ellie paris magazine - preview edition

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1 WWW.ELLIEPARIS.COM An Afro European Concept Made in the USA Ellie Paris celebrates our heritage and victories with original quotes that inspire, motivate and upliſt people. Community leaders modeling for a social cause Preview Edition 2014 • January/February • Volume 000 • Preview Edition EP 030114 2014 JAN/FEB 000 PE WWW.ELLIEPARIS.COM Magazine A clothing line that supports underpriveleged children Part of the proceeds goes to support our children. Exclusive LokuuRaz Photoshoot with 337 Photos, Mona Afro Filmes and 1975 Productions

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Issue: 000 Preview Edition 2014 January / February

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Page 1: Ellie Paris Magazine - Preview Edition

1www.ellieparis.com

AnAfroEuropeanConceptMade inthe USA

EllieParis

celebratesour heritage

and victorieswith original quotes

that inspire, motivate and uplift people.

Communityleaders

modelingfor a social

cause

PreviewEdition

2014 • January/February • Volume 000 • Preview Edition

EP 030114 2014 JAN/FEB 000 PE

WWW.ELLIEPARIS.COM

Magazine

A clothingline that supports

underpriveleged childrenPart of the proceeds goes to support our children.

ExclusiveLokuuRazPhotoshootwith 337 Photos,Mona Afro Filmesand 1975 Productions

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Creative Director/Founder & CEOEllie Paris

Executive Magazine Design DirectorKathy Correia

Executive Graphic Design DirectorEden Soares

Editorial TeamRonise VieiraLiddia Graves

Interns / StudentsCape Verdean Student Association (CVSA) at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

College of Visual & Performing Arts at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Photographs byLokuuRaz Magazine337 Photos

EllieParis .com

Issue: 000 Preview Edition2014 January / February

GREATER BOSTON OFFICEP.O. Box 870235Milton Village, MA 02187

Office: 617.291.2924E-mail: [email protected]

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Who isEllie Paris? A PhD student, an TeachingFellow, an Entrepreneur, aPhilanthropist, Creative Director, Founder and CEO of Ellie Paris

Born as Elisandra Da Silva Perei-ra, this young Cape Verdean entre-preneur and philanthropist has the honor of being the first college grad-uate in her family. Living in the U.S. since May of 2010, she is currently a Ph.D. student enrolled in the Lu-so-Afro-Brazilian Studies and The-ory program, and a teaching fellow at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for the Department of Portuguese since the fall of 2011. At the university she is also one of the advisors for the Cape Verdean Stu-dent Association (CVSA). Despite her busy schedule she still finds time to follow her entrepreneurial drive and spirit. Recently, she founded Ellie Paris, an intercultural clothing line company that supports under-privileged children, groups, and or-ganizations that believe in contribut-ing towards social causes around the world.

Ellie Paris is a project that was in-spired by Ellie’s multicultural experi-ence whilst living in various Europe-an cities. Raised by a single parent, Ellie, as she is known amongst peo-ple in our community, had to leave her homeland Cape Verde at an early age with her mother to Europe seek-ing better economic opportunities. While in Europe, Ellie first settled in Lausanne, Switzerland, then moved to Paris, France, and subsequently Lisbon, Portugal.

Ellie is a young woman who believes that creating education and business

Ellie Paris at the Centro De Emergência Infantil - Institute of Cabo VerdeanChildren and Adolescents (ICCA) ophanage in São Vicente, Cabo Verde

opportunities are the essential keys for developing Cape Verde and our diaspora. She recently went to India, where she co-represented the Uni-versity of Massachusetts Dartmouth in meetings with different univer-sities and organizations to develop a student exchange program that was established in January of 2013. During last year’s spring break re-cess, she conducted a direct-study program on Brazil-Africa Relations at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Also, during last spring she repre-sented the Cape Verdean Communi-ty in the U.S. at the 2013 Global Di-aspora Forum in Washington D.C. This past July, she returned from Cape Verde, where, funded program by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, she acted as the faculty leader of a program abroad and the advisor for the CVSA. She was re-

sponsible for leading a group of stu-dents to perform community work and help underprivileged children in the Institute of Cabo Verdean Chil-dren (ICCA) located in São Vicente Island. Recently, she was invited by the Constituency for Africa organi-zation as the next generation leader for Africa and a panelist on their an-nual conference at the World Bank in Washington D.C.. She invited two of our local artists, Nádia Alves and Zé Rui Depina to introduce Cape Verdean music to the conference’s audience, which turned out to be a success.

