The AFRica They Never Show...By Jackie Tsiga

I’ve been dying to write about this for a while now because this is an issue that I have had to explain MILLIONS of times before. Basically the story is this. I was in Greece with my friends’ Kayleigh and Jaide. I was talking about my heritage as I usually do and these two were listening intently. One of them said; “so when you were in Africa did you walk five miles for water, live in a mud-hut, go hunting and wear those neck-stretcher thingies?” I was in awe but then I remembered this isn’t the first time people have asked me this. Is it their fault that they think all of Africa is either in poverty at war or experiencing some form of disaster? They view Africa as this continent that has never developed and only awaits Aid from countries that are more economically developed.



God bless whoever invented Television because we can all see things and learn about current affairs. But what are the effects of the media going into overdrive? Well you have people in Europe, Americas, Australia and Asia thinking; “oh I never want to visit Africa because there’s war and disease everywhere”. The problem with the media is that they have only shown one side of Africa. The bad side and that creates an extremely biased view of the continent. Don’t get me wrong there are poor places where people live in poverty but for the lucky few we grew up in a good clean safe environment. So this is why I have decided to educate you all on MY REAL AFRICA; the one they never talk about.



I’m from Africa, Zimbabwe, Harare, Hatfield, Kikintilloch close born and bred. I lived in a nice safe neighbourhood. I started nursery school at five years old and progressed onto primary school - Hatfield primary school. I had competent teachers and learnt in an actual building and I was taught how to read, speak and write English. I didn’t live in a mud hut; I lived in quite a big house in-fact with an electric gate and a big yard to play around and have fun. I remember when I was young I would wake up eat porridge go outside and play all these different African games nhodo and tsoro. The African lifestyle is healthy because I exercised, ate organic fruits all day and didn’t live in fear of the local paedophile.



The suburbs in Africa where normal people live are equivalent to Los Angeles and bell air where the richest celebrities reside. A typical house has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, two toilets, lounger, dining room, two verandas and a kitchen. Not to forget the large yard and gated area with swimming pool. This is the norm in many areas in Africa. If there was an African MTV cribs they would have visited my neighbourhood. The same amenities that you have in England, Australia or wherever you are right now are in Africa too.

The unique thing about living in the suburbs in Africa is that although we are surrounded by the modern world it is still complimented by nature. Our garden had large jacaranda trees which bloomed many beautiful flowers which in turn brought out the AFRICAN bees which pollinated other flowers and also stung me many times. I distinctly remember these yellow spiders (Lamborghini spiders I call them) and up till now I haven’t stopped talking about them because they never moved no matter how much I tried to scare them. There were also these scorpions that lived in bark and they would come out when we chopped would for the fire place in winter.

I hated all these crazy creatures then but l love them now because they are part of my memories of the real unique beauty of Africa. I learnt from a textbook but I also got to experience nature and see these things first hand; that’s something most kids in Europe have never done.

Kayleigh: So if you had such a great life in Africa why don’t you go back?

Me: I came to England to enrich myself on western culture, to earn a universally credited education and to create more opportunities for myself. I am an intelligent young lady raised from the roots of Africa. I am proud of my ancestors who wore neck braces and went hunting because it is my culture and I will never forget it. I am a part of AFR Clothing because I believe in enriching the lives of my brothers and sisters to help them achieve what I achieved so far and also to shine a light on the AFRICA THEY NEVER TALK ABOUT!

My Interview with Mr. No Hype, Just Hope! by Jackie Tsiga

First I would like to congratulate Alexander Star on the success that he has achieved in the music industry and after listening to his music I would say he is a conscious musician who has been inspiring through his uplifting and relatable message in his songs which is very rare in this lil Wayne, David Guetta era. Alexander Star has taken a moral stance to not follow the money or the glorified image and I think that is the reason for his longevity in the music business. It was my honour to interview him for this blog because he is one of my role models.



JT: Please describe yourself?

AS: Mr No hype, Just hope.

