Culture - Page 2

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The N’ko Alphabet: Literacy by and for West Africans

In October 2009, I came to Mali to learn to read. This may come as a surprise since West Africa is supposedly the world’s...
Egypt demands return of stolen artifacts from Europe and US

Egypt demands return of stolen artifacts from Europe and US

Egypt is asking European countries in possession of Egyptian artifacts, historical and cultural monuments to return the items to the country for the opening...
Mark ‘Obama’ Ndesandjo: My first impression of the President’s brother

Mark ‘Obama’ Ndesandjo: My first impression of the President’s brother

“Gosh, he’s not half as impressive as his brother!” was what I said to myself when I first tried listening to Mark Obama Ndesanjo:...
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Structuralism ‘au village’: An Obituary for Claude Lévi-Strauss

French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, one of the twentieth century’s most revered intellectuals, died October 29 at the age of 100. He is best known...
Religion (illustrative)

The Great Deception: The Myth of a Non-Homosexual Africa

During the recent Synod of African Bishops in Rome, it appears the issue of homosexuality in Africa assumed some major significance. Archbishop Robert Sarah,...
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Exorcism, Malian Style

Then came the exorcisms. Pastor Michel performed at least ten. They unfolded with great drama. Most began with women—or in one case a young...
Life as an alien

Life as an alien

I only now understand why it is that people lie about their paste, why they say they are one thing other than the thing...
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Blood Ties

My trip to Nassau, Bahamas began in Los Angeles, California, but it didn’t really begin until my layover in Fort Lauderdale Airport in Miami....
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“Whiteman” as Everyman

A 20-something from Chicago, Jack is telling us about the years he served as a relief worker in Ivory Coast. Living in the bush...
Hip-hop: From urban Black and Latino youth culture to global influence

Hip-hop: From urban Black and Latino youth culture to global influence

African-American and Latino teens with turntables and time on their hands in the 1970s invented hip-hop — a musical style born in the United...
UNESCO: How Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova out-manoeuvred Farouk Hosni of Egypt

UNESCO: How Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova out-manoeuvred Farouk Hosni of Egypt

Weak support from France? Pressure from Israel? The United States? What really caused the downfall of Farouk Hosni, the man who was widely tipped...
Unesco Elections: Controversial Egyptian Farouk Hosni set to win

Unesco Elections: Controversial Egyptian Farouk Hosni set to win

It came as a surprise to no one. The controversial Egyptian Minister of Culture jumped into the lead after votes, for both the first...
South Africans prepare to celebrate Mandela Day, but grandson fights rumours over selling funeral rights

South Africans prepare to celebrate Mandela Day, but grandson fights rumours over selling funeral rights

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has called on his fellow countrymen to dedicate time to serving their communities as his life is celebrated...
Ethiopia: Microsoft software application soon in Amharic

Ethiopia: Microsoft software application soon in Amharic

Ethiopia Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (EICTDA); the federal government arm in charge of Information and communication technology (ICT) development at the Addis...
Arab American festival adds to US pluralistic heritage

Arab American festival adds to US pluralistic heritage

Former President Jimmy Carter once said, “We have become not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different...
Virginity begins at the tip of the doctor’s scalpel

Virginity begins at the tip of the doctor’s scalpel

The majority of women who seek hymen repair in France live in constant fear that the absence of blood on the wedding night risks...
World Digital Library: All countries invited aboard

World Digital Library: All countries invited aboard

Now that the World Digital Library has been launched on the Internet, its creators want to add new partners and content from every country...
The World Digital Library includes examples of Mesoamerican codices that document the history of Mexico in pictographic language. This Huexotzinco Codex from 1531 documents part of the testimony in a legal case against representatives of the colonial government in Mexico, 10 years after the Spanish conquest in 1521

WDL: A startling Global Library for a Global Village

The World Digital Library (WDL) offers free online access to important, rare and interesting cultural treasures from around the planet. Starting April 21, a...
Nigerian Withcraft: Pastor fights deceitful counterparts

Nigerian Withcraft: Pastor fights deceitful counterparts

A Nigerian pastor has called on fellow pastors in Nigeria to stop deceiving people with the notion of witchcraft. Apostle John Okoriko, the founder...
Nigeria: Africa’s greatest novelist Chinua Achebe returns

Nigeria: Africa’s greatest novelist Chinua Achebe returns

Africa's greatest novelist Chinua Achebe is back home to Nigeria marking his second visit to his home country in almost two decades. The literary...
The Obama effect and the African-American youth

The Obama effect and the African-American youth

Challenged by socio-economic inequality, poverty, teenage pregnancy, single parenthood, the inability to pursue formal education, drugs, crime, and imprisonment amongst other perils, the stereotypical...
Kenya, America’s new found destination

Kenya, America’s new found destination

As Kenya steps up its campaign to ride on the current wave of publicity as the heritage of the new US President Barack Obama,...
First Black Lady Michelle “Rock” Obama veers from tradition

First Black Lady Michelle “Rock” Obama veers from tradition

Did you know that Michelle Obama only agreed to support Barack Obama’s decision to run for president of the United States only if he...
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Minyeshu: “Proud to be Ethiopian”

Minyeshu's second album, Dire Dawa, is an introduction into a colourful world. Rich with folkloric influences and modern tones, the album's repertoire ensnares the...
Kenya signs deal with Qatar to make airport African hub

Kenya signs deal with Qatar to make airport African hub

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has signed a Shs 27.3 billion (US$ 350 million) deal with Qatar's Afro-Asia Investment Corporation (AAIC) for the development...
Ethiopian aviation giant snubs East Africa goes to West Africa

Ethiopian aviation giant snubs East Africa goes to West Africa

The Ethiopian Airlines has signed a five-year-long management contract with ASKY, Africa's newest international airline, that is set to provide an air transport link...
World’s first underwater museum to be built by Egypt

World’s first underwater museum to be built by Egypt

Egypt has announced plans to develop an underwater museum to show off the country's cultural and historical heritage under the Bay of Alexandria off...
Landmark Vasco Da Gama monument in Kenya threatened

Landmark Vasco Da Gama monument in Kenya threatened

A centuries old monument which attracts thousands of both domestic and foreign tourists annually to the Kenya Coastal resort town of Malindi, 150 kilometres...
A quest for equality; Now what?

A quest for equality; Now what?

When Edward Blyden, one of the founding fathers of Pan Africanism, published his book, Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race in 1887, it was...
Miriam “Mama” Makeba : The passing of an African legend

Miriam “Mama” Makeba : The passing of an African legend

One of South Africa’s celebrated singer Miriam "Mama" Makeba has died. Makeba died in Italy overnight aged 76 after...