BY MICHAEL SHURKIN | TheHill
The election of Joe Biden as the next president may present the United States with a welcome opportunity to reset its relationship with sub-Saharan Africa. Two of the priorities of the Trump administration in the region had merit, namely a focus on competition with China and a reduced emphasis on counter-terrorism.
Continue reading “What Joe Biden’s Africa strategy might look like”
By Taarifa Rwanda
More than 20 African Americans and other blacks of African descent have decided to make Rwanda their home after spending several days traversing the East African country.
“Today, Minister of State Prof. Nshuti Manasseh received returnees of African descent from the USA and other parts of the world who are working to settle and make Rwanda their home,” reads a tweet by Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Read more from source Americans-in-Africa.com
By Greer Jackson | Truth Be Told
Whether by design, coincidence or indifference, the Trump administration’s proposal to tighten restrictions on international students could extract greater tolls on those from Africa, whose numbers are among the least contributing to what the administration asserts is a national security threat, critics of the plan say.
Continue reading “African Students Could Be the Hidden Victims of Trump Administration’s Proposed Visa Restrictions”
by Concerned Liberians Against Dual Citizenship | The Patriotic Vanguard
Dual citizenship for Liberians born in the Diaspora is a serious issue and it is one of the propositions of the referendum in the upcoming midterm senatorial election on December 8, 2020, in Liberia. President George Weah, other officials of the government, and other individuals support dual citizenship. We are against dual citizenship, and these are our reasons.
Continue reading “Groups says it opposes dual citizenship in Liberia”
By Agence France-Presse | VOA
The United States has placed Nigeria on a religious freedom blacklist, paving the way for potential sanctions if it does not improve its record. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the U.S. ally — for the first time — as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom, alongside nations that include China, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Continue reading “US Adds Nigeria to Religious Freedom Blacklist”
By Masuzyo Chakwe | The Mast Online
The permanent secretary of the Zambian MINISTRY of Foreign Affairs, Chalwe Lombe says President Edgar Lungu’s commitment to the Zambian diaspora is noticeable through some unprecedented milestones that include the enactment and operationalisation of the Diaspora Policy. He said this during a Town-hall meeting of Zambians living in the United States of America and other parts of the Americas
Continue reading “Zambian President Lungu committed to diaspora – Lombe”
Grammy Award winning American singer, songwriter and actress Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas popularly known as Ashanti jetted into Kenya. Ashanti, who was an R&B superstar from the early to mid-2000s, did not however disclose why she was in the country, only surprising her Kenyan fans by sharing stories of her stay in Kenya.
Read more from source Americans-in-Africa.com
By Morgan Hekking | Morocco World News
Members of the Moroccan diaspora held peaceful protests in defense of Morocco’s territorial integrity over the weekend in the US and Liege, Belgium. Moroccans in Orlando, Florida organized a demonstration on Sunday to express their support for Morocco’s action to secure the Guerguerat border crossing and all measures Rabat has taken to defend the country’s territorial integrity and unity.
Continue reading “Moroccan Diaspora in US, Belgium Defend Morocco’s Territorial Integrity”
By Ruth Mbula | Nation
They say that east or west, home is best. This old adage is best exemplified in Kisii County, at least when it comes to people working in foreign countries pushing up development in their native communities. When President Uhuru Kenyatta toured Kisii in October, he observed that members of the Abagusii community are industrious and innovative.
Continue reading “Kenya | Kisii Rides on Its Sons and Daughters in the Diaspora”
By Mwakilishi.com
US-based Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo on Friday made history after he delivered a lecture at Canada’s Carleton University. Madowo, who is a North America correspondent for the BBC, became the first-ever black person to deliver an address in the university’s annual School of Journalism keynotes, which have been held for the past 24 years.
Continue reading “Larry Madowo | Kenyan Journalist Delivers Lecture at Canada’s Carleton University”
By Punch Newspapers
The United States has removed all visa reciprocity fees for Nigerians seeking visas to the US with effect from December 3, the Federal Government has said.
Continue reading “US removes reciprocity visa fees for Nigerians”
By Ray Glier | OZY
Bethlehem Fleming, a native of Ethiopia, has carried around for almost three years President Donald Trump’s vulgar denouncement of African nations as “shithole countries.” It enraged her, but not as much as the president’s scornful sequel from the Oval Office on Oct. 23, when Trump said Egypt might just have to bomb Ethiopia’s $4.6 billion Blue Nile Dam to settle a water dispute.
