JUNE Issue 2016
Celebrating Women of African Heritage
AFROELLE www.afroellemagazine.com
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Afroelle Magazine is a monthly digital publication celebrating and empowering women of African heritage in Africa and the Diaspora. FOUNDER & EDITOR
Patricia Miswa PUBLISHER
Miswa Media FOR SUBMISSIONS & GENERAL ENQUIRIES Afroelle@gmail.com
COVER CREDITS
Model - Brigid Turner - www.brigidturner.com Stylist- Brigid Turner Photographer, Hair & Makeup- M'shari WhaleyEditor- Sylvia Torres - fotogeniksyl.com Jewelry- Tafari Tribe Afroelle Magazine is published by Miswa Media copyright © 2016 All rights reserved.
Contributors
AMINA T.
Patricia M.
Ashley M.
Photographer
Editor
Writer
Los Angeles
Kenya
South Africa
aminatouray.com
@afroellemag
ashleymakue.com
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CONTENTS
JUNE ISSUE 11 Monthly Gift Guide 12 Event Recap: She Hive New York 14 In Her Words - The Flowering Woman 18 Her Story: Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson 30 In Conversation with Amina Buddafly 34 Spotlight on Diane Audrey of Visiter l'Afrique 44 Girl Going Places 48 Living On The Edge with Lisette Mibo
INSIDE Singer Amina Buddafly talks music, motherhood and new beginnings. Pg. 30
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ur June issue is finally here! In this issue we
speak to poet Q. Gibson about her debut collection of poetry and prose, The Flowering Woman: Becoming & Being, which unveils through the eyes of the writer some hurt, truth and ultimate healing on the journey to becoming a woman. In ‟Her Story‟ feature, founder of Livingfreetolive organization, Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson, shares her story on being a Myasthenia Gravis fighter and how her organization is giving hope and support to people living with the medical condition. Singer and Songwriter, Amina Buddafly opens up to our writer and photographer, Amina Touray, about her musical journey, motherhood and her experience on being on reality TV. We‟ve also featured social entrepreneur Rahama Wright who is working to innovate the shea butter supply chain in West Africa through her company Shea Yeleen, Founder of Visiter l'Afrique, Diane Audrey on how digital travel platform is changing how we view Africa and An African City star, Maame Adjei on her new travel show „Girl Going Places.‟ We hope you enjoy this issue, till next time, I leave you with the words of Iyanla Vanzant “When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and you heal somebody else.”
Happy Reading!
Founder and EIC COVER CREDITS
Model - Brigid Turner www.brigidturner.com Stylist- Brigid Turner Photographer, Hair & Makeup M'shari Whaley Editor- Sylvia Torres fotogeniksyl.com Jewelry- Tafari Tribe
She Leads Africa, they trained, they networked, they inspired! On 2nd - 5th June , She Leads Africa brought its innovative professional bootcamp to New York City. Over the 4 days, NYC was sprinkled with a dose of #AfricanGirlMagic as 80 women of African descent came together to learn, network and boost their careers.
Lola Ogunnaike, CNN présenter with participants
The boot camp hosted speakers such as CNN presenter, Lola Ogunnaike, Editor in Chief of Essence Magazine, Vanessa K Deluca, head of US-Spain Chamber of Commerce ,Bisila Bokoko, publicist and motivational speaker, Yetunde Shorters, founder of Plum Perfect, Asmau Ahmed, founder of Womeneur, Sharon Beason, producer of An African City, Maame Adjei and Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur Adiat Disu.
Speaking about the event, SLA cofounder Afua Osei said, “There are very few programs targeted to African women in the diaspora or more broadly, women from all cultures who are interested in Africa. SheHiveNYC was a unique opportunity for women who are interested in the continent, either because their families are from there or because they want to take advantage of the continent‟s boom, to come together, network, learn new skills and have fun.” True to SLA‟s signature style, the bootcamp was educational yet informal - a safe space for women to learn critical skills in a casual and refreshing environment. At one point, participants were listening to prominent female business leaders; at another, they were taking part in a rap battle to explain why they were
Afroelle Events #MotherlandMoguls. One of the speakers, Abby Omoruyi, founder of Catherine Marion remarked “This is not the standard overly stiff and formal conference and I love it!.” The event made a strong impression on social media with the #SheHiveNYC hashtag making nearly 1 million impressions over the weekend on Twitter and Instagram. Participants came from all over the world including Nigeria, Canada, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Guyana and even the British Virgin Islands to attend this event. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Damilola Faleti, a participant from Nigeria „You have no idea how much She Leads Africa and SheHive NYC have changed my life in the past 2 days. I feel like I can accomplish anything. Also in attendance was the reigning Miss Nigeria USA, Lola Adeoye who remarked, „Definitely try to connect with SLA, they have resources that you would not imagine!‟ - All access pass holder & Miss Nigeria USA. 90% of participants gave the event a 5/5 in terms of usefulness with the remaining 10% giving the event a 4/5.
