Week of 23rd December: MERRY CHRISTMAS, TAOBQ Xtra History, Emeka Elendu and the Kalakuta Afrobeat Specialists

Añuli Ekeresimesi!! (Merry Christmas in Igbo),

This is a quiet week for events so have a great holiday, Merry Christmas from Proud to be African Clothing!

 Barka de kristimeti (Merry Christmas in Hausa)

Monday 23^rd December

At 6.30pm Akoben Awards and TAOBQ hosts Xtra History and Reasoning Sessions at Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road, HA1 2XY. Facilitated by TAOBQ’s Kwaku and hosted by the Mayor of Harrow Councillor Nana Asante, this will feature a Global Africa Quiz. Register for this FREE event here

Tuesday 24^th December Christmas Eve

The day before Eat Chicken and Rice Day, you know you can sneak home early because the Boss plans to do the same. You could use your time productively and get the 10% discount at Proud to be African Clothing. And go to Midnight Mass, you know your mother will phone to check

Wednesday 25^th December Christmas Day

Añuli Ekeresimesi (Igbo)
Barka de kristimeti (Hausa)
Eku odun Keresi (Yoruba)

Dress in your Christmas clothes, go and dance Azonto in church while you plan which part of the chicken you will chop first.

In the evening you will start Googling gym membership. Stop deceiving yourself and have more rice. The discount code for Proud to be African Clothing still works and you know as well as I that you forgot to buy someone something. Do something productive before you doze off in front of the Sound of Music with a stomach bigger than a pregnant goats.

Thursday 26^th December

That’s right, no work today. Oya go and start visiting people to eat their leftover chicken and give them the Proud to be African Clothing hoody or T shirt you bought for them

Friday 27^th December

At 9.00pm is Emeka Elendu and Kalakuta Afrobeat Specialist featuring Aina! Roxx at the Hootananny Brixton, 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF. Original Fela guitarist Emeka Elendu and his 12 piece Kalakuta Afrobeat Specialist. FREE before 10.00pm, £3.00 thereafter

Saturday 28^th December

Weekend again! Spend the day on Facebook and Amazon (or Proud to be African Clothing!) or  admiring yourself in that Proud to be African hoody someone who really loves you bought for you.

Sunday 29^th December

Sleep, tomorrow is work

Week of 16th December: Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mama Africa, Screen Nation Christmas Soiree, Marsha Ambrosius Live, Feferity, Black Comedy Awards, Nigerian Centenary Discussion

Hello, how are you?

Sawubona, unjani? (Zulu)

Molo, Kunjani (Xhosa)

Lotjhani, unjani (Ndebele)

Dumela O Kae (Sepedi, Sotho, Tswana)

Hello, hoe gaan dit (Afrikaans)

Sawubona, kunjani (Swati)

Ndaa, vho vuwa hani (Venda)

Ayuxeni, Ku njhani (Tsonga)

Christmas Party season is here! And the super markets are selling sweets cheap so I’m sure like me you are essentially subsisting on free chocolates, (No? Just me then? Hmmmm lets move on shall we......)

As we move towards Christmas and New Years it’s not too late to get 10% off all purchases at Proud to be African Clothing using the voucher code CHRISTMAS10, at www.proudtobeafrican.co.uk it doesn’t run out till 25^th December.

Hopefully you can also pay a visit to the Mella Centre, 73 Oxford Street, W1D 2EP, this African space in the heart of London is open 7 days a week from 10.00am till late with a unique array of art, style, books, skin and healthcare products. There’s a chill out lounge with delicious home made food and cakes with African sounds and ambience, with entertainment every Friday to Sunday from 5.00pm. Check out the Facebook and get in touch with them, we really can’t complain there is no space for Africans or African Caribbean’s if we don’t support those who are making it happen.

                                                                                  

‘.....If you had been poor in your last life I would have asked you to be rich when you come again. But you were rich. If you had been a coward, I would have asked you to bring courage. But you were a fearless warrior. If you had died young I would have asked you to get life. But you lived long. So I shall ask you to come again the way you came before......’

