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In her early 20s, Louise Broni-Mensah became the first Black female entrepreneur to secure capital from a seed fund provider in Silicon Valley to grow her fledgling business  Shoobs   (pronounced Shubz). The provider was Y Combinator - a company known for supporting such names as online renting service Airbnb and Genius - a lyrics and music knowledge database. Three years later (in 2017) and thanks to the funding and expertise she received, Louise's online ticketing and discovery platform is changing the way party-goers seek out, buy and engage with urban events across the UK. Louise Broni-Mensah  ©  Louise Broni-Mensah Passion project Louise took the traditional route to entering the business world. She holds a Mathematical Economics BSc from Birmingham University, worked in banking and finance and had her own property all by her early 20s. But music was never far from her thoughts. “I’ve always had a passion for music but I did it this way round bec...

Ghanaian-Romanian musician and film producer Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu aka Wanlov the Kubolor is considering making a third instalment to his Ghanaian Pidgin-English musical 'Coz Ov Moni'. 'Coz Ov Moni I' and 'Coz ov Moni II (FOKN Revenge)' chart the adventures of two friends who run into humorous challenges while highlighting the ordinary struggles of young Ghanaians in modern Ghana. Wanlov Kubolor wrote 'something sexy' on my 'Coz ov Moni II' DVD © MisBeee Writes Co-producers Mensah Ansah and Kubolor star in the films and are real-life friends. They started on their creative path during their school days when they used to run away from class to rap together. The pair wanted to create a concert album where everything takes place in one day in the life of two friends in Accra, Kubolor told MisBeee during a meeting hosted by BloggingGhana. While writing, the songs turned into movie scenes, spawning what Kubolor calls the first Ghana...

Afrobeat jazz collective KOKOROKO is in the process of writing and recording their own original compositions. Left to right: Cassie Kinoshi, Sheila Maurice-Grey and Richie Seivwright part of KOKOROKO afrobeat jazz collective © KOKOROKO The seven-strong ensemble have been playing renditions of timeless West African classics such as 'Kai Wawa' across London since 2014. (The song is a traditional Hausa war chant that was produced by the Mercury Dance Band in Kade, Ghana).  But now they are looking to produce original work which will likely be out later this year, KOKOROKO's alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi told MisBeee.  "We feel that now is the right time to present our own message through music," she said. Multicultural roots The band's music is reflective of their mixed cultural backgrounds. Their heritage covers England, Grenada, the Grenadines, Guinea-­Bissau, Jamaica, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Their  musical influences are equa...

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. 

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 ...

Cutting-edge jazz music filled the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank in central London for one day only at the end of July, bringing together emerging and more established talent from across Britain. Kokoroko - young Afrobeat Collective performing at Jazz Re:Fest 2016  © MisBeee Writes I am not a fan of jazz but the exposition gave me a new appreciation of the musical form and how diverse it has become. Jazz Re:Fest 2016 is in its fourth year and is the brainchild of Jazz Re:Refreshed duo Justin McKenzie and Adam Moses. Eight live acts performed in total, drawing on influences from West Africa, and using everything from the cello to futuristic piano compilations, all interlaced with DJ interludes. Jazz is one of the musical forms that I can never firmly put my finger on when attempting to come up with a single definition. Its roots are clearly African-American, tied up with America’s often divisive social and political past (and present). It embodi...

Reggie 'n' Bollie's (pronounced Bow-lee) unexpected popularity on the UK's Saturday entertainment show X Factor has been surprisingly polarising. Just like marmite, people either love them or hate them.  It seems that for many, the fact the duo are not the best singers, is of little consequence when pitched against their humility, positivity and knack for bringing high energy and the likeability factor to an otherwise flat show. But there is a camp that has decried the show's increasing shift towards celebrating those with less vocal ability.  Reggie 'n' Bollie at auditions taken from YouTube Stevi Ritchie who was considered to be somewhat of a novelty act in X Factor 2014, finished in sixth place surpassing other better singers.  Only those naïve about the politics driving the X Factor machine would be enraged by the 2015 contestant line-up. Gone are the days when fresh-faced youngsters with raw talent and no training put themselves forward...

Ghana is best known for such musical genres as highlife, hiplife, afrobeats and gospel. But one Kumasi-born artist is bucking that trend by carving a name for himself as Ghana’s first opera singer, (see here ). Nino's staff is a reminder of his journey* Nino – aka Agyemang Kofi Offeh – has been singing and composing since childhood. Thanks to his father’s interest in classical music, Nino developed a passion for this genre even though he started out singing gospel and highlife. Despite gaining some success as a highlife artist, Nino couldn’t shake the feeling that he was destined to do something else. A turning point came when he was hospitalised after having a car accident that could have cost him his voice and limbs. “I remember lying in the hospital bed and watching myself performing my highlife tracks on TV and hearing my songs on the radio, but I thought - I haven't done what I am supposed to do," he said Inspiration As softly-spoken as Nino is, his...