Celebrate Black History Month UK – Afrocentric designs for you

October is the month  designated to celebrate the rich history of people of African descent in The United Kingdom.  At Kiarablu we celebrate this rich history all year long.   I would like to offer a few of our afrocentric designs.   These are created to offer our fantastic customers the opportunity to express their love and  respect for the beautiful continent of AFRICA!   Enjoy and please let us know your favorites !

SANKOFA IS THE ADINKRA SYMBOL THAT MEANS  “GO BACK AND GET WHAT HAS BEEN LEFT BEHIND”

Adinkra symbol Duafe from Ghana West Africa

Afrocentric - Africa center of all

October is Black History month

Related articles

• Sankofa with Mia Morris of Black History Month.co.uk (themochalife.wordpress.com)
• Cheikh Anta Diop, The African Origin of Civilization (onebookafteranother.wordpress.com)

T-shirts for Change – Help for Families in Congo

Mmere Dane is the Adinkra symbol for Change

Just learned about a great organization  that is working to support positive change around the globe!!  Sevenly is a fantastic organization focused on supporting Charities that make a difference.  Each week Sevenly partners with one charity to raise funds thru the sale of a unique t-shirt design.   This week  (July 3) they have partnered with Hope International to offer families in Congo a chance to change their lives and escape poverty.   

Please consider supporting this organization with the purchase of a t-shirt!   For every shirt sold $7  is donated to the charity of the week. 

Also be sure to link up with them on twitter and facebook to see the new charity t-shirt each week!

Sevenly -t-shirts that make change happen

Celebrate Black History Month – Afrocentric designs for you

February is the month we have designated to celebrate the rich history of people of African descent in United States.  At Kiarablu we celebrate this rich history all year long.   I would like to offer a few of our afrocentric designs.   These are created to offer our fantastic customers the opportunity to express their love and  respect for the beautiful continent of AFRICA!   Enjoy and please let us know your favorites !

 

SANKOFA IS THE ADINKRA SYMBOL THAT MEANS  “GO BACK AND GET WHAT HAS BEEN LEFT BEHIND”

 

Sankofa t-shirt desigN

 

 

 

 

 

Afrocentric - Africa center of all

 

 

 

 

Embroidered Tribal Africa design

 

 

 

Anansi – The Original Spider Man

ANANSI

Anansi  folk tales 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 get a wide smile and pleasant reminiscing eyes upon the mention of the  humorous trickster  named Anansi.
During the fall months of October and November, we  see many exhibitions  and inclusion of  spiders.   This is in part because spiders  become more active and visible to us.     It is also a great time to  re-tell and celebrate the adventures of the original Spiderman – Anansi !   Many people  today are looking to find alternatives to  scary,  shadow filled  Halloween parties.    An Anansi  celebration  can provide families   with a fun and healthy  alternative  that even includes stories that teach  life lessons.
There are many activities that you can include in an Anansi  celebration.    My first suggestion is to obtain  a book of Anansi stories.   This will allow you to choose several Anansi folk tales to  read and enjoy during the celebration.   The stories are easy to  read and share,  and they offer plenty of room for  embellishment .  You can  keep the celebration  a simple family affair  or invite friends and  extended family to join in the fun.
Including a karamu  (feast)  will make your celebration extra special.   Because the  Tricky spider is known throughout the  African Diaspora,   there are  a wide range of  foods you can  include.    Black Beans with rice (Anansi LOVES beans) ,  sweet potato biscuits,   and gumbo are just a few yummy ideas that come to mind.   On the sweeter side of things,  you can help the kids to create  Anansi  cupcake pops,  design  spider web cupcakes  or cookies.   Of course  the focus should be on the  FUN so be sure to  use all the creativity you can muster!
Crafting might also be a great way to celebrate the tricky little arachnid.    Girls can create an Anasi/Aso hair clips while the boys  work on  Anansi  knapsack  clasps.   Placemats featuring Ananai  are quite inexpensive when you use  recycled/up cycled materials.

Our Anansi t-shirt featuring Ananse Adinkra symbol

Last but not least be sure to take loads of pictures to remember all the beautiful smiles this little spider will bring you.  Be sure to share them with us via email or face book!  His antics are a really fun way to spend  one evening this fall.

Related articles

• How Anansi Bring the Drum (tillahwillah.wordpress.com)
• Oakland Freedom School encourages literacy in Black youth (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)

Happy National HBCU Week!

