Studio 53 Line-up for 14 March

Canoe Fashion Show (Ghana)

Canoe is inspired to celebrate Africa’s evolving culture and lifestyle. CANOE Quarterly Magazine celebrated African fashion with its end of year fashion fiesta. Our fashionista, Anita, was part of this beautiful show. This show was all about rejoicing in the collections from internationally acclaimed Award Winners such as Kofi Ansah. Canoe is a creative initiative by 5 entrepreneurs who want to highlight the image of Africa, predict growing trends and portray the continent and its people positively.

Koko Bottoli- Ghanaian Italian bags (Ghana)

Vannessa Koko Bottoli is the inspiration behind the fine hand-crafted leather products of the Koko Bottoli brand. Koko Bottoli was simply a response to Vanessa’s often fruitless hunt for handbags that would suit women with a similar lifestyle and sensibility as her own. After studying the particular techniques of luxury handbag and belt design as well as the production process, she combined her fashion experience with the specific unique requirements of handbag design and production to launch her own range in 2006. This collection unveils its modern vintage, casual instinct in a blend that unfolds in each creation, giving uniqueness and exclusivity. Koko’s creativity is inspired by the intense rhythms of a life in continuous movement.

Anita went to check out these extraordinary handbags and accessories made for the most discerning tastes.

THISDAY Event (Nigeria)

THISDAY newspaper's award ceremony took place in Abuja on Sunday February 21, 2010 to celebrate 50 personalities that have made a difference in the past 50 years. The guest list included former USA President George W Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair, John Kufuor, Nigerian Acting President Goodluck Jonathan and many more. THISDAY’s 50 awards ceremony was to be a major kick-off for the celebration of Nigeria's golden jubilee anniversary as an independent nation. International music sensation, Asa was the only performer and as always, caused a stir. Adaure had a fabulous time at this event.

Havana Architecture (Cuba)

Teatro Nacional De Cuba

Havana has some of the most beautiful architecture and buildings in the world. Its architecture mirrors its rich social and political history from the graceful colonial and baroque period to modern brutal tower blocks. Over the years, the city has incorporated many design movements into its public buildings and homes, Lebo visited Cuba recently to see these beautiful manmade structures. He checked out the two theatrical pillars, the Teatro Nacional De Cuba and the Gran Teatro. Next stop was the Plaza de la Revolution, the political centre of the country featuring many modernist monumental buildings such as the National Theatre, which is reminiscent of London's Royal Festival Hall. Modernism has transformed much of the city and is noted for its individual buildings of high quality rather than its larger key buildings.

Fractures Theatre Piece (Nigeria)

Aboriginal Productions is becoming well known for bringing world class theatre to the Nigerian Stages. Their new endeavour, Fractures, is an adaptation of “A View from the Bridge”, Arthur Miller's classic study of cultural conflict and emotional self discovery. IK went to find out more about this compelling tale of colliding worlds and loss of control.

Culou de Song & DJ's (SA)

Headed up by Soul Candi’s Ricardo Da Costa, the team had set out to create explosive audio-visual experiences combining the best DJs and sound with an inspiring decor and lighting. In true Soul Candi style, only the hottest DJs made it onto this lineup. In a year which saw a surplus of tribal-tinged, exotic house records, South African Culoe de Song's debut, “The Bright Forest” stood out as the real deal. Culoe was selected as one of the participants of the Red Bull Music Academy 2008 in Barcelona, Spain, where he turned the heads of many critics. In a country with a huge consumption of house music, it is great to find ways for African music traditions to meet electronic club music head on! Lebo was at Club INK to witness this musical revolution.