Record decks in the lounge

Blinged-out art, 12 plasma TVs, a grand piano and chocolate in every room! R&B singer Craig David invites Pride to his north London penthouse and shares his passions.
By Cynthia Lawrence.
Photography: Joseph Sinclair (www.josephsinclair.com)

Craig’s album Signed Sealed Delivered is out now. His new single “All Alone Tonight (Stop, Look, Listen)” is out 31 May.

Windswept

Hair: Michelle Thompson at Francesco Group
Photo: Alessandro Cecchini
Make-Up: Wai Kan
Fashion: Shazzy Thomas

1 Chemicals
Limit the use of harsh chemical on your hair. You will notice an improvement in growth if you increase the time between relaxers. There are so many in between treatment (such as Mizani in salon Thermasmooth treatment) that can make re growth smoother for longer. Breakage from relaxer is often cause by the overlapping of the chemical on already relaxed hair and thus weaken the strands. Unless you are competent with using relaxers it is always advisable to consult professionals. Alternatively look for other options to groom hair like Brazilian blow dry, which use Kertain to sleek tresses. Trim hair every 6-8 week to prevent split ends causing additional damage.

2 Moisturise
it is essential to keep hair and scalp well moisturised as afro hair is prone to dryness. This can be achieved in a multitude of way from using protein moisturizing shampoo’s, deep conditioning treatments, hot oil treatment, leave in conditioner, and hydrating hair lotions too. Steam treatments are also recommended to enhance the condition, locking in moisture and reducing breakage.

3 Healthy Eating
Your body breaks down and dissolves healthy foods quicker, utilising the nutrients your body needs. Good foods such as green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, oily fish rich in Omega 3 and protein, which is found in red meats, are all great aids in the quest for longer hair. Also drink plenty of water, which will cleanse your system of waste, detoxify your body to ensuring a healthier and shinier mane.
4 Vitamin Supplements
Adding supplements to a healthy diet will ensure your hair grows much quicker. By helping to create a healthy scalp that stimulates hair follicles and encourages a good environment for fast growth. Choose supplement rich in, Vitamin A, which is important for over all good health and beneficial to hair follicles, as it keeps the hair root lubricated. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps maintain good circulation, flushes toxins and improved immune system, again aiding with strong hair. Copper helps with pigment and stimulates dormant hair follicles. B-Complex is used to create healthy cells in every part of the body. Zinc aids in cell production, tissue growth, repair and maintenance of oil secreting gland on the scalp. Lastly Vitamin E increases oxygen to improve circulation to the scalp.

5 Sleep
Sleep is so important for achieving healthy hair as it allows the cells in your body to repair and heal itself, so quality sleep is vital. Sleep deprivation is often a result of stress, which can make you susceptible to hair loss.  Ideally women need 8 hours of quality sleep per day. Other little thing you can do to encourage growth includes massaging the scalp weekly to stimulate the hair follicles, cutting out smoking and caffeine from your diet and avoid too much heat and over all stress on your hair too.

For more information visit www.worldofbraiding.com

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Left Dress: Afromania by Nkwo, price on request Tutu: Beyond Retro, £38 Gloves: Beyond Retro, £5 Headpiece: Nkwo, £35 Right Dress: Tina Atiemo, price on request Bodice: Beyond Retro, £8 Hat: Beyond Retro, £8 Gloves: stylist’s own Corsage: Beyond Retro, £12 Bag (just seen): Beyond Retro, £18

Photographer: Joseph Sinclair
Fashion editor: Shevelle Rhule

Make-up: Pauline Briscoe using MAC and Bobbi Brown
Hair: Wayne Shorter Campbell
Fashion Assistant: Zed Eye
Models: Zainab Balogun (zainab16@hotmail.co.uk), Samira Hashi @ Cosmic Model Management
Location: Betty Blythe Fine Food Pantry, 73 Blythe Rd, Brooke Green, London W14 0HP. Tel: 020 7602 1177.
www.bettyblythe.co.uk
Open Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 8am–6pm.
With special thanks to Lulu and Ola Shobowale.

