By Julia Cosgrove  August 10th, 2010 12:32 pm  |  Comments (1)

In Afar’s September/October issue, which hits newsstands today, writer Frank Bures tells the story of Nigeria’s booming film industry, Nollywood. While researching the piece, Bures went on set with Kunle Afolayan, a young actor/director aiming to improve the quality of Nollywood films. Afolayan’s sophomore effort, The Figurine, swept the Africa Movie Academy Awards earlier this year. Here’s a trailer for that movie, and an excerpt of an interview with Afolayan, in which he talks about the influence of his filmmaker father and why he decided to become an actor.

By April Kilcrease  August 2nd, 2010 6:00 am  |  Comments (0)

Few cities have been so adored in cinema as Paris. At the 10th annual Cinéma au Clair de Lune film festival, sit in the moonlight and watch classic movies on location. From August 4 to 22, thirteen films will be projected on outdoor screens throughout the city. In honor of the French New Wave director Eric Rohmer, who passed away earlier this year, the festival opens with his romantic drama Full Moon in Paris.

Aug 4   Full Moon in Paris by Eric Rohmer at Butte Montmartre, Square Louise-Michel

Aug 5   Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard at Jardin des Champs-Elysees

Aug 6   Le Péril Jeune by Cedric Klapisch at Parc Montsouris

Aug 7   La Bête Humaine by Jean Renoir at Parc Andre Citroen

Aug 8   Diva by Jean-Jacques Beineix at Jardins du Trocadero

Aug 12   The Hunchback of Notre Dame by William Dieterle at Place des Vosges, Square Louis XIII

Aug 13   Lily, Aime-Moi by Maurice Dugowson at Ménilmontant

Aug 14   2 Days in Paris by Julie Delpy at Parc de Choisy

Aug 15   Fernandel the Dressmaker by Jean Boyer at Place de la Bourse

Aug 19   Love Songs by Christophe Honoré at Esplanade des Invalides

Aug 20   Lost in Transit by Philippe Lioret at Place des Fêtes

Aug 21   A Matter of Resistance by Jean-Paul Rappeneau at Pelouse de Reuilly

Aug 22   The Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry at Place René Cassin

By Derk Richardson  July 28th, 2010 7:43 am  |  Comments (2)

Photo by Francisco Guerrero

A pot of long-cooked meats, including slices of pancetta or bacon, hearty vegetables and legumes, and a savory broth that becomes a vehicle for fideos (thin Spanish noodles)—how can you go wrong? In the September/October issue of Afar, Leah Messinger dives into the cultural history of cocido Madrileño, the filling stew long popular in Madrid, Spain.

According to food historian David Gitlitz, one-pot meals incorporating chickpeas and/or lentils have been ubiquitous around the Mediterranean since Roman times, mentioned in the writings of Pliny and Apicius. A dish called olla podrida (rotten pot) turns up in Don Quixote from the early 1600s.

So you can try it at home, Messinger provides a slightly more contemporary recipe—from Madrid’s Taberna la Bola, where cocido has been on the menu for a mere century or so.

By Dan Strachota  July 27th, 2010 5:30 am  |  Comments (3)

In the July/August issue of Afar, I wrote a piece about French pop icons of the ’60s and the current scene, musicians who infused the stomping blues-rock of the Kinks with a vivid sensuality and ebullient charm that was uniquely French. Here are a few more innovative artists worth searching out:

Jacques Dutronc During the mid-’60s, Dutronc crafted hits on par with anything coming out of England or the U.S. Not only did he prove adept at concocting raucous tunes like “Le Responsable,” but he also spun sweet acoustic numbers like “J’aime Les Filles,” all the while poking fun at the peculiarities of the ’60s youth culture that turned him into a star. Essential release: Jacques Dutronc (Vogue, 1966)

Nino Ferrer Ten years older than most French pop stars of the ’60s, Ferrer was also more conflicted about the music industry. Schooled in gospel and U.S. soul, the gravel-voiced singer scored hits with quirky, organ-driven numbers about telephones, pickles, and Mao—and then retreated to his 15th century fortress in Lataillade to live with his mom, before committing suicide in 1998. Essential release: Je Veux Erte Noir (Barclay, 1966)

