Week of 26th August: Emerging West Africa, The Griots Tale, Showcase Africa, Go Jazz Concert, Policing and Community Safety Debate, How Jamaica Conquered the World, I have a Dream

Happy short week!!

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend and upcoming short week, Proud to be African Clothing will be

relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. This week we have from jazz to Ethiopian music, afrobeat with Bukky Leo. ARISE at the Tabernacle, African movies, The Griots Tale at the Africa Centre. Debates on Children and Policing, poetry and spoken word and more.

On Friday Emerging West Africa will be taking place at The Museum of London showcasing business, trading, employment and charity opportunities in West Africa  

Monday 26^th August

At 6.00pm is the Go Jazz Concert at Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PG. This night of neo soul, jazz and spoken word will feature Yemi Sax (Nigerian contemporary Saxophonist), Kairos 4tet (MOBO Award winning UK Jazz band), Femi Temowo (MOBO Nominated UK/ Nigerian jazz guitarist), Floetic Lara (poet) and others. Tickets start from £27.50 from here

At 7.45pm is the UK Premiere of Big Words at the Stratford East Picturehouse, Salway Road, Stratford, E15 1BX, set in Brooklyn in 2008 on the eve of Obama’s historic election 3 friends once members of a promising hip hop group meet again and discover some things never change. Followed by a Q&A with director Neil Drumming. Tickets are £6.50 from here

Tuesday 27^th August

At 7.00pm Carpe Diem presents Poetry Meets Film and Photography: Arms Trade Special at The CLF Art Cafe, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST. This mix of live art photography, poetry, spoken word and film highlights the Arms Trade in Congo and features rapper and spoken word artist LyricL, Proud to be African favourite El Crisis, Nathaniel Nye, Kemi Taiwo and Mizan the Poet. Hosted by Emma Ako and Mizan the Poet

At 7.30pm the Africa Centre hosts The Griot’s Tale at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. Written and composed by Tunde Jegede this is a classic story of a young man’s search for truth. Drawing from the ritualistic aspects of African mysticism with music, poetry, dance and the visual arts, this fascinating performance is choreographed by Bode Lawal, directed by Patrice Naiambana, with visual artist and poet Taiwo Emmanuel Jegede and filmmaker  Sunanra Begum. Running till 2^nd September, tickets start from £15.00 from here. 

Wednesday 28^th August

At 7.00pm Apple and Snakes presents I have a Dream- Architects of our Republic at the Riverside Terrace, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. This is an open air collision of words, music and film celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jrs ‘I have a dream’ speech. Featuring visual displays and choirs, spoken word artists Hollie McNish, Salena Godden and Charlie Dark, musicians Zena Edwards, Drew Horley and Dizraeli. Poetry films by AJ McKenna, Conrad Kira, Vanessa Kisuule, Rik Sykes and Deborah Stevenson. This is a FREE event, more details here. 

At 7.30pm is Uncle  Errol’s Poetry Jam 10 at Vibe Gallery, 100 Clements Road, Bermondsey, SE16 4DG hosted by Uncle Errol with an open mic, singers, drummers, saxophonists, spoken word featuring Bunmi Hazzan, Mike Galsworthy, Ma’ankha Bast, Rikki RiktheMost Livermore, Jonas McCloud, Nathaniel Nye, Cezanne Poetess, Leah Bailey, David Lee Morgan, Emma Ako, Mark Mr T Thompson, Jah-Mir Early and John Paul O’Neill. Admission is £4.00 more details here.

From 12.45am to 3.00am The Femi Temowo Quartet will be performing at Ronnie Scotts, 47 Frith Street, W1D 4HT, playing at Ronnie Scotts famous Late Late show. Tickets are £10.00 (£5.00 students). More details here.

Thursday 29^th August

At 4.30pm SLIK presents a Public Debate on Policing and Community Safety at London City Hall, The Queens Walk, Southwark, SE1 2AA, featuring a diverse panel of speakers on this topic such as Stephen Greenhalgh (deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime), Stephen Rimmer (Home Office Director General of the Crime and Policing Group), Imran Khan (Human rights and Criminal Lawyer), Frances Crooke OBE (Howard League for Penal Reform) and Jamal Higgins (Lewisham Youth Mayor). Book your place at this FREE event here. 

