As I kid, one of my all time favorite TV shows was 'The Jefferson’s'. As I write this, the theme song is playing in my head. “Well we’re movin’ on up, to the east side, moving on up, to a deluxe apartment in the sky. Moving on up, to the east side, moving on up,we finally got a piece of the pie.”
Na na na....
Na na na....
It seems that with every new month, I’m personally faced with the desire to ‘move on up’; to progress in all aspects of my life. This means continually setting new goals and striving to achieve them. Where am I getting with this, you ask, well, each month I look forward to making this magazine something greater. It’s slowly taking form, we might not be ‘movin on up to a New York deluxe apartment on the East side’ like George and Weezy, but I have played with the thought of seeing AfroElle not just as an online magazine.
In the months to come you will notice some changes. Change might be foreign but it is good. I want to enhance the way I bring AfroElle Magazine to you, I will be preparing a digital version which you can receive in your email through subscribing and then you can circulate it to your friends.
And talking about transitioning and changes, this month we welcome a new Hair feature by two Kenyan ladies over at Kurly Kichana. Now, I transitioned to natural hair a year ago, my hair is the type that just doesn't sit still; even a perm couldn't handle it. So I had my fears and I had many questions like; what products should I use? what styling options are available? and how to care for my natural hair at home? Well, If you have just gone natural and you have questions, then you will find Kurly Kichana's article very informative.
I prepared this issue having in mind that this month we have been celebrating women with the recent International Women’s Day and March being Women’s History Month in the United States. Our lifestyle writer Amani Bush tells us why our history is our strength as she talks about 10 Phenomenal Black women we should all know. I also had the honor of profiling amazing women for different features this month; as always, all of them were full of inspiration.
I enjoyed putting together this issue but it would not be possible without the help of our team of writers; I appreciate their creativity, time and support. I'd also like to thank everyone who has encouraged and supported me on this mission thus far! We always like to hear from our readers, so if you get a minute, send us an email and let us know how we are doing so far.
Thanks for reading and continue to March Forward.
In This Issue:
Cover Model: Amazing Kenyan Model THOGI
After the January 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti leaving more than 200,000 people dead and rendering a million homeless, all the attention was on Haiti. A year later and there are many efforts out to help rebuild Haiti. Every month AfroElle highlights great women led initiatives or initiatives for women, I came across the Mangoes and Lemonade; an information resource for people who want to get involved with initiatives in Haiti. I was amazed at the many organizations doing amazing work in Haiti. This led me to a conversation with Claudeen Pierre the woman behind Mangoes and Lemonade.....READ MORE
Featured Article: 10 Black Women You Should Know by Amani Bush
March is National Women’s History Month in the United States. The theme for 2011 is “Our History is Our Strength”, allowing us to examine and revisit our roots. In ancient African civilizations, women were viewed as a prominent figures in the family, social and leadership structures. Women were creators of royal dynasties, led armies and ruled nations. These women were self-determined and fearless, yet were still seen as loving, beautiful Goddesses, and the givers of life......READ MORE
Cover Story: Matu Saye 'A Jill of All Trades'
Matu Saye is a jill of all trades; she is the founder of Technology in Liberia, a singer and a model; an activity she says she does for fun. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Matu who is also a database administrator in Philadelphia says she loves her country because of its people, their resilience, adaptability and warmth, a warmth that she too possess from our conversations during the interview....READ MORE
Amy Ohen and Jonathon Mauritz met at a coffee shop. When asked what her first impression of Jonathon was, Amy says she thought Jonathon was a college frat boy. “I was surprised that he was flirting with me because I was minding my own business studying in my comfy sweatpants and t-shirt. I was definitely not looking my finest!".....READ MORE
Love’s Hangover is the name of a boutique jewelry store in Noblesville, IN co-owned by two sisters; Emily and Irene Wasonga. Born and raised in Kenya and living partly in Botswana; The two are now making their dreams come true with their jewelry business that started out as hobby in their teenage years....READ MORE
Fashion Inspiration: Christine Neptune
Most people are cautious about going natural because as you know our hair i.e. African curls can be very dynamic and hard to tame. Going natural can be scary at first but as you see the little curls and a coil sprouting from your scalp it all gets very interesting..........READ MORE
This month's fashion inspiration is 19 year old Christine Neptune, also known as Khristy-Joy. She is a Brooklyn girl; born and raised with a Guyanese background. The 5 feet 9 tall fashionista says she is in love with fashion and everything pertaining to fashion. A student at Lehman College in The Bronx, Christine is studying English with a minor of childhood education. She is also an intern at "Hott Shotz Photography". Christine also has an athletic side which is her Track and Field career; 6 years and counting. Her specialties include the Pentathlon and the Heptathlon......READ MORE
In The Kitchen With Yoli's Green Living
She is the owner of Ou!ya; a boutique eco-style outfit and a member of the Junior Board of The New York Coalition for Healthy School Lunches; mix these two and you have Yoli Ouiya, the green living chic! Though born in America; Yoli’s paternal heritage is from Burkina Faso, a small country in West Africa. In Burkina Faso, preparing food is a great symbol of cultural pride for the women. Yoli says she has always had a natural love for food, “I love the experience of preparing food. I love creating food memories and recreating them.” She continues, “I love the process of learning and teaching simultaneously.”........READ MORE
The Little Things by Shiko
The other day, my husband bought me a gift that made me fall in love with him all over again. He bought me a pair of pajama pants. The pants themselves were ok: red and blue, plaid, nothing special. What made these pants special was the size: SMALL. Bless his delusional heart! He actually entered the store, walked over to the pajamas, pictured me in his mind and then reached for a SMALL. Oh! What a wonderful man I married! Now, this glorious incident would probably go unnoticed by many women. Infact, a lot of the things that make me appreciative of our relationship would probably mean little to others; the way he always serves the dessert (because the calories don’t count if somebody else serves you, duh)......READ MORE
Break- Up Survival Tips by Renee Flagler
Parting ways with someone you love can be a truly devastating experience. Whether the break up is the result of a shocking infidelity or an amicable agreement, the affects can be life altering. Both parties will now have to get used to living without the other. For some letting go and moving on is extremely hard.Here is a list of tips for surviving a break up with your sanity in tact......READ MORE
Love Ain't No Instant Coffee by June Kanini
2011 has begun on a great note. I am actually enjoying every bit of this year. Notable is my new addiction to Dancing Latte from a coffee house here in Nairobi. The presentation of this coffee accompanied with a ginger nut cookie has me thinking perhaps I should take on the job as Gibson’s coffee house spokeswoman. All this coffee addiction after my first love chocolate got me on a coffee quest. I know it sounds quite the task to take on but for what it’s worth I guess I love knowledge to bits.......READ MORE
Avoiding Debt by Elizabeth Karina
Mary has just set off in the morning to look for a new house. She looks to get an agent, they should know where the best houses are, she is able to go round a few other houses with another agent and voila she comes across one that she likes. With the deposit and rent paid she moves in immediately before night fall. In Mary's case the next thing on her mind is figuring how she can spruce up her house at the snap of her fingers, since money is not easy to come by she turns to the nearest bank that can ease her off her misery, with that comes the necessary repercussions........READ MORE
Going Natural by Kurly Kichana
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I absolutely love your online magazine!!! I wish you much success as you March forward :)
Planted Treasure
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