A Modern-Day African Cinderella Story

((  Written By: Staff Writer  ))  The debut novel from  author Faiza Duale—"An Impossible Love"—is an epic modern-day African Cinderella story.  Having lost her entire family in Somalia, Yasmin Hirsi was forced to live as a poor relation/servant with her horrid aunt and her aunt's two equally horrid daughters in Nairobi. When Yasmin was ten, her aunt kicked her out of the house, but luck finally found her in the guise of Nur Adam, the wealthy aging father of Ali Adam, her childhood crush.   And with that premise Faize is not afraid to dive straight into the literary deep end, tapping into rich themes like love and social expectations from a uniquely African perspective.

As a woman, Yasmin could never show her love for Ali, given that it was doomed by her past and their class differences.  When Ali returns from his studies abroad, Ali discovers nothing is quite the same, certainly not the sensuous beauty who he believes had preyed on his father's kindness.  Believing that Yasmin had tricked and wormed her way into his father's affection under false pretenses, he could never forgive her and would make sure she never took advantage of his father again.  But when he closes his eyes, why does she haunt his dreams?

And so sets the stage for a story that proves that the classic story of Cinderella that is an authentic reflection of Africa and influenced by Faiza's own travels—Faiza was born in Somalia, lived in Kenya, and moved to the U.S. with her family as a teenager.

Fatima Siad For Wildfox Couture SS 2013

((  Written By: Staff Writer  ))  Somali-Ethiopian model Fatima Siad (who placed third on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10 and has since seen her fashion career take off) is the face of Wildfox Couture's Spring Summer 2013 Look Book along with models Olivia Greenfield and Tanya Katysheva).  To see more of Fatima in the Wildfox Couture's Spring Summer 2013 Look Book, which is inspired by 1995's hit movie Clueless, visit Wildfox Couture's Blog.  

FAARROW: Two Dope Chicks

((  Written By: Nani Hapa  )) Siham and Iman Hashi are the supremely talented Somalian singer/songwriters who we were introduced to a couple of years ago as the candy coated duo Sweet Rush.  The twenty-somethings have since left the record label under which they were known as Sweet Rush and are now creating music under the name FAARROW.  They announced on their Tumblr page:  "FAARROW is a combination of our names Iman and Siham.  Iman means Faith, and Siham means Arrow.  FAITH+ARROW = FAARROW."  As FAARROW, the ingenues have cleared any doubts about their place in the music industry by releasing mind-blowing mashup music videos via their YouTube page, which cover popular songs like Katy Perry's Wide Awake mixed with Kanye West and Jay Z's No Church In The Wild.

Though they’re moving up in the music industry, there’s more to FAARROW than music.  The girls are Somalian refugees—they were born in Mogadishu but left for Toronto at the ages four and five—and they've used their visibility as the first female Somalians to land a major label record deal to be spokespeople for the continuing crisis in Somalia.  The sisters have also launched W.I.S.H. CREATIVE, a socially conscience brand that sells handmade jewelry and gives their profits to help displaced women and children.

The girls are not sharing any details about a release date for their next project, but they promise an EP of four or five songs soon.  We can't wait to hear more from these two dope chicks, and in the interim, we'll enjoy our favorite mashup of two songs that I happen to love, Goyte's Somebody That I Used To Know and with J. Cole's Can't Get Enough.  Watch the video below (... don't forget to select the HD setting).

Excuses For Why We Failed At Love: A Short Film Series By Zayna Daze And Warsan Shire

((  Written By:  Staff Writer  ))  Excuses For Why We Failed At Love is the first instalment of a three-part short film series by two equally gifted African women:  Nigerian-British independent filmmaker and photographer Zainab Adamu, also known as Zayna Daze, and Kenyan-born Somali poet and writer Warsan Shire.  Watch it below.

First Act: Watch These Three Movies With Strong African Female Leads Available On DVD Now

((  Written By:  Staff Writer  ))  When we set out to find movies that were out on DVD now with story lines featuring strong African female leads, we were pleasantly surprised to find I Am Slave, Pray The Devil Back To Hell, and Desert Flower.  Read on to learn about these compelling movies.

