black, trans and proud

The Black lives Matters movement, term used for the first time in 2013, is an activist movement developped, on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, as a reslut of polician’s violence and blunders among the afro-american community. “Black lives matter” is the motto of the mobilisation, wich is presented not only in the United States or in Canada but also in Africa, especially in Ghana.

Thoughts on the Afrofuturist influence on Afrosartorialism

An article by Laura Havlin that appeared in AnOther Magazine back in September is a good source to get acquainted with the afrofuturist aesthetic and to point to its influence on afrosartorial trends. (N.D.L.R. : This article first appeared on “Afrosartorialism”, Enrica Picarelli’s research blog, on 29 December 2015)

Ousmane Snow, the first black man to enter the French Academy of Fine Arts

“My nomination is even more valuable to me that you always had the wisdom not to establish racial, ethnical or religious quotas to be admitted among you”. Unanimously elected in 2013, the eighty-years-old Senegalese sculptor follows Léopold Sédar Senghor’s footsteps, elected at the French Academy thirty years earlier, and to whom he paid tribute during his enthronement. This event will surely and durably shake-up the African Diaspora: after the constant search for role models, the awareness of a possible future. Oneself.”

Ethiopian condominiums : “prisons” or golden cities ?

Since 2005, the Ethiopian government has embarked on a broad policy of urban renewal and construction. To meet the growing demand for housing in the Ethiopian cities, he has built nearly 80,000 condominiums. The majority are located in Addis Ababa […]. 63,677 families have already received an apartment in a condominium. The town hall distributes them through a lottery system. Those who have won the lottery then have 30 years to pay 40,000 birr which are about 1800 euros, required by the city to become the proud owners of their new apartments. (Slate Africa)

Neals Niat : Follow The Story Between The Lines…

“I have been drawing since I was little, it has always been a passion, which since recent years has become something more concrete. As my works are mostly inspired by my childhood in Cameroon and the world surrounding me, it has always seemed obvious to work in black and white, pretty much like VHS : I call it the “Monochromatic Visual Metaphor”. I want to share my cultural wealth through my work in a playful way . “Neals

Art by Krigga : Balance your equations

“My interest in collage really came to be when I immersed myself in studying alchemy. The idea of taking prima materia and transmuting it into something brand new grabbed me. I was always captivated by the collage aesthetic, and it was a natural talent for me. What really moved me was the lack of black faces and bodies in this particular expression. ” Krigga

About cultural appropriation : facts and circumstances

« A Japanese teen wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a big American company is not the same as Madonna sporting a bindi as part of her latest reinvention. The difference is history and power. Colonization has made Western Anglo culture supreme – powerful and coveted. It is understood in its diversity and nuance as other cultures can only hope to be. Ignorance of culture that is a burden to Asians, African, and indigenous peoples, is unknown to most European descendants or at least lacks the same negative impact. » Tamara Winfrey Harris

Winged Horse // CHEVAL AILE

I am telling the story of a lifetime, coming and going between Africa and Europe, between Europe and the world, I am an hybrid, I am the product of a fusion of cultures and identities. But what is hybridation if we think of Pangaea’s principle and of the history of mankind? Can we really define ourselves depending on our origins, color, culture – a culture that keeps evolving with our environment ? Am I African, European? Isn’t the principle of universality more important? This brings us to the one and only essence of our being : humanity.

Firy Horse / Cheval de feu

The hardest thing is not to succeed, it is not even to find the will to succeed. The hardest thing is to be intellegible to yourself, to accept and admit that you can succeed. Find yourself, know yourself, connect to yourself in order to understand and conceive the world. Allowing yourself to be submerged by the euphoria of the impetus to take a step forward, like in a obstacle race. Magnify the ordeal of learning, willing and being courageous, through the elegance of a gesture of transmitting and sharing. And then… listen to your heart, to your inner voice… Isn’t it this intelligence that brings us love, strength, protection, trust and happiness ?

A faint storm // tempête sourde

We are stardust, we are extra beings coming from beyond, brought into the world by Mother Earth. We were however charmed by chaos and forced into virtual exile, we went and conquered the universe. Microcosms inside the macrocosm, we fly away in our spacecraft like comets, propulsed through hyperspace searching for the Matrice, in order to go back to harmony between beings and things. The quest for balance is a hard and infinite task, it is our absolute quest.