Les Chats Sauvage One of the very first French rock bands (whose name loosely translates as “the Wildcats”) took Elvis Presley’s leather-sporting, hip-swiveling, blues-growling persona for a surfboard ride down the Seine, eventually setting the stage for beat-rockers like Ronnie Bird. Essential release: L’Integrale Studio 1961-1964 (EMI, 2000)

Marianne Dissard Written following a bad break-up, Dissard’s 2008 disc L’ Entredeux covers the whole scope of her relationship, from nights of creaking bed frames to mornings with soiled handkerchiefs. Dissard sings in an affectingly hushed whisper, calling to mind Juliette Greco, while the backing music (written by Joey Burns of Calexico) places her halfway between the Pyrenees Mountains of her youth and her present Arizona home. Essential release: L’ Entredeux (Le Pop Musik, 2008) Recent release: Paris One Takes (Self-released, 2010)

Françoiz Breut Breut sounds like Edith Piaf, if the iconic chanteuse had gorged herself on a steady diet of ’80s-era Tom Waits and Sonic Youth. On her four albums, Breut cloaks her angst-ridden vocals within sculpted feedback, clattering percussion, and wistful horns, updating Piaf’s sorrowful approach for the modern age. Essential release: Francoiz Breut (Lithium, 1997) Recent release: A L’aveuglette (Le Pop Musik, 2008)

Holden Between Armelle Pioline’s airy vocals, Evan Evans’ spaced-out organ, Mocke’s anarchic guitar, and Jacques Tellitocci’s clanging beats, Holden captures the beauty and chaos that is Paris. Drawing inspiration from Stereolab’s metronomic space-pop and Serge Gainsbourg’s more outlandish productions, the quintet’s four discs put the urban in urbane. Essential and recent release: Fantomatisme (Le Village Vert, 2009)

Compilations are an excellent way to get an overview of a music scene. Here’s some of the best French pop collections:

Pop a Paris, Volumes 1-5 (Universal) Excellent comps of the ’60s milieu, focusing mainly on hard-charging dance floor tracks like Anna Karina’s “Roller Girl.”

Wizzz! Volumes 1-2 (Born Bad) Focusing on the psychedelic side of the ’60s, featuring Bruno Leys’ carnivalesque “Hallucinations” and Philippe Nicaud’s freak-funky “Cuisses Nues, Bottes de Cuir.”

Pop Romantique: French Pop Classics (March) Nineties indie-rock acts such as Luna and the Magnetic Fields cover ’60s French pop from the likes of Gainsbourg, Michel Polnareff, and Jeanne Moreau. Hardy, herself, makes an appearance, dueting with Air.

Le Pop 1-5 (Le Pop Musik) This series from a German label (quelle surprise!) showcases both big stars (Delerm, Breut, Coralie Clément) and lesser lights (Poney Express, Mickey 3D) of France’s mellower nouvelle chanson scene.

By Jennica Peterson  July 26th, 2010 9:02 am  |  Comments (0)

Take a virtual voyage to the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad, one of six birding hot spots featured in the Good Trips department of Afar’s September/October issue:

By Derk Richardson  July 23rd, 2010 7:42 am  |  Comments (1)

Photo by Thomas Swick

Thomas Swick, who writes regularly for World Hum, has a knack for getting beneath the surface of place. When Afar came up with a random destination and sent Swick at the last minute on a Spin the Globe trip to Venice, Italy, he made the most of his spontaneous journey by swiftly and intimately connecting with a network of colorful locals.

His account, “Venice in Three Acts,” which you can read in the September/October issue of Afar, is full of magical moments and mysterious disappearances. But it stays grounded thanks to his engagement with members of an organization called 40xVenezia, dedicated to resuscitating authentic local culture and fending off the worst consequences of tourism.

In the video below, Skype Nomad Rebecca Campbell interviews a 40xVenezia activist who explains the group’s goals, as well as how to pronounce the name.

By Nicole Solis  July 21st, 2010 8:00 am  |  Comments (0)

Nasi Kandar from Line Clear in George Town, Penang.

