The New Issue Of MIMI Is All About Reb(ELLE)s

Written By: MIM!—Read the latest issue of MIMI and discover how our four Soul.Substance.Style Reb(ELLE)s: Zama Dube (our cover girl), Nancie Mwai, Angela Chimokwu and Bethlehem Alemu dared to not only dream big but also defy convention. Also in this issue, find Deola Sagoe's latest collection, Ori Oré, that was inspired by both the Japanese and the Yoruba cultures, see how Lalesso is bringing beauty to the beach, and tackle serious questions such as "what does it mean to be black?" in the article Beyond Black and "what will it take to get proper housing in South Africa's townships?" in the article A Winding Path To Descent Housing.

Happy reading (and don't forget to subscribe to MIMI by following us on Facebook for the most up-to-date information from us)!

MIMI Related Links: Volume 7, Issue 3: Reb(ELLE)s

(Photo Credits: © YFM)

Read The New Issue Of MIMI Now, It's Unapologetically Modern.African.Female

Written By: MIM!—The latest issue of MIMI, featuring model turned singer Imany, has just been published, and it's Unapologetically Modern.African.Female.

Inside this issue, you can: get inspired to follow your dreams by up-and-coming director Sam Kessie's tell-all feature (In The Director's Seat), discover more about the natural hair movement in Kenya (Love, Peace, And Hair Grease), flip through VLISCO's latest look book (Dazzling Graphics), learn to appreciate your mother's quirks (10 Things I Like About My Nigerian Mother), reminisce through Bamako starting from the late forties (Seydou Keita: Vintage Mali), preview the hottest designer collections out of South Africa (Style Files: Jo'Burg Fashion Week), and find much, much more!

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MIMI Is Unapologetically.Modern.African.Female In Spring 2011

Written By: MIM!—The Spring 2011 issue of MIMI is slated to be released in May (Monday, May 9th to be exact), and we've got a lot in store for our Unapologetically. Modern. African. Female issue. Singer Imany (photographed by Barron Clairborne), graces the cover of the upcoming issue, which includes interviews with Ghanaian film director Sam Kessie, Nigerian entrepreneur Olabisi Waller (CEO of EC Cosmetics), and Kenyan fashion bloggers Nyachomba Kariuki and Mary Mogoi. Here's what else we have in store: a collection by collection look at Jo'Burg Fashion Week 2011 and style tips from Lola Faturoti.

But our biggest announcement is the renewal of the Africana section of the magazine, which we are undertaking with the help of leading UN publication, Africa Renewal. All the details will be revealed on May 9th on our Facebook page ... don't forget to follow us now for the most up-to-date information about MIMI.

(Photo Credits: © Barron Clairborne)

MIMI Magazine Winter 2011 Issue: Love Africa, Always

Written By: MIM!—After a brief holiday hiatus, MIMI's winter issue, Love Africa, Always, is now yours to read. Versatile rock 'n love singer Inna Modja graces five different covers of MIMI, photographed by highly coveted fashion photographer, Mario Epanya, who also served as Editor-at-Large for this special issue. As Editor-at-Large, Mario sought to celebrate MIMI reaching its 5-year publishing milestone last year by capturing the Soul.Substance.Style of African women in the 5 different covers of Inna that he photographed. The result: a reflection of MIMI and Mario's Love for Africa—Always.

(Photo Credits: © Mario Epanya)

MIMI Magazine Fall 2010 Issue: New Wave Noir

Written By: MIM!—Fresh off the presses, MIMI's fall issue, New Wave Noir, is yours to read. Ever-stylish sisters Célia and Hélène Faussart of Les Nubians grace the cover of this issue, photographed by one of our favorite photographers, Delphine Diallo. Here's what to expect, as reflected in the Editor's Letter:

African fashion has undergone nothing less than a revolution and we have assembled a rather impressive wardrobe. Indeed, you need only read the pages of this issue of MIMI to see how African fashion has been transformed in countless ways—aesthetically, in terms of its identity, and also behind the scenes where a wide range of independent designers have emerged. The result is a fresh, new Afro-urban aesthetic that truly reflects the flavor of the continent: New Wave Noir.

