M A G A Z I N E

November 2010

Contributors

Content

Feature Story

G-Spot

Liz Ogumbo

Health

Food

Alita’s Travels

No Evil

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EDITORS NOTE

I sat and watched and felt goose bumps rise along the nape

of my neck and all up my arms. It was not any one thing but

a myriad of creative work (Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu on this

month’s Cover of AIM Magazine and the recent performance

by the Urban Bush Women featuring Somi). What was

moving was that they reflected the honest and full expression of the

struggles we endure.

Life is unpredictable and is bound to change at any given moment. The

Pumzi film explores our current life struggles in a futuristic context that is

entirely too believable considering the water shortage and the social

inequities that are pervasive in our world today.

As I listened to Somi sing about the loss of innocence in a voice that

expressed the heartbreak and reality of rejection, isolation and loneliness I

could not help the tears that came to my eyes. I felt every movement the

talented dancers expressed and it was real, personal, beautiful and hopeful

all at the same time.

Creative work has an integral place in our life because it is an expression of

our character and all of our struggles, triumphs and everything in between.

It is important that despite our hectic and busy lives that we take the time

to connect through film, literature, design, music, photography, poetry and

dance because it is in the midst of that we connect with others, that we

hear each other’s stories and that we are spiritually engaged and are

fulfilled. This is also how we capture and preserve our history and our

hopes for the future.

In this issue we explore all these facets of our humanity and each tells a

different story. And in the words of Thomas Merton ‘let us find ourselves

and lose ourselves all at the same time’.

Namaste,

Eva

By Evalyn Githina

AIM Editor

In 2008, Wanuri completed her first feature film ‘From A Whisper’ based on the real life events surrounding the August 7; twin bombings of US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998. The film recently won awards at the Africa Movie Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture, the Golden Dhow award for Best East African Picture at Zanzibar International Film Festival and Best Film at Kalasha, Kenya Film and TV awards. Shortly after she completed a documentary about the life of Nobel peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai entitled For Our Land (2009) for M-Net’s ‘Great Africans’ Series. She has recently completed a short Science Fiction Film Pumzi (2009) in association with inspired minority’s pictures that was partially funded by Focus Features (part of NBC universal), Goethe Institute and Changa Moto Fund in Kenya. AIM: I just saw the trailer for Pumzi and just fell in love with it, could you explain to our readers what the movie is about? Wanuri Kahiu: Pumzi is a science Fiction film, that is set 35 years after the water wars and it’s about the African future when the outside is dead and everyone would have to live inside of a building to survive. Ashley is the main character and she tries to escape from the inside world to the outside because she finds a little plant growing. She is denied an exit visa to go outside so she decides to escape. AIM: Traditionally Africans love a good story teller, how is the modern African responding to this science fiction flick? Wanuri: I think it’s being received really well, the movie is being really celebrated not only within Africa but outside of it and it just shows that there

is no limit to the imagination, that there is no particular type of story that comes out of Africa in Cinema and its exciting because there are more people who are interested in exploring different ways of being able to tell their stories, and science fiction is just one way. AIM: Major Hollywood studios and independent film makers alike are turning more to social media to promote their work, As an African film maker do you feel like social media works for you as well? Wanuri: The great thing about social networking or social media is that they’re free, so you can do your own publicity, you can push your own films, you can push whatever you’re doing in a much more affordable way, and you can reach a large market of people. I have been using that, it hasn’t been my primary thing. I actually just concentrated in putting my work in film festivals and then the film festivals actually use their own networking site and tools to push it, but it’s a huge part of it and I haven’t embraced twitter yet but I think with the next film that I probably will. AIM: I know that internet users in Africa are not as many as those abroad. Do you find that when you do use social media it’s reaching a bigger audience outside the African continent? Wanuri: For sure, we always have a response from foreigners than we would intend, but I think that’s going to change especially with the way the availability and cost of internet is dropping, and it’s also time for us to look for different ways of distributing films and using a digital platform to be able to distribute your film. AIM: Walk us through your life/day when shooting a movie?

“I am a story teller. I

don’t know how to do

anything else…..