At 7.00pm Black Arts Production Theatre presents  Bring Back The Love Part 4 at Unit 8, The Enterprise Building, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Tottenham, N15 4RX, hosted by Travis Knight and Cezanne Poetess, this event features drama and debate that explores relationship issues with sketches based on Cezanne Poetesses self help novel ‘Single, Spiritual...and Sexual!’. The guest panel will consist of long term couple Daphne and Michael Josephs, Glynis and Jak Beula. Admission is £5.50 in advance from here and £7.00 on the door

  

Friday 30^th August

At 5.00pm Divas on Demand presents Emerging West Africa at Museum of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN. This event showcases business, trading, employment and charity opportunities. features keynote speakers  include Julian Robertson Jones (Enterprise Africa Ltd) discussing Trade and Emerging Markets, Michael Amaning (Invest in Africa) discussing Business Opportunities in Africa, Nana Ampofo (Songhai Advisory LLP) discussing Investing Opportunities  in Ghana, Clifford Lawrence Amankwah (Health and Fitness Mogul) discussing Funding Opportunities, Andrrea Opoku (Marketing Consultant) on Starting a Business in Africa, Rolake Akinkugbe (Ecobank), Alice Ukoko (Women of Africa) and Noreen Makosewe (The Motivational Listener). Hosted by Winnie Oudeman (Young and Connected) and the panel facilitated by Sena Kpodo (Business Council for Africa), with entertainment provided by poet Nathaniel Nye as well as a raffle and refreshments.  Tickets start from £7.00 from here. 

At 5.00pm is How Jamaica Conquered the World at 3 Olaf Street, Notting Hill, W11 4BE, celebrating Jamaican cultural success with a series of films and debates. At 5.00pm is The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, at 7.10pm Marley, a biopic on the life, music and legacy of Bob Marley. At 9.40pm Jamaican Cultural Q&A with Mykaell Riley, Courttia Newland and others debate the cultural legacy of Jamaica around the world. At 10.30pm a screening of the podcast How Jamaica Conquered New York and then from 11.00pm a party with DJs Roifield Brown, Barrie K Sharpe, and Invasion Sound. This is a FREE event, register here.

At 6.30pm Star100 presents Development through Sports with Tom Vernon at Lewis SIlkin, 5 Chancery Lane, Clifford’s Inn Passage, EC4A 1BL. The founder £13.50 from here. 

of Right to Dream Football Academy in Ghana will be discussing social investment as a development tool, setting up and running a social enterprise in Ghana, the journey to founding Right to Dream and the potential and future of elite sport in Ghana. The Academy has grown from a few boys on a dusty pitch in Ghana to a successful fully residential international school offering scholarships to talented children. Tickets are

At 8.00pm Open the Gate presents Bukky Leo and Black Egypt meets Dennis Bovell Band at Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond Road, Dalston, E8 4AA. Afrobeat meets Dub reggae live on stage with DJ Koichi Sakai on the decks upstairs in the Ghetto Lounge. Admission is £5.00 before 10.00pm and £8.00 after.

At 8.00pm Zewditou Yohannes and Howard Williams will be performing at Cafe Otto, 18-22 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL, this unique husky voiced UK based Ethiopian artist will be singing in Amharic with her trio playing the masengo and krar. Tickets are £8.00 (£7.00 in advance)

Saturday 31^st August

At 2.00pm is A Taste of Africa at Adulis, Eritrean Restaurant and Bar, 44-46 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6BT. The day will feature exhibitions of modern art, fashion, design, ancient art and artwork, followed by a buffet of Ethiopian/ Eritrean dishes all of which will be accompanied by entertainment hosted by Cezanne Poetess with posts, saxophonists and pianists. Admission is FREE from here. 

At 3.00pm is Senegalese with Cheryl- Lunch O’ Clock at The Mitch Pitch, Mitcham Market, Upper Green East, Mitcham ,CR4 2PE, where you will get the chance to learn traditional Senegalese cooking, prepare a pot luck recipe and share with others. Register for this FREE event here.

From 6.00pm till midnight is Showcase Africa at The Camden Centre, Euston Road, WC1H 9JE, featuring music from Ogga Kattalog and The Gentlemen, Heritage Survival Band, Fire Flex, Da Canine, Hyper Hype and Manny. Dancing from Unique Silver Dancers, Chippera Modern African Dance, comedian and poet Imhotep Oyortey and many more as well as children’s (or adults!) face painting, magician and other children’s entertainment. Tickets are £15.00 (£5.00 children) from here.

Sunday 1^st September

At 5.00pm is The Griot Tales Dance Masterclass and Screening at the Africa Centre, Tunde Jegede The Modern Griot and then a talk by Tunde Jegede and Sunara Begum about the show and how the main themes were developed. Tickets are £15.00 for the dance masterclass or £5.00 for just the screening from here.

will offer a dance masterclass with choreographer Bode Lawal, followed by a special screening of

At 6.00pm is The Flair Debate Show: there are no bad children, only bad parents’ at The Light Bar and Restaurant, 233 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, E1 6PJ. There will be 2 teams debating the topic as well as performances by May7even, Ashton Forde, Angela Ricci, Salman Malik, with Guest Judges DJ Spoony and Clencha. Tickets are £8.00 from here

