The Schwarzenegger Policy Think Tank

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commits $20 million Wednesday, August 1, 2012, for the Schwarzenegger Policy Think Tank in partnership with the University of Southern California. The Schwarzenegger Institute will be housed at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in Los Angeles. Schwarzenegger will chair the institute's Board of Advisors and will hold an appointment as the Gov. Downey Professor of State and Global Policy at USC, named after John Downey, an Irish immigrant who in 1860 became California's first foreign-born governor. Downey also helped found USC. Image: Ehirim Files Images.

The Death of African Marketplace and the Birth of Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival

Art drawing courtesy of Aziz Diagne

The festival has been on for so many years with lots of African cultural heritage, fanfare and some good, good stuff to promote botany from motherland with the ideal the origin of man began from the African continent, from the passing of Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens, the modern man, as scientific anthropological evidence had it.

For the past 12 years or so, I have never missed any of the events, and, I have encouraged others to keep up with worthy nature by paying homage every year to the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire which ends all summer events, sort of, normally on Labor Day.

From the playgrounds and fields of Rancho La Cienega Park and Dorsey High School to the umiversity village of Exposition Park where the Los Angeles Sports Arena and Colliseum sits -- all on the academic landscape of USC; the carnival had been home to African Marketplace and Cultural Faire, moving from location to location over the years.

The talk had gone on for months coupled with the uncertainties of an economy gone bad nobody knew what the organizers of a model Orie Amigwe, the typical marketplace in motherland every commodity is bagained for. The African Marketplace had the same resemblance of Orie Amigwe in post-Nigeria-Biafra Civil War era.

But something had happened and the organizers, this year, decided to call it quits, blaming a bad economy and the city's budget shortcomings for its woes. What has a bad economy got to do with culture and especially when race is still a factor in America? Why would the organizers turn the other way when African-Americans are desperately eager to know more about the African culture and traditions which has never been part but always an entity? So what's going on, and why are the vendors and merchants who'd played a significant role in these events not asking questions? Probings like "we demand to know what's going on and what happened to the funding by the city and other big corporations to keep our cultural heritage on the shores of this land viable and intact."

"Nothing spoil," as some folks would lament in fractured English indicating "that's life" and life goes on, no matter which ever way one looks at it even as we keep losing base as a people who did come a long way.

As it happened, the death of African Marketplace and Cultural Faire ushered in the Ist Annual Leimert Park Village African Art and Music Festival sponsored in part by 8th District Council Member Bernard C. Parks, Community Build, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and KJLH 102.3 FM. KJLH is owned by Stevie Wonder.

In a move to bring Leimert Park back to life as a tourist center and a culturally-based entity, Senegalese-born artist Aziz Diagne took the humble task of putting a whole lot into perspective and in conjunction with Sika and Jackie Ryan who represents Leimert Park Village Association and advocates for the merchants causes, had African art and vibes brought back to leimert Park Village over the Labor Day weekend.

From September 5 through the 7th, Degnan Boulevard, 43rd Street and 43rd Place was turned into the Orie Amigwe hub of Black Township, stretching all along the Crenshaw thoroughfare in Los Angeles. There's the World Stage Performance Gallery, home to jam sessions, jazz lessons and scholarship. There's Kumasi Gift Shop, home to the Nana Prempehs, Komfo Anokyes, the golden stool, Frafra gears and Kente fabrics. There's African Heritage and Antique Collection Gallery, home of original African fine arts, prints, lithographs, African beads of Antiquity, old tribal arts, okwa mkpuru, masks -- Tuareg outfits, mud clothes from Mali, babariga and Igbo traditional clothings. There's Papa West Breakfast Club and casts of blues and jazzy-funk performances. There's the Zambezi Bazaar, known for its authentic African accessories, ethno-cultural books and numerous African artifacts. There's Sika and uncountable collection of jazz music and other African-related products.

