No le pegue a la negra - My long overdue post on Cartagena

Hola Amigos and Purveyors of this Blog,

I've been doing a whole lot of living and not enough writing over the past two months but I HAD to put up some pics from my beyond wonderful trip to Cartagena, Colombia in October. I went for my beau's birthday and could not have chosen a better location. We originally slotted ourselves for Barranquilla but correctly changed plans at the prodding of our fellow travelers to what is one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and amazing cities that I've ever been too.

Beautiful Brown Girls

90 Degrees! 

Disguising the Evil They Lost My Bags Face

Local Commerce

Cartagena had it all, it was my "sophistiratchet" self rolled up in a living breathing city. If it had a theme song it would have certainly been "No le pegue la negra" We stayed at a bed and breakfast called "Les Lezards" owned by a french fella named Marcus in the old city. Because of bday boy we were upgraded to the "Africa Suite" which probably was more exciting to me than my companion but anywho, it was beautiful. Not in the, I'm writing for my blog and it has to sound spectacular way, but in the OMG this is even better than the pics can I live here sort of way. Our place was right in the old city, where pretty much everything you want to see exists, had 4 stories, a rooftop, outdoor jacuzzi, and amazing staff who cooked breakfast every morning (note...arepas are not always your friend).

Rooftop View

All Sorts of Books Kama Sutra Too *covers eyes*

Jacuzzi Flow

Frances en Espanol?

Once we ventured out of the house, me in my same clothes due to an American Airlines party foul, we began to roam the area and check out the locals who were every beautiful shade of brown you can imagine. The cumbia, reggaeton, salsa, and hip-hop blasted from every open house as we walked down the street. The square near our place was anchored by a beautiful yellow church that was indeed functioning despite the full out barefoot soccer games taking place in front of it. We dined at the beautiful Casa de las Cervezas which is on the top of a former fort and had beautiful views of the bay. We were def paying for the view as the food and drinks left something to be desired.

View from Cafe de Las Cervezas

The Many Colors of a Cartagena Sunset

Pollo Tropical >>>>

Mangoes Everywhere!

Central Clocktower

Day 2 was DOPE, we went to El Bazurto Social Club which in name alone sounds fly. It didn't disappoint. The Afro-Colombian spirit was alive and well in this place and we danced the night away after eating a meal that I've been craving ever since, coconut rice, plantains, and chicken marinated in spices to die for.

Afro Colombian Homage

Me the Booski and E Badu?

La Comida!

Live Music, Please and Thank U

We opted for an adventure on Day 3, the actual birthday and decided to take a bus to the "mud volcano" about an hour outside of town. An experience is an understatement, between the bus breaking down, the strange men rubbing you down in mud, and the women in the river washing us down remarking that my mate was "delicioso" this was by far one of the top moments of the trip. If you do nothing else in Cartagena DO THIS.

The Post-Mud Volcano Struggle

Getting home was a piece of cake and we opted for a fancy dinner at La Vitrola, restaurant that I'm sure the cartel frequented in its heydey but awesome food nonetheless. It was in a more touristy part of town then our digs in "Get-Set-Amie" but picturesque nonetheless. Bouncing from fancy time we headed out for a night of revelrie by way of the Cartagena party bus "Las Chivas". You basically ride around with semi-obnoxious people (yourselves included if you're doing it right) drink nearly unlimited rum and coke with a makeshift cumbia band keeping your spirits high. You get dropped off in the end by another of Colombia's forts and the end of the night is yours. The rest of the evening was too hot for this blog but let's just say I spoke fluent Spanish "rachetese" by sunrise.

Our Unlikely Party Bus Starter

Wilmon w/ the Cuba Libre after the Chiva

Stumbled Upon the Masons

The Police Officer Loved NY So Much He Escorted Us To The Club

After our night of bday shenanigans we missed our boat trip to the beautiful beaches at Islas de Rosario so we decided to head to the Castillo Fort which we learned also doubled as the slave holding and receiving location. The gates and holding cells looked eerily similar to those I say in August in Equatorial Guinea and I def had an emotional moment there but it was a spectacular construct nonetheless. It was here that I learned that Colombian flags only come in size XXXL when on display lol.

Candid!

Columbian Flag XXXL

Holding Cell - Colonialism

We finally made it to the beach on our final day and it was indeed beautiful...however don't get duped on a psuedo snorkeling run. We thought we were going to get up close and personal with stingrays and coral reefs and ended up getting dumped into the middle of the ocean sans fins and swimming away from a blurry jellyfish. Definitely spend the time and money researching your beach excursion to make the most of it or better yet, let someone like Marcus do it.

There is plenty of street eats, restaurants and other haunts to check out most notably the mysterious Coco Loso's, all tostones, and some wonderful places to get a blow out. I would go back to Cartagena in a heartbeat. It was hands down one of the best trips of my life! Check out more snaps of the goodness below.

Ciao until next time.

