Ever Heard Of Benin City?
With its mathematical layout and earthworks longer than the Great Wall of China, Benin City was one of the best planned cities in the world when London was a place […]
Category Archives: History
To so many Africans, Fidel Castro is a hero
If Africa is a country, then Fidel Castro is one of our national heroes. This may come as a surprise to many oblivious of Africa’s postcolonial history and Castro’s role […]
Recognizing the Genocide in Namibia
More than a century since the German Empire carried out racial extermination in Namibia and in the wake of its recognition of the Armenian genocide, Germany is being urged to do […]
Road trip in Senegal
On a road trip in Senegal, Dakar’s nightlife shines and Saint-Louis sings DAKAR, Senegal — From dizzying Dakar to vibrant Saint-Louis, Senegal pulsates with rich culture, history and […]
The Audacious Blackness of Muhammad Ali
As the world remembers “The Greatest” boxing champion who ever lived, Muhammad Ali, I remember his audacious black pride. With his gloves and his lyrical prowess, he showed the world […]
The Afro-German Experience Under Hitler
January 27 is the UN’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Commemorated to remember the liberation of Auschwitz, largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers But I am writing this […]
First Genocide in the 20th Century
The Herero and Namaqua Genocide is considered to have been the first genocide of the 20th century. It took place between 1904 and 1907 in German South-West Africa(modern day Namibia), […]
Portraits: Former slaves in America
January 31st marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. To commemorate the occasion, new photos have been released showing some of the men and women […]
Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi: Legacies, Memories, Histories
August 20 marked the second anniversary of the death of Ethiopia’s long-time leader, Meles Zenawi. Two years on, the Zenawi phenomenon is still as divisive as it is […]
The Gaze On Black Bodies
For her exhibition “Archival Impulse & Poverty Pornography”, Ayana V Jackson turns to the archives to touch on the representation of black bodies. The flyers pasted around the cobbled streets […]
The Meaning of African Culture
Ignorance has always been a variable in interpreting contexts and concepts. We rely on flawed and often hypocritical analyses in defining “African culture” and dismissing any label we consider as […]
Mandela, From Frame To Heart
Nelson Mandela smiled at me everyday when I walked by him. Softly curled lips and softly curled hair, his face beckoned me and I came to him. I’d plop myself […]
Nigeria’s Igbo Jews: ‘Lost tribe’ of Israel?
Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) — A Shabbat service is underway at the Ghihon Hebrew Research synagogue in the Jikwoyi suburb of Nigeria’s federal capital territory. Fourteen year-old Kadmiel Izungu Abor heads there […]
Don’t Forget You’re Black
In America, if you forget that you’re black someone is always there to remind you. Sitting in the passenger seat next to my father as we drive into our new […]
Mysticism In Traditional Yoruba Culture
“I’m training to be a Yoruba priestess,” she said with her face scrunched in utmost sincerity. The confession from the young African-American student disgusted the Nigerian students, at the Georgia […]
Black Americans Free To Give Thanks, Even During Slavery
You’ll be hard pressed to find the face of an African-American in any artistic depiction of that all-too familiar feast of 1621-, like the one where a group of Plymouth […]
African Emperor Is The Richest Man Ever
The first time I heard about Mansa Musa, I was an undergraduate student. At Georgia State University, I “double majored” in journalism and anthropology. In my anthropology classes, I learned […]
Cemetery Of African Slaves Honored In Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Wearing full-skirted white dresses and turbans, the religious leaders chanted blessings and sprinkled water on the concrete floor of a modest house near this city’s […]
