Jane Musoke-Nteyafas: Multi-talented and Multi-Dimensional
Thoreau once said, “The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” Jane Musoke-Nteyafas is a dynamic and powerful African sister who fully embraces this philosophy, expressing her boundless imagination and talent through poetry, short stories, plays, music, and the visual arts. Jamati recently caught up with this Phenomenal Woman to talk about art, beauty and self-love.
Should Women Be “Marked Down” If They’re Not Married By 30?
You know a book is good when the front cover gets people talking. The front cover of our Jamati Summer Pick Club pick, The Mrs. Club, shows three women holding signs. The woman in her twenties is holding a sign that says “New Season: Full Price”. The woman in her mid-twenties is holding a sign that says, “End of Season: 50% off.” Alas, the poor woman in her thirties is holding a sign that says “Final Clearance: Name Your Price.” Reader Jane wants to know, “Is a woman worthless unless she gets married? And is a woman in her thirties supposed to be so desperate that she will take anyone who comes along?”
Well, Jane, I’m not sure that I’m the right person to ask because I didn’t get married until I was well into my 30s. Before that, I was focused on getting to know myself, growing up, and building my career. Plus, I didn’t meet the perfect man until my sweet, kind, wonderful husband came into my life. But even though I was a very happy and content single person, there was definitely a lot of pressure from my family for me to get married. To my great embarrassment, my mother and aunties embarked on a well-intentioned but misguided mission to find me a husband. They basically showed my picture to anyone who even looked like they might know a half-way decent Ghanaian man. I shudder at the memory of one particularly embarassing phone call from a man who called and said “I have been told that you are looking for a husband.” Even though I didn’t let the pressure bother me, I definitely knew it was there. So, no, Jane, I definitely don’t think women in their thirties should be marked “Final Clearance.” But we can’t deny that in African cultures where marriage and family are highly valued, women are judged in large part by whether they are married and have children. » Read more…
Jamati Summer Book Club: The Mrs Club, by Ekene Onu
As the song goes, “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy!” I don’t know if it’s because of the heat, the slower pace of everything, or because there are just so many fun things to do, but summertime is the perfect time to relax and indulge in some slightly guilty pleasures. One way to have a good time without getting into too much trouble is to kick back and enjoy a juicy book. And like so many things in life, a good book is even better when shared with friends. That’s why we are launching the Jamati Summer Book Club. Let’s have some fun and connect with each other!
We Too Are Black In America
On July 23 and July 24 at 9pm, CNN will air a six-hour documentary, Black in America with Soledad O’Brien. The documentary promises to be an in-depth and unprecedented examination of the lives of African-Americans in the years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite the ground-breaking nature of this program, I know that many Africans will not tune in, and will dismiss a program about African-Americans as not relevant to their lives. However, Africans who hold this viewpoint fail to recognize that the African-American story is our story, too.
Jessica Mbangeni – Praise The Poet
Jessica Mbangeni is one of South Africa’s most profound female “Imbongis” (Praise poets), who moves you when she speaks . Jessica is one of a few female poets in a cultural terrain that is mostly dominated by men. Mbangeni’s desire to plant a seed of change by using her voice through music and poetry is definitely paying off. Not only is she nationally known, but her name is making major waves internationally with her recent performance in Australia and North America.
Sheg Aranmolate: Inspiring Readers With Lessons Learned From Life and Oprah’s Big Give
The drive to live his life to the fullest and to help others do the same has propelled Olusegun “Sheg” Aranmolate to pursue a wide-range of experiences with passion and zeal. While Sheg is familiar to many from his appearance on the reality show Oprah’s Big Give, this multi-faceted Nigerian brother is also an entrepreneur, a molecular biologist, a philanthropist, a model, a father – and now, a writer. His book iActuate: 100 Days of Inspiration, Volume One, is a motivational tool which he wrote to help the reader set goals and advance towards mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth. Sheg tells Jamati that iActuate is the product of his desire to inspire readers to reach for their full potential so that they will feel empowered to inspire others. “I tried to write something that has substance but is simple and effective. I really hope that people can find inspiration in themselves and go on to inspire other people.” » Read more…
Reading the Ceiling
Gambian writer Dayo Foster’s book Reading The Ceiling is about Ayodele, a young woman faced with a life changing decisions on her eighteen birthday. Her choices lead her to leave the only home she has ever known and travel across the globe in search of a better life for herself.
She decides to attend a university in Europe, where she experiences both the joy and heartbreak of falling in love. She becomes a globe-trotter, traveling around the world in an attempt to make sense of her life. The story takes many twists and turns, and Ayodele eventually finds herself back in African as a wife and mother trapped in a polygamous marriage. Ayodele’s story teaches us to be careful about our daily decision making, for a single unevaluated decision might cost us the rest of our lives. » Read more…
Soul Name
There are so many myths and misperceptions about Africa that Africans are often forced to become roving ambassadors, correcting and educating people about their customs and culture. When Naana Kyereboah encountered cultural ignorance at the Virginia elementary school where she taught English, she responded like a true teacher, taking it upon herself to expose her students and fellow teachers to African culture by organizing programs where she brought in maps, clothing, food and art works from different African countries, including her native Ghana. Her book Soul Name is the impressive outcome of her desire to impart an understanding and appreciation of Ghanaian culture. She says, “It has always been my dream to be a writer. The book let me combine my love of writing with what I was doing anyway – teaching people about Africa.”
Measuring Time
Measuring Time by Helon Habila is a novel about LaMamo and Mamo, twin brothers whose mother died in childbirth. After their mother’s death, the boys are raised by their aunt and their heartless father. The brothers separate when LaMamo runs away to become a solider in a West African civil war and Mamo stays home, too sickened by sickle cell anemia to join his brother. The brothers stay in touch through LaMamo’s letters from the warfront as Mamo goes on to become a brilliant student, defying expectations that he would not live long. » Read more…
One Hen
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, by Katie Smith Milway, is a children’s book that teaches an important lesson to anyone interested in the seemingly gargantuan task of eradicating poverty. The book ingeniously uses the story of Kojo, a young boy in Ghana, to teach the concept of microfinance. Microfinance is an innovative concept of providing small loans to poor people who can’t qualify for loans from large banks so that they can use the funds to start their own businesses. In One Hen, Kojo is given a small loan by the people in his village, which he uses to buy one hen so that he and his widowed mother will have eggs to eat. An enterprising young man, he begins to sell the extra eggs and uses the profits to pay his school fees. He buys more hens and soon has a thriving business which allows him to take care of himself and his mother and to hire others in his village to help take care of the hens. Using the money from his eggs to finish school, Kojo is able to obtain a bigger loan from a bank with his small poultry business as collateral. With the bank loan, Kojo becomes a successful poultry farmer who loans money to others so that they too can start small businesses. » Read more…
African Events Calendar
Upcoming Events
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July 14 - 17, 2010
Africa Fashion Week New York (AFWNY) in New York
USA - North East
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March 20, 2010
FACE Africa 1st Annual Gala
USA - North East
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March 11 -15, 2010
Sixth Annual New African Films Festival
USA - North East
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April 10, 2010
RUNWAY LIBERIA: Silver Spring,MD
USA - North East
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