The stresses of modern life and a less-than-ideal diet often conspire to make our digestive tract the weakest link in our body’s defences against illness. But there is a lot you can do to keep your insides healthy. By Sherry Dixon

Skin is on show every day. How it looks can profoundly affect the way we feel about ourselves. If our skin looks good, we feel good, so it’s little wonder that we spend so much time, effort and money on beauty regimes. Yet, just as important is a diet that not only takes into consideration the visible, very top layer of the skin but that also nourishes the layers of cells beneath it. “We are what we eat” is undoubtedly true – food is our best medicine – but what we eat is also reflected in how we look. Healthy people should shine. They have clear skin, glossy hair and sparkling eyes with bright whites. But due to stress and other 21st-century ailments, the digestive tract becomes confused, resulting in toxic overload. So let’s look at two ways to achieve inner cleanliness.

The colon, or large intestine, is an vital part of the digestive system. Populated by billions of friendly bacteria that assist in detoxifying waste, it completes the digestive process and handles our food waste and much other body waste. Poor digestion, yeast overgrowth, spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and diarrhoea are usually accompanied by auto-intoxication, literally “self-poisoning” (the reabsorption of soluble wastes into the bloodstream). This places a heavy burden on the other eliminative organs of the body – the kidneys, skin and lungs. Chronic constipation can lead to toxic overload, causing bloating, headaches, flatulence, fatigue, colitis and skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. In the longer term, bowel disease is a great risk. Correct function of the colon is a necessity for health. It has been said that colon malfunction can lead to 80 per cent of all diseased states.

If you suffer from any of these complaints, why not consider colonic hydrotherapy?
How it works
This “internal bath”, conducted by a trained therapist, helps cleanse the colon of poisons, gas, accumulated faecal matter and mucus deposits. It’s not a new thing devised for celebrities – the first case was recorded in 1500bc, and it has been used in traditional and naturopathic medicine since then. Filtered water is introduced under gentle gravitational pressure through the rectum into the colon. With special massage techniques, the water begins to soften and cleanse the colon of faecal matter and old deposits, which are piped away with the waste water. The therapist works progressively around the structure of the colon, allowing water alternatively to flow in and release. The whole procedure takes about 40 minutes. The equipment is safe and is sterilized using hospital-approved sterilization solutions.

Most people quickly experience improved mental clarity after colonic hydrotherapy. Some say they get a greater feeling of wellbeing and lightness. Treatment depends on the individual case and advice will be given at the first consultation.

Margie Finchell is a registered colonic therapist. You can contact her at 58b Crawford Street, London W1 (020 7724 1291 and 020 7624 5519) or at The Freed Clinic in Croydon (020 8665 5042).

Don’t let the credit-card companies crunch your post-festive mood! Here are Pride’s do’s and don’ts when spending to ensure you can be debt-savvy in the New Year!

The New Year is upon us, and many of us are recovering from the Christmas shopping sprees. Whether it has been shopping for gifts or going stir crazy in the Boxing Day sales, many have been tempted to spread out the cost with their flexible friends. While we promise ourselves that we will pay it off each month, we often assume that the special deals offered by the card companies will help soften the blow. Wrong! While many credit-card providers offer competitive deals of 0% interest, beware of the ploys they use to trap you. You don’t want to see in the New Year with spiralling debts, so here are some tips on how to spend wisely with your cards without falling for their tricks.

Don’t : Use a 0% card for purchases
If you have switched to a 0% deal simply to transfer a balance, try not to use that card for shopping. Most providers will use your monthly payment to clear the cheapest debt first. Any purchases you make will attract the same standard rate of interest despite borrowing at 0%. So, you won’t be able to start paying off your new purchases until your transferred balance is completely paid off. Financial experts advise that it is worthwhile having two cards – one just for making purchases and the other for your balance transfers.

