RED CARPET - ENGLISH HD
Metadata
- RED CARPET - ENGLISH HD
- October 3, 2022
- Language English
- Transcript/Script HOST: Hello and Welcome to VOA's Red Carpet! I am your host, [NAME]. On this episode of Red Carpet, We take a look inside West African restaurant Mansa Kunda in Maryland, we speak to photographer Tamibe Bourdanne, and a young woman creates black dolls in Brazil. Let’s get on with the show! ENTERTAINMENT ROUNDUP Let’s start with some highlights of the latest entertainment news around the world. In film news, the biblical epic "The Book of Clarence," executive produced by Jay Z, directed by Jeymes Samuel and starring LaKeith Stanfield, will make its theatrical debut on January 12, 2024. Jay Z recently returned to Instagram to promote the film. In fashion news, models with disabilities took to the runway at New York Fashion Week wearing clothing designed to meet their needs. And in sports news, Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramo was seen proudly wearing his traditional Ghanaian attire to mark his debut in this year’s NFL regular season game. In more sports news Nigerian Barcelona Femeni striker Asisat Oshoala and Napoli’s hitman Victor Osimhen have been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award. Liberia’s George Weah is still the only African to have won the award in 1995. Photographer Tamibe Bourdanne is Capturing the Soul of Africa. HOST: Let’s get some photography news. Tamibe Bourdanne is a photographer who is passionate about capturing the beauty and diversity of the African continent. He spoke to VOA’s Kahli Abdu about his work and his mission to share the stories of Africa with the world. Here’s more. ((Tamibe Bourdanne – Photographer (Self-narrated)) “So, funnily enough, I've always been kind of attracted to art and visual things, since a young age, and I was living in Ivory Coast. So I was born and raised in Ivory Coast, and then moved to the UK, and then through schools. And now my best friend does videos and he was always pushing for me to try it and maybe get a camera. And then I was like you know what, let me get a camera, so I got my first job and bought my first camera, and since that it's just been a passion, and then it was kind of also about battling my African parents for them to accept it, for me to do it. So that was like being in London, I was doing economics then I was like, guys, this is not really working out, photography is really my thing. Also being in London and being around creative people, I was like, I'm in the midst of things. Let me just try and learn about things. And they accepted for me to do photography. Then I went to the coast and did my three years of that, and I feel like it was like a progression. As I went to university, I was more interested in architecture photography. I didn't understand the people side of things more, and as time went on, I was like let me add people into the mix. And, more and more I was like, OK, people are actually, my main interest. Like buildings was just maybe a way of escaping interacting with people. But as more time went on, it's like you also you have to face the fears and get right in it. So I started going back home a bit more especially to like Nigeria and Chad and then things became a bit more clear with the work of like, okay, this is the angle you’re trying to go from, and you just need to be going back to make those trips. Last year I did a residency in Benin, and that's where it opened the whole spirituality world for me within my work as well, because it was like the one month residency in this city that's an hour away from the capital. And it was quite open. So it was like, go there for one month and just shoot, like everything is like paid for everything, is looked after. So, yeah, just go and make work. I got there, and it was like, wow, this is another world that I never experienced and never witnessed. And this is also something that's really big in Africa, and it's like a lot of cultures has their own way of doing things and have different religion. And, yeah, I just got truly into it, and I really, really loved it.” Mansa Kunda Restaurant HOST: The US Capital Washington DC, is regarded as one of the most important cities in world politics. But besides its politics, the city is also recognized for its diversity as host to a vibrant immigrant community; one that contributes to its socio-cultural fabric through music, culture, and most notably through food. VOA’s Jackson Mvunganyi and Lionel Gahima visited Mansa Kunda, a restaurant in Takoma Park, where local dinners gather to enjoy the culture and cuisine of West Africa. Let’s take a look. ((Narration)) [Suggested Broll--Walking video and inside shots of art and food] ((Narration)) Tucked away in this Washington suburb of Takoma Park is Mansa Kunda, a restaurant that has been described as a gateway into West African cuisine--from the food to its décor. Originally from the Gambia, Mansa Kunder founder Hatib Joof says that even though he is not a trained chef, he wanted to share an important part of his culture with the rest of the world--food. ((Hatib Joof - Founder, Mansa Kunda)) “When I started this business, I didn't know how to cook, but I was invested in it. So I had to learn how to cook and dish out the food that I wanted to. The idea was not only to bring Africans on board, but to also have the rest of the world who are a part of us, to understand our culture, our cuisine, and most importantly, most importantly, our civilization as Africans” ((Narration)) With that in mind, Joof designed a menu that reflects