Rihanna: Gucci’s Girl

Rihanna is much more than simply the face of Gucci’s new UNICEF Campaign. The leggy Barbados singer is a staunch supporter of UNICEF. She and Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini will light the UNICEF Snowflake at Grand Army Plaza in New York City tomorrow night. The UNICEF Snowflake is the largest outdoor chandelier, adorned with 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms. Ne-Yo will perform live during the ceremony before Rihanna and Frida flip the switch to illuminate the Snowflake, signifying the beginning of the gift-giving season.

Following the lighting is a cocktail party in the Gucci 5th Avenue flagship store to celebrate the launch of the 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF which continues to support education, healthcare, protection, and clean water programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

For this year’s initiative, Giannini has designed a special white version of the Tattoo Heart Collection. Gucci will donate 25 percent of sales from this dedicated collection in Gucci stores in over 20 countries from November 19, 2008 through January 31, 2009.

As well, Rihanna and Giannini have documented their progress up to launching the campaign and here is a teaser.

Black Girl: African Cinema in Retrospect

One of my closest and dearest friends — I’m talking fights in Paris in low-cost cramped hotels, surprise visits while abroad in Senegal, veggie burger sharing episodes at BAM, bruises from rollerblading (remember when that was popular?) in miniskirts in Park Slope, boyfriend detail dishing, Clinton Hill subletting in the 90s, Patricia Fields-trip shopping before SATC made it hot, knowing all my secrets and not batting an eye — sent me the film Black Girl by the purveyor of African film Ousmane Sembene for my birthday this year.

See, Felicia knows my academic love of the Negritude movement and the literary, political and social elements that grew from it. In college, les etudes de la Negritude engulfed my world and throughout the years she has made it her business to keep me connected to that part of my life. So when the DVD arrived in the mail, it was prefaced with a message that stipulated I do absolutely no research on it and call her immediately after I viewed it.

I waited till the weekend when I could watch it in solace. I was actually ashamed that I hadn’t seen it before being that I was familiar with Sembene’s written work and another friend of mine had just mentioned him to me at brunch. But before I go into my non-spoiler “review” of this particular work of his, let me give you a little refresher.

Ousmane Sembene, born in 1923 (just a few years before the fruition of Negritude), is a Senegalese writer and director known for his politically themed works. He taught himself to read and write French. His first published book Le Docker Noir (Black Docker, 1956) was followed by half a dozen more published works that spotlighted the working class, colonialism, and culture. In 1960 his interests turned to film and after attending the Moscow Film School, Sembene returned to Senegal and directed his first feature film – La Noire De… (Black Girl, 1966).

Forty-two years later I would sit in my living room and take in this cinematic beauty. The simply titled, sixty-minute, subtitled film begins with a panoramic view of the docks and a stunningly beautiful… black girl boarding a huge boat. She is on her way to serve as a caretaker for the children of a French family. Throughout the film, there are intense up and down, racially charged moments where you question what is going to happen next, but in the utmost subtle manner. It is true brilliance the way Sembene integrates the Hegelian Master-Slave Dialectic into this piece. The ending is truly an unsettling and tragic denouement therefore, I’m reluctant to spill too much of the beans but I do urge you to view this award winning African film.

A Week Long Voyage in Kenya

Writer Jetta “Nashipai” Bates-Vasilatos recently had the pleasure of spending an entire week in Kenya. She chronicled her first trip to Africa for Ebony Jet but made sure to share this message with friends of Martini Pink.

Greetings!

Kenya is such a special place, I just had to share my journey with you. Please click on the link above to Ebony/Jet online and feel free to comment online after you read the article.

Experiential travel is my passion. I believe in connecting with the people, dispelling myths, finding one-of-a-kind experiences/moments, getting into mischief and coming back with stories that encourage others to travel outside our boarders.  Sprinkle in a bit of adventure, shopping, spa, and daring dining (as I am a hard core foodie) and you have my definition of the perfect trip.

All my absolute best,

Jetta

To read Jetta’s full story, click here.

Postcard Perfect: Africa The Beautiful, I

Originally published 4.4.08

My bags were packed and ready to go. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but I knew I was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Everything was new to me. So much was going through my mind… Was I ready for my awakening? There was no more time left to deliberate, I was at JFK airport in New York City and my bags were checked into KLM flight to Accra, Ghana.

Two years ago, if you would have asked me about Africa, I would have told you “Oh, to be in Africa! One can only dream!” I thought such a trip would require a lot of time and money, neither of which I had a lot of. I was also afraid of the things I would see and if I would be able to recover from such sights.

