Are You Planning to Attend President Obama's Inauguration 2009?

Are you planning to attend the inauguration of President Obama on January 20th, 2009?

If so, check out http://inaugural.senate.gov/index.cfm for all your inauguration needs. Have a brilliant weekend!

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Ladybrille Top Brilliant Posts of the Week!

MICHELLE OBAMA! by FlubberLawlz[[☆BarackStar☆]]

HAPPY HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope you are excited about the weekend! Check out Ladybrille's Top Brilliant Posts of the Week from our Web Snob Media Partners!

1. 55 Secret Street is wasting no time speculating about Michelle Obama's style as First Lady.
2. A Few Goody GumDrops can't decide if the latest Pierre Hardy is a pet or a shoe?
3. Stiletto Jungle features helpful hints from The Lingerie Handbook.
4. All About the Pretty is falling on hard for a brick. Bobbi Brown's Copper Diamond Brick.
5. Allie is Wired has the details on Simon Cowell's $9 million breakup.
6. Bag Bliss discovers unique handbag designer, James Piatt.
7. Bag Snob lunches with Michael Kors!
8. Beauty Snob has the ultimate holiday indulgence: $850 L'Air du Temps parfum in Lalique bottle!
9. Christina Loves... the new anti-aging treatment cream from MLab.
10. Debutante Clothing wants to see your vintage shoes and give you Caroline Cox's Vintage Shoes book
11. Fashion Pulse is all about the boyfriend jean this fall -- check out our favorite (and affordable) versions!
12. KRISTOPHER is wanting, wearing, hating NARS "Orgasm" makeup.
13. Quinta Trends introduces Valparaíso Design Week review (fashion close to the Pacific Ocean)
14. Second City Style comments on Michelle Obama's election night dress mess.
15. Shopping and Info found somegreat must haves for 50% off this week
16. StyleBakery shows us 4 fresh ways to wear a cardigan this season!
17. Stylehive is loving Married To The Mob's edgy Holiday collection- now available at Karmaloop.com!
18. The Beauty Stop has 10 tips for walking in really high heels.
19. The Fashionable Housewife Says You Just Can’t Keep Hating Uggs! They're warm, soft, and everyone is wearing them!
20. The Shoe Goddess shops in Paris! Her first stop: Azzedine Alaia!
21. Check out the H&M Organic Cotton Spring 2009 Collection Preview on nitro:licious!

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M.I. Abaga, Hot Emerging Rap Artist Gets Higher and Higher!

Ladybrille introduced you, last month, to one of the hottest emerging rap artist on the hip-hop scene today, Jude Abaga aka M.I., during our LA Fashion Week coverage. We loved his work so much we used it to synchronize some of our LA fashion Week videos, including that of MTV Hills Celeb reality star, Lauren Conrad. M.I. is currently signed to Chocolate City and is based in Nigeria, West Africa. He prepares to launch his sophomore album, "Talk About It" in December 2008.

"Crowd Mentality" which was his first single off his Freshman album titled "Pyeri Boy" topped every major chart in Nigeria and was also #1 on hip-hop charts in Uganda, Tanzania and Malaysia. "Crowd Mentality" also saw his label CEO/President Audu Makori selected as the 2007 British Council International Young Music Entrepreneur Award. Having listened to almost all songs on his upcoming album "Talk About It," we have our verdict. Drum roll pleeeeeeeeease!M.I.'s intelligent and strong command of words, strong vocals, excellent synchronization of lyrics to strong beats and powerful delivery will have him recognized on a global scale. The emerging artist recently had a listening party at the upscale Swe Bar Lounge in Lagos, Nigeria. Check out the photos below.

Photos courtesy of Effiong Eton

L-R: Alexander Yangs and Omawunmi Megbele, West African Idols runner up.

L-R: Olaoye, M.I. Abaga, Storm Records Executive Obi Asika and Okeugo Paul L-R: The sexy R &B artist Obiwon Obiora and Effiong Eton, Head of Entertainment/Producer Silverbird TV & MNet Studio 53

M.I. "They call him M.I. [higher] just because he is getting higher"
All Photos courtesy Ajibola Ayana Anthonia Olubiyi
L-R: Ms. Olubiyi, Tosyn Bucknor and guests
L-R: Artist Djinee Nosa Osayamwen, Ms. Olubiyi and Eric Arubayi

US based R& B Artist Banky W also attended the event

"Crowd Mentality" by MI from his Freshman Album, "Crowd Mentality"

To get an even more informed view and assess for yourself his lyrical prowess, visit M.I.'s MyTruSpot page http://www.mytruspot.com/members/4714/. Be sure to check out what we think will be a #1 hit for him, 'Safe featuring Djinee.' "Safe" takes the hooks from hits of some of Nigeria's top artists to create something extraordinary with major global appeal.

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Brooklyn Art Gallery Grabs Attention of Art Ethusiasts

For Immediate Release

PHILANTHROPY WITH AN EDGE… BROOKLYN ART GALLERY GRABS THE ATTENTION OF ART ENTHUSIASTS, COOL KIDS, FASHIONISTAS & TASTEMAKERS
Style Klash Brings Art, Fashion & Music Center Stage For A Fundraiser Benefiting The Gallery At Harriet’s.

