Fela is Coming to Los Angeles, FINALLY
Posted by HfH on Nov 17, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
Los Angeles…you’ve had to listen people from other cities — and countries – rave about ‘Fela!’, for ages. Now you can see what they’ve been screaming about for yourself. The production — based on the life of Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti – is coming to the Los Angeles Music Center! In December!
Fela! was originally slated to come to LA in April 2012, but was moved the start date forward to December 2011 because of schedule changes. But that’s by the by. If you’ve been living under a rock, and don’t know what we’re talking about, then watch this video to see what you’ve been missing. Then go see it.
“Water No Get Enemy” from FELA! Original Broadway Cast Recording from Fela Kuti on Vimeo.
Share on Facebook Read MoreAnother World is Possible: Nicole Sconiers
Posted by HfH on Nov 11, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
Nicole D. Sconiers is the author of a new book called Escape from Beckyville: Tales of Race, Hair and Rage, a collection of ten stories set in “a futuristic Los Angeles.” (Yup, this is Black Speculative Fiction.) While the world Sconiers has created is fantasy(esque), the issues she deals with are very real – Black hair, relationships, race and more – all of it tackled with wit and humor.
Nicole’s personal story is as interesting as any of those in her book. She left a job at the top-rated Dr. Phil show, where she worked for nearly eight years, to write and self-publish Escape from Beckyville. As you’ll hear in our conversation, venturing off uncharted territory is a little scary, but she’s very excited about her future!
Nicole Sconiers on 'Beckyville' Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadHeavy D Passes Away
Posted by HfH on Nov 8, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
Wow. It’s another of those strange days. Less than 24 hours after Joe Frazier, another important figure in African American and Global Black culture passes away, we hear about the passing of Heavy D, who played a prominent role in the soundtrack of teenagers growing up in the 90s.
Here’s video from one of his final perfomances, at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. He performed a medley of his 90′s hits.
Share on Facebook Read MoreLes Nubians
Posted by HfH on Sep 15, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
When people ask me what I am (and I’m asked that a lot), I say, “British-Born Ghanaian.” It’s a term I settled on in my teens after deciding to accept – rather than reject – the encounter between Great Britain and Ghana, the main cultural and historic influences in my life. It turns out I wasn’t alone in my thinking about cultural identity. Helene and Celia Fussart, also known as Les Nubians, make music that embraces their many influences while also staying firmly rooted in African culture. They even came up with a far more catchy (and, quite frankly, more inclusive) term than my hybrid designation: “Afropean.”
I talked to Les Nubians just before their performance at The Conga Room in downtown LA. (You can view more of their tour dateshere.) The discussion was wide ranging from their latest album, Nü Revolution, to the difficult work of maintaining your cultural integrity in a cultural climate that alludes to, but is still afraid of, true diversity. We also talked about some of their recent collaborations, including a very exciting one with Manu Dibango, the man behind Soul Makossa, which some say is the first disco record. (Does that mean Africa created disco?! You’re welcome!)
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A Hair-Raising Encounter
Posted by HfH on Sep 15, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
I’m no doubt going to be called oversensitive. And even though I can’t begin articulate my frustration after watching this, I’m going to try. Aevin Dugas is the current world record holder for the world’s largest Afro. She was a guest on the BBC show, ‘Impact‘ recently. This interview is a great lesson in how not to act when you see a person with Afro/braided/freshly cut/freshly washed (lol) hair.
The interview has some really funny parts in it. We learn, for example, that the world’s smallest man can fit into her hair. We also learn that her sister likes to throw stuff in her hair. That’s badminded and funny all at once!
But back to the interview. It’s so deep to me. Here are some standout parts: 1: The host, after acknowledging that it must be annoying for Dugas to have her hair touched all the time, promptly asks if she can touch Dugas’ hair. (NB: I know… Dugas gave her permission, but it was clear that resistance was futile).
2: The host shrieks with excitement after touching said hair.
3: And here is a sample question: ‘Do you bang into things?’ … (before you even try to explain the question with ‘but her hair is so big’, let me say this. That’s the point. It’s hair, not brick.)
I will say this, Dugas seemed to have fun, and the host really was trying not to get too excited about the whole thing.
But, in the end, I was left mostly shaking my head.
I’ve asked myself if it would have mattered if the interviewer was a woman of colour. The answer is no. It wouldn’t have mattered. I’m not even mad that they chose to highlight that world record as a topic of conversation. Why not?
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Jacquetta Szathmari: Don’t Give Up On Black People.
Posted by HfH on Jun 17, 2011 in Shows | 0 comments
HfH: Jacquetta Szathmari [ 15:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThis week, New York based writer and comedian Jacquetta Szathmari talks to Christabel Nsiah-Buadi about her candid and provocative commentaries on race and class relations. Her one woman show, ‘That’s Funny. You Didn’t Sound Black On the Phone‘ was featured in the 2010 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In addition to her stage shows, Jacquetta is co hosting a podcast, with Katie Kazimir, called ‘Hey You Know It.’
Credits: All comedy show audio excerpts from via Jacquetta Szathmari’s You Tube site
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