Creativity and Intrusion in Second Life--Tamsin Barzane

How can Second Life remain a source of creativity, friendship and development without making you flinch every time the IM bell rings? Because it can do both--otherwise there would be no "no drama zone" signs and some residents wouldn't feel the need to hide by unclicking their radio buttons. But I'm not really talking about the occasional pests who rant or insult--though they warrant an examination! I'm talking about obligations from people you like.

I don't want anyone to wince on my account. I started a writing group, Egbe Akowe, last summer, and we have thirty-plus members, though only ever had a core of five regular attendees for a weekly meeting. We were faithful and regular for a while, but rl would come up (or festival planning), and we've missed a few meetings. I'm not up to date myself! And when I find myself thinking, "Damn! It's Tuesday night and we're supposed to meet!" it's time to regroup!

It's not a matter of interest--I think we've all enjoyed the opportunity to nudge ourselves back into creating, and to share the results (surprisingly good!) with each other. The meetings have been lots of fun as well, building camaraderie, and providing useful suggestions.

The problem has been finding time and not feeling guilty if we haven't written. So I'm going to change the direction of our writing group so it remains fun and productive for all of us. It will now have more of a workshop feel--no prep at all, just drop in! We had a great round robin storytelling session once; we may do that again, but we are going to do timed exercises right then and there that we can share. Short things. I've dusted off my writer's group books and am ready!

So do join us--no guilt, plenty of fun and kickstarts to creativity. We will begin next Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6 pm slt at the library/bookstore, Slate, Stick & Scroll.

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Visit it at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Robben%20Island/123/191/21

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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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Our readership keeps growing! This week it's 1600. Take advantage of our low rates and readers who love quality merchandise, and advertise with us.All ad payments are in-world and in lindens. Ads for the coming week should be submitted by noon SLT Saturday (in a pinch, we'll take them later).Single ad, no photo, one week. maximum 5 Blogger lines: 50LSingle ad, photo, one week. Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 100LSingle ad recurring, no photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 175LSingle ad recurring, photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines: 325LSingle ad changing week-to-week, no photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines. 180LSingle ad changing week-to-week, photo, one month (4 issues). Text maximum 5 Blogger lines. 425LIf 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

UNDER THE MANGO TREE--Tamsin Barzane

When Saminaka was born in 2008, I built (with the help and advice of the kind and skilled Readly Oh) a small Nupe compound. It was my first foray into the construction business, and I had Readly show me how to create a round house with a Nupe style door and window opening. Then I was ready for bigger fish! I made an old-style Nupe palace katamba, the grand round entrance building with support posts. By rights, it should have had opposing tall doorways for the entrance and egress of chiefs on horseback, but I was already struggling with megaprims, Tokoroten and sculpted posts, and a temp rezzer that would allow me to pack 50 plus prims into one box.

The Nupekwo compound had three or four houses that stood empty for a while, but the delightful Cymindra moved in, and since then the tenancy has changed very little. Recently several others have chosen to move it, so I added a few buildings. I like my six tenants tremendously, and am proud they've chosen to like in Saminaka, even though they don't actually spend much time in their cramped quarters.

Contemplating them made me think of the nature of "home" in Second Life, and our curious human impulses. I have an SL home, and acquired the land within a month or two of signing up. I fell in love with the terrain, and the fact it was part of a five-sim package, much of it open water. I knew my two neighbors, and made two other local friends.

The plot is an odd shape--very difficult for most houses. I kept trying to squeeze and rotate, never thinking of asking the estate manager to manipulate the shoreline! My first domicile was much to big to decorate within the prim limits, so it always looked empty. I was about to buy one of Barnesworth Annubis' Moroccan homes just when my friend Chan tired of hers, so she dropped it onto my land. It was perfect--until I messed up its open/close Moorish windows and somehow locked all the doors--and because it wasn't mine, not much I could do! But I managed it.

I recently decided to try to build more, and am trying out a modified structure from Mali as my house. It's unfinished, and still unfurnished--a measure of how little I use this "home." Yet I don't want to get rid of it, even though there's less open water, and no longer an unimpeded view. Why? I'm not slexing it up between the sheets, or throwing fabulous parties. It IS nice not to change clothes at the bottom of the ocean, but that's not it either.