On the westside of Degnan Bl. sits Fine Arts Gallery Plus, Eso Won Books, Heroik Entertainment, Africa By The Yard, New Orleans Vieux Carre Creole Cuisine where tasty sea foods and Big Easy dishes are found. Strolling down further sits Adassa's Island Cafe & Entertainment and Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Restaurant run by the energetic Marlene Beckford.

On 43rd Street sits Lucy Florence Art Gallery, Academy of Martial Arts, Gaynale Beauty Salon, Tip O Nail, Regency West, Philip's BBQ and Mary's Salon.

On 43rd Place sits Klub Kaos, the decaying and abandoned Vision Theatre, Eugene's Creative Designs, Studio 3345, O' So juicy N' Tasty Burgers, Leimert Park, New Star Beauty Supply, The Herb and Vitamin Center, 3H beauty and Universal College of beauty.

I had thought the launching of Leimert Park Village African Arts Festival might have some hiccups since I wasn't familiar with the organizers and what they had been up to. But I did talk to Diagne from time to time as the planning unfolded, and, eventually, the show was a success with an amazing turnout. Though with some hiccups due to lack of proper funding, I was able to talk to one of the organizers, Jackie Ryan, who runs Zambezi Bazaar with her brother and sister, Mary Kimbrough. Ms. Ryan who had been trading in Leimert Park the last fiteen years said the event was "culturally good, and economically could be better," insinuating an outrageous real estate and the highly overrated properties on the complex which made it difficult for people to sustain" especially the merchants who could barely meet up with a staggering high rent, suggesting rent in the community shouldn't be more than $500 and not the thousands of dollars collected by the property managers and landlords. "That would be just and fair," Ms. Ryan said and concluding, the community from her observations has sustained their businesses through its "loyal customer and cultural base."

According to Ryan, the event was independently produced with the city helping in providing "certain things like stage, chairs and tables." She applauded KJLH for its enormous contribution acknowledging "everybody helped, everybody was creative and everybody who worked on the committee was wonderful. We did it ourselves; there were no banks, no big funding -- we just had our own treasures so we don't have to borrow from anybody."

She also used the opportunity in our chat to thank the Los Angeles Sentinel for being very supportive by way of distributing over 30,000 flyers and postcards. "The volunteers were helpful for putting in their immesureable time for the event's success and there is hope there will be a commemoration of the event, come next year."

It seemed almost impossible to take the organizers seriously because of the timeframe on the sudden absence of the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire. The city had no value for cultural events and Ms. Ryan and her colleagues had no choice but to pull the bull by the horn in order to get things done. It worked and I think a 2nd annual event is very likely to hold based on the success of the opening shot.

Talk about the jam sessions. The stage at the carnival was explosive with performances by Azar Lawrence, Medusa, Wadada, Dwight Trible, Steel Fusion Musik, Walli Ali, Phil Ranelin, Andre Russell of LTD and World Stage Sextet. Lawrence, we all know had been around and had played alongside Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner in the 60s. There was also storytelling, spoken word, dancing, fashion shows, food courts and lots of people happy to see Africa come alive in Leimert Park.

Everyone I talked to seems to agree that the organizers, Leimert Park Merchant Association, took a bold step in not letting the uniqueness of African culture disappear in Los Angeles on the absence of African Marketplace and Cutural Faire. And many who came said they loved it and would come back again. Maxie Viltz who runs African Imports Village Treasures on Linden Avenue in Long Beach and who had invited me to stop by her shop and "check things out" said she enjoyed the three day show and liked what she saw, particularly the artifacts and okwa mkpuru, the masks displayed at the African Heritage & Antique Gallery owned by UC Bekerley trained criminologist turned trader, Obinne Emmanuel Onyeador. I also had spent enough time with Valeri Adams whose Help U Sell Resale program did some brisk business in front of Papa West Breakfast Club. Business was generally good and the merchants smiled all the way to the bank.

