at +264 816010871.

The Ombu Village Museum

Patrick with his lovely wife, dressed in traditional Herero attire

Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou in Paris

2025-04-16T12:52:00.084-04:00

Paris Noir showcases many of the Black artists who came to live in Paris, study in Paris, work in Paris, from all over the world. Paris was especially a refuge for Black American artists who in the 1950s fled Jim Crow and the lack of freedom in the United States to live a free(-er) life in France.

The show includes visual art: paintings, collages, and sculptures, as well as film clips, and texts describing the various periods in time, between the 1950s and 2000.

As per the Centre Pompidou website:

From the creation of the Présence Africaine review to that of Revue noire, “Black Paris” retraces the presence and influence of Black artists in France from the 1950s to 2000. The exhibition celebrates 150 artists coming from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, whose works have often never been displayed in France before.

Gerard Sekoto, South Africa: Self-Portrait, 1947

Artists shown hail from Martinique, Guadeloupe, the former French African colonies: Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire..., and surprisingly to me, from South Africa (during Apartheid), Zimbabwe (then known as Southern Rhodesia); as well as Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti...

Cameroon (where I lived for over 12 years) is only represented in later years, perhaps because it was a French Protectorate rather than a colony? Hard to tell. In any case the two artists represented were Manuèla Dikoumé and Pascal Kenfack (sculpture), in the more recent 21st century creations.

Manuèla Dikoumé, Cameroon, 1991

It was interesting to me to see the evolution of the styles. It seemed to me that those who arrived around mid-20th century followed the styles they learned about in European art school. Then, little by little, the later artists come into their own original styles.

Writers and politicians, as well as publishing houses and magazines, were represented. James Baldwin was one of the best known Black American writers at the time, and he is shown in photos and film clips several times, along with Angela Davis (the "wanted" reel, with her physical description and the area she had last been seen in: Marin County, California), Malcolm X... The well-known, and still existing, publishing house, Présence Africaine (founded by Alioune Diop), features prominently.

Valérie John: "Palimpseste, fabrique à mémoires…"

Faith Ringgold quilt

This was made with beads... quite extraordinary. It's by Clem Lawson: Angoisse sur l'escalator, 1983

"Re-generation" de Shuck One

Detail of the above

The above photos may have no caption, as I transferred photos from my cellphone to my laptop, and forgot to jot down the names before deleting on my too-full iPhone!

Serge Hélénon: Personnage en tunique, 1974

Further articles (in French)

"Paris noir" au Centre Pompidou : une exposition pour sortir de l'ombre

L'exposition Paris Noir au Centre Pompidou vue par sa commissaire, Alicia Knock : «Un projet pour mettre les institutions au travail»

“Paris noir” Circulations artistiques et luttes anticoloniales 1950 – 2000 au Centre Pompidou, Paris

Au Centre Pompidou, l’exposition « Paris noir » vient panser notre histoire

And there is controversy:

Au Centre Pompidou, l’exposition “Paris noir” invisibilise-t-elle ceux qui l’ont rendue possible ?

In English, there are articles in the Washington Post, and in the Guardian:

Basquiat to Delaney: inside the exhibition honouring 50 years of art in Black Paris

The exhibition Paris Noir, circulations artistiques et luttes anti coloniales, 1950-2000 will be on display until 30 June 2025

Matriarchal Authority among African Women: examples in Cameroon and a Note from Zimbabwe

2025-04-02T13:05:00.000-04:00

Examples of Duala and Bamileke Matriarchal Authority... and a note from Zimbabwe

Nowadays, seen from afar, African women appear to be living in very patriarchal societies for the most part. That impression would often not be incorrect, sadly. An exception could be made for the powerful “Mami Benz,” the traders of West Africa. On the other hand, who knows how the men in their family might be behaving with them, no matter their wealth and power!

African women had a recognized authority in the socio-political and economic spaces established by traditional cultures.

Cameroon has examples of traditional roles played by women. Some of these roles are still relevant today.

Amongst the Duala, the eldest daughter in a family was known as the Mangon, literally “Mother woman.” Even when she marries into another village community, she continues to play a vital role in the important stages of family life, such as births, marriages, and widowhood. She is the last resort in family disputes. As she grows older, she becomes the supreme advisor and no decision can be finalized without her approval. She is often sent as an ambassador in disputes between communities: women always come in peace rather than with a warlike attitude.

Douala is now a contemporary African city of over 4 million inhabitants, but it started out with three small villages: Bell, Akwa, and the most recent, Deïdo, the village of the ancestor/founder, Ebele. Deido districts are named after Teki, Jinjé and Téné, Ebele's wives, and are known as Bonateki, Bonajinjé and Bonaténé, “Bona” meaning "children of". Northwest of the city of Douala, the village of Bona Endale was named after Endale, a woman from the Abo region and wife of the Mbangue Bele chief.

War, as in most other parts of the world, was fought by men. The Duala people are originally fishermen and seafarers, waging battle on the water. During battles on the Wouri River and its tributaries, when the number of wounded and dead reached alarming proportions, the women would put on their cover-up (Ekwa Mwato in Duala, made of raffia cloth or finely beaten tree bark). They sprinkled ash all over their bodies, from head to toe, and entered the battlefield in a dugout called Bolo Bwa Mengu - the “mermaid boat.” Combatants usually stopped hostilities when they saw this dugout coming. If they didn't, they ran the risk of being cursed by the most effective female weapon: the women might expose their nakedness to the offenders, invoking the ancestors of both protagonists' fighters. It would be even worse when the old women of the lineage joined the group. Being older, so to say on the doorstep of the afterlife, society would prefer that they didn't tell the ancestors the story of the battle by mentioning the names of those who disrespected them and also put their lives at risk.

What heritage is more important in traditional societies than the afterlife? In Duala custom, in living memory, there have never been any male mediums. All mediums were women. A medium is defined as “a person who can serve as an intermediary between men and spirits” (Petit Larousse, 1972). It was women who brought news of the afterlife to the Duala, and gave advice to the living. They were called Ko La Bejongo.

Celebrating a new Mafo'o in Bamendjou

In Western Cameroun, among the Bamileke, some women hold the title of “Mafo’o.” A Mafo’o is a female elder, also named a “queen,” albeit not through being a wife of the traditional Chief. She is called upon for her advice in community affairs, to help disseminate the chief’s message, and assist the community in general. When a Mafo is “intronized,” there is a 2 day long ceremonial and celebratory event held in the village. It is a lifetime title.