Co-Founders, Catherine Marion
The event was proudly sponsored by ReelAfrican - the premier online platform for on demand African movies and TV Shows, tech blog, Innov8tiv and co-working space District Cowork District Co Work. Media and organisational partners included Afroelle, Women Werk, Applause Africa, OkayAfrica, Face2Face Africa, Womeneur, Africa.com and Bella Naija. The 2016 SheHive tour has already taken She Leads Africa to Abuja and Accra. The next stop is Nairobi (June 30th - 3rd July) where speakers include the CEO of Safaricom, Kenyas leading Telco and the GM of IBM East Africa. After Nairobi, the tour will go on to London, Lagos and Johannesburg. Interested participants, partners and sponsors can learn more about the tour and sign up at sheleadsafrica.org or contact info@sheleadsafrica.org
Participants taking part in a fun rap battle to explain why they are MotherlandMoguls
Staying Hopeful, Finding My Purpose -
My Survival Story! By Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson Medical doctor and the Founder of the Livingfreetolive organization, Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson shares her story as a Myasthenia Gravis fighter and how her organization is giving hope and support to people living with the condition and other medical conditions that currently have no known cure. I am the eldest out of three children in a family of five. I was born and bred in Nigeria till I started school in Ghana. I am a medical doctor, currently living in Ghana; I am happily married and blessed with a beautiful daughter. I have always said life is an OXYMORON – it is usually bittersweet. In my case, it was sweet-bitter because the sweet aspect came before the bitter part. Three years ago, the joy that came with being a mother for the very first time was however short-lived. Barely a few days after this joyous moment, I started experiencing strange symptoms. I ended up at the hospital more times than I expected, and I had several tests carried out on me. This was not how I thought my life, as a new mom, would be. I was confused, sad and scared. I had been losing weight uncontrollably and I was very weak. I could not carry my baby. I had become so emaciated that I could hardly do anything for myself, eating and breathing had become too difficult. I needed help with everything
Her Story even basic hygiene. I was angry and could not pray. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare, and just be a wife, a mom, and a doctor. This experience was my introduction to the medical condition known as Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a neuromuscular disease that leads to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatigue. Three weeks after the birth of my baby, my condition had deteriorated to the point that I could not even complete a sentence because breathing had become almost impossible. Furthermore, I could no longer swallow anything but water. I remember thinking that morning that my life was over and I was going to leave my newborn nursing baby in this world alone; I had given up, I didn‟t have the strength to fight anymore because I had been fighting for my life since the day I got home after delivery. I was tired so I told my husband to take me to the hospital to die there. This was the day my diagnosis was made, and it was the beginning of the longest, most painful and challenging journey of my life. I was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and put on a lot of medications. Through out my stay in the hospital, I was miserable; I questioned God, and I wondered, “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” After a while of questioning without getting answers, I accepted my fate, and I surrendered to God for healing. My condition eventually improved enough for me to be discharged home; I was happy because I thought it was all over, little did I know that this was just the beginning of a different type of life for me – a life filled with dependence on other people, one filled with extreme constant debilitating fatigue. After being home for sometime, the reality of the condition hit me and I started asking again, “Why me?” I lived in self-pity and depression for two years, all the while having relapses despite my
effort to avoid triggers for the disease. Although I constantly felt sorry for myself, I never gave up hope that God could perform a miracle in my life. I held onto Him like the air I breathe, and I meditated on scriptures from the Bible as often as possible. The thought of my daughter was my motivation to keep fighting daily. Finally during my last relapse in October 2015, God showed up. He revealed to me my purpose in life and gave me the freedom to live again. This was when I got the inspiration to make my book, “Living With Myashenia Gravis” a reality. It was also when LIVINGFREETOLIVE was birthed; it is an organization dedicated to giving hope and support to people living with Myasthenia Gravis or any other medical condition with no known cure. At Livingfreetolive, we hope to achieve this by providing assistance in the diagnosis and treatment of Myasthenia Gravis, helping affected individuals learn how to cope with the condition through interactive support systems, helping affected individuals build their selfesteem, knowing that they can still achieve their dreams despite of their condition and teaching affected individuals to remain hopeful and productive, instead of dwelling in the misery of the condition. To those suffering with Myasthenia Gravis, my fellow “snowflake warriors”, hang in there! You are not alone; together we can make a difference. Don‟t let MG keep you down, live your life to the fullest. You can still achieve greatness despite of MG. Your life is an inspiration!
Find out more about LivingFreetoLive at http://livingfreetolive.org
IN HER WORDS
The
Flowering Woman I've always liked the fact that no one teaches a flower to bloom. It simply drinks the rain and eats the sun; stomachs both, and finds beauty in every part of growing. This is art. This is mastery. This is divine. This is life. -@Q.Gibson Q. Gibson is a writer and artist born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Her recent debut collection of poetry and prose “The Flowering Woman: Becoming and Beingâ€? has invited many women to heal and journey themselves through literature. Expanding to over five countries and reaching hundreds of women in its first few months, Qâ€&#x;s mission towards empowering and promoting transparency in womanhood is becoming a fulfilling reality. As the middle sister of five women Q. has built her passions around producing creative works that serves to nurture women of diverse backgrounds as well as the African-American culture. As a mother to one son, she currently works full-time in digital media and juggles life as a writer and creative. With a promising future as a writer for the women of our generation she focuses on themes such as femininity, violence, oppression, self-discovery, gender sentimentality, community and more. Gibson is set to release her second collection of work entitled "The Sweetness in Soil" later this year.
WHAT LED YOU TO WRITE THE FLOWERING WOMAN?
Prior to writing the book, I‟d been writing pieces here and there and had a collection of other small works in several places. I‟d just been in a space where I was tired of succumbing to the fear of sharing my thoughts and emotions aloud. I knew I had a lot that I wanted to share in my writing and poetry and it was just a natural feeling at the time to begin to construct my first collection. The title was inspired by my love for flowers and plant life, as well as the many comparisons I see between humans and flowers, especially women. Flowers go through so much to grow but we often only see them for their
beauty. Flowers are also fragile yet they withstand a lot, I find that very expressive of women as well. The process of coming into our own as women takes planting, being rooted, budding, blossoming; we are constantly flowering into the women we are destined to become. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHAPTER TO WRITE AND WHEN YOU READ BACK, WHICH CHAPTER SPEAKS THE LOUDEST TO YOU?
“Healing, Grieving & Growing” was my favorite chapter to write. It holds a lot of grief in it and I find that part of it beautiful. Some of the pieces in that chapter I was very afraid of writing due to the fact I
was sharing about domestic violence and abuse I‟d watched my mother experience growing up and into adulthood. I was uncovering feelings I‟d never knew I had and some I never addressed out of either resentment or mourning. That same chapter spoke loudest to me because I also had a chance to see why I used so many things in my life as a defense mechanism towards love. I‟d subconsciously built up a wall against so many things due to the hurt my mother had experienced herself. Then again that chapter also served as a reassurance that ugly things can teach us and that it is ok to open up and share our stories and the stories of others (at their approval) to spark healing and transformation in someone else‟s lives. It reassured me that even the dark moments have purpose even though we may not understand at the given moment. IF YOU COULD GO BACK, IS THERE AN ASPECT OF YOUR BOOK YOU’D CHANGE?
I don‟t think I would change anything about the book. I wrote this out of a
raw and pure space allowing myself to just “be” during the process and I am proud of myself for that. I think with life as a writer it is easy to go back and talk about the things we could have or should have changed long after the process, but maybe it‟s best to allow things to be what they are respective to when they were created. I think that allows me not only to track my growth as a writer but as a human being in general. This time around I am just focused on making my next book something that is also as filling and raw in nature. WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED FROM YOUR READERS?
