FRE 124 the course to take

Why do I have the audacity to advice students of all majors to take this class? I have made it, believe me, it's one of the reasons I have enjoyed my degree at Daystar University.

Can anyone imagine that this is an exam? Yeah I thought so, you think I am just bluffing. I am serious, this course has no written exam, just blog posts and you have your grade.

Enough of the trivial matters. Let me explain why I chose this course. I added this course as a filler to complete my hours. I needed to graduate and I had free electives hours to cover. My late addition not withstanding, thanks to Dr. Wandia, the HOD of Languages and Performing Arts at Daystar University. I didn't know of the fun that was in store for me through the semester.

All foodies in the house, can I hear an an amen. This is the course for you. We cooked and sampled cuisine from different Francophone countries. This course even made some of us better cooks. You can just peruse the different articles on this blog written under cuisine, to get a feel of what I am saying.

This is one of the coolest class you will ever find. Can anyone tell me, when was the last time you took a selfie with your lecturer? At FRE 124, we were so free with our lecturer. Dr. Wandia Njoya took the four of us through the course just the same way she would handle a full class.

Yes that was the whole class. Where are the students to take this class? You do not know what you are missing out on.

Any student claiming to have passed through an African University should have some knowledge of African history. This class gave a wealth of knowledge on Negritude, the colonization of francophone Africa and of course Haiti. After every class, I had the desire to read more African history.
https://books.google.co.ke/books/about/The_Wretched_of_the_Earth.html?id=-XGKFJq4eccC&hl=en
Patrice Lumumba and
Léopold Senghor are part of the interesting topics of discussion.   

We were even nominated for the blog awards by BAKE. This time we did not clinch the title but who knows, maybe if you join this blog might be the next best education blog.

Finally, I am not a linguistic major. My major is Public Relations, which is why I haven't mastered my French. This course is taught in English one gets to learn french on the way as you interact with French terms. Actually regardless of your major, you need some cultural classes because the world is shrinking into a village.

All the best as you make your choice for the coming semesters. Look out for FRE 124. Remember that no pre-requisites are needed to register.

Why I would choose FRE 124 a million times over given the chance

My first day into the FRE 124 class was nerve-wracking...I did not know what to expect from the lecturer or from the students I was to share the class with. It is always an agonizing and anxious experience when you don't know what to expect from a group of individuals you are meeting for the first time trying to make a good lasting first impression. I was particularly early this day hence I had ample time to polish my oral French skills so that in the event I am asked to speak before the class I do not embarrass myself by mumbling words.

The class started off like any other normal class with the casual introductions and the exchange of pleasantries. The lecturer then explained the schedule of how the 15 week long course was to run. The part that interested me most is that there was no written final exam but rather we were going to be graded according to the topical blog posts that we write after every topic covered. Interesting, right? It's been a while since blog posts actually accounted for a grade at the end of a semester. Another interesting fact about this class is that although it is a French introductory class, the class is purely taught in English with occasional translations of French vocabulary that creep in the conversations from time to time. Therefore, in order to join FRE 124 class, one does not necessarily have to be a guru in spoken as well as written French.

Like any other class, FRE 124 included research and presentations. The twist however was that you had to choose a topic that tickles your fancy, carry out extensive research on it only noting the points that captured your attention then share them with the rest of the class. Most presentations were about language, music, festivals and culture with the occasional preparation of dishes from countries that one was researching about. We also occasionally watched interesting films and listened to music in class as part of the course work for the semester. Now a class that actually requires you to watch films and listening to music is not worth missing.

Cooking for the class was a great experience that I will live to cherish. My first dish from Haiti was a combination of starch, vegetables, soup and meat all in one dish. My 'doubting Thomas' instincts compelled me to have someone taste the food first lest I present it to class and give my classmates a free ride to the hospital because of food poisoning. Upon "professional tasting and certification" that the food was fit for human consumption, I confidently took it to class where we all enjoyed eating it.
In terms of cooking, I would encourage anyone reading this to join the class because in most occasions FRE 124 will actually save you lunch money when it's food presentation day. Jokes aside, preparing dishes from African countries gives you an insight of how their food is prepared, why they use certain spices or vegetables and you are also able to learn the eating habits and patterns of the different countries.

