Ameyaw Meets
Hakeem Kae-Kazim wants Kwame Nkrumah role
Nigerian-born, English-raised South African actor/producer Hakeem Kae-Kazim certainly gained international recognition for his role as Georges Rutaganda in Hotel Rwanda in 2004 and he continues to be on the rise. After being turned down several times by the hit US action drama series 24, the producers finally found the perfect role for Hakeem in the […]
Nigerian-born, English-raised South African actor/producer Hakeem Kae-Kazim certainly gained international recognition for his role as Georges Rutaganda in Hotel Rwanda in 2004 and he continues to be on the rise.
After being turned down several times by the hit US action drama series 24, the producers finally found the perfect role for Hakeem in the upcoming season of the show. Jamati Online caught up with the proudly African actor to talk about his role in ‘24′ as well picking his thoughts on African actors and films in general.
What role do you play in ‘24‘?
I play the role of Colonel Ike Dubaku the leader of a coup in the fictitious African country of Sangala.
How did you get that role?
The role was actually offered to me, but only after having been seen by them over a year for five other roles; none of which I got.
Why the shooting in SA?
The reason for the prequel being shot in South Africa was because the story line is an African one and they used South Africa and, in particular Cape Town to double as Sangala
What is your opinion on African films?
It depends on your definition! But my view is that, we still have to make them on an international level, or let me put it another way, with international production values – the English speaking nations anyhow – the francophone nations do very well in this regard. Nigerians make African movies from a totally African perspective but without the international production value that is needed. South Africa has begun making some fantastic African movies but they are few and far between, although I know this is changing.
What’s your opinion on Nollywood?
Nollywood has great potential; they tell original African stories from an African perspective with an African voice. That is why they have had such a reach around the continent and throughout the Diaspora. I believe in a few years we will see some truly great African cinema, with international production values, come out of the Nollywood machine.
What could be done to improve Nollywood?
More money going into the making of Nollywood films. This means cutting down on piracy so the film makers can get a proper return on their investment and thereby increase production values throughout. The audience is out there, and hungry for African stories and heroes to be portrayed
You produced a Nollywood-styled movie. Why? What was it about?
I produced a Nollywood movie in the Nollywood style while in South Africa to see what it was like working in that way and also to see whether it was a way of giving a voice to local film makers who had stories to tell but without the access to the local film making machine – which I felt was more interested in making Eurocentric type of films or films in a more western type of way negating the African voice even when they had an African theme. The film was called “Coming to South Africa” and it was about two Nigerians who leave home and head south to make a better life for themselves. They both find it difficult and one decides to make his way selling drugs while the other decides to go and work his way up, starting off as a factory guard to pay his way through college.
How was it received?
Again it was received well by those that saw it. On a trip to Kenya, I noticed that it was in the local stores and people had seen it but what was more pleasing, in one respect, was the response from local South Africans that caught it, and the gradual infiltration of Nollywood into the townships.
Do you think Nollywood movies can win international awards in the future?
I have not seen a Nollywood movie as yet win an international award but it will happen! Just as the Indian film Industry has now climbed to acceptable international status it is only a matter of time before Nollywood films reach that height.
Often when Hollywood does films about African figures, they don’t use African actors. Why is that?
Hollywood is using more African actors now than it has done, but a lot of the time when it wants to cast lead African roles it doesn’t, mainly because they are only interested in having a name because that means box office and unfortunately there aren’t that many African box office names out there yet, but we are coming!!
If you had the opportunity to play the role of an African icon, whom would it be and why?
There are so many iconic figures from this continent I want to portray on film!! But one of my first would be Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the father of pan-Africanism. His voice /story would be a telling reminder to how we have found ourselves on this continent since the end of colonialism.
Certainly there is a lot to come from this true African Gem. You can see him on ‘24‘, and, more recently in the film, ‘Wolverine‘.
Ameyaw Meets
Oprah Winfrey & Blitz Bazawule answer my questions about ‘The Color Purple’
In April, I had the opportunity to join a Zoom Q&A session with Oprah Winfrey and Blitz Bazawule, courtesy FilmOne Distribution. The conversation was around the bold remake of ‘The Color Purple’ scheduled for release this Christmas! (more…)
Ameyaw Meets
Asari Music highlights new single ‘Like Dat’, balancing college with music and more
Week-in week-out I get to interview one of the many faces in showbiz and this week on Ameyaw Meets, Asari Music is the one. She’s a young, upcoming and very talented Ghanaian-American singer – who in case you haven’t heard, is out with the hottest song you might hear all week. (more…)
People & Lifestyle
I single-handedly popularized Shea Butter in the United States – Margaret Andega
According to Margaret Andega, a Kenyan entrepreneur in Atlanta, she was the driving force behind the commercialization of Shea Butter in the US during the late 90s. (more…)
People & Lifestyle
He went from cooking on Instagram to owning a food truck in Atlanta and more… the story of Quabena’s Kitchen
The COVID-19 pandemic birthed many opportunities for people all over the globe. For one Ghanaian living in the US, the pandemic reconnected him with his passion which has now become a full-time job.
