Le Soleil = Good Grub

Just heard about this restaurant from a couple friends... apparently it's among the oldest Haitian restaurants in Manhattan and is a favorite spot for cab drivers... if they are clustered around, you KNOW its some good home cookin.' Also got some flattering reviews from yelp.com.

Located at 877 10th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City

(Between 57th and 58th Streets in midtown)

Perhaps a spot to check out next weekend...?

Werrason, Tindika Lokito, Skol Ad

This needs no words...the sounds and cinematography capture the spirit of the Continent. Looping guitar notes, shaking booties in time with the rhythm! Just close your eyes...

Reggaeton fever shakes up Cuba's culture

"Reggaeton is unstoppable because it is recorded at home. It is totally independent," says Michael "El Micha" Sierra, 27, a former basketball player whose bottom row of gold teeth flash when he gives one of his frequent broad smiles...

That is how the tropical fever of reggaeton is sweeping communist-ruled Cuba, captivating its youth and enraging a cultural establishment alarmed by the vulgarity of some of its lyrics, which include phrases like "Coge mi tubo" ("Grab my pipe") and "Metela" ("Stick it in")...

A beginner typically records at a makeshift studio for $2 an hour, burns as many CDs as he can afford to and spreads them around. Some became famous giving free CDs to taxi drivers. A few have achieved local success like Gente De Zona, Baby Lores or Kola Loka, and some even dream of breaking into the US market including Elvis Manuel, a 19-year-old reggaeton star who disappeared last year while trying to cross the Florida Straits to the United States. But most just fly under the radar only to emerge at weekends for concerts at state-owned discos. 

"Reggaeton is treading a fine line between official and unofficial/independent worlds," said Geoff Baker, a lecturer at the University of London's Royal Holloway College who has researched the topic in Cuba...
"My lyrics talk about what young people live without getting into politics, because I don't really care about that. Reggaeton is music for people's pleasure," said El Micha as he got ready to go on stage.

Taken from Caribbean Net News.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-17380--5-5--.html

"My Neighbor My Killer" in DC

Day of the African Child

I received an email today with this note. Apparently June 16, also the date of my younger sister's birthday, is the Day of the African Child. I had never heard of this distinction before, but as you can read below, it conjures up memories of both pain and celebration in honor of children across the Continent (and I would argue... across the Diaspora). 

Dear Editor-

In Soweto, South Africa, thousands of black school children took to the streets in 1976, to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured.

To honour the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organization of African Unity. The Day also draws attention to the lives of African children today.

On its part, the UN Millennium Campaign has petitions African states, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector to tackle child and maternal mortality, school dropout, gender inequality and poor quality standards in UPE schools if Africa is to realize the Millennium Development Goals that relates to the welfare and safety of African children. Additional information is enclosed in the attached press release.

Thank you for your usual co-operation.
Hamimu Masudi