Month: November 2020

Opinion

Nigeria’s SARS Crisis Demands U.S. Attention

by The Editorial Board | The Emory Wheel

During a turbulent two-week protest against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the notoriously corrupt Nigerian police unit, a speaker told protesters to wave the Nigerian flag and sing the national anthem, saying, “no soldier can shoot any citizen holding their own national flag.” Yet soldiers and police officers murdered 12 unarmed civilians. Pictures of bloodied civilians and flags soon flooded social media. 

Continue reading “Nigeria’s SARS Crisis Demands U.S. Attention” →
Sports

Eight Nigerian-Americans Picked by teams in 2020 NBA Draft

By Dayo Mustapha | The Nation

The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. Eight Nigerian- Americans were among the athletes picked by teams in the first and second rounds of the draft. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June, but was instead conducted at ESPN’s facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, with the event held via videoconferencing.

Continue reading “Eight Nigerian-Americans Picked by teams in 2020 NBA Draft” →
Communities

Las Vegas Ethiopian community protests war on Tigray region

By Mya Constantino  | Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Las Vegas Ethiopian community is speaking out after the prime minister of Ethiopia declared war on Tigray, the country’s northernmost region, on Nov. 4.

Continue reading “Las Vegas Ethiopian community protests war on Tigray region” →
Uncategorized

Dr. Godwin Maduka | The Harvard trained doctor and entrepreneur who owns the largest pain treatment group in Southern Nevada

By Ebimo Amungo

Godwin Maduka arrived America as a poor and penniless immigrant student in 1982, but since then he has obtained a degree in Chemistry, a PhD in Pharmacy, trained as a doctor in Harvard and established the largest and most comprehensive pain treatment practice group in Nevada.

Continue reading “Dr. Godwin Maduka | The Harvard trained doctor and entrepreneur who owns the largest pain treatment group in Southern Nevada” →
Uncategorized

Chipper Cash | African fintech startup raises $30M backed by Jeff Bezos

By Jake Bright | Techcrunch

African cross-border fintech startup Chipper Cash has raised a $30 million Series B funding round led by Ribbit Capital with participation of Bezos Expeditions — the personal VC fund of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Chipper Cash  was founded in San Francisco in 2018 by Ugandan Ham Serunjogi and Ghanaian Maijid Moujaled. 

Continue reading “Chipper Cash | African fintech startup raises $30M backed by Jeff Bezos” →
Movies

Gentille M. Assih | Togolese director sheds light on the role immigration plays on domestic violence

By Pat Mullen | Point of View

Togolese Director Gentille M. Assih gives voice to survivors of domestic violence in Into the Light. This production from the National Film Board of Canada features the stories of several women of West African origin in Quebec who break their silence about the pain they endured with their partners. 

Continue reading “Gentille M. Assih | Togolese director sheds light on the role immigration plays on domestic violence” →
Video

Oye Owolewa | Nigerian-American Congressman-elect vows to push for District of Columbia to be elevated to statehood

Nigerian American Oye Owolewa who was recently elected as a shadow United States Representative has told the BBC that he would push for the elevation of the District of Columbia to statehood. The 30-year-old is the first Nigerian-American congressman in the country’s history but he is confident he would not be the last.

Continue reading “Oye Owolewa | Nigerian-American Congressman-elect vows to push for District of Columbia to be elevated to statehood” →
Sports

Daniel Oturu taken by Timberwolves in Second Round of NBA Draft

By Gophersports news

MINNEAPOLIS – Nigerian-American Daniel Oturu became the 54th player in Minnesota Golden Gophers history to be selected in the NBA Draft when the Minnesota Timberwolves chose him with the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Wednesday night.

Continue reading “Daniel Oturu taken by Timberwolves in Second Round of NBA Draft” →
Sports

Zeke Nnaji | Denver Nuggets take Nigerian-American at No. 22 in draft

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer

DENVER (AP) — Nigerian-American  Zeke Nnaji was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 22 overall pick in the NBA draft Wednesday night, adding a mobile big man with a soft touch to a team that’s coming off a run to the Western Conference finals.

Continue reading “Zeke Nnaji | Denver Nuggets take Nigerian-American at No. 22 in draft” →
Uncategorized

Nigerian healthcare professionals in US call for reforms at home

By The Nation

Nigerian healthcare professionals in diaspora have lent their voice to the growing call for the urgent reform in their home country to make it more efficient and better able to handle the requirements and challenges in the 21st century. This call was contained in a release jointly issued by the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA), the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA).

Continue reading “Nigerian healthcare professionals in US call for reforms at home” →
Communities

Seattle’s African immigrants, refugees confront what it means to be Black in America

by | king5

King County has a large East African population. They are learning that America’s Black Lives Matter movement is for them, too: “We need to be visible.”

