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It is estimated that over 1 billion viewers world wide tuned in to watch London's Olympic opening ceremony.
With last Fridays performance nothing short from spectacular, Britain's history was played out whimsically, starting with its rural days, to the industrial revelation to present day.

I must admit I was both shocked and pleased to see that Windrush was acknowledge in Britain's history (this was when Britain experienced a mass immigration from the Caribbean's during the 50's) and will also admit that I found some enjoyment watching the ceremony. The performance seemed 'multicultural' enough for me to not have much to complain about though there were parts of the performance that didn't quite sit well with me. Like the fact that, while the performance acknowledged Black people in Britain, why wasn't the presence and contributions of the countries Chinese, Indian or Turkish communities acknowledged?   

I also found it unsettling that the moder…

On a recent trip to Germany, I was watching the local TV one morning, when I can across a programme teaching English with the help of a black faced Arab - I was super shocked!

To be fair the programme looked dated, though it is inexcusable that it should still be shown on TV!

Tut tut!

On my way home from a recent night out, I spotted this mindless sexist ad for Phones 4 U on the underground. Capturing it on my phone I tweeted this nonsense ad (see tweet below), though interestingly some of my male and female friends couldn't see the ad's sexist connotations.

I'm not going to say that as a woman I was deeply offended by the ad because I wasn't, but it is senseless and unnecessary sexist and for this I feel the need to call it out. Clearly we are all too used to being feed 'above the belt' sexist imagery in mainstream culture that we have built up a tolerance for it.

For those that don't see why the ad is sexist, the ad implies that it is part of womanhood to wear matching underwear. And that the girl in the ad, who defies this rule should essentially be ostracized for it, though Phone 4 U are still willing to accept her for an upgrade on her phone!

I did say the ad was senseless, though while it may seem that I'm 'reading into …

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This is not the first time Topman has been flagged up for its inappropriate tees, last September they were found selling sexist slogan tees, now its seems they are the newest fashion establishment jumping on the 'slave chic' bandwagon!

While I have yet to see the tee up close, Topman are currently selling a t-shirt with an all over print of the old colonial world map which includes the words “Nigritia” meaning “Negroland” and with the south of the continent referred to as “slave labor”. Well this is what The Voice newspaper are saying in their article published today entitled: The big business of clueless racism.
I was able to find the said offensive tee on Topman's website, but the print's too detailed for me to spot the wording on screen so will need to witness this abomination for myself, up close.

I know what you’re thinking; how the hell does things like this slip the net? Well I work within the fashion industry and I still can't work it out. Usuall…

The older I get the more I come to realise that my country of birth is REALLY racist, while of course this is a very saddening realisation to have to come to, it doesn't particularly surprise me.

According to reports British singer Lily Allen has reported a solider for racism abuse sent to her via Twitter. And rightly so, the tweet sent to Allen by Twitter user Harry Wilson said:
"Just seen you bought s*** I mean adopted a child from Africa." Apparently commenting on the resent speculation that Allen has adopted a black baby, the comment is totally offensive and add completely uncalled for. Though the thing that gets me most isn't the comment itself but the huge wave of abuse Allen is receiving in support for this racist tweeter.

Following the star on Twitter I was alerted of the situation from her recent retweets from people condemning Allen for reporting a 'national hero'. He blood well ain't my hero!!
It’s disgusting, I don't care what job thi…

How Slavery 'Made The Black Man Fast'!

I already watch very little TV, in an attempt to spare myself getting annoyed and disappointed. So you can imagine my annoyance when watching, what I thought might be interesting TV, Channel 4's Michael Johnson Survival of the Fastest. Really I should have known from the title that the programme was going to be either a hit or miss - it was a big miss!

Shown on Thursday, the programme saw American sprinter Michael Johnson journey to Jamaica in the pursuit to find out why our top male sprinters are black and of slave descent. I could only commit to watching the programme loosely as its argument was weak, the direction poor and its conclusion a load of rubbish. The programme focused on the ol' theory that black people from the Caribbean and America are faster runners because of the conditions of slavery. Because of this the programme limited itself to athletes of American and Caribbean (Jamaican) descent.

While it may sound plausi…

If there could be any book(s) I could take credit for writing, these two books would be it!

Oliver James, a British psychologist and journalist, writes about the unhealthy culture our society perpetuates and its side effects in causing emotional distress, poor relationships and warped sense of identity.
In reading both books I felt a strange sense of relief in knowing I wasn't alone in my observations of the world around me, and the false pretences our current model of capitalism spoon feeds us.

James who coins the term Selfish Capitalism discusses in both books how the political policies and ideologies of Thatcherism and Reaganism has completely changed the ideals and culture of English speaking countries. Selfish Capitalism, which was implemented during the Thatcher and Reagan era has continued to be nurtured by later governments, promotes selfishness and greed over altruism, it also substitutes emotional wellbeing with the need to consume. All of which make the rich richer an…

In avoiding the UK's Jubilee celebrations last month, myself and two friends took a fun filled city break to the boldest city on the planet, New York. Being my first visit to the city I didn't have much expectations nor did I have any must see sights planned on arrival, though to my pleasant surprise, I found a whole lota (black) history and culture in the city, so much so that I really didn't wanna leave.

What I am now calling my second home, New York is ethnically diverse and has a rich history.  I visited all the usually tourist attractions such as the Empire State, Time Square, Madison Square Garden’s (which was closed) but my most memorial visit was without a doubt the African Burial Ground. Who would have guessed there was an African burial ground slap bang in the middle of Downtown Manhattan?! I didn't nor did any of my friends who where recommending me places to visit. In all my days of watching imported American TV shows, I have never once seen Carrie (from S…