1.  I Am Slave is a 2010 television film produced for the United Kingdom's Channel 4 based on the real-life experiences of Mende Nazer.  The movie unfolds with twelve-year-old Malia being kidnapped from her Sudanese village in the Nubar Mountains and sold into slavery to a woman in Khartoum, where she spends six years.  Malia is eventually sent to London, where her name is changed, but she remains enslaved until she finds a sympathetic stranger who she shares her story with. 

Inspired By MIMI And The DPiper Twins

((  Written By: Staff Writer  ))  We just published the latest issue of MIMI, Inspired, and it features Ghanaian-Carribean designers Danielle and Chantelle Dwomoh-Piper (The DPiper Twins), who are behind the jewelry label Treasure Chest and clothing label Kastle Designs.  In the current issue of MIMI you'll not only read about the inspiring twins who jointly jumped over hurdle after hurdle to pursue their life's passion in the cover story Design Squared, but also about Somali model and advocate Ubah Hassan and the project she recently launched that has us calling her a Force of Nature, as well as South African Creative (re)Director of Authentic Creatives Banele Rewo's May Johannesburg Bless You photo series that provocatively dares you to examine the problems that plague everyday people.  For the current issue of MIMI, our collaboration with Africa Renewal took us to Mali, where the women there are creating beauty and profit by creating a special fabric known as bazin.

Read the latest issue of MIMI now, and be Inspired by these stories and many more at www.mimimagazine.com/2012/volume8issue1.  If you are looking for more from MIMI, browse our magazine archives, which are available at www.mimimagazine.com/archvies.  For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

((  Photo Credits:  G. Legare  ))

Africa Online: Iman, Estelle, Femi Kuti ... And More

Written By: MIM!—Stay connected to positive news by reading these five stories from the worldwide web, about Africa and the African Diaspora, that we loved reading this week:

1. Somalian supermodel Iman pens an inspiring article 5 Seeds of Hope for Somalia via The Huffington Post;

2. Senegalese-British singer-songwritter Estelle shares her oh so fashionable list of The 5 Things She Can't Live Without via The Stylist;

3. Nigerian afro-funk musician Femi Kuti describes what music is playing In His Ear via NPR;

4. Kenyan director Jinna Mutune's trailer for his highly-anticipated superhero film Leo hits the web via Shadow and Act; and

5. Haitian accessories designer Cynthia Germain, whose label Saint-Germain captures the spirit of Africa in its design aesthetic and was inspired by a trip to Niger, offers a behind the scenes look at her latest collection via Vimeo.

For more stories about Africa and the African Diaspora, catch up with MIMI's archives at www.mimimagazine.com/archives.

(Photo Credits: Movie Poster Art)

Warsan Shire: The Last Word

Written By: Nicole Parker-Jones—Proving that inspiration comes in many forms, Kenyan born Somali poet Warsan Shire is an artistic activist whose work has touched the lives of many across the globe. She believes in healing through narrative and art. She works with refugee communities in the UK through poetry workshops to document their stories of journey and trauma. Fearless and honest, she is not afraid to tell even the most difficult stories. Here, she shares her riveting words:

the birth name. the name warsan means good news in the somali language. i hated it. i despised my name. i wanted to be called something soft, something that ended with an "ah" sound. my name is difficult to whisper into the side of my face. my name is easy to use with a hard voice. i appreciate that now. the hesitation on the other side of the phone. the way they would replace my name with 'baby'. give your daughters difficult names. give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. my name makes you want to tell me the truth. my name doesn't allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right.my mother calls me 'warsanay'. if a man ever tried to call me that, it means he understands that i am someone's daughter. it means i'll let him call me down from a long building. praise my grandmother, warsan baraka. my father's mother. the woman i was named after.

For more, visit warsanshire.blogspot.com.

