Monday 23 August: Slavery Remembrance Day

 Painting depicting the rebellion on the night of August 22-23, 1791, in Bwa Kayiman, Saint-Domingue

August 23rd is the International Remembrance Day of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. On 23 August 1791, enslaved Africans on the island of Saint-Domingue (Haiti) rebelled and started the fight for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade that lasted from the 16th to the 19th century.

Approximately 17 million men, women and children were deported from their homes during the transatlantic slave trade, also know as the African Holocaust. Arthur Torrington (The Equiano Society) told Black Mental Health UK: "The plantations were no different from a concentration camp.  People were  routinely abused and brutalised and were forced to work in the most inhumane conditions.  They could not run away from it and so they died there."

Breaking the silence: Learning About the Transatlantic Slave Trade  

Wyclef Jean to appeal disqualification

On Friday 20 August, Wyclef Jean was disqualified from the Haitian presidential election race due to take place on 28 November because he hasn't lived in the country for the five consecutive years leading to the election.

He said in a statement: "It is with a heavy heart that I tell you today that the board of elections in Haiti has disqualified me from my run for the presidency of the country. Though I disagree with the ruling, I respectfully accept the committee's final decision, and I urge my supporters to do the same. We must all honor the memories of those we've lost--whether in the earthquake, or at anytime--by responding peacefully and responsibly to this disappointment."

The singer is to appeal the decision as he was allowed to travel and represent Haiti abroad after President Rene Preval appointed him as a roving ambassador.

My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage

Watch the interview of Regina Campbell, Director, about the genesis of My Nappy Roots, her fascinating documentary on African-american hair care. The documentary covers all the periods from the slavery to today.

Campbell goes through the social processes that encouraged women and men to relax, the stigmas coming along with afros and the recent surge of natural african hair care.

http://video.aol.com/video/my-nappy-roots-a-journey-through-black-hair-itage-dir-regina-kimbell/1850449

Before Obama...

This post will be controversial but before Barack Obama, another black man gathered huge crowds and delivered powerful messages to the whole world.

Michael Jackson. His songs were all about "keeping the faith" (Keep the faith, Dangerous) and "making that change" (Man in The Mirror, Moonwalker).

I grew up with Michael, among other artists, and even though I couldn't understand his lyrics because I didn' speak English at the time, I could see the videos.

Compare his lyrics with what kids hear today! Of course there are currently some talented artists who have a lot of interesting things to say. But they're not mainstream and I wonder what (added) values the others bring to the young audience.

Here's a comparison:

Michael Jackson, Man in the mirror:



Soulja Boy, Get silly:

Bi-racial president

Barack Obama is officially the new president of the United States!!!

I immediately called a relative in Cameroon to measure the impact of the news outside western countries. Everyone over there is celebrating the election of a black man at the head of the world's most powerful country.

You're probably asking yourself what the elections have to do with hair. We wanted to give our little touch to the news.

During the US campaign, many questions aroused about Obama's identity. Is he black? Is he white? We couldn't help but wonder what 'biracial' meant. We found a definition with a woman's touch.

With her poem, Zora Howard reminds those who questionned the symbolic of this election what the African-american people had to go through.

Debate: is 'natural' hair less attractive?

I've been natural once upon a time.

Today I'm wearing a weave and I have to say that I saw the difference, not only in the way men perceive me and pay attention, but also with the rest of the society.

Do black men really pay more attention to women with relaxed hair? Are natural women really looked down on in the community?

See her answer (she talks a bit too much so feel free to skip the beginning):



Isn't she lovely? (vid from mimi):

Condoning slavery

More than 40,000 people are held slaves in Niger. A west african court recently punished the country for condoning these practices. But how fast will the culture change?

Full story in The Guardian