tag:www.funtimesmagazine.com,2005:/categories/history?page=12History | FunTimes Magazine Page 12Celebrating Africa And Its Diaspora2023-06-28T11:03:19-04:00urn:uuid:dc8f2e9d-f593-4bb7-b8b6-380852ba8c112023-06-26T10:44:37-04:002023-06-28T11:03:19-04:00Never mind Cleopatra – what about the forgotten queens of ancient Nubia?2023-06-28 10:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Image: jewelry of Kandake (Queen) Amanishakheto, from her tomb at Meroë (Sudan) Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amanishakheto_Jewellery_03.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a><br></p><p><br></p><p>Jada Pinkett Smith’s <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/african-queens-release-date-cast-news">new Netflix documentary series on Cleopatra</a> aims to spotlight powerful African queens. “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them,” the Hollywood star and producer told a Netflix interviewer.</p><p>The show casts a biracial Black British actress as the famed queen, whose race <a href="https://denison.edu/academics/classical-studies/wh/136845">has stirred debate for decades</a>. Cleopatra descended from an ancient Greek-Macedonian ruling dynasty known as the Ptolemies, but some speculate that her mother may have been an Indigenous Egyptian. In the trailer, Black classics scholar <a href="https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/our-faculty/directory/faculty-detail/shelley-haley">Shelley Haley</a> recalls her grandmother telling her, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IktHcPyNlv4">I don’t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was Black</a>.”</p><p>These ideas provoked commentary and even outrage in Egypt, Cleopatra’s birthplace. Some of the reactions have been unabashedly racist, mocking the actress’s curly hair and skin color.</p><p>Egyptian archaeologists like <a href="https://scholar.google.com.eg/citations?user=JNvJ2noAAAAJ&hl=en">Monica Hanna</a> have criticized this racism. Yet they also caution that projecting modern American racial categories onto Egypt’s ancient past <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/netflix-cleopatra-black-egypt-controversy-ancient-queen/">is inaccurate</a>. At worst, critics argue, U.S. discussions about Cleopatra’s identity overlook Egyptians entirely.</p><p>In Western media, she is commonly depicted as white – most famously, perhaps, by screen icon Elizabeth Taylor. Yet claims by <a href="https://africasacountry.com/2022/03/egypt-and-the-afrocentrists-the-latest-round">American Afrocentrists</a> that current-day Egyptians are descendants of “Arab invaders” also ignore the complicated histories that characterize this diverse part of the world.<br></p><p>Some U.S. scholars counter that ultimately what matters is to “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/opinion/black-cleopatra-netflix.html">recognize Cleopatra as culturally Black</a>,” representing a long history of oppressing Black women. Portraying Cleopatra with a Black actress was a “political act,” <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/queen-cleopatra-black-netflix-egypt-1235590708/">as the show’s director put it</a>.</p><p>Ironically, however, the show misses an opportunity to educate both American and Egyptian audiences about the unambiguously Black queens of ancient Nubia, a civilization whose history is intertwined with Egypt’s. As <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/faculty/socio-cultural-faculty/ymoll.html">an anthropologist of Egypt who has Nubian heritage</a>, I research how the stories of these queens continue to inspire Nubians, who <a href="https://www.taraspress.com/nubian">creatively retell them</a> for new generations today.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/05/22/435845/cleopatras-skin-color-didnt-matter-in-ancient-egypt-her-strategic-role-in-world-history-did" target="_blank"><img alt="Cleopatras skin color didnt matter in ancient Egypt - her strategic role in world history did" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1001973/fit/80x80/queen_20cleopatra.png?timestamp=1687890718" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/05/22/435845/cleopatras-skin-color-didnt-matter-in-ancient-egypt-her-strategic-role-in-world-history-did" target="_blank">Cleopatra's skin color didn't matter in ancient Egypt - her strategic role in world history did</a></h4>
<p>Much debate has raged about her ethnicity. The queen was of Greek ancestry. In the Netflix series she’s played by a black actress. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/05/22/435845/cleopatras-skin-color-didnt-matter-in-ancient-egypt-her-strategic-role-in-world-history-did">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><h2>The one-eyed queen</h2><br><p>Nubians in modern Egypt once lived mainly along the Nile but lost their villages when the <a href="https://aucpress.com/product/nubian-encounters/">Aswan High Dam was built in the 1960s</a>. Today, members of the minority group live alongside other Egyptians all over the country, as well as in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2740853">a resettlement district</a> near the southern city of Aswan.</p><p>Growing up in Cairo’s Nubian community, we children didn’t hear about Cleopatra, but about Amanirenas: <a href="https://egyptianstreets.com/2022/05/23/queen-amanirenas-the-nubian-queen-who-defeated-the-romans/">a warrior queen</a> who ruled the Kingdom of Kush during the first century B.C.E. Queens in that ancient kingdom, encompassing what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan, were referred to as “kandake” – the root of <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/The_Candaces_of_Meroe/">the English name “Candace</a>.”</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1010381/fill/700x0/amani_20renas.png?timestamp=1687890379">Image: Cover of the graphic novel <i>Queen Amani Renas, Protector of Nubia</i>-- inspired by Amanirenas. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Amanirenas#/media/File:AMANI_RENAS_COVER_COMPS_03102022-final_sml.png" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2010/09/28/130190252/the-true-story-of-antony-and-cleopatra">Like Cleopatra</a>, Amanirenas knew Roman generals up close. But while Cleopatra romanced them – strategically – Amanirenas fought them. She led an army up the Nile about 25 B.C.E. <a href="https://egyptianexpedition.org/articles/the-roman-egyptian-nubian-frontier-during-the-reigns-of-augustus-and-amanirenas-archaeological-evidence-from-talmis-qasr-ibrim-and-meroe/">to wage battle against Roman conquerors</a> encroaching on her kingdom.</p><p>My own favorite part of this story of Indigenous struggle against foreign imperialism involves what can only be characterized as a power move. After beating back the invading Romans, Queen Amanirenas <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pcgxBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA117&dq=amanirenas+&ots=D_hBdOLBPc&sig=purD9nD2bxHnY9ksPxdlLqUnhEg#v=onepage&q=amanirenas&f=false">brought back the bronze head</a> of a statue of the emperor Augustus and had it buried under a temple doorway. Each time they entered the temple, her people could literally walk over a symbol of Roman power.</p><p>That colorful tidbit illustrates those queens’ determination to defend their autonomy and territory. Amanirenas personally engaged in combat and <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315621425-23/women-ancient-nubia-jacke-phillips">earned the moniker “the one-eyed queen</a>,” according to an ancient chronicler of the Roman Empire named Strabo. The kandakes were also <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ijAXEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT38&dq=kandaka+nubian+queens&ots=upazD6-aTO&sig=ES1HSdy1EfrgB1wzvsda30jFvuI#v=onepage&q=kandaka%20nubian%20queens&f=false">spiritual leaders and patrons of the arts</a>, and they supported the construction of grand monuments and temples, including pyramids.</p><p><br></p><h2>Interwoven cultures and histories</h2><br><p>When people today say “Nubia,” they are often referring to the Kingdom of Kush, one of several empires that emerged in ancient Nubia. Archaeologists have recently started to bring Kush <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/geoff_emberling_what_happened_to_the_lost_kingdom_of_kush/transcript?language=en">to broader public attention</a>, arguing that its achievements deserve as much attention as ancient Egypt’s.</p><p>Indeed, <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.31826/9781463239688/html?lang=en">those two civilizations are entwined</a>. Kushite royals adapted many Egyptian cultural and religious practices to their own ends. What’s more, a Kushite dynasty ruled Egypt itself for close to a century.</p><p>Contemporary Nubian heritage reflects that historical complexity and richness. While their <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210922-a-revival-of-egypts-nubian-culture">traditions and languages remain distinctive</a>, Nubians have been intermarrying with other communities in Egypt for generations. Nubians like my mother are proudly Egyptian, yet <a href="https://doi.org/10.5743/cairo/9789774162893.003.0015">hurtful stereotypes persist</a>.</p><p>Today, some Black Americans embrace Cleopatra as a powerful symbol of Black pride. But the idea of ancient Nubia as a powerful African civilization also plays a symbolic role in contemporary Black culture, inspiring images in everything <a href="https://www.juviasplace.com/collections/the-nubian-collection">from cosmetics</a> <a href="https://www.dc.com/blog/2020/05/28/dc-debuts-first-look-at-nubia-real-one">to comics</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/04/437273/is-netflix-s-queen-cleopatra-cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation-" target="_blank"><img alt="Is Netflixs Queen Cleopatra cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1005099/fit/80x80/queen_20cleopatra_20netflix_20promo.png?timestamp=1687890718" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/04/437273/is-netflix-s-queen-cleopatra-cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation-" target="_blank">Is Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation?</a></h4>
<p>Cleopatra’s story told by Western experts on Egypt’s behalf is an act of separating the culture from its people. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/04/437273/is-netflix-s-queen-cleopatra-cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1010382/fill/700x0/nubian_20pyramids.png?timestamp=1687890655">The Nubian pyramids of Meroe. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_wonderful_picture_of_the_pyramids_of_Meroe_in_Sudan.png" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><h2>Egyptian voices</h2><br><p>Researchers do argue about Cleopatra’s heritage. U.S. conversations about her, however, sometimes reveal more about Western racial politics than about Egyptian history.</p><p>In the 19th century, for example, <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520240698/whose-pharaohs">Western interest in ancient Egypt took off amid colonization</a> – a fascination called “Egyptomania.” Americans’ fixation with the ancient civilization reflected their own culture’s <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/egypt-land">anxieties about race in the decades after slavery was abolished</a>, as <a href="https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/english_language_and_literature/our_people/directory/trafton_scott.php">scholar Scott Trafton</a> has argued.</p><p>A century later, a 1990s advertisement for a pale-colored doll of queen Nefertiti sparked debate in the U.S. about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/02/26/was-nefertiti-black-bitter-debate-erupts/4e7bdc74-18a6-435e-a5f6-df900cb7f014/">how to represent</a> her race.</p><p>Nefertiti’s bust – one of the most famous artifacts from ancient Egypt – is on display at a <a href="https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/aegyptisches-museum-und-papyrussammlung/collection-research/bust-of-nefertiti/">German museum</a>. Egypt has <a href="https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nefertiti-affair-history-repatriation-debate/">called for the artifact’s return</a> for close to a hundred years, to no avail. Even Hitler <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674983755">took a personal interest in the bust</a>, declaring that he “will not renounce the queen’s head,” according to <a href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/joyce.tyldesley">archaeologist Joyce Tyldesley</a>.</p><p>Even today, contemporary Egyptian perspectives are almost absent in Western depictions of ancient Egypt. Only one Egyptian scholar is interviewed in the new Netflix series’ four episodes, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/5/1/cleopatra-was-egyptian-whether-black-or-brown-matters">as he himself notes</a>, and he is employed not by an Egyptian university, but by a British one.</p><p>For many Egyptians, this lack of representation rehashes troubling colonial dynamics about who is considered an “expert” about their past. The Netflix series “was made and produced without the involvement of the owners of this history,” argues the Egyptian journalist Sara Khorshed in <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/14/egypt-netflix-queen-cleopatra-race-history-heritage-imperialism-afrocentrism/">a review of the series</a>.</p><p>To be sure, there is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26528972">anti-Black bias in Egyptian culture</a>, and some of the social media reaction has been slur-filled and racist. Educating people about the stories of Nubian queens <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603605/warrior-queens-by-vicky-alvear-shecter-illustrated-by-bill-mayer/">like Amarinenas</a> might be a way to encourage a more inclusive understanding of who is Egyptian.</p><p>Yet I believe Egyptians’ frustrations about portrayals of Cleopatra also reflect long-standing concerns that their own understandings of their past are not taken seriously.</p><p>That includes Black Egyptians, like my mother. When I asked her if she planned to see the Cleopatra series, she shrugged. She already knows that queen’s story well from its many portrayals on screen, whether <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/15/archives/cleopatra-ban-lifted-by-egypt-film-with-elizabeth-taylor-opens-in.html">in Hollywood films</a> or <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0729780/">Egyptian ones</a>.</p><p>“I will wait for the series on Amanirenas,” she said.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/24/438938/shaka-zulu-is-back-in-black-pop-culture-how-the-famous-king-has-been-portrayed-over-the-decades" target="_blank"><img alt="Shaka Zulu is back in Black pop culture how the famous king has been portrayed over the decades" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008740/fit/80x80/shaka_20ilembe.jpeg?timestamp=1687890807" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/24/438938/shaka-zulu-is-back-in-black-pop-culture-how-the-famous-king-has-been-portrayed-over-the-decades" target="_blank">Shaka Zulu is back in Black pop culture – how the famous king has been portrayed over the decades</a></h4>
<p>Shaka Zulu is one of the most famous figures in South African history, even though not much is actually known about him. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/24/438938/shaka-zulu-is-back-in-black-pop-culture-how-the-famous-king-has-been-portrayed-over-the-decades">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans" target="_blank"><img alt="Challenging the whiteness of classics remembering the Black Romans" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/994373/fit/80x80/Roman_fresco_fragment.jpeg?timestamp=1687890817" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans" target="_blank">Challenging the whiteness of classics – remembering the Black Romans</a></h4>
