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/

Happy Birthday Madiba Nelson Mandela

The family of " The Africa You Don't Know " wishes The Great MADIBA, our idol and freedom fighter a happy 94th birthday!

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]; born 18 July 1918) is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before being elected President, Mandela was a militant anti-apartheid activist, and the leader and co-founder of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela went on to serve 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to the establishment of democracy in 1994. As President, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa.
In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name; or as tata (Xhosa: father). Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades. 


Mandela in Wikipidia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela


Video about Mandela on his 94's birthday: 

Nelson Mandela mini bio: 

Nelson Mandela Life Story:

Nouchi, The Notorious Ivorian Slang!

C’est cómo? Ya fohi, on est avec Jah (Dja).


Rough translation: What’s new (quoi de neuf)? By the grace of God, nothing new, everything is good. (Par la grâce de Dieu, il n’y a rien.)


Welcome to the world of Nouchi! “Nou” means nose in Dioula, while “chi” means hair and together you get “nose hair/moustache.” According to “sources,” Nouchi represents power, someone everyone is afraid of, yet he fears nothing…it's both an adjective and a noun. 

It’s the Ivorian equivalent of pidgin English or creole French. The language was developed and predominately spoken by uneducated urban youths in Abidjan, they created this eclectic language by combining numerous other languages – French, Dioula, Baoulé, Bété, Spanish, English, etc. Now, the language is widely spoken all over la Côte d’Ivoire and not regulated to a section of the population.


A few transatlantic and national references in Nouchi:
- To enjoy in English = (s’) enjailler - can also mean "to be in love with" 
-Cómo the Spanish word for how is used instead of its French equivalent, comment
-Gbayer (Bété) = to sing, to talk or to give a speech
-Blè blè (Baoulé) = to sit, to calm down
-Gnangami (Dioula) = to jumble, to screw up


I am far from an expert in Nouchi, it intrigues me, but I find it very confusing.  When I watch Ivorian movies or hear people talking full-blown Nouchi, it’s all Greek to me…but I guess that’s what I get for being a binguiste.


I’m not completely deaf to it, after all, I managed to compose a sentence, albeit with the help of Google. Anyone who’s familiar with Nouchi will tell you that a key to understanding the language is context, having a basic understanding of an Ivorian language and a good ear. It’s a brisk language, not just at the pace it’s spoken, but also at the rate words are added to its lexicon.


French has l’Académie Française and to a certain degree English has the Oxford dictionary to regulate it and officiate the meaning of words, when it comes to Nouchi, it's governed by the streets.


There’s no official website, certain words can have numerous spellings, and it’s constantly evolving. It’s a spontaneous language and despite the disjointed appearance, it actually employs a syntax based on the French system. 


Some Ivorians are currently campaigning to have it introduced into academia. I strongly believe in preserving Nouchi, but the thought of having it dissected in classrooms…it’s bound to lose some its charm.


If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! In the meantime please enjoy the following links!


Here are a couple of websites to learn more about nouchi: 


http://www.unice.fr/ILF-CNRS/ofcaf/23/AHUA%20Blaise%20Mouchi.pdf


http://www.gbich.com/index.php?choix=diconouchi&&letter=A


http://scamaga.over-blog.com/pages/Le_creole_abidjanais_le_nouchi-3115944.html


http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouchi


A clip explaining Nouchi


http://vimeo.com/28112531


Nouchi even made an appearance on the RTI (Radio Télévision Ivoirienne), I can't stop laughing when I watch this video...it's a serious topic, but the addition of Nouchi just takes it to another extreme 

You can forward this video to 2:04 that's when the comedian starts his lesson on Nouchi grammar 

Magic system - Premier Gaou (idiot)...they use Nouchi throughout this song. I don't know an Ivorian that's not familiar with this song

DJ Arafat - Kpangor. This artist loves Nouchi to another degree and I truly doubt anyone really understands him or it could just be me 

 

Ahoua Koné on FB: Ahoua Koné

Email:ahoua.b.kone@gmail.com

Introducing Ahoua Koné, one of the contributors to the blog

“Do you speak African?” Lets conceptualize the absurdity of this question by changing the adjective: "Do you speak European/North American/Asian/Australian?" I hope I got my point across, yet this question amongst others seem to easily flow from people’s mouth to my ears. 

Unlike the other contributor to the blog, Ali Latifa Fakhry, I currently do not reside in Côte d’Ivoire and have not done so on a permanent basis for a couple of years. Despite the physical distance, I’m still connected to the country; it’s my birthplace, it's where my family and friends live, and it's home to me.

After years of frustration from the general ineptitude and ignorance I’ve encountered, and being demeaned to a simple National Geographic special, I look forward to showing you one country on the continent, my hometown.

 

I have no intention of speaking for the whole Ivorian community, that attempt alone will start another civil war. Nor do I intent to fluff the reality of life, it can be challenging, but after all découragement n’est pas Ivoirien. 

