Suzanne "AFRICA "Engo ranked by MTV as one of the top 40 youth AIDS Activists in the world.... is running yes running from The United Nations to Oprah Winfrey Studios this fall to draw attention to issues faced by her native Africa. She will be stopping at Universities and High Schools and teaching a special class called AFRICA 101 where she will discuss AIDS AWARENESS and promoting BONO/BOBBY SHRIVERS WWW.MAKEMINERED.COM as well as AFRICAN EMPOWERMENT promoting Russell Simmons www.diamondempowerment.org So last week the Cause Celebrity News Bloggerspondent
WWW.THINK.MTV.COM/CAUSECELEBRITYNEWS got inked for a cause courtesy of Troy
Denning WWW.INVISIBLENYC.COM and WWW.SEEDGIVESLIFE.COM
photo credits:SGO
We found out in our latest interview if she's really crazy or not. She's putting it all on the line for a great cause. Check it out!
BLKU :Hi Africa
AFRICA: Hey You?
BLKU: So what's this I hear you are running to Chicago? R u nuts??
AFRICA: LOL NO but some days even I am like...yes I am crazy!
BLKU: How did this come to be?
AFRICA: Well I was already trying to loose weight to draw attention to the fight against AIDS.
BLKU: Yeah I read about that 100 right
AFRICA : RIGHT 1HUND(RED) like the converse red campaign... I've lost 70 pounds since January
BLKU: WOW that's a whole person.
AFRICA : YUP, I gave up drinking, and binge eating and meat... and I work my ass off!Again I copied Oprah cause I do her BEST LIFE DIET, I am not one to tell Oprah what to do but they ought to take the diet out of the title because what they encourage you to do is not diet it's about changing your lifestyle.
BLKU: SO then
AFRICA: Then my car got towed and I had like 1 million dollars in tickets so i started running outside, and my trainer Dave Coffee had been pushing me to do a marathon
BLKU: SO..
AFRICA: SO I was running and it just came to me... one because i noticed a lot of eyeballs on me when I would go jogging... and two because I thought now here's a way to test myself, draw attention to my people and give people ideas on how to help.Plus everything I do, I like to have the what factor which basically is when people go SHE'S GOING TO DO WHAT???? hahaha I love that so much it drives me.
BLKU: WOW just like that.
AFRICA: Yeah just like that and the journey began, I am a huge fan of converse and they came out with an African branded shoe where the money goes to AIDS and I had met them and they sent me a pair so I was like BET! When I stop and talk to people I'll tell them about that. It's a really cool program that is attached to their celebrating their 100 hundred years. People can go to WWW.MAKEMINERED.COM and design their own sneakers..it is brilliant and behind the whole thing are my idols Bobby Shriver - Bono and this amazing woman Tamsin Smith who is the president of RED urging. But credit to Converse for doing it!
BLKU: So are you a spokesperson for the brands now?
AFRICA: HA! No not YET! ... But I am a part of the (RED) community since inception when I copied Oprah and did a shopping spree I spent like 7,000 dollars for stuff for me and friends... you can be in the community too it is as simple as going and buying one of those products the money goes straight to the GLOBAL FUND...which I am urging people to do also. Does product (red) people tell me what to DO NO!!!!!!!!! we all know I am independent have they been supportive absolutely, they're my role models man and I pick good people to look up to so naturally they nurture and explain things to me. They are amazing, sometimes you meet your idols and they let you down this time NOT THE CASE.
BLKU: What about Russell Simmons?
AFRICA: I have met Mr Simmons so many different times through so many different people it's crazy since I am like 17 and I was street teaming the last time I actually met him with Bobby Shriver after the Amfar Gala and I grabbed a photographer and was like PLEASE take their picture it is funny cause you can see my hand in the photo... Anyway each time i meet him I meet a new man, it's like he evolves every second so the next time you see him he's grown leaps and bounds. And now he is doing this Diamond Empowerment Fund www.diamondempowerment.org which is so positive because he wants to empower Africans to help Africa and I am all about that. I love him for this because he went to Africa and for once unlike a lot of people he reported on WHAT IS WORKING!! HOORAY AT LAST so I am all about supporting him and that initiative so my second tattoo which is of Africa is branded in a way that nods to him.
Russell Simmons D.E.F and Bobby Shriver CO FOUNDER PRODUCT (RED) WIREIMAGE
BLKU: Yeah talk about that. So you are corporate branded.
AFRICA: Corporate no! But in a way yes I am a branded girl because the word inspired appears like it does in the RED campaign in what is called and EMBRACE that is the brackets you see around all the words like INSPI(RED) etc basically RED is embracing - hugging and kissing all of those who dare to make change with them. So I have it on my arm. And my right arm is of the African continent and bares my nick name Africa which DUH Russell Simmons doesn't own the African image not more than me but again the way his GREEN initiative logo is they put a point under the continent as if to say AFRICA EXCLAMATION and so I did that too. So yeah I'm " BRANDED" but it's an ode to the groups that do the work I live by. Do I want to be connected to that forever absolutely for better or worse IM IN! I was in my whole life that's an ode to my AFRICAN MOTHER!
BLKU: Who did the tattoos. On my board of my film festival are the principals of an amazing company called SEED GIVES LIFE www.seedgiveslife.com MY DEAR NOW FRIENDS!! Mike Ventura, Hawaii Mike and Albert Aazout do free design for my work to support me and so I called them cause they run this magazine called INK and literally the next day I was scheduling to get complimentary ink with one of NYs top tattoo artist TROY DENNING WWW.INVISIBLENYC.COM the dude is an artist and I'm so grateful for him blessing my arms and for making room, that cat is booked for about 6 months to a year ahead.
Suzanne Africa Engo and NY TOP TATTOO ARTIST TROY DENNING
BLKU: Cool so when do you run?
AFRICA: September to November I'll arrive in front of Oprah Studios November 17th my 30th Birthday
BLKU: Will Oprah be there?
AFRICA: I sure hope so I will have run a long way and I will be carrying important messages for her to read. I'm about to send her an official letter. Look she's OPRAH... that's all I have to say about that one.
BLKU: I read somewhere you will be stopping and talking to kids.
AFRICA: Yes stopping and talking at schools in a master class I will call AFRICA 101.
BLKU: Do you have sponsors?
AFRICA: YES, but the most important thing i need is my spirit.. I am going to run whether I stop and sleep on the side of the road or whether I sleep on a tour bus or hotel. I'm running honey that's my heart it has nothing to do with money. So I'll stick to my heart and leave it to GOD to help navigate me, through the rest of it I meditate and pray daily. GOD has never let me down so far. He is my sponsor.
BLKU: WORD! THANKS FOR CHATTING WITH US
AFRICA: NO PROBLEM SPREAD THE GOOD WORD DARLING. ASANTE!
WWW.THINK.MTV.COM/CAUSECELEBRITYNEWS for more info.
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