Issue 20  |  June 2010

Black Is Beautiful

“Beauty is a power. And the struggle to have the entire range of Black beauty recognised and respected is a serious one.” This is the opening quote to the ambitious book detailing the first photographic history of black beauty. Award-winning author Deborah Willis collected over 200 photographs to provide a visual statement as well as critique how it was ignored and racialised by mainstream media.

Deborah Willis attempts to portray a full historical range, from the famous to the ordinary, individuals and a community. She focuses on three themes: constructing a pose, body & images and modelling beauty & beauty contests, and is keen to emphasise how African Americans re-imaged themselves in order to speak out against the dominant culture (adverts, billboards, magazines and beauty pageants that were white only) as well as show that there is no single mode of beauty.

Willis looks as far back as the 1890s to look at how African-Americans were using photography to counter the negative imagery of black people – with dignified and elegant portraits of businesswomen, families out in their Sunday best or social clubs posing in group shots to define a middle-class respectability.

There is a strong touch of glamour in shots of Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Gordon Parks. However, beauty was also politics, particularly in images from the black power era, while ‘blaxploitation’ movie stills portrayed a hyper sexual femininity. There are also vivid social statements, such as that of a black girl and a white girl applying make-up next to each other during the civil rights movement.

The book itself is beauty, with its luscious images and layout. It celebrates a wide range, which has changed over time and hopes to transform how we view it. It is also an important narrative on the exclusion of a specific type (or types) of beauty in mainstream visual culture and the modelling industry.

Perfect popcorn fodder

We’ve seen the set up before: a good man turns to violence when his wife and child are brutally murdered in front of his eyes and he seeks revenge. Although it’s not the most sophisticated film of all time, Law Abiding Citizen is certainly better than the 80s straight-to-video machine-gun fest (possibly starring Steven Seagal) that you would expect based on its opening scene. Thankfully the “good man” in question (played by Gerard Butler) has a much more contemplative take on getting his own back than your average Arnold Schwarzenegger, which makes for a brutal and twisty thriller.

You see, Butler’s character doesn’t just want to punish the killers, but the whole legal and political system that failed to punish them the first time round. And he has spent a lot of time planning how best to do it. The young and talented Assistant District Attorney who handled the case (Jamie Foxx) is pulled into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, full of shocking moments.

Foxx shows he has definitely earned his leading man status with this assured performance, and that he can take on the mainstream genre roles usually reserved for Denzel alongside the more challenging material of The Soloist. Butler, who also produced the film, has his first real shot at consolidating the success of 300 here, after squandering our collective good will with RocknRolla.

Director F. Gary Gray tries to get a dark, Se7en-ish vibe going, but unfortunately Kurt Wimmer’s script isn’t quite clever enough to make that work. And don’t expect a damning indictment of the American legal system either – there’s more depth in your average episode of Law & Order. This is still a high quality adrenaline ride, and will certainly entertain while you suspend your disbelief.

What’s in a name? Jazz musician Soweto Kinch talks to Catch a Vibe

Soweto – a Johannesburg area that made the world pay attention to the issues South Africans were facing at the time. In 1976 Soweto witnessed its people stand up against Apartheid and change the way the government was dictating things. Two years on and the name of such a revolutionary town was given to jazz musician in waiting, Soweto Kinch.

With a belt full of awards from the Rising Star, White Saxophone, a couple of MOBOs, a Mercury Music Prize nomination, and two BBC Jazz awards, Soweto Kinch still manages to keep his focus towards offering a creative voice on his most recent material for so many that go unheard. “The message for this particular moment is one of self-empowerment’ he says. ‘Being able to look around and to realise that we, particularly as artists and creators have the freedom to be able to say the things that politicians can’t. We let our art speak for itself, and comment on everything from the economic crisis, to social alienation to history; all the things that we want to. I think that once we take up that opportunity, then music is gonna sound a lot more interesting again…”

Soweto Kinch’s debut album Conversations with the Unseen blessed us all in 2003 with its fast-paced and poetic sound as Soweto expressed his love for hip hop and rhymed over a selection of rhythms. His second album, A Life in the Day of B19 – Tales of the Towerblock boasted narration from the iconic Moira Stewart, the first African-Caribbean newsreader in the UK who first appeared on TV in 1981. Today, Soweto Kinch is still keeping it revolutionary and working on his eagerly anticipated mix tape called “The War in Iraq” “It’s based on a blog I put out a couple of years ago. It’s my rumination on the music industry and having the power now to independent artistry, the licence, the opportunities as an independent artist, to represent our own voices, without the intrusion of an industry.”

With Soweto Kinch’s influences coming from the likes of Ty, Roots Manuva, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Bach to name just a few, it’s a huge understatement to say that Soweto’s tastes are broad, thus adding to the reason why when purchasing his material, you don’t just get great alto sax to chill out to, you also get gritty, poetic and expressive hip hop to compliment it. So will we be purchasing a jazz or hip hop album when we get hold of his latest release? “More the latter, but I’ve always been keen to not get thrown into either camp” Soweto ponders, “I think it was important for me to just explore the almost more pure hip hop aspects of my music for the purpose of this and it’s a fix, six track EP, very cosy, just letting people know that I’m out here doing new material as well! I’m a saxophone-playing MC, bringing jazz and hip hop together and hopefully elevating people’s life experiences in the process.”

In the Mix – with Soweto Kinch, Sun 22 Nov @ Rich Mix

Soweton Kinch’s mix tape launc, Sun 29 Nov @ Rich Mix (TBC)

Soweto Kinch official website

FairEssentials: African & Caribbean Gourmet Treats

FairEssential aims to take African & Caribbean food out of the markets and corner shops to bring it to lovers of fine food. Joanne Crossley, founder and director of FairEssentials tells us more about her thriving business.

