NAS & DAMIAN "JR GONG" MARLEY DISTANT RELATIVES preview from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.
i can't wait for this.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Belleza Project
While surfing the internet I came across a dope article (which happen to be written by one of my gal cousins) about Dominican women and there obsession with "pelo malo and pelo bueno" an obsession which roots from the constant denial of african heritage within the Dominican Culture. My cousin who wrote the article has started a project named "Belleza project" which is a collection of photgraphs which capture the issue at hand
*Check her out*
http://interconnex.org/Jasmin_Ortiz_/BELLEZA%20SERIES/Pelo%20Bueno%20-%20Pelo%20Malo.html
"PELO BUENO - PELO MALO"
As long as I can remember, trying to figure out the best way to manage my puffy, tangled hair was always a task for both my mother and I. We would visit hair salons often to try the latest techniques, treatments, or hair-dos to help tame my puff. From avocado to mayonnaise to leave-in conditioners, there was always a new magic potion that would outdo the last. My relatives would point out that my hair was a mix of both “pelo malo” and “pelo bueno.” The “pelo malo” or “bad hair”, as they say, came from my father’s super tight curls and the “pelo bueno” or “good hair” came from my mother’s flat, straight mane.
My father, a black Dominican, and mother, a white Dominican, proudly raised their children to appreciate their Dominican culture. However, that did not include a conscious and open embracing of our obvious African heritage. Not that being proud of my African decent was ever discouraged or purposely concealed, it was just never discussed. I was Dominican and there was no need to understand the color of my skin or the texture of my hair. Although it was evident that my skin was dark and my hair extra thick and curly, race was never an issue as a child.
Today, as a conscious black Dominican woman, I have done away with chemically treating my hair. Still, I continue to deal with racial comments that my hair alone generates. Choosing to wear my hair natural stirs many mixed feelings and reactions from my family and community both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. I have walked through the neighborhoods of Washington Heights, one of New York City’s predominantly Dominican communities, only to receive insults and negative looks.
During the spring of 2005, I stayed in the town of Herrera, Dominican Republic. I noticed that, like in Washington Heights, my natural hair made people uneasy. Men would call me names like, “pajona” or “leona” and the women would give me looks of dissaproval as if walking out of my house with my hair in this way was a big “no-no.” I would have random people come up to me and suggest I visit “So-n-So’s” salon to chemically relax my hair. “She’ll do wonders with that pajon!” they would tell me.
Dominican-owned hair salons are like magical places for anyone who is seeking to transform their wooly hair into silky manes. If they’re lucky, they’ll have someone in their family who has a talent for working the blow dryer or does wonders with the “plancha” which will save them about $45 a week. If not, their weekly appointment at “Salon Yokasta” or “Vilmania Hair Salon” is as religious as going to church every Sunday.
I spent the last three years visiting Dominican beauty salons and barbershops in New York’s Washington Heights and in the Dominican Republic. I have spent this time documenting men, women and children of all ages as they metamorphosis themselves with hair-straightening tools, chemicals, fades, and braids. These beauty-altering institutions are my main subjects in my body of work because of the role they’ve played in helping me discover issues with perceived beauty and identity. I am fascinated by the power hair has in expressing, celebrating and, simultaneously, erasing ones heritage.
I encourage everyone to view my work with an openness and willingness to look a little deeper into what we think is beautiful and ask ourselves, “How will we ever learn to love and accept each other when we fail to accept and love ourselves?”
-(Jasmin ortiz)
-Clari
*Check her out*
http://interconnex.org/Jasmin_Ortiz_/BELLEZA%20SERIES/Pelo%20Bueno%20-%20Pelo%20Malo.html
"PELO BUENO - PELO MALO"
As long as I can remember, trying to figure out the best way to manage my puffy, tangled hair was always a task for both my mother and I. We would visit hair salons often to try the latest techniques, treatments, or hair-dos to help tame my puff. From avocado to mayonnaise to leave-in conditioners, there was always a new magic potion that would outdo the last. My relatives would point out that my hair was a mix of both “pelo malo” and “pelo bueno.” The “pelo malo” or “bad hair”, as they say, came from my father’s super tight curls and the “pelo bueno” or “good hair” came from my mother’s flat, straight mane.
