Who will host the FIFA World Cup in 2018?

The Fifa World Cup 2018 hosting ballot will be on Thursday December 2nd. But after the latest revelations of corruption it's not clear if it will be a fair race.

Former international football star Ruud Gullit, who is the president of Holland and Belgium's joint bid, says in an interview (Dutch) in Football International today that the scandals create an advantage for the candidacy of the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Fifa World Cup race 2018 is between England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium.

I think Spain/Portugal will get the Prize.
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Video: Jayanti – “Girl from Mars” (Netherlands)

Jayanti, a new talented songstress on the block. She is from Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and she has the best of both Surinamese worlds, Hindu and Creole. The video was released in October and maybe this is the start of something new.



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Meet Lola Adesioye - Writer and speaker on personal development

Lola Adesioye has launched a new website - lolaadesioye.com. It's dedicated to personal empowerment and social change, with the motto Love Your Life, Change The World.

About herself she writes: "My life is dedicated to making a difference in the world and empowering people using new ways of thinking that creates new futures.

I am focussed on personal development for Generation Y and I am an inspirational speaker, socio-political commentator and writer, musician, entrepreneur and activist. And I am only 30!

My social and political writing – on topics from the US presidency, to politics in the UK and Nigeria, and the British music scene – has featured in a variety of major international publications from the UK newspaper The Guardian, The Economist, Washington Post’s TheRoot.com, CNN, BBC, BET, Channel 4, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, the award-winning international Arise Magazine.

I am a former deputy editor of NBC’s TheGrio.com, as well as a former contributing editor to AOL Black Voices."

Lola Adesioye is a first-generation British born daughter of African immigrants, and a Cambridge University graduate.

Read more about Lola Adesioye at http://lolaadesioye.com/
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Black people in The Netherlands – Meet the Surinamese

I will write a few post this week about the Surinamese community in the Netherlands because Suriname will celebrate 35 years of Independence on November 25.

But before I write about the community in the Netherlands (or Holland) I will give you a small introduction to the country and the people of Suriname.

Suriname is the smallest independent country of South America and one of the most cultural divers nations in South America and the Caribbean. Although Suriname lies in South American it's cultural regarded as a Caribbean country.

The Surinam population in Surinam and in the Netherlands (about 700.000) consists of the following groups.
• Amerindians, the original inhabitants of Suriname
• The Surinamese Creoles or black community , the mixed descendants of West African slaves and Europeans (mostly Dutch) and other ethic groups in Suriname.
• Hindus or in Dutch Hindoestanen, the descendants of nineteenth-century contract workers from India
• The Javanese, descendants of contract workers from the former Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, Indonesia
• Surinamese Maroons, descendants of escaped West African slaves
• Chinese, mainly descendants of the earliest nineteenth-century contract workers
• Jews, mainly descendants of Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews
• Boeroes. derived from boer, the Dutch word for farmer , descendants of Dutch nineteenth-century immigrant farmers..
• Lebanese, people from the Middle East.
(source wikipedia)

The official language of Suriname is Dutch, but the local language is Sranan Tongo (Surinamese tongue), which is the Creole language of Suriname. Although other languages are spoken, everyone from the indigenous in the Amazon to the Chinese shopkeeper in the main Capital of Paramaribo speaks and understands Sranan Tongo.

But the cultural and political dominance of the Creoles is also the biggest controversy between the Creoles and Hindus, the two biggest ethnic groups. The Hindu community has a strong business focus, while the Creoles are very Government oriented. Another aspect is that in Suriname and in the Netherlands a Surinamese person is regarded as the Creole person, although the Creoles are now outnumbered by the Hindus. One of the reasons is perhaps that most celebrities, artist and athletes are of Creole origins.

But in spite of this controversy cultural tolerance is regarded one of the key elements of Surinamese culture, racial intolerance is the other one.

