A new Soul star from UK. Perhaps best known for her collaborations with Flying Lotus & Bonobo, UK Soul singer Andreya Triana drops this gorgeous precursor to her début album Lost Where I Belong (Ninja Tune).
Andreya begun singing and songwriting from the age of seven taking influence from her mixed surroundings and cultural background. Hailing originally from South East London she moved to Worcester in the West Midlands at 14. At 17 she started doing an open mic night at the local music venue where the owner introduced her to a collective of musicians.
It was with this collective of talented and musicians, called Bootis that was to form the bench mark for her 'musical education'. source: Leedsmusicscene
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
It's one the most compelling talks I have seen in years. It’s the talk of Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie (32) who talks about the danger of a single story. One of the single stories is the story of the one sided view of Africa. Africa as a place of war, poverty and aids. But she doesn’t only talks about the ‘West’ versus Africa, she also talks about her own single view of a boy who worked at her home. Her parents told he was poor, and she always saw him as poor boy. But it turned out she was also trapped in that single story of the poor boy. She also explains why we need black authors.
Although she seems somewhat nervous, she tells her story like an exciting book. She held her TED talk on july 2009 in Oxford
An interesting story about three black theatre makers in London. Kwame Kwei-Armah(left) wrote the play 'Seize The Day'.
Artistic director Nicolas Kent describes the Tricycle Theatre's new trilogy, Not Black and White, as a “stock-take” of multicultural Britain.
He gave three writers — Roy Williams (right), Kwame Kwei-Armah (left) and Bola Agbaje (middle), all London-based — free rein to choose their themes; respectively, the prison service, politics and immigration.
“Here we are in a culturally diverse capital and yet we seem to have very few black people involved in the governance of it; there's a power deficit for black and Asian people,” Kent says. “This seemed a good time to do an audit of cosmopolitan London and British society and I thought it would be good to take three leading black playwrights to open up the debate. Kwame and Roy [who are both in their early forties] are probably the two most senior black writers today and Bola [28] is a very interesting new voice. “I think people like big ideas and these are three writers at the top of their game. What they don't do is reference white society, or place black people in relation to it, and certainly not in an oppositional way, as so many black writers feel they have to. They are much more about black people's relationships with each other. We're looking at things in a more mature way — at the shifts in society that move us away from simple black/white debates.”
Under Kent, for the past 25 years, the small but influential Tricycle in Kilburn has not only altered the landscape of British theatre but has also helped change how the Establishment operates. The theatre has pioneered verbatim work with its tribunal plays about enquiries into events such as Bloody Sunday, arms sales to Iraq and the Srebrenica massacre. Their Stephen Lawrence drama, The Colour of Justice (1999), is now used by a number of British police forces to educate officers about institutionalised racism. Read the full story here
“The symbolism of having a Black mayor! A city of 45% colour, should have a mayor of colour don’t you think?”
Jeremy Charles has got the face to represent it – a well-spoken, good-looking Londoner, with an appetite for change: yes he can! He’s sold his pitch on reality TV, but can he be the real people’s candidate?
Kwame Kwei-Armah has had a great idea for a play: the pressures on an African-Caribbean contender for the office of London's mayor. And, as the second show in the Tricycle's Not Black and White season, it goes down a storm with its audience and raises a host of issues: too many, in fact, for a play that basically offers a plausible portrait of metropolitan realpolitik.
Release "Soldier of Love" worlwide on February 8th. Soldier of Love marks Sade's first new studion album since the multi-platinum Lover Rock.
The wait is now over. Epic Records is pleased to announce the release of Soldier of Love, the highly anticipated new body of work from SADE. Soldier of Love – which will be released worldwide on February 8, 2010 - is Sade’s first official studio album since the multi-platinum release of Lovers Rock in 2000.
Soldier of Love was recorded in England and produced by the band and their longtime collaborator Mike Pela.
Spotted on Madnews The international poster promoting the film Couples Retreat (also seen here in Britain and in Holland) does not feature African American actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk. See the UK version above and the US version below.