And yes, I’ve seen wild animals such as elephants and lions, and the first time I saw them was at a zoo in the US, not in my backyard in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.  

Although Salif Keita is Malian, I think this is one of the best songs to capture the essence of this blog

 Ahoua Koné on FB : Ahoua Koné

Garba! on est ensemble!

Garba!

The first day you arrive to Ivory Coast you will hear this word!

If you do not hear or see this plate while you are here, it means,  either they hated you or you spent too much time in a five stars hotel :D

Garba is the slang name for Attiéké; it's is a popular dish made ​​from Ivorian manioc (yes, I have heard this joke about YIH you eat a MANIOC so do spare me :D)  sold in small street stalls usually held by men from Niger ( Not Nigeria hein! Niger! ). It consists of Attiéké (ground manioc) in a couscous shape and pieces of fried salted tuna, fresh onions also accompanied by tomatoes and fresh chopped chilies and sprayed with cooking oil, all identified by a cube seasoning (cube magic beef ). It's also called attiéké-fish, zéguen, gbinzin, hay, Guero, ganguatte, Beton or zeh.

It is the ultimate  traditional fast food for the population of Côte d’Ivoire especially  Abidjan.

The name "garba" is clearly related to the fact that this dish is sold mainly by Nigerian nationals; "Garba" is a popular surname in Niger.

In 1990 with the arrival of a musical genre, Zouglou to Ivory Coast,  garba became increasingly popular among Ivorians.

The "garbadrômes" (where they sell garba) are installed everywhere along the streets, especially Yopougon, the birthplace of Zouglou. It used to be that you could purchased this meal with 150 CFA francs (Attiéké 50 CFA francs and fish  100 CFA francs), but today you must have the double of that to eat the dish ( 300 CFA about € 1/2).

OK, so enough with the boring technical description and lets see what garba is and how it is eaten!

This is how a garba dish looks like at a Garbadrome:

 This is how a Garba dish looks like at home :

This is how a Garba dish looks like at a restaurant (not recomended) :

This is a Garbadrome:

Attiéké sold at the market:

Attiéké sold at the supermarket:

The root  they make attiéké from:

Traditional tuna fish that is served with garba (highly recommended):

The Maggi Cube used with garba:

Garba in political life:

Garba in comics:

Some links on how to prepare garba:


1 - http://cuisine-ivoire.blogspot.com/2011/04/recette-garba-zeguen-ou-attieke-au-thon.html
2 - http://abidjan-blues.skyrock.com/639106752-La-semoule-de-manioc-specialite-Ivoirienne.html
3 - http://cookinggirl.canalblog.com/archives/2008/01/15/7499483.html


A blog post on garba:


1 -  http://petercherches.blogspot.com/2008/07/attieke-to-write-home-about.html

Wikipedia on garba :
 
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garba 




Garba50 the most notorious Ivorian rap band/political rap:

If you cannot find Attiéké AKA garba where you live,  send me an email and I will make sure that you get some.

"The Africa you DONT know" Mission Statment

I am frustrated with some questions people ask me, such as:

“Oh, you live in Ivory Coast? Have you ever seen a lion in your garden?”

“UF! You have internet?!”

“How’s live there? I hope you are not attacked on a daily basis”

“Tell us about the tribes that eat humans!”

“It’s a war zone; you are so courageous to live there”

“Malaria can kill you; I heard that my friend’s cousin died of a disease in Africa”

I don’t really blame my friends for asking such questions, it's mostly due to how the media and Hollywood depicts the continent. They brainwash people by depicting an Africa of diseases, dictators, war, ethnic/religious struggles, corruption, and slavery.

On the other hand, if they want to be positive, they show you the cosmopolitan, posh, touristic and colonial face of Africa.

I am a young Lebanese who is lucky enough to have the opportunity to live in Ivory Coast (Côte d' Ivoire) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d'Ivoire

I knew very well where I was going before I moved to Ivory Coast, but the beautiful thing about it was the surprise I received, it exceeded my expectations. I didn't like it. I fell in love with it.

I am fascinated by this continent’s charm, music, people, culture and ethnic diversity.

I am in love with its food, character and its exciting daily life.

To wake up every morning facing a new experience is something priceless. Routine as a word doesn't exist in this part of the world. You simply wake up to wonder what new experience / challenge you'll be facing. Whether from learning about the country's history, its traditions, food, music, people, magic, and even dignity.

My mission is clear. I have decided, moving forward, to start showing you the true colors of Africa and not the Black and White colors that the west made sure to engrave in your brains. Posting from my every day’s events, be it a song, food, funny or sad story, politics, tradition....Just simple short and straight forward stories that will allow you to know real life out here.

You got your own stories, please feel free to share them with me: aafakhry@gmail.com