Away from Africa

Over the years I collected many necklaces; bought in Cameroon although not necessarily made there, especially as the beads were often of European origin and used for trade purposes by the European traders. Below are images of a variety (the penny is to show scale).

Caroline Barla When recently in Douala, where my spouse, Epee Ellong, has returned, I got together with a good friend I hadn't seen in a very, very long time. Her name is Caroline Barla, and she is (I think) the first female Cameroonian architect (her father, Nsangue Akwa, was the first in the registry of Cameroon architects, ONAC). Caroline has been busy in all those years in the design field, not only in architecture. We didn't have time to go into much detail, so I will mainly show you photos of her home, which is a showcase for contemporary African style. The Barla living room--a mix of contemporary  and traditional African style Above: Dining Room chair; below: Traditional Bamiléké funeral dancer's headdress Caroline's work area   Caroline also managed a store of original designs for a few years, Caramelle. One of her inventions was to create versions of the "kaba" (the Duala women's traditional dress since about 100 year...

The embed function doesn't appear to work... this is the link: http://www.telesud.com/le-replay/lecture/?replay_program=340&replay_id=x28swo0 Interview with Lady Ngo Mandeng for "Lady Vous Ecoute," in Paris, France. Lady Ngo Mang being prepped for the program

A new cultural institution is being created in New York City: the Africa Center, at the northern tip of Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue. Originally, New York had the Museum for African Art; its first location was in Soho. In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg announced a plan to relocate the museum to Museum Mile at 110th Street in Manhattan; during construction, the museum was moved to Long Island City in Queens. For several years, information about the new venue was scarce. Susan Mullin Vogel founded the Museum for African Art in 1984. The institution showed very high-caliber exhibitions, including exhibitions that were shown in various museums around the United States; it had a wonderful museum store (managed for some years by Vickie Fremont , whom we have also written about in this blog); my spouse, Epee Ellong , had participated in events about African culture and design. The project for the space at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue was enormously ambitious. In October 2012, Phil Conte joined...

Mansour Ourasanah The Vilcek Foundation was created to highlight the achievements of the many talented immigrants who made their life in the United States. Marica and Jan Vilcek are originally from Slovakia. Jan Vilcek, a microbiologist, has 45 patents in his name and was the co-inventor of the blockbuster drug, Remicade. Marica is an art historian. They fled  Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia for  the United States 50 years ago, and created the Vilcek Foundation in 2000. Every year, they give out rewards in different categories. This year’s focus was excellence and innovation in design. On June 19,  3 of the award recipients came together for a  panel discussion  at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. The designers spoke about their creations, and topics covered were material ecology, and how can industrial design improve society? The discussion was moderated by Glenn Adamson, Director at the Museum of Arts and Design....

In Montréal, Canada, for a few days, we were pleased to note how many Francophone Africans are living in this French-speaking city, and how active they are in its cultural life. Montreal is a calm but also a very international city, boasting denizens from all over the globe, including many from France, the Middle East and Africa. The soul of African cultural life lives in the Maison de l'Afrique Montréal . This African cultural center, in a house located in a quiet neighborhood, was founded in 2004 by Mariam Sy Diawara, originally from the Ivory Coast. The Center's doors opened in 2009. The center's mission is to act as a link from the Americas to Africa, to promote African culture and history, from all over the continent. There is also a tourism component and assists African immigrants in their integration in Canada. Gisèle Ndong When we visited in July, Ms. Diawara was in the Ivory Coast, but we met several team members: Cheick Cissé, Administrator, Moussa Xli...