<p>Although there is no evidence to suggest that Roman leaders, cultural and political, were uniformly White, classics and ancient history have been associated with whiteness. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/18/438507/a-glimpse-into-zimbabwes-ancient-architecture" target="_blank"><img alt=" A Glimpse into Zimbabwes Ancient Architecture " src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007963/fit/80x80/image1.jpg?timestamp=1687890848" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/18/438507/a-glimpse-into-zimbabwes-ancient-architecture" target="_blank"> A Glimpse into Zimbabwe's Ancient Architecture </a></h4>
<p>The ruins are believed to have been built between the 11th and 15th centuries by the ancestors of the Shona people. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/18/438507/a-glimpse-into-zimbabwes-ancient-architecture">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:c3cc7a0a-2969-4b91-b527-a323bf867c7b2023-06-22T13:58:09-04:002023-06-27T12:06:44-04:006 books that explain the history and meaning of Juneteenth2023-06-26 10:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Image: Emancipation Day Celebration band, June 19, 1900, Texas,USA Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emancipation_Day_Celebration_band,_June_19,_1900.png" target="_blank">Public Domain</a></p><p><em><br></em></p><p><em>After decades of being celebrated at mostly the local level, Juneteenth – the long-standing holiday that commemorates the arrival of <a href="https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/juneteenth-original-document">news of emancipation and freedom</a> to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 – <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475">became a federal holiday</a> in 2021. In honor of this year’s Juneteenth, The Conversation reached out to Wake Forest University humanities professor <a href="https://english.wfu.edu/meet-corey-db-walker/">Corey D. B. Walker</a> for a list of readings that can help people better understand the history and meaning of the observance. Below, Walker recommends six books.</em></p><p><em><br></em></p><h2>‘On Juneteenth’</h2><br><p>Combining history and memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s “<a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631498831">On Juneteenth</a>” offers a moving history of African American life and culture through the prism of Juneteenth. The award-winning <a href="https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/annette-gordon-reed/">Harvard historian</a> presents an intimate portrait of the experiences of her family and her memories of life as an African American girl growing up in segregated Texas. The essays in her book invite readers to enter a world shaped by the forces of freedom and slavery.</p><p>Reed’s exploration of the history and legacy of Juneteenth is a poignant reminder of the hard history all Americans face.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1009034/fill/700x0/Black_Unity_Juneteenth_Celebration__50039860397_.jpeg?timestamp=1687457188">Image: Black Unity Juneteenth Celebration in Eugene, Oregon. 2020 Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Unity_Juneteenth_Celebration_(50039860397).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><h2>‘O Freedom! Afro-American Emancipation Celebrations’</h2><br><p>William H. Wiggins Jr.‘s “<a href="https://utpress.org/title/o-freedom/">O Freedom! Afro-American Emancipation Celebrations</a>” is the historical standard for African American emancipation celebrations. It offers an accessible and well-researched account of the emergence and evolution of Juneteenth.</p><p>Wiggins brings together oral history with archival research to share the stories of how African Americans celebrated emancipation. It explains how Juneteenth is part of the tapestry of emancipation celebrations. These celebrations included such dates as <a href="https://www.ncpedia.org/emancipation-day">January 1</a>, in North Carolina, <a href="https://encyclopediavirginia.org/4684hpr-1a40a372231de4c/#:%7E:text=A%20large%20crowd%20of%20Black,of%20Richmond%2C%20the%20Confederate%20capital.">April 3</a>, in Richmond, Virginia, and <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/april-16/#:%7E:text=On%20April%2016%2C%201862%2C%20President,and%20enfranchisement%20for%20African%20Americans.">April 16</a>, in Washington, D.C.<br></p><p>What began as a local holiday has evolved into a national celebration.</p><p>Juneteenth celebrations are known for the variety of programs and events that highlight African American history and culture. In the 1960s, students at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, informed faculty that classes would not be held on Juneteenth. In Milwaukee, the local Juneteenth parade includes a group known as the <a href="http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/photos/milwaukees-black-cowboys-urban-horseback-riding-club-keeps-equestrian-traditions-alive-brew-city/">Black Cowboys</a> riding their horses along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Juneteenth celebrations also feature cultural fairs and exhibitions, artistic performances and historical reenactments. Lectures and public conversations, community feasts and religious services are also part of the celebrations.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/22/438878/juneteenth-matters-for-thinking-about-race-relations-in-canada-and-canadian-education" target="_blank"><img alt="Juneteenth matters for thinking about race relations in Canada and Canadian education" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008591/fit/80x80/Black_Lives_Matter__Anti-racism_rally_at_Canada_Place__49976256622_.jpeg?timestamp=1687457527" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/22/438878/juneteenth-matters-for-thinking-about-race-relations-in-canada-and-canadian-education" target="_blank">Juneteenth matters for thinking about race relations in Canada and Canadian education</a></h4>
<p>While this is not an official holiday in Canada, it is significant for thinking about the history of race, racial relations and education. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/22/438878/juneteenth-matters-for-thinking-about-race-relations-in-canada-and-canadian-education">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><h2>'Juneteenth’</h2><br><p>Ralph Ellison, perhaps best known for his novel “Invisible Man,” offers multiple meanings of Juneteenth in African American and American life in his posthumously published novel “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/46133/juneteenth-by-ralph-ellison/">Juneteenth</a>.”</p><p><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1009033/fill/700x0/Ralph_Ellison_photo_portrait_seated.jpeg?timestamp=1687456994">Image: Ralph Ellison in 1961. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_Ellison_photo_portrait_seated.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a><br></p><p><br></p><p>The ambivalence of Juneteenth is of a freedom delayed but not denied. Ellison’s spiraling novel captures this in the entangled and tragic lives of the racist Senator Sunraider – previously known as Bliss – and the minister who raised him, the Reverend A. Z. Hickman. For Ellison, Juneteenth represents more than just a celebration of emancipation. It also represents the shared fate of white Americans and African Americans in the quest to create a just and equal society. The promise and peril of Juneteenth is elegantly captured in Hickman’s words, “There’s been a heap of Juneteenths before this one and I tell you there’ll be a heap more before we’re truly free!”</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2021/06/22/360236/the-reading-quilt-juneteenth" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/831042/fit/80x80/upfromslavery_readingquilt.jpg?timestamp=1687457703" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2021/06/22/360236/the-reading-quilt-juneteenth" target="_blank">The Reading Quilt: Juneteenth</a></h4>
<p>Each month “The Reading Quilt” provides a short review of a book that a parent may use to spark conversations about culture and race, along with a learning activity that may help students... <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2021/06/22/360236/the-reading-quilt-juneteenth">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><h2>‘Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915’</h2><br><p>Mitch Kachun’s book, “Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915,” <a href="https://www.umasspress.com/9781558495289/festivals-of-freedom/">traces the history</a> of emancipation celebrations and their influence on African American identity and community. Juneteenth joined a longer tradition of emancipation celebrations. Those celebrations included ones at the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the United States on Jan. 1, 1808. They also included the <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-empire/parliament-and-the-american-colonies-before-1765/the-west-indian-colonies-and-emancipation/">August First Day/West India Day celebrations</a> that marked the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire on Aug. 1, 1834.</p><p>With an eye for historical detail, Kachun narrates a complex history of how Juneteenth and other freedom festivals shaped African American identity and political culture. The celebrations also displayed competing meanings of African American identity. In Washington, D.C. in the late 19th century, different groups of African Americans held distinct celebrations. These variations underscored tensions around political ideals, status and identity. Kachun’s book reminds us that Juneteenth served as a crucible for forging a collective and contested sense of African American community.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1009031/fill/700x0/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19.jpeg?timestamp=1687456882">Image: Juneteenth Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900, Texas. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a><br><br>Read also:<br><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/03/29/430130/philadelphia-celebrates-the-history-and-contributions-of-the-women-of-the-black-panther-party" target="_blank"><img alt="Philadelphia celebrates the history and contributions of the women of the Black Panther Party" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/990212/fit/80x80/comrade_20sisters.jpeg?timestamp=1687457569" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/03/29/430130/philadelphia-celebrates-the-history-and-contributions-of-the-women-of-the-black-panther-party" target="_blank">Philadelphia celebrates the history and contributions of the women of the Black Panther Party</a></h4>
<p>The book presents 110 black and white candid photos of the women of the BPP who were committed to supporting the party’s social, economic and political agenda. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/03/29/430130/philadelphia-celebrates-the-history-and-contributions-of-the-women-of-the-black-panther-party">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><br></div><h2>‘Rites of August First: Emancipation Day in the Black Atlantic World’</h2><br><p>Similar to Kachun’s book, <a href="https://profiles.howard.edu/jeffrey-kerr-ritchie">Howard University historian</a> Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie’s “<a href="https://lsupress.org/books/detail/rites-of-august-first/">Rites of August First: Emancipation Day in the Black Atlantic World</a>” reminds readers of a broader history and geography of emancipation celebrations.</p><p>Kerr-Ritchie focuses on how various African American communities adopted and adapted West India Day celebrations. He also explores how they created meaning and culture in celebrating the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies. Kerr-Ritchie’s book details how these celebrations moved across political borders and boundaries.</p><p><br></p><h2>‘Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration’</h2><br><p>Contemporary invocations of Juneteenth often overlook its military history.</p><p>Edward T. Cotham, Jr.‘s “<a href="https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781649670007/juneteenth/">Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration</a>” fills the void by exploring the Civil War origins of Juneteenth.</p><p>Cotham renders explicit the military context leading up to the events on June 19, 1865, in Galveston. This is when enslaved Black people there finally got word that they had been freed more than two years prior. Cotham reminds readers that the history of Juneteenth involves ordinary actions of many individual people whose names may not be widely known.</p><p>Collectively, these books about Juneteenth offer fresh perspectives on the history and culture of African Americans on a quest to fully express their freedom. Juneteenth is also an invitation for all Americans to continue to learn about and strive for freedom for all people.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/06/15/403200/juneteenth" target="_blank"><img alt="pJuneteenth Flagp" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/929252/fit/80x80/juneteenth_20flag.jpeg?timestamp=1687457527" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/06/15/403200/juneteenth" target="_blank">Juneteenth</a></h4>
<p>Juneteenth is a day to reflect, pray, dance and educate, and celebrate the damaging but remarkable history of Black people in this country. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/06/15/403200/juneteenth">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/05/05/434145/how-black-people-in-the-19th-century-used-photography-as-a-tool-for-social-change" target="_blank"><img alt="How Black people in the 19th century used photography as a tool for social change" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/998748/fit/80x80/Young_African_American_woman__three-quarter_length_portrait__facing_slightly_right__with_hands_folded_on_her_lap_LCCN98517067.jpeg?timestamp=1687457598" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/05/05/434145/how-black-people-in-the-19th-century-used-photography-as-a-tool-for-social-change" target="_blank">How Black people in the 19th century used photography as a tool for social change</a></h4>
<p>To pose for a photograph became an empowering act for African Americans. It served as a way to counteract racist caricatures that distort facial features and mocked Black society. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/05/05/434145/how-black-people-in-the-19th-century-used-photography-as-a-tool-for-social-change">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/12/27/422150/who-was-joseph-hayne-rainey-" target="_blank"><img alt="Who was Joseph Hayne Rainey" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/972265/fit/80x80/Joseph_Rainey.jpg?timestamp=1687457613" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/12/27/422150/who-was-joseph-hayne-rainey-" target="_blank">Who was Joseph Hayne Rainey?</a></h4>