The feedback for me has been astonishing. Most of it has come from women who have reached out either via social media, text or email and I‟ve also been receiving some lovely reviews that I am honored to have. It‟s funny that a lot of the women have stated “It‟s like you wrote this for me”. They get a sense in some of the pieces that I am speaking directly to or about them, and I just smile. When a woman can find herself anywhere in those pages I know I have crossed the threshold from merely relating to them to healing and having a solitary conversation through my literature. It‟s truly filling.
ARE THERE AUTHORS YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO FANS OF YOUR BOOKS, BOOKS YOU LOVE YOURSELF?
Photography by Alan Johnson
Ah yes. I love so many but I am constantly trying to indulge in the classics. It is something about studying writers who have mastered longevity and timelessness through their works. It gives me hope that in this day and age my work can withstand the evolutions of technology and literature. Some writers I absolutely recommend are Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. I‟m currently re-reading Jazz for the third time this year and I‟m also currently reading Once: Poems by Alice Walker. YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A NEW BOOK, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT?
upon my works creating words and imagery that withstand era. My upcoming book is called "The As a self-published writer I am Sweetness in Soil" and it is truly a dissection of the ways our environment has looking to have a few works traditionally published and effect on us as women. Moreover it is a extend myself into the literary genuine look into the realities of growing world as a historical addition. I up woman in a rugged inner-city environment especially as African-American want to continue to create what moves people and what moves woman. It explores the narrative of innerwith time. In the future I see city women and spans themes of growth, survival, mental health, kinship, culture and myself continuing to create triumph. It is more expansive in length and books and visual art well into my old age, and living happily I am currently building upon the inclusion while doing so. of poetic short stories into the work. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE FUTURE AS A WRITER AND CREATIVE?
In the future I would hope to have built
CLICK HERE to get a copy of ‘The Flowering Woman’
Rahama WRIGHT A leading voice on African women’s economic and business development Rahama Wright is a social entrepreneur working to innovate the Shea butter supply chain in West Africa. She is a first generation-Ghanaian American that was raised in upstate New York. Although growing up she spent very little time in Ghana, she was always fascinated by the stories her mother told her about being from Africa and she knew she wanted to work in Africa when she grew up. This led her to study International Relations at SUNY Geneseo and during her senior year she interned at the Department of State with a follow up internship at the American Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso after she graduated. Her internship at the American Embassy gave her an early introduction into the Shea butter world, because she focused on researching income generating activities for women. Prior to Rahama‟s internship she had no idea that shea butter came from Sub-Saharan Africa. “I was familiar with shea butter because I would see it in products on shelves in US stores, but did not know of its origin as an African resource connected to the livelihoods of women. As I interviewed women, the shea producers, I saw a common theme of poverty that was baffling. Shea butter was sold for lots of money back in the US, so it was perplexing to see so many women who were the traditional harvesters struggling to make ends meet.” She says.
After Rahama completed her internship, she moved to Mali where she spent the next two years as a Peace Corps volunteer working in a small village as a health educator. Similar to Burkina Faso, she met many women who could not make ends meet, yet they harvested and produced shea butter. Her fascination with the shea industry was solidified during her service. She decided to create a secondary project organizing shea butter producers and submitting a small grant proposal to get funding for training. The process of working with the women in her village sparked a desire to do more after her service ended. In 2005, Ms. Wright launched Shea Yeleen International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports women-owned cooperatives in West Africa, and provides training on quality assurance and micro-enterprise development. With a vision to develop an integrative and sustainable supply chain, Ms. Wright created Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty, LLC in 2012, a forprofit sister organization that markets and distributes high quality skincare products. What Shea Yeleen has set out to do is nothing short of a miracle in itself. Not only is this social enterprise's mission to organize and train women in the villages of Ghana to produce high
quality natural butter, Shea Yeleen also uses this shea butter as the main component in a decadent and high quality body care line that they make available for sale to the western world. These sales then provide a fair wage to the women who own and work at the Shea butter cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Rahama chats with us about Shea Yeleen, how its empowering women shea producers and the lessons sheâ€&#x;s learnt along the way.
What is the Shea Yeleen story & what sets it apart from other brands marketing shea butter? I created Shea Yeleen as a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on organizing, training, and providing production equipment to women shea butter producers. The mission was to support shea producers so that they could successfully bring their products to market and generate living wages. Initially, my focus was on capacity building and helping women develop the skills required to supply the marketplace. I however, experienced many funding challenges and after a few years of selffunding and raising small sums of money via happy hours in DC, I started to consider another business model. I learned about impact investing, and decided I would pursue that avenue yet
need a for profit business structure. In 2012, I launched Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty, LLC to create the proper vehicle to position me to benefit from social investment funds. I also created a new brand of retail products using the shea butter sourced directly from womenâ€&#x;s coops in Ghana. Creating a new business model opened doors for me, and within a few months of each other I was able to get my products in Whole Foods as well as secure my first round of seed capital from a fund supported my Ron Lauder and Dick Parsons. There are two primary differentiators between Shea Yeleen and other brands marketing shea butter products. The first is the quality of our product. We use handcrafted 100% natural shea butter, unlike the chemically processed shea butter you often find in mainstream shea butter products. The second is we create living wages for the women who make our shea butter helping them go from making less than the Ghanaian minimum wage of $2/ day to on average over $10/day. The increase in income helps women send their kids to school, invest in savings, and invest in land ownership.