a selection of his favorite dishes that he enjoyed growing up in Gambia. He serves the food in a space decorated with all kinds of authentic cultural artifacts, art and furniture from his homeland. He says that it was a struggle to self-finance the project by dipping into his personal savings. ((Hatib Joof - Founder, Mansa Kunda)) So I've picked dishes from Gambia, Senegal, which is the same. Gambia is like the habit of sitting. Yeah. And then you have Sierra Leone and Liberia and Ghana. We have food with shit up and then we have Nigerian food, Ivorian. We have our chicken and but also myself, a vegetarian, I used to be the person who would go to an African restaurant or perhaps an African restaurant and ordering a salad here. To create a vegetarian dish that is actually delicious. And and 80% of the menu can be vegetarian yes. Wholesome meals that are. What that what that does is if you choose to entertain someone here when they come in, they would find something for them like in the main to you. So incorporate some things in the menu that will serve me because I'm very selfish of myself. But also I know we are in the middle of cooking. Yes. Which is, you know, people call Taco Cafe for me and how go. ((Narration)) The restaurant attracts clients of all backgrounds, and One of the frequent customers to Mansa Kunda is a local imam who started patronizing the restaurant after a trip to Senegal and Gambia. He says that Mansa Kunda serves as a gateway for the local community to experience West Africa. ((IMAM)) “…the other part of this that for me is fascinating is that as we bring people who are Americans here, it is a kind of of gastronomic tourism. They get to taste Africa while being in America. They taste the flavor of Africa in America, which then begins to bring it closer together. Maybe, you know, people think Africa is far away. It's only after you begin tasting it, then you say, Oh, it's in me. So now what can something in Europe Indeed, the indeed, you know, I think the other part of this is that restaurants like this, especially that have the the ambiance, you see the culture, you taste it, you hear the music that it gives you the feeling of being outside of yourself” ((Narration)) Originally from Ghana, Kwame says that aside from enjoying his favorite dishes like fufu, he appreciates the other aspects for the food culture at Mansa Kunda, like custom of washing his hands in a gourd before digging into his favorite dish. ((Kwame – Customer)) “when they brought the fufu out, I was surprised because it looked just like my kind of food from Ghana, that okra soup, the stew, the meat, the fruit, everything. Just like what I would have back home my grandmother would have made for me. And when I ate it, it was right on point. TikTok Popular in Kenya, But Facing Backlash and Call for Ban HOST: One of the world's most popular apps, TikTok, is under growing scrutiny in Kenya over what critics see as explicit content, hate speech, and offensive behavior. An activist has petitioned parliament to ban the Chinese app, even as millions of young Kenyans use it for entertainment, social connections, or even to make money. Francis Ontomwa reports from Nairobi. Here’s more. ((NARRATOR)) Anna Montez is a minor TikTok sensation. She shares live tutorials on makeup artistry at least three times a week. Not long ago, she had a conventional job but quit to concentrate on her passion. Today, Montez says she is making more money than her job ever offered. ((Anna Montez, Makeup Artist on TikTok)) “I have seen myself get followers, I have seen myself grow up to 20,000 new followers in like two weeks, and with that comes customers, comes interactions, comes brands collaborations, a lot of things, so that has been a new experience, interesting and I’m loving this space.” ((NARRATOR)) Montez is just one of millions of Kenyans who use TikTok, and one of a growing group leveraging the social media platform to try to make a living. But Montez’s prospects could be threatened if an activist has his way. Bob Ndolo, an IT specialist and a father of two, wants TikTok shut down in Kenya. He recently submitted a petition to parliament, asking lawmakers to consider a ban on the app. (Bob Ndolo, ‘Ban TikTok’ Petitioner) “With TikTok, you go to a live coverage, and you find those young girls that you can call your sister, your aunty, your mother, they are all there, half naked, and what they are doing, they are selling their bodies.” ((NARRATOR)) According to a 2023 survey by Reuters Institute Digital News Report, Kenya is a global powerhouse in the use of TikTok for various reasons. Fifty-four percent of Kenyans utilize the platform for various reasons. The Kenyan government says TikTok and other social media apps contribute $3 million every month to Kenya’s economy. Recently, President William Ruto held a virtual meeting with TikTok’s CEO, who agreed to implement some restrictions on the app and establish an official presence in Kenya. Globally, numerous countries have imposed partial or total bans on the Chinese owned application on privacy and security grounds. In Africa, Senegal and Somalia have banned TikTok, and at least three other nations are considering similar measures. ((For radio: Bright Gameli is a cyber security researcher.)) ((Bright Gameli, Cyber Security Researcher)) “Governments are supposed to be able to come up with regulatory processes and policies that can govern their way such foreign applications are being used in their countries. Right now, if those measures are not put in place, how are we going to make sure