<p>Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second African American to serve in Congress and the first to fill in the House of Representatives. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/12/27/422150/who-was-joseph-hayne-rainey-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:b2c2f6a0-04f6-4d22-9cca-e992cdb343d92023-06-22T12:33:11-04:002023-06-22T14:18:59-04:00After ‘Rapper’s Delight,’ Black hip-hop went global – its impact has been massive; so too efforts to keep it real2023-06-24 14:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Image: The Sugarhill Gang, the hip-hop group who perfomed "Rapper's Delight", at an event in 2023. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sugarhill_Gang#/media/File:The_Sugarhill_Gang_(52789914906).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a> Credit: Gage Skidmore </p><p><br></p><p>Soon after the fall 1979 release of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcCK99wHrk0">Rapper’s Delight</a>,” versions of the first commercially successful rap recording began cropping up around the world.</p><p>Two Portuguese-language versions, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byP2Ex4swlg">Bons Tempos</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e5dg4gvEjQ">Melô Do Tagarela</a>,” were put out in Brazil. One version from Jamaica provided a relatively faithful <a href="https://youtu.be/wMp6bSEgk4c">recreation of the Sugarhill Gang original</a>, while “<a href="https://youtu.be/V4GMOL-t7YM">Hotter Reggae Music</a>” slowed down the track, transforming it into reggae. Other local language versions came from the Netherlands with “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjdqUQnfB7k">Hallo, Hallo, Hallo</a>,” Venezuela with “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9YyqFF_m0Q">La Cotorra Criolla</a>” and Germany with “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pQ5Xqv6bQk">Rapper’s Deutsch</a>.”</p><p>Within a few years, one could hear the song’s DNA being altered in disparate parts of the world, as in Japanese artists Yellow Magic Orchestra’s 1981 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZ1GWEoiP0">Rap Phenomena</a>,” Nigerian Dizzy K. Falola’s 1982 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrMwSSt1Hd8">Saturday Night Raps</a>” and the French duo Chagrin d’amour’s 1982 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLiyZdkkEJU">Chacun fait (c’qui lui plait)</a>.” Even Soviet Russia got into the act with Chas Pik’s “Rap” in 1984.</p><p><br></p><h2>… and on and on</h2><br><p>The rapid spread of “Rapper’s Delight” is an important milestone in <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/hip-hop-50-135779">hip-hop’s first 50 years</a>. It marked the beginning of the globalization of rap music and the broader hip-hop culture in which it is embedded, which includes deejaying, break-dancing and graffiti-tagging.</p><p>More milestones in hip-hop’s global spread soon followed. In 1984 in France, “<a href="https://youtu.be/9nctOWroU1g">H.I.P.H.O.P.” hosted by DJ Sidney</a> became the first nationally televised weekly show devoted to rap, preceding “Yo! MTV Raps” in the U.S. by some four years. In the early 1990s, a vibrant French rap scene produced the first internationally touring, platinum-selling rap star outside the U.S.: <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-08-ca-1865-story.html">MC Solaar</a>. France became – and remains – the second-biggest market for rap in the world.</p><p>Indeed, by 2000 the term “global hip-hop” had entered <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/405511-Various-Speaking-In-Tongues-Diverse-Dialects-From-The-Global-Hip-Hop-Nation">commercial</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Gg8UiSodjz8C&lpg=PA5&vq=global&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q=%22global%20hip%20hop%22&f=false">and scholarly</a> discourse. Soon, new styles partially informed by hip-hop emerged, like grime in London, <a href="https://youtu.be/yEH6IU7pDOg?t=596">which cultivated its own unique identity</a>.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008963/fill/700x0/MC_Solaar_Invite_CC_81_du_RH_Factor.jpeg?timestamp=1687451620">Image: M.C. Solaar, French pioneer of rap, in 2009. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Solaar#/media/File:MC_Solaar_Invit%C3%A9_du_RH_Factor.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix"><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/09/431511/as-the-global-musical-phenomenon-turns-50-a-hip-hop-professor-explains-what-the-word-dope-means-to-him" target="_blank"><img alt="As the global musical phenomenon turns 50 a hip-hop professor explains what the word dope means to him" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/993080/fit/80x80/lautaro-andreani-6FaY0OJmYG4-unsplash.jpg?timestamp=1687447705" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/09/431511/as-the-global-musical-phenomenon-turns-50-a-hip-hop-professor-explains-what-the-word-dope-means-to-him" target="_blank">As the global musical phenomenon turns 50, a hip-hop professor explains what the word 'dope' means to him</a></h4>
<p> Hip-hop’s early luminaries transformed the word’s original meanings, using it as a synonym for cool. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/09/431511/as-the-global-musical-phenomenon-turns-50-a-hip-hop-professor-explains-what-the-word-dope-means-to-him">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p></div><h2>The catch</h2><br><p>But the global expansion of hip-hop rides on a paradox. The Black American urban culture that birthed rap and hip-hop makes up its very fabric. But so does the core idea of representing one’s own experience and place. When hip-hop and rap travel abroad, does one or the other have to give?</p><p>To an <a href="https://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/faculty/echarry/profile.html">ethnomusicologist</a> like myself, this paradox goes right to the heart of identity and authenticity. How do people use, shape and transform cultural elements from elsewhere to make it speak to their own experience? And in the process, how do markers of authenticity become redefined?</p><p><br></p><h2>Multitracking global hip-hop</h2><br><p>With hip-hop, I believe it is helpful to imagine a wide spectrum of possible markers of authenticity – that is, what it means to stay “true” to the art form.</p><p>At one end lies the integration of Black American performance styles and fashion. Some efforts may border <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yKD_-e8neo">appropriation</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVR9JykPC-0">mimicry</a>.</p><p>At the other end lies hip-hop’s potential to inspire global rappers to dig deep into the well of local performance traditions. This could mean sampling music from their own countries or exploring the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20174422">quirks and intricacies of their own languages</a> and dialects.</p><p>Pioneering hip-hop scholar <a href="https://www.hosumare.com/about">Halifu Osumare</a> explored authenticity in her concept of “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1537-4726.2001.2401_171.x">connective marginalities</a>,” which established the blueprint for theorizing about global hip-hop. This key concept concerns “social resonances between Black expressive culture” on the one hand and similar dynamics in other nations and cultures on the other hand.</p><p>These connections or resonances can be tied to a shared culture among different parts of the African diaspora or through social class, historical oppression or the marginalization of youth.</p><p>Expanding this framework a bit, almost anyone feeling marginalized can draw on a hip-hop ethos. This could include Ukraine’s Alyonna Alyonna, <a href="https://uatv.ua/en/rapper-singer-fight-cyber-bullying-music">who was bullied for the way she looked</a>, and even <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/lions-of-the-north-9780190212605?cc=us&lang=en&">Nordic white supremacists</a>.</p><p>Hip-hop scholar and political activist <a href="https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Yvonne+Bynoe">Yvonne Bynoe</a> presented an alternative view on the genre’s worldwide spread. Writing in 2002, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43133478">she noted</a>: “While rap music has been globalized, hip-hop culture has not been and cannot be.” To Bynoe, it is irrational to expect that a cultural expression that is centered around Black American experiences and vernacular can speak for all.</p><p>“While ‘rap’ as a creative tool is portable and adaptable, it belittles hip-hop culture to continue to insist that as a cultural entity it can be disassociated from its roots,” she wrote.</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/13/438096/from-its-birth-50-years-ago-hip-hop-has-spread-throughout-europe-and-challenged-outdated-ideals-of-black-identity" target="_blank"><img alt="From its birth 50 years ago hip-hop has spread throughout Europe and challenged outdated ideals of Black identity" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007043/fit/80x80/Black_Mesrimes.jpeg?timestamp=1687447672" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/13/438096/from-its-birth-50-years-ago-hip-hop-has-spread-throughout-europe-and-challenged-outdated-ideals-of-black-identity" target="_blank">From its birth 50 years ago, hip-hop has spread throughout Europe and challenged outdated ideals of Black identity</a></h4>
<p>Modern-day European rappers are challenging outdated European views of citizenship and reshaping public debate on racial and ethnic identity. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/13/438096/from-its-birth-50-years-ago-hip-hop-has-spread-throughout-europe-and-challenged-outdated-ideals-of-black-identity">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><h2>Manufacturing authenticity</h2><br><p>A 2007 documentary about hip-hop in Kenya, with the on-point title “<a href="https://www.hiphopcolony.com/">Hip Hop Colony</a>,” addresses the issue from a different standpoint: “Today, Kenya tackles a new breed of colonization,” the narrator notes, “Its chameleon-like quality has allowed it to integrate with cultures around the world. … It is hip-hop [and] in the vein of colonialism it’s dictating the choice of attire, language and lifestyle in general. Unlike the colonists, its presence is welcomed and widely embraced by the majority.”</p><p>In a clever twist, the <a href="https://www.michaelwanguhu.com/">filmmaker, Michael Wanguhu,</a> sets up an initial neo-colonial framework and then dismantles it by showing how Kenyans have made hip-hop their own.</p><p>Moreover, hip-hop has been seen as a catalyst for cultural self-reflection and revival wherever it lands.</p><p>“The first time we heard Grandmaster Flash rapping on a hip-hop track,” Senegalese rapper Faada Freddy of the group Daara J <a href="https://www.npr.org/2005/05/20/4660446/daara-j-senegalese-hip-hop">said in 2006</a>, “everybody was like, ‘OK we know this, because this is taasu,’” referring to a <a href="https://youtu.be/c_yImWVc5QE">Senegalese verbal art form accompanied by drumming</a>.</p><p>“We’ve been rhyming like that for a long time,” he added.</p><p>Australian aboriginal rapper Wire MC similarly sees a connection between traditional Indigenous gatherings known as “corroboree” – which involve singing, dancing and telling stories – <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/24046901">and hip-hop, which he says</a> “is just a modern corroboree.”</p><p>“Hip-hop is a part of aboriginal culture; I think it always has been,” he added.</p><p>Native American rapper Frank Waln, of the Sicangu Lakota tribe, also <a href="https://vimeo.com/355341843">notes a resonance between hip-hop and Indigenous culture</a>.</p><p>“I definitely think there’s a connection between traditional storytelling and hip-hop,” he said. “My people have been storytellers for thousands of years, and this is just a new way to tell our stories.”</p><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/15/438213/street-scrolls-the-beats-rhymes-and-spirituality-of-latin-hip-hop-taking-a-clue-from-afro-hip-hop-" target="_blank"><img alt="Street scrolls The beats rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop - taking a clue from Afro hip-hop" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007328/fit/80x80/residente.jpeg?timestamp=1687448042" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/15/438213/street-scrolls-the-beats-rhymes-and-spirituality-of-latin-hip-hop-taking-a-clue-from-afro-hip-hop-" target="_blank">Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes, and spirituality of Latin hip-hop - taking a clue from Afro hip-hop?</a></h4>
<p>Hip-hop turns 50 this summer, and throughout its history, Latinos’ experiences have been important threads in this music’s cries for justice. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/15/438213/street-scrolls-the-beats-rhymes-and-spirituality-of-latin-hip-hop-taking-a-clue-from-afro-hip-hop-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><h2>Digging into the well</h2><br><p>Almost anywhere rap and hip-hop have traveled, people have pointed to its resonance with homegrown traditions. Some have employed those traditions to transform hip-hop into something with deep local roots. In this way, Japanese rapper Hime has <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/1072/Hip-Hop-JapanRap-and-the-Paths-of-Cultural">used the ancient poetic form tanka</a> for the chorus of her song “Tateba Shakuyaku.” In the song, she raps about the Japanese concept of “kotodama,” or “the spirit of the language” embedded in the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable count in that chorus.</p><p>Similarly, Ghanaian rapper Obrafour has <a href="https://iupress.org/9780253005755/hip-hop-africa/">drawn on esoteric proverbs in his native Twi language</a>, and Somali Canadian rapper K’Naan has <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337005283_Hip_Hop_as_dusty_foot_philosophy_Engaging_locality">drawn on and paid tribute to Somali oral poetry</a>.</p><p>Historical connections between modern-day French rappers and French song <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/volume/1946">have also been fruitfully explored</a>. This should be no surprise, given the dual identities of the children of African immigrants in France, like rapper <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/world/europe/rapper-abd-al-malik-pushes-for-new-french-identity.html">Abd al Malik</a>.</p><p>The indelible link between hip-hop and Black American culture remains a constant theme in how to understand its transformations around the world. Take one of <a href="http://www.szdaily.com/content/2018-08/22/content_21066727.htm">China’s most well-known rappers, Vava</a>.</p><p>In a 2018 interview in <i>Esquire Singapore</i>, she said that hip-hop “helps us to express our innermost emotions and thoughts about how we understand the world we’re living in.” When asked, “American hip-hop has grown out of the African American struggle. So where does Chinese hip-hop come from?” she replied, “Chinese hip-hop comes from rebellion in young people’s lives. … The generation before us were rockers, but today, we use rap to express ourselves.”</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008944/fill/700x0/vava.jpeg?timestamp=1687448919">Image: Chinese rapper Vava. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vava_(rapper)#/media/File:VaVa2017.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/01/16/424022/8-black-uk-rappers-to-listen-to-right-now" target="_blank"><img alt="8 Black UK Rappers to Listen to Right Now" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/976573/fit/80x80/image4.png?timestamp=1687447672" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/01/16/424022/8-black-uk-rappers-to-listen-to-right-now" target="_blank">8 Black UK Rappers to Listen to Right Now</a></h4>
<p>These 8 Black UK rappers are among some of the best artists to top the UK Charts and most of them have had major breakthroughs in their music careers. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/01/16/424022/8-black-uk-rappers-to-listen-to-right-now">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><h2>Rap as universal art form</h2><br><p>The “global spread of authenticity,” as linguist <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348450701341246">Alastair Pennycook called it in 2007</a>, has been a concern in the genre ever since “Rapper’s Delight” sparked its travel across the world.</p><p>In 1982, pioneering deejay <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=WzNEAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22rap+in+your+own+language%22">Afrika Bambaataa advised French rappers</a> to “Rap in your own language and speak from your own social awareness.”</p><p>Jay-Z addressed the issue in the conclusion of his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/books/23book.html">2010 memoir, “Decoded</a>.” Implicitly noting the distinction between the culture hip-hop and the art form rap, he wrote:</p><blockquote><p><i>“Rap … is at heart an art form that gave voice to a specific experience, but, like every art, is ultimately about the most common human experiences. … The story of the larger culture is a story of a million MCs all over the world … and inside of them the words are coming, too, the words they need to make sense of the world they see around them. … And when we decode that torrent of words — by which I mean really listen to them with our minds and hearts open — we can understand their world better. And ours, too. It’s the same world.”</i></p></blockquote><br><br><br>Related articles:<br><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/27/432701/how-hip-hop-has-enhanced-american-education-over-the-past-50-years-from-rec-rooms-to-classrooms" target="_blank"><img alt="How hip-hop has enhanced American education over the past 50 years from rec rooms to classrooms" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/996355/fit/80x80/pexels-tnarg-2932804.jpg?timestamp=1687448017" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/27/432701/how-hip-hop-has-enhanced-american-education-over-the-past-50-years-from-rec-rooms-to-classrooms" target="_blank">How hip-hop has enhanced American education over the past 50 years, from rec rooms to classrooms</a></h4>
