I was catching up on episodes of Lie to Me when this gorgeous woman Danai Gurira entered the frame. I was floored to see her because so far Mekhi Phifer had been holding down the Single Black Role on the show. Peace to Mr Phifer and all of that but when she and he where in that one scene together where he’s interrogating her? She wins.

Come to find out, Danai Gurira is a playwright born in the USA, raised in Zimbabwe and telling stories like it’s nobody’s business and it’s everybody’s business.  Check out her interview about her play “Eclipsed” that tells the story of women in Liberia’s 2003 civil war.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzpzdIfUQqU

Please vote for the panel here and leave a comment while you’re at it.  Even if you’re not going to attend, I’m sure Renina will be doing all she can to make sure the discussion is archived and made widely available.  Tell your mama to vote. Your daddy. Your Uncle Ricky. Tell everyone!

I couldn’t let this one pass without some fun! Throughout the day I’ll be giving away Afrolicious stickers to everyone who’s participating. There will be three rounds: three chances to get in on the goodies and you don’t have to have natural hair to join the melee!

Round 1: The Twitter / Facebook Bomb
Simple! Just like Afrolicious on Facebook and hit us up on the wall with the message “Happy #naturalhair Day!” And you’re in the running for a pack of 5 stickers.

If you don’t have a Facebook account, get @afrolicious on twitter with the message “Happy #naturalhair Day!” And you’re in the running for a pack of 5 stickers.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, leave a comment below with the message “Happy #naturalhair Day!” And you’re in the running for a pack of 5 stickers.

Kela Coto via African Weekly Inspiration

Seydou Keïta from The Walther Collection

M.I.A for Complex Magazine via Single Bubble Pop

Utrecht Grotesk from exljbris

It was only a matter of time and now it’s confirmed: Chiwetel Ejiofor has been chosen to play Fela Kuti in a biopic based on the book Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon (not the musical). The great news is that Ejiofor is Nigerian, so we can expect a better Nigerian accent from him.

Yeah, I said it.

Happy Friday!

I came across Rachel Stewart’s work by way of her accessories.  I love the bold pieces and the photography and just the entire execution of her shop:

Support the creative spirit! Check out Rachel’s blog, her shop and her flickr!

Sheabutter Cottage is an independently and ethically run business.  Owned and operated by Akua Wood, Sheabutter Cottage is home to a variety of shea butter products, including raw shea butter, famous African soap, jewelerry and other wonderful concoctions.

Those with natural hair know how useful shea butter can be to a daily hair care routine, but it’s also useful for the skin.  As such, Sheabutter Cottage offers a variety of fragrant and essential oils and even containers so you can create your own shea butter experience.

Sheabutter Cottage takes pride in its ethical practices.  Working with cooperatives of Ghanian farmers, Akua Wood makes sure they get fair deals for their products and that you receive exactly what the packaging says you’re receiving.

Check out the Sheabutter Cottage shop and Akua Wood’s blog for more.

Oona and Candance team up to form CLOTH, a fashion label that employs displaced women from Somalia, Afghanistan, Togo and the United States.  The fashion is fresh and vibrant and socially sustainable.

CLOTH: The Video Book from CLOTH on Vimeo.

CLOTH arose to confront a lack of understanding among cultural groups in the United States and to successfully align fashion, social change and sustainability. Produced in the USA by displaced women from all over the world, your hood included, means no outsourcing or exploitation.