Latinas With A Fierce Fashion Sense...

Colombian Singer Erika Muñoz

... and the gift of song puts Erika Muñoz and Concha Buika in a league by themselves. Erika is greatly influenced by the music of Angélique Kidjo and Colombia's own música embassadora, Totó la Momposina as a way of returning to her African roots using the traditional instruments of percussion, maracas, and bass drums.

Erika's idol-Totó la Momposina

Her music is a mix of Afro-Colombian rhythms and Congolese soukous delivered with her beautiful voice which closes all emotional distance between her and the listener.

Erika is a native of Barranquilla, but tours all over the world giving her listeners the sounds of the palenqueros who live along the Caribbean region of Colombia. To learn more about Erika Muñoz, click here.

Erika

Concha Buika is Spain's primera señora of "Nuevo Flamenco"  who blends her smoky voice into a enthralling instrument that produces jazz, soul, traditional coplas and bulerías. It's like hearing the blues, but only in Spanish...one can still feel the deep passion in her voice.

Concha was born on the Spanish island of Mallorca to parents from Equatorial Guinea and now resides in Madrid.

Buika's first major tour kicks off Oct. 15 in Chicago and ends Nov. 20 of this year in Miami. To learn more about Concha Buika, click here.

Spotted: "It Girl" Kellis

Singer Kellis looking fabulous

La Reina- Reina Montero: A Princess In The Making!

Fashion Model Reina Montero

Another beautiful model who also hails from la República Dominicana, Reina Montero. Reina has been busy during Fashion Week by modeling in several shows and has done a few editorials. Look out for La Reina because she too will be one to watch!

My Domicana Princess H. Castillio

La Rosa Suprema

Congratulations to Rosa Cordero on her beautiful  French Vogue cover. The digital world is abuzz by the news of what some say is historic. She's a teenager so she's got a little more longevity to be a fashion model.

On a serious note, I personally need to look inside the issue to see if there's more to the cover that meets the eye, such as advertisements featuring models of different ethnicity's or editorials. One thing that puzzles me, has anyone else noticed that international fashion publications use models while their American counterparts do not???

Attention American publishers to include Essence Magazine!!! We- the American and international public are completely exhausted of seeing celebrities on the covers of your magazines! All of us are not celebrity obsessed as you all think we are! I'd buy a magazine if there was a model on the cover before I'd buy one featuring the celebrity of the moment!

"A Moment In Afro Her-story: Mariane Pearl"

Jornalist Mariane Pearl

Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl  is a French freelance journalist, activist, a reporter and columnist for Glamour magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002. Mariane Pearl is best known for her memoir, A Mighty Heart, which deals with the events surrounding her husband's kidnapping and assassination, which was latter adapted into the film A Mighty Heart.

"A Moment In Afro-Herstory" Susana Baca

Susana Baca and her sociologist/manager husband Ricardo Pereira established the Instituto Negrocontinuo (the Black Continuum Institute) in 1992. The institute aims to preserve and celebrate Peru’s significant African heritage and invaluable contributions to Peru, and has been credited with facilitating the resurgent interest in Afro-Peruvian music.Susana Baca herself is best known for her song “Maria Lando,” included on David Byrne’s 1995 compilation,The Soul of Black Peru.

Susana won a 2002 Latin Grammy Award for her album Poesia y cantos negros. Just remember that the Portuguese, Spanish, French, Americans and English attempted to destroy much of our African culture, and our language diction, music, religion and dance forms are ways to keep our heritage alive and is all that we have left once arriving to the colonies. Once we lose these cultural influences we will become extinct.

"Gracias Susana para ser una inspiración a Descendientes de Mujeres africanos en todas partes de la Diáspora."