<p>Educators are not only remembering the obvious ways hip-hop has influenced language and fashion or provided the soundtrack to our study sessions and sports events, but we are also acknowl... <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/27/432701/how-hip-hop-has-enhanced-american-education-over-the-past-50-years-from-rec-rooms-to-classrooms">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/05/26/436093/no-music-doesnt-cause-crime-not-even-drill-rap-" target="_blank"><img alt="No music doesnt cause crime not even drill rap" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1002648/fit/80x80/onefour.jpeg?timestamp=1687448017" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/05/26/436093/no-music-doesnt-cause-crime-not-even-drill-rap-" target="_blank">No, music doesn't cause crime – not even 'drill rap’</a></h4>
<p>Drill is a variant of hip-hop. It is musically innovative, lyrically inventive and globally popular. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/05/26/436093/no-music-doesnt-cause-crime-not-even-drill-rap-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/18/431853/hip-hops-love-hate-relationship-with-education" target="_blank"><img alt="Hip-hops love-hate relationship with education" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/994696/fit/80x80/Dr._Dre_at_Coachella_2012.jpg?timestamp=1687448017" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/18/431853/hip-hops-love-hate-relationship-with-education" target="_blank">Hip-hop's love-hate relationship with education</a></h4>
<p>The richest men in hip-hop never finished college. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/18/431853/hip-hops-love-hate-relationship-with-education">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><br><br><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:55f5be79-b983-4b05-ba31-eea4380e4b392023-06-21T13:20:50-04:002023-06-22T14:18:58-04:00Shaka Zulu is back in Black pop culture – how the famous king has been portrayed over the decades2023-06-24 10:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Still of <i>Shaka iLembe</i>. Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY8k2DPniFk" target="_blank">MzansiMagicOfficial | Youtube</a></p><p><br></p><p><em><a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/shaka-zulu">Shaka Zulu</a> is one of the most famous figures in South African history, even though not much is actually known about him. The subject of a hit 1980s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086798/?ref_=nm_knf_t_1">TV show</a> and of many <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Shaka_Zulu.html?id=aYwPAQAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">books</a>, Shaka is reframed by each generation. Now he’s back in popular culture with a major new South African TV series, <a href="https://www.dstv.com/mzansimagic/en-za/show/shaka-ilembe/season/1">Shaka iLembe</a>. Dan Wylie is an English professor who has written two <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/Myth_of_Iron/jRE_AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Myth%20of%20iron:%20Shaka%20in%20history">academic</a> <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/Savage_Delight/r_FyAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=dan%20wylie%20shaka">books</a> on Shaka. We asked him four questions.</em></p><p><em><br></em></p><h2>Who was Shaka Zulu and what did you learn from writing about him?</h2><br><p>Shaka kaSenzangakhona is universally recognised as the founder of what would become known as the “Zulu nation”. He ruled from about 1817 until he was assassinated by his half-brothers in 1828. He’s credited with elevating the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu">Zulu</a> from a fairly insignificant group, one among others, to a more unified “state”. Shaka conquered, incorporated, or allied with neighbours such as the Mthethwa, Ndwandwe, Hlubi, Qwabe and Mkhize to dominate a 200km-wide area north of the present-day city of Durban.</p><p>In my view, the unity of this state, the level of violence employed to achieve it, and Shaka’s responsibility for knock-on violence further inland have been hugely exaggerated.</p><p><br></p><p>I began writing a <a href="https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:2233?site_name=Rhodes+University">PhD study</a> of the numerous white images of Shaka. These ranged from the earliest monstrous depictions of the mid-1800s, through sundry novels, poems and illustrations to the notoriously ahistorical 1986 TV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086798/">Shaka Zulu</a> (in which African spirituality is reduced to screeching Gothic light shows and Shaka is a snarling killing machine). My study was published as <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Savage_Delight.html?id=r_FyAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">Savage Delight</a>, an investigation of how long-entrenched European images of “savagery” were applied to Shaka to support the ideologies of colonisation and <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">apartheid</a>. This over-simplified stereotype of Africans being prone to unbridled violence has fed into the ongoing Zulu self-conception as a fundamentally “warrior nation”.<br></p><p><br></p><p>I learned three main things. First, that a great deal of what had passed as factual and accepted “history” was actually pure fiction. Second, that such inventions were driven by much wider aesthetic, social or political currents – and are difficult to erase from popular consciousness. And third, that no professional scholar had attempted a full-scale biography of Shaka solidly based on available historical evidence.</p><p>So in <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Myth_of_Iron.html?id=1hibngEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">Myth of Iron</a> I set myself the task of reassessing the sources – both the highly unreliable white eyewitness <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Travels_and_Adventures_in_Eastern_Africa.html?id=M8VjAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">accounts</a> and newly available Zulu oral-historical <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3171947">material</a> in the <a href="https://fhya.org/james-stuart-archive-volume-1-front-matter">James Stuart Archive</a>. I cut away the accumulated mythology to see what emerged.</p><p>In my biography I try to view Shaka as a flesh-and-blood human being, conducting his leadership within real political and environmental constraints. My conclusion was that we know astonishingly little for certain about him. Not when he was born, what he looked like or exactly when or why he was killed. Never mind his inner motivations. It’s astonishing, since Shaka is probably the best-known southern African black leader after <a href="https://www.funtimesmagazine.com/2023/06/01/436995/winnie-and-nelson-new-book-paints-a-deeply-human-portrait-of-the-mandela-marriage-and-south-africa-s-struggle" target="_blank">Nelson Mandela</a>. From oral sources a scholar can glean a better idea of inter-group political dynamics than of the man himself. Precisely in this gap in secure knowledge, myths have flourished.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008741/fill/700x0/king_20shaka.jpeg?timestamp=1687367620">Image: Western depiction of King Shaka (1781 - 1828) from 1824. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka#/media/File:KingShaka.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/01/30/424863/cultural-significance-of-south-africas-zulu-reed-dance-festival" target="_blank"><img alt="Cultural Significance of South Africas Zulu Reed Dance Festival " src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/978690/fit/80x80/image1.jpg?timestamp=1687367886" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/01/30/424863/cultural-significance-of-south-africas-zulu-reed-dance-festival" target="_blank">Cultural Significance of South Africa's Zulu Reed Dance Festival </a></h4>
<p>South Africa’s Reed Dance Festival is an ancient tradition of the Swazi and Zulu people known as the Umkhosi womhlanga, or the Zulu Reed Dance. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/01/30/424863/cultural-significance-of-south-africas-zulu-reed-dance-festival">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><h2>Why is he such an enduring figure in popular culture?</h2><br><p>Everybody loves a demon who can be blamed for society’s ills; or a hero who can be posed as a role model. We’re all fascinated by the execution of supreme power. And where solid evidence is lacking, storytellers step in to shape a character to their own ends.</p><p>Shaka has proved richly available and malleable. Colonials could use his alleged monstrosity to political advantage; Zulu nationalists could use his alleged military genius to theirs.</p><p>Hence such literary works as South African poet <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/mazisi-raymond-kunene">Mazisi Kunene</a>’s epic poem <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Emperor_Shaka_the_Great.html?id=_ZVkAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">Emperor Shaka the Great</a> or Senegalese politician and poet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leopold-Senghor">Leopold Sédar Senghor</a>’s play-for-voices <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/Prose_and_Poetry/zvMYAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Leopold%20S%C3%A9dar%20Senghor%20Chaka">Chaka</a>, in which Shaka becomes a symbol of resistance to colonialism for all of Africa and all times.</p><p><br></p><h2>What myths have shaped his image in popular discourse?</h2><br><p>Most can be broadly lumped under “monster” and “heroic genius”. The first white eyewitnesses were small-scale traders and adventurers <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/isaacs-nathaniel">Nathaniel Isaacs</a> and <a href="https://natalia.org.za/Files/4/Natalia%20v04%20article%20p14-17%20C.pdf">Henry Francis Fynn</a>. Despite being well treated by Shaka, they later colluded to portray him as a demonic mass-murderer to cover their own dodgy activities, stealing ivory, taking local “harems”, smuggling guns and possibly even slaves. Isaacs’ <a href="https://saheritagepublishers.co.za/product/meeting-shaka-from-the-diary-of-henry-francis-fynn/">account</a> compares Shaka to the barbarian ruler <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Attila-king-of-the-Huns">Attila the Hun</a>, but unsupported by any solid evidence.</p><p>This image gelled nicely with pre-existing stereotypes of African savagery. And it suited colonial invaders to blame the Zulu for depopulating large areas by wiping out other “tribes” far inland, freeing up territory for colonial settlement. As the South African historian Shula Marks, among others, <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/south-africa-myth-empty-land">showed</a> a long time ago, this “myth of the empty land” has little to recommend it. Shaka himself could only to a limited extent have been responsible. This was the basis for the phenomenon that a century later would be dubbed the “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Mfecane">mfecane</a>” wars. In fact, regional violence long pre-dated Shaka, and the greatest vectors were later, including slaving from Mozambique and Boer-British invasion from the south-west. Shaka by contrast was as much a haven for disturbed peoples as he was a conqueror.</p><p>Elements of the monster image still circulate, but these have largely been displaced by the opposite: the intelligent, if militaristic, statesman. In popular discourse, the most influential work has undoubtedly been South African historical writer EA Ritter’s 1950s novel <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/Shaka_Zulu/aYwPAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Shaka%20Zulu%20EA%20Ritter">Shaka Zulu</a>. Ostensibly drawing on Zulu sources, Ritter portrayed a rather capricious, but gifted and undefeated military genius, a state-builder.</p><p>His rather lurid and pulpy novel was transformed by a ghostwriter into something that comes across as more of a history, and so it has been persistently accepted. Much of the subsequent mythology derives from Ritter: the trauma of childhood bullying, the warriors dancing on thorns, the invention of the stabbing spear, the battle tactics, many of the killings – largely made up. Shaka never loved a woman named Pampata; he never defeated the Ndwandwe at Gqokli Hill. The latter battle is cited in book after book as the prime example of his military acumen. Unfortunately, there is no evidence whatsoever that this encounter happened.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008742/fill/700x0/shaka_20zulu.png?timestamp=1687367804">Still from <a href="https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/8068-shaka-zulu" target="_blank"><i>Shaka Zulu</i> (1986)</a> Source: <a href="https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/8068-shaka-zulu" target="_blank">themoviedb.org</a></div><p><br></p><p>Read also:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/14/431845/zulu-monarchy-how-royal-women-have-asserted-their-agency-and-power-throughout-history" target="_blank"><img alt="Zulu monarchy how royal women have asserted their agency and power throughout history" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/994222/fit/80x80/zulu_20queen.png?timestamp=1687367908" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/14/431845/zulu-monarchy-how-royal-women-have-asserted-their-agency-and-power-throughout-history" target="_blank">Zulu monarchy: how royal women have asserted their agency and power throughout history</a></h4>
<p>The passing away of South Africa’s Zulu king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in March 2021 refocused attention on the role of royal women in Zulu leadership. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/14/431845/zulu-monarchy-how-royal-women-have-asserted-their-agency-and-power-throughout-history">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><h2>What do you hope a new TV series will contribute historically?</h2><br><p>My impression is that producers and publishers are taking greater steps to consult historians. These include South African illustrator Luke Molver’s more level-headed graphic novels: his 2017 <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/Shaka_Rising/H_jpnAAACAAJ?hl=en">Shaka Rising</a>, for example, includes an appendix noting the historical uncertainties and debates.</p><p>The upcoming Shaka iLembe has also made efforts to consult historians and to achieve greater authenticity. In the end, of course, storytelling will prevail over factuality – and in Shaka’s life story there are so many factual gaps or competing versions that a “story” has to be forged. That’s art.</p><p>It becomes a question of what the story implies. I’d hope that new treatments dump the dreadful, portentous stereotyping and portray Shaka more realistically.</p><p>He was, in my view, neither unrestrained mass-murderer nor superhuman conqueror, but a tough, competent leader who wielded alliances with his neighbours, absorbing people into new structures more than chasing them away. But such intricate politics don’t make for such great TV – or do they?</p><p><em>Shaka iLembe premieres on Mzansi Magic on DStv on 18 June</em></p><p><em><br></em></p><p><i></i>Related articles:<br></p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2021/02/21/347936/wakandan-is-a-real-language-south-africa-s-isixhosa" target="_blank">Wakandan is a REAL Language: South Africa’s isiXhosa</a></h4>
<p>
On this #InternationalMotherLanguageDay, we focus on the language that used in the highly popular 2018 Black Panther that is an official language of South Africa.
