When we hear about the Met Gala, we expect celebrities to be over the top with their outfits and this year was no different. Each year there is a theme that influences and inspires the style we see on the red carpet. This year, the theme was “camp“, which as Wikipedia puts it “is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value.”

It is no surprise that many celebrities were able to pull it off with grandiose flair and why not? This, after all, is a gala that marries art and fashion. So let’s look at how our African celebrities fared on the red carpet.

Lupita Nyong’o wearing Versace at 2019 Met Gala

Lupita never disappoints at the Met Gala. We think her outfit tops the list. She was art itself on the red carpet. She had us at the gold Afro combs. She is the very idea of “camp” on this list.

French Montana at 2019 Met Gala

One look at French Montana and all we could think about was Sheik Montana. It only makes sense to honour Ramadan at an event like the Met Gala. We like the Afrocentric touches of this look.

Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre wearing Versace at 2019 Met Gala

Newlywed Mr “dapper” himself with his belle was all kinds of wow on the red carpet. The duo were a treat to watch on the red carpet.

Imaan Hammam wearing Dundas at 2019 Met Gala

Imaan Hammam went a little retro with her look and pulled it off as only she could.

Adut Akech wearing Valentino Haute Couture and Pierpaolo Piccioli at 2019 Met Gala

Adut is a stunner. We just love the eyes … ohhhh so mysterious.

Adwoa Aboah at 2019 Met Gala

Adwoa was regal in her simplicity. She wore the leopard. But was not the highlight of her look. She caught our attention with her stunning hairpiece. We just looove the concept of it all.

Let’s take a closer look. Ahhh yes, we love it even more. There is something innocent and yet intriguing in her look.

Rami Malek wearing Saint Laurent at 2019 Met Gala

Ramik caught our eye with his interesting shirt. And just when we thought it was the highlight of his look, our eyes hit the shoes … you can’t miss those shoes.

Danai Gurira wearing Gabriela Hearst at 2019 Met Gala

Awww go Danai.  Cornrows, beads, top hat and walking stick to boot. We love it all.

Let’s get a little up close and personal with Danai. We certainly love that she rocked a naturalista hair do.

Trevor Noah at 2019 Met Gala

Ok, we get it. Someone had to represent Mr “ordinary” and Trevor tried to BUT as usual, he couldn’t miss a chance at a little punch with the look so he just had to express himself with his Tshirt. No hard feelings Trevor. With so much art in outfits, one person had to represent the ordinary guy and no one could have pulled it off better than the South African comedian.

Tiffany Haddish in Michael Kors at 2019 Met Gala

Hey hey hey, Tiffany Haddish looks like she just came back from running with the zebras. The actress pulled it off too with hat and matching purse to boot.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Frances Aaternir at 2019 Met Gala

Chiwetel was going for one thing as he told Esquire. His was the “unpretentious” look and we loved every bit of it.

Whose look did you like the best on the red carpet? Drop a comment and let us know.

Ten-year-old Kenyan artist, Sheila Sheldone Charles first met President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda in March during his 2-day visit to Kenya. Consequently, President Museveni invited her and her mother to Uganda. The ten-year-old genius described the first meeting as a wish come true. During the meeting, Sheila presented President Museveni a portrait she made for him.

Following the meeting, President Museveni invited her to Uganda. A few weeks ago, Sheila was in Uganda at President Museveni’s hometown, precisely Rwakitura farm in Western Uganda. President Museveni confirmed he had invited the ten-year-old to Uganda. The president’s message through a Facebook post read,

“My mwizikulu (granddaughter) from Mombasa, Sheila Sheldon Charles, visited me in Rwakitura with her mother as we agreed she would when I met her during my recent state visit to Kenya. Her mother told me she was born at 8 pm, therefore the Luo name we agreed to give her is Atieno. [Consequently] I thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for supporting her education that her parents were unable to. Talent of whatever form should be nurtured alongside formal education. I thank her for the gifts she brought me.”