One day while searching online for volunteer and community service, I came across the organization, Compassion International. I had always wanted to be part of the Big Sister, Big Brother program but never was settled in one place long enough to be a member. It all didn’t matter now because this organization I stumbled upon was just perfect for me. I believe that all children have the basic right to education and opportunity. I was drawn closer to the website because Compassion International is a Christian based, Child focused advocacy organization that contributes to solutions for children and their families to get out of poverty, as a result of lack of education and opportunity. I decided to join Compassion International. There were so many children to choose from and I wanted to choose them all. Since I could not sponsor them all, I set my heart on one little girl, Doris.

My sponsorship allows Doris to attend school, learn about Christianity and the importance of living a healthy life. My sponsor packet included stationary for writing letters, a bio-sheet to send to her and her family, tips on how to write a letter and rules on visiting my sponsored child. This is where it all started and one year later, I found myself on a plane to Accra, Ghana.

I decided to take a Compassion International tour of Ghana. Compassion hosts tours for the sponsors to go to their child’s country and see first hand what and how our sponsorship improve the children lives. The reason Doris is in her impoverish situation is because he father had to travel in search for work but disappeared from all communication going on three years now. Doris is eight years old and lives with her mother, sister and two brothers. No one knows what has become of her father but what is known is that her mother had to pick up and care for her family the best way she knew how: as a goods trader. After writing multiple letters, sending pictures and learning about each other over a year, I felt the need to meet her and her family and let them really feel the love I put into my letters.

The Compassion tour group arrived in Accra, Ghana February 10, 2008 at 10:30 PM. I took a deep breath before I exited the plan. It had taken me a total of 18 hours to get to Ghana and I was happy to set foot on ground. The temperature was 85 degrees Fahrenheit and I feared I would suffer from the humidity the whole trip. My only hope was that hotel Jaria had air conditioning because I didn’t know if I could survive even one night. Once we were out of the airport, we were taken to a couple of SUVs. Now the SUV was made for five people but we were told “four in the back and two up front.” My new friend, Amanda and I decided to take the front because we were the smallest people in our group of twelve. We were close by the end of that drive because we had to practically sit on top of one another. The trip to the hotel was as if I had my eyes were closed. I had landed in the country but could not see what was ahead of me because the roads were so dark. Excitement boiled over in me as I rested the first night and thought about the following day. My main thoughts were “thank you God for the air conditioning” and “If it’s 85 degrees at night, what will noon feel like.”

Postcard Perfect: Africa The Beautiful, II

When I woke in the morning, it still hadn’t hit me that I was in Africa. The moment I looked out the window, it became more real. I could see a semi-constructed building across from me. It had exquisite stone design but very vacant. There were roads made of only rocks, dirt and dust. While we drove to the Compassion Office in Ghana, the view was literally breathtaking. The people, the landscape, the structures, the love for God, all beautifully working together like a fine oiled machine.

Many of the children had never seen a Caucasian before and were scared as they cried and screamed “Oberoni,” which means white people. It was comforting to be in a country where everyone looked like me and shared common characteristics. Every one has their own preconceptions about Africa and I must say that my notions were very off. When people say that Ghanaian people are the friendliest people in the world, they were understating the facts. The people as a whole were very pure hearted and self-sacrificing. The women were beautifully dressed in their traditional African attire; head wraps with matching dresses made from the finest cloth and designs in Ghana. The people did whatever they had to provide for their families. They were hard working, especially the mothers who had their children wrapped in cloth on their backs. There were street vendors selling the home-filtered water and plantain chips.

The Ghanaian food was different. They love their spices in Ghana. Each dish that was offered to me, I had to smell before eating it to see if I would be able to handle it. The only thing spicy I could handle was the spicy plantains. Other than that, I had resolved to eating fried potatoes and rice for two weeks. We had to drink bottled water all while we were there ensuring that we did not catch typhoid or any other parasitic illnesses.

After drinking and brushing my teeth with bottled water, I had to have something with flavor. Now, instead of drinking water all day, I was drinking Fanta and water to stay hydrated. I couldn’t drink the Pepsi because it tasted like Coke so I was forced to stick with the many flavors of Fanta. There was a drink made by Guinness called Malta that many of the Ghanaian people drink. It is cheap, filling and contains the vitamins and nutrients needed to be healthy. Amanda and I were curious as to what it tasted like so Amanda order one while we were out to lunch. She took a sip and then I took a sip. Amanda would say, “Tasted like death!” I describe it as drinking vanilla soy milk and corn flakes mixed in malt. It was beneficial for the Ghanaians because poverty was everywhere. But the most important and best of the Ghanaian cultural food was the vanilla ice cream. If not for any other reason, I would suggest people go to Ghana and eat the ice cream. The vanilla ice cream was the creamiest, most satisfying ice cream I have ever had and I’ve had many brands of vanilla. It was pure, just sweet and just cold enough. It was a dessert one would like to eat very slowly and savor each spoonful. So many new experiences and memories were made from this trip but the best moments to share are those I spent with Doris.

Postcard Perfect: Africa The Beautiful, III

The purpose of the Compassion tour was to join in fellowship with our African counterparts and learn about the conditions of our sponsored children. Each morning in Ghana, prior to doing anything else on our schedule, we would drive up to the Compassion Ghana office and have daily devotion with the staff. After singing and reading a passage from the Bible, we began our journey to the many homes of the children we sponsored. The first few homes we visited were very difficult to handle. Just to know that there are people living in such conditions. People complain about the poor conditions here in America, but they do not compare to what many Africans face on a daily basis. The trip was not all work and no play.

Our day of fun occurred when we went to the beach with our children. The beach in Ghana was gorgeous. The sea was calm and the sand was nice and warm. It was Doris’ first time at a beach. She had never laid eyes on the ocean nor felt the strong pull of the sea as the tides came in and went out. It was my first time seeing her as a little girl. Many of the children grow up fast because they have responsibilities at home. Doris’ became the eight-year-old that she should be. She laughed, she splashed water, she ran and she was happy. When we parted from the beach, she was worn out like a kid supposed to be after a long day of playing. She rested her head on me and went to sleep. It was then that I realized that she was comfortable with me and our strong bond had been formed.

When we were dropping her off, I didn’t want her to go as she did not want to go. I had to keep reminding myself that we had a fun day at the beach and we will spend the next day together. The next day I was to meet Doris’ family. I met them at the Tema Compassion Student Center on “Chocolate Day.” From the moment I recognized Doris’ family, I immediately went over to them and hugged them. Her mother, Patience, was very emotional and tried to shy away her tears. The speaker talked about the great things that were occurring in Doris’ life and how my contribution is helping her to become a great young lady. I felt proud that I have contributed to helping a child grow stronger. I was then ready to start my day with Doris. The next stop in Tema was Doris’ school.

Doris saw her family come and she came out of class to greet them. She then saw me and ran and hugged me. The greatest feeling was knowing that I meant something to her. It was time to visit the home and learn about their living arrangements. We traveled the rough terrain to reach the home. There were so many rocks and dirt causing the bus to shake and the ground come up in a dust cloud.

When we reached her home, I was in tears at what I saw. The other homes we saw were just homes of families in poverty that stirred my emotions. Doris’ living condition was personal. I felt a sharp pain in my heart as Doris’ and I walked hand in hand through the soft dirt leading to her home. The structure for the house was very large. Like most of the housing structures in Ghana, it was incomplete. There were no walls, doors, and was partially roofed. There was only one portion of the structure that had a roof. Compassion helped the family buy the materials to place a roof on that portion so that they would have an enclosed area to sleep and keep their personal belonging. I was sad because the whole family had a very small enclosed area to occupy. However, I was pleased to see that Doris and her family was very content of their home, had no shame for the family’s condition and graciously welcomed me into their dwelling place.

Patience, her mother, continued to cry as we stood in her home. She was very happy to know that someone so far away loved her daughter so much to not only sponsor her but to travel a far distance to see her. I had to reassure her that I was the blessed on to have Doris as a sponsor child. She is full of life and you would be crazy not to love her. While leaving the home, I shared one last embrace with Patience and told her I loved her. Doris held my hand the whole time we were together. We were just happy to have so much time together, we didn’t want to miss a second of that time. Although it was only two days together, it was more time than we had prior to the trip.

Postcard Perfect: Africa The Beautiful, IV

When it was time for us to part for the final time, I wanted to hold on to her very tight. I couldn’t believe it was time for me to go home. I told her I would never forget my time with her because it is very precious to me. I let her know that I loved her and will always be praying for her. It was very difficult to let her go but I knew that this visit impacted both our lives in very positive ways and with that I could go home.

Upon my return, many people wondered why I would elect to travel to the most poverty stricken parts of Africa and stay there for two weeks. I told them if I could have, I would have stayed much longer. Africa is filled with so much beauty that our American eyes can not even begin to comprehend. People forget about history and how this modern world came to be and therefore forget that Africa is where it all started.

My journey to Africa broadened my awareness and gave me a new understanding of Philippians 4:11-13 - “Not that I speak in respect of want: For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” I was once asked “What would you do if you knew there was someone out there that can use your help?” I answered “I would do what I could to help.”

I walk away from my trip to Africa with great friends, new family and a new meaning to life. Helping Doris is one of my life’s biggest achievements. I know I cannot change the world all by myself but if I am helping one child, I feel like I am creating a better future for us all.