Brooklyn, NY November 3, 2008 – 2 years and 25 exhibits later, The Gallery @ Harriet’s is ready to take things to the next level. Drawing over 7,000 visitors to the gallery to date, having garnered the attention of local and national media, exhibiting the work of over 60 emerging artists as well as several notables including Jamel Shabazz and Danny Simmons, is an indicator that The Gallery @ Harriet’s is ready for the big leagues. The Gallery @ Harriet’s is gearing up for a fundraising campaign that they hope will provide them with much needed resources to renovate the gallery and expand their programming.

This Friday, November 7 from 8pm to 12am, Style Klash will take over the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, turning the 55,000 square feet landmark into a tricked out performance venue, where fashion, art and music enthusiasts from around the city will converge to support the arts. Featuring a fashion show, art exhibit and musical performances, Style Klash serves as an example of what The Gallery @ Harriet’s does best, bringing artisans of various mediums together in unconventional and unprecedented ways. The evenings highlights include a performances by Brooklyn based mic-slayer/producer 77Klash and VP Records Songstress Etana, a fashion presentation showcasing the collections of Nassat, Miss Bruno, Coup d’etat and Harriet’s Alter Ego, food and dessert samplings courtesy of local eateries and a DJ set by the world renown DJ Spinna. Attendees will also enjoy an open bar, complimentary appetizes and desserts. Gift bags courtesy of Style Klash sponsors will be distributed to the first 300 guests.

An integral part of Style Klash is “The Affordable Art Show” an exhibition of mixed media two-dimensional work by 20 emerging artists. “It has always been our intent to make art more accessible to the community at large,” states The Gallery at Harriet’s Director, Ngozi Odita, “With this particular exhibit we wanted to really encourage people to make, what might very well be their first art purchase by offering great work at a great price. We want collecting art to be feasible for everyone”. All work exhibited in “The Affordable Art Show” will be priced under $200. Style Klash attendees will also have the opportunity to view and purchase work from12 New York City indie designers.

Tickets for Style Klash are $25 and will be available for purchase at Harriet’s Alter Ego. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.going.com/styleklash08.

ABOUT THE GALLERY AT HARRIET’S ALTER EGO: The Gallery at Harriet’s opened in the spring of 2006. Located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, the gallery focuses on showcasing the work of emerging artists and has become an important resource and support vehicle for Brooklyn based artists.

ADDRESS: The Brooklyn Masonic Temple is located at 317 Clermont Avenue at the corner of Lafayette Avenue. Subway: C to Lafayette or G to Clinton/Washington. Bus: B38 or B69.

Style Klash sponsors include The L Magazine, Delicious Vinyl, Crunch Fitness, Wine Cellar Sorbet, Dr. Miracles, Glaceau, Panla.com, Tower Isle, Tamboril,Vegetarian Palate, Going.com, Abus’s Homestyle Bakery, Art Slant, JoMart Chocolates and Utz Potato Chips. Style Klash is a BAM About Brooklyn Marketing Partner.

• Media Contact: Ngozi Odita
• 718.783.2074 (boutique)
• 646.302.0216 (direct line)
• ngozi@harrietsalteregoonline.com
  
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Barack Obama on a Personal Level + Africa Please Stand Up!

I woke up this morning and the impact of yesterday's outcome hit me. As I stayed in bed savoring and replaying the tapes, I could not help the tears that flowed. In my personal experience especially in my professional career as an attorney, I had begun to really lose hope in the legal system. I had questioned for a while, why I wasted all this time-my whole life and law school included thinking I could make a difference in the legal system. I always knew I wanted to do my part to change the world. Since I was a child, I dreamt so many times of using law as a vehicle for change. I am so passionate about law even more so than fashion. In practicing law, although I have delved very much into civil litigation, the past three years saw me really giving back to my community by taking on criminal litigation matters for Juvenile and Adult indigents. It was during these three years I started to really lose faith in the American legal system, especially its criminal justice system.

I never questioned the veracity of "you can be whatever you want to be." I believed it wholeheartedly, that is until I began working in a criminal system that in practice said you are "guilty until proven innocent." It was so disheartening. It was also a system that implicitly and explicitly presumed when an African/black attorney walked into the courtroom, he/she was incompetent unless proven competent. It was a system that sometimes had the clear black letter of the law on what to do, yet it said, "and so what? Justice ko, justice ni. Abeg commot jare [Basically, "whatever!"]."

As I handled numerous matters representing Juvenile criminal indigents mostly black and hispanic youths, I had to make them believe that: 1) they could be whatever they wanted to be, irrespective of their pasts; and 2) that the American legal criminal justice system could indeed serve up justice. I had to engage the same persuasive skills for adult clients. It became harder and harder to say that and truly mean it. I was starting to feel I bought into a lie that was sold to me in my early youth and in law school. In my naivity, I bought into the idealism only to find out what a stark contrast reality was and that you could work really hard, uncover truths and go the extra mile but at the end of the day, it did not matter! Or did it?

