Most of us know Venus Williams as the spectacular tennis pro with seven Grand Slam singles titles under her belt. The striking, international star has also achieved other impressive feats off the court, including a degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from…
Although the hiplife genre began in the 1980s, Ghanian musician Sarkodie has done perhaps more than any other artist to help the genre grow and spread. Hiplife uniquely blends the genres of highlife and hip hop. An an unofficial ambassador for the genre, Sarkodie raps in his native Twi language and doesn’t shy away from…
President John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania has been praised as the type of African leader that his country has desperately needed in the 21st century. Since taking office in November 2015, President Magufuli has been executing on an agenda that has largely consisted of shooting from the hip; his targets have included international mining companies,…
Sexual harassment has been a major issue in the news as of late in America. Time magazine has even named the #MeToo movement as its ‘Person of the Year’ for 2017. But is sexual harassment as prevalent elsewhere in the world? Sadly, yes. Sexual harassment is a truly global phenomenon. There is often a close connection between the prevalence…
2017 has been an eventful year for Tanzanian-born Bongo artist Nasibu Abdul Juma, better known as Diamond Platnumz. He started the year on a high, releasing “Marry You” featuring Ne-Yo. The melodious blend of Ne-Yo’s R&B and Diamond’s African style got many of us dancing to this tune for months. The video did incredibly…
During three days in January 2017, more than 184,000 people from around the world packed the majestic Las Vegas Convention Center for the 50th anniversary of the Consumer Electronics Show—the largest trade event focused on technology innovation developed specifically at the consumer level. Each CES features the latest and the next in consumer tech. The…
When you struggle to find something that meets your own needs, one solution is to create it for yourself. That was the impetus for DeShuna Spencer when she started KweliTV. She told The Root that she was discouraged when looking for something to watch on cable. “I was frustrated because there was not a space…
Nigerian musicians and identical twins Peter and Paul Okoye formed their R&B duo P-Square in the early 2000s. After winning a few competitions and building a fanbase, they signed to a record label in 2011. They put out a number of hit records together before dramatically disbanding in 2016, after some intense disagreements. For Peter,…
Hip hop artist Jidenna stands out from the crowd. With his unique look and his blend of African and American musical influences, Jidenna is a fresh face on the scene. Born thirty-two years ago in Wisconsin to a Nigerian father and an American mother, Jidenna Mobisson spent his early childhood in his father’s native…
When Moonlight won Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards, it may have been a sign that the future of the Oscars will include more recognition of diverse casts and stories. Some of the predicted contenders for the 2017 Oscars do indeed point in that direction. First on the list is Get Out, Jordan Peele’s…
