------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease?
Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/pKxVKC/UOnJAA/n1hLAA/kgJolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
There are 10 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. ARTICLE: Why is the proudly Afro-centric Pan African Film Festival
screening 3 movies about Mexicans?
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
2. African Heritage Festival, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach:
SAT-SUN 26-27 Feb 2005
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
3. Taiko Drumming Classes - Youth & Adults
From: "Bryan Yamami" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4. Afrodicia Web Show-Playlist
From: Nnamdi Moweta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5. ARTICLE (Fashion): Suddenly, Africa
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
6. ARTICLE (Fashion): Neighborhood stores offer the look at prices that
aren't other-worldly
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
7. Drumming Fun with Ayo Adeyemi
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
8. ARTICLE (Fashion): A Young Designer From Nigeria Mixes It Up
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
9. Baba Ken Okulolo to visit UCLA Thursday, March 3rd, 2005
From: "mikegubman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10. ARTICLE (Fashion): Straight Out of Africa: A couture queen celebrates
the real classics
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 21:56:59 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ARTICLE: Why is the proudly Afro-centric Pan African Film Festival
screening 3 movies about Mexicans?
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-et-afromex21feb21,2,7932113.story
MOVIES
Documenting Mexico's strong African legacy
Why is the proudly Afro-centric Pan African Film Festival, taking place at the
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, screening three movies about Mexicans?
By Gayle Pollard-Terry, Times Staff Writer
February 21, 2005
Two documentaries from Mexico � "The Forgotten Roots" and "African Blood," in
Spanish with English subtitles � will be shown today at the Magic Johnson
Theatres, along with the brief but lyrical "Tree From 2 Separate Seeds," the
story of the daughter of an African American and a Chicana.
The Mexican documentaries show Afromestizos are concentrated in the state of
Veracruz on the Gulf Coast and in Guerrero and Oaxaca states in the Costa Chica
region on the Pacific Coast south of Acapulco. They speak Spanish and identify
themselves as Mexican, but they look black.
A strong African heritage has endured in Mexico for nearly 500 years since
Spanish conquistadores brought in the first of 200,000 slaves, the films show.
The African legacy continues to influence menus, music, dance and customs as
well as showing up in various racial features among some Mexicans.
"The black population is not well known," Sagrario Cruz, an anthropology and
history professor says by telephone from the University of Veracruz, which
offers the multidisciplinary program "�frica en M�xico."
In two decades of research on black identity, she has documented distinct
populations of slaves, maroons, black Seminoles and U.S. blacks, both free
people and runaway slaves, who settled in various areas of the country before
and after Mexico abolished slavery in 1829.
She has also found African aspects in physical appearance, religion,
gastronomy, festivals and in the names of cities and towns, such as Yanga and
Mandinga.
Mexico's African ancestry has been obscured, says Rafael Rebollar, director of
"The Forgotten Roots," by the common belief that the national identity comes
from two worlds: Spanish and Indian. His 50-minute documentary provides a
history lesson.
Most slaves came through Veracruz, the oldest port in Latin America, from
Africa and second-hand from the Caribbean, he explains. "They were brought in
to work the sugar cane fields and [moved] inland to work the mines," he says,
and they also worked as servants. "In Veracruz, they mixed with the French when
they occupied Mexican territory." And with the Spanish and Indian.
"Music is the memory of the crossing of the races," Rebollar says, describing
the blended culture of Veracuz. In his film, he shows the African influence in
dance, music and song.
"African Blood" director Roberto Olivares began his project after a visit to
Oaxaca.
"I was surprised to see black people in Mexico," he says via e-mail. His film
features displays of African traditions: men in masks and costumes resembling
West African bush devils to dance on All Saints' Day. An elderly woman
reminisces about growing up in a redondo, a round mud house with a thatched
roof similar to those found in Africa. A musician plays an instrument made from
a pumpkin that mimics a tiger's roar. Women carry items on their heads.
Both Olivares and Rebollar credit Gonzalo Aguirre Beltr�n, author of "The Negro
Population of Mexico," for the historical foundation of their work. Aguirre
Beltr�n laments in one of his last interviews, shown in "The Forgotten Roots,"
that his book, first published in 1946, was not reprinted until 1972 because of
lack of interest.
Lack of interest also kept black Mexicans largely invisible outside of their
communities until 1992, when the Mexican government funded research to study
and acknowledge "our third root," Cruz, the professor says, adding, "Now, there
is a very strong movement to recover that African heritage that has been hidden
for centuries."
Felicidad G�ngora Berlin, associate director of cultural affairs at the
University of Veracruz, has taken an active interest in showing these films to
Mexican and U.S. audiences. She's married to an African American and lived in
Los Angeles for seven years. While here, she worked in the film industry, at
one point at Sony Pictures, where she was in charge of dubbing movies into
Spanish and Portuguese.
She introduced the Mexican films to organizers of the Pan African Film
Festival. "The Forgotten Roots" was first screened in 2002.
