Why am I insulted when people mistake me for a samba dancer?

brazilLet me give you some snippets of what it is like to be black in Brazil: A few months ago Ana*, a well-to-do, Afro-Brazilian friend of mine, dressed in head-to-toe perfection, was asked to go into the service entrance of her (white) friend’s apartment building (yes, residential buildings in Brazil have separate service entrances for the exclusive use of housekeepers, gardeners, plumbers etc.). She was livid and spewed her wrath at the doorman, insisting that she be shown the regular entrance..

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A Nation Built on the Back of African Slavery

It began with 246 years of legal slavery that extracted wealth from the lives of Africans in America. At the time of the Civil War, close to a little over 4 Million African were enslaved 23 per center of the American's total population. After the war which institutionalized injustices focused on stealing their land and jobs and ensuring that Africans did not build wealth as fast as the rest of Americans.


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East Africa Meets London Cool In Guatemalay

Conceptualized in February 2014 by Rio de Janeiro’s Juliana Luna and the California-born, Atlanta-based Vanessa Coore, Project Tribe is a stylish platform intended to connect likeminded women across the globe. “This movement, although initially aimed to inspire women of color, has managed to connect with men and women of all backgrounds,” the founders say. “Our purpose was to build a community of people who come together to uplift, encourage and inspire one another, no matter where they are in the world.” -

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Dominican dance declared ‘cultural heritage’

Bachata is a dance and genre of music that originated in the countryside and rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic in the early 20th century and has now spread to Europe and the United States.

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Celebrating African-Canadian Culture

Within Canada and around the world, we take time during the month of February to remember the importance of African-Canadian culture, and prominent figures that have impacted society. Recognized by Parliament in 1995, Black History Month provides Canadians with information regarding important events and people pertaining to this rich history.

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Cuba embraces Bob Marley

Thirty-two Marley posters from the collection of the International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC) are to go on show in the Caribbean state as part of an exhibition and seminar titled ‘Bob Marley Time Will Tell’. The 32 works from poster designers represent Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Poland, Egypt, Romania, South Korea, United States, Iran, Greece and others. This event is part of a broader International event that will take place at Casa De Las Americas, the 6th Edition of the International Colloquium ‘Cultural Diversity in the Caribbean’ Conference.

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How the afro returned to the catwalk – and why it matters

For 15 years – or 30 runway seasons in fashion speak – Prada had no black models on its catwalks. After the 1990s, a decade of fashion in which the clothes were being overshadowed by the larger than life supermodels wearing them, Miuccia Prada took control of matters by hiring a seemingly endless stream of white, eastern European models. Then came Jourdan Dunn in 2008, followed by a growing list of black, Asian and Hispanic models, including Malaika Firth, Prada’s first black campaign star in 19 years. It’s a known fact within the fashion world that where Prada goes, the rest of the industry follows. And so the very same brand that ushered in an era that shut out non-white models helped bring models of colour back in.

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