Virtual Village

Kijiji is the KiSwahili word for village.  Buy Africa is a virtual village of African places, people and products.  The idea of food is an area that has not been touched on this blog.  Kijiji Grows represents the East Bay as an aquaponics farming company, teaching Oakland youth about Science and Agriculture.  Their idea is so symbiotically amazing that I had to feature it here.

From their site:

Kijiji Grows

Kijiji is swahili for village.

It takes a village to grow individuals.

It takes individuals to make a village grow.

Kijiji represents that we are all about community – the people.

"The company's co-owners, Keba Konte and Eric Mandu, say they hope their presence will contribute to the community. "We're not selling any technology, we're absolutely not selling produce," said Konte, who's also the owner of Guerilla Cafe in Berkeley. "As a company, what was in it for us was that we would be able to demonstrate what this technology does." The East Bay company sells aquaponics gardening systems, in which a pipe cycles water between a fish tank and a garden box, allowing the plants to be fertilized by the fish waste and the roots of the plants to filter fresh water back to the fish."

-East Bay Express 04/09

So you see, this technology has the means to narrow the education gap and increase food security in "food deserts" in inner cities.  There are efforts to bring the technology to Mandu's native Kenya as well.  Here is how it works.


Kijiji Grows from Jill Replogle on Vimeo.

What a great idea! I definitely want to use this or at least try the food they can produce. Find them on Facebook & Twitter for more information!

Bernos Tees

The Ethiopian/ Habesha Disapora is a force throughout the Americas; world-wide really.  Bernos™African T-Shirts is a brand created by a few brilliant members of the aforementioned Diaspora to represent the Motherland through stylish T-shirts.  Here is some background from their site.

The bernos™ name

The word bernoose comes from Amharic, one of the many Ethiopian languages, and refers to a one-piece cloak originally worn by the Arabs who immigrated to North Africa. The style caught on and many in North Africa continue to wear variations of the original design today. The Ethiopian bernoose is thick, dark and made of wool. It features a tailored point designed in the 19th century to accommodate and protect a rifle.
For us, the name symbolizes our connection to the values passed down to us by our culture and at the same time offers us a chance to express how we’ve made it our own — with a design on a t-shirt — because we too want to show off our own modern-day bernos.

"Bernos™ started in March 2006 as a venture to create high-quality graphic tees inspired by our childhood memories of Africa. Everyone of our tees screams Africa.
All of the design concepts for all bernos tees are entirely created by us and are printed on the world’s finest t-shirts by American Apparel which manufactures’ their products Los Angeles, California, in an absolutely sweatshop-free environment."

Take it from me, the gear is Dope with a capital D.  From East Africa to the West Coast of Cali, bernos™ is representing BIG.  They offer retail (around $20) and wholesale pricing on their website for both kids and adult sized shirts.  My personal favorite designs are as follows:

 Afro Jazz

African Warrior

Made in Africa

You can find them on Twitter and Facebook. In recognition of this last Tee, Stephen Marley's "Made In Africa".

Ghana's Freedom Fighting Fashionista

Africa is often the inspiration for European fashion.  Conversely, it is rare to find fashion brands coming from an African source.  Trends may include bright colors, ethnic designs or zebra prints etc... but how often does one find African-inspired fashion coming from an African source?


Enter Mina Danielle... 

Created by Dorothy Attakora, Mina Danielle is a fashion brand exhibiting African flair with Western-cut lines that blend for a unique take on contemporary style.  In addition to fierce designs, Mina Danielle also supports progressive action for Africa.  Buy Africa got in touch with with the creator of Mina Danielle and here is what she had to say about her fashion brand:


Buy Africa: What is your name and where are you from?

Dorothy Attakora:  My name is Dorothy Attakora. I hail from the Asante region of Kumasi, Ghana, but currently reside in Toronto, Canada.


BA: How did you get into fashion?

DA:  I've always loved designing my own clothing, even from a young age. I would custom make all my dresses for special events, first communions, graduations, and proms. My grandmother in particular would always make African clothing for me and send them from Ghana. In retrospect, I can say I attribute my passion for our bright, bold prints to her. She would always purchase the most delicious, decadent prints that not only drew attention, but also made you feel like the most beautiful Africa Queen... ready to rule the world.   

I remember early memories of spending my summers in New Jersey. My younger cousins and myself would spend endless days drawing up sketches and creating our own make-shift catalog.  We would read fashion magazines and consume all things fashion. When I visited Ghana in 2008, I found I spent my days doing the same thing.  Even in my adult life I could not escape the yearning to create my own designs. Visiting markets and searching for the most incredible prints and then sketching designs to bring them to life. It was then that I knew I needed to take the plunge and thus using the names of my cousins (Mina & Danielle, respectively) as my inspiration for the name of the clothing line.

BA:  Being African, how do you feel about the way our people are portrayed in the fashion world? Good? Bad? Other?