MIMI Related Links: Say My Name; Resolve To Find Your Gold

(Photo Credits: © Warsan Shire)

In Limited Theatrical Release Now: Desert Flower Starring Liya Kebede

Written By: MIM!—Desert Flower, the biopic about model Waris Dirie starring Liya Kebede in the title role, has made its way Stateside, and is in limited release across the United States. If the trailer below doesn't convince you just how powerful this story is, read our interview with Waris from October 2005: The Truth About FGM. The critics are also moved. The New York Times writes, “The film, based on Ms. Dirie’s memoir of the same title, is heartening both for Ms. Dirie’s rise-and-overcome tale and for the reminder that a helping hand from a stranger can still occasionally be found in this unkind world. But, of course, it’s also disheartening because of what was done to Ms. Dirie, a moment revisited in a hard-to-watch flashback. The film makes bluntly clear that this is a trauma that lasts a lifetime.” This Day Live echoed similar sentiments, “It is hard to sit through Desert Flower without the nagging thought about the inhumanity of the female genital mutilation, or FGM for short. It is also hard not to credit Waris with not only the courage of escaping from the clutches of this bestiality, but also for telling the world her story.”

Desert Flower (Wüstenblume) - Trailer English from MajesticFilm on Vimeo.

MIMI Related Articles: Restoring Health And Dignity To Young African Women; Letters To My Sisters: Plain Truths And Straight Advice From A Gynecologist

H&M's Holiday Campaign Featuring Waris Dirie, Liya Kebede, Kesewa Aboah And Adwoa Aboah

Written By: MIM!—Not only do we love the look of H&M's 2010 Holiday Campaign featuring Somalian models Waris Dirie and Liya Kebede, as well as Ghanaian models and sisters Kesewa and Adwoa Aboah, but we also love the spirit behind the campaign—throughout the holiday season, H&M customers in stores in over 30 countries around the world will be invited to make a donation at the register to support UNICEF through “give a child the gift of clean water.” Based on the amount of the donation made, H&M customers will receive either one or a pack of 6 specially designed H&M holiday gift box stickers.

The Global Fashion Show: Mataano By Ayaan And Idyl Mohallim

Iman Co-Hosts The Fashion Show, The Ultimate Collection

Written By: MIM!—Starting on November 9, fashion icon Iman will co-host an all-new season of The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection with internationally acclaimed designer Isaac Mizrahi.

The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection will split 12 talented men and women into two fashion houses and each “house” must work together, not only to create a cohesive collection each week, but also to produce a live fashion show in every episode. From the set, to the music and lighting, these contestants will be pushed harder than ever before as they lay it all on the line for a chance to create the ultimate collection and to win $125,000 furnished by TRESemme Professional Hair Care.

The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection premieres on Bravo on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.

(Photo Credits: © Mike Ruiz/Bravo)

Mataano Spring 2011 Look Book

Written By: MIM!—Mataano's Africa Fashion Week Collection has come to life in the pages of their Spring 2011 Look Book.

Visit www.mataano.com and www.facebook.com/mataano for the latest information about Mataano.

MIMI Related Links: Fashioning The Continent; MIMI's Hot 21: Ayaan And Idyl Mohallim

(Photo Credits: Mataano)

Black Mamba Boy By Nadifa Mohamed

Written By: Nicole Parker-Jones—Black Mamba Boy is the critically acclaimed debut novel by Somalian-British writer Nadifa Mohamed. Set in the vibrant Aden, Yemen in 1935, Black Mamba Boy follows ten-year old Jama, who unexpectedly finds himself alone in the world when his mother dies. Jama is forced to return to his native Somalia, where war is on the horizon and the fascist Italian forces who control parts of East Africa are preparing for battle. Yet Jama cannot rest until he discovers whether his father, who has been absent from his life since he was a baby, is alive. And so begins an epic journey which will take Jama north through Djibouti, war-torn Eritrea and Sudan, to Egypt. And from there, aboard a ship transporting Jewish refugees just released from German concentration camps, across the seas to Britain and freedom. This story of one boy's long walk to freedom is also the story of how the Second World War affected Africa and its people.

