Culture Connection: Offiong Bassey

Listen in as Brotha Malcolm chats with Singer/songwriter and poet, Offiong Bassey, an exciting new artist that draws upon the numerous influences that have touched her life. The soul, jazz, and gospel music of America reside within her just as comfortably as the musical traditions of West Africa.
Her forthcoming debut album, Offiong Bassey, is a nuanced, eclectic collection of songs that truly represents who she is as an artist. Its genre-bending sounds mix everything from Afro-Peruvian rhythms and funk to R&B and Nigerian Ekombi.

You can purchase the album on iTunes and Amazon.

For more information, visit www.offiongbassey.com.

Culture Connection- Gamal Palmer

Listen in as Brother Malcolm talks to visionary founder of Local Leaders / Global Lens (LLGL), Gamal Palmer. LLGL is producing a new generation of collaborative leaders and social impact entrepreneurs of color (Asian, Latino, Black and Native American) to address a variety of significant needs in communities of color. Using techniques of applied theater and community engagement, LLGL offers collaborative leadership development for Social justice advocates, educators and artists.

 

The Break: The Evolution of the Sexes & Dating Interculturally (PODCAST)

Listen in as KC and the family respond to a call from Darryl Frierson from the Straight Outta Locash podcast and author of the blog, From Ashy to Classy. Podcast guests include Chris Lehman, Toria Williams, and Merc80!

For comments or questions on this or other episodes, call the hotline at (323) 455-4219!

African First Ladies Unite to Improve the Health of Women and Children

A coalition of African First Ladies, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the African Union Commission to the United States, will hold a summit in Los Angeles, California, April 2-4 with American business leaders and foreign assistance agencies to improve health care for women and children in Africa.

Nearly 20 First Ladies from African nations are planning to gather for the health summit, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit US Doctors for Africa, with support from the Cameroon-based organization of African First Ladies, African Synergy, and the group of 54 nations comprising the African Union who are responsible for organizing the second in a series of African First Lady Health Summits dating back to 2009. The Los Angeles Intercontinental Hotel will be the summit headquarters for the event.

Ted Alemayhu, founder of US Doctors for Africa, praised the dedication of the African First Ladies to improve health care and infrastructure in support of Every Woman Every Child, an unprecedented global movement spearheaded by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, that aims to save the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015.

“I applaud your vision, fortitude, and tireless efforts to improve access to quality healthcare for women and children,” Alemayhu said. “We look forward to welcoming you, building stronger partnerships, and mobilizing more resources to reach your objectives.”

Forty-three African first ladies have been invited to the summit, and participation so far is anticipated by at least 15 nations: Angola, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Swaziland; including the First Lady of Haiti who is also expected to attend.

US Representative Karen Bass, of California’s 37th District, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, will welcome the group to Los Angeles. Additionally, prominent women leaders will gather for a special breakfast entitled `Ladies First: Healthy Country, Healthy Citizens’ hosted by Marcia L. Dyson’s `Women’s Global Initiative’ and featuring actresses and advocates Tichina Arnold and Tatyana Ali on day two of the conference. The closing gala awards address will be given by Desiree Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing, a lifestyle company inspired by the African-American experience and the home of Ebony and Jet magazines, and Fashion Fair cosmetics.

Corporate sponsors include Unither Virology and Procter & Gamble. Nonprofit sponsors include Santa Monica-based emergency response group International Medical Corps and Jhpiego, a health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University.

The reigning Miss USA, Nana Meriwether, will also join the summit to use the influence of her title to raise awareness about health care in Africa. Having roots in South Africa, Meriwether co-founded The Meriwether Foundation, which supports four African nations with HIV/AIDS programs.

More details and information about the summit and registration can be found at www.africanfirstladiessummit.org. Follow us on Twitter @1stLadiesAfrica and `Like’ our Facebook Page First Ladies of Africa Health Summit for up-to-date information prior to the summit.

Culture Connection: A Heartfelt Thanks

Listen in as Malcolm shares his gratitude with all of you for supporting us and helping us fund our indigogo campaign in less than a week! We thank you all for your continued support and for you LA Babies, we hope to see you at Sip tonight!

For comments/questions on this episode, please call the hotline at (323) 455-4219!

Photos by Anna Mae Lam Photography