<span class="pull-right"><a href="/2021/02/21/347936/wakandan-is-a-real-language-south-africa-s-isixhosa">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/04/437273/is-netflix-s-queen-cleopatra-cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation-" target="_blank">Is Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation?</a></h4>
<p>Cleopatra’s story told by Western experts on Egypt’s behalf is an act of separating the culture from its people. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/04/437273/is-netflix-s-queen-cleopatra-cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans" target="_blank"><img alt="Challenging the whiteness of classics remembering the Black Romans" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/994373/fit/80x80/Roman_fresco_fragment.jpeg?timestamp=1687367951" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans" target="_blank">Challenging the whiteness of classics – remembering the Black Romans</a></h4>
<p>Although there is no evidence to suggest that Roman leaders, cultural and political, were uniformly White, classics and ancient history have been associated with whiteness. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/15/431847/challenging-the-whiteness-of-classics-remembering-the-black-romans">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:f07f00b4-ea21-4a8d-b9c6-023d6653c0972023-06-21T10:46:29-04:002023-06-21T13:21:13-04:00Unveiling the Top African American Innovators in Healthcare: Revolutionizing the Field2023-06-22 14:00:00 -0400Anand Subramanian<p>Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/nurse-measuring-patient-blood-pressure_2769131.htm#query=healthca..." target="_blank">rawpixel.com on Freepik</a><br></p><span><p><br></p><p>Innovation is a powerful force that transcends boundaries, and this holds true even in the healthcare sector. Over the course of history, numerous remarkable individuals, hailing from diverse backgrounds, have emerged as trailblazers in driving change and advancing healthcare. Among them, African American innovators have played a crucial role, bringing their expertise and groundbreaking solutions to enhance the quality of healthcare. Today, we highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of some of these exceptional individuals who have not only shattered barriers but also served as inspirations for future generations.</p><br><p>These African American innovators have left an indelible mark on the healthcare industry through their pioneering work, visionary thinking, and relentless pursuit of better healthcare outcomes. Their contributions have spanned various domains within healthcare, including medicine, research, technology, and advocacy.</p><br><p>By pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo, these innovators have introduced novel approaches, techniques, and inventions that have revolutionized healthcare practices. Their dedication and commitment have led to advancements in disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. Through their transformative contributions, they have helped bridge gaps in healthcare disparities and championed equitable access to quality healthcare for all.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/09/22/411303/7-black-women-making-history" target="_blank">7 BLACK WOMEN MAKING HISTORY</a></h4>
<p>Black women have contributed significantly to the advancement of American culture throughout history in every sphere, including politics, medicine, and athletics. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/09/22/411303/7-black-women-making-history">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><br><h2>Dr. Patricia Bath - </h2><br></span><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008731/fill/700x0/Patriciabath.png?timestamp=1687365155">Dr Patricia Era Bath, Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Patricia_Bath#/media/File:Patriciabath.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><span><br><p>Patricia Era Bath, an American ophthalmologist and humanitarian, achieved several groundbreaking milestones in her career. She made history as the first woman to join the Jules Stein Eye Institute and lead a post-graduate training program in ophthalmology. Additionally, she became the first woman to be elected to the honorary staff of the UCLA Medical Center. Bath's achievements also extended to being the first African-American resident in ophthalmology at New York University and the first African-American woman surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center. Notably, she obtained a patent for a medical purpose, making her the first African-American woman doctor to do so. Alongside her accomplishments, Bath established the <a href="http://www.blindnessprevention.org/index.php" target="_blank">American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness</a>, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.</p><br><h2>Dr. Joycelyn Elders -</h2><br></span><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008732/fill/700x0/Joycelyn_Elders_official_photo_portrait.jpeg?timestamp=1687365312"></div><p>Dr. Jocelyn Elders. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joycelyn_Elders#/media/File:Joycelyn_Elders_official_photo_portrait.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joycelyn_Elders#/media/File:Joycelyn_Elders_official_photo_portrait.jpg" target="_blank">Public Domain</a></p><span><br><p>Minnie Joycelyn Elders, originally named Minnie Lee Jones, is an American pediatrician and public health administrator who held the position of Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. With her appointment, she became the second woman, second person of color, and the first African American to assume the role of Surgeon General. Elders served as a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps during her tenure. Elders gained significant attention for her candid discussions on controversial topics, including drug legalization, masturbation, and the distribution of contraception in schools. Her open and frank approach to these matters sparked controversy and ultimately led to her resignation in December 1994. Despite the challenges she faced, Elders continues to contribute to the field of medicine as a professor emerita of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.</p><br><br>Related article:<br></span><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2021/08/31/366990/celebrating-seven-black-women-in-medicine-that-you-should-know" target="_blank">Celebrating Seven Black Women in Medicine That You Should Know</a></h4>
<p>August is Women’s Month in South Africa and we’re ending it off celebrating seven inspiring Black women in medicine who are true trail-blazers. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2021/08/31/366990/celebrating-seven-black-women-in-medicine-that-you-should-know">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><span><br><h2>Dr. Regina Benjamin -</h2><br></span><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008733/fill/700x0/Regina_Benjamin_official_portrait.jpeg?timestamp=1687365428">Dr. Regina Benjamin. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Benjamin#/media/File:Regina_Benjamin_official_portrait.jpg" target="_blank">Public Domain</a></div><span><br><p>Regina Benjamin is an American physician and former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States from November 2009 to July 2013. Benjamin was born on October 26, 1956, in Mobile, Alabama. She attended Xavier University of Louisiana for her undergraduate studies and later earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Benjamin also holds an MBA from Tulane University. Prior to her appointment as Surgeon General, she directed a nonprofit primary care medical clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and served on the board of trustees for the Morehouse School of Medicine. Benjamin has been involved in various organizations and committees related to healthcare, including the American Medical Association and the Federation of State Medical Boards. During her tenure as Surgeon General, Benjamin focused on issues such as obesity, breastfeeding, and suicide prevention. She has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to public health.</p><br><h2>Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett -</h2><br></span><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008734/fill/700x0/Kizzmekia_Corbett_portrait.jpeg?timestamp=1687365516">Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizzmekia_Corbett#/media/File:Kizzmekia_Corbett_portrait.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><span><br><p>Dr. Corbett applies her expertise in viral immunology to drive the development of new vaccines for pandemic preparedness, notably contributing to the creation of mRNA-1273, a highly effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The concept for this vaccine was developed by Dr. Corbett's team at the NIH using viral sequences, and it was rapidly transferred to Moderna, Inc., their industry partner, for Phase 1 clinical trials. Remarkably, these trials began only 66 days after the release of the viral sequence. mRNA-1273 demonstrated an efficacy rate of 94.1% in Phase 3 trials and has received authorization for use in multiple countries. In addition to her work on mRNA-1273, Dr. Corbett has an extensive patent portfolio that includes innovative concepts for universal coronavirus and influenza vaccines, as well as novel therapeutic antibodies. With over 15 years of experience studying various viruses such as dengue, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and coronaviruses, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Next Gen Award and the Salzman Memorial Award in Virology. Beyond her research endeavors, Dr. Corbett dedicates a significant amount of her time to underserved communities, serving as an advocate for STEM education and vaccine awareness. She combines her research goals with a passion for mentorship, making a positive impact in these communities.</p><br><br>Related article:<br></span><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/03/01/391767/from-the-tuskegee-experiments-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-understanding-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-part-i" target="_blank"><img alt=" Left Henrietta Lacks Image by Oregon State University via Flickr httpswwwflickrcomphotosoregonstateuniversity4446362464 Right Participants of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Image by the Department of Education Health and Welfare Public Health Service Health Services and Mental Health Administration Center for Disease Control Venereal Disease Branch 1970-1973 via Pingnews at Flickr httpswwwflickrcomphotospingnews441531333inphotostream " src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/903298/fit/80x80/tuskegee_20to_20covid.png?timestamp=1687365671" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/03/01/391767/from-the-tuskegee-experiments-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-understanding-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-part-i" target="_blank">From the Tuskegee Experiments to the COVID-19 Vaccine: Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Part I</a></h4>
<p>FunTimes Magazine offers a three-part article series that explores the backdrop of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/03/01/391767/from-the-tuskegee-experiments-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-understanding-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-part-i">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><span><br><p>The healthcare industry owes a debt of gratitude to these exceptional African American innovators who have shattered barriers, challenged the status quo, and improved healthcare outcomes for individuals across the globe. Through their groundbreaking inventions, advocacy, and research, they have paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system. As we continue to celebrate their contributions, let us be inspired to foster an environment that embraces diversity, promotes equality, and encourages innovation in healthcare for the betterment of all.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/05/01/433701/5-major-historical-contributions-by-black-inventors" target="_blank"><img alt="5 Major Historical Contributions by Black Inventors" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/997742/fit/80x80/marie_20van_20brittan_20brown.png?timestamp=1687365777" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/05/01/433701/5-major-historical-contributions-by-black-inventors" target="_blank">5 Major Historical Contributions by Black Inventors</a></h4>
<p> It is critical to acknowledge and appreciate Black innovators' accomplishments, not just for their historical value but also for the inspiration they bring to future generations. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/05/01/433701/5-major-historical-contributions-by-black-inventors">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p></span><div class="image-medium image-align-left"><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/814912/fill/300x0/anand.jpg?timestamp=1687365687"></div><span><p> Anand Subramanian is a freelance photographer and content writer based out of Tamil Nadu, India. Having a background in Engineering always made him curious about life on the other side of the spectrum. He leapt forward towards the Photography life and never looked back. Specializing in Documentary and Portrait photography gave him an up-close and personal view into the complexities of human beings and those experiences helped him branch out from visual to words. Today he is mentoring passionate photographers and writing about the different dimensions of the art world.</p><p><br></p><p>Read more from Anand Subramanian: </p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/14/438092/the-life-and-legacy-of-bill-withers" target="_blank"><img alt="The life and legacy of Bill Withers" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007318/fit/80x80/bill_20withers.jpeg?timestamp=1687365696" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/14/438092/the-life-and-legacy-of-bill-withers" target="_blank">The life and legacy of Bill Withers</a></h4>
<p>Withers's inspirational words and soulful voice grabbed millions of hearts, influencing the music business. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/14/438092/the-life-and-legacy-of-bill-withers">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/06/17/438504/one-love-two-cultures-how-to-plan-a-wedding-for-intercultural-couples" target="_blank"><img alt="One Love Two Cultures How to Plan a Wedding for Intercultural Couples" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007959/fit/80x80/pexels-s-and-s-love-story-11086909.jpg?timestamp=1687365732" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/17/438504/one-love-two-cultures-how-to-plan-a-wedding-for-intercultural-couples" target="_blank">One Love, Two Cultures: How to Plan a Wedding for Intercultural Couples</a></h4>
<p>Intercultural weddings provide a unique opportunity to blend traditions, create new experiences, and foster understanding between families. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/17/438504/one-love-two-cultures-how-to-plan-a-wedding-for-intercultural-couples">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/11/29/419525/best-hospitals-in-west-africa" target="_blank"><img alt="pImage by katemangostar on Freepikbrp" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/966466/fit/80x80/happy-black-male-doctor-using-tablet-computer-technology-medicine-concept.jpg?timestamp=1687365706" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/11/29/419525/best-hospitals-in-west-africa" target="_blank">Best Hospitals in West Africa</a></h4>
