Used Cars Keep Africans Moving, But Dumping Concerns Remain

In this photo taken Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, a worker washes used cars for sale in the capital Harare, Zimbabwe. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa new wheels often mean a used car from Japan or Europe which are affordable to the growing middle class, but environmental activists and others complain that the second-hand vehicles, unable to meet stringent pollution tests elsewhere, are simply being dumped in the world's poorest continent. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

BY RODNEY MUHUMUZA, FARAI MUTSAKA

KAMPALA, UGANDA (AP) — Salesmen whistle at potential buyers of scores of vehicles shining in the afternoon sun. One truck might bring over $20,000 but it’s far from the “brand new” ride the salesman touts it to be while attempting to start the engine.

The truck is one of tens of thousands of second-hand vehicles imported each year into Uganda from Europe or Asia, especially Japan. In much of sub-Saharan Africa, the imports satisfy demand for mobility while many public transport systems are rudimentary and newer models are not affordable to many in the growing middle class.

But the used vehicles are a problem, say officials. They contribute the pollution burden on a continent that contributes far less than other regions to the emissions that cause global warming.

Africa has become “the burial ground of vehicles that run on fossil fuel as the West turns to electric and newer cleaner technologies,” said Philip Jakpor, an activist with the Nigerian branch of the group Friends of the Earth.

Many second-hand vehicles shipped to Africa from Japan are believed to have failed, or were about to fail, pollution tests there, according to the U.N. Environment Program. But in many parts of Africa such regulations are often poorly enforced, and rampant corruption ensures that used vehicles can slip by any controls.

The UNEP, which calls air pollution a “silent killer” in Africa that is responsible for about 7 million deaths each year, has warned that vehicle emissions are a major source of deteriorating air quality in booming cities.

More than 1.2 million used vehicles were imported into Africa in 2017, according to U.N. figures. Most were destined for Nigeria and Kenya, two of Africa’s largest economies. Both countries also have car-assembling plants.

“The West has refused to transfer technology or make the technology to transit to be cheap and accessible,” Jakpor said. “Our governments have equally failed to invest in renewables and transition, so we will have this dumping for a long time.”

In Uganda, more than 80% of all vehicles are second-hand imports. In part to stem the flow, legislation enacted in 2018 outlaws the importation of vehicles older than 15 years and imposes stiffer taxes on vehicles older than nine years.

A used vehicle made in, say, 2010 can seem new to both buyer and seller in the East African country without a single car-assembling plant and where rickety vehicles are ubiquitous. It’s not uncommon to see vehicles emitting a fog of dark fumes. Police frequently attribute deadly accidents to vehicles in dangerous condition.

“You cannot wake up and put a total ban” on used vehicles, said Dicksons Kateshumbwa, Uganda’s commissioner in charge of customs revenue. “There is a growing middle-income (class). Everyone who gets a job, and gets money, wants to drive.”

Taxes on used vehicles are “a key component” of the revenue agency’s overall collection targets, he said. He added there is no evidence suggesting that stiffer environmental levies on used cars cut into demand.

Car dealers in the Ugandan capital of Kampala told The Associated Press that demand for used vehicles remains solid because importers target certain vehicles that are much sought-after no matter how old they are. The Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Harrier are much-loved locally, for example.

“Ugandans are conversant with older models, so they are looking for those,” said car importer Amir Hussein of Cosmos Uganda Ltd. “For many people, it is their mindset: that old is solid, is good.”

Uganda’s government last year contracted two companies to inspect used vehicles before they are shipped. The head of the standards agency acknowledges the system is imperfect as not all vehicles are subjected to tests as they cross into the country. Inspectors based in Uganda only carry out spot checks.

Ben Manyindo, head of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, called for a plan that eventually would lead to the banning of used vehicles from abroad.

The question of whether to impose import restrictions remains contentious despite wide recognition of the dangers of an unlimited flow of used vehicles into Africa, the continent least equipped to deal with climate-changing carbon emissions.

In Zimbabwe, where the government has tried and failed to impose restrictions amid resistance from importers and others, there is no age limit for imported cars. Used cars are not checked for emissions levels when they enter the southern African nation from ports in Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa, which notably allows the importation of used vehicles only for re-export to other countries.

Zimbabwe’s environment protection agency lacks the resources to conduct effective spot checks for emissions, and over the years the government has appeared fickle in its attempts to regulate the trade in used vehicles.

In 2010 the government banned the importation of vehicles older than five years but later backed down. In December the finance minister announced that older cars would pay less import duty than newer cars, sparking criticism from some lawmakers and environmentalists who argued the measure would encourage people to buy cars that are more harmful to the environment.

“The old cars have higher emissions and are dumped on us because they are no longer considered as fit for the roads in their countries of origin,” said Byron Zamasiya of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, which urges stricter controls. “We should be incentivizing people to import newer cars than older ones.”

Used cars from Japan are so common in Zimbabwe that the business may be one of the few still profitable in a country reeling from serious economic woes. Zimbabweans spent over $5 billion importing used cars between 2006 and 2016, and an average of 300 pass through Beitbridge, the main border crossing with South Africa, according to official figures.

Open spaces in cities such as Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, have been taken over by used-car dealers selling anything from small sedans to rundown buses following the collapse of the country’s once-vibrant car assembly industry. A usually unreliable public transport system also fuels demand for used vehicles among people who can still afford one.

Like Uganda, Nigeria restricts importations of vehicles older than 15 years, but importers working with corrupt officials can always beat the system, according to importer Motola Adebayo. He believes the ability to bribe customs officials has encouraged an influx of very old vehicles into Africa’s most populous country.

