Africa in DC Struggles Continue – Chimamanda Give me an Interview?

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AFI Theatre, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wardrobe malfunction, Half of a Yellow Sun, New African Films Festival, Silver Spring

My changing work status has been a primary culprit in reducing my ability to get to events and hence to develop content for the blog over the past weeks.  I had been looking forward to a busy weekend, primarily bolstered by the 10th annual New African Films Festival, which runs through Thursday at the AFI Theatre in Silver Spring.

Alas, the three screenings for Half of a Yellow Sun are all sold out.  Particularly crushing is that Sunday screenings feature a Q&A with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author of the book the film is based on and who completely won me over and got my imagination thinking of the lurid details behind a self-admitted wardrobe malfunction prior to an appearance at Politics and Prose.

Do readers have any recommendations of films I should check out?

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Africa in Silver Spring: Upcoming Movies and Entertainment Awards

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AFI, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Half of a Yellow Sun, Liberia, Lumumba, Montgomery Community College, New African Films Festivaal, Politics & Prose, Raoul Peck, Silver Spring, TransAfrica Forum

On a walk to Silver Spring today I passed by the Montgomery Community College which had an announcement for the Liberian Entertainment Awards this Saturday scrolling outside its performing arts center for all passersby on Georgia Avenue to see.

A few minutes later I passed by the AFI Theatre where TransAfrica Forum’s 10th annual New African Films festival will screen in a few weeks.  Half of a Yellow Sun, the film adaptation of a book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (who has me thoroughly mesmerized after I saw her at Politics & Prose in May) will be screening as part of it and AFI also has a film introspective by Raoul Peck coming soon.  Peck has made a film on Lumumba, and as I recall, he is a Haitian who grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Africa in DC: 2/22 Entertainment Events – Liberian Entertainment Awards and Namibian Community Event

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Herero Genocide, Liberian Entertainment Awards, Montgomery Community College, namibia, Silver Spring, We are Proud to Present, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

I won’t be able to attend either of these events next weekend, but they both look very good, albeit a bit pricey with each coming in at $40.

The Liberian Entertainment Awards (LEA) will be held on February 22 at Montgomery Community College in Silver Spring.  LEA was the subject of my first ever post, which should give you a good sense of what to expect for this year’s event.

The same day, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and the DC Mayor’s Office on African Affairs are collaborating to host the President of the Ovaherero Genocide in a Q&A immediately following the performance of We are Proud to Present…, which examines the attempts of colonial German forces to exterminate the Herero in what is now known as Namibia.

Ethiopian Festival in Silver Spring

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DC Ethiopian food truck, Ethiopian festival, Silver Spring

a welcome booth

Yesterday I popped into the Ethiopian  new year festival in Silver Spring for about 5 minutes.  Last year I went and picked up a coupon from an Ethiopian airways booth that got me a significant discount (although I never used it).  Surprisingly, I did not see a presence from the airline today.  There were vendors selling many Ethiopian soccer jerseys, Ethiopian food, representatives of an Ethiopian publishing house, a cultural center, and various craftspeople.  I’ve been to Ethiopia’s Bole International Airport several times, but I am not at all familiar with either the politics or culture of the country.

Keep reading for some pictures.

Silver Spring’s Taste of African Fashion

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African fashion, DC African fashion, FIMA, Gao, Silver Spring, Silver Spring African event, Taste of Africa

Amidst the hubbub of Miss Africa USA, I apparently missed yet another African red carpet event in Silver Spring event.  I don’t know too much about the Taste of Africa event that went down on June 30, so comment away below if you do.

YouTube has several videos of the fashion show, such as this one.  Downtown Silver Spring hosts several African festivals in the summer months (or at least that was the case last year), with FestAfrica in August being the largest.

Aside from my collection of African soccer jerseys, I don’t know much about African clothing, but African fashion festivals can be found in the most interesting of places –  such as in Niger, just down the river from Gao in Mali, which was controlled by Islamist militants until the recent French intervention.

Miss Africa US Pageant Coming to Silver Spring

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African beauty pageant, African women, DC African entertainment, DC African event, diaspora beauty contest, FIllmore, Miss Africa USA, Silver Spring

I have no idea what to expect for this, but I’ll be sure to attend the Miss Africa USA pageant at the Fillmore in Silver Spring on June 29.  Does anyone have an idea as to who the celebrity judges might be?

I always encourage guest posts, if one of you pageant contestants wants to reach out to me, feel free to do so!

FYI, I’ll be taking a break from blogging this weekend, but should resume early next week.