4 Illustrated panels done for @riverheadbooks Instagram commissioned to celebrate the release of @ishmaelhbeah’s new novel “Little Family”. Born 23 November 1980, Beah is a Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist who rose to fame with his acclaimed memoir, A Long Way Gone.His novel Radiance of Tomorrow was published in January 2014.
His most recent novel Little Family was published in April 2020: A powerful novel about young people in a conflict-scarred land, struggling to replace the homes they have lost with the one they have created together. Hidden away from a harsh outside world, five young people have improvised a home in an abandoned airplane, a relic of their country’s chaos. Elimane, the bookworm, is as street-smart as he is wise. Clever Khoudiemata maneuvers to keep the younger kids—athletic, pragmatic Ndevui; thoughtful Kpindi; and especially their newest member, Namsa—safe and fed. When Elimane makes himself of service to the shadowy William Handkerchief, it seems as if the little family may be able to keep the world at bay and their household intact. But when Khoudi comes under the spell of the “beautiful people”—the fortunate sons and daughters of the powerful—the desire to resume an interrupted coming of age and follow her own destiny proves impossible to resist. A profound and tender portrayal of the connections we forge to survive the fate we’re dealt, Little Family marks the further blossoming of a unique global voice.
*These illustrations have also won first prize in Faber & Faber’s 2020 FAB prize competition.
My new series “The Queens of Babi”, on the drag community of Abidjan, now live on the Queer Festival Heidelberg website and exhibited in the streets of Heidelberg during the month of May 2020. I shot Kesse Ane Assande Elvis Presley, or simply coined as “Britney Spears” by her friends, along with Mohamed, aka “Baba” for a series which was created after meeting and talking with the members of Abidjan’s drag community, and discussing how to highlight their talent and creative passions. For a duration of two years, until 2018, members of the drag community in Abidjan would meet discreetly in an undisclosed bar to attend drag themed events, where they would parade and show off their finest creations to each other and members of a jury. A winner would be picked at the end of each event. The group has now disbanded due to adversities, but their desires to create and self-express remains. I chose to highlight the only two winners of these competitions. All creations were imagined by themselves and crafted from scratch, which was amazing to watch as I received their photo and video updates. Both have ambitions that reach beyond drag. Regular desires, that would normally be attainable to any person whose gender and identity would be deemed “acceptable” to carry these out within society’s confines. Both are also aware of the difficulties of work such as this in Côte d'Ivoire - from the costs, to finding a tailor who would agree to work on their outfits, and premises that would host without fear of backlash. All these remarks sadly point to the elephant in the room: The culture of drag and the LGBTQ identity still not as readily accepted within the confines of a modern African society.
I was inspired by the necklace made with ancient beads dated from 1850 B.C to 1200 A.that were found in Egypt. I hope that you will like this collar fan necklace that has 11 swatches: a combination of glass, coral and golden beads, pure gold beads and wooden beads.
soon ‘on view’ , BEYOND VISIBLE : INVOCATIONS an exhibition of works on film by @bevan_agyemang and @velma.rossa in lamu old town, at the @saba_artist_residency. opens 14/12 (2018).
Dope! A Tribe Called Quest is one of the most influential hip-hop groups ever IMO #LoudHipHop #hiphop #hiphophead #realhiphop #rapper #oldschool #africa #art #goldenera #goldenage #oldschoolhiphop #classic #music #90s #nineties #iamhiphop #ilovemusic #ilovehiphop #TLHH #ATribeCalledQuest
Aïda Muluneh is an Ethiopian photographer and artist based in the country’s capital city, Addis Ababa. The image above is taken from her series The World is 9, inspired by a quote from her grandmother: ‘The world is 9, it is never complete and it’s never perfect.’ Muluneh created 28 pieces of work for this project, each of which explores questions of love, life, history, time and space - click here to see the rest of this gorgeous series.
@Nataalmedia talks to @2manysiblings about their contribution to #FashionCitiesAfrica which opens today at Brighton Museums. @2manysiblings discuss their work and their collaboration with @Ichyulu.
“We are showcasing the transitional contemporary African narrative by giving people our perspective on style.” Read more here.
Photography: Migwa Nthigah (@migwa) for Ichyulu x 2manysiblings
Introducing @Bestowelan by Ezrumah Ackerson, created for the discerning woman. Erzumah draws her #inspiration from both #classic and #vintage stimuli as well as from her #Ghanaian heritage. Her Fann Fann dress is featured above.
Re-experience style with Bestow Elan at Ichyulu.com
This week, we’ll showcase pieces from @nkwo_official! #Nkwo focuses on incorporating traditional techniques in modern pieces. This wonderful images features #Nkwo’s #KittenBow jacket available at ichyulu.com