Do: Pay on time
This sounds like common sense, but many people fail to pay on time. Make sure that your monthly payment reaches the company a couple of days before the actual due date on the statement. If there is any slight delay, even if it’s on the actual day, it will incur a penalty fee, usually around £12. Not just that, but being a late payer may go down as a black mark, affecting your credit rating. It is also advisable to make overpayments if you can, rather than the minimum each month.

Do: Cut the cashback
Many lenders offer tempting cashback as a bonus with the cards. But once the companies draw you in, there is nothing stopping them from taking away the benefits. So, the attractive 3% cashback on purchases could easily be cut at any time to 1%, which is hardly a bargain!

Don’t: Ruin your credit rating
Never borrow your way out of debt with a new card. Applying for plenty of credit cards means risking rejection and damaging your credit score. Also, by taking out various cards, you could potentially be increasing your debts, not reducing them.

Don’t: use a credit card to withdraw cash
This is the biggest no-no of them all! The interest rate on a cash withdrawal is typically upwards of 25% and this is on top of a fee that is usually around 3% of the amount you withdraw. In addition, you will also start accruing interest from the day the withdrawal is made, so it can’t be avoided even if you clear your balance in full each month.

Do: Pay attention to interest rates increasing
The average credit-card rate has risen from 17.7% to 18.1% as many lenders have put up rates or launched new cards with higher APRs. Such increases are hidden in the small print on statements or letters from your card provider. Make sure you are aware about being charged more without even noticing.

Don’t: be tempted by credit-card cheques!
Just like regular cheques, credit-card cheques seem straightforward and convenient for paying for something when you don’t have cash. However, they are treated like cash withdrawals, so the same higher interest rate and the absence of an interest-free period still apply.

Do: Play your cards right on holiday
If you plan to use your card abroad, tell your card company. As with debit cards, banks may assume there is fraudulent foreign activity on your card and cancel it. This would leave you stranded. Also, look carefully at charges, as most banks double charges by imposing an international penalty for travellers.

Don’t: Take out a store card
These are one of the most expensive forms of credit there is, with high rates of interest. You don’t want to be counting the cost long into the New Year!

Do: pay by direct debit
With our busy schedules it is easy to forget to pay on time. Late or missed payments on a credit-card debt will result in you being charged penalty fees. So, it is advisable to set up a monthly direct debit that will ensure you are never late for a payment, risking harm to your chances of gaining credit in the future.

Do: Use only for emergencies
Whether it’s to pay off a bill or food shopping, try to use your credit card only when you absolutely need it. Try keeping it in a place indoors instead of in your wallet, so you won’t be tempted to use it for mundane purchases.

The usually razor-sharp claws of West End theatre critics have dulled somewhat as they continue to lavish praise on the revived version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by the godmother of entertainment, Debbie Allen. The award-winning director/choreographer has collaborated with producer Stephen Byrd to put together a stellar all-black cast including heavyweights from the world of TV, film and theatre, such as James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan, and our very own Adrian Lester and Richard Blackwood. If the cast and crew had any first-night nerves, they’d surely be dispelled after they perused the reviews when the play opened its curtains several weeks ago. “Who can cavil about colour, given the brooding majesty of James Earl Jones,” wrote the Times critic. “Adrian Lester’s Brick is one of the high watermarks of the London year,” observed The Guardian’s Michael Billington.