Today, Ellie Paris splits her time be-tween the university and her compa-ny; yet, she still finds time to be with family and friends. Ellie Paris can be reached at [email protected].

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1609 1910 Ronise Baroneza Veira

I Have The Dream Attitudewith Ellie Paris

Carla Da RosaDJ Brazao2014 CVMA Nominee for Best DJ

Team Fidalgo Familywith Paulo Fidalgo

Riza Pereira

YP Entertainmentwith Yanik Paiva

Kathy Correia Criloas Contra Cancerwith Ani Lobo

Eden Soares

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Ronise Baroneza Veira337 Photoswith W. Lee Thurston, Jr.

Carla Da Rosa Mona Afro Filmeswith Miguel Antonio & Allen Mamona

Team Fidalgo Familywith Paulo Fidalgo

1975 Productionswith Rui Convasking

YP Entertainmentwith Yanik Paiva

Tida Batukadera Rodrigues

Criloas Contra Cancerwith Ani Lobo

LokuuRaz Magazinewith Jose Silva

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I Have The Dream Attitude

E PEarly in my life I realized that this life is the only opportunity I have to live my dreams. Since then I have con-stantly questioned myself expecting that one day the light bulb in my head would just turn on and all my ques-tions would be answered.

Slowly I understood that it may never happen. So I moved on with different everyday tasks until one day I realized that everything we do are pieces of different dreams we have. Therefore, I took the initiative to put the pieces of my dreams together.

Ellie Paris is one of those dreams. I de-cided to create a company that would be doing more than simply generating income or creating job opportunities. I had the dream to create a clothing line that could inspire and motivate people. I confess that I have been fortunate enough to do that since we started 6 months ago. This was only possible with the help of friends, fam-ily and our clients that kept motivat-ing me to challenge myself and believe that Ellie Paris could be a reality.

One person, who I deeply thank for all of these achievements, is my best friend Eden, who has been a strong believer in this project since day one. Eden is the Executive Graphic Design Director for Ellie Paris. In addition to being one of the main assets of the company, he is also like family. Words simply cannot describe our deep rela-tionship.

Ellie Paris is an intercultural urban clothing line committed to inspire,

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I Have The Dream Attitude

Pmotivate, and uplift people with orig-inal quotes, copyrighted and trade-marked, on high quality designed apparel that celebrate our heritage, victories, and the legacies of many leaders who helped to write a different history for us as Cape Verdeans.

The goal of Ellie Paris is to educate and encourage people to develop what we call “The Dream Attitude”. This is the drive/attitude that we all need to have to guide and motivate us through challenges and difficult situations, to never give up and keep striving for the hope that our dreams will come true. I believe, “We don’t choose how we were born, but we can choose how we can live.” and, “We should never allow our experiences to negatively define who we are or where we are heading.”

At Ellie Paris, we believe in social re-sponsibility. Therefore, part of the proceeds goes to support underprivi-leged children around the world.

Today, we are entering a new chapter. The pre-launch of the Ellie Paris Mag-azine is a combination of immeasur-able efforts of a visionary team willing to expand an efficient engaging model to continuously reach the community for the awareness of living motivated.

Thank you for supporting a dream project.

Nu sta djuntu,

Ellie Paris

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C Kathy Correia, born in Cape Verde and raised in the US, is a graphic & web designer with skills in print and digi-tal design, and photography. Teaching herself Photoshop at the age of 12, her passion for design came naturally with little hesitation in furthering her hobby into a career. Over the past six years, Kathy has developed her skills through freelancing, i.e. running a joint photography company during college, and working full-time as a designer. Even creating for emerging jewelry designers at a fashion public relations and sales agency for the past year and a half. Being the young-est of three to foreign born & raised parents, Kathy does not plan on settling but perfecting her craft and creating her own American dream.

As a part of Ellie Paris, Kathy joined the team after falling in love with a brand that is both cultural and motivational.