Harold Lott, who makes and fixes traditional handdrums in the community alternatively pointed out that the show was brilliantly well done, and that the community needs to keep up with working collectively towards achieving its goal of bringing everybody together, citing Community Build which helps young people in the community. Onyeador, who had earlier sold James Currey's "Africa Writes Back: The Africa Writers Series and the Launching of African Literature" to visiting University of Manchester students Laura and Josephine, said "the show wasn't bad at all," meaning brisk business was made considering the bad economy.

Enter researcher Gloria martinez who is working on a project regarding the 70s ragtag clothings told me she never expected the turnout to be that huge. She had bought some Michael Jackson t-shirts and beads down the street before bumping into me at the event. The best part of the event was the little corner between Papa West and African Heritage where my homies -- Kalu ezikpe, Obi Onyeador, Kenny Oriyomi, Ogbonna Nkelu and several other homeboys -- had gathered and discussed matters of interest related to the nasty politics of the day commonly found on the continent of Africa. Besides, the hangout was an event to remember.

Al in all, the festival was a remarkable success.

Leimert Park Buzz

Whew, yes, it's summer time and I'm just having a blast. Guess what? It's Leimert Park week and the showdown is few days away. The line up, too, is interesting.

First, I ran into Swiss-based Congolese model, Songia Poupee, whose concept of a new women's handbag had been on display at African Treasures Gallery bargained on Melrose Trading in Hollywood, attracting curious-minded businessmen with the possibilities of funding to promote an exceptionally, unique, creative product which should be popping up on the runway sooner or later, here in Los Angeles. We spoke at length and the elegantly dressed Poupee told me she had came up with the idea in order to put something entirely different out there in the fashion world. The handbag is a three set piece clutched together in different colors with the larger part in Leopard skin hanging on a gold-plated chain.

Leimert Park, off the Crenshaw thoroughfare in the Black Township, and a place to hang out on Mondays especially with the jam sessions, notably at Babe's & Ricky's Inn known for its absolutely blues Monday nights. Before breezing in to Babe's & Ricky's, I bumped into classical bassonist and jazz enthusiast Rudolph Porter whose wealth of experience in jazz is quite telling. Porter has got a whole lot going on, and just turned 60 "I'm gonna be taking life to another level and I'm so excited I have made it this far and have never been sick. I feel good, and seriously, I do," he would say. I have encountered him in many occasions -- at jazz concerts and festivals -- but nothing much in our encounters until yesterday, August 03, 2009, when we spared some moments to talk extensively about music, jazz scholarship and what's been going on over the years.

While we stood on the sidewalk on Degnan, we talked about the big band era, be-bop and how jazz music changed dramatically over time. He talked about John Coltrane Septet (Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Rasheed Ali on drums, Algie Dewitt on bata drum and Jumma Sanders on percussion) performing "Ogunde" at the Olatunji Center of African Culture in New York City on April of 1967. He spelled out the best jazz performers of the day, and Coltrane, without a doubt is among his best. The more we talked, the more we took a walk closer to Babe' & Ricky's for the open night blues session which had been jam packed by USC students who normally troop in there on Mondays for the blues. I saw some good performances and the last two jams were the best of the night.

Before then, I had gone to World Stage Performance Gallery to watch their rehearsals for Sunday's World Stage Jazz Festival to be held in the Vision Parking Lot of the historical Leimert Park. The line-up would include Phil Ranelin Jazz Ensemble, pianist Bertha Hope, violinist Yvette Devereaux, the Afro-Latin rhythms of the Estrada Brothers and The World Stage All-Stars Band featuring Charles Owens and Cornel Fauler. It's going to be a whole lotta fun and I sure will be there live, having a blast.

Opposite the venue of the festival on Sunday, August 9, 2009, is my normal hangout for a delicious rice and beans with curry flavored goat meat and oxtail at Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Restaurant owned by Marlene Beckford and whose new joint Adassa's Island will be opening soon for live entertainment, poetry and spoken word.

