The Guardian has an article out about black hair (by this I mean of course African, African-American, bi-racial hair etc). This article is seemingly about a matter of grave importance and a "controversy" worthy of discussion because the First Lady is black. Here we go...
Entitled "Should you straighten your afro hair?" The article discusses the use of weaves, relaxers and ceramic plate straighteners on "afro" hair and implies that it is somehow strange that black women should want to have straight or straightened hair.
In short, the state of our hair has become an identity issue and not in a good way either. That hair styles should be used as a barometre to measure your pride in your African hair is despicable and racist. You hair is not the sum total of your existence nor does it define what your identity is.
I have a great deal to say on this issue and I will save it for another day. I would suggest that anyone interested in finding out more should read the article on:
As usual, time has gone by and I haven’t kept up with my commitment to writing on this blog. Again, I am hoping this will change this month. Ahhhh…that wonderful thing called hope! You see, the problem is procrastination. It gets you by the throat and holds you down. The only way forward it to break free.
Anyway, to the more interesting stuff. What has been happening?
August, I must say, passed in a flash.
I didn’t travel as I had hoped and planned to Mexico but I did do quite a bit of writing. I was ever so desperate to finish the book I am currently writing but the ending has proven elusive simply because I have to make sure the construction and flow feels right.
August was also the month I was supposed to cover the South African film at the Locarno film festival (4 – 14th) but in the end, the distance and the date were challenges too great to overcome on a whim. It is such a pity as it would have been fantastic to now be waxing lyrical about the virtues of an “African” film at such a prestigious European festival where the film must be selected before it can even be shown. It would perhaps even have given me a chance to rub shoulders with famous celebrities. Acckkk, no! I would rather have made contact with the film makers themselves, the Directors, (executive) producers and such. They are the brains behind the film. Hoorah for the filmmakers!
Don’t see “The Hangover”. It is highly overrated and so far-fetched you would have to do a lot of suspending of reality for that storyline.
“The Proposal” was well…interesting. It was a script that had obviously been written by women, for women.
“The Soloist” was potentially the worst of the bunch. This should not be blamed on the acting which was quite stellar but the weird directing is extremely questionable. Those weird overlong light strobes…seriously, was that really necessary? And for so long? I think I am really just ticked off because it was a surprise night at the open air cinema and it was truly a horrid surprise.
I can’t remember the other films I have seen this month. It is possibly my brain’s way of protecting me against recalling the trauma of time and dreams wasted.
September should prove to be a very interesting month for various reasons but it is October I am really looking forward to. Ahhh! The start of the infamous University course! Will I be able to do it? Will I have the courage to follow my dreams down the unknown path? To be continued...
Back to the present - September. Yes, so this month, I shall be visiting the circus (first time ever...err does Cirque du Soleil count? If yes, then not my first time).
I shall also be visiting some rather special art exhibition in Geneva. This is the Musee Rath exhibition. An open call was made for artists in Geneva. Secondly, there is the African exhibition organised by a Cameroonian photographer at the Centre de l’Esperance.
So far, I have met up with some of the alumni members of the university I am supposed to be attending in the super near future. They were really cool and gave some great tips. Big up to Ingrid, she is quite an inspirational individual.
By the by, I noted that Petina Gappah has been short-listed for more than one prestigious book award for her book, An Elegy for the Easterly. Guardian and another award. I hope that she gets it. Good luck!
The Caine Prize has disappeared off the internet. I have to assume this is merely a glitch and not a permanent thing like the Macmillan African writing Prize. I will be investigating that in the near future.
I promise to come back soon with more information about the art and writing events I have mentioned above.
Until then, I am wishing you very happy reading…and writing.
Again, the month has flown by and I have been remiss in filling this internet cyber-blog-space or whatever the right term is with frivolous, juicy, sacrilegious or just plain boring information. So much has happened in this month that I did not want to end it without penning (typing really) down these few lines.
What has been happening?
I missed Pettina Gappah's reading in London by a day and spent the next few days overdosing on galleries and museums like the National Portrait G. and the Courtuald Institute. I also saw "Outsiders", a threatre production at the South Bank that left me desperate for sleep. I think that was really because I had been walking all day around the city like displaced soul.
I participated in a music video, attending summer music concerts both indoors and outdoors, rediscovered ice-cream and pondered the usefulness on sunscreen for those not on holiday.
Bookwise, I gobbled down another Harlen Coben "Hold Tight" and then threw it down when I finished. This is not a good sign as I was quite frustrated by the ending. I picked up a Lee Child's "Tripwire" since and have tried to convince myself that it's okay to keep reading the same ol' authors. Boooringgg!! I tried reading R. Kipling but I can tell I am going to need some help with the text. Yes, seriously, my attention span... There are still short stories by Adiche, Atta and Habila to get through, so never fear, hey?