Kathy CorreiaEXECUTIVE MAGAZINEDESIGN DIRECTOR

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EEden SoaresEXECUTIVE GRAPHIC DESIGN DIRECTOR SBorn in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I moved to Portugal before I was the age of one, and then to the United States by the age of four. Being the only boy of three sisters, I found ways of keeping myself busy when there was no one to play with. Since I could remember, I have always loved music and drawing. While I was home, If I wasn’t recording from the radio and mak-ing tapes, I was in my own room being very creative. By the time I was eleven, my cousin, who at the time was an excellent illustrator, introduced me to the art of graffiti. I quickly fell in love with this element of Hip Hop. I became better and better at it. When I reached junior high school, I was interested in Drafting. Being very detailed and technical, I became very interested in the art of designing homes. So during school days

I would be drafting homes and mechanical objects, and off school hours, I would be drawing characters and developing my lettering skills. I continued with Drafting until I graduated high school. I attended Hall Institute of Technology, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. After graduating, but not having any luck landing a job in my field, I stumbled upon Graphic Design. Now this is where I felt I found my niche. The funny thing is, I noticed I have been design-ing graphically ever since I was fifteen, when I was first approached by a friend that knew I loved to draw, and asked me if I could draw a flyer for a local event. I designed many hand made flyers, so by the time I discovered Graphic Design, I already trained myself in the basics of setting up information or designs that promote or advertise. When I turned twenty one, I decided to use my money that I had been saving from local jobs and design projects to purchase my first computer. It was a PC, that I had custom built with all the necessary design software installed. Without any formal training or reading any tutorials or books, I taught myself the basics of Photoshop in one month. I became so excited with Graphic Design that I decided to attend college to further develop my newfound motivation. I attend-ed Mount Ida College in Newton Centre, in Boston.

Since that point, I devoted by energy and hard work at freelancing and promoting myself. Word got around of my services, and I slowly began build-ing my clientele. Most of my projects came in from word of mouth. People were impressed my abil-ities, my presentation, my humbleness, and quick turn around time, it was obvious, I meant busi-ness. Through the years, I have gained a solid base of repeated customers, satisfied clients, successful projects and profitable businesses. My work has been featured in magazines, billboards, public ac-cess channels, videos, commercial and products, to name a few.

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SWhen I first met Ellie, it was when I was working for a com-pany as a Graphic Designer. Ellie was inquiring about a business card that she needed designed when she was managing a music artist. I began working with El-lie when she was forming Sweet Home Services. I first created her logo, then her business card, fol-lowed by a flyer, which was very detailed. During this process, and the exchanging of ideas, is when I noticed that I was dealing with someone very unique. I was impressed with her knowledge of marketing and her direct vi-sion. At this point, I knew I was dealing with someone that was going to make some big success-ful accomplishments in her life because of her dedication, her persistence, her vision, and her drive. The only thing she need-ed was someone like me that has the belief, the experience, the skill, the patients, and the speed to quickly make her visions into realities. We worked together on many more projects, and devel-oped a great friendship and a strong respect for each other. I truly support and back up any project that Ellie is ready to ven-ture off to, and I firmly believe that Ellie Paris will become a house hold name.

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JDJulio Brazao2014 CVMA NOMINEE

