Ex-Slave's Portrait Is Staying In The UK

Portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo also known as Job ben Solomon (c.1701-73)

The first British portrait of a freed slave will remain in the UK for the next five years. William Hoare's painting of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo was purchased by the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) in 2009 which caused concern to many in the Britain art community. The British government imposed a temporary export bar last year because of its historic importance to the UK. With the government and other private people trying to raise money to by the piece back, the QMA agreed to lend it instead to galleries. The painting is believed to be the earliest known British oil portrait of a freed slave, a African Muslim who had gained equal status in society.

Ayuba's memoirs were published as one of the earliest slave narratives, that is, a first-person account of the slave trade, in Thomas Bluett's Some Memories of the Life of Job, the Son of the Solomon High Priest of Boonda in Africa; Who was a Slave about two Years in Maryland; and afterwards being brought to England, was set free, and sent to his native Land in the Year 1734.

Diallo had been an educated man from a family of Muslim Clerics. At the age of 29 he was captured and enslaved and travelled to the North America. He was found in Maryland by Thomas Bluett who realized that he was an educated man who could write Arabic and brought him to England. He was introduced to Society and met Sir Hans Sloan and the King. He was freed shortly after due to public reaction and his profound background. At the time of the portrait, he was being regular individual in the the UK prior to returning home to West Africa.

Nollywood Exhibition In New York City

The exhibition is called "Sharon Stone in Abuja," after a 2003 Nollywood film, and is taking place at Location One gallery in the Soho district of New York. The exhibition has been up since November 5th and will be at the gallery until January 22nd. The exhibition was created by Zina Saro-Wiwa who is a British-Nigerian film-maker and founder of AfricaLab. The idea behind this was to pays homage to the 50 year old genre of Nollywood. The exhibition contains photographs and films inspired by the themes and style of Nollywood over the years.

YEBies Presents: "Art In Life" Silent Art Auction

The time is here folks. The auction is officially set for this Saturday June 19th. Doors open at 6pm at the Lounge of 3 on 10 & U st NW, Washington DC. "The Art in Life" is based off a idea I had about connecting the youth in DC and Africa through art and a pen pals program. If you visted the old YEBies regularly then you should know what this movement is about and what type of pieces you will be able to see and bid on this weekend. There is a $5 cover for this event, with $2 off the admission with the donation of a book. The proceeds of the event will be going to the after school program at Word, Beats, and Life in Washington DC as well as the orphanage in Liberia, West Africa. If you have any questions feel free to email me at Daniel@yebies.com /yebies@gmail.com/ or just tweet me (@y_e_b) & (@YEBies). This is the first of many events to come from YEBies so just come out and have a good time with us as we try to raise money and awareness for a great cause. We are all our brothers keepers.

To Know Where You're Going, You Must Know Where You Came From....

Over this past weekend I had a chance to partake in some pretty ill stuff with some pretty incredible people and the one thing that was common throughout my weekend was the influence of Hip Hop in everything that went down.

The rap music was the soundtrack to my weekend as the styles, clothes, and venues left lasting images for a lifetime. So I decided that it was only right that this Wednesday I would pay homage to all the original parts of what we now know as HIP HOP by putting up Wild Style.



B-Boying/Breaking, MCing, Graffiti/ Tagging, DJing, and Knowledge, Culture and Understanding

Knowledge will always be King....

P.S. Shout out to Quinn / TheGeePee for turning his crib into a mixture of THIS pool scene and THIS one. Hello Summer.....

Dopeness With A Camera - [Reader Submitted]

"@WalksWorld"

You can find more original work similar to these pictures from this up and coming DMV photographer at Afishal Material or you can just follow her on twitter and say whats up.

"First Day of Spring"

Mos Def: Ecstatic Moments (Photo Exhibition) In L.A.

There’s a photo exhibition that started yesterday at the HVW8 Art & Design Gallery in L.A. called “Mos Def: Ecstatic Moments.” It will showcase rare exclusives images of Mos Def captured by photographer/filmmaker Cognito over the two year span it took to complete The Ecstatic, of either behind the scenes moments or from tour dates around the world.

The show will only last one week, so if you’re in or around Los Angeles, make the trip. If you miss it, the pics will be compiled into a book. Also, there’s an exclusive tee that they’re selling at Union LA for the event (as well as on their online store.)