At 6.00pm Black Cinema Club screens Night Catches Us at Black Grape Platinum Suite, 228 West Green Road, Tottenham, London, N15 3QR,  written and directed by Tanya Hamilton, the film is based in 1976 around Marcus who came of age amidst the Black Power movement and finds himself having to protect  a secret that could destroy old friendships, Admission is £5.00 (£2.00 concs), more information here

At 7.00pm is A.R.I.S.E. at The Tabernacle, Talbot Road, Powis Square, Notting Hill, W11 2AJ , hosted by Daddy Ernie interviewing presenter Evadney Campbell, broadcaster Eddie Nestor and comedian Slim in this TV chat show type event where luminaries from the African-Carribean community are interviewed about their lives and careers, with musical entertainment provided by the resident band d22 featuring Don-E. Tickets are £12.00 in advance from here, more on the door 

Week of 25th February: Films about Trinidad, Nigeria's Constitution, Jazz, Poetry, African Archaeology, Comedy and Ghanaian Food!!

Hello all

Welcome to the end of February, we have an assortment of events from poetry to Nigerian constitutional review, films about Trinidad, Tanzanian energy, jazz, comedy and Ghanaian cooking!

Enjoy and make sure you take advantage of the voucher code VAL10 before the end of the month!!!

Monday 25^th February

At 6.30pm Lets Talk will be screening Lets Watch: 3 short films about Trinidad and Tobago at Bar 19:20, 19-20 Great Sutton Street, Farringdon, EC1V 0DR. The films are Panumundo which looks at the history of the steelpan and its influences around the world. T&T50 in Fifteen a 15 minute documentary that looks at important events in Trinidad and Tobago’s history and The Other Side of Carnival a 45 minute documentary looking at the social and economic impact that the T&T carnival has on its society. There will be a discussion and Q&A with director Charyse Tia Harper afterwards, more details here. 

Tuesday 26^th February

At 1.00pm is Tanzania as an emerging energy producer at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, 10 St James Square, SW1Y 4LE with the Tanzanian Minister for Energy and Minerals Honourable Sospeter Muhongo who will discuss his plans for the development and management of Tanzania’s energy sector. This is a FREE invitation only event via Tighisti Amare.

From 6.30pm to 8.30pm Professor Kevin MacDonald will be holding an Inaugural Lecture on Re-Mapping West Africa’s Ancient Empires at the UCL Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT. 2012 was the centenary of the publication of Maurice Delafosse’s comprehensive history Haut-Senegal-Niger on the Niger, Senegal and Volta River Basins from 1000AD onwards. In this lecture Professor MacDonald will unravel long held certainties about the location of capitals and heartlands of the two great empires of Ghana and Mali using archaeological data interwoven with oral tradition and text. Register for this extremely fascinating and FREE lecture here. 

At 6.30pm Five Talents presents An Evening with Lillian Mwikali at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. Lillian Mkawali is Kenyan Deputy Director of Thika Community Development Trust with a wealth of experience in microfinance and will be discussing her work and the programme that now has 43 village savings group. Drinks and canapés will be served at this FREE event, RSVP here. 

Wednesday 27^th February

At 7.30pm we have Poetry Jam 4 at the Vibe Gallery, N001, The Biscuit Factory, 100 Clements Road, SE16 4DG. This night of spoken word will be hosted by Errol McGlashan and feature David Lee Morgan  Tenesia Teri-Ann, Rachael Grace Beck, Cerebral Hyper, Deanna Rodger, Matt Cummins, Paloma Heindorff, Pfe Freedom, Leah Bailey, Ant Smith, Consuelo Wodzicki-Malisz, Ebonee Onyx, Annalouise Oakland, Anthony Anaxagorou and James Massiah. Throw in Special surprise guests, surprise performances and open mics spots and you have an evening of groovy grooviness all for just £4.00!

From 9.00am to 1.00pm Chatham House hosts The Review of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution: Diaspora Consultation at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, 10 St James Square, SW1Y 4LE. With the Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa (Chairman Diaspora Committee, Nigerian House of Representatives), Honourable Emeka Ihedioha (Deputy Speaker Nigerian House of Representatives) and Clement Nwankwo (Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre), this is part of the hundreds of public consultations being undertaken to review of the 1999 Constitution. This is an invitation only event, for more details contact the Chatham House, Africa Programme.

Thursday 28^th February

At 6.00pm KCL ACS presents Culture Shock 2013-Vengeance at Greenwood Theatre, Guys Campus, 55 Weston Street, London Bridge, SE1 3RA. This story of love, betrayal  friendship and trust shall encompass fashion, dance, comedy and song from different parts of Africa nad the Caribbean, with special external acts; Suli Breaks and Travis Jay. Tickets are £10.00 for members (£12.00 for non members) from here.

