October-Upcoming events, shows and groovinesses

Lots of things going on in the PTBA universe this week

Cara Titilayo Harshman

On Friday 14^th I’ll be heading to the Yoruba HeritageAwards, being held at The Lighthouse Hall, 262-274 Camberwell Rd, SE5 0D, an annual event that promises many high profile visitors and multiple entertainments, I’m particularly looking forward to meeting the hostess Cara Titlayo Harshman, a young American who has become a Youtube and internet sensation with her ability to speak and interact in Yoruba and her love and championing of Naija. Maybe she’ll act as my interpreter! As you can see she is a connoisseur of African fashion!

Then the weekend starts proper with events galore, first off on Saturday the 15^th there is the Nigerian Carnival at Marsh Lane Playing Fields, Marsh Lane, Leyton, London E10 7DE. This annual event promises to make up for last year’s absence with a bonanza of exciting attractions and entertainments living up to its boast of being the largest cultural and heritage gathering of Nigerians outside Nigeria. This year’s theme is “Uniting Nigerians for the future". It is due to be hosted by Nigeria’s High Commissioner Dr Dalhatu Sarki with the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathon as a special guest. I fully expect Madam First Lady and the good High Commissioner to be rocking ‘Proud to be Nigerian’ T shirts by the end of the day or else I will not be doing my job properly!

On the same Saturday it is the turn of the Igbo nation with the Igbo Cultural and Support Network(ICSN) Iri Ji (New Yam) Culture Festival. The New Yam festival is one of the most important occasions in the Igbo calendar,  yam was considered the  most important crop in Igbo culture and in the old days when men were men and women were women a persons wealth was determined by the size of their yam barn. Iri ji is celebrated at various times between August and October (i.e. whenever the harvest came in). This year’s Iri ji will hold at Haverstock, 24 Haverstock Hill, Camden, NW3 2BQ and starts at 4pm.

Igbo babes!

ICSN is promising food, cultural presentations, Traditional Dancers, Traditional Plays, Musical Performers, comedians, a Fashion Show and Best Dressed Beauty Competition to name but a few. I’m looking forward to admiring the fine fine Igbo girls and enjoying the richness of Igbo culture, let no man born of woman stand between me and the nkwobi!

On Sunday 16^th we are at the Keep it Real Show in the Fairfield Halls Arnhem Gallery in Croydon. Keep it Real is a health and well being show, there will be seminars on healthy living, a fashion show, poetry serenades cookery demonstrations, performances by the JT jazz band and exhibitors including yours truly

Obi Emeleonye-Mirror Boy 

Sunday evening Proud to be African Clothing will be happily contributing to the prizes at the ScreenNation Awards, at the O2 with Proud to be African T shirts for the 3 African Award Categories Favourite West African Actor, Favourite West African Actress, Favourite West African Film). The Screen Nation Awards were founded by Charles Thompson MBE and have been going for over 7 of years and are designed to empower and encourage diversity in the motion picture and audio visual industries. This years event is being hosted by husband and wife team Angelica Bell and Michael Underwood. 

Here's to hoping that Nigeria gets a clean sweep at the awards and some of our Nollywood favourites become fans of Proud to be African Clothing!