The ethnic controversy is also one of the reasons why there is such large population of Surinamese in the Netherlands. It’s almost just as big as in Surinam (350.000). Before and after the independence of Suriname in 1975 people feared an ethnic war between Creoles and the Hindus, a fear which was fuelled by both ethic groups. Although the “war” never occurred it did trigger a mass immigration to the Netherlands. The other reason was that many people didn’t believe the independence would work. But even before 1975 there was a large group of Surinamese in the Netherlands, mainly Creole students.

In The Netherlands you will find the Black Surinamese community in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Almere and the Hindu community in The Hague. But Hindus also live in Amsterdam.

To end, some videos about Suriname and about Surinamese culture.

Journey from the Netherlands to Suriname
This video is a journey from the Dutch Airport schiphol to the Surinam Airport Sanderij. He uses the "Fa Waka" which means "how are you. Waka" - Walk, that's why they used to call Sranan Tongo, Negro English. You will hear more English sounding words like "kondre" - Country

Suriname where culture meets nature
A tourist video about the Indigenous people and the Marroons of Suriname

Marroons and their struggle
Interesting video of the Marroons and their struggle. Someone wrote that the Surinamese Marroons have the best kept piece of Africa outside Africa. Because they escaped to the rainforest their culture has remained pure 18the Century African. I think that's why a few Ghanaian chiefs visited the Marroons in the rainforest in 1975 to formally apologise for their part in the slave trade. Also read an African-American perspective on the blog Afrospear here . The Marroons also speak Sranan Tongo, but they also have their own language. Marroon music is Kauna.

Surinamese Hindu music from singer Dhroeh Nankoe - "Payelia"
This video of Dhroeh Nankoe caputures the spirit of the Hindus of Suriname. I remember writer VS Naipaul wrote that Hindoes in Suriname were cultural still very close to India. Although I knew they spoke Sarnami, a Surinamese version of Hindi, I didn’t know that in the neighbouring country British Guyana most Hindoes don’t speak or even understand Hindi anymore, so I was told. Other elements of Surinamese Hindu culture are Bollywood and the popular Hindu spring festival Holi-Phagwa (the the Festival of Colours).

Javanese culture in Suriname
This is the famous, at least in Suriname, Djarang-Kepang or Javanese horse dance ritual. In this dance ritual the dancers become the spirits of tigers, monkeys, snakes and pigs. They then eat everything such as live chicken, broken glass and paddy. I have actually seen some people eat glass when they were in trance. The Javanese culture in Suriname is the oldest Javanese culture in the world, it doesn’t even exits anymore in present Java Indonesia. Especially the wedding tradition is almost ancient Java, so I am told.

Javanese dans (bonus video)
No, this is not Indonesia, this is still Suriname. I think it’s Lelydorp, the home city of the Javanese community in Suriname.

Chinese New Year - Year of the tiger

In the video some Chinese New Year scenes, but also a reception for cabinet members and other important figures in Surinam. The black man who speeches is former President Ronald Venetiaan.

Around Jerusalem in 60 Seconds: Suriname Synagogue at the Israel Museum
This video is about the reconstruction of the Suriname Synagogue in Isreal. It appears Israel wanted to preserve this important element of Surinamese Jewish life. There is still a Synagogue in Suriname, next to an Islamic mosque. One example of Jewish culture is one the national dishes of Suriname, named "Pom". Although most people though it was Creole

165 Year Boeroes in Suriname - Boeroes (Famers)
In the video the commentator says that Boeroes are sometimes seen as Dutchmen, but that they resent that idea, they want to be regarded as Surinamese. In the video you see the now former minister of Surinam Ricardo van Ravenswaay handing over a play garden to the village Groningen. The woman in the video says: "It's very important for us that we are Surinamese in the first place." Van Ravenswaay, the first Boeroe in a Surinamese government, referred in his speech to the hardships of the first settlers.