 From Things fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1930- 2013)

Nelson Rohilala Mandela (1918-2013)

Lawyer

Founder of Umkhonto we Sizwe

President of the ANC

President of the Republic of South Africa

Father

Grandfather

African

Rest in Peace

Monday 16^th December

At 3.00pm Chatham House hosts Nigeria’s Change in Context: The Politics of Progress, Prospects and Overcoming Impediments at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, 10 St James Square, SW1Y 4LE, with Labaran Maku (Nigerian Minister of Information) who will discuss change in Nigeria in recent years, the Federal Governments priorities and plans for further reforms ahead of the 2015 elections. To attend this FREE event contact Chris Vandome

Tuesday 17^th December

At 6.30pm BEN Television hosts the Nigerian Centenary Discussion at City Hall, The Queens Walk, SE1 2AA. This is an evening of networking and discussion revolving around the Nigerian Centenary and the social, economic and political life of Nigeria, RSVP this FREE event by email.

At 7.00pm is Let’s Eat.. End of Year Dinner at Mama Calabar, 3^rd Floor, Dexion House, 2-4 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0XA. The evening will consist of ice breakers and dinner games, as well as whichever dishes from Mama Calabar one might wish to order. Although FREE to attend (pay only for what you order) a £5.00 deposit is needed to secure a space

At 7.00pm is the Screen Nation Christmas Soiree 2013 at a Secret Central London Location. Headlined by DJ Abrantee with complimentary fine wines, lagers, food and gift bags, stars laughs and performances. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Chucky Venn, Zaraah Abrahams, David Harewood, Caroline Chikezie, Nonso Anozie, Charlene White and Ashley Walters. There are only 100 tickets and they start from £25.00 from here.

At 9.00pm is Super Jazz Night Christmas Special featuring Quentin Collins at the Silver Bullet, 5 Station Place, Finsbury Park, N4 2DH. The Bukky Leo Quartet welcomes Quentin Collins one of Europes top trumpeters. With Jonathan Gee on piano, Nick Pinni on the bass, Sophie Alloway on the drums and Bukky Leo on tenor sax and vocals.with live performances by The Nora Bite Duo featuring Ian de Preda on vibraphone and an open jam session. FREE entry all night, more details here 

Thursday 19^th December

At 7.00pm is The Black Comedy Awards Ceremony and Christmas Party 2013 at Crystal Banqueting Hall, No 1Poppin Building, Southway, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 0HB. Hosted by Real McCoy  stars Eddie Nestor and Robbie Gee with live music from Nicci, comedy from Glenda Jackson, Slim, Linda Hargreaves and Njambi McGrath. Followed by an after party till 2.00am with music by DJ’s Fatman & Colonel and Mykal Supabad. Tickets start from £25.00 from here

Friday 20^th December

At 7.00pm KMT and Boulevard La Palma present Mama Africa at Arch 365, 15-16 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, SW4 7UX, with resident DJ’s on rotation Oya Bun, Bogossy Freshfrenchy, KT and special guests playing Hiplife, afrobeats, coupe decale, afro deep house music, tribal, latin music, Portuguese, Brazilian and ancestral music. FREE before 9.00pm, £3.00 before 11.00pm and £5.00 thereafter. More details here

Saturday 21^st December

At 7.00pm is Marsha Ambrosius Live at The IndigO2, the O2 Arena, Peninsula Square, North Greenwich, SE10 0AX. The former Floetry vocalist will be performing tracks from her solo albums ‘Late Nights and Early Mornings’ and  ‘Friends and Lovers’ as well as hits from her time with Floetry, supported by special guests. Tickets start from £25.00 from here. 

At 9.00pm is Eddie and Robbie’s Christmas ‘A Wha me a go win’ at The Camden Centre, Judd Street, WC1H 9JE. This gameshow cabaret party features reggae star Tippa Irie, comedienne Glenda Jaxson, The Real McCoys Mr Fraizer. With raffles, party, raves, punch and a chill out bar, tickets start from £14.99, check here for more details 

At 10.00pm is the Jamaica Times Christmas Cracker featuring JC Lodge at Caribbean Edge, 117 Bruce Grove, N17 6UR. A night of sorrel, Christmas cake, rum punch, Jamaican patties and entertainment from chart topper, JC Lodge, comedian Ping Wing, singer Ash I, Eillen Mascoll, Big Chain and others, with DJ’s keeping it ticking over till 4.00am. Tickets are £14.50 from here.   

