Here’s her hairoing story:

Finding a stylist for natural hair was almost impossible and when I moved to Europe, I knew it was up to me to take care of my own hair. After 5 years of research, trial and error, I found a flexible regime that works just right for me and allows me to wear my hair in just about any style I please.

One of her hair products:
This all natural, no nonsense but effective formula containing essential oils of grapefruit, ylang ylang, lavender and geranium to nourish and protect the hair. Avocado, olive and sweet almond oil keep hair manageable and shielded from daily elements. As always, the Hairoine’s special blend of Egyptian oils provides added protection and shine.

Find her online.

by Candace Allen, an African America Expat in London

I am the great-great granddaughter of slaves. My dentist father chose to raise his family in New England rather than remain in Virginia, where he and his sisters had walked picket lines as young children in the 1930s, where their school books were grime-caked castoffs from white schools, where a C or an N would appear after his name in the telephone book because his brown hand would be unacceptable inside a white jaw.

I am the highly educated child of highly educated parents, a lifelong desegregater who has always lived in comparative comfort, but I have always lived with the same otherness as my less fortunate brothers and sisters. I have been called jigaboo, jungle bunny and nigger bitch. At the schools of Stamford, Connecticut, at Harvard University, and on Hollywood filmsets, I have encountered social and cultural apartheid as well as disbelief and hostility that someone such as me could even exist.

You can find the full story at The Guardian.

The first of a string of committees formed in France to support Obama’s presidential bid has decided it will not disband after the election victory, but instead work for change at home.

Called “The Movement”, the 2,000-strong group in the eastern city of Lyon plans to set up a blog to track progress in getting visible minorities into positions of power and speak out against discrimination.

Read the details.

*Black France map adapted from Dr. Blakely’s Black Europe Map

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Jürgen Gansel, a party leader and an elected lawmaker in the German state of Saxony, blamed Obama’s victory on “the American alliance of Jews and Negroes.”

In Poland Artur Górski, a legislator from the Law and Justice party, called Obama “the black messiah of the new Left” and a “crypto-communist” who would undoubtedly prove a “disaster.” He added: “Al-Qaeda is rubbing their hands with glee that the new president wants peace, not war.”

“This marks the end of the white man’s civilization,” he said. “America will soon pay a high price for this quirk of democracy.”

Read more in a Washington Post article.

Here’s what Congresswoman Norton told the media:

“The Congresswoman is so concerned that she is in discussions with the president-elect’s office about how to get more access to inaugural events for residents and how to keep millions of people from facing disappointment when they come to D.C. and cannot get anywhere near the National Mall or the
Parade,” the statement continued…”I share the excitement and enthusiasm of my constituents, but I am concerned that even the few who obtain tickets will not be able to get through the crowds at the Mall,” Norton said. “The only people sure to get a view of the parade and the swearing-in are the
people who watch it on television in the comfort of their homes.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/11/its_already_gotten_to_be.html?hpid=topnews

Should I sit in my parents’ living room and watch the ceremony with them as a family unit? Should I stay in Stockholm and watch the swearing in on TV and attend an Inauguration Ball here in Stockholm or another major city in Europe?

Well I’ve been booked to return to DC for months and wouldn’t miss Christmas with my family unless I physically could not board the planes. And I remain determined to be one of the many, many masses watching the swearing in the bitter January cold of DC.

What remains to be seen is if I will be one of the fortunate 240,000 to get a ticket. If not I will be one of the masses on the outside of the fence, quite possibly watching a huge screen on Pennsylvania Avenue.

I made the journey to Denver and I will be part of the humanity in Washington, DC. Only then will I be able to return to Stockholm with my head help up high knowing that I witnessed something simply incredible.

By STEVEN ERLANGER
Published: November 11, 2008
PARIS — In the general European euphoria over the election of Barack Obama, there is the beginning of self-reflection about Europe’s own troubles with racial integration. Many are asking if there could be a French, British, German or Italian Obama, and everyone knows the answer is no, not anytime soon.

In Rome, a poster from the Italian Democratic Party said, “The World Changes.” The only black member of the Italian Parliament saw the Obama victory as a “provocation” to Europeans.
It is risky to make racial comparisons between America and Europe, given all the historical and cultural differences. But race had long been one reason that Europeans, harking back to the days when famous American blacks like Josephine Baker and James Baldwin found solace in France, looked down on the United States, even as Europe developed postcolonial racial problems of its own.

