By Joseph Longo
Rafiki, based on the Ugandan short story “Jambula Tree” by Monica Arac de Nyeko, follows a Kenyan Romeo and Juliet romance between the daughters of rival politicians. Kena (Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) explore first-time love in a country where being gay is illegal. Doused with saturated colors and tender performances, Rafiki is a rarity in queer cinema with a bright and hopeful tone.
By Ahmar Khan
Sila Kisoso has called Canada home for 18 years, but in that time, the Kenyan-born Canadian’s immediate family has never been approved for a travel visa.
Since 2011, Kisoso has applied six times for her sisters, Naisola and Peresian, to visit Canada. Their applications were rejected, with a different response each time.
Continue reading “Despite Canadian citizenship, Kenyan immigrant can’t get travel visas for family”
By Angy Essam
Famed Egyptian/American actor Sayed Badreya is currently shooting his role in “Vanguard” movie alongside the megastar Jackie Chan.
Badreya told Egypt Today that ‘’Vanguard’’ will be a massive global production.
Continue reading “Egyptian star Badreya to co-star with Jackie Chan in “Vanguard””
By Keith Idec
Nigerian-born Efe Ajagba didn’t waste any time getting rid of Michael Wallisch on Saturday night.
The heavyweight knockout artist continuously hammered Wallisch with thudding shots in their brief bout. Referee Tony Weeks had seen enough after 4 ½ minutes and stopped their scheduled 10-rounder at 1:40 of the second round on the Robert Easter Jr.-Rances Barthelemy undercard.
Continue reading “Nigerian-born Efe Ajagba Drops, Stops Michael Wallisch in Two Rounds”
By Salem Solomon
In 2011, when protests began in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, Hend Nafea was a college student in Banha, north of Cairo. As she saw the images of young people demanding an end to the three-decade rule of Hosni Mubarak, she knew she had to take part.
Continue reading “Egyptian Woman Brutalized in Arab Spring Protest Continues Rights Campaign in US”
Immigrant-owned firms create more net jobs and have higher growth than businesses with owners born in Canada, according to newly-released research.
Ghana was one of the main West African departure points for the transatlantic slave trade.The government has launched a campaign to reach out to the descendants of those Africans who were forcibly removed from their homelands.
It has dubbed 2019 the “Year of Return”.
Several hundred people have already put down roots in Ghana, many of them African-Americans.
The programme is prepared by Patrick Lovett and James Vasina.
By Caryn Tate
The undefeated heavyweight prospect is a man of many talents but boxing is still paramount as he returns to the ring Saturday night on Showtime.
Houston, Texas is a far cry from Ughelli, a town in southwestern Nigeria. No one knows that better than heavyweight prospect Efe “The One and Only” Ajagba (9-0, 8 KOs).
Ajagba is set to the return to the ring this Saturday, April 27, against Michael Wallisch (19-1, 12 KOs) at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The bout will open the televised portion of the Robert Easter Jr.-Rances Barthelemy main event on Showtime (10:00p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT).
Continue reading “Inside the Mind of Efe Ajagba”
Egyptian football sensation Mohamed Salah has been listed among the TIME’s 2019 most influential people.
The 26 year old star also features on the cover of the magazine. Inside, HBO John Oliver paid tribute to the footballer, calling him an “an “iconic figure for Egyptians, Scousers and Muslims the world over.”
Continue reading “Mo Salah and Rami Malek Among TIME’s 2019 Most Influential 100”
By Olanrewaju Eweniyi
Nigerian-Americans are on track to becoming one of the most successful immigrant groups in American history, but that journey is not without its pressures and struggles. On HBO’s Backstories, Yvonne Orji, one of the most visible Nigerian-Americans today, shares her story
Orji talks about how she went from graduate school to pageant queen to Molly on Insecure. She has come a really long way, but her Hollywood journey actually started with her participating in Miss Nigeria in America, where she turned to comedy after she realized she needed a talent to compete. Continue reading “How She Landed Her Game-Changing ‘Insecure’ Role”
By Diane Cole
Twenty-five years ago this month, more than 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsi, were slaughtered over the course of 100 days by members of the country’s Hutu majority.
Among those who lived through the terror is Clemantine Wamariya. Her memoir, The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War And What Comes After, recounts in wrenching detail her six-year trek in search of refuge from her country’s killing fields. Co-authored with Elizabeth Weil, the book was published to acclaim in 2018 and is now out in paperback.
