Esther Muthoni Passaris is known in Kenya in the world of politics and philanthropy. Born in the coastal city of Mombasa to Greek and Kenyan Kikuyu parents, she has become a successful businesswoman and philanthropist, establishing the much lauded “Adopt-A-Light” program, which succeeded in reducing crime by increasing lighting in many poverty-stricken neighbourhoods. She also possesses…
André Alexis, one of Canada’s premier playwrights and novelists, is now recognized for the scope of his bibliography as the winner of the 2017 Windham-Campbell Prize. This coveted American literary prize, known for awarding one of the richest literary prize amounts in the world, recognizes Alexis’ entire body of diverse creative works. Alexis was born in…
Venice Biennale is an arts organization in Venice, Italy that organizes a prestigious bi-annual contemporary art exhibition. Art collectors and dealers flock to the event and it helps artists get discovered and make sales. This year is a landmark year for Nigeria, with a special pavilion for Nigerian artists included. This is the first time in…
The glamorous stage where the English National Ballet performs is worlds away from the grinding poverty of the Kuwinda slum in Kenya. Yet that stage appears to be where one former Kuwinda resident is destined to be seen. Sixteen-year-old Joel Kioko is a phenomenon in the ballet world. Like many male dancers, he came to…
FOLD 2017 accomplished its mission. As a Festival of Literary Diversity, the second-annual event brought together established and emergent writers of varied backgrounds in a space that fed their souls, created dialogue and provided down-to-earth guidelines and information about writing and publishing. Held recently in Brampton, Ontario, a city known for its culturally diverse population, FOLD…
Representation and inclusivity matter. Playing with dolls, particularly Barbie, is a large part of childhood for many, but the doll and its clothing haven’t been very representative of all people. Barbie has made some strides recently by introducing dolls with different body shapes, different skin tones, and even dolls with disabilities. One Muslim woman from…
Gabourey Sidibe was probably sent to earth to show the rest of us how to live a truly authentic life. Her physical appearance is, to most people, the thing most remarkable about her. It is antithetical to everything our culture has trained us to value. Obese and dark skinned, she has nevertheless carved out a stellar…
Last week, Nicki Minaj offered via Twitter to pay tuition and student loans for some of her fans. This week, she’s restated her promise to do a repeat batch of giving soon while also announcing a charity devoted to her mission. In a recent post on Instagram, Minaj shared a screenshot of some of the recent payments…
As a deeply modern poet who effortlessly mixes literary style with contemporary slam, Tyehimba Jess is one of the most celebrated American wordsmiths of his generation. After receiving quiet praise for his previous poetry endeavors, Jess received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 2016 collection, OLIO. Jess was born in Detroit and raised by…
Nicki Minaj has promoted a number of causes over the years and has made some huge donations. Her latest act of philanthropy took place unexpectedly on Twitter this Saturday night. While tweeting about a lip-synching contest, she mentioned that she makes plenty of money, enough to fly a winner out from anywhere in the world. A user…
