Kenyan Nurse Rita makes it happen: A well run clinic in Northern Kenya
Women of Substance: Nurse Rita and Mama Peters. Rita Lekisaat and Mama Peters are doing great work at the clinic in Latakwen, a small settlement in the Ndoto Mountains in Northern Kenya. They are working hard at the clinic attending to the medical needs of the nomadic tribes in the area and doing a fabulous […]
South African artist Pieter Hugo speaks about his provocative photography
Interview with South African artist Pieter Hugo by Diane Frankel. Pieter Hugo‘s museum retrospective,This must be the place, which is touring in Europe, is bringing him lots of attention. Hugo was born in Cape Town in 1976 where he resides now. Trained as a photojournalist he now favors portraiture. He chooses to focus his lens on […]
Interview with South African artist Nandipha Mntambo
Nandipha Mntambo’s hauntingly beautiful sculptures made out of cowhide. Video by Diane Frankel Nandipha Mntambo, born in Swaziland in 1982 and raised in South Africa, is a sculptor who has made cowhide her medium of choice. Her choice is informed on one hand by a childhood dream where she found herself left with a pile […]
Interview with rising star: South African artist Nicholas Hlobo
Interview with Nicholas Hlobo by Diane Frankel Nicholas Hlobo cuts, tears, punctures and resews varied materials such as paper, black inner tube, satin ribbon, leather, textiles that are rich in associations and creates drawings, sculptural installations and performances where he explores issues of personal identity, such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, origins and colonial history. […]
Monica Wangu Wamwere: A mother fighting for her son’s freedom
Monica Wangu Wamwere: Unbroken Spirit Through determination, relentless perseverance, faith, and peaceful means Monica Wangu Wamwere prevailed and saw her son, Kenyan human rights activist and political prisoner Koigi wa Wamwere and many other imprisoned in the Kenyan jails released. She participated along with Noble Laureate Wangari Maathai in the 1992’s Mothers’ Hunger Strike. The […]
New series: Interviews of artists from South Africa.
I have been increasingly interested in artistic expressions that are not part of the mainstream and that reflect a different cultural experience, perspective, and history. In great part because I get great pleasure from being in Africa, whether it be Kenya, Mali, Egypt, South Africa to name a few, […]
In Kenya, Tanuja Walli Mends Hearts One Child at a Time
New Series: African Unsung Heroines and Heros. One of the great privileges of going to Africa is the opportunity of meeting some extraordinary local people who work very hard to make a difference and improve the lives of many. They refuse to accept the status quo and try to effect change. They often work […]
Interview with Auma Obama (audio)
Auma Obama talks about her life in Africa and Europe, and her relationship with her brother, Barack Obama. Her memoir, And Then Life Happens, tells the story of her meeting Barack Obama for the first time in the 1980s, and how they built a lasting relationship, traveled together in Kenya, and researched their family history, […]
Cheikh Lô: Senegalese Sufi Troubadour
On April 20 , at Zankel Hall in New York City, Cheikh Lô, the Senegalese Sufi troubadour drew an enthusiastic crowd. A superb singer, songwriter, and a distinctive guitarist, drummer and percussionist Cheikh Lô has developed his own sound, which distills a variety of influences from West and Central Africa. His music can be described […]
Poaching in Africa: the scale of the problem
Following Prince William’s passionate anti-poaching speech, we look at the disturbing facts behind the poaching spree. A horn can change hands at £40,000 per kilogram (2.2lb), compared with £33,000 for a kilogram of gold Photo: ALAMY By Charles Starmer-Smith and Brian Jackman In the years before the Tusk Trust was established in 1990, poaching was […]
Recent Comments