African Art Thoughts

As some of you know, I teach African art in RL, with the occasional informal talk in SL and two galleries, Seven Cowries on Saminaka and Pangolin Dreams on Robben Island. I'm not the only seller of African art, by any means, but I think I have the best "stock" of pieces, since I gather them not just from the Internet but from the best of rl collections. But my mission is not the lindens my shop makes--good thing, since I don't think I've made even $15 from them in two years! My goal is to winkle out lovers of African art and subversively give them information, or entrance those unfamiliar with these beautiful objects, and inspire a desire to see them in person or find out more. When I run into people who love them, it leads to loads of great conversations (for me, anyway).

This week I lassoed Bitsy Buccaneer, because she is an avid friend of Saminaka and a lover of African art. (She's also a great tp-er of folks with the the right letters for lucky chairs, but that's another story). Bitsy's interest in African art began at college with an African religion course. She identifies herself as "a suburban white girl who paid attention," but it's plain to see she is a professor's dream: a student who allows the material to enrich their life.

Today there was a TV news story about a graduate who hadn't found a job, and planned to sue her university for the return of $70,000 of tuition money. That's my horror, that students see universities as some kind of advanced vocational ed, rather than a transformative experience that makes life more interesting and worthwhile--and might get you a job to boot. Awww, don't blame me--I'm an academic who went straight through school, so my ivory tower is firm and tall!

Anyway, Bitsy wasn't a student yesterday, but the material stuck with her. I asked if she had a favorite piece or a favorite region, and "Songye and Luba art from the Democratic Republic of Congo" came flowing from her typing fingers without a pause. She goes to exhibitions whenever possible, and claims, "Every week I was dragging another person in to visit my friends." The different abstractions of facial features on her different "friends" particularly intrigues her, and fixes them in her mind. She loves the owl-like features of an Ngbaka slit drum, and the quiet power that emanates from the sculpture of a Hemba diviner's wife.

SL is great for sharing your passions--someone shares them, and sometimes a whole lot of someones. I'm glad it enabled me to meet Bitsy and lots of other Africanists, personal and professional.

--Tamsin Barzane

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by Feretian String

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Tarot is a tool for self discovery, helping us to acknowledge the power of choice in our lives and the self awareness that is neccessary to realizing our dreams and confronting our fears. The Tarot reveals what we already know deep down in our subconscious and spreads that knowledge onto our surface awareness.

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UNDER THE MANGO TREE--Tamsin Barzane

I'm hoping my university will get me a sim so my students and I can work together on exciting projects without prim worries--it won't have any effect on Saminaka, and I will issue you all an invitation for any interesting things we do in future. It would provide a permanent home for The Middle Passage Experience, and a hoped-for expansion of the Experience as well. Oooooh, the thought of landscaping without prim concerns is very exciting!

But my Fall seminar with the students will involve virtual worlds in general, so it seems necessary to explore other ones as well. Interesting scholars on SL are helping me feel my way around these complicated new arenas, and have been telling me about open-sourced sims accessed through Second Life alternative viewers. There are several, and I'm going to take my closest looks at New World Grid, a French construction (http://www.newworldgrid.com/) and OpenSource Grid out of California (http://www.osgrid.org/). Apparently you can move between some of these grids, and there's even a 30 Euro program that will back up your SL inventory, making it accessible (though, for full perm items, not necessarily legal) in these other worlds.

I'm going to report more on this after a tour, but let me give you a little preview. Neither is as professional as SL--New World's registration website had several non-working links, making it a little tricky to get inworld. OS Grid was equally problematic at first--it used the same external viewer as New World, and, not being as savvy as some, even a second download continued to open New World for me, not OS Grid.

Why bother exploring either? They look much like SL, but supposedly have less of an economy--and land ownership can come via the astounding number of 45,000 prims per sim! In some cases (no, I don't know the details or which of the grids this applies to), if you have your own server, you have free land--you are your own Lindens, in a way (it takes, according to advisor Khoisan Fisher--interview with him next week and more on these matters--a computer with a 2 gig processor and 1 gig RAM can do the job).

I decided to remain Tamsin Barzane in the New World--I didn't even check to see if I could use my own RL name--a curious psychological displacement, I suppose! The new basic Tamsin was an embarrassment, with her crewcut and herky-jerky walk.

It was strange to get on, pick up some freebies, and feel very much the noob--I didn't know where to drop and open them. Why? The search interface directed me to SL spots, but when I clicked them for a tp, they told me those SL locations no longer existed--a glitch, certainly, for one was Saminaka! I haven't explored much yet, but my first map foray let me to Tropical Paradise, where a quarter region granted the owner 2000 prims at 10? a month. That ? is not a typo, but the character that appeared--presumably euros, but I'm not sure.