Sunday 22^nd December

From 3.00pm to 8.00pm Feferity returns to Bar 414, 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF. The event features, films, live music and great African cuisine. Tickets are £5.00 from here

At 6.00pm Lela’s Lounge presents Talk To Me (The Lock and Key Edition) at Stone Bar, 68-70 Honor Park, SE23 1DY. This night of dating games, networking and entertainment will see all females issued with a lock and males with a key, essentially go around and see who your lock fits! Admission is £15.00 from here.

Week of Monday 9th December: 10% Off! Angelique Kidjo, ICSN Christmas Party, Felabration 2013, The African Market, BSN Christmas Networking, Re-Imagining Africa: Poetry Jam, Russia’s Policies in Africa, Kiskirine Afroica Fair, Pride of the Motherland, Focus 3rd Year Anniversary

Moni (Hello in Chichewa),

I guess there is only one news story this week, the passing on of Nelson Rohlihlahla Mandela, former

President of the Republic of South Africa.

Alot has been written, alot has been said. It is incomprehensible for many people to completely understand what Mandela means to many Africans but to me in particular he represented the Africa that would have been if we got it right first time, if we’d fought the good fight, won the wars and then won the peace. As the only liberation leader to willingly give up power and not accumulate wealth.

Mandela was far from the perfect person or the perfect leader. But he showed the world the Africa that we Africans see every day, a land filled with wisdom, fun, forgiveness and humanity.

You do not mourn the death of 95 year old men, people of that age are so close to the other side that it is merely walking from one room to another.

As we die and are returned to the land and become one with the land, we live on.
As long as Africa lives we live.

So as Madiba crosses to the next world I will use the words of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at TEDx Euston this Saturday, “Mandela is dead. Long live Mandela”

Monday 9^th December

At 4.30pm Chatham House hosts Russia’s Policies and Interests in Africa at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, 10 St James Square, SW1Y xx, with Mikhail Margelov (Special Representative of the Russian Federation to African Countries) who will discuss Russia’s priorities in its dealings with the African Continent. To attend this FREE event contact Lubica  Pollakova. 

At 6.30pm is Lets Talk 4^th Anniversary at the Juno Bar, 134-135 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE. This anniversary evening will feature special guests from the past 4 years with cake and a raffle. Hosted by Essay and Mikey admission is £2.00

Tuesday 10^th December

 At 6.30pm is Transatlantic Exchanges: African American and South African Jazz Musicians in the Arts One Lecture Theatre, Queen Mary University London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS. Professor James Miller (George Washington University) will deliver a seminar on Free Jazz and liberation Movements on Two Continents, focussing on the mutual fascination between black communities in the US and South Africa and the convergence of these interests expressed through jazz. This FREE presentation is followed by a drinks reception, RSVP here. 

Wednesday 11^th December

At 7.00pm is the PENHA Fund Raising Dinner at Adulis Oval, 44-46 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6BT. The Pastoralist and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA) works in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Kenya, Somaliland and Djibouti. This fundraising and networking dinner will feature traditional Ethiopian food, the Ethiopian Coffee ceremony, live music, dance and art. Tickets are £50.00 from here.. 

Thursday 12^th December

At 4.30pm the ODI presents Preventing violent conflict in Africa: Inequalities, perceptions and institutions at the Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, Southwark, SE1 8NJ. This event will use research by the Japanese Agency for Development to explore why neighbouring countries some of which share common historical traits of historical inequalities  have sometimes taken contrast pathways of violence and conflicts. Register for this FREE event here.

At 6.30pm INIVA hosts the Stuart Hall Library Research Network Meeting in the Stuart Hall Library, Institute of International Visual Arts, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA. Sayed Sattar Hassan and Karl Ohiri present My Grandad’s Car, a video and photography project by the two friends who explore their identities as British born men of Pakistani and Nigerian origin via their connections to their grandfathers cars. Register for this FREE event here. 

