Why I’m suspicious of crochet braids
I am very suspicious of crochet braids. Not the faux dreadlocks, I love those! I’m a huge fan of dreadlocks but I can’t commit to real ones because I love changing hairstyles and letting go …
Tag: culture
In response to: Does being from the Caribbean make me ‘Of Africa’?
‘In Response To’ is a series with commentary from our readers As a Caribbean girl of African descent, the article, ‘Does being from the Caribbean make me ‘Of Africa’? immediately …
Eritrean Canadian Elsa Isaac broke out of the fashion industry to become her own boss
In a small, remote, mountainous village, when she was 4 months old, during the almost 30-year Eritrean war for independence, fashion stylist Elsa Isaac had a near-death experience. Her …
Guinean-Guyanese and Canadian: Wheelchair Sprint Racer Djami Diallo on Her Paralympic Dreams
With photography by Brenda Spielmann Wheelchair sprint racer Djami Diallo is not deterred by life’s complications and narrative complexity. In fact, she is deeply aware of the idea that some …
Can a Modern Day Afropolitan Have a Homeland?
With art by Laylie Frazier Homeland brings to my mind ‘belonging’, specifically having a physical space to call home. While the idea of having physical roots, to a country or a city that …
Rewriting Africans Back into Dutch History
The Curator series re-examines historical depictions of Africa and the Diaspora If I was asked four years ago, when I came to the Netherlands as an exchange student, what does ‘Homeland’ …
Are Egyptians Africans? Our Egyptian correspondent asks and answers
Back in August 2016, the hashtag #IfAfricaWasASchool took over twitter for a couple of weeks. And while it was funny (sometimes, hilarious!) to follow the different perspectives everyone had …
Belgian or Congolese? Our Writer Wrestles with Her Identity
I am in a situation that I have been in too many times before, and as is usually the case with things you’ve tolerated for way too long, I’m finding it incredibly difficult to contain …
African Dutchmen: How Going Back Home Reminded Me of Who I Am
As someone who was born and raised in the Netherlands, from Caribbean descent, I grew up being quite proud of my love for cheese, milk, and detailed monetary budgeting. My mother, on the …
Filmmaker Anderson West on How His Debut Film Diembe Unpacks Racism, the African Mother Trope and More (Part Two)
Anderson West is a filmmaker who is always looking for new stories to tell and his latest film, the Of Africa Cinema Homeland feature Diembe, is a shining example of his storytelling …