Tag Archives: shila barnes

My Experience at AfroPunk was so Amazing!

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Me at AfroPunk- Picture Courtesy of Aagdolla Photographer

Me at AfroPunk

This year, the AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn, New York was amazing! I had been wanting to go for 2 years, but once again I almost flaked out and stayed home. However, some wonderful ladies pushed me to go. I got my small amount of disposable income together and went for it! I am so glad that I did. I would estimate that over the course of 2 days, August 23 and 24, at least 50,000 people got to experience the funk of AfroPunk!

The 10 Major Cool Things About AfroPunk…

1. The beautiful Afrikans! -Gazing into the crowd, we looked so good ya’ll! Go Brown people! Everyone was fly! The Diaspora was well represented.

2. The Music- Oh my! LiAnn La Havas, D’Angelo, SZA, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Shabazz Palaces, and The Internet were among my favorite.

3. The Vendors- Handmade goods galore! We are so talented! These were the best vendors that I have seen at a festival, ever!

4. The Free Things- they were giving away some very valuable merchandise. No contest, just walk up. Lovely.

5. The Good Vibrations and Energy of the Crowd- Everyone was so welcoming and full of love! “I got the vibrations to change the nation, lick shots in the air, crowd participation!”

6. The Photographers- AfroPunk is well documented.

7. The Artists- There were so many expressionists and bold people who were just rocking eccentric styles! I appreciated the confidence. Keep ya head up!

8. The Bonding Experience of Going with People- Although the ladies I went with only recently joined my Universe, they were great to experience AfroPunk with. We were on the same frequency.

9. What AfroPunk represents and the AfroPunk Official Merchandise. Everything sold out. This festival represents so much positivity. Image of No Hate (Black)

10. The Appreciation- The people who organize AfroPunk are so appreciative of the participants. They walked around and mingled. So wonderful. They send out nice emails to thank you for attending:

THANK YOU
There are few words that can express the amount of gratitude that we have for the AFROPUNK community.  People who consciously make an effort to join us year after year at the festival and online, supporters from around the block and around the world that come together for two days to celebrate culture and freedom with us. For that and more, thank you! See you next year!

Shila Iris for AfrikanEssence… I like saying AfroPunk… smile. Lol.

Juneteenth is Indepedence Day for Many

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As we approach the Fourth of July, don’t forget to explore the meaning of Juneteenth.

JUNETEENTH THINK TANK 2014_Page_1

JUNETEENTH THINK TANK 2014_Page_2 copy

Kush Queen  for African Essence

The Hooded Dress

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I have this growing obsession with hooded dresses. Oddly, I do not own any… yet!

hooded kente cloth jacket? yes!
very nice!
hooded tunic’s are hot too!
hooded cropped shirt…

The book I’m reading:

822640

Oh my! This book is magnificent! Look at that dance move! Dare you to try it! Smile.

Thanks for visiting African Essence.

Kush Queendom

Got time to browse?  http://www.afropunk.com/     www.zmalfashion.com

My Love for Seydou Keita

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WHO IS HE?

SEYDOU K

Seydou Keita is the self-taught photographer who sparked my interest in portrait, fashion, and family photography; as well as photojournalism and macro/micro face picture-taking. He is best known for his works of art captured between 1940 and 1960, exhibited in hundreds of gallery’s nationwide. That is a great accomplishment for any photographer. He is also known for his books:

  1. Seydou Keita
  2. You Look Beautiful Like That
  3. Photographs, Bamako, Mali 1948-1963

I don’t want to go on a rant about how much I love him, but I will say that Seydou’s work continues to take my breath away. I am always discovering new elements in his photography that I may have missed the first time around. I often mention his name in conversations when I am asked about how I nurture my eccentricities. I honor the greatness in other people. Seydou’s work has challenged and inspired me to share my gifts with the world.

There are many people who are capable of taking exceptional photos but, if you are looking for a teacher, examining his work may help you to understand what photography is really about. With him, it was more than just a picture, it was history, culture, fashion, and reality.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that you can find on the internet. However, there are so many great photos in his books, so if you have a library card, check them out!

In Janet Jackson‘s video, Got Til It’s Gone featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell, the images reminded me of Seydou’s work. Let me know what you think.

Other photographers whose work I appreciate.

Gordon Parks
Deborah Willis and Carrie Mae Weems…https://africanessence.wordpress.com/muses/

Looking for reasons to become a photographer? Examining Seydou Keita’s work- you just may want to try it out!

I am Kush.

