Broad&Market

(Just a quick note – I didn’t get the spelling on a lot of the names in this post here – marked with an asterisk- so if you know any that I mess up, please comment on this post and I’ll correct it)

“I am Queen Sumiyah Mu’El. I’m a resident of North Philadelphia, part of the Morrish Cherokee clan here in North Central Philadelphia.”

“What is the favorite thing that you have on right now?”

“I’m wearing the traditional Fulani indigo bogolan cloth from Bamako, Mali (in West Africa, right next door to Senegal). It’s a traditional cloth that’s worn there a lot, by special people who are special. Like me.” (smiles)

“So then, the next question is, what do you think when you get up in the morning and you’re gonna get dressed?”

“I’m always thinking culture, in terms of Africa. Africa, you know, I’m a descendant of Africa, even though I’m born here. I wanna represent the ancient style, because I think that everybody’s so into the stale kind of dress. You know, everybody kinda wants to look more, you know, Francé or European. I tend to want to keep the idea of the culture going.

Actually, I’m wearing two different types of cloth. I’m wearing the bazan* cloth, which is the cloth that’s on my head, and the bubu, which is the cotton bazan (her main dress). But the bogolan is a little more heavier cotton. This is really worn in the fall and winter months. And I kinda like mixing up the different patterns to kind of give you a different type of array of how it’s put together. I don’t always have to match pattern to pattern, but color to color, I like to do that.”

“Is there anything you think about Philadelphian’s and their style, anything you wanna comment on?”

“It’s kinda boring.” (laughs) “I don’t see a lot of eclectic things going. It’s like, when I get on the bus, trolley, train, I don’t see a lotta sisters with gaylays (head tie) and beautiful gold jewelry, you know um, beautiful styled locks. It’s usually when I get dressed and I got on something from the Continent, I only see myself just that one place. I don’t see a lot of women of the African diaspora wearing the cloth. The cloths. Not just from, you got West Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, South Africa – there are different weaves and textures in every aspect of the continent. But I just tend to like the West African cloth.”

“Is there anything you wanna say to Philadelphia?”

“Get some culture!”

“And last question is, what’s your current obsession right now?”

“Ohh my god, the African lace is so fabulous. I’ve been going to New York. I have a fabulous tailor. My tailor’s here at the flea market today, and she’s such a gem sent by god that she don’t even charge me to sell – we do barter.”