“They always said, ‘You think race relations are bad here in France, check out the U.S.,’ ” said Mohamed Hamidi, former editor of the Bondy Blog, founded after the 2005 riots in the heavily immigrant suburbs of Paris.

“But that argument can no longer stand,” he said. Read the full article.

Films: I Dream A World (OV), Director: Tomas Lewinski No Corao de Shirley / In Shirley’s Heart (OmeU) Director: Edyala Yglesias

The admission fee of 5 Euros includes a WELCOME DRINK!

A COMPLEXION CHANGE event, presented with film, popcorn, inspiring drinks, great conversation, wonderful guests and music for listening, toe tapping or dancing? The choice is for you, our guests!? We are prepared for your enjoyment!

Yes, We Can!

The World Film & Dance Party is intended as an enjoyable and constructive contribution toward intercultural understanding and empathy, amid the population change taking place in Berlin and Germany, A COMPLEXION CHANGE.

This event stands at the front line of cultures coming together in a meet and greet manner. As this becomes recognized, and the energy of an intercultural event is experienced, we foresee a glow from the event, that will attract guests, press and enhance our CineStar attendance.
These events aim to be richly intercultural evenings, created and hosted by Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith, co-founder/producer/director of Fountainhead Tanz Theatre/Black International Cinema Berlin/The Collegium - Forum & Television Program Berlin/Cultural Zephyr e.V. in association with Charles Clawson.

It begins with films chosen from the intercultural Black International Cinema Berlin Film Festival of the past twenty three years. Film durations range from 45 to 60 minutes, and will begin at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, December 13, 2008. From the theatre hall, guests will be invited into the CineStar bar. Gradually, the event will blossom into a dance party. The entry ticket is 5.

FILM DESCRIPTIONS

I DREAM A WORLD (November 21 @ 7 p.m.)
Producers: Fountainhead Tanz Theatre & Pol-Tel
Director: Tomas Lewinski
Documentary, Color, 24 min.
Poland/Germany 1988-1990
English

A documentary exploring a dance workshop directed by Fountainhead Tanz Theatre in Arezzo, Italy. The title and concept are based on the Langston Hughes poem I Dream A World. A portrayal of multi-cultural, -racial gathering of dancers, teachers and their communication with one another. Awarded Best Film 1988 by the Polish Commission for Film Arts.

Eine Dokumentation ber einen Tanzworkshop geleitet von Fountainhead Tanz Theatre in Arezzo, Italien. Der Titel und das Konzept basieren auf dem Gedicht von Langston Hughes I Dream A World. Portrt einer multi-kulturellen, multi-ethnischen Zusammenkunft von TnzerInnen und LehrerInnen und ihrer Kommunikation untereinander. Ausgezeichnet als Bester Film 1988 von der Polnischen Kommission fr Filmkunst.

NO CORAO DE SHIRLEY / IN SHIRLEYS HEART (November 21 @ 7 p.m.)
Director: Edyala Yglesias
Narrative, Color, 20 min.
Brazil 2002
Portuguese with English subtitles

In Shirleys Heart portrays Shirley, a prostitute and her relationship with an arch-rival, Eva, a transvestite. Shirley is envious of the success Eva has with men and begins to learn from Eva, the art of seduction. Naive, lonesome and unpredictable, these two personalities from Salvadors night, sell their bodies at the Manoel Dias da Silva Avenue, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has become a symbol of Bahias modernity.

In Shirleys Heart portrtiert Shirley, eine Prostituierte, und ihre Beziehung zu einer Erzrivalin, Eva, ein Transvestit. Shirley ist neidisch auf den Erfolg, den Eva bei Mnnern hat, und sie beginnt von ihr die Kunst des Verfhrens zu erlernen. Naiv, einsam und unberechenbar verkaufen diese zwei Persnlichkeiten aus Salvadors Nacht ihre Krper auf der Manoel Dias da Silva Avenue, einer Nachbarschaft der oberen Mittelschicht, welche zu einem Symbol Bahias Modernitt geworden ist.

View what she had to say.

