TwitterFacebookInstagram

Culture April 2021

Uganda. Empako a sign of respect among the Batooro.

Besides their family names, the Batooro have pet names called empako. It was a sign of social identity. When greeting each other, the Batooro use the empako. It must be mentioned as part of the greeting. Tta Akiiki! Tta Abwooli!  That was how we saw people in Tooro share pleasantries as soon as they come…

Read more

Venezuela. The Indios Warao: the ‘Boat People’.

The Warao indigenous people inhabit the states of Bolívar, Monagas, Sucre and Delta Amacuro in the eastern part of Venezuela. The majority of them lives on the banks of the Orinoco River in the Delta Amacuro. This tribe, which is currently estimated to number about 50000, is the second-largest indigenous group in Venezuela, after the…

Read more

Music. Jonas Gwangwa. Antiapartheid jazz leader.

The South African musician and composer was active both in music and in politics. At the cost of exile. Together with Hugh Masekela, a reference point for jazz enthusiasts. He died on 23 January, the same day on which, in 2018, Hugh Masekela passed away. The South African trombonist Jonas Gwangwa was just eighteen months…

Read more

Brazil. Capoeira, the dance of the resistance.

A martial art that combines dance, self-defence and music, with its roots in ritual Bantu dances. In Brazil, it is the symbol of the fight against racism and social exclusion. It is not just a way of fighting but an expression of cultural identity, in particular that of the African-Brazilians. Dancing, singing, oral culture and…

Read more

Advocacy

Myanmar. Paul Sein Twa. Preserving Ancestral Territory.

“What we would like to achieve when we talk about peace. Peace means self-determination. Peace means biological conservation. Peace means revitalization of our culture and…

Read more

Baobab

Inca. The Island of the Sun.

At that time Viracocha, the creator God, looked down upon the earth. He saw it was bare, shrouded in impenetrable darkness, for daylight did not yet…

Read more

Youth & Mission

Celebrating African youth.

“Young Africans are playing an active role in bringing social change in the continent. They are contributing daily to the benefit of their communities and nations…

Read more