Related articles

 

 

I Write

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Just Wanted to Share My Poetry

Just Wanted to Share My Poetry

Note: I tell people to refresh their pages because I am always changing things. However, keep in my mind, I have to protect my writing so the words that are not visible are on purpose! Smile. Copyright law Shila style! Embrace the digital art. Peace and love.

Snippets of my writing. Enjoy.

Shila aka Queen

P.S. We must read! On Friday, November 15 I had the pleasure of experiencing this very beautiful sister at Case Western Reserve University’s Think Tank hosted by the lovely Ms. Rhonda Williams.

Author: Sonia Sanchez

FOLLOW THE LINK

Homegirls and Handgrenades

FaLL LOoK BoOk PaGe 1 … wear what you got

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In the Midwest weather used to be simple. We would have cold Winters, warm Springs, hot Summers, and moderate Falls. Times have changed and sometimes the seasons blend. I have no complaints! I actually love the complexities of weather. Everyday is an exploration. I no longer pack away my winter or summer clothes for storage. Everything stays in the closet year round. Sunday I wore shorts and today I had on heavy socks and insulated shoes. That’s how it is these days!

Just go with the flow of the sun. Since, the seasons can no longer dictate the dress code, wear what is befitting of the day. This is a wardrobe check to help you transition into “autumn-like” weather…

Don’t forget to share, comment, and follow African Essence!

One of my favorite pairs of earrings.
I really love mustard colored clothing.
I normally wear wine colored lipsticks. The only color I really like.
I adore wooden and feathered jewelry.

WHAT I AM WEARING FROM HEAD TO TOE

  • My natural hair is permanently dyed using Silk Elements Santa Fe Bronze. I normally only dye my crown once every 4-6 months. Recently I decided that I wanted to grow the color out and focus on my original hair color of black. The dye is $4.
  • The shirt is made by a brand called Angie from Dillard’s. It was originally $32 but I bought it for $10.
  • The denim skirt is originally made by Mossimo for Target. I got it brand new from a thrift store for $3.
  • The stockings are from Target..maybe $4?
  • The fringe boots are from Sears/Kmart online. I caught them on sale last season for $10. The quality is fine. No visible wear or tear. They were originally $30. I noticed that these stores offer cheaper items online. What’s the catch? I don’t know! You can get fringe boots from Kohl’s, Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, etc. I am not sure if they are the trend this year… but of course on African Essence we don’t follow trends, we set them!
  • Earrings: Icing by Claire’s for $2
  • Left arm bracelets from Glitter 3 for $3. Right arm leather bracelet from City Buddha for $4. The wooden necklace might also be from City Buddha for maybe $3?

CONSUMERISM. I went to Forever21 a few months back and was amazed to see that the clothing store had expanded to twice its size. It was ridiculously overwhelming so much that I vowed not to return! It was just entirely too much clothing. It looked like a sweat shop had thrown up in that place! I decided then that I would wear what I have and try not to spend any money on clothes. People think that I buy buy buy, but I have had most of my wardrobe for years. I was the same clothing size for about 10 years. Recently this changed and I had to buy a few items. Before this, my clothes lasted… 🙂 Honestly, I admit that my closet is stretched so I am not going to be doing much shopping until at least Summer 2014. I am saving for some trips/vacations so I will see how this balances out.

Peace and so much love!

The Kush Queen for African Essence

P.S. As much as I am drawn to some decorative clothing, we have to be careful not to become wasteful, penniless consumers. Check out Lauryn Hill’s new song called CONSUMERISM. I love her. If you don’t see the track below refresh the page. 🙂

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Embrace Your African Essence

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Embrace Your AEBe creatively righteous in displaying your Goddess beauty. You can be fashionable and righteous in your style of dress.

Peace, Power & Love

I am the Kush Queen (not marijuana, lol).

Reading: Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology by Barbara Smith

 

5 Star Rating… that means it’s a really good book!

 

 

Lovin Oprah These Days… She Can Rock an Afro!

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Cover of the Sept 2013 Issue
Page 27 of the Sept 2013 Issue

This is Oprah on the cover of the September 2013 issue of The Oprah Magazine. I am really digging her boldness these days. She is fun, open, and risky! That is a great way for a woman of her age to be- ageless at heart! The point of it all: Tressed to Impress, all about the hair.  I really just think that she is visually showing what it feels like to experiment with and to explore hair. I love the textured fro. Beyonce’s stylist allowed her to borrow it and it weighs in at 3.5 lbs. Wow! It is reminiscent of Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, and Ms. Badu:

Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Erykah Badu with Chaka Khan
Erykah performing a tribute to Chaka
Love it!
Esperanza Spalding’s lovely big fro’

Oprah says that she wish this wig were her own hair. I love it! She talks about hair because she wants to know why it has such a hold on women. I agree. Oddly, I asked my friend yesterday what he thought about my hair over the phone. I dyed my hair and the roots had begun to show and I wanted to know what he thought about that. He said to me: you are focusing too much on it! You have good taste and it’s beautiful any way you wear it. I believed him. He isn’t shallow at all (but he cannot stand weave!). I could come out any way that I pleased and he would not care. Gotta love a good friend! This is the biggest my hair has been. I only wore it like this for a photo shoot. I couldn’t handle it the next day day. The Afro pics were of me in Vegas at an NBA party! It was so much fun!

