Category Archives: Africa

What is the Radical Black Church?

How Do We Define the “Black” Church? In some sense, the Black Church can be readily defined by its music, style of preaching and sounds. Yet these are only surface definitions—it is so much more. The Black Church was born … Continue reading

 468 total views

Posted in Africa, African American history, African Americans, African Americans, civil rights, Justice, Religious radicalism, Section, Voices, Voices of Color | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on What is the Radical Black Church?

Genealogy Program Aims to Restore Absent African American Histories

“Visiting Ghana had a significant impact on me, both personally and professionally. It solidified my perspective on the importance of building bridges between African nations and the African diaspora. My visit home inspired me to integrate these newfound insights into … Continue reading

 1,020 total views

Posted in Africa, African American history, African Americans, DNA Testing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Genealogy Program Aims to Restore Absent African American Histories

Frozen Conflicts, Flashmob Militants, and the End of the Gunpowder State

Syria, Libya, Yemen . . . and now Sudan. Sudan has the unhappy potential to become the next of the intractable conflicts that have unfolded over the past decade. These multisided struggles involving a cocktail of militaries, militias, and mercenaries … Continue reading

 695 total views

Posted in Africa, Foreign Policy, International, International, Middle East, Section, Violence, War | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Frozen Conflicts, Flashmob Militants, and the End of the Gunpowder State

Feminism, the Environment and Stolen Land: Socially Conscious Music from Africa and the South Pacific

Readers may remember my two previous world music reviews, in the February 2021 and Summer 2021 issues of the Public i. All of the music described here was reviewed in the great magazine Songlines. The music is available on Apple … Continue reading

 692 total views

Posted in Africa, Arts, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, International, Music, South Africa | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Feminism, the Environment and Stolen Land: Socially Conscious Music from Africa and the South Pacific

Ubuntu, Hope, and Respect: Socially Conscious Music from the African Continent, the Indian Ocean, and North America

Music is often a reflection of struggles for social change, and a source for joy and hope for the future. This can be heard in the songs noted in my first music review article in the February 2021 issue of … Continue reading

 1,273 total views

Posted in Africa, African American, African American women, Arts, International, Music | Comments Off on Ubuntu, Hope, and Respect: Socially Conscious Music from the African Continent, the Indian Ocean, and North America

Africa and COVID-19 Vaccines: The Politics Surrounding Equitable Access to Vaccines

Global North countries, including France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, leaving countries of the Global South behind in equitable access to vaccines. As COVID-19 vaccines become available, many Global North countries have already purchased half of the … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, COVID-19, International, International, Women | Comments Off on Africa and COVID-19 Vaccines: The Politics Surrounding Equitable Access to Vaccines

“Congo to the Mississippi”: Recent Socially Conscious Music from Africa and the Americas

It is wonderful that so much music from around the world is now easily available to us, especially through the Internet and radio. My main source is Songlines magazine, a monthly published in print and online in London. Every print … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Arts, Cuba, International, International, Music, South Africa | Comments Off on “Congo to the Mississippi”: Recent Socially Conscious Music from Africa and the Americas

The Decline of African Languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois used to be one of the best universities for learning African languages. Emeritus professor of Linguistics Eyamba Bokamba would always say, “here in Illinois we offer African languages from A to Z, Arabic to Zulu.” Unfortunately, … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, African Americans, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off on The Decline of African Languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Struggles against Global Aquaculture: Ongoing Conflict between Coastal Communities and Fishmeal Factories in The Gambia

In June, 2018, I protested alongside locals to plead with the Gambian government to mitigate the ongoing conflict between a fishmeal factory and Sanyang village residents. The Nassim factory processes sardinella into feed stock, a flour-type material, for the Chinese … Continue reading

 1,578 total views

Posted in Africa, Food Insecurity, International, International, Section | Comments Off on Struggles against Global Aquaculture: Ongoing Conflict between Coastal Communities and Fishmeal Factories in The Gambia

The U.S. Military in Africa: a Workshop for the Militarization of Foreign Policy

By Janice Jayes After four American servicemen were killed in in Niger in October, social media discussion fixated on President Trump’s insensitive remarks to the widow of one of the slain soldiers and questions about the logistics surrounding the unlucky … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Foreign Policy, International, military | Comments Off on The U.S. Military in Africa: a Workshop for the Militarization of Foreign Policy

African Liberation, Socialism, and Ghana Today

What do most Americans know or think they know about Africa? A number of stereotypes come to mind. African countries are unsafe and unhealthy, always at war, unstable, and poor. People are uneducated and lazy, and live in rural villages … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Ghana, International, Politics | Comments Off on African Liberation, Socialism, and Ghana Today

Mandela Remembered by Historian Teresa Barnes

Appeared originally at U of I News Bureau, 12/6/2013 Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an icon in the struggle that ended the country’s system of racial apartheid, died Dec. 5. He was 95. Teresa Barnes is a … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Human Rights, International, Voices of Color | Comments Off on Mandela Remembered by Historian Teresa Barnes