At 6.30pm is the Black Solicitors Network Christmas Networking Special: An Audience with Richard Reddie at Fasken Martineau LLP, 17 Hanover Square, W1S 1HU. Writer and broadcaster will present ‘Martin Luther King Jr: the Law and his legacy’ in the anniversary year of the seminal ‘I have a dream’ speech. Followed by a Q&A and a networking reception. RSVP this FREE event here.

At 7.30pm AfricAvenir and Friends of Namibia present Namibian Short Films Screening at Harecourt United Reformed Church, 120 St Pauls Road, N1 2LR. This London premiere of 4 short Namibian films My Beautiful Nightmare (Periyi Katjavivi), Dead River (Tim Huebschle), 100 Bucks (Oshosheni Hiyeluah) and Try (Joel Haikali). Followed by a QA with curator and film critic Hans-Christian Mahnke (AfricaAvenir Windhoek). Register for this FREE event here. 

Friday 13^th December

At 5.00pm the Somali Relief and Development Forum presents Re-Imagining Africa: Poetry Jam at SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG. This event will feature poetry and spoken word as well as cakes, arts and crafts and poetry workshops Tickets are £3.00 from here.

At 7.00pm is Focus 3^rd Year Anniversary and BEFFTA Awards Celebration at Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond Road, E8 4AA. Featuring soukous kings Kasai Masai, kora maestro Kadialy Kouyate, Zimbabwean mbira maestro Kudaushe Matimba, West African Dance Company Yaye Dib Sabar, spoken word artists Oneness Sankara with DJ’s DJ Vivi, JP Kairo, AJ Holmes and Moroka playing the best African music. Tickets are £7.00 from here. 

At 7.00pm Desire Events UK presents Kwabena Kwabena Save a Life Concert at Dominion Centre, 9 The Broadway, High Road, N22 6DS. The artiste is seeking to raise funds for the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu, Accra, Ghana with his Save a Life UK Concert Tour. Tickets for this worthy event start from £15.00 from here.

At 7.30pm is the Songlines Music Awards 2013 Winners Concert in the Hall, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS. Featuring Beninois superstar Anglique Kidjo, French/ north African band Lo’Jo, Ethio jazz/ Jamaican Dub cross over band Colossus Dub Band and Zimbabwean Afro fusion Mokoomba. Tickets start from £15.00 from here

At 7.30pm Black Diamondz presents Watch Me Blow at the Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, Brick Lane, E1 5LJ. This annual Christmas live music and fashion event will be raising funds for Awal Children of the Future which assists street children in Ghana. Tickets are £10.00 from here. 

Saturday 14^th December

From 12.00pm to 6.00pm Kiskirine Events presents Africa Fair at Harrow Civic Centre, 1 Station Road, Harrow, HA1 2XY. This indoor event hosted by the Mayor of Harrow will feature stalls, workshops, art exhibitions, culture arts and music, and it’s FREE to attend! More details here. 

From 2.00pm to 7.30pm Reuben P. Joseph presents Pride of the Motherland... Freedom at the Yaa Asantewaa Arts Centre, 1 Chippenham Mews, W9 2AN. This event highlighting fashion and culture will feature catwalk runway shows with 20 designers and 26 models, live poetry, African drums, soca, calypso, steel bands, theatrical productions and more. Tickets are £10.00 from here part of the proceeds go to the Cancer Black Care and African Caribbean Leukaemia trust.

At 5.30pm is the Jairos Jiri UK Supporters Launch Dinner at Mama Jumbe’s, 350 St Katherine Street, E7 8NW. This group seeks to mobilise new and refurbished items for the disabled in Zimbabwe. The buffet is £15.00 here. 

At 7.00pm Zoes Ghana Kitchen hosts their 5 Course Ghanaian Christmas Dinner at Palm 2, 152-156 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QJ. As well as a 5 course dinner, there will be a raffle to win a hamper, pass the parcel, cocktails and its bring your own bottle. Dinner is £35.00 (£33.00 for veggies) from here. 