At 8.00pm Supa Fine presents Femi Temowo and Situation at the Hideaway, 114 Junction Road, N19 5BL. Proud to be African Clothing favourite Femi Temowo will be playing material from his latest album, Orin Meta while Situation lead by drummer Femi Koleoso with Joe Armon-Jones on keyboard and Will Burcher on bass will be playing original material and covers ranging from Neo Soul, R’n’B, to jazz and hip hop. Supported by DJ Citizen K and DJ Speedy, food will be served from 6.00pm to 10.30pm. Admission is £5.00.

Saturday 2^nd March

From 2.00pm to 6.00pm Black History Walks and the National Association of Black Saturday Schools presents 1834 Slavery Compensation: Who got the money? at Room B35, Birbeck College, University of London, Torrington Square,  WC1E 7HX. This presentation discusses the £20m compensation paid to slave owners in 1834, a team of researchers from UCL (Professor Catherine Hall, Dr Nick Draper, Keith McClelland, Kate Donnington and Rachel Lang) have created a user friendly website which establishes; Which individuals received the money and how much, where they lived, what they did with the money and which cultural and educational institutions they established or supported with the money, which islands/ plantations were compensated, physical legacies and much more. Register for this FREE event here.

From 2.00pm to 4.30pm BTWSC will be holding NARM 2013: African Histories: Paul Stephenson and The Bristol Bus Boycott And John Archer and Black Politics at the Gayton Library, 5 St Johns Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2EE. Kwaku’s presentation will be based on the book and DVD of the same name to focus on role models from the African British history. Register for this FREE event here.

At 6.00pm the Imperial College ACS hosts Afrogala 2013: The Journey at the Great Hall, Sherfield Building, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ showcasing the evolution of African and Caribbean culture. With food and entertainment tickets are from £15.00 - £25.00 from here.

At 6.30pm Zoes Ghana Kitchen will be hosting Ghana Stand Up at Studio Gi, Enterprise House, 2 Tudor Grove, E9 7QL. In honour of Ghana’s 56^th Independence Day Celebration Zoes Ghana Kitchen will be presenting a 3 Course meal of Ghanaian delicacies. With vegetarian options and 2 sittings either at 6.30 or 8.30pm all for just £20.00 this is a delicious treat too good to miss! For menus and bookings check here. 

At 9.00pm Afro-Palace Live Sessions presents Konkoma UK Tour at the New Empowering Church, 1a Westgate Street, Dalston, E8 3RL.  Featuring Konkoma a playing their West African Afro sound based around guitarist Alfred Bannerman and organist Emmanuel Rentzos with Qrquestra Estelar a 30 piece Afro Latin big band complete with 15 piece horn section and Family Atlantica led by multi instrumentalist Jack Yglesias with Luzmira Zerpa playing an acoustic warm up set. Tickets are £10.00 in advance from here and £12.00 on the door. 

Sunday 3^rd March

From 3.00pm to 6.00pm Black History Walks presents the3rd series of the Queen Nzingha Lecture Series- Mary Seacole Fights Back in Room B36, Birbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HX. The lecture will feature Professor Elizabeth Anionwu (recently retired head of the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice) speaking on the real history of Mary Seacole and Antoinette Kwegan (PhD student at Queen Marys University) who is researching the role of the third sector in raising educational achievement. This is a FREE event, register here 

At 7.00pm is Comedy Face/ Off at the Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG with Eddie Kadi representing West London in the Red Corner and Danny ’Slim’ Gray from south London in the Blue corner hosted by Kevin Jay as the ref! Supported by Kane Brown and A Dot the Comedian with a P.A. performance by Jedi. Tickets are £22.50 (£20.00 concs) call 07906737218 or Box Office 020 8688 9291.

Week Starting 10th December: books, debates, poetry, Femi Temowo, networking, clubbing and lectures

Hello Everyone,

Just 17 days to Christmas and the nice days off at home stuffing yourself and getting merry. Remember Proud to be African Clothing is giving you 10% off all purchases with the discount code BROWN10!

And just to make it all the more groovy we now have Proud to Ghanaian Maroon hoodys, Born in the UK, Made in Jamaica hoodys for kids and adults, Born in the UK Made in Africa for kids and adults (in black and grey) and Proud to be African hoodys (in black and grey) for kids as well as adults.

Monday 10^th December

From 9.30am to 5.00pm we have Somalia Open for Business at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum, 97 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7 4DN. This conference brings together those who wish to bring economic development to Somalia, with sessions covering Business and the economy, Law and Order, Health, Education, Youth opportunities, Agriculture and Fishing and Transport and Infrastructure. Tickets are £32.45 from here.