FOR BEST DJ

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JD Julio Brazao’s love for music began at an early age. He began collecting albums and also loved watching live bands perform. In fact, he had a special love for musical instruments, in particular the drums. This special love for drums was influenced by his father who was a drummer for the famous band “Os Tubaroes”. Julio wanted to follow his father’s footsteps; however life had something else in store for him. Years passed, and Julio became involved in music at a different end of the spectrum. Along with a couple of friends, they started organizing parties. Being surround by music alongside two other DJs, Adilson and Jorge, he grew more curious and more fond of music. Curiosity got the best of him and so he took a trip to Guitar Center, one of the largest music stores in the United States, where he bought DJ equipment for himself. He began experimenting on his own in the comfort of his home; however at clubs he was not as confident to try and play. With a push from DJ Adilson, who used to trick him into holding down the floor by himself, Brazao slowly began gaining confidence. In addition, he began taking advice from his cousin Nery “Nos Manera” and DJ Ivan LLuv, who had a few more years of experience ahead of him. Julio was very much influenced by these two well-renowned DJs. From there, Julio’s career as a DJ took off as he began playing regularly at Fidjos Terra’s parties, for his soccer team, house parties and cookouts. Feeling much more confident, he took another step forward by doing private parties, birthdays, family events and bigger cookouts. However, his biggest challenge was to DJ at a nightclub. Whoever knows and has seen DJ Brazao on the turn tables would never know that Dj-ing at a nightclub was his biggest fear. “There’s no room for mistakes at a night club,” justified Brazao. DJ Brazao got to where he is today, a nominee for The 2014 Cabo Verde Music Awards for the best DJ, through hard work, dedication, practice, and learning the ins and outs of the Dj-ing game, thereby expanding his knowledge of music and exploring different genres. Music has given DJ Brazao the opportunity to travel locally and outside of the country to play alongside other DJs. He has been to Providence, Boston, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Portugal, and Cabo Verde. He has played at the highest level in clubs in the US, where he resides, such as Club Tino’s, Loft 44, Club Blu, Club District, Club Pearl, Club Tantric, Club Mediterraneo, Club Morabeza, Tamboo, Club Guilt, Pranna, Club Ghetto, Club Jovans, Joe Angelo’s, Capital Night Club, Club Therapy, Club 33, Underbar, and more. “I would add that a big turning point in my career was when I learned that one has to adapt to whichever environment comes your way,” stated Brazao. Julio Brazao does more than just play at night clubs and private parties. He plays at fashion shows and charitable events as well. He has also collaborated with many artists, voicing inputs, ideas, and concerns about their upcoming projects, working with artists such as Sandro Correia on one of his CD’s with a 10 minute mix as a bonus track, and with Mark G., exchanging ideas on an Afro house track. DJ Brazao is ready and wants to take his Dj-ing career to the next level, and he is hoping to release his own project this year, with support of Gilson Lima (Cockpit CV), and Lo Records as a producer, DJ Ivan LLuv, Nery Nos Manera, Klaudio KR, Mark G, Chandinho Semedo, all while perfecting the beats.“Ellie Paris is an ambitious individual who had the excellent idea of creating a clothing line to express pride for our culture in a fashionable manner. She is an easy person to work with, and with her strong team of professionals behind her, she will go far,” stated Julio Brazao.”

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PRiza PereiraBLACK ACHIEVERS AWARD, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Riza Pereira is a hard worker and a dedicated professional at Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester. Riza is currently working with patients who are at a high risk for poor health outcomes due to a combination of medical and social factors. Her responsibilities include, but are not limited to: home visits, face-to-face health coaching and education, social resource identification and referral, accompaniment and health system navigation. Riza has earned numerous certificates and has strengthened her skills as a medical interpreter, asthma educator, Medical Assistant, ESL teacher, and an HIV/AIDS counselor. She is also CPR certified, a notary public, income tax preparation certified, and a Community Health Worker. Riza Pereira’s familiarity with the Cape Verdean culture has made her an asset to Cape Verdean families with language barriers, helping them to receive all the services they are entitled to. In January of 2014 Riza Pereira was one of the recipients of the Black Achievers of Martin Luther King Jr. Award for her years of dedication and devotion in serving as the liaison between the hospitals and the community and so much more. “Ellie Paris Clothing line contains messages that are positive, inspirational, and motivational, that grab my attention, and it makes me feel more proud to be Cabo Verdeana. Ellie Paris tributes our hero Amilcar Cabral on her clothing line and it feels great to wear them with pride,” said Riza Pereira.

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YPYannick Paiva, also known as YP, is a successful entrepreneur and a night life promoter. Yannick started organizing parties, and promoting night life in Praia, Cape Verde. Wanting to feel that that Cape Verdean party vibe was here in the US, YP decided to create his own entertainment business about two years ago. In June of 2012, Yannick set it off with his first party titled “1 Amor”, which later became a movement to raise awareness about youth violence. The “1 Amor” concept came about when YP and his friend, rapper Gilson “Gabiru” Tavares, were listening to Bob Marley’s song, “One Love”, and asked one another, “what if we translated and started saying 1 Amor, would it catch on?” Indeed, the “1 Amor” concept caught on, and is now the slogan for a campaign launched against violence by YP and Gabiru. Yannick Paiva proudly supports the Ellie Paris Project because it positively promotes Cape Verdean immigrants in the US.