I am here to stay; I am

here for the long term

as much as God wants

me to be”

Wanuri: So I wake up really early in the morning usually about 5 get to the set about 6:00 a.m. and really it’s just about hustling, talk to your cinematographer about what shots you need to get; talk to your actors about what scenes you’re going to be doing, and then you just prepare for them and when you start shooting, you don’t realize that time is running out until the sun is about to set. It’s quite intense and quite stressful but it’s very fulfilling. If that’s the line of work that you like and you’re working with a huge number of crew (which is usually it’s about anywhere between 30 to 50 people). If all goes well, they listen to you and it’s an incredible responsibility to have so many people wanting to be able to best execute an idea you had in your head. It’s also really challenging for me to think that an idea that came out of nowhere can then become something that employs people or that creates a piece of work that is taken seriously. AIM: What happens after the movie is shot? Wanuri: Most times after the movie has been shot we put it into film festivals first because that’s the first point of distribution that attracts people who can help you further push your film and everything like that, but also because if it does well in a film festival, through publicity or it wins a prize you are likely to then sell it. In Kenya what I like to do is, even though we don’t have a theatrical experience, we don’t go to the movies as much as we use to, I still put my film in a movie theatre and I really want to be part of a film making movement that encourages people to go back into the cinemas and to watch films the way they were meant to be watched, on large screen. AIM: So it’s easier to get your work recognized after it’s been put in a film festival, can you somehow push it yourself and then maybe use festivals as a secondary instrument? Wanuri: So far the festivals have been a huge key as far as the marketing and distribution campaign for films because they do push your films further than you can, they usually have a broader reach than you have and a more international scope and unfortunately we are in that stage where if it does well abroad then we think it’s more likely for it to do better here because other people have recognized it and we haven’t even come to that stage where we start to recognize our own work

and our own films in a way that, that can be used as a platform to launch internationally. We are doing the opposite. We launch internationally first, so that we can be able to push the films locally. This is sad because I still consider my primary audience to be a Kenyan audience first. I know that if it works well locally and if it’s a successful film locally then it will make sense abroad. AIM: You can’t really be an American director you are a Kenyan director, so even though the film is not made for a Kenyan audience…. Wanuri: It has to have a Kenyan residence, so I keep saying that I am a film maker who lives in Kenya, because I know that hopefully at some point in my career, I won’t only be making films in Kenya, I will be making films outside of Kenya that are still relevant not only to a Kenyan audience but to an international audience. I do care how my local audience views it especially for films that are made in Kenya or have a Kenyan storyline, it’s important for me that the people who embrace it are people who understand it, through the language, content or through the subtext of the film because if it’s a Kenyan film those things need to be authentic and people can really say that it’s an authentic Kenyan Film. AIM: So is there a film theatre that primarily shows or at least promotes Kenyan Films? Wanuri: Silver bird theatres have been really supportive of local films. Fox is also supportive to a lesser extent but Silver bird for sure. They preview your film to evaluate if the film is strong enough and then they’ll put it in their theatre and that’s a great thing but there’s not that much push yet for local content in film. There is a lot more push for local content in Television but less for film and it’s just a matter of us to keep doing it but it’ll be great if we come to a point or stage in Kenya where when you go to a theatre not only are you seeing American blockbusters but there is a Kenyan or an African film as part of the lineup. AIM: I’ve heard the argument from an African-American documentary, that, it is hard for black women to make films in the states. The point they were making in the documentary was that, there are not a lot of African American women making films but the critics believed that we had to make sure that the quality of work and content was up

I consider myself a story teller and I am

just in the next lineage, the last generation

wrote books and now we make films so…

Ngugi wa Thiongo, Major Mwangi, Chinua Achebe, Maina wa Kinyati those were all

people who I absolutely love, those are my

heroes and even when I meet them I’m so in

awe and so star struck by them because

they’re doing it and they have been doing it

and they’re the keepers of our tradition and

they’re keepers of our memories and that’s

all I want to be. I want to be them when I

grow up.