Alva Stevenson saw it then, motivated by her personal black-Mexican
connection."My grandfather migrated from Kerr County, Texas, to Guadalajara"
during Reconstruction, says Stevenson, an administrator at the UCLA Oral
History Program. "My great-grandparents, who were slaves, advised him that
there were few jobs for black men" in the U.S.
He learned Spanish and became the go-between for the Spanish workers building a
railroad and their white managers. He married a Mexican woman and they moved to
Nogales, Ariz.
The films played to a standing-room-only, overwhelmingly black crowd when they
were screened earlier this month, starting with Trifari White's five-minute
film.
Her black-and-white film is about her father, Earl, portrayed in the movie as
an African man, and her mother, Diane, portrayed as an Aztec.
In her film, Trifari stands under a sign that reads, "No Dogs, Negroes,
Mexicans" a statement of her dual heritage. She is also shown practicing Ife, a
Yoruba religion from Nigeria that includes ancestor worship, and posing like
self-portraits of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
During a question-and-answer session after the films were screened, people in
the audience mentioned the African heritage of several of the pobladores, or
settlers, who founded Los Angeles and of Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor
before California became part of the United States.
Two teachers who brought students to the screening pointed out the benefit of
showing White's film at high schools where African American and Latino students
have clashed.
"When I was in high school, I saw them fighting at schools in Watts and
Inglewood. I remember watching that on TV and crying," White said recently at
her parents' home near Dodger Stadium.
She also remembers standing up to black friends who insulted Mexicans and
Latino friends who cursed African Americans.
"When I was around my black friends, they didn't think of me as Mexican, and
when I was around my Mexican friends, they didn't think of me as black," she
added. "I let people know, we live in the same communities. Our cultures are so
similar."
*
Pan African Film Festival
Where: Magic Johnson Theatres, 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles
When: 4:35 p.m. today
Price: $9.25
Contact: www.paff.org
Running time: 80 minutes
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 22:01:48 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: African Heritage Festival, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach:
SAT-SUN 26-27 Feb 2005
African Heritage Festival
Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach
The aquarium celebrates African and African American cultures with arts,
crafts, live entertainment, local artists and food.
Feb. 26: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Feb. 27: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Price: $10.95-$18.95, 2 and younger, free
Box office: 562-590-3100
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 11:50:09 +0000
From: "Bryan Yamami" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Taiko Drumming Classes - Youth & Adults
RELEASE: February 21, 2005
This April, beginning taiko drumming classes will be taught by
members of the professional L.A.-based taiko drumming
ensemble, the TAIKOPROJECT. Taiko drumming is the
energetic, powerful Japanese drumming made popular by
groups such as KODO, Kinnara Taiko, San Francisco Taiko Dojo,
and many others. The TAIKOPROJECT is pleased to offer the
following classes for beginning adults and youth.
Three classes will be conducted--two youth taiko classes
(ages 8 - 10 and ages 11 - 14 years), and one adult class
(any age, no experience necessary).
Each class is limited to 10 participants, so early registration is
highly recommended.
Adult Beginning Taiko
April 3 - May 29 (8 sessions)
Sundays, 6:00 � 7:00 pm
Instructor: Bryan Yamami
Beginning Youth Taiko
April 3 - May 29 (8 sessions)
Sundays, 3:30 � 5:00 pm
Session One - Ages: 8 - 10 years old
Instructor: Julia Kato
Session Two - Ages: 11 - 14 years old
Instructor: Yuta Kato
Youth Classes are conducted concurrently.
All classes are held at Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, Social Hall
at 505 E. 3rd St. in downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo.
Continuing classes are available for students interested in further
advancing their taiko skills.
Registration is $100 for all classes to the general public, $80 for
Higashi Honganji Temple members.
To register, please mail a check payable to
TAIKOPROJECT to: 244 S. San Pedro St., #505, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Please include the name of the student, mailing address, phone
number, and email. You will be notified by email or phone to
confirm registration in the classes.
Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or call Bryan at
(213)268-4011 for more information.
For more information on the TAIKOPROJECT, visit
www.TAIKOPROJECT.com
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 10:54:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Nnamdi Moweta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Afrodicia Web Show-Playlist
More powerful than ever...the first hour of Afrodicia brought us the latest
music from Cape Verdian Diva, MARIA DE BARROS. The Juju King, KING SUNNY ADE,
sounded the alarm with hits from his cd "Best of the Classic Years." DJ Nnamdi
kept it going with ALPHA BLONDY, the one to listen to for African Reggae
(listen to Afrodicia next week for a live interview with Alpha Blondy and DJ
Nnamdi).
Into the second hour listen to hits from RICHARD BONA, WANLUV, ZAPP MAMA, and
more. The "Poser" himself, KOFFI OLOMIDE, kept us girls at attention as the
show ended with hot Afrobeat tunes from THE GHETTO BLASTERS .
For all of the latest in African music, tune into Afrodicia.com and listen!!
For Afrodicia,
Yo Girl, Donna!
Come listen, come see, come buy at RADIO AFRODICIA, streaming 24/7
http://www.Afrodicia.com/playlist_frameset.htm
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 5
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 21:31:21 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ARTICLE (Fashion): Suddenly, Africa
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-africaessay08feb20,1,1391485.story
SPRING FASHION ISSUE
Suddenly, Africa
Are the prints and beadwork and bangles of the spring collections a revelation,
or cultural appropriation?