that we are protecting ourselves and our kids?” Montez says anti-TikTok activists are not being realistic about the modern world. ((Anna Montez, Makeup Artist on TikTok)) “I do understand why it is a concern, but the truth is that these things have happened in real life, they have not started now, so as things change, as technology improves, these things will still penetrate to these spaces, that does not mean that you ban the space entirely, we don’t all have to suffer.” ((NARRATOR)) Parliament has yet to begin formal debate on the proposed ban. In the meantime, Kenyans find themselves torn between preserving digital rights for its creative youth and keeping the online environment safe for its population. ((Francis Ontomwa, VOA News, Nairobi)) Young Woman Creates Black Dolls in Brazil HOST: In a population where 54% of Brazilians are of African descent, only 7% of the dolls sold in the country are black. As a child and teenager, Jozi Belizario tried to look for toys that represented her color but couldn't find any. In 2017, she created the Aneesa store, the first e-commerce store dedicated only to toys with a black phenotype. Jozi, who is also a kindergarten teacher, takes the dolls into the classroom and helps her students recognize themselves in the toys' features. Here’s more. ((self-narration)) ((Jozi Belizario / Creator of Aneesa)) I am Jozi, the creator of the store Aneesa, which is the first e-commerce specialized in black dolls in Latin America. And this story started because I wanted to give a gift to a child, and I couldn't find a black doll anywhere. There were those babies (dolls), but she didn't want one. And if she was already a little girl, and I wanted a doll that represented her. I went to many stores - three, four, five. They were nowhere to be found. I was very frustrated, and I decided that somewhere in the world there was a black doll and I found it on an international website. I bought it. It took a long time to arrive at four months, but when it arrived, my heart was racing. And that passion I had for that doll I didn't want to give it to anyone anymore and I kept it for myself. I ended up creating Instagram for her. Everywhere I went, people wanted it too. I ended up saying that if they wanted it, I would buy it for them. But there was a time when I already had 15 orders and then I thought if I buy more dolls, people won’t have to wait. And everyone would say give a name to this doll, the Jozi’s doll. And then I had this name in my heart, Aneesa. And the Aneesa store was born. In my time anything about black people in the media was negative. had in the media was black people, it was the negative. So, with Aneesa we can sell dreams. The girl can dream. Today I’m a trainer, in my school, and I'm in other schools teaching and sharing with teachers how to play. How to bring this issue of positive representation alive with the dolls, with the children? So, with just one doll we can promote self-care. So, we take this doll, bathe it, change its clothes, teach the children that it's important to bathe, that it's important to be fresh-smelling and they take this into the house. I love what I do because I inspire other teachers and inspire children and future mothers. It's like that. That's sensational for me. Ana is five-year-old, and she told me something that really touched my heart. She told me ‘I always wanted to play doctor, but I could only be a patient because there are no doctors that look like me’. And then, with the doll doctor, she was able to see herself in that place. That was sensational for me. When the child sees herself as the same, see herself as similar. And sometimes the Aneesa doll is wearing a dress, or wearing a princess outfit, or wearing a doctor's outfit. The child sees herself and I also saw myself like that. These are opportunities to dream of being a doctor today, a model tomorrow and within my own imagination. As an adult I experienced these things, imagine the child, who can still turn their dreams into reality. There are a lot of clients from Africa, Angola, who ask if I export. I say not yet. That’s another of my dreams, being bigger and reach other countries. I wanna see Aneesa as a big brand. I can only make five dolls, but I want to be able to make more dolls. I want Anisa to have a family, you know, the grandpa doll, grandma doll, the big doll, a taller and shorter doll. That's very important to me. I want my education to bear fruit. I want to go to schools and teach about afro culture. I want to educate teachers the way I learned, playing and put anti-racist practices into the classroom for them to replicate and for this to reverberate and go beyond the school walls, for the child to talk to grandma and correct that adult who still speaks racist language: ‘It's not bad hair, it's curly hair, you have to respect it’. That is already happening in my house. I want this to happen in many homes and that little by little I know it will take time, but if everyone does their part, we’ll have respect for people, for minorities and we’ll live more peacefully. We turn dreams into reality, and we give children the chance to dream. CLOSER HOST: Thanks for watching VOA’s Red Carpet. I’m your host, [Name]. For more on your entertainment news, check us out on www.voaafrica.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. Until next time, goodbye everyone!
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Expiration Date October 22, 2023 23:59 EDT
- Embargo Date September 22, 2023 09:58 EDT
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America