I have also spent a lot of time considering the usefulness of any course in creative writing and must confess that it leaves a strange taste in my mouth. I truly do not believe you can teach talent however, you can indeed learn to fully utilize or perfect it.
In this spirit of discovery, I spent some time in student accomodation to see if I was willing to go back to that life for a year while I learnt something about perfecting skills and talents.
Errrr...no, thanks. I don't miss that student life of dorms and weird scheduled living to a beat you are not always in sync with. Ok, fine, it is indeed no better than work life in some respects but this is different, you don't really control the space you live in. Yes, that small shell of sustained existence in a foreign city that feels oddly familiar, all that talking about missing the work-life and that gripping uncertainty about whether you made the right decision once you finish and start again that process of searching for a job in a seemingly unfriendly work market. Hmmm... I could go on. Kingston, Birbeck, Oxford, UEA, Warwick, Bristol and Manchester, all offer courses and leave you wondering, what would I be lacking without? The unknown beckons.
See you in August! Locarno Film Festival approches!
Helen Oyeyemi's new book, White is for Witching deserves to be the book of the week.
Please check out the Guardian website for the podcast reading of an excerpt of her book. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2009/jun/18/helen-oyeyemi-white-is-for-witching
She reads it with such a lyrical, magical manner that you are instantly transported into the story. I must however confess that I haven't yet read the book but hearing the podcast does inspire my curiousity. I wonder if it's available yet at the local library.
For those who are reading it or plan on reading it soon, happy reading.
Helas! So much has happened in the past two weeks and will only just be mentioning some of them now.
Where to begin?
I tripped up to Basel to see Art Basel and then FOCUS09. Both art exhibitions were obviously very different from each other for several reasons.
Art Basel is a huge art machine that spat out work from thousands of artists presented by galleries from around the world. There were works of old masters, sculptures forming new chef d'oeuvres and paintings, installations and sculptures by artists you have never heard of...yet.
There was even an African traditional sculpture on display behind tightly secured glass container and a security guy with a roving eye who patrolled the tiny square metres of exhibition space of the Gianada Gallery, like a tiger prowling a cage.
Art Basel was the place to go if you want to see Degas, Botero, Picabia, Warhol, Basquiat and the ever present Picasso. They are all for sale too, at mouth-dropping prices that you only attain upon request. Also present were mythic galeries like White Cube, Gascogian etc. It is through them that the legend of artists such as Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud live on.
FOCUS09 was more experimental. This was a pilot exhibition which was intended to display works exclusively by or on Africa. It was a big space but the exhibitors struggled to fill it with comprehensive art. They however did try to make it a truly culutural exhibition by organising musical and dance performances, as well as cultural debates. I have been assured that next year, the event will be even bigger and better.
Above are some of the pictures from the event. The "Who am I?" is by Samba Fall at the FOCUS09 event. The other three pictures are from Art Basel, predominately from the Art Unlimited section. I liked the mixed media painting of the black woman by an African American artist (don't have her name right here) because she used rhinestones to create the picture. It's pretty amazing up close.
Before I forget - which I had - I must say a huge Thank You! to Cristy Burne, the winner of the Diverse Voices award for so kindly promoting the work of other writers, especially as some (myself included!) did not win the award.
Her book, "Takeshita Demons" won the prize and will be published by Frances Lincoln in the near future. Please check it out and buy it once it comes out!!
In the meantime, she has kindly offered to print on her blog, information about the short-listed writers of the Diverse Voices award which was launched by Frances Lincoln and Seven Stories.
For more info, please see her blog-site: http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/
Today marks the opening of the documentary film by Yann Arthus-Betrand about life on earth as seen from the sky in all its glory, decay, beauty and destruction.
It was filmed in various parts of the world (yes, even Africa is included) and presents the Earth as it is today and possibly shows what is to come if we continue they way we are going. It is showing from today onwards, worldwide, on the internet for free. Yes, that's right, for free.
In case you hadn't heard about it already, the film is called "HOME" and is a must see. The link above is supposed to link directly unto the Home website or at the least, show parts of the film.
More than 88,000 people collaborated and supported the film's realisation so I would advise everyone to support it by watching it. Home is about the magnificence of this planet we call Earth and why we must all, in one way or another do something to protect it. Today is not too late to start.
I am a Nigerian writer and artist with a strong interest in matters concerning women, socio-political and economic issues, as well as human rights and all things creative. While these together may seem quite diametrically opposed, I think their fundamental link is the humanity evident in us all.