My father, a black Dominican, and mother, a white Dominican, proudly raised their children to appreciate their Dominican culture. However, that did not include a conscious and open embracing of our obvious African heritage. Not that being proud of my African decent was ever discouraged or purposely concealed, it was just never discussed. I was Dominican and there was no need to understand the color of my skin or the texture of my hair. Although it was evident that my skin was dark and my hair extra thick and curly, race was never an issue as a child.
Today, as a conscious black Dominican woman, I have done away with chemically treating my hair. Still, I continue to deal with racial comments that my hair alone generates. Choosing to wear my hair natural stirs many mixed feelings and reactions from my family and community both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. I have walked through the neighborhoods of Washington Heights, one of New York City’s predominantly Dominican communities, only to receive insults and negative looks.
During the spring of 2005, I stayed in the town of Herrera, Dominican Republic. I noticed that, like in Washington Heights, my natural hair made people uneasy. Men would call me names like, “pajona” or “leona” and the women would give me looks of dissaproval as if walking out of my house with my hair in this way was a big “no-no.” I would have random people come up to me and suggest I visit “So-n-So’s” salon to chemically relax my hair. “She’ll do wonders with that pajon!” they would tell me.
Dominican-owned hair salons are like magical places for anyone who is seeking to transform their wooly hair into silky manes. If they’re lucky, they’ll have someone in their family who has a talent for working the blow dryer or does wonders with the “plancha” which will save them about $45 a week. If not, their weekly appointment at “Salon Yokasta” or “Vilmania Hair Salon” is as religious as going to church every Sunday.
I spent the last three years visiting Dominican beauty salons and barbershops in New York’s Washington Heights and in the Dominican Republic. I have spent this time documenting men, women and children of all ages as they metamorphosis themselves with hair-straightening tools, chemicals, fades, and braids. These beauty-altering institutions are my main subjects in my body of work because of the role they’ve played in helping me discover issues with perceived beauty and identity. I am fascinated by the power hair has in expressing, celebrating and, simultaneously, erasing ones heritage.
I encourage everyone to view my work with an openness and willingness to look a little deeper into what we think is beautiful and ask ourselves, “How will we ever learn to love and accept each other when we fail to accept and love ourselves?”
-(Jasmin ortiz)
-Clari
Monday, June 15, 2009
WE DID IT!
i really dont need to say much but a big HAHA! to all the Laker haters! See you at the parade. i'll be there with my Benny :)
-cristina
Monday, June 8, 2009
Current TV journalist sentenced for 12 years in N. Korea
Current TV journalist, Laura Ling, is being sentenced to 12 years in North Korea for a "grave crime" against the nation and illegally crossing into N. Korea. She was doing a story on the trafficking of women and its unclear whether they strayed into N. Korea or were grabbed by border gaurds.
*i think she was kidnapped, and now she might be doing 12 years because their government thinks they were spying? this came as a real shocker for me because im a fan of Laura and Lisa Ling as journalists. i hope she's safe and i pray she gets out of there soon.
read story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_nkorea_journalists_held
-cristina
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
THE TRUTH IS....
