My Beauty Best Teacher

Still image from Restless City

“In this intense twist on the American Dream, director Andrew Dosunmu vividly captures the pulsating dynamic of New York city's pan-African community, a robust aggregation that subsists amid an often hostile foreign environment. “Restless City” is a mesmerizing glimpse into a culture and community that is only superficially seen by indifferent New Yorkers.” – Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter

Andile Ndlovu is one of South Africa's most prominent young ballet dancers, an international performer and award winner both at home and overseas.

But for Ndlovu to be accepted into the rarefied world of classical dance -- which in South Africa is traditionally seen as an elitist and a predominantly white preserve -- the boy from the rough Soweto townships says he had to overcome outdated stereotypes."I used to be picked upon for the way I walk and the way I act or carry myself," he says of his time at school, where he became disparagingly known as "the dude who did ballet."

Can I speak plainly, reader? I am SO SICK of Black people and their twisted dogma concerning the “White Savior” Syndrome. Oh, you haven’t heard of it? It’s the belief in certain circles of the Black Intelligencia that because Black folk can’t do for themselves, White people have to come in and do for them, or more specifically, solve our problems for us. In the case of Joseph Kony in particular, one rather prolific individual on twitter summed up the KONY2012 (and implied White savior Campaign) movement by saying “the world exists simply to satisfy the needs – including, importantly, the sentimental needs – of white people and Oprah”. Prior to that, he says that “the white savior supports brutal policies in the morning, founds charities in the afternoon, and receives awards in the evenings.” This message has been retweeted quite a few times on Twitter, and I do see why. At first glance, this all sounds very witty and well thought out until you think about it, at which point you grasp your head and shout:

Oh My GOD, Black people!!

Oh Black people. You like to complain and criticize. But where is the action, eh?? Why are we not staging sit- ins at our Ghanaian embassies around the world, demanding that OUR president take a firm stance on Kony until he’s captured. Why are Nigerians, Gambians and Kenyan’s not doing the same? Why are we not speaking out until our voices are impossible to ignore? Here’s a better question: Why did an AFRICAN not start the Kony2012 campaign? It’s because you people care, yes, but you don’t care enough

Untitled from Coalition Films - Projects on Vimeo.
New York-based producers of a documentary called “Death Metal Angola”, about the emerging metal scene in Angola and a rock festival in the city of Huambo, are raising money for post-production costs on crowdfunding platform IndieGogo. The film's tagline: “The hardest hardcore is Angolan hardcore.”

A 3bute graphic piece

Imagine a young African boy staring wide-eyed at the grainy images of an old television set tuned to a VHF channel; a child discovering for the first time the sights and sounds of a wonderfully weird world beyond city limits. This is one of my earliest memories; growing up during the mid-nineties in a tranquil compound house in Maamobi; an enclave of the Nima suburb, one of the most notorious slums in Accra. Besides the government-run Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, only two other television stations operated in the country at the time, and satellite television was way beyond my family’s means. Nevertheless, all kinds of interesting programming from around the world occasionally found its way onto those public broadcasts. This was how I first met science fiction; not from the tomes of great authors, but from distilled approximations of their grand visions.

Image courtesy of Nollywood Gossip

Nigerian D’Banj–a combination of outsize showman, confidence, flash, little politics and affecting personality–could be Africa’s first global pop star of the 21st century. He draws big crowds on the continent and regularly plays the diaspora circuit in cities like London. Perhaps the clearest sign of that he is about to be a bona fide pop star is that he was recently signed by Kanye West’s label and one of his hits, “Oliver,” is doing better than well on UK pop charts. Now it is getting the cover version treatment from artists as diverse as a British boy band (who changed some words in the song) and mainstream R&B singer, Estelle...[continue reading]

The documentary, which is based on a critically-acclaimed short film titled just White Elephants, centers on the Central Post-Office in Kinshasa, and its employees.
White Elephant (nzoku ya pembe) | Official Trailer from Kristof Bilsen on Vimeo.
This grandiose relic of the colonial past has trapped its employees in a frozen timewarp from which they are planning their escape. From past to present, through the cracks in the walls, and leaks in the ceilings, we glimpse present-day Congo.

