2011 has been momentous year for the Africa. From Egypt to Tunisia and Libya, a change of guard is reshaping the continent’s political landscape. In the diaspora, a different kind of change is also taking shape as Africans challenge each other about rebuilding the continent from the powers of corridor to economic growth and social [...]
Chikwe Ihekweazu is one of the organisers of TEDxEuston, a not-for profit basis platform connecting the Africa diaspora comuntiy in the UK to the continent by telling success stories of Africans at home and abroad. In our conversation, he tells me why African must get better at telling their own stories. Belinda: TED is designed to give communities [...]
If you are on Facebook and Twitter, then you are no stranger to the work of Jide Alakija, who in my opinion is photographer extraordinaire. Whenever I need to escape and find a place to dream, I go to his website. Alakija documents marriage ceremonies and other events but don’t call him a wedding photographer. [...]
Rhian Benson, Mobo Award winning artist returns with Hands Clean, a pulsating and soulful collection laced with electronic grooves, thanks to her Danish producers. I have to be honest that it was only recently, I stumbled upon Benson’s electrifying sound but I truly believe that her sophomore album is miles away from her debut, Gold [...]
An offspring of TED, a global non-profit devoted to the power of using ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world; TedxEuston wants to ‘reflect ideas and inspired thinking of a new generation of African leaders committed to engaging and re-engaging in an active and meaningful manner with the continent. By Africans for Africans, [...]
Asa (Bukola Elemide) needs no introduction after her self-titled debut album caught the world’s attention in 2007. The Paris-born, Nigerian raised singer-songwriter returns with her sophomore album, Beautiful Impefection, which demonstrates an artist who has had time to reflect on and evaluate her previous offering. “The first album reflected my state of mind then. I [...]
Gary Dourdan’s journey has been nothing but interesting. From making music videos with Janet Jackson, acting in theatre to playing music with bands in NYC in the early 1990’s. He has also enjoyed various acting roles in TV soaps/series, his most popular to date as Warrick Brown in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Dourdan’s most recent [...]
Africa Rocks Expo aims to celebrate African culture and demonstrate why the continent is a great place to visit, work and do business. This year’s expo, due to hold on October 23, at Hotel Russell, London, focuses on Nigeria, with the purpose of dispelling the negative misconceptions about the country. Instead, the organisers want people to know [...]
Walking into Level 2 Gallery at the Tate Modern, one of Britain’s foremost art landscapes to view Contested Terrains, the first thing that comes to mind is why are the halls empty? This is an exhibition that is supposed to be breaking down artistic barriers and bring talents from the African continent to a global [...]
Her voice is distinctive and her sound unique. With every album, German born, Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer, Ayo (Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin) keeps evolving and pushing the boundaries. Her third album, Billie-Eve, named after her daughter is testament of a woman, who sees the world through multiple lenses. From the opening track, How Many People, which [...]
Sona Jobarteh hails from a griot family and is the only female kora virtuoso on both sides of the Atlantic. A multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer, her new album Fasiya translates as heritage and draws on Jobarteh’s connection to her west African tradition. Songs like Jarabi, a love song from Mali, shows her ability to [...]
Sada Mire is the world’s only Somaliland archaeologist, who has taken on the task of telling Africa’s forgotten stories hidden in some of its undiscovered ruins. Fuelled by her passion to see the image ofAfricamove beyond the one-dimensional narrative of poverty, famine and wars, Mire believes Africans must record their history and preserve their heritage [...]
Mayamiko is a UK registered charity but has its roots in Malawi. Founded in 2008, it works to help people lift themselves out of poverty through skills training, education and fair trade practices. One way, Mayamiko achieves its goal is through the charity’s commitment to empowering women. This includes the Mayamiko Cotton project, which supports [...]
In recent times, Rwanda has made headlines for the wrong reasons, from an alleged attempt on the lives of exiled Rwandese in London, to a protest, led by Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, against President Paul Kagame in Chicago. And most recently, reports of another foiled plot to kill former Rwandan [...]
As my series of interviews with playwrights, whose work have featured in Tiata Fahodzi’s, African Play Reading Festival comes to an end, I would like to introduce you to Lizzy Dijeh. Born in London, to Nigerian parents, Dijeh has been described as an astute writer, whose plays speak of and to our era. In her own [...]
Contrary to the title, E.C. Osondu is not serving as the Voice of America and certainly not the spokesman for Nigeria, with his eclectic collection of short stories, chronicling the lives of Africans at home and in the diaspora. From his Caine Prize winning story; Waiting to A Letter from Home and Janjaweed Wife, we delve into [...]
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