In response to the controversy Universal Pictures said, the poster had been changed to ‘simplify’ it for the UK and international market outside America. The studio added that it regretted causing offence and has abandoned plans to use the revised poster in other countries.
I think it's the segregated mind of a US marketer. How does Universal know that black actors on a poster will frighten a "European" audience. I don't think they have stats to support it, so it must be just a feeling. To me black and white actors in a film, is a typical American film. Years a ago I read a book with black and white people on the cover. I actually thought I was reading an American book, but when I finish it, it turned out to be a book from a Scottish publisher who wanted to make his book look like an American book.
Derek B (44), one of the UK's first hip-hop stars and the first British rapper to appear on Top of the Pops, has died of a heart attack. The London-born rapper scored top 20 hits with Good Groove and Bad Young Brother in 1988. Read full story here.
Spotted on Madnews The premiere of the highly aniticipated UK film Find Her Keep Her will finally take place on the 20th November. Premiere: 20-11-09 Vue Cinema, The O2 Centre, Greenwich, London.
Set in london, FIND HER KEEP HER is about 3 friends out in search for MRS.RIGHT.T his movie stars Kojo(MTV Base comedian), Rachel Ritfeld( MTV's hip hop candy), Bianca Simmone, Jordan Pitt, Natalie Duvall, Raymond Burrell, Alison Naomi.
This film is, in a certain way, a real black European film, because one of the stars is Surinam Actrice/model Rachel Ritfeld. Surinam born Riffeld has lived in Belgium, and now lives in England.
Film synopsis: They are the wealthiest players in town. They live the fast life,drive fast cars,live in plush apartments in the posh areas of London. Life can’t be better, money, fame the girls, but one thing they aim for is finding her and keeping her. Jide, a property developer lives with his fiancée of 4 years, Abi. He’s a workaholic who hardly spends time with Abi. He loves her to death and wants to marry her, but oblivious to him, she has a dark secret. Fred,an entrepreneur lives the lifestyle of a young millionaire. He cruises in the latest cars in town. Owns a few bars from west London to north London. Hes a big spender who loves to floss. But inside this larger than life character is a baby, crying to be loved and cared for. Fred cannot commit to a woman for fear of being heart broken and used. He feels every woman he meets is after his money. But he meets Michelle. Can he keep her? Chike, a systems analyst works in one of london’s top prestigious software companies. He works hard and plays hard equally. He has ambitions of owning his own software company. He’s a self proclaimed player who has little or no respect for women. He lives a comfortable life,loves flashy fast cars and WOMEN. He has a 6yr old son from a previous relationship. But what happens when he meets Simone, an independent, sophisticated woman.
Spotted on Africa is a country Kingsmead Eyes is the result of a unique collaboration between photographer Gideon Mendel and 28 pupils from Kingsmead School in Hackney. The children documented their world over six months, photographing their friends, families, community and school to create an accomplished and vibrant body of work. At the same time, Mendel, working in parallel to the children made portraits of every child in the school as well as also documenting the life of the area.
This video installation is part of the Kingsmead Eyes exhibition on display at the V&A Museum of Childhood from 7 November 2009 till 7 February 2010. The Kingsmead Estate, home to many of the pupils, is recognised as among the highest 4% for deprivation in the UK. The estate has suffered from a negative reputation in the past but conditions have improved in recent years and regeneration initiatives have encouraged a stronger sense of community. The school has played a major role in this turnaround, striving to achieve the highest standards with academic achievement above the national average – all the more impressive considering that 85% of pupils speak English as a second language. The success and creativity of the school has long been a source of local pride. For this project the ten year-old pupils were trained in the use of digital cameras in a series of workshops led by photographer, Crispin Hughes.
Photo and copyright: Ken Mckay - Leona Lewis with her parentsat the X Factor UK (2006) Spotted on Madnews Singer Leona Lewis talks about experiencing racism in a trendy London store. An experience that left her devastated and angry.
