Few months ago, I was reading a local newspaper about a new black owned book shop that was meant to be somehow game-changing for the community. 
In practicality, it is a beautiful improvement because it sends a clear message : We are successful entrepreneurs – We are creative writers and we do enjoy reading!!!

 

This book shop might shape the terrain for even more black led projects not just locally but all over the United Kingdom. 

You can have a look at their online presence here : 
 

Thanks for reading, 

 

Frederique 

 

 

 

MP’s have been discussing their concerns about the ethics and standards regarding their duty following Owen Paterson corruption / conflict of interest case. 

First we must understand what corruption is in order to understand why it is dangerous and what can be done about it. 

Cambridge dictionary says that it is “illegalbad, or dishonest behaviourespecially by people in positions of power”  (Cambridge Dictionary, 2019). 

Contextually, Owen Paterson who had full knowledge of the rules and regulations related to acting as an MP must have known that the lobbyist rules DOES NOT allow a lobbyist to have a foot in both the private and public sector. 

However, the conservatives have been greatly criticised for their lack of honesty. Early this year David Cameron was brought to the public eye for his involvement with Grensill Capital (Politics.co.uk, n.d.). A company, Mr Camron lobbied for and went on to work for. 

 

During the debate MP’s were talking about changing the standards and improving the overall trust of the public by holding Mr. Paterson accountable for his actions. And further to that, it seems that a consensus about the lack of transparency and honesty displayed by the tory party tempted to worsen the situation.  

Is the current tory government ready to clean up its mess and get the public interest upfront?

I am not too sure about the answer but what is clear is that the UK needs to work on what is important today. This includes getting its dishonest political figures out of the way to continue to build a fairer society. 

It is worth watching the entire debate which you can find here :

 

Thanks for reading, 

Frederique 

 

Reference

 

Cambridge Dictionary (2019). CORRUPTION | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Cambridge.org. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/corruption.

 

Politics.co.uk. (n.d.). Lobbying in the UK – What you need to know. [online] Available at: https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/lobbying/ [Accessed 12 Nov. 2021].

 

 

The “Caribbean” can be considered as a highly diverse and full of richness that is giving birth to an eclectic and ever evolving creative force which is recognised all over the world. (Pressreader.com, 2019)

 

As a Caribbean woman, I love many of the “cultural expressions” coming from the area that saw me grow up. Unfortunately dark skin women from this zone are overlooked, mistreated and lowered by men as much as anywhere else, even in the music industry. (Pressreader.com, 2019)
Let’s take the case of the Latin music market with a focus on the reggaetón which I truly cherish. 

JLO, Shakira, Natti Natasha, Becky G, Annita, Daddy Yankee, Wisin, Yandel, Ricky Martin, Farruko, Maluma, Rauw Alejandro, Bad Bunny, J. Balvin, Chris Jeday, Anuel AA, Selena Gomez, Karol G, Alex Sensation, Nicky Jam, Enrique Iglesias, Cardi B, MC Fioti ( he might be categorised as a Samba singer) , Camilla Cabello, Mike Towers etc…are all white. I mean White!!! 

I cannot spend time on each singer here but I felt utterly offended by one in particular

Rosalia, this young white girl is not even from the Caribbean or Latin America but is “Spanish” !( Alonso, 2019)

I am not saying that you have to be Caribbean or South American to be part of Latin Music but as a white European girl she has all the benefits and necessary tools to live a good life because of her whiteness from the time she was born. 

In her video music with Ozuna, she actually does act like a black girl, desperately trying to push her mouth out to get the big lips effect of a black person and act like the ghetto girl that she is NOT, of course. 

I am utterly disgusted by this type of behaviour and worse, this makes me reflect on the way in which we are quick to value black men and their work but in return we, black women, get rejected and laughed at. 

In this case, I am talking about “Pharrell Williams” who worked with Rosalia and helped her reach the top fairly quickly. (www.youtube.com, n.d.)

A black girl will have to struggle more without ever being invited to the table. One option might be to appear on music videos for free in the hope of networking with the right individuals.

Although I did a few posts about Mr. Williams about some of his projects which I rated very positively, I realise that no matter what we do and how hard we work or how beautiful we can be, black men are not valuing us and this is unfairly insane! 

By the way, according to The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) “86% of all Black music creators agree that there are barriers to progression. This number rises to 89% for Black women and 91% for Black creators who are disabled”. (Uk, n.d.p13)

They add that, in the UK only “White music creators earned more than Black creators for their work within the industry pre-covid” (Uk, n.d.p13)

 

In the USA it is not brighter, the only music category that is dominated by women is R&B with “67%” being female artists versus “57%” being male. (Statista, n.d.) 

 

This is why I am so disappointed when I see a black artist that happens to be male not valuing Black Women.  
Have a look at the way in which he does encourage another white girl (or so she seems) in the following video : 

 

Yet, his audience, me included, would be willing to support his projects the best we can ! 
I felt overwhelmed writing this post because black women are suffering and rather than finding help and kindness we are dismissed and too many times overlooked. 

 

Sorry but not sorry to be tough on this one because Pharrell Williams has capitalised on the early 2000, a period which has seen numerous videos portraying black women as easy, promiscuous, uneducated and stupidly submissive. check it out for yourself though, I added a list of music videos that you can view: 

Snoop Dogg – Beautiful (Official Music Video) ft. Pharrell Williams – YouTube

( I actually love this song but focus on the videos rather than the song itself) 

Finally, who do you think he has chosen for wife, a light skin girl so what is he trying to tell us (black women). 

 

You are smart
You are beautiful
You are creative
You deserve way more than the messages that some ignorant people send you 
AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE !!!!
stand with you and for you 

 

Speak soon beautiful, 

Frederique 🌹

 

 

 

Reference
Alonso, G. (2019). Why does Rosalía cause so much controversy? [online] EL PAÍS English Edition. Available at: https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/11/15/inenglish/1573816503_062425.html [Accessed 28 Oct. 2021].
Pressreader.com. (2019). PressReader.com – Connecting People Through News. [online] Available at: https://www.pressreader.com/.
 
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Rosalía and Pharrell Williams Discuss Transcending Culture Globally | Billboard Latin Week. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09738MzLHY [Accessed 28 Oct. 2021].
 

Uk, B. (n.d.). MUSIC CREATORS -PART 1 BEING BLACK IN THE UK MUSIC INDUSTRY. [online] Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e4fedf06085c566476437f9/t/61717864dd31a90d67a39088/1634826377465/BLiM-justdata-musiccreators_2109v01.pdf [Accessed 28 Oct. 2021].

Statista. (n.d.). Leading music genres among African Americans U.S. by gender 2018. [online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/945176/leading-music-genres-african-american-gender/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2021].