“Many of them are being used for commercial transportation,” he said of the imports. “Very old vehicles are now becoming the standard means of commercial transportation in Nigeria.”

Oke Ndubuisi, a taxi driver in Lagos, reasoned that “here in Nigeria, because people are paying very little as transport fares, you cannot easily recover the cost of your investment in a vehicle if it is an expensive one.”

The taxi he drives is one of many that contribute to air pollution in Nigeria’s bustling commercial capital.

“The prices of new vehicles will have to come down in order to address the problem of pollution caused by old vehicles,” he said.

___ Mutsaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe. Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.

China-Style State-Led Growth Won't Work In Africa, Former Nigeria Finance Minister Warns

BY JUSTINA CRABTREE

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria, during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, U.S., on September 19, 2016. Image: Michael Nagle/ Bloomberg /Getty Image via CNBC

(CNBC MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018)--As ties between China and African countries continue to strengthen, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has warned that Beijing-style economic governance will not work for Africa.

Corruption could result from increased government intervention in business, she said.

In her view, Nigeria's "vibrant private sector" does not lend itself to state-led development.

But Ethiopia, an East African country with high percentage economic growth, has echoed Beijing's state-led approach.


China has funneled billions of dollars into aid, loans and business deals on the African continent in recent years.

But as ties continue to strengthen, a former Nigerian finance minister has warned that Beijing-style economic governance will not work for Africa.

"China has been very helpful," particularly with building much-needed infrastructure in Africa, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a two-time former finance minister in Nigeria, told CNBC on Wednesday.


But while less economically advanced countries may wish to emulate China's economic success, the Chinese approach of state-led development would prove unsuccessful for the majority of Africa, she said.

"In most African countries, it has been shown that state-led growth — pure state-led growth — has really not worked," Okonjo-Iweala said, citing the example of Nigeria's "vibrant private sector."

A worker fits parts to the underside of a raised Hyundai Accent car at a vehicle assembly plant in Lagos, Nigeria, on February 17, 2016. Image: George Oshodi/Bloomberg via CNBC

In her view, the Nigerian government, through state-owned enterprises, has not shown itself capable of managing its manufacturing and heavier industries, for example.

Corruption could result from increased government intervention in business, Okonjo-Iweala said. "Some of our governments, when they get into direct provision of jobs and services — that's where corruption creeps in because it's not well-handled, the institutions of state are not strong enough, the checks and balances are not strong."

Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria's finance minister twice, from 2003-2006 and most recently during 2011-2015 under previous President Goodluck Jonathan. She is a former director at the World Bank and is currently an adviser at the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank.

Where China-style economic management has worked


Nonetheless, one African country known for its economic partnership with China is Ethiopia. Infrastructure, as well as industrial parks to boost the manufacturing sector, have been built as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, a multi-billion dollar spending plan to resurrect ancient trading routes centered on China.


Ethiopia, an East African country that has seen double-digit gross domestic product (GDP) growth as recently as 2017, has echoed China's state-led development style.

This approach "will only work in countries where the power is highly centralized," Anna Rosenberg, research director at emerging market advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC on Friday. Besides Ethiopia, she cited Mozambique and Rwanda as suitable examples. Nigeria's entrepreneurial society was less conducive to China-style economic management, she said.

History could also play a role, Rosenberg suggested. While Cold War allegiances to the Soviet Union may be present in some African countries, Nigeria, by contrast, is a former British colony and therefore more espoused to a free market system.

China's strategic partner

"I think China sees Africa as a strategic continent that it wants to be a partner with," Okonjo-Iweala said. "Africa does have the natural resources that China lacks in many ways."

But, she added that in her view, this partnership extends beyond pure economic deals. "I believe strongly there is overarching political and soft power that is involved."

For Okonjo-Iweala, it is important to demonstrate the fruits of African business deals with China to the public. She described Beijing-funded new airport terminals in the Nigerian capital Abuja as an example of this because "people will be able to see them, and witness them, and know that the money went into something concrete."

Last week, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported that Nigeria had signed a deal with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to build a railway from its economic hub Lagos to Kano, a commercial hotspot in the north of the country.

African countries must enter business deals with China "with our eyes open," Okonjo-Iweala said, to capitalize on its manufacturing expertise and technological development.

Africa is in the process of expanding its manufacturing sector in an attempt to bolster economic development. Nigeria, as part of an attempt to wean itself off oil dependence, has grown its manufacturing base from just 2.5 percent of value added to GDP in 2009 to 8.8 percent in 2016, according to the World Bank.

But with regards to regulating Africa-China business deals, "we are absolutely not there," Okonjo-Iweala said, although she added that this varied between African countries. Providing that fair and transparent agreements are drawn up, "we can work with China – why not?"

When The Diaspora Collides

We're All Black, Right?

BY TAMAR DAVIS

BLAVITY, MARCH 28, 2017

Black, African American, West Indian, African, Black American, Afro-Latinx. These and the myriad of other ways that individuals of African descent have come to define themselves and each other come packed with a host of unspoken/underlying meanings. They house myths, hidden assumptions, stereotypes and declarations about who we are, how we see ourselves and the identities and communities that we hope to create.

This month, conversations and controversies have been ignited about the meaning of Blackness, the salience of ethnicity over race (and vice versa) and which members of the diaspora have ownership over what parts of the Black experience. While some individuals have assuaged this conversation entirely for a host of reasons, these discussions can be fruitful and serve as a learning opportunity if we use these moments wisely.