Enter Barack Hussein Obama. I understand there is a great sense of expectation and so much hope. But, I am very cognizance that the many injustices, corruption and profiling that targets mostly blacks and hispanics will not be completely rooted out in the criminal justice system. It will take time. However, it gives me GREAT hope. I feel so much hope, happiness and rejuvenation. I BELIEVE, again! I also feel so much vindication for the many juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system I have had the privilege of representing, whom I have told to do their parts and be upstanding citizens because change will come. CHANGE HAS INDEED COME TO AMERICA and I am from a deeply personal and professional space proud to be a citizen of this great nation. I will continue to serve it in the best ways I know how to, with a focus on bridging the gap for the haves and have nots, not just in the USA but outside.

Indeed, it is this core belief and service that connects me with Africa, for example. I am an "Afropolitan" which is what I feel best describes me, as one of the ones caught in the corridors of culture. I take note of how Derrick Ashong, our main feature and major supporter of Barack Obama put it in my interview with him, "We [Africans] should not be under any illusion that Barack Obama will save us. [Africa] has to save itself." Barack Obama IS the President of the United States NOT Africa and its numerous countries. As such, I urge every African, "Afropolitan" and non-African who believes in Africa to understand that we have greatness in us. It is "US". We ARE "IT"and our generation must carry the baton that has been passed and is being passed to us and CHANGE Africa. YES WE CAN do it in our own little corners of the world. YES WE CAN DO IT collectively by collaborating, organizing, centralizing and building strong grassroots that will change Africa one country at a time!

AFRICA, PLEASE STAND UP! Now is your Time.

Enjoy your day!
--Uduak

Photos Courtesy of Reuters/AP

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Mr. President + November 5th Etiquette for All Black People!

C ongratulations Mr. President, Barack Hussein Obama, that is!! We are super proud of your accomplishments and stand ready to be at your service. Meanwhile, please excuse us for a minute while we pass the recent message from Mrs. Eure to all Black people.

"Good Morning My People - After watching the final debate the other night, it dawned on me that Obama could actually win this thing. If that happens, there will be a lot of people (some of our co-workers included) who will be afraid that an Obama presidency will usher in the end of days.They'll be watching us on November 5th (the day after the election) for signs of the end times.To keep the peace and keep a lot of folks from getting nervous, I think we should develop a list of acceptable celebrations and behaviors we should probably avoid - at least for the first few days:

No crying, hugging or shouting 'Thank you Lord' - at least not in public
No high-fives - at least not unless the area is clear and there are no witnesses
No laughing at the McCain/Palin supporters
No calling in sick on November 5th. They'll get nervous if too many of us don't show up.
We're allowed to give each other knowing winks or nods in passing. Just try to keep from grinning too hard.
No singing loudly, We've come this Far By Faith (it will be acceptable to hum softly).
No bringing of barbeque ribs or fried chicken for lunch in the company lunchroom for at least a week (no chittlings at all) (this may make us seem too ethnic).
No leaving kool-aid packages at the water fountain (this might be a sign that poor folks might be getting a break through).
No Cupid Shuffle during breaks (this could indicate a little too much excitement).
Please no Moving on Up music (we are going to try to remain humble).
No doing the George Jefferson dance (unless you're in your office with the door closed)
 Please try not to yell----BOOOO YAH!
Just in case you're wondering, Doing the Running Man, cabbage patch, or a backhand spring on the highway is 100% okay.
If I've missed anything feel free to add to the list. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page when Obama brings this thing home on November 5th. Now go get your early vote on and let's make this thing happen!!!"

VERY TRULY YOURS,
Ms. Eure

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Derrick Ashong on Barack Obama, McCain & Soulfege, II

Today is the day! Americans in general wonder, "is this the end of America as the world super power we have known it to be?" Even more specifically, Republicans and some Independents fear what will happen if the House, Senate and the Presidency is controlled by Democrats? If Obama is President, will we take a turn for the worse? Will we become that socialist country some have argued we are slowly turning into-- think $700 billion bailout? On the flip side, Democrats and some independents fear having McCain in office will continue George Bush's policies that has led us to one of the worse economic crisis since the great depression. We will be weak both at home and abroad and continue to lose the respect of our allies. Here at Ladybrille.com, we say, what counts is you GET OUT AND VOTE! Speak your mind by letting your vote count. DON'T YOU DARE stay indoors on this historical day!

To get you ready for what we know will be a very exciting day, we continue with our in-depth interview with the one and only Derrick Ashong aka DNA. If you missed Part I of our interview, click here. In Part II, Ashong answers our questions on his band Soulfège and the many questions we have on the impact of the world economic crisis on Africa? Will Obama as President of the United States change Africa for the better? Who will WIN this election?! Find out what Ashong has to say.

The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Africa? LADYBRILLE.com: Derrick, what is your opinion on the impact this world economic crisis has or will have on Africa?
Ashong: That’s interesting. [I] think a couple of things: 1) Africa will be affected but because we are not as fully integrated into the global market economy, I think the effect will be mitigated. Some of the areas where I think you will see a stronger impact on is foreign aid.

