Track of the day - Abdullah Ibrahim - South Africa

This track is a remake from an original composition by Abdullah Ibrahim, Thaba Nchu, and it is one of many remakes. The first remake to be titled "Mountain in the night" was on the album "African Suite".

For this remake, Ibrahim collaborated with the Munich Radio Symphony, drummer George Gray, bassist Marcus McLaurine, Daniel Schnyder and the Absolute Ensemble to produce it along with other delightful tracks. The album this collaboration produced, "African Symphony", is a great album to play late at night, alone, while chilling on your balcony, hanging next to your window, or relaxing in your living room - and in case you are a rich person pretending to be sophisticated, sitting in your garden.

Abdullah Ibrahim is a South African pianist and composer. He is formerly known as Adolph Johannes Brand and as Dollar Brand. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. With his wife, the jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, he is father to the New York underground rapper Jean Grae, as well as to a son, Tsakwe.

By Saad Kurdi, an expert on international music : saadeddinkurdi@gmail.com

Rois du sape - the African kings of Faro Faro

Qui dit Congo (RDC) dit les Sapeurs qui n’est autre que la société des ambianceurs et des personnes élégantes – SAPE, une mode vestimentaire qui a vu le jour après l’indépendance des deux Congo – Kinshasa et Brazzaville .

Les sapeurs s’habillent chez les grands couturiers et pratiquent la sapelogie, les sapeurs se projettent dans l’art du paraître et celui de l’exhibition, un Sapeur a pour référence vestimentaire l'aristocratie bourgeoise française du XIX^e siècle.  Le kitendiste a pour référence vestimentaire l'aristocratie japonaise, mélangée au style people des années disco aux États-Unis (très coloré).

Il  suffit à souligner qu’il existe une nuance entre la Société Africaine des Personnes élégantes, et les sapeurs de la Société des Ambianceurs des Personnes Élégantes, le premier étant de l'école de Christian Loubaki (dit Mystère), qui a pour référence le dandysme bourgeois du XIX^e siècle et du début du XX^e siècle. Et les seconds, Ben Mukasha et compagnie, ont comme référence DJO Ballard, ils sont en représentation permanente, dans le "m'as-tu-vu", dans l'exhibition de leurs marques de vêtements.

Certaines personnes au sein même de la communauté congolaise prennent leurs distances avec ce mouvement^., Ce qui est reproché est l'étalage d'une abondance futile et l'exhibition fastueuse de vêtements hors de prix. Les détracteurs affirment que les priorités sont inversées dans un pays touché par l'analphabétisme, le chômage et la pauvreté (plus de 60 % des ménages vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté.

By Edith Kitoko, a human rights activist defending the rights of Asian and African migrants in Lebanon: edithkitoko@hotmail.com

Assouindé la rival d'Assini, le Hawaï de la Cote d'Ivoire

Lors d’un week-end avec un groupe d’ami, nous avons découvert l’extraordinaire plage d’Assouindé.

Assouindé est un petit village balnéaire à 2h de route d’Abidjan. C’est un endroit qui semble ordinaire à première vue.

Quand on l’a parcouru on s’en rendu compte qu’il n’a rien à envier aux plages de Cancun ou Hawaï. C’est un village peu peuplé, où les habitants vivent  de la pêche et du tourisme. Les autochtones se mélangent aux touristes. Contre toute attente, leur présence ne change rien à leurs habitudes. Bien au contraire, leurs habitudes fascinent les novices comme nous. Nous avons pu les regarder pécher, vendre leurs poissons, réparer leur filets, préparer leurs attiékés (met local)

La plage est magnifique avec son sable fin et tout blanc. Elle parait encore plus magique quand on l’admire au lever du soleil aux environs de 5 h 30 – 6h du matin.

Les habitations qui s’y trouvent sont en général des plages privées pour des particuliers, mais il y a aussi quelques hôtels à porté de toutes les bourses. La plage d’Assouindé est idéale pour une nuit de noce ou des vacances. Nous avons dégusté des mets typiques. En plus d’être riche en épice, les repas à Assouindé son composé de  poisson.  Il y a : le machoiron piqué, la soupe de fruit de mer, le poisson braisé, le kedjenou de carpe, la sole grillé, des beignets fourrés aux poissons, l’attiéké huile rouge accompagné de poisson

Katy Mary Ouattara is an Ivorian web-developer and writer, she is in charge of the communication department at AfricaBox TV: katy892001@yahoo.fr

Track of the Day, a vibe from Mali - Toumani Diabaté

A master of the kora (21-string West African harp), Toumani Diabaté has brought the traditional music of his native Mali to the attention of an international audience with a series of well-received solo albums and some unlikely, but acclaimed, collaborations. Although he came from a family of musicians, Diabaté (born August 10, 1965) taught himself to play the kora from an early age, as his father, who also played the instrument, was often away touring. He developed a style of playing that, while being strongly rooted in the Malian tradition, is also open to a wide range of other influences, such as jazz and flamenco.

By Saad Kurdi, an expert on international music: saadeddinkurdi@gmail.com

“Ya bissap, ya gnamakoudji! 100 francs! 100 francs!”