Last weekend, Canadian rapper Drake released his latest album More Life to both criticism and praise that swiftly swept through social media. Among these discussions, was curiosity and commentary around Drake's decision to heavily employ Jamaican patois and sample music from Caribbean artists-- choices that echo his previous work but seem to play a larger role in this album. Given his own personal heritage (Drake grew up in Canada and was born to a white mother and Black American father) fans questioned whether his use of Caribbean slang constitutes appropriation despite the fact that he too identifies as a person of African descent.

Mirroring these questions was an arguably more intense storm of controversy that came down earlier in the month when actor Samuel L. Jackson criticized the highly successful thriller Get Out, and the decision made by director Jordan Peele to cast Black British actor Daniel Kaluuya as a Black American. In an interview on Hot 97, Jackson asked “What would a brother from America have made of that role? I’m sure the director helped but some things are universal, but everything ain't” In response, Kaluuya expressed disappointment at Jackson's comments. “I resent that I have to prove that I'm black”, Kaluuya argued, “I see black as one, man”.

What lies at the heart of these two stories and the controversies embedded with them are questions surrounding the diversity of the Black community and how to parse out those differences while still recognizing that we all share the same racial background. In the context of the US, these queries are particularly interesting given the relatively recent rise of Black immigration to the country. This influx of new immigrants has resulted in the melding of cultures between Blacks of other ethnic backgrounds and their Black American (people of African descent who have roots in America dating back to US Slavery) peers. According to a 2015 report released by the Pew Research Center examining the rising population of foreign-born Blacks, the Black Immigrant population in America has nearly quadrupled since 1980. Even between the years of 2000 and 2013, the Black immigrant population (comprised of immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America) rose from 6.7% to 8.7%.

Studies conducted throughout the 90s have highlighted the tensions between various Black ethnic groups within the States particularly those between Black Americans and first generation- Black immigrants. Researchers have suggested that the driving force behind these tensions is the concept of segmented assimilation, which posits that since Black Americans have historically been oppressed in the US, it would be strategically disadvantageous for Black immigrants to fully assimilate into the Black American community.

Highlighting one's ethnic background and nationality during job interviews or social interactions, thus signals a difference from Black Americans and it was one of the many ways that Black immigrant respondents in these studies avoided categorization as Black Americans. Follow-up studies in the late 90s and early 2000s however, surveyed second and third generation Black immigrants and found that many of these trends and negative stereotypes about Black Americans were less prevalent. In fact, this later research also found that children of Black immigrants were far more likely to view themselves as one and the same to their Black American peers.

While these more recent studies highlight the strengthening of ethnic solidarity amongst Blacks, discussions around the sometimes strained relationship within the African diaspora have endured and even been amplified in interesting---and at times, vitriolic---ways on social media. For example, Black Twitter, the community of Black Twitter users that in large part drive the social media platform and offer hilarious and thought-provoking commentary on current events, often displays the social cohesion and cultural similarities within the African diaspora. However, every once in awhile trending topics such as #DiasporaWars emerge and highlight the ways in which inter-ethnic division and misunderstanding still persist.

For those who have chosen to disengage from these conversations, the reason is simple: at the end of the day, the outside world views us all as Black regardless of our nationality or ethnic background and thus, we should use our energy to band together and combat more grave issues that impact us all. However, while there is an overwhelming tendency for these conversations to become negative and rooted in stereotype as opposed to fact, the idea that we ought to shy away completely from discussing the diversity of the diaspora may not be the wisest decision. At their best, such moments --whether they emerge from newly released literature, music, film, or even academic research-- can serve as a learning and sharing opportunity. They can be seeds into further exploration as to why the music, language, food and customs of each community within the diaspora is unique due to political, economic and historical trends that have shaped where we wound up and who we are now.

Recognizing these differences need not be the foundations of hierarchy or ill-spirited division but rather it could allow us to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and adaptability of Black culture at large. It would also allow us to ask more interesting and thought-provoking questions about the malleability of, and intersections between, cultures within the diaspora. The media that we consume serves greater utility when we are challenged to (constructively) ask “what if” as opposed to taking what we are given at face value.

Our decision to engage in conversations about the diaspora also enables us to wrestle with questions of ownership and whether narratives, histories and cultural trends can be appropriated across ethnic lines even when they remain within the boundaries of race. Sure, we could chew on Jackson's question of how would a Black American approach Kaluuya’s role in Get Out, but we could also ask how (or would) the film's narrative be different if Kaluuya had been cast in the same role except as a Black British man living in America and dating a White American woman? What (if any) changes would we want to have seen and why would we want to see them? To address the other aforementioned story, we could pose the question of what does it mean when Drake employs patois despite not having familial roots in the island nation? How would it differ had it been a non-Black rapper who did the same?

There aren't any right, wrong or even clear answers to these questions or the host of other queries that these recent controversies could have ignited. The beauty of Black culture, however, is that there is such a wide array of individuals with their own diverse set of experiences and perspectives. That means that there is endless potential for conversations that will extend beyond simply asserting our singularity---and they can be civil, constructive and always of course, colorful.