This title led recently to a Mafo’o becoming a traditional chief in the city diaspora, such as in the Bamendjou community of Douala, where Jeanne Nkegne, who became a Mafo’o in 2015, now acts as a community chief for the Bamendjou living in the Douala area, who number around 8,000 people. It is a break with the patriarchal habits of only naming men to these functions.

Nowadays, African women follow a dual cultural path, leading a double life, one European and one African. One obvious example is alternating between European-style clothing for office work and certain outings, and African-style clothing for traditional ceremonies. This dual cultural path affects all aspects of contemporary African society: language, food, recreation, religion, politics, and medicine…

The struggle for the rights of African women in our modern societies should not only concern the reclaiming of the rights and powers that traditional society granted them. It is only logical that men who claim to love their grandmothers, mothers, wives, nieces, cousins, aunts, sisters, daughters… should participate in the struggle for these women’s rights. Feminism, in its daily struggles, should not simply gather women in parades with their placards. It should bring their demands into the assemblies, mostly held by men who claim to love the women of their families.

Note from Picket Chabwedzeka, on the women of Zimbabwe:

Women are the guardians of culture through storytelling, and teaching children societal norms and values. They are pillars of strength and household heads as men often move to larger towns in search of work, and women are left alone in charge of the children's upbringing. in an age of rampant drug abuse, they keep their families stable.

Women in Zimbabwe, carrying the loads

And a PS about today's female winemakers of South Africa...

Black women winemakers breaking barriers in South Africa in Académie du Vin Library

and

Shining the spotlight on female winemakers of South Africa in Crush Magazine

NoViolet Bulawayo's novel: We Need New Names

2024-09-26T10:40:00.004-04:00

This was my review on Goodreads:

This novel's storyline follows a young girl, then teen, then woman from post-independence Zimbabwe to the United States.The tone may seem flippant. But the underlying pain is real: whether back in the home country, or in the diaspora.

In Zimbabwe, it is sad to find the descendants of people who fought the Rhodesians, who had their own style of Apartheid, suffering at the hands of those who won back the country. Life is often untenable but people are helpless.

In the United States, an exilee tries to fit in without losing their identity, but it's not easy. The heartbreak of leaving your home remains no matter what. And your children will have another take on life than you do.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17624883-diane-chehab">View all my reviews</a>

Below we can read that the author is writing a memoir; I can't wait to find out about her own life!

From Goodreads:

About the author

NoViolet Bulawayo

12 books

NoViolet Bulawayo (pen name of Elizabeth Tshele) is a Zimbabwean author, and Stegner Fellow at Stanford University (2012–2014).
Bulawayo won the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story "Hitting Budapest," about a gang of street children in a Zimbabwean shantytown.
Her first novel We Need New Names (2013) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, making her the first African female writer to earn this distinction.
She has begun work on a memoir project.

New Cameroonian movie: MAMBAR PIERRETTE Trailer | TIFF 2023

2024-06-06T05:14:00.002-04:00

https://www.quinzaine-cineastes.fr/en/film/mambar-pierrette

Rosine Mbakam is a Cameroon-born filmmaker. She is currently based in Belgium.

Her movies are quiet but true to real life in Cameroon.

Feature length films include The Two Faces of a Bamileke Woman, Chez Jolie Coiffure, and Delphine's Prayers.

Memories of Aunt Jessie in Douala

2023-03-20T01:33:00.005-04:00

A couple of months ago, my aunt through marriage, known as "Tantie Jessie" to the nephews and nieces, passed away in Douala at the age of 80.

I was thankful to have seen her a while ago in Paris at the home of one of her daughters.

She was a big part of my daily life as the spouse of a Cameroonian in Douala, at the start of my career and later of motherhood, trying to fit in. She and her husband had us often over for delicious Sunday meals. She would tease me about my attempts at speaking Duala (although later, she was proud of me).

I'd like to pay a personal tribute by writing about one of our adventures, which we could laugh about in hindsight!

When I moved to Cameroon, the country still had its first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. However, in 1982, the French president, François Mitterrand, convinced him to leave power and the then Prime Minister, Paul Biya, became president.

We managed an architectural firm, and one morning in April 1984, we started our morning and noticed that the radio wasn't playing its usual programs. Little by little, we found out that the former president, none too happy with having no say in the country's affairs any longer, had decided to stage a coup. Fighting was happening in the country's capital, Yaoundé.

Now it just so happened that we had invited the American Consul General, Charles Twining, to dinner that evening. In those days, there were very few US citizens in Douala, and it was before the advent of terrorist attacks in Africa; I could enter the Douala consulate as I pleased, so this was not an extraordinary occurrence; however, he was still an important person, and an extremely gracious man to boot, and we didn't want to disappoint him. Aunt Jessie suggested that we host the dinner in her home, in a better neighborhood, across town from where we lived in Deido. Also, she had better china and cutlery than we did.

But here we had a very unexpected situation on our hands. Aunt Jessie decided we should just move ahead with our plans, and so off we went to the market to buy the ingredients for the dinner.

We put the groceries in the trunk of her (small) car and set off around noon to her home to start cooking. The problem was that she lived near the former airport, and apparently it had become a staging area for the military. We were stopped by a soldier as we neared her home. Aunt Jessie opened her window. We found a bazooka pointing straight at us. I was terrified.

The soldier ordered us to open the trunk of the car. I thought it wasn't an unreasonable demand, viewing the circumstances. But Tantie Jessie deemed this unacceptable. She refused. He insisted. She continued refusing while I begged her to give in (a bazooka! pointed at us! I had never even seen a gun in my life!). Believe it or not, he gave in and waved us on. Such is the power of a woman, especially when she's not a youngster.

Mr. Twining came in the evening (I'm assuming that no bazookas were pointed at his head), and we had a great dinner. But I'll never forget that day!

Farewell Tantie Jessie.

Aunt Jessie in Duala traditional dress

Germany faces its colonial legacy

2022-07-06T13:34:00.255-04:00

Since the end of World War II, Germany has been grappling with the consequences of the Holocaust. Since about ten years, the country has also started facing its colonial history, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Germany started controlling territories in Africa in the 1800s, mostly after the "Scramble for Africa" initiated by Bismarck during the 1884 Berlin Conference, when the continent was divvied up among European countries. Germany annexed territories in present-day Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, and Namibia. After World War I, they lost most of their colonies, which were taken over by France and Great Britain. The Germans were brutal in their rule and committed genocide in Namibia in 1914.

Until a few years ago, German city streets often carried the names of German colonizers, such as Petersallee in Berlin, dedicated to Dr. Carl Peters, who set off to start colonizing Eastern Africa in 1884. After the Berlin West Africa Conference, he was named Chairman of the German East-African Society. In 1897 he was condemned for his harsh treatment of Africans, and stripped of his title of commissioner to the (renamed) protectorate of German East Africa. However, Wilhelm II exonerated him; Hitler lauded him as a hero, and named the street after him.