This is National HBCU week……..a time to celebrate  the Historically Black Colleges  and Universities of our great nation.  As a graduate of Hampton University  I think it is great to hear the President speaking  about  and bringing focus  to these historic institutions.  We have to continue the tradition of HBCU’s and emphasize the importance of education to the youth of our country.   They must understand that higher education will make a significant difference in what path their future takes.    The work that each student puts in to obtain a solid education will offer them many life opportunities that they could never imagine.   I have been able to  travel all across our great nation because of  the solid education I received at Hampton.   My education has opened doors that would have been solidly shut to me without out my degree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HBCU t-shirt "Educating Future Leaders"

I am truly thankful for the encouragement I received from family and friends while I worked to obtain a higher education degree.  I challenge each of you to encourage and support the young people in your life to aim high and pursue not just an undergraduate degree but also a graduate level education.

The adinkra symbol Nea Onnim No  Sua A Ohu  represents knowledge & life long

 

 

 

HBCU s are shining a bright light on life long learning

learning. HBCU s have offered students a fantastic educational foundation for their life journey  since 1837, when Cheyney University was founded.  The importance of life long learning was not lost on the Akan nor the original students of HBCU s. It is our job now to continue to support these institutions in their mission and encourage our youth to learn as much as they can everyday!

Did you attend a HBCU ?  Please give a shoutout here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Show your little ones they are headed for greatness!

Embroidered Adinkra T-shirt Sale!

Just for all you collectors of Afrocentric t-shirts & positive gear-

 

 

 

Gye Nyame Khaki Cap

KiaraBlu is offering FREE ground shipping ($50 or more)  on our entire embroidered  collection!

Aug 17th 2010 thru Sept 17 2010

 

 

 

 

Adinkra design Sankofa

Our Adinkra  t-shirts and caps make great gift items for  all your Afrocentric friends that love to make a  positive statement !

 

USE COUPON CODE: blackstar

Sankofa Teacher – Marcus Garvey – True Black Star!

Marcus Garvey - Sankofa Teacher

Happy Marcus Garvey Day!  August 17th is celebrated around the world as  tribute to  Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr.  Since 1993 there have been gatherings and celebrations to shine a spotlight on this great leader of people of African descent!  Marcus Garvey was a very forward thinker and offered his people Pan-African philosophy in the form of Garveyism!   His creation of the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) was to unite people of color across the diaspora.  Marcus Garvey was a great orator, publisher and led as many as 2 million followers within the UNIA.   The Black Star Line was a shipping line incorporated by Garvey and the UNIA with the goal of uniting and empowering people of African descent through the exchange of goods and transport of passengers to the continent of Africa.

Marcus Garvey believed in the active pursuit of Sankofa.  He interacted with other Pan Africanist around the world to establish a foundation that would offer people of African Descent empowerment through community interaction and community support.  These concepts and actions have been an inspiration to many others in modern history.

Are you a student of Garvey?  How are you inspiring Sankofa in your community?

Give a shout out to those that are shining the light  and power of Sankofa like Garvey!

True Freedom Fawohodie

As we march on thru this “Freedom Season”  the words of  Kwame Nkrumah come to mind!

“Freedom is NOT something that one people can bestow on another as a gift.  They claim it as their own and none can keep it from them!”

Kwame Nkrumah

1st President of   GHANA

Freedom Fighter Kwame Nkrumah from KiaraBlu

http://www.zazzle.com/kwame_nkrumah_black_star_tshirt-235823845882072085

Here ya go Adinkra Fans —> A Lil’ World Cup Duafe!!

We have added a really cute T-shirt perfect for World Cup Fans
Here is your link: http://bit.ly/WCDuafe

Let me know what you think!!

World Cup T-shirt for 2010

Great Gift For MOM

Most of us feel that our MOM is THE BEST…..and of course you do ……she made all the sacrifices that helped to shape you into the great person you are now!  And we all know that this was NOT an easy job for her……given ALL the things we put her through!

So we have designed this  great shirt to help you show your  MOM just how special she is given all her heroic efforts displayed while  raising  you!

Hurry!  Take advantage of our tax day sale – order by 4/15!!

Great Mother’s Day Gift – Super Mom t-shirt

Drop by for all of our screen printed designs here: http://www.zazzle.com/kamau66