Halloween celebrations in Africa are a completely foreign concept. Were it not for globalization, many Africans would not even know of the celebrations of All Hallows’ Eve. In Africa so far, no country has earmarked October 31st to recognize Halloween. Foreign envoys from the West, however, mark the day with festivities at their embassies,…
American Airlines, an already troubled carrier in terms of passenger satisfaction and customer service, is at the center of an unusual travel advisory issued by the United States National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). According to a recent NAACP press release, passengers of African heritage could be flying the unfriendly skies aboard…
The rate of fast food consumption in Africa is growing quickly with countries such as South Africa seeing an annual average of 3-4% growth of consumption between 2009 and 2014. In South Africa alone, the number of people buying fast food once a month increased by 14% between 2009 and 2015. International chains are seeing…
Fats Domino, the legend of boogie-woogie piano and one of the fathers of rock and roll, has passed away at age 89. Without Fats Domino, there may have been no Beatles or the genre of ska. A huge number of artists were influenced by this legend of rock and roll, from Elvis Presley to Robert Plant. Antoine…
Known as Chef Fregz, Nigerian chef Gbubemi Fregene has become something of a household name in the Nigerian culinary world. His unique cooking style has also caught the attention of foodies around the world. Fregene grew up in Benin City, where he completed a few culinary internships during his youth. He started a successful catering…
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, the film Mudbound has been receiving much attention, critical acclaim and plenty of Oscar buzz. In fact, there is already talk that the film may bring home at least a few awards. Some have already suggested that director Dee Rees could potentially win the award…
As one of the world’s most populous and majestic cities, Rio de Janeiro is home to over six million residents, and about a quarter of them live in favelas, low-income neighborhoods improvised from former shanty towns. The favelas are a reminder of the deep issues of inequality in Brazil; these are poor communities where Brazilian…
Millicent Nyong’o, an ambitious woman in her twenties, contested for political office in her local area in Kisumu. She lost, but keeps her zeal on. She was born and raised in Kisumu, the western-Kenya city famous for being a bastion of some of the longest serving opposition politicians. Kisumu can be rightly called the…
He hails from the gorgeous Mozambique, a land nestled on the southeast coast of Africa with striking turquoise waters, creamy white beaches and walls of coral. As a young boy, Taibo Bacar was fascinated by fabric and its many textures, the pleasant hum of a sewing machine he often heard from his seamstress mother. It was…
It wasn’t a hashtag then, but activist Tarana Burke started the #MeToo campaign in 2007. “Me too” has recently taken on new life in wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. A tweet from actress Alyssa Milano suggested that women who had been sexually assaulted or harassed write #MeToo on social media to show the “magnitude…
Tanzanian recording artist and singer-songwriter Ali Kiba is very popular in East Africa but he is starting to gain an international following as well. Singing in his native Swahili, Kiba has buttery smooth vocals that often float over danceable rhythms. An example of Kiba’s style can be found in his 2014 hit “Mwana”. The official…
Aamito Lagum’s mom was hoping her daughter might go to college and later become an attorney; she wasn’t wild about the modeling business at first. She wasn’t sure it was a solid career for Aamito to pursue. Aamito assured her mother that she just wanted one last chance to see if she could make it,…
When Vodafone and a team of mobile developers successfully launched the M-Pesa payments and money transfer system across Kenya in 2007, this African nation became a leader in the field of financial technology. M-Pesa has extended beyond Africa to India and even Eastern Europe, and this has prompted tech startups in Kenya to develop competing…
In a shocking turn of events, President Uhuru and Raila Odinga, head of NASA Coalition, met four days ago. They agreed to work together in a journey that will not only unite Kenya but also build its economy. In the meeting, it was discussed that Ambassador Martin Kimani will join Paul Mwangi to oversee the…