‘I went into a shop while my dad waited outside because he was on the phone,’ she says. ‘I picked out a few photo frames, put them on the side to buy them and asked the lady who worked there about some other stuff in the shop.
‘She was incredibly stand-offish with me and I couldn’t understand why. I went up to the till and, at that point, my dad came in and started looking around. He picked something up and said, “What about this?”
‘I asked how much it was, but the woman told us to get out of the shop. I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing and said, “Excuse me?” She said, “Get out of my store right now.” ‘I looked at her and asked, “Are you joking?” She said, “No, I want both of you to remove yourselves from my store.” I asked her what she meant, and why, and she said, “I don’t like the look of him.”
Pointing at my dad, she said, “I want him to go right now.” Stunned, I asked her, “What do you mean, you don’t like the look of him?” She said, “You know exactly what I mean. He’s been standing outside my shop and I want him to go. I know why you’re coming in here.”
‘She was implying that we were trying to steal stuff. She came up to my face, this close.’ Leona holds her hand a few inches from her face. ‘She was so loud, shouting, “Get out right now or I’m going to call the police.”
‘It was so shocking and disgusting. I couldn’t believe someone was shouting at me in front of so many people. I can’t stand confrontation anyway, but she was so rude. I completely lost it. I was crying and bawling. My dad said, “Come on, let’s go.” I said, “No. I’m not going. I’m going to call the police. This is racism.”
‘I was so angry. My dad had to drag me out of the shop. Afterwards, I sat in the car for ten minutes and was so upset. My dad was trying to calm me down but I was furious. What happened was awful – absolutely awful.
‘I’d never experienced anything like that, and I would never wish anyone else to. Being judged by the colour of your skin is horrible. My dad is really laid-back. He said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve experienced stuff like that many times, especially when I was younger, so don’t be upset for me. I’m fine.”
‘Do you know what he did? He got my CD, went back in the shop and said, “You’ve just offended a really nice young lady. I just want to leave you this, so you can look and see who it is. This is my daughter. I’m not trying to cause trouble, but I wanted you to see that.”‘
I understand her father’s reaction, he wanted to show that his daughter is a famous singer. But this is racism, period. It's good Lewis talked about it, but they should really make a case of this and name the store.
BBC One's Question Time on October 22 was one of the most controversial television events this month. Live on television, the leader of the extreme right-wing British National Party(BNP) on the panel of the BBC's Question Time. Also on the panel was black British American playwright Bonnie Greer.
The BNP's website referred to Greer as a "black history fabricator" for her work on the radio documentary In Search of the Black Madonna, which was, it said, an "Afrocentrist daydream".
Back to BBC's Question Time. To be honest it wasn't a strong performance of Greer. She said." I don't know much about politics, my background is culture." And it showed. But also a line as," Nick and I, both have an undergraduate degree in history". Nick and I? That's not the way you talk about someone who is an honoured guest of the KKK.
We know that Greer hates the BNP, but she is culture, so let her stick to that. Don't ask her to debate with a notorious racist.
In the video she discusses the claim of the BNP that Winston Churchill could have been a member of the BNP. Churchill had made some anti-immigration remarks.
An interview with Spike Lee and BBC Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman on changing race relations in America since Lee made "Do The Right Thing". In the interview which aired a month ago, the two argue about the impact of Barack Obama’s election on modern day racism.
A very interesting interview, the idea that racism is something of the past seems to infuriate him.
Since it’s Black History Month in the UK, Des’ree's last video It’s Oke (2003) should be part of it. Not because it’s old, but because it’s her last. Although the video was shot in the UK it could have been shot in the Netherlands, at the famous Albert Cuyp Markt in Amsterdam to be exact. This video has that multicultural European big city sauce all over it.
It’s a shame Des’ree has completely stopped making music. So call this a small tribute.
A foundation that aims to empower urban young people in the UK has made a documentary about how young black men are portrayed in the media.
The Generation Next Foundation has produced the film to mark Black History Month.
