Black Looks

Be Spot

A great post on Miriam Makeba by The Roots Cause

Billy Ocean is back – looking beautiful in long grey dreds – heres one from 1985 with Danny De Vito with the theme tune from Jewel of the Nile

Soul – Broadcasting while Black is an absolutely brilliant site. Vintage flim clips, music clips, articles, interviews with Black artists on Black consciousness, Black identity and politics.

Here is a clip with some music by Taj Mahal an interview with Cicely Tyson and Taj Mahal. Also some clips from the 1970s film Sounder in which Cicely starred and Taj wrote the soundtrack. A truly brilliant film and exciting Black culture/politics site.

LINK: theleoafricanus.com/2009/03/28/playlist/

Sean at Africa is a country has graciously published a playlist of mine. Take a look; I hope you like it.

Chinua Achebe recently returned to Nigeria for only the second time in 20 years. Achebe who is now 79 visited his home town Ogidi and Owerri where he gave a lecture to the people. You can watch the journey home here and also listen to an interview with Achebe during his visit here.

Links: Chinua Achebe profile

Farafina Magazine is a Nigerian literary magazine that just gets better with each publication. They have recently revamped their website to include an online version of the printed magazine which has three viewing options, magazine, paper and presentation. Like all great websites, there is a blog – The Farafinist and there is some pretty good content as well. The latest issue “Remapping Africaness” is an attempt to begin the process of reclaiming North Africa for Africa and by doing so assert Africa as geographical space connected by literature, politics, culture, art and histories.

This wonderful promo video is backed up by Igbo musician, Mike Ejeagha. I love this guys music – no 2 minutes tracks these go on for 8-10 minutes and am about to go buy a bunch of tracks from Sterns online

More Mike on You Tube

is it that time of the year when everything seems to far away or maybe its just so damn cold up here. i feel life is very much like an olive tree – a high yield year is always followed by a poor yield one. 2007 was a v.good year. 2008 was pretty much the worst, a pissing in the cactus year, which means 2009 has the potential to be fabulouser. but i must to remember to prune my branches and drink loads and loads of water. meanwhile here is midival punditz and papon who i have to confess i am still in love with today – it’s the voice, i think: @ the WSF

if you like papon too then theres more here

Tags:
Simphiwe Dana
South Africa

Miriam Makeba, the world-renowned South African singer, has died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta.

Makeba died on Monday after taking part in a concert for Roberto Saviano, a writer threatened with death by the mafia, an Italian news agency said.

“I’m not yet absolutely certain of the causes of her passing, but she has had arthritis, severe arthritis, for some time,” her publicist told an Italian radio station.

Makeba was best known to her fans as ‘Mama Africa’ as she became the distinguished voice of Africa and a symbol of the fight against apartheid in her home country.
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Everyone called her Mama Afrika. Her voice was like a bird singing in a cage. Many of us grew up listening to her proud music. She was a steady fighter against racism and discrimination in her native South Africa. I will miss Miriam Makeba, as will a lot of other people in the world. Words escape me.