LADYBRILLE.com: Of Course.
Ashong: Exactly. [T]he philanthropic organizations are still going to give monies but the institutional aid from governments, I think, is going to be challenged. [That is] because their local economies are going to say, “hey we are struggling what are you going to do for us?!” Now it is not in the interest of these countries to completely cut off aid. But I think this could actually be a massive opportunity for Africa!

LADYBRILLE.com: How so?
Ashong:Because the way that the aid system is structured, it really weakens our nations, our economies and our governance.

LADYBRILLE.com:I believe that.
Ashong:So as much as it is a very bitter pill to swallow, sooner or later the aid has gotta stop. What we have to start doing is really looking at how we can develop our capital markets. The amount of monies that go into foreign aid and charity etc. is many times over the amount of money that goes into private equity, for example, in Africa. So, if you have like a starving village, you could get something but if you have a great business, you ain’t getting’ nothing!

LADYBRILLE.com: True.
Ashong:Ultimately, who can give you so much money? How much money can they give you to save yourself? No one can save you! You have got to save yourself. So what people need are jobs. If you and I are both in the same neighborhood and we are starting our businesses and they are doing well, and we realize that “hey, if the road into this part of town were actually a little bit smoother, then we could actually make more money,” there are two things we can do: a) we are gonna lobby the government like crazy to fix the damn road; or b) we are gonna hire someone to fix it ourselves.

LADYBRILLE.com: [laughing] That is not going to happen in most African countries. They don’t feel the responsibility to do that. You can see the elites driving the most amazing cars and when they step out of their homes, the roads in front of their homes are full of pot holes!
Ashong: I agree. That is how it has been thus far but that is because the elites are such a small percentage of the population. So, basically, they can afford to just go for themselves. And most of those elites are kind of somehow tied to the same corrupt governments that are under-developing the nations. But, if you have an actual substantive middle class and an entrepreneurial class . . .

LADYBRILLE.com: uh-huh
Ashong:[seems to switch train of thought] Most of those elites are not adding value. They are destroying value. For example, somebody has a title to an oil interest or parcel of land, they get a piece of the money that the oil companies get. This person is rich but what have they created?

LADYBRILLE.com: Nothing. They are just taking.
Ashong: [Getting excited] Nothing, they are just taking. They haven’t built anything! When you start talking about the “Cheetah Generation”of entrepreneurs[A term coined by Economist George Ayittey " who sees Africa's future as a fight between Hippos -- complacent, greedy bureaucrats wallowing in the muck -- and Cheetahs, the fast-moving, entrepreneurial leaders]who are actually generating value and creating new things, that very mindset that says “hey I am going to go and build something,” is the same mindset that will say, “hey I am going to improve the circumstances around [me] so that, that [what] [I] have built and cultivated [and] feel proud of can expand and grow” So, you are more likely to say, “I am going to just fix this road because this road is just killing me!”

As opposed to, [he switches to Pidgin English which is a language spoken in parts of West Africa including Ghana] “You are supposed to be the Oga [master]. So, when you come here I will take my piece.” You are not interested in value or whether the road is good. Whether they come slow or fast, “you go get your money!” So, what is your incentive to improve things? That is the kind of elite we need to move beyond. They are false elites that are effectively agents of empire. They are the ones who stand in the way of liberation of the African movement of the 50s and 60s and the reality of liberation. These are the people who stand as intermediaries between us and the West and they take their cut and keep the people quiet, too hungry and too poor to raise hell.

LADYBRILLE.com: Whoa. Very very interesting . A lot of people think that if Obama is in office it will help Africa. What do you think?
Ashong: Africa needs to start thinking about how she is going to help herself. [He adds with emphasis] That is the bottom line. It is up to us and that is what makes me most optimistic. People like you and myself and a bunch of others from our circles are going to be the difference in Africa. It is not from the angle that we are smart and Africa can use a little bit of help. It is from an angle that many of us have had the opportunity to [b]e educated in the West and to be a part of circles in the highest levels.

So what we do, even though we are still young and building our names, is not just good enough for Africa. We are talking about people who are good enough on a global scale and can compete! So, taking some of the best minds in the world that are now starting to say, "how do I do something for my homeland, not only from a sense of opportunity for myself but also from a sense of pride and wanting to see things change?” We are gonna be the ones that will make a difference.[Getting even more excited] Obama represents opportunity in itself because this is a guy that has built an effective ground organization. When he says we are going to make a difference, for the first time in American political history, he has actually got foot soldiers nationwide that can be a part of making that change on a grassroots level, not on an ideological basis. That is a tip of the iceberg of what is possible.

What is possible out of that idea of people taking ownership for themselves is hopefully people start looking differently towards others. Not just from a perspective that this people need handouts but saying,“if we got together and we fixed this in our community why don’t we teach other people to do that." At the end of the day, although some Africans are optimistic that if Obama is elected Africa will be so much better, Obama is an American! He is not African.

LADYBRILLE.com: Yup! He is not running for some country in Africa.
Ashong: Exactly and he shouldn’t be. He is running for the President of the United States and he is going to do the job for America. We as Africans gotta do the job for Africans to take care of our own; and no one should be under any illusion that we can relinquish that responsibility or shrug it off to Obama. We can say, “When Obama gets elected we go chop [eat] more.” NO!

