Tag: African diaspora in America

Sports

Ebenezer Dowuona left Ghana to pursue basketball dreams, has become Ohio State target

By Colin Hass-Hill

Ebenezer Dowuona, a 6-foot-10 four-star big man and 2020 Ohio State target, wakes up in Georgia and picks up his phone around 7 a.m. to see and hear from his mother, who still lives in Ghana.

He hasn’t been back to his native country or his hometown of Accra since he and his brother, Emmanuel, left Africa for the United States in 2014 with a legal guardian who had a connection to the family.

Continue reading “Ebenezer Dowuona left Ghana to pursue basketball dreams, has become Ohio State target” →
People

Somali-American, Halima Aden, becomes first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated

A Somalian refugee has made history as the first model to grace the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition wearing a hijab and burkini.

Model Halima Aden has been featured in the 2019 Rookie Spread of the magazine wearing designer burkinis, hijabs and head scarfs.

Continue reading “Somali-American, Halima Aden, becomes first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated” →
Movies

Egyptian star Badreya to co-star with Jackie Chan in “Vanguard”

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”” →

Uncategorized

Egyptian Woman Brutalized in Arab Spring Protest Continues Rights Campaign in US

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” →

Uncategorized

She Fled Rwanda To Survive — But Does Not Like The Words ‘Refugee’ Or ‘Genocide’

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’” →
Culture

Wangechi Mutu-Keep Moving, Keep Making Art

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.

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Culture

Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu will make works for New York’s Metropolitan Museum

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.

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African Politics, Politics

Egyptians in Canada, US vote on constitutional amendments

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.

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Appointments

Pennsylvania college inaugurates an African king as its president

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” →

Television

Ramy Isn’t telling a universal story of the American Muslim experience.

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.

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Uncategorized

Africa meets America at Rem De Trendy Fashion boutique

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.

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Opinion

From Obama to Omar, East Africa is having an impact in US politics

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.

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Military

Revealed: The U.S. has 36 code-named military operations in Africa

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.

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Culture

Moroccan American Network considers Moroccan cities for 2020 Morocco Day

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.

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Awards

Egyptian AP journalists Maggie Michael and Nariman El-Mofty win Pulitzer for Yemen coverage

Egyptian investigative journalist Maggie Michael, Egyptian photojournalist Nariman El-Mofty, and Yemeni video journalist Maad Al-Zikry, all of whom work for the Associated Press (AP), have won a Pulitzer in international reporting for their coverage of abuses in Yemen’s civil war.

According to AP, Michael, El-Mofty and Al-Zikry spent a year uncovering atrocities and suffering in Yemen, shining a light on “a conflict largely ignored by the American public.”

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Uncategorized

Nigerian embassy settles rift between diaspora groups in U.S

The Nigerian Missions in the United States and Nigerian diaspora on Saturday converged on the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC to reconcile factional groups in the Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA).

The reconciliation followed earlier separate meetings with NIDOA Board of Trustees (BoT) and NIDOA USA Board of Directors (BoD) at the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York.

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News

Ghanaian Vice President Visits New York

Government to introduce e-visa

Ghanaian Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has indicated government’s effort to introduce electronic visa to ease the acquisition of Ghanaian visas.

He made this known, when he met with members of Ghana Chamber of Commerce in New York, as part of his official visit to the United States of America.

Continue reading “Ghanaian Vice President Visits New York” →

Uncategorized

Delaware State U. working with African Union to connect African Americans to Africa  

By Ryanne Persinger

Delaware State University has partnered with the African Peer Review Mechanism to help bridge the gap between Africa and its “Sixth Region” — people of African heritage who live outside the continent.

Continue reading “Delaware State U. working with African Union to connect African Americans to Africa  “ →

Business, News

Africa’s Amazon Is set for a New York IPO as online retail takes off

By John Bowker

When Christophe Fofana, a 29-year-old taxi driver and student in Ivory Coast, needed a birthday present for his daughter last year, he did something he hadn’t done before. He went shopping online.

“It was a specific toy, an electric car, that I either couldn’t find in stores or was very expensive,” he said in Abidjan, the commercial capital. He found a gift for the big day on Jumia, the online retailer and market place active in 14 African countries.

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Uncategorized

South Los Angeles is doing business with Africa

South Los Angeles Logistics brings Uganda coffee to the U.S.

Leimert Park Village, still a center of Pan-African thought and expression through its art, music and culture, is one of the most recognizable Pan-African Cultural Districts in South Los Angeles.  The village has seen its share of ebbs and flows, yet it still rises like the Phoenix.  

Today, you will find an increasing number of nationalities from Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Brazil, Belize, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ghana gathering at the Hot & Cool Café and the WE CAN Foundation merging their experiences of Pan-African thought and expression through business, foods, arts music and culture. 

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Communities

How did US and Ethiopia become so close?

A high-level US delegation just returned from Ethiopia, which is arguably America’s closest ally on the continent of Africa. How did these two countries become so close? Journalist James Jeffrey explains.