Quabena’s Kitchen shared with me his story about how he went from cooking for family and friends, to sharing content of his cooking on Instagram page at the height of the pandemic, which has now transformed into a thriving catering business in Atlanta, Georgia.
Quabena’s Kitchen services now include a food truck providing Ghanaian and West African delicacies to Africans and non-Africans alike, with ambitions of a restaurant on the cards!
Watch this exciting story on Ameyaw TV below:
Read Also: The chef behind Fufu Pizza is about to open Afro-Fusion Cafe in Atlanta
Ameyaw Meets
The chef behind Fufu Pizza is about to open Afro-Fusion Cafe in Atlanta
US-based Liberian professional chef, Chauncy Yarngo caught the attention of the world with his amazing creations such as fufu pizza, fufu taco, plantain burgers and more. (more…)
Fashion
Why Ghanaian-American Jeffrey Ampratwum is the menswear expert to watch in fashion!
At the start of the Victoria era, early 19th century – the English began to tone down the royal style dressing of the French army, namely those adorned in prestigious regalia and heavy embroidery. It was a sign of English nationalism and sparked a new wave of appearance in men. A few decades later, the suit was born and heavily influenced those in Italy and America. The British and the Americans have a rich revolutionary history, of course, and coincidentally the British colonized the African country – Gold Coast – until 1957 when they declared their independence and changed their name to Ghana.
As part of an independent Ghana, a host of individuals began to exercise new freedoms and venture out of the country into new territories. Many Ghanaians set their eyes on American travel and a wave of trail blazers left the country and settled in the infamous New York City. For most, it was an opportunity to plant new seeds in the hopes that their children would be afforded even more opportunities for a prosperous life.
One of these children of the diaspora is Bronx-born Jeffrey Ampratwum. The only child to Kate Bampoe and Eugene Asante-Ampratwum Mpere, who met in the Bronx after immigrating from Ghana. The dynamics of having African parents and being raised in a heavily eclectic environment gave rise to Jeffrey’s style and prose. More importantly, we can honestly say that there are only a handful of Ghanaian-Americans living in the states that can exhibit a special presentation that reflects both their African heritage married with the esthetic of their nationality. We recently caught up with Jeffrey to discuss how his early influences provided him with a framework to now become such a strong force in the menswear industry in fashion.
AD: Jeffrey, Ɛte sɛn?
Jeff: Haha, Eye.
AD: I had to test your Twi really quick! You know most Ghanaians who are born in the states don’t have a clue about the language unless it’s spoken fiercely in the home.
Jeff: You are 100% correct with that. Ha. But for me, I was lucky in that my mother took me to Ghana before I even knew how to use words. So, in actuality, Twi was the first language and vocabulary I learned, and in essence, English is my second language. So, I’m really decent when it comes to using Twi. I’m a cheat code! But keep that quiet. Ha.
AD: How much of the remnants of the Ghanaian culture factored into your approach to your style and presentation?
Jeff: When I was younger and in school, particularly in the Bronx – it wasn’t always your proudest moment to be from Africa or to say your family was African. Part of the silly embarrassment was perhaps from the narratives that were spinning on television. Americans were being indoctrinated with visuals of “feed the children” which only highlighted the extreme poverty in a few Africans countries. The images and broadcasts were all the same, for decades. So called philanthropist and humanitarians took camera crews into ravaged areas and televised starving children for us to see here in the states. I believe that had a profound effect on young boys and girls born from African parents.
However, as for me – I always looked at being dark skinned and being deeply rooted into my African culture as a super power. I liked the idea of being different, even though all the kids in all my classes were also children of immigrants. They just couldn’t grasp the concept of it at that time. So, from there, it was showtime. My Uncle, Joseph Ken Mintah – was the pioneer as the first in the family to travel to the states – he had extreme style. My mother also is very detailed with her sense of jewelry and fragrances. I adsorbed it all.
AD: Did you start dressing in traditional African attire? What do you mean exactly?