LADYBRILLE.com: You talked about opportunities that we have with our generation. Let me transition to the opportunities that you have had personally. You got an opportunity to be on You Tube to talk about the political landscape and then used it to amplify what you have already been working on, your music. Tell us a bit more about your music?
Ashong:I found a group called soulfège and the term is a play on words. Basically there is a way of teaching music and it uses do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti do.

LADYBRILLE.com: [I laugh] Yup! I remember Sounds of Music back in the days and also my mom doing a lot of that vocal training.
Ashong: [laughs] Yup! The musical term for that is solfège and it is a French word. What we did is put a “u” in it so we got “Soulfege” but it is kind of a musician’s joke and it basically means we teach through music. Soulfège is what we call our Afropolitan fusion band. It is almost like a Bob Marley with the Fugees on a street corner in West Africa. That’s the sound: hip-hop, reggae, high life and it is playing live with sort of rock attitude.

LADYBRILLE.com: I love the high life addition to it.
Ashong:Yea. It’s a lot of fun and it comes out beautifully as well.

LADYBRILLE.com: How long has the band been in existence?
Ashong: Soulfège is about five years old.

LADYBRILLE.com: Oh! It’s been a while.
Ashong: It has been a while and we have been working very diligently at it. What happens in the music industry is they take certain basic tropes and they say if you fit within this paradigm, then we can work with you. If If you are a girl you gotta show your goods. If you are a guy then you gotta be hard core or show some violence. Em, don’t be too smart, don’t be too educated and don’t be too complex because the market is not going to bear that.

LADYBRILLE.com: [laughing] Yeah, well I already told you before we started this interview that I had my own bias because I thought before I heard you, “this intellectual from Harvard, mehn what is he doing on the mic?! It seemed odd.”
Ashong: Absolutely and that is how the industry looks at us. But what has happened with this band is we already knew we were good before . . . [pauses] Harvard kids are very well known for their humility.

LADYBRILLE.com: [I laugh] Whatever! [I laugh some more] Ashong: [He chuckles] Before we even came to college, we have done certain things and we discovered our abilities. So many of us could have gone a different way but we had this academic interest. When we came out of college we were like, wait a minute. If we go to try to get a record deal, we are going to be pigeonholed into this nonsense they put all the other Black kids in and we don’t want to do that.”

LADYBRILLE.com: I hear you.
Ashong: So, we decided we wanted to do it on our own and we started to learn more and more about the industry: how it functions and how you develop a viable brand. I went and apprenticed with a Producer at Berkeley College of Music and learnt production. I went back to grad school and was still doing my music at the same time so by the time we all really knew what we were doing and had it together, we were making moves on the business, music and social-cultural sides.

LADYBRILLE.com: Very good.
Ashong: Yea. Our music has something to say but in a way that is not peachy. Nobody will call us a political band per se but we have always spoken about social issues and still rock the party. The first video we released in Ghana, the first month, it was top 40. It was R-Kelly, Beyonce, Soulfege. Then it gets picked up in South Africa on MNet, then in Jamaica, then the BBC World Service included us in a documentary they were doing on African hip-hop. Then through all of that, the Boston media who would normally not know what to do about a band like this started writing about us, ABC News, NPR and we started growing and growing.

LADYBRILLE.com: Whoa.
Ashong:As we have finally decided to sign with a label, we signed with crown recording group in Germany.

LADYBRILLE.com: Why that label?
Ashong:Because they operate in territories we are interested in.

LADYBRILLE.com: US included?
Ashong: Yes but we will not release in the US, yet.

LADYBRILLE.com: Why?
Ashong: Because if you want to do a really strong marketing campaign in the US, you gotta put at least a million dollars behind that campaign. If someone is going to put a million dollars behind your campaign, they are going to own you. So, I’d rather go to [Europe] and Africa before the USA.

LADYBRILLE.com: Smart move.
Ashong: Yeah. We always try to think strategically. Yes and it has been done before. The Roots did it. Jill Scott got started with the Roots overseas, In Sync, Backstreet Boys . . .


LADYBRILLE.com: [Laughs] Everybody does it. It’s like fashion. You go to Japan or South Africa and build your book and then return to New York to book shows.
Ashong: There you go.

LADYBRILLE.com: When you build your brand like that, you also have better negotiating power and you are more on equal footing to negotiate with the labels here when you return to the USA.
Ashong:Yes. Musically we represent, intellectually we represent and socially we represent.

LADYBRILLE.com: [I laugh] It’s the African in you what can you say?Ashong: [He joins me and laughs] yeah.

LADYBRILLE.com: One last question. Who do you think will win the election?
Ashong: Obama. Hands down!

LADYBRILLE.com: You are positive because polls are deceiving you know?
Ashong: Polls are deceiving but most of these polls are not polling the young people and they are huge die hard Obama supporters. They are going to come out in masses and I think it will be a decisive win.

LADYBRILLE.com: Thank you so much Derrick Ashong.
Ashong: Thank you!