Fra Fra Sound - Creole Kaseko/Jazz fusion
This is a video of the Dutch-Surinamese band Fra Fra Sound (based in The Netherlands). The music is a mix of traditional Creole Surinamese Kaseko music and Jazz. The band is accompanied by an Amsterdam percussion school. In a way this music reflects Creole culture, it's a fusion of everything. I use the word Creole in the Surinamese context, because most Surinamese Creoles usually call themselves Black people.
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KLM announces suborbital flight relationship with Space Experience Curacao

Yesterday KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced to the Netherlands press that they were embarking upon a new relationship with Space Experience Curacao (SXC).

KLM will be supporting future suborbital flights through purchases, inclusion in their frequent flyer program, inclusion in future KLM vacation packages to Curacao, and other yet-to-be-named support. The flights will be made on the XCOR Lynx suborbital spacecraft.

On the front page of De Telegraaf, the largest circulation Dutch newspaper, KLM Chief Executive Officer Peter Hartman said of the new relationship and suborbital spaceflight: "It is a fantastic project that totally fits the pioneering spirit of KLM."

This history includes operating the longest regularly scheduled air service in the world throughout the 1920s, and opening their first transatlantic service in 1934 between Amsterdam and Curacao.

Read more at PRNewswire

On the Dutch eight o'clock news the CEO of SXC said the price per ticket is 70.000 Euro and the first flight is scheduled in 2014.

Interesting development, I hope this project will also benefit the local people of Curacao.
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Black French minister Rama Yade sacked after Sarkozy's cabinet reshuffle

The French government has become more white and more rightwing in a reshuffle that has included the sacking of two ministers handpicked by Nicolas Sarkozy to bring ethnic diversity to the cabinet, wrote the Guardian

Senegalese-born Rama Yade, the sports minister, and Fadéla Amara, the minister for urban policies, lost their jobs in the shake-up that also signalled an end to the French president's policy of "openness" to his political opponents and to racial minorities.

Patrick Lozés, president of the Representative Council for Black Associations, expressed his disappointment on his Blog. "November 14, 2010 is a sad day for the diversity in the Republic. Nicolas Sarkozy, announced December 17, 2008: The diversity at the bottom of the country must be illustrated by diversity at the head of the country. This is not a choice, this is an obligation." He added, "I note barely two years later that the commitment was not kept."

About Rama Yade Lozés wrote, “I particularly regret the departure of Rama Yade from the government. Her leaving is a heavy symbol for all French from visible minorities."
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Filmmaker Euzhan Palcy Hounoree of the French Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards

Filmmaker Euzhan Palcy is the Honouree of the French Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards 2010

Euzhan Palcy is a film director writer and producer from Martinique, French West Indies. Notable for being the first black female director produced by a major Hollywood studio (MGM) for "A Dry White Season" the only female filmmaker who directed Marlon Brando (she brought him back to the screen).

In 2006 Euzhan Palcy was one the artists who was featured in the commercial-free presentation "Infiniti In Black", which was sponsored by Nissan Motors for the Black History Month.


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Video: John Legend and The Roots – "I Can’t Write Left Handed"

John Legend & The Roots teamed up for the album "Wake Up!", which was released by Sony Music on September 21, 2010. The album features soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness. Themes we need in Europe today!

The song "I Can’t Write Left Handed" was written by Bill Withers in 70’s. It's a song about a soldier who returned from Vietnam.

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The winners of "Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens" - Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards 2010 (France)

On Monday November 8the the fifth edition of the "Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens" ("Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards") was held in Paris France.

