When Fela Anikulapo-Kuti died, a part of the Nigerian music scene and indeed, the world nursed a heartache and the death of music, the type that stirs your soul and not just your feet. Fela was not just a harbinger…
Eukonkanto: The Wife-Carrying Competition In Finland
You may have come across several “strange” cultural practices; some would grip you with fear, while others would leave you astonished. The Eukonkanto or Wife-carrying competition in Finland falls into the latter category. Strange as it might sound, Eukonkanto or…
“Black Is King” Is A Celebration Of African Tradition
On Friday, 31st of July, Beyonce released her third visual album “Black Is King” exclusively on the streaming platform, Disney+. The film serves as a visual companion to the 2019 album “The Lion King: The Gift,” a tie-in album curated…
Appreciating The Cultural/Historical Aesthetics Of Ile-Ife To The Yorùbá Race
Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé, Ilẹ̀ òwúrọ̀. Ibi ojúmọ́ rere gbé ń mọ́ wáyé. (Translation) Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé. The ancient land Where the breaking of the day began Between 1910 and 1912, Leo Viktor Frobenius (1873 –1938), a renowned ethnologist and archaeologist worked on…
Why Ubumuntu Arts Festival Would Be Virtual In 2020 – Hope Azeda
Hope Azeda is a known face in the arts scene in Rwanda and East Africa for close to two decades. She is unarguably one of the leading figures in contemporary Rwandan theatre scene. Azeda is the founder (amongst other official…
Colourism In Nollywood
A few days ago, the hilarious crime action film Sugar Rush was released on Netflix to its millions of subscribers. The film tells the story of the Sugar Sisters who discover a whopping sum of money and have to deal with the…
Nigeria’s Yoruba women announce their arrival in style
Nigerian photographer Oye Diran reimagines the fashion of the Yoruba people in a stunning series of images. When an aunt sent Oye Diran an old family photo, he was mesmerised by the high sense of fashion and style exhibited by…
Abiku/Ogbanje: A Regenerative Spirit Or Traditional Brouhaha
“Coming and going these several seasons, do stay out on the baobab tree” or “In vain your bangles cast charmed circles at my feet I am an Abiku, calling for the first and the repeated time”. The lines above are…
The Story Of The Fearless Women Warriors Of Dahomey
No tale about the Kingdom of Dahomey is complete without mentioning the women that contributed to its military might. From the 18th century to late 19th century, there existed a formidable army of all-female warriors in Dahomey in the present-day…
Traditional Marriage Rites In Nigeria
In Nigeria, like most African tribes, marriage is more than just the union of two individuals, it is the union of families and their ancestors. This is why you are likely to find similarities in the marriage customs of many…