The Lambeth-based foundation was set up by two brothers - Hamdi and Ludvig Bonin - and aims to drive positive social change to help young people achieve their potential.
The film, called Minority Report, will be screened at City Hall on Friday, followed by a panel discussion with Conservative London Assembly Member James Cleverly, the Mayor's ambassador for young people, and Chuka Umunna, Labour's candidate for the Streatham seat at the next election, who is also a trustee of the Generation Next Foundation. Read press release The Generation Next Foundation is a non profit organization that was formed in 2008. The Generation Next Foundation has been founded to provide opportunities for the youth within our community. We believe that it is imperative to empower the youth in society so they have the tools to achieve their highest potential.
The MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards took place yesterday (Sept 30th) at the SECC in Glasgow, Scotland.
According to Madnews, the organisers put on the best show in years.
But someone was pretty "pissed". Ex-Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland Kelly has called for an apology from MOBO organisers, claiming that her performance at the awards ceremony was affected by poor sound quality. (Digital spy)
And Nneka won the Best African Act. On the photo Yolanda Brown who won an award in the category Best Jazz. LIST OF 2009 MOBO WINNERS Best UK Act: N-Dubz Best Newcomer: JLS Best Song: 'Beat Again', JLS Best Album: 'Uncle B', N-Dubz Best DJ: Trevor Nelson Best Hip Hop: Chipmunk Best R&B: Keri Hilson Best International: Beyonce Best Video: 'Single Ladies', Beyonce Best Reggae: Sean Paul Best Jazz: Yolanda Brown Best Gospel: Victizzle Best African Act: Nneka
October is the Black History month in the UK. It was first celebrated in 1987 as part of the African Jubilee Year, the period from August 1987 to July 1988 designated to mark the centenary of the birth of Marcus Josiah Garvey; the 150th anniversary of emancipation in the Caribbean and the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity. But now it's an event that is celebrated throughout the UK. London Blacks have been in London since 1555, though the first real influx in Britain came in the late 18th century in flights from the 13 colonies during the American Revolution. Prominent black British figures include John Blacke, a trumpeter to kings Henry VII and VIII, who about 1507 became the first black mentioned in royal records; Sir Ira Aldridge, England's first recognized black actor, famous for his role as Othello; John Richard Archer, a leader in London's Pan Africanist Movement, also the country's first British-born councilor and mayor in the early 1900s; and Marianne Jean Baptiste, who in 1996 became the first black British woman nominated for an Academy Award.
Live performances, traditional craft and food stands and debates will mark the 8th edition of the Creole Day (“Kreyol Day”) on Sunday 27 September 2009
Saint Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Reunion Island, Guyana, Haiti, Cuba, Cape Verde, Mauritius...
London, September 15th, 2009 – A unique event in the UK, the 8th Creole Day (“Kreyol Day”) will bring together in one place live performances by Creole artists, traditional craft and food stands, and a conference, all representing the diversity of the Creole culture around the world. The event will be a special day of celebration and entertainment for the whole family, inviting visitors to discover and enjoy the Creole world. More than 1,000 visitors will be expected at this year’s Kreyol Day, which will take place at the Conway Hall, in Holborn, London.
Organised by the French Caribbean Association Menm Biten Menm Bagay (MBMB), the UK charity promoting cultural sharing and solidarity between Creole communities, the Kreyol Day will kick start in style the Black History Month (more here). With famous traditional Caribbean singer Dédé Saint Prix (view video here) as its patron, the Kreyol Day will bring together more than 10 Creole regions, taking visitors on a day-trip full of colours, sounds, flavours, and fragrances from several corners of the Creole world.
This year’s programme will bring together famous as well rising performers, traditional craft exhibitors and expert speakers.
- Creole performers: . Singers, including a performance by the undisputed queen of Zouk Love Sonia Dersion (view video here); also performing: Subajah (Reggae, Dancehall), Frenglish connexion (Hip-Hop, Reggae. Dancehall), Sked Swad (Creole hip hop), JM (Dancehall) . Traditional Creole music and dance groups such as ZilOKa (view video here); . Salsa performance (London Salsa Scene); . Poetry (Novitse).