“

”

Wanuri

to par, we can’t give you a pass because you’re an African American woman or in your case an African film maker, it had to be at the same standard and it has to be able to compete with your peers. Do you think that’s fair? Wanuri: A friend of mine says you don’t go from zero to perfect. There has to be a culture or experience of acceptance in films first because that will encourage film makers to be stronger to tell certain stories, but if they have no platform and if they have no platform to discuss their films then there is no point. In ‘From A whisper’ it’s not my strongest film, but I learned from it and I would have never been able to learn those lessons if I hadn’t made the film, and that’s the only way that I can improve my skills by creating it, screening it and receiving criticism. There will be a lot of quantity before there is quality and that’s how it is in any other film market not only for women film makers but around the world. When cinema in its self started it improved, it’s started in a particular way, it had no color, no sound and then there was sound and then there was color but those were all steps in the process, and people should allow that so that we as film makers can learn and the quality can therefore become better. AIM: Do you ever use corporations to make or promote your films? Wanuri: I haven’t used corporate support in Kenya yet, but I think it’s a bit of a catch 22 because in Kenya there is not a lot of people who are willing to put money into film yet, because they don’t understand how it works they don’t understand the benefits, they don’t understand if it’s a brand how do you put a brand in the film, how many people see it what’s the effect and things like that so it’s a slow process but also because we don’t know the film makers. I am learning that one of the things we have to do as film makers is that we need to learn that we are a brand. Not only are our actors a brand, but that we should be building and pushing and uplifting the celebrities instead of the politicians Directors are a brand and if your last film is successful you have the possibility of going to a corporation and saying, ‘my last film did this and reached this amount of people and now the next film I’m producing has the potential to do more. Would like you to be involved because you have particular products that fit my target market?’

In the past film making has not been seen necessarily as a business or an industry. It’s been seen as something you give grants to in order for A film to be made. With a grant you’re not necessarily accountable. If you give a grant because you don’t have to turn a profit, you just take the money use it to make your film and that’s the end of that money, you don’t have to generate income but if it’s a loan or if you’re going to a corporation, then you become responsible because they need to be able to show what the results of that film are and that’s the direction that were going to, we are beginning to understand that film is a business that you need to be able to make money from the films that you make and how do you make money from the films so that when you are going to apply for a loan or you are selling your cows to be able to make a film you have a marketing strategy. AIM: Did you say sell your cows? Wanuri: Yes people sell their cows to make films (chuckles). We need to be able to invest in film as an important part of business and culture. AIM: I think Africans are looking at African films made by Hollywood and saying “this does not represent me” but how can we blame them or their perspective, based on what they see unless we have our own story tellers who better represent us and make the Hollywood perspective of Africa obsolete. AIM: I loved Italian Job, how was it like to work on that set? Wanuri: Oh I’ve worked with F. Gary Gray he is an amazing man. He’s taught me discipline more than anything else. I was only there for the pre production process so working in his office, learning how he works, learning the discipline of how he works, how he thinks visually how he pushes his team to be able to work harder and faster and more professionally was a great experience and it taught me the role of a film maker from an early point about what is expected of me by your team and how much is expected from me, and how to negotiate what is expected from me and what is delivered, so he was a great part of that learning process.

AIM: I also understand you were involved in ‘Catch A Fire’ how did you get involved with that project? Wanuri: I had the fortunate experience of working with Phillip Noyce who’s a great film maker and I did the behind the scenes documentary for his film catch a fire. Which had Tim Robbins and Derek Luke and for the first time I had a professional studio film set from beginning to end or rather from pre production up until post production and to be able to see the process from the beginning to the end also was fundamental. How actors are treated on set, how you speak to them especially professional actors, I’ve never learned anything like it, it was as great an experience as going to film school and those two men have really shaped how my directing has changed and what I do or what I bring to the table, that appreciation for who I am as a director. AIM: What are you trying to achieve through your work? Wanuri: I am trying to tell Stories in the whole tradition that has been there in the past in the sense that story tellers...like in Kikuyu were the seers and also in other cultures were the people who kept memories so that at a funeral you’d hire somebody to tell them about memories of your ancestors and who you are in regards to that, I am a story teller, I am still the same person who my ancestors have been I am just using a different medium to tell these stories and I would like to continue to do that. I would like to make films in a way that’s sustainable; that I can support myself, my family when I do have one. I do not want it to be a way to get hand outs and grants. I want it to be a business that helps and pushes me further. It’s one step at a time and I do realize that any work and any foundation I lay makes it easier for the next person or next filmmakers who come and that part of the process is learning and recording what you learn so that its easier for the next person who comes after you. AIM: What would help you be a better film maker than you are right now? Wanuri: I am learning how to create a team that I can communicate my message and vision to. I also need creative people who I can go back to and say what do you think about this, how would you style this person what kind of music would you fit to this script? That community is also important because