Trump Sons Open Newest Hotel In Vancouver

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

 The still-under-construction Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 69-story tower has drawn praise for its sleek, twisting design. Prices for the condominiums have set records. But the politics of President Donald Trump have caused such outrage that the mayor won’t attend the Feb. 28 grand opening and has lobbied for a name change. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) /The Canadian Press via AP)


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA(AP) — Ignoring protests, claims their newest real estate venture clashes with Canadian values and a no-show mayor who tried to change the tower's name, U.S. President Donald Trump's sons said Tuesday that it was "so fitting" to see the Trump brand in Vancouver, a city known for its diversity and progressive politics.

Protesters, some carrying posters proclaiming, "Love Trumps Hate," surrounded the entrance to the Trump hotel and condominium tower while police and security officers in black suits gathered on sidewalks at the soaring edifice, which has drawn praise for its sleek design but has also raised ethical concerns about the business interests of the new U.S. president.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who had lobbied for the Trump name to be removed from the tower, refused to attend the ceremony in protest of Trump's policies on immigration and other matters. "The name Trump has now become synonymous not with luxury and lifestyle, but with racism, sexism and intolerance," said city Councilman Kerry Jang, who was among other city officials boycotting the event.

Despite the protests and controversy, however, the Trump brothers said Vancouver was the perfect location for a new Trump enterprise. "Vancouver is truly one of the great cities of the world. It's truly one of the most beautiful places in the world and it's so fitting for the Trump brand," Eric Trump said in a speech before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Calling the building an "an architectural masterpiece," he added: "That's what our brand is all about. That's what our father's vision was all about, creating one of the most iconic buildings in the world."

In true Trump fashion, Donald Jr. opened his remarks with a light-hearted swipe at the media. "I'd like to thank the press," he said before quickly adding: "Just kidding. Good to see you here. I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked."

Donald Jr. also thanked the tower's Malaysian developer, Joo Kim Tiah, whose father is one of Malaysia's wealthiest businessmen and who, like the U.S. president, made a fortune in real estate. "It's great to be able to do this within a family business. I understand how that dynamic works," Donald Jr. said. "It either works great or it is a total disaster."

The Trump Organization is licensing the name to the building and managing the hotel, but does not own it. Joo Kim, the developer, said he found it "extremely stressful" when Trump entered politics well after he signed the partnership agreement with the Trump organization.

"I was terrified," Joo Kim of the Canada-based Holborn Development company told The Associated Press last week. "The people who ran the city were not happy with me. I was scared, but I think they understand. They understand that I'm trapped into — not trapped, locked into — an agreement."

As the opening ceremony took place Tuesday inside the gleaming 69-story tower, people carrying anti-Trump signs took part in a raucous demonstration to the sound of reggae music outside. Protesters crowded the building's entrance, including Henry Ho, who brought signs with messages that included "Dump Trump," and "Is it 2020 yet?"

"I believe a president should be at his core a good person," the Vancouver resident said. "I don't feel like that comes from Donald Trump." Sue Robertson, a retiree who lives in Vancouver, said the Trump brand is associated with "evil" and said a Trump tower "does not belong in a multicultural, fabulous beautiful city."

While the Trump-branded tower is a source of anger for many, the new hotel and its namesake do have some support in the region. "President and hotel owner are two different things. If he can separate the two, all the power to him," said Joe Taylor, a resident of British Columbia. "At least he's got the nerve to say what's on his mind. If people don't like it, well, they're not used to that."

The Trump brothers did not take questions after the ceremony, though Donald Jr. later said in a tweet that the Trump Organization had received a record number of applications to work at the tower: 10,000 applications for 300 full time jobs.

A Trump Organization tweet late Monday asserted the tower was "the first property to open in the city" in over six years. But the city's former planning director, Brent Toderian, said that wasn't true.

"I'm the former chief planner for #Vancouver. That's so far from being true, it's laughable," Brent Toderian tweeted. The Trump Organization tweet was later deleted. The media was taken on a tour of the hotel, which included stops at Ivanka Trump's spa, a view of the rooms where reporters could take a look at the protest below, and the night club.

Located along an upscale six-lane downtown thoroughfare, the tower is the second-tallest in Vancouver and offers majestic mountain and ocean views. A one-bedroom apartment, at 699 square feet, starts around $1 million and the average 1,153-square-foot two-bedroom condo went for $1.7 million but has since gone up. Hotel rooms in the slow season start at around $228 ($300 Canadian).

The chief White House ethics lawyers under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have criticized Trump's turning over control of his business to his sons, saying it does not eliminate potential conflicts of interest. Legal experts also say Trump's overseas businesses could violate the "emoluments clause" of the U.S. constitution, which bars public officials from accepting payments or gifts from foreign governments or companies they control without the consent of Congress. A liberal-funded watchdog group has filed a lawsuit against Trump citing the clause.

Associated Press videographer Manuel Valdes reported this story in Vancouver and AP writer Rob Gillies reported from Toronto. AP writer Cara McKenna in Vancouver contributed to this report.

Plant-Based Foods May Offer Reduced Risk for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Science Daily (Oct. 19, 2012) — President George W. Bush made no secret that he detested broccoli. With all due respect to our former leader, researchers have found one more great reason to add fruits, vegetables, herbs and tea to your diet.

A study by Susan Steck of the Arnold School of Public Health finds that a high intake of flavonoids, a group of compounds found in plants, may lower the risk for highly aggressive prostate cancer.

"Incorporating more plant-based foods and beverages, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and tea, into the diet may offer some protection against aggressive prostate cancer," said Steck, an associate professor at the Arnold School and an affiliated scholar with the Center for Research in Health Disparities.

"Filling your plate with flavonoid-rich foods is one behavior that can be changed to have a beneficial impact on health," she said.

