Tabla de contenidos para Issue 13 en KOL Social

Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman's debut film, Neptune Frost, is an AfroFuturist sci-fi musical with a serious message. It questions the true cost of the West's continuous drive for 'progress' on the people – in Africa and elsewhere – tasked with fuelling these demands through the mining and production of some of the Earth's most valuable, and increasingly rare, natural resources. We catch up with them ahead of the film’s UK release. What would be the elevator pitch for Neptune Frost? Williams: ‘It’s a romance. It explores the drum as the first wave of wireless communication. Of course, the drum is eternally connected to the heart and the heartbeat. In Hollywood terms, we would say it’s the origin of the motherboard, what we are using right now to communicate –…

CULTURE Artist Yermine Richardson’s work is informed by the beauty and culture of his Dominican Republican homeland, and laced with undertones of the Caribbean island’s chequered history at the hands of European colonists. Born in the small but vibrant town of La Romana, which he describes as ‘a sugar cane city’, he graduated from Altos de Chavón art school and then worked as a graphic designer, art director and creative director before devoting himself more fully to painting. Why is it so important for you to reflect your heritage in your work? Was there a particular trigger for that? I started seeing myself more in society. I still remember the first advertisement that I saw and there was this beautiful blonde kid, who looked like an angel and this beautiful…

TRAVEL Whether you want to bask in the splendour of white sand and turquoise blue seas or soak up the local culture, Barbados delivers. Like many similar holiday destinations, this most easterly island in the Caribbean chain relies heavily in tourism to support its economy – something that has, in the past, placed the country’s rich biodiversity under threat. Yet Barbados is already on it. Recognising that sustainable tourism offers great rewards for business, the environment and the island’s communities, it’s embraced ecotourism, to become one of the world’s most glorious destinations for conscious travellers. Barbados Blue Conveniently located at the Hilton Hotel on Needham’s Point, watersports and dive company Barbados Blue offers easy access to both the south and west coasts. The beach at Needham’s Point itself has the…

ALBUM RELEASES Cynthia Erivo - Ch. 1, Vs. 1 The south-London native with a fast-growing acting career returns to music as solid as ever. ‘Alive’ – the third song from her upcoming album, produced by Stint and co-written with Sean Douglas – was recently shared as a teaser for the album release, along with a powerful live-performance video. Written as an exercise in musical storytelling, it reminds us to hold strong against trials and tribulations. Timely stuff. Release Date: 17 September. cynthiaerivo.net TSHA: Capricorn Sun Following the successful release of her 2021 EP OnlyL, the London-based DJ and producer unleashes her debut album. Featuring Clementine Douglas, NIMMO, Mafro and Oumou Sangaré, it is a unique explosion of house and pop. Currently the face of Spotify’s EQUAL campaign, which highlights women…

WE LEAVE OUR HUSBANDS TO ONE SIDE, AND WE FIGHT FORWARD It is Sunday afternoon in Bolivia’s second largest city, El Alto. Home to over two million people, it sits 3,869m above sea level, earning both its name – which translates into English as The Heights – and it’s place in the record books as the world’s highest city. Today, however, is not about facts. It’s all about what’s going on inside El Multifuncional, the city’s vast sports centre, where an afternoon of lucha libre wrestling is taking place. It’s a raucous crowd – a mixture of expectant locals and curious tourists – with screams, water and the scent of popcorn filling the air. A woman circles the ring, inside which a man dressed in a gimp-like Superman outfit is…

Café Luna, Little Arches Hotel This multi-award-winning restaurant of the elegant adults-only Little Arches Hotel offers panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea and equally elegant alfresco dining. The menu – overseen by executive chef and co-owner Mark de Gruchy – specialises in pan-tropical cuisine, which fuses Caribbean, Asian and Mediterranean flavours. The food is exceptional, with plates such as traditional fried cou-cou (a combination of cornmeal and okra) with boneless pork drizzled with white wine tarragon demi-glace and dusted with crispy onions, the freshest of fresh local fish and sweet treats such as house-made guava bakewell tarte. One to savour. Where: Enterprise Beach Road, Christ Church littlearches.com/cafe-luna Farm House Cafe, PEG Farm Surrounded in lush vegetation overlooking breathtaking views of the island, Farm House Cafe sits in the heart…

Decision to Leave One of the picks from this year’s Cannes film festival (director Park Chan-wook picked up the gong for Best Director), this South-Korean drama-mystery centres around a detective investigating a man’s unnatural death in the mountains. Things get complicated for the investigator as the dead man’s estranged wife goes from chief suspect to love interest in a genre-combining film that is a worthy follow-up to Park’s much-lauded last feature film, Handmaiden. Starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. Streaming on Mubi and in cinemas nationwide from 14 October. The Woman King Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o star in this historical epic telling the remarkable story of the all-female unit of warriors – the Agoji – who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with a fierceness and…

DANCE To What End Founded by the visionary artist William Kentridge, this performative event began life as an artistic incubator in Johannesburg, supporting a range of artists to follow their impulses, connections and revelations to create groundbreaking new works. These include a captivating all-female chorus, rhythmic dancers and personal, heartfelt soloists, all of whom use text, sound, music, movement and visuals in experimental ways to explore themes of social and political change in South Africa today. This is the first time this new programme will have been seen outside its home country. Runs from 6–9 October. barbican.org.uk BLKDOG Hip-hop at its finest, this emotionally charged performance explores how self-discovery can lead to self-destruction. How does one fight through our vices to find a sense of peace? Choreographer Botis Seva’s beautifully…

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the fair returns to London with 50 international exhibitors from across 21 countries (17 of which are from the African continent) – its largest to date. New and returning exhibitors will present the work of over 130 artists across mediums from painting and sculpture to mixed media and installation. Featured works include those by established artists, such as Ibrahim El-Salahi, Hassan Hajjaj, and Zanele Muholi, alongside young and emerging names to watch, including Sola Olulode, Pedro Neves, and Jewel Ham. This year, 14 new galleries will participate for the first time: Albertz Benda (New York, USA), Galleria Poggiali (Milan, Florence, Italy), Portas Vilaseca Galeria (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Selebe Yoon (Dakar, Senegal), among them. The fair’s multi-disciplinary programme includes talks,…

A In the heart of Japan’s largest cities there are many places where a man’s fantasy of having a date with a schoolgirl can become a reality. In fact, the fetishisation of Japanese schoolgirls is so ingrained in the country’s culture that it has become the norm. In Akihabara, Tokyo's favourite neighbourhood for manga lovers, it’s easy to spot teenagers among the crowds, holding up signs advertising services offered in establishments in which young girls – the more innocent and pure-looking the better – are marketed as if they were consumer items. Such places, known as JK businesses (JK standing for ‘joshi kosei' – referring to female high-school students), claim all that’s on offer are social activities, or that they employ adult women dressed in a young-girl aesthetic, but no…

BEAUTY KOL Cosmetics An independent online makeup brand that offers both mineral powders andluxury 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 EVENTS ABFF Global The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) international screening series returns to the UK, running from September 16-18. The annual event dedicated to empowering Black artists and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Featuring screenings, panel discussions and networking with London-based content creatives, held at the British Film Institute (BFI) and other venues around London during the 5th annual…