Joe Sidek, the Resident in our September/October 2010 issue, is a huge booster of his hometown, George Town, Penang, Malaysia. A true Renaissance man, Joe not only works as a managing director of a company and runs the Community Works non-profit (as well as its shop, Sentuhan). He has also owned a club, run a modeling agency, and designed costumes for an opera. He recently directed One Harmony, One Heritage, One Hope, an event celebrating the first anniversary of George Town’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As with many of our Residents, there were far more places he wanted to send our readers to than we had space to run in the magazine. So, here are more of Joe’s excellent picks to help you plan where to go–and especially where to eat–during your next trip to George Town.

In George Town

Hai Nan Town
“This restaurant is right on the seafront and has really nice Peranakan food. The Peranakans are the Chinese people who came here and adopted Malay culture. It’s food the way the Malays cook, so there is a lot of tamarind, herbs, and chiles, but it’s the Chinese version. It’s very fragrant.”
Tanjung City Marina, Pengkalan Weld
604/263-8633

Liyaqat Ali
“This is a really famous stall that serves nasi kandar, an Indian dish, which literally means ‘rice on a balance’ because there used to be a guy who would carry on his shoulder a long pole with a basket on each end with rice and a mixture of curries. This stall is open until the wee hours of the morning.”
98 Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

Mamak mee stall
“Mamak mee is an Indian fried noodle dish served with egg and lamb or chicken. This guy’s father used to have a stall nicknamed Mee Agong, which means ‘King’s Mee,’ because the mee was so good it was said to be the favorite of visiting kings.”
Corner of Jalan Hutton and Jalan Penang

Beach Blanket Babylon
“This is a small café/restaurant on the seafront, named after the Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco. It’s also owned by the people who own 32. They have a really nice crab laksa, which is a version of the national dish but with crab and a fish broth.”
32 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah
604/261-0289

Beyond George Town

Bagan
“Bagan is a jazz bar in a beautiful old house that feels like the house in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; it was owned by an old man who looks and behaves like Quentin Crisp. Now it’s been converted into a transvestite bar by the same owners of 32, but I like the music and it has fabulous Peranakan food.”
18 Jalan Bergan Jamal
604/226-4977

Bellevue
“Go here in the evening and have a drink. You can see all of George Town. I love being up the hill when it’s dark, looking out at the lights in the city.”
Bukit Bendera, Penang Hill
604/829-9500

The Spice Garden
“You hear about cinnamon and you hear about clove, but you never imagine what the plants and the flowers look like. You can see them here. The Spice Garden is a really beautiful, landscaped little space where you can go and chill out, and it’s very peaceful.”
Lone Crag Villa, Lot 595 Mukim 2,
Jalan Teluk Bahang
604/881-1797

Reporting by Dave Zuckerman. Nasi kandor photo by scaredy_kat. (CC 2.0)

By Jennica Peterson  July 19th, 2010 7:47 am  |  Comments (0)

The Nomad department of Afar’s September/October issue features Rekha Malhotra, aka DJ Rekha, who spins bhangra dance music at events from Manhattan to Mumbai. Listen to bhangra, which fuses traditional South Asian sounds with hop-hop, on DJ Rekha’s Website. To learn more about Malhotra’s music and cultural background, check out this segment on CNN:

By April Kilcrease  July 16th, 2010 12:10 pm  |  Comments (0)

Today and tomorrow the annual G! Festival takes over the ancient seaside village of Göta in the Faroe Islands. Performers come from around the world, but nearly half of the acts are native. The local line-up includes singer-songwriter Lyon; Viking metal heads Týr, whose lyrics are based on Norse legends; and trip-hop chanteuse Eivör. Hotel options are limited, so many visitors camp out on the grass. Those brave enough to take a dip in the bay’s chilly waters can warm up afterwards with a steam bath inside the Höyry Sauna Party tent, where DJs spin soothing Finnish folk and Portuguese easy listening.

Also worth checking out: grime star Lucy Love and rock outfit Nephew, both from Denmark.

By Jeremy Saum  July 12th, 2010 11:41 am  |  Comments (0)

Those of you who enjoyed Gregory Dicum’s story about Peru’s Ocucaje desert in our July/August 2010 issue might be interested to know that archaeologists just unveiled the remains of a whale from the Ocucaje that might have been even bigger than the megalodon shark that Gregory wrote about. Here’s a post from artdaily.org: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=39004