Gist Around Da Hood

The magnificent Ivorian Didier Drogba celebrates in style after scoring that amazing first goal beating Everton 2-1 in the season finale of Road to Wembley. He will be negotiating a new paycheck to effect his contract extension with Chelsea. A three year contract and bonuses draws him closer to Europe's highest earning players and sits on the elite role of African football players.

Staples Center, 1111 Figuroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90015
Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the first Latino, according to some sources, to be on the Supreme Court. Her parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York. A feminine radical in the 70s and had always defended the underdog but her critics say that's not enough to be confirmed though the overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress is in her favor.

In this world there's much confusion.

And I've tasted the city life and it's not for me

Now I do dream of distant places

Where I do not know but is destiny

If it's the rich life I don't want it

Happiness ain't always material things

I want destiny ...

Neverland Ranch was a rich life. Oh, by the way, the king of pop is about to rise like a phoenix. I have followed this legendary performer all my life and I do think I have every of his recorded album throughout the many phases of his career -- Jackson Five, The Jacksons and the solo acts -- and my favorite tune of all time, Destiny, besides the jams, Shake Your Body Down To The Ground, Thriller, Off The Wall, Enjoy Yourself, ABC, The Girl Is Mine and many other stimulating tracks.

The gist now is billionaire Tom Barrack and AEG Live owner Philip Anshutz are coming to the king of pop's rescue. They want a rebirth of the Thriller years and from media sources, Michael will be heading to the studios soon because his backers -- Barrack and Anshutz have confidence in him and had envisioned a thoroughly remade Michael when the entire deal is struck which would include a three year world tour, series of singles coupled with packages of a museum, casino and movies. Barrack who said Michael could make $500 million a year once he puts his mind into it acknowledged Michael 'is' one of very few artists who could reach that mark in showbizness and at any given time.

But Michael is not done. His 50 concert series at the O2 Arena in London kicks off July 13 and tickets are already sold out. One other thing, though is can Michael do fifty gigs without getting exhausted? We'll see how it plays out starting July 13. Michael in his own words regarding the 50 shows in London: "Thank you for your love and support, I want you guys to know I love you very much," ... "I don't know how I'm going to do 50 shows. I'm not a big eater - I need to put some weight on"


Also, around the block, came some political talks about President Barrack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, whom I haven't followed until she was nominated by Obama, last week. And now following her like a tweeter, I know she was one of 70s feminine radicals on campus at Princeton University. She did not like the way Princeton was run and had always defended the underdog. From Princeton to Yale, and as a prosecutor in New York to corporate lawyer and serving on the federal bench for seventeen years, methink the new Democratic controlled congress should let her walk in without much ado so she could start punching the badass Clarence Thomas in his face, and his "high-tech lynching of an uppity black man."

And if confirmed which I expect she would be, overwhelmingly, making her the second Latino on the Supreme Court, although the political blogosphere on Sotomayor's side claims she'd be the first Latina on the Supreme Court, if confirmed, which would nullify the claim from other circles of Justice Benjamin Cardozo whose parents were of Portuguese descent, in the 30s, as first Latino on the Supreme Court. Enough.

Down the street in da hood, talks are popping up on soccer. Obviously, the soccer moms have taken it to a whole new heights which is quite engaging with kids. We called it football until the Yankee's crazy sports began to blow up our minds. I mean, too many in the mix and soccer got to be. The world's most watched sport and we won't erase soccer and permanently keep its original logo? Come on, now, there's tennis not lawn tennis; there's basketball not netball; there's ping pong not table tennis; there's baseball, not cricket and there's football not rugby, whatever that is.

So as it happened, the English FA Cup gathered storm. Ivorian and Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba and his colleagues lifted the FA Cup amid 85,400 and something soccer freaks in Wembley Stadium beating Everton 2-1 which ended the season's crazy-dubby Road to Wembley. Drogba's contract has been extended to another three years and expect the field dynamo's pocket to surpass the 80,000 British Pounds Sterling a week paycheck.