More recently, an exhibition at the Ethnological Museum in Hamburg (MARKK) highlights, in an educational way, targeting youth, the story of Rudolf Douala Manga Bell, the Duala King from Cameroon who protested the German land grab in Douala, Cameroon; in retaliation, he was executed along with his friend Adolf Ngoso Din in August 1914. The exhibition is called: "Hey, Hamburg, do you know Duala Manga Bell?" and runs through December 2022.

Douala Bell spent part of his teenage years in Germany, attending German schools and hosted by a German family. He returned to Cameroon and was viewed as a rather odd person, due to his European habits. Nevertheless, when his father passed away, he inherited the Bell throne. At the time, Douala was divided into three chiefdoms: the Bell, the Akwa, and the Deido. The Bells and the Akwas had signed a treaty with the Germans in 1884, but had assumed it was a mutual cooperation treaty, and not an invitation to be colonized.

The MARKK exhibition shows not only Rudolf Douala Bell's story but also the commercial benefits that Germany, via Hamburg businesspeople, enjoyed through the importation of raw materials from Cameroon: cocoa, coffee, palm oil, ivory and more. It describes the history of Douala during the German colonial period and in later years.

Another exhibition about German colonialism is being held at the Freiburg Augustinermuseum, named: "Freiburg and Colonialism: Yesterday? Today!" (through June 11, 2023). The permanent exhibit at this museum is religious art: gargoyles, sculptures, stained glass, and paintings from past centuries, fascinating in its own right. I for one have never seen such a variety of religious (Christian) art in one place before.

This exhibition started with a "preview" of sorts: a sculpture by the German-Nigerian artist Emeka Udemba, right in the middle of the European statues from centuries past; it was quite the juxtaposition!

At the nearby Ethnological Museum was another colonialism- and racism-related exhibition, that covered many regions around the world.

The complete exhibition opened in June 2022, and showed the history of German colonies, the products that were traded, shops in Freiburg that carried these products, and an entire room dedicated to Namibian objects and history, including the story of the genocide that killed thousands of Africans, from 1904 to 1908. It took Germany a very long time to admit to this shameful part of its history; it happened well before the Holocaust; the genocide was finally recognized in 2021, over a century later.

There are also interactive exhibits with which you can test your prejudices and political correctness (in German).

Almost concurrently, there is an exhibition at the Museum Natur und Mensch ("Nature and Human"). It is called "Handle with care – Sensitive Objects of the Ethnological Collection" and it includes objects from all over the world, and some are missing (with an empty space) to show that it has become inappropriate to display these objects. As per the web page, '“Handle with care” explores the ethical and practical issues that Freiburg’s Museum Natur und Mensch is dealing with and thereby supplements the exhibition in the Augustinermuseum.'

Interestingly, even in the Museum of Modern Art in Freiburg, a title was removed from a sculpture because it was politically incorrect. We can only try to guess what it said before; there is no new title.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there are more exhibitions in this vein in other German cities. It is the current "Zeitgeist" and it is a very positive development, even if it is impossible to cancel out the harm that was done in the past. At least it is acknowledged.

Note: Nachtigalplatz (named after the Commissioner for West Africa Gustav Nachtigal) in Berlin will most probably be renamed after Emily and Rudolf Duala Manga Bell.

Note: The Freiburg Museum of Modern Art also shows empty spaces where there used to be paintings that were removed by the National Socialist (Nazi) regime.

"Fun fact" - I am reading a German novel called "Die ferne Hoffnung" ("The faraway hope") by Ellin Carsta about a Hamburg family who buys a cocoa plantation in 1888 Cameroon, at the time under German colonial rule.

Another fun fact: There is a short film about the life and death of Douala Manga Bell called "The German King." The director, Adetokumboh “Ade” M'Cormack, is working on a series on the same subject. Ade is originally from Sierra Leone and now lives in the United States. One of the advisors is Princess Marilyn Douala Manga Bell, a descendant of Rudolf Douala Manga Bell.

Another link to peruse:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/world/europe/germany-colonial-history-africa-nazi.html

More from Zimbabwe! A Children's Book about Shona and Ndebele

2022-02-27T17:19:00.010-05:00

Via Amanda Tento, founder of my wonderful online networking group, the 337 group, I met Yeve Sibanda. Yeve is a Zimbabwean native who now calls the United States home. She is a wife, mother, attorney, public speaker, and author, and she founded Philisa Creatives, a media company, that celebrates and amplifies African heritage. Philisa means “to bring to life” in Ndebele; its mission is to create innovative products to enhance multicultural learning. Her debut book is "My First Book of Shona and Ndebele Words."

Just a week before, I had been discussing the need to promote African languages with Elle Charisse, creator of the Speaking Tongues podcast. On a popular language-learning app, until very recently, the only African language being taught was Swahili. I just read that Zulu and Xhosa, spoken in South Africa, will soon be taught, too.

There are some apps and websites, such as Mandla (for English speakers) and ParleAfrique for French speakers. However, they often have limited resources.

Yeve is originally from Zimbabwe, and married to a fellow Zimbabwean. However, they don't come from the same region, and hence do not speak each other's mother tongue. This is a common issue in many expatriate families. Even though she already has a busy life as an attorney in Maryland, USA, she decided to write this picture book. Yeve has a daughter, who is learning both languages. Shona and Ndebele are the two main languages of Zimbabwe.

As per Yeve's website, the book "is a multicultural picture book staged in Zimbabwe and designed to make learning Shona and Ndebele, the native languages of Zimbabwe, fun. The main character, Rufaro, takes the reader through her daily activities and helps the reader learn basic words for greetings, transportation, family members and many more. Picture books promote language development by allowing the reader to simultaneously see and name various objects."

Also as per Yeve: “African children’s books are not for African children. They are for all children. Books are an important tool in documenting culture, history, and language." Sibanda believes that we have to normalize celebrating, embracing, and learning about other cultures to build a truly global and diverse society.
Yeve is further motivated by the desire to represent Zimbabwe in a positive light and celebrate and honor her family's roots. Specifically, Sibanda was intentional about portraying a family that lives in the city and is not depicting an impoverished image of 'Africa', in the book.

Here's to many more books, both for adults and children, in the multiple languages of Africa! There is more than enough work: there are possibly 1,500 to 2,000 languages in the continent, depending on how you count!