It’s noticeable soon after you land in Washington – the city is full of Ethiopians.

Their ubiquitous presence – behind the counter at Starbucks or the wheels of taxis – in the bastion of American government symbolises the two pillars of this alliance.

Continue reading “How did US and Ethiopia become so close?” →
Remittance

Kenyans in diaspora sent home $2 billion
By Kelvin J. Kelley
The estimate by the Pew Research Centre is based on statistics developed last year by the World Bank
The United Kingdom was Kenya’s single-largest source of remittances, with $663 million sent home in 2017.
Kenyans living in the US, which ranked second, sent back $584 million.
Ghana and Senegal each accounted for about $2.2 billion in remittances.

Kenyans living abroad sent almost $2 billion (Sh200 billion) to their families and others in their homeland in 2017, a US data-analysis group said.

Continue reading “Kenyans in diaspora sent home $2 billion” →

Achievements

Ugandan cardiologist scoops top US award

A Ugandan doctor has been awarded a prestigious United States (US) award for his role in the treatment of heart diseases.

Dr. Emmy Okello, an interventional cardiologist at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology for advancing the field of Rheumatic heart disease and interventional cardiology in Uganda.

Continue reading “Ugandan cardiologist scoops top US award” →

African Politics, Politics

Algerians In Diaspora Celebrate Bouteflika’s Resignation With Movement

For weeks, expat Algerians have been streaming home, some just for the weekend, to play their part in the historic changes sweeping the country.

“I took unpaid leave to come and march in Algeria, to be here physically,” said Chahrazade Kaci, who arrived back from London just days before president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in the face of huge protests.

Continue reading “Algerians In Diaspora Celebrate Bouteflika’s Resignation With Movement” →

Movies

Kris Mokwunye takes Nigerian short films to America

Kris Mokwunye, 25, is a Nigerian filmmaker, content creator and a lover of creative works generally. All his life, from secondary school to university education, he has been doing creative works.

An award-winning short filmmaker, his showbiz career started with organising an event, Chill with a Star, before branching into filmmaking, which saw him garlanded at the Abuja International Film Festival in 2017.

So far, he has done and directed eight short films, for himself and for others.

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News

US court struggles with the case of Jean Leonard Teganya 25 years after the Rwandan Genocide

by Clement Habimana

In 1994, Jean Leonard Teganya was a 22-year-old Rwandan medical student, a hard worker whose peers describe him as smart and kind to everyone. He was in his third year of medical school, in the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Rwanda in Butare.

Now he is in Boston’s Federal District Court, nearing the end of his trial for immigration fraud and perjury about his role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. If convicted, he will be imprisoned in the U.S. and then deported to Rwanda, a totalitarian military dictatorship likely to kill or imprison him for life.

Continue reading “US court struggles with the case of Jean Leonard Teganya 25 years after the Rwandan Genocide” →

Communities

2000 Ugandans to attend UNAA convention in Chicago

By John Semakula

Over 2000 Ugandans are expected to attend the 31st Uganda North American Association (UNAA) convention slated for August 29 to September 1 in Chicago.

According to the organisers, over 500 Ugandans have so far registered for the conference.  

Julius Kabugu, the director of communication at UNAA told the New Vision that this year’s event will run on the theme, “Cultural Diversity & Economic Empowerment: Creating a Stronger Diaspora Community.”

Continue reading “2000 Ugandans to attend UNAA convention in Chicago” →

Culture

Africa Salon festival in Yale University to celebrate arts and culture of the diaspora

By Adam Gaberapril

Africa Salon, Yale’s celebration of contemporary African arts and culture, returns to New Haven Friday-Saturday, April 12-13.

The fifth annual festival will bring poets, writers, filmmakers, comedians, and musical artists to Yale and New Haven to showcase the diversity of art and culture throughout the African diaspora.

According to the organizers, at a time when contemporary African art is drawing more eyes than ever, the salon invites audiences to rethink their conceptions of the continent and diaspora — to watch, listen, and respond — and to celebrate the creation and complexity of contemporary African narratives.  

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Education

U.S. Urges Nigerian students to explore its Education Funding Program

Mathew Washburn, Programme Officer, Education USA Department of State, has urged Nigeria students to explore the department’s education Opportunity Funds Programme (OFP) to advance their studies in America.

Washburn spoke at the Foreign Press Centre International Reporting Tour of the U.S. Community Colleges and Workforce Development programme in Washington D.C.

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Movies

Why is Lupita Nyong’o making Chimamanda’s Americanah?

By Ernest Bazanye

Ms Lupita Nyong’o pleased news magazines when she announced that she is in works to produce a TV miniseries based on Americanah, the award-winning bestselling novel from Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie.

This news, from the star of Us, has made Africa ecstatic. If you feel left out, here is the simple explanation.

Continue reading “Why is Lupita Nyong’o making Chimamanda’s Americanah?” →