In other words they’ve got the fashion basics down, but when it comes to “edgy” trendsetting style, I honestly have yet to see much here. On top of this, there is a serious lust for all things Western in terms of musical influence on fashion (think more hip-hop, then Lady Gaga) which causes a bit of a “blank” when seeking out traditional African fashion.

Here are a few stylish Kenyans that were kind enough to let me snap a few razzle-dazzle photos of them!

Let’s Keep This Fashionship Going….

Naj:)

Be sure to TWEET with me!

Find out more about Najwa Moses on Styleaholics.com

Ha!

The nuptials of Sheila and Tele Waki were celebrated off of a beautiful lake on the outskirts of a Nairobi coffee bean farm. The guests were decked out in Africa’s finest while the bride choose an unusual color theme of red and black — she actually wore a red wedding gown!!
*Her bridesmaids wore red and black polka dot dresses.

Take that, Kate Middleton!

The ceremony differed from an American wedding in the following ways:
-both the bride and the groom addressed their families publicly sharing words of love and praise
- the priest was very vocal offering up marriage advice on the spot (he was actually quite good)
-the bride was ushered to her reception with a warm dancing, singing welcome by all of the women at the wedding.

Let’s Keep This Fashionship Going…up next? An interview with an oh-so-swaggerlicious Kenyan fashion designer!

naj:)

After taking a quick jaunt via a small plane down the coast, I along with three new Kenyan friends were taken deep into Mombasa where we arrived at the exclusive and private Msambweni Beach House & Villas where we were greeted with rum laced mango flavored cocktails and a jewel toned pool that caressed the interior edges of the main room (translation: the pool pretty much runs into the house!).

We were then treated to a tour of the many surreal villas of this breathtaking space. Let me just tell you now, that if you’re looking for a honeymoon destination — you’ve found it.

In between meeting a bevvy of diverse fellow guests hailing from around the globe, sipping cocktails and being served on the drawbridge (see photos) under moonlight and diamond encrusted stars, I couldn’t help but marvel at my life and the diverse beauty of Africa.

The weekend ended with a private Toga themed party (my green Sari was courtesy of fab Kenyan by the way of India, Priya) and oven baked handmade pizzas.

Go ahead and gorge yourself on the beauty of Mombasa!

Let’s Keep This Fashionship going…up next? A modern Kenyan wedding complete with a very unique bridal dress.

naj:)

If you desire to know more check out my bio on my site STYLEAHOLICS.COM

I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya after a 16 hour flight from JFK with an 8 hour stopover in London and though I was extremely exhausted, I was also thrilled that I had finally arrived in the Motherland! As a visual/vocal person, my six senses were keen to drink in my entire experience from the very jazzy Virgin Airlines complete with passenger friendly luxe- toiletries (I mean seriously, I can’t remember the last time I was served anything more than a microscopic bag of malnourished peanuts on a flight) and decadent desserts to my very first peek at the continent of Africa to the warm welcome from my host Caroline Malinda of Silverbird Travel who greeted me in total Hollywood fashion with my very own name card and then quickly whisked me away for a much needed brunch.

Ow!

Please step into my world via photos which start with me at exactly 12 hours before my flight in a sweaty panic trying to fit a Styleaholics wardrobe (I’ve got over 100 pairs of shoes) into one bag for an international journey…oy vey!

Let’s Keep This Fashionship Going…up next? I head to Mombasa South — the ‘Hamptons’ of Nairobi– for a Toga themed birthday weekend of sun, rhythm and African luxury.

naj:)

That’s right. Epanya went all out in his campaign to make “Vogue Africa” a reality.

Vogue is currently published in 18 countries and one region, but Africa has never been selected to play home to the mag.

In order to get publisher Conde Nast to see the potential in the magazine – that would pay homage to African women – Epanya created fake covers, with beautiful models and styling.

But all his hard work did not pay off. Conde Nast has turned down his bid for the magazine.

He posted on his Facebook page,

“DEAR ALL. The Wait is over. Condé Nast said NO to an African license of VOGUE. So this is the last cover. Enjoy, but it’s a beginning of something,”

Although their “Black Issue” flew off the magazine racks in 2008, are you really surprised that Conde Nast rejected the idea?

Russian Vogue Profiles Promising Black Models [PHOTOS]

Will Halle Berry Make History With Vogue Cover?

Ciara Models For French Vogue [PHOTOS]

Italian Vogue Continues To Embrace Black Models [PHOTOS]

FROM VOGUE: Who doesn’t love a great summer tee? And a tee that benefits African schoolchildren with supplies, hot lunches, and teacher salaries? Even better.