DA:  I feel as though there has been an erasure of our peoples' visibly, yet our inspirations are everywhere. Now more than ever the mainstream is embracing the female Black body, and acknowledging where the prints are from. An example for instance is Gwen Stefani with her 2011 Spring collection. She boldly makes it known where her prints are inspired from and that is something not many designers have been doing.   

If you take a look at our website, I make no mistake or apology about emphasizing the way in which fashion and my intentions are to couple fashion with a social movement. I could have continued creating clothing for myself like I had been doing most my life. But I believe in taking action, and watching our fabrics, prints, batiks etc be appropriated was not okay; so, I decided enough is enough, don't just talk about it, be about it. And I mean, what's better than being able to do what you are passionate about and love? There can be no greater catalyst.    


BA: When did you start designing and what makes your brand stand out?

DA:  After spending three months in Ghana, I returned to Toronto with a new outlook on life, not to mention a fresh new wardrobe. I would wear my creations to various places and people from all walks of life took a keen interest. People wanted to know where I got it, who made it, and how they could get it themselves. It was then that my mentor and best friend asked why I wasn't doing it for everyone and I decided to give birth to Mina Danielle. This was in the Fall of 2008... and by 2009 my website launched and has taken off since then.

My brand truly speaks for itself. I created the website in a way where every visit is an experience. Through the various collection names you can learn about various beaches in Ghana such as Labadi. I give tribute to my grandmother in our latest collection. There are themes, color coordination's, a section that elaborates on the social movement we are aiming for. Every element is very intimate and personal. I personally create a sketch for each piece in all our collections, then collaborate with local women who work tirelessly and sew ever so passionately to provide the quality and essence that is Mina Danielle. This fair trade concept has meant the world to these women, and their families. I've incorporated and paid homage to my little cousins by using their middle names thus Mina Danielle, and was even able to an image of Mina, a dancer as our logo. Like the clothing, a lot of creativity goes into every aspect of our brand. And as for the clothing, what's left to say, have you seen our collections? *big grin*

BA:  Who or what inspires you? What designers do you admire?


DA:  I am inspired by knowing that I get to do what I love! And that this craft has meant so much to many women who engaged in the Mina Danielle experience. I am even more inspired that I can merge both my fashion forward creations with my politics and create a movement unlike any I've seen thus far in the fashion world. Fashion, particularly mainstream fashion can be particularly exclusionary, my aim is to be inclusive. Having grown up on the margins of Canadian society as a Black women, it wouldn't make any sense to exclude any of my sisters from this incredible experience.


I truly admire first and foremost, any local African designer doing the work I am doing. It is heart warming to continuously discover another designer highlighting what it is that makes Africa beautiful. It is not easy to have such bold and colorful designs accepted by the status-quo, but there are many like myself making it work. As for designers I admire, I really have to say Jean Paul Gaultier. He pushes the envelope, is daring and is never apologetic. To me he is a rare talent, a creative genius, and a grand couturier and creates timeless, classic pieces.


BA:  How can people acquire your clothes?

DA:  My clothes are available online at www.minadanielle.com A portion of all sales goes to Living Positive Kenya, a organization that I hold dear to my heart and work with in Kenya. You can also find us on twitter; Mina Danielle or join our fan page on facebook, just type in Mina Danielle all of which will also take you to the website where you can purchase clothing.

BA:   If you could tell an up and coming designer something about your journey to inspire them, what would it be?

DA:  Go back to the motherland if you haven't already. Immerse yourself. Fall deeply and passionately in love with all things Africa if your aim is to sell it's prints. Infuse your journey with those of her children, listen to the stories of local women, and learn about the stories and names behind various prints. Do take time to choose out your fabrics, speak with the men and women that sell them at the markets, the stores, the boutiques, get to learn how and why the fabric came into her possession. It makes it that much easier to represent her (Africa) and give back through your clothing. Before I begin a sketch. I will take time just sitting down and analyzing the piece of fabric in front of me. I usually will recall the journey, where it was purchased, by whom and really feel out what story the piece is telling me. From there, it comes to life. It's a humbling experience, just like the Mina Danielle experience.

Ladies... Mina Danielle is the truth.  The names of her collections cleverly refer to her homeland in Ghana e.g. Elle Mina, Kente Couture & Kumasi Sunshine. The clothing is indeed African yet they look good on anybody- regardless of race.  However, I must say that these clothes blend all too well with melanin skin.  Sisters, you will definitely find something unique when you shop with Mina Danielle and brothers, cop some swag for that special lady... or ladies in your life. If you are looking for a special piece of Africa that has Western sensibilities, Mina Danielle is precisely the option for you.

Pieces range from $25 - $125 and include tops, skirts, dresses, belts and other stylish garments.


It is evident from the logo and the mission behind Mina Danielle that this fashion brand is a labor of love.  The tiny dancer is leaping past the Adinkra sign of Sankofa... the symbol of one returning to his or her origin.  By keeping true to her West African heritage, Mina Danielle is proof that Dorothy Attakora is doing just that, and she is taking us along with her.