By Erin Aubry Kaplan
Erin Aubry Kaplan is a staff writer at the L.A. Weekly.
February 20, 2005
I'm an African American who has always been keenly aware of the essential
contradiction of trying to live up to both appellations at once. And over the
course of my life I have found that the contradiction tends to swell up to its
most grotesque proportions not in the heat of a political or racial debate, but
in the air-conditioned oblivion of a Macy's or a Bloomingdale's. For it is in
such places where I am most lulled into thinking I'm really just like every
other woman, and where I'm most distressed to discover that I'm not: Size 8
designer pants that look so possible on the hanger won't accommodate my ample
butt; frothy pastel tanks so pleasing to the eye wash out against my skin.
Which is why I always experience a certain relief when I happen upon an African
goods store or street festival, because I know that the mud cloth and kente and
copper jewelry and hip wraps will fit, in more ways than one. I'm American,
sure, but African enough to feel more than a little connected to the stuff of
the motherland, African enough to know that I'll never risk looking ridiculous
or blasphemous in a beaded collar and ankh earrings the way that a white woman,
however good she may look in a size 8, certainly might. The whole aesthetic
provides a rare psychological refuge from the drumbeats of pop culture, even a
sense of superiority�I can go where not everyone can follow, settle into a
context not everyone has.
And I get to do it with virtually no fear of imitation: Africa is not the place
where fashion tends to take its cues. Unlike South Asia or South America, the
continent does not lend itself to gaiety, whimsy or any cool ethno-religious
iconography�smiling buddhas, godlike snakes�that would be suitable for
silk-screening on T-shirts or hanging on neck chains. In the minds of many,
Africa remains the dark and forbidden continent, an image intensified by the
current crises of AIDS, civil wars and general post-colonial syndrome. Zebra
and leopard prints and the perennial safari jacket notwithstanding,
conventional fashion wisdom has been to steer clear of Africa and leave it to
Africans across the world to interpret and to seriously wear�a right that I
happily reserve, and judiciously exercise, here in my corner of the diaspora.
But that tacit agreement has been upended by the spring 2005 collections, which
have embraced Africa with an enthusiasm I've not seen before. In two months of
shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, the runways featured a fearless
presence not just of neo-safari wear, but of all the bold African details from
which ready-to-wear tends to shrink: cowrie shells, beadwork, batik prints,
kente and mud cloth, gold accents, head wraps, bangles, caftans. From Valentino
to Dolce & Gabbana to Gucci, from veterans such as Diane von Furstenberg to
wunderkind Zac Posen, designers sent models�blond, black and everything
else�down the catwalks looking like only slightly westernized versions of Masai
women from East Africa, or Mali women from the West. Costume National and Eley
Kishimoto made perhaps the most dramatic statements, with liberal use of all of
the above, as well as a dizzying mix of patterns that echoed authentic African
ensembles almost in total.
The overall effect of the collections was strong, sensual and not a little
unsettling. Here was my private closet being raided before my eyes, my one
advantage in the fashion realm being broken down into pieces�dazzling pieces,
to be sure�and handed out all around like goody bags. The most galling thing
was that the nonblack models actually looked good in the clothes, if a little
out of place or overwhelmed. (I took a bit of smug satisfaction in seeing some
of those bright colors and graphic designs washing them out; call it my Macy's
revenge.) But the collective power of so much Africana displayed on a world
stage was undeniable. I just couldn't decide if I was proud or despairing�was
this timely veneration or more expert white appropriation of something black? A
homage to African culture and an acknowledgment that it is too often ignored,
or exploitation of its best but least-worn elements to shake up a fashion scene
stifled for several seasons by distinctly European brooches and tweeds? It was
both, of course, so I wound up harboring both feelings. I may no longer have an
exclusive right to African dress that I never had to begin with, but as an
African American, I still have a lock on ambiguity.
Fashion designers and the fashion world at large do not wrestle with such
questions of provenance, at least not publicly. It's bad for business. After
all, fashion is much more about escape than it is about confrontation, and if
the political climate these days is any indication, we're much more in the mood
for the former. Yet the mere choice of an African motif this year, given the
unresolved ugliness in Darfur, Sudan, and elsewhere, is heartening all by
itself, a significant statement even if it does turn out to be superficial or
short-lived. (In these dire times I'll take a brief statement over none at all.)
The fashion business seems to be resisting the significance of its own
position, though. Magazines are calling the spring 2005 looks globe-spanning,
post-hippie chic, vacation chic and boho luxe�not untrue, but not quite
reflective of the African spirit permeating the goods in their own pages.
Harper's Bazaar did praise Proenza Schouler's debut line of fabric, bead and
gold accessories as "Africa-inspired," though it described the printed head
scarves as "retro turban-style." Big wooden bangles, noted on another page as a
must-have accessory of the season, were more ungraciously described as
"tribal." (For its part, InStyle blithely advised readers on how to adapt the
"tribal chic" look for themselves.)