Well apart from having the coolest most awesome lecturer in the entire campus (Dr. Wandia this is your cue to blush), we were nominated for the Best Education Blog category in the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) Awards. The competition was neck and neck between Strathmore and Daystar but at the end of the day Strathmore beat us to it. I did not sulk when I heard this because being nominated was a milestone in the first place so we have a higher chance of winning next time. Writing the blog posts is also a good opportunity to sharpen one's writing skills as with time one gets a hang on the writing and it becomes more of a basic necessity rather than an imposed obligation.


All in all, I would like to recommend FRE 124 to anyone who loves learning new things and having fun at the same time. FRE 124 gave me the opportunity to make new friends, people that I probably would have never interacted with and I am grateful for that. If you are a shy person who has difficulty expressing themselves, FRE 124 gives you the opportunity to break out of your shell and freely interact with the class as you share your interests. To my classmates Juliet, Mercy, Morris and Armand, thank you all for being my friends throughout the semester always finding time to check-up on one another and for eating my Soup Joumou with the diligence it required. To you Dr. Wandia, thank you for being the awesome lecturer who made FRE 124 a success and for constancy bringing treats to class.        

  

An insight to France

France is a beautiful country that boasts of a beautiful landscape as well as being home to most of the most prestigious and ancient buildings in history. Being known as the city of love and lights, France is a recommended ideal tourist destination for all the lovebirds who want to bask in the aura of their love and enjoy every moment of it.
Among the notable things in France is its rich cultural diversity.

The population of France is composed of a diverse range of inhabitants from all parts of the world. A mix of Asians, 'Black' people and of course the 'White' people can be seen interacting in all French states with little or no cases reported of racism reported in the recent years. Racism has been a major concern in France but the French government in conjunction with other human rights bodies have waged war to end racism in the country.
The country has embraced all races and this has been established by the numerous job opportunities offered to people from other races as well as their intermarriages with the indigenous French natives overtime.


Apart from cultural diversity, the French menu is composed of well over a thousand indigenous recipes that have sprung from within the country. Most meals are served in courses of 2 or 3 with meals accompanied by wine, baguettes (a type of long, hard bread) and cheese.

 Being a country that has witnessed a couple of revolutions over the years and a horde of interesting leaders, France has a number of holidays and festivals spread out all through their calender year. As a tourist in France, this assures you that you are most likely to be part of a French festival or holiday no matter what time of the year you choose to travel to the country.
One of the most prolific and interesting holidays is the Bastille Day that is marked by Soldiers in Uniform marching on the streets of  and a firework display to signify the beginning of the French Revolution. The day is marked on July 14th every year with a large crowd turning up to witness the twist of events in that day.

Probably the most interesting part about France is their fashion sense. High-end designers such as Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton are all French designers who have taken over the fashion industry by storm.

Their clothes are said to be of high quality handmade by the best cloth makers in the world. This is probably why designer clothes are very expensive. Other notable designers from France include Dior, Givenchy, Lacoste and Balmain.
In terms of music, French music is perceived to be slow romantic music but French rappers have sprung up in recent years. The likes of Stromae are a classic example of French rappers who have been able make a name for themselves by rapping in the French language thus creating diversity in terms of music genres.

 Among the most popular songs by Stromae are Papaoutai, Tous le meme, Formidable and Dodo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0Z_Xnjc
There are a lot of things that one can do in France be it site-seeing, eating or shopping. It should therefore be in a requirement in everyone's bucket-list to visit this famous country one day.