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Derrick Ashong on Barack Obama, McCain & his Band Soulfege

Derrick Ashong is the ultimate “Afropolitan.”Born in Accra, Ghana and having lived and attended schools both in Accra, Saudi Arabia Qatar, Voorhees, New Jersey and Cambridge Massachusetts, Ashong really came into the limelight when while campaigning for Senator Barack Obama, a reporter aggressively questioned him on why he supported Obama. The timing was perfect as media pundits insisted Blacks supported Obama simply because he was black. Ashong seemed to shut the pundits up with his thorough knowledge of the issues and excellent articulation of his positions. His interview was uploaded on YouTube and overnight, he became a sensation generating over a million hits.

Shortly after, the Harvard graduate began gaining media attention from the New York Times, the Economist, Vanity Fair, CNN.com, Boston Globe, among many. Ashong has used his political limelight to continue to speak openly on the issues and to amplify his passion for music and his work as a singer in his band “Soulfege.” With just a day left before we elect the next President of the United States of America, Ladybrille.com caught up with Ashong, our main feature for this month, to discuss US politics, its influence on Africa and its fashion and entertainment industries and Ashong’s band, Soulfege. [The interview was conducted three weeks ago in Los Angeles, California]

LADYBRILLE.com: [I am in Derrick’s apartment in Los Angeles and it is quite late as I had a very busy day. It’s about 11:30pm when I meet up with him and his friend. He is preparing for a trip overseas, with a flight that leaves by 6:00am. Yet he is totally energetic when I begin talking politics] [After some chatting] Derrick, I know you have repeated the You Tube story so many times so I won’t make you do it again. [ Laughs] Let’s cut straight to the chase. Why don’t you tell us your take on the current political situation in the USA.

Ashong: In a nutshell, we are down to three weeks [now a day] before the election and we’ve seen that Obama has been rising in the polls particularly in the wake of this economic crisis. He has been very steady in his response to it, very methodical in the way in which he has expressed his ideas on where he stands to the people. McCain has been a little bit fractured.

LADYBRILLE.com: What do you mean by that?
Ashong: Yea. It’s almost as if they are grasping at straws. On the one hand it is like [in a deeper tone trying to mimick McCain’s campaign moves he says] “I am going to suspend my campaign.” “Oh, I am not going to be in the debate until the issue is resolved. Oh wait I am at the debate.

The issue is not quite resolved but it is pretty much wrapped up. Okay now Congress didn’t vote the way I said they were gonna vote and oh God the stock market is tanking, what are we gonna do?” Then it’s like,“here comes this bill and I hate pork [pork barrel spending] and I am never gonna vote for pork. [Raises his voice]. The week before I said I’d never sign it if it had pork, but [I] signed it anyway.” [switching to his regular voice] So, it starts to become evident that McCain as Obama put it, “seems a bit erratic.” The thing is that to the outside viewer it seems like maybe this guy doesn’t know what is happening. It is not that he does not know what is happening. It is that he does not have a firm grasp of what is going on in the marketplace but most people don’t. .

LADYBRILLE.com: Which makes sense because most people have no clue how we got into this mess. Ashong: Yes. But, his main issue is he does things for political expedience and we are looking at real significant time of change in the country and a legitimate crisis; and this is a man that is trying to leverage that crisis towards his own benefit as opposed to leveraging his experience to the benefit of the nation in a time of crisis.

LADYBRILLE.com: I also wonder about his mental health because of his actions of late.
Ashong: For one he has a notoriously bad temper.

LADYBRILLE.com: That is what is alleged.
Ashong: Yea and I think that is a very dangerous thing when you are talking about a leader with that degree of power both culturally, economically and militarily. As far as his age, it’s interesting. As I have been looking at McCain over the last four years, I have been seeing a lot of moves that he makes that I think are calculated and are foolish?

LADYBRILLE: Over the last four years? When exactly did you pick up an interest in McCain?
Ashong: About 1999 was when I started looking at McCain.

LADYBRILLE.com: Very specifically McCain?
Ashong: Yes, very specifically McCain because I was doing some work on some campaign finance reform and he was channeling the McCain Finegold bill.

LADYBRILLE.com: Oh!
Ashong: [continues] and it was the only substantive bill out there. [Pauses] Gosh. What was the house version? [He does not recollect. Sighs and moves on] Well, there was a house version. The senate version was the McCain Finegold and it eventually passed around 2003. . . when I looked at him back in 2000 and where he stood which I had a lot of respect for him then, and then in 2004 he started towing the Bush line, I started to ask, “what are you doing?!” You can also see his desperation . . . You see him trying to tap into [the party’s base] by saying don’t vote for Obama because he is [with emphasis] scary and different.