We still have one more issue for the year, which is our Special Anniversary Issue with Editor-at-Large Mario Epanya. Invite your friends to follow us on Facebook to be part of this special issue, as well as to be eligible for special MIMI giveaways!

(Photo Credits: © Delphine Diallo)

MIMI Magazine's 5 Year Anniversary Issue With Editor-At-Large Mario Epanya Is Slated For Release On 1.11.2010

... so save the date MIMI-istas and follow MIMI on Facebook for the most up-to-date information about MIMI.

(Photo Credits: iStockPhoto / CENTURIA)

MIMI's Writer's Guidelines: Be A Part Of The Voice Of This Generation's African Women

Written By: MIM!—MIMI-istas, the deadline for submitting articles for MIMI's upcoming issue with Editor-at-Large Mario Epanya is September 30th. As you know, MIMI is published quarterly, and in each issue we publish articles around six themes with a focus on Africa and the Diapora:

1. Features: interviews or profiles of people with a connection to Africa or the Diaspora;

2. Style: articles about fashion and beauty;

3. Lifestyle: articles about career, finance, fitness, and day-to-day life, including cooking, parenting, city life;

4. Heart & Soul: articles about relationships and spirituality;

5. Mambo: articles about the arts, including music, photography, movies, plays ...

6. Africana: articles about culture and politics.

Although most guest writers submit articles for the Lifestyle, Heart & Soul, and Africana sections of the magazine, we accept submissions for all the above mentioned sections of the magazine. We recommend browsing our archives to get a more concrete idea of what each of these sections look like.

With respect to word count, most articles are at most 500-700 words. Finally, although the deadline to submit an article for our upcoming issue is September 30th, we accept articles on a rolling basis. If you have additional questions, email MIMI at mimimagazineonline[at]gmail[dot]com.

(Photo Credits: © iStockPhoto / STEEX)

Write For MIMI Magazine's Upcoming Issue With Editor-At-Large Mario Epanya At The Helm Of MIMI

Written By: MIM!—Fresh off the heels of our summer 2010 issue, Sweet Somethings, we are working on the final issue of the year, which is slated for publication this fall. MIMI has teamed up with the visionary Cameroonian photographer Mario Epanya, who will serve as Editor-at-Large for the final issue of the year, and bring his bold and beautiful ideas to life in the pages of MIMI. Get a sneak peak of what Mario has in store by visiting his blog: marioepanyaphotgraphy.blogspot.com.

If you would like to be a part of this groundbreaking issue of MIMI, you can, by submitting an article for the Style, Lifestyle, Heart & Soul, Mambo, or Africana sections of the magazine.

MIMI accepts submissions from writers of all levels and across subject matter; take a look at our recently published summer 2010 issue to read articles from guest writers such as Minna Salami (Ten Essential Tips For Natural Hair and How To Love Yourself), Nana Bonsu (Cut! Censoring Sex In Ghanaian Movies), Suzanne Brume (Your Body Is A Temple), Princess Goosby (Relationship Advice: Giving It Good), Jacqueline Kibacha (The Road Less Travelled), Geraldine Amakihe (My Hair Story) and Kemi Ebun (Excuse Me Jay-Z, I Don't Apologize For Liking Fufu).

Be a part of the voice of this generation's African women, and email your submissions to mimimagazineonline[at]gmail.com.

(Photo Credits: cc-stock / iStockPhoto)

MIMI Magazine Summer 2010 Issue: Sweet Somethings

Written By: MIM!—If you are reading this it means that Volume 6, Issue 3 of MIMI, Sweet

Somethings, is out (hooray), and summertime is in full swing. With a new album in the works and a couple of hit summer singles (Favorite, Smile) it only seemed fitting to feature The Hit Girl Stella Mwangi as our cover girl.

Sticking with our tradition of publishing a double issue for the summer, Sweet

Somethings is packed with Soul.Substance.Style. Read the Editor's Letter and find out what makes this issue of MIMI our sweetest one to date!

