Amanda Diva/9th Wonder Nappy Luv 7.5

National and regional Hip-Hop and R&B talents share stage with graffiti artists and poets to bring awareness to the conflict in the Congo.
NuFacesNC.com and the DRC Clothing Company announced Wednesday March 11, 2009 that recording artist, author, poet and media personality Amada Diva will host Nappy Luv 7.5 in Charlotte , NC on Saturday April 11, 2009 and in Raleigh , NC on Sunday April 12, 2009.
Nappy Luv 7.5 is an annual event series that molds music, art, dance, fashion and poetry in to one festive occasion. This year's efforts are aimed at bringing attention to the technological resource based war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Amanda Diva is a multi-talented Columbia University graduate that made her debut on Nickelodeon at the age of 12 on the sitcom My Brother and Me. After graduation she hosted shows on MTV2, VH1 and SIRIUS. In 2007 Amanda Diva replaced Natalie Stewart as a member of the group Floetry on their tour. Most recently Amanda Diva released the free EP Spandex, Rhymes & Soul in March 2009.
The Charlotte stop for Nappy Luv 7.5 is being billed as "The Photo.Conscious Edition and will be held April 11, 2009 at the Hart-Witzen Art Gallery and Theater at 116 W. 36TH Street in the city's arts district, NoDa. A who's who of Charlotte 's politically engaged socialites, tastemakers and creative class will enjoy an open bar catered event featuring live performances and art before partying the rest of the night away while models wearing fashions of the DRC Clothing Company conduct a photo shoot in the background.
On April 12th the show moves to the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, North Carolina for Nappy Luv 7.5: The Bloody Tech-Knowledge-Y Concert featuring host and performer Amanda Diva, Hip-Hop artist Median, Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder, urban folk starlet Jocelyn Ellis featuring band Alpha Theory, soulstress Lizh, and many more.
NuFacesNC.com is a social-networking community web site akin to Myspace or Facebook but with a regional focus. As with these sites, NuFacesNC.com allows members to register profiles, upload and share photographs and videos, chat with other members, and update blogs. In addition, the site also features original content. NuFacesNC.com offers graphic design, videography and video editing services as well.
The DRC Clothing Co. is the brand of choice for urban-minded, socially conscious young adults who seek apparel that appeals to more than just a sense of style. Founded by Congolese-Americans Eric B. Ndelo, and Roderick B. Vakala, along with international street culture enthusiast Antonio T. Mercer and Taj Polite; the brand fuses the urban aesthetics of global street movements with Pan-African cultural principles and designs.
CONTACT:
Taj Jamal Polite
NuFacesNC.com
Phone: (980) 230-9222
Fax: (800) 757-9079
taj@nufacesnc.com
www.nappyluv.com

Nappy Luv 7.5

North Carolina radio stations join in as awareness gala and concert
gives revelers opportunity to affect the environment by bringing dead
cell phones to events.

Charlotte, North Carolina, March 24, 2009 – On April 11 & 12, 2009
national recording artist and poet Amanda Diva will join Grammy-Award
Winning producer 9th Wonder, his artist Median, Jocelyn Ellis and
others in an effort to bring attention to the wildlife and humanity
being threatened by the world’s thirst for consumer electronics.

Nappy Luv 7.5 is an annual event series that molds music, art, dance,
fashion and poetry in to one festive occasion. This year’s efforts are
aimed at bringing attention to the technological resource based war in
the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Coltan is a metallic ore used in the making of such consumer
electronics as cell phones and lap tops. Over 80% of the world’s
supply of coltan can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Illegal mining of coltan occurs largely in wildlife-protected areas
throughout the Congo. Not only does the activity in these areas
threaten the natural habitat of the wildlife, there is a human cost as
well. Most mining is done by hand and by women and children.

The cost is not only seen abroad. The average life span of a cell
phone in the U.S. is less than 18 months resulting in hundreds of
millions being replaced yearly while fewer than 10% are re-used or
recycled. Cell phones contain hazardous materials and the “e-waste” is
dumped in to landfills throughout the U.S.