LADYBRILLE.com: Well let’s talk about that. Of late, some of McCain supporters have called Obama “Arab” etc. and McCain has had to defend Obama. What is your take on it? [I carry on] One of the things I have had a big problem with Obama’s campaign for a while was saying McCain is Bush. For a long time, that rhetoric was not working because it is simply not the case. However, since the economic crisis and McCain’s actions in response to it, that rhetoric now has more credibility. But, I don’t know why they keep saying McCain is not Bush. He is truly distinct. His party doesn’t even like him! Ashong: Yes, his party does not like him. They [the Democrats] have to tie him to Bush because Bush has got the lowest approval rating since Harry Truman so they want to exploit that. McCain, meanwhile, for a long time was very distinct from his party.
LADYBRILLE.com: Exactly.
Ashong: [His voice getting excited] when it was good for him. But, in the last few years he has been virtually in lock step with most things. What he is effectively promising to do is continue many of the policies of George W. Bush on taxation, on military policy, on energy. I mean he talks a little bit more about green energy but there is no substantive distinction in policy. [Plus], he has so many of the Bush administration and neo-conservative establishment working for him that even if he decided I want to be different, it is going to be very very hard for him to break away from all of these people who are putting so much into him, including financing and all. McCain has put himself in a position where he has got to follow Bush because all of his backers are following Bush.

LADYBRILLE.com: Not necessarily. On the $700 billion bailout, it’s embarrassing when your party is not backing you up. They are not backing Bush. The party is strongly opposing him.
Ashong:Yes and no. His party has been in lock step for so long and now they are getting scared because they are saying they are going to get routed again in congress, just like two years ago. So, what happened with the bailout is: 1) again a lot of people do not know what it is and;
2) the constituents are like, “Oh hell they are going to give $700 billion to Wall Street, no, no, no, no! You are going to give money to the people that screwed us over in the first place?!” So, the congressmen are like, “Oh my God, there is no way I can stay in office if I do this”and the problem with the republicans is they have always been deregulation, deregulation, deregulation. So, the reason they split with Bush is Bush is not up for re-election, he doesn’t care! So, they are looking out for their own political interest and they are saying we can’t go there.

ANTI-GLOBALIZATIION
LADYBRILLE.com: Let me direct your attention to the whole anti-globalization rhetoric you are hearing, even from Obama. Both candidates have said, “we are going to stop all the American jobs from going overseas!” First, is globalization a bad thing and secondly, how will these scale back on [outsourcing] affect the African continent?
Ashong: Globalization is not necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on how it works. One of the things that has been happening historically is that globalization has been touted as this way of encouraging development through free markets. So, basically if you remove barriers to the operation of the free market, the idea is that your society will develop and your economy will prosper.

LADYBRILLE.com: Exactly.
Ashong: The problem is the market is not truly free and that is not how it really works. What effectively we have done in the US is to promote these ideas of capitalism, free markets and democracy all together. But, what does not get discussed is for example . . . what happens is, we say we are going to help you develop democracy in your country and then we say we are going to have free markets. That means Western countries have had all this time to accumulate capital during the industrial revolution and our advance companies coming up in the developed world can then go into your markets and have market dominant positions in your country and also have undue influence over your political establishment.

There is a very interesting guy named John Perkins. He was an economist for the World Bank and he wrote a very interesting book called “The Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.” [There] he basically talked about how the structural adjustment programs and all of these recommendations from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund [IMF] and Foreign Direct Investments [FDI] are actually being used in a way that have a neo-colonization [effect] in people’s countries.

LADYBRILLE.com: Interesting.
Ashong: You could be an African leader in an African country and Western leaders come in and say, “We wanna invest in your country. We wanna bring our product into your marketplace.” You say, “Oh okay. Here are the rules. You have to pay taxes, you have to build our schools and hospitals etc.” They say, “no we don’t wanna pay taxes. It’s a free market. We don’t want any problems, no taxes." You say, “No, we can’t do that. You gotta pay something if you are operating in our country.” They say, “Okay. We will go to the next country.” So they basically strong arm you into not paying taxes. So, people will tell you that Africa has got the highest return on FDI in the World and it’s true.

LADYBRILLE.com: Break it down even further for people who might not understand. What do you mean?Ashong: Basically the argument is that if you put your money in a business in Africa, you are going to get a greater return on your investment [ROI] than any other territory. Part of the reason for that is that African countries do not have effective control or influence over your business. For example if you made an FDI in Germany or France, they are gonna tax the hell out of you!
LADYBRILLE.com: Absolutely! Even here. If you are investing in the USA we want our citizens to prosper so we are gonna tax you heavily and the subsidies we provide for our people like our farmers, for example, will not provide for you etc.
Ashong: Exactly! But, if you came to do business in Ghana, you will make your profits, take the money and run and you don’t pay taxes for it. So, that is part of the problem. In talking about globalization as the answer to all problems, it not necessarily [the case] because it is not a fair system to begin with. The US is a protectionist system. For example, you talked about farm subsidies. Farm subsidies are one of the greatest sources of poverty in the world because you keep flooding the markets with all of these below market value products and these are agricultural products. For example, we give food aid but what does it mean. It means I give you a $50million check but say it must be spent with an American company.

LADYBRILLE.com: really?
Ashong: Yes!

LADYBRILLE.com: I have never heard that.
Ashong: Most people never hear about that. When that money comes in, it is not like your company got a check for $50 million. They are basically giving you a credit to spend with a company from where the loan originates. That $50 million in aid goes to that American company X that sends all of these . . .