At 7.00pm AGMP and Knitting Factory Records presents Felabration 2013 at 229 The Venue, 229 Great Portland Street, WC1X 8BZ celebrating Fela Kutis 75^th Birthday and the album release of Red Hot and Fela, featuring the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, Shingai Shoniwa, Baloji, TY, Blak Twang, Sam Duckworth, ESKA, Olugbenga, Afrikan Boy, Z Star, the Goldsmith College Choir and other special guests. Tickets for this collection of awesomeness are £20.00 from here.   

At 9.00pm is the Igbo Culture and Support Network Christmas Party at Drapers Bar, Drapers Square, 423 Bancroft Road, E1 4DH, with hip hop RnB, Naijabeats, Azonto, old skool you name it, plus plenty fine fine Igbo boys and girls! Tickets are £10.00 in advance from here, £15.00 on the door. 

Sunday 15^th December

From 12.00pm to 7.00pm is The African Market in Gillett Square, Dalston, N16 8JH. Open the Gates, Christmas African Market will feature clothing, jewellery, accessories, books, arts and crafts, homeware, natural beauty, music, books and much more. With facepainting, drumming circle and glitter tattoos. This market is FREE to attend.

Remember you can get 10% off all purchases at Proud to be African Clothing using the voucher code CHRISTMAS10, at www.proudtobeafrican.co.uk until 25^th December. 

Week of 2nd December: TEDx Euston Ripple Effect, Afridiziak Winter Fair, Commonwealth Carol Service, Creative Nigeria, Zimbabwean Arts and Culture, Lela’s Lounge, Krismasi Njema!, Investing In Africa, Caribbean Christmas Cheer

Jam Na (How are you in Fulfude),

As we roll into December, Proud to be African Clothing is starting our Christmas Sale early, using the voucher code CHRISTMAS10, you can get 10% off all purchase at www.proudtobeafrican.co.uk until 25^th December. You can get T shirts for men, women and children, as well as hoodys, baby grows, vests and polo shirts. I trust our ever growing legion of fans will be wearing Proud to be African as they step out to this week’s events which include TEDx Euston (actually in Blackfriars), a first class event organised by African professionals for Africans about Africa and African issues. The keynote speaker is one of the most powerful women in Africa this year Nigeria’s Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with many other speakers it promises to be another 5 star event.

For Christmas shoppers there is the Afridiziak Winter Fair who will offer a unique cultural shopping experience as well as raising money for the Sickle Cell Society

Music from Adam Glasser and the Soothsayers, events and seminars such as Creative Nigeria, Christmas ‘do’s’ such as AMREFs Krismasi Njema and Caribbean Christmas Cheer.

There’s more than enough to keep you busy while you wonder round snug and warm in your Proud to be African hoody.

Have a good week!

Monday 2^nd December

At 8.30am is Investing in African Mining 2013 in the Great Eastern Room, Andaz Hotel, 40 Liverpool Street, EC2M 7QN. This full day seminar features 17 presentations with updates by mining companies on their African projects, finance, technical presentations and networking. Admission from C$60.00 here. 

At 5.00pm is Senegal’s Art Today: An increasing diversity of practice in Room 4429, Russell Square College Buildings, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG. Chaired by Dr Charles Gore (SOAS) with Salimata Diop (Art consultant) who will introduce the audience to the fast changing landscape of Senegalese art and the most dynamic Senegalese artists. This is a FREE event, more details here. 

Tuesday 3^rd December

From 12.00pm to 7.00pm the Association of Corporate Counsel presents Investing in Africa: Current Trends at 41 Lothbury, EC2R 7HF, in house counsel will share their experiences of doing business in the region and giving practical tips, with roundtable discussions on Anglophone West Africa, East Africa, Lusophone Africa, Francophone Africa and South Africa, with the keynote speaker setting out the political and economic landscape. Admission starts from £50.00 from here..

