Africa On My Mind...and On the Newsstands

I was in New York City today. Brooklyn actually. Getting my taxes done. Yes, I schlep to my old 'hood every year to get my taxes done at this little mom & pop shop. I'm loyal that way and a little superstitious.

So, before dashing back to Philly, I stopped at the Park Slope Barnes and Noble for a quick perusal of the magazine racks. Lately, for both professional and personal reasons, Africa has been on my mind so I almost cried when I noticed this over-sized glossy magazine called Arise. The tag line read, "Africa's Global Style & Culture Magazine..." With cover stories on natural hair, a profile on the president of Guinea-Bissau and the hottest (African) stars of 2010, I didn't think twice about buying it. For only $4.99 -- the same price of most American based glossies -- how could I not?

Needless to say, I tried to read the whole, beautiful issue on the bus ride back to Philly. I'm not done yet, but I'm loving it. There was a small story in the front of the magazine about a Facebook fan page that I think sums up the mission of Arise. The story begins, "The Western media's one-dimensional, often grim portrayal of Africa has inspired a Facebook group to offer a different, more celebratory view. Called The Africa They Never Show You, the group aims to show the real Africa, not the cliche."

By the way, Arise won the Launch of the Year Award at the APA International Publishing Awards, so it's not just me who thinks this is a brilliant book. If you can, get your hands on a copy. You won't be disappointed. Of course, maybe you've all seen this magazine before. Let me know if you have. What do you think about it? Do you think it will last?

Peace!