And the winners are:
Best artist: Kaf Malbar (photo)
Best album: Groove Lélé & Ernst Reijseger – Zembrocal Musical
Best clip: Youssoupha, "L’effet papillon"
Best group: Carimi
Revelation of the Year: Kim
Best essay: Mohammed Aïssaoui, "L’affaire de l’esclave Furcy"
Best novel: Léonora Miano, "Les Aubes Ecarlates"
Best documentary: Pascal Lamche, "Black diamond"
Best film: Rachid Bouchareb, "London River"
Honour Award: Euzhan Palcy
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Concha Buika wins Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album

Afro-Spanish Flamenco/Jazz singer Concha Buika has managed to win her first Latin Grammy Award for her latest album "El Ultimo Trago" (“The Last Drink”). The album is backed by the highly acclaimed Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés.

Buika won the Grammy yesterday in the category "Best Tropical Album." She was also nominated in 2008 for her album "Niña de fuego" in the category of "Album of the Year."

The album, “El Ultimo Trago”, pays homage to Chavela Vargas on her 90th anniversary, covering the repertoire that she has built during her entire career. Vargas is a Costa Rican born singer, who is especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras.
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Tribute send off to reggae star Gregory Isaacs

REGGAE legend Gregory Isaacs was given a memorable send off at a Harrow Weald church (London) yesterday as family, friends and fans paid tribute to the musical star at his memorial service.

All Saints Church, in Uxbridge Road, Harrow Weald, was packed to the rafters as well-wishers came to celebrate the life of Mr Isaacs following his death at his Harrow home in October – after a long battle with lung cancer.

Nicknamed the 'Cool Ruler' Isaacs was a hugely prolific singer, songwriter and producer, having allegedly been involved in more than 500 albums in a 40-year musical career, and had huge success around the globe, most notably in the UK with the smash hit 'Night Nurse'.

The coffin of the Jamaican born star, famed for his dress sense, was draped with a red, gold and green flag with the Lion of Judah on it, and his notorious white fedora hat – worn by him up to his death. Read the full story at www.harrowobserver.co.uk
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Film: “RISE UP” Stories from Jamaica's music underground

Photo: Turbulence "Notorious"
RISE UP is a feature-length documentary which shines a spotlight on Jamaica’s underground music scene by focusing on 3 young artists – Kemoy Lewis, Ice Anastasia (now performing as ‘Juss Ice’) and Turbulance who, when the film was made 7 years ago, was still an ‘upcoming artist’, and who has now become a successful reggae star.

The film is directed by Argentina-born Luciano Blotta and produced by Jamaicans Mark Hart and Carlo ‘Amlak’ Less and premiered on October 27, 2010 in Kingston Jamaica. But the film has already been screened in over 20 countries.





For trailers of the interviews go to video's at www.riseupmovie.com

Read more at the www.jamaicaobserver.com

Read an interesting review on the blog jamediapro

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Barbara Blake Hannah - First black news anchor in the UK + Book "Growing out"

Photo:TODAY host Eamonn Andrews, Jane Probyn & Barbara Blake
Trevor McDonald is regarded as the first black news anchor in the UK, but the real first was actually Barbara Blake Hannah. She appeared in the THAMES TV daily magazine programme “TODAY” in 1968, but due to racist comments her contract was terminated after 9 months.

In her new book "Growing out" Jamaican journalist and filmmaker Barbara Blake Hannah tells her story. "In 1968, seeking a change from my position with a London PR company as Executive for the Jamaica Tourist Board account, I applied for a job as a journalist with the new THAMES TV daily magazine programme “TODAY”. I was invited to do an audition as an on-screen presenter and within days was invited to be one of 3 daily reporter/interviewers on the show, hosted by TV personality Eamonn Andrews.

It was the first time that a Black person had appeared on British TV in a news capacity, other than as entertainers, and the news made national front pages. However, racists sent daily hate messages to the station, which bowed under the pressure and after 9 months my contract was not renewed."

In her books she also writes how Black consciousness influenced her hair style. "In GROWING OUT, I write about my early years growing up in Jamaica and how from childhood Black women’s hair influences their self-esteem negatively. I carried this self-hate to a decade in England in the “Swinging Sixties”, where the racism I encountered was counterbalanced by an education in Black consciousness generated by the cultural, political and racial events of the time. GROWING OUT describes how the psychological and actual experience lead me to grow out my natural hair and emancipate my mind from colonial mental slavery."

