Sankofa | Adinkra Love

United Kingdom Sankofa Wishes

October 15, 2012

Sending beautiful Sankofa wishes to those celebrating Black History Month in the United Kingdom this month!! Peace and blessings always.

Celebrating Black History in the United Kingdom

Sankofa is the Adinkra symbol that reminds us to Return and Get what has been left behind.

Black History Month (lushnessofluminousliving.com)

Posted in adinkra, African History, Black History Month UK, culture, Family, freedom, Sankofa | Tagged adinkra, Adinkra symbol, African, African Diaspora, Afrocentric, Black History Month, Community, culture, Sankofa, United Kingdom | 1 Comment »

Celebrating Our Duafe – 2nd Annual Natually Isis Natural Hair Parade and Fesitval

August 31, 2012

naturally Isis Presents 2nd annual Natural Hair Parade

Duafe is the Adinkra Symbol for beauty and this morning I was sooooo honored to be able to speak with a true pioneer and ambassador for African Beauty across the Diaspora–

the amazing Naturally Isis.

For the second year Isis Brantley of Naturally Isis brings us the Natural Hair Parade and Festival in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas.

This parade and festival is the first of it kind celebrating African Beauty. Naturally Isis is always teaching and sharing concepts of empowerment thru self love being a huge focus of this parade and festival.

If you are anywhere close to Dallas Metro area I encourage you to head over and join the fun

….. on Saturday, September 1st to be a part of this amazing event.

Listen in below to my chat with this amazing lady and learn more about Naturally Isis, her inspiration to host this special event – truly a beautiful labor of love and about all the special activities planned for September 1st.

Here is a link to the chat we enjoyed

I encourage you to consider offering donations to this amazing event to assist with the education and empowerment of women through DUAFE

Please contact the Outreach Coordinator at (404) 944-6439

or visit Naturally Isis Natural Hair Online

Passing down the Traditions - So Important

Naturally Isis teaching about the tradition of Duafe

Uk Documentary: Kickin It With the Kinks (trailer) (themochalife.wordpress.com)
Get Crowned via Instagram! (themochalife.wordpress.com)

Posted in adinkra, African, African American blog, African-American leaders, Black History, culture, Dallas, Natural Hair, Parade, Sankofa, West Africa, women | Tagged African american, African American blogs, African American women, African Diaspora, beauty, culture, Dallas Metro, Dallas/Fort Worth Texas, Duafe, Fort Worth Texas, Isis Brantley, Natural Hair Parade, Self-love, Texas, West African, womens history | 2 Comments »

T is for Tools…… Adinkra tools

April 25, 2012

One of the reasons I love Adinkra symbols and have committed to “studying” them is their long history. It fascinates me that these symbols have been passed down for so many generations in Ghana. They are some what unique because they are a printed form of communication and historically many African traditions are oral. This is not to say that there are not other traditional written or printed expression on the African continent because there are others for sure!! I plan to one day explore those too!

Gye Nyame Adinkra stamps

Adinkra Stamps

The methods used to print the Adinkra symbols have been passed down too. Traditionally the symbols are carved into calabash. The symbol is then printed on fabric using beautiful dyes. The cloth that is created is a beautiful expression from the printer. We now have many ways to “create” the Adinkra symbols but it is really important to remember the traditional ways and not lose this knowledge. One day soon I would like to try my hand at printing on some cloth – I will be sure to share the fun here.

Here is a video featuring the Adinkra printing tools with explanation of some of the symbols. Unfortunately I could not embed the video but click the link and Enjoy!

Posted in adinkra, African, African American blog, African History, African symbols, Black History, culture, Ghana, Sankofa, West Africa | Tagged adinkra, Adinkra symbol, Africa, African american, African American blogs, African Diaspora, Afrocentric, calabash, culture, Ghana, Printing, Sankofa, stamps, symbol, Textile, west africa | 2 Comments »

Sankofa – The Family Tree

April 25, 2012

I love everything Family!! I am sure you have guessed this with the many posts I have written which include something about family. I have worked quite a bit on my own family history ……an amazing journey that I feel is a gift for my children. I want them to know they are here because of the prayers, beliefs and hard work of those who preceded them in the family. My daughter can proudly name 5 generations of grandmothers!! I am very fortunate because my maternal grandmother kept and shared a lot of family history which we have today. I even have the daily diary of my Great Great Aunt circa 1900…..a true treasure and window into what life was like during those days….very hard!!

