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Showing posts with the label African fabrics and fashion

Could Ghana take a leaf out of Tanzania's textile industry?

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With the current explosion of African textiles in global fashion, I am fairly sure that many of you reading this will have one or two pieces making a home in your wardrobe. Typically, if the cloth Samples from the CHiCHiA collection image sourced from CHiCHiA Sweet Mummy: Yehowa Nhyira Wo (Jehovah Bless You)  A typical Ghanaian cloth (Ntuma) (Ntuma/Ankara) was manufactured for the West African market, the colours and patterns would be the dominant features. Any wording to explain the meaning behind the patterns would be relegated to the edges of the materials or become part of the hem of a skirt or wrapa. Business branding There are exceptions of course. Businesses, institutions and political parties tend to feature names from their company,  university on these textiles or use it for commemorative occasions, and this form of communication is not unique to Ghana. It happens in Tanzania and neighbouring countries as well, as a way of buil...

Destination Africa: Why producer Maame Adjei is championing African travel

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Ghana-born actress and film producer Maame Adjei is off to South Africa to film the next season of her travel web series 'Girl Going Places'. Adjei is better known for co-producing 'An African City' and starring as Zainab in the production dubbed the African version of ‘Sex and the City’. But the Ghanaian-American is also carving a name for herself as a bit of a travel guru. Her aim is to encourage more Africans to visit destinations within their home continent. Maame Adjei plays Zainab in 'An African City' sourced from msadjei.com  Travelling culture Adjei believes Ghanaians do not tend to travel internally for pleasure or leisure because “it is just not part of our culture,” she told MisBeee. “My mother would never go to the north unless it’s for work or a funeral. You don’t just get up one day and say: ‘hey let’s take a trip…’ And that’s an issue because when we have someone from say Norway who drops in Ghana gets on a trotro and next thing...

AFWL 2016: African fashion and style in September

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Africa Fashion Week London 2016 starts this month and promises to be bigger, badder and better than ever. I went last year and got the chance to speak to some of the exhibitors and meet Ghanaian afrobeats artiste Atumpan. You can check out what I thought of the event here . Check out my vox pop with the exhibitors here where I ask them what they view as African fashion. And check out some of Atumpan's uplifting musical entrance at the show and a short interview here . MisBeee with Atumpan at AFWL 2015 © MisBeee Writes All comments are welcome on this page. If you are having trouble posting on the Google+ page, please share your views via Facebook  here  or tweet @MisBeee Please be aware that you may not reproduce, republish, modify or commercially exploit this content without our prior written consent. 

Africa Utopia 2016 - an explosion of music, dance, discourse and fashion

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Ghanaian-American actress Maame Adjei, who plays Zainab in the hit web series An African City , will be discussing how African designers are pushing boundaries in fashion by challenging stereotypes and moving beyond tradition. Her talk, entitled 'Beyond Prints'  on 3 September, is one of a series of events being staged during the Africa Utopia festival in London’s Southbank Centre from 31 August until 4 September. Maame Adjei © blackmoviesentertainment.com Africa Utopia has been going since 2012 and is a celebration of all things African.  From food to fashion, spirituality to dance and discourse to music, the festival aims to offer something for everyone. There will be in-depth social and political discussions on gender, power and youth culture during the weekend. Why not come along to the one-hour talk from 1pm on Sunday entitled Gender and Power: African Feminisms Today? The slot will include a workshop on African feminism in the diaspora led ...

People's Guild of Ghana @ International Day

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I recently had the pleasure of participating in an International Day event organised by housing association HorizonAmicus in Stockwell, south London at the beginning of August. Flyer from AmicusHorizon The People's Guild of Ghana showcasing goods from Ghana  © MisBeee Writes It was a chance for my friends and I to share our knowledge of Ghanaian culture, fashion and history with others under the People's Guild of Ghana umbrella. But we were not the only ones celebrating our cultural heritage. During the four-hour event, visitors listened to a local South London steel band, South Asian dance performances, and took photos with the Pearly King of Peckham. There was a chance to sample cuisine from the Caribbean, Egypt, and Somalia as well as outstanding capoeira and samba performances from Brasil*(* Brasil spelt the Portuguese way*). MisBeee partying with the Pearly King of Peckham George Major Sophie Ansong of Ama Select surrounded by the...

Vlog: MisBeee @ Africa on the Square

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Trafalgar Square London hosted an eclectic mix of music, fashion and food from across the African Continent on 10 October 2015. Baby accessories © MisBeee Writes  For those of you who couldn't make it, check out a summary of what was on offer here Cupcake-shaped onesies © MisBeee Writes Laminated colourful print bag inspired by African designs © MisBeee Writes And jewellery from Kenya © MisBeee Writes By Kirsty Osei-Bempong For more blogs on London cultural events, check Afrobeats star Atumpan @ African Fashion Week London 2015 August in Africa @ Covent Garden 2015   MisBeee @ Africa on the Square     All comments are welcome on this page. If you are having trouble posting on the Google+ page, please share your views via Facebook  here  or tweet @MisBeee Please be aware that you may not reproduce, republish, modify or commercially exploit this content without our prior written consent...