If language shied away from the truth, however, images did not, and neither did
some of the designers themselves. Diane von Furstenberg says the grand finale
of her runway presentation, titled "The Grand Tour," was
Africa-themed�Serengeti caftans, Zimbabwe leaf-print gowns�for a reason.
"Africa is very much in the air right now," she says. "This collection really
celebrates the woman traveler, the adventurer with curiosity and an open mind,
and Africa is very much a part of that." Though initially inspired by Ava
Gardner's impossibly glamorous getups in the 1953 jungle-themed movie "Mogambo"
("She was sitting on top of her suitcase, looking drop-dead!"), Von Furstenberg
says she had a revelation recently during a visit to Botswana and Rwanda. It
was the famously jet-setting designer's first trip to the continent. "Africa is
something you very much feel," she says. "It's the most beautiful place. You go
there and realize that it's very much the center of the Earth, that we all come
from there. It has a certain grandeur and grandiosity that's hard to describe."
Other designers echo Von Furstenberg's enthusiasm, though at points it is hard
to parse the difference between enthusing and patronizing, between being
plugged in and being entirely clueless about how all of those wonderful looks
might be connected to actual people and their various states of peril. Costume
National designer Ennio Capasa glibly describes creating a "tribal style," but
also says that "Africa means roots and nature, and this is what the world needs
now, to discover again ancient values and tradition." Zac Posen calls his new
look "preppy tribal," a bizarre but logical development in the history of
preppy being paired with just about everything, but also says that "the
exuberant color palette and wildly sexy prints convey life and vivacity," which
rather discomfitingly revives old Dark Continent notions about Africa being the
root of all primal energy and not much else.
The Eley Kishimoto collection has a title and theme nearly the opposite of Von
Furstenberg's�"Local"�but the looks are no less adventurous, and considerably
more African overall. That's because husband and wife print designers Mark Eley
and Wakako Kishimoto tapped the Afro-Caribbean aesthetic of their own London
neighborhood for their controlling theme. "Where we live, where our studio is
and the culture that is around it�it's about . . . African overtones," Eley
says in an e-mail. "It is the local culture and color of Brixton . . . that has
inspired our new collection." Adds Kishimoto: "We wanted to have the impact of
lots of prints mixed together that somehow creates some interesting looks�like
the ladies we see in the street, with homemade decorated hats. . . . Such
looks, you can't imagine where a person who is wearing that would be going. . .
. We are trying to dispel the idea that you have to dress in a certain way to
go to a certain place."
That, of course, is part of the beauty of African dress�that it goes anywhere,
anytime, with anything. People who habitually wear mud cloth or kente or
caftans wear them day and evening, to work and on special occasions, modifying
shoes and jewelry, perhaps, but little else. African dress is at once
impervious to fashion and the soul of fashion in its most perfect state:
functional yet free, simple yet multidimensional, constant yet endlessly
intriguing because it doesn't change. And despite making rare official
appearances on the runway, the African appeal is hardly new in fashion.
Constance C.R. White, the style director of EBay and the author of "StyleNoir,"
a 1998 book about the history and impact of black fashion, notes that the last
big Africa moment was in 1997, when mavericks Jean Paul Gaultier and John
Galliano showed collections influenced in part by "Africa: The Art of a
Continent," a massive touring exhibit that had originated at the Royal Academy
of Arts in London in 1995. She believes that most designers consistently use
Africa as a creative touchstone, whether they admit it or not. "As a WASP and
someone who grew up in WASP culture, one of the reasons I had to leave America
was to develop as a designer," reads one "StyleNoir" quote from Tom Ford, who
helped define the '90s as creative director at Gucci. "Every designer I know
has books on Africa. I have about 20."
White applauds such frankness but wrestles with her own uneasiness about the
veneration/exploitation question, mostly because the vast majority of people
controlling runway looks and reaping the profits�designers, fashion
conglomerates, magazine publishers�are not black or African, and never have
been. A friend rudely reminded me of this fact when she showed me a photo
spread on the spring collections that ran in the L.A. Times, then juxtaposed it
with a photograph of Sudanese refugees from war-torn Darfur that appeared in
the paper the following day. The sartorial similarities between white, willowy
Zac Posen models strutting in four-figure dresses and the dark-skinned African
women wearily making their way across a grassy field were improbable but
unmistakable: bright fabrics in the same clear azure blues and sea greens,
graphic patterns wrapped around the body in easy but bold counterpoint to one
another. Depending on your point of view, this is either a shining moment for
multiculturalism or the clearest evidence of its callousness.
If clothes don't have the power to instigate change, they can at least herald
it�not simply in hem lengths and silhouettes but in political movements and
social attitudes. Nowhere is this truer than in black American fashion, itself
a direct spiritual descendant of African fashion and, beginning with the Jazz
Age and running through to hip-hop, the most consistent influence in fashion
around the globe today. It is blacks who have made irreverent style�big hair,
beads, braids, big hats, electric colors�de rigueur American style, blacks who
have transformed snoozy blueblood labels such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph
Lauren into purveyors of hip. Sean John, the clothing line of hip-hop artist
and impresario Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, has come to define a late '90s/early
aughts look I call outr� casual, and it's no coincidence that Combs has become
ascending star Zac Posen's most high-profile investor.