Insight on Burkina Faso

BURKINA FASO

History
Burkina Faso was originally inhabited by the Bobo, Lobi and Gurunsi with the Mossi and Gurma migrating into the region later on. The land of the Mossi became a French protectorate in 1879 and became a separate colony in 1919 called the Upper Volta that was later partitioned among Niger, the Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire. Upper Volta later became independent on August 4th 1984  where they later changed the name to Burkina Faso meaning "the country of honorable people". 

 Back in 1984, Marxist and Burkinabe Military Captain  Thomas Sankara assumed power. He was a charismatic leader  who mobilized the masses to launch a massive development movement. 

Thomas Sankara believed in equality among all people and therefore ensured the equitable distribution of natural as well as man made resources. He believed in the policy of earning what you worked for which was seen as he still earned the salary of a Captain while he was the President of Burkina Faso. 

His children were also treated the same way as any other ordinary Burkinabe children attending public schools with their father, the President, taking them to school on a bicycle!

The measures taken by Thomas Sankara were met with growing resistance and resistance despite his initial popularity. Tension began to surface in the implementation of the revolutionary movement that eventually led to the assassination of Sankara in a coup which brought Blaise Compaore into power.  

 On Christmas day of 1985, Burkina Faso fought in a five-day war with Mali that saw the death of over 100 people in dispute over the mineral rich Agacher strip. The conflict ended after meditation by the then president of Cote d'Ivoire but the Christmas war is largely remembered in Burkina Faso today.

Language 

Burkina Faso is a multilingual country with an estimated 69 languages spoken all over the country. The official language is French which was introduced in the country during the colonial period. French is the principle language of administrative, political and judicial institutions, public service and the press. 

Education for the deaf in Burkina Faso uses American Sign Language though there is also an indigenous urban sign language in Ougadougou. 

Music

  

    The music of Burkina Faso includes folklore music of the over 60 different ethnic groups. Burkinabe traditional music has continued to thrive and musical output remains quite diverse. Popular music is mostly in French: Burkina Faso is yet to produce Pan-African success in terms of music. 

The national anthem of Burkina Faso "Une Seule Nuit" was written by Thomas Sankara .

The national Museum of Music in Ougadougou began collecting musical instruments like the balafon drums seen above in 1998 to preserve the rich history of Burkinabe music. 

The Semaine Nationale de la Culture, held every two years from 1983 is a musical festival that has helped produce popular music stars like Koudbi Koala. 

Popular traditional groups in Burkina Faso balafon bands,kora, percussion ensembles and others who use use elements relevant to Burkinabe music. 

The Kora, similar to the Nyatiti in Kenya is also one popular music instrument common in Burkina Faso. It initially featured seven strings until the Gambian griot Madi Woulendi increased the number twenty-one.

Fashion

 

 Masks occupy an important position in the religious life of Burkina Faso. The use of masks in initiation ceremonies and funerals is quite typical in Burkina Faso. Masks appear at burials to observe on behalf of the ancestors that proper burial procedures are carried out. 

Masks attend to honor the deceased and to verify that the spirit of the deceased has been received well into the spirit world. Without a proper funeral the spirit remains near the home haunting its descendants. 

Festivals

 

Bwaba dancing masks

The Bwa wooden masks represent different characters related to the myths of their families and clans.

The Bwa masks are chromatic white, red and black as predominant colors. 

The days of the dance, everybody sweeps their compounds then put on their best outfits awaiting the ceremony. 

Festima Festival

Great mask festival attended by around 40 villages each of them represented by their own chosen group of masks. 

This festival attracts tourists from as far as the capital Ougadougou. At that point the festival turns into a collective moment of socialization. This event also features story-tellers that are in competition to reveal their own talent.

Dancing masks in March and April where masks invoke the rain

Every year when it comes to the rainy season, villagers in Burkina Faso rely on the masks to get good rains. The masks are entrusted to act as intermediaries able to communicate directly with the gods. 

