Jumoke fashola biography of christopher

Fashion designer Marc Jacobs was slated on social media recently for styling white models with faux dreadlocks at New York fashion week. Our writer considers the controversy from a Peckham perspective

Words: Jumoké Fashola

Three months ago, American fashion designer Marc Jacobs sent a cast of predominantly white models down the catwalk at New York fashion week wearing colourful faux dreadlocks. The ensuing social media backlash surprised him.

In response he wrote on Instagram: “All who cry ‘cultural appropriation’ or whatever nonsense about any race or skin colour wearing their hair in a particular style or manner – funny how you don’t criticise women of colour for straightening their hair.

“I respect and am inspired by people and how they look. I don’t see colour or race – I see people. I’m sorry to read that so many people are so narrow minded… Love is the answer. Appreciation of all and inspiration from anywhere is a beautiful thing. Think about it.”

Following a further social media storm he apologised for the “lack of sensitivity unintentionally expressed by my brevity”, adding: “I wholeheartedly believe in freedom of speech and freedom to express oneself through art, clothes, words, hair, music – everything. Of course I do ‘see’ colour but I do not discriminate. That is a fact!”

So why did Jacobs’ initial comments about black hair and cultural appropriation cause such an international furore? Last year Amandla Stenberg, the 18-year-old actress known for her role as Rue in The Hunger Games, uploaded her thoughts about cultural appropriation on to Tumblr in a vlog for her history class, which went viral.  

In the clip, entitled Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows: A Crash Discourse on Black Culture, she said: “Appropriation occurs when the appropriators take on the culture but do not understand the deep signifi

Black History Month has been celebrated every October in the UK for 28 years and CWC last week hosted an event at their Paddington Green Campus to mark the occasion. Award winning radio broadcaster, journalist and vocalist Jumoke Fashola and the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) were in attendance, as well as Vas Blackwood, who hosted a panel discussion compromised of DJ Yella from NWA, Chris Preddie OBE, DJ Melody Kane and rapper Clencha.

Chris Preddie formed part of a panel discussion entitled 'Straight Outta College' hosted by British actor Vas Blackwood. The 28 year-old from Finsbury Park received an OBE in 2012 in recognition of his 'outstanding contribution to youth work' and was one of the youngest recipients of the OBE in the honours list at just 25 years of age. "When I was growing up there were never events like these to raise awareness of culture or the environment young people find themselves living in," explained Chris. "The reason I'm here is to try and show them that no matter where you come from, you can still make a positive out of a negative."

Following his work with Crimestoppers which began in 2007, Chris founded his own company called Make Dreams a Reality (MDR) which carries out mentoring programs and workshops for schools, colleges, youth clubs and prisons throughout the UK. "I hope young people can look at me and see that I come from a similar background and had similar issues to them, but I managed to turn my life around. I was awarded an OBE, I have my own company and now I go to schools and youth clubs to speak to young people. I love speaking to them directly and helping them to see that they can do anything with hard work and determination."

Jumoke Fashola who gave a talk to the students and performed several songs at the event said, "I think events like this are crucial as it is important to see people from diverse backgrounds who have made their way. Not necessarily the Nicki Minaj's of the world, but just

+ intro and panel discussion with director C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi and producer Oge Obasi, hosted by Jumoké Fashola

Filmgoers outside Africa may never have heard of Mami Wata, the supernatural being who gives the Nigerian director C.J. Obasi’s film its title. She hasn’t attained the status of, say, Norse or Greek gods, whose pantheons have been propped up by Hollywood blockbusterdom, but Obasi, who also wrote the screenplay, has made sure that prior knowledge is not necessary to enjoy his film – Nigeria’s official entry for next year’s Academy Awards. Still, it is perhaps useful to understand the hold that Mami Wata has for people across West Africa – including Obasi, who has said that his film was inspired by a vision he had years ago.

It is not clear how much of that vision derives from childhood memories, but the director certainly knows things his generation of Nigerians learned from their elders: Mami Wata grants wishes, Mami Wata can make you rich, Mami Wata can be vengeful against people who break promises. Children learn that they should flee if they ever see her on the beach – though in a 1960s hit, ‘Guitar Boy’, the Nigerian musician Sir Victor Uwaifo (who features on this film’s soundtrack) gave a different instruction: ‘Never you run away.’

In Obasi’s telling – only loosely related to popular versions of Mami Wata’s activities in Nigeria – Mami Wata is de facto ruler of a fictional West African coastal village, Iyi. Her intermediary is Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), the village leader, whose primary duty is to relay the goddess’s will to the people. At first everything is fine. The people have no qualms about the leadership and the system of governance works well enough. But the death of a child upsets the balance. Mama Efe conveys Mami Wata’s wishes: the child will remain dead.

This highlights a weakness in Iyi’s political arrangement, and maybe even in Mami Wata’s vaunted powers. Within the top family’s household, Mama Efe’s headstrong daughter Zinwe (Uz