At 6.00pm the Zimbabwe Association presents Zimbabwean Arts and Culture Panel Meeting at the Comic Relief Offices, 89 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TP. The event will feature a panel discussion with Josh Nyapimbe (Nhimbe Trust) and Chipo Chung and members of the Zimbabwe Association and Britain Zimbabwe Society. This is a FREE event

Wednesday 4^th December

At 5.00pm the Centre for African Studies presents Islam, Power and Popular Culture in Northern Nigeria in Room B101, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Chaired by Professor Graham Furniss (SOAS) with Abubakar Aliyu Liman (Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria) who will review the politics of cultural production in northern Nigeria through the prism of Islam. This is a FREE event. For more info email.

At 6.30pm the Royal Commonwealth Society hosts the Commonwealth Carol Service 2013 at St Martin’s in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JJ. ‘Themed Opportunity through enterprise’, there will be a mix of carols, performances and readings including performances by the Purcells Schools Commonwealth Ensemble, young composer Kayi Pau and The Senanyake London Choir. There will be readings by the Dominican High Commissioner HE Francine Bacon and the Commonwealth Secretary General HE Kamalesh Sharma and addresses by Big Issue founder John Bird MBE, and the Right Honourable Vince Cable MP (Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills. Tickets are £10.00 from here.

At 6.30pm is the Professor Richard Reid Inaugural Lecture: The Trouble with African Past. The Pre-colonial in the Making of Uganda in the Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Professor Richard Reid (SOAS) will consider the role of history in modern African society vis a vis the developmental agendas and the notions of economic growth against which African progress and stability are measured. Register for this FREE event here

Thursday 5^th December

From 12.00pm to 2.00pm the Tessa Sanderson Foundation presents Tessa Sanderson White CBE Christmas Lunch Reception Champagne Buffett at The House of Lords in The River Room, House of Lords, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, SW1A 0AA, this reception will be hosted by The Earl of Erroll and The Baroness Howells of St Davids. RSVP by emailing Sheila Williamson

At 3.45pm Hatch Events presents Creative Nigeria in Level 5, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. This information and networking session will expose the audience to Nigeria’s creative industries with Nollywood, Half of a Yellow Sun, D’Banj, 2Face Idibia, Lagos Fashion and Design Week and Naija pop as examples. Speakers include Yemisi Mokuolu (Hatch Africa Solutions), Nkiru Asika(Enterprise Creative), Femi Longe (Open Living Labs), Andrea Calderwood (producer Half of a Yellow Sun), Digger Elias (51 Lex Records), Fiona Howe (Scenario Films), Nkwo (Fashion designer),  Ozzie Ojo (music producer) and Tom Rowland-Rees (Cinema Kpatakpata) Register for this FREE event here.

At 5.00pm the UCL Institute of the Americas hosts Beyond Remittances and Tourism: What Future for the Caribbean Economy in the Galton Lecture Theatre, UCL, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 7HB. Panellists Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas (University of London), Vindelyn Smith-Hillman (Bank of Jamaica) and Alan Smith (HSBC) will explore whether tourism, regional integration or international integration can lead Caribbean countries to improve their standard of living. RSVP this FREE event here. 

At 6.30pm AMREF hosts Krismasi Njema! at St Dunstans in the West, 186a Fleet Street, EC4A 2HR. AMREF’s annual Christmas conference combines favourite European carols with traditional African Christmas songs sung by the London African Gospel Choir, Christmas readings and then wine and nibbles. Email Katharine to book tickets; £25.00 (£7.00 for children) all funds go to AMREFs work in East Africa.

At 7.00pm Raw Live presents The Soothsayers at the Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH. Hosted by Floetic Lara, featuring London band The Soothsayers with special guests Nanci & Phoebe, Monster Playground, Raw Fire, Raw Sounds, Amy True, DJ Snuff and many more. Admission is £5.00.

Friday 6^th December

At 6.30pm is Reality of Life London Conference at Waterlily Banquet Suite, 69-89 Mile End Road, E1 4TT. themed ‘Inspiring a generation-Mid reorientation’, hosted by Tayo Akobi JPguest speakers include Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida (Nigeria High Commissioner), Professor Kwaku Donso-Boafo (Ghana High Commissioner), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (former governor of Ogun State, Nigeria), Councillor Kate Anolue (Former Mayor of Enfield), Councillor Tulip Siddiq (PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn CLP), Mrs Chineze Ben-Nwankwo (Public Health Economist), Nnena Ani (Nollywood actress) and Saka Ayinde Orobo (FUMAN,Nigeria). Entertainment will be provided by Dolla Billz, TuSTEP, Maury Deebee, Blue Rise, MC Boy, Vanessa Adekola Dancers and many more. Tickets from £50.00 from here.