By Serena Chaudhry

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 10 (Reuters Life!) - South African singer Miriam Makeba, one of Africa’s best known voices and a champion of the fight against apartheid, has died of a heart attack after a performance in Italy. She was 76.

Known as “Mama Africa” and the “Empress of African Song”, Makeba was the first black South African musician to gain international fame, winning renown in the United States in the 1950s with her sweeping vocals.

Makeba fell ill after a concert against organised crime in the southern Italian town of Baia Verde late on Sunday, her publicist said. She died after being rushed to a clinic in the town of Castel Volturno.

“It was from a heart attack, but she had not been well for some time,” publicist Mark Lechat told Reuters. He said Makeba had also been suffering from arthritis.

South African radio stations paid tribute to Makeba, reading out text messages in praise of one of the best loved stars in the country and across the continent.

Makeba had spent 31 years in exile after openly speaking out against apartheid. One of her songs demanded the release of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail fighting white-minority rule.

Makeba made popular fashion statements that stressed her African pride through hairstyles and traditional garb.

Makeba came from humble beginnings in a shantytown near Johannesburg. The former domestic servant first started to sing in her school choir and learned new songs by listening to recordings of American jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald.

She mixed jazz with traditional African sounds and punctuated some songs with the clicks of her Xhosa language.

Makeba won attention on the international stage as lead singer for the South African band The Manhattan Brothers. In New York, she worked with Harry Belafonte.

Exiled after speaking out against apartheid, Makeba created classics such as “The Click Song” and “Pata Pata”.

While she won over millions on the stage, Makeba’s personal life was marred by tragedy. Makeba had said her first husband often beat her, and she left him after finding him in bed with her sister.

Makeba married American “black power” activist Stokely Carmichael in 1968 and they moved to the West African country of Guinea, but later split. She was divorced four times. (Additional reporting by Antonella Cinelli in Rome; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

Visit her MySpace page.

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Here’s a small sample:

Congratulations for a great victory Adrianne! america is turning a new exciting page in its history, well done Obama.
Niki
(Belgium)

looks good
i think he could be the best ever
Nigel
(Austria)

Simply amazing! …

Hélène
(from France currently living in Denmark)

All I can say is there an absolute euphoria in the air.
Bruce
(USA)

Congratulations!
Hilsen
Sveinung
(Norway)

Congratulations with your next President! Can imagine you are very happy.
Take care
Ane
(Denmark)

Hi gissar att du ar lycklig idag! Mr. Obama the new president!
Grattis!
Christer
(Sweden)

Poor guy. What a difficult job he won! The whole workd is relieved! Did you party the whole night?
Astrid
(from Germany living in Sweden)

Dear Mrs George, dear American Friends Abroad,

Kind regards

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) C. Peter Hornbogen
(Greece)

ADLER Entrepreneurship Awards 2008
6th December 2008 - Bonn, Germany

From modest beginnings of showcasing African Diasporas talent and economic contribution in Europe and Africa in 2005, the ADLER Entrepreneurship Awards have emerged as an unparalleled annual calendar event for African Diasporas in Germany and other European countries.

Regarded as an esteemed and “avant-garde” event cutting across the migration divide, it is also a platform highly sort after by African Diaspora professionals and entrepreneurs. A platform that acknowledges the efforts and talents of the youth and Africans in Diaspora, who are steering the boats of self doubt and self confidence to integrity in their different communities.

The event is now engineering a paradigm shift for, innovation dedication and excellence in the European communities. http://www.ayf.de/activities/awards.html

Registration forms: http://www.ayf.de/documents/documents.html

Other than Barack Obama’s historic and decisive victory, here are the highlights from the Democrats Abroad Sweden Election Watch Party at the Scandic Anglais Hotel in Stockholm (9pm-6am) organized by Zebra STHLM Communication and moderated by Emalee Mandl and Annika Jankell ; and the American Chamber of Commerce/US Embassy Election Breakfast at the Hilton Slussen (4.30am-8am).

Queing up to get in.

Queing up to get in.

Democrats Abroad Members

Sara Dawn Finer @ sound check.

The Program Begins

Manuel Knight, psychologist and former Special Forces soldier in Desert Storm fires up the crowd.

Listen to more Sara Dawn Finer.

Sara on why this US Election was important for her.

Jessica Folcker performs.

