Music in the Air

January 30, 2010

We have all attended events where you  buy a ticket or buy a table in support of a charity or organization.  Typically the event is indoors with some form of entertainment.  However, Music in the Air has a twist on the usual venue.  The setting was the lawn of the United States Consulate Generals Residence which is located on the waters edge in Ikoyi.  The event was a fundraiser for a Performing Arts Center for the American International School of Lagos. The event was a magical evening with a concert on the lawn.  The dress was formal – Red Sea Rig – in other words tuxedos minus the jacket. You brought your own gourmet picnic to enjoy and you received complimentary Moet champagne as well as red and white wine.  Roc and I gathered some friends and hosted a table for this event.  We began with nibbles of olives and crisps, followed by bacon wrapped shrimp in raspberry chipotle and salmon on petit crackers. We then moved onward to the main course which was cole slaw, potato salad, brisket, ham, quiche, and stuffed tomatoes.  Desert was brownie bites and mini cherry cheesecakes.  Of course one them must have cheeses and pate.  All the while we had a beautiful concert in the background: a symphonic band, a tenor , Brian Vaughn, and a pianist, Maria Asseva.  An elegant night of music under the stars with a wonderful fireworks finale!

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DSCN3176 I love the black champange glasses!

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DSCN3191 Katherine & Rocky

DSCN3192 Sue and Ian

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Queens Drive’s Wednesday Night Football Barbeque

January 27, 2010

Wednesday Night Football has become a religion to the guards, staff, drivers, and expatriates at Queens Drive.  Attendance is anywhere for 15 to 25 players.  Recently a large brick Barbeque grill was built on the water side of Queens Drive outside the tennis court where Wednesday night football is played.  So it was decided to Baptize the grill after having a little friendly football competition.  Four drivers were selected as Captains:  Richard, Sunday Ujie (our driver,short Sunday), Sunday (tall Sunday), and Emmanuel.  They each had to select 6 players from Queens Drive (expats, guards, staff or drivers) for their team and then play a mini competition.  After the competition the residents would then serve the team a Barbeque feast.   We have a resident grill master, Eric, who cooked Chicken, Hot Dogs, Burgers and Brisket (the brisket came all the way from Texas) while the competition was being played.  He was assisted by a residents cook, Emanuel.  The teams were evenly picked and play was fast and furious but fun.  Wives and children came to watch.  One young player, Martin, was the team photographer in between playing.  Every one enjoyed the barbeque of their choice and refreshments. The yellow team won captained by our driver, Sunday Ujie!  He was so proud! DSCN3141 Ping Pong (table tennis) match for the non-footballers. DSCN3144 The new grill DSCN3158 Grillmaster Eric and Chef Emanual DSCN3151 The winning team! Captain Sunday (standing in black far right). DSCN3152  The Blue Team & Captain (tall) Sunday (on the far left standing). DSCN3159 Captain Richard (standing far right) and the Green team. DSCN3161 Captain Emmanual (standing middle) and the Red Team.  Notice Rocky front and center. DSCN3157 Kay and sons DSCN3165 Players (martin the photographer on the right) Below (5 pictures); players, family and friends……… DSCN3167 DSCN3163 DSCN3171 DSCN3173 DSCN3169

Kiki Kamanu & Fashion Show

January 26, 2010

This morning American Women’s Club meeting was not the usual speaker and coffee instead it was a fashion show!  A young American-Nigerian lady who started modeling at the age of 10 is now an up and coming designer.  Kiki was educated in Massachusetts (Harvard) and Paris.  Kiki produces only 25 pieces of any design. Omakaa is her female formal wear line.  Z.bird is a female playful avant garde design line of casual wear for today’s’ women who want something different.  Kiki also introduced her men’s line in her show to us today.  EKZ is inspired by the passion and colour of the 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa.  Then there is the Arm Kandy or handbags.  Kiki uses 100% leather, assorted furs, ostrich, python, crocodile skins or a combination.  Kiki had music and lighting and an assortment of models.  For a moment we were all transported to New York City’s Fashion Week!