In honor of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, Ali Hewson, founder of the environmentally and socially conscious label EDUN, is celebrating efforts in Africa with four inspired T-shirts.

“We asked children living in the Kibera slums of Kenya to draw something that represented Africa. The results were everything from produce in a market to African wildlife.”

These 100 percent–organic-cotton shirts represent EDUN’s belief in the possibilities that lie in Africa.

“The tees are an example of how trade can provide assistance. It’s also exciting for the children to understand that they can directly affect their own education.”

Score your very own for $60 at Barneys New York, starting June 1, as well as at EDUN, from June 8.

PHOTO: Beyonce Loses Her Dress For Charity

Oprah To Auction Off Her Old Clothes For Charity

Mary J. Launches Charitable T-Shirt Line

Hey Cupcakes,

You say you want quality music with conscious lyrics? Well here it is.

Enjoy Music Monday with my exclusive new interview with Ghanian rapper Blitz the Ambassador. Catch the MTV premiere this summer of his new album STEREOTYPE!!! Nas, Kanye West, Talib Kweli and Common agree that Blitz the Ambassador is the next big thing in hip hop music’s evolution. Watch the interview & discuss here, youtube, my blackplanet page, on twitter or PlanetAbiola.

xo,

a.

UPDATE:

It has been only a few days since the inaugural ARISE Africa Fashion Week rapped up, but Africa didn’t have much time to recover (the FIFA Confederation Cup started just after ARISE Africa Fashion Week). After a much anticipated concert by R. Kelly, the first ever ARISE Africa Fashion Week came to a close. The star of the week was David Tlale, who won overall best designs and gets to show at New York fashion week next year.

We wanted to give you a chance to see some of the looks from the show.  Has Africa put themselves on the fashion map?

ORIGINAL: When the first fashion magazine appeared in 1672 in France there was no chance that a black person would appear on the cover. Before this only royalty focused on fashion and it remained that they were the driving force behind the publication. There was a glimmer of hope for a black influence in fashion when the first black model, Dorothea Church, made her début in 1949. Yet magazines still didn’t put black women on the cover until November 1954, when Dorothy Dandridge became the first black woman to appear on the cover of a magazine by herself when she appeared on Life Magazine’s cover. Still at this time there was little black influence on the fashion industry.

The first black fashion magazine cover didn’t appear until January 1965, 293 YEARS after the first fashion magazine began publication, when a sketch of Donyale Luna appeared on Harper’s Bazaar, she later was the first photographed black woman on the cover in March 1966 when she appeared on British Vogue. It was at that time that the doors were opening for black women in the fashion industry. Shortly after Donyale Luna did her magazine covers, Beverly Johnson and Naomi Campbell also appeared on fashion magazine covers. Today it seems like some of the most well known supermodels of the past are black: Tyra Banks, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Beverly Johnson, and Tyson Beckford (have to represent the men, too!), however there was still a long way to go for a strong black influence in the fashion industry.

Veronica Webb made history in 1992 when she was the first black woman picked up by a major cosmetics company, Revlon. This started a trend of make-up development to include all skin tones. Then, further steps were made in April 2008 when Lebron James became the first black male to grace a fashion magazine cover (not even Tyson had done this!). This cover was highly controversial though and some say it did little more than belittle black men. However, the fashion world was bouncing back when July of 2008 had two groundbreaking things. Toccara Jones became the first black plus sized woman on the cover ofVogue Italia and Vogue Italia also had the first ever All Black Issue, which sold out of print twice! It seemed like finally members of the black community were getting represented in fashion.

The Obamas Start Black Model Boom

All this history makes the events of June 12-20th in Johannesburg, Africa that much more important. Those dates mark the first ever annual ARISE Africa Fashion Week. This is when fashion gets a black makeover. Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, chairperson of African Fashion International, says, “At AFI (organizers of the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban Fashion Weeks), our mission is to take African fashion to the world. In fulfilling this mandate, I take enormous pleasure in launching the inaugural Arise Africa Fashion Week. This event affords the regions’ creative economy with a world-class opportunity to showcase to a global audience. This is the first step in ensuring that the region receives the benefit of its own creative intellectual property, history and culture.”  She also sees this as the “…triumph of fashion over ethnicity and cultural difference.”

With 51 designers from 21 countries participating, this is creating history. This is the very first African fashion week and it is set to become an annual event, travelling around Africa each year following the 2010 showcase. There is no doubt it will become the must-see event in the fashion calendar on this continent. Dr. Precious Moloi Motsepe says “Africa has long been a muse for the arts throughout the world, most recently in fashion, with the world’s top designers choosing to look towards African techniques, designs and materials to ensure that their collections appeal to a wider global audience.” ARISE Africa Fashion Week allows the world to see authentic African fashion, directly from the source.