About Creole Cultures Creole cultures are a vibrant mix of African heritage with European influences. The Creole world is spread between 3 main regions: the Caribbean, North and South America, and the coast of Africa by the Indian Ocean region. With an estimated 800,000 people from these regions living in the UK, the Creole communities contribute dynamically to the UK’s diversity.
Entrance Fee (Booking available on www.mbmbcharity.com): - MBMB Members: £5 - Advanced booking: £7 - At the door: £9 - Students (at the door): £7 - Children under 10: free
After the post about the first black mayor in the Netherlands I got intrigued by the presence of black people in European politics. I did some research and found out that in all Western European countries, from Norway to Italy you could find at least one black face in parliament, and several people of non European descent representing their regions on different levels of government.
The more people of foreign origin in a country, the more they will be represented politically Therefore countries like France and the UK have the largest portion of black politicians, up to ministries and chief secretaries. Women and men. In all other countries, except for the Netherlands, their representation is very small, but it is there and that’s what matters.
I think of the Secretary of State for Sports in France, Rama Yade or the chief Secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng in the UK. Both are part of a recent phenomenon but it is clear that many will follow in their footsteps. It is therefore no illusion that one day France could elect a black president (the current one is half Hungarian, and has some Greek-Jewish ancestry on his mother side…) and England will have a black prime minister. The colour of their skin doesn’t matter, in a true democratic system, the best candidate (whatever his origins) should eventually take office.
We shouldn’t forget either that the population of African ancestry in Western Europe is very small. In countries like France (without its Caribbean territories), the Netherlands and the UK they represent approx. 3% to 5% of the population (mixed race included). However, you’ll find high concentrations in the cities, predominantly in certain areas of London and Paris. But even then, rarely do black people represent more than 50% of a municipality’s population.
In this context I did some research to the election of Black mayors throughout Europe. Although I can’t guarantee that I researched the topic thoroughly enough, I think I can give you an idea here. What is surprising is that the presence of a lot of black people in a municipality doesn’t mean you have a greater chance to find a black mayor. On the contrary, all black mayors were elected in rather small towns, with very few black people. They were elected not because of the colour of their skin, but because the people thought that she/he was the right person for that job. It all started in 1904 in Thetford, Norfolk.
The first in the UK
Picture of John Archer
John Richard Archer is generally believed to be the first black mayor in the UK, elected (nominated) in Battersea in 1913, a municipality in the London area. However it was found that Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns (1858-1930), elected Mayor of the town of Thetford, Norfolk in 1904, was the first black man to become a mayor in Britain. He was a doctor, surgeon and politician. However, there is very little information about him. Much more is known about John Archer and therefore he is often mentioned as the first black mayor of Britain.
John Archer was born in Liverpool in 1863. His father was from Barbados and worked as a ship’s steward. His mother was Irish. Nothing is known about Archer’s education but as a young man he travelled the world probably spending some time in the West Indies and North America. During this time he met and married Bertha, a black Canadian.
Archer and his wife settled in Battersea in the 1890s and in 1913 he became Mayor of Battersea. Read more about him on this website and this website too
The first in France
Raphaël Elizé
In France we will have to wait until 1929 before the First black mayor is elected. Raphaël Elizé was elected as mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, a rural town in the department Pays de la Loire (central western France) of around 12.000 inhabitants. Raphaël Elizé was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique in 1891. He graduated as veterinary from the university of Lyon, France and during World War I he served for the French army in Europe. After WWI he settles in Sablé and starts a political career with the Socialist Party. During World War II he was part of the Résistance. He was deported to Buchenwald and died there in 1945. Phillippe Bérenger, a French filmmaker, is working on a film about this man ‘Le Nègre de Sablé’.
Below I post a little youtube documentary about Elizé, (unfortunately only for those who understand French)
More info?