Today In Black History : The Wiz

On this date in 1975 The Wiz opened on Broadway. The show would go on to become the longest running black musical on Broadway with 1,672 shows. The original 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical starred Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Hinton Battle as Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as the Tin Woodman, Ted Ross as Lion, Dee Dee Bridgewater as Glinda, André DeShields as the Wiz and Mabel King as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West and Clarice Taylor as Addaperle, the good witch of the North.

YEBies Birthday: James Amos Porter (1905-1970)

On this date in 1905 James Amos Porter was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He's known for writing the definitive book, Modern Negro Art (1943, 1969, 1992). He was also head of The Department of Art at Howard University from 1953-1970. Porter is one of the most well known painters and historian of African American art. He was instrumental as the first scholar to provide a systematic, critical analysis of African-American artists and their works of art.

The First Family Official Portrait

The Obama's took their official family portrait late last month, which was taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Liberia's Leslie Lumeh Opens The Country's First Art Gallery

Today In Black History - Henry Ossawa Tanner

On this date in 1973 Henry Ossawa Tanner the world-renowned artist, was commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp. Tanner who was born on June 21, 1859 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was an African American artist best known for his paintings of religious subjects, genre scenes, and portraits. He is widely considered the first African American painter to gain international fame and recognition for is outstanding pieces. His work had a great effect on the works of Norman Rockwell and William Edouard Scott. Tanner's most famous work is his painting entitled The Banjo Lesson.His painting Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City hangs in the Green Room at the White House. This piece was the first painting by an African-American artist to enter the permanent collection of the White House.

The Banjo Lesson- 1893

Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City - 1885

More Than A Game (Artwork & Mary J Blige- Stronger)

Bonus: Drake - Forever Remix (ft.Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & Eminem) of the More Than A Game soundtrack

Chris Rock- Good Hair Movie Trailer.

Ernie Barnes....1938-2009

Legendary Artist Ernie Barnes passed away last week on April 30th. He was a man who's work was more famous then his name. His national traveling “Beauty of the Ghetto” exhibition in the 1970s featured some of his timeless works as “Storyteller,” “High Aspirations” and “The Graduate.” His famous 1971 “Sugar Shack” dance scene appeared on the “Good Times” television show and on the Marvin Gaye album “I Want You.” I always said when I got my dream home, I would get my basement walls covered with a mural of his work. Please visit his website to learn more about this incredible man www.erniebarnes.com

Somebody Blew Up America...

Amiri Baraka at his best...

Related: Get Up, Stand Up...

YEBies You Should Know....

Molefi K Asante, Jr. (born November 3, 1982) is an African-American professor, author, filmmaker, and activist. Born in Harare, Zimbabwe shortly after the Liberation Struggle, he is the son of scholar Molefi Kete Asante and choreographer Kariamu Welsh. He has been described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "a rare, remarkable talent that brings to mind the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance."

He studied film and literature at the University of London,School of Oriental and African Studies, earned a B.A. in Africana Studies and English from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.

In 2002, Asante, Jr.,'s first collection of poems, Like Water Running Off My Back, was published and won the Academy of American Poets Jean Corrie Prize for its title poem. Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright Charles Fuller hailed the book as "remarkable" and proclaimed Asante a leader of a new generation of African-American writers. In October 2005, Asante's second collection of poems, Beautiful. And Ugly Too was published to critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times called Beautiful. And Ugly Too "a thought-provoking journey down the lonely road of wisdom and whiplash." Asante's third book, It's Bigger than Hip-Hop, is non-fiction piece that was released in 2008.

Check him out on Myspace or at Asante Filmwork

Here are clips from two Asante's Films

"500 Years Later"


"The Black Candle Trailer"


M.K. Asante Jr. on THE BLACK CANDLE

We The People Gala Artwork....

This artwork is by DMV's own Chico. Chico is the manager of DMV hip-hop duo Harlem X. His artwork is being used for the We the People Gala (www.wethepeoplegala.com).

Where To Sir???

This is a picture that was on a memory card that I found last year while in New York. I'm not even sure where this was taken or what it even is. When I heard Kanye's Streetlights this picture came back to mind. I'm so glad I got myself a good camera this summer. Pictures really do say some much yet so little. YEBies invest in a good camera and external memory and click away. Memories especially with pictures to go with them are priceless....

Here's the Unofficial video to "Streetlight". I think its pretty well done. Lets see what Kanye does with this song and concept....