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Terwijl Jamaica staat bekend als de bakermat van de reggaemuziek, het niet langer de titel als reggae hoofdstad f de wereld. Met reggae muziek legendes zoals Bob Marley, Peter Tosh en Jimmy Cliff nemen van reggae muziek en boodschap van liefde, vrede en positieve vibraties aan het wereldtoneel, reggae music has become […]

“Emanciperen jezelf van mentale slavernij….niemand anders dan onszelf kunnen bevrijden onze geest.” Deze woorden van reggae legende Bob Marley uit zijn nummer 'Redemption Song' zijn enkele van de meest krachtige woorden ooit gesproken. Echter, what many of us do not know is that these very words were first spoken by a man Bob Marley looked up […]

While it is communally known that many African countries, including South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania have large populations of people who are of South Asian descent, there has been limited documentation about African descendants in South Asia. Africans arrived in South Asia under various circumstances. Although a significant amount of South Asians of African descent […]

Many of the discussions involving dads/fathers revolve around their absence and the negative impact it has on their child’s development. Echter, many of us fail to acknowledge or celebrate the incredible fathers who not only fulfill their duties as role models for their children but who also provide an example for other fathers. To a large extent, […]

Een Drum is niet alleen een Drum. Voor de meeste Afrikanen, muziek en dans zijn de ultieme uitingen van het leven, cultuur, geschiedenis en traditie. De trommel, de belangrijkste muziekinstrument, creëert aanstekelijke klanken en ritmes remt ooit enkele vezel in je lichaam en overstijgt u naar de spirituele wereld. While many people view the drum as merely being a […]

Ethiopian born couture bridal gown designer Amsale Aberra has become the ‘it’ designer for some of Hollywood’s most famous stars including Halle Berry, Selma Hyak and Julia Roberts, just to name a few. Hailing from the Ethiopia, Amsale notes that in her native country, she never envisioned being a designer because “in Ethiopia there were […]

Rampant poverty, unemployed youths, drugs, state wide corruption and gang violence are just some of the social ills that can lead to people searching for alternatives. One such alternative, as recently exposed by document released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, could be Islamist extremism for frustrated Jamaican youths. According to the leaked documents from Jamaica’s U.S. […]

Ondanks de komst van het kolonialisme en het hebben van een constante discriminatie door de dominante mestizo en criollo populatie verduren, Afro Ecuadorianen zijn erin geslaagd om een ​​eigen identiteit te behouden, diep verankerd met hun Afrikaanse cultuur en tradities bijna vier en een halve eeuw. Unlike the Garifuna who strongly associates with and maintains a rather equal identification […]

Upon hearing that Jennifer Hudson, an American, was chosen to portray one of their most prominent and captivating figures, Winnie Madizki-Mandela, the the Creative Workers Union of South Africa lambasted Hollywood for undermining South Africa’s efforts to develop their own film industry. Hailed by many as the ‘mother of the nation’, Winnie Mandela’s life as […]

"Mijn moeder stuurt me terug naar de Filippijnen, omdat ze denkt dat ik ben te grof. Ze zei dat ze me hier niet kan verslaan, want ze zou in de problemen komen. Ze stuurt me terug, zodat ik kan worden geleerd respect en moraal en zij zullen u verslaan om ervoor te zorgen dat u deze dingen te leren!" […]

The saying that ‘behind every successful man, there is a woman’ has been exemplified time and time against in South Africa during the struggle against Apartheid. Such was the case of Albertina Sisulu, een “colossus” of strength for her late husband Walter Sisulu against the Apartheid regime. Mama Sisulu’s late husband Walter has was a […]

Het zal moeilijk zijn voor veel Dominicanen naar hun Afrikaanse afkomst verloochenen buiten hun land, omdat door de meeste normen, vooral in Noord Amerika en Europa, velen van hen kijken en worden beschouwd als 'Black.' Veel Dominicanen bezitten phonotypical kenmerken toegeschreven aan 'zwarten', zoals donkere gelaatskleur en krullend haar. Echter, the notion of ‘Blackness’ in […]

De meeste Noord-Amerikaanse kinderen leren morele lessen door cartoons en verhaal boeken, echter, in het Caribisch gebied, we leren van die ervaringen via volksverhalen aan ons doorgegeven door onze ouderen. Als een kind opgroeit, Ik kon niet wachten tot mijn grootmoeder om me te vertellen Anansi verhalen. Ik verwonderde me over haar / zijn slimheid, envied its/ his seemingly indestructibleness and admired its/his ability […]

It is refreshing to see men whose word is their bond. It is also inspiring to see that there are still athletes who display all of the qualities of a true role model. Such is the case of New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards who made good on a promise he made a few years […]

Gill Scott-Heron was an African American poet, activist, jazz, blues and soul musician. Many have credited him for developing the hip hop and neo soul music genres. Laden with messages of political activitism, Scott-Feron introduced the world to music and spoken word that was delivered in rapping and melismatic vocal styles. He was also an […]

I remember how special I felt when at the age of 12, I was told that I will be moving to Toronto, Canada. I was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to go ‘ah foreign’ and live a life of luxury! I would get to eat all the fancy foods and cereals […]

Buiten Afrika, Latijns-Amerika, in het bijzonder Brazilië, heeft de grootste bevolking van de Afro-afstammelingen. De identificatie en de vereniging van Afrikaanse afkomst in Latijns-Amerika met hun wortels, geschiedenis en cultuur verschillen van land tot land. Hier bij Orijin, onze missie is om de aansluiting van alle Afrikaanse afdaling door onze gedeelde cultuur en geschiedenis te vergemakkelijken. We hope […]

We have seen “Heel Toe” in Reggae , “Harlem Shake” in Hip-Hop, “Dougie” en veel meer. However there is a arise of a new dance/music genre from Africa in the main stream called Kwaito Beyonce’s new video for ‘Who Run The World’ has only been out for a matter of days and everyone keep wanting […]

Remember those days when rap and hip hop music were more than just catchy hooks, the bling and the nice whips? Remember when rap and hip hop had a purpose? When it served as the ultimate mouthpiece for the poor and oppressed masses? When rhyming was a skilled art that required the clever interplay of […]

Beyonce recently released her much anticipated 1 st single off her upcoming album title ‘4.’ Known for songs about woman empowerment and endearment, Beyonce stays true to her core and affirms that girls run the world. While many women rule their households, their presence on the world stage has been few and far in-between. Men continue to dominate […]