Continue reading “Seattle’s African immigrants, refugees confront what it means to be Black in America” →
Uncategorized

Abdulkadir Mohamed Mursal | veteran Somali journalist succumbs to Covid 19


By IBRAHIM HIRSI | SAHAN JOURNAL

If the Somali-language media landscape had a father, it would undoubtedly be Abdulkadir Mohamed Mursal. For nearly half a century, Abdulkadir brought vivid radio stories into the living rooms of Somalia, established newsrooms wherever he found a home, and trained hundreds of journalists, some of whom now work at radio services including  VOA Somali and BBC Somali.

Continue reading “Abdulkadir Mohamed Mursal | veteran Somali journalist succumbs to Covid 19” →
Education

Number of Ghanaians studying in the US goes up

By Ghana Business News

The number of Ghanaian students attending universities and colleges in the United States of America has increased by 15.3 per cent in 2019/2020 academic years. Ghana retained the number two spot in sub-Saharan Africa, with the number of Ghanaian students increasing from 3,661 to 4,221 for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic years respectively.

Continue reading “Number of Ghanaians studying in the US goes up” →
Opinion

What American schools should teach about race, racism and slavery

By Dennis Prager | Liberal First

Regarding race and much else, America’s students are not taught history. In fact, they are not taught; they are indoctrinated. With anti-Americanism. The purpose of all teaching about race in American schools is to engender contempt for America. They are, therefore, “taught” the lies of The New York Times’ “1619 Project” — that the United States was founded to preserve and protect slavery — and of such works as Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility.”

Continue reading “What American schools should teach about race, racism and slavery” →
Immigration

Nigeria leads China for asylum claims to Canada despite Covid-19

By Yomi Kazeem | Quartz Africa

In February, data showed that, for the fifth year in a row, more Nigerians emigrated to Canada in 2019 than the year before. Another marker of that exodus is that the number of Nigerians issued permanent residence (PR) permits by the Canadian government has tripled since 2015. 

Continue reading “Nigeria leads China for asylum claims to Canada despite Covid-19” →
Uncategorized

BLM, End SARS Protests Unite Americans & Nigerians in Global Fight For Equality

Both campaigns have gone viral, allowing the two groups to share information and resources for their grassroot efforts towards equality

By Jorden Hales – NBC 7 San Diego

Continue reading “BLM, End SARS Protests Unite Americans & Nigerians in Global Fight For Equality” →
News

#EndSARS: US-based professors urge Biden to sanction Nigerian officials implicated in attack on protesters

By Adejumo kabir | Premiere Times

Eighty-one scholars of African Studies have written a letter to the United States President-elect, Joe Biden, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, urging their incoming administration to impose a travel ban on Nigerian officials culpable in the attack by security personnel on peaceful #EndSARS protesters.

The scholars sent the letter to the Biden-Harris Transition Team on November 13.

Continue reading “#EndSARS: US-based professors urge Biden to sanction Nigerian officials implicated in attack on protesters” →
Uncategorized

Moncef Slaoui | Moroccan- American Vaccine czar says 20 Million Could Receive COVID-19 Vaccine in December

By Morgan Hekking  Morocco world News

Moncef Slaoui, the Moroccan scientist leading the US COVID-19 vaccine development team, said  that 20 million Americans could be vaccinated by the end of December. The chief advisor to Operation Warp Speed added that after December, between 25 million and 30 million people in the US could receive vaccines for COVID-19 each month.

Continue reading “Moncef Slaoui | Moroccan- American Vaccine czar says 20 Million Could Receive COVID-19 Vaccine in December” →
Opinion

Americans find their inner Mugabe

By Tim Cohen | Daily Maverick

One of the funniest and poignant portrayals of soon-to-be former US president Donald Trump came, somewhat inevitably, from comedian Trevor Noah. Noah made the point in jest, but there are often few truths that hit home harder than when they are spoken with a smile.

Continue reading “Americans find their inner Mugabe” →
Movies

Diaana Babnicova | Ghanaian Child who Stars in Hollywood Xmas Movie Jingle Jangle

By YEN

The Ghanaian UK-based child actress, Diaana Babnicova, has come under the spotlight after starring in Netflix’s Hollywood Christmas feel-good family film titled Jingle Jangle.

Continue reading “Diaana Babnicova | Ghanaian Child who Stars in Hollywood Xmas Movie Jingle Jangle” →
Business

Ayele Solomon | Ethiopian winemaker accepts $750,000 investment offer from four sharks on “Shark Tank”

By Jyotsna Basotia | meaww

Inspired by Ethiopian national beverage t’ej or honey wine, Bee D’Vine was the real winner on ‘Shark Tank’ this week. Ayele Solomon, a conservationist and Food & Magazine Tastemaker, presented his product seeking $750,000 for 20 percent equity and it would be an understatement to say that he impressed all the sharks — Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and recurring Shark Daniel Lubetzky.