<p>Let's look at the most reputable healthcare facilities that have been there for quite some time and continue to serve their communities admirably. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/11/29/419525/best-hospitals-in-west-africa">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:86784c35-7f79-4a5f-8692-87390ad2ab692023-06-20T15:20:40-04:002023-06-21T10:46:36-04:00Juneteenth matters for thinking about race relations in Canada and Canadian education2023-06-22 10:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Image: Black Lives Matter, Anti-racism rally at Canada Place, Vancouver. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Lives_Matter,_Anti-racism_rally_at_Canada_Place_(49976256622).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><p><br></p><p>On June 19, African Americans will <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/why-juneteenth-important">celebrate Juneteenth</a>. This day marks emancipation from chattel slavery and the long and violent struggle for Black people to be recognized as equally human.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1153364556/ap-african-american-studies-black-history-florida-desantis">Republican efforts to ban the teaching of accurate Black history in schools</a>, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/06/17/a-proclamation-on-juneteenth-day-of-observance-2022/">Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the United States</a> in 2022, signalling that Black history is American history.</p><p>While this is not an official holiday in Canada, it is significant for thinking about the history of race, racial relations and education.</p><p>Canada and the United States - once part of the British Empire - share a settler-colonial history. It is in this context that <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-whiteness-was-invented-and-fashioned-in-britains-colonial-age-of-expansion-175027">ideas about race were developed and circulated</a>.</p><p><br></p><h2>Colonialism and race</h2><br><p>The project of colonialism required Europeans to categorize and classify the natural world. They sought to do the same thing with humans. European men saw themselves as superior to all other humans, <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/racist-history-race-science">including European women. They applied this ideology to race science</a>.</p><p>Carl Linnaeus, who developed the system that replaced local Indigenous names of flora and fauna with Latin names, also described “species” of humans. Europeans were described as “white, sanguine (cheerful), muscular and Africans <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race-easy-read">as "black, phlegmatic (unemotional), lazy</a>.”</p><p>Race science placed <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41949874">Africans at the bottom of the hierarchy of human and was used to justify genocide, colonialism, segregation and, of course, enslavement</a>. These ideas about race that developed <a href="https://1619education.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwhJukBhBPEiwAniIcNaGnY_VO10w4NI1PgE0JPum1YejPa4OST5EEZAA6-cx_CmaqCS5egRoCon0QAvD_BwE">during the colonial era continue to influence the experiences of Black people in Canada today</a>.</p><p>University of Columbia’s Black Studies professor <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/saidiya-hartman-interview/">Saidiya Hartman refers to this as the afterlife of slavery</a>, meaning the violence and dehumanization that Black people endured during enslavement continue in present forms of <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives">racial violence</a>, <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/obpccjs-spnsjpc/index.html">high incarceration rates</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-021-00160-8">substandard</a><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-021-00160-8"> education</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.201579">anti-Blackness in health care</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2023/04/04/431123/curating-early-black-experiences-in-kingston-canada-s-first-capital-a-city-long-defined-by-histories-of-whiteness" target="_blank"><img alt="Curating early Black experiences in Kingston Canadas first capital a city long defined by histories of whiteness" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/992135/fit/80x80/kingston_20ontario.jpeg?timestamp=1687290639" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/04/431123/curating-early-black-experiences-in-kingston-canada-s-first-capital-a-city-long-defined-by-histories-of-whiteness" target="_blank">Curating early Black experiences in Kingston, Canada’s first capital, a city long defined by histories of whiteness</a></h4>
<p>Nineteenth century Black history is missing from the mainstream story of Kingston, Ont., but traces of this history in the city’s archives show that it undoubtedly had a Black presence. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/04/431123/curating-early-black-experiences-in-kingston-canada-s-first-capital-a-city-long-defined-by-histories-of-whiteness">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><h2>Black enslavement in Canada</h2><br><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17405904.2017.1360192">Canada’s image of being multicultural and welcoming</a> is maintained by <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/demonic-grounds">erasing histories of enslaved Africans and denying racism</a>. History about slavery emphasizes <a href="https://youtu.be/mlG5ywXxoV4?t=259">Canada’s role in the Underground Railroad as a safe haven for the self-liberated</a>.</p><p>However, Canada contributed to <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/canada-slavery/?gclid=CjwKCAjw4ZWkBhA4EiwAVJXwqUo3aQ_AaTQ5n0Brm5L4IBh1CCKNo6a4eADjByuUPykp2RhZI_ngdRoCq3QQAvD_BwE">and benefited from enslavement in the British colonies</a>.</p><p><a href="https://humanrights.ca/story/story-black-slavery-canadian-history#:%7E:text=Slavery%20was%20legal%20and%20practiced,and%20sustained%20the%20slave%20trade">Slavery was practised in Canada for more than 200 years</a>, longer than Canada has been a nation. Unearthed narratives pertaining to the experiences of Black people in Canada <a href="https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v27i1.623">reveal that they were treated as inhumanely as their counterparts in the United States</a>.</p><p>The work of Nigerian-raised artist Oluseye Ogunlesi has documented how at least 60 ships that were used to carry stolen Africans to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/black-ark-a-12-ft-structure-modelled-after-slave-ships-asks-us-to-see-canadian-history-differently-1.6490185">the colonies were built in Canada</a>.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008587/fill/700x0/oluseye.png?timestamp=1687288922">Image: Oluseye Ogunlesi with his work, "Black Ark". Source: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfQQhivt5h6/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4a4750fd-7b48-45a1-8e70-b00e4c5188c3" target="_blank">@hayleyblossom_thisday | Instagram </a></div><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>Race and education in Canada</h2><br><p>Canada has a <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-black-students-in-canadian-schools">history of racially segregated schools and denying Black students admission to medical and nursing schools</a>.</p><p>In contemporary primary and secondary schools, Black students are more likely to be <a href="https://youthrex.com/report/research-spotlight-mistrust-and-low-expectations-educational-disadvantage-and-black-youth-in-ontario/">tracked into lower level classes, feel discriminated against by teachers and are at risk of not completing high school and entering post-secondary education</a>.</p><p>Recent <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/98-200-X/2021011/98-200-X2021011-eng.cfm">Statistics Canada</a> data reveals that Black Canadians who have been in Canada three or more generations are less likely to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9458122/canada-black-population-education-outcome-census/">have achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher than Black people who have recently arrived in the country</a>. This points to the racism that Black students in Canada encounter in their education.</p><p><br></p><p>Black students describe experiences of feeling isolated, having their experiences of racism dismissed by teachers, hearing ignorant <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/peel-students-racism-panel-1.6408851">comments from teachers and peers and negative assumptions about their intellectual abilities</a>.</p><p></p><div></div><p></p><p>In research my team conducted <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/items/84a24620-3a63-4d74-979f-29312ba1e739">about the experiences of racialized students in in post-secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs</a>, Black students describe being excluded from peer groups, followed by security and having their abilities questioned by their peers.</p><p><br></p><h2>Equity, diversity and inclusion in universities</h2><br><p>The 2020 murder of George Floyd catalyzed racial reckoning across Canadian institutions.</p><p>Black-led organizations such as the <a href="https://blackscientists.ca/">Canadian Black Scientists Network</a> emerged to elevate, make visible, celebrate and connect Black Canadians in science.</p><p>Universities ramped up equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts and solidified statements aimed at addressing racism and bias in post-secondary education. Universities across the nation signed the <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/principal/scarborough-charter">Scarborough Charter</a> as a commitment to address anti-Black racism and foster Black flourishing in post-secondary education.</p><p>A study of Canadian University EDI statements found that although institutions appear to be prioritizing EDI, the language defining equity, diversity and inclusion is broad and vague, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7202/1066634ar">suggesting a “slogan-like” use of the term, potentially overlooking the detailed complexities within each term</a>.</p><p>They also noted that the people who were making policy decisions about EDI were mostly those who have benefited from systemic racism.</p><p>At the University of Calgary, <a href="https://twitter.com/malindasmith?lang=en">political scientist Malinda Smith</a> is the vice provost and associate vice-president <a href="https://www.ucalgary.ca/equity-diversity-inclusion/team">of research in the Office Equity, Diversity and Inclusion</a>.</p><p>Her research has documented the <a href="https://www.federationhss.ca/en/blog/beyond-single-story-black-lives-and-hidden-figures-canadian-academy">importance of Black</a> <a href="https://www.thediversitygapcanada.com/diversity-gap-in-university-leadership.html">and other historically marginalized people being actively involved in policy and decision-making</a> designed to address inequity. Her work notes that you cannot make decisions about <a href="https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/blackness-and-the-academy/">Black people without Black people at the table</a>.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008590/fill/700x0/Black_Lives_Matter_-_Sit_In_-_Occupy_Bay_Street_-_College_Street_-_Toronto_Police_Headquarters_-_June_19__2020_-_Creative_Commons__50025875223_.jpeg?timestamp=1687290207">Image: Black Lives Matter protest in Toronto. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Lives_Matter_-_Sit_In_-_Occupy_Bay_Street_-_College_Street_-_Toronto_Police_Headquarters_-_June_19,_2020_-_Creative_Commons_(50025875223).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><h2>Juneteenth and racial equity</h2><br><p>Juneteenth could provide the context for reflection on how we can expose, address and dismantle the systemic ideologies about race that maintain inequity in education.</p><p>Leaders in education need to do deep, reflective work to recognize and address their own biases, and the ways that white supremacy shows up in educational policies and practices. They need to articulate strategies and action plans for institutional transformation. They also need to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated for equity-focused projects.</p><p>Universities must not fall into the trap of performative EDI. This is avoided by identifying equity challenges at institutions and articulating actions, strategies and milestones for change.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/09/15/411711/black-centered-communities-to-visit-in-canada" target="_blank"><img alt="Black-Centered Communities to Visit in Canada" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/949522/fit/80x80/Canada.jpg?timestamp=1687290639" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/09/15/411711/black-centered-communities-to-visit-in-canada" target="_blank">Black-Centered Communities to Visit in Canada</a></h4>
<p>Black communities in Canada have existed for nearly 300 years. They have given birth to many famous Canadians, including singers, inventors, athletes, politicians, and others. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/09/15/411711/black-centered-communities-to-visit-in-canada">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><h2>Paths to senior leadership</h2><br><p>Educational institutions should provide initiatives to recruit and retain Black educators and universities should ensure that there are pathways to senior leadership for Black faculty.</p><p>Faculty who are concerned with social justice can <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-third-university-is-possible">draw inspiration about subversion and using the tools of </a> the university to dismantle the anti-Black, racist, colonial ideologies.</p><p>August 1 is <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/emancipation-day.html">Canada’s Emancipation Day</a>. Following Juneteenth, this could provide the context for reflection on Black history as Canadian history and ways to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-022-10114-7">centre and leverage Black joy</a> in learning spaces.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/01/28/388263/transatlantic-slavery-the-story-of-the-survivors-of-clotilda-america-s-last-black-slave-ship-" target="_blank"><img alt="pWreckage of slave ship Clotilda from Historic sketches of the South by Emma Langdon Roche publisher New York The Knickerbocker Press 1914 Source Wikimedia Commonsbrp" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/894732/fit/80x80/Wreck_of_the_Slave_Ship_Clotilda.jpeg?timestamp=1687290694" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/01/28/388263/transatlantic-slavery-the-story-of-the-survivors-of-clotilda-america-s-last-black-slave-ship-" target="_blank">Transatlantic Slavery: The Story of the Survivors of ‘Clotilda’, America’s Last Black Slave Ship.</a></h4>
<p>In 1860, Cudjo Lewis Kossola (Oluale Kossola), Sally Smith (Rodeshi), and Matilda McCrear (Abake) were kidnapped from Dahomey (present-day Benin Republic) and taken via a ship named 'Clot... <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/01/28/388263/transatlantic-slavery-the-story-of-the-survivors-of-clotilda-america-s-last-black-slave-ship-">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/02/12/390202/celebrating-black-history-doesn-t-mean-separating-it-from-black-culture-opinion-piece" target="_blank"><img alt="Photo by Monstera from Pexels" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/899418/fit/80x80/pexels-monstera-5997003.jpg?timestamp=1687290783" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/02/12/390202/celebrating-black-history-doesn-t-mean-separating-it-from-black-culture-opinion-piece" target="_blank">Celebrating Black History Doesn’t Mean Separating It From Black Culture - Opinion Piece</a></h4>
<p>February is celebrated as Black history month in America, but as we take a look at our history, we can’t separate it from Black culture. We must ask ourselves: what are we doing to hold ... <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/02/12/390202/celebrating-black-history-doesn-t-mean-separating-it-from-black-culture-opinion-piece">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<span class="pull-left"><a href="/2022/07/03/404596/mental-health-issues-are-a-symptom-of-being-black" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/932717/fit/80x80/New_20Project_20-_202022-06-30T125057.979.jpg?timestamp=1687290802" class="media-object"></a></span>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/07/03/404596/mental-health-issues-are-a-symptom-of-being-black" target="_blank">Mental Health Issues are a Symptom of Being Black</a></h4>
