A Revealing Look At Football (Wink, Wink)

Written By: Nani Hapa—Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba (left) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (right)—two of football's biggest (and arguably best) stars—proudly represent the World Cup, "the planet's biggest sports event" on the June cover of Vanity Fair. Inside the pages of Vanity Fair, you will find more football stars including Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Ghana’s Sulley Muntari. In a revealing look at the significance of the World Cup (excuse the pun, but they are wearing flags and little else), Vanity Fair attempts to relate football to its American audience explaining, "In America, these men might not enjoy the same name recognition as the stars of the N.F.L.—that game that we call football—but for most of the planet, they are more than just showstoppers. They are gods."

For more information, visit www.VanityFair.com and if you're interested in learning more about and following the World Cup from the vantage point that only Vanity Fair can give you, check out Fair Play, a football blog created by the magazine.

(Photo Credits: Annie Leibovitz For Vanity Fair)

MIMI's Fabulous Find Of The Month: Casa Di Culture's $36 Esi Adinkra Earrings

Written By: MIM!—We ♥ these earrings (named "Esi") designed by Casa Di Culture, the "brand for the modern nomad"! If the design looks familiar, that's because the design of the Esi Earrings is the symbol GYE NYAME, which stands for the supremacy of God for the Akan of Ghana and Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire. Order yours at shop.casadiculture.com and shop around for more fabulous finds.

(Photo Credits: Casa Di Culture)

Loza Maléombho: African Street Chic Fashion

Written By: Nani Hapa—This year, Loza Maléombho (who is Brazilian born and "of an Ivorian Mother and Centrafrican Father"), launched a high street fashion brand based in New York city. Check out the video below for highlights from her collection:

Boston Fashion Exposé from Loza Maléombho on Vimeo.

Loza explains, "the concept of Loza Maléombho can be captured in four words: Ethics, Fashion, Culture and Education. This briefly symbolizes the fair trade aspirations and initiatives in developing countries of Africa by working with local factories, creating jobs and maintaining ethical practices along the run. The fashion line targets a younger hip fashion forward consumer with trendy designs that translate a multi cultural and ethnic influence into modern ready to wear. Finally, Loza Maléombho strongly believes that the lack of education is the major reason for the slow development of certain African countries, and intends on donating a percentage of the benefit to the building of schools locally." Fabulous all around! Learn more about the Loza Maléombho label by visiting www.lozamaleombho.com and lozamaleombho.blogspot.com.

MIMI Related Links: A Fashionable Family Affair: Gisella Boutique, Designer Spotlight: Mother Africa Fashion

I Adore Aya!

Written By: Nani Hapa—I may be well into my twenties, but that doesn't mean that I still don't have a special place in my heart for a good girly soap opera of a story, and Aya written by Marguerite Abouet (who was born and raised in the Ivory Coast) and illustrated by Clément Oubrerie doesn't disappoint.

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Aya tells the story of the studious and clear-sighted nineteen-year-old Aya, her easygoing friends Adjoua and Bintou, and their colorful relatives and neighbors who live in the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. It's a breezy and wryly funny account of the simple pleasures and private troubles of everyday life in Yop City. Filled with universal stories about love, life, family and friendship, Aya is the book I wish I had to read when I was in my teens ... instead I read Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitters Club (nothing wrong with that).

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Besides sharing beautiful stories and illustrations, the Aya book series also offers a peek into Ivorian (and more generally Africa) culture, complete with recipes, glossaries, and wardrobe instructions for turning one’s pagne (a brightly colored fabric) into a skirt, headwrap or baby carrier.

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If you can get over the fact that it is illustrated (first, it would be going too far to call it a comic book, it's really a graphic novel ... ahem; second, how many times can you support a story about a black female animated protagonist?), I highly recommend this fun and entertaining read! And bonus points—if you know a female African teen, this is a fun book to read with her (I know I'm definitely the coolest of the older female cousins for sharing this book with my younger cousins ;)).

Vibrant Things Are In Store With MIMI's BIG Summer 2009 Issue

The MIMI team has been working hard to finalize our BIG summer issue and bring you an issue that reflects the vibrant spirit of the summer. Despite some hiccups, we hope to have our new issue out in July. Here's a sneak peak at the cover of the magazine, which was shot by the internationally acclaimed photographer Paul Sika. Like Paul Sika, our covergirl Murielle Nanie is from Cote D'Ivoire. Look out for an announcement about the publication of MIMI's summer 2009 issue on Twitter, where you can follow MIMI by visiting www.twitter.com/MIMIMagazine