LA "AFTERPARTY" @ ELEMENT
I WANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT TRANSPIRED AT ELEMENT NIGHTCLUB IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY MAY 23RD. ANYBODY THAT ATTENDED CLEARLY SAW ME ARRIVE AND LEAVE WIHTOUT THE PERFORMANCE THAT THEY WERE PROMISED. I LEFT THE VENUE BECAUSE THE PARTY WAS PROMOTED AS A FULL PERFORMANCE AND NOT AS A NIGHT THAT I WAS HOSTING. THE FLYER FOR THE PARTY SAID "MAIN SHOW" WHICH LEAD PEOPLE TO BELIEVE I WAS GIVING A SHOW AND ALLOWED PROMOTERS TO CHARGE 40 DOLLARS A PERSON. I HAD A SHOW AT CAL STATE THAT NIGHT AND AT NO TIME DID I INTEND TO DO ANOTHER SHOW AT ELEMENT. I WAS BEING PAID TO HOST A PARTY AND WHEN I SHOWED UP THE MONEY I WAS PROMISED FOR THAT SIMPLE TASK WAS SHORT. THE PROMOTERS WERE ASKING ME TO "JUST DO ONE OR TWO SONGS" AND LEAVE BUT I AM AN ARTIST AND I TAKE PRIDE IN THE SHOW I'VE PUT TOGETHER. I REFUSE TO STEP ON STAGE AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT I AM OKAY WITH THEM PAYING 40 DOLLARS TO SEE ME RAP OVER TWO RECORDS THAT MY DJ PLAYS. I LOVE MY FANS TOO MUCH FOR THAT AND THEREFORE I LEFT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EXPLAINING THE MISHAP IN THE HANDS OF THE EVENT ORGANIZERS. I APOLOGIZE TO ANYBODY IN LA THAT WAS DECEIVED AND I PROMISE THAT WHEN I RETURN I WILL DRAIN MY BODY OF ALL ITS ENERGY WHEN I HIT THAT FUCKIN STAGE AND GIVE U ALL THE BEST PERFORMANCE I CAN. I LOVE YOU ALL.
-Drake
I WANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT TRANSPIRED AT ELEMENT NIGHTCLUB IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY MAY 23RD. ANYBODY THAT ATTENDED CLEARLY SAW ME ARRIVE AND LEAVE WIHTOUT THE PERFORMANCE THAT THEY WERE PROMISED. I LEFT THE VENUE BECAUSE THE PARTY WAS PROMOTED AS A FULL PERFORMANCE AND NOT AS A NIGHT THAT I WAS HOSTING. THE FLYER FOR THE PARTY SAID "MAIN SHOW" WHICH LEAD PEOPLE TO BELIEVE I WAS GIVING A SHOW AND ALLOWED PROMOTERS TO CHARGE 40 DOLLARS A PERSON. I HAD A SHOW AT CAL STATE THAT NIGHT AND AT NO TIME DID I INTEND TO DO ANOTHER SHOW AT ELEMENT. I WAS BEING PAID TO HOST A PARTY AND WHEN I SHOWED UP THE MONEY I WAS PROMISED FOR THAT SIMPLE TASK WAS SHORT. THE PROMOTERS WERE ASKING ME TO "JUST DO ONE OR TWO SONGS" AND LEAVE BUT I AM AN ARTIST AND I TAKE PRIDE IN THE SHOW I'VE PUT TOGETHER. I REFUSE TO STEP ON STAGE AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT I AM OKAY WITH THEM PAYING 40 DOLLARS TO SEE ME RAP OVER TWO RECORDS THAT MY DJ PLAYS. I LOVE MY FANS TOO MUCH FOR THAT AND THEREFORE I LEFT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EXPLAINING THE MISHAP IN THE HANDS OF THE EVENT ORGANIZERS. I APOLOGIZE TO ANYBODY IN LA THAT WAS DECEIVED AND I PROMISE THAT WHEN I RETURN I WILL DRAIN MY BODY OF ALL ITS ENERGY WHEN I HIT THAT FUCKIN STAGE AND GIVE U ALL THE BEST PERFORMANCE I CAN. I LOVE YOU ALL.
-Drake
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Its a Family Affair....
Our Familia is opening up a Dominican Restaurant in Bellflower
the Grand Opening is this weekend Saturday May 9
So come check it out!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Pretty Wings!
*This is the first single off of "Black Summer Nights" dropping 7.7.09
Im already in love with the single cant wait to hear the entire album
-Clari
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
More to Love!
Drizzy....
I Love a guy that loves and appreciates a REAL WOMAN!...
Now thats hard to find these days
The recession seems to be affecting our pockets and minimizing our options of men
I Love a guy that loves and appreciates a REAL WOMAN!...
Now thats hard to find these days
The recession seems to be affecting our pockets and minimizing our options of men
Friday, April 3, 2009
Shaking off the legacy of dictatorship
March 15 2009 the people of El Salvador elect president Mauricio Funes from the FMLN party. This is the GREATEST victory for our amigo Ernie who has worked so hard to make this happen. So congrat hermano! you can continue to read more about the new president and FMLN at www.thenation.com
-Clari
Sugar!