<p>When someone says, “Black Lives Matter!,” you always have that one white person that rebuttals with “well, all lives matter!” <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/07/03/404596/mental-health-issues-are-a-symptom-of-being-black">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:f7885795-8023-4eed-a2fc-c88f7dd758312023-06-20T12:58:52-04:002023-06-20T20:17:10-04:00Mama Ngina Kenyatta at 90: the quiet power behind Kenya’s famous political family2023-06-21 12:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p>Former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta in 2019, having received the Macky Sall Prize for Dialogue in Africa. Source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StateHouseKenya/posts/former-first-lady-mama-ngina-kenyatta-today-received-her-2019-macky-sall-prize-f/4326431027372388/" target="_blank">State House Kenya | Facebook</a> <br></p><p><br></p><p>Few witnessed the building of the young Kenyan state from within as did Ngina Kenyatta, the widow of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta. Mama Ngina, as she is known, will mark her 90th birthday on 24 June 2023. She was by her husband’s side when Kenya won independence 60 years ago and for many turbulent years thereafter. Although Kenyatta was polygamous, it was the younger Mama Ngina who took on the roles of first lady.</p><p>Ngina married Jomo Kenyatta in 1952 at the age of 19. That year, Kenyatta was arrested and subsequently <a href="https://blog.oup.com/2012/04/kenya-jomo-kenyatta-sentenced-hard-labor/">jailed</a> on charges of masterminding the anti-colonial Mau Mau uprising. By then, he had spent years abroad (mainly in England), where he embraced anti-colonialist and Pan-African ideas. Back home he was elected president of Kenya African Union, before becoming the front figure of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the party that would go on to lead Kenya to independence.</p><p>Kenyatta’s marriage to Ngina was his fourth. He had married Grace Wahu in 1920, Edna Clark in 1942 and Grace Wanjiku in 1946. The last marriage had political significance because Ngina was the <a href="https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/east-africa-news/queen-mother-mama-ngina-the-power-behind-uhuru-kenyatta-s-throne-3937204">daughter of a senior chief</a>, Muhoho wa Gatheca, who held an administrative position of great influence. By then, Kenyatta was expanding his political base, so this marriage secured an alliance with an important clan.</p><p>Mama Ngina is to be seen in many official photographs of the early days, protectively herding their young children in State House. The first-born was Christine Wambui-Pratt, who is today an <a href="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001450285/ku-to-award-uhurus-sister-doctorate">advocate</a> for people living with disability. The second was Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, who became Kenya’s fourth president (2013-2022). The third was Nyokabi Muthama, now a businesswoman and <a href="https://www.thekenyattatrust.org/">philanthropist</a>. Muhoho Kenyatta, the reclusive last-born, is reputedly the <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/politics/muhoho-the-man-behind-kenyatta-family-business-empire-132182">engine</a> of the Kenyatta family business empire.<br><br></p><p>Away from family, Mama Ngina was often involved in supporting various <a href="https://theconversation.com/active-citizens-for-better-schooling-what-kenyas-history-can-teach-south-africa-92534">Harambee</a> (community development) projects. Yet very little was known about her and in particular her political influence during this period.</p><p>She was, and still is, certainly not uninterested in politics. Though not a frequent public political speaker, she has spoken out in defence of her family. In 2022, she <a href="https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2022/03/mama-ngina-supports-raila-for-the-presidency/">publicly campaigned</a> for Uhuru Kenyatta’s preferred presidential candidate, Raila Odinga. She also sought to <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/features/2022/04/11/mama-ngina-and-field-marshall-muthonis-locs-sanitising-the-kenyattas/">associate</a> herself with the Mau Mau independence struggle in an apparent attempt to counter popular <a href="https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/48250-controversial-mt-kenya-musician-blasts-uhuru-new-hit-song">sentiment</a> against the Kenyattas among the Kikuyu.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008573/fill/700x0/jomo_20kenyatta_20mama_20ngina_20and_20son.png?timestamp=1687280086"></div><p>Image: Jomo Kenyatta, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, and son Uhuru. Source: <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/kenyatta-ngina-and-uhuru-unknown/nAGXX2cQUe_j-g" target="_blank">Google Arts & Culture</a>, Rights: Kenya National Archives</p><p><br></p><h2>Kenyatta’s death and after</h2><br><p>The way she handled the news of <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/dn2/-end-of-an-era-as-mzee-jomo-kenyatta-dies-892138">Kenyatta’s death on 21 August 1978</a> suggests she was preparing her political survival. At that time, jockeying for succession was fierce and the Kenyan political elite was profoundly divided over it. So as the Mzee (“old man”) – as he was called – died, Mama Ngina and his stepsons Peter Magana and Peter Muigai informed their political allies with great discretion.</p><p>According to a report by the authoritative Weekly Review news magazine, one of the first to be informed was <a href="https://theconversation.com/daniel-arap-moi-the-making-of-a-kenyan-big-man-127177">Daniel Arap Moi</a>, then vice-president and constitutionally next in line to act as president. This placed Moi in the lead of the succession battle at a time when some were <a href="https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft9h4nb6fv&chunk.id=d0e2582&toc.id=&brand=ucpress">opposed</a> to his automatic succession. Only thereafter was <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/politics/mbiyu-koinange-the-politician-british-aptly-nicknamed-newt--466712">Peter Mbiyu Koinange</a>, Kenyatta’s long-time comrade and a prominent minister, informed, along with Kenyatta’s other children.</p><p>Mama Ngina took a low profile after the succession. She was <a href="https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/kenyatta-business-empire-goes-into-expansion-drive-2045420">inheriting</a> a huge <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/rise-and-rise-of-the-kenyatta-family-business-empire-139094">business empire</a> which continued to expand. Today, the holdings include <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/political-families-own-half-of-private-wealth-952330">land</a> as well as shares in <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/business/mama-ngina-listed-top-investor-at-kenya-power-with-2-2-million-shares-864034">companies</a> in banking, real estate, hospitality, mining, insurance, airlines, education, energy, dairy farming, transport and telecommunications.</p><p>Her role during the political transition was rewarded with political support by President Moi, according to news reports.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Protecting “our son”</h2><br><p>In 2013, the matriarch bounced back to the centre of Kenyan politics, the first woman to have been spouse and now mother of a sitting president. That would not have seemed likely when Uhuru Kenyatta was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/23/kenya-trial-international-criminal-court">crimes against humanity</a>. The charges stemmed from the 2007-2008 post-election violence, in which Uhuru and William Ruto were on opposite sides. With Mama Ngina’s <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/queen-mother-mama-ngina-the-power-behind-uhuru-kenyatta-s-throne-3944964">financial muscle behind them</a>, the two formed the unlikely alliance that <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/3/10/kenyatta-wins-kenyas-presidential-election">swept to power in 2013</a>.</p><p>Planning began in April 2011, when Mama Ngina appeared at <a href="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000137547/pre-icc-confirmation-prayer-rallies-united-uhuru-kenyatta-and-william-ruto">rallies</a> where prayers were said for the indicted duo. According to the Daily Nation, Mama Ngina brokered the coalition between the two. She also bankrolled the promotion of “our son” for president in Mount Kenya region, inhabited by her co-ethnics and related tribes.</p><p>Uhuru’s ICC case was dropped in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30347019">2014</a> and Ruto’s in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35965760">2016</a>. They soon fell out. Ngina blamed Ruto for the rift. This in her eyes meant Uhuru was not to blame for breaking his <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/features/2020/01/16/fear-and-loathing-why-kikuyus-may-end-up-voting-for-ruto-in-2022/">2013 campaign promise</a> to back Ruto after his own term.</p><p>Now, for the first time, Mama Ngina has little or no influence over proceedings in State House. What’s more, the Kenyattas are seen as <a href="https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2023/01/section-of-kenya-kwanza-senators-accuse-kenyatta-of-sponsoring-azimio-rallies/">anti-government</a> for the first time since independence.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Mau Mau uneasy legacy</h2><br><p>Mama Ngina recently came to the defence of the Kenyattas, who are <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/gachagua-criticises-kenyattas-over-mau-mau-neglect-land-troubles-4207716">accused</a> of sidelining freedom fighters and their families. The historical <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/217022">grievance</a> is that they did not benefit from post-independence allocations.</p><p>Ngina has sought to <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/features/2022/04/11/mama-ngina-and-field-marshall-muthonis-locs-sanitising-the-kenyattas/">realign herself</a> with the Mau Mau. She has claimed that <a href="https://hardtalkkenyan.wordpress.com/2023/04/21/field-marshal-muthoni-wa-kirima-and-i-were-the-true-mau-mau-freedom-fighters-founding-first-lady-mama-ngina-kenyatta/">she was among the Mau Mau women fighters</a>. There is no archival evidence to support this, and her husband denounced the movement before independence. The group remained banned under his and the next presidency. It was finally <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2003-09-01-kenya-lifts-ban-on-mau/">lifted</a> in 2003.</p><p>It’s more likely that in an election campaign heavy with economic empowerment promises, this claim was her way of identifying with the marginalised, on behalf of the Kenyattas’ candidate. She can be counted on to <a href="https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-02-04-ive-paid-all-taxes-stop-tarnishing-my-family-name-mama-ngina-tells-ruto-allies/">defend</a> the family name, in good times and bad.</p><p><br></p><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<p> <br></p><div><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:39efbb87-ff34-48fe-be87-7a77eeff57302023-06-19T12:12:36-04:002023-06-19T12:12:40-04:00Kente: A symbol of the rich culture of the Ashanti people of Ghana2023-06-19 14:00:00 -0400Jerrywright Ukwu<p>Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kente_cloth#/media/File:Kent_wove.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><span><p><br></p><p>Kente is a colorful Ghanaian traditional fabric worn mostly on noteworthy occasions and celebrations. It is one of the most universally recognized of all African fabrics. <br></p><br><p>Kente was originally woven 400 years ago from raffia palm, which is still reflected in its modern-day designs. The weaving of the spider web influenced its creation.</p><br><p>Traditionally, Kente cloth was reserved for Ashanti royalty, where it originated from, who wore it during sacred ceremonies. The fabric is now more accessible but still maintains its status of wealth and prestige.</p><p> </p><p>The Ashanti Kingdom, located in southern Ghana, has a rich history and cultural heritage. They are known for their intricate craftsmanship, traditional ceremonies, and Kente cloth.</p><br><p>The kingdom is one of Africa’s oldest and most powerful, with rich history and culture that has survived centuries of wars and colonialism.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008438/fill/700x0/Kente_girls_in_Ghana.jpeg?timestamp=1687191055"></div><p> Image: Ghanaian girls dressed in kente for a festival. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kente_girls_in_Ghana.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><p><br></p></span><span><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<p> </p><p><br></p>Kente clothes are unique on many levels. Each color of Kente means something important. The fabric is a noble textile and a great material to tailor men’s and women’s clothing.<br><span><br><p>Kente cloth is a fabric with an undeniable global footprint, with increased garment exports promoted by the Ghanaian government to ensure “Made in Ghana” products go global. </p><br><p>It reached as far as the Haute-Couture catwalks of Paris. Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi used it as the first African designer to be admitted as a guest member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. </p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1008437/fill/700x0/IMANE_AYISSI_-SS21_Look_20.jpeg?timestamp=1687190552"></div><p> Image: Example of fashion designer Imane Ayissi's work. Source: <a href="https://connect.industrieafrica.com/designers/imane-ayissi" target="_blank">Industrie Africa</a>. Photo credit to the owner.</p></span><span><br><p>“Kente is a very interesting textile because of its aesthetics, its history, and also because it is still living, and it is still possible to find good artisans with the skills to create new Kente, [which] is not the case with other traditional textiles,” says Ayissi.</p><br><p>It is widely reputed to be the most exported African fabric in the world, and many see it as a cloth that represents Black solidarity around the globe. </p><p><br></p><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<p>Today is World Health Day! Interestingly, it is also the 75th Anniversary of the World Health Organization (W.H.O). <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/07/431463/activities-you-can-complete-towards-your-total-health-and-wellness">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/04/26/432369/breast-ironing-a-harmful-practice-hiding-under-tradition" target="_blank">Breast Ironing: A Harmful Practice Hiding Under Tradition</a></h4>