Yannick Paiva, YPYP ENTERTAINMENT

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YP

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C Ani LoboCRIOLAS CONTRA CANCER

“I was born and raised in the island of Sal in Cape Verde, and I’m now living the American Dream”, says Ani Lobo, co-founder of Criolas Contra Cancer, Inc., a non-profit organization geared to raise awareness in our community and to help those less fortunate. Ani states that this country has blessed her with so many opportunities and that that sense of fulfillment makes her feel obligated to give back to the community.Two years ago, Ani Lobo along with eight other people made what Criolas Contra Cancer is today. Although the name of the organizations reflects the word “cancer”, their services extend far beyond those who are suffering from cancerous diseases.They have hosted numerous events, fundraisers, soccer tournaments, and so much more to benefit less fortunate children in Cape Verde. The strategic usage of the word “cancer” is simply to emphasize that together we can fight against anything malignant or bad in nature. Their mission is to reach out and help those going through hardships whether they are affected by a disease or financial troubles.She is compassionate about being involved in other projects as well to help those who are less fortunate. She received an opportunity to associate herself with Ellie Paris and her team of talented professionals, and had a chance to wear some garments from the Ellie Paris Project as well. Ani says that the clothing perfectly reflects the motto of the clothing line, “Living Motivated”, and Ellie Paris is an inspiration to young females everywhere.

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BRRonise Baroneza VieiraFORCV CAPE VERDEAN PERSON OF THE YEAR 2013

Ronise Vieira is a poet, cultural activist, co-founder of the popular Cape Verdean radio Show “Voz Di Joven”. Ronise is also the founder and instructor of the Baroneza Project, a young women’s creative writing program designed to empower young Cape Verdean women, develop friendship, build self-esteem, and to feel proud of themselves. The Baroneza Project uses poetry and other modes of creative self-expression to give and strengthen these young women’s voices. Sessions are held in both English and Cape Verdean Creole, and are often

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Bvisited by guest mentors, females in our own community with inspirational stories of achievement. These mentors are brought in to inspire and motivate these young women to dream big and challenge their future. The young women of the Baroneza Project had an opportunity to perform at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton and the Independence Day Cape Verdean Festival in Providence, and also did a segment with Lenira Querido for the Cape Verdean TV show, Selo Ernestina. Fueled by her passion for writing and the love for her culture, Ronise Vieira, with support from the Movimento Shokanti, launched the Baroneza Project in February of 2013. Movimento Shokanti is a company that connects and engages local neighborhoods, multicultural communities, artists, and arts organizations to provide opportunities for education, empowerment, and cultural cross-pollination; even now the project is quickly becoming a movement. Ronise is pleased to say that the Baroneza Project is back for a four month period of engaging in powerful discussion about core issues that affect our lives and our community. Ronise Vieira also collaborated with talented young artist, Noah Andrade, on his new album entitled “Noah, Vol. 2”. The song “Vivi Livri” is a poem written by Ronise. Ronise “Baroneza” Vieira was voted FORCV Cape Verdean Person of the year in 2013. “I was honored to be invited by Ellie Paris to be one of the models to represent her clothing line in a photo shoot for LOKuuRAZ Magazine. But what made it so magical was watching my two kids, Anderson, 9 and Dianny, 3, wearing the Ellie Paris clothes with such pride,” says Ronise Vieira. Furthermore, Ronise states that the Ellie Paris Project inspires far more than just our generation. She goes on to say that as Amilcar Cabral (predominant figure of the Ellie Paris clothing) said, “Children are the future leaders”.

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CCarla Da RosaDIRECTOR OF CONSTITUENT SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF BROCKTON

Carla Da Rosa immigrated from Fogo, Cape Verde at the tender age of six. Having lived in Brockton for most of her life, Carla is a proud graduate of Brockton High School. Since then, she has attended the New England Institute of Art where she majored in Architect and Interior Design. Carla Da Rosa works for Mayor Bill Carpenter at Brockton City Hall. She is the Director of Constituent Services for the City of Brockton. She is also the liaison between the public and the District, as well as other departments, handling complaints, answering casework correspondence, and engaging in conversation with constituents. She delegates the complaints of local issues to the different departments responsible for that issue. Carla is a member of Ajudar Ajudar, a local non-profit organization designed to help less fortunate children in Cape Verde. Carla stated,” If I had to choose only one word to describe the Ellie Paris Project, it would be ‘inspirational’; the designs and the captions say it all.”