But the colonial dynamic at work in the fashion industry is the same for
African Americans as it is for Africans, who in many ways are extensions and
echoes of each other. The culture is freely appropriated; on this side of the
Atlantic, black fashion is now viewed almost entirely through the prism of pop
music, and therefore called "street," "urban" or "hip-hop," and it sells
briskly not only here but everywhere, including Africa. Several years ago, I
was startled to see some photos of young rebel fighters in Sierra Leone whose
muse, etched on a concrete wall behind them, was not a national or local hero
but slain rapper Tupac Shakur.
Though I have some issues with hip-hop, I'm also encouraged by it; its
pervasiveness and global reach may be just the thing that's opening the door
back into Africa, at least within fashion. Whether that means Africa will gain
the status granted to select aspects of its culture is a question that the
black population here has actually been asking itself, and the rest of America,
for generations. The answer is complicated and varies from one historical
period to another. In these racially cynical times I'm inclined to buy the
premise of "virtual integration," which describes the conflicted phenomena of
an increasing black media presence and a decreasing black political power�a
deceptive modern-day version of the ideal that Martin Luther King Jr. once
dreamed about, but has yet to be realized in its fullest sense.
I know it's unfair to lay society's problems at the feet of fashion; the most
we can realistically expect it to do is evidence a symptom, not offer a
solution. As for us consumers and inveterate Macy's shoppers, perhaps the most
profound thing we can do is assume that we are what we wear. Before you put on
those ankh earrings or adorn your rib cage with a Masai-inspired beaded corset,
before you splurge on any of Costume National or Eley Kishimoto's fabulous
prints or some version thereof, stop a moment to think about what makes them
fabulous. I have plenty of theories as to why everyone has unilaterally decided
that Africa is so hot right now, though the reason is ultimately anyone's
guess. Diane von Furstenberg says that's the way things are supposed to be.
"That's the core appeal of fashion, that everybody gets the idea to do the same
thing at the same time without really knowing why," she remarks. "Without that
mystery, there is no fashion."
True, though as we head into spring with Africa squarely in the limelight, I
feel somewhat demystified against my will. My one comfort is the fashion truism
that the same piece of clothing on two different women often reads as two
entirely different things. Being two different things to begin with�African
American�this might be a choice opportunity to distinguish myself even more,
not less. Whatever unresolved feelings I have about Africa, about its effects
on my personal style and in my life generally, will be forced from the depths
of a great historical unconscious to a glossy surface they never quite had to
break.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 6
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 21:34:44 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ARTICLE (Fashion): Neighborhood stores offer the look at prices that
aren't other-worldly
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-ikatshop08feb20,1,5400775.story
SPRING FASHION ISSUE
FINDING IT HERE, AND FOR LESS
Neighborhood stores offer the look at prices that aren't other-worldly.
By Booth Moore
Booth Moore is The Times' fashion critic.
February 20, 2005
Whether you call it globe-trotting or culture-cribbing, ethnic clothing is the
hottest runway trend for spring. But finding this season's African, Indian and
Middle Eastern apparel and accessories doesn't mean paying designer prices or
cashing in frequent-flier miles. Los Angeles has a wealth of resources that
offer authentic versions of the best global looks. Here are a few of this
season's biggest designer hits paired with similar styles found in local
stores, and introductions to the merchants who sell them.
Ikat jacket by Oscar de la Renta
At his clothing bazaar and belly dance studio, Adam Basma stocks ikat wrap
shirts ($49) that achieve the same effect as De la Renta's runway creation,
which was modeled after sacred Indonesian textiles woven for use as ritual
objects. Other hot sellers are mirrored broomstick skirts from India, and
jingling coin belts and beaded slippers from Morocco.
Born to a "very conservative, very rich" family in Lebanon, Basma never
imagined that he would come to Los Angeles and become a professional belly
dancer, much less sell traditional Middle Eastern costumes to fashionistas. He
first moved to the U.S. in 1973 to attend the University of Texas in Austin
under the auspices of the American Field Service, an international nonprofit
group that provides intercultural learning opportunities. At school, he began
performing and eventually toured the country. "My family said, 'Men are not
allowed to dance,' and I said, 'Why not?' "
In the 1980s, he set his sights on Los Angeles. "Texas told me I did not
belong," he says. He lived the life of a starving artist, eventually earning
work as a belly dance consultant on films such as "Protocol" with Goldie Hawn.
Today he leads a professional company of 40 dancers who have performed at the
Greek Theatre, UCLA's Royce Hall and the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels in Las
Vegas.
Four years ago, he opened the clothing bazaar after students began requesting
belly dance costumes. On his buying trips, he scours Morocco, Egypt and India
for anything "feminine and sexy."
Adam Basma Bazaar and Belly Dance Studio, 1551 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los
Angeles, (310) 854-7600.