Picket Chabwedzeka, Zimbabwean ecologist

2021-12-31T16:09:00.002-05:00

In Europe and in the United States, when you hear about conservation, you often think about international nonprofits such as the World Wildlife Fund, and of the discussion about zoos in "developed" countries: should animals be kept in captivity for our children and for us to gaze at behind a fence? Is the money they raise for conservation worth the sacrifice of these animals' lifestyle?

On the ground, there are many more people involved in conservation. Southern Africa has a large portion of the world's giraffes, lions, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephants, as well as a plethora of various antelopes and birds.

Mitchel and Picket at Sinamatella Camp,
Hwange, Zimbabwe, 2021

Picket Chabwedzeka is one of these people on the ground. He is a Game Reserve Manager and Senior Ecologist at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve in Zimbabwe.

He was born and raised in Harare. Growing up, he had no prior knowledge of careers in wildlife preservation, until after finishing his high school degree, he volunteered at the Zambezi National Park.

From there he traveled to Cape Town, in South Africa, to work with his grandmother, who is a trader, dealing in a variety of merchandise. He started studying at University of Cape Town (UCT), majoring in Geography and Environmental Management, but when fees were raised, he took an evening position as a waiter to put funds aside for one semester, and then transferred to the University of South Africa. During this time, he started a position as a field guide at the Mountainview-Moholoholo private game reserve, working his way up to an Assistant Reserve Manager during the five years he was there. In 2013, after his final exam, he moved to Somkhanda in Kwazulu Natal, a special community-owned reserve, as an Internship Program Manager.

Zululand community outreach and
homestay event (Picket is at the right)

Finally, he interviewed with the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, thus returning to his homeland. He was as an Anti-Poaching Manager in December of 2016. In early 2021, he was named a Reserve Manager. In the meantime, he registered for a Master's at Midland State University in Zimbabwe, and in 2019, went for post-graduate work to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in Ecological Survey Techniques for one year. In Oxford, he stayed at the home of friends: friends he had met when he was their guide, earlier in his career, in 2010.

He met his wife Mitchel (pronounced "Michelle") a few years ago, and they held a traditional marriage ceremony last year.

Black rhinos with Picket

What especially struck me about Picket, more even than his sharp intellect and approachability, is the fact that he likes to get to know and learn from people he meets from all backgrounds. As a university student, he met South Africans from various ethnicities, and made a point to visit them in their home villages, learning some Afrikaans and Zulu along the way, as well as Ndebele (the Zimbabwean language used in the Victoria Falls region, Matabeleland; Picket's mother tongue is Shona).

What is his biggest passion? As an ecologist, he's very involved in the feeding behavior, breeding and safety of black rhinoceros in all the areas he worked in, starting in South Africa's Moholoholo. He recently completed a "black rhinoceros preferred browse" study, yet to be published. He currently manages a black rhinoceros breeding project in Victoria Falls and has had so far 5 rhinoceros calves born under his watch since 2015.

Ranger training

Tracking is one of his skills; he shares his knowledge in the many ranger training courses that he presents. He believes that tracking is "a science and an art, it is the ability to walk with the animal in the past in the present time. It is philosophical. Eventually being able to catch up with the quarry or animal being tracked brings joy to the tracker. It is the ability to sharpen and put to test our skills as humans versus animals refined senses which have been tested over time. I enjoy tracking and it is one of my best moments when walking in the wilderness, as it involves studying all (the) finer details of markings left on the ground."

Picket is also involved in the management of anti-poaching units in many wildlife protected areas in Zimbabwe.

Picket and his ranger team

Spotted thicknee* spoor

Photo credits: 1st photo: Diane Chehab; all others: GRTTS (Game Ranger and Tracker Training Specialist PVT Ltd Company Rangers)

*A spotted thicknee, also called a spotted Dikkop is a ground-dwelling bird that perches on the ground as it cannot perch on a tree.

Ashanti Design: Joyful Design and Sustainability

2021-10-14T12:09:00.388-04:00

The store at Kloof Street, Cape Town

One of the benefits of social media is that it showcases small businesses at a lesser cost to them than mainstream advertising. From realtors to children's clothing to handicrafts from all over the world, you can find so many wonderful small businesses. In the United States, small businesses create the majority of jobs.

Ashanti Design's joyful multicolored striped bean bags and ottomans stand out easily. And the items are made from recycled fabric remnants to boot! Not only does Ashanti have great designs, but it is also a business based on sustainability on many levels, and on helping people in different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa make a living.

Away from Africa held an interview with Rob Walker, the founder of Ashanti Design, in Cape Town, South Africa.

- How did the business get started?

We used to work with an American NGO funded by USAid and other foundations, Aid to Artisans (ATA). We did a lot of work with them in Mozambique. This type of NGO doesn't always result in a sustainable system for the artisans involved. An NGO in Madagascar approached ATA to create sustainability in the fabric business. This group was interested in creating something commercially viable rather than propped up by donations. Large companies such as Zara and others have garments produced in Madagascar, and there is a lot of leftover fabric (polyester, cotton...). These offcuts of fabric come from companies that deal in what is known as "cut, make, and trim" (CMT). A fast-fashion company sends fabric to make, for example, t-shirts, to be later distributed all over the world. What's left over, after sewing, are these offcuts of fabric. In the old days, these offcuts were burned. Then they were often sent to landfills: enormous balls. CMT factories started sending the offcuts to weavers: imagine walking into a room with thousands of pieces of different fabrics: polyester, cotton... Ashanti Design offered to buy the fabric offcuts from the CMTs, on the condition that they separate the fabric into bundles of same color, same size... to make the system more manageable.

Older subsistence farmers in Madagascar, rather than work the fields, take on the job of cutting the fabric with razor blades, in progressive circles, in order to create a long strip. The strips are packed into bundles, that are then paid for by Ashanti. At this point the bundles go to weavers, who work with old-fashioned looms, and woven into sheets. We limit the size of the stripe due to the irregularity of the original fabric strips. The ensuing fabric is reminiscent of old-fashioned rag weaving, but much less chunky.
Because of the variety of the underlying fabrics used as "yarn," we use a heat-shrinking process and then fuse the ensuing fabric to a backing. The backing has millions of glue points, and the finished product can be used for just about any purpose.

We now have acquired the offcut processing side of the business, in order to better control quality.

- What is your background, Rob Walker?

I am a South African; my parents immigrated from the United Kingdom. My mother worked with charity organizations, and as a child, I used to assist her. My parents were especially involved with a school for the deaf; I often worked in the workshop where furniture was made. When I was nine, I would deliver furniture with black South Africans to the mission schools.
I used to have another business, that I sold, and financed this business with the proceeds.
What I am most known for? I'm known for my swearing, and for never wearing shoes!

- What other design products does Ashanti produce?