Jeff: Not exactly! But, being an only child really allowed for me to sit deep in thought for long periods of time. Being left-handed allowed for me to be extremely dexterous and detailed. And being raised solely by my mother further allowed me to pay attention to the importance of clothing and accessories – as she dressed herself each morning. It was the ultimate cocktail and I was already drunk with creativity. I started customizing all the clothes I had. By no means were we wealthy, so I had to manage just a few outfits for school.
My styling began when I would turn 5 outfits into 15 – so essentially, a 5-day school week became New York Fashion Week for me. I would airbrush my sneakers, turn Old Navy sweaters inside out for a fleece appeal, and cuff my jeans in 4 different ways depending on my footwear. This soon became a bad habit and made me late for school many mornings.
AD: You see, if you are late to school in Ghana back then – you might as well have sat by the road to hide from both your mother and headmaster! What was college like for you then?
Jeff: Right! Ha. It grew legs during my undergrad. Now all the pretty girls were around, I had more freedom to come and go, and more importantly – I had a stage to showcase my style. I joined a student club in the SEEK Program, and soon became the President and started hosting a string of events based around fashion. 4 years and a bachelors degree later, there were 6 fashion shows and 3 beauty pageants under my belt. Huge successes. I started to doubt my real educational reason for attending college, which was to become a dentist. Fashion was dancing on one shoulder and dentistry on the other. But somehow, I figured out how to still involve the two. My best buddy, Kenny – whom I met at the college on the road to become dentists – made it through. So, I live vicariously through him. And now, coincidentally – together we’ve developed a brand – a service of bespoke mens luxury shoes and women’s handbags, and ready to wear womenswear shoes as well. Named, Kenjeffreys. It is serendipitous because all of the products are sourced and handcrafted in Haiti and infused with Ghanaian culture. As Kenny is from Haiti, we properly employ artisans within the community and focus heavily on our social impact.
Following undergrad, I then began at FIT as student, really just trying to test my styling hand – and to learn more about the industry. While there, I came across extremely talented and knowledgeable fashion professionals that have really guided me. Namely, Sadia Seymour and Joseph DeAcetis. Both wildly experienced, patient and embedded with a wealth of information. Respectfully in womenswear and menswear. You cannot beat that, and I am grateful for it.
AD: That is strangely unique and admirable. Talk to us about how all those experiences and inspirations give rise to the Jeffrey or Che we see today and ultimately, where that places you in your field of fashion and menswear.
Jeff: Sure. Great point. I have been indoctrinated by the basic principles of creativity as an adolescent – with respect to clothing. That is extremely hard to shake. Innately, styling was my ultimate form of communication, seeing that I was a shy introvert. So now, I still revert back to those same feelings…. the feeling of home, warmth, memories, great food and innocent fun. My approach now is exactly the same in the sense that when I am dressing, styling or designing for someone – I am taking into account their entire repertoire and holding a mirror in front of them which reflects the items that they love most. It is a skill that perhaps only empaths are only able to exhibit.
Having the ability to read into thoughts and connecting with the motivating spirits that drives people – is a gift. I ran the New York City marathon three times, and the 2nd time I ran it in a tuxedo! It was my ultimate homage and pledging of allegiance to fashion. Ha.
I also believe my extensive traveling experience has aided to the arsenal. Recent trips to Ghana always resets a creative instinct with me, as I look around and arrive back to a place of self-awareness. It feels right. My cousin Harry knows where to be to capture the real essence of the land. And, coincidentally enough, I am often back and forth to the UK as well. Savile row in London, England -as you know – is a menswear connoisseur’s Disney Land. It is the traditional hub for the world’s best tailored-bespoke suits. Naples and Florence are a close second. However, sartorially, the British have etched their names in the fine-art making of the suit. I do though spend most of my time in Brighton, UK. It’s where my love is and also like a second home for me. The culture there is infused with various styles and the community is inviting. The Duchess of Brighton-Hove, Lady Donna and her amazing friends will assure that you have a great time!
AB: Finally, talk to us about your styling approach with respect to specific talent that you work with.
Jeff: Definitely. This is perhaps an area you cannot teach. It is learned with years of experience and even reading the room wrong most times. I tell my fashion students often that they have to continue shooting airballs at the basket. Get out the miss shots, now – and properly learn your subjects. For example, if I am styling a celebrity for the red carpet – several nuances are to be considered before arriving at a dress or a tuxedo. Such as, what stages in life is your talent currently in, how body conscious are they and what are they most nostalgic about. These (and some of my other secrets that I cannot give away) are the pillars to nailing great style, image and presentation.
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