Sankofa reminds us to Return & Get what was left behind

I encourage everyone to do some family research and/or documentation. It is not only for yourself but also for the children of your family. If you are wondering “where do I begin” ? I suggest right where you are. Begin with your immediate family, your parents and grandparents. Fill out the family tree with all that you know – it will be more than you realize!! Then begin the Sankofa journey……. ask for the information that is missing from other family members….siblings of your parents and grandparents, their children and spouses. This can be done at family gatherings ( even if it is not an “official” family reunion) …..bring the tree with you and connect with others and their families.

Click on the image below for your own family tree to fill out!!

The Questions You Ask (umkhontowesizwe.wordpress.com)
Holding Hands Across the King-size Bed. (phylliswriteswords.wordpress.com)
CAU exhibit to bring Sankofa art to life (ajc.com)

Posted in adinkra, African, African American blog, African symbols, Family, fathers, Ghana, mother, Sankofa, West Africa, youth | Tagged a to z challenge, Adinkra symbol, Africa, African american, African American blogs, African symbols, Community, family, family history, Grandparent, Sankofa, youth | 1 Comment »

Once upon a time…..

April 19, 2012

Once upon a time…..this is the sweet beginning to many fairy and folk tales from around the globe. These stories are usually a tale that teaches a lesson to young children about how we should treat one another. In most cases good will win over the bad.

Our vision for ANANSI

Anansi Stories are folk tales about a little spider that originated in Ghana, West Africa. Parents have used the humorous stories to teach their children life lessons for many, many generations. Today we can find Anansi, his wife Aso and their children, happily tucked into the memories of folks all across the African Diaspora. From Ghana, to the Caribbean, to the South Eastern US. You will always get a wide smile and pleasant reminiscing eyes upon the mention of the humorous trickster named Anansi.

My children have come to love Anansi stories and are always so happy to sit quietly and watch videos with the stories on the computer. We even have a “bean dance’ that was inspired by the funny moves Anansi makes when he hides the hot beans. (ck out the video below)

The Spiders Web Represents wisdom and creativity

The Adinkra symbol Ananse NTONTAN represents wisdom and creativity…..now the question is which came first? Stories of the creative little spider OR the symbol which inspired someone to create him?

Here is our favorite Anansi story:

Handmade Adinkra Books for Children (themochalife.wordpress.com)

Posted in adinkra, African, African American blog, African History, African symbols, culture, Ghana, Jamaican, Sankofa, West Africa, youth | Leave a Comment »

Energy Examination – Solar Sisters and Sankofa Energy

April 5, 2012

As I continue on the journey of A to Z Blogging we come to E. This was a difficult one for me to determine what to write about – I have finally settled on Energy – the much-needed – over used resource of the modern world.

Currently many people on the African continent are working to find reliable sources of energy for residents of many countries. Because the infrastructure in many countries is not as well-developed or reliable as we enjoy here in US there have been many projects to create energy sources locally. Solar energy has become a great way to offer rural residents an ongoing energy source. Solar energy can be harnessed through panels that can be by placed local residents. This addition to homes in the rural areas reduces the need for expensive kerosene oil and provides more hours of light thereby increasing productivity after dark sunset.

Here is a great video describing a program that trains Grandmothers in Kenya to install Solar Panels to their village. They received the nick name ”Solar Sisters”. They can then teach others and extend the knowledge to neighboring villages. What a powerful chain of events this can be to a region with no electric grid.

I also would like to share another view of energy that I came across - Sankofa Energy fabric from KKweli over at Spoonflower. I love the vibrance of this design and truly appreciate the concept of having tons of ENERGY to go back and claim what we left behind!!