Tabla de contenidos para Issue 7 en KOL Social

ALON SKUY The career of Johannesburg-born photojournalist Alon has been defined by the depth and range of his photos. His work focuses on issues relating to inequality, resilience and conflict, and on life on the fringes of society. The recipient of numerous local and international awards, Alon has documented xenophobia in South Africa for more than a decade and, with coauthor James Outway, has recently released (BR)OTHER, a book published by Jacana Media. Alon beautifully captures a day in the life of amputee dancer Musa Motha on page 30 DANIELA KAZUKO MUNZEL Freelance writer and artist Daniela mostly focuses on political and social issues in Asia, drawing on her experiences after years spent living in Thailand, Vietnam and Nepal and from being a “third culture kid”, as a way to…

Open Water By Caleb Azumah Nelson. A powerful story by the bestselling author of Queenie about the sometimes painful depths of love. Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British and both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong. Both are also artists – he’s a photographer and she’s a dancer – trying to make their mark in a city that by turn celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence. Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body. It explores what it is to feel vulnerable…

Investment banker turned filmmaker Desmond Ovbiagele likes to jump in at the deep end. Despite having had no formal movie-school training, The Milkmaid, his second picture, scooped five of the Africa Movie Academy Awards that it was nominated for, and the film is now Nigeria’s first official entry for an Oscar in the Academy Awards’ Best International Film category. The making of this heartfelt drama about two sisters navigating West Africa’s ongoing Islamist insurgency – a real-life humanitarian crisis – was not without its obstacles. Why was it so important for you to make a film? It’s a topic that is seriously affecting a lot of people in Nigeria. I live in the southern part of Nigeria, and this is taking place only in the northern part of the country.…

Impact X was founded in 2018 with the aim of backing and tapping into underrepresented entrepreneurs across Europe. Its ethnically diverse team of institutional investors, investment bankers and university professors provide entrepreneurs with access to industry and with strategic resources that address difficult social challenges. Impact X is led by Eric Collins, a self-confessed serial entrepreneur and the host of The Profit, an upcoming British TV series in which he offers investment to struggling businesses. Lester sits alongside other founder members such as Lenny Henry and businesswoman Ursula Burns who, as CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2017, was the first black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. Social Investing is something of a departure from the acting industry, how did Impact X come about? A group of people…

KOL Cosmetic Silk False Eyelashes, £22 Choose from nine styles of luxury, handmade, natural-looking 3D strips. Lightweight and feathery with extra fine, soft fibres. Hypoallergenic and animal-cruelty free. Use: up to 20 times. kolcosmetics.com Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Powder Foundation, £27 (32g) Longwear, light-as-air powder to deliver light to full coverage in a non-cakey soft matte finish in 50 shades for all. fentybeauty.com Fragrance Ikon 807 Eau De Parfum, £59.50 (100ml) Made with responsibly sourced, natural, vegan ingredients including a woody opening of neroli, exotic rose, jasmine, pink pepper, saffron and cardamom. thefrangranceshop.co.uk Bloom Young Living Brightening Lotion, £94.73 (50ml) Infused with the most advanced natural ingredients, brightening the skin’s appearance while boosting natural radiance. youngliving.com N°1 Illume 100% Silk Exfoliating Glove, £15.99 The intricately woven silk viscose…

Arat skittered up my spine. Kahindi, the night watchman on the street corner, heard my shriek. He shifted slightly in the gloom as I ripped away the tight barrier of mosquito netting that was tucked under the mattress and tumbled onto the floor. Fearful of being bitten, I scrambled away from the rodent that had found its way into the bed. I found the light switch and looked for something to throw. Where was it? My heartbeat slowed back to normal as I grew fully conscious. The breeze off Lamu Channel had dropped away to nothing in the night, and even on the fourth floor, the ceiling fan paddled through air humid enough to offer resistance. My thrashing had twisted the sodden sheets and I wasn’t about to fall asleep…

Readly digital subscription To celebrate KOL Social joining the Readly digital publication service we are giving away an annual membership to the app, worth £96, and also a three-month subscription, worth £24. Readly boasts unlimited access to nearly 5,000 national and international magazine titles. readly.com Signature Maxi Hair Straightener & Curler and Roll Up Heat Protection Mat Designed for all hair types by celebrity hairstylist Dionne Smith, the Maxi is excellent for straightening and curves. Paired with the Signature Roll Up Heat Mat, the set is worth £90. We have one set to give away. signaturebydionnesmith.com This Is Why I Resist You’ve read her interview on page 8, now get your hands on Shola Mos-Shogbamimu’s first book – we have three to give away. Using real-life examples, Shola shows us…

Della George A couture designer and tailor who specialises in bridal and eveningwear. Her meticulous, customer-focused service attracts high-profile individuals and celebrities. With over 30 years’ experience, including royalty, Della understands the importance of a perfect fit, to exact specifications, exhibited down to every last detail. dellageorge.com Taideux Founded with a mission to empower and promote body-positivity among fuller-busted women, UK size DD+ and up, the clothing brand designs for a big bust without sacrificing style. For every item sold, the company donates to the charity Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls. taideux.com…

