The annual Forbes Five list of hip-hop’s wealthiest artists has been released. As Forbes puts it, “the only thing more predictable than a Diddy name change” is Diddy topping the list. Sure enough, Diddy has held on to the top spot again this year, but Jay Z is right on his tail. The five names on the…
In Senegal, the high cost of health care is prompting tech entrepreneurs to come up with solutions to meet the needs of poor families. To this effect, VoLo and JokkoSanté were two tech startups recognized for their innovations at a late 2015 event organized by the Embassy of Switzerland and an organization representing IT workers and business…
In the US, the second Sunday in May is a day dedicated to the celebration of mothers. Mother’s Day has evolved over time has become a day for celebrating not just mothers, but also for celebrating grandmothers, stepmothers, aunts, and other women of influence in our lives. Mother’s Day is a rare holiday that crosses…
Ethiopian street artist Behulum Mengistu discovered graffiti arts seven years ago. Shortly thereafter, he learned more about the art form from a visiting American PhD scholar who studied hip-hop cultures. From that point, he became heavily involved in both hip-hop culture and graffiti art, quickly becoming a celebrated street artist. Despite his largely American…
If you haven’t yet seen designer Buki Ade’s Spring/Summer 17 swimwear collection, then you are missing out on the exceptional glamour, exoticism, attention to detail and expression of African culture she so brilliantly blends into each piece. The Nigerian-American fashion designer has caught the eye of major style publications like Vogue and Sports Illustrated‘s famous swimsuit…
Parents of 82 schoolgirls kept captive for three years by Boko Haram in Nigeria were anxiously awaiting to see them as of Wednesday, May 10. The families have not been given any guarantees as to when they will be able to see the girls, who were released in a prisoner exchange between Boko Haram and the…
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…
Veteran journalist April Ryan perfectly exemplifies the sentiment expressed by the actor Eddie Cantor that “it takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” Ms. Ryan has toiled for exactly 20 years as the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) – an outlet barely known outside the African-American community, but prominent within it as…
One of the most celebrated African-American novelists of our time, Colson Whitehead is now the winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel The Underground Railroad. With six novels under his belt, Whitehead is known for his genre-bending stories that focus on race, class, commercialism, and American history. Whitehead was born in New York City in…
A horrific incident involving an African player signed with an Italian Serie A club has unfolded into a call by activists and sports fans to stop the ugliness of racism in European football. The incident involved Sulley Muntari, a talented midfielder from Ghana who has previously played with AC Milan. In a recent match between…
The investigation into the highly controversial campaign that turned a reality television host into President of the United States has yielded its first set of indictments. Paul Manafort, a political operative who was once in charge of the Donald J. Trump presidential campaign, surrendered himself to federal agents as directed by a court order arising…
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…