In a new line of fabrics, we mix white cotton with fine natural raffia fiber. It's a higher-end fabric, but this style is becoming increasingly popular.

We also make all-raffia-fiber fabric.
Another new style has interwoven threads of black in a mainly white weave.
Other new fabrics are tried out, some work and some don't (such as weaving with denim, in our case).

We also work in Malawi villages since nine or ten years. The then president Joyce Banda heard about our company via a South African government official. She wanted to help rural parts of her country, and also into women helping women. I went over and we developed a basket production unit. Two Malawians learned to be computer literate and operate their own businesses. It's very difficult to work out what fair pricing is when working in remote rural areas, with villagers unaccustomed to foreigners. We work out minimum monthly quantities and often pay in kind, in the products that the villagers need, such as fertilizer, blankets, pots, bicycles... In these villages, time is not money, and deadlines can be a challenge. There is no electricity in the villages, but the artisans are making lampshades, for example.
Originally, weaving was a man's activity, but now we have about 70% women weavers. However, the men still take their cut of the women's income.

- Why the name "Ashanti Design"?

Our former company used to be called "Tradewinds," but we chose "Ashanti Design" for this venture, which is not only the name of an African ethnic group

- Where are the objects produced?

The woven fabric is made in Madagascar and exported to South Africa, where it is made into bean bags, placemats and so much more.

- Other thoughts?

Things never go smoothly. We can't accept to mass produce for a company. We had offers from an expensive international retailer who wanted objects made of handspun cotton from Malawi, woven by disabled artisans. Due to my childhood experience, I really wanted to work on tis project, and had contacted a German company who would contribute natural dyes. The venture fell apart due to external factors.

- How is employee advancement at Ashanti Design?

During Covid, we were able to train two more staff members in computer systems. Locally we have about 22 team members; in the store, 2 people, including Dady Nguéma, who is originally from the DRC.

One of our new line team members, when we took over processing the offcuts, was Amina, who had prior administrative experience. After some additional training, she has been promoted to head administrative services now. We aim to promote from within as much as possible. Another employee, originally from Gabon, was a fuser, and now is dispatch manager.

We brought in several Malawi employees, from small rural villages, before Covid, to come and see what happens to their production and view the distribution center, to store who sell the finished products.

- What companies do you work with?

Nando's, the popular South African fast food chain, is an important client. We produce custom designs for their restaurants. We've started working with Local, a new market eatery in Cape Town's Heritage Square, also, producing custom lampshades.

********

The Ashanti Design retail store is currently located at 77 Kloof Street in Cape Town, but will move to the production area at the end of the year, in Paarden Eiland.

Ashanti Design on Instagram: @ashantidesign

ESSACA in Yaounde meets with Adil Dalbai from DOM Publishers

2021-10-14T11:40:00.002-04:00

The ESSACA architecture school is featured in the Architectural Guide Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroon chapter.

Diane Chehab and Epee Ellong, authors of The African Dwelling from Traditional to Western Style Homes coordinated the Cameroon chapter, as well as wrote several articles for the Guide.

Architectural Guide Sub-Saharan Africa was published on the ESSACA blog (in French).

Minneapolis Institute of Art

2021-04-24T01:31:00.001-04:00

There is a photo exhibition at the MIA (Minneapolis Institute of Art):

Todd Webb in Africa: Outside the Frame.

It's free to view online.

As per the MIA website:

This exhibition presents a recently recovered photographic series taken by American documentary photographer Todd Webb in 1958. Commissioned by the United Nations to document emerging industries and technologies in Ghana, Kenya, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Somalia, Sudan, Togo, and Tanganyika and Zanzibar (both now Tanzania), these early color photographs went largely unused by the U.N.’s publications. Their neglect or suppression by the organization mandates a closer investigation, and animates our interpretation of the images, as well as our attempts to understand Webb’s intentions in creating them. <br /> Webb’s photographs present an outsider’s view onto the social, political, and cultural dynamics on the continent at a critical period between colonialism and independence. Resisting stereotypical or exoticizing frameworks, Webb created images of countries on the cusp of change. At the same time, his photographs raise critical questions concerning photographic agency and power, racial and national privilege, and the ways in which Euro-Americans conceived modernization at a crucial period of Africa’s history.

Through Sunday, June 13, 2021

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African foods that have no name in European languages

2020-11-23T17:34:00.006-05:00

Sao on the tree in Douala

There were myriad consequences to colonialism in Africa, and as we know, most of the continent still hasn’t recovered. But I will leave that discussion for the experts in geopolitics and history.One of the consequences is not much discussed: the vocabulary of food products, in particular of fruits, leafy greens, and vegetables.

If an item doesn’t exist in the “West,” i.e. Europe and North America, it didn’t get a name. For years, there was little travel within the African continent. It was more expensive and convoluted to go from Douala to Dakar than from Douala to Paris.

Nowadays there are many more African airlines, and even if you are on your way to Paris or London, from an African metropolis, you can make a pit stop in Addis Ababa, for example.

But if you are going to another country, and would like to eat your favorite food, how do you know if you can find it in that country? For that matter, even when you travel to another town, and you are sure that the greens you love exist there, how do you ask for it if you don’t know what it’s called?

I found out very coincidentally that what I knew as “prune” in Cameroonian French (plum), sao in the Douala language, also existed in Nigeria. They resemble Italian plums, hence the nickname. In the ibiobio language, they are called eben. This is a savory, slightly oily fruit that is not eaten raw, but boiled or grilled. In Douala, when it’s in season, you will find it at sidewalk vendors, barbecuing it along with corn, to be eaten together. Sao are a little oily, and a little sour. They don’t keep at all: they spoil in a matter of days, so it would be very difficult to export them. I did find another name: Safou.

One word that did migrate: gombo, i.e. okra; the word traveled with Congolese slaves to America, and became the famous Louisiana soup called gumbo.

Below I created an ongoing list of names of a variety of African produce and spices, as well as a few cooked dishes, in as many languages as I can obtain. I’d love it if you’d send in the name of an item in your own language, if it’s not already there, and add your country if you don’t see it. I’ll list the contributors, too, if they accept.

Soya, suya: grilled meat on skewers (Nigeria, Cameroon)

Maffe: peanut sauce stew (Senegal, Cameroon)

Kiling-kiling (maloukhieh in Arabic, Jew’s mallow in English) (Cameroon, Egypt)
Note: the above is prepared so differently in Cameroon than in the Middle East that I didn’t recognize it. The Lebanese in Cameroon informed me that it was one and the same as the main feature of a beloved dish, well known in Egypt and Lebanon.

