The Afropolitan Network:::

Music Monday

Review By Onerebelgun
Not by favoritism but Kenna Zemedkun is by far the most underrated artist of our generation, not conforming to any musical standards he wields the musical blade of Excalibur in the realms where he is comfortable with the help of Chad Hugo.  If your a musical explorer you will surely love this musical adventure as he mixes hiphop, rock, pop and r and b into one amazing sonic yet futuristic sound that will reach other generations light years from now.  Make sure they see my face or face for short gives you reason to love Kenna's musical attributes but also disappointing for Kenna die hard fans who aptly play his first album New sacred cow which is phenomenal and beyond anyones musical experience in terms of production and honesty on words. Face is an endless journey from Daylight to wide awake so open your hearts and ears, play it, let it blare and distort your speakers, it will be worth it I promise.

Zimbabwe's Inflation

This is nuts. The picture says it all: this guy is a billionaire and starving. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation in the world, thanks to iron-fisted Mugabe and his fool-hardy economic "policies".

(photo by Howard Burditt/Reuters)

Angola to host landmine pageant

The beleaguered nation of Angola is still littered with millions of landmines, and tens of thousands of people have been injured by them. Now, the country is hosting a most unusual beauty pageant.

read more | digg story

Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell ~ Great Amatuer Video!

The Big Story on the Back Streets

NAIROBI -- The three-person crew of Slum TV set out under the hot noon sun, slinging a video camera and microphone through the crooked labyrinth of iron-sided shacks, graffitied beer joints, rickety-stick markets and open sewers that is their home, Mathare.

read more | digg story

Lebron King Kong

When I first saw the new cover of Vogue with Lebron James and Gisele Bunndchen, it took me about 1.5 seconds to think it was offensive, then I realized that I thought it was offensive and tried to figure out why. Then when I couldn't put my finger on it (other than theres a big scary looking black man, mouth agape, grabbing a fragile looking bloned white woman reinforcing centuries-old fears of black men) I tried to convince myself that it really wasn't offensive. 

Then I saw this on the satire page on Huffington Post:

And I felt it was offensive again.

Questions:

1) Why is his mouth open like he is about to swallow her? That alone would have changed the tone of the pic

2) Why is she in appearing to be just landing on the ground, perhaps she has just been tossed from over his shoulder. 

3) Its just bad composition.

update:  *sigh* here's another one -

The Gold Slaves of Mozambique

Thousands of fortune hunters are digging for gold in the mountains of Mozambique. Scores have come across the border from bitterly poor Zimbabwe. But for most, the dream of fabulous treasure ends up in endless toil, disease and death.

read more | digg story

::Morning Edition::

• What Politicians Say When They Talk About Race - New York Times

Thanks! ~The Management

Just want to take a brief moment to say....THANKS! I've had a nice up tick in readership and subscribers. I appreciate you taking a little time out and visiting my little plot on the World Wide Web.

to infinity and beyond

~Beve

Afrolution

Great, great site called Afrolution. Putting African Hip Hop on the map! Its starting an online tv channel exclusively dedicated to hip hop, all day every day! I like. Check it out:

::Morning Edition::

• Obama Race Speech | TheRoot.com

African Hip Hop Conference Recap

Harvard University hosted the first African Hip Hop Conference this past weekend, and it looks like it was great..

Here's a list of the panelists

And what was discussed

::Morning Edition::

• clinton, ferraro, and black women | Views | TheRoot.com

::Morning Edition::

• How Rwanda Topped Africa At the Berlin Tourism Fair //AllAfrica.com
• Afromusing » Congratulations Neil Turok - Ted Prize Winner 2008.
• SXSW 2008 - Day Two: Africa Is the New MacGyver : David Thomas :

Worth the Watch

Land Rights for Decedents of Slaves in Brazil

African-Norwegian Kids Dance

"Chiku Ali, a storyteller from Tanzania living in Bergen, is impressed by what has been accomplished during the week called African days in Stavanger."

more here

::Morning Edition::

• The Black Commentator - Cover Story:The Clinton Monster, Unleashed

Fabulous! Afro-Chinese Fashion

I love this! Hatian/Guyanese/French Sheilla Constance Sidney lives in Shanghai and is embracing the world of Afro-Chic with a new Asian twist. I like.

Ozwald Boateng

Ghanaian Brit, Ozwald Boateng is one of the first black male star designers to trully make it big. He makes really sharp men's wear. He also had an entertaining reality show on The Sundance Channel called House of Boateng. Check out a proflie on Jamati Online

Stoned Cherrie and Fred Eboka

I like these two designers. Once again, exquiste work being done in Afro-Chic design. There's South African Nkhensani's Stoned Cherrie brand. Here's a piece on it by Mimi Magazine

And Nigerian Fred Eboka's line:

::Morning Edition::

• The true cost of living in Zimbabwe - no food, no job and no hope  The Guardian

Haiti

Its stories like these that make me seriously seriously question our collective humanity. Like my other post, the poorest in Haiti eat dirt, while there is tons of food sitting en route, rotting and being devoured by beetles and cockroaches.  They should rush the airport and take the food. I mean what else is there to do? Haiti is a tiny island. It does not have the same logistical nightmare as trying to feed America, Russia or China, its an island.  Yet, the government is still red taped?

"Jean-Paul Michaud, a Canadian, said he sailed to the capital of Port-au-Prince late last year carrying 60 pounds of donated clothing and medicine — and that port authorities demanded $10,000 in "customs fees" — code for a bribe to make the fees disappear.

"I'd have rather thrown the aid in the water," said Michaud. The Canadian Embassy intervened and the fee was later waived."

*sigh*

Nneka

Check out singer Nneka. On her myspace, she describes her location as "WARRI/NIGERIA, Germany". Cool. I especially like the song "Lost Souls Live"

::Morning Edition::

• From Kenya to New York | Brian Lehrer Live

Sellout

I watched this fascinating conversation on Bloggingheads between Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy and John McWhorter of the Manhattan Institute.  They go back and forth about various backlash they've had on stuff they've written such as Kennedy's controversial "Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word" which I really want to read now and McWhorter's piece on The Root about what constitutes "Black Culture"

I find all this fascinating because it fits squarely in the realm of the Afropolitan. What makes a black person go from being African to Afropolitan or African American to Afropolitan. I had an interesting email discussion with a friend about this who rejects the term Afropolitan. She sees it as another label that is more divisive than transformative.  I must say, I saw her point, but  I disagreed in that I don't see it as a label but more so an identity that develops.

I think there are black people who try  and transcend what it conventionally means to be black; but then there are others who just kind of ended up doing it because they were pushed out of one group and pulled in another or as the Afropolitan article says are "mutt" and gives the example of an "American accent, European affect, African ethos."thus creating a new cultural identity.

What does this have to do with selling out? Well is this the African community's version of a sellout? Someone who got to live/study abroad, picked up a European language or two, married/dates white people? Its just fascinating to me and I think its healthy for us as a community to be having these discussions.