Vote for Miss Africa USA

Tatiana Fetgo, Cameroon

You can vote for Miss Africa USA online.
Click here to see all the contestants and vote.

African print playsuit

Complement this playsuit with red heels and accessories.

Get the playsuit by Nkwo on Asos

Scracth vases

Use Scratch, the range of ceramic vases from Habitat, to give an African touch to your house. Prices are as low as £7.20.

Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya has been required to take gender tests after her competitors at the Athletics Berlin World Championship suspected her of being a man in disguise. So what makes a black woman a woman? What is she supposed to look like?

A black woman should have long hair floating in the wind. Caster wears cornrows, the traditional African hairstyle, instead of extensions. A black woman should have fine features. Caster doesn't pluck her eyebrows and isn’t an adept of make-up. A black woman should have a tiny body. Caster has a strong muscles - she’s been running ever since she’s been able to walk. A black woman should have a fair skin. Caster has dark shades.

No matter what the results of the tests are, this debate shows that black women are expected to look like anything but black women.

Nkwo, Afro-Bohemian chic

Nkwo Onwuka is showing off her designs at the Promoting People in Business conference this Saturday in London.

I will model at the event and am extremely proud to support an inspiring black woman.

Nkwo is a London-based fashion designer who put African fashion on the frontline of the industry as she teamed up with online shopping site ASOS. Her style is known as Afro-bohemian chic.

Read her biography in Ladybrille, the African fashion and entertainment website.
Read her interview in Catchavibe.
Buy her clothes on ASOS.

Business: new African bank in London

The African GT bank recently started a heavy marketing campaign to support its launch in London. The Nigerian bank was launched in 1991 and quickly expanded to Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia before reaching Europe. Their motto is: "proudly African" and are also recruiting.

http://www.gtbplc.com/

How to ace a job interview...

Don't work hard, work smart

In these days of economic recession, working hard isn’t the only way to secure a job. It’s also essential to “work smart”, in other words promoting what you do for the business, according to Essence magazine. If you always have the impression that you work hard but don’t get the recognition that you deserve, this article is for you.  It gives very good tips for different types of working women: the gossipers, the loners and the working bees.

If you need more resources to improve your reputation at work, follow the advice of Judith Earley on Emploment Crossing. But make sure you’re patient. According to this article, it takes at least 21 days to change habits.

A modern housewife's guide

Here's a website you visit but don't tell your friends about. realsimple.com gives ideas on how to organise a house, cook, clean and go on holidays without the hassle. It's a kind of guide for the geeky housewife.

We loved their 'closet makeover' with before/after pictures.

African style rules

African designs and textiles inspire fashion designers around the globe.

Japanese designer Junya Watanabe was strongly inspired by African draping and motifs for his Spring 2009 collection. The models carried flowers or actual wheat on their head, which is reminiscent of African women's traditional way of transporting food and goods. The colourful fabrics and traditional motifs were also inspired by African designs.

Hapsatou brings multiethnic beauty to Paris

Hapsatou Sy is a 27-year-old entrepreneur who opened Ethnicia, the first multi-ethnic beauty centre in Paris. She recently won a business competition which allowed her to open her third beauty centre in the biggest shopping centre of Paris, Les Quatre Temps. Her story is now well know in France and she is regularly featured in major newspapers, magazines and tv shows. Hapsatou found her inspiration during a trip to the US where professional multiethnic beauty centres were available everywhere. She decided to bring the concept to Paris knowing that there was a gap in the market. She reveals all her business and hair care secrets to kolkolkolblog.

Hapsatou Sy est chef d’entreprise de 27 ans et fondatrice d’Ethnicia, le premier centre de beauté multiethnique parisien. Elle a récemment ouvert un troisième institut de beauté aux Quatre Temps, le plus grand centre commercial parisien et fait régulièrement l’objet d’interviews et de reportages dans les journaux, magazines et émissions télévisées françaises. Hapsatou a eu l’idée de lancer Etnicia suite a un voyage aux États-Unis ou les instituts de beauté multiethniques sont monnaie courante. Consciente du manque sur le marché français, elle a décidé d’importer le concept à Paris. Hapsatou révèle à kolkolkolblog ses secrets professionnels et capillaires.

You’ve launched your first business at 24 without help from banks. Which network helped you finance the project (family, work, friends)? / Vous avez monte votre première entreprise a 24 ans malgré le refus des banques de financer votre projet. Quel réseau vous a aidée à financer votre projet (familial, professionnel, amical…)?

I had 30,000 € from my own savings and from a friend’s loan. / J’avais 30 000 € d’apport, venant de mes propres économies et d’un ami.

Would you say it’s necessary to take courses create a business? Do you think you could have achieved your project without your diploma in Superior Economic Studies in Trade and International Affairs?/ D’après vous, une formation est-elle indispensable pour montre une entreprise ? Auriez-vous pu monter votre projet sans votre Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Economiques en Commerce et Affaires Internationales ?

A business course is useful but it’s more important to have a sales flair. It’s all about willpower, having a clear goal and the will to achieve one’s projects. / La formation en commerce est utile, néanmoins, la fibre commerciale est plus importante. Il s’agit avant tout de volonté, d’avoir une idée bien précise, et une réelle envie d’aller au bout de ses projets.

What would you advise to someone who wants to build a business but doesn’t know where to start ? / Quel conseil donneriez-vous à une personne voulant monter son entreprise mais ne sachant où commencer ?