The legendary Cyndee Peters did not fail to please.

Swedish Idol contestant Lou Lou LaMotte performed.

Adam Baptiste really turned the place out.

Blacknuss Allstars Band member

Democrats Abroad Panel - Importance of the Overseas Vote

Interested in the election results

Democrats Abroad Reps Being Interviewed

Making New Friends

Throw two hands up if you want Obama to win.

JobsinStockholm.com and Blatteformedlingen.com

Watching the results come in.

Waiting for the results to come in.

Entering the AmChamUS Embassy Breakfast

Entering the AmCham/Embassy breakfast at the Hilton.

Waiting for McCain to concede.

After Obama's acceptance speech.

Even the Swedish comedians were there.

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(Angela Shaw in photo)

Toutes les élections sont importantes, admet David Brown, consul des États-Unis à Toulouse. Mais celle-ci, au vu de la personnalité des deux candidats, l’est certainement encore plus ». En poste depuis quelques mois sur la Ville rose, David Brown sera de la fête ce soir, pour la grande nuit des élections américaines. A Toulouse, plusieurs lieux célèbrent d’ailleurs cet événement d’une façon à la fois festive et informative. Lire plus!

Oct. 31, 2008–We communicate daily in languages we didn’t grow up speaking. We have learned to adapt to cultures that have not entirely adopted us. Barack Obama might call us, as he has himself, “citizens of the world.” But for Americans living abroad, it’s our chance at changing the world as American citizens that is calling many of us back to our hometowns next week.

“I feel an incredible drive to get home for the election,” says Tioka Tokedira, who has lived in Paris for the last five years and is traveling to Philadelphia to vote and volunteer. “Obama gives me a feeling of hope and pride, especially after dealing with negative French attitudes toward Americans.”

Read Rose-Anne Clemont’s artcle in full.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

XXIV. Black International Cinema Berlin 2009

Intercultural/Interdisciplinary film/video, dance, theatre, music & seminar presentations Berlin/Germany & USA

For entry form and further information, please consult www.blackinternationalcinema.de

FESTIVAL IMPRESSIONS
http://www.black-international-cinema.com/BIC08/html/bic_08.htm

Offener Kanal Berlin (OKB), Open Channel Berlin, Voltastr. 5, 13355 Berlin-Wedding
***SPECIAL Edition - LIVE***

NOVEMBER 1, 2008
8.00-9.30 pm/20.00-21.30 Uhr, the public is cordially invited:

A COMPLEXION CHANGE
Vision III
THE COLLEGIUM - Forum & Television Program Berlin in co-operation with Offener Kanal Berlin
Production & Direction-Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith (co-founder/producer/director), Fountainhead® Tanz Theatre, Black International Cinema Berlin, Cultural Zephyr e.V.

via Television & Internet in English, German, Arabic & Danish, present/präsentieren

A COMPLEXION CHANGE - Vision III
Intercultural Dialogue within a Migratory Society

The future is with us, how do we respond to the inevitabilities of population change, clash or cooperation?

Partial Portrait / Past, Present, Future?
A relationship of Europe to the world and the human contributions to a developing Europe, at the dawn of the 21st century.

EIN WANDEL IM ERSCHEINUNGSBILD - Vision III
Interkultureller Dialog in einer Migrationsgesellschaft
Die Zukunft ist heute.
Wie reagieren wir auf die Unabwendbarkeit der Veränderung der Bevölkerung? Konflikt oder Kooperation?
Teilporträt / Vergangenheit, Gegenwart, Zukunft?
Eine Beziehung Europas zur Welt und der Beiträge der Menschen zu einem sich entwickelnden Europa, im Anbruch des 21. Jahrhunderts.

PROGRAM
**************************************************

Introduction
Moderator: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith
Co-Founder/Producer/Director
Fountainhead® Tanz Theatre / Black International Cinema Berlin / THE COLLEGIUM - Forum & Television Program Berlin / Cultural Zephyr e.V.

