Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months
Cous cous, a popular emblematic dish of North Africa, has been placed on the list of intangible cultural heritage by Unesco, at the joint request of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia. It was something quite rare in the history of the Maghreb countries when Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, in March 2019, together presented the…
Read moreThe importance of medicinal plants in primary health care systems to treat and manage various disease conditions cannot be underestimated. Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov (Family Canellaceae); whose common name is ‘pepperbark tree’, is one of the highly commercialized medicinal plant trees. It has been documented in many folkloric and ethnobotanical studies conducted in east, central…
Read moreThe discovery by Egyptian archaeologists of more than a hundred sealed sarcophagi in the necropolis of the Ancient Kingdom of Memphis (2700-2192 B.C.) will allow researchers to gain information about daily life in this place. There are places whose sacred nature remains alive over the course of centuries or even millennia. This applies especially to…
Read moreThe Sami have always lived in the far north of the continent. Historically oppressed and assimilated, they are today fighting to keep their culture and traditions. All despite advancing modernisation. The Sami are an indigenous people numbering around 75,000. They are divided by the borders of four countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia –…
Read moreMedicinal plants continue to play vital roles in primary health systems globally. A number of plants have the ability to synthesize a wide variety of vital phytochemical compounds as secondary metabolites that have the ability to effectively treat various ailments affecting mankind. One of such potent medicinal plants is Psorospermum febrifugum Spach (Hypericaceae Family} which…
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The Guji are an ethnic group of southern Ethiopia. They belong to the great family of the Oromo. Traditionally semi-nomadic, today they live more from agriculture than cattle-raising. A glance at some aspects of their life and culture. They are around five million people scattered around the most southerly area of the immense territory called…
Read moreThe Andean peoples preserve their ancient wisdoms with great care in order to lead a good life. Wisdoms that have been transmitted for hundreds and thousands of years. The wisdom of water. We Andean people consider our Pachamama as the Mother of the universe, as the Mother of the Pacha. The name Pachamama is made…
Read moreThe New York music house Ostinato Records recently released a Groupe RTD album – a Djibouti band composed of civil servants – the first to take modern music beyond the borders of the country in the Horn of Africa. The international diffusion of modern music in the Horn of Africa came late on the scene…
Read morePiliostigma thonningii, common name ‘camel’s foot’, is a leguminous, deciduous tree with a single stem, native to tropical Africa. It grows in open woodland, savannah regions, and wooded grassland in low to medium altitudes. It is a multipurpose tree of vast importance for health. This evergreen species is a good shade tree that fixes nitrogen…
Read moreAimed at Africans and the diaspora, the Pan-African Museum of Heritage and Culture in Accra (Ghana) is a project in the name of black pride and memory. Opening in 2022. The man who thought up the idea of the project is Kojo Yankah, former MP and minister in the government of president Jerry Rawlings (in…
Read moreIn the African context, Ubuntu is a religious belief which concerns the need for humans to live together positively. This belief is found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. Africa on the whole did not develop a written means of communication. African traditional religion is handed down orally. Unlike the other great ancient religions, for instance…
Read moreOn the Madagascar plateau the bodies of the dead are exhumed from their tombs and brought out for a day of celebration which, with singing and dancing renders homage to their dead. Close to the edges of the rice fields connecting the valleys of the central highlands, flickering lights can be seen in the darkness…
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“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…
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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…
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“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…
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