SPRING ISSUE Oscarwinning actress Regina King is making history. Her directorial debut, One Night in Miami, became the first movie by a Black woman ever to be included at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and, at the time we go to press, is being widely tipped to scoop a coveted Best Picture nomination at this year’s Oscars. Regina certainly deserves all the acclaim she’s receiving and it was fantastic to see her on countless magazine covers – until I came across the one with the word “Badass” splashed across her image. Badass? Our Hollywood queen, reduced to the tired trope of Black women that’s so often used in mainstream publications. That being said, buzzwords like “diversity” and “inclusion” being ping-ponged against the walls of corporations and mainstream media are of…

Emeka Ogboh’s love of loud landscapes pushed him to move from Nigeria to Berlin in 2014 after being sponsored by a German arts program that has also hosted director Steve McQueen, artist Damien Hirst and novelist Margaret Atwood. His art in Berlin has morphed from a focus on food and migration to providing a unique framework to how we understand globalisation, immigration and postcolonialism. From audio installations at Berlin’s famed Berghain nightclub that incorporate the sounds of Lagos, to gastronomic offerings that aim to make immigrants more palatable for politicians, there seems to be no end to the artist’s talents. What motivated your “Missing” posters campaign, seen on bus stops in and around Dresden, regarding Benin sculptures being kept by European museums? Nigeria has been asking for their objects back…

Best of The Left An award-winning, expertly curated podcast of progressive politics and culture hosted by Jay Tomlinson, whose interest in politics grew after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Established in 2006, the podcast dives deep into a wide range of topics with headlines such as Profitable Extremism and White Terrorism and Decolonisation. Code Switch Fearless conversations about race, head-on. Full-time co-hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby explore how race impacts every part of society, from politics and pop culture to history and sports. Controversial episodes have been titled What’s In A ‘Karen’?, Is Trump Really That Racist? and Is It Time To Say RIP to POC? Two Twos Two Black lesbians living in London started the podcast when they failed to find true representation in the…

“Transformational ideas for social impact don’t start and stop with social purpose organisations. At its best, funding can be just as innovative, disruptive and impactful. It can be both the spark that ignites innovation and the fuel that continues to drive it forward. Social investment has come a long way in the last 20 years, but it is still finding its feet and evolving to better meet the specific needs of the social sector. We believe there has never been a better time to reflect and explore this further.” said Ben Smith, head of Social Investment at the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation charity. Social investment and impact-investment approaches to community development have become increasingly important, and social rebuilding after Covid will, in the view of many like Smith, provide the creative…

The ancient African tradition of cornrows has been enjoying something of a renaissance of late. Beyoncé, Tracee Ellis Ross and Alicia Keys are among the US celebrities who have recently played key roles in boosting the popularity of braids and, as London-based award-winning hairstylist Vicki Senior of VickSen Styles, says: “People are becoming more and more conscious of what they put on and in their bodies. The natural-hair trend has boosted braided hairstyles as people grow out their relaxed hair.” One of the many facets of African culture to have survived the transatlantic slave trade, braided hair flat against the scalp is twisted in simple lines or complex geometrical patterns using an underhand, upward motion to produce continuous cornrows or “canerows”. The craft derives both names from the neat rows…

Kenya is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Somalia to the north, Tanzania to its south and Uganda to its west. At 580,367 sq km it is the world’s 48th largest country, with a population of about 53m people that is made up of great contrasts in terms of race and ethnic group. Swahili and English are the official national languages but there some 68 languages spoken in Kenya, which reflects the east African nation’s diverse ethno-racial and linguistic groups. The thriving capital city of Nairobi sits in the highlands of the southern part of the country and is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Africa, having risen in a single century from being a brackish, uninhabited swampland. Just 20 minutes from the capital lies…

KOL Cosmetics An independent online makeup brand that offers both mineral powders and luxury 3D silk eyelashes. Made from the finest natural ingredients, choose from 20 shades of powders that are paraben-free and suitable for all lifestyles and religions, including vegan and Halal. The nine styles of natural-looking false eyelash strips are handmade and 100% silk. All products are animal-cruelty free. kolcosmetics.com Love Your Beauty Touts itself as the first conscious beauty brand that focuses on all aspects of a woman’s development. The company specialises in products and events designed with a focus on self-love. By creating a network and by providing support, it hopes to enable women to achieve their dreams while feeling beautiful – both inside and out. loveyourbeauty.uk LU Skincare Skincare products are 100% vegan with carefully…

BOOKING PLATFORM FroHub A hair and beauty online platform where service, time and quality are taken seriously. Find and book afro hairstylists and beauticians by browsing through photographs and videos posted by professionals, and filter by location and reviews. Includes Q&As, tutorials and local events. frohub.com PRODUCTS Luxju Natural Hair Products Everyone will love the organic hair-care range, designed for all curly hair types: wavy, coily, kinky and curly. Formulated with natural ingredients, CGM friendly and free from mineral oils and parabens, the nourishing hair products moisturise, hydrate and condition while controlling dry, frizzy hair. luxjunaturalhairproducts.com SALONS & FREELANCE STYLISTS First Glance Hair Salon The unisex hair salon offers a wide range of services and treatments to suit every hair type from Afro and Asian to European. Whether you are…