Continue reading “Can Bethlehem Fleming woo African Immigrants in Atlanta to turn the Senate Blue?”
By John Campbell | Quartz Africa
These are excerpts from the book “Nigeria and the Nation-State: Rethinking diplomacy with the postcolonial world“, by John Campbell, former US ambassador to Nigeria (2004-2007).
A purpose of this book is to warn Americans and their partners against making the same conceptual mistakes in Africa that they did during wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam. Africa is complex and its politics are highly local. It does not lend itself to the good-versus-evil analysis that distorted policy in those three wars.
Continue reading “The US needs to update its Nigeria engagement says ex-ambassador, John Campbell”
By Colin Udoh | ESPN
With no time to scrimmage, and only a handful of practice games before the tournament, Brown’s 20-man roster could have been forgiven for squeaking through, maybe even dropping a game. Instead, they beat South Sudan (led by Brown’s former player Luol Deng), Rwanda, and Mali by margins of 20, 21 and 23 respectively, leaving Brown drooling over the heights they can scale in the immediate future.
Continue reading “Mike Brown | Nigerian National Basketball Team coach is leaving no NBA stone unturned to find D’Tigers stars”
By Julia Carrie Wong | The Guardian
More than 1,200 Google employees and more than 1,500 academic researchers are speaking out in protest after a prominent Ethiopian- American scientist studying the ethics of artificial intelligence said she was fired by Google after the company attempted to suppress her research and she criticized its diversity efforts.
Continue reading “Timnit Gebru | More than 1,200 Google workers condemn firing of Ethiopian-American AI scientist”
By Felix Onuah and Chijioke Ohuocha | Nasdaq
ABUJA, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Nigerian banks will commence dollar payout for diaspora inflows and close naira remittance accounts after the regulator eased money transfer rules to try to boost forex liquidity in the country, the central bank said .
Continue reading “Nigeria banks to start FX payout under new diaspora remittance rules | Nasdaq”
By ANTHONY AKAEZE | Baptist News Global
In November 2016, when he set out on a trip to the United States from his country of Nigeria, Ferdinand Okeke took with him a Bible. It represented more than an item for him; it was an article of faith. As a member of the Deeper Life Ministry, Alaba Market branch, in Lagos, Okeke was a devout church member who regularly attended church. The Bible was an indispensable part of his life in a country widely considered to be deeply religious, with Christianity and Islam as the dominant religions. His trip to America, he said, was ordained by God.
Continue reading “Often, faith and work collide for African immigrants in the U.S.”
By KOJO EMMANUEL | Pulse Ghana
Ghanaian Professor and President of the Nobel International Business School (NiBS), Professor Kwaku Atuahene-Gima has been listed among the top two percent scientists on the continent. The most coveted and prestigious list of World Ranking of top two percent scientists published on October 16, 2020, featured Professor Atuahene-Gima.
Continue reading “Kwaku Atuahene-Gima | Ghanaian Professor among 2% of top global scientists in list created by Stanford University”
When it comes to food, those who aren’t lucky enough to call New Jersey home think the Garden State is only good for a few things. Pizza, bagels, and that beloved salty breakfast meat are our calling cards (and we would add top-notch Italian and fresher-than-fresh seafood, too). But beyond the Parmigiana and pork roll is a world of cuisines some might not expect. Ethiopian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Moroccan, Caribbean, Southern and soul food: These are the cuisines of the African diaspora.
Continue reading “New Jersey restaurants: Where to taste the foods of the African diaspora”
More Americans are craving the vibrant tastes of Pan-African cuisine
By Jim Beckerman, and Shaylah Brown, NorthJersey.com
Continue reading “African food is the latest — and oldest — cuisine”
By ELIZABETH MEHERT-AB | 303magazine.com
Global beauty routines have changed the Western lexicon when it comes to hair and skin care. K-Beauty (products from South Korea), J-Beauty (from Japan) and other globally-inspired trends keep growing in popularity. On top of that, natural, organic and clean ingredients have become a priority for health-conscious beauty consumers pushing companies to think outside of the box.