the one thing about film is you can’t make a film in isolation you need people to be able to make a film. You can’t be the actor, the director, the producer you need a community so those are the things that would make me strong and every day I work on building that community and that team that I can work with. Also, figuring out how we share resources either information about how to source funding or information about how to create a better model to distribute our films to our market, that’s all ongoing because there is no point making a film if you can’t distribute it and finding those people who know the right distribution avenues either on River road (Nairobi’s film street sellers) or wherever so that you know how to get it out is important as well. AIM: What is the biggest misconception about your career? Wanuri: That success means money, that’s the biggest misconception I still struggle on a daily about rent, I still struggle on a daily about just basic things and it doesn’t mean that if your films are getting into film festivals or even if they win awards that there is any monetary value awarded to them but I do recognize that every success or every award is part of an investment in your own career. I have invested my own money, my own life, my own time, my own tears, my own blood into my films but that’s the only way that I can make it happen. It’s only because I am passionate about it not because I think I am going to be …I mean I hope to be able to make money from them but it’s only because I am passionate about it that I continue. It’s not a money making industry yet, not by a long shot. AIM: How do you cope with that, having a passion that requires you to put so much in, your dreams, your heart, you’re putting yourself out there how do you deal with giving so much to something and then waiting for it to come back, because even if you are a huge success you have to make your movie first before it becomes this 50 million dollar movie, how do you do that? Wanuri: You just do. You find different ways of doing it, so one of the things that I do is I’ll take a job for a couple of months I’ll make enough money, I pay really cheap rent, pay rent for 3 to 4 months and then you don’t take a job again work until that money runs out and start again. One day I’ll learn

how to save and make enough money that saving is an option but right now it’s really hand to mouth. You push and invest in yourself that is my investment in myself knowing that I am not making money now and making these films is an investment in me. At the very least people know that you are working and you are doing your passion and the one thing that people are concerned about is longevity because there are so many people who make films and then stop or who are in different industries and become one hit wonders and that’s not what I believe I am. I am a story teller I don’t know how to do anything else and I am here to stay, I am here for the long term as much as God wants me to be. That is my role for me in this society so I am single minded at that whether or not there is money. AIM: Who in the industry inspires you? Wanuri: Locally there are people like Willy Owusu of "Big Ideas" and his team of people is really inspirational. Judy Kibinge; I love her Work. Hawa Esuman; I like what she’s doing and where she’s going as a film maker. There’s Lupita Ny’ongo and she’s done a documentary that is one of the most prominent and beautiful documentaries that I’ve ever seen or watched called “In my genes”. So, there are people who are here locally who inspire me. There are writers in the industry like Cajaten Boy who I can’t wait to work with and I’ve been looking forward to working with for a long time. Others like Sembene Ousman; who you can’t help but be inspired by as far as film maker in Africa. You find inspiration where you find it but even when I was growing up people who inspired me were not necessarily film makers. It was writers because like I said I consider myself a story teller and I am just in the next lineage, the last generation wrote books and now we make films so… Ngugi wa Thiongo, Major Mwangi, Chinua Achebe and Maina wa Kinyati. Those are all people who I absolutely love, those are my heroes and even when I meet them I’m so in awe and so star struck by them because they’re doing it and they have been doing it and they’re the keepers of our tradition and they’re keepers of our memories and that’s all I want to be. I want to be them when I grow up. AIM: What are some fun things to do (Kenya or Africa) when you’re not working

Wanuri: I like to travel around Kenya very much, I live between Mombasa and Nairobi so I love the beach and the ocean but mostly when I’m not working I’m still working because my career is my hobby, so I still write, I listen to music with the ear to include it in the films or whatever so I don’t feel like there is a point where I am not working. My mind is continuously involved in film even if it’s going out, clubbing ends up being an opportunity to watch people and figure out how they can be characters in a film. AIM: We were talking about Pumzi earlier, where can I buy it? Wanuri: Pumzi is still in the festivals and also it’s a short film so it’s hard for it to be released or to be put it on the shelves to sell because I don’t know many people spend money on a 22 minute film. I am not sure, I haven’t done research on that but look it up on you tube and keep your ears open for it. At one point it’s going to be online because one of the funders is based in the US and they have online rights and they’re trying to launch it online so hopefully by the end of the year Pumzi will be online AIM: Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about? Wanuri: At the moment I’m unsure of what’s going to happen. There is more than one project that may work and it’s just a matter of time. It depends on what funding becomes available, never the less I am writing a bunch of different scripts so which ever gets funded first will be the one that I start on.