Continue reading “She Fled Rwanda To Survive — But Does Not Like The Words ‘Refugee’ Or ‘Genocide’”
By Makeda Easter
This has been a particularly global year for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The lineup also includes Nigerian stars Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy, two artists representing afrobeats, a genre that’s steadily gaining traction in the U.S. and beyond.
It’s not the first year that Coachella has hosted Nigerian artists. The 2012 performance of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, featuring Fela Kuti’s youngest son and band, is just one example of the handful of the country’s artists who have played the Indio festival. And 2018 was expected to be a big moment for afrobeats at Coachella when Wizkid was booked, but he missed the gig due to visa issues.
Continue reading “Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy highlight the rise of afrobeats at Coachella”
Text by Ananda Pellerin
Hugely prolific multidisciplinary artist Wangechi Mutucame first to the UK as a teenager from Nairobi, before moving to the US where she studied art at Parsons and Cooper Union and completed an MFA in sculpture at Yale. Now working between New York and her home city – Mutu – known for her fantastical drawings, collages, sculptures, installations, performances and film work, regularly returns to themes related to the female body, communication, migration and the human experience.
Continue reading “Wangechi Mutu-Keep Moving, Keep Making Art”
By Victoria Valentine
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART in New York recently announced new artist commissions.
The Met plans a series of contemporary art installations at its Fifth Avenue flagship. For one of the projects, Wangechi Mutu is creating sculptures that will be installed in the niches in the museum’s Fifth Avenue facade.
By Ed Royce and Robin Renee Sanders
Since the U.S. BUILD Act was signed into law last October, many people across Africa as well as members of the Africa Diaspora have been asking what this global initiative might do to help revitalize American engagement with the continent. The answer is: quite a lot!
The goal of BUILD or the — “Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act” – is exactly what the American private sector has long sought. BUILD does a number of positive things to boost the U.S.-Africa economic, business, and development relationship.
Continue reading “HOW THE BUILD ACT CAN INVIGORATE U.S. ECONOMIC TIES IN AFRICA”
The Egyptians living in the United States of America and Canada have started voting in the referendum on a set of proposed constitutional amendments, in the headquarters of the Egyptian embassies in Washington and Ottawa, and the consulate in New York.
Egyptian expatriates started a three-day voting on the new constitutional amendments in 140 embassies and consulates of 125 countries worldwide, amid massive campaigning for the amendments abroad and domestically.
Continue reading “Egyptians in Canada, US vote on constitutional amendments”
It was a celebration fit for a king at one Pennsylvania college.
Not only is Dr. Daniel Wubah a king in Ghana, he has now been named the president of Millersville University, according to WPMT.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” said Marth Pobee, Ghana’s ambassador to the United Nations. “This is a very proud moment, very special we’re here from New York, and the government, people of ghana need to know.” Continue reading “Pennsylvania college inaugurates an African king as its president”
Review of Halu Show about Ramy. He is Egyptian-American, he’s Muslim, he’s the child of immigrants, and he’s lived through the last two decades of American culture shaped by the disorienting alienation of being a Muslim teenager in post-9/11 New Jersey.
Some of the stories in Ramy seem like standard millennial-comedy fare: Ramy (Ramy Youssef) has parents who want him to settle down, and he’s wary of their values and the things they desire for him.
Continue reading “Ramy Isn’t telling a universal story of the American Muslim experience.”
By Peg DeGrassa
PROSPECT PARK — Delaware County is a melting pot of countless nationalities’ rich traditions and cultures, mixed with modern American trends and influences. Reflecting such a vibrant mixture is Rem De Trendy Fashion store, which opened this past fall at 621B Chester Pike. The part-African, part- American blended style boutique specializes in formal and casual wear, as well as custom made dresses for proms, weddings, Communions, Confirmations, christenings and other special occasions.
Rem De Trendy Fashion is the creation of designer/owner Remi Oyelami of Folcroft. The talented seamstress is a native of Lagos, Nigeria, where she opened her first dress shop, which is still in successful operation today.
Continue reading “Africa meets America at Rem De Trendy Fashion boutique”
The Sahara Group, an international energy and infrastructure conglomerate and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are joining forces to promote reliable access to affordable and sustainable energy, and to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the private sector with a specific focus on SDG 7 (affordable energy).
The partnership was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday 15 April in New York.
By Mohammed Guleid
East Africa is beginning to have an impact and shine in the politics of the United States.
The rise of East African influence in America started with Barack Obama, who has ancestral roots in Kenya. He became the President of the United States.
Once again, someone from Eastern Africa is causing a storm in America. Early this year, Ilhan Omar, a young woman from Minnesota was elected to the US Congress.