At 6.00pm we have There was a Country: Reflections from the Nigerian Diaspora in Committee Room 6, House of Commons, Westminster, SW1A 0AA. This event seeks to bring together Nigerians of all backgrounds and other interested parties to discuss Chinua Achebe’s sensational and controversial new book, ‘There was a country: A Personal History of Biafra’. The panel discussion will cover key legacies of the coup and civil war in the context of Nigeria’s present realities and the future. Chaired by the Right Honourable Chi Onwurah MP (Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Digital Infrastructure) with Donu Kogbara (Journalist), Dipo Salimonu (Eirenicon), Onyekachi Wambu (AFFORD) and Dr Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u (Northumbria University). RSVP for this FREE event by emailing. 

At 6.30pm we have We Just Begin at the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road. EC1R 3GA. At this event you can learn about 7 ecological sites set up to test ways to restore environmental health and different models of land ownership. Of these 5 are in East Africa, 1 in the UK and 1 in the USA. Named the Barbets Duet after a species of woodpecker that sing with one voice and drawing from western and African knowledge pools, there will be presentations by James Magode Ikuya from Uganda, Chris Jones from Cornwall and Barbara Heinzen. Tickets for this event are £5.00 (£3.00 concs) from here. 

Tuesday 11^th December

At 8.00pm Greenwich University ACS presents Showtime: The Christmas Send Off at Sparrows Bar, Sparrows Farm, Greenwich University, Avery Hill Campus, Sparrow Lane  SE9 2BT with DJ's playing the hip hop, R&B, funky house, UK garage, reggae, soca, slow jams and classic R&B and hip hop. Its £3.00 entry for Greenwich students, £4.00 for guests. More details here.

Wednesday 12^th December

At 6.30pm Place4BRIC’s presents Taster: Business Models and Investment in Africa’s Creative Industries at the Google Campus, 5 Bonhill Street, EC2A 4BX. This networking event will consist of a presentation about the upcoming conference as well as drinks and networking. This FREE event is ideal for tech entrepreneurs, start ups or techies RSVP here. 

At 6.30pm we have The I’mPOSSIBLE conversation Winter Edition 2012 at Pearson plc, 80 The Strand, WC2R 0DW. This event focuses on publicising the life journeys of women of colour on Britain. The panel for this event is hosted by journalist and author Hannah Pool are Foluke Akinlose MBE (founder of preciousonline.co.uk), Dorothy Koomson (bestselling author), Rachel Ritfield (international fashonista) and Rachel Springate (CEO of Enright Entertainment). Tickets are £25.00 each or £17.00 if bought for 4 people from here.

Thursday 13^th December

At 5.30pm BEN TV and the House of Commons present The African Diaspora Conference: Effective Opposition in Sustainable Democracy at the House of Commons Offices, Portcullis House, Westminster, SW1A 2LW. This conference subtitled The Role of African/ Nigerian Diaspora, questions whether Nigeria has a genuinely effective opposition that can take on the ruling party and what contribution the Diaspora can make to building effective democratic structures in Nigeria and Africa and how to contribute to wealth creation. The panel hosted by the Right Honourable Simon Hughes MP (Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats) will consist of Governor Peter Obi (Executive Governor, Anambra State), Right Honourable David Lammy MP (Member for Tottenham), Right Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji (Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly), Edward Akinlade (Suru Group), Alistair Soyode (BEN TV), Tunde Alabi (Coordinator and Organiser). This is FREE invitation only event email Tunde Alabi for registration or call him on 07575816767.   

At 5.30pm we have the 2^nd Annual NAPPUK End of Year Event:  Accelerating National Development Through Project Management at the Rennie Room, Institution of Civil Engineers, 1 Great George Street, Westminster, SW1P 3AA. Guests speakers include Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Dalhatu S Tafida, Mr Andrew Bragg, (Chief Executive, Association for Project Management), David Shannon (Association for Project Management), Rosemary David –Etim (FBN Bank UK Ltd). RSVP for this FREE event here.

At 7.30pm we have Proud to be African favourite Femi Temowo Live at Deans Street Pizza Express, 10 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 3RW. Playing his first gig at this venue with his usual stellar line up of Richard Olatunde Baker ( on Talking Drum), Jonathan Idiagbonya (Piano), Karl Rasheed Abel (Bass) and Troy Miller (Drums). Tickets are £15.00 from here.

Friday 14^th December

At 6.30pm is The Inaugural Tajudeen Abdul Raheem Lecture at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. This lecture is in honour of Tajudeen Abdul Rahman a prominent Nigerian civil society campaigner who died in a car accident in 2009. Themed The African Union at Ten: with particular reference to Continental Security with Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari as the keynote speaker. Former Nigerian Ambassador to the UN and UN Special Advisor on Africa and Special Envoy to Myanmar and Angola he is an expert on regional integration, foreign policy and Africa’s role in the UN. RSVP for this FREE event here (a £3.00 donation is gently hinted at)

At 6.30pm Poesy Unplugged returns to The Rock Tower, 49 Tufnell Park Road, Tufnell Park, N7 0PS. This laid back and friendly poetry/ music slam, is ending the year on a high with an open mic session, music, poetry, spoken word and of course mince pies! This is a friendly, FREE event, check here for more details.

At 9.30pm we have the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) Christmas Party at Area, 67 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TP. Featuring Proud to be African Clothing favourite Afrikan Boy, Rumba De Bodas, Orchid Road and many others, with DJ’s Barney Spiegel, Harikiri, Jabs and Seani K, Jack Jewell, Nadia, Skywalker, Subprime and Tri:bal playing disco, house, hip hop, funk, dubstep, moombahton, drum and bass and electro. Earlybird tickets are £5.00, standard £10.00 (with a £3.00 refund with fancy dress) from here, more on the door but only up to 11.00pm. The dress code is Christmas themed fancy dress or casual

Saturday 15^th December

From 2.00pm to 6.00pm the Students Association of Nigerians in the Diaspora (SANDS) presents London Forum on Constitutional Reform in Nigeria at London Metropolitan University, North Campus, Room GC1, 166-220 Holloway Road, N7 8DB. This seeks to give Nigerians in the diaspora an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing constitution review process in Nigeria. In the morning will be an open session for a draft submission to the House of Representatives, in the evening will be a panel debate on ‘Enacting a Peoples Constitution: So far, so Good’. Panel discussants include Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Hon. Mulikat O. Akande-Adeola, Hon Betty Apiafi, Dr Alistair Soyode, Mr Bimbo Folayan. Register for this FREE event here. 

 At 3.00pm we have the opening performance of Ola Rotimi’s play Our Husband has gone mad again at Georgewood Theatre, Goldsmiths College, Lewisham Way, New Cross, SE14 6NW.  . Directed by Lookman Sanusi this comedy pokes fun at the misfits and opportunists who bespoil the African political landscape as a retired Major takes to politics for reasons of vanity rather than patriotism, with his hapless efforts taking an even worse turn when his American wife arrives and discovers his 2 other secret wives. There is another performance at 7.30pm of this classic play which runs until Thursday the 20^th. Tickets are £10.00 from here.

At 6.00pm we have the 4^th Annual Kenya Achievers Award at The Royal Regency, 501 High Street North,E12 6TH. This event seeks to recognise Kenyans and their achievements around the world and in the UK, with entertainment and a 3 course Kenyan buffet, admission for this event is £30.00 in advance from here and £50.00 on the door. 

At 6.00pm we have Mutsa Mutsaa Fashion and Beauty Cocktail Party at the 5* Courthouse DoubleTree Hotel, 19-21 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7HL. This fun night of fashion, music, cocktails, shopping and pampering will have designers, designer clothes and accessories. Fashion shows, 15 minute pamper sessions, a goody bag, discounts and competitions. Something for the discerning fashionista. With 3% of the proceeds going to AMREF UK(the maternal health charity), tickets are  £20.00-£25.00 from here.

At 7.00pm we have EDnKEV (featuring Eddie Kadi and Kevin J) at Sync London, 361-375 Stratford High Street, Stratford, E15 4QZ. This show features two of London’s favourite comedians joining forces for a night full of laughter. To see UK Black Comedy at its finest get your ticket for £20.00 form here. 

At 7.30pm we have Samuel Coleridge Taylor at the Croydon Festival Gala Concert at St John the Evangelist, Auckland Road, Upper Norwood, SE19 2RX. Performing Samuel Coleridge Taylors Violin Concerto in G minor op. 80, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast and Ballad in A minor. A welcome opportunity to see this fine Black composers works performed by the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Butcher. Tickets are £8.00

At 9.00pm we have The Official Naija UK All White Party at Club Favour, 516 Old Kent Road, SE1 5BA. £10.00 before 12.00 midnight. Birthday bookings by BB28F6395. More details available

At 10.00pm the Igbo Cultural and Support Network will be holding their Christmas Party at Biagio Bankside, 32 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 9EU. DJ’s on the night will be playing the best in Afrobeats, hip hop, funky house, bashment and old school classics. There will be prizes for best dressed males and females and of course plenty fine fine African women and men. All this for just £10.00 in advance from here or £15.00 on the door.

Sunday 16^th December

From 2.00pm to 6.00pm our good friends at Mwalimu Express return to Rich Mix, 35-37 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E1 6LA, for the final event of the year. This month’s destination is Senegal, with live performances by the excellent West African Blues Project featuring Modou Toure (on kora) and Ramon Goose (on guitar), with the screen station documentary The United States of Africa. This is a FREE family friendly event with children’s face painting, kids yoga and dancing, oware board games and DJ’s Rita Ray and Max Reinhardt on the decks.  

