4. Gedaref, Sudan - Displaced Sudanese queue to receive food portions at their makeshift camp. Half of Sudan’s population are suffering acute hunger, and 11-million people have been displaced in the war-torn country. The UN describes it as the worst humanitarian crisis for children in world.
5. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Dressed in traditional clothing, the Matabeleland community perform cultural dances in commemoration of Southern African King Mzilikazi, who founded the Ndebele (Matabele) Kingdom.
6. Maiduguri, Nigeria - People help an elderly man after a dam burst saw floodwater sweep through the city. It killed at least 30 people and 400,000 were forced from their homes. Maiduguri is at the epicentre of a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency. It serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast.
5. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Dressed in traditional clothing, the Matabeleland community perform cultural dances in commemoration of Southern African King Mzilikazi, who founded the Ndebele (Matabele) Kingdom.
6. Maiduguri, Nigeria - People help an elderly man after a dam burst saw floodwater sweep through the city. It killed at least 30 people and 400,000 were forced from their homes. Maiduguri is at the epicentre of a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency. It serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast.
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7. Tripoli, Libya - Officials, military and medical personnel remember those killed during Storm Daniel a year ago. Hurricane-strength winds caused two dams to burst, unleashing deadly flooding that razed entire neighbourhoods in the city of Derna, killing over 4,200 people. Thousands were left homeless.
8. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - It is now 2017 in the Ethiopian calendar! Orthodox devotees ushered in Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year holiday with prayers.
8. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - It is now 2017 in the Ethiopian calendar! Orthodox devotees ushered in Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year holiday with prayers.
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On 15 September 1963, four Black girls aged between 11 and 14 were killed when a bomb - planted by members of the local Ku Klux Klan chapter - exploded in a Baptist Church in Alabama.
Four White supremacists were implicated in this act of terror, which involved dynamite sticks placed under the 16th Street Church in Birmingham - as young children prepared for Youth Day Services.
The resulting blast killed Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11) - and injured 17 others.
The bombing marked a turning point in the civil-rights movement, and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the US Congress.
Four White supremacists were implicated in this act of terror, which involved dynamite sticks placed under the 16th Street Church in Birmingham - as young children prepared for Youth Day Services.
The resulting blast killed Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11) - and injured 17 others.
The bombing marked a turning point in the civil-rights movement, and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the US Congress.
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Continued……Although the FBI concluded that four known KKK members had committed the crime, no prosecutions were conducted until 1977, when Robert Chambliss was tried and found guilty of first-degree murder. Thomas E. Blanton Jr. was tried in 2001, and Bobby Frank Cherry in 2002. The latter two were convicted on four counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Herman Cash was never charged and died in 1994.
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WHY IS AFRICAN HAIR SO POLITICAL?
Today is Afro Hair Day, so we’re taking a look at why Black hair is so… political! African hair is not just a style, it is imbued with powerful messaging. Black hair, Afro hair, kinky hair - hair that grows out of African people’s heads - has helped shape narratives for centuries. Wambura Mwai breaks it down.
Today is Afro Hair Day, so we’re taking a look at why Black hair is so… political! African hair is not just a style, it is imbued with powerful messaging. Black hair, Afro hair, kinky hair - hair that grows out of African people’s heads - has helped shape narratives for centuries. Wambura Mwai breaks it down.
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JOHN HENRIK CLARKE ON ORGANISED RELIGION
During the ‘African Crossroads Lecture,’ historian John Henrik Clarke (1915-98) railed against the misuse of organised religion, arguing it has confined African aspirations for freedom.
He was clear in saying to his audience that you don’t have to leave the church, the mosque, or any religion. However, those religions should be used as instruments of liberation.
During the ‘African Crossroads Lecture,’ historian John Henrik Clarke (1915-98) railed against the misuse of organised religion, arguing it has confined African aspirations for freedom.
He was clear in saying to his audience that you don’t have to leave the church, the mosque, or any religion. However, those religions should be used as instruments of liberation.
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Continued……Clarke argued, ‘Every single thing that touches your life, every social thing, every political thing, every cultural thing, must be converted into an instrument of liberation, or be thrown into the ash can of history.’
In North Africa, Arabs converted many people to Islam, now the second most practised religion on our continent after Christianity. Meanwhile, European colonisers imposed Christianity on the rest of the continent, while they plundered our the land and enslaved our kin. Our traditional belief systems, tied to the land from which we sprung, were marginalised and sometimes even outlawed.
That is the history of organised religion in Africa, but it doesn’t mean it can not be converted into an instrument of liberation, as Clarke said. However, there needs to be an intentional will to do so.
Video credit: @iasug (X)
In North Africa, Arabs converted many people to Islam, now the second most practised religion on our continent after Christianity. Meanwhile, European colonisers imposed Christianity on the rest of the continent, while they plundered our the land and enslaved our kin. Our traditional belief systems, tied to the land from which we sprung, were marginalised and sometimes even outlawed.
That is the history of organised religion in Africa, but it doesn’t mean it can not be converted into an instrument of liberation, as Clarke said. However, there needs to be an intentional will to do so.