(Photo Credits: Book Cover Art / Hapercollins)

Iman Is Expanding Her Empire With The Launch Of IMAN Home Designs, A Home Decor Brand Inspired By International Locales

Written By: MIM!—Iman wants an invitation to your home with the upcoming launch of her home decor collection, IMAN Home Collection. Influenced by global culture and contemporary design, the IMAN Home Collection represents Iman's mission to create elegant, affordable items that mix exotic elements with modern sophistication and will be available at Calico Corner and Calico Home Stores and select retailers across the United States.

Look for IMAN Home to launch later on this year at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. "I am so excited to partner with Mercedes-Benz on this project," said Iman. "We have worked tirelessly in preparation for the launch of IMAN Home and to have this forum, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, is a great way to unveil the collection." For more information, visit www.imanhome.com.

(Photo Credits: IMAN Home Collection)

Fashioning The Continent: Mataano

Written By: MIM!—Mataano's Africa Fashion Week Collection.

(Photo Credits: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo)

Africa Online: The Model Bloggers Edition

Written By: MIM!—"Do I have to get nude to be a supermodel?" Tanzania's Flaviana Matata asks this provocative question as she shares her perspective on what it is like to be a Tanzanian model grounded in traditional values while working in a profession. She continues:

Modeling in Tanzania is a relative[ly] new profession and has been misjudged often to be a promiscuous job. It has taken time to gain some acceptance within the society. But what makes things more difficult has been the more modern clothes that are often short or revealing. For instance, posing in a swimsuit could be deemed ‘immoral’ or ‘loose’, and may even result in the family exerting influence on models to stop modeling. Swimsuits have slowly become more acceptable in everyday and also in magazines although tolerance is still very little in the case of local models.

Read more from Flaviana by visiting her Global Grind blog at: www.globalgrind.com/user/flavianamatata.

. . .

"I love giving advice and helping as much as I can so feel free to contact me if you also need any advice" blogs Eritrean model Elsabel Yemane. And it's true. On her blog, Model Behavior, Elsabel gives an insider's perspective about what it is like try and make it as a model: castings, photoshoots ... and in case it doesn't work out, a Plan B, university. Visit www.elsabelonline.blogspot.com for more model behavior.

. . .

"I look much younger than my actual age," Iman shares on her blog. Exactly how old is Iman? Who really cares when she shares refreshingly candid posts about everything from her spending habits on what she calls "a Bowie budget" to music, fashion ... and even health. Read more by visiting: www.imancosmetics.com/blog.

MIMI Related Links: Africa Online: The Bridal Bliss Edition, Africa Online: The Think Different Edition, African Blogs: The Fashionista Edition

The World Cup According To Shakira And Freshlyground v. The World Cup According To K'Naan

Written By: MIM!—Both Shakira (featuring Freshlyground) and K'Naan have released songs for this year's World Cup in South Africa. So tell us, which song do you think best represents the spirit of the World Cup?

Fatima Siad For BCBG Spring Summer 2010

Written By: MIM!—America's Next Top Model Cycle 10 third place winner Fatima Siad is the face of BCBG's Spring/Summer line. The designer posted some new photographs of Fatima on the set via his Twitter account (pic 1, pic 2) with the caption "Looks Sick." We agree, and are looking forward to seeing more from the designer's Spring/Summer collection. In the meantime, follow BCBG at twitter.com/BCBGMAXAZRIA.

(Photo Credits: BCBG)

Noora Noor: The Scandinavian Queen of Soul

Written By: Nani Hapa—Neo soul singer Noora Noor is often referred to as the "Scandinavian Queen of Soul." Her first album Curious won Noora the Norwegian Hit Award for Best Female Artist. Noora's next album, All I Am, took a while to complete as Noora fell seriously ill and had to stop recording for two years while she was in and out of the hospital. Now healthy, Noora released her third album, Soul Deep, which was released this year. If you're a fan of the sounds of singers such as Laura Izibor, Alicia Keys, and Ledisi, or if you want to hear about an inspiring soul sister, make sure to read Noora's journey as told by her by clicking on the "Read More" link ...