*
Peasant skirt by Roberto Cavalli
The Bernal family has been selling gauzy cotton Mexican skirts in hot pink,
bright yellow or black, florals and chili pepper prints ($29.95 to $39.95) from
the same Olvera Street storefront since 1944. The area hasn't changed much
since then, says Marco Bernal, son of Casa Bernal founder Armando Bernal. "We
still get a lot of tourists. This is a landmark."
The store stocks imports from Mexico, Spain, Guatemala and Peru, including
ruffled peasant blouses, embroidered dresses and multicolor-striped sash belts.
"Most of our suppliers are from way back. My dad found them," Bernal says. Casa
Bernal sells costumes to folkloric dance groups and the staffs of several local
Mexican restaurants. Celebrity stylists and costume designers stop in too.
"Sometimes you will see girls on TV wearing our things," he says. "It's nice to
see people having an interest in this type of clothing that has been around
forever."
Casa Bernal, W-23 Olvera St., Los Angeles, (213) 687-4568.
*
Embroidered tunic top by Michael Kors
No, Krishna is not the new kabala. What drives Sharon Stone, Debra Messing,
Anjelica Huston and Jamie Lee Curtis to the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness in West Los Angeles is the temple's boutique, Govinda's
International Imports, and its bounty of hand-beaded, hand-woven Indian tunic
tops in every color of the rainbow, from $50.
Govinda's opened in 1982 as a business venture for the temple, and Terry Beca
has been in charge since 1986.
"I studied fashion and art at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, but this was a
different way of using my training than I planned," says Beca, who became a
Krishna in 1972.
She travels to India, Thailand and Bali five times a year to buy natural fiber
and cottage industry items such as bangles, cashmere shawls and embroidered
shirts. "Sometimes entire villages can be supported by embroidery," she says.
Nearly 80% of Govinda's shoppers are not temple members. "We have a very
far-out clientele, from [Aerosmith's] Steven Tyler to a yoga teacher. We don't
do any advertising, and everything is word of mouth. People love to tell others
about our shop."
Govinda's International Imports, 3764 Watseka Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 204-3263.
*
Tribal print sheath by Ennio Capasa for Costume National
Ursaline Bryant learned fashion as a model in the mid-1980s. After moving to
Los Angeles, she volunteered at the African Marketplace Import/Export Emporium,
which opened in 1996 as part of the annual Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza
celebration of African American history. The venture reopened in 1997 as a
permanent store in the plaza. A second boutique opened in 1999 in Culver City.
The stores act as "incubators of entrepreneurs," Bryant says. Everything is on
consignment, including the burlap gowns and duster coats by South African
designer Thulare Monareng. Her designs come in a red or black "venda" print,
native to the Venda region of South Africa, and are priced from $165 to $250.
"She did a fashion show at the Pan-African Film & Arts Festival, and I decided
I wanted to represent her," Bryant says. In time she hopes to travel to Africa
to buy items for the store, and to increase her imports and exports.
Bryant has strong feelings about wearing clothing and accessories from another
culture: "It is not fashion; it becomes wearable art when you take from a
culture of a people. Some things should be left intact to that culture and not
be made into a fad."
African Marketplace Import/Export Emporium, Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza, 3650
W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 293-3277. African
Marketplace Boutique, Westfield Town/Fox Hills, 384 Fox Hills Mall, Culver
City, (310) 397-1343.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 04:38:06 EST
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Drumming Fun with Ayo Adeyemi
This Weekend’s Drumming Fun
With
Ayo Adeyemi
Master Drummer
And Yoruba Ceremonial Leader from Nigeria
Friday, February 25
“On the Move…West African Dance”
for adults over 50
sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
9 to 10:30 am
at Cal State LA, Golden Eagle building, Room 217
Visit www.calstatela.edu for campus map and location of hourly-rate parking
lots. Individual classes are free to OLLI members and $15 for non-members.
Annual membership for OLLI starts at $45.00. For membership information,
contact
Marivic Erskine at (323) 343-4695.
Saturday, February 26
African Drum Class at REMO Center
All levels welcome.
Time: 1:00PM to 3PM
Cost: $15.00
Where: REMO Recreational Music Center
7308 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
North Hollywood CA 91605
www.remo.com
Saturday, February 26
Full Moon Drum Dance Celebration
7:30 to 9:30 pm, $10
Mission Street Yoga
1017 Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
Bring your own drum…or rent one for just $5 more. Please call to reserve a
drum…323 829-6980 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Next Weekend
Special Djun Djun Class
All levels welcome.
Time: 1:00PM to 2:30PM
Cost: $15.00
Where: REMO Recreational Music Center
7308 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
North Hollywood CA 91605
www.remo.com
And Beyond…
Tell your friends in the Las Vegas area
That Ayo will offer a day of joyous
West African Drum, Dance and Song
On Saturday, March 12, 2005
In Pahrump…north of Las Vegas
10 am to 12 noon
Drumming Workshop
2 to 3:30 pm
Yoruba Spirit:
Stories of the Orishas
Lecture, Song and Ritual
5:30 to 7 pm
West African Rhythm Celebration
7 to 8:30 pm Potluck
8:30 to 10 pm
Campfire Drum Circle
Location:
Haven Selah
1680 N. Blagg Road
Pahrump, Nevada
Cost: $15 per session,
$25 for two sessions,
$35 for three sessions
$40 for all day
Overnight accommodations $12, camping available.
