Nubian Nights


The world’s most famous Japanese restaurant, Nobu, known for its innovative new- style cuisine, paired with a hip crowd and celebrity following to host an exclusive hair catwalk in celebration of African hair over the past six decades. A hair-raising affair


organised by Senegalese sisters Mimi and Nafi Traore from Nubian Events, the evening was hosted by Ghanaian Henry Bonsu and saw fellow African stars such as Nigerian entrepreneur Alexander Amosu, Sierra Leone actress Ellen Thomas, Ghanaian soul/jazz singer Rhiannon Benson and Nigerian gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu come out to support the event.


While tucking into a finger- licking candle-lit supper, eye- candy models illustrated styles from the African/Caribbean community over the last 60 years, styled by award-winning hairstylists Angela Plummer and Morris Roots, not forgetting Nkwo Onwuka who


dressed the models in fine African attire!


The catwalk demonstrated how


1


2


black hair trends have had a positive influence over the decades, especially within the music world, and how Afro hair has been used as a political statement, for example in the


American civil rights movement, by the Black Panthers, and in the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica and around the globe with dreadlocks.


Resurrecting the mantra


‘Black, Beautiful and Proud’, the night allowed all – both men and women – to celebrate their African roots and tresses. The night ended on a ‘hair-tastic’ high with guests treated to Mizani goodie bags!


1. In harmony: Singer Rhiannon Benson with gold entrepreneur Laban Roomes, athlete Christine Ohuruogu and Colourful Radio founder Henry Bonsu. 2. A cut above: Mimi Traore from Nubian Events, award- winning hairstylists Angela Plummer and Morris Roots, and fashion designer Nkwo Onwuka. 3. Playtime: Contemporary visual artist Eugene Ankomah and Mimi Traore.


3


Above: Femi Kuti’s booty- shaking dancer/singer Left: Prince of Afrobeat, Femi Kuti


Prince of Afrobeat plays at the


London Barbican Following the success of the musical biography


of Fela Kuti in the US and the UK – his son, Femi Kuti, performed at the Barbican, London, bringing the sounds of Lagos to the UK. In a jam-packed show,


featuring a 10-piece band – including a five-man brass section – and booty-shaking women, Femi entertained the crowd playing first keyboards and then saxophone. Building on an energetic take on ‘Truth Don Die’ from the late 1990s, Femi performed a set of songs from his new album ‘Africa to Africa’.


12 | NEW AFRICAN WOMAN | WINTER 2011


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100