Category Archives: Africa

She Dreams in Digital: Interview with Artist and Creator of African Digital Art, Jepchumba

Posted on August 2, 2010 by liveunchained| 2 Comments

Given the lack of African representation in the digital media industry, Jepchumba, the creator of African Digital Art, thought it was important to showcase and connect various artists across Africa that are making their mark on visual culture. The quality of innovative, professional and thought-provoking works we see on African Digital Art is amazing. Jepchumba is a visual artist, herself, specializing in web design, digital art and audio and video production. She tells us why she started African Digital Art, how she keeps up with the trends and how you can get connected with the network of artists she represents.

"Attack of Jepchumba" by artist Jepchumba

How did you become interested in digital art?

My journey into digital art was a reluctant one. Since I could remember I was always interested in graphic art, I think I get it from my Mom, she is the creative one in my family. However, I never considered myself an artist mainly because I didn’t recognize that I had any talent in it. When I went to college for my undergrad, I majored in Criticial Social Thought and we were always required to write long long papers, I found that I always ended up doing some sort of creative project to express my ideas rather than just using words. I soon found out that I had successfully completed a large amount of digital projects from films, animations, web design projects, games and more. I recognized that I actually loved combining technology and art and pursuing digital art would only be a natural progression.

You’ve linked your appreciation for digital art with your love of Africa on African Digital Art. Can you tell us about the African Digital Art website? Why do you think it is so important to curate this space online and bring together African artists?

Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Africa, Art, Blogging, Creativity, Graphic Design

Nigeria Represent!

Posted on June 1, 2010 by liveunchained| 1 Comment



The Nigerian Blog Awards showcases Nigerian bloggers that write on various themes. We are excited that two of our Live Unchained supporters are nominees. Lola Akinmade received nods for Best Travel Blog and Most Unique Voice and Nnedi Okorafor for Best Writing or Book Blog.

Vote for your favorites here: 

…

We leave you with three of our favorite female musicians of Nigeria; You’ll see them featured on some of the entertainment blogs nominated.

Asa

Bouqui

Lara George

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Africa, Asa, Bloggers, Bouqui, Lara George, Lola Akinmade, Nigerian Blog Awards, Nnedi Okorafor

The Diversity Within Us

Posted on February 9, 2010 by liveunchained| 5 Comments

Yaye Marie Ba has a passion for sharing the beauty, style and cultures of African people. On her blog she speaks with African women on many topics ranging from art to life. Her blog truly shows the diversity of Africa and the importance of learning from each other. We are pleased to have interviewed her and to share her thoughts with you.

Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Yaye Marie Ba, I am half Senegalese and Guinean on my father’s side, and Malian on my maman’s side. I moved back to the capital of Senegal, Dakar, after having spent 10 years in the United States.

Can you describe your blog at www.yayemarieba.blogspot.com to us?  Why did you create this blog?  What do you hope to accomplish with this blog?

I started my blog close to four years ago out of curiosity and hunger for knowledge about my African culture. I wanted to know more about the youth of Africa, wanted to discover what we are all about. I wanted to find out what a Tunisian or Togolese young woman, for example, was all about. I know what we came from, but I didn’t know enough about where we are today in terms of social development, self confidence and entrepreneurship.

It started slowly, but today I’m proud to say that through this blog, I know that we’ve learned, and are still learning, how to keep our traditions and develop ourselves with Western ideas. Finding the right balance between the two can be hard sometimes, but I think that we’ll get there. Continue reading →

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Africa, African Diaspora, African Women, Blogging, Women

Developing Freedom: Interview with Jemila Abdulai

Posted on December 30, 2009 by liveunchained| 4 Comments

We recently added the following sentences to the ABOUT section of our website:

“For women to Live Unchained, they must be allowed to simply, live. For many black women across the globe, this basic entitlement is threatened on a daily basis.”

We thought it was important to acknowledge that although the intended scope of the project is vast, we recognize that so too are the challenges facing women of African descent. The resources and perseverance needed to bring about basic opportunities for women of African descent, their communities and family members is bigger than any one movement or publication–especially our own.

We were so honored and happy to connect with and learn from Jemila Abdulai, an International Development Correspondent based in Washington D.C., who believes that free women are important to Africa’s economic and political growth.

Born in Nigeria, and raised in Ghana, Jemila developed a keen interest in the history and current policies that continue to shape African development initiatives. Fluent in English and French, she also keeps her ear to the ground concerning Francophone countries, such as Senegal, where she traveled with the African Women’s Millenium Initiative (AWOMI). Jemila believes in the power of information sharing and discusses many of her experiences and ideas on her blog: www.circumspecte.com.

In this interview Jemila shares how she became involved in the African Women’s Millenium Initiative (AWOMI) in Senegal (as well as how you can travel and help with AWOMI), her interest in international development and her vision of empowered women and Africa at it’s strongest.

Can you tell us about your background?  Where are you from?  Where have you been?

Continue reading →

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Africa, AWOMI, Development, International, Politics, Social Justice, Travel, Women