Having started your company at 23, what can you say are some of the benefits of starting a company at a young age? I started my company at 23 and it took 7 years to get it off the ground. Starting a company young was a huge benefit to me, because I was young enough to not be jaded by life, and although I was inexperienced I had the drive, passion, and energy to pursue what I believed in. It also helped that I did not have many responsibilities that come later in life like marriage and kids. This allowed me to fully dedicate my time to developing my business. It was also easier for me to bounce back from disappointments because I didnâ€&#x;t fully know what I had gotten myself into and the process felt like a learning experience rather than a high pressure results driven business. I was on this journey to solve a problem I identified during my service and it felt like a natural progression to keep going. What were the challenges you encountered along the way and what has kept you going through the years? Being young was a challenge, because I could rarely get anyone to take me seriously. I had to make sure I worked harder and had a high bar
of excellence in order to get the You’ve been able to get your support I needed. As a black woman brand into Whole Foods, how I also experienced unconscious bias did that partnership come because of my gender and race, and about? I learned to develop a very thick Pure persistence! I was rejected 3 skin. I learned to take any slight times and was very disappointed with a grain of salt and became laser that I kept getting rejected. I had focused on what I wanted to to rethink my strategy and achieve. I kept going because I did decided I would keep not create Shea pitching to different Yeleen to make buyers until I was myself a able to get a yes. millionaire, I Luckily I learned created Shea I did not create Shea about a program Yeleen to help Yeleen to make myself called Youth Trade women that was launching in a millionaire, I struggling with North Altantic rural poverty. I created Shea Yeleen the region of Whole refused to give to help women Foods that supported up because I had struggling with rural social impact a deeper purpose business led by poverty. to my business founders under the model. age of 35. I applied My Christian practice was very and was able to get a meeting beneficial to me throughout my with a buyer who loved the entrepreneurial journey because products. The rest was history! We prayer was a way for me to alleviate launched in 7 stores in December stress and practice my faith in the of 2012 and now are in 123 stores unseen. I also had a wonderful along the east coast. Additionally, church community that supported Shea Yeleen is in about 25 my efforts. Outside my church independent natural food stores. community, I leveraged free resources like the SBA Score program to find advisors to assist Apart from the desire to help me in developing my business and women become financially marketing plan. independent, your company also brings the women you work
“
with to the US to meet with consumers, how has that experience been for the women and what has been the response from the consumers? One palpable experience was in 2013 Shea Yeleen sponsored two shea butter producers to travel to the US to visit 26 Whole Food stores in the New England area. We traveled to RI, ME, MA, and CT. The women got a chance to meet with buyers at each store and we demoed our products to Whole Foods shoppers. It was a transformative experience for both the women from the cooperatives as well as the shoppers and Whole Foods staff members. The core of Shea Yeleenâ€&#x;s mission is creating a greater connection between the women who produce our products and the people who buy our products. The shoppers were able to learn how each product financially contributes to the life of the producer, and the producer was able to learn why making a high quality product benefits the person who buys it. In the end we want to give voice and visibility to the Shea butter
producers, and provide an opportunity for consumers to choose body care products that are healthy for them, and that also have a positive impact on the life of someone else. What has been your greatest achievement since you started your company? This question is a tough one, because I still feel like there is so much more to achieve. The greatest moments I have felt are when one of our Shea butter producers shows me what they have been able to do with the money they have generated. It makes the worst day better when I know a
woman was able to pay for her child‟s school fees, or rebuild a new part of her home. I come from an immigrant family, and I see myself in the women I work with. My mother had a very tough childhood growing up in Ghana, and the sacrifices she has made I am paying forward through the work I do with Shea Yeleen. If I could indulge in patting my back for a moment, being appointed to President Obama‟s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa was not only a very exciting moment for me, but incredibly humbling. In my 18 months of serving on the council I have learned a great deal, and feel proud that I am contributing my experience and voice to influence policy makers who can make a difference in the lives of women and young entrepreneurs in Africa. What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt from building Shea Yeleen over the years? Never say no to myself. Being an entrepreneur is difficult partly because of the ups and downs and high levels of rejection and disappointment. I am constantly faced with and often placed in negative situations, however, I have learned that I should never place a
Photo credits: sheayeleen.com
barrier on myself or create my own roadblock by not believing in my potential. Often itâ€&#x;s easy to talk yourself out of an opportunity because of fear of rejection, but I have learned it is important to try anyway. When I was rejected by Whole Foods buyers I could have given up, but I said to myself unless every single buyer rejects me I will not deny myself the opportunity to keep trying. This is part of being committed and staying persistent in an idea or vision, it begins with saying yes to yourself and your potential! What future plans do you have for Shea Yeleen and for yourself? I am working diligently on scaling my business and expanding to big box retailers that can provide me a much wider distribution both in the US and globally. In the next two years I would like to start distributing products in African markets including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Personally, I am still heavily involved in the day to day operations of the business. I would like to hire a COO to take on some of the work, allowing me the opportunity to work on bigger picture items for Shea Yeleen. To find our more about Shea Yeleen, visit www.sheayeleen.com
CONVERSATION WITH
BUDDAFLY On Motherhood and Making Music and New Beginnings Growing up in Germany and singing with her sisters, the talented German - Senegalese singer & songwriter, Amina Buddafly always related more to the American music culture than the European one. After fourteen years in The U.S, the self taught pianist and guitar player has written and released songs that many can relate to. Known from the TV show Love & Hip Hop NY, we only see little glimpses of her life, but in our interview we dig a little deeper to get to know the woman with the soulful R&B sound as she talks about her upbringing, music, motherhood and recent move to Los Angeles. When I meet Amina Buddafly at her beautiful home in LA I am also greeted by her happy 1year old daughter Cori who run towards the door with a big smile. Her eyes are sparkling like Cognac diamonds. Amina is just as beautiful as we see her on the TV screen. She has a warm, generous and genuine charisma that makes it seem like Iâ€&#x;ve known her for quite some time. As we later sit down to talk, I sink into her big coach with a glass of sweet cranberry juice, ready to hear her story.