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Z.bird Fashion Line

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EKZ Fashion Line

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Casual Dress Commenorating World Cup 2010

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Omakaa Fashion Line

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Arm Kandy (i.e. Handbag)

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Designer Kiki

Sunday Craft Sale at the Lagos Yacht Club

January 30, 2010

Sunday at the Yacht Club  here is so relaxing.  Usually ,I see the Yacht Club only from the water as we cruise by on our way to the beach.  Today there is a craft sale at the yacht club.  The Yacht Club sits out on a peninsula of land that gets a marvelous breeze.  So a friend and I took the opportunity to browse the sale and have refreshments at the water edge.  A very nice way to chill on a Sunday afternoon.

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Fabrics and Nike

January 23, 2010

 I had the privilege of attending a fabric dying session with Nike of Nike Gallery. I once before wrote of Nike (see     ).  Nike has spent her career teaching native Africans the art of batik so that this art is never lost.  Nike recently moved her gallery from her home to a new building that she designed and built at the second roundabout in Lekki.  It is a huge 4 storey building where she can showcase her art and art of her peers.  It was inspiring to just browse the building.  Then it was out the back door to a large patio that had been set up with tables and pots of dye. Today Nike was going to teach us how to tie dye cloth (handkerchief, t-shirt and fabric). All the while she has 2 film crews following her around.  One crew is from the USA doing a show for PBS.  The other crew is Africa Magic, a local cable channel that showcases native TV shows and projects. 

 

We started with 2 handkerchiefs’ each.  Nike demonstrated several ways to fold the squares to get a desired shape or pattern, adding a rubber band or two.  Then she dipped it into the dye pots and viola! What beautiful squares she had.  Nike made it look so easy.  So it was our turn.  Here you have 25 people trying to be as creative as Nike and it was comedy.  Some had more dye on them than on the handkerchief.  Mine turned out a bit pastel which means I should have left them in the dye longer to soak in more color. We hung them to dry on the fence and it was onto the t-shirts.  I used a razor blade fold to make mine and it turned out surprisingly well.  I attempted a second shirt for Rocky using pleats and rubber bands.  It looked black, then brown as it dried.  I was going for navy or a deep indigo color.  The next day I washed it in woollight and it turned indigo just as I wanted.  This took us about 3 hours! 

Photo-0037 You can see the dye pots and a hankerchief; Nike is in the blue and she had several of her artists assisting her.

Photo-0039 Some of our creations

Photo-0042 A batik Nike made.

 DSCN3156 My new tie dye t-shirt!

It was lunch break before we would learn about batik.  Nike teaches batik with wax as well as batik with cassava paste. You need 100% cotton material that has been washed and dried. The wax (paraffin or bees wax) is melted and kept warming over a low flame.  You then dip in a pointy foam cone and draw on the fabric.  The wax, if is properly warm, soaks into the fabric front and back.  When you have completed covering your fabric in wax of your design you then dip it in the dye(s) of your choice.  Then you let the fabric dry.  Once dry you boil it in a large pot to remove all the wax.  Your fabric is white where the wax was and you have beautifully designed piece of fabric.  We were able to paint with wax only a small piece of fabric.  To do a large table cloth takes about 5 days to complete.   Batik with cassava paste is done quite differently.  Cassava flour is made into a paste (similar to a runny oatmeal).  Using a birds feather, you dip it in the paste and paint your design on fabric.  You then let it dry.  Then for less than a minute you dip it in indigo dye. You then spread it out to dry.  If stays in the dye longer than a minute the paste becomes too soft and comes off, ruining your design.  So to get the color you want, you let the fabric dry and then dip it again (always less than a minute) repeating as many times as necessary to get the right color.  With cassava paste your design is only on one side of the fabric as the paste lies on top the fabric and does not soak into the other side.

 

After this venture, I have great respect for the batik artists! And appreciate the time it takes to make the lovely African tablecloths that I have.