Probably to coincide with New York Fashion Week, Vice released the Nigerian installment of its “Fashion International” series. It’s not bad considering how Vice usually treats Africa (reference: Congo, Liberia and Ghana) and it definitely captures some of the energy of Nigeria. But it can’t help itself. We’re barely a minute into Vice’s report (“looking for something beautiful behind the depressing headlines”) on Nigeria’s 2011 fashion week when we’re told Lagos is troubled by “civil unrest, religious tension and wide-spread corruption” that “have lead to calls for the resignation of long-standing president Goodluck Jonathan.” Pretty prescient. The first Nigerian to get some words in is the “fantastically named” fashion week’s organizer Lexy Mojo-Eyes “who looks like Don King”; next up are the fashion week’s female models (but it quickly gets too “naked”, so the reporter moves on to the male models), wondering why they love “to represent Africa.”

It gets better after the 5:00 mark, pitting general male vanity against the recently proposed self-righteous anti-gay bill and homophobic sentiments in local press. (We’ll ignore how the reporter slides from ‘traditional African beauty’ over ‘pure Nigerian beauty’ to back-stage ‘pure Nigerian chaos’ — do French fashion back-stages look anything less chaotic?)

It’s a decent document (and rare in its portraying of gay figures –albeit in a stereotypical fashion context– where Nigerian pastors and politicians would rather see them outlawed).

One question though: what is it about “being on a yacht under African skies” that makes journalists “lose control of [their] senses”?

Further Reading

Drip is temporary

The apparel brand Drip was meant to prove that South Africa’s townships could inspire global style. Instead, it revealed how easily black success stories are consumed and undone by the contradictions of neoliberal aspiration.

Energy for whom?

Behind the fanfare of the Africa Climate Summit, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline shows how neocolonial extraction still drives Africa’s energy future.

The sound of revolt

On his third album, Afro-Portuguese artist Scúru Fitchádu fuses ancestral wisdom with urban revolt, turning memory and militancy into a soundtrack for resistance.

O som da revolta

No seu terceiro álbum, o artista afro-português Scúru Fitchádu funde a sabedoria ancestral com a revolta urbana, transformando memória e militância em uma trilha sonora para a resistência.

Biya forever

As Cameroon nears its presidential elections, a disintegrated opposition paves the way for the world’s oldest leader to claim a fresh mandate.

From Cornell to conscience

Hounded out of the United States for his pro-Palestine activism, Momodou Taal insists that the struggle is global, drawing strength from Malcolm X, faith, and solidarity across borders.