Radio stations on the campuses of UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University and
North Carolina State University have begun asking their listeners to
party with a purpose by showing up to the events with dead cell phones
that can be recycled.


About Nappy Luv 7.5

http://www.nappyluv.com

The Charlotte stop for Nappy Luv 7.5 is being billed as "The
Photo.Conscious Edition and will be held April 11, 2009 at the
Hart-Witzen Art Gallery and Theater at 116 W. 36TH Street in the
city's arts district, NoDa. A who's who of Charlotte 's politically
engaged socialites, tastemakers and creative class will enjoy an open
bar catered event featuring live performances and art before partying
the rest of the night away while models wearing fashions of DRC144k
conduct a photo shoot in the background.

On April 12th the show moves to the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, North
Carolina for Nappy Luv 7.5: The Bloody Tech-Knowledge-Y Concert
featuring host and performer Amanda Diva, Hip-Hop artist Median,
Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder, urban folk starlet Jocelyn
Ellis featuring band Alpha Theory, soulstress Lizh, and many more.

Buy Tickets for Charlotte Nappy Luv 7.5: The Photo.Conscious Edition:
http://www.groovetickets.com

Buy Tickets for Raleigh Nappy Luv 7.5: The Price of Tech-Knowdege-Y:
http://www.etix.com

For all info check out: http://www.nappyluv.com

CONTACT:
Taj Jamal Polite
NuFacesNC.com
Phone: (980) 230-9222
Fax: (800) 757-9079
taj@nufacesnc.com
www.nappyluv.com

V-Season 2009 On Pace To Be Largest To Date: Registration Still Open!

Since registration opened in October, over 1,000 V-Day organizers have signed up to produce V-Day benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, Any One Of Us: Words From Prison and screenings of V-Day's Until The Violence Stops and the PBS documentary What I Want My Words To Do To You in their colleges, high schools and communities.

From Bangkok to Belgrade, Rwanda to Rhode Island, V-Day organizers everywhere are bringing the issue of violence against women to the forefront of their communities and raising funds to help end it.

In addition, V-Day is proud to announce that over 500 women and men have already registered to hold Congo Teach-Ins with their family, friends and neighbors. V-Day is partnering with the Enough Project and STAND to offer this downloadable PowerPoint presentation about the crisis in the DRC. The PowerPoint is designed to educate individuals and communities about the history and current situation in the DRC. It is a powerful tool to activate and motivate the public to put pressure on elected officials and raise awareness and funds for V-Day projects on the ground.

Registration to hold a V-Day benefit event in your community is still open.

Apply Now

Sign Up on vday.org to Hold a Congo Teach-In

V-Day Announces February "Turning Pain To Power Tour" Featuring Dr. Mukwege & Eve

To coordinate with our V-Season 2009 and our Spotlight on the Women and Girls of the Congo, we are excited to announce the February TURNING PAIN TO POWER TOUR. Dr. Denis Mukwege, Director and Founder of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eve will tour five major cities in the US - New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington DC - to get the word out about violence against women and girls in the DRC and the efforts to end it. This tour will have a direct impact on what is happening in the DRC--a country rich in natural resources but weighed down by years of war and atrocities--by raising awareness and critical funds to save lives and provide refuge and support to a new wave of women leaders.

Dr. Mukwege is the godfather of the growing V-Men's movement. On the tour, he will address what motivates men to commit these crimes, and what men need to do and who they need to become to stop it. By sharing firsthand accounts and a psychological and physical understanding of sexual violence, Dr. Mukwege will shed light on what he calls 'sexual terrorism.' Through his work at Panzi, the doctor is modeling another way of being a man. By illustrating that it is not the majority of men who are raping in the Congo, but that the majority are silent there and everywhere, he encourages both men and women to be bold and stand up for the women of Congo.

The tour will be comprised of a series of educational and fundraising events. In each city, Eve will conduct a public interview with Dr. Mukwege about how to stop the ongoing femicide, what causes this level of violence and what life is like for women in the Congo.