Addressing the Issue of A COMPLEXION CHANGE

Gabriele Gün Tank, Germany
Integrationsbeauftragte Bezirksamt Tempelhof-Schöneberg von Berlin

Spoken Word Presentation

Children’s Arabic Fairy Tales portrayed through prose, song and music
Arabische Märchen für Kinder dargestellt durch Prosa, Gesang und Musik
Mahgoub Eltayeb, Sudan/Berlin
Ranya Orfaly, Libanon/Berlin
Naji Jaber (Laute), Libanon/Berlin

Film

“Berlin, A Rainbow City - A Complexion Change - Vision III - Berlin, Eine Regenbogenstadt”

Cordula Alkert, Berlin
Spoken Word Presentation

“What We Need Is A Change Of Heart”
Anthony Baggette, USA/Berlin

Clear Blue Water e.V.
Performance

Ballet/Jazz & Modern Movement
John F. Kennedy Friendship Center

Celina McCarthy, Jeremy McCarthy (Conductor, Choreographer: “Thriller”), Jasmin Kränzel, Esther Richards, Nadine Struck, Netra Nambiar Veetil, Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith, Director/Jazz & Modern Movement Instructor, Marion Kramer, Rehearsal Assistant, Sandrine Battut, Ballet Instructor

Spoken Word Presentation
“Solange Du Fragen Stellst…”
Christina Kronberg, Düsseldorf

Greeting Words/Grußwort
Volker Bach, Leiter Offener Kanal Berlin

Film

“Paloma”
Script & Direction: Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau
Colombia/Germany 2006
Translations/Übersetzungen, Internet
Anke Broszio: German
Mahgoub Eltayeb: Arabic
Signe Pedersen: Danish

Catering

Barbara Saltmann
Restaurant Ja-Man
Gotzkowskystr.17
10555 Berlin
Tel.: 030-39808917
**************************************************
For further information & photographic impressions,
please visit THE COLLEGIUM website.
http://www.fountainhead-tanz-theatre.de/col-e.html

The UK has Trisha Goddard. While she doesn’t own a media empire yet, I’d keep my eye on her.

TV

Bio:
Trisha Goddard is an iconic figure on British television.

Broadcast on Channel 5 each weekday morning her self-titled show features the real-life dilemmas of guests eager to benefit from her experience in conflict resolution.

Trisha began her working life as a stewardess for Gulf Air before settling in Australia where she began her broadcasting career. Starting in children’s programmes she graduated to news and current affairs becoming the first black anchorwoman on Australian TV.

In 1988, her youngest sister committed suicide after a long battle with schizophrenia. Determined to turn this tragedy to positive effect Trisha began campaigning for Mental Health issues and went on to chair The National Consumer Advisory Group on Mental Health. In 1998 she returned to the UK to front her own daytime talk show for Anglia TV. “Trisha” became a national institution and ran on ITV until 2004 when she formed her own production company taking the revamped “Trisha Goddard” show to Channel 5.

Trisha celebrated her 50th birthday in December last year and 2008 is set to deliver more milestones in her life and career. This year marks her tenth anniversary on daytime television, her autobiography follows hot on the heels of her first fitness DVD and CityTalk sees her presenting UK radio for the first time. Trisha writes a weekly column for the Eastern Daily Press Magazine as well as being the “agony aunt” in the weekly Love It magazine. She has presented the RTS programme awards and chaired the RTS workshop on Diversity in Television. In 2006 she presented and exec produced “Britain’s Psychic Challenge” and last year saw her fronting the prime time TV series “Families at War” both for Channel 5.

Trisha is actively involved in a number of charities including Home-Start and Mind.

Radio
Talk to Trisha

Listen her show.

Books

Fighting Cancer
Chat show queen Trisha Goddard reveals she is fighting breast cancer. Read the full story.

Rotterdam, NL/Stockholm, SWE October 29, 2008 – Women of the African Diaspora website is having a birthday complete with gifts for its readers. The website, which celebrates Black women, will unveil its new look and a new domain name on November 1, 2008.

“Women of the African Diaspora website is simply better than ever,” says Sandra Rafaela, Women of the African Diaspora’s co-founder and co-editor. “We are working very hard to create a website that provides information, inspiration and more for Black women around the world.”

Women of the African Diaspora website leverages the global reach of the Internet to share relevant news, event notices and showcase a wide range of talented Black women including authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and others. And with Black women living on virtually every continent, it certainly has a large market.

“Women of the African Diaspora’s website content is very compelling and shines a positive spotlight on Black women that main stream media far too often ignores,” says Adrianne George, Women