【 Afro-Japanese Blues. 〜Vol. 10: Love at first sight! Cameroon is an exciting country full of special items.

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

Cameroonian men are surprisingly fashionable!

Continuing from the previous installment of Ramblings in Cameroon. Here is a report on the last day in Douala. Although Douala is not the capital of Cameroon, it has the largest population in the country.

It is a large city that has long flourished as the country's commercial and trading center, with many tourist attractions, and is an area where various cultures intersect, so much so that it is called a city of art. What did Mr. Sakamoto think of Douala?

Although it is a big city, it has no infrastructure, and at night it is pitch black with no streetlights. I think this is the reason why many stores close early at night compared to other countries.

What was interesting to me was that there were so many soccer fans that many people gathered to watch a live soccer game on a screen in the dark. Well, this is true not only in Cameroon but in all of Africa.

There were kids kicking a ball around during the day and public viewing at night, which was great for me as a soccer fan.

Mr. Sakamoto continued, speaking about the fashion scene in Cameroon.

Compared to other African countries, Cameroon gives the impression that men are more fashionable. I often see fashionable women in many countries, but Cameroon may be the only country where men pay this much attention to their clothes.

Whether they are fashionable or not is a matter of personal taste, but you can clearly see that they are enjoying fashion. It was a day when I once again felt the power of Cameroon.

A bountiful purchase.

Fourth day in Cameroon. Mr. Sakamoto took a 5-hour bus ride to the capital city of Yaounde early this morning. The purpose of the trip was to buy jewelry.

We arrived in Yaounde a little after noon, which I thought would be a long five hours, but after asking a Cameroonian man sitting next to me on the bus about everything from the city to the market, I found myself there."

Compared to Douala, I felt there were fewer people, but the city seemed sophisticated because it is the capital of the country.

Mr. Sakamoto immediately visited the market based on the information he had obtained on the bus. It seems that a good encounter was waiting for him.

After visiting several places, we finally arrived at a market with many great dealers. I bought a large quantity of mainly beaded accessories from an old antique collector. It was interesting to see how many of them were unique in shape, as well as in their use of color."

The next day. Mr. Sakamoto said that this was the day of the show. We asked him to show us all the items he had purchased.

Douala had good folk art. Yaounde, on the other hand, has really great African jewelry. I couldn't help but buy a lot."

Jewelry actually purchased.

This jewelry is actually quite valuable. I'm not saying this myself, but every dealer has a "special place" that only professional buyers and prospective buyers are allowed to go to. I don't mean to sound like I'm talking about myself, but every dealer has a "special place" where only professional buyers and prospective buyers are taken, and this is what I bought there.

Of course, different countries have different rules for buying and selling, and it is not unusual for things not to go smoothly. I always try to follow the rules of the country I am in, but I always try to be true to myself. I do not conduct business meetings in a formal manner, but rather in a friendly manner with jokes mixed in. This is my style. If you don't get to know each other well, there is a big difference in the final price and quality of the product. This is what I value in continuing this activity.

I also met a wonderful female bead artist. I basically buy after careful examination, but with this one, it was love at first sight. I bought almost everything from one end to the other.

I was struck by the grace and sex appeal that only a woman can have, not to mention her technique, but the perfection of her art and the way she approached it."

Beaded accessories actually purchased.

Looking back on his five-day stay in Cameroon, Mr. Sakamoto had this to say.

I have been traveling to see and feel the world with my own eyes and skin for the first time in my life, and to become a well-rounded person as a designer and as a human being. If you continue to travel, there are two types of countries: those that you are satisfied with after visiting once and those that you want to visit again and again, and Cameroon is definitely the latter. Cameroon is definitely the latter. The people, the things, and the culture are all fresh and exciting. I will definitely come back again."

The next morning, Mr. Sakamoto headed overland to Gabon, the next country. Please look forward to the next installment of "Afro-Japanese Blues!