At 7.00pm is Afrotake Night at Mama Jumbe’s, 350 St Katherine Street, E7 8NW, this monthly event promotes African culture and business for people who enjoy Live Afro soul music , wine tasting, afro cuisine and networking in a classy, elegant and chilled out atmosphere. Live music will be provided by Lerato Larrie Zwezwe and DJ Lady C. Tickets are £25.00 from here (including a glass of wine/champagne and a buffet)

 At 8.30pm South African virtuoso’s Adam Glasser and Pinise Saul will perform at The Ivy House, 40 Stuart Road, Nunhead, SE15 3BE. The harmonica/ keyboardist and vocalist will perform their unique form of township jazz, Broadway standards and original tracks with jazz guitarist Nigel Price and band. Tickets are £10.00 from here. 

Saturday 7^th December

From 9.00am to 11.00pm is TEDxEuston 2013- Ripple Effect at The Mermaid Conference Centre,

Puddle Dock, Blackfriars,  EC4V 3DB. This event organised by African professionals devoted to leveraging the power of idea is focussed on issues important to the Africa and the diaspora. Speakers include Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigerian Minister of Finance), Jacqueline Nwobu (Munaluchi Bride Magazine), Ikenna Azuike (Whats Up Africa), Fadekemi Akinfaderin-Agarau (Education as a Vaccine), Emeka Keazor (Historian), Catherine Phiri (Media 365), Ayo-Dele (musician), Nt’abiseng (musician) .Tickets are £70.00 (£50.00 students) from here.

From 11.00am to 7.00pm is the 4^th Annual Afridiziak Gift and Occasions Winter Fair at the Embassy Tea Gallery, 195-205 Union Street, SE1 0LN. This unique shopping event brings together entrepreneurs selling unique culturally inspired gifts with the discerning shopper. Goodie bags for the first 50 shoppers, raffle prizes and pop up cafes. Admission is £3.00 (FREE for under 16’s)  from here percentage of the proceeds at the door go to The Sickle Cell Society

At 5.30pm The London African Reading Group will be reading Hairdresser of Harare at Book and Kitchen, 31 All Saints Road, W11 1HE. RSVP this FREE event literary event by email.

At 7.00pm Star100 presents Winter Wonderland 2013 at Balls Brothers Minster exchange, Mincing Lane, EC3R 7PP. This event will consist of a champagne reception and a 3 course sit down dinner with wine, with networking games, music (including Azonto of course!). Tickets start from £50.00 (£90.00 for a pair) from here. 

At 8.00pm TriniPosse UK presents Caribbean Christmas Cheer at Brogan’s Irish Bar, 1 Fulham Broadway, Fulham, SW6 1AA. This little slice of Trinidad and Tobago Christmas cheer will feature parang music, food and other entertainment. In keeping with the season of giving each invitee is asked to bring an unopened tin of food and a gift suitable for a child aged 1-12 which will be donated to one of the selected charities (NSPCC and Home Start Camden). Tickets start from £6.50 from here.

Sunday 8^th December

At 6.00pm Lelas Lounge presents Talk To Me (The Social Network Edition) at Stone Bar, 68-70 Honor Park, SE23 1DY. This night of discussion, networking and entertainment hosted by Mika will feature networking, games and ice breakers as well as a DJ set by Mika, with buffet platters available. Admission is £10.00 (£15.00 inclusive of buffet) from here.

At 7.30pm SafariMusic presents Adam Glasser at Safari Bar, 975 High Road, North Finchley, N12 8QR. The harmonica virtuoso accompanied by Robin Aspland on piano and the house band Just East, will perform music as varied as jazz ballads as township jazz. Tickets are £5.00 from here.