JT: Please explain what you mean by “No Hype, Just Hope”?

AS: Hype is the fast food music that is all over the main stream today, the manufactured pop with no nutritional value. This is the music that has the catchy chorus that we all sing but have no idea what it means to po-po-po-poker face anyone? Just HOPE is the positive music with no gimmicks that speaks to an individual and gives a positive energy; food for the soul through music.


JT: How does it feel to empower others through your music because I have heard your music and it is quite inspirational?

AS: The fact that I speak to people through my music is what makes me feel good. My passion is performing so that people aren’t necessarily dancing but they are listening. The reason why I do what I do is for influence so I can influence people in a positive way.

Alexander Star has been an ambassador of AFRclothing and since Kuda explained the mission statement of organisation he immediately wanted to be involved. AFR Clothing has created a legacy to educate children in Africa and have successfully done so in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Being an AFR Clothing ambassador is an honour for Alexander Star because he believes that we; as humans all share the same earth and it is our duty to help the unfortunate and AFR Clothing’s endeavour to educate is an excellent cause.



Education is important and Alexander Star actually made a decision to return to college after years in the music industry. In his autobiography he spoke of how college helped him to better himself and in the interview he explained how it broadened his perspective in communications. He wanted to learn about the theories and processes of communication; whether it is verbal, non-verbal or written and presentation of projects.

I have to say I loved interviewing Alexander Star because he is down to earth; his music truly reflects his personality and his positive energy. I felt like I was speaking to someone I had known forever and his unique gift of charisma has been the main contribution to his success in the music industry. He has been in the game for many years and yet is still relevant and will continue to make a difference in the future. We look forward to working with him in future AFR Clothing projects.

Please visit - www.alexanderstar.com to listen to some life-changing music.

P.S - AFR Clothing would like to Congratulate Alexander Star on the birth of his son - Zion.

AFRican Education Needs You! By Jackie Tsiga

Wake up, breakfast, school, home, eat, laptop (on facebook whilst pretending to do homework), sleep!! That's Monday to Friday. Not for me, I'm not that sad but for my little sister. Going to school is a routine operation for her and many other kids living in More Economically Developed Countries. School is seen as a 'rite of passage' by many people because it’s what society (and government) expects you to do. The children in MEDCs do exercise their 'right to education' why? Because it’s free. I'm not going to say people love free stuff (because they do) but there were days were I did go into school because I had to and to be honest I learnt nothing. But look at me now, I'm writing a blog for AFR Clothing :).

What I'm saying is when you live in rich countries such as England, opportunities are everywhere. It’s up to YOU to grasp it. Why? Because we have been given the ingredients to making a better life so ourselves. A free education, books, a safe environment to learn in and a good education system. What happens if all that was taken away? Well then we'd be back to the Victorian times or worse still we would be in Modern Day Africa. Education in Africa is pretty much non-existent. Yes there are schools but many fall below the acceptable standards of a school. They are overcrowded, really far from home and in extreme cases schools don't even resemble a school. It is children learning underneath a tree with a chalkboard and teacher standing at the front. If there was a school like that anywhere in America or Europe would you go there or send your children there? My guess is no. So why do these children still walk 6 miles a day to go and learn underneath a tree? Because education is the only way out of poverty.

I grew up in Zimbabwe (A great country in unfortunate circumstances). Like most African countries education is not free. So the ’right to education' becomes void because a right is something that you're entitled to which is not the case if you have to pay for it. I went to a mission school were the well off students were mixed with the poorest students. I remember I had a classmate called Blessing. She had four siblings and they all lived at a nearby farm. She had to leave school because unfortunately her mom passed away leaving her to become the breadwinner. There is a burden on education in Africa because they have to pay school fees and many families can't afford it. I've witnessed students being removed from learning because they haven't been able to pay for their education and they kept on coming back each day because they are determined to learn. It is that hope of a better future that becomes the driving force for the children in Africa. For those who have been lucky enough to scrape enough money for school fees there's a whole host of problems which must be addressed too; these include the cost of books and uniform.