Continue reading “From Obama to Omar, East Africa is having an impact in US politics”
African music continues its meteoric rise across the globe, spearheaded by the resurgence of the Afrobeats movement. From chart-topping pop collaborations with mainstream artists such as Drake, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys, to the resounding influence of African producers and artists across the international music industry, the sound that has rocked the continent for decades, now touches the hearts of many around the world.
On April 27, 2019, international music insider Eshoon Nashun will launch the “Coming to America Music Festival” in Washington, DC with some of Africa’s top artists at The Anthem. The newly-built 6,000 seat venue in the Nation’s Capital will be the setting for mega acts including headliner, Davido, Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Continue reading “Davido to headline “Coming To America Music Festival” in Washington DC”
From being bullied for not being able to speak English fluently to becoming one of the young Namibians with strong potential to positively impact the country, Anna Shilongo is today finishing her Master’s in Business Administration which is one more degree to add to the other three she already attained.
Hard work, a love for reading, commitment, and overcoming insecurities, according to Anna, are only minor ingredients to her success.
Continue reading “‘My empowering journey to the United States of America’”
ADZOPE, IVORY COAST —U.S. President Donald’s Trump’s daughter and senior White House advisor, Ivanka Trump, has announced a $2 million commitment to help women in Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry.
Speaking at Cayat, a cocoa cooperative in the town of Adzopé, Trump said Wednesday the $2 million, promised by USAID and private chocolate companies, would go toward savings associations, which are a popular way for businesswomen to gain capital in the West African country.
By Paul Sullivan
A Cam Newton jersey, weekend at a beach condo, and Nativity sets made in Africa are some of the items that will be auctioned on May 4 at a fundraiser for a children’s school in Kenya.
The dinner and auction will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at Frazer Church.
About $40,000 was raised at a similar gathering in 2018, said Charlotte Robertson, president of Mescal’s Children’s Center of Hope (MCCH), Inc., which runs the school in Luanda, Kenya. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at https://help-build-hope-frazer-memorial-united-methodist-church.pushpayevents.com/booking/attendees/new.
Continue reading “American church is raising funds for children’s school in Kenya”
Ambassadors, representatives and business leaders from Africa and the Caribbean will gather in Washington, D.C., in June to share how investors, businesspeople and entrepreneurs can successfully do business in their countries.
The Doing Business in Africa and the Caribbean Symposium will be held June 19-20, at the African Union Mission, 1640 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C., 20007.
Continue reading “Washington to host Doing Business in Africa and the Caribbean Symposium”
Nigerian-born Kelechi (Kacyee) Madu has been elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Alberta (MLA) in Canada.
The United Conservative Party candidate was declared the winner in Edmonton-South West in a close race against John Archer of the New Democrat Party with 62 of 64 polls reporting.
Continue reading “Nigerian-born Kelechi Madu Wins assembly seat in Alberta, Canada,”
By Dami Adeniyi
Zimbabwean-Canadian medical doctor and motivational speaker, Nothabo Ncube whose journey has been a masterclass in overcoming adversity has been named 1 of 4 Immigrant Women of Inspiration by Canadian Immigrant magazine.
The Canadian Immigrant’s sixth annual “Immigrant Women of Inspiration” special celebrates a group of talented, passionate women with strong voices who all share a common inspiration — to help other immigrant women break out of silence and find their own voice.
By Nick Turse and Sean D. Naylor
Many Americans first became aware of U.S. military operations in Africa in October 2017, after the Islamic State ambushed American troops near Tongo Tongo, Niger, killing four U.S. soldiers and wounding two others.
Just after the attack, U.S. Africa Command said U.S. troops were providing “advice and assistance” to local counterparts. Later, it would become clear that those troops — the 11-man Operational Detachment-Alpha Team 3212 — were working out of the town of Oullam with a larger Nigerian force under the umbrella of Operation Juniper Shield, a wide-ranging counterterrorism effort in northwest Africa.
The first Morocco Day, in Washington, D.C., celebrated the culture and heritage of the city of Zagora, the gate to the Moroccan Sahara desert.
The Moroccan American Network (MAN), an organization dedicated to create business opportunities for Moroccan small enterprises in the US, is preparing a list of Moroccan city candidates for the second annual Morocco Day, in which the culture and heritage of Moroccan cities are celebrated.
The network said in a previous statement that it will celebrate one Moroccan city from each of the 12 regions of the North African country every March 29 for the next 12 years in Washington, D.C.
Continue reading “Moroccan American Network considers Moroccan cities for 2020 Morocco Day”
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