Following from an earlier post on the Sapeurs, I am glad to see someone has produced a fairly comprehensive book showcasing the dandies of the Congo. Photographer Daniele Tamagni captures the fascinating subculture where designer suits and luxury items are the order of the day. Published by Trolley Books.
The Bills were a youth subculture that dressed in cowboy outfits and opposed the current political view of late 1950s Léopoldville, Zaire (modern-day Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
They proliferated in the African sections of Léopoldville and based their image of blue jeans, checkered shirts, scarfs, boots, and hats on the American Western movies of the time, especially those of Buffalo Bill, like ‘Pony Express’ featuring Charlton Heston.
From the Bills came a new generation of sounds and bands, such as Zaiko, Bozi Boziana and Minzoto Ya Zaire, which differ from the Congolese rumba known by most. Jef De Laet (who became better known as Pere Buffalo), was a Passionist missionary at the time began working with the youth where the Bills roamed and helped channel their energies into a positive movement and helped start Minzoto Ya Zaire, as well as a cultural centre, Cabaret Liyoto, which featured a recording studio.
The photos are by Jean Depara, an Angolan-born photographer who was living in Kinshasa at the time, where he worked taking photos of celebrations, portraits and families, but at night he hung out in the Kinshasa clubs and here he captured an Africa stripped of conventional social codes.
The Ugandan Skateboard Union is a youth orientated upliftment program based in Kitintale, Kampala District in Uganda. Big up.
UPDATE
Check this video preview for Board Master.
A look at two artists that have put a smile on our dial.
+ + + + + + + + + +
Johan Fanozi ‘Chickenman’ Mkhize began making art objects to sell on the street after being laid off work at a dairy farm.Â
He began with a moving dance sculpture while his road signs could found nearby along the kerb. It was these ‘road signs’ with their witty observations and odd typesetting, that captured the public’s imagination, and soon Chickenman signs were being snapped up by art and objet collectors.
More on Chickenman here and here.
+ + + + + + + + + +
You may have choked on your blini at Greenmarket Square seeing this man with his giant headdress made of eggs and artifacts.Â
“The guy with all the eggs on his head” is Gregory Da Silva, aka the ‘Egg Man’ or ‘Ei man’, a walking work of art and fast becoming a mobile ‘tourist spot’.
His headdress weighs up to twenty five kilograms and, initially, it was so bizarre, the bemused City Police detained him in a vehicle and called their superiors for advice. Naturally, he was free to go and is now very popular with tourists, posing in hundreds of photos during season and has also been hired to receive guests at hotels and airports!
More on the Egg Man here and here.
Managed to catch this on the telly a couple of nights ago and was bowled over at the level of skill and originality that this form of dancing has become. Weee-yooow!
The Red Bull BC One is the foremost one-on-one B-Boying contest in the world, and the fourth event was held right here in Afrika.
Click here for more on Red Bull BC One South Africa 2007
Also read Urb Magazine’s take on it.
The Greatest Sin – GOSSIP.
The Greatest Crippler – FEAR.
The Greatest Mistake – GIVING UP.
The Most Satisfying Experience – DOING YOUR DUTY FIRST.
The Best Action – KEEP THE MIND CLEAR AND THE JUDGEMENT GOOD.
The Greatest Blessing – GOOD HEALTH.
The Biggest Fool – THE MAN WHO LIES TO HIMSELF.
The Greatest Gamble – SUBSTITUTING HOPE FOR FACTS.
The Most Certain Joy in Life – CHANGE.
The Greatest Joy – BEING NEEDED.
The Cleverest Man – THE ONE WHO DOES WHAT HE THINKS IS RIGHT.
The Most Potent Force – POSITIVE THINKING.
The Greatest Opportunity – THE NEXT ONE.
The Greatest Victory – VICTORY OVER SELF.
The Greatest Handicap – EGOTISM.
The Most Expensive Indulgence – HATE.
The Most Dangerous Man – THE LIAR.
The Most Ridiculous Trait – FALSE PRIDE.
The Greatest Loss – LOSS OF SELF-CONFIDENCE.
The Greatest Need – COMMON SENSE.
  
Uganda’s Hip Hop scene began in the early to mid-1990s, especially among university students at Makerere University and elsewhere. Of the pioneers are The Bataka Squad who originated the Lugaflow style, using the native Luganda language. Other formative groups in the early 90s include Young Vibrations, MC Afrik, DJ Berry, and Kaddo.
Today in Uganda, Hip Hop is the catalyst of a more uplifting project trying to break the chain of conflicts that a lot of Ugandans have grown up with. The Breakdance Project Uganda offers free breakdance classes to anyone who wishes to learn, as well as aiming to empower the youth and children using breakdance and Hip Hop. It was started by Abramz Tekya (Ugandan Hip Hop artist and breakdancer), Emile Dineen (Irish breakdancer) and Antonio (Ugandan breakdancer).
Click here for more on Breakdance Project Uganda, and to check some Ugandan steet breakdanceclick here and here.Â
This energy and enthusiasm is the subject matter of Brett Mazureks’s documentary “Diamonds in the Rough”, which offers a raw glimpse of urban Africa through the eyes of five emerging Hip Hop artists. They teach us how to make the best of life against the odds and how to create opportunities through positivity. To be produced by Subterranean Network.com & Moving Talking Pictures.
YouTube link to promo for “Diamonds in the Rough”.Â
Scari-Nigeria – a personal journey through the Niger Delta by Andrea Scaringella.
(All Images are covered by Copyright Andrea Scaringella©)