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P Paulo Fidalgo TEAM FIDALGO FAMILY

F

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FFor family, friends, and anyone who knows Paulo Fidalgo, they would say that he is a kind-hearted person. Paulo is a very active member of his community. He is consistently involved in cultural events that promote the Cape Verdean culture such as the Cape Verdean Independence Day Festival in Boston. Paulo is a member of several non-profit organizations such as Criolas Contra Cancer, geared to raise awareness in our community and to help those less fortunate. He is also a member of Ajudar Ajudar, yet another non-profit organization geared to help children who are less fortunate in Cape Verde. Paulo Fidalgo came from Praia in 2009 and now lives in Boston. He is also the father of a fifteen year old boy. One would think that a guy that does so much for his community would have no limitations. However, Paulo cannot work, cannot travel and cannot do a lot of things that a regular person can do. Five years ago he was diagnosed with kidney disease. Since his diagnosis, Paulo has to spend most of his days going to the hospital to receive treatment (dialysis). In other words, dialysis is the artificial replacement for lost kidney function. Kidney disease does not see neither age, ethnicity, nor gender. Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age. However, some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. A year after diagnosis, he started his treatment. Paulo felt the need to raise awareness in our community about how it is to live with this disease and how it affects people. He started his own organization called TEAM FIDALGO FAMILY, and has been participating in kidney walks every year. TEAM FIDALGO FAMILY started with fifteen members and now has reached about one hundred members. The Kidney Walk is to raise awareness and funds to support researches, programs that educate and support patients, their families, and those at risk. Two years ago TEAM FIDALGO received an award for the largest team in Massachusetts. They raised about $7,000, and this year they raised $6,639. Although the disease and the treatment has changed his life, that has never stopped Paulo from giving back to his community.

He hopes to find a donor so he can regain some normalcy in his life. Paulo believes that we, as a generation and as a community, can do great things if we join forces. “I think Ellie is doing a wonderful job with the clothing line, which inspires a lot of people with a strong message. I’m here to support positive things in the community. Once again, together we can achieve more”, says Paulo Fidalgo.

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T RTida RodriguesBATUKADERA

to perform regularly at numerous Cape Verdean Festivals, predominantly the Lowell Folk Festival and the Cape Verdean Independence Festival in Providence, as well as performances in Florida, Georgia, California, and Texas, among other states. She has also shared stag-es with many prominent

“I cannot explain the feeling when I’m dancing batuke. The stage becomes my world,” said Tida Rodrigues (Batukadera), who started dancing when she was very young. She grew up watching “batukaderas” with their “panu terra” or cloth wrapped around their waist, moving to the sounds of what sounded like drums. But in fact it was a group of ladies sitting around in a half-circle beating their hands on balled up plastic bags placed on their laps. Fascinated by the sounds and movements of the ladies, Tida began to learn how to dance at the age of 3 in the countryside region of the Island of Santiago in Cape Verde. At the age of 17, she migrated to the United States, but she never stopped dancing. In fact, the tra-ditional dance “batuke” is what helped her stay connected to her homeland. In high school she joined a group call the CVGirls. Eventually, Tida was invited to dance with a Cape Verdean Folkloric group named Pi-lon Batuku in 2002. Over the years Tida “Batukadera” Rodrigues has been invited

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27www.ellieparis.comRCape Verdean singers such as Jorge Neto, Beto Dias, Gil Semedo, Gilito, Ferro Guita, and many more. Tida has made appearanc-es in music videos with many artists and has worked up close and personal with Norber-to Tavares, ZeRui Depina, and others. Tida has also worked with Zema and Zezinho on the Pan Di Terra Project, performed at UMass Dartmouth, and John Cerilo in other projects. Tida has been recognized for her talent and passion for the traditional Cape Verdean dances and her desire to rep-resent her country here in the US and even in Cape Verde. She is repeatedly invited by the Cape Verdean Consulate to perform for the Cape Verdean Prime Minister and oth-er government dignitaries. She has recently performed for Festivals in Cape Verde as well as the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival with Shokanti. Nowadays, Tida is involved with projects such as Kaminhu Longi, and Batucada Sodat.

From stages to schools, Tida has represent-ed her Cape Verdean Culture with pride by teaching youth not only the traditional Cape Verdean dances, but the popular dances as well. She has taught at the YMCA in Nor-wich, Connecticut, at Our Sister’s School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and at other various educational and cultural events. Ba-tukadera, Tida Rodrigues, says that we need to teach, instill, and promote our culture to our younger generation, and that that is why she can relate to the concept of the El-lie Paris Project.