Except for John Archer, Allan Minns and Rafaël Elizé I have no knowledge of other people of African descent who became mayors in the then so-called Mother Countries in Europe. In England and the UK there might have been other cases but I do not know of any and couldn’t find any.
However several black political activist and politicians past and present have been active in the UK, at various levels of government. For a list check wikipedia’s Black British politician page .
France recently
It is not clear who is the next black mayor in France after Elizé. France is kind of mysterious about race and colour of skin. The official story is that it doesn’t exist and so official reports on the issue are nonexistent. It’s quite sure that it is Auguste Senghor (a nephew of Léopold Sedar Senghor) who was the next black mayor in Franc after Elizé, but sources contradict each other on the year of his taking office as a mayor. He was mayor of Le May-sur-Èvre (Maine-et-Loire, 3,891 inhabitants) several times. However the Wikipedia page of May-sur-Evre states Auguste Senghor was their mayor from 1977 till 1989 and from 1995 till 2008. This makes him the second black mayor in France and the longest ever running black mayor in France.
Last year he moved to another town on the Atlantic shores of Bretagne, (Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, 1900 inhabitants) and was recently elected mayor there. We are certain that Kofi Yamgnane who is originally from Togo, became mayor of Saint Coulitz in the department of Finistère, a tiny little village (approx. 400 inhabitants) in Bretagne, western France. He must be confused when he mentions on his webpage that he actually is the first black mayor of France. Not exactly but close. Fact is that in France race is taboo. It is illegal to classify people according to race, therefore the election of a black mayor will only be informally registered. But reading below what happened in 2008, you’ll discover that the government in Paris seems to be hypocritical about race.
The 2008 elections in France
In 2008 several black French mayors were elected, one of them Kader Atteye in the tiny village of Morey (180 inhabitants, central France, department Saône-et-Loire). He was born and raised in the region, his parents were immigrants from Djibouti. This election was not without problems because more than a third of the municipal council members (5 out of 11) have resigned in protest of the election of a black person with a Muslim background (though I doubt he is still a practicing Muslim, I didn’t find anything about it though. What is certain is that he has two kids and lives together with the mother of both kids in a tiny village of 180 people …). The mayor didn't have to run for reelection but stayed in office, however 5 new council members had to be elected. read more on this racist controversy here(in French) and on this link (in French) . A similar scenario occurred in another small town where the people elected a Frenchmen of Algerian origin.
Kader Atteye, mayor of a tiny village of 180 inhabitants
During the local elections in 2008 4 municipalities elected a mayor of African origin. One of them was Kader Atteye. All were small rural municipalities of less than 5000 people, and with no significant black population. Two mayors are of Afro Caribbean ancestry and 2 of African ancestry. More info via wikipedia
Spain
Hector Julio Castillo Figueroa
Spain just has a recent democratic history. As soon as 4 years after General Franco’s death the first black mayor is elected in Spain. On the 3rd of April 1979 Héctor Julio Castillo Figueroa is elected as mayor of Isla Cristina, a coastal town of 20.000 people on the Atlantic shores of southern Spain (close to the city of Cadiz). Figueroa was a native from the Dominican Republic. He is a doctor and currently still lives in Isla Cristina. If you read Spanish you can find more about him here
Until 2007 there is no info of any other black mayor in Spain. More recently Juan Antonio de la Morena Doca was elected mayor of the town of Villamantilla in 2007, a municipality in the greater Madrid area of just 800 people. His father is Spanish, his mother comes from Equatorial Guinea in Western Africa. You can read an interview with him on line in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo or there is also an article via this link. Juan Antonio de la Morena Doca
Italy
Sandy Cane
In Italy we have Sandy Cane, who is African American and Italian and was elected this year (2009) mayor of Viggiu (5000 inhabitants) a small town in the Italian Alps. The first mayor of African ancestry in Italy’s modern history (I say ‘modern’, as some research states that during the Roman empire, some 2000 years ago, people of African ancestry settled in Italy and were actively involved in local affairs and politics, read more here and here. I don't want to go into any discussion about this topic, as I am convinced that the concepts of race, as we understand it today, do not apply to that era). She was backed by the alleged xenophobic Lega Nord
Ireland
Rotimi Adebari
Ireland also elected its first black mayor. Rotimi Adebari, a native of Nigeria, was elected mayor of Portlaoise Town in 2007. Portlaoise(pronounced something like Portleash) is a town in central Ireland of approx. 14.000 inhabitants. However there is some controversy on the person of Rotimi Abedari as he would have lied about his troubles in Nigeria (and whereabouts previous to his life in Ireland) applying for the procedure to get legal residence in Ireland. More details about this issue are mentioned on the Wikipedia page here.