Sheila Sheldone presents a rare portrait to President Museveni

While at President Museveni’s hometown, Sheila Sheldone presents him another portrait. Accompanying Sheila Sheldone to present the portraits are her mother and Kenya Police Service’ Sergeant Vivian Otieno. When Sheila met President Museveni the first time on March 27 at the Nyali Golf Residence (NGVR), she presented him a portrait of himself. However, this time it was a portrait of the president and the First Lady, Janet. She also presented him with a portrait of a lion.

 

Sheila Sheldone is a grade five pupil at Light International School. However, she is currently studying on a Presidential Scholarship courtesy of President Uhuru Kenyatta. The president awarded her the scholarship after her display of artistic prowess.

Achievements and awards

Sheila Sheldone started drawing at the age of five. However, her paintings have attracted local and international admiration. According to the multi-talented artist, her favorite painting is the portrait of the lion. Sheila Sheldone is also a dancer, poet, model, and designer. Some of her prominent paintings are Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Martin Luther King. In a BBC documentary, she said,

“I started drawing when I was five years old. My favorite drawing is the lion. Most tourists come to Kenya to see lions. I draw women because they suffer a lot. Like my mum, she has been suffering.”

Last year, Sheila Sheldone was invited by Tese Foundation to teach a painting class in California USA. Consequently, she received the ‘Tese Foundation Youngest Lioness Award’. The young lad has also featured in local and international media.

View this post on Instagram

I received a award from the USA and am happy to be me thanks to everyone for the support .❤❤❤❤

A post shared by Sheilah Sheldone Fan page (@sheilahsheldone_fanpage) on Jan 26, 2019 at 11:04am PST

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda led to the death of about 500,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsis. However, 25 years on, some of the genocide survivors are making a difference using the art of photography. Mussa Uwitonze, Gadi Habumugisha, and Jean Bizimana lost their parents during the genocide. While at the Imbabazi Orphanage in 2000, they were introduced to photography at ages eight and nine when nonprofit, Through the Eyes of Children, partnered with the orphanage.

Today the trio are working as professional photographers. Bizimana is a photojournalist with Reuters Africa while Uwitonze and Habumugisha are documentary photographers. In the past few months, the trio are exploring Rwanda, interviewing genocide perpetrator and survivors to document the forgiveness so far.

A Twist Of Fate For This Genocide Survivors

The fate of the trio changed when a photographer visited the country. Each time he took pictures children will flock around in excitement to see. So the photographer was curious at the type of pictures the children would take if given the opportunity. Explaining their unlikely twist of fate, Habumugisha said,

“He came to our orphanage and chose a group of 19 out the 100 kids, taught us some basics of photography and gave us disposable cameras. We went out to the community to take pictures and what surprised him is that the images we took were images of life and development of Rwanda.”

Soon after, the project leaders began promoting their pictures around the neighborhood, museums, universities, and Kigali. However, their works got the attention of international photographers because they took rare images. This was because they were part of the community, therefore free to take pictures foreigners couldn’t.

Early Years In Photography

After the close of the orphanage, the three became professional photographers. They began documenting activities at conferences and non-profit organizations. Consequently, they also decided to share their photography skills for the benefit of other kids. The trio are taking the Through the Eyes of Children project global by teaching other vulnerable children and genocide survivors around the world photography.

The trio have shared their skills with young refugees in Boston and New Jersey. They have also reached out to children in foster homes as well as disabled students and genocide survivors. Reacting to their expanded Through the Eyes of Children project, Habumugisha said,

“Photography changed our lives because people got to learn about Rwanda through photography and they gave donations to the orphanage. Also, people appreciating our photos gave us hope that even though we were orphans, we had value in society and so we [want] to pass it forward to children in formidable states, so we came up with some workshops to teach children in school and later thought of going beyond to help vulnerable children so photography could help them too.”

Future Projects

The trio is now GroundTruth Film Fellows working on a documentary titled ‘Camera Kids’. Their amazing story will be part of the feature-length film. They are looking forward to opening a photography training center to give young people (including genocide survivors) the chance of making a decent livelihood.