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When I first saw Imany, I thought: ‘What a beautiful woman!‘. Then when I first heard her sing, I said: ‘What a beautiful voice!‘. A former Ford model, Nadia Mladjao, also known as Imany, is now a successful folk/soul singer born in France (her parents are both from the Comoros islands). Don’t be fooled by her lovely face, Imany has a deep, dark haunting voice some people compare to the one of Tracy Chapman. Imany cannot leave you indifferent. Just listen to her first single ‘You Will Never Know’ (video below) and you will be hooked and want for more! Visit Imany’s website here. 

U.N. probes absences amid Sudan clashes. Since Northern Sudanese forces seized Abyei, many rightfully think northern and southern fighting over Abyei could reignite a full blown war in #Sudan. And we thought U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan would protect the people of Abyei from the attacks; apparently we were wrong. According to Reuters: ‘U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan stayed holed up in their barracks for two days during violent clashes between northern and southern forces that sparked the flight of tens of thousands of civilians, diplomats told Reuters‘. We can also read: ‘Diplomats described the peacekeepers’ failure to maintain a visible presence in Abyei during a period of heightened conflict — which they said is crucial for deterring attacks — in disparaging terms. One senior diplomat described their performance as “pathetic.” Another said it was “terrible” [...] “The Americans and Europeans don’t want to send their troops into the field, and yet…⇒ READ MORE

New Visual Evidence of Government of Sudan War Crimes in Abyei. Here we are, again. Al-Bashir is back, alive and kicking. Hard. Again. And unlike in #Darfur, this time we can have proof of what is happening right now, thanks to the Satellite Sentinel Project: ‘The Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) has released new visual evidence that the Government of Sudan has committed grave violations of the Geneva Conventions and other war crimes, some of which may also constitute crimes against humanity. The totality of evidence from satellites and ground sources points to state-sponsored ethnic cleansing of much of the contested Abyei region, says SSP. The evidence is being conveyed to the International Criminal Court and the UN Security Council.’ Many articles are being published about the situation in Abyei, so you can know exactly what is happening. I received many emails last week about #Sudan and I will post about…⇒ READ MORE

I love Jazz music. From bebop to jazz fusion, ragtime to free jazz, acid jazz to Afro-Cuban jazz. But also reggae, Gypsy and Klezmer music. I enjoy listening to any style of music as long as I find it entertaining, and French band Les Yeux Noirs definitely is. First time I heard of them was in 2002 when they released their album ‘Balamouk‘. If you listen to ‘Yiddishe Mame‘ (Jewish Mother) and ‘Rozinkhes‘ (Raisins) and if you appreciate Gypsy, Klezmer and Eastern European music then you will really love the songs of the album. The good news is Les Yeux Noirs just released their new album: ‘Tiganeasca‘ and it is as good as the previous ones. Again, Gypsy and Yiddish music with Russian and Eastern European melodies but for this album, new musicians joined the group: Julien Herné and Elise Blanchard on bass guitar, Dario Ivkovic on Serbian accordion, Vincent…⇒ READ MORE

It was the end of the 1980s and everything was going to change for me. We used to meet in the lobby of the building, the smooth floor was perfect for teenage boys (and some adventurous girls) to glide and moonwalk. They were also slipping and tripping, a boombox was jamming out hip hop music before we decide to go ‘look for a wall’. At this time, everything was new to me (music, fashion, dance, graffiti) but it was hard to find these novelties. Living in France, things were a little different than in the US: if you wanted a pair of Jordans, you could hardly find them here but we had a plan: the father of a boy from school was a pilot (Paris/New York/Paris flights) and once a week he brought back a pair or two of Jordans to his son. Which shoes were immediately sold to one…⇒ READ MORE