Video: "Margins to Mainstream: The story of Black theatre in Britain" To premiere in May

Via Shadow And Act
Produced by Nu Century Arts, Birmingham, in partnership with the Octavia Foundation, Margins to Mainstream: The Story of Black Theatre in Britain is a groundbreaking film that builds on previous theatre heritage projects delivered by Nu Century Arts, exploring the history and heritage of black theatre in Britain.

Video: Mini-lecture - London's Black history

In the video Caroline Bressey from London's global university gives a mini lecture about London's Black History.

Luis Gama - The first great black leader of Sao Paulo

In our series Black History around the globe, the story of Afro-Brazilian Luis Gama.

By Toyin Ashiru

Luís Gonzaga Pinto da Gama (June 21, 1830 — August 24, 1882) was a Brazilian Romantic poet, journalist, lawyer and a prominent abolitionist


Luis Gama was born in June 21 1830 in Salvador the capital of Bahia which in the 1800s was the most important city for the slave trade in Latin America.

Video: Ilê Aiyê ft Criolo - "Ilê Aiyê" - Celebrating African carnival in Bahia Brazil

The Afro-Brazilian group Ilê Aiyê and Brazilian rapper Criolo joint together for the video "Ilê Aiyê". The video is sponsered by the Brazilian energy company Petrobraz.

VIEWS: Colonial Mentality in Africa

UK guest blogger Kemi traveled to Africa. She thought she would be re-immersed into her original roots and culture, but she found something else. 


 

Colonial Mentality, by Kemi

In 2010, I longed for a change of environment, and decided I wanted to travel to other parts of the world for some time, and then thought going to Africa for a year would be ideal since many had accused me of losing touch with my roots, so off I went to West Africa to spend one year in Nigeria.

Alabama Shakes - The soul-rock band from Alabama tours Europe

Alabama Shakes is the American pop sensation at this moment and they are touring Europe.

Omar Sy Addresses Charges Of "Uncle Tom Racism" In French Comedy "Intouchables"

Via Shadow and Act
The French film Intouchables is a hit in France. White and Black French alike, love the film. Even in (Francophone) Africa it is a great succes, wrote Sibo in his review. But the American film magazine Variety called it "The kind of Uncle Tom racism one hopes has permanently exited American screens." It's clear that French people love it and Americans probably will hate it?

"Am I Black Enough for You?" - Visual artists debate about their Black-Dutch identity

Debate:  Am I Black Enough for You? - Photo: Aad Hoogendoorn

When Black Swedish artist Makode Linde pictured himself black-faced and screaming in front of a cake portraying a mutilated African woman, he probably would have counted to ten if had lived in the US or in an African country. But perhaps the complexity of a being a Black artist in Europe creates another perspective.

In a debate “Am I Black Enough for You?", which was held in the Netherlands, Dutch Black artists discussed the perspective of being a Black artist in a European country.  Does Black in The Netherlands mean the same as Black in Anglo-American regions? Should you present yourself as being from an immigrant background, as multicultural or as Dutch? And should you look inward to reflect on your own Black history, instead of confronting the Dutch public with your colonial history? And last but least, should an artist be politically engaged?

Film: "RasTa - A Soul’s Journey" - With Bob Marley's Granddaughter

Bob Marley's granddaughter Donisha Prendergast in India

Since the 1960‟s, journalists, scholars and filmmakers have been examining the Rastafarian movement in an attempt to explain its origins and its core beliefs. Today, there is a growing collection of literature and films about Rastafari and now, RasTa: A Soul‟s Journey is a welcome addition to this expanding body of work.

Swedish artist Makode Linde defends his "racist" black woman cake

The Swedish artist who made the blackface cake that has caused an international firestorm is himself a black man and says he created the cake to critique Western ideas of blackness. In a video interview with Al Jazeera, Makode Linde also said Sweden’s Minister of Culture, whose laughter at the cake angered many, had nothing to do with his decision to present it. ”She wasn’t aware of how the cakes would look,” Linde said. “And when she saw the cake and found out that it was partly alive, she got quite suprised.