Continue reading “Ayele Solomon | Ethiopian winemaker accepts $750,000 investment offer from four sharks on “Shark Tank”” →
Uncategorized

DJ Switch | Canada may have granted asylum to #EndSARS protester

By Arise News

Strong indications have emerged that Canada may have granted asylum to DJ Switch, the #EndSARS protester who streamed live the shooting of protesters by the army at Lekki Toll gate in Lagos State on October 20, 2020. DJ Switch sought asylum following what she said were “several attempts” on her life.

Continue reading “DJ Switch | Canada may have granted asylum to #EndSARS protester” →
People

Marcus Samuelsson | Ethiopian-born adoptee who came to America with $300 and became a world-famous chef

By Tom Huddleston Jr. | CNBC

Marcus Samuelsson is one of the most famous chefs in the world: an entrepreneur and culinary star with a long list of TV and book credits as well as ownership of a namesake global hospitality group that includes over a dozen restaurants headlined by three locations of his Red Rooster restaurant brand.

Continue reading “Marcus Samuelsson | Ethiopian-born adoptee who came to America with $300 and became a world-famous chef” →
Immigration

Coming to America: It’s Not Like the Movie for African Immigrants

BY FRANCESCA BENTLEY | Pulitzer Center

Democracy, liberty, freedom, equality—these are the fundamental tenets Abdi Nor Iftin hoped would shape his life in America, after leaving Kenya. Upon miraculously winning a direct entryway into the United States via the annual visa lottery, Somali-born Iftin was rapturous over the chance to pursue his piece of the American dream. What he didn’t realize is that being one of the lucky few and becoming an American, particularly a Black American, comes with caveats, some more dangerous than others. 

Continue reading “Coming to America: It’s Not Like the Movie for African Immigrants” →
Book review

Laila Lalami | For some Americans, having a US passport doesn’t mean you’re treated like a citizen

by Madeleine Brand | KCRW

“All the passports look the same, but not everybody looks the same to the border agents,” says author Laila Lalami, who was born in Morocco and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Continue reading “Laila Lalami | For some Americans, having a US passport doesn’t mean you’re treated like a citizen” →
Opinion

Mr. President-Elect, Please Don’t Forget Us Billion Africans

By Ivor Ichikowitz | US News

DEAR MR. President-elect: Africa is watching in amazement as America faces what many perceive to be an existential crisis. Never before has the world’s most powerful country been so divided. From continued social injustice and the storming of streets across the country in protest, to lockdowns and mass unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, to present-day controversies over vote-counting, the only thing that is seemingly certain in the United States is uncertainty.

Continue reading “Mr. President-Elect, Please Don’t Forget Us Billion Africans” →
Immigration

The Africans Among Them

By Jaylin Ward | Truth Be Told

The woman who said a doctor at an immigrant detention center removed one of her fallopian tubes without her consent doesn’t quite fit the Trump administration’s suggested image of a desperate illegal alien sneaking across the border from Mexico. She is 30 years old, has a 12-year-old American-born daughter, and has lived in the United States for more than two decades.

Continue reading “The Africans Among Them” →
Entertainment

American Dreams Are Alive And Well On ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’

by Adam Buckman | Media Post

At first glance, Billy Gardell might not seem like the romantic leading-man type, but he has emerged nevertheless as TV’s top romantic comedy star.For six seasons, he romanced Melissa McCarthy in “Mike & Molly.” And now he is courting an immigrant from Nigeria in “Bob ♥ Abishola,” also on CBS and emanating from the sitcom factory of producer Chuck Lorre.

Continue reading “American Dreams Are Alive And Well On ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’” →
Diplomacy

Nureldin Satti | Sudan’s New Ambassador Predicts Improved Relations With US

By John Tanza | Voice of America

The new Sudanese top diplomat in Washington said his country is committed to correcting the mistakes of former rulers of Sudan.

“This [Sudanese] revolution, you know, has come because of certain errors being committed in the past and because the people, the overwhelming majority of the Sudanese people, have realized that the ways of the Islamists were not in the interest of the country,” said Ambassador Nureldin Satti.

Continue reading “Nureldin Satti | Sudan’s New Ambassador Predicts Improved Relations With US” →
Immigration

Canada clarifies on refugee and immigration application process for Nigerians, others

By Chike Olisah | Nairametrics

The Canadian Government in a clarification to Nigerians and other nationals has said that its Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates, Consulates-General or Honorary Consulates, do not accept refugee applications directly from people.

Continue reading “Canada clarifies on refugee and immigration application process for Nigerians, others” →