In 2019, more than 10,500 people in Britain were identified to the Home Office’s referral unit as being possible victims of modern slavery. It’s a crime that is indiscriminate in terms of gender and age, with its victims being found from criminalised industries such as cannabis cultivation right through to legal labour such as farming or cleaning. But anti-immigrant laws that legitimise the exploitation of society’s most marginalised and vulnerable people are as much to blame for modern-day slavery as individual criminals. Modern slavery is a state of severe exploitation from which it is difficult for a person to leave or to resist entering. The threat of physical violence, intimidation and debts that the person may owe all explain why it can be impossible to leave. Fear of destitution or…

Activism seems to be built into the DNA of outspoken lawyer and commentator Shola Mos-Shogbamimu. While encouraged by the past year’s increased global consciousness against systemic racism, she is nonetheless very much aware that the fight is far from over. She admits that her first book, This Is Why I Resist, which digs into the roots of racism in the UK and US, was at once exhausting, painful and exhilarating. So why do you resist? It’s very obvious why a Black, feminist, anti-racist activist like myself would resist what I see as the status quo of white supremacy, as the ongoing legacy of slavery because of the visible, undeniable discrimination and the denial of equal rights and outcomes for Black people and ethnic minorities. That is, to me, the very…

James Barnor London’s Serpentine Gallery presents British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, whose career spans six decades, two continents and numerous photographic genres. Born in 1929, James established his famous studio in Accra in the early 1950s, capturing a nation on the cusp of independence in an ambiance animated by conversation and highlife music. He arrived in London in 1959, furthering his studies and working for the influential South African magazine Drum that reflected the experiences of London’s burgeoning African diaspora. He returned to Ghana in the 1970s to establish the country’s first colour-processing lab while continuing his work as a photographer and embedding himself in the music scene. Until 30 August. serpentinegalleries.org Multiples of Nature, Trees and Faces by Charles Gaines (virtual) Charles Gaines presents his first solo exhibition. Comprising two…

The use of capital to deliver profit by investing in companies that seek to promote positive social impacts is at a turning point. The social investment sector has of course already served a worthy purpose but it now has the potential to have an even greater impact by addressing questions of diversity and propelling an inclusive approach to the deployment of capital. This can be achieved only through understanding the current landscape and recognising that investors should be led by the needs of the community rather than be dictating to them. There is a need to move beyond white, middle class and traditional sector-led organisations. There needs to be a transition to Black, Asian and minority talent owning and driving the social investment and also ensuring that investments reflect the…

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Altrient Liposomal Vitamin C, £39.99 (30 x 1000mg) The highly absorbent, liposomal vitamin C escorts nutrients through the digestive system in microscopic protective liposomes. abundanceandhealth.co.uk DR.VEGAN® Vegan Nights: Relax & Sleep, £17.99 (30 Capsules) Formulated to combat insomnia, the capsules include important nutrients in their most absorbable forms to ensure a therapeutic effect. drvegan.com LQ Skin Hair Nails MAX, £29.99 (10 x 50ml) An all-in-one beauty collagen shot with Marine Collagen (7000mg), hyaluronic acid, biotin and selenium. Supported by other key vitamins. lqcollagen.com Ancient + Brave Radiant Collagyn, £36 (250g) With key essential vegan nutrients, the vibrant berry blend of raspberry, haskap and beetroot work in synergy with vitamin C to protect cells. ancientandbrave.earth Centred Smart Supplements, £30 (60 Capsules) Your hair is the last part of your body to…

SERVES 2-4 METHOD Place the fish in a shallow dish. Cut 1⁄8-inch-deep slits crosswise into the skin. To make the marinade, combine the garlic, chillis, ginger, pepper and lime juice in a food processor or blender and process for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Generously coat the fish with the marinade Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. This can be prepared while the fish is marinating and reserved. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Wipe excess marinade from fish with paper towels and brush generously with the sauce. Transfer to the grill. A grilling basket will help prevent the…

Black Thrive A partnership between communities, statutory organisations and the voluntary and private sectors. They work together to reduce the inequality and injustices experienced by Black people in mental health services. blackthrive.org.uk The Lambeth Redress Scheme Pays compensation to people who were abused or lived in fear of being abused while in Lambeth’s care as children. The scheme is for those who lived in or visited a Lambeth children’s home (including those at Shirley Oaks) or attended Shirley Oaks Primary School. Run by Voice4Change England and Black Thrive, on behalf of Lambeth council. Full confidentiality. lambethredress.co.uk…

Lio’s Art Offers digital prints, private commissions, corporate collections, art leasing and merchandise. The London-based Guadeloupean artist works primarily on canvas, his preferred material being acrylic. Lio donates 2% of each sale to one of his chosen charities. liosart.com QBAG The company understands the importance of sharing good food and great times with loved ones again and again. This philosophy led them to create their premium range of environmentally friendly cooking bags made out of aluminum foil. They are easy to use in the oven or on the barbecue. qbag.com…