I had the pleasure of interviewing Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an award-winning writer, photographer, and blogger based in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s very likely that you’ve seen her beautiful work at some point. Her photography has appeared in major publications around the world including National Geographic Traveler, Lonely Planet, BBC, CNN, Travel + Leisure, and many others.
Lola has been kind enough to share her story on how she got started in the biz, shares her advice for aspiring photographers, and reveals the most important thing to take with you on your travels in this edition of Black Women in the Global Village.

I hope you enjoy the interview :)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an award-winning writer, photographer, and blogger based in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s very likely that you’ve seen her beautiful work at some point. Her photography has appeared in major publications around the world including National Geographic Traveler, Lonely Planet, BBC, CNN, Travel + Leisure, and many others.

Lola has been kind enough to share her story on how she got started in the biz, shares her advice for aspiring photographers, and reveals the most important thing to take with you on your travels in this edition of Black Women in the Global Village.

I hope you enjoy the interview :)

nigerianostalgia:


Dr. Simi Johnson First female dentist in Nigeria(1970s)
More Vintage Nigerian photos

nigerianostalgia:

Dr. Simi Johnson
First female dentist in Nigeria
(1970s)

More Vintage Nigerian photos

shopcoletteclayton:

Vintage Lipton Tea ad (sold for 75kobo) that appeared in Emotan magazine, Nigeria on the 2nd of February 1980.

shopcoletteclayton:

Vintage Lipton Tea ad (sold for 75kobo) that appeared in Emotan magazine, Nigeria on the 2nd of February 1980.

Hello my lovlies!!!

I have not done a personal post in a LONG TIME so here goes….

Question time!!

What do you think about cultural appropriation?  Is it a big deal to you or do you not pay it much attention?

I’ve only seen it in the Native American context aka where black and white kids dress up as Natives for Halloween.

I started thinking about where else I have seen people not of a culture wearing that cultures clothes and I can’t say I was ever bothered by it.

Ex: My family (with the help of church members, donors, friends, relatives, etc.) built a school and medical center in one of my parent’s villages and I know for many events or trips having to do with the center, folks would come in formal attire.  The Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans would come in their traditional attire and many of our white guests did as well.

Now according to the (i like to call) social justice warriors on tumblr, these white people “should be ashamed of themselves kill themselves for wearing Nigerian garments….WHY???

I can’t speak for Native Americans, but I can speak for myself as one American with Nigeiran parents and say many of us are FLATTERED when non-Nigerian appreciate and wear our clothing.  You should see their faces when we compliment them on their outfits.  They are a bit nervous at first because they’ve never worn the outfits before but all is well when they see our faces.

I’m proud of my heritage.  I’m proud that the African attire of various ethnic groups in Africa are on the global stage.

I WANT NON-AFRICANS TO WEAR THESE AFRICAN-INSPIRED CLOTHING.

Celebrate Africa.

If you can’t tell by now, I’m basically I’m OVER the complaining. As if there isn’t enough going on in the world, people want to complain about people wearing their clothes….*blank stare*. I don’t get and I don’t WANT to get it.

It’s like my grandma said when I told her about Americans having “no shoes day” in honor of the poor aka Africans with no shoes.

“You Americans have a lot of time on your hands don’t you?”

LOL. Too much time if you ask me :)

from-a-naija-perspective:

Hausa people of Sokoto, Nigeria. 

from-a-naija-perspective:

Hausa people of Sokoto, Nigeria. 

shutterfox:

Aso Rock, Abuja Nigeria
Aso Rock is a large outcrop that is on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The Aso Rock is a 400 metre monolith and is the city’s most noticeable feature. The Nigerian Presidential Complex, Nigerian National Assembly, and Nigerian Supreme Court are located around it. Much of the town extends to the south of the rock. “Aso” means victorious in the native language of the (now displaced) Asokoro (“the people of victory”) - Wikipedia
© Toyosi Faridah Kekere-Ekun 2010

shutterfox:

Aso Rock, Abuja Nigeria

Aso Rock is a large outcrop that is on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The Aso Rock is a 400 metre monolith and is the city’s most noticeable feature. The Nigerian Presidential Complex, Nigerian National Assembly, and Nigerian Supreme Court are located around it. Much of the town extends to the south of the rock. “Aso” means victorious in the native language of the (now displaced) Asokoro (“the people of victory”) - Wikipedia

© Toyosi Faridah Kekere-Ekun 2010

(via 37thstate)

dynamicafrica:

OLYMPIC  FOCUS: Barcelona ‘92 Olympics - Nigeria’s 4 x 100 Meter Women’s Relay team
This 1993 Pulitzer Prize Award-winning photo by Ken Geiger and William Snyder of The Dallas Morning News shows the reaction of the Nigerian 4 x 100 Meter Women’s Relay team after reading the scoreboard announcing that they had won bronze at the event.

dynamicafrica:

OLYMPIC  FOCUS: Barcelona ‘92 Olympics - Nigeria’s 4 x 100 Meter Women’s Relay team

This 1993 Pulitzer Prize Award-winning photo by Ken Geiger and William Snyder of The Dallas Morning News shows the reaction of the Nigerian 4 x 100 Meter Women’s Relay team after reading the scoreboard announcing that they had won bronze at the event.

Poverty Porn - any type of media which exploits the poor’s condition in order to generate sympathy for selling newspapers or increasing charitable donations or support for a given cause.
You will find none of that here :)

africaworldnow@gmail.com