By Wambui Wamutongoria AIM Network Kenya

Born and named after her great grandmother "Elizabeth Loye" who was a singer and perfomer throughout her

life, Liz "Loye" Ogumbo began singing at age four. Her father taught her songs from the Luo tribe in Kenya.

She was the head-house-entertainer along with her siblings whenever her family had guests over. At about the

age of about five, she was singing "Isabella ma nyar asembo", and sooner than later, she caught up with "I be

lady oh" by Fela Kuti!

This is not just listening music. It‟s moving music. This is what

you‟ll soon realise about the KenSoul album.

Take a step into the intro track, ‘Awete’ and get deceived by

the solo acoustic guitar riff that steps back at the whiff of the

strong voice of Liz Ogumbo. She comes off as

serious but soon kicks it up a note lighter with

her playful energy and lyrics, accompanied by

the drifting drums and break beats.

Soon you realise what just hit you, you‟re

confronted with the insistent question, “How

are you gonna rock the jeans when your ass

ain‟t swollen?” ‘Big A** in the Blue Jeans’ is

quite simply a hit. The lyrics are potent; the

melody is charming, uncomplicated and

guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

The notable keys of ‘Ubuntu’ (humanity) carry

beautifully the musings of the global traveller,

a captivating child of deep-seeded African

origin growing up to share the spirit of good

brotherhood; something many across the world

may have forgotten about. Liz offers this

song‟s poetic integrity fused with a jazzy two-

step.

That insistent piano continues in the slow-sway

sweet sound of ‘Le Couer Que Crie l’amour…

– „A heart that cries “love.” This beautiful new-

soul tune digs deep for the treasure of life

embedded in self; told through an easy

conversation between queen Liz and the

prolific poet-emcee Tumi Molekane, a fellow

global soul.

Another winning combination takes shape in

‘Searching’. Liz and Afro-funk-Soul master,

MXO hit a high note in the sensual reggae-

infused sounds. Unforgettable scatting, alluring

drum and bass will have you singing along and

gyrating lazily to the soul-stirring jam.

The South-East soulful journey continues and

hits an inspirational peak in ‘Only Thing

Missin’ (a charming Aretha Franklin soul

classic). You can‟t miss the crisp feel-good breeze in this one.

Enter - the cheeky bass, percussions and electro-infused beats of

‘Maro Pa More’; an eclectic tune originally recorded with the

outstanding Kenyan entity, Just-A-Band. On the remixed version of

‘Maro Pa More’, Liz teams up with gifted, straight-up lyricist, Zubz

(da last letter); whose rhymes add a fitting accompaniment to the Luo

tune.

‘I’m already liked’; is a fun, rebellious reggae-tronic warning to

new-age digital-stalkers. What is there

not to like about this piece?

‘Mambo Jambo’ is a celebration of

Liz‟s Kenyan roots through the love

for the country; a Swahili-influenced

Chakacha-inducing percussion-heavy

Afro-pop beat. Tlale Makhene‟s

signature shakers take the minimal

instrument, thick vocals and truck

loads of soul laced in this track, to

another level.

You can call ‘Sega – Supermodel,’ a

staccato stiletto story; illustrated by a

complex keys and percussions tune

accompaniment. The sassy story takes

you on a walk-about of the limitless

vocal, rhythmic spoken word that tells

the story in praise of this beautiful

African Supermodel in pursuit of her

“dollar” in the game!

The KenSoul musical experience is

produced under the skilful set of apt

nu-soul producers; RJ Benjamin and

Baba Bantu.

To sign-off the wondrous journey, Liz

brings back the unmistakeable „Big

A** in the Blue Jeans‟ in a smoky-jazz

cafe, stand up bass and swing remix.

Watch this lady move, she‟s only just

started!

The KenSoul cd is stores now.