Photographer/writer: Amina Touray Makeup Artist: Irma Vasquez
and mom was always a music lover. She was into jazz and classical and different kinds of music. What we would do every day was sing and dance and play music with them. That was like our “every day” at Amina Buddafly: That‟s a long story home growing up. And my sisters but I‟m going to make it short and I have always sung together and (laughs ). I grew up in Germany. My we would always sing in harmony. mom is German and my dad is from My mom even said that started Senegal. So it was us mixed kids; I singing before we could actually have two sisters, a twin and an older talk. one, and we grew up always feeling a little different because being black AT: And you mentioned that your wasn‟t “normal”, it was a little father is Senegalese, did he ever different growing up in Germany. introduce you to any African or Our parents are amazing, both very Senegalese music ? much into music, we had a very musical household with my dad always playing music in the house AB: No he never did. I just Amina Touray: You’re originally from Germany, can you tell us a little about your upbringing in Europe and move to NY ?
but I‟ve never experienced it. Germany is home, I feel more German than African, but I guess my looks made me feel African. But I feel very German even though I‟m not a typical German. I‟ve always felt out of place, like I don‟t belong there. As we got older, me and my sisters started actually singing in choir as kids, I was like 6 or 7 years old. We sung in choir for years and that‟s how we really started. But we were always singing together, so then after the choir we became teenagers and we started liking more other kinds of music and listening to R&B and the 90‟s, you know it was the 90‟s. And we loved everything that came from America and we would listen to all of these female R&B groups. remember him playing a lot of classical music, salsa and jazz, those are the three main genres my sisters and I were introduced to as kids. I think classical music is one of the most genius and it has taught me the most especially how to listen in a different way than the normal person. That's also how I was able to teach myself to play instruments. AT: Do you feel like your European and African heritage has influenced your music? AB: Mostly my European heritage because I‟ve never been to Africa. I know some things through my dad
AT: Who would you listen to ? AB: Well, my biggest influence was always Mariah Carey, you know big singers like that. Mariah is who I learned the most from but in the 90‟s when my sisters and I started singing as a group we loved people that we felt were like us; you know like Brandy, SWV, Brownstone, all those R&B groups from the 90‟s. AT: So it came natural, it fell into place to move to New York ? AB: Yes, we felt like we‟re more like that than anything in Germany. We
felt drawn to it. All the stuff we loved came from America. We were like ”we wish we were there, it‟s such a big world, everything is untouchable, unreachable”. So we started doing music as a group in Germany but we were never happy. Never felt understood, or that we could do the music that we liked because there were no producers that were able to do the music. AT: Yes, you were first Black Buddafly, you and your two sisters ? AB: Right, but before Black Buddafly we were named “Choice” in Germany, and we had a record deal in Germany and recorded a bunch of music, but they tried to make us make more European music and dancing and the stuff we hated. AT: But now you’re solo? AB: Yes! That took a lot of years. But we did the group thing in America for years before I became solo. I‟ve been solo for about five years. AT: Do you think you will
collaborate with your sisters again as a group? AB: I‟m always going to make music with my sisters but I‟m not going to be in group anymore, I‟m too old for that (laughs). I‟m at a different place in my life. AT: How would you describe the audience in Europe and here in The
U.S ? AB: Well in Europe, I never really got out there. We never put out music. We have done tours in Europe but that was after we had already been signed in America and toured here and it was us coming back from America performing in Europe, so I honestly don‟t know much about the European music scene, I just knew what I experienced in the late 90‟s so it‟s probably completely different now. But the music scene back then I just didn‟t like it, I felt like the people didn‟t even know music, like real music, so even the people that are heads of the label, don‟t even understand real music. That‟s how I always felt then, but now. It might be different now. I have no idea because I‟ve been in America for like 14 years. AT: You’re known from Love and Hip Hop NY. In what way has the show changed your life ? What has been the best and the worst experience with it? AB: Oh wow! it definitely completely changed everything about my life, in a good way and also in a bad way. Sometimes I feel like it wasn‟t for me, like I shouldn‟t really have done it. It‟s really emotionally been the most difficult thing I‟ve ever been through. But on the other hand I have two children now and I have more money than I‟ve ever had.
AT: Has it also helped you get your music out? AB: Yes, It has helped me get exposure and get my music heard. It has made people check my music which they didn‟t before. Nobody cared, nobody knew of me. People always say ”Oh you should focus on your music and not the show, and you‟ll be way bigger”. No, I don‟t agree! Because nobody would know who I am. I love putting out stuff now because I know people are listening. Before I just put it out for myself. AT: What is the greatest lesson you've learned so far from being on the Love & Hip Hop about yourself or in general? AB: I've learned that people are mean especially women. I also learned to grow thicker skin and to not worry about people and their opinions. I've never needed approval especially as an artist but this experience made me really just count on me and I realized that I worried too much about others . I need to stop trying to please people. Especially when they don't appreciate it. And lastly I learned that listening to others when it comes to matters of the heart is not the right way for me. AT: We only see a few moments of your life on the show. What do
you think is the biggest misconception about you ? AB: That I‟m always sad, because in every scene I‟m always crying. Every time I‟m on TV it‟s like something bad happens, and that‟s just like 23 minutes out of a whole episode, not even an hour. So that I‟m always sad and that I‟m really like an unhappy person. Some people are surprised when they see me on Instagram smiling and everything. That‟s me, that‟s the real me, that‟s just not shown on the show. AT: Is there anything about you that you think people would be surprised about ? AB: They‟re always surprised when they meet me and get to know me how I really am. AT: Do they usually have other expectations? AB: Yes, they like me when they meet me. I also have people that don‟t like me. So I was not used to anyone not liking me, because I had never had anyone not liking me until I was on TV. AT: Do you think you will return to a Season 7? AB: It depends if they pay me what I want ( laughs ). But I might, now that I‟m away, I‟m away from the situation
that I hated so much and that made me look so foolish. I‟m away from that, so I would probably do it again. AT: So how is motherhood, how has it changed you? AB: Great! It‟s amazing! It‟s just like everyone always said; once you have kids you learn a different kind of love. Everything is about them, it‟s not all about you anymore. And it‟s just like that, it‟s great. I love it. It‟s so amazing to just give, and everything everyday is just making sure that everything is good for my kids, and then what about me,
then what can I do for me after I take care of her and make sure she has a good day. Then I can think about what I need to do for me. You know, I always come second now. AT: And talking about your daughter, what would you like to teach her growing up ? AB: To be strong, to be herself and to do what she wants, and follow her heart. That‟s how I live and that‟s how I feel is the right way to live. AT: And you recently moved to
Los Angeles. What made you move here and how do you like it so far? AB: I was desperate for a change, I needed something different. I needed to make a change in my life because nothing was changing and I was waiting on change from my husband and it wasn‟t coming. So I had to make a change and get away from the situation that I was in that was not healthy. AT: And are you happy with the move, do you like it here ? AB: I do, I love LA! I wouldn‟t have
picked LA if I didn‟t already like it here. I knew how it was over here, I‟ve been here working, so I‟ve spent a lot of time here, so I knew this was the only place in America that I could live. So yes I‟m happy, it‟s just very difficult people think ” Oh now you‟re gone, now everything is good and now you‟re so happy”. No! It‟s really hard to leave the person that you love. That‟s the hardest part, but other than that nothing was holding me in New York. AT: When have you been the most satisfied with your life? AB: When I started being independent as an artist and doing me. Learning how to be my own producer. Creating music everyday on my own in my own home.. This happened in between record deals from 2007-2010. Also when I first met my husband and was working in the Village Underground House Band. It was my best summer. I was learning, making money and in love. AT: Usually things fall into place you know. Where do you see yourself in five years from now? AB: Well hopefully I‟m a big time song writer like Sia, or Kara Dioguardi, the type of songs they write. I want to just be a writer and I still want to be an artist. I‟m still going to put up my music all the time, but independent. Not trying to ”oh I gotta make a hit” for myself. But I want to put some music out there for other artists. And I
think this is the place, and I would love to still be making money doing music, because nowadays it‟s really hard, but if I can get into the writing and just be focused on that. That‟s what I see myself doing, and like I said, still make my own music independently and put it out even if no one is buying it. Because that‟s been the problem, I‟ve been putting out music independently and more people buy it than before but it‟s like if you don‟t have a label it‟s not easy. But I‟m going to continue putting my music out. AT: Music wise, what’s the best advice you’ve been given ? AB: In the music industry and business, I always remember me and my sisters were signed to Def Jam, the head CEO was LA Reid and JayZ. We sat down with JayZ once and he told me (because I said I wasn‟t happy with what they were doing with us and our video) and he said to me that I should always make sure that I love everything that I do . And since then I have not been willing to compromise and do something just so that someone else likes it or a label or executive producer likes it. I‟ve always made sure, (that‟s been in the back of my head) that I gotta love what I put out there! AT: Right, stay true to yourself.