Blessing became an orphan when she was only 12 years old. She was one of 12million orphaned children because of AIDS. When her mother passed away she basically had to make a choice, 'work and eat, or study and starve'. This is a decision that many children are forced to make in Africa. By leaving school it meant that she was illiterate and would lack the basic education needed which meant her career had little or no options other than becoming a farm worker. The burden of education in Africa is the fact that education is not free and many families cannot afford to send their children to school. Figures from the United Nations state that 69million school-age children aren't in education and 39 million of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa. That is almost half of the total figure. What makes it worse is that 24 million girls don't attend primary school and only 1 in 5 school children are girls. African parents believe that the boys should become educated and the girls can stay at home and look after the family but UNESCOs “Better Life, Better Future, focuses on reaching illiterate or semi-literate adolescent girls and scaling up women’s literacy.




It is widely recognised that investing in girls and women’s education has real potential for breaking the poverty cycle and achieving social justice. Nevertheless, around 39 million girls of lower secondary age are missing out on an education, while the majority - two thirds - of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women and 54% of them are in Africa."

The United Nations has set up the 'millennium development goals' which aims to end world poverty by 2015. They have eight goals which are; end poverty, universal education, gender equality, child health, maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, environmental stability and global partnership.
"Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling". So far they have actually managed to abolish school fees at primary level in Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. This is excellent because it has shown that the millennium development goals are being met one step at a time. Tanzania now has 99.6% enrolment because of this. There are many challenges that still need to be addressed because now the UN has to meet demand. For example teachers are needed, adequate places to learn and also reading and writing materials but were there's a will there's always a way. The UN has recruited volunteers from all over the world to come and teach in these countries and there have been fundraisers created to build up funds for books and stationery.

I love Africa, I belong there. It is the second largest continent in the world with 22% of the world's land mass. The continent has a wealth of resources including diamonds, gold, oil, land for agriculture and wildlife. We have it all; we are the cradle of life. Then why is Africa the poorest continent on earth? The population is just under one billion (the last time I counted) and yet over 40 million people are HIV/AIDS positive. This number keeps growing each day, bearing in mind AIDS isn't the only deadly disease in Africa. There is also Malaria, dysentery and hunger. Ok I know hunger isn't a disease but the continent is plagued with drought and floods making the soil infertile causing hunger and famine. Would I go back there? 100% yes. I want to educate people on the challenges faced by young people in Africa who are just like me. I have talked about the burden on education in Africa but despite those challenges faced by these children, they still have the determination and strength to get up every day at 4am to work (in the farm), cook, walk 3 miles to school, learn, walk 3 miles back, work (in the farm), do homework (not facebook but actual homework), cook then sleep. This is the Monday to Friday life of a school child in Africa.

I think the world has increased awareness of the challenges faced by children in Africa each day. Countries are coming together to help each other and improve the quality of life. People in More Economically Developed Countries are doing more and 'every little helps' in changing their lives. AFR Clothing is taking strides to help those that cannot afford to pay for education and I hope reading this has inspired you to join the movement by purchasing shirts from AFR Clothing. Not only will you look good but you will feel good too because you are part of the solution. I think the world has increased awareness of the challenges faced by children in Africa each day. Countries are coming together to help each other and improve the quality of life. People in More Economically Developed Countries are doing more and 'every little helps' in changing their lives. AFR Clothing is taking strides to help those that cannot afford to pay for education and I hope reading this has inspired you to join the movement by purchasing shirts from AFR Clothing. Not only will you look good but you will feel good too because you are part of the solution.

AMANI HOPE TOUR

AFR Clothing has joined hands with one of its brand ambassador - Alexander Star - to start the AMANI HOPE TOUR. The Amani Hope is focused on using fashion and music to restore dreams and bring smiles. The tour has already hit two South Florida cities - Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. The plan is to take the tour to more cities across the US and even internationally. Please take some time to view a video from the Boynton Beach Amani Hope Tour event....