FESPACO (Festival of the African Cinema)

One of the most important festivities revealing the African cinema. It happens every two years in Ougadougou. This is a good time to travel to Burkina Faso if you are interested in cinematography as you will get the chance to meet other African as well as international movie enthusiasts. 

The festival was created in 1969 and it is celebrated every two years with the 24th edition being in 2015. 

   

Republique du Mali

"One people, one goal, one faith." This is the national motto of the Republic of Mali, a land-locked country in West Africa. When I was informed that I will be presenting on Mali during one of our classes I was very excited. When I think of Mali ancient towns rich in history and desert tribes with an enduring culture comes into mind. Being the self-proclaimed "culturalist" (if such a word ever exists) that I am, I set to researching as soon as possible.

Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled the Trans-Saharan trade. In the Mali empire, the ancient cities of Djenne and Timbuktu were centers of trade and Islamic learning. Disciplines like Mathematics, Astronomy, Literature and Art were taught.
In 1960, Mali achieved independence from the French and established itself as a democratic and multi-party state in 1991. The country has a majority of Muslims with 55% of the population practicing Islam. Malians speak Bambara as their national language and the state's capital city is located in Bamako.

Ancient Sankore University in Timbuktu

People of Mali

Mali has a wide variety of ethnic groups. The major ethnic group is the Mande which is made up of the Bambara, Maninke and Soninke sub-groups. The Mande people make up 50% of the population. The other half of the population is made up of Fula, Gur-speakers, Songhai people, Tuaregs and Moors and lastly Europeans.

I found the Tuareg ethnic group most interesting as they dwell in the remote regions of the Sahara desert. They have an Afro-Arabic ancestry and live a nomadic lifestyle by traversing the desert on camel back. The Tuareg men traditionally wear a Tagelmust which is a cloth that serves as both a turban and a veil. The cloth is practical for the desert as it provides protection from the harsh desert conditions. It is usually dyed using indigo and this is known to stain the skin of the Tagelmust wearer permanently. As such the Tuareg are often reffered to as the "Blue men of the desert."

From left: Fulani man, Tuareg man and Maninke woman

"Dama Dance" of the Dogon people

In the south of Mali is the Dogon Village of Songha. The Dogon people practice a traditional religion that involves the beliefs of spirits. The people hold a traditional dance known as the "Dama Dance" every sixty years! The dance is carried out to create a bridge to the supernatural world.

Dama Dance

The Dogon community is popular among stargazers due to their advanced astronomical knowledge. French anthropologist, Marcel Griaule, studied and interacted with the Dogon people. Marcel reported that the Dogon people have knowledge about Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. I found it amazing how the Dogon people possess such information yet they do not have access to star-gazing instruments. This shows the great power of oral tradition as this information is believed to have been passed down from generation to generation over the years. You can read more on the Dogon people here.

Griots

A griot or jeli is a West African story teller, historian, praise singer, poet or musician. The griot uses oral tradition to pass down information to his tribes people and he passes this down to his descendants to continue passing on the community's history to other generations. They tell tales of the community's past, sing songs of praise about certain individuals while playing a xhalam and even make political commentaries. Griots are celebrated in Mali and thus the Association of Bamako Griots was established in Mali.
 I think this is such a beautiful way of preserving culture and a community's history for years to come.  

A griot holding a xhalam

Fashion in Mali

Malian fashion is strongly influenced by traditional fashion and style. Traditional textiles include:

Bogolan 

This means "made from mud" in Bambara. It is a West African textile that is dyed red or yellow. Mud from the River Niger is applied on the fabric and a rich black color is produced once the fabric is dry and washed off.

Bogolan textile

Indigo Clothing

This is a fabric that is dyed using the indigo-dyeing method which involves obtaining dye from local plant sources e.g. dried balls of crushed leaves of indigo bearing plants, and dipping the cloth in fermented dye, drying the fabric and then beating it to impart a shiny glaze.

