EMMANUEL AKINWOTU Bruce Onobrakpeya’s home and studio, partly shielded by trees, sits discreetly along a frenetic side street in Mushin — a working-class neighborhood of Lagos, dense with small manufacturing businesses, artisanal workshops and old detached houses. But on a generous plot, his three-story, concrete modernist home where he’s lived since 1976 is a quiet […]
Jul 13 2024 | Posted in
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Ancient Africans believed in the existence of an unseen superpower that manifested itself through daylight and nighttime, lightning and thunder, earthquakes and seasonal changes, as affirmations of its omnipresence. They acknowledged and sought his protection in every function and facet of life through prayers. Libation, utilizing liquid as an offering for invocation, is the most […]
Jun 9 2024 | Posted in
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YIRGA GELAW WOLDEYES A large number of artifacts held in Western museums and libraries are known to have been appropriated over the ages through conquest and colonialism. The looting of African objects anthropologists, curators and private collectors took place in war as well as in peaceful times. It was justified as an act of benevolence; […]
May 23 2024 | Posted in
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A comment by SJAAK VAN dcr GEEST, University of Amsterdam The act of libation contains a rich mixture of religious, social and cultural ingredients. It is a prayer to the ancestors and gods for their blessing; it is a social ritual binding together the members of the audience by emphasizing their common roots; it is […]
May 23 2024 | Posted in
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The African practice of libation had a significant impact on setting forth our understanding of hospitality, tokens of fellowship and respect, for family living and dead, continuity and contact. WILLIAM E. FLIPPIN, Jr. I have always been fascinated by the practice of libation. I first saw this done in a movie over twenty years ago […]
May 11 2024 | Posted in
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FRANK NTARINDWA Nigeria’s Afrofusion sensation and Grammy-winning Damini Ogulu, commonly known as Burna Boy, among many more Africans celebrities have secured spots on Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people 2024. The ‘Twice as Tall’ crooner was honored in the icons category for his significant impact on the music industry. Legendary Beninese singer […]
Apr 25 2024 | Posted in
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LAUREN LEE When Ghanaian Afro-dancehall and reggae star Stonebwoy visited Jamaica earlier this year for the Island Music Conference, he made headlines with an impromptu freestyle alongside Shaggy, Sean Paul and Wyclef Jean. But for the 36-year-old, the trip was about more than just performing — it was a pilgrimage. Arriving in the capital, Kingston, […]
Apr 12 2024 | Posted in
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Two of the great granddaughters of a Sakalava king in Madagascar, who was beheaded in 1897 by colonial troops, publicly addressed the French ambassador, asking him to speed up the restitution of their ancestor’s skull. In all, they are claiming three skulls belonging to the Sakalaves, an ethnic group living on the west and northwest […]
Mar 26 2024 | Posted in
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Architects use local materials and merge traditional techniques with modern technology to make schools and orphanages cool, welcoming places ÈLIA BORRAS If architects are people who like to think their way around challenges, building schools in Burkina Faso must be the dream job. The challenges, after all, are legion: scorching temperatures in the high seasons, […]
Mar 11 2024 | Posted in
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MICHAEL E. ODIJIE There are global efforts to fight modern slavery, but a few traditional systems still hold strong in west Africa. These include Osu, Ohu and Trokosi. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo spoke to Michael Odijie who has researched one of the systems – Osu – and what can be done to finally […]
Feb 12 2024 | Posted in
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