At the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm we have a screening of Yaaba in which a 10 year old boy Bila befriends an old woman named Sana who has been accused of witchcraft and ostracised. When Bila’s cousin falls ill Sana goes on a long and gruelling journey to get the medicine to save him, imparting her love and wisdom along the way. This screening is FREE but a donation of £3.00 is politely hinted at. RSVP here.

1 Jazz Festival and 6 courses

Winter has rolled upon us, I know this because the hoodys and sweatshirts are now outselling the T shirts on the Proud to be African Clothing website and people are hinting I should up my children’s collection from just baby bodysuits and children’s T shirts to all weather onesies.

My reply as ever is buy more and I’ll see what I can do!!

A packed week beckons us with loads of events,  the first being the African Foundation for Development  (AFFORD UK) Enterprise week a series of weeklong events with topics as diverse and varied as ‘Linking Remittances to Business & Savings’ (Monday 6pm at the House of Commons) to ‘Diaspora & Creative Enterprises in Africa’(Thursday 1-5pm Reed Smith, Broadgate Tower) . AFFORD UK was founded in 1994 aiming to organize UK based Africans to contribute to Africa’s economic development. Having been to several of their events I can attest to the fact that these are the people who walk the walk rather than just talk the talk. With a series of trips back home by UK based African professionals they have contributed to capacity building in the Nigerian education sector, enterprise development in Lagos, money transfer and remittances in Sierra Leone. A group well worth watching.

On Wednesday PTBA favourite Femi Temowo teams up with fascinating percussionist  Adriano Adewale for a promising gig at the 606 Club as part of the London Jazz Festival, tickets are £12.00 and the show starts at 8.00pm. This is the last Orin Meta London show for this year so if you’ve missed the last two London gigs you need to get to this one as this promises to be a sublime fusion of Africa and Brazil. A little bit of tropical sunshine to chase away the winter! And for those of us (like myself!) who are a little tardy in their Christmas shopping the Orin Meta CD and limited edition T shirt are definite stocking fillers!

Come Friday there is another extra special event, Oneness Sankara; renowned spoken word poet, songstress, actress, director and song writer and part of the Best Kept Secret  poetry Collective is launching her new single ‘A Colon and a Bracket’ at the Tabernacle, Powis Street, Notting Hill. I had the pleasure of hearing her perform at the Mama Africa event this past Friday at the same venue her repertoire and skills are amazing as you can tell from this.

Oneness has performed on BBC Radio 4, Choice FM, BEN TV, BBC Midlands and even in Norway on Oslo TV. She’s graced the stage at Glastonbury Festival and performed with artists such as Mica Paris, Terri Walker, Swiss, Black Twang, Dead Prez to name a few. She is also the first person outside of the USA to win a prize at The Toronto International Poetry Slam in Canada.
Its not an event to be missed,  it will be hosted by Jonzi D, with special guests UK/ Nigerian hip hop artist Ty (yes Ty!!), Lyric L, Joy Joseph, Geniyo and KMT the Freedom Teacher on the decks.  The Tabernacle Friday the 18^th, doors open 7.00pm and tickets are £7.00.

On Saturday we will be attending the Black Youth Achievement Awards at the Jurys Inn Hotel, Croydon. The Black Youth Achievement Awards seeks to reverse the negative image of the nation’s youth; there will be a 3 course meal, performances and special guests and Proud to be African Clothing will be there to support the cause.

Also on Saturday the 100 Black Men of London will be holding their gala dinner on Saturday evening as well at the Cumberland Hotel Marble Arch. This 3 course gala meal (yes another 3 courses!) has the theme of Conceive, Believe, Achieve, again this is an extremely worthy organisation that is out there doing the things that need to be done rather than just talking about them. Running a highly successful mentoring programme, this unsung organisation operates purely through member’s subscriptions and purely through the efforts of its highly dedicated volunteers. Get your tickets here

We round up the week at Natural November on Sunday the 2oth at the Africa Centre, this natural cultural hair, health and beauty event aims of Natural November is to offer an alternative and to showcase the very best in natural hair and beauty products, Afrocentric fashion and accessories, cultural art and crafts, inspiring books and educational seminars. Tickets are £12.50 or 2 for £20.00

Femi Temowo teams up with Proud to be African Clothing!!!

Another day another event, or maybe not, as this one is special to Proud to be African Clothing as PTBA actually has a stake an interest in it. I’m talking about the launch of acclaimed jazz guitarist Femi Temowo’s second album Orin Meta (Femitone) . For those that need telling who Femi Temowo is, shame on you, please go and ask somebody!