For details and contact

information, Logon to www.lizmusiq.com,

Follow http://www.twitter.com/LizMusiq, Join LizMusiq Facebook page,

Follow Liz‟s thoughts on http://www.mi-fone.mobi/blog

Liz Ogumbo

www.utamaduniwear.com

Our mission at CURE Hospital in Mbale Uganda is unlike any other Smile

mission I have been on, for many reasons. First, the location of this hospital is quite

rural so we sit in the heart of a town surrounded by villages and the beautiful people that

inhabit them.

I fall in love every five minutes with these endearing faces that wrap their

hearts around you with their smiles. Everyone stops to formally greet you, shake your

hand in both of theirs, and sincerely want to know how you are doing today! We start our

days listening to the sweet sounds of drumming, singing and prayers in the hospital

chapel. As everyone begins their routines, there is always enough time to stop for tea

and a chat.

When the sun shines here, everything seems fluorescent…the stretching

yards of bright green and perfectly cut grass, trees and flowers almost seem unreal.

When the rain comes it pours over us under guarded trails winding through the hospital

campus, then the sun quickly returns and everything in sight sparkles.

This is the perfectly ideal spot for any special occasion, such as the wedding

of a jolly staff member who will proudly be married here this Saturday. He has been kind

enough to invite us, which will be an honor as I have never met such a spirited husband

to be!

It is also clearly the perfect spot for a Smile mission. Each day we have been

busy attending to children, all with primary and severe cleft lips. The mothers of these

children have come from all distances; their gratitude is visible in their shy and kind

embraces, as we return their children to them with beautiful new smiles.

The hospital staff here has been the most welcoming, competent, playful, and

loyal team I have ever partnered with. This is the first time we have worked side by side

with in-country staff, and it could not be a more ideal exchange of knowledge and

culture, for everyone.

As we close each day here, we return to our hotel, which gloriously sits under

the massive Mount Elgon. It is as quiet and peaceful as can be; a perfect place to

reflect on the work we have accomplished and

the new friends we have made in Mbale.

Wele Aba Linde!

Alita

Alita is blessed to be able to travel for work,

passion and pleasure. These travels take her to

countries in Africa and South America. While

on the road, Alita is witness to a great many

adventures. She pens these encounters in the

most amazing way that captures our hearts,

transports us to the regions she is visiting and

traveling through and she unwittingly brings us

face to face with all she encounters on the

road.

Alita shares these writings with her friends and

family and AIM Magazine is honored that she

has chosen to share this series of stories with

us.

Thank you Alita!

“Uhuru”

…Whatever you

believe your

freedom is!”

www.uhuruclothingcompany.com

Skip your way to a lean physique!

Have you seen the promotional ad for Meet the Browns where

Leroy Brown is skipping rope? Well I did and it not only reminded

me of the fun I used to have as a child skipping rope and playing

‘blada’ (remind me to explain this to you later), but it also reminded

me of how much fun I used to have.

Furthermore, skipping rope is not only reserved for the vivacious

young girls we were, it is also used by well honed boxing athletes to

improve cardiovascular endurance. It is inexpensive and easy

regardless of whether you are at the advanced or beginner level.

Skipping rope builds up your cardiovascular endurance and is beneficial in toning and developing a lean physique. As with any

exercise you need to consult a doctor, understand your body and its limitations and act accordingly. It is also important to

vary your form, speed, and the amount of time you skip so that you can maximize the benefits of this fun activity. It is also a

great way to spend time with your children and make them a part of your exercise routine.

Here is a great method to implement in your skipping routine.

Elbows should fall straight below the shoulders and lift your lower arms slightly upwards and outwards. Don't swing your entire arm to move the rope, simply rotate your wrists, and keep your arms relaxed. Don't jump too high. You need to only lift your body a few inches off the ground (this is a skill you will develop with time). To start, jump for a minute, rest for 30 seconds and start the next set. Do 5 sets in this manner. Between sets, don't sit down. Instead, stretch your leg muscles. Gradually, keep increasing your skipping time until you can do five sets of fifteen minutes each.

For those of you that are advanced and that have strong legs, try one of the following ….

Skip on one leg first, and then move on to the other. Cross the rope as you skip to reduce boredom and enhance your workout.

To protect your ankles, knees, feet and back, make it a point to skip on a mat or rug, and wear sensible shoes which provide your feet with adequate padding and support. As your skipping style improves, the strain on your joints will lessen since you

will not be jumping as high.

Don't skip every day. It is advisable to rest a day in between.