WAITING LINES by Lagos Based Daniel Oriahi Follow @Filmic25

Shorts have been the means by which upcoming film makers show the world and more specifically the industry what they are capable of doing. Many of the legends of today made short films which enabled them to be recognized and get the opportunity to make feature films. Directors like Speilberg, Scorcese, Chris Nolan ,George Lucas and other went through this path at some point.

As a cinephile and director, i get excited when i discover other film makers that know their craft , so I want to dedicate this post to the young film makers from Nigeria.

I won’t write much but i’ll let their work speak for them. Some of them are based in Nigeria others are outside the country, But they are all Naija Bred .

They vary in genre and tone. Some are socially relevant, some are art house and indie, and others are just entertainment,your opinions on their execution may vary. but they all show something different about their craft and the capabilties and potential of their directors. So ladies and gentlemen, say hello to The Future

I love to draw and I am deeply interested in how these drawings can be applied to different surfaces as a way to make them accessible and visible facilitating connections with and inspiring people in the process.

The drawings I make are created using traditional and/or digital processes and are indicative of my desire to combine different 'cultural' elements in other to create art that is universally appealing and reflective of my interests in textile motifs, the graffiti aesthetic, t-shirt graphics, sneakers, advertising, character design and geometry.

Image via interior-zine

Design is all around is. Try and black out everything that has been designed and you will be left with a black hole. It is the building block of our society, culture and even the most humble existence, past and present and will be the pacemaker and indicator of progress and changes to come...Design education should be a catalyst for prosperity for all, not just for a talented or elitist few

Prioritising design education and including design thinking in general and business education will have a far-reaching impact than just addressing challenges and obstacles that the design world is currently facing.

The advocacy and importance of the creative industry as a vital building block of any society and contributor to the economy should never be underestimated and asks for serious consideration and inclusion. Life skills identified to be lacking in society should be fostered from a young age. As a school subject, Design is not only relevant as a viable career option for talented creative learners, but it is also vital for the development and growth of a new generation who are strategic thinkers, creators and thought leaders in other fields – providing them with a mindset for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Narcocorrido Trailer 1 min from Narcocorrido on Vimeo.
In the film, Nicki Michaeux plays "Naija Dillion a Yuma county Sheriff’s deputy, an outsider and minority in her community. Gravely ill, Naija robs a notorious cartel shipment in a last-ditch scramble for survival. When the robbery spirals out of control, Naija finds herself caught up in a Narcocorrido made real."

Informal city. Photo: Tanya Zack.

The South African Informal City is an initiative of the Architects’ Collective and forms parts of the technical site visits offered by the Local Government Programme for COP17...Looking at South Africa’s most relevant and innovative design and research projects in terms of urban migration issues, the 20 works featured in the exhibition aim to promote dialogue around informality and urban development.
Inner city informality, in-situ upgrading, catalytic projects, un-built projects and backyard interventions are the five categories in which the projects are presented.

Cooperation, information sharing and positive action between policy makers, practitioners, academics and civil society is what the exhibition aims to promotion, together with taking a critical look at informality and urban development. “The exhibition will provide opportunities for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and for existing research and realised projects to become part of a greater public debate,” says Karen Eicker, Architects’ Collective director.

Image courtesy of building tomorrow

The word “Endere” means flute. Ndere Troupe, therefore, means Flute Troupe. The flute was chosen as a symbol of beauty and unity. All peoples of the world have a flute in their cultures; it is a most versatile instrument that can express all our moods love, sorrow, happiness, anger and hope.

But the Ndere Troupe itself is not only a dance and performance group, the goals are as well in social education. The Troupe Members are mainly young people who are artistically talented but socially disadvantaged, so the Troupe provides them an opportunity to break the vicious cycle of poverty and realize their full potential, personal goals and ambitions.

Mr. Rwangyezi Stephen who founded the Troupe in 1984 is convinced that art is one of the most powerful ways of transforming Ugandans to be proud of themselves.

Image courtesy of Creative Economy

Seke Somolu has worked variously as a director, writer, producer and editor in a range of formats and genres including short film, documentary, TV drama, music video and TV commercials. Some notable examples of his work include the short films Nkan Mii and Mama Put, the documentary Metamorphosis, and several episodes of the TV drama series Wetin Dey. He has also taught film history and theory and published articles on arts and cultural issues.