Ok well since its you and since it’s me your  asking 

Femi Temowo is a critically acclaimed musician who has worked with late soul singer Amy Winehouse and saxophonist Soweto Kinch to name a few, he’s also a genuine nice guy which is always a good thing! He studied jazz at Middlesex University and joined UK Jazz/Hip-Hop artist Soweto Kinch’s brand new quartet when he graduated which went on to win many awards including a Mercury Music Prize nomination, BBC jazz award for best new group and several Mobo awards.

Femi’s slick and melodic guitar sound and style has seen him cross generations and genres playing with the likes of George Benson, Courtney Pine, The Roots, Omar, Roachford, Amy Winehouse, Jason Rebello, Eska Mtungwazi, Terri Walker, Jean Toussaint, Don Blackman, Michal Urbaniak and so on.

Orin Meta (‘Three Songs’ in Yoruba) is influenced by the song culture of the early Yoruba people combining aspects of jazz and Yoruba music, instruments and song form creating a fusion of lush jazz harmonies and subtle inflections of Yoruba rhythm that evokes a feel of Africa at its most timeless.

To mark the launch the Femi decided to put the album cover design on a T shirt. The multi coloured motif of 3 faces is unique and evokes the principle of 3 as per the Orin Meta theme and complements the Proud to be Africans ethos of the balancing and combining of worlds, the physical and the spiritual, the African and the diaspora.

On the front of the T shirt is the unique image by Femi Temowo and Emma Alexandra Watts and photographed by Adil Sharif on the back is the Proud to be African roundel (known as PTBA2).

In keeping with the spirit of the album and the design the photo shoot had the 3 theme going on as the pictures show, fortunately none of the photos of me trying to pose have survived, as it was considered that a bad tempered unshaven individual scowling at the camera was not the image we were trying to portray! In the photos we have Femi, Ayeesha and Robert, on the album we have the pure joy of African musical tradition mixed with jazz (very much Born in the UK, Made in Africa!) and on 23^rd September the album will be launched at Under the Bridge, Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS,  tickets start from £10.00 general admission to £20.00 from here, T shirts can be bought on the night or in advance at Proud to be African Clothing's website.

Looking forward to seeing all the PTBA fraternity there

Chidi

Photo shoot with Femi Temowo

In preparation for Nigerian jazz guitarist Femi Temowo’s new album launch on 23^rd September 2011, we had a photo shoot at North Acton with the Orin Meta T shirt based on his album cover.

First issue for me was getting there, I mean North Acton? There are some places that I believed only exist on the tube map!

Second issue is the wind; I swear there is a dedicated and hardcore wind blowing straight at you as you leave the tube station

Third issue is that one way system, I mean if you ever want t design a system for a Naija man to walk round and round in circles this is it. Because obviously western civilisation will collapse and the whole myth of manliness crash around my heels if I asked directions so I wandered around for a good half hour trying to figure out, where I was and where I was trying to go.

After wandering around the one way system we finally linked up with Femi, Adil (the photographer), Bobbie and Ayeesha at the studio.

While I skulked at the back while Adil worked his magic, Femi and the crew got involved. I was mightily disappointed in Adil that he didn’t invite anyone to “Love the Camera” or shout “You’re a tiger, you’re a tiger, grrr, grrr!”  ala Austin /powers, I was informed somewhat gently that sane photographers don’t act like that!

Bobbie (Femi’s brother and a spoken word artist) started out as the most reluctant model yet by the end was so relaxed and composed that we actually had to keep reminding them that we had other shots to get in!

Hopefully some modelling agencies will get to see these pictures as there is a definite career there waiting to happen if Bobbie lets me publish them, (for the record I will only be charging 10% finders fee for life and in perpetuity, enforceable throughout the universe!!)

The beautiful Ayeesha and the newly discovered Bobbie kindly agreed to model some of the new ‘Proud To Be Nigeria’ and ‘Born in the UK Made in Nigeria’ T shirts, sweatshirts and hoodys. I’m really loving this collection not just because it is ‘Made in Nigeria’ themed but because I have finally branched out into different colours and a wider variety of sizes.

In contrast the Limited edition Orin Meta T shirts are black with the Orin Meta design on the front and the Proud To Be African (PTBA2) roundel logo on the back, the beautiful design on the front is unique to the album and was influenced by the Orin Meta (Yoruba for three songs) concept

Femi  described by Time Out Magazine as “One of Europe’s finest and most sought after guitarists” has played with Soweto Kinch, Amy Winehouse, George Benson to name a few releases his second album on Friday 23^rd September 2011 at Under The Bridge, Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS tickets are available from http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=461161. The limited edition Orin Meta T shirts are available from http://proudtobeafrican.co.uk/index.php/shop/orin-meta.html