There is a virtual Venice, because I saw it in this Flickr photo by Olish Newman (Newman is this world's surname counterpart of the Lindens, the world's administrators).

Both NWG and OSG are considerably smaller than SL, which limits social interactions--at least so far. But if you have a school or some other project, it might be just perfect. Both call for over-18 year old participation, and low numbers: New World has only 3623 users, and 228 regions--just over 500 are on right now. Its blog began February 2008, when this opensourced world went online. It will be interesting to see how it differs from SL--I was interested to see that several persons of color were among the default avatars (though no Asians seem to be defaults, here or in SL--odd indeed).

Khoisan tells me the OS Grid has about 2500 regions, but neither comes close to SL's over a million users, alts or not.New World seems to survive on charity; UPLOADS ARE ALL FREE! For creators, this is enticing, but SL is also about appreciating the work of others, and their personalities. I haven't run into anyone on New World yet--though my first weeks on SL were much like that, too! I look forward to tours from Khoisan, and if any of you have used these or any of the other grids, please let me know your observations and thoughts.

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OCHL ENTERPRISES

Read the blog at http://www.fatimaochl.net/, get an introductory copy of OCHL's GUIDE TO MUSIC AND DANCE IN SL at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Deminis/133/206/30

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With immense pleasure we have opened the Kiko Life sim to the general public. Our gorgeous new city, with well laid out streets, pocket parks tucked away in corners, and the stunning density of diasporic designers, offering some of the finest shopping for ethnic avatars in Second Life. This not your typical 'urban' mall. Looking for elegance, class and quality? Walk through the sim! A pleasure to the senses and eye, you won't regret your stroll.

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Ads! We have an initial special offer for you, whether you are shopkeepers or classified customers! Remember you can advertise your shop, feature an item, or try to sell a transferable item. If your ad has a photo, it costs more. There are discounts for extended runs of the same ad, and lesser discounts if you have constant ads, but they vary from week to week. YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS VENUE TO ADVERTISE RL OBJECTS AND SERVICES; LIST YOUR EBAY OR OTHER SITE AND REACH OUR CUSTOMERS (Tamsin Barzane will never reveal your rl identity to readers). All ad payments are in-world and in lindens. Ads for the coming week should be submitted by noon SLT Sunday.

Single ad, no photo, one week. maximum 5 Blogger lines: 50L
Single ad, photo, one week. Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 100L
Single ad recurring, no photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 175L
Single ad recurring, photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 325L
Single ad changing week-to-week, no photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines. 180L
Single ad changing week-to-week, photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines. 425L

If you want longer text, more than one photo, or a longer ad run, prices will be adjusted. Contact Tamsin Barzane through inworld notecard or at tbarzane@gmail.com

These are introductory prices--no telling if they'll last more than a month! Get em while you can! This is our NINTH ISSUE, and we're up to 667 readers! That's more than a hundred since last week--a big jump, and our readers come from all over the world. WE GROW DAILY!!

FROM THE SUITCASE--Oliha Yiwama

Well, Oliha hasn't been to the cybercafe this week, and now the phones are acting funny, too. So it's me, Tamsin, writing this week, based on a conversation he and I had. I'd been making recommendations about eating out in Benin City, and had strongly urged him to go to Saidi Centre Hotel when he wanted a change from delicious Nigerian food. While I enjoyed their Spaghetti Bolognese, my real favorite was their spring rolls with chile sauce for dipping. I'd often pop in and have five as a meal, with a delicious cold Star to cool my mouth.

So I kept asking Oliha, "Have you had the spring rolls yet?" Finally he stopped at Saidi, only to tell me that the restaurant no longer operated. I was shocked! New hotels and restaurants were opening all over Benin, but Saidi (Lebonese-run) was a standard, right in the heart of town! I couldn't imagine what made Mr. Saidi close it, and Oliha of course didn't have answers to that. But a clerk told him a new Chinese restaurant had opened in GRA, the fancy neighborhood.

He delighted in telling me he didn't like it at all, and the spring rolls were horrible! Well! I couldn't hold brief for this restaurant, which wasn't there last time I was in town, and wondered if it even had a Chinese or a Chinese-trained cook. But I will hold forth on the general excellence of Chinese food in Nigeria.

When I lived in Jos, we had no Chinese restaurant, and foreign food eating spots were rare. I initially lived across the street from the best in town, a Lebonese spot where salad was Miltonized and delicious, and I learned to love hummus. Hill Station and a few other hotels had Western dishes, and Mr. Biggs, the fast food joint, had just opened. But when I traveled out of town, I zoomed for the Chinese restaurants in Kaduna (Arewa) and Kano. They were favorite spots for wealthy Nigerians, since rice was the base, and they were elegant spots with starched tablecloths and atmosphere. While the waiters were Nigerian, the cook was always Chinese, and he and his family could sometimes be spotted having their own dinner in the corner. I always wondered about them--at that time they were basically the only Chinese in town, and I'd try and fathom how they got to Kaduna or Kano, who they talked to, what their plans were? But no answers.