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337JJose SilvaLOKuuRAZ MAGAZINE

SJose C. Silva is the clever mind behind the popular Cape Verdean Magazine called LOKuuRAZ Magazine. Born in Sao Domingos in the island of Santiago, Cabo Verde, Jose immigrated to the US at a young age. Furthermore, he went on to pursue a degree at Bridgewater State College, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Concentration in Graphic Designs and a minor in Spanish. He currently works for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Certification Intake Specialist at the Supplier Diversity Office, and has worked there for the past 8 years. Jose dedicates his spare time creating what has become LOKuuRAZ Magazine now, an outlet he uses to showcase young Cape Verdean talents and to promote his culture. LOKuuRAZ Magazine is a free magazine that can be viewed online. Jose and his team have published 9 issues of the magazine featuring Cape Verdean models, jewelry designers, musician, clothing designers, community leaders and so on. The LOKuuRAZ Magazine team includes Jose Silva himself as the Director, Ms. Caudina Silva (his sister) as the Chief Editor, and photographer Mr. W. Lee

Thurston of 337photos. “I have been using my spare time to publish a Cape Verdean fashion/entertainment magazine showcasing talent and inspirational stories in the New England Cape Verdean Community,” confirms Jose. LOKuuRAZ Magazine has featured so many young and talented Cape Verdean individuals that are making an impact in community. And Ellie Paris was one of these talented young Cape Verdeans, a business woman who has made a name for herself using fashion, graphics, and Icons to send out a positive message to all the people, regardless of age. “My experience with the Ellie Paris shoot was amazing. I always find it a fulfilling experience when a group of positive people come together. Only good can come from that. I really appreciated Ellie for sharing her dream and for enriching LOKuuRAZ Magazine. I had a blast and I hope that everyone involved felt the same way,” said Jose Silva of his experience with Ellie Paris.

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337 W. Lee Thurston, Jr.337 PHOTOS

SPhotography, the art of capturing life’s most amazing moments on film. W. Lee Thurston Jr. has been a photographer for twenty one years. He is the talented photographer behind 337 photos. Clever enough, 337 is a mirror image of his name, Lee. Photography has taken Lee all over the place, locally and overseas, doing events, parties, private functions, fashion shows, and model portfolios, among other things. W. Lee Thurston Jr. has shot for local and national magazines, local newspapers, New York fashion week shows, book covers, CD covers for local singers and rappers, and also for jewelry and clothing designers too.W. Lee Thurston Jr. is the photographer responsible for the amazing photos of the Ellie Paris Project spread in LOOKuuRAZ Magazine. “My experience shooting the Ellie Paris Project for LOOKuuRAZ Magazine was a total blast. Everyone was fun to work with and took instruction very well,” said photographer W. Lee Thurston Jr.

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FMiguel Antonio & Allen MamonaMONA AFRO FILMES

Miguel Antonio is a Film Producer. Born in Angola, he moved to the United States in the early 1990s with his family, where he resided in Northern Virginia. Growing up, Miguel quickly realized he had a mind for negotiating and selling products, and so he began doing business at an early age. After graduating from Phoenix University with a degree in Information Technology/Network Security, he moved to Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, he met filmmaker Allen Mamona. Noticing Miguel’s drive and passion for business, Mamona convinced Antonio to partner up. Together they created the film studio Mona Afro Filmes. To date, Miguel has produced several music videos and has two feature length films to his credit. Mona Afro Filmes is on its way to becoming a big player in the African film industry thanks in part to Mamona’s visions and to Antonio’s relentless strive towards financial success.In regards to the Ellie Paris Project, Miguel believes it is an excellent idea and commends her to continue to bring us more quality clothes with a positive message. Furthermore, he goes on to say that he has much respect for Ellie for taking the initiative to create a clothing line that represents and shows pride for her country and culture. “To me the Ellie Paris Project has a big future because the clothing carries quotes with positive messages and it’s made for all size and ages. Hats off to her,” said Miguel Antonio.

Allen Mamona is a Film Director, Writer, Cinematographer and Producer as well as a Film instructor with 16 years of experience. Born in Angola, Mamona migrated to the U.S in 2002. A film admirer since childhood, Allen brought with him his passion for the movies. With no real prior education in film, Allen started working on set with other local filmmakers. Allen, being a visionary, had always envisioned a thriving film industry back in his home country Angola. He wanted to help build a film environment in Angola that mirrors that of Hollywood in terms of quality of work and procedure. In 2008, Mamona met Miguel Antonio, with whom he would form a partnership. Together they founded Mona Afro Filmes, a film studio dedicated to producing visual works that reflect the spirit of Africa. Mona Afro has produced several music videos and two feature length films to date, one shot in Angola with the other being shot in Massachusetts. Along with chasing his dreams of being a filmmaker, Mamona has also taught camera classes in his native country. Some of his students have gone on to take jobs as cameramen for television crews.Acording to Allen, “What Ellie Paris is doing is inspiring a new generation of Africans and people of other backgrounds to feel proud of their heritage. The messages on the clothing serve multiple purposes. Along with expressing positivity through creative writings, they also serve to show where our people come from without [Cape Verdeans] saying a single word.”Allen goes on to say that “the photo shoot was an overall positive experience for me. I had the honor to meet and reconnect with some very professional people who are working towards changing our community for the better. These are talented people in their respective fields who have volunteered their time to show respect to a woman whose main goal is positivity and love. The best thing that happened with the shoot is that everything went off without a hitch. I made new friends and the project was started and completed on a positive note.”

