Ep. 34: To Belong w/ Singer SHINGAI, Journalist Gary Younge, @thetempleofherskin & Author Maaza Mengiste; Fashion Designer Duro Olowu

SHINGAI talks to us about her family and their revolutionary history, the Noisettes and how Ancient Futures is heavily inspired by her family background. We also speak about her futuristic aesthetic as well as what’s next for the singer.

We speak with one of brightest minds in Journalism, Gary Younge to find out more about life at The Guardian and his exciting move to Manchester University to be Professor of Sociology.

What do you know about the history of tattoo culture in Africa? Two women who are documenting and answering this very question are artists Jessica Horn and Laurence Sessou. We meet to discuss their visual documentary project, The Temple of her Skin, which uncovers the stories and aesthetics around African women and their tattooing journeys.

To end our Belonging feature, we speak to Ethiopian-American author Maaza Mengiste whose new novel The Shadow King which has been hailed as “breathtakingly skilful” and “one of the most beautiful novels of the year”. In 2010 she published Beneath the Lion’s Gaze to much acclaim and her work can be found in the New Yorker, Granta, and the New York Times.

We profile Fashion giant Duro Olowu to find out more about his international background, innovative womenswear label and his new exhibition at the Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago called Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago.