Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey "Only the best is good enough for Africa."
Kwame Nkrumah "The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa."
‘I felt like I was being told, “This is not your special day”,’ says 18-year-old of graduation ceremony JUSTIN McCURRY Strict rules on hairstyles at schools in Japan have attracted criticism after a mixed-race teenager was separated from other students at their graduation ceremony because he had plaited his hair into cornrows to pay tribute […]
YOYO OPOKU Picture it: one slice of pizza to feed 1.5 million people. Seems impossible, right? Well, that’s the same problem the Bronx faces with only one brick and mortar bookstore for its 1.5 million residents. But fear not, because Loc’d and Lit is here to help! This online bookseller and book club, started by […]
TikTok—specifically #witchtok—is fueling interest in this spiritual movement. Here’s how to immerse yourself in full moon rituals, spellcasting, and more. CHRISTINE MACINTYRE Centuries ago, ancient Celts traveled windy moors to worship the horned god, Cernunnos. Ancient Egyptians crossed deserts to invoke the protection of Isis. Druids journeyed to a forest clearing to perform rituals under […]
In the 17th century, Dahomey flourished under the protection of its all-woman military regiment that inspired Viola Davis’s acclaimed film The Woman King RACHEL JONES Call it mere coincidence or a masterstroke of tourism-focused timing. Earlier this year, when news spread that a hundred-foot-tall statue of Queen Tassi Hangbe had been erected in the West […]
COREIN CARTER Would you be persuaded to attend a festival if I told you that you could leave a changed person? AfroFuture accomplished that and then some. The festival formerly known as Afrochella, was founded in 2017 by Abdul Karim Abdullah and Kenny Agyapong and has now evolved into much more than just a music […]
Ellen Craft’s light skin allowed her to pose as her husband’s enslaver when the two made their daring escape—in broad daylight—from Georgia to freedom in 1848. TUCKER C. TOOLE In the 1800s many enslaved people in the United States, especially those who lived in the Deep South, made valiant efforts to escape to freedom in […]
After becoming a republic in 2021, the Barbados government has begun to seek reparations from wealthy descendants of former enslavers. COLEMAN SPILDE Oscar-nominated actor and Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has come under a magnifying glass himself—by the Barbados government. The 12 Years a Slave actor and his family may be facing a financial squeeze from […]
FATIMA FALL NIANG The authorship – and therefore origins – of jollof rice (called ceebu jën in Senegal according to the Wolof spelling) is the subject of a spicy debate between West African nations. In particular, Senegalese, Nigerians and Ghanaians claim ownership. And each believes their recipe surpasses all others. In a bid to settle […]
Another major German city has begun giving back artwork stolen by British colonialists in the 19th century. Germany holds more than 1,000 pieces of the Benin Bronzes. Nigeria has taken back ownership of 92 bronze sculptures that make up the so-called Benin Bronzes from a museum in the German city of Cologne, following an agreement […]
Since its founding in 1966, the week-long holiday has been observed with candle lighting ceremonies, feasts, and reflections on past struggles and future hopes. AMY MCKEEVER Born in a time of racial unrest, Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration of African-American culture and heritage. This secular holiday takes place every year from December 26 to January […]