A musical biography of civil rights leader Malcolm X infusing history with Afrofuturism will open at New York’s Metropolitan Opera on November 3rd. The opera traces the life of one of the 20th century’s most influential civil rights orators, including his childhood — he was born Malcolm Little in 1925…

Quincy McCall, portrayed by the talented Omar Epps, once famously declared, ‘All’s fair in love and basketball,’ and indeed, the sport has an uncanny ability to transport us into narratives that speak eloquently of human triumph and aspiration. From the iconic ‘Space Jam’ of 1996 to the modern-day fantasy ‘Red…

Colours, flavours, culture and heritage in a pot make the heart merry. How Maria Bradford is using Sierra Leonean cuisine to build bridges…

I speak to a group of African Americans who are paving the way for members of the African diaspora to ‘return’ to their ancestral home of Sierra Leone. — This piece is a longer version of the original published for OkayAfrica. ‘Back-to-Africa’ 2.0 It is December 2022, and dozens of African Americans in green, white and blue attire sit under a tent on the grounds of the Sierra Leonean Presidential Palace complex waiting to receive their Sierra Leonean passports…

Before Afrobeats, there was fuji. Nigeria’s musical imprint is known worldwide, but less is known about the Yoruba Muslims’ contribution to this success. Fuji music is at the forefront of this sound, with its origins in prayer, devotion, and rhythm. The first time I heard fuji music was in 2010…

“We got rhythm, we got pride, we birth kings, we birth tribes” Beyonce Knowles-Carter’s ‘Black Parade’ is pretty much Formation 2.0 It’s a celebration of black unity, progress and heritage, with a few lines slipped in to remind folks that she still slays as ‘Queen’. The merit of the song…

July 31st marks Pan-African Women’s Day — a day set aside to honour and celebrate African women while pushing for gender equality across Africa. …

British Ghanaian Afrobeats star Fuse ODG and his longtime manager Andre Hackett want their new educational app to revolutionize how young people learn Black history. Originally published on OkayAfrica Ghana continues its reign as the ‘place to be’ these days. In the last few months, there have been a number of festivals and initiatives that are uniting the African diaspora through culture, tourism and business opportunities. Events such as AfroFuture (formerly Afrochella), Chance the Rapper’s…

Book Club: A tale that highlights the perseverance of Black identity, Haji Jabir’s Black Foam is a modern odyssey of transit through turbulence. The reader is taken on the journey from Eritrea to Israel, a trip fraught with danger and racism. Originally published on The New Arab From award-winning Eritrean…