(Photo Credits: Halat Sophie Askeri)

Sweet Somethings From MIMI

Written By: Staff Writer—We are working on the final touches of our Summer 2010 issue featuring Stella Mwangi (photographed by Halat Sophie Askari) on the cover, and here's a preview of what's to come for the issue, aptly themed Sweet Somethings:

(1) Ten Essential Tips For Natural Hair, (2) Fashioning The Continent: Your All Access Pass To Africa Fashion Week, (3) My Hair Story, (4) MIMI's African Inspired Guide To The UK ... and so much more!

We'll make an announcement on Facebook, Twitter, and of course this space when our Summer 2010 issue is published!

(Photo Credits: Halat Sophie Askeri)

MIMI's Mini Vacation Remix

Written By: MIM!—MIMI-istas, we're trying to get the new issue of MIMI published for the summer and squeeze in vacation time for ourselves (it's too nice outside to be couped up indoors missing out on all the outdoor fun), so this week, we're taking a collective brief break from our regularly scheduled blogging, and instead will post a daily video of some our favorite songs from the African fellas.

What are you doing for the summer? Are you taking any vacation time?

(Photo Credits: iStockPhoto / Daniel Bendjy Photography)

Write For MIMI Magazine's Upcoming Issue

Written By: MIM!—MIM! is written by women just like you—our team is made up of women (and men) with a passion for Africa and the Diaspora who face the same issues, aspire to achieve the same dreams, and share the same stories. We would like you to be a part of the voice of this generation's African women. If you have an article you'd like to see published in MIM! or simply an idea for an article, we’d love to hear from you. Pass your article(s) or idea(s) along by emailing mimimagazineonline[at]gmail.com, and remember, if you would like to be in MIM!, find out how here.

(Photo Credits: © Dreamstime / Dndavis)

The Best Of MIMI Magazine: True Star: Genevieve Nnaji (Behind The Story)

Written By: MIM!—Without a doubt, our January 2006 issue featuring Genevive Nnaji on the cover of MIMI has been the most popular and widely-read issue of the magazine to date. This really speaks to how broad and international a fan base Genevieve has. MIMI is one of the few, if not the only, publication that is circulated worldwide and has interviewed Genevieve in-depth. For that reason, a lot of Genevieve’s fans outside of Nigeria have connected with the January 2006 issue of MIMI because it offers them a rare glimpse into the actress’s world. So much so that when producers from the Oprah Winfrey Show were looking to include Genevive Nnaji in a show about fame around the world, they contacted MIMI about reaching out to Genevieve.

Editor-in-Chief, Lola Kingo shares about the world famous interview, “It should come as no surprise that Genevieve Nnaji tops my list of all-time favorite interviews! When I reached out to her then publicist, I thought that getting an interview with Genevieve would be a long-shot because the magazine was so new at the time, but her team was terrific and not only did they agree to do the interview, they set up a photo shoot with photographer Gary Fitzpatrick, that produced some of the most popular photographs of Genevieve ... Poised, polished, and powerful, Genevieve is a phenomenal force in African film and easily the most famous Nollywood actress in the world, but what I was most impressed by in interviewing her was her grace and humility. She is in every sense, a True Star! ”

It's exciting to now share never before seen photographs from our True Star interview.

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The Best Of MIMI Magazine: Menaye Donkor On Beauty (Behind The Story)

Written By: MIM!—We first interviewed Menaye Donkor for the October 2007 feature story, Mighty Menaye, but it was her subsequent December 2007 interview On Beauty, which MIMI-istas overwhelmingly responded to. One reader, Siatta Mansaray from Sierra Leone, shared with us, “I love many, many of your articles. Pretty much all of them. I especially liked the one of Menaye Donkor. She's gorgeous. When I read of what she went through in middle and high school, it reminded me of myself! She is such an inspiration and a great role-model, not only for Ghanian girls but for all African girls. Thank you for introducing me to her. ”

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The Best Of 5 Years Of MIMI Magazine

Written By: MIM!—MIMI Magazine is 5 years old this year. To celebrate this milestone, we have compiled a Best Of issue with our 5 most memorable articles from each of the magazine’s sections—Features, Style, Lifestyle, Heart & Soul, Mambo, and Africana—highlighting the artistic, cultural, and political landscape of Africa and the Diaspora. To learn more about the past 5 years of publishing, including updates from our favorite interviews, a gallery of never before seen photos, and thoughts from some of the talented writers who volunteered their time over the years to make MIMI one of the leading digital publications for African women, visit this space, where we will post our "behind the pages" stories and subscribe to MIMI via Facebook or Twitter.