Sasyrae

First Thoughts: A Journey With The Lights Off – Equatorial Guinea

Africa is many things. It’s a continent, it’s 54 nations, it’s oppression, it’s freedom, it’s rich, and it’s poor. It’s poorly governed nations, it’s a rising global powerhouse, it’s conservative, it’s liberal, it’s music, it’s silence, it’s in me and it’s not me - all at the same time.

It is this understanding that led me and a close friend of mine to bring a dynamic group of young professionals from the United States to the continent to experience it under an unlikely scenario. “The Afripolitans”, a final group of 80 artists,media moguls, scientists, technologists, strategists, fundraisers, and non-profiteers, went to the continent against a media onslaught, to define Africa for themselves, many for the very first time.

For me, this trip was about connecting people to our continent of origin in a way that we haven’t seen since the end of Apartheid. At its height, African-American engagement on the continent was very much focused on one common “oppressor”. Civil rights and the struggle for freedom was something we could all identify with. Since then we’ve seen a sputtering of interest in the continent that has pretty much dried up in the generation oft he “millenials”. Non-profit and plain form development people aside, the conversation on African Affairs has emerged to something most people don’t find tangible.  It involves rightfully complex issues, and situations which the everyday person can’t relate to.  Beyond this, the picture of Africa in most people’s minds remains a dated one, “raw” is how one person put it on Facebook.The beautiful skylines, the rich music, the burgeoning economies, the talented creatives,and the intellect are almost always missing from the conversation.

When I think about these characterizations, none of them reflect my experiences on the continent. I’ve toasted champagne with filmmakers in Nairobi, debated politics in Ethiopia over buna in a village, I’ve partied the night away in Sierra Leone, waking up the next day to talk about maternal health with a First Lady. This dynamic experience is not only my Africa but a reflection of me; A very real representation of a continent that I am very much connected to.

Some would argue that we shouldn’t have gone; others would focus so much on the political, ethical, and human rights record of our host country, Equatorial Guinea, that they would take the entire experience away.Others will smirk at the thought of African-Americans wanting to set foot on the “motherland” for a spiritual renewal and connection as a trivial thought and sentiment. I’m ok with all of that. Our experience, while not at all whatwe expected was everything this set of 20 and 30 something’s needed at this particular point in their lives. We strengthened this experience by moving beyond ourselves and including the children of African immigrants as those interested in community and it's reflection in African lives.

We came with the intent on participating in the Leon H.Sullivan Summit, delays, cancellations and other items forced us to design our own agenda. We made a pact among ourselves to harness our collective energy,make connections with local Equatoguineans by exploring Malabo beyond the conference center and hotel, and connect with our ancestors in some way before we left. I am proud and happy to say we did all three and came away with an overwhelming sense of pride in ourselves as a collective and an interest in looking strategically at our strengths to find out what we had to offer the continent and what it had to offer us. Being able to simplify, and engage at this level will help us build support, interest, and engagement on the continent that is left out of the twitter debates and headlines.

If I learned nothing else from my week in Equatorial Guinea, I learned who I am and who I am not in the space of people concerned with the prosperity of Africa and its diaspora across the globe. I also learned lots about spirituality, self-respect, rejection, disappointment, trust, and leadership. It was a transformational experience for me that in some ways was very personal and in others was very much a group exercise. I’m excited about what’s ahead for “The Afripolitans” and continuing this organic journey on our own terms.  I’ll go into specific details on different aspects of the trip throughout the week - in the meantime check out the pics of some of our Afripolitans on the journey over.

As always….ciao!

Sasyrae

 

Shades of Gray: Why we must learn to thrive in ambiguity

As humans we tend to strive for goals that are concrete, we plan, work, learn, produce all for outcomes that we've defined and have pre-determined. That works well, keeps us going and helps us feel productive and progressive in the process. But what happens when things go awry? When the job you've busted your ass at decides to do a mass layoff or the guy you've been sucking face with for 6 months decides he's just not into you. We panic. We leave ourselves in suspended shock for a time (length depending on your personhood) wondering what happens next. How to we adjust and bounce back after things don't go according to plan.

If this happens enough in your life, you begin to become risk averse. I've become this way and only noticed it in the context of my interest in a certain gentleman in my life. Worried about the surprise I might get if I coast in the gray area, I took extreme steps to be black or white to the detriment of this budding relationship. In my quest to define, I actually unravelled something that probably would've worked out on its own.

So what do we do? There's merit in definition. It is useful for making sure you're on the same page and helps you weed things out. In the professional space it guides us and helps us make the decisions necessary to reach our dreams. However - we must also learn to understand and encourage the merits of gray. The space of the unknown which governs our universe more than order. If you can find comfort in that space you've done a pretty good job, if you flourish in that space you've achieved constant peace in your life that is unaltered by the situations around you allowing you to draw in things without the complications and pressures of establishing certainty. As a person who is least comfy in this space, I get that this is a pretty high target for one's own being but as a person ready for the next level I understand that achieving this is probably the most laudable goal I can strive to attain.

Check out these shots from my recent travels in India, Turkey, and London. I've decided to appreciate their beauty here in gray;)

Ciao!