Still, the food was delicious, and usually Szechuan--perhaps because of a shared love for hot pepper. Kung pao chicken--my oh my! And spring rolls.....oh, it spoiled me! I won't even eat a spring roll in the U.S.--I disdain them after delicious crunchy packets of finely grated cabbage, onion, and (NO MUSHROOMS!) other delicacies.

There are lots of Chinese in different parts of Nigeria now, with projects ranging from oil to agriculture. The Chevron market in Lagos started selling a range of Chinese vegetables, a useful collaboration between homesick Chinese who brought seeds and farmers who knew what they could charge top naira for! There'd always been a number of Chinese restaurants in Lagos, which has a real range of dining options, and they just multiplied. Whether all their kitchens were headed by Asians or not, I've never discovered, though the Marco Polo has chefs both Chinese and Nigerian, and a mouth-watering website at http://www.marcopolo.com.ng/13.html.

When hunting for photos for this post, I ran into some reviews of Lagos restaurants by the Chinese, which I thought was interesting. One man said the Marco Polo had great ambience and the food was up to the standard of any restaurant back home in China. Another said his dad, hard to please and a chef himself, loved Chopstick in Ikeja, where the chef experimented with local ingredients when he couldn't source necessities. I loved Golden Gate, and Saipan and many others....mmmmmm.

And even Warri, which--despite all the oil workers--had a dearth of foreign eating spots when I was there in the 90s, had a great Chinese spot--Jade Garden. When I think of all the delicious spring rolls and other treats to be had in Abuja or Ibadan or half a dozen other cities, I feel like marching Oliha from spot to spot until he admits, stuffed, that Chinese restaurants in Nigeria are better than almost any in the U.S. But at the same time I ask mournfully, "Mr. Saidi, why? Nothing beat the spring rolls at your place."

--Tamsin Barzane

HAWKING IN THE MARKET--SAMINAKA COMMERCIAL NEWS

***Preoccupied with her new boutique cacao, Tamsin hasn't done much in the Saminaka market--tsk, tsk. It must be time for a sale! Look for one later this week at Cinnamon Brigade--because there are soon going to be some new clothes and reworked details on these!!!

***New book coming late this week at Slate, Scroll & Stick--Olaudah Equiano's brief history. This remarkable Igbo man traveled much of the globe after being enslaved as a child and buying his own freedom--and his life as writer, speaker and abolitionist was a runaway success in the late 18th c.

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Detailed bodice with interesting horizontal and vertical strapped back, its asymmetrical flexiskirt is made from Yoruba asooke, handwoven cotton cloth dyed with indigo. Get it at cacao:

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WETIN BE DAT? Pidgin English phrase of the week

Dat babe too dey shakara!

That girl shows off too much/thinks she's superior

MY PEOPLE SAY--NIGERIAN PROVERB OF THE WEEK

"Money for hand, back for ground." Nigerian English

i.e., like a prostitute, one will do things only after certain assurances are complete.

THIS WEEK IN SAMINAKA--August 3 to 9

Tues., Aug. 4, 6 pm SLT. Weekly meeting of Egbe Akowe Writers Group at the new Slates, Scrolls & Sticks, Saminaka's library cum bookstore. Join the group and receive its missives by hitting the Subscribe-o-Matic (doesn't add to group count) at the meeting location. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Saminaka/174/194/30 or the Manatee Lookout Palm Wine Joint on Tarkwa Beach. Critique/sharing the first hour, then writing fun afterwards for the lingerers--if we get that far! The discussions have been preoccupying us. We have great meetings--come even if you haven't written this week and join the discussion and in-place exercises!


Sunday, Aug. 9; 3-5 slt. The REAL Grand Opening of Tamsin's new boutique on Kiko Life sim--Aug. 2 was just a preview. Hear fantastic DJ HarleyMC Homewood spin African popular music -- a fantastic mix of Afrobeat, highlife, hiphop, Congo music, remixes--not to be missed! The preview was an absolute joy! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kiko%20Life/234/114/1506

Ongoing for 1 more weeks--BUT it looks as if it will find a permanent home elsewhere afterwards. The Middle Passage Experience has been relocated outside Treet.TV's studios. With more prims, it is more powerful than ever! Foliage surrounds the paths you take from freedom to slavery, and evocative sounds reinforce the move from everyday contentment to horror. Make history come alive! At http://slurl.com/secondlife/Northpoint/71/68/23