Steck presented her findings at the International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. The annual event is sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, whose mission is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication and collaboration.

Prior preclinical studies have shown that flavonoids have beneficial effects against prostate cancer, but few studies have examined the effect of flavonoids on prostate cancer in humans.

Steck and her colleagues used data from 920 African-American men and 977 white men in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project who were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. Participants completed a self-reported dietary history questionnaire to assess flavonoid intake, which was measured using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2011 Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods.

Men with the highest total intake of flavonoids had a 25 percent lower risk for aggressive prostate cancer compared with those men with the lowest flavonoid intake.

"We found that higher total flavonoid intake was associated with reduced odds for aggressive prostate cancer in both African-American and European-American men, but no individual subclass of flavonoids appeared to be protective independently, suggesting that it is important to consume a variety of plant-based foods in the diet, rather than to focus on one specific type of flavonoid or flavonoid-rich food," Steck said.

In addition, the risk for aggressive prostate cancer was even lower in those men younger than 65 and in current smokers with the highest levels of flavonoid intake. Dietary questionnaire results revealed that citrus fruits and juices, such as oranges and grapefruits, tea, grapes, strawberries, onions and cooked greens were the top contributors to total flavonoid intake among the participants. "The results support public health recommendations and guidelines from organizations such as the American Institute for Cancer Research to consume a more plant-based diet," Steck said. "In particular, consuming more flavonoid-rich foods may be beneficial for those people who are at increased risk for cancer, such as smokers."

The Death of African Marketplace and the Birth of Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival

BY AMBROSE EHIRIM

Art drawing courtesy of Aziz Diagne

The festival has been on for so many years with lots of African cultural heritage, fanfare and some good, good stuff to promote botany from motherland with the ideal the origin of man began from the African continent, from the passing of Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens, the modern man, as scientific anthropological evidence had it.

For the past 12 years or so, I have never missed any of the events, and, I have encouraged others to keep up with worthy nature by paying homage every year to the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire which ends all summer events, sort of, normally on Labor Day.

From the playgrounds and fields of Rancho La Cienega Park and Dorsey High School to the umiversity village of Exposition Park where the Los Angeles Sports Arena and Colliseum sits -- all on the academic landscape of USC; the carnival had been home to African Marketplace and Cultural Faire, moving from location to location over the years.

The talk had gone on for months coupled with the uncertainties of an economy gone bad nobody knew what the organizers of a model Orie Amigwe, the typical marketplace in motherland every commodity is bagained for. The African Marketplace had the same resemblance of Orie Amigwe in post-Nigeria-Biafra Civil War era.

But something had happened and the organizers, this year, decided to call it quits, blaming a bad economy and the city's budget shortcomings for its woes. What has a bad economy got to do with culture and especially when race is still a factor in America? Why would the organizers turn the other way when African-Americans are desperately eager to know more about the African culture and traditions which has never been part but always an entity? So what's going on, and why are the vendors and merchants who'd played a significant role in these events not asking questions? Probings like "we demand to know what's going on and what happened to the funding by the city and other big corporations to keep our cultural heritage on the shores of this land viable and intact."

"Nothing spoil," as some folks would lament in fractured English indicating "that's life" and life goes on, no matter which ever way one looks at it even as we keep losing base as a people who did come a long way.

As it happened, the death of African Marketplace and Cultural Faire ushered in the Ist Annual Leimert Park Village African Art and Music Festival sponsored in part by 8th District Council Member Bernard C. Parks, Community Build, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and KJLH 102.3 FM. KJLH is owned by Stevie Wonder.

In a move to bring Leimert Park back to life as a tourist center and a culturally-based entity, Senegalese-born artist Aziz Diagne took the humble task of putting a whole lot into perspective and in conjunction with Sika and Jackie Ryan who represents Leimert Park Village Association and advocates for the merchants causes, had African art and vibes brought back to leimert Park Village over the Labor Day weekend.

From September 5 through the 7th, Degnan Boulevard, 43rd Street and 43rd Place was turned into the Orie Amigwe hub of Black Township, stretching all along the Crenshaw thoroughfare in Los Angeles. There's the World Stage Performance Gallery, home to jam sessions, jazz lessons and scholarship. There's Kumasi Gift Shop, home to the Nana Prempehs, Komfo Anokyes, the golden stool, Frafra gears and Kente fabrics. There's African Heritage and Antique Collection Gallery, home of original African fine arts, prints, lithographs, African beads of Antiquity, old tribal arts, okwa mkpuru, masks -- Tuareg outfits, mud clothes from Mali, babariga and Igbo traditional clothings. There's Papa West Breakfast Club and casts of blues and jazzy-funk performances. There's the Zambezi Bazaar, known for its authentic African accessories, ethno-cultural books and numerous African artifacts. There's Sika and uncountable collection of jazz music and other African-related products.

On the westside of Degnan Bl. sits Fine Arts Gallery Plus, Eso Won Books, Heroik Entertainment, Africa By The Yard, New Orleans Vieux Carre Creole Cuisine where tasty sea foods and Big Easy dishes are found. Strolling down further sits Adassa's Island Cafe & Entertainment and Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Restaurant run by the energetic Marlene Beckford.

On 43rd Street sits Lucy Florence Art Gallery, Academy of Martial Arts, Gaynale Beauty Salon, Tip O Nail, Regency West, Philip's BBQ and Mary's Salon.