And I've been tempted. I bought it before land became virtually free except for the tier, and know I'd never get its costs back. Still, it is a kind of base, and I've grown affectionate towards it. It's "my place" and it's in an idyllic environment. And as I turn the heat on for the season and look out at the unpulled weeds on a vacant lot, or a building that needs to be pulled down, the idyllic home holds a beacon of warmth and welcome.

So maybe that's what the tenants feel, too. I pledge to create fun activities and make their environment full of beauty, because I feel pleasure when I see their little lights on the mini-map. I want them to know that Saminaka will remain interesting, refreshing and stimulating, while winters may roar around them, or their own living room turn into a maelstorm. Welcome home!

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FROM THE SUITCASE--Oliha Yiwama

Jammin' with Spirit

Wow! Saminaka had a great African festival last week--masquerades, music, drums, dance, cultural attire and talks. We had a record participation from our guests as well. I want to congratulate the new members of the African Mystics for embarking on their spiritual journey. Last but certainly not least, I'd like to congratulate and thank Tamsin for allowing all of this to take place. Go Tamsin! I gave a talk on African music and spirituality during the festival and launched the African Mystics group. The wonders and complexity of Nigeria are evident. Each one of the above activities has a major role in African mysticism.

In African mysticism, especially in Nigeria, inter-connectivity between various components of personal and communal expression is quite common. Some of the masquerade performers in the festival represented ancestral spirits and concepts that involve music, dance, and symbolic representation of moral codes. Others involved music, dance, and festivities.

The music and dance take the visual and audible realms to such an ecstatic level that the spiritual realm merges with the physical. As the masquerades danced and moved about Saminaka to the tunes of African music--traditional to modern--the energy vibes rose and corresponded with the vibrational level of participation of our guests. In short, it took us to a realm that was a mix of physical excitement and spiritual joy.

After the talk on African music, there was an impromptu drum jam. There were several drummers, and dancers took part as well. Many were dressed in African attire, but all were jamming to the sounds of Africa. We had djembe, xylophone, conga, horns, and other drums that played the beats specific to those instruments. The dancers floated freely on the dance floor, adding to the ephemeral experience. The dancers attenuated the drum beats, wiggling and jiggling to the melodic polyrhythms. The rhythms were often hypnotic, placing the drummer and dancer in a euphoric state and bond. There was no standing around or just watching the other avatars there--that kind of experience requires direct participation.

Later that night, DJs took over the course of the music. The DJs that spinned the jams at the festival were awesome! They played a mix of music that also brought out the spirit that resides in us. The dance area was full; the music, as well as the vibes, lifted everyone’s spirit. All the avatars looked like kings and queens in their traditional African attire. But it was also more than the attire that brought out the beauty. It was the spirit from the festival experience. The spirit evolved from the combination of drum, dance, masquerade, music and cultural attire. A communal spiritual participation. The spirit moves us to commune with the divine when all the ingredients are there!

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*{Kiko Life}* HUGE BOGO Sale on Makeups 021 through 50, & Mens! - We couldn't resist doing it. We're announcing a delicious BOGO sale on makeups 21 - 50 and all our Mens skins! And First Release Makeups 01 - 20 are STILL 40% off. When you make your purchase, we will send you a voucher you can use to redeem product from any skin vendor in our store. If you buy two skins you get two vouchers. If you buy four skins, four vouchers. The vouchers are sent out after your purchase has been confirmed. Random purchasers will get doubled up vouchers. Yes! During the course of the BOGO sale, if you purchase three, four or more skins, you might one of the lovely Kiko Life shoppers who gets a random fatpack card! PLUS your vouchers! So have fun deciding which makeups you want and in which tones... chances are your Ls are going to stretch verrrrry far. Only at the main store: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kiko%20Life/209/108/1505

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AkieM's has a wide selection of abstracts, contemporary, and black art, also original sculptures by Blac Quartz. Custom framing and matting can be done upon request.
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HAWKING IN THE MARKET--SAMINAKA COMMERCIAL NEWS