AB: Yes, just not willing to bend or compromise creatively at all anymore. Do what I love.
AT: How was the experience like being signed with Def Jam and especially working with Jay Z? AB: Def Jam was exciting because it was our first major record deal in the States. We were excited to be among the new artists at that time such as Chris brown , Neyo and Rihanna. We had no idea they were going to blow up the way they all did. However, the fact that we got left behind and shelved was just a disappointment that we in the end had to face but it was a good 3 years of doing a lot of big things. Record deals are just not a guarantee for success. Most people who get signed don't make it big and we were one of those. As far as Jay Z, he was not involved in our project. He was dealing with Roc Nation. Black Buddafly was Russell Simmons music group.
AT: Right. Have you written any new songs lately ?
AB: Oh man, I so have not been writing at all because of all the drama that‟s in my life, and the move, and children, the baby and yes you know here and there, but I‟m planning on putting out something new later this year but I feel like I just put out an album. Click HERE to listen to Amina‟s music.
FOCUS ON
Diane Audrey
Changing How We View Africa
“I wanted to create a platform that would present an Africa without filters.” Today, Africa is mainly represented by non-Africans via various forms of media. There is usually talk about a sordid continent where only famine, wars, poverty and other scourges happen. After numerous trips to different countries across Africa, one realizes that the continent has multiple sides: beautiful landscapes, vibrant cities, warm and mostly welcoming people, a myriad of opportunities and important challenges. This is what inspired Diane Audrey to create Visiter l'Afrique, an interactive and collaborative digital platform dedicated to African tourism and culture. Visiter l'Afrique covers the continent from East to West and from North to South. The traveling community publishes stories of a community of travelers who have visited the continent and who share their trips, their favorite places/things and their encounters. People connect to stories and what sets Visiter l‟Afrique apart is the authenticity.
“I wanted to create a platform that would present an Africa without filters.” she explains, “to help depict a more objective view of the continent, by rethinking its image far from the usual stereotypes and without denying its problems.” How has your perception on Africa as a whole changed since you started Visiter L’afrique? Since my adolescence, I always thought that the magic we need to change Africa is inside us. For me Africa was magic back in the days and today I can share it with thousands of people all over the world.
What excites you about travel? I always act as a traveler not a tourist. It‟s really difficult to see me out to parties or „turn-up‟. I tend to look for really authentic experiences. I have always believed that travel teaches you without a
scorecard. It enriches you gently. When you step out to see the world – meet people, get acquainted with different cultures, taste new cuisines, you learn a lot! I‟m glad to be able to meet people trough Instagram, I love it. 95% of my time, I travel solo. I know it can be scary to travel alone, especially when you‟ve never done it before. But, to me, growing old without experiencing everything you want from life is scarier.
Of all the African countries you’ve traveled which one is your favorite destination and why? Cameroon, simply because it is the miniature version of Africa. On a personal level, my country has a landscape that portrays many parts of the continent such as its mountains, plains and plateaus. Whenever I travel within Cameroon, the beautiful scenery always marvels me. In addition to that, the food at home is excellent because the women know how to flavor the local dishes especially the braised fish dish. But my last crush was Saint Louis in Senegal. I loved the colours, the architecture, the art galleries and of course people and their kindness.
What’s your most memorable travel experience in Africa?
Maybe my last trip, in Senegal. I took a short ferry ride away from Dakar to go to Goree Island, home of “the door of no return”. It was full of emotions. I saw the dark, cramped cells where dozens of people were packed together for months on end, with heavy chains around their necks and arms during slavery. Goree is a beautiful and peaceful island. I wanted to photograph everything Goree is quiet, welcoming. It‟s so disturbing to know that many people lost their lives here. I had the same experience in Ouidah, Benin. It‟s really important to learn about our history and be proud of it.
According to you, which African country is the most undermined when it comes to travel? Why do you consider this a hidden gem? Sudan! I was talking about this destination with a friend. A lot of the sites in Sudan are great tourist secrets. The only time the government have occasionally talked about tourism, they talk about Islamic tourism. I don‟t have the impression that they are ready to celebrate the history of civilizations here goes back millennia. I hope to go there before the end
of 2017 to produce content (picture + films) for my platform.
