Nekita

Orijin Culture as you know, was created to change the dominant perception and portrayal of Africa as being a place plagued with constant civil wars, famine and rampant poverty. Instead, we have embarked on a mission to ensure that the unspoken richness and beauty that Africa has to offer is brought to light.  We also hope […]

Resilience Manifested: Congolese Women Fight Back against Rape Many have expressed outrage about the recently published study in The American Journal of Public Health which estimates that women are being raped at a rate of nearly 1 every minute in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study is even more alarming since it’s suggested that […]

The Mississippi River is an important part of African American and  general American history. The Mississippi River stood as a symbol of both liberation and bondage for Blacks in the Deep South during slavery. The ports of the Mississippi River provided as a place to import African Slaves and also served as a place where Slaves […]

Biologist Dr. Quentin D. Atkinson from the University of Auckland in New Zealand recently published an article in the journal science detailing how phonetic clues imply that modern human language originated in Southern Western Africa.  By looking at phonemes (the consonants, vowels and tones that are the simplest elements of language) and not words, Dr. Atkinson has […]

The Malawian proverb declares that “Mother is God number two”.  Mothers are the pillars of society. They nurture, protect and guide their children and occupy a scared place on earth because they are the bearers of human life. Motherhood is also a scared component of a woman’s life. Most women often express the welcomed sense of […]

Rapper and actor Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, aka Nas, couldn’t contain his excitement when he found out he won a National Sports Emmy for his ESPN documentary “Survival 1.” In accepting the award, Nas proclaimed “After all these years of making music, I am honoured to have this be the first award I ever won […]

Is this Culture to remain ‘As Is’ or to be revisited? PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE AND WATCH VIDEOS BEFORE RESPONDING Are people who consider the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be ‘backwards’ just ignorant because they are overlooking the cultural and traditional significance of the practice? Are some of us wrong deducing that FGM […]

Beauty brand Carol’s Daughter has released a brief video of the three recent new faces of their brand, singer/model Cassie, singer/DJ Solange and supermodel Selita Ebanks. All three women and their visibly varying hair textures represent the diversity inherent to Black hair. While hair maintenance is important to all women regardless of race, for many black women, […]

Kola Boof, born Naima Bint Harith, was revealed to be Osama Bin Laden’s mistress in 2002. Before images of Boof were made public, very little was known about her, other than the fact that she is of Egyptian-Sudanese orijin. Based on this description, she argues that the American media “summoned visions of an Arab-raised aristocrat who […]

Many of us were unaware of the troubling state of affairs occurring in South Africa under Apartheid rule  until we were moved by the troubling and heart wrenching photo of dying Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old shot by police during the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising. A powerful image of Hector dying in the arms of Mbuyisa […]

We have seen Reagan rise from an actor to President, Anold Schwarzenegger terminate his acting career to become governor, and now Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly has made the transition from pop star to Haitian President. The culture of presidency is changing. It no longer functions in the traditional sense.  Politics and its leaders are no […]

This video speaks volumes to the dilemmas many of us face. Whether we fall in love with someone of a different cultural, racial or religious background, we are always fearful of how members of our family or community will react when we deviate from paths we are expected to take.  It’s never an easy decision when […]

The International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) will celebrate its 30 th year on May 28 th, 2011 at the National Academy of the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, Trinidad.  Founded by entrepreneur, publisher and TV personality Ephraim M. Martin, the IRAWMA is considered to be the only awards show to recognize the contributions of […]

Reggae artist Vybz Kartel has managed to spark a global debate about the prominence of skin bleaching in the Black and non-white communities.   He has also responded to criticism about his visibly lighter complexion by equating skin bleaching to a personal preference and nothing else.  His remarks and defense of skin bleaching have enraged many and […]

Big-up to all my islanders dem for this one! Meet Monsta, an up-and-coming hip-hop artist and reggae artist J-Boog, both of Samoan/Hawaiian backgrounds. Monsta has a crazy flow and J-Boog is making big waves in the reggae scene.“This is Love” expresses what many of us feel but sometimes forget to express.  Family is the cornerstone of […]

While most of us have enjoyed the fast rhythms and catchy hooks of many of the popular songs today, many have been yearning for something more substantial and meaningful.  We reminisce about the days when music was not only infectious; it also filled that unexplainable void.  It touched the soul and enabled you to reach […]

We have all recently witnessed the surge of African music in North America and the rest of the world.  However, the story of 33-year-old Nigerian singer Emmanuel Uwechue takes the influence of African musicians to a whole new level. Uwechue rose to prominence in the Chinese pop world after singing love songs in the native […]

Many of us know Junior Reid for his hit song ‘One Blood.’  The song’s popularity reached a larger international audience after hip hop artist The Game sampled and featured Reid’s song on his hit ‘It’s Okay (One Blood)’ from the album Doctor’s Advocate in 2006. ‘One Blood’ expresses the unity of ALL regardless of backgrounds. Sticking true to […]

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
~ Steven Biko
 
(Watch Video)

U.S. president Barack Obama is being credited for the steady increase of tourists visiting Ghana’s Cape Coast.  The West African country is home to the Cape Coast Castle, a prominent former slave trade fort.  President Obama chose Ghana for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, after being elected president in 2009.  Accompanied by his wife and […]