The UK’s major towns and cities are famed for their diverse non-indigenous populations. According to the Office of National Statistics’ 2011 census records that almost 100,000 Ghanaians are living in Britain with big cities such as London, Birmingham, and Manchester having significant populations. But it has not always been the way. Continue reading “England’s African towns”
With the current explosion of African textiles in global fashion, I am fairly sure that many of you reading this will have one or two pieces making a home in your wardrobe. Continue reading “Could Ghana take a leaf out of Tanzania’s textile industry?”
Robert Badu is an amateur artist whose gift has been nurtured by a fascination with Asante cultural symbols (such as Asante gold weights), vibrant colours and everyday people. Continue reading “Amateur artist and his fascination with everyday people”
I start this blog on the premise that most of us accept today that Africa is the cradle of mankind and that despite the geographical and political demarcations that separate North and Sub-Saharan Africa, all its inhabitants were originally one. Continue reading “Cheikh Anta Diop – The Pharaoh of Knowledge”
When you are struggling to find the words to say something heartfelt, sometimes there’s no better way than through a card. But what do you do when there is no card that aptly expresses that ‘you love the shit’ out of your other half? I guess you go out and make one. Continue reading “Showing some love with Ghanaian card company Yobbings”
British-Ghanaian journalist and videographer Kai Lutterodt can trace her ancestry back five generations to the Tabom people, (check part one ‘Roots and culture I’ here). The Taboms were an Afro-Brazilian community of former slave returnees, mainly of Yoruba descent, that migrated to Nigeria initially and then settled in Ghana*. Continue reading “Part2: The enduring legacy of Brazil’s Tabom in Ghana”
The story of how the Tabom people (an Afro-Brazilian community of former slave returnees mainly of Yoruba descent*) that migrated from Brazil to West Africa has long fascinated me. Those of you who know me know of my love affair with Brazil, my search for its Twi-speaking community and my crazy experiences in the country over four trips. Continue reading “Part1: Ghana’s Tabom heritage”
Sharing stories is a simple way all of us can disseminate knowledge, experiences and inspire others around us to aim high. That is why I started writing. Below are six initiatives created by ordinary Black men and women that are helping to shape our creative landscapes. Feel inspired to do the same and please share. Continue reading “Six creative initiatives Black Britons are spearheading in 2016”
For me, this striking image typifies just how pivotal we Black people have been in shaping the modern world. Continue reading “Black canvas, white letters – why discourse on slavery is always relevant”
British-Ghanaian director Amma Asante directed Belle – the story of a woman with African and European heritage in 2013. Her film signalled a welcome shift in the ownership of films about the other. But as Amma explains in this segment, having the creative control to tell the story how she would want it is still fraught with challenges. Continue reading “Amma Asante & Belle”
The burden of responsibility often placed on women whose children are born ‘imperfect’ in the eyes of society forced all of us watching Priscilla Anany’s film ‘ChildreN of the MountaiN’ to address some uncomfortable cultural truths still present in today’s modern world. Continue reading “Filmmaker explores the ‘burden’ of womanhood”
Should I be jubilating to learn that a total of three films made by Ghanaians and those from the diaspora will feature at the Film Africa festival in 2016? Continue reading “Film Africa 2016 and Ghana’s cinematic contributions”
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