Many people have the mindset that traveling is expensive, what are your top 3 tips of traveling on a budget? 1. Try couch surfing, that is a large online community of travelers who share their spare rooms or couches with strangers for free. If you truly want to experience a country and it‟s people, staying with a local is the way to go. There are millions of couch surfers around the world willing to host you and provide recommendations. It‟s fun and safe too. I did it two years ago in Nairobi, Kenya. It was such a good experience. 2. Eat local food. Taste a bit of everything when you travel, especially if you don‟t know what it is. Ask local people for recommendations. Eat street food from vendors with big lines out front. Expensive restaurants are not the only option, there are all kinds of cheap options out there. 3. Walk or use local transport. Walk as much as you can, but if you can‟t then use public transport over taxis. It depends where you are. It's better to take taxi in
Douala than in Nairobi where the price is too high. The idea is to „Do as the locals do.‟
Visiter l'Afrique also organizes travel events, how does it work and which countries will you be heading to in the near future? Yes! Every time my team and I travel around Africa we always organize an event where we invite 50 people or more, to interact on Africa and our platform Visiterlafrique.com Our main goal is to be a close community. We recently launched aprivate group on Facebook because people asked for that. They wanted to have a place where they could interact with people and maybe meet some of them during their travels. We‟ve gone to Douala, Abidjan & Dakar. Our next stop will be Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town & Luanda.
Where can we find you ? On all the social networks we go by : @Voodart and of course on www.visiterlafrique.com (for Francophone and anglophone).
M
ulti-talented actor, creative artist and producer, Maame Adjei recently launched her travel show, Girl Going Places, that focuses on showing the continent‟s hidden gems & culture as a way of dispelling the narrative of Africa being a „dark continent.‟ She shares her journey through filming her first season.
the one year anniversary of my grandmothers death. It was my first time visiting my mother‟s hometown and I was astounded by how beautiful it was. From my mother‟s balcony I could see miles and miles of fields and vegetation. It was what I imagined the Italian wine country to be but with drums, loud family members and grit as the soundtrack.
What inspired you to start ‘Girl Going Places?’
After moving back to Ghana I began to try and reshuffle my life. I felt completely uninspired by the scope of work within my field and decided to take a year off and travel my country. As I started shifting
The year before I moved to Ghana permanently I made a trip to attend my uncles funeral and
TRAVEL
around from region to region I knew I had to document my journey. Not just for me but for my Ghanaian friends who had no idea such beauty existed in our own country. Most of my peers never ventured outside of Accra and the idea that something dynamic existed outside of the city was far fetched to them. Then I started thinking of all the Africans, African-Americans and people of the diaspora who had no idea about the untraveled and unexplored beauty of the continent as a whole. The goal for me is to expose the continent, country by country, to the world. My biggest worry about traveling in Ghana prior to shooting Girl Going Places was how strenuous moving from point A to point B would be. Unfortunately the road infrastructure outside of Accra is not heavily developed and a short 2 hour journey could easily turn into a 5 hour one. What I learnt quickly is that traveling within Ghana is in itself a key experience, especially if you're using public transportation.
There‟s no quicker way to understand and experience Ghanaian social culture than being on a public bus. You‟ll quickly learn the importance of religion. Every public bus I‟ve been on starts with a prayer. You‟ll experience the importance of trade. Traders climb the bus or hover around to sell you anything you would need on a long journey: water, food, phone credit. So the journey itself holds a valued experience.
What new places did you discover while filming?
Too many name! And most of them ended up on the cutting room floor. I tried to keep the pilot season short and sweet and focused on the traveler who just has a few days in Accra but outside of the city limits there is unfathomable beauty. My favorite discovery that I got to share was an area about 3 hours outside of Accra called Likpe. It‟s a mountainous town (as is most of the Volta region). If you make out alive after the 2 hour hike you‟ll experience the most beautiful views of Ghana. Landscapes that seem hand drawn. It‟s an intensely overwhelming experience.
What’s one of your most memorable travel experiences in Africa? So far it‟s probably been Joburg and specifically Braamfontein. The energy and vibe is so unique. I was blown away by the hipster culture that had its own “African Swag” and how stylish South Africans were. I just experienced a freedom there. It felt like people were allowed to be authentically whatever they were.
One thing that sets your travel show apart is that you want to encourage internal tourism, many people in Africa have the mindset that traveling is expensive, what are your
thoughts on that? Traveling within the continent is expensive. It really is. It costs about $600 dollars to fly from Accra to Dakar. Considering the proximity of the two cities there is no reason this should be the case. However, I think most people will gladly pay a bit more to go to London or Paris. Why is that? Because you know exactly the experience you will get when you go to London or Paris. If I knew what Dakar holds for me I might be willing to spend my money going to Dakar. If you are traveling on a budget I would suggest that you tcombine trips to neighboring countries. So if you‟re going to South Africa add a trip to Namibia and Botswana. It would be cheaper to fly from SA to Namibia than from your
home country so it‟s more bang for your buck. You can also find an Air BnB, they‟re on the rise on the continent and you‟ll get great suggestions on where to go from your host. The other thing would be to plan ahead. This is critical for planning any trip. The earlier you plan the more you‟ll save.
connecting to who we are. A full season of GGP will launch earlier next year and we‟ll be visiting a different African city on every episode.
How can we watch the show?
On our YouTube page Now that you’ve launched Girl Going GirlGoingPlacestv as well as Reel Places , what can we expect? African.coma platform that streams African The pilot season has 6 episodes content to the world. You can featuring my favorite places in and also follow us on @ggptv on outside Accra and I also get twitter and @ggp.tv on instagram to share the experience with some and on our website amazing women who reflect who what www.girlgoingplaces.org where Girl Going Places is as a movement: we give great tips on spots you Women who are focused, passionate should visit in each country. and making strides towards their best life and recognize that travel is a key component of exploring, refining and
INSPIRATION
Living On The Edge with Lisette Mibo Model, Lisette Mibo recently gave a TEDx Talk on Living on the Edge in which she recounts her journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United Kingdom. In her talk, she shares about her project, Passion for Motherland. Founded in 2013, Passion for Motherland (PFM) started off as a platform with the objective to raise funds and awareness intended to support existing organizations running empowerment projects at grassroots level in the Congo. In December 2015, after Mibo‟s trip to Kinshasa, PFM resolved a new mission to empower street children in Kinshasa through education, skills acquisition, microeconomic loans and medical Art is central to PFM as a fund raising mechanism. Mibo says that artists, because of their gifts and related opportunities, have the responsibility to contribute to social development.
