Ugandan Author Mazzi Binaisa Brings You Heaven In Your Handbag

Written By: Nicole Parker-Jones—"How do I have a conversation with God when I'm more conversant with the cocktail menu at my local bar and when the sales are starting in my favourite shop? Oh, and everything seems to be unraveling in slo-mo or otherwise? And I'm not entirely convinced anyone is listening? And if they are, are they particularly interested?" Equal parts light hearted, equal parts deep, Heaven In Your Handbag is a great little book with a lot of big truths about modern day life and finding a place for God in it. The book description speaks for itself:

Arranged into four parts: You, Love, Work and Friends[,] Heaven in Your Handbag looks at the very things we talk about, think about, laugh about, cry about, exploring these issues with God at the centre. You see he's always been there, it's just a case of us not always being aware of it. The book started off as a series of emails, call it an e-ministry, sent out to a group of girlfriends, that organically grew in an attempt to answer the questions of the everyday and our place in them. But, for all the "heaviness" of the material, there are elements of light relief. Disaster dates, wardrobe envy, slovenly attitudes to work and heartbreak all make an appearance in a book that aims be small enough to fit into the smallest of clutches and honest enough to touch the most hardened of hearts.

For more information, visit www.heaveninyourhandbag.com.

(Photo Credits: Book Cover Art)

MIMI's Fab Find Of The Month: Ifenkili's Cotton Ankara Halter Neck Dress

Written By: MIM!—When it comes to an Afri-chic inspired look, the difference between a fabulous fashion do and an epic fail can all be in the print. And what a difference a beautiful print makes to a classic halter dress with Ifenkili's (by designer Nneka Mokwe) £30 cotton ankara halter dress! Perfect for the summer (or a heat wave as some of us are experiencing), we love the African inspired take on the classic silhouette.

Get your fab find of the month by visiting www.ifenkili.co.uk.

(Photo Credits: Ifenkili)

Sometimes, Little Pleasures Come In Big Packages. Take A Look At KUA's New Clutch Purse Collection

Written By: MIM!—The talented Ms. Ruby Buah has done it again with her fall 2010 KUA clutch purse collection, and we're loving these oversized clutches as much as their miniature versions. Always keeping us authentic when it comes to style, Ruby's clutches are the perfect addition to an Afri-chic wardrobe.

See more from Ruby's fabulous collection by visiting www.kuadesigns.com.

MIM! Related Links: It's All In The Bag; Stringz Attached

(Photo Credits: Nana Stephens)

Precious: A True Story By Precious Williams

Written By: MIM!—Precious is the story of growing up black in a white community, of struggling to find an identity that fits amid conflicting messages, and of deciphering a childhood full of secrets and dysfunction.

1971: an ad in Nursery World. "Private foster parents required for a three-month-old baby." The lucky applicants are a 57-year-old white woman and her daughter, who love babies, especially black babies. And so in one transaction Precious Williams, the London-born daughter of a Nigerian princess came to be raised by an elderly white woman on an English housing project. Her life is never the same.

Precious shares about the adoption that changed her life:

My mother arrives, a haughty Nigerian woman in a convertible with a moses basket on the seat beside her, setting the net curtains in this all-white council estate twitching. And though the whole place makes my privileged mother's skin crawl, she returns to London with an empty basket beside her, choosing this home for me because, unusually for the estate, my foster mother talks proper, and I'll need a posh white accent for the bright future I have ahead of me. I'll cling on to that idea - that I've a bright future ahead of me - even though there's nothing in my upbringing to warrant it. Even though my mother's love consists of long absences, confusing behaviour and dauntingly high expectations. Even though my foster mother's love is overwhelming and suffocating. Even though I seem to be a magnet for abusive sexual attention from men I barely know. Even though the authorities have no idea where to put me or where I belong, and nor, really, do I. And even when I fall pregnant at eighteen and find myself back in the rural town I'd tried to escape from, with a tiny baby dependent on me, I still think the future's out there. I'll find it, whatever it takes.

Painfully honest, swerving from farce to tragedy, Precious' share of hilarious anecdotes and heartbreaking moments will have you moved to tears on one page and laughing on the next. To learn more about author Precious Williams, visit her website: www.PreciousWilliams.com.

Itoro Udofia's Love Initiative (Jazz)

Written By: MIM!—We never cease to be amazed by Nigerian-American artist Itoro Udofia's creativity. Her poetry is inspiring as are her spoken word pieces. Itoro recently released a spoken word track Love Initiative, which she shares is, "a mix of human sounds, vocals and spoken word. It was what I wrote when my soul needed a conversation." Take a listen below.

Itoro Udofia: Love Initiative (Jazz) by MIMIMagazine

For more from Itoro, visit www.thoughtsofmymind-itoro.blogspot.com.