Incomes In Africa To Drop For First Time In 15 Years

The importance of this show can especially be felt in Africa, where the economic downturn has had a large effect and also civil unrest still takes place in various countries. For Africa, this industry provides about $4.3 billion and accounts for 20 percent of the total formal sector employment in South Africa. The industry creates job opportunities and also provides people the opportunity to showcase their culture and heritage. The hope is that this financial addition to Africa can help stimulate change. The ARISE Africa Fashion Week seeks to unify all the fashion industries of Africa to create a powerful, unified African fashion industry.

With the importance these fashion weeks have on the fashion industry, we hope to see a new influence and a booming black influence on the fashion market. I know in the upcoming days we will have our eyes on what is shown there. This is history in the making and definitely something you won’t want to miss out on.

Oprah Winfrey is denying reports claiming that her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa is plagued by a second sex scandal.

According to msnbc.com, due to the fact that the girls involved are minors, specifics can’t be divulged on the record. However, a source with knowledge of the situation at the all-girls’ boarding school reports that recent expulsions weren’t due to the alleged sex scandal outlined in the reports.

Rihanna tells Chris Brown to apologize on Oprah’s show.

Oprah’s spokesperson for the Leadership Academy confirmed that several students were expelled last week for violating the academy’s Code of Conduct. Lisa Halliday said, “We consider this to be a confidential school matter. Therefore, we will not confirm any personal information or disclose any details related to these expulsions.”

Oprah may be passing the torch to best friend Gayle King.

Who said Madonna wasn’t a do-gooder? The star recently donated the clothes of her 3-year-old adopted son David to an orphanage in Malawi, his country of origin. Says People,

The Home of Hope Orphanage Centre was a beehive of activity thanks to the arrival of the surprise package, labeled “from David Ritchie to friends at Home of Hope – Malawi.” Included in the boxes were clothes, children’s books – with autographed copies of Madonna’s children’s book, English Roses – and an assortment of toys.

“These are clothes David can no longer use; they say he is quite a big boy now so he cannot use most of the clothes Madonna bought him immediately after he was adopted,” said a source close to the orphanage. “The children were excited to receive the clothes.”

What do YOU do to give back to the community?

[From Associated Press]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s, the U.N. said Thursday, focusing its annual children’s survey on the health of their mothers.

Every year, 70,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 die in childbirth or from pregnancy complications, UNICEF director Ann Veneman said at the launch of the organization’s annual report.

“This is not only a tragic personal loss for the family; it also leaves a long-term impact on the health and well-being of children and the development of communities and countries,” Veneman said.

The 160-page survey paints a bleak picture of the risks of teenage pregnancies, which are prevalent in the developing world.

“The State of the World’s Children 2009″ says that the younger a girl is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the health risks for her and her infant.

Worldwide, more than 60 million women who are currently aged 20-24 were married before they were 18, with the most child marriages being in South Asia and in Africa.

If a mother is under the age of 18, her infant’s risk of dying in its first year of life is 60 percent greater than that of an infant born to a mother older than 19.

In addition, the report says adolescent wives are susceptible to violence, abuse and exploitation. Young brides are often forced to drop out of school, have few work opportunities and little chance to influence their own lives.

“If young girls are not in school, they are more vulnerable,” South African Health Minister Barbara Hogan said at the launch. “It’s not just a health issue; it is about the status of young women and girls.”

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa and like most holidays food plays a huge part in the celebration.

The first principle of Kwanzaa is Umoja which means unity.  Cooking together with friends and family is a great way to get started.

Here are some recipes to help get you started in celebrating Kwanzaa this year.

Benne Cakes

Benne cakes are a food from West Africa. Benne means sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are eaten for good luck. This treat is still eaten in some parts of the American South.

Ingredients
You will need: oil to grease a cookie sheet
1 cup finely packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted sesame seeds

Method
Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Mix together the brown sugar and butter, and beat until they are creamy. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are browned. Enjoy!

North African Lamb Kebobs

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes with some of the fat attached
6 warm pita breads, for serving
Yogurt Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Method
In a large bowl, combine the onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, mint, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, and olive oil. Add the lamb to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Soak 8 to 10 bamboo skewers in warm water for about 1 hour before assembling the kabobs.

Preheat the grill to high, and lightly oil the grill grates to prevent sticking. Thread the lamb onto the soaked skewers and place on the grill, turning to evenly cook, about 12 to 14 minutes.

Drizzle the pitas with sauce, then wrap the pita around the meat on the skewer, fold over and twist the skewer off the meat. Serve.

For more recipes click here.

To find out more about Kwanzaa go to Elev8.com.