LADYBRILLE.com: [interrupts] these rice and corn . . . whoa. . . . Ashong: Yea. The US effectively puts all these monies into its farm subsidies so all that corn that just came into your country is now sold below market value. Every person who use to grow corn in your country is now officially out of business.

LADYBRILLE.com: Whoa.
Ashong: Well, because they cannot sell at that price. They have to find something else to do. It reinforces the poverty regime. Meanwhile, you have to pay that money back and your infrastructure, your local economy has been further eviscerated.

LADYBRILLE.com: So, on the question of globalization, it depends on how it is used.
Ashong: Yes. For example, globalization can be very useful when you say, how can we get access to the intellectual property, to the technology to be able to refine our ability to do business. A lot of African governments have been very slow into moving into the 21st century and into the information age. But, you look at a country like Rawanda which out of necessity said, “Hey they killed over a million of our people in the space of three [3] months. We are suffering for it. What are we going to do to try to come back to the global table. What they did was they committed to new technologies and Rawanda is one of the most wired country. They’ve been laying fiber optic cable for three to four years now.

LADYBRILLE.com: So I have heard.
Ashong: Yes. They have really made a strong commitment to doing this. A lot of countries have been slow but countries like Ghana are now growing really fast. So, I think globalization can be a good thing. Now, when the US talks about our jobs are going overseas, the reason your jobs are going overseas is because there are people overseas who are better educated who will work for less money and do a better job and so long as that is the case, there is no way to stop it.

LADYBRILLE.com: You can stop it by educating your own workforce. The key question is whether you are willing to pay a higher wage for your educated workforce?
Ashong: Exactly. Americans are better educated and more industrious in a lot of areas but there are many areas in which we are lax. For example, math and science American kids don’t represent. If you look at the political discourse, the average American does not even know enough about the basic function of the American governance itself to make an informed decision. Many people are led by the sound bites and empty rhetoric. What needs to happen is that the United States has got to start investing again in building the best and brightest minds.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

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Happy New Month of November!

Happy New Month brilliant ones! This is the month we have all been waiting for! The month where the United States of America chooses its next President. A leader we hope will help restore confidence in the US and world economy.

For Ladybrille fashion heads, the current state of the US economy has affected us in so many ways. For example, there have been sweeping job losses and budget cuts across our fashion landscapes. Many fashion magazines are scambling to stay alive as yet another advertiser pulls out, further depleting advertising revenues. Small and big fashion retailers are saying "Auf Wiedersehen" for good in large numbers and consumers are shutting their pocket books as the economic crisis hits home hard. I believe, however, that there is HOPE. Hope, to me, however means we must necessarily take some steps back and engage in the critical analytical thinking as we identify ways we might have contributed to the problems and take on both the political, legal and social implications of our current economic state.

It is in this spirit that we dedicate our November Blogazine issue to a month talk on fashion politics/political shenanigans that affect our industries. We kick things off with Derrick Ashong, a Ghanian/Afropolitan whose very eloquent articulation on why he supported Barack Obama, in the campaign to be nominated as the Democratic Presidential candidate, made him popular! The You Tube video with Ashong's views has generated over a million hits! We caught up with Ashong in Los Angeles just before his trip to Berlin, Germany to talk about his band Soulfege and of course the current state of US politics--McCain, Barack Obama and what it means for us all, especially Africa.

We can't talk politics without also acknowleding the complexities and very often human tragedy that comes with it. Indeed that is what happened in Kenya in the begining of 2008 when there was a fall out in its post-election results. The world watched as violence erupted and people took to the streets to protest. For Kenyans in the diaspora with family and friends in Kenya, they needed to know and monitor the current state of affairs and well being of their loved ones. That's where Ushahidi came in. Ushahidi was a blog in response to the need for crowdsourced crisis information that could be delivered via mobile in a timely fashion which monitored the progress and current situation on the ground in Kenya at the time. Ushahidi met that challenge and it is today a company growing strong and expanding to other areas of Africa. We can't wait for you to meet Erik Hersman, the Director of Operations at Ushahidi, an entrepreneur extraordinaire and owner of the White African blog !

We are super delighted about our Ladybrille Woman of the Month! She is fun, genuine, cool and the owner of what is a MUST read daily fix for us, "Cos We are African" blog. Her name is Yaye Marie Ba! Yaye's blog is full of well researched goodies for Africans/non-Africans that showcases the diversity in fashion and lifestyle that Africa, especially French/Francophone Africa, has to offer. We also cannot wait for you to meet her!

Finally, while we do the fashion politicking, there must be some food to eat. In fact, I recall growing up that the best talks on politics were always at the dinner table, whether at my home, that of friends and relatives. We call in OY Dore of Nylah's Catering Services to feed our monstrous appetite, after all the healthy debates we anticipate this month. OY's interest is not limited to catering. She also gives back to her community with the non-profit Link A Child which urges us to feed the children. You will enjoy meeting her!

Have a positive week ahead and enjoy the video below that the wonderful Alex Umole, a legal colleague and motivational speaker shared on facebook, "The Psychology of Success." I hope it inspires you to ACT!

Remain Blessed,

Uduak

"The Psychology of Success"

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