CAV: Can you give the readers some background information about yourself?
Joanne Crossley of FairEssentials: I was born in London; my parents are of Jamaican descent. My early career was in fashion retailing. I studied Dress & Light Clothing at the London College of Fashion and Business Studies & Distribution at the College for the Distributive Trades (now known as London College of Communication). After my studies I worked as an allocator for a main high street retailer in the buying and merchandising head office. Later on, I moved into supply chain management and took the Professional Qualification at the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. I have worked for well-known international companies as a supply manager within the logistics and operations departments.

CAV: What inspired you to start FairEssentials?
Joanne Crossley: Initially, I planned to start my business as a distributor for Fairtrade products from Africa & the Caribbean (hence the name FairEssentials). However, this has evolved since whilst shopping one day I noticed that there appears to be a death of quality African & Caribbean retail shops that offer a pleasant shopping experience for the customer. Generally, little information is given in store about the country of origin or how to cook African & Caribbean produce. Although the majority of customers buying produce such as yams, green bananas, plantains, etc are from the African Diaspora and are familiar with these everyday foods, there are many other ethnic groups, including Europeans, who also want to try more exotic groceries, and to know more about them. I also noticed that gourmet African & Caribbean hampers and treats are scarce. I then realised that there is a niche in the market for quality African & Caribbean products in a modern, contemporary setting, which would appeal to more diverse ethnic groups.

CAV: How has the journey been so far?
Joanne Crossley: Exciting and challenging at the same time! I have had great support from friends and family. Customers have responded positively to FairEssentials and they like the concept. It has been an exhilarating journey so far and I have met many interesting people who have also started new business. It’s great to have a network of people who can relate to what you are going through. I have been particularly inspired by Levi Roots’ story. His success since his debut on Dragons’ Den has broadened further interest in Afro-Caribbean cooking to a wider audience.

CAV: What has been your happiest business moment since you launched?
Joanne Crossley: The day I launched my business in December 2008, closely followed by my first outdoor event at the Portobello Winterfest in Notting Hill soon after launching the business. Customers loved the products and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. More recently, at the Lambeth Country show, there was fantastic response to the gourmet treats, especially to the brands that people recognised from ‘back home’ or on their travels to Africa & the Caribbean.

CAV: Tell us about the people you work with. Or do you do it on your own?
Joanne Crossley: My family and friends volunteer their services whenever they can on outdoor events and order despatch. I have my web designer Devmac, along with my sister who helps to maintain my website. I also worked with Janet Martin at Nova Marketing, who helped me to put together a marketing and PR campaign when FairEssentials launched.

CAV: What makes FairEssentials unique?
Joanne Crossley: Our uniqueness is the quality of service and the range of African & Caribbean gourmet treats and products not always seen in supermarkets or local speciality stores. We want to enable everyone to experience the qualities of African & Caribbean products and raise the profile of their origins. Also, my aim for FairEssentials is to showcase new African & Caribbean products and brands which are not always given the opportunity to have a presence in larger stores, particularly from smaller producers and suppliers.

CAV: Tell us what kind of products we can buy in your online shop.
Joanne Crossley: In the online shop there is a selection of African & Caribbean foods, gifts, beauty products and clothing. In addition to variety of everyday groceries and tropical gourmet treats, FairEssentials has a selection of organic and fairly traded products. The beauty range includes natural soaps and body butters; the gifts and clothing collection are produced in or inspired by Africa and the Caribbean. We continue to expand our product range. Many of these products have a heritage and interesting stories behind them, such as the delicious Busha Browne Burned Orange Marmalade from Jamaica, which has been around for over 180 years, and Divine Chocolates made from Fairtrade cocoa beans produced by a co-operative of Ghanaian smallholder farmers.

CAV: How do you source the products sold on the FairEssentials website?
Joanne Crossley: A combination of UK based distributors, agents, suppliers and manufacturers directly from Africa and the Caribbean.

CAV: Who is your typical customer?
Joanne Crossley: My typical customer is African, Caribbean, white British and other ethnic groups, a lot of males but mostly females, age range on average 25-55, affluent, discerning, well travelled within Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, socially conscious, enjoys cooking and receptive to trying ‘exotic’ products. He/she is also image conscious and is interested in Fairtrade and organic products.

CAV: Do you get any feedback from your customers? What do they say about your products?
Joanne Crossley: Customers love the idea of shopping for gourmet treats, especially the hampers. The hampers are a great introduction to the best selection of quality gourmet treats from Africa and the Caribbean. Interestingly, I get many enquiries from the States and Europe in locations where there is an African & Caribbean community but certain products are hard to get where they live.

CAV: What is the best way to enjoy FairEssentials’ offering?
Joanne Crossley: It’s all about the convenience of shopping online for quality African and Caribbean products. I would encourage customers to visit the website, sign up for the newsletter so that we can keep them abreast of developments and events. We have a schedule of upcoming events which will be posted on our Facebook and Twitter. We also welcome suggestions for new products and feedback on what people think of the website.

CAV: You also have a clothing range on sale on the website. Is that something you added recently?
Joanne Crossley: Yes it is. I am seeking new clothing ranges to add to the website, particularly designs with African prints or inspired by Africa and the Caribbean. I would love to include my own collection in the future.

CAV: What’s next for you and your business?
Joanne Crossley: Ultimately my aim is to open a retail shop so that customers can feel and experience a quality shopping experience rarely seen for African & Caribbean products. For the time being, in light of the economic downturn, I will continue to build FairEssentials online.

* This is a sponsored feature