Video credit: @iasug (X)
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Over half of Africa’s capital flight exits the continent via its oil rich nations - that’s according to the Tax Justice Network.
The worst offenders are foreign multinationals. They use numerous methods, including tax havens, transfer pricing (when one division of a company charges another division different prices), profit repatriation, tax avoidance and trade mis-invoicing (under-invoicing of exports and over-invoicing of imports).
The worst offenders are foreign multinationals. They use numerous methods, including tax havens, transfer pricing (when one division of a company charges another division different prices), profit repatriation, tax avoidance and trade mis-invoicing (under-invoicing of exports and over-invoicing of imports).
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Continued…. According to data from UNCTAD, the problem is especially bad in Nigeria, with billion leaving annually - billions that could have been invested into the country’s economic development. This week’s Facts of the Week explore how key sectors of Nigeria’s economy are being used to funnel wealth out of the country.
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AFRICANS’ ARMED STRUGGLE IN COLOMBIA
At first glance, footage of the conflict in Colombia could easily be mistaken for fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That’s because Africans have swollen the ranks of armed revolutionary groups in the South American country, despite making up only seven per cent of the population.
Many feel driven to fight for a better life after struggling to survive in some of the poorest and most marginalised communities in Colombia. Fighting in the country has raged for nearly sixty years. Social injustice and vast inequality are among the factors fuelling it, and latest government attempts to hold peace talks with guerrilla groups have failed.
In this report, we hear first-hand from those who’ve fought.
At first glance, footage of the conflict in Colombia could easily be mistaken for fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That’s because Africans have swollen the ranks of armed revolutionary groups in the South American country, despite making up only seven per cent of the population.
Many feel driven to fight for a better life after struggling to survive in some of the poorest and most marginalised communities in Colombia. Fighting in the country has raged for nearly sixty years. Social injustice and vast inequality are among the factors fuelling it, and latest government attempts to hold peace talks with guerrilla groups have failed.
In this report, we hear first-hand from those who’ve fought.
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BLACK HAIR COMPARISON: LONDON VS NAIROBI
The African diaspora faces many challenges and getting a haircut is one of them. There’s simply a lack of expertise outside the continent when it comes to cutting Black hair. And if you do find a stylist you like, it can cost a small fortune. In fact, it can cost ten times more than in the motherland!
Don’t believe it? Watch us follow two girls getting their hair braided in London and Nairobi. And the price difference is enough to make your hair stand on end! Talk about getting rinsed; black women in the UK also fork out three times as much as White females when it comes to hair care.
If you need one more reason to return home to the continent, this could be it) Miss Phyll cuts to the chase.
The African diaspora faces many challenges and getting a haircut is one of them. There’s simply a lack of expertise outside the continent when it comes to cutting Black hair. And if you do find a stylist you like, it can cost a small fortune. In fact, it can cost ten times more than in the motherland!
Don’t believe it? Watch us follow two girls getting their hair braided in London and Nairobi. And the price difference is enough to make your hair stand on end! Talk about getting rinsed; black women in the UK also fork out three times as much as White females when it comes to hair care.
If you need one more reason to return home to the continent, this could be it) Miss Phyll cuts to the chase.
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This week’s proverb from Kenya tells us to appreciate our unique and individual paths and not to follow the crowd. An acquaintance, friend or family member may be running away to avoid a difficult situation or problem that is specific to them. It does not mean that problem or situation is applicable to you.
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WHITEWASHING IN HOLLYWOOD
Many have criticised Hollywood for years for casting white actors in non-white roles, a practice known as whitewashing.
Yet, some are upset a Black woman, Halle Bailey, played the main red-haired character, Ariel, in the 2023 big-screen iteration of 'The Little Mermaid.'
In this 2022 clip, US TV personality and news anchor Demetria Obilor (@demetriaobilor on X) lists examples of whitewashing, citing actors like Christian Bale, who played Moses; Scarlett Johansson, who played a Japanese anime character; and Laurence Olivier, who played Othello in Blackface.
Also take the case of ‘Gods of Egypt,’ a film set in ancient times. Most of the cast was European, including Scottish actor Gerard Butler and Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Filmmakers sidelined African actors, even though Egypt has a diverse historical tapestry going back millennia.
Video credit: @demetriaobilor (X)
Many have criticised Hollywood for years for casting white actors in non-white roles, a practice known as whitewashing.
Yet, some are upset a Black woman, Halle Bailey, played the main red-haired character, Ariel, in the 2023 big-screen iteration of 'The Little Mermaid.'
In this 2022 clip, US TV personality and news anchor Demetria Obilor (@demetriaobilor on X) lists examples of whitewashing, citing actors like Christian Bale, who played Moses; Scarlett Johansson, who played a Japanese anime character; and Laurence Olivier, who played Othello in Blackface.
Also take the case of ‘Gods of Egypt,’ a film set in ancient times. Most of the cast was European, including Scottish actor Gerard Butler and Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Filmmakers sidelined African actors, even though Egypt has a diverse historical tapestry going back millennia.
Video credit: @demetriaobilor (X)
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