Nikki Giovanni Archives

From left to right: Actress Amanda Seales, filmmaker Melissa Haizlip; actor and Executive Producer Blair Underwood; legendary director/producer Stan Lathan (who also appears in the film); Grammy® winner and the film’s composer Robert Glasper; award-winning writer, poet, and activist Nikki Giovanni; award-winning poets/musicians The Last Poets and Felipe Luciano; the R&B group Black Ivory; and the iconic author, poet, and professor Sonia Sanchez.

Mr. SOUL! is a documentary chronicling the development and eventual end of the Black variety show SOUL! featuring Black artists and entertainers alike. Ellis Hazlip, the brainchild of SOUL!, is shown to be a visionary ahead of his time. SOUL! was celebrated and considered to be America’s first “Black Tonight Show”. Before Oprah, before Arsenio Hall, there was Ellis Hazlip aka Mr. SOUL! Coincidentally, the show did feature a teenage Arsenio Hall as a guest.

To celebrate the documentary’s premiere, Amanda Seales will host a virtual kickback Sunday, August 30th at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET online with a bevy of known creatives, artists, and entertainers. The following guests are scheduled to appear: Filmmaker Melissa Haizlip; actor and Executive Producer Blair Underwood; legendary director/producer Stan Lathan (who also appears in the film); Grammy® winner and the film’s composer Robert Glasper; award-winning writer, poet, and activist Nikki Giovanni; award-winning poets/musicians The Last Poets and Felipe Luciano; the R&B group Black Ivory; and the iconic author, poet, and professor Sonia Sanchez.

“Our Mr. SOUL! PREMIERE KICKBACK will be just like a re-creation of the SOUL! show for a new audience, with these amazing guests in conversation with Amanda Seales. Amanda will moderate a conversation with both artists from the film and the original series, to talk about the cultural impact of SOUL! and its special guests, like James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni, and the legacy of Ellis Haizlip and SOUL! for a millennial audience,” says the film’s director Melissa Haizlip.

Mr. Soul will premiere this Friday, August 28th at over 60 theaters across the country in the virtual cinema space. The film premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival where it was gained much support and has won 17 awards, including; the International Documentary Association (IDA) Best Music Documentary, AFI Docs Audience Award, and Woodstock Best Documentary.

The tickets to the star-studded virtual kickback are part of the MR.SOUL! ticket package which can be be purchased here. The event promises to be a recreated experience from the SOUL! television experience show with tons of entertainment.

Mr. SOUL! is directed, written, and produced by Melissa Haizlip, featuring music composed and performed by Grammy® winning musician/composer Robert Glasper, with the voice of Ellis Haizlip by Grammy® / Emmy® winner Blair Underwood – one of the film’s Executive Producers. The virtual cinema release run is presented together by Shoes In The Bed Productions and Open Your Eyes & Think MF.

Celebrating our Heritage in Vernac!

The everyday language spoken by people as distinguished from the literary language. Railways Cafe is of an indigenous building style using local materials and traditional methods of construction and ornament especially as distinguished from academic and historical architectural styles. Every country has its peculiar turns of phrase – quirks that give local languages flavor, color, and character. But unless you’re a native speaker, local slang can be tricky to grasp, let alone use. South Africa, with its 11 official languages, is blessed with a rich slang culture that can be quite daunting for foreign visitors – heck, even some residents flounder when faced with some of the more obscure lingo. “Heterogeneous We Are”

Railways Café, based in Irene Pretoria, is one of the most diverse restaurants enriched with culture and the spirit of UBUNTU. On this day we celebrated the underground musicians that go unnoticed, yet produce the most powerful, rich sounds of Africa. People from all parts of the globe came through to honor these beautiful souls.

We spotted Mr Sibabalwenathi Mfabe, writer of “Azania 1236″

The story of Azania continues in the year 1236 in the territory slightly south, and then into the north and its east in what we know today as KwaZulu Natal. In Azanian times no such place had existed at the time of the events that begun in 1234 and continued two years later. Here in these lands, lush and well vegetated, had been brought to order and control by the well liked custodian Cagn, under instruction and supreme protection of Tsui-Goab, Azania’s Arch Custodian. The book will be launched at one of the Taji Night’s book reading events soon.

“DO NOT SAY YOU WERE NOT WARNED”

All artwork sold is exclusively hand made to suit your individual desire by;

Sam

Biggie

Tendai

Felix

#Proudly African

This wall is situated just outside the restrooms for individuals to write what they want to do to change the world. I found that very fascinating.

“I want to change the world by always trying my best in everything I do and by being an outstanding ambassador for our nation, everywhere and under all circumstances, create an environment that will enable us to fulfill our vision of making our nation exceptional.” -Muhlez

“There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don’t expect you to save the world I do think it’s not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect.” – Nikki Giovanni

Last month, Taji hosted an event to honour our Queens, and with that came a gift hamper sponsored by ShowbizAfrika, Muhlez Catering and Projects and Peo Information Technologies. This hamper went to the Queen who is and has always been the light in underprivileged communities, and selflessly so.

“My dream is to retire to my very own orphanage.”

The children of Setlopo, a small village in Mahikeng north west of South Africa, hand printed this sheet in her honour.

This woman has been sharing her income with communities for over twenty years, and has never asked for help doing so. We found that very touching and not to mention inspiring and heart-warming.

She carries five (5) degrees of different sectors, yet she chose to teach ONLY in rural settlements, because she believed it was her calling.

“YOU WILL NEVER INFLUENCE THE WORLD BY TRYING TO BE LIKE IT.”