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Well, I believe that the hair/head is a crown and it should be cared for with love, but, if it becomes consuming then think about a cut! For me, hair is most beautiful in its natural texture. Not chemically processed or dyed. What you were born with is what you must love. Everything else is just temporary decoration. Colors and weaves should not define a woman. We must show our own hair and love it. I love my bush. Do you?

The Kush Queen aka Queen Duafe aka Shila Iris aka ishilai aka The Fifth Element for African Essence Blog

Queendom- Understanding When it is Time to Take the Throne

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SOMETIMES QUEENS NEED SPACE to plant seeds…

I woke up this morning from a dream that was disturbing, yet liberating! Different people in my life that had once held me back, were drowning in a gigantic cesspool of chaos. I had the ability to save them, but I let them drown. I am excited about this message because I don’t often understand my dreams and I end up ignoring them. However, this dream said to me that it is time to save myself. I have been trying to save others, meantime losing sight of my own purpose. I am here for me right now and I am not afraid to find the space that I need to survive.

This past summer, I got a lot of complaints from my family and some friends about my presence in their lives. After hearing these complaints, I spent a lot of time trying to work out what they needed from me in my mind. I could not stand that they were crying about my absence, never stopping to ask me if I was doing OK! Instead they selfishly complained and tried to place the blame in my lap, saying and actually believing that I must have a problem with them. That was such BS. For years I was the person in my family and in my friends lives that would pick up and travel to see them. That is the only way that we saw each other. Not once did I complain about them not coming to see me. I gladly went to meet them where they were rather it be Atlanta, Baltimore or the other side of the city, I was the one “showing up!” Now that I need space to clarify my life, all of sudden I am a villain. Please!

The gist of the disagreements was that I don’t come around anymore. My response: deal with it! I am going through some things and that does not mean that you should not call or keep me in the loop. It just means that I am not going to be the initiator all the time! If you want me somewhere, put in that same effort that I put in when I was coming to see you. Damn! Get off my back! Understand that I used to be a princess, but now I am a Queen and you must let me take the throne in the only way I know how. Let me grow at my own pace.

Peace and love,

The Kush Queen for African Essence

P.S. “You are a first lady worthy of a king” they say. Well let me make my life better, let me find what it is I need to survive. I am not in a place where I have a lot of time & $ to play. However, when you want to hang out, just call. I have to plant the seeds if I want to harvest the fruit. All I want is peace.

The Music of Ntjam Rosie

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There are so many beautiful women singing beautiful music! I love it. I am so high on this song. A friend of mine suggested this and I am so glad that he did! This song reminds of a time in my life when I was truly alone, but not lonely. I needed to be alone.  I was a young (er) woman, growing and learning and in need of solitude. Thank you Ntjam for the great vibes.

I used to hear music like this in my mind when I lived in DC. I would ride the Metro around the entire city until I got tired.

NtjamRosie_Videoshoot_site

Queen for African Essence

P.S. Looking for a book to read? I came across this book on Toure’s website. I really want to check it out. The story sounds so interesting: Soul City by Toure.

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Comments from Readers Were Blocked

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I just want to make an announcement about people who have visited and commented on my blog. I really thank you all for visiting my “art space” and making suggestions and just showing so much love. Many of you have sent positive vibrations my way on a regular, but much to my amazement, I wasn’t getting the comment notifications!

Why I am posting this? I hadn’t realized it, but it turns out that wordpress has blocked over 700 comments from users and readers of African Essence. These comments date back to 2012 and they were sent to a folder marked “SPAM” for various reasons. I am saddened that I missed out on so much positive feedback! There are too many comments to weed through, but I did check the most recent one’s from July. I have responded to those comments on various articles which can be found in my archives.

If you ever posted a comment and I did not respond, I apologize. I take this blog very seriously and I hope you come back soon. I have corrected the problem with the SPAM so PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE TO COMMENT AND SEND SUGGESTIONS.

Peace, love, life, & wisdom.

-Queen

It's always love and art.

It’s always love and art.