Blake was interviewed for the "Speak out against discrimination!" campaign of the Council of Europe and was asked how she would respond to the complaint that media reporting of ethnic communities remains generally unfavourable.

Blake: "International media portray Jamaica as (a) tropical paradise, or (b) drug-addicted, violent, dangerous island. Most of the time Jamaica is neither of these but a small heaven on earth, so we often smile or get angry at how we are depicted in these clichés. But I organise an annual festival of films featuring and/or containing reggae music and they show me that if the traditional media is reporting unfavourably about my country, another kind of media is reporting the exact opposite – a more accurate and true picture of life in Jamaica . As the media expands through YouTube, Facebook and other Internet programmes, the work of journalists is taken out of the hands of a few, often prejudiced, hands and expanded into the wider global media community.

This is the future of the media. As a film maker, I do what I can to use film as a true medium of communication. I am inspired by the great Cuban film maker Santiago Alvarez, who first introduced me to the power of the documentary film to convey messages to counteract misinformation. Michael Moore has continued this tradition so expertly, updating the genre in amusing ways." Read more...

Memorial Service for Gregory Isaacs on 10th November UK

Gregory Isaacs 15 July 1951 - 25 October 2010 the legendary singer and songwriter, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, released hundreds of albums over a 40 year career. It was 'Night Nurse' the put Isaacs firmly on the interanational map, in 1982.

The Memorial Service for Gregory Isaacs will be on 10th November at 2pm at All Saints Church, Harrow Weald, UK. He will then be flown back to Jamaica where there will be a state funeral at the National Arena in Kingston. May his spirit live on and may he find eternal peace in his place of rest.

R.I.P THE COOL RULER GREGORY ISAACS
JAH BLESS YOUR SOUL

Via www.itzcaribbean.com
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Henry Bonsu - Colourful Radio Director - about diversity in Britain

@Glenyearwoodgroup: Henry Bonsu interviewing Debra Lee President of BET

An interview with Colourful Radio Director Henry Bonsu about discrimination and diversity in Britain. Listen to British Colourful Radio here.

Bonsu has worked for the BCC, has written for The Times, The Mail on Sunday, Daily Express, The Voice and New Nation. Read more about Bonsu here

The interview with Bonsu was part of the "Speak out against discrimination" campaign of the Counsil Of Europe

23 March 2009
1. How do you assess the level of discrimination in Britain?

It depends on who you are, your level of education, where you live, how old you are and how long you have been in the country.

For someone like me, born and raised in Manchester with a decent level of education and with a middle class lifestyle living in a diverse part of London , I get very little overt discrimination. I travel around the country fairly fearlessly.

If I was a much younger person in an area of greater disadvantage and under-educated, I might be more at the sharp end.

I would echo in broad terms what Trevor Phillips, leader of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission said: It's probably better to be a person of colour in this country than anywhere else in Europe .

2. How would you asses the level of national acceptance of cultural diversity?

There are lots and lots of people who are very uncomfortable with this trend towards diversity in advertising, in popular television and in the mainstream news. The picture is one of increasing diversity in some areas but lots of blind spots. If you listen to BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4, you would think that much of Britain was living as it did in the 1950's.

3. How have cultural organisations and political groups responded to the challenges of diversity?

Some cultural organisations have responded very powerfully indeed. The Arts Council has run a range of programmes to try and support African – Caribbean and Asian work. It's not faultless and they have made major errors but efforts have been made.