Bewole: a mild green leafy vegetable that is a bit similar to spinach (Cameroon)
Ndole (Cameroon) - Bitter leaf in Nigeria.
Note: Ndole is known not only as the green: leaves from a bush, super bitter unless treated with kaolinite, but as not only the most famous dish of the Duala people, but also in the meantime it is almost like the national dish of Cameroon. It is prepared with dried tiny shrimp, groundnuts, meat, and more.
Ndole leaves cooked on an open fire

Fonio - unknown in Central Africa, as far as I know, but very well known in West Africa (Senegal, Mali). It is a little similar to Amaranth, but much faster to cook.

Note: Chef Pierre Thiam is bringing it to widespread attention in the United States..

Sao: “Official” name: Safou. A bit like the cooked version of avocado. In other Cameroonian languages: sa (Yabassi), saa (Bankon/Abo), bitoho (Babimbi), atchip (Dschang/Bamileke).
Jangsang is a spice that resembles a hard chickpea, but otherwise has nothing in common with anything European or Middle Eastern that I know. It is crushed in small quantities and added to stews for a very distinct flavor.
Jangsang spice
Eguzi (Nigeria), ngondo a singreti (Duala/Cameroon): ground dried melon seed, and the sauce made with this main ingredient.
Okazi leaves (nigeria), from a climbing vine, which makes a slimy soup; it exists in Cameroon too, probably in the South and Northwest (near Nigeria), but it may have another name.
Fufu (Cameroon and others), putu (South Africa), sadza (Zimbabwe), ugali, posho: as per The Guardian's "Hit me with your ugali stick": "In much of Africa south of the Sahara the base of a meal is a flour (from ground cereals, yam or cassava root) boiled with water. Fufu, ugali, posho, mealie-meal, nsima; the name changes with region and language, but is usually translated as 'porridge'. Which isn't very accurate - proper ugali or fufu is more stodge than soup, something with a texture close to window putty." Fufu and its brethren can also be made from maize. Sometimes it is called couscous in Cameroonian French, but it's not the North African couscous.
Cooking fufu in a traditional kitchen in Abo, Cameroon

12. On a note related to fufu, cassava sticks in Cameroon are called miondo, and in Congo they are chikwangue. In French they are called bâtons de manioc.

Notes:

Many thanks to contributors to this list (which will be updated with additions from the readers!): Amélie Essesse, Epee Ellong, Faith Adiele, Atim Oton, Stephie-Rose Nyot.
The vocabulary is not written with the phonetic alphabet.
The article from The Guardian was written in 2008, but it's worth perusing the comments and links. The question of Sub-Saharan food becoming mainstream/popular is on its way to being answered, thanks to the many chefs from various countries, and the internet; there is now a large contingent of Nigerian-Americans, and recipes are even being published in the New York Times, albeit apparently rather modified for American palates. And what a great cooking blog link: The Congo Cookbook

Stop Filming Us: a movie set in the RDC

2020-10-13T19:06:00.002-04:00

"Stop Filming Us" is one of the selections at the Mill Valley Film Festival this year.

It's a documentary set in the city of Goma in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the shore of Lake Kivu, close to Rwanda.

It's a multi-faceted view not only of the town and its inhabitants, but also how so many Sub-Saharan Africans have to grapple with the consequences of colonization, Young Congolese discuss the need to "decolonize one's brain," and the fact that many traditions, legends, and more have already disappeared from the collective mind.
The issue of the multitude of foreign NGOs in Goma is also brought up.

From their website:

Screening note: This digital screening is available to view between 12:01am PT on Friday, October 9, and 11:59pm PT on Sunday, October 18, and is available to ticket buyers and passholders within the United States.

Dutch documentarian Joris Postema sets out to show life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s troubled northeast beyond the bleeding headlines of western news. What he ends up with is a stirring reflection on the complexities of cross-cultural representation. While training the lens on the former Belgian colony’s own image-makers—artists, photographers, and other filmmakers—Postema also flips the script to capture the frank, spontaneous exchanges among his largely local crew about what they should be shooting. Problems immediately arise with seemingly innocuous decisions like where they each should sit for a discussion and persist into bigger decisions like where to point the camera and who gets to ask the questions. The Congolese themselves are divided about the value of this, as they openly confess, but for Postema’s intended audience of do-gooder westerners, it’s a real eye-opener. As one crew member puts in the easiest terms imaginable, "the problem is not here with us but there with you." TV5Monde | CFI French Cinema Sponsor

Via the Festival, you can only watch it until October 18, and have to live in the United States. However, I'm sure it is and/or will be available on other platforms.

It's a thought-provoking film, well worth the watch for all those interested in the future of the African continent.

A modern fairy tale from By Kids for Kids about the Coronavirus epidemic

2020-04-20T15:57:00.001-04:00

The By Kids For Kids podcast - usually recording in-studio stories narrated by the under 15 set, for the listening pleasure of children all over - had to quickly reconvert to doing the podcast remotely, as the entire world shelters in place to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is their "intercontinental" narration of a modern fairy tale to explain the need for confinement and the many challenges it presents. Children from Germany, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, and Australia participated.

Africa-centered activities while hunkering down

2020-03-19T17:43:00.000-04:00

In happier days - a celebration

You're home, you're bored.
What activities can you do that you usually don't have time for - and you have an affinity for, or a relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa?

Of course we can start with the news. Much of it is depressing - about how many cases of Covid19 are in Africa, who passed away - all sad and frightening.

However there are bright spots! Among fashion designers and tailors/sew mistresses around the world, a Rwandan designer is creating masks made of African fabric. They are not medically approved, but at least there is a physical barrier.

Other activities:

- Submit a film to the Mobile Film Festival!
As per their site: Founded in 2005, the Mobile Film Festival is an international Festival of short-length movies, based on an simple principle: 1 Mobile, 1 Minute, 1 Film. And further: The Mobile Film Festival is a 100% digital festival, thus aiming at reaching the largest audience. Yet, its short and creative format, as well as the technical quality of the films, enable a broadcasting of the films on all screens: smartphones, computers, TVs, cinema theaters, …

- Listen to all the music, old and new, from Africa. These are some of my favorites:

Cameroon (which I know best)

all the old Dina Bell songs: the first one I ever heard, and learned to dance the Makossa to, is "yoma yoma," a Cameroonian classic. I also adore his romantic songs, such as "Essèlè Nika "(loosely "let [me] be") - I was trying to obtain the entire text translated from Duala, and now found it in the comments! - or "Sophie." It appears that with Dina Bell, either you love his songs or you are indifferent. I love them!
A more intellectual yet popular Cameroonian singer is Toto Guillaume, one of my favorites, another makossa dance piece is "Mba na na é" (1981).
The world-famous Soul Makossa is from Manu Dibango.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention (from the older Cameroonian set) Ben Decca, Grace Decca, Ekambi Brillant, Charlotte Mbango, Prince Eyango, André-Marie Tala, and the list goes on. Petit Pays, who's become too crude in recent years. Please feel free to enter your favorites in the comments!
Richard Bona, who is such a talented musician that I don't know where to start. He started with Harry Belafonte and now plays all over the world, including with other musicians and bands (Salif Keita, .
I discovered Soraya Ebelle last year, she has a wonderful voice.
And let's not forget Zangelewa! That was the Cameroonian song that inspired Shakira's famous Waka Waka song. I watched an interview on 60 Minutes, and she never mentioned that this was not her original song!

