Qurux Afrika 4

They say that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Qurux is the Somalian word for “beautiful.” Sometimes to see beauty, you must look beyond what is in front of you. A series of misfortune hit the event but what seemed to be bad luck turned out to be a blessing. A blessing from the heavens that posed a test of faith.

During the event, patrons met their parked vehicles almost submerged in water along St. Vincent St., Independence Square and Frederick St. When it rains in Port of Spain, expect flood. Blame it on the government, the littering habits of the people, poor drainage, the low-lying geography of the city, or a combination of all. The bottom line is something has to be done to resolve this ever-existent issue of flooding in our capital city.

The weather was not kind to the event. The adverse conditions caused a power outage that required the Central Bank Auditorium generators to kick in to provide auxiliary power and light for the second half of the show. Where there is light, there is a glimmer of hope. However, Afrika Qurux 4 should not be reduced to a glimmer but more of a beacon. A beacon of what real African culture is. The event embodied resourcefulness, creativity, resilience and strength with the source being the people. These are the hallmark characteristics of African culture.

Wasafoli

Event Coordinator, Michael Christopher remained steadfast in his task to execute the event. Amidst the adversities, he maintained his composure and presence of mind saying, “the show must go on.” The patrons, models, designers and backstage staff made the best of a far from ideal situation. The circumstances brought the best out of a people as it did when slavery was in full effect almost 400 years ago.

When the microphone stopped working, Master of Ceremony, Hans des Vignes projected his voice like the great storytellers of Africa. The youth of society have been the subject of so much negativity. As they are often seen as the instruments of crime. Not at Qurux though, young men rolled up their pants, waded in the water and tried to help as best as they could to secure vehicles on the verge of sticking or floating away precariously. Wreckers were on standby to help those in need of assistance. People lent each other advice, words of encouragement and a helping hand.  If that is not true African Beauty then what is?

Athaliah Samuel

Of course, there cannot be a Qurux Arika without the best local designers exhibiting African fashion. A patient and understanding audience fully enjoyed the performances of Wasafoli. There was no recorded music. Qurux Afrika proved that the sounds and sights of Africa are best enjoyed naturally from human hands and diaphragms. Drums, voices, and the energy of dancers all fused to bring a continent to life.

The fashion designers on the night included:

·        African Ark

·        Afrodesiack

·        Bast Hathar Designs

·        Charisma Designs

·        D.A.D.L Clothing Label

·        D.A.W.W Creations

·        Daniel's Den of Fashion

·        Euphoric Designs

·        Haylooks Designs

·        Mahogany Stuff

·        Naballah Chi

·        The Nubian Experience

The Emancipation season is off to a positive start. This is how you exercise your freedom. Showing the love for each other when the odds seem to be against you. The reasons obstacles exist is to test character, to overcome, to work together and to grow. The fourth edition of Qurux Afrika teaches us that true beauty comes from within. Everything else is a reflection.

*All photots taken from the Emancipation Support Committee TT - ESCTT Facebook Page