Read the full story at our content partner Dominion of New York.

Swedish minister causes stir over cutting a cake depicting a naked black woman

Minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth cuts cake depicting a black woman: Photo, Facebook

The National Association of Afro-Swedes calls for the resignation of Culture Minister Lena Adelsohn Roth. At the celebration of World Art Day April 15 she cut up a cake portraying a naked black woman. According to the association, she participated in a "tasteless racist manifestation."

More Than XY: a visual tribute to Black Fathers & Positive Black Role Models

Curated by Thenublack and the forFATHERS project More Than XY is an exhibition that will celebrate the role of Fathers and positive role models in the Black community. The curators of More Than XY are mounting this show to increase the awareness of the fathers who are active parents in their children’s lives and to provide exposure for the artists expressing their views of fatherhood through visuals.

Video: Melanie Scholtz from Cape Town – “Hypnotized”

Melanie Scholtz, the Jazz singer from Cape Town South Africa. This video is her debut single of her 2010 release 'Connected'.

French Presidential candidate: ‘Vote for me, Ni**as in Paris!’

What has Hip-Hop to do with the 2012 French presidential election? In order to get more votes from young blacks and Arabs in the suburbs, the left wing candidate François Hollande recently YouTubed his latest campaign video with the music of “Niggas in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West. In the video he is walking in the French suburbs surrounded by black and Arab people.

New York: How one Black female farmer grows healthy food for her community

Natasha Bowens interviews a young woman at East New York Farms. Photo by Hugues Anhes.

Because green and Black is a much needed combination, today the story of Natasha Bowens. She is a  farmer and food activist in New York, who is making a difference in her community. 

This story originally appeared on Dominion of New York, the international magazine of black intellectual swagger.

Michael Kiwanuka: The Freshest Soul from the UK

It is time to feature one of the best soul artists of the moment on this blog. His most succesful song yet is 'Home Again'. I guess most people must have heard this great song already. I posted the video below

Being Black in the Czech Republic

Photo: Viktor Chlad, Lidové noviny - Martin Kříž teaching Chinese

Hat tip Blackgermans 
In the last posting (for now ) in the series on Black people in the Czech Republic, two interviews. The first is a radio interview on Czech radio with Martin Kříž, who talks about his “painful experience” of growing up as a mixed-race child in more or less mono-cultural pre-1989 Prague.

Black Czech writer Zmeškal won EU Prize for Literature in 2011

Czech writer Tomáš Zmeškal, who was born as the son of a Congolese father and a Czech mother in Prague, won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2011 for his debut novel “Love Letter in Cuneiform Script” (Milostný Dopis Klínovým Písmem) set in post-war Czechoslovakia through the collapse of communism.

Black in Czech - TV News presenter Zuzana Tvarůžková

Photo by Alexandr Dobrovodský from Reflex

Zuzana Tvarůžková, a TV News Presenter of the Czech Television, made a report (video below) about her home town Litvinov. In the report she talks about what is was like growing up there, in a time her presents was not considered a common phenomenon.

Yemi Akinyemi’s JAD Prague Dance Company and Kanye West’s “Runaway"

In the series Black people in Czech, today the Czech-born Yemi Akinyemi. He is the executive producer of the JAD Prague Dance Company and had his big break in 2010 as the choreographer of Kanye West's video “Runaway".

Black people in Czech - Meet opera singer Filip Bandžak

This week a few stories about black people in the Czech Republic. A good start is the famous opera singer Filip Bandžak. For opera lovers he needs no introduction, for the rest of us meet the young black and gifted singer who has become one of Czech's most famous opera singers of his generation.

Chaka Khan - Super Life (subliminal)

I don't know if subliminal messaging works, but it's worth the try.