With the month of Ramadan upon us – Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim readers – I wanted to feature two popular Ivorian drinks, bissap and gnamakoudji, whose rates of consumptions are bound to increase during this month. I never understood the correlation between the drinks and Ramadan because they always leave me yearning for water.

Bissap is a juice made from dried hibiscus leaves, the leaves are formally known as roselle calyces.  Truth be told, I don’t have the slightest idea on its origins, but it’s pretty popular in West Africa and beyond. The drink can be purchased at various locations: street vendors, depots, restaurants and grocery stores, though from my last trip, I noticed a decline in street vendors; the same situation applies to gnamakoudji.

The actual plant 

 

What it looks like once it's dried 

 

While writing this post, I attempted to have a discussion with my mom about bissap's nutritional value and it’s ability to increase blood production. She nonchalantly dismissed my non-scientific claims, though I really cannot blame her, I don’t recall where I heard about the blood production and Google, with all its infinite wisdom was unable to assist me. At this point, it appears to be something conjured up by my brain due to the color of the drink.  There are different types of bissap recipes, the only thing consistent is the hue of the drink, a color comparable to red wine or cranberry juice.

The initial preparation phase 

The final product 

I would provide you my own recipe, but I tend to wing it by adding a little of this and a tad of that.  These following links should do the trick though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm6F2UDVcZA

http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_jus-de-bissap_51124.aspx

http://www.azurs.net/mercredi/archives/2005/08/pour_faire_un_b.html

Gnamakoudji (jus de gingembre) is Dioula for ginger (gnamakou) juice (ji, actually means water), it’s made from freshly grated ginger and is normally very spicy. I’ve heard of people using prepackaged ginger juice, which is just an abomination, there is no way you can produce the same flavor and burning tongue sensation. Now, not everyone likes their gnamakoudji to scold their mouth, but my experience with Ivorians is they will hurl insults your way if it’s not piquant.

 

It does have a lighter tint, you might even confuse it with lemon juice 

 

And according to les rumeurs d’Abidjan, it’s the Ivorian equivalent of Viagra…

A couple of recipes: 

http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_gnamakoudji-ou-jus-de-gingembre-cote-d-ivoire_35603.aspx

http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.com/recette/328835-gnamakoudji

http://www.1001cocktails.com/cocktails/3988/recette-cocktail-gnamakoudji.html

If you don’t care to make these drinks from scratch, then hop on a plane, avoid the vendors and get yourself invited to a wedding or just crash it, and drink to your hearts content. 

But you can always take a leap of faith, contact me and we'll wing it together! 

By Ahou Koné

Renaissance du pagne africain:

Une nouvelle tendance a vu le jour, celui du pagne africain, toute les maisons de coutures intègres ce tissus africain qui tir son origine de l’ancestral batik indonésien, sa fabrication reprend la technique du batik traditionnel, mais de manière mécanique. Le wax est aussi éclatant au recto qu’au verso, il ne déteint pas et ses couleurs ont une tenue exceptionnelle.

Les motifs et les couleurs sont très variée et s’adaptent aux différentes cultures et aux différents moments et événements de la vie africaine. Aujourd’hui, le wax, d’origine hollandaise, est le plus apprécié.

Le pagne sert aussi aux femmes africaines pour mettre leurs bébés au dos. Ces pagnes servent aussi à confectionner de nombreux accessoires, comme destrousses, des porte-monnaie, des housse de téléphone portable, des sacs à mains

Le pagne est aussi le symbole de l'attachement aux techniques ancestrales, le reflet d'une identité, l'expression d'un statut…

Voici des photos de quelques styles de pagnes

By Edith Kitoko, A Congolese Citizen Living in Lebanon.

Edith is a Human Rights activist defending the rights of migrants from Asia and Africa in Lebanon.

To communicate with Edith you can send her an email on: Edithkitoko@hotmail.com

The African recipe of the day - South Africa

Many thanks to the Facebook Page: Africa, This is Why I live here

RECIPES FOR DISASTER:
Because, you deserve it......

This malva pudding is a traditional South African favourite recipe with a twist: Amarula sauce.
 
Serves 8
 
Ingredients:
 
Malva pudding: 
 
• 1 egg
• 250 ml sugar
• 1 tbs smooth apricot jam
• 2 tbs softened butter
• 250 ml fl our
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 250 ml milk
• 1 tsp vinegar
Amarula sauce:
• 125 ml melted butter
• 200 ml cream
• 125 ml caster sugar
• 80 ml Amarula
 
Beat egg and sugar until creamy, then add jam and butter, stirring to combine thoroughly. Sift together the dry ingredients and pour them into the egg-and-sugar mixture. Stir to combine. Pour in the milk slowly. When the mixture is combined, add the vinegar. Pour into a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 180°C for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
To make the sauce, combine the butter, cream and caster sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens – this will take a few minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and add the Amarula. Pour the sauce slowly over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven. Once the pudding is saturated with sauce, pour the remainder into a jar for guests to add. Serve immediately, with custard on the side.
 
With Thanks : http://blog.getaway.co.za/food/amarula-malva-pudding-recipe/