Month: October 2020

US elections |Trump is popular with Nigerians despite visa bans

By Yomi Kazeem | Quartz Africa

Since US president Donald Trump took office in 2016, Nigeria has been one of the targets of several of his administration’s anti-immigration policies and negative comments. But he remains quite popular in the world’s largest Black country by population.

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African Diaspora Looks to Flex Political Muscle in US Elections

By Salem Solomon| Voice of America

WASHINGTON – The African diaspora in the United States is mobilizing voter drives, as organizers believe 2020 is a time for these voters to flex their political muscle as never before. 

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Iconoclastic Economics: Dambisa Moyo

By Kevin Helliker |Brunswick Review

She speaks for the left, the right, the poor, the rich, the third world and the first. A native of Zambia, she holds a doctorate in macroeconomics from Oxford University, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and an MBA from American University, from which she also received a degree in chemistry.

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‘Americanah’ Drama From Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira Dead at HBO Max

by | Hollywood Reporter

Americanah, the planned limited series starring Lupita Nyong’o and from showrunner and actress Danai Gurira, is no longer moving forward at HBO Max. Sources say Nyong’o had to drop out of the series after running into a scheduling conflict.

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American firm Stripe acquires Nigeria’s Paystack for $200M+

By Ingrid Lunden | Techcrunch

Stripe is acquiring Paystack, a startup out of Lagos, Nigeria that, like Stripe, provides a quick way to integrate payments services into an online or offline transaction by way of an API.

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Nigerian singer Dice Ailes leads #EndSARS protest in Toronto

By ODION OKONOFUA  | Pulse

Nigerian singer Dice Ailes has led a group of #EndSARS protest in Toronto, Canada. The singer says Nigerians have had enough from the overzealous police officers in the country.

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Hawa Hassan Shares the Spicy Somali Pasta Recipe From Her New Cookbook, ‘In Bibi’s Kitchen’

BY ELISE TAYLOR | Vogue

“Grandmothers are the ultimate home cooks,” says Hawa Hassan. That’s why, for her new cookbook with Julia Turshen, In Bibi’s Kitchen, she decided to make them the focus. Part cooking guide, part educational material, and part journalistic exercise, the book features the beloved recipes, and stories, of matriarchs from eight African countries that touch the Indian Ocean.

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Full list of winners at the Ghana Music Awards USA

By  MyJoyOnline   

The Ghana Music Awards USA came off on Saturday, October 10 in New Jersey. The event saw performances from Keche, Fameye, Eno Barony, Nathaniel Pryce, Stella Seal among others. The performances of some of these artists took place on a stage set in Accra while others were in New Jersey.

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Ghanaian, Boukinabe, Ivorien among immigrants sworn in as newest U.S. citizens at Berkshire, Massachusetts

  • By Heather Bellow | The Berkshire Eagle

Their faces as hopeful as the sun and the shimmering Berkshire hills behind them, a dozen new Americans took the oath that means they now belong. At a coronavirus pandemic-adjusted naturalization ceremony in the Chinese garden at Naumkeag on Wednesday, 12 people from nine countries became U.S. citizens.

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Nigeria is the only African country barred from US visa lottery for 2022

By Chike Olisah| Nairametrics

The United States government has barred Nigerian citizens from participating in the US Visa Lottery for 2022. This disclosure is contained in a document, ‘Instructions for the 2022 diversity immigrant visa program (dv-2022)’ obtained from the US Department of States website on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

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Why everyone from Cardi B to Kanye West is speaking out against police brutality in Nigeria

By Kara Weisenstein | MIC

Protests against police brutality in Nigeria have gotten a big visibility boost from some famous faces in recent days, including Burna Boy, WizKid, John Boyega, Chance the Rapper, and Cardi B. They’re throwing their weight behind a movement that spilled from social media into the streets last week, as young Nigerians demand sweeping reform to corrupt law enforcement practices. While the government seemed to acquiesce over the weekend, protesters weren’t satisfied, and promised to keep applying pressure until real change was achieved.

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Cameroonian asylum seekers fear deportation means death – Los Angeles Times

By KATE MORRISSEY | The Los Angeles Times

Asylum seekers from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo are raising the alarm that U.S. immigration officials plan to deport them on a chartered flight as soon as Tuesday morning to countries where they believe they will be immediately arrested and killed.

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‘Coffee is everything’ for this immigrant duo running Louisville’s new Ethiopian cafe

By Dahlia Ghabour | Louisville Courier Journal

In the middle of the summer, a new specialty coffee shop opened in Louisville with little fanfare. Cousins Tar Molla and Kidest Getachew aren’t really about recognition — except for the detailed and expert way they make their coffee. 

The pair, who immigrated from Ethiopia to the U.S. more than 10 years ago, opened Abol Cafe to share their love of coffee with Louisville. 

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U.S. Africa Policy Needs a Reset

Trump Didn’t Tear Up the Playbook, but It Still Needs to Be Rewritten

By John Campbell | Foreign Affairs

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US elections | The African evangelicals praying for Trump to win

By Dickens Olewe | BBC News

Despite making pejorative remarks about Africa, US President Donald Trump has attracted a devout following among some Christians on the continent.