By Evalyn Githina AIM Network

www.tanodesign.com

“The idea is the synthesis between a passion

for design and a belief in agency and the

respect for human rights.”

Why I call myself an African:

Get to know an American who happens to be white- one who is confident, ambitious and well-esteemed- and he or she very

early on in the relationship will tell you that he or she is "Irish" or "German" or "part this and that". He or she may even

know the meaning of his or her first or last name and when the first immigrant ancestor came to America. He or she doesn't

feel any less American for saying so but feels more complete as a human being for knowing where he or she came from.

Sometimes "we" [black Americans discussing amongst ourselves] may even refer to [white Americans] as "europeans"

(with a little "e", not a big "E") when making a distinction between white and black Americans, for whatever reason. Yet

this doesn't make them any less American, nor is it intended to.

[Whites] feel that as Americans a legacy of fighting and dying for this nation or voting for its leaders is theirs, while

simultaneously embracing their European heritage. As they should.

And even though in the presence of a true Irish or German, etc, they are discounted as simply American clinging to a fading

lineage, they still value this connection to "the land of their fathers." The fact of the matter is, this lineage is not only fact but

a part of their complete life's story.

Well then, why not the same for a Black man who claims he is an African? Still very much the proud American who served

in the Marines for 5 years. Still very appreciative of those who were killed, white or black, standing up for my humanity

before I was even born. Still very much the humanitarian. Still very much the cosmopolitan, just with a desire to be as

complete a human being as my counterpart desires to be.

And even though in the presence of true Liberians or Kenyans, etc, I may be discounted as simply a black American clinging

to a fading lineage, I still value this connection to "the Motherland." As I should. The fact of the matter is, this lineage is not

only fact but a part of my complete life's story.

By Gerald A. Montgomery AIM Contributor

A contributor to the AIM Magazine G-spot section, Gerald A. Montgomery is also an author to the book MEMS,

Rips of Rhapsody: A Spoken Word Rendition of King Solomon's Proverbs Meets Plato's Republic.

You can order this book by clicking the link below

http://www.publishamerica.net/product94438.html

Founded in 1984 by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar,

Urban Bush Women (UBW) seeks to bring the untold and

under-told histories and stories of disenfranchised people

to light through dance. We do this from a woman-centered

perspective and as members of the African Diaspora

community in order to create a more equitable balance of

power in the dance world and beyond. We do this by

facilitating the use of art as a means of addressing issues

of social justice and encouraging civic engagement. Based

in Brooklyn, we aspire to ensure continuity by

strengthening and expanding our international community

via ongoing professional education, development of new

audiences, nurturing young talent and presenting bold, life-

affirming dance works in a variety of settings. For more on

the Urban Bush Women visit their website or buy the book

by Nadine George-Graves or their DVD.

http://urbanbushwomen.org

Somi is a fresh voice that jazzes audience with her own,

African influenced blend of music. She is a vibrant and

conscious performer that will only get better. She was touring

with the Urban Bush Women and was recently in Lagos as part

of her current tour to promote her most recent album, If the

Rain Comes First….Take a listen on her website and buy her

album. You will be jazzed!

By Evalyn Githina AIM Network

available at www.33seventee6.com

Tilapia Corn Chowder

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 stalk celery, diced

1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise,

rinsed and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

8 ounces potatoes, diced

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)

1½ pounds tilapia fillets, cut into bite-size

pieces

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Add oil to the pan. Add celery, leek,

salt and pepper and cook

Until the vegetables just begin to

soften, about 2 minutes.

Add broth, potatoes and corn. Bring

to a gentle simmer. Cook until the

potatoes are just tender and the corn

is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Stir in tilapia and thyme; return to a

gentle simmer. Cook until the tilapia

is cooked through, about 4 minutes

more. Remove from the heat.

Stir in half-and-half and lemon juice.

Garnish with chives, if using.

Serve in a bowl and with two slices

of corn-bread.

By Evalyn Githina AIM Network

What is your AIM?

Our AIM is to celebrate and share our differences.

Our monthly magazine highlights “Africans In Motion” i.e. Fellow Africans that are

inspiring, driven and successful in their various fields.

For Advertising and information please contact

AIM Network

Cell: 612-205-9828

Email: aimminnesota@gmail.com

Website: www.issuu.com/aimminnesota

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