Contact Teresa:
775 727-8633
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 8
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 21:33:28 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ARTICLE (Fashion): A Young Designer From Nigeria Mixes It Up
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-sconnaehrlich08feb20,1,684380.story?coll=la-headlines-magazine
METROPOLIS / SPRING FASHION ISSUE
Handicraft Meets High Modern
A Young Designer From Nigeria Mixes It Up
GINNY CHIEN
February 20, 2005
Growing up in Nigeria, handbag and shoe designer Onna Ehrlich was exposed to a
vibrantly hued aesthetic rich in intricate craftsmanship. "I have photographs
from my childhood that I look at, and you see women wearing these incredibly
bright and beautiful headgear pieces," she says. "It's just stunning, like
nothing else." So when Ehrlich launched her line two years ago, the colors and
textures of her native country were a wellspring of inspiration.
But there's more to the mix. This is the age of cultural cross-pollination, and
Ehrlich also is the daughter of architect Steven Ehrlich, whose California
modernist ethos shines in designs such as the 700 Palms Residence in Venice.
She joined the fashion biz after graduating from Pasadena's Art Center College
of Design (she moved to Los Angeles from Lagos, Nigeria, in 1997). After short
stints in the entertainment industry and at her father's firm, she decided that
she couldn't keep her love of accessories at bay.
Bold echoes of Africa such as lime-green leather and raw burlap rule in
Ehrlich's collection. One of her most popular pieces, a burlap tote with
turtle-shell handles, features damask silk trim, which is often used in
Nigerian headgear. The intricate beadwork on her kitten-heel shoes was inspired
by patterns she saw as a girl at African marketplaces. New for spring are
saddle-shaped bags, which owe much to Kenya's Masai warriors and the saddles
they draped over their shoulders. "These African touches are nostalgic for me,
just little reminders of home," Ehrlich says.
As for Ehrlich's modernist heritage, her pieces also recall the cool, spare
lines of her father's aesthetic. Her streamlined clutch, with its gently
curving silhouette, is a dead giveaway. "I love African design, but sometimes I
felt it was busy," Ehrlich says. "I think there's a middle ground somewhere and
that's what I strive for, combining that clean, contemporary look with the
richness of Africa."Onna Ehrlich is available at http://www.onnaehrlich.com ,
and at Pamela Barish, 1327� Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 314-4490.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 23:48:51 -0000
From: "mikegubman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Baba Ken Okulolo to visit UCLA Thursday, March 3rd, 2005
Hello,
On Thursday, March, 3rd, The UCLA Ethnomusicology Undergraduate
Student Organization (EUSO), in conjunction with Campus Affairs and
the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology will host Nigerian master
musician Baba Ken Okulolo for a day of teaching and performance. Full
details follow below. We are trying to make the events
standing-room only, so please feel free to add the events to your
website, or forward this message to anybody & everybody.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the event, or if
you have any thoughts on how to publicize this exciting day.
Thanks,
Michael Gubman
(310) 903-9370
Nigerian master musician Baba Ken Okulolo will visit the UCLA campus
on Thursday, March 3rd 2005 for a day of teaching and performance.
>From 1-2 p.m. in the Popper Theatre at 1200 Schoenberg Music Building,
Baba Ken will give a lecture titled "THE EVOLUTION OF HIGHLIFE MUSIC."
Tracing the development of the West African style from the early 1950s
until late 70s, Baba Ken will discuss the effect of Western music on
young African musicians, and their failure to continue the legacy of
their forefathers.
>From 7-9p.m. in the Orchestra Room at 1343 Schoenberg Music Building,
Baba Ken will lead a master class, teaching songs in the Highlife and
Afrobeat styles.
Musicians should bring their instruments. Non-musicians are encouraged
to come watch, sing, and dance.
Both events are free of charge, and open to all.
Baba Ken Okulolo is one of the few popular African musicians of today
whose roots extend deep into Nigerian musical history. Ken was born
into the Urhobo ethnic group, to a family of traditional dancers and
musicians. In the tiny fishing village of Aladja, surrounded by deep
forests and lagoons traveled by dugout canoes, he was exposed to the
traditional stories, rhythms and songs of his people.
Ken was first seen in the U.S. with King Sunny Ade's African Beats on
their 1985 world tour, and he continues to appear on Ade's latest
recordings. In addition to his vast body of Nigerian studio and
production dates, he is known for his early stints with highlife
master Dr. Victor Olaiya, Steve Rhodes' African Voices, and the
seminal Afro-rock group, Monomono. Five times, the Nigerian
Journalists' Association has voted him the country's top bassist.
As a bandleader, his warm, smiling personality enlivens three distinct
performing groups: the modern Afro-beat band KOTOJA, the all-star WEST
AFRICAN HIGHLIFE BAND, and the acoustic, traditional NIGERIAN
BROTHERS. Each group brings forth the universal healing magic of
African music.