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You For All Your Support!

Written By: MIM!—We found out today, thanks to an anonymous comment left on our post Preview The Best Of MIMI Magazine, that we're nominated for a Nigerian Blog Award in the "Best News or Magazine" category! We're incredibly honored to be nominated in this category and of course want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued support; thank you, thank you, thank you!

Voting for the NBAs begins at the end of the month, and we'll be sure to remind you about that once voting is officially open :)

Preview The Best Of MIMI Magazine

Written By: MIM!—MIM! celebrates 5 years of publishing this year, and to mark this milestone we're publishing a special "Best Of" issue featuring our best and most memorable stories from the past 5 years. Our "Best Of" issue—featuring Noni Gasa (South Africa) on the cover photographed by Patrick Toselli—will be available to read at the end of the month. We'll make an announcement when the "Best Of" issue is published on Facebook, Twitter, and of course this space!

(Photo Credits: Patrick Toselli)

Rewind: April Through The Years

Written By: MIM!—It's the end of the month, and our big news this month is that we launched a new look for the magazine (April 2010: Live Your Life) and joined Facebook! Don't forget to follow, friend and/ or like us on Facebook, and together we'll define the voice of this generation's African women.

When we were publishing the magazine nine times a year, our April issues marked a time of the year when we were deliberately reflective about where we were yet hopelessly optimistic about what was in store. In 2006, it was time to Spring Forward with Rosemary Chileshe (Zambia) on our cover. In 2007, we brought in Something New with covergirl Mirembe Campbell (Uganda). In 2008 we celebrated Black Beauty with Liya Kebede (Ethiopia) gracing our cover. And in 2009, Sehin Belew (Ethiopia) showed us how to be Simply Fabulous by being on the cover of MIMI with no regard for her age.

Here are the hot topics that we were blogging about in past Aprils:

2009: The State of Black Models In Mainstream Fashion,

2008: The Joy Of Being A Black English Monarch, and

2007: First Malaria Awareness Day In The United States.

(Caption: Reading MIMI Magazine Online (Model Used Solely For Illustrative Purposes))

(Photo Credits: © iStockPhoto | STEEX)

MIMI Magazine Has A New Look And A New Online Presence

Written By: MIM!—The Spring 2010 issue of MIMI has been published; read it by following this link: Spring 2010—Live Your Life. To commemorate our 5 year anniversary, we have changed our look, and incorporated the best design features of the past 5 years of publishing, including a Table of Contents and Feature, Style, Heart & Soul, Lifestyle and Africana articles. What do you think?

We're also finally on Facebook! We're looking forward to getting to know all of you on this new space; together, we're defining the voice of this generation's African women.

MIMI Magazine Spring 2010 Issue: Live Your Life

Written By: MIM!—We have been busy working on our Spring 2010 issue, which is slated for release next month, and are excited to finally unveil the cover of that issue featuring professional photographer Ruzika (pronounced Roo-zhe-tsa) Puskas-Ragontse. Associate Editor Mimi Tsiane interviewed Ruzika (whose mother is from Botswana and whose father is from Croatia) shortly after she won the Brides Choice Award for 2010 (the award recognizes the top 5 percent of wedding professionals in the Weddingwire network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism). We'll have some of her beautiful work to share with you in the Spring 2010 issue, but for now, here's a bit about her work: "I started Red Rose Photography after working for an amazing photographer here in Baltimore. However, my interest and love for photography began many years ago, watching my father develop his rolls and rolls of film in our garage. I would watch with such fascination and wonder, and grew to appreciate the mystery of capturing an image for eternity. For me, it is always an honor to be asked to shoot a wedding, a portrait,a baby. How lucky am I to be doing something I absolutely love! My work can be considered lifestyle photojournalism, capturing the moment as if I were shooting for a magazine spread." Learn more about Red Rose Photography by visiting www.redrose-photography.com, and watch this space for an official announcement about the release of our Spring 2010 issue.

(Photo Credits: Michelle Aristocrat)