Tour Schedule*

Wednesday, February 11, 8PM - New York, NY
"Turning Pain To Power in the Congo - Dr. Denis Mukwege In Conversation with Eve Ensler"
92nd Street Y - Kaufmann Concert Hall - Lexington at 92nd Street, NYC
Tickets: $27, on sale now
For tickets and more info, visit
http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T%2DLC5WL10

Saturday, February 14, 8PM - Los Angeles, CA
V-Day USC Performance of "The Vagina Monologues" with special guest speakers Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege
Location: USC Campus
Tickets: ticket information to be announced

Wednesday, February 18, 6PM - Redwood City, CA
The World Affairs Council and Global Philanthropy Forum host Dr. Denis Mukwege interviewed by Eve Ensler
Location: Redwood City, location to be announced
Tickets: ticket information to be announced

Thursday, February 19, 8PM - San Francisco, CA
City Arts & Lectures "Art & Politics" features Dr. Denis Mukwege interviewed by Eve Ensler,
Location: Herbst Theater, San Francisco
Tickets: $20, on sale now
For tickets and more info, visit http://www.cityarts.net/n.mukwege.html

Sunday, February 22, 2PM - Atlanta, GA
Dr. Denis Mukwege In Conversation with Eve Ensler
Location: The Carter Center
Tickets: ticket information to be announced

Wednesday, February 25 - Washington, DC (date to be confirmed)
Dr. Denis Mukwege In Conversation with Eve Ensler
Location: Howard University
Tickets: ticket information to be announced

*Events subject to change

Dr. Denis Mukwege Awarded United Nations Prize

Dr. Denis Mukwege of the Panzi Hospital in the DRC has been named winner of The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2008. Previous recipients of the award include Nelson Mandela, Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Reverend Dr. Martin L. King.

Dr. Mukwege is the Director and Founder of the groundbreaking Panzi General Referral Hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where he performs life-saving fistula surgeries on girls and women who have been brutally raped and mutilated in the Congolese war.

V-Day and UNICEF have partnered with the Panzi Hospital to build the City of Joy, a safe house project which will be a refuge for healed women, survivors of rape and torture who have been left without family and community. City of Joy will offer a safe haven, providing educational and income-generating opportunities, and support women in becoming the next leaders of the DRC.

The City of Greensboro breaks the Silence

CONGOCAST.ORG

Congocast.org Trailer from Congocast.org on Vimeo.

The Story

Robin Tabbiner and Wendy Merritt are from Wilmington, North Carolina, a beach town where life moves at a slower pace - a town where it's not uncommon to wear flip-flops to the office or leave work early with your surfboard in tow.

The women met in 2005, when Robin joined Wendy’s small group, a women’s bible study she lead through Port City Community Church. Robin, who had graduated from college the spring before, had been planning a move to Africa - she was just waiting for the right time and opportunity. Wendy was leading a very “normal” life – after college, she had settled down in Wilmington, bought a house and was working for a local mortgage brokerage firm; it had never crossed her mind to pick up and move halfway around the world.

Over time, it became clear to both women that their paths had crossed for a reason; within one year of meeting each other, they would move to the Democratic Republic of Congo to serve women and girls victimized by sexual violence. Through an organization called Answering the Call, Robin and Wendy were connected with a pastor in eastern Congo. Upon entering the Congo in August 2006, they rented a house and began building relationships with rape victims, serving children at two feeding centers and organizing events for local youth.

Once we learned of their plans to move to a country that our own State Department warns us to stay away from, we knew we had to tell their story. For three months before Robin and Wendy left for Congo, we spent time interviewing them, as well as their families and friends; they left the country armed with a video camera and plenty of tapes to document their experience, hopeful that their story and the stories of the Congolese women and children they went to serve would move us to get involved. Here’s how you can.

TO FOLLOW MORE OF THE STORY AND TO CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE VISIT: www.congocast.org