ChilliMango’s new digs
ChilliMango is one of the coolest Afro-street fashion lines in Kenya. From the use of iconic images from the 80s and 90s to cool Khanga hoodies, ChilliMango has managed to grab people’s imagination and keep them coming back for more. The new store is in the cool leafy garden of Nairobi Art Centre ( James Gichuru, opposite Lavington Green). It’s right around the back where kids do head stands and brown eyed dogs sniff at your knees. If you are also a vinyl LP enthusiast, you will be pleasantly surprised to find some records saved in an old Coca Cola crate, from Nas to Tina Turner to Porgie and Bess, ChilliMango serves it up like a freshly cut slice of mango with some chilli on it.
Solange: A seat at the table
“…I’m weary of the ways of the world/ I’m gonna look for my body yeah, I’ll be back like real soon”
I like Solange, I liked her weirdness and unapologetic self possession. I had a discussion with a friend who said she is trying to hard, and trying to be her sister. No, I disagree. Solo has always been on her own lane, she co-wrote Destiny Child songs when she was barely 13 if she wanted that lane she would be on it. It’s inevitable people will compare her to her sister, especially since her sister just happens to be Beyoncé. I suggest reserving judgement until you first listen to her album (which made it to number one the Billboard charts). It’s cool, it has soul, a bit of hip hop, in fact it sounds like something from the Neosoul era, I mean Raphael Sadiq and Quest Love are some of the producers. It’s introspective, makes me question things and gives me the feels big time. My favourite songs are Weary, Cranes in the Sky, Mad, and Fubu.
Awuor Onyango
“Buries hatchet…remembers where”
As part of the Digital Arts Festival project curated by Goethe, the talented writer and visual artist Auwor Onyango, created Makeda and Makeda’s lair, a digital art installation that delves into the proliferation of the internet and the constant stream of data that we consume and put out. Luckily, I caught it on the last day. It was hard not to miss the wall with messages gathered from s, posts and comments all funny, poignant and thought provoking. Intrigued I searched for more and came across Awuor’s own online lair, she’s an amazing writer, it made me very happy, check out: missawuor
A harem of Zebras
What do you do when you have friends on transit looking to kill time between the hours of 6am and 5pm? A game drive at Nairobi National Park and brunch at Purdy Arms sound real good. While every early morning visitor dreams of seeing lions, the lions obviously do not feel the same. We did catch sight of some buffalo, giraffe and impala, the secretary bird that looked like it had lost it’s pen, an ostrich with it’s head in the sand and finally, happening upon a harem of Zebra’s (yes that’s the correct term) that were close enough to touch and unfettered by our attention.
Have a great weekend! Below is Cranes, written produced by Solange and Raphael Saadiq, share your comments and thoughts below 🙂