With a scheduled run of six months at the Novello Theatre in the West End, it’s safe to say that the high expectations of the remake of the classic Tennessee Williams play have been duly met. But the tempo was less upbeat when Cat made its debut on Broadway in early 2008. Months before the opening, the play was assailed with negative commentary from naysayers who assumed that it would bomb because audiences would fail to believe that a black cast could authentically convey the nuances of this classic tale about a wealthy but dysfunctional white family from the Deep South of America. And, of course, there was always the question of who the play would speak to. It’s a commonly held assumption that black people just don’t go to the theatre. The cinema, yes; the comedy club, maybe; but theatre was, and still is, seen as the preserve of the white middle and affluent classes. This would prove to be a misjudgment, however, as despite lukewarm reviews, tickets sold by the bucketload when it finally arrived on Broadway, with sales totalling $14 million in 20 weeks. Furthermore, 80% of the audiences were black, shattering the myth that black people aren’t interested in theatre. “I remember people coming in late, asking if we could start over, talking to the stage,” Byrd says of the spirited theatrical experiences when the theatre was populated by black audiences.

“It’s a common assumption that black people don’t go to the theatre. It’s seen as the preserve of the white middle classes.”

What’s interesting however, is Stephen Byrd’s decision to add a black cast to a play written by a white playwright about a white family. Byrd, an African-American businessman who had a successful career at Goldman Sachs for 15 years, has received criticism from some who believe his decision to revive Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is nothing more than a calculated marketing ploy. He remains undeterred by the criticism. “I looked at the modern classics because I had never seen them done multiracially before. I wanted giants to play these parts, to make them real events for African-Americans.” This is a valid enough argument, but wouldn’t it have been more fitting to remake a piece of work that speaks of the black experience, such as the recent and successful Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, which starred Sean “P Diddy” Combs? Or even something as powerful as the iconic The Color Purple, which also received a Broadway makeover in recent years and played for months to rapturous audiences? The thing that makes Cat such a curious choice of revival is not just that the characters were white; it’s also the nature of the story. It’s a tale about a 1950s plantation owner and his family in the Deep South, considered by many as the epicentre of racism in pre-civil rights America. It marks a period in US history when black people were routinely lynched, oppressed and had very little social standing.The life of Big Daddy and his warring privileged brood couldn’t be more of a stark contrast to the existence of African-Americans in the 50s.

According to Debbie Allen, though, this is irrelevant. “The black cast is totally incidental to what we’re doing, which is discovering the heart and heartache and love and lies of the families that we all know,” she says. But she will admit that some elements of the story had to change – for instance, the story is now set in the 1980s rather than the 50s – but she still believes that the themes discussed – love, money, terminal illnesses, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism – are universal.
On the contrary, producer Steven Byrd admits that race was a driving force behind the marketing of the play, and the main reason for transporting the play across the pond is because black audiences are being underfed. The ambitious producer has further plans to give other classic white plays a black makeover, with A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman among those on his radar. So, does this mark the future of black theatre? Will audiences have to contend with stories told by others, portrayed by us?

Tellingly, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is only the second dramatic black play to be staged in the West End, Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Elmina’s Kitchen being the first. While I’m sure most of us will agree that the huge amount of publicity and favourable press that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is receiving can only bring about positive change to the narrow remit employed by the gatekeepers at the West End, it does beg the question of what this means for the future of productions written by black playwrights, which centre on themes specifically highlighting the black experience. We’re talking about the Kwame Kwei-Armahs of this world, as well as young breakthrough talent such as Bola Agbaje and Roy Williams. Will their stories now be welcomed into the arms of the white theatre elite, or will they be further marginalized and pushed underground because they fail to come with a star-studded African-American cast or a script that is regarded as a classic? Black British playwright Roy Williams believes we still have a long way to go. “There has been progress, but in terms of having more black faces on the stage (and screen), and in terms of fresh, contemporary stories told from a black perspective, we are coming up short,” he says. He also believes that, as black Britons, we have our own unique story to tell. “Our plays are about London now – an exciting, complex, difficult city at the end of the first decade of this new millennium.”

Whether Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will prove to be a positive in the trajectory of black British theatre lies in the hands of theatregoers. The glowing reviews that the production has already received is definitely encouraging. However, the success of the BBC adaptation of Andrea Levy’s tale of immigration Small Island, which raked in 5 million viewers, also proves that there is an appetite for quality, real black drama, despite the theory advocated by many that black life is of no interest to non-black people.