On 43rd Place sits Klub Kaos, the decaying and abandoned Vision Theatre, Eugene's Creative Designs, Studio 3345, O' So juicy N' Tasty Burgers, Leimert Park, New Star Beauty Supply, The Herb and Vitamin Center, 3H beauty and Universal College of beauty.

I had thought the launching of Leimert Park Village African Arts Festival might have some hiccups since I wasn't familiar with the organizers and what they had been up to. But I did talk to Diagne from time to time as the planning unfolded, and, eventually, the show was a success with an amazing turnout. Though with some hiccups due to lack of proper funding, I was able to talk to one of the organizers, Jackie Ryan, who runs Zambezi Bazaar with her brother and sister, Mary Kimbrough. Ms. Ryan who had been trading in Leimert Park the last fiteen years said the event was "culturally good, and economically could be better," insinuating an outrageous real estate and the highly overrated properties on the complex which made it difficult for people to sustain" especially the merchants who could barely meet up with a staggering high rent, suggesting rent in the community shouldn't be more than $500 and not the thousands of dollars collected by the property managers and landlords. "That would be just and fair," Ms. Ryan said and concluding, the community from her observations has sustained their businesses through its "loyal customer and cultural base."

According to Ryan, the event was independently produced with the city helping in providing "certain things like stage, chairs and tables." She applauded KJLH for its enormous contribution acknowledging "everybody helped, everybody was creative and everybody who worked on the committee was wonderful. We did it ourselves; there were no banks, no big funding -- we just had our own treasures so we don't have to borrow from anybody."

She also used the opportunity in our chat to thank the Los Angeles Sentinel for being very supportive by way of distributing over 30,000 flyers and postcards. "The volunteers were helpful for putting in their immesureable time for the event's success and there is hope there will be a commemoration of the event, come next year."

It seemed almost impossible to take the organizers seriously because of the timeframe on the sudden absence of the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire. The city had no value for cultural events and Ms. Ryan and her colleagues had no choice but to pull the bull by the horn in order to get things done. It worked and I think a 2nd annual event is very likely to hold based on the success of the opening shot.

Talk about the jam sessions. The stage at the carnival was explosive with performances by Azar Lawrence, Medusa, Wadada, Dwight Trible, Steel Fusion Musik, Walli Ali, Phil Ranelin, Andre Russell of LTD and World Stage Sextet. Lawrence, we all know had been around and had played alongside Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner in the 60s. There was also storytelling, spoken word, dancing, fashion shows, food courts and lots of people happy to see Africa come alive in Leimert Park.

Everyone I talked to seems to agree that the organizers, Leimert Park Merchant Association, took a bold step in not letting the uniqueness of African culture disappear in Los Angeles on the absence of African Marketplace and Cutural Faire. And many who came said they loved it and would come back again. Maxie Viltz who runs African Imports Village Treasures on Linden Avenue in Long Beach and who had invited me to stop by her shop and "check things out" said she enjoyed the three day show and liked what she saw, particularly the artifacts and okwa mkpuru, the masks displayed at the African Heritage & Antique Gallery owned by UC Bekerley trained criminologist turned trader, Obinne Emmanuel Onyeador. I also had spent enough time with Valeri Adams whose Help U Sell Resale program did some brisk business in front of Papa West Breakfast Club. Business was generally good and the merchants smiled all the way to the bank.

Harold Lott, who makes and fixes traditional handdrums in the community alternatively pointed out that the show was brilliantly well done, and that the community needs to keep up with working collectively towards achieving its goal of bringing everybody together, citing Community Build which helps young people in the community. Onyeador, who had earlier sold James Currey's "Africa Writes Back: The Africa Writers Series and the Launching of African Literature" to visiting University of Manchester students Laura and Josephine, said "the show wasn't bad at all," meaning brisk business was made considering the bad economy.

Enter researcher Gloria martinez who is working on a project regarding the 70s ragtag clothings told me she never expected the turnout to be that huge. She had bought some Michael Jackson t-shirts and beads down the street before bumping into me at the event. The best part of the event was the little corner between Papa West and African Heritage where my homies -- Kalu ezikpe, Obi Onyeador, Kenny Oriyomi, Ogbonna Nkelu and several other homeboys -- had gathered and discussed matters of interest related to the nasty politics of the day commonly found on the continent of Africa. Besides, the hangout was an event to remember.

Al in all, the festival was a remarkable success.

PAFF Final Beat

It had taken exactly eleven days from the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall on the Crenshaw thoroughfare of the “Black Township” to the nine hundred block of Washington Boulevard in Culver City which stretches to the Washington Corridor in Los Angeles in an event that has gone through mixed reviews on the side of the vendors who seems to be the ones complaining and talking about the 17th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), which ended in Los Angeles, last night, and how the show came out bad vendors are now threatening lawsuits for being ripped off by the organizers of the festival.

I’m not sure if the recession should be blamed for the buy-sell apathy in which an estimated 10,000 people are losing their jobs daily; a record breaking account since the Great Depression. Nobody, however, is sure of the outcome since experts are predicting until the end of 2010 before things could probably be shaping up economically in what should be expected to be another cycle of economic prosperity, that is, if Wall Street is put in place.

But despite all that, a whole lot is still happening in the City of Angels, and people are still hanging out even though what use to be a livelier event on a sad note of bad economy, the 17th Annual PAFF was very obvious of economic collapse. “This is terrible,” one of the vendors who displayed his African accessories, a variety of beads, necklaces, earrings, shea butter cream and some artifacts complained of a slow, hopeless market. “How am I going to survive this environment with a $40 a day sale and all the bills that are climbing at an alarming rate.”

