Presenting the Soulful Voices of Azania & Gwyn Allen

Azania is in town, she is the beautifully talented soul singer who after 11 years is finally home. Her first    top business priority, raising funds for ALL AS ONE orphanage in Godrich Freetown. I went to see the holiday benefit at British Council last Sunday and her voice blew me away. Modupe and I decided we wanted to help her give back to the charity she is a good will ambassador for, All As One with a small concert at Bliss Restaurant, on Monday the 23rd of December. Entrance is SLL 50,000 with VIP tables at One Million Leones. All proceeds are going to All as One. Come out for a fantastic evening of music Azania and the gift that is Gwyn Jay Allen, food, good company and of course YOUR WAY of GIVING BACK this holiday season.

fambul dem, this is how we do....

SISTAS WITH VOICES| THE SHOW

FANTACEE| KARAONKO SINGER



 

 

 

 

SISTAS WITH VOICES | THE PRACTICE

 

 

 

The longer i am back home the more I am 'getting it'. My heart is steadying itself, digging deep, planting self and re-orienting my purpose and vision in the world of the arts. It is only recently that accepting and proudly understanding myself as a story teller with responsibility and accountability to the community and my fellow artists has become an imperative journey for me. I am respecting the responsibility and beauty that comes with this and in the process, asking my fellow sisters and brothers who themselves are openly, clearly, and very beautifully bold to come together to “just do it”. Just do it meaning, sharing with the rest of the world the talent, gift and stories that exist at the very core of Sierra Leonean society. We aren’t just those people that sing, dance, paint or organize shows; we aren’t just at the periphery of society’s consciousness,

SISTAS WITH VOICES, THIS SATURDAY OCT 20TH AT BLISS IN FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

You can pre-purchase tickets at Bliss.
See You There!

OH MY JAH-ITS CREATIVE COLLECTIVE - RAW

last friday evening (april 20th) was an evening on its on, super special to me because along side two beautiful men (abdala & ahmad) we were able to put together a creative evening. It consisted of live music, pop, poetry, prose, humor, jazz, reggae- all sprinkled with a little soul at the beautiful restaurant Bliss. With 150+ at the event, it was packed at all times during the evening, food was being pass around, drinks ordered, art shared, and of course a rack with her latest collection, AMIZO of MARYZO DESIGNS graced us and dressed 3 of the artists who performed that evening. By the end of the night, i was happily exhausted. This is what we are aiming for, to gestate an artistic community rooted in integrity and accountability and most importantly the simple love of sharing their art with the rest of the world. It is healing, really healing i believe. In valuable lessons learned first time around and i look forward to where PART DEUX will take us.

ps- the photographs are curtsy of someone's iphone *bless their heart*

Heyden Adama-Pre-Show Practice

Bliss-The Bar

Heyden Adama-Pre-Show Practice

Ahmad & Myself

Bliss

Creative Collective Raw-the Crowd

Accapella- Best of Voices Group

Creative Collective

Heyden Adama & John

Star Zero Performs-Creative Collective

fambul dem this is how we do...

vision is mission-THE 60% PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

 ROY RESTAURANT, NASSER AYOUB, U.S EMBASSY, HUSSAIN, MEDOSAT, COUNTRY LODGE, THE OFFICE, PHOTOSHOP.......and extra thanks to JAMES & MERCY! AND OF COURSE, ABDALLAH AT BLISS PATISSERIE.

Gratitude  to the most high, to the support system and to the sponsors and to the people i got to interact with and photograph to make this vision a reality. GRATITUDE. Bliss was Packed, the entertainment was beautiful, the photographs = my heart! Despite have no frames ( something had to not go as planned) and the stress of that, i exhale and simply live and breathe in GRATITUDE.

DRESS BY MARZYO

THE LADIES

THE FEW FRAMED PHOTOGRAPHS (WILL BE REFRAMED)

...my samples...the exhibition

Sample

Nervously Seeking Feedback

putting yourself out there is scary. that thought just dawned on me as my exhibition draws closer. I am nervous, just a little...okay a whole lot. The feeling of elation though cannot be traded for anything when you finally see your work materialize. I know that i have a lot of work still to be done on my craft as a photographer and self proclaimed writer and perhaps self proclaimed photographer as well. That will come in time, i am willing to put the work in. I was all gushy on friday when i got to hold my first sample photograph in my hands. Did i mention i am only slightly nervous.

If you are in freetown, do pass through on friday, march 2nd. 7pm onwards at Bliss Patisserie. I just got confirmation that St. Mary's super market on hill station will be giving me 12 bottles of wine...FOR FREE. 

Graditude.

fambul dem this is how we do...

I SEE COLORS & OKADAS

I'm a huge fan of Bliss Patisserie on 110 Wilkinson Road, their salads are refreshing and after my slightly dubious Friday night out, i needed a hide away. An avocado banana milkshake,  grilled vegetables accompanied with fried chicken did the trick. This is how the world looked to me on Saturday afternoon (see photographs below), as aforementioned, i blame the rudeness performed on Friday evening. While waiting for my food, i stumbled upon this article

An “okadised” society: implications on teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone

I must preface this blog post with, please click on the link to read the entire report, Sierra-Leonean journalism always always has me in stitches by the end of the read regardless of how serious (or not) the subject matter is- the style of writing is ---priceless. But I digress, back to Okadisation, which in actuality is problematic. Now, I am easily seduced ( as are a plethora of people in Sierra-Leone) to go on an endless rant about my deep dislike/distaste of Okadas and Okada drivers alike. However, Okadisation according to this article is the 

the shift from traditional trekking to Okada riding between places. Sierra Leoneans no longer fancy walking; which has enormous health benefits but are rapidly cultivating the practice of moving around by Okada. In the pre-Okada era, students trekked, for example from Magburaka to Mathora government girls school (about 6 miles round trip), in the Tonkolili district. This is no more the practice in today’s school going pupils, making it an economically challenged practice for their poor relatives. Most parents can’t afford giving both lunch and Okada service fees on a daily basis to their children.

So instead, some young ladies got creative and:

“ [entered] into transactional sex with these riders to ferry them between their homes and schools as well as supplementing their ‘lunch’ at school.

In essence, this equates to high TEENAGE PREGANCIES BY THE OKADA BOYS COMMUNITY. I declare CONDOMS FOR OKADAZITION | A CLEVER INITIATIVE. If you support, please comment.

Fambul dem this is how we do…

My Random Market Buy

Bliss Coffee- Much Needed

Bliss Patisserie-Outside

 

a photogaphy exhibition-friday 13th, Freetown, Sierra-Leone

Babak Fakhamzadeh photography exhibition

I'm looking forward to this photography exhibition by Babak Fakhamzadeh taking place at Bliss Patisserie on Wilkinson Road, Freetown Sierra-Leone. The exhibition juxtaposes old freetown with present day freetown. if you are in town, check it out, if you aren't, i'll post some photos up!

Fambul dem this is how we do....