ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Peter Griesar:

Often we can be bombarded with news stories about parts of the world without really having a narrative sense to place these stories in context. For me this has been true for years when it came to the news coming out of Zimbabwe as the only context through which I could see it was the sad colonial history I had learned about in college.

After reading Douglas Rogers‘ faithful memoir “The Last Resort” I was reminded how important it is to remember that beyond the geopolitical angling in media and apparent sides to issues, it is the people’s struggle to maintain their sense of identity that can lead to unlikely alliances.

It is the unlikely alliances that are formed when a culture is under siege that often show us the long path towards a new beginning.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Chalya Shagaya:

Fashion Designer Deola Sagoe will present at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week on February 13th 2010 at Bryant Park. The mother of African couture fashion who uses indigenously made Nigerian hand woven fabric for her collections is set to take New York by storm!

Deola Sagoe has given African fashion in the 21st century the most radical expression imaginable, from the deeply rooted African fabrics to perfectly matched accessories.

Sagoe had been described as the African fashion designer who is ‘’best placed to interpret our cultural diversity and artistry, our earthiness and mystery, our colors warmth and passion of the African woman in her simplicity and elegance.’’

Known for constantly fabulous designs, flawless color combination, attention to details, perfect finish and finesse, two-time international award winner Sagoe creates designs that truly celebrate Africa and Nigeria.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Peter Griesar:

Afrigadget.com features creative ideas and innovative technologies coming out of Africa today. Created by a group of African bloggers from around the continent, Afrigadget.com chronicles everyday people making extraordinary contributions to their community and the larger world.

A few months ago I posted the inspiring story of William Kamkwamba and his windmill – Afrigadget.com features William and so many other people who have realized their unique visions with reused, repurposed and recycled materials – and a massive amount of DIY creativity.

Please take a few moments to explore.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Vusi Mahlasela:

I met and heard Lebo Mashile recite her poems at the launch of AIMS.

She had an amazing ability to captivate her audience with her true words and her impassioned delivery of her poems. She’s a gifted leader and a strong voice to help bring about change in our world by remaining grounded in the principals of compassion, forgiveness, heart, and wisdom.

I was inspired by her to keep writing my own poetry and songs. Check out her latest collection Flying Above The Sky.

Happy New Year to you all,

Vusi

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Vusi Mahlasela:

I recently found myself jamming in a cozy living room in North London with the amazing and pioneering Vieux Farka Toure, son of the late legendary Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure. Although many of you have probably heard the famed record that Ali made with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu, I hadn’t heard that beautiful recording til that night. After a big meal together with some new friends who Vieux kindly introduced me to, we sat around their living room and popped on the Talking Timbuktu album and passed the guitar around with the CD spinning in the background as our guide and our soundtrack.

Vieux showed me some techniques he had learned from his father and we ended up jamming for several hours. Vieux speaks French and my French is very limited (to about three words). That night, however, we were able to communicate through music. Thanks to Ali Farka Toure for creating such a unique sound; thanks to Mali for producing such amazing musicians; and thanks to Vieux for passing along the tradition, making his own inspired new sound, and for teaching me to talk the blues.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Chalya Shagaya:

Sahr Ngaujah brings high-energy Nigerian pop of Fela Kuti (Nigeria’s late Afrobeat jazz musician) to Broadway. Sahr is from Sierra Leone in West Africa. He is currently Art Director for the Sierra Leone Hip-Hop act Bajah and The Dry Eye Crew. Please find out more about the production and Ngaujah here.

Here’s a review by NYmag.com.

-Chalya Shagaya

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Vusi Mahlasela:

Two years ago, I met an inspired young South African named Fred Swaniker at the TED conference who told me about a school he was launching in an effort to transform Africa by developing and supporting future generations of African leaders. I instantly wanted to help out.

As I’m constantly discovering how small the world is (and getting smaller), it turns out that a good friend of mine happened to be on the board of Fred’s school— The African Leadership Academy.

The school invited me to perform at their school opening in September 2008 and again this past September for their second year.

I am amazed by how motivated, creative, positive, and pioneering the students are. I know they will bring great things to this world, and I know they will be some of our many future great leaders of the continent. They are part of the promise for a better future.

I ask you to please visit the school’s site and see how you can get involved with this great mission.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Peter Griesar:

The truth about revolutionary thought is that to others it appears akin to madness. This is just one of the many obstacles that William Kamkwamba overcame to realize his vision of wind powered electricity and irrigation for his village.

William is the co-author with Bryan Mealer of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the story of William’s experiences growing up in Kasungu, Malawi.

It was inevitable William would follow in his father’s footsteps as a farmer. Drought and famine had halted his formal education early and it was the path so many like him had already traveled. But William always had the spark of an inventor, always innovating and never satisfied until he understood how things worked.
“If solving such mysteries was the job of a scientist, then a scientist is exactly what I wanted to become” he says in his new book with reporter Bryan Mealer, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.” “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world.”

And so this 14 year-old scientist set out to build his family a windmill that would produce electricity. This electricity would allow him and his family to read into the night, save money on lamp oil, and earn money from neighbors as a phone charger. And it is no exaggeration to say that this light he created with his Windmill would eventually be seen around the world.

I had the honor of meeting William and Bryan briefly here in DC a few weeks ago. I learned that William had been a fan of ONE for some time now. The photo here is from his blog.

William Kamkwamba is now 22 and will be heading back to school in January where he is studying science and working to continue bringing wind energy and hope to Malawi and beyond.

If you’d like to know more about William Kamkwamba please check out “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”, his non-profit Moving Windmills Project, his blog here, and Bryan Mealer’s blog here.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. In a new twist on the A-List theme, musician and former A-Lister Vieux Farka Touré shares with us an NGO he wanted to bring to the attention of our readers:

I just got back to Mali after touring internationally almost non-stop since May. I’m meeting up with some Americans from an NGO called the Ouelessebougou Alliance soon, to go visit the region they work in (south of Bamako).

I had already heard about them in Mali, and this summer I actually met the people while on tour, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The work they have done – education ,health, micro-credit etc – over 35 years in the
72 villages in the region is truly amazing and I plan to do everything I can to help them.

Also check out this video about the Ouelessebougou Alliance:

Ouelessebougou Alliance from Peter Carroll on Vimeo.

ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Vusi Mahlasela:

I’m currently en route to Paris right now to meet up with some of my favorite African musicians: Angelique Kidjo, Rokia Traore, Habib Koite and more. Together, we’re hosting a big concert to celebrate and honor the
music and the life of the late great South African singer Miriam Makeba or “Mama Africa” as she’s often called.

Her songs and voice have been etched in mind and in my soul since I was a little boy. She has been an inspiration to us all, both as a musician and as a social activist. Thank you, Mama Africa.

-Vusi Mahlasela