Netherlands
Joyce Sylvester
In the Netherlands Joyce Sylvester recently became mayor of Naarden, replacing the fromer mayor Anna Paulowna. As such she became the first black woman to become a mayor in the Netherlands. Naarden is a beautiful medieval town in Holland worth a touristic visit. It was recently elected as the most pleasant town to live in the Netherlands. Naarden is rather small, and also doesn’t have a predominantly black population, rather predominantly white. Sylvester is born in Amsterdam and from Surinamese origins.
But Joyce Sylvester was not the first black person to become a mayor of a Dutch municipality. This was Headly Binderhagel , a Surinam born creole man, who was mayor of Nuth from 2002 to 2008. Nuth is small town of 15.000 people in the southern province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Headly Binderhagel
Sylvester and Binderhagel became, like all the other AfroEuropean mayors, the mayor of a town because of their person, their communication skills, theri political skills, their character, … not because of race, not because of affirmative action …
Russia?
And as a last little thing this picture that I found on this link about an African running for mayor of a Russian town. Is this real or hoax? I don’t know, but it is worth a thorough research.
Slovenia
Peter Bossman
Peter Bossman (born 2 November 1955) is a Ghanaian-born Slovenian doctor and politician. He is currently the elected mayor of Piran, a city and municipality on the Gulf of Piran in south-western Slovenia. A member of the centre-left Social Democrats, he defeated the incumbent mayor in the October 2010 mayoral election to become Slovenia's first black mayor.
A photo exposition about youth gang culture in South London, from 6 September through 4 October 2009 at Noorderlicht international Photofestival 2009 in Groningen, the Netherlands. It's the exposition of the Irish photographer Adam Patterson. Read the interview with Patterson here.
But I wonder if he really succeeded in his mission. He teamed up with a guy called Vipoh who is from the Ivory Coast, which of course is French Africa. Patterson even went with him on a bus to France to photograph him at his aunties wedding. I don't know much about the situation in London, but wouldn't it have been more interesting to see the situation of born and raised young Afro-Caribbean Britons, who don't get on a bus to Paris?
Although I’am usually sceptical about this type of urban black community photography, I'am actually planning to visit the exposition.
The film Skin has finally made it to the Netherlands. Skin is of course the portrayal of the life of Sandra Laing, a dark skinned girl born to white (Afrikaan) parents in South Africa during the Apartheid era. With UK born actress Sophie Okonedo as Sandra Laing. In an interview Okonedo said that her upbringing was not too dissimilar to Laing’s. Okenedo is bi-racial Nigerian/Jewish.
Also read the interesting review of the film on shadow and act.
But now Amsterdam. On the blog of the film I read ‘Dutch Courage’. But why do you need courage to show this film? On shadow and act screenwriter and film critic Wendy Okoi-Obuli wrote:" You know who Okonedo is, right? Dirty Pretty Things, Hotel Rwanda, Aeon Flux, The Secret Life of Bees… as well as lots of TV and theatre roles under her belt. OK, so you may not like her entire body of work, you may not even like her acting style, but she’s an Oscar nominated actress; surely that’s enough to at least make her a bankable name, right? Not to most film distributors, it isn’t. “ Read the full story here
From September 11the till October 30th the film will be shown in Europen movie theatres. From October 30th it will be distributed in the US.
Spotted on: Soul Culture
