amaka




Notes From The Editor
Never Forget, Always Remember

Never forget the importance of history. To know nothing of what happened before you took your place on earth is to remain a child forever.

What happens to a people that have no memory, what happens to their story? How complete is our own story, when our memory has no room for others? If everything relevant to our connection to the world within and around us were all inadvertently erased, forgotten or withheld from us, how can a soul appreciate and truly enjoy what it has today, if there is no connection to yesterday? How can we relate to each other, cry together, rejoice, laugh, understand personal stories, style and concepts and feel the heart beats of our fellow man. Often times if our present forgets our past experiences, we would loose a great deal because remembering helps us value who we were, who we are and who we are becoming. I am aware that there are many things in our lives that we would like to forget, but despite that truth, remembering is what connects us to the beauty we value, the life we cherish, the love we make, the future we dream of creating and why it means so much to us. So despite the ugliness in our world that we might like to forget, remembering the way it was helps us shape our today and future so that it would not happen again. When what we remember is beauty, we desire for it to happen again, that is the beauty of remembering. There is truth in the following statement that "Remembering is our awakening to life, forgotten is sleeping through life" and in the rhythm of life, there is time to remember and time to forget. Remembering the stories of the forgotten voices, styles and dreams left behind, let them know what they never knew is not true- that they are forgotten. As the founder and editor of ASM I have made my passion to honor the stories of people and cultures from around the world unlike mine by not forgetting their direct or indirect contributions that enriches my soul as a citizen of the world. If you find yourself running from the stories of others, be aware that you are running away from enriching your soul's passion for love, discovery and creativity.

The Forgotten is the theme of our eighth issue of ASM. In our photo-shoots AfroFusion and AfroTraditional and as well as articles, the featured countries are South Africa with attention on the Marikana Miners who were killed earlier this year during a protest, and on Cameroon bringing awareness to the almost forgotten Baka Tribe. We interview Ayuko Babu, Retna, Lopez Lomong and Louis Gossett Jr., who all tell their stories of their journeys to individual successes as they elaborate on the different cultures and countries that inspired and still inspire them along the way. We bring you firsthand highlights from two renowned events that we are happy to have been a part of- the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in South Africa and the Miami Art Basel Show. Also featured are our ASM Picks, Must Haves, and videos among others for your entertainment.

We thank all our contributors from wardrobe stylists to makeup artists for their amazing work on all the spreads; and we thank you the readers for taking the time to checkout the magazine and supporting us. Drop us an email at info@afrostylemag.com and let us know how AfroStyle Magazine can be of service to you and the community at large.

We thank all our contributors from wardrobe stylists to makeup artists for their amazing work on all the spreads; and we thank you for taking the time to checkout the magazine. Drop us an email at info@afrostylemag.com and let us know how AfroStyle Magazine can be of service to you and the community at large.

Enjoy this issue of AfroStyle Magazine!

Amaka M. Onyioha
Editor-In-Chief

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