Indigo cloths

 During my research on major players in the Mali fashion industry, I came across Aboubakar Fofana, a famous Malian designer well known for his expertise in indigo-dyeing. He resides in both Paris and Bamako, with his workshop based in Bamako. Aboubakar uses an environmentally-friendly process of producing organically dyed indigo cloths. More information about Aboubakar's unique fashion technique can be found here.

Aboubakar Fofana

Hawa Diawara, is the other personality that I came across in my research of Malian fashion. At the age of 17 she started modeling and she is now a popular fashion model in the United States.

Hawa Diawara

 Malian Music

Malian music is ethnically diverse with the Mandinka community having the greatest influence over the country's music.
The music's diversity depends on which ethnic group it hails from. Mande music, Tuareg music, Fula Music and Songhay music make up Malian music.

Popular Malian Musicians

Salif Keita

He is an afro-pop singer and song-writer from Mali. He descends from Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali empire. His music combines traditional West African styles with influences from both Europe and America. Salif suffers from albinism and one of his albums, "La Difference" is dedicated to the struggle of the world's albino community.

Salif Keita

Habib Koite

He is a solo singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Mali. Habib's vocal style is intimate and relaxed, emphasizing calm, moody singing. His first album, "Muso Ko" rose to number 3 on the European World Music charts.

Habib Koite

 

Tinariwen

This Malian band has got to be my greatest new obsession in the African music scene. Tinariwen, meaning deserts in Tamasheq (Tuareg language) is a group of musicians from the Sahara desert. The band members are all of Tuareg descent and the band has received world wide acknowledgement for their unique rhythm influenced by Rai music. The band currently has nine active members with their lead singer being Ibrahim Ag Alhabib. In 2012, the band won the Grammy Award for Best World Music album for their album Tassili.

Tinariwen's album cover for Tassili

I gained so much knowledge as I learnt more and more about Mali's culture. Every day my eyes are opened and made more aware on how rich Africa's culture is and how we should take necessary measures to preserve it. In my opinion, establishing a griot school in Kenya would be a great start:)

 

A fashion feast - with Pat Mbela

Last week I had hoped we would watch Indochine because I wanted the class to see a classic movie with the iconic Catherine Deneuve. Unfortunately the shop where I borrow DVDs and where I was sure I would get the movie didn't have it, so I settled for us watching Coco before Chanel with Audrey Tautou.

Which was just as well, because it provided a good background to today's discussion on the French fashion industry. I had sent the students the first chapter of Noel Palomo-Levinski's book The World's Most Influential Fashion Designers, which captures the history of early 20th Century European designers like Paul Poiret and Coco Chanel. The book does a good job of tracing the evolution of fashion from the days of couturiers for the nobility to the pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) industry of today, as well as how early designers inspired the latter day ones.

For me, the two most important things to note were the impact of the revolution on the fashion industry, in that even fashion got democratized (if only slightly) and no longer the preserve of the aristocracy, and that synergy between fashion designers like Poiret and Yves Saint Laurent and painters like Picasso and Matisse. Third was the role of Paris as a city of the arts in inspiring creativity.

What is the situation in Kenya?

I was privileged to get connected to Pat Mbela of the Poisa Fashion label. We have been friends on facebook and I love her work, especially because she uses bold colors and East African-rooted bead jewelry. The plan was to look at her work before making the call to discuss her thoughts on the fashion industry. But time wasnt enough.

But the discussion was still fun. Pat took us through the history of the industry from the 80s when a handful of designers would showcase their work at Serena as people were having lunch, to now where there are fashion markets and more opportunities to show case work like at the Swahili fashion week and FAFA. What was so impressive is Pat's professionalism, her determination to hold Kenyan fashion design at international standards. She also talked of Joy Mboya's role in gathering artists of different genres at the Go-Down together, and her experience doing the Kenya Airways cabin crew uniform and showcasing her work in different cities of the world. While we celebrated the milestones in Kenyan fashion, we also talked of the limited support that Kenyan fashion design gets from government in terms of an enabling environment and from the Kenyan public who still don't understand the difference between professional design and tailoring. Many Kenyans also prefer mitumba and don't consider African designs like kitenge suitable for the office wear.