<p>You may have heard of female genital mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence crimes, but have you ever heard of breast ironing? <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/04/26/432369/breast-ironing-a-harmful-practice-hiding-under-tradition">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:81c1f5cc-2f4e-449d-b645-5a311d7ebe892023-06-15T14:10:25-04:002023-06-16T15:59:52-04:00Ethiopia’s musicians fled the country after the 1974 revolution - how their unique Afro-inspired culture lives on2023-06-18 14:00:00 -0400The Conversation via Reuters Connect<p><i></i>Ethiopian singer, Mahmoud Ahmed. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahmoud_Ahmed.JPG" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><p><br></p><p><em>The overthrow of Ethiopian emperor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Haile-Selassie-I">Haile Selassie</a> in 1974 led to violent conflict that had a particularly heavy impact on musicians. <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo114656431.html">Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora</a> is the first study of the forced migration of musicians out of the Horn of Africa dating from the revolution. The book traces their struggles and what happened to their rich and diverse music traditions when they settled in the US. Ethnomusicologist Kay Kaufman Shelemay talks about her book.</em></p><p><em><br></em></p><h2>What happened to cause musicians to leave Ethiopia?</h2><br><p>Musicians were part of a mass <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/ethiopia-origin-refugees-evolving-migration">outflow</a> of people from the Horn of Africa that began as a direct outcome of the Ethiopian revolution. They fled <a href="https://humanityhouse.org/en/rampen-conflicten-ethiopie-burgeroorlog-1974-1991/">due to</a> the overthrow of the government, fear of the revolutionary Marxist military regime, and extreme violence across the country – as well as a civil war with Eritrea. Many refugees were Ethiopian Orthodox Christians from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amhara">Amhara</a> ethnic group that had historically been close to circles of power.</p><p>The conflict caused bloodshed across a region already destabilised by drought and famine. Waves of refugees crossed into Sudan and Kenya, from where many eventually made their way to destinations around the world.</p><p>The revolution had a particularly strong impact on musicians in all genres. They feared imprisonment and forced musical activity by the revolutionary regime. The military junta nationalised urban and rural land, property and businesses. It disbanded most established musical ensembles and imposed strong censorship. This was due, in part, to concern about the power of music to encourage resistance. New, explicitly revolutionary musical groups and organisations were established to support their new programmes.</p><div><p>Most musical performances were halted by curfews. Prohibitions against public gatherings rendered musicians unable to earn a living. The highly trained musicians of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church experienced a great loss of prestige along with severe economic pressures. These stemmed from the nationalisation of church resources.</p><p><br></p><h2>How did you go about researching their stories?</h2><br><p>I arrived in Ethiopia to carry out research for my doctoral dissertation in ethnomusicology in 1973. As outlined in my <a href="https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p064326">memoir</a>, I was able to remain in Addis Ababa during the first two years of the revolution. There I witnessed the violence and the cessation of public musical life. I noticed a growing number of surreptitious departures.</p><p>When I returned to the US in early 1976, I encountered the first wave of those refugees. While I had gone to Ethiopia to study its musical life, by 1977, these musicians were now settling in all around me. I began to visit newly founded Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches as well as new Ethiopian restaurants and shops.</p><p>Over decades, I visited many Ethiopian communities across the US, I attended diaspora concerts and collected Ethiopian CDs released in North America, I interviewed musicians about their lives and immigrant experiences. I wanted to document the role of music in new Ethiopian communities in the US.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007968/fill/700x0/ethiopian_20restaurant.jpg?timestamp=1686945233">Ethiopian restaurant in Denver, Colorado. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colorful_Ethiopian_restaurant,_called_the_%22Ethiopian_Restaurant,%22_in_Denver,_Colorado_LCCN2015633619.tif" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="media clearfix"><span class="pull-left"><a href="https://www.funtimesmagazine.com/2023/02/13/425841/east-african-hip-hop-8-iconic-rappers-who-put-east-africa-on-the-map" target="_blank"><img alt="East African Hip Hop 8 Iconic Rappers Who Put East Africa On The Map" src="https://cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/980548/fit/80x80/east_20african_20rappers.jpg?timestamp=1686849109" class="media-object"></a></span><div class="media-body"><h4 class="media-heading"><a href="https://www.funtimesmagazine.com/2023/02/13/425841/east-african-hip-hop-8-iconic-rappers-who-put-east-africa-on-the-map" target="_blank">East African Hip Hop: 8 Iconic Rappers Who Put East Africa On The Map</a></h4><p>"East African hip hop" is a genre of music that developed in East Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s. <span class="pull-right"><a href="https://www.funtimesmagazine.com/2023/02/13/425841/east-african-hip-hop-8-iconic-rappers-who-put-east-africa-on-the-map">Read More »</a></span> </p></div></div><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>What role did musicians play in Ethiopia?</h2><br><p>The powerful role of Ethiopian musicians both at home and abroad has led me to term these individuals “sentinel musicians”. I coined this phrase after repeatedly witnessing the way in which these musicians, past and present, both guarded and guided the communities they were a part of.</p><p>The word “sentinel” was also inspired by the bravery of musicians who historically accompanied Ethiopian troops into battle. Emperor Selassie had established the Imperial Bodyguard Orchestra and a jazz band as part of his elite personal militia.</p><p>Singers and instrumentalists have long been acknowledged as pivotal figures in Ethiopia. They guided the transmission and performance of cultural traditions in domains from worship to entertainment while offering inspiration and comfort during times of hardship.</p><p><br></p><h2>How was this role continued in the diaspora?</h2><br><p>The role of the musician in society is heightened in times of conflict and forced migration, when music and its performance could convey controversial meanings. In Ethiopian languages, there is the practice of employing double meanings in songs, masking the true intent of a text. This practice, termed “wax and gold”, is found in Ethiopian religious and secular poetry, in everyday speech, and in many song lyrics.</p><p>The wax is the obvious outer meaning of the words while the gold is the meaning hidden within. The term is borrowed from the “lost wax process” of casting smelted gold in wax moulds. Composers and traditional improvisational singers disguise the meaning of their songs, masking critical or controversial information.</p><p>In the diaspora, some sentinel musicians have continued to employ wax and gold, but musicians’ roles have also expanded to incorporate new and different significances.</p><p>Some have quite literally served as “sentinel stars”. They led the way to new locales, established transnational networks and founded new institutions – cultural organisations, churches, restaurants and clubs – undertaking initiatives in community building. Moreover, musicians have offered emotional support and healing to their displaced communities through their music.</p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn0.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007970/fill/700x0/the_20weeknd.jpeg?timestamp=1686945424">Abel Tesfave, formerly The Weeknd. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEQ_July_2018_The_Weeknd_(44778856382).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></div><p><br></p><p>All genres of Ethiopian music, from sacred to secular, have had to adapt creatively to their new homes abroad. Some diaspora musicians, like Ethiopian-Canadian singer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/the-Weeknd">Abel Tesfaye</a> (<a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-weeknd-changes-name-on-social-media-after-vowing-to-kill-his-alter-ego-3444262#:%7E:text=The%20Weeknd%20has%20changed%20his,kill%22%20his%20alter%2Dego.&text=The%20Canadian%20pop%20star%20rolled,Tesfaye%2C%20instead%20of%20The%20Weeknd.">formerly</a> The Weeknd), have innovated personal styles that have risen to the top of global charts. Throughout the global diaspora, Ethiopian traditional music associated with different ethnic communities actively survives and is performed at events such as weddings and holiday parties.</p><p>At the same time, Ethiopian musicians of many different backgrounds both at home and in the diaspora perform international musical styles, ranging from jazz to reggae to rap. These are often inflected by distinctive Ethiopian melodies and rhythms. Some new musical repertories have emerged that are shared by Ethiopians at home and abroad, notably the performance of vernacular hymns that became popular during the revolution. They are sung internationally in Ethiopian churches by choirs of women and girls.</p><p><br></p><h2>Why do their stories matter?</h2><br><p>Musicians’ stories shed new light on the plight of refugees and the process of forced migration, providing a fuller understanding of the powerful role of music and musicians within rapidly changing societies.</p><p><br></p><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2022/10/24/415610/make-ethiopia-your-next-destination" target="_blank">Make Ethiopia Your Next Destination</a></h4>
<p>Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa with very different traditional practices compared to its neighbors. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2022/10/24/415610/make-ethiopia-your-next-destination">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/02/06/425337/all-time-african-most-influential-musicians" target="_blank">All-Time African Most Influential Musicians </a></h4>
<p>African music has been an integral part of the culture for centuries, and many great musicians have emerged from the continent. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/02/06/425337/all-time-african-most-influential-musicians">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> <br></p></div><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>urn:uuid:8fe9a284-e1ca-4e34-9173-3e1435858de42023-06-16T15:45:05-04:002023-06-16T15:45:51-04:00 A Glimpse into Zimbabwe's Ancient Architecture 2023-06-18 10:00:00 -0400Burns Johnson<span><p>The Great Zimbabwe ruins are an ancient archaeological site located in present-day Zimbabwe. They are considered one of the most significant and impressive stone ruins in Africa, showcasing the architectural and engineering prowess of the ancient civilization that once inhabited the area.</p><p><br></p><p>The ruins are believed to have been built between the 11th and 15th centuries by the ancestors of the Shona people. The name "Zimbabwe" is derived from the Shona term "Dzimba dza mabwe," which means "house of stone" or "stone buildings." The ruins served as a political, economic, and religious center for the civilization that thrived in the region during that time.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/05/02/433732/dna-study-opens-a-window-into-african-civilisations-that-left-a-lasting-legacy" target="_blank">DNA study opens a window into African civilisations that left a lasting legacy</a></h4>
<p>Pre-colonial African history is alive with tales of civilisations rising and falling and of different cultures intermingling across the continent. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/05/02/433732/dna-study-opens-a-window-into-african-civilisations-that-left-a-lasting-legacy">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn2.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007965/fill/700x0/image3.jpg?timestamp=1686944257"></div><p> </p><p>The Great Zimbabwe complex covers a vast area and consists of three main architectural groupings: the Hill Complex, the Valley Complex, and the Great Enclosure. The Hill Complex, situated on a prominent hilltop, is believed to have been the royal residence of the rulers. It contains various stone structures, including walls, passageways, and a granite boulder known as the King's Seat.<br></p></span><span><p><br></p><p>The Valley Complex, located at the foot of the hill, was the administrative and commercial hub of the civilization. It features numerous enclosures and structures, including dwellings, granaries, and a Great Hall. The Great Enclosure is the largest and most impressive structure within the complex. It is a massive stone wall with a conical tower known as the Conical Tower or the Great Zimbabwe Tower.</p><p><br></p><p>Related article:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/06/01/436994/nigeria-s-city-of-il-if-has-survived-and-thrived-for-1-000-years-here-s-how" target="_blank">Nigeria’s city of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ has survived and thrived for 1,000 years: here’s how</a></h4>
<p>Ilé-Ifẹ̀ occupies a central place in Yorùbá history and identity. It is claimed to be the harbinger of Yorùbá civilisation. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/06/01/436994/nigeria-s-city-of-il-if-has-survived-and-thrived-for-1-000-years-here-s-how">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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</p><p> </p><p><br></p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1007966/fill/700x0/image2.jpg?timestamp=1686944293"></div><p> </p><p>The ruins of Great Zimbabwe offer valuable insights into the architectural and cultural achievements of the ancient civilization. The stone structures were built without mortar, and the precision and craftsmanship of the walls have fascinated historians and archaeologists for centuries. The site also provides evidence of an extensive trading network, as artifacts from various regions, such as China, Persia, and India, have been discovered within the complex.</p></span><span><p><br></p><p>The Great Zimbabwe ruins have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. They are not only an important historical and archaeological site but also a symbol of national pride for the people of Zimbabwe. The ruins attract visitors from around the world who come to marvel at the ancient craftsmanship and learn about the rich history of the region.</p><p><br></p><p>Related articles:</p><div class="media clearfix">
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<h4 class="media-heading"><a href="/2023/02/06/425833/nigeria-s-ancient-ancestral-rock-where-history-meets-tourism" target="_blank">Nigeria’s Ancient Ancestral Rock: Where History meets Tourism</a></h4>
<p>The stone is a substantial monument created by nature, using local resources, and Its patron spirit is revered in the Yoruba religion as an Orisha. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/02/06/425833/nigeria-s-ancient-ancestral-rock-where-history-meets-tourism">Read More »</a></span> </p></div></div><div><br></div></span><div class="media clearfix">
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<p>An essential drum used by the Yoruba people is the Bàtá, a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone more significant than the other. <span class="pull-right"><a href="/2023/02/24/426524/the-ancient-origin-of-the-b-t-drum">Read More »</a></span> </p>
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<p> </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><div class="image-medium image-align-left"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/975928/fill/300x0/image1.jpg?timestamp=1686944484"></div><p> <span>Immanuel Burns Johnson is a young and dedicated social media personnel. He was born, raised and schooled in Lagos, Nigeria. His hobbies include traveling, sports, political criticism and mobile games like C.O.D.M. Apart from these; he is also interested in skydiving and aeronautics. He is skilled in web coding and has a trait of hard work. This has helped him become successful in his field at a young age.<br></span><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Read more from Burns Johnson:<br></p><div class="media clearfix">
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<p> </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.funtimesmagazine.com">FunTimes Magazine</a></small></p>