Be confident and believe in your project, get surrounded by the best people to build a strong team and set high goals. Don’t lose faith because the road will be paved with pitfalls and you must be prepared to cope with them. / Avoir confiance en soi et croire en son projet, savoir s’entourer de personnes compétentes pour construire une équipe efficace, se fixer des objectifs élevés et ne jamais se décourager, car le chemin sera semé d’embûches et il faut se préparer à les affronter.



Do you have a professional mentor ? / Avez-vous un mentor (sur le plan professionnel) ?

All the people who are persevering and achieve their dreams. / Tous les gens persévérants qui accomplissent leurs rêves sont mes mentors.

In your opinion, why did afro and multi-ethnic beauty centres first appeared in the US ?/ D’après vous, pourquoi les centres de beauté afros et multiethniques se sont-ils d’abord développés aux Etats-Unis ?

Most probably because a bigger market appeared earlier in the US and there are more mixed race people over there. Today, France is getting more and more mixed and the need is appearing here too. / Car il y avait certainement un marché plus important plus tôt, et plus de métissage aux Etats Unis. Aujourd’hui, la France est de plus en plus métissée, le besoin est donc présent ici aussi.

Is there a difference between afro haircare in France and in the US ? Do customers have the same needs? / Y a-t-il une différence entre le soin du cheveu afro en France et aux Etats-Unis ? Les clientes ont-elles les mêmes demandes ?

French customers are as demanding as the Americans, the difference is that they have a wider offer in the US. Afro customers today have specific and varied needs, which is normal since each of us is unique. That’s what we focus on at Ethnicia, tailored beauty. / Les clientes sont tout aussi exigeantes, la différence c’est qu’aux EU elles ont une offre beaucoup plus large. La clientèle afro a aujourd’hui des demandes plus précises et variées d’une personne à l’autre, et c’est normal, chaque être est unique. C’est ce que nous prenons en compte dans les instituts Ethnicia, la beauté sur mesure.

Is your hair natural or relaxed ? Why ? / Avez-vous les cheveux naturels ou défrisés ? Pourquoi ce choix ?

My mother is from a North African descent and my father is from an African descent so my hair is mixed. I have a fine hair and I don’t relax it very often but I wear extension for a longer style. / Mes cheveux sont métissés car ma mère a des origines maghrébines et mon père des origines africaines. Au final, j’ai des cheveux fins. Je ne les défrise pas toujours, mais je porte des extensions pour les avoir plus longs.



Which black woman is inspiring for you ?/ Quelle femme noire est pour vous une inspiration ?

Oprah Winfrey !



What was your experience of hair salons at Strasbourg Saint-Denis (the afro hair care district of Paris) / Quelle a été votre expérience des salons de coiffure à Strasbourg Saint-Denis ?

I found them very communitarian. In addition, the quality and customer service weren’t always there. This experience reinforced my idea that there was a real gap in the market. That’s why I wanted to create a beauty institute where customers aren’t treated according to their skin colour but to their needs. / C’était très communautaire. De plus, la qualité et la prise en charge efficace du client pas toujours au rendez-vous. Mon expérience m’a confortée dans mon idée : il y avait un réel manque sur le marché. J’ai donc eu l’envie de créer un espace de beauté ou les clients ne sont pas considérés pour leur couleur de peau, mais pour leurs envies de femmes et d’hommes.

When a relationship ends

Kerry Washington perfectly translated the difficulty to deal with the overwhelming memories of a past relationship in 'I Want You', the video she directed for Common. We love the song too...

My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage

Watch the interview of Regina Campbell, Director, about the genesis of My Nappy Roots, her fascinating documentary on African-american hair care. The documentary covers all the periods from the slavery to today.

Campbell goes through the social processes that encouraged women and men to relax, the stigmas coming along with afros and the recent surge of natural african hair care.

http://video.aol.com/video/my-nappy-roots-a-journey-through-black-hair-itage-dir-regina-kimbell/1850449

Before Obama...

This post will be controversial but before Barack Obama, another black man gathered huge crowds and delivered powerful messages to the whole world.

Michael Jackson. His songs were all about "keeping the faith" (Keep the faith, Dangerous) and "making that change" (Man in The Mirror, Moonwalker).

I grew up with Michael, among other artists, and even though I couldn't understand his lyrics because I didn' speak English at the time, I could see the videos.

Compare his lyrics with what kids hear today! Of course there are currently some talented artists who have a lot of interesting things to say. But they're not mainstream and I wonder what (added) values the others bring to the young audience.

Here's a comparison:

Michael Jackson, Man in the mirror:



Soulja Boy, Get silly:

Bi-racial president

Barack Obama is officially the new president of the United States!!!

I immediately called a relative in Cameroon to measure the impact of the news outside western countries. Everyone over there is celebrating the election of a black man at the head of the world's most powerful country.

You're probably asking yourself what the elections have to do with hair. We wanted to give our little touch to the news.

During the US campaign, many questions aroused about Obama's identity. Is he black? Is he white? We couldn't help but wonder what 'biracial' meant. We found a definition with a woman's touch.

With her poem, Zora Howard reminds those who questionned the symbolic of this election what the African-american people had to go through.

Debate: is 'natural' hair less attractive?

I've been natural once upon a time.

Today I'm wearing a weave and I have to say that I saw the difference, not only in the way men perceive me and pay attention, but also with the rest of the society.

Do black men really pay more attention to women with relaxed hair? Are natural women really looked down on in the community?

See her answer (she talks a bit too much so feel free to skip the beginning):



Isn't she lovely? (vid from mimi):

Condoning slavery

More than 40,000 people are held slaves in Niger. A west african court recently punished the country for condoning these practices. But how fast will the culture change?

Full story in The Guardian

Prince: The greatest romance ever sold