After the conversation with Pat, I told the class that if there's anything they should get out of the discussion, it's that well done clothes are worth their investment. One of our guests, Sheila Obilo, is now dressmaking, which was great because we now discussed the intricacies of well-finished clothes like good cuts, darts, lining and invisible hems, which are often missing from locally made clothes because customers don't want to pay for good finish and fitting.

(left to right: Maya, Bonaventure, Nina and Sheila)

If there's something that the French have done well, it is to elevate their cultural expressions such as clothes and food (next week we sample French cuisine, or gastronomy) into art, and the world has embraced it as well. As Maya says, we Kenyans also need to experiment more, especially in food and clothes. And Pat Mbela is one Kenyan who does that. And beautifully too.

HAITIAN FASHION

During one of the classes we had this semester, I was assigned to present on Haitian fashion. I was excited to have this topic to present on since I am an avid reader of any fashion related material. At first, I was really clueless as I had never known about or heard of any popular fashion trends, designers or models related to Haiti...at least that is what I thought. However, what I discovered about Haitian fashion was really amazing.

The Karabella dress and Guayabera were the results I got from researching on traditional Haitian wear. The Karabella dress is a beautiful pompous dress with layers of ruffles at the skirt section of the dress and it is worn with a head piece that resembles the Gele often worn by West African women. The dress is worn by Haitian women at festivals especially during the Quadrille dance. On the other hand, men wear the Guayabera, a white shirt, which is also worn by men in other Caribbean states.

Karabella dress and Guayabera shirt

Carnaval De Fleurs, a festival celebrated by Haitians that seeks to highlight Haiti's flora, really caught my eye during my research. The festival which is celebrated annually is full of energy and color! Residents dress up in flower-like costumes and put on complementing accessories to brighten their outfits. The women also apply heavy glam make-up by putting on popping eye shadow colors and shouting lipstick hues. The festival was also established to boost Haiti's tourism.

Carnaval De Fleurs

Stella Jean is one of the notable fashion designers from Haiti whose work I fell in love with. She uses traditional fabrics with rich patterns and with the help of Italian high-fashion technology, she creates clothes with a contemporary design. Stella, a Haitian-Italian, uses her brand to develop Haiti by creating sustainable jobs for Haitian artisans and craftsmen.

Stella Jean

Stella Jean designs

  Another notable fashion designer of Haitian descent is Hassan Pierre. His garments are constructed with organic, eco-friendly fabrics, natural dyes and recycled zippers. His work has even been featured in world class magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire.

Hassan Pierre



Hassan Pierre's designs

 

 

 

 

 



 

I love seeing African models feature in catwalks or in high-end fashion magazines. That's why I just had to write something on the beautiful Jany Remponeau Tomba (above) in this post. She was a model in the 1960s and 1970s. She is a Haitian who moved to America as an immigrant and was discovered by a fashion magazine editor. She has appeared on magazines like American Girl, Woman's Day, Mademoiselle and Essence.
Former fashion model and actress, Gracelle Beauvais (below) is also of Haitian descent. I have seen her in a few of Hollywood movies but I previously had no idea of her origin. She has also appeared in Essence magazine and modeled for well-known cosmetic companies like Avon, Mary Kay and Clariol.

Haiti also has a fashion magazine called Amour Creole that also offers readers the latest in movies and music along with expert relationship on relationships, family, careers and so much more.

 Like many other countries, Haiti also hold an annual fashion week which they call Ayiti Fashion Week (A.F.W) that brings together major players in the Haitian fashion industry and promotes Haitian designs and culture.

A.F.W