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19751975 was the year Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal. As a tribute to Cape Verde, Rui Canvasking Lopes uses that year as a name for this Production Company. Rui Cavasking Lopes, filmmaker and founder of 1975 Productions, his goal is to broaden the Cape Verdean cultural export beyond music. Through filmmaking, Lopes hopes to capture the talents of Cape Verdean artists and showcase them to the world. “One of my goals as a filmmaker is to help tell the world who we are as a people through the use of film. We’ve always been known as a talented culture in regards to music, which I consider our biggest cultural resource. But through film we can help to visually show what our music has always expressed,” says Lopes. He goes on to say that we are a very fortunate generation, and that we have far more opportunities, more financial stability, and more means of exposing our culture to the world. Rui, along with his friend Alex DaLuz and other friends, created 1975 Productions. Furthermore, they collaborated with Afro Mona Films, an Angolan film Company. Lopes began working alongside Allen Mamona, who is the Director and film maker at Afro Mano Films. According to Lopes, Allen has been a great mentor, teaching him the ins and outs of filmmaking, knowledge one can only get from life’s experiences. 1975 Productions and Afro Mona films have been working alongside each other since they first met at the set of rapper D. Lopes’ music video, ENERGY.Long before that, Rui’s passion for visual arts dates back to when he was much younger. In high school he was selected for the Scholastic Art Award.

Moreover, he attended college at Art Institute of Boston (AIB), where he was the recipient of Best Overall Foundation (freshman) Portfolio. Rui Canvasking Lopes wanted to further pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker, therefore he moved to California. Later, he moved back to Massachusetts after learning of an opportunity in Plymouth and to work on a film portfolio. For the next couple of years he worked on over 40 video projects. However, Lopes still wanted to expand his horizons as a filmmaker. Along with his friend, Alex Da Luz, they ventured off and started a two-person company called “King 2 King Productions”, which later on expanded into a full service entertainment company, providing services such as: music production videos, graphic designs, and much more. Rui has had the opportunity to meet other Cape Verdean filmmakers such as Kai Boa and Peter Silva, from whom he was able to learn more about filmmaking culture. Lopes stated that he is happy to know there are many more talented Cape Verdeans filmmakers paving the way for the future generation. Rui Canvasking Lopes feels that we must live and leave a “template” for the next generation to follow and perfect it. When asked to share his opinion on the Ellie Paris Project he stated, “What Ellie Paris is doing with their clothing line is something inspirational. The world of fashion is diverse. Every culture has its own custom and regulations in terms of what’s accepted. What we don’t seem to have is our own Ralph Lauren or Liz Claiborne to represent us in that world. Ellie serves as not only that connection for us, but also as an inspiration to future generations of Cape Verdeans who are interested in the fashion world. When they see that one of ours made an impact in the business, it’ll inspire them to chase that dream.” Lopes indicated that he had an enjoyable experience at the Ellie Paris’ photo shoot for LOKuuRAZ Magazine, and had the opportunity to meet very positive and fun people. He said that what happened that day on the set, needs to happen more often, that we need “that environment of creative and professional Cape Verdeans all under one roof to support one of our own.”

Lopes1975 PRODUCTIONS

Rui Convasking

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SPECIALTHANKYOU TO

LOKuuRAZ Magazineand 337 Photos

for a great photoshoot; and to all those who participated —the Cape Verdean community is blessed to

have individuals like you all that per-serve and inspire, and as we say at

Ellie Paris - are living motivated.

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SPECIALTHANKYOU TO

LOKuuRAZ Magazineand 337 Photos

for a great photoshoot; and to all those who participated —the Cape Verdean community is blessed to

have individuals like you all that per-serve and inspire, and as we say at

Ellie Paris - are living motivated.

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