Cities and Countries,Decor and Architecture,History of Africa,People,Travel philosophy
Created in honour of dr. Kwame Nkrumah the first pesident of Ghana and the father of Independence in 1957, the park sir son, quite the symbol, the former polo grounds of the british coloniser. In the heart of the city, the main attraction is the mausoleum of Nkrumah, a superb pyramid in black marble surrounded by myriad fountains.
Often named one of the most influential people on the continent, the Beninois diva is above all a musician who is regularly the recipient of awards –she has just won her third grammy award- and a woman who has taken on many causes. From unicef for whom she has been the goodwill ambasaador since 2002 to the foundation of batonga wich Works for the educarion of Young african girls, to be on the jury of africa’s got talent to her first appearance on the silver screen, she whose entire name means ‘the blood of a talent can’t light a spark’ has decided to throw conventions to the wind.
African Music, Benin, Featured, Social cuases, Unicef, Young africans
Decor and Architecture,Fashion and Lifestyle
Provence style will fill the house with warmth and coziness, make it comfortable and welcoming. Simplicity, restraint, kindness, and light characterize this famous interior style directly related to the natural beauty of the French region
COLOUR PALETTE
The main palette of this style reflects the natural colours of Provence: beige and milky, white and lavender, warm terracotta and sienna, bright colours of sunflowers, azure sea, refreshing wet sand and ecru. they fill up the house with serenity and tranquility.
FURNITURE
Comfortable and simple Provence style furniture has a clear geometric lines and hand made from solid walnut, chestnut or oak, painted in the main style’s colours. The furniture fronts are especially charming decorated with artificial chips and scrapes, shallow holes as if eaten with bugs. Provence style reflects the natural beauty of southern France with its flowers, birds and butterflies.
TABLEWARE AND KITCHEN UTENSILS
Tableware and kitchen utensils are very important in a Provence house being a guardian of family traditions, a family legacy, and beautifying the interior decoration. Decorated with artistic representation of bouquets, countryside pictures and floral watercolors table sets and individual items will look great and tablecloths of unbleached linen and cotton with floral motifs or traditional stripes. it should be noted that the French prefer mixing and combining of items, and there can be plates from different set on table, and antiques porcelain will easily appear next to some rustic handmade pottery.
DECOR
The décor of Provence style house is delicate and elegant, with a touch of time and history; or rather patina and artisan crackle technique. Therefore, forged decorative objects, small tables with tracery deco, birdcages, all sorts of ‘lacy’ elements perfectly complement the style. Moreover, the house should be filled with flowers. In fabrics and furniture’s deco, fresh bouquets, and even in breakfast desserts.
Colors, colours, Fashion, Featured, France, Gardens, Home Decor, potery, Provence
Boho style has its roots in the French Word ‘boheme’ and the artistic bohemian concept.
Boho interior style is rich, versatile, colorful and relaxed, as the life of the nomads discovering new lands.
COLOUR PALETTE
The colour palette of this style is bright and intense: orange, yellow, purple, ultramarine and fuchsia make the house cheerful and cozy.
A boho-house is magnificently decorated with textiles, draperies, blankets, pillows, bright covers for furniture, carpets, exactly as the nomadic people do.
DÉCOR TIPS
Africa, Bohemian, Carpet, colours, Eclectic, Ethnic, Ethnic Patterns, Fashion, Featured, Home Decor, Marrakesch, Morocco, North of Africa, Rugs, Tribal, Wildlife
This wonderful mix of elements of English cottages, French chateaux, Tuscan villas and Mediterranean houses exists only a couple of decades, but captured the hearts and entered the homes of many connoisseurs of the most luxurious interiors. Shabby chic is not a word but a lifestyle, romantic with careless attitude to things. Sometimes it is even called ‘shabby elegance’
FABRICS
Very gentle and romantic, this style creates its image on the subtle combination of tulle fabrics with a rustic lace, satin frills and handmade embroidery with floral ornamentation.
FURNITURE
Vintage, painted in several layers furniture with clear scuffmarks, upholstered in natural fabric best of all reflects the romantic mood of those who prefer shabby chic style.
DECOR TIPS
colours, cottages, Featured, France, Home Decor, potery, Shabby
Arts,Cities and Countries,Decor and Architecture,Fashion and Lifestyle
The Berber Museum is located in the former painting studio of Jaques Majorelle, and presents a panorama of the extraordinary creativity of the oldest people in North Africa. A collection of over 600 objects (jewellery, arms, leatherwork, basketry, textiles, and carpets) was sourced throughout Morocco –from the Rif Mountains to the Sahara Desert- and attests to the richness and diversity of an ongoing, vibrant culture.
The museum was designed around its collection: sound, music photography and film transport the visitor, opening a door onto the Berber culture of Morocco
Art, Blue, colours, Fashion, Featured, Jaques Majorelle, Marrakesch, Morocco, Museums, Shops, Yves Saint Laurent
Stella Jean is an emerging Italian fashion designer, whose cultural identity often provides inspiration for her eponymous label. She collaborates with African artisans, based on the principle of increase in value, economic impact and respect for the territory, resources and traditions of the local communities who must be supported, while at the same time preserving ancestral knowledge – at risk of extinction – and opposing the debasing effect of imperialist homogenization
Her testament is how fashion, beyond aesthetics, can evolve into an instrument of counter-colonisation and become a vehicle for, and expression of, economic, social and ethical growth and enfranchisement.
The principles of an intentional, but never ostentatious, elegance are developed and expressed through sharp Italian artisanal tailoring. A mood whose uniqueness is revealed as a reflection of the designer’s personal multiculturalism, translated into the “Wax & Stripes Philosophy”, her veritable signature style.
Africa, Animal Print, colours, Ethnic Patterns, Fashion, Featured, Shops, Stella jean
Morocco holds a quasi monopoly on argan oil. It is extracted from the argan tree, an endemic spices that grow on the southwest of the country (the Mexican argan tree doesn’t produced oil). Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, it is used in cooking and skincare products. Since the late 1990s, this oil has become increasingly popular among consumers in Europe, North America and Japan. Until recently, demand was met by oil obtained from 50 million Moroccan trees and the work of 2 million local employees. Considering that it takes 15 years before an argan tree produces any nuts and that it will yield no more than 2 liters of oil, it is difficult to obtain enough of it to satisfy global demand.
Arts,Cities and Countries,History of Africa
Set up in Amsterdam, in 1983, at the instigation of its current President, Michel Leveau, the Olfert Dapper Foundation takes its name from a xviith-century Dutch humanist who, despite never leaving his native country, wrote an encyclopedic description of Africa, first published in 1668.
The purpose of this private non-profit organization is to raise the profile of sub-Saharan Africa’s artistic heritage and contribute to its conservation, by staging exhibitions and awarding research bursaries.
Director Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau was on the Musée du quai Branly steering committee from 1999 to the end of 2004 and is a member of the Committee for the Memory of Slavery (CPME), set up on January 5th 2004.
Africa, Art, Cameroon, Explore, Featured, Ghana, Mali, Museums, Nigeria, Paris
He was born in Edirne, the then capital city of the Ottoman Empire state. His father was sultan Murad II (1404-51). At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, bringing an end to the medieval Byzantine Empire. He also claimed the title of Caesar of Rome in addition to his other titles, Ottoman Sultan and Caliph, after the conquest of Constantinople. Mehmed II’s reign is also well-known for the religious tolerance with which he treated his subjects, especially among the conquered Christians, which was very unusual for Europe in the middle ages.
Art, Byzantine Empire, Featured, Islam, Istambul, Museums, Ottoman Empire, Turkey
