Serialization 【 Afro-Japanese Blues. 〜The World Tour of a Genius Designer] Vol. 8 Ravaged in Many Ways! Tunisia, a country full of first-time experiences that left me mentally and physically dizzy.

Fascinated by black culture and passion forLamrofand an African jewelry label calledAFLOGICAL JEWELRYSDaisuke Sakamoto, aka Shirley, is a fashion designer who pours generously into the "Shirley" brand.

In addition, in recent years, the company has been developing a new label, "Miscellaneous Goods," which focuses on items from the American mid-century period, which it had been operating for some time.EARTHY ANTIQUESHe has also changed the direction of his business to mainly African goods, expressing the black culture he loves from various angles.

The term "Afro-zero" means "of African origin. In this sense, Sakamoto is an "Afro-Japanese" with roots in Africa, even though he is Japanese.

In this series, we introduce the people, things, and things that Mr. Sakamoto has seen while wandering around the world, especially in Africa, through his own filter. We present the realities of black culture as he sees it, how he incorporates it into his products, and the realities of the black culture that has fascinated him, through actual photos and Sakamoto's own voice.

Photo_Sha-Le (Daisuke Sakamoto)
Edit_Naoya Tsuneshige

Nearly hurt!

Continuing from the previous issue, here is a report on his wanderings in Tunisia. On the third day of his stay in Tunisia, Mr. Sakamoto took a break from buying to do his customary "art search. He went to "Musée National d'Art Moderne et Contemporain," a temple-like contemporary art museum in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

The museum exhibits Tunisian art from 1894 to 2004. My expectations were high even before entering the museum due to its opulent appearance, but the exhibition was very good and exceeded my expectations by far. There were so many exhibits that tickled my fancy, from typography and calligraphy art that made use of the Arabic language, to traditional exhibits with beautiful shapes and beauty that made use of materials and textures unique to Africa, to realistic paintings with a fine touch and contemporary ART."

Incidentally, admission is free. This may come as a surprise to Japanese people, but it is rather normal in the world. It was the same when I visited a museum in London. In terms of distance from art, I feel that Japan is by far the farthest away from it, and that makes me a little sad.

Next, Mr. Sakamoto headed for the "hammam. This is a traditional public bathhouse often seen in the Arab world. There were no bathtubs, but rather a steamy, steamy bath. What awaited him there was an unimaginable experience...

I was given a towel for now and shown to my locker, instructed to get into my underwear, and once I was ready, I was led through a large door in the back. When I opened the door, I found myself in a large cave-like space where everything was covered with Tunisian tiles and marble. To give you a rough idea of the flow of the treatment, the first step is to warm up in the sauna, then take a shower to wash off the sweat, followed by a scrub and massage.

The main scrubbing was very popular, and we had to wait in a huge, hot and humid space. As I waited in the chaotic space with only one Japanese among all the locals, I was shocked to see a shocking sight in front of me.

The African-American employee with the strong body is massaging as hard as he can. It was like slamming into marble (laughs). The locals were also in agony from the pain, and all of them were in tears. Finally, it was my turn. I probably broke about two ribs and lost most of the skin on my neck (laughs).

After a shocking massage, Sakamoto returned to his hotel that day. The massage seemed to have a definite effect, as he slept more quickly and soundly than usual.

Walking around Tunisia not going smoothly.

The next day, Mr. Sakamoto headed for Nabul, a city known as a mecca for tile making, to learn more about traditional Tunisian tiles. After a two-hour ride in a crowded shared cab, he was greeted by a beautiful sight that was different from that of Tunis.

I thought it would be a quiet town, but it turned out to be much more prosperous and lively than I had imagined. There are many tile and pottery shops, and when I visited, I found that each item they sell is meticulously detailed and beautiful. As a designer, I found many things to learn from them."

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What I value in the creative process for Ramurov and other products is an approach that is not considered "cute" but "cool. I always keep in mind the need to successfully interweave the opposites of "sex appeal" and "earthiness.

I'm not really attracted to things that everyone finds beautiful," he says. Tunisian tile is like that. I want to continue to pursue things that can only be produced by combining yin and yang, back and front, and I like that kind of thing. But the Tunisian tile is of such a quality that it surpasses that, and it has stimulated my sensibilities in a crazy way.

On the last day, we went to Sousse, the third largest city in Tunisia. Mr. Sakamoto said his purpose was to visit the Medina (old city). The Medina of Sousse is registered as a World Heritage site, with its streets heavily influenced by Arab and Islamic culture, and is known as an important cultural heritage site, especially for its well-preserved ancient architecture and lifestyles that are still preserved today.

Sakamoto was determined to scour the medina for items to buy, but an unexpected turn of events awaited him.

I always roam around for about 10 hours straight, so just as I was getting ready to go around again, I started to feel a little dizzy..."

I thought, "This is not good! I went back to the hotel and rested, but it did not get better, and I slept until the evening of the next day. I had visited many countries and had a hard schedule, but here I was feeling a bit rattled. It's important to take care of yourself..."

Although dizzy, Sakamoto managed to pick up the shoes he had ordered in advance, which were made using traditional North Tunisian methods, and ended his visit to Tunisia.

Next stop: Cameroon. Please look forward to the next installment of "Afro-Japanese Blues!