My personal favorites from outside Cameroon

While watching the series "An African City*" I heard the song "Monkey Money" sung by Lady Jaywah, which was so much fun, and funny too!
The hit in the eighties or nineties was Premier Gao. The lyrics are worth nothing, but great for dancing.
Angélique Kidjo is still going strong, well-known in the United States: she just had to cancel a concert in Carnegie Hall, along with a plethora of other musicians, such as Yemi Alade. They sang together in "Shekere."
And the incomparable Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
And the incomparable Miriam Makeba.

- In order to understand a little of the songs in African languages, learn one on Je Parle L'Afrique 2.0. At the moment the base language is French, but English will be next. Among the languages taught: Bassa (the founder's parents' language), Duala, Wolof, Bambara, Lingala, Haoussa, Yoruba, Ewe, Pulaar, and many more!

- Watch African movies and TV shows.

Above I mentioned "An African City*," a series originally on YouTube portraying 5 young professional women in Ghana. Netflix is showing an African series: Queen Sono.
Movies on Netflix
The classics by Sembene Ousmane, for example Camp de Thiayoré (shattering) and so many more.
Films by Henri Duparc such as "Le sixième doigt."
An African movie won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival (2020 has been cancelled): "Atlantics" - by a female director to boot.
The Shore Break - true story set in South Africa

- Read novels - here is a list of five novels written by female authors I read last year.

This is a very incomplete list, and I welcome all additions!

* Not for the young set - rather R-rated.

Mboko Lagriffe - Cameroon design goes flying

2020-03-16T23:10:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, I wrote about Mboko Lagriffe's "Barbebuexpo" in Douala: a novel way of organizing an art fair.

In the meantime, he has not been idle. He continued painting, organizing bi-annual Barbecuexpo art fairs, designing household items, but the big "coup" has been to win the competition for a new design on Royal Air Maroc (RAM) airplanes.

In 2016, Royal Air Maroc organized a competition, Wings of African Art, to decorate the exterior fuselage of its airplanes. The jury president was Mehdi Qotbi, head of the National Foundation of Museums of the Moroccan Kingdom, and included artists and critics of renown. There were three winners: Mboko Lagriffe from Cameroon, the Franco-Moroccan Sara Ouhaddou, and Saidou Dicko from Burkina Faso. Mboko Lagriffe also won the public vote.

The "Love" Royal Air Maroc plane (photo: Dayot JC)

The Love plane in the air (photo: Guillaume Février)

Painting: Frontières Irréelles (Unreal borders)

"Flower Mask" mug (photo: Orphee Noubissi)

"Return from the field" mug (photo: Orphee Noubissi)

Flip flops (photo: Orphee Noubissi)

The three airplanes are in the air, currently serving Royal Air Maroc's 80-plus destinations. Kudos to RAM for this initiative. Next, a design competition for the uniforms, perhaps?

What's next for Mboko Lagriffe? He is planning to launch his home accessories line worldwide via Amazon... we hope, soon! I have 2 mugs of my own, purchased in 2016, that I guard jealously, as it's difficult for me to get new ones at the moment.

My mugs, purchased in 2016.

Articles in French:
http://www.courrierdesafriques.net/2016/11/maroc-wings-of-african-art-a-son-trio-gagnant
https://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/48440/wings-african-devoile-artistes-gagnants.html

https://www.libe.ma/Trois-artistes-remportent-le-concours-Wings-of-African-Art-de-la-RAM_a80539.html

https://www.medias24.com/MAROC/Quoi-de-neuf/168527-RAM-Trois-artistes-remportent-le-concours-Wings-of-african-art.html

http://www.2m.ma/fr/news/20161116-wings-of-african-art-trois-artistes-africains-recompenses-video/

The African Dwelling - From Traditional to Western Style Homes (McFarland, 2019) is published.

2019-12-20T06:06:00.006-05:00

The book The African Dwelling - From Traditional to Western Style Homes (McFarland, 2019) is published, and available in many countries.
It is the English-language version of the French-language book De la case à la villa (Riveneuve, 2014). However, it is not a replica: the book has been updated to reflect more current naming methodology, with some updated images, and includes an index.
There are still about 200 images, in black and white.
The foreword is by Jack Travis, FAIA.

It is my hope that this book will be found in universities as well as personal libraries around the world, as a resource on the evolution of housing in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a repository for African terms that may not be easily found anymore.

Below is a gallery of additional/color photographs. I'll continue posting color photographs as time goes on.

Kain Tukuru home in Bonendalé, Cameroon, built 1953-1954

Entrance to a Bamiléké village, photo courtesy Amélie Essesse

Bah Family home in Bodje, Guinea, built around 1990,
architect: Epee Ellong.

The Midwest Review of Books published a review in November 2019.

The Kraal on Instagram: an expression of African cultural pride

2019-02-03T21:57:00.001-05:00

Masks, Initiés du Bassin du Congo, at the former Musée Dapper*

A few years ago, I found out that the hype about Instagram was justified. I found it to be a great platform to post photos, and it's useful for those aiming to sell a product, as I have already purchased items from several vendors seen on Instagram! And not to forget the beautiful and inspirational photos and posts from all over the world.

It is also a platform for cultural exchange. As a person with more than a little interest in Africa, I soon started following @the.kraal. The stated mission:
"Exploring the magic of Africa and the diaspora through history, culture, traditions, spirituality, and more."

The feed covers many regions of Africa, especially Sub-Saharan. It features traditions, art, religious practices, but also known and lesser-known heroes of Africa.

So little is known about Africa's history. Not only that there were kingdoms and erudition in pre-colonial times, but post-colonial heroism is often kept under wraps. Some have well-known names, like Patrice Lumumba; others I had never heard of.

I often comment, but finally curiosity won out, and I reached out to find out more about the person and the motivation behind the feed. Below is my email interview.