If recession is one thing to blame, one should be asking about all the line up of events tailored to run through May in Los Angeles alone. While PAFF and a series of its activities were going on in a two location event, some cultural stuff was also taking place all over town. The Vintage Hollywood Private Club on the Washington Corridor has taken its activities to another level. Throughout the month of February, classic black films – “Stormy Weather,” “Carmen Jones,” and “Cabin in the Sky” will be screened and admission is free. So there’s a lot of vibes going on in ones Hollywood. A full bar and lots of Los Angeles goodies at this newly rejuvenated joint is a hangout you don’t want to miss.

I think it’s quite fun when one walks around the marketplace, the 17th Annual PAFF, in a different mood this year because both patrons and merchants in what use to be a merry-crowd in the eleven days festival vanished this time around and it’s not funny. A security guard at the front entrance of the mall: “Ain’t nothing wrong with the fuckin’ economy. It’s all a set up; you know what I’m saying? And you blame George Bush. I don’t have anything with what’s going on with the fuckin’ economy and if they feel like cutting my hours I sho’ fuckin’ will quit and take unemployment…And I sho fuckin’ will sue their ass, that’s right”

The guard is not happy for being sentry, standing post on a little-bit above minimum wage and mad as hell because his relief is behind schedule and he wants to “get the fuck outta here,” cuz, it’s “ass-kicking time.”

On the other side of the mall behind Wall Mart, there is a makeshift massage parlor run by some Asians and as it happened their business boomed and patrons were trooping to relieve a nerve-wracking recession-proof tension.

It wasn’t only the cultural thing that got attention during the festival. People, not related to the festival came from all over. I ran into Carolyn J. Garner who happens to be doing some worthy stuff and we did hang out talking about a bunch of things that could lift the spirit of the African “if all hands are on deck.” She did the math – uncountable trips to Ethiopia providing medical services to the underprivileged and proud of it on many grounds – being blessed and having the opportunity to lend a helping hand in an area of the world where the government has turned the other way. Carolyn had held me for more than an hour talking about the unfortunate events of slavery and the mess it created for centuries to come.

Interestingly, though after all the tough talks about sharecroppers, slavery and all that, we shifted to the screenings at the film festival and began discussing the ones that made the headlines. Before we began, I had mentioned Sophie Okonedo and her role in “Skin:”

And her parents were white South Africans. And born of white parents in apartheid South Africa, she looked black. And she was tormented and unaccepted in a white society. And she was black. And she falls in love with a black man. And she alienates her parents. And she relocates elsewhere to a township. All of this happened because she was born black because of her genetic abnormality. And her name is Sandra Haing. And she paid a surprise visit at the screening of “Skin” on February 11 at the Culver Plaza Theaters. And there was a photo session. And PAFF founder Ayuko Babu was all smiles in that photo-op.

Another film of interest was, as part of the routine Brazilian Carnival and the PAFF, the presentation of the 50th anniversary of “Black Orpheus” which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1960.”Black Orpheus” had been widely advertised and sponsored by the Ngolo Arts Preservation Society and Amoeba Music.

A lot of fascinating films were shown during the course of the festival. There was “Scared Justice,” a film about the Orangeburg massacre where black students protested the Orangeburg bowling alley’s refusal to admit African Americans when South Carolina State Troopers and other law enforcement agents fired on them. Three were killed and twenty-seven injured.

And there’s Charles Burnett’s “Relative Strangers” starring Eriq LaSalle, Cicely Tyson, and Michael Beach about a “successful man who, fearing failure, separates himself from his family until he receives word of his father’s death.”

And there’s “Making the Rhino,” about environment, tourism and conservatism from the Maasai people of Kenya and Namibia’s Himba people point of view.

And, finally, not to forget the South African drama "Jerusalema" directed by Ralph Zinman, typical of Nollywood films about Lucky Kunene (Rapulana Seiphemo) who transformed himself to being a real estate crime boss after years of street carjacking to make a living. The film opened the festival on a red carpet at the Director's Guild of America on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Street Trading in Naija

Photo courtesy of Tunji Obasa of THE NEWS

PAFF Beats @ the Mall

(Culver Plaza) Courtesy of Aharvey
The 17th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) which kicked off on February 5, seems to be having some hiccups due to the organizers' decision to move the film venue to Culver Plaza Theater from its original schedule at the Magic Johnson Theaters in Baldwin Hill-Crenshaw Plaza Mall on the Crenshaw thoroughfare of "Black Township" in Los Angeles. Of course, we learned Magic Johnson Theaters was sold but patrons and vendors are complaining for a variety of reasons.

I did take a tour of the cultural faire, the marketplace, yesterday afternoon which had its normal schedule at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall. I had gone there before the showing of "Skin" starring Sophie Okonedo, premiering at the Culver Plaza Theater with much expectations of the mysterious South African girl who was born black by white parents. There's a whole lot to talk about the set, Sophie, the cast and the movie itself.

Anyways, while at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza Mall, and walking through the booths of the vendors who had expected to kick off the year on a good start, the conclusion of most vendors did not augur well with the scheme of things notably going back to the festivals rosy years. "The move to Culver City where the films are being shown killed the festival," a vendor who sold African attires and accesories told me on the condition of anonymity. However, it was very obvious this year's marketplace at the Mall was very slow and moving the film venue added to the festival's slow turnout. Maybe, if both marketplace and the films had been at the same location, the turnout would have been different, perhaps, better according to one of the vendors I spoke with, even though Magic sold his theater to AMC Cinemas which 'jacked up" the rent.

Nonetheless, we'll see how it plays out before the closing ceremony on the 16th, and hopefully this year's event would probably be the deciding factor on how to organize future events.

Joyous Festivities and Merry-Making at the 2008 African Marketplace Festival in Los Angeles

by Ambrose Ehirim

It was a weekend of a two weeks event which climaxed the Summer and folks from all walks of life had trooped in to get a feel of motherland Africa which has been since its inception -- the stuff of life and a great stuff of African cultural heritage. It is, in fact, the stuff of great literature.

Once more, the event took me aback to the days of Orie Amigwe, the once notable marketplace for second hand clothes, produce from organics, poking around and bargains for better deals haggling for money and things like that when a plundered and demolished Igbo nation had begun to start life anew after Yakubu Gowon's-led Genocidal campaign against a desperately starved Igbo children including infants and women.

But somehow the 2008 African Marketplace and Cultural Faire was a unique event considering an economy that has gone so bad and people are still happy at a time of going through the pains of hopelessness was very obvious. Sitting on the playgrounds of Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, there were bargains and selling and trading of artifacts from all cultural backgrounds in Africa.

I took a tour and talked to several people including merchants who had paid over a thousand bucks for a booth. And some of the booths so small one will be wondering the purpose of trying to make a brisk business in these hardtimes of an economy completely destroyed by the Bush-Cheney administration.

America is still a great country and the pains of economic hardship does not stop an outgoing public from having fun and moving on to do the best out of a very bad situation never mind what the Bush administration did fighting a not relevant war in Iraq resulting to America losing its value as an empire after Ronald Reagan dismantled the Soviet bloc. I guess empires come and go. So they say.

I had thought the Bush era had destroyed this country in its entirety in terms of commerce until I walked in to the carnival which had the same resemblance of Woodstock reflecting the 60s hippies and the outfits unveiled by the legendary Jimi Hendrix when pot-smoking was seen as a normal thing in an era of rage against the establishment.

Founded twenty three years ago by James Burks, the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire has become one of the best organized forums where you can feel mother nature Africa. A whole lot was on display and whether you were just window shopping, bargaining or selling one item or the other, and you are a merchant making a brisk business and the faces of Africa all in your face, the African Marketplace is just home.

On the eastside of the facility Nigerians and their neigbors tapped leather while the tennis courts around the corner was open to all and sundry. The swimming pool on the southside was full to capacity due to the Summer heat and all that summer jams flowing from the Balkanized forums where trade by barter and complete bargains took its course.

The forum had all sorts of African related restaurants serving African traditional dishes. The ginger root beer and jollof rice coupled with fried plantain sold by one Sierra Leonean lady had customers lick their fingers, perhaps an indication the food was really tasty. I would rather recommend a Michelin Star to the owner of Stone Market and Restaurants who has served the African and Caribbean communities in Los Angeles for many years now and whose stand at the festival had a very long line noted for its cowfoot soup, a combination of seasoned curry goat, ox tail and rice. There were no Nigerian food stands for consumption of isi ewu, nri ji, amala, ngwo ngwo and things like that in a festival every culture represented.

Stone Market and Restaurants was the real deal among the restaurant chains which sat on the southwest corner. Smiling all the time and speaking with an accent that immediately reveals his Jamaican origin, Stone has shown how being consistent and persistent pays off in the long run.

Leaving the restaurant zone takes you to the arena where all kinds of music pops up. I bumped to an arena where jazz was the theme and we had formed a circle to discuss jazz and its scholarship. We talked about the days of Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter when Weather Report had created a theme that left a mark in modern jazz. We talked about the Modern Jazz Quartet, Lee Morgan, Coleman Hawkins, David "Fathead" Newman and the days of the Village Vanguard Concerts. We talked about the Kudu years when Creed Taylor had assembled jazz greats Johnny Hammond, Grover Washington Jr., Hank Crawford, Eric Gale, Billy Cobham, McCoy Tyner, George Benson which came to be known as the cross over era.

It was real fun and a fantastic way to end the Summer when reggae great Gregory Isaacs closed the show with that hell of a smash hit called "Night Nurse" which vibed from the stage and everybody sang along:

Tell her try her best to make it quick
Woman tend to the sick
Because there must be something she can do

This heart is broken in two
Tell her it's a case of emergency
There is a patient by the name of Gregory

Night nurse
Only you can quench this here thirst
My night nurse
Oh God oh the pain is getting worse...

If you missed it this year keep your head because next year is just around the corner and time flies by, remember?

PHOTO OP: Scenes at the 2008 African Marketplace Festival in Los Angeles

With an all round bad economy, this beautiful girl was smiling to the bank selling accessories --body oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, varieties of incense -- and business boomed for her at the African Marketplace.

Like a spiritual revival and despite a bad economy, these women were on their feet stomping, dancing and chanting with their hands up to the vibes of an all women drum session. It was a hell of a jam.

This aspiring model and her friend told me they breezed in to have fun and nothing but fun. Watch out for her at the next American top model.

An artifact on display set up by Obi Onyeador of African Treasures.

Security detail checking in concert goers for the Gregory Isaacs Concert which was full to capacity.

The line up at Stone African-Caribbean Cuisine noted for its fine dishes.

It's all good regardless of a bad economy.

And of course, there was a livestock trade.

Latino soccer players take a break after tapping leather on the football field of Dorsey High School.