The Victoria & Albert Museum , the Museum of London and the Natural History Museum are running outreach programmes to get more African-Caribbean people and Asians through the door. But these schemes tend to be sporadic. There isn't much of a long term or consistent strategy. It's ad-hoc. They will bring in a cross –cultural curator and their job is to present work that will attract a broader range of people. Usually, that person is working in isolation, is under-funded and is not necessarily working in an integrated way with the rest of the institution. That has to stop. It has to be about making sure the whole organisation is on board and realises that cultural diversity is not an add-on and is part of the whole organisation. Institutions, especially if they are accepting public money will have to accept this and respond to it.

All the political parties are scrambling to find their Barack Obama. Both of the main parties are trying to put people of colour into more serious seats.

If you look at many of the uniformed services, where the pamphlets speak very well of diversity and the need to make their organisation more representative of the general population , many of the rank and file are sick of all this stuff. They say ‘best man or woman for the job without any tokenism.'

What they don't realise is that there was already a tokenism of sorts before all of this started. It placed individuals from the ethnic majority in posts where they were unqualified but because they were white, it was not seen. It was invisible.

4. What role can the media play in promoting diversity?

The media has an enormous amount of power with the responsibility to use it wisely and carefully. The media can change the mood of a country on important public maters like race, diversity, tolerance and relations between men and women.

There was one poll I saw in which the majority of the people thought that 30% of the country was African-Caribbean and Asian when it is about 6%. That's because of distortion and the undue prominence given to certain stories.

5. Does the media's professional culture make it difficult for black and ethnic minority employees to sustain careers?

The brightest and best of the African-Caribbean community often steer clear of media. They do not take it seriously. They go into law, banking, finance and medicine where it is more meritocratic.

Print media is eons behind broadcast media. National newspapers look like 1960's Britain . The culture is years behind television because broadcasters are under so much pressure.

The vast majority of jobs in the media are not advertised. Where there is a vacancy, it is normally filled internally. That's why you don't get the throughput that you need to change an organisation.

6. What advice would you give to a young black graduate interested in a television career?

They need to watch the news, read the serious bits of the newspapers, read political biographies and they need to write so they know what is required. Otherwise they will not understand what they are letting themselves in for and why they are not progressing.

Media is not as much of a meritocracy as other professions. When you are a person of colour, you often do not get a second chance in this industry. People say ‘they are not ready, not experienced enough, don't have enough pulling power or the audience will switch off.' Even though it wont be said openly, behind the scenes, this is what people are saying and thinking.

It's unfair but complaining about it is like complaining about the weather. If you get into this industry, you've got to learn to collaborate, get out of your comfort zone and develop as many strings to your bow as possible.

It helps if you want to enter the TV industry to know which part you want to go into. You can waste huge amounts of time by not doing enough research. Do as much work experience as you can as early as you can. That way you can decide if you think working on a BBC costume drama is really more exciting than producing on Channel 4 News, or presenting on Childrens TV. You also need to demistify the industry. TV is not rocket science, no matter how much people try to pretend it is. There are a number of highly skilled technicians, but most of the rest of us dream up ideas, then call on others to try and make them happen! You've just got to decide which one of those you are...then network like mad!

7. What can Europe learn from the British experience?

We've been at this for some time in this country and we've made some progress. MP's , public officials dare not say things that are foolish and wildly untrue in the way that they would have done some years ago, whereas in some European countries, it's not the case.

Britain has been more willing to listen and respond to the shouts and protestations of visible minorities whereas other countries have been more stubborn.

No apologies should be offered for pushing through legislation which is aimed at fairness. A lot of the ethnic trouble that exists is because the ethnic majority think its about giving favours to people who don't deserve them. Europe should be honest about who gets what in terms of resources.

Legislation has to be backed up by monitoring. There should be full enforcement of the law so that everyone understands that the government is serious and will use its power.

Sporting institutions and football in particular have helped to take the message of difference to corners of the country that politicians have failed to reach.

8. What are the prospects for an improvement of community relations in Britain?

There is every prospect. We are becoming more intolerant of people who set out to cause offence. We have come too far to say multi-culturalism is over. People are working alongside each other, making children together and forging alliances when it comes to culture and creativity. There's more and more interaction.