Women from the chiefdom of Bamendjou on a ceremonial day

1. Which mysterious entity is behind @the.kraal Instagram feed?

First of all, thank you for personally reaching out to me and for showing love since day one! I am originally from Côte d'Ivoire. I prefer to remain anonymous for now.

2. What was the impetus? When did you start the feed, and what were some of the first posts?

The Kraal started a while ago. Since I was a kid, I’ve always been in books, researching, studying, and learning so all that work started a while ago. I remember putting together tons of archives about African/black history and culture into binders, which I still treasure to this day. Also, I grew in a household and in a family where all that was really important. My aunt, for example, created the National Library of Côte D’Ivoire so these genes probably helped.

Actually, I used to do something similar to the Kraal, maybe 10 years ago on Facebook but it wasn’t really organized that way, and I was still very young. Consistency wasn’t something I really knew lol. That’s when I first got the fire before the journey led me back to the point we’re at today.

Now, the actual instagram feed that we know as The Kraal started as part of my MBA final project. I did media management and instead of writing a thesis, we had to build a media brand and I used The Kraal. I started this feed 2 years ago, and the first posts were about African textiles.

3. Why the Afrikaans name: Kraal?

I was waiting for that question, thank you. Words are really powerful.

I grew up watching Shaka Zulu and the social organizations were called Kraal: royal Kraal, military Kraal, etc… I really love the word and what it represents; that feeling of community, union, and HOME. Also, the way the word sounds is rather catchy.

Now, it is true that Afrikaans is not an African language (note from Away From Africa: it can be defined as an African language by now, even if the origin is European) and I had a few people complaining about it. To that, I always ask; what language are you using when you communicate with me? What language do you mostly use to interact with people? How many of us, Africans, can speak, think and identify themselves at 100% within an African language?

In our case, I think we must focus on the message rather than the messenger. When people find out that I’m really an African, they calm down...

Let me take another example. The Swastika, a symbol of good fortune, found in almost many ancient cultures & traditions. Today, it is associated with nazism and a lot of extremist groups use it. Men give things their meaning and the more people will subscribe to the definition of something, the more that definition will become the norm. Let’s just look at the evolution of language in general… I love to travel at the root of things and a word, at the end of the day, is just a more pronounced utterance of breath fashioned by the mouth and tongue. I’m an African and I resonate with the word “Kraal” without feeling like I’m not respecting my culture. I grew up with that word. I also asked a few South Africans, and I was happy to find out that, indeed, the word is part of their vocabulary.

4. What keeps you going? Which goal(s) would you like to reach?

The love.

As for the goals, I wish to continue to do my best work and hopefully, reach more people.

5. Who is your target audience?

Everyone who has a genuine interest in Africa and the black world, as I like to call it. My biggest dream may be, through this platform, to have Africa and the diaspora reconnect. Let’s look at Brazil, for example, the country with the largest black population outside of Africa. How can we reconnect them to the motherland in an authentic manner and share our experiences, through storytelling? That’s the kind of question I’m asking myself. I personally don’t put The Kraal inside a box at all.

6. Do you get unfriendly/aggressive comments?

Yes, I do.

7. What were some of the comments you most appreciated?

Those from people that share their knowledge and experiences.

8. Your favorite posts?

I put the same energy into every post but most recently, I really enjoyed the work I did on serpent symbolism. The story of Che Guevara in Congo was also very well received.

9. Who inspires you?

Everything and everyone. Life itself is the inspiration.

10. What keeps you going?

Passion and breath.

11. What are your sources?
I obtain the ideas for the posts from everywhere, including all over the web.

12. When will the book come out?

If you can help me put it together, I’ll say soon then! ;)
(Note from Away From Africa: with pleasure! It's a long road.)

*The Musée Dapper in Paris is now closed. It may have been the only nonprofit private museum in Paris.

Last 4 days for this Indiegogo campaign: a film on Rudolf Manga Bell

2018-11-17T19:43:00.002-05:00

The German King is set in 1914 at the start of World War I in Kamerun (now called Cameroon.) Our hero is Rudolf Manga Bell, the African King of the Duala people. However, their land is under the rule of Germany and after he and his people are pushed too far, he decides to rise up and lead a rebellion. Despite his best efforts, he is eventually captured by the Germans and sacrifices his life for his people. To this day, the people of Cameroon remember Manga Bell as a king, a martyr, and a hero. History has long overshadowed his heroism, our goal is to create a film to honor the man and his legacy. Help us bring this incredible true story to life.

Vickie Fremont brings her art to Harare

2018-08-28T20:55:00.003-04:00

Belatedly, a post about Vickie Fremont's exhibition at HIFA in Harare, Zimbabwe.

This exhibition took place from May 1 to May 6, 2018, under the title “Birds of Freedom”, as part of the 18th edition of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), which will run under the theme “We Count”.
Vickie Frémont , as we know from various articles and blog posts, "has been conducting workshops around the world, using a hands-on approach for the transformation of rejects or trash into useful everyday objects. Her workshops... take place in schools, community centers, universities, and even in commercial malls. They include lectures on the destructive effects that trash of every kind has on the environment and on climate change.
She has conducted her workshops using recycled materials at The Fashion Institute of Technology,

Vickie Fremont at HIFA

The Bank Street School for Children, The Henry Street Settlement in New York City, Community Works, and numerous museums, libraries, and public and private schools" (from the HIFA press release).
And may we add that she has been on at least two tours of Peru for the Alliance Française?

The show “Birds of Freedom” included:
A map of Africa, a map of Cameroon, a country where more than 130 dialects are spoken: showing the country’s rivers and borders embroidered with trade beads, many of which have been used in the slave trade, large puppets representing some African countries with their traditional textiles (Cameroon, Mali, Kenya, Congo), and Birds and their nests: artworks similar to the puppets using recycled materials, in which beads, fabrics and recycled materials such as coat hangers, CDs, old rags, plastic containers, and cutting boards are combined; the resulting work bears no resemblance to any of the original materials.

"The show Birds of Freedom is about the connection between continents, and the waves of migration. Birds don't have borders but they know how to go back to where they came from.

Many people from African countries emigrate to find jobs. The 12 birds portrayed symbolize the movement, the migration, and the central nests are the guarantee that a return home is always possible.
Vickie Frémont has an abiding passion for the art, culture, and music of Africa. Although Vickie left Africa many years ago, Africa has not left her." (from the press release)

Introductory Away From Africa post about Vickie.
More African puppets by Vickie.
http://vickiefremont24.wixsite.com/arts/single-post/2015/05/07/My-hands-my-tools
Tel. +1 212 283 70 72 USA
Email: myhandsmytools@gmail.com