Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

New Music: Tanzania Albinism Collective

White African Power by Tanzania Albinism Collective
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In 2016, producer and author Ian Brennan (best known for producing Tinariwen’s Grammy-winning album, Tassili, as well as the critically-acclaimed Zomba Prison Project releases) traveled to the far north of Tanzania, to an isolated island on Lake Victoria called Ukerewe. Because of its remoteness, Ukerewe is now a haven for many Tanzanians living with albinism. Albinism, of course, is a disorder most commonly characterized by a complete lack of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes.

Recommended Videos

People with albinism in Tanzania and eastern Africa face enormous challanges because of the way they look. Some East Africans believe those with albinism to be “demonic” in nature and that their body parts can transmit magical powers if made into tinctures or potions. This has led not only to the ostracizing of those with the condition (like on the island of Ukerewe), but to grisly killings, often involving dismemberment.

Given this context, it’s not hard to understand why Ukerewe has become a refuge to those with albinism. The island is so remote that, historically, parents would travel there to abandon their children with albinism. Among families that do keep their children, those with albinism are often kept apart from the rest of the family, forced to eat outside and are forbidden from singing at church, among other restrictions

Brennan journeyed to Ukerewe to work with members of the Standing Voice community. On the island, he held songwriting workshops, encouraging volunteers to to write about their experiences and to express what they wanted others to understand about their existence.

The Tanzania Albinism Collective’s White African Power comes out June 2 through Six Degrees Records and is available to order on AmazoniTunes and Bandcamp.

Terence Praet
Terence Praet contributes to The Manual’s New Music Monday column. He studied Philosophy and History at Skidmore College…
Learn how to smoke a pipe the proper way with our guide for beginners
Let us show you the classy way to smoke a pipe
Packing a pipe

Pipe smoking is the most aesthetically distinguished way to enjoy tobacco, but you lose the classy effect if you don’t know how to smoke a pipe properly. Smoking a pipe has become a lost art, and these days, most people who engage in pipe smoking do so to achieve a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps your grandfather enjoyed a puff now and again paired with a good stiff whiskey, or maybe your goal is to emulate a pipe-smoking artist.

I know that I enjoy a good puff on a pipe now and then, and knowing the right way to enjoy a pipe has made the experience much more pleasurable for for me. Whatever the case, if you intend to take up the time-honored tradition of unwinding with a pipe like me, you should learn how to smoke a pipe the right way. And smoking a pipe is very different than smoking a cigar (except you shouldn't be inhaling either).

Read more
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more