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Video: Black - "On the Sunny side of the Alps" (Slovenia)

Because Slovenia has elected its first black mayor it's time for some African-Slovene cinema.

The short Slovene film (trailer) "On the Sunny side of the Alps" was a response to racist and xenophobic events in Slovenia. The name of the film refers to the slogan of a promotion campaign of the Slovene Tourist Board which wanted to present Slovenia in the best possible light.

The film is about two typical Slovenian families who live in an Alpine idyll, until one of them buys a new car…


The film is well meant, but it's clear that black people are a novelty in this part of Europe.

Official website at www.nasoncnistranialp.com
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Teaser Trailer For “Black Swan Theory” By Nikyatu Jusu (Filmmaker Challenge Winner)

In August the film Blog Shadow And Act announced Nikyatu Jusu and her screenplay "Black Swan Theory" the winner of the Shadow and Act film Challenge. Here’s a first look teaser trailer.

The synopsis again for the 12-minute film: a psychiatric casualty of war recently returned to the US, Sonya’s imagined sense of normalcy crumbles around her; she must hunt or become the hunted.


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Video: Sisters Keepers "Liebe Und Verstand" feat Nadja Benaissa and Ayo

The clip "Liebe Und Verstand" is an old Anti-Racism video (2001) of the German group Sisters Keepers, the female version of the German Anti-Racism movement Brothers Keepers.

The video features Nadja Benaissa, who was a rising star at that moment. Also in the clip is Ayo, who was at the beginning of her career. I think it's the only video where Ayo sings in German.

The group Sisters Keepers, still exits, in 2008 they released the album "Gender Riots".


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Black Dutch people in the media

There are many positive examples of the portrayal of black people in the Dutch media, but some of them are a bit questionable. One example is the recently launched sexual awareness campaign.

The purple text box reads: Your child And Sex, which is also the name of the site. On the left banner there is information about Aids and SOA, Dutch for Sexually transmitted diseases. The site your child and sex is for parents and teachers.

The site is part of the social media campaign “Maak sex lekker duidelijk“ (Make sex clear), which is launched on November 1st and is aimed to empower young people to protect themselves against unwanted sexual behavior.

It is the first Dutch campaign to promote the sexual health of young people. It’s initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Health and Education.

Good initiative. But why are there so many images of black people in the campaign? In the big cities in the Netherlands black young people unfortunately are an at risk group when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases, but this campaign is not specifically targeted at black young people.

The picture with the black boy and the white girl looks more like a wake-up call for parents and teachers.

The reality is that on the site the black boy, and other young people, give advice to parents and teachers on how to deal with these problems and dilemmas. But somehow the image of a young black male seems to be used to trigger the attention about the problems of Aids and sexually transmitted diseases.

To end, the promotional picture of the campaign with the boy and his tongue sticking out. The text on booklet reads, I'm ready for more, but you are the boss.
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Download: Les Nubians vs. Floetry

Via Soul:UK
DJ1derful has put together a great mix for Grown Folks Music, featuring two of the best soul duos in recent memory, Floetry and Les Nubians. You can stream/download the mix below (click on the arrow to download).


TRACKLIST
Les Nubians – Makeda
Floetry – My Apology
Les Nubians – Liberté
Floetry – Blessed 2 Have
Les Nubians – Me & Me
Floetry – Fun
Les Nubians – One Step Forward
Raheem DeVaughn – Marathon (feat. Floetry)
Les Nubians – John Banzi (Feat. Lipstik) – Rendezvous
Floetry – Floetic
Les Nubians – Bebela
The Floacist Featuring Josh and Kissi B. – Life in 3D
Les Nubians – Desolee (Roots mix-demo version)
Floetry – Say Yes
Les Nubians – Temperature Rising
Floetry – Opera
Les Nubians – Princesse Nubienne
Floetry – If I Was a Bird
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