9 Search results for "swahili"

by Loni Amor This essay contains discussions of suicidal ideation. Inspired by First Fruit festivals of Southern Africa, African-American civil rights activist and academic, the extremely problematic  Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga established Kwanzaa in 1966. Deriving from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza”, which translates loosely to “first fruits of the harvest”, Kwanzaa offers Black […]

by Indigo If I were to introduce myself to anyone today, I would introduce myself as Loni. I would introduce myself as a non-binary afro-boricua whose gender pronouns are exclusively they, them, and theirs. I would introduce myself as someone who is unafraid to correct anyone who refers to me by my given name, or […]

by Kathleen Anaza Drawing in viewers with juicy telenovela-style drama, star-studded casts and curated soundtracks, MTV Shuga has become a favorite among the scandalous and socially-conscious television viewer on the African continent. Over five seasons, Shuga has operated as three self-contained miniseries, each set in a unique country and with a distinct cast. The stories […]

A Kenyan singer has officially hit the airwaves with one of the best covers yet of Adele’s “Hello.”

At just 9-years-old, Justus Uwayesu became an orphan and street beggar in Rwanda. He had not bathed in more than a year when an American charity worker, Clare Effiong found him. Fast forward 13 years and Mr. Uwayesu isn’t just living in a different world, but rising through the academic ranks of not just his […]

  The following post originally appeared on Slate under the title, “Where I’m From: How a trip to Kenya changed the way I think about the terms African-American and black American.” By: Aisha Harris One of the first times I recall being asked the question “Where are you from?” was also one of the first […]

With the recent celebration of Kwanzaa, I am reinvigorated with hope as I learn to internalize the principles each day offered. I couldn’t help but place special emphasis on the principle Kujichagulia (Self Determination) which means, “To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves in order to stand up for ourselves.” […]

Hope everyone’s Christmas was complete with family and happiness. If you thought that such a spirit lives for a few moments in December, you are indeed wrong and perhaps exhausted. There follows more family time and appreciation for any Black souls that share, also, a need for little historical significance in their life. Today is […]

Due to my desire to post on Precious, I failed to fulfill a writing assignment.  I think I was supposed to post something about the 1st anniversary of the election of President Barack Obama.  I didn’t know we celebrated the anniversaries of elections, but weird stuff happens when black people are involved.  Frankly, I don’t […]