Continue reading “Grace Kinda | This Kenyan entrepreneur Brings African Beauty Knowledge to Colorado and the West”
By Mpoki Thomson | The Citizen
Tanzanian artiste Naseeb Abdul alias Diamond Platnumz has reached another milestone in his illustrious music career after his latest hit song ‘Waah’ featuring Congolese music maestro Koffi Olomide garnered over one million views within 8 hours of its release. With this rare feat, Diamond has broken the record set by Nigerian artiste Davido earlier this year when his song ‘Fem’ attracted one million views within 9 hours of release.
Continue reading “Diamond breaks Davido’s YouTube Africa record within 8 hours”
by Hester Lacey | Financial Times
Maaza Mengiste, 49, was shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize for her novel The Shadow King, which draws on women’s experiences of the 1930s war between Ethiopia and Italy. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from where her family fled during the 1974-91 civil war, and she has subsequently lived in Nigeria, Kenya and the US. A professor of creative writing and literary translation at Queens College, New York, she is also the author of Beneath the Lion’s Gaze.
Continue reading “Maaza Mengiste | Ethiopian-American author says ‘My 20-year-old self never realised you could become a writer’”
by Dahmani Youssef and Latifa Babas
Larbi Babmar, nicknamed «Larbi Mirikan», accompanied by his friend, had started an unprecedented adventure. In the 1980s, the two adventurers had decided to go to the United States, using a fishing boat.
Continue reading “Larbi Mirikan | the Moroccan who crossed the Atlantic in a fishing boat to America”
By Gabrielle Banks | HoustonChronicle.com
The clash between two factions of an elite women’s club happened weeks before the pandemic took hold, at a rice and greens restaurant on Gessner. Gracie Gboliwe Chukwu, who summoned police on the day everything went awry, says the dream of fulfilling her late mother’s legacy shattered when the Houston chapter of a group she established splintered after a disputed election.
Continue reading “‘You can’t be president for life’ | Disputed Houston election splinters Nigerian women’s club”
BY SANYA MANSOOR | Time
Afnan Salem’s father, a Somali citizen living in Malaysia, has been waiting three years for United States immigration authorities to allow him to come to Ohio to live with his family. But Trump’s severe travel restrictions on many visas for those with citizenship from more than a dozen predominantly African and Muslim-majority countries, including Somalia, means he is, at least temporarily, barred from entry.
Continue reading “Biden Promises to End Trump’s Muslim and African ‘Travel Ban’. But Its Legacy Will Be Felt for Years”
By Yvonne Kim | The Capital Times | madison.com
If you have been on Instagram or TikTok this year, you have likely heard some rendition of “Bored in the House,” the pandemic anthem for videos documenting people’s cabin fever or stuck-at-home activities. You also may have heard the musical mashup “Coronavirus” by DJ iMarkkeyz, inspired by rapper Cardi B freaking out over the virus in early March. But while there have been some songs here and there, Dipo Oyeleye, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said European and American music have largely been devoid of COVID-19 topics.
Continue reading “Dipo Oyeleye examines African music as pandemic response in PhD research inspired by COVID-19”
BY AUBREY HRUBY | Foreign Policy
U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy toward Africa will be remembered by its tone of disrespect, from his calling African nations “shithole countries” to canceled cabinet-level trips to the region. But while he needs to restore civility to U.S. foreign policy, President-elect Joe Biden shouldn’t fully reject Trump-era Africa policy when he takes office. In part, that’s because Africa policy is unique. It has historically been uncontroversially bipartisan, and U.S. presidents from Bill Clinton to Trump have continued their predecessors’ Africa programs.
Continue reading “Why Biden Should Upgrade U.S. Africa Policy”
By Nancy Agutu | The Star
US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday called Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to offer his gratitude after congratulating him on his win.
“The president-elect offered his gratitude for President Kenyatta’s congratulations and expressed his appreciation for the strong and lasting ties between our two countries,” Biden said.
Continue reading “US President-elect Joe Biden phones Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, talks about regional security, climate change”
By Chijioke Ohuocha | Reuters
Nigeria hopes to attract more remittances from its diaspora to boost foreign currency liquidity after the central bank issued a circular on Monday lifting rules that had restricted inflows.
Continue reading “Nigeria eases rules on diaspora remittances to boost FX liquidity”