On Living on the Edge Mibo says, “To me, living on the edge allows one to stay on top of the constant and various challenges we face throughout our lives. It is crucial to recognize that challenges are a part of life, and they make life a little more exciting. They come in different forms, often unexpected. However, their beauty is that they mold and prepare you for your destiny. In other words, it's as though they allow you to turn lemon into lemonade”. The BEFFTA winning model was born in the Congo and moved to the UK when she was fourteen. She studied a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Sociology before going into modeling. For her, modeling is an outlet for self-expression as well as an important platform for her social responsibility, “Modelling is another form of art, which allows me to express myself and promote a different type of beauty. It is a sure way to make a statement! I do have more influence on the art direction when I have organised a shoot myself, than when I model for clients- whatever the setting, my modeling is affirming for my kind of beauty”. Mibo is also passionate about peace, security, prosperity and fashion..— Ashley Makue
Entrepreneur Spotlight: T. T. Barnes is an established licensed esthetician and business owner who has serviced the tristate area since 2003. She provides facial treatments, body waxing and make-up application services at her esthetics studio and boutique SOLACE in Connecticut. Her signature facial “Suspended Tranquility” is transformative. T. Barnes is not your ordinary esthetician. Armed with years of experience in the beauty industry and a personal intellectual curiosity for history and global current events, 2 master‟s degrees in history and teaching for social justice, the salon experience becomes a great conversation that extends far beyond beauty. T. Barnes Beauty, LLC is a lifestyle brand. It offers T. Barnes Organic Skincare, Fresh Face Vegan Foundation, healthy mineral cosmetics, bath and body, the Signature Soy Candle, a line of Global Travel
Barnes
Apparel and finds. T. Barnes products are sold online at www.tbarnesbeauty.com, various boutiques and salons in the US, Caribbean and Africa. In an effort to build the T. Barnes community, she hosts A Lifestyle of Beauty Retreats around the world in January of each year and a T. Barnes Beauty “Go Where the Love Is” summer in Anguilla. You can find her show Living Beauty, on the television and web. T. Barnes has established a loyal and growing clientele that purchases her products globally. Her clientele travels to the SOLACE studio from New York, New Jersey and all over Connecticut to receive their treatment and the salon experience.
In Heather’s Kitchen
Chocolate & Honey Banana POPS
INGREDIENTS : Makes 4 Pops 300g Dark Chocolate 1 Large Banana 3 Tbsp Honey Handful Crushed Cashew Nuts DIRECTIONS
Chop your banana into medium sized slices.
Melt your chocolate, in a microwave for two mins make sure you stir it after the first min then reheat it.
On a kebab stick, place one banana slice, then put a little honey, then put another slice of banana, then add a little more honey then put the last slice of banana.
Then dip the banana stick in your chocolate, then top with a little bit of nuts, then leave to cool on baking paper. Repeat this and you are done.
From admiring her grandmother‟s traditional style of cooking to growing up to her mother‟s contemporary touch the inspiration to cook was never far. Heather Samushonga found it necessary to find her own style and that saw the invention of in Heather‟s Kitchen- IHK to continue her family‟s tradition. For more recipe's you can find her on www.inheatherskitchen.com and @inheatherskitchen on Youtube and Instagram
African Queen
Model - Brigid Turner www.brigidturner.com Stylist- Brigid Turner Photographer, Hair & Makeup M'shari Whaley Editor- Sylvia Torres fotogeniksyl.com Jewelry- Tafari Tribe
JUNE
Gift Guide
Treat yourself to some amazing African inspired products.
Afroelle Magazineâ€&#x;s monthly gift guide features gift ideas for everyone, every budget and every season. If you own a small business, Etsy store or are a blogger and youâ€&#x;d like to advertise your brand, products or services to our global audience in our upcoming Gift Guide Email Afroelle@gmail.com for more details.
Bespoke baby blankets, accessories & toys from Ankara &
12"x15" Prince Cushion made from Kente materials
15"x15" medium King Cushion customized with Initial
Bespoke Baby Elephant set made from Authentic Ugandan material
15"x15" medium toddler Lion Cushion made from Ankara & Kente materials
Paw print baby travel mat made from Kente materials
Handmade Purses and Accessories for Modern Chic Girls! www.2chicdesigns.etsy.com
www.rockpaperchic.com
‘Nautical Attraction’
‘See Me’
Hand painted geometric lines & shapes characterize this unique stud accented with cowrie shells and genuine peacock & rooster feathers
A celebration of selfconfidence and individuality , this design, handpainted and overlain with African cloth are the perfect fashion statement.
‘Warrior’ Handpainted wooden geometric shapes, drawn together via brass chain and adorned with wood burned tribal designs.
‘Bullet Proof’ A genuine NATO bullet, paired with pyrite and brass, make for a fun necklace great for layering .
‘Burnt Mustard’ Golden triangle studs overlain with brass and wood burned tribal designs. A fun addition to almost any outfit.
www.nopoku.com
Ankara Wallet A functional wallet makes it easy to organize your personal items
Tiaa Cowry Statement Necklace Cowrie shells and colorful fabric buttons set the foundation for this signature, party ready statement necklace reflective of KisuaG's statement jewelry.
Divine Ankara Maxi Dress With its' v neckline, this beautifully designed maxi dress exudes mystery and style.
Hief Thong Slipper From shopping to a tropical getaway, this comfy thong sandal is the perfect take-along
Shelin Dashiki Shirt Look dashing in a carefully crafted shirt
www.GideonsNeedle.com
N A I J A || T I E & P O C K E T S Q U A R E Bespoke African print tie & pocket square
S U N Y A N I || T I E - S E T Bespoke African print tie & pocket square
J A N E T || D A S H I K I
M O T H E R L A N D || D A S H I K I
R O Y A L || K U M A S I
Bespoke dress with a high split and Plunging neckline.
Bespoke Dashiki, available in short and long sleeves.
Bespoke Dashiki, available in short and long sleeves.
Mo Sama BCN African Wax Prints.Fashion & Home Decor www.etsy.com/shop/MoSamaBCN
Headwraps, Jewelry, and More
Be Eclectic, Be Authentic
www.shopfeline.bigcartel.com
NINA Headwrap
FEMI Headwrap