Today, Ken lives in Oakland, California, with his family. Says
Okulolo, "I see the world today as one family, as one village. We all
have the same needs and wants. Peace, love, and understanding will
help solve the world's problems, and that's what we are trying to
spread to all people with our music."
Parking is available for $7 in Lot 2 (corner of Hilgard Avenue and
Westholme Avenue). UCLA map and directions:
http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/Images/map.gif
For more information, visit http//www.AFRICANMUSICSOURCE.COM
Or contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (310) 903-9370
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 10
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 21:32:22 +0000
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ARTICLE (Fashion): Straight Out of Africa: A couture queen celebrates
the real classics
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-scahneva08feb20,1,5147807.story
METROPOLIS / SPRING FASHION ISSUE
Straight Out of Africa
A couture queen celebrates the real classics
VICTORIA NAMKUNG
February 20, 2005
All eyes may be on Africa when looking at the spring 2005 collections, but for
almost two decades, Ahneva Ahneva has been in her Leimert Park Village showroom
creating suits, gowns and ready-to-wear designs that incorporate African
elements. Known for mixing traditional fabrics with wool, raw silk, gabardine
and leather, Ahneva makes clich�d notions of "ethnic" and "classic" wear beside
the point in her tuxedos, opera coats, bridal, sportswear and a line of stretch
denim inset with mud cloth. The former model has outfitted everyone from Angela
Bassett and Blair Underwood to Bill Clinton in clothing she likens to wearable
art. We talked "cultural couture" with Ahneva, who plans to make her upscale
label a household name.
How did your "cultural couture" come about?
It was my way of inspiring women of African descent to relate to their culture
and heritage. I started using African textiles in America in a way that had
never been done . . . with hand-woven fabrics made into suits and corporate
[wear] and gowns. People are now gravitating toward this, and not just for
Black History Month.
How do you see the current vogue for Africa?
I think it's clear that we're coming closer together, that it's all right to
embrace each other's culture, because we all are one. Fashion is a way to do it
softly. If it looks good, you want it, period. I love designers like John
Galliano. He encompasses it all. He uses Africa, Asia and Turkey. I sometimes
take fabric from Bangkok, India or China.
Spring 2005 is not the first time African influences have surfaced on European
and American runways. What's new this time around?
In the '80s, young men and women in hip-hop made us love Africa again. [With]
music from groups like Public Enemy, youths were talking about Africa and the
homeland. You started seeing the kente cloth, the crowns and the beads. It was
hip to have on some kente and be referred to as a "queen." This current wave is
high fashion and African-inspired makeup, hair and gold neckpieces. When Dior
and Galliano say it's all right, then it's all right.
How do you feel about non-African designers appropriating African style?
I salute them for honoring Africa. What they're doing has helped me. When I
create African fashion and say, "Love your heritage and culture," some people
think it's just African stuff and dismiss it. But when Dolce & Gabbana does it,
it is considered couture. They have the visibility, money and presentation.
What is often overlooked about African design?
There's nothing in textiles today that does not reflect an African
contribution. Patterns, beading, hand [weaving] have a birth in Africa.
Geometrics were born in Africa through the use of body tattooing and
scarification. And there's no greater color palette than the one in Africa.
What African design elements do you love most?
The intricacy of the hand-woven fabrics is amazing. I use textiles from
Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali and the Ivory Coast. Each piece of cloth is like an art
piece.
You have shown your work in Africa and travel there to seek inspiration and
source materials. What is the most rewarding part of your connection to Africa?
I'm feeding 150 women who live, eat and sleep because I bought a piece of
fabric. I have helped sisters and brothers in the continent become
self-reliant. They can buy toys for their kids or a new roof. It creates a
sense of camaraderie.
What differences are there between your take on African design and how it is
being presented in current high fashion?
The artistry and gift that I have is inherited. I've been working with these
textiles for 30 years. What separates me from other designers is money, and
that's all. I'm the best-kept secret in Los Angeles.
Ahneva Ahneva, 3419-B W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles, (323) 291-2535.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
kick off your shoes and come dance to the beat of the African music and Drum &
Dance communities all around Southern California!
http://africanbeat.com
ON the RADIO:
> DJ Nnamdi's Afrodicia KPFK 90.7FM, Sat 2-4p, or listen online: Afrodicia.com.
> Big Red's GrooveTime KXLU 88.9FM, Sat 6-8p
> Simeon Pillich 's GlobalVillage KPFK 90.7FM, Tues 10a-1p
> Yatrika Shah-Rais's GlobalVillage KPFK 90.7FM, Wed 10a-1p
> John Schneider's GlobalVillage KPFK 90.7FM, Thurs 10a-1p
> Sergio Mielnichenko's GlobalVillage KPFK 90.7FM, Fri 10a-1p
> Eric Kohler's CaribbeanJazz KLON 88.1FM, Fri 11p-1am
> Chuck Foster's ReggaeCentral KPFK 90.7FM, Sun 3-6p
> Makeda's Reggae Makossa 91.1FM, SUN 8-10p
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/africanbeat/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