Sugar is out today. Its a filmed based on a Dominican baseball player and his journey into the MBL. Its suppose to be a dope film either way were always excited to watch any film that mentions anything about D.R so me and the gals will definitely be having a dinner/movie date tonight.
-Clari
-Clari
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
make it rain
these ppl are so bold. lol. but, if those were 100s...i probably wouldve been right there with em lol
-cristina
Friday, February 27, 2009
happy dominican independence day!!!
go eat your platanos, play that perico ripiao, and drink your presidentes :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
First Femicide Trial in Guatemala
Guatemala, Feb 2 (Prensa Latina) Calixto Simon Cun, accused of physical aggression against his wife, will be the first Guatemalan citizen to be tried according to the Law against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence against Women, it was reported here.
The trial will begin on Tuesday at the Seventh Criminal Court in Guatemala City, and the defendant might be sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to Women Attorney's Office chief Yolanda Sandoval.
On June 2, 2008, Simon Cun was arrested on the street as he was beating his wife, 34-year-old Vilma Angelica de la Cruz
As a result of the beating, his wife suffers from a knee injury and back problems.
Women's leader Andrea Barrios said the trial lays the foundation in the fight against escalating violence against women.
Last year alone, 722 women were murdered and, according to the investigations, many of the murders were preceded by physical violence at home.
Fundacion Sobrevivientes (Foundation Survivors) Director Norma Cruz told Prensa Latina that about ten cases might be tried this year, a small amount compared to the number of women who have been killed as a result of gender violence.
In April 2008, the Guatemalan Parliament approved the law, which establishes 25-50-year prison terms for femicide charges and 5-12 years in jail for sexual, physical or psychological violence.
However, the first trial under that law will take place ten months after approval of the legislation.
Guatemala has one of the world's highest rates of violence against women, reporting 4,000 such crimes since 2000.
.....this is a glorious day for the women of Guatemala who thought they never had a voice or a chance to finally step up to their coward spouses and the law.
-cristina
Protection Law Fails Mexican Women
via amnestyusa. org
30 January 2009
A law to protect women in Mexico has had no impact in the two years since its inception, leaving the safety of many Mexican women at risk.
On the second anniversary of the passing of the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free From Violence, the majority of Mexico's 32 states have failed to properly implement the legislation.
"There is a clear and deplorable lack of state-level commitment to implement the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free From Violence," said Kerrie Howard, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Americas. "In practice, this lack of commitment means that the safety and lives of thousands of women are put in jeopardy.
"
Although the law came into effect two years ago, two states have still not approved it – Guanajuato and Oaxaca.
Of the 30 states that have passed the law, few have implemented some of its main requirements:
• Only five have complied with the obligation to establish implementation mechanisms – essential for the law to be put into practice.
• Only 20 have an agency coordination mechanism for preventing violence against women, as stipulated by the law. Those mechanisms that are in existence have not published their progress with regard to eradicating violence against women, nor their strategies for achieving this.
• Only two new shelters for domestic violence victims are being built by state authorities – one in Durango and one in Sonora – despite the law's clear stipulation that states must "promote the creation of shelters for victims".
According to information received by Amnesty International, there are a total of 60 shelters for women victims of violence in Mexico. This number is still completely inadequate in relation to the demand.
Women's organisations in states such as Chihuahua, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Morelos and Sonora have emphasised the high level of violence against women and the administration's lack of effectiveness in preventing and punishing it.
Amnesty International has called on the Mexican authorities to create and implement criminal investigation protocols for use by staff of the public prosecutor's office, the police and experts when dealing with women filing complaints of abuse. These protocols must include an obligation to provide sufficient protection to guarantee the safety of the woman and her family.
"The federal government has, through INMUJERES, prioritised a harmonisation of state legislation with national and international regulations. This is a necessary step but it is clear that progress in implementing measures to improve access to the justice and security of the General Law has, for the vast majority of state governments, been limited or even non-existent," said Kerrie Howard.
"If the basic requirements of the federal law are not fulfilled at state level, the law will remain a dead letter. Women in Mexico deserve much more than this, and each and every authority has the duty to take all measures necessary to ensure that violence against women is tackled effectively.
-cristina
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