***Market Stalls: The temporary Festival Market stalls were a big hit with visitors, and several of the vendors mentioned how pleased they were with their sales. Saminaka will be developing its Anioma sector with Igbo buildings soon, and we've relocated a small open market at the site. Solylence Houston has an African clothing stall, Feretian String a tarot tent, and Fanda Ryba sells drums and other items to support real life Ugandan orphans. We welcome other vendors with a zest for things African! 25 prims for 150 a week--contact Tamsin Barzane

***cacao Main Store: The main store for cacao will now be developing quickly, since the building is up and the Festival is behind us. This means that Cinnamon Brigade will be phased out, its inventory updated and folded into the new cacao--which means an expansion for Seven Cowries! It's a shuffle all round--some of the stock of African Art at Pangolin Dreams (on Robben Island) will move to Saminaka, as Pangolin Dreams narrows its specialties. Likewise, Tropicality clothing and shoes will in part move to cacao (with updates!) as Tropicality shifts its focus exclusively to beach and resort wear with African flair. Tamsin has been designing like mad--the grand opening will be later this month.

***Kiko Life! Kiko is having a huge sale at her main store--MEN'S SKINS AS WELL AS LADIES! See her ad above; this is your chance to stock up on beautiful skins, as well as support a Saminaka merchant (we want her to produce some ethnic marks and cosmetic scarifications in future, so encourage a sista!)

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WETIN BE DAT? Pidgin English phrase of the week

"You be amebo. Why you go tell my mama I de drink kai-kai? She wan scatter my head!"

"You're a busybody. Why did you tell my mother I was drinking local gin? She was really angry!"

MY PEOPLE SAY--NIGERIAN PROVERB OF THE WEEK

"The fisherman does not set his trap once." Ijo people

Persevere for success!

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This is a preview of an item that will soon be available at cacao! We are gearing up with new African traditional and contemporary styles for men and women, preparing for the grand opening of our new main store on Saminaka later this month! For now, see the Hausa-style building and a few items--much more to come! See it at:

Go

THIS WEEK IN SAMINAKA--Oct. 13-20

Oct. 17, 11 am to 1 pm SLT--not on Saminaka, but a friend to Saminaka! AkieM Artistic Abstracts & Sculpture's would like to present "Living In Vivid Hues" a spectacular artshow showcasing the works of Blac Quartz. The artwork displayed will range from Ethnic to Erotic. Show will be held at Club Hypnotic. Dress is casual, music will be provided by DJ Hush Law. Come Live Your Life In Vivid Hues. http://slurl.com/secondlife/CidadeDoMedo/63/117/3002

Ongoing, extended until Oct. 31. Saminaka's great Cantaloupe Treasure Hunt allows you to wear a new calabash on your head, this time loading it with half cantaloupes as you search through the sim for 20 of the fruits. They're all hidden near Nigerian plants, and pile up in your calabash as you find them. All located? Go back to base and touch the giant cantaloupe for a grand prize. All prizes transfer. Any that are gender-specific include both a male and female version. All prizes unique to the hunt, comprising clothing, furniture, art and other goods with an African plant theme. The starting point can be reached from teleporter via Saminaka's infohub tent, or at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Saminaka/93/66/30

Ongoing indefinitely. Saminaka has a new exhibit about Nigerian plants. This slideshow features information and images of over fifty trees, plants and flowers, native and naturalized. Some of the information is surprising (Nigeria is the third largest supplier of peanuts in the world--outranks U.S.!), some is interesting (Nigerian henna use does not involve elaborate patterning). Enjoy finding out a rubber tree doesn't look at all exotic, soak up some beauty, and get some hints for the treasure hunt above! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Saminaka/96/65/30

Ongoing indefinitely. Saminaka's MIDDLE PASSAGE EXPERIENCE is up again, in an even more realistic environment! Treet.TV kindly hosted it for months, but London's Kingston University has now generously provided space for a permanent exhibition of the African side of the transatlantic slave trade. It isn't roleplay, but it does allow you to try on the lives of ten individuals from different eras and parts of Africa who were seized and taken to the U.S. See it here (and take the teleporter if you land at the university's hub):Ongoing, extended until Oct. 31.