Hiplife is a music phenomenon that fuses high life and hip hop. This Ghanaian musical style is rapidly gaining momentum throughout West Africa and abroad– specifically in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Germany. Hiplife can be traced back to the early 1980’s with artists such as K.K. Kabobo and Gyedu Blay Ambolley.…
Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, rose to power following his party’s victory in 2009, and was recently reelected in the 2014 elections. President Zuma is no stranger to controversy. In 2005 he was charged with rape, but was quickly acquitted. He has also battled legal allegations of racketeering and corruption. His main…
John Pombe Magufuli, was elected President of Tanzania on October 25, 2015. Backed by Chama Cha Mapinduzi, Tanzania’s dominant political party, Magufuli secured the election with 58% of the votes to Edward Lowassa’s 40%. About the Bulldozer Growing up as the son of a peasant farmer, Magufuli found it important to pursue education and…
Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s dream to help transform lives and advance society, Schools for Africa was founded in 2004 by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Hamburg Society, and UNICEF. Promoting equality for education to over 13 different African countries, this initiative has helped more than 30 million children get the proper education, schools, teachers…
The spoken word scene is taking root in Ghana, allowing both men and women to bond together and promote community development and self expression. If you have ever been to a spoken word performance, then you know how intense, emotional, and real those words can feel. In the early 2000’s, EhaLaKasa was leading…
On December 17, 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya announced that the country will host the next Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. On the same day, terrorists seized a police vehicle in Kenya’s coastal county of Lamu. It was never clearer than at that moment that the country was in the midst of…
Marwan Zakhem, an Accra based collector and business owner, is doing what he can to expose and support the contemporary art scene in his home country. His goal is to change local and international perceptions of his country by opening Gallery1957. “I wanted to create a commercial platform for artists based here to provide increased…
Aurora James is fashion’s new IT girl, enjoying profiles in the hottest fashion magazines the world over. Her love of fashion began at an early age when she stumbled into her mother’s closet and ran her fingers over the delicate silks and satins of her vintage kimonos and tribal moccasins. A native of…
Somalia was at one point one of the most beautiful and peaceful countries in Africa, prior to the civil war. After 1991, the entire landscape changed as the central government collapsed and the warlords began a battle of attrition to appropriate the resources of the country. Piracy off the coast of Somalia soon became…
Following the upending event of September 11th in New York City, and the ensuing global campaign against terrorism, the broader security dynamics of almost every region of the world have transformed drastically. Tactics employed by splinter groups today have taken on a new face – one dominated by intense guerrilla warfare aimed at instilling…
Her precious bundles of joy are almost here, and superstar Beyoncé is enjoying her pregnancy and feeling great. Two girls, two boys, or one of each—no one knows yet!—but the incredible African-themed baby shower for the glowing Queen Bey was quite the extraordinary event at the “Carter Push Party” on Saturday in Los Angeles.…
BBMA 2017 King Drake took home all kinds of awards Sunday night, but he also turned the dial way up on the rumor mill. There have been rumors and speculation about a possible romance between Drake and Minaj for years. Drake has spoken about his crush on the Queen of Rap. Minaj has talked about…
Despite being the favorite to win, the dreams of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming winning the Preakness Stakes were dashed on Saturday. This, of course, means that there will not be a Triple Crown winner this year. For much of the race, it looked like the dream of a Triple Crown was very much alive, as Always…
A former Somali refugee who returned to his troubled nation specifically to help with reconstruction and development was shot to death by government security officers in a strange incident near the presidential palace. Public Works Minister Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji was traveling in a vehicle with two other government officials and an armed security detail.…