The World Cup is fast approaching and all that Brazillian influence is still hanging on. The quality of play, pattern of play, dribbling style, the celebration, jubilation and the samba has entirely nothing to do with what is going on at USC. Am I perturbed by all the scandals that is now hitting the sports program walls of Pete Carroll saying he knew nothing about Houses and gifts given to the parents of Reggie Bush, the running back for the New Orleans Saints? Nope! There's always something and that's just the way it is. As Bush' investigation continues, popped up another accusation. This time on Tim Floyd, the school's basketball coach, on payments made to O.J. Mayo's associates. And now that NCAA has cut in, we probably would get to know about all the scandals of gifts and cash exchanging hands by the time it's through with its own independent investigation.

In my little political alley, the behind closed doors pundits at Yahooligans, the talk now is why would Obama make Ghana his second point of call and not the sleeping giant, Nigeria. Citing Obama as a second generation immigrant who had adopted Abraham Lincoln's style of approach and politics, and bringing about a "New Dawn" of the internet age in "change has come to America" platform, the economy is still biting and the "Stimulus Package" hasn't been able to subdue the Bush-Cheney made meanspirited economy yet, in my own assessment because the people, I mean, the American people are still talking and complaining.

Well, it's showtime on Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles where Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers sits comfortably with Hotel Figueroa, Nokia Center and the Convention Center as neigbors. Tonight, the Lakers will be tested by the hungry Orlando Magic in Game 1 of 2-3-2 series. "All road leads to downtown and it's Lakers all the way," says one Lakers accessories hawker. "We gonna get them, baby!"

I know I have gunned for Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus when they whooped Lebron James and his Cavaliers. I have already neutralized the firepower of the magic, and hey, this is my hood and my Lakers ain't taking that for granted. It is Lakers all the way and with all the pubs full to the brim, hell will surely get loose if...

We want destiny!

Adios and enjoy the finals.

Culinary Correctness: The Korean Eatery On Vermont

My friend and I had pub-crawled until the wee hours and still wondered where we might end up for after hours. The City of Angels and its glamour coupled with all that Hollywood wannabes is what keeps this amazing metropolis jamming, and without a doubt, it is happening all around the city 24/7; and you bet, if you get trapped you are then on your own.

As it happened, I had decdided to try something else to fill up my empty stomach which I do every now and then, that is, when the ofe olugbo, bitter leaf soup, egusi soup, okra soup, and all the nkwobi and ngwongwo got to be supplemented. Whenever I am in the need to supplement all the African dishes, I go for something entirely different, and that is how I found myself at Yong Su San Restaurant on the 900 block of South Vermont Avenue in Korean Town, and right inside the hub of the Wilshire Corridor. This normally happens after the all night pub-crawling.

And landing at these restaurants not of my origin has always been an attempt to free myself from the regular isi-ewu, goat meat, nkwobi-ngwongwo ritual.


When we found parking, we walked in and the waitress offered us a table which at all times makes me feel indulge. The've seen my face before so it wasn't a problem for them to think otherwise, I mean, wondering what the heck a black guy and his friend would be doing in Korean Town at 2-something a.m., especially during unholy hours. The waitress was nice, though. She served us well and was all smiles.

When I want a damn good Korean barbacue in Los Angeles, I know the best joints and Yong Su San Restaurant is one of them. The brisket, marinated boneless ribs, tongue and baby octopus plus that burning charcoal that helps you prepare the barbecue your self is just beautiful and nothing is as good as that. In addition, we had some spinach, roasted mushroom and some other vegetables I had no idea where they came from. We topped the entire dish with steamed rice, and of course, some Korean wine imported somewhere from South Asia.

The place sits a lot of people and it's always packed, and as usual, a hangout for University of Southern California students who are known to party hard. So far, I haven't seen the hood rats there. Check it out and tell me about it!