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Titus Olowokere | Atlanta based Trade Council Boss gets appointment in Nigeria

By Thepagenews

The Executive Director, U.S.-Nigeria Trade Council USA, Titus Olowokere has been appointed member of the Technical Working Group on Business Environment, Trade Competitiveness and Product Space Mapping ( BETCPSM) in Nigeria.

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Austin Chenge | Nigerian-American joins race to be Michigan governor

By Freedom Reporter 

A 34-year-old Nigerian, Austin Chenge, is in the race for the governorship position in the state of Michigan in the United States (U.S.), come year 2022.

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How Black immigrants are reshaping the Black electorate


‘Much more diverse than people think’: Black immigrants are reshaping the Black electorate

An increasing share of the US Black population is foreign-born — and they tend to lean more conservative. 

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Protests grow over pending deportations to Cameroon, amid abuse allegations

“We ran from our countries to be protected here. Now, when they are deporting us, our lives will be at risk.”

By Dianne Solis | The Dallas Morning News

A national protest is widening over the pending deportations of dozens of Cameroon-born immigrants who lawyers and other advocates say were abused in U.S. detention centers and could face death if sent back to their homeland.

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The United States Must Not Deport People to Cameroon

By Amnesty International

Amnesty International USA calls upon the Trump administration to refrain from deporting people to Cameroon, as the administration schedules deportations this week from Alexandria Airport in Louisiana. The organization is also concerned about the threat of imminent deportation of Cameroonians now being held at the Prairieland detention center in Texas.

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Lesley Lokko | Scottish-Ghanaian resigns as dean of architecture at New York’s City College

By Eleanor Gibson  | Dezeen

Scottish-Ghanaian architect Lesley Lokko has resigned as dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College in New York, citing a crippling workload and a lack of empathy for black women.

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Some Nigerians in Texas celebrate Nigeria’s Independence with a food relief drive

By Chris Onuoha

As Nigeria celebrates its 60th independence anniversary, obviously marked in a low key, as a result of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, citizens, both at home and in diaspora still have cause to remarkably appreciate God’s mercy for life.

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Nigeria is making a strong play to get the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo on the roster

By Colin Udoh | ESPN

Not so long ago, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo seemed completely lost to Nigeria. Now, it appears he could maybe, possibly, perhaps be on the verge of playing his international basketball for the African country as they actively court him to do so.

What a difference a year makes.

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East Orange holds ceremony for Nigerian flag raising

EmilyAnn Jackman | Essex News Daily

 EAST ORANGE, NJ — Honoring a rich culture, the Nigerian community was celebrated in East Orange recently. Recognized by East Orange Mayor Ted Green, the City Council, and the Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, along with the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America, East Orange held a Nigerian flag–raising ceremony on Friday, Oct. 2, to celebrate 60 years of Nigerian independence.

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We American immigrants know power of voting

I am an immigrant American. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, my family arrived in the United States piecemeal. My father was the first of us to settle here. Three years later, my mom joined him. Trailing her by four years, I immigrated to this country when I was 7.

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Guantanamo Boys: a Tale of Three Nigerian American Military Men

By Henry Okoroafor | Premium Times

A mere mention of the Island of Guantanamo (GITMO) Bay, Cuba evokes a feeling of austere and solitary confinement, strict isolation and perhaps exclusion from normalcy. The United States Naval Base on the Island of Guantanamo is the oldest U.S. military base overseas (122 years) and the only one in a communist nation. It is a very beautiful and blue water Island, enclosed by the Caribbean Ocean.

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Amhara Association of America Supports Bipartisan House Resolution that Condemns Targeted Ethnic and Religious Killings in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Amhara Association of America (AAA) commends a resolution introduced  today in the U.S. House of Representatives that deplores the “targeted violence and destruction of  property directed against ethnic and religious minorities” in Ethiopia.  

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Africa’s Creative Industries Are Ripe for U.S. Investment

BY AUBREY HRUBY | FOREIGN POLICY

When one of Nigeria’s biggest artists, Burna Boy, released his new album, Twice as Tall, in August, it became an instant global success. Burna Boy’s international popularity had skyrocketed the year before with the release of his fourth studio album, African Giant, which garnered the artist his first Grammy nomination and sold out arenas in Europe and North America. 

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Gospel in your disco: Why South Africa’s ‘Jerusalema’ became No. 1

Bound by the pandemic this year, people from around the world now also have something more joyful in common: a hit song and a dance with deeply South African roots.

By Ryan Lenora Brown  | Christian Science Monitor

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Chukwuma Okorafor | Steelers’ was born in Nigeria, but made in America

By TOM REED | dkpittsburghsports

Tim Conley’s first look at Chukwuma Okorafor came in the school gymnasium while the super-sized sophomore was playing ping